Pel landed on the open lip of Hugo’s restaurant, pausing to check the state of his clothing. Retying the ribbon around his waist, he walked hurriedly past stacks of tables and chairs still cleared off the floor for the dancing the previous night. He arrived before the doorway against the back wall and poked his head through the flower curtain.

“Hello? Tina sent me!” Pel announced. The space past the back wall of the seating area was a large kitchen, filled with pots, pans, utensils, and a large number of stoves and ovens. Two slim Fairies were in the middle of chopping giant vegetables nearly as big as they were tall, and a third incredibly rotund, red-haired Fairy was stirring the contents of one of the many steaming pots. The fat Fairy was practically a ball on legs, positively spherical in shape with his large belly.

“We aren’t open yet,” the fat, aproned Fairy said while not taking his eyes off the pot.

“Oh, uh, I’m not here for food,” Pel replied. “I’m Apple, Tina sent me here to see Mentor Hugo.”

“Right, right, right,” said round Fairy. “Well, come on in, let me get a look at you.”

Pel entered the kitchen, walking down the long line of kitchen counters and cooking implements. The two Fairies chopping vegetables looked up briefly before returning silently to their work as he passed by. Arriving before the Fairy who could only be Hugo, Pel paused for inspection. Tapping his wooden spoon against the rim of the pot, Hugo then wiped it down with a rag hanging from his apron before tucking it into a pocket on the front.

“Hmm, only Level 3. I won’t be able to use you for service yet,” Hugo commented, eyes scanning Pel up and down. Seriously, how the fuck can they tell? Pel thought. “Have you figured out your Mana yet?”

“Not really,” Pel replied anxiously. “I know that it’s a type of energy that fills my body, and that my Mana Pool is somehow separate from the Mana my body is made of. Ty is my other Mentor, and he made me use a Voidstone yesterday in order to feel my Mana but I didn’t quite get the hang of it.”

“Hrmph, what a traditionalist,” Hugo ridiculed. “It’s no wonder you didn’t figure it out yet. Follow me.”

Hugo turned and began walking further into the kitchen, reaching the end of the long, hallway like kitchen space. The aisle was wide enough for two Hugoes, countertops, stoves, and ovens periodically spaced down the entire length of the room. From the wall, Hugo pulled a medium sized silver pot from and dipped it into a basin of water along the end wall of the aisle. He placed the pot on a pale orange stone circle on one of the stoves.

“Look here,” Hugo pointed to the front of the stone. A small indentation could be seen about the size of a fingertip. “Put your finger here, and let the Firestone take your Mana. When you can simmer the water without boiling it, come get me.”

“Uh, that’s it?” Pel asked the retreating Hugo.

“Yep, I don’t have the time to spare for more,” Hugo said over his shoulder.

Oookay then. Pel looked down at the Firestone with hesitation. Is this thing going to be just like the Voidstone? He stood motionlessly in front of the stove for several long moments, entering into the breathing exercise he learned from Ty. Mentally preparing himself for another soul sucking experience he gingerly placed his finger into the depression on the Firestone while squinting his eyes.

Huh, nothing happened. Pel relaxed. He tapped his finger against the stone several times as if trying to gently wake it up. How do I let it take my Mana? Pel held his finger against the stone, trying to feel something, anything that might give him a clue. Is there a slight suction against my finger? He took his finger off the stone, and as slowly as he could, he placed it back. Yes, there is a slight tug. It’s like a super gentle version of what the Voidstone did. I can barely feel it.

Pel closed his eyes, feeling the pull from the Firestone. It’s not pulling on my physical finger, but something else. It was like what holding two magnets close to each other felt like. Lifting and replacing his finger from the stone slowly he focused on what he was sensing. Something in me is attracted to the stone, what else could it be but Mana? His finger almost felt like a balloon filling with water but not expanding, like something was gathering there.

