Chapter 42
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Owen ended up being relatively on time, and was only late by a moment or two, and apologized for it after knocking and entering. Before he entered though the pair within had a little bit of time to wait and thus Lorelle asked him several questions about the previous day's events after he left the guild hall. Until he was asked he hadn't realized it earlier but due to Mr. Bimsley's outburst about Cecelia the boy hadn't been able to tell the Pul'kin about what happened at the Lazy Badger or Spring of Sighs. Sighing weakly as a sense of fatigue suddenly washed over him he recalled the events at a high level of detail, though he was careful to ensure his unease at the incidents was thoroughly expressed. While her reaction wasn't as blatant, nor as raucous, as Mr. Bimsley's Ethan could tell she was surprised if nothing else. He was also a bit disheartened to see that at times she had to cover her mouth to try and hide a smile, and even a little miffed when she couldn't help but giggle a couple of times. When she saw his crestfallen expression in response to her occasional giggles she was able to bring herself back under control with little more than a clearing of her throat.

His story was finally finished, and for the most part all her questions had been answered, when he finally stopped talking long enough to take a big swallow of cool water. When he lowered his cup he noticed she was doing the same before finally smiling and returning her cup to the table. Crossing her hands in her lap she simply nodded with a small smile.

"It would seem that you have had many experiences, or perhaps adventures would be a better word, in your short time in town."

While her words could be construed as a question her tone suggested it was more of a statement than anything else. He simply grunted, an act that his internal voice immediately rebuked him for, though he didn't apologize. He simply nodded and took another drink from his cup, obviously perturbed by all of the "adventures" so far. Lorelle offered a sympathetic smile and gently pointed out in a gentle voice.

"You know Mr. Kipley, adventurers regularly experience strange and unique experiences in their travels. They meet new people and situations constantly. It kind of comes with the territory of adventuring. If you are this upset about half a day are you sure this is the right path for you?"

Her tone wasn't accusatory, a fact that probably helped yield such a thoughtful, polite, and rather positive response from the boy. He listened in silence and considered her words for a couple of minutes before finally replying.

"I... hadn't thought of it that way before. Honestly I've always looked at adventuring as helping people in need." He paused to take another small sip from his cup.

"You're right though, obviously," he smiled a bit at his clarification, "that, at least for now, I will be experiencing countless new experiences and meeting many..." He couldn't help but frown as he considered those he had already met, "many, new people."

He stopped talking once more while he silently considered the implications of their words so far. He was telling the truth when he told her he hadn't thought of adventuring in such a way before. In his limited exposure to the idea, and his short time in the world thus far, he focused more on the heroic stories and the concept of helping others, rather than the finer details doing such involved. He thought to himself, absently, that it was like he only cared about the destination and not the actual journey, which caused him to frown a bit at himself. Finally, right as he took a deep breath to voice his inner thoughts, there was a knock on the door and Owen entered. Ethan immediately jumped to his feet and nearly dropped his cup before greeting the guild master nervously.

"Hello sir! Thank you taking time to meet with me again!"

Owen, who had performed countless of these very evaluations was slightly taken aback by the boy's reaction and greeting. In truth, others had definitely been as nervous as Ethan currently was, but they had been older and in slightly more control of themselves, at least in public. Owen finally smiled and nodded while reaching out a hand, palm down, between them.

"Hello Ethan, please be at ease, no reason to be so nervous. Go ahead and retake your seat."

He closed the door behind him while he spoke and shortly after Ethan sat back down Owen was seating himself across from him in an empty chair next to Lorelle. After he placed some scrolls he brought with him on the table in front of him Lorelle handed him a cup of water with a warm smile.

"Thank you Lorelle, it is much appreciated."

He slowly down half the cup in a fashion that was not only polite but also kept his upper lip free of liquid, which meant he didn't need to wipe his mouth and look unclean. Returning the cup to table he picked up one of the scrolls and unrolled it to gaze over it before turning it so Ethan could see the contents on the surface.

"Can you please confirm this is your application and signature at the bottom?"

Ethan leaned forward and squinted his eyes a bit to take a look. His vision was fine but for some reason he, like everyone else, seemed to squint when asked to look at something, even if they could see it clearly without doing so. He finally nodded after reviewing the crude signature at the bottom.

"Yes sir, that is what I filled out yesterday." He suddenly added quickly, "with Ms. Lorelle's help of course."

Owen chuckled and nodded before placing the unrolled application on the table and using his cup to hold down the top of the scroll. He then pulled what looked to be a smooth wooden cylinder and a small wooden box out from an unseen pocket in his robes. He placed both onto the bottom of the scroll, pinning it open, before he opened the small box to reveal a folded red cloth within. Ethan tilted his head when he thought he noticed the cloth glisten slightly at different angles before becoming distracted by the wooden cylinder that was now back in Owen's hands. Pulling off one end of what turned out to be a two sided stamp Owen confirmed he had the right one and pushed the flat surface down against the folded cloth that was soaked with red ink. After dabbing it against the cloth he moved it above the scroll and finally pressed the two surfaces together, marking the application with the guild's official answer. Ethan, who had been able to kind of figure out what was going on, held his breath as the stamp was lifted his future was revealed.

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