Apprentice (for Cutiexx)

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((Long introductory post is long. Don't despair, I just like to set the scene a bit))

Along the coast of the Herringsford Inlet, behind a small fishing port, lies the cozy town of Whitport with its 600 fishermen, farmers and tradesmen. Life is simple, the fishermen bring in herring and shellfish while the outlying farms provide beef, eggs and milk. There is little contact with the outside world except for trading ships and the occasional caravan of entertainers. The people are happy, they go to church on sundays, send their kids off to school 3 days a week and whenever someone gets sick they see old nanny Hogswash the midwife. And if they don't get better, they go to the cottage.

It's no secret. Every kid knows that the man living in the cottage at the edge of the forest about a mile outside of Whitport is a wizard. The adults usually call him Master Thaddeus or The Wise Man or simply him in the cottage. Once, when asked about his profession, he called himself a "man of the written word", but everyone silently agrees that's just fancy talk for wizard. Not that there's anything wrong with that. A town wizard is good luck, it means someone is keeping an eye out for threats no normal man can understand. And it means you can buy a lovepotion or a spell against hairloss if you've got something to trade.

Thaddeus, like most of his kind, kept to himself. He prefered the company of his books and his laboratory to any human and had lived alone in the cottage for over six years, only taking short, necessary trips into town to restock on supplies. Of course, as a man in his prime, he sometimes longed for female company, but knew that the goodwill of the townspeople could turn sour if he went kidnapping maidens in the night. Instead, he contended himself to occasionally scry on the neighbouring farms whenever it was bathing day or he could hear a milkmaid getting birched.

The hermit lifestyle definitely had it's upsides, like being able to leave the house for days at a time to go mushroom hunting in the woods, the privacy to summon demons in the backyard at night and not having to put on pants before making breakfast. That's why Thad was less than happy when he received news of an apprentice soon to be arriving.

[Cutiexx]

Dellana sighed deeply, holding onto her small pack of clothes, books, food and herbs. After three days, this cart was really shaking her up. She was sitting at the back of it, her legs dangling. She looked at the trees passing by and sighed again. Why did the council have to send her so far away from home? She knew that after completing the basic magic training she’d have to work as an apprentice for a few years to complete her knowledge, but she expected them to find some magic Master in Fënir, her birth town, not to send her miles away from everything she knew. Well, at least she wasn’t walking. She’d been able to pay a merchant to take a detour to Whittleport. He grummeled that he usually went straight by it, because he was headed to the capital and that Whittleport had ships so they didn’t really need him there, but she’d seen he had taken a fancy to her and when she shrugged and said sorry and started to go away he’d called after her: “Hoy girl! I’ll take yer money! Hop in.” So she had. And here she was, three days travel from home.
Della looked at the slightly crumpled parchment that was her recommendation letter for the hundredth time. Master Thaddeus. She let the name roll on her tongue. Thaddeus. She expected him to be a grumpy old man, and hoped he’d at least be able to teach her some useful things.

“Hoy! Girl!” suddenly called the merchant.

She turned around and he pointed in front of him. She looked over his shoulder from inside the cart, and saw the sea for the first time of her life. Her breath caught. It was beautiful.

“Yer gettin’ off at the next bend. The town be right up front, see?”

She did see. A ten minute walk or so.

“Thank you very much for bringing me here Sir. Do I owe you?”

“Nay, what you gave me’s enough. Fare well girl, and take care of yerself. Whittleport is a safe place, I won’t worry fer you.”

So she hopped off and walked up to the little town. It was charming she thought, even though she wasn’t used to see so few people in the roads. All the men were either on sea or in the fields. She stopped a young boy and asked him if he knew where a certain Master Thaddeus lived.

“Oh, him in the cottage. He’s not in town, he lives over there.” pointed the boy. “You’ll find it easy. It’s a mile from here near the forest. Just follow the path.

”She thanked him, and he went on his way.
She should have expected something like this. Most wizards liked to keep to themselves. So she walked on. After less than half an hour, she had found the cottage. She walked up to it, surprised at how well kept it was, and knocked. She was curious now to see who her new Master would be.

