Urberer meets the bright day on the other side of the door. He places his back to the front of the door and walks back until the door closes securely behind him, leaving only the barest of a sound as it latches in place. He glances over his shoulder once at the door and then back forward.
In front of his eyes is a what some would consider a small plaza. The border of this rectangular space is filled with buildings that all once used to be some sort of industry. These buildings are stout and built to last; with a few of them still serving their original function. Worn pathways to lead to all these buildings, speaking to a bygone era of production.
Most buildings have been converted to multi-family residential properties. Their windows framed by planter boxes, and protected from the outside by old, yet still very functional glass. Worn banners in various pastels crisscross above well-wrought wood and iron benches. These benches saw all manner of people resting on them, and kids running around them and sneaking under them. These things were before Urberer, but he did not see them.
ˆWhat am I even doing here? He thinks to himself and lets out a sigh. He then jingles off the bag of coins he was given and places it into his robe. His eyes focus on the distant skies. What would I gain by building a home here? Not sure. I’m not sure what I could get by that. Not sure how that would benefit anyone really.
Urberer pushes off the door with his palms and takes some steps forward. The door behind him vibrates momentarily as his touch retracts; magical seals and locks reactivating. Moving forward his eyes focus on a bench; moving in that direction he is bumped into by two kids; a boy with auburn hair around age and a girl with the same color, around the ages of five and six. The kids hit solidly but barely caused Urberer to move. Instead, they bounce off with a such intensity that they hit the ground and slide.
Urberer, unphased except for dust marks from the kids running into, now making his off-white cloak look a little dirtier, gives a warm smile followed up by a laugh.
“Well what do we have here?” Urberer says, lowering his height by taking a kneeling position; his smile warm. “You guys aren’t hurt are you.” He looks them over.
The little girl pops up once she came to a stop. She’s a little dirty from sliding on the ground but all smiles. She scrambles to her feet. She gets up immediately and tags the boy. “You’re it.”
" No fair! "The boy explains his voice rising in high pitch. He sits up and Crosses his arms; looking all of six going on eighty.
Hmmm. Someone’s not happy I see.
“Is too Fair! "the little girl responds. She crosses her arms over her chest in clear protest of all the little boy's words. “I tagged you fair and square.”
"Nah ah. you only catch up to me because you're bigger. no fair at all. end "
—----
“Well, we have a problem here don’t we?” Urberer says. The little girl's eyes shift to him as she stands at his side. He simply reassures her on the head.”
“Un huh! Tell her she’s in trouble!” The boy exclaims.
“But I didn’t do anything!”
“Cheatah!”
“I’m not a cheater!”
Urberer sensing the situation getting out of control claps his hands once loudly in front of himself. The sudden noise draws the eyes of the kids towards him. “No one’s in trouble. No one’s a cheater.”
“See, I told you”
“She is too-”
“No, no.” Urberer says, speaking over them before the conversation devolves again; if you could even call it a conversation amongst two young kids. “The problem is that you just need to know how to play the game differently, so that you both have fun. And I’m going to show you how”.
Urberer stands to his full height, around five foot nine inches; not very tall for a human, and especially in comparison to other races like elves or even the bulking orcs; but still tall enough to tower of a few children. Further, it seems as if he stepped up into his own presence.
He looks at the boy and then back at the girl, and then at the boy.
“She's taller than me isn’t she?” He asks him.”
“What?” The boy says “No she’s not!”
“How about now?” Urberer knees again.
“Umm, you’re still taller!”
“Ok.” Urberer then stands to his full height. ARe my legs longer than hers? He stands on one leg and points the other one out, indicating for the girl to do the same. She does, starting to giggle.”
“Your leg is waaay longer,” The boy giggles.
“Are you sure?” Urberer asks the boy again.
“YEah!”
“What do you think?” He asks the girl.
“YEah, your leg is a lot longer.”
“Ok, good. Good. Alright, you can put your leg down.” He now looks between the two “So I’m taller, with longer legs. That means I should be able to win in a game of tag, right? I mean she can’t beat me right?”
“No she couldn't ever beat you, mister! YOu’re way too big!”
“Are you sure?”
“Uh huh”
The girl begins to frown but Urberer just pets her on the head. Ok. We’re going to play a quick game of tag. But first. He bends at the waist and whispers a couple of things to the girl. The boy “Well, we have a problem here don’t we?” Urberer says. The little girl's
eyes shift to him as she stands at his side. He simply reassures her
on the head.”
“Un huh! Tell her she’s in trouble!” The boy exclaims.
“But I didn’t do anything!”
“Cheatah!”
“I’m not a cheater!”
