Loverly

A little over a week had passed since Star decided to move into Franklin's apartment, and in that time, it had started feeling like home. Her room had been furnished with a thick carpet and a lamp, in addition to the bed, the dresser, and the chair Franklin had originally bought her. Each day, she woke up and ate breakfast with the dogs. Franklin was usually still around the apartment, and he occasionally ate breakfast with her. More often, he was working in his study. After breakfast, Star showered and got dressed. It was heaven to have a reliable shower. Franklin had helped her pick up a few sets of clothes from a thrift shop, insisting that Star needed to look a bit more normal, now that she was working in a shop. She hadn't really been able to argue with that; she only had the one set of clothes, and they were a mess. She had also picked up some unmentionables at a bargain store. She fully planned to buy some more clothing when she could save some money, but for now, she tried to avoid letting Franklin give her anything else.

When Star was ready for the day, she and the dogs headed out of the apartment. The locks now sprung open for her when she placed her hand on the door, then shut again when she closed the door. Franklin had worked for several days to fine tune them. The walk to Crystal Notions was long, but Star didn't mind. It was good to have somewhere to go, and she ambled along at her own pace. Sometimes, Franklin walked with her, but after the first few days, she had felt safe enough to do it on her own. Of course, it helped that all three of the dogs escorted her there. Once she was safely in the store, she gave the dogs a word for the day ("asphalt", "juniper", "rose quartz"), and they went off to disperse her wisdom. Then, she got to work.

Magda always had tea ready, and they took time to chat about what Star might do that day. Star was a quick study. She had a good instinct for what certain materials could do, and she could always seem to fit them together in a working configuration. Where Magda helped was providing her with proper definitions for her feelings, names for all the gems and qualities, and putting a polished touch on the things she could create. This first week, Star had mainly been making simple amulets, materials placed inside a pouch that would grant a certain amount of protection. She found it to be easy, and she was starting to pick up on that feeling she got when something came together just right. Everything would click, and she would feel a slight tingle. Magda said it was her energy investing itself in the object's creation. It was a type of magic. Star didn't know about that... magic was something wizards like Franklin did, not her. But she had to admit that she felt a certain amount of satisfaction from it. At the beginning of the week, Magda had given her one hundred dollars. It was meager pay, but it was much more money than Star was used to having. It was enough, for example, to buy food for the dogs every day, and save money to buy some things for herself, so Franklin wouldn't have to. Magda told her that every week, she would give Star the same. More if the shop did well and she could afford it. Star had told her it was more than she deserved. Magda had smiled to herself and shaken her head.

At the end of each day, an hour or two before sunset, the dogs would return. Star usually took that as her cue to finish her work for the day. A few times, she had been reluctant to leave, but her fear of nighttime overcame her drive to finish whatever amulet she was working on. The walk home was at a quicker pace, and she never stopped anywhere. She didn't feel safe until she was back inside the apartment.

Franklin was usually still out when she returned home. She would feed the dogs some dog food, then grab a small snack for herself. Then, she would read whatever book Magda had sent her home with that day. When Franklin came home, they would make a proper dinner. He was trying to teach Star something about cooking, but she had eaten whatever she could find for so long that it was difficult for her to be patient with the preparation of a meal. She did think, however, that what she and Franklin cooked tasted better than most of the things she could find on the street. She tried to be patient, even when she burned things.

Sometimes, Franklin brought her home books or gemstones. Once, he brought her a chunk of silver. She felt weird about accepting the gifts, and that evening, when Franklin placed a large, leather-bound book near her elbow, she picked it up and tried to hand it back.

"Franklin, you have to stop bringing me things. I have a job now; if I need something, I can buy it for myself. I appreciate it and all, but really, it makes me feel bad when you keep giving me things after all you've already done for me." She shook the book at him, trying to get the wizard to take it from her.

Franklin shook his head. "Star, in my line of work, I get a lot of things as payment. Sometimes, I get things that I think you would use more than I would. That's all it is. If you don't take them and use them, they will just sit around my rooms and gather dust."

Star frowned at him, still holding out the book. Franklin, as he had explained it, was an acquirer of magical artifacts and items. Basically, magic needed supplies, and quite frequently, especially where powerful spells were concerned, the supplies were difficult to obtain. That was where Franklin came in. Star thought he sounded like a magical treasure hunter. She shook her head at the older man. "I owe you too much already."

