The Ranch

Returning (3)

Managing to get a couple hours of sleep before the sun rose, Tih wakes up feeling refreshed. Although a normal person, let's say, Major Jax for example, would be cramping from not stretching before sleeping and sore from the trial yesterday, not to mention, his horrible sunburn and peeling skin.

Getting out of bed, Tih moves to wake Kai up to see him already awake. Tih blinks once.

"Ah, someone had to feed you breakfast everyday, so I set an alarm for myself. Now, it looks like I've grown accustomed to waking up early." He yawns, getting up to brush his teeth and get ready for the day.

Tih puts on a new hoodie. He's grown a favorable impression of the singular pocket. This one is dark green with a white trim. He still wears the military pants and boots that they were first given.

Once the two finish freshening up, they head to the cafeteria for breakfast.

They meet up with Sherlock and Lucien, who's shocked expressions resemble Kai's from last night, but instead of balling their eyes out, Sherlock shows a big smile and Lucien says," Good to see your not dead " with his best attempt of a smile. Lucien's reaction could be taken the wrong way if it were anyone else, but Tih just nods at their greeting.

Before starting any conversations, the group decides to buy their meals first. They would originally pick one floor and all get the same food, but now that the group is more familiar with each other, they non-politely split up to get whichever meal they most want, planning to meet back at their spot on the second floor.

Tih decides to head up to the top floor. He warmly welcomed by Instructor Raphael, cuts the vegetables for the day, grabs his meal, and head back down. As he becomes more familiar with a kitchen knife, his hand speed increases, drastically shortening the time it takes to cut everything up. Adding that to the fact that the line is basically non-existent, Tih and the others meet back at the second floor at around the same time.

Tih quietly listens to their conversation," Looks like some of the new recruits are already looking for jobs. I'm guessing they didn't spend their money very wisely." Sherlock comments.

Kai adds," Yeah, I kinda feel back for the small percentage that didn't get into any classes."

"What? No, that was totally on them. There were many chances to get into a class. A few of the very disliked classes even had a few empty spots." Sherlock argues.

"So it's not that they were t able to get a class, but their stubbornness didn't let them sign up." Kai sighs. "They better grow out of that soon or else it'll be too late for regrets."

As a month has already passed since the newbies first arrived, most have already run out of money and are looking for a job. Some newbies saved their money relatively well, and are able to buy a couple more meals than other newbies before having to look for a job.

Of course, Tih, who hasn't bought meals in a month, still has most of his money. Even if he didn't go into that coma, he only eats one meal a day and can also get free meals from the top floor. Unlike the other newbies who are rushing to find jobs to feed themselves, Tih has no worries.

Also, since a month has passed, most classes are finishing up. Those that pass can pay to go into an advanced class if their teacher is willing. If the teacher is unwilling to teach a student, they can decline. This is different from apprenticeship, as the Instructors are not responsible for any of the students actions and also doesn't need to share all of their knowledge with said students. Most are not willing to pay for advanced classes, as they're not willing to fork out the money, or don't have enough in the first place. Jobs are willing to hire after soldiers pass the basics, so there's no real need to pay for any extra classes except for combat classes, which train physical ability. Plus, learning an martial art or weapon takes years to qualify as substandard. They don't have to pay for classes if they're taken in as an apprentice, but Instructors are rare and hard to come by. Becoming a famous combat instructor takes talent and ability. If one does not have enough grit and perseverance, they can only look at the position from below.

Most classes are ending the day after the Newbie Tournament, with many soldiers aiming to grab an instructor's eye and an apprenticeship. Some succeed, some do not. Those that do not will go job hunting. Apprentices are supplied with daily costs by their Instructor, and maybe even an allowance depending on the teacher's character.

A good example would be Phillip's teacher, who has multiple students and gives them an allowance based on their performance during the month, which is actually quite generous when comparing it to other Instructors. The reason being, most instructors themselves are fairly poor. They can earn enough to make a decent living, but would they be willing to let go of their hard-earned cash to a little brat?  Another reason is Phillip's teacher is one of the largest merchants on the island and has no reason to be stingy with his amiable personality.