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Vivian has always been a rabid environmentalist. Learning about magic didn't change a thing; it just gave her another tool. She's had so many plans. Some of them worked. Some of them didn't. The failures, she learns from and moves on. Today is by far her most ambitious project. Today, she's trying a spell of her own invention: restoring extinct species to the world. And not just any species. She wants to bring back the powerful magic of ages past. She wants dragons and sphinxes.
She did her research. She's cobbled the spell together from six or seven different places, and joined it together with hypotheses and crossed fingers. She tested out the individual pieces as much as she can- there's a few newly-not-extinct beetles running around her hometown now- but finally it comes down to it. The spell has some weird preconditions and a hell of a lot of setup, but she's done. It's time. Reversing the damage done in the Great War. All in a day's work, right? That's the goal, anyway.
The spell goes flawlessly. The runes and the chanting and the various pieces take her three days, but if she can do it it's worth it. When she's finally done, she has to take a moment to collect herself, and then she looks at the circles she's drawn.
The circle to her right now holds a tiny sphinx. All paws and fluff and sprawl, it's utterly adorable and Vivian can't restrain an "Awwwww." She walks over and cuddles the new arrival. "You're just the cutest little sphinx, aren't you? Yes, you are, you are the cutest." She turns to the other circle. "And your sibling is-"
-not there.
Vivian blinks at the empty space. "...huh." She looks down at the fuzzball in her arms. "Well, you worked," she tells the girl. "Nothing's wrong with my spell. So the only other thing that could have gone wrong is..." She pauses to sort out her thoughts, not quite trusting herself, but she's double checked it twice. "...I guess there's dragons somewhere after all."
Ultimately, she decides that the dragons will have to wait. Given the whole medallion system- which she's mostly impressed by, but has some really glaring, obvious flaws with perfect hindsight- the dragons might not even know they exist. She could try to tweak the spell to create a new dragon even though they're not extinct, she could try to find existing dragons, she could-
-she has a baby to raise. An extraordinarily cute little girl who just so happens to come with paws, wings and a tail. And she will raise her without all the ridiculous cultural baggage that led to the first war, and teach her magic, and they'll help save the world from itself.
She finds them a house with a backyard and wards it so the mundanes will overlook it. She arranges to sell spells and charms to the local Avalon for an easy source of income. And she focuses on raising her daughter.
She names her Isabella.
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revivian
Vivian cringes internally. She hates that they have to lie. She wants to shout "Look, the sphinx are back!" to the world. But as long as she doesn't know where the dragons are, she doesn't quite dare. "We can practice if you'd like. You are my favorite winged lion."
shesepankh
"And I can do all my parts, like that, I think," says Isabella, going fullform and clapping her forepaws.
revivian
"Your head is different," Vivian cautions. "If you do everything at once except your head it's suspicious. But you can use any part of you as a piece!"
revivian
"Perfect!" She scoops Isabella up for a hug. "Look at you, aren't you adorable."
(Tiny sphinxes? Pretty much the cutest.)
"So, you ready to see the world?"
(Tiny sphinxes? Pretty much the cutest.)
"So, you ready to see the world?"
revivian
With that settled, they can go out and explore the world! Or more specifically, allow Vivian to rejoin the political scene in person. Writing letters and calling Congresspeople only gets her so far; she's glad to be back in a more concrete way. Meetings, gatherings, rallies and protests- Vivian's discriminating about which organizations she supports, but less so about which of their events to attend. There are lots of ways for her to support, and she's going to get involved in as many as possible.
shesepankh
Isabella is intensely curious about everything. In particular she is delighted that there are people besides Mommy to interact with!
revivian
Most people are pretty delighted to interact back! And they're all happy to explain things to her. If she hangs around enough, she will become very (and age-appropriately... mostly) enlightened as to the state of modern feminism, gay rights, and the growing environmental concerns. There's other causes here and there, but these three are most definitely Vivian's pet causes.
shesepankh
Bella is on board with a fair amount of feminism, considerable quantities of gay rights, and some environmentalism, although she doesn't totally see what all the fuss is about in that case even accounting for the part where they don't know that Mommy can bring back anything that has gone quite extinct.
revivian
Vivian is all for people forming their own opinions. For the most part she is supportive and provides more information when asked. The Lorax might make a reappearance at bedtime, though.
shesepankh
Bella thinks that the truffula trees should have been domesticated and responsibly farmed.
revivian
This leads to a series of discussions about crop rotation and nutrient-bare soils, the issues inherent in irrigation and the problem of shrinking water tables, agricultural subsidies and their abuse by large multinational corporations, and anything else Vivian thinks might be relevant. She does her best to find sources from both sides- she's not trying to brainwash her daughter- but isn't as knowledgeable about the opposing arguments. This turns into conversations about reliable sources, fact checking, and the idea of ethical journalism in full generality. There's so many relevant things!