Franklin laughed. "Star, you owe me nothing." Star made to object, but he cut her off. "Allow me to enlighten you. The rules of giving gifts are somewhat different for Mortals and Immortals, but the general ideas are the same. Gifts are given to repay debts, to foster good will, or, especially in the case of Fairies, to create some sort of debt that requires payment. Oracles, however, get to flout those rules. The basic idea is that an Oracle is a direct line to a deity. To give a gift to an Oracle and to expect repayment would be tantamount to trying to say that a deity owed you something. It would be apt to get you killed in a very painful fashion. When you give an Oracle a gift, all strings on it are cut. The debts are reset, and it is as though the gift has belonged to the Oracle all along. It is yours to do whatever you please with, and the gift giver has no say over it. Therefore, you owe me nothing. As an Oracle, you can't. In fact, you can even give them away, if you like. I can't rain retribution down upon you... although Fairies are more the type to get insulted if you give away their gifts, not me."

Star stared up at Franklin somewhat blankly. She was trying to process everything he had said, but a lot of it she didn't understand. Whenever he started rambling about Oracles and Immortals and Mortals, she got lost rather quickly. Something, she realized, didn't make sense. "If you are right, Franklin, then why do fairies keep showing up and trying to shove gifts at me?" She dropped her hand to her lap—the book was getting heavy—and peered at him in confusion.

Franklin smirked. "One of the oddities of the equation. Although you don't owe them anything, they hope that the gifts will foster your good will. Perhaps, make you more inclined to help them. In a way, it is true. People are more likely to help people they know rather than strangers. As an Oracle, though, you can help whoever you want."

"So, you are trying to foster my good will?" Star raised an eyebrow.

"Not as such. Actually, I am using you in a cunning plan to get rid of all my junk. I figure I give things to you, all the gift-giving debts get reset on the items, and then you do whatever you want with them. I don't have to worry about them."

Star blinked at him, and Franklin simply stared back at her innocently. Something else occurred to her. "You say fairies get insulted if you give away their gifts...?" Star suddenly was worried. She had given away almost every single gift a fairy had ever offered her, if she accepted them at all. The dogs were the only exception.

"Ah, don't worry. That also doesn't apply to Oracles. See, Fairies are tricky. They love to get people in debt, which is why normal people should never makes deals or exchange gifts with a Fairy. Since you are an Oracle, though, they can't touch you. The gift-giving debts are reset the instant you accept a gift from them. You owe them nothing, and they have no hold over the gift. You can give the gift away as though you owned it your entire life. They can't say anything, and they can't get a hold on the gift's next owner."

Star breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried there for a minute. "I only ever kept one gift. The rest I tried to refuse, and if they were forced on me, I gave them to other people." Sometimes, she had found items simply left for her when she had refused them outright. Something always made her wary of accepting gifts. She didn't want to owe anyone anything. And she felt she didn't deserve them. She was no Oracle. So she had gotten rid of them.

"The dogs?" Franklin looked at Zip and Striver, who were curled up on the floor near Star's seat.

Star felt a bit surprised. Then again, people always seemed to know things about her, especially magic-type people. It was vexing, in a way. She didn't like people to know things unless she told them. She nodded at him.

"If you don't mind me asking, why?"

Star thought for a minute. She could lie, but she felt she owed Franklin the truth. So much for not owing him anything. "... They were going to destroy them. Kill them. If I didn't take them as a gift. They made them, and so they didn't think they were anything but things. They aren't things. They aren't even dogs. They're people. I couldn't let them die because I didn't want to accept a gift."

Franklin raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Well..." The wizard trailed off, and Star thought that he could think of either nothing to say or too many things to say.

She glanced at the dogs again. Zip chewed on a bone. Star had no idea where he got it. It was a good quality one, and she thought maybe Franklin had been slipping them gifts when she wasn't looking. Striver was dozing on one of the soft rugs, a picture of canine grace. Star wondered where Batria was, but something in the back of her mind told her the husky was probably poking around in Franklin's study. The wizard hated that, but he couldn't do much to stop her. Batria tolerated Franklin, and she didn't afford him any special respect.

There was a knock at the door. Star froze, barely daring to move her eyes toward the hallway that led outside the apartment. Franklin turned around and stared. In the time Star had been there, Franklin had never gotten any visitors. She watched as the wizard checked his pockets, adjusted a ring or two, and moved to answer the door. She fought the sudden urge to bolt into her room and slam the door shut. Striver lifted his head, then rose to stand in front of Star. Zip did the same, dropping his bone. Batria padded out from Franklin's study and stood guard at the end of the entryway, staring down it with intensity. Star listened as the locks and wards disarmed with a series of clicks and swishes.

"Yes?" she heard Franklin ask. There wasn't any alarm sounded or violent explosions, which was reassuring.

"Announcing Lady Bermedine, Lady in Waiting to Highest Lady Palbratl of the Court of Whispering Breezes, tributary of the Court of Spring. We seek an audience with the Oracle Star." A small, slightly nasal voice floated down the hall.

