While mum is busy attending to Talia, I examine the items she left in my room.Most notably, the cloth scraps near mine and Nibi’s beds.These sheets of cloth should be of sufficient size for me to make dresses from, even though I’m sure Miss Delia would only find them useful for patches.The rgest piece is the typical undyed grey, but there are also three other colored cloths: a pink, a blue, and a white.While all three dyed fabrics are of high quality, the white sheet is made of a material I’ve never felt before.It’s incredibly slippery and smooth to the touch, feeling far softer than even what I’m currently wearing.Wonder which of the wealthy families ordered an outfit made out of this material?I can’t imagine anyone else would be able to afford whatever this is.
Deciding the normal grey fabric would be the best for me to begin with, I drag it a little away from the others.Now then, how am I to cut it?Or for that matter, sew the pieces together afterward.While mum brought shears, I don’t see a needle anywhere, and the shears are rger than I am.It’s doubtful I’ll be able to use them myself.At least, not well enough to cut how I wish.If only I had that silver needle, it wouldn’t be a problem, but in my hurry to leave the mansion, I forgot it again in Emira’s room, and it would be foolhardy to try to retrieve it after what happened recently.I’ll have to ask mum to return to Miss Delia and borrow one, unless she simply forgot to get it out of her pack.I suppose I could check, she probably left her things on the table for now.
So I begin turning towards the door and spreading my wings.However, my face suddenly collides with something solid!*Donngg*
Ow!!My nose!Gah!Immediately, there’s a weird shifting sensation, then a quick pop, and the pain disappears.Okay, while that’s nice, what did I run into!?
Looking in front of me, there’s the same shimmering, silver needle I used before, standing upright with its point in the wood.Again, there’s absolutely no way for it to have gotten there.It’s also less than half my height and as thin as my arm.How could I possibly have hit it face first!?
As is usual for me recently, I have no answers.Yet, the first time a needle magically appears as soon as I’m in need of one, I can accept it is as simply more of the impossible happening around me.And after becoming a fairy, I’m starting to get used to that.However, for it to happen a second time as soon as I require it, there must be something more going on.Is someone watching me or is that strange needle itself doing this somehow?
Reaching out to it, I once again check for any magical essence, and once again am unable to detect anything.Then I move to pick it up.My hand grasps my metal shaft, and I lift my needle slightly, pulling my point from the wooden furniture.The same odd feeling as before flows through me, a greeting to myself, although this time, with a touch of annoyance.After a few moments, it fades.
And I quickly drop the needle, hopping back as it falls to the wood!What was that!?
For a brief moment, it felt like I was the needle.Or, more accurately, like the needle was a part of me.As if I had somehow retrieved a piece of myself I’d left behind, which, for an instant, seamlessly returned to being a part of my body.It even felt so natural that I didn’t immediately realize that such a thing had occurred!
Walking back up to it, I kneel down and warily tap it.Nothing.Then I try ying my palm on it.Again, nothing.Simply the feeling of warm metal, even though it shouldn’t be this temperature while in my room.Bracing myself, I proceed to pick it up once more.And once more, nothing happens.What is going on with this thing?Could it be resting?
Unfortunately, unless it actually does something, I don’t have any way to investigate it further.After all, when I look at it, it does just appear to be a needle.That being the case, it seems like I have just the tool I wanted, so I think I’m going to start on my project if it’s going to behave for the time being.Even though that strange occurrence may happen again, that would give me a chance to learn more about it, and it was more startling than frightening.Honestly, it’s quite difficult to be scared of it when it simply feels like me.
Getting back to my task, I use the point of the needle to pierce a hole in the sheet of grey fabric and then proceed to simply pull the needle along it, cutting it in half.Huh…Perhaps because I was in a hurry whenever I used it or possibly because this implement feels so natural to wield, but whatever the reason, I never noticed what should’ve been quite obvious.Needles don’t cut like this!
