Pel quickly caught up to Tina as they made their way through layers and layers of partying Fairies. He had originally intended to blow right past her, but she easily kept his all-out pace.
“I feel like I’m flying slower than I was falling, but I can’t really tell since I was so scared earlier,” Pel said to Tina. “I’m going as fast as I can though.”
“Your Dexterity isn’t high enough to fly faster,” she replied. “You’re probably flying just slightly slower than you fall right now. Oh, that reminds me! We need to go over the basic rules of flying!”
Pel looked at her with no small amount of annoyance. “Aren’t ‘the rules of flying’,” he said making quotation marks with his fingers, “something you should go over before you push someone off a ledge?”
Tina waved the accusation away. “It would have been fine. I would have caught you if something bad was going to happen. Even falling all the way to the ground might have only caused a couple points of damage, but that’s because you have basically no Vitality right now. Fairy Rule #1, put some points in Vitality at Level 1. Flight Rule #1, pay attention to your Stamina. If you run out in mid air, you’re going to fall. If you run out of Stamina, you won't be able to move until you regenerate at least some.”
Pel was about to open his interface right then and there to put his Level 1 points into Vitality when Tina quickly interrupted him.
“Flight Rule #2! Don't use Self Help while flying! If you don’t pay attention to where you’re going you’ll fly into something. That could cause more damage than falling from the top of The Mother Tree! Come this way, we’re almost to Clover’s place.” Tina veered to the right, headed toward a group of large buildings while Pel clumsily followed behind, wanting to ask about the rest of the flight rules.
Approaching the buildings, Pel was able to see more details that he couldn’t from afar. Each one was unique in shape, displaying its own personality. Tina was flying straight for a building that looked like a windmill crossed with a pair of pants. The building was surrounded by a large field of flowers that were planted in soil packed into the crevices between evenly aligned branches which were jutting straight out from the wall like the orderly plowed lines of an actual farm field.
There didn’t appear to be more than one of any type of flower, but the sheer variety filled the space around the windmill for hundreds of feet. Tina landed on the flat spot of wood serving as the doorstep outside a curtained entryway leading into the left leg of the pants shaped windmill house. Pel discovered that stopping before smacking into the ground was as easy as simply wanting to stop before hitting the ground.
The sound of someone whistling along to the music outside came from behind the curtain, which was made up of numerous strings of tiny flowers hanging from the top of the doorway.
“Clover, you in there? I have a new customer for you!” Tina called out.
The whistling stopped, followed by a voice calling out, “Yep! I’m here! Wait, new customer? Bat shit, did I miss The Naming?” Clover asked from somewhere inside the left pant leg.
“Sure did!” Tina replied with pep. “It was pretty special too! The Nicknaming was a tie!”
A tan fairy with shoulder length dark emerald green hair pushed her way through the curtain to hug Tina. She was wearing vertically striped dark tan pants and a deep purple tunic cinched around the waist by thin vine.
“I’m sad I missed it! Come on in and let me get a look at the new arrival,” presumably Clover said.
Pel followed the two Fairies inside. Numerous tables and shelves were arranged haphazardly around the room, in sharp contrast to the orderly, color-coded piles of various flower petals stacked atop them. A curving staircase wound up around the inside wall of the pant leg until it reached a loft section where the crotch would be. Empty windows with more strands of flowers acting as curtains were evenly spaced following the curve of the stairs. Why do Fairies even need stairs?
“So, what’s their name?” Clover asked as the group wove their way through the tables.
“The Mother Tree gave them the Name Errapel,” Tina replied. “I got the break the tie to decide the Nickname, and I chose App-”
“Pel,” Pel replied over Tina.
Clover clapped her hands together once. “Apple! What a nice Nickname!” To which Tina smiled and Pel moaned.
“I really feel like Pel suits me better than Apple,” Pel complained.
Clover and Tina both laughed, and Clover said, “Nobody gets to pick their own Nickname, that would just be silly!”
