Chapter 112
Dinner was a very spicy chili with cheese sprinkled on the top served with a bit of sour cream. A crisp mini salad rounded out the meal. Jay picked out cranberry juice for his drink and got strange looks from his group mates.
“What? I like cranberries! Wait. These are cranberries right? Guys? Hey!” Jay asked as they all took a seat at a nearby table. His group grinned and ignored him to tease him, instead they ate their meals right away.
The chili was hot and delicious and the spiciness was the good kind – the kind of spicy heat that tastes like something instead of just burning almost painfully.
Jay gave up and began to eat as well. He took his group's teasing with good humor. The delicious meal certainly helped. Jay couldn't help but wish he had gotten more sour cream though as he finished his.
M'redith didn't miss a beat and spooned a dollop on to his dish. “Take mine. I don't use much.”
“Of course you don't.” Aiden said with a grin. M'redith might look like a slight woman but she acted like a brute of a tank sometimes and being able to eat spicy food without the help of sour cream seemed perfectly in character for her.
Jay grinned but wisely just said thank you.
Once everyone finished Aiden took up their trays and the rest of the group waited for his return quietly. Everyone was still a bit exhausted from their trip not to mention the day they had.
Aiden returned and everyone got up together and said good night. “Good luck with your date Aiden! Good night and enjoy your walk Norri.” Jay said happily.
Everyone left the hall and went their separate ways. Aiden headed for his room and Norri went towards the front gate to catch a cart. Or a carriage. She hadn't decided yet.
Jay and M'redith walked quietly to Jay's room where Jay picked up a small wooden chair that had come with the room and walked out with it. His door locked behind him.
“You look odd just walking around with a chair.” M'redith said with a grin from a few paces off to the side. She didn't want to walk too close with the way he was swinging the chair around, unintentionally.
“What else should I be carrying to make it look not odd?” Jay asked with a grin.
They took a quiet path through some trees and down a hill and ended up at the bath houses. Surprisingly enough there were people there being turned away by the people trying to work on the bath houses. There weren't many people trying to get in, a handful really.
Jay took his chair and set it up off to the side of the entrance to the bath houses. A person was calmly explaining to a student that there would be no baths tonight no matter what he tipped him in coin. The baths just weren't working right now. No amount of coin would change that.
Jay smiled and waved as M'redith stood off to the side and watched with a smile. She sat in the grass and leaned up against the wall that surrounded the bath houses. She stared up at a starry sky and listened to the others talk.
“Yes?” asked the man working the entryway. He looked confused as to why Jay had brought a chair and set it up next to him. “You can't set up there. What are you even doing?” the man asked.
“How would you like to not have to tell people to go away for a few hours?” Jay said with a grin.
----
Jay got it down to a system. The person would step up, Jay would explain what would happen, they'd stand still for thirty seconds and then Jay would wish them a good night.
Of course there was more to it then that. Jay would fill the thirty seconds with small talk, ask them their name, how their day had been, working on anything interesting lately, that kind of thing. You could fit a lot in to thirty seconds.
Surprisingly enough, people talked. They all did. Every single one was happy to talk about themselves once Jay got them started and by the time the thirty seconds had passed when Jay shook their hand good night they'd thank him like a friend and not a stranger.
Jay did not offer advice. He did not try to solve their problems. He did not offer up personal examples of when something similar had happened to him or a relative or friend of his. He just listened and empathized with them. It was awful the way the bank teller had treated him earlier! Of course their new project would turn out ok, they just had to work on it! You're right that should be looked in to!
Often the thirty seconds allotted for a person would expire but the person would stay longer to continue talking with Jay. M'redith would have to help move people along sometimes but she managed it effortlessly which impressed Jay quite a bit.
One of the first things Jay would have to tell people was that the service was free.
“If you want you may donate what you think it was worth but no more than what you can afford.” Jay would say to some. The well off took it as a challenge, the less well off took it as a blessing. To others he would say only that there was no charge. It was often obvious who had money and who didn't.
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During a lull M'redith and Jay sat quietly and listened to the workers work in the buildings behind them.
“Why are you doing this?” M'redith asked while leaning up against him, standing while he sat.
Jay shrugged his shoulders. “I don't know. I guess after feeling so isolated in the library I just wanted to be around people again. This is nice. And sometimes people give me money.”
M'redith grinned at that.
People would come in groups, sometimes with ten minute stretches in between, other times just long enough for Jay to stand up and stretch his legs.
