5 min read
From Summer to Winter
August - December 2019
Summer turned into autumn and autumn to winter. The months were flying by and the Rothmore household had just celebrated their annual winter solstice traditions. Nothing had been out of the norm in the past half a year. At least not on the surface.
Reuben had officially hired Giselle as an apprentice in his shop, showing her the ropes of alchemy as well as the business side of it. She was given a kiosk to sell her jewelry made with precious stones that the Mystic Herb had to offer. She was also given a small workbench in the back room so she could work continuously whenever she liked there at the shop in her own designated spot.
One thing about Giselle, however, was that she is very private. Reuben would try and pry here or there to find out something about her, yet she was very tight lipped. She either didn’t like to speak about herself, or she really just hadn’t had much to say. She was always well dressed and full of her own handmade jewelry, so her home life couldn’t have been that bad, right? Reuben had discussed these things with Evan, yet the everwise Evan had always said to stop being so nosy and mind his own business. “Let her know you’ll be an ear if she ever needs to talk,” he would always say.
Reuben finally stopped pressing the subject and all seemed to be fine. Giselle had been an eager worker, always very willing to help out in any and all ways she could. Reuben was frankly quite thankful for the help, too, even if he was always itching to ask questions to find out about the apprentice he knew next to nothing about.
Meanwhile, over the past months, Ryder had been practicing his magic and having a grand time with Alice, who was much more present now more than ever. Not only was Alice always around, so was Bastian, a newer creation of Ryder’s that he vowed helped him during his time in the dreamscape. This Bastian character was either a large monstrous creature, or a small fawn-esque creature the size of a cat who sat upon Ryder’s shoulder, head, or walked along behind him. It was all dependent upon his mood. Bastian would come and go as he pleased, popping in and out of reality whenever he felt like it. It was a surprising turn of events, but the Rothmore home was more than used to these random visitors due to Alice.
Alice, no longer being fully human, was so relieved. The fact that she could fade in and out of existence whenever she wished was so much better. Also, not needing to run to the bathroom or feed on any actual food for sustenance was the largest relief. She loved her life so much more and her own abilities would grow as Ryder became stronger.
Having all of these different personalities in one home was a challenge, but they all seemed to mesh so well when push came to shove. The inquisitive nature of Alice did tend to bother Reuben occasionally, but overall the entire family had been getting along very well. It was the quiet, quaint life that Reuben had always envisioned for himself. A home full of happy spirits living their lives and enjoying what they could.
Throughout her time at the Mystic Herb, Giselle still hadn’t had the chance to meet this fabled character of Ryder. She was either busy or away whenever Ryder did decide to visit the shop. Now that Giselle was helping to run things, Reuben hardly asked for his help, which in his mind was great and gave him more time to focus on the things he wanted to do. But Giselle was aware of Ryder and Lab 305 simply from Reuben’s descriptions of the raevan and their abilities. They seemed like they were fascinating creatures, but it wasn’t in Giselle’s personality to pry and ask too many questions; after all, she didn’t really like putting her own information forth, another reason why she never liked to go by her real name. Instead, it was just Giselle. It was easier, prettier, and just overall much more her than her real name. She preferred it and was happy to see Reuben accept it. She wanted to open up more about her home life, about her past, and Reuben had stated if she ever needed someone to talk to, the doors were open. That was something she always appreciated. Though she just wasn’t ready, it wasn’t a good time. She decided she would rather live silently and come to work to escape it all. This was her sanctuary. This was where she loved to be. She could be creative here, her inspiration abound. Everything was more simple and things went smoothly here whereas everywhere else there seemed to be chaos.
Reuben had officially hired Giselle as an apprentice in his shop, showing her the ropes of alchemy as well as the business side of it. She was given a kiosk to sell her jewelry made with precious stones that the Mystic Herb had to offer. She was also given a small workbench in the back room so she could work continuously whenever she liked there at the shop in her own designated spot.
One thing about Giselle, however, was that she is very private. Reuben would try and pry here or there to find out something about her, yet she was very tight lipped. She either didn’t like to speak about herself, or she really just hadn’t had much to say. She was always well dressed and full of her own handmade jewelry, so her home life couldn’t have been that bad, right? Reuben had discussed these things with Evan, yet the everwise Evan had always said to stop being so nosy and mind his own business. “Let her know you’ll be an ear if she ever needs to talk,” he would always say.
Reuben finally stopped pressing the subject and all seemed to be fine. Giselle had been an eager worker, always very willing to help out in any and all ways she could. Reuben was frankly quite thankful for the help, too, even if he was always itching to ask questions to find out about the apprentice he knew next to nothing about.
Meanwhile, over the past months, Ryder had been practicing his magic and having a grand time with Alice, who was much more present now more than ever. Not only was Alice always around, so was Bastian, a newer creation of Ryder’s that he vowed helped him during his time in the dreamscape. This Bastian character was either a large monstrous creature, or a small fawn-esque creature the size of a cat who sat upon Ryder’s shoulder, head, or walked along behind him. It was all dependent upon his mood. Bastian would come and go as he pleased, popping in and out of reality whenever he felt like it. It was a surprising turn of events, but the Rothmore home was more than used to these random visitors due to Alice.
Alice, no longer being fully human, was so relieved. The fact that she could fade in and out of existence whenever she wished was so much better. Also, not needing to run to the bathroom or feed on any actual food for sustenance was the largest relief. She loved her life so much more and her own abilities would grow as Ryder became stronger.
Having all of these different personalities in one home was a challenge, but they all seemed to mesh so well when push came to shove. The inquisitive nature of Alice did tend to bother Reuben occasionally, but overall the entire family had been getting along very well. It was the quiet, quaint life that Reuben had always envisioned for himself. A home full of happy spirits living their lives and enjoying what they could.
Throughout her time at the Mystic Herb, Giselle still hadn’t had the chance to meet this fabled character of Ryder. She was either busy or away whenever Ryder did decide to visit the shop. Now that Giselle was helping to run things, Reuben hardly asked for his help, which in his mind was great and gave him more time to focus on the things he wanted to do. But Giselle was aware of Ryder and Lab 305 simply from Reuben’s descriptions of the raevan and their abilities. They seemed like they were fascinating creatures, but it wasn’t in Giselle’s personality to pry and ask too many questions; after all, she didn’t really like putting her own information forth, another reason why she never liked to go by her real name. Instead, it was just Giselle. It was easier, prettier, and just overall much more her than her real name. She preferred it and was happy to see Reuben accept it. She wanted to open up more about her home life, about her past, and Reuben had stated if she ever needed someone to talk to, the doors were open. That was something she always appreciated. Though she just wasn’t ready, it wasn’t a good time. She decided she would rather live silently and come to work to escape it all. This was her sanctuary. This was where she loved to be. She could be creative here, her inspiration abound. Everything was more simple and things went smoothly here whereas everywhere else there seemed to be chaos.