Of Heroes and Happenings

The Perfect One, Chapter 12

Lunch plans weren't all that had been said with Windy's spell, but Gwn'itt remained silent about the matter. Gwn'itt had promised to put the stand out of sight after Windy had explained the significance of it. "Very well," Gwn'itt offered in order to cover Windy's bluff. "Askil and I shall do our best to finish before you return; it will need to wait on the books though, I'm afraid."

"Gareth keeps them very well; it shouldn't be a taxing exercise; nevertheless, I shall walk back in order to give you more time," she promised. With a wave of her hand and a whisper, Windy disappeared.

The three remaining mages finished their breakfast with haste. Gwn'itt watched Gareth disappear into the showroom without a word. "While you wait," Gwn'itt offered to Askil soberly, "we shall need to clean the storage entirely before the Moonshadow Crescent returns, so if you could start by sorting empty crates out from those with goods yet therein, that would be a rather large help. Given the number of armor pieces we tend to enchant, the stand would be useful here in the corner between the curtain and the wall. That way, Gareth won't trip, and we've but to reach through with finished goods, yes?"

"Isn't the cot there though, along the wall inside the curtain?"

Gwn'itt nodded. "I had thought to move it down just a little bit, toward the table. Do this well, and you may have your first lesson at the marketplace, after lunch."

Gwn'itt had put long thought into Askil's first lesson in enchanting items, so looked forward to the lesson in the marketplace. It had been the first lesson that Gwn'itt had received from Aleban; how to choose suitable items for enchanting. It was an important lesson and one that had served Gwn'itt in good stead. As eager as Gwn'itt was to impart that lesson, however, Gareth was waiting with the ledgers for Gwn'itt's first lesson, this in business management.

Father will be pleased, at any rate, Gwn'itt thought with a smile that lasted well into the lesson with Gareth.

"You seem to like accounting," Gareth remarked as Gwn'itt worked on totaling various columns of entries. "I've always hated this aspect of the business."

Gwn'itt's smile only grew. "It reminds me of a much happier time in my life. Father used to give me lessons at his warehouse, when I was a child."

"Really? I had no idea you've a background in business, Gwn'itt! You've never spoken of your childhood, beyond explaining why Fire Genasi are so rare." For the first time since Gwn'itt had met him, Gareth's smile didn't reach his eyes, and his warm voice had a melancholy quality to it that only his family or close friends would be apt to notice.

Gwn'itt chose to explain, hoping to take Gareth's mind away from the cause of his sorrow. "That was before the City of Brass, of course. After I returned, my education focused solely on the arcane, for my grasp of it had blossomed there."

Unfortunately for Gwn'itt, the explanation only sparked more questions from Gareth. Still, it distracted Gwn'itt's employer from his own pain, so Gwn'itt chose to explain whatever Gareth cared to ask, as the two of them reconciled the accounting together. Gwn'itt had to work hard at not staring at Gareth's unshaven face. His disarray gave him a slightly feral, rather masculine appeal that Gwn'itt found quite distracting.

Sooner than Gwn'itt wished but later than it should have been, Gareth and Gwn'itt finished the bookwork. Gareth stayed to mind the counter while Gwn'itt returned to help Askil. Gwn'itt found with a mix of relief and delight that the lad had done a credible job at organizing everything.

Gwn'itt couldn't help but begin the long-anticipated lesson as they worked. Items deemed worthy of enchanting were stored nearest the enchanting room, while the rest were placed nearer the showroom. Empty crates stacked up to become makeshift shelving units, allowing items to be more easily found when requested or needed for display.