Claire

“A what?” Claire asked.

“A familiar,” the boy repeated, voice calm. He glanced from her to the guys, and back. “You have no idea what that means, do you?”

“Uh, no,” Claire admitted.

Okay. She needed to listen. Just listen. The kid thought he wasn't even human; either he was insane or he was under some heavy mental conditioning or both. But she needed to listen, not just assume she knew what was going on. Because she didn't. She was about as lost as a person could be in a conversation and still be speaking the same language.

He looked down at his hands. “It's complicated,” he said, “and I've never had to explain it before. I'm not sure, honestly, where to even begin.”

“The beginning?” Josh suggested.

“Ah, but... that makes for a very long story,” Ryu said.

“Take your time,” Claire said. “We'll listen.”

He studied her for a moment. “You said you'd believe me, before. And that you would accept the existence of magic, as a premise for explaining how I survive still.”

It took Claire a moment to parse out exactly what he'd just said. There were meanings behind his words that made it hard to give a simple yes or no.

“I promise not to just write you off as crazy. It'd be easier if it wasn't... I mean, magic? That's fairy-tale stuff not... not reality.”

The guys nodded from where they sat. They were budding scientists; magic was even less believable for them.

Ryu folded his hands in his lap. Probably trying to hold them still. He nodded resolutely, and spoke.

“So. From that premise. Magic exists, and I am a being of magic, not a human," Ryu said. His voice was calm and certain. His eyes rarely left Claire's face.

“Uh.” Claire glanced at Jacob, then Josh, checking to see if they were hearing the same crazy. And she promised not to write him off as crazy. She promised. “Okay. If you're not human... what are you?”

“As I've said, I'm a Familiar. It's the name of my kindred. We're,” he paused, “magical... companions. Servants. We look human, obviously, and share some traits with humans. But we are not human.”

“Is this like being an other-kin? Like, you identify as a cat or a wolf or something?” Josh asked.

“It's not an identity issue...” Ryu paused. “I assume you refer to those humans who feel more kinship with an animal or other being than with their own kind?”

Josh nodded. “There are a few on campus. One girl in my physics class insists she's more cat than human. She's nice, though. I figure if it makes her happy, why not?”

“Huh.” Ryu paused. “That's a very logical viewpoint. I'm not a cat though. I don't identify as a magical being, I am one. If you were to look at a sample of my blood...”

“Could we?” Jacob asked. “Your platelet count alone must be through the roof!”

“Uh.” Ryu paled. “I... would as soon not...”

His breath hitched and his eyes widened. He was trying to hide it, but the suggestion terrified him. Claire rested a hand over his still folded hands.

“Guys, no mad science. Proof of his statements would be good, but we wait for him to offer," Claire said.

“Absolutely,” Jacob piped up. “I just meant. If you were okay with it. I mean, there's samples all over the place.”

Ryu looked down at the floor, where bloody towels and bandages still littered the area. “Oh. I thought you meant... to use me...”

“Use you?” Josh yelped. “That sounds horrific. Man, we're not like that! We're just, you know, curious.”

“Ah.” Ryu looked around. “Curiosity is a fine trait. However, I should clean this up.”

“We'll get to it,” Jacob said. “No worries.”

Ryu shook his head quickly. “No, it is dangerous. The blood of a magical being has many uses, especially for a blood mage.”

Claire raised a hand slightly to get his attention. “I'm kind of afraid to ask, but what's a blood mage?”

“Also what is a mage?” Jacob added.

“A mage is a magic user, one who has both the talent and the training to utilize the energies that balance between the states of energy and matter. The flux point of creation. Magic.” Ryu smiled, and then his face fell. “A... a blood mage is a magic user who sources that power from the pain and death of others.”

“Oh.” Claire stood and went to the closet where the guys kept their cleaning stuff. If it was important to the kid, she was going to clean up the blood.

“So. Your former master hurt you, to gain magical power?” Josh summed up.

Ryu nodded once and stood with his hand out. Claire realized he meant to take the broom and dustpan she'd gathered.

“It's okay,” she said. “Sit down and rest. I've got this.”

“I should do that,” he protested, although he did sit down. “It isn't your mess.”

