As the two of them headed to ‘the inn,’ Xander told Valteria about his teammates.

“So, there’s Atrax, Gabrelle, Frazay, and Graffus – he's a dwarf, by the way. Just in case you were wondering. The other three are humans. Gosh, it sounds so weird to clarify that someone is human, I just realized. I’m still so used to that just being the default. Uh, anyways, where was I? Right, so Graffus is our frontline fighter, he uses a shield and a warhammer and he has a lot of abilities revolved around deflecting and reflecting attacks. He’s a congenial fellow, but he can be a bit quiet sometimes. He gives good advice, he’s usually the one that reigns Atrax or Frazay in from going to overboard on something. Atrax is a [Fire Mage], as well as a scholar. Very talkative, loves to share his philosophical views or talk about his studies into magic. He’d probably be interested in discussing fire cores with you, since you have knowledge about the base state of fire mana. He and Frazay quarrel a lot. It’s all good-natured play arguing, though. Honestly the way they bicker, I’m surprised they aren’t a couple, sometimes. Speaking of Frazay, she is our [Archer] and also a [Ranger] and a [Druid]. Finally, there’s Gabrelle. She’s our healer, though she’s also quite a formidable fighter in her own right, and the newest member of our team, though she’s technically been with the other three of them for even longer than I have been, now. I spent a long period of time unconscious after dying, you see,” Xander explained.

“I’d say that most people are not conscious after they die,” Valteria responded dryly.

Xander laughed at that. “That’s true, I guess the unnatural part is waking back up. It just took me two years to do it. I still don’t know why,” he said with a shrug. “Not sure I ever will.”

“But yeah, that’s the team. Plus Freyja, who you’ve met. We found her in a menagerie headed towards the capital of Dardin, and I ended up buying her just to get her out of the place. She was just so sad there, in that tiny little cage. Also, Hetra asked me to do it.”

Valteria turned to look at Xander as they continued walking. “Wait, the Hetra?”

“Mmhm!” Xander said nonchalantly. “Patron goddess of cats. There’s a lot of gods and goddesses, aren’t there? Does everything have a patron god? Anyway, god’s sometimes give [Godsmarked] quests, I guess if they happen to need a mortal agent? I assume it’s all [Godsmarked] and not just me. That would be a little scary. I should ask Charles next time we go to his tavern.”

“What’s it like?” Valteria said, sounding in awe.

“What’s what like?” Xander asked distractedly as he paused to determine which way he should turn at an intersection.

“Talking to a god, Xander! What else would I be referencing?”

“Sorry, I was just thinking of directions. Well, it’s certainly... an experience. They have a presence. No matter where it is, they fill up the entire place. Even if you can’t see anything, you know that something powerful is there. But each one feels different. Illato felt like when you walk into a giant, ancient, library, full of dust. Hetra felt lighter, like a breeze blowing through the woods. Yrrlim was the opposite. Heavy. Oppressive. Like there something standing just behind you and breathing down your neck, but you could never see it, no matter how fast you turned around.”

“You’ve met that many gods?” Valteria asked in shock.

“Is three a lot?” Xander asked.

“’Is three a lot?’” Valteria mimicked. “Of course it’s a lot! I’ve never met any and no one else has ever told me about talking to one, either! Not even Charles!”

“Oh.” Xander said, thoughtfully. “I guess you’re right... It’s not something I have any say over, though. They just kind of... appear when they need something done, if I happen to be in the right place at the right time.”

“Mmm. That still seems like a lot of responsibility. I’m not sure I’d want to have that happening to me.”

Xander shrugged indifferently. “They pay pretty well when you finish a task, so at least there’s that. I try not to think too hard about it. I think it would stress me out quite a bit more if I put more thought into it.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Valteria said with an understanding nod.

They weren’t far from the inn now, Xander realized. After only a few more minutes, the inn came into sight, and Xander pointed it out.

“The Ruby Chair,” Valteria read aloud as she saw the sign.

“Huh. So that’s what it’s called. Weird. None of the chairs are even red.”

Xander opened the door for Valteria. “After you,” he said, gesturing inside.

Valteria entered the inn, and Xander followed. He scanned the crowd inside, looking for any of his teammates. He spotted Gabrelle’s blonde hair first, before seeing the rest of the team all at a table, chatting and drinking.

