Future Job

The next few days passed peacefully. Then one day, the walls of Sedon greeted us from afar. We made it in one piece, and without any further complications. Once we entered through the gate, the warriors led us to a place where we could leave our Tauruses. I was a bit reluctant to leave Turry alone, but the owner assured me he would be treated very well. "Let's take care of my business first, then we'll be free to do whatever, alright?", Tara asked. I had no issues with that, and followed them to meet Master Ama.

We had to pass through the whole city, as master Ama's office was located near the western gate. Her office looked much different compared to the rest of Sedon. The lower half of her office was built from stones, while the upper half from wood. The design stood out from the usual Sedon buildings too. The slanted wooden roof looked to be hand crafted, while the walls resemble Apium's scenery. A few armoured Atols stood outside, but didn't stop us from entering.

That was where we parted our ways with the two warriors, as their job was done. They also mentioned that two other warriors will escort us back, since they were here to change them. Me and Tara continued up the stairs alone. The upstairs area had three rooms all together, but we walked towards the central room. That was where master Ama's office was located.

"Knock.. Knock", Tara knocked on the doors and awaited the permission to enter. "Come in", we heard a female voice inviting us in. Once we entered, I immediately noticed how big the room was. There was a large table with a few chairs to the side, and a thick desk behind which a female Atols sat. There were a few bookcases inside the room, and even some weird looking angled desks with paper atop them. "Master Ama, I came to talk with you", Tara said. "Have a seat. Little Anna came for a visit too?", she replied. I was a bit confused, because no one really said my name yet. "How do you know me? We haven't met, have we?", I asked. "Haha, that simple child I know your mother. Anyway, have a seat as well", she replied then turned towards Tara. "What can I help you with today?", she asked. Tara and master Ama discussed some sort of crafting projects and whatnot, but I wasn't interested in that.

I got lost in my thoughts for a while, until Tara nudged my shoulder. "Yes? What is it?", I asked. "Don't drift away to your lala land. We are done here, we can go now", she replied. I felt a bit embarrassed and apologised to them. "No harm done… You two are quite similar though", she replied. I wasn't sure what she referred to. Me and Tara were really different. Our fighting styles were different, our bodies were different and our characters too. "What do you mean?", I asked unsure. "I'm talking about your father. You two are similar. Though he was really interested in crafting, unlike you… You might look like your mother a lot, but those eyes, they are just like your father's", she explained. "You… know my father?", I asked, shocked. "Of course I do, we worked together in the past. He is the reason why I live here now, hehe", she said and reclined in her chair. "Can you tell me more?", I asked a bit excited. Master Ama thought about it for a while, "Maybe another time. I need to get back to work, and you two should go as well. Have some fun, visit Sedon's Stage or tour the city. There's loads to do here".

Though disappointed, I didn't try to pry anything else out of her. We left master Ama's office and headed toward Dawn's house. 'To think my father worked with master Ama in the past… Who exactly was he? A craftsman?', I asked myself. "Hey Anna, cheer up. Wanna go grab something to eat, before we visit Dawn?", Tara asked. "Are you that cheap? Let's go get Dawn, and then head out to eat something. Afterwards, we can visit the stage", I replied. Tara got worked up about me calling her cheap, but that wasn't even a lie. Dawn's house was near the centre of the city, but she wasn't home when we inquired. "Hello Tara. Oh! And little Anna is here too? What a nice surprise. Dawn is not at home right now, but I might know where she is", Dawn's mother greeted us. "She sometimes goes just outside Sedon, where she can practice some of her skills in peace… When you leave through the eastern gate, follow the wall on your left. You should be able to find her if she's there", she explained.

We thanked her, and promised to visit again later. "Dawn should take it easy. Every time I visit, all I hear is work or practice. She's no fun at all", Tara said. "Is it bad to be hard working? You should look up to her instead", I replied. "Hey! I know how to have fun, and I know when to work or practice. Besides, training with others can be fun. That's when I can also meet with…", she stopped at that stage and refused to continue. "Heeeh… What do we have here? You have a crush on someone?", I probed. "Who said that? I never said that. I like to practice with everyone", she replied promptly, but the panic in her voice was clear. "You are trying too hard, Tara. You are a blabbermouth, I just have to use it against you. Or you can tell me enough now, and I'll let you off", I said. Tara refused to acknowledge that, and insisted she didn't find anyone attractive at all.

