parttimespellbinder

[parttimespellbinder]

@ceuestrellado @megaboyo23 @lootens @malacosoblog @wiewtrouble @bound2bedestroyed53 @nadiarexler @bitsofeverythingandsoon-blog @differentvoidneckstatesman @napoleon-borntaparty @lmorasey @ourpoeticmemory @xdigo @headspace-hotel @casuallystandingintherain-blog 

Ray-Ban Sunglasses

[parttimespellbinder]

@ceuestrellado @megaboyo23 @lootens @malacosoblog @wiewtrouble @bound2bedestroyed53 @nadiarexler @bitsofeverythingandsoon-blog @differentvoidneckstatesman @napoleon-borntaparty @lmorasey @ourpoeticmemory @xdigo @headspace-hotel @casuallystandingintherain-blog 

Ray-Ban Sunglasses

[parttimespellbinder]

Mermay day 7 Ashamed

So I gotta say that it's been nice using my Merbois for these and I hope to continue with them for the rest of the month. I've never really gotten the chance to use them so I'm really glad I feel to do this. Today's prompt just SCREAMED Cam, so I decided to make it mostly about him. It's on the shorter side and I don't really explain how what happens works but that's more because these aren't meant to be all that detailed. Maybe after Mermay, I'll go in and add details.

Cam was horrified. He kept rubbing his eyes, hoping that what he was seeing was merely some illusion or waking nightmare but it wasn’t. His tail was gone, now replaced with two skinny human legs. Stranger still was the strange dangly appendage in between them. Curious though he was, he had no desire to really find out. Learning more would be a form of acceptance, and all he wanted was his tail back. “Guys! C’mon! Why do I have to do this?”

“Oh, don’t be such a crab,” Dison said, completely fascinated by Cam’s new form. He sat in the shallows with him, unabashedly staring at Cam’s legs. The look on Dison’s face only made Cam feel worse, like he was some creature on display about to be taken apart. “Well...c’mon, Cam! Get up and move with them!”

Cam’s face went scarlet. “Are you kidding me?! I’m not doing that!”

“W-what? Why not?”

“I didn’t even wanna be human in the first place!” Cam shouted. “You’ve already turned me into one, now you want me to...to…”

“Walk,” Dison said. “And I didn’t turn you into a human! We just...tested a legend, and it turned out to be true!”

Cam shook his head, a look of utter shame on his face. “If my father...if my father…”

“If your father saw you right now he’d be…”

“Laughing his fins off!”

They both turned to see Syph approaching, a look of utter delight on his face. “I can’t believe it! I just can’t believe it! It worked? That stupid legend was right? And you got Cam to test it?”

He fell back into the water, laughing which only made Cam feel worse about himself. The only reason he’d even agreed to do it in the first place was because it wasn’t supposed to work. And now Syph was here to rub it in his face, which was the absolute last thing he needed.

“Has he walked yet?” Syph asked, looking at Dison.

“No I have not!” Cam shouted. “Please don’t speak about me like I’m not here, Syphen!”

“Well, get going! We’re burning daylight!”

“Well...what do you want me to do?!” Cam said. He attempted to stand up but between the unsteadiness of his legs and the strange feeling of the sand between his foot digits he ended up falling back into the water. This only made Syph laugh harder but Dison swam over to help him up. “H-how long is this supposed to last?” he asked.

Both Dison and Syph looked at each other. “What’d the Sea Witch say?” they both asked each other, realizing then and there that they had a much bigger problem. Cam’s jaw dropped. “Wait, you don’t know?!”

[parttimespellbinder]

Mermay day 6 ( for me) Best Buddy

So, i didn't upload yesterday cause i just wasn't feeling it but I'm back with today's prompt. So... here we go!!

Trident in hand, Dison made his way towards the surface, Syph and Cam following closely behind him. As his parents had been relatively calm for the past few days, it promised to be a fine day for sunning themselves. Though, ever the pessimist, Cam had opposing thoughts. “What if someone sees us, though?”

Syph scoffed at him. “That’s half the fun, Cam! The risk of being seen! Imagine! Seeing a real human? Or something else!”

“D-don’t other creatures...eat merfolk?” Cam asked.

Dison fell back and grabbed Cam around the waist. Cam responded immediately, wrapping his seahorse tail around Dison’s fins. “Hey, don’t worry about anything Cam. No matter what happens, Syph and I are here to protect you. And you brought your shield with you,” he noted, knocking on the large round turtle shell shield on Cam’s back. “In fact, that’s the only reason my parents have opened the lagoon up again. Everyone comes armed, just in case.”

“Of course, no matter how many armed merfolk there are, we might not be any match for what dwells on the surface,” Syph said softly into Cam’s ear. “It’s said that they’ve got powerful magic to counter ours, you know?”

“No way!” Cam said! “In my Human Studies class, they said that humans are incapable of using magic!”

Syph blew out a stream of bubbles. “I know you’re not used to being very fast, Cam,” he said motioning at his tail. “But don’t if you were any slower, you’d be netted. Humans not being able to use magic is the biggest lie under the sea! Everyone knows that!”

“Guess not since they’re still teaching it in some lesson,” Dison said. “My tutors always said that even if they can use magic, that’s not what makes them dangerous.”

“What could be more dangerous?” Cam asked.

Both Dison and Syph looked at each other and decided to drop the conversation. Realising that he wasn’t going to get his answer, Cam allowed Dison to carry him towards their destination. It was a secluded lagoon, where they already saw some other merfolk laid out on rocks, the sand or grass nearby, all of them enjoying the sunshine. Upon seeing Dison rise out of the water, there were many deep bows and greetings which made him blush but put a smile on Syph’s face. “My, my, ever popular as ever aren’t we Majesty?”

Dison punched Syph gently. “You know I hate it when you call me that.”

“Oh! That looks like a good spot,” Syph said pointing at a small island in the middle of the lagoon and going for it as fast as he could. At least that’s what Dison and Cam thought initially before Syph grabbed onto a large urn floating near the island and placed his entire body into it, saving his arms and head. He had a joyously relaxed expression on his face, as the urn floated off and he began making conversation with those he floated by. Dison shook his head as he and Cam made their way to the island. Dison took control of the waves so that he and Cam were swept right up against the lone tree on the island. There they sat all afternoon, with Syph or the other merfolk occasionally joining them to bask in the warmth of the sun and the company of the youngest prince.

