04. Faery Bread

It’s been quite some time, I know. I’m not going to make excuses – I should have known better than to stop writing and I’m going to try to get back on track. We have a new layout, you may notice – I think it’s quite a bit prettier.. and if you don’t get the chapter title.. well I’ll explain it in the top comment below this.

Also, longest chapter yet! By over a thousand words.

A cold morning followed after the visit and Raina got up eventually because she hadn’t been able to sleep and her bedroom roof held little interest to her. The meeting had been strange enough that she kept replaying it over in her mind. Eventually, she came to the conclusion that she had been overreacting, even if it was just a little. There wasn’t much to do about it, though. She could see what they wanted of her, she supposed. Perhaps Cian had left a phone number… well, presuming he had a phone. Did elves have phones these days? Picking up her trousers off the floor from last night Raina felt around the pockets until she found the card, it was white with a coloured tree of life on it and an address. She turned it over in the hopes of there being a number, but the other side was just blank.

Raina considered the card for a few more moments, looking over it to see if she had somehow missed something then she had a thought. Witches, they may have used magic on the cards… and had not Cian been the one to give it to me? He was an elf, elves use magic all the time… much like myself. Raina smiled and pressed the card between her hands. She focused on it, tracing her magic over the tree of life, the address then she plunged beneath the surface, to the very fibres of the paper, the little dots of ink, The smooth, practised strokes made out of yet more tiny drops of ink. She pressed all the way down to the smallest particles of the paper and then back up again. Nothing… nothing. And then it hit her, the numbers blaised blue in her minds eye and there was a distinct but soft laugh ringing in her ear before it whispered ‘I knew you would be curious enough.’

The card fell from her hands, floating down to the floor in an elegant twirl that shouldn’t have happened on it’s own, but Raina didn’t notice it, her mind was focusing on that little voice, that despite having faded after she dropped the card was somehow still bothering her. She hit at it with her powers again like she had Cian last night, but it wasn’t an active magic, it was a basic enchantment and it felt no pain.

Half an hour later it had gone, though Raina was reluctant to play with the card again, so as she  picked at a bowl of berries for breakfast she wondered if it was actually was Cians number or one of the others? Not the little girls or the mans, and she didn’t think Sophia would have a phone, but then again, none of last night greeting party was particually normal. But there was only one way to find out for sure. Getting the phone from the dining room (and ignoring Mirror’s attempts at getting her attention) Raina went back to the kitchen and her berries, dialling the number into the cordless phone. It rang three times before the phone clicked on and a womans voice spoke softly, in nearly the same tones as Sophia. ‘Good…. morning?’ it was more question than greeting, but Raina shrugged.

‘The sun is up, I believe I hear magpies warbling, so it must be morning’ Raina gently prompted. This is Raina Tibbits, I believe someone on this number is expecting a call from me.’

‘Oh.’ the voice said, and then a few seconds later the voice seemed to wake up and said ‘Oh! I’m sorry, I’ll put you through right now Ms. Tibbits.’ there was hushed chatter in the background, Raina heard her name a few times, something about Fairies needing less sleep than half humans and then Sophia’s thick warm voice was on the phone.

‘I  for that, I got to bed only a few hours ago and I forgot.. the card, you know?’ she seemed a little frazzled, and Raina realized that ringing people up at seven in the morning probably wasn’t the best idea… but then neither was appearing at someones door unannounced in the middle of the night.

‘That too, Ms Tibbits. Though I confess the timing was my fault, Cian likes sneaking up on people anyway.’

Raina blinked, and the pulled her mental shields around her mind and frowned. She hadn’t felt Sophia’s power, she didn’t feel anything near her mind. ‘Please don’t do that, you’re not the first to do it.. but really, Sophia. I don’t even know you… it’s not my favourite way to play 20 questions. But you can just call me Raina.’

‘Oh, you didn’t say that aloud. Right, sorry.’ she genuinely sounded it, too. Raina simply put it down to her being tired, she sounded exhausted, actually. Magic had a habit of doing strange things when one over exerted themselves.

‘Uh, Sophia I think you need to sleep, magic – especially like that – should be better controlled or you might hurt yourself, or have someone hurt you for misspeaking, as impressive as your reach seems to be. But is there a reason I have your number?’

‘I know, I’ll go back to bed directly, your concern is appreciated. As for why this number, mostly because Cian thought you would be least likely to… ah, how did he put it? “thump” me. It probably helps that I didn’t make extra charms for a business card.’

Raina shook her head, then realizing Sophia wouldn’t see it she said ‘He’s very lucky I didn’t tie him up in iron chains last night.’ Though, Cian might have had a point. Even not at her best, Sophia seemed to be a calming force to Raina, at least now she was. Or more to the point, Sophia bothered her less than Cian. ‘I was in a bit of a bad mood. Uhmn, I should let you go. Sleep and whatever else you need to do.’

‘A good idea, well I hope you warm up to us, I don’t think last night was a good moment for any of us. Fairwell.’ but before Raina could respond, the phone hung up and there was only beeping.

Despite the fact Raina knew very little about Sophia, it seemed  however that she wouldn’t normally hang up. Oh well.

‘Any luck?’ Mirrors all too familiar voice  asked her when she came back to the dining room. He had probably been listening, for an enchanted mirror, his hearing was almost alarmingly good. Elf like, even.

