Guardian took me to the Storage Shack and held the door open for me. Once we were inside, he put his baskets down and pointed to a chest off to our right. "Rockarrots, Savoroot and longrass go in there. Badge likes them all being together, easily accessible."
"Badge?" I asked, already taking the three specified baskets towards the chest.
"Yea, he's the one who cooks usually. That man can work wonders with food."
"Hmm," I hummed as I emptied out my baskets, remembering the longrass and lystro stew Trick had brought to me last night.
"But this…" Guardian's voice broke through my thoughts. "This is what gives us a hands up in our trading routes. A lot of the other Tribes hold their best stuff for us because of this." He grinned proudly at the twelve fermentation barrels that lined the left wall. I lifted my eyebrow.
"Alcohol?"
"You betcha! There's not much one won't trade for a night of being able to forget the perils of this land," he nodded approvingly.
I didn't think that sounded too safe, getting drunk and dampening your ability to protect yourself, but I could also see the appeal. I realized Guardian was waiting for some kind of response from me so I put on an impressed smile and nodded. "Genius."
He puffed up happily. "I know! And I've figured out the Best mixture of berries to create the ultimate taste!" He excitedly went on and on about his testing and how long it took him to get it just right. "This barrel is still the tester barrel. In case I find something even better. Usually the alcohol from this barrel is for our own personal consumption."
I politely listened to him all while he worked, adding in a certain amount of berries into each barrel. "See these white berries?"
"Stim berries." I muttered and nodded, remembering the name from when Venus had told me.
"Exactly. They make you dehydrate if you eat too many. So adding just a little makes people want to keep drinking the alcohol. Making them consume more and thus, helping us trade more!"
I got the impression that Guardian was a little high on himself, but I stayed attentive, nodding in all the right places, exclaiming how amazing what he was saying was every now and then.
"Now these two barrels, I call these my sleep elixers. Just enough narcos in them to give you a good night's sleep after a pretty pleasant buzz. I keep the prices jacked on these babies. They're in high demand. Trick is making more barrels and collecting more seeds for more plants so we can make more…"
Just as soon as I began wondering if he was ever going to shut up…
"Well! That's that. All I need are the mejos from Venus. You can go get some food. Leftover Stew or you can wait until Badge gets back and have whatever he decides to prepare."
My shoulders slumped a little when I realized the other three weren't back yet. I nodded and left to head toward the main hall. I passed Venus on her way to Guardian and she shot me a glare. I tried to ignore her, unable to think of anything I could say that wouldn't anger her.
"Hey there love." Runaway's voice greeted me as I walked through the carved wooden door.
"Heya," I murmured, casting looks at him and Tanner.
"We didn't get properly introduced this morning," Tanner said with a smile, standing up from the table. He approached me and held out his hand, "I'm Tanner."
I offered him a smile as I took his hand, "No name." I murmured and he chuckled.
"Haven't found anything that suits you yet?"
"Unless DodoBrain, Newbie or Lass counts… Not really." I grimaced.
"Well, none of those are very flattering," he joked. "I'm pretty inventive. I'll just keep throwing different names at you whenever we talk and just shake your head if you despise it." he winked.
I instantly liked his demeanor and found myself smiling easily around him. "Will do," I followed him back to the table.
"We were actually just talking about how we got our names ourselves." He sat opposite me when I sat beside Runaway.
"Oh?" I cast a questioning look at Runaway.
The older man nodded and flashed me a toothy grin. "I'm really good at running away from danger. I'm not a fighter," he took a sip from the cup in front of him.
"That's how you've survived this long huh?" Tanner teased him.
"If it works, it works," he mumbled into his cup.
"What about you?" I turned and asked Tanner.
He gave me a mischievous look as he held up his arm, pointing to his naturally darker skin. "I always tell people they're jealous because I'm tanner than them." he wiggled his eyebrows at me.
I laughed, shaking my head. "That's not tan," Runaway grunted which made both Tanner and I laugh harder.
"Wow. I feel stupid," Runaway's face blanked for a moment. "No one can be Tanner than you… because you ARE Tanner!"
The two of us burst out into hysterics and Tanner reached forward. "I think you've had enough Bud," he pulled the cup away.
