Future promises Venice was a willing accomplice for a wizard. The narrow, winding streets, the many small islands lent ample opportunity to hide in plain sight. Though, there was little need for pretense here. Most of the full-time residents lived on Terraferma, the mainland; the city center had been overrun with tourists long ago. They took photos and smiled when they saw cloaked passersby, certain that Carnivale was a year-round event in the city of bridges. And they moved on.
But Gabe did not enjoy the dark cloak that billowed out behind him - what he would give to return to the days of baseball caps and shorts. And he did not care for the narrow streets - they suffocated him, and obscured the sky. The small islands, maybe, could be alright, if not for the wizards that inhabited them. Gabe forced a wide grin of his braces-straight teeth, pausing to stop for a picture with a tourist, before moving forward.
He knew these winding streets too well. Gabe weaved easily around the crowds, and down a darker alley only visible to those who knew to look for it. Years ago, would he have been a part of that crowd? Or was he always meant to see? What he would give to be a tourist, here one day, and onto a new adventure the next. But he must avoid such thoughts. There was no use wondering now, because she was here, and she would not leave, and he would not leave her. He’d made promises.
Entering the small shop, the smile was replaced by a carefully neutral expression. A stout, older woman behind the counter looked up at the sound of the opening door and grinned a toothy grin.
“Buon giorno, Signore Capiello,” she nodded, “So good to see you again.”