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Chapter 3: As Black as the Heart of a Dead Star.

  Chapter 3:

  As Black as the Heart of a Dead Star.

  “It’s loose.”

  “What, another one?”

  “Yeah, could you use a spell to just rip it out? I tried mine but none of them worked out.”

  “No thanks. Using magic to do surgery on yourself is dangerous. And stupid.”

  “You’re stupid. I tried using a tiny Mage Hand, but no luck...”

  “Of course that didn’t work. You wouldn’t be able to do anything with something like that. It must have been like having a baby trying to pull it loose.”

  “I met a baby one time; it was surprisingly strong.”

  “...Where’d you meet a baby that strong?”

  “Er. In one of Mom’s classes. It was a magical baby, I think. Like, a cultivator's baby... Setting that thought aside. What if we started with a tiny mage hand, then grew it once we found the tooth? Then it’d be strong enough to yank it right out!”

  “Do you want your head to explode? Cause that’s how you get an exploded head.”

  Gracie rolled her eyes as she eavesdropped on her son and his little friend during their first sleepover. It wasn’t on purpose, just really thin apartment walls.

  I should just slap up a sound ward. She realized. Midas is old enough that it should be fine.

  “Aargh, this is just the worst! Just stick your hand in my mouth and rip it out if you won’t help me with magic! Or pliers, or we could attach a string to my tooth and a doorknob and then BAM!”

  “Let’s not. Why don’t you just fiddle with it until it’s loose enough and pops out on its own?”

  “That’s no fun, though.”

  “And yanking it out with some pliers is somehow more exciting?”

  “Exactly. Plus, then I won’t have to fiddle with it for the next two weeks. Win-win.”

  “...Nope. not gonna help you mutilate yourself buddy. Just... no. Also, I think your mom would murder me if you bled out in her own kitchen.”

  “Naaah, you’d be fine. She’d murder your dad. Way more socially acceptable.”

  That kind of hurts but isn’t strictly untrue... Gracie thought, shifting in bed.

  “What if you punch me? One good smack from the right angle might work...”

  “Don’t tempt me, moron. Just suffer in silence like a man.”

  Gracie heard someone snap their fingers “Oh, I know this one. Gender something, gender ster… stereos...”

  “Stereotyping?”

  “Yes, that! Just because I’m a guy I gotta suck it up. That’s gender stereotyping,” Midas said primly, “and I don’t appreciate it.”

  “...Uh-huh. Well, I'm not going to deck you, but I’m sure you could convince one of those dumb jerks from fifth grade to get the job done.”

  “You know, you might be onto something. I just need a cat’s paw to lure one of them into a trap.”

  “I think you could probably just walk up to one of them and make a ‘yo mama’ joke, or something.”

  “Hadria, Hadria. No.” Midas replied, tsking. “That was the old Midas. The new Midas is waaay more refined.”

  Ok, I really need to pee, Gracie thought, sliding out of bed.

  “Shhh! Hear that? I think your mom’s up!”

  “So?”

  “It’s way past our bedtimes!”

  “It’s a sleepover! Staying up late is basically part of the rules!”

  “Yeah, but she said to go to bed by 12:00.”

  “We did, we can't help it if we never got to sleep.”

  “She might think differently if she notices all the snacks and the RealmCaster.”

  “Nah, she won’t care. Hey Mom—” Midas called from his room.

  “What are you doing?!” Hadria hissed.

  “—Do you care if we stay up late and play RealmCaster?”

  “If you two put it on mute and maybe stop talking so I can get some sleep, then sure.” Gracie called back from the bathroom.

  “See?” Midas told his friend, sounding very smug.

  “But you’re grounded after this for, oh, five days sounds about right. You should have asked earlier.”

  “What, that’s outrageous, it’s unfair!”

  “You’re right —”

  “Oh good,” Midas said, sighing, “I knew you were reasonable.”

  “—A week seems like a more fitting punishment,” Gracie continued.

  “Awww!” Midas groaned. Mooom!”

  “Go back to playing Haddie’s Realmcaster. And keep it down.”

  “Fine, jerk.” her son muttered.

  Gracie poked her head into the bedroom. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

  She watched Hadria clamp hand over her friend's mouth. “He said ‘yes, oh merciful and benevolent mother, we hear and obey…’” then wiped her hand on Midas’ shoulder. It had clearly been licked.

  “...Yeah. that.” Midas mumbled after a beat.

  “Uh-huh. Good night, you two.”

  “G’night.” they parroted back. One more sullenly than the other.

  “Free at last!” Midas threw up his hands to the sky then bent down and kissed the snow-covered sidewalk.

  “It was only, uh… three weeks.” Hadria pointed out.

  “You don’t understand,” Midas groused, dusting off his prison orange insulated overalls. “It was an eternity, nineteen days, a slave of the law! So. Many. Chores. Right before the snow came, too!”

