Chapter 38: Legends, ‘Tachelinda’, and Laughter

After my trip to the [Healer] Philly, my friends and I spent the rest of our evenings the following work week settling into our new—rent-free!—workshop. Kolin and Tess insisted on escorting us, the big adventurer wearing his sword, ‘just in case’. I didn’t begrudge it one iota. The first night, which was Two-day, giving me time to recover from the [Heal]ing, we took stock of the place. It was filthy; who knew a band of criminals weren’t clean freaks?

“Would you look at this crap?” Tess looked around the attic in disgust. There were crumbled boxes that had been used as furniture, used take-out cartons—some with rotting food debris still coating them—and what smelt like uncured hides used as bedding. Nasty.

“What I wouldn’t give for a box of cinch bags, huh?”

Tess and I shared a look, then burst out singing. “Hefty, hefty, hefty,” I sang in a deep voice.

“Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy,” Tess joined in a high falsetto.

We broke out laughing, ignoring the looks the others gave us. It was worth it. Old commercials lived on, finding a safe haven on the internet, shoulder to shoulder with cheesy sitcoms and pirated 80's hair metal. 'Turn it up to eleven!'; 'This is Spinal Tap!'

"Just pretend you didn’t hear them,” advised Kolin.

“Hey,” I complained, while Tess threw an empty carton at Kolin, one looking way too much like Chinese take-out. It just needed a red pagoda printed on the side and a pair of chopsticks jutting out the top.

“Whatever.” Tak was still out of sorts. Time for that talk.

I walked over to her and gently put my hand on her shoulder. She immediately shrugged it off and turned away.

“Hey!” My frustration came out sounding like anger. Great start, man. “Tak, come on. You have to talk to us. What is going on? You haven’t been the same since since the attack. Were you hurt?” I couldn’t think what else it could be. Did she take a head wound, too proud to let us know? Or, maybe, she was…no. It couldn’t be that, could it?

“I don’t have to do anything, Book!” Ouch, but at least she was showing some fire again.

“Do you want to talk…alone?”

Snort!

Double-ouch.

“OK, someone else? Tess, or Magali?”

“Why? Because Tess is a girl, like me?!”

Strike three. And I had mentioned Magali, too, so nyah-nyah. I was trying to deflect and knew it. The first part was true enough that I was disappointed in myself (should be, dumb-ass).

“We are your friends, Tak. Please, let us help if we can.” I was determined to get through, no matter how many wounds my psyche took over the course.

“Friends? We barely know each other.” From fire to ice, just a flick of the switch.

“How about me?” Magali was quietly insistent, having joined me. When he placed a hand on her in comfort, she didn’t shake it off right away. Oh, well.

“Just because our dads are fr-friends.” Some of the ice melted away in tears.

“It does not matter how it started, Tachelinda, the result is the same.”

I knew “Tak” had to be short for something else. It was too short and hard from what I understood of the Elven people.

By this time, the others had gathered around to show support. It was nice of Kolin and Tess, being they had only just met the redhead the day of the ambush. Paytin was the only one missing. Some things just bonded a group to one another, turning acquaintances into friends. Almost getting killed was a surefire way.

The show of force was too much for Tak—Tachelinda—and she broke down, falling into Magali’s waiting arms.

Now, why would I be jealous? Shallow, Book, just shallow, I berated myself. Not everything is about you (damn straight!). It wasn’t like I was the protagonist in some great (semi-good) story, that'd be ridiculous.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I knelt next to Tak, being sure not to touch her or invade her space too much. I just wanted her to know I was there. The two fighters intertwined their muscular arms, showing solidarity in their way.

“Tell us, please?” The scribe had waited until Tak seemed mostly cried out to make his plea.

“Nothing,” she whispered so low we almost couldn't hear her.

“Nothing?” Magali echoed. “What do you mean, Tak?”

I think I got it, understood what she was getting at. I didn’t know what to say, other than it could have easily been me. Jhok just hadn’t given me the chance; either fight or die.

“Nothing, Mothers’ Bark!” she cursed. “I did nothing! Just stood there like I was rooted, watching my friends get cut down.”

“Hey, it’s OK,” Tess said.

“No shame, Tak. Nobody knows how they will react the first time.” Supplied Kolin, giving his wisdom as a professional adventurer.

“You don’t get it. All my life I dreamed of being an adventurer, listening to the stories of my father, him talking about what he and his friends used to get up to. With your Master, Book!” She jabbed a finger at me, causing me to lose my balance and drop from a squat to sitting. “And your dad, Magali! And Tounsel, and the [Healer], Philly.”

