Chapter 10

Jaka 4

Gaige

The doctor turned out to be a wrinkled old lady with short grey hair, who after a checkup, gave Gaige a clean bill of health, other than her being worn down and in need of a good rest. Gaige agreed with her and headed straight to her room. Though when she got there, she found that she couldn't get to sleep. In the end it took seven margaritas and an hour of tossing and turning to finally black out.

She woke late in the next morning with a headache and hangover, not for the first time. She stumbled to the bathroom regretting her life choices, and then after getting dressed in a new set of clothes, made her way gingerly downstairs to the common room to get something for her head and because she knew that she needed to eat, even if the thought of it made her want to return to the bathroom.

She found it to be deserted, not that it was all that busy at the best of times, and found a seat in a dark corner to rest her head when Deathtrap floated over to deliver a bottle of pills for her head and a seltzer tonic for her stomach.

After downing both, she rested her head on the table, relishing in the feel of the cool wood against her cheek, until one of the staff came over to take her order.

"What'll it be miss?" he said in a way to loud voice "The special of the day is a fine blood sausage, made with the finest cuts of fatty Diomos in jellied blood stuffed into natural casings made from fresh Diomos entrails, while the head cheese is…" Gaige couldn't handle it and noisily threw up into a nearby plant pot.

The waiter stormed out in a huff almost hitting Wainwright as he entered.

"Breakfast not to your liking?" He asked snagging a bottle and a pair of glasses from behind the counter as he approached her table. "Little hair of the dog?"

"Couldn't take blood sausage, not even on a good day, and this ain't a good day." she said taking the glass from Wainwright and downing it. "Oh, that burns." she coughed.

"It is a bit of an acquired taste, I will admit. Made a new friend?" he inquired, indicating the pot being clasped to her side in case of a resurgence of regurgitation. She handed it over sheepishly and he gingerly took it and set it near the bar before wiping his hand on a handkerchief as he sat back down.

"Now then, while your friend whips up something for you to eat, why don't you tell me what seems to be the trouble. And it ain't the sausage."

Deathtrap made a growling noise and set off to make breakfast, something he found himself doing a bit much for a combat capable bot.

Gaige looked up at Wainwright with tired ringed eyes. "Well first off, I got a hangover so if you could keep it down a little until the pills take effect. Second, why do we still need pills for this? We've got Insta-Health vials, but we still haven't got a better cure for a hangover than pills? And third, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you do, it's what we were discussing yesterday before we got to the factory."

"How are things there by the way?"

"Fine. Brandibarry gave everyone the night off to recover and should have everything up and running by this afternoon, so everything should be ready by the time our hunters get back. Which gives us plenty of time to talk."

"Look I ain't laying on the shrink couch for anyone. No offense."

"Wouldn't dream of it. I had just thought we could have a nice polite conversation is all."

"About what? Artemis? My dad again? What's it gonna be today?"

"Do you want to talk about them? Probably not, so no, I was gonna talk about the future, and what you're plannin to do. You see Alistair is quite fond of you and has probably given your little friend quit the inquiry while they've been out. Me, I like you too, in my own way. Didn't get to talk to you much during all that hoopla around the wedding, what with me getting possessed and all. Not blaming you, the wedding was magnificent."

"Hoopla?"

"Would you prefer ballyhoo?"

"I'd prefer a word that made sense."

"And I'd prefer it if you quit trying to dodge answering the question."

"And I'd prefer it if you asked a question, or actually didn't."

"Fine then, here goes. What is it that's troubling you?"

"Fine, can't really talk about this to anyone else anyway, and don't you go telling anyone either, not even Sir Hammerlock."

"My my, askin me to keep secrets from my husband."

"Not what I'm saying, you know what, fine, tell him. But only him, and he can't tell. K?"

"Our lips are sealed."

"Fine. Here goes. I've been thinking of quitting the wedding planner gig. Actually been thinking about it for a while now. Heck I was thinking about quitting it even before I did yours. But I don't know what else to do, you know. And it's not like I don't enjoy it while I'm doing it, it's just that, well, I donno, it's like I don't enjoy it when I'm not doing it."

"Alright, a few questions for you, might help, might not. Let us start with what do you like about it?"

"That's easy, there's this moment, happens every time, at least on the ones that go right, where you can see that THIS is the moment that they will remember, that one perfect moment, might be when they first see the hall, lots of times it's when they take the vows, or when they turn and face the crowd as a new family, whenever but it's always there. The moment of pure bliss, the moment that they will remember for the rest of their lives, one perfect moment, and I helped make that happen."

"I understand. Truly that must be beautiful. So why do you want to quit?"

"Well there is the stress of it, the couples that can't agree on anything, she wants a local wedding but he wants a destination, he wants a small wedding but she wants to invite everyone she's ever met, to which kind of cake to have, it's exhausting. And then there are the weddings that nothing goes right, the hall is double booked, the bridesmaids got food poisoning, bandits are attacking the wedding venue, they used butter in the vegan cake, and on and on it goes.

"But most of all, have you ever felt like you were wasting your life? Like you weren't in the right place? That you just wanted something and you couldn't figure out what it was and that was slowly driving you mad? I mean I love mechanical engineering, I truly do, it's one of my favorite things, right up there but behind Deathtrap and a triple chocolate and berry Arogolian cake, so good, oh god I can't think of food right now. But anyway, there isn't enough action and death in it, mechanical engineering, not the cake, though I would kill for a slice, later, not right now. But, well I can't find the right job, you know. I mean, what combines mechanical engineering and destruction and death? If I could find that out maybe I'd have the perfect job, but until then I gotta keep paying the bills."

Alistair nodded "I understand, I think anyone would, so why do you want this kept hush hush? It's not like anyone wouldn't understand, and someone might be able to answer what job that is."

Gaige looked sheepishly down "It's Artemis. When we were going to Talion 6, she told me I should cancel, that it was a bad idea, and I said I had to, gave some excuse about my job and pride in doing it right and my reputation. If I turned around and told her that I had been thinking about quitting it just feels like an insult to her or something. Especially since she hurt herself defending me."

"There it is, you don't want to lose face in front of someone you care about."

"Would you? I mean if it was you and Hammerlock, wouldn't you not want him to think less of you?"

"True, but he's my husband."

"That's true, so what about Brandibarry?"

"Nope, but if it were Clay, I would, so I understand your point. But what are you going to do about it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you continue to travel with her it will come up eventually, especially if you take a hiatus from your job, which incidentally is what I am recommending that you do. I took one myself, does wonders for clarity."

"Well I do have a first meeting set for next week, but after that I am clear. Maybe deep down I was planning on taking a break to think about things anyway."

"So what do you plan on telling Artemis?"

"Telling her?"

"Well if you keep traveling with her won't she get suspicious that you have no more work? That you are taking a break?"

Gaige continued looking down as if she didn't know what to respond with.

"How long are you planning to keep traveling with her anyway?"

"I donno, she's probably got things to do, so we'll see?"

"Let me rephrase that. How long do you want to travel with her?" he asked as Gaige looked at him with a questioning shrug, so he continued "Until this is over? Until you get home? Until you're tired of each other? Or until there are no more stars left in the sky? Once you know the answer to that, I think you will have figured out what you really want from her. That said it looks like your breakfast is ready, so I'll leave you to it."

And with that he got up and left Gaige with more than some perfectly cooked eggs to chew upon.