33: You’re just now noticing?
Cerise spent her evening transcribing skill books. She had taken the Lend Vitality skill now that she knew it was a prerequisite skill, and she immediately gained access to Restoration and Death Watch to go along with Resistance skills for Toxins and Diseases.
Restoration would allow her to help people regain the use of badly damaged body parts, things that had malingered into the balance of a body. It just felt too right, so she selected it, too.
She felt a mild Mana Soreness that was over in an hour.
Her parents had closeted themselves almost immediately, claiming some of the loose paper and the mark stick they had just gotten. They barely came out for dinner, and that made Cerise think of the little blue book.
A part of her grouched at the thought of the book while the rest of her reminded Cerise that she needed to know the rules by which nobles interacted as she was no longer "just" a freeman.
She made Mykhal listen while she read it, trying to make the recitation of rules fun by coming up with stories for why some of the rules came to be. For all that it was a relatively thin book -- not quite a nail's width of pages between the covers -- it was dense with rules, and they were only a quarter of the way through it by bed time. That quarter had taken Cerise from Basic Etiquette Beginner-4 to Etiquette Beginner-6.
Her dreams were full of fancy parties, weird fashions, and odd utensils, polite conversations and screens showing "talking heads" discussing charisma.
She wrote down what she remembered from the dream and then pulled out one of the books she was working on copying. She opened her profile for the skilling up aid and noticed her skills list had changed again. Her newly advanced Etiquette was gone, as were Oration and Acting. In their place was a skill called Diplomacy.
Considering her Acting had been capped from the top of the Intermediate rank, and Oration had been at the top of Practiced, she was a little curious, though not ungrateful, to see she was capped until Intermediate-3. Without any growth, she would be uncapped in just a few levels.
Cerise went over the time of the year. There were thirteen moon cycles in a year, with a full moon falling within three days of the Winter Solstice. The year began at the Winter Solstice, and there had been five moon cycles between the New Year and her classing. They had been on the road for six moon cycles, during which she had gained ten levels, the last one coming in quietly during her healing of the High Champion.
That was great, wonderful even, but Cerise was also just realizing that she was fourteen, and there were two more moons before the Winter Solstice, but she hadn't seen the trees turn colors for the Harvest Season. How could they have Winter without Harvest coming first?
In Trall, they would have already had snowfall.
She brought this up to her parents over breakfast. Her parents exchanged knowing looks, though Mykhal's expression gave away his own surprise. Her mother asked, "You're just now noticing?"
Her father said, "We're south enough that in the plains there is no snow and there is no freeze. Many things grow year round down here because of that lack of freezing. I've seen you wear two shirts some mornings. You've felt the heat going. From what we've heard, it might get cold enough to want three shirts, but not much more than that."
Cerise and Mykhal shared looks of stunned disbelief. "No snow?"
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Name: Jaxin
Race: High Human
Strata: Freelancer, Freeman
Class: [Warrior] Uncommon, Novice
Health: Moderate, Full
Stamina: Moderate, Full
The subject of Cerise's Appraisal was Duonal's suggestion for their party third. The man looked a little older than Heral and was still growing, but near the end of his growing. His hair was as brown as most of the people Cerise had so far met, though his eyes were as green as the Compound Masters.
"I'm sorry if I'm being rude," Cerise began. "but what is a High Human? What makes a High Human different from a regular Human?"
"Apotheosis. It's one of the heritable changes a human can experience when they reach a Superb capacity for mana," the Compound Master answered Cerise, his mellow mood undisturbed by her curiosity.
She and Mykhal had arrived a bit early for their meeting, bringing skill books to copy if they needed to fill time. They hadn't. Instead they were brought to a sand yard behind the public facing building, where Duonal and Jaxin awaited them.
"As for differences," Duonal continued. "We age slower. Jaxin here is thirty years of age and just become an adult. Through he only classed last year, he's got all of his class slots opened, and he's had a chance to gain a sampling of skills from across class types. Also, all High Humans are born with Enhanced Senses, and have an easier time training their pools."
"Ah! So, High Humans are like a ranked up kind of human?" she asked. "Or more like a difference in grades, like Common and Uncommon?"
"The grade one's more accurate," Duonal said. "Would you like to be introduced?" That was a sly prod. Free Lancers used Identify; they didn't wait for introductions.
