Fuzzy, Julian and Puppy - August 17th - Friday – Evening - Blake Island

Fuzzy clipped Puppy's leash to his collar. Her mind felt slow, but her body felt primed with the need to stretch and move and so did Puppy since he'd been cooped up for hours and hours each day too, though in her cabin, not a mana lodge like Fuzzy had been. Both had just gotten a little exercise, but it wasn't much and so they both wanted more.

However she also desired to feel the comforting weight of her weapons on her person. If she was going to get her exercise she wanted it to be with her weapons on her. After all, running with her bow, quiver, spear, knives, hunting leather and more was different than running in a simple workout outfit. New gear needed testing and the first step, ironically, meant running with it until she felt comfortable.

Then with a small squeal of delight she couldn't completely suppress, she felt excitement about her new Ares Pilum, the spear that was a knife. So Puppy barked happily due to her happiness as she and her dog both went on the first run either had been on in almost a week. She ran to Julian's cabin and then as she composed herself, she knocked to see if she could have her weapons even though it was technically still Friday.

Meanwhile, Julian, who'd been lucky and finished teaching his last student yesterday was well rested. So when Julian opened the door to her after putting aside some paperwork, Fuzzy briefly reminded him of a small child wondering if her best friend could come out to play. That kind of excitement seemed to just gush from her ever fiber.

"Julian!" she exclaimed. "I learned my first spell!"

They both exchanged big smiles and they exchanged a high five. Metroplex or ash waste barrens, high fives were universally understood.

"Congratulations. Healing I heard," he said, approvingly, "That’s a good choice. Want to sit on the porch and chat? Maybe have some tea?"

Julian had his own cabin as did most of the awakened teachers, though few actually lived on the island. However, they were larger than the student cabins and each even had a small, shaded porch out in front with a couple of wooden chairs. So there was a place to sit.

Fuzzy wrinkled her nose and made a face at the mention of tea, especially as the kind of person who has had exactly one kind of tea before which tasted so horrible that it would eventually numb the tongue. Julian, who understood at least some of what Fuzzy was feeling, cleared his throat and spoke.

"It would actually taste good," he said, "Not like the kind that Mother Bear uses."

Puppy began to bark again, excited to move around and finding Fuzzy quite still. Fuzzy wanted him quiet so she could speak with Julian. So she merely looked at him, adjusted her posture ever so slightly and exerted the body magic of an adept in a way that was understood in a way that she couldn't yet explain. He looked at her, quieted down, licked his chops, sat on his haunches and panted softly in a way that young pups are not easily trained to do. Then she nodded at him and faced Julian once more.

"Maybe later,” said Fuzzy, “Do you have juice?"

"I do," said Julian, "I'll get you some in a minute. And you really do have a natural talent with animals. No wonder that skill extended into the magical."

Normally Fuzzy would've been happier to take a compliment, but today she just shrugged. Talking about magic after trying to learn a spell for days wasn't high on her list of things to do. She was happy about her accomplishment but more importantly that it was over. That was all.

"Thanks," said Fuzzy, "But I really want to go on a run though and I want my weapons.”

Julian furrowed his brow.

"Why do you need your weapons?" he asked, seriously.

"Because I want to go on a run," she said, as if the answer was obvious, then she lifted one finger and spun it around, "You know, around the island."

"Yes, but why do you need your weapons?" he asked, "Can't you run without them?"

It took a few beats, but Fuzzy had that "aha" moment as she realized that this might be one of those differences between people from Puyallup and people from elsewhere. Around here, safety was in the hands of those "police" people, who were not a gang because Sasha had told her multiple times that they weren't. Defending yourself wasn't universally practiced in Seattle like it was in the barrens though a few people did. So adjusting to that had been strange.

And at the school, no one was armed which at first had seemed strangest of all. That the students would just trust these non-police "security" which again, was probably not gang like the police weren't and security spirits which largely went unseen. Though that feeling of strangeness had relaxed when Sasha told her that some students learned non-lethal stunning spells and even fewer might even know some lethal spells and just didn't tell anyone about it. Everyone but Julie of course, who'd been given an exemption because she hadn't learned a killing spell on purpose, but as a reaction to the extreme stress of her father trying to murder her in a hospital bed.

Fuzzy really didn't know how to feel about that now that she knew more of the story. Sad, ugly feelings, mostly. Though she shook them off for now.

These rules didn't seem to make sense to her though. Many of the spellcasters could summon spirits, which absolutely could be lethal if the summons were powerful enough and some spells and adept powers could be used to hurt or even kill, though it wasn't their main purpose. So the fact that Fuzzy couldn't have any of her weapons on her and instead had to get them from Julian seemed stupid and arbitrary.