“Hey...Dison?”

“Yeah? What is it Cam?”

“W-what would you do...if you ever met...a-a human?”

Dison didn’t take long to answer. After a couple seconds pondering he smiled and said, “I think i’d try to befriend them.”

“Why?” Cam asked. “No one ever says anything good about them. And all they do is compete with us for food and dump things into the ocean. Why befriend them?”

“Well, they can’t all be bad,” Dison said. “Besides, part of being a prince is doing things for the good of the kingdom, right? What if we could forge an alliance with them? We could teach them about the ocean and magic and in turn they could teach us about the rest of the world above the ocean! Think about all that they could teach us!”

Cam looked for a moment like he actually was trying to imagine it. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine what it might be like to really interact with a human being but the only thing that came to mind was himself being laid out on a large plate. “Uggh, no way!”

Dison laughed, knowing exactly what scene played in his friend’s mind. “I’m sure that wouldn’t happen to you, Cam.”

Cam started to draw little circles in the sand. “How do you know?”

Dison smiled. “Cam, I’ve known you my whole life! You’re my best friend, and you really think I’m gonna let anything happen to you? Anyone tries to eat you, and they're gonna get everything I’ve got to throw at them!”

Cam looked like he was about to start crying to which Dison said, “Please don’t.” But it was too late. Cam had already started blubbering and crying as he reached out towards his oldest friend. Dison accepted the hug, pulling Cam into a tight embrace and watching the setting sun.

[parttimespellbinder]

Mermay2020 Day 5- Tranquil

Lol, is it weird that i feel like these prompts aren't getting any easier to interpret? The idea for this was courtesy of my roommate and I'm...musing on the idea of making the rest of my submissions tie into each other, maybe by simply for on the same character(s). Who knows. But here's Tranquil!

Connor was having a bad day, but then again, it wasn’t every day you wake up with webbed hands and a fishtail. Initially he thought that he was just having a very strange dream when he woke up to use the bathroom and ended up falling out the bed. At first he thought that it was just because he couldn't feel his legs, and thus fell because of that. But then he looked as saw the long emerald green tail where his legs were supposed to be and he screamed. He didn’t just scream, though. He started to shriek. And wail. But the only ones around to hear it were the birds and other animals living around the lake house. 

After a solid twenty minutes of confused shrieks and wails, he finally had to urge himself to calm down and really think about what his next step was going to be. “Okay, okay, think about this. So...you’re...a fish now? Fish guy?” 

He did not want to let the ‘M’ word cross his mind. Regardless of what he was, he knew one thing for sure. “Fish need water, and I’m not doing that bathtub thing.”

And so the struggle began. Connor had no choice but to crawl across the floor, occasionally trying to flop his new fins to help push himself along. Sadly, it seemed as though fns were completely useless for getting around on land.

“So how...in the fuck...do they get up...on those stupid...rocks?! It can’t all just be...upper body strength!’

Finally making it out of his room he looked up and let out another groan. He still had to make it down the hall, the stairs and out the sliding door and that was just to get outside. From there he had to make his way down to the dock which meant crawling around through the dirt and grass. He shuddered just thinking about it. But he also didn’t want to dwell on what would happen to him if he didn’t make it to the lake. He checked his watch, seeing that it had already been close to an hour since he woke up. He was red faced and sore and felt like he’d done way too much at the gym. With a sigh he pushed his hair out of his face, and continued crawling. If anything was a consolation, he was no longer crawling across carpet so his tail and stomach could cool slightly on the hard floor. 

When he made it to the stairs, he gulped. “Okay...so...how’s this supposed to work?” he asked himself. He looked down at his tail and tried to flex the paper thin fins attached to his tail but to no avail. Probably doesn’t work out of water or...something. Taking a deep breath he proceeded to then crawl down the staircase and by the time he’d made it down to the sliding door, he was leaving behind a trail of sweat.

And after an hour and a half of struggling, he found his first silver lining in that the door was unlocked. With some more effort, he managed to slide the damn thing open and crawl outside into the burning sunlight. While he already felt like he’d run a marathon after the most intensive workout of his life, the heat outside only made things that much worse. His entire body felt like it was on fire, from his sweat drenched hair to his bones. But nothing seemed to cook better than his tail which looked like it wouldn't’ look out of place on a barbeque grill. It was growing darker and hotter by the second and now that he was cooking out in the open he’d attracted the attention of some of the local wildlife, namely flies, insects and birds. He braced himself for one final journey as he made his way from the lakehouse down the dirt walkway to the water’s edge. When his hand touched the lake water a wave of relief and triumph washed over him. It was as though, for the first time in his life, he’d finally found something worth living for.

He continued his last few pulls into the water before he was far enough to soak his entire body and simply let himself sink into the lake. Here, after all that he’d been through that morning, he finally felt calm and content. He wasn’t thinking at all of what he’d do from here on out or how his life was going to be. All that mattered was him drifting to the bottom of the lake, losing himself in tranquil waters.

[parttimespellbinder]

Mermay 2020 Day 4- Tsunami

So i was actually racking my brain trying to figure out how I'd write today's prompt. But i think it turned out alright. I'm not used to writing based on prompts lol but it was a lot of fun! So here we are!!

It was quite simple. The Sea King and his council of sorcerers would conjure a massive tidal wave, big enough to drown the entire village. Xhal had been of the opinion that, while horribly cruel, it was sometimes necessary to remind the humans who and what they prayed to. The Sea King and his merfolk had always been good to the humans, hadn’t they? He’d seen it first hand every full moon, when they walked upon the land tending to the sick and injured and bringing with them food and sometimes even weapons to fend off their attackers. Xhal remembered clearly one occasion he’d lead the charge against one such attack, blasting lightning from his trident or drowning the enemy humans where they stood.

But all of that help was facilitated by the promise that on every moonless night, there’d be a sacrifice waiting to join them in their underwater kingdom. Every month, selected completely at random by the Sea King himself and every month the humans complied. It was a large village and everytime Xhal went, it always seemed as if there were more and more people. Why would they have a problem with it? And because of how simple it was, Xhal didn’t hesitate for a moment to be among those who’d swim through the village once it was submerged and seek out the sacrifice.

