He was Almost Absorbed by the System

Chapter One Hundred And Fifty Three - In Town To Trade And Learn

"O'vel-win!" The loud calls of his mother roused him from his sleep.  He frowned.  He felt like he had been dreaming about someone or something.  His heart felt nostalgia, but he couldn't recall a single detail, as if the dream was nothing but smoke in his grasp.  Shaking off the last vestiges of sleep, he roused from his bed and rubbed his temples.  "O'vel-win!" She called again.  "Wake up! I need you to take the children to school!"

His frown deepened.  What was with that?  Why was he required to take the little ones into town to the small library that seconded as the school?  It was normally something that a cousin dealt with as he had business in town anyway.

And so, after he took the ladder down to the hallway that lead to their kitchen, he questioned his mother.  "You have the day off," she replied in her no nonsense tone.  "And as L'nan-win also has school, I volunteered you.  Your older cousins family are sick with a fever and cannot take the little ones as usual." 

Her third son grumbled crossly, he had been hoping to laze the day away after lounging in the baths for a long while. 

"Give me some face," she chided him.  "I still get snide comments once in a while over your chosen career, something that I never once questioned."

"Alright," he agreed with a sigh, seeing as this was true.  After he had fallen into the career, his parents and older brothers had been supportive, but the family as a whole considered that he was turning his back on their way of life.  They refused to understand the reasons behind the Machine, simply fearing it would cause them loss of position.

There were twelve children of learning age in the family, fourteen if you added the pair that were currently sick.  Education was something that was paid for per lesson, but children only attended for a couple of years, enough to learn to read, write and learn basic numeracy.  After that, the children would take lessons from Masters of certain careers until a full apprenticeship was offered for a specific path and a career after that. 

O'vel-win had little interest in his family's usual careers, he was lazy, his penmanship sloppy and he strangely lacked the love of knowledge that ran deep within his people.  When his Masters, the creators of the Machine came to town hoping to recruit talent, one family member was cursing him for some matter or other and had practically thrown him in their direction stating that if they could make something of him, they were welcome to him.  He did not know why his Masters took a chance on him, but both sides were glad they had.  He could state that his family were hypocritical in that sense, wanting him working, but not where he found some ability, but he didn't.

He hitched up the wagon that his older cousin usually used to take the children into town.  He didn't bother asking whether he could or not, he wasn't about to walk the little ones when it would take an hour at the very least to get there on foot.  The children climbed in without a word, though he received some unhappy glances from their parents, as if he would influence them badly or something, especially as the children were always so fond of the man. In fact, none of the adults disliked him, just his career. L'nan-win was not shy about his affections and climbed onto O'vel-win's back with a joyous greeting.  O'vel-win returned his warmth and settled him beside him in the front seat.

Just as they were about to leave, a girl with long silver and white hair ran up to them.  "Cousin O'vel-win," she called out, her eyes holding stars for the person she spoke to.  O'vel-win attempted not to roll his eyes heavenward.  "I have chores within town.  Might I ride with you?"

"Sure," he said, lazily.  He would not embarrass her in front of their family, but he would tell her, at some point today, that it was not possible between them.  She gazed at him with hope and climbed up in front, not even bothered by the child that firmly sat between them.