Death of a Boy

The First Day

The sun is already rising, and Adrian is late.

It is a nuisance, Erin recalls her first apprentice was dead on time. He was a boy who followed the rules as if they were set in stone, sometimes the seer wondered if he would be a better fit as a knight. At the end of the day, when she saw him throw a dart into the centre of a dart board purely for sport, Erin knew she chose right. Even with his personality as monotone as a bleak and stormy sky, and their rather nonexistent bond, Erin was devastated by his death.

Several seers had heckled Erin over the loss of the newly chosen apprentice, and the thought of never taking up another apprentice grew even heavier upon every breath Erin took in. It was Shaun, the overseer, who'd convinced her to find an apprentice, saying she should at least try and find one who she liked. An apprentice and teacher often had a great bond, one Erin wasn't able to have before the passing of her first student.

Adrian is a different matter. He is likeable and unique. Adrian has a personality that is not bland and monotone and seems to have a certain spark that attracts everyone who catches sight of him.

The only thing that is a bit eye-opening is his timing. When he comes late - and that he does, an exact thirteen minutes after six - he stumbles over to her door rather noisily, the steady rhythm of the guard who had brought him treading back to their posts a little ways behind him once they see he has found her door. Even without Erin's keen hearing, a regular man could be able to know someone was at the door with all that racket.

"Come in," Erin calls, saving the boy the added time to knock. There are several seconds before he collects himself, pushing open the door. Adrian steps in, a rather hesitant look clouding his young face. He closes the door behind him, eyeing the seer for several moments, confusion obvious. "I--I'm here, um, I'm here to see Erin, ma'am."

The seer raises a brow sharply, the air between them as thick as molasses. "I believe that'd be me." Adrian's eyes look her form up and down once more, confusion thickening. "You didn't expect me to be a girl, did you?"

"I--I just--Um," Adrian sucks in deep breaths, eyes looking anywhere but at his new teacher.

His confusion is not a shock. Many believe people holding ranks that partake in combat are men. Knights nowadays are exclusively men, while female archers are beginning to be chosen rather slowly, the act so subtle none of the serfs knew enough to kick up. Seers are people hidden under navy cloaks, their identities vague and their genders estimated as male.

This morning, though, Erin left her cloak in her bedroom. She chose specifically to wear something tight today, which is a rarity. The outfit that leaves Adrian so shocked is simply well fitting black tights, as well as a grey blouse, cut with two shirt tails and knotted at the front.

"Would you like some tea, maybe some coffee?" Erin asks, already heading back to the kitchen, "I also have some bread and jam, if you're interested."

"I--I think I'm alright," Adrian tells her softly, looking around the room he stands in curiously.

Albeit his refusal, Erin still leaves the room with a shrug. As soon as she leaves, the boy feels as if a weight has lifted off his shoulders. Her heavy gaze and kept together manner completely throw Adrian off-guard. Just like her, the room makes him uneasy as well, but for a completely different reason.

Adrian stands by the door, two odd-looking houseplants he's never seen before by his sides, sitting on top of two tables in order to elevate the small things. There's a circular table with four chairs, made of what looks to be oak wood. In a corner of the room, there's a desk with papers stacked high, bookshelves beside the desk filled with trinkets and thick books. To his left, where Erin had run off to, there's a kitchen that's only separated by a quarter wall. Adrian can still see the small woman working over her steaming kettle, but the distance is what eases him. To his left, there's a long hallway that he presumes leads to Erin's bedroom and bathroom.

Adrian is still standing at the door awkwardly when Erin returns carrying a steaming mug of coffee for herself, the other cup filled to the brim with apple juice. "Come, sit down, it's fine." Adrian seems uncertain with the welcome tone she is emitting, "We'll be near each other for quite a while, might as well get used to each other early. It'll save us a lot of time getting to know each other if we spend your first day simply."

Adrian takes his time sitting down at the table. He makes sure to choose out of the four chairs the one that is farthest from Erin's. It disheartens her a bit, but she mentally brushes off the action as she pushes his cup of juice towards him.

"So, um," Adrian decides to speak, palms carefully wrapping around his cup. "You're training me to kill people, right? I'm becoming some sort of assassin?"

 "There's a lot more to it than just being assassins." She tells him with a chuckle, "We do our very best to make sure we don't fight our victims, and it's my job to teach you how to avoid confrontation. Soon enough, I'll be teaching you stealth training, and you'll be given knives." Erin sees the tugging at the edges of Adrian's lips, and she feels a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. "That's what you will be learning for your first year. It's only knife work, both throwing and for combat, as well as the art of unseen movement. Basic self-defence is also mandatory, but loosely judged. At the end of the year, you'll be assessed by another seer."

Adrian waits for her to continue, but when Erin does not he points out her pause with an uncertain tone. "But... Th--That's all? Isn't that e--exactly like an assassin?"

"Well," Erin frowns, placing her mug on the table and looking around, "Seers are also given a hefty amount of paperwork. My job is also to listen about, hear the ongoings of citizens and confirm rumours and the like. There's much more to the paperwork I do, but it's classified, you'll learn more once you reach my rank." Adrian's eyebrows furrow and Erin lets out a sigh. "Seers aren't given personal messengers or assistants like men and women of the court. You're to deliver the work I assign, fill out papers as I see fit, and anything else that may come up. I'll be there guiding you the first week, but that's how it goes." Erin waves her hand absentmindedly, "I always wondered why my own teacher didn't just do all his work himself, why someone like him could need help from me. He was perfectly capable of doing everything himself, and paperwork didn't sound like I really had to do it. He told me it was because of discipline and such, and that every apprentice seer needs to know these skills while they're still young, so I guess I'll have to trust the old fool."

Adrian's face lights up with shock, "C--Can you talk about your mentor like that?" He asks hurriedly, "I--I mean--He--"

"Oh, hush," Erin tells him with a roll of her eyes, "Soon enough, you'll speak to me the same. And that's okay because a seer and their apprentice hold a bond more special than friendship."

Erin smiles back at Adrian, who still seems unsure about everything. His juice still remains untouched. Erin briefly wonders if he is only holding the cup so that he doesn't fidget.

"So, what's first?" Adrian's question causes Erin's face to light up with glee briefly, and she drains the last of her coffee, placing the mug down lightly and nodding at the boy.

"Today is your first day," She tells him the obvious, "Tomorrow we'll do paperwork together. Today, we focus on you."

"M--Me?" Adrian repeats, voice several octaves higher than usual.

"Yes," Erin leans her elbows on the table before her, chin propped by her hands. "I want to know all there is to it about my new apprentice."