One thing their conversations do remind Vivian of: school. Isabella should have the option, at least, though home schooling wouldn't be any kind of hardship. Her birthday being helpfully near the cutoff line, she could get into first grade easily or second grade with more arguing. So one day, the question is posed. What does Isabella think about school?
One thing their conversations do remind Vivian of: school. Isabella should have the option, at least, though home schooling wouldn't be any kind of hardship. Her birthday being helpfully near the cutoff line, she could get into first grade easily or second grade with more arguing. So one day, the question is posed. What does Isabella think about school?
shesepankh
"I like going places, but I don't know about going to the same place every day to learn the same things as thirty other kids," remarks Isabella. "Can't I just read books and stuff here with you? And go to the library." Isabella is a big fan of the library.
revivian
"Home schooling is certainly an option." And Vivian has lots of opinions about the American educational system, but since she's not precisely qualified as a teacher per se, she feels hypocritical sharing. "Do you want to try school for a year to see if you like it first? Or just stay home? There aren't many kids your ages nearby." (It sometimes concerns Vivian that Isabella doesn't seem to have many friends. Her activist friends are nice and all, but they're hardly Isabella's peers.)
First things first, though. There are some details to get out of the way no matter what they do. Vivian locates a critter adoption agency with experience ducking the human systems, claims she adopted a critter from one of the critter villages that exists outside human society, but sighs that she wants to integrate her daughter. She receives paperwork without issue shortly thereafter, and asks no questions about its strict legality. Isabella, as a newly legal child, is promptly examined by a proper doctor and fully vaccinated. Responsible parenting!
First things first, though. There are some details to get out of the way no matter what they do. Vivian locates a critter adoption agency with experience ducking the human systems, claims she adopted a critter from one of the critter villages that exists outside human society, but sighs that she wants to integrate her daughter. She receives paperwork without issue shortly thereafter, and asks no questions about its strict legality. Isabella, as a newly legal child, is promptly examined by a proper doctor and fully vaccinated. Responsible parenting!
shesepankh
Isabella tolerates the vaccinations. A year sounds like an awfully long trial period to commit to. She isn't concerned about her lack of friends her own age; she is just as happy by herself or talking to any of the more conversational grownups available.
revivian
The schools can't very well refuse her. She can start halfway through first grade if she'd like a shorter trial period. (Vivian and the adoption agency can, literally and figuratively, magic the adoption dates as necessary so that Isabella is not considered truant.) Vivian tries very hard not to influence her, but does focus rather more than normal on the benefits of knowing both sides of a question.
shesepankh
Can she go for maybe one day, following some little girl about her age who is perhaps a critter or something too, and see what its like that way?
revivian
This is likely to confuse a public school, but Vivian finds a private school that "she and her daughter are considering" to allow the expedition.
shesepankh
Bella critically examines the interior of this private school. There are parts of it in which she concedes value - the art class has materials that would be cumbersome to keep around at home, for example - but gym is an unmitigated disaster, the academics all seem fairly condescending, and most of the kids do not seem like they would hold her interest for longer than a few weeks even if she were earnestly trying. She converses with the other children and concludes that what she really wants to do is be homeschooled and go to summer camp in the summers.
revivian
In other circumstances, Vivian might have overruled her daughter; but since she has some distinctly non-standard magical curriculums to cover, she's content with the compromise. She can at least apologize for the condescending academics as she teaches them, this way.
No actual magic will happen yet, of course. There are safety procedures first. (There are a lot of safety procedures.) And then theory. Actual spell casting is dangerous and is not for sphinxettes.
No actual magic will happen yet, of course. There are safety procedures first. (There are a lot of safety procedures.) And then theory. Actual spell casting is dangerous and is not for sphinxettes.
shesepankh
Not even sphinxettes with very good handwriting who promise to triple check and pronounce everything right? And who put their fuzzy paws on their mommy's knee and bat their eyes and say please please?
revivian
Her sphinxette is adorable and convincing, but still seven. She can extract a promise of a tiny light spell to cast on her eighth birthday, though!