Pushing against that feeling with his mind he felt something in his finger tense slightly, as if resisting what he was trying to do. He eased up, pulsing his intention to push several times. With each pulse it felt like some part of him was resisting, clenching down on his Mana. Maybe if I… Pel pushed again, weaker this time. As he did, he envisioned his muscles relaxing and letting go as if opening a hand.

Heat bloomed in front of him, and the suction force from the Firestone intensified by an order of magnitude. Pel opened his eyes to see flames licking out from under the pot. Ha! I did it! Distracted by his elation, the flames abruptly cut off. Well, shit. Concentrating once more on pushing and relaxing, the flames returned as the suction force ramped up again. The shallow layer of water in the pot quickly began to steam, and it wasn’t long before it reached a simmer. The simmering only lasted for a moment before the water reached a rolling boil, and then started to violently splatter out of the pot.

Pel quickly removed his finger from the Firestone as several drops of boiling water landed on his bare arm. He rubbed the spot on his arm and hissed inward through clenched teeth. Hugo said I needed to simmer the water without boiling it. Pel checked his Mana, surprised to see that it was already down to 94 of 152. I have to figure out how to control the flow, limit how much the Firestone can take. He stood in front of the pot breathing evenly for nearly twenty minutes, allowing his Mana to regenerate to full.

As he stood silently, he thought about the problem of pushing outward and relaxing his grasp on his Mana. I can feel it now, the Mana is like high pressure gas. Pel was beginning to understand what Mat was talking about when he said that Mana was there but not there. It was like a Pel-shaped balloon was superimposed over his body, filled with a higher concentration of Mana than the surrounding space. By feeling the boundary of his Mana compared to the Mana in the air he was starting to get a feel for it.

Fully regenerated, he placed his finger on the depression in the Firestone and tried to only relax without pushing. This stone is like a polite version of the Voidstone, Pel couldn’t help but think. Instead of ripping everything I have out of me, it’s almost asking for permission. He relaxed his mental grasp to a point where it felt like the surface tension of a full glass of water, on the verge of flowing down the sides but the Firestone didn’t have any reaction.

With the slightest nudge he applied an outward push and broke the tension, causing the stone to ignite and pull strongly on his Mana. Pel once again found himself overheating the water so he pulled back to start again. He wasn’t able to control it, all or nothing seemed to be the only options available to him. Trying to balance the relaxation of my grasp together with my intention to release Mana against the pull of the Firestone is like trying to push two strong magnets together while they repel each other. I keep slipping off that perfect point to either withhold my Mana entirely, or letting the stone suck it all out at once.

With the familiar throbbing of a low Mana headache lurking in his temples, Pel closed his eyes again in mindfulness, allowing his Mana to regenerate. Over the next several hours he refilled his pot twice as he failed to control his Mana, boiling it dry. Never once was he able to control the release of his Mana and not boil the water. His failure was bittersweet, since he was at least able to acquire a natural point of Clarity for his troubles, bringing his Clarity Score to 15 for a total of 158 Mana.

“Alright, that’s enough trying to melt my pot for one day,” Hugo’s voice sounded over Pel’s shoulder.

“But I still can’t simmer the water!” Pel complained. “I’m getting close, probably.”

“Excellent dedication, but unfortunately I need the space,” Hugo said. Pel leaned back to take a look beyond Hugo, seeing that nearly every stove was occupied by steaming pots. At some point he had missed quite a lot of activity, let alone the divine smells floating through the air.

“Wait, how are you heating those without touching the Firestones?” Pel asked.

“I’m controlling my Mana through my Aura Field.” Hugo said, stepping to the side to let Pel pass while pointing to the doorway.

“What’s an Aura Field?” Pel asked.

“Something you don’t need to worry about for a couple hundred Levels. Now leave,” Hugo said, grabbing Pel’s shoulder and giving him a push toward the exit.

“Do you think maybe I could just have a quick taste of- “

“No, get out,” Hugo said sternly.

