Chapter 18: Magic, Duh

True to Noah's word, most of the wizards gathered for dinner together that night. Alther was introduced to even more people, some around his age, some older, and even the occasional child who wanted to see what all the fuss was about. When the crowd finally dispersed, he quickly made his way to Noah and Garreth, who had saved him a seat at their table.

"Enjoying the attention?" Garreth asked. There was no malice in his tone, though the question would have come off as rude if anyone else had asked.

"Not at all," Alther answered. Even seated, he stuck out like a sore thumb. He'd removed his suit jacket in the hope that his button-up shirt wouldn't draw too much attention, but even wrinkled from his nap, it was still evidently clean and new. The younger kids especially seemed to have no idea what to make of him. He'd made eye contact with a little boy who was sucking his thumb and had immediately looked away, hoping he looked less awkward than he felt.