Bargaining with Her (part 2)
Feferi settled into the guest chair, though the thing was chosen for style over function and felt like it. Her mother's office was decorated like most of the house with an eye toward style and opulence with no regard for comfort.
The ebony desk itself was properly intimidating, a vast smooth, highly polished surface completely free of dust despite how rarely her mother was in residence. The office chair was highly carved and equally clean, with somewhat fanciful fish and waves worked into the design.
Feferi focused on sitting still and upright in the guest chair, determined to appear composed, relaxed, and in control whenever... if ever her mother chose to contact her. She was sure there were cameras tucked away somewhere in here. Perhaps in the scrollwork of the glass-fronted shelves or in the elegant crown molding that surrounded the ceiling. Feferi lived life in a fishbowl and behaved as such. No sense in throwing a fit that would only lead to greater restrictions. She sat up straight, smiling, and waited.
If there was one thing the elegant office lacked, it was a clock. Based on the fact that her legs were going to sleep from the uncomfortable chair, Feferi estimated that she had been waiting at least an hour before she finally heard the soft hum as the wall-mounted screen came to life. The camera eye set into the bottom of the screen made some robotic mechanical sounds as the image of her mother came into focus. She did not look pleased.
The silence stretched on for long moments as the Condesce watched her daughter with the flat indifference of a shark. The woman was sitting, relaxed, in an arm chair. If the call had come at an inconvenient hour, she showed no sign of it. Feferi finally cleared her throat, squared her shoulders, and opened her mouth. "M-"
"What is this about, Feferi," the Condesce cut across her, killing her momentum as sure as a knife. Fef scrambled to gather her wits and drew herself up in the chair, her hands resting demurely in her lap, careful not to clench them into fists. "I am going to to to regular school," Feferi announced. "It is time and past that I interact on normal terms with people my own age of a variety of backgrounds."
The Condesce fixed her with a cold stare, though a hint of interest quirked one corner of her mouth. She sat forward in her chair, one long finger tapping her chin, the nail sharpened to a point and lacquered a deep fuschia. "Is it now?" she asked with slight amusement, her critical gaze sweeping up and down her daughter. Even with the distance between them, Feferi could feel the weight of that stare.
"Yes," she said, willing herself to feel the confidence. "If I stay a solo fish in this tank forever I will be maladjusted and antisocial." Feferi was taken aback when the Condesce laughed, an unusually innocent sound that made the hair on the back of Feferi's neck rise. Still, she lifted her chin proudly and stared her mother down, though her heart was racing.
"You have been kept in a controlled environment for your own good, child," the Condesce said silkily, sitting back in her chair and resting her hands on the arms as though it were a throne. "What good can come of associating with the lower orders? They will have no effect on your life and can only lead you astray." The amusement lingered on that chilly face but the interest was dying.
"If I do not attend regular school I will not attend any school," Feferi declared, shoulders pulled back defiantly. "I will do no homework and I will not listen to any tutors you send."
"...Oh you will not..." the Condesce chuckled, but she leaned forward again, scrutinizing her daughter. "If I grant you this wish, there will be guidelines."
"Of course," Feferi responded, striving for the same cool that the Condesce excelled at, though her heart was pumping with excitement and she was scarce able to focus on her mother's terms.
"If your grades slip or you become too distracted by your new surroundings, the privilege will be revoked. Similarly if you are truant, defiant, or poorly behaved, the privilege will be revoked," the Condesce listed off almost absently, the new laws of Feferi's existence being sketched out in a bored tone. "You will continue to have extra lessons as I see fit to shore up unsatisfactory portions of the school's curriculum. If you make friends with unacceptables, the privilege will be revoked. I will expect regular updates and will compare your reports with those of your caretakers and discrepancies will be answered for."
Feferi nodded regally. "Agreed," she said with determined calm, though she was inwardly gleeful. Perhaps she should have demanded this earlier, this had gone so much better than she had been expecting!!
"Come summer vacation we will readdress this new arrangement. If your behavior has been unsatisfactory, you will return to obeying my curriculum. I will expect your proposal and understanding of the terms in writing by tomorrow evening," the Condesce said, sounding bored, and the transmission cut out.
"Good night Mother," Feferi said to the black screen, allowing herself a brief smile of triumph before rising with dignity and sweeping from the room in a fair imitation of her mother's imperious manner. She announced loftily to the disapproving butler that she would be attending the local school henceforth and to make the necessary arrangements before retreating (strategically) to her room.
With the door closed and the comforter shoved up against it, Feferi gave full rein to her glee, jumping up and down on her water bed until she realized that she needed to let someone know. Eridan would never approve... but Sollux would be pleased. She dug under a pile of stuffed animals until she unearthed her laptop and powered it up, bouncing with excitement. Regular school! Regular schoool!