"...so, it would be eight hours a day, five days a week, at least for now; we wouldn't do any overnight stuff or any dangerous stuff until I learn how to cast a Charm of Protection over myself."

"What about school?" Caroline asked, filling her fork with eggs.

"I haven't registered for next semester yet. I have one final due on Thursday, which I'll do today before I go. I know the material, it's just a matter of getting the test done."

"So...you just wouldn't enroll again?" Caroline asked. "This is a huge step, honey. You have to be serious about committing to something like this, you don't want to waste the wizard's time."

"Dude, Mom, I'm going to wizard school to learn magic!"

Caroline laughed. "I know it seems exciting, honey, but there's a lot of reading and memorization and repetition involved. Have you seen some of those spellbooks he has? There's a book this thick," she said, gesturing with her hands and showing a width of about a foot, "just to undo the locking charm on a bigger book of spells!"

Abigail bit her lip. She wanted, so badly, to ask how Caroline knew. She wanted to watch her mom squirm. But now was not the time. "I saw that one, Mom. It'll be a lot of work, especially at first, when I'm learning languages and potion making. Rasmodius expects me to be conversational in Dwarvish by next month! But, if I can learn and memorize a ton of stuff for accounting, I can definitely do it for something I'm actually super interested in!"

Caroline's face fell. "I thought you liked accounting…"

"As far as jobs having to do with the store go, it's my favorite," Abigail explained. "I have an easy time with numbers. But...magic! I get to learn how to do magic and commune with elementals and defend against dark spells!" She was practically squealing.

"Abby, I'll admit, part of the reason I'm so hesitant about this is that I'll miss you around the store. And around the house. Honestly, I think you're the best cook in the house, these eggs are great. And you always do a good job with the numbers...but more than that, I'll just miss hanging out with you and doing the shelves together."

"Awwww! You're gonna make me cry, Mom!" Abigail laughed nervously. "Tell you what. I'll have weekends off. We both know I'm gonna want to spend at least a day with my friends, I won't get to see them as often, either. But why don't we plan on a big family dinner every Sunday? I'll cook. Me, you, and Dad can eat a big dinner and drink wine and catch up after the store closes, okay?"

"Now you're gonna make me cry," Caroline answered. "If you're sure about this, and it sounds like you are, it's okay with me. Rasmodius spoke with us last week, and Pierre gave his okay, though he wasn't happy about it. He said he wanted something different for your future, and I do too...but ultimately, the decision isn't ours to make. It's yours."

"Thank you, Mom. I'll do my best." She picked up her plate, which she'd long since cleaned, and took Caroline's as well. She set them both in the sink. "I'm gonna go say hi to Dad before I take my final."

She walked out to the counter, patiently waited for Pierre to finish ringing Gus up for his supplies, then glomped him in a hug. "I love you, Dad!"

"I love you, too, sweetie! What's this about?"

"I'm going to be studying with Rasmodius, I'm his apprentice! Mom said it was okay! Thank you for giving your permission when Rasmodius first visited." Abigail still hadn't let go of Pierre. "I told Mom, I'll cook dinner for you guys every Sunday and we can all catch up over a bottle of wine! And I'll do my best with my studies. I'll make you proud." She stepped back.

Pierre looked absolutely crestfallen.

"What's wrong, Dad?"

"Your mom wasn't supposed to say yes," he grumbled. He spoke again, a little louder. "I was hoping she'd talk you out of it, with the sheer amount of boring busywork involved."

"Dad, I'm studying accounting. You know exactly how boring that is, which is why you get Mom or me to do the books every month."

Pierre opened his mouth to speak. He thought better of it, though, and just angrily shook his head.

"Really, Dad, I'll do my best. If my best isn't good enough, I have my community college studies to fall back on. Those credits don't expire. But since I have this opportunity, I'm going to take it. I'm going to do my best and make you proud!"

"I wouldn't expect anything less, sweetie."

Abigail flounced off to her room to take what she hoped would be the last final of her short college career, leaving Pierre at the counter.

"Son of a…" Pierre had no idea how to deal with this now that it was becoming real. What would he say to everyone? Who would take over the store? How could he convince Caroline to do the books every month? How could he be proud of a daughter who's a witch?

"Pierre?"

"Huh?"

"You alright?" It was the farmer. "I brought you some salad, I'm practically drowning in fresh produce right now!"

"That's very kind of you. I like this." Pierre took the salad and set it on the counter. "You know, your produce is selling as fast as you're bringing it in; I guess everyone's stocking up for the Feast of the Winter Star already."

"Nice! But really, are you okay?"

"Oh, just a little stressed about Abigail's new job," he said. Without letting the farmer ask where she was working, he continued. "-it'll be tough finding someone else to help around the store. We'll get through it, though, no problem. Do you need seeds today?"