“That’s what Tina said,” Pel replied in annoyance. They can call me Apple all they want, doesn’t change the fact that I’m Pel!
They made their way to a circular curtain, which Clover pulled back to reveal a raised section of floor. The far wall of the circular space had several mirrors, and Pel concluded that it was a fitting room. As Clover motioned for him to step up he realized that this was the first time he’d been able to see his own reflection.
It was strange to see a face that wasn’t the one he was familiar with back on Earth, and he was dismayed to realize that he couldn’t remember what he used to look like. He just had a sense that he used to be different, but he didn’t quite know in which ways. His current body could be summed up in a single word; slender. Everything was so smooth, with almost no muscle definition anywhere on his body. He was very slim, but not so much that it appeared unhealthy. Standing next to Clover’s reflection really drove home just how pale he was. He wasn’t completely without melanin, but his skin was extremely fair.
His face was heart shaped with high, but not prominent cheekbones. Turning his head slightly to the side revealed a soft, if decent, jawline leading to long, pointed ears. I look completely androgynous. Pel thought. Like a character from one of those Chinese manhuas.
His hair was a messy pixie cut, likely from his tumble through the air, and almost the same golden color as his wings but a bit more blonde than literal bar of gold. His eyes, however...those really did look like gold. Freshly poured, slightly molten gold extending through his irises flecked with dark, almost black lines bordered by a black ring. Pel’s self-inspection was interrupted as Clover took his arm and spun him around.
“I didn’t notice it outside, but in this light...Tina, look at these eyes! And this hair!” Clover’s face was uncomfortably close as she seemed to stare into his soul.
“I know right! Oh! I forgot to mention, Apple is our first Celestial Fairy!” Tina gushed.
“WHAT?!” Clover turned to look at Tina in shock before spinning back toward Pel, excitedly poking, prodding, and feeling his body all over. “Why didn’t you lead with that!”
“Hehe, I wanted it to be a surprise!” Tina replied.
“I’ve never made clothes for a Celestial Fairy before!” Clover finished her inspection, positioning Pel in the center of the raised platform. “Summon your wings, I need to see what color they are before I can pick which materials to use!”
Pel obediently thought about his Fairy Wings, calling them forth from his back. Clover ooh’d and aah’d as she walked circles around him. She pulled a piece of string from a hidden pocket somewhere and began measuring his body.
“What type of clothing would you like?” Clover asked. “Pants, dresses, tunics, robes, I can pretty much make anything!”
Pel looked at himself in the mirrors, trying to decide what he’d look good in. I was never very fashionable, so asking me to pick is… He just shrugged.
“I’m no expert when it comes to clothes and style,” he admitted. “I’d prefer something loose and comfortable, but not a dress. Loose pants, and a shirt that doesn't get in the way of my hands and feet would be best I suppose.”
“Hmm, comfortable and loose but not a dress,” Clover mused to herself as she walked back through the tables of flower petals. “Something that looks good with fair skin, gold, and black. Hmm…” She began selecting petals from the darker section of tables. “When I visited the Willowheart Mother Tree they had a new clothing style. I’m told it originated from the Flowing Sands Kingdom in the Human territories.”
Clover picked up some dark blue petals from one table, and some black and yellow ones from another.
“These Gentian petals together with these Black Pansies will go wonderfully with your eyes and wings!” Clover took her armful of petals to the only empty table, dumping them on one end. “Give me a minute and I’ll get something whipped up!”
Pel and Tina took a seat on the edge of the raised fitting room to watch. Clover’s hands gained a dark green aura reminiscent of pine needles as she began to lay out the petals. As her hands pinched, and smoothed, and stretched the petals changed shapes and sizes without tearing. This is more magic! Pel leaned in closer to watch.
Individual petals seemed to merge into one as Clover pinched them together before smoothing the joined section with the palms of her hands. Grasping a petal between both hands and scrunching it inward would shrink it down, pulling outward would increase its size. She moved quickly, so quickly that Pel sometimes couldn’t keep up. It was like watching a video that was sped up.
