Chapter Three
Cocoa something about our magic or genetics makes us look like we were handcrafted by holiday romance authors with no sense of restraint.
Most days it’s harmless. Occasionally it’s a logistical nightmare. Today… it’s just mildly amusing.
“What…what can I get you, sir?” The girl is stammering as she fidgets with the white towel in front of her.
“I’ll just take two hot chocolates with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.”
“Su…sure. Anything else?” Her cheeks bloom red as I hold out the money for her.
“No,” I lean forward, reading her name tag. “That will be all, Claire.”
She sets off quickly making the drinks, almost as if she’s worried about my reaction if she doesn’t make them in 2.5 seconds.
I check my watch, the tiny reindeer ticking around the clock face as they chase the present of the minute hand and the Santa sack as the hour hand. These watches are imbued with our magic and act as a sort of tracker of how much magic we have available.
Mrs. Claus insisted on them after the incident of 1994 when a certain person might have overused his magic and almost trapped himself in the human world. We don’t point fingers, but he knows who he is.
That little magical stunt only cost me five points, so I have plenty left to win over my very human mate.
I might have thought she was an elf escaping from Sugarplum when I first saw her, but after the few moments we were interacting, it’s clear just how human she is.
For one, a true elf would have known who I was immediately.
It’s what happens when you are one of the reindeer princes of Sugarplum. Consider it the human world’s equivalent of a movie celebrity. So yeah, she would have reported me to the real head elf as soon as she opened her eyes.
Another reason? The glamour over my appearance that helps me really sell the whole human man persona?
Yeah, she would have seen right through it.
Although we have a pretty accurate human appearance, some things can’t be hidden.
Such as snorting, twitching our noses, stomping our feet, and overall reindeer behavior.
It would be quite obvious I wasn’t normal if I didn’t keep the glamour up.
Claire squeaks to get my attention, holding out two steaming cups of hot cocoa. I wink at her, take the drinks, and turn towards Macy’s.
Time to find my mate.