After I became a fairy, it was the first object I tried to use for that purpose, but at the time, I didn’t have much choice.And since it worked incredibly well, I didn’t question it when I used the needle again.However, this most recent strangeness made me wary of any further oddities, and a needle that can both sew and cut incredibly well is extremely odd.Or I should say, impossible?Yeah, sure, the very tip can scratch away and eventually cut a small bit of fabric, yet the sides of a needle are deliberately made smooth.Since if it can cut, even tiny mistakes would ruin most fabric when sewing, making gashes in the cloth.Which didn’t happen when I sewed the button on the dress I’m wearing.
Going to a corner of this grey cloth, I quickly swipe the point of the needle along a small section, and it effortlessly slices it.While this is obviously unnaturally sharp, it isn’t entirely strange.Then I lift up the cut piece and attempt to pierce through it as if sewing, which likewise is easily done, the needle passing through and causing no cuts around the hole.Finally, I pce the tip back inside the hole I just made, and attempt to pull it through the cloth.This needle, again, cleanly slides through it like a knife, even though it clearly shouldn’t.So why doesn’t it slice the edges when I puncture the cloth?
Well, with something as bizarre as this, the only thing I can compare it to, honestly, is myself.Maybe it works somewhat akin to my magic?I once again proceed to poke a hole in the fabric.Then, focusing on a desire to only stretch the cloth, I pull on the needle just as I did before.However, this time, the tip is trapped within the material and barely moves, causing no harm to the fabric.
I was right!This tool seems to respond to what I wish it to do.Although, considering I still can’t feel any magic from it, I have no idea how it’s doing it.Just more questions to add to my growing list.
For now though, I should return to what I was doing.And I think the next step is to take my measurements.For the dress I’m currently wearing, I had to roughly guess if it was the correct size, but if I’m going to make something myself, I want it to fit properly.I’d be embarrassed to call myself a tailor otherwise.
However, measuring oneself is rather difficult.Furthermore, these wings are incredibly good at getting in the way.I’m limited to backless dresses from now on because of them, but I still need to measure behind myself.
*ditiditiditi*
Looking up, I see Nibi hovering in the doorway, giggling at my struggles.I’m not certain how long she’s been there watching me, but as always, she seems to find me extremely amusing.However, if she’s here, she may as well help, considering one of these nightdresses will be for her.
“Nibi, could you assist me with this?”
“Miep!”
She happily nds next to me.
“I need you to hold this still for me, right here.”
“Miep!”
With her aid, I manage to measure my height.Remarkably, my initial guess was nearly correct, as I’m now just shy of nine centimeters13.5 inches tall.However, seeing my new stature confirmed by a proven measure is quite dispiriting.I used to be taller than most of the women in town.Now according to my newest measurement, I’m missing 159 centimeters!25 feet 2 inches*Sigh*And they’re never coming back…
But I knew that already.I’ll have to get used to it.Moping won’t get me anywhere.
Shaking myself from those thoughts, I continue with my project, collecting my measurements and then Nibi’s as well.Turns out, I’m still taller than somebody, as she’s half a centimeter shorter than I.
Once I have our measurements, I use the charcoal to make patterns on the thin, bnk cloth.Somewhat surprisingly, Nibi listens quite well and holds one side of my measuring tape where ever I tell her, which allows me to accomplish the task far quicker than I otherwise would be able to.After a short while, I finish creating correctly measured patterns for both me and Nibi.
Taking up the needle, I first cut out the patterns and then use them as a guide to cut the required pieces from the grey fabric.Next, I find some matching grey thread in what mum brought, and put it through the eye of the needle.Once I align two pieces of fabric properly, I have Nibi hold them tightly in pce while I sew them together.
