Chapter 9: A Cold, Rainy Day
Arya rubbed her hands as she entered the kitchen. "Ah, it's cold… I should make some tea before I leave."
It's a rainy early morning in Neo-Venezia. The kitchen was filled with the sound of rain hitting the roof and the pavement and water outside, and though the windows and doors were closed, some of the cold and humidity managed to permeate throughout the office.
Arya filled a pot with water and lit the stove to heat it with as well as a small lamp for illumination. The warmth of the stove drew a content sigh from the girl as she watched the water in the pot heat up and boil. She dropped some tea leaves in the boiling water and took in the aroma of the tea as it brewed.
"This should be ready." The girl took the pot out of the stove and deftly poured some of the tea into a small flask. She then covered the pot with a tea cozy and made a cursory look at the kitchen before grabbing the lamp and a rain coat from the downstairs closet.
It was still dark and rainy when Arya left the office building, clad in a rain coat over her uniform. Lighting the lamp, she carefully made her way to the traghetto company's docks and to a small personal gondola. The girl hung the lamp on the prow and untied the boat, casting off quickly and quietly. Soon, she turned out of the small canal and entered the larger canal, making her way to the post office. It was a very quiet ride - very few boats ply the canals at this time of day, if any.
The post office bustled with activity as Arya slid her gondola into a dock meant for customers. Mailmen walked in and out of the office, loading numerous parcels and sacks of mail into their boats. One of them, having finished their preparations, greeted farewell at the others and cast off towards his usual delivery route. The dark-haired girl made her way up the stairs and took a swig of tea from her flask before entering the building.
The post office was warm and sufficiently lit, but was otherwise devoid of customers. The occasional mailman would enter and make a beeline to the holding room, but most of the counters were closed save for one. Arya greeted the clerk at the only open counter, who returned her greeting politely.
"Good morning, miss. Anything I can do for you today?"
The girl produced a small sack of coins and passed it to the clerk. "I'd like to make a money transfer to Man-Home, please."
"Alright. Here's a form - please fill out the name and address of the person you would like to give this money to, as well as your name and a return address. I'll count the money in the meanwhile."
The girl took the form and filled it with the needed details while the clerk counted the coins in the sack. There was little noise in the building save for the scribbling of a pen, the sound of coins being placed on the counter, and the constant sound of the falling rain. Arya waited for the clerk to finish counting before handing him the finished form.
"Okay, miss, everything looks good. I'll get the transfer going; this shouldn't take more than a minute." The clacking of a keyboard filled the room as the clerk quickly made the transfer. A chime from the computer signaled a successful transfer, and the clerk started writing a detailed receipt while looking at a small display.
"Here you go, miss." The clerk gave Arya the receipt. "If you don't mind me asking...is it for your family?"
The girl nodded, but didn't speak.
"What a good girl you are, miss. I'm sure your folks back home would love to hear from you - do you write them?"
"Ah, I haven't finished my letter for them...but I write them as often as I can outside of work."
The clerk gave the girl a cursory look - Arya wore her company uniform under the rain coat.
"You're one of those traghetto girls. It must be very busy, even with all the rain today. Work hard and stay dry today, miss."
Arya exchanged farewells with the clerk and left the building. It was still raining, and the girl felt a slight shiver as she climbed aboard her gondola. She finished her flask of tea before reaching at the rope to untie the boat from the dock. The sun has come up, but it was still dark enough that Arya still placed her lamp on the boat's prow and lit it before casting off.
"It's cold…"
"Good morning," Eliza greeted the blonde girl sleepy walking into the kitchen. Kaela mumbled a barely audible reply while shuffling to the kitchen counter and poured a mug of tea for herself. The girl gingerly placed her mug on the table and unceremoniously sat herself on a chair.
"Morning," Kaela managed to speak after a few sips. "Arya not here today?"
Eliza shook her head. "She's off early again. What is she doing out so early? She had the tea ready and everything, too…"
The blonde girl looked into her mug and shrugged. "Dunno."
A creak alerted the two girls of someone heading downstairs. Soon enough, a rust-haired girl peeked into the kitchen and greeted the two as she entered and poured herself some tea.
"It's not gonna stop raining, is it…" The three girls looked outside - even though the day has progressed into morning, the sky has gone darker and the rain sounded slightly harder than before.
"Are we seriously opening even with the rain?" Ayumi nodded at Kaela.
"We're not touring, you know. People still need to get where they need to go. We'll probably use only one boat, though, as there shouldn't be as many customers."
"Ah, great." Kaela stretched languidly and stood to place her empty mug in the sink. "Is Tomoe still asleep? Is she working today?"
"Ah, Tomoe? She was up early today and shut herself in her room. She's looking over the logs and papers today just to make sure we aren't missing anything. When you get back, don't knock at her door!"
The conversation quickly died down as the girls finished their tea and washed their mugs. The three girls grabbed rain coats and left the building, heading to the dock.
The waiting shelter wasn't empty when the three girls arrived. A couple of burly fishermen stood at a corner, accompanied by two large covered baskets. The men greeted the girls as they walked inside the shelter.
"Good morning," Ayumi returned the men's greetings. "How are you two today?"
"Ah, just a little drenched," one of the men replied. "But Marcas over at the Ristorante di Estrella - that tourist restaurant just off Calle Liguri - ran out of fish and is paying us well for a rushed delivery, so it'll be worth it!"
The girl nodded. "And we'll make sure you and your fish make it there in a jiffy. Excuse us, please." The three girls went over to one of the gondolas and carefully removed and stowed the covering thrown over it for the night. Ayumi talked to her trainees as they worked on the boat.
"So - Eliza, Kaela. This will be a little tougher than usual - the rain will make it difficult to see and you have to bail the boat once you reach the dock at the city center. Just be careful and you two will be fine. Don't hurry it, and make sure you don't lose your balance or your way."
The rust-haired girl gave Eliza a lamp. "Visibility isn't good at all, but this should help. Stay safe out there, okay?"
Kaela and Eliza beamed reassuringly at Ayumi and exchanged goodbyes before preparing the boat for departure. Ayumi walked back to the loading area, which received a few more customers.
"Good morning, everyone," Ayumi called out to the small crowd with a smile. "Welcome aboard! Please move to the dock in an orderly fashion and prepare your fare. Please be careful on the dock - it's a little slippery because of the rain. Stay dry and stay safe!"
Author's Note: I'm aiming for weekly updates from now on. Fingers crossed!