"History?"

"Uh, yeah. Ask Gee."

"I- oh- okay-"

"Now, shall we test your flying skills?"

"I don't really have any skil-"

"Perfect! Go right."

Joshua pulled Isabelle's antlers gingerly to the right.

"C'mon! You won't get anywhere like that! Direct with purpose!"

Taking the instruction to heart, Joshua jerked the antlers to the right. Isabelle responded by turning in a sharp circle. Joshua nearly fell off.

"Be careful! Don't yank it, just pull it until she's turned!" Trick yelped.

He tried again, this time making Isabelle go in a nice curve. Trick breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, at least we aren't dead yet."

"I, um, can we go back yet?" Asked Joshy.

The request took Trick by surprise. He had thought Joshy was enjoying himself, he certainly was. Besides, he was nearly certain that Joshua's History was with Aviation. "Are you sure you don't want to stay out a bit longer?" He asked, voice small and slightly wavering. "It's such a beautiful night, and-" even he knew his pleas weren't convincing.

"I'm quite sure." Joshua responded, scared but firm.

"Ok, well, land us, then."

"What do you mean?! I don't know how to do that!"

"Right, of course. Just push her antlers forward and down, and say 'dane.'" He instructed, still sounding dejected.

Joshua did as he was told, hiding his nerves behind a facade of confidence. In no time, they were back on the ground. Trick dismounted, then Joshua, though considerably less gracefully. It had been quite a while since he'd taken a riding class, and the wings were most certainly in the way.

"Well done." Trick commended, smile forced, as he took Isabelle back to the stable. Joshua followed close behind.

"Thank you?" He responded, though it came out closer to a question.

Trick started to quickly brush down Isabelle. "By the way," he started, "if you ever want to know more about huppwumpary, I'd be happy to teach you. You've a real knack for it, you know." He continued, "and in case you're wondering where the words 'uppa' and 'dane' come from, it's actually quite interesting. Their from an ancient dialect from the Hupwup region, where huppowumps were first domesticated. We still use the same words, to honor that history. Also, the huppys seem to understand it best. Isn't that right, my little huppy-wuppy?" He cooed at the creature. "The word for left is 'luf,' and right is 'rott.' Of course, we don't use those much when riding, but if you were to use a hupp for, say, herding, verbal commands are quite useful. Don't you think?" Trick turned away from Isabelle for the first time since starting his lecture, a bright smile back on his face. Joshua had already wandered back towards the manor.

~~~

Humming as he walked, Joshua started to stroll around the grounds, exploring what he could see in the darkness. Although he was slightly scared out of his wits and, simply put, confused, it was nice to have some time without constantly being hounded by weird butlers or strange beasts. He let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

He realized he was tired. So very tired. He would have liked to lie down right there in the grass, but well, it was quite a nice suit. Instead, he found a small bench, and sat down. He let his back hunch, his shoulders sag. His head lowered. He let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

After a minute, he remembered he still had to face the world. Or at least this bizarre ecosystem in a hidden pocket of the world. But not quite yet. He looked up, taking a good look around him. The bench he was sitting on was concrete, but enough only for one person, two, if they were close. The grass was dewy, the air had a slight chill. There was a small pond off to the side a bit, with a fountain in the middle. It slightly resembled a bird, but not one he had seen. It had long legs, a slim body, the wings were outstretched, it's head pointed up. He suspected water came out of the sharp, curved beak. The water wasn't on at this hour, though. Just past the pond was a low, curved wall, separating the even garden from the slightly raised forest beyond it. He didn't dare explore that.

"Fine night, isn't it?" A voice asked. Joshua jumped, and didn't respond. "It's beautiful out here," the voice continued. "So relaxing." There was a moment of silence. "You know, not many people are able to reach this part of the garden." The voice was steady, sure of itself. But most of all, it was kind, and that's what struck Joshua as most odd. There are barely any people in this world who are so kind you can hear it.

"W-what do you mean?" Joshua responded, voice quiet and quivering. He was surprised at his own bravery, he didn't run and scream!

"Well," the voice let out a sigh, as if trying to decide how to go on. "You have to be of a certain rank," the voice tried, "a certain mindset."

"And what mindset might that be?" Wow, he was surprisingly comfortable with taking to a disembodied voice.

"Oh, you know" it carried on. "You have to be looking for something. You have to be pitied." At last, the owner of the voice emerged. The man came from behind the fountain, Joshua wasn't quite sure where.

However, something made Joshua want to avert his eyes. He knew they were there, but he didn't want to look at them. At least not directly. What he did see of him, though, didn't seem quite right. It was kind of... watery. Finicky. It... flickered. It was real, but, well, maybe not quite. "Ah. Got it." He sounded choked.

The figure came closer. "No, you don't." It sighed again. "Not really. But no matter." The figure was now right in front of Joshua, who was now nervously looking down into his lap. "And I'm so sorry about... this." It gestured up and down its body. "It's nearly three. The Witching Hour. Don't worry, I don't change much, but others do. Don't be frightened, now, just accept it. Now, come on," the figure reached out, placing a hand on Joshua's shoulder. His eyes shot up, now face to face with the figure. The touch sent a shiver down his spine, and it felt almost energizing. They continued: "we should get going. I'll walk back to the house with you."

Joshua slowly rose, though he didn't know if it was because he told his muscles to do so, or the creature simply willed it.

"Remember," The figure continued as they walked. "Just accept things as they are. Open your eyes, they aren't lying to you."

//Okay, hello! I'm sorry this was pretty short and not very good and it's been a while since I posted anything, but life's been heckin' busy and I've had writers block. Not that anyone cares about that lol. Anyways, yesterday was Friday the 13th, which I completely forgot about. As in, I knew it was Friday, I knew it was the 13th, I just didn't put two and two together. So here this chapter is on Saturday the 14th! Really missed a great opportunity there, huh? Oh well, no matter. There will be another Guide to Fae Culture posted sometime next week, but that's it for this year! Hell, this decade! Lmao this is gonna be so outdated soon. (Yes, I'm lame, but at least I'm self aware.) Alright, bye for now!//

Published December 14, 2019