8BTFreek: Reviews! Yay! You love me, you really love me!
Rand: But it's only five reviews!
Nynaeve: He gets like this when he's got more than three reviews. Haven't you realized this yet? Well, let's get to the responses before he dies of happiness.
REVIEW RESPONSES:
Mesoforte: Good question, but I can't answer it right now. Here's a hint: Alex did build the thing, but its present purpose was shaped by Alchemy... Thanks for reviewing.
Ral: Well, strange was what I was going for. Now, on to the predictions! Most of the questions you raise will be answered, but most of them are good. As for the chips, do you really think Alex is going to drown himself in stone? No, he's the one tossing the chips. Here's a hint: That means he's responsible for the consequences outlined by the board. And congratulations on being the only one to fully analyze the board! That makes me feel so happy.
Rain Child: Yes, and the CENSORED thing cut off half of my review. Listen, don't quit! You're a good author – a damn sight better than myself, if I do say so. Anyway, thanks for the review.
Joker: Well, you're just going to have to guess at most of it. As for something that happens soon... Soon isn't the word I'd use. More like eventually. Thanks for reviewing, man, and have fun on your vacation!
PlutoAdept: If you don't like a story, and it's not horribly written, then why review it? Come to think of it, that review sounded like a flame. uses IGNORE Cannon
Allexandra: It was meant to be confusing. Thanks for the review.
END RESPONSES
8BTFreek: And that, my friends, is why you never provoke the destructive powers of 8BTFreek, Lord of the FreekLair (c).
Nynaeve: rolls her eyes Well, can we get on? Freek doesn't own Golden Sun, although for some strange, screwed up reason he created Q'tlataresh and the Q'tiil...
8BTFreek: I heard that! Anyway, on with the fic! And… What was that noise? goes off to check mysterious crash in FreekLair
Chapter 13: A Day in the Life, or Just Another Day
Rhoen walked out of his room at the usual 5:00 AM. He'd gotten used to the Adepts' sleeping schedule, although it still confused him. How could people sleep at five in the morning? The air was so fresh, the sky still held the beautiful shades of dark they called night, and the quiet was perfect for settling oneself in the depth of thought. From a room over, he could hear Feizhi groaning as she got up. For some reason, she had been getting sick in the morning for the past week, so she was always there to greet him. "Uh, good morning?" he asked as he looked toward the source of the noise. Her head was bent over the kitchen sink.
As she raised it, she smiled weakly. "Hello, Rhoen," she said before her cheeks bulged and she had to bend over the sink again. An unpleasant sound came from the general direction. "Maybe I ought to take Kay up on her advice," she said during a pause. "Tell her what's going on." She barely got the word "on" out before she had to bend back over the sink. A horrid stink was now coming up from the sink, filling the room.
It was this that woke Ivan more than the noise. "Gods," he said, sitting up in plain view of the two. "What on Weyard is that smell?" He got up and walked out of "his" room. "Oh, that. Feizhi, will you please ask Kay what's going on? Maybe then we'll know how long this will last." Feizhi straightened up, then nodded.
"Well, at least it's over for now. Gods, I feel like I emptied out my insides in there. Come on in, dear, I'm just rinsing out the sink." She dragged the washbasin outside and emptied the contents onto the ground, then washed it out with water from the well. Dragging it back inside, she nodded at the two men. "Now then, what time is it?"
Rhoen looked out the small kitchen window. "About 5:00. Ivan, do you know how to cook?" He knew the answer already, but he got a kick out of hearing Ivan's aggravated groan. Sure enough, Ivan groaned, an 'urgh' that sounded like he wanted to throw up.
"No, no, no. Do you have to ask that question every morning? I'm tired enough as is, and that will only mean that instead of formless gray blobs, you'll get formless ash blobs. Ah, but Feizhi can cook, can't you, dear?" She smiled and nodded. Getting out some ingredients, she began to make a dish from her homeland. "That, my friend, is what she made for breakfast the first day after she arrived in the Palace. And it is that dish that I have been eating for breakfast for the past three years without complaint."
