A Gentleman's Curse

Spar

Upon opening her eyes, Kastra mentally let out a sigh.

'Still stuck.'

She tried poking at the Human she was curled up laying on, but he wouldn't budge. Neither would the oversized birds surrounding him.

She could use mana to wake everyone violently but didn't want to ruin the boy's good first impression of her. She'd been working extra hard not to annoy him or get in his way while he trained and as a reward, she'd been able to watch that gorgeous light display. It was more impressive than anything she'd ever seen a Human do, though since she lived in a lake pretty much her whole life that wasn't saying much.

Kastra liked the boy. He had a very... confident air to him at first which had put her off, but when he'd started performing she'd found it enchanting. Then, when he had told her stories of his youth and had broken down, she'd found him refreshingly emotional and not at all untouchable like he'd pretended to be.

Humans were always a welcome distraction for her. They rarely received visitors up here, let alone any that were kind to the Fae, so having one who sang music they'd never heard and willingly showed them beautiful magic was irreplaceable.

Unlike the vast majority of her kind, Kastra was unique in the sense that she found enjoyment in manners other than annoying people endlessly. She loved music like the rest of them, but also enjoyed watching Humans do other activities not involving entertainment. Practicing mana manipulation, running, casual conversation... it all appealed to her.

Their language was so unique.

While saying that, it had to be noted that Kastra could speak but chose not to. Most of her kind believed her a mute, but some of the older ones knew she wasn't. She had to talk to accept her position as a representative for her cluster, after all.

The only reason she chose not to speak predominantly was that her people hardly ever had anything interesting to say. They were mostly content to act the way they did so there was no point in attempting to converse with them.

Thus, Kastra had become something akin to voiceless and a bit of an outsider. The Fae always chose their most serious to be the representative for other races though so she was a perfect fit.

She didn't mind being stuck in here with the four mortals particularly, but as the representative for her cluster it wouldn't do for her to be away for so long. She was supposed to report back in after observing the Humans but had gotten caught up in the beauty and stayed overnight. She wasn't in trouble, but an explanation would have to be made, one that wouldn't be understood particularly well by Tia.

Her kind hardly ever understood her reasoning for doing the things she did. It was vexing, but at the same time, it just made her that much more suited to her role in their eyes, so she didn't mind too much.

Another few minutes went by before Kastra finally decided enough was enough.

~~~~~

Damien woke up to the feeling of something heavy on his chest. Upon opening his eyes and looking down, he noticed a... confusing sight.

There on his chest lay a twenty-something year old girl. Normal tan colored skin, silver freckles, silver eyes, the same bright green hair he remembered, yet now she was definitely about his height but proportionally still twenty. She was also staring directly into his eyes from while looking perturbed.

He didn't move for a few moments as he got used to her new skin color and eventually, the girl before him pointed skyward. Damien definitely had questions but understood her want to get out. He lifted a hand and scratched at the wings around them. They did not open up.