A Human’s Guide to Surviving Magical Mishaps

I jump back so fast that I trip over. My palm burns from scraping against the stone floor. Ow! I have no idea what this creature is, but it's standing on top of my clothes which is sort of inconvenient. It looks a lot like a large cat except its fur is brown and.... Green? Also it has what look like tiny antlers. It stares up at me with big eyes and all I can think is how badly I want to pet it. I've always loved cats. It might look like a cat, but that doesn't mean it's as friendly as one. But what are the chances that there's an actual dangerous animal wandering around Ashton's home? Feeling brave, I reach out a hand to the creature.

"Please do not bite me." I whisper to it. I should probably call for help, but honestly I don't want to call Ashton's mum back in here. She might try asking me about my feelings again, facing this creature alone is a lot less scary than that. The creature leans towards my hand and sniffs at my fingers, then nudges me with its nose. Its fur is just as soft as a cat and it doesn't seem aggressive, just curious. It probably hasn't seen a human before.

"Do I smell strange kitty? I promise I am friendly." I whisper to it, cooing the same way I would to a regular cat. The creature headbuts my hand and begins purring. I giggle in delight. My laughter freezes and my breathing hitches when the creature finds the scrape on my hand. It's bleeding a little and the creature's tongue darts out and licks the blood away. Ew, gross. The creature's purring increases, louder than before and it begins cuddling up against me. It even crawls off of my clothes and tries to perch on my shoulder.

"Ow, crap. Claws." I wince. To my surprise, the creature immediately tucks away its claws and continues snuggling against my neck.

"Oh you are so precious." I wrap my arms around its warm body, stroking its soft fur. It is so gorgeous and sweet. After a minute, the creature begins wiggling around.noveldrama

"You want to go down?" I gently place the creature back where I picked it up from and it gives a tiny mewing sound. Then without pausing, it jumps up to a nearby window and slips outside. Huh? I swear that window is closed. Well, whatever. I survived my encounter with the cutie and now I can see what Ashton's mum has left me to wear.

Five minutes later I'm dressed but I'm not sure that I'm actually brave enough to leave the bathroom dressed like this. If it weren't for the fact that I've seen Ashton's mum's clothes, I would suspect that someone is pranking me. The clothes look good I guess, and they're comfortable. But they're entirely see through except for the bra and underwear which basically look like a bikini. The dress drapes over me and seems to be sewn together in such a way that it emphasises my figure. Technically it covers me well enough, and the light fabric isn't so see through that it's indecent, but it feels like I'm wearing a really fancy beach cover up. Also I still don't have any shoes. It's a good thing it's warm out or I would be FREEZING. I'm fairly sure this outfit doesn't provide any warmth at all. I make use of the facilities and do my best to finger comb my hair into some kind of order, then I force myself to be brave and leave the bathroom.

Ashton's mum is waiting in the hallway just like she promised. She immediately rushes over to me.

"Oh, wow. You look stunning. Fae clothing suits you." She compliments me. It actually does make me feel a little bit better about what I'm wearing. Fae can't lie so I know she means it, and for some reason compliments from other women are always especially satisfying. Particularly since I sort of want this particular woman's approval.

"Th- I mean, I appreciate that. I was... Well, these clothes are very different from what I am used to." I awkwardly explain.

"Yes, Ashton did mention that you humans dress a little more... Conservatively. He says that he unintentionally made a poor first impression on your dad because of it." She sounds almost cranky, like how dare anyone not instantly adore her son. I can't help but laugh.

"It is not that my father does not like him, but rather that my father loves me so much. He worries about me and Ashton was unknown to him. He did not know if he should trust him or not. Remember, fae might have glamours, but humans lie." I try to explain. Ashton's mum laughs.

"I can understand that I suppose. Still, I'm willing to bet that fae can be every bit as deceitful as humans can. It's why I am relieved to find that you seem to be exactly as Ashton described you." She answers kindly. Movement in the corner of my eye draws my attention. There, up by the window... Did I see a flash of green and brown fur? Maybe I'm just imagining it. What were we talking about? Her last words catch up with me. What did Ashton tell her about me? She notices the concern in my expression.

"Everything he told me about you was good dear. I hope you'll forgive me for essentially ambushing you while you were in the bath. I thought it might be the only chance I would have to speak to you without my son butting in. I also truly did want to help take care of you." She says earnestly. I relax a little. I guess if you've never dealt with people who lie before, it might be difficult to be sure about people. I can't blame her for worrying about her son. Particularly when the two of them have just suffered such a horrible loss.

"I understand your concern... And I do appreciate your help figuring out the bathroom. You are the queen, I am sure you must have better things to do." I say politely. She waves away my comment.

"Nonsense, I always wanted a daughter but I was never able to have another child. Let me take care of you a little bit." She says warmly. I'm surprised when she leads me back to my room rather than to meet up with Ashton. She moves straight to the dresser and rummages through a little drawer.

"You were wearing this necklace when you arrived. We removed it to keep it safe for you." She holds up the tanzanite necklace and drops it into my hand. "Oh, yes. It is from the stones Ashton sent originally. I... I liked that one." I admit. Is this another test? Is she trying to point out that I'm greedy or something? "I'm glad you liked it. It's a beautiful stone." She agrees easily. Okay, maybe I'm overthinking this. She picks up a gorgeous carved wooden comb.

"Would... Would you mind if I did your hair for you? You are welcome to refuse. Obviously I wouldn't want to intrude on your personal space." She actually sounds nervous. Is this her way of offering some kind of physical contact in a non creepy way? I think it might be. I can't help but grin. That means she likes me, right? Or at least trusts me. I nod and take a seat at the little dresser. Ashton's mum is gentle as she combs my hair. I'm shocked when it is dry by the time she finishes.

"How..." I trail off and she laughs.

"The comb is charmed. Just be careful not to overuse it or it will dry your hair out too much!" She warns. She drops the comb back in the drawer.

"Okay, all finished. Shall we go eat? You must be starving and I bet my son is waiting for us." She winks at me and I giggle. Ashton's mum really is making an effort to be nice to me. I can understand her initial paranoia, and I think I'd like to be friends with her. First things first, I need to stop mentally referring to her as 'Ashton's mum'. She did tell me her name after all!

"Yes. I would like that... Amelia." She beams at me and the two of us exit the room together, walking side by side.