" Believe it or not, Eric, this is what I call progress. It may not be as impressive as the last display but in my honest opinion this goes to show that Lily's grasp on her powers is increasing rapidly," Mason fires back grinning at me proudly, and boy it feels so elating that I have no idea how I'm still rooted to the ground. A big thank you to gravity is in order, I suppose.
" No flirting," Eric grinds out, as he reaches to stroke the kitten who hasn't moved an inch since she has materialised into the physical world.
" We are not flirting. Simply acknowledging her efforts in this situation. How is that even qualified as flirting? " Mason rises briskly, bristling at Eric who tilts his head to the side to look up at Mason.
" It is when you're looking at her all doe-eyed, grinning like a fucking idiot, " Eric retorts through clenched teeth while Mason's gaze drifts to me, questioning.
I give him an apologetic smile but don't say anything. Anything I'd have to say in this situation would be misconstrued. So, I return to the kitten at my feet while Eric is still weighing whether he should touch it or not.
Gingerly, he lowers his hand and sticks out his index finger which grazes the tip of its ears, it immediately stretches its neck demanding more and at the same time encouraging Eric to become more confident with his strokes.
I choose to remain silent and unmoving, considering that in my experience with these creatures, my touch seems to be the determiner that makes them disappear.
I'm surprised when Eric's palm gently brushes the top of its head, and the creature begins to purr softly. Although it mimics perfectly the animal in question, I know that it is far from it.
" Wow," I breathe silently afraid that even the slightest movement on my part would turn that thing into a million particles of shimmering dust.
Pleased, the kitten closes its eyes, relishing its touch, inviting Eric to stroke her more by rising to its feet and curling its spine, before rubbing itself on his shin.
Mason lowers himself at my side observing the behaviour, curiously. It feels like the kitten is luring him into a false sense of security before opening its mouth and biting his fingers off. I don't know why but this feels too easy. And for me, since all of this began, nothing has been easy.
After rubbing itself on Eric's shin a few more times, it rolls on its back showing Eric its belly; the likeness of a living and breathing cat is uncanny, except for the black fur. If it were an actual black cat, his fur would catch the light, and reflect it, but not this one. As soon it touches it, it just disappears.
With Eric being thoroughly entertained by the kitten, I look at Mason, he looks back at me with raised eyebrows, questioning. What wouldn't I give to have the answers, but all I have is more questions.
The kitten hisses, dragging our attention back to it; I keep calling it ' it' because I have no clue what the hell is that thing, and frankly, I feel less inclined to find out with each passing minute.
Climbing to its feet, it lowers itself to the ground in a crouch, taking a prowling stance, looking feral.
" Oh, shit," Eric jumps to his feet, and the kitten launches itself at him, at a dizzying speed landing on his head, screeching and hissing, clawing at his face, while Eric struggles to fling it off him.
" Get it off. Get it off," Eric shouts, grabbing the kitten by the scruff of its neck but to no avail. It has dug its claws so deep under his skin that pulling it off would leave him with scrapes and cuts all over his face.
Tempting, but I'm not one to stoop this low, so in his frenzy of moving limbs, while he spins around the room trying to peel the cursed kitten off himself, Mason and I box him in on each side and reach for the kitten.
Before we even touch it, it bursts, filling the room with golden shimmering dust that disperses all around the room, making this moment horrifically beautiful.
Mason's gaze finds mine through the shimmering dust, looking more puzzled than ever before. Frankly, so am I.
The only thing that comes to mind, is ' What the hell.'
I know, not very eloquent, but sometimes things tend to leave you speechless and this is one of those occasions.
" What the hell happened?" Eric asks padding the cuts on his face, to wipe off the blood.
" It was fine one minute and the next, it looked at me as if I had killed its mother. Jesus," He says, as he pushes a bloodied lock of hair out of his eyes.
Humming, Mason tucks both hands in his pockets, looking in no hurry to aid his injured friend, " You kind of did," He nods in my direction, " For some reason it must've sensed your animosity towards Lily. And at the end of the day, it's her creation. It will try to protect her from danger, which in this particular case means you," He smirks, and Eric frowns.
" Don't bring it back. Don't ever bring it back. At least if you're focusing on making these cursed creatures, make a fucking dog. At least they're friendly. Fuck, I hate magic," He grumbles back and pulls out a pocket-sized mirror to inspect his face. Go figure, of course, he would have a carry-on mirror on him.
" I wouldn't count on it if I were you," I say as I look around the room to see if the fairy dust has cleared. Most likely particles of light, considering that most of my powers consist in manipulating light, and electromagnetic energy.
I should definitely take David on his offer and pay him a visit at the lab. Recent events aside, it could provide us with essential insight into how I function. And with a bit of luck, he would be able to tell me what the hell am I?
Groaning, Eric lifts his hand to check his watch after safely pocketing his mirror.
" It's late. I need to go. Emmeline will worry. I said I won't be long. We will have to meet up tomorrow to finish up this session," Eric gestures to the room, my gaze following his gesturing hand until it lands on a scowling Mason.
" This is not how it works Eric. These are my training sessions. You're here to observe, not to tell me what to do. This is one of the reasons I refused your offer to take on Zareen all those years ago. You want control but don't want to dirty your hands. If you have somewhere else to be, please by all means show yourself out," Mason strides to the wall, bringing out the bane of my existence; the staff.