Urberer sensing the situation getting out of control claps his hands once
loudly in front of himself. The sudden noise draws the eyes of the
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kids towards him. “No one’s in trouble. No one’s a cheater.”
“See, I told you”
“She is too-”
“No, no.” Urberer says, speaking over them before the conversation
devolves again; if you could even call it a conversation amongst two
young kids. “The problem is that you just need to know how to play the
game differently, so that you both have fun. And I’m going to show you
how”.
Urberer stands to his full height, around five foot nine inches; not very
tall for a human, and especially in comparison to other races like
elves or even the bulking orcs; but still tall enough to tower of a
few children. Further, it seems as if he stepped up into his own
presence.
He looks at the boy and then back at the girl, and then at the boy.
“She's taller than me isn’t she?” He asks him.”
“What?” The boy says “No she’s not!”
“How about now?” Urberer knees again.
“Umm, you’re still taller!”
“Ok.” Urberer then stands to his full height. ARe my legs longer than
hers? He stands on one leg and points the other one out, indicating
for the girl to do the same. She does, starting to giggle.”
“Your leg is waaay longer,” The boy giggles.
“Are you sure?” Urberer asks the boy again.
“YEah!”
“What do you think?” He asks the girl.
“YEah, your leg is a lot longer.”
“Ok, good. Good. Alright, you can put your leg down.” He now looks
between the two “So I’m taller, with longer legs. That means I should
be able to win in a game of tag, right? I mean she can’t beat me
right?”
“No she couldn't ever beat you, mister! YOu’re way too big!”
“Are you sure?”
“Uh huh”
The girl begins to frown but Urberer just pets her on the head. Ok. We’re
going to play a quick game of tag. But first. He bends at the waist
and whispers a couple of things to the girl. The boy at this time gets
onto his knees and tries to crawl over, but can’t before they're done
whispering.
Urberer speaks back in his normal tone “Can you do that for me?” The girl
giggles loudly and agrees.
“Ok, little guy. She and I are going to play a game of catch. I want
you to watch this. Are you watching?”
The little boy crosses his legs and sits up. “I'm watching!”
“Good, good.”
“Are you ready, little one?” He says to the girl.
“Yeah!” The girl responds, leaning far away from him, about to bolt.
“Our game of tag starts on three. Count with me”
“One,” the kids repeat after him.
“Two” Urberer says. THe boy begins to rock back and forth in anticipation.
The little girl takes a few false stutter steps, missing the count
momentarily.
Urberer then draws out the last word for dramatic effect “T - H - R - E
-E! GO”
The girl bolts and Urberer only waits a few moments before taking off. THe
girls starts in a straight run. Urberer yells out behind her “Don’t forget
what I told you”.
ANd suddenly, she changed direction to a 45 degree angle. Then another
in a different direction, just keeping her out of Urberers reach. She
laughs the whole time. EVen a few adults walking by made a few
comments about how well she was doing.
Urberer now made larger dramatic moves as if he was about to catch her.
And at the last moment the girl dips under one of the tables in the
square, out of his reach. Playing along with it, Urberer tries to reach
under the table. Each attempt at a tag is met by giggles as the girl
evades.
“Wow, you did a great job! I think she won, what do you think?” He
asks the boy who has already gotten up and runs to their direction and
immediately, of course, puts himself under the table too. “Did she
win!”
“Yeah!”
“But …. I thought she couldn’t because I was taller.”
“YEah, but sissy moved real silly like AND went under the table.”
“And I’m fast.” The girl says.
Urberer sits crossed legged on the ground so that he can see both kids.
“That you are. You won. Now you two come here.” He pats the ground
next to him.
gets onto his knees and tries to crawl over, but can’t before they're done whispering.
Urberer speaks back in his normal tone “Can you do that for me?” The girl giggles loudly and agrees.
“Ok little guy. Her and I are going to play a game of catch. I want you to watch this. Are you watching?”
The little boy crosses his legs and sits up. “I'm watching!”
“Good, good.”
“Are you ready, little one?” He says to the girl.
“Yeah!” The girl responds, leaning far away from him, about to bolt.
“Our game of tag starts on three. Count with me”
“One,” the kids repeat after him.
“Two” Urberer says. THe boy begins to rock back and forth in anticipation. The little girl takes a few false stutter steps, missing the count momentarily.
Urberer then draws out the last word for dramatic effect “T - H - R - E -E! GO”
The girl bolts and Urberer only waits a few moments before taking off. THe girls starts in a straight run. Urberer yells out behind her “Don’t forget what I told you”.
