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| An Involuntary Apprenticeship; Ruben and Horace | |
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| Topic Started: 20 Dec 2007, 06:20 PM (210 Views) | |
| Aztec Gold | 20 Dec 2007, 06:20 PM Post #1 |
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Originally posted by Ruben Velazquez: Ruben had only been to Port Royal a couple of times in the past, and upon returning this time he forgot how busy and crowded it could be. Thankfully he slipped into the docks and out onto the streets will relatively little trouble. He made doubly sure no Spanish accent leaked into his speech, and he always introduced himself as Robert Johnson, or Richard Kingston, or some other English-sounding name. And he was a merchant returning to visit his family. He was wearing his best clothes, which were good enough to pass for middle class in Port Royal. There was a simple hat on his head to try and cover the darkness of his hair, and he made sure to be as discreet as he could. He had gotten quite good at it in the past, though he was a little rusty at it now. While wandering he noticed that the town wasn't quite as lively as it used to be. It was still crowded, but there was a different tone being spoken among the market stalls. The East India Company? Things sounded dire, especially as he overheard talk of some man wanting to rid the seas of pirates. But, then again, just about every man in power around the Caribbean wanted that. The problem was this one sounded like he might actually have means to do it. Ruben pushed it from his mind as he wandered toward the printmaking shop. He might technically be a pirate, but he wasn't English. If he needed to he could return to Hispaniola, and perhaps his whole family could move to another Spanish settlement. There was something in Florida, if he remembered correctly. A fort of some kind. Ah, but until then, there was no reason not to search for someone to help him with his current endeavor. His printing press wasn't working like he thought it would, so he was in the market for an assistant. He knew apprentices usually began their work as young children, so he didn't expect it would be very hard to...take one. He peered into the shop through the window and was happy to see there was only one person inside. It was a boy, but not a very young one. He was a little too old to trick with a shiny bauble, and might fight back if Ruben tried to force him out. Perhaps a good hit to the head would put him out, but then there would be the trouble of getting him back to the docks. He couldn't very well carry him all that way on his shoulders and not expect to be stopped. Either way, Ruben stepped inside with a congenial smile on his face. He looked around the shop, then wondered if perhaps just telling the truth might get him what he wanted. He looked at the boy and took off his hat, holding it humbly in his hands. "Excuse me lad, you're knowledgeable with printing. Do you think you could help an aspiring printer?" He smirked. "I can make it worth the time and trouble." |
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| Aztec Gold | 20 Dec 2007, 06:20 PM Post #2 |
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Originally posted by Horace Tennyson: Horace had been tidying up the front of the shop--the area where Mr Eddington conducted his business, took orders, and sold many of his printed items, as well as paper. Eddington had left earlier to go speak with some of the clerks of the East India Company--eager that he may be able to procure some of their business for the printing of fliers, and perhaps any legal documents they may need. After all--the Royal Navy was always putting up fliers for something--advertisements on bounties to join the Marines, or become a sailor, or even bounties offered for various of the notorious pirates who frequented the parts. Horace at the moment, was carefully pushing one of the primers on sums for children back on the top shelf, so that it would reside with a few others that had come with Eddington from his original print shop in Boston--a job that required him to adopt a rather precarious position--standing on the tip of his toes, one arm flung back for balance, the other grasping the book and trying to push it in without making a mess of what was already there. He finished pushing it in when, the door to the shop opened, wringing a bell, and Horace quickly turned around jumping down off the table to the floor. "Good day, sir, welcome to Eddington's Print Shoppe. Can I get you anything?" he said as he moved and closed the door closest to him---the one that led to the back room with the printing press. Master Eddington had the only press in Port Royal, and was determined that no one see it...some silly superstitious stuff about it getting stolen, or whatever. "Excuse me lad, you're knowledgeable with printing. Do you think you could help an aspiring printer? Horace's eyes went wide. Boy he wished John Chandler were here to see what this man was saying! Only fifteen, an apprentice for not even two full years now, and he was being called knowledgeable about printing! "Well I--" "I can make it worth the time and trouble." Horace couldn't help it. "How much worth it?" He asked. He was an apprentice, he didn't get money, his master paid him in food, lodging, and his education. The only time he even got to hold money in his hand (a rare occurrence) was when he was doing something on behalf of Eddington. Horace paused...there was no way that he'd need him, though. So his offer was probably worthless. Now doubt he had come to get help from his master, or one of the more advanced apprentices. John was nearly 20, and getting close to being done with his apprenticeship. He probably was looking for a business partner. "You probably want John. He's almost done her," as much as it killed him to say that. What he would give for an opportunity to be handsomely rewarded. |
