Places To Be

Eric woke the next morning unrested, his thoughts still snagging on the kidnapping and what it meant that they had gone after Welyvyne too. He kept circling the same question: why her and not Kaelen or Lyren as well? Had Welyvyne been targeted because of the school bond, or was there more to it?

He rolled to one side, his hip still tight but stronger than it had been. After a few minutes, he decided to get up. He stood gingerly and noted, with some relief, that he could at least stay on his feet without wobbling too much.

He walked into the main room and found Welyvyne already up, seated at the desk with his armor laid out in front of her where he had left it the night before. She was flipping through books, her attention split between the pages and the chest piece.

“Any ideas about how I want to use the mana crystal?”

Welyvyne looked up and shook her head. “Nope. I think what you want is somewhere in the same area as empowering spells, like my staff, but you want to go further than that. You want the mana in the crystal to actually power your spells, right?”

Eric nodded. “Yes, that is the gist of it. More, I want most of the power to come from the crystal, but I don’t have numbers, really. How much can the crystal hold, and how much can I use at one time?”

Welyvyne looked down at the crystal and shrugged. “I am not sure, probably 20 mana, but that would be a rough guess based on how it feels, and the rule is ten percent. That applies to objects as well, Eric, not just people.”

“Well,” Eric sighed, “let me get washed up and dressed, and we can look for a place and maybe head to the library. I have a lot I want to do, and it feels like I don’t have time to do any of it anymore.”

“Hey,” Welyvyne said, stopping him. “You have time. You have friends. We’ll be okay, Eric. Don’t push too hard, okay? You just woke up from a coma, and you are still hurt. Slow down. Let us take some of the burden off you…” She hesitated. “I’ll… even let Kaelen help.”

Eric turned to her. “I just... I just need to be more prepared. I wasn’t, and that isn’t who I usually am. I like having plans, and I never planned on being helpless. I didn’t even know that I could be. My hubris nearly got me killed, and worse, nearly got you killed.”

Welyvyne just looked at Eric sadly, at a loss for words. He turned before the silence could stretch any further and stepped into the bathroom. After washing up and changing, he heard Lyren’s voice through the door.

Eric sat in the bathroom and realized just how much his hair had grown out. But more than the length, the color was wrong. It was no longer the dirty blond of his old life. It was solid black.

Why is my hair black? he thought. Just another thing this world changed. I hardly recognize myself anymore.

Eric stepped out of the bathroom to find Lyren and Welyvyne mid-conversation. He waved at Lyren. “Good morning, Lyren.”

Lyren glanced at Welyvyne, who only shrugged, and Eric had no idea what to make of that.

Eric looked between them for a moment, then frowned. Curiosity got the better of him. “What?”

Lyren stepped closer to Eric and looked into his eyes. “Are you up for this? You act like you’re okay, but I can tell you aren’t.”

Eric looked at Welyvyne and frowned. “You told her what I said, didn’t you?”

He looked back at Lyren. “I’m fine, and Welyvyne is right, I do have people.” He sighed and looked down. “I’m not good at needing people, and this isn’t easy for me, but...”

Lyren shook her head and cut in. “You don’t have to finish that sentence. Let’s go find a place we can call home.”

Eric’s eyes widened. “What do you mean, we can call home? Are you planning on living there too?”

Lyren laughed. “Of course I am. I didn’t join this group because I wanted people to work with. I joined it because this feels like it’s becoming a family, and besides, you need me there.”

She smiled at Welyvyne, but the expression faltered when her eyes flicked toward the door. “And... Kaelen too.”

Lyren headed for the door, and Eric looked to Welyvyne. She gave him a small nod, and the two of them followed.

The guards outside had changed. After Eric, Welyvyne, and Lyren passed them, the guards fell in behind. Eric kept glancing back at them, suspicion prickling at the base of his neck.

Lyren glanced back at Eric and smirked. “If you keep glaring at them like that, they’re going to think you’re planning something.”

Eric frowned. “I am planning something. It’s called noticing when strangers follow me.”

Welyvyne folded her arms. “Reasonable, honestly.”

Lyren laughed. “You two are impossible.”

Welyvyne looked down for a moment, then over at Lyren. “Hey, we need to make a stop at Grendar’s place on the way.”

Lyren smiled. “Sounds like a good plan. We can look for a bit after, then stop by Kyllian’s stall and get something to eat.”

Eric followed Lyren and Welyvyne into the blacksmith’s shop. Welyvyne headed straight for Grendar, who turned and smiled widely when Eric came through the door.

“Aye, if it ain’t Lord Eric. Glad ye’re alright, lad. Had me worried.”

Eric stopped in his tracks and chuckled. “Now don’t go saying that in public. And what’s with the sudden ‘Lord Eric’ thing?”