“Looks like the whole gang’s here,” Xander commented to Valteria. “Ready to meet them all at once?”

Valteria looked around the new place shyly before steeling herself and saying, “Well, it’s too late to back out now. Looks like they’ve spotted us, anyways.” Xander noticed that Gabrelle had pointed him and Valteria out to the rest of the team.

“Let’s go say hi, then. And get you some food.”

Xander and Valteria made their way through the scattered tables to his expectant teammates. Standing awkwardly in front of the table, Xander said, “Uh, hi guys. This is Valteria,” he held out a hand to gesture towards Valteria. “Valteria, this is Frazay, Atrax, Graffus, and Gabrelle.” He pointed out each of his teammates as he named them.

“Hi!” Gabrelle said enthusiastically, with a wave at Valteria.

“Greetings,” Graffus politely said.

Frazay simply waved and smiled.

“Sooo, is this your girlfriend?” Atrax asked innocently.

Frazay lightly slapped Atrax on the shoulder.

“Valteria and I are dating,” Xander said, slowly. “I mean, it’s we’re still pretty fresh, but if she wants me to be her boyfriend then...”

His babbling was cut short by Valteria who simply said, “He’s my boyfriend, yes.”

If Xander could blush, he probably would have been right then. His embarrassment at nervously overtalking melted away as he heard Valteria’s words. He reached out and wrapped an arm around Valteria’s shoulders, giving her a squeeze. “And she’s my girlfriend.”

“Well congratulations to the both of you,” Graffus said sincerely. “You’ve got a good one,” he told Valteria.

“So you finally decided to introduce her to us, eh?” Frazay asked, finally speaking up.

“What do you mean ‘finally?’” Xander asked defensively. “This is, like, our second date!”

“Oooh, you weren’t lying about things being fresh, were you?” Atrax teased, as Xander grabbed two empty chairs for himself and Valteria so sit down at the table.

“Ignore him,” Gabrelle said to Valteria, shooting Atrax a glare. “He has no manners.”

Atrax mimed being shot by something and clutching the wound in agony, but fell silent.

Xander and Valteria sat down on the newly found chairs, surveying the now awkwardly silent group.

Gabrelle decided to break the lull in the conversation and include Valteria at the same time. “Sooo, Xander has mentioned you’re a [Tinker], right? So what kind of things do you make?”

Valteria looked anxious to be asked a direct question so soon, but managed to answer with, “Oh! Ah, all kinds of things. I’m fond of crossbows, but I also enjoy making clocks. All kinds of elemental core powered devices, too. A lot of it’s traveling gear or custom jobs for mercenaries – I’m close to the guild, you see, - so flameless cooking pots, water purification devices, the little things that make life easier on the road.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“How come you haven’t made us a water purification thingy, Xander? You’re an [Artificer], after all!” Frazay spoke up, lightly jabbing Xander with her words.

“Hey, I didn’t even know that was a thing until yesterday,” Xander replied. “And I think that I’ll need a lot more training before I could make one.”

“I’d be happy to give you the friends and family discount if you want to get one,” Vateria told the team.

“Ooh, Xander, you’ve finally become an asset to the team!” Gabrelle teased.

“So you make crossbows?” Frazay asked, with interest. “I’ve always liked the power behind crossbows, but I just can’t leave the bow behind, since I can fire so much faster than a crossbow.”

Valteria nodded. “That is one of the biggest downsides to a crossbow. I’ve been playing about with an idea for a repeating crossbow, actually. I’d be happy to let you test it out if I ever get one working!”

“That’s something I could get behind,” Frazay agreed.

