“Done,” Patricia declared, flourishing the quill before setting the completed form on the counter and spinning it around for Ravina. She offered the writing tool to the girl, adding, “All that's left is for you to sign it.”
Taking the pen Ravina did as she suggested. With a failed R she pushed forth a squiggly line. Sighing, she resignedly accepted this as her signature. The questions and answers from both Patricia and Aurelia had thoroughly soured her mood, as she realized she was ill-suited for the life of an adventurer.
From the form, she gleaned that her skill set was far from what was typically required of an adventurer. Her only proficiency was with a knife, and that turned out only to be good for a laugh. While knives were certainly effective against human targets, in the grand scheme of adventuring, they were viewed as little more than tools for gathering materials.
Still she managed to allow a simple rating for Foraging, First Aid, and Swimming. So… that was something right?
Right?
With a deflated heart, she followed Patricia's instructions and brought the completed form to the intake desk. Aurelia trailed behind, amused by both the girl and her own past. She found the childs attitude commendable as she herself was quite the angry little thing.
Ravina reached the desk and gently tapped the bell, producing a soft chime that filled the air. She placed the paper on the counter and waited for an associate, casting occasional annoyed glances at the practically blank sheet.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
After a short while, Aurelia leaned over Ravina's shoulder and rang the bell a few more times, sending a cascade of notes through the air that seemed to envelop their ears. Shortly after, a door opened behind the counter.
“Fuck sake I heard you the first time!” an irritated voice rang out over the sound of the door opening. In strode a short girl with long orange hair tied into a single strand that fluttered with her movements. Her almond-shaped eyes, a bright golden hue, narrowed in annoyance, causing her thin lips to twitch and her small nose to wrinkle in disdain. Yet, it was her ears that captivated Ravina's attention. Sharp and pointed, they perched atop her head, slightly longer than a thumb and a rich shade of golden silk, twisted to the side as she approached.
Joy gleaned in Ravina’s eyes as she swallowed the vision of a fable race now real before her.
Fortunately for her, the cat's eyes were affixed on Aurelia. She spoke with words so sharp they seemed to cut the air. "Why the hell are you here?"
“Hello Maud," Aurelia responded, unflinched by the weaponized words. Her tone was muted, as if bored. She pointed to Ravina, who had yet to pick her chin up off the floor. "I've brought you a guild hopeful."
The cat-like woman, Maud, turned to look at the star-struck child, her lips turning down, mouth opening just a little in disgust.
"This?" she questioned as she eyed the girl before her. Her sharp gaze sized her up and she clearly did not like what she saw. "Not even a city girl," she stated as she turned her attention back to the seasoned adventurer. "Why are you bringing some farm girl here?"
Pushing a thumb into Ravina’s back, Aurelia succeeded in breaking the girl from her stupor as she answered the guild associate’s question. "Since when has it been guild policy to question hopefuls?"
"It's mine, especially after what Francis did."
"What does that have to do with new recruits?"
"It was the new recruits that allowed it to happen."
"Blaming the victim, as always."
"Just like a Pralamor, blame the Guild."
"Oh, stuff it," Aurelia waved her remarks away with a hand. "Just process her."
With a scoff, Maud folded her arms, and gold eyes stared at blue while purple flicked between the two.