Grendar chuckled, his belly shaking. “Ye don’ know then? Ha. That’s what they’re callin’ ye in the streets now. Ever since that little spat and Kyllian callin’ ye Lord Eric, seems there’s enough of ‘em around here givin’ ye the title.”

Eric’s face fell, his eyes widening. “Oh no. No.”

He looked at Welyvyne and Lyren suspiciously. “Nope. Why did you two let this happen? This isn’t happening.”

Lyren just laughed, but before she could say anything, Grendar pointed at him. “Now don’ ye go blamin’ folk fer it. They could hardly stop that kind o’ momentum once it got its legs under it. Either way, lad, these watches o’ yours have been flyin’ off the shelf.”

Welyvyne shook her head, then looked at Grendar. “I just wanted to stop in for some coin.”

Grendar chuckled. “Oh, I’ve got some coin fer ye both, an’ ye three look like ye’re off on some kind o’ mission.”

Lyren grinned. “Actually, we’re looking for a place.”

Grendar’s brows lifted. “A place, eh?” He rubbed at his beard. “Well now, I may know of one. Been keepin’ an eye on a place not far from here. Good bones, fair spot.”

Eric narrowed his eyes. “You aren’t about to lead me into a dead-end alley, are you?”

Grendar stared at him for half a heartbeat, confused. Then his eyes widened. “Is that what happened tae ye, lad?”

Grendar frowned. “I’d heard rumors about what happened, lad, but only bits and pieces of it. When ye’re ready, I’d like tae hear the rest.”

Eric just nodded. “I’ll tell you, Grendar. You know I will, when I have time.” This time, when Eric smiled, it reached his eyes. “Maybe over some dwarven ale.”

Grendar nodded. “I’d like that, lad. Ahem, now fer the coin. I’ve been sellin’ them fer three Verdyn apiece, and near every one o’ that first batch has flown out the door. I’ve got one Auryl fer each of ye so far. I used some o’ the coin tae hire help and increase production. Hope ye donna mind.”

He rubbed at his beard. “And if ye want tae see the numbers, I’ll gladly show ye the books. Don’ want either o’ ye thinkin’ I’m up tae funny business.”

Eric shook his head. “I’ll start looking at numbers after we have our own shop. I trust you, Grendar. Not that I have much choice, but you’ve been pretty solid with us.”

Grendar nodded. “Speaking o’ shops...” He paused, then pulled out a scrap of paper and wrote something down. “Here’s the place I was mentionin’ before. It ain’t grand, but it’s one Auryl a moon cycle, which, aye, is a bit high. But ye can’t beat the yard. Figured ye might want somethin’ like it with a group like yours.”

Welyvyne took the paper and examined it. “It’s a bit far from the school, but it is on the other side of the market, not in the market, which is good. Why would you look at a place like this?”

Grendar smiled sheepishly. “Aye, ye got me. I was hopin’ tae get ye and Eric into a place where ye could make new things. I was goin’ tae propose ye get a place, and, well... since ye were already lookin’ and all, ye know.”

Eric shook his head and smiled warmly. “Yep. You are going to use us and abuse us. I knew it.”

Grendar’s eyes went wide. “It ain’t nothin’ like that, lad. I was just...”

Eric chuckled. “I’m messing with you, Grendar. It’s okay, and you’re right, we needed a place to make new things.”

Lyren chuckled. “Alright, let’s get moving.”

Eric nodded. “Yeah, later, Grendar. Thanks again.”

Grendar folded his arms and frowned. “Hate tae see ye go, but I’m glad tae see ye movin’ yer guards out o’ here. I’m sure they’re bad fer business.”

When they arrived, they all looked at each other for a moment. Eric laughed. “Not grand, he says. This place is way more than what I had in mind. A little rough, sure, but still. Now, how do we go about getting inside and looking around?”

Lyren walked up to the door. “We’ll need to stop by the magistrate’s office and get someone to give us a tour. It’s not far.”

Eric scowled. “Let’s go,” he said, a bit sharper than he meant to.

Lyren and Welyvyne shared a look before Lyren started walking. As she passed Eric, she glanced at him, concern plain on her face.

After Lyren explained why they were there, it didn’t take long for a young elf to approach them with a key and a stack of paperwork in hand. Eric caught sight of the papers and guessed they were a lease agreement, or close enough.

“You didn’t tell him we were going to lease the place, did you?” Eric asked Lyren, glancing at the paperwork again.

Lyren shook her head. “No, but most people bring the paperwork with them so they don’t have to come back later. It makes sense.”

The young elf turned the key and opened the door, stepping aside to let everyone through. Lyren and Welyvyne walked in promptly and split up almost at once, Lyren going right and Welyvyne left.

