Day 45 (S30)

Day 45
In the morning, Rina left for the ShapeSmithing school.
Upon arriving, Rina could see that Drake was teaching a class on different kinds of metal and how to manipulate them with different tools.
He saw her immediately this time, then waved for her to stand at the front of the class with him and his teaching assistant.
"Now, you will see that different metals need different tools to make them work for you," he said as he passed around a bar of Iron, a bar of copper, and a bar of gold. "Everyone be sure you get a feel for each of these. The iron is the hardest to manipulate, the gold is the easiest."

After his lecture was over, he gestured for Rina to follow him to his office.
"What can I do for you today, Rina?"
"Well, I was actually hoping to take a class on woodworking."
"What brought this on?" he asked.
"Well, I got this piece of wood from the Evertree stump from the Taste Tree Forest - the one Rosa died on" she said as she pulled the block of wood from her bag, "I really want to make it into something meaningful, but I need a lot of practice before I start cutting into it. It's the last piece of that tree that exists now... that's not a part of Sullivan Frey's ship, anyway."
"What would you make it into?"
"I think I'd like to make it into a necklace, maybe," she said, "Though, it's a little big for just one. Maybe I'll make it into two matching ones, and you can have one."
Drake paused a moment. "So, you want to learn... for sentimental purposes? Most people want to learn so they can make weapons or armor. But not you... why?"
She stared at the piece of old wood for a moment, then answered, "I was born in a forest of these trees 300 years ago... I was supposed to raise my own family in one of these trees. It just seems very fitting to me that the place I've finally chosen as a home was built to be this great by its influence. In a way, I still live under the shade of an Evertree... 300 years later."
"Why did you choose Pennislovica? Why Castle Frey?"
"I traveled on my own for over 120 years... I have traveled nearly the whole world," she said, "I have seen more countries than I have seen years in my life. This place is possibly the happiest country I've ever been to. The people care for their leaders, and the leaders care for their people - which is a sign of really great leadership. It also brings me peace because of its longevity... the ancient-ness of it all is comforting."
"Yes, Sullivan has done a great job leading on his own these 70 years or so," he answered.
"I know it's not just Sullivan," she said as she smiled at him, "I know you helped rule the country up until recently."
"Yes. I decided to pour myself into my work here. Godfrey has his tavern in Youngru, Sullivan now has Francis and his dragon quest in the north... This is all I have now."
"You said you had kids before, though? A family?"
"That was... many years ago. Many more than you have lived - you are young."
"I may be young to you, but I'm still older than everyone around me," she said.
He chuckled, “I know how that feels.”
"Truth is... I'd really like to get to know you more, Drake," she said to him, "I'd love to hear about your past... your family, people you've loved."
He paused before speaking, a little sadness entered his eyes, "I had a brother... Marcov. He was to rule with us once we won the great war. But he... died...shortly before the end of the war. Sometimes... seeing Sullivan and Godfrey bothers me inside. It reminds me of what I could have had."
Rina nodded solemnly, "I'm sorry to hear about your brother. Even 1000 years later, it still hurts you - that means you're an incredibly caring person. It's hard for some long-lived beings to keep that."
"You mean elves?" he joked.
"Yeah... I mean elves," she laughed a little, "I remember you saying you had children, too... were you also married?"
"Yes... we married before the war. She... did not want to take the eternal gift. So..." he got quiet, "I had to watch her grow old... then die."
Rina nodded in understanding, "I had to bury my husband 2 years ago. So... I know how you feel."
They both looked at each other with sorrow in their eyes.
"He was my best friend," she continued, starting to cry a little, "Nothing's quite the same after you lose your best friend, you know?"
He nodded slowly, and after a bit of silence he stood up and walked to a shelf behind him.
He grabbed his schedule book and opened it up on his desk - his handwriting was small and neat, just like she expected from someone with his attention to detail.
“I will have some extra time in 2 days” he said.
“Then so will I,” she replied with a smile.
He then erased a meeting he had scheduled, and just wrote “Rina” in its place in larger letters.

"So? How'd it go?" Alice asked when Rina got home.
She smiled, "I think it went well. Actually, it went... perfectly."
"Well, good for you," Alice said, "So what now?"
"Right now? Nothing. The day after tomorrow I have a private woodworking lesson at 6pm."
"How long has it been since you talked to Enoch? Isn't he late?"
Rina sighed, "Yeah, he's late again. I don't usually freak out if he's only a couple of days late... but this time it feels weird. If I don't hear from him by tomorrow night, I'll try to contact him."
They then ate dinner and retired for the day, with Volvagia sleeping in Aurelius' old room and terrorizing the builders from Vorovni all night.

Next: Day 46 (S30)