Book Delivery For Ms. Ashford

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 26, Post Number 640

-Sakuramori, outside Ms. Ashford's Residence, 9:25 A.M.-

Having arrived in Sakuramori after driving all the way from Capital Crocus, Victoria parked her Centaur just outside Octavia Ashford's house. Wearing her blue Steel Matron t-shirt and black skirt with white tennis shoes plus her backpack which had been emptied of supplies because she was expecting to carry items in it, Victoria climbed off of the hovercycle and walked up to Ms. Ashford's door. She was just about to knock on it when the door opened to reveal Ms. Ashford herself.

"Oh hi Victoria! I didn't expect you here so soon!" Ms. Ashford greeted Victoria. The older brunette had called Victoria around 6:30 A.M. with a job for her. All Victoria had to do was take some books on old artwork to Ms. Ashford's niece Anna, who lived in an upscale part of Capital Crocus.

"I got here as quickly as I could, Ms. Ashford. I didn't want to keep you waiting too long for me." Victoria told the client. Ms. Ashford was one of Victoria's favorite clients, so whenever she called with an offer of work the Sabertooth mage dropped what she was doing and hurried to Sakuramori to take the job.

"Trust me, you didn't keep me waiting at all. To be honest, I expected you to get here some time around noon." The client told her.

"I wasn't able to sleep very much last night, so when you called I decided to get here as quickly as I could instead of try to force myself to sleep when it just wasn't happening." Victoria explained why she had gotten such an early start. Ms. Ashford smiled a little.

"Well, since you're here, I'll give you the books that I'd like for you to take to my niece. In addition to being fascinated by artifacts from ancient civilizations, Anna's an art connoisseur and she really likes old artwork by artists like Rembrandt and Renoir." Ms. Ashford listed names of artists that the Sabertooth mage had never heard of before today.

"Let me go inside and I'll get them for you as soon as I can!" Ms. Ashford said before stepping inside her house while Victoria waited patiently for her return. Within minutes Ms. Ashford arrived with a quartet of books. Victoria took off her backpack, unzipped it, carefully put the four books inside the backpack in a way that ensured they would not get damaged, zipped it closed, then finally put it on her back. The Sabertooth mage then looked at the client and waited for any special instructions that she needed to know before she set out.

"All I need you to do is take those books of art to my niece and come back to me once you make the delivery. I'll be waiting here for your return." Ms. Ashford instructed the Sabertooth mage on what was expected of her. Ms. Ashford was straightforward about what she wanted from her hired helpers, which was part of why Victoria liked working for her. The other part was that the collector of antiquities paid well and always kept her end of the bargain.

"All right then, Ms. Ashford. I'll be on my way to Capital Crocus." Victoria said. She walked over to the Centaur, climbed onto it, and cranked it up. Ms. Ashford waved goodbye as Victoria put the Centaur in reverse, gently turned it until the vehicle's front was facing the road she needed to take, and then gently increased throttle until the hovercycle was in motion. It was going to be a long drive to Capital Crocus, but the payday would make it worthwhile.

-Capital Crocus, two hours and twenty minutes later-

Victoria had run into a slight delay thanks to a traffic slowdown on one of the roads leading into the city, but now she was moving along at a good pace towards Anna Ashford's house. This job had not been action-packed, but considering who she was working for and what she had to do, the Sabertooth mage was not too upset by the job. It promised to be easy work with a good payday, which was a winning combination for the brunette.

Victoria continued to drive through the city until she reached the turn for Monarch's Lane, the neighborhood where Anna Ashford lived. Victoria had the green arrow by the time she pulled up to the traffic line, so she turned left onto the lane and made it across the four-way road without incident. Now all she had to do was get to 1837 Monarch's Lane and turn into the driveway of Anna's house and the toughest part of the job would be over.

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-1837 Monarch's Lane, four minutes later-

After a lengthy ride Victoria pulled into the driveway of 1837 Monarch's Lane without incident and parked the Centaur. She turned it off and walked over to the door, then rang the doorbell. It did not take long for the door to open and Anna Ashford to step out. Just like last time Anna was dressed up in a beautiful red dress with her blonde hair immaculately styled in a French braid.

"Oh, hi Miss Sheridan! It's been awhile since we've last met!" Anna greeted the brunette. Victoria waved her left hand in greeting.

