Chapter 8: Chapter 6: Botanical Nomenclature

Adam sat in the dining room, eating dinner as if her life depended on it. She was awfully hungry, and Anton had made chicken soup, one of her favourites. She’d had to reheat it herself, making herself embarrassed with a rather strong memory to get her magic to link to fire, but she’d managed to get it to the perfect temperature.

She was alone in the dining room except for Isabelle, who had fallen asleep in her pocket and was subtly poking out from where she’d hung the coat on the chair opposite her. Adam’s parents were in the living room with the fireplace, likely having a heated conversation about her. It made Adam a fair bit nervous, but she was sure her mother could probably explain it better than she could at this point; she wasn’t in the right emotional state to try.

Adam finished the bowl with a satisfied sigh, setting down her spoon and leaning back. After getting some warm food in her, she felt exhausted. How long had she been running? Long enough, apparently; she felt like she could sleep until summer.

She was about to nod off in her chair – Isabelle just looked so damn comfortable, and it was infectious – right until her parents entered the dining room. Adam froze, eyes flicking downwards. There was still a lingering sense of shame underneath it all, even if she did feel more ‘right’ with just this small switch in how she thought of herself. How had she ever accepted being ‘He’? As Olivia would say, ‘Looks great on others, not for me’, Adam thought with a small smile.

Maria stood back as Anton approached, scooping Adam up into another bear hug with a squeak of surprise and pulling her out of her chair. Anton was a man of very few words, and so when he spoke, Adam tended to listen.

“I'd... always wondered what it would be like to have a daughter. Now I know that I've had one with me the whole time, even if we didn't realize. It's so nice to meet you,”

He murmured it into her hair, stroking her back and laying his chin on her head. That was the final straw for her, and whatever composure she’d managed to recover on the walk back fell away as she began to sob into her father’s chest, gripping him back hard and mumbling various "Thank you"'s into his coat. It was like another weight fell away; the anxiety of how her family would react was forced out as her father held her close.

 

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Adam woke up in a tangle of bedsheets and confusion. She hadn’t remembered going to sleep — everything after dinner blurred together into an incomprehensible mess — but she’d been provided at least three additional blankets at some point last night. Isabelle sat perched on the edge of her bookshelf, folded into herself in that distinct way that said she was asleep. The raven hadn’t watched over her during the night since she was a young child, and Adam untangled herself quietly, so she didn’t wake the creature up. She left the door open wide enough for Isabelle to come out when she wanted, though Adam was almost certain the bird was smart enough to pick locks and could easily figure out a way to open the door if necessary.

Adam walked down the stairs with a blanket still wrapped around her, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and yawning. She paused at the hallway mirror, catching a glimpse of her hair.

There was less of her original dark brown than there was white at this point, some last vestiges clinging on near the tips at the back of her head and along the side. She ran her fingers through it, unsure how to feel. She’d quite liked her original colour, but the… affirmation her celestial traits gave her was quite nice in other ways.

Squinting, she realised that even her eyebrows had begun to turn somewhat later than the rest. She wouldn’t have been able to hide the change after this morning. Would she have resorted to shaving them clean? The thought made her snicker as she moved on to the kitchen, where she found her mother brewing tea.

Adam’s mother beamed radiantly when she saw her,

“Hello, Adam! How’re you feeling?” Once the words had left her mouth, she frowned and furrowed her brow, “That name doesn’t really fit anymore, does it?”

Adam smiled sheepishly, kissing Maria on the forehead and slipping behind her to prepare her breakfast porridge.

“I feel… Different, Ma. Not sure if it’s all good yet, but most certainly a lot lighter,” Adam paused, bringing a finger to her lips in thought, “As for the name, I’m not completely sure. It’s a little strange for a… A…”

“A young woman?” Her mother offered with a smile, and Adam’s hair bled to a mixture of embarrassed red and satisfied gold as her stomach did a little flip. She'd never felt anything like that before; it was a rush of emotions that, when contrasted to how she'd been before, was nearly overwhelming. Saying it felt good was an understatement. Unfortunately, her sudden change in mood was enough to trigger her magic, and she squawked in alarm as the bowl began to heat up in her hands before she'd finished properly preparing her meal. Her mother chuckled, sliding over fresh mug of tea as Adam sat at the table.

“Well, I’ve got a couple of ideas for names if you’d like to hear. I was thinking about it after you went to bed. We can try them while finishing up the work in the gardens - if you’d still like to help with that, of course.”

Adam nodded enthusiastically, eyes brightening. The possibility of trying things out was so foreign and new; her life was no longer this rigid changeless thing that she’d made it out to be! It was exciting, to say the least. Adam had a sudden thought, and her brows furrowed as she spoke around the oats.

“So, Ma…”

“Yes, darling?”

“You said that great-aunt Annabelle is, well, like me, yes?”

“Mhm,” Maria murmured, taking a tentative sip of her tea.

