The Finer Arts

* Scene: VII * Ten Minutes

Narrator:

It has been sometime now as Nova flipped through the books. Some of them were used, encased in old dyed leather and worn pages. Others she could tell were newer with a fresh glossy cover and uncreased pages. They all held what seemed like infinite amounts of knowledge. Alas, it just left Nova feeling sensationally overwhelmed and intimidated.

Nova:

I have no clue what any of this is. My curiosity led me into a black hole of information I had no idea what to do with. "The density of an item determines how much energy it can accept before degrading.. " I started reading out loud. I still refused to talk to my dad, so I looked at Magnus. "Can you explain what that means to me, please?" My face contorts with confusion as I scan over the paragraphs, looking for the answer. "That means, the more dense an object is the less room it has to incorporate more energy, or magic." Oh no, since when did magic involve physics and math and stuff? "The less dense something is the more focused and precise a specific spell can be. In a way." At this point I feel like he's speaking in an ancient language.

I think he can tell I'm confused as he starts to laugh. "Alright, let's take a piece of wood and a muffin. Which one do you think is typically the most dense? "I'm convinced this is a trick question. "The wood..? Magnus what are you getting at?" My uncle's husband grabs some decorative rectangular blocks and sits them on the coffee table. He's trying to stand and lean them against each other that leads to them falling over. "I'm getting at, you saw how they kept falling over? People like your daddy over there studied architecture. They focused on spells that disperse evenly through a low volume, high density area; mostly spells for balance, withstanding the cycle of time and weather. If you have multiple items imbued with this same energy.. "

At this point my dad was leaning over the rectangles now. He muttered something under his breath as he leaned them delicately into each other. He started shaking the table, but the blocks never moved. They were barely touching the corners, did he put glue on them when I wasn't looking? "When those individual pieces come together they create something immovable. There's also the flow of natural energy throughout the atmosphere, but that's a lecture for another time." I started poking at the makeshift teepee. Still no sign of movement. I fell back into the couch, bewildered. This is barely the tip of the iceberg.

"Alright, well.." my dad croaked as he stood up, eyes glued on Magnus. "Her brain has had enough for one day I suppose. Thanks for keeping an eye on her." The bubbly man flashes a bright smile at me, "Of course! I'm just beyond excited to finally get to meet Nova. Here dear, let me give you my number. You just call me if you need anything! I mean anything!" We swapped numbers and he gave me a big bear hug. Magnus smells like honey and citrus; I guess he's why my uncle smells like oranges and candles now. My warm hug with my new uncle abruptly ended as the blocks toppled over on the table top.

"Don't forget your books. I told Scott you can help him over the summer to pay them off." I wanted to start screaming, how could he sign me up for a part time job on top of my current full time job? My temper began boiling, this man doesn't know how to think about anyone else but himself. I was about to protest, but Scott beat me to it as he came into the living room. "I know what you're thinking, Nova. No, I'm not going to have you dress up as a hobo. Just an hour or so here or there to help clean or close up the shop. Your dad and I thought it could be a good way to introduce you to this stuff instead of all at once." I huffed under my breath, I'll admit Scott has a point but not my dad. "Fine.. " I mutter as I pack up my books. Magnus had an extra bag I could keep them in, he also gave me some muffins. Quickly he leaned over and whispered in my ear, "The chocolate muffin is for energy if you need a pick me up while you study. The second one is strawberry cheesecake. A little Birdy told me you and the boyfriend are having some trouble. Share that with him and y'all might be up all night. Just use protection." My face went red as he hugged me goodbye. I really hope my dad didn't hear any of that.

It was the same process going back to my apartment, except Scott stayed home this time. I lock my car and step around the hood only to run into my dad. He glared down at me with a cold frown glued to his face. "I'm going back to my place for awhile, got some work to catch up on. I'll be back before your first day to help pick up anything else you need for class." He turns to walk away but pauses. His gaze and expression soften for a second as he rests his hand on my head. He ruffles my hair and in a heartbeat, walks towards the bus stop. I wish he did that more often.

I climbed up the stairs with all of my new books, which left me exhausted by the time I got to my door. It's only six books, but they're huge. I set them down on the dining table with a thud. It sounds like Jacob is in the shower. I'm kind of tempted to bring out the muffin. I can't remember the last time we had s*x. Maybe he'll want to go out tonight. All I do know is that we don't flirt with each other anymore. We don't go on dates, or try to plan anything. Something needs to change. I decided to make a move, without an aphrodisiac muffin at the moment.

As I get closer to the door I can hear his speaker playing music. There's something else going on, but I couldn't figure out what it was. Finally, I decide to commit and walk into the bathroom. I'm thinking about how I can make this sexy. Should I just say, hey baby? In a low seductive tone? Should I strip down and just fold the shower curtain back and flash him all the goods? "Nova? Is that you?" Even with his music in the background the bathroom went silent. There were two towels folded on the counter. Why does it smell like my lavender body wash? Jacob hates that stuff, he'd rather use the dog shampoo if he ran out of his.

"Hey Jacob.. What's going on? I just thought I'd surprise you and join you in the shower. Is that okay?" There was an awkward silence settling between the steam. "You were only gone maybe ten minutes. Did you guys already grab everything you need?" Why is he dodging my questions? Something isn't right, but I'm going to play dumb just for a little longer. "Ten minutes? I was gone longer than that. Uhm, you know what I'll leave you alone. I'll be in the living room." At this point I had a knot growing in the pit of my stomach. Maybe he was just talking to himself or singing along. Maybe he needs two towels because he plans on shaving. I'm trying to think of logical reasons behind everything, but it's only causing me to become nauseous. I decided to lay down and go into our bedroom; only to see that it wasn't just our bedroom anymore.