Damien moved towards his door and opened it. He took a step out while stretching his arms and looked over to his right, seeing Alexa already standing in the hall with her arms up.

He waved and made his way down the hall for the bathroom which was past her. He only made it to her door, though, as a giant wing blocked his path as she made her way for the restroom too.

He tried to go under, dance around, or do anything to get ahead of her in the short distance down the hall and past the office, but the wings were too big a block. She made it to the door first and slammed it in his face.

With a sigh, he made his way downstairs and after looking around, walked into the backyard. He didn't feel like waiting today and after an... incident, he never tried to use his parent's bathroom again.

The cool morning breeze hit his face and he smiled.

It was a good day.

Once finished with his business, Damien turned to head towards the hose to wash his hands, glancing up at the sky which was slowly brightening.

He froze.

"I'm never sitting on those bushes again."

"Sandra was in there..."

"I can't believe you guys made me wake up in there yesterday! I need a bath!"

"Pervert!"

Damien's face became redder and redder as he sprinted for the door.

The privacy he'd grown accustomed to, granted by the tall fence and bushes, was no longer something he could count on.

No longer was it a good day.

When his parents had woken up, they'd made a fuss when Damien showed them the golden bracelet inlaid with gems, demanding to know where such an intricate piece of jewelry had come from. He'd explained that it was a gift from the Fae for healing Jade and they'd shrugged it off, accepting yet another confusing thing he brought before them.

It was a bit like walking around with a bunch of cash in his wallet, unfortunately. He hated the feeling of it being seen and in turn, him being targeted for theft. He... conveniently left out the fact that he couldn't remove it.

The months leading to their trip passed relatively uneventfully after that. The fairies hadn't been around to bother Damien all that much to his dismay and relief. Whenever they did show up it wasn't for talking or so he could examine them. No, they'd just arrive in groups of two or three and ruin his morning. Conjuring a bit of ice underneath his feet while he practiced the forms, overheating his bath...

It was tiring, but it was still welcome. He was fascinated by the little pixies every time he saw them. Plus, it was always said they pranked those they liked.

Alexa, albeit tolerant of them, was much less enthusiastic about their particular brand of affection. She'd lost her cool on more than one occasion and tried to attack them and called them quite the colorful array of names but it had the opposite effect she had wanted, only making them laugh and dance about while continuing their slow torture. The Fae continued to not mind being picked on and seemed to enjoy it almost as much as they loved causing mayhem.

Sadly, Jade was never among the fairies to visit. Or at least he didn't think she was. Telling them apart was difficult. Their facial features never seemed to change, but the ones he thought he'd recognized always seemed to change in height and color.

One morning they had returned in force with around thirty, but not to harass him. They'd thrown open the shutter and swarmed in on him and Alexa, pulling him out of her wings and standing them both up while taking a small measuring tape to them. No matter what the two did, they didn't relent, so they just stopped moving and waited for it to be over.

It had been quite uncomfortable to have so many of the little creatures poking and prodding at him but he had gotten a great laugh out of it when they realized their measuring tape wasn't long enough to go above his knee. Ingeniously, one proposed the others climb on her shoulders, and soon there was a seven Fae tall tower standing next to him, all with different marks of black at different points on their bodies.

They'd offered no explanation when he asked what they were up to and departed as quickly as they had come, leaving him and Alexa wide awake and frustrated.

She blamed him.

It had been a smooth eight months spent practicing the forms and his mana manipulation. He'd recently mastered the use of his condensed air pocket to such a degree that he could walk on air, literally. It wasn't efficient, though. He had to condense just the right amount of air that when he stepped on the pocket it would detonate with the perfect amount of force required to lift his weight and he was only airborne for a half second at most. Shaping the pocket to be the size of his foot was easy enough, but continually making more and more while he stepped from one to the other in the correct locations was a huge pain; more than once he'd shot himself into the ceiling due to overcharging.

He'd made similar progress with electrical manipulation as well. He'd begun to be able to notice static buildup in its most harmless state and was able to collect it into himself and hold the charge for as long as he wanted, eventually unleashing it as a bolt of pain known as a shock.

It wasn't too impressive right now, but Damien was ecstatic. The added level of control was a great place to start for his later designs for the element. Being able to control the natural buildup in the area would, in theory, help him direct when and where lightning would strike. If he could create an area of heightened electrons during a storm and there weren't any large metal conductors nearby to influence the natural process, he might be able to choose where lightning would strike, or even force it to overload and strike early if he bridged the gap enough for the electrons in the sky and the ground.

