Railynn was intensely aware or herself on that moment. It was as if having the headmistress staring at her was a mirror through which she could see herself. She saw how her hands nervously fidgeted, attempting to straighten her clothing. Her eyes stared up at the imperious headmistress and in her mind's eye she could see the unshed tears welling up only to be quickly blinked back. The half-elf was sure that the elf towering over her could hear the frantic beating of her heart as Rai fought a losing battle to keep her composure.<br/><br/>The silence stretched out between them and the maid's panic got worse and worse. The fidgeting got more noticeable and a tear slid down her stark white cheek. The colour had completely drained from her pretty face and the poor girl felt dizzy. The headmistress held her whole future in her hand and Rai felt completely helpless. The long silence wore at her and she was practically cowering when the tall elf finally spoke. She opened her mouth to speak, to plead for leniency but she was brought up short by the sight of the other woman's gesture and the blunt command that was uttered.<br/><br/>"My name is Railynn but most people call me Rai, headmistress." She words were out of her mouth without conscious thought and the little half-elf cringed. It was clear that magic had been used to rip the answer from her. It was terrifying that the woman could so casually throw around such powerful magic and that Rai had not even felt the compulsion. The ozone smell of raw magic tickled her sensitive nose. It was a smell that she had grown used to at the academy but it seemed much more concentrated now. Trembling had seized her limbs and it took her a moment to get control of herself.<br/><br/>Despite her fear, she could not seem to tear her eyes away from meeting that inscrutable gaze. She wanted to look away, to hide herself from those knowing eyes, but she may as well have been chained to the floor. She could not move from where she was. Her mouth felt dry and her voice sounded strained, weak. "please headmistress, I beg your mercy. I promise not to attempt to use magic again. I-I will get reassigned to another part of the academy. You will never have to see me again.... Please."<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>