{"submission_id":"843827","keywords":[{"keyword_id":"60","keyword_name":"cat","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"110719"},{"keyword_id":"44319","keyword_name":"contemporary","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"101"},{"keyword_id":"149","keyword_name":"crossdress","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"1890"},{"keyword_id":"627","keyword_name":"crossdressing","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"10037"},{"keyword_id":"1979","keyword_name":"fae","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"307"},{"keyword_id":"11376","keyword_name":"faerie","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"284"},{"keyword_id":"2602","keyword_name":"fairy","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"2015"},{"keyword_id":"2193","keyword_name":"fantasy","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"11602"},{"keyword_id":"123","keyword_name":"female","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"519917"},{"keyword_id":"112296","keyword_name":"garuda","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"51"},{"keyword_id":"18565","keyword_name":"harpy","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"374"},{"keyword_id":"1440","keyword_name":"human","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"46907"},{"keyword_id":"191","keyword_name":"magic","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"11599"},{"keyword_id":"165","keyword_name":"male","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"639915"},{"keyword_id":"3313","keyword_name":"monkey","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"4908"},{"keyword_id":"412","keyword_name":"orc","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"611"},{"keyword_id":"750","keyword_name":"tale","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"471"},{"keyword_id":"164","keyword_name":"wolf","contributed":"f","submissions_count":"111562"}],"hidden":"f","scraps":"f","favorite":"f","favorites_count":"0","create_datetime":"2015-05-02 18:11:32.36264+02","create_datetime_usertime":"02 May 2015 18:11 CEST","last_file_update_datetime":"2015-05-02 18:07:11.128707+02","last_file_update_datetime_usertime":"02 May 2015 18:07 CEST","username":"Simoni","user_id":"279733","user_icon_file_name":"75728_Simoni_simoni_barjar.gif","user_icon_url_large":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/75/75728_Simoni_simoni_barjar.gif","user_icon_url_medium":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/75/75728_Simoni_simoni_barjar.gif","user_icon_url_small":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/75/75728_Simoni_simoni_barjar.gif","file_name":"1146633_Simoni_side_story_10_family.doc","file_url_full":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/full/1146/1146633_Simoni_side_story_10_family.doc","file_url_screen":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/1146/1146633_Simoni_side_story_10_family.doc","file_url_preview":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/1146/1146633_Simoni_side_story_10_family.doc","files":[{"file_id":"1146633","file_name":"1146633_Simoni_side_story_10_family.doc","file_url_full":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/full/1146/1146633_Simoni_side_story_10_family.doc","file_url_screen":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/1146/1146633_Simoni_side_story_10_family.doc","file_url_preview":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/1146/1146633_Simoni_side_story_10_family.doc","mimetype":"application/msword","submission_id":"843827","user_id":"279733","submission_file_order":"0","full_size_x":null,"full_size_y":null,"screen_size_x":null,"screen_size_y":null,"preview_size_x":null,"preview_size_y":null,"initial_file_md5":"cfac1a83dd05a1c5c37b8533df0e47f9","full_file_md5":"cfac1a83dd05a1c5c37b8533df0e47f9","large_file_md5":"","small_file_md5":"","thumbnail_md5":"","deleted":"f","create_datetime":"2015-05-02 18:07:11.128707+02","create_datetime_usertime":"02 May 2015 18:07 CEST"}],"pools":[],"description":"I wasn't sure about uploading this and, in truth, we wrote it several months ago, but its too important to both Stephy's story and the story overall to leave out.\n\nThe original draft was a bit more 'giggity giggity goo' but I cleaned it up so that it could focus on the story (deal with it ya pervs).\n\nStephy has a pretty huge backstory for a side character who only got put in out of impulse and a 'wouldn't it be cool if' idea (literally, he was just a character in a side roleplay we were doing for fun but I had the idea of making him Nelen and Simoni's cousin and there ya go).\n\nIts interesting just how much he's changed during the story. He started out as a shy, quiet, and often abused boy... moved on to being an open transvestite who wanted to help his friends but was too meek in combat... to being a confident and cunning changeling who is able to stand on equal footing with his allies.\n\nSometimes a character really can just take on a life of their own.","description_bbcode_parsed":"I wasn't sure about uploading this and, in truth, we wrote it several months ago, but its too important to both Stephy's story and the story overall to leave out.
The original draft was a bit more 'giggity giggity goo' but I cleaned it up so that it could focus on the story (deal with it ya pervs).
Stephy has a pretty huge backstory for a side character who only got put in out of impulse and a 'wouldn't it be cool if' idea (literally, he was just a character in a side roleplay we were doing for fun but I had the idea of making him Nelen and Simoni's cousin and there ya go).
Its interesting just how much he's changed during the story. He started out as a shy, quiet, and often abused boy... moved on to being an open transvestite who wanted to help his friends but was too meek in combat... to being a confident and cunning changeling who is able to stand on equal footing with his allies.
Sometimes a character really can just take on a life of their own.","writing":"Our story opens with Stephy spending time in Arcadia with Sammi’s family, the young boy rather enjoying being in the company of such people… for a given value of people after all. None of them are human, though some of the servants may have been at one time, but Stephy finds that he’s experiencing things there that he’d been lacking in his life for a long time.\n\nHis former life before joining up with Arja was one of loss and abuse. His mother died when he was a small child, his father being extremely abusive towards him for not having the physical strength and stamina that was expected of the men of Clan Fullmoon, and being a constant target for bullying due to his meek nature.\n\nHis life began to take a turn when he met Trixie Smith at his school, the blonde Texan tomboy saving him from several bullies frontier justice style (also known as dirty fighting go for the balls). The two started dating and Stephy both came out of his shell and out of the closet, and then he encountered another twist when his cousin Nelen Fullmoon showed up in town along with Dawn, Arja, Simoni, Natasha, and Drusilla.\n\nAs it turned out Robert Fullmoon, his abusive father, had been part of the group that had been sent to attack them and he’d made the mistake of trying to subdue Drusilla via a tackle from behind. Either he hadn’t noticed she was a cyclops or he simply thought he could overpower her… being torn limb from limb by an angry giantkin probably wasn’t in his original plan. (See Part 9: It’s a Magical World)\n\nThis had left Stephy in a bit of a predicament however. Both his parents were now dead and this meant a life in the foster care system for him… until Simoni suggested a solution. Arja could ‘kidnap’ him and take him off to India with them. Trixie however refused to be parted from Stephy so Arja decided she’d just take them both and give her mother a huge sum of money for her with the promise that they’d be able to keep in contact and visit as they liked.\n\nNot wanting to risk the pair getting seen leaving with them by Clan Fullmoon (incase any of the warriors had hung back or were at the airport) Simoni contacted their alien friend, Bethandi Shuda, and had the pair beamed up to be dropped off in India once the coast was clear.\n\nIt was during their stay onboard Bethandi’s ship that Stephy discovered why he hadn’t inherited the physical prowess of this male relatives. Due to some genetic quirk, random chance, or just because he was really THAT girly he’d wound up with powers similar to Simoni’s! He could turn into a raven-like harpy form and use wind magic like the WOMEN of Clan Fullmoon.\n\nIt’s a funny old world sometimes.\n\nLater, during a visit to Texas to see Trixie’s relatives the two had attended a magic show being put on by a fae Ice Mage named Sammi Montebank. He made a living using real magic in a pretend show and had decided to use Trixie as part of the show, believing that Trixie was actually ‘Tex’ and Stephy’s boyfriend. He just wanted to flirt really.\n\nStephy, however, was not amused. He was very close to Trixie and hadn’t really known how to deal with jealousy. Once back in the dressing room with the two his patience snapped with Sammi’s continued advances towards Trixie and he lashed out with his wind magic, causing Sammi to retort with his ice. It may have come to worse if the two weren’t interrupted by Nelen, who came back to break up their fight while Drusilla kept Sammi’s security guard occupied with a game of ‘stop hitting yourself’.\n\nThe two decided to have a contest to sort out their little argument… a sort of ‘who can out-fabulous the other’. Nelen got in touch with an acquaintance in town who owned a gay bar and moonlighted as a fire-using superhero named ‘Captain Fabulous’, asking him to let them use the bar after hours for their contest. Nelen had met him some years ago when he and the Captain had corralled a chupacabra that had snuck over the Mexican border. \n\nThe two performed on stage for Arja, Trixie, Dawn, Drusilla, and Simoni while Nelen and the Captain stayed outside. It didn’t really settle anything, but the two managed to at least become friends afterwards instead of remaining antagonistic towards each other.\n\nFollowing their return to India Sammi wound up trapped in the Hedge, the supernatural maze of thorns and brambles between Earth and the dream-realm of Arcadia, trying to dodge the soldiers of one of the true fae. He had sent out a call to Stephy hoping that he could use the boy’s dreams as a way to escape back to Earth, only to accidentally pull Stephy into the hedge along with him.\n\nThankfully, Dawn was able to enter their dreams (Wonderland is also a dream realm) and was able to guide them through the dreamscapes of Drusilla, Nelen, and then finally to a providence of Arcadia in the hopes that he could find a gateway home… accidentally landing them in the territory of the very fae who had been hunting them. A queen of ice and winter named Sera who, co-incidentially, was also Sammi’s grandmother.\n\nThis proved troublesome for all three of them. Sammi had been trying to avoid her out of fear that her requests for him to ‘come back home’ meant ‘come back home so I can turn you into an ice statue and keep you there forever’ or something similar, Dawn couldn’t use her ability to claw into other dreams to escape in the presence of a true fae (Sera’s magic cancelled out Dawn’s, including her teleportation and invisibility tricks), and Stephy… as I mentioned above Stephy had lost his mother early on and was very drawn to people with a strong motherly persona… like Sera when she was in a good mood. Combine that with her glamour and Stephy was in deep trouble.\n\nOnce inside Sera’s castle she split from the group long enough for Sammi to tell Dawn how to escape back out of Arcadia from there and sent her to go get help while he kept Sera distracted and made sure she didn’t enthrall Stephy. While Dawn dove through various dreamscapes Sammi managed to convince Sera to treat Stephy as a guest of sorts, allowing the boy immunity from the usual perils of being near the true fae (being bound to them by accepting food or drink, being able to tell them their true name, etc).\n\nStephy wound up a guest at a feast that Sera was holding and, while he was getting changed out of his pajamas for it (Sammi had pulled him into the hedge while he was asleep) he commented that Sera didn’t really seem evil or insane like the True Fae he’d been taught about growing up in Clan Fullmoon… rather, she just seemed lonely.\n\nSammi thought on this, realizing that his mother (who was a changeling) had died recently and his father wanted nothing to do with Arcadia… nor did most of his other relatives. This revelation caused him to ask her if she really just wanted him to come back home because she missed him out of genuine affection.\n\n[i]Sammi nods, walking down the stairs with Stephy, looking like he was mulling some things over before, when they get down to the dining room again he walks over to his grandmother's chair, looking at her. \"Do you love me... can you... do that? Did you love mom? I really need to know if this is some fucked up game for you or like, if this is the only way your mind can get to 'I want my family around me'...\" he asks her.\n\nThere was a pretty long pause there before she reaches out to put her arms around Sammi, pulling him close to her, \"Ice is very cold, Samuel, and it can kill very easy... but it's also incredibly fragile... and when it melts, it can never be the same again. Ice must be very strong, or it will have nothing...\" Sammi just sighs softly at that, patting her back gently, \"Yea... well... you have me, ok? So... yea…\" He manages to get out, clearly awkward at this level of emotional connection, especially to someone he saw as an enemy just an hour ago...[/i] (Side Story 6: Off with the Fairies)\n\nThis had irritated Dawn who had chosen that moment to return with Trixie to attempt a rescue only to find that, in her words, ‘I walked into something akin to a care bears special where the big baddie just needed a hug’ and ‘nothing would have changed if I’d just stayed home and raided the fridge’. Sammi sheepishly admitted that yes that was more or less the case, causing Dawn to force herself awake and stomp off to the kitchen back home in India, sending Lupe into a fit with her Wonderland Eyes on the way to blow off some steam.\n\nAfterwards Trixie was allowed to go back home as well while Stephy elected to stay behind for now… just for a little while…\n\nThat is where our story begins…\n\n[b]The following takes place shortly after Side Story 6: Off With the Fairies but before Part 17: Old Enemies.[/b]\n\nStephy giggles and eagerly steps into the pale pink dress Sera is offering him, noticing that it buttons rather than zips (guess the clothes are still a bit old-fashioned in Arcadia), letting her slide it up over his shoulders and then sliding his hands under his hair to hold it up so she can button it up, the boy unable to stop smiling as he lets himself sink into his role. Its not just enjoyable, this is something he's wanted... hell, -needed- for a really long time.\n\nShe nods approvingly, licking her lips as she looks Stephy over, \"Very pretty dear, it fits you well.\" she giggles, \"Now, have you ever worn makeup?\" she asks. It seems Stephy’s guess about the fae queen was correct and she really just missed being a mother as her daughter had died in the mortal realm. She seemed quite happy to have Sammi staying at home for now and regarded the young tranvestite he’d brought with him as an unforseen bonus.\n\nHe giggles and swishes his hips, making the skirt rustle, then feels over the material before looking back at her, \"Um... a bit of lip gloss and mascara sometimes when I'd go out with Trixie, but that'd be about it.\" he nods, though there's definite curiosity in his voice.\n\nSera smirks a bit as the woman rests a hand on Stephy's back \"Well let's get you made up and your hair taken care of then.\" she coos, leading him to a side room's door, \"Sammi dear, your half sister will be up in a bit to get you dressed.\" she teases as Sammi huffs loudly, \"oh goodie...\"\n\nHe blushes, letting the older woman guide him as he nods, \"Yes Mommy...\" he giggles cheerfully, letting her lead him into the next room as he looks around curiously.\n\nShe grins, leading him to what looks like a rather large bathroom, the vanity mirror already set up with boxes of antique looking makeup and bushes and such...\n\nHe blushes, but walks to the chair and takes a seat, smoothing his skirt out under him and sitting with his hands folded in his lap and his legs together in a very ladylike fashion (he'd been practicing since he and Trixie started dating). \"So, um...\" he blushes, \"You like doing this sort of thing? I mean, having people be your, um, little girl like this?\" he asks shyly. Its obvious, but he's building up to something and is still somewhat shy.\n\nShe nods, reaching to take another silk cloth and wipe Stephy's face free of anything that'd get in the way of her work, licking her lips \"I do, but especially adorable little things like you!\"\n\nHe blushes and giggles quite a bit at that, then takes a breath and steadies himself. \"Um... You probably knew this, but... my real mother has been, well, gone for a while now.\" he murmurs. She's dead, but he still has trouble saying it. \"Um... I don't want to leave my friends completely, especially Trixie... but...\" he smiles shyly, \"This and what we did yesterday is... well... really nice... and...\" he hesitates, \"Um, I know a bit about how Arcadia works and how it's connected to dreams and such... maybe... um... sometimes I could maybe... dream that I'm your daughter?\" he suggests, blushing and looking down at his dress.\n\nThe woman actually seems caught off guard by that, pausing slightly before composing herself, \"Yes,\" she says, taking a small jar of foundation powder and putting a brush in it, \"I'd like that very much, actually...\"\n\nHe blushes, unsure for a moment as he notices her reaction, then smiles softly and replies, \"Thank you Mommy.\" before closing his eyes and holding still for her so she can make him up.