Chapter: 192 - You’ll Never Guess (Patreon)

Previous __________ ToC __________ Next

Tala stood back up atop the cargo wagon and composed herself as they passed through the gates of Marliweather.

-I do have some good news.-

Oh? Tala was interested in anything that could distract her, even though she knew that she really needed to focus.

-I think I have it worked out, so we can mimic the appearance of spell-lines on the illusion.-

Mimic?

-Yeah, I can show you how to fracture the illusion in such a way as to make it look like you have lines tattooed across your skin.-

Would they look metallic?

Alat hesitated, then sighed within Tala’s head. -Well, no.-

So, I would look like someone making a poor imitation of a Mage.

-It’s not perfect. I’ll grant you that.-

But it is a step in the right direction.

-Exactly.-

So, no actual solution yet.

-No, sorry.-

These things take time. Thank you for continuing to investigate.

Tala felt a wave of panic try to creep over her as she returned her attention to the issue at hand. Instead of succumbing to the feeling, she shook her head and smiled. We can do this. We’ll be fine.

She went through the motions of finalizing a caravan journey. She met with the pay-clerk, gave her report, and accepted her pay. She chose to take it in hard coin this time as the experience with the Alchemist was still fresh in her mind.

Some just want tangible currency. She received twelve gold for her role as the Dimensional Mage of the Caravan, and five for her role as Mage Protector. That’s fair; I really didn’t do much in that role except take watch most nights.

What came as a true surprise was the additional three gold that she received for facilitating the use of the Wainwrights wagon. Since this pay had been withheld on her trip to Makinaven and back to pay for the increased structure of the wagon, she’d forgotten that it was owed to her, generally.

What a nice surprise.

She bid goodnight to Rane and Mistress Odera, getting the name and location of the inn they’d be staying at. When they inquired about her, she shrugged and stated that she’d just find a wall somewhere when she needed to sleep.

Mistress Odera didn’t press but did insist on meeting Tala for breakfast at the older woman’s inn the next morning. Tala heartily agreed. Free food is free food.

It was still early afternoon, as the caravan had made good time. When she noted that, Tala took a moment to walk over to the head driver and thank her for taking such an expeditious route.

That done, Tala wandered a bit aimlessly.

What struck her first was the smell of the city.

It was subtle, and she couldn’t have described it properly in a thousand years, but there was an underlying scent in the air that just made her think of home.

It sparked all sorts of memories, coupled with the occasional familiar sight as she walked through the city.

She got a late lunch, -well, second lunch- only to realize as she sat down to eat that her family had come to this restaurant a few times before their finances had turned.

Tala walked through a park, remembering the times she and some school friends had wanted a different place to play than their neighborhood park and coerced their minders to bring them there.

The entire experience was surreal.

A surprising number of people noticed and asked to pet Terry. Apparently, arcanous pets weren’t as common in Marliweather as they were in Bandfast, which made some sense, given the stage of the city.

In any case, Terry eventually got sick of it, and Tala let him go sleep inside of Kit, while she continued to wander.

Shortly after Terry had retreated into the dimensional storage,  the worst happened. Well, not THE worst… Someone recognized her.

“Tala?”

Tala froze on the side of the street, her mind whipping back in time, trying to connect the voice to a specific person.

“Tala is that you?”

She turned, eyes searching out the young man speaking to her from just inside one of the nearby shops.

He was tall, though not as tall as Rane. He smiled brightly as he stepped out of a doorway and towards where she stood to one side of the street. “I apologize if I’m wrong, but you are a dead ringer for this girl I went to school with.”

-Answer him, Tala.-

“No, no, you aren’t wrong. I am Tala.” She shifted nervously.

His grin widened. “I knew it! You probably don’t remember me, but I’m-”

She cut across him, not wanting him to think she didn’t recognize him. “Viggo, yeah. I remember you.” Why do I care?

He hesitated, then. “Oh. Good.” He shrugged. “So. How are you? I haven’t seen you in years.” He frowned then. “Didn’t you get accepted to the Academy?”

What does he want with me? Why are we talking?

-Don’t be rude, Tala.-

Fine. “Umm. Yeah, yeah. I was. I graduated a few months back.”

“Hey! Congratulations.” He nodded appreciatively, the sentiment seeming quite genuine. “So, are you back?” He frowned slightly. “There’s some sort of apprenticeship for new graduates, right? Are you still in the midst of that?”

