A beggar sat by the side of the synagogue. Many people passed by him and covered their faces, while others dropped a few coins into his open hands. And he thanked every one of them.
"Thank you," he told one man who gave a little more than what others had put in. The giver turned back to his friend, who raised an eyebrow.
"Don't worry, Philip," the giver told him. "I have plenty left over."
Philip glanced from his friend to the beggar, who was busy asking for some more money, and then back to his friend. "Are you sure that will last you for today, Nathanael?"
"His heart was glowing blue. He needed it more than I did." Nathanael reassured him gently, and then clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. We need to get inside." With that, Nathanael walked forward, though Philip lingered a little longer.
Blue, in Spiritual terms, meant the emotion of sadness and shame. Of course his friend would be compelled to help. Philip sighed, and wished for a little while that he could be able to see the things that Nathanael could.
He looked down at his hands, then up at the beggar. Now he felt compelled to give something as well.
Philip bent down to the ground, and placed his hand on the dirt.
If the beggar had looked down at the right moment, he would have noticed a tender seedling slowly creep its way out of the ground. It looked small for now, but the Earth Elemental knew the plant would grow to become a strong and sturdy fig tree in its own time. For now, all it needed was to sprout.
Philip stood up, and considered the shade it was about to give a well enough gift. Then he walked to where his friend was waiting for him.
Nathanael looked him over, and smiled. "You seem happy."
"I do?" Philip laughed a little. His friend nodded. "It's written all over your mind. You did something good as well."
Philip just nodded absently. Of course the Spirituals were able to read minds as well as hearts. Not that many of them couldn't control it; they just liked being able to communicate better without the inhibition of hidden thoughts.
At least, the Defaults – the majority of the population – did.
The Gifteds, on the other hand, weren't so good with their peers. They were more concerned with logical thinking and how to get things done using their magic.
And the Controlleds...who knew what they thought? For they were the bane of the population, the despised.
Philip was lost deep in his thoughts when the synagogue leader stepped up to begin the service.
(A/N: Against normal teaser rules, I decided to make one more for this AU. More world-building, of course, for the curious.
People in this AU are classified according to their title (Default – the majority of the people, Gifted – the top logical thinkers and magicians, Controlled – those who for any reason cannot use magic, and Resolute – those who can use all magic) and their type of magic (Elemental – those who control any of the elements of fire, water, earth, and wind; Spiritual – those who are more attuned to the mind, the heart, the soul, and music; Visual – those who can create art and illusions; and Mechanical – those who are proficient with metal, wood, and rocks).)
