Cinderellie Part 2
Urrrrgh. Sorry, my brain is oozing. This one is better than the last, though it deteriorates towards the end. Bear with me, for tonight we dine in...BREAKFAST.
By which I mean, the next installment will include meals.
Matthias woke up with a headache. Contributing to that were the whitewashed walls of the room he was in- he was a little hazy on how he got there, in fact- and an eastward-facing window. He rolled over, moaning, and shoved his head under the only pillow on the single bed. He could hear running water and clanking, as well as something that sounded like an off-key attempt at music. The more he thought about the night previous the more things came into focus- an oddity in and of itself; Matthias was used to such things slipping out of his grasp-and the more he remembered the more things made sense. He was in the spare room of Jordan, who he believed to be a wizard, and if Matthias remembered correctly, it was possible he was going to be getting a job. He was contemplating thinking about getting up when there came an abrupt knock on the door before Jordan walked in, bearing a steaming mug of coffee and a pile of clothes. He put the clothes down on the dresser before moving towards the bed.
"Good morning," he said brightly, setting the mug on the nightstand. "I'm sorry to get you up so early but my schedule requires it." Matthias sat up on his elbows, taking the coffee gratefully. He chanced a scalding sip despite the temperature, though the bitter flavor mixed badly with the taste left in his mouth from the evening previous. "Oh, and I brought you this, since I'm making you get up so early," Jordan said, taking a wooden talisman off his neck. "Here, put it on and break the sealing wax." He handed it to him and Matthias obliged, wincing as the rough twine scratched the back of his neck. "It's a hangover charm. My mother's recipe with a few adjustments, courtesy of myself. You don't talk much, do you?"
Matthias cleared his throat while trying to break the seal. It was easier said than done, but after a small struggle he got it. The affects were not immediate, but already the sour taste in his mouth was fading. "So, you are a wizard then?" he asked hoarsely, giving a Jordan an inquisitive look over his mug.
Obviously pleased that he was speaking, Jordan sat down on the end of the bed. "Oh, yes. That's what the green is for," he said, holding up an arm and gesturing at the emerald fabric. "I specialize in mundane things like cooking fixes, cleaners, hangover cures- that sort of thing. Healers wear yellow, prophets wear blue, bruisers wear red, mundies wear green. It's pretty simple. Of course, there are more categories, but you know," he shrugged, "That covers the basics." Matthias nodded and finished his coffee.
"Thank you, by the way. For the tab and letting me stay here, I mean." Matthias always hated
expressing gratitude- he never felt like he seemed quite grateful enough. Jordan brushed him off, however.
"Don't be. You're helping me out, I promise." He paused, taking a moment to blink owlishly at Matthias, brown eyes almost orange in the sunlight. "If you are taking the job, I mean." Matthias stuttered, not really sure of what his plans were. Noticing his discomfort, Jordan raised a hand. "Don't worry about it now, Matthias. We can talk about it later. You've just woken up anyway- haven't even had breakfast yet. How rude of me, sorry." He flashed an apologetic smile before getting up. "There's some clean clothes for you on the dresser, and then there's some shaving charms in the bathroom," Jordan explained, gesturing towards a little room no bigger than a closet. "Of course, you can do it the old-fashioned way too, if you'd like. There should be a clean blade and shaving cream as well. I'm going to go and prepare breakfast."
No sooner than he had walked out, he stepped back in. "I'm sorry, how do you like your eggs?"
Matthias blinked. "Sunny-side up." He waltzed out again, just like that. Jordan, as Matthias was going to learn, was very enthusiastic in all things he did, and he tended to do all of them at once.
He got out of bed after he was certain Jordan had left, taking a moment to observe his surroundings. It had been too dark the night before to get a proper look at it. It was small, as he had observed earlier, and whitewashed walls led to whitewashed floorboards creaky with age. There was a bed, a small nightstand, a dresser, and a bookshelf. The latter had little on it- mainly the dusty sort of book you would find in the bedroom of an unwanted guest. All in all, it wasn't so bad. Matthias had stayed in less cheery places, though they were often considerably less dull. The bathroom was also small, with most of the room being taken up by the toilet and sink. The mirror was old, he could tell, soap scum and water leaving spots and streaks. There was a cabinet behind it and, as promised there was a handful of clunky wooden pendants as well as a razor and a can of shaving cream of unknown vintage. The razor, however, was rusty.
Matthias, feeling a little more confident with the usage of charms, untangled one of the trinkets from the bunch and broke the wax. He nearly dropped the pendant with surprise when it kicked in, his entire lower-face tingling. Matthias raised a hand to a cheek, a little surprised when a few stray hairs came off with it. Excited, he washed his face and examined the charm's handiwork in the mirror. It was the closest shave he had ever had.
Magic, he decided, may have its uses. Not that he really doubted it, seeing as many of the luxuries of Opolis were due to magic, but this was one of this first close encounters. He rushed to put the clean clothes on before attempting to find the kitchen. He would need to stop and get his belongings when he could; the shirt was too tight in the shoulders and the pants were too short in the leg. All in all, a bad fit. Still, satisfied he was decent, he left his room.
