'A WALK!' VETTA suddenly said, making most of the girls in the Wonder dorm jump.
'Oh, one of those,' Pirouette replied, not looking up from a very thick magazine she was working through as she sat upon her bed. She had printed it off in instalments and got it bound up in the school library. Now she appeared to be pulling it to pieces again as she selected certain pages to keep and others to discard.
'You are going on one of those walks of yours, by yourself,' Esper said, turning her purple eyes upon the girl as she sought a suitable hat and scarf.
'Yes.' Vetta paused and looked a little alarmed at what felt vaguely like an accusation. Esper smiled.
'I feel all will be well with your walk,' she said, smiling placidly. 'A good one.'
Vetta smiled back, now vaguely feeling she was conspiring with another in the spreading of joy.
'A good riddance,' Pirouette added. 'Ooh, I like that button fastener,' and the Perfectine tore out another page from the catalogue for reference.
Vetta did not hear either comment for she was out of the door and in the corridor at a rush, lest her courage fail her in the late afternoon glow. She was on a mission and had to be sure all was right.
An unclaimed coin was in her pocket and she sighed with relief. Thus she made her way down numerous carpeted steps, almost getting dizzy as usual with the repetitive nature of the descent until she arrived at the entrance hall where one of the great wooden doors remained partially ajar to allow discreet entries and exits for several hours yet before the evening meal which was effectively supper.
A third year she did not know entered just as she approached the door, blocking her path briefly, and she jumped back.
'I beg your pardon,' she said and let the taller girl through. In response the other paused, sized Vetta up, who shrank a little under this unexpected scrutiny, and then she grabbed Vetta's hat. In a moment she had replaced it again.
'You had it on the wrong way around,' she explained with a smile. 'Badge in front.'
'Oh my gosh. Thank you ever so much!' Vetta said in relief.
'Please do not gush. It was nothing,' the third year replied and walked on into the hallway. Vetta sighed again. She reminded herself that gratefulness must be measured in the land of Frangea. There were still so many little things like this to learn. She felt it would take a lifetime.
Once on the gravel path she indulged in a rare personal pleasure, so high were her spirits now she was almost a free agent. She crunched extravagantly upon the gravel path in a meandering way, savouring the pleasant sound and strange feeling underfoot.
'Who's making all that scrunching noise?' someone said from an open window and this effectively ended her selfish indulgence. At a sprint she made it to the main gate where a quiet evening greeting awaited her from the duty gatekeeper.
'Have a pleasant time, miss,' the man said, touching a finger to his hat.
'I hope I will,' she said happily. 'If I am not back in two hours...' She paused, wondering what to say next.
'Then you'll be late for supper miss,' the man supplied an answer.
'Yes. Goodbye.'
'Goodbye.'
With that she wandered down the curved pathway and out of sight.
'A curious little body, that one,' the man said to himself as the small figure receded into the distance. 'She'll do good in this world if I'm not mistaken, and the world lasts out the year.'