It was somewhat fair, he grudgingly admitted to himself. Thad had himself been tutored by the sorceress Alana up in the mountains and had learned his most important skills at her hand. Now he was indirectly paying her and the council back by babysitting some useless kid until he was deemed safe to be on his own. Damn. So much for the joys of being independent.
The cottage didn't even really have facilities for a live in pupil. Then again, the cottage didn't have facilities for much to begin with. The previous owner, legless Anthony, died more than 60 years prior and the place was pretty much a ruin when Thad moved in. That was 8 years ago and much had changed. The laboratory (or "kitchen" as some might call it) had been refurbished and stocked, the bedroom had been made livable and Thad had installed some basic plumbing.
Eventually, the small stable attached to the cottage had been cleaned out enough to support a cow that a farmer had given him as thanks for curing a very private problem of his. Betty provided him with milk for his tea and helped fertilize his vegetable garden and he'd grown almost fond of the animal.
He was grumbling over a cup of tea, sitting on the one chair in the kitchen with the cup in his lap. He was barely dressed, despite it being noon, since an experiment with some questionable mushrooms had left him hungover all morning. When he heard a sudden banging noise, he almost fell off the chair. In a second he was on his feet and muttering defensive incantations while scanning the room, until he realized that the sound was of a guest knocking on the door.
"Stay where you are!" He yelled at the door, grabbing one of his more ceremonial looking robes and throwing it on. He spotted his reflection in a window and hurriedly sleeked his hair back. whispering a simple spell under his breath, he brought his right hand up to his face and started gliding his thumb across his cheeks, shaving off his stubble until only a sharply cut moustache and goatee was left. There was nothing to be done about the bags under his bloodshot eyes that made him look 10 years older. He shook his head in annoyance, closed his robe and went to the door, flinging it open.
He was well aware that he struck and imposing figure, hangover or not. He was taller than average, with a broad chest and shoulders uncharacteristic for a man of the craft. He was in his physical prime and made sure to keep in shape. It helped him to keep the respect of the locals, along with dying his hair and beard jet black and wearing mostly robes for effect. He figured keeping the respect of your future apprentice to be just as important, however little you wanted him around.
"State your purpose here!" He said in a loud voice as he stepped outside. He was immediately taken aback to see a young woman with a pack. The possibility of having a girl as apprentice hadn't struck his mind and he was momentarily dumbstruck as he studied her carefully.
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