:p If you don't comment I will eat your babies.
By which I mean, the next installment will include meals.
Matthias woke up with a headache. Contributing to that were the whitewashed walls of the room he was in- he was a little hazy on how he got there, in fact- and an eastward-facing window. He rolled over, moaning, and shoved his head under the only pillow on the single bed. He could hear running water and clanking, as well as something that sounded like an off-key attempt at music. The more he thought about the night previous the more things came into focus- an oddity in and of itself; Matthias was used to such things slipping out of his grasp-and the more he remembered the more things made sense. He was in the spare room of Jordan, who he believed to be a wizard, and if Matthias remembered correctly, it was possible he was going to be getting a job. He was contemplating thinking about getting up when there came an abrupt knock on the door before Jordan walked in, bearing a steaming mug of coffee and a pile of clothes. He put the clothes down on the dresser before moving towards the bed.
"Good morning," he said brightly, setting the mug on the nightstand. "I'm sorry to get you up so early but my schedule requires it." Matthias sat up on his elbows, taking the coffee gratefully. He chanced a scalding sip despite the temperature, though the bitter flavor mixed badly with the taste left in his mouth from the evening previous. "Oh, and I brought you this, since I'm making you get up so early," Jordan said, taking a wooden talisman off his neck. "Here, put it on and break the sealing wax." He handed it to him and Matthias obliged, wincing as the rough twine scratched the back of his neck. "It's a hangover charm. My mother's recipe with a few adjustments, courtesy of myself. You don't talk much, do you?"
Matthias cleared his throat while trying to break the seal. It was easier said than done, but after a small struggle he got it. The affects were not immediate, but already the sour taste in his mouth was fading. "So, you are a wizard then?" he asked hoarsely, giving a Jordan an inquisitive look over his mug.
Obviously pleased that he was speaking, Jordan sat down on the end of the bed. "Oh, yes. That's what the green is for," he said, holding up an arm and gesturing at the emerald fabric. "I specialize in mundane things like cooking fixes, cleaners, hangover cures- that sort of thing. Healers wear yellow, prophets wear blue, bruisers wear red, mundies wear green. It's pretty simple. Of course, there are more categories, but you know," he shrugged, "That covers the basics." Matthias nodded and finished his coffee.
"Thank you, by the way. For the tab and letting me stay here, I mean." Matthias always hated
expressing gratitude- he never felt like he seemed quite grateful enough. Jordan brushed him off, however.
"Don't be. You're helping me out, I promise." He paused, taking a moment to blink owlishly at Matthias, brown eyes almost orange in the sunlight. "If you are taking the job, I mean." Matthias stuttered, not really sure of what his plans were. Noticing his discomfort, Jordan raised a hand. "Don't worry about it now, Matthias. We can talk about it later. You've just woken up anyway- haven't even had breakfast yet. How rude of me, sorry." He flashed an apologetic smile before getting up. "There's some clean clothes for you on the dresser, and then there's some shaving charms in the bathroom," Jordan explained, gesturing towards a little room no bigger than a closet. "Of course, you can do it the old-fashioned way too, if you'd like. There should be a clean blade and shaving cream as well. I'm going to go and prepare breakfast."
No sooner than he had walked out, he stepped back in. "I'm sorry, how do you like your eggs?"
Matthias blinked. "Sunny-side up." He waltzed out again, just like that. Jordan, as Matthias was going to learn, was very enthusiastic in all things he did, and he tended to do all of them at once.
He got out of bed after he was certain Jordan had left, taking a moment to observe his surroundings. It had been too dark the night before to get a proper look at it. It was small, as he had observed earlier, and whitewashed walls led to whitewashed floorboards creaky with age. There was a bed, a small nightstand, a dresser, and a bookshelf. The latter had little on it- mainly the dusty sort of book you would find in the bedroom of an unwanted guest. All in all, it wasn't so bad. Matthias had stayed in less cheery places, though they were often considerably less dull. The bathroom was also small, with most of the room being taken up by the toilet and sink. The mirror was old, he could tell, soap scum and water leaving spots and streaks. There was a cabinet behind it and, as promised there was a handful of clunky wooden pendants as well as a razor and a can of shaving cream of unknown vintage. The razor, however, was rusty.
Matthias, feeling a little more confident with the usage of charms, untangled one of the trinkets from the bunch and broke the wax. He nearly dropped the pendant with surprise when it kicked in, his entire lower-face tingling. Matthias raised a hand to a cheek, a little surprised when a few stray hairs came off with it. Excited, he washed his face and examined the charm's handiwork in the mirror. It was the closest shave he had ever had.
Magic, he decided, may have its uses. Not that he really doubted it, seeing as many of the luxuries of Opolis were due to magic, but this was one of this first close encounters. He rushed to put the clean clothes on before attempting to find the kitchen. He would need to stop and get his belongings when he could; the shirt was too tight in the shoulders and the pants were too short in the leg. All in all, a bad fit. Still, satisfied he was decent, he left his room.
:p If you don't comment I will eat your babies.