Published at 12th of August 2024 7:37 am

Chapter 110 The Willows

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“So, what’s your plan?” Elmer asked as he took a bite of the bread and mayonnaise he had been served, sweetening the taste unfurling upon his tongue further with a sip of milk coffee.

He was already in his brown worker’s jacket, and his hair in its elegant side parting, as he’d readied himself for the day.

But unlike him, Pip was dressed in a simple shirt and vest, and his hair was still quite unkempt from his sleep. He was seated across the table eating the same meal as Elmer without bearing the outlook of someone who was going to be seeking a job anytime soon.

And that was why Elmer had asked his question.

Pip finished his breakfast, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and leaned back on his chair with a relieved heave of an exhale.

“What do you mean ‘plan’?” Pip inquired, his expression painted with oblivion.

Elmer sighed, put down the half eaten bread spread with mayonnaise that he was holding, and instead took another sip of his milk coffee.

“What’s your plan for a job?” Elmer reiterated. “You came to Ur to search for greener pastures, didn’t you? So what’s the plan?”

Pip Willows remained silent, his eyes and Elmer’s planted on each other in a battle of stares. It was not until Elmer raised a brow to insinuate his anticipation for an answer did Pip sigh and lower his gaze.

“I…” Pip’s usual cheery tone had none of its cheeriness at the moment; rather it was a bit too downcasted, almost like he was embarrassed to say what was on his mind. And since Elmer had known the young man sitting across from him for years, he scoffed indiscernibly and shook his head, knowing what answer he would receive. “I have none.”

As his deduction was proven right, the unsurprised Elmer simply took another drink of his milk coffee—this time exhausting what was left of it—and pushed his chair backward, rising to his feet.

“Then make one before I return. I can’t believe you didn’t think of anything before wandering into Ur.” Elmer said quite strongly, his voice completely emotionless.

To anyone else it would almost seem like Pip was his junior brother or something. Well, considering he was a year older that could be seen as true.

But still they were friends; and Pip was always the mature of them both. Not having any plan in mind to make money when migrating to a city had not a single epitome of maturity. He would not have that from his friend.

“I did think of something,” Pip answered, taking his beautiful blue eyes up to Elmer. “None were good enough for me.”

“Is this one of your fantasies about making money too quickly?” Elmer wore a stony expression. “You personally told me it was impossible when I was the one relocating to Ur, and here you are still wallowing in that fantasy. I don’t know what to say, Pip.”

“But you did it, didn’t you?” Pip raised an eyebrow as he said with a sharp tone. “I said all that, but look at you a few months later. You have a house; an actual one with rooms and all, not rented—”

“It is rented,” Elmer chimed in.

“You get what I mean.” Pip swatted Elmer’s argument away like it was a bothersome fly. “Look, all I’m saying is you can help me out. How did you do it? Put me through. You know why I decided to come to Ur once I was of age to leave home? It’s so that you and I can rise up together. But you’re already far ahead, still it’s not too late to take me with you.”

Elmer weakly dropped his hands on the dining table, leaning forward and lowering his head.

I get what you mean, Pip; but… You can’t do what I do…

“What?” Pip cocked his head as he queried. “You can’t put me in on what job you’re involved with? Really?”

Elmer sighed. “It’s not that.”

“Then what is it, Floyd? I’m all ears.”

Hearing that name come out of Pip’s mouth sounded weird to Elmer’s ears, though he was glad his friend kept to his words as much as he could. It was hard to adapt to something new at the detriment of something familiar, but Pip was doing well. And still, he could not even help his friend out now when he’s asking.

“There are other jobs you can do, Pip.” Elmer tried to be of help the way he could. “You worked at Mr. Billard‘s bookstore, didn’t you? Unlike how I was when I left Meadbray you have actual work experience, you can look for a bookstore in Ur and get employed. The pay in a city‘s bookstore will be good, for sure.”

