Chapter 59: Weather, Party Planning, and an Epiphany

  According to my friends, the ebbing winter season had been much milder than normal. No major snowfalls, only flurries and dustings, and no extreme drops in temperature. If I was still a Colorado boy—and I always will be at heart, no matter how far away (//A long time ago…//)—I wouldn’t have broken out the long pants more than a handful of times. Unlike a certain West Coast area that cries and throws on parkas at any temperature below 70 degrees, we hardier stock wore shorts on any day above 50 degrees. Only about six weeks remained before the start of spring, or the vernal equinox as the elves referred to it.

  //Wow, you’ve sunk as low as discussing the weather?//

  ‘Figured it was all you could handle. Oh, and leave the Star Wars jokes to me—I’m a professional.’

  //Would you like to talk about quantum mechanics? I can, you know. And you are not a ‘professional’ unless you earn money for something//

  ‘I won fifty bucks at a Star Wars trivia night, does that count?’

  //No. Next, you are going to say that your…ahem…attempt at a web novel makes you a real author//

  ‘No comment. And let me get back to my musings, would ya?’

  As I was ruminating—before being so rudely interrupted—the fair weather had given us a great opportunity for the renovations.

  //Hasn’t all the work been inside?//

  The back courtyard—outside—had been deep cleaned and set up as a proper training area, including weighted sandbags—thanks, Maldyn! We had a planned indoor training space for a good chunk of the third floor, but the workshops took precedence. And hey, you couldn’t see the third floor from the first anymore, so progress! As for those workshops, they’d been spaced out and mine partially set up, so we’d been able to let go of Miss Kessel’s attic space. She hadn’t been too upset at that, dare I say even pleased? We weren’t lucrative tenants, only Alric’s intervention got us the room in the first place. Ah, connections were everything.

  Oh-oh-oh! It bears special mention that my mannequin-legged was the centerpiece of my area, and Paytin had found me a mannequin-legged lamp to go with it, happy days. It wasn’t the ‘Christmas Story’ leg lamp—too bad—but a leg sandwiched between a wide base and a table that culminated in a plinth with a scroll holder and a glass globe. I had a theme going and wasn't about to stop as long as Paytin could find more precious art for me. And believe it or not, it was pretty cheap.

  //Oh, I believe it, yes-sir//

  Tak was fully moved in, and Tess and I were next. In fact, today was move-in day for us. Stormy had moved in a while ago, eliminating our rodent problem quicker than hiring ‘Vamanos Pest’, hold the blue. We’d been waiting for the Magali, who was turning out to be a top-notch engineer, to finish the plumbing. Tak had taken the inaugural run at the showers, spending an hour under the nozzle before proclaiming it was like “bathing in the warm, happy tears of the Mother.” So on that ringing endorsement, Tess and I finally gave up our little apartment. It was a sad parting, but it was time to move on.

  The only hiccup—and just for me—was the insistence on communal showers.

  //And here I thought that would be your favorite part//

  ‘Yeah, more like I would enjoy it a tad too much if you get my meaning.’

  //Gross, dude//

  ‘It’s only nature, girl. And since you are living in my head…get used to it.’

  //’Used to’ and not being grossed out aren’t mutually exclusive//

  ‘Just like my love and hate for you, Sia.’

  //All I hear is that you luuuv me//

  At least I’ll have a date for Valentine’s Day, am I right?

  //Just, NO//

  OK, rewinding and backing up, I had talked the group into two shower areas with a mutual wall and plumbing, but only one side was finished. I’ll have to time my showers carefully, but no too carefully, if you get my drift.

  //Perv//

  ‘Freeloader.’

  //I earn my keep//

  Point.

  “I’ve got the food for tomorrow.” That was Gaelia, our self-proclaimed cook. Tess and I were ecstatic that we didn't have to subsist on our personal talents in the kitchen. She came through the front door bearing an armful of ingredients, and I hastily stood from my seat.

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  “Is there more to carry?” I asked, ever the gentleman.

  “Yes, thanks Book. I have a cart outside.

  Oh, I’d kinda hoped what she had was all of it. But I had to ask.

  “And I got the booze!” Maldyn wormed his way around Gaelia, brushing past her with a couple of bags of his own.

  “Watch it!” You could tell that the two were family—of a sort—by the usually affable woman’s tone.

  “Sorry, but this is fragile cargo. I swiped some of the good stuff from Uncle’s liquor cabinet.”

  The two ‘cousins’ carried their loads to the newly finished kitchen, while I headed out to grab more groceries. Once done, I sent the auto-magicked—my word—cart back to the high-end market Gaelia liked to shop at. I’ve never been there, of course, but I sure liked the results of the cooking. It was looking like I was tethered to some individuals who were used to the good life. Paytin and I were the only two frugal people.

  Just like the bathroom, Magali had done an incredible job on the kitchen. Mr. W. had given his son time off to work on the place, and it had paid off far beyond any expectations. I’d helped, too.

  ‘Did that sound too whiny? Don’t answer.’

