WOLVERINE'S WORLD - THE BARD
Of course, it was no problem for Rahne and I to track down Emma. We just followed her scent from where we'd last seen her. While we'd been visiting the Shield, Emma had found us a moderately-priced inn. I couldn't help but wonder how long our money would last if we kept spending it for rooms. On the other hand, our recent camping efforts were notable for having become quite extreme.
Maybe Emma had a point.
I was tired after my experience at the Shield. However, there were some comfortable chairs by the fire in the common-room of the inn. I planted myself in one and dozed off.
Emma woke me after an hour or so.
"There are two men who wish to see you," she told me. She seemed puzzled.
I looked around. Rahne wasn't anywhere to be seen. Her scent was also absent.
"She's off with David," Emma said in response to my unspoken question. "I made all of the appropriate threats on your behalf."
I nodded. Two men - one Folk and the other Blood - were standing just inside the inn's front door. Both had the weather-worn appearance of men used to working outdoors and with their hands. They also had a diffident, yet determined, look about them.
I gestured for them to approach.
"Good day, lord James," the Blood said respectfully. "My name is Kurt."
"My name is Isiah," added the Folk. "Kurt and I both hold lands here. And we seek your counsel."
The fact that one of the two holders was Folk was not unusual in those parts. It was a result of the long reign of the Captains. The local Folk farmers had a reputation for industry and innovation.
"What do you need of me?" I asked. Actually, I had a suspicion that I knew what was wrong.
Kurt glanced at Isiah and then answered for them both. "There is a boundary disagreement that we need settled. Your word is respected, honored seeker, so it has been suggested we speak with you about this matter."
Emma - standing quietly off to one side - was definitely giving me a confused look.
I raised an eyebrow in the direction of Kurt and Isiah. "And what does your lord have to say about this? I do not want to trespass on his prerogatives."
Isiah spoke up. "We have different lords. My lord is the Captain. Kurt's lord is Drake - a Blood who is not sworn to the Captain."
Ah. That could get difficult - the kind of difficult that might result in a pitched battle between samurai. And if their lords became involved in their disagreement, and violence was the result, there was no predicting the outcome. Both men could find their holdings devastated. Decades of hard labor might be undone in just a few days.
There's a saying: when buffalo fight, all who suffers is the grass.
"So you want the issue settled, but you don't want to start a war in the process," I said.
Both holders nodded simultaneously.
"It appears that neither one of you is an idiot," I observed - actually, they were both being quite responsible, "so why don't you settle this yourselves?"
"We're not fools, but many of our uncles and brothers are," the Blood said with a disgusted roll of his eyes.
Ah, the wonders of an extended family. This had become a clan issue to both sides. Some hotheads might not accept an otherwise reasonable decision unless it had the imprint of some kind of authority.
"It would be best if this was decided permanently," added the Folk. "If this judgement is made by a seeker of the Old One, it will be something that our families or lords will not revisit in a generation or so."
"And who better to make such a decision then one who knows the spirit of the Old One?" Kurt added.
That made sense. They needed an outside decision that had an aura of authority.
"Innkeeper?" I called over my shoulder.
The innkeeper approached us warily.
"These two holders have requested I render a judgement about a property-line." Then I paused and glanced at the two holders, seeking that they confirm my words.
They both nodded simultaneously. The innkeeper pursed his lips for a moment, and then nodded in return.
"The three of you are my witnesses that I make no claims upon the authority of either the Captain or lord Drake. I am simply discussing a minor issue with two local holders who wish to hear the wisdom of the Old One."
"Yes, honored one," all three men chorused. Kurt and Isiah both looked relieved.
"You have a map?" I asked the two farmers.
The Folk eagerly pulled a folded piece of paper out of his coat.
I glanced at the innkeeper. "We'll need some whiskey to smooth the negotiations. Something strong."
As the map was unfolded and the two holders began recounting a confused, generations-old history of competing claims and counter-claims, a bottle and three glasses appeared. Looking a bit surprised by what was happening,
Emma filled the glasses and passed them around.
It was well after midnight when Rahne returned to the inn.
I was back to dozing in a common room chair, but I opened an eye when Rahne entered. She nodded at me and curled up in the chair opposite mine. She was wearing the simple blue and white dress we'd bought as a replacement for her girlish tunic. And she'd finally started wearing the sandals that Dare had given her. It was odd how those two simple things combined to make her look a few years older. Now she seemed like a young woman, not an older girl.
Emma was upstairs, in bed. Rahne and I were alone except for the Folk innkeeper. He was sitting at a table, going over his daily accounts.
"Waiting for me?" Rahne asked mischievously. She'd relaxed quite a bit around me ever since the fight at the shrine. I assumed she'd finally realized that I wasn't interested in her as a bed partner.
I picked up a glass of whiskey that was on a small stand next to my chair. After I heard out Kurt and Isiah, I drew a line on a map for them. Then I directed Kurt to give Isiah some livestock to counterbalance a quality difference in the land that Isiah had pointed out. Both seemed satisfied - and relieved - with the decision. As recompense for my time, they gifted me with two bottles of the negotiating whiskey we had been drinking.
I was more than satisfied with their generosity.
"I was enjoying a drink and dozed off," I told Rahne as I held up my glass.
Rahne's nose wrinkled at the scent. She wasn't used to alcohol and so far had shown no particular interest in acquiring a taste for it.
Then I looked at her closer. "Are you wearing makeup?" I asked.
Rahne grinned impishly. "Emma has some makeup in her kit. She showed me a few tricks. David loved it - he kept telling me how pretty I looked."
Then she paused... watching me carefully.
