Someone Who Can't Read the Room

Sophia and Zain sat at the table and were silent for about five minutes before Zain tilted his head to the side and asked, "So what was it you wanted to talk about?"

"Well since it was a little more personal, I didn't want to bring it up with others around. But if you don't mind me asking do you know why it is you can't use magic?" Sophia was asking this in an inquisitive tone as if just trying to gather information.

Zain got lost in thought trying to formulate a probable reason justifiable by their knowledge that could be good enough to convince her. Then he thought of the most possible answer that would be verifiable by any medical professional. "Well, we all know that magic can be used by most people, but I never knew how to. Even when everyone tried to teach me, I couldn't get the grasp of it. When I got examined when I was younger for this, the medical staff said that I just didn't have the organ that allowed people to harness magic."

Sophia was visibly shaken by this with a look of worry on her face. "But how will that impact you long term?" She asked like a worried friend who just heard that the doctors had found out something life changing minutes ago.

"No long term affects other than I can't use magic. Pretty simple." Zain replied as if it was a common occurrence around the world.

"So, you chose to craft weapons because you can't use magic?" Sophia asked trying to solve the puzzle of Zain's only few mysteries layer by layer.

"Wrong again," Zain started this time pausing to formulate an answer that he thought would be satisfactory halfway through. "I craft weapons because it is therapeutic to me, I signed on to be an adventurer because I can make money if I kill monsters while gathering supplies and can gather supplies more freely. The only true downfall that this has had is I could never be a magic knight or a hero like those of legends passed down from generation to generation."

Sophia was getting more puzzled by Zain with the more questions she asked so Zain chose to take the lead in the conversation. "So, what led you to become a magic knight?"

"That's easy, I get to visit all sorts of places, I get to meet all sorts of interesting people and I get to carry on my family's legacy for the past six generations were all magic knights." She said rather proudly.

"Like how you get to do that, I get to travel, I get to meet people and I get to carry on the legacy of the three people that raised me at once. The only difference is I can't use magic to fight." Zain pointed out this fact as a very matter of fact like, almost as if it didn't bother him.

Sophia trying to regain control of where the conversation was going then chimed in, "What about courting someone? Has that ever crossed your mind?"

Zain laughed at this because the thought hadn't even crossed his mind. "I can see myself doing that if the situation is right, but I would like to know the person and their family before hand."

Sophia at this point saw that Zain saw nothing more than what was placed in front of him and not hidden in any way. A straightforward guy with less than ten feet of sight for the future, he lived in the now and thought nothing of what was to come next. She stood up and said goodbye to Zain and as she walked out, she saw his mother standing by the door and she motioned to Sophia, and they started walking aways before they started to speak.

Zain's mother looked at Sophia for a moment then spoke, "He never has been the brightest when it comes to women. Zain can't read through the lines at all but don't mistake that for him not caring. He is actually more of an intellectual who likes things strait laced and in their place. You approach him as if he is the son of a baron in the capital, but he does not see himself in that light. He can easily read the type of weapon a warrior will want, but a room or someone else's intentions he is not good at. This is me rambling, but I do know my son meant no harm by how he said what he said."

"Thank you for your insight on this matter." Sophia spoke while looking as if she had just had her hope smashed in a single strike.

The two of them went their separate ways and when Zain's mother passed by his shop, she noticed that it was locked and appeared empty. She did not think anything of this at the time and continued on her way to the guild where she had other business to attend to.

Sophia was on her way to the inn she had been staying at to prepare for tomorrow. She picked up the glaive she had bought from Zain on her last trip and put it beside her leather armor that she normally wore in dungeons and on patrol in calmer areas. This should do for now. She thought to herself as she sunk into the bed for some relief after the events of the day.

In the back of his shop tinkering away, Zain had made a clay like substance that he had infused the black powder into with a time delay fuse. He looked at it and thought about its various applications in this world of magic. It was meant to be an imitation of C4 that could bust through magical seals like what went around the dungeon and he finally had made it, so nothing was going to be off limits when it came to getting into places. It might not be stealthy, but he was sure it would be effective.