After I Died

Matching Porcelain

Jay opens the door to the dean's office and we file in. Her office is quite pleasant, oak floor panels and beige wallpaper, with detailings of flowers on vines, twisting all over the walls. Her desk was situated directly across from the door, and was... partially organized. A laptop sat in the middle, and papers were neatly stacked in a small gold-wired basket next to it, as well as a small receiver phone. On the other side of the laptop was a small potted kind of succulent looking thing I'd never seen before. Perhaps it was exotic? The rest of the desk was littered with papers that evidently hadn't made it into the basket yet, as well as several more succulents and decorative rocks apparently being used as paperweights. There were several awards framed on the wall behind the desk, as well as an old wooden cuckoo clock in the middle and the whole place smelled of lilac. But the most interesting thing in the dean's office was the dean herself.

You've likely heard the expression 'lighter than air' and the dean looked just that, as she appeared to be made of something like mist. Her skin(?) was an ever slow spinning of clouds, though they kept shape enough to make out features like her face and fingers. Her hair was a fluffy looking cloud of similar color, in the shape of a messy bun on her head, several strands trailing from behind her ears, which were decorated with earrings in the shape of miniature mushrooms. She was wearing a knitted, button up cardigan, except instead of yarn, it seemed to be made with leaves, with acorn caps as buttons. She was also wearing a pair of round, thin rimmed glasses, made of what looked like circular twigs.

"Jay, Elise! How nice to see the two of you!" She said, her voice smooth and sweet, like honey. She then noticed me. "Oh, a new student? Lovely! Come, sit!" She beckoned me forwards, to the comfortable looking padded wicker chair seated in front of her desk. I sat down, sinking into the plush cushions and feeling much more at ease. "I'm Ms. Belle, though you can call me Ada if your comfortable." I wasn't quite that comfortable yet, although I was currently very comfortable in this chair.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Belle." I said, nodding. She smiled warmly at me, then clapped her hands in realization.

"This calls for a spot of tea! Jay, Elise, I suppose you have a class to get back to?" She asked, looking past my head at them.

"Regretfully so Ms. Belle." Elise said, opening the door. "Goodbye."

"See ya later Ada!" Jay called as he descended the stairs after her. I turned back to Ms. Belle, who was pulling a small porcelain tea pot out of one of her drawers, along with two matching teacups, a small bowl of sugar cubes, and a tall porcelain container for pouring its contents out in a neat fashion. They all appeared to be a vintage set as well, white porcelain with carefully detailed flowers and vines.

"Tea?" Ms. Belle asked me, pouring some into her own cup with her swirling hands.

"Sure, but- why was there just tea... sitting in there. In your desk drawer?" As far as I'm concerned, you normally make fresh tea in the pot, not just leave it there.

"This teapot happens to be enchanted, to always have fresh tea." She says, pouring the fragrant liquid into my cup. "Milk? Sugar?" She asks, slightly tipping the tall container over her cup, a small amount of milk flowing from the small opening.

"Uh, just milk, please." I said, the tea smelled sweet enough already.

"Alright." She said, using small silver tongs to place a couple sugar cubes in her tea. She then pours some milk into my cup, swirling with the brown color of the tea. She puts her tea set back in the drawer.

"So, you're here to enroll? What's your name, dear?" She asks, searching through the papers scattered on her desk.

"I'm Kat." I said, waiting for her to find the paper. She picks one up and looks at it, before clearing a small space on her desk and grabbing a pen.