"No one deserves to be forgotten.
No one deserves to fade away.
No one should come and go...
No one deserves to disappear"
~Evan Hansen
Chapter 12—(68)
Philyra sat with Regis for a few more minutes, mostly listening to the creature, but occasionally giving a short, muttered reply. Eventually Warren came back, announcing his presence with an impressed whistle.
"Wow, you've been sitting with him for almost twenty minutes and he hasn't tried to scratch you or anything." Warren said. "Have you decided if you want the bugger or not?"
Philyra nodded.
"Okay then. Give me a few minutes. Are you paying or is a parent?"
"Older brother." She said, once again hoping the handsome boy didn't notice how rough her voice was.
Warren nodded, "Got it. Is he the big, quiet bloke that's been wandering the supplies?"
Another nod.
"I'll go get him and tell him, as well as recommend some supplies that would be appropriate for a cat. I suppose cat stuff would work for this fellow just as well as it would for a cat." Warren left, hands in his pockets as he whistled an upbeat tune.
'Finally! This place is not only boring, but it smells like normal animals!' Regis whined.
Philyra just sighed, not bothering to remind the Nekomata that he was an animal, if not exactly normal.
…. …. ….
Initially Regis had attempted to sound all mystical, but by the second sentence he'd fallen into his uppity, snarky attitude that Philyra guess was his normal one. If anything, the commentary, while sometimes rude, was pretty amusing, if only because he reminded Philyra of the one friend she had before her father married Ilda. She hadn't thought of Jack for years, and while he had always been kind to her, knowing her home life and keeping it quiet that he was still her friend for her sake, his family had suddenly up and left about four years ago, when she was ten. Jack, too, had a snark to his humor that was unforgettable.
He, Regis, was currently in a cat carrier being carried by Eric, who carried a bag of supplies in his other hand. Eric had only let Philyra carry a smaller bag that contained only a few, lighter things. Philyra wasn't going to complain, though. She wasn't even sure if she would even be able to lift the larger bag, much less carry it about. The carrier she probably could have, but she was afraid of jostling Regis about too much.
"Oh, there you two are. What did you get?" Felicia came over from seemingly out of nowhere and crouched in front of the carrier, taking a look inside. "Oo, he's a fine cat. But is he magical? He has two tails."
"Nekomata," Eric said. "Not cat. And yes, I believe it is, if only a little."
'I take offense to that!' Regis pouted. 'I am highly magical, thank you! I just…don't use my magical abilities very often.'
But of course, no one replied to it, and Philyra only smiled a little at the sulking creature's antics.
"Fascinating. But, on an unrelated note, we should get to the magic items shop. I forgot to mention that, other than getting something for Philyra, Selene gave me the halves of her broken wand, to see if it could be fixed." Felicia stood up. "Not that I'm sure it can be, seeing as it's not a normal wooden wand. But I'm no expert."
So the three—four, including Regis—set off to their next destination. They soon reached a shop called Wick's Wands and Other Magical Conductors. Eric said he'd wait outside with the animal, since it probably wasn't the best idea to bring it in. Philyra felt only the smallest bit of pity for Regis when he started whining that he wanted to go in, too, if only to make sure a proper magic conductor was chosen for his new master. He'd get over it soon enough, she hoped.
The smell of this shop reminded her of the room that had been her father's library. Dusty, a little musty, but generally well cared for. It was a little dim, compared to the bright lights outside the shop, but Philyra's eyes adjusted quickly. I'm working on stolen time here! Hurry up and figure out what to write, Authoress!
The room was filled with shelves containing all sorts of items. There were a lot of sticks—wands, Philyra thought. They were wands. Of all different kinds and colors and carvings.
"Another customer, I see. Who's looking for a tool today?" An ancient woman came walking out of the back. Well, she looked ancient, but moved as if she was much younger. "I am Madam Marena, the owner of this here shop."
"Pleasure to meet you, Madam. We're hearing looking for a tool for my sister, Philyra. We don't know what kind of magic she has, only that it's strong. Would you be able to help us?" Felicia asked. "I also have another question about a broken magic wand, but that can come second."
Madam Marena nodded, "Yes, yes I can. I can help her. Might I ask you, older sister, to step outside the stop? Sometimes finding the right object can result...in things flying around. I shall summon you back in when I am ready for you."
