There were many reasons for Prissy's annoyance. Simple feline ill temper was one and having her sleep disturbed was another. The absence of her beloved master was of course a factor as well, but more than that at this particular moment was the fact that Kamellia had taken to using Prissy much as a child would a stuffed animal, only it was not in her natural feline form or the body of a human adult that she was so proud of but rather the body of a little girl. This was a form Prissy hated as it had neither the convenience of her nimble true form nor the charms of her adult body. Much as she did not like it, Kamellia had authority over her in Giger's absence and a familiar spirit could not easily disobey.

Happy, Kamellia's own familiar, was not in his human form but rather his natural one. A five-meter python is not nearly so huggable, but a constrictor of such size is more likely to be the one to hug you and so he slept with his coils wrapped around both Kamellia and Prissy. This was certainly yet another factor contributing to Prissy's annoyance. After thirteen years of separation, Happy was quite reluctant to part with his mistress, while Prissy did not have any intention of being included in all this.

Kamellia patted Happy and said, "Let us up, Apollos."

From his perch, the old raven Ramstein stirred and said, "I fear this is ill-advised, Mistress Reis."

Priscilla stuck out her tongue at Ramstein and Kamellia rubbed her head, not quite reproving her for it.

Kamellia's fingers danced and Prissy's body began to shrink, taking the form of an infant no more than six months old. Now practically swimming in her nightshirt, Prissy's faced scrunched up as she angrily pounded her tiny fists.

While Happy was getting dressed, Kamellia traced along the seams of Prissy's nightshirt so that it resized itself to something a little more appropriate for her new shape. She did not look even the slightest bit amused by her current situation.

Kamellia went to the nightstand and pulled out Mordekai's spare glasses. When she put them on Happy, his face changed so that he more resembled the owner. His eyes did not quite match, however, but he would fool any passing observation.

Once Kamellia finished dressing herself, she fished out the collars Giger designed for the familiars. The last time the collars were used, Prissy and Happy were in their adult forms, so Kamellia had to adjust them a little for the snug fit that was required to activate the enchantment.

Kamellia then took her shawl and tied it to make a sling to carry Prissy.

With that, she headed downstairs so that she could put on her shoes and be on her way. When she stepped out the door, she found herself missing the days before the Mage Ban. There would have been no need to sneak around like this. Mages and their familiars could go about their business freely. When magic industry flourished, there was a fair bit of life in the town even at night. Of course, it was all her fault things turned out the way they had. No time for regrets, though.

Kamellia wanted to find the source of the magical pulse that woke her, but if she tried to actively search for it, the rise in her power would set off the detectors. The detectors could be thwarted, but she feared that she might not have the time to spare on that. For now, she would rely on her legs to cover ground and try to get a better feel for what had happened.

It was possible that there might be no physical evidence of a reaction at all, but she doubted that. There were too many relics of the days of magic to blindly use one's power without consequence. Whether it was intentional or not, that magical pulse would have stirred things, some less pleasant than others.

There was only the one pulse, which made it much more difficult to detect anything passively. Kamellia was attuned enough to sense the disturbances in the æther and though faint, the ripples could still be felt. Just as when an object is dropped in water, first there was a flow outward from the point of impact, then a receding flow as the environment tries to right itself and return to its original state. All Kamellia needed to do was follow the receding flow.

However, it was not as simple as that. The disturbance was more complex that a single wave. The original pulse had been warped in hundreds if not thousands of places. Reflection, refraction, even absorption... You could read them all if you knew what you were looking for. Otherwise it would all just seem like pure chaos.

Normally æther would flow through solid matter. Anything that could disrupt the æther currents like this warranted further inspection. There was no need for her to try to take in the whole picture at once. She just needed to try to isolate a single point and go from there. She closed her eyes as she walked so that she could better concentrate, resting her hand on Happy's shoulder so he could guide her. Each twist and turn of the æther's flow was telling her something. She just had to figure out what that something was.

A slight change in the pressure she placed on his shoulder was all the instruction Happy needed to lead Kamellia where she wanted to go. When she stopped and opened her eyes, Kamellia found herself standing before one of the pedestals for the bronze statues. Only there was no statue on the pedestal. Instead, lying on the ground was a naked boy.

Kamellia crouched down to inspect the child. If he was indeed formerly the statue that was on the pedestal, he must have hit his head when he fell down off it. There were other bumps and scrapes from the fall, too.

Before Kamellia could reproach Prissy for being so callous, her attention was drawn to someone approaching. It was not a random passerby chancing on the scene. It was someone who came here with a purpose in mind, just as she had done. It was a face she knew, one she had not seen in thirteen years, and that face was not happy to see her.

She wanted to plead her innocence, not that she expected it to do her much good. Then again, there was a part of her that suspected, perhaps in a roundabout way, she actually did deserve a share of the blame for the current situation.