I took a sip from my glass. "You look nice," I said mildly.
Rahne stared me for a long moment. Then she let out a sigh. "I was hoping you'd get mad and start yelling that I was wandering around town made-up like a common whore."
"You don't look like a prostitute," I pointed out. "And Emma did a subtle job with your war-paint. I trust her judgement with this sort of thing."
Rahne was quiet for a while, her head cocked in my direction and the light from the fire playing through her red hair, casting alternating patterns of red and yellow and dark.
It reminded me of the Phoenix.
I quickly banished that thought.
"So just who is Emma?" Rahne asked slowly. "She's not really a Folk servant."
That was a question I didn't particularly want to answer, but I also didn't want to lie. I took a moment to consider my options.
Then a higher power - I'm not sure which one - intervened on my behalf.
The door to the inn flew open. An elvish woman walked in, somehow making that simple deed look like a grand entrance. She was carrying a travelling satchel and a guitar case. Her traveling clothes had once been obviously expensive and fancy, but now they were more than a little worn.
She had all the classical features of an elf - a slender frame, yellow eyes, dark hair and skin, and three-digit hands and feet. And, of course, the infamous tail. Hers seemed to have an impertinent life of its own as it danced languidly behind her.
And she was beautiful.
Just as beautiful as I remembered.
"Innkeeper! Your finest room!" she called.
The innkeeper let out a long sigh - and carefully put the coins he had been counting back into a small strong-box and locked it shut.
"Same deal as always," he answered grumpily, "you perform for a night, you get one meal and a place to sleep in the stables. Any coins you earn are yours."
The elf dropped her satchel carelessly, her guitar case carefully, and then doffed her hat and gave the innkeeper a sweeping bow.
"Then I'm on for tomorrow night," she suggested after she straightened up. "I hope an advance on the meal and a place to sleep is a reasonable request?"
The innkeeper nodded towards the common pot. There was still some stew left. Then he took a bowl and a spoon from behind the bar and handed them to the elf.
"I'll perform nude if you toss in a hot bath," the elf finagled cheerfully.
The innkeeper just rolled his eyes. "You know we aren't that kind of place. But I can't have you stinking like a muskrat when you play - tell Sarah I said it was okay if you had a bath."
The elf nodded amiably. Then her eyes settled on me. And all of her grand excess seemed to flee.
"James," she said quietly.
I drained my whiskey, put the glass down, and got to my feet.
"Hello, Anna," I replied.
Anna took two long strides, grabbed me by the front of my new shirt, and dragged me in for a long kiss.
I put my glass in front of Anna and filled it to the brim. Anna took a long appreciative drink and then shoveled more stew into her mouth. The only thing Anna did delicately was her music.
"Who'ze tha?" Anna mumbled through a full mouth as she pointed a spoon at Rahne.
Rahne hadn't left. She was obviously hanging on every word of this particular conversation.
"Rahne, meet Anna. Anna, meet Rahne," I said resignedly. I was fairly sure that nothing good was going to come of this meeting.
Anna swallowed her food. Then she gave me a concerned look. "Oh, James! Tell me you haven't turned into one of those old fools who tries to reclaim their youth with under-aged bed partners!"
"No," I said through gritted teeth. Anna was good at getting that kind of reaction from me. "She's just traveling with me."
"You usually travel by yourself," Anna replied skeptically.
"A storm priestess made him do it," Rahne interjected helpfully. "He's with me and a really scary lady named Emma."
"Who's Emma?" Anna asked.
"She's supposed to be a Folk servant, but she's not," Rahne replied eagerly. "She's upstairs right now. She and James screw all the time."
Anna gave me a speculative look. "Is this Emma a possessive sort of woman? How does she feel about three-in-a-bed?"
"Anna..." I said warningly.
She just laughed. "Oh, don't you take the tone with me! Remember that time in Pawkips? When you caught me with that pair of ronin girls? And we invited you to join in? That was a night to remember!"
It would be undignified to suggest that I hastily changed the subject, but...
"What are you doing here?" I asked. "The last I heard, you were working the inns and taverns of the Shenda valley."
Anna shrugged, "The people up and down the Shenda river are a little too conservative for my taste."
"What did you do?" I asked resignedly.
"Nothing! Almost nothing! Another bard and I got in this contest to see who could deflower more of the local farm boys and..."
"Rahne, go upstairs," I said quickly.
"I really wanna hear this story," Rahne replied with wide eyes.
"Upstairs. Now." I gritted.
Rahne threw up her hands and stormed out of the room.
"Try not to corrupt her too much," I said to Anna.
Anna smiled and slid her glass - my glass actually - towards me. I refilled it from my bottle. Meanwhile, under the table, Anna's tail was coiled suggestively around my ankle. I wiggled it loose. That was how it always started, but then the tip of her tail would begin to work its way upwards...
Over Anna's shoulder, I could see Emma coming down the stairs. Rahne was peeking around the corner, making a series of gestures to me that seemed to be saying, "I didn't tell her anything!"
Emma was wearing nothing but her red and white kimono. Her eyes met Anna's. The temperature in the room dropped twenty degrees.
The innkeeper remembered that he had something else to do and left the room. I envied him his cowardice.
"My what a cute little servant-girl," Anna said with a wicked grin as she rested her chin on my shoulder. "Can I borrow her for my bath? I could use a good foot massage."
"I see you've found a new friend," Emma said to me in a very even tone of voice. "How much will she cost? Surely no more than a few coppers?"
"Introduce us, dear," Anna replied softly. Then she ran her long, long, tongue along the edge of my ear. I think I shivered from the memories that brought back.
"Emma," I said. "I'd like you to meet my wife."