“Alright, alright,” Pel said while making calming gestures with both hands. “See you in two days!”

Walking past the pots without taking even a tiny nibble strained Pel’s 4 Willpower to the limit. I’ll be back tonight for sure.

Pel spent the hours before the next birthday party flying up and down The Mother Tree, taking Stamina breaks at Berry’s. When the air began to thrum with new life, he joined the other Fairies in awaiting the arrival with Tina, who was wearing a new baby blue dress. When the Fairy Flower split open, it revealed a new Wind Fairy, looking nearly identical to Didi but with different colored hair. Now that I think about it, I still look just like they do. Maybe I should try changing my appearance? Almost everyone who’s been around longer than a week has some differences…

Participating in The Naming and Nicknaming ceremonies was a copy of the previous two nights. How the people here reconciled their dislike of boring, repetitive things with having the same party night after night wasn’t something Pel quite understood. Maybe the thing keeping it fresh was that they all seemed to have personal bets as to what type of Fairy would be born, or who could come up with the best Nicknames, or that they derived nightly humor and entertainment from watching their new member make a fool of themselves on Birthday Brandy.

Maybe it’s because I still think of myself as a Human reborn as a Fairy that I even care? Pel wondered as he searched the crowd for Mat. What if these fading memories of who I used to be on Earth are messing up who I should have been here on Enna? I feel like an outsider visiting an extremely foreign country sometimes. It wasn’t lost on Pel that he didn’t quite click with others, and even his closest relationships were rather superficial. Mat was his closest friend, but did they really do much more than train together?

I’m sad that I’m forgetting so much about Earth, and it’s scary to have thoughts of words or phrases that I no longer understand. Pel’s melancholy washed the color out of the festive mood around him. Before he knew it, he was hovering just outside the amphitheater seats alone.

“Hey, Apple!” Emerging from the amphitheater was a smiling Tina, bringing up the new Wind Fairy, Zefy. “Were you waiting for us?”

“Not exactly,” Pel said. Tina must have caught something in his voice because her smile lost a few lumens.

“Well, I’m just about to teach Zefy here how to fly,” Tina said, walking the new Fairy to the edge of the amphitheater. Zefy looked over the edge hesitantly.

“T-This is, rather high up,” Zefy commented uncertainly. “How do I summon my wings?”

“It’s easy! You only need to want to fly. Just think of your wings and desire it. Now,” Tina said as her motherly smile became polluted with mischief, “off you go!” The hand that had previously been a comforting support on Zefy’s back suddenly betrayed them, turning into the instrument of their literal fall. With a terrified squeak, Zefy plummeted off the ledge, arms and legs pulling tight into ball.

“Huh, you flailed more,” Tina commented to Pel, still watching the silently dropping Zefy. “Guess they’re not a screamer either. Oh! There they go!” Zefy’s wings materialized, stabilizing them in the air. “But they are faster on the uptake. You fell twice as far!”

“You’re evil,” Pel chuckled.

“No, I’m a Wind Fairy,” Tina said. “As far as I know, the Evil Fairies are all gone now.”

“Wait, there are actually Evil Fairies?” Pel asked.

“There were. Corpse Fairies, Blood Fairies, Bone Fairies, and lots more,” Tina explained. “They were wiped out in Lightbringer’s War. Now, let’s go catch Zefy!”

“Wait, what’s Lightbringer’s War?” Pel asked, but Tina was already diving through the air. “Damnit, always dropping just enough to make me interested.”

He followed Tina, catching up to Zefy who was flying figure eights and laughing. Tina explained the two, and probably only, rules of flying while enroute to Berry’s Bottle which was pretty packed. Two empty seats at the bar, seemingly on permanent reserve for Tina and the Birthday Fairy, were the only empty seats in the building. Tina made introductions to Berry as Pel stood behind the stools eyeing the barrels to the right.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Zefy,” Berry said. “Same as usual, Tina?” he asked, to which Tina nodded. “For you Pel?”

