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katedoesfics · 4 years

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Lacuna | Chapter 2

The early spring morning was cool, but the rising sun promised warmth in the coming hours. Still, Kahli shivered in the damp, empty house. She cursed her father silently as she dressed quickly and trudged through the house. She spent most of the evening debating whether to return to Barnarock, but finally decided against it. Even though she was completely alone in Portia, she didn’t exactly have much back home, either. And her aunt was all too eager to get her out of the house.

It was time she get out into the world and make a life for herself. She needed to find purpose, to find her place in the world. She had no idea where to start, but perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. It felt like a slap in the face, but she would make the best of it. It sure beat the long boat ride back, anyway.

She knew she would need to make some money if she wanted to do anything, and though she didn’t have any particular set of skills, her father did leave her with notebooks upon notebooks of sketches and instructions. It seemed she would be a builder after all. At least it would bring in some money.

Her stomach growled. Money for food. And coffee. She desperately needed both.

She stepped outside into the warmth of the sun and took a moment to take in her surroundings. A vast wheat field was spread out in front of her just on the other side of the road. She could make out a few buildings beyond the field, and what looked to be several other fields lush with green grass. She could barely make out the shapes of cows and horses grazing quietly.

To her left was the road back to the harbor. She had a clear view of the ocean, the sun glittering on its surface. Green, rolling fields stretched on behind her house to the distance mountains. And the center of town, tucked in behind its tall walls, was to her right.

She stepped through the gate and casually checked the mailbox, as if expecting to find another note from her father, but it was empty. She sighed, then followed the road through the gates and into town.

It was early in the morning, but people milled about the streets, stepping out of their homes and chatting with one another. A few kids ran down a hill, laughing and shouting to one another with book bags on their backs. Across the plaza was a row of buildings, clearly marked. The first one read A&G, the second read Commerce Guild, and the third read Townhall.

Kahli made her way across the plaza, making eye contact with a few curious strangers. She offered them smiles in greeting, feeling shy and overwhelmed. She hurried across toward the commerce building, trotting up the steps and inside.

A young man stood behind a round desk, and he looked up when Kahli entered. He offered her a smile and a soft hello in greeting. As promised, Presley was waiting, and he immediately approached her.

“There you are! Glad you came by. How ar eyou settling in?”

“Alright,” Kahli said sheepishly.

“Good, good,” Presley said. “Let me introduce you to the commerce guild. We’re the organization that orchestrates trade across the entire Free Cities region. Naturally, this is the Portia branch. We're pretty busy throughout the year. Lots of people comission our builders here. So, if you’re looking to make some money, this is the place to be. Whatta ya say? Up for the challenge?”

“Guess I don’t have much of a choice,” Kahli said.

“Well,” Presley started, hesitant.

Kahli offered him a smile. She had to remind herself not to take her anger towards her father out on anyone else. “I mean,” she started. “I just… I’m not my father.”

Presley offered her a kind smiled. “Well, now,” he started. “There’s a place for everyone here in Portia. If you decide this isn’t for you, I’m sure we can find something else, hm?”

“I’m up to give it a try,” Kahli said. “How do I start?”

“Well, you’ll need to register your workshop with Mayor Gale. Once you do that, you can start taking commissions and earning some money. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

Kahli followed Presley next door. A short, round man sat behind a large desk, and he stood as they entered.

“Gale,” Presley started. “This Is Kahli, Maurice’s daughter. She got in last night. Here to register with the commerce guild.”

“Ah, yes, of course,” Gale said excitedly. “Welcome to Portia, Kahli! I’m Gale, the mayor of this town. It is truly wonderful to see young people getting involved in the telesis of our society.”

Kahli smiled. “Portia is beautiful. I can’t believe my father never mentioned being here.”

Gale hesitated. “Well, we’re glad to have you here.” He turned to his desk and shuffled through some folders for a moment, then pulled out a few pages paperclipped together. He moved to Kahli and handed them to her.

“Let’s get you set up then, shall we? Just need you to fill out some information here. Here, have a seat.” He gestured to a chair in front of his desk and Kahli sat. She took up a pen and began filling out the information as Gale continued to speak, informing her of the weekly town wide meetings and rambling on about some of the citizens in town.

