Drop of Magic (Malec)

Not Irrelevant

The cab driver greets me but seems to know where he's going as he navigates the dense traffic of New York. Friday nights in New York are always busy, and I can understand why Camille insisted on giving me half an hour to arrive. Eventually, we pull up to Per Se, literally one of the most expensive restaurants in New York. Suddenly, I feel like everything is too much. My hands are cold and clammy, and my throat is so tight I worry I'll stop breathing. The thick smoggy air of New York seems to suffocate me as I step out of the cab, gripping my briefcase and adjusting my tie. Nervously, I pass one hand through my hair, taking a shaky breath. Apparently, the cab driver's fare has already been met, so he drives off after giving me his personal number to call when I'm finished. Nodding, and placing a horribly fake grin on my face, I thank him before he drives away. Glancing down at my watch, I note that I should be in there in just a few minutes. I'm not even sure what the reservation is under, but I walk inside with what I hope is a false air of confidence. I know for a fact I'd pale beside Jace. Inside, I'm greeted by a man in a clean white shirt with a shiny black vest on top. He smiles and welcomes me, asking if I have a reservation.

"I believe so... I'm here on behalf of Dumort magazine, to conduct an interview with Mr. Magnus Bane? My boss, Camille set this up?" I feebly attempt to keep the nervous shake out of my voice. The man nods knowingly and flashes me another award winning smile before motioning for me to follow him. The city is bright and bustling outside, but in here it's all hushed and calm. People mill around, waiters and waitresses carrying plates of delicate and expensive food, dispersing them to the tables of wealthy customers. I notice how time seems to move slower in this fancy restaurant compared to the commotion of New York at night as if with all their money, these people somehow found a way to buy time.

The man leads me past all of these tables and through a dark wooden door. Inside, a fireplace crackles softly, and seated at the round table in the center of the room, swirling his champagne in his glass, is Mr. Magnus Bane. He turns to us when the door opens, and flashes a bright smile.

"Alec Light, I presume?" I nod numbly before getting a hold of myself and stepping forward to meet his outstretched hand. We shake, his grasp gentle but firm, assertive. I'm sure mine is weak and feeble. He smiles again, a lift of the right side of his mouth, yet open and surprisingly vulnerable. I find myself smiling back without having to think about it. He motions with a slender hand to the chair across from his own, and nodding softly at him, I sit.

"Mr. Bane-" before I can continue my sure to be embarrassing greeting, he shakes his head, spiked hair dispersing a smattering of glitter on the white tablecloth in front of him.

"Please, Alec, call me Magnus." I swallow tightly and smile, nodding again.

"Of course. Magnus, I'd like to thank you for meeting with me tonight, I'm sure you have a very busy schedule and-" I've never been good with words, and Magnus seems to cut me off every time I'm about to make a fool of myself. I'm too grateful to be annoyed.

"When Camille called, I was more than ready to just hang up. Off the record, her and I have had a long, complicated past, and just when I think we're done dancing around each other, she strikes again." He sighs, leaning his chin onto the heel of his left hand, elbow resting on the table. He takes another slow sip of champagne, the waiter offering me my own. I nod, thanking him, and waiting for Magnus to continue. "But when all she wanted was a tiny interview, I figured I could make my own circumstances. And ask for you. So by all means, thank you Alec, for coming tonight. Camille didn't hide her distaste for you on the phone, so I'm sure this isn't what you're used too," I shake my head at this, laughing nervously. He chuckles lightly in response. "So thank you for agreeing. It's never a problem to squeeze dinner with a dashing guy like yourself into my schedule." He shoots me a confident wink, one that reminds me so much and so little of Jace all at once that I nearly choke on my sip of champagne. I can feel the blush rising in my cheeks, and I cough awkwardly in my hand to hide it. Magnus only laughs lightly and smiles boldly at me. "So, let's order some food and get this going, I'm starving." I smile at him first this time, and he looks slightly shocked before smiling back brighter than ever. I like that, the fact that I make him smile. Something unfamiliar stirs inside me, and I down some more champagne to smother it. Magnus calls for the waiter, who enters and tops up our glasses while asking what we'd like. I haven't even glanced at a menu. Magnus hands him our menus and smiles reassuringly at me this time before looking to the waiter.