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  “Five days for what you’d done, the rest because you tried to run. And gave me lip.” Gracie noted.

  “So, um, where are we going again?” Hadria asked,

  “Hot chocolate at The Coffee Shop Café.” Midas informed his friend, sliding a little ways down an icy patch of sidewalk.

  “The place where all the villains and heroes go?!”

  “Yep! A friend of mine runs the shop.” Midas confided.

  “Liar!”

  “It’s true, actually, Julius and Midas are fast friends.” Gracie vouched for him.

  “Huh. Weird.” Hadria mumbled as they trudged down the snowy sidewalk. It was still snowing.

  “I’ve got connections.” Midas said. “How is that weird?”

  “How’d you guys meet?” Hadria asked.

  “Oh, uh.” Midas stopped after almost slipping. “...It all happened a long time ago, in a far-off land.”

  “Julius was one of my students at university and Midas visited one time.” Gracie interjected.

  “Mooom! whyyy?”

  “Oh yeah, you’re a college professor,” Hadria nodded to herself. “I forgot. That makes more sense.”

  “As I was saying,” Midas continued. "We got to debating highly magical cultivation techniques when—”

  “We’re here.” Gracie announced.

  “I guess it's a story for another time.” Midas grumbled. The doorbell jingled as they entered the cozy looking shop. It was bigger on the inside.

  At least the kid’s putting his education to good use. Gracie thought, The place is hopping even weeks after its grand opening. There was already a line.

  Julius had enchanted a fixed portal to his ceiling that only permitted light through and showed a blue summer sky filled with big fat mash potato clouds. Very refreshing in the middle of a growing snowstorm.

  The fireplace to kept the outside chill out. You could watch it snow through the normal windows, enjoy the fire inside, while at the same time experience a nice sunny summer day, if you looked up. It was, to be succinct, extravagant. I don’t hate it, though.

  Gracie took off her mittens and rubbed her hands together to warm them up as she and her two young charges got in line. “Can I get a mocha?” Midas asked.

  “I’d rather not introduce you to caffeine just yet.” Gracie said “I want to enjoy at least another year or two of peace.”

  “Aw. Hadria said she had a mocha last week, and she was fine.”

  “Uh-huh.” Hadria nodded. “It was delicious.”

  “Have you ever had black coffee?” Gracie asked.

  “Uh. Yeah. One time... it wasn’t... as amazing as the mocha...”

  Gracie tapped her lips, turning to her son. “You know what? I’ll let you try some black coffee. What do you say, still interested?”

  “Really!? Yusss! Awesome!” Midas pumped his fists in the air while Hadria gave Gracie an inscrutable look. Terribly inscrutable. Gracie couldn’t make heads nor tails of it. Truly, there were no scrutes to be found in that look.

  “Oh look, Julius got some help!” Gracie noted as the line started to pick up and they got closer to the counter. Midas waved at a white haired, bespeckled fellow in his late twenties. The man didn’t notice them until his assistant, a short teenage girl with a crew cut, nudged him and pointed Midas out. Julius raised a mechanical arm and waved back. Her former student was a cyborg.

  “Sup Midas?” he greeted them. “Professor,” he said, tilting his head. Then he noticed Hadria and raised a brow. “... and who is this?”

  “I’m Haddie, sir.” Hadria introduced herself.

  “Gotcha.” Julius nodded. “Welcome in! What can I get you all?”

  “Hot chocolate,” Hadria said.

  “The same.” Gracie added

  Midas cleared his throat and rested an arm on the counter. “I’ll have a coffee, black.”

  “Oh. You sure?” Julius asked.

  “Yep, cause I’m hip.” Midas replied.

  “Are you really sure?” Julius asked, giving Gracie a look, with raised brows behind his spectacles. She shrugged.

  “I said, I’m hip.” Midas repeated.

  Julius pursed his lips, then said “...coming right up.”

  The spit take that Gracie expected never came. Oh dear, I feel a profound disturbance in the cosmos.

  “Impressive.” Julius said as all three watched Midas successfully take a sip from a cup of coffee as black as the heart of a dead star. Midas took another sip. Wrinkles appeared on his forehead as he concentrated on enduring the bitter brew to prove something. He looks a bit like a prune, Gracie thought. My adorable prune-child.

  Midas took a third, extended sip. Julius had given him one of the smaller cappuccino cups, so her son was actually making good progress in drinking the whole thing. Julius coughed into a fist. “Don’t, uh, kill yourself, Midas...” he said.

  Midas set the cup down. There was maybe another sip left. He glanced around at his audience, giving them a sickly smile. “I think I’m acquiring a taste for it, actually.” he informed them.

  He extended a shaking hand for the cup and with a determined expression that had a few veins standing out on his forehead, polished off the dregs. His curly blond head of hair stood on end as if he’d been shocked. Everyone else certainly was.

