Once I'd found my little rogue experiment amongst the trash, and hit him with a stunner, and then another for good measure, just to make sure that the little hellion remained blissfully unconscious until I was ready to deal with him. Then me and Paddy gave ourselves a once over to make sure that our little romp hadn't ended up puncturing or breaking something that would require the tender mercies of our resident healer. Fortunately for us both, it seemed that the hardiness of wizard had allowed me to get away with not having my insides leaking to my outsides. Always a good first step.
With my immediate health assured I turned my attention to my quarry who, I'd noted beforehand, looked like a tiny man, down to his tackle. I made a gesture and conjured him some underwear. I really didn't want to be staring at something like that, thank you. I also tossed in a healing spell just to be nice, no need for the little thing to be in pain after all.
I had to say... I had been expecting something... more. Sure, it was a male fairy, which was very yay, but he wasn't all that spectacular besides that. Besides the blue wings, which was an underwhelming difference, he looked like a California beach bum, only with more antennas and less of a tan. If he calls me dude I'm taking one big step for man, right onto him. If he can talk that is. His erratic "attack on sight" behavior made a strong case for a lack of emotional control, and possibly insanity. I wonder if it was the mind-maker enchantment I put on the goop that did it. It almost had to be seeing as fairies' usual way to express anger was to pout cutely.
Then again, he did show a degree of tactical thinking in our little scuffle and did quite well now that I think about it. He tried to use my own attack against me, that was definitely an example of thinking far beyond any normal fairy, which had all the smarts of a bag of hammers. So the spell had to have worked! Sorta...Then there was his resistance too the paralysis charm... Magical resistance was not something faeries were known for. I suspected that it was likely to have something to do with the Exstimulo Potion I'd injected. It might have enhanced a low-end magical resistance that hadn't been noted before. Or it could have something to do with the aura he was emanating. Paddy had been able to stun him once it got knocked offline.
That was a bit interesting, if not that rare as abilities go. There might be more but I would have to wake him up for that. "Alright, I think I'll wake him up and see if we can talk to the little guy."
"Sir, perhaps it would be prudent to prevent our... guest... from moving about should he continue to be beligerent," Paddy suggested.
"Some restraints?" I mussed as I gave Paddy a considering look. "He was pretty strong, for a little guy, wasn't he. Might need something heavy-duty too. The problem is that he is so damn small. I can't exactly wrap him in chains, he's slip right out."
"Might I suggest you take a page out of your own book and do as you did with the young ruffian that was harassing Miss Nel." Paddy proposed.
He was referring to that meathead Janus, of course. I remember that. I'd caused him to get stuck in the floor by turning parts of it into liquid then reforming it after he'd fallen in. It had been a pretty creative use of transfiguration, I thought. And then I'd followed it up by turning him into a girl. I'd been real proud of that on account of human transfiguration being one of the more difficult things to do, that is if your target happened to be a wizard. There was a certain... resistance, for lack of a better word, when you transfigured a wizard that wasn't there when you targeted a muggle. I'd found out that squibs had the resistance to, which was an interesting aside. But not an immediately useful one, however.
I thought about the problem for a moment as I slowly looked around myself for something that I could use to restrain my little friend until my eyes finally landed on an old rusty iron cauldron. like the one, we had in potions class. I wondered for a moment why anyone would want to hide a cauldron. Maybe they just wanted to get rid of it and happened to be by the room when they were looking for a good spot. I bet that was the story of a lot of stuff in this place. Most of it seemed to be trash.
With a few gestures I reshaped the cauldron into a plain cube of black metal before turning a round section on its upper face to water and then proceeded to lower my fairy friend down to his upper stomach, I wanted his chest to remain free so it wouldn't obstruct his breathing, and then I reversed the transfiguration, trapping him in the block. I did a quick examination to see that he was properly stuck, tugging lightly on his arms to see if he would be able to wiggle them out. But everything seemed solid, the little tyke wasn't going anywhere, at least not with his lower body and hands still attached.
"Well, this should do the trick, don't you think, Paddy?" I asked my faithful companion.
Paddy merely raised a critical eyebrow. "It would appear to be an adequate means of restraint, sir."
I clapped my hands rapidly in exitment. "Alrighty! Let's get this show on the road!" I did an unnecessary mystical gesture over my sleeping friend. "Awaken!"
Fairy boy twitched, shuddered, and then let out a squeaky little groan that reminded me of a guinea pig. I choked down a giggle. Then he tried to move and when he met resistance he grunted in confusion. His head kinda lolled back and he seemed to be trying to open his eyes but was too groggy to figure out how. I wish I had brought my phone, this would have been gold on youtube. I really have to figure out how to make something like a video camera, but magical. Mabe using a Pensive as a starting point. I filled it away for later since the fairy boy had finally figured out how to open his eyes properly.
He still seemed pretty out of it, seemingly having trouble keeping his head straight and focusing his eyes. He still hadn't noticed Paddy and me. I wondered if the impact with the floor when he was knocked out had given him a concussion. He was small enough that his terminal velocity wasn't going to be fatal, but if he landed badly on his head it might have given his brain a good shake. Maybe I should cast a healing spell on him? I didn't have time to decide because the little fella seemed to finally shake off his confusion. I saw his eyes refocused and his struggles became more frantic as he realized that he was traped. Then he saw me and Paddy looking down at him.
There was a moment of silence as we just kinda stared at one another dumbly, me waiting for him to do something and he... well, I don't know what was going on in his head at the moment, if anything. Then his face twisted up into a rictus of rage and he issued what I assumed to be a very squeaky warcry. It sounded like someone had stepped on a rat. He also started to glow blue again. Oh, that wasn't good, I had to stop that somehow. Ah I know.
