Chapter 9

  Settling In

  As it turns out, that room that the Arbiter originally found me in, was in fact my room. Whether it was always meant to be my room or not I am not aware, but after everything was settled, it was my room. A fact that was pointed out to me by the Madame.

  For her part, the Madame was relatively calm. Especially calm, considering the fact that I basically got her to swear under oath to an Arbiter that the Bloom estate would cover a year of magical classes. In fact, if I was reading the situation correctly, she all but encouraged such practices in the future.

  “Now that the Arbiter has seen to your conditions, know that I am to tell you that you have the right to address the Arbiter at any time, should you feel threatened or otherwise disadvantaged by your stay here. That said, I do hope that we could move beyond any future misunderstandings and talk things out beforehand. That said, the Arbiter is there for you, as a resource, should you ever need them.” Madame Bloom quoted, as if having rehearsed the line and spoken it multiple times. There is a slight pause, as she lets those words sink in, before asking.

  “Are there any questions related to the Arbiter, or your ability to and reasons to contact the Arbiter that I can assist with?”

  I shake my head no.

  “Are there any questions in general that I can assist you with before I leave you for tonight?”

  I am about to shake my head, when , I pause as I realize something. Then before I even know what is happening, I find myself asking a question. “I take it, I am not the only fostering child the Blooms have taken in?”

  With that, Madame Blooms eyes go wide with shock at first, but then slowly fade back to normal size, before answering.

  “Yes, the Blooms have often had a history of taking in the cast offs from other families and allowing them to prosper and grow to their full potential.”

  I nod, having expected as much, but then another question comes forth, “but why?”

  “Why what?” Madame Bloom asks, a note of confusion in her voice.

  “Why take us in, wouldn’t that cause a break in the bloodline? Or does it mean I will never truly…” I pause, cutting myself off from asking what would come next. Asking about whether or not I could actually be considered a full member of the Bloom family. The answer is obvious, I couldn’t, my blood is tainted.

  Chuckle.

  “Your first day here and are already concerned with being recognized as a full branch member?”

  I pause, as fear gripped me, “I apologize, it was too presumptuous of me.”

  Tinkling bells.

  Madame Bloom laughs so lightly, that I swear it is the sound of gentle bells ringing, “oh dear. You are more ambitious than your casework would have us believe.”

  I lower my gaze at that, I had been keeping a low profile over at the DiVoratores, keeping my head down, knowing that I didn’t have a true future there. But to be seen through so quickly, by just one misstep, truly impressive of Madame Bloom. Showing that she is not a person to be taken lightly, as she can apparently gain more from simple observations and questions than most could. Then again, she has likely been sizing me up all night, everything from the questions I have asked thus far, to the spirit battle, to even my own question about a future place within the family.

  “Don’t worry,” Madame Bloom states, placing a gentle hand under my chin and lifting my head up from my seated position to stare into her emerald green eyes. There once our gazes lock for a moment, she continues. “If you still wish to be a full member of the Bloom household, you will not need to do anything.”

  “I won’t?”

  “No, when the moment comes, you will be given a choice. And based on that choice, your spirit will choose your future path for you.” With that the Madame pauses, letting her words sink in.

  I just stare at her trying to understand what her cryptic words mean. Just as I am about to open my mouth to question her comments, she continues.

  “I told you, the Blooms have a history of taking in the strays and castoffs from other noble houses. Do you believe that I was always a Bloom? That I was born into this life, and through the grace of happenstance got selected to be matriarch of this family based on nepotism?”

  I pause, knowing not to answer this question with my actual thoughts on the matter, as it is clear that this is somehow a setup.

  Chuckle.

  Seeing my pause, Madame Bloom laughs lightly at my hesitation.

  “Perhaps this is too mean for a first day, but you asked and I will do everything in my power to ensure you have the correct answer to your questions. Even if the answers you hear are not what you truly wanted to know.” Another pause, before the Madame continues.

  “Now to answer the question you are likely dying to know, yes. At one time, I too was a castoff from a different family. Yet, know that the Bloom power runs through me, just as it can through you, if you still want it to, by the time your fostering is done here.” Madame Bloom says casually, as if it was something as simple as turning a page in a book, or closing a door. Then again, maybe it was? I still had a lot to learn about this world, and no doubt Madame Bloom had taken an interest in me for some reason.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Chomp.