She turned around and grinned at them. "That's only because you know that if you did complain, you'd wind up with this spoon in your skull," she said, waving her spoon at him, mock-sternness gracing her voice. Ivan muttered something in disagreement, but she was no longer paying attention. She worked at a cutting board, chopping up several vegetables, as well as some chicken she'd found from leftovers from the night before. Soon, a delicious aroma was wafting from the cooking area. She quickly lit a fire and began to cook the "breakfast," which was more like a lunch.
Rhoen voiced this opinion. "You know, most people just make a slice of toast or something for breakfast." Ivan shot a look at him. Rhoen returned the look. "Of course, you usually end up burning the toast, don't you, Ivan?" Both men laughed at this comment, which was made funnier by the fact that it was true.
"Yes, he does," said Feizhi, testing the food with her large wooden spoon. "He burns toast, he burns eggs – I think he caused some bacon that he'd been making for breakfast to catch fire once, I told him all that grease would burn if he held it over the flames…" She trailed off. "But he does chop a mean apple." She turned to face them, and the three all burst into laughter.
Laughter that, for the seventh day in a row, was loud enough to wake the other two inhabitants of the house. Sheba got up grumbling, but Kay actually gave a muttered oath. "Damn it, you three, do you have to wake us up like this?" Grumbling further as she got up and shuffled to the kitchen, she couldn't help but smile at the delicious smell that came her way. "Ready to take me up on my offer yet, Feizhi?" Feizhi gave what was unmistakably a nod, adding, "Ivan will tell you what's going on." Kay turned her gaze towards Ivan.
"Well, you see… she's been getting sick in the mornings. Actually, I'm surprised the pungent fumes haven't been waking you up." He shrugged. "I think you noticed her appetite, too… Um, how long is this going to last?" Kay looked at him, a look that seemed to say "You don't know what's going on?"
Kay smiled at him. "Well, I can't give an exact time, but… I'd say about nine months." Ivan's jaw dropped. "Eight or nine months, then it's all over. Congratulations." Feizhi turned towards them, the spoon hanging loosely in her hand.
"Nine months… nine months…" Ivan muttered it. Feizhi was confused as well. "Nine – wait a minute… What's so important about that again? There's something…" His face assumed an expression of pure concentration.
"Honestly," said Kay, "are you two that thick? Feizhi, congratulations. You're pregnant." The pair turned towards her. "And before you ask, yes I'm sure. Jenna was the same way before Jade was born." Ivan and Feizhi looked at one another, then embraced each other. Kay quietly slipped over to the almost-burning food and placed it on the table. As Rhoen reached for some, she slapped his hand. "Wait 'til they're done celebrating." He nodded.
"This is so wonderful!" said Ivan, holding her tight. "After all this time… Finally!" They kissed just as Sheba entered the room. She stood and watched the pair in wonder. Feizhi finally noticed her, released her husband, and walked over to Sheba.
"Sheba, you won't believe it! I'm… I'm going to have a baby!" Sheba stood, eyes wide as saucers, jaw dropped, face the perfect mask of disbelief. "I know! That's what I was thinking too, but it makes sense. Every time I saw a woman with a baby back home, she'd had morning sickness for a while before that. I guess I just forgot." Sheba recovered from the initial shock and gave Feizhi a tight squeeze.
"That's great," she said, smiling. "So, what's for breakfast?" Kay motioned to the table. "Hm, I think this is the eighth day we've had this. Not that I'm complaining," she added hastily, "I'd just like something different sometime soon."
Kay smiled and piled some of it on a plate, handing the plate to Sheba. "Well, maybe if you got up, you could cook something else." She rolled her eyes and smiled. Everyone in the house knew that there were only two good cooks in the house, and one of them didn't like to wake up before seven in the morning.
Feizhi motioned threateningly with the spoon. "Did I hear a complaint?" she asked, tapping her hand with the instrument. Sheba shook her head rather violently. "Good. I'd hate to think someone might not like it…" she said, trailing off as she motioned with the spoon.
"You know, I think you could hold your own against some of the things our group's been up against," said Ivan. "All you need to do is knock them about with that spoon." She smiled at him, the kind of smile that says "That's not true, although flattery will get you somewhere." He shook his head. "No, I mean it. You could have given Dullahan a thorough smashing with that thing." He and Sheba shivered at the name of the villain. That thing did not go down easily. I wonder if it even died… I think it's still there, living, cursing us with every breath… Another shiver wracked his body.