M'redith would take any money offered. Individually it wasn't a lot but they made it up in volume. Many of those with money would use tipping as an opportunity to show off to their friends. Jay wasn't sure it worked for them but Jay and M'redith made out well in the deal.
Towards the end of the second hour they had made a good deal of coin and Jay was thinking about closing up shop when a familiar form approached them.
Jay stood up and offered his hand as he rubbed his head with the other hand. He could not remember the monk's name. The man looked older and walked slowly and with a cane. He wore simple monks robes and was a bit on the heavy side.
M'redith saved him, “Good evening Brother Orin! Its good to see you again! I'm surprised to see you at the Guild bath house though.”
Jay was about to blurt out 'what are you doing here' when M'redith had saved him again by asking the same thing just without sounding rude. It was a gift Jay had yet to develop.
“A monk can't simply want to be clean?” he asked innocently but finally relented and flashed a smile.
Jay decided that if he wanted to be clean then Jay would clean him. “No charge. You may feel a slight tingle. Do not move for thirty seconds. You will know when it's done.” Jay said and without another word turned his aura on.
“Whoa! I didn't really mean I needed a cleaning.. oh hey, that is rather nice..” Orin said as he felt a slight buzzing under his skin. It wasn't entirely unpleasant and had more surprised him than anything else. Dirt and grime that he hadn't even been aware was there rose up in to the air in tiny motes before disappearing altogether. His body and clothing gradually took on a cleaner more vibrant appearance.
“So how have things been?” Jay asked and Orin tilted his head to look over at him.
“Insane. Everyone wants to run our dungeon. I've done the math and it would take years to go through the backlog of applications we have right now. We get new applications every day from all over. It's been overwhelming.” Orin said as his eyes darted between M'redith and Jay.
M'redith had begun to look a little suspicious.
“How are you planning on fixing that?” Jay asked obliviously. “Looks like time is up.” he said as he turned the aura off.
Brother Orin brushed himself off unnecessarily and took in his spotless appearance. “This is amazing. You can do this all the time?”
Jay laughed and nodded, “All the time.”
Brother Orin muttered something under his breath about the Goddess and fairness before he shook his head and refocused. “I have an idea on how to fix that. It is rather simple really.” he said while smiling widely.
M'redith was now frowning and staring at Brother Orin. “Let me guess. You want us to run a dungeon. Again.”
“Well, no, sort of, I just need Jay. I suppose you all could go though. We'll have to talk with Walter first of course. It wouldn't be for some time as well so don't worry about that.” Brother Orin said in an offhanded manner that failed to fool either Jay or M'redith.
“You haven't even talked with him about this yet?” M'redith asked sounding surprised.
“Well, no. There would be no point if Jay wasn't interested.” Brother Orin said with a hopeful look directed towards Jay.
Jay looked thoughtful. It would be good to have the Church owe him a favor. Jay's group still had one last item to find before they could attempt the Dungeon of Rebirth. Perhaps the Church could help them find it?
“I'm interested. We'd have to get back to you about how the group feels.” Jay finally said as M'redith looked over at him.
Brother Orin grinned widely, “Excellent! I'll speak with Walter and we'll see what we can do. Thank you for the cleaning, that was wonderful. You two have a good night.” He shook their hands and then walked off in to the night, his purpose fulfilled.
A few more groups approached Jay after that. Almost everyone had been a student, and Jay would never remember anyone's names. He had begun to include that in his introduction as well.
“Hi, I'm Jay. I'll forget your name and I apologize for that in advance.” he would start with. M'redith found it strange but amusing.
After it had gotten late M'redith leaned over, “No need to get to our rooms and worry about cleansing flames at least. But I am getting tired.”
Jay sighed at the idea of no cleansing flames to worry about, “Thank the Goddess.”
It had been a quiet and relaxing night, exactly what the two had needed.
Jay walked her to her room and lugged his chair behind him as they walked. She laughed at the sight of him holding the chair when she turned to face him at the door to her rooms.
Jay gave her a warm hug and a quick kiss and said good night.
The door closed behind her and Jay returned the chair to his room. He stripped down to his underwear just because he was not in any danger and he could. He worried he'd have trouble going to sleep without M'redith there but fell asleep mid-worry so that didn't end up being an issue.
The room lights were still on but Jay was fast asleep and dreamed of running a dungeon for Brother Orin made out of clouds. He eventually lay down on a cloud mid-run in the dream and fell asleep in his dream as well.
Jay slept soundly in his bed, and in his dreams.