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| Aztec Gold | 20 Dec 2007, 06:21 PM Post #3 |
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Ruben: "How much worth it?" Ruben had to rub his chin to hide the knowing grin that had appeared there. He was glad the boy wasn't suspicious of him at all, or he didn't seem to be. It was probably going to be easier than he anticipated to get the boy out of the shop. If he was just an apprentice, he probably didn't get much pay, if any at all. Money was a grand language for certain. Ruben was about to show the boy his ruby ring in answer, but the boy interrupted him, looking quite morose. "You probably want John. He's almost done here." John? If the boy was referring Ruben to someone else other than him, John could only be someone older. Probably more skilled with the press, but older, and therefore bigger and stronger, nevertheless. Ruben frowned a little and tried not to jump into an objection. He looked at the boy for a long moment, scrutinizing him and trying to guess his age. He was probably at the proper age for a different kind of bribery. Ruben shook his head. "No, I was specifically told to bring the young apprentice," he said, lowering his voice and grinning playfully. "You see, I have a young niece your age, and she's never been brave enough to come in here and greet you herself. So I volunteered to assist her yearning heart." He leaned against the counter and looked around to make sure no one else was listening. "She's quite infatuated with you. And I don't mean to brag, but she's quite a lovely young lady." He tilted his head back and looked down at Horace. "But if you still want to get this John person, I understand. You'll break my dear niece's heart, but...." He shrugged, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin. "Plus I really do need help, so in addition to the company of a beautiful young girl, you'd be paid. How's that then?" His hand snapped around the coin again and he kept his face mildly curious, waiting for an answer. |
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| Aztec Gold | 20 Dec 2007, 06:21 PM Post #4 |
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Horace: Horace was confused by the man's words, 'told to bring the young apprentice?' What exactly did that mean? And what good could a younger apprentice do? It's not like he could run a printing press all by himself, he knew most of what to do, but you just tended to forget things when trying to do them. And besides, as the youngest apprentice he got all the icky jobs--like cleaning the ink off of the machine itself, and standing around in the press room where the fire was kept going, the windows all shut, so that they could get the ink to dry quicker on the paper. The worst jobs in his estimation. Hardly things that earned him experience watching over the job of printing and the like. "You see, I have a young niece your age, and she's never been brave enough to come in here and greet you herself. So I volunteered to assist her yearning heart." Horace couldn't hide the shock on his face. There was some girl who was interested in him? Well, naturally there were, and although he had his eye on the Butcher's daughter, he wasn't about to go and deny himself another...admirer, even though he had no clue who this guy's niece was. Let alone who the guy was. The man--whoever he was, leaned in conspiratorially and continued, "She's quite infatuated with you. And I don't mean to brag, but she's quite a lovely young lady." Suddenly the importance of who he was, or she was...was gone. Part of the beauty of his age was not thinking with his brain, and what he was told was just enough to convince him to go. He didn't want to go find John, and he really didn't want to break a girl's heart...so going with the man was starting to sound like a win-win situation for him. "So in addition to the company of a beautiful young girl, you'd be paid. How's that then?" Horace quickly shuffled behind the table, grabbing a book off of it and covering himself. It was the man's fault that he had said "company of a beautiful girl," how else was he supposed to react? And to be paid too? Horace was so done with Eddington's shoppe right now. "I umm...uhh...let me get my coat," he said, keeping his front to the man, hidden behind the book, "I'll just be uhhh...a few minutes, I'll be right there." He quickly dodged into the press room behind, shutting the door behind him, and putting the book on a table by the door. He was finally going to get paid for something and have some fun too. He couldn't wait until it was all over, so he could go and brag to his mates. That made it all the sweeter. After the requisite few minutes he reemerged with his coat. "Where to, sir? I never caught your name, you know." |
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| Aztec Gold | 20 Dec 2007, 06:21 PM Post #5 |