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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.

[Cutiexx]

A moment passed. Dell' was ready to knock again, when some man suddenly yelled from inside the house: "Stay where you are!"
She stepped back, surprised by the order, and waited. Less than a minute later, the door flung open and a tall, impressive man stood before her. "State your purpose here!" he said loudly, before simply staring at her.

Dellana was a slight girl with shiny blond hair she liked to keep untied when she wasn't making potions. Her eyes were deep brown, most people found them a little mesmerising to start with, which was practical for charms who required eye contact. She wasn't wearing a robe, just a pale blue dress. It was too warm to wear a robe, and she didn't want to travel as an obvious magician.

After gathering her wits, Dellana took one more step back and cleared her voice.

"Ehm, hello, Master Thaddeus." She curtsied. "My name is Dellana. I am to be your apprentice. Here."

The girl handed him the sealed recommendation letter on which "Master Thaddeus" was written in twirly letters. Then she put her hands behind her back and waited for him to say something. She was a little thunderstruck by "him in the cottage". She definitely hadn't expected him to be so tall, most wizards were the bookworm type, small and scrawny. She herself was pretty slight, which made her deep brown eyes seem even deeper.
And he wasn't old, another thing she'd been expecting. Her former teachers were all seniors. She didn't know at what age a sorcerer could start spreading his knowledge, but she thought his or her hair was required to be gray or white. Anyway, she waited.

This is what read the recommandation letter:

"The Council greets you, Master Thaddeus.
Today, we send you your Apprentice. Let us remind you that the Master should take a good care of his/her Apprentice, for the years he/she spends with you should be the most educative of his/her life. The Council's Academy certifies that the student has a sufficent theoretical knowledge and enough basic practical knowledge to be sent in the open world with the guidance of a Master.
The Master is required to feed, keep and teach to the Apprentice during the lengh of his/her stay, and to guide him/her to independence within the craft. Members of the Council will come once a year to judge the Apprentice's knowledge and the Master's teaching.
Here are the details about your Apprentice:

Apprentice Dellana.
Female.

Grades:
Chemistery: 7/10
Mathematics: 9/10
Charms: 10/10
Metamorphosis and Illusion: 8/10
Demonology: 5/10
Potions: 7.5/10
Sudy of ancient runes: 9/10
Herbology: 10/10
Attack and defense: 8/10
Element control: 5/10

-------------------
Required average: 7.5/10
Student's average: 7.85/10
Failed subjects: 3
Passed subjects: 7
The student passes. (Close one.)

We recommend you to concentrate at first on the subjects the former student had difficulties with.
All the best to you, Thad.
Master Arenil, head teacher.

The Council reminds you that no magic should be practiced by non-academy students.
May magic flow through your veins.
The Council."

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"May magic flow through your veins?" Thad gave a contemptuous snicker. He'd almost forgotten what the old windbags at the academy could be like when they were being all official.

He looked up over the letter and gave her another glance. He still wasn't sure how he felt about a female apprentice. A pretty little thing she was, no doubt about that, but he'd hoped to at least get some free labor out of the whole apprentice deal and he wasn't sure how helpful a little thing like her would be.

"Hmm, this all seems in order. Come on inside, we don't want anyone to see you out here."

He put a hand between her shoulderblades and gently pushed her inside. He then made sure noone outside had been watching and closed the door. Didn't need anyone saying Thaddeus was leading girls to his house, there were enough rumors like that without him helping them along.

He led Dellana into the kitchen/lab and sat down on the only chair at the table where he took his meals. He fixed out a pipe from one of the pockets in his robe and put it in his mouth. After studying the letter for half a minute, he took out the pipe and exhaled a curious blue smoke that seemed to have no smell.

"So, Dellana, I see that you'll need a bit of work before we can get started on your real studies. Chemistry is failed and potions is barely a pass, so you obviously have trouble with working in a laboratory. To amend that, you'll be in charge of all cooking as well as keeping this whole room clean and orderly." He gestured around the kitchen.

"They say chemistry was born in the kitchen so this seems suitable. Now." He leaned forward and looked her in the eyes. A moment passed as he seemed to forget what he was about to say, then blinked once and continued unfazed.

