Chapter 11
Remnant didn't have a very long recorded history, but that was only what was recorded. Bartholomew Oobleck knew that very well.
He was a trained huntsman, but his doctorate was actually in archeology which, while considered unusual for his field, was not unheard of as the ruins of ancient civilizations were almost universally in what was considered dangerous territory. Though it would be more accurate to say that anywhere outside the walls of the kingdoms was dangerous territory. Even settled areas were under constant attack. Grimly enough, if you actually stopped to travel across land by foot, you couldn't reach another kingdom before stumbling over at least a half a dozen dead settlements, some of which remained abandoned after the fact.
Reconstruction was an ongoing process throughout the world as the kingdoms tried to keep up with an ever expanding population, but tragedies happened every day and as such lives and knowledge were lost. This had been happening for longer than recorded history, as was proven by the remnants of fallen kingdoms that have all but been forgotten from human memory, waiting to be rediscovered if someone were to only look.
Though that didn't stop the fact that looking in and of itself was very dangerous.
The amount of time, equipment and training for archeology was immense on a normal scale, but on top of that it was needed a team of trained hunters to do so safely, which was harder to get than you'd think. Any deployment of hunters had to be approved by the council and it was hard to get approval for anything besides protecting outward settlements without a lot of money or a lot of connections.
Oobleck was the latter and often during school breaks came as protection for colleagues who couldn't otherwise attend such sites safely. It was such assignments that had attracted him to the field in the first place.
"Can't you bring a student team along for those?" Ume inquired as they walked along the streets.
"Most students aren't interested in spending their breaks at digs, and even then I'd need approval either as an official mission or from their legal guardians if they were to go on their own time. I was not kidding when I said it was dangerous work, some of the most untouched sites are also the most dangerous in terms of older and stronger grimm. Much like more recent settlements, grimm seem to congregate among the ruins of human structures. There has been a lot of research about this behavior, maybe of it being a warning or maybe because the emotions of the former residents somehow cling to the structure, drawing the grimm to the gloom." Oobleck responded.
"I could see the latter, places of tragedy have an energy all their own, an imprint, really, of the lives left behind."
Oobleck nodded in agreement as he looked ahead. After getting into some basic history, he had gotten into his hobby outside of teaching. The rediscovery of history was no small task, and it was one that he devoted a lot of time to outside his profession. To his delight, his companion was in agreement with that. She was an immensely curious child, not unintelligent, simply curious, especially about things people seldom seek to know or really think about. He did not know if it was because of cynicism or actual curiosity, but she had no problems asking or believing him about the dangers involved or the real threats that lay outside in the world beyond the safety of the walls.
"Ah, I believe we've arrived at our first destination." Oobleck said as they arrived at the entrance of the mall.
It was an open air mall, high glass ceilings to let light in with several hanging plants to give it a more natural look. Oobleck knew for a fact that several of the nicer parts of the area used extensive greenery to give the concrete and glass city a more natural look. The planted, trimmed trees and hanging flowering plants were some of the only bits of nature a lot of people who lived in the city ever saw, some people spent their entire lifetimes without ever truly seeing a forest up close because of the danger such places posed. There were no parks in Vale, as living space was considered more important in the city's planning, yet even still it wasn't enough. Space would always be at a premium as the walls could not be moved for fear the reconstruction period would be capitalized on by the grimm to attack. They were not as unintelligent as most people thought, especially the older ones, and a place as crowded as the kingdom of Vale would be a prime target.
They didn't have to go far to find the first stop of the day. The glass walls of the store had the name in frosted letters on the glass.
"Codex again?" The young girl responded to the stylized sign. "Are they the only company that makes scrolls?"
"No, but they are the only company authorized to program them. Scrolls are manufactured by several different companies, but they are required to accept and use the same software." Oobleck replied.
"They have a monopoly then?" She responded, walking forward with Oobleck into the store.
"In a way, unlike the hardware companies, Codex is not privately owned. It is, in fact, a joint venture of all four of the major kingdoms. As such, use of basic communications during scrolls and use of the codex network is free for any individual with a scroll."
"And these?"
The girl indicated with a finger a line up of deluxe service packages and different models of scrolls.
