Familiar Envy Who: Day and Hayden Where: Leaving the theater When: Afternoon
Unsurprisingly, Day had been the only one at the first rehearsal who had known all his lines by heart already. He didn't hold it against anyone else, though. It was just what he did. He had been a little annoyed at how many people simply hadn't shown up, though-- people who had been cast, but just weren't there. Like, you know, the baker, who was probably the biggest part in the whole musical!
He still got a bit huffy, thinking about it. Day didn't like when people left him and others hanging like that.
But he was determined not to think of it, at the moment, as he wandered out into the sunlight and caught sight of Hayden leaving ahead of him. "Oh, Hayden!" he called lightly, and maybe a little girlishly.
Hayden was headed out of rehearsal, eager to get home, shower and change so she could spend the rest of the night with Christian. She heard someone call for her, and recognizing the voice, she turned to see Day. Smiling, she waved at him and slowed down, waiting for him to catch up to her. "Hey!" She hadn't been able to talk to him much during rehearsal, what with all the rehearsing going on. "What's up?"
Picking up the pace to a jog, Day reached her side then fell in beside her. "Oh, all sorts of things. Rehearsals, friends returned to us, familiars cropping up all over...." He grinned. "Did Christian tell you about ours?" It was his favorite subject, these days. Novitas rolled her eyes fairly often when he brought it up.
"I heard about the familiars," Hayden said with a nod. "But I mean, I didn't know you two got one! How is it going?" She knew a lot of people were freaked out by the animals, but it seemed like most people embraced them pretty happily, despite the risks that came with them.
Quite honestly, Day didn't know much about the risks, and what he did know he wasn't too worried about. Who was going to kill a bear, after all? He beamed and readily explained, "It's going well, I think. I'm taking it better than Chris, of course, but that's normal. He has a cat. Named Madeline."
Hayden made a note to call Christian as soon as her shower was over. She wondered if his cat would be following him to her house every time he came over. "A cat named Madeline... what do you mean that you're taking it better than he is? Is he having a hard time with it?"
"He's just being his usual nervous self, I expect," Day shrugged, reaching her car and turning to lean on the hood, grinning. "Sure she's going to spy on him, or be mean to him, or that something horrible is going to happen because she found him." He loved his brother, but... seriously. It was kind of funny how he stressed himself out about things.
"Shouldn't familiars be, like, kind to you?" Hayden asked. She didn't have one, so she had no idea. But then again, Christian was usually overly paranoid about things like this, so she wasn't surprised. "Or is he just overreacting?"
"Well, they're here to help us out, but I don't imagine they have to be super-nice if they aren't that kind of... uh, people." Even though they were animals, they were also people in some senses of the word. "Madeline is really just kind of prim and proper, though, so I do think it's mostly Christian over-reacting, to be honest."
"Aw." Hayden smiled. "I think it'll be fun to meet Madeline then. Hopefully she realizes Christian's pretty sensitive and won't say anything to hurt his feelings." Or she'd have to kick the damn cat, animal or not. "So you're excited about the whole thing then?"
"Oh, quite!" Day said enthusiastically. "I mean, who wouldn't, if their familiar is a bear?" He'd been waiting for that part. He loved telling people about Novitas, they always had such great reactions.
A bear? Hayden stared before she snorted with disbelief and then laughter. It would figure that Christian got a cat, and Day got a bear. "It doesn't sound like it's easy to transport her around," Hayden mused. "I mean, your car is so not big enough!"
Day heaved a little sigh. "True. That's the one problem with her, really. She simply doesn't fit most places-- or else I'd have brought her today to watch and keep me company!" And make him the center of attention, but that was a handy side effect. Too bad it couldn't happen, though. "I'm tempted to trade in the mustang for something a little bigger, but I do love that car."
"Oh yeah, bringing a bear into rehearsal would have went over well," Hayden said with a roll of her eyes. "Probably best that she stayed at home!" She shouldered her bag again and eyed him warily. "You would actually trade in your mustang for a big ass van to fit your bear?" God, that sentence was kind of funny and Hayden couldn't help but grin. "Day Danui, driving around in a monster van... I can't see it."
"That's another thing to think about," Day admitted mournfully. "Can you imagine me in something that horrid? I don't know. Maybe one of those sporty little Scions. She could squish into the back, maybe...." Dang, he didn't know. Could he take a bear to a car dealership and try to see what she fit in? "I could go all cowboy and get a pickup truck." Yeah, right.
"Your mustang is like... your trademark. If you got rid of it, I would have no idea who you were anymore," Hayden teased. "And if you got a pick up truck? I would think you were possessed by a cowboy spirit." She shook her head. "Can't familiars just... materialize? Or like, end up where you're going anyway?" She didn't really understand how they worked, in all honesty.
