“Human Chad, where is this going?” Adjusting a box of potted plants carefully, I scrunched up my nose as the smell of them curled my nose hairs. The human Chad, straightened to rub his hand across his forehead, and I frowned slightly at the slight discoloration of his skin. Over the past months, I’d found that humans didn’t stop working – ever. Even when the job was done, they found new, more tedious, and additionally draining things to do.
“Uh – those are going into that truck –” Pointing to the pick-up at the end of the row of five, the human Chad raked his hand through his dark hair and heaved a breath. “That should be it for now. I’m going to call lunch, and then we can get to the deliveries. You’ll be riding with me today while Jon and Kevin do their solo drop offs, and then we’re taking the other two trucks to the site to start the landscaping.”
Arching a brow at the frustration that flittered across the human Chad’s face, I flexed my fingers around my burden. He only glanced around absently, as if he didn’t want to look at me and see the question burning against the backs of my eyes. Cocking my head slightly, the little action drew his gaze, and he offered me a grim half smile, half frown.
“I wasn’t going to take this landscaping job, you know…” Starting his explanation, he leaned on a pallet of bagged soil to shake his head while my curiosity hit a new high. “It’s over in Oakstand, and the shifters there are real assholes. Super purity types that look down on anyone that aren’t one of them. It’s incredibly annoying to know they’re looking at me and my crew like we’re work monkeys. I mean – they’re paying me almost double for the work because they know we’re the best in town, but still…”
“You are not work monkeys.” My skin crawled at the people the human Chad described, and I set my burden on the floor as he cracked a genuine, grateful smile at me. “Humans can survive without magic, human Chad – it is the magic that cannot survive without the creatures that wield it. With disuse comes chaos that humans just…”
Pursing my lips together, I fell silent as my mind churned; I still wasn’t familiar with some human terms, and the lack of knowledge caused frustration to tickle my chest.
“…Electricity through…” For the first time all morning, the human Chad laughed a hearty, loud sound, and I furrowed my brows over a slight frown. Waving off my confusion, he swiped both palms down his face as he reigned in his mirth, but his amusement was still evident in his voice when he spoke.
“Power through, Linne. Power through. I get that – I really do…but that doesn’t mean I won’t feel degraded by the fact that shifters think they’re so much better – at least, those particular shifters. Also, I was kind of hesitant to bring you, but I need my whole crew for this.” Nodding at the correction, I stored that little piece of information away while the human Chad rolled his broad shoulders. “I don’t want them to treat you some crazy way because you’re from a different realm. They can see your wings without that thing you put in my eye. I worried a lot over this job.”
Affection blossomed in my chest, and I smiled broadly as memories floated into my mind’s eye. Three months after I began here, the human Chad realized I wasn’t human, and he confronted me. At the time, it’d been incredibly unnerving, but I was surprised at how understanding he was.
He even let me put a magical parasite in his left eye, so he could see my true form, wings included. In fact, he could see much of the magic that surrounded magical beings in this realm, which he said would help him with his business. I wasn’t sure how even now, and I wasn’t going to ask.
“Yes. Do not forget that I can control what they see, human Chad. My wings may have shrunk, but my magic is still very powerful.” My assurances seemed to calm him, and I picked up my plants again to stride past him. The tickle of magical tendrils that weaved through my veins made hauling the heavy dirt and flowers that had yet to bloom easy while my mind wandered. That was how the human Chad figured out I wasn’t human, supposedly – I did far too much work and didn’t show it.
Although, this tiny exercise was about all I could accomplish as far as what was called telekinesis in this realm.
“Here, let me help you with that.” Jogging up next to me, Kevin flashed me a boyish grin that showcased his deep dimples. He didn’t wait for an answer, his lithe, young body hopping easily into the bed of the truck to crouch tightly. The human Chad and Kevin were cousins, separated by a dozen or so years in age, and he held out his hands for my plants with a smile.
Why do I call the human Chad ‘the human Chad’, but Kevin is Kevin? The thought stuck to the forefront of my mind as I passed off my burden. Maybe because the human Chad was the first human I came to know…
“Do you want to come to lunch with us?” Every day, Kevin asked me this question, and every day, I said ‘no’. Backing up as he sat on the tail of the truck, I rubbed my tongue against the roof of my mouth as I contemplated giving in. Part of me had always wanted to go, but I couldn’t find the courage in me to eat human food. Everything looked and smelled so different than my home realm, and any time I thought I would try something, I backed out.
“Yes.” Kevin perked up considerably at my acceptance, and I absently reached to adjust my harness. “I will.”
“Great! We’re going to this place – Casna’s. They serve great Afghan food, which is kind of bias because they’re the only Afghan place in town. We just don’t want pizza or subs again.” Staring at Kevin dumbly, I blinked slowly as I tried to decipher what he’d said. ‘Pizza’ – ‘subs’ – what was Afghan, and why was it different?
Maybe it was a spice.
“You’ve never had Afghan before, Linne?” Sliding off the tail, Kevin dusted his pants roughly before answering his own question without even so much as a nod from me. “It’s okay. Not many people have. It’s really amazing once you get a hang of it, and it’s super authentic – like, the owner barely speaks English, and she only moved here, like, four years ago with her son and two daughters – who are way hot.”
“Okay.” Answering simply, I hid the slither of regret that snaked out from my heart. If Kevin talked so much now, I could only imagine what would happen sitting across a table from him for an hour. “I have to go finish loading, now…”
“Yeah – sure. Meet us back here in, like, 20 minutes.” Turning on my heel, I made my way through the yard and the seemingly endless stacks of bags, pots, and heavy machinery. “Oh – and don’t bring your wallet! My treat!”
“Alright.” From behind furrowed brows, I wondered how this particular food could be considered a treat. Did that mean Afghan food was sweet? Was Afghan like sugar? Reaching to rub the butt of my palm against my temple, my lips twisted into a grimace at all of the confusion Kevin seemed to single-handedly bring on. He clearly needed no help to carry on a conversation.
While that was a particularly good skill for distracting enemies, I didn’t much care for it turned on me.