Sure enough, he rode in on the third massive wave as it swept over the village, what structures remaining at this point, now obliterated. Trident in hand, Xhal made his way through the submerged roads, trying his best not to pay attention to the corpses as he passed by them. The King said that some of the villagers would be protected from the damage, he thought. And of course the sacrifice is already marked so they’ll be fine. With that in mind he continued onward, searching among the wreckage for the designated human. As he made his way, he’d occasionally come across the odd living human. Flailing around helplessly in the current and mystified completely by how they could suddenly breathe water, Xhal ignored most of them. The only one’s he’d make an effort to help were the children. There’s no point in rebuilding if there’s no future generation. Whenever he’d find a living child, he’d take them up in his arms and continue forwards, riding the current with them on his back. He ignored them pulling and poking at him as well as their shrill cries for their parents. After he’d gathered ten or so, he deposited them in whatever high point he could find, so that they may wait for the water to flow back out to sea. 

After what felt like forever though, he finally found him; the sacrifice. He was struggling the wreckage of what used to be a human house, cuts and bruises all over his body and his clothes slashed in several places. Xhal saw his leg was caught and moved forward to free him. When the sacrifice saw him, his eyes grew wide with fear and he began screaming. At first they were cries of panic and terror, which continued as Xhal dug his foot out.

“Come with me peacefully and there will be no problem,” Xhal said, completely disregarding the yells that had now turned violent and angry. When the sacrifice attempted to swim away, Xhal blasted him with his trident, paralyzing him. Xhal then grabbed the sacrifice around his waist and made his way back towards the ocean. Mission accomplished, he thought, leaving the flooded land behind and returning to the sea.

[parttimespellbinder]

Mermay 2020 day 3: Royalty

MAN! I'm barely making it! Was kinda unsure what to write for this one but I've had some merboys i drafted a couple years ago lying around and didn't want to waste them. So here we are!

Dison hated the days in court. As the youngest of his siblings, he often wondered why he even needed to bother attending. It’s not like the throne’s going to me anytime soon, he always thought. And yet here he was, floating alongside his nine siblings and barely listening as his subjects swam into the throne room and made various requests of his parents or else informed them of the many goings on of the kingdom. None of which Dison particularly cared about. At least, until he watched his best friend Syph swim up. 

Syph a rarity amongst the merfolk due to having eight dark blue tentacles making up his lower body instead of the more traditional fins. The moment he entered the room, Dison could see how the whispers began amongst those still waiting to enter the room and even the looks on the faces of his siblings. Nereus in particular shot Syph a nasty look and it took everything Dison had not to tackle him. Instead he looked encouragingly at Syph who paid no attention to him whatsoever, but bowed deeply towards Dison’s parents.

“Your Majesties,” he said. “I come with news from just beyond our borders.”

Dison watched his parents exchange questioning glances at each other. “Speak then, young man,” his mother said.

“My Queen, as I was exploring beyond our territories I came upon what seemed to be a graveyard of sunken human sailing vessels.”

Nereus snorted. “What news is this?” he asked. “Everyone knows of that pl-”

“Silence,” the Queen hissed at her oldest son. “The purpose of you and the others being here is to listen and learn. It is not your place to speak out of turn Nereus.”

Dison couldn’t help but smile widely at Nereus, as he sank back into line looking quite humiliated. That’s what happens when you interject where you’re not needed, Brother.

“Please continue your report, Syphen.”

“Of course, my Queen. As I was saying, as I came upon the ship graveyard, my first impulse was to see what lay amongst the wreckage. The surface dwellers often have...unique possessions with them when they drown. In particular I could feel a great power coming from one of them.”

Dison could see his mother hanging on every word. When Syph paused and bit his lip, the Queen’s eyes narrowed at him. “...and? What was this power?”

“Alas, I was unable to determine, My Queen. I dared not approach when I saw...the Merrows.”

A shudder ran down everyone’s spines, Dison’s included. The deep sea demons, Merrows were not to be trifled with. One could easily overpower five of their best trained soldiers and two sorcerers. “Of course,” the Queen said. “We’d never ask you to endanger yourself like that. How many were there?”

“That was the thing,” Syph said, looking more frantic. “I counted at fifty, at least! And not just the ones from beyond the ravine, either! There were others, from...elsewhere it appeared. I feared the worst and came as quickly as I could.”

Though he’d remained silent during Syph’s report, the Sea King rose from the throne and swam towards him. “You’ve done well to bring this information to us. Well done.”

As he continued past Syph he waved his hand, which signaled to Dison and his siblings that their presence was no longer required. At this, Syph swam up to Dison and the two exchanged mischievous glances at each other as they made their way out of the throne room.

“What was it? Do you know? I know you know more, Syph,” Dison whispered as they quickly swam away from any who might overhear them.

“Don’t be stupid, Magesty,” Syph said. “I told them everything I know. Honest. But I do know that we’re gonna go on a little adventure tonight.”

The thought of an out-of-kingdom adventure sent a wave of excitement through Dison’s body. “Really?! We-we’re going?” he stopped for a moment to really think about it. It’d been ages since their last escapade and then he was reminded why. “Wait...is this…”

“NO!” Syph said. “No, this isn’t like last time. No krakens or leviathans this time! I promise!”

Dison smiled and nodded at him. “Alright! Let’s go tell Cam then,” he said turning around and heading towards the soldiers quarters.

“Uggh, do we have to?” 

[parttimespellbinder]

Mermay day 2(for me): Celebration

So I know that for the 4th it's supposed to be #StarWars themed but I'm not a big Force fan so I'm catching up on the prompts I missed. If I'm vague on how the characters look it's totally intentional cause these are only meant to be a page long in Google Docs. But here we go!!

It was the first party on land that he’d ever been too and upon arriving in brand new clothes, Rafe was more than a little peeved. Any merman would upon discovering that the the place where the party was being held was beach. A wide array of people between their late teens to their 20’s were talking, laughing, eating, drinking, dancing or, to his further annoyance in the water. And not just humans either. Rafe was at least happy to see that many Fae and Monsters were present. One noteworthy standout was a very drunk centaur, cantering all around the beach and narrowly avoiding crushing the feet of some of the other party goers. 