"Your demonology and element control scores aren't suited for an apprentice and your teachers must frankly have a soft spot for you to send you off with results like these. I realize element control is a tough discipline and most girls have a hard time with demonology, but they're both vital for anyone who wants to achieve actual power. I want you to know, if these scores are a result of either laziness or apprehension, that I tolerate only a full and wholehearted effort from my students, and I want to know right now if you've been putting anything less than your best into these subjects. Additionally, if you have any questions before I show you around, this is the time to ask."

He gave her his best stern look and crossed his arms, waiting.

[Cutiexx]

Thaddeus read the letter. She was surprised when he snickered at the end. So he wasn't as grumpy as he seemed.

When he pushed her inside the house, she was once again surprised at how big and firm his hand was. It was warm too, and she caught herself liking this gentle touch, although she could've walked in by herself, thank you very much!

The house smelled good, and was welcoming to her eyes.

She stayed mum as he sat down on the only chair there was to be seen and stood herself in front of him, on the other side of the table. He read the letter again, frowning a bit, and then looked up at her.

So the kitchen (or was it a lab?) wold be under her responsibility. That was good, she'd ba able to keep track of where the ingredients were. She'd have to cook? Well... She bit her lip at that. Cooking wasn't something she'd ever learned. She could make soup. But she didn't dare to interrupt her new Master while he was talking to bring that up. He'd probably let her speak after a while.
He suddenly fell silent. Dellana wanted to speak, but the look on his face stopped her. He seemed to have lost his train of thoughts, and he was staring straight into her eyes. The girl felt her face redden a little, but she fought hard not to break eye contact. He was an intriguing man. He suddenly blinked and went on with his speech.

He told her what she knew already, that she was useless in Demonology and in Element control, and she fiddled with the fabric of her skirt.
When he fell silent, looking at her sternly, she realised he was waiting for an answer and she felt her heart beat raise. She felt a little scared of his expectations.

"I was half a point from failing, Master Thaddeus. I don't think the teachers had a soft spot for me. You see I had half the points in Demonology and Element control. Well, in Element control I didn't plan my work out very well. The teachers expected a minimum of control in all four elements, and I studied stupidly: I have almost a full control of water and earth, but almost nothing of wind and... fire. This explains that grade. As for Demonology, we had two tests. A theoretical one and a practical one. I had full grades at the theory, but for the practice, I... I... Oh I'm sorry, I think you'd call this apprehension, but I'm terrified of Demons, Master Thaddeus. I have no faith whatsoever in my abilities to control them." She lowered her head but quickly continued speaking.
"As for you putting me in charge of cleaning the kitchen, I am grateful if it can help my chemistery and potions skills, but we have a problem about you wanting me to cook." She looked back at him.
"The only thing I can cook is soup. And eggs perhaps."
As an after thought, she added a question:
"Oh, and must I call you Master Thaddeus at all times, or is just Master all right?" She gave him a look not unlike the one of a frightened little pup.

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Thaddeus rested his chin on his hands, covering his half smile with his hands. He imagined she could be quite manipulative with those eyes and that adorable little pout. No mystery she had gotten full marks in Charm. The cooking was a problem though. Thad was a good cook, but he barely had time or patience to cook for one, and he was quite sure a young learning girl like her would need a better diet than the pork, mushrooms and gallons of tea he usually sustained himself on. He would have to do something about that.

When she finished speaking there was a long pause. After several seconds , he frowned and removed his hands from his mouth.

"Referring to me as simply 'Master' will be acceptable. You will respond to Dellana, miss Dellana, apprentice or simply 'girl'. Now …" He stood up and rested his palms on the table, towering over her as he leaned towards her. "We will talk more about your failed subjects when I lay out your schedule. As for cooking, I'll just consider it another part of your training. Can't have a woman of your age who doesn't know her way around a kitchen, especially not one who's supposed to be earning her independency."

His frown eased and he looked almost pleasant. "Now, let me show you around. Don't speak unless asked, I'll answer any questions in a minute." He moved around the table and put his hand between her shoulder blades, guiding her through the house.