“I tossed the bandages everywhere,” Claire refuted. “So it is my mess.”

“Our house,” Jacob piped up. “We'll help.”

Josh was already gathering up a trash bag and pulling on latex gloves because sometimes he really was the smart one in the group.

Ryu shifted in place, obviously upset by something. Claire paused in sweeping up the floor to look at him.

“This isn't right,” he said, rubbing at his wrists. “I'm the Familiar, I should be cleaning up. Not you.”

“It's fine,” Claire insisted. “You're still healing, aren't you? Maybe instead, you could tell us more about... what a Familiar is. What it means to be one.”

“I...” he shook his head. “You think me insane.”

“I think I promised to hear you out.” Claire swept dust and bits of bandage and gauze packaging into the dustpan Jacob held in place for her.

“Very well, I suppose.” Ryu looked around. “There is no... meaning, really. It's just what I am. You are a human, that is a broom, I am a familiar. I guess the best word for us is symbiote. We're symbiotically bound to our masters.”

“How does that work?” Josh asked, picking up the discarded towels.

“Well, the master, the mage that is, provides the familiar with magical energy. That is what we survive on, in place of food. In return, the familiar serves the mage's whim and will. We are companions, protectors, tools. Whatever is needed, we become.”

Claire went to the closet for some disinfecting wipes, hoping to remove some of the blood stains from the guys' floor. They would probably like to get their rental deposit back on the place.

“How did you end up with this former master? How do you end up with any master?” she asked.

“Normally, we choose our masters,” Ryu said. “A mage summons a familiar and tries to cajole them into service. They offer a contract and seal it with a naming. But he decided to skip those niceties. He bought me. The master before him tired of me, and sold me like...” Ryu shrugged. “Like any possession I suppose.”

Ryu stood up, pacing slightly. Claire paused in her attempts to wipe up his blood.

“I did not accept the bond with him. Ever. When I was sold to him. I refused the bond. I fought. Even starved I fought but...” he clutched at his left wrist with his right hand. “I wasn't strong enough.”

Claire had to forcibly stop herself from reaching out and trying to hug him. He didn't like having his back touched. He probably didn't want to be touched at all.

“How did you get away?” Jacob asked.

“I angered him enough that he ordered me away from his side. He was driving at the time. So I jumped out of his car.” Ryu paused.

“Wait. You what?” Josh squeaked.

Claire piped up, “Well, threatening to jump out of my car is how he avoided the hospital. So I guess it's a viable plan. But um. Please don't do that again? Please?”

Ryu nodded once, briefly. He turned to the couch and picked up a blanket, began folding it neatly. Well, he was clearly uncomfortable doing nothing while they all cleaned and it wasn't like he could strain his injuries just folding cloth.

“Why couldn't you just leave?” Jacob asked. “Just walk out, maybe find a better mage to serve?”

“The manacles,” Ryu explained. “They formed a... a false contract. They bound me to my former master's will.” He dropped one perfectly folded blanket and reached for another. “A familiar is bound to their master's word. Any order I am given, I must follow.”

“Any order?” Claire squeaked.

He nodded.

“Cluck like a chicken,” Jacob said.

“Dude!” Claire scolded.

“Any order given by my master I must obey,” Ryu said, glaring at the interruption. He shrugged. “No matter how... unpleasant. How painful.”

“What happens if you don't obey?” Josh asked.

“It hurts.”

Claire felt a chill from those simple words. He believed those words. Believed that disobedience meant pain.

“So you don't have a master now, right?” Claire asked. “Because we cut off the manacles. Do we need to find you a mage? How long can you survive? A human can go three weeks without food. Is it more or less for you?”

She figured she should act according to his... delusions? Conditioned responses? Act like it was all real. Because it was real for him. She wasn't a psychiatrist. She wasn't qualified to help him. So she needed to get him to trust her enough to accept it when she found someone who was qualified.

“Slightly less, but it isn't an issue,” he said. “I do have a master.”

“What? Who?” Claire looked around, pretty sure there weren't any mages nearby.

“You," Ryu said.

