Firesign 1 - Wage Slave Rebellion (48 page)

There was Rynthe, or at least the table where Rynthe had sat for a single drink before he excused himself and disappeared. Now only two guild adventurers remained, these being the ones who were too hooched up to move, and would likely need to be removed with a sponge. Another adventurer, a friend of Mazik’s who showed off his freshly regenerated arm, had explained that the major guilds were still mad at the three of them, which was why none of the guilded adventurers could stay for long. But not even that could put a damper on Gavi and the others’ spirits. It may have even helped.

There were the regulars, Scraggly, Silky Hair, the Professor, Glacier and the others, sitting at the bar like they always did, passing drinks to Gavi’s harried coworkers and trying to extract an occasional round for their troubles. Tonight, they got them.

There were friends from college, from high school, from middle school, and even low school. There were Mazik’s customers and Raedren’s coworkers, and of course a lot of Gavi’s customers as well. There were ex-boyfriends and ex-girlfriends, or at least the rare few they still hung out with. There was the owner somewhere in the back, preparing more kegs before the current ones ran dry, and Gavi’s parents out in the city, enjoying a night out on her.

There was, there was, there was…

There was Raedren. He sat with his staff resting in the crook of his arm, a pile of empty mugs in front of him and two women fawning over him from either side. Though an introvert by nature, Raedren was chatting with the ladies with, if not the effortless ease of a ladykiller, at least the honest sincerity of a kind man whose tongue had been loosened. The two women laughed, one batting her eyelashes and snuggling closer. Apparently it was working, though being a conquering hero probably didn’t hurt.

There was Mazik. He had one arm wrapped around Kalenia while the other was high over his head, waving excitedly at someone across the room. His face was bright red, less from alcohol than continually smiling, continually laughing, and continually telling story after story to audiences not only interested, but enthralled by every word. Always closer to the center of attention than Raedren or herself, now Mazik
was
the center of attention, and he was loving every second of it.

And then there was Gavi. Thanks to the events of the last month, she was richer, stronger, more confident, more relaxed, less worried, and—she only now realized—far happier than before. Here she was, surrounded by friends, celebrating their victory in a quest they had no obligation to undertake, few resources with which to attempt, and almost no chance of coming out on top. And yet they did. They accomplished the improbable, saving lives, stopping villains, and enriching themselves in the process.

Gavi sighed, and her lips settled into a smile.

True contentedness is rare, but when it happens, there’s a moment of revelation. It’s an epiphany, the realization that, for a moment—for
just
a moment—everything is perfect. It’s a wonderful feeling, one all the sweeter for its rarity, but pretty damn sweet all on its own.

Gavi leaned against Mazik, her eyes closing with a relaxed smile. There were worries, of course—the guilds, training, what the future would hold. It was just that, right now, they didn’t seem to matter. For now, Gavi basked in the moment, content that everything was going her way.
Their
way.

“Gavs?” said Mazik. Fingers snapped in front of Gavi’s face. “You awake?”

“Yes yes, I’m here,” said Gavi, sitting up. She dragged her mug back up to the table and grasped it with both hands. “What’s goin’ on?”

“You can’t go ta sleep yet!” said Mazik, patting her heavily on the head. He grinned. “We’ve still got plenty of drinkin’ ta do t’night!”

Gavi glared at him, suddenly growling, and then she burst upward. “I feel like you’re getting too cheeky!” She clamped her hands on his head and ruffled his hair fast enough to give him friction burns.

“Gah!” said Mazik, laughing as he tried to pull away.

What Mazik did not factor in was Kalenia. As he sagged under Gavi’s weight, he bumped into his quietly drinking girlfriend, knocking her over and falling onto the booth on top of her. Gavi, suddenly deprived of the Mazik she was leaning on, gave a drunken yelp and fell after them. There was a confusing tumble, a pained grunt, a wooden
thump
, and a second later, a distant splash.

Once the world stopped moving, Gavi groaned. Her hand rose above the table, patting around for an empty spot. Finding none, Gavi scooted mugs and glasses out of the way and slung her elbow up in their place. It was only then that she lifted her head off Mazik’s chest and looked up.

Right into Mazik’s face. Gavi froze.

