Needle in a Haystack

Into the Frost

Pippin scrambled to untangle himself from the fall, finally righting himself with a leap into the air, dragonfly wings kicking in to keep him aloft. He started brushing himself off, each pat producing a small cloud of pixie dust, and muttering to himself in annoyance. He continued on like this for several minutes before becoming aware that Emily was sitting on the floor staring at him, at which point he straightened up and cleared his throat.

"You summoned me?" he asked in a nasal version of his usual squeaky voice.

"I... thought about asking you for help with something," she said after a moment.

"I am at your disposal," he said, zooming up to her and bowing deep right in front of her face. His sudden proximity had her backing up against her daybed. He didn't seem to notice and started floating around the room looking at things, dragonfly wings buzzing away. She had a fleeting fantasy that all the delivery drones she had seen buzzing or more likely heard around the city were in fact pixies delivering parcels.

"One second," she said, getting up from the floor. He flew in front of her, blocking her path to the door. "I need to... grab your offering."

Pippin seemed to consider her for a moment before getting blown off course by the air conditioner turning on and took his attention with it. She slipped out the door while he was distracted and grabbed the big bowl of salad from the fridge, and sneaked back to her room as quietly as she could. She set the bowl on top of her homework and sat back in her spot, looking around for Pippin. When she didn't spot him, she set the bowl aside and went back to her homework. After finishing all three of the calculus problems that were assigned to the best of her ability, she picked up her history book and almost dropped it again. Pippin was sitting in the empty, clean bowl, leaning against the side and snoring softly. Emily couldn't help the small smile as she went about doing her homework.

One of the best parts about having her wolf, in Emily's opinion, was helping with remembering history. Math and science she could do, but history was never easy for her until she got Ember. Emily always felt like it was cheating, but gave in when Ember explained that, since they shared a body, she was only using a different part of her brain.

After they finished the history homework, Emily was trying to decide between English and science when Pippin woke up with a snort. He yawned hugely for such a tiny creature and stretched, wings buzzing intermittently, and rubbed sleep out of his eyes with two little fists. It took him a moment to get his bearings before he popped out of the bowl the same way he had come through the mirror, with all the grace of a leaf on the wind as his toe caught the edge of the salad bowl. He went head over heels, this time sprawling out onto her chemistry book. He lay there staring up at the popcorn ceiling, mouth opening and closing like a fish, until he took a slow wheezing, whistling breath.

"Are you OK, Pippin?" she asked, chewing on the inside of her cheeks to not laugh out loud. Ember was literally howling with laughter in her head so hard that tears started gathering in the corners of Emily's eyes with the effort of restraining it.

Pippin slowly got up, still wheezing slightly, and dusted himself off again, this time on her chemistry book. She watched the shiny dust settle over the cover like talc, creating a pearlescent sheen over the existing colors. Glancing past him, she spotted the shimmery patch of carpet where he had dusted himself off earlier in the night, and wondered at it.

"Does the pixie dust disappear or do mundanes just think it's craft herpes?" she blurted out, thoughtlessly.

Pippin froze mid-pat, and stared at her for several heart beats before finishing with his legs. He straitened and looked down his nose at her, which had his head tipped so far back he was practically resting it on his shoulders, and put his hands on his hips. Ember burst out in another fit of silent giggles. Emily took a deep breath, trying not to let either of them disturb her calm.

"I was wondering, Pippin, if you would be able to help me get something out of the vent above my door, and maybe help me decipher it?" Emily spoke slowly, intentionally modulating her tone so she did not betray her amusement.

He peered up at the grate, the air still buffeting his wispy blue hair. When he turned back to her, he asked, "What's behind it?" When she hesitated to say, he went on. "I won't fight an ice dragon for you, even if it is small enough to fit in that hole. My Lady told me to be at your call not fight your battles."

"What do you mean by that?" Emily asked, eyeing him. Even Ember sobered.

"I'll not fight whatever beasty you've got locked away up there that's trying to freeze you out," he huffed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No not that," Emily said, holding up a hand to get his attention and stop his rant. "The part about your Lady sending you to be at my call."

"Oh. Just that," he started to explain, but the next words were lost. It was like someone had hit mute on a TV. She could see him speaking and gesturing, but none of the sound made it to her. He was so small that it was difficult to even attempt to read his lips, but before she could get anything, his voice came back, and he finished with, "It was when she gave me your contract."

After a moment of Emily staring and blinking, trying to work through what just happened, a look of understanding dawned across Pippin's face.

"You didn't hear a word of that, did you?" he asked hesitantly.

"Nope," Emily said, popping the p.