Chapter 2 - Papers, Permits, and Politics Chapter 2.1:

The journey back to the Roost was largely uneventful. We made small talk the entire time but a part of me wanted to jump off the cliffs of the Jagged Pass for having cried like that in front of Abram and Paul.

What if they don’t want me anymore because I’m a crybaby? What if they change their mind or say it was just a joke?

I kept smiling and laughing at their stories but deep down I could feel the fear and anxiety grow.

Stop it. You can’t mess this up. You just have to make sure you don’t annoy them. Be the best son and brother you can be! You have to prove to them that they’re not making a mistake.

I kept psyching myself up throughout the entire journey, determined to establish my place in their family.

After a few hours, we saw the familiar stone walls of North Haven.

The guards did a cursory look over Abram’s silver insignia and documents. I tried not to give them a good look at me. Most of the guards would have seen glimpses of my face when I was still pilfering food.

Suddenly, the guard on the left gestured to me. “You didn’t have this one with you the other day.” I froze and tried to offer a small smile. “You look really familiar though. Where have I seen you before?”

I nudged Paul who seemed to pick up on my nervousness. “Ah! He’s gonna be my new brother. He’s… uh… a distant relative from the Roost!”

Abram looked at us in confusion but he decided to play along. “Yes, yes, we were actually going to drop by the Old Orphanage soon to fix his adoption papers. We don’t have a deputized civil registrar in the Roost, you see.”

The guard looked at us again and shrugged. “Well, alright. You must just have one of those faces.”

Paul and I sighed in relief.

“Wait a minute…” the guard continued. I started to tense up again.

“That means it’s your first time in North Haven, hmm?” The guard said to me. I nodded at him.

“In that case, please take this pamphlet and familiarize yourself with some of the rules and policies of the city. Be careful of thieves and scammers. They tend to prey on newcomers such as yourself. We’ve even got a kid shoplifting from the stalls so mind your coin purses.” He warned.

I shuddered at the last statement and barely let out a nervous laugh. Abram seemed to understand the situation now and cut in, “Of course ofcourse, good sir! We’ll take note of those things. I’ll be sure to keep a close eye on my two boys and make sure they don’t get involved in any trouble.”

“All well and good then.” The guard said as he lifted the gates to let us into the city proper.

We waved at the two guards and pulled away.

From the back, however, I heard the two guards continue talking.

“I mean, we haven’t received a report about that kid in a few days. Maybe he’s stopped stealing.” The guard on the right said.

“Maybe… But honestly, you know what happens when street urchins disappear right? That’s not any kinder. That kid was trouble but he doesn’t deserve to die in a ditch.” The other guard replied.

“You’re right. But who knows, maybe his luck turned around.” The guard on the right said optimistically.

“We can only hope.”

The part of me that was afraid of the guard who seemed to recognize me was now filled with appreciation and gratitude at his sentiment.

I guess the adults here aren’t all that bad.

I decided that I’d try to be nicer to the guards moving forward and to try and not to cause any trouble for them.

“Some old friends of yours?” Abram said with a chuckle.

I turned to him and blushed deeply. “Sorry… I didn’t really realize that the thingsI did before could cause me problems now. I’m sorry you two had to lie for my sake.”

“No need for that. I mean apart from me claiming you were a distant relative, everything else was true. No harm, no foul.” Paul reassured me.

“He’s right Adi. You did some things that caused trouble for the people here but now you know better. You can always correct yourself and make amends.” Abram added.

I nodded at Abram without looking him in the eye. “I’ll make it right with all of them. I’ll start trying to earn money to pay back everyone I stole from. I’ll even try to do something nice for the guards who’ve had to chase me before.”

“That’s the ticket.” Abram said approvingly. “But there’s no need to be too harsh with yourself, you have all the time in the world to get it right.”

Paul patted me on the back and I smiled at both of them.

Chapter 2.2:

We arrived at the house and started unloading everything.

