113 - Preparation

“Hey, could I borrow one of the packs?” Theo looked at Tiffany, who sitting in her office.

Well, the sign outside the door indicated that this was her office; but an open-air garden with a little thatch lean-to in it was not what he was expecting.

Whether or not his Survival teacher essentially lived in her office was not his concern right now. As long as he got what he came for, she could live in a golden palace for all he cared.

She stared at him, eyes looking deep into him.

It was silent enough that Theo became self-conscious of his breathing (compared to the utter lack of anything remotely resembling noise in her space).

Just as his nerves were about to break, and he was about to go wandering the Commerce District with the meagre savings he had, Tiffany nodded.

“I presume you will want a supply of rations and all the other equipment that goes in one? Standard load as per our classes.” She started loading one of the oversized backpacks they carried with ration bars and a water skin, a cloak (that also doubled as a blanket), and a leather cape (that doubled as shelter from the elements).

She handed it to him before he finished nodding, presumably stuffing it with a lot more than what he noticed, if the odd lumps that dotted part of its surface now were any indication.

Theo looked at the old sailcloth that made up all their packs, at the rough texture that he knew was a side-effect of its strength. He rubbed its surface absentmindedly.

“I thought you’d try to stop me.” He half-joked, half-confessed.

She shrugged. “You’re their apprentice. They always choose interesting ones.”

And with that, she shooed him out of her…area, as his head filled with thoughts wondering what exactly she meant by that.

---

His next stop was Thelonious’s office.

For all he’d run into him outside of class, he had never actually seen his office. It reflected him well, he thought.

Rather non-descript, very functional and organised. There were sheafs of paper and books on shelves, but it felt more like a well-used set of reference material rather than a library or knowledge dragon’s hoard.

“Ah, Theo.” Behind the one lacquered wooden desk sat Thelonious, scribbling away at something. He didn’t look up at Theo, content to multitask and continue writing. “Looking for information on Etol?”

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“Does everyone know?” Theo was starting to feel really happy that he hadn’t had any secrets to keep from his teachers.

Thelonious let out a measured chuckle. “We might be teachers, but don’t forget that we’re also bards. We were all adventurers once, too.” He reminded Theo. A hint of wistfulness crept into his voice.

All Theo could think of was Thelonious, wearing the same comfortable clothing he did today, impeccable in the middle of a muddy battlefield, gently instructing his enemies on how to best die.

“Even if there weren’t any signs, we would have kept an eye on you.” Theo shook his head free from the image of Thelonious gently beheading an enemy with a sabre, returning to reality.

“Listen to me, going on and on like I do in class.” Thelonious chided himself, gently slapping his own forehead. “Let’s get to what you need so you can leave as soon as possible, yes? We’ll start with the customs…”

---

If it wasn’t for Tome of Memories, he wouldn’t have taken in the first five minutes of what Thelonious threw at him.

It had been a productive couple of hours, filled with more information than he thought possible, but Thelonious fit it in.

His head throbbed slightly, and he wondered if that was a physical effect from the sheer mass of knowledge, or just from trying to focus on such wildly swerving tangents for three hours straight. In Thelonious’ defence it was always relevant and informative, if not entirely related to the previous part of the impromptu lecture.

Either way, useful or not, he was leaving before Thelonious could shove one more rule of spoon etiquette into his head.

“Theo.” A voice interrupted his rumination.

He turned to see Maria, at her desk as always, a storm of paper whirling around her. It was larger than Theo remembered, and so were the bags under her bloodshot eyes.

He nodded in her direction, before trying to make it out of the College as quick and uninterrupted as possible.

“I know what you’re going to do.”

He didn’t make it.

Theo froze, turning back around with his best innocent and sheepish face. The kind that wouldn’t be out of place plastered on the visage of a dog who got into the food but still pretended like nothing had happened, even when their face was covered in potato.

To his immense relief, Maria didn’t comment on it. To an even greater relief, one of a deeper spiritual level somehow, she encouraged him instead. “Bring them back in one piece, please. I would like to kill them myself for all the paperwork they’ve caused.” That relief turned out to be rather short-lived, but he’d gotten too used to people showing affection through insults and bodily harm for it to disturb him (to any real degree).

He almost laughed, but managed to transform it into a strained cough. Of course Sparrow would find a way to irritate Maria even when they weren’t here.

“I promise.” Theo swore, starting to think about the other parts of the problem: his friends. Jenny.

He was distracted enough he almost missed Maria muttering, almost to herself. “Don’t promise things you can’t guarantee.”

“Good thing I’ll bring them back.” She let out a short, clipped bark, as his brain went back to the conundrum.

---

“Hey Francis.” Theo waved to the Natureborn meditating in the clearing.

No reaction.

Ah right, his eyes were closed. Theo put his hand down.

“Franciiiiis.” Theo tried again.

Francis’ brows furrowed, face twitching for a moment.

“Fraaaaanciii-“

“Yes, Theo.” It wasn’t even a question, just an acknowledgement and prompt for him to ask his damn question and get it over with. He barely flicked opened one eye, glancing at what he held.

“Could you pass these letters on to everyone for me?”

It was silent for a few minutes, as Francis continued to meditate, potentially on what Theo wanted him to do.

“Are you taking anyone else with you?”

“Oh come on, how does everyone know?!” Theo asked, exasperated.

Francis shrugged.

“I’m observant.”