“You’re SO lucky to have a raven as a familiar.” Lara sighed. “Having a spider makes me feel like a joke. I mean, she barely talks! Just quiet mumbles.”

“Am I quiet?” Charlotte grumbled. “Or do you just never try to listen?”

Maybe both, given how Louise blithely agreed with Lara and started going on about how wonderful ravens were.

Charlotte felt a bit better when Edgar gave her a sympathetic look and passed her a shred of ham. Not that she could really eat it, but she wrapped it in web and tucked it behind one of her legs to be polite. The solidarity was its own kind of nourishment.

“She should appreciate how she can take you anywhere.” Edgar observed, jabbing his beak at his special backpack carrier which was sitting next to Louise’s chair. “Just pop you in her hair and go!”

Charlotte clicked her mandibles. “Yes, I pride myself on being accommodating and low-maintenance.”

“Ah.” Edgar cocked his head. “Well, perhaps that’s part of the problem.”

“What do you mean?”

“Encourages her to take you for granted. You’re always there for her, never ask for much, so she forgets how much easier you make things.”

Charlotte digested this. Resolutely ignoring how Lara was laughing uproariously at some raven video.

“Have you tried taking a day off?”

“No, never. I even time my moulting for when she won’t need me.”

“Well, if I were you, I’d stop worrying about that.” Edgar bobbed his head in a sage, decisive nod. “Not plan it to be really awkward, or anything. Just let it happen so she has a few normal days without you assisting her.”

“But…” Charlotte fidgeted uneasily. “Won’t that make her resent me MORE?”

“If it does, she doesn’t deserve you!” Edgar gently patted her with a wingtip. “She needs a polite reminder of how much you do the magical heavy lifting. I’ve seen the spells you two weave together! Being a spider makes you a natural at combining threads of different magics. It’s amazing, it really is.”

“O-oh, it’s nothing…”

“Tsk! It definitely IS something, and you both need to realise that. Every kind of familiar has their own strength, which a wise witch knows and leans into. She’ll never reach her full potential without accepting it.”

“Hm.” Charlotte looked up at Lara.

She was such a sweet girl. And dedicated to her dream of becoming a master charm-maker. Which Charlotte was all for; spinning up different magics and weaving them together into beautiful, functional spells which lingered, triggering only at the right moment… it was endlessly satisfying.

How long had they been together, now? She could clearly recall her own gleeful glow at being picked out of that big shop of various familiars, but… hadn’t Lara been proud of her, back then? Gushed about what they were going to do together? Bragged about her after their first coursework submission?

Reflecting on those memories filled her with a warm glow. Like an emotional sun-lamp.

Maybe… maybe it was time to try and rekindle that mundane magic. Just living under someone’s hair wasn’t being a proper friend, was it? When was the last time Lara and her had actually talked? Not working on a project together, just chatting?

Alright, Lara could be better at listening. But… maybe Charlotte needed to be less… quiet.

“Yeah. You’re right.” She stroked Edgar’s wingtip. “There’s more to being someone’s familiar than just helping them with magic, right?”

“Right!” Edgar nodded approvingly. “You two are a great match, it’s honestly such a shame to hear her talking about you like this. I’m rooting for you both to work things out.”

“Thanks.” Charlotte rustled her mandibles in a chuckle. “Are ravens the best familiars at giving advice?”

“Heh.” Edgar’s feathers fluffed as he tried not to preen. “We’re best at speech and linguistics. It’s our responsibility to use that talent for good.”

Charlotte teasingly scoffed “Except when door-to-door salespeople are involved, I heard.”

“I PERSONALLY consider that using my talents for good.” Edgar tossed his head. “Long-term the rest of the street will thank me.”

Lara was packing up. Normally Charlotte would hurry over and take her place under Lara’s hair, so no more than an absent pat to check her presence was required. No delay. No fuss. No attention needed at all.

But… if she was trying NOT to make it so Lara rarely needed to even think of her… this seemed the perfect place to start. After all, she was enjoying this conversation.

So she pretended not to notice, instead playfully musing “And short-term, you get to use that talent for linguistics to help your witch apologise to everyone for the fuss.”

“Exactly.” Edgar rustled his wings with a suppressed chortle. “Good practice for both of us. She’ll thank me one day.”

“What are you two talking about?”

Aha. Lara had only gotten as far as standing up before realising Charlotte wasn’t in place.

Charlotte peered up at her and explained “That prank he pulled on salespeople last week, that left his whole street in uproar.”

“Whaaaat?” Lara turned to Louise, her expression at once intrigued and faintly reproachful. “I never heard about that!”

Tsk. Louise had been complaining about it all through school the next day. Lara really did need to get better at listening.

“Oh. Yeah.” Louise rolled her eyes. “You know what he’s like. Ravens for you.”

Edgar snickered, entirely unrepentant, as Louise started getting his carrier ready.

“Ok, we have to go, but you’d better give me the deets later.” Lara held out a hand to Charlotte, who readily climbed on and delighted in being gently whisked to Lara’s shoulder.

“See,” Edgar mused nonchalantly, his eyes glittering, “that’s the kind of FUN you miss out on with a spider familiar.”

“Heh. Yeah,” Lara blithely scoffed, “if Charlie ever gets me in the news it’ll be us winning some award.”

Charlotte gratefully waved goodbye, positively glowing, as they swept out of the cafe.