A Human’s Guide to Surviving Magical Mishaps

I wake up early in the morning to shower. I figure with an extra houseguest, my bathroom time is going to be cut short. Although I'm not too stressed as I don't think we have any particular plans set for the day other than looking for signs of the fae assassins. Oh, and I have to introduce Fin to my dad. Maybe today will be stressful after all. When I'm dressed and ready to face the day I head into the kitchen. I can hear voices which is strange because it's quite early. Actually... Is my dad laughing? I stand in the kitchen doorway and take in the sight in front of me. Fin and my dad are sitting at the table and both have coffee mugs in front of them. I look around trying to figure out why my dad is in such a good mood this morning, but the only thing that draws my attention is Fin. Dad notices me in the doorway and grins at me.

"Morning Kat. I'll be heading off to work early today, you take good care of our newest houseguest okay?" he thumps Fin on the arm in a friendly gesture with his free hand while taking a mouthful of coffee from his mug with the other. What the hell? If I wasn't watching closely I wouldn't have noticed Fin flinching slightly at the contact that he is probably not used to. Stunned into silence, I take a seat at the table and stare at the two of them. Dad finishes his coffee, gives me a hug goodbye and heads off to work with a cheerful bounce in his step. The moment I hear the door close I turn on Fin.novelbin

"What in the world did you do to my father?" I demand. He tilts his head and gives me a knowing look.

"I did nothing out of the usual. I merely informed him that I will be taking care of Ashton from now on and you should not have as many duties to see to. I also repaired his coffee mug when he dropped it." He answers easily. I narrow my eyes. Surely that can't have been enough to earn a place in dad's good graces. If I hadn't seen them getting along with my own two eyes I wouldn't have believed it.

"Are you sure you didn't somehow use magic? I've never seen dad take to someone so fast before. He hates most people and he's overprotective of me. He barely tolerates Ashton!" I point out. It is at this moment that Ashton joins us in the kitchen, bleary eyed and wearing his glamour.

"Are we talking about your father? Is he still here?" he asks. I shake my head.

"He just left." I inform him.

"Well, in that case." Ashton immediately drops his glamour. I glance sideways at Fin to see if he will do the same, but he just smiles pleasantly and continues sipping at his drink. Darnit. I want to know what he really looks like. But I'm not willing to ask. Maybe I can figure out how to see through his glamour myself. Ashton said I might be good at it. I suppose this is as good a chance as any to test that.

As I move around the kitchen getting everything together for breakfast, I watch Fin closely. He is either unaware of my attention or is ignoring it completely. Ashton however is doing no such thing and has been watching with narrowed eyes every time I've glanced his way. I'm making toast again and I go to place the first plate in front of Fin but Ashton clears his throat loudly. Without so much as a pause Fin slides the plate across the table to Ashton who still seems unhappy but slightly more mollified.

"Am I missing something?" I ask, glancing between the two of them. I place the second plate from my other hand in front of Fin while dropping more bread in the toaster.

“Ah.. it is... well..." Ashton looks kind of embarrassed and is clearly struggling to form a proper answer. I look to Fin instead who answers calmly, his voice so even that I have no idea what he might be thinking.

"The order in which you serve guests has certain implications back home regarding how much you value them, among other things. I believe that his highness was merely reminding me of that fact.” He states. I glance between the two of them confused. But I was the one giving out the plates. Why would Ashton be bothered by a rule I don't even know about? I turn to Ashton with a curious expression but he just shrugs and looks away. Okay then, I guess he doesn't want to talk about it. I add it to my list of things to figure out later and make a mental note that I should probably make sure to give Ashton food first whenever I serve something, at least until I know what it means. I don't want to offend anyone. I collect my own breakfast and sit at the table to eat. Something seems off though. It takes a minute for me to put my finger on it but it's something about the way Fin is sitting. He's perched on the edge of his seat and doesn't seem all that comfortable. He was doing that on the couch last night too, sitting weirdly. It's like he can't get close to the back of the chair. Actually, he likes to keep a decent amount of distance either side of himself too. I recall how he is careful to step around the furniture and how he sticks to the centre of the hallway and doorways. Could his glamour be hiding something that is affecting his movement? Struck by the idea, I look closely around him. Actually, despite being perched on the very edge of the seat, he is still sitting in a way that looks like he's leaning back on something. There has to be something behind him! As soon as I have the thought, I notice a slight flicker over his right shoulder and a moment later his glamour melts off in front of me. I did it! Without his glamour, Fin looks quite different. His blonde hair actually has a bit of a green tint to it. His eyes are no longer blue but actually an unnatural looking purple shade and, as I had predicted, sticking out from behind his shoulders are a large set of wings. They look kind of like the wings of a dragonfly and are iridescent in green and purple matching his eyes and hair perfectly. It's an unusual appearance, but it suits him. With his glamour on he looked good, but kind of like a doll. Now he looks real, which is a strange thought to have about someone with wings.

My expression must be strange, I'm probably completely wide eyed and I'm definitely staring. I don't realise until Ashton places a hand on my elbow to get my attention.

"Kat?" He prompts me and I pull myself together.

"Sorry, it's just... You have wings!" I exclaim, turning to Fin. His eyebrows fly up in surprise for half a second, then he returns to his usual calm demeanour.

"Yes. I do." he agrees. Ashton grins triumphantly.

"I told you she would see through it." he declares like he has accomplished something impressive. Wait... Did they discuss this already? Were they testing me? I can't decide if I'm annoyed by it or not so I decide not to overthink it. "I did wonder how you made it to my house so soon after dark without any assistance. Did you... Fly here?" I ask. Somehow the question feels ridiculous, even though it's a perfectly reasonable assumption given this new information. "Of course." Fin agrees, nodding as he continues eating. How convenient it must be to be able to fly. But it seems like wings make things awkward, they are half crushed against the back of the seat. Fin doesn't look bothered but I can't imagine it's comfortable. I'm about to ask when a loud knock at the door reminds me that I'm expecting another guest. Fin rises to answer the door. Well this should be interesting.