The glow around Clover’s hands changed to soft pink, like cherry blossoms as she rubbed the clothing down. Faster than he thought should be possible, Clover was finished and walking back toward the fitting room. She dumped the bundle of petals into Pel’s lap. These feel like actual cloth, what the fuck?
“Try the pants first,” Clover said, “they should be nice and loose. I made it so that the waist and ankles are snug and stretchy. The shirt is made to be put on after the pants and, well, it’s not so much a shirt as a scarf for your torso!”
Pel looked at the bundle in his lap, shifting it around until he found the pants. The main body of the pants was made of the black pansies, which had been stretched outward from the yellow centers in two directions and joined together in a way that made them curl around like vines strung with stars. The ankles and waistband were bound in the blue petals which looked a lot darker now than they had before Clover started. Just as she said, they were stretchy like elastic bands.
Pel stood, and walked onto the raised platform. Putting on the pants, and looking at himself in the mirrors he realized that Clover had made Harem Pants. They were loose and comfortable, and the elastic-like bands weren’t too tight but still held everything in place without him fearing they would fall off. The colors contrasted his skin, but the dark blue of the bands softened the transition into black and gold. Putting them on, Pel couldn’t help but marvel that they felt like the softest, fluffiest cotton he had ever put against his skin.
“How can flower petals feel so soft? I thought they'd honestly feel a little cold, but they’re awesome!” Pel exclaimed. He took a few steps around the platform, marveling and the soft swishing feeling. Squatting down and lifting his legs up high didn’t restrict his movement in the slightest, and nothing he did made the pants feel like they might slip off.
“Clover’s one of the best flower crafters in The Mother Tree!” Tina said happily. “If you need good clothing, she’s got you covered!”
“Hey! That’s my line!” Clover yelled while shaking Tina by the shoulders. “And what do you mean ‘one of the best’? I am the best! That pink aura I noticed you watching was another skill of mine that allows me to alter the feel of any natural materials in any way I’d like in addition to adding a preservation effect to them. That way your clothing won’t wilt or fall apart in a few days. Anyway, Apple-”
“Pel!”
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“-try the shirt next! Put the middle of it behind your neck, and drape it over your shoulders. Cross the ends over your chest and wrap it around your back. Keep wrapping it until you get to the ribbons on the end and use those to tie it on like a belt,” Clover instructed.
Doing as told, Pel draped the long garment over the back of his neck while noting that the ends were long enough to drag on the floor. The main body of it was the same flowing yellow gold lines that were on his pants, with one edge of the entire thing bound in dark blue.The center behind his neck was almost as thin as the ribbon ends, only a little thicker with a thin strip of the black and gold causing the blue portion to look like a natural collar.
Flowing over his shoulders the black portion became wider until it reached where he crossed it over his chest to wrap around behind his back which is where it reached its widest point. By the time he wrapped the garment around his torso twice the width gradually began to thin once more until several wraps later it reached the ribbon sections which were completely blue.
Tying the ends of the ribbons over the top of the pants gave Pel the impression of an obi belt. Turning this way and that, he tested the comfort and hold of his new clothing. The shirt, if it could be called that, was overlapped enough to not pull apart and reveal his skin. It left his upper back bare to not restrict his wings, and there were no sleeves at all which left his pale shoulders and arms free. Summoning his wings, Pel had to admit the color choice was rather fetching. The shirt itself made a cascading V pattern down his chest, and with the angle of fabric crossing over his torso it ended up matching the pattern of growing, twisting vines from the pants.
“Wow Clover! Another beautiful outfit!” Tina exclaimed while clapping her hands softly.
“Naturally!” Clover replied. “I had to go all out for the first Celestial Fairy in The Mother Tree!”
“These are really nice, thank you Clover,” Pel said. “But, I only just got here. How am I supposed to pay for these?”
Tina and Clover shared a look before bursting out in laughter.
