WINCHESTER AND YOUNG – CHAPTER 11 – SCHEDULE CHANGES
FEATURING JADE YOUNG, SAM AND DEAN WINCHESTER, ALDEN SOLDAT, TRISTAN WEAVER, AND INTRODUCING PETH AETHER
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SAILWEAVER AND SUPERNATURAL CHARACTERS, THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CREATORS. DON'T SUE ME PLEASE.
It was four bells into the afternoon watch, when a knock came on the Winchester's door. Sam opened it to see Alden outside with woman he wasn't familiar with. "Is this a bad time?" Alden asked, seeing Dean trying to set up the dorm with their stuff.
"Not at all, please come in Alden," Sam said, moving aside. "Who is this with you?"
"This is Master Peth Aether, she is here at request during the testing," Alden said.
"Testing?" Dean said from where he'd set up some of the books he'd unpacked.
"To see if either of you can be trained as Aether, that's why Master Peth is here, she's a Master Aether." Alden said.
"What is involved in the test?" Sam asked.
"I will teach you both a simple healing spell. At that point, you will both cut your hands, enough to draw blood, and use that spell to try to heal yourselves. If either of you succeed, you will be trained by Peth," Alden explained.
"When are we doing this test?" Dean asked.
"As soon as I teach you the spell, so let's get started, shall we?" Alden said, speaking the Latin for the spell he was teaching them.
Many corrections later, Alden felt they knew the spell well enough to cast it. "Who wants to go first?"
"I'll do it," Dean said, getting a knife from their belongings. He cut his hand, drawing blood, and said the words of the spell. Nothing happened, so he tried again. Shaking his head, he turned to Alden. "I can't heal."
"Sam, try to heal your brother's hand please," Alden instructed.
"Yes, sir," Sam said, speaking the words of the spell. The cut on Dean's hand slowly closed and was gone.
"You were right, Master Alden, he's for Aether training," Peth said.
"I thought as much since he has the Sight. Would you kindly take him under your wing for private instruction?" Alden asked.
"Yes, Master Alden, that won't be a problem. Sam, wasn't it? Come with me please, and we'll get started right away," Master Peth said, leading Sam out of the room.
"As you had hoped, Dean, I will be training you to serve as a Warrior. We won't be able to have practical training until I can arrange for you to have time with the training vessel the guild uses. I will also see when Master Tristan can attune you to her sails. I can, however, start training you in the spells you will need to know. You get to drive," Alden said, grinning at Dean.
"Yes," Dean said, pumping his fist triumphantly. "I'm a very good driver and I promise I won't scratch whatever vessel I serve on."
"Good to hear, so let's get started on those spells, shall we?" Alden said, reciting the first spell.
Elsewhere, Tristan was on his way to Jade's quarters. It was three bells in the first dog. He was going to check on her progress with the case and offer a couple of other places she could check. He also wanted to arrange a weekly game of backgammon with her, to keep her mind sharp.
He knocked on Jade's door, which opened. "Is this a bad time?"
"I wasn't expecting anyone, but no, this isn't a bad time. Please come in," Jade said, clearing some files off of a chair. "I apologize for the mess."
"I will get straight to the point, I'm Tristan Weaver. I'm here to check how you are doing on the current case. I'm also here to let you know, that contrary to yesterday's decision, you will not be learning Latin." He saw her look of relief. "You aren't upset?"
"No, you brought me the best news I could have had all day. I had wondered why Lokey Fenfyr had offered to teach me Latin. None of my gifts relate to the Weavers, and it would have been a death sentence for me." Jade shuffled some papers around, handing a set of documents to Tristan. "This is where I'm at so far. The students are being killed by Spirits that are being controlled by someone else. Once the upgrades to the camera droid I ordered are complete, I will be going to interview the rogue weaver, Taylor McKay. I'm hoping I will get further leads during that time."
"Be careful, rogue weavers are still weavers. I am also here to arrange a weekly game of backgammon, as my schedule allows, between us. It's for two reasons. One, to get status updates on the case, if you have any new developments. Two, to keep your mind sharp as you try to stay one step ahead of me in the game," Tristan said, looking her in the eye. He looked through the documents briefly, he would look at them in greater detail later. They were very organized, which spoke well for her attention to detail.
"Won't people talk if they see you coming to my quarters that much?" Jade asked. "What about if we meet in the garden, it would be less conspicuous. Lots of people play board games at the tables too, so it wouldn't be uncommon. As far as your schedule is concerned, just arrange a time when you can. As Master Weaver, I know you can't always step away to play a game, I can send my status reports through Muher, or Alden."
"Muher was right, you are quick," Tristan said, impressed. "Very well, it won't be a weekly game, but I will be challenging you on occasion. I will send word through my assistant when I able to set aside time."
"Thank you, sir. Is there anything else you want me to work on at this time?" Jade asked.
"No, just do as you have been. Muher has told me you are very good at your work, and I'm starting to see why. Keep training with him, and when your drone is ready, proceed with your plan. Make sure to tell Muher when you are going to see McKay," Tristan said, getting up and heading over to the door to leave.
"Understood, I will do that," Jade said, walking Tristan over to the door. "It was a surprise and a pleasure to meet you today Master Tristan, I look forward to working with you."
Tristan nodded, leaving Jade's quarters. Jade shut the door behind him and breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, she knew who Master Tristan was, she had just never expected to actually meet him. That he'd stopped by personally, meant they all had high expectations for her to solve this case. She couldn't let them down. Sitting down at her desk she picked up a stack of files, "Alright, let's get back to work."