Batria turned to make eye contact with Star, but Star knew what she would say before it even crossed over to her. Fairies.

"Not again," Star groaned aloud.

She heard Franklin say, "This way," and sighed.

She looked at the dogs. "I don't suppose you could get rid of them?" She knew they couldn't, of course, but she had to ask. Zip wagged his tail. He seemed to enjoy the gift-giving ceremonies, for some reason. Batria stepped back and quickly trotted over to sit by Star before the fairies came into the room. Franklin exited the hallway first, and he was followed closely by a small fae.

The fairy attendant stood only slightly above the wizard's knees. He glowed with faint white light, and he was dressed in a lavish uniform of pale blue and silver. His silver hair was tied back into a pony tail. Besides the surreal form and pale, glowing skin, the four translucent blue wings that sprouted from his back proclaimed his fairy nature. He stood stiffly at attention for a moment, then shot Franklin an impatient look.

"I am not her servant," Franklin told the shorter being, looking slightly amused.

An expression of insult and superiority flashed across the fae's face. He cleared his throat and made it clear he was loyally performing a duty that he felt Franklin should have gladly taken upon himself. "Lady Bermedine, Lady in Waiting to Highest Lady Palbratl of the Court of Whispering Breezes, tributary of the Court of Spring." He stepped aside to permit the Lady to enter.

Star blinked, taken aback for once. Given the attendant, the Fairy Lady should have been a picture of ethereal beauty, dressed all in silver and blue. Instead, Lady Bermedine was dressed in a gown of ugly yellow-brown. The gown was well made of light material that floated around her, but the color was a shock. The Lady's boots were black leather, and a black cloak that looked like inky spider webs clung around her shoulders. From the neck up, everything was as expected. The rounded face of the fairy was pale and glowing, her silver hair elaborately done up with sparkling gems and florets. Her wings, which were ornate and resembled those of a butterfly, spread behind her, a dizzying array of pink and blue. Star couldn't help but stare at the strange attire.

Lady Bermedine fell into a deep courtesy. The attendant bowed at the same moment. Star noticed that the Lady's expression was fiercely stoic, as though she was suffering some sort of torture. Based on the fairy's odd attire, the girl couldn't help but wonder if Lady Bermedine was being punished for something.

The Lady spoke. "The Court of Whispering Breezes grants our deepest regard to the Oracle Star. We have traveled far and made a long journey to seek an audience with Your Blessedness."

Lady Bermedine paused, but Star simply raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, she felt a nudge from Striver. Welcome them, he seemed to say. Star frowned at him, but the dog returned her gaze evenly. She sighed.

"You are welcome, Lady Bermedine," she pronounced reluctantly.

The Lady seemed satisfied and moved on. "The Court of Whispering Breezes wishes to bestow a gift upon Your Blessedness, befitting your rank."

Star wanted to interrupt right there, but Striver purposely stepped on her foot and, for once, glanced at her in annoyance. Star was surprised, and she held her tongue.

Lady Bermedine turned and nodded behind her. Star saw Franklin's eyes widen in surprise at something down the hallway, and she wondered what Lady Bermedine had brought with her. At length, four more attendants glided into the room. They were all dressed like the first attendant, but it was what they held that captured Star's attention. It was a giant egg, nearly a foot long and half as large around. It was brilliantly colored with all the colors of the rainbow, blending from red all the way to deep purple, and its smooth surface gleamed.

"Behold, the egg of a Clarus Dragon," Lady Bermedine said, motioning gracefully to the egg. "The Court of Whispering Breezes hopes that the Oracle Star will accept this gift as a symbol of our good will."

Usually, Star would have immediately started on a tirade of refusals. For a moment, however, she could only stare. A dragon egg? Dragon? Egg? Her thoughts ran in loops. She took so long to respond that even Batria, normally disciplined, turned to glance at her. Zip decided to take matters into his own hands (paws?) and suddenly trotted forward.

Everyone watched as the spotted mutt approached the egg and nosed at it. He wagged his tail more and barked in Star's direction, cocking his head. Good good! Let's take it! he seemed to say.

Star opened her mouth, then shut it again. She glanced from Striver to Batria, then to Franklin, then back at Batria.

Batria seemed to shrug.

Star wanted very badly to refuse. But she found herself looking at the egg, wanting very much to touch it, to hold it. Just to see if it was real. Fairies had tried to present her with many things, but a dragon egg made the top of the list. Right below a set of three demon-human-dogs. She looked at Lady Bermedine, and the expression on the fairy's face made her feel a bit of pity. The Lady looked as though she wanted to melt into the floor, as though she had been so shamed that she couldn't bear to even exist. Star realized she still hadn't accepted or rejected the gift, and thus, she was drawing out the moment into torture. She cleared her throat.