\n\nThe woman pauses again before kissing the top of Stephy's head \"You're a good girl, Stephy\" she says softly before applying the powder to his face.\n\nHe smiles shyly at the kiss, but doesn't reply, holding still while she does her thing, though he does giggle as the brush tickles his cheeks.\n\nShe smiles, taking a bit of blush and rubbing that in next, making his cheeks get a nice rosy glow to them. They also had the side effect of making his voice even higher and more girlish, he wouldn't have to actively try to make his 'girl' voice now!\n\nHe giggles at the brush, then blinks a bit as he notices his voice changing. \"Huh?\" he mutters, then looks a bit shocked as he hears his own voice. \"What... wow... fae cosmetics have some side effects huh?\" he asks, his voice now sounding less like a preteen boy and more like a young girl.\n\nShe simply grins, licking her lips as she takes soft ice blue eyeshadow out, \"Close your eyes, dear\" she says, rubbing the blue pigment over his eyelids slowly. When he opened them and looked in the mirror, though, he'd see a young brown haired girl in his same dress and makeup staring back at him! It was just an illusion, and only for him, but it sure drove the point home well...\n\nHe takes off his glasses and puts them on the table when she does this, then blinks a bit at the blurry image before putting them back on and letting out a soft gasp at the sight, he feels over his face (carefully, doesn't want to smudge the makeup) then pouts just a bit when he sees its an illusion. \"Aw... Well, at least it looks cute~\" he giggles, smiling a bit as he looks back up at the fae. He had mostly been testing the waters after asking if she'd like to have him pretend to be his daughter... but now he's almost wondering if she might be interested in actual adoption... maybe even hoping.\n\nShe smiles, licking her lips again, \"Very cute...you want it to be more real though?\" she coos, finger trailing through the boy's hair lightly.\n\nHe blushes and giggles as she teases him, then thinks for a moment, \"Um...\" he ponders, then shakes his head, \"No... not really. I don't want to stop being a boy honestly, but I like being able to be 'girly'.\" he nods, \"I know it sounds weird, but... well... yeah.\" he nods, \"Though...\" he blushes and giggles softly, \"If Mommy would prefer it...\"\n\nShe giggles, poking his cheek lightly \"No no, this is about what you want, dear\" she coos, taking a small gold tube of ice blue lipstick out to match the eyeshadow.\n\nHe blushes a bit... what he wants... \"Um... actually... about what I said earlier... um... well, truth is I don't really have either parent anymore... and... I kinda miss it... a lot...\" he murmurs, glancing away shyly as he falls silent, though he does pout out his lips so she can put the lipstick on them.\n\nShe nods slowly, applying the cool lipstick to the boy slowly. This didn't have any major effect on him, merely giving him the same cool kisses Sammi and (assumingly) his half sister did...\"Do you want me to be your mommy, little boy?\"\n\nHe hesitates, looking away nervously. \"I... I want to stay with my friends, I mean, things have gotten crazy in India and I don't want to abandon them... and I don't really know if I'd want to become a changeling or anything like that... but...\" he blushes, glancing up at her shyly and giving a small hesitant nod.\n\nShe nods \"You wouldn't HAVE to stay here, I let Sammi leave, I let my daughter leave… I appreciate when I'm visited, but despite what Sammi may have thought of me I don't keep family in dungeons and forbid them from leaving...\" she does rather dance around the 'become a changeling' aspect, to be frank even she wasn't 100% clear on what could happen there, she knew if Stephy was a mortal he'd be changed...\n\nHe blushes, he'd seen what was in Arja’s basement, “Mm, right…\" he murmurs softly, then looks back up at her, \"But... yeah... I'd like that... a lot really...\" he giggles nervously.\n\nShe smiles softly, petting the boy's hair slowly, starting to braid it as she speaks \"Think carefully about this now. I may not be sure if this becoming official would alter you magically, but you would be forsaking your past bloodline and joining mine. Fae families are much more fluid than yours, but we take them very seriously. This isn't just a little game to us\" it was true, Fae politics could get very Game of Thrones, family was expected to support family. Even Sammi being far from his grandmother's biggest fans would be hard pressed to go against that call if it truly was needed. \"Of course you wouldn't have to ABANDON them you can still be as close as you like that cute little cousin of yours, and obviously love is stronger than anything, but it's important to know that this is actually a serious topic...\"\n\nHe pauses, then ponders this for a moment... giving up his past bloodline... his ties to Clan Fullmoon... He blinks. Clan Fullmoon = the entire male half of his family besides Nelen is a bunch of macho swaggering warrior types led by a sociopathic old man who wants to commit genocide on anything supernatural. \"... are you sure that's supposed to be a -bad- thing?\" he asks, raising his eyebrow at her.\n\nShe smirks softly, \"Excuse me for giving you fair warning,\" she says as she finishes the braid, Stephy's hair put into a single long French braid \"Very nice...\"\n\nHe blushes and giggles, \"Well, you haven't met Clan Fullmoon. I'm sure they weren't that bad in the old days, but the current family head is... well...\" he gesture idly with his hand as if looking for the right words that don't sound incredibly offensive or crude, \"... lets just say giving up my ties to my past bloodline might actually be a perk in my case.\"\n\nHe idly toys with the braid as she finishes it off, then looks back at her, \"Um, so how would it work exactly?\" he asks, sounding curious. He knew a pretty good deal of fae legends, but their magic is a mystery to most non-fae, if only because the only ones who come back to write about it are either afraid that their former masters will use it to track them down or are completely bugshit insane.\n\nShe nods \"There's a ritual, and then you're presented to the domain as part of my kin, it's a rather involved process and, honestly I'm not sure exactly how a harpy would be affected by it, we tend not to make a habit of taking other supernaturals, some out of ancient pacts and some just because we don't want to deal with, say, a vampire in Arcadia.\"\n\nHe pictures Natasha in Arcadia, and pictures what he'd heard happen when she tried to drink Dawn's blood, \"Yeah, I could see that being an issue...\" he nods, then blushes, \"But... I'd be your... 'daughter' if we did it, and I could be like this more often and such?\" he gestures to whats going on right now and his outfit.\n\nShe nods \"As my kin you'd be able to access Arcadia as easily as Sammi can... despite the fact he doesn't do it often, that's quite easy for him.\" she says with a little smile \"And would have a way to get to my domain quickly and easily, of course, and would be welcome here.\"\n\nHe blushes, \"... and I'd have a mother...\" he whispers so softly she might have missed it, \"Um...\" he hesitates, then nods, \"A-alright, I... I wanna do it.\" he replies, taking a deep breath to steady himself.\n\nShe smiles brightly at that, rubbing the boy's head \"Well, let's go tell Sammi then, he'll need to be present, so will Michelle...this will be nice\" she says, kissing the boy's head again as she helps him stand in front of the mirror, bringing over a pair of white heeled shoes to finish the look\n\nHe giggles softly, looking over his feet. The heels aren't extremely high, really just half an inch, enough to make his walk a bit more dainty and give a faint click-click to his steps. He follows her out, watching her as he does. A mother... he feels a bit guilty, but his real mother had been dead for years now, its not like she'll just come back someday… he thinks. Given the world he lives in it’s not impossible… but extremely unlikely and even moreso that she’d come back in a way that would be good.\n\nWhen Stephy is lead out by the woman, he'd see Sammi had been taken care of by his half-sister, who was giggling softly as Sammi blushed a bit in his long white and blue dress, same style as Stephy's, but in a different color. He was saying something in French at her as she holds her cellphone in his face, obviously taking pictures. Naturally she can’t get any reception in Arcadia but she can still use it for other things so long as the battery has a charge.\n\nHe blinks, somewhat surprised to see modern tech in Arcadia. He didn't even know it'd -work- in this world. \"Huh...\" he shrugs then giggles, \"Dunno why you were so upset Sammi, I'm enjoying this~\" he winks at the boy... blushing as he realizes it's about to be his -brother-...\n\nSammi sticks his tongue out at Stephy as Michelle (his sister) giggles \"Oh he loves it, he just is a little brat because he's making grandmother happy.\" she teases, poking Sammi in the head \"He looks just like our mother but he takes after his father.\" she teases, both siblings sticking their tongues out at each other at that... well the family was certainly more happy than the Fullmoons for sure... \"Shush now.\" the woman says, both Sammi and Michelle quickly clamming up at that, \"This is a very happy day, Stephy here has asked to join the family.\" she says, smiling happily.\n\nMichelle seems quite happy to hear that, but Sammi raises his brow curiously, \"She made it all clear, right, this isn't a kinky little game, you're 100% on that right?\" He knew the contract he made kept Stephy from being mind controlled, but obviously he was still worried about more mundane manipulation tools...\n\nHe blushes and replies to Sammi, \"Sammi, think about what we told you about my family and what -specifically- my grandfather is like and -has done recently-.\" he replies, putting his hands on his hips, \"As far as I'm concerned I'm trading up.\" he nods in a rather unusual display of confidence for the normally shy boy.\n\nSammi chuckles, nodding slightly, \"Well, as long as you're clear on the situation... welcome to the family then.\" he says, walking over and giving Stephy a little hug, smiling happily. The woman nods approvingly \"Well then, Michelle come help me get the ritual room ready.\" she says, patting Stephy's head as she looks to Sammi \"Bring him in just a bit, alright?\" she says, Sammi nodding as the women make their way out of the room.\n\nHe blushes, watching them go before looking back to Sammi, \"... I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous... but... well...\" he squirms, \"I don't have any 'family' left really besides Arja and the others... and it's just, y'know, not the same.\" he admits, leaning into Sammi's hug, \"This ritual... um, is it gonna hurt?\" he asks, biting his lip nervously.\n\nSammi shakes his head, \"Nah it's actually pretty simple, the fae like to play it up though.\" he teases, \"May be a little embarassing though depending if Michelle is feeling a little mean today.\" he teases ominously, \"I'll be nice to you though.\" he coos, pulling Stephy closer, \"Little brother\" he adds with a giggle.\n\nHe giggles and snuggles into him, \"Hehe, always wanted a big sister, and now I kinda have two~\" he teases right back, sticking his tongue out at the fae boy.\n\nSammi smirks, playfully bonking his head, \"Yea I never had a younger sister.\" he giggles, \"You do look great, though, I admit…\"\n\nHe giggles, \"Well, like I said, pink is more my color~\" he replies, fluffing his skirt a bit, \"You look really cute too.\" he nods, running a hand along Sammi's shoulder through the silk.\n\nSammi grins, kissing the boy's forehead happily as he licks his lips, \"Thanks.\" he smiles, \"Look I know I kinda talked up my grandmother being dangerous and all but... I think you're gonna like it here.\"\n\nHe blushes, then nods, \"Well, I did tell her I wanted to go back to be with Trixie and the others... but...\" he giggles, \"I'll probably visit a lot more often than you did.\" he teases.\n\nSammi smirks \"Oh I'm sure it'll be fun, I'll be sure to come with you plenty.\" he teases, checking the clock on the wall that seemed to currently be pointing to four different arcane symbols, \"Alright, let's get you official.\" he says, leading Stephy by the hand out the door.\n\nHe nods, following along behind Sammi as the two head down through the castle. He seems cheerful but his heart is about ready to beat out through his chest... he knows that what he's doing here is going to be pretty huge... but... he also knows at the same time that he -really- likes it here and if they'd be willing to accept him into their family... he wants it, oh gods he wants it.\n\nSammi leads the boy a good bit along the opulent palace, taking him to a set of stairs down to a basement area. Candles were burning all around the small room, all manner of color of flame burning around them. There was a sweet smelling almost candy like incense burning as Sammi's grandmother and half-sister both stand in the middle of the room, motioning Sammi and Stephy over to them.\n\n\nStephy hesitates for a moment... but only a moment, then follows Sammi over to the two women, looking up at them with both curiosity and a faint hint of apprehension... though he won't say no, its definitely sinking in how huge this is...\n\nMeanwhile in India Dawn is stretched out on the couch watching Arja and Simoni trying to take their minds off their de-powered state in a game of Mario Kart 8 when she suddenly sits bolt upright, \"Plot-twist senses tingling!\" she hisses, then starts to look around, \"Nnn... gotta get to Arcadia... but I gotta be asleep... but I'm not tiiiiiired...\" she whines, then spots Lupe, \"DOG!\" she yowls, \"I'm gonna put every single song Toby Keith has ever written in your head for the rest of the week! Better knock me out before I do!\" she says as Lupe immediately growls and pounces, slamming her head against the floor. As her vision goes dark she mutters, \"In hindsight I could've taken some NyQuil...\"\n\nShe 'wakes up' in her own dreamscape, then immediately claws a hole in it and follows Stephy's scent back along the path they'd taken before.\n\nSammi's grandmother smiles softly, nodding to Stephy. \"We're here today to welcome someone new into our family. Our kind do not have the kindest reputation for how we expand our families, and one coming to us willingly and with joy in his heart is to be celebrated. Still, regardless of contexts, such choices are not mine alone to make, even as head of the family. The choice must be unanimous, or the family will suffer with pointless strife and infighting. It goes without saying that Stephy has my support\" she says, rubbing the boy's head lightly before looking to Sammi, \"Does he have yours?\"\n\nSammi grins faintly, this must be what he was talking about....\"Yea, he clearly wants this...plus who am I to turn away someone who gives such good head?\" he teases, winking playfully.\n\nHe blushes and glances away at that, looking to Michelle as she's next in line here. He doesn't really know her that well other than 'big sister', 'alchemist', and 'a bit wicked, but she is a fae'...\n\nMichelle smirks slightly, looking Stephy over slowly \"Hm, I can't deny that he's CUTE...but is CUTE enough?\" she teases, reaching her hand to rub the boy's cheek lightly as she speaks to him \"What else do you bring, besides cuteness?\"\n\nHe thinks, then looks down, \"Um, just a second.\" he nods, then reaches down and unbuckles his shoes, stepping out of them and pulling off his socks as well. Once he's out of both he takes a breath and after a few moments of stretching and shifting he's standing there in his raven-harpy form. \"Well, I can do this.\" he says, looking at Michelle.\n\nShe nods softly \"Interesting\" she muses \"Some kind of harpy then?\" she says, looking him over \"So you can fight, then?\"\n\nHe shifts back and nods, \"Well, I can control wind and I can fly like that...\" he replies, standing barefoot now as a human again. \"But I don't have a ton of experience fighting...\" he admits.\n\nShe giggles, \"Well, let's get you some experience, then.\" she coos teasingly, licking her lips as she snaps her fingers, the walls seeming to shift back to widen the room further and further, somehow even the roof slid away, and despite the fact that there was an entire castle on top of the room... sunlight and fresh air came in...\n\nHe blinks, then pouts, \"Hey hold on!\" he protests, gesturing to his outfit, \"At least lemme change out of this. I don't wanna mess it up.\" he nods.\n\nMichelle laughs, the room expanding into a downright massive arena, the whole 'physics' thing pretty fluid in Arcadia, at least when you're in charge it is...\"You may strip if you like, but you should be ready to fight in anything just in case\" she winks\n\nHe frowns at her, then sighs, \"I'll keep the dress...\" he nods, looking around at the area as he quickly changes back into his half-bird form. He does know a bit about fighting, Nelen had taught him a few things when they had the chance, but he's about as novice as it gets. When Coyote showed up he hid and he wasn't even awake during their showdown with McCall and Mammon...\n\nShe nods, waving her hand and summoning what looks like a long whip made of shimmering ice... \"Let's make this easy then, first to give up loses?\" Sammi smirks faintly as he hears her, both he and his grandmother clearing the way quickly. \"Told ya it depended on how mean she felt…\" he teases.\n\nHe nods, then quickly shoots up into the air, grinning just a bit as he whistled up enough wind to gain altitude. He did know how to fight whips, hell that's basically how Nelen fights. Stay out of range, break it if you can, and remember that they can only move in long sweeping motions unless you get close. He whistles sharply and the air around him seems to swirl, any lash-like weapon will have a hard time getting a grip on him like this.