Incendium

"You've said this to me hundreds of times already, Mother," the young woman mumbled, dragging her spoon through her oatmeal. "I'm not a kid anymore. Kids grow up to be adults, move away, and live on their own. You know that."

She brought a spoonful to her mouth and grimaced as she chewed through the slimy porridge that was a little too thick for her tastes.

"I'm almost twenty-three, Ma," she sighed, pausing as her mother launched into a different rant altogether. The young woman dropped her spoon into the plastic cup and put her forehead into her free hand, rubbing the line above her brow when her patience began to run thin. "First, you're telling me that I'm still a baby, then you're scolding me for not making enough effort in my love life. You're getting a little hysterical now, so I'm hanging u-"

Balling up the napkin in her hand, she gathered her trash together before chucking it into the bin a few feet away. Her mother's voice continued to assault her through the receiver as she blew a stray lock of hair off her lashes. She threw her purse over her shoulder and adjusted the strap of the bag at her feet, preparing to continue on to the check-in queue.

"Listen. I have to go, so I'll send you an e-mail as soon as I'm settled in. Bye!" she said, not waiting for a response before she ended the call.

With a sigh of relief, she took a moment to check her ticket one more time before heading off to catch her train. She'd never taken the train before, but with a little time and contemplation, she was able to navigate the way without incident. Sweeping her fringe out of her eyes, she moved to haul her bags up the queue to be checked. She struggled with it for a mere second before a second set of hands reached down and helped.

"Thanks," she said, glancing up once to acknowledge the efforts of the man with dirty blonde hair and a mild goatee.

He was tall and lean, flashing her a charming smile that worked too well with his soft black eyes. She thought they were black, but a slant of light revealed warm, chocolate undertones. Instead of extending any conversation, she shifted her attention away from the stranger and onto the task of finding her ticket. She was annoyed by the fact that is wasn't in her pocket where she had left it.

"Minthe Ryder," he read from the ticket in his hand.

The young woman named Minthe reluctantly turned her eyes back up to the stranger as he flashed his teeth and held it out to her. She took it with another mumbled thanks, but he spoke before she could turn away from him.

"What's bringing you to Vanilla Riddle?" He asked. "I'm Leo, by the way."

"Work," Minthe replied, looking over the counter for any signs of the woman who was supposed to check her bags in.

"Oh, what kind of work?"

"Marketing," she said, spying an open attendant in front of her.

Before she could make a move, Leo bent down and took her bag. Minthe just pursed her lips as he carried it forward for her and set it on the scale. When he looked at her once more, she begrudgingly dipped her head in silent thanks. If there was anything she wasn't fond of, it was men like him that assumed that she couldn't get by on her own.

"It was nice meeting you, Miss Ryder," Leo said with a slight bow of his head. "Maybe I'll see you around town after you settle in. Then I might persuade you to give me your number."

Minthe couldn't keep the amused smirk from her face upon hearing such a ridiculous proposal, but Leo seemed to mean well. She shrugged her shoulders and turned away as she said, "Maybe."

After that, she was able to check in a board the train within the hour. Reclining in her window seat as the train pulled out of the station, Minthe rested her cheek on her knuckles and watched the scenery play out before her. It would be a long while before she saw this town again, but she was hardly feeling sad. If anything, she was looking forward to the change and the isolation. A new town, a new home, a new place where she wasn't going to be bothered by old acquaintances. That was the way she liked it, after all.

A tiny smile curved her lips, wondering what kind of peace and solitude awaited her in Vanilla Riddle. It was an odd name for a town, but it was a small urban area that was a good hour away from anything. Perhaps that was why the incentives were so good. Most of Minthe's old school mates flocked to the major cities in pursuit of their perfect carreers, but this would suit her just fine. She was unconcerned about anything else aside from her job and her living space.

Minthe lifted her eyes up to the cloudy blue sky overhead and popped in her earbuds, letting track five play on repeat to pass the time.