The conversation between the six of them began to bloom in earnest. The mercs shared stories of their exploits and contracts, the fantastical beasts they’d seen. Valteria was sufficiently awed at stories such battles as they’d had with the bone giant, and the escape from Ilbek. For her part, Valteria relayed the few contracts she’d been on – her stories showed that she was a meticulous fighter when it came to a real fight, dismantling her elemental foes to reduce their danger as quickly as possible. She was also happy to explain in depth any device that came up in passing, excitedly breaking down the intricacies of how such things as a flameless cookpot worked when Graffus mentioned an interest in buying one. As the conversation wore on, food was ordered, and drinks began to flow more heavily. Xander took the opportunity of ordering the food for the team to also get himself his own room at the inn. Fortunately there was space on the same floor as the rest of the team. Soon they were all laughing and carrying on without the awkwardness that had been present at the beginning of their meeting with Valteria, the unsurety of what to say fading in the face of alcohol. Valteria herself was also a much braver conversationalist after several drinks, proving able to trade teasing remarks with Frazay and Atrax quite well. As Valteria found her social courage, Xander found her hand reaching for his, clasping it firmly. It was pleasant. Her hand was noticeable smaller than his, of course, but not so small that it would have been any different than holding hands with someone who was of a particularly dainty build.

Now thoroughly in their cups, minus Xander, who was happy to let his friends cut loose considering the lack of critical things that needed doing, everyone was having a good time. Xander was too, he just wasn’t drunk. Valteria was proving to be better at holding her drink than Atrax, who was drunkenly trying to explain how fire moved.

“No, no, it’s not just the fire that’s moving, it makes the things that are burning move, too!” He was saying excitedly to Frazay.

Frazay nodded sagely, saying, “People do tend to move when you set them on fire.”

Atrax’s chuckling was interrupted by a hiccup. “That’s… that’s not what I meant,” he slurred slightly, sounding defeated.

Xander smiled at his friend’s antics, and smiled even wider seeing how well they were treating Valteria. He’d always known they were welcoming and not quick to judge others for outward facing characteristics - except Graffus and insectoids, Xander wondered if the dwarf had a history with the race of insectoids – but he’d still been a little bit nervous that the introduction with Valteria would go poorly for some reason. They just accepted her as a small purple woman, slightly shorter than Graffus. Xander wondered if there were any shorter races than the pix. Was Valteria an average height for a pix? It felt rude to ask. Perhaps there were gnomes somewhere in this world.

“What do you think, Xander?” His thoughts of small gnomes in complex underground cities toiling away in the mines to build tiny clockwork machines was interrupted by hearing his name called. He realized that he’d spaced out and stopped paying attention to the conversation.

“Wha- uh… I wasn’t listening,” Xander admitted. “I spaced out for a minute there, what were we talking about?”

“Graffus was just saying that I should come along some time on a contract, since I fought well enough in the tournament,” Valteria said, drunkenly and sounding happy.

“Oh!” Xander said, surprised. “I think you’d make a great asset to the team, Valteria.” He paused, thinking. “But what about the shop?”

Valteria waved her hand nonchalantly. “Ahh, Jarrett can handle the shop just fine for as long as he needs to. It wouldn’t be the first time I took a vacation. Besides, the money I’d make on a contract would probably cover anything I could have made being in the shop and then some.”

“Mm,” Xander said. “Well I’d be happy to have you along, personally,” he said, giving Valteria’s hand a small squeeze. She squeezed back in return.

“’Course, when we go on contract next is basically an eternity away,” Gabrelle lamented.

“So what are you waiting for, exactly?” Valteria asked, her curiosity piqued. “Xander mentioned that you were all waiting on something, but he didn’t say what.”

“Drakes!” Frazay interjected excitedly. “We got our hands on some drake eggs – did Xander tell you about our drake contract? – and we’re trying to hatch them. I’m gonna keep one,” she said proudly, “and if we manage to hatch more than one then we’ll be selling them.”

“Goodness, I can’t say I’ve ever seen someone with a drake before,” Valteria said, impressed. “Then again, I suppose I’ve never seen someone with a giant cat before, either.”

“Awh, good, you’ve met Freyja already, then?” Gabrelle asked.

“Mmhm, Xander brought her to my shop and damn near gave me a heart attack.” Valteria said with a laugh.

“That’s about the reaction most people have when they first see her,” Gabrelle agreed. “But she’s such a sweet girl. All she wants is to get pet and take naps.”

“Except when she’s mauling people in a fight,” Atrax pointed out.

“She is formidable in a fight,” Gabrelle agreed.

“So she comes out on contracts as well?” Valteria asked.

“Of course!” Xander said. “I couldn’t just leave her behind, she’d never forgive me. I don’t make her fight, though. She chooses when and if she joins the fray. She’s been quite the help in plenty of battles. I also made her a suit of armor.”