"Oi! Stop that!" I snapped and flicked his head with my middle finger, causing his head to snap back and the aura to flicker out. I didn't deter him much though as he started to glow again almost immediately.
I flicked his head again. "No!"
He squeaked at me angrily and started to glow again. I flicked him again.
"No!"
Flick
"Bad!"
Flick.
"No supper for you."
Flick.
"I can do this all day."
Flick.
"Bad fairy."
Flick.
"Stop that, stupid big-thing!" The little fairy finally squeaked angrily. Hah! Oh my god, he sounded just like one of the chipmunks from Alvin and the Chipmunks! Oh that was hilarious! I cracked up, laughing so hard I was almost crying. I noticed him starting to glow angrily again and gave him another flick to the head.
"So you can talk," I stated once I got the giggle under control. "That makes things easier."
The fairy boy wasn't listening, still being preoccupied with trying to get loose from the block I'd trapped him in. When that didn't work I saw a glow start to form, but instead of the one that surrounded his whole body this was centered around his upper arms, and probably his hands. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was about to try to blast himself free.
"You'll die if you try to do that little blasty thing you did earlier," I told him loudly. "All that iron will just focus the energy back towards you, turning your lower body to ground meat."
Fairy boy didn't seem inclined to listen so I flicked his head again, a bit harder this time, causing him to squeak in pain.
"Stop that! It hurts!" He complained.
"You think that hurts? What you were about to do would have hurt a whole lot more.
Fairy boy glared at me impotently. "Let me go!"
"You gonna do your little glowy thing at me if I do?" I asked bluntly.
"Yes." was the fierce reply.
I snorted in amusement. Well, at least he's not a liar. "See, that part I have a problem with. That hurts me."
"You hurt me first!" Fairy boy accused me.
"How you figure that?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "I was just minding my own business when you came at me just now." I accused him lightly. "You attacked me first, so you can't moan about me getting back at you."
Fairy boy didn't like that piece of logic, he pouted cutely and looked away from me. I took it as a good sign. He was far more intelligent than I'd hoped, and he apparently could be reasoned with. He did seem pretty childish though, though not as childish as I'd expect of a newborn. That might be the fairy part, they were supposed to be fully grown once they came out of their chrysalis, which might translate somewhat to a more mature outlook.
"You trap me!" Fairy boy shouted finally.
"Because you will try to hurt me if you're free." I countered easily, causing him to pout at me.
"This hurt me!" He complained and jerked on his trapped arms while glaring at me.
I sighed in exasperation "If you don't struggle it won't hurt."
"Is not true, is hurting always!" The little fairy shouted indignantly.
I frowned. He shouldn't be in pain, I'd used a healing spell on him that should have dealt with anything short of broken bones, and there shouldn't be anything like that. He was too small for a fall like that to have seriously hurt him. A sudden feeling of dread hit me; what if it was because of what he was? What if something was wrong because he was born of an experiment?
"Where does it hurt?" I asked in concern. "What kind of pain is it? Piercing, burning, pulsing?"
The fairy boy just looked confused by my rapid-fire question. Then he uttered this strange whiney growl and kinda hunched over and moaned. That's when I realized that the whiney growl hadn't come from his mouth, but his stomach. He was hungry! It was hunger pains. I started to laugh, part in relief that he was okay, and part in genuine amusement at the ridiculous situation. Fairy boy was none too pleased by my laughter but I waved placatingly at him.
"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. You're fine! You just need something to eat. SO! I'll make you a deal. You don't fly off and cause trouble or try to attack anyone and I get you some food to make that pain in your gut go away. What do you say to that?" I offered once I got ahold of myself.
The little fairy boy thought about it for a moment, looking a bit mulish and I was momentarily afraid he was going to be stubborn, but then the beast in his stomach decided it had been ignored long enough and once more sang the song of its people.
"Will take food." He agreed quickly.
"And you promised to be nice and not fly off?" I pressed just to make sure he wasn't going to try something. Fairys were supposed to be tricky after all and it paid to cover one's bases. And if he reneged, well, then I knew he couldn't be trusted and I would work from there. I caught him once, I could do it again.
The little fairy boy, and I really had to think of a name for him, thinking of him as fairy boy wasn't gonna cut it, looked a bit indignant that I was still on about not causing trouble, but apparently, the lure of food was stronger than any irritation he felt so he just huffed and nodded his assent. "Will be nice."
"Good enough for me," I said and with a wave of my hand, the iron block came apart, freeing my little friend, who dropped to the floor in a heap. I did the mature thing and swallowed my amusement, no need to antagonize him right now.
"Paddy, why don't you head to the kitchens and get our new friend something to chow down on, make it a bit of everything, some greens, meat, and chicken... oh! And some fruit as well. I want to see what he likes to eat." I ordered my trusty manservant.
"Of course, sir. I will be back presently." Paddy acknowledged before vanishing with a puff of displaced air. I turned my attention back to the fairy boy who had made it to his feet and was looking at me with a look of curiosity mixed with suspicion, but he wasn't glowing or tense and didn't look to be making ready to hare off and cause trouble
Well, this was shaping up to be a resounding success! I wonder what would happen if I tried the same thing on something else. A chrysalis was just a type of egg, and there were a lot of things that laid eggs. Provided that I got to them just after fertilization of the eggs I could likely get my hands on them before anything substantial would develop that could resist the spells I would need to cast. I wonder if I could get my hands on a fresh ravens egg? They were some of the smartest birds around, though apparently, parrots had a bit of an edge over them.
"Now, you need a name, let see if we can come up with something appropriate." I decided.