\n\nMichelle nods a bit, licking her lips as she watches him quickly react, only to shove her free hand out, sending a barrage of ice balls aimed at the flying bird, shot out at high speeds like she was a pitching machine!\n\nStephy eeps, panics, then quickly folds his wings and drops altitude, the ice blasts passing harmlessly over his head as he whistles again, aiming a harsh gust of wind at Michelle's ankles, trying to disable or knock her down.\n\nSammi giggles a bit at the show, Michelle leaping up to avoid the wind, but he does send one of her white high heels flying away, throwing her off balance a bit \"Hmph!\" she huffs loudly, having to pause to kick the other one off to stay standing.\n\nStephy takes this chance to whistle up a sudden tailwind, darting forward as he tries to remember what Nelen had taught him.\n\n'Remember, you've got the same weakness Simoni does in that your bones have to become lighter to let you fly, but they'll become more fragile at the same time. If you fight alone you need to distract and confuse, keep your distance and use your wind magic, then when your opponent is off balance... strike!'\n\nBy the time Michelle gets her shoe off Stephy is a pink blur in the air infront of her, the boy coming to a sudden halt as he whistles up a gust of wind all around them, his talons hovering right infront of her face as he floats in the air, his wind magic holding him and his wings aloft.\n\nMichelle tries to focus on the boy as she tosses her shoe aside, but can't stay on him until he's right in her face, sharp talons right in front of her as she smirks faintly. \"Alright... I give.\" she says, raising her hands and dismissing her whip, \"Not bad at all...\"\n\nHe giggles and drops back down onto his talons as his feathers begin to molt, his arms and legs changing back into human ones. \"Well, it helps that I'm not up against someone who's likely to kill me.\" he blushes, \"But yeah, my cousin Nelen made sure to teach me and the others how to handle ourselves in a fight. Good idea too if one of my nutjob relatives or, gods forbid, that lunatic of a grandfather of mine and his mundane bla...\" he pauses, then goes silent. He hadn't mentioned Franklin's sword to Sammi's grandmother yet... he wasn't sure how a fae would take it if she knew her houseguest had someone after him and his friends (mostly his friends, but he's definitely on Franklin's shit list by now) who's weapon of choice is a sword made not just out of iron, but some kind of super anti-magic iron.\n\nAll three fae raise their brows as the room shifts back to normal slowly \"Mundane...blade?\" Sammi's grandmother asks as she walks over \"This grandfather of yours has access to one of those?\" it was kinda hard to really gauge emotion with this woman...\n\nHe blinks, and then mutters sheepishly, \"Um, yeah... sorry, forgot to mention it before...\" he nods, \"L-like I said, I'm not exactly proud of my current bloodline...\" he nods, unable to meet the woman's eyes.\n\nShe seems to think on that, nodding faintly \"Those weapons all have the blood of many fae on them, we were often some of the first victims of such tools...I assume you do not share his desire to own one?\"\n\nHe shakes his head, \"Of course not! Forget that I couldn't even use one without it ripping my own magic away he...\" he winces, \"Um... he kinda attacked us recently, in person... normally he just sends his warriors to do it... and...\" he glances at Sammi, he hadn't told him this bit either, \"Um... Arja and Simoni, Simoni is my cousin, she's got the same powers I do... and Arja is her girlfriend... owner... something... and she's got some kind of fire magic and other stuff... they got too close.\" he winces.\n\nShe nods at that \"Then you understand how cruel that blade is. I'm sympathetic to early humanity who felt overwhelmed by the magical realm, but, as I'm sure you saw, weapons such as that don't discriminate in their sadism, far too many good creatures have been destroyed by them for them to be justified.\"\n\n\"Yeah, he knows.\" says a familiar voice as Dawn wanders in, having cut her way through the dreamscape to get there, \"Franklin's pig-sticker took out my family too.\" she says. \"Hey guys, I kinda had a hunch something big was happening and, well, you know how curious we cats are.\" she smirks just a bit.\n\nStephy stares at Dawn for a bit, then nods, \"Yeah, but... apparently somehow Simoni and Arja are going to be able to destroy Franklin's sword.\" he nods, \"We don't know how yet though, I mean they tried last time but... well...\" he winces, \"Yeah... its been a month and their powers haven't come back yet... I can't do much against Franklin's warriors and I usually freeze up when they show up... but... I want to help them.\" he nods.\n\nShe nods, not seeming to mind Dawn being there \"Our kind's powers react...poorly...to blades such as that. Obviously if struck they can be drained away, but beyond that, we are beings of a chaotic world, and those blades represent order in all its darkest forms. Our powers tend to become unfocused, dangerous, but dangerous for both us and our foes equally... If you're still unshaken in joining this family, you're still welcome.\"\n\nHe looks around at Sammi, Michelle, Dawn, and then back at her and gives a firm nod. \"I... I am. I want to cut my ties to Clan Fullmoon as much as I want to... well...\" he blushes, \"Just... have a family again.\" he nods, Dawn grinning a bit. \"Believe it or not, I can relate sissyboy.\" she replies, then turns on her heel, \"Right, even a cat knows some stuff is private. Gotta head back anyways. Need to see who won the pool.\" she grins, then drops to all fours and darts away, diving through a small tear in the sky that seals itself back up when she gets through.\n\nSammi smiles as his grandmother nods, \"Then as the patron of this family line I welcome you in.\" she says, bringing her thumb up to her mouth and biting a small wound in it, her 'blood' coming out as shimmering white liquid that almost seemed too thick to flow. \"Your lineage before today is now ash, let all old vows and bindings be broken, for you are a new man, a child of the first to walk this land, heir to the throne of winter's soul, chief among the children of Gaul, bringers of winter to Rome...\" \n\nSammi coughs loudly at that, making a not too subtle 'wrap it up' motion with his hand as his grandmother stops, using her 'bleeding' thumb to draw a strange glyph on Stephy's forehead. For a moment it just sits there, feeling like pure ice pressed against his skin, before it fades, absorbing into his body...\n\nHe blinks, looking at her and then at the others. \"Huh... that wasn't so ba-\" he starts, then goes rigid as he suddenly gasps out, clutching at his stomach, \"A-agh...\" he trembles, his eyes screwed up as it feels like his entire body is freezing from the inside out, his breath coming out in a sudden cloud of icy frost. He falls to his knees and coughs, his whole body is cold, his lungs, his heart, his bones... and then he feels a sudden rushing as if a giant windstorm is blowing all about him... It seems that even though he wants to accept their bloodline his Fullmoon blood is putting up a fight!\n\nSammi frowns, \"Shit, that's not how this goes…\" he says, all three of them moving to Stephy, \"Hey, listen to my voice\" Sammi says \"Focus on us, ok? Your old blood is trying to fight, but you're the one in charge of it ok?\"\n\nHe nods, trying to even though his teeth are chattering from the sudden chill... and then the wind around him starts whipping faster and faster until all three of them are forced back by the gale. 'Stop it... I... I want this... Let me have this!' he thinks, focusing on those words as the wind starts to grow colder, the ground around him frosting over... then freezing solid as the wind blows with such force that they can't even see through it anymore... and then suddenly there's a great woosh as the air blasts out past all three of them and leaves Stephy kneeling on the ground gasping for breath.\n\nAt least... it's supposed to be him... except now his hair is so blond that it's almost white and his eyes are the same icy blue of the sky in winter. His skin even seems a shade more pale than it was before. \"... ow...\" he winces, taking in big gulps of air.\n\nSammi smiles as Stephy reappears, or at least the new look of Stephy does, his grandmother and sister smiling as well. \"That's my boy…\" his grandmother coos, reaching down to rub Stephy's head as Sammi nods, \"Yea, good work.\" he says with a smile, rubbing Steph's shoulder softly.\n\nHe blinks a few times, looking at his hands and then pulling his glasses off and holding them at an angle to see his reflection in them, looking a bit shocked at the discovery. \"I... um... something feels a bit weird though...\" he nods, \"Well, weirder than, y'know, normal-fae...\" he adds, getting shakily to his feet, \"I... its not like I just changed from one to the other, its... it feels kinda like it got, I dunno, mixed.\" he says. \"H-hang on, I wanna try something.\" he says, stepping back from the group as he focuses for a moment, trying to change forms like he did before.\n\nAt first nothing happens, then slowly his arms extend as feathers start to sprout, his legs bending backwards and sprouting scales... but this time the tops of his wings are a snowy white while his feathers are icy blue, his legs covered in deep blue scales the color of the winter sky at nighttime, while his talons appear to be nothing more than ice crystals. He opens one eye a peek, looking at the three, \"... did it work?\"\n\nSammi blinks a bit, \"Yea I mean, you're a bird but...well.\" he nods to Michelle, who moves her hands in a circle, creating a shiny ice mirror in her grip, holding it up to Stephy, \"Different kind of bird...\"\n\nStephy looks himself over, the wings shining like the sun on ice as he examines his new body. \"Huh... Well... I guess this kinda makes sense... Clan Fullmoon originally got their powers through a pact with an Irish goddess... so, I guess fae magic can't cancel out divine magic or something, but divine magic can't completely block fae magics... so they had to reach a sort of compromise?\" he tries, \"Maybe? I dunno... Nelen knows way more about this sorta thing than I do.\" he giggles a bit, then looks in the mirror again. \"Hum...\" he thinks, then tries whistling out a quick tune. A gust of wind swirls around them, but this time it's a frigid icy cold blast that causes frost to form wherever it touches.\n\nSammi smiles, \"Well you do look quite cute\" he says, the girls nodding \"Very lovely\" Michelle smiles, her grandmother reaching out to pet some of Stephy's feathers \"Mhm, it fits you very well...\"\n\nHe giggles at that, blushing. Her touch doesn't feel cold to him at all anymore, \"Hehe, thanks Mo...\" he pauses, then blushes, \"... grandmother.\" he nods, walking up to her and wrapping his wings around her waist in a hug.\n\nHe blinks a few times, \"Hum... I should probably stay in Arcadia for a bit.\" he says, glancing up, \"I mean, not that I wanna leave anyways, but I dunno how well I could control this stuff yet.\" he glances at his wings, blushing, \"I only meant for a light breeze earlier, not that big icy gust.\"\n\nSammi nods \"For sure, we'll all stick around here and help you learn, no reason to rush you back home unprepared, right?\"\n\nStephy giggles, shifting back to his more human form, \"So...\" he giggles, \"What should we do now that I'm part of the family?\" he asks, blushing as he says that. He really does look pretty close to Sammi now, just with much longer hair and glasses.\n\nSammi smirks softly \"Well, you could take a tour of the domain now that you're in the family... ever been treated like a noble before?\" he teases\n\nHe thinks, \"... not when Arja wasn't around, no.\" he replies. Their little group tended to get preferential treatment in India because of her blood ties to Hanuman.\n\nSammi giggles, \"You'll love it.\" he grins, Michelle nodding as she puts her arms around her brothers, \"It's lovely, grandmother's domain is a very secure and lush one, so we have many citizens, and they all know who's family is responsible for their safety in this world.\" she says dreamily, the elder Fae chuckling lightly, \"Aside from a tour, it IS important you see the domain, despite my granddaughter's glee, we have a duty to this land, as she said we're a rare bastion of peace in Arcadia these days, the people treat us well because, while sometimes we must be harsh to maintain order, we genuinely do provide good lives for them, do you understand?\"\n\nHe nods, glancing down at his dress, \"Yeah, I think so... um, should I wear something a bit more... regal then?\" he asks. His dress was cute, but it was also covered in a dusting of frost and somewhat wet from where some had melted, that and pink didn't really seem to be his color anymore.\n\nShe nods, \"Sammi, get him dressed in a more fitting outfit, Michelle and I will ready the cart.\" she says with a smile, rubbing Stephy's head again before Sammi nods and leads him off, \"Come on little brother.\" he giggles, \"Let's find you a pretty dress\"\n\nHe giggles and follows Sammi back through a doorway that certainly wasn't there a moment ago, heading back into the castle, \"So I'm a fairy princess then?\" he giggles, following along beside his adoptive brother.\n\nSammi smirks, \"More or less.\" he teases, leading him to his room happily, \"We'll have to get you a tiara and a magic wand…\" he adds with a giggle, making his way to his dresser, \"So, any suggestions? This is your big coming out day after all.\"\n\nHe thinks, \"Second one anyways. First one was when Trixie and I first met up with Arja.\" he nods, \"Also, I guess a gown in blue or white?\" he suggests, not sure what fae noble children wear in this part of Arcadia (or any really). \"But yeah...\" he giggles, \"I was in one of Trixie's old rodeo girl outfits that she wore when the rules said she had to dress 'like a girl' for them. One of the first things Nelen said when he realized it was me was 'why are you dressed like a Dixie Chick'.\" he blushes.\n\nSammi giggles at that, \"Cute.\" he teases as he looks around, \"Hmmm…\" he muses, \"Want traditional or more typical fancy?\"\n\nHe thinks, \"May as well go for traditional if it's my first time. I wanna look proper for this I guess.\" he nods, sitting on the bed as he reaches around, trying and eventually giving up on undoing the buttons on his dress... no wonder they invented zippers...\n\nSammi smirks, pulling out a long, wide, dress that seems to be made of pure ice, shimmering brightly in the light... Technically it was see through, but the way the light hit it Stephy's body would constantly be covered by shimmering rainbows. There were matching ice shoes and even elbow gloves made of silk smooth ice. The only real 'clothing' involved was a long cape with a golden fastener in the shape of an axe, the cape itself made from what looks like shining white lizard skin... a really big... really scale covered... lizard skin... lined with blue fur. \"Traditional, or, in human terms, fucking absurd. I mean, I'm not justifying shit like the Mundane Blade by any means but imagine you're some dirt farmer who just figured out shitting in a hole was probably a good idea, and some bitch comes riding along in this demanding you kneel...\" he giggles.\n\nHe blushes at it, then giggles quite a bit, \"Well yeah, it'd definitely get their attention...\" he replies, letting Sammi help him out of his pink dress and into the new one. He runs a hand over it, blinking curiously. Its exquisitely soft and smooth, like the finest satin, but really does seem to be some kind of magic unmelting ice. \"Jeez, I feel like I'm naked here... but...\" he blushes, then nods and fastens the cloak around himself, \"I asked for it and I'm wearing it!\" he nods firmly.\n\nSammi nods, \"Don't worry, no one can see your naked body, my ancestors were flamboyant but they weren't animals.\" he teases, making sure everything is good and straight before nodding, \"Grandmother will love it, she loves traditional stuff.\" he winks.\n\nHe giggles, waiting for Sammi to decide whether or not he wants to get changed, then follows him down to the carriage, leaving the hood on the cloak down to show off his new hair as he walks along, the icy shoes clicking and leaving tiny frosty footprints that vanish after a few seconds.\n\nSammi smiles, he does change into a rather 'simple' pair of white silk pants and a blue tunic under a similar cloak as Stephy's, apparently a family symbol. The only real 'flash' he had on his outfit was a long, thin, sword on his hip, mostly for decoration as it seemed to be made out pure gold, and, ya know, his whole thing was throwing razor sharp ice and stuff anyway. Still, despite his obvious distaste for the traditional aspects of the fae, he didn't want to disappoint. \"Oh my,\" the elder Fae beams when she sees Stephy, \"You look precious, dear.\"\n\nHe smiles and curtsies her, \"Thank you grandmother~\" he giggles, blushing a bit, \"I asked Sammi for something 'traditional' and didn't really realize what that meant...\" he admits before the group gets into the carriage. He glances at the empty seat cushion... then giggles mischeviously and slips into his new grandmother's lap, snuggling into her as he wraps the cloak around himself like a scaly blanket.\n\nSammi smirks as he climbs in next to his sister, \"Unhappy wearing pants little brother?\" she teases, Sammi elbowing her firmly before she pushes him against the wall of the cart as it begins to roll out into the bright and happy sunlight outside. The domain was almost like a storybook's idea of a 'fairy kingdom' really...\n\nStephy looks out the window as the carriage bounces along, the horses clip-clop steps audible inside it as he leans into his grandmother. As they ride along he blinks, then looks up at her, \"Hey, I just realized. Nobody actually did tell me your name.\" he says to her, blushing. Seems a pretty big oversight really.