  I was apparently staring at the Madame with a form of slack jawed amazement, when the Madame took a moment to close my mouth with her hand, causing my teeth to clack together loudly.

  “That said, if you are to be a Bloom, realize you should never let the world know when they have befuddled you. It will leave you open and vulnerable.” With that the Madame began to slink her way out from the side of my bed. She was in the portion closest to the wall and likely the spot chosen due to being able to place sheets over the sides more easily.

  Only after she left and I was able to see her fully, did I even notice the stains that now marred her once dazzlingly green dress. Where once there were streaks of white stretching up and causing for patterns and shapes to appear, now sat blood stained sections. Only after seeing the bloody stains on the white strips of the dress could the blood stains on the rest of the green dress be seen as well. Following the view, I saw how the hem of her dress was also coated in a thick layer of mud, along with a section that almost had to be where her knees fell to the ground in the dirt.

  It took my muddled mind a moment to see her, and realized that she had carried something bloody and bleeding. A body that she no doubt picked up from the ground. Then it came back to me, the mud in the park, and my passing out. I remember she caught me, but I didn’t realize that I had apparently bled, or probably more accurately bled through my clothing to hers.

  “Wait!” I exclaim, shooting up from the bed.

  Woozy.

  Instantly, the world is a bit dizzy as I am still battling through a loss of blood. While my body might have been healed and closed shut, my blood would likely still take time to regenerate and recover.

  Seeing me staggering, a shocked look crosses the Madame’s face as she rushes forward to catch me. This is perfect, as I needed direct contact with her.

  Then I use my personal Skill, the Skill that was likely why I was chosen at all to be here.

  Trash.

  Focusing on the blood, on the dirt, and all the unwanted debris, I spread out my Skill, and force it to dissolve all traces of dirt from her dress.

  Flash.

  There is a bright light, as the sequins in her dress seem to sparkle for just a moment, before they are gone.

  It doesn’t take much, by now I am well used to getting blood and dirt stains out of my own clothing, so doing the same for someone else that I am in direct contact with is simple.

  “Oh my,” is all the Madame can say as she looks down to the state of her clothing. Clothing that would have likely had stains forever tainting the quality of her dress for a while. I nod my head, then seeing that she is still just staring down at her gown with a shocked expression, I can’t help but smile as I return to her the same courtesy that she showed to me. Reaching up, I gently raise up my flattened hand to her chin, then a slight tilt upwards.

  Chomp.

  “Never let the world know when you are enraptured by its mysteries,” I state.

  Tongue-click.

  “You got the statement wrong,” Madame Bloom says a faint smile cresting the edges of her lips in a teasing gesture.

  “I made it my own,” I reply.

  “So you did. So, you did.” The Madame repeats herself twice, going slower on the second statement as she took me in again. Though this time she looked at me, I could almost swear there was a sparkle in her eyes, a hint of recognition. For a moment, I almost wondered if, she truly cared. Then I immediately squash that thought, and take a step back, as my moment of assistance using my Skill is over.

  “I will have dinner sent in, the privy is down the hall to the left, and please let me know if there are any questions or concerns,” Madame Bloom states, pointing in the direction she indicated for the privy.

  I nod.

  With that Madame Bloom heads towards the door, only stopping herself at the door to offer a few last words.

  “You’ve had a busy night, remember you still have school tomorrow,” Madame Bloom offered.

  Then like that, I was left to my own devices. I could see my clothing strewn about. My items carefully folded and placed on top of my dresser so I could put them away as I wished.

  Taking quick inventory, I realized that I was in my underclothes, and only after a moment did I realize that I was not sweaty, nor bloody, nor covered in mud and muck. Actually, correction, there was still some dried sweat on me, after years of using my Skill as a personal cheat for cleanliness, I knew far too well what my signs of dirt were. No, I had apparently had my arms, hands, and face washed and clean but that was all. Also, my outer layer of muck covered clothing was in a cloth hamper that was next to my dresser.

  A good thing, not that I liked being dirty, but I didn’t like the idea of being violated in my sleep.

  Focusing on myself, I began using my personal cheat Skill on myself the same way I had for the Madame’s dress.

  Trash.

