fleets: Sorry about the delay. I needed to finish The Unresolved first because that had been priority. Now that it's over, this one will be priority.
EDIT - So, I've heard some people say the friendship between Vaati and Delta is too gushy or whatever. I just want to let you know that I'm going by what my experience was with guy/guy friendships in elementary and middle school (and no, they were not gay). Even now, bros can be just as chummy as these two are - you don't have to be gay or girly to be like how these two are. You just have to be REALLY good buds.
Chapter 8: The Apprenticeship
"I'm home!" Vaati called out, throwing his book bag onto the floor and hurrying to his room. He stopped outside his room when he didn't hear Miss Britta's usual response to his announcement of arriving back home and turned around in curiosity. Even if she was busy cooking or doing the laundry, Miss Britta had always managed to greet the children whenever they returned back to the orphanage. Vaati turned around and went back to the entrance. "Miss Britta?"
He stood by the shoe cubby without making the slightest noise and strained his ears for signs of the orphanage caretaker. While he scanned his surroundings, his eyes fell shortly at the empty couch in the living room where Glen usually sat reading. The older minish had left a week ago, and since then the place had become even quieter and emptier than usual.
Vaati's ears pricked at the sound of voices from Miss Britta's office. He crouched low and snooped towards the half-open door, pressing his cheek against the wall as soon as he neared. From his vantage point, Vaati could see Miss Britta and the edge of a forest green robe…
"Are you sure? Vaati's not the most trusting boy and it always takes him a while to adjust. I don't want to say he's a trouble child but he can be rather…rebellious at times." Miss Britta's voice flowed out of the room.
Vaati frowned. They were talking about him? And there was no doubt Miss Britta's guest was the famous sage Ezlo.
"I've already made up my mind. I know brilliance when I see it, and that boy has the spark. Of course the final decision rests in your hands as his guardian and his, but please take the time to consider this offer."
What? The minish boy was startled. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Him, brilliant? Well, he did think he was a little sharper than the other kids his age, and not to be conceited but he was pretty talented. But there must have been others who were just as brilliant as he. What about others like Delta? Why him of all people?
"Of course. It's just very difficult to believe because you're such a famous sage and Vaati is…well…" Vaati heard some furniture bump together as Miss Britta shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "I'm beginning to see now that perhaps I didn't believe in that boy as much as I should have. He never completely opened up to me, and we always had some distance in our relationship. I tried. Goddesses know I tried, but I believe that he has trouble trusting adults because he's lost trust in his parents."
"You did say he was abandoned, yes. It's a terrible thing, what they did…"
"That boy is strong, though. I was afraid the kids wouldn't accept him because of his unusual appearance and he was bullied for some time when he first arrived. He didn't let any of their words bother him and in the end, most of them respected him for it. I say he has a gift; there's a certain aura that surrounds him that draws people to respect him."
"I won't force him to trust me, but I hope he gives me a chance. I've seen many talented kids over my search for an apprentice, but they all lacked the ambition. In most cases the kids' parents were the ones who wanted them to be an apprentice. When I see Vaati I see a talented boy who wants to fend for himself and follow his own lofty goals and no one else's. His combination of talent and independence is a rare find for someone his age."
"Your words make me very relieved. I can tell you believe in him, and that's what he needs right now. I'm not proud to say a part of me has long since given up trying to connect with the boy, and I was worried for him when Glen left. He needs a family figure who can give him more than what I have been able to give."
Vaati scrunched his nose. He didn't like hearing all this talk about him behind his back. He leaned in too far against the door and he was surprised when the wood swung wide open and he toppled into the office. He sputtered and scrambled to his feet, red with embarrassment of being caught listening in on the conversation. He began to mumble apologies but was interrupted by the laughs coming from Miss Britta and Ezlo.
"Oh Vaati I didn't realize you were back from school! Come sit down and meet Sage Ezlo, we were just talking about how great you are."
Yeah I heard. Vaati moved around behind Miss Britta and plopped down on one of the empty chairs. He eyed the old sage with suspicion, still feeling numb with the shock that he was chosen for the apprenticeship. This had to be a joke, but what if it wasn't? He couldn't trust himself to be overjoyed because he was afraid of disappointment.
A wrinkled hand was stuck under his nose and he jumped back reflexively. He stared at the hand for a while.
"I don't bite m'boy."
Ezlo beamed a smile and Vaati took his hand nervously. The sage's hands were wiry and thin, and shook a little too hard for his liking - like the old man was overly eager to meet him or something.
"You like learning on your own, do you?"
Vaati froze. Aw dammit he was watching me in class…
Ezlo laughed and his voice rasped warmly.
"It's all right. I used to do that too when I was your age. Lessons in class can be awfully boring, especially if you can learn them faster by yourself."
Although he was still sitting straight as a board, Vaati relaxed a little. He looked at the smiling sage carefully and decided he had been more than a little unfair in seeing the famous man as a snooty old geezer who would never understand him. He considered him for a while, and then decided that maybe the sage wasn't so bad. Unlike most adults he had met, Vaati felt that Ezlo talked to him as though he wasn't just some kid incapable of understanding the 'big topics.'
Miss Britta put a hand on Vaati's stiff shoulders. "Vaati, have you ever considered living outside the orphanage?" She bit her lip. "Ezlo has offered to take you as his apprentice."
Vaati opened his mouth, closed it, and then blurted, "you're joking." Ezlo raised one bushy eyebrow in surprise and then smiled, tapping his bird head cane on the floor.