"I can run without them," said Fuzzy, slowly, "But I've always run with weapons because if I'm running, it's because I was trying to make a living. My body feels weird without them and if I have a new weapon then I'm going to have to figure out how to run with new gear. Moving is going to be different."

Julian gave her a skeptical look and Fuzzy sighed, annoyed.

"If you don't believe me then go get my weapons and I'll show you," she said.

Julian frowned in thought and Fuzzy silently fumed as someone decided whether she was going to be armed, which to her meant safety, police and security and spirits be damned, but then he nodded.

"I'll be right back," he said.

He shut his door and Fuzzy knelt down to scratch Puppy for a little while, who only now went from sitting patiently to happy wiggling. A minute passed and Julian emerged with a box and a clumsily held short spear, which despite its name he still managed to smack against the top of his door as it was six feet tall. Fuzzy winced at how her weapon was treated. It wasn't made of fancy materials like her new Ares Pilum, which she thought of as her "spearknife", but it was still her faithful weapon, tried and true. And also the tip had a cap on it, so he didn't just have a naked spear point out.

"Here," said Fuzzy, impatiently, "You're holding it wrong."

Normally Fuzzy was pretty patient, but those weapons had not only been her means of self-defense, but her livelihood. No weapons meant no food. So she took the spear first as Julian seemed to have no idea how to hold it while he laid the box on the ground on his porch.

"Well," said Julian, "Show me how to hold it. Like you were about to go running. I need to make sure you don't hurt yourself."

She seriously doubted that Julian would know about how to carry a spear, but she took weapons safety seriously, especially after the magical safety class. The short spear was about four pounds which to most didn't seem like a big deal, but Fuzzy simply held the long spear in one hand, point forwards.

"For running," she said.

"Let's not do much running," joked Julian, "Just in case you poke someone with that. When the cap isn't on, right?"

The spear had a "cap" that concealed the spear point and thus made it fairly safe. So Fuzzy nodded once and then she adjusted it so it was over her shoulder.

"For jogging or walking on good terrain."

And then finally, she held her spear out in front of her, point up and the butt or blunt side of it down.

"For walking on bad terrain," she finished.

"Why forward and not to the side?" asked Julian, "In the trids when people pose, it's heroically, to the side, right? Looking off into the distance like in Neil the Ork Barbarian?"

Fuzzy had no idea what he was talking about. Instead she pointed to the stains on the spear from the ash.

"I need to test the ash in some places," said Fuzzy, conversationally, "If you don't then you could drown in the ash if you misjudge the depth of a drift. You could fall in and not know which way is up if you take a bad enough tumble. Bad way to die. I mean, it's all bad, but that's one of the worst ones."

Julian's face fell and he stayed silent, so Fuzzy took that moment to grab the rest of her gear. There was a leather strap on the spear that let her store it on her back, but it wasn't meant for carrying like that for long. Carrying around a spear that was literally taller than her generally meant she held it while moving. But she wasn't her for her spear. She was here for her new spearknife, Kenji's survival knife, now hers, her bow, arrows and quiver.

She donned her weapons with the efficiency of someone who did so for a living. Her quiver came first, making sure that the cap was on so the arrows wouldn't make noise as she moved. Done. Then the quiver went over the shoulder and she made a minute adjustment to the strap. Done. She quickly strung her bow, then she stretched it over her head, then her neck and over her chest. Done. She took Kenji's survival knife from the box, which was less for fighting and more a tool. It's blade had been sharpened by her, but it was more suited for cutting wood and rope, she'd checked. But there were also less obvious and useful additions. She'd explored the chem stick which made light, the emergency commlink, still disabled, the mini "swiss army" multitools at the bottom, the micro-lighter for making a flame and the GPS, which she had no idea how to use, but planned to. She strapped it to her thigh. Done.

And finally, with reverence, she retrieved the black spearknife, her new weapon. The one that'd cost her a small fortune. It was currently in its "sheathed" mode. It looked just like a knife with a sheath on it, though there was no sheath. The memory metal was just blunted. And it had a simple hook at the end to fasten it to her belt.

"I read about the Ares Pilum after you bought it," said Julian, finally breaking the silence, "I wish you'd talked to me first before you did."

"Why?" asked Fuzzy.