Tala shook her head, laughing a bit awkwardly. “Oh, no. I’m a full Mage these days.”

“Wow. That’s impressive, Tala.” Again, he hesitated. “Or Mistress Tala, right?”

She waved him away, feeling self-conscious at someone who’d known her as a child giving her the honorific. “Tala is fine.”

He paused for a moment. “Well, if you aren’t in a hurry, do you want to step inside? I can put on some tea.”

Tala looked at the store that he’d stepped out of. It was a simple clothing store. That’s right, he was going to be a tailor. “Sure, I think that might be nice.”

Anything to put off seeing my family…

-Not a great reason, Tala.-

As he led her inside, Tala took a moment to really examine the storefront. It was clean, well-kept, and nicely detailed. It even stood out from those on either side as being especially well-kept. It put forward the idea of a well-off shop that sold quality goods, and as she stepped inside, the impression was borne out.

“This is a lovely little place you have here, Viggo. Your folks were tailors, right? You apprenticed under them?”

“I did indeed.” He gave a little laugh. “Worst six years of my life, but worth it.”

A voice drifted from the back. “Dear, do we have a customer?”

“No, love! An old friend. You’ll never guess who.”

The sound of bustling came from behind a room divider as something was set aside, and a woman moved their way. “Is Javor back in for another tunic? We’ve told him that nice clothes aren’t the only thing you need to catch the eye of-” She stopped talking as she stepped around the sturdy screen. “Oh.”

Tala thought she recognized the woman, but it was hard to connect the young woman before her with any of the girls she’d known before.

“Is that…Tala?”

Viggo straightened a bit and put on a slightly self-important voice. “Mistress Tala.”

“Mistress?” She gasped. “That’s right! You went off to the Academy.” The woman looked a bit flustered, then gave a slight curtsy. “Welcome, Mistress.”

“None of that.” Tala waved her hands in a warding gesture, feeling increasingly awkward. “Ula, right?”

“That’s right.” Ula seemed to recover from her own awkwardness and smiled warmly, the slight lines on her young face showing it to be a common expression for her. “You remember me, then?”

“How could I forget? You used to give me parts of your lunch when I was hungry.”

There was an awkward pause there.

Tala cleared her throat. “Sorry. That’s obviously not the only thing I remember, but it’s what came to mind first.”

Ula shrugged a bit self-consciously. “It’s alright. How are you?”

Tala heard the rustle of cloth, and the murmur of a baby’s burble.

“Oh, excuse me, Aliza is due for a meal.”

Viggo interjected. “I invited her in for some tea. Shall I put the kettle on for all of us?”

Tala responded before Ula could. “I actually can make some, if you’re willing. I’d just need some cups.” She laughed awkwardly. “I’m not used to serving tea for others.”

He gave her a speculative look, then shrugged. “Certainly. Come on through to the back.”

Tala followed the pair, through the tailor’s shop and into a small, personal sitting room. A small kitchen was attached to the space further back.

The room held several comfy looking chairs with a low table centrally located between them.

“It isn’t much, but it’s home. The bedrooms are upstairs.”

Tala smiled, watching as Ula bent over a bassinet in the corner of the room. Viggo was in the kitchen grabbing cups.

-Don’t use incorporated water. They aren’t Mages; so, it could actually hurt them-

That’s right. Tala had almost forgotten. It took power to maintain the incorporated water as water inside yourself, if just a bit. For a Mage it wasn’t really relevant and might actually help increase their through-put over time, which was one reason that Tala used so much of it. But for a mundane? It would pull power from other things, maybe causing them to become sick, or at least more susceptible to illness.

Like overuse of ending-berries.

With her hosts distracted, she quickly pulled out her own teapot, tea, hot air incorporator, and the little stand that she’d worked up to facilitate making tea. “Viggo, could you bring some water, too? I didn’t think about that.”

He gave a small laugh. “Of course.”

They seem to smile and laugh a lot.

-They seem happy.-

Ula took a seat in one of the larger chairs around the low table, eyeing Tala’s items, but not commenting.

Viggo came over with a pitcher that he’d filled from their sink and three small mugs. He walked with a slight limp.

Tala accepted the water and poured it into her tea pot. “Are you alright, Viggo? It looks like you’re limping.”