“Mm, I see,” Valteria said with a nod.

“Since you’re interested in coming along with us sometime, I’ll make sure we check with you when we take our next contract,” Xander told her.

“Thanks!” Valteria replied with a smile. “I’d like that. I’ve never worked with a full team before on a contract. Just solo on the little ones.”

“Working with a team is good,” Graffus spoke up. “It helps you cover all your bases, gives you flexibility on how you approach the objective of a contract. It’s less lonely, too.”

“Have you done solo work before?” Xander asked his dwarven friend.

“Oh yes, far too much of it. One of the reasons I took up with these two,” he gestured at Atrax and Frazay, who were bickering about something inconsequential, “was that I was tired of traveling the road by myself. No one to talk to, no one to watch your back. It gets old quickly. Besides,” he said, some humor entering his voice, “I couldn’t leave these two without someone to stand in front of them! They’d have been demolished by their fifth contract without me!”

Xander nodded. “I always wondered if you three started at the same time or what.”

Graffus leaned in conspiratorially and whispered to Valteria and Xander, “Don’t let them hear, but they’ve been a team since the start. Came from the same village, been friends since childhood, not that they’d ever admit it.”

“What are you telling them, Graffus?” Frazay said, somehow sensing she was being talked about.

“Oh, nothing,” Graffus lied. “Just telling them how many times I’ve saved you from getting trampled by monsters and bandits.”

“Well I hope you’re telling them how often I’ve put an arrow in something that’s come up behind you!” Frazay retorted.

“Of course, of course I am,” Graffus said patronizingly to the drunken woman. Behind Xander, Graffus was the most sober of the party, a combination of being able to hold his liquor well and being a slower drinker. Xander wondered if the fantasy stereotype of dwarves being able to naturally resist the effect of alcohol was true here. Graffus certainly seemed to follow that rule of thumb. He’d never seen the dwarf get more than tipsy no matter how much he drank. Then again, being the party’s dedicated frontliner, he likely had a pretty high [Endurance] stat.

“Well, I’m glad you found them,” Gabrelle said. “And that you all then found me! I’m still grateful that you took me under your collective wing as a novice mercenary,” she gushed. “I can’t imagine what life would be like if I’d joined any other team.”

They talked for a few more hours, enjoying each other’s company as the night grew late. It was Graffus who ended the merrymaking, taking up the mantle of responsibility and reminding everyone that it was getting quite late, and the tavern was emptying out. Despite the groans and accusations of being a spoilsport by his drunken companions, everyone eventually acknowledged that Graffus was right. Last drinks were finished, and chairs were unsteadily pushed back under the table as people carefully stood up, balance being a struggle for a couple of them. Frazay was holding Atrax steady as he finally managed to get his chair in something approaching order. As the four mercenaries slowly vacated the table and carefully made their way up the stairs, Xander turned to Valteria.

“Walk you home?” He asked.

“Mmm I’d like that,” She replied, the words blending together a bit from all the drink.

Xander offered an arm to Valteria and the two of them exited the inn after paying off Valteria’s tab to the bartender, who was beginning to look quite tired themself. The two of them slowly walked in the direction of Valteria’s home, enjoying the cool, night air.

“I always like walking at night,” Xander commented. “It’s so much emptier and easier to get around.”

“I never like it,” Valteria responded. “It always felt lonely. Seeing light coming out of people’s homes, hearing a bit of conversation, it reminded me that there were families in there, and it was something I didn’t have,” she said, with a hint of sadness in her voice. Shaking it off, she added, “Also, I was always a little bit afraid of getting mugged. Not much I could really do about it without my suit, and that’s not exactly everyday wear.”

Xander gave Valteria’s hand a squeeze as she mentioned her lack of family on this side of the world. “Well, rest assured that I won’t let anyone mug you.”

“You’d better not!”

The two of them finished their nighttime journey, idly chatting about the antics of the night, laughing about things that had been said – or misspoken – at the table. Neither of them was in a hurry, so the journey to Valteria’s shop and home took longer than usual. Once they reached the door to the building, Valteria hesitated before opening it, turning around to face Xander.

“Would… you like to come in?” She asked, nervously.

“I’d love to,” Xander said with a smile.

Valteria unlocked the door and ushered Xander inside.