  With my Skill, I removed all sources of odor, debris, and dirt that might have accumulated while I was mostly passed out. From there, I went over to the basket and again began using a very focused version of my Skill on my clothes. When using my Skill in this manner, I had to be careful with what I was thinking. See my Skill let me remove anything that I considered trash or unwanted. The trick was to focus your intent small enough that the dirt was what you wanted to get rid of, and nothing else.

  By my focusing in such a way, I learned how to keep my clothing and then myself clean while avoiding problem areas of houses. That said, I would still need to use the privy, but most of my basic sanitary concerns were fully covered, so long as I took the time to focus on what I was asking my personal Skill to do.

  With my second set of clothing cleaned, I went over to the bed and began removing traces of myself from there. I’m glad I did, as there were a few blood drops, and a few sweat marks that might begin to stink if given time. That was how, within a matter of moments, I was once again germ and odor free in my room.

  Still feeling restless, I wanted to get out and do something, but instead opted for trying to improve my Skills. Normally I would take time like this to run around the estate, and take in my surroundings. Unfortunately, it was already late, and running at night in an unfamiliar terrain was asking for ankle injuries. That was how I instead began multi-tasking.

  Grabbing a relatively thick book from the nightstand, I wondered if I could work on my Improvised Weapons skill. From my understanding, the Skill noted that anything could be a weapon, which was why it was worth a try. Remembering when I felt the Skill improve the most was when I worked on basic footwork and movements.

  Step, thrust, reset.

  Practicing, I would lunge out, strike, and then pull the book back and get back to a resting position. The process is tiring and tedious, but every so often I feel a Skill up taking place, letting me know I am doing something right.

  Then once I feel a faint sheen of sweat starting to form, a quick application of my Trash Skill lets me continue knowing that I am at least not going to stink.

  The reason I didn’t use this same process earlier in the park while fighting the spirits was twofold. First, I had to keep my Mana usage relatively low as I knew I needed to make each drop of Mana count. Second, I didn’t want the full capabilities of my Skills being known.

  There is one last thing I do, I sing.

  A low slow rhythm that I can use in conjunction with my movements and pacing. At first, I just did it as a way to pass the time. It wasn’t until much later that I realized by using my voice musically with forced practiced breathing, I could increase my Music Theory Skill at the same time as my other physically related skills.

  All of this led me to realize that there were ways that I could game the system, if I but worked with an intended manner. There was still a lot to do, but I was quickly getting to the point where I could be self sufficient on my own, if need be.

  That said, for the moment, I had plenty of resources with the Blooms. Not to mention, I was also granted to have my first year of magical studies covered by the Blooms, as long as I got a class that supported the Blooms’ whole idealized standard.

  “In the dark,” I begin as I thrust forward expanding outwards, before contracting inwards.

  “Ever witness,” book stab.

  “Ever feel,” reset.

  “How everything,” stab outward with both hands guiding the book as if it was a long horizontal dagger.

  “Looks so real,” reset.

  “In the dark…” I continue my cadence, singing the songs from my old world. Songs that still haunt me to this day.

  Knock-knock.

  Once again there is a knock on my door, but this time the person on the other side of the door doesn’t just barge through.

  “Come in?” I call out.

  And with that, the lead coachman comes in and sees me holding the book firmly with both hands.

  “A bit of late-night reading?” He asks, while carrying in a tray of food.

  “You could say that,” I respond, trying to look somewhat cool, as if I wasn’t just practicing to use a text book as a deadly weapon to improve a random and broad Skill.

  “Very well, you meal for the evening. Once you are done, please just leave the tray outside your door and someone will get to it, when there is time.” The coachman states, placing the tray down on a dresser near a sink that was in the corner the whole time. I almost question the sink, but then realize it was me just not being that observant. Or I originally saw it, thought this was a hospital room, only to be distracted by this apparently being my real room.

  I nod, again feeling awkward.

  With that the coachmen and apparent butler nodded before heading out the door. Only once he got to the door did he pause and turn around, “oh and let me say thank you, on behalf of the staff here.”

  “Thank me?” I ask.

  “Yes, you have given new life to the Matriarch, a fact that we are all most grateful for,” then with that odd comment, he left.

  For a moment I was confused, and almost wanted to get back to training, until a strong scent of cooked carrots filled my nose.

  Gurgle.

  At that, I realized training could wait.

  here.