Be Gay, Do Crimes: Ros Vs Everything, Apparently

sick of people trying to kill me just because I'm evil

[warning: strong language and mild to moderate violence in this chapter]

The night before the Trial, as typical for her dratted family, Rosalind had an unsettling dream.

She stood in the hall leading to Purity Tower, alone and rooted to the spot. Around her, voices were whispering; too low to be understandable, too many to be discernible, but whatever it was, she felt threatened.

Rosalind hated feeling threatened.

She turned angrily, but it seemed to be coming from all around her, and it was definitely getting louder. She was catching snatches of words, most prominently her name.

"What?" she demanded. "What do you want?"

She wasn't sure who she actually meant by you-- who was she talking to?-- but they were clearly enemies. She turned again--

And caught sight of the heel of a boot, wedged atop a carving of Arthur's head.

Ros looked up.

Her father was sitting in an alcove above her, the same one she'd hidden from a fairy patrol in, where she'd found their names scratched into the glass in her mother's crooked hand.

"Fancy seeing you here." Tedros said, amused. Rosalind pressed her lips together in irritation.

"I know, I'm not supposed to be here."

"Well neither am I." said her father. "Fairly sure I fell asleep at my desk. But here we both are."

"Get out of my dream."

"I think you should get out of my dream." Tedros looked around as the whispering got louder. "Sounds like conspiracy, doesn't it?"

"What are you even doing in my dream?" pressed Rosalind. "I don't think I've ever had coherent company before."

"That's the question. Probably here to deliver some horrible prophecy of doom."

He said it casually, unusually. Not how he usually fretted. He said it like Agatha would have said it.

"Dad." hissed Ros.

"I seem to be quite good at getting into dreams." continued Tedros musingly. "Plagued your poor mother with it in second year. Of course, she thought they were Nemesis dreams."

He grinned at her.

"Am I your Nemesis, Ros?"

"Of course you're not." snapped Rosalind, nervous and trying to hide it. "Mom was wrong. You were trying to warn her."

"Yes, on that rare occasion she was wrong. So, if I was trying to warn her, back then... what am I trying to tell you, now?"

Rosalind stared at him.

"...well, spit it out. What are you warning me about?"

"I've already told you, I think."

"What? You've done nothing but be evasive."

Tedros merely looked at her. Rosalind glared at him, frustrated.

"I don't have time for this."

"You remind me of myself, Ros."

"...is that a bad thing?"

"I don't know." Tedros mused. "I don't think so. It depends."

"Depends on what?"

He didn't answer.

"You're coming tomorrow? To watch the Trial?" asked Rosalind, suddenly.

Tedros smiled at her.