Vanya's Journals: An Evening MealThe only thing that separates this entry from the previous is Vanya's trademark star. You get the feeling she wrote this entry immediately following it. "Dinner is ready!" Katie called, carrying a few steaming trays of food into the room, layered on her arm. Reudh entered behind her, a tray in each hand. His clumsiness stood out in stark contrast to the graceful sweep of her arms as she placed her trays on the table, one after the next. "Sorry it took so long!" she apologized. "Reudh and the scythods offered us some of their food supplies, and I thought it would make a special treat for everyone." With that, she twirled and started back towards the kitchen for another set of trays.
"
Mon rithma!" Hawkins exclaimed, staring at his plate like a kid on his birthday. "
Real food!"
"It's really good!" Saemin chuckled through a mouthful.
Reudh sat his trays down carefully in front of John and Trebor, and then straightened, saying, "Potatoes, corn and salted pork! It's travel food, but you won't find better this side of the capital! I chose carefully." He started walking towards the kitchen, but stopped and looked over at me with a thoughtful, curious expression. "Vanya, what is the meat that the scythods gave us?"
I didn't know. "Whatever they caught last," I said, shrugging. "It's usually okay."
Reudh gave an uncomfortable nod and continued towards the kitchen, having some difficulty drawing his eyes away from me. He almost bumped into Katie, who was traveling back with another set of trays.
"Careful!" she laughed. "I don't want to drop it! We can't waste any of this. Here, take your plate," she said, turning her arm carefully towards him. He took it gratefully, and with a respectful nod, sat down across from me, next to Strohe. Katie sat a plate in front of me, and then another to my right. "This is mine," she whispered, and then left, rushing back to the kitchen.
I followed Katie with my eyes as she walked around the table, and then stopped as she passed behind Reudh. He was staring at me, fork in hand, as if he didn't want to believe what he was seeing.
"What is it?" I asked.
Reudh motioned towards my head with a finger. "That hat... where did you get it?"
I glanced around, unsure why he was asking. "From Jack Magnus, back at Spearbreakers... why?"
A worried frown flicked into view, but he tried to hide it. "Were you friends with him?"
I was beginning to feel worried, myself. "I guess you could say that... Why are you asking?"
He sighed and put his fork down. "I have some news that I regret I must tell you, dearest. Jack Magnus died last winter."
"
What?!" I exclaimed, a little too loudly. A few heads turned in my direction, and there was a lull in conversation from everyone else. After they started talking again, I said quietly, "What do you mean, 'Jack Magnus died'? He was one of the best soldiers in the fortress. He
couldn't have died." I didn't want to believe it. It couldn't be true. I wanted to believe that maybe Reudh was just lying to get rid of his competition.
Katie interrupted us, going around the table and setting a mug of beer in front of everyone. As she passed me, she whispered, "If you want water instead, I can get it for you."
I shook my head, so distracted that I hardly noticed her. "No, it's okay."
She nodded and left, walking back towards the kitchen with an empty tray.
A lump formed in my throat. "Reudh... that day I kissed you on the cheek... was that the day he died? Was
I the reason Jack Magnus died?"
Reudh shook his head roughly. "No, he died later that year! It was in the middle of a Spawn siege! He gave his life protecting the fortress. Quite gallantly, too, I might add."
I wanted to cry. "Did they at least give him a tomb?"
Reudh gave me a little smile. "Cheer up, sweet Vanya," he said softly. "He didn't stay dead." At my horrified expression, he added, "No, no! I don't mean he became a zombie! Not at all, my dear!"
That confused me even further. "Okay...?"
"From what I understand, someone named Draconit... Draconis?"
"Draconik," I prodded, as Katie sat down beside me and started eating.
Reudh nodded, picking his fork back up. "Yes, Draconik. Draconik brought him back, though he had a body made of metal. He died several more times after that, but Draconik brought him back to life each time."
I stared blankly, frowning with a corner of my mouth. "...What? A body of metal?"
Katie raised an eyebrow. "He sounds like a biomech. I didn't know dwarves have that technology," she said, popping a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth.
"...They
don't," I said slowly, picking at my corncob. "Draconik is from Parasol."
"Oh!" Reudh exclaimed. "That explains so much, then! I always wondered why he seemed such a queer dwarf."
