the second occasion

[deepest_magic]

House. Wardrobe. Coats.

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[neverbeatme]

She accepts her presents with a thoughtful look. The shield is bright silver, bearing the device of a red lion; the sword has a golden hilt with the pommel shaped like a lion's head.

[pythbox]

He turns to the other human present. "Bella, Eve's Daughter."

[deepest_magic]

"Yes?"

[pythbox]

"In this bottle," he says, handing her a round vial of transparent crystal with innumerable shining facets, "there is a cordial made of the juice of one of the fire-flowers that grow in the mountains of the sun. A few drops will heal sickness or injury up to the very point of death, although not beyond."

Next he hands her a silver staff with gold detailing of curves and angles that matches the gold cap with silver detailing on the little bottle; the top of the staff bears a sphere of transparent crystal matching the bottle's many-faceted shape.

"And this, I think you will find particularly useful. Its magic will leave you surefooted while you hold it, and it can be called upon to make light against the darkness, to speak with your friends though you be separated by great distances, and to find what you are looking for. I caution you that this last power can be temperamental, and it is better not to rely on it unless you have no other choice."

[deepest_magic]

Bella nods, pocketing the vial and taking hold of the staff at once. "Thank you. Thank you very much."

[pythbox]

"And now," he says, "a little something for all of you—" and he produces a silver tray bearing four teacups and a large steaming teapot, with milk and cream and lumps of sugar all set out next to it. He sets it down in the snow, climbs back into his sledge, and cries "Merry Christmas!" as his reindeer pull him smoothly away.

[deepest_magic]

Bella walks around in a little circle, testing her surefootedness, before sitting down for tea.

"Best presents."

[neverbeatme]

"That was definitely something," says Elizabeth. She finds that she can wear the sword and shield comfortably on her back if she adjusts the sword-belt just so, and for ease of sitting down to tea, she does just that.

[deepest_magic]

Bella is now testing out the features of her scepter. It does indeed light up - a bit too dramatically; she darkens it again at once. She cups her hand around the crystal at its top and whispers into it, clear in Elizabeth's ear: "Can you hear me, testing one two three, why'd he call you a Son, do you know?"

[neverbeatme]

"Crystal clear," she murmurs back with equal clarity, although her voice is too quiet to carry across the few feet between them. "I'm - not sure. I have the feeling that I know but not the actual knowledge."

[deepest_magic]

"Huh." Bella props her scepter in her lap, pats her pocket to make sure the cordial is safe there, and sets about sugaring a cup of tea for herself. "Well, I approve very much of Father Christmas, I wonder why he doesn't come around like that on Earth?"

[neverbeatme]

"Maybe Earth just can't support that much magic."

[deepest_magic]

"Maybe. It is definitely magical here. I hope the presents will still work when we go back."

[neverbeatme]

"I hope so too. Even though mine won't really be that useful."

[deepest_magic]

"Well, you can hope they won't, and I hope I never need my cordial, but I worry they'll come in handy."

"There's certainly a battle coming," says Mr. Beaver solemnly, "though what your part in it will be I can't say."

[neverbeatme]

"I'm going to guess my part in it will involve fighting," says Elizabeth. "And I'm sure the sword and shield will be useful for that. I just don't think they'd do me much good at home."

[deepest_magic]

"Well, you could fence, but practical use I guess not. I'd soon run out of cordial if I tried to do much with it at home, too. I love my scepter though, I can probably run with this if I want to."

[neverbeatme]

"See? Now that's practical for every occasion."

[deepest_magic]

"Mm-hm! And the phone thing, although at home there's - you know - phones."

[neverbeatme]

"And flashlights."

[deepest_magic]

"Here we have flashlights. We brought them. I guess the scepter's more convenient, but maybe it's good for other things too." Tea yum yum.

[neverbeatme]

"We have flashlights until they break or we lose them or give them away. I have a feeling you'll be hanging onto that scepter."

Yum yum tea!

[deepest_magic]

"Yeah. I love my scepter."

Bella breaks out some of her other food - peanut butter and crackers and chocolate chips - which go well if blandly with the tea. Presently they are all fed and tea'd and Mr Beaver says, "Time to be moving on, now."

[neverbeatme]

"Yeah," says Elizabeth. "I wonder what to do with the tray and things?"

[deepest_magic]

"We can tuck them into the hideaway and maybe they will be useful to some other beaver someday," says Mrs. Beaver, and she sets about briskly doing that, and then they move on, Bella able to go quite a bit faster with scepter in hand.