He swore a lick of sweat ran down his soot-coated neck at Master's piercing gaze, staring right back at him. Just one afternoon, why was one afternoon too much to ask? Once, in the beginning of his apprenticeship, he'd called Master a slave-driver in a thoughtless half-jest, and Master had wrought a swift justice against it, never letting him forget the slip of the tongue. "Aye, Master." He replied to his back, staring at the store front with a set jaw. So, all he had to do was eat, wash up, go search for a swordfighting teacher, and get two works done by morning. And maybe sleep.
…..Easy.
Wasting no time, he went through to the back where the well was located, stripping and washing himself of the grime that accumulated naturally in the stifling forge, then he ran down to the city, passing by the Winking Mermaid on his way to the various market stalls that were rising with the morning sun. Children ran by him to the great fountain sporting a god he didn't recognize, and once he cajoled a gruff woman into selling him a pasty before her stall was set up, he walked through the waking crowd and letting it take him where it would.
Hours later, when the sun was high in the sky, Mateo awkwardly made his way back to the shop with a multitude of things: a huge training dummy stuffed full of straw in his arms, a large broadsword that was much too big for him strapped to his back, a big grin on his face, and all of his carefully squirreled away silver spent. He was mindful to go around the back, to keep Master from seeing his purchases - he was sure Master was dead set against him being a master at swordfighting, constantly sabotaging his efforts into finding a good teacher, and bah to him! Mateo wasn't going to become a boring smith stuck to his forge, he was going to be great! His name was going to be world known! He was going to travel across all the continents and fight dragons and whatever else it was that heroes did, and if he had to fund his adventuring process with being an apprentice, then that was what he would do. Plus, it didn't hurt to gain some arm strength while he was at it. He was absolutely sure he was even growing some thick arm hair, even if the cinders from the forge burned some off every now and again.
He tucked the dummy and the broadsword away under some oil-slick cloth behind the well, and prayed to whichever god who'd listen that Master wouldn't find it. That done, he opened the back door of the forge, letting the heat of it wash over him as he mentally prepared himself to get back to work.