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The potion was not an easy one and yet, Tine had enough of a grasp on the ingredients to be able to pull it together enough to execute it. He dropped the dragonfly wings and the crushed bone marrow powder into the glass, mixing it slowly so that everything became perfectly combined. The concoction had a salmon coloured hue and he knew if left it in the sunlight for long enough, it would become even more powerful.
Unfortunately, he did not have the nor the patience for such a thing and neither did his customers. He whispered the incantation and the top of the glass foamed over momentarily which indicated to him that it was ready for its consumer.
“Tine! I have to do my exam in an hour. Is it ready yet?”
Tine walked out of his bedroom and handed the glass to Air, one of the seniors in the Music Club he had joined recently in an attempt to both blend in and reach more clientele.
In his few months at the university, he had gained quite a network of students that relied on him to help with a number of issues: focus in class, romantic endeavours, academic success, physical or mental ailments. He hid behind the guise of a ‘natural healer’ and earned himself a pretty penny that helped to pay off his tuition.
He tried not to feel too guilty about the fact that he was essentially lying to people to gain their business but it was not like he could exactly walk around campus advertising the fact that he was a warlock in mundane clothes. He would be cast out of the university without a second thought and forced back into the shadows he had been forced to operate out of before. Living in the mainstream had always been Tine’s dream and now that he had attained it, he had to be discreet about how he maintained it.
There was a knock on the door that made Tine stiffen immediately. He only allowed people that he felt he could trust and had a relationship with into his dorm. He couldn’t risk pushing those boundaries as he could be discovered and inevitably cast out… or worse.
“It’s just a friend of mine.” Air explained and walked toward the door of Tine’s dorm to open it for the stranger.
Tine attempted to keep his composure and appear casual but he had his eyes fixed on the fizzing glass in Air’s hand. He knew with a little silent spell he could cause it to shatter without Air noticing but hours upon hours of work and material would be lost if he did. Plus, he would not get his payment from Air and he was relying on the cash to pay for his rent that month.
Air opened the door to reveal a tall young man with chestnut coloured hair leaning against the door frame. Tine felt a shiver run up his spine as he made eye contact with the stranger who must have been around the same as him but there was a unequivocal wisdom in his eyes that made him seem much older.
“Tine, this is Sarawat.” Air shared as she nodded for Sarawat to cross the threshold over the door. “He’s also in the Music club but he’s in the Advanced class. You should hear him play guitar. It’s out of this world. Anyway, he said that he might be interested in some of your… stuff, so I invited him along.”
Air drank back the potion as Sarawat entered Tine’s room, looking as if he was studying every inch of the space. Tine stood his ground and wondered what Sarawat could possibly need from him as appeared to mostly have his shit together, unlike most of Tine’s customers. Maybe he just needed a mood booster as Sarawat seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face. Those kinds of charms were quite easy to put together but Tine doubted that Sarawat would be interested in his wares.
“Okay.” Air slammed the empty glass down on the counter top nearest to her and declared, “I am off to ace this exam. Tine, thanks again and here is your payment. Wat, try not to freak him out with your intensity, just be nice please.”
As she spoke, Air unlocked her phone and sent Tine an e-transfer for what she owed him. His prices were fairly reasonable but every transaction ensured that he got to continue to live in the mundane world without being detected. He had to continue with these kind of petty potions, charms and jinxes to remind off the Hunters radar.
“Thanks Air.” Tine expressed before she waved goodbye to both of them.
As soon as Air dashed from the room, Tine felt the walls start to move in on him. There was something about Sarawat’s presence that made him instantly overthink his every move. The door slammed before Sarawat made eye contact with Tine, immediately closing the distance between the two of them so Tine felt like he was suffocating.
Sarawat leaned even closer and whispered, “I know what you are. You can try to hide it from everyone else but I know… Warlock.”