Chapter 4: A Talk over Tea

The tower was quiet, save for the sound of a sleeping felis and the clinking of a teaspoon as Austin stirred his drink. He was looking at the mage across the small table. The mage in question  was staring down intently at her drink. Deep in thought, Brielle turned her gaze to Austin, away from her drink.

The boy stared back, his eyes filled with curiosity. Brielle sighed as she steeled her resolve. She would tell him her past, but she would start with a question.

"Did your parents love you?"

Taken aback, Austin blinked a few times before replying. "Yes. Yes they did. They always put my needs before theirs. They had time to spare when it comes to spending it with me." He said then took a sip from his cup. "Whenever I was down, they were there for me. Everyday they show their love for me and I hope I never failed to show mine."

"I see." Brielle said in a depressed manner. Concern spread across the boy's face. He hadn't seen the mage this downcast before. He had only seen her happy if not annoyed.

"Is everything alright? You don't look well." He said as she saw tears forming in the girl's eyes.

"I'm fine." She sniffed. "The memory of the past just pains me is all." She said, waving a dismissive hand.

"Are you sure? I won't force you if you really don't want to." Voicing his concern, Austin put his cup down and began stroking Sylph's fur. As he did so, the felis stirred and woke from her nap. Looking around, she saw Brielle's gloomy expression. Sylph got up from the boy's lap, jumped on the table and proceeded to sitting on Brielle's lap.

Collecting herself, the mage managed a smile and stroked the felis' snow white fur. "Thanks, Sylph. I feel a lot better." She wiped off a few tears as her gaze traveled upwards to meet Austin's. "Austin, if it would he alright to you, I will not reveal everything about my past just yet. I know it sounds unfair since you were an open book and all. But I don't feel ready to talk about everything from my past."

Austin chuckled before he replied. "I'm alright with it. The truth is, I would be the one unfair to you if I force you to tell me everything. After all, I only told my story because I needed to get it off my mind." Austin said as he ate his slice of pie. "If you don't feel like telling me everything because it makes you uncomfortable, I understand."

"Thank you for understanding Austin." A warm smile escaped the mage's lips. "I couldn't tell you anything about my younger years except that I came from a village across the mountain range. I left home when I was seven years old. You see my parents..." Brielle fell silent at the mention of her parents.

Seeking comfort, Brielle lifted the felis on her lap and brought it into a hug. Sylph did not protest nor did she struggle. She simply let things happen. The mage seemed to calm down a bit because she set the felis back on her lap after a few moments of snuggling.

"As for my parents, let's just say that they made me leave home at a young age. I was eighteen when I arrived in this town and that was three years ago. I came here finding a place to put down roots and to... forget about my past. They had some problem here when I showed up. Luckily for them, I posses the right  skills to help them in their dilemma." Brielle then gestured the inside of her tower.

"The town head rewarded me for the deed and offered me this tower in exchange that I stay and continue my services. Since then, the villagers come to me when they need aid. I do not answer every request though. Studying and improving my magic was my top priority. That's why I can't afford to waste time on small problems."

"The pay from each request and my salary from the town hall supports my financial needs. I get extra income from the potions and medicine that I brew and compound from the local flora." She continued and pointed at the shelves housing numerous jars.

"That reminds me, I still have work to finish." Concentrating, Brielle held her hand out and with a pop, a book and a quill materialized out of thin air. With her magic, she felt around the tower for some parchment and an ink well. She got up from her seat, brought the things she held with her magic, and headed towards her working table. Brielle still held the seraph in her arms who didn't seem to mind being carried around.

"I'm almost done with this last tome. I need to translate it into common tongue so that people can borrow it from the library." She said as she flipped the pages with her magic and began writing the translated words in the parchment she placed on the table.

As the mage worked, Austin began clearing the kitchen table. He covered the leftover pie to prevent flies from landing on it then he gathered all the used things.  After putting all the used cups, plates, forks, and knives on the sink, he proceeded washing them. Once he was done, he returned the things to where he saw Brielle get them. Satisfied with his work, he went to the working table where Brielle was and observed her. From time to time, she would dip the quill in the ink well and write on the parchment. She would mumble the words she was translating from the book and repeat them in the common tongue as she wrote. He found that the sight of a mage at work was quite amusing. Especially when Brielle wasn't even using her hands to write.

As she was doing all those tasks, the only thing that her hands did was to occasionally pet and snuggle the felis in her arms. Austin took notice that Sylph already attached herself to Brielle from the moment they met. He couldn't help but smile at the pair that seemed to compliment each other perfectly. He did not notice that he was staring for too long. Not until he found Brielle's gaze locked on his.

"Is something the matter?" Brielle asked as she looked at the seemingly entranced boy.

Embarrassment flushed the boy's cheeks as he tried to answer the mage. "Oh... Erm, it's just that you two look so good together just working on that tome and I couldn't help staring at you."

Brielle, not expecting the reply, blushed for a moment before clearing her throat. "I see... Err, since I'm done translating the tomes, would you care to escort me to the library?" She said as she released the tome and the quill from her magic after she set them on the work table.

"Sure, why not?" Austin said, shrugging his shoulders.

As he rose from his seat and walked towards the table, Brielle snapped her fingers then there was a flash of light followed by a sizzling sound. The light blinded him for a bit, causing him to rub his eyes with both hands. A tall stack of books was the sight he saw once he recovered his vision.

"That's a lot of books."

"Yeah, well that's why I had to pull an all-nighter. I was supposed to finish translating them this noon but someone came and nagged me to become his mentor." She said, sending piercing glares at Austin. He seemed to have found something interesting at the ceiling for he wasn't looking at her.

"I wonder who that was? That was very inconsiderate of him." Austin replied, not meeting her gaze. He kept staring at the ceiling while the mage's glare intensified as she furrowed her brows. She sighed as she rose from her seat.

