Morning started early for Scarlett Ishval at the unfavourable hours of 4:25 AM exactly, as she roused from her slumber with zero desire to do so, and yet she swiped a burnt finger over the dismissal icon on her smartphone's alarm app. Yes, 4:25 AM, the operation starting hours of a substitute teacher, as she dragged herself to her small washroom to brush her teeth - in the full understanding that she'd be powering down a bowl of some frosted cereal with marshmallows and a cup of coffee, hot and black, in five minutes - and brush the sleep-born tangles out of her hair. Heavily, Scarlett yawned herself into her kitchenette, as the coffee machine rumbled away; boiling away at the coffee roast like the dutifully.

“[color=add8e6]Good morning, Ms. Potts,[/color]” Scarlett greeted, as she rummaged through her cabinets, pulling out boxes of off-brand, (“[color=add8e6][i]But just as good,[/i][/color]”) boxes of cereal, until she found the wannabe of her choice, and opened her mini-fridge with her toes to it's apex, as she balanced the box in one hand and a bowl in another. To an outsider, Scarlett would have looked rather silly, trying to outpace the closing door, as she darted to the island/countertop/dinner table and back to the mini-fridge to snatch the carton of coconut milk before the door shut. However, to the uneducated masses, this was a clever little wake up exercise, as it tested her physical and mental acuity to move from point to point under a time constraint while balancing objects as well.

Some days, she succeeded to snatch the carton without issues. Some days, she would get her hand smushed by the rubber gasket on her way in or out. The time she smashed her fingernails directly into the door was a teaching moment that the pain of hitting one's fingernails against something at force was directly equivalent to their overall length, and she never grew them beyond an inch. Fortunately, today, however, was a success, as she extracted the carton, while the door went, "[i]whump~[/i]" seconds later.

Sitting down, Scarlett would start on her lesson planner for the week. Teaching children was not hard, per se, but planning how you would was. The children of mages were no less difficult to teach to than regular children - everyone needed to learn the sciences, arithmetic, history, and social studies, after all - so, it was the fact that she had to appeal to their egos installed by their parents and lineage. Fortunately, she had the advantage that they were, at the end of the day, children - teens, more specifically - and could be controlled by the simplest of systems:

Behavioral Reward and Punishment.

By 7:20 AM, with her next alarm ringing her phone, Scarlett would look up from her bowl of soggy cereal and half-empty mug of lukewarm coffee. Ritualistically, she would pour the coffee into the cereal, and drank the bowl of mixed liquids and semisolids, before setting the bowl and mug into the single compartment sink, and gathered her books and tomes for her journey across the campus to the classrooms. It struck her odd that Chaldea would locate a teacher so far away from the classroom that she had to undertake a forty-minute walk, but she supposed it was because she was just a substitute, and didn't need to be in more prestigious boarding, or maybe it had something to do with that Team B thing they bothered her about every odd weekday and all weekend long.

Whatever the reason be, Scarlett didn't intend to be deterred from her duties, first and foremost, of assuring these impressionable youths didn't wind up the same route she did.

However, that seemed to be a distant dream, as the winds of change blew upon her, and pushed her destiny back onto the path she'd renounced...

“[color=add8e6]Oh, my![/color]” she shouted, as she nearly impacted with someone that reeked of the potential of future inebriation, and some of her items spilled.

“[color=fdc68a][b]Oh, sorry![/b][/color]” Elise would say, deftly catching a dusty book that had fallen from the stack, placing it back on top. “[color=fdc68a][b]...That’s…a lotta books.You sure you can carry all that?[/b][/color]”

“[color=add8e6]I've been doing this all day,[/color]” Scarlett says, looking out from beneath her crimson hood.

“[color=fdc68a][b]Its only Eight though-wait.[/b][/color]”Elise would peek around the books, vaguely recognizing the woman. “[color=fdc68a][b]...No way. Scarlett!?[/b][/color]”

“[color=add8e6]Are you one of my students,[/color]” Scarlett asks. “[color=add8e6]Class doesn't start until nine. I still have to prepare the lesson planner for the week, so you have a question, you can ask after class.[/color]”

“[color=fdc68a][b]Huh?[/b][/color]”Elise would ask, taken off guard. “[color=fdc68a][b]...You’re not at Prague anymore. You know that right, Scarlett? You did bodyguard work for me for a while. Three years ago.[/b][/color]”

Scarlett looked at Elise for a moment, and suddenly drew a chain from around her neck with a unique vial strung to it, and a crimson liquid inside; Elise would be carrying its twin, with crimson liquid inside as well - two drops of blood, shared between two people, and join as a pact of friendship and sacrifice.

“[color=add8e6]Elise Barbette. I remember you,"[/color]” Scarlett says. “[color=add8e6]Mayhaps, not the years. But, I remember you,[/color]” she says, “[color=add8e6]What happenstance to cross paths here.[/color]”

Elise would chuckle at the recollection, saying: “[color=fdc68a][b]Been a while, yeah. Best bodyguard I ever hired. …Though, what a coincidence that you’re here at Chaldea too. Recent hire?[/b][/color]” Elise asked. 

“[color=add8e6]I'm afraid I don't particularly know,[/color]” Scarlett admits, “[color=add8e6]I was teaching at the Clock Tower,[/color]” she says, “[color=add8e6]'Wide Spectrum Academia Professor,' is... or was... my title. I may be the only professor here.[/color]”

“[color=fdc68a][b]I see…[/b][/color]” Elise said. “[color=fdc68a][b]We should probably get a mage specialized in healing to look at your cognitive functions. For now though, I’ll give you a basic rundown. And, you should probably keep a diary.[/b][/color]”

Scarlett was set to protest the idea, as well as point out that Elise was being rather rude in her presumptions, but it would do little good to chastise the drunk; they weren't in full control of themselves and their actions were inhibited, so they were able to wonton indulge in their more devilish thoughts and words. Scarlett would trust that Elise meant well, and spoke poorly.

And, a diary didn't seem like such a bad idea. If only to put her thoughts to paper.

Perhaps, her first entry would be how she felt rather fortunate that she was able to lose Elise by excusing herself to the restroom, and replacing herself with a relatively simple Alchemical Doll; the Alchemist's answer to the Mage's Paper Doll. It could take on her appearance, her voice, and would follow Elise around while answering questions with monosyllabic answers. As a person that was fairly reserved, the Doll would serve as Scarlett well, until it ran out of power and crumpled, or Elise figured out the deception. Regardless of which came first, Scarlett would be Miss Val once more, as she taught her 9:00 AM Homeroom; unconcerned with the inconvenience that Elise was taking her Doll for, as that had been a problem of Elise's own design to begin with.

Her second entry would likely be how displeased she felt to be so unceremoniously summoned by her higher-ups.

And, in the middle of math lessons, at that. How unprofessional.

Annoyed, though her face didn't show it, Scarlett would go to the location she'd been so rudely interrupted to rally at, and take notice of her compatriots - though, she couldn't remember their name, mostly because she wasn't trying to. She remembered they were part of the whole Team B thing, but, genuinely, that was as far as she dedicated memory to them. The loud one, she was fairly certain his name started with an L... [color=add8e6][i]Lance... Layton... Leon... Libra...[/i][/color]... That seemed right. The quiet one was... a C?... [color=add8e6][i]Curtis... Carter... Conner... Capricorn...[/i][/color]... Yeah, that was it. Libra and Capricorn. And, Elise. Her sacrifriend.

Now... Why was she even here again?[hr]Featuring dialogue from [@The Irish Tree]