After we had run into those three older brats, I had time to think about a lot of things as we made our way back towards 'home'.
The first was obvious; what was happening with Gaelin, and should I be worried about the resurgence of such a strong player in the world stage?
He was nearby, and I wasn't about to risk getting myself caught by someone who had betrayed me this early into my new lease on life; like hell was I going to let this end early.
I still had so many different foods to eat, wines to drink!
No way am I going to die before I can taste at least a few hundred different types of breads and wines; I mean, who knows how the for industry has progressed over these last few centuries that I had been gone for!
Meeting someone who was a part of my death was something I wanted to avoid for now, even if that person was one who seemingly regretted his actions when he had aided the others.
That brought with it a whole slew of questions regarding the man known as the 'Elementalist' due to his entirely unique ability to wield ALL of the elements.
Could I trust in him now that he was on the run for something, or was he going to betray anyone as long as he was pressured into doing so?
I didn't know, and I wasn't keen to find out.
The other main point that the brats made me think about was a simple one, and that was getting an Apprenticeship somewhere to earn some more coin and food.
There were a few places that would universally accept anyone for aid due to the high volume of work they had, and while they might pay small amounts to their workers, when compared to the nothing that we were making now, this would be something I was willing to do.
Maybe... it all depends on what is available and what I feasibly was capable of doing without drawing attention to myself.
It was something that I looked into the next day, after we aided the kind nuns over at the church for breakfast of course, and I took the risk of traversing out into the more populated areas of the city, looking around for some kind of work that wouldn't care about who they employed, just that they employed someone who could get some work done.
Like many things in life, what we found was unexpected and something that I would say was a blessing, as it gave me so much in return for what is usually a terrible job.
Butchering animals and monsters for their meat, which would be sold on the markets.
They were hiring all types of people for short stints, paying for a weeks worth of employment before reviewing your efficiency and determining whether to go forwards with hiring you for another week again, hoping to push their workers to excel lest they find themselves out of a job.
On top of that, there was a promise that if you did well for a certain amount of weeks straight, you would get a bonus and a guaranteed position inside the butcher shop, though that too could be taken away if you fail to meet numbers or expectations.
When I told my neighbor - who eventually told me their name was Seika - that we would take up some work at the butcher shop, I received an odd look from them... though that was it.
So, we found ourselves in the long line of applicants who came from all sorts of places and walks of life - some looked rather well off with fancy clothes and well kept appearances, other were wearing basic clothing and had stubble or slightly dirty faces, and then there were those in the crowd that looked like us, wearing patchy clothing and clearly fresh off the streets.
But, this place had jobs available for all kinds of people, and Seika and I quietly waited our turn as the line filtered into the giant shop, where all sorts of monsters and livestock were brought to be butchered down into their respective parts.
Most people were quiet as we waited, and eventually Seika and I were brought into the shop and sat down in front of a tired looking man and a bored woman, both of them writing things down on notepads before finally looking up at us, only to sigh.
"Alright... a few questions to start. Have you ever held a knife before?"
I nodded, and Seika hesitantly nodded, which the woman caught.
"Are you alright getting your hands dirty and working with viscera?"
Again, I nodded, with Seika nodding beside me again, slight confusion in their red eyes.
"Are you able to make it to the shop before noon and work until dusk?"
I felt like a bobblehead.
"Would you prefer to work on your own or together? Our supervisors outside noted that you both arrived together and entered together."
"If possible, we would prefer to work together during the entire stay."
The woman nodded, scribbling a few things down before gesturing to the door behind them, saying "We have a second test, which is a practical one. An experienced butcher will supervise as you aid her in disassembling the deer. Based on your actions and accomplishments, you will either be hired or be told to leave. Go."
Seika and I stood up and approached the door, with the red eyed child beside me whispering "Why are we here? Of all places, a butcher shop?"
I opened the door and nodded to the guard, who turned and began to lead us further into the building, the scent of blood thickening.
"A few reasons. Coin is the secondary goal here; we can buy some real food if we do good, and perhaps begin getting everything we need to survive on a decent diet? The primary reason though is... well, to see if you have any skill with a knife. This provides fresh carcasses for you to disassemble and learn to control your hands. That, and... well, if we get into a fight, learning to deal with the sight and scent of blood would be nice. I don't want to be here for a long time, but just enough to get some coin for what we need."
Seika frowned, and we rounded a corner inside the dim building and were told to enter the room that the guard gestured towards, a heavy metal door pushed open to reveal the large table that a deer rested on.
"This kills multiple birds with a single stone, and if we can stay off the streets and out of the eyes of some of the goons, even better. Besides, learning to handle your kills would be imperative if we ever venture outside the city walls... or if we hunt some birds inside the parks."
~~~
This is... a development.
Butchery?
Odd... but I can see the reasoning behind it, even if it is slightly... shaky.
Well, whatever~
~~~