"Let's begin eating," said Kay, noticing Ivan's condition. "We'll forget all about that for now. If you want to talk about it later, we'll give you the chance, Ivan. Let's just eat." Nodding and smiling, Ivan and Sheba started eating rapidly, trying to halt the images that were rising in their minds. The others quickly followed suit.
XIII
Mia got up around 8:00. Now that she was no longer on the road or the only healer, she felt she could take things easy. She got up and began making herself some breakfast, noting that Isaac and Jenna were still asleep. As she passed Garet, sleeping on the couch, she thought back to a few days before. What was he trying to say? she asked herself as she walked into the kitchen. I mean, he was going to say something. But what? She grabbed some ingredients and a rather large mixing bowl. As she made her breakfast, she hummed to herself.
The humming, as usual, woke Garet, who had been dreaming about Mia. I should've done it, he thought as he woke up. I should've asked her. But I just couldn't, not with all this trouble. Not with Alex still up and alive. No, I couldn't have. He walked into the kitchen. "Good morning, Mia. Sleep well?"
"Well," she said, "considering that nobody woke up screaming for me in the middle of the night, yes. Honestly, I like helping people, but sometimes… Sometimes, it was just too much for me. Well, at least there's two healers now," she said, turning to the mixing bowl. "I'm making pancakes. Want some?"
"Yeah," he said. "Um… can I do anything to help?" He knew the answer already. She would say, "No thanks, Garet, I can do it all on my own."
Which is why her answer today surprised him. "Well, I suppose you could start the ovens." He nodded quickly and used a trickle of Psynergy to light the stovetop. "Thanks," she said, turning to him and smiling.
At this point, she would usually pick out the pans she used to cook the pancakes. Today, however, she stood and looked at him. "Garet," she asked, "what were you going to say? I mean, a few days ago, you acted like you were going to say something, but you didn't. What was it?" He turned and looked off to the side.
"Well, I was going to… But times are just too rough… I couldn't… But I want to…" He struggled with the words. She knew something was making him like this. He wasn't normally this jumpy, and he usually finished his sentences, even if he didn't always say the right thing. "Well… I might as well say it. I was going to ask you to marry me, but… things are just too hectic, and I got nervous," he said, finishing in a poor attempt to excuse something that he obviously found inexcusable.
Mia's eyes nearly popped from her skull. "You… really? But… you didn't." Garet turned his gaze further away. "Garet, why? If you care enough that you would ask that… But why didn't you?"
"Things are just… There's too much going on! And now, I'm not even sure what's going on anymore. I can't ask, because the only ones that would attend would be my parents, Aaron, Isaac, Jenna, and Jade. The others just… They'd be really angry if certain people came, and really crushed if I didn't invite them. And I don't want to alienate my friends." He turned to face her, and knelt. "I'm sorry I didn't ask before, but I guess that hurt both of us. I beg your forgiveness." He bowed his head in shame.
"Concerned about alienating your friends… Well, alienating people is easier than making friends with them. I forgive you your error." She grabbed one of his hands and pulled him up, then embraced him. "Garet…" He held tight to her. "You know how I feel about you. I'll always feel that way. I can't help it, and even if I could change it, I wouldn't." She kissed his cheek. "You're just… you're so concerned about others that you don't look after yourself." That's why you need me. I could look after you, keep you safe. But you're afraid. Why, Garet? Why are you so afraid? It was a somber moment, both of them in each other's arms, neither saying anything, both worried about the changing world around them.
Well, Garet was worried about the changing world. Mia was worried about Garet's tendency to want to keep everyone he knew from harm. Instinctively, he held her close, trying to protect her. She pressed her ear against his neck, almost as if he were a patient. His heart was racing, although Mia couldn't tell if it was worry or hormones. She decided it was the former. "Mia… What I said a couple weeks ago was true. I missed you, and I don't want to miss you ever again. I just…" Words failed him, as was the case most of the time.
She smiled softly at him. The smile eased some of his worries slightly. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." She raised her hands up his back to his neck. "You, on the other hand, should have cause for concern. You're going through a save-everyone-in-the-world phase again." He almost laughed at that. Almost.