Ula gave the man a pointed look. “I think he broke his toe.”

He waved her off. “It’s nothing, woman. I’m fine.” He said it with affection, but it was clear that they’d had the conversation before. “If it still hurts in a week, I’ll see a healer.”

Ula glanced towards Tala. “You aren’t a healer by chance, are you?”

“No, I’m sorry. If you don’t mind my asking, what happened?” Tala focused on the tools before her. Since she didn’t want to sit with her hand against the incorporator, she extended her aura and used that to power the item.

It was hugely inefficient, but it would work.

Viggo leaned forward. “Fascinating! So, that’s a magic item? The air it produces is quite warm.” He gave her a playful smile. “We’ll have a lower heating bill this month after this.”

Tala smiled in return. “I suppose so, yeah.”

Ula shifted aside her tunic and helped little Aliza latch. The baby seemed quite content, now that she was drinking.

Viggo cleared his throat. “It’s a bit embarrassing, actually. A guard was in, being fitted for a new uniform. He’d left his helmet on the floor, and I’d almost tripped over it a dozen times. So…” He cleared his throat. “I sort of kicked it out of the way.”

Ula chuckled. “You should have heard him yell. That’s when I knew he’d broken it. Scared the poor guard half to death.”

Viggo scrunched his face. “We’ll see.”

“Stubborn man.” But she was smiling as she said it.

Tala cleared her throat and changed the subject. “How old is Aliza?”

Ula shifted in her seat, seemingly working to get comfortable. “Four months, tomorrow.” It was a distracted answer, one that seemed to have been given numerous times.

“She’s your first?”

Viggo answered that. “She is. We were married less than a year before we found out she was on the way.” He leaned over and kissed the babe’s head. “First of many, we hope.”

“That’s nice.” Tala tried to put genuine feeling into the sentiment, but it still felt awkward.

A soft bell sounded from the shop, and Viggo shot her an apologetic look.

“Go, go. The tea will take a bit.”

He stood, nodding gratefully. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

He walked past Tala, and she heard him greet a customer and begin what seemed to be a regular interaction. What did the customer need, how could Viggo assist, what colors were they thinking, and the like.

Ula was mostly focused on the little one that she had to breast. So, Tala was left alone to her thoughts.

What am I doing, here?

-Being polite.-

With people that I haven’t seen in more than half a decade, and likely will never see again.

-Does that matter?-

I could have said “Hi,” exchanged pleasantries and been on my way.

-Then, why didn’t you?-

He seemed genuinely happy to see me…

-You do remember him fondly. Both of them, really.-

They were…friends? It felt odd that she was unsure. At the time, back in her childhood, the answer would have been obvious, but she hadn’t thought about them basically at all since she’d left.

-That is accurate, I think. Childhood friendships are an odd thing, really. If they last, they can be the deepest relationships a person has, but if they don’t, they often feel like nothing was really lost, except your childhood which was lost anyways.-

That’s depressing. Have you been reading random books again?

-I thought it prudent to do some research on the subject of childhood relationships before we came here.-

Tala grunted.

Ula looked up. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m ignoring you, aren’t I?”

Tala colored, though she knew that wouldn’t show through her paint and illusions. “Oh, no! I apologize for disturbing you. I just needed to clear my throat a bit.”

“Nonsense. I was being rude.” Ula smiled congenially. “So, what brings you to this area? Are you working in the city?”

“I’m based out of Bandfast, actually. I’m just in town with a caravan. I’ll be heading back in a few days.”

“Wow, caravan work?” She shook her head. “That’s a dangerous occupation, I hear.”

“It can be; I’ll grant you that.” Tala felt her face fall as she remembered the guards that she’d seen injured and killed. “It really can be.”

“But you like it?” Ula seemed to be attempting to shift the tone of the conversation.

“I do, and it pays well. It also lets me see various cities, too, which is nice.”

“It must be great to be able to see your family, too. Are they still in the Alchemy business?”

Tala did her best not to wince, but it obviously still showed.

“Oh. I’m so sorry, Mistress Tala.” Ula looked genuinely distraught. “Now that I think on it, I heard that there was some…oddity between you and your family before you left. I never really knew if it was true, or what it was about.” She gave a self-deprecating chuckle. “I try not to look into such things. They prove to be little more than gossip more often than not.”

