Where we last left off, Rosewater had volunteered to take Tablespoon to the city to visit the magic school and her mother as well. To this end, Rosewater brought Tablespoon to his house to hop in his car and be on their way.
As before, from here on out, "you" will be Tablespoon.
[[Ready to get back to it?]]
The wind is nice in your hair, blowing in through the car window. You've placed your hat on the back seat of the car so that it doesn't fly out through the same window, just to be safe.
There's some music playing faintly from the radio too, though Rosie doesn't seem to like loud sounds much, so it's pretty quiet. That's nice though - you don't… really like his taste in music. Too many cartoon skeleton sounds.
[[The ride isn't very long, but the change in scenery takes you by surprise.]]
The small green forest surrounding your town opened up, wide and sprawling, almost tundra-like in its majesty. In the distance, you can see the city jutting up from the landscape, backed by snowy mountains even further on. If your memory serves right, the city is named Oxcord.
[[As you approach the city and see its welcome sign, this is shown to be true.]]
As with all larger settlements in Teres, there is a parking lot right near the entrance of the city. Rosie pulls into it with ease, backing up into a spot with more confidence than you knew him to have. A little scary, though.
You get out of the car, fetching your hat. It's cold, but it's not much colder than your village… though, it's not as sunny, so that doesn't help much. You wish someone would've told y-
"You wish I'd have told you about how cold it would be here? Well, I could have, but I also wanted to give you a little something too." Rosie seems to read your mind with that, but surprises you even more when he fetches something out of the trunk of his car. A light pink coat, simple in its design, and in a tone matching your favourite hat.
[[Put it on?]]
Well yes, of course. That would only be polite, but more than that, you absolutely love it. A delighted little "Wah…" escapes your mouth without realizing, which Rosie snickers at.
"Thank you… It's lovely, thank you so much!" You chirp, and Rosie smiles a little too smugly. He scratches the back of his head and chuckles again, then gestures for you to follow him. Time to get going, it seems, on the small walk into the city.
[[And off you go.]]
Once you get into the city, you notice just how much more… finished it seems in comparison to your small hometown. The buildings are sturdier, the roads are paved, there are real mailboxes… It pulls at your heart a bit, thinking about how you could become so good at magic and bring home so much money to improve your town, but you're not sure if anyone would really want that. You sigh deeply, and Rosie doesn't seem to notice. Somewhere along the way, he picked up a pamphlet.
[[You try to sneak a peek.]]
You crane your neck to catch a look at the pamphlet in Rosewater's hands. "Train… schedule? They have those here?"
He looks at you and smiles. "Yes indeed, and we have to take one to your mother's work," he says, then pauses for a minute. "Or we could walk. But I don't really want to."
"I don't want to either, if it's that far… But wow, trains really do exist. I thought they were made up to… scare kids? Sometimes the elders would mention that…"
Rosewater stops and looks at you. Mouth wide open, eyes almost wider, he looks at you. "No way. What? No, oh my God? Trains are just normal- they-" A deep breath. "Uh, look. How about we just keep going?"
[[You laugh a bit. He mutters something under his breath, and you keep going towards the station.]]
After arriving at the station, Rosie leads you to a window with a menu - a little walk-by restaurant, it seems. You two purchase lunch, and he leads you away once more, this time to another window. The sign reads "TICKETS" in bright purple letters, and there's another menu of sorts on a signboard underneath. This one is all times though, so many that looking at it makes your eyes start to glaze over.
Rosie deals with the tickets. You don't have a whole lot of spending money anyways, being 14 and all.
"We leave in 15 minutes, so let's sit and wait for now," he says. You take a seat next to him, and you both unwrap your lunches and start eating without another word. There are performers nearby, playing some very upbeat music and dancing around, with people tossing them coins every once in a while. It's joyful to see, but a little loud.
[[You're a bit overwhelmed being here.]]
You finish eating quickly - it was a rather small lunch, but you are also rather small - and tuck your trash into a nearby bin. Rosie follows suit after another few minutes, and the train arrives with perfect timing. Rosie smiles smugly again at this, like he has this down to an art. How many times has he eaten one of those big sandwiches while sitting here?
Rosie is perceptive. He knows you're nervous, and who wouldn't be? A little country mouse coming to a big city for the first time, and not even an hour later getting on a train to go deeper in… He puts a hand on your shoulder, pats once, and moves it to your hand. He holds it tightly, and leads you into the carriage.
There are plenty of seats open, so you two take an attached pair. He crosses his legs elegantly, sitting on the aisle side, leaving you some space to stare out the window and take in the sights from your newly discovered safe spot.
Hills and buildings go past, empty lots and tiny houses… All kinds of interesting things, really, though the speed makes many of them a blur.
[[You turn away from the window for a minute and take a breath. It's already been a big day and you haven't even started yet.]]
As soon as you do that though, Rosie pokes your cheek.
"Missy, our stop is next. Make sure you don't leave anything behind, alright?" He says, and checks himself over as he stands. He gives a satisfied nod, and looks back at you with an outstretched hand. You take it and stand shakily, following him to the door. How anyone can move with such sureness on a moving train in three - no, is that four? - four-inch heels is beyond you.