‘A little, I suppose.’ she placed the phone on the cradle, it beeped. ‘Nothing interesting, she apparently sleeps in the day which I guess makes last nights visit a little more reasonable.’  Raina looked up at mirror and frowned. ‘I don’t know why you’d be so foolish last night though.. As if one of them wouldn’t notice a naked man in the mirror.’ she shook her head and walked a little closer to him. ‘I should punish you, but I don’t want to hurt the very, very expensive shell you’re in, my dear.’

He smiled and said ‘as milady likes.’ he did a fancy bow toward her and then added ‘I was actually hoping you would notice, they just happened to see first. I’m feeling a little neglected, really.’

Raina considered him carefully, had she been neglecting him? And more to the point did he have any right to suggest such a thing, he was essentially in a whole other realm of existence to her and they had never actually touched. Some said those in the mirror realm were not so real… but sometimes Mirror did make her wonder, though as far as she knew he didn’t even have a true name, nor could he go anywhere.

‘I’m sorry, then. But there is only so much I can do for you… despite your very flattering flirtation, I simply can’t see myself having sex with a mirror any time soon it sounds…’ she considered it for a moment then finished with ‘painful.’

He sighed audibly. He knew, of course that nothing more than words would ever pass between himself and Raina but well, even a mirror could dream a little he supposed. ‘Your loss.’

‘I have to go into town today… think some about last night as well as do my hours at the mortal’s idea of a good paying job.’ she rolled her eyes slightly, but the fact of the matter just happened to be that even the sidhe needed money in the mortals world. It was too much effort to bewitch everyone into giving you things – though some of her cousins had often found amusement in such endeavours back eight hundred years or so ago. Raina didn’t fancy staying at home all day with Mirror in this sort of mood anyway – he could be a little demanding at times but he was the only company she could be honest with.

Raina really wasn’t that fond of dishonesty. It went against her nature to lie, but she did it almost everyday. Lied on application forms, to people who thought she was only in her late twenties… Raina echoed mirrors previous sigh and leant against the wooden table.

As Mirror watched her with a cautious but curious look, the kitten sauntered into the room from the kitchen. Mirror spotted her first as Raina’s mind had drifted to how different things were and she had a quiet sort of sadness over her.

‘Raina,’ Mirror whispered. He didn’t catch her attention though and the kitten rubbed against her leg, purring loudly.

‘Oh…’ she said when she finally noticed mirror motioning to the floor. ‘Oh! kitty, you’d be hungry, wouldn’t you?’ she crouched down and picked up the kitten. It meowed loudly and nipped at her fingers as if they were biscuits or food of some variety.

Mirror was tempted to sigh again, she had all the time in the world to play with a cat but none to talk about their relationship. Surely they had one after a thousand years? ‘Are you going to name the poor thing, because it will not always be so young, you know.’ Mirror enquired.

Raina gave the kitten a considering look. She had clearly inherited the little beast somehow and she couldn’t seem to help but look after it but she didn’t know what to call it. ‘I’ll name her…. eventually.’ Having said that, Raina wandered into the kitchen and looked in the refrigerator for something to give her. No cat food, aside from the biscuits of course but Raina felt like giving the creature something more fun. She set the kitten down by her feet again before she pulled out some of last nights pie she had managed to save through a little light magic and a lot of scraping off of burnt parts. She got a saucer from her cupboard – an old saucer with nothing truly special about it – and then she scooped out some mince from the pie and set it on the floor for the kitten. Well at least she had pleased someone today.

It didn’t take her long to get ready for work once she was satisfied the kitten was happy with breakfast. A quick shower, some rearranging of her hair and adding of some light make up. She slipped into a comfortable top and jeans that went well together and rushednto the front door with handbag in hand without even saying a word to mirror, though she did remember to put the kitten outside.

Leaving without saying good bye may not have been very considerate… but then neither was being late for work and she had a feeling that if she spoke to him again this morning it would only lead to long and bothersome arguments they’d had a million times before. She could only explain to them that she couldn’t have the kind of relationship he wanted with her so many times before she went a little crazy on him. Raina, powerful though she may well have been wasn’t known to have ever warped the barrier between the mirror realm and her own. It would cause chaos, the consiquences were more than likely to be disaters themselves.

When she arrived at her work the store was still closed, the town was still hushed and cars crept around the streets of Blackridge as though they were intruders and had to sneak lest they be caught. There was a certain feeling in the mornings around these parts, Raina had noticed. The quiet that only seemed rightfully broken when a bird sang or a kookaburra laughed. The cars themselves seemed to occasionally notice this, too. Though their owners chugged on within them, oblivous.

Raina worked at the local bakery. It was small and unobtrusive, in one of the little streets that linked the main streets the town had to one another. She often wondered at the fact that people found the place. Of course, most people who visited seemed to be locals rather than the tourists which of course made sense. Still, it wasn’t a prominently placed shop. It was with a smile and a gentle greeting of hello Raina entered the bakery. The other that were there smiled back and waved before continuing to stack the bread baskets full of freshly wrapped and baked bread and fulling the glass counter with tray after tray of delicious cakes and lamingtons, tarts and muffins. Raina moved past them to go into the back, where she worked icing the cakes, making the lamingtons and tarts. It wasn’t such a bad job, really. And between all the ovens and the icing she didn’t have much time to think about her own issues – but it made it very grateful to those who used to cook for her, once upon a millennium.