"Well, I want to make sure the world is safe. Are you?" That was the most straightforward way he could put it without just plain saying "you are my world." She blushed and tried to look away. "What? Do I have bad breath or something?" He rubbed his cheek against hers. She smiled sadly at him.
The sound of something sizzling on a griddle made them both jump. There was Isaac, smiling at them. "Well, since you two were preoccupied with each other, I thought I'd make some pancakes. How many do you want?" They smiled at him.
XIII
Felix woke to the sounds of something frying. "Huh-who-wha?" he said, startled.
"We're havin' bacon an' eggs for breakfast, Dad! C'mon, Mom says you need to get up now!" His two sons were tugging on his arms. Wil shouted a little more, just to get the point across. "If you don't come an' eat, Uncle Piers is gonna eat it all up! Mom told us t'tell you that!"
Felix chuckled. "Alright, I'm getting up, you little cretins." Swinging himself into a sitting position, he stretched a little before going into their kitchen. "What time is it?" he asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
"About nine, sunshine," came a familiar voice from the general direction of the sound of bacon frying. "It's about time. I thought warriors were up at the crack of dawn, getting ready to work." Hama laughed.
"Actually, dear, those are farmers. Warriors typically nab all the rest they can, then go out adventuring and partying until midnight rolls around and they go on guard duty." She smacked him lightly upside the head. "What? It's the truth." He looked about. "Say, where's Piers?" he asked.
"Oh, he said something about going out for a walk and went off." She put a rather large breakfast platter on the table. "And don't even think about it. That's mine. Yours is a fried egg, a slice of toast, and two pieces of bacon. If I notice anything missing…" She turned and knocked her son's wrist with the wooden spatula she was holding. "Wilym, don't take anything either. Same goes for you, Josef." The shorter twin nodded as he laughed at his brother. For that, he received a rap on the wrist as well. "And don't mock your brother," she said, staring him in the eye.
Felix looked at his sons. "Boys, I think your mother runs a tighter ship than I ever did." She turned and smiled at him. "Another piece of toast?" he asked hopefully.
"No," she answered simply as she pulled his plate together and dropped it in front of him. "Eat fast; I want you to follow Piers. He's hiding something; every time I tried to read his mind, he changed his thoughts. And don't ask how I knew; ask Sheba or Ivan." He said nothing, eating his hearty breakfast before going out to see what Piers could possibly up to this early.
XIII
Noon. Not really high noon, because that's just… well, it's a bit out of place in this setting. Rhoen and Piers had both left their houses. And when two people are actively looking for each other, they're sometimes unable to find each other, mainly because they just keep missing each other. Well, that was happening in Vale, and considering that there were several larger cities in Angara now, this would seem rather odd to most people.
But it was true; Rhoen couldn't find Piers, and Piers couldn't find Rhoen. And this was fortunate for Vale, since the two were looking for each other so that they could settle a score – preferably by a fight to the death. Actually, they hadn't considered any other way.
So it was rather bad timing that pushed them together at noon. Felix had managed to find Piers, and Ivan had been following Rhoen all day – or at least since the older man had left the house. And now, they had run into each other. Felix and Ivan went off to talk, mainly because they didn't want to witness their two companions beating each other into a bloody pulp. So instead, they went to the pub that had just been erected next door to the inn.
Rhoen and Piers glared at each other. Piers moved for his longsword, Rhoen for his flail. "So," said Rhoen, looking at the Lemurian.
"So," replied Piers, nodding. The sound of a sword being drawn from a sheath could be heard. "It's time."
"Yes." The faint rustle of a cloak was also heard at this time. His fingers gripped the handle of the flail, twisting tight around it. "It is. Who moves first?"
"We strike as soon as we feel like it." With those words, the two jumped for each other. Steel flew, iron twirled, both seeking blood.
CLANGG!!!
XIII
((Outside the CharLab))
Rand: to himself How this guy manages to write a cliffie while being investigating something in the CharLab?
Eshli: There's a computer in there. How do you think he manages to type while creating OCs?
Rand: Oh. I wonder if he's coming out soon.
Gannon: Who knows?
Alex: Who cares? So long as he's in there, we have free reign over the FreekLair.
Nynaeve: knocks Alex on the back of the head with a staff Not so long as I'm here, bud. Well, review. That or I do the same to you.
