Chapter Text
Waves crashed against the side of the boat rhythmically, their sharp thunders softened into a melodic lullaby by the songs of the gulls overhead. Pale arms leaned against the railing, the sole object between them and the welcoming water below. A wistful sigh escaped the lips of their owner, who let herself bask unapologetically under the bright sun and refreshing breeze. She had almost forgotten she wasn't alone on the boat before the captain spoke up.
"So! What's your plan for Portia?"
"Hm?" Half lidded eyes turned towards the stout man behind the wheel before suddenly shooting open wide as if they had just now grown cognizant of his presence. "Oh! Uhhh, I'm... I'm taking over my grandfather's workshop! He uh... he worked there for a while but eventually left again for his hometown. He left it to my parents, but they never really used it, and they... left it to me. So uh... here I am." The bashful girl's face grew flushed as she stumbled across her words, unsuccessfully attempting to sound competent at socializing. She looked down at her hands in her embarrassment- had she even answered the question? Or simply evaded it with unnecessary facts to try and sound as if she actually had a plan?
"I see! In that case, I'm sure you'll love it here in Portia! It's cozy and peaceful and relaxing...! You'll fit right in!"
"Ah...! Thank you...!"
Fuck...!
The girl sent the captain an appreciative smile before looking back down at her hands as she realized she had forgotten his name. She fell silent, hoping it would deter any idle chit-chat that could further befall them and further embarrass her. And it did. For the rest of the trip, neither of them exchanged a word until a familiar landscape caught the captain's eye.
"We're coming up on Portia!"
The passenger's head flew to the left to catch sight of the landscape before her - lush greenery, buildings of all shapes and size, an arch of stone, and a few clouds sparsely spread on the clear canvas that was the sky. Eyes glazed with awe, the girl left her post at the side rails to come up to the front of the boat, curiosity, excitement, and apprehension all filling her chest at once.
"Oh, it's beautiful!"
"Told ya you'd like it!"
Knowing they would be stopping soon, the girl ran to the back of the boat, where a small donkey rested. In a rather hurried manner, she undid the rope connecting him to the boat and began to usher him up. On somewhat wobbly knees, the gelding stood to his full size. He was coerced down to the front of the sailboat just as it came to a gentle stop at the pier. The girl jumped off the side and onto the wood of the dock, and the donkey followed soon after.
"Well, good luck to you! I'll see you around."
"Yes, thank you so much for the ride!"
"Anytime!"
With a lackadaisical pace, the girl and her companion made their way off the dock and onto the beach, where the sand quickly made way to dirt and grass that spread as far as the eye could see. Just a bit off the pier stood a man fully dressed in suit and tie with a book in his hands who seemed to brighten as the girl came down off the dock.
"Olga!"
"Hi! Presley, I'm assuming? Good to finally meet you!"
"Good to meet you as well! I hope you had a pleasant journey... from Birchstork, you said? You've come far if my memory serves me correctly."
Olga nodded. "Yes, it's... quite a ways away. I can't thank you enough for helping to accommodate my travel."
"It's no problem, my dear! Anyway, I'm here to show you to your workshop, so if you would please follow me, it's close by."
"Ah, thank you!"
Together, the two set off diagonally to the right, with the donkey by their side.
"As I'm sure you know, no one's worked there since your grandpa left Portia so many years ago. I believe I was just a baby at the time! That being said, the workshop has seen better days, so I apologize for that."
"Oh, it's no problem! I'd assumed that was the case."
During the trek, Olga's eyes shifted back and forth between the neverending landscape spanning in all directions. She couldn't see behind the inner walls of the city, but the outside scenery was more than enough to satisfy aesthetic appeal. To the left were an expansive ranch and a large field of what looked like rice and corn. To the right of that was a somewhat lackluster workshop, and even further to the right was yet another workshop that looked even worse for wear. However, it was easy to see that that was where they were headed.
Eventually, the group stopped right at the fence of the raggedy workshop.
"Well, this is it! Your grandfather's workshop."
Olga took an awkward look at said building as she tried to formulate her words in a gentle way. "Looks... homely."
"I'm sorry if it isn't what you were expecting- nothing's been done to it since your grandfather's departure."
"Oh, no! It's no problem, really! I'm... very grateful, thank you."
"Oh, well... if you say so." Presley took the book in his hands and extended it towards the female in front of him. "Here is your grandfather's workshop handbook. Use it to your desire; it's yours now."
"Ah, thank you!"
"Take your time and come to the Portia Commerce Guild tomorrow. It's located around Peach Plaza, you can't miss it. As much as I'd like to give you a Builder's License right away, you'll need to prove your worth through a couple of tests. However, you can take the rest of today to settle in and put your things inside." Presley's gaze momentarily drifted to the hefty bags on the donkey's sides. "You could also use this opportunity to meet Portia's residents! I'm sure they'll all be happy to see a new builder in town."
