A/N- So imma be gone for like a week, and I'm not about to write a whole chapter using my phone, so I just cranked out a few to keep you happy. ENJOY!!
As I followed the river I experimented with my new quirk and found a few interesting things. First off, unlike Todoroki I didn't seem to have any limiters in place to protect my body, and even though I wasn't a child of this 'Mim' my resistances to heat and cold had only been suppressed to a lower level, not fully locked away like my dragon forms. Second I could still use animus magic, but only just. It could do little more than single word spells like 'sharpen' or 'clean' which I used on the king's sword so that I could at least defend myself, and not be dirty.
I walked for a few more hours before I finally reached a village, but I didn't go in just yet. I stayed in the shadows as best I could and just watched and listened, the people were simple and had little, but their language was different from any that I knew. That would be a problem, but spotting a decent rock on the ground I picked it up, "Jade." I whispered and watched as it slowly turned into jade, then I took my sword and gently poked a hole in it before taking a bit of vine "String" then I looped it through and made a simple necklace, "Translate" it was simple and barely thrown together but should work for now until I found someone to teach me. Still I camped out in the wilderness that night, sleeping up in a tree just in case.
The next morning, I slowly made my way into the town, a few gave me strange looks because of my different appearance, but most ignored my as I made my way to what appeared to be a tavern, thanks to my necklace I could read what it said 'Barrel Haven" I made my way into the tavern and went to sit at the bar, though I had no money.
"What can I get ya stranger?" the bartender asked, "Work, or someone that needs labor." I told him and he nodded, "Yeah, we got plenty o work round here, where ya from traveler?" he asked as he filled a mug full of water and gave it to me, I took a sip before answering. "Land far away, been walking for months before I found this valley." The man just nodded before he went to help another patron as I purified the water with a spell before I started to drink the rest. I didn't think the man would poison me but it's better to be safe.
Eventually the man came back after a few minutes before sitting across from me, "Well I gots plenty o work, but if you got any skills I could ask round." but I shook my head, "No this sword is just for protection, I'm no warrior." He nodded again before taking me around and showing me what needed to be done, fix a few old boards, clean the bar, clean the kitchen, things like that. It continued for a week before he let me try to cook something, though it wasn't what I was used to, he had a well enough stock that I could make some decent food, and boy was that a mistake.
For the next few months I did nothing but cook, turn out learning to cook decently is a great skill to have as the Barrel Haven got plenty of new customers, even from a few neighbor villages that had heard of me.
I didn't just cook however as I trained everyday for better control with my quirk, using the fire to heat things faster and ice to better preserve a few ingredients. I also trained a bit with my sword using stances from my first life, but it had been so long that it was better for me to just exercise than train.
The entire time I did this, I kept my eyes and ears open however, looking for any sign of Rose or Thorn, and today I had found them. When they first walked in I thought nothing of them, a slightly older woman and man with a little girl, but I noticed how when the bar owner took their order the man called the woman 'Ms. Rose' so they weren't normal since no one around here talked like that. As I made their meal I let them eat for a few minutes before I walked over to their table.
"So how is the food? Is it good?" I asked with fake enthusiasm in my voice, as if I actually wanted to be cooking for months without seeing my target. "It was very good." the woman-Rose said as I nodded and turned to the man "Good." was all he said as he visibly tried to relax, I could use that. "And what about you little one?" I said to the little girl with them, she just stared at me with her bright blue eyes, as if she could see past this facade of mine.
"Tell the nice man thank you, Thorn." Rose told the girl "thank you." she said in her small voice 'bingo' I smiled as I took their plates. "Well I'm glad you enjoyed it, take care." and I went back to the kitchen, I had found my target.
"That man knows who we are." Lucius said softly as he led Rose and Thorn out of the Barrel Haven. "He would have said something, but he may also just be friendly." Rose said but Lucius shook his head, "No, I've been here a few times before bringing you here, he should have recognized me, plus he never leaves the kitchen unless the owner has him out buying things." Rose considered this for a moment. "Well we can't just kill him, he's too well known." Rose said but Lucius turned to her "How much money do you have left?" he asked and she took out a bag that she had been carrying and rummaged through it for a moment, "Not much, only about 50 gold pieces left, plus a few silver and copper. Why, what are you planning?" she asked and Lucius smiled, like he always did in that way that made her heart race, even after all these years. "If we can't kill him, we can at least keep an eye on him." he said then grinned "I'm gonna buy the Barrel Haven."
A week later Carter stood behind the bar as the owner talked to him, "Don't know where this feller came from, but I think the Barrel Haven will be safe with em. Oh here he comes now!" At first I was surprised to find that the man would sell the Barrel Haven, and he tried to get me to go with him but I made some excuse about liking the Barrel too much to leave, but in reality I wanted to keep an eye on Rose and Thorn.
When the new owner walked in and shook hands with the old boss, I realized that he was the same man who had been with Rose and Thorn. "Nice to meet you, my name's Lucius Down. I'm the new owner of the Barrel Haven." I shook his hand and decided to keep using my current name, "Nice to meet you, I'm Carter Bate." I introduced myself as Lucius toured the place before sitting me down after the old boss had left.
"So are you willing to keep cooking for me? Because if not, I have some more work if you're interested." he said and I shrugged "Cooking is fine, but I'll take any extra work ya got lyin around, give me something to do." I said as he considered something for a moment, "I got a friend, who's trying to build a farm for her and her granddaughter, can you help me build it while still cooking here at the tavern?" He knows something, I realized as I watched him. He was watching me too, but for what? How did he know that I knew about Thorn and Rose? "Sure, I'm plenty strong, I'll help you with the house." Lucius grinned as we shook hands again "That's just fine." he said.