"The kitchen is where I do most of my works with potions and poultices. This here is just a broom closet, which I'm sure you'll become intimately familiar with later. This is where I sleep" He made a sweeping gesture across a barren room with a bed and a cupboard with a candleholder and a book on it. "This here is the herb cabinet where I collect my ingredients and keep my food stored. There's a ladder to the attic where you'll be staying. You can climb up there later, it's pretty empty right now. Through the window you can see the stable, where the cow lives. Behind that is the vegetable garden and a bit into the forest is the river where I usually go to get water and take my baths."

He led her to a door painted with chalk symbols of protection and a bunch of runes that meant nothing to Dellana. "This is my sanctum" He said, as he opened the door. Inside was a large room where the wooden floorboards had been painted black. It held a single chair next to a large table and two large bookcases filled to the brim. The black floor was covered in large overlaying rugs and the curtains in front of the windows were keeping the room very dim.

"This is where I do much of my own research and where your theoretic studies will be conducted. Most of these books are way beyond your level and you'll be reading only the ones I set out for you." He turned her around by the shoulders and put a finger under her chin, turning her face towards his. "I want you to understand that this room is off limits when I'm not in there with you. I do not tolerate disobedience and if I ever find you've as much as set a foot in here without me knowing …" He let the promise hang in the air as he suddenly thought of the bakers daughter, wailing over her daddy's knees.

He turned and closed the door to the study. "Ahem, I trust I've made myself clear. You can speak freely if you wish to ask me something. Don't be shy now"

[Cutiexx]

When Dell’ finished speaking there was a long pause. He was staring at her, his chin into his hands, and she tried hard not to fidget. Was that a glint of amusement she saw in his eyes? But suddenly, he stood straighter and frowned. So much for amusement.


He would call her Dellana, miss Dellana, apprentice or girl. Good, those were names she already responded to. But she was surprised he’d name her from “Miss” to “girl”. People usually chose one way to call her and stuck to it.

When he stood up and leaned over her, she never broke eye contact. She found herself staring at his stern face, all the way up there. It was menacing, but she didn’t move or step back. She’d figured out he was impressing her on purpose to get her respect.
Oh, so he was going to teach her how to cook? Good! No one had ever taken the time to do that. In Fënir, the roads were full of merchants who sold hot food all day. That’s where she’d eaten most of the time.

He suddenly stopped frowning, and his face really changed. He went from menacing stern gigantic man to authoritative but pleasant host.
He “showed her around” as in pushed her around the cottage, but she found she didn’t mind being guided like a three-year-old as much as she should have...

She took the house in, staring intently at everything she noticed, like the dust under the closet, the way things were stacked inside the herb cabinet. She stared up at the attic that was to be her room. She hoped she’d be able to install a comfy place for herself up there.
Oh, so he had a cow?! She’d never been in a place where there was an animal. She hoped he wouldn’t make her tend to it. She wouldn’t even be able to milk the poor thing.
He washed in the river? How did he do that in winter? Oh right, magic, duh. She supposed that with a decent fire control it was possible to heat up some water.

He led her to a door painted with chalk symbols of protection and a bunch of runes that meant absolutely nothing to the young apprentice. She wondered what language it was. They’d never seen those symbols in class.
"This is my sanctum" He said.
The room was very dim, and the girl squinted to get her eyes used to it. The floor was painted black. Dellana supposed it was to chalk pentagrams on it. Minor Demons could be summoned indoors, she reminded herself, innerly shivering. There was a table, one chair, perhaps it could be moved to the kitchen and back during meals, and two large bookcases filled to the brim. Dellana stared at them eagerly. Books. She loved books. She was what people called a book rat. She loved reading and learning theory, and often hid from reality and the difficulties of practice behind a wall of knowledge she’d accumulated by spending her time in the school library.

"Most of these books are way beyond your level and you'll be reading only the ones I set out for you." said her Master.

Dell’ let out a sigh of disappointment.
He turned her around by the shoulders and put a finger under her chin, lifting her face towards his. She wasn’t expecting him to handle her like that and blinked a few times, surprised.