“That’s not going to be enough…” Pip scoffed glumly, and Elmer‘s brows fell.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m saying making a couple of mints per month isn’t going to be enough. I need more—quickly!” Pip stretched forth his arms, his neck stiffened, and Elmer could see that something was troubling his best friend. Pip retracted his hands then and sighed. “Sorry. Just—”

“You need more?” Elmer cut off Pip. “What do you need a large sum of money for?”

Pip shook his head and stood up. “Just forget it. I’ll find a job myself.”

“Talk!” Elmer insisted as his friend turned around to walk away, and the strained way he had uttered his words did well to stop Pip’s movement.

“He has it, alright,” Pip answered cryptically after a few seconds of silence. “He has tuberculosis.”

A sudden coldness hit straight at Elmer’s core, causing him to feel a slight dizziness when combined with his already weakened physicality and spirituality.

“What do you mean he has tuberculosis?” Elmer seemed to stutter, trying to disregard the harsh reality of Pip’s words as his mind instantly conjured up the elderly figure of the only person his friend could be referring to. “Pip. This is not the time to—”

“I’m not lying, alright?” Pip clenched his chin and folded his hands tightly. “My father really has tuberculosis.”

Elmer’s breath hitched and his eyes widened in disbelief for a second before his brows furrowing turned them narrow once more.

“Mr. Willows… is sick?” He still couldn’t get himself to believe. “For how long now?”

Pip turned around and sat back down on his chair; his legs appeared to have grown weak from the weight of the conversation he was having.

“A year,” he answered with a sigh, his tone below a whisper.

“A year?!” Elmer jerked backward, taking his hands away from the dining table as he straightened himself. “What do you mean a year? I was still at Meadbray at that time.” He then suddenly realized as his friend seated across from him rubbed his palm on his forehead. “Don’t tell me you lot kept it a secret? Blimey, Pip…”

“It’s tuberculosis we’re talking about here!” Pip suddenly turned agitated. “Why are you speaking like we had a choice? It’s not that I don’t trust you as my best friend, but how sure could I have been that you wouldn’t slip up in your sleep or something? And if such an information gets out, what do you think will happen when the merchants purchasing our barleys find out that their supplier is carrying such a disease? That’s it. That will be the end of us, you know? We’ll be unable to sell our produce, and never meet up with our annual fees to Sir Cedric. And you know how it goes. No annual fee, or even a little setback, and we’re off that slimey knight’s land.”

He was right, Elmer knew that. The Willows were just tenant farmers, or rather, serfs, of the knight, Sir Cedric. They have been for years, always trying to keep up with their contractual agreement of paying five thousand mints annually from the farmland he had given them to toil upon. And as Pip had said, if it was found out that Mr. Willows had such a deadly disease in his body, he would be dismissed at once.

But still, what could he do? The sort of job he was involved in was not something he could simply just fill Pip on. And the fact that the tuberculosis itself had gone past a year meant that it was already in its active stage; in order words, it was basically incurable at this point. Trying to—

Wait…! Elmer had a disheartening realization storm his mind.

“Pip,” he called at once. “You said it’s been a year already. Doesn’t that—”

“Yes,” Pip leaned back as he answered. “He’s going to die soon.”

Elmer closed his eyes instantly, took in a very deep inhale before exhaling as he sat back down across from his friend.

Mr. Willows is going to die… He felt a sharp ache in his chest, and found himself loosening the knot of his tie.

“If that’s the case, then you’re not trying to make a large sum of money for his treatment, are you?” Elmer asked, the revolver in his jacket’s left pocket suddenly now bearing a very noticeable weight.

“No,” Pip answered with a dejected puff of air. “Like I said. It’ll be over for us once we lose the farmland we were given…” He took his eyes from the dining table and up at Elmer with those words. “And we are going to lose it once my father dies. I’ve come to terms with that; I have no choice but to. And that is why I need to make enough money so I can take care of my mother. After all, losing the farm means we lose the farmhouse as well. She’ll have no place to stay; I don’t want her to end up that way.

