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Bonding Rituals
Jasmine found contentment in the decision she made, choosing the appropriate gift for Ecko had been an exhausting experience, and the sorceress hoped it had been the right one; it was never an easy task selecting another being’s wand, it was generally unheard of, and the magix item had to be the right fit, however, with the purchase-receipt, and her standing in the community, making an exchange would be no problem.

The sorceress paid extra for gift-wrapping, and tipped the stuard when he loaded the packages. With the reins in her hand, the magix elder placed a thumb to the side of her nose, and creature and being and carriage disappeared; there were forty-five minutes before she was due at the banquet hall, and there was no time for taking the long way to Crennec Peninsula…

Two seconds later, the sorceress and creature and wagon arrived in front of the hall, and she pulled gently on the reins to stop. Azleal greeted his mother outside, and helped with getting her things inside; several family members were tasked with keeping Ecko distracted from the party-planning, and they took the princess to see the afternoon matineè. Still, there would come a time when Ecko would arrive, and her mother needed to start setting everything up.

When the royal elf and her doting family members left the cinema, their first stop was Devereux Manor in order to do a change of clothes, and then, they were off to the peninsula. Each of the females sang to the radio until they arrived at the end of Devereux Road at the Ground Transportation Unit, and the princess had to speak to the Guardian Bugara. Then, the volume went down, out of respect for the conductor, and the princess told the female spirit where everyone was bound; taking the long way around to the banquet hall without the use of magix was Alivia’s idea, and had been executed in order to give Jasmine more time to finish.

In the spirit of the Gift-Giving Season, and Ecko’s birthday, the sorceress made a grand gesture with her left index finger then, it began to snow as the family carriage arrived. Bundled up tightly in hats and gloves and scarves, the female elves with the princess braved the cold air in order to enter the building, and the royal one placed the horse in an available stall.

Stepping into the banquet hall, she had been expecting there to be elves hidden underneath furniture pieces and behind cabnetry doors waiting to spring out to surprise her, but everyone gathered there stood on their feet cheering, instead. As she looked around at the familiar faces, one in particular stood out, and she rushed to hug the king.

Kouper arrived alone, the gift was singularly his own, and out of respect for the princess, he offered no excuses regarding the queen; as she grew up, Ecko learned her mother was not the kind to participate, and it had been established that he would refrain from talking about Luna whenever an invitation was answered by his presence.

Using the wand for the first time, Ecko noticed how it felt in her hand, and in her opinion, Jasmine chose well. The entire length was no more than that of her own forearm, and its slender design made concealment an easy task; it could be placed out of sight quickly by putting it up a sleeve if necessary, and the princess enjoyed that idea.

Casting the initial spell took some time, but that was to be expected since the wand was new; anyone, no matter how well-versed they were, would need time to get used to a brand-new magix item, and that included the most powerful elders. The second spell was easier to conjure, the princess knew it would be, and she danced a jig when it worked.

“Azleal, I know you hate it when I ask you to be my guinnea-pig, but I’ll never get a real feel for this thing if I don’t have an actual target. You know? Someone that’s made of flesh and blood, and I will be forever grateful if you’d be that for me,” the princess said.

“Now, I know that you have lost your ever-loving mind, and I have no problems telling you, ‘not no, but hell no’. I’ve done all manner of things for you since mamma adopted you, but that is where I draw the...