Unfortunately, while this needle may be sharp, it’s also quite rge compared to what I’m used to.Most needles I’ve used were roughly the length of my fingers or shorter.This one, on the other hand, is as long as my arm.I don’t have to be concerned as much about pricking my fingers, but the stitches are difficult to sew and aren’t nearly as close together as I’d like them to be.Thankfully, I’m only sewing nightdresses, so I needn’t worry many people will see them.Since the design for these garments was simple, and the stitching wider spaced than usual, it shouldn’t take long for me to finish my project.
While sewing, I hear quiet voices coming from Talia’s room, but don’t attempt to listen in and instead remain focused on my task.With a house this size, we’ve quickly learned to respect privacy when it’s really needed.Especially, if we wish to receive the same in return.
Once I’ve nearly finished with my sewing, the voices stop, and mum soon enters my room.
“I see you two have been busy. Those clothes seem to be coming together nicely.”
“Yeah, sure, I’ve been able to manage with what I have here, and Nibi has, unexpectedly, been a great help. But how is Talia feeling, mum?”
“I think she’ll be fine, with a little time. She said she’s feeling much better after sleeping for a bit. But according to her, she was feeling incredible all afternoon, until she got into town. Then it seems she suddenly became exhausted and everything felt wrong, as if nothing she ever did was good enough.”
Why would she ever think that?It almost sounds like…
“That’s odd. What you said sounds extremely simir to the effects of gloom. And believe me, mum, that energy feels awful! Are you sure she’s okay?”
“As I said, she’ll need time, but if you wouldn’t mind talking to her, you could probably help. But it seems like whatever affected her has ceased, and now she’s mostly confused about why she acted the way she did. Which sounds incredibly familiar.”
Along with her words, Mum gives me a pointed look.
“Are you saying that you think my magic harmed her!?”
“Well, the way she described how she felt during the walk home sounds very much like you while your wings were golden.”
“But all I did during that time was make it a little brighter! And that shone on you too!”
“Yes, but I got suspicious after hearing what Talia said, and I went over my notes with her. When you switched essences, you scattered that golden dust all over your sister, remember?”
“Oh, right. But I don’t know how that would affect her. I can’t even feel any energy from it.”
“There are many things that affect people that aren’t magical, Aki. You should know this with all the herbs I’ve taught you to look for. Besides, Talia didn’t come into contact with any other strange substances today. That dust is the only thing I could think of that makes sense.”
She’s right.I’ve gotten too focused on my new magic, and I’ve ignored the fact that things could be dangerous in more mundane ways.
“Well, if that is the case, and it somehow affected her in the same manner as light energy, it would also expin why she felt horrible afterwards. I was warned taking in a rge amount of sunlight could be devastating once the source went away, and Talia has no way to absorb any kind of essence on her own. *Sigh* Only I could do that to her, apparently.”
“Aki! Don’t beat yourself up over something you couldn’t have known. I can’t handle two daughters doing that at the same time. I need you to help me with Talia. But until I can get someone who can tell me what that dust is, you must be careful not to douse anyone else with it. I would take it to Narissa, but with the gossip in town about magic lights, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be hard to connect the two. And while I trust her with nearly everything, in several of the stories, fairies…”
Mum pauses, but I already know what she was going to say.
“Fairies are incredible magical ingredients, which are used in alchemy.”
“Yes, that... I’m not sure what she might do, and I won’t risk putting you in danger.”
“Then I’ll just have to be careful with this dust, mum. That shouldn’t be too difficult. After all, it only appears when I absorb enough essence.”
“I suppose that will have to do for now…At any rate, Talia is preparing dinner. I think she wanted some time to think while also keeping herself busy, so you can wait till afterwards to speak with her. Are you almost finished sewing those clothes?”
“Yes, they’re nearly done. Not quite as good as I would like them to be, but also not terrible for what I had to work with.”
“Then let me fetch the mirror, and you girls can try them on.”
“Mum!”
Of course, she has already left the room.These dresses aren’t what I would call high quality.On the contrary, they’re just extremely simple nightgowns.Yet, I suppose if she truly wishes to see my work, I won’t compin.It shouldn’t take long to show off this homely garment.