“You’ll get to know everyone quickly, I’m sure,” he said. “You’ll also see Arlo, Remington, and Sam around a lot. They’re part of the Civil Corps. They’re responsible for keeping Portia safe, though I’m sure you’re familiar with the Corps. And there’s Petra and Merlin at the research center just down the road, next to the school. They’ll be able to help provide diagrams for some of your commissions, so be sure to stop in when you get a chance.”

Kahli finished filling out the forms as he spoke. She signed her name at the end and handed them to Gale. “Petra and Merlin, got it.”

“Well, now,” Presley said. “You’re a bonafide workshop owner! Your father would have been proud!”

“Sure,” Kahli said with a shrug.

“Thanks for your help, Gale,” Presley said to the mayor. “I’ll take it from here.”

“Good luck, Kahli. I look forwad to having you around town.”

Kahli followed Presley back to the commerce guild, listening as he babbled on about the commission process. Inside, they stopped at a bulletain board.

“Commissions get posted here,” he explained to her. “Based on the speed and quality of your work, we make a ranking of the workshops every week. Here, see?”

Kahli bit her lip. “There are other workshops?”

“Yup! Adding yours, there will be five workshops in our jurisdiction. But I bet you’ll be number one in know time, just like your father.”

“Sure,” she muttered.

“Once you’re done with your orders, you can pick up the commission fee from Antoine if it’s from the guild or directly from whoever commissioned you.”

The young man behind the round desk looked up at the mention of his name and waved to Kahli.

“You’ll likely make most of your money through the guild, but you can build and sell directly to the market as well. And since you’re just starting out, I’ve saved a commission for you. Your first one.”

But before Kahli could take the page from Presley, the door opened and a man entered. He immediately sneered at them, then snatched the page from Presley’s outstretched hand.

“Playing favorites are we?”

“Higgins,” Presley said sternly. “Don’t you have enough work to keep you busy?”

“There are never too many commissions,” Higgins said. His gaze narrowed on Kahli before stepping out the door, letting it slam shut behind him.

“That’s Higgins,” Presley said, his jaw clenched. “He’s the owner of the current number one workshop. Brilliant businessman, but I don’t like the way he does things.” He sighed, then turned to Kahli. “I’m sorry, that was the last one for today.”

Kahli offered him a smile. It was starting to seem that her decision to start a life in Portia was the wrong choice to make. Fate, destiny, whatever it was, it was clear to her that this was not the path she should be on.

She opened her mouth to offer an excuse, already planning to leave in the middle of the night like she was never here (oh, how she wish that didn’t make her her father’s daughter…) when the door opened once more. This time, a tall, red headed man entered, and he grinned when he saw Presley and Kahli.

“Hey, Pres,” he started. “I’ve got a job for ya.”

“Well, whatta ya know. Everything happens for a reason, hm? Arlo. Perfect timing. This is Kahli. She’s new in town and I’m sure she’d love to take on a new challenge.”

“Excellent,” Arlo said. “We’re looking to build a bridge to Amber Island.”

“So Gale finally up up the money?”

“Yeah, he figured that place coule be a real tourist attraction, with the haunted cave and all.”

Presley turned to Kahli. “This is a big first project. Think you can handle it?”

“I think that Higgins guy could use a little competition.”

“I like this one,” Arlo said with a grin.

Kahli blushed and pulled her gaze away. “So,” she started. “How, uh, how do I do this?”

“Your father has built a few bridges for us in the past. I’m sure he has some notes somewhere. You’ll need to gather the materials, though. There are a couple ruins here you can use to get what you need. It’ll take a little mining.”

“You’ll build up those muscles in no time,” Arlo said with a nod, his arms folded.

Kahli looked down at her arms. She supposed she was lacking in that area. She blew her bangs out of her face. “What the hell did I get myself involved in?”

Presley laughed. “Nonsense,” he said, pushing her out the door. “I believe in you. Better get to work now, hm?”

“And be careful in those ruins,” Arlo called after her. “I don’t want to have to rescue any damsels in distress.”

Kahli turned to throw a comeback at him, but the door was already closed. She stood outside in the plaza, blinking at the door for a moment, then sighed. So, this was it. This was her life now in Portia.

#lacuna #lacuna2 #mtap #my time at portia #fic #fanfic

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