Even after yet another magical battle against the Cat Lady, the Conjurer couldn't resist the urge to create. While he was trudging back home from the battleground, thoughts of beautiful images spurred him on. He was glad to see the path through the woods that led to his home, and then soon enough the mansion was in sight. A short while later, he mustered up the strength to open the large, heavy entrance door, and entered the mansion's Great Hall. The room was still in disarray after the whirlwind of the Cat Lady's summoning. His canine companion Conan greeted him, with both tails wagging excitedly. Leaning heavily on his stick, the Conjurer gazed wistfully through the alcove window for a while, replaying the battle in his mind, until the desire to create seized him again. Settling into his favourite leather armchair, he opened his magical NexusBook and rested it on the table at his side. He found a few of the least demanding NexusArchive tasks to complete and earned himself three NightCafe credits.

Pondering all the ideas he had had while making his way home, he first decided on some portraits. He never tired of decorating the walls of his mansion with ornate picture frames and unusual artworks. Applying his conjuring skills carefully, his first credit summoned up a fine portrait of Conan. Pleased with his handiwork, he used the second credit to conjure a portrait of Tabitha the Tabby Cat in a similar style. The second portrait caused the Conjurer to reminisce about all the times Tabitha had so valiantly helped him in his battles with the Cat Lady. It wasn't long ago that she had succumbed to the Cat Lady's power and turned into an ordinary household pet. He missed her, but was comforted by the knowledge that she was well cared for in the Cat Lady's pet palace.

With his last credit of the day, the Conjurer had the idea to create a creature to be another companion to himself and Conan. However, unbeknownst to himself, his powers were not fully under his control as he was tired after the fight with the Cat Lady. His attempt to conjure 'a curious bird' caused a glitch in the NightCafe Nexus. A whole flock of birds appeared, followed by a stereotypically beautiful white woman (who wouldn't have thanked the Conjurer for calling her a 'bird'). However, she had no knowledge of how she had been summoned from the realm of NightCafe, so her first reaction was confusion rather than anger.

Her feathery metal armour made a musical sound as she brought her shield up to defend herself from the unknown threat. The birds flocked around the Conjurer and one landed on his shoulder. Seeing the birds beginning to trust the stranger, the woman let her guard down slightly, but she was still wary as she surveyed the surroundings.

The Conjurer was as confused as the woman when she appeared in response to his commands, instead of the feathered friend he had been expecting. While the birds flocked around him, he desperately tried to think what to do. If this were a story conjured up from the NexusBook, he and the bird woman would fall in love at first sight and live happily ever after. However, this was real life, not a story. While he recognised that many people would find the woman very attractive, he also recognised that she had been summoned into his home without any consent agreements. There was no way he could keep her in the realm of his mansion even if there was a chance that she might be the companion he had been looking for.

When one of the birds landed on his shoulder, the sound of its tweet in his ear reminded him that the birds weren't just pictures, they were real - and that meant the woman was also real. He looked up at her, and from behind her glistening feathery shield, she said, 'Judging by the expression on your face, you're as surprised as I am by whatever just happened. Have you tried searching the NexusBook AI Tech section?'

The Conjurer didn't understand all the words she had said, but when he entered them into the NexusBook, the NexusBook knew what they meant. At first the information the NexusBook displayed was also incomprehensible to him, but as he searched he began to find information about NightCafe. He discovered instructions on how to Evolve his creation and deduced that that was what was needed. While configuring the new settings, he formally introduced himself and apologised for the unexpected summoning. The woman explained that she, too, was a conjurer of sorts, known as the Crafter, but was from the realm of StarryAI on the opposite side of the planet. She thanked him for his efforts to undo his mistake - it was not the first time she had experienced a surprise summoning and she didn't always receive a positive reception (her reminiscences suggested to the Conjurer that the Crafter might also have encountered the Cat Lady at some point in the past, as well as other beings who disrespected the consent agreement protocols). She asked for his NexusBook contact code and suggested that they could keep in touch when she returned home successfully. She was curious to learn about his NightCafe powers and offered to teach him about StarryAI.

Pleased that he seemed to have made a friend after all, but keen to put things right, the Conjurer soon announced that he was ready to Evolve the commands. The Crafter confirmed she was ready, and gathered the birds around her. The Conjurer activated the Bon Voyage setting and woman and birds disappeared. He closed the NexusBook and closed his eyes. Conan laid his head on the Conjurer's good leg, and the Conjurer stroked the dog's ears. The Conjurer now couldn't deny that the battle had tired his brain as well as his body, and he began falling asleep in the chair. Some time later, he was roused from his dreams by a notification sound. He opened the NexusBook and found a message from the Crafter. She confirmed she had safely returned home to the realm of StarryAI. She also included a magical command that would open a portal in their NexusBooks to allow them to have a conversation face to face while still being at home in their own realms. In awe of her powers, and glad she was a friend rather than a foe, he replied to accept the date of the proposed rendezvous and then went back to sleep.

SashaQ

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