A Conversation (II)

Hildegard Aldrich wearily walked through her front door as dusk settled on the city she was responsible for protecting. The sound of running water from the bathroom connected to the ground-floor guestroom told her that her young charge was likely home from her daily training. Still, decades of harsh training saw her whispering a quiet cantrip and small surges of stunning force dance down her arm into the fingertips of her right hand as she set her bag down on the stand in the entryway with her left.

As she stepped quietly through the living room and into the kitchen, she heard the water shut off. Nevertheless, she opened the fridge with her left, retrieved a beer from the door with her left, and closed the door with her left before softly stepping back to her favourite chair next to the window at the far end of the living room. She only released the energy back into her system when she saw the teenage girl step into the room, still toweling off her damp red hair.

"Hey Aunt Hildy!", the young woman called out in greeting. "Welcome home. How was the meeting?"

"Hello, Ingrid," Hildegard replied as she expertly flicked the bottle cap off her beverage with her thumbnail. The cap shot off like an arrow at the girl's face, before she caught it in her towel with a scowl. The woman leaned back in her chair with a pleased smile as she continued. "It went reasonably well. Our neighbours reported a group of poachers intruding on their land, as well as an upsurge in wolf activity. According to their runners, they're larger than average and show signs of their pack leader being Touched. I promised to post missions regarding both in the Hunter's Lodge and they seemed satisfied with that. Lady Blackice spoke for us, as well, which seemed to help. I'm probably going to have to treat her to dinner as a thank-you, though." She finished, the last part with a grumble.

Ingrid grinned at that and replied, "I'm sure you're very upset at that prospect, Aunty." It was now Hildegard's turn to scowl.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean. How was your training?"

The young redhead shrugged. "Fine. Nothing happens in this town, anyway. Though I did run across that wyrm's new Apprentice. Did you know he had one?"

Hildegard's face turned cold. "Do NOT call him that, even between us. He is older than our entire Order and deserves our respect, regardless of how eccentric and cantankerous he might be."

Ingrid scoffed. "What, is the great Hildegard Warlock-Bane scared of an old lizard? Just because Grixa--"

"Be silent, Adept," Hildegard interrupted, her voice laced with a rumble of power. The young girl immediately clammed up, dropped her towel and sank to her knees, her face betraying dismay as she realized the seriousness of the situation. After a long stare, Hildegard nodded before she retracted her Presence and continued. "Names have power, and you'd do well to remember that someone as strong as He is can often sense when someone uses His name. Do not throw it about casually."

"Apologies, Ser Aldrich. I forgot myself," Ingrid softly replied, not daring to lift her gaze from the floor.

Hildegard's gaze softened before she sighed and took a sip of her beer. She leaned back in her chair and looked out the window as the last light of the day ducked down below the tops of the trees behind her home. "Get up, niece. Just be careful of what words you use in the future. Not everyone is as forgiving of the follies of the young. As for that young man - he is not his Apprentice - not yet, at least in that capacity. We've already spoken on the subject, as the boy is a student of mine as well. That does give me some intercessory leeway. He's only helping Him in the capacity of his hobby at the school."

Ingrid stood up and made her way over to the couch, retrieving her towel and tying it up around her head as she sat down. "I assumed as much, since I've seen him running around the track in the morning. But today I ran into him coming back from the old- His book store."

Hildegard frowned at that news. "Likely just some project for the library." After a moment, her gaze shifted towards the couch and continuing mischievously. "So you're running mates, are you? And what does my dear niece think of the young lad?"

Ingrid scoffed before crossing her arms. "What's there to think? He's a child! And if he's not His Apprentice, he's clearly not my equal. And we're not running mates - we're just two people who happen to occasionally end up running at the same place at the same time."

"Is that so..."

"Aunt Hildy!"

Hildegard chuckled. "All right. I was just curious about what my favourite niece and most promising protégé thought of the lad. Besides, he's only a year younger than you. And he's quite bright, from what I can tell so far."

Ingrid slouched deeper into the couch, a slight red flushing her cheeks. "Please stop."

"Just payback for that dinner comment. Speaking of which, what do you have planned?"

The young woman stared at her aunt blankly. "I was thinking... pizza?"

Hildegard sighed with mock chagrin. "No dinner? My disciple has completely forgotten her master when the first strapping young lad comes along. How lamentable!" This garnered a groan from the couch.

"Please, stop."

"Fine. Pizza it is."

---

Michael and Jeremy concluded their tour before heading back to the shop. Ben was still at the counter as the two parted ways, and Michael said his goodbyes before making for the door.

"Remember, either call or go online to schedule your first session, but make sure you're definitely free. Challengers only get one cancelation or no-show per quarter," Jeremy called after him as he opened the door. Michael nodded in assent before waving as the door shut behind him, not noticing the incredulous stare Ben gave his cousin.

"Seems like Jeremy's really stuck his neck out for me on this one. I didn't expect a casual request to have these kinds of implications," Michael murmured to himself as he started walking home.

"Considering some of the advanced equipment there, it would follow that there is a cost involved. Some of those monitoring and biometric functions are things I can perform, but not everyone is as lucky as you, and even I can't be everywhere at once," a familiar voice chimed in from inside his head.

"Still, the last thing I needed was another responsibility," Michael grumbled as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Between all of your missions, I'm already short on time."

"Oh, stop complaining. You're the one who is benefitting in the end, after all. Besides, I think this might be just the thing, in the end."

"What do you mean?"

A tinkling laughter like bells was all Michael heard in response before a familiar prompt appeared in the corner of his vision.

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Michael groaned.