  //Nooo-no-no. No. You made an excellent gopher! And those tea and scone runs of yours, truly epic//

  So, tomorrow was the big open house. It would be Eight-day, so all of us could attend. Gaelia had the food covered, there was booze, Tak would be the congenial hostess—in her sales persona, obviously—Magali would show off his workmanship and my innovations, Paytin had the organization down, and Tess would look good.

  //Duuude, I’m gonna tell!//

  ‘Not like that…I mean, yes, but…no…’ I managed to stutter in my thoughts, impressive, huh? ‘It is just that she is a prime example of what we are going for in our co-op adventure. Cool, self-confident, and successful.’

  //You going to trot her out like a shiny object?//

  ‘Mother’s Bark, no! I…oh, never mind. I give up.’

  //How does it feel, being schooled by a disembodied voice in your head? And remember, I got these ideas from your mind//

  ‘Is there another way to say ‘betrayed by my own thoughts?’

  //Hoisted by your own petard?//

  These internal dialogs were becoming a staple of my new life. At least, thanks to Sia’s processing power and the speed of firing neurons the conversations were lightning quick.

  With the groceries tucked away, I headed back to the lounge area and slowly settled into my favorite second-hand recliner. Ahhh, comfy.

  “Book! Get off your ass, and let’s go get the last of our stuff from the apartment.”

  Crap. Tess has the best timing.

  We finished the last of the move-in, and since I was already out and about I decided to stop in at “Papers & Powers” to pick up my hand-me-down recipe book.

  “Book? You aren’t due back until One-day.” Master Alric was resting at his desk, taking in the last rays of the sun as they streamed through the large front window. He was looking a little peaked.

  “Yes Master, I wanted to stop by and pick up the recipe book, if that is OK?” After the majority of the week off, I was feeling an itch to get back to my work.

  “Sure, sure.” He waved a hand at me, brushing off his earlier command to not work on my proscribed downtime.

  “Are you OK, sir?” Was it time for his elixir? I thought he had another week before his next dose of whatever it was, but what if I was wrong? Oh, Mother, I still had his elixirs back at the townhouse!

  “Fine, Book. Just a little tired.”

  Tired my ass. “I have your potions at home, I can run and get them?”

  “No, it is too early for that. If I take it too soon, the cure becomes a poison.”

  Cure to what?! I was so frustrated, not knowing. Not being able to help my Master out more than I could.

  “Will you be able to come over to the house tomorrow? I can give you the potions then.”

  “No worries, son. I’ll be there, have no fear. Wordsworth and I will hire a carriage, though how you talked me into seeing the rest of those old bastards I’ll never know.”

  “Your good heart?” I said it with a smile.

  “Ha! You obviously haven’t been paying attention all these months, then.”

  I thought about that for a moment, adding those months up in my head. “It’s almost been a year, hasn’t it Master? Wow.”

  “Indeed it has, my young apprentice.”

  It was hard not to hear ‘padawan’.

  “And to think, I had to practically force you to take me on. Uh, Sir.”

  “Hmm, best decision I have made in a long time.” Really? Double wow! “A long time.” That last was more than a little wistful, maybe even recriminating.

  “Oh, surely not, Master.”

  “Don’t pander to me, boy.”

  Oops; too far.

  “Yes sir. But you will be there tomorrow? Think of it as a reunion, of sorts, all your old teammates together again for a good cause.”

  “You mean ganging up on Harms? Interfering between a father and his daughter? Dredging up old memories best left forgotten?”

  “That’s the spirit, Sir! Good times.”

  “Don’t make me take my words back,” he said, then broke into the biggest smile I’d ever seen on him.

  “Besides, the ‘Uncles’ will be there too. Well, I guess Tounsel was a Team member as well. And Ponce owns the building, so we had to invite him.”

  “And pitch your innovations?”

  “That’s righ’…how do you know that?” We hadn’t told anyone about that part, especially since it was walking right up to the line, if not crossing over it, of the prohibition against apprentices starting an actual business together. In our defense, none of us had fallen behind in our training. Apparently, I was ahead in mine, can you believe it?

  //Nope//

  ‘Couldn’t have done it without you, my dear.’

  //How sweet//

  Yeah, her words sounded nice, but the delivery was something else.

  Besides, Magali and Tak weren’t all that far from journeyman status, though I still had a good ways to go. And there was no prohibition against journeymen starting a business, even if the—strong—tradition was to buckle down and advance their Master’s work, not take a side trip, so to speak. I had faith we could do it all, and that has never been a recipe for failure, no it has not. Nope.

  It made me wonder how far Gaelia was along her path as an [Alchemist]. I guessed it was similar to the first two. Maldyn was not apprentice material, as he had proved time and time again—and had no job, but plenty of capital, so all good in the book of Book (//*Groan*//)—and Tak’s was on hold, at least until she could combine it with adventuring. So the only holdback would be…me?

  //And the epiphany strikes him dumb//

  ‘Huh?’

  //Exactly//

  “Now Book, you have known me long enough not to ask that.”

  It was a statement, not a question, not to mention that he was correct. I should have figured better.

  //So smart—albeit with my help—and yet so oblivious//

  I only chose to hear the first part.

  always work, right?