Leaving Matthew’s house, I could hear the composed woman screaming through the closed door. Some things never change, even in another universe, and the verbal berating of a mother apparently was one of those things.

“I didn’t like the way you talked to me in there, Doc,” Amanda said.

“I’m sorry about that, Amanda. I should be more tactful when the next guy who has a crush on you threatens to kill me.”

“That’s uncalled for!” She was angrier than in every other fight we ever had before.

“No, it’s really not. I had a dagger pointed at me because you think you can talk your way out of anything. Even back home you taught this, and now the consequences are greater. You said you wanted me back leading our party, and this is me taking charge. You need to know when your tongue is best used, when your charm and charisma are necessary, and I give it to you. It was a good call on the guard back there.” I let out a heavy sigh. “Amanda, I’m sorry to burst out like that, but we can’t be creating chaos in every corner store that we enter from now on; it’s not make believe.”

“I know!” She said, speaking over me.

“Please, let me finish.” I looked deep into her eyes, and she nodded. “I may have been out of focus before, digesting all this bullshit of other worlds and magic being real, but I know my friends. I know you, Amanda. And this,” I pointed at the house we were leaving. “It’s not you. You are kind, considerate, you protect your friends. You may have magic powers that enhance your natural charm, but you need to be mindful of how to use them. I promise not to give you crap for charming people for information, just don’t go and change people’s careers to make yourself feel better, okay?” I was tired, and Amanda listened to all that I had to say with focused eyes.

“My turn? Good.” She didn’t give me the chance to answer. “You’re right, I may not like your tone, but you’re right and I’m sorry. But this…” She gestured, pointing from me to herself. “It’s a partnership, and we need to trust each other. It was when we were dating, and now it’s even bigger. Ghimli and Bea’s safety relies on us getting along. This outburst that you just had may be the right tough process, but your tone was uncalled for.”

“You’re mad, I get it, but we need to get along so our party can thrive. We’ll be on quests more often than relaxing, so we’ll be in close quarters all the time. Glad that you got this out of your chest, and I’m doing the same so when we enter the tavern again, we can be friends once again and not worry about our other friends. Got it?” I just nodded. “Great!” She opened a smile and launched an arm over my shoulder, dragging me along to the tavern. “That line when you put your neck on the line was badass, Doc!” She laughed it off. “Don’t do that again.”

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I smiled at the sudden shift in demeanor, understanding what she wanted. “Yeah, I don’t know what got into me, maybe Wee Wee…” She gave me a side eye with a grin on her face. “I heard it the moment the words left my mouth.” I let my head hang low, disappointed with myself for not seeing the trap that I laid for myself.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Doc. If you let Wee Wee enter, you must enjoy every moment.”

“Please don’t,” I pleaded.

“He may be a dick, but don’t be so hard on yourself. The ins and outs of life are enough.”

“Please,” I begged.

“Oh, come on, Doc. Just say fuck it and move on.”

“Yeah, yeah…” I looked back at Amanda, with a soft smile on my face. She smiled back, and we both let the tension ease. “Are the childish jokes over?” I asked, her face turning serious again.

“We’re not fighting again, are we?”

“Not at all, just need advice from my partner.”

“Weew. Okay, shoot.”

“We have these two jobs. What do you think is best?”

We made our way to the tavern, discussing the party’s next steps, trying to agree on which requests were the better fit for our party’s abilities and the need to fight bad guys that Amanda and Ghimli were experiencing. The tavern’s mood had shifted from when we left less than one hour ago, from the party atmosphere to one of verbal conflict and animosity.

“… You’re fucking insane! The Sequel trilogy is far worse than the prequels!” a voice yelled from one side.

“Oh, come on! Are you saying that Jar Jar Binks is better than the penguins?” a second voice came from the opposite side.

“From a CG standpoint…” a third voice from the first side chimed in.

I looked at Amanda; she was holding back laughter, and when she saw me doing the same, she couldn’t hold it anymore. We both started to laugh out loud. This was the most mundane debate we could ever expect in a tavern in a medieval land, hours after killing a small colony of goblins. It was refreshing in a way; the grim atmosphere of the day prior was completely gone, and the Star Wars debate was back on the table.

When you reunite a bunch of nerds in a room, fights about some fantasy property are bound to happen. I had my money on Lord of the Rings first, but not every nerd had read the books. Most of them had watched the movies, and all of them know of it. A Space Opera Sci-Fi… scratch that, The Space Opera Sci-Fi was high on the list, and the most volatile by far.

I saw the waitress who had hit on me the night before approaching with concern in her eyes. She looked at me, ignoring Amanda completely.

“You need to save me!” she pleaded.

“What’s going on?” Concern rising in me.

“Some guy wants me to wear some kind of armor that only covers my private area. He said he got some minor illusion spell and would be some creature called Jabba, the House. Please, you’re my only hope.”

I burst out laughing, my stomach hurting and tears forming in my eyes. Amanda laughed too and embraced the waitress. “Come here, honey. Show me this guy and I’ll show him a piece of my mind.” I felt sorry for the guy and prayed that it was Ghimli pulling a prank.