The Wrong Road Part 1 Through 16

The Wrong Road Taken Part 16

Turning towards me, Lucretia asked, "Luke, how does it feel to be back in the world at large?"

"Lucretia I had gotten so used to the quiet that was ever present at your home that I had forgotten about the sounds that are ever present in an area populated by hundreds of people.
When we left the path on the way here, the sounds of children playing startled me at first.
Yet those sounds were the reminder that we don't live in a vacuum.
There is a world that is outside of the peaceful existence within the confines of the enclave you have created.
Both have their merits, and I would be hard pressed if you were to ask me which I preferred to live in.
In truth, I love the peace and quiet that surrounds me when I am with you, yet the very nature of humans is that we are social animals.
We need to be around others.
Solitude can be nice, but it's not all there is to life."

"Luke I couldn't agree more; even though lately I have been more of a homebody, I often feel the need to travel to get my head on straight.
For the most part, I have been in one place for the last couple of years.
Every once in a while I take a little trip to see old friends or to look after my business interests.
In fact, before you came into my life, I had concluded a trip to Paris to buy up a small company that manufactures very specialized computer memories.
These memories are at the heart of my system, they are the only ones that will allow me to keep all my casting formulas running even if we lose all power.
Anyway, that is why I thought an outing was a good idea.
You needed to get away for a bit to help clear your mind."

"Lucretia I think you are right, after our visit from the unknown visitor, my nerves have been on edge.
This little jaunt has given me a breather, a chance to realign my senses if you will.
Ever since our visitor came, I kept looking over my shoulder, waiting for his return.
It's the not knowing that is driving me crazy.
Are his intentions benign, and he's just a massive showman, or is there something nefarious in his designs?"
While I was talking, Asahi looked like he had something on his mind, just waiting for the right moment to speak.

"Luke I have been around a long time, in that time I have met a large number of practitioners, yet this person isn't someone I recall ever meeting.
It is possible and more than likely that he/she used a casting to disguise who they were.
Yet the Gorth had no sense of who that was.
Luke the Gorth know all the practitioners who are out in the world at large.
If they can't nail down who that was, it's likely that they have either kept themselves sequestered for some reason or that they are new to the arts.
However, I don't feel that is the case; to present themselves in such a manner is not amateur casting, it needs a master-level skill set to pull that off."

I was deep in contemplation as I listened to Asahi's thoughts, so much so that I was of two minds, one that was digesting what Asahi said, the other just playing with the food on my plate.
Without even thinking about it, I had begun having my hash browns crawling around my plate.
Lucretia grabbed my arm, drawing my mind back to reality.

"Luke, what are you doing?
We don't do castings in public."

Looking down at my plate, I saw what I had done.
Thinking about the hash browns, I mentally commanded them to stop moving.
When they halted their trip around the edges of my plate, I had to look around to see if anyone was a witness to the odd goings on at our table.
I was in luck that what I had done went unnoticed.
The remainder of our meal was spent chatting about more mundane things.

For myself, I wanted to know more about Asahi's life and travels.
Anyone who has lived that long and explored the world as he has must have a shitload of interesting stories.
However pry as I might, Asahi was for the most part tight lipped.
Every once in a while, a bit of his past would slip out.
That just whetted my appetite for more tidbits about him.
Lucretia, watching my attempt to elicit information from Asahi, began to chuckle.
Everyone at our table looked over to see what she thought was so funny.