Groaning, Rafe made his way down to the sand, smiling and shaking hands and hugging many of the other guests, eventually finding the birthday boy himself. It was actually pretty easy since Johnny was the only person at the party who looked almost as annoyed as he felt. Johnny was sitting near a fire, beer in hand throwing angry glares at anyone who dared come near him. Rafe sat down next to him, gift in hand, and smiled. “Sup?”

“Mmm,” Johnny said. “You look nice.”

“Yeah, I heard that you’re supposed to dress up at parties,” Rafe said.

“And who told you that?”

Rafe simply pointed at another boy who’d just jumped into the water with a couple of Elves. “Of course. You know that Reggie’s also the one who planned this, right?”

Rafe nodded his head. “I did know that.”

Johnny looked around at all the people. “And...you didn’t say anything?”

“Look, I’m still getting used to this whole land thing,” Rafe said. “I did tell him that you didn’t seem like the type who’d appreciate this but...nothing stops him once his mind’s set on something.”

Johnny took another sip of his beer. “Unbelievable. My own Attendant and you conspiring against me. Traitorous scum. So...go talk to him.”

Even with the glow of the firelight, Johnny could easily see that Rafe had begun to blush. “W-what? Why would I do that?”

“Cause that’s what people do at these kinds of things. They socialize. Now, take off those clothes and make your way down to the water.”

Rafe started to protest before Johnny spoke again. “I’m sufficiently powerful enough to turn you into kelp. Get out there and get your man.”

Bearing in mind that Johnny was the reason he even had legs to begin with, Rafe thought it best in that moment to comply. He unbuttoned his shirt, took off his pants and made his way down to the water’s edge where Ben was and the boy immediately took notice of him. “Hey!”

Ben ran out of the water, right up to Rafe, an enormous smile spread across his face and water dripping from every inch of his tall muscular body. “Glad you made it, Rafe!”

“Y-yeah,” Rafe said, trying to keep his voice steady as Ben seemed to be taking him in. “Coming in the water, huh? Let’s race!”

“Isn’t it...kinda dangerous to be night swimming? For you at least?”

“You kidding? As many Fae as we’ve got here, there’s more than enough light. Besides,” he said, putting his arms around Rafe’s waist and pulling him close. “I wanna hang with you for a bit,” he added whispering in his ears.

If Rafe’s heart was doing backflips right now it was nothing compared to what he felt in his  underwear. Smiling at Ben, he allowed the boy to lead him into the water. The moment the water touched his legs, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest, faster than it just had been. His body felt tight, like he was about to sneeze but he was holding it back. Seeing this, Ben easily lifted him off his feet and carried him out further, all the while removing the merman’s underwear. Tossing it away behind them, Ben placed Rafe in the water and allowed his body to finally relax and he resumed his true form. His legs turned back into a scaly green fishtail, the dorsal fin emerged on his back and webs returned to his hands.

“There you go,” Ben said. “Feel better?”

Rafe nodded. “So...you still wanna race?”

[parttimespellbinder]

MERMAY2020

So I've always wanted to participate in the #MerMay challenge but I'm not an artist I'm a writer. So here's my submission for the day 3 prompt, Sunset

They all watched her leave, the littlest mermaid. She was the youngest of them and the second of them to have picked up a name.

“‘Lorelai’ they called her,” said one of her brothers.

“Don’t you mean, he called her,” one sister whispered. At the sound of this Lorelai stopped and turned towards her siblings all still sitting around their father. When she faced them, they all sighed sadly. Her once flaming hair seemed to have lost some of its color and thickness, now looking rather stringy and paler than it had once been. She was thinner, as she often picked at the smaller bits of whatever meal they shared. Her eyes were the saddest though, seemingly devoid of all the light they once had. Those eyes, along with her laugh, used to fill the halls of the Sea King’s palace.

“Pay no attention to them,” their father said to her. “You may leave, if you’d like.”

Lorelai nodded her head and continued out of the palace. Hands over her heart, she made her way to the place that used to be so special to her, just above the waves. Breaking the water's surface and tasting air again was an experience that always made her feel so many emotions. There used to be a time when those emotions were eager anxiety, lovesick bliss and above all, simple happiness. There was a time, very much like now, when everyday she’d race out of the palace up to the surface simply so she could hide behind her rock, or sometimes sit upon it, and look at him. And every day she’d see him walk down to the beach, looking out at the water, seemingly to watch the sun set beneath the waves. But she’d known back then, just as she knew now that he was looking for her. And letting him find her had destroyed her. But even after everything that had happened, she still pulled herself upon the rock in the water and stared at the beach. In the light of the setting sun, the world seemed to be showered in orange light. There were some humans, spread out on the sand to soak in the last rays of light before they faded for the day. But he wasn’t there. It seemed so strange to her. Why? Why wouldn’t he be there? Maybe he was sick? 

She sighed to herself, knowing that the most likely reason Jason wasn’t staring out at the sunset was because he was ruining the life of some other girl. Showering some unlucky maiden with all the attention and affection he could spare in those moments that likely meant everything to her but ultimately nothing to him. But didn’t he come back for me? That day on the cliff? He had indeed, once he’d figured out that he’d shattered her heart into so many small pieces. But he came with another girl! Likely to rub it in my face that…

Shaking her head, Lorelai tried what she’d been trying to do for the past several months and simply forgot about the whole thing. Turning her head, she looked towards the sun as it slowly dipped beneath the waves, turning the sky varying shades of purple and blue.

[parttimespellbinder]

“But if you forget to reblog Madame Zeroni, you and your family will be cursed for always and eternity.”

[parttimespellbinder]

I need people to follow!

[parttimespellbinder]

[parttimespellbinder]

X

[parttimespellbinder]

Confession time...

Please re-blog this if it is okay to anonymously confess a fantasy to you.

[parttimespellbinder]

Spellbound: The Wizard in the Tower

Jun floated in the air with his legs crossed, deeply absorbed in the several books that floated around him. He often read up on several different subjects simultaneously, often hoping it would help him piece together whatever mystery he needed solved or question he wanted answered. But just as often, he simply wanted to lose himself in several different stories, sometimes belonging to the same series. Today, he was feeling a little all over the place. Two books on magical history, three on philosophy, a mystery novel and volumes 5 through 9 of his favorite comic series. His mustard colored eyes darted from page to page as they turned themselves and circled around him like small sharks. His skin was so pale he sometimes had wonder if he was looking down at his own hands or the pages of another book. His long indigo colored hair had been tied back into a messy bun and hidden away under the wide brimmed hat he always wore. Today, being Monday, the hat and the robe he wore to match it were both a silvery moonlight color.