\n\nSammi smirks a bit as his grandmother laughs, \"Well before now you weren't family. No offence but it's very dangerous to give my name out to people not oath bound to me like family. My true name is…\" and then came a long string of what sound like musical notes from a soft wind chime... \"… but mortals call me Sera.\"\n\nHe kind of gets it... somewhere in his hindbrain his now partially-fae nature translates it, though there's not really a word in any mundane language for it. He smiles and leans in, nodding, \"Sera is nice, but I think I'll stick with grandmother.\" he giggles, putting a bit of emphasis on the mother part as he rests his head on her shoulder.\n\nSammi smiles, genuinely happy for Stephy as the cart comes to a stop, \"Oooh I like this place.\" he says as the doors open, revealing a massive building made of white wood in front of a dark forest, out front was a wide array of targets and practice dummies, some people working on their aim and combat skills with them. They were a wide array of fae, apparently she wasn't joking when she said that their domain took in a lot of citizens. All were dressed the same though, pale blue tunics like Sammi's with golden sashes over them...\"These are the woodsmen.\" Sera says as she climbs out, motioning the kids to follow \"They do the important job of paroling my realms' borders, keeping us safe from wandering creatures of the hedge and such.\"\n\nStephy nods and climbs out of the carriage with the rest, looking around curiously. He doesn't try to hide his dress though, rather he lets his cloak hang open, giggling a bit as he imagines some of the reactions an outfit like this might get even among other fae... it seems his new nature has given him a very faerie-esque streak of mischeviousness.\n\nSammi smirks a bit as Stephy does draw a few eyes, from the people around, moreso as the front door of the building opens and a rather tall man dressed in the same uniform comes out. He looked mostly human, save for his bright yellow eyes and long wolf like fangs in his mouth that shine when he grins. \"Hello there your grace\" he says in a heavy Russian accent, bowing his head respectfully. \"This is Sergei.\" Sera explains with a smile, \"Head of the woodsmen, and one of the best trackers in Arcadia.\" He just laughs at that \"Yea, if it left a trail behind ever in its life, I can find it.\" he says, eyes slowly moving to Stephy as he grins \"And hello there little one...\"\n\nHe giggles, smirking right back at the large man, \"Hello to you too. I'm what you might say a 'new addition' to her ladyship's little family.\" he replies, feeling very... different after the infusion of fae blood and magic into him. He's not sure if it's because he's still in Arcadia, but he finds he's much more confident and even a bit flirtatious than he used to be... jeez, this must be why Sammi is so... well... Sammi.\n\nSammi chuckles lightly as Sergei bends down, taking Stephy's hand and kissing the back of it through his glove \"Well, it's always glad to see the family that employs me grow.\" he says, grinning softly at the boy as Michelle laughs, \"Careful with him Stephy, he's a hunter, and nothing says trophy like a royal fae's underpants.\" she teases as Sammi coughs, \"Implying he doesn't have yours...\"\n\nHe just rolls his eyes at Sammi and nods, \"Well, while I'm sure Sergi is a skilled hunter of both beasts and trophies, I'm afraid I do have someone already...\" he giggles, \"It is a pleasure though.\" he replies to the tall man, nodding politely before walking back to Sera and leaning into her with an arm around the woman's waist.\n\nSammi laughs lightly as Sera smiles, \"Yes, sadly we don't have much time to chat, we're on a tour introducing our princess Stephy to the domain, I trust everything is fine here?\" she says as the man nods \"Aside from a couple hobgoblins gettin too close, yea, nothing impressive.\" he replies, bowing slightly as the family returns to the cart, Michelle waiting for the door to shut before smacking the back of Sammi's head.\n\nStephy giggles, slipping back onto Sera's lap as the carriage sets off again. \"Well, he did seem nice Michelle.\" he says sympathetically to her, \"Though... a bit smaller than I'm used to.\" he grins.\n\nSammi smirks \"Yea, maybe if you're nicer he'll introduce ya to his girlfriend.\" he teases as he leans back, the cart moving along the way \"Hmmm where too next. What kind of thing would you like to see, Stephy dear?\"\n\nHe thinks, tapping one of his shiny gloved fingers to his chin, \"Hum... I dunno, but then I've never had the chance to visit Arcadia before (or been crazy enough to try to intentionally) so I don't really know what is around here besides the market, your... well, our castle, and the hunters now.\" he replies, \"Hmm... well, I was considering trying to bring something back for Arja and Simoni to try to cheer them up...\" he nods, \"Perhaps the market?\"\n\nSera nods at that \"Good choice dear, the goblin market is in town for a few more days\" she says, the cart making its way back to where Sammi and Stephy first arrived \"You'll love it, just be careful.\" she says, Sammi nodding \"Goblin markets are cut throat, they work on barter, and just keep in mind contracts can be VERY literal.\"\n\nHe nods, \"Hmm... that could be a problem then. I don't really have anything that I'd be willing to barter for just a gift for someone.\" he nods... unless it was something truly spectacular... but then goblins tend to also operate very much on the idea of 'buyer beware' and its quite likely that something that seems spectacular would have a really nasty catch to it. Stories like 'the monkey's paw' would often have their roots in some hapless mundane who bought from a person who looked human... unless you saw them out of the corner of their eye or they happened to bump into something iron.\n\nSammi nods, \"I'll go with you, Stephy, don't worry.\" he says as the cart stops on the edge of the still very busy market, Sera and Michelle nodding \"We'll do some shopping too, meet back here in an hour or two?\" she says with a smile \"If Sammi doesn't trade Stephy for a new magic book that is.\" Michelle teases.\n\nHe rolls his eyes and gives Sera a kiss on the cheek, then hops out with Sammi and smirks, holding his arm out like a woman waiting to be escorted by a young gentleman. \"I wouldn't worry Michelle. I think grandmother really would freeze him into an ice statue if he did. At least for a little while.\" he teases.\n\nSammi smirks \"Yeah.\" he teases, taking Stephy's arm and looking around the carts and stalls \"Hmmm, so what were you thinking for them?\"\n\nHe shrugs, \"Well, Simoni loves clothes so maybe a nice dress? Something in green of course... maybe one for Natasha too if we can afford it. This place seems to be centered right around the time period she was alive in so yeah... oh and something for Trixie of course, maybe dice or some other gambling trinket. As for Arja... a sword or weapon of some sort... she'd definitely appreciate a nice weapon to use until she gets her powers back.\" he nods.\n\nSammi nods \"Well clothes should be easy to get.\" he says, looking around before spotting a large booth full of clothes, the woman behind it dressed in black over her pale skin. She looks like a normal woman for a moment, until she turns around and reveals the six smaller arms she had sprouting from her back, along with her two normal ones....\n\nStephy blinks as his eyes go over them, but he isn't too shocked... after all, strange sights are the norm for him these days. Black dress, extra arms, a 'spinner' of cloth... must be some kind of spider-fae. He nods to Sammi, content to let the more experienced of the two do the talking...\n\nSammi smiles, walking up to the woman, \"Lovely products you have.\" he says, looking at them slowly, the woman smiling wide to the boys as she nods, \"Only the finest made by hands.\" she says as she looks you \"And my, what a lovely dress you have little one...\"\n\nHe giggles, \"Well thank you~\" he replies, still leaning on Sammi's arm, \"I wasn't sure about it at first I admit, but I do think the style is growing on me.\" he nods, fluffing the skirt a bit. He half considers wearing it when he returns to India, if only to watch Nelen have a stroke.\n\nSammi smirks faintly \"So, Stephy, what kinda dress would your cousin and Nat enjoy?\"\n\nStephy thinks for a moment, \"Humm... well, my cousin would probably love something with either a bird-like design to it, though anything green would be appealing to her. As for Nat, darker colors like black or red would be best, something that kind of blends into the shadows in a dark room would be great.\" he nods, purposely leaving out their full names of course. Can't let the fae get ahold of that, even a shopkeeper one.\n\nShe nods at that, hmm'ing softly as she looks at her wares, pulling out a nice mint green dress with a low back and golden accents sewn around it in the shapes of feathers, laying out out in front of Stephy before she grabs a long sleeved black dress that would go down to Nat's feet, the material sparkling softly in the light like small stars...\n\nHe giggles, noting that the fae had a good guess on Nat's style too. Long skirt, high neckline, long sleeves... if not for the starry-look it wouldn't have been out of place in an eighteenth century Romanian court. \"Oooo~ Those look perfect!\" he nods, glancing at Sammi, \"Brother dear, what do you think?\" he asks, playing up the fae aristocrat angle.\n\nSammi chuckles softly, nodding \"I think these are just perfect! \" He nods, running his hand over the smooth material \"We'll give you...\" he reaches into his pocket, feeling around a bit before he pulls out a roll of paper sealed with what looks like silver that has been melted and rehardened in the shape of his family symbol...\"This mortal asked grandmother for fame, I think she'd do well as a fashion designer don't you?\" he says, not even needing to read the contract, just bounce it in his hand a couple times...\n\nHe raises his eyebrow, but... well, a mortal should be careful with what they wish for... \"Oh yes, most certainly. She could be ever so famous.\" he giggles, grinning in a very fae-like manner. \"Especially with a teacher who makes such fine garments...\" he nods, running his hand along the green dress.\n\nSammi smirks, nodding as the woman takes it, frowning as she looks it over, passing it from hand to hand... to hand to hand to hand... \"Hmmm... wealth, fame... yes I could do this...\" she muses \"Alright, go, but only because I like helping little girls with good fashion choices.\" she says, nodding to Stephy, Sammi just smiling as he gathers the things \"That took care of the easy bit...\"\n\nHe giggles, \"Oh how kind of you~\" he winks to the fae as they depart, the clothes wrapped up as they leave. He blinks a few times once they're out of earshot, rubbing at his head a bit, \"Jeez... Is it just me or am I acting a little... I dunno... different?\" he asks, blushing a bit as some of his old personality resurfaces for a moment.\n\nSammi giggles \"Fae blood is powerful, but it can't just MAKE a personality...it can draw things out though...maybe you're being the ‘you’ that you wanted to be?\"\n\nHe thinks on that for a moment as they walk, \"Hm...\" he nods, \"Yeees... yes I think that may be it.\" he says in a somewhat surprised tone. \"I will admit I did always feel a bit... guilty... I guess for not living up to the whole 'Fullmoon ideal' for boys, being all rough and masculine and such.\" he giggles at that, \"But then... I'm not part of Clan Fullmoon anymore~\" he grins, running a gloved fingertip along Sammi's chest, \"I'm free as a fae, free to be whatever... I... want~\" he smirks, walking his fingers up Sammi's chest and beeping at his nose on 'want'.\n\nSammi smirks, nipping at that finger teasingly \"Mmmhmmm, be careful now. You're a free fae, but you're new too, don't bite off more than you can chew.\" he winks as he looks around the market \"Hmmmm...\"\n\nHe giggles and runs a finger along Sammi's cheek, \"Oh of course, thats why I'm letting you do the haggling.\" he replies, \"Besides, it's the proper gentlemanly thing for a young boy such as yourself to do isn't it? Helping a young lady with her shopping?\" he teases.\n\nSammi smirks, licking his lips \"Mmmhmm, and a good lady is grateful for the help, keep that in mind.\" he teases, spotting a weapon's stand nearby manned by what looks like a massive green skinned woman...\n\nHe blinks a bit, whispering to Sammi, \"Huh, is she an orc?\" he asks, noticing the woman's tusks. \"I'd heard orcs had all but vanished from the mundane world, they came to Arcadia?\" he murmurs. There were rumors of a few orc clans in the more remote parts of the mudnane world, but the orcs tendency towards warlike personalities and violent behavior rivaling even Drusilla's kin had resulted in most of them getting killed by groups like Clan Fullmoon.\n\nSammi nods, \"More or less, and some other realms, mostly here though.\" he says as he leads Stephy over to the stall, smiling happily, \"So what kinda weapons does Arja like?\n\nHe thinks, Arja's own divine heritage protecting her from fae abduction (that and her iron claws... at least when she had that power). \"Hum, she mostly uses a fighting stick or similar weapons, something with a good bit of weight to it.\" he nods, \"I don't know if she's trained in anything else, but given her other abilities she hardly needs to be.\"\n\nSammi nods, the Orc woman just looking down at the pair for a bit before smirking \"Likes fightin with sticks, huh?\" she teases, \"Got somethin good for that I think.\" she says, crouching down before pulling out a large white wooden staff about the size of an adult's leg, one end having a heavy looking shiny brass ball macehead, the other bearing a wicked looking silver spike \"Call this the Corpse Stopper, got the heavy head to bash skeleton and zombie and such skulls, got the spike to get brain hits and made of silver for that extra burn on vampires...\" It was a good weapon... though it might be best to not tell Natasha the name and purpose though...\n\nHe raises his eyebrow... \"Hmm, I think she could do some damage with that...\" he giggles, maybe not tell Nat, but definitely tell Arja... especially if that lunatic Coyote decided to make a reappearance. He may be sore about McCall dying after all. \"She uses fire magic too, got anything good for that?\" he asks.\n\nShe nods \"Fire user yea? I think I can figure somethin good.\" she says, squatting down again, rooting around before pulling out a box of what look like glass balls with a thick green gel in them. \"These are interestin little things. See, like this, nothin but a pretty desk ornament.\" she picks one up, tosses it around, even slams it on the counter to show how strong it was, \"But, heat it up a lil…\" she says, holding it over a nearby torch until the gel inside was melted and bubbling, \"… throw it…\" she says, chucking it against a thankfully empty wall nearby, \"… and enjoy!\" she grins, the green liquid sizzling and hissing loudly as it begins to eat through the thick stone, sticking to it like tar as it burns away a good few inches of strong rock!\n\nHe grins, \"Oh she'll loooooove that.\" he nods, glancing at Sammi again as he wraps an arm around his waist, \"Brother dear? Pay the nice woman please?\" he asks, batting his eyelashes at the fae boy.\n\nSammi smirks softly. Alright, his little brother wanted to enjoy being flirty...\"We'll take the crate, and the Corpse Stopper, do a favor and have a guy deliver them to the palace, we have a bit more shopping to do\" he says, the woman nodding \"Sure, now...about payment?\" she says, waiting for an offer as Sammi giggles. \"Your daughter's around yea?\" he teases, the woman nodding \"Aye, she's around back gettin some herbs and all for some projects.\" she says, nodding to where the courtyard they were in ended into a fresh meadow, \"How about I send my little sister over to keep her company, yea?\" he teases \"She needs a little pack mule to help anyway, doesn't she?\" he giggles wickedly as the Orc chuckles.\n\nHe blinks, then looks at Sammi with a raised eyebrow, \"Sammi... what exactly are you suggesting here?\" he asks, a bit of ice in his voice. He is most certainly NOT going to be a 'pack mule' in a dress this fine.\n\nSammi grins, poking Stephy's nose lightly like the boy did to him, \"You're going on a trip to the stables, my beloved little sister\" he coos, grinning wickedly, the Orc woman nodding with a laugh. One problem letting one's brother do the negotiating, your opinion didn't really count when prices were set! The woman whistles loudly, summoning a younger Orc woman from nearby \"Oi, get this hauled up to the castle, and get Galda, she got a lil playmate for a bit\" she winks, the woman nodding as she easily lifts the crate and heavy rod under one arm before making her way to the back area...\n\nHe rolls his eyes and shoves Sammi, though not very hard, \"Hmph, stable work? In this dress? Sammi you are an absolute cur.\" he replies, smirking just a bit. He has a bit of a hunch where this is going and, hey, he's used to Trixie. How much more crazy could an orc be?\n\nHe found out after several hours of playing a literal pack mule for the orc, who did at least allow him to trade his fae gown for more appropriate working clothes before he began. Still, it was an interesting way to begin his new life as one of the fae.\n\nAbout a week later he and Sammi were sitting together in the castle’s great hall when Dawn appeared in a panic, going on about the naga attacking Hanuman’s temple and that both Arja and Simoni, still without their magic, had gone off to fight them after knocking her unconscious when she tried to rescue the pair and teleport them somewhere safe... and that is where our story continued… (See: Part 17: Old Enemies)","writing_bbcode_parsed":"Our story opens with Stephy spending time in Arcadia with Sammi’s family, the young boy rather enjoying being in the company of such people… for a given value of people after all. None of them are human, though some of the servants may have been at one time, but Stephy finds that he’s experiencing things there that he’d been lacking in his life for a long time.
