Chapter 52 · Lesson and learning

I had never been inside the old pub before. It was one of the origin of old timey buildings and while the bare brick walls and timber frames may have shown the true age it was about the things that did. Modern tables with leather and custom chair, a long wooden clean bar with a built-in drain mat's and the smell of food was fresh in the air wafting from a door behind the bar.

We all entered with Ruby infrount. We filed in through the doorway with Ruby leading us to some of the open chairs next to the bar. Only a few of the other seats were taken by an odd group here and there, some just there for a drink and others eating what must have been lunch at this time on their table's.

"I will just be a minute," Ruby said as she walks behind the bar, talked to the man currently running things it would seem, before disappearing into the door the smell of food was coming from.

"She seems nice," Zoe commented as we were all sitting.

I gave a nod. It was nice to see her again. It had been a while since I had seen anyone from my home town or talk to anyone apart from my uncle which made me a bad person. There wasn't any other way to put it.

Ruby had been maybe my only friend growing up and when I left I hadn't even tried staying in contact just let her almost disappear into the mist of the past like a nobody. She had stood up for me and always pick me for team projects.

Growing up mostly mute and weak had put me back and without Ruby, I might have spent my whole time in school alone. Sure the other kids had been there but it's not like I played with them and some had even tried to bully me for it.

But Ruby hadn't. She stood up for me then and even now she welcomed me back.

She kind of reminded me of someone. I looked at Zoe with her smile. Her deep warm eyes like mini sun's. Ruby was a bit like Zoe but I guess less... crazy. I needed to be better.

I wasn't going to lose touch with Zoe like I had with Ruby or else maybe she wouldn't be so forgiving.

"Jade, Jade, hello earth to Jade," came Zoe's voice which pulled me out of my inner falts.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking," I replied quickly feeling hot as I relive how long I've been staring at Zoe for.

"We were just talking about if maybe your magic was related to nature in some form," Wick explained from my other side.

"Related to nature?" I asked now looking at him. I mean can the magic be related to nature isn't magic just magic.

"Yes," Wick started as he pulled a set of wireframes glasses out and placed them on his nose "magic is many things due to its name coming from long ago when the understanding of the in-depth works of it was not so well understood. You see to put it simply magic can come from the different thing and as such respond differently to internal or external sources."

I looked at him "so... like a cake. It can be made different ways but in the end, is the same thing."

Zoe nodded with a smile while Wicks' face seemed to almost tick a little.

"I think you might be spending too much time with Zoe," he started rubbing his forehead " its more like... a pie. Magic is what you call a pie its the pasty that holds it together and uncut all pies may look the same however look closer and the size, shape, filling and pastry itself can be very different between two pies. Dam, it now I'm hungry. Anyway, your pie if you like maybe a nature pie if you like, in very basic terms." Wick finish at last with a tiny smile on his lips. I guess he was happy with his pie diagram.

"So how can we tell?" I asked.

"Easy, we just need to check your aura," Wick replied adjusting his glasses causing the light to catch on them in a sinister way.