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Ruben: "I umm...uhh...let me get my coat," he said. "I'll just be uhhh...a few minutes, I'll be right there." Ruben couldn't hide the smirk from his face, but he turned it into a happy grin and clapped his hands together as the boy backed away. "Oh that's wonderful! My niece will be so happy." He watched as the boy went into a different room, then stood up straight and placed his hat back on his head, chuckling. He wasn't really worried that the boy would go and get somebody. He certainly seemed very interested in seeing the young woman, from what Ruben managed to notice before the boy shuffled away. The added incentive of money probably helped things a bit as well. Ruben ambled around the shop as he waited, curious about all the different things laying about. Were all these tools things he needed for printing? Perhaps the boy would know more about it, and if they needed anything more for their endeavors, Ruben would know who to talk to to get it. He turned around when the boy emerged again, smiling congenially. "Where to, sir? I never caught your name, you know." "To the docks, my lad. My residence is closer to the water. And my name is Robert Jameson." Ruben smiled and touched his hat as he led the boy out of the shop and into the street. He didn't slow while he walked, and he continued to be discreet while hopefully not appearing too suspicious to the boy. Then he realized he didn't know his name either. "By the way, what would your name be? I don't think my niece knows your name either. Her name, by the way, is Arabella." He continued ambling down toward the docks, wondering how guarded they might be. Would it be easy enough to knock the boy out somewhere and just carry him back to the boat? There were numerous taverns along there; if anyone asked he could just say the boy was more than a little drunk and Ruben was taking him home. "What do you think of the East India Company?" Ruben said idly, hoping to gleen some more information without appearing too ignorant. |
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| Aztec Gold | 20 Dec 2007, 06:21 PM Post #6 |
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Horace: "To the docks, my lad. My residence is closer to the water. And my name is Robert Jameson." If Horace's young mind hadn't been quite so fixed on the idea of meeting his young, pretty, womanly, secret admirer, then maybe he might have been worried, if not that, then at the very least slightly curious about the reasoning behind why he was leaving the shop, and also to be in the vicinity of the docks. Nothing much of any good ever occurred down there, that's what Master Eddington said, the only folks found down that way were cheap prostitutes, drunken rabble of sailors, and the occasional Italian godfather having a corpse dumped into the water to be fish food. Personally, Horace thought the idea of a cheap prostitute sounded good, but the one time he had tried to sneak out to go there one night, his master had thrashed him pretty soundly, and had him do all the cleaning of dried ink off of the tools. It was enough to convince him to not be caught again. "By the way, what would your name be? I don't think my niece knows your name either. Her name, by the way, is Arabella." "Horace Tennyson," the boy answered, observing their surroundings, watching with interest the passerby. "What do you think of the East India Company?" Horace shrugged, looking only briefly at Ruben before he turned back his gaze to watching everything else around them as they made their way to the docks, "Master says they'll be good for business. He says that they'll be able to pick up the Navy's slack and finish hunting down pirates so that all our goods will be cheaper. I don't care much for this...ekkuhnomiks stuff," Horace had said the word cautiously, trying to make sure he said it like his master had, hoping that it would make him sound more intelligent, "but the more people coming here the more who will need our services. So they're good for our business. Master says he might even get a new apprentice for all the work we're sure to get now." He laughed, "but you should have seen that Beckett Lord--he's not much taller'n me. Probably only four or so inches me and my mates wager. Not a very big statue for a Lord," he grinned pointing out over the bay where one could see all the masts of the docked ships. "That really tall'n big one there, the Endeavour'n something, biggest one here. My mates and I bet he's compensating for something." Horace laughed at his own joke, now completely at ease with the stranger. |
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| Aztec Gold | 20 Dec 2007, 06:22 PM Post #7 |
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Ruben: "Master says they'll be good for business. He says that they'll be able to pick up the Navy's slack and finish hunting down pirates so that all our goods will be cheaper." As soon as Ruben heard the words "hunting down pirates," he pretty much lost interest in anything else Horace had to say. The threat of being hunted was bad enough by the navy, and if they were getting any help from this East India Company, it might actually turn into something to worry about. Ruben didn't consider himself as much of a "pirate" as other men he'd met, but in addition to being one, he was Spanish. That was enough to be hanged on an English port on its own. "But you should have seen that Beckett Lord--he's not much taller'n me. Probably only four or so inches me and my mates wager. Not a very big stature for a Lord." Ruben cocked a brow as he walked along, then followed the boy's pointing hand to the very large and impressive ship docked in the harbor. He chuckled as the boy joked about compensation, but figured asking about this Lord Beckett might be something to look into. To have such a large ship implied a great deal of money, and where there was one great ship, there were probably others. "The physical stature of a man has nothing to do with the power he might wield," Ruben said, scratching his nose with a finger. "If anything they're more dangerous because they feel they do have to prove themselves. I don't imagine Beckett is a person to be crossed with such a grand vessel as that." He continued ambling along closer to the docks, passing whorehouses and taverns and drunken sailors. There weren't many soldiers of any kind around, neither navy, marine, or army. It would probably be pretty easy to knock the boy and carry him onto the ship. The ship Ruben had sailed in on was even within his sight. He was the navigator for the small boat, something to put some money in his pocket. The act of acquiring someone to help him with his printing press was just an extra bonus. "You ever been sailing, lad?" Ruben asked congenially. "Or have you lived your entire life on this island?" |