"He's drunk!" it dawned on me suddenly and I said it like a statement rather than a question, but they both answered anyways.
"A little," Tanner smirked.
"A lot-tle actually," Runaway nodded, clearly pleased.
"Better get you out of the hall before Guardian comes in," Tanner chuckled and walked around the table, lifting Runaway from his seat and leading him away.
I watched as their forms disappeared, the contrast between the two was pretty hilarious. The older, plumpy and extremely pale Runaway being supported by the young, twig-like, dark Tanner was an interesting sight indeed.
My smile held for a bit after they left but then I started to feel uneasy, sitting here by myself. I was just about to get up when the door opened behind me. I turned and saw Badge and Hart walk in and offered them both a large, welcoming smile. Hart was grinning about something, which in itself was rare.
She walked right up to me and punched me lightly in the arm, "I owe you. I just had the best damn day in a long time," she plopped down beside me while Badge chuckled.
My face was a huge question mark as I peered between the two of them.
"I'll go get the goodies started," Badge said, laughter still tinting his voice.
"Do I wanna know?" I asked Hart, her smile and laughter was contagious and I found myself grinning.
Just then the door flung open again and Trick walked in. Hart burst out laughing again when she saw him.
"You," he said and pointed at me. My eyes widened.
"What happened to you?" I asked, my eyes taking in all of his scratches and scrapes that were still red, swollen and some were even bleeding.
Hart's hysterics made him glare at her before his gaze returned to me. The girl beside me bent forward, gripping her abdomen, laughing and groaning at the same time.
"Your stupid bird. That's what. He's lucky he's not the main course tonight," he growled.
"Killer?! Did that?" I asked incredulously, my eyes casting up and down his body again.
"He refused to leave the hut. And when I picked him up and started carrying him to the raft, he started this-" he gestured at himself.
"And he didn't stop the whole way home!" Hart gasped out. "Trick got his ass handed to him by a dodo!" she banged her fist on the table.
"You're dead, Pinnochio," Trick growled and launched for her. She had just enough time to pull her hands up before he wrestled her off her chair and onto the ground. They grappled good naturedly and I laughed at their playful actions.
Finally, they rolled away from each other, both breathing roughly and Hart snickered again. Trick rolled his eyes, "Bitch." He stood up and dusted himself off. "That dumb bird is on the raft still. Wouldn't surprise me if he jumped in the water to try and swim back," he muttered, heading back out the way they had come in.
I jumped up and walked past Trick towards the door, holding in a snicker at his defeated look. I headed towards the docks and realized he was following me. When I raised an eyebrow inquisitively he shrugged.
"I need to wash off," he admitted grudgingly. I giggled and continued walking ahead of him.
"Killer!" I called as soon as I saw his mint green feathers on the raft. His white head turned in my direction and he peeped. His chest puffed up when he saw Trick behind me and he waddled as fast as his fat little body would let him, putting himself between the two of us. I laughed and bent to pick up the dodo.
"I wouldn't do that if I were-" Trick began but fell silent when Killer just nestled into my arms. "Well, what the hell…" he muttered sourly.
I tickled Killer fondly under his chin, "I told him to stay before I left. You were making him go against my wishes. Good boy Killer," I hugged him a little tighter, careful not to hurt him though. My eyes fell on his scabbed over wound from where the troodon had taken a bite out of him.
"Yea, good friggen boy…" Trick growled, walking away, leaving me laughing behind him. I approached the water, sat Killer down and washed my hands off in the cool liquid, splashing my face just before I stood back up. I headed back up the stairs, Killer following closely behind me, struggling to get his chubby self up the stairs. I took pity on him and carried him to the top of the cliff then sat him back down.
When I walked back into the main hall, everyone else was there except for Runaway and Trick. Also, Badge was still absent too, probably still cooking. Hart laughed again when she saw Killer and Venus chuckled, but her laugh wasn't rich and genuine like Hart's was. Her voice was snarky and sarcastic. I did my best to ignore her.
Note to self: Teach Killer to scratch out her eyes.