Paul and I were tasked with unboxing everything and cleaning up the place while Abram went down to the stables to store the caravan and our horse.

Paul told me to leave the first floor to him since that’s where the store would be. So I proceeded to the second floor to start straightening out.

An hour of dusting, sweeping, and wiping every nook and cranny of the second floor passed before I heard the door open. “Come and have some food, boys.” Abram called.

I put away the broom and the rags in my hand and headed down stairs.

I proceeded to the back of the store where the kitchen was to find Paul and Abram setting the table.

I could smell the fragrant aroma of stew and fresh bread even before I entered the room. I was absolutely exhilarated.

I rushed to the sink to wash my hands and leapt back to sit at one of the stools.

Abram and Paul chuckled and we started having our lunch.

After we had finished eating and cleared the tables, Abram sat us down to discuss our plans moving forward.

“Alright, I popped by the Permits Office on the way back from the stable and the clerk told me that our trading permit was still being processed. It will most likely take another week apparently.” Abram explained.

Paul frowned. “What’s taking them so long, pa? I thought they said we’d have the permit by the time we moved here. That was days ago.”

Abram shook his head. “Aye, son. But it’s to be expected. Lord Chase warned me to expect this kind of bureaucratic nonsense from Lord Helm. It’s a way to put pressure on us without violating the King’s directive to allow us to set up shop here. Old Macalaugh mentioned that the Permits Officer is one of Lord Helm’s most loyal retainers. ”

I tilted my head in confusion. “Why do you need a trading permit? Won’t you just be appraising artifacts?”

Abram chuckled. “Ah sweet boy, we haven’t really told you what we’re all about, hmm? Yes, it’s true that as licensed Appraisers, we do dabble in assessing artifacts, but that’s hardly a huge money maker. I mean, how many artifact-holders do you think there are in this city?”

I thought deeply about his question. “A lot? Doesn’t everyone have one?”

Paul shook his head. “Maybe all the individual nobles would have one. Older merchant families and retainers would probably have one or two as well. But commoners normally wouldn’t.”

I was perplexed at this. “I still don’t understand.”

“Understandable, understandable, you haven’t had much of an education.” Abram replied.

“Hey, the matrons taught us to read and write, and I can count too.” I said defensively, feeling increasingly lacking as the conversation went on.

“I meant no offense, son,” Abram said, apparently sensing my prickly tone. “Most children are given formal education at around Paul’s age. The royal academies in each major city are tasked to ensure that everyone, commoner and nobility alike, learn about history, civics, and mana theory. Although most merchants and nobles teach the same thing to their children at a younger age. However, orphans don’t normally receive that formal education until they turn sixteen.”

“But they usually leave the Orphanage by then.” I said while thinking about the older kids who never came back.

“Right. Because the age of emancipation in the Kingdom is sixteen. By then, orphans are expected to be able to fend for themselves. So they’re sent to the Capital to receive formal education before they undergo apprenticeship.” Abram said sadly.

“But I thought Paul was an apprentice? Isn’t he only nine?” I asked.

“Yeah, but what pa is saying only applies for orphans. Everyone else ends up picking up their family’s trade from a young age. Mostly because abilities and affinities are largely genetic.” Paul explained.

“Right. And unfortunately, if you don’t know who your parents are, you need to undergo a state assessment to determine what you’re attuned to in order to be able to choose a suitable profession.” Abram added.

I lowered my head. “So I can’t be an appraiser and merchant like you and Paul?”

“I don’t see why not.” Abram replied. “It may be possible that you have some affinity for psyche magic.”

I looked up at him and hope welled up within me. “How can we test it?”

“Well, the most definitive way is to simply go to the Capital and undergo the state assessment. But we can also just attempt to have you cast Appraisal.” Abram said while standing up.

I stood up as well and straightened my back.

“Okay, good. Paul, grab me the club.” Abram said with a serious tone.