His former life before joining up with Arja was one of loss and abuse. His mother died when he was a small child, his father being extremely abusive towards him for not having the physical strength and stamina that was expected of the men of Clan Fullmoon, and being a constant target for bullying due to his meek nature.
His life began to take a turn when he met Trixie Smith at his school, the blonde Texan tomboy saving him from several bullies frontier justice style (also known as dirty fighting go for the balls). The two started dating and Stephy both came out of his shell and out of the closet, and then he encountered another twist when his cousin Nelen Fullmoon showed up in town along with Dawn, Arja, Simoni, Natasha, and Drusilla.
As it turned out Robert Fullmoon, his abusive father, had been part of the group that had been sent to attack them and he’d made the mistake of trying to subdue Drusilla via a tackle from behind. Either he hadn’t noticed she was a cyclops or he simply thought he could overpower her… being torn limb from limb by an angry giantkin probably wasn’t in his original plan. (See Part 9: It’s a Magical World)
This had left Stephy in a bit of a predicament however. Both his parents were now dead and this meant a life in the foster care system for him… until Simoni suggested a solution. Arja could ‘kidnap’ him and take him off to India with them. Trixie however refused to be parted from Stephy so Arja decided she’d just take them both and give her mother a huge sum of money for her with the promise that they’d be able to keep in contact and visit as they liked.
Not wanting to risk the pair getting seen leaving with them by Clan Fullmoon (incase any of the warriors had hung back or were at the airport) Simoni contacted their alien friend, Bethandi Shuda, and had the pair beamed up to be dropped off in India once the coast was clear.
It was during their stay onboard Bethandi’s ship that Stephy discovered why he hadn’t inherited the physical prowess of this male relatives. Due to some genetic quirk, random chance, or just because he was really THAT girly he’d wound up with powers similar to Simoni’s! He could turn into a raven-like harpy form and use wind magic like the WOMEN of Clan Fullmoon.
It’s a funny old world sometimes.
Later, during a visit to Texas to see Trixie’s relatives the two had attended a magic show being put on by a fae Ice Mage named Sammi Montebank. He made a living using real magic in a pretend show and had decided to use Trixie as part of the show, believing that Trixie was actually ‘Tex’ and Stephy’s boyfriend. He just wanted to flirt really.
Stephy, however, was not amused. He was very close to Trixie and hadn’t really known how to deal with jealousy. Once back in the dressing room with the two his patience snapped with Sammi’s continued advances towards Trixie and he lashed out with his wind magic, causing Sammi to retort with his ice. It may have come to worse if the two weren’t interrupted by Nelen, who came back to break up their fight while Drusilla kept Sammi’s security guard occupied with a game of ‘stop hitting yourself’.
The two decided to have a contest to sort out their little argument… a sort of ‘who can out-fabulous the other’. Nelen got in touch with an acquaintance in town who owned a gay bar and moonlighted as a fire-using superhero named ‘Captain Fabulous’, asking him to let them use the bar after hours for their contest. Nelen had met him some years ago when he and the Captain had corralled a chupacabra that had snuck over the Mexican border.
The two performed on stage for Arja, Trixie, Dawn, Drusilla, and Simoni while Nelen and the Captain stayed outside. It didn’t really settle anything, but the two managed to at least become friends afterwards instead of remaining antagonistic towards each other.
Following their return to India Sammi wound up trapped in the Hedge, the supernatural maze of thorns and brambles between Earth and the dream-realm of Arcadia, trying to dodge the soldiers of one of the true fae. He had sent out a call to Stephy hoping that he could use the boy’s dreams as a way to escape back to Earth, only to accidentally pull Stephy into the hedge along with him.
Thankfully, Dawn was able to enter their dreams (Wonderland is also a dream realm) and was able to guide them through the dreamscapes of Drusilla, Nelen, and then finally to a providence of Arcadia in the hopes that he could find a gateway home… accidentally landing them in the territory of the very fae who had been hunting them. A queen of ice and winter named Sera who, co-incidentially, was also Sammi’s grandmother.
This proved troublesome for all three of them. Sammi had been trying to avoid her out of fear that her requests for him to ‘come back home’ meant ‘come back home so I can turn you into an ice statue and keep you there forever’ or something similar, Dawn couldn’t use her ability to claw into other dreams to escape in the presence of a true fae (Sera’s magic cancelled out Dawn’s, including her teleportation and invisibility tricks), and Stephy… as I mentioned above Stephy had lost his mother early on and was very drawn to people with a strong motherly persona… like Sera when she was in a good mood. Combine that with her glamour and Stephy was in deep trouble.
Once inside Sera’s castle she split from the group long enough for Sammi to tell Dawn how to escape back out of Arcadia from there and sent her to go get help while he kept Sera distracted and made sure she didn’t enthrall Stephy. While Dawn dove through various dreamscapes Sammi managed to convince Sera to treat Stephy as a guest of sorts, allowing the boy immunity from the usual perils of being near the true fae (being bound to them by accepting food or drink, being able to tell them their true name, etc).
Stephy wound up a guest at a feast that Sera was holding and, while he was getting changed out of his pajamas for it (Sammi had pulled him into the hedge while he was asleep) he commented that Sera didn’t really seem evil or insane like the True Fae he’d been taught about growing up in Clan Fullmoon… rather, she just seemed lonely.
Sammi thought on this, realizing that his mother (who was a changeling) had died recently and his father wanted nothing to do with Arcadia… nor did most of his other relatives. This revelation caused him to ask her if she really just wanted him to come back home because she missed him out of genuine affection.
Sammi nods, walking down the stairs with Stephy, looking like he was mulling some things over before, when they get down to the dining room again he walks over to his grandmother's chair, looking at her. "Do you love me... can you... do that? Did you love mom? I really need to know if this is some fucked up game for you or like, if this is the only way your mind can get to 'I want my family around me'..." he asks her.
There was a pretty long pause there before she reaches out to put her arms around Sammi, pulling him close to her, "Ice is very cold, Samuel, and it can kill very easy... but it's also incredibly fragile... and when it melts, it can never be the same again. Ice must be very strong, or it will have nothing..." Sammi just sighs softly at that, patting her back gently, "Yea... well... you have me, ok? So... yea…" He manages to get out, clearly awkward at this level of emotional connection, especially to someone he saw as an enemy just an hour ago... (Side Story 6: Off with the Fairies)
This had irritated Dawn who had chosen that moment to return with Trixie to attempt a rescue only to find that, in her words, ‘I walked into something akin to a care bears special where the big baddie just needed a hug’ and ‘nothing would have changed if I’d just stayed home and raided the fridge’. Sammi sheepishly admitted that yes that was more or less the case, causing Dawn to force herself awake and stomp off to the kitchen back home in India, sending Lupe into a fit with her Wonderland Eyes on the way to blow off some steam.
Afterwards Trixie was allowed to go back home as well while Stephy elected to stay behind for now… just for a little while…
That is where our story begins…
The following takes place shortly after Side Story 6: Off With the Fairies but before Part 17: Old Enemies.
Stephy giggles and eagerly steps into the pale pink dress Sera is offering him, noticing that it buttons rather than zips (guess the clothes are still a bit old-fashioned in Arcadia), letting her slide it up over his shoulders and then sliding his hands under his hair to hold it up so she can button it up, the boy unable to stop smiling as he lets himself sink into his role. Its not just enjoyable, this is something he's wanted... hell, -needed- for a really long time.
She nods approvingly, licking her lips as she looks Stephy over, "Very pretty dear, it fits you well." she giggles, "Now, have you ever worn makeup?" she asks. It seems Stephy’s guess about the fae queen was correct and she really just missed being a mother as her daughter had died in the mortal realm. She seemed quite happy to have Sammi staying at home for now and regarded the young tranvestite he’d brought with him as an unforseen bonus.
He giggles and swishes his hips, making the skirt rustle, then feels over the material before looking back at her, "Um... a bit of lip gloss and mascara sometimes when I'd go out with Trixie, but that'd be about it." he nods, though there's definite curiosity in his voice.
Sera smirks a bit as the woman rests a hand on Stephy's back "Well let's get you made up and your hair taken care of then." she coos, leading him to a side room's door, "Sammi dear, your half sister will be up in a bit to get you dressed." she teases as Sammi huffs loudly, "oh goodie..."
He blushes, letting the older woman guide him as he nods, "Yes Mommy..." he giggles cheerfully, letting her lead him into the next room as he looks around curiously.
She grins, leading him to what looks like a rather large bathroom, the vanity mirror already set up with boxes of antique looking makeup and bushes and such...
He blushes, but walks to the chair and takes a seat, smoothing his skirt out under him and sitting with his hands folded in his lap and his legs together in a very ladylike fashion (he'd been practicing since he and Trixie started dating). "So, um..." he blushes, "You like doing this sort of thing? I mean, having people be your, um, little girl like this?" he asks shyly. Its obvious, but he's building up to something and is still somewhat shy.
She nods, reaching to take another silk cloth and wipe Stephy's face free of anything that'd get in the way of her work, licking her lips "I do, but especially adorable little things like you!"
He blushes and giggles quite a bit at that, then takes a breath and steadies himself. "Um... You probably knew this, but... my real mother has been, well, gone for a while now." he murmurs. She's dead, but he still has trouble saying it. "Um... I don't want to leave my friends completely, especially Trixie... but..." he smiles shyly, "This and what we did yesterday is... well... really nice... and..." he hesitates, "Um, I know a bit about how Arcadia works and how it's connected to dreams and such... maybe... um... sometimes I could maybe... dream that I'm your daughter?" he suggests, blushing and looking down at his dress.
The woman actually seems caught off guard by that, pausing slightly before composing herself, "Yes," she says, taking a small jar of foundation powder and putting a brush in it, "I'd like that very much, actually..."
He blushes, unsure for a moment as he notices her reaction, then smiles softly and replies, "Thank you Mommy." before closing his eyes and holding still for her so she can make him up.
The woman pauses again before kissing the top of Stephy's head "You're a good girl, Stephy" she says softly before applying the powder to his face.
He smiles shyly at the kiss, but doesn't reply, holding still while she does her thing, though he does giggle as the brush tickles his cheeks.
She smiles, taking a bit of blush and rubbing that in next, making his cheeks get a nice rosy glow to them. They also had the side effect of making his voice even higher and more girlish, he wouldn't have to actively try to make his 'girl' voice now!
He giggles at the brush, then blinks a bit as he notices his voice changing. "Huh?" he mutters, then looks a bit shocked as he hears his own voice. "What... wow... fae cosmetics have some side effects huh?" he asks, his voice now sounding less like a preteen boy and more like a young girl.
She simply grins, licking her lips as she takes soft ice blue eyeshadow out, "Close your eyes, dear" she says, rubbing the blue pigment over his eyelids slowly. When he opened them and looked in the mirror, though, he'd see a young brown haired girl in his same dress and makeup staring back at him! It was just an illusion, and only for him, but it sure drove the point home well...