Cerise didn't let the prodding provoke her, and Mykhal appeared oblivious. She said, "Hi, Jaxin. Do you want to be here? Meeting us?"
His lips twitched. "I've got my reservations," he admitted.
"Such as?" Mykhal asked.
Cerise had felt the wash of Jaxin's Identify when they entered the sand yard. It therefore did not surprise her that he could call them by name or knew their class types.
"For one, [Healer]s looking for parties are usually more hindrance than help. Otherwise, they would be recruited and not doing the recruiting. [Scouts] also tend to have an easier time joining parties. You look too good to be true, which is reason enough to look with caution at you."
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Mykhal nodded. "For two?"
Jaxin tipped his head to the side. "For two, you're coppers. That's for newbie and unreliables. Either one is dangerous."
Cerise raised a finger. "What's your rank?"
Jaxin squared his shoulders. "Bronze."
"How long have you been in the guild?" Mykhal asked.
"I joined as soon as I got my class at New Years. I was Bronze by the end of the rains."
Mykhal said, "We're from up North and a bit unsettled that it isn't snowing already. How many moon cycles is that?"
Jaxin's head pulled back and angled sideways. "Three?"
"Four," Duonal corrected.
Cerise said, "Okay, so a moon before we classed. Okay."
Jaxin frowned. "Do you have all your class slots?"
"I've opened Intermediate, and he's close behind me, so, yes."
"Oh," Jaxin said, his mind adjusting.
Cerise nodded. "So, a little about us. We've been friends for four years, five now? Five years. We classed together in the fifth moon, came back to our village and discovered it was destroyed by rebellion and Myhkal was orphaned. My parents had been standing for us, saw what happened, and said, 'Okay, let's go.' We stopped long enough to warn a nearby village and declare ourselves no longer under covenant, and decided to go check out the new Velton dungeon.
"It has always been Mykhal's dream to join the Free Lancers, and mine to become a [Tamer], especially a [Beast Healer]. Becoming a [Healer] first has been a pretty rewarding surprise.
"We joined the guild half a moon past with sponsorship, and as of yesterday, we're a quarter of the way to earning our proving commission, maybe more if the ranking office in Sea Crest is willing to accept Master Duonal's recommendation in full. We're not going to count on that, though."
Mykhal piped up. "Do you want to go to Sea Crest, whether you join us or not?"
"Yes. That's the main reason I agreed to meet you," Jaxin admitted.
"Oh, good! Then we can travel together under an informal hunting party. We're not committed to you joining the Delving Lights, and we split credits on commissions we take down together, say half for you, as a Bronze ranker showing Coppers the ways? If we're hunting together and find a spawn point, that's under the half and half share, but what we find solo is our own to claim. If there are eggs, Cerise knows how to keep them viable and unhatched. If you find them solo and let her keep them alive, she gets half credit. Sound good?"
Jaxin relaxed. "That sounds good to me, though maybe a bit dreamy about finding spawn points."
Mykhal let the "dreamy" comment slide and said, "We'll get a [Scribe] here to write us up a set of matched contracts, then."
Jaxin raised an eyebrow. "You don't trust me?" he asked.
"The best memory is no match for faded ink, or so my mother taught me. And, as you pointed out, we're copper rankers, newbies. Why should you trust us?" Mykhal smiled as he spoke, calm at the challenge.
Jaxin laughed. "When do we depart?"
Cerise said, "We have to give our host at least some notice, so mid morning tomorrow is the soonest. We're riding on regular horses and traveling with a trio of Honorables, cousins, who are also going to Sea Crest."
"You're not supposed to be taking requests outside of the guild until Silver rank," Jaxin said, straightening his spine.
Mykhal snorted. "Oh, we aren't escorting them or anything of the like. In fact, I'm pretty sure the Honorable Mister of the trio thinks he's escorting us. We met him back in his father's lands, and Cerise put the patrol he was with back on their feet after a surprise run in with migrating goblins. She got Letters of Recommendation from their commander and the [Healer] she put back together for them. Personally, I think when he got handed his cousins to shepherd through training, he got told to look Cerise up for their [Healer] and if it weren't for the older sister who's supposed to be the younger's [Shieldman], I'd've jumped at the chance, but if that girl can't learn discipline, she's going to get someone killed, and it won't be Cerise or me."
Cerise shrugged. "Pretty much my read. On our own, we like to train in the mornings. We're used to being up with the dawn and traveling with a caravan, so the riding horses are new to us. We have a cart and Mykhal and I have armor and weapons and a good start on our delving kit. How are you situated? And when would you be ready to leave?"
