Despite the dark atmosphere

[curiousdiscoverer]

They are in a derelict warehouse, the owner was quite happy to rent the place, it was easy to see why, it took all day to clean the floor and create a space to properly write the spell circle.

Despite the dark atmosphere, their purpose was far from evil.

Franklyn observed Ada draw the circle, while Maeghan read a book, using her cloudpine to support herself more comfortably. Maeghan looked bored, but Franklyn knew she really wanted this to work more than she was letting on.

Because if this worked, Franklyn would have magic, actual personal magic, the first male witch in this world.

Actually, the second male witch in this world, since this spell was meant to bring a male witch from another world so they could do another spell to copy them.

When Ada completes the last line of herbs in the cycle, Franklyn helps her memorizing the spell’s verse.

“Nothing will go wrong,” Maeghan assures Franklyn when Ada starts speaking the spell...

Comments

[of_all_trades]

Franklyn stares at the stone for a moment blinking in surprise.

"Okay," Franklyn says finally "please tell me this is a very common and cheap thing for you, because if this is like... your world equivalent of a car, I couldn't take it."

[intricate_engineer]

"It's a fleet of cars to everyone else. But I designed them, so I can make as many as I want."

[of_all_trades]

"I don't know how to thank you enough," Franklyn says still staring at the stone "... and I have to be very clear if this is exactly between you and me? How about Maeghan? Ada? or Alex? I know that Maeghan can be... uncharismatic, but she is actually very responsible and neither would tell anyone. Ada half-pretends she is mortal sometimes..."

[intricate_engineer]

"No, it's fine. You can tell them and Alex won't care. Just don't go around announcing I gave you one."

[of_all_trades]

"I understand," Franklyn says smiling.

He pockets the stone (very carefully) and looks back at her adoringly "Yambe Akka! Thank you so much," pause "can I give you a hug?"

[intricate_engineer]

"Yea," Glen stands up.

[of_all_trades]

Hugs!

Franklyn is more than six feet tall, Glen is lift up for a moment.

[not_without_scars]

A door opens quite abruptly.

"Alex are you...?" Maeghan starting asking "Oh, fuck. That was fast. I think even dad wouldn't be that fast. Have you explained about her to them? You really should explain about her to them before... whatever was going on here."

[intricate_engineer]

Glen grins, "Hi Maeghan, who's her?"

[between_worlds]

At the sound of Maeghan's voice, Alex wanders back in.

[not_without_scars]

"Franklyn should explain it," Maeghan answers to Glen, she turns to Alex "So I just want to try just one last healing spell on you before giving up. All you have to do is stand in the middle of a spell circle for a minutes, is that okay? I can set it all up in less than 10 minutes"

Considering she is talking about healing, it is amazing how threatening her smile looks.

[of_all_trades]

"I will explain it," Franklyn says to Maeghan, before turning to Glen "Her... is our father. Witches in this world have to be female, or at least partially female. Most are born with a body that matches their female minds. Our father was genderqueer, preferred female pronouns and terms, with the exception of 'father' or 'dad'. She said it just felt more accurate."

Franklyn pauses for a moment.

"That is not all..."

[intricate_engineer]

"What else?"

[between_worlds]

"Sure?" Alex says to Meaghan, then turns to Franklyn.
"Should I be worried?"

[not_without_scars]

Maeghan rolls her eyes and says "I will call when everything is ready."

She leaves the room, presumably to set up whatever needs set up.

[of_all_trades]

"Not at all," Franklyn says "I will explain why, soon, but lets keep in order."

"The else," Franklyn says "is that she used her quite unique status to seduce other cloudpine witches and managed to steal several secrets from other clans. She mostly didn't use them, just kept them and researched magic privately. One day Dad met and fell in love with our mom, who was human."

Franklyn pauses for a moment.

"Maybe the in love part isn't accurate," Franklyn says "she was seeing several other women, witches and mortals alike. I have four half-sisters. Dad did marry my mother. Mom got pregnant with me and Maeghan and our father decided to adapt a spell called birth blessing, so it would work for me as well. She succeeded to a degree, the spell is a shared effect, that included me, Maeghan and our parents... It was obvious what it did to Maeghan, she naturally channels life energy, every spell she casts is infused with it, making any non-healing weaker. Even her branch gets healthier the more she flies with it. We keep all these plants because they absorb it to grow instead of giving us endless infestations."

Franklyn takes another sip from his water, seems to be gathering strength from it.

"Four years ago, the truth of what father did came out," Franklyn says "along with several of her affairs too. One witch took revenge on mom and... the clans united to sentence our father to death for treason. After they both... after that my ability to read the Alethiometer kicked in and Maeghan healing got absurdly stronger. She is the best healer in the world. Since I am human and we had no other relatives they sent me to live with my maternal grandparents, which are... horrible. Maeghan rescued me and we ran away until I was sixteen and old enough to ask emancipation. There was a huge media circus over the entire thing, it was horrible."

Franklyn doesn't look at all like he is going to cry or breakdown, but his face is completely devoid of his usual cheerfullness.

"Things died down quite a bit," Franklyn says "when I got the Alethiometer there was more fuss over me being actually able to read it, but it is the kind of story people recognize. The scary witches want to take our children. We never talk about it with Ada. Each one of us had lost friends over it, one woman left me in the middle of a date because I wasn't upfront with it."

[intricate_engineer]

Glen gives Franklyn another, tight, hug.
"I"m so sorry. Are you okay?"

[of_all_trades]

"Thanks!" Franklyn says while hugging her back "it isn't my favorite subject but I can talk about it... and things turned around, we three are happy and our lives are great. Mostly, it is bad how..."

He seems to be at lost for words.

[intricate_engineer]

"You miss her?"

[of_all_trades]

He nods.

"I miss them both," Franklyn says "but dad... I know that she did horrible things with a bunch of people, but I can't bring myself to feel that she deserved what happened. We didn't deserve it. They called her 'him", said that she was awful, distort things to make me like some sort of abuse survivor."

[intricate_engineer]

"That's awful! Of course she didn't deserve it and neither did you."
Glen grits her teeth, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

[of_all_trades]

"I don't think so," Franklyn says while shaking his head "it is a cultural problem and not an easy one to resolve," his face looks pained for a moment "I don't even know how to describe the entire thing, except that today the two societies don't integrate enough. Things could be so improved if they did."

[intricate_engineer]

"Is that why you want magic?"

[of_all_trades]

"I always wanted," Franklyn says "magic is cool, and being a witch has other perks, but improving things is a major motivator. Magic can do so much..." he sighs "and even when I manage to cast spells myself there will be all kinds of legal and social limitations."

[intricate_engineer]

"What do witches do? You brought us here, and you have broomsticks..."