Training Sylvia was troublesome and problematic. The girl was too bright for her own good, too powerful, and alas, too straight. (sigh) \u00a0She was eager but she burned through precautions as if they had no meaning. “More a guideline than a rule,” she quoted. I don’t teach my students ethics. I figure if there is a threefold rule it will bite them in the rear sooner or later, and if there isn’t it’s up to them to make their own decisions if no force of superstition will do it for them. \u00a0She was a perfect pupil, practically a blank slate to scribe the things I wanted on, and as I was stymied sometimes so was I challenged. If the forces had chosen to design someone perfect for me, she was close.<\/p>\n
What have I taught her? \u00a0No, that’s skipping ahead.<\/p>\n
One of the things I remember having trouble with was the concept of chains of energy.\u00a0The law of conservation of energy is true in the magic we do. We are bound by the laws of our reality, after all. \u00a0(E says that that’s what makes wizards so terrifying; they’re not so bound, but I think it’s just that we haven’t discovered\u00a0the laws that apply to them yet.) \u00a0One of the important abilities of magic is energy transmutation, or as I like to say, “The energy of the possible made probable.” \u00a0I said it before, and I will likely say it again: Witchery is a web, and every witch is a point of energy, a node in that web. \u00a0It’s related to ley lines, and other aspects of the connection between Earth and magic.<\/p>\n
(As a sidenote, E and I once had a very interesting argument about whether or not magic would be possible in space. He believed very much that it was, whereas I believed that the biosphere was a more important feature than he believed. He countered with science fiction, tardigrades, and other extremophiles. He started grilling me on whether or not I believe a blue whale to produce more magical energy because of its size, and I realized that yes, there are some things I take on faith. \u00a0The tools to measure magic really don’t exist that I know.)<\/p>\n
To be a witch is to be a part of that web, and while there are individual practitioners, their lights are dim for they don’t have the connections. \u00a0I had always wanted to know how much one could pull from the web, how much energy could be wielded, how much I could change the world.<\/p>\n
I was told that that was the failing of the gods.<\/p>\n
I’ve twisted that thought into a million permutations. \u00a0What is a god? Did the witches create them? There’s a saying that the Church created the devil, but when I look back at the reality of magic and the way it so much of it works in, well, mysterious ways…\u00a0I wonder.<\/p>\n
I wonder where the roots are for the web. \u00a0Does it stretch back to the first witches? How do shamans and wizards relate? I chided E for his little winding paths into nomenclature, but what faith did the amoeba hold?<\/p>\n
Sylvie. That’s where we were.<\/p>\n
My feelings for E were complicated. \u00a0My feelings for Sylvie were simple. \u00a0I wanted to go ahead and set the two of them up in making some kind of balance in my universe. \u00a0To anchor my opinion, I asked Matana to attend as well.<\/p>\n
Matana was payment for a favor I had asked a while back. I hadn’t expected to host a vampire let alone one with particular appetites, but fair was fair. \u00a0She had a very different perspective, and I kind of wanted to gauge her feelings on the matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing tonight?\u201d I asked him. \u00a0It was far better to put him on the spot and pin him to a decision or he would go all waffle.<\/p>\n
\u201cUm,” he responded. \u00a0Anyone who saw my expression would recognize my, “I told you so,” that flashed briefly across my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing?\u00a0 Great.\u00a0 Come out to eat with me and a couple of friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs this a blind date?\u201d he asked. \u00a0Sometimes he was more perceptive than I wanted.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould be,\u201d I hedged slightly. \u00a0\u201cWhy, you\u2019re not involved with anyone, are you?\u201d \u00a0I knew better.<\/p>\n
\u201cUm.\u201d \u00a0No, he wasn’t. \u00a0\u201cNot exactly, but I have someone I\u2019d have to take with me.\u201d \u00a0This surprised me a little.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes this someone have a name?\u201d I rallied.<\/p>\n
He sighed.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u00a0 You\u2019ll have to tell me it sometime.\u00a0 Does this someone have\u2026a beard?\u201d I tried not to make it sound naughty.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoloise, and no, is that a problem?\u00a0 Or are you trying to find out if my companion is a guy?\u00a0 You know I prefer women.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember to shave.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And a preference isn\u2019t a rule, dear.\u00a0 Is Doloise\u2026\u201d It was an odd name. Not one I recognized immediately, with\u00a0kind of a retro 50s feel to it. \u00a0 I decided I’d look it up. \u00a0“Of drinking age?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUm.\u201d \u00a0Oh, E… don’t, just don’t. \u00a0\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds complicated.\u00a0 That\u2019s definitely not your type.\u00a0 Anyway, meet us downtown at the mall & Market Street just after sundown, unless you\u2019re,” I smiled, “off fighting Dragons or something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUm.\u201d Did that sound like a gulp? Was he serious.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn\u2019t funny.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have no idea.\u00a0 See you then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou, my dear, are going to owe me some answers.\u00a0 Bye.\u201d \u00a0I\u00a0hung up. \u00a0Why did I call him “my dear”?<\/p>\n
