Chapter 2: Secrets Revealed
Evening found Pixy and Felix riding down Main Street on their pair of enchanted steeds. Pink with purple polka dots, the tireless horses catered down the wide avenues of what was laughingly referred to as 'downtown Littleton' (a public fountain surrounded by a variety of shops and small businesses). The tricksters were wearing their chimerical finest, a silk suit for her and a fine yellow velvet gown for him (its not what you think- it's a Pooka thing).
Of course, none of the normal people saw this. Instead they saw a girl in a yellow rain jacket and a boy in a pink tutu and jeans coasting along on scooters, singing a song about chocolate. The people of Littleton were fairly used to seeing this sort of odd behavior from the members of the Pagan Gothic Republican Fantasy Live Action Role-Playing Guild, especially these two. But the fact that their odd behavior was unsurprising didn't change the fact that Littleton was an extremely conservative town. Hence, the eccentric display earned the lovers many odd looks and a lot of nasty comments. But they didn't care. The two Pooka loved riding together almost as much as they loved playing together, joking together, singing together…In fact, they just loved BEING together.
Not that THAT was all that easy. Both of them were the Changeling children of human parents. Moreover, until their Chrysalis, they had been very different people. 'Pixy' had been Pricilla Coventry the prom queen, head cheerleader and all-American girl. 'Felix' had been Francis Rosenthal, bookish and shy honor student, student council treasurer, and poet. Naturally, both sets of parents were horrified by the way their children had begun to behave; raucous, lying, childish and irresponsible. They stayed out all night, and barely kept up with their schoolwork. Naturally, they blamed the new boy/girl friend as a bad influence, and made every effort to pull the two apart.
This was something the two Pooka were often concerned by, inasmuch as Pooka can be said to be concerned about anything. But not tonight. Tonight they were going to meet their secret friend Malachi. A secret friend was very much to their taste, and a VAMPIRE… well, what Pooka could resist the adventure of THAT? They'd known him for four months now, and he was one of their very best friends.
Malachi was waiting for them by the fountain. He was tall, pale, and skinny, with long white hair that hung to his shoulders. His black trenchcoat, worn over his bare chest, and torn jeans made him seem a bit spooky in the pale light cast by the towns few streetlights. His eyes were gentle, though, and his smile was warm and friendly as he greeted them.
You could barely see his fangs.
"Hello Pixy, Felix. I trust you had no trouble getting here?" Even his voice was kind. It was soothing, and warm.
"Oh, it was awful" Felix replied, his Pooka tongue getting the best of him "We got lost along the way, and had to escape a huge, slavering, befanged monster!"
"TWO monsters!" Pixy chimed in, not willing to let 'bunny-boy' get the better of her.
"TWO monsters? My my my. So, that means…let me guess… hmmm… you dodged around a bully from school, and had a bit of trouble finding me?" He said this with a raised eyebrow, and a mouth that was quirked in half a smile.
The fairy pair just laughed, acknowledging the hit. This was one reason the Pooka liked the vampire. Few people, or changelings, had the patience to deal with 'Pooka-ese'; the mixture of exaggerations, distortions, omissions, and outright lies which Pooka always used. He seemed to take it in stride, and even enjoy it.
"what was it you found, Malachi?" pixy inquired. The vampire had contacted them just about sunrise, telling the pair he had found something 'surprising'. There are few things a changeling loves more than a surprise.
'not here" replied Malachi, a strange smile playing about his lips "Too many of the kine about. Let's take a walk. Do you know Herman Way?"
The two Pooka nodded uncertainly. Herman Way was what might be called the Bad Side of Town; a neighborhood that had largely been inhabited by the employees of the Littleton Steel Works. When the plant closed, however, most of the inhabitants abandoned the area, leaving it open to junkies, drifters and small-time criminals. None of that really bothered the Changelings. What bothered them- no, what SCARED them- was that Johnny the Redcap was said to squat in one of the abandoned buildings here.
Still, they were with their new friend Malachi, right? He could easily protect them, couldn't he? I mean, Loretta's parents were always going on about how dangerous vampires were, so he was probably pretty tough. And anyway, Loretta had Johnny under control now, so he wouldn't do anything TOO crazy, would he? Certainly not. Probably not. Almost certainly very probably not.
The three made their way to the dilapidated section of Littleton. Even here, the town had much more glamour than most places (a tribute to the powerful Freehold that existed in a nearby forest). But in the gray and abandoned streets of Herman Way, that Glamour was sad and dark. What few chimerae could be seen were sickly, sorrowful things. Even the native creatures of the Dreaming had picked up on Herman Way's atmosphere of grayness and despair. Small wonder then that one of the few Unseelie Kithain made his home here.
The Pooka shivered as they walked their horses/scooters along the sidewalk. For the happy light-hearted Pooka this place was anathema. Malachite didn't even seem to notice. He looked about himself with great interest, and nodded happily at the few people walking the streets this evening. And never said a word about his Big Surprise.
Finally the Pooka could bear it no longer. The Big Surprise weighed on their minds. Pooka, despite their animalistic qualities, are possessed of the childish minds (though some would argue that there is little difference between children and animals).
"Come ON Malachi!" Pixy burst out "You've got to tell us this big secret of yours! Don't you know secrets are a Pooka's secret weakness?!"
"Yeah" Felix added, picking up on the lie "If a Pooka knows there's a secret, he HAS to find out what it is or he dies!"
"Really?" Malachi smiled again "Well, we certainly can't have that, can we? Hmmm… well, I suppose I can tell you now… Lean in close"
The Pooka obeyed, leaning in close to the vampire, desperate not to miss a single syllable of his Big Secret.
"I've been worried" Malachi confided in a low voice "about just how long we can be friends. We kindred are immortal, and in fifty or a hundred years time I will still be here, unchanged. You, however, may not be."
The Pooka nodded sadly. Though being Fae offered many benefits, immortality was not one of them. Changelings grew old and died just like normal humans. Worse, as a Changeling aged, its Faery self often withered, dying slowly under the onslaught of Banality. For Pooka, there were few prospects more terrifying.
"I worked hard on a solution to this, because I find your company so exhilarating. I feel so alive when I'm with you two, I couldn't bear to be without you. Unfortunately, I found little to encourage me at first. The Fae cannot be Embraced nor ghouled, which ruled out the usual methods. I have, however, finally discovered a way for us to be together forever."
"What IS IT?!
"I can't tell you HERE!" Malachi replied, as though annoyed they needed to be told this "Its far too public for something so secret! Come on!" With that, the vampire raced down a side street, with the Pooka hot on his heels.
End of part 1
A/N: HA! I told you I was working on my stories! Seriously, Changeling High is one of the hardest for me to write, simply because I know so little about Changeling. I hope this tides you lot over. I'm going to try to increase my productivity as much as I can.
I would like to apologize to all my loyal readers for my shameful lack of attentiveness. The next part will be up REALLY soon!
