SCRATCH Vol.2

Part.1 Soho Act 2

Admittedly, she had taught herself more than one spell. Some she had read in the margins of the album her mother had gifted her back when she still lived in Baltimore. Others she had picked up from other spell books, Agatha had gifted her over the years. However, she was hardly committed to the practice. She had memorized a handful of trivial spells for pitfalls of everyday life, little spells people wouldn't typically notice used for cleaning up messes or fixing broken utensils. Spells she had committed some time to were those of self-defense, whether they be hexes or runes. In fact, it had been the very same rune she had cast just moments before that caught Wong's attention in the first place. The price of protecting myself, Nicky thought snarkily.

"I was in the neighborhood, on other business, and..." Wong started, brushing off some of the snow that clung to his coat. "I mean, obviously, I was on my way to my hotel." He gestured at the suitcases on either side of him. Nicky crossed her arms, unconvinced. "Well, OK. Yes," Wong admitted, waving his hands in defeat. "I thought I'd check on you again, seeing as I was in town. I figured it's been a while, and maybe you'd changed your mind. Or at least be open to it. But I didn't mean to bump into you right now!"

"I'm not a sorceress, and I am not interested," Nicky said sternly. "If I wanted to learn, I would have gone to Salem with my mother."

"And studied witchcraft?!" Wong blustered, scrunching his face with disbelief. "Learning the mystic arts at Kamar-Taj is a much nobler use of your talents!"

"What the hell is even the difference?" Nicky scoffed, shivering a little as the wind picked up.

"There isn't much, really," Wong shrugged. "Just the way we approach mysticism as a discipline, I'd say. Imagine. All the books you could read. The people you could meet. The things you could do!"

"I wasn't interested when you first asked, and I am not interested now," Nicky insisted. "Nothing has changed. Sorry, Sorcerer Supreme. If you want magic, go ask..."

"Yes, yes, go ask Agatha Harkness," Wong said gruffly, shaking his head. "It's not witches we are looking for. And even if that was the case, it's not as if we could ever pin down such an elusive witch, like your mother." The sorcerer let out a sigh of resignation. "Well, I would say it was nice seeing you if it weren't for that hex." Nicky rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other again very soon. Perhaps even later tonight... at Sanhaja," he winked mischievously, eagerly grabbing his suitcases and walking past her, going the way she came down Kingly Street.

"Don't tell me..." Nicky sighed, letting her shoulders droop.

"I have a reservation, of course!" Wong called out, his voice echoing down the street. "The food at Sanhaja is superb!"

***

DING!

The bell rang through the busy kitchen, its shrill tone loud enough to be heard above the din created by the half-dozen cooks feverishly preparing various culinary delights for their patrons. The air was filled with the aroma of marinated meat, char grilled and basted over an open flame, Tapalapa bread fresh out of the mud-brick, wood-fired oven, and fragrant, rich fruits like mango and bissap.

Amidst the organized chaos, a baby-faced line chef hunched over his station, focusing intently on the plate before him. It featured a light and fluffy soufflé with a lightly toasted top, surrounded by a bright yellow gel artfully smeared across the plate. He held a pair of culinary tweezers in his right hand, with a delicate tuile firmly gripped between its tips. The golden-brown wafer was crafted into a stunning lattice, a perfectly round disc that measured exactly two inches wide. His eyes darted to the woman beside him, who leaned over the bench to get a better view of his work.