After that last bit of training his schedule had him off to escort the children to their next stops, generally their rooms, dinner with their parents, or, rarely, off to yet another instructor. He of course, would be off to the kitchens again for a bit of cooking. There was a note on the side of his schedule that stated he would be expected to meet with and supervise the cleaning crews for the children’s rooms on the evenings when they dined with the duke and duchess. Without actually working with the kids, he was off to get some more practice cooking. He was quite thankful that cooking helped to calm him down, as he was nervous about his upcoming chat with Ruth.
Speaking of the woman, she seemed to be breezing through the kitchen on her assorted duties, beaming a smile at Adam each time she passed by. On one trip, he spotted Martin outside of the door trying to pinch her backside as she blew by, receiving a swat and a smile in return as she nimbly dodged his fingers. Adam chuckled to himself, glad the two were enjoying their little game.
On a normal day, after serving the children their dinners, he would be escorting them to their rooms again before heading to his own. There he would have what was ostensibly labeled “free time.” The fact that there was a list of activities he could engage in beneath it dissuaded him from believing his time was in any way free. The list included stitching the children’s damaged clothes before they were to be discarded, cleaning their clothes, checking their school work for errors, prepping food for the next day, picking up their rooms without disturbing them, and a host of other options that he would have labeled chores. While his class and skills were seemingly content at the list, Adam was anything but. Looking over the list, he decided that talking to Ruth was not only more necessary than anything on it, but also more enjoyable. With a sigh, he left to hunt her down.
Finding Ruth was actually quite easy. He just went to where she told him to meet her. The woman had a small room of her own, but had commandeered a little used room hidden in a back corner of the estate for her own needs. It was part sitting room, part lounge, and wholly decorated in cheap but serviceable furniture. She had added a few potted flowers and needlepoint designs for color and warmth. A small table to the side of the entrance reminded him of the one in his mindscape, but with a cornflower blue cloth instead of the scarlet of his. A teapot sat atop an embroidered doily on another table in a small circle of chairs, one of which was occupied by Ruth.
Before he had a chance to sneak away, she smiled at him, saying, “Hello, dearie. I’m glad you could make it. Why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll get the tea ready.”
Even without touching him, Adam felt as though she was dragging him along with her very words. He had no chance to resist as he found himself suddenly sitting in a chair with a teacup in hand. In his head the old crone was cackling at him feeling lost. That she managed to combine it with a smug sense of approval towards Ruth was a little new. She normally ignored the existence of anyone that wasn’t a child.
He was still trying to figure that out, when Ruth spoke up again. “What’s the matter, child?” Her voice was soft, and comfortable, warming his heart as much as the tea did his stomach. No longer with any concern, Adam started talking.
He told her everything. His childhood, the orphanage, Harold, his class, and the difficulties he was having adjusting. He covered the oddities associated with finding weapons, as well as using them. She got just as many details on his skills as Martin had, as well as the class description. There was even a brief discussion of his odd reaction to the wooden spoon.
All through his explanation, she quietly sat drinking tea. There were very few interruptions from her, and all of them were clarifying questions. Somehow she kept him at ease and talking all the way through it. She even got a more thorough explanation of how System Assistance was affecting him than Martin did, although he explained it as a side effect of his class. He had to convince himself that it really was, he didn’t enjoy lying to her, but an explanation of how he didn’t quite feel right with his class managed to get him through it. At the end of it all he felt unburdened, like a weight had been lifted.
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Ruth was mostly pensive, although he also noticed a nostalgic look to her. He shuffled a little, worried that he had upset her somehow. “Are you alright?” he asked.
She perked right up. “Oh, or course I am. Just a little lost in memory there for a moment. Long ago I dreamt of my class being Mother, it was all I ever wanted. Alas, it was not to be.” She sighed briefly, then clapped her hands together. “Now, we’re not here to reminisce over what could have been, we’re here to help you. Where would you like to start?”
Adam thought about it. He’d not had much plan for their discussion beyond a need to open up to Ruth. He was looking for a role model, someone he could watch and learn from. Ruth had just felt right to him. Everything had gone well, and he no longer had the stress of lying to her about his class and why he behaved the way he did, but he hadn’t anticipated doing more. That didn’t stop him from realizing that things like stepping up to help him was exactly what he needed. It was also a realization of what it was he needed to be doing for his affinity.
“There’s three things that are most important right now. I don’t remember my own mother, so the main thing I wanted to come to you for was a role model.”
Ruth broke out in a massive smile, gleefully replying, “Well of course! I’d be honored.” She darted across the room, engulfing him in a hug. “I’m sorry you don’t remember your mom, but I’ll be here for you as long as you’re at the estate. OK, dearie?”
Once more Adam was subjected to tears he had no reason to be shedding, although this time there was a little more pain in his heart. They took a few minutes to get over it, and clean themselves up. More tea was served, and they moved on after profuse thanks and scattered apologies.
“So, I also need some advice on my next skill, and my Specialization. I can talk to Martin about it, but he’s all about combat. I need a different perspective, someone who can help me to see where to go that works best with my class in addition to where my life is going for the next little while. Does that make sense?”
“Of course. I’ll do what I can. Tell me what your options are for whichever one you want to start with.”
“While the Specialization is the most important, it’s not the most immediate. I still need another level before I can do anything with that. Right now I just need to figure out my next skill, I can do the Specialization later.”
Adam shifted forward, happy to finally be getting to the less emotional things he needed, although he did reflect briefly on how well tea went with emotional distress. “There’s only three of my skills that I am really considering. Bottomless Purse, Disappointment, and Home Remedies.” He explained each of them to Ruth, and then let her think, hoping she had some useful input.
She took her time, sipping at her tea as she thought. Eventually, she spoke. “Now, I’m certain that Martin was insistent on Disappointment, wasn’t he?” Adam just nodded. “That’s not a bad decision, but you need to consider the children’s needs as well. I don’t think you would get you the results necessary for change at this point. You’ll need to make an impression on them before it would have any impact.”
Adam smiled. He’d had the same thought, but it was good to have it confirmed from someone else’s perspective.
“Now, Bottomless Purse is a fantastic skill. I’m quite jealous. And while it would definitely see the most use of the three, it’s not as useful now, is it.” He smiled and nodded again. She kept on after a brief pause to smile back. “As for things being useful now, Home Remedies is last on that list.” She raised a finger. “But.”
A sly smile and a new cup of tea followed. Adam was fidgeting in his chair, wanting to push her to spit it out, but knowing she wouldn’t. The crone was playing the same actions out in her little cottage, rubbing it in. He decided he was going to do everything in his power to unlock a skill named Patience. It was obviously a very important skill for a Mother, or anyone who had to deal with one.
After a quick sip to test that her tea was perfect, she finally continued. “Home Remedies is definitely what you need to grab now. Before you argue against it, listen to my reasoning.” She waited for his nod again. “There’s the perfect patch of ground just out the back end of the estate. It’s been allowed to grow a little wild, as there are no rooms that face out onto it seeing as it sits in a little nook in the building layout. That takes care of where you’d use your skill, now let’s talk about the why. Obviously you already see the value in the skill, otherwise you’d not be debating it, but there is something you are forgetting.”
Once more he had to wait while she went through the actions of forcing a dramatic pause. He wondered if she had a skill for that, but suspected it was just natural talent. Right before he figuratively burst, she started again. “Time. You can’t make a useable garden overnight, nor do the experimenting necessary to be producing a valuable and useful product. Take the skill now so that you have time to work on making it as powerful as it can become.”