"Of course." Felicia turned to Philyra, "Are you okay with being in here by yourself?"
Philyra nodded, so Felicia took the bag from her and left, shutting the windowless door to the shop behind her.
She looked over at the old woman, unsure of what she should do. But the woman wasn't facing her, instead wandered further into the store, beckoning with her hand for Philyra to follow.
"I really asked her to step out because I could tell she doesn't know you are a halfling, child."
Philyra froze. First Regis, now this woman. The woman noticed she was no longer being followed and turned around, chuckling. "I take it you didn't know either. But it's easy for a halfling to learn how to sense another one of us." The woman, though very stern seeming at first, smiled so gently that Philyra immediately relaxed.
"Regis said I was one, too." Philyra whispered. Despite her age, Madam Marena seemed to hear her perfectly well.
"And who is this Regis? He certainly was correct."
"A Nekomata. We just got him from the animal store. He said I could hear his voice because I was a halfling." Philyra felt very at ease with this woman. It was so instinctual, the feeling that Madam could be trusted. It was like when she had first met Selene.
"Ah. Yes, those magical creatures are more clever than most would assume." Madam nodded. "If you would follow, we can find out what your fae-parent was, though not whom. Once I know that, I can guess as to what your magic can do, and most appropriately match a tool to you." Philyra nodded and followed Madam as she walked on, continuing to talk. "Most halflings truly only need a tool while they are learning to control their magic. It provides a way for it to be focused, and sometimes, if it's strong enough, contained. But unlike normal human magic, we do not always have to rely on tools to use our magic. It's part of why some fear those of fae-blood. Weak always fears strength it does not understand, child, and strong has a duty to protect weak, whether wear likes it or not. "
They stepped into a little room, in the back. There was a single table, with some sort of odd device in the center of it. "If you don't mind," Madam said. "I will need to draw a little blood, as blood is the least invasive way to test lineage. I can easily heal a prick."
Philyra nodded, carefully holding out her hand. A pricked finger is nothing compared to some of the wounds she had lived through. She didn't even wince when Madam used something similar to a sewing needle, only a little larger and made of something like glass, to prick her. It was hollow, too, as Philyra could watch a little bit of red filling it up. When Madam removed it, she waved her hand over Philyra's and the pressure of the prick disappeared from her forefinger.
Putting the needle in the device, making it start to hum, Madam continued talking. "My mother was of nymphic origin, dryad specifically. Tree fairy. I was raised with my father, however, who was a simple woodcarver. He had no magic, and I came to be when my mother fell in love with the way he could carve wood—never collected from a living tree, always from what he could find on the ground—in a way that was so lifelike you almost expected it to start moving about. I didn't see her often growing up. The fae rarely spent much time with halfling children. Do you think you might have any idea what your parent might have been?"
"I don't know. Only, it was my mother. I never knew her." Philyra found it so easy to speak with this woman. It was almost as easy as when she'd been in the magic-cancelling collar, back with Selene. She couldn't find it in her to be afraid of her voice doing something dangerous here, not where Madam Marena could fix it. "But the town I grew up in hated magic. It could get you killed."
"So it's in your voice, then? I noticed how quiet you are, especially around people. It's easier to talk with me, isn't it? Generally halflings find solace in one another, it's natural." Madam said, fiddling with some of the knobs on the device.
"Selene is a halfling," Philyra said. "She's the woman who took me in, saved me. She's my sister now. But she isn't fae."
Madam looked back at Philyra, confused. "You say she's a halfling, but not fae? Child, fae are the ones who create halflings. A halfling typically is a half-human, half-fae."
"Her father is an elemental."
Madam's eyes widened in surprise, before she turned back to the device. "That's quite unusual," she said. "Elementals generally hate humans, more than most fae. It's where the fae got their dislike of humans, from the elementals, their ancestors. I was under the impression that no human has seen one in centuries. But I suppose I could be wrong. I take it it's her wand that needs repairs?"
Philyra nodded, "Selene's father made it. But she's never met him."
Madam nodded thoughtfully, "Not sure how much I'll be able to do for a broken wand that wasn't made by a human or a halfling. But I can try." The machine on the table made a beep and a piece of paper fluttered out of it from somewhere. "Ah, your results." She scanned the paper for a moment, then held it out the Philyra. "Would you like to see it?"
