Another day another dollar, well something like that, with the current state of affairs in magnolia it seemed as though things would never settle down. Which just meant more money in the pockets of mages such as himself and his apprentice. It was odd to him that Lily had no recollection what exactly it was that went on that night in the magic shop, but all was well. She seemed to be full control now with no more signs of fracturing. Which was good, though it did cause Manzo to muse a bit on the psychology as well as magic at work.
It brough to mind what he knew from the Bosco psychologist Jung. Specifically his theory on the shadow and how it interacted with the world of the conscious and unconscious. The shadow is an archetype that consists of the sex and life instincts. The shadow exists as part of the unconscious mind and is composed of repressed ideas, weaknesses, desires, instincts, and shortcomings.
The shadow forms out of our attempts to adapt to cultural norms and expectations. It is this archetype that contains all of the things that are unacceptable not only to society, but also to one's own personal morals and values. It can include things such as envy, greed, prejudice, hate, and aggression.
Jung suggests that the shadow can appear in dreams or visions and may take a variety of forms. It might appear as a snake, a monster, a demon, a dragon, or some other dark, wild, or exotic figure. The figure in question here of course was Esperia, and her attachment to what her new self was, Lily. Though Manzo did find it quite odd, but not so odd, considering Esperia's dark past before returning to the path of good. It could not and would not be denied that some kind of psychology was at work here.
Psychology enveloped everyone and everything, because even the dullest of creature had a mind, which meant it had secrets it could unravel. Or be lost in, Lily was no different, in a much cruel sense he wondered if she was nothing more than a doll for Esperia's will, and the only reason Lily had any kind of individuality was due to the fact that Esperia was so fractured that a bit of her essence had rubbed off on her. The more kind and childlike essence. It wasn't impossible, in fact it made more sense that all that Esperia was, was trapped behind some kind of mental wall. A wall which only existed in the mind to protect Lily from harm.
Because even those who are reborn still hold to their former self. Even if it's a passive holding, it was irrefutable to say the least. But that would be a thought to discuss with Esperia, not with dear Lily. Which meant it was time for him to put his cigar out, and begin the treck of the day to the town square once again. He had someone waiting.
He mused on the idea that maybe she had not eaten breakfast yet, which would give him the opportunity to stop around some of the shops to see if he could procure them a bit of food before hand. After all it was the most important meal of the day, or something to that effect depending on who it was you asked at the time. Science in this age hadn't come that far yet, and probably wouldn't due to mans discovery of magic. Which he believed to be both a blessing and a curse. What a day for insight.
Manzo made his way down the street and popped into one of the pastries shops to see if they had anything suitable for the three of them to partake in. He thought that perhaps an egg tart for himself, an apple tart for Lily, and Loches on a bagel for ser Cat. That was surely something they could all enjoy. Though they would need something to wash it down with. He wondered if Exceeds much like cats were also lactose intolerant. Best to be on the safe side and not order him anything with milk inside of it. He'd had to upset Ser Cats stomach.
The woman at the bar finished taking one order and Manzo stepped up to the counter to place his. "Good morning Manzo, what can we get for you today?" She asked with a cheery disposition on her face. Manzo returned the look in kind and smile himself as he began to think about his order. "Good morning to you as well Sabrina, I'd like a couple things, hope that won't be too much a trouble for you." Sabrina reassured him that there would be no such troubles. Which Manzo nodded and was thankful to hear.
"Alright then, I will have one egg tart for myself. One Apple tart for Lily, and one seafood bagel for Ser Cat. We have a lot to do today and I think a full stomach would be just the push we need." He said with a smile as she took down the order. "Will you be needing anything to drink with that Manzo?" She asked with the voice of someone who truly cared about customer service. This question caused Manzo to pause for a moment. He had to seriously think about what it is everyone would want and what would complement the dishes he had ordered.
"Good question, for myself I think I'll just have a black coffee, for Lily milk tea with bubbles, and for ser cat, shrimp broth." He said with a self-assured smile on his face. Sabrina nodded and with that Manzo went to the end of the counter to wait patiently for his order, picking up a news paper to read as he did so. One thing caught his eye immediately, he and Esperia were in the paper for their defense of the local magic shop. Which was something you didn't see everyday, but then again they did fell quite the horde of demons in the process.
"Huh, local man tries to marry his pet wolf, how would that even work?" He asked himself quietly as he put down the paper, his order was up and he was more than excited to head over to the town square to share what he hoped would be a pleasant meal amongst comrades with everyone. He bragged the bag and a couple straws, drink trey in one hand as he used his backside to open the door to the shop and head down the street toward lily and ser Cat. Hopefully he hadn't made them wait too long for his arrival.
But in his mind the gift of food could mend all wounds, especially with a growing teenage girl inhabited by a witch, and an armor clad feline whose stomach knew no bounds. It was going to be perfect, he just knew it. On his way he passed by a few shops, seeing what looked like an accessory shop in the corner of his eye, he would walk over to it, and use one of his vines to open the door for himself and peek around for a moment.
He saw a beautiful hair pin that he knew Lily would be sure to love and he had to buy it, there was no other way around it. He walked over to the counter and used another of his vines to ring the bell to get the shop keeps attention. Moments later the shop keep would arrive and begin to speak to him about all the wonderful things he had in stock. "Oh sir I know she would love one of my designs." The shop keep exclaimed. Manzo had to agree, almost everything in here screamed Lily at him.
But there was one particular piece that he could not take his eye off of, it was a hair clip adorned with a jeweled rendition of the forget-me-not flower. The one from his vision during their trip to Joya. Something about this told him that he had to get this for her, it was something she must have. So that was the one, he proudly pointed out to that one with a smile on his face. "That's the one, I know she'll love it." He said with confidence, and like that it was bagged up and placed in his hand and out the door he went again.
This time there would no stopping him, he had so many gifts to give out now, so many memories to make with his little group. It was going to be something none of them would ever forget. Because while it was in his nature to be a lone wolf, even the most self-sufficient wolf needed a pack. He believed he had found his, upon approaching the bench where the other two members were sitting he called out to them. "Morning everyone, I come bearing gifts!" He said happily as he put everything he had with him on display for the two to see. Hoping they would love it, just as much as he loved them.
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