“Silly! Fairies don’t pay for things!” Tina said. “Everything comes from nature, and nature gives its gifts freely! Those clothes are yours because Clover made them for you, they only cost a little bit of Mana and some petals from the flowers in the fields outside! Only meanies charge money for things they got for free!”
“Exactly!” Agreed Clover. “We might sometimes trade stuff for other stuff, but that’s only when interacting with the big races. The idea of paying for anything is not something Fairies keep in mind!” Clover waved her hand dismissively. “The big races have the dumbest ideas despite their big heads. They must have replaced their smarts with greed when they got big.”
“Ah, I see,” mumbled Pel. Yes, I see. Fairies are nothing but tiny, flying hippies and this Mother Tree is their colossal, arboreal commune.
“Everyone lives and works together, that way everything gets shared! It’s more fun to share!” Clover continued. “Even the houses are shared! Every month we all get to pick a new house, it’s exciting! Of course I take the flower fields with me wherever I go, but anyone is free to use them as long as they don’t kill the flowers!” She said sternly. “Some of these are hard to find!”
The music outside Clover’s shop reached a crescendo, and many voices were singing drunkenly. Drunkenly?
“Is it just me,” Pel said, “or are they getting drunk out there?”
“Yep! Drinking is one of our favorite pastimes!” Tina supplied.
“I thought Fairies didn’t eat or drink?” Pel questioned.
“Well, we don’t have to eat or drink, but it's fun! It also increases our Mana Regeneration which means we get to have fun for longer!” Tina replied happily. “The best part is, we don’t have to poop later! Pooping is gross!”
I wouldn’t mind a drink right now. Thought Pel. This whole night had been beyond his ability to fully understand. From dying, to being light, to now being a Fairy, to forgetting his name and parts of his past. He needed time to compartmentalize and sort through his thoughts and feelings. I feel like I have a lot of therapy to get to. I can’t even imagine what Fairy therapy would be like, heh.
“Yea! Let's go drink!” Clover yelled, waving a fist in the air. “I missed The Naming, but everyone knows the birthday party is the best part anyway!” She grabbed Pel’s arm and began dragging him along. “I have to show off my latest creation!”
“Let's go to Berry’s! He has the best Dewdrop Brandy in The Mother Tree!” Tina chimed in.
Pel was swept along like a leaf in the wind behind the two enthusiastic Fairies, bumping into each table as he was pulled along.
“I kind of just want to go to bed though!” Pel protested.
“Nonsense!” Tina and Clover both shouted.
“This is your birthday party Apple!” Tina said, eyes sparkling as she looked over her shoulder. “You have to celebrate your birthday!”
“And all the other birthdays too!” Clover chimed in. “It’s not just you, but…” her brow wrinkled in thought, “about 220 other Fairies are celebrating their birthday today also! Give or take!”
“How can you know how many were born on this day through the years? Who keeps track of all that?” Pel asked.
“It’s easy!” Tina exclaimed. “Just take how many Fairies are living here and divide by how many days are in a year!”
“You mean…” Pel muttered.
“Yep! Every day a new Fairy is born! But only one!” Tina said.
“Every day is a birthday party!” Clover yelled enthusiastically.
“How does anything ever get done if everyday's a party?” Pel questioned.
“Well, strictly speaking not the entire day,” Tina said as the group exited the flower curtain. The trio summoned their wings, and followed Clover out over the flower fields. “The time from sunset to midnight is reserved for birthday parties. Midnight to sunrise is reserved for relaxation, sleep, or any personal activities. Not everyone chooses to sleep ya know? We don’t need it!”
Their group plunged downward into the open air at the end of the fields, entering the light show. Voices from various balconies called out for Tina or Clover, and Pel was annoyed to hear several cries of ‘Apple’. Tina waved, the group continued downward as she spoke.
“From sunrise to sunset everyone participates in the community! From growing flowers, and collecting food and water for the parties, to defending The Mother Tree or scouting the forest. There’s a lot that goes on. Oh, and of course learning magic! Although, unfortunately I won’t have a mentor to pair you up with. Hmm…” Tina trailed off in thought.
