Chapter Five #2
She sighed. They all had their weak points.
Jennika had to burn off her power, Ivy had to give just as much bad luck as good, and Vine balanced creativity and agony every time she moved.
Tuvel lived in a world that was too loud, too bright, and the textures were too coarse; in return, she could sew physical and emotional comfort into whatever she wanted.
Jennika had three oversized sweatshirts that Tuvel had made.
She saved them for nights she wanted to feel like she was being held in her mother’s arms again.
Jenn looked toward the food trucks and wondered how long it would be before it was her turn to select the snacks.
* * * *
S able looked at the elf walking with her. “What do you do?”
“I own an import company for stone countertops.”
“Ah. You are the stone dude.”
“Interesting descriptor, but yes. I am the stone dude.”
“Then, how do you fly?”
He chuckled. “My wings are stronger than you would think.”
“They would have to be.”
“You are the polymorph?”
“Uh, I guess?”
“How long have you been active?”
“Nine years.”
“Nine? You have survived four years longer than most of the polymorphs that I have heard of.”
They got in line for a slider truck.
“Well, maybe I will be fine.”
“And maybe you are already losing the ability to keep your original form.”
Sable sighed. “Maybe that one.”
He chuckled, and she ordered a spectrum of the offerings. She got a pickup ticket and went to wait with her tray at the ready. Xao did the same. He placed an order, put in the deposit for the tray, and waited with her.
“Do you ladies do this often?”
“Go out? Yes. Sit and watch paint dry? This is a first. Emhara needs a village. And some estrogen around her. We understand what she’s dealing with and who she is becoming.
We are offering support and a cheering section.
” She glanced at him. “And you are here because Xiroth said he could dangle a mage in front of you?”
Xao chuckled. “Something like that. He said that there was a polymorph mage who may be a match for me. Energy-wise, he was correct. You and I are compatible. I could help you draw out some of the extra magic, but you would have to be in enthusiastic agreement.”
“Enthusiastic?” Her number was called, and she loaded the tray with everything, including sodas, for five ladies.
His number was next, and he mimicked her behaviour. They started back toward the seats.
“I would settle for educated agreement. It involves a blood draw, so I want you to be enthusiastic or, at least, willing.”
“Blood? Yikes. I can’t guarantee that I won’t be in a slightly furrier version of myself.”
“I don’t have a problem with a little fur in my mouth.”
She mumbled, “Why do I think that’s a perv comment?”
“Because you are wise.” He chuckled.
“So, did you have a mate at one point?”
“No. Pixies mate once, and it is for life. We fool around a lot, though.”
“Less than comforting.”
He chortled. It was a funny sound coming from such a big guy.
She asked, “Does it hurt your feelings when no one will sit behind you at the movies?”
His shoulders shook. “It doesn’t come up much. I have a home theatre.”
“Nice.”
“You and your friends share a house?”
“Yes. There are six bedrooms and the carriage house for Vine, so we have plenty of room. We do better close together.”
“What is your occupation?”
“I am Jennika’s sous chef. We work for Ivy at the hotel.”
“So, you can cook?”
“About as well as you can lift.”
He laughed. “You are funny, Sable.”
“Thank you. I try. I find being honest is downright hilarious.”
“So, I will give you my number. Call when you want to try to leech off some of that extra energy. That is what is causing the issue. Unlike your friend, who can wave flames and dissipate her extra energy that way, your body turns in on itself, and the power forces you to shift over and over. How are you remaining human now?”
“Vine made me a charm. Well, many charms. When I feel them crack, I replace them.”
“The charms are likely draining the excess from you. When they overload, they crack.” He shrugged as they got back to their party. “That is just a guess, but it seems likely.”
She handed off the food on the tray as she felt the surge coming. As the charm cracked, she felt herself take on her feline form, but she calmly removed the one and put on the next.
Xao was watching her closely. She took the spent charm and tossed it to Vine. Vine did something that she had rarely done in public. She put the charm in her mouth and sucked on it.
Sable’s body reformed to human as soon as the charm was on.
She called out, “Vine, what are you doing?”
Vine looked at her and mumbled around the charm, “Recycling.”
Ivy laughed. “Sable, you haven’t seen that before?”
“No. She usually takes the charms back to her workshop. I am usually just relieved to be back to me.”
Vine pulled the charm out of her mouth with a slurp. It was whole and ready for duty again. She got a napkin and said, “I will just dry this off and clean it when I get home.”
Sable asked, “Did you just... eat my magic?”
“It’s fizzy. Like soda. Why? What did you think I was doing with it?” She glanced at the elf next to her. “Minimal mucus.”
He started laughing.
Sable didn’t know why it was funny, but she was smiling. Xao leaned in and explained a little of the reasoning behind the laugh. That was much funnier.
* * * *
J enn watched her chosen family have a picnic with the guys that Xiroth brought along. “So, are all pixies into matchmaking?”
“We don’t want to be left behind, so now that I have found my mate, they are actually going to look for their own.”
“Wait, so you guys have been seriously not looking for partners?”
“Short-term associations only. Because we link to death, it is seriously serious.” He smiled.
“This isn’t just attraction, this is looking at you and seeing decades with you at my side, our son growing up, finding his own partner, grandchildren, meetings with friends. More children running around us.”
She blinked away tears. “That’s sweet, but are you sure I am just going to live a human lifespan? That we are going to live human lifespans?” She gestured to the others. “What normally happens with mages?”
“Um, wow. I didn’t think of that.”
“Yeah, we don’t know either. I am guessing that as long as our link to our world isn’t severed, we are going to have a pretty good lifespan. Great grandkids might be in your future.”
He laughed and hugged her. “Our future.”
Vine was at her side a moment later. “Come on. Let’s go.” Her raspy voice was amused.
Vine looked at Xiroth. “Don’t squeeze the preggo in public. He’s sitting on her bladder.”
Jenn was embarrassed, but she let Vine walk with her to the restroom.
Vine was calm and understood the discomfort in a way the others didn’t notice.
One of Jennika’s greatest fears was peeing herself in public, and Vine respected it and took the heat for being a bossy friend.
It saved Jenn from having to admit that her body’s signals had been mixed up for the last month.
Vine gave her a charm to tell her when she needed to go when she was at work.
It didn’t use light; it used a hard, sharp sound with a violent vibration.
Just once was enough to get her to declare she needed five minutes.
“Take five, chef,” became tradition at that time.
It was nice when family cared, and her coworkers at the hotel were definitely family.
Now Xiroth wanted to get into the mix, and she was going to make room for him. She knew that her friends would; it was what her friends did.