{Melistair}
It was morning and Melistair was sitting in Javir’s garden, nursing a cup of coffee that was strong enough to wake the dead. Which was, of course, exactly how he liked it.
He watched as Jaylin, who looked very concentrated, guided Margaret through a simple spell. His wife’s face was lit up with childlike wonder, her red eyes sparkling as a small flame danced above her palm.
[Damn,] Melistair thought, a fond smile tugging at his lips. [She looks just like Melisa did when she first started learning magic. Cute.]
Unprompted, the memory of the attack on Javir’s manor flashed through his mind.
Kimiko’s voice pulled him from his reverie.
"She’s quite the natural, isn’t she?" the kitsune purred, settling beside him on the bench. "Must run in the family."
Melistair chuckled, shaking his head at his sister-in-law.
"I think it’s more nurture than nature in this case. This place is full of good teachers. Surprisingly, Jaylin’s one of them."
They watched in comfortable silence as Margaret then successfully conjured a small whirlwind and her delighted laugh carried across the garden. Jaylin’s usual scowl softened just a fraction, a hint of pride peeking through her gruff exterior.
"You know," Kimiko mused, her eyes never leaving the impromptu magic lesson, "Margaret doesn’t seem to be running low on Essence at all~"
Melistair couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him.
"Oh, I’d say she’s got quite a bit stored up."
Kimiko’s eyebrow arched, a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Oh my, Mr. Blackflame. Do tell me more."
"A good nim doesn’t kiss and tell," Melistair replied, though the grin on his face said plenty.
"Well," Kimiko said, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper, "if you ever find yourself in need of more Essence, I’d be more than happy to help you... recharge."
Melistair nearly choked on his coffee. Even now, so many years after he’d first met Kimiko, she still managed to catch him off-guard every now and then.
"I... appreciate the offer," he managed, his purple skin flushing a deeper shade. "But, for now, I should probably get ready for work."
As he stood, throwing on a shirt that had been draped over the bench, Kimiko’s laughter followed him.
"The offer stands, darling. Anytime."
"I will take it into consideration, sis."
---
The workday passed in a blur of paperwork and meetings this time around. He liked the normalcy of it, given how hectic things had been.
As the sun began to set, Melistair found himself following his coworker, Rax, to the same nim-only bar they visited every other day.
The memory of the human he’d spotted there last time flashed at the back of his mind, but he pushed it aside. After the day he’d had, he needed a drink.
As they stepped into the dimly lit bar, a hush fell over the crowd. Melistair felt the weight of dozens of eyes on him, a mix of awe, curiosity, and... something else he couldn’t quite place.
"Oi, it’s Blackflame!" someone called out, and suddenly Melistair found himself surrounded by eager faces and outstretched hands. Stay tuned to freewebnovel
"Is it true your daughter can do magic?"
"Can I buy you a drink, mate?"
The questions and offers came rapid-fire, leaving Melistair feeling a bit like he’d been caught in a verbal whirlwind. He answered as best he could, accepting a drink here, deflecting a too-personal question there.
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"Alright, alright," Rax finally intervened, steering Melistair towards a quieter corner of the bar. "Give the man some breathing room, yeah?"
As they settled into their seats, Melistair couldn’t help but notice the sidelong glances and whispered conversations still happening around them. Most seemed friendly enough, but there was an undercurrent of... something. Hostility? Resentment?
"Hey, Rax," Melistair said, keeping his voice low, "what’s with the odd looks? I thought people would be happy about Melisa’s success."
Rax sighed, taking a long pull from his drink before answering.
"It’s complicated, mate. Some folks... well, they think you and your family are getting a bit too cozy with the humans."
Melistair blinked, taken aback.
"What? That’s ridiculous. We’re just trying to make a better life for ourselves. Associating with humans here and there is a requirement for that."
"I know that," Rax said, holding up a placating hand. "But not everyone sees it that way. There’s talk of... well, some are calling it traitorous."
"Traitorous!?" Melistair repeated, his voice rising in disbelief. "How is it traitorous to want the best for you and yours?"
Rax shrugged, looking uncomfortable.
"Look, I’m not saying I agree with them. But you’ve got to understand, a lot of nim have suffered at the hands of humans for generations. Seeing your family rise up so quickly, get so close to human nobility... it rubs some people the wrong way. That’s all I’m saying."
Melistair shook his head, frustration bubbling up inside him.
"That’s bullshit and you know it. We’re not ’cozying up’ to anyone. My daughter’s fighting for her future. If they can’t see that..." He trailed off, noticing the wary glances from nearby tables. Lowering his voice, he continued, "If they can’t see that, then they’re no better than the humans who want to keep us down, far as I’m concerned."
Rax nodded slowly, though Melistair could see the conflict in his friend’s eyes.
"I get it, mate. I do. But... just be careful, yeah? Not everyone’s as understanding as me."
As they lapsed into silence, Melistair’s mind raced. He thought of Margaret’s joy as she learned magic, of Melisa’s determination to reach the top of the world.
