Them sighed, wondering where he should sit in the mess hall. Pollyanna had gone to bed early, and so the only people left who he could sit with who he knew well were Eory, Terran, and Eliita. Their cheerfulness still bothered him—especially since he was the one who was so used to being the cheerful one—he had a hard time being around such depressing people when he couldn’t be the one with a silly joke to cheer them up.
Them… Pete jingled. Come on, let’s just go sit with them. I know you miss them, and Pollyanna isn’t here for you to bug.
“Bug?” Them answered, sounding scandalized. “I’m the only one keeping the old damsel happy.”
Pete chimed his laughter. Perhaps you’re gaining some of your humor back, Them.
Them chuckled. “Maybe…”
Them looked around at the rowdy mess hall, enjoying the noise. Something about it helped to drown out his anxiety about possibly dying in the next few months. He took a deep breath, and then nearly retched. “Nothing like the smell of a thousand smelly, sweaty bodies packed together to bring you back to reality.”
As Them’s eyes scanned the mess hall, they zeroed in on a woman who looked new to the recruits—a fairy woman. The woman was tattooed and had sallow cheeks and a pointed chin; she was sitting next to Ashaya Herath, who had been released from the dungeon about a year ago since Maruka was no longer there to keep him locked up. Ashaya had been giving Eory the death glare ever since he had been released, but hadn’t dared to attack him since Eory was usually surrounded by four, very competent friends who were determined to keep him safe. Not only that, but the Astral Elves had been far more involved in surveying the mess hall and other spaces where the recruits congregated since Maruka had disappeared and was no longer essentially running the building for them, and it would be very hard for the human to try and kill Eory without being apprehended.
Them shivered when he looked at the disturbing black eyes of the human. “Holy Sherne, that guy has only vengeance on the mind. I don’t want to sit anywhere near him; I’m scared for Eory. His lady friend looks interesting, though… it’s rare to see fairies here—especially female fairies.”
Pete, too, was looking at the human, and he floated behind Them, wanting to hide from the human’s gaze. His eyes pierce my soul. Pete replied. I hear he’s courting the fairy woman.
Them shivered again. “Probably a match made in the underworld again. I’ll steer clear.”
Them strolled over to the table and sat next to Eory, who gave him a bright smile. Them returned the smile. Over the years, he had become inextricably close with the fairy; Eory was a good friend, and Them liked showing him how to do new things like playing cards and chess and cooking new dishes, along with teaching the fairy social skills. Social skills were definitely something he lacked, and Terran couldn't teach him them in a million years.
Still… the fairy’s smile made Them feel down—down because it looked so much like Taylor’s, and Taylor’s personality seemed to have been swallowed up by Eory’s.
“What have you been up to, Them?” Eory asked. “I haven’t seen you for awhile.”
“Oh, you know. Chatting up the ladies and buffing up.” Them joked, flexing his stick-arms as if his muscles had a noticeable bulge. Eory chuckled, making Them wish he were Taylor even more. He still had a higher-pitched, androgynous voice, and he could hear Taylor’s buried in it.
Eory looked down with a sincere frown once he had finished laughing. He murmured, “But something genuinely seems wrong. What are you hiding, Them?”
You should tell them, Them. It might make you feel better if they knew... Pete jangled.
Them sighed, taking a sip of his wine and saying to Pete, “If only Taylor were here… I might tell her.”
Eliita and Terran were shocked. They said in unison, “You are hiding something?”
The waif covered his mouth, stunned by what he had said. Whoops, that just slipped out.
Eory stared forward wordlessly; for a moment, it looked as if he had dropped out of reality. Eventually he said, “Well… maybe Taylor is still in me—just deep down—maybe she’ll come back out if you tell her what’s wrong.”
Them looked at his friends. They were all looking at him with furrowed foreheads and the corner of their inner eyebrows raised. He was touched by how much they cared, but still didn’t want to tell them. They wouldn’t understand…
But as he looked into all their eyes, he thought of all of the things they had done for and with each other. He remembered how Eory had tackled him to the ground—taking a cut across the arm--to defend the waif from a doppelganger's blade. He remembered trying to get Terran to act more… like a living, breathing creature by getting him to brag about his impressive exploits on the battlefield. He never got him to brag, but he did manage to drag a smile out of the elf from one of his many jokes. And Eliita had always been an angel; willing to listen to his troubles regarding Taylor, and even his past troubles with other women and his desire to be on fire.
He realized he wanted to tell them about his Antler—but, more importantly, he wanted to believe that telling them something so personal just might make Taylor resurface. “Alright, but you all have to promise not to laugh. Especially you, Terran.”
Terran crossed his arms, making a face. “When have I ever laughed at you?”
Eory laughed, knowing Them was making a joke that went over the stiff-and-formal elf’s head. Terran was bewildered by the fairy’s laughter but said nothing. Them was grinning, and once Eory managed to choke down his laughter, Them cleared his throat.
“You see…” Them said. “I’m slated to die this year.”
As Them explained exactly why he was slated to die, he was drawn into and caught in a web of memories like a fly in a spider’s web.
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