Mosley Greatly's Point of View:

My name is Mosley Greatly, and I live with the Cirque Clan. I say ‘with’ because I wasn’t born in the Cirque. I used to belong to the Dally Clan, but I’ve since left it on my own terms and with no regrets.

… Alright maybe that’s not the whole truth. Rather than ‘left’, I may have gotten banished from the Dally Clan and thus ended up Clan-less... but that’s a can of worms no one would enjoy opening. I’d much rather talk about the day I met the Source.

During Comunete Fete I manned the serving food table in the cooking tent. I would have prefered to play guitar with the musicians, but when Valentina gave you a job to do, you didn’t argue. That woman had an uncanny way of knowing right where you ought to be. I was spooning chicken curry onto a woman named Kali’s plate, when Augustus Optim walked into the tent with a girl I didn’t recognize. I noticed him enter immediately and watched as he greeted Valentina. Distracted, I missed the plate and spilled chicken curry all over Kali’s shoes.

Hearing the splatter, I snapped my attention to her angry face in horror.

“I am so sorry, ma’am.”

“You should be paying more attention, Mr. Greatly!” she shook the majority of the food off her shoes. “If my feet had been bare, you would have burned them!”

“I said I was sorry!” I called after her as she stormed off. Hearing the ruckus I was making, Mr. Optim spared me a glance. Swallowing, I quickly looked away, feeling my ears start to burn.

Augustus Optim was the most revered person in the Cirque clan. He was the most talented Sorcerer and the only one who held the title of Wizard.

And I, the Dally Clan outcast… was completely in love with him.

Mr. Optim looked incredibly handsome in his khaki safari outfit. Every outfit he wore turned heads wherever he went. So many admired him. I was just one of many.

I pretended to fiddle with the food since no one was coming over. Carefully I snuck a look in Mr. Optim’s direction and my heart skipped a beat when I saw that he was still looking my way.

Stay calm Mosley, I thought, stirring the chicken curry more rapidly. Don’t do anything stupid.

Valentina yelled my name and I yelped. The serving spoon clattered noisily out of my hand as I jumped. It bounced off the table with a sharp clank before landing on the dirt floor near my feet. By now my entire face must have been scarlet because it felt like my cheeks were ablaze. I dove down to retrieve the spoon, and hid long enough to take a deep breath. Just when I thought I had found my composure, I knocked my head on the underside of the table on my way back up.

“Ow! I mean...Y-yes ma’am?” I rubbed my aching head, keeping my eyes locked on the fierce elderly lady as they made their way towards me.

“Get these two some food.” Valentina commanded. “We have a lot to talk about and I know they’re going to be hungry.”

“Mosley!” Mr. Optim greeted me cheerfully. “Always a pleasure to see you.”

He remembered my name. I stared with wide eyes, transfixed to his golden gaze. I gave a high pitched laugh, then cleared my throat in embarrassment.

“Yes, me see you.”

Optim gave me a confused look, and realizing my mistake, I said, “I-I mean it’s always a pleasure to see you too, Mr. Optim.”

I wished my blush would just cause me to burst into flames. Somehow, that would have been less embarrassing.

Mr. Optim gave me a dazzling smile with a sly twinkle in his eye.

“Mosley please, call me Augustus.”

I opened and closed my mouth like a fish out of water, not knowing how to respond.

The girl next to Mr. Optim giggled.

He gestured to the girl and said, “Oh Mosley, I’d like to introduce you to Mia Beaumont. She’s a friend of mine that I’ve known for many years. Mia this is Mosley Greatly.”

Grateful for the diversion, I looked down at the girl and she smiled kindly up at me.

“Hello Mosley. It’s nice to meet you.”

I grinned back, relieved to be talking to someone else instead of making a fool of myself in front of Optim.

“It’s nice to meet you too.”

I shook her hand and couldn’t help the feeling that she was someone familiar, like a long lost friend you hadn’t seen in ages. She was short, but then again, everyone felt short to me. I could see clear over many an average-heighted head. But even though she seemed small, I sensed a strong spirit inside of her.

I liked her immediately.

“Which Clan do you belong to Miss Beaumont?”

She glanced up at Mr. Optim quickly and he gave her a look that I couldn’t interpret.

“I don’t really belong to a Clan,” she said, “Let’s just say I’m not from around here.”

Before I could inquire further, Valentina interrupted, her arms crossed. “Are you going to get them plates Mosley? Or do I have to do it myself?”

“Sorry Valentina,” I replied sheepishly and glanced down at the dirty serving spoon in my hand. “Uh, just a moment I--”

Mr. Optim reached out and cupped my hand with his. I might have gasped a tiny, very quiet, gasp.

“Allow me,” he said with a grin.

I held my breath, then realizing I was holding my breath, exhaled quickly.

With his other hand he waved over the length of the spoon. It shimmered and shone as the dirt lifted away and crumbled to the ground. He then smiled brightly and patted my hand before pulling away. I mumbled, in a higher pitch than I cared to admit, “Thank you.”

Mr. Optim stood back as I began to pile food onto two plates. I felt his eyes on me as I concentrated on not missing the plates.

“Actually, make it three plates Mosley.” Optim said. “I think it would be best if you joined our little conversation. You have an insight that is invaluable at present.”

My head snapped up.

“Y-you want me to c-come along?”

Mr. Optim nodded.

I glanced at Valentina and she gave a nod of her head as if to say, ‘If he says so, then go ahead.’

Beaming, I piled food onto a third plate.