She adjusted her gear. The spearknife was two pounds lighter than her old spear and she certainly couldn't wear her old spear on her belt, both facts of which made a huge difference. If she'd been told that this spear was magical while she still lived in the barrens then she would've believed it. And what she also didn't believe was how Julian picked up her short spear that she'd left on the ground and twirled it expertly in his hands.

"You bought a very expensive weapon when you already had an adequate one," said Julian, as the spear lazily spun in front of him in his hands, "So first, the cost, second, it's a weapon and third, I'm on your side. I probably wouldn't have said no out of hand if you'd explained why you wanted it. I just want to be consulted because you're my ward. So...Fuzzy."

The slow twirling stopped and he tapped the butt of her six foot short spear on his porch with a little "tok" sound, eyes fixed on her. And that was when she realized that he'd been playing the fool and testing her to see if she was taking her weapon safety seriously.

"Explain your reasoning to me," he said, simply, but firmly.

Fuzzy bristled as she wasn't really used to explaining herself to people. Not anymore at least. That had been something she'd done when she lived with Rat Man, but hadn't lived with him for over a year. She also knew and trusted Rat Man while Julian, who was friendly, was still a stranger to her and he'd been distant these past few weeks. But she calmed herself and reminded herself that his ways were not hers. She didn't really care for being tricked though.

"Okay," said Fuzzy, simply, "Running with a spear is a pain and it slows me down, but I need a spear or at least a big stick in the barrens so I wouldn't drown in the ash and so I could defend myself from an animal or even a person. Having a spear that fits on my belt means I have easier access to my tools and I can get at them faster. I'm small, so two pounds less of spear and two more pounds in gear that it can transform into is a big deal. I can move faster and go longer when I drop weight. And a weapon like this is an investment. Meat swaps for lots of new ends and new ends swap for anything."

Julian let go of Fuzzy's spear and before it could drop to the ground it instead began to spin in mid-air, as if twirled by an invisible person. There wasn't even a single motion from Julian. Not a hand command or a gesture, just the faintest trail of nearly translucent magic that linked him to the spear. Then he reached into his own cabin from his place near the door and grabbed a long, wooden staff that he leaned against. It was just like her spear, save that it wasn't made out of scrap material and it didn't have a point at the end. And then, without seeming to do anything at all, the staff glowed with intricate patterns that Fuzzy couldn't make heads or tails of at all, but it drew her eyes.

"What's that?" she asked, quietly.

"What's what?" asked Julian, blithely.

Julian smiled, still intent on messing with her it seemed.

"Oh, this," said Julian, "A bo staff is just a spear without a point. Now I'm a shaman, not a wizard, but almost everyone knows what a wizard's staff is. No awakened really uses them. They were never really in fashion, but if you read any kind of fiction about people who had magic before magic came back to the world, wizards have staffs and I'm not above mixing metaphors. People take me a lot more seriously when I have a big, glowing stick. Everyone respects a shiny stick."

Fuzzy tried not to fidget and failed.

"And this stick isn't just big and shiny," said Julian, "It's a power focus. It's magical. Every spell, every summoned spirit, every alchemical concoction is stronger so long as I hold this shiny stick. There are other perks too. Less magical drain if I hold it, but that's a personal thing. Ask me about metamagic sometime."

Fuzzy licked her dry lips and stared at the brightly shining staff that he leaned against and her slowly spinning spear, which he seemed to barely be paying attention to. And she wondered if everyone here was as disarmed as she previously thought.

"So...Is that like a shotgun at the front door?" asked Fuzzy.

Rat Man's friends, the Petrowski farmers, had weapons nearby like that sometimes.

Julian frowned, held out his hand and her previously spinning spear glided slowly into his open palm. Then he gently placed her spear his bo staff just out of sight beyond his door. After that, the box that had been full of her weapons slowly floated upwards and then disappeared into his cabin, all without him ever breaking eye contact with her.

"I'm a teacher, not a soldier," said Julian, firmly, but his firm demeanor softened, "And the staff is a tool. That's all. Fuzzy, I know I obviously don't understand where you're from, but I do understand some things. I'm responsible for you and even better, I truly want to help you. You're going to need that help because this place is very different than what you're used to."

Fuzzy had her pride. In fact, she probably had more than most people she knew, but she was also practical. In the ash wastes, people who refused to listen and learn tended not to live very long. The ash was a harsh teacher.

"Okay," she said, as she gave in, "I'll talk to you."

Julian seemed relieved and nodded to Fuzzy.

"That's all I ask," he said, "Stick to the southwestern part of the island. Most of the beach is rocky but there are spots for you and you should be able to run on the trails. Keep your AR goggles on. They'll let you know where you can roam with weapons. It'll be pretty obvious. Now I'll call security to escort you. Do you need anything else before I call them?"