  Julius, having tucked his tray tucked under one arm, gave Midas several slow claps. He looked the eight-year-old up and down. “Most impressive,” he said. Midas grinned. “Would you like a hot chocolate as a chaser?”

  “That would be nice.” her son replied, collapsing back into his fireside chair.

  “Anything else I can get anyone? Ladies?” Julius inquired, turning to his other guests.

  “The Marionberry oat scone, Julius.” Gracie immediately ordered.

  “Those go fast, let me see if we still have any left.” he replied. Gracie watched the man’s eyelashes flutter behind his glasses as he used them to text his assistant. I should get a pair of teleglasses, she decided, not for the first time. They look so convenient.

  “You're in luck, we’ve got one left. Dae is setting it aside now. Anything else?”

  “Um, do you have a menu?” Hadria asked.

  “Ah, of course, those are a thing. Yep!" He reached into an apron pocket and withdrew a cardstock sheet with elegantly printed silver script. “Chelsea made these just last night.” he told Gracie as he handed the fancy menu to the girl.

  “It might be a couple minutes.” he informed them, pointing a thumb at the front bar where his assistant was frantically taking and fulfilling orders all by her lonesome. The line had picked back up. “The brunch rush is upon us.”

  “You want a sip of mine?” Hadria asked Midas, who was looking a bit miserable as he dealt with the aftertaste of the coffee.

  “Er, sure.” He accepted the mug. “Where’d you put your lips?” Hadria pointed at one side of her mug and Midas turned it around to avoid the area. He took a long slurp.

  “Ok, that’s enough!” Hadria snatched her hot chocolate back. “Yeesh, I said a sip, not a full-on slurp!”

  “Thanks!” Midas said. He looks much restored. Gracie noted. Thanks to the power of sugar.

  “Yeah. Sure.” Hadria replied grudgingly. She wiped the rim of the mug and took her own extended sip. Gracie followed suit.

  It took more than a few minutes for Julius to get back and in that time Hadria had decided on a cranberry orange cream scone.

  “May I get the smoked apple bacon eggs benedict?” Midas asked.

  “That’s a full-on meal and we already had breakfast, so you may not.” Gracie told him. Baby-bird deflated at her answer. “But you can get a pastry, because you said ‘may I’ and also, because I love you.” This perked him right back up.

  “Ok! Ummm. That one.” he pointed to the croissant section. Gracie leaned over and read, “Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cheese Croissant, wow. That's going to be super rich. You sure?”

  “After drinking that bitter coffee? Yeah.” Midas affirmed, giving his mom a sharp nod.

  Hadria and Midas attempted to covertly stare around at all the different people showing up for brunch, or the ones still taking their time with breakfast. There was a not so small percentage of costumed people.

  “You were right about the heroes and villains.” Midas stage whispered to Hadria, who nodded seriously.

  “My dad says it’s the SuperLeague pre-season right now, so everyone’s amping up for the main events starting in December.” she told him, leaning in. “He says since the Valkyrie matches are all wrapped up the masses need something to tide them over during the long dark.”

  “He’s not wrong.” Gracie added. Flicking her eyes around the café. “Heroes and Villains are an interesting social experiment. Much less violent than Valkyrie, too.”

  “Have you ever played Valkyrie, ma’am?” Hadria asked.

  Gracie laughed. “Ha! No. Valkyrie wasn’t around when I was old enough to care.”

  “You know so much magic though, and physics and stuff...”

  “Yeah!” Midas piped in, “and you're super strong, like a gorilla.” Gracie raised her eyebrows. “Ooor a Vulcan. From Star Trek.” he course-corrected.

  “Thanks.” Gracie replied flatly, then more naturally. “Sure, I’m awesome.” she shrugged, settling back in her comfy chair “but I don’t need to be famous or a star. I’m content with being a magical girl professor and continuing my research.”

  “And here’s your hot chocolate and scone.” Julius appeared with his tray of treats. He glanced over at Hadria. “Did you figure out what you wanted or do you need a bit longer.”

  The two kids made their orders and Julius told them that it’d be out in a few minutes.

  “Uhm, do you want a sip of mine, since you let me have some of yours?” Midas asked Hadria. Gracie was gratified to witness this spirit of fairness in her son.

  “Oh, yeah.” Hadria replied, pushing a few loose strands of white hair behind her ear. “Thanks.” She took the proffered mug and sipped a significant amount before handing it back much reduced. Gracie watched her son give his friend an irked look, but he seemed to accept the equality of the act and didn’t complain.

  He cleared his throat. “...No problem.” he replied.

  About twenty minutes later Dae the Assistant arrived. “We’ve transitioned to the early lunch rush, so Julius is working the counter full tilt.” She informed them, apologizing profusely and handing the two kids their pastries.

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