Helmets, headbands and hat hair

"I... What?" I think about back pedaling but can't get the words out.

Aimee finally bursts with laughter. We all look toward her.

"Oh that curtain is the best purchase your mother ever made me Matilda." Aimee is trying to control her laughter. "Anyone that touches it says whats really on their mind when they first come into this room. That way I know whether to make special items they ask for. That curtain saved a wife from her husband. After your mom heard that story she put one up and has stopped lots of woman from throwing away their lives. The best part."

We all wait to hear what she will say.

"Is that I'm the only one that will remember what truly happens back here." Aimee smiles sitting on a stoll.

"First off, that sounds a bit on the psychopath side. Second, won't we be confused walking in here and walking out with a finished product? Third, I can't cast any of my mana." I ask. Why did I admit to being defenseless? I tried putting up a basic barrier spell to counter the spell but can't.

"Oh this room is blessed. Can you feel it now? No harm to others can happen here, meaning no spells. Outside the passive enchanted stones that are really too weak to help." She points to our group project stones. "As for memory's. You will remember working in here but other parts will be fuzzy."

"But it doesn't work on me right mom?" Chelsea asks.

"Suuure." Aimee smiles to her daughter.

She doesn't have her daughter exempt from the spell?! Now I'm happy Heather is my mentor. Gosh these people are scary.

"I think I will just suffer and hold the stone to Rufus' head for the next few days. I mean its going to take Cellia daaaays to even start so I should be fine." I laugh nervously while backing up. 

"Hazel wait!" Matilda tries stopping me but I get stopped by something behind me.

I look up at James. He is mumbling something about how I'm dif- is he trying to say I'm dirty? I stomp on his toe and swiftly step beside Matilda.

"Looks like Palatine boy is fighting this blessing with shear will power." Aimee giggles. She gets up slapping James' shoulder bringing him out from a trance then points to Chelsea. "Alright you two, go to the living room. Don't let that bird crap everywhere."

"Like a man!" Cloud squaks with a tuck and roll.

James scoops up his bird shushing it before following Chelsea out. 

"See you both at school!" Chelsea says popping her head back in for a second.

Matilda and I give a weak little wave back.

"Well now that that distraction is gone. We can make Rufus a little headband helmet to hold that stone on." Aimee beams at us.

"I'm really alright with just suffering. And I'm very sorry to have taken up your valuable time." I say trying to back out of the shop again.

"Hazel." Matilda says pretty lifelessly.

"Yea?"

"We might as well give in since there is nothing we can do. I also need the extra credit from not finishing the weekly class work." Matilda turns her head towards me and I swear her eyes are glowing red. "Speaking honestly, I'm not sorry to have been sleeping through class since my potion brews have been flawless lately."

"Now you're scaring me." I tell Matilda. I cling to Rufus probably a little too tight.

My head turns to the sound of a hammer tapping away on an anvil. Aimee is working on something with little metal tabs and leather.

○●○●  -(×-×)-  ●○●○

I'm standing in the armory handing a silver coin over to Aimee. Rufus is in my arm as if he were a baby with a leather strap helmet on his head with the talisman in it.

"You know what? I was going to donate those pieces anyways. You can keep your coin." Aimee says with a smile.

"You're the best! Thank you so much!" Matilda's hood falls back a little and her pretty face pops out from under it. 

"You should show your face more often." Aimee says patting the girls head.

Matilda hides her face again. "Not yet. I'm not ready." 

"That's fine. Now run along. Hopefully you get that extra credit but not at the expense of my daughter loosing." Aimee gives us a wink and walks back behind a curtain door.

"I feel like something is missing." I look at Rufus who is trying to pull the headgear off. "Don't hurt yourself."

"Meowgal? Lets go." Matilda calls out.

"Finally. It took you forever in there." Says the stretching cat.

I jump back as many feet as I can in the cluttered shop.

"There you are." Matilda scoops him up and looks at my twisted in horror face. "You didn't know he can talk?"

"NO!" I shout, upsetting Rufus in the process.

"Well I hate to break it to you but-" Meowgal is cut off with Rufus struggling to get his talisman headgear off.

"Stop you're goi-" I try saying as we watch the talisman fall to the floor. 

"DAMSEL IN DISTRESS!" Screeches Cloud as the white parrot swoops in catching the talisman in it's claws before it shattered on the stone floor.

"Good boy Cloud." James says as the parrot comes back to him. "You saved the damsel."

Something snapped inside me but Chelsea spoke first.

"Oh James! You trained Cloud so well!" Chelsea fan girls while holding onto his arm.

"Oh please. It comes naturally. Us men have to watch out so pretty ladies don't get hurt." He strikes the one pose with his hand on his forehead.

I'm ready to vomit.

"Can I have my stone back?" I say less than impressed.

"You should be telling him thank you!" Chelsea snaps.

"Calm down Chels. It-" I cut James off.

"Thanks." I say holding my hand out.

James looks at me for way too long before handing the stone over.

"I'm going home. Thank you everyone. Good night." I say walking as fast as I can out the shop door. 

Rufus pulls his headgear off while I'm trying to walk down the back town roads. The roads are getting dark. House lights are on. The houses are similar to the ones from earth. Most were old town American themed or so Heather says. The road is coble stone since cars are not a thing here. But running water is a thing and I am beyond grateful for that.

I look at Rufus who has very bad hat hair. He squirms with all his might to get out of the towel.

"I can't loose you. Heather will for sure kill me!" I tell the bat.

He stops moving and looks at me. Then does one big nod. I look at him funny. He moves just right freeing a long wing and taps on the small cooler I packed with fruit.

"Are you saying you will stay close by because I have fruit?" I ask him skeptically.

He nods big again. I really shouldn't let him go. Every time this happens in any movie it doesn't end well. I sigh and try wrapping his free wing back up but he gets free.

"Rufus!" I cry as his giant skin wings flap striking me making me fall backwards. He flies up into a tree looking at me curiously. "You brat!"

I dig through the cooler for food. I look up and he takes off. I cry while following him down the road. Heather told me how special Rufus is to her. I can not lose him!

He stops at a flower patch someone has in their yard. I dive for him only for Rufus and his pollen covered face to fly off again. I chase him up and down the streets as he keeps raiding people's flower patches.

Eventually he stops, clinging to a doorway. He scratches and trills at the white door as if knocking. This is not just any door, the door is to Heather's house. Dropping to my knees, I sob at the open gate in the yard. I'm not sure what this feeling is but I'm happy to be at this home.

Drying my tears I open the door letting the giant bat inside. I lay on the couch in the livingroom feeling drained. Rufus comes and flops ontop of my chest.

"Brat." I tell him.

He trills back and taps at the talisman I shoved in the outside pocket of the cooler.

"Now you want it." I say with a grumble.

He trills.

I pull the stone out since Aimee said not to put the helmet on him without supervision. We fall asleep with me holding the talisman on his forehead because every minute adds up.

●○●○  -(0.0)‐  ○●○●

"Rufus!" Heather screams.

I feel a large body move off of me. I look up to see a brown and red wild haired man get off of me.

This time I let out a scream.