What’s this? I remembered Tounsel was the Master [Alchemist] my own Master had sent me to for help with a potion, and Philly had just taken care of my battle wounds. My mind raced, searching for connections. That was a potion maker—priceless for adventuring, though doubtful in close combat—a [Healer]—obvious—, and I guess Alric could fill the role of magic user with his scrolls, but a non-magical Scribe and a [Tailor]? They would have to be the damage dealers if I knew my video game RPG’s. That didn’t sit right in my mind. Come to think of it, however, was Harms—Tak’s father—a [Tailor], or an [Enchanter]? I’d never met the man, so my [System] HUD had no way to place a tag on him. And Tak—I wasn’t ready to think of her as ‘Tachelinda’, yet, and I doubt she’d want me to—was tagged as an [Enchanter] for me, so that made sense. But, priceless like an [Alchemist] for loading out, how would that translate to physical battle?

I pulled myself out of the abyss of thought, paying attention to the present with a surge of willpower.

“They were legends, a tier-1 Team, and my legacy is to freeze my first time in action? It’s no wonder Father is always trying to dissuade me. ‘You are a talented [Enchanter], Tachelinda!’ ‘Adventuring is nothing but hardship, eighty percent waiting and discomfort, nineteen percent absolute terror, and one percent glory.’ ‘Think of your mother.’ ‘Be happy with what you have, little Tak.’ Aargh! So frustrating, but I guess he was right, after all.”

That was…a lot…to unpack. The ‘mother’ point hit me the hardest. Mine was taken away sooner than expected.

Our little group exchanged glances, not knowing how to respond to that. Magali was the first to speak, recovering from her tirade quicker than the rest of us.

“Tak, don’t beat yourself up. None of us have ever been in a real fight before—except Kolin, and maybe Tess—so we didn’t know how to react.”

“But you did Magali; react. All of you reacted on instinct. Not me.” The last two words had so much sadness lacing them, that I could hardly bear it. My heart was breaking for her, but I couldn’t let her see it on my usually expressive face. Instead, I plastered on a self-deprecating grin.

“Yeah, I reacted by acting like a squeezed tube of dough, doncha’ know!” It fell flat. Oops, no ready-to-bake croissants on this planet. I was out of my element. At least the head slap Tess gave me eked out the tiniest of grins. Glad I could help (be serious, for once). There it goes again, giving good advice.

'It’s how I cope!' I shot back at the voice in my head. 'What do I know of consoling a pretty girl?' Yeah, I didn't have much experience on that front in my previous life.

“You still got out of it, Book, with whatever you did! And you Magali, your first thought was to rush in and help him.” She just looked at Tess and Kolin, no words were necessary for their part in the fiasco.

“Yes, and I was immediately knocked on my butt with one hit. Paytin had to hold me up.” Magali dropped on his ass next to me on the floor, his mouth formed in a wide ‘O’.

Take relented just enough to let a giggle slip out. It was all the opening we needed.

“Book about peed his pants,” joked Tess, my expense be damned. I had thought my robes hid that little wet spot (guess not, ha!).

“My first fight, I almost ran my Team leader through his back. I tripped on my own scabbard, falling sword first!” Kolin was rewarded with a growing smirk.

“I had my first real fight in the nude! Not so easy with one arm across your breasts and the other hand covering your crotch, I tell you!”

“Sure, but what a sight!” I chimed in, riding Tess’s anecdote with no shame.

“You looked! How could you Book? I thought you were my friend, ha!”

Damn right, I looked! How could I not? But I didn’t say it. “Only when your big jock of a boyfriend wasn’t round, Tess.”

Tess put one finger to the corner of her mouth, Dr. Evil style. “Hmm, he was big…”

“I said ‘jock’ Tess! Jock.”

The others burst out laughing, including Tak. Kolin did look a touch rueful, however. Don’t go there, dude!

The [Enchant]ing, flame-haired elfess seemed to climb off the precipice she’d been tight-roping, finding firmer ground with her new friends.

We were so engrossed, laughing in good humor, that we didn’t hear the steps of someone climbing the outside stairs up to the attic until the last second.

Shit, not again!

“What are you lot cackling about?”

Oh, Bless her roots, it was only Paytin.

“It’s not about me, is it? I couldn’t get away from work any earlier, you guys.”

“No Paytin,” I said. “We were just telling Tak—excuse me, Tachelinda—,”

“Booook,” Tak’s low-throated growl put too many vowels in my name, making me quickly backtrack. Not the right place and time. Yet, he-he.

“Tak, about our first times,” I finished.

“Book!” Tess looked at me wide-eyed. "Why, I never," she fanned her face in mock horror.

“What? No, I didn’t mean…” Was that a blush, or was I getting a sunburn indoors?

The group let it roar, laughter echoing from the exposed rafters overhead.

“Ooh, wait! Are those dire beast pelts?”

I was saved by Paytin’s distraction. The parcheminier brushed past me, going straight to the smelly furs we’d all passed over as useless.

“These are for me, right? I can have them?”

“Yep.”

“Sure.”

“All you, girl.”

“Yes.”

“Whatever.”