"I was going to pick up some things at my cabin on the way," said Fuzzy, "My leathers. Snacks and water."

"That's fine," said Julian, "I'll walk with you so we don't have to do the awkward weapons box dance again. Security can catch up."

Julian closed the door behind him, but not before pulling out a bottle of apple juice as if from nowhere, which he handed to Fuzzy. Puppy, who'd been laying on the ground, waiting for something to happen, jumped up and began barking happily. He'd been watching Fuzzy and he sensed that it was time to go, so when she moved, he moved. Teacher, reluctant student and dog all walked down the trail towards Fuzzy's cabin. She briefly entered, changed, stuffed food, water bottles and one ice cold bottle of juice in her pockets and emerged in record time, ready to go.

"Yeeeeeah," drawled Julian, "Security is taking its time. I suppose I can just walk you to where you need to go."

Fuzzy frowned at Julian and wondered if this was like how he pretended to fumble with her spear. And she knew now that he'd pretended. Maybe to put her off guard.

"You just want more time to talk," she said, suspiciously.

Julian neither confirmed nor denied with his words, but he did smile as they set off with Puppy, now geared up.

"Mother Bear and now Marco approached me about your total lack of formal education," said Julian.

Fuzzy wasn't sure exactly what he meant but she did have a good guess.

"I never went to school," she said.

Julian sighed as Puppy bounded ahead of them, now off his leash. Fuzzy's magic along with her non-magical knack with animals and the fact that Puppy just liked her kept him close. So he was excited and occasionally he'd run up and down the rolling, dirt paths through the forest.

"That caught me off guard, I'm embarrassed to admit," said Julian, "This program...The one that brought you, Kenji and Julie to school was approved at the last minute and I had to scramble and so I missed that. Diego is a hermetic mage...A wizard. They're more attuned with science so I assumed he'd given you some schooling."

"You mean Rat Man?" asked Fuzzy.

"That's him, yes."

Fuzzy only shrugged, but that shrug drew attention to her walking and the feel of how her weapons felt on her body. Not having to carry that heavy spear around all the time felt great. For the moment she was a little off balance from its lack, but she felt like she'd get used to it quickly.

"Yeah, we were busy with trying not to starve or get eaten by ghouls as kids," said Fuzzy, "He taught us a lot. I guess just not what you wanted."

Again, Julian looked pained but he mastered his emotions quickly.

"You had more pressing concerns, I understand," said Julian, "I'm trying to find you a personal tutor, but it's taking some time."

"That red tape, huh?"

Julian grinned.

"Oh, you've heard of it?" he asked.

Fuzzy nodded, feeling very smart for having known about red tape.

"I could cut it if you want," she said, "When no one is looking."

Julian was very careful not to laugh.

"It's not actual red tape," said Julian, "That's just a saying. It just means a lot of rules."

Fuzzy frowned and wondered if someone had actually told her that.

"I know that," she fibbed.

She kicked a rock and sent it sailing into the underbrush as she walked. Puppy briefly went in after it and emerged with a stick, which Fuzzy threw for him and he chased it. He bounded around with it, unwilling to give it back to be thrown. At least not yet. So he padded happily down the trail with his stick in his mouth.

"Well, I'm just letting you know that it's going to take time until we find someone get you fully up to speed," said Julian, "Just a couple weeks. I'll handle the red tape. In the meantime, Marco and I will be helping you with the basics until your tutor will take over. With luck, learning to read at an intermediate level should take you about three months."

Fuzzy wasn't happy with this at all.

"Three months?" she asked, horrified, "How hard is this reading thing?"

"That'll depend on you," said Julian, neutrally, "And once you can read we'll be getting you up to speed on your English, science, math and history classes while teaching you more advanced reading skills."

"Was this even part of the deal?" asked Fuzzy, sullenly.

"Think of it this way," said Julian, "If you're diligent, you'll be more educated than half of the people in Seattle."

Fuzzy furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Why half?" she asked.

Julian sighed.

"Because both the public and the average corporate education systems are abysmal," said Julian, "Truly, truly awful. Half of the people living in Seattle are either illiterate or functionally illiterate, the latter meaning a fourth grade reading level."

Fuzzy just looked at him uncomprehendingly.

"What we'd expect from a ten year old," he explained.

"Ooooooh," said Fuzzy, who brightened, "So I'll be really smart."

Julian heaved a sigh that was bone deep.

"Compared to over half of Seattle?" he asked, "Absolutely."