Tea and Story time [private]

Job:

Tatsu sat in the guild hall listening intently to the masters briefing of the mission at hand. "You see...i dont intrust just anyone with this sort of job...Tatsu you must realize the importance of what you are about to do and i hope that you can respect that." he said sternly. The boy sat silently making eye contact with his master and only nodded his head in confirmation. "Im sure I can have tea with your grandmother" Tatsu said, not understanding why this Job was deemed so..serious. Maybe it was just the masters way of speaking, or maybe his grandmother was some sort of super sly ninja that needed watching...whatever it was tatsu agreed to do this job and would see it to its completion. "i'll be on my way right now sir" Tatsu said as he stood and made his way to Magnolia Town to meet with the Masters grandmother..

WC: 155

Walking down the path into the city Tatsu wondered what kind of woman she would be...after all she did raise the Guild Masters Parent, perhaps she was a wizard as well? If that was the case then he imagined that she would most likely have some pretty amazing stories of jobs she had gone on or perhaps had some ancient magic.... then again she probably wasn't that old. With a wondering mind Tatsu continued down the road until he reached the entrance of of Magnolia Town. He looked at a small piece of paper, trying to read the masters writing "Uh lets see....only a few houses from here actually" he said as he continued on his way. Stuffing the paper back into his pocket Tatsu continued forward with his hands in his pockets. This job didn't seem like it would be all too tough, if anything it seemed like it would be a bit boring, not the kind of job Tatsu would usually take but seeing as the guild master asked him personally he had no choice.

WC: 179

Finally arriving at the woman's home, he knocked on the door and waited for an answer. Moments later the door creaked open and the old leathery face of a woman revealed itself from the darkness within. "Oh..you must be one of my Grandsons Disciples come in come in" she said as he returned to the darkness. It seemed kind of eerie, but Tatsu went forth anyhow, entering the home and closing the door behind him. It seemed as if she disappeared into a dark hallway that met at the other end of the door and proceeded into the next room. Tatsu blinked within the darkness and followed along but he would soon find that the hallway lead into a cozy looking living room. , The fireplace crackled, giving warmth throughout the entire home, there was a couch and two chairs that circled around a coffee table, which was in the center of the living room. "Have a seat" the old woman suggested.

WC: 162

Tatsu sat down and looked at the small platter that lay upon the coffee table. He eyed the snicker doodles that were set ever so elegantly on the plate, then looked over to the tea kettle and the two cups that accompanied it. "Please have something" she implored. Tatsu nodded and took a cookie and poured both cups of tea, taking one for himself. He began to think for a moment "So, what is your name? Mine is Tatsu" he said sitting back in the chair and taking a bite of his cookie. This wasn't the most dangerous job but it certainly was enjoyable so far. "You may call me Margret young man" she said promptly. Tatsu nodded and watched her for a moment, she had a sort elegant yet comforting way of speaking. It was delicate like a caregiver yet direct and clear like some sort of test examiner, this woman was quite dignified and clearly developed a proper etiquette from her many years

WC: 165

"Tell me, why did you decide to learn magic young man?" Margret asked, the tone of her voice now shifting into a more serious one. Tatsu thought about this question for a moment, for a long time his motivations had been quite clear to him, he wanted to be powerful so that he could protect the people he cares about as well as spread his name across the the land. "I want t be powerful" he answered simply.

"Let me tell you something Tatsu, being a Wizard isn't all fun and games...you remember this now. There is a responsibility you must take when learning the art of magic, you owe it not only to your guild but to yourself that you use magic to protect the ones you care about and never use it for spite or dark intentions..." she said pausing briefly as to let the words sink into the boys mind and then continued. "In my golden years I too was a wizard, there was this man who was in my guild and he too wanted to become stronger. He however took the path of darkness and ended up joining a dark guild...a few years later i had learned that he had killed himself trying to perfect the dark arts. Magic is something that we aren't meant to toy with, its as dangerous as any weapon out there Tatsu" she said, her eyes staring straight into Tatsu. This gave him a strange feeling, almost as if he was being examined...the story itself had a strange effect on him as well. He thought about his father, he too gave similar advice during the training of his younger years. "I'll make sure to be careful" he said, feeling as if thats all he could really offer. He began to grow a bit tense. He then took to drinking some of his tea so that he would not have to speak, even if only for a moment.

WC: 329

"What was that mans name..? If i may ask Miss Margret" he inquired, his voice a bit shaky, obviously this woman was in a very serious mood but the young mans curiosity had taken its grip around his mind yet again. She gave a light sigh and sipped her tea, clearing her throat and her mind for what she was about to say next. "This mans name was Hoi, he was a teammate of mine, and i do say he was quite the wizard. His potential with magic was so great you see. You could tell whenever he walked in the room he just possessed a great inner power." her voice started to drift off, as if she was getting lost in her memories, but it was quite the opposite however; she remembered it all as if it were just the other day. Vivid images played in her head like it was her own personal move theater and as she watched what was happening she would narrate to Tatsu the story of her team and Hoi.

Soon enough minutes turned into hours and the two of them had gotten lost in conversation. Time seemed to stop as the young wizard, Tatsu, sat in that comfy chair , listening to the old woman's tales of magic and heroism. Accompanied by tea and some very masterfully baked cookies, Tatsu felt the tension escape his mind, he actually felt quite at home. The woman's hospitality could rival that of a high class hotel, which was saying much considering all she had to offer were some fairly basic refreshments and some magnificent stories. What had seemed like a cold mysterious cave of a place had turned into a warm , welcoming den.

WC: 286

After long the day with granny was finally coming to an end, it had been about half a day actually, considering Tatsu had left the guild hall a little after the morning was over. It had seemed as if time flew with every word that had left the woman's aged lips. Tatsu stood up and began to stretch his arms out. "Thank you for listening to me young man, in my old age it isn't often i get to go out and speak with people. " she said a smile appearing on her wrinkled face. Tatsu returned the smile and bowed in respect "I should be the one to thank you Miss Margret, Your stories were both moving and educational, clearly you've had a lot of experience in your long long life" he replied, but as the sentence had escaped his mouth he felt a cold chill go down his back.

"ARE YOU CALLING ME OLD!? " the woman shouted.  Tatsu's eyes widened and shook his head "No no im sorry, i just misspoke" he said, trying to cover himself up.  She nodded and took a sip of her tea and simply said "Good".  Tatsu gave a sigh of relief and took another cookie from the table. "I better get going now, ill tell the master you said hello!"  tatsu said heading for the door until he had been stopped by the sound of the womans voice once more. "I see potential in you Tatsu, just remember what ive taught you". she said, the serious voice speaking to him again.  The young lightning wizard nodded and headed out, knowing he had a long journey ahead of him..one full of friendships, lovers and magic.

WC: 282

Final WC: 1558