Page 36 of Potions & Pints
Tan understood what Pili was saying and what he wasn’t. He was giving Tan a way to save face.
“We have to find my tribesmen so we can give them the weapons. But let’s eat first, okay? I’m mean, come on, we have to, right?”
Tan frowned at Pili, confused. “I wasn’t aware your tribesmen like to venture up here.”
Most water elves preferred their lives in the sea. Tan’s tribe in particular rarely left their watery home. Idrulo, and now Pili, were very unlike their brethren.
Evasively, Pili steered their conversation back towards the meal they could expect at the market — which Tan thought, privately, was far more than the fare warranted.
But the mindlessness of the chatter numbed Tan’s fear and he followed Pili off the ship. The rest of their band of merry—for now—men gave him a little cheer.
“The easiest way to the market is down the beach,” Tan said, leading the way.
He was careful to walk halfway between the water and the vegetation that crowded the shoreline. Luckily it was low tide so there was plenty of room. Hopefully the worst that would happen on the beach was they would come across a dead body, or twenty.
Tan walked slowly. The others were impatient. When they pushed ahead, Tan muttered a warning to stay in the middle of the beach. Vir slowed down and walked with Tan.
Tan could tell Vir was anxious to get to town. The fact that Vir wasn’t willing to leave Tan behind was a bright spot, but not enough to quelch Tan’s increasing dread.
“Do you think we could find a wizard here?” Vir said.
“It’s possible,” Tan said. He didn’t think it was probable, but he didn’t say that. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, it would be easier to get home if we had a wizard, right?”
Any human would work, and many were often kidnapped just to make the return trip, but Tan didn’t say any of that.
“I thought you wanted to be here,” Tan said. “You said it would be inspiring.”
“I thought it would be,” Vir said. “But now that we’re here…”
“You see that I am right?”
“Not, exactly.” Vir said. “No offense. I mean some things are bad, like the wall of skulls and the spider—oh.”
“What?”
“I didn’t want you to see the spider, it was—”
“I saw it,” Tan said. “I was hoping you saw it. It’s when you don’t see them that things go sideways.”
“But even that is inspiring, you see. It reminded me of an etherfly. They wrap and transform into something beautiful, don’t you think?”
Tan thought there wasn’t anything beautiful about being transformed into a giant arthropod’s lunch. Vir really was an enigma. The man could find the beauty in anything, literally anything.
“Why do you want to leave then?” he said, unwilling to break Vir’s illusions with a harsh dose of reality. “You’re finally having your grand adventure.”
“Don’t you know?”
“No.”
“Because you are miserable here. It’s obvious. And I can’t be happy if you are miserable.”
“Vir,” Tan said, stopping and turning.
“Wait,” Vir said.
Tan realized he must have misunderstood. Then Vir yawned and, to Tan’s great surprise, sat down.
