Dragon (S)Layers Ch. 29

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Volume 4 Chapter 5.
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Volume 4: Dereliction of Duty

Chapter V: Intersections

The Little Kettle inn smelled bad. If rancid meat, dung, sweat and the body odor could have been combined, the result probably would have been a color. Tessarie liked colors, even if her family never understood them as she did. It was a pure form of expression, like dance, that you didn't need to be able to wrap your mind around to fully appreciate.

You didn't break down color into components and judge them for their merit that way but they could stand for many different things. Yes, if this place was a color, it would have been a muddy brown. Maybe flecked with black and yellow. The only sprig of color in this place being the pink mask on the far wall beside the dartboard. It looked like something from the northerner lands, a spirit mask of some sort.

It was out of place among the hustle and bustle of caravan crews going to visit whores, loading up on terrible beer and ordering their revolting meat meals. The very idea made her nauseous. The 'beef' stew at the Crimson Desire was bad, but it was almost exclusively broth. Here the stink was everywhere.

And then there was the kobold sitting beside her. Sarah had called him Keiter, but he was a monster to Tessarie and almost any civilized race on the planet. Here she was sitting next to one!

They were both draped in heavy robes, sheltered among the shadows of a corner booth it- he- had chosen. They sipped from the pitcher of beer that sat in the middle of the table, but neither of them spoke, feigning interest in the cheap wooden mugs that occupied their hands. Sarah would have had them talking whether their liked it or not- she had that power. But Tessarie was too focused on avoiding the gaze of casual passers by. All it would take would be the wrong person looking at the right time to destroy her chance of escape.

She scrubbed her face, muttering into her palms. What had she been dragged into? "Gods above."

The kobold clucked its tongue softly, emitting a couple of brief clicks. "You doubt." It said in a soft voice.

Tessarie kept her mouth shut but stole a quick glance at the reptilian creature around her hand. It was looking at her. What was she supposed to say? Did it even really understand words or concepts?

"When I was young. Very, very young." It took a sip, glanced away. Almost as if it was trying to cough, it opened its mouth and huffed a hiss. "She found me in a cave. Bodies of my tribe everywhere, most of my muzzle was missing." Another sip. It looked down with its mouth hanging open as if that would let the taste fall from its tongue. "Attacked. By people. I'm sure they thought they were doing good, but I was the only survivor." It looked up at Tessarie.

For a moment she thought she could see anger in its eyes, but in the next it was gone. Only that alien expression remained. It pushed the ale aside and tucked its arms up into the robe as if seeking protection. "She had to chase me down. I clawed at her and bit her. . . I thought she was one of the villagers. But she took me with her, took me to a place to heal and rest. . . Lied to the village about me before-" He chuckled a dry, empty sound that had no mirth in it. "She sold them mining equipment, you see? Several machines that would empty the cave out. Then she made them break once she learned what had happened." Once finished, the kobold took a deep breath and looked to Tessarie once more. In those eyes she saw sadness, something she didn't think a lizard possible of expressing. He showed his teeth briefly. Was he smiling? "She is many things. . . .many, many things. But she will see that things work out as she thinks they should."

Tessarie frowned a bit. "I- don't know what to think."

"Faith is a double edged sword," he took his cup once more, producing a copper coin and a toothpick from the little dispenser on the table. "But lack of it and of hope is not a way to live." He broke the toothpick in the center so it formed a V. He set it on the edge of the mug, then the coin in such a way that the toothpick wouldn't let it fall in. "Faith," he said as he motioned to the creation. "See?"

The elf stared blankly for a moment. Too curious to ignore it, she leaned over to peek. "I don't understand."

"If the wood isn't there, the coin falls, you know it will but it hasn't. Why not?"

Tess tried to puzzle out what the creature meant, but in the end she shook her head. "Because it's balancing there on the edge. The toothpick is keeping it up."

He clucked his tongue sharply. "Very good. So you have faith that it will fall?"

"Well. . . .yes?"

"Good."

"Good. . ." She sunk back into her chair.

"Maybe I can show you faith in others." The little kobold reached forward and took the pitcher, with surprising strength he pulled it closer. "So can I make the coin fall without touching it?"

