The Return of The Fae Doctor - OTA

[yves]

He didn't like to return to the Other Side, but now and then it couldn't be helped. Some things he required for his work could only be found there, and so he'd been off back home for what had been not terribly long here, but quite some time there. 

It was good to be back in London though. ...Well, perhaps good was a bit much. It was preferable to home though.

It wasn't terribly cold tonight, just chilly, and Yves strolled down the road with his hands in his pockets, taking in the holiday lights and the crowds. Dreadful, all of it. Just herds of  mortals looking for things to spend money on- Things that might make their brief and dreary lives slightly better. Though, to their credit, he supposed they did. Not for long, not in a way that lasted, but emptying their wallets seemed to amuse them for a while. Like a dog chasing after a ball, or a cat who'd just discovered nip. A brief little high that got them through the dregs of the year.

It was almost infectious, and for a moment, just a moment, he found himself outside a shop window, staring in. There were watches on display, dozens of them, along with silk ties and leather shoes. Pretty little baubles he didn't need. Tiny temptations that were usually little more to him than the odd armour he was forced to wear in this world. Here and now, however, they stopped being a necessity and became a desire.

How odd. Perhaps he'd been away too long.

Comments

[miss_ives]

"I thought - by plane," Vanessa answered with a slight frown. She supposed there might be some cruises available, or the Eurostar and various trains, but she hadn't considered her options yet. "I must admit, I haven't made any hard plans at all yet."

[yves]

Yves pulled a face at the mention of planes, wrinkling his nose and shaking his head.

"I think not. I'll handle our travel arrangements," he decided.

[miss_ives]

The abrupt dismissiveness of his decision had her eyebrows raise before she could decide how to respond. "Pardon?"

[yves]

"I don't enjoy mortal travel. I can get us there faster and without needing to be in a plane. ...Unless your heart is set on such things," the fae replied.

[miss_ives]

"It isn't," Vanessa answered, "but I like to have a say in how I go anywhere." If not mollified, she was at least curious now. "Tell me about your way."

[yves]

"Magic, obviously," Yves replied. "There are numerous spells that will take you from one place to another, several of which allow for companions and luggage to join you. It's quick, painless, and I don't have to sit next to someone who smells like taco bell. I suppose we still have to deal with the bureaucracy of currency exchange and all that, but wouldn't it be nice not to have to go through airport security?" he sighed.

[miss_ives]

"It would be wonderful," Vanessa agreed, without missing a beat. Nor did she miss one without going on, "Tell me about those spells."

Magic came in many different forms, and worked in many different ways. Of course it would be magic. But she wanted to know more.

Or the plane and all its security would be just fine.

[yves]

"If you don't wish to travel that way, you're free to fly and I'll simply meet you there," Yves shrugged, not in the mood to explain how his magic worked. Honestly, magic was such a complex thing that there was no way of explaining it easily. It took years of study just to boil down the basics of what magic was, exactly. Any simplified explanation he offered over tea would be an insult to the craft.

[miss_ives]

Vanessa's expression closed down. "I certainly will fly, then." Not explaining it felt like an insult to her.

[yves]

Yves only nodded, perfectly fine with that arrangement. He only cared that he didn't have to sit in some metal tube in the sky.

"Let me know what day I'm to arrive, and where we'll be staying," he decided.

[miss_ives]

"Are you certain I'll pick something that meets your standards?" Vanessa asked, eyebrows slightly raised.

[yves]

The fae cocked his head, studying her curiously.

"You're cross now. ...Why?" Yves asked, frowning slightly.

[miss_ives]

Vanessa checked her initial response, and took a step back to consider Yves's possible lack of cultural context when it came to such things, on top of his lack of context when it came to her. She took a sip from her tea, then sat the cup back down.

"You'll find that women in this day and age are often wary of men - of any species - making decisions for them," she explained, quite simply, but without making excuses for her reaction. "Add to that my own difficult relationship with different sorts of magic. And then, your apparent dismissal of my ability to understand what your means of travel might be like."

[yves]

"You're insulted. ...I apologize. I wont pretend that I can explain these spells to you though. Not because I think you're ignorant, I wouldn't talk to you at all if I thought you were anything less than remarkable, Miss Ives. Magic is simply complex, extraordinarily so. Most users never fully understand it, they simply practice it. I can tell you what I'll do- That I'll put some symbols down, chant some incantations, and we'll be transported to our destination. That's not an explanation though, is it? Not a good one. Not the one you want, I imagine."

[miss_ives]

"Certainly not," Vanessa confirmed. She grew silent for a few seconds, then asked him, "Do you think you fully understand it?"

He had said most users, after all.

[yves]

"I don't believe anyone fully understands, but I think I have a good understanding of the basic principals. Cross realm energies and similar ideas."

[miss_ives]

"What about the... the different flavours of magic?" Vanessa settled on, struggling to find the appropriate words for what she meant. "Could you at least explain where they come from?" Anything that might help her understand some of the things she felt; the trip to Moscow was not at the fore of her mind anymore.