Apprentice (for Cutiexx)

[Cutiexx]

Well yes, he was right, it could have been worse.

“But I only tried to push my limits to please you, sir,” she muttered.

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Thad's temper flared a bit, when he heard her muttered remark. Well, she was obviously not as shook up about everything as he thought, if she could still sass him.

"I heard that young lady. And I'm not exactly gonna be pleased if you injure yourself or demolish my house am I?. Now I suggest you run along and fix the mess you made, unless you want me to find more creative methods of disciplining you."

[Cutiexx]

She hadn’t meant for him to take it as sass. His sudden brusque tone took her aback, and she looked at him startled, eyes wide and damp.

“I didn’t mean... I’m sorry sir, I’ll get to work.”

Better talk to him when his garden was fixed...

She trotted over to the scarecrow, and heaved it up and back in place as best she could. She made sure it was anchored solidly, and went to put its clothes back on. The straw hat was nowhere to be found sadly, so she added that to the list of things Thad had a right to be mad about.

She turned back to the garden, helped the two uprooted cabbages go back where they should, and went to look for a broom, to clear the leaves and disturbed dust from his little courtyard.

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(Aww, poor thing XD )

Dellana's reaction doused his temper and he nodded, then watched as she walked away across the garden. He turned and went towards the house himself, muttering to himself. He kicked the door hard and went inside.

Fuck. What a morning. Being a teacher was hard.
He sat for a moment, getting his senses. He noticed that he could see Della through the kitchen window, on her knees, hands down in the dirt ...
She was adorable. He didn't want to be angry at her and he didn't want her to be sad. Maybe he should have just whooped her butt on the spot and be over with it, or was that just his libido talking?
With a sigh, Thaddeus got to work on lunch, cutting bread and sausage for a simple meal. There was a rap on the door which surprised him, since Dellana couldn't possibly have finished already. When he opened it, he was startled to see a stout woman in her mid thirties with shortish dark hair and a sack of potatoes over one shoulder.

"... Mrs. Holzer?"

"Yessir, master wizard, I'm sorry ta intrude, but tha girls are bein' horrible terrors and I've completely run out. Speaking of girls ..." The woman peeked around Thaddeus to see inside the house. Of course, he thought, word must have spread about Della.

"I'm afraid I've been busy and don't have any prepared for you. You can leave the sack here, then go round the back and get a handful from my garden. My apprentice can show you if you have trouble, she's an accomplished herbalist." The woman practically threw the sack at Thad and half ran round the house. "Take no more than a handful. I'll know if you do!" He shouted after her.

Dellana's sweeping of the courtyard was disturbed by a farmlady walking around the corner of the house. "So you's the wee wizard-lass we've 'eard about?" She half-yelled in a charming countryside drawl. She stopped a few meters from Dellana and gave a very awkward courtsy, while studying the girl with curious eyes.
"Hermine Holzer, at ya service. Me'n mah hubber and our girls live on a big farm off the road."

[Cutiexx]

(Omg yeeeeeesssss)
(Can’t wait to find out what this matronly woman has “run out” of )

Dellana’s penance while sweeping was interrupted by a very loud woman. Dellana, after being startled yet again, turned on her social aptitude and manners. She curtsied back.

“Nice to meet you Mrs. Holzer. I’m Dellana, apprentice to Master Thaddeus. Can I do anything for you?”

She smiled. She was genuinely glad to meet the neighbors as it were. It had seemed like the cottage was so isolated, so it was good to know there was a farm not too far out.

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Hermine gave a wide smile when her curtsy was returned, then put her hands at her sides and looked the girl up and down.
"My my, You's a purty little thing. You look barely a day older 'n my girls too. And you live here alone with that bearded old warlock?" She shook her head in amusement, making exaggerated 'TSK TSK' sounds.

"Anyhow, your master told me you could find me some of those ginger spice roots he sells. I dunno how, but he grows them twice the size and potency of any we've had in these parts. Which makes them especially well suited for the use we put them to out on the farm. Yaowch!" She winked at Dellana and made a ... strange hand gesture.

[Cutiexx]

Dellana was quite amused by the woman carrying on. This was some very charming country mannerisms, to the city girl that she was. Fënir hosted many types of people, but she’d never seen someone quite like Mrs Hozier.

“Thank you for your concern, Mrs Holzer,” she said as the woman tsked loudly. “But Master Thaddeus is merely my teacher, and I can reassure you that nothing untoward is taking place.”

