Page 66 of Cerulean Truth
I grabbed the coffee like a dying person, burnt my mouth without caring, washed it down with some water, and ate my sandwich in under three seconds.
I looked at Enya, who was staring at me like I were an animal. I probably looked like one, considering how I had just inhaled three separate food groups.
"I'm sorry, guess my interface to eat is pretty fast too," I said with my mouth full. Enya looked a little disgusted with me, which made me laugh.
"Still hungry?" she asked.
I smiled. “I could eat another sandwich.”
Enya eyed me carefully. “What about a muffin?”
I looked at her, puzzled. "A muffin?"
She nodded and, with a simple gesture, translated one in her hand. The aroma was intoxicating. I took the muffin hesitantly, then bit into it. The flavor exploded in my mouth, unlike anything I'd ever tasted.
"Wow, Enya, this is incredible!"
Enya grinned, clearly pleased with my reaction. "It took me a while to find just the right ingredients, and trust me, you won't find them in any recipe."
I raised a brow, surprised. "You don't simply translate what it tastes like?"
Enya shook her head. "No, I have to knowwhyit tastes like that. All translation comes solely from within, from our own knowledge. That's why our Specialists are the best of the best, because they know more than anyone else."
I nodded slowly, starting to understand. "That's why you have restaurants. Because even if you can conjure up the ingredients, you can only translate the end result if you know how to get it."
“Exactly.”
That actually made a lot of sense.
Watching the flow of the stream, I mused contentedly at the view.
"So," she changed the subject abruptly, "I heard you had to break off all connections to your world to get here?"
My smile vanished.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, "I didn't mean to be insensitive; I only wondered about it."
"Well," I replied, my voice tinged with sadness, "it's true, and it didn't feel good, but it's not like I had a choice in the matter. I hope to return in a year."
She nodded understandingly. "After the Great Exposure, you mean?" she asked.
I frowned. "I don't know what that is."
She looked at me, and her eyes widened. "Wow, you really don't know anything." She clearly didn't want to be mean about it, but it still stung. I shrugged, feigning indifference, while pushing back the annoying insecure voice telling me I was an ignorant idiot.
"Well, as you know, humans don't know about us. Our existence is kept secret from them, as it has been for over 3000 years. We can live among them, but then we have to keep our identities hidden and move after a few years, so they don't figure out we age at will. But a lot of us are sick of it; many magi feel it's time to come out of the broom closet and expose our true nature to humans, trying to coexist."
“Why?” I asked, a little astonished they would risk such a revelation.
“Well… We all live for at least two cycles, or two hundred years if you prefer. Some of us stay alive for double that time and The Elder, the oldest magus alive, has been around for twenty cycles! That’s a long time to keep yourself and your nature hidden from seven billion people…”
I nodded, the concept slowly sinking in.
"We have been at it for fifteen years, organizing it, getting every magaandmaguson board. In light of our history, it’s imperative we get our whole society on board. Wouldn’t want to live through another Battle like the one of ‘59. So a global consensus is crucial to move forward. However, the Council just informed us some Collectives have encountered resistance, even in light of an already declared consensus.”
She paused.
“I still don't think it will really slow us down. I personally believe we will be able to proceed with the Great Exposure next year, as it is foreseen," she continued. "Which is why you'll find some very 'human' features along the way."
