" - hey," Annaka says on her way out the door. 

"Hey." 

Brief pause. 

"...I just wanted you to know that you've got my backing. Whatever you decide you have to do. I - Landon is going to be difficult about it. He's all trying to 'think about long term consequences'. Which I reckon we can deal with after we graduate. I'll handle the arguments with him about it." 

"- thank you. I figure, anything at all the adults can do, I'll delightedly leave to them. But they can't do anything about 'the Scholomance is full of maleficers'."

"Yeah." Sigh. "We're on our own. But.- it's we. It's not just you and it's not just New York." She fingers the handle of her axe. "We got through last year. We'll get through this too."