Ellis's eyes sparkle with delight. "Okay. Obviously, I haven't had time to really dive into this book, but wow-wee! This is amazing. So what you have is, as you said, a family heirloom. Of sorts."
Tiff takes a seat on the edge of the bed and draws a knee up. Elton sits next to her such that the two of them are facing the empty space in the room Ellis has chosen to excitedly occupy. He swishes with every movement, holding the book like he's still reading from it.
The elf chews his bottom lip for a moment, still pacing. "Now, I'm old to humans. To Elves, though? No."
"Of course. You're a sweet baby boy."
Elton tilts his head to the side "How old are you? Is that rude?"
Ellis laughs. "No, it's not rude. We expect that from humans. I'm 156. Comparatively, I'm around... Somewhere around my mid-thirties? None of this is really important except that I'm very much a modern elf."
"Like a millennial," Tiff interjects, for Elton's sake.
"I'm going to ignore that you said that, Tiff. Not all of us, as few left as there are, live among humans. I do. So, as a result, I'm not as steeped in Elven traditions or rituals as my predecessors may have been. What I do know, however, is history."
He sets the book down carefully, on an unoccupied space on the bed between them. It's a counterbalance to Kepler jumping onto the bed behind them and making some sort of nest out of the topsheet and pillows. "Back when we were more plentiful, and please understand that we never were anywhere near humanity's population levels, we were divided into... Well, not clans, not really. It's probably closer to sub-groups, but also not really. We were all Elves, but we all did different things. Adapted differently. My ancestral line–"
Melvin clears his throat. "My love, the children don't need a full-on history of Elves. Perhaps later?"
Ellis lets out a breath that crackles with energy. "Right, right. I just get so excited to share things I never get to.."
"I want one," Tiff admits, "and I know it's hypocritical for me to say priorities, but— priorities."
"You know you can visit any time, right? Melvin doesn't dislike you."
"Sure, Ellis. Sure."
Melvin laughs. "Of course I like you! You're Lake Wonder's weird horse girl, except that's actually that one kld who you didn't kill who is dead. He's dead, right? You're Lake Wonder's weird Bigfoot girl. I am Lake Wonder's weird Bigfoot man. Albeit, I am far cooler."
She ignores the bit about Lewis. "Wow. Misogyny. Ellis, can we move on?"
Ellis nods. "Yes, yes! For context, I am mostly a Moon Elf. Whole thing about the tides, moon phases, and all sorts of things. There are other ancient lines as well. Each of them, of us, had a collected work of magical knowledge. Spells, rituals, potions, you name it. Only one is known to exist. The Lines kind of... mingled, and the old ways changed. The war with Oneiron also did a lot of harm to our kind." He runs a hand along his cheek and sighs. "As time went on, as we integrated more and more into humanity, things became lost. And that..."
Ellis points to the book. Tiff points it gently.
"The Volumes, if you will, all but disappeared. I have always thought some, if not all, were kept secret and hidden, or maybe even forgotten about in some old book shops, sold as curiosities. What you have, Tiff, is one of those Volumes. This was once part of the collected magical knowledge of the Sky Elves. Hence the bird."
"Did they live in the sky?" Tiff asks. "Or fly, or something?"
"No, they couldn't fly– Well, they could. I could. I can!"
"Neat! That's insane. I'm not sure how I feel about that."
"It was more to do with... religious beliefs? Sort of. Anyway, if I were a lesser being, I'd kill you for this. If I could. I can't. I wouldn't."
"Well— fuck. Go on. Do it."
"What? No. Tiff, stop that. I like you. And this isn't mine. This is yours. I'd love to study it, help you make sense of it, but it's yours. I would never let the existence of this go behind this room, though." Ellis turns his attention to Elton, warning in his tone. "Because if it did... A lot of very powerful, very rich, and very awful people would come after Tiff, her family, her friends, everyone."
He blanches, trying to digest it. "Noted."
Ellis turns back to Tiff. "I am also including Iotrescu. He has his own agenda."
"I didn't want to share it with him anyway. Him giving me access to his books doesn't mean I have to give him access to mine."
Melvin claps his hands together, smiling. "All of this, of course, is to say that Ellis can heal you. Completely."
"How do you know that?"
"I was reading over his shoulder while the two of you were having your little discussion in the bathtub."
That actually does make sense. She nods. "What does it involve? We don't have to have a circle with a screaming guy in the middle, do we?"
"We could." Melvin looks pointedly at Elton. "He'd be perfect!"
He frowns and stops petting Dingus, who has also gotten onto the bed, for a moment. "I will not be anyone's screaming guy in the middle. Whatever that is."
"Everybody needs to stop being weird about Elton and calling him romantic and adorable. Now." Tiff leans forwards on her knees to keep from tugging her hair again, knowing full well that 'everyone' is just renowned author Melvin J. Berrycloth. "Or I'll shave my head."
"No, no!" Ellis waves his hands about. "No screaming or weird sexual magic or whatever Melvin was alluding to! It will simply require you to be placed in a magically-induced state of–a magical coma, anyway. For three days."
"Three days?" There's a lot she could say about needing to live her life— but she can't do it like this, so it isn't like she has much of a choice. She just leaves it at outraged measures of time.
"Unfortunately so. It's a complicated magical ritual that I'm not one-hundred-percent certain on yet, but I'll figure it out. I believe it has to do with the Earth's own magical energy in relation to— you know, I'll work the science out and then let you know. Oh— Hold on. Let me check something." Ellis picks up the book again and flips to a particular page. He taps the relevant lines with his index finger. "And you'll need to also be incapable of dreaming. We can't have you wandering about."
"How do you stop someone like me from dreaming?"
"Ah, yes... So... Oh, Tiff, you're not going to like this."
"That doesn't bode well."
"You'll need to allow me to connect to your consciousness." He crosses the thought out in the air and amends, "It'll actually have to be Melvin. He's learning magic!"
She snickers. "Gay."
"Nothing gay about magic, my dear," Melvin interjects.
Ellis clears his throat. "It does mean he'll be able to... Uh... Well, not able to, but more likely forced to know things about you. Things you wouldn't share. I can't say what. That's entirely out of my hands. But the bond does basically shove your memories and thoughts into his."
"Forever?"
"He does have a great memory."
"We un-meld, though? We're not stuck like that forever?"
"Oh. No. God, no. Can you imagine?"
"I really don't want to."
"No, Tiff, not forever. Just those three days."
"Thank god. Can I at least prep the wet specimen jar and call my aunt first?"
"Of course. Do whatever you need." Melvin puts one hand on her shoulder. "Wait—specimen jar?"
"It was on the counter. In the bathroom."
"Oh, that. I didn't really look. I actually do respect your privacy."
"Thank you for not looking at my dick and balls."
Melvin raises an eyebrow. "Not where I keep mine, but hey."
"So... I call my aunt? Prep the jar? What happens after?"
"After," the elf says, "we put you to sleep."