Odd Future

Resolve

Mornings were never kind to me. The entire concept of the early bird never encouraged me enough to want to tear ass out of bed at the crack of dawn and start the day. The same can't be said for Alice, however. Her enthusiasm woke me, urging me to get dressed and meet with Gianni for training. Sadly, I don't think I'm ever going to get used to having her inside my head; her every emotion combating with mine. It was strange.

I crawled out of bed with a whine and retrieved the basin on the chair, taking it downstairs; a routine Alice stuck to. Lucia was in the kitchen cutting up potatoes and carrots as I walked into the living room. Her bright eyes widened in surprise upon seeing me.

"Early to rise, are we?" She asked.

I nodded.

"Master Gianni agreed to teach me magic."

Lucia hummed.

"Did he now? He never struck me as the teaching type."

"I may have annoyed him enough about it," I said with a laugh.

Lucia snorted.

"You have always been rather persistent," she mentioned. "But what reason do you want to learn magic now?"

I can't tell her the truth; that I'm not Alice. She'd never believe me.

"Someday, when I'm older, I want to travel," I answered.

It was the truth; only I had no plans to come back.

Lucia narrowed her eyes and sat down her knife.

"I wasn't aware how interested you were to travel, dear."

Was she worried about me? Alice had been with her since birth. It made sense for her to have an attachment to Alice.

I smiled.

"Not right now, though. I'd miss you too much."

Alice would; I knew so.

Lucia narrowed her eyes and smiled.

"Come now dear, you're going to make an old woman cry," she uttered. "Let me get you some water to wash your face with."

Walking around the table, she took the basin from me and filled it with water from the pot over the fireplace.

"Go and get dressed while the water cools. Your clothes are on the line outside," Lucia ordered.

I thanked her and rushed outside to the line. The sun was coming up over the horizon, barely awake, but a few people were roaming around, setting up their kiosks for the travelers.

I learned that Gondolia was a port city that made its gold – the currency in Erdrea – by trading everything from fish to wares to explorers who passed through. There was a lot of history here to learn; I was eager to hear it, but not at the moment. I picked out an outfit; a pair of trousers and an olive-colored shirt, then went back inside to wash my face and get dressed.

"I'm heading out," I announced once I was done.

"Don't forget to put on your shoes. I better not see you without them after what happened yesterday," Lucia reminded me.

Of course. I slid on a pair near the door, then rushed out into the street. According to Alice's memories, Gianni lived in a shop with a sign that read DeLuca on it. I located it a house down from the orphanage; a large shop with a wooden stall that a familiar slime rested on.

"Good morning, Tempest," I greeted him.

He bounced with glee.

"Is Gianni home?" I asked with a laugh.