Sylvie drove us and we were early. I watched E get out of his car and analyzed the woman who got out of the other side with the usual checklist. Long legs? Check. Cleavage? Check. Dark skin? No… Hmmm.\u00a0She was beautiful, but not really E’s type. \u00a0She also glared daggers immediately at Matana, and I could tell she wasn’t… well, she wasn’t human. I don’t hold that against her, of course. \u00a0Why would one?<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoa, hold on, these are friends,\u201d I said, doing the introductions. \u00a0“E, Sylvia, you\u2019ve met, this is Matana.\u00a0 And you are\u2026 Doloise?\u201d<\/p>\n
She had beautiful hair, with curls I wanted to have wrap around my fingers. “I do not give my name to beasts.\u201d \u00a0The attitude was a little off-putting, but I’d had worse.<\/p>\n
Matana smiled in a feral fashion. \u00a0She’d dressed up without my needing to recommend it. \u00a0I hadn’t thought maybe Matana for E… no, that’d be weird. \u00a0Doloise was causing some kind of friction, though, and I glared at E. She was his guest, after all. \u00a0Pet?<\/p>\n
\u201cDoloise, Magda is not a beast.\u00a0 Sylvia is not a beast.\u00a0 Hi, Sylvia.\u00a0 Matana is what Matana is, and I would reference that she was a lovely woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot human, but not a beast,\u201d Matana said.\u00a0 She offered her hand and E took it gently, kissing it.\u00a0\u00a0 She smiled, but I could see it didn’t reach her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI see.\u00a0 Magdalena, you were not entirely wrong in speaking about your former gentleman.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is one of the cold ones,\u201d Doloise said, hissing.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook on the bright side,\u201d E said to her.\u00a0 \u201cAt least she\u2019s not a Dragon.\u201d \u00a0There it was again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d Matana\u2019s smile widened, \u201cit is one of the aspects.\u201d\u00a0 She winked at the two of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t a black thing, is it?\u201d Sylvia asked.<\/p>\n
E raised an eyebrow at me, and I did my best not to laugh, shaking my head. \u00a0“I told you, Sylvie, not everything is as it seems.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAh,\u201d E said.\u00a0 \u201cKnow what they call a group of witches?\u201d he asked Sylvia. \u00a0I tensed, because it sounded like the start of a joke.<\/p>\n
\u201cA\u2026coven?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cA conspiracy.\u00a0 But that may be any group of women.\u201d<\/p>\n
I punched him in the arm. \u00a0\u201cCome on.\u00a0 Since you\u2019re not going to stake a fellow guest, and Doloise is going to be on her best behaviour, let\u2019s go to dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBest behaviour?\u201d he asked Doloise, hopefully.<\/p>\n
Oh, great.\u00a0\u201cIt is a matter of Hospitality,\u201d I\u00a0said, giving him\u00a0a Look.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t understand everything you\u2019re saying,\u201d Sylvia acknowledged, \u201cbut if I listen I\u2019ll learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
I think it was a warning.<\/p>\n
I had to move around the seats to get everyone sat the way I wanted.\u00a0\u201cI do not drink wine,\u201d Matana said, passing the list over to me. \u00a0She didn’t say it with an accent, but she was referring to the joke. I just passed on the menu to E – I knew what I wanted. \u00a0E quirked an eyebrow as a question to me,\u00a0as he\u00a0placed\u00a0the passed wine list back on to the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am well in control of my hungers,\u201d Matana said.<\/p>\n
He smiled, but it didn’t look friendly. \u00a0\u201cJust don\u2019t bite Doloise.\u00a0 She bites back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doloise made a noise of\u00a0assent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the occasion?\u201d E asked after we ordered our food.<\/p>\n
\u201cMatana is an exchange student from a coven back East,\u201d I\u00a0explained, \u201cand we\u2019re inducting Sylvia.\u00a0 I figure anyone with the kind of control she had deserves a chance to develop the power.\u201d\u00a0 Sylvia smiled shyly.<\/p>\n
\u201cExchange student?\u201d he asked Matana.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are many ways to deal with the infection, my dear gentleman E.\u00a0\u00a0 I decided on a course of temperance, and so I learn techniques which flow with the laws of this place rather than the coldness Outside.\u201d<\/p>\n
E interrupted, looking at Doloise. \u201cUse the spoon,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cIt hurts more.\u201d<\/p>\n
She dropped the fork and picked a spoon up instead.<\/p>\n