Jaxin said, "I have a full kit, and tomorrow is fine. You said you have a host? Where should I meet you?"
"You caught the ban Silverwood in my Identify profile?" Cerise asked.
"Yes. I also saw you're a Free Lancer," he said, looking like he though she was trying to pull rank.
"It makes me a diplomat under Dreurjan law, so the Hirsel insisted we stay with him. It's all very new to me, so I'm still learning how much I have to deal with noble attitudes. If we end up as teammates, I prefer relaxed and easy going relationships. Some of the Etiquette Mykhal has been helping me read up on is just--. Eh, it's fussy stuff."
Jaxin relaxed and nodded. "Fair enough."
They went in and got a short term contract for collaboration. That was apparently standard enough that they just had to answer a few questions to fill in the template. Each verified the copies were identical and set their marks. Cerise only had to sign because of the added clause about her keeping any eggs Jaxin might find viable.
They agreed on how to confirm the departure details and that concluded Cerise and Mykhal's business for the day.
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Mykhal tried to get Cerise to explore Va'Velton with him, but she remembered too well the sense of losing herself to the need to heal. She declined. Besides, all the people creeped her out. Mykhal even tried his sad puppy eyes, which only made Cerise tear up to tell him no.
He gave an exaggerated sigh, hugged her about the shoulders, and acted the goof ball as he escorted her back to the Hirsel's estate.
Izrai practically ambushed them on their way to their suite. "Astrid won't eat! She says she hurts! What's wrong?!" she demanded, thrusting her almiraj at Cerise.
Cerise reflexively took the fuzzy bunny. She triggered Diagnose, and pursed her lips to keep from laughing. "Honorable Miss Izrai, how big do you think Astrid's belly is?"
Izrai drew back. "What?"
Cerise was tempted to repeat her questions, but just gestured for Izrai to trail her into the suite. She headed over to a pair of doors that led to a balcony and took them outside. Once out in the open air, Cerise applied her Heal skill to the colicky horned rabbit.
Astrid let loose a nigh toxic fart. «Oh! Better!» the rabbit sighed.
«Why did you eat so much? And I'm guessing some things you don't like?» Cerise asked.
«My master got sad when I no eat,» the bunny monster answered.
«Are you going to overeat for her again? Knowing how scared she is because you hurt from it?»
«Yes. I no make master sad,» Astrid told her. «She not hear well.»
"From the mouths of the innocents," Cerise sighed.
"What?" Izrai asked.
"Before we start in on the long term care, Astrid is going to be fine, just farting and uncomfortable until she finishes digesting the stuff you pushed her to eat." Cerise looked around and asked, "Where are my parents?"
"Herry's showing them Va'Velton. Mahayan wanted to go, but she still needs to teach you her scribing thing," Izrai said, much of her intensity seeping out of her on hearing her companion would be fine.
Cerise smiled. "Hey, Mykhal! Why don't you check out the city with Mahayan while I show Izrai how to hear Astrid better?"
He perked up. "Oh! That'll be fun!" The door nearly closed on the last word.
Cerise sat on one of the balcony benches and patted the bench seat next to her in invitation. "Come, sit. This may take a while. Open your Profile and keep it open while you focus on learning how to listen."
Several hours later, Heral accompanied her parents into their suite in time to hear Izrai shout, "I got it! I got the Basic Listening skill!"
Then Astrid let loose one of her loud farts. «Oh! I learned skill, too! Stinking Cloud!»
And Cerise and Izrai started laughing.
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Mykhal and Mahayan returned in time to join everyone for an en suite dinner, where their departure time for the next morning was firmed up, their extra traveling partner discussed, and the four youngest were teased good naturedly. Heral took it upon himself to inform the hirsel of their plans.
That led to the hirsel stopping by their rooms to wish them well on their travels as he would be meeting with some of his nearer vassels the next day and might not be able to see them off. Their apology gift had been placed next to their cart. He personally handed them the letters and writs he had promised.
Cerise's family thanked him again for his generosity, and when he took his leave, Cerise was pretty sure they were on good terms with a good landlord.
Her sleep that night was filled with trees and bushes and flowers, whimsical illusions of fanciful creatures cavorting, and her mother's face smiling at her from a Silverwood tree trunk.