"Hi Anna. Your aunt sent me to deliver some books to you." Victoria said. She took off her backpack, set it on the ground, carefully unzipped it, and carefully dug out the books. She then arranged them in a neat stack and presented the stack of four books to Anna. The blonde was clearly delighted to receive them.

"Oh, thank you Miss Sheridan! My aunt called about an hour ago and told me to expect your arrival!" Anna said as she gratefully took the books out of Victoria's hands.

"Sorry about the delay, Anna. I got caught in good old Capital Crocus traffic on the way into the city." Victoria apologized for the delay in getting to Anna's house. Anna did not seem to hold it against her as the blonde opened the first book in the stack and looked at a few beautiful pictures with some text beneath them. She gasped.

"What's wrong? Did I accidentally damage the books?" Victoria asked Anna in a genuinely worried tone. If she had damaged the books Octavia Ashford was going to have her head on a silver platter before the day was over. Anna shook her head.

"No, this book's not damaged not at all, Miss Sheridan. None of the books are damaged. It's just that one of them is about one of my favorite artists, Rembrandt van Rijn!" Anna informed Victoria that the gasp was due to receiving a book on one of her favorite artists, not that any of the books had been damaged in transit. The Sabertooth mage was relieved to hear that. She would get to keep her head on her shoulders for a little while longer.

"Your aunt told me that you liked that Rembrandt artist. She told me that he was one of your absolute favorites." Victoria told the blonde that she had a passing familiarity with that name. "Familiarity" might be too generous a term for what little she knew about him. She had not even heard of the guy before today.

"She's absolutely right. He's my favorite artist. My second-favorite artist is Pierre-Auguste Renoir." Anna told Victoria that her aunt was correct on Rembrandt being one of her niece's favorite artists. The brunette smiled a little. She had no idea who Rembrandt or Renoir were aside from being artists, but seeing Anna so happy made her happy.

"Well, I'll let you go read those books, Anna. I'll going to go back to your aunt and tell her that the delivery was successfully made." Victoria informed Anna that the former would not hold her up any longer with idle chatter. Anna closed the book and smiled.

"Thank you for delivering these to me, Miss Sheridan. And tell my aunt that I said hello!" Anna said to the brunette. Victoria watched her go back into her house and shut the door. Victoria picked her backpack up off of the driveway, brushed off the bottom, zipped it up, and put it back on her back. The Sabertooth mage then climbed onto the Centaur, cranked it up, and carefully backed out of the driveway and onto the road while turning the vehicle right. Once the Centaur was pointed in the right direction Victoria gently increased throttle until she was up to 25 MPH.

Victoria was now on her way back to Sakuramori to let Ms. Ashford know that the book delivery had been successful. She was pretty sure that Anna would call her aunt to let the older Ashford know about the book delivery, but the Sabertooth mage would go back to Sakuramori anyway. She would see what the client had to say about the delivery and if she needed Victoria to do anything else for her today.

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-Sakuramori, outside Ms. Ashford's house, three hours and thirty minutes later-

Traffic had been sluggish while Victoria was driving out of Capital Crocus on the way back to Sakuramori. She had encountered two "fender benders" that ate up a lot of time, but thankfully she was clear of that place for the time being. If Ms. Ashford did not need her to do anything else, she would go back to Capital Crocus and ask Abigail how her home repairs were going.

Victoria had pulled up in front of Ms. Ashford's house and had just turned off the Centaur when Ms. Ashford opened the door and looked out.

"Ah, Miss Sheridan! Welcome!" The client warmly greeted Victoria. The brunette turned left to face her and waved at her with her right hand while remaining on the Centaur. The older brunette shut the house door, walked over to Victoria, and stopped to speak to her.

"My niece called me a few hours ago and told me that you managed to deliver the books I sent her without any problems. She also mentioned that you took care not to damage them. I appreciate that." Ms. Ashford thanked Victoria for her diligence in delivering the books and in doing her best to keep them from getting damaged. Victoria smiled.

"Traffic was a real pain, but I managed to get here a little later than I intended. Sorry about the delay." Victoria replied. Ms. Ashford smiled.

"It's OK, Miss Sheridan. Capital Crocus is much larger than Sakuramori, so the traffic's gonna be worse there." The client accepted the Sabertooth mage's apology without complaint.

