2011's First Quarter Exalted Crayon - WYSTRO

From Verileah:

Wystro the Great Wizard was used to people knocking on his office door at all hours of the day and night. As the wisest wizard in all the land, many made the journey along the narrow road, up the green mountain, past the spires, to the tower that touched the sky. Some came to ask questions. Others requested favors. Some simply wanted to see the wizard for themselves.

Wystro usually had tea at the ready. While he couldn’t answer every question, and some favors were beyond even his greatness, no one who visited him ever had cause for complaint, for he was hospitable first and foremost.

And for those who were not easily impressed, there was the massive wooly spider.

Said spider was busily fixing Wystro’s long auburn hair, all eight legs whirling with combs and scissors and clips, when the knock came at the door. The wizard gave a little sigh and made to get up, but a long hairy leg gave him an admonishing tap on the shoulder; he wasn’t to move just yet. Not wanting to lose an ear to an overzealous spider, he kept his seat, but called out to his visitor.

“Please, come in.”

Silence, and then another, softer knock.

Wystro frowned. He supposed it was possible his guest hadn’t heard him, but he thought it more likely that they were intimidated by his Wizardly Greatness. Which, he reflected, was a shame; he preferred his company after they finally got comfortable and just treated him like a normal person.

Well, treating him like a really spectacular amazing normal person was okay too. He could just do without the awed stammering, bowing, blushing, tripping…

Presents were nice though. Wystro supposed one had to take the good with the bad.

“If you don’t come in, you’re going to be out there a while. I assure you, it’s much nicer in here...”

He was answered by a loud creak, then more silence. More amused than anything now, Wystro turned one of the many small mirrors (ignoring the disapproving click of mandibles behind him) so that he could see the doorway. The door was open a sliver, but there was no one to be seen.

Then he tilted the mirror down, and saw the tiny girl who had come all this way to visit him. She was looking at the spider with eyes like saucers and trembling a little in her pointed shoes.

Wystro couldn’t help but smile into the mirror. He sat up a little straighter and stretched his arms in an exaggerated fashion, giving a loud sigh of satisfaction.

“I look *fantastic*, don’t I? Now, we have a guest! Be a dear and fetch the tea pot, would you?”

The spider shoved one last defiant pin into Wystro’s hair before clacking off to the kitchen alcove, where she busied herself with tea things and generally made as much noise as possible to voice her displeasure at being interrupted.

Wystro turned to the little girl and rolled his eyes at his spider’s antics, which earned him a giggle. Deciding that was progress, he leaned forward and asked, in his best ‘kindly wizard’ voice, “And what brings you here, little girl? Would you like to sit down? Have some tea? Have you come to see Magic? I know,” he added, lowering his voice conspiratorially, “you haven’t come to see giant spiders! She’s quite tame, though, don’t worry about her.”

Violent clatter and clamor told Wystro that his spider had heard every word. This time, the giggle was a shared one, and the girl took another step inside. It seemed to take her a couple of tries to work up her courage, and then a couple more to get past the giggles; Wystro was now leaning forward so far he looked liable to fall out of his chair, hamming up his strain to hear what she had to say.

“Come and see…”

Curious now, Wystro stood, then reached for his peacock feathered cloak as the little girl slipped along the edge of the room toward the balcony. It would seem that the child had something to show him, which was a bit of a departure (considering most guests wanted him to show them something, not the other way around), but he was quite happy to indulge her. She hesitated at the outside door, allowing Wystro to go through first and look out at the town far below.

There seemed to be quite a party going on. Dancing in the streets, costumes, and the beginnings of a great parade were in evidence. A firework exploded, sudden and bright in the twilight sky, and the crowd below cheered in delight. From the center of town, he could hear singing – something about ‘the great exalted one’, though he wasn’t certain he was hearing right.

“Goodness, what’s all this?”

“Oh!” The little girl rummaged through her pockets, looking flustered until she finally found the roll of parchment she sought, which she handed to Wystro to read.