So absorbed was he in his reading, Jun hardly noticed as Haley Sanderson approached him from behind. Haley had a triumphant look on her face and an eager gleam in her brown eyes. Her black hair had been pulled up on her head in two large curly puffs. She made her way past the circle of books surrounding Jun and placed her hands over his eyes.

“Guess who?”

“Whoever it is will very soon find out what it’s like to not have hands,” Jun said flatly.

“EHH! Wrong! Try again!”

“Haley…”

“There you go!”

She released him and he turned to see her smiling gleefully at him. The look on her face spoke for her. “What do you want?” he asked. The sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can get back to my reading. I need to find out if Travis Wheeler ever finds the Philosopher's Stone.

Haley continued to beam at him proudly. “I can do it now.”

Jun raised his eyebrows. “Do what? Annoy me six ways to Sunday? You’ve been able to do that. Or did your parents finally rent out that studio for your art?”

“Oh, you remember that but not the more important thing that I’ve been working on?”

“I try to keep invested in the important aspects of your life,” Jun said. “Now, what are you bothering me for? Tell me already.”

“Why tell you when it’s obvious that I should just show you!”

Haley reached into her paint splattered overalls and pulled out a small plastic looking wand, topped with a star. “Feast your eyes on this! Ignis!”

She jabbed the wand outwards as a flame the size of her thumb suddenly manifested at it’s tip. “Tres impressive, no?”

Jun’s face remained neutral. “Congratulations, you’re barely more useful than a regular lighter. Now if you’ll excuse me…”

“Oh no! Jun you promised!”

Jun sighed. Here we go. Just when I thought it was going to be a nice quiet day. He snapped his fingers and his books all shut themselves and arranged themselves neatly on the floor  in front of him. “First of all, Haley, may I remind you of where we are?”

He gestured around the room, showing off the desks, bookcases and scattered people, indicating that they were in a library, though by no means a normal one. For one thing, while most libraries were decently sized, none could think of another that resided in a tower that rose so high in the air, it often appeared to poke right through the clouds. Second, the books often didn’t fly around the room, much less from one floor to another. The lighting was often adequate in other libraries, unlike this one which utilized torches and old lanterns that also occasionally floated around the room. But the most striking feature of it’s interior was the thick purple haze that hung in the air. It penetrated the whole building from the entry level all the way down to it’s darkest depths and back up to its highest heights.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. We’re in your stupid magic library,” Haley said rolling her eyes.

“Oh, now my library is stupid?” Jun asked, planting his feet firmly on the ground. He pointed at a stack of books on the desk near him which rose into the air and followed him as he marched forward. “It’s funny, that you should say something like that,” he continued, as he motioned towards each book to return to its proper place. “I only say that, since without access to my library and my outlining of your curriculum, you wouldn’t even be able to produce that baby flame.”

“Are you going somewhere with this, Jun?” Haley asked.

Jun raised an eyebrow and turned away from her, making his way towards the stairs leading down to the lower level. “What do you think, Haley? Obviously I’m going somewhere with this. Are you too dumb to figure it out?”

“Now we’re name calling? So elementary,” she said shaking her head at him. “And no, obviously I’m not dumb, but I shouldn’t have to remind you of things, Jun!”

“To what are you referring, Haley?”

Haley grinded her teeth and curled her hands tightly into fists. “You know what I’m referring to, Jun. I wanna be one of your magical helpers!”

Jun rolled his eyes and kept walking, refusing to slow down or stop for her. “Oh, so that’s what you were talking about? I had no idea.”

“And now you’re just being a sarcastic dick,” Haley said, sighing. “Nothing new for you though. You’ve always been the biggest dick, ever since we all met back in grade school.”

“If I’m so horrible then why haven’t you left yet?” Jun asked. “I’m certainly not keeping you here against your will.”

“Believe it or not, Violet and I are actually capable of looking past your shit personality to see that you’re...well, you’re still a piece of shit but we’ve been friends all this time so there’s no point in going anywhere now. Actually, we’re more likely to go places with you than without you.”

Great so they see me as a stepping stone? “That’s very nice to hear Haley, but I still don’t really see much point in making you my Attendant.”

He made a sudden right and emerged on a level completely shrouded in darkness. Haley pulled out her phone and turned on her flashlight app, illuminating the dark room before them. Jun just rolled his eyes. “Afraid of the dark now, are we?”

“Don’t be stupid, Jun. We both know that I love the dark. It’s where all the fun things hide. But we also know that my eyes are already bad enough as they are.”

“Aren’t you wearing your contacts?”

“Yeah, we both know that’s not a solution to this particular problem,” Haley said.

Jun sighed. “Put your phone away. I’ll light our path.”

He snapped his fingers and a wooden staff materialized in his hand. The tip of the staff was engulfed in a basketball sized sphere of silver light, casting away the darkness far more effectively than Haley’s phone light. “Better?”

“Well, now I feel like I should've just worn my glasses today,” Haley said, covering her eyes. “My contacts don’t transition to block out magically made sunlight!”

Jun rolled his eyes. “Always a compliant with you.”

The light on his staff dimmed a little bit and he nudged Haley, indicating that she could open her eyes. “It’s still a bit bright but, whatevs. Now, why won’t you make me your Attendant? You did it with Violet!”

“That was different,” Jun said. “I thought long and hard about the decision and I needed someone with skills in physical combat. What in the world would you do? Paint my opponents to death? Perhaps write them a story?”

Haley glared at him. “Junpei Asakura, you know perfectly well that I’d get some cool dream item that could turn my paintings or stories into reality or something like that! Of course Violet got a combat related weapon! She brought you some stupid spear head to enchant! Why wouldn’t she get something like that?”

“I mean, you say that, but even still, a Mage really only needs one Attendant,” Jun said. “Preferably one with skills in physical combat. No one needs support types nowadays.”

“Wow, I’m just a support type now? Sorry for not being all combat capable like Violet is.”

“Sadly there are some things in life that we simply cannot help,” Jun said, making his way to one shelf in particular. He started touching books, seemingly at random, which then vanished from their spots on the shelves. “And more importantly, what’s in it for me if I were to bestow upon you magical powers?”

