Of Heroes and Happenings

The Perfect One, Chapter 15

Lying in bed that night, Gwn'itt smiled, remembering the luncheon with Gareth, then chuckled into the stillness of the night. How like Gareth, to be so incredibly oblivious and perfectly romantic at the same time! Still, Gareth had asked, so Gwn'itt would stay.

The Wilderwalkers were due to return soon; Gwn'itt couldn't wait to see Ash Tor'eth's response to the ridiculous outing. As Gwn'itt's friend and confidante, Ash was of the opinion that Gwn'itt should have told Gareth long before. He also understood Gwn'itt's position on the matter, however, and didn't push much. Gwn'itt treasured the Tiefling's friendship.

Smiling into the darkness, Gwn'itt compared this life to previous experiences. Before The Djinn's Daughter, Gwn'itt's sole friend had been the grandfatherly Aleban. Windy, Ash Tor'eth and Gareth all had proven to be friends and more, here. Unlike Gwn'itt's elder siblings. Askil and Voni returned Gwn'itt's regard with like affection and Motherly had seen through Gwn'itt's Seeming from the first and never so much as blinked, unlike Horeb and Vindesa, who'd always seemed to need a moment to adjust.

Before, Gwn'itt had always been on the run, for one reason or another, less than two days after receiving a missive from a vengeful brother. It had been a month, with no sign of trouble. Gwn'itt sighed again and fell asleep.

As expected, the Wilderwalkers arrived, flush with coin, in need of potions, and eager to share their latest adventures. As soon as business concluded, Ash asked if Gwn'itt might be free to join him for lunch. Ever clueless, Gareth insisted they go.

"I took your advice," Gwn'itt laughed as soon as the shop door was closed behind them. After relating the tale of lunch at the tea shop, the day before, Gwn'itt finished ruefully, "and now he seems to think I was speaking of you."

Ash had to laugh as well. "He should know me better. You are so not my type."

"Speaking of your type, how is your wife?" Gwn'itt asked curiously, knowing of her only what Ash had related.

Ash winked. "I hope never to find out. There was a reason I left, after all!" More quietly, he added, "she's fine. The babe is teething. Don't tell the others; they think I left it all behind, but what can I say? She may be an evil witch, but she's the love of my life."

The two friends laughed together. Gwn'itt understood that, as plane-touched races were concerned, Tieflings were the exact opposite of Aasimar such as Voni. As a race, tieflings were humanoids in form, with reddish or brown skin tones that varied in intensity from person to person. Invariable, a pair of horns graced each tiefling's brow. A prehensile tail joined the horns to remind one and all of the infernal nature in the first of their race.

Ash calling his wife an evil witch was only the honest truth; Tieflings as a rule were commonly aligned toward their evil origins and as a necromancer-warlock, Ash's wife really was a witch. How such a good person as Ash could love someone as evil as his wife was beyond Gwn'itt but then again, so was love in general.

As usual, the appearance of a Tiefling and a Fire Genasi together in a pub raised plenty of eyebrows, but the staff knew both of them and none of the customers dared openly cross the pair of mages. Ash liked the attention and seemed determined to help Gwn'itt learn to accept it by almost inviting trouble. Since both mages had proven capable of defending themselves in a bar fight, that particular tavern was the best place for Gwn'itt to get a pint, unmolested.

Ash and Gwn'itt arrived back at the shop just in time to hear Talya say, "of course we shall be at dinner tonight, Windy! Wouldn't miss it for the world, and you know it."

To Gwn'itt's surprise, it was Gareth and not Windy that turned toward the returning pair. "You'll join us, won't you, Gwn'itt?"

"Oh, do come," Talya insisted, furthering Gwn'itt's amazement. She'd never seemed to care, one way or another, before! "Windy's games of 'I Scry' are not to be missed."