"Hey, listen. I need you to go to Francine Bradshaw's house on the outskirts of Hargeon Town and pick up a book she's going to loan me. It's a book on how to care for dachshunds. You see, I'm thinking of getting one and I want to know what I'm getting into before I make the commitment." Ms. Ashford offered Victoria another task. The brunette remembered the German Shepherds at the gate and felt momentarily alarmed.

"Sure. I'll go get it for you, Ms. Ashford." Victoria accepted the task after a moment's pause. She did not sound very enthusiastic about the task... that was because she was not very enthusiastic about it. Those German Shepherds Mrs. Bradshaw raised and trained were frightening and she did not want to encounter them without a wrought-iron gate between them and her. Fortunately the client did not pick up on Victoria's reticence and smiled.

"Great! Don't worry about being in any great hurry to get back. It's not like you're getting something important like medicine for me... you're just getting a book on dachshunds. Travel safely and return to me as soon as you can!" Ms. Ashford said to Victoria, telling her not to hurry for her sake.

"All right then, Ms. Ashford. I'll go to Mrs. Bradshaw's house and get the book for you." Victoria said. She cranked the Centaur back up, gently put it in reverse, then made for the outskirts of Hargeon Town as fast as she could safely go.

-601 Lighthouse Hill, one hour and twenty-five minutes later-

After an uneventful trip Victoria pulled up outside the brick wall to the house and turned off the Centaur, then climbed off of it. She walked over to the intercom grill positioned to the right of the gate and pressed the button, then waited for someone to answer.

"Hello?" A female voice asked. Victoria pressed the button and held it down, then spoke into the grill.

"Hello Mrs. Bradshaw. It's Victoria Sheridan again. Ms. Ashford sent me to pick up a book you were going to loan her on dachshunds." Victoria stated her name and purpose for being here.

"Oh, right! My friend Octavia said that you'd be heading this way to pick it up! Hold on a minute and I'll be with you!" Mrs. Bradshaw said. Victoria stepped back and way from the grill and watched the front door of the house through the gate. She hoped that the dog breeder would keep her German Shepherds inside the house when she came to the gate to hand Victoria the book.

Victoria watched the door to the house open and saw Mrs. Bradshaw emerge from the house. She was wearing a pink t-shirt and blue jeans with brown work boots just like she had last time. The Sabertooth mage was hoping that Mrs. Bradshaw would leave her dogs inside this time, but that hope was dashed when she saw a pack of seven German Shepherds follow behind the woman.

The Sabertooth mage was more than a little nervous when she saw the dogs, but as long as there was a gate between her and the dogs she would be OK.

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Victoria watched with growing apprehension as Mrs. Bradshaw approached the gate with the pack of German Shepherds at her heels. She hoped that the gate would be enough to protect her from them because she was not liking how the dogs were looking at her. They looked excited to see her and that reminded her of the bad old days of being a street kid in Capital Crocus.

Mrs. Bradshaw reached the gate and gave a verbal command for her canine companions to sit. Five of the dogs obediently sat on their hind legs and looked at Victoria while remaining in place, but two of them continued to circle around their owner as she moved to open the gate. Victoria's pulse quickened when she saw that the gate was about to open and the two dogs who had not obeyed their owner were raring to go after her the moment the gate was not stopping them.

Just stop the gate, please...

Victoria's wish was destined to go unfulfilled because moments after the gate began to open the two dogs squeezed through the gap and immediately ran at the petrified brunette. She watched them leap at her and screamed as they hit her and brought her to the ground. She landed on her back and felt a wave of terror wash over her.

They were going to maul her so badly that a hospital stay would be the least of her worries.

"GET THEM OFF OF ME!" Victoria shouted as she used her arms to shield her face from the menacing dogs who were even more menacing now that she had been knocked onto her back and they were in her face. She was convinced that they were going to tear into her and disfigure her. She was so terrified of what was about to happen that she was oblivious to the fact that they were licking her arms instead of biting them. She just wanted them gone before they went after her throat.

"FELIX, HAROLD, COME HERE!" Mrs. Bradshaw commanded. Victoria felt the two dogs climb off of her and kept her face covered.

"DON'T JUMP ON THE GUESTS!" Their owner chastised them as Victoria heard approaching footsteps. The brunette continued to lie on the ground because she was not sure if it was safe to get up. She probably looked like an idiot to the dog trainer, but the Sabertooth mage was not taking any chances.