This was all in theory of course and he hadn't been able to test it just yet, but he was excited to. Damien had even asked if he and Emily could go by themselves early but that had been shut down by... well, everyone. Alexa wouldn't even speak to him after the suggestion for a while. Her pouting during those moments was amusing. She'd still use him as a stuffed animal at night but refused to talk or train with him, letting him know in her own childish way that she was mad.

But finally. Today was the day. They'd already packed, they'd already planned, and he'd already been patient long enough.

Nothing would ruin this trip for him. He truly and honestly believed that with all his being as he scratched his covers to open them, and he kept believing that, right up until he swung his legs off the bed and stood up, finding the floor greeting his face moments later.

His moment of peace and excitement passed as he turned over and laid there, staring up at the hundreds of fairies laughing and milling about his room.

"The simpletons awake!"

"We've waited decades."

"Centuries! Have you no decency!?"

"Playthings shouldn't keep us waiting!"

Looking about, a multitude of them spoke all at once, all shouting inane things and demanding he be a better host while the others flit about and played amongst themselves. He sat up and looked at where his feet were to see a patch of ice as a soft weight once again landed atop his head.

He glanced over at Alexa and watched her groan, re-wrapping herself in her wings to hide from the fairies.

This only had the opposite effect as the moment she turned over, twenty of the little bastards swarmed her and pried open her wings.

"You ignore us?!"

"WAKE UP!"

"Yes yes! Today we journey forth!"

"We shant be kept in suspense any longer!"

"To our forest!"

"No!" Damien yelled.

The word was out of his mouth before he'd had a chance to stop it. They'd just said something utterly terrifying and he didn't like the prospect of what it meant. He wanted them around more, sure, but not like this. Not on HIS trip. Not today of all days.

And certainly not hundreds of them.

"Yes yes! Today we journey forth!"

Alexa's mind had frozen up at those words and the ones that followed. She had been trying to swat the things off her but they always seemed to avoid her hands masterfully. The thought of hundreds of these little monsters following them on a two-month long trip was horrifying. It was hard enough to deal with them as is.

Unlike Damien however, she had managed to keep her thoughts to herself. They always got even more unbearable when you tried to make them do anything.

"No!" He'd thoughtlessly shouted.

"He speaks!"

"To who? Not us!"

"None deny us!"

"Ye' court death fool!" the purple one yelled out from on top of his head.

Alexa sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose. She only knew the purple one by appearance and voice. The others were just a din of constant change she could never seem to recognize.

"Sorry, sorry," Damien said while raising his hands slightly, "I spoke without thinking. Please tell me though what you meant by your earlier statement."

"Is he daft?"

"Can't understand his own language, a pity."

"It's broken, we broke it."

"We meant what was said Human!"

"We have deigned to grace you with our presence for the trip!"

Alexa's worst fears came to fruition.

"We really couldn't impo-" He started but was interrupted.

"We come anyway!"

"It is not your choice Human!"

"Enough."

Alexa flinched as the word rang throughout the air, cutting the racket like a hot knife through butter. The Fae that had spoken was one that had been playing on her wing, now sitting at the top of it calmly.

She realized she recognized this one as well. It was the same one that Damien claimed had a sort of leader-roll among them. Donning short red hair and a white suit, he flew away from her toward Damien and addressed him.

"We will come and keep you safe; you should be grateful."

Damien opened his mouth to respond but shut it quickly after. He seemed to be thinking on how to respond to that when in Alexa's mind it was obvious what needed to be asked. Damien always tried to treat them with the utmost respect when they weren't in a joyous mood, deferring and allowing them to do what they please in most instances.

"Why? Why do you have to come? We will be safe on our own, what does it matter to you?" Alexa asked with annoyance as Damien looked at her nervously.

The Fae's face scrunched up at her questioning, but he still responded.

"He is chosen, that is why. It has been determined you are and will be unsafe during this journey, so you will both be protected, for he is chosen, and you are a friend. It would be foolish to let him die before the ceremony."

"Of course it will be slightly unsafe, but we will be fine. Why is he chosen, anyway? Surely others have been kind to the Fae before, what makes this instance so special?" Alexa immediately asked.