"Extra services mostly, but actual phone services and basic connectivity is required under law to be provided at no cost to ensure that all settlements can afford to stay connected to the Codex. Communication is considered a necessity for our survival."
"Which is why they aren't having the software companies compete to up the cost of it." She paused before speaking again. "As well as creating a nonstop profit margin to all the kingdoms governments for those who do pay for the extra services."
Not a single word on the generosity of such an act, but straight onto how the money was made for it.
"Money is required for maintenance of the CTT towers." Oobleck replied as he looked up and recognized the sales associate coming up. He was a young man with brown hair and eyes named Tanner.
"Professor, good morning, did something happen to your scroll again?" Tanner said it brightly as he walked over.
"No, I have not been on a dig recently that has been less than kind to my scroll, no." Oobleck replied. "Though honestly I never expect it when it happens, though last time it couldn't be helped, that Nereididae snuck up on us while we were sleeping and nearly devoured half the camp."
That's what he got for not stocking up on the good stuff before he left. But then, he had been awake for about two or three days which, while not his record, did make him nodding off on watch understandable even if the results were frustrating.
"Nereididae?" The girl looked up at him, curiosity in her eyes..
"Native grimm to Vacao desert, usually only a few meters long that dwells under the sands. Usually you can see when they approach because of bumps appearing under the sand, but this was a much older one, much larger than usual. Took quite a bit of time to take down."
And some tactics he did not wish to repeat in the future. Even if he was quite fond of using fire on his missions, using himself as a flaming projectile had not been pleasant, especially when the large worm like grim swallowed him whole.
"Thankfully there were no fatalities, unfortunately a lot of the data was not recovered as it was thrown into its stomach. Regardless, that is not why I am here, no. This young woman here needs a Beacon issued scroll."
Tanner glanced down at Ume, taking a second to evaluate the girl before turning back to Oobleck.
"Isn't she a little young to be at Beacon?"
"She is not actually enrolled, she is a class auditor who is visiting from another country. We thought it pertinent that she acquired a scroll since she didn't have one when she arrived here." Oobleck replied.
"Ah," Tanner said, accepting the answer or at least seeming to as he turned towards the girl and leaned over to look at her on eye level. "Well then, we the base models in black or white, though if you'd rather have the cover in a brighter color we have a couple of those in stock. They even have some nice patterns on them."
"You'd look less condescending if you bend your knees when you're trying to talk to a shorter person." Ume replied in a deadpan, eyes half lidded at the man.
Oobleck raised an eyebrow at the girl's change in tone.
"Also, you should address both customers when you see them enter a store together, nevermind you should never talk about another when they're present like they aren't there, even if they appear young."
She said it before looking up at Tanner and giving him a glare worthy of Glynda Goodwitch before speaking again.
"And I would like a black scroll, please."
Tanner seemed to take a concious effort to not flinch away at the action, and Oobleck didn't blame him. His spine stiffened before he pulled himself up to his full height before saying in a trained, even voice.
"Alright, I'll go bring one out."
And he retreated to the back to get a scroll.
The girl watched the scene and without comment on it, turned to Oobleck and asked in the same curious tone.
"So what's the difference between Beacon issued scrolls and normal ones?"
"Miss Ume, was that really necessary? He likely did not mean any offense in his actions. He is a very hard working young man who has been at this store for nearly two years." Oobleck said.
The girl blinked for a moment as she processed his words.
"What?"
"I'd imagine you'd be on better behavior." Especially since up until this point she had appeared to be nothing but civil.
"I only gave him the same amount of respect he gave me. He ignored basic manners, there was no way he didn't see me." She replied.
"That's not what I meant. You very nearly made him jump when you looked at him like that, and I don't honestly blame him." He said, looking back at the conversation. Yes, she hadn't been greeted, but that reaction was a bit extreme.
She blinked again before she looked down at her feet.
"Was it really that bad?"
"I don't think I've ever seen someone so small give off so much malice." He replied, crossing his arms. "Which, while impressive in its own right, is not appropriate behavior around a civilian. Did the way he addressed you really upset you that much?"
Not looking up, the girl started scratching her nose absently.
"It, well yeah, it offended me. Talking about someone like they aren't there, well, it's a bit of a snub where I come from, like that person isn't worth your time. Nevermind that he talked to me like, well..."
