These two lovely researchers are rushing to complete a proper celebratory meal. Shen and Nikolay are invited to celebrate along with the Magi. Their tiny troupe of phantom researchers was supposed to be camping out as fugitives but for today, they’re spending their time with Nikolay and Shen. Though it may be a little cramped, there’s enough space to shove them all into this apartment. Since Nikolay also has his eyes on their diets, he’s doing his utmost to create a feast anyone can enjoy.
“You don’t cook like that most of the time, though. You should have said something, chef,” Shen remarks.
“I guess… Maybe I should make sure you dine a little better,” Nikolay says. He seems genuine and likely would make sure Shen feasts like a king.
“I didn’t seriously mean it. You don’t have to treat me better.” Shen can’t help but chuckle as he’s putting on a coat. To be celebrating Christmas was a distant thought not too long ago. His mother had stopped celebrating birthdays and the like long ago. His father stopped doing so even earlier. “Just having you around is enough. I technically don’t even live here, and you’re this nice.”
“I have to be. I’ve been meaning to be more thankful for all the help we’ve gotten.” Cozy warmth is buried within Nikolay’s expression. “Smoker has given me a home and maybe a bit of purpose. Schmidt is testing my patience but also my limits and has given me advice. You, Shen, have given me love I’ve never had. Something about gratitude, I guess.” Though he’s looking away, trying to be as expressionless as possible.
Shen leaves their home early and a little tired to get a few more ingredients and snacks. “Snowfall would be nice.” Walking along the busy streets surrounding their apartment at this time of day is oddly refreshing. Many are running their last few errands to stock up for the holiday season. From presents to groceries to fireworks… Everyone seems quite busy. Had Shen not quit his job, he’d be working right now, waiting for his shift to end. The next few days would have been exhausting trying to keep up with so many customers and so few coworkers.
“Gratitude, huh?” If not for Nikolay, he’d still be pushing to get a degree he never asked for. To quit right before acquiring it may not have been the smartest choice, but fighting for something his parents had pushed him into felt wrong. They initially helped fund his way into uni, but just a year into his life as a student, he was already covering all costs. Most of the money spent was his, and providing for your child is a given. “I should thank him for pulling me out of that misery.”
With his tasks finished and their budget spent, he returns home to Luna and another visitor. To be met with her in casual clothes and another stranger.
“Is he one of your Magi members?”
“He’s their 1st Magus, Kenny. He may look tired, sad, and depressed, and like he had just gotten out of bed with a massive stick up his ass, but Luna claims that he apparently is nice and respected.” Kenny has spited Nikolay somehow. There’s no way their first interaction went well when he’s met with far more vitriol than anyone else ever had.
“I said I’m sorry! Come on! Let’s just move on, okay?” He sounds a little hoarse, as if he had caught a cold. He too, bears a ring like Luna, so who would have thought that he’d succumb to illness as a fellow Dream Catcher.
“He even sounds sleazy! Very respectable guy, huh?”
“Lay off,” Shen says as he takes off his jacket. He’s rather unimpressed by Nikolay’s barrage of insults. “You went out of your way to prepare a feast. What could he have said to deserve all that?”
“Not telling!” he screeches. The few times his face isn’t pale are the ones where he’s emotionally charged. Clearly, something had hit hard enough to catapult him to 100%.
With the last few ingredients gathered, Nikolay can finally complete their little welcoming party. Their visitors are numerous, coming in one by one. Though they are a collective unit, they have no proper headquarters of their own. Meetings occur within rented offices or someone’s shared living spaces. Their funds may be far more numerous than Nikolay and Shen have made in a lifetime, but they mean nothing when met with expensive scientific equipment.
“Introduction round! Line up!” says a young boy no older than seven. “Cool Magus! Next!”
To his right is a rather young person too androgynous to be seen as male or female. “Robin,” they say with haste. Maybe entering puberty may change that.