"I want you to understand that this room is off limits when I'm not in there with you. I do not tolerate disobedience and if I ever find you've as much as set a foot in here without me knowing …" He let the promise hang in the air and she felt her face redden and her heart quicken dramatically. What on earth would he do to her? She bit her lip. There was a gleam in his eye and she didn’t want to know what horrible retributions he was thinking about. What was so dangerous in this room anyway? Apart from the knowledge inside the books, of course.

He turned and closed the door to the study. She didn’t move, like glued to the ground. He had really startled her, and the apprehension that was building up in her chest wasn’t that disagreeable.

"Ahem, I trust I've made myself clear. You can speak freely if you wish to ask me something. Don't be shy now."

“Errm.” She cleared her throat. Her heart was still beating madly, and her face burned. “Erm, yes Master, I have a few questions. So, first. I have herbs and food in my sack. Can I store them in the herb cabinet? Um, about the river, how do you wash in winter? What language are those runes on your sanctum door? Could we put the sanctum chair in the kitchen during meals and then put it back where it belongs so we can both sit at the same table? Is there something for me to sleep on in the attic? Why don’t you want me to read all the books? My teachers said there’s no harm in reading more than your level, don’t you agree with that? And why is the sanctum off limits? Is it dangerous? Can’t I study when you’re out? I like reading in my free time. If I have free time, that is, Master.”

She looked up at him.

[FapFapFap]

((Please let me know if the long posts are bothering you. I like writing like this, but I don't want you to get bored))

He noticed her blush with satisfaction. He was having quite an effect on the little creature. For some reason that pleased him immensely. He started back towards the kitchen.

"So many questions. I guess that's a good sign. Curiosity was always the sign of a clever child. Put your sack down there by the door. I'll let you sort your goods into the cabinet later. In fact, since you're my charge, those are now my goods in a sense." He realized that might sound a bit threatening and quickly added: "Not that I have any interest in taking your belongings. I'll put a box upstairs for any personal items of yours, but I'll be inspecting your room periodically and you won't keep any secrets from me under my roof." He turned his head and gave her a look to show he meant what he said.

"During the winter, I use a wooden tub that hangs in the stable and heat water in the cauldron. The runes on the door are for your protection and mine. You'll learn what they signify when we continue your studies. The chair stays! And you are forbidden from removing anything from the sanctum without my permission. I guess I will have to stack some old cookbooks for you to sit on during meals until I can get some new furniture made. "

He pulled a sheet of paper from a pocket along with a piece of graphite and started writing as he spoke.

"I'm making a list of items for you to bring to town. At the top is bed linen, a blanket and some pillows. I'll bring some clean hay up from the stables and we'll make you a makeshift bed. It should be comfortable enough for now. As for the books … Let's just say the teachers at the colleges didn't show you the adult part of the library. I have works here too sensitive to be read without special equipment. As for reading beyond your level, an impatient or foolhardy student might try to apply skills in practice that he or she isn't ready for. I don't know you well enough to know what you'd do." He looked her in the eye and added: "Just stay out of the sanctum and everything will be fine."

He pointed to a mass of books under the kitchen table, apparently thrown in a haphazard manner.

"That said, you won't be starved for reading material. That stack by the kitchen table are the books I worked through during the first year of my own apprenticeship. From your results, I've already decided your curriculum for these first few weeks. These books you'll be free to read whenever you have time, but I'll be dedicating at least three hours a day to study time, where you can ask me about the material while I do my research."

He took out seven thick tomes from the pile and putt the on the table with a loud whomp!

"These two green ones are guides to the chemical and magical properties of the most commonly used substances of our fields. The blue, brown, white and red ones are core principles of elemental magic. You'll be starting with the red and white ones I think. The deep blue one is from my own collection. It details the basics of summoning and dominating lesser devils. Don't read that one at night, you'll get nightmares."

He didn't smile when saying the last part, and Dellana got the impression he was telling the truth. He looked at the dark tome for a few seconds, as if reliving a memory, then looked up at her and pulled out the sheet of paper again.