"Like you were a child?" Oobleck inquired.
She winced at that and nodded.
"Okay, I suppose it sounds strange to be mad about that."
Did she not like being treated her age? Well, in honest truth she certainly didn't act her age, if not for the small stature and very high voice he could very well imagine he had spent the last hour speaking to a college student or one of the third or fourth years.
"I'm certain he didn't actually mean any harm by it."
She let out a sigh.
"No, I guess he didn't. I guess I'm too used to people acting that way when they're trying to directly insult me."
That was an interesting statement indeed. Was that what it was like in her hometown? Did people only treat her her age as a means to demean her?
"Miss Ume, I have to ask. Where you are from, are you considered an adult?"
The girl blinked for a moment before looking up, not directly looking at his eyes, but at his face.
"Um, well, technically I am. I can't like, drink and stuff, but legally yes, I'm recognized as being responsible for my own actions."
"Ah, how long has it been that way?" Oobleck asked.
"About four years. Since I'm an orphan, I was legally recognized as an independent entity when I finished schooling, which happened when I was nine."
Nine years old, that was very young to make someone responsible for their own actions, but it wasn't unheard of. Though not confirmed, there were stories and writings found of civilizations with rulers who were that young. Still, while it didn't wholly account for her intelligence, it did explain somewhat her maturity if she was indeed expected to be an adult at such a young age.
"You understand that culturally no one will see you that way here."
"It's the same at places at home." She sighed again. "I overreacted. I'm sorry."
"You do not have to apologize to me." Oobleck said.
She rubbed the back of her head.
"I know, I, it's been kind of stressful the last few days. So much uncertainty. There seems to be so much that's, well, unknown. I guess I'm not used to not really being informed on stuff. I mean, I don't know everything, heck, I don't know a lot of things most of the time, but I try to keep up to date on what's most prudent. But here, I got nothing. It's almost all new to me, and it's put me a little off."
Oobleck let out a soft breath as he kneeled down in front of her. He was still a full head taller than her doing so, but it put him more on her level. She really was quite small for a, if he counted right, thirteen year old girl. Was that a genetic disposition of her people or a sign of malnourishment? It was something he would probably inquire about later.
"Most people would feel that same way if they were thrown into an unfamiliar environment. It is nothing new and I believe you have behaved admirably so far in your attempts to gather and assess your situation. It seems to me that there are several cultural variations from what you are used to, and as such misunderstandings will be unavoidable. If something startles or confuses you, though, I'll be happy to clear up any troubles you may have. It is my job, after all."
She smiled at him, it was a small, slight thing in which she showed no teeth.
"Yeah, I guess it is. But I really should have known better that time. I guess I'm not too used to following other people's lead on things."
"Following usually is a sign of trust, and I understand Peter talking about your view on that in the forest. I can see how it might be difficult to trust someone from a place you know so little about."
"No, no, I trust you. Or at least, I trust you know your stuff. You don't strike me as the type of person to spread false information just because. The incident with Professor Port was also a bit of stubbornness on my part as well as a bit of worry. I really shouldn't have though, he's quite a force to be reckoned with."
She absently adjusted the piece of wood set into the tie in her hair. It resembled something Oobleck knew to be a part of a musical instrument, but for all he knew it could just be a shape that had some significance to Ume's culture as well. Really, he would just like to sit down with her in private to have a chat about just that. If she really was from some isolated place that had no interaction with this world, the history would just be fascinating to learn and compare.
"That he is." Oobleck agreed looking up to see Tanner walk back with a box in his hands. "Now let's see about setting you up with a scroll then."
"Alright." Ume said, walking with him to the small table Tanner had set up.
Setting up the scroll took about thirty minutes, with just some of that time being Oobleck adding some numbers from his own to mine. We then went over some of the features. I was going to be on a Beacon plan, which was paid by the school and directly connected to its network, which apparently was about as fast as it could be because the school network connected directly to the CTT tower, which was the major hub for Codex for the entire kingdom. I could get on the Codex network, stream videos real time, unlock my door, summon a rocket locker (which was, well, it was cool and strange at the same time but also incredibly unnecessary in my case), play video games both on the phone and connecting to a larger screen to do so, monitor my aura (which registered as zero on the scroll), communicate with other scrolls and download various apps. So basically it was a smart phone, but thinner.