"Are you OK?" Mrs. Bradshaw asked Victoria.

"Are the dogs gone?" Victoria asked, her voice somewhat muffled by her arms still covering her face.

"Yes, I made them all sit. It's safe for you to get up now." The woman answered. Victoria slowly rolled over onto her stomach and climbed onto her feet. She dusted herself off and faced Mrs. Bradshaw.

"I'm fine now. Thanks." Victoria said, her heart still racing from the "attack."

"Did you have a bad experience with German Shepherds when you were a child? Did one attack you or try to attack you?" Mrs. Bradshaw asked Victoria.

"A German Shepherd tried to attack me when I was a child. Several times." Victoria replied, refusing to go into any further detail. All that Mrs. Bradshaw needed to know was that Victoria had been the victim of several attempted attacks.

"Was it a stray dog or was it someone's pet?" Mrs. Bradshaw pressed further. Victoria remained silent on the matter for several seconds.

"I'd rather not say." Victoria replied calmly. She hoped that Mrs. Bradshaw would take the hint and let the matter drop. The brunette also did not want to revisit the unpleasant memories or running from angry dogs while their owners laughed at her.

"Oh. Well, if it was someone's pet, it was poorly trained." Mrs. Bradshaw gave her professional opinion on the matter. Victoria did not think that the dogs used to chase her were poorly trained. Rather, they had been perfectly trained for their task and that task was chasing homeless people like her for the entertainment of their masters.

"Anyway, here's that book on Dachshunds that Octavia wanted." Mrs. Bradshaw said. Victoria waited for the book to be handed to her, but she noticed a detail that could be a problem. Mrs. Bradshaw noticed that problem at the same time Victoria did and made eye contact with the Sabertooth mage.

Mrs. Bradshaw was not holding a book!

"Oh dear, it seems that I forgot the book. I'll be right back with it!" Mrs. Bradshaw said. She spun on her heels and walked back towards her house without her dogs, leaving the Sabertooth mage in the company of the seven sitting German Shepherds. Whether it was an accident or not the brunette was thus left in the company of animals she feared. An uneasy peace prevailed between the dogs and the mage as each party looked at the other.

This had to be a joke.

If it was, someone forgot to tell Victoria that she was supposed to laugh.

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-Ten minutes later-

After being left with the German Shepherds Victoria nervously waited for Mrs. Bradshaw to return with the book that she was going to lend Ms. Ashford. While she waited the seven dogs looked at her with curiosity and wagging tails. The brunette looked at them with apprehension. Even though they had not bitten her during their "attack" a few minutes ago, being knocked down by them was an unpleasant experience in more ways than one. The incident showed her how powerful they were and what they could have done to her if they had actually been aggressive.

Victoria saw Mrs. Bradshaw emerge from the house with a small book, but that was not the only thing she had with her. Victoria thought she saw a small dog following behind the blonde woman, a breed of dog she had never seen before. The dog in question was small and had an elongated body like a hot dog and had short, stubby legs. It was kind of cute to watch it run after Mrs. Bradshaw while its ears flopped about and its tail wagged from side to side.

"Sorry about that, Victoria. I have the book now and I have someone I'd like you to meet." Mrs. Bradshaw said to Victoria as she approached. Victoria got a closer look at the small dog and noticed that it had a black and tan body. The face was mostly tan and so was its underside, but the rest of its body was black. It also had a thin tail that pointed almost diagonally.

"Say hello to Frank the Dachshund. He's one of my older Dachshunds... he's about eight years old. He's an easygoing little guy who hardly ever gets excited about anything. You'll find him to be a lot more relaxed than Felix and Harold." Mrs. Bradshaw introduced Victoria to Frank. Frank looked up at Victoria and walked over to her. He sniffed her right shoe, then looked up at her. Not feeling threatened by the small dog, Victoria knelt down and rubbed Frank's back as he stood in place and wagged his tail while looking at her.

"Frank's pretty cute." Victoria commented on the Dachshund. Mrs. Bradshaw smiled.

"I see that you're not afraid of him. It's probably because he's small." The dog trainer commented as the brunette rubbed his back and looked at the small dog. Victoria stood up straight and faced the woman.