\u201cSylvia, really, it\u2019s nice to see you.\u201d \u00a0E’s mouth continued.\u00a0 \u201cSure you\u2019re going to learn the right things from the Mags?\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u00a0kicked him under the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do want to learn,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI am a bit cautious as we are expected to take certain oaths before we are even told what the oaths will mean, but I am anxious to gain control.\u201d\u00a0 She pointed gently over to Matana.\u00a0 \u201cFor example, I had guessed there was something special about \u2018Tana, but I have figured out she\u2019s a vampire from your uncoded language.\u00a0 I am not sure about your\u2026friend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoloise isn\u2019t my friend,\u201d E said it a bit too quickly. \u00a0I knew I would be a bit peeved at his hurry.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed.\u00a0 I am his guide and guardian.\u201d<\/p>\n
“That is, she is a friend, but that\u2019s all it is.\u00a0 Sorry, Doloise.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want her to think you were anything\u2026but what you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd of course, you are correct. I am only what I am.\u201d \u00a0Oh, he was digging deep.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoloise, let\u2019s go take a powder break.\u00a0 You do, do that, right?\u201d \u00a0I\u00a0stood up and grabbed Doloise\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cGirls, don\u2019t eat E alive.\u00a0\u00a0 We\u2019ll be back in a minute.\u201d \u00a0Doloise looked as if she was going to resist, but I influenced it with a hint of compulsion, and whatever she was reacted to it. \u00a0I led her to the restroom, looking all the world like a mom walking with her daughter… except I wasn’t that old. \u00a0Still, it was a handy illusion, and I maintained it.<\/p>\n
“Your energy is not human,” I decided to go on the offensive.<\/p>\n
“No, it is not,” she agreed. \u00a0“I am not of the mortal kind.”<\/p>\n
“And you guard E?”<\/p>\n
“Guard and protect,” she said.<\/p>\n
“From what?”<\/p>\n
She looked at me with a cold expression and did not answer.<\/p>\n
“I’m not going to harm him,” I said, closing my eyes.<\/p>\n
“Then why the spell?” she asked, sounding confused.<\/p>\n
“What spell?” I hadn’t put any…oh. “No, that’s not mine.”<\/p>\n
“You were the last to activate it,” she accused.<\/p>\n
“It was there, and he can be…” how to describe it? “…irritating.”<\/p>\n
She laughed. “Yes.”<\/p>\n
Since we seemed to be on the same page, and she wasn’t offering any more answers, I left it at that. \u00a0E had been gone when we returned. \u00a0I went to grab the bread, and saw him from the same direction we’d gone. \u00a0I broke it, while\u00a0Doloise idly decorated the paper with a pretty design of leaves and vines in periwinkle blue.<\/p>\n
He\u00a0insinuated myself into the conversation by asking what we’d\u00a0been talking about while he was gone.<\/p>\n
\u201cMatana is taking the semester off for these visits,\u201d Sylvia explained, \u201cbut I have a full schedule.\u00a0 I was going for pre-law, but I\u2019m officially undeclared right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Matana?\u201d he asked,\u00a0making small talk.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo law for me.\u00a0 I am not that much of a bloodsucker.” She gave the joke the required pause, then continued. “I was in integrative physiology before they changed the name. \u00a0Exercise science.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought adrenaline ruined the flavour,\u201d he said, as if\u00a0it was expected.<\/p>\n
She ignored him.\u00a0 \u201cI was studying the effects of exercise with the intent to see how it interacted with shapeshifting.\u00a0 You don\u2019t see a lot of\u00a0 werewolves\u2026 with extra weight, but do they still need to take aerobics classes for their hearts?\u00a0 What is the actual source of their enhanced strength, and can it improve through weight lifting or other programs?\u201d\u00a0 She smiled.\u00a0 \u201cIt has been hard work sneaking that focus through, but I have a pretty liberal advisor who just thinks I have a strange sense of humour.\u00a0 I was also on the track team.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil?\u201d Sylvia asked.<\/p>\n
Matana just waved her hand towards her mouth.\u00a0 \u201cUntil another opportunity interfered.\u00a0 I do not regret it. \u201d She laughed. \u201cI am a little short for it, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you tried harder,\u201d E suggested.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed,\u201d she said, giving him a hard look.<\/p>\n
I pulled a little magic in getting our plates to arrive, but then I felt a flare of energy. \u00a0Doloise\u2019s tea spilt across the table and into Matana\u2019s lap.<\/p>\n
Doloise did not get up and apologize, but both I and E did.\u00a0 Matana\u2019s eyes were wide, and I could see there was a problem.\u00a0 She scooted her chair back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot get up.\u201d<\/p>\n