"Surprise us, please, we'll share." The waiter nods with a smile before taking his leave. I raise a brow at Magnus, who shrugs and grins. "I hope you don't mind me ordering. The food here is marvelous, though, you will not be disappointed. And we'll have plenty of time for the interview, maybe even some time left over." With this, he casts me another coy wink. I blush, yet again, a feeling I'm not really used to, and he laughs brightly, his white teeth gleaming in the light from the fire. I take out my recorder and my notebook, setting them between us on the table.

"May I?" I nod towards the recorder, and Magnus smiles, nodding back at me. I turn it on with a soft click and shuffle my papers around until the sample questions Camille gave to me surface. "So, Magnus, tell me what it's like to run the most successful architectural firm in New York?" He gets a small smile on his face, and I'm sure he's answered this questions a million times before tonight. With a soft sigh, he answers me.

"It's terrifying, exhilarating, and humbling, all at once. There are always things to go well, and things to go horribly wrong. Big decisions rest on my shoulders, every day, and the choices I make are not light. But in the end, it's always worth it, when a big deal goes through, or we get to put a new building up, or when I get to see some of our best work, our greatest ideas carried out, that's when it's humbling." His answers are full, honest, and I find myself simply entranced when he speaks. Nodding, I jot some important notes down and smile at him before continuing.

"Are you satisfied with your life, all the accomplishments you've made?" This one digs deeper, one he's heard less, I can tell by the set of his brows, the crinkle in his forehead as he searches his mind for an answer.

"I suppose one will never fully be satisfied, no matter how much money, or success they gain. I always find myself striving for more, even when I'm told I've hit the top. I'm proud of my accomplishments, but, not satisfied. Are you, Alec, satisfied with your life?" I struggle to compose myself from this. His startling golden eyes land on me, capturing my own and I feel my own brows knit together, my mouth opening without anything ready to say.

"I... no, I'm not. But, with all due respect, this interviews about you, Magnus. Nothing about me is relevant, or important." At this, he shakes his head, smiling gentler than before, reserved and aimed right at my heart.

"Ah, my darling Alec, never believe that you are irrelevant. To me, you are simply fascinating."

      After eating far too much, and taking the long route to answering any questions, dinner is finally drawing to a close. Magnus has a way of turning everything around once he's answered, like a game of 20 questions. Each time, he flawlessly aimed the question back at me. And each time, I was left vulnerable, with nothing as wise or insightful to say. Yet with each answer, his golden cat eyes seemed to grow fonder. It was less an interview than any other I've conducted, landing far more on the personal side than I'm used to. And yet, I found that I didn't mind.

Magnus stands, extending his hand to me to help me up. Neither of is to pay, we've been told Camille has covered it through Dumort, and I smile gratefully at the waiter. The meal alone was nearly 350 dollars, half of my paycheck and a quarter of this months rent. I take his hand and blush faintly at the gesture, fully expecting to get into a cab and head home, but Magnus seems to have something else in mind. Almost nervously, he runs a hand down the front of his own dashing black suit, eyes cast down before he meets mine and speaks.

"Alec, would you be interested in coming to my home for coffee? I understand it's getting late, but I've truly had a great time with you tonight, and if you'd do me the honour of potentially turning this business affair personal, I'd be ecstatic." I feel the heat betray me, rising up my neck again as I try to swallow the panic and nerves rising with it. Feebly, I nod, knowing that I'm not quite ready to let this night go, to let the illusion of Magnus Bane taking interest in me fade away. And so, I ignore the card the cabbie gave me, and instead slide into the back of a jet-black limo with Magnus, heading off to his home, to have coffee, like old friends or new lovers, and find myself happier than I've been in a long time.