Mazik groaned and rubbed his shoulder. Then he opened his eyes and found Gavi pressed against him, one hand on his chest and a deer-in-cart-lights look on her face. Mazik froze.

Several heartbeats passed.

“Wooo!” yelled someone from nearby. “Already has a girlfriend, and now he’s going for number two!”

“Way to go!” added another.

“Kiss him, kiss him!” came a third. Laughter followed.

Mazik and Gavi blushed. “S-sorry!” said Gavi, scrambling off him.

“No biggie.” Mazik grinned. “I can’t say I mind being sandwiched between two beautiful women.”

Gavi tried to fight back her blush. “Should you be saying that in front of your girlfriend?”

Mazik laughed. “Probably not.” He turned to help Kalenia up. “You okay, babe?”

“My chin hurts,” said Kalenia, rubbing it. It was bright red.

“Awww,” said Mazik. “I could kiss it for you, if that would help.”

“No, I think it was me who got the brunt of the punishment,” said Raedren. He shook his arms, droplets of liquor flying everywhere. “As usual.”

“Sorry about that. Do you need something to dry off with? Here, let me take off my shirt….”

“What? No!” said Gavi, grabbing his hand.

“C’mon, where’s the harm?” said Mazik. “Just a little fan service,” he said, with a flash of his abs and a wink.

“That won’t be necessary,” said Gavi, pulling his shirt back down.

Mazik stuck out his tongue and pulled Kalenia into a hug. “I know you would appreciate me taking my shirt off, right babe?”

“I think I lost my drink,” said Kalenia.

“I’m pretty sure it’s all over Raedren,” said Mazik.

“Ah.”

“And we have just the thing to fix that!” came Derana’s cheerful voice from across the table. Next to her was Tielyr, and between them they had enough drinks to either knock out an elephant or keep this party going for about twenty minutes. There were also some towels.

“This round is on the house,” said Tielyr, setting a pair of beers in front of Gavi and Mazik. He gave them a rare smile. “Congratulations again.”

Mazik looked down at the drink, temporarily speechless.

It quickly passed. “All right!” said Mazik, grabbing the free beer with a sloppy grin. “That’s the kind of thing I can get behind!”

“I can tell,” said the Professor as he and the other regulars crowded around, taking in all the mugs scattered across the table. He saluted them.

“What’s this I hear about free drinks?” asked Tomar, stumbling over.

“‘thomone han’ meh one, mah buzzis wearin’ awf,” said a short hand waving from beneath the table. Xer glided over, hands clasped together as she giggled.

“A toast, a toast!” said Scraggly.

“If anyone asks, you didn’t see me here,” said Major Rur, attempting to be surreptitious even as she plucked a beer off a tray. Her face was flushed red. Captain Ankt took the beer from her and took a drink.

And now it was Mazik’s turn, to look around at all of the friends that surrounded them, and feel the warmth of their camaraderie wrap itself around him like the strongest, most loving armor ever made. He grinned and looked at Gavi and Raedren. “Feels pretty good, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” said Gavi.

Raedren raised his glass. “I think this one is yours, Maz.”

“Don’t mind if I do!” said Mazik, standing up. He turned to face the crowd, and thought about what he wanted to say. After a few seconds a slow smile spread across his face.

“To the first of many,” said Mazik, holding his beer up high. “Trust me—you can take that to the bank. Cheers!”

“Cheers!” they all said, and then they tipped back their mugs, drank deeply, and enjoyed the moment.

Epilogue

“Hey, congratulations again,” said one of the men standing over the trio’s table. Gavi, beset by similar comments from all directions, only managed a quick wave before he had turned back to the woman he was talking to before. She was patiently waiting, a soft smile on her lips.

Dinronlt Osa’Nyagraecc was an old high school friend of Mazik, Gavi, and Raedren’s. He was also a kind man, which was why he didn’t try to make anyone pronounce his name. He went by Dino instead.

Dino’s most notable trait was that he didn’t have one. He didn’t really stand out, though that wasn’t to say he wasn’t attractive. He had a boyish face and a gentle smile, plus strong arms from long hours working as an apprentice baker (and general handyman) in his family’s bakery. What he lacked was presence. His brown hair, tan skin, and even-tempered personality left little impression on those he met. But Dino was dependable, hard-working, and a good listener. He was also Gavi’s ex-boyfriend.

