With a tiny sigh, Ale swung her legs in lazy circles as she sat and waited for her turn to speak with her counselor. With her notebook balanced primly in her lap, the small hybrid felt she looked very businesslike. She certainly hoped that was the case, anyway. As far as Ale was concerned, people took you a lot more seriously if you were serious in return. And as proud as she was of her momma, even she could see that Pear was a bit… flighty. And flighty simply would not do if you wanted the people in charge to let you near the kitchens to practice and learn.

Which Ale wanted badly. She loved it when her momma let her invent things to eat and drink during her home visits. Those visits combined with some of the books she’d found in the library had helped her set the course she wanted to take in her schooling. Cooking and brewing were both just so interesting! And while inventing new food recipes was fu, what Ale truly lived for was when she was allowed to make new drinks. Her favorite one so far was the one her momma had laughingly called Sunshine Fizz. And it certainly did look like sunshine…

Ale’s thoughts shattered as she heard her name called and squeaked softly in alarm. Gathering her things together carefully, she slid from the chair and hurried over to where the counselor waited. Smiling brightly, she bobbed a tiny curtsy and slid into the office. Before the counselor had the door closed for privacy, Ale was sitting in a chair looking determined.