Quentin finally rejoined Margo and Eliot, who by now were tipsy, swaying slightly as they sat on a bench outside the bar. Quentin glanced around, puzzled.
"Where's Kai?" he asked.
Margo, barely lifting her head from Eliot's shoulder, waved her hand lazily.
"Oh, Kai? He said something about wanting to say goodbye and that we should head out without him. He'll catch up."
Quentin shrugged. "Okay," he said, though a part of him wondered why Kai would just slip away like that.
Scene change — The rooftop
Julia exhaled a shaky breath as she stared at the city lights, trying to steady herself. The sting of Quentin's words still echoed in her mind. He had said things she never imagined he'd dare say to her especially knowing how deeply they would cut. How could he, of all people, tell her she should accept not being good at something? That failing at Brakebills was somehow okay?
It didn't feel okay. It felt like she'd lost something vital as if a piece of herself had been ripped away, like losing a limb. Her eyes burned red from holding back tears, her fists clenched on the cold metal of the railing. 'How could he do this to me?'
What hurt most was that it came from Quentin. Someone she had loved maybe still loved, though she hated admitting it.
Someone she thought respected her, who knew how much this meant. She felt it in her bones, deep in her soul as if magic wasn't something new to her, but something she'd once known and lost. Muscle memory, almost. Magic wasn't just a thing she wanted.
It was what completed her, what filled that gnawing gap she couldn't explain. It felt right
She'd fought to hold onto that spark, even scarring herself to remember what they tried to take. And now Quentin, of all people, wanted to snuff it out?
she'd've thought that Q would be happy she had managed to remember, had won out really against the bastards that thought they could just take her memory like that!
She wiped at her face furiously, trying to push down the wave of despair threatening to swallow her.
"Hey," came a gentle voice from the shadows.Startled, she turned to see the faint glow. Kai stepped forward from the dark corner of the rooftop, his tone calm but firm.
"He's very wrong, you know."
Julia let out a half-laugh, half-sigh. "Oh, is that so, Kai? How much of that did you hear?"
Kai smirked. "Let's just say I got here in time for the whole show. You two weren't exactly whispering, Great acoustics up here."
He stepped aside and moved closer, joining her at the railing. She inhaled deeply, forcing herself to stay composed as his presence somehow steadied her.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that," she muttered.
"I would've interrupted him," Kai said, his voice softer now, "but it felt like one of those things you needed to get out. Besides... he's a damn fool for saying what he did."
Julia shot him a look. "That's my friend you're talking about."
Kai shrugged with a wry smile. "Really? If I had a friend like that, I wouldn't need enemies." He leaned on the railing beside her
"What he said? It was cruel, Jules. And it was wrong. All of it. I know what you're talking about that sense of magic, the way it hums just beneath the surface. If Quentin can't see that in you, that's on him. I've studied the occult my whole life..." 'Sort of,' he thought.
"And I can tell you this: you have a natural gift. You're already more in tune with magic than half of Brakebills."
His gaze met hers, unwavering. His voice lowered, as if sharing a secret.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say they're keeping you away for a reason. Not out of malice but because you're exactly what they want, Jules. Whatever they tell you, don't believe it. You're marvelous Jules. You hear me?"
Her breath hitched as a tear finally slipped free, but this one felt lighter, like some of the weight in her chest was loosening. Kai smiled gently. "There's nothing I can do to force Brakebills to take you, that's true," Kai went on. "But what I can do is help. However I can."
Julia blinked at him. "Really? How?"
Kai smirked, pulling a folded page from his jacket. It was a worn sheet notes on the theory of movement, with sketched gestures and explanations of basic magical principles. He handed it to her. Titled 'Theory of Movements: Basic Constructs'.
"I'm offering to teach you. Because I believe, truly, that you could be a force of nature... maybe even a goddess, in magical terms."
His tone carried a knowing weight, like he was stating a fact rather than an opinion.
"Wow..." she started, but he held
"Start with this. Consider it a birthday gift."
She took the paper, a small smile breaking through her sorrow, and that simple expression filled Kai with a strange sense of warmth.
"It won't be easy. Brakebills teaches gestural magic, like that. But my parents my real teachers believed magic is intent, will, expression. That's what I've practiced for years."
Julia stared at him, wide-eyed. "Wait you've done real magic before Brakebills?"
Kai grinned, murmuring, 'Phesmatos incendia' , and a ring of fire danced around their bench, flickering in the dark.
Julia gasped in awe. "Okay… you have to teach me that."
Kai smirked, the flames vanishing with a subtle wave. Their faces were close now, breath mingling in the night air.
"In time. For now focus on that page."
He stood, brushing ash from his sleeve. "Think of this show as another birthday present to you."
"Kai," Julia called softly as he turned to leave.
He glanced back.
"Thank you," she said, her voice steady, her eyes shining.
Kai simply nodded, slipping into the night, leaving Julia on the roof with new hope kindling inside her.