But that didn’t matter tonight. They were long broken up, amicably so, and besides, he was having luck with another lady. Thanks to the
insistence
of some of their other high school friends, Dino ended up introducing himself to a pretty blonde woman in a tight blue dress, and to his surprise, they seemed to be hitting it off. Dino, who often had trouble starting conversations with people he didn’t know, was trying not to screw it up.

“Sorry about that,” said Dino as he turned back to his date(?).

“It’s no problem,” said the blonde, flashing him a serene smile.

Her name was Luhi, and Dino had no idea why she was talking to him. Though he considered himself a decent catch, it had only taken a few minutes for Dino to realize that Luhi was out of his league. It wasn’t her wit, or her intelligence, or even her beauty—though they were certainly factors—but the elegant confidence with which she carried herself. She gave off an air of supernatural wisdom, as if she had traveled the entire world and seen many things, and had never once lost her calm assurance. She had the curiosity of the young and the wisdom of the old, the mind of a scholar and the body of a princess, and she was talking to
him
.

More importantly, he didn’t know what to say. Dino’s mind raced, and he took a drink from his beer while he thought. “So, do you come here often?”

“Not often, no,” said Luhi, turning her attention away from celebrating adventurers. She nodded toward them. “Are they your friends?”

“Yeah. I’ve known them since high school,” said Dino. “Mostly I’m friends with Gavi—uh, that’s her,” he said, pointing. “But the other two are all right.”

“It’s quite impressive,” said Luhi. “What they did.”

“Mmm, true,” said Dino, taking another drink. His nerves were a mess. “I’d like to say I expected this, but I don’t think anyone expected them to do so much on their first quest, including them.”

“Do you think they’re going to keep doing this?” asked Luhi. She gestured around her. “Adventuring, killing gods … angering powerful people.”

At this, Dino glowered. “I wish they wouldn’t, but it sounds like they plan to. Gavi isn’t … well, she’s more like me than—” He stopped, and an old regret settled on his face as the words hitched in his throat.
No. She’s not like me.

Dino closed his eyes, and then sighed. “I just hope they don’t get hurt.”

Luhi smiled, and Dino got the impression she knew far more about what he was thinking than he was comfortable with. “And you? What will you do?”

“Me? Keep being a baker, I guess,” said Dino, slightly perplexed by the question. “I’m not interested in adventures. They’re not my kind of thing,” he lied.

“Hmmm. Is that so?” said Luhi, a playful smile flitting across her face before it settled in her eyes.

“Speaking of which, you never told me what you do.” Dino keened Luhi, and found that she was definitely a caster, and a powerful one too. “Are you an adventurer as well?”

“No, I’m more of a…” The corner of Luhi’s mouth twitched upward. “You could say I work for the government.”

“Oh? What do you—actually, we shouldn’t talk about work,” said Dino, recognizing her evasion. He pointed at her glass. “Would you like another drink?”

Luhi looked down at her half full glass. “No, thank you. In fact, I have someplace I need to be, so I should get going,” she said, pressing her glass into Dino’s hands.

“Oh, all right,” said Dino. He did a good job of hiding his disappointment, but not so well that an experienced woman couldn’t see it.

Luhi did. “Aww, don’t worry,” she said, her voice becoming softer and sweeter, dipping into the traditional tones of assuaging the male ego. “It’s not like that. I really do have someplace I need to be.”

“No, of course,” said Dino quickly. “Here, can I walk you out? I’ll probably end up leaving soon anyway, so if you’d like I can—”

“Here, let me prove it,” said Luhi, and before Dino could finish his sentence she ran a hand along his cheek and pulled him into a kiss.

There were cheers and whooping off to one side, Dino was told later on, though he didn’t notice at the time. He was distracted.

The kiss broke, and Luhi stroked Dino’s cheek again. “See? You did great. Keep it up and I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

“I think it might be you,” said Dino, his voice far away.

Luhi laughed. “A good line, but nothing good will come of associating with me. Trust me.”

And with that, Luhi turned and left. Dino thought about chasing after her, about running after her and finding where she lived and asking her out again, but by the time the thought made its way through his stunned mind she was through the door and gone. Then his friends were there, laughing and slapping him on the back and asking him how he pulled it off, and the moment was lost.