The Magician

Epilogue

It appeared I had finally found the balance in life that I had been striving for. Several months had passed since Julian visited unexpectedly that rainy afternoon, and the spring was triggering optimistic blooms everywhere you looked. Asra and I existed in perfect, happy harmony in the shop by day, living for the evenings when we could be alone together. We didn't hide our relationship as such, simply preferring to keep the more physical aspects private. At the end of the day, we closed the shop and absolutely relished our time together, no matter what we ended up doing. The most mundane jobs to the most passionate of evenings held equal amounts of enjoyment. Asra doesn't travel away so often any more. He says he much prefers to be around home with me. I'm still hoping someday he'll take me with him, to one of these amazing places he describes to me. But I can be patient. 

And what of Julian? This is where that wonderful balance comes in. His talk with Asra in the kitchen that day was the beginning of the resolution of their long-standing feud. They both decided to forgive one another and move on. Thanks to this, we would see him fairly often. He'd drop by when the shop was quiet, and Asra had to get out the coffee that only Julian drank. We would all sit around, and usually ended up there for hours on end, talking and laughing about anything and everything. 

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Happiness. Happiness and peace. The overarching feeling lately, and it's the most glorious thing. I still have much to learn, about magic, about life, and about myself, but nothing seems urgent these days, as if I have all the time in the world.