"Ah, before I forget, we need to clea—"

"Clear the table? I've done that already. Soon as you got the book and walked over your work table, I took initiative to clean the table and wash the dishes." Austin replied with a smile on his face.

"My apologies. I left my guest unattended. That was an impolite thing for a host to do."

"Whoa there, no need for apologies. It was quite enjoyable for me to be doing chores like that again. It felt...normal." The boy said reassuringly.

The mage lifted her head and stared at the boy. His eyes met hers and their gazes were locked for what seemed a minute before they were brought back into the present by a mew escaping the felis' mouth.

Regaining her composure, Brielle looked around her tower. She made a mental checklist of her surroundings. With the dining table cleared, the felis still in her arms, and Austin carrying the books, she deemed that they were ready to depart for the library. She headed for the door and opened it using her telekinesis. Then as she stepped outside, she beckoned the boy to follow her outside. Brielle waited for Austin to get out of her tower before shutting the door and locking it, still using her telekinesis. The three then made their way to the town library.

Silence settled over the group as they walked across the village. No one talked for neither of them wanted to break the peaceful silence. Only when they reached the market that the silence was shattered.

"Oh my, I never expected to see Brielle walking togehter with someone. Especially a boy." Came a rather raspy but cheerful voice from the bakery the group was passing by.

Turning to the source of the voice, Brielle saw the old baker that was seating in a rocking chair, reading a book. She was rather short— no taller than Brielle's shoulder. Her gray hair flowed down to her shoulder, framing her wrinkled face. She wore an orange dress which was covered by a white apron. The mage and her apprentice approached to greet the old lady.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Nimh. How are you these past days?" Brielle gave the baker a smile as they neared the chair she was seating on.

Mrs. Nimh set the book down her lap before she replied. "Oh, not much really. It's always been the usual. But there has been some help these past few weeks. A boy came up to me looking for a job. He looked like he really needed it, so I hired him as my help at the bakery."

"That's great Mrs. Nimh! You know what they say: More hands mean less work. Where is he by the way?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"He left before noon after baking a pie. He said something about convincing someone with the pie. I never got what he meant by that."

The boy in question lowered the books he carried enough to reveal his face to Mrs. Nimh.

"Hey Mrs. Nimh, guess what? I had to try a bit hard, but the pie worked!"

The baker turned her gaze to the voice and saw Austin's face. She gave a hearty chuckle and said, "Oh, so this is what you meant when you said you had to convince someone. It would have gone easier if you brought something else other than pie though."

A laugh made its way out of Brielle's mouth when she heard the old lady's retort. On the other hand, the boy's expression contorted into confusion.

"What do you mean Mrs. Nimh?"

"You see young one, this mage may prefer the usual pastries once in a while, but there is one thing that she can never resist." Mrs. Nimh said with a sly glint in her eye.

Brielle's eyes shimmered with delight "Mrs. Nimh, you don't mean...?"

Mrs. Nimh just smiled and said "I'll go get the basket."

The mage and her apprentice watched as the baker went inside her shop. Austin looked at Brielle and saw that the girl's eyes were overflowing with joy.

(What could be the one thing she couldn't resist? I mean, I know that my pie was great but I never imagined that something can ever top my mother's recipe.)

They did not wait that long however, a few moments passed and the baker exited her shop carrying a small basket. The boy turned to look at his mentor and saw that she could barely contain her emotions. She was practically jumping up and down like a little kid who can't wait to get a present. With all her shaking, the felis leaped out from her arms and on to the stack of books Austin was carrying.

"Here you go Brielle, a freshly baked batch of assorted muffins." The baker said, handing the basket to the mage.

"Oh my, I've been waiting a long time for this. Thank you Mrs. Nimh." The mage said, grateful for the basket of happiness she had received.

Meanwhile, Austin was struggling to regain his balance after Sylph jumped on the books he was carrying. Soon as he had his balance back, he noticed that Mrs. Nimh was staring at him.

"You see lad? Your pie might have gotten in her stomach, but my muffins shall always remain in her heart." The baker said with a smug grin. "It's been a nice visit, but I think you should hurry on to your destination. I've delayed you enough as it is."

"Don't worry Mrs. Nimh, I always have time to spare for your muffins."

A wide grin was plastered on the mage's face as she waved goodbye to the old baker.

"I'll see you at work tomorrow Mrs. Nimh." Austin said to the baker before he turned around to follow his mentor.

The apprentice and his mentor said their farewells to the baker and resumed their trip to the library. The sun was beginning it's decent from the sky and it painted the village in a soothing orange. Lanterns and torches were being lit up in storefronts creating a calm mood in their surroundings. Austin looked at Brielle as the mage marvelled the basket with a wide grin on her face.

"I've never seen you smile like that. Just how special are those muffins?"

Tearing her gaze from the basket she was holding, Brielle turned to look at her apprentice. A blush appeared on her cheeks as she placed the arm holding the basket behind her.

"Well... You see... I... These muffins..." The mage stuttered for a reply but words eluded her, causing her to blush in a brighter shade of red.

The boy sighed. "Are they really that good?"

Saying nothing, the girl nodded.

"Better than the pie?"

The girl nodded a second time. Still saying nothing.

"I see. Well it looks like I'll have to talk about this some other time. We're here."

The pair stopped in front of a small building. It wasn't any taller than the other shops beside it. The building had a metal sign of a book hanging above the door. Lantern light emanated from the windows.

"Should we knock? I mean, I'd knock but I've got my hands full."

Back at her normal state, Brielle scanned the building before she replied. "Well, it seems that there are people inside. I'm glad that we got here before the librarian went home."

The mage approached the door and knocked.