“Got any more of that Honey Wine?” Pel asked.

“Ha, nope! I warned you yesterday!” Berry laughed. “The last mug went out shortly after your last stop right before the ceremony tonight. Got a fresh barrel of my Nutbrown Ale though, have you tried it yet?”

“Yea, I had some at Hugo’s last night. I’ll take a mug of that.” Pel replied.

“How about you, Zefy? I’ve got a special bottle here for people’s Birthdays if you’d like to try some.” Berry said, wiggling his eyebrows over his shoulder as he grabbed the bottle of Dewdrop Brandy from the shelf.

“Special?” Zefy said, sounding excited.

“Yep, you can only have it on your Birthday!” Berry said as he filled a mug for Tina.

“Ok!” Zefy agree.

These old bastards. Pel thought, watching Berry and Tina smile. Would I have wanted someone to stop me drinking that stuff? Pel pondered as Berry walked to the barrels to fill his mug with ale. I had a great time from what I can remember, but the embarrassment the day after was crippling. Was I only embarrassed because my mind is still pretty Human though? Pel continued to think as he sipped at his drink, watching Berry produce the familiar red bottle from beneath the bar.

What if completely losing your inhibitions and fully embracing the party is the fastest way to Level 2? He just didn’t know. Losing out on the extra two Vitality before the first day in The Roots might have cascading effects, slowing down the speed of one’s growth. He was only two days old, who was he to interrupt a nightly tradition likely stretching back hundreds or thousands of years at least? As Berry announced the Birthday Brandy the change in atmosphere was almost palpable.

Pel looked over his shoulder, seeing the other Fairies at the tables looking toward the bar now. Whispered bets and excited speculation replaced the previous mundane topics of conversation as they watched with unconcealed anticipation. Even a few heads popped up over the edge of the floor leading down into the smokey bottom room.

“Cheers!” Tina toasted to Zefy.

Well, here we go, Pel thought, turning back to watch as well. Zefy raised their mug, taking a sniff of the spicy orange scented drink. Apparently finding it pleasing, they took an unfortunately large gulp. Zefy’s eyes immediately became round like saucers, and they slammed the mug back down onto the bar. With teary eyes they put a hand to their chest, coughing at the strong burning sensation that Pel could still remember well. Several congratulatory cheers rang out behind them as Zefy continued to cough. Eventually recovering, they looked at Berry before looking at Tina, and then down to the mug.

“Oh,” Zefy mumbled with a small voice, “special.” Berry and Tina both laughed as Zefy began to lean precariously to the side.

“Welcome to the family!” Tina announced, eliciting more cheers from the watching crowd. Pel clapped before putting a gently hand on Zefy’s shoulder, setting them straight on their stool.

“Whozat?” Zefy slurred, looking over their shoulder at Pel with one mostly droopy eye. “Oooh, z’Apple. Hewo Apple. Whadda gentle touchsh, zo kind. Youwansum?” Zefy proffered their mug toward Pel, who politely declined having any Birthday Brandy. “Izso goood,” they said, taking another sip.

From the entryway, someone began strumming a lute. As whoever it was walked down the neck of the bottle toward the main room, the sound grew louder. From behind them walked another Fairy, bowing a violin. As they entered the main room of Berry’s Bottle and walked down the stairs at the shoulder of the building Pel couldn’t help but notice that the Fairy stumming the lute was particularly interesting.

His light-brown hair had natural dark highlights which was parted down the middle to hang straight down either side of his head to his shoulders. The coloring reminded Pel of wood grains down a plank of wood. Around his neck was circle of twisted branches sprouting smaller branches which were animated through the man’s magic. The lute had two necks, and while the Fairy was playing the higher notes with his fingers, the little branches were plucking the bass strings on the second neck. He was wearing a brown vest with muted dark-blue trim and pinstripe pants of the same color.