"I'll admit that his size is part of why I'm not afraid of Frank. The other part's because I wasn't chased by Dachshunds. I was chased by German Shepherds." Victoria said to Mrs. Bradshaw, repeating the point she had made earlier. Dachshunds were not intimidating like German Shepherds were. Another point in the small breed's favor was that she had never heard of anyone using Dachshunds as attack dogs.

"Anyway, here's the book I'm going to lend to Octavia. She should find everything she needs to know in it." Mrs. Bradshaw said and extended the book to Victoria. It was a small blue one with a white silhouette of a Dachshund in profile on the cover. The title was A Guide To Dachshunds And Dachshund Care.

The Sabertooth mage took the offered book into her right hand and took off her backpack, then opened it and carefully put the book inside before putting it on her back.

"Thanks for doing this for me, Victoria. I would go take it to Octavia in person, but one of my German Shepherds had a sizable litter of puppies last night and I need to care for them around the clock until they're a little bit older." Mrs. Bradshaw thanked Victoria for doing this errand for her.

"It's no problem, Mrs. Bradshaw. And thanks for letting me meet Frank." Victoria thanked Mrs. Bradshaw for letting her meet Frank the Dachshund. She had never seen a Dachshund before today and found the breed to be really cute. Frank looked at Victoria with deep brown eyes and wagged his tail. Maybe she should look into getting a small canine companion.

On second thought, that might not be a good idea.

Victoria stayed on the road a lot and did not have much time to play with it and care for it like she should. The task of pet care would inevitably fall to Laura, who already had enough responsibilities as it was. It would also be unkind to the dog for her to leave it with Laura and Lawrence and not care for it herself.

Realizing that she needed to get on the road, Victoria waved goodbye to him and walked towards her Centaur, then climbed onto it. Mrs. Bradshaw picked up Frank and looked at her.

"OK Mrs. Bradshaw. I'd better get going. I'll make the delivery as soon as I can!" Victoria assured Mrs. Bradshaw.

"See you later, Victoria!" The dog trainer said as she waved at her with her right hand as the German Shepherds gathered around her and Frank sat securely in her left arm. Victoria cranked the Centaur and put it in reverse, then slowly reversed away from the Bradshaw residence. Once it was safe to do so Victoria put the Centaur into drive and moved forward, setting out for Sakuramori with the book she was supposed to deliver safely stored in her backpack.

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-Sakuramori, outside Ms. Ashford's house, two hours later-

After an uneventful trip from the outskirts of Hargeon Town to Sakuramori, Victoria parked outside Ms. Ashford's house. She turned off the Centaur and climbed off of it, then took off her backpack. She set the backpack on the seat and unzipped it, then reached in and fished out the book she was supposed to deliver to her client. She pulled it out with her right hand and looked at the cover.

A Guide To Dachshunds And Dachshund Care

Victoria looked towards the front door to Ms. Ashford's house, which was already open. The client emerged from the house and walked towards Victoria.

"Hi there, Miss Sheridan! I'm glad that you made it back safely!" Ms. Ashford greeted Victoria. Victoria raised her left hand in greeting and approached Ms. Ashford with the book extended. The older brunette took it from Victoria and smiled, then looked at the book.

"Ah yes, Francine called and told me that you were on the way with the book. I've been looking at buying a Dachshund to have as a pet, but I've been on the fence about it because caring for one's gonna be a big responsibility. I want to know what I'm getting into before I buy one." Ms. Ashford told Victoria.

"Francine also told me that you're afraid of German Shepherds." Ms. Ashford commented on something else she had learned from her friend. Having been confronted with that bit of information, Victoria decided that honesty was the best policy.

"Yeah. I'm afraid of German Shepherds. I can handle them as long as they're behind a gate or something, but when they're not behind something I don't like it." Victoria confessed.

"I wish that you would have told me sooner so that I could have asked Francine to put her German Shepherds away before you arrived, but I'm glad that you managed to get the book for me anyway." Ms. Ashford gave Victoria only a mild verbal reprimand for not telling her about her fear. Victoria could not argue with that. She was expecting to be shouted at, but the client had been calm and did not scream at Victoria, something the Sabertooth mage appreciated.

"Anyway, I'll read this book from cover to cover before I make my final decision. I appreciate you getting this for me." Ms. Ashford said. She turned around and walked back towards her house. She went inside it while Victoria waited outside for the client to return. A minute later Ms. Ashford returned with a sack of Jewels that she handed Victoria.