Claire blinked. Opened her mouth to question exactly what in the Hell he meant by that, when naturally her phone rang. She didn't even remember charging it. One of the guys must have done, it was attached to Josh's charger in the corner. She was tempted to ignore it, but it was Dare's ringtone. And. Well. After her nightmares, hearing her friend's voice would be good. And what if he needed her?

“I, uh. I need to answer that,” she said.

“Of course,” Ryu said, nodding.

She scurried across the room to the phone. Was Dare in trouble? Had something happened to him or Natalie?

How was she going to deal with that on top of this insanity?

“Claire?” Dare's voice echoed across the line. “You're late to class! Are you okay? You're never late! Are you sick? Is the dorm on fire? Did the boiler finally explode? It did, didn't it.”

“Uh, Dare, if the boiler exploded, how would I be alive to answer this call? Also what? I'm late?”

“Class! It started twenty minutes ago!”

“Oh, crap,” Claire smacked her forehead. “I completely forgot. I. Um. I got caught in the storm last night, had to crash with Josh and Jacob. And. There's a situation.”

“Are they okay? Do I need to get over there? Does Nat need to get her lawyer over there?”

“Um. No, no lawyer. I don't... think...” Claire took a breath. “The guys are fine. It's kind of weird, though, and you should get back to class. It's the kind of thing you explain in person.”

“Okay. I'll tell the professor you're sick, then?”

“Please. And take notes?”

“Will do.” Dare paused. “Talk over lunch? You sound rough. Nightmares again?”

“Yeah. Not your fault." Claire insisted because Dare blamed himself for those nightmares. "I just had a tough night. I'll see you at lunch.”

Everyone was watching her when she hung up, of course. Claire went to sit next to Ryu.

“Sorry about that," she said, "I blanked on my first class today and Dare worried.”

“Class!” Jacob squeaked.

“Relax,” Josh said, “You only have afternoon lab today. Claire's the only one playing hooky.”

“Can't believe I just forgot,” Claire muttered. Though a case could be made that having someone nearly bleed to death in your car was a mite distracting.

Ryu tilted his head. “You are... students?”

“Yeah, we all go to the same university,” Claire said. “I'm a Freshman, haven't picked a major yet. The guys are in the sciences. Probably going to invent the ship that takes humanity to another solar system or something.”

“You are young, aren't you?” he muttered.

Claire wasn't sure she was meant to hear that.

“How old are you, anyway?” she asked him.

“Older than I look, for certain.” He grinned, a little impish. “Care to guess?”

“Fifteen?” Claire added a year to her original estimate.

“Ah, no. Not even close.” He sobered quickly. “But. I did not mean to cause you trouble. You should join your friend in class.”

“Nah, he's already making excuses for me. It's fine.” Claire crossed her arms. “Before he called, you said something a little... concerning.”

“I identified you as my Master,” Ryu said.

“Yes. That. I'm sorry, I don't understand. I thought your master had to be a mage," Claire said.

He nodded slowly. “Normally, yes. But apparently, in desperate enough circumstances, mage potential without training must be enough to form the bond.”

Okay. Weird. His story was oddly consistent up to this point, for a delusion, but some cracks were showing.

“I don't have magic potential, though,” Claire said.

“Yes, you do.” He smiled, gentle. “There's no reason you'd ever know, without a full mage or a Familiar or another magical being to point it out. Likely it would express as a talent or a passion for a cause.”

“I'm not talented, though,” Claire said, “And I've never been political or anything. Why not one of the guys? They've got passion in spades, for science at least. And they helped you too.”

Ryu shrugged. “They did not bleed in their efforts to help me. You did.”

“But, it's just a scratch.” Claire held up her hand, showing off the bandage. The tiny injury didn't even sting anymore.

Ryu said. “You also named me.”

“That was just... I named you after a video game character! I just picked the first name that came to mind," Claire protested.

Ryu shrugged. “It's still a name.” He paused. “My former master did not even bother with that much.”

“Yeah. But. Still. I don't know the first thing about magic, or familiars, or anything. I'm pretty sure I can't be your master. I can't be anyone's master!”

Just the word made her uncomfortable.

“I understand,” Ryu said. His shoulders slumped for a moment, and then he stood. “No mage would want a broken Familiar. Why would you?”