Sure he'd saved that girls life, but it's not like no one else had ever been kind to the Fae. If he was doing it here, surely someone else was being nice elsewhere. She didn't know of anyone, but that didn't mean-"

"He is more than he seems. The man saved our kindred's life yes, but he also knows of the Fae. He has called us by the old names. He has kept to the old customs. He has even since fed us what we prefer and invited us into his home without fear of losing his belongings or being spirited away. He knows of the Fae, much more than anyone of this world. He is chosen for that," the fairy responded with a nod towards Damien.

"Damien is hardly a man-" Alexa said, stopping mid-sentence as she considered his words.

'Of this world?'

Alexa looked back up.

"What did you mean by of this wo-"

"OKAY, that's plenty you can all come along. Can't help it if I'm the chosen one am I right? Ahahahah. Protection is fine, definitely fine. I hardly think we'll need so many of you though?" Damien jumped in, interrupting her line of questioning.

She repressed an extreme urge to hit him while he dragged the conversation away to a new topic. The Fae seemed to not care, but Alexa was disgruntled. She was getting new information.

She wanted to ask again, but the fairy had already reverted to its less than ideal conversation form. The others in the air began to chatter again as well. Her chance was gone.

"Best if we all come."

"Mortals always fall and hurt themselves!"

"Especially when pushed!"

Laughter resounded through the room again as Alexa watched Damien struggle to get his point across, "We won't have enough food for all of you, perhaps a smaller amount will do? Surely you all have more important matters to attend to than to babysit us. Ten, no twenty, twenty of you would be more than enough right? Being around us all day long would be so boring for all of you."

"True!"

"He is right, the weakling is right!"

"Humans are very boring..."

"They are fun when mad!"

"I do not want to go! I will go bother the Humans in the city instead!"

"Yes! There are so many more!"

"I shall go with them!"

"Me too!"

"I want to ride her wings!"

"I as well!"

"I want to visit our forest!"

The fairies were like a giant beehive of conversation, all spouting random words and agreeing or disagreeing with one another. Somehow they all seemed to understand exactly what the consensus was though which was impressive because Alexa barely understood any of what was said.

Suddenly, the hundreds of Fae that had previously filled the room vanished while little more than ten remained including the one who had spoken seriously. It seemed even on matters they regarded as important, they were fickle. Three landed on Damien's shoulders while his "friend" once again fought for dominance on his head. The rest clung to her wings.

"Onward steed! To the rest of the house!"

"Yes show us your abode!"

"We will plunder it to thee last!"

"Aye we be yur end!"

Damien let out a sigh before responding to the overzealous creatures. "You aren't allowed in our house, you know that. Please, fair ones, fly around outside until we leave."

"Nonsense!"

"Your life is in our hands; trust us, trust us!"

"Yes, trust!"

"We've barely stolen so far!"

"Borrowed!"

"Honest Fae are we!"

Alexa's ears twitched at that. Barely stolen. Borrowed. She'd noticed some of her hair clips and earrings had gone missing but had assumed she'd misplaced them since she found them in random locations throughout the room, sometimes even outside days later. Thinking about it now it was more than obvious they'd taken them only to return the items once they'd bored.

"Well, what should we do?" Damien turned to her and asked.

Rare, he was asking for her opinion. He probably just wanted to share in the outcome, since neither option was going to end well.

"I don't see why we are the only ones who have to suffer them. Give them free rein," she responded with an evil smile.

Damien laughed at that and nodded. "You twelve may enter my home." He had worded it precisely, she'd noted, only allowing these twelve in.

He was always really clever when dealing with them.

Alexa waited for the many Fae to madly dash out the door only to be disappointed when they merely tugged on her and Damien's hair, demanding to be carried forth into the abode of the humans. She let out another sigh at being treated like a carriage, but obliged.

Damien opened the door leading out of their room and began walking down the hallway. The Fae chatted to one another on his shoulders but seemed to be content to leave him be for now, which was a boon. His friend was usually content to sit atop his head quietly whenever he went outside, which was already strange for them, but had never gone inside his house even though he'd brought her through once.

He liked her the most for that.

Damien reminded himself on the walk to the stairs to never think anything like, 'nothing can ruin this for me,' or, 'it won't be so bad,' in the future ever again. It would only bring tragedy.

Perhaps it really wouldn't be so bad though. The Fae were known for helping around a house they'd attached themselves to. Maybe, just maybe, they would be able to put up with the stealing, abduction, pranks, and other foolish things the Fae would bring with them and reap the benefits of cohabitating.

Or maybe they'd kill themselves. He'd need to store iron somewhere for emergencies.

