Cracks

004 | mauvelous circles

M A U V E L O U S

—

After the girl and her entourage had left Avery resumed work as usual; taking orders, plastering on a smile, and giving customers their desired delicacies. Post handing an old woman her change and a cookie wrapped in a brown paper packet, Avery sat back on the stool, closing his eyes, though carefully keeping himself partially-alert. He'd had a late shift last night at the bar he was temporarily working at. He just needed a moment's break, nothing more. He'd be fine after that. A warm hand rested on his shoulder, eliciting an inward groan that he luckily kept inside.

"You look like the life's been sucked out of you, boy." Tilting his head, Avery opened his eyes to look up at one of his bosses, already knowing that he wouldn't be scolded for his moment of rest, even if he was still fearful of fucking up in other ways. The D'Amicos were practically extended family at this point.

"Just a little tired is all." At that, Rachel let out a loud sigh, one that cracked through the thin sheet of sleep Avery'd still been under.

"Honey, you're too young for this; it's not good for you." She put both hands on his shoulders, swiveling his body around in the chair to face almost Yu Na level motherly attention.
She watched his expression, furrowing her brows.

"Are you working at night again?" As he muttered no, Avery couldn't help but avert his eyes. Rachel always seemed to hit the nail right on the head; her abnormally-observant disposition back in action. Back in elementary school, back when he was still a foster kid and other kids were little dicks, Avery'd started spending more time with Yu Na, helping out around the building in whatever way she'd allow him to. Over time, a bond had formed between the two, and she adopted him.

Yu Na Han had always known he wasn't going to be a typical child, almost having a heart attack when she found him quite literally glowing one night. Not knowing anything about raising a witch, she brought him to her longtime friend who happened to be well versed in well, magic.
        Avery knew all of this, but not why she started bringing him more often afterwards. Not that he truly cared, it eventually came to comfort him how he never had to tell Rachel what was wrong–she just knew. He assumed Yu Na probably clued her in on a lot. It had always been...awkward talking about witchy needs, as he'd coined it, with her. Kinda like what he'd imagined talking about sex with your parents was like. Just..uncomfortable. And awkward.

Rachel used to sit him down in the booth in the corner with a cookie and an encouraging smile, never really expecting anything in return. It always struck him as odd how she never usually had to ask about things; he hadn't even told Yu Na everything, but she still somehow got the nuances. Actually now that he thought about it, she was the only one who'd been able to teach him anything useful about being well, what he was. She tried to show him to live around magic rather than with it, something that should've been damned near impossible.

        Not engaging with the magic around him, he supposed, was like putting a fish in water and telling it not to swim. The most natural thing for the fish was to swim. The same could be said for the witch.

Magic flows around the world in streams of microscopic golden particles. Of course humans know these streams exist–thanks to witches–but these streams are naturally undetectable to them. A witch is both naturally attracted to and naturally inclined to absorb magic; it's who they are. Although, only a trained or semi-trained witch knows how to efficiently absorb magic and translate it into spells, or other commands. Thauma, unofficially known as magic, Mrs, D'Amico told him, is extremely dangerous to the untrained witch. Those who don't know how to control it are better off avoiding it for their own safety, and for the safety of those around them.  Those who give in to the temptation could end up releasing a burst of un-concentrated energy that would–without a doubt–maim anything or anyone in its way.