After 2 days the job posting was taken down. Another week later and they didn't get any news Tara had started to put the temporary job behind her. Just as she was leaving to head into work, she was greeted by two men that came to the door. They both stood side to side and were wearing simple white tunics along with black trousers. "Oh. Hello gentleman." Tara greeted them while closing the door, a little nervous and uncomfortable at their sudden appearance.
The one to the left spoke first. "Are you Tara Smith?"
After a moment of hesitation, she replied back, "Yes I am. Who are you?"
"Forgive us. We are both coming to inform you that the alchemist Vern will take you on for the week. You'll get a rundown of your duties while you're there but this is a 24-hr. job so some nights you won't be able to come back home. To help supplement this we will give you part of your pay now and the rest upon completion of the week. Do these conditions work for you?" Showing her 5 of the silvers in the palm of his hand he waited for a response.
Seeing that amount of money just as a down payment for accepting she was able to feel more at peace. But she just had to confirm a few things before accepting. "I just have a few questions if you don't mind." Seeing that he didn't move she continued. "I have a few things I need to take care of before going to such an intensive job. Can I take today to sort out my things?"
Nodding he said. "Yes, that is fine. Although once you take the money you will have to come with me because you will be considered working at that point."
She paused for a bit. Anxious now. One of the things she wanted to do was hand the money directly over to Mindy so she could buy whatever needed to be bought just in case she wasn't able to do the shopping or if she missed the landlord when he came for the rent. Not sure if they would go to someone else if she asked for this allowance she hesitated. They had enough in savings but a lot of their savings was in the form of items that they bargained with whenever merchants came to town. The coins stored wouldn't be enough for their expenses for the week.
After a few seconds of dead silence and a very intense internal debate, Tara settled on asking. "Would you mind if you give those silvers to my sister? I'll come with you right after I just don't want to carry that much money on me."
They looked at each other briefly and shrugged. The man lowered his hand and said, "That's not a problem. Take care of whatever you need to take care of. Just make sure you're ready by midday to go. We'll be waiting on the bench by the park."
Vigorously nodding, Tara rushed off to ask her boss if it would be alright to take the week off. A genuine self-gratified smile broke across her face as she thought about how amazing the opportunity was and how it would help them make it through this tough time.
She slowed down as she approached the shop and straightened out her clothes. When she walked into the store, she greeted her boss. "Hello, Baker Fan. I had something I need to talk to you about." He looked up slightly as he continued to work on his flour. Taking this as his reply she continued, "I replied to that temporary request for an alchemist assistant being needed and I just got a confirmation today. Unfortunately, it wasn't said that we have to work pretty much all day for the week. I was hoping that since this wasn't the busy season for us that it wouldn't be a problem if I take this week off." It took an effort to keep a steady voice and not rub her hands together nervously.
He threw down his dough partway through her speech and set his hands on the table. The silence that stretched unbearably long afterward. While she was hoping that he said yes it wouldn't stop her if he said no. While this wasn't a high-paying job it was regular work and she's been here for years. So, the loss would still be painful and stressful for Tara.
Finally, Baker Fan raised his hand shooing her away. "If I remember correctly that was a pretty high-paying job. I know you're smart enough to take the job even if I said no and it would be a hassle to find someone else to work here."
Smiling widely for the second time today, she was happier and felt lighter than she had in years. Thanking him from the bottom of her heart she rushed off back to the house. Taking the time to talk to each of her siblings, she told them, in a way that they would understand, that she would be working a bit harder for a week and that Mindy would be in charge.
After reviewing the different responsibilities of the house and the ways to shop while saving the money she brought Mindy out and the sun wasn't even halfway to its zenith. I guess I had a lot less to take care of than I thought. Tara thought briefly to herself.
Going down the block she found the men both sitting on the bench they indicated near the playground. After she confirmed that she was ready the man handed the money to Mindy who gaped at the sum briefly and quickly hid it away before running home. With only the three of them now the man spoke, "Alright. Follow us." Then walked away with large strides. Hurrying behind him they quickly made their way out of town and into the surrounding forest. While we walked through the forest the man explained, "He needs to work in a slightly removed environment during his work. Loud neighbors or otherwise can throw him off and waste valuable materials."
Soon enough the three of them came to a medium-sized cottage with 2 small windows that were propped open with a wooden pole at the bottom angled upward to stop it from falling back down. The two men stood before the door and gestured for Tara to go inside. "You can go in."
Gently opening the door Tara walked inside and looked around. It was almost like the outside was in with the vegetation being so dense and the sunlight streaming in through the glass dome ceiling. The only differences were the damp walls enclosing the room and the shelves creating the multiple layers of plants. Not sure how to navigate the room full of plants, she stood dumbly at the entrance.
"Come in come in." A voice called roughly from deep within. "And close the door."
Not sure where the person was or how he knew she was there she closed the door behind her and heard a tinkling of a bell. Oh. She thought. Must've missed that.
Knowing he was waiting for her she decided to just walk in and try to step on as little things as possible. I hope it isn't a problem that I don't know what most of these are.