"Here you go, Miss Sheridan. Here's your payment for delivering the books to my niece and bringing me the book from Francine." Ms. Ashford said. Victoria held the sack of Jewels and thanked the client.

"I don't have anything else for you to do today, so I'll see you later, Miss Sheridan. Have a safe trip home!" Ms. Ashford informed the Sabertooth mage that she did not need anything else from Victoria today and wished the latter a safe trip home. Victoria walked over to the Centaur, put the bag of Jewels inside her waiting backpack, and zipped it closed. She then got on board the Centaur and looked at the client, then waved goodbye with her right hand. Ms. Ashford waved goodbye and walked back into her house, then shut the door.

Victoria put the Centaur into reverse and carefully backed away from the house, then put it in drive once it was safe to do so. Victoria then began to slowly accelerate and once she was at 5 MPH maintained that speed until she was out of Sakuramori. Once she was clear of Sakuramori she increased speed to 25 MPH and began making her way to Capital Crocus.

-The Sheridan Estate, Victoria's room, two hours and eight minutes later-

After a lengthy drive Victoria had finally made it home. The faithful Laura had opened the garage door for her and Victoria had driven her Centaur inside. She parked the hovercycle and exited the garage. Now she was standing in her room facing Abigail, who had asked to speak with her about her home.

"Hey Abby, you said you wanted to talk to me about your house. How are the repairs to your house coming along?" Victoria asked her friend. Abigail crossed her arms and sighed.

"Slow, Vic. Real slow. And it's gonna get even slower. As it turns out, they're gonna have to replace the roof completely because the leaking is so bad that patching it up will cost more than replacing it." Abigail told Victoria the bad news about her home. The brunette winced when she heard that. That sounded really time-consuming... and really expensive.

"Yeah. That's really bad news. News that I really didn't want to get right now." Abigail continued. Victoria looked at her with a look of curiosity.

"It's gonna cost a hell of a lot to buy a new roof, a lot more money than I've got now. I'm gonna need to look for another high-paying job really soon." The blonde laid out her problem in no uncertain terms. Victoria had an easy solution to her friend's problem. She could just give Abigail the money so that it could be bought without any undue difficulty.

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After a few second had passed in silence Victoria finally spoke to her friend. She had considered her words carefully and was pretty sure that she could not come up with anything better to express what she wanted to say. Now was as good a time as any to make the offer.

"Hey Abby, why don't I give you the money you need to replace your roof?" Victoria made her offer to Abigail. The blonde looked at Victoria and blinked.

"What did you just say?" Abigail asked Victoria incredulously. She probably thought that the brunette was joking with her.

"Why don't I give you the money you need to replace your roof?" Victoria repeated her offer in a serious tone of voice using the same words she had used when she first made the offer. Again Abigail blinked.

"The roof is gonna cost at least one hundred and fifty thousand Jewels to fix, if not more. That's a big chunk of money." Abigail informed Victoria of the cost in an attempt to make her friend reconsider what she was trying to do. The brunette remained undeterred by that number. She was sitting on millions of Jewels in reserve, so it was not like that figure was going to seriously dent her wallet.

"I can afford that." Victoria replied calmly. Abigail looked at her friend and tried to speak but was at a loss for words. Since her friend could not speak, Victoria was going to take this opportunity to drive home her point.

"Look, Abby. I can afford to give you the money to replace your roof. If you want it, just tell me. If you're worried about me trying to rope you into something like a big favor or some other obligation, I promise you that there are no strings attached." Victoria told Abigail.

"I... I'm not sure if I can ask you to do that, Vic." Abigail finally responded to the offer. Victoria put her hands on her hips and made eye contact with the blonde. Abigail was unfazed and stood her ground.

"I don't think I can ask you to do that, Vic. I don't think I can ask you to do that with a clear conscience." Abigail continued. Victoria maintained eye contact but remained silent and let her friend speak.

"I'm not gonna lie, Vic. I'm sorely tempted to take you up on your offer and have the money in hand to pay the roofing company. But I can't because it'll feel like that I'm taking advantage of you. It'll feel like I'm freeloading even more than I am now." Abigail finally explained why she was having difficulty accepting Victoria's offer despite assurances that it came with no strings attached. Victoria was surprised to hear that the blonde felt like she was a freeloader.

"What do you mean that you'll feel like you'll be freeloading if you take the money? What makes you think you're freeloading now?" Victoria asked Abigail in a non-confrontational tone.

