A Human’s Guide to Surviving Magical Mishaps by Kit Bryan

"I suppose the most important things to remember are things that you have mostly worked out for yourself. Since we cannot lie, fae take our promises seriously. I would advise you not to ask for a promise or give one yourself unless you are certain that you can keep to your side of the agreement." He starts. I nod along.

"Sure, that's easy enough I guess." I agree. Ashton continues.

"You should avoid thanking anyone formally, not just the actual gesture but the words thankyou imply a debt that you may not be willing or able to pay. If you need to say something, just tell a person that you appreciate what they have done. Although if someone else offers you thanks you should accept it. Fae do not do so lightly and it would be very insulting to decline. Only do so if you truly believe that person may be trying to harm you." He explains. Yep, that's another one I had mostly figured out for myself, and he's mentioned before it would be rude to decline.

"Don't thank people too clearly, got it." I agree.

"One last thing, a reminder. You are good at seeing through glamours. You should continue to practise, but try to avoid making assumptions about what you might see. There are many innocent reasons why someone might change their appearance as well as many dangerous ones. Just... Be cautious. I do not want you to get hurt again. I have no intention of leaving you unprotected here, but that does not mean you should not take care of yourself. You are talented in seeing through glamours, this may be of help to you. Truly I do not believe that you will be in any danger here. It is well guarded and I will stay with you as much as possible, but I also did not think it was possible for assassins to get in and kill my father either and clearly I was wrong." Ashton sighs and closes his eyes again, looking exhausted. Without thinking, I reach out and begin stroking a hand through his hair to comfort him. It works for me after all. Apparently it works for him too because after a couple minutes his breathing slows and evens out and he relaxes completely as he falls asleep.

A loud knocking on the door has me bolting upright. I must have fallen asleep too. Ashton sits up, dazed and blinking uncertainly. Whoever is at the door knocks again and a feminine voice calls out. I don't understand a word of it so I guess she's speaking in fae. Ashton calls out an answer as he climbs out of bed and straightens his clothes up a bit.

"My mother is here. Are you ready to meet her?" He asks, almost a little nervously.

"Sure." I agree easily. I mean I am staying in her home, as giant as it appears to be. He met my dad who was very unfriendly. I can only hope that his mum is happier to see me than my dad was to see him. Ashton stands by the bed and calls out in fae again, his tone welcoming. A moment later the doors swing open and his mother strolls gracefully into the room. She's tall with dark hair like her son. She has green eyes like him too, or maybe I should say he has green eyes like her. They also seem to have matching horns. The most noticeable difference between the two of them is that she doesn't have any markings on her skin. I guess he got those from his dad? Or maybe they're just unique to him. What really has me fighting the urge to stare is her outfit. It looks great on her and all, but also it would not be out of place at the beach back home. It looks kind of like a combination of beachwear and something you might wear out clubbing. Sure, it covers everything that needs covering, but it doesn't cover much else. It makes up for this by having flowing fabric strips draped carefully over it. Somehow it looks classy rather than trashy, but it's certainly a shock to me to see an adult woman, a mother even, dressed this way. I guess Ashton really was confused by how we dressed. Not only are our clothes conservative in comparison, they're kind of boring compared to the black and grey fabric flowing behind his mother as she walks. It DOES look like it would be comfortable though, if you weren't feeling self conscious about it that is. I guess if this is what you're used to and it's what everyone wears, you wouldn't feel that uncomfortable. Ashton is still wearing the clothes he came here in. He obviously changed to human clothes to come visit me back home and it seems like he hasn't left my side long enough to change back. I have got to get him to take a break. He's going to burn himself out. Ashton's mum gives me a friendly smile and says something that I can't understand. I smile back nervously and wave at her.

"Ashton? I have no idea what your mum is saying." I point out. He nods.

"Yes. She greeted you and asked if you would mind her putting a language charm on you. It is the same charm I have currently to help me understand your human language. The charm would not be permanent, rather it would last a few months then fade away. Most fae who use them find that the language never permanently leaves though as they were able to learn a lot of it while under the effects of the magic." He explains. I stare at him wide eyed. "And your mother can do that?" I say amazed, glancing back at her where she is waiting patiently for him to explain it to me.

"Yes. My mother is very talented at charms and reading a person's magic. I believe I have mentioned it to you before. This is a charm she has been giving out a lot lately as we attempt to learn more about humans. Would you like the charm? You do not have to have it, I can continue to translate for you if you wish, but I promise it is perfectly safe and you would be able to communicate with people directly." He points out. I grin.

"I would love to be able to talk to people properly and say hi to your mum. Do I need to do anything?" I ask.

"Just hold out your arm." He instructs. I give Ashton's mum a nod and hold out my arm, trying to smile in an encouraging way. Even with all that, she doesn't touch me until Ashton repeats my consent in fae for her.

Ashton's mother lightly touches the back of my hand. Just the smallest brush of her fingers. She closes her eyes and her hand glows where she's touching me. I feel a cool sensation rush over me and it feels like I've been dunked underwater for a moment except I can breathe fine. My head goes a little bit fuzzy. She pulls her hand away and it immediately begins to clear.

"Can you understand me?" His mother asks softly. I blink in confusion but give a slow nod. This is WEIRD. I can hear that the words aren't in english, they sound just as foreign as they did a few minutes ago, I just... Know what they mean. I can see how this would help someone learn.

"Can you respond?" She asks next. I open my mouth to speak, planning to say 'of course I can'. Or even just 'yes' but I'm all tongue tied. I'm having trouble picking out the right words. Fae, human... it's all mixed up. I stare back at her hopelessly. She smiles gently.

"Don't worry. It will get easier in a minute. Just let the charm settle. Ashton, get the young lady a glass of water. It should help." She orders. Ashton rushes to follow her direction and a moment later he presses a glass into my hands. I drink it and she's right that it does help. The head rush from a minute ago is basically gone and I feel ready to try speaking.

"I... Yes, I think that I can speak now. Am I doing it correctly?" I say in fae. She beams at me and Ashton looks excited.

"Yes you are. Good job." She compliments me. I grin at her.

"Th- I mean, I appreciate your help. It is nice to meet you. My name is Katerina Fall." I introduce myself. Huh, I always thought that Ashton speaks kind of formally, now I'm thinking it was just language difficulties. This charm has taught me how to speak properly, but the words feel rigid to me. This is going to take some getting used to.