Alex: Owww…
Rand: But it's only five reviews!
Nynaeve: He gets like this when he's got more than three reviews. Haven't you realized this yet? Well, let's get to the responses before he dies of happiness.
REVIEW RESPONSES:
Mesoforte: Good question, but I can't answer it right now. Here's a hint: Alex did build the thing, but its present purpose was shaped by Alchemy... Thanks for reviewing.
Ral: Well, strange was what I was going for. Now, on to the predictions! Most of the questions you raise will be answered, but most of them are good. As for the chips, do you really think Alex is going to drown himself in stone? No, he's the one tossing the chips. Here's a hint: That means he's responsible for the consequences outlined by the board. And congratulations on being the only one to fully analyze the board! That makes me feel so happy.
Rain Child: Yes, and the CENSORED thing cut off half of my review. Listen, don't quit! You're a good author – a damn sight better than myself, if I do say so. Anyway, thanks for the review.
Joker: Well, you're just going to have to guess at most of it. As for something that happens soon... Soon isn't the word I'd use. More like eventually. Thanks for reviewing, man, and have fun on your vacation!
PlutoAdept: If you don't like a story, and it's not horribly written, then why review it? Come to think of it, that review sounded like a flame. uses IGNORE Cannon
Allexandra: It was meant to be confusing. Thanks for the review.
END RESPONSES
8BTFreek: And that, my friends, is why you never provoke the destructive powers of 8BTFreek, Lord of the FreekLair (c).
Nynaeve: rolls her eyes Well, can we get on? Freek doesn't own Golden Sun, although for some strange, screwed up reason he created Q'tlataresh and the Q'tiil...
8BTFreek: I heard that! Anyway, on with the fic! And… What was that noise? goes off to check mysterious crash in FreekLair
Chapter 13: A Day in the Life, or Just Another Day
Rhoen walked out of his room at the usual 5:00 AM. He'd gotten used to the Adepts' sleeping schedule, although it still confused him. How could people sleep at five in the morning? The air was so fresh, the sky still held the beautiful shades of dark they called night, and the quiet was perfect for settling oneself in the depth of thought. From a room over, he could hear Feizhi groaning as she got up. For some reason, she had been getting sick in the morning for the past week, so she was always there to greet him. "Uh, good morning?" he asked as he looked toward the source of the noise. Her head was bent over the kitchen sink.
As she raised it, she smiled weakly. "Hello, Rhoen," she said before her cheeks bulged and she had to bend over the sink again. An unpleasant sound came from the general direction. "Maybe I ought to take Kay up on her advice," she said during a pause. "Tell her what's going on." She barely got the word "on" out before she had to bend back over the sink. A horrid stink was now coming up from the sink, filling the room.
It was this that woke Ivan more than the noise. "Gods," he said, sitting up in plain view of the two. "What on Weyard is that smell?" He got up and walked out of "his" room. "Oh, that. Feizhi, will you please ask Kay what's going on? Maybe then we'll know how long this will last." Feizhi straightened up, then nodded.
"Well, at least it's over for now. Gods, I feel like I emptied out my insides in there. Come on in, dear, I'm just rinsing out the sink." She dragged the washbasin outside and emptied the contents onto the ground, then washed it out with water from the well. Dragging it back inside, she nodded at the two men. "Now then, what time is it?"
Rhoen looked out the small kitchen window. "About 5:00. Ivan, do you know how to cook?" He knew the answer already, but he got a kick out of hearing Ivan's aggravated groan. Sure enough, Ivan groaned, an 'urgh' that sounded like he wanted to throw up.
"No, no, no. Do you have to ask that question every morning? I'm tired enough as is, and that will only mean that instead of formless gray blobs, you'll get formless ash blobs. Ah, but Feizhi can cook, can't you, dear?" She smiled and nodded. Getting out some ingredients, she began to make a dish from her homeland. "That, my friend, is what she made for breakfast the first day after she arrived in the Palace. And it is that dish that I have been eating for breakfast for the past three years without complaint."