[Is this what it’s going to be like?] he wondered. [Fighting battles on all sides, even from our own people?]
But then he remembered the look of pride on Jaylin’s face as Margaret mastered a spell, the fact that it had been 3 very powerful humans who had rallied around Melisa during the attack.
Maybe it wasn’t perfect, maybe there would always be those who resisted change. But they were making progress, one spell, one friendship at a time.
Melistair drained his glass, a new resolve settling over him.
[Let them whisper, let them doubt.]
He and his family would keep fighting, keep pushing forward. Because in the end, that’s what it meant to be a Blackflame.
"Another round?" he asked Rax, a challenging glint in his eye.
Rax grinned, some of the tension easing from his shoulders.
"Now you’re talking, mate."
---
{Jaylin}
Jaylin stood in Javir’s garden, arms crossed, watching as Margaret attempted yet another spell. The sun beat down mercilessly, making Jaylin’s robes stick to her skin in ways that were decidedly uncomfortable. But that wasn’t the only thing making her uncomfortable.
[Damn it all,] Jaylin thought, gritting her teeth. [She’s actually not terrible at this.]
Margaret’s face scrunched up in concentration as she traced the spellsign in the air, her lips moving silently as she recited the incantation. A moment later, a small whirlwind appeared, swirling leaves and grass around their feet.
"I did it!" Margaret exclaimed, her face lighting up with a smile that could probably power half of Syux.
Jaylin hated to admit it, but Margaret was making decent progress for a complete beginner.
Good memory seemed to run in the Blackflame family, given how quickly Margaret was memorizing the spellsigns and incantations Jaylin taught her.
[Must be where Melisa gets it from,] Jaylin mused, remembering how quickly her rival had picked up new spells at the academy.
"Not bad," Jaylin grudgingly admitted. "Your form could use some work, but the results are... acceptable."
Margaret beamed at her, apparently taking Jaylin’s lukewarm praise as a ringing endorsement.
"Thank you! I’ve been practicing in my head whenever I have a spare moment. Even when I’m in the bath, I go over the spellsigns."
The unbidden image of Margaret in the bath, tracing magical symbols in the steam, flashed through Jaylin’s mind. She felt her face heat up and quickly shoved the thought aside.
[Focus, damn it,] she chided herself. [You’re here to teach, not... whatever this is.]
"Right," Jaylin said, clearing her throat. "Let’s try something a bit more challenging. How about a simple light spell?"
For the next hour, Jaylin guided Margaret through progressively more complex spells. To her surprise (and mild annoyance), Margaret handled each new challenge with enthusiasm and a fair bit of skill.
Obviously, that wasn’t enough to declare her a genius then and there. Casting a spell was nothing, especially these simple ones Jaylin was teaching her. No, what really separated the great from the decent was memorization, muscle memory, and consistency.
But... still, she was doing fine.
After Margaret successfully conjured a small flame and made it dance between her fingertips, Jaylin decided they’d done enough for one day.
"Alright, that’s enough," she announced. "We can take a break."
Margaret extinguished the flame with a flick of her wrist, looking both exhausted and exhilarated.
"That was amazing! I never thought I’d be able to do magic like this. Thank you, Jaylin."
Before Jaylin could respond, Margaret plopped down on the bench beside her, close enough that their thighs were almost touching. Jaylin stiffened, suddenly very aware of the other woman’s presence.
"You know," Margaret said, a hint of pride in her voice, "I think I’m getting pretty good at this. Maybe soon I’ll be giving Melisa a run for her money, eh?"
Jaylin snorted, unable to help herself.
"Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You’ve got a long way to go before you’re anywhere near Melisa’s level."
But even as she said it, Jaylin couldn’t help but notice how quickly Margaret was progressing. It was... impressive, if she was being honest with herself.
Margaret laughed, the sound rich and warm.
"Oh, I know. But a girl can dream, can’t she?"
As Margaret leaned back, stretching her arms above her head, Jaylin’s eyes were drawn almost against her will to the other woman’s chest. Margaret’s shirt, damp with sweat from their practice, clung to her curves in a way that left little to the imagination.
[By all that’s holy,] Jaylin thought, her mouth suddenly dry. [How does she manage to look like that after an hour of spellcasting?]
She was so distracted that she almost missed it when Margaret placed a hand on hers. The touch was light, almost casual, but it sent a jolt through Jaylin like she’d just been hit with a lightning spell.
"Really, though," Margaret said, her voice softer now. "Thank you for teaching me. It means a lot."
Jaylin stood up abruptly, her face feeling like it was on fire.
"It’s... it’s nothing," she stammered. "Just... Whatever." She turned away, needing to put some distance between herself and the infuriatingly attractive nim woman. "We’ll... we’ll continue tomorrow. Same time."
As Jaylin strode away, her heart pounding in her chest, she could feel Margaret’s eyes on her back.
[What a frustrating woman!] Jaylin fumed internally. [Why does she have to be so... so...]
She couldn’t even finish the thought.