Next to Robin is a girl, likely in her late teens. With her arm swung around them, she says, “That’s Robin. I’m Mina. And our little goofball is Adrian. He’s our cool Magus for today.” Her voice is a little robotic and monotone, and it sounds as if she’s forcing herself to be more open with Nikolay and Shen.
“Gertrude, but most people call me Trudy,” says a girl in glasses a little shy but nowhere close to Robin.
“We’re Melody and Rythm. We’re kind of traveling musicians.” While Rythm is introducing them, Melody is poking her, trying to push her buttons. A quick smack to the back of her head shuts down any attempt to test Rythm’s patience.
Next to the musical pair sits a rather rowdy-looking one wearing only shorts and a sweater. He’s barefoot while snuggling with the guy next to him. “Randy and Bennett. I think we’re the only foreign nationals here, along with Luna.”
“Well, we’re hosting this thing. Don’t let yourselves be deterred by Sunny. He may look scary, but he’s kind of nice, I guess.”
“Kind of? Selen? Kind of?” Nikolay replies jokingly.
“Yep. And the person sitting next to me is…?”
“Tristan and Kenny. 2nd and 1st Magus,” says a tall, lanky guy who looks even more disheveled than Kenny does right now. Like most of the people here, he’s using his actual name instead of an identity made up for their lives as Dream Catchers.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Hey, I can introduce myself.” Kenny seems a little miffed.
“You’ll scare them off like you always do. Even Evergreen has far more tact than you do,” counters Tristan.
“But-”
“Well, you two already know me, but let me reintroduce myself.” She seems excited. “As a Dream Catcher, I’m Luna, but today, as a person, I’m Karen. Once again, nice to meet you.”
Finally, their last guest makes herself known. “Evergreen, but we’ve met before. Before Cool Magus can spoil the surprise, let it be known that I’m Alina. Regrettably, another member cannot join us today and Mirage is coming in a little later.”
“The one that acts like a witch?” Nikolay asks. “She’s part of the Magi, too?”
“Mira’s coming, too?? With more tasty snacks, right???” Adrian holds her dear. From the sounds of it, she’s likely not as scary as Shen and Nikolay think.
After all their introductions are dealt with, Evergreen/Alina rises from her seat. The couches they had brought in are boxing in Nikolay’s little coffee table along with the hosts and visitors. “We ought to express gratitude to our generous hosts. Their kindness is unmatched considering the circumstances we’ve met in. A toast to Sunny and Selen…”
Uncertain as to how they should toast off, a few raise their glasses with Adrian almost spilling some of his hot chocolate while the rest clap. They begin dining with a distance to them. Shen is itching to strike up a conversation topic like a few others wish to as well.
“I know talking about a Dream Catcher’s history is difficult, but I still can’t help but wonder how the Magi came to be. From the sounds of it, you haven’t been around for long, right?”
“Our history?” Kenny is hesitant to answer that question. “Are cliff notes fine? I’ll try being truthful.”
Shen nods.
“We initially had a few more comrades. Most of the people you see here are new additions that we happened to stumble across. It was initially us five siblings trying to survive and stopping people from turning into demons, but then we were separated. Our second youngest was captured years ago. Our older sister is lost trying to find us, so now I’m the oldest protecting Tristan and Adrian,” Kenny says. “Since she became a Dream Catcher to protect us, we owe it to her to prevent her from turning into a demon.”
“That’s when they met me. I was desperate to go into ethical research, not at the cost of some kids. Scum had turned this world into a greedy mess, so someone ought to fight with them,” Alina says. “That was a few months after they escaped. It’s been thirty months since then.”
“And then I joined as their secretary. I almost turned into a demon, but somehow, they saved me. They may look a little scrawny, but these Magi are incredibly powerful. Each one of them can take on a Fusion by themselves,” Karen claims. These claims feel outlandish. No one could have considered them to be this powerful. “But I’m sure you wouldn’t mind keeping that to yourselves, right?”