She turned around and grinned at them. "That's only because you know that if you did complain, you'd wind up with this spoon in your skull," she said, waving her spoon at him, mock-sternness gracing her voice. Ivan muttered something in disagreement, but she was no longer paying attention. She worked at a cutting board, chopping up several vegetables, as well as some chicken she'd found from leftovers from the night before. Soon, a delicious aroma was wafting from the cooking area. She quickly lit a fire and began to cook the "breakfast," which was more like a lunch.
Rhoen voiced this opinion. "You know, most people just make a slice of toast or something for breakfast." Ivan shot a look at him. Rhoen returned the look. "Of course, you usually end up burning the toast, don't you, Ivan?" Both men laughed at this comment, which was made funnier by the fact that it was true.
"Yes, he does," said Feizhi, testing the food with her large wooden spoon. "He burns toast, he burns eggs – I think he caused some bacon that he'd been making for breakfast to catch fire once, I told him all that grease would burn if he held it over the flames…" She trailed off. "But he does chop a mean apple." She turned to face them, and the three all burst into laughter.
Laughter that, for the seventh day in a row, was loud enough to wake the other two inhabitants of the house. Sheba got up grumbling, but Kay actually gave a muttered oath. "Damn it, you three, do you have to wake us up like this?" Grumbling further as she got up and shuffled to the kitchen, she couldn't help but smile at the delicious smell that came her way. "Ready to take me up on my offer yet, Feizhi?" Feizhi gave what was unmistakably a nod, adding, "Ivan will tell you what's going on." Kay turned her gaze towards Ivan.
"Well, you see… she's been getting sick in the mornings. Actually, I'm surprised the pungent fumes haven't been waking you up." He shrugged. "I think you noticed her appetite, too… Um, how long is this going to last?" Kay looked at him, a look that seemed to say "You don't know what's going on?"
Kay smiled at him. "Well, I can't give an exact time, but… I'd say about nine months." Ivan's jaw dropped. "Eight or nine months, then it's all over. Congratulations." Feizhi turned towards them, the spoon hanging loosely in her hand.
"Nine months… nine months…" Ivan muttered it. Feizhi was confused as well. "Nine – wait a minute… What's so important about that again? There's something…" His face assumed an expression of pure concentration.
"Honestly," said Kay, "are you two that thick? Feizhi, congratulations. You're pregnant." The pair turned towards her. "And before you ask, yes I'm sure. Jenna was the same way before Jade was born." Ivan and Feizhi looked at one another, then embraced each other. Kay quietly slipped over to the almost-burning food and placed it on the table. As Rhoen reached for some, she slapped his hand. "Wait 'til they're done celebrating." He nodded.
"This is so wonderful!" said Ivan, holding her tight. "After all this time… Finally!" They kissed just as Sheba entered the room. She stood and watched the pair in wonder. Feizhi finally noticed her, released her husband, and walked over to Sheba.
"Sheba, you won't believe it! I'm… I'm going to have a baby!" Sheba stood, eyes wide as saucers, jaw dropped, face the perfect mask of disbelief. "I know! That's what I was thinking too, but it makes sense. Every time I saw a woman with a baby back home, she'd had morning sickness for a while before that. I guess I just forgot." Sheba recovered from the initial shock and gave Feizhi a tight squeeze.
"That's great," she said, smiling. "So, what's for breakfast?" Kay motioned to the table. "Hm, I think this is the eighth day we've had this. Not that I'm complaining," she added hastily, "I'd just like something different sometime soon."
Kay smiled and piled some of it on a plate, handing the plate to Sheba. "Well, maybe if you got up, you could cook something else." She rolled her eyes and smiled. Everyone in the house knew that there were only two good cooks in the house, and one of them didn't like to wake up before seven in the morning.
Feizhi motioned threateningly with the spoon. "Did I hear a complaint?" she asked, tapping her hand with the instrument. Sheba shook her head rather violently. "Good. I'd hate to think someone might not like it…" she said, trailing off as she motioned with the spoon.
"You know, I think you could hold your own against some of the things our group's been up against," said Ivan. "All you need to do is knock them about with that spoon." She smiled at him, the kind of smile that says "That's not true, although flattery will get you somewhere." He shook his head. "No, I mean it. You could have given Dullahan a thorough smashing with that thing." He and Sheba shivered at the name of the villain. That thing did not go down easily. I wonder if it even died… I think it's still there, living, cursing us with every breath… Another shiver wracked his body.