ANd suddenly, she changed direction to a 45 degree angle. Then another in a different direction, just keeping her out of Urberers reach. She laughs the whole time. EVen a few adults walking by made a few comments about how well she was doing.
Urberer now made larger dramatic moves as if he was about to catch her. And at the last moment the girl dips under one of the tables in the square, out of his reach. Playing along with it, Urberer tries to reach under the table. Each attempt at a tag is met by giggles as the girl evades.
“Wow, you did a great job! I think she won, what do you think?” He asks the boy who has already gotten up and runs to their direction and immediately, of course, puts himself under the table too. “Did she win!”
“Yeah!”
“But …. I thought she couldn’t because I was taller.”
“Yeah, but sissy moved real silly like AND went under the table.”
“And I’m fast.” The girl says.
Urberer sits crossed-legged on the ground so that he can see both kids. “That you are. You won. Now you two come here.” He pats the ground next to him.
The kids crawl out from under the table, after a little more playing around, and then sit down.
“Eyes, let me see your eyes.” He points at his two eyes with his fingers and then points those fingers at the kids. “This is important”.
The kids look at him. Urberer then holds onto his ears, tugging on them. The kids imitate him naturally. “Good, good, now I got both your eyes and ears.”
Urberer takes a brief moment; considering how to distill his lesson to these two young eager children. He starts “Just because someone is bigger than you doesn’t mean you can’t win. You can. But, you have to use this,” he taps his head. “Just because you don’t have what someone else has doesn’t mean you can’t play the game. You just have to find a way to play it differently.”
“Play differently” they both repeat.
“Yup. Play differently; never give up.”
“Never give up,” the little boy says.”
“And one other thing!”
The little boy repeats what Urberer says. Urberer just smiles.
“And the other thing is that you two are family. -” he pauses, his eyes going into the distance, distracted by his thoughts. He ends his statement with a little less vigor than he had before. “Um. Family. A family looks after each other, even if we’re mad. Always keep your family together.” Urberer seems to struggle with the statement. Takes a deep breath and tries again.
He presents one hand in front of them. The hands are not huge but thickened from use with aged calluses on his inner palm. He splayed his fingers out and wrinkled them.
“Each finger is like a member of the family. But see how easily you can move them. Go ahead. Try to move my fingers.” The kids are able to move his fingers back and forth, sometimes bending them in what clearly would be an uncomfortable way, but Urberer doesn’t stop them.
“Now watch what happens when they all come together” Urberer curls his fingers in, turning his hand now in a clenched fist. “Go ahead, try to move them.”
The kids try to pull on his fingers but they don’t budge.
“Solid” Urberer says, and lets his hand hit the ground. “And not easily hurt. Let me see you make fist.”
Both kids go about making fist. He engulfs each fist in one of his hands, testing their strength.
“Solid, solid fist. Good job. So what do we young men do?”
“Make our family like a fist”
“Sure, good, good.”
“And what else do we do young lady?”
“Play the game differently”
“Correct. Did you hear that young man?”
The little boy looks up from his fist, so surprised at how strong it was. “Uh.”
Giving the boy a lead in” We play the game”
“We play it differently! And we don’t get up. Um Give up. We don’t give up”
“Good job. He pats both of them on the head.”
“Stand up”
The kids jump up.
“And now…” he says the next few words loud and dramatically. “One last game of tag! I’m coming to get you!”
The kids' eyes grow large and then they run. Urberer pops up. He chases them as they run in the same direction and the boy is slower. The girl stops though letting Urberer get closer and then she zags out of the way, buying her brother more time to escape. Urberer glances over his shoulder at the boy as he continues to run off and chases after the girl, who dodges under a table. Urberer circles it, keeping the charade going until the boy tries to get Urberer attention.
Urberer chases after the boy. The girl gets from under the table and attempts the same tactic. Both teasing and taunting Urberer, but never letting him put his focus on either of them.
He gives a single, brief, knowing smile.
Teamwork. Good.
“Ok kids! I got to go help some people. YOu two win; this time! Now come over here and let me see those fist of yours”.
The kids are hesitant at first, clearly not trusting that the game is done. But after some further encouragement, they come close and hold out their fist. Urberer makes a fist and bumps both of theirs.
“So strong together! You have fun today and be good. He then waves”. The kids nab a few more fist bumps before running off into a group of other children that had shown up in the plaza.
He watches the kids have fun and smiles. But the light in his eyes seems to fade. He looks down, the smile lines disappearing and his stature seeming to shrink.
He gathered his things. Took out a small canteen from in between his robes, and took a swig from the harsh-smelling liquid.
He glances once more at the kids and then turns away.
Not everyone deserves a family. He thinks to himself.
He walks off towards midtown.