"I'm living under your roof, Vic. I'm not paying for food or anything and I don't even have to cook for myself because Laura does it for me. I need the help, but I feel bad for just living here for free." Abigail explained her reluctance. Victoria lightened up a little when she heard that explanation, but only a little. In a way it made sense, but there was a detail that Abigail was missing.

Victoria had freely made the offer of a place to stay and Abigail had accepted it.

That meant that there was no obligation owed to her hostess, no stigma of "freeloading" that had been attached to the blonde for accepting the offer.

"I offered you a place to stay until you can get your home fixed, Abby. I made that offer of my own free will. You accepted the offer of your own free will. You're not freeloading." Victoria attempted to assure her friend. Abigail was still not convinced. Victoria needed to think of another way to approach this problem. She thought about it a little and came up with another idea.

Why not make it a loan instead?

If she phrased it that way Victoria could still help her friend and Abigail could still receive the money she needed without feeling like she was being a leech.

"OK, Abby. If you don't want me to give you the money, why don't I loan it to you instead?" Victoria rephrased her offer in a way that might be more palatable to her friend.

"A loan?" Abigail asked.

"Yeah, Abby. A loan." Victoria replied dryly. She understood that Abigail was concerned about looking like a leech, but she was not sure what exactly her friend's problem was. Victoria had thought that making the money a loan would be a face-saving compromise, but instead it seemed to create more problems.

Maybe the blonde was afraid that taking the money would make her indebted to Victoria. If that was what she was thinking, maybe Abigail was afraid of what form that debt could take. The brunette was not sure what her friend was thinking, but she wished that Abigail would make a decision one way or the other.

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After making her new proposal Victoria faced Abigail and the pair stood facing each other as an uncomfortable silence filled the room. Victoria suspected that her friend wanted to accept the offer of a loan since that would not make her a "leech" like accepting the money without a condition would be. The brunette would have just given her the money, but Abigail had insisted that she could not accept the money like that.

"So Abby, do you want the loan or not?" Victoria asked her friend in an effort to resolve the deadlock. Abigail kept her arms crossed as she shifted her body weight and leaned to the left.

"I'm not sure, Vic." Abigail replied. Victoria frowned a little. What did Abigail mean that she was not sure?

"I know that you won't try and cheat me like other people would, but I'm hesitant to take the money either as a gift or as a loan. I really need the money, but I'm not sure if the cost would be worth it." Abigail explained another part of her reluctance to accept the offer. Victoria's frown disappeared.

"I'm worried that me owing you money would drive a wedge between us, Vic. I know that the sum involved is chump change to you, but I'm still worried about our friendship. You're one of the few friends I have and I don't want to lose you over money." Abigail finally told Victoria the real source of her reluctance. The brunette's face softened when she heard that admission.

"I don't even care about the money, Abby. I just want you to be able to get your house in order, so to speak. I've been without a roof over my head before and it's a real pain in the ass, especially when it rains." Victoria made her own admission to Abigail. The Sabertooth mage really did not care about the money. Victoria had earned a lot over her career and she could easily earn the Jewels back in one or two jobs. It was not like that sum would make or break her at this point.

"I know, but still..." Abigail started to say before trailing off. She shifted her weight to the right and looked at Victoria with obvious discomfort. Victoria was starting to get tired of this conversation since it was going nowhere fast, but she did not dare say that to Abigail.

Abigail sighed and shifted her weight back to the middle. She then took a deep breath.

"I'll take the loan, Vic. It's not like I have any real choice at this point." Abigail finally broke down and accepted the offer. Victoria let the phrasing slide and instead focused on her friend's acceptance of the loan.

"All right then, Abby. I'll loan you the money. No interest, no red tape, no hidden surprises." Victoria said. She was glad that the pair was finally making progress. She was also glad that Abigail was getting the money she needed one way or another.

"I'll pay you back as soon as I can, Vic." Abigail assured Victoria. Victoria waved it off.

"I don't even care about the money, Abby. I just want you to replace your roof and save your house." Victoria replied. Abigail looked at the brunette and smiled.

"Aside from the Sky Blade that I carry, their house was the only thing my parents could leave me. It's a really old house, but it's all I've got." Abigail told Victoria.