"Oh, and not to worry, I'll make sure you have some time to yourself, depending on how fast you do your chores. You'll be earning your education here, but I'm not going to put you to any more than I think you can handle. Now, here's the list and a bag. You know where Whittleport is and you can get directions from anyone on the street once you arrive. They're good people. Also, there is no need to go shouting it in the streets, but if anyone asks just tell them that you're my apprentice."

He handed her the piece of paper and a small purse that clinked with the sound of coins. On the sheet was written in a curving, confident hand:

bed stuff
bread
butter
eggs
clothes?

Oh and make an order at the cabinetmaker for a bed and a chair

Thad led her to the door and held it open, saying "Now, don't dally around town. I know it's all new and exciting but I gave you exact change for the goods on the list so don't spend any on yourself. And stay away from the docks. If there's a ship in, the place fills up with all sorts of strangers. I expect you back here an hour from now and don't think I won't time you. Now git!"

Surprising himself, he punctuated the last word with a smart pat on the seat of her dress. He stayed in the doorway, waiting for her to go, the palm of his hand feeling strangely warm.

[Cutiexx]

((No no, I like long posts! They give information about stuff, and I enjoy reading this almost like it’s a book, with descriptions and everything. :P I hope you don’t mind me going on about what happens during your posts, but since Thad doesn’t let much space for Dell’ to talk, haha, I like going over what he said and how she reacted ect.
And you write well. Don’t you worry about me getting bored. I should be the one worrying. XD
I have a question by the way. What does “git” mean?))


In a whirlwind of information, Master Thaddeus answered her questions. She trotted behind him as he stalked back to the kitchen. She didn’t know how to react when he called her a child and said he’d be checking her room. She wasn’t a child, she wanted to snap, but he didn’t let her time to speak, and she doubted he would appreciate being snapped at. So she just looked at him with an incredulous look on her face, which she quickly erased when he turned his head. Did a secret diary count as a secret? She had to keep some privacy! She didn’t even know the man, she wasn’t going to reveal every secret thought she had to him!

By the time she finished being outraged, he was insisting on his private sanctum again. Okay, okay, she’d touch nothing! Not the chair, not the table, not the books. Ugh. The books would be hard to resist. But she remembered his face when he warned her about disobeying... That gleam in his eye. Yes, she’d touch nothing. But she was looking forward to the day where she’d read a book who required special equipment.

Ha! He was scared she’d try to apply skills she wasn’t ready for! Well, she thought, he’d learn soon enough that she wasn’t an impudent practice-obsessed student. She knew many things she hoped to never try in real life. Magic could be dangerous, she knew it very well. She looked at him in the eye when he warned her yet again about the sanctum. How many times was he going to repeat that? She’d understood.

When she saw the books under the table, she forgot to be outraged and looked at them almost hungrily. Those she could read. He whomped a pile of deliciously thick books on the table and started describing them.
The green ones were about chemistery, and so seemed boring to her eyes. But she’d never learned about the specific magical substances. Perhaps that could be a little interesting. She looked at the other books. The blue and brown ones she’d read already; when she was obsessing over controlling water and earth perfectly she’d gone through every book she could find in the library. But the white and red... She’d seen them and dismissed them, along with the more basic books about air and fire. It was a good thing she’d brought the two basic books in question with her.
The deep blue Demonology one had a beautiful colour. Master Thaddeus warned her about reading it at night, and since he wasn’t smiling, she had the impression he’d already had nightmares about it. She’d try and remember to put it down before nightfall. She loved reading about demonology. Her theoretical 10/10 wasn’t for peanuts. But when it came to practice, she was terrorised. At the exam, her pentagram was wobbly and she didn’t dare utter the smallest incantation, which was good since her wobbly pentagram was sure to get her killed of she’d tried to use it.


She’d have chores? Well, that was normal. But surely, she’d have her word to say about how much she thought she could handle? Or would he always be deciding everything?

He handed her a list:

bed stuff
bread
butter
eggs
clothes?

Oh and make an order at the cabinetmaker for a bed and a chair


“Bed stuff”? How detailed was that? She found herself smiling at the speedy way he’d formulated the list.

