A Human’s Guide to Surviving Magical Mishaps by Kit Bryan
Rule 113- It won’t matter in five years, don't spend more than five minutes worrying. Just thank the universe for the caffeine and move on!

"G- Good morning Amelia." I greet her as I take my seat. Fin is already here waiting for us and I give him a little wave. I meet Amelia's gaze and I'm suddenly super nervous. I guess I sort of brought up Ashton's dad with him by accident, plus I know him a lot better than I do Amelia. Intentionally bringing up someone's recently departed husband feels a little... I don't know, mean? I don't know what I should say. Also I didn't think about it before now, but I am fairly sure I have bed head. I'm used to having breakfast in my pyjamas at home all the time, so I didn't think twice about it. But in a place this big... I've already seen half a dozen people this morning and I am now wishing I had taken the time to make myself presentable. I'm still wearing yesterday's clothes! I awkwardly try to comb my fingers through my hair. I gp still when I feel Ashton's fingers gently brushing mine aside so that he can take over. I am so nervous I hadn't even noticed that he is still standing. The gesture is incredibly soothing and I find myself resting my head back into his stomach, my eyes falling closed. Bast jumps up, his warmth comforting on my lap as he begins to purr loudly. Bast's head is tilted forward so that his antlers are angled sideways and not towards the table. I guess he's used to ducking under things. I wonder if they often get in the way?

Amelia looks on curiously, like it's strange to see her son behaving in this way, but maybe also with a hint of satisfaction? Ashton slowly finishes sorting my hair and his hands fall to rest lightly on my shoulders. He leans down to speak into my

ear.

"I was distracted by your... New friend this morning, so I forgot to tell you, but you look beautiful today." My face burns but my heart is fluttering. He is so sweet, and also a little full of it. I haven't done anything to pull myself together yet today. He continues speaking while Fin and Amelia both seem to suddenly find more interesting things to look at. I know they both have sensational fae hearing and can definitely tell what Ashton is saying to me.

"Also, I doubt that anyone thought to mention it to you but your clothing has been charmed, as long as you aren't absolutely filthy, they will clean themselves. It is good to change regularly so you don't wear the charm out, but it isn't a priority. You are perfectly presentable for breakfast." He promises. I want to complain, but fae can't lie which means that he means it. So instead of arguing, I relax.

"Alright." I whisper. It's still strange to me how many things the fae use magic for. Apparently laundry is one of them. Thinking about laundry makes me realise that Amelia is also wearing the same black dress as yesterday. That or she has more than one of the same outfit. She looks lovely, but there's a messy edge to her that I haven't seen before. Her hair is carelessly pinned up in a messy bun on her head using what looks like a carved hair stick and her eyes are a little drowsy. Fin looks just as put together as always, but I get the feeling it would take something more complicated than just waking up in the morning for him to be anything less. I still want to take a shower, but I do feel better knowing my clothes are clean at least.

Apparently satisfied that I've stopped freaking myself out, Ashton takes his seat beside me. I'm not sure if I should try to tell Amelia about my conversation with Ambrose now, or if I should wait until she's had time to wake up a little more. The decision is made for me when she starts the conversation off.

"Morning Kat. I see you have made a new feline friend. I take it my son has already warned you about the dangers that particular animal might present, right?" She says pleasantly and I nod.

"Yes. I named him Bast. He has been very friendly so far, to me at least..." I trail off thinking about the fae that Bast knocked out this morning. I feel a little bad about it, but Ashton assured me that he would be fine, honestly it's exactly the kind of behaviour I would expect from a cat. I've never known them to enjoy being told what to do. Amelia seems confused and Ashton fills her in on the details of the incident.

"Ah, well... I suppose if the creature has taken a liking to you it can't be helped. Although if he starts to become a bother do let us know. There are ways to manage him. I guess there is no harm if he follows you around until he gets bored, or until you go home." She decides. I frown at the thought of just abandoning Bast when I leave, but it's not like I can just take him with me. He's a fae cat and he belongs here, not back in the human realm. It would be cruel of me to take him away from his home just because I think he's cute.

Conversation flows easily as we eat breakfast. Amelia asks me about my life back home while Fin and Ashton chime in with their own observations about humans as we talk. At some point Ashton mentions that humans are a lot more free when it comes to physical contact, but thankfully no one decides to pursue that subject further. I think it might become unbearably awkward if they did. Actually, now that I think about it, since we got here, Ashton hasn't been keeping his distance from me at all. As demonstrated with the way he took care of my hair earlier, and even the way his chair is angled towards me so that our knees are brushing under the table, whatever fae rule or custom that says he is meant to keep his distance seems to no longer apply. Actually he seems to be going out of his way to demonstrate to just about everyone we see that he can make contact with me. He's constantly placing his hand on my back or holding my hand. It's nice, but I am really not sure what exactly has changed. When I first arrived his mum seemed horrified by how easily he was making contact with me, now she doesn't seem bothered by it at all. I kind of wish I understood all this a bit better, but I don't even know exactly what information it is that I'm missing which makes it very hard to ask about it. Maybe it's just because I nearly died. Maybe it freaked him out. If he nearly died, I could see myself getting a little clingy. I can't help but worry a little that eventually I'm going to go home and he won't be able to stay with me forever. I'm not sure it's the greatest idea for me to get too used to being treated this way. I suspect I'm going to miss it. A lot.

As we finish eating, Ashton looks at me pointedly and I know that I can't put off talking about Ambrose any longer. I take a deep breath before starting.

"Amelia? I have something to tell you. I... I had an unexpected guest last night. I actually met your husband. He asked me to give you a message." I say hesitantly. Ashton's hand finds mine under the table and he squeezes it gently. Amelia's back goes ramrod straight, then she does something I never expected. She laughs.