Chapter Text
Tori surveyed her pub. The tables were clean. The chairs tucked neatly into place. There were only a couple people in the room, and Riley was standing nervously behind the bar.
Tori gave her a reassuring smile. “You’re doing great!” she told her, and Riley relaxed a little.
Tori nodded at the other girl, grabbed her laptop and crossed the pub towards the stairs to the second floor.
She was very proud of herself. The Crow and Hammer was the best mythic pub in Vancouver, but manning it was a nightmare. The clientele was difficult to please, to put it lightly. But Tori came up with the rotating-rookie scheme. Their guild had plenty of members that wanted to earn an extra paycheck but couldn’t or didn’t want to commit to regular shifts. So, she opened Wednesdays for rotations, as it was usually the slowest day in the pub. Any guild member could sign up and take up a shift, if they liked it, they came back, if they were good, she offered them additional shifts. People taking up additional shifts, meant she had more time to manage the pub and not spend all of it bartending herself.
Not that she gave up bartending altogether. It was somehow her natural place. And Tori loved it.
Smiling to herself about her own cleverness, Tori ascended the stairs.
The second floor of the Crow and Hammer was an open work space with tables and chairs for meetings, bookcases, computers and a giant printer. At one of the tables she found her quarry.
Ezra, Aaron, and Kai were pouring over papers they had spread all over their workspace. They were working on a bounty for a sorcerer duo, if she remembered correctly. They had invited her to join, but she had declined. Tori had a pub to prepare for Christmas, and if she was going to take a vacation everything needed to be ready.
Tori walked over to her three mages, pulled up a chair to sit and opened her laptop on her lap. She didn’t want to disturb whatever arrangement they had with their papers.
The guys glanced over to her, flashed her a quick grin, and went back to work.
At a loll in the guys’ conversation, Tori pocked Aaron in the arm. “Did your mom send you the email yet?”
Aaron looked up at her and blinked, confused. “What?”
“Did – your mom – send – you – the email – yet?” Tori repeated, enunciating every word like he was a toddler.
“What email? Why are you expecting an email from my mother?”
From the other side of the table, Kai looked puzzled. Ezra appeared amused.
“The email where she plans all of your vacation without asking you,” Tori rolled her eyes at Aaron, ignoring the other two. “She sent it to you last year, and the way you talked about it, it sounded like she does it every year.”
Aaron’s forehead creased. “The itinerary?”
“Yes!” Tori beamed. “Did she send it?”
“Yeahhhs,” Aaron said, pulling at the word. “Why do you want to know?”
“Forward it to me,” Tori answered simply.
Aaron narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Why?”
“I want to read it, obviously.”
“Why?”
Tori huffed. “I want you to have a vacation. Let me read it, and maybe I can think of a reply that would get your parents off your back a little. What do you think?”
“You would think of a reply?” Kai asked. “You, who only last week screamed at the delivery courier?”
Tori fixed him a cool stare. “That was the third time he brought me the wrong order. He had it coming. But I’ve been dealing with customer service for months now, I have the experience.” She turned to look at Aaron. “Have you ever tried to answer her?”
Aaron shrugged. “The first couple of years, but she always ignored me. I gave up.”
Tori gave him a dubious look. “Let me guess, you wrote ‘No’ and sent it back.”
Kai snickered, Aaron sent him a glare. “Yes. So what?”
Tori rolled her eyes. “Forward me her email. Let me see if I can do better.”
Ezra, who had been watching the exchange like it was a tennis match, nudged Aaron. “Let her try. The worst that could happen is that your parents will ignore it again.”
“And if they won’t ignore it, you might actually have a vacation.”
Aaron looked at the three of them, then huffed. “Fine.” He pulled out his phone and started typing.
Tori beamed. After a second, she had a new email in her inbox, and she opened it eagerly.
The mages turned back to their work, and she concentrated on her own.
***
Aaron read over her letter for a second time. The guys had finished whatever it was they were doing, and Aaron had pulled out his laptop to read Tori’s letter. His eyebrows threatening to join his hairline in surprise.
“Tori, this is amazing,” Kai said from over Aaron’s shoulder. He and Ezra were leaning on either side of the pyromage to read her reply to Aaron’s mother.
“I wish you had cancelled all guild meetings,” Aaron said grumbling a little, his eyes still scanning the letter.
“You can’t do that,” Tori told him, making a face. “If you cancel everything, she’ll just ignore you again. This way she’ll feel she’s also getting her way.”
