I wasn’t sure which of the three snorted, but it was loud.
"Of course." This was all a lot. Like... a lot.
"Why are you here?" Bran asked politely.
"Ah." Reynard pulled a packet out of his jacket’s inner pocket. "I have the papers for Harry and Christian."
"Excellent." Bran took them, looked them over, then gave IDs and passports to the two men. "If Andromeda is well, I think you may both leave."
Harry nodded. "Her memory is whole, and she shouldn't suffer any further headaches. I didn't find any other health problems."
Well, okay. Good to know I was healthy.
Bran held one hand out, and they shook. "Thank you for your assistance."
"Bye," I said weakly.
Reynard was first out the door.
Stopping the goblins in the doorway, Bran said quietly, "Find out everything you can about Franklin, this Eldora, and their lineage. Who does he work for? Is her sister involved? We need to be informed."
When Bran closed the door behind his friends, he turned and smiled, still human-looking. "Would you like for me to attempt to create dinner?"
I chuckled at the way he phrased it. "I take it you've not had much experience cooking?"
"On the contrary. I love to cook. I'm just unfamiliar with Gaian spices and food combinations."
"Why don't I order something to be delivered?" I suggested. "Chinese?"
He nodded. "I'm not picky. Order me whatever you like best."
I liked a lot, so I just went ahead and got four different dishes, and told them the tip would be generous if they hurried. Now that my headache was gone and I'd had some water, I was absolutely ravenous.
We sat back down to wait. "So." I cleared my throat. "I'm not sure where to go from here."
He tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
I shrugged. "I'm a witch. You're... whatever you are. And my brother-in-law is apparently some kind of villain."
He frowned. "Franklin will need to be dealt with. I met him once, and didn't like him then. He attempted to take magic from me, though I thought it was a subconscious thing at the time. Now I realize he knew all along what he was doing, which leads me to believe there are still magic users on Gaius who are aware and practicing."
"Maybe someone can teach me." I leaned back and rubbed my hands together, trying to feel for magic, or find it in myself. "Nothing. Nothing feels any different."
Bran's eyes softened. "Give it some time, Andromeda. You've only just found out. And you’d been drained to almost nothing earlier."
“How do I get it back?”
He smiled. “Rest, food, exercise. Doing something that gives you joy. From what I understand, the rate depends on your emotional state. You should try not to worry about it.”
And that wasn’t like telling me not to think of pink elephants at all. "I guess so."
We were both quiet for a bit as my mind went so fast I couldn't keep up with it, then Bran finally broke it as he shifted in his seat. "Do you want to talk about this more? Do you have questions?"
"I do, but I can't seem to formulate them. Can you just... tell me stuff?"
Bran grinned then took a deep breath and began. "What you or any human would call monsters have been banished to Dream for centuries. Since then humans have forgotten the truth about us, just know. We want to move back to Earth because it's our home. We're friendly, for the most part. There are a few bad apples, but they're in the minority."
He paused as the doorbell rang. "That will be the food," he said, getting up to answer it.
