Magic in your bones

It was not exactly that he did not trust her, more that he did not believe in her abilities. He only hummed softly as he grabbed his card to pay for the tea. The magical pot he would simply place under his bed as she told him to, who knows, maybe she was speaking the truth after all.

The moment Míngzé started asking his question, he knew he had made a mistake. This was something he should’ve kept to himself, yet here he was, asking a difficult question to someone he still believed was a fraud. Not that it mattered, she had no idea either. Unless… “Not really protection, no.” It was in a way growing, as certain things became clearer, even when he did not want them to. Míngzé understood the feelings he sometimes got better than before, felt the emotion behind them.

It was horrible.

“Perhaps.” He might as well have said yes. In a way, they were definitely related. “As I assume you can’t simply rip them out once they have manifested, I thought— maybe— you know what, nevermind. It’d be a waste of your time,” Míngzé said as he shook his head. It was stupid to ask her about it and he should’ve never done so. Already he took a step back and turned around, completely forgetting his purchases.

By blocking his path, she gave him no room for escape, not with everything piled around him. Míngzé even took a step back before he would bump into her. Right, his tea and magical pot, he almost forgot it in his hurry to forget all about this. But she didn’t let him go. The question had piqued her curiosity, that much was clear. “Thanks,” he muttered as he grabbed the bag.

Míngzé gritted his teeth as she began talking. “Researching something that would go against your beliefs would not be a waste of time?” There was no way she shared his thoughts about affinities that did not fit her whole character and the shop. Still, he got the impression that she wanted to help him with this, which came as a surprise. Míngzé blinked a few times while he did not know what to say.

“I don’t—” A deep sigh escaped. It was a good offer and she might actually be able to find something. Anything. It was more than he had before. Maybe a small light at the end of an endlessly dark tunnel. “Sure, if you don’t mind it. It’s not like there are a lot of other options.” Not in a society were everyone loved the thought of affinities and thought they were a blessing.

Sāng had once warned him that taking this path could be dangerous, that there was no saying what it could do. There was no denying that it could indeed make things worse. It was not like there was evidence that this was even possible, let alone that it was safe. But there was no harm done by simply asking around and trying to find something that could help.

She explained to him that she was willing to help, making Míngzé hum in response. All he had to do was come back here after a while. No strings attached as she told him. “Sure, alright,” he decided with a nod. Without making any promises that he would indeed be back, he turned around toi leave. This time with the bag in his hands, but also carrying a feeling of uncertainty with him.

Maybe in time, he would come back here.