Rodadnuf
Lineage : Anathema to Divinity
Position : None
Faction : The Ironheart Pact
Posts : 248
Guild : Silver Wolf
Cosmic Coins : 100
Dungeon Tokens : 0
Experience : 2,561,089
Character Sheet
First Skill: Rollins & Schwartz-Brand
Second Skill: Heaven God Slayer
Third Skill:
by Rodadnuf 19th February 2022, 10:17 pm
Tim had heard of the horror stories. Weeks on end for approval just to get another stage of the application process. It was the waiting that killed the spirits of many who get in line for these sorts of things. But Tim was used to it, the waiting. The time he spent trying to get approval for his SE-plug licenses alone was worth a few months off his lifespan, and that excluded the actual training process.
The Fiore Foreign Affairs Office, or any government building for that matter, was not a happy building. The stone gothic architecture matched the feeling people had every time they went inside to line-up. There was a dreaded mundane atmosphere to it, something Tim had not noticed till he had actually taken up the time waiting. The last time he was here was when he renewed his SE-plug license, that was around three years ago. He was accompanied by other co-workers who had their renewed too, so that was not a boring time spent. But being alone with other people spiritually dead waiting was a refreshingly unpleasant experience for Tim.
“I’ve been at this for the past half month.” One man muttered in a waiting seat two rows in front of Tim. “This never changes, I tell you.”
“Tell me about it…” Another bored man said and off they went, trying to stave off boredom with idle conversation. If Tim had been a row closer, he would have joined in.
“I should’ve brought Wolf.” Tim sighed. “I bet that mutt would have done something to keep me from getting bored.”
“You have a wolf?” Tim heard young man his age two seats beside him call.
Tim looked at him. He was dressed rather neatly in contrast to Tim’s usual dress shirt and trousers outfit. But he sounded curious, Tim humored him. “Yeah, I thought they wouldn’t let animals in so I didn’t bother.”
“You’re right, they don’t let them in.” He said. “Sounds like a blast buying one though.”
Buy, huh? Tim snorted at that. The lengths people go…
“You ever take it out on walks?”
“It goes out by itself.”
“Seriously? Did you hire that mage, Millanius? Heard he could tame any creature, even the magical ones!”
“I don’t know who-”
“I bet that’d sick getting one and housetrain it! Oh, man. I think you just convinced me!”
Tim didn’t think he would be so grateful for his new iLac to ring. Enthusiastically, Tim got up from his seat and excused himself. But when Tim read who the caller was, he froze. It was someone he was very familiar with. “Tim, dear?” And someone he did not want to make conversation with at the moment.
“Edna…” Tim’s voice softened. “Hi.”
“I heard you’re in the capital getting your passport?” Her enthusiastic voice didn’t even betray her age. “Your job in the Phoenix Mountains must’ve taken off!”
“Yeah… listen, Edna, I-”
“Oh! I’m digressing again, apologies dear. I called you not to catch up, we can do that anytime.” Her voice softened.
“Mr. Timson?” Someone called Tim from behind. He was standing beside a pillar by the main waiting hall when a clerk-looking lady walked towards him. Tim heard Enda continue talking over the device. “I had your passport arranged. I called in a few people when you sent your application last week.”
Sure enough, Tim was holding the approved forms complete with the passport itself handed by the office lady. She promptly left with a bow as Tim heard Edna sigh from across the line. “I don’t know what you’ve been going through, dear. But I heard you went back for a drink with the others…”
Tim cursed under his breath. “About that…”
“Just come over for a visit.” Tim could feel her smile as she spoke. “We can talk over dinner, if you don’t want to have a chance meeting with Arthur.”
Tim sighed, she read right through him. “I’ll call you when I can. Thanks, Edna.”
“My pleasure, dear.”
It turned out his new iLac had a use after all.
Words:
677/677
