I was about to tell her the plan.
But before I could speak, my eyes caught someone approaching.
The elf girl from before. Walking toward us. Or rather, toward Celestine.
She had that angry expression on her face. The same one she always wore whenever I was in her line of sight.
But what caught my attention wasn't her.
It was Ms. Gatherer.
She was walking alongside the elf girl. Discussing something with her in hushed tones.
Then her gaze met mine.
Immediately, she averted her eyes. Started walking in the opposite direction. As if she hadn't seen me at all.
"Hey, Ms. Gatherer!" I called out.
"I have a job for you!"
She stopped mid-step.
Stood there for several seconds. Processing. Debating whether to ignore me entirely.
Then, reluctantly, she joined our group. The elf girl had already reached us by then.
"Ms. Gathe... I mean, umm... Fre... Fred... French..."
I snapped my fingers, pretending to search for the name.
"Freya." She sighed.