“And before you say anything, I did consider taking over the farm, but… It’s not practical. I have a feeling that Sir Cedric would not lease it out to me out of fear that I, as well, may have tuberculosis, since my father’s death would make known the existence of the disease. Still, even if he would, I don’t want to live as a farmer. I don’t want my mother to live like that. She’s lived as a farmer’s wife, I’m not going to have her live as a farmer’s mother.”

Elmer was left speechless; his mind had gone blank due to the fact that he did not know what exactly to do at the moment. His job was not something he could have Pip partake in, and the only alternative was his friend becoming an Ascender and a bounty hunter. There was no way he would let Pip be a part of such.

Still, he had to say something—offer something. And it was then that he suddenly recalled the bronze skinned man who had employed him on his first day as a street-porter in Ur. The doctor, the son of Ur’s magistrate, Eli Atkinson.

But even in that recollection, no hope lingered.

The man had specifically told him that he would be the one to contact whenever he needed a job done, so he could not just walk up to wherever the magistrate’s house was located and ask for help. That was completely out of it.

And even if he could, what exactly was he to say? ‘My friend needs a high paying job, can you help?’. Doing such was a reach. He could not see anything good coming out of it.

There was only one option he had left.

“What is it?” Elmer snapped back to notice Pip’s gaze hardened and his countenance squeezed. “Why exactly are you thinking so much? I just asked that you help me with a job since you’re already so well to do. Aren’t we friends? If you can’t help me now, then when exactly will you be of help?”

Elmer bit on his lower lip. “Just calm down,” he said. “It’s somewhat complicated.”

“Complicated?” Pip scoffed. “Always with the ‘complicated’ talk. Really, tell me now. Are you seriously doing something different?” Elmer’s heart skipped a beat, but his weakened countenance and lips remained intact. Pip chuckled then. “You know I heard about the bounty hunters at the taverns after you left Meadbray, and I instantly knew that there was no way you would miss out on doing such when you have Mabel to take care of. Is that what this is about? You don’t want me to become what you are?”

Even though Pip seemed annoyed at his friend, he still kept his voice quite low when he spoke in order to keep the topic of their conversation regarding the supernatural a mystery to Mary who was in the depths of the kitchen having her breakfast.

“I know about the risks with that, you know?” Pip continued. “I made sure to learn as much as I could of Ur before leaving Meadbray. It’s not that much but I know the basics. So I understand why you’re being reserved with all these; but as I understand you so should you understand me. I know our cases are not that similar. Heck, your path is a lot worse than mine, but you should be able to see where I’m coming from with how high you’ve gone.”

“That is why I’m trying to keep you away from it,” Elmer chimed in quickly. “With such a height I’m also able to see the dangers waiting for you on that path. I can’t let you walk yourself into trouble.”

Pip shook his head stubbornly. “I don’t have a choice, you know?”

“You do,” Elmer argued. “We all do. There’s always a choice somewhere; we just have to seek it. Do you understand? Let’s just find a good job; there’s never any lack of them.”

“I’m a peasant, you donkey.” Pip laughed softly in an extremely self deprecating manner. “Even those of the working class seem to have it tough, then there’s me, a peasant with no schooling experience whatsoever. Where am I going to get a decent, normal job that’ll earn me a good enough income to better my mother’s life? Factories? I’ll have to work myself to death just to make a few measly pence there; heck, I might even contact some deadly disease just like my father somehow did. Don’t you see? From our origins there’s no risk-less path to success. We were born peasants, and unless we do something stupid to better ourselves, we’ll forever remain as such. Not like you count as such any longer though.”

Again, Pip was right, completely. And Elmer had no words to counteract what his friend had said. Although, he would still not let Pip step his legs into that grisly world that was the supernatural. He, currently, did not have the sort of money his friend needed, therefore he could not just ask him not to worry that he would take care of it and all that. So he used the silence lingering in the dining room after Pip’s talk to decide on something more feasible; something he’d already set his sights on the night past.

Nodding in agreement with the solution he’d come up with, he stood up once again and redid his tie’s knot.

“Give me till Monday,” he said as Pip looked up at him with his blue eyes turned somewhat watery. “I’ll get you a well paying job by then.”

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