She smiled again, charming. Mrs Holzer then asked for ginger roots. Dellana was unsure what her gesture meant; and did not know how country people used ginger. In the city, it was a delicacy. Candied ginger weighed its share in gold, and Dellana wondered what people out here used it for, since it seemed easier to access.

“I haven’t seen all of the garden yet, but I’m sure I can find the ginger for you,” she said pleasantly, walking in the general direction of plants she hadn’t looked at yet.

The ginger was pretty easy to find. It was a bit early for ginger. Ginger was usually harvested in mid-to-late autumn, but Thaddeus must have used some spell to make it available more often.

“Just a minute please, I’ll go fetch a tool to dig this up.”

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((xD Did you look that up about ginger harvest? Have we established what time of year it is yet? Summer? ))

There were a couple rows of fine looking ginger plants in the garden. Curiously, it seemed they were in different stages of growth, from saplings to meter tall flowering plants, ready for harvest.

"Oi, that's wizarding for ya" mumbled Mrs. Hozier as she watched Dellana pull the most mature plant from the ground with the aid of a small spade from the barn. The root that emerged had a central knot, with a mess of smaller fingers shooting out in all direction. It seemed even more impressive in size than the surface plant and the farmlady whistled appreciatively.

"Whoa, they call 'em ginger hands, but I says that there is more like a ginger arm right up to the elbow. That's what it'll feel like to Herta and Ulrike anyway, those brats'll think twice about sneaking out, I can tell ya." She winked at Dellana again, then pointed at the huge root.

"Cut me off half of that monster, that'll hopefully last a few months. I think we'd better bring the rest inside to your master. He's not used to having to deal with teenage girls I reckon'. It wouldn't be right to leave him defenseless for you to terrorize." This time, she laughed a loud and contagious laughter.

[Cutiexx]

((I did And I don’t think we’d established anything clearly, but in my mind, this was always late summer to beginning of fall. Where days are still warm but you can tell from the cooler evenings that summer’s almost gone. There’s quite a few things that we haven’t established.
I’m not even sure I ever wrote how old Dellana is!))

The ginger root was huge. Dellana was very impressed by how large Thaddeus had managed to grow it, without any obvious mutations taking place. This had to be a very skillful combination of some kind of enlarging or growth potion, and earth magic. Dellana nodded distractedly as Mrs Hozier prattled on about her daughters, and cut the root in half for the woman. Maybe Thaddeus would let her try to candy the other half, if he didn’t need it as a potions ingredient. That would be a nice treat.

She started really listening again once Miss Hozier mentioned her being a teenager. She laughed politely along with the woman, before replying:

“Oh, I know I have a young face, and technically you’re right, I’m still in my ‘teen years’. But not for much longer, I’ll be turning twenty next spring. How old are your daughters, and if you don’t mind me asking, what is the ginger for? I’m from Fënir you see, and ginger isn’t common over there, and very expensive. We only use it for potions or as a delicacy.”

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((Late summer suits fine. And I always assumed 19 I think, since she's a essentially a high school graduate. Thad would be in the late 20's early 30's range, assuming he did a 3 year apprenticeship before moving to the cottage))

The woman's smiled turned to a look of disbelief for a moment.
"You never been figged? Yer mum must've had the patience of an angel."

She seemed to consider this for a second, then continued.
"My girls are 17, but they hardly act their age. I had them when I was a little older than you - don't ever have twin girls Miss, they'll worry your pretty hair grey. But that's where the ginger comes in" She snorted with amusement, then looked at the confused girl and cleared her throat.

"Heh, a city girl. Well you do have that look, 'n you speak all prim 'n proper like. I hope all tha wee girls in Fënrir 're as proper as you or I'd weep for the gingerless mums. Y'see ..."

She leaned in conspiratorially and gestured at her half of the ginger hand as she spoke.
"My girls are right terrors, they are, and I get tired of whupping their butts regularly. I have dishes, cows and farmwork ta tend to, can't wear out my elbow tanning their sorry hides. So what we do out here when a girl misbehaves is, I cut one of these fat fingers off, 'n I peel all the skin off 'n make a little taper at the end, then shove it right up the bum of the naughty brat."

She repeated her hand gesture from before with a wink and a laugh.
"The roots burn like the fires of hell, 'n the sorry lass'll be crying 'n begging for a spanking in no time. I usually make them peel 'taters for dinner with their asses on fire, then give them a good belting before pulling the root out. They're practically relieved to go over my knee at that point."

The woman was speaking enthusiastically, like she was sharing her favorite cooking recipes.
"Marvelous plants, 'n they make good soup as well, of course. Master wizard'll be thrilled I'm sure"