Forgotten Magic

Chapter 6

Least to say I found myself opening up quite quickly to the Habiles after that. Varian and Quirin were quite...delightedly surprised to see how much I was enjoying myself after that.

Before then, I had been forcing myself to stay reserved and not to share too much. Now that I found myself accepting that this was where I'd be staying, I didn't bother with all that cover-up. I let myself free, and...it felt incredible.

One of the things that still bothered me was that I knew very little about the people in Old Corona, and they saw me as an outsider.

So, taking that into consideration-along with the upcoming harvest that came with the end of summer-I decided to try to try to help out in my own way. And maybe meet some people in the meantime.

And I suppose I did meet people. Or...well, I suppose I'll let the story speak for itself, shall I?

That morning, I had put on a pale blue dress with elbow-length sleeves and a checkered apron. When I had brought it up with Quirin that I wanted to stay, he had suggested we find me some new clothes, as I'd had my current ones for maybe a month or so. It was really some sort of delight to be able to choose what to wear.

Anyways, maybe that's just me.

I tied my hair back with a blue ribbon and tucked my journal into a safe place under my bed before heading out.

People didn't take to me too kindly. Well, people didn't take to strangers kindly. But...it seemed to be me...specifically. After a few...not to kind remarks that I don't even dare to write down, I was about to head back and call it a day before I noticed someone.

They looked maybe a few years older than me, with round glasses and blue eyes. They were leaning against a tree on the edge of the field. The dirt on their clothes and hands made me assume they had been working in the field nearby. The most notable thing to me, though, was that they were receiving similar looks as I was. So throwing all common sense right out the window, I walked over.

"Mind if I give you a hand?" I asked quietly the moment I realized what I was doing was weird.

They glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. "And why would you want to do that?" they asked sourly. After a moment, they added "S-Sorry, I..." They sighed, running a hand through their dusty orange hair with one hand and straightening their glasses with the other. "Sorry. I...um...didn't mean it like that. I'm..."

"Not having a great day?" I suggested.

They smiled. "Yeah."

"Why don't I give you a hand?" I asked.

"Alright then," they agreed. "And you are...?"

I smiled, holding out a hand to help them up. "Savannah."

"Nice to meet you," they took my hand. "I'm Taylor." They seemed to hesitate before adding "My pronouns are they/them."

"I've never heard anything like that before," I commented quietly.

Taylor averted their gaze. "I...shouldn't have mentioned that..."

"No no no!" I blurted. "I didn't mean that. I just meant...it's unique."

Still a bit startled, they took a moment to answer. "No one has...said it like that before."

"Oh, well why not?" I asked, hands on my hips.

"Oh...well, this...isn't exactly a common concept, you know?" Taylor explained, waving their hands in the air. "Being non-binary. It took a while for me to even find a pre-existing term for that. This village isn't exactly what you'd call 'accepting'."

"What in the world wrong with the people here? They can't accept anything so different as a different hair color." It had come out as a burst of frustration, but for a moment I wondered if I'd said something offensive. Luckily, my unintended joke was received quite well.

The orange-haired teen laughed, throwing their head back. "Oh, you've got that right." After a moment, they noted, "I've...never seen you around here. Where are you from?"

"Oh...well..." I wondered if I should tell them. "It's a long story to say the least."

Taylor glanced at the descending sun. "Well, why don't we meet up here again tomorrow? I have some work to do, so you can help if you want."

"Sure," I agreed. "See you tomorrow."

"See ya."

A beginning to another good friendship, I thought. And I was right. I found Taylor and I got along quite well. We talked and joked as they worked until the sun set. I would spend half my days with Varian and the other half with them. It was perfect. But, as I'd soon learn, nothing good lasts forever. Or in this case, more than a month.

...

"What was their last name again?" Varian asked as I left. He did this each morning now, interrogate me.

"Chance," I replied. "Varian, we've gone through this multiple times. Why do you keep doing this? I can take care of myself, you know."

"I just feel like I recognize that surname," the alchemist answered. "And I doubt that's a good thing. Just...be careful, okay?"

I rolled my eyes. "Geez, alright. Alright." I stepped out the door and had turned back to wave when-

"Oh, that's it!" Varian perked up. And then his smile disappeared. "Chance...is the surname of..." His eyes widened. "Oh no."

"What is it?" I asked, concern spreading across my face.

"Nickolas Chance! He's...oh, well, he..." the alchemist's voice softened. "He...he...he hates me."

"So?" I asked. I hadn't mean to sound insensitive, but I was getting a bit frustrated.

Varian held a hand to his mouth. "Oh, well,...How else do I say this? He bullies me. And anyone I would spend time with." A flash of realization. "I think he's the one who...oh no..."

"Who what?" I asked, more firmly this time. I thought I knew what he was talking about, but...

"I think he's the one who hurt you the night before you came here."