The Starry Maiden

Readjustments Required

Getting back into the routine of my life has certainly been proving harder than I expected... It's already January and it feels like I just got back.

At the orders of the doctors, I was home bound with the exception of the occasional grocery run. Venus and Zephyr had come to live with me for the first while. Venus had left for work after three weeks, but Zephyr decided to stay with me. After that first month, I started to get back into some of the things I had been doing before. Going to the gym a few times a week, even going to my job at the café that I had been working at while I was in school. Although, all the extra training I had been doing with Venus' help essentially stopped. The official reason is due to my accident. As for my trips to the gym, I am playing it off as having gone to a physiotherapist who gave me some exercises to help regain some strength. But the reason I have pushed to keep the lessons from continuing, is that I wouldn't be able to explain my sudden jump in skill.

According to most of the people Venus had found to coach me I was one of the most talented people they had come across, but talent cannot explain the presence of skill made by real world experience. And any skilled person would be able to tell the difference straight away. And the people Venus had found for me? I now realize are incredibly skilled people.

Work certainly took time to get back into the daily routine. Being back at that café felt surreal at first, much in the same way as chatting with Zephyr and Venus in the hospital room. From helping patrons and cleaning, to making coffee and snacks. Although, the first week and a half was something of a disaster. Less so with broken dishes and more so that my muscle memory had faded. Which made getting back into the everyday at the café take its time. It was helpful that my boss allowed me to take fewer shifts most weeks.

Luckily, my parents had put me down for a sort of critical illness coverage that gave enough to keep me covered for a while in the eyes of the world. I had also arranged it ahead of time that I would receive an offer of work from one of my smaller companies, which is where I will be able to secure my official income. Despite have near limitless resources I can't have the money appearing out of thin air... Part of that money is going to be one of my Italian based companies giving me a sort of heroics award. This all of course having been a part of my plan as I have fabricated it through the years I've lived to get back to this point in time.

The university in Scotland I had arranged to have my schooling start at gave me the okay to take a break for the at least the next year, but unofficially they are letting me take as long as I need. Since I had taken my first two years of my bachelor's degree with them they already liked my grades.

Although, one of my professors from my bachelor's degree had contacted me asking if I wanted to do a couple of hours helping during the week. She had been my favourite professor from the last two years of my bachelor's, so I said yes.

Not to mention that Zephyr has been sticking around me like never before. I tried to bring it up once, but...

"Like I would abandon my adorable littlest sister after she had such a traumatizing experience!" Which he ended with a bear hug while rubbing his cheek against me. Typical Zephyr.

I wonder if Zephyr is sharper than I thought... He and Aquilo had graduated the same year I had started high school and we had drifted apart because they left for university. Basically, since I got into high school, I have had little to no regular contact with him. Even before the ferry incident the last time I had seen him was probably around... Four or five months. Maybe even longer...

But man, oh man. He has been like a walking pop quiz. He has been couch-surfing at my apartment and every time we cross paths, he brings up something about when we were kids or something else. He has also sneakily followed me while I got errands done a couple of times. Even a few other times... But if it had been me before, I wouldn't have noticed. So, I kept along my way without reacting to him, and I continued with my day as per usual. Work at the café in the late afternoon for a couple of hours, followed by helping out one of my profs, then groceries.