“I never understood the bravado people placed on their ability to hold their liquor, be it through natural talent or the application of a Skill. Personally, I find not having to bankrupt myself to achieve a pleasant buzz much more impressive.”

~Unknown

The reception - for even though it was not referred to as such, it served the same purpose - happened back at Elbura proper, making use of the same open patch of land reserved for markets and other festivals. Tradition dictated that Zetta and Lou remain at their home, for a time, to finalize their wedding-plant with the Gardener. I hadn’t been allowed to see it, but yesterday Zetta let it slip that Lou had invested in a Spell-Scripted vessel for the symbolic little sprout.

***

“What does that do?” I asked at the time with the bluntness afforded to me by my youth. Zetta had been all kinds of delighted since Lou’s arrival, so she was more than willing to answer. When she did, it was with a grin that bordered on cocky.

“It will be keyed to Lou and I,” she said confidently. “That will allow us to feed it our mana, and our love will be reflected in its growth.” I was by no means an expert on relationships, but something like that sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. Watching a plant wilt in real time to mirror a failing relationship would be tragic. I looked at Tina with a slightly-sideways tilt to my head; she gently shook her head in response to my silent question.

“Your father and I decided not to get one,” Tina replied, not seeming too concerned by the situation. “We still have our wedding plant, though. We transferred it to the garden. I wonder if you can guess which one it is…” she trailed off mischievously, knowing that my curiosity would suck me into the guessing game.

***

I smiled fondly at the memory. Tina was growing wily in her efforts to make sure I still engaged in sufficient ‘child-appropriate’ activities. Frankly, I was still a little bit childish. Most people are, in their own way, I think, so I was content to indulge her from time to time.

Barrels of alcohol were rolled out of the storage cellars while large tables laden with food were set up in neat rows. It wasn’t the most extravagant set up, but it was ours. While waiting for the newlyweds, it was our responsibility to kick off the festivities. People drank, they dined, they caught up with friends whose work schedules usually kept them too busy to socialize.

It wasn’t long before people unveiled, or ran to fetch, their instruments; some of the locals were even Skilled. Percussion, winds, strings; they were all there. The shapes varied slightly, and the names were different, but if something looks and sounds like a pan flute then I figured I may as well call it as such.

I stuck close to Tina and Tulos. It was the sensible thing to do until the guests of honor arrived, but I was excited to be able to wander the party myself as the day progressed. I watched smugly as a woman carried her infant with her into the town hall, where a snug little babysitting room awaited. I suppressed a shiver.

Thank all the fucks that those days are over.

Surrounded by mouth watering smells, good people, and a jaunty tune it was easy to get lost in the atmosphere. Instead of mulling over recollections of my infancy, I decided to do just that.

***

There was no particular fanfare to the newlywed’s arrival, they just joined in the party and as word-of-mouth spread, people made sure to take time to wander over to offer a more personal congratulations.

Come on dude, you got this. Fourth time’s the charm. My silent commentary concerned Nochos, one of Elbura’s younger bachelors, as he bravely stumbled towards another daintily dressed woman from out of town.

I first caught sight of Nochos, who swayed as he walked, as we were waiting for our turn to speak to Zetta and Lou. One might think the sway was inspired by excess alcohol consumption, but while it had certainly exacerbated the situation, it wasn’t too far away from his usual gait. It was like someone told him to move ‘hip first’ and he - quite literally - ran with it.

I could understand that, without the necessary context, seeing a red-cheeked Nochos approaching might come across as a smidge confronting. He was turned down a lot. Regardless, I found his perseverance in the face of adversity to be endearing, so I kept an eye on him as the party progressed.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

I wonder if my Skill helps me spot the trait in other people. It was something to consider in the future, though I wasn’t yet sure to what end.

After a brief break to regain his composure and subsequently drown it in a fresh mug of liquid courage, he approached another woman only for the cycle to repeat itself. Lou didn’t bring that many guests, and I was pretty sure he was almost out of options. Sure enough, with a polite shake of her head, another woman rejected his advances. Watching him slink away, I got the impression it’d be a while before he tried again.