“Defending The Mother Tree?” Pel asked.
“Oh yes, there are a lot of pests and vermin that try to get into The Mother Tree!” Tina frowned, clearly upset at the prospect. “There are a lot of things inside that predators from the glade and surrounding forest would love to get their nasty little claws or teeth on. The Naming Pool is certainly one of them, the defenders constantly battle against various birds and…” Tina shuddered, “squirrels that attempt to invade from the upper branches. Down below are the insects, worms, moles, and various other non-flying intruders.”
Pel envisioned Fairies fighting against such mundane creatures, waging epic battles in the middle of some forest and found it rather amusing.
“The magic of The Mother Tree radiates into the surrounding glade and trees. It changes the natural wildlife in the area. Makes them smarter, stronger, and sometimes they awaken magic abilities,” Clover added, drifting back toward Pel and Tina to join the conversation. “Fairies naturally live forever, despite one of us being born a day we only have eighty three thousand or so living here.”
“The mundane creatures aren’t something that can threaten us, those are closer to simple housekeeping which is left to the young Fairies like yourself, Apple,” Tina gestured to Pel. “It’s the magical variety that are harder to deal with, let alone the larger threats that occasionally venture into the glade from the deep forest.” Clover nodded in agreement to Tinas words.
“There was a Basilisk attack three years ago that killed almost an entire generation,” Clover said sadly. “Before that a horde of Greater Aranea drifted over the glade on sails made from their web and assaulted the upper branches. A few winters before that a group of Northern Ettins attacked and tried to burn The Mother Tree down. What they were doing so far South I have no idea.” Clover shook her head.
Yeesh, this place doesn’t seem all that safe. Pel had assumed by the constant partying that nothing ever really bothered the Fairies, but now it almost felt more like they were celebrating to keep up morale. Makes sense though, Pel thought, living inside a giant magic tree is sure to attract danger. Clover retook the lead, guiding their little party toward a building that looked like a giant bottle jutting horizontally out of the wooden wall by its base.
Several mushrooms grew up the sides, creating platforms that held tables and chairs resting on the mushroom caps along the top length of the building. The open mouth of the wooden bottle was furthest from the wall, and several small, and circular windows ran down the length of the building shedding light from the interior.
Landing was tricky, the entrance to the bottle shaped building didn’t have a landing spot and was only just wide enough to stand in. Pel hovered at the entrance and was just able to put his feet on the ground with his wing tips brushing the opening. It was strange to feel something touch his wings, like pins and needles in a sleeping foot but not painful. Following behind Clover and Tina he entered a rowdy looking bar splitting the bottle in half creating two floors. A hazy smoke wafted and curled upward from the stairs leading into the bottom floor, but the two other Fairies walked onto the main floor toward a curved bar at the back of the bottle.
Round tables and stools were arranged two wide down the length of the building which itself looked to be about 100 feet long and 20 wide.
The Fairy behind the bar waved and shouted Tina’s name as they approached. He was wearing a dark brown vest over a flowing white tunic, open widely at the neck to show a rather well muscled looking chest. Muscle Fairy, they do exist! Pel thought. The man’s long, orange hair was pulled back into a ponytail, leaving bangs hanging to the sides of his face. He looks like a bartender from an otome game...
“Tina! It’s good to see you! And Clover too!” The man behind the counter said in welcome. He turned slightly toward Tina, “I’m surprised you pulled her away from her flower shop, normally she’s all cooped up playing with petals every day!”
“Hey!” Clover protested, “I am not cooped up! I’m creating works of ingenious, wearable art!” She plonked down into a stool at the bar. “Besides, look at this fine attire I crafted earlier tonight!” Clover gestured for Pel to walk closer. “First time I ever made clothes for a Celestial Fairy, and I think I knocked it out of the glade!”
