ANTHEA || Hisirdoux Casperan

02 | Above the Clouds

Douxie exhales tired and tosses the wrapper from his midnight snack into a nearby trash can. As much as he would have liked to go straight home after dealing with the shadow mephit, his mentor has other plans. Now he's standing outside the town's bookstore, which is a magic atheneum hidden in plain sight, waiting for Archie to guide Guardians of Arcadia to him.

Despite the exhaustion weighing on his shoulders, Douxie will admit that it's been a fairly decent and rather eventful night. He made enough money to pay his rent on time without having to dip into his savings, caught a dangerous magical creature, and was called upon by his master for the first time in nine centuries. Eventful, indeed.

"Sorry, this is a lot to process!" A familiar voice echoes down the empty street, "There are wizards and witches actually living here in Arcadia? Pets can talk? The world is ending? Again?"

Douxie exhales sharply through his nose in amusement as Toby Domzalski comes into view, accompanied by his troll friend Aaarrrgghh and the arrogant blond boy Douxie has seen pushing other teenagers around at the school. To say Douxie wasn't surprised to see Toby with him would be a lie. In fact, the blond boy was the last person he expected Toby to be walking and talking with.

"Not the best time, I know," Douxie speaks, rising from his seat on the book shop's windowsill, "But we need your help all the same."

"Douxie? You're a wizard?" The auburn-haired boy gapes in astonishment.

"I wouldn't say I'm a wizard just yet," Douxie replies, summoning an unlocking spell from his gauntlet, "But I am a magic user

"I thought you worked at the cafe, or were, like, a model or something?" The blond finally speaks, scratching his head.

That's certainly a strange compliment.

Douxie laughs breathily, "There's a lot you don't know about me." He presses his hand against the glass door, sending a burst of magic into the closed entry. The locks click open and he pushes open the door, "Come on in. The answers to all your questions are within."

Toby gasps excited and quickly takes up Douxie's offer, stepping into the store. As soon as he steps through, the wicks of countless candles burst into heatless flame, lighting up the numerous shelves and the book organized neatly on them.

Douxie holds the door open for everyone before entering himself. He hasn't had the need to step in here in several years, but that doesn't mean he didn't enjoy the store when he did. He takes a deep breath, inhaling the scents of the old books and unmelting wax candles. He has certainly missed the familiarity of being surrounded by his master's old books and the natural, wooden furniture. However, he doesn't know how he would do without all the technology of today. It's become all too convenient.

"This place is so cool!" Toby grins, studying the names of titles of several shelved books. Suddenly, a book flies off the shelf and takes to the air as if it were a bird, "So cool!"

Douxie smiles and steps farther into the store. Other than the message he had received from Merlin less than an hour ago, he isn't really sure what he's supposed to be doing. The comfort of being surrounded by old tomes, though, calms his somewhat frayed nerves. Maybe he should visit the bookstore more? Or maybe he should check out Arcadia's local library? It'd be a nice place to just relax—

"Thank the Ether you're here!" Merlins calls from above, interrupting the moment, "We haven't a moment to waste!"

Douxie glances up to the balcony just overhead. His master is standing over them with a deep crease in his brow. Something of dire seriousness must be happening or starting to happen.