The girl shifted nervously. "I-I can't...read…"
"Oh, alright then. Well, it says that your mother must have been a Siren."
Philyra furrowed her brow in confusion, "Like a bad mermaid?"
Madam laughed, "Oh no, though that is a common misconception. They're merely the most well-known of Siren, and they aren't all evil, no more than every person is evil. A Siren is merely a fae whose magic is in their voice and is controlled by them singing, though more powerful ones can do it merely by speaking with a melodic voice. They can be of any form: mer, flyer, earthborn, or flayme. Each conveys the sound differently, and it's most effective in their element. They're a less common sort of fae, and its somewhat unusual to find a Siren halfling. Your mother was flyer, meaning your magic will be best when you're above ground, and not in water. Flayme isn't something you come across too terribly often, and flyer is effective against it. The whole, take the oxygen, kill the flame, sort of thing."
Selene is fire. But she's wind, too. That doesn't work on her, Philyra thought. She proved that back in Elementum.
"This means that a wand won't work well for you, though. I've only seen a few Siren halflings in my life, and none of their magic worked well with wands. You'll have more luck with a locket or an amulet. Let's see if we can find one that will suit you. Wait here and I'll go dig through the room where I keep the tools made specially for halflings."
As Madam left, Philyra's thoughts ran rampant. Her mother had been a Siren? She'd never known before now that a Siren was anything but the monster in the horror tales sailors would tell. She'd never given them much thought, but the idea that she was the daughter of something so...powerful? And it had been her voice causing all those strange things when she was small, which in turn caused Illda to treat her the way she had.
It was frightening. Terrifying. But somehow...it felt almost...right?
…. …. ….
"I'm afraid I've never seen anything like this. Nor do I know of any specialist tool makers who have successfully created a metal wand. And while it looks like it's made of silver, gold, and bronze, my own magic is telling me they aren't normal versions of those metals, or at least not a kind found in this world. I'm terribly sorry." Madam said, "And I don't know how safe it would be for the girl to go without a magic tool. Would you like me to take a look for one that may work? What does her magic focus around?"
"Fire," Felicia said, "Fire and wind, but her fire is stronger."
Madam nodded, "I shall be right back."
Philyra watched as Felicia gathered up the snapped remains of Selene's wand. Philyra herself was wearing a new necklace, an amulet made up of a stone called lapis lazuli embedded in a metal called palladium. The stone was a pretty dark blue color, with veins of more earthy colors, and the palladium almost looked like silver. It was lovely, the prettiest thing she'd ever owned, really. Madam had told her that, since she was going to the Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy, there would be someone who could teach her how to use it—Madam had even said she knew the teacher of the class that taught the fae-blood and fae-gifted, and that she'd send the teacher a message to help Philyra, as she was very far behind due to choices not her own. Philyra was extremely grateful for this.
"Here, this might work. It's hessonite garnet embedded in a ring of a type of rose gold. This breed of garnet works well with fire magic, as does the rose gold. Regular gold is stronger with fire, but rose gold is tempered in a way that gives it some wind-type tendencies. I figured it would work well for your sister," Madam said.
"How much?" Felicia asked. Madam told her the price, and it was almost twice as much as Philyra's amulet had.
Philyra felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She hadn't even been thinking of how much everything had been costing—between the new clothes and pet and tool, among other things, Selene's family must have spent a small fortune on her.
As Madam went to go put the ring in a case, Felicia tapped Philyra on the shoulder. Philyra looked up at the woman, who was smiling softly.
"You're worried about how much everyone has been spending on you, aren't you."
Philyra looked down, her face heating up.
"Don't be," Felicia said. "This family is far from poor, and none of us mind spending a bit on one of the newest additions to the family. Particularly since you've never had much to begin with. None of us care one whit how much it costs, only that we're giving you the things you need. So don't worry about it, okay?"
Philyra looked up, her eyes watering. Felicia pulled her in for a quick hug before going to follow Madam. "Why don't you go outside and wait with Eric? I'll be done in a moment and then we can drop you off at the house."
Philyra nodded, intensely grateful for whatever deity decided she suddenly deserved such blessings.
TheFallenHer0: I'm really glad you like Regis! He was kind of a spur of the moment addition, but I'm pretty pleased with how adding him turned out.