“Ah, this must be Apple! Nice to meet you, I’m Berry! Welcome to my Bottle!” Berry shook Pel’s hand enthusiastically. Berry eyed Pel up and down, hand on his chin. “Another banger, Clover! Your clothing is always top notch!” Berry complimented.
Pel took a stool next to Tina while eyeing the assorted collection of glass bottles arranged on the wall behind the bar.
“What can I get for you fine Fairies tonight?” Berry asked.
Clover and Tina responded in sync, “Dewdrop Brandy!”
Turning to Pel, Berry asked, “And for our new friend?”
“I don’t know, what would you recommend?” Pel replied. He had no idea what type of drinks were even possible here, how could he decide?
“Hmm,” Berry mused before brightening, “have you had anything else to eat or drink? Ever?”
Pel shook his head, “Nope, not since being...born earlier tonight.”
“Ha! Then I have just the thing for you!” Berry dipped down behind the bar while Clover and Tina shared a mischievous look. Uh oh, thought Pel, last time Tina looked like that she pushed me off a cliff…
Berry resurfaced with a bright red bottle, placing it on the bartop he turned and picked up another bottle and three wooden cups. From the second, clear bottle he poured two cups of light blue liquid and placed them before Clover and Tina who quickly sipped at their drinks, hiding their smiles behind the cups.
“And for our birthday Fairy…” Berry paused while he uncorked the red bottle. A strong, spiced smell that reminded Pel of oranges and cloves wafted over. He thought Berry’s eyes watered for a moment but with a blur they were dry again. Pouring the amber liquid from the bottle Berry loudly announced, “BIRTHDAY BRANDY!”
A chorus of whoops and cheers rang out from the Fairies around the room, many standing up and edging closer to the bar. I have a bad feeling.
Pel accepted the wooden cup, eyeing the contents and the bartender dubiously.
“Bottoms up!” Toasted Clover and Tina in unison, grinning ear to ear. Pel touched cups with them and took a sip.
Overwhelming orange and cinnamon flavor assaulted his tongue, burning like the cheap liquor he used to drink in college. Spices he couldn’t identify clung to his mouth and teeth after he choked the mouthful down, burning all the way. He coughed, and sputtered, his eyes watered and he let out a strained, groaning breath. Several people clapped him on the back, and many more laughed uproariously.
Pel pushed the cup away, some of the liquid remaining sloshing loudly. “Blegh, what is that stuff!” He smacked his lips and worked his mouth trying to get rid of the overpowering flavor.
“I will never…” he paused. The burning in his stomach began to cool slightly, a warmth spreading outward through his gut and into his chest.
“That was the worst…” the warmth began to tingle, spreading out through his arms and legs. Pel clenched his hands into fists and relaxed them again. His fingers felt funny. He looked at Clover and Tina who were eyeing him over their cups, smiling too widely to be hidden any longer.
“Why did you…” the room tilted curiously, wondering what it was he was going to say. Pel looked at Berry who was topping off his cup. The wood grains in the bar were rippling like gentle waves.
“Thish shtuff ish pwetty good,” Pel concluded, grabbing the cup and taking another sip. The night from there was a blur. What a fine drink! Hints of apricot hit the tip of his tongue behind the strong orange. Everything had gained an aura since the last time he looked. Berry was glowing with a pinkish orange light. Tina and Clover were laughing, the sound of bells coming from their mouths instead of voices. Someone was playing a pan flute, making the smoke from downstairs twist and dance like snakes taking flight.
Pel took another sip but his cup was empty. His whole body was vibrating and the room was upside down. No, he was upside up, or was he? No, it was definitely everything else that was upside down! Why is Tina telling me to get off the ceiling, she’s on the ceiling! Berry waved another cup at him from the ceiling, so Pel flew up to meet him. This one was different, like crisp morning air and the snap of cold grapes. It was ice to the fire of the Birthday Brandy.
Pel danced with lights and smoke and Fairies, a blur of happy faces slid past his vision. Warm hands flew with him through the evening’s aurora where he eventually settled down onto cotton candy clouds and drifted off to sleep.