Aarmau: Remember Me, Remember Us, Just Remember

Chapter 159

Aaron simply winks at her and follows her to the front door. As she pushes it open she listens to the bell above the door ring and takes a moment to let her eyes adjust to the dim interior of the shop.

She glances around at the dark purple walls, delicate glass shelves, empty potion bottles, hanging herbs, and various ingredients Lucinda's known to sell. She breathes deep and smiles as the same minty smell she encountered at the house lingers in the air inside the shop.

They hear Lucinda's voice coming from beyond a white transparent curtain behind the front counter and head toward it. When they step through they find Lucinda standing in the middle of her crafting room surrounded by spilled potions, crushed herbs, and her cauldron in pieces.

Not even realizing she's doing it Aph closes her eyes, crouches down, and places her hand on the floor. Before Aaron can even ask Lucinda what happened Aph pushes back to her feet and growls, "Ivan!"

Aaron frowns at her while Lucinda nods as she looks up at the ceiling and sighs. "Yes, Ivan. He came to talk and when he didn't like my answer he got upset. You just missed him."

Aaron studies the mess and then glances at Aph, "How'd you know?"

Aph turns to look at him, "The aura of a magic-user leaves a kind of residue behind, like a calling card. Ivan's is very distinctive."

He frowns again, "What about you Aph? Ivan thought he sensed your magic and then was confused when it vanished."

Aph nods, "The aura can be hidden with enough practice but most users never learn because there's no reason to hide it unless they're up to no good. In my case, I hid it from him out of self-preservation but otherwise, there's no need. Not that he can truly hurt me of course. Oddly enough it felt second nature to me and I was able to do it without thought."

Lucinda nods, "Magic is accepted these days and there's no reason for a user to hide. With Aph being Irene I can see why she'll want to keep it quiet not to mention she couldn't really use magic before Starlight."

They watch as Lucinda casts a simple spell and the chaos of her crafting room vanishes and order is restored. Aph releases a deep breath as her mind contemplates the Ivan issue and flinches as Aaron gently nudges her.

A large grin spreads across Aaron's face as he chuckles, "That will come in handy."

Lucinda laughs as Aph rolls her eyes. "You're here to help me plan the Halloween decorations? I usually do it all myself but I think I can share."

The worry in Aph's eyes vanishes for now. She claps like a little kid and bounces, "Yay!"