Olga's smile fell a little. "Aha... yeah."
"I'll leave you be here in just a moment, but before I do, I must ask- is everything alright? You seem a little... down. Is there anything you'd like to talk about?"
"Uh! Well, uh-" Olga looked rather frantically to the sides, not having expected a direct confrontation. "I- yes, everything is fine." A reassuring smile made its way onto her lips. "It's just... I'll tell you tomorrow, at the Commerce Guild. Is that okay?"
"Well, certainly! I'm free to listen to any concerns you may have now and in the future. In that case, please take your time as you get accustomed."
"Okay, thank you so much!"
"Take care!"
"Will do!"
After waving her last goodbyes, Olga let out a sigh and pushed open the gates to her new Workshop, leading her donkey inside. Her hand came up to the door of the workshop, and when it didn't open after the first few pushes, she worried that something was wrong, either with the door or anything similar. However, after a particularly hard shove, the door snapped open with a distasteful splintering sound to reveal the barren insides of the workshop. Heartbeat slowing down to its regular pace, Olga began to start the process of moving in by taking the large bags off her companion and taking them inside, as well as removing whatever necessary items she needed. Although she had just moved in, Olga couldn't help but feel as if her new home was too empty. All it contained was a bed, a window, and a bathroom to the right (which, upon inspection, turned out to be just fine). Wood planks had come undone from years of deterioration and everything was layered in dust, further sinking the workshop's new owner's heart. At least she could feel as if her grandfather was still watching over, his soul permeating every inch of the room and even outside it, where a lavabo stood to the right of the door underneath the overhang. For a moment, Olga took the liberty to lay down onto the bed and rest her eyes as she thought about her next decisions. This was her first time on her own- without the guidance of her family, she doubted she'd be able to do much. Another sigh escaped her; it was hard not to wish to be back home again. Oh, well. Olga knew her family would write. After all, her grandmother had nearly thrown herself onto the boat right along with her. There was no way this marked the end of things- merely a new beginning. With a huff, Olga threw herself up and off the bed. With downcast eyes, she made her way to the door and pushed it open before twirling right around to close it shut. When she turned around though, her eyes landed on a red shirt that had not been there before.
"Aah!" With a yell of surprise, Olga jumped back against the door, hand on her chest. "WH- Jeeesus Christ, you scared me!"
The man before her shifted his gaze back towards her (it seemed he had been bewitched by her donkey beforehand), the look on his face becoming an apologetic one. "Oh, sorry. I was just, uh- I noticed you were here, so... kinda wanted to check it out. Didn't mean to scare ya."
"You're- fine. I just hadn't expected it." Olga eyes scanned the other man's appearance- blond hair, green eyes, tallish, with considerable muscle. "Yeah, I'm Olga, I'm... new here- just moved in. I'm.. gonna be a builder."
"Oh, you too? I'm a builder as well- Carson. My workshop's just over there, you probably saw it while walking over here." Carson pointed behind him to a workshop of the same size. Just as he said, it was the workshop Olga had seen in front of the crop field.
"Yeah, I did! Does that... make us competitors?"
"You... could say that. The competition doesn't dictate whether or not you make any money, your commissions do, but you can get prizes from it and stuff at the end of each season and year. You get to be Workshop of the Year or whatever."
Olga curled in a little on herself. "Oh dang... so there's probably a lot more workshops, huh?"
"Yeah, there's... quite a few. There's Higgins', and... yeah. Bunch of 'em. Not too many, though."
"I see..."
"But, yeah, again, don't let that worry you. The competition makes no difference in how much money you get."
Finally, Olga let herself relax. "That's a relief... I know I'm gonna suck at this stuff."
"It's... not for everyone. But I'm sure that if you get some practice, you could make yourself a pretty easy living. I didn't really have any firsthand experience until I moved here either."
"Do you enjoy the work?"
"I mean... yeah? It's not bad or anything. It can get a little stressful at times if you bite off more than you can chew, but otherwise, it's pretty rewarding. Just be sure not to take on more than you can handle because it won't end well for you."
"Well, that's comforting."
"Yeah... but anyways, uh, welcome to Portia. I'm assuming this guy's yours?"
Olga followed Carson's gaze, laughing a little as it ended up on her donkey. "Yeah, that's Moses. He belonged to my grandmother, and she decided to have me take him so he can remind me of my family and help me around and stuff. He's... small, but he's really strong for his size."
Carson crossed his arms, a smile twitching the end of his lips. "He uh... I don't mean to offend you or anything when I say this, but..."
"No, just say it. I know what you're gonna say." A smile crossed Olga's face as well.
"He looks dead inside."
Olga nodded her head as she laughed out loud, looking into Moses' empty, lifeless stare while he chewed on a mouthful of grass as she did so. "Yep... he's... like that."
"Well then... since I'm assuming he's just gonna stand there... want me to show you around?"
"Sure...!"