How they'd known he was from another world could be attributed to his carelessness. He'd treated them with customs not native to this world, or perhaps just not discovered yet while having only just met them. It could be obvious, then, that he might come from somewhere else.

In that statement though, they'd made it obvious they knew about other worlds, so maybe returning to his was an option. Or at least visiting. He didn't know if he would choose to go back if he had the option right now and the indecision alone pointed to a longing to stay here.

Only time would tell.

How they'd known he was an older man however was the real problem. If they knew his age, he'd have to find a way to keep them quiet. Damien didn't want anyone knowing that for now. He needed more time to pass before he dropped another bomb like that on his family. They'd put up with enough of his quirks already and they didn't need that to top it off.

Damien reached the stairs and heard a light humming coming up from the floor below, along with the fantastic fragrance of a freshly cooked breakfast. The Fae stopped chattering upon hearing the tune and gently swayed to the music. He hesitated, but upon reflecting that he was screwed either way and more afraid of the Fae than his mother, he slowly descended the stairs.

"Damien, Alexa, it's about time you two came down. I'm surprised we were up before you. Usually on days like today you are up first if you even sleep at all," Garrett said while sitting at the table, facing away from them and sounding like he was in a good mood.

He was reading a new book he had picked up from the Association's library and was absorbed in it. Emily was currently cooking at the stove and also facing away.

Damien had been spared for the time being.

"Take a seat my darlings I'll have breakfast ready in a moment," Emily called from the stove, not rotating to look at them.

The fairies tensed when she stopped her music but relaxed again as she started it up. They seemed irritated it had been interrupted but were content for now to let the issue go. Truly, today was his lucky day.

Damien and Alexa both entered the kitchen rather carefully before taking seats next to each other on the side of the table facing Emily. That was their side. Emily would come and deposit the food on the opposite side from them where no one sat unless they had a visitor and then take a seat across from Garrett at the other head of the table.

Nothing happened for a solid minute. Damien and Alexa were frozen in place and sweating buckets, yet Garrett hadn't looked up and Emily was focused on the stove and countertops, still humming. The Fae had said nothing and were still rocking back and forth. It was a surreal moment, like the calm before the storm which ended all too soon.

Emily stopped humming and turned toward them, opening her mouth to speak again and leaving it open at the sight that greeted her.

"Human! Continue that song!"

"Yes, continue! We demand it!"

"A gift if you do, this child's earrings!"

The kitchen seemed to enter a separate dimension for a moment where time didn't exist for anyone but the Fae who once again began speaking amongst themselves, hopping around Alexa's wings and kicking their feet against Damien's forehead and shoulders all while demanding more music.

"Damien, what is this?" His mom finally questioned rigidly, breaking the silence with a hint of anger permeating her voice.

More than a hint, really. They'd agreed the only Fae he'd bring through the house was the green one. He'd gotten scolded for walking his friend through as well after that, and again when they'd found out he let them in his room. Emily didn't seem to dislike them, but prejudice was still there and Garrett vehemently rejected the idea of allowing them in any part of his shop.

Unfortunately, this attitude of don't ask don't tell wasn't helping resolve the problem or getting either of his parents on board with the floating creatures. They were a little interested when they saw the fairies around the two while they practiced, but nowhere near enough to let them be seen as commonplace around the home.

"Hmm? We are here for breakfast, I thought?" he replied.

"Why are the Fae in our house?" she asked more directly right away.

Damien forced a smile.

"Oh, oh that. I uh, hadn't noticed them. Must have followed me downstairs when I wasn't paying attention. Alexa can you pass me a plate, please? Oh would you look at that, you have a few as well," he replied, looking away from Emily to Alexa.

"Huh, it seems I do. Not sure where they came from ahahahaha. Must have gotten in through a cracked window in the shop I bet. Yep, a cracked window," she responded.

'Good, own it. Admit nothing.'

If he must, he'd blame Alexa. She was the one who had decided to share the burden. Renewing his determination, he once again rotated his eyes back to Emily. His fuming, angry Emily.

"Damien."

One word, yet even the Fae stopped their chattering and playing. They all turned to look at him, whispering loudly.

"He seems to be in trouble."

"The fool angered the caregiver."

"Let us leave him lest she turns her wrath on us."

"Agreed."

He was going to kill the little traitors. He watched in dismay as they fluttered away from him to Alexa, landing on her head and shoulders. Even she wasn't making eye contact with him.

"Full sail to the wings!" a voice called out from on top of his head.

Instantly, his hands shot up and stopped the Fae from departing.

