Larissa's diary (pre-adventure)

[cellio]

May 1 (Sunday)

Dear Diary,

I haven't written in a while. It's been a busy spring, with all the extra work on the farm. It's a shame that kid Jake didn't work out as a farm-hand; we needed the help. I didn't mean to daze him; I was aiming for Maria. So even though I'm really not very useful for this sort of thing, I've been spending a lot of time out in the fields with Hal and Dad. They don't appreciate my efforts to make things easier, either; *I* thought steering the plow blade by magic rather than by brute force was a *fine* idea. Some people are *so* boring. (I think Hal is just jealous because *he* can't move things with his mind.)

Mom is still mad about the incident in the chicken coop a few months ago. Can *I* help it if I can't completely control this magic stuff yet? I didn't ask for these powers, after all. They must be hereditary; Uncle Sebastian was always kind of peculiar, and they never did figure out what caused that fire at his house. Anyway, that's why I need to practice on things like the plow, where a mistake can't do any harm. Besides, it wasn't that many eggs, and none of the chickens was permanently injured. Sheesh.

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May 15 (Sunday)

My little sisters are jerks. They taunt me until I get upset and then weird funky stuff happens beyond my control, and all of a sudden everything is *my* fault. This isn't fair. Maria wouldn't have gotten hurt if she'd left me alone, and Mom wouldn't have needed to send for a cleric in the middle of the night.

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June 12 (Thursday)

I saw a traveller on the road while I was out in the fields today. He was having trouble with his wagon. When I got close, I saw that he wasn't really making his repairs with his hands like it looked like; he was doing it magically. I recognized the spell. When he finally saw me he stopped and tried to cover it up, but I said it was ok and I picked up the part he had been working on and asked him where it belonged. That startled him. Then he taught me a little bit about control, which was really nice, and I gave him half of my lunch. (He said he couldn't stay in town, though he didn't say why. Was he in *that* much of a hurry?) Anyway, that lesson was really helpful! His name is Ferdinand, and he said he lives in Shipsburg, wherever that is.

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July 1 (Sunday)

Mom and Dad have been having lots of hushed conversations that stop when I walk into the room. I think they're up to something.

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July 18 (Wednesday)

I've started to hang out at Jehan's in the evenings. It's a lot more fun than staying home, and I keep hoping that we'll get some fun visitors like those travelling musicians from a few months back. Or maybe Ferdinand would come back and I could get some more lessons. Besides, Jehan sometimes gives me free drinks if I do magic tricks for him, and his beer is better than the stuff Dad makes.

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July 21 (Saturday)

I found out what Mom and Dad are up to. (I hid under their bed last night. They're really noisy at night; I'm surprised I've never heard it through the wall. Yuck.)

They're trying to find someone to marry me off to, to get me out of their hair. Apparently this magic stuff is too much for them, but it never occurred to them to look for someone who can maybe teach me or something. No, they said they'll take the first acceptable suitor who can be talked into it. What an insult.

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Aug 4 (Wednesday)

I don't care what they say; I am *not* marrying a halfling. Or gnome, or whatever he is. Especially one with a gambling habit. I bet they haven't even talked to him about their idea, either. I can't imagine that he'd be interested in a human wife. Sheesh. Try again, folks, this time within species.