"Let's begin eating," said Kay, noticing Ivan's condition. "We'll forget all about that for now. If you want to talk about it later, we'll give you the chance, Ivan. Let's just eat." Nodding and smiling, Ivan and Sheba started eating rapidly, trying to halt the images that were rising in their minds. The others quickly followed suit.
XIII
Mia got up around 8:00. Now that she was no longer on the road or the only healer, she felt she could take things easy. She got up and began making herself some breakfast, noting that Isaac and Jenna were still asleep. As she passed Garet, sleeping on the couch, she thought back to a few days before. What was he trying to say? she asked herself as she walked into the kitchen. I mean, he was going to say something. But what? She grabbed some ingredients and a rather large mixing bowl. As she made her breakfast, she hummed to herself.
The humming, as usual, woke Garet, who had been dreaming about Mia. I should've done it, he thought as he woke up. I should've asked her. But I just couldn't, not with all this trouble. Not with Alex still up and alive. No, I couldn't have. He walked into the kitchen. "Good morning, Mia. Sleep well?"
"Well," she said, "considering that nobody woke up screaming for me in the middle of the night, yes. Honestly, I like helping people, but sometimes… Sometimes, it was just too much for me. Well, at least there's two healers now," she said, turning to the mixing bowl. "I'm making pancakes. Want some?"
"Yeah," he said. "Um… can I do anything to help?" He knew the answer already. She would say, "No thanks, Garet, I can do it all on my own."
Which is why her answer today surprised him. "Well, I suppose you could start the ovens." He nodded quickly and used a trickle of Psynergy to light the stovetop. "Thanks," she said, turning to him and smiling.
At this point, she would usually pick out the pans she used to cook the pancakes. Today, however, she stood and looked at him. "Garet," she asked, "what were you going to say? I mean, a few days ago, you acted like you were going to say something, but you didn't. What was it?" He turned and looked off to the side.
"Well, I was going to… But times are just too rough… I couldn't… But I want to…" He struggled with the words. She knew something was making him like this. He wasn't normally this jumpy, and he usually finished his sentences, even if he didn't always say the right thing. "Well… I might as well say it. I was going to ask you to marry me, but… things are just too hectic, and I got nervous," he said, finishing in a poor attempt to excuse something that he obviously found inexcusable.
Mia's eyes nearly popped from her skull. "You… really? But… you didn't." Garet turned his gaze further away. "Garet, why? If you care enough that you would ask that… But why didn't you?"
"Things are just… There's too much going on! And now, I'm not even sure what's going on anymore. I can't ask, because the only ones that would attend would be my parents, Aaron, Isaac, Jenna, and Jade. The others just… They'd be really angry if certain people came, and really crushed if I didn't invite them. And I don't want to alienate my friends." He turned to face her, and knelt. "I'm sorry I didn't ask before, but I guess that hurt both of us. I beg your forgiveness." He bowed his head in shame.
"Concerned about alienating your friends… Well, alienating people is easier than making friends with them. I forgive you your error." She grabbed one of his hands and pulled him up, then embraced him. "Garet…" He held tight to her. "You know how I feel about you. I'll always feel that way. I can't help it, and even if I could change it, I wouldn't." She kissed his cheek. "You're just… you're so concerned about others that you don't look after yourself." That's why you need me. I could look after you, keep you safe. But you're afraid. Why, Garet? Why are you so afraid? It was a somber moment, both of them in each other's arms, neither saying anything, both worried about the changing world around them.
Well, Garet was worried about the changing world. Mia was worried about Garet's tendency to want to keep everyone he knew from harm. Instinctively, he held her close, trying to protect her. She pressed her ear against his neck, almost as if he were a patient. His heart was racing, although Mia couldn't tell if it was worry or hormones. She decided it was the former. "Mia… What I said a couple weeks ago was true. I missed you, and I don't want to miss you ever again. I just…" Words failed him, as was the case most of the time.
She smiled softly at him. The smile eased some of his worries slightly. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." She raised her hands up his back to his neck. "You, on the other hand, should have cause for concern. You're going through a save-everyone-in-the-world phase again." He almost laughed at that. Almost.
