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Iro,

Be advised, Risdeis will onboard one student in the next two weeks. Charges only in labor hours at his care center, no gold required. He will not travel, but has contacts outside of Oba.

He can be stern.

Landyn

"Oh, sh-" Iro gasped a big lungful of air as she read through the note. She'd done it! She'd found a teacher!

It had been surprisingly difficult to find someone who was willing to train up younger potential mages, someone who was willing to sort through candidates for potential. But this Risdesi - she'd never met him - ran a daycare of sorts, for children whose parents worked during the day and needed a place to go. He was used to dealing with younger folk. It could be promising.

She pushed her chair back and tucked the note into a pocket before hurrying to find Koray. Luckily, they didn't live far, and she found herself waving at him through the window a short walk later.

Iro all but bounded through the doorway, waving the note in front of her. "Something good did happen, Koray!" she declared excitedly, slapping the paper down on the dining table and pointing at it. "I've done it! I've found you a magic teacher!"

She puffed herself up proudly. She'd worked hard at finding this contact and part of her had worried that she wouldn't be able to do it, so she figured she deserved a little credit from herself.

"There's a guy called Risdeis who runs a childcare center who also teaches this stuff," she said. "He doesn't charge gold, but does ask for a certain number of hours volunteering at his center every week. And... well, the note says he can be stern. But, you know, apart from that! This could be what you've been looking for!"

She wrapped him up in a big hug that lifted his feet off the ground, then set him down with a laugh. "Well that makes one of us, because I had my doubts for a little bit there."

But there it was, written in paper and everything. It was more than she'd expected. Plus, if her friend was right, this Risdeis guy was a pretty decent teacher - tough, but talented, and caring in his own way.

"I don't think he'd be too mad," she said. "I think he just opens up spots for new students if he ever loses one. Plus, it says he knows people outside of Oba, so maybe he could refer you on to a different teacher."

She peered at the note again. It didn't specify what kind of work, but she suspected she had a clue. "The volunteering probably just involves helping out at the center. I'd guess things like keeping the place clean, doing some easy lifting if he ever needs it, just odd jobs around the place so he doesn't need to hire on any staff."

The note didn't specify a time, but Iro's impression from her initial conversation with Landyn was that a note would mean they could go meet Risdeis any time. The man did like to vet his students just a bit, and he appreciated talking to them before they formally enrolled under his tutelage.

"Honestly, I think we can go whenever. Today, even, if you feel ready. But if you need some time, we can go tomorrow or the day after." Iro beamed at him, feeling wonderfully pleased by how happy and excited Koray was by this news. She knew that it'd be good for him.

She just hoped Risdeis wasn't too stern. Iro wasn't sure how much scolding Koray was alright with, and the last thing she wanted to do was to refer him to a teacher he didn't enjoy.

He dashed off, and Iro waited while Koray changed. The sound of the crash, and she opened her mouth to say something, only to be reassured by a small I'm Okay! She smiled to herself. What a precious little child. And then he bundled out of the room, dressed in simple but stylish attire, and she nodded with a grin.

"You've got an eye for clothing, don't you?" she said, nodding appreciatively at his new getup, before tugging at her own worn leather top. "I've just got boring old leather. But then again... I kinda like it." She chuckled, never having been one with a fine appreciation of style. In her family's line of work, function was key.

She grasped his hand and they left, Iro following the directions she'd been given earlier as they wound through the crowded streets of Jatine. There were always sounds everywhere in this city, from hawkers promoting their wares to children screaming with excitement as they pelted through the alleys in play.

After dodging several packs of youngsters and a cart, they finally arrived outside a plain wooden gate. It didn't have any markings or numbers on it, only bell strung above to alert the owner of visitors.

"You ready?"

Iro gave him a gentle squeeze in return, turning to look at Koray with an encouraging grin. "Here, take a deeeeeep breath," she said, releasing his hand. She put one hand on each of his shoulders and turned him so that they were standing square to each other, and she bent so she could look right into his eyes.

"Don't think too much about all that!" she said with a nod. "He's not going to judge you just by the way you look. You're here to show him that you'd be a good student, so he's going to care about your magic, your passion, and your dedication. And, you know... how happy you seem about the prospect of sweeping up after children a couple times a week."

Her grin widened. He was going to do so well, she just knew it.

"And you know, he might yell at you. Probably not today, but there might be one day where he yells at you. And that's okay! It just means you've got an opportunity to improve, so seize it," she said decisively, sending him strong vibes and hopefully courage through her gaze.

"And I'll be here through this whole meeting. You've got this."

"Exactly!" she said, trying to sound as encouraging as she could, hoping that this would all work out alright and that nothing would happen to scare Koray off of magic for life.

They stepped right up to the gate, and she reached up and smacked the bell, which tinkled a couple of times before falling silent again. There was a brief moment of quiet, in which nothing happened, and then the gate slowly crept open and a man stuck his head curiously out around it. Although the man had typical dark Oban skin, his eyes were a notable shade of gray, rather like Koray's.

"Are you Risdeis?" Iro asked, minding her tone, making sure she sounded polite. That was something she needed to work on. "You might have communicated with my friend Landyn. He was the one who told us you'll be taking on a new student soon."

She gestured proudly at Koray. "This is my friend Koray. He's got a lot of talent and interest in magic."

Risdeis eyed them both with such careful scrutiny that even Iro began to worry that they'd made a mistake. But after a few agonizing moments of silence, during which the man shifted his gaze over to Koray, he finally nodded and pulled the gate open to usher them inside.

"Thank you for letting us come by to speak to you," Iro said, pulling Koray along as they followed the man's hurried pace into the center. She couldn't help but note that the place seemed terribly clean for a childcare center. But as they walked, she spotted a few who must have been Risdeis' students, chatting happily as they walked by each other, carrying an assortment of cleaning supplies.

At least they seemed content. Several bowed to Risdeis as they passed.

Risdeis nodded, and then turned to Koray. "You, child, tell me about yourself."