A tale as old as time.

***

“Where are we going?” Bella asked, raising her voice slightly to be heard over the crowd as we pushed our way through. Once she was given some freedom to roam around, albeit with strict instructions not to wander far, Bella had sought me out with the uncanny accuracy of a bloodhound. Her arrival seemed to signal something to Tulos and Tina, so the same permissions were granted to me and we were given free rein of the town.

Notably, at least for me, was the continued absence of Jusep and his family. I obviously lacked a complete view of the situation, but from my perspective they were isolating themselves which wouldn’t end well for anyone. My patience was wearing thin, and I found myself increasingly tempted to intervene on that kid’s behalf, consequences be damned. That was a problem for another day, however. Today was Zetta’s day and I was determined to behave myself.

Besides, there was one place I had been itching to visit for hours.

“To check on Fudge and Vigil,” I replied honestly, much to Bella’s giggly excitement. Getting permission for Vigil and Fudge to be given some space just outside town for the celebration had required informing Hwan of my Advancement and subsequent Skill choices. The older man didn’t seem particularly shocked by the revelation and reassured us that he’d continue to skirt the edges of his responsibilities regarding me as much as possible.

Fudge and I were getting better at being apart, a testimony to our efforts to exercise the Tamer Bond. Still, I suspected that, without Vigil’s presence to calm him down, Fudge would have started gallivanting through the wedding guests to search for me hours ago.

A rudimentary pen, of sorts, had been set up for the occasion on the outskirts of the village square. As we grew closer, I shifted my perception inwards. I felt my mana stir as I willed my thought’s down the Tamer Bond.

Almost there, boy. The words were largely for my benefit, a vessel for the sentiment I wanted to convey. I knew that, by the time my mana reached Fudge, it would be a vague impression of intent, at best. My Taming Skill wasn’t Advanced enough to manage much else, but the practice was important.

An excited bark from up ahead let me know that my efforts had been successful, and I similarly felt a muted sense of excitement coming from Fudge’s end of the Tamer Bond. With a laugh, I broke out into a jog to cross the final distance.

“Wait for me!” Bella called out after me as she scrambled into a run of her own.

***

“Did you get to meet the big, strong, Slayers, Will?” I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes at the complete lack of subtlety on display.

In all fairness, it would probably be sufficient for the average 5-year-old, I thought dryly. The question came from a middle-aged woman whom I hadn’t yet been formally introduced to, so her name escaped me. Her hair was pinned into a bun with what looked like a pair of wooden knitting needles, so I could only presume she worked with the wool produced by Elburan sheep.

Almost immediately after Bella and I rejoined the party proper, we were set upon, as if my interrogator were laying in ambush. Much like a predator, she swiftly tore into the throat of my post-Fudge good mood, leaving it to spasm in its metaphorical death throes while she pumped me for gossip; rumors were, as ever, a hot commodity.

I played the oblivious child, evading serious questions by giving innocently ignorant answers. It mattered not if the performance was believable, just so long as-

Mabel! I knew I’d heard her mentioned in passing before. Hopefully, Mabel would believe I lacked any useful information or was savvy enough to keep my mouth shut. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before her patience had worn thin and she made an excuse to move on.

Before I could feel too proud of myself, I caught Bella frowning at me. She’d remained helpfully quiet while I spoke to Mabel, which should have been my first clue something was amiss.

“Will, you should tell the truth more. I hate it when people lie.” She turned and stormed off, stomping in a way that was almost comical.

Yeah… that’s going to be a problem sooner rather than later, I reflected. Her scrutiny was growing increasingly coherent. Bella’s Core Skill was evidently close to Advancing, a remarkable feat given her age.

And the fact that she’s an actual child. In hindsight, it made some sense. All social interaction, be it through speech, body language, or something else entirely would be a gauntlet for someone with her Skill.

It was yet another problem to add to my ever-growing pile, but it could wait for another day.

I might go see if I can find Zetta again. She would be leaving Elbura, soon enough, so I wanted to make the most of the time we had left.