This made Katie laugh. "You think Parasol is queer, do you?
We think
you're a little funny, too, or at least a little behind... though I'd
love to be in some of your battles."
John leaned forwards over his food to look around me. "Battle isn't as glorious as you think," he said distastefully.
"Says you!" Katie brushed her hair out of her eyes with her fingers. "All I ever get is guard duty. I lied about my age in order to join the army, and nobody will let me fight because I'm 'too inexperienced'. But you should see the Captain! She's
amazing with her swords!"
Trebor spoke up loudly from farther down the two tables. "She always preferred melee over range, and she got good at it, unlike Saemin over here, who's lucky if he hits the right barn, let alone the broad side of it," he joked, grinning and patting Saemin on the back. "And speaking of Saemin, you new guys should eat a bit faster!" he added pointedly, making sure we heard. "When he finishes his, he'll try to finish yours, too."
Saemin chuckled in a deep voice. "It's not my fault. I gotta eat more 'cause I'm so much bigger than you guys."
"He's telling the truth!" Hawkins offered, scarfing down a hefty forkful of pork.
Trebor nodded solemnly. "Just ask Hawkins, he's had his dinner go MIA more times than he can count. Granted, he can't count past five."
Laughing, Hawkins protested, "I was sick and delirious! Nobody would've known except you judged it funny to tape the whole thing."
"Your honor, I object!" Trebor said, raising a hand. "I
knew it was funny, and it was. Not quite as funny as when we stuck Jonah up that tree, though."
Jonah shook his head, smiling. "No, don't go dragging me into your grandiose festival of jokes."
"And why not?" Trebor grinned. "For a hobbyist astrophysicist, your fear of heights is toweringly funny, and your fear of water is drowning in irony. And what about you, Tames?" he asked, speaking to the man in the leather trench coat. "You've been awfully quiet all night. If you got shy, I can't imagine who you caught it from."
Tames shifted in his chair. "I prefer to listen," he said simply, crossing his arms behind his half-empty plate. "I do think you're going very far out of your way to impress the new girl, though," he added disapprovingly, nodding in my direction.
At his mention of me, I raised my eyebrows, awkwardly swallowing a mouthful of food. It had been a while since I'd eaten anything so good, and I think I was more focused on the food than their conversation.
"What? Trying to impress Hotlips? Of course not," Trebor said, smirking and waving a hand in front of him as if dismissing the thought. "What about you, though, pulling the 'strong but silent' act?"
"I do this
every night, Trebor," Tames said quietly. "Or have you not noticed?"
Jonah chuckled, glancing over at me. "I think you're absolutely right, Tames; he's definitely smitten with Vanya."
Tames gave a brief, forced smile of recognition.
"She's not looking for a relationship!" Reudh piped up, meeting my eyes for a moment. "She's said that very clearly! She's not ready." Nobody seemed to hear him.
Trebor grinned mischievously. "If I want to see 'smitten', Jonah, I'll have Saemin practice yoga within a mile of you. You'll be so smitten we'll have trouble peeling you from the wall, floor, or wherever else you happen to stop."
"He's not clumsy like that!" Katie burst out, defending him.
Saemin only laughed, shaking his head. "Naw, I am sometimes!"
Katie sat back, a frown troubling her face as she turned to me and quietly explained, "He's bad with melee weapons, but he's not as clumsy as Trebor says."
"Enough!"
Our heads turned towards the doorway to the trench as we all looked at Lieutenant Almory, who stood with her hands on her hips, fingertips gently brushing the hilts of her two swords.
"We have more important matters to discuss than whether or not Saemin Lo's yoga is dangerous." She sent a very pointed glare in my direction. "We've decided on a course of action."
Saemin set Hawkin's plate down in front of him quietly. "We're not gonna sit around anymore?"
"No. Tomorrow we'll be helping the scythods dig a large tunnel beneath the surface of the hill. Early tomorrow night, under cover of darkness, we'll move the railcannon to the other end of the trench."
"Uh, Captain," Saemin interrupted again, frowning, "I can't lift that..."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Of course not, which is why I said
we."
"Sorry, Captain." Saemin's head drooped slightly, and he popped the rest of Hawkin's pork into his mouth.
Tames folded his hands worriedly and asked, "Does this mean we're actually going to attack?"