"I. . . .no?" She licked her lips. Slowly she began to relax a bit, still trying to figure out what he was getting at. She glanced at her own cup, then his. "How would you? Unless you shook the table."

"No, I don't need to! Even if no reason appears to have it, you know that the coin will fall. What if that was life threatening, yes? Everything says it won't happen, but we want this to."

"O- okay?"

"So. We know it will drop, but not how to get it to. Yes?" He held up a clawed finger and took the pitcher. "So nothing around us is changing. The table doesn't shake, I don't touch the mug. But. . ." He tipped the pitcher over the coin and toothpick. Slowly it began to straighten out, more and more until it was nearly straight. The coin slid off the pick and dropped into the mug with a thunk. "See? This is Sarah's approach. Not obvious, but effective?"

"And if you keep pouring it gets everywhere?"

He was looking up at her when Tess saw someone approach in her periphery. She looked up to see an older human woman sliding a long stick back and forth along the floor, as if trying to trowel dirt with her finger. Only then did Tess notice the woman's eyes were actually closed, though her dark brown hair hung well on either side of her head to frame graceful wisdom and a soft mouth. She looked like someone who enjoyed smiling, but had forgotten how to do it right. The woman tapped the side of one of the empty chairs, paused for a moment and then spoke in a careful voice, "I'm sorry, is someone sitting here?"

Tess looked at the kobold with a sudden rush of panic; was she some kind of magic user that she didn't need to see through normal eyes to tell what they were? Gods, some kind of spirit? No. No, that didn't make any sense. No. She needed to calm down.

For his part in it, the kobold eased himself up and spoke in a firm but soothing voice that almost felt like it was meant to ease people's nerves. Even if it didn't work on Tess, she could understand why: he almost sounded human. "No. Not yet, but maybe soon. You're welcome if you'd like."

Tess's eyes widened a bit and grabbed her own chair. This witch was going to set them on fire or something at it was going to be this damn monster's fault!

"That's mighty kind-"

"Do you need help?" He was even getting out of his chair! Gods, was he insane?!

"I'm blind, not incompetent." She said. After a moment she eased into the chair, pulling the pleats of her long dress close so they didn't drag. "I'm sorry. That wasn't right. . . .it's not often people offer to- well, no matter. Do you mind if I eat with you folks?" She turned towards Tess and smiled. "I wouldn't want to upset you, but I usually sit here because no one else does."

For a moment Tess fought to keep her breathing under control, what should she have said? What did she even mean by saying she was blind? That she was a seer of some kind, maybe. Yes, maybe that was it. She was a wise woman. . .

Keiter sat back in his chair. "Are you hungry? I was waiting for my friend to come, but I can work something out if you're in need?"

The woman furrowed her brow, turning her attention to the kobold whom she didn't see- her expression softened a little and a warmer smile lit up her features. She was beautiful in that moment. "Aww, look at you, aren't you a sweetheart. . . .I already paid for my meal, but thank you."

"Of course! No one should go hungry."

Another faint twinge of surprise flickered over the woman's face. She reached out her hand, "I'm Leslie."

Keiter looked at her hand, then his own. Then he looked up to Tess and pointed. His narrow muzzle betrayed none of what Tess imagine was concern, maybe even panic. Was she supposed to shake the woman's hand? She opened her mouth to ask but Leslie drew back with an empty smile.

"No, huh? It's okay, I get that a lot."

"No offense. None, I don't think you would like what you found. . ." Keiter's lips pouted out just a little. "Leslie is a woman's name, isn't it?"

The woman scoffed with a good natured chuckle. "Come on, I'm not that ugly, am I? It's okay, you can be honest-"

"I'm not so good with hum- peoples' gender. I did not want to offend someone so beautiful," the kobold rubbed the side of his muzzle as he looked at the woman and a moment later his tongue darted past his lips. "Yes, I think offending you would be the last mistake anyone with a soul would want to make, Leslie."

Those around table fell silent for a moment. Leslie's salad was delivered while Keiter hid and the old man that did so spared Tess only a passing glance. Once he was gone, though, Keiter was back up in his chair.

