Roman Leanson

[Frog8986]

Login: Frog8986
Character: Roman Leanson

Roman touched his fathers cold leathery hand, every one knew he was dying but no one would say anything. He sat in a shoddy made oak chair pulled up to his father’s equally shoddy bed both of witch had been bought long before roman had even been a thought in his parents mind. Roman looked on across the bed to see his mother preparing a rag and a basin of water for his fathers head on a counter in the back of the room. She wasn’t all that old really, some where in her thirties but the stress she had in her life made he look at least ten years older. She was thin and of small figure, her brown hair already showed the first few white hairs, and her face had wrinkles on it that were placed in a way that no matter what the time of day she look tired. She ran the rag thought the water and twisted it out in to the basin one last time then turned to find Roman alternating his eyes between his father and her. Roman watched walking to the bed and took a seat on the side of the bed. She slowly started to run the rag over his fathers head, and as she did this a small sigh of comfort escaped his fathers mouth. “that feel better, Richard?” She asked her husband and in a move of physical effort he nodded with his head and a barely audible “yes” came out of his mouth.

This was the third day that Roman had been sitting by his fathers bed side. It made him sad to think of his father dead and gone but at the same time he couldn’t help not wanting to be there, it made him uneasy being this close to death. Relief finally cam when his mother turned and looked at him as she rubbed Richards head, “I want you to go run to the bakers and get a loaf of bread, tell Mr. Thorm to put it on my tab, and Roman try to get one without any mold this time.” Roman sighed and with a “yes ma’am” he headed out of the door. Angela watched as her son left, she was worried about him, he had barely talked these last few days, his normal bright brown eyes had been dull and gloomy and he had slumped as he walked.

Roman step out in the streets the pungent smell of sewage filled his nose from the near by lake, he looked around alert of any that might wish to do him wrong. He walk for a few blocks to the bakers, looking on to the shamble of buildings that he came across. He stepped in to the bakers and took a look around as Mr. Thorm was standing at the counter. Roman looked around a bit before picking up a loaf and heading over to him. Mr. Thorm was a small beetle like man with the eyes of a rodent, Roman was pretty sure that he was involved in more illegal things then baking bread, but he was a friend to the family none the less. Mr. Thorm spoke in a squeaky high pitch voice, “so how ye father be doing boy?”. Roman glued his eyes to the floor “he is doing better sir.” Roman lied. “ah that’s good then, eh?, so when do ay denk ya will be a headin to work in the mine with him?” roman shuffled his feet “I don’t know I think I have a year or two, my mother told me to have this loaf put on her tab.” Mr. Thorm scratched on a piece of parchment as he talked “ah well dat be good then sonny, if yah find yah don’t like it come talk to me, I might be ah haven a job for yah, now why don’t yah be headin back to yah folks”. Roman gave a small nod and headed out. The walk home was mostly uneventful save for a black cat that kept tailing him.

He entered the small one room home and gave a look around, his hay filled bed laid in the corner, to the opposite end was a small closet and next to it was the cooking area. He saw his parents on the bed in the center, his mother was hugging his father crying she abruptly stopped as she heard the front door close. She quickly when to roman and gave him a hug, then took the bread from him and when to the small cooking area and with out a word started to cut up the bread, handing a piece to roman, and a second piece she soaked in water and helped Richard eat it. The rest of the night was almost silent. Roman when to sleep early after he finished his dinner, only to be awoken during the night. Roman jolted up from his bed to find the whole house shaking, he was lost and confused, he looked to his parents as his mother rousted from her sleep. The shaking got more intense, the furniture started to clag around the walls made a uncomfortable creaking noise, and then there was nothing. The shaking stopped, Angela ran to her son “are you ok roman?” Roman nodded and looked to her with some what dazed eyes “yes mother I’m fine.” They both then when to check on Richard only to find that he had just passed. It was never the same after that.

It was the next day that Roman started his fathers job at mine. He started out early knowing that his mother need the money, she wouldn’t have wanted him to go, but in a way it was his way of grieving. He walked with the same strange cat fallowing him. He came up to the mine and explained what had happen to his father, they were all under standing , he was a bit young at 15 but no one really minded, that was in tell another accident happened. Roman had been picking away when everything started to shake again, he didn’t understand it , but still the ground trembled. The workers blamed him, many of them felt the effects of the night before as well, and after that his father position was taken from him. He walked home, still having his strange new cat.

The next half a year was painful for Roman, bouncing from job to job tell he ended up in Mr. thorm’s shop. He walked in to the shop to find Mr. Thorm and woman talking, He walked in to find that all eyes where on him. The woman stared at him, seemly sizing him up. She slowly circled him, roman took note of her exotic appearance, she dressed in a sumptuous scarlet robe that revealed her slim body, her long straight hair was straight and jet black, and fell to her back. The most striking thing about her was her eyes, one was fiery amber the other a inky blue. She completed her circle and returned to where she was and turned to talk to Mr. thorm, “he is one of them alright, the poor sap probably has been wondering what has been going on, its good that you called me Burnie.” It was that night that Roman learned he was a sorcerer, a worker of natural magic. The strange woman stayed but only for the end of the year, making sure that roman wasn’t a danger to himself or others. The woman name Illenda stopped by every now and then, helping him and his mother with money, not really out of charity, more out of the fact that with out complete control of his powers roman was prone to have accidents under stress. It was a sad day when she left, but she did leave him with enough coin to hold him and his mother out for some time.

Roman knew that he couldn’t support his mother with just the small work that the town would give him, and he knew that both him and his mother were not happy, so be put a plan in to action, he would go out in to the world, and find enough treasure to keep the ones that he love happy, and safe, he talked to his mother about it, and of course not wanting any harm to come to her son she rejected the idea. Roman wanted to go, in some ways he needed to go, but at the same time how could he bring him self to leave his mother in need. He stayed in his home town for a few months before the solution tragically came. It is said that a person can not live with out hope, it is some thing that is dear to every one and sadly after the death of Richard, Angela lost hers. It took time for her mental death to meet her physical one and when it did there was nothing more that the town could do for Roman, so he set off, to find a happier place in the world.

[Teah]

reviewed, xp pending