"Unhand me, Human! I will not sink with you!"

"Friends stay together even during hard times," he countered.

"The price you pay!"

"You made friends!"

"Suffer!"

Seeing the other traitors take his side, he removed his hands and grinned. Sure, they only did it because they were mad she got to eat first when he gave them treats, but he'd take any support right now.

The Fae on top of his head stayed standing for a moment before sitting down in a huff, obviously displeased by the way his head was getting colder and colder.

"What are you smiling for?" Emily asked icily.

The cold sensation on his head stopped and he felt the Fae straighten up.

"This Human apologizes for his actions! They made him bring us!" she shouted from atop his head, pointing at Alexa while giving him some modicum of confidence from at least having one person on his side now.

"Mother, please. We have guests. It would be rude to keep them waiting for food, would it not? Let us speak after we have partaken in this meal, they'd love some milk and bread. Surely we will have time, right dearest father, to speak post meal?" he responded.

His dad was looking over the top of his book staring at Alexa. He seemed to not even hear what Damien had said, so he counted that as a win.

His mom glanced to her husband then back at Damien before letting out a sigh. She turned back to the stove and carried two huge plates full of food to the table. Bacon, eggs, toasted bread, something similar to hash browns, and something similar to pancakes were all on the plates. She turned back and grabbed a large bowl and a loaf of bread before placing them on the edge of the table and returning for the milk. She filled up the bowl full of the milk and then sat in her seat, staring at the Fae who were also staring back at her hungrily. When they didn't move, she looked back to Damien.

"You have to... give them permission t-"

"Eat."

"Okayyy!"

"Milk!"

The Fae all dashed to the food in a frenzy while paying no heed to the Humans tone and nearly knocking the bowl over in the process. They chattered and laughed while some dove into the bowl of milk, freezing half of it and leaving the rest liquified somehow. They tore chunks from the bread and stuck shards of milk ice in them before shoving them in their mouths. They spoke merrily and flew about the kitchen, grabbing sugars and honey from the counter and pouring it into their milk, making it even sweeter. The Fae enjoyed their meal to its fullest, while everyone else ate very slowly.

No Human or Celestial said a word.

The meal concluded and Emily observed the Fae cleaning up, breaking one dish but also clearing that up. When they noticed the trash was full, they flew it out back and incinerated it, literally. It smelled horrible, but they'd created a gust of wind to clear that away, too. The stove, counters, floor, dishes left on or near the sink that hadn't been used... the Fae cleaned the entirety of the kitchen while laughing all the while. It was terrifying, watching her glass dishes being thrown around and caught like they were toys by people the same size as them, but the one that broke had already been cracked and snapped when it had others stacked on top of it, not because they'd dropped any.

The cleaning process was done within two minutes. She'd never heard of a Fae ever doing anything remotely kind for anyone so this... this was intriguing. Her son had said they repaid debts in kind, but she'd never known anyone to actually try and get on their good side. They hadn't even eaten that much and yet her kitchen was now spotless.

She'd noticed Damien hadn't finished his meal but instead left a little of everything on his plate. The Fae all played a game of rock paper scissors over who got to finish it and the one who had won looked ecstatic, eating everything her son hadn't. It then flew over and patted Damien's head, as if he were a dog.

Once they were done, they all flew back to Alexa and Damien, sticking to the two like white on wings. Her husband was once again staring at them while seemingly unsure of what to do. The kids were either looking at each other or looking away, refusing to make eye contact with either parent.

A tense few moments went by.

One of the fairies, the one with purple hair that seemed rather attached to Damien, flit over to Garrett and examined his face, sniffing at him and causing him to move his head back slowly while crossing his eyes to stare at it. It was one of Emily's favorite expressions she'd ever seen on him and she stifled a laugh.

The fairy sat on the open book he'd left on a corner of the table and caused one of the pages to start frosting over. Frantically, the man grabbed the book and the Fae giggled, jumping into the air and leaping around his head while poking at his cheeks and ears, causing frost to appear with each jab.

Garrett flailed his arms about and tried to hide his face but that only spurred the Fae on more. Soon, he was up out of his chair and through the door into his shop with the fairy hot on his heels. He was running while cursing, but it looked as if he was moving at a snail's pace while she was just riding his coattail through the wind, exuding no effort whatsoever to keep up, laughing all the while.

All three watched the man leave the room before hearing the front door slam closed. Damien was the first to break the silence.

"aha... ahahahahahaha!" he laughed, doubled over the table.