He takes off his glasses and puts them on the table when she does this, then blinks a bit at the blurry image before putting them back on and letting out a soft gasp at the sight, he feels over his face (carefully, doesn't want to smudge the makeup) then pouts just a bit when he sees its an illusion. "Aw... Well, at least it looks cute~" he giggles, smiling a bit as he looks back up at the fae. He had mostly been testing the waters after asking if she'd like to have him pretend to be his daughter... but now he's almost wondering if she might be interested in actual adoption... maybe even hoping.
She smiles, licking her lips again, "Very cute...you want it to be more real though?" she coos, finger trailing through the boy's hair lightly.
He blushes and giggles as she teases him, then thinks for a moment, "Um..." he ponders, then shakes his head, "No... not really. I don't want to stop being a boy honestly, but I like being able to be 'girly'." he nods, "I know it sounds weird, but... well... yeah." he nods, "Though..." he blushes and giggles softly, "If Mommy would prefer it..."
She giggles, poking his cheek lightly "No no, this is about what you want, dear" she coos, taking a small gold tube of ice blue lipstick out to match the eyeshadow.
He blushes a bit... what he wants... "Um... actually... about what I said earlier... um... well, truth is I don't really have either parent anymore... and... I kinda miss it... a lot..." he murmurs, glancing away shyly as he falls silent, though he does pout out his lips so she can put the lipstick on them.
She nods slowly, applying the cool lipstick to the boy slowly. This didn't have any major effect on him, merely giving him the same cool kisses Sammi and (assumingly) his half sister did..."Do you want me to be your mommy, little boy?"
He hesitates, looking away nervously. "I... I want to stay with my friends, I mean, things have gotten crazy in India and I don't want to abandon them... and I don't really know if I'd want to become a changeling or anything like that... but..." he blushes, glancing up at her shyly and giving a small hesitant nod.
She nods "You wouldn't HAVE to stay here, I let Sammi leave, I let my daughter leave… I appreciate when I'm visited, but despite what Sammi may have thought of me I don't keep family in dungeons and forbid them from leaving..." she does rather dance around the 'become a changeling' aspect, to be frank even she wasn't 100% clear on what could happen there, she knew if Stephy was a mortal he'd be changed...
He blushes, he'd seen what was in Arja’s basement, “Mm, right…" he murmurs softly, then looks back up at her, "But... yeah... I'd like that... a lot really..." he giggles nervously.
She smiles softly, petting the boy's hair slowly, starting to braid it as she speaks "Think carefully about this now. I may not be sure if this becoming official would alter you magically, but you would be forsaking your past bloodline and joining mine. Fae families are much more fluid than yours, but we take them very seriously. This isn't just a little game to us" it was true, Fae politics could get very Game of Thrones, family was expected to support family. Even Sammi being far from his grandmother's biggest fans would be hard pressed to go against that call if it truly was needed. "Of course you wouldn't have to ABANDON them you can still be as close as you like that cute little cousin of yours, and obviously love is stronger than anything, but it's important to know that this is actually a serious topic..."
He pauses, then ponders this for a moment... giving up his past bloodline... his ties to Clan Fullmoon... He blinks. Clan Fullmoon = the entire male half of his family besides Nelen is a bunch of macho swaggering warrior types led by a sociopathic old man who wants to commit genocide on anything supernatural. "... are you sure that's supposed to be a -bad- thing?" he asks, raising his eyebrow at her.
She smirks softly, "Excuse me for giving you fair warning," she says as she finishes the braid, Stephy's hair put into a single long French braid "Very nice..."
He blushes and giggles, "Well, you haven't met Clan Fullmoon. I'm sure they weren't that bad in the old days, but the current family head is... well..." he gesture idly with his hand as if looking for the right words that don't sound incredibly offensive or crude, "... lets just say giving up my ties to my past bloodline might actually be a perk in my case."
He idly toys with the braid as she finishes it off, then looks back at her, "Um, so how would it work exactly?" he asks, sounding curious. He knew a pretty good deal of fae legends, but their magic is a mystery to most non-fae, if only because the only ones who come back to write about it are either afraid that their former masters will use it to track them down or are completely bugshit insane.
She nods "There's a ritual, and then you're presented to the domain as part of my kin, it's a rather involved process and, honestly I'm not sure exactly how a harpy would be affected by it, we tend not to make a habit of taking other supernaturals, some out of ancient pacts and some just because we don't want to deal with, say, a vampire in Arcadia."
He pictures Natasha in Arcadia, and pictures what he'd heard happen when she tried to drink Dawn's blood, "Yeah, I could see that being an issue..." he nods, then blushes, "But... I'd be your... 'daughter' if we did it, and I could be like this more often and such?" he gestures to whats going on right now and his outfit.
She nods "As my kin you'd be able to access Arcadia as easily as Sammi can... despite the fact he doesn't do it often, that's quite easy for him." she says with a little smile "And would have a way to get to my domain quickly and easily, of course, and would be welcome here."
He blushes, "... and I'd have a mother..." he whispers so softly she might have missed it, "Um..." he hesitates, then nods, "A-alright, I... I wanna do it." he replies, taking a deep breath to steady himself.
She smiles brightly at that, rubbing the boy's head "Well, let's go tell Sammi then, he'll need to be present, so will Michelle...this will be nice" she says, kissing the boy's head again as she helps him stand in front of the mirror, bringing over a pair of white heeled shoes to finish the look
He giggles softly, looking over his feet. The heels aren't extremely high, really just half an inch, enough to make his walk a bit more dainty and give a faint click-click to his steps. He follows her out, watching her as he does. A mother... he feels a bit guilty, but his real mother had been dead for years now, its not like she'll just come back someday… he thinks. Given the world he lives in it’s not impossible… but extremely unlikely and even moreso that she’d come back in a way that would be good.
When Stephy is lead out by the woman, he'd see Sammi had been taken care of by his half-sister, who was giggling softly as Sammi blushed a bit in his long white and blue dress, same style as Stephy's, but in a different color. He was saying something in French at her as she holds her cellphone in his face, obviously taking pictures. Naturally she can’t get any reception in Arcadia but she can still use it for other things so long as the battery has a charge.
He blinks, somewhat surprised to see modern tech in Arcadia. He didn't even know it'd -work- in this world. "Huh..." he shrugs then giggles, "Dunno why you were so upset Sammi, I'm enjoying this~" he winks at the boy... blushing as he realizes it's about to be his -brother-...
Sammi sticks his tongue out at Stephy as Michelle (his sister) giggles "Oh he loves it, he just is a little brat because he's making grandmother happy." she teases, poking Sammi in the head "He looks just like our mother but he takes after his father." she teases, both siblings sticking their tongues out at each other at that... well the family was certainly more happy than the Fullmoons for sure... "Shush now." the woman says, both Sammi and Michelle quickly clamming up at that, "This is a very happy day, Stephy here has asked to join the family." she says, smiling happily.
Michelle seems quite happy to hear that, but Sammi raises his brow curiously, "She made it all clear, right, this isn't a kinky little game, you're 100% on that right?" He knew the contract he made kept Stephy from being mind controlled, but obviously he was still worried about more mundane manipulation tools...
He blushes and replies to Sammi, "Sammi, think about what we told you about my family and what -specifically- my grandfather is like and -has done recently-." he replies, putting his hands on his hips, "As far as I'm concerned I'm trading up." he nods in a rather unusual display of confidence for the normally shy boy.
Sammi chuckles, nodding slightly, "Well, as long as you're clear on the situation... welcome to the family then." he says, walking over and giving Stephy a little hug, smiling happily. The woman nods approvingly "Well then, Michelle come help me get the ritual room ready." she says, patting Stephy's head as she looks to Sammi "Bring him in just a bit, alright?" she says, Sammi nodding as the women make their way out of the room.
He blushes, watching them go before looking back to Sammi, "... I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous... but... well..." he squirms, "I don't have any 'family' left really besides Arja and the others... and it's just, y'know, not the same." he admits, leaning into Sammi's hug, "This ritual... um, is it gonna hurt?" he asks, biting his lip nervously.
Sammi shakes his head, "Nah it's actually pretty simple, the fae like to play it up though." he teases, "May be a little embarassing though depending if Michelle is feeling a little mean today." he teases ominously, "I'll be nice to you though." he coos, pulling Stephy closer, "Little brother" he adds with a giggle.
He giggles and snuggles into him, "Hehe, always wanted a big sister, and now I kinda have two~" he teases right back, sticking his tongue out at the fae boy.
Sammi smirks, playfully bonking his head, "Yea I never had a younger sister." he giggles, "You do look great, though, I admit…"
He giggles, "Well, like I said, pink is more my color~" he replies, fluffing his skirt a bit, "You look really cute too." he nods, running a hand along Sammi's shoulder through the silk.
Sammi grins, kissing the boy's forehead happily as he licks his lips, "Thanks." he smiles, "Look I know I kinda talked up my grandmother being dangerous and all but... I think you're gonna like it here."
He blushes, then nods, "Well, I did tell her I wanted to go back to be with Trixie and the others... but..." he giggles, "I'll probably visit a lot more often than you did." he teases.
Sammi smirks "Oh I'm sure it'll be fun, I'll be sure to come with you plenty." he teases, checking the clock on the wall that seemed to currently be pointing to four different arcane symbols, "Alright, let's get you official." he says, leading Stephy by the hand out the door.
He nods, following along behind Sammi as the two head down through the castle. He seems cheerful but his heart is about ready to beat out through his chest... he knows that what he's doing here is going to be pretty huge... but... he also knows at the same time that he -really- likes it here and if they'd be willing to accept him into their family... he wants it, oh gods he wants it.
Sammi leads the boy a good bit along the opulent palace, taking him to a set of stairs down to a basement area. Candles were burning all around the small room, all manner of color of flame burning around them. There was a sweet smelling almost candy like incense burning as Sammi's grandmother and half-sister both stand in the middle of the room, motioning Sammi and Stephy over to them.
Stephy hesitates for a moment... but only a moment, then follows Sammi over to the two women, looking up at them with both curiosity and a faint hint of apprehension... though he won't say no, its definitely sinking in how huge this is...
Meanwhile in India Dawn is stretched out on the couch watching Arja and Simoni trying to take their minds off their de-powered state in a game of Mario Kart 8 when she suddenly sits bolt upright, "Plot-twist senses tingling!" she hisses, then starts to look around, "Nnn... gotta get to Arcadia... but I gotta be asleep... but I'm not tiiiiiired..." she whines, then spots Lupe, "DOG!" she yowls, "I'm gonna put every single song Toby Keith has ever written in your head for the rest of the week! Better knock me out before I do!" she says as Lupe immediately growls and pounces, slamming her head against the floor. As her vision goes dark she mutters, "In hindsight I could've taken some NyQuil..."
She 'wakes up' in her own dreamscape, then immediately claws a hole in it and follows Stephy's scent back along the path they'd taken before.
Sammi's grandmother smiles softly, nodding to Stephy. "We're here today to welcome someone new into our family. Our kind do not have the kindest reputation for how we expand our families, and one coming to us willingly and with joy in his heart is to be celebrated. Still, regardless of contexts, such choices are not mine alone to make, even as head of the family. The choice must be unanimous, or the family will suffer with pointless strife and infighting. It goes without saying that Stephy has my support" she says, rubbing the boy's head lightly before looking to Sammi, "Does he have yours?"
Sammi grins faintly, this must be what he was talking about...."Yea, he clearly wants this...plus who am I to turn away someone who gives such good head?" he teases, winking playfully.
He blushes and glances away at that, looking to Michelle as she's next in line here. He doesn't really know her that well other than 'big sister', 'alchemist', and 'a bit wicked, but she is a fae'...
Michelle smirks slightly, looking Stephy over slowly "Hm, I can't deny that he's CUTE...but is CUTE enough?" she teases, reaching her hand to rub the boy's cheek lightly as she speaks to him "What else do you bring, besides cuteness?"
He thinks, then looks down, "Um, just a second." he nods, then reaches down and unbuckles his shoes, stepping out of them and pulling off his socks as well. Once he's out of both he takes a breath and after a few moments of stretching and shifting he's standing there in his raven-harpy form. "Well, I can do this." he says, looking at Michelle.
She nods softly "Interesting" she muses "Some kind of harpy then?" she says, looking him over "So you can fight, then?"
He shifts back and nods, "Well, I can control wind and I can fly like that..." he replies, standing barefoot now as a human again. "But I don't have a ton of experience fighting..." he admits.
She giggles, "Well, let's get you some experience, then." she coos teasingly, licking her lips as she snaps her fingers, the walls seeming to shift back to widen the room further and further, somehow even the roof slid away, and despite the fact that there was an entire castle on top of the room... sunlight and fresh air came in...
He blinks, then pouts, "Hey hold on!" he protests, gesturing to his outfit, "At least lemme change out of this. I don't wanna mess it up." he nods.
Michelle laughs, the room expanding into a downright massive arena, the whole 'physics' thing pretty fluid in Arcadia, at least when you're in charge it is..."You may strip if you like, but you should be ready to fight in anything just in case" she winks
He frowns at her, then sighs, "I'll keep the dress..." he nods, looking around at the area as he quickly changes back into his half-bird form. He does know a bit about fighting, Nelen had taught him a few things when they had the chance, but he's about as novice as it gets. When Coyote showed up he hid and he wasn't even awake during their showdown with McCall and Mammon...
She nods, waving her hand and summoning what looks like a long whip made of shimmering ice... "Let's make this easy then, first to give up loses?" Sammi smirks faintly as he hears her, both he and his grandmother clearing the way quickly. "Told ya it depended on how mean she felt…" he teases.
He nods, then quickly shoots up into the air, grinning just a bit as he whistled up enough wind to gain altitude. He did know how to fight whips, hell that's basically how Nelen fights. Stay out of range, break it if you can, and remember that they can only move in long sweeping motions unless you get close. He whistles sharply and the air around him seems to swirl, any lash-like weapon will have a hard time getting a grip on him like this.
Michelle nods a bit, licking her lips as she watches him quickly react, only to shove her free hand out, sending a barrage of ice balls aimed at the flying bird, shot out at high speeds like she was a pitching machine!
Stephy eeps, panics, then quickly folds his wings and drops altitude, the ice blasts passing harmlessly over his head as he whistles again, aiming a harsh gust of wind at Michelle's ankles, trying to disable or knock her down.
Sammi giggles a bit at the show, Michelle leaping up to avoid the wind, but he does send one of her white high heels flying away, throwing her off balance a bit "Hmph!" she huffs loudly, having to pause to kick the other one off to stay standing.
Stephy takes this chance to whistle up a sudden tailwind, darting forward as he tries to remember what Nelen had taught him.
'Remember, you've got the same weakness Simoni does in that your bones have to become lighter to let you fly, but they'll become more fragile at the same time. If you fight alone you need to distract and confuse, keep your distance and use your wind magic, then when your opponent is off balance... strike!'
By the time Michelle gets her shoe off Stephy is a pink blur in the air infront of her, the boy coming to a sudden halt as he whistles up a gust of wind all around them, his talons hovering right infront of her face as he floats in the air, his wind magic holding him and his wings aloft.