The violinist had pink hair with wispy bangs framing the sides of her face with the rest either tied or braided in the back. Her dress was similar to a pouf dress, but with sleeves. The pink upper portion was a snug, single piece before transitioning into multiple layers of overlapping petals starting below her belted waist. At the waist the pink blended into purple as it cascaded down to just below her knees making the whole thing look like a fuchsia flower.

Many tables were pushed to the sides of the room to make room for both the musicians and the Fairies beginning to dance. Haven’t seen those hair colors before, Pel thought.

“Hey Tina, what kind of Fairies are they?” Pel asked, pointing toward the musicians.

“Flower Fairy and Wood Fairy!” Tina replied. “The pink haired one is Euphy, and the brown haired one is Siel. Hey Zefy! Wanna go dance?”

“Yesh!” exclaimed the thoroughly intoxicated naked baby Fairy. I’m so glad I put clothes on before coming here the first night, Pel thought. Zefy was helped from their stool by Tina, who led them stumbling into the crowd dancing to the folky tune played by the musicians.

“You gonna join ‘em?” Berry asked Pel.

“Nah, I’ll just enjoy the music from the safety of this stool riiight here,” Pel said, claiming one of the now many vacant stools at the bar. Several mugs of ale later, Pel had to admit that watching Zefy wiggle through the air after a snake made from smoke was pretty entertaining. Tina’s wind animals dancing among the Fairies made the entire scene far more fantastical than he remembered it to be.

A few more mugs loosened Pel up enough to join that dance floor, heeding Berry’s earlier warning to stay off his ceiling. At one point, Tina dragged him into a three-dimensional Fairy line dance that he could barely keep up with. Between the alcohol, and trying to remember if he was supposed to change partners either left, right, up, or down was enough to keep his head spinning the whole night. Eventually the music crept to stop, and people began to depart. Pel helped Tina carry a mostly sleeping Zefy down The Mother Tree to her new house before heading off to his own.

­­­­­­

Pel was awoken by the sound of what could only be riot. Struggling out of his blanket nest he walked over to the door, poking his head through the flower curtain to take a look. Thousands of Fairies were flying through the air above his house, carrying large white bundles hanging below them. Everyone was calling out at once, and Pel could hardly pick a word out with all the noise. Did someone just call ‘dibs’?

“Morning, everyone!” Pel looked toward the wall above his house to see Tina flying. Everyone? Looking left and right he saw Didi and Zefy as well as four other Fairies he didn’t know, all watching the action above looking just as confused as he felt.

“It’s moving day!” Tina announced. “Wrap up your pillows with your blankets, and I’ll show you where to go!”

Pel looked back into the flying crowd briefly before heading back inside. He dug through his pile, finding the largest blanket before stacking everything else on top of it. Grabbing the corners, he tied them together to create a large bundle just like he had seen outside. This is heavy! I wonder if I can fly with it? It was large enough that he struggled just to pull it through the doorway and onto his doorstep.

Taking fight, he grunted with effort and struggled to lift the bundle into the air. Either my wings, or my arms are going to fall off! Pel laboriously ascended to where Tina was waiting, hovering with a smile as she watched. Pel turned to see the other six Fairies in similar states of struggle, making their way to the gathering point. Once everyone was together, Tina led them upward.

“Every week we move houses,” Tina explained. “The older you get, the higher up you live. As you’ve noticed, all the fun stuff is higher up! Every week you’ll move up one row and pick a house that doesn’t already have pillows or blankets inside. Spread out and find someplace!”

The next highest row of houses was up what felt like 200 feet, but because Pel was still having trouble gauging distances with his current stature it was probably a lot less. The first house he poked his head in was clearly already occupied. He took a short rest on the doorstep, setting down his bundle to stretch his arms. The second house he tried was vacant, and with a sigh of relief he dragged his bundle through the door and untied it in the corner.

