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

[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.

[shesepankh]

"He's teaching me, too, it's pretty awesome," says Bella.

"I'm glad you're having fun," says Angela. "Honestly I think one of the best reasons to get a medallion is so I don't wind up with a - great-grandchild who gets surprised like that because somebody didn't believe the story on hearsay or ever wind up in an Avalon."

"That's a point," agrees Bella.

[castmyown]

"That's an extremely good reason. I suppose the best solution to that without a medallion is to live in an Avalon, but obviously not everyone wants to do that."

[shesepankh]

Angela shakes her head. "I like Forks. I don't really want to leave, even though it's nice here."

"And it's terribly expensive to live full-time in an Avalon," says Mrs. Weber. "The monsters need to, and so do any family they have even if they have medallions, so the neighborhoods with houses in them are terribly priced."

"Monsters?" says Bella.

"It's not as rude as it sounds, it just means a kind that doesn't get medallions," explains Angela, "and can't look human with other magic either - jackalopes aren't monsters, because they can shapeshift by themselves, but harpies are."

[castmyown]

"Right," agrees Darren. "The ones with medallions are the lucky ones - Avalons are nice but you don't get as many options inside them. It's kind of a bad situation."

(He wants to change it.)

[shesepankh]

Bella writes down this information about critters in chart form on a page of her notebook (Medallion - winged lion, peryton, faun; Shapeshift - jackalope, Monster - harpy). "Yeah, it sounds it. This place is huge, but - it's huge for a secret town within Seattle."

[castmyown]

"Pretty much," he agrees. "Usually they're very nice, though."

[shesepankh]

"It does seem nice. And I guess getting resources in and out must be pretty straightforward too, since it's warehouses, you just drive up a truckful of frozen French fries or whatever and haul it in for the restaurants to sell."

Angela nods. "We're not here that often, but it's pleasant."

[castmyown]

"This is the first time I've been to this one. I was at the one in Detroit and this is such a long drive we didn't think it was worth it for me and Savannah to go while we had school. Until Bella turned." He motions to her.

[shesepankh]

"Usually we go in the summer, but Dad won a little sweepstakes, so -"

"Angela, we would have bought you a medallion any time," says Mrs. Weber.

"I know, but it seemed like it would be convenient to do it while there was a windfall."

"Is your dad a critter?" asks Bella.

"No, but he knows about us, Mom told him before they got married."

[castmyown]

Darren smiles at Mrs. Weber. Good on her, for informing Angela's father before marrying him. "My dad's human and knows, too. We seem to be making a club of fathers who are human but are supportive of critterhood."

[shesepankh]

"I make three, yeah. We're pretty sure it was my mom's side but I don't think she knew and he doesn't want to check because it sounds like a hassle to him."

"I can see that argument," says Angela. "I wish it weren't so permanent. And expensive."

"We can afford it, Angela," says Mrs. Weber.

Angela nods, still looking thoughtfully at the display of necklaces.

"How do these even get into shops? Wouldn't people be likely to hoard them for their - not kids, I guess, because it's one to a customer at a time, but grandkids?" Bella asks.

"I believe most of the ones in stores previously belonged to people who didn't have such relatives," says Mrs. Weber. "I expect mine to go to a grandchild one day, certainly, unless all three of my children marry gryphons or something and have all gryphon children."

Angela giggles. "It's a little early to think about that, isn't it?"

[castmyown]

"Some of them might not have any children," points out Darren, amused.

[shesepankh]

"Perhaps," shrugs Mrs. Weber.

"Well, anyway, now that we know you know about critters," says Bella, "it will be less awkward to have you over, although mostly it's just me and Darren studying magic while Savannah whines. Maybe you could keep Savannah company or something."

Angela smiles. "I'd like that."

"Also one of the teachers is a bugbear."

"Really?"

"Really."

[castmyown]

"Mrs. Adams. She's pretty nice about it, actually."

[shesepankh]

"She'll be able to tell if I turn, won't she?" muses Angela.

"That seems to be how it works," agrees Bella.

[castmyown]

"I think you'd have to ask her about the specifics of how bugbears work - I don't have any idea. She could tell that Bella had, though."

[shesepankh]

"She probably already knows about me - well, that I exist; I don't believe we've met so perhaps she doesn't know who in particular I am," says Mrs. Weber.

"She's nice," reiterates Bella, "I wouldn't worry about it either way."

Angela nods.

[castmyown]

"We had her as a sub, it was interesting," provides Darren.

[shesepankh]

"She's a good teacher, I'm looking forward to having her regularly actually," says Bella.

Angela nods again.

"I think I'm going to get it," she says of the faun medallion. "I can't think of a single good reason, but I want it."

"That's quite sufficient, Angie," Mrs. Weber assures her, and she pays for the medallion and offers it to her child.

Angela hesitates, then grabs it, and is abruptly very deerlike. She slips it over her head, which has just become complicated by large ears. She twitches them once the chain's over her head.

[castmyown]

Darren grins. "Welcome to the deer club," he says brightly. "Savannah's around somewhere - I should call her and let her know."