The World Which Is

Chapter 37

The first thing Silver does is correct my pronunciation of Mont-Real. I'd just asked if she was from there, based on her accent, and I pronounced it the way I've always heard it said, "mount", as in a small mountain. And then "real" as in something that is real instead of imaginary. Turns out, she's sensitive about it, it's "mon" the 'T' is silent. "Real" is with an accent on the 'e'. "Reh-al"; so "Mon-reh-al".

Once she's happy with my pronunciation, she accepts my invitation to adventure, and Brandon stares.

"You said we needed someone else," I point out.

"She's not who I have in mind," he replies. "And she doesn't know us, so just why does she want to come?"

"She's right there," I tell him. "How about you ask her directly?"

"I want an adventure," she says before Brandon asks, which annoys me. After treating her like she wasn't there, he should have had to address her directly.

"You can't be serious," he replies.

"Aren't you the one going out gallivanting for a chance to fight monster and discover relics?" I ask.

"That's not the same. I'm an explorer."

"And I'm a bard," she replies before I can point out not everyone who goes out exploring as the class.

"I don't see how that explains tagging along," he says.

"Brandon, how about maybe she just wants to help?"

"How about you let me defend myself?" she says, amused, and my face burns.

"Go ahead," Brandon says, smirking.

"I'm a bard."

"You all—"

"A bard needs stories," she cuts him off. "And I don't want to just repeat the stories I've been taught. I want to have stories of my own. And that means going on my own adventures."

"Wasn't the trip here adventure enough for you?" Brandon asks.

"Okay, what is your problem with her?" I demand.

"People don't just hook up with strangers to 'go on adventures'," he replies.

"Isn't that what you did with me?"

"That's not—" He closes his mouth. "You don't know her."

"I don't know you."

"I saved your life!"

"She saved ours."

"We didn't.... I could have..." he lets out a growl of frustration then gets to his feet.

"What's your health like?" I ask. Mine's a stopped increasing little under a third.

"I'm fine."

"That's not what I asked." I stand and offer him a healing bar.

"I don't need it."

"I know Grit Strike needs you to be hurt to kick in, but we're in the city. Do you think Xander hired an entire army to kill me, or did we, well you, take care of them?"

He tries to calm himself, I can see that; not that I understand why he's angry. When he takes the bar from my hand, it isn't quite a snatch, but the ripping of the wrapper isn't gentle.

"Come on," he instructs before biting into it and starts walking.

I chew on mine as I follow. "Didn't anything happen on the trip from Montreal that you can tell stories about?" I ask Silver, making sure to pronounce the name of the city correctly.