He's right though, your stop comes up right away, and when the door opens, he places both hands on your back. Keeping you steady once more, but almost overdoing it. You're starting to get the picture of what kind of person he is when he's out and about, instead of when he's lazing about at home.
[[He lets go of your shoulders and grabs your hand gently once more. "We don't want you to get lost out there, after all."]]
He struts through the hallway full of people, decidedly steady once more. You follow suit, trying to mimic his confidence, but you just end up half-stomping your steps as you go.
You exit the train station, this one reading "CITY CENTER" on a sign near the ceiling. There's smaller text underneath, but you can't really read it from where you are and while moving.
"Is the school this way?" you ask. Rosewater turns to you with a frown.
"Let's go see your mother first, shall we? Talk to her first before making any large decisions," he proposes. It does sound like a solid idea to you. Even if the elders wanted you to go to school, it's ultimately up to you and your mother to choose.
He leads you across the round plaza directly ahead of the station exit. A building with a plain sign stands there, reading "BOUNTY HUNTERS' GUILD," and your heartbeat quickens. That's where your mom works, isn't it?
[[Go go go go go!]]
You let go of Rosie's hand, hearing a single "hey now" shouted behind you as you break into a run. Yes, you saw your mother last night, but you want to see her now!
You reach the door of the building, briefly thinking "would a guild building be called a guilding?" before shaking your head and pushing it open. Rosewater follows behind you in a gay little jog, though he doesn't seem upset. If anything, he understands completely.
Opening the door, it hits you how large this building really is. It's quite tall, and seems to go back a fair ways too… Mother mentioned that there are dorm rooms for hunters to use, so presumably those would take up a good amount of space. Not that it matters right now, you want to see her.
[[The lights inside are warm and bright, but not sharp or painful at all to adjust to.]]
A voice calls out as soon as you enter, though not specifically to you. "Welcome to the Oxcord Bounty Hunters' Guild!"
"Oh my, she's so small!" cries out another voice.
And another voice - "Tablespoon?!"
Chairs screeching on the wooden floor and footsteps hurrying towards you, arms reaching out and a warmth enclosing you. Mom! It feels like it's been ages since you last saw her. You chat with her for a while, and she turns around to her coworkers behind the desk.
"Millie, Judith, this is my daughter Tablespoon," she calls out to them with a wave. "Tablespoon, those are my coworkers. Yes, the ones I talk about all the time…"
The two of you laugh together for a second, before Rosie seems to just appear behind you and your mother pulls him into a sudden hug as well.
"Oh come on, Tea! We have things to do here, girl!" he says with a laugh.
[[The two of them chat for a minute as well, and you take it upon yourself to look around.]]
There's a board covered in smaller papers (the bounties, presumably), a desk for the secretaries, a hallway on either side… Most of this main room seems to be made up of lounge areas though, with groups of people at each table, eating and drinking, looking over papers and discussing things. It doesn't seem glamorous, but something pulls at you. You want to be a part of this, you think.
You tune back in to your mother and Rosie, and they're still talking. This time though, it seems to be about you…? Something about how the school is too big, you're too young, and the teachers are much too harsh… "...right?"
"Huh?" Your mother was talking to you, but you had been spaced out while taking in your surroundings.
"Sorry, Tablespoon. I was just thinking, it might be better if you join here as an [[apprentice]]? Instead of signing up for a school that might not even be the right fit… At least this way, we can either commute together or you can stay here - actually, maybe we can stay here together for a while -"
You cut her off. "I'd- like to sign up here, I think, and stay here… I think…!"
Rosie and your mother both blink, then beam at you. Your mother breaks the newfound silence. "Only if you're sure, honey. I think it'd suit you well, but it's up to you, okay?" She pats your little head once, twice.
"Personally, I think she'd be a shoe-in. Especially with all her errands around there, back in the little town," Rosie chimes in. "Running around here and there, delivering everything for everyone…"
"You make it sound like we're lazy!" your mother exclaims.
"Aren't you? Haha," Rosie chides.
[[You smile.]]
For a minute, you think to yourself, "wouldn't it be better to go to a school than become a bounty hunter at this age?"
I do agree, but for a moment, I would like to break immersion.
In this world, "bounty hunter" is a catchall for people who do freelance physical labor or any kind. Picking apples and delivering them could be considered a bounty, and the person doing it would be the hunter of said bounty. An apprentice is generally a younger bounty hunter, a newer one who will only be taking on smaller jobs unless accompanied by a more trusted one.
The magic school in Oxcord does tend to be very harsh on newcomers, especially ones with little field experience. Most students do a year or so as an apprentice hunter and then enroll from there.
I admit, it's a bit of a contrived convenience for sure. However, I like to have a little fun here, and I'm sure you do too.
Well, let's get back to it then.
[[The two of them chat for a minute as well, and you take it upon yourself to look around.]]
This is a big step forward for you. You've always wanted to pick your own path, even in a little way, but this is a big one! This is a very big one indeed, and something to be proud of.
For now, let's take a break and sit on this for a while, alright?
return home?