He pushed her to the door, all parental again, treating her like a small child who would get lost in that tiny town and forget what she was sent out for.

She was going to tell him she’d need more than an hour to purchase all that in a place she didn’t know, as it had almost taken her half an hour to get to his cottage from the village, when he... he... tapped the seat of her dress smartly. He patted her bum!
It was an embarassing gesture, and she knew she had to do something about it or he’d think he could do this whenever he wanted to.
She stepped forward, turned around with her mouth wide open and put one hand where he’d touched her, and... Couldn’t utter a word. She blinked a few times, very red in the face, swallowed, and finally said in a little voice:

“I’ll be longer than an hour, as it took me almost half an hour to get here from the village.”

She turned back, but suddenly a surge of pride swelled inside her chest and she whirled around to face him again.

“And I may be small, but I am not a child!”

Punctuating this with a stomp of her foot, she turned around again and walked briskly down the road, half-terrified of his reaction, half-light-headed for defying him.

After a few meters she started to despise herself. She had stomped her foot, a very childish thing to do, while announcing loudly that she wasn’t a child. What kind of message did that bring through? Surely not the one she aimed for. But what did she aim for? She didn’t know anymore. She started thinking.
What if he completely changed his behaviour and stopped touching her all the time? Would it be better? She could hardly imagine it, but she already didn’t like the image it brought into her head: The one of a cold, distant, authoritative man. At least touching her was a... way of accepting her existence? What was wrong with her brain? She did not want him to stop touching her. But he treated her like a child? Perhaps she was a child. To him, that is. He was quite older than she was, wasn’t he? How old was he anyway? Not as old as the teachers she’d had before.
She touched her bottom again. Of course, a beautiful girl like her had already been accosted by men, some less subtle than others, and her bottom had had it’s share of pats, but never, ever, did it have this effect on her. She’d ignored it at the time, and had despised those men. Why had she reacted like that with her Master? She didn’t like what her body sent to her. Her body had liked it! Why on earth! It was demeaning, almost humiliating, wasn’t it? Then why? She could still feel the spot. Why? Why?

She puzzled her way to the village, quickly regained her wits and composure, and started with the food. She found the baker’s first. The young girl who served her looked like she’d just been crying, but she indicated very politely where Dellana could find some eggs and butter. Everything had it’s place in the village, noticed the apprentice. In Fënir, there were shops who sold everything. Here, for milk, cheese and butter, go to the Milkshop, they buy the best milk from the farmers! For eggs, go to Nattie! The old woman keeps those hens as if they were her children, and her eggs are the healthiest to be found.

What did Master Thaddeus mean when he wrote “clothes?” on the list? Was she to buy clothes for herself? She’d brought clothes. Undergarments, four dresses, one robe, one protection suit for chemistry and potions along with a pair of protective gloves. Well, the question mark probably meant she wasn’t forced to buy that. So when Dellana went to the tailor, she just bought the “bed stuff”. She asked for the carpenter. He wasn’t that easy to find actually. His shop was situated in a little alley, and Dell’ passed in front of it without seeing it twice. When she finally got there, she ordered a bed and a chair for Thaddeus’ cottage. The carpenter looked at her suspiciously.

“What are you doing, ordering stuff for him? Why didn’t he come himself?”

“He sent me. I’m his apprentice,” simply answered the girl, remembering what her Master had said.

Little did Dell' know that the news that the wizard had a girl apprentice took just a couple of hours to spread through the village.

And so she went back to the cottage, after a little more than fifty minutes, with a twenty minute walk before her, her orders fulfilled, her bag well filled. A strange excitement built up in her chest as she was getting closer. Would he be angry? Would he react at all? Would he even mind about her outburst? Was it even an outburst in the first place? He’d probably forgotten all about it, it was nothing. Was it? And above all, what was this sensation in her chest and why on earth did she care? And why could she still say exactly where was the spot he’d patted earlier?

She stayed in front of the door for a while, relishing in the strangely pleasant apprehension she was feeling. She wondered if she should knock, but decided that since she lived here now, she might as well go in. So she opened the door and headed straight for the kitchen where she started unpacking.