Into the Fire

Chapter 4

Thia:

 I had bluntly refused to ride behind Kriv, because I wouldn't be able to see where we were going, no other reason. So I guess it was my fault when he had to wrap his arms around my waist. Emenga was in the front talking to Orphi and Wellby, followed by Varis, Aoth, and Orla. Kriv and I were stuck in the back, and I could tell Kriv wanted to talk. F@cking extroverts. With a sigh, I turned around to see him avoiding eye contact. Knowing him he probably didn't want to make me uncomfortable.

"I'm thinking of a plant," I said, he looked at me and tilted his head.

"What?" He asked.

"20 questions, I'm thinking of a plant."

"Oh!" He looked relieved. "Ok, is it a tree?"

"Nope."

"Is it edible?"

"Yes, yes it is."

"A fruit?" He started asking faster, a determined look on his face.

"Yep."

"Is it native to Kerkendra?"

I laughed, "Not even close."

He thoroughed his brow, "what about Lepini?"

"Still no."

"Judern?"

"Yes! Good job, you have 14 left."

"That's plenty!" He then proceeded to guess which color it was on the outside, wasting seven more questions.

"Seven left!" He was getting close to failure.

"Green fruit, green fruit, green fruit. Is it a different color inside?"

Six more. "Yes!"

"Is it pink on the inside?" He asked excitedly.

Five. "Yes."

"With black seeds!" He said more than asked.

Four. "Yes!"

"Is it as pretty as you are?" He implored. I smiled, remembering one of the first things he ever said to me.

***

When Emenga finished her explanation, Varis and I looked at each other, back at her, and back at each other, and then to the green dragonborn behind her. He gave us a thumbs up.

"Well," Varis started, "I can understand why you want a charming bard along, but why my ugly assassin sister?" He teased me.

"She's not ugly!" The dragonborn, Curve or something, protested. "She's as pretty as... as a...." He looked around before spotting something and turning back to us. "She's as pretty as a Watermelon." Varis and I burst out laughing. The dragonborn didn't look hurt, he just smiled, happy to help.

***

"It is indeed." I said.

"Is it a Kiwi?" He questioned. I Smiled,

"No.'

"Oh! I know! A dragon fruit!" I chuckled and shook my head. "What else could it be?"

"I don't know, but you only have one question left, so make it count."

He thought for a while before answering, "Is. It. A......" He paused for dramatic effect, but didn't get to finish.

"Kriv, Thia, we're going to stop in Greb here in a minute, for lunch, just thought I'd warn y'all." Orla shouted from our right. "And Kriv, just a quick question about your scales, I was thinking...." I stopped listening to her talking. Why? I thought. He was just about to finish! I turned my attention to my left, where Varis was riding along. I didn't see him slow down, but he was there now.

"Hey." I greeted half-heartedly. "What's up?"

"Orla isn't into men, y'know." He told me.

"Pardon?"

"Orla, she pulled all us guys aside yesterday on the way downstairs. She made it very clear to all of us that she wanted nothing to do with any of us beyond platonically."

I squinted at him. "And you're telling me this, why?"

"You looked jealous."

"Oh shut up! You Heconna." I glared at him and he chuckled, unfazed by the insult.

"I think you got some berry juice on your face, it's really red." I threw my dagger at him. His armor saved him. I don't like his armor. Instead, it ricocheted off, right into his tamanous. Which reared up, which spooked the others, which made them rear up, which made all of us, and our cargo, on to the road. We landed with a thump, most of us, Aoth landed with a face full of dirt. "VARIS!" I exclaimed, my idiot brother just lost us our ride!

"THAT WAS YOUR FAULT!" He shouted back, even though we all knew that wasn't true.

"NUH UH!"

"YUH HUH!"

"NUH UH!"

"YUH HUH!"

"NUH UH!"

"YUH HUH!"

"CAN YALL SHUT UP!" That last one came from Orphi, who was already on her feet picking her stuff up "You guys are worse than my brothers!"

"You have brothers?" Kriv asked, and Emenga's face darkened as she shot him a look, but she relaxed once Orphi answered.

"Not biological ones, just the doofuses in my pod at the League." I hadn't known Orphi was in the league. Automatically, my eyes searched for her mark, and found it on the back of her left hand. A dot with three overlapping oval rings around it. I didn't know she was a scientist either, but she was a warlock, so it made sense.

"Are you an alchemist as well as a warlock?" I asked, curious.

"Technically, I can make plenty of potions, but I really only use them in edge cases."

"How come?" Aoth asked, he had managed to dislodge the dirt from his face.

"Dunno."

Heyyyyyyyy, sorry I didn't post on Thursday, I was out of town, so here's the makeup. I will post this Thursday as well. 

-C.B.