I walked with Clarrie to The Republic – a popular cafe on campus filled with hungry students spilling out onto the tables and chairs outside. We sat outside in the sun, and a waiter came to take our order. Meals were free for students, to encourage us to spend more time on campus so that we would have the energy to get more work done. I ordered some pasta with mushrooms, beans, and thyme. I noticed everyone else was ordering hearty meals too.

Over lunch I found out that Clarrie was developing a soundwave healing method for medical professionals. I could see her natural healing instincts were being put to use, but she was hiding behind the technicalities of it. I reminded myself not to look directly into her eyes so I could not see her thoughts. I felt like I was on shaky ground, only being here to leave my old life behind. I did not know how long it would take to fashion a new purpose out of life, especially when I had never had to create a purpose before. I had always just been a magician. It is who I always was. I was born that way. There was no other path for me. Now I was deliberately moulding myself into something different. I felt worlds away from Mr Bishop, from all the other towns and villages we had travelled through, from different accommodations, from performance, from magic. And yet, something inside of me still felt like I was a magician. I vowed never to look anyone in the eye again.