Of Foxes and Fae

[stelmarisa]

The sun was rising high above Fallial, it's warmth spreading through the city and sending most of its citizens into a contented langour. The lunchtime bustle was over and the streets were quiet, most having returned to their homes or workplaces.

Not everyone was sleepy, though. A skinny Fae girl was sat upon a high wall outside of the town's only bookshop, a tattered volume clutched in her hands. The sun shone on her bright hair, falling forwards as she bent over the book, following the words along with one finger. Her dusky wings vibrated as she took in the words, buzzing with the effort of reading.

Suddenly she jumped, startled out of her concentration by a bird landing on her shoulder. "Oh!" she cried out, flinching away instinctively, and dropping the battered book. It fell to the ground below her, landing face up to show the worn cover and its title:

Elemental Magic: A definition.

[Anonymous]

Samael was far past the point of surprise these days, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to look when there was a sudden cry followed by an equally sudden plop of something hitting the ground to his right. It just meant he didn't look the exact moment he heard the sound. He looked the moment after he heard the sound.

So he saw the skinny Fae girl on the high wall, he saw the bird on her shoulder, and he saw the book on the ground. Blinking once, Samael then stepped closer to look at the book. Elemental Magic: A Definition.

Well, if that wasn't simple, he didn't know what was.
One, two more steps closer and he reached down to pick up the book. If she was learning elemental magic, she'd probably need more than just a definition.
Learning to read the human language was definitely not a mistake. Only so many people could, so in addition to learning more things from the few books there were to find, that was one more way to help someone -- reading things to them if they couldn't otherwise. And then, there were times like these, where reading was just a nice skill to have to understand the situation better.

Instead of handing it back as he looked back up at the girl who had dropped it, he kept it in his hands. He was going to give it back in just a moment -- there was just a question to ask first.

"Are you trying to learn magic?"

[stelmarisa]

Linna hadn't noticed the man nearby, so she let out another startled gasp as he stepped into her field of vision. She held back from jumping down to fetch her book, waiting to see what he would do. As he picked up the book she began to reach out expectantly, only to draw back as she saw him studying the cover. She frowned. Why... isn't he giving it back?

She felt the familiar knot of panic writhe in her stomach, and unconsciously she began thinking of excuses - it was just there, she was just 'interested', she didn't really understand it. He spoke then, the question not quite what she was expecting, but close enough.

"No!" she defended herself immediately, without thinking. It took her a moment to recover enough to notice his face - he was young, boylike even. Surely not dangerous? She paused.

"Well... not exactly learn it, so much as... remember it," she admitted.

[Anonymous]

"Even if you have known it before, learning won't be as easy as reading a book... But I'm sure you could find someone to help."
He handed the book back at that point, easily putting a soft smile on his face. The girl looked a little scared. There was no reason to be scared -- not with Samael.

"This kingdom is the right one to be in if you want to learn magic, at least," he added as a simple afterthought, if not an obvious one.

[stelmarisa]

She took the book back slowly, still eyeing the stranger doubtfully. "I know that," she answered simply. "But I don't know how I'd even start looking for someone to help me. I don't know anyone."

She eyed him for a moment more, taking in his smile and his unthreatening attitude. Alright, then. She pushed herself off the wall, landing softly on the ground below. Straightening up, she gazed up at the man - now that she was on the ground, she was aware of how much smaller than him she was.

"Is it? I don't know anything about this place, not really." She shrugged in answer to his last comment.

[Anonymous]

"There are more mages in Serendipity than any other place I know of," he said, shrugging as well. "Life isn't as complicated as some people make it out to be. All you really need to do is ask someone politely if they know any mages around the area. If they don't, ask someone else."

Looking up at the sky, Samael wondered briefly what this girl's life was like, as he usually did with people he talked to. Probably not the best life, but race wasn't indicative of everything one needed to know about one another.

"Of course, since you're a fae, they might not be honest, or they might not react well, but you'll never find out otherwise."

[stelmarisa]

"Life can be complicated," she responded somewhat defensively, unsettled by this man's casual approach. "And, I don't know any people here, either. Only one person." She blushed faintly at her lack of connections, picturing the impossible-seeming task of just... going up to people and talking to them. Especially about magic.

"And no. People don't want to talk to a Fae. I know that magic is something I shouldn't have." Her head dropped, and she bit her lip. She wasn't used to people blatantly pointing out her race, or commenting on the prejudices she might receive. Now the prejudice - that was something she was used to.

[Anonymous]

"Who said you shouldn't have magic? This isn't Connlaoth. Magic itself isn't something they shun in Serendipity, as far as I know. If they did, it would be contradictory," Samael replied easily. He knew why she'd think that, but it wasn't entirely true.

