For all of the World, I am bored. Maxi is supposed to be coming by today but he's late! Thirty entire seconds late! I could be haflway out the door by now and moving onto more interesting things!

  But nooooo, Ayre made me promise to handle this today since she(very wrongly) thinks I've been putting it off. Putting something off implies that I don't want it to happen. I do. I'm sure Maxi will have all sorts of interesting things to say and talk about — he seemed very nice when we met, and based on what Olly and Ayre have had to say about him we’’l probably get along quite well!

  But there's just so many interesting things in the city. It's not me putting it off, it's just that I want to do everything. He's also a minute late! Isn't he supposed to know his way around the city better than us?

  Three knocks interrupt my train of thought, temporarily annoying me until I realize that it probably means that Maxi is here — so I can tolerate the annoyance.

  I open the door with no delay, having been standing next to it for the last hour and a half waiting because I was accidentally way too specific in promising Ayre I would wait right here until Maxi showed up. Something I'm sure she goaded me into on purpose.

  "Hi Maxi! Our home is yours to enter this day, given freely and without expectation of payment or an owed favor or debt." I follow the ritual greeting without really thinking about it — surely nobody else actually gave him proper permission.

  And in exchange he just stares at me like I just spoke a foreign language. Something I am certain I did not do. All peoples of the world understand fae speech as whatever they feel the most appropriate. Otherwise the whole "words have power" thing doesn't really function at all if people can't understand our intent, after all.

  "Uh…hi. Thanks for the welcome. Can I come in?"

  "I did just say you could enter, yes." I swear. Nobody in this entire city understands how to speak properly. I step aside and gesture inside for him and we make our way to the table to sit and talk — something that has become commonplace for the house. It's easily our number one meeting spot. Probably because we don't have many other options yet…

  "So, Lilly, I had some questions, if you've the time for them today? I just wanted to make sure, since you've missed our last few appointments." The sly grin he gives me leads me to believe that he is absolutely aware of the reason why I missed them, so there's not much point in beating around the bush.

  "Nothing to worry about at all, I set aside most of the day for you today. Don't worry about my normal plans. What can I answer for you?"

  He adjusts his papers, shifting one to the top. Peering at it upside down, I see it's a identification sheet. It sets me slightly uneasy because there's a lot of very hard to answer questions about my identity.

  Well, they're easy to answer. Most questions are easy to answer. Moreso just that answering them would shine a very bright light at me. In the uncomfortable "staring into the sun" sort of way. Not the "everyone watching me do something cool" sort of way.

  "Well, first things first: what are your essence affinities?"

  Very direct. Very awkward. "It's not an essence you'd have heard of, I imagine. And it's one that I'm not supposed to talk about openly. I hope you understand." Objective truth, overall at least. The idea that he hasn't heard of it is very likely, though, so I'm comfortable enough making the claim.

  "Right. Something within your family, I assume?"

  "Within a certain degree of the word family, yes."

  "Very well, I'll mark it down as "Private". Next question: Where did you come from before coming here?" Perfect — an easy one. "And to be clear, I mean from before the calamity befell Meadowfields and your escapades in Silverbrook — your friends have filled me in on those as much as I need."

  Not perfect. A very hard one. Is he doing this on purpose?

  "Well, prior to all of this I was living with my father to the far south of here."

  "You're Kaymarian? Your accent is unlike anything I've heard from anyone there. Your name, too."

  I narrow my eyes at him, scrutinizing. In response he just smiles and holds up his hands defensively. "I think you're being circumspect, Maxi. Can we cut to the chase? I believe you have a specific question that you're working towards and are just gathering evidence first."

  "Right, right, sorry. I'll be honest in saying I was mostly being roundabout for my own amusement — not because of a grand plan. Some parts of your background don't quite add up, so I was trying to figure out why — not out of distrust, but because I want to do the best I can to help."

  Nothing but truths, which is nice to know at least. Means I don't have to worry about him like I would other people like all of those black armored Order of the Vigil whatever people.

  "Some things like heritage and essence affinities can affect your ability to work in certain fields — mostly due to the fact that some essences are antithetical and having either a essential basis in them in affinity or in heritage can lead to unsafe conditions for you or others."

  "Well, I can assure you that that won't be an issue. The essence I wield is entirely non-reactive to any other essence with one exception and that is not—" I stop, my brain catching up to my mouth and feeling that uncomfortable tingle of an alteration getting ready to be wrought by my words. I was about to say something that could have hurt Olly, since he's the only source of that essence and he is distinctly nearby, relatively speaking. "The one exception is incredibly rare to the point of barely existing and very unlikely to ever pose a problem to me here." Satisfying turn. Vague enough to not be problematic.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "I…see." He lies. "I think I understand what's going on, then." A…truth. I would have expected that statement, following the other, to also be a little social-smoothing lie, but the fact it wasn't puts me on edge as he looks me up and down again. More shrewdly this time and with essence leaking into his eyes.

  In an effort to bring this awkward situation forward and close to an end, I push it along bluntly. "So, what sort of work were you thinking? I dropped off a list of my skills at the office for you, as requested."

  He smiles softly, dispelling whatever essence sight he was using briefly. "You definitely did. I don't think I've ever seen such an expansive list of skills. Did you buy a journal just for it, or did you already have one on hand?"

  "I bought a new one! I'd been trying to find a good place to buy stationery and I thought that that one was particularly cute, so I wanted to buy it and make use of it."

  "Makes sense, I thought I recognized it from where I buy my own supplies for work. I digress, though. While you have a wealth of skills — some very…specific — I tried to winnow them down into the things that seemed like the safest bets based on the personality you've shown so far. Which is to say — you strike me as a natural performer. You carry yourself like you live on a stage, and that sort of energy can go over well at shows and in theater. How are you for dancing?"

