After their "re-introduction", Ke'ri thought, things had gone quite smoothly. He had explained that he was busy and had other plans, and she had accepted his explanation and let him go. Not, of course, without securing a second meeting with him.
Saturday the 12th. They would be going to the city, and he would be showing her around. Since up until now, she had only been friends with other noble children, she barely knew anything about the sights to see and the things to do in Wufen. She drummed her fingers excitedly against her desk in a burst of nervous energy. She couldn't wait.
But in the meantime, she had to find a way to pass the time. Smoothing out a crinkled piece of paper and dipping her pen into an inkwell, she began a letter to her pen pal in Ylisse.
How are things going in Ylisstol? My father and I plan on attending Emmeryn's crowning as Exalt next month, so I look forward to seeing you very soon! Things in Wufen are going quite well. I've been trying to figure out a way to reduce the poverty in our capitol, but that's much easier said than done. I've also been trying to find a way to relate to the commonfolk and understand them better, but my father says that it's too dangerous for a girl of my status to be out in the streets alone. What do you think? And have you had any luck?
Anyways, I can't wait to see you in person again soon!
Your friend,
Ke'ri
She read it over and nodded twice in satisfaction. Ke'ri knew that she would probably end up seeing her pen pal in Ylisse before the reply made it back, but she had always had a penchant for writing letters. And besides, her father had just given her the most beautiful stationary for her birthday, and it would be a shame not to use it.
For Lon'qu, the week passed by in a blur of events. First, he and his mother moved to their new home in Linan. He neglected to mention exactly how much of the expense that Shuo'li covered, and since his mother hadn't been clear on how much gold he had earned from the arena, she didn't question him. Once there, his mother found work under Shilun, the landlord, doing record-keeping. Due to her relatively high standing before Lon'qu's father's death, his mother was able to read and write, though only at a very basic level.
He had looked around, hoping to find a master to apprentice under, but to no avail. Most of the tradesmen already had apprentices under their wings, and were reluctant to take in an outsider. Although he understood their reasoning – after all, Linan was small, and most of the townspeople had known each other their whole lives – he hoped that today he would be able to find someone who would take him in. He knew that finding temporary jobs would be stressful and would not benefit him at all in the long run, and that learning a trade would be crucial in order for him to gain a stable employment anywhere.
Today, he was going to go to the armory, and if that failed, he would get a job working at the local supplies shop. Though he wouldn't gain any new skills from it, at least it would be a stable source of income.
Pushing open the heavy armory door, the smell of fire and metal assailed Lon'qu's senses. The front desk was empty, but he heard the clang of steel on iron in the back. "Anyone here?"
No reply. No doubt that the sound of the hammer and anvil were too loud for the smithy to hear him. Making his way to the back of the shop, he caught sight of a slim yet muscular man in his forties.
He cleared his throat, but the sound was lost amidst the hissing of the bellows that the man was working with. After a few minutes, he noticed Lon'qu and nodded abruptly in his direction. "I'll be with you in a minute," he yelled gruffly.
A little while later, he made his way to the front of the store, where Lon'qu stood, waiting. "What do you want?"
"I was hoping to become your apprentice, sir," Lon'qu replied.
The blacksmith, Taifen, scrutinized the boy with a practiced eye. Straight to the point, with no idle flattery. Taifen liked that. The boy didn't have the large muscles that blacksmiths were known to have, but then again, Taifen didn't either.
And while he evaluated the boy, the boy didn't fidget or shift uncomfortably. Unbeknownst to himself, Taifen nodded appreciatively as he finished his appraisal. He would make a fine apprentice, Taifen thought.
There was just one small problem.
After the long silence, the blacksmith looked Lon'qu in the eye. Sharp and clear, like a hawk's. "I'm afraid that I already have an apprentice. However, I have an alternative offer to make you."
Lon'qu nodded. He had expected as much anyways. "I'm listening."
"We don't have the luxury of having both a forge and an armory. Because of this, I'm left to both manage the shop and forge the weapons. As you can imagine, it's not the easiest life. Which is why I'd like to have you take care of the storefront. I'll pay you, of course, and when no customers are about or when there is no cleaning or restocking to do, you are welcome to come and watch me work. What do you say?"
All in all, Lon'qu thought, it was a very fair offer. He would have a means of making money, and he would be able to glean some knowledge about forging weapons from watching the blacksmith.
"I accept."
A/N: Writer's block! But hey, it's only a few days late (if I'm updating on a monthly schedule, haha... u_u") Hope you guys like it :D