“Well, no offence to her, but she doesn’t exactly look like… Ah… Me in the physical sense. At least when I last saw her, I never would’ve guessed…” Adam trailed off, frowning, “Also, doesn’t she have children? How would that work?”

Maria nodded, leaning back in her chair.

“Good questions, darling, and I’m afraid I don’t know the specifics. It’s simply something that never came up. However, we can send her a letter later today; I’m almost certain she’d be delighted to learn she has a new niece.”

That caused Adam to flush again, her hair once again becoming a mixture of red and gold as she gave a wobbly smile.

Maria continued, fist held in front of her mouth as she attempted to recollect past conversations,

“From what I can remember… She started experiencing small changes after she first awoke her heritage. Just little nudges in the right direction. They added up over time, and at some point, she gained the ability to have children – or was it a potion? She’s an alchemist, after all,” Maria shrugged, “As I said, the specifics elude me, but have you felt anything different yet?”

Adam grimaced, scraping up the last bits of breakfast as she thought about it.

“Yes, something like that,” She said dryly, causing her mother to laugh.

“Why are you saying it with an expression like that? Oh, now I’m curious, dear.”

Adam sighed, burying her head in her hands as she felt her hair change colour again. Stupid magic hair. 

“It started as soon as I manifested the halo – Emotions. Too many emotions. Before I only really ever felt a little bit sad or happy, maybe angry or embarrassed on occasion, but now…” Her expression went sour, causing her mother to tilt her head with a smile.

“Ah, so you started experiencing the normal range of feelings that a person can have, and you… Dislike it?”

“There’s too many of them, Ma,” Adam punctuated her sentence with a sip of tea, “It’s gauche.”

That really set Maria off, causing her to clutch her ribs as she pushed her chair back so as not to spill the tea. The mirth was infectious, and Adam found herself covering her mouth as she couldn’t help but join in; perhaps what she’d said was a little silly.

After they had both recovered, Maria finished the last of her tea and stood with a stretch.

“Should be warm enough, now. It’ll take us a few hours, but afterwards, we can send a letter to my aunt, hm?”

Adam murmured in agreement, glancing back at the stairs, “I’ll go and get changed. Can you wait for me here?”

Maria nodded, and Adam quickly got changed into her work clothes. After her realisation, she found the minor distaste she’d always felt with these sorts of outfits amplified; now that she understood why she felt that way, wearing something that showed off the features she’d rather hide was… Uncomfortable. She frowned as she walked down the stairs and found her mother hefting a small wooden chest onto the table.

“Alright, just to help keep everything out of your eyes while we work, dear-“

Maria opened the box and picked through what seemed to be numerous hair accessories, slipping out a wooden hairband. It was carved and painted to look like a pattern of vines and flowers, all intertwining in order to form the band. Adam looked at it with wide eyes while Maria spoke,

“Been meaning to give it to you for a while, just to help while you grow out your hair. I made it when I was younger; I did say I used to know how to do woodcarving. Before, I’d been slightly afraid it might be too feminine for you, but I suppose that’s not an issue anymore,” She finished with a light laugh.

Adam held it gently in her hands, nearly tearing up and growling at herself internally. She was not going to cry over something like this – If she burst into tears at even the slightest kindness, then crying may as well become some cheap commodity. 

“Are you sure, Ma? This looked like it took time. You should use it yourself,” She said, wiping her eyes.

Maria snorted, crossing her arms.

“Dear, I haven’t had to use a hairband in years; a braid does me just fine. Yes, it took time, and that’s what makes it a valuable gift! Now,” She picked it up from Adam’s hands, holding it nervously, “May I put in your hair?”

Adam nodded, sniffing but smiling. Maria gently pushed back Adam’s fringe using the hairband, securing it in place using her ears and stepping back. She blinked, tilting her head and smiling warmly,

“Now that looks lovely, darling. It suits you well. Come on then!”

She then marched into the hallway, bursting with energy. Adam followed behind quickly, unused to not having her hair tickle her forehead as she walked. She paused at the hallway mirror.

…

That was… Her, wasn’t it?

She reached up to touch the hairband; it did suit her. The green of the vines contrasted nicely with the white of her hair, and the effect of the fringe being pushed back while the rest of her hair framed her face was… nice. She smiled at her reflection, and her hair bled to a shimmering gold.

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She stood there for a few more moments until she caught her mother observing her, an amused twinkle in her eyes. Adam’s hair shifted to red again, and she rushed out the door, grumbling, “Well, we might as well get there quickly, then,”

As they walked back to the garden, Adam pulling the cart of tools and pots, her mother leaned in with a mischievous smile.

“Liked what you saw, dear?”

Adam nearly tripped up, barely managing not to fall to the ground before straightening up,

“What? No. Maybe…? Yes, a little,” She mumbled, face and hair a smouldering crimson as the area around her began to heat up, “Stupid hair showing my emotions-”

Maria laughed behind her hand, “You’ll get used to it… Lily?”