Making a face, Day said, "Yeah, no pickup trucks." He sighed. "I wish she could just materialize... but no. She's a big bear, and she's here to stay, no awesome disappearing skills for her. I think the only things she can do are think like a person and talk in people's head-- and boost my abilities, of course. Not much else."
"That sounds like a lot though," Hayden pointed out. "I mean, think about it... bear who can talk in your head, think like a person and make your element better... what other kinds of bears can do that?" She smiled and tried to imagine Christian having a cat who could do all of that too. "So weird! I wonder how familiars choose people." Since she hadn't gotten one, which totally sucked.
"I have no idea," Day shrugged. He knew how remarkable Novitas, and all the other animals, were-- he just knew their limits, too. "Neither did Novi or Madeline. They just got... a call, I guess they said. And the news says only elementals and witches have been getting them." He couldn't guess why Hayden hadn't, honestly-- she was surely an elemental, and she did love her power, so why not? "They did say something big was coming, that we'd need them for." Maybe Hayden wouldn't need one?
"Oh." She frowned and wondered if maybe she wasn't a good enough elemental to have a familiar. It didn't help to hear 'something big was coming' either. Because if witches and elementals had familiars and she didn't? What did that mean. "I wonder why I haven't gotten one then..." Admittedly she felt a little left out now. Maybe she just sucked as a fire elemental and her familiar took off rather than being stuck with her.
"I'm guessing because you won't need one," Day shrugged, blinking at her and wondering if she really was upset about it. Hayden as insecure wasn't something he'd ever contemplated, but she certainly didn't look happy. "You won't be in danger where you need protecting or need a power boost. Or perhaps yours hasn't found you yet. There are still people getting chosen even today, and probably even next week, or next month." He really had no idea, just going off of what he'd heard on the news and from Novitas, but he did want to make her feel better.
"But what if I do? And mine got lost or something." Hayden didn't think it would be wise to totally freak out about it, but if people were getting chosen for familiars, then there had to be a reason. And if some people didn't get any at all, there had to be reasons for that too! "It's not like I'm a great elemental or anything," she said. "I can't do much at all, so I don't know why I wouldn't need a power boost." Hayden sighed. "This blows."
"You're a fine elemental," Day protested. "You're a better one than Christian, he hardly ever even practices. The only elemental-related thing he even does is swim a lot. So I don't think it's that, Hayden." He didn't know what it could be, but he knew it wasn't that.
Hayden wasn't sure she believed him, but she responded with a small hum in her throat as she tried to process it. "Maybe I'll go home and like, look all this stuff up on the internet and see what I missed. Maybe I'll figure it out then or something."
"That's probably a good idea," Day agreed, hoping that would help her not get to down on herself. "And next time you see Christian, why not ask Madeline, if she's with him?" He doubted Novitas would be of much help, butt maybe Madeline could be reassuring. She was prim and proper, but also rather motherly, it seemed like.
"Okay, I guess that might work." Hayden hadn't put much thought into the familiars thing until now. But maybe she could find some answers as to why she didn't get one. Or at least didn't have one yet. "I'll ask Christian to come over tomorrow, so then I can meet Madeline and everything."
"I'm sure he'd like that. Or Madeline would, at least," Day chuckled. "He's very paranoid about her spying on him... or something of the sort. I'm sure you'll like her, though. She's quite pretty, and definitely a lap cat." And hopefully would say the only reason Hayden didn't have one, too, was she was going to stay out of danger for the time being. Not that Day wanted himself or his brother, or Chrissy for that matter, in danger... but still. Anything to reassure Hayden. He knew that feeling, himself, after all.
Hayden nodded and chewed on her lip in thought. "Okay, I'll call him when I get home. Thanks, Day." Danger or not, Hayden felt left out. Day had a bear, and Christian had a cat. Hayden was just feeling like she ought to have one too. "I should get home," she said with a small sigh. "Say hello to your bear for me!"
"I will," Day promised lightly. He offered her an arm for a hug, if she wanted one. "Are we still getting together for practice this week?" Maybe if they did, he'd bring Novitas, and she could meet the bear, too.
Hayden gave him a hug and pulled back with a small smile. "Sure! Any day is good for me... just text me and let me know when you can come over. Maybe after rehearsals or something?"
"We'll figure something out," Day nodded, pleased. He did want to keep up with his magic, and hers, over the summer. "I'll see you soon, Hayden. Don't get my brother in too much trouble until then." He grinned, teasing, then backed off from her car to go find his own. Time for him to get home, too.
"I promise, he's in good hands," Hayden said with a smile as she headed off to her own car. "Bye, Day!" She waved and then picked up her pace, determined to get home and read the news more thoroughly. She wanted a familiar, darn it! and she was going to figure out why she didn't have one yet.