I inquired about the actual sturdiness of the device, but I was reassured that while the cheaper phones were pretty fragile, Beacon modules were designed to last. Though honestly I guess that should have been the case since Beacon modile phones cost twenty times the price of the cheapest scroll. I fiddled with the phone a bit before I figured I should test something. Placing it in a seal in my sleeve and having Professor Oobleck call it did confirm that the phone registered as inactive or disconnected when it was in whatever other space seals counted at, so I'd probably need a thigh pouch or something.
I needed some other clothing regardless. While I could, and often did, just wear my regular outfit in different ways, I needed some clothing just for occasions when I would want to blend in without using chakra, and also to train in. So I decided to peruse some of the stores looking for outfits.
Professor Oobleck looked less than thrilled by the prospect of going clothes shopping with me, so I basically told him he could park himself at a bookstore while I went around by myself. He seemed skeptical at first, but I promised I wouldn't leave the mall and would call him when I was done so he could come pay for stuff with the school card. That seemed to sell him on that, or maybe he really just didn't want to be seen being dragged around by me in and out of dressing rooms. He was certainly relieved when I gave him the out. I'd have rolled my eyes, but most guys I'd known in both my lives just weren't that interested in how their clothing looked most the time, let alone had opinions or interested in what girls actually wore. Honestly, I wouldn't put it past Suigetsu, Gonmaru or Benjiro walking around in paper sacks if they could get away with it. The only reason the others even cared about their clothing was because they were either raised with the mindset of always looking your best (Hiroshi) or had two female teammates to bug him about it (Chojuro).
So I set off and went exploring the mall. I occasionally got weird looks, but mostly I just wandered from store to store and found myself with an annoying and frequent problem.
Nothing here freaking fit me right. Or at least nothing I'd actually want to wear did.
I'd wandered into some general clothing stores to start with, but most of the sections with just regular athletic wear didn't have my size. The children's sections of the store had my size, but only in little heart patterns and acidic pastels for the girls. The boy's section was slightly better, but only slightly. The textile quality of the clothing did not impress me in the least. Even the over sized supply clothing was better quality than this thin crap. Never mind they didn't have any pouches I could use that weren't held on by cheap velcro or just some tacky fanny pack.
I found better stuff, unsurprisingly, at some of the shops that seemed more suited towards hunters and huntresses. That clothing was actually padded and the fabric quality wasn't something I could just tear through, but like before they didn't have any of the general clothing in my size and, even if they did, it was much much more expensive. I tried a few more stores before giving up trying to find anything I could actually use in such a place. It was made for a general public's use, not for shinobi, so cost effectiveness would outweigh actual practicality at the general stores and active hunters and students at Beacon would be in their late teens and mid twenties, so of course they couldn't accommodate someone like me, but it was still frustrating.
I contemplated going to a tailor, but that might be a bit too expensive. Especially since I could probably do it my…
Well, that was an idea actually, and one I immediately followed to a fabric store in the mall. It was a fairly large store, well stocked and well lit. It had a dedicated fabric store too, instead of a general crafts one. When I asked for cloth that one might use for hunters clothing the girl behind the register, between checking out a few people, actually pointed me out a section for it too. I walked down the brightly lit aisles filled with rolls of fabric as I fiddled with my phone. I'd need some videos on how to use an electric sewing machine and I'd have to hope they either had one at the school or would let me buy one here, but still it was much better than trying to get a tailor on the job. I'd been trying to learn how to use a sewing machine anyway, so that was a plus, especially since the excess of time I'd have when I wasn't trying to find a way back ho…
I trailed off as I glanced down the aisle to the section I was in and saw a girl at the end unsuccessfully trying to get a ream of fabric down from the top shelf. I glanced around the store, it was fairly large but there didn't seem to be many workers in this section. I saw a few girls at the counter, but they were fairly busy cutting and dealing with customers, so I could see how this section might have gotten overlooked.
The girl trying to get the reem was, well, colorful was one way I could describe her. She had, from what I could see from behind her, long brown and pink hair that was tied up in a ponytail with a white ribbon. She was wearing a sundress with a white ribbon tied around the center, a brown mini coat with white trim, and white tights that went into pink boots with brown heels. It was all coordinated in a such a way that couldn't be anything but custom made. I mean, the pink and white together was easy enough to find, but matching the exact shade, especially with the brown, no way.