"If you don't like living here, there are other places in the world to live that won't shun you for being a fae. I don't know anything about you, but what I do know is that this isn't the only place to live." Once again he had a content smile on his face. Although he was talking with someone who seemed very pessimistic, Samael was not often the same way. He'd lived long enough to learn plenty of ways around the issues she seemed to run into.

[stelmarisa]

"I suppose not. But Serendipity does not like Fae, whether they have magic or not." She shrugged loosely, the casual gesture an attempt at covering her discomfort. She knew perfectly well who said she shouldn't use magic... but this stranger didn't need to know her life history.

She only barely listened to the rest of his speech, still considering his first comments. "That's true. I guess I'd like to move away, but I wouldn't know where to go, or how to get there." She answered in her simple way, not really thinking into it. She'd never thought about the future, or what she'd do in it.

[Anonymous]

"I wouldn't know either. That sort of thing would be up to you, provided you found a way to leave."

There wasn't much more to say on that matter, not without asking personal questions that may or may not be questions this girl was willing to answer. There was, however, another matter Samael was a little curious about.

"Forgive me for the change of topic, but... aren't you cold?" he asked, with his expression changing to one of slight worry. It wasn't really his problem, no, but helping brighten the lives of others was the entire point of his life.

[stelmarisa]

She nodded in agreement, wondering whether 'finding a way to leave' would ever become a reality for her. For now, it seemed so difficult... it had taken so much strength to get here in the first place, she wasn't sure she could muster up the courage to leave again.

"Um... I suppose so," she blinked, confused by the change in direction, and suddenly self-conscious. She tugged at the frayed hem of her skirt, trying to pull it further down her thighs. "A bit, but, I'm used to it, really."

She crossed her arms over her exposed midriff, blushing slightly.

[Anonymous]

"Surely there's a place with something that will keep you warmer somewhere around here," Samael said, briefly stepping closer to the main path and looking to either direction.
He didn't immediately see anything that would indicate a tailor's shop or something like it. He was pretty sure he passed something of the sort earlier, but then again, he had been paying more attention to other thoughts while passing through up until now. Maybe she would know if this is where she lived...

[stelmarisa]

She thought for a moment, brow creased as she tried to picture the layout of the town. "Well, there is a dressmaker just up... that street, I think," she pointed vaguely, unsure of her directions. "But I don't really go into any of the shops here. Even if they didn't mind my wings, I couldn't afford to buy anything."

She shrugged, long used to the fact that she had no money - literally, none. "I am friends with a cook in a nearby inn. Sometimes I can warm myself by the fire and he will give me some bread. That helps against the cold."

[Anonymous]

"Hmm.... that's easy to fix. I'll buy you something warmer, then."

He left that statement as it was for a moment, and let the little smile come back to his face again. "If you don't mind, anyway."

[stelmarisa]

"Oh!" she hadn't been expecting that. Her big eyes widened as she gazed up at this stranger. Who was he? Not only could he afford to shop at the dressmakers', but he could shop there for strangers too. He must be incredibly rich, she surmised.

"I ... I could never ask you to do that!" she stammered. "The dressmaker's... it is so expensive!" The truth was, it was actually a rather modestly priced boutique, but Linna had little idea of money. To her, all things were expensive.

[Anonymous]

"Well, show me the way, if you remember. Then we'll see what the prices are like," he shrugged lightly.

Samael wasn't sure if a dressmaker whose garments were truly expensive would be able to make a living from selling in an area like this, where it didn't seem like anyone around would be able to afford high priced clothing. There would likely be a different place somewhere nearby even if the one being referred to really was expensive.

[stelmarisa]

Linna thought for a moment, then gestured. "Alright, then. It's this way." She set up off a side street, clutching her book tightly. It was a narrow, cobbled street, but she had only gone a few yards up it before she stopped in front of a small, unassuming window.

"This one," she nodded at the shop, gazing at the window display. To one side of it was a beautiful dress, made of a soft wool in a beautiful dusky pink. The colour matched her wings almost perfectly, and it was this that Linna was looking at as she waited for Samael to catch up. As was standard in the town, the shop's sign didn't have words, merely a rough image of a tailor's dummy to designate it's speciality.

[Anonymous]

He wasn't too far behind Linna, and it wasn't a very long distance either. "That's a pretty dress," he commented, just a little pointlessly, on seeing what she was looking at, before opening the door to the shop. Samael didn't go in just yet, though, instead looking over his shoulder to make sure she was going to follow.