Will leaned forward in his seat and looked at the tea leaves on the water’s surface.After a moment of concentration, he began:
“Bubble, leaves, and turn the water
In this bowl of glass.
Supple mane and large hindquarter,
Leaves, become an ass.”
In front of Sage’s eyes, the tea leaves shaped themselves into a donkey with a flowing mane.He had to suppress a giggle before starting his own spell.
“Ass and mane and hoof,
Lack gentleness of wing and flight.
Lack living in a tree’s tall roof;
I command you, leaves, become a kite.”
The leaves in the water turned into a winged kite suspended in flight.Will focused his magic on the bowl once more.
“Kite in the water, sprites of the air,
Shift the leaves in the bowl’s round.
Turn fast like a hunted hare,
And take the form of a hunting hound.”
The bird easily shifted into a long-legged hunting dog on the steady stream of magic.Sage picked up the spell.
“Hounds in the meadows, beasts in the sea,
Are different as the rose and thorn.
I summon thee from leaves of tea,
Birth from the bowl a unicorn.”
The horned horse appeared in the bowl, and when Will picked it up this time around, Sage could tell he was struggling.
“Unicorns have mighty horns…uhm.Fuck, you win.”
“Unicorns have mighty horns, really?”
Will shrugged.“You surprised me.I thought we were doing all real animals.”
“Who says unicorns aren’t real?”Sage dipped his index finger into the tea bowl and stirred the perfect tea leaf image of the unicorn until only a maelstrom of tea remained.“You did really well.I think you have a knack for this.”Sage considered all the work Will had been putting in.It was time to let him do more.“Hey, you want to tag along next time I have a job?”
Will straightened in his chair.“Are you sure?”
The excitement in Will’s eyes immediately made Sage feel bad.The only times Will had really gone out had been to go shopping with Sage, and shopping trips happened far less regularly now, given that Will remembered what they actually needed, and they’d get it all done in one go.Sage hadn’t run out of sugar once since Will had moved in with him, and that was novel.
“Sure I’m sure.Also, it’s not like you have to stay in the house all the time to begin with.You can go out.”
Will shrugged.“I like the house.But I’m looking forward to seeing you work.”
Honestly, so am I.