Haley didn’t skip a beat. “It’d be a total fucking blast! Think about it Jun! You’d be helping me make real my life’s ambitions of never being bored another day in my life! Imagine the possibilities! What if i could bring my drawings to life? I’d be creating life itself!”

“Yeah, that’s not super impressive,” Jun said.

“OR what if I could make the things I write become reality? Wouldn’t that be fabulous? It’s every writer's dream to see their creations spring forth from the page and into the physical world! Better yet, I’d be a super awesome reality warper!”

Though Jun didn’t let it show, a shiver ran down his spine at the thought of being made responsible for any stupid idea Haley ever had coming to life. And her being able to manipulate or influence reality...to any degree...horrifying. Humans like Haley weren’t made to have magic. All they’d end up doing with it is abusing it. Guess that brings up the question of why I agreed to help her learn it but I do so love to watch mortals struggle to learn something that comes so naturally to us mages.

“So...even though you make a very convincing and compelling argument, I’m gonna have to shoot you down,” Jun said, casually.

“Why do I feel like you’re lying about the compelling argument part?”

Jun just looked at her. “Either way, is that really the only thing you came here for?”

“Well, yeah! I want a super magic item! I want insane magical powers! And I’d prefer they come from you rather than me seeking the same kind of help elsewhere.”

Jun rolled his eyes. “Then go and seek it,” he said. “Ten seconds with you and any sane mage would tell you the same thing as me. Never gonna happen.”

Haley ground her teeth in frustration and tugged at her hair. “Here I am trying to do you a favor and you just...turn me down like nothing?”

“Does it really count if it’s something you actually really want?” Jun asked. He snapped his fingers and the two of them reappeared on the entry level of the library.

“If you could do that, why’d we waste time walking down the stairs?”

“I was trying to walk away from you,” Jun said. “Sadly you decided to follow me. I didn’t see the point in walking away from you while down there.”

“Why not?” “I can hardly imagine what kind of mayhem you’d unleash upon the world if I were to leave you down there.”

Haley raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What makes you say that?”

Jun narrowed his eyes. “Haley Sanderson, you know perfectly well that the lower and upper levels are only for books on magic and the supernatural. Well, and all priceless magical items that my family has collected over the centuries.”

Haley let out a gasp. “Really? I never knew any of that. Learn something new everyday, huh?”

“Uh-huh, whatever,” Jun said. “Look, if that’s it, then I’d like to get back to my reading, if you’d be so kind.”

“Yo! Asakura!”

Jun’s eyes narrowed dangerously, not at the use of his last name, but at the sound of the voice calling it. “As if I didn’t have enough nonsense to deal with.”

He turned to see Ryoga Kogami walking towards him, hand in hand with another boy he had never seen before. The boy was wide eyed and dumbstruck with awe at the sight of the library, which Jun thought was only natural. This is the most amazing and comprehensive magical library for several dimensions. Must be quite a sight if it’s your first time. But...that kid’s a wizard too. Why’s he with a lowly creature like Kogami?

“Hey, Ryoga!” Haley cried running up to Koga and the other boy. “OMG is this guy your boyfriend?”

Ryoga’s face turned the darkest shade of red possible. “W-wha-What the hell are you talking about? Cole’s not my boyfriend! He’s my best friend!”

Haley smiled mischievously. “Then why are you clutching his hand?”

Ryoga immediately dropped Cole’s hand but Cole just laughed. “Ryoga had to drag me across the street cause I was staring at the library so much. I’m Cole by the way.”

He stuck out his hand towards Haley who wasted no time grabbing it and shaking vigorously. “Haley Sanderson, nice to meet you. Welcome to the library! I’ve never seen you before, Cole. Do you go to a different school or something? You don’t really look like you’re from around here. Hey! You know Ryoga so does that mean that you’re some kind of half human like he is? Or maybe you’re a wizard like Jun? OMG if you’re a wizard can I be your Attendant? Please? You must be a wizard! I can see the wand in your left pocket! That’s great! What kind of magic are you studying? Do you have a familiar? Jun has a familiar. Do you have an Attendant yet? If you don’t I can do it! Please! Do you fly a broom or a carpet?”

Jun shook his head. Already trying to force herself on the first unsuspecting victim she comes across? How shameless. I better step in.

“Haley! That’s enough!”

“Jun! I’m not done yet! He hasn’t even answered any of my questions, and I still have waaaay more things to ask him!”

“Yeah, like I said, that’s enough out of you,” Jun said waving casually in her direction. Haley turned back to Cole to resume her questioning but found no sound coming from her mouth. She looked over at Jun who smirked at her and offered his hand to Cole. “Hello there, I’m Junpei Asakura, the wizard in charge of this magnificent library.”

“It...certainly...is that,” Cole said, looking at the outstretched hand with apprehension. “Cole Dryden...umm...are you gonna...fix her?”

“Who? Oh, you mean Haley? She’s fine.”

Haley waved her arms and continued to move her lips, indicating that she was far from ‘fine’, but Jun paid little attention. “Now, how can I help you? Wait, don’t tell me, let me guess. You’re...a wizard in training? Fresh out of some backwater little village to the south?”

“Umm...to the north, actually,” Cole said, still looking awkwardly between Jun and Haley.

Why does he keep looking over at Haley? I muted her specifically so that I could command his undivided attention. “Whatever. Either way, I’m guessing you recently graduated from your local...academy or something, and you’re out here in the big city and trying to get your start right?”

“Y-yeah,” Cole said. “Only I...okay, hold on one moment.”

He pulled out his wand and walked past Jun towards Haley. Jun raised an eyebrow in confusion as he watched Cole fumble his few attempts but finally manage to cancel out the silencing spell on Haley. So...he’s sweet on mortals, huh? Guess that makes sense if he’s palling around with animals.

“Sorry about that,” Cole said walking back up to him. “I...I don’t like seeing people struggle like that. And, anyway, don’t you think that was kinda mean?”

“All I was trying to do was give you one less distraction,” Jun said. “It’s called ‘being nice’ as I understand it.”

“If that’s what ‘nice’ looks like to you, I’d hate to see you being mean,” Cole said.

Jun shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sure your familiar can tell you. Haley can too, she’s known me for years.”

“W-wait a minute,” Cole said with a confused look on his face. “My...my what?”