I saw a pink gloved hand reaching up with a matching parasol and trying to snag the edge of the roll with a jump as frustration rolled off her when I got closer. That was what caught me off guard as well, because that meant she had an awakened aura. Was she from Beacon? She could have been an upper year. Or maybe a graduate. She was short, but proportion wise probably fully grown, not that I could judge. I probably wouldn't be much taller if and when I ever got to full physical maturity.
"Do you need some help?"
I inquired to the woman, who turned in frustration but only paused when she found herself looking down. Well, I was a full head shorter than she was.
Frustration was replaced with curiosity as she seemed to glance around for a second. Was she looking for an adult or something?
"I asked, do you need some help? You looked like you were having trouble getting something down."
She looked at me again, turning her head. She then looked up at the fabric, her curiosity swirling with interest before she pointed up at a roll of white fabric near the top. I nodded, curious a bit myself at the silence before I walked to the wall, put a foot on the wooden divider and started walking up it.
I could feel curiosity mix with surprise as I treaded up the fabric to the top shelf and grabbed the white fabric before turning.
"Need anything else?"
The woman looked at me, hands on her hips with a little smile as she pointed at two other reems down the row. I walked over and grabbed both before jumping down, landing softly and holding out the reems to the woman who walked over, mouth forming the word how, though no sound escaped her lips.
"I'm part spider." I said with a shrug as I glanced around. "Do you know where I might find something good for training clothes?"
The woman nodded, holding the reems against her body with one arm tight walking down the aisle and pointing me at a section of fabric on the second row. She looked at me expectantly, curiosity buzzing as I suppose she wanted to see me do that trick again. I let out a breath as I walked up the wall a little bit, looked through the colors and picked out some dark blue fabric as well as some red before jumping down again with my reems. I paused before glancing around.
"Where do they keep thread around here?"
The woman glanced at me before letting out a huff, making a decision as she led me through the store to find some matching thread for my cloth. She didn't speak at all as we walked around, I wasn't sure she could, but I was well versed in nonverbal communication. I didn't know the local sign language, but I had watched Kotori sometimes before she was unsealed and the woman was expressive in her own way and seemed to appreciate that I didn't have much trouble understanding most of what she tried to say. This woman visited the store often, because she seemed to know her way around the place well enough. I got a cheap pattern set for standard designs and when we waited in line I asked her about how much she suggest I get cut. She suggested twice the design, in case I screw up. Which was fair, I usually didn't make my own clothes. Though she did so silently, we got our bags. I didn't pay for my stuff and instead had them hold it at the register as I walked out with her.
"Thanks, I have to ask, did you make that outfit?"
She nodded before making a gesture to the surrounding stores, did the scissor motion before moving her hand on top of her head and gesturing up. Which I could guess from her emotions and irritation that the stores around here were made for taller people.
"I ran into the same problem, plus custom lets you control the material. A lot of the clothes around here are really cheaply made."
She shrugged her shoulders as she made a tearing motion with her hands before rubbing her thumb and forefinger together.
"Yeah, I suppose people get what they pay for. Or put effort into. I suppose there aren't any tailor shops in the mall." I replied.
She shook her head again but paused and pointed down at her shoes.
"Oh, they have a cobbler?"
She nodded again before pointing down mall corridor towards the map.
"Oh, do you need to be somewhere?"
She smiled, interest and curiosity mixing as she made the gesture of holding a cone and licking air.
"Ice cream."
I went over the thought in my head. How long had it been since I had ice cream? Well, that wasn't actually a question, it was the same length of time I had been without bacon. They didn't have any in the cafeteria coolers. I scratched my head and pulled out my scroll, making a quick inquiry.
Oobleck messaged back just as quickly and I smiled at the response.
"Well, I just need to get some money real quick, but would you mind if I came with? I, it's been a while since I've had ice cream, I don't really know what good flavors they have."
There was pity from the woman as well as interest and curiosity as she smiled at me and nodded, pointing down at the food court.
Busy, busy this week. Missed my Sugar Plums update, probably have something next week.
Reviews would be nice.