"Hey, what about you?... Now that I think about it, you always sit at home. A complete mommy's girl had no way of experiencing something like that, hehe", Tara said smugly. "You might think you got me there, but actually, you dug your own grave. Since I couldn't experience that and you talk so proudly about it, there's only one conclusion. You must've experienced it", I replied. "...Curse you… Alright I do, but I'm saying nothing else!", she replied defeated. I decided to leave it at that. Tara was my friend, teasing her a little was fine.

Once outside Sedon, we followed the wall on our left. We weren't sure how far we'd have to go to find Dawn, and whether she was even there. It turned out that she was there, and she was practicing too. "Shades have it nice, they can appear and disappear like that… I'd love to have such ability", Tara complained when she saw Dawn practice. "Whatever… Dawn! We came for a visit!", I shouted towards her. "Eh? Anna?! How did you get here?", Dawn asked, surprised. "Hehe, mother allowed me to go with Tara, so here I am", I replied and gave her a hug. "That's great news. Anyway, how did you guys know I… oh, right. My mother must've told you", Dawn realised it. "Yep, that pretty much how we knew. Anyway, how are you doing?", I asked. "I'm alright, same old if you will. Anyway, I was about to finish anyway, so let's go", she replied. "Let's!!", Tara exclaimed.

"Wanna go check out the stage? There might be some performances right now", Dawn proposed. "What about contests? Are there any soon?", I asked instead. She shook her head in reply, "Perhaps in two or three weeks. How long will you stay?". "Only a few days. I have to return back home before my birthday. You will be there for my birthday, right?", I replied. She nodded and assured me she would be there. "Alright then, before going to the stage, we will grab some food. I'm already getting hungry", Tara added before we headed back to the city.

When Dawn learned about Tara's and mine little bet, she laughed very hard. Then her face changed when she heard from Tara that I had no money with me at all. "Hehe, no wonder you made that bet with her. Though I'm surprised you could actually cut down a Dead Tree. You are quite strong", Dawn said. "I was a bit surprised myself, but you should've seen Tara's face. She looked like a lost animal", I added with a chuckle. "That's enough, you wanna eat or not?", Tara said annoyed. We ordered our food, but me and Dawn chuckled anyway.

Tara and Dawn were adults already. Tara was eighteen years old, while Dawn was nineteen. They had their own income, work and stuff to do. I wasn't an adult yet and even had no money in my name. Though they didn't treat me like a child, I kind of felt weird around them. 'I have to get a job too. I can't live off of my mother's money all my life… But what am I supposed to do? Formations? I studied them for a long time, so perhaps that's not a bad choice. The problem is, how do I get a job making Formations?', I asked myself. "Hey guys… How do I get a job as someone who makes Formations?", I asked my friends.

"Hmm, you can place Formation for people, when they order one. In other words, someone asks you for a storage item. You make that item, and charge whatever price for it. I guess you could make money that way. Especially when you are good with Formations, and don't charge too much", Tara proposed. That wasn't actually such a bad idea. I could see myself doing it, but the problem was experience. I couldn't make stronger Formations, and I didn't want to disappoint people. Moreover, I couldn't use my energy to draw the Runes directly. Which meant, my Formations would be weaker.

"Or you can ask your aunt? Master Alicia or Suly should be able to find a job for you. I mean, they were the ones who taught you all of that, right?", Dawn added. "Well yea, but I should try by myself first. As you said, aunt Alicia is a master and she would surely find a job for me. But that's just depending on my relatives and such. Tara's idea is actually not that bad. I can try to earn a living by myself. In case I'm useless at that, then aunt Alicia or Suly could be a lot of help", I replied. "See, we solved it for you just like that", Tara said proudly. "Doesn't change the fact that you'll still pay for me", I replied with a laugh.

We had our meal, then walked towards the stage. The stage was located outside Sedon, but near the western gate. The Sedon's Stage was nothing in comparison to the Arena, but there was some development since I last saw it. Besides the squared stage, there were a few stair-like objects around it. Dawn explained those were the seats for people to watch, because people used to stand in the past. There was no need to pay for any tickets still, at least for normal performances. We joined a small crowd of people watching a performance, but before we could see it properly, the performance ended. "Don't worry, there are a few people in the queue", Dawn said while pointing next to the stage. "Alright, I wonder what sort of performances we will see today", I replied while awaiting the next performer to enter the stage.