Adam paused, looking at her mother as her hair shifted to white.

“Was that… One of the names you wanted to try?”

Adam’s mother nodded, “I thought it’d be best to try them in the middle of a conversation and see how you feel if I refer to you by them. I’ve got a fair few we can try. What do you think of Lily?”

Adam frowned, staring into space as she rolled the name around in her mouth. It was a nice name, but...

“Not for me, I think.”

Maria nodded, and they carried on moving until they reached the flower patch.

“Can you pass me the shovel, Violet?”

Adam handed her the tool, thinking it over…

“Nope, but it’s a good one.”

They worked hard – The last few roses were stubborn and had thick and plentiful roots, requiring a great deal of effort to rest from the ground. Maria interjected with a name occasionally, disguised as an innocuous question or a simple request. Once they had run through a couple – Jasmine, Iris, Marigold – Adam began to have a sneaking suspicion,

“Ma.”

“Yes, dear?” Maria asked sweetly, knowing full well what the next question was going to be,

“Are all your suggested names flowers?”

Maria sighed dramatically, bringing a hand to her forehead,

“Ah! You’ve figured me out; my plans disassembled so easily…”

Adam couldn’t help but laugh at that, bringing a hand to her mouth, “I love you, Ma, and I do have an interest in botany, but I don’t think flowery names are for me.”

Maria nodded with an amused smile, “Well, I suppose there goes my chance at having a daughter named after a plant. Perhaps that would be too on the nose for a botanist, but I had to try; I’m sure you understand.” She potted the last rose, standing up and dusting off her hands,

“That does, however, exhaust all my possible names… Ah well, I’m sure we’ll sort something out eventually; let’s head home.”

Adam nodded, gathering all the tools and packing them back into the cart along with the roses. She surveyed their work, admiring the new array of flowers that had replaced the old. The orchids were a nice contrast to what was there before, and she nodded to herself with satisfaction as she pulled the cart home.

 

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They arrived to find Anton preparing lunch; fresh bread from the market with some cheese brought in from the fields of the town next over. Adam ate ravenously while Anton and Maria talked.

“How was the work, love, all done now?” Anton asked, feeding Isabelle strips of venison.

Maria sat down with a sigh of relief, glad for the chance to relax.

“Oh yes, took absolutely ages, but it’s all finished now. I’ll be taking the roses into town after we’ve had a rest, maybe even a nap. I’m tuckered out after all that.”

Adam murmured in agreement, and Anton ran a finger along her new hairband.

“I like what you’ve done with your hair, dear; it looks nice.”

Adam beamed up at him, blushing only slightly; She was getting better at wrangling her emotions to a manageable level.

“Thanks, Da. We’ve been experimenting with names, though I think Ma has run out of ideas,” She shot her mother an amused smile, “I don’t believe ‘Adam’ truly fits anymore, though it was a good first attempt."

Anton sat down while Isabelle was preening herself on his shoulder, causing the raven to squawk in surprise and flap up to a specially-made perch in the corner of the kitchen.

“Well,” Anton said a little nervously, “I’ve been thinking about that,”

That got Adam’s attention, causing her to lean in with a curious smile,

“I’ll take anything I can get, Da… so long as it’s not a flower,” Maria snorted with laughter, “Personally, I don’t even know where to start, so the suggestion’s welcome.”

Her father nodded, reaching forwards to hold her hands.

“Anya,” He said softly, “It was my grandmother’s name. She was a… Good person, and I think she’d be proud to have her name passed down like that.”

Adam didn't know much about her father's side of the family; she knew that he'd had some business with the Fae when he was younger, hence their sorcery, but anything related to her relatives apart from her mothers was a mystery that she had never tried to solve. Judging by the look in his eyes and the way Maria squeezed his shoulders, however, it seemed now was not the best time to ask.

And then there was the name. She rolled it around in her mouth, whispering it to herself under her breath. Oh. Oh. That one was good.

Her hair bled to gold as her face broke into a large, warm smile.

“I think that’s the one,” Anya murmured, getting up and pulling her father into a hug.

Her mother shook her head in mock outrage, “Oh! So you accept his first suggestion while rejecting all of mine? Hmph, I see how it is,”

Anya snickered right before pulling her mother into the embrace as well, holding her parents close.

“Thank you,” She whispered, and it took her a few moments to realise she was crying again, “I was so afraid for so long, and I didn’t even know why, but both of you have been so…”

She trailed off, leaning her head onto her father’s shoulder while both her parents squeezed her tight.

“It’s the least we could do, darling. No need to cry,” Maria said with a small smile, “Anya… Yes, that is a lot better, isn’t it? Fine; I’ll concede. Though Marigold will always have a soft spot in my heart,”

Anya laughed at that, rich and full, while she wiped away her tears.

If there was perhaps one thing she could say was good about these new emotions, it was that she didn’t think it’d been this easy to laugh in years.