“Your familiar,” Jun said. Is he hard of hearing or just stupid?

Cole stared at Jun quizzically for a few moments, still trying to fit the mental puzzle pieces together. Jun rolled his eyes. Must I spell everything out for people? He directed a contemptuous gaze towards Ryoga who rolled his own eyes and just looked away. From there, the puzzle in Cole’s mind came together in seconds. Jun watched as the boy’s face started to flush and twist in anger. His eyes lit up with rage, literally starting to glow. What’s he getting upset for? Is the werewolf mutt not his familiar or something? What other relationship could they possibly have?

The words that came out of Cole’s mouth echoed throughout the entirety of the library like an explosion. “Ryoga’s NOT my familiar! What the hell is wrong with you? How in the...What the...What’s wrong with you? Are you insane?”

Jun was taken aback, and not just by the scream and it’s magically amplified volume. Cole’s outburst conjured a blast of air that blew Jun clear across the room and nearly over the banister, right into its seemingly bottomless lower levels.

“My, my, that’s a surprise,” he said, a smile creeping over his face. “So the little country bumpkin’s an Air mage, huh?”

He rose into the air, staff in hand and a large book appearing in front of him. “I didn’t think that you’d take that comment so seriously though. Is it really not your familiar?”

“Don’t call him ‘it’,” Cole shouted, running towards the banister and glaring daggers at Jun.

Jun couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just that...I don’t see why you’re so angry about it? The mongrel certainly doesn’t seem to be making as big a stink about it.”

“Don’t call him that either! He’s got a name! His name is Ryoga and he’s my best friend,” Cole cried, pointing his wand at Jun, who just began laughing again.

“Oh, please try it,” Jun said. “I highly doubt anything you can throw at me will do much. But I’m always up for a challenge.”

At this point, Ryoga stepped in. In the blink of an eye he was at Cole’s side, holding him back as he tried to throw himself at Jun. “Hey! C-Cole! Knock it off!”

Cole struggled in Ryoga’s arms, desperately trying to get into the air and attack Jun. “Ryoga! Let go of me! I’m not gonna let him make fun of you like that!”

As he struggled, Cole began to swing his wand violently, summoning gusts of wind, flashes of light and conjuring small items that vanished the moment they hit the floor. Ryoga shook his head, swung Cole around and pinned him to a table.

“You need to calm the fuck down,” Ryoga said, quietly. “Jun Asakura isn’t the first person to shit talk me and he certainly won’t be the last. But I can tell you this. Fighting him will be the last thing you ever do.”

“I’m not just gonna let him talk to you like that,” Cole said. “We dealt with that way too much while I was in my village!”

“Yeah,” Ryoga said. “We did. And then, I’d go back to my pack or come back to the city, and deal with it all over again, all by myself. Cole, you’re gonna be living with me, and going to school with me so...you’re gonna get to see a whole lot more of this. And if you can’t even handle it when that piece of shit opens his mouth, I don’t wanna know what you’ll do in a hallway full of people who aren’t as up to defending themselves or who’ll make an even bigger deal out of it. Now, we came here to get some insight, so get your insight and let’s go back home.”

He let go of Cole, who still looked ready to fire off his most powerful spell, but he stuck his wand back into his pocket and crossed his arms. Jun was still floating in midair, looking and waiting for an attack that no longer seemed to be coming. God, he calmed down that quickly? Just when I was really getting ready to cut loose, too. Oh well, might as well give the brat what he wants so he and his pet can be on their way.

He made his way back down to the floor, a look of boredom now plastered on his pale face. “So I guess you’ll be wanting some advice on what to do and where to start, huh?”

Cole refused to look Jun in the eye, but Jun was too dissatisfied to really care if the other wizard was still angry with him. “I guess.”

“Well, you might as well think about Combative Sorcery,” Jun said. He snapped his fingers and several books of varying sizes appeared on the desk next to Cole. “With a hair trigger temper like yours, it might be a good outlet and a good way for you to establish some discipline. Given your...attachment, I’d also recommend Summoning and Binding. When you do eventually get in the mindset for calling forth a familiar or even just working with an Attendant or summoning monsters and demons for...whatever, it’ll be a good set of skills to have.”

Another finger snap and another stack of books appeared. “You also showed a small flair for Conjuring, which I strongly encourage and I’d also recommend this,” he added materializing another book in his hand and giving it to Cole. “This one will help you with flying. It’s applicable to brooms, carpets, dragons and anything else you can ride through the air and there’s a section on warping as well.”

“Gee, thanks,” Cole said, looking at the large pile of books on the table. “You’re so helpful.”

“Just doing my part to help a fellow wizard,” Jun said. “You’ll have to fill out this form so you can check out those books.”

A piece of paper manifested in front of Cole’s face and he took it to the table to fill out. The whole time, Jun watched the boy shoot dirty looks at him. “My, you so graciously accept help from others. Why’d you even bother coming here?”

“I wasn’t warned that you’d be this horrible,” Cole said. “Next time Ryoga decides not to bring something up, I’ll follow his instincts.”

“Really? The animal warned you against coming here? Then who advised you to seek me out?”

“Why do you care?”

“Call it, morbid curiosity,” Jun said.

“My brother was the one who suggested it,” Ryoga said, placing one of his hands over Cole’s mouth.

“Oh? Hmm. Then allow me to ask you another question.”

“I’m getting really tired of your and your mouth,” Cole said, standing up from the table.

“Cole, sit down! He can ask a stupid question if he wants to. As long as he’s civil, I don’t care about what he says anymore. What do you want to know?”

Jun raised his eyebrow. “Heh, are you sure that you’re the animal here? He seems a better fit for the fangs and claws than you do.”

“That can’t be what you wanted to ask,” Ryoga said. “Get to the point so we can go.”

“Fair enough,” Jun said. “What exactly is your relationship to one another? While I’m not one for Mage/Monster relations, especially when it comes to you animals, I know that there are more than a few who seem to think along the same lines as you two. I just want to know what exactly you are to each other. You both seem to care for each other a great deal, yet you’re not his familiar. Are you his Attendant?”

Ryoga looked confused but Jun cut him off before he could answer. “Okay, so clearly not. So if you’re not his familiar, and you’re not his Attendant, what possible use could you provide him? Maybe you’re his pet?”