Leslie loaded a fork of lettuce and turned it over a couple times. Tess wondered if the blush on her cheeks was something that came naturally or just the lighting. Eventually she looked right at Tess and said, "who's your friend here, Silver Tongue?"

"Copper tongue." He supplied.

The woman chuckled. "More like no tongue. . . .come on, speak up. Or can you really not speak and I'm being a horrible person right now?"

"U- Uh. Hi. Please don't set us on fire."

"Uh. I'll try not to? I mean, that'd be kind of awkward for all of us. We'd be tripping over one another trying to get out of here and me, I can't see shit, so you know I'm going to get trampled in the panic. How stupid would we look then?" Leslie chuckled warily. "Do you shake hands, then, or is it my turn to be offensive?"

"No offense!" Keiter piped up. "None, I just-"

"Hold on, Silver Tongue." Leslie offered her hand to Tess. "Let me see if I'm right about something."

Tess eyed the woman. Eventually she worked up the courage to take her hand. "Nice to meet you?"

"Mmhmm. Likewise, miss. . ." Her thumb traced over Tess's knuckles. "Elf," She whispered. "Right?"

"Uh- Y- Yes."

Leslie grinned an almost childish smile. "Knew it. You can tell a lot about someone by their hands. Maybe I'm just getting better at it the older I get though." But that was the trick, she wasn't 'old' in the human sense of the word, she didn't have a grey hair on her head, but she was obviously older than most of the people Tess had ever met. Maybe it was the way she carried her self so calm and casual, as if the world couldn't do anything to her. Tessarie had to admit, the woman scared her and made her all the more curious.

Keiter seemed to have a different take on her. He watched her with his scaly little brow sloped down slightly in thought. When the woman glanced at him he looked up, attentive and focused. Like a dog trying to make sense of their master's feelings. After a couple beats he spoke again: "I don't think it's the age that makes you curious." As an afterthought, he added: "You want to see the beauty in the world the way it sees the beauty in you."

The human scoffed loudly. "Wow, I've heard some bad pickup lines but that's almost enough to piss me off. You can keep your world beauty, it's a bunch of crap anyway." She took a bite of her salad. "Look, if you're just trying to get in my pants-"

"You're not wearing any."

"I'm not, but if I was, it'd be kind of rude not to offer flowers and dancing. Don'tchya think?"

Tess leaned off to the side and put her elbow on the table so she could watch. Keiter touched the side of his muzzle again, scratching at it absently as if considering his words or maybe just itching himself. He took a deep breath. "I would. Very much. I'm not very good, though. I paint, I show others how to, but for you I would dance. . . .for you, I would learn to play music."

Leslie turned her fork over a few times in her salad. Her cheeks reddened slightly as she pondered the reply. "That's cute. I almost think you believe it."

"I do."

"Yeah? I bet you just wanna see me trip over my feet and make an ass of myself," she poked the air with her fork playfully. "Not that I really need to be dancing to do that. So, Silver Tongue, what's your real aim?"

"Truly? To see you smile. I don't think you've done it in a while."

"And/"

"And?" Keiter shot back. He paused and glanced to the side. His little clawed hands dug into his robe as if he could find substance in them. "I'm a priest of Isira. Seeing you smile would be answering a prayer to me. . ."

The woman leaned back in her chair looking between her dining companions. Tess rubbed her finger with the grain of the table, stealing a quick glance towards the front door hoping Sarah would make an appearance and take this woman away or tell them they were ready to leave. When Keiter didn't offer any more explanation, the woman leaned forward and set her fork down. "Is that true? I mean, you're not just screwing with me?"

"I would never."

"What about you?" She said to Tess.

"Uh- No? No, I'm not."

"Oh, so you're lovers, is that it? Trying to get me involved in some weird triangle thing?" She waggled her brow suggestively. Though her tone was light, it was clear she was mildly concerned. "I don't think you're an elf, though, Silver Tongue."

"I'm not."

Leslie went quiet, listening. When she spoke again her voice was careful, solemn. "So, if you're a cleric, I can ask you something I've always wanted to, right?" She looked more tired than she had a moment ago, too. "What's it like, dying?"

