Chapter 47: Chapter 46: IRC

“So, what’s this big news?” Tess asked, shoveling a bite of food into her mouth. It was one of the rare days in which her, Ellie, and Gramps ate dinner together, something which had become increasingly rare after Tess and Ellie were introduced to the Outlands. Gramps had apparently grown busier as of late, and between that and Tess and Ellie getting home from training at different times, it had become harder to find the time to sit down with everyone and eat.

Ellie laid down her silverware, smiling nervously. “I decided about the Appointed thing. I went and talked with Life and Death, and…well, I said I’d do it. So, we sat down and got it all taken care of, and it’s official now.”

Tess gulped down her food and gave Ellie a smile. “That’s great!” She said enthusiastically. “It’s cool that we get to share something like this!” She turned to Gramps, who was finishing chewing his own food. “Are we going to have another meeting?”

Gramps nodded. “Two days from now.” He said. “Our yearly meeting’s scheduled for then, so it works out pretty well.”

“Meeting?” Ellie asked.

“Once a year or when important things happen, a bunch of us Appointed get together and have a meeting to keep in touch.” Gramps explained. “We had one to introduce Tess, and we would have an impromptu one to introduce you if the yearly meeting wasn’t now. You’ll get to meet everyone else, and…well, let’s just say I’ve got a bit of a surprise for you, something you’ve been wanting for a couple of months now.”

Ellie frowned. “Something I’ve been wanting for a couple of months now? Nothing really springs to mind, can I have a hint?”

Gramps smiled mischievously. “It’s not exactly for you per-se, but trust me, you’re going to like it a lot, you mentioned wanting this right after Tess became an Appointed. That’s all the hints I’m giving, though, if you can’t figure it out from that it’ll just have to be a surprise.”

Ellie thought about that for a moment, glanced at Tess, then quickly glanced away. “I…think I know what it is.” She said, a hint of excitement creeping into her voice. “And if it is what I think it is, then you’re right, I am going to like it a lot.”

Gramps laughed. “Oh, believe me, you don’t know the half of it.”

The rest of dinner was relatively uneventful, consisting mostly of small talk as the three of them caught each other up with what had been happening at school, training, or, in Gramps’s case, work. It was a calm, pleasant event, and Tess found herself wishing that they were able to do it more often.

She knew that was just wishful thinking, though. With school ending soon it was nearly time for her and Ellie to make their debut as Appointed, and to start freelancing full-time. Their days were about to become busier than ever, and she doubted they would have time to get together like this on any sort of regular basis.

After doing the dishes, Tess went to her room and began to do what was left of her homework. It felt…decidedly mundane, but it was something she recognized as important. She may not plan to use most of what she learned in the near future, but she had been told that it was almost guaranteed that she would live for a very, very long time, and there was no telling when this stuff would come in handy.

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