Tina led Zefy up The Mother Tree as Pel and the others descended into The Roots. Approaching the central watchtower Pel spotted Mat and Raki in the growing crowd. It appeared that most of the Fairies usually on the morning shift were still picking their house for the week, and Gabby wasn’t yet standing on the roof of the watchtower like normal.

“Apple! I didn’t see you last night, where were you?” Mat asked as Pel arrived.

“I ended up with Tina and Zefy at Berry’s Bottle.” Pel replied. “I’m afraid that if I go to Hugo’s every day I’ll get desensitized to his food.” He made up a quick excuse, not wanting to burden his friends with how he really felt. “Besides, I’ll be able end up spending a lot of time there anyway.”

“What do you mean?” Mat questioned.

“Hehe…Hugo’s going to be my Fire Fairy Mentor!” Pel announced with a grin.

“What!” Mat and Raki exclaimed together.

“Does that mean you get to eat his food every day?” Mat asked.

“Is he teaching you to cook?” Raki asked over Mat.

“I asked if I could take a bite of his stew yesterday and he told me to get out,” Pel said. “And he isn’t teaching me to cook. Well, at least not yet. I practiced using a Firestone yesterday in the kitchen but that was it.”

“Having to stand in the kitchen all afternoon smelling Hugo’s food without getting to eat any…” Mat said sadly, shaking his head. “I don’t know if I could resist!”

“Me either,” Raki agreed, nodding his head. “I haven’t placed any points into Willpower yet, mine’s still at 1.

“Same,” Mat chimed in.

“Wait, you guys only have 1 Willpower?” Pel asked. “Mine’s at 4 and I haven’t put any points into it either. I did get a natural one using the Voidstone at Ty's, though.”

“Really? That’s like, crazy high for a new Fairy, right Raki?” Mat asked.

“Yea, I’ve never heard of anyone having more than a natural 1.” Raki agreed. “There are always a few points of difference here and there, but that’s usually only in the fun Attributes.

“Fun Attributes?” Pel asked.

“Clarity, Dexterity, Charisma! WHEEEE!” Mat and Raki chanted together, throwing their hands up and shaking them in the air.

Ok, I’m actually a bit envious of their relationship, thought Pel. They’re always so in sync, I can’t decide if it’s cute or creepy. Thinking about it now, Pel could remember a high number of times when they’d said the same thing together.

“How are those the fun ones?” Pel asked.

“Because,” Mat said, counting off on his fingers, “Clarity increases Mana, magic uses Mana, and using magic is fun. Dexterity makes you fly faster, and dance better. Lastly, Charisma makes you more likeable and better at music! These are pretty much the most important Attributes!”

“And then there’s Vitality,” Raki interjected. “It’s not fun, but you need it to stay alive. Nobody really pays attention to the other Attributes.”

“Unless you're like Gabby!” Mat laughed, and Raki shook his head.

“It’s pointless putting points into Strength. Each one doesn’t count much for Fairies.” Raki said.

“What do you mean?” Pel asked.

“Well, we’re super tiny,” Mat said. “Putting points into Strength at our size doesn’t do the same thing as if we were bigger. It’s much better to focus on Clarity.”

“Where did you even learn all this?” Pel said.

“Talking to people!” Raki said with a smile. “You learn stuff, and increase your Charisma at the same time!”

That’s, uh. That makes sense, Pel thought. I don’t really talk to anyone. I pretty much only talk to Mat or fly around. This was only day three of being a Fairy. They’ve been alive for at least a week longer than me. Maybe I should try making more friends?

“Attention!” Gabby’s voice broke over the gathered Fairies like an earthquake. “Party up! We have some announcements to make before the start of shift!”

In addition to Gabby, Pel also spotted Palo, Fori, and a six other armored Fairies he’d never seen before. Looks like something’s up. He followed Mat and Raki through the gathering toward where Ri and the other members of team were hovering. Hopefully it’s not serious.