"Uh, I accept your gift," she said, before she even quite realized that was what she was going to say.

There was a soft, collective sigh of relief from Lady Bermedine's attendants. The Lady herself looked so relieved that Star expected her to burst into tears. Instead, the fairy courtesied and motioned for the attendants to bring the egg to Star.

"As such," Lady Bermedine began, waving a hand to motion someone else forward, "the Court of Whispering Breezes also wishes to bestow a second gift upon you."

Star nearly choked and regretted accepting the first gift.

Another attendant entered the room, carrying something draped all in silver velvet. The cover was removed, revealing a glistening cage that looked like it was made of bars of colorless crystal. Inside the cage was a tiny, glowing fae, with hair and wings a pale, icy orange. The fae looked like a child, and part of Star immediately objected to her being imprisoned in a cage.

"Please, accept this spirit of academia, versed in the history and lore of the Clarus Dragons. She will provide all information you desire." Lady Bermedine motioned again, and the attendant brought forward the cage. Finally, Lady Bermedine produced a silver scroll and handed it to the first attendant. He moved to deliever it to Star. All three items were gently deposited a few feet in front of the ring of dogs guarding Star.

"I thank you," Star responded quietly, a bit overwhelmed.

Lady Bermedine waited only a moment for the gift-bearing attendants to pass by her and exit before dropping into a deep courtesy again and departing. The announcing attendant waited and followed behind her, shooting Franklin one last disapproving glance as he exited.

Franklin followed them out, and Star heard him close the door securely before he came back into the living room. He boggled at the dragon egg now that the fairies had departed. "A dragon egg. A dragon egg. Do you know how rare these are? I have only seen a few in my time, and one of them was only a remnant shell." He paused. "Does this sort of thing happen often?"

"Gifts?" Star asked. "Yes. Dragon eggs? No."

Franklin paused, then looked troubled. "You aren't going to give it away, are you?"

Star blinked at him. "Uh... no?" she asked.

"Dragons are powerful creatures. Certain people would pay a lot of money for a dragon egg, certainly, but dragons aren't something that should be bought and sold. It would be like... giving away a child." Franklin gave Star a stern look.

Star realized that by accepting the egg as a gift, she had pretty much agreed to take care of it and raise a baby dragon. She nodded and turned back to look at the egg. Now that the shock was wearing off, she found herself able to move again. The girl quickly rose out of the chair and plopped down on the carpet next to the dragon egg. She cautiously reached out a finger to touch it. It felt slightly warm and definitely solid.

"Greetings, Your Blessedness," the tiny fairy inside the cage said, startling Star. Her voice was high and innocent, like that of a small child.

She turned to look at the fairy. She hated to see it in a cage. Her fingers quickly went out to open the crystal door. Then, Star waited.

The tiny creature delicately fluttered out and landed in front of Star expectantly. She stood barely six inches high, and even the egg stretched slightly over her head.

"You are free to go," Star said. There was no way she was keeping the child prisoner.

The fairy smiled at her. "My purpose is to serve, Your Blessedness. Where would you have me go?"

"Home," Star explained. "You are free to go home."

The fairy cocked her head at the larger girl. "I have no home, Your Blessedness. I was created to serve you. My place is here."

"She isn't a Fairy, Star," Franklin interrupted. Star looked up at him. "She's a spirit of academia. She's... a Fairy book."

"Don't fairies have books?" Star asked, vaguely confused.

"Yes, but she is a book that can talk. You can ask her questions or request advice, and based on her knowledge, she will give you an answer. It is much easier than looking up something. She is only limited by what she has learned so far. She is relatively new if she was created for you, and thus, she probably only knows about Clarus Dragons at the moment. She will learn more as she gets older."

"So... why does she look like a fairy?"

"I choose to, Your Blessedness," the spirit answered. "If you prefer, I can change my appearance."

"Uh, no. That's all right." Star waved a hand. "You can look like whatever you want."

"Thank you, Your Blessedness."

"... Do you have a name?"

"No, Your Blessedness. Would you like me to have a name?"

Star thought for a moment. "Yes."

The spirit waited patiently, and Star realized she was expecting the girl to name her.

"Um... how about Kiko?" The name seemed fitting.

"Excellent, Your Blessedness."

Star looked around. The dogs were all watching, as was Franklin. Star had no idea what she thought she was doing.

"So, Kiko... this is... a dragon egg?"

Last Updated: April 7, 2007
Page Created: April 1, 2007