"This house is all my parents left me, Abby. I don't even remember what my parents look like. I only know their names and that my dad was a big fan of alcohol." Victoria informed Abigail that the pair had common ground when it came to what their parents had left them. Victoria had obviously gotten a better house than Abigail did, but the point remained. The Sheridan Estate was all that she had to remember her parents by and she did not even know them that well.

An awkward silence prevailed for a minute or two before Abigail finally broke it.

"Anyway, we'll go pay the roofing company later today if you want. Or we can do it tomorrow. I want to make sure that they have the money so that work starts as soon as possible. The sooner the better." Abigail said. Victoria shook off the awkward silence and spoke.

"Works for me. We'll go to Oak Town and pay the company whenever you're ready." Victoria replied. Abigail smiled again.

"Great!" Abigail said. She motioned towards the door with her right hand.

"Want to go get something to eat?" Abigail asked Victoria. The brunette nodded.

"Yeah, Abby. Let's get something to eat before we do anything else." Victoria said. Together the pair left Victoria's room to make their way to the kitchen. Once they got something to eat they would decide when they made the trip to Oak Town to pay the roofing company so that they would start replacing the roof to Abigail's house.

[Post Word Count: 836]
[Total Word Count: 6,602/7,000]

-The next day, The Sheridan Estate, 1:15 P.M.-

After deciding to postpone the errand until the next day the pair set out for Oak Town the next morning. They had arrived at Oak Town around 10:00 A.M. and went to the office of the roofing company that would be doing work on Abigail's house, where they made the payment for the new roof in full. The payment had been processed and the work order had been placed, so now all they had to do was wait until the work was completed. The estimate was about thirteen days, give or take a couple.

Having arrived home less than an hour ago, the two were standing in Victoria's room and facing one another. With the day's major business having been completed, they were at a loss as to what to do next. They were debating another trip to the mall to kill a few hours but had not yet made a final decision on the matter. In the meantime the subject of the loan came up again.

"Thanks for loaning me the money instead of giving it to me, Vic." Abigail thanked Victoria for the loan that allowed her to replace the leaking roof to her house.

"It's no problem, Abby." Victoria replied. She would have just given her friend the money, but she understood where the blonde mage was coming from. Abigail did not want a gift because it would have made her feel like she was dependent on her friend's charity to survive. Being given a place to live rent-free was all that Abigail could stand to accept without offering her hostess something in return.

Abigail had insisted on a loan because it would not be an act of charity. It would be an agreement between equals. In it Victoria agreed to loan Abigail 150,000 Jewels and Abigail agreed to pay it back. Both parties got what they wanted and no one lost face.

"Looks like I'd better find a high-paying job or two if I want to make the money needed to pay you back any time soon." Abigail said in a half-joking manner. It sounded like Abigail had realized just how big a hole she had dug for herself by taking a loan instead of a gift. Victoria was willing to forgive the loan because it was never about the money for her.

"Would you like me to make the money a gift instead?" Victoria offered to let Abigail off the hook if she felt that she had bitten off more than she could chew. Abigail crossed her arms and frowned.

"I'm not going back on our agreement, Vic. I took the loan and I'm gonna pay you back if it's the last thing I do!" Abigail refused the offer. Victoria sighed.

"I figured you would say that, Abby. Just be careful and make sure that paying me back really isn't the last thing you do." Victoria warned her friend. She knew that Abigail would rather die than not pay Victoria back the money she was owed. The brunette just hoped that that statement would not turn out to be literal.

"I'll be careful, Vic. I promise." Abigail assured her friend. With that matter having been settled, the pair soon went back to trying to decide what they should do with the rest of their day.

"Hey Vic, wanna go to the mall and eat at All-Star Grill before we go back to Animated Merchandise?" Abigail asked her friend. Victoria gave a thumbs-up with her right hand.

"Eh, why not? That is if we can get into All-Star Grill. It's probably gonna be crowded, but we'll try to get in." Victoria agreed to the plan. It was not like she had anything better to do. Besides, no one had called with work today, so she would look for more work tomorrow.

"All right then, we'll go to the mall!" Abigail said with enthusiasm. With that the two left Victoria's room to go tell Lawrence and Laura where they were going before they left for Capital Crocus Mall. They would go to the mall to kill a few hours before they returned to the Sheridan Estate and looked for work tomorrow.

[Post Word Count: 703]
[Total Word Count: 7,305/7,000]