I sat back down next to Hart who threw an arm over my shoulder in a friendly gesture. Venus narrowed her eyes. What the hell? Did she have a thing for everyone in this tribe or something? I suppressed the urge to glare at her and just smiled back at Hart who was recounting the story of Killer's ass whooping abilities.
I glanced back at my dodo, perched on the floor right behind my seat. When Trick walked in, both Killer and Venus jumped up. Killer puffed up threateningly and Venus rushed over to him, fawning over every little scratch.
I grinned, realizing Trick looked more annoyed at Venus's overbearing attitude than he did at Killer having bested him. He did his best to free himself of the clingy Venus and sat on the other side of Hart from me. The defeated blonde girl took her seat on the other side of the table, glaring at me whenever she caught me looking at her.
Dinner was pleasant, Tanner had tried out two new nicknames, Giggles and Pinkie. Both of which I shot down immediately. He just grinned knowingly both times. Trick questioned him about it at one point, at which Tanner mentioned that he was using his superior skills to help me out. Venus mumbled something but I didn't hear what she said.
I helped Badge clear out the dishes afterwards and walked with him down to the dock to wash it all. "Badge, how long have you been in Guardian's tribe?"
He paused and looked at me, surprised by my sudden curiosity. "Huh, I've lost count how long it's been lass. Feels like it could have been years since I woke up here. Guardian and I found each other when we were both struggling to survive with nothing but wooden shacks to hide us from the world. We decided to band together, compile our strengths so-to-speak. We found this land, saw the potential and started to build it up," as he spoke his eyes, looked distant. Like he was seeing something far away.
"It wasn't until Trick and Joker stumbled on us that it actually began looking like a base. Those boys… Were- are talented," he seemed to struggle on the word 'are'.
"Joker?" I asked softly.
Badge looked at me. "Trick and Joker used to claim they were brothers. They both woke up and found each other the same day and traveled together since then. They've definitely been part of this land longer than anyone else I've met. They traveled as nomads for a very long time together before they decided to lend us their help. Then they just, never left. A while ago however, Joker and one of our other tribe members was ambushed. They never returned, when Hart and Trick went out looking, they only found their remains," Badge's eyes were sad as he recalled the memory. "Trick lost himself for a while there. He wanted nothing but to seek revenge on whoever it was that had killed his brother. He single handedly wiped out two tribes that were known for raiding other tribes. It's only been recent that he's started returning to his normal self. Though, he's more detached than he used to be. He hides it behind sarcasm and mischief. But I can still see it. I think of Trick like my son. Joker too.
"Hart. Venus, Tanner and a few others who are no longer with us were random rescues or in Hart's case, she stayed in our walls for refuge to recuperate before she was going to head off again. She decided to stay. I took her under my wing too because even though she acts all tough and mighty, she suffers too."
I hadn't realized my hands had stopped working until Badge took the bowl I was holding and finished washing it. I blushed as I apologized. I hadn't expected to learn so much about Trick and Hart. "What about Guardian, Venus, tanner and Runaway?" I left myself out on purpose.
Badge smiled at me. "Guardian doesn't need a father-like figure to lean on. It would just hurt his pride if I even tried. Tanner is a good kid, but he hasn't really sought comfort at all, he doesn't seem easily affected by the tragedies that happen daily in this land.
"Venus… she is a special case. She'll come to me about problems, but they're never anything serious, and usually have to do with Trick since she knows how close he is with me. She lives to serve herself first and foremost. And Runaway, well, I'm pretty sure he's older than I am. Trying to take him under my wing would probably just be offensive to him," he winked at me.
I just nodded, casting my eyes down. He patted me on top of my head, "Basically, they chose me. Not vice versa."
When I looked up at him, he smiled knowingly at me. He held his arm out to me and I smiled back at him as I leaned into his side allowing him to "take me under his wing." Neither of us said anything else on our way back up to the main hall, both of us carrying the dishes. Killer was waiting for us at the top of the stairs and I heard Badge chuckle as the dodo fell into step behind me.
Everyone was still in the main hall when we got there aside from Runaway. "Heya Tootsie!" Tanner called out and I shook my head at him, looking mortified.