Ryoga couldn’t stop his eyes from flashing dangerously, not that Jun cared. “Cole...Cole’s my best friend,” he said, struggling to keep his composure.

“Huh, is that all?” Jun asked. “I thought it’d be something far more interesting. A Wizard and a Werewolf half breed? Guess stranger things have happened.”

Cole turned away from Jun, contorting his face further to express the revulsion he felt. “And I suppose if you feel this way about Beasts and Half Breeds, you’re one of those stuck up mages that thinks poorly about humans, huh?”

“Oh yeah,” Haley said. “Big time. Jun hates humans. He’s always talking a bunch of shit about us, and Beasts and Half Breeds...and Hybrids...and Demons and...well just about everyone that’s not him or a Mage or some divine being or something. Jun kinda just hates everyone.”

“Wow,” Cole said. “Guy like you must have lots of friends.”

Jun chuckled. “What in the world would I do with friends?”

“Oh, don’t say it like that, Jun,” Haley said, hugging on to him, pressing her cheek against his. “Jun’s a total prick, but even he’s got...well he’s...he’s not a total piece of shit.”

Jun narrowed his eyes at Haley. “Please don’ t speak about me like that,” he said. “You’ll make me sound like total trash.”

“I mean...aren’t you?” Cole asked.

“Oh! That’s quite a mouth on you,” Jun said with a smirk. “Most people know to treat me with respect when they speak to me. Those who don’t learn it. One way or another.”

Cole glared at him and gripped his wand tighter. “Is that a threat.”

“It’s a promise.”

“Oh, Jun,” Haley said, flicking his forehead. “Don’t be like that. Don’t mind him, Cole. And besides, if Cole and Ryoga got serious, I’m sure they could take you. Even if Violet was here, she’s no match for Ryoga.”

Jun considered this. Hmm, despite my power, she does raise a good point. I know nothing about this brat so he might just pull out some major spells and get my by surprise. The animal presents another problem, if it decides to really get serious and protect it’s master. I hear Werewolves have recently become more resistant to sorcery, though it’d present me with a good chance to see how resistant a mutt like this actually is. That’d still be two against one though. Not really sure how much I care for those odds.

“Who’s Violet?” Cole asked, looking at Ryoga.

“Just a bookworm,” Ryoga said. “Never really talked to her. Keeps to herself if she’s not with these two.”

“She’s not just a bookworm,” Haley said. “She’s Jun’s Attendant and our best friend!”

Cole laughed.

“Oh? Is something funny to you?” Jun asked.

“I just can’t believe that anyone would want to be your Attendant,” Cole said.

“I do!” Haley said. “Being a Wizard’s Attendant sounds like a hoot and a half! Magical powers and battles and all that stuff! Ahh, what a wildly whimsical dream come true! I’d kill to be Jun’s Attendant! Or anyone’s for that matter, I’m not picky.”

“Haley, no self respecting mage would bother wasting their time with someone as utterly useless as you. What’s more, any power you received would ultimately be used to satisfy your own worthless desires. Do us all a favor and just shut up!”

Jun watched with an mixture of satisfaction and boredom as the light seemed to fade from Haley’s eyes. How her excited and energetic smile shrank to nothing and her body began to shake. Her mouth started to open and close as if she were preparing to say something but could not settle on anything. In the end she ended up turning and running from him, disappearing further into the room.

He sighed. “Honestly, sometimes she can be such a pain. Whining on and on about being an Attendant. No one’s gonna want her if she comes off so desperate.”

“Wow,” Cole said. “You’re....you’re really something aren’t you?”

“Don’t tell me you fell for that,” Jun said. “Haley can cry on command. She was just faking it. All Haley wants is to be constantly entertained by magic and she doesn’t care how much trouble she causes for others to make sure that her every whim is satisfied. Even if she wasn’t, Haley lives to incessantly annoy people. I simply did us a favor by asking her to be quiet.”

He watched the little wizard glare at him like he wanted to punch him. Cole’s hand squeezed itself into a tight fist, shaking with naught but the utmost desire to find a home in Jun’s face. Aww, how cute. The country bumpkin thinks he can attack me with mortal brutality. Now I know he’s been raised by animals.

In the end Cole refrained from lashing out. He took in a deep breath and just finished filling out the library card form so he and Ryoga could leave. He signed his name at the bottom and in a flash, it transformed into a small plastic library card. Cole give Jun another look of revulsion.

“Can we go now?” Cole asked, looking from Jun to Ryoga.

Jun nodded. “Once you finish all of those, bring them back and I’ll set you up with the next set for whatever you decide to pursue.”

Cole nodded. He pointed his wand at the books and again, stumbled his way through several attempts before half the books shrank to the size of tic-tacs. It took him much less effort to shrink the rest of them and once he did he packed them up in a small bag and grabbed Ryoga’s hand. “C’mon, Ryoga, let’s get out of here.”

“Hey! Watch it with the hand holding in public!”

“Let’s just..go! I can’t stand to be in this library another minute,” Cole said.

Jun watched them as they went, wondering if the little wizard would have anything else to say to him. Turned out the answer was no as they walked out the door without taking another look back.

“Is it odd that I’m somewhat interested in seeing where that little fool is going to do from this point on?”

He shrugged his shoulders and decided that with nothing else pressing to do, he might as well continue his reading. In the back of his mind he felt as though he was forgetting something but as he hated to linger on such notions, he pushed it aside. Pointing at the stack of books on the main desk, Jun resumed his seat in midair as the books began flying around him again. Time to find out of Travis Wheeler will find the Philosopher’s Stone before Draco Fernan and his army of Merrows.

[parttimespellbinder]

Finally finished my second chapter! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Should be up in just a bit!

[parttimespellbinder]

I’m sick of people telling writers not to use an idea because it’s “overused” or “not original.”

A huge part of writing is making the idea your own.

Do you want to write about vampires?! THEN FOR GOD’S SAKE, WRITE ABOUT VAMPIRES!

Oh, dystopian futures are overused? PUT YOUR OWN SPIN ON IT!

Guys, don’t let people stomp on your ideas. A story is a bunch of puzzle pieces that everyone has access to - but it’s your choice how you put them together. How you put it together and how you present it makes that idea uniquely yours, even if it’s a familiar concept.

Your idea isn’t lame.

Own it.

Make it yours.