Your Bones
Disclaimer: I don't own Magi. Cover image from Gestrait at Wikipedia.
Sphintus wears new jewelry now. He's mixed his gleaming gold with smooth, white adornments. He's still too bright to look at in full sunlight and entirely too brash for a healer, but he's balanced that with a bit of sentilmentalilty now. He's quieter too. Sometimes.
Titus likes to play with Sphintus' new earrings. They resemble intricate daggers, carved into sharp points and complicated designs.
"Stop that," Sphintus grumbles. He wants to concentrate on his life magic. He doesn't want someone playing with his ears, least of all the Magi of the Reim Empire.
"But they're so strange," Titus says, his childlike fascination betraying his usual aloofness. Actually, Sphintus has noticed that Titus has stopped acting like the stoic, self-centered prodigy he knew at first.
Titus continues to play, rubbing his fingers against the polished surface of his earring like it's a fresh minted coin from the treasury. It's annoying, but Sphintus continues to think that perhaps this is Titus, the real Titus, the way Titus always was and has been. This is who was hiding behind ruthless combination magic, who sat silently defiant during the Chancellor's lecture, who descended into the fifth level without looking back.
Sphintus has to remind himself, this is a curious child in a Magi's body.
Suddenly, Sphintus feels magic surge through him, feels it like a wellspring bubbling up from the depths. He sighs as he releases it, no longer aware of Titus playing with his earring or the world around him. For a moment, he becomes completely at one with his powers, with every living thing, and the rukh. A feeling of completeness rushes over him, gives him his own place in the universe. Then it's gone, a wave washing over and leaving only seashells behind.
The tugging at his earlobe tugs him back to reality. "Will you stop that? You're gonna pull my damn ear off," he says loudly.
"Sorry!" Titus sharply inhales and his hand quickly retreats. He returns it to Scheherazade's staff, grips the artifact firmly and adopts an expression that suits his rank.
At least for a little while. Then those eyes get tired and focus back on Sphintus again.
"So where'd you get them?"
"Huh?" Sphintus snaps out of his concentration and spells.
"Those earrings," Titus' eyes are wide, brimming with curiosity. "Did you buy them here in Reim? There's a lot of beautiful things here."
A shaft of sunlight shines down on Titus from the oculus in the roof. No matter how much Sphintus polishes his jewelry he can't make it shine like Titus' hair. He can't capture the brilliance of Titus' smile.
"Yeah, there are," Sphintus agrees, but knows the other won't catch the double meaning. He rubs the jewelry in question. "But actually, I didn't get them in Reim," he says. The pieces of bone are smooth in his hand. And warm. "They're from a friend back in Magnostadt."
"Oh." Titus seems intrigued. He peers in closer, reaches out his hand again. "What are they made of? Magic?"
"No," Sphintus smiles, "something even better."
At this, Titus is completely confused and perplexed. He draws his hand back and frowns slightly. Sphintus panics at first, wonders if Titus recognizes them, pieces of himself that the healer has carved into mementos. Then Sphintus thinks better of it. No, he thinks, Titus hasn't realized yet. Titus hasn't realized a lot of things yet.
"Maybe I'll tell you about them," Sphintus says to brighten the mood. Titus lights up and sits there in the sunshine. "One day," Sphintus adds, and he watches in amusement as Titus gains a glimmer of annoyance in his expression.
Sorry, Sphintus wants to say, there are still a lot of things I can't tell you right now.
"Tea should be ready by now," he says instead, excusing himself.
He leaves the hall, putting his magic exercises on hold for the moment.
As he remembers that long hair in the sunlight, Sphintus thinks about how Titus' body is not the same one he met in Magnostadt. It's not the same body that he directed insults at, it's not the same body that ate food with him and Aladdin and Marga. It's not the same body he fell in love with.
But that doesn't matter.
He knows the heart is still the same.