An Elf On Earth

Chapter nine, Lost in the City.

While the workday slowly progressed as I was tasked with moving and securing large set pieces, a few small repairs to set things were handed off to me, although John had to explain some of the tools I was given since I did not even know how to use them. Eventually a short statured man came walking up to me mumbling something and cursing a few times after he crawled out from under the stage.

"What's with him?" I asked John as he stood by my side and began walking in the man's direction.

"Hank, dropped something again?" He asked and the man nodded with a grumble. "Damn thing's lost its bit again." He spoke with his deep rasping voice as he held up one of the electric screwdrivers John had explained me, only the part where the screws are placed on was missing.

"Seriously Hank, what do you do with that thing, you're always breaking your tools somehow." John said and I stepped closer, the two stood at roughly half a head shorter than me, John the tallest of the two and about half a foot taller than 'Hank'.

"What is the problem, can't reach the bit piece of it anymore?" I asked him and he gave a startled look as he noticed me.

"Y-yeah... It fell from the drill again. Stupid thing always fails me at the worst of moments. Pretty one though, think you can reach it? It fell and rolled quite a bit under the stage out my own reach." He asked me and I shrugged. "Can try, think I'll be fine." I replied and walked to the open part where he had the back curtains of the elevated stage hanging open and crawled into the small space there was.

With a moment to let my eyes adjust to the darkness, I could see the faint glimmer of the metal drill bit and instantly understood why he could not reach it. Clambering a little farther under the stage, so I was mostly out of view for most of the people, I focused my mind for a spell and began my chant in soft whispers.

With the faintest of arcane shimmering I conjured my Mage Hand and moved it to the small piece of metal halfway under the entire stage and soon held it in my own hand as I crawled back out from under the massive structure of crossbeams that supported the entire thing.

"Here you go, was quite a challenge to get to it, but I made it." I told him as I handed Hank the piece of metal and he gave me a suspicious look.

"How did you get to the damned thing, it was quite far under the stage?" He asked and I shrugged. "Long body and arms are useful honestly." I said and heard someone calling through the hall that it was break time.

Several people left the massive hall and others took small boxes of plastic from their bags and began to eat. Although I could not spot John anywhere, I did see the group we had talked with before we began to work as they were urging me over.

"Where'd John go? I can't see him anywhere." I asked them while the four of them had a box with several pieces of bread in it and began eating.

"Don't worry; he's getting himself and you some lunch at the staff cafeteria. He'll be right back." One of them said in between bites from his bread.

"So, what is the planning for the rest of today's work, we need to get stuff ready I guess for the rehearsals they're starting tomorrow." One of them said and I could see one of them eyeing me a bit too intently and rose to my feet in discomfort. "Sorry, I'm going to see where John is staying." I told the four of them and walked at the door leading to the hallway when I saw Carlos closing in on me, his dog still in the bag hanging from his elbow like a lot of women seemed to carry their bags.

"Bah, what are you stiiill doing here?" He spoke, his words extremely discontent with my presence and stretched needlessly half the time.

"I don't like you and I don't want you around... so go and bugger off to your boyfriend's house... bitch, you still think cute Alexandro is a rat? HMPH!" He spoke and pulled his nose in to the air in a way like he looked down on me. I couldn't care about him actually, he was annoying himself and I gave him a sideways glance as I saw John coming back with a tray with two plates and two cups of coffee.