Michelle tries to focus on the boy as she tosses her shoe aside, but can't stay on him until he's right in her face, sharp talons right in front of her as she smirks faintly. "Alright... I give." she says, raising her hands and dismissing her whip, "Not bad at all..."
He giggles and drops back down onto his talons as his feathers begin to molt, his arms and legs changing back into human ones. "Well, it helps that I'm not up against someone who's likely to kill me." he blushes, "But yeah, my cousin Nelen made sure to teach me and the others how to handle ourselves in a fight. Good idea too if one of my nutjob relatives or, gods forbid, that lunatic of a grandfather of mine and his mundane bla..." he pauses, then goes silent. He hadn't mentioned Franklin's sword to Sammi's grandmother yet... he wasn't sure how a fae would take it if she knew her houseguest had someone after him and his friends (mostly his friends, but he's definitely on Franklin's shit list by now) who's weapon of choice is a sword made not just out of iron, but some kind of super anti-magic iron.
All three fae raise their brows as the room shifts back to normal slowly "Mundane...blade?" Sammi's grandmother asks as she walks over "This grandfather of yours has access to one of those?" it was kinda hard to really gauge emotion with this woman...
He blinks, and then mutters sheepishly, "Um, yeah... sorry, forgot to mention it before..." he nods, "L-like I said, I'm not exactly proud of my current bloodline..." he nods, unable to meet the woman's eyes.
She seems to think on that, nodding faintly "Those weapons all have the blood of many fae on them, we were often some of the first victims of such tools...I assume you do not share his desire to own one?"
He shakes his head, "Of course not! Forget that I couldn't even use one without it ripping my own magic away he..." he winces, "Um... he kinda attacked us recently, in person... normally he just sends his warriors to do it... and..." he glances at Sammi, he hadn't told him this bit either, "Um... Arja and Simoni, Simoni is my cousin, she's got the same powers I do... and Arja is her girlfriend... owner... something... and she's got some kind of fire magic and other stuff... they got too close." he winces.
She nods at that "Then you understand how cruel that blade is. I'm sympathetic to early humanity who felt overwhelmed by the magical realm, but, as I'm sure you saw, weapons such as that don't discriminate in their sadism, far too many good creatures have been destroyed by them for them to be justified."
"Yeah, he knows." says a familiar voice as Dawn wanders in, having cut her way through the dreamscape to get there, "Franklin's pig-sticker took out my family too." she says. "Hey guys, I kinda had a hunch something big was happening and, well, you know how curious we cats are." she smirks just a bit.
Stephy stares at Dawn for a bit, then nods, "Yeah, but... apparently somehow Simoni and Arja are going to be able to destroy Franklin's sword." he nods, "We don't know how yet though, I mean they tried last time but... well..." he winces, "Yeah... its been a month and their powers haven't come back yet... I can't do much against Franklin's warriors and I usually freeze up when they show up... but... I want to help them." he nods.
She nods, not seeming to mind Dawn being there "Our kind's powers react...poorly...to blades such as that. Obviously if struck they can be drained away, but beyond that, we are beings of a chaotic world, and those blades represent order in all its darkest forms. Our powers tend to become unfocused, dangerous, but dangerous for both us and our foes equally... If you're still unshaken in joining this family, you're still welcome."
He looks around at Sammi, Michelle, Dawn, and then back at her and gives a firm nod. "I... I am. I want to cut my ties to Clan Fullmoon as much as I want to... well..." he blushes, "Just... have a family again." he nods, Dawn grinning a bit. "Believe it or not, I can relate sissyboy." she replies, then turns on her heel, "Right, even a cat knows some stuff is private. Gotta head back anyways. Need to see who won the pool." she grins, then drops to all fours and darts away, diving through a small tear in the sky that seals itself back up when she gets through.
Sammi smiles as his grandmother nods, "Then as the patron of this family line I welcome you in." she says, bringing her thumb up to her mouth and biting a small wound in it, her 'blood' coming out as shimmering white liquid that almost seemed too thick to flow. "Your lineage before today is now ash, let all old vows and bindings be broken, for you are a new man, a child of the first to walk this land, heir to the throne of winter's soul, chief among the children of Gaul, bringers of winter to Rome..."
Sammi coughs loudly at that, making a not too subtle 'wrap it up' motion with his hand as his grandmother stops, using her 'bleeding' thumb to draw a strange glyph on Stephy's forehead. For a moment it just sits there, feeling like pure ice pressed against his skin, before it fades, absorbing into his body...
He blinks, looking at her and then at the others. "Huh... that wasn't so ba-" he starts, then goes rigid as he suddenly gasps out, clutching at his stomach, "A-agh..." he trembles, his eyes screwed up as it feels like his entire body is freezing from the inside out, his breath coming out in a sudden cloud of icy frost. He falls to his knees and coughs, his whole body is cold, his lungs, his heart, his bones... and then he feels a sudden rushing as if a giant windstorm is blowing all about him... It seems that even though he wants to accept their bloodline his Fullmoon blood is putting up a fight!
Sammi frowns, "Shit, that's not how this goes…" he says, all three of them moving to Stephy, "Hey, listen to my voice" Sammi says "Focus on us, ok? Your old blood is trying to fight, but you're the one in charge of it ok?"
He nods, trying to even though his teeth are chattering from the sudden chill... and then the wind around him starts whipping faster and faster until all three of them are forced back by the gale. 'Stop it... I... I want this... Let me have this!' he thinks, focusing on those words as the wind starts to grow colder, the ground around him frosting over... then freezing solid as the wind blows with such force that they can't even see through it anymore... and then suddenly there's a great woosh as the air blasts out past all three of them and leaves Stephy kneeling on the ground gasping for breath.
At least... it's supposed to be him... except now his hair is so blond that it's almost white and his eyes are the same icy blue of the sky in winter. His skin even seems a shade more pale than it was before. "... ow..." he winces, taking in big gulps of air.
Sammi smiles as Stephy reappears, or at least the new look of Stephy does, his grandmother and sister smiling as well. "That's my boy…" his grandmother coos, reaching down to rub Stephy's head as Sammi nods, "Yea, good work." he says with a smile, rubbing Steph's shoulder softly.
He blinks a few times, looking at his hands and then pulling his glasses off and holding them at an angle to see his reflection in them, looking a bit shocked at the discovery. "I... um... something feels a bit weird though..." he nods, "Well, weirder than, y'know, normal-fae..." he adds, getting shakily to his feet, "I... its not like I just changed from one to the other, its... it feels kinda like it got, I dunno, mixed." he says. "H-hang on, I wanna try something." he says, stepping back from the group as he focuses for a moment, trying to change forms like he did before.
At first nothing happens, then slowly his arms extend as feathers start to sprout, his legs bending backwards and sprouting scales... but this time the tops of his wings are a snowy white while his feathers are icy blue, his legs covered in deep blue scales the color of the winter sky at nighttime, while his talons appear to be nothing more than ice crystals. He opens one eye a peek, looking at the three, "... did it work?"
Sammi blinks a bit, "Yea I mean, you're a bird but...well." he nods to Michelle, who moves her hands in a circle, creating a shiny ice mirror in her grip, holding it up to Stephy, "Different kind of bird..."
Stephy looks himself over, the wings shining like the sun on ice as he examines his new body. "Huh... Well... I guess this kinda makes sense... Clan Fullmoon originally got their powers through a pact with an Irish goddess... so, I guess fae magic can't cancel out divine magic or something, but divine magic can't completely block fae magics... so they had to reach a sort of compromise?" he tries, "Maybe? I dunno... Nelen knows way more about this sorta thing than I do." he giggles a bit, then looks in the mirror again. "Hum..." he thinks, then tries whistling out a quick tune. A gust of wind swirls around them, but this time it's a frigid icy cold blast that causes frost to form wherever it touches.
Sammi smiles, "Well you do look quite cute" he says, the girls nodding "Very lovely" Michelle smiles, her grandmother reaching out to pet some of Stephy's feathers "Mhm, it fits you very well..."
He giggles at that, blushing. Her touch doesn't feel cold to him at all anymore, "Hehe, thanks Mo..." he pauses, then blushes, "... grandmother." he nods, walking up to her and wrapping his wings around her waist in a hug.
He blinks a few times, "Hum... I should probably stay in Arcadia for a bit." he says, glancing up, "I mean, not that I wanna leave anyways, but I dunno how well I could control this stuff yet." he glances at his wings, blushing, "I only meant for a light breeze earlier, not that big icy gust."
Sammi nods "For sure, we'll all stick around here and help you learn, no reason to rush you back home unprepared, right?"
Stephy giggles, shifting back to his more human form, "So..." he giggles, "What should we do now that I'm part of the family?" he asks, blushing as he says that. He really does look pretty close to Sammi now, just with much longer hair and glasses.
Sammi smirks softly "Well, you could take a tour of the domain now that you're in the family... ever been treated like a noble before?" he teases
He thinks, "... not when Arja wasn't around, no." he replies. Their little group tended to get preferential treatment in India because of her blood ties to Hanuman.
Sammi giggles, "You'll love it." he grins, Michelle nodding as she puts her arms around her brothers, "It's lovely, grandmother's domain is a very secure and lush one, so we have many citizens, and they all know who's family is responsible for their safety in this world." she says dreamily, the elder Fae chuckling lightly, "Aside from a tour, it IS important you see the domain, despite my granddaughter's glee, we have a duty to this land, as she said we're a rare bastion of peace in Arcadia these days, the people treat us well because, while sometimes we must be harsh to maintain order, we genuinely do provide good lives for them, do you understand?"
He nods, glancing down at his dress, "Yeah, I think so... um, should I wear something a bit more... regal then?" he asks. His dress was cute, but it was also covered in a dusting of frost and somewhat wet from where some had melted, that and pink didn't really seem to be his color anymore.
She nods, "Sammi, get him dressed in a more fitting outfit, Michelle and I will ready the cart." she says with a smile, rubbing Stephy's head again before Sammi nods and leads him off, "Come on little brother." he giggles, "Let's find you a pretty dress"
He giggles and follows Sammi back through a doorway that certainly wasn't there a moment ago, heading back into the castle, "So I'm a fairy princess then?" he giggles, following along beside his adoptive brother.
Sammi smirks, "More or less." he teases, leading him to his room happily, "We'll have to get you a tiara and a magic wand…" he adds with a giggle, making his way to his dresser, "So, any suggestions? This is your big coming out day after all."
He thinks, "Second one anyways. First one was when Trixie and I first met up with Arja." he nods, "Also, I guess a gown in blue or white?" he suggests, not sure what fae noble children wear in this part of Arcadia (or any really). "But yeah..." he giggles, "I was in one of Trixie's old rodeo girl outfits that she wore when the rules said she had to dress 'like a girl' for them. One of the first things Nelen said when he realized it was me was 'why are you dressed like a Dixie Chick'." he blushes.
Sammi giggles at that, "Cute." he teases as he looks around, "Hmmm…" he muses, "Want traditional or more typical fancy?"
He thinks, "May as well go for traditional if it's my first time. I wanna look proper for this I guess." he nods, sitting on the bed as he reaches around, trying and eventually giving up on undoing the buttons on his dress... no wonder they invented zippers...
Sammi smirks, pulling out a long, wide, dress that seems to be made of pure ice, shimmering brightly in the light... Technically it was see through, but the way the light hit it Stephy's body would constantly be covered by shimmering rainbows. There were matching ice shoes and even elbow gloves made of silk smooth ice. The only real 'clothing' involved was a long cape with a golden fastener in the shape of an axe, the cape itself made from what looks like shining white lizard skin... a really big... really scale covered... lizard skin... lined with blue fur. "Traditional, or, in human terms, fucking absurd. I mean, I'm not justifying shit like the Mundane Blade by any means but imagine you're some dirt farmer who just figured out shitting in a hole was probably a good idea, and some bitch comes riding along in this demanding you kneel..." he giggles.
He blushes at it, then giggles quite a bit, "Well yeah, it'd definitely get their attention..." he replies, letting Sammi help him out of his pink dress and into the new one. He runs a hand over it, blinking curiously. Its exquisitely soft and smooth, like the finest satin, but really does seem to be some kind of magic unmelting ice. "Jeez, I feel like I'm naked here... but..." he blushes, then nods and fastens the cloak around himself, "I asked for it and I'm wearing it!" he nods firmly.
Sammi nods, "Don't worry, no one can see your naked body, my ancestors were flamboyant but they weren't animals." he teases, making sure everything is good and straight before nodding, "Grandmother will love it, she loves traditional stuff." he winks.
He giggles, waiting for Sammi to decide whether or not he wants to get changed, then follows him down to the carriage, leaving the hood on the cloak down to show off his new hair as he walks along, the icy shoes clicking and leaving tiny frosty footprints that vanish after a few seconds.
Sammi smiles, he does change into a rather 'simple' pair of white silk pants and a blue tunic under a similar cloak as Stephy's, apparently a family symbol. The only real 'flash' he had on his outfit was a long, thin, sword on his hip, mostly for decoration as it seemed to be made out pure gold, and, ya know, his whole thing was throwing razor sharp ice and stuff anyway. Still, despite his obvious distaste for the traditional aspects of the fae, he didn't want to disappoint. "Oh my," the elder Fae beams when she sees Stephy, "You look precious, dear."
He smiles and curtsies her, "Thank you grandmother~" he giggles, blushing a bit, "I asked Sammi for something 'traditional' and didn't really realize what that meant..." he admits before the group gets into the carriage. He glances at the empty seat cushion... then giggles mischeviously and slips into his new grandmother's lap, snuggling into her as he wraps the cloak around himself like a scaly blanket.
Sammi smirks as he climbs in next to his sister, "Unhappy wearing pants little brother?" she teases, Sammi elbowing her firmly before she pushes him against the wall of the cart as it begins to roll out into the bright and happy sunlight outside. The domain was almost like a storybook's idea of a 'fairy kingdom' really...
Stephy looks out the window as the carriage bounces along, the horses clip-clop steps audible inside it as he leans into his grandmother. As they ride along he blinks, then looks up at her, "Hey, I just realized. Nobody actually did tell me your name." he says to her, blushing. Seems a pretty big oversight really.
Sammi smirks a bit as his grandmother laughs, "Well before now you weren't family. No offence but it's very dangerous to give my name out to people not oath bound to me like family. My true name is…" and then came a long string of what sound like musical notes from a soft wind chime... "… but mortals call me Sera."
He kind of gets it... somewhere in his hindbrain his now partially-fae nature translates it, though there's not really a word in any mundane language for it. He smiles and leans in, nodding, "Sera is nice, but I think I'll stick with grandmother." he giggles, putting a bit of emphasis on the mother part as he rests his head on her shoulder.
