Chapter 4 - Thornspire's Sash of Valor

Cabe escorted John Pandova and his mother out to her car after returning her long-missing husband's dog tags to her after the team's successful mission to Vietnam. Walter, Nathan and Paige watched them go. Walter spoke softly. "I understand closure now. I wasn't expecting to be affected by John's dedication to finding his father and the other's remains. I wasn't expecting his mother's devotion to her long-dead companion."

Paige stepped slightly closer to Walter and the backs of their hands touched briefly. Nathan's eagle-eyed gaze didn't miss the action nor Walter's reaction to it. The genius leaned toward Paige slightly as she spoke, still watching the door that the Pandovas had disappeared through only moments before. "Imagine that woman, all these years, keeping hope alive, never re-marrying. Never finding love again." Walter shuddered involuntarily as if the very thought were almost too much to bear.

The moment was broken when Ralph's panicked voice carried across the Garage, "Mom!"

Paige hurried across the room to find out what was wrong, leaving Walter and Nathan standing there alone, still considering the emotional events of the day. "Walter?"

"Yes?"

"I know you and Happy managed to rescue all of the sailors on the sub the day we met, but today, with that tornado bearing down on us, I just wanted to say, I've been in the field before with some real brave risk-takers and you... you can go toe to toe with any of 'em."

Walter shifted uncomfortably, he did not enjoy compliments. "Well, um, when you calculate the odds, the risks aren't so risky."

"No, you drove towards a tornado. There's no equation that makes that safe. Look, the point is, I was blown away by your willingness to do whatever it took to get the job done, but also to get your team home safely."

Walter grinned. "Well, we all were blown away. It was a major windstorm." Nathan looked at Walter strangely. "It's... that's humor…" Walter trailed off, perhaps he had misread the situation. He thought humor had been called for.

Nathan burst out laughing. "That's funny. I didn't know you had it in you, O'Brien, you're always so serious, but that was funny." He clapped the other man on the shoulder.

Walter waited for a moment to make sure the other man wasn't laughing at him, then joined in. "Paige is often encouraging me to be more humorous, particularly in social situations."

"Well, she's right, plus you really have a knack for it. Uh, look, you want to grab a meal?"

"I would. But I, um… I should really call that woman who came by earlier." Walter pulled his thoughts from Paige to Linda, where they should be, he should be interested in Linda.

"Linda. Right?"

"Yeah."

"Seems like a catch."

Walter nodded. "Yes. You know, I figure, logically, if I have the opportunity to have dinner with a smart, beautiful, kind woman, then I would be a fool not to."

Nathan studied Walter for a few moments before speaking. "You're talking about Linda, right? Not Paige?"

"Yes, of course, Linda." Walter wondered why that seemed unclear, Nathan appeared quite intelligent, it wasn't a complex topic of conversation.

Nathan gave him a look of surprise. "Have a good time, Boss."

"What about you, Nathan, any plans?"

Nathan watched as Paige shepherded Ralph out the door to her car followed close behind by Happy and Toby still merrily bickering about his spare hat hidden in the Garage that he retrieved as soon as they arrived back home. "Nothing comes immediately to mind. Probably just head back to the barracks for some shut-eye. Morning will come soon enough and I'm sure there will be another case. I hope everything goes well with Linda. Goodnight, Walter."

"Goodnight, Nathan, and good work today. It's good to have you on the team." Walter pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Linda's number as he climbed the stairs to his loft to call her in privacy.

Nathan looked around and spotted Sylvester trying to sneak past him in a cloak with a pointy wizard hat poking out from under his arm. "You wouldn't be off to the Warlock's Chest would you?"

Sylvester glanced around nervously. "You know about the Warlock's Chest?"

"Yeah, it's kind of a legend in Southern California. One of the first places you could buy the original Fantasies and Frolics game boards."

"You play Fantasies and Frolics?"

"Me?" Nathan chuckled. "Not really, but my little brother, Corey, started playing in middle school and I've been known to don a cloak and join a quest on occasion. Are you going to play tonight?"

"Yes, Kaldor had this Frolic planned for weeks, even with the case today, I couldn't let him down, so even though I'd love nothing more than a long hot shower and to sleep for ten hours, I'm going."

