Dainty nostrils flared, trying to keep her breathing even but it was a losing battle. Railynn was nearing panic. Even after her begging, even with her heartfelt pleading the headmistress looked unconvinced. She felt certain that her pleas were in vain and that she was going to be tossed out in the street. That damnable silence stretched out again and Rai flinched under the headmistress unyielding gaze. Still her eyes refused to stop staring up into the headmistress'. She wanted to flee, to run out of the room, but she knew that if she did then she would be doomed. The only option for the young half-elf was to endure and hope that she could plead her case enough to have the tall elf reconsider.<br/><br/>The woman walked past Rai as she knelt on the floor. The maid simply wanted to stare at the floor but she could not take her from the headmistress. She felt compelled to keep her eyes on the woman while she walked a slow circle around the young woman. Seeing that appraising gaze levelled at her was unnerving and Railynn's trembling steadily worsened. She was already near exhaustion from her attempts to repair the vase and Merelyth's gaze seemed to weight her down, as if it were trying to push her to the floor.<br/><br/>Railynn's head swivelled around, unable to look away from the beautiful headmistress. When the Elf's lean body moved to stand before her again, Rai let out a soft sigh. At least without her walking around she did not feel so much like prey. The look in the mage's eyes was no less intimidating though. The threat of ruination with that self-assured smile made Rai feel sick. Merelyth was clearly enjoying her power but the half-elf was not surprised. Full-blooded elf always lorded their status over her, why should she expect that this would be any different.<br/><br/>The mention of how most half-bloods lived made Rai cringe and shake her head frantically. Finally the compulsion seemed to fade and she tore her eyes away. She stared at the floor, hearing the headmistress laugh. It was a callous sound and one that made her heart sink. Hope was fading in the face of the reaction that she was getting. It was becoming clear that she would get no sympathy. The tirade was like a slap in the face and the sting of it made tears well up in her eyes. She tried to hold them back but they fell all the same. "No headmistress, I do not wish to live that way, and the idea of earning my living that way is... It's terrifying. I am so sorry that it seems that I was throwing your opportunity back in your face. I never intended it that way. I just wanted to be more useful. I just... Wanted to show my worth." Tears ran down her cheeks and her breath came in ragged gasps. It was clearly she was on the verge of hyperventilating. "Please do not send me away, I will do whatever you ask!"<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>