Sammi smiles, genuinely happy for Stephy as the cart comes to a stop, "Oooh I like this place." he says as the doors open, revealing a massive building made of white wood in front of a dark forest, out front was a wide array of targets and practice dummies, some people working on their aim and combat skills with them. They were a wide array of fae, apparently she wasn't joking when she said that their domain took in a lot of citizens. All were dressed the same though, pale blue tunics like Sammi's with golden sashes over them..."These are the woodsmen." Sera says as she climbs out, motioning the kids to follow "They do the important job of paroling my realms' borders, keeping us safe from wandering creatures of the hedge and such."
Stephy nods and climbs out of the carriage with the rest, looking around curiously. He doesn't try to hide his dress though, rather he lets his cloak hang open, giggling a bit as he imagines some of the reactions an outfit like this might get even among other fae... it seems his new nature has given him a very faerie-esque streak of mischeviousness.
Sammi smirks a bit as Stephy does draw a few eyes, from the people around, moreso as the front door of the building opens and a rather tall man dressed in the same uniform comes out. He looked mostly human, save for his bright yellow eyes and long wolf like fangs in his mouth that shine when he grins. "Hello there your grace" he says in a heavy Russian accent, bowing his head respectfully. "This is Sergei." Sera explains with a smile, "Head of the woodsmen, and one of the best trackers in Arcadia." He just laughs at that "Yea, if it left a trail behind ever in its life, I can find it." he says, eyes slowly moving to Stephy as he grins "And hello there little one..."
He giggles, smirking right back at the large man, "Hello to you too. I'm what you might say a 'new addition' to her ladyship's little family." he replies, feeling very... different after the infusion of fae blood and magic into him. He's not sure if it's because he's still in Arcadia, but he finds he's much more confident and even a bit flirtatious than he used to be... jeez, this must be why Sammi is so... well... Sammi.
Sammi chuckles lightly as Sergei bends down, taking Stephy's hand and kissing the back of it through his glove "Well, it's always glad to see the family that employs me grow." he says, grinning softly at the boy as Michelle laughs, "Careful with him Stephy, he's a hunter, and nothing says trophy like a royal fae's underpants." she teases as Sammi coughs, "Implying he doesn't have yours..."
He just rolls his eyes at Sammi and nods, "Well, while I'm sure Sergi is a skilled hunter of both beasts and trophies, I'm afraid I do have someone already..." he giggles, "It is a pleasure though." he replies to the tall man, nodding politely before walking back to Sera and leaning into her with an arm around the woman's waist.
Sammi laughs lightly as Sera smiles, "Yes, sadly we don't have much time to chat, we're on a tour introducing our princess Stephy to the domain, I trust everything is fine here?" she says as the man nods "Aside from a couple hobgoblins gettin too close, yea, nothing impressive." he replies, bowing slightly as the family returns to the cart, Michelle waiting for the door to shut before smacking the back of Sammi's head.
Stephy giggles, slipping back onto Sera's lap as the carriage sets off again. "Well, he did seem nice Michelle." he says sympathetically to her, "Though... a bit smaller than I'm used to." he grins.
Sammi smirks "Yea, maybe if you're nicer he'll introduce ya to his girlfriend." he teases as he leans back, the cart moving along the way "Hmmm where too next. What kind of thing would you like to see, Stephy dear?"
He thinks, tapping one of his shiny gloved fingers to his chin, "Hum... I dunno, but then I've never had the chance to visit Arcadia before (or been crazy enough to try to intentionally) so I don't really know what is around here besides the market, your... well, our castle, and the hunters now." he replies, "Hmm... well, I was considering trying to bring something back for Arja and Simoni to try to cheer them up..." he nods, "Perhaps the market?"
Sera nods at that "Good choice dear, the goblin market is in town for a few more days" she says, the cart making its way back to where Sammi and Stephy first arrived "You'll love it, just be careful." she says, Sammi nodding "Goblin markets are cut throat, they work on barter, and just keep in mind contracts can be VERY literal."
He nods, "Hmm... that could be a problem then. I don't really have anything that I'd be willing to barter for just a gift for someone." he nods... unless it was something truly spectacular... but then goblins tend to also operate very much on the idea of 'buyer beware' and its quite likely that something that seems spectacular would have a really nasty catch to it. Stories like 'the monkey's paw' would often have their roots in some hapless mundane who bought from a person who looked human... unless you saw them out of the corner of their eye or they happened to bump into something iron.
Sammi nods, "I'll go with you, Stephy, don't worry." he says as the cart stops on the edge of the still very busy market, Sera and Michelle nodding "We'll do some shopping too, meet back here in an hour or two?" she says with a smile "If Sammi doesn't trade Stephy for a new magic book that is." Michelle teases.
He rolls his eyes and gives Sera a kiss on the cheek, then hops out with Sammi and smirks, holding his arm out like a woman waiting to be escorted by a young gentleman. "I wouldn't worry Michelle. I think grandmother really would freeze him into an ice statue if he did. At least for a little while." he teases.
Sammi smirks "Yeah." he teases, taking Stephy's arm and looking around the carts and stalls "Hmmm, so what were you thinking for them?"
He shrugs, "Well, Simoni loves clothes so maybe a nice dress? Something in green of course... maybe one for Natasha too if we can afford it. This place seems to be centered right around the time period she was alive in so yeah... oh and something for Trixie of course, maybe dice or some other gambling trinket. As for Arja... a sword or weapon of some sort... she'd definitely appreciate a nice weapon to use until she gets her powers back." he nods.
Sammi nods "Well clothes should be easy to get." he says, looking around before spotting a large booth full of clothes, the woman behind it dressed in black over her pale skin. She looks like a normal woman for a moment, until she turns around and reveals the six smaller arms she had sprouting from her back, along with her two normal ones....
Stephy blinks as his eyes go over them, but he isn't too shocked... after all, strange sights are the norm for him these days. Black dress, extra arms, a 'spinner' of cloth... must be some kind of spider-fae. He nods to Sammi, content to let the more experienced of the two do the talking...
Sammi smiles, walking up to the woman, "Lovely products you have." he says, looking at them slowly, the woman smiling wide to the boys as she nods, "Only the finest made by hands." she says as she looks you "And my, what a lovely dress you have little one..."
He giggles, "Well thank you~" he replies, still leaning on Sammi's arm, "I wasn't sure about it at first I admit, but I do think the style is growing on me." he nods, fluffing the skirt a bit. He half considers wearing it when he returns to India, if only to watch Nelen have a stroke.
Sammi smirks faintly "So, Stephy, what kinda dress would your cousin and Nat enjoy?"
Stephy thinks for a moment, "Humm... well, my cousin would probably love something with either a bird-like design to it, though anything green would be appealing to her. As for Nat, darker colors like black or red would be best, something that kind of blends into the shadows in a dark room would be great." he nods, purposely leaving out their full names of course. Can't let the fae get ahold of that, even a shopkeeper one.
She nods at that, hmm'ing softly as she looks at her wares, pulling out a nice mint green dress with a low back and golden accents sewn around it in the shapes of feathers, laying out out in front of Stephy before she grabs a long sleeved black dress that would go down to Nat's feet, the material sparkling softly in the light like small stars...
He giggles, noting that the fae had a good guess on Nat's style too. Long skirt, high neckline, long sleeves... if not for the starry-look it wouldn't have been out of place in an eighteenth century Romanian court. "Oooo~ Those look perfect!" he nods, glancing at Sammi, "Brother dear, what do you think?" he asks, playing up the fae aristocrat angle.
Sammi chuckles softly, nodding "I think these are just perfect! " He nods, running his hand over the smooth material "We'll give you..." he reaches into his pocket, feeling around a bit before he pulls out a roll of paper sealed with what looks like silver that has been melted and rehardened in the shape of his family symbol..."This mortal asked grandmother for fame, I think she'd do well as a fashion designer don't you?" he says, not even needing to read the contract, just bounce it in his hand a couple times...
He raises his eyebrow, but... well, a mortal should be careful with what they wish for... "Oh yes, most certainly. She could be ever so famous." he giggles, grinning in a very fae-like manner. "Especially with a teacher who makes such fine garments..." he nods, running his hand along the green dress.
Sammi smirks, nodding as the woman takes it, frowning as she looks it over, passing it from hand to hand... to hand to hand to hand... "Hmmm... wealth, fame... yes I could do this..." she muses "Alright, go, but only because I like helping little girls with good fashion choices." she says, nodding to Stephy, Sammi just smiling as he gathers the things "That took care of the easy bit..."
He giggles, "Oh how kind of you~" he winks to the fae as they depart, the clothes wrapped up as they leave. He blinks a few times once they're out of earshot, rubbing at his head a bit, "Jeez... Is it just me or am I acting a little... I dunno... different?" he asks, blushing a bit as some of his old personality resurfaces for a moment.
Sammi giggles "Fae blood is powerful, but it can't just MAKE a personality...it can draw things out though...maybe you're being the ‘you’ that you wanted to be?"
He thinks on that for a moment as they walk, "Hm..." he nods, "Yeees... yes I think that may be it." he says in a somewhat surprised tone. "I will admit I did always feel a bit... guilty... I guess for not living up to the whole 'Fullmoon ideal' for boys, being all rough and masculine and such." he giggles at that, "But then... I'm not part of Clan Fullmoon anymore~" he grins, running a gloved fingertip along Sammi's chest, "I'm free as a fae, free to be whatever... I... want~" he smirks, walking his fingers up Sammi's chest and beeping at his nose on 'want'.
Sammi smirks, nipping at that finger teasingly "Mmmhmmm, be careful now. You're a free fae, but you're new too, don't bite off more than you can chew." he winks as he looks around the market "Hmmmm..."
He giggles and runs a finger along Sammi's cheek, "Oh of course, thats why I'm letting you do the haggling." he replies, "Besides, it's the proper gentlemanly thing for a young boy such as yourself to do isn't it? Helping a young lady with her shopping?" he teases.
Sammi smirks, licking his lips "Mmmhmm, and a good lady is grateful for the help, keep that in mind." he teases, spotting a weapon's stand nearby manned by what looks like a massive green skinned woman...
He blinks a bit, whispering to Sammi, "Huh, is she an orc?" he asks, noticing the woman's tusks. "I'd heard orcs had all but vanished from the mundane world, they came to Arcadia?" he murmurs. There were rumors of a few orc clans in the more remote parts of the mudnane world, but the orcs tendency towards warlike personalities and violent behavior rivaling even Drusilla's kin had resulted in most of them getting killed by groups like Clan Fullmoon.
Sammi nods, "More or less, and some other realms, mostly here though." he says as he leads Stephy over to the stall, smiling happily, "So what kinda weapons does Arja like?
He thinks, Arja's own divine heritage protecting her from fae abduction (that and her iron claws... at least when she had that power). "Hum, she mostly uses a fighting stick or similar weapons, something with a good bit of weight to it." he nods, "I don't know if she's trained in anything else, but given her other abilities she hardly needs to be."
Sammi nods, the Orc woman just looking down at the pair for a bit before smirking "Likes fightin with sticks, huh?" she teases, "Got somethin good for that I think." she says, crouching down before pulling out a large white wooden staff about the size of an adult's leg, one end having a heavy looking shiny brass ball macehead, the other bearing a wicked looking silver spike "Call this the Corpse Stopper, got the heavy head to bash skeleton and zombie and such skulls, got the spike to get brain hits and made of silver for that extra burn on vampires..." It was a good weapon... though it might be best to not tell Natasha the name and purpose though...
He raises his eyebrow... "Hmm, I think she could do some damage with that..." he giggles, maybe not tell Nat, but definitely tell Arja... especially if that lunatic Coyote decided to make a reappearance. He may be sore about McCall dying after all. "She uses fire magic too, got anything good for that?" he asks.
She nods "Fire user yea? I think I can figure somethin good." she says, squatting down again, rooting around before pulling out a box of what look like glass balls with a thick green gel in them. "These are interestin little things. See, like this, nothin but a pretty desk ornament." she picks one up, tosses it around, even slams it on the counter to show how strong it was, "But, heat it up a lil…" she says, holding it over a nearby torch until the gel inside was melted and bubbling, "… throw it…" she says, chucking it against a thankfully empty wall nearby, "… and enjoy!" she grins, the green liquid sizzling and hissing loudly as it begins to eat through the thick stone, sticking to it like tar as it burns away a good few inches of strong rock!
He grins, "Oh she'll loooooove that." he nods, glancing at Sammi again as he wraps an arm around his waist, "Brother dear? Pay the nice woman please?" he asks, batting his eyelashes at the fae boy.
Sammi smirks softly. Alright, his little brother wanted to enjoy being flirty..."We'll take the crate, and the Corpse Stopper, do a favor and have a guy deliver them to the palace, we have a bit more shopping to do" he says, the woman nodding "Sure, now...about payment?" she says, waiting for an offer as Sammi giggles. "Your daughter's around yea?" he teases, the woman nodding "Aye, she's around back gettin some herbs and all for some projects." she says, nodding to where the courtyard they were in ended into a fresh meadow, "How about I send my little sister over to keep her company, yea?" he teases "She needs a little pack mule to help anyway, doesn't she?" he giggles wickedly as the Orc chuckles.
He blinks, then looks at Sammi with a raised eyebrow, "Sammi... what exactly are you suggesting here?" he asks, a bit of ice in his voice. He is most certainly NOT going to be a 'pack mule' in a dress this fine.
Sammi grins, poking Stephy's nose lightly like the boy did to him, "You're going on a trip to the stables, my beloved little sister" he coos, grinning wickedly, the Orc woman nodding with a laugh. One problem letting one's brother do the negotiating, your opinion didn't really count when prices were set! The woman whistles loudly, summoning a younger Orc woman from nearby "Oi, get this hauled up to the castle, and get Galda, she got a lil playmate for a bit" she winks, the woman nodding as she easily lifts the crate and heavy rod under one arm before making her way to the back area...
He rolls his eyes and shoves Sammi, though not very hard, "Hmph, stable work? In this dress? Sammi you are an absolute cur." he replies, smirking just a bit. He has a bit of a hunch where this is going and, hey, he's used to Trixie. How much more crazy could an orc be?
He found out after several hours of playing a literal pack mule for the orc, who did at least allow him to trade his fae gown for more appropriate working clothes before he began. Still, it was an interesting way to begin his new life as one of the fae.
About a week later he and Sammi were sitting together in the castle’s great hall when Dawn appeared in a panic, going on about the naga attacking Hanuman’s temple and that both Arja and Simoni, still without their magic, had gone off to fight them after knocking her unconscious when she tried to rescue the pair and teleport them somewhere safe... and that is where our story continued… (See: Part 17: Old Enemies)","pools_count":0,"title":"Side Story 10: Family","deleted":"f","public":"t","mimetype":"application/msword","pagecount":"1","rating_id":"1","rating_name":"Mature","ratings":[{"content_tag_id":"2","name":"Nudity","description":"Nonsexual nudity exposing breasts or genitals (must not show arousal)","rating_id":"1"}],"submission_type_id":"12","type_name":"Writing - Document","guest_block":"t","friends_only":"f","comments_count":"0","views":"48","sales_description":null,"forsale":"f","digitalsales":"f","printsales":"f","digital_price":""}