He and Trick both laughed. When Tanner shot me a playfully apologetic look and glanced over at Trick. I understood right away that Trick had put him up to that one. I grabbed one of the bowls from my stack and threw it at the back of his head. As soon as the bowl hit him, Killer launched himself forward, going after Trick as well. Hart nearly fell out of her chair when she saw the Dodo jump on his leg. Trick kicked out in surprise at first but then used his foot to ward off the chubby thing while he glared at me, holding the back of his head.
"Killer, stop." I said, giving my order in the flattest voice I could.
Trick shot me a malicious grin and picked the dagger up off the table beside him, cocking his eyebrow at me. My eyes widened.
"Killer, come here." I said with more conviction and the dodo immediately waddled over to me, leaving Trick alone finally. I didn't really believe Trick would stab the dodo, but I didn't want him giving Venus any ideas. She was already glaring at the dodo like it was the worst creature in the world. I glared at her, wishing I could shove these dishes up her-
"Ok, so plans tomorrow." Guardians voice once again broke into my thoughts, pulling me back to reality. He was really good at just inserting himself anywhere. When he felt like he had everyone's attention he continued. Badge gestured at the dishes in our arms and I nodded. I went to grab the bowl that was on the floor behind Trick but he spun around and scooped it up, seeing what I was doing. He handed it to me, but when I went to grab it, he pulled it away again. I sighed and made another snatch for it.
I took a step forward and something pushed my foot back so I couldn't use it to catch the rest of my body's forward momentum. I gasped, bracing myself to whack my head on the table or chair or whatever. But instead all I heard was a huge clattering of wood on the stone flooring as I dropped my load of dishes. Simultaneously, a warm pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around me, keeping me from falling. I opened my eyes to see Trick grinning wickedly at me. "Clumsy," his voice was low and husky.
My face flushed red and I staggered up and out of his arms, embarrassment dripping from every pore. Just then I registered how silent everyone else was and I cast my eyes around. My embarrassment tripled and I glared at Trick who just chuckled. Hart punched his arm and bent to pick up the dishes closest to her. I hurriedly got busy picking up the other pieces and stood up once they were all collected.
Except for the one in Trick's hand. He held it out to me and I gave him a wary look. I reached for it, expecting him to pull it back again, but when my fingers closed over the edge of the bowl, I pulled it away from him without any resistance. Then I rushed from the room, right on Badge's heels.
"Freaking jerk. He really gets his jollies off of making me miserable. I'd like to feed him to a leed-Moby-thingie." I grumbled on and on.
Badge chuckled, "You'll get used to him."
"Doubt it," I groaned but went back to stacking the dishes on the shelf after I dusted them off.
Badge and I walked back into the main hall and just Guardian was still there thankfully. "Ah, Badge. So you're leading the route tomorrow. I figured you could take one of the new members with you to learn the route with you, Trick said he'd stay here to work on the greenhouse some more."
Badge nodded and clapped his hand on my shoulder, "Well, that's an easy decision." I beamed up at his face, hearing the absolution in his tone.
"Very well. You realize you'll be gone for approximately five days or so?" Guardian turned and posed the question to me. My eyes widened for a moment, but then I nodded.
"I can handle it," I set my shoulders in determination.
He nodded. "Alright, then it's settled. Go rest up! We'll get the trade goods loaded at dawn," and with that Guardian turned and left the hall.
I looked at Badge and he grinned, "Don't forget to pack your fur and chitin. Hart gave you a set of those along with the ghillie, right?"
I nodded, "But I don't know where it is… My tour today was kind of… fast," I sighed, remembering my day with Venus.
He nodded, "I'll show you around in the morning then," he promised just as we reached The Den. He opened my door for me, wishing me a good night and I closed the door, slumping in my bed while Killer waddled over to a stack of thatch that was strewn about in the corner of my room.
I lifted my eyebrow. "Who?-" I asked myself as I walked up to it. It definitely hadn't been there this morning. I shook my head, completely clueless. Maybe it was Badge. He was in the storage shack where all that thatch is piled. I crawled into bed, giving up on the mystery, hoping my wired up mind would be able to find sleep.
Alrighty! Next chapter, they're back outside the walls where anything could happen! What will befall our brave trio?