This provoked a giggle from Alexa and the other Fae began laughing in earnest as well.

Emily tried her best to stay stern, but eventually gave in and chuckled. Staying mad was pointless in a situation that didn't call for it and this certainly wasn't one of those.

At least, it wasn't for now. She still wanted an explanation.

"Alright, enough of that. Why are they here and why did you allow them inside the house? I admit they weren't as bad as I thought they'd be, but there is still plenty of potential for them to change my opinion. Why are they following you both so closely?" she asked.

It seemed like a reasonable place as any to begin.

"They will be coming with us on the trip for protection," her son replied, causing her to raise her eyebrows. "I'm the 'chosen one,'" he finished, holding his fingers up in quotation marks.

"No, they won't. I won't allow it and Vanessa certainly would object."

"Not your choice Human!"

"We deem ye be worthy of our presence! Forsake it not!"

Two of the fairies responded to her statement. She glanced at them and they glared back, almost as if challenging her to speak against them again.

"That's the thing mom; we don't exactly have a choice. They are coming whether we like it or not. I talked them out of bringing hundreds, and this is what we are left with," Damien replied.

"You talked us into nothing!"

"We decided you weren't important enough to protect with more than this!"

"You speak untruths! Face my wrath!"

The little flies buzzed around Damien's head while shocking him with small amounts of lightning. She watched on as he ignored them entirely and they bored after a while, returning to his shoulders and head to continue bouncing their heels off his body where they left light traces of frost with each contact.

Her son seemed to pay them absolutely no mind, not even giving them as much attention as one would a fly. Emily looked at Alexa for confirmation and the girl nodded. Vanessa wasn't going to be happy.

"For now, you two need to bring your bags near the front. Vanessa should be here soon with the carriage she managed to rent and I want to be ready to leave. We can get acquainted with our... travel companions once we are set to depart, or perhaps just while on the road. Either way, get prepared," Emily eventually said.

The kids both stood up and moved into the shop while Emily sat still in her chair. None of the Fae had stayed behind and she was glad for that. The last thing she needed right now was to be chased out of the house like Garrett. They'd need to adjust their plans slightly if those things would be tagging along. Bring more food for one.

Did fairies need blankets or tents?

She rested her head on the back of her chair and closed her eyes. These ridiculous situations seemed to follow her son everywhere he went. Just once, she'd like something they planned to go actually according to plan.

I sit next to Alexa in the reception room as we wait for Vanessa to show up. Hopefully, she doesn't end up being genuinely mad about our new hitchhikers. I understand as well as anyone that it's frustrating to be around someone whose sole purpose in life is to bug you, but at least the Fae are beautiful and mysterious while they do it.

That has to count for something, right?

Alexa likes them. She won't admit it, but I know she does. She doesn't let anyone mess with her wings except me, yet the little thieves have been crawling all over them, praising them for their softness since we woke up. It's the first time they've ever really stuck to Alexa since the day I'd found Jade and I'm sure they're regretting only now realizing how amazing her wings are. They take turns with one another, pouting on my shoulders and complaining about how unappealing my body is compared to hers.

I'm sorry I can't compete with a softness that beats out silk, stupid unappreciative little...

Woah now, calm down there. Don't need to be thinking things like that only to say them out loud accidentally. Already done that once today and from what I can tell, I'm about to be rewarded in some way by them, so let's not screw that up.

While chastising myself, I find it a little lonely that my head no longer has the weight it had before. I wonder if she'll be back in time for our trip.

I hear the sound of the front door opening, pulling me from my thoughts as I prepare to convince Vanessa not to be mad.

"Emily, I believe I just passed by your husband. He was running down the street yelling while being chased by a Fae... are we still leaving today, or?" Vanessa questions walking through the door and into the shop.

"They are in the living room. We need to... talk before we get going," I hear Emily say.

"Of course we do. What has he done this time?"

"You'll see... it's... more complicated than it looks."

Why does it have to be my fault? It could just as well be Alexa's fault! It's not like I WANTED these pains in my ass to arbitrarily decide to follow me around like lost puppies.

Not that I'm too opposed to it either, it's pretty awesome. I have Fae following me. FAE. I know it's a bit childish to be so excited about that but I can't help it. They're freakin' cool looking.

Footsteps approach the door and my musing is put on hold. The Ice Queen herself is about to enter the room. I need to focus lest the trip be canceled.

Please, please just don't let the damn things say anything obnoxious.