Page 41 of Found in Obscurity

Glenn let Kit paw through his things without commenting or shooing him away, concentrating on whatever the hell he wasdoing. Lorin felt like a spectator in his own life and just sank down onto the chair to watch, resigned.

“So…clearly cooking wasn’t your city job. What did you do before coming back?” Glenn opened the conversation.

“I work…worked…in a company. As an assistant in a finance firm,” Lorin said, correcting himself midway through before running a hand over his face.

The unfinished email was in his drafts, addressed to HR.

Sorry. No longer available to work. Am witch.

Stars and moon above.

“Did you quit?”

“No,” Lorin said. “But I plan to.”

Glenn licked a spoon clean of jam shamelessly before waving it around in a jaunty manner. “How come? Don’t like it anymore?”

“Did you bash your head on the walk over? Or did the temperature freeze your brain cells? Of course I’m going to quit! I found a familiar. Cemented my power,” Lorin exclaimed.

“And?” Glenn asked, throwing him a nonplussed look at his dramatics.

“What do you mean AND?”

“Plenty of people work typical jobs and balance witchcraft. These aren’t the medieval times,” Glenn deadpanned.

Lorin stared at him in consternation for a long moment as the words sank in. He’d been so focused on the witch thing. On one life overtaking the other and preventing that at all costs. It had always been a fight. A separation.

He hadn’t even thought that they could coexist.

“What?” Glenn asked playfully. “Didn’t think of that while you were throwing your mini tantrum?”

“Everyone in my family, everyone in this town, makes witchcraft their whole life,” Lorin said, not feeling comfortable getting into the other reasons. He didn’t need to spill his guts out on the table. “I never thought of it in any other way, I guess.”

Glenn shrugged. “For some it still is, but not every calling is marketable. You can’t make your living off it like we used to be able to, despite what the elders like to push. Your grandma is one of them. They want to keep it all alive, but the times have moved on in some cases. There’s nothing wrong with that. You could take your familiar back to the city with you. Pick up where you left off.”

Lorin frowned and looked down at the table.

It seemed like he had more to think about than he’d first thought.

“I guess you’re right, but I didn’t put witch on my resume. No one knows,” Lorin admitted, putting his elbow on the table and resting his cheek on his knuckles. “I don’t think I could continue working there even if I wanted to.”

“But it doesn’t rule out anything else,” Glenn said cheerily, banging a few bowls as he did…whatever he was doing. “Maybe you can find something that matches up with your calling. That’s the real moneymaker.”

“Yeah, well, when I know what that is, maybe I can consider it,” Lorin grumbled.

Glenn was finally surprised by something. He looked over his shoulder. “No inkling at all?”

Lorin shook his head. “I’ve been a terrible witch my whole life, so unlessthatis my calling…”

Glenn smirked, his green eyes lighting up with mirth. “Would certainly be a new one.”

Lorin sighed, watching as Glenn began plating various things up and bringing them to the table. There were scones and cream and the already half-eaten jam that was supposed to be a gift.The soup had been discarded entirely and instead Glenn had put together a colorful salad that looked like it had flowers in it.

“Are those dandelions?” Lorin asked.

Glenn nodded proudly. “Picked them this morning from my personal stock. All of it is fresh from the greenhouse and the scones are homemade. The jam I made from my last crop of strawberries earlier in the year.”

“So it’s not just the flower crowns you make and force on people? Your calling is growing things?” Lorin guessed.