faun

[shesepankh]

Saturday morning sees Bella with her notebooks about magic all in her knapsack, her medallion safety-pinned by its chain to her bra just in case she trips the wrong way, waiting with Charlie for pickup for the Avalon trip.

Comments

[steppingup]

Vernon waves goodbye to Charlie. "Library and the bookstore's that way," he points, "and the store with magic stuff is that way." Another point. "Up to you which you want to go to."

[shesepankh]

"Ooh, I'm torn," says Bella, as she hugs her dad and sends him on his way. "Magic stuff, I think, unless Darren's got a better idea."

[castmyown]

"Nope, I can ask them about extinct things while I'm there," he says brightly. "They might know."

[shesepankh]

"What a pity there isn't a museum full of fossils for you to drool over," says Bella.

[castmyown]

"I know, right? Especially older magical artifacts or notes on how they were done, that would be like Christmas and my birthday rolled into one!"

[shesepankh]

"When is your birthday, anyway? Now that I know what improbable thing to get you."

[castmyown]

"June fourteenth. So you've got time to find the improbable thing."

[morethanimaginary]

"Just remember that I don't like old artifacts as presents," informs Savannah.

[shesepankh]

"I will get you something boring, then," says Bella, writing down this date.

[morethanimaginary]

Savannah snorts. "Your idea of boring is weird."

[shesepankh]

"What drab dull nonmagical nonancient nonfossilized thing do you want for your birthday, Savannah?"

[morethanimaginary]

"You can get me something magical. Just not anything that involves me doing the magic. It's annoying."

[shesepankh]

"Oh, okay. So not so much boring as lazy."

[morethanimaginary]

"Basically," agrees Savannah with a shrug.

[shesepankh]

"Noted."

Here's the magic shop! Currently there are two other customers in it with their backs to the door, a faun woman in fullform and a human-shaped girl who seems to be with her and is peering at the medallion.

[morethanimaginary]

"You nerds have fun," says Savannah. "I'm going exploring. Call me if Darren's catatonic from too many books."

[castmyown]

"Not likely," he snorts. "So! Magic shop. Mostly medallions, but there are protection things that you can get, too."

[shesepankh]

The girl with the faun looks up abruptly when she hears his voice.

And stares at them.

"Angela?" says Bella.

[castmyown]

Darren turns and stares at her. Yeah, that's definitely Angela.

"Hello," he says, surprised.

[shesepankh]

"Hi," says Angela. "Um, I didn't expect to run into you here."

"Same to you," snorts Bella. "What are you? I'm new to - critters, I know like five kinds by name."

"I'm - a faun, but I've been putting off getting a medallion, I wasn't sure I would bother at all, I'm still not really," says Angela. "Mom, these are my school friends - Darren and Bella."

"It's nice to meet you," says Mrs. Weber.

[castmyown]

"It's nice to meet you, too," he says politely to Mrs. Weber. "Bella turned by chance a week ago and I've been trying to show her how things work."

[shesepankh]

"By chance?" asks Angela.

"Found a medallion on the floor of the grocery store," says Bella. "Weirdest thing. Now I have wings and claws and a tail, I really like the tail actually." Swish! Swish!

"Oh. I've known for a long time, I can't actually remember being told -"

"You were six. But we only told the boys last year because they're not quite so discreet," says Mrs. Weber.

"But medallions are expensive and I wasn't sure I wanted to get one."

"It's your choice, Angela," says Mrs. Weber.

[castmyown]

"I like having wings," says Darren, smiling a little. "... Would it help if we left you alone to let you decide? I know the decision's a big one."

[shesepankh]

"I've had lots of alone time to think, just... being timid. I'm not going to get wings, that's a given," laughs Angela quietly. "I don't know, if you didn't have wings, would you like being a deer? If you were a stag or something instead? It's not exactly the same but it's close."

"I think I'd still want to be a critter even if I couldn't be a winged critter, but that's mostly because it came with an entrez into learning magic, which I imagine since you've manged to enter an Avalon you already have as much of as you want," says Bella. "...Also I do like the tail."

"Oh, I don't think I'd be much good at magic," says Angela. "It sounds dangerous."

[castmyown]

"I think I still would have, even without the wings. Savannah turned first and it was kind of a shock - I didn't want her to feel alone."

He rubs his neck, awkwardly. Well, that was a bit of his heart, displayed to his friends. Moving right along now. "I'm learning magic, it's dangerous if you're not careful but if you are it's really useful."

Like for taking out giant lava monsters. He still doesn't know what that thing was.