The sky was an orange hue when the train pulled into the station and Minthe opened her eyes to consider the quiet platform and the sparse amount of travelers that were catching the outbound train. Around her, the few passengers that had stayed onboard to this last stop were beginning to rise from their seats and gather their things. Quiet shuffling and the soft clicking of zippers hitting the metal rails lining the overhead cupboard rose over the dying sound of the engine. Minthe remained still and waited until the coach was nearly empty before sitting up and stretching her arms over her head. She gathered her bags and disembarked with the address of her apartment scrawled on her left wrist.

Vanilla Riddle was just like any other city, except that it seemed much calmer since it wasn't serving as a transit hub to any place else. This truly was the end of the line, Minthe mused, passing under a line of street lamps as the shadows settled and they started to flicker to life. She was mid-stride when she caught sight of a slightly tarnished golden 29 and came to an abrupt halt. It was a well aged building, constructed with red brick and black bars of twisted iron. Minthe checked her wrist again before climbing the stairs and passing through the two sets of doors at the top of it.

The lobby was well lit, clean, and quiet. Minthe fingered the leaves of the potted plants scattered around the area before approaching the red headed young woman sitting behind the front desk. She had been engrossed in the open book spread in front of her, but she looked up when she realized that her services were required. Minthe caught what looked like a spark of surprise flicker across her face, but it was probably because she was caught doing something else on the job.

"Hello, my name in Minthe Ryder," she said, passing some papers over the countertop. "I work for Wayfinder and they set up some accommodations here for the next few weeks."

"Of course, Miss Ryder," the young woman replied, hurriedly taking the paperwork and tapping away at the keyboard beside her arm. "Welcome to Valmont. It'll just take me a few moments to get you checked in."

Minthe nodded her head in understanding, instead turning her attention to a series of pamphlets lined up on the dark marble. It hadn't even been three minutes before the young woman was asking her for her signatures and passing her a key ring. "You're all set, Miss Ryder," she said with a smile. "We usually have a few staff around to help our guests, but there's hardly any work for them on weekdays. Allow me to assist you with your bags."

"Thank you," Minthe said, sorting her things as the woman rose and emerged from behind the counter. "But I'm fi-"

She was already hauling away her larger duffel bag in the direction of the elevator and Minthe hurried to catch up with her. It was a rather heavy bag and the woman was just about her size. She was about to protest when she realized that the woman wasn't having any trouble with her bag at all.

'She must have a gym membership,' Minthe thought, following her onto the elevator and watching her punch the button for the fifth floor. Thankfully, the small box was absent of the annoying elevator tunes and the other woman looked at her with an expression that suggested small talk was about to occur.

"My name is Mavis, by the way," she said with a friendly smile. "I'm actually hoping to get a job at Wayfinder once I graduate. Was the hiring process difficult?"

"Not at all," Minthe said, not minding this type of curiosity. Unlike most chitchat people threw at her, this was sincere and wasn't necessarily prying into her personal life. "They're eager to hire young graduates and I did a couple interviews over the phone and with a webcam."

"Oh, good," Mavis visibly slouched with relief. "I'm not the best candidate, but hopefully I have a chance."

"I think you'll be fine," she replied. "You have a charming face and a nice demeanor… When you're not studying on the job, at least."

The freckles dusted over the bridge of Mavis' face disappeared as a blush stained her cheeks. She laughed a little, holding the door for Minthe as she gathered her things and they stepped out onto the floor. Her room was at the end of the hall and once she managed let them in, Minthe turned and offered Mavis a twenty dollar bill.

"Oh, no, don't worry about it," Mavis said, but Minthe shoved the bill into her hand anyway.

"It's fine, you're the bellboy tonight," Minthe said, looking around the small suite. "Aren't you?"

"Thank you," she smiled, pocketing the money. "I'll leave you to settle in. Have a good night, Miss Ryder."

"Just Minthe is fine," she replied. "I'm not that much older than you, so it's weird when you call me 'Miss'."

"Ok. Minthe it is. Good night!"

Minthe offered her a tiny smile as she bid her good night in return and closed the door. She yawned, dropping her bags at her bedside while moving over to pull back the curtains and peer out the window. This would be her living quarters for the next month or so until she found a place she could afford as a more permanent home. Inspecting the room and all its features, she ate her leftover bag of chips before washing up and crawling into bed.

Tomorrow was going to be her first day at work and she just hoped that Wayfinder was as perfect a job as she envisioned.