"Yes it does," she answered, in a voice that belied her feelings on my plan. "Tomorrow night, before dawn, you, Martin, Jonah and I will sneak over to Ballpoint's camp, get them angry, and lead them back here. We'll keep the energy shields down until they get too close, and we'll have the prototype mag-deflector running, since they don't know we have it. With the new manpower," she said, looking at John and Reudh's party, "we'll be able to cause enough damage to cause Ballpoint to pull back from the portal. Eventually, we may be able to retake it."
"Gearbox isn't working, though, Captain!" Katie cried out in dismay. "Martin, I mean. I can't figure out how to fix him, and there's
no way I can do it in one day!"
"That's the Sleeper's job, not yours," Almory told her. "However... Katalina and Agent Carena, follow me. The rest of you, finish eating and hit the bunks. No late-night partying. I need you all well-rested for tomorrow." Saying this, she motioned for Katie and I to follow her as she left the mess hall.
As Katie and I stood, Tames got to his feet as well, saying, "It doesn't sound like this is going to work... I'm not hungry anymore." He seemed very concerned.
The three of us left the mess hall and entered the trench. Almory was waiting for us outside.
"Goodnight, Tames," she said pointedly, motioning for him to leave. As she did, I heard Hawkins in the mess hall, exclaiming about how Saemin had stolen his food.
"Good night, Captain." He nodded and began walking away.
Almory followed him with her eyes, folding her arms. After he was out of sight, she turned to Katie and I. "Sleeper, do you have any experience in magic?"
"Magic?" I asked excitedly. "Really??"
Almory's eyes bored into me impatiently.
I shook my head. "I've always wanted to learn," I offered helpfully, hoping I was going to learn.
From Almory's expression, I could tell that she'd been hoping to hear something very different. She groaned, looked at Katie and asked, "Katalina, how long would it take you to teach Agent Carena your deflection spell?"
Katie seemed embarrassed. "It's not one I use much," she said carefully, thinking. She seemed uncertain. "I guess maybe six or seven hours?" She frowned and looked down at Almory, who was a few inches shorter than she was.
Almory narrowed her eyes. "You'll do it in five."
"What's going on, Captain?" Katie asked, seeming worried. "Why does she need that spell in particular?"
"There's more to the plan than I told everyone else. Agent Carena's life depends on learning that spell. And you, Sleeper," she went on, "If you don't have 'Gearbox' fixed by tomorrow night, I'm turning you out. I expect you to fix him
first. If you really want to learn that spell, I expect you to hold up your end of the deal."
"Yes sir," I said quietly, keeping a calm facade. Inside, I wanted to jump for joy.
She nodded with mild approval. "Good. Katalina, I hope you left something for me. That food smells delicious."
Katie beamed. "It's in the temp regulator, Captain. I thought it might be a while before you got here, so I put it in there to keep it warm. I'll get it right out for you, okay?" She started back into the mess hall, watching over her shoulder.
Almory nodded, a gentle, loving smile tugging at a corner of her mouth. "All right, Katalina," she said. "I'll be in soon. You go on." After Katie left, she turned to me, her expression stern and serious once more, but she spoke quietly. "These people aren't just soldiers to me, Agent. I'm their lieutenant, but to them, I'm their captain, and to me, they're my family."
Her sudden change in demeanor caught me off guard. "I... I understand, sir..."
"Good," she said, and re-entered the mess hall.
Her gentleness and loving smiles were things I'd never expected to see from her, but it soon turned out I didn't know her as well as I'd thought.
The rest of supper was just as lively as it had been while Almory was away. While her soldiers respected her and feared her wrath, they enjoyed her company at the same time. Like any dwarf, she could hold her beer, and her jokes were as loud and racy as even Trebor's. They didn't
feel like soldiers when you were around them... they felt more like family, just as Almory had said.
It left me with a guilty feeling. I'd barged into their world uninvited, and upset their way of doing things. I was asking them to put their lives on the line, but my purpose wasn't to save them... it was to save myself, and get back to Spearbreakers. It was selfish of me, and it made me feel awful inside. I made a silent vow that I would do whatever I could to save all of them, no matter what happened in the end.
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Topic: [34.11] Spearbreakers - It shudders and begins to move (Read 2279013 times)