1293 Deflated Confidence

Ves stepped out of Master Olson's estate with a profound sense of loss.

Though he did not value his apprenticeship to Master Olson all that much recently, to formally put an end to it made him realize what else he relied upon.

He keenly felt the absence of the psychological comfort his status as her apprentice provided. As long as he had a powerful Master Mech Designer hovering over his head, he felt he could get away with a lot.

Now that he lost her direct care, Ves did not feel so easily anymore. A former apprentice may possess some lingering informal ties to Master Olson, but formally he was no longer a part of her organization.

Many mech designers who completed their apprenticeships under a Master often moved on to join their company or become a part of their business network.

Not so for Ves. In order to reinforce the impression that Ves no longer had anything to do with the Friday Coalition, Master Olson did not bring up any of those options.