Tala grimaced, then. “Well, this is a bit more than that.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” The poor woman looked around awkwardly, as if searching for something to move the conversation to.

“It’s alright. I actually chose Marliweather as the destination this time because I need to…talk with them.” Why am I telling her this?

“Well, that seems like quite the thing to have to do.” Ula seemed to be getting her feet back under her, conversationally speaking. “Do you think it will be a ‘water under the bridge’ situation, or do you expect a bit of a scuffle?” She giggled just a bit. “Not that they’d have much that they could do to a Mage.”

Tala hadn’t considered that. She’d continued to view them as her parents, her siblings, her family. But, she was returning a full Mage. A full Archon, not that that would mean much to them, aside from being something they wouldn’t believe. The dynamics between them would be utterly different. She answered with half a mind as she considered what that would really mean. “I think there will be at least some…discussions of the issue.”

“Well, I hope you work it out. There’s nothing like having family in your corner. I tell you, mine and Viggo’s folks, and our older siblings, help out so much, especially since little Aliza was born. We get to go on dates and leave the little dear in the care of family, and that’s the least of it.” She shook her head in wonder. “I tell you, I couldn’t imagine trying to have children without family around.”

Tala saw an opportunity to change the subject. “So, how many do you want?”

“Well, we each come from smaller families, each of us is only one of nine, would you believe it?”

Tala shrugged and smiled.

“Well, I tell you the truth, I think we want at least that many. Viggo makes good money, and we’re saving like crazy, so we can move to a bigger place after the third one comes along.”

Viggo came back into the room. “What lies are you telling our guest about me?”

That started a bit of banter between the married couple, and Tala turned her attention to the tea, finishing the preparation process and tucking the incorporator away.

She poured the tea into the provided mugs and passed them out.

They accepted gratefully, and Viggo lifted his. “To old friends.”

Ula and Tala echoed the sentiment and they all drank.

“Oh! This is delicious, Tala.” Viggo was inspecting his cup, as if it could tell him why.

“Thank you, I quite like it.” Tala returned a contented smile.

“Chamomile, right?” Ula likewise seemed overawed.

“That’s right. I picked some up when I was in Makinaven recently.”

Viggo paled, looking back to his cup. “Oh, Mistress Tala. This is too much.”

Tala frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Makinaven tea is widely considered the best humanity has to offer.”

Tala sighed heavily. “I know, right? I didn’t realize it while I was there, or I would have bought crates of the stuff to sell when I got back…” Oh… That’s what he’s saying.

Viggo glanced to his wife, then back to Tala. “Well, thank you. This is a rare treat.” He laughed a little nervously. “What I make in a day might not cover this one pot.”

Ula, who seemed to not have realized how expensive the tea was before, paled just as Viggo had. “Oh.” The single, soft word carried a lot of meaning.

Tala, with one careless action, had demonstrated just how much wealthier than they were that she was. Well, rust.

-Yeah, I didn’t consider that either…-

“I apologize. I didn’t mean anything by it. I just-”

Viggo waved her off. “No, no. Please, it’s fine.” He chuckled. “It’s more than fine; thank you. It was a kind thing for you to offer and to provide. I’ve seen it in the market on occasion, and I was always curious if it was worth the cost.” He lifted the mug to her with a slightly guilty smile. “I’d say it is without question.”

She almost said it was nothing, just something she picked up while traveling with her job, but thankfully, she realized that that would make things worse, not better.

There was a break in the conversation as Ula switched little Aliza from one breast to the other, and when conversation started up again, they talked about small things.

They reminisced about school days, and Tala asked after some of their old friends. Mostly, she did this because it felt like the right thing to do, rather than because she was genuinely curious. She’d left this portion of her life behind.

As it stood, seemingly basically everyone was married and either had kids or had them on the way.

Some of the pairings surprised her, but most seemed obvious with hindsight.

All told, she spent a little over an hour with the young family. She departed with warm farewells, the two expressing a desire to see her again soon. She thanked them for the invitation but didn’t promise either way.

She couldn’t say whether the whole experience was positive or negative in the moment, but she felt like it was good for her in the long run.

Now, I just need to face my own family. Strangely, she felt like she was better equipped for that meeting than she had been.

Previous __________ ToC __________ Next