B. The Games We Play

B.01. Establishing Character Moment

The smell of paint fulled the air. Keira and Jane painted the wall burgundy as Jane rambled on about her school day. Aroma the skunk lay peacefully on the couch.

"Thank you for helping me paint the walls," Keira said when Jane finished talking.

"No problem," Jane said, "I want you to be as comfortable as possible down here." She dipped some more paint on her brush. "You sure there isn't anything else I can do? Lend you some money or maybe a place to stay?"

Keira shook her head, "I am happy down here. I feel a connection to this place, it feels... familiar." Keira blushed, "Does that make sense to you?"

"Kinda, at school they taught us places can have that effect on people. Especially if it has a strong ambient magical field. Maybe this is a place like that?"

"Does your magic feel stronger?"

Jane took her staff from the kitchen table, sat cross-legged in the middle of the room and closed her eyes. She sat in a deep focus as Keira and Aroma looked on in curiosity.

Jane sighed, "I don't feel anything."

She and Keira went back to painting the wall. Aroma slept further.

"This place allegedly belonged to my great, great grandfather. Maybe that's why I feel so familiar with it."

Jane shrugged, "Could be. You sure I can't lend you some money?"

"I am fine. Child services gave me money to last a few weeks and I have a job at the library to sustain myself. You do not have to worry about me."

"Why didn't you just go to an orphanage when they offered?"

"I would not feel comfortable there and besides I would still need to be able to perform my Powerine duties. That would be easier to do if I lived without any restrictions."

"OK, that makes sense. Just remember if you need me, I'll always be willing to help." Jane looked at her phone, "ﹰI need to go, my Advanced runes class is starting in an hour."

"I will finish up. We are almost done anyway."

Jane took her bag and staff but something made her linger. Keira painted a few more lines then noticed Jane nervously hopping between alternating feet.

"Are you okay?"

Jane rubbed her arms, "I wanted to ask you something..."

"You may ask me anything."

Jane took out a folder and paged to two brightly coloured posters for a fair and a circus. "I thought maybe we could go to the circus or the fair...or maybe both. I wasn't sure what you would like to do..."

Keira looked at the posters. Both looked fun. She wasn't to either of those before. She was confused why Jane seemed so nervous to ask her.

"We should do them both," Keira said excitedly, "we can go to the circus tonight and the fair tomorrow."

Jane lit up, "Yes, yes, let's do both. That would be fun. It's a-" she hesitated, "a...hang." She smiled nervously and hurried to the stairway, loudly knocking over a lamp on her way out, making Keira jump.

"Do you think she was acting strange?" Keira asked her skunk. Aroma just stared in response.

"Oh, I guess you would have no way of answering that." She bent down to stroke Aroma's back. "I wish I could talk to animals like Forest. I wonder what she is doing at the moment."

.....

Trixie twirled a pen with her fingers as she waited for class to start.

(Yes Trixie, not Forest. Forest isn't gonna really appear in this book, but if you are wondering what she's doing like Keira then I'll tell you: She and Lana are trying to sneak a bunch of chickens into Sorcha's closet, Sorcha was kicking the horses again and Forest and Lana are pissed.)