Kinderling 19

While the others were packing, I made my way to one side to be out of the way and spend some time with Smoke.  Smoke had been awful quiet, mostly napping in my pack, and I was worried that I had done something wrong.

*"Nothing like that dear one, just too many new people."*

I could respect that.  I didn't like dealing with new people either.

Mama made her way over after a while, "Tandy, Zon says you have a new familiar."

"Yes Mama, her name is Smoke."

To my surprise, Smoke walked over to Mama and accepted scratches and pets.  I guess she wasn't as shy as I thought.

*"Your Mama smells nice."* 

"By the way Tandy, I have something for you."  Mama said as she pulled  an old bag out from behind her.  It took me a moment to recognize it.

"My bag of tricks!  I thought you threw all that away!"  I exclaimed.

I looked inside and sure enough, it looked like everything was there.  It had been years since I saw any of this stuff.

"I thought some of it might come in handy.  Creative destruction was always a talent of yours."  Mama said.  I would have to go through the bag and see if any of it was salvageable as soon as I had time.

It wasn't long before the group was ready to go.  There were nine of us now.  Me, Smoke, and Uncle Zon took the lead.  Of course we knew where we were going.  Then Mama, Tommil, and Adiz, Tommil's girlfriend.  Then Zenna, formerly of the militia, and Fendt and Toff from Uncle Zon's militia patrol brought up the rear.

My heart went out to Zenna.  She looked alone, like she didn't have anywhere to fit in anymore.  I was well acquainted with that feeling, and resolved to make an extra effort to befriend her when we got to The Outcropping.

I could tell that Mama was impressed by the passage through the brambles.  She even pulled out a small knife and cut off one of the nasty looking thorns and spent a good bit of the walk studying it.  

I also took some time while walking the bramble path to talk to Tommil and his girlfriend Adiz.

"So... how long have you two been dating?"  I asked.

Tommil just laughed.  "Tandy, Adiz and I have been dating for well over a year now.  You've just been too caught up in your own life to notice.  She even had dinner with us once... well... once when you were there.  Lots of times when you were off in the forest doing... whatever it is you do in the forest."

"Tommil!"  Surprisingly, Adiz came to my defense. "You told me yourself that Tandy just isn't comfortable around people, and you know exactly what she's been doing.  You yourself showed me that.. thing... whatever it was that you carved for her.  What ever happened to that thing?"

"You must be talking about the Go Stick!"  Now there was a topic I could get excited about.  "It FLEW!  It was so fast, and I could barely control it, but it FLEW!"

"Then it became a cloud of black dust." Tommil laughed.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Because that's what happens to all your most brilliant ideas." Tommil explained.

"What about the no-see-me's then?"  It was an old argument that Tommil and I had over and over.  

"How many of those went poof before you got it right?"

"Fair enough...  But I got it eventually.  They work a treat now!"  I replied.  Tommil was right though, there were a lot of failed attempts that went poof  before I finally got the no-see-me totems to both work and be stable enough to not just go poof after a few moments.

"Are you going to make another one?"  Adiz asked.

"Sure am.  If I ever get the time.  You want to try one out?"  I asked Adiz.

"Oh no."  She replied.  "I couldn't!  I'm not that adventurous.  I like my pottery just fine, but I know how you feel when things poof to dust.  A lot of my early pots did that."

"Adiz made that clay bowl that I use to preserve fresh fruit in Tandy." Mama interjected.

"Really?"  I was impressed.  "I love that thing!  It's so beautiful, and the enchantment on it is incredible!  I wish I could make beautiful things like that."

"Sadly, it is no more."  Mama explained.  "When the Gorfs invaded, it got smashed."

"Yea, right over a big Gorf's head!"  Tommil exclaimed.  "You should have seen her Tandy.  Mama was like a mad-woman!  The Gorfs smashed their way into the clinic, and Mama just started going to town on them.  Smashing one with the bowl, and another with that sculpture she keeps on the front desk.  Then out of nowhere she has a sword and is stabbing and punching and kicking and throwing things.  Next thing I knew, she was pushing me and three patients out the door and towards the mines.  Then Uncle Zon came."  It all came out in one long sentence, and Tommil was panting by the time he was done.  Poor Tommil really was still freaking out.

"There there."  Adiz patted Tommil on the head.  Heh!  "Breathe Tommil, it was all so exciting and terrifying, I know, but it's all over now.  You're safe."

To my surprise, Tommil actually calmed down.  

"I know, I just wish I could have helped.  I felt so helpless." I pretended not to notice the tears in Tommil's eyes.

"You did help Tommil.  You gathered the patients and even carried poor Maggerin on your back because she is old and couldn't walk."  Mama told him.  "That was very heroic.  You should be proud."

The idea of Tommil being heroic was a bit hard to swallow, but if he really carried Maggerin on his back through a village that was being overwhelmed by Gorfs, I guess I could give him that.  That took some real guts.

We arrived at The Outcropping in the twilight just after sundown.  The door opened at Uncle Zon's knock, so they must have been watching for us.  Tilly had a nice mushroom and root stew waiting that was incredible.  The mushrooms were plump, the root vegetables were soft, but crisp enough to not be squishy, and it was all surrounded by a luxurious gravy that I couldn't imagine how it was made.

"It's potatoes." Tilly answered.  "I cut them up small and boiled them down till they dissolved.  Then I cooked the rest of the stew in the potatoes as they thickened.  It takes a while, but it's worth it."

Worth it indeed!