The remaining members are keeping to themselves, not offering up any information. Robin is hiding behind Mina before anyone could pose any questions. Randy and Bennett are keeping to themselves for now. Gertrude seems willing to talk a little more but it’s best not to prod too deep.
“Superpowers!” Adrian yells. “I don’t know!” Expecting a seven-year-old to be knowledgeable of their powers is nonsensical.
“Teleportation? I believe it to be just that.” Even Karen sounds uncertain of her own powers.
“Light for me, flesh for Kenny.”
“Flesh?” Nikolay is impressed. “I only have domain over my own blood.”
“Flesh and… something you’ll get to know someday.” Oddly mysterious. Quite terrifying. Knowing that his powers are related to flesh specifically, has Shen asking all kinds of questions about the possible body horrors Kenny could come up with. Nikolay biting off his fingers for a greater blood supply also sounds rather disgusting.
Gertrude summons a staff made of climbing roses. Their vines are perfectly intermingled. “Gardening. I can also create sheers and other gardening tools.”
“Fire, but I’m sure by now you’ve met all sorts of people with fire-related stuff.” Bennett is right. Within these past few months, they’ve come across Hellfire, Burnin, and now Bennett. “Since it’s so common, many people can teach me how to control them.”
“So you can fit into another rigid mold, huh? I’m the one with cement powers.” Randall is quick to follow up on whatever Bennett has to say.
“We don’t really understand ours either, and they haven’t had time to help us test them. We’re the newbies, so don’t worry about them keeping secrets. We’re keeping just as many till they spill theirs,” Melody sighs. She sounds a little down, worrying Karen a little bit. “Don’t worry, Karen. We’ll feel right at home eventually.”
“We-”
“Not telling!” Robin interjects and stops Mina from revealing anything about the two of them. “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t dig into your history. I’m not dumb enough to do that.” Nikolay’s attempt to diffuse the situation isn’t working as well. “I do have two incredible secrets that only my partner in crime knows of.” His second attempt seems to work a little better. Remembering how afraid he was to tell Shen about how he acquired his home, he knows opening up isn’t easy.
Since their introduction round and their icebreakers are behind them, they can move on to far more fun things: watching Christmas movies aimed at children. Patiently waiting for Adrian to fall asleep, they count down the minutes. Finally, sometime shortly before 8 pm, he has somehow exhausted himself enough to fall asleep. Shortly thereafter, they go on to watch a few horror movies, just trying to see which one of them would scream loud enough to wake up their little sun child. Robin and Randall leave at 10 as they still live with their parents. Mina leaves shortly after Robin, as they seem to be the main reason for her stay. Bennett, Melody, and Rythm depart at 11 with Bennett escorting them home while Rythm is being dragged along as she’s feeling weightless and coming this close to falling asleep. Not long after midnight, they finally are done cleaning up and getting everyone home. Only Kenny remains, just wishing to go on a walk with Nikolay while Shen’s already gone to sleep.
“I heard about your demon studies. From Karen.” He swallows a strange pill and starts smoking. “I think it’s really admirable how you’re so ready to embark on another adventure when you’re done with demons.”
“Is it? I’m kind of just winging it, and I’ll probably always do that.” Nikolay doesn’t sound all that confident now that he’s not performing in front of a crowd. Uncertainty seems to always plague him.
“No. It’s nice. I haven’t had the chance to relax and breathe since forever.” His voice is slightly trembling. “You’d think being responsible for Tristan and Adrian, I’d keep to myself and not take in a bunch of strays that need to be cared for, but I can’t help it. I can’t just stand by while others are struggling.”
“That sounds like a hassle,” Nikolay says. “I’m sorry for being all annoying earlier. I’m just not very good at dealing with all these new emotions.”
“I shouldn’t have called you selfish. You never meant to drag Shen into all this.”
“But I should have known that I was putting him in danger. I was lonely, so I selfishly dragged him into this,” Nikolay claims.
“You didn’t. And even if you did, there’s nothing wrong with being selfish. For now, on this happy occasion, let’s just be grateful for what we have now.”