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| Aztec Gold | 20 Dec 2007, 06:22 PM Post #8 |
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Horace: "The physical stature of a man has nothing to do with the power he might wield." Horace rolled his eyes. Of course physical strength had to do with power, and strength is based on size. It was rather all clear cut to him. If you weren't big and strong, your mates could easily hold you down and tickle you, or twist back and bend your arm until you begged for mercy. A fun game--if you weren't small like Horace, and thus always losing. "If anything they're more dangerous because they feel they do have to prove themselves. I don't imagine Beckett is a person to be crossed with such a grand vessel as that." Horace sighed quietly. Adults just always had to be like that didn't they? Pointing out your errors and just generally trying to show off their greater wisdom. It was just like with Master Eddington, no matter how hard he tried, just nothing was good enough for him. Didn't matter if he spend minutes or hours cleaning it wasn't good enough. If he got things fast enough onto the racks to dry, then, by goodness he had done a sloppy job and ruined them--smudging the ink. It was Horace's incredibly mature (or so he thought) opinion that all adults should just lighten up a bit. And give children more credit than they did. And he was fifteen too, for heaven's sake! He was no longer a child. He was a full-fledged adult, and he really would like to be treated like it. And to top it all off now, he must seem like no more than an inexperienced foolish child to the stranger too. "You ever been sailing, lad? Or have you lived your entire life on this island?" "I came here with my master," Horace said, a bit more cheerful when he noted that the man with him now didn't sound disappointed with him or what he had said earlier. The friendliness of the man was making him take chances and say things that he should have known better than to say. "My parents live in New York with my sister and brothers. I didn't want to apprentice to my father so I was apprenticed to my uncle--Master Eddington. When I finish my apprenticeship I'm going to go back and start my own shop, anyone who wants to, through hard work and effort can make themselves rich back at home. I'd love to run my own paper, that's where all the real influence is, my master says. People read them and take for granted everything they say. I bet you could probably convince everyone that His Majesty had two heads if you wrote it down and published it," Horace paused, worried that that was going a bit too far and quickly added, "not that I'd do that, but just how gullible people are. They'll believe anything." Horace stopped. "Shouldn't we be at your home yet, Mister? When you'd said you'd lived close to the water I didn't think you meant this close." |
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| Aztec Gold | 20 Dec 2007, 06:22 PM Post #9 |
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Ruben: "I came here with my master," Horace said. And Ruben listened to what Horace had to say. He was actually surprised the boy hailed from New York, a place in the New World. That was quite exciting really, and certainly different from most other people he'd met. Usually they came from England, or were raised in the Caribbean all their lives. Perhaps Horace had his own interesting story to tell that Ruben could twist into something...marketable. When the boy also divulged his dream of owning his own print shop and running a newspaper, Ruben almost felt sorry for him. He knew this wasn't going to happen, at least not for a while. Provided he could successfully get the boy on the ship and to Tortuga without any incident. He continued to walk along as Horace talked, ambling ever closer to the pier where his ship waited. "Not that I'd do that, but just how gullible people are. They'll believe anything." Ruben couldn't help the very wide smirk that appeared on his face, but he quickly wiped it away when the boy stopped and seemed puzzled. "Shouldn't we be at your home yet, Mister? When you'd said you'd lived close to the water I didn't think you meant this close." Well apparently he wasn't so dumb, which was good, really, but could be trouble later. Ruben looked around in equal puzzlement, then frowned and clapped Horace on the shoulder. "My you're right. Must've taken a wrong turn on the way back. I was quite engrossed in your story. It's not every day I hear of someone from the New World." He scratched his stubbly chin, looking around again. He saw one of the men from his ship nearby and pushed Horace towards him. "Let's go ask that gentleman," Ruben said, right before he took out his pistol and used the club end to knock Horace in the head. The boy crumpled to the ground and Ruben went about getting the necessary assistance needed to haul him onto the boat to Tortuga. Once the boy was safely hanging in a hammock down below, Ruben took his place as navigator and the ship quickly left port. He looked back at the docks for any sign of trouble, but saw none. He grinned and pulled out his compass. "Good haul." |
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