Eric watched them for a moment before stepping inside himself. He decided to head straight for the center of the room and looked around at the massive, mostly empty space.

It was a blank room, the kind that could be made into almost anything. A single door sat at the back of the building, likely leading to a bathroom, and a set of stairs rose to the second floor.

Eric could see a lot of potential here, but he wasn’t convinced this place was what they needed.

He walked to the door at the back and found he’d been wrong. Not a bathroom. It was a small space, maybe for supplies, with another door set into the rear wall. When he opened that one, he found the yard.

It wasn’t pretty, just a large dusty area enclosed by a wall that afforded privacy. He nodded to himself and returned to the main room.

Just as he was about to head for the stairs, Welyvyne and Lyren bounded up them, and he followed.

When Eric reached the top of the stairs, he found a door already open. He caught a glimpse of Lyren disappearing into a room down the hall connected to the living room.

To the right was a kitchen open to the room, and this part of the place was already furnished. Not exactly with the best furniture, but serviceable. A couch and two chairs sat around a coffee table in the middle, and a small desk had been placed off to the left. Everything was sparse, leaving plenty of room to make it their own.

The young elf had followed them up and stepped into the room while Eric was looking around. Eric turned to him and asked, “Can we replace this furniture if we want to?”

The young elf smiled and nodded. “Sure. I think this stuff was left here by the last tenants.”

Eric nodded and walked down the hall. He found what looked like the master bedroom just as Lyren was leaving it, and Welyvyne stepped into the last room at the end of the hall. A moment later, Lyren ducked into the room across from it and shouted, “Found the bathroom!”

She turned and walked back toward Eric. “This place is big enough for all of us. The question is, who gets this room?”

Eric looked into the room. It had a bed and a nightstand, and in one corner, by another door, stood a wardrobe. He moved to the door and looked inside. As he suspected, it was a bathroom, complete with a large tub.

“Yeah,” Eric said. “This is pretty perfect. Grendar found the right place.”

After checking the rest of the place and finding three more rooms and another bathroom, Eric sighed. “So, this looks perfect. What do you two think?”

Lyren nodded. “Yeah, I like this, and splitting it wouldn’t be bad at all.”

Welyvyne nodded in agreement. “Yes, I think this is exactly what we need. Did you notice the backyard? Perfect, right?”

Eric glanced around the room. “Yeah, I can’t argue with that. This place is good. It may take a while to get things set up, but it fits.”

Welyvyne looked at Lyren, then at Eric. “I think Eric should get the master bedroom. He was the one responsible for us being here.”

Eric shook his head. “I don’t really need it. I think you ladies should have it.”

Lyren laughed. “Huh. I thought we’d fight over who would get the room, not over who didn’t want it.”

Eric chuckled. “Yeah, that is how these things go.”

Lyren shook her head. “You should take the room. Welyvyne is right. You are the one who brought us together. You are the reason we all want to be here.”

Eric shook his head again. “I’m not the reason. Well, I’m not why we’re all together. Me being weird is why we’re all together. Politics did that. Welyvyne is really why I’m here. I would have been by myself if she hadn’t thrown herself into my life.”

Welyvyne snorted, then covered her face. “This is going nowhere. Eric, just take the damn room. Nobody is going to take it.”

Eric frowned and muttered quietly, “Could just give it to Kaelen.”

“No!” Welyvyne and Lyren said in unison.

Eric flinched, then scowled. “Why not? He is the group’s de facto leader.”

Welyvyne scowled this time. “No, he isn’t. He’s just... what? Our tactical person.”

Lyren chuckled. “Yes, our tactician is a good label, and no, Kaelen isn’t why I’m here. You are, whether you want to hear that or not.”

Eric just stared at Lyren. “And why is that, exactly? You never really explain it beyond ‘family,’ but I feel like it’s something else.”

Lyren froze, like he had hit a nerve or pushed the wrong button. “I... hmm. I wasn’t prepared for this. Let’s just say I trust you, Eric, and leave it at that. It’s embarrassing, really.”

Eric softened. “Um... you know I’m not looking for anything like that, right?”

Lyren punched Eric in the shoulder. “Not like that, you idiot. It’s private. It’s not something I want to talk about.”

Eric rubbed his shoulder. “Ow. Okay, jeez, I won’t pry, but I may tease.”

Lyren scowled. “I wouldn’t.”

Welyvyne looked between them and chuckled. “Yeah, she looks pretty serious, Eric. Anyway, let’s sign the papers and pay the man before he starts thinking this is some kind of harem situation.”

Eric just stood there, glancing at the elf, who only smiled sheepishly and lifted the paperwork. “Ahem, I suppose you want to lease the place, then.”