  "Oh!" Finally something I can talk about without any caveats or evasiveness. "I adore dancing. Of all kinds!"

  "Then in that case, I think I might have something lined up for you that could be perfect

  The implication makes me lean forward eagerly. "Do share!"

  "For starters, I'd like to introduce you to someone I've worked with before. She's a talent handler for the local show circuit. If you're still free, we could go over there and meet her."

  I all but leap out of the chair, purely excited. If I had wings I'd be fluttering them with glee! A "Talent handler" sounds like someone I could get along with. A whole job devoted to handling talented people like me? I can think of no greater compliment. Right now at least. If given a few minutes…

  "Please, let's go right away. You've piqued my interest and then some."

  After traveling across the city, Maxi brings us to an unassuming building — a house, I think. The same white stone exterior, with some colored pennants hanging from the roof edge. He doesn't wait, though, just ushers us right inside without knocking or saying anything.

  It seems uncharacteristic of him, if I'm being entirely honest. And similarly, this place looks immediately uncharacteristic of somewhere performers would be…

  But, passing into the building, my breath catches. It's a single open room with a general aesthetic of rich, red and gold brocade fabrics hanging down from a central point on the ceiling and draping in such a way to draw the eyes to an unassuming mahogany desk at the rear-center of the room. Black leather couches line the walls, looking well loved and possibly oiled if the slight gleam in the tender light of the room is anything to go by. And finally, even through my shoes, I can feel how soft the carpet in here is.

  It makes me immediately want to take off my shoes to feel it, if I'm being entirely honest with myself. In fact, I kind of want to touch everything in here.

  But, like a self respecting princess, I keep my hands to myself and merely boggle at how delightful this room is, mostly silently within the confines of my mind.

  The desk in the rear has an overlarge chair with its back facing us, with the only hint of the occupant being two pearly white, pointed, felid ears that look adorned with lilac and charcoal black rosettes dyed into the fur.

  The person in the chair does something I've always wanted to do and it makes me immediately, instantly and rudely quite jealous.

  She spins slowly around in the chair, very dramatically, with one leg crossed over the other and both hands resting on her raised knee and a subtle, almost sultry, smile. Her eyes are nearly black all the way through, aside from the limbal ring of her eyes glowing gently with a gentle pink inner light, accentuating the voids within.

  Her voice crosses the room so quietly that I have to strain to hear, finding myself taking a few steps farther. "Dear Maxi, brightening my doorstep with your handsome smile, rugged good looks, and confident charm. And with a beauty in tow, even. Though…she seems a bit young to be joining you and I for our usual escapades."

  Maxi, the calm, collected, always finding the right thing to say, Maxi, instantly flusters and it's adorable.

  "Now…Ms. Blackthorn…"

  Maxi begins to speak but gets cut off, "Oh relax, my dear. I know you are far too straight-laced for that sort of good time. I was only teasing. Do come over and take a seat, both of you. Much as I enjoy keeping things dim in here, it is hard to make out the finer details of finer faces from a distance."

  The canid man looks at me apologetically and slinks towards the domineering felid and I follow, both of us dropping into the comfortable. high backed chairs together.

  "Your name?" As we get closer, her tone only lowers, keeping us slightly on the edge of hearing and focused. I know exactly why she's doing it, but with the allure of everything going on, it's hard to not get swept up by the really very simple conversational trick.

  "You can call me Lilly. And you're Ms. Blackthorn? I've heard that name a few times recently, are you the head of the family? You carry yourself with the appropriate panache."

  When she laughs it pulls her aged felid features into a sharper contrast — warm, laugh-ready eyes and a thin-lipped grin with a single fang pulling at her lip. When next she speaks, she gestures with a sweep of her hand that makes her claws, covered in some sort of lilac paint to accenturate them, glint in a ray of light from the fixtures above. A motion that feels deliberate.

  Frankly, the way this woman carries herself is making me feel wholly inadequate in my showmanship.

  "I have to admit to enjoying your compliment, Lilly, but, no. My family is wide-reaching, and to call anyone the "head" of it would be to discredit the work of all of my kith. And, being honest, I wouldn't want such a position anyways. Too much politics involved in such a thing. I like to enjoy myself with very specific types of eyes on me. The Sovereign, beautiful as she may be, is not among them.

  But…no. You'll find my family everywhere in Eldara, and sometimes even abroad. You asking such a question, along with your accent, would lead me to believe that you are not from around here. At risk of sounding haughty, the Blackthorns are something of "a big deal". We operate most places of learning, from schools to libraries and universities."

  I see a small opportunity to recover some conversational momentum. She is deft with how she controls things. "And what, exactly do you teach that Maxi would want me to learn from you?"

  The question obviously delights her and gets her to lean in. "I teach people expression, my dear. I teach people to admire and be admired. And, looking at you, you are expressive and admirable already. So instead I would teach you how to perform." She brings her voice to a wispy dream of words, leaving me filling in the blanks myself when the last word nearly falls off, forgotten like punctuation at the end of a sentence

  "So, answer me this, Lilly. Do you want to perform? To have all eyes on you? To be sought after and desired and have any and all hanging of your every motion and word?"

  I should not be this eager! It's unbecoming of a princess. But…maybe if I can learn to do what she does I can cheer Olly up?

  And Ayre, too, of course. Definitely Ayre, too.

  When I answer, I feel like she's dragging it out of my lips with her smile and beckoning eyes.

  "Yes, Definitely, yes."