The tearful, self-doubting, girl asked why Elise thought she could do the difficult things Elise was asking of her and Elise struggled to find an easy answer. Illusion was easy, divination was easy, focus crafting was easy. All the things people said were too difficult or too challenging just weren't. Not when you actually sat down and really tried them. She didn't know how to get Willow to see how simple those things were in practice.

"Well your spell thread is very small, but that makes it easier to control. Shorter spell thread means more control and more speed in casting. Complex but low power spells suit people like us. If you can or can't do well with illusion magic has nothing to do with your line length it's all to do with how much effort you put in. I think you can put in the effort, besides that statement about failing at everything is objectively false. Didn't you just successfully cast the spell I had asked you to? Please, don't declare failure before you've even begun,"

Willow stared down at her shoes but nodded solemnly. Not for the first time, Elise found herself wondering what the child's life was like before she found her in the alley. But Elise didn't feel like she could ask. There was no chance it hadn't been difficult and Elise was not the best at dealing with difficult emotions.

"Alright then I'm going to finish drafting this focus, you should practice casting that spell. If you get good enough to write a word in the air with it I'd be thrilled. But if you can't do worry about it, it's just something to aim towards,"

The rest of the day passed swiftly though in truth there had not been much day left. Elise worked on the focus for Willow lost in the rapturous joy such work brought her. But it wasn't enough for her to miss Willow's attempts to cast light spells. Elise was a reader and could feel her apprentice's spell thread as the child struggled with it. After the first few attempts, her control improved considerably as she relaxed and the nervousness of failure left her. In time the small shop was illuminated by a steady blue light as the evening sun set.

Willow had mostly mastered the basics of the light spell. There was no more spell jitter from poor control, there was no more uncertainty on her face when she started casting. The child beamed brighter than the light she had made. It was such a small thing, such a tiny and simple spell but sometimes the small things were the only things to truly matter. Elise had nearly finished the small focus she'd been making. It was a small and complex thing. Was it too complex? Where did the belief that Willow could handle it come from? Won't it have been better to make something simpler so Willow could build up her confidence? Did she really believe it'd be so easy to teach her how to use it? Or had she been perhaps so blinded by her desire to make something skilful and impressive that she'd ignored what the child had actually needed? Didn't she do that with most of her customers? Little wonder then that she had such a bad reputation. She hadn't even arranged a place for the girl to sleep and night had already fallen. What the hell was she even doing?

Stolen novel; please report.

"You've made some excellent progress there Willow. See you didn't fail. Now it's about time we set you somewhere to sleep. There should be some rope and blankets in the basement,"

Willow looked adorably pleased with the little bit of praise Elise had given her. She practically hopped up from where she sat to follow Elise down the hatch into the basement. Metal tools sat ordered on workbenches accompanied by half-finished projects. Machines and inventions that hadn't worked out filled the space with only a small few that worked as she had envisioned. Elise kept expecting Willow to speak up and ask what all these strange objects were. But she stayed silent and stayed behind Elise. She did, however, keep her light going which saved Elise the trouble of trying to get her firestarter to light a candle. Its concept was sound but maybe a redesign was needed. The basement contained many of Elise's attempts to make tools and objects that could fulfil the purposes of spells without expending spell thread. So much was reliant on spells and she didn't have the spell thread to spare for most of it thus she'd worked hard at finding non-magical replacements. She hadn't been overly successful. She also kept some raw materials like rope and fabric close at hand. She knew exactly where they were and wasted no time gathering them up.

Willow in the meantime had caught sight of a particular little box shoved unceremoniously to the very back and was looking at it quite intently. Everything down here was treated well and maintained well, despite the clutter, except for that little box. It had been treated with a level of disregard that seemed intentional. That was because it was intentional. If Elise didn't suspect the accursed thing would end up quickly found she'd have dumped it in the river long ago. No, no, no that was a lie she told herself. That wasn't why she kept it. She kept it for the same reason people pick at scabs and old wounds. She kept it because letting it go would be the same as forgiving herself.

"Miss Elise?"

Elise dreaded the question that was coming.

"Uhgh getting called Miss is weird. Just Elise is fine. No need for miss and especial no need to call me lady Elise. I'm Elise you're Willow. More than that I feel is too much. So what is it you want to know Willow?"

She didn't want to answer, she didn't want to tell her about the contents of that box or answer all the questions its contents would raise. It did not contain happy memories after all.

"Why are you so nice to me?"

The question threw Elise. It was not the one she was expecting and she had never viewed herself as very nice. She took a second to collect herself and hide her surprise and her relief.

"Does there need to be a reason? That'd be the obvious answer, wouldn't it? That being nice doesn't need a reason. It doesn't, but that doesn't stop reasons from showing up anyway. There are reasons. You remind me of me when I was younger. Of that time when I, when I was most alone. You'll find I'm pretty sentimental about the past. I always have been. Anyway come on there's not much room upstairs for another bed but I can rig up a hammock for you, at least till we figure out something better,"

Willow nodded quietly as they left the basement. Elise glancing back towards the little box as the door closed and they headed up the stairs. Now that there was someone else here she needed to get rid of it. It was only a matter of time until it was opened. Something would happen, the child would get curious at some point as is natural for kids. How would Willow react to it? Would her trust go away? Elise badly needed it gone. But she couldn't bring herself to get rid of it. She couldn't let it go.