Ting! Ting!!
Master Gabi tapped his brown mug with his spoon while seated. The response was a damping silence in the hall.
"Alright kiddos, how are you all doing today?"
The little children in the hall responded with a chorused 'fine', while most of the older ones simply looked on, awaiting the announcements.
"Haha! As some of you might have already noticed, we have a new member among us. Some of us have already familiarized ourselves with her." Gabi beaconed to Yvonne to stand.
"She here is our newest house mate. Can you tell us your name dearie?"
Yvonne felt shy suddenly. She thought Gabi was going to do the talking with her doing the smiling.
"Yuh.. I'm Yvonne. Yvonne Nundo! Uh, nice to meet you all!"
Most of the children banged their empty steel plates on the table in acknowledgement of Yvonne, who was already sweating at her introduction. Some of the children whistled while Moirai along with some of the elder children smiled at her awkwardness.
"What's your ability?!" A child from a nearby table shouted, trying to ask Yvonne.
"Uuh…I can…make you hungry again!" Yvonne got flushed at her joke. To her relief, the hall burst into laughter. Yvonne laughed gently under her breath. She didn't know if she was to reveal her power here.
"It's okay to tell them Yvonne," Master Gabi whispered to her. The child Yvonne made the joke on about was already feeling downcast at the joke made at his expense.
"Oh…" Yvonne felt she had to cheer the little kid up.
"But I can also make you chocolates, and apple tarts, and bear claws. Anything of your liking. Hmm?"
The little boy broke his depression with a smile and nodded wildly, much to Yvonne's relief. She couldn't afford to start as the villainous new comer here. The hall mellowed a bit, with some of the children engaging in discussions, mostly on whether those were Yvonne's true abilities.
"How's that useful in battle?" A thirteen year old boy asked.
Yvonne raised both her brows as she faced the boy. She felt she really had to tell her abilities now before the children gave her the wrong stereotype.
"Well, those are just my personal skills, my hobbies. In truth, I can do a lot worse."
She left the high table and walked down to the boy's table. She looked into his plate and saw his drumstick was barely eaten, just a bite taken. The boy watched her eyes and frowned at her as if to say 'back off it.'
Yvonne smiled.
""Now now, I'm not gonna eat it so don't worry. But can I please borrow it?"
Yvonne slammed her palms close while begging, making her crimson eyes appear cute under the Hall's florescent bulb light.
The boy groaned and begrudgingly agreed.
"Thank you," Yvonne said, smiling.
She touched the white ceramic plate containing the chicken, and within moments, the plate turned mossy-grey while the meat descended into decay, appearing black with grey filaments growing around it. The boy's face was filled with utter terror with his mouth agape.
"You're a witch!" The boy managed to mutter the words from his stuttering mouth.
Yvonne closed her eyes and giggled. She had noticed the children look at her with similar terrified looks.
"Well you're not quite right there. I'm a mirage, you're a wizard and the other ladies are the witches cus they can do magic hmm?"
Tears were welling in the boy's eyes.