"Well, I want to make sure the world is safe. Are you?" That was the most straightforward way he could put it without just plain saying "you are my world." She blushed and tried to look away. "What? Do I have bad breath or something?" He rubbed his cheek against hers. She smiled sadly at him.
The sound of something sizzling on a griddle made them both jump. There was Isaac, smiling at them. "Well, since you two were preoccupied with each other, I thought I'd make some pancakes. How many do you want?" They smiled at him.
XIII
Felix woke to the sounds of something frying. "Huh-who-wha?" he said, startled.
"We're havin' bacon an' eggs for breakfast, Dad! C'mon, Mom says you need to get up now!" His two sons were tugging on his arms. Wil shouted a little more, just to get the point across. "If you don't come an' eat, Uncle Piers is gonna eat it all up! Mom told us t'tell you that!"
Felix chuckled. "Alright, I'm getting up, you little cretins." Swinging himself into a sitting position, he stretched a little before going into their kitchen. "What time is it?" he asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
"About nine, sunshine," came a familiar voice from the general direction of the sound of bacon frying. "It's about time. I thought warriors were up at the crack of dawn, getting ready to work." Hama laughed.
"Actually, dear, those are farmers. Warriors typically nab all the rest they can, then go out adventuring and partying until midnight rolls around and they go on guard duty." She smacked him lightly upside the head. "What? It's the truth." He looked about. "Say, where's Piers?" he asked.
"Oh, he said something about going out for a walk and went off." She put a rather large breakfast platter on the table. "And don't even think about it. That's mine. Yours is a fried egg, a slice of toast, and two pieces of bacon. If I notice anything missing…" She turned and knocked her son's wrist with the wooden spatula she was holding. "Wilym, don't take anything either. Same goes for you, Josef." The shorter twin nodded as he laughed at his brother. For that, he received a rap on the wrist as well. "And don't mock your brother," she said, staring him in the eye.
Felix looked at his sons. "Boys, I think your mother runs a tighter ship than I ever did." She turned and smiled at him. "Another piece of toast?" he asked hopefully.
"No," she answered simply as she pulled his plate together and dropped it in front of him. "Eat fast; I want you to follow Piers. He's hiding something; every time I tried to read his mind, he changed his thoughts. And don't ask how I knew; ask Sheba or Ivan." He said nothing, eating his hearty breakfast before going out to see what Piers could possibly up to this early.
XIII
Noon. Not really high noon, because that's just… well, it's a bit out of place in this setting. Rhoen and Piers had both left their houses. And when two people are actively looking for each other, they're sometimes unable to find each other, mainly because they just keep missing each other. Well, that was happening in Vale, and considering that there were several larger cities in Angara now, this would seem rather odd to most people.
But it was true; Rhoen couldn't find Piers, and Piers couldn't find Rhoen. And this was fortunate for Vale, since the two were looking for each other so that they could settle a score – preferably by a fight to the death. Actually, they hadn't considered any other way.
So it was rather bad timing that pushed them together at noon. Felix had managed to find Piers, and Ivan had been following Rhoen all day – or at least since the older man had left the house. And now, they had run into each other. Felix and Ivan went off to talk, mainly because they didn't want to witness their two companions beating each other into a bloody pulp. So instead, they went to the pub that had just been erected next door to the inn.
Rhoen and Piers glared at each other. Piers moved for his longsword, Rhoen for his flail. "So," said Rhoen, looking at the Lemurian.
"So," replied Piers, nodding. The sound of a sword being drawn from a sheath could be heard. "It's time."
"Yes." The faint rustle of a cloak was also heard at this time. His fingers gripped the handle of the flail, twisting tight around it. "It is. Who moves first?"
"We strike as soon as we feel like it." With those words, the two jumped for each other. Steel flew, iron twirled, both seeking blood.
CLANGG!!!
XIII
((Outside the CharLab))
Rand: to himself How this guy manages to write a cliffie while being investigating something in the CharLab?
Eshli: There's a computer in there. How do you think he manages to type while creating OCs?
Rand: Oh. I wonder if he's coming out soon.
Gannon: Who knows?
Alex: Who cares? So long as he's in there, we have free reign over the FreekLair.
Nynaeve: knocks Alex on the back of the head with a staff Not so long as I'm here, bud. Well, review. That or I do the same to you.
Alex: Owww…