Carlos hummed in false contemplation. “Well… I suppose that’s
acceptable,” he said with a smile. He laughed. “Yeah, no, I don’t think you’re
dumb. Some folks just have different strengths.”“Exactly. I mean, I wouldn’t say I’m really bad at math, but it’s not my strong suit, gets frustrating sometimes, y’know?”
Carlos hummed and smiled. “Well, if you ever have a
particular problem you can’t figure out… Go ahead and ask me. I won’t judge
you.”
Carlos shrugged again. “Yeah… that’s just how it was though.
I was at least tempted to learn Repairo
wandlessly – it would have made things a little easier.”“Man, if I’d been in that position, I’d definitely have learned some wandless magic, heh. I wouldn’t have been able to stand it, not doin’ any magic at home. Shit man, even just dealin’ with my brother without magic was awful, guy was an ass when I was a kid and couldn’t throw any spells back at him yet.”
“Wow. The most I’ve ever done was given my brother jinxed
pens on occasion. I didn’t want to be too
much of a butt to him, you know?” He offered the other man a slight smile.
Carlos just smiled and shrugged slightly. “I guess not
everyone enjoys solving number puzzles, huh?”“Not so much, heh. I’ve always been more of a history guy than a math guy, ya feel? Doesn’t ever make me feel dumb.”
Carlos hummed in false contemplation. “Well… I suppose that’s
acceptable,” he said with a smile. He laughed. “Yeah, no, I don’t think you’re
dumb. Some folks just have different strengths.”
Carlos laughed at that. “Yeah… I mean, budgeting can be fun.
It’s like math… just with higher stakes.”“Heh, I dunno, you ask me, math ain’t all that excitin’.” Letting out a light chuckle, Hancock finished off his cereal and set the empty bowl down. “Maybe if Irma and Amari ain’t interested, I’ll just hire you to do that shit since you like it so much.”
Carlos just smiled and shrugged slightly. “I guess not
everyone enjoys solving number puzzles, huh?”
Carlos nodded and shrugged slightly. “Yeah… we can’t even
take our wands home during the summer in America. It’s against Ilvermorny
policy.”“They take ‘em away? Shit man…. America’s strict, huh? We just had to not do shit in front’a muggles. Y’know we don’t need wands to do magic though, right? I mean, I feel like that’d just encourage kids to learn wandless magic early–– or make ya all real rusty by the time ya got back to school at the end of summer.”
Carlos shrugged again. “Yeah… that’s just how it was though.
I was at least tempted to learn Repairo
wandlessly – it would have made things a little easier.”
Carlos nodded. “Certainly,” he said. He smiled at Hancock,
grateful. “You… you’re not busy with anything else, are you? I hate to take you
away from your work.” He got a weird sense of déjà vu – he wondered if he’d already
said something like that before.“I’m not busy often, honestly. Ain’t much around here for me to do if shit isn’t blowin’ up, y’know? I can take some time to help ya find some work that suits ya a little better, sounds like more fun than like…. budgeting, anyway.”
Carlos laughed at that. “Yeah… I mean, budgeting can be fun.
It’s like math… just with higher stakes.”
“It’s fine… it’s for the better, I’ve learned a while ago.”
He smiled sympathetically at Hancock’s story. “I’m sorry that happened. Did you
ever make it up to your friend?”“Eh, it was fine. I apologized and got him some real expensive gifts to make up for it, he forgave me after that, heh. Those kinda accidents are pretty common with young witches and wizards, y’know? Guess that’s why most of us tend not to hang around muggles, ‘specially when we’re young.”
Carlos nodded and shrugged slightly. “Yeah… we can’t even
take our wands home during the summer in America. It’s against Ilvermorny
policy.”
Carlos looked at Hancock again. “Do you think she’d want me?”
he asked. “I’m… I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting either Irma or Doctor
Amari, unfortunately. I, uh… never had caps that I was willing to spend on
using a Lounger.”“I think she’d probably take ya, yeah. Especially if I put in a good word for ya.” He winked, a little smirk on his face. “We can head over there later if you want, after you fix my terminal, heh.”
Carlos nodded. “Certainly,” he said. He smiled at Hancock,
grateful. “You… you’re not busy with anything else, are you? I hate to take you
away from your work.” He got a weird sense of déjà vu – he wondered if he’d already
said something like that before.
Carlos was quiet for a moment, debating whether
to go into depth about her. He decided not – they were on a road trip. If it
was going to happen, there was always another time.“Well… suffice to say, she’s been obliviated
since, and things got better after that,” Carlos told him. “I went to regular
elementary school for a little bit, though my dad told me to be careful with my
powers. Still, I did accidentally enlarge my friend’s rock collection once –
officials fixed it though and I was able to keep my friends.”“I’m sorry about that, mate.” A frown crossed the redhead’s lips at that, he couldn’t even imagine what growing up like that was like. His own mother, while sometimes distant, was always supportive, at the very least. “I had lots of muggle friends growin’ up too, not ‘cause I was muggle-born or anythin’, my ma just preferred to socialize with everyone, felt like it’d make her kids more well-rounded or something–– not that it worked on my brother. When I first got my magic, I remember accidentally setting my mate’s curtains on fire when I sneezed, heh, put it out quick enough, but his folks were real mad, blamed him for it and I couldn’t exactly tell ‘em the truth.”
“It’s fine… it’s for the better, I’ve learned a while ago.”
He smiled sympathetically at Hancock’s story. “I’m sorry that happened. Did you
ever make it up to your friend?”
“If you are able to, I… would actually be very
much obliged,” Carlos told him sincerely. “You know me – I don’t have the
firepower to be an effective scavenger.” He looked at Hancock and offered him a
slight, grateful smile. He got another handful of cereal from his bowl and
munched some more.“I know, man, this world is a tough thing to adjust to when you’ve lived a sheltered life. Besides, you kinda strike me as too sweet to really enjoy killing anything.” He took another bite of cereal, studying Carlos as he chewed then swallowed. “I can set somethin’ up for ya. Actually, I might be able to get ya in at the Memory Den if ya want, I’m sure Irma would appreciate someone helpin’ with upkeep of those machines and Doc Amari could probably use a hand as well, I doubt she’d mind havin’ another genius around to work with, y’know?”
Carlos looked at Hancock again. “Do you think she’d want me?”
he asked. “I’m… I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting either Irma or Doctor
Amari, unfortunately. I, uh… never had caps that I was willing to spend on
using a Lounger.”
The Perfect Scientist 