Hey Diary,

  So, I read back and realized I’ve mentioned Echo, but I haven't explained her. Yeah, this is my diary, and no one else will ever read it, but it’s still good for chronological reasons to say when someone important has entered the picture. Just so I know where I am when I read back.

  Or if I ever get amnesia or something, I don't know.

  Anyways, Echo is a changeling. She currently looks like a fairy, but I don't think her wings are real. They don't move. Like, if someone put on a fake tail, it’d be pretty easy to spot because it wouldn't move on its own. There wouldn't be random twitches or curls. I haven't been able to watch real fairies, but I can't imagine their wings being so… stationary.

  She currently has ice magic. In books they say changelings can switch magic types whenever they want, but I haven't confirmed that yet. I imagine changelings all have their favorite types, depending on their jobs and what they find most useful.

  The reason Echo will be an important person is because she’s going to join us in traveling! She said it wasn't safe to live in the Empire any more, since she was chosen by the Goddess to tell everyone about the earthquakes, and worshiping the Goddess is kinda illegal there. Which sounds very strange. I don't think I’d be able to live somewhere where religion is illegal.

  So yeah, that’s Echo. I like her. She’s… quiet. Like she doesn't want people to notice her. She’s a Spy, so I guess that makes sense. But if she really didn't want people to notice her, she should have turned into a neko. I wonder why she didn't.

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  Also joining our traveling party are Trusty and True. They’re two dapple grey horses, who will pull the slightly larger wagon we’re getting.

  Which means we’ll be leaving Peanut here. I’m going to miss him. He’s a good horse.

  The guy at the stables says True is a very good horse, but Trusty doesn't like donkeys for some reason. So I’ll have to watch out for that.

  I mean, I could charm Trusty into thinking donkeys are friends, but that would be rude. Besides, I don't want to accidentally go overboard and end up with a horse who absolutely loves donkeys. I’m not sure how… detailed I have to be now.

  Like, when I charmed those sheep into thinking the sound of shears was nice. Their brains were originally afraid of the sound, so when I told them to think it was good, it just nudged them into thinking the sound was about the same level of nice as birdsong. It’s lovely, sure, but mostly it’s background noise that can be ignored. They didn't end up loving the sound, they would never actively seek it out.

  If I tried that now, I’m not sure if they’d demand to listen to the sound of shears all day long. If they’d refuse to eat unless shears were clipping away in the background.

  There’s a balancing act with charm magic, and right now I’m super out of balance.

  I need to find a pigeon or something that no one will notice if I completely mess it up to practice on.

  Actually… It’s not too late yet.

  I should go find a pigeon.

  Signing off,