“You’re probably right,” Aaron passed a hand through his hair. “But what’s this ‘benefit all parties involved’ thing?”
“Well,” Tori said looking earnestly at Aaron. “If your mom would arrange mixed-mythic guilds for you to meet you can discuss different operating procedures? How they balance abilities and stuff? Something that you can apply here, maybe actually learn something useful?”
“Just think about it, Aaron,” Kai grinned. “A meeting with another guild that isn’t boring.”
Aaron tore his eyes from his screen to look at her. “Tori!” He breathed. “That’s brilliant!”
Tori preened at the compliment.
“Aaron, open the attachment. Let’s see Tori’s schedule,” Ezra asked.
A few clicks on his computer and Aaron loaded the files. The three mages leaned down to look at the screen together.
“Why am I occupied for three days?” Aaron asked, frowning.
Tori leaned back in her chair, oozing satisfaction. “You are occupied with showing your friends the secret gaming dungeon Sinclair castle hides from the general public, and consequently with losing video games to Ezra.”
Aaron threw his head back and laughed.
Ezra stepped over to Tori and kissed her. “That itinerary looks fun, for once. Also, I can’t believe you’re making them pay for Aaron’s teaching.”
“My mom will have kitten,” Aaron said, through his laughter. “I love this.”
“You’re welcome,” Tori replied.
“I have only one question,” Kai said. The three of them looked at him expectedly. “Why does Sabrina get her own room?”
Aaron, uncharacteristically, looked embarrassed.
Tori grinned. “First, I don’t believe Aaron has told his parents he has a girlfriend yet.”
Kai raised an eyebrow at his friend. Aaron muttered something under his breath.
“And second,” Tori continued, enjoying Aaron’s fluster. “If they share Sabrina’s guest bedroom and not Aaron’s, his parents wouldn’t be able to find him.”
At this Aaron looked up. “That’s actually a great idea. Thanks Tori!”
“No problem,” she beamed at him. “Now you need to send it and see what happens.”
Aaron turned to his laptop and typed at his keyboard with fanfare. “Done. And good luck to us all.”
***
Hello Mom,
Thank you for providing me with the suggested schedule for my upcoming visit. I can see that a lot of thought and preparation has gone into it.
I have made several corrections to the itinerary. Please find attached the file with my corrections to this email.
In brief, please remove all traveling appointments. I will not leave the grounds for the duration of my visit. I will not participate in any interviews either. I would have expected you to realize that all such interviews would be about the dismantling of the Court of the Red Queen, a topic I do not intend to comment upon.
I have reviewed the Guild meeting you have arranged, and two main issues have been apparent. First, all the guilds you have arranged are exclusively elementria guilds. And second, most if not all of them, are located on other continents. You complain that you hardly see me as it is, why do you try to send me even further away? Had I considered transferring to any of these guilds I would not be able to visit at all.
Please rethink the schedule for the guild meetings. If these meetings are strictly necessary, I look forward to speaking with mixed-mythic guilds. Guilds that can utilize a diverse specter of abilities are much closer to my current position and I believe would benefit all parties involved. I have highlighted in the schedule the most preferable times for me.
Additionally, it appears to me that my time at the academy would not be optimally utilized. I have expansive experience in battle and tactical situations (as do my companions). Would it not be preferable to have me engage with the advanced classes, instead of the first-year students? As much as they would benefit from having a different teacher, I believe that their existing instructors are versed enough in the material and remember the theoretical implications much better than I do. If you feel that a demonstration of advanced battle technique is required, could I perhaps suggest a tournament, for the advanced students, with the younger students as spectators? You would be able to analyze the techniques utilized as examples of theory later in the year. I have indicated in the attached schedule when I believe such a tournament would be most convenient.
Furthermore, I would like to let you know that since I am an officer of the Crow and Hammer, I am no longer at liberty to provide free consultation outside my own guild. Please find attached a provisional invoice for payments due, to the Crow and Hammer, in hourly rates, for any and all lecture, training, consultation and similar. A final invoice will be issued with the applicable rates, according to actual service provided.
On a personal note, I would like to update you that accompanying me next week will be Kai, Ezra, Tori, Izzah Ramesh (Odin’s Eye guild), and Sabrina Montero (Crow and Hammer guild). My guests will require three guest rooms in total, as Ezra and Tori, and Kai and Izzah, will be sharing rooms.
Looking forward to seeing you and Dad soon.
Love,
Aaron
Aaron Sinclair
Fourth officer, Crow and Hammer Guild