Keiter didn't miss a beat. "Unpleasant. . ."

"Does it. . . .Does it stop hurting?"

"After a while, yes." The kobold gave her his undivided attention. "You think about the things you've seen and your heart doesn't want to go, but your soul knows. Soon your heart understands too, and then it stops hurting." He opened his mouth for a moment. "You've lost someone close to you?"

"I dunno if I'd say 'close'. He-" she curled her hand around her fork. "No, not close. But I want to know what he went through. . ."

Tess and Keiter exchanged a brief glance. The kobold shook his head. "It wouldn't be the same, my goddess came to me. She took great pity on me, I think-"

"Stop. Don't make this about you, I just want a straight answer."

He sucked in a breath. "Pain. From resisting. The natural thing to do, yes? Yes, so pain and fear and an unwillingness. Not wanting to die but not having a choice leads to more fear until your soul tells you its time. . . .and then for a while, nothing."

"Just like that?" Leslie scoffed lightly. "Figures."

"You wanted the truth."

"Yeah. I did. . . .hardly seems fair, does it? Whether you're a good person or a bad one, it all comes to the same end." The woman tapped her foot a couple times, sighed and set her fork down. "Sorry, I don't mean to be like this. I've just had a crappy day."

Tess piped in, "We can relate." While she didn't realize it at the time, those three little words would lead to hours of conversation as people came and went through the inn. The three of them shared carefully edited versions of their day and Keiter kept the tone light with some poorly delivered jokes, even Tess eventually found herself relaxing in the company of relative strangers. Never quite drawn into the kobold's 'charms', she could tell that he was using the situation to hide his own feelings- whatever they might have been- about having watched his congregation murdered in his own 'temple'. There was a subtle sense of unease between them and it wasn't just the tainted dragon's gold in their pockets, either. It was a palpable shift in the creature's magic and his feelings.

Maybe, just maybe, she had been wrong about him in the first place. Maybe, Tessarie mused, she was wrong about Sarah, too. Surely she wouldn't have kept the company of a real monster. Even with the dragon deals she made, she was still a charitable person.

Leslie interrupted her train of thought with a playful nudge of her foot. "You're awfully quiet."

"Sorry? Just thinking about things. . ."

"See, now that's just unfair. If I sat and thought as hard as you did, I'd have wrinkles and grey hair. You get away with it for nothing! Unless you do have grey hair and wrinkles, in which case I'm going to look like an idiot." She popped a piece of tomato in her mouth. "At least I won't be able to see it."

Despite herself Tessarie smiled a little at that. "You'll be getting them soon enough, but I think they'll look good on you?"

"Yes!" Keiter quickly added, "You already light up when you smile but how do you make the sun brighter?"

"Oh gods. . . .you two are too much." She pushed her plate aside. "Let me guess, this routine is something you're working on for a show of some kind, right?" She pointed at Tess. "You're the singer, and Silver Tongue is. . ."

"I'm a dancer." Tess said quietly. "I really like to dance."

"Oh? Hmm. . ."

Keiter looked between them for a moment and slowly, he leaned forward. "May I be honest? I am not what you think I am. . ." He put his hand on the table, palm up, tapping his nails against the wood a couple times so the woman would hear it. "I am Isira's servant, but what body I am in is not something liked by many. I would like to be your friend but you will choose if that happens. . ."

Leslie sat in silence for a couple of moments, her attention focused vaguely on the sound of his voice. She took a deep breath and reached out, her hand trembling ever so softly as she did so. When her finger touched Keiter's palm she paused, then wrapped her hand around his smaller one. Then she touched his claws. She recoiled with a breathy gasp. Keiter looked down and away.

But after another moment she glanced back. "You. . . .Come on, let's get out of here." Keiter was already withdrawing into himself when he leaned back in his chair. Leslie looked between them expectantly. "What, you want Cosnu to catch you here?" She got up in a sweeping gesture. "Let's go back to my place."

Tessarie and Keiter exchanged a look, neither sure what to make of the situation. Keiter was the first to act, getting to his feet and jumping down. "I've learned not to argue with intelligent people."

Leslie chuckled. "That goes double for the stupid ones."

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