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Jann is minding his own business. He is playing by himself in the courtyard with a wooden sword: this definitely constitutes minding his own business. Nothing that follows is his fault.
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"The worst! Maybe the witch was only about as evil as somebody who writes boring books and not really really evil."
"Maybe!"
Eventually Jann is bored of being petted and he lollops off. He has vegetables and a strawberry for dinner (the strawberry makes it look like he's been drinking blood and he won't let his mother clean it off, tearing off down the hall before she can come at him with a napkin). He waits for the nighttime.
When it is nighttime, he goes out under the new moon and he's a human boy again. He goes back to see Milo.
When it is nighttime, he goes out under the new moon and he's a human boy again. He goes back to see Milo.
Milo smiles a little when he sees his cousin back in his usual shape. "Hi, Jann."
"Hi. All better. How're you doing?"
"Bored."
"I could bring you cards and we could play cards. I can hold cards now."
"I'm not supposed to do things with my left hand still... maybe I can play cards one-handed, though."
"I think you can if I deal."
"Okay. Let's try it."
Jann goes and gets cards, and deals them out for a game that doesn't involve reflexes or anything that would make it very important to have the cards in a certain order in one's hand.
Milo plays! Now he is not bored.
Good!
Jann loses. This is okay.
Jann loses. This is okay.
It is a sign that all is right in the world.
"Play again?"
"Play again?"
"Sure."
They play cards until Jann's mother comes to inform him that it is his bedtime. She ruffles Milo's hair on the way out.
They play cards until Jann's mother comes to inform him that it is his bedtime. She ruffles Milo's hair on the way out.
Milo tolerates the ruffling.
A month passes.
Jann, for his part, has completely forgotten about Milo's moon-relevant offer.
So he will probably be surprised when, late one afternoon, he comes back from riding his horse and there is a small ball of silky black fluff waiting for him in the stable.
Well, now he remembers.
"Milo?" he asks.
"Hi," says Milo's voice from within the fluff. Some fluff wiggles near one end; on close inspection, those are two little ear-tips poking up, and some distance below them there is a small soft nose. "I'm fluffier than you!"
"Probably it does fluff in proportion to deviousness." He picks Milo up so the horse won't step on him, sets the fluff on his shoulder, and installs the horse where it belongs. "How'd you get back in the treasure rooms without getting caught?" Pet pet.
"I just waited until the guard wasn't looking and ran past. It wasn't hard. And it was even easier getting out, I'm so little now." Triumphant ear-wiggle.
"You're teeny. And fluffy and black. Do you like being a rabbit?" Pet pet pet pet pet pet pet.
"It's fun! I can hop around! But I'm scared in case I break a bone like this, cause I couldn't set it by myself."
His parents have tried to discourage him from doing that, but Nightfire's blessing means that it's very easy to set Milo's bones, and he can almost never be bothered to go and get an adult and make them do it if he still has at least one working hand that can reach the problem area.
His parents have tried to discourage him from doing that, but Nightfire's blessing means that it's very easy to set Milo's bones, and he can almost never be bothered to go and get an adult and make them do it if he still has at least one working hand that can reach the problem area.
"Well, I won't drop you," promises Jann. "And if you break something anyway I can set it probably."