E hurried with the napkins while Sylvia called over a waitperson. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI seem to be stuck to the chair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doloise laughed, and I saw the symbols in the flowers she had drawn, and smelt the faint smoke as the smell released, burning the paper. Matana made\u00a0it off her chair with a half-stumble and a frown.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is a petty charm,\u201d she said to Doloise as she finished wiping off her lap.<\/p>\n
\u201cA moment\u2019s freeze for the cold one,\u201d she said.\u00a0 Doloise stood up and asked the confused waiter, \u201cMay I have some more?\u201d<\/p>\n
E and I struggled over the bill. \u00a0I won by recommending we go out further.<\/p>\n
“Let me borrow your phone and see what’s playing.” \u00a0Sylvia came over and we browsed the listings.<\/p>\n
I\u00a0handed the phone back to him.\u00a0 \u201cI need to get myself one of these. I have been considering the writing of many helpful applications to the magical artist.\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t it be great to have a pocket reference of spell components that also tagged in the phase of the moon and aspects of the stars?\u201d<\/p>\n
He shrugged. \u201cNot my kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFunny, you used to think big.\u201d \u00a0I\u00a0looked at Doloise.\u00a0 \u201cWell, maybe having a feminine influence in the household has changed you.\u201d \u00a0I frowned.\u00a0 \u201cDo you want to go straight in or wait for the next showing?\u00a0 If we hurry, we won\u2019t miss any previews.\u201d<\/p>\n
He protested.\u00a0 \u201cI do think big.\u00a0 I just think it leads to checking twitter during rituals.\u00a0 Unless you\u2019re getting responses from Big Moon Lady saying that the West has been closed against negative influences, that just sounds frustrating because your energies are distracted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAny more than hauling around a great big grimoire?\u00a0 I\u2019ll have to consider it.\u00a0 Some of us have adopted more modern methods.\u00a0 I heard of one of the Priestesses getting together a Kindle Book of Shadows.\u201d \u00a0I just looked at him and changed the subject. \u201cAnd when will you tell me the truth about Doloise?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d \u00a0he asked, missing the point.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw the way you look at her.\u201d<\/p>\n
He closed my eyes. \u00a0 \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never looked at me that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u00a0opened my eyes and looked at me. “I\u2019m not in love with her. \u00a0And before you get on me about protesting too much, I am not going to get into the argument we had at the restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Men.\u00a0\u201cSo, you put her up on a pedestal like the rest of your collection, forgetting that women are living, breathing creatures, with desires of their own that don\u2019t wait for your interest to come alive?\u201d I\u00a0asked.<\/p>\n
Sylvia and Matana took this opportunity to say very loudly that they were going off in search of ice cream.\u00a0\u00a0 They offered\u00a0Doloise,\u00a0to come with her.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you knew what she was, that would almost be funny,\u201d he retorted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat, she\u2019s some kind of\u00a0sexbot? That\u2019s sick, E.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s less human than Matana.\u00a0 And what\u2019s with that, anyway?\u00a0 You know how I feel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout women?\u00a0 Black girls?\u00a0 Vampires?\u00a0 Yeah, I do know.\u00a0 I know you better than you think.\u00a0 You\u2019re right, you can\u2019t be in love with her because she doesn\u2019t represent an ideal.\u00a0 You\u2019re only capable of being in love with your own delusions.\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u00a0spun around and grabbed Doloise\u2019s arm. She didn’t need to be with him.<\/p>\n
There was a burst of thunder above us, and a flash of light, and I fell raising up all of my shielding at once. \u00a0Doloise\u2019s amber sunglasses fell upon the ground.<\/p>\n
I\u00a0looked up from where I\u00a0had fallen sprawled on the sidewalk.\u00a0 A couple of passing gentlemen were waved away.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d I\u00a0said. \u00a0I picked up the shades, and extended them to Doloise, taking the option to look into her\u00a0eyes.<\/p>\n
Not human. Very not human, and powerful. \u00a0Things…lived behind those eyes. \u00a0Protecting E?<\/p>\n
He\u00a0strode over and grabbed the glasses, pushing them into her hands.\u00a0 \u201cPut these on,\u201d he said. He looked at me, and helped me\u00a0to my\u00a0feet, \u201cBreathe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I made an incantation and then the\u00a0circle of warding with my\u00a0right hand, and then I\u00a0stumbled back a little. \u00a0E helped guide me to one of benches.\u00a0 \u201cSit,\u201d he commanded.<\/p>\n
I slapped him, then. \u00a0I could only take so much “handling.”<\/p>\n