"Do I seem like someone who would joke about such important matters?"
"No, you look like someone who would make unbearable puns." There were a few minutes of silence and Vaati scolded himself for being so pretentious. He couldn't help it – he always had trouble being humble to people just because they were important or whatever. Vaati desperately hoped his somewhat rude habits wouldn't jeopardize his chances of getting the apprenticeship.
Ezlo chuckled and waved a hand at Miss Britta who was frowning at the pale boy, signaling to her that he wasn't bothered in the least. "In fact, that's very true," he nodded. "My friend Terrari is always telling me to stop with the terrible puns. I'm getting better. I don't think I've made one in the last two months!"
Vaati sighed. Whew…I got lucky. He sat thoughtfully for a while, thinking of what it would mean if he became this sage's apprentice. He never really considered ever leaving the orphanage to live with someone else, but ever since Glen had left he had begun to realize that it wasn't a place he could stay in forever. It was a place to live, but it had never been somewhere he considered home. But if he became an apprentice, did that mean he would have to move away and leave behind the things he had grown up with? Would he have to say goodbye to Delta and the other kids he had grown fond of at school?
"If it consolidates you, you will not have to say goodbye to anyone here if you choose the apprenticeship," Ezlo said, reading Vaati's thoughts. "Within the next week or so I will have moved to this village and I'll have Terrari send over my belongings from Labrynna."
So, he wouldn't have to move anywhere and he would become the apprentice of one of the greatest sages alive. Vaati rocked in his chair for a while longer before he looked at the old man's glinting charcoal eyes and said, "Not a bad deal, sir."
Ezlo laughed loudly, his robes waving with each chuckle. "I should say not! Does that mean I will have the honor of teaching young Vaati?" He kept his sharp glinting eyes on Vaati, his smile friendly but a little reprimanding, warning Vaati to keep watch on his occasionally snippy attitude
Vaati blushed, knowing he had sounded a little arrogant before. He needed to watch his tongue even though Ezlo didn't seem to mind too much. He wasn't sure why, but for the first time Vaati felt like he didn't want to let some adult down. Maybe it was time he started looking up at somebody instead of looking down. "Yes sir," he mumbled. He glanced at Miss Britta questioningly, looking for some form of affirmation that his choice had been the right one to make. Miss Britta smiled warmly and gave him a tight hug.
"I'm proud of you, dear." She patted his hand and tapped him gently on the shoulder. "You can run off now if you want to while I talk to Ezlo about adoption options." Vaati nodded, jumped out of his chair, and eagerly sprinted out of the room. He'd felt nervous in that room and he wasn't too keen on staying there any longer, especially under the keen watch of the renowned sage.
Ezlo watched after him, stroking his beard with a wrinkled smile on his face. "What an odd boy."
Miss Britta nodded, reaching across the table for some teacakes and offering some to Ezlo. The sage took them graciously and munched on them thoughtfully.
"A nice lad. Very proud," he added, covering his mouth out of politeness. He chuckled again, his old, amiable laugh. "Ah, this will be interesting indeed."
XXXXXXXXX
Vaati slammed the door to his room shut and took several deep breaths. After he was calm again Vaati broke out into smiles and punched the air with his fist. Whooping loudly, he ran as much as he could in the limited space of his room and jumped onto his bed so that he bounced high into the air. He laughed, stopped, and then laughed some more after thinking about how ridiculous he must appear as he celebrated by himself.
He smiled, staring at the ceiling and going over what his life was going to be like again and again. He was going to have somewhere he could be proud of saying he lived in now, and never again would he have to shamefully mention how he lived in an orphanage. He wouldn't have to deal with the mock sympathies of people when they asked him why he was living in an orphanage. Better yet, he was going to learn the arts of becoming a sage! A sage! Only a few minish were ever lucky enough to get that privilege. Grabbing a pebble off of the bookshelf playfully, Vaati tossed it up and down in his hand. He watched it with a mischievous glint in his eyes, and then threw it high into the air shouting, "Levitate!" He broke into giggles, ignoring the fact that the pebble had knocked the clock off the wall and he laid spread eagled onto his bed.
Vaati couldn't wait to tell Delta the news tomorrow. Boy, he was going to be so shocked.
Vaati blinked, and then groaned.
Aw darn it, now I owe Delta a chocolate bar AND three days worth of homework!
In his room, Vaati broke into another fit of uproarious laughter.
fleets: Vaati has respect issues. (shrug) oh wells :D
Shadow Blues: Yup, and we'll see more and more of hints of his later personality :D
DarkLinkvsRaineSagefan101: It's been so long since I updated this. Thanks! And as for the art request of Vaati, I'll get to it when I'm done with other stuff (I have so much stuff sitting around...). Sure, I'll read the stories when I find time. I'll get to them eventually :) Thank you again! :)
H-bomber: Thank you! :)
Bishieluver01: Er...yes...sometime soon (sheepish grin). Ah, well, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too too long.
marium: Sorry about the delay! I will finish this though, no matter how long it takes!
Astral S. Kepeire: Oh wow, I didn't even realize the irony of that statement until you mentioned it O.o Hmmm, I might be able to use this. Thanks! 8D
Victoria-BlackHeart: Yup, Vaati is the worst person ever to admit things. When will he ever learn? Maybe never. :P
Peka The Corsair: He may be little, but he's still Vaati on the inside.
Reily96: And Vaati thinks he's better than Ezlo! :U Only for a little while though. Cheeky little bugger should be spanked.
Velk: I uh...I didn't really understand what you were saying... O.o