A Human’s Guide to Surviving Magical Mishaps

Lucy arrives right on time which is a real indicator of how keen she is to be here because she's late for EVERYTHING. She tackles me in a hug that is so enthusiastic I almost fall over. "Hey Kat!" She greets me with her usual excitement. She turns to Ashton and Fin with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you guys hug?" She asks, holding her arms out. Ashton seems to unconsciously take a half step backwards and she pouts at him.

"I guess you don't. Fin?" She turns to him. He considers for a moment.

"Back home we would not." He responds. Lucy rolls her eyes.

"I figured that out already. But we aren't in the fae realm, we're in the human realm and you didn't answer the question. All it takes is a yes or no." She pushes. Lucy might be a little overwhelming for some people, but you have to appreciate her ability to get straight answers out of people.

"You may do as you deem appropriate for our current relationship.” Fin answers. I can practically see the gears ticking in her head. Fin has left it up to her to decide, which I personally think means he wants the hug because he had every chance to politely refuse. I guess Lucy comes to the same conclusion because with a delighted grin, she throws her arms around him in a tight bear hug. Fin's arms drape loosely around her waist for a few seconds before she lets go and steps back.

"Shall we go in?" She asks, either oblivious to the strangely intense atmosphere or ignoring it completely. Ashton who has been watching his friend and Lucy interact with clear enjoyment turns his attention back to me and offers me his hand. take it without hesitation, it's pretty much normal for us at this point.

We all head in together and a few minutes later we're seated at a table that is conveniently located so that we can see the exit of the hotel. Technically only Ashton and Fin can because Lucy and I have our backs to it, but Ashton reminds us all to be on the lookout anyway. Lucy and I help the guys navigate the menu and when the waiter comes by we all order without trouble.

"So, you said we should be on the lookout, but no one has told me what I'm supposed to be looking out for." She reminds us.

"Oh, good point. Ashton?” I direct the question to him. You should look for any men who seem to be behaving strange or unnaturally. But above all you should be trying to identify the fae woman.” He answers.

“Fae woman, that's the criminal you guys are looking for, right?” Lucy confirms.

"Yep. She's an assassin actually." I answer.

"Okay, how do I tell if someone is fae?" She asks, not even pausing or hesitating at that additional information. Apparently she has one hundred percent faith that Ashton and Fin will keep us both safe. Then again, so do I, it's why I'm here. "I cannot say exactly. Just try to find anyone who does not seem totally human or who seems to be behaving oddly and misunderstanding social rules and cues that you take for granted. Other than that it is just a matter of being observant enough to see through a fae's glamour. But this is difficult to do if you do not already know that the person is wearing a glamour." He grumbles the last few words, clearly frustrated by the fact. Lucy latches onto this new information. "Glamours. Is that how you make yourselves look human? Or mostly human I should say.” I sit and listen again as Ashton gives her an explanation about glamours. She narrows her eyes as he finishes.

"So you guys don't actually look like this..." She is staring at Fin, probably willing herself to see through his glamour. I decide to give her a hint.

"He has wings." I tell her, nudging her side with my elbow. Lucy's eyes light up.

"I want to see!" She insists. Apparently that wasn't enough for her to see through the glamour. I guess it can be difficult. It took me a while. Now that I've done it once it seems pretty obvious though. He never sits back in his chair all the way for one thing. But mostly it's just that once I saw what Ashton and Fin really look like, that's what seems normal. So their glamour seems more... unnatural. Fin smiles fondly at Lucy.

"I will show you another time when we do not have an audience." He promises. Lucy claps her hands together in glee. She is practically glowing with happiness. They're getting along well, I just hope she doesn't get her heart broken when he goes home. It's all well and good to say that long distance relationships are fine but she might feel differently when she hasn't seen him in weeks and has no way to contact him.noveldrama

We all have fun and enjoy dinner. Ashton and Fin tell us more about their home while we eat and keep an eye out for signs of the fae woman. We drag the meal out by ordering dessert but eventually it reaches the point where we need to leave so the hotel can give the table to someone else. It's not polite to stay too long. We discuss what we should do next.

"We need to stay here and watch for the fae woman.” Ashton states firmly.

"We can do that. Maybe we could hang out at the bar? As long as we order drinks semi- regularly it's alright to stay there. I'm pretty sure the bar here is open all night, although they probably stop serving drinks at some point." I add. "Cool, a stake out!" Lucy grins.

"We do not all need to stay. It has been a long day. You should all go home and rest." Fin insists. Ashton frowns.

"But you will be alone." He says disapprovingly.

"Plus we wouldn't know if anything happened. You don't have a phone." I add. Lucy waves a hand in the air like she's in school trying to get a teacher's attention.

"Ooh, I know. We can keep watch in pairs. You and Ashton go home. I'll wait with Fin and I can call you guys if anything happens!" She is clearly thrilled with her idea. I know that she's keen to be involved in the stake out. But I'm fairly sure her enthusiasm is because she wants to spend some time one on one with Fin. I'm not opposed to the idea. I check to see what Ashton thinks. He looks happy enough with the idea. "Fin, do you find this arrangement acceptable?" He asks. Fin nods.

"Very much so." He says firmly and Lucy blushes, dropping her gaze and letting her curls fall down and cover her face a little. I ask for the bill and Lucy gets her purse out to pay her share.

"Kat, can you please pay for Lucy's share of the meal as well. I will ensure the money is returned to you when I arrange your payment. If she is going to help with our task then I will make sure that she is compensated fairly too. At very least I will ensure it does not cost her to assist us." He says, glancing between our two friends with a pleased smile.

"I suppose two fae is twice the work.” I joke as I wave away Lucy's card and pay for the whole bill myself. We walk Fin and Lucy to the bar and I hand Lucy two hundred dollars in cash from the stash the mayor gave me. It's going down faster than I thought it would. I suppose I hadn't factored in the extra person staying with me nor the fact that glamours make Ashton and Fin each eat enough for two or three people. Lucy gives me a quick hug then practically shoves me out of the place, instructing us to go get some rest. Ashton and I head back to the car, hand in hand and the entire time I just can't stop giggling.