"He's one of your best friends," Nathan nodded. "You couldn't do anything less. I get that."

"I'm sorry, but if I don't leave now, I'm going to miss the bus…"

"Oh, I didn't mean to keep you, but if you don't mind, I could give you a ride, maybe tag along. It's been a while since I played, but if there's room in your fellowship, I'd love to play."

Sylvester was stunned. No one in the Garage had ever shown the least interest in one of his favorite hobbies. "If you're sure," Nathan nodded. "That would be great. It would give us a chance to hang out, get to know each other better." The two men climbed into Nathan's Homeland issue SUV. "Nice ride," Sylvester exclaimed. "Much nicer than Walter's old beater or Happy's truck. And Cabe's SUV is always littered with takeout bags and old disposable coffee cups."

Nathan shrugged. "Years with the Navy, I suppose. I'm used to running a tight ship. Even in my personal life. It's made me something of a neat freak."

"I can appreciate that."

Nathan chuckled. "I've noticed. You are a quirky lot. And you are extra quirky, my friend. How did you run into Walter?"

Sylvester blinked, watching the passing streetlights for a moment. He didn't want to tell the whole story, but also dishonesty didn't suit him. He thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "I didn't get along with my parents very well. They didn't really understand me. So when I was sixteen, I hacked a bank, stole a few thousand dollars, and ran away. Soon I was broke and alone and scared in a crappy motel room. Considering bad things. The bank's forensic analyst…"

"Walter," Nathan guessed.

"Yeah, Walter, tracked me down. Walter's the only person on earth who knows that story… and now you."

"Thank you for trusting me with it. It can't have been easy to share." Both men were silent for a moment, considering the words Sylvester had left unspoken. At last, Nathan spoke again. "And the bank? What did he tell them?"

"The bank still thinks I was never traced."

"That sounds like Walter. He's not big on authority." The serious mood was broken as both men chuckled at the patent obviousness of the statement. "I'm kind of surprised to see a guy like him running a successful government contractor business, to be honest. None of you seem the type. Paperwork and rule following don't really seem to be your strong suit."

"I don't think it would have worked out if Walter hadn't hired Paige to join Scorpion at the same time that we started working with Cabe and Homeland. Scorpion looked a lot different before she joined the team. Toby on the run from people he owed gambling debts to regularly. We were doing jobs and not getting paid. The bulk of our income, which wasn't much, was from Walter upgrading wifi for small businesses."

"I read your case files before I joined the team, at least the ones I had clearance to access. You guys are practically comic book superheroes. I guess civilization as we know it should all be grateful Paige joined the team." Nathan marveled.

"We thought Walter was doing her a favor when he offered her a job with Scorpion. But I think it was actually the other way around. Paige just naturally seems to bring out the best in people, even recalcitrant geniuses."

"I'll make a note of that, observe her interactions with the team more closely." Nathan pulled into the Warlock's Chest parking lot. "You wouldn't happen to have a spare cloak I could borrow, even a Badge of Honor would be appreciated. I don't want to walk in looking like a complete nub. Those guys will eat me for breakfast if they catch the barest hint of weakness."

Sylvester rummaged around in his satchel. "The best I can do is a Sash of Valor." He pulled out a purple satin sash with an embroidered lion rampant badge at the top. He pushed his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose and studied the sailor-turned-Homeland agent carefully in the lamplight of the parking lot. "You really know about this stuff. I half thought you were kidding when you wanted to come along, I wondered if it was some kind of joke or hazing ritual. But you know how to play Fantasies and Frolics."

"You bet I do! I would never joke about anything so serious as a quest to Eldermoor. Now do you want to keep Kaldor waiting or do you want to let your new elven companion, Thornspire join you on the Frolic?" Nathan asked as he fastened the Sash of Valor over his short-sleeved button-down shirt and ran his fingers through his slightly grown-out military buzzcut to make it stand on end. The two men exited the SUV and Sylvester placed his wizard hat jauntily on his head. "Thanks so much for letting me tag along. Now let's go take down some orcs!"

Nathan and Sylvester fistbumped then hurried into the brightly lit store and the two men were soon swarmed by geeky men and a couple of women in elaborate robes and costumes.