He bent over me and looked into my eyes.\u00a0 \u201cIs it out of your system?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re insane,\u201d I\u00a0shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I\u2019m just in over my head and losing the energy to keep treading water.\u201d \u00a0He turned his back on\u00a0me and approached the Creature, speaking to it in low tones for a moment. \u00a0He came back to me, but I was done. \u00a0\u201cI\u2019m getting out of here,\u201d I decided. \u00a0“You\u2019re crazy, flat-out crazy, being involved with that\u2026thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know stronger language.\u00a0 I\u2019m surprised you haven\u2019t used it,\u201d he said, sighing again. \u00a0He sat down next to me on the bench, watching as I\u00a0stared at my metallic pink cellphone.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s what she is.\u201d \u00a0he said. \u201cWho are you calling?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSylvia.\u00a0 We took her car.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s just over there with Matana.\u201d\u00a0 They were coming back with cones.\u00a0 \u201cCome on.\u00a0 Everything will be better after ice cream.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really are insane.\u201d I was in a bit of disbelief.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, my life\u2019s just gotten a little weird lately.\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u00a0laughed. \u00a0\u201cAnyway,\u201d I said, standing up, \u201cthat\u2019s only true if it\u2019s frozen custard and it\u2019s chocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s Doloise\u2019s favourite, too.\u00a0 You two can fight it out.\u00a0 Dibs on strawberry if they\u2019ve got it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u00a0looked at him, and then touched his face.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 It\u2019s not going to work out between us.\u201d \u00a0Never would.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d \u00a0he smiled.\u00a0 \u201cEspecially since I\u2019m going to beat you to the cones.\u201d He\u00a0ran to make his boast true.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, we could only hold one extra cone each, so we decided you were a man, and could just cowboy-up,\u201d Sylvie said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does being a man have to do with not getting some ice cream?\u201dhe demanded.\u00a0 \u201cLet alone being a cowboy?\u00a0 Which, I am most certainly not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matana, Sylvie, and I giggled.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay, pardner,\u201d I\u00a0drawled.\u00a0 \u201cI can buy you a double scoop,\u201d I\u00a0put a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYa like vanilla-r?\u00a0 Or maybe some rocky road?\u201d<\/p>\n
He shrugged my hand off, pouting.\u00a0 Sylvia gave Doloise her portion.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s for eating,\u201d he told her. \u201cLike the shake from earlier, only not with a straw.\u201d<\/p>\n
She tried her tongue on it, and found it good.\u00a0 Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we should skip the movie,\u201d\u00a0I said.\u00a0Sylvia and Matana shared a glance, and they got it right.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow about you three go to the movie, and Doloise and I will head back?\u201d E said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t think we\u2019re trying to ditch you,\u201d I\u00a0said in a hurry.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I have some work to do,\u201d he hedged.\u00a0 \u201cGo on, and have fun.\u00a0 Thanks for inviting us to dinner; it\u2019s been real.\u00a0 Doloise, you have a hot date with National Geographic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us purchase the tickets,\u201d Matana said to Maggie.\u00a0 \u201cI do not believe these vampires sparkle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, E?\u201d Sylvia called him over, and pulled a card from out of her purse.\u00a0 \u201cHere\u2019s my number.\u00a0 Give me a call sometime?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUm,\u201d he finally managed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re cute.\u201d I didn’t hear the rest of what she said, but she giggled and then ran to catch up with Matana and me.<\/p>\n
“He is that,” I said, sighing.<\/p>\n
Matana just flexed her fingers, thoughtfully. \u00a0“He looks like he lives his life in over his head. \u00a0 The girl, though…” she trailed off.<\/p>\n
I nodded. \u00a0“C’mon. \u00a0I want popcorn.” \u00a0I left things behind to sprout and grow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The energy of the possible made probable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1001002,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chapter-10-witch-war-side-note"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3-2-1-boom.com\/doctor-e\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3-2-1-boom.com\/doctor-e\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3-2-1-boom.com\/doctor-e\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3-2-1-boom.com\/doctor-e\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1001002"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3-2-1-boom.com\/doctor-e\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.3-2-1-boom.com\/doctor-e\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1610\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3-2-1-boom.com\/doctor-e\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3-2-1-boom.com\/doctor-e\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3-2-1-boom.com\/doctor-e\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}