Callie's Heroes

Chapter 20 - CHARM SCHOOL

As Callie and Vanis approached the central garden, Callie poured her waterskin out onto the grass. Once at the fountain, she refilled it with fresh, cold water, drank down half, still feeling parched from the sparring match. She topped it off again, and Vanis did the same, before walking the rest of the way to Ogre House.

On the porch were two baskets. Callie looked in one and saw the clothing everyone had been wearing the day before. Each person’s set had been cleaned, folded and tied tight with a long piece of brightly-colored cloth of varying colors, much like a ribbon. Callie and Vanis each took a basket and went inside, Vanis calling out “Hello?” to no response.

“Nobody home,” Vanis said as Callie entered behind him.

Callie set the basket she was carrying on her bed, before taking a quick look in the blanket fort, finding no Pixyl. “Lena said they were going to go exploring, so Pixyl must have woken up and they all went. We’ll be able to catch up I’m sure.”

Vanis had set his own basket on his bed, and pulled out two of the ribbon-wrapped bundles. Callie did the same and the two sorted all six bundles, placing each on the corresponding footlockers.

Opening the tied pack of clothing, which consisted of everything she had been wearing the day before, including the moccasin boots, Callie dropped it all to the bottom of her footlocker. Keeping the long strip of bright cloth, Callie said, “Hey, I have an idea. Vanis, you said you had a knife, right?”

“Uh … yes,” he replied with some reluctance.

“Great! Can you cut this for me, right here?” Callie held out the colored strip of cloth that had wrapped her clothing, folded into two half-sized lengths. “And then both in half again.”

From somewhere, Callie couldn’t see where for sure, Vanis produced a knife with a six or seven centimeter blade. With a quick motion, he made three clean cuts before the knife disappeared just as quickly.

Callie was slightly perplexed, a bit unsure where the knife had come from and where it had returned too. Before she could ask, Vanis simply waved a finger saying, “a gentleman never tells”, forestalling the obvious question.

Picking up the booster step still next to Pixyl’s bed, Callie walked over to the table and mirror. Stepping up, she pulled her hair back into a pair of pigtails, using a length of the blue ribbon-like fabric to replicate what the twine had been doing the day before, but now with cute colored ribbon instead.

Something caught Callie’s attention. “Hey, Vanis, are these Xin’s totem drawings?” Laid out on the table in front of her were at least twenty charcoal drawings showing various shapes and forms. Some were closeups, while others detailed a single totem in its entirety, with multiple faces and facets.

“Those? Yes, they are. She worked on them for almost two hours when she came out of her Symbiote trance last night, before the dizziness got to be too much for her and she had to lie down.”

“Is it just me, or do they seem to get significantly better as they go?” Callie asked. And they did. It may not be the exact order, but as Callie leafed through the pages, there was definitely a pattern of improvements. The pictures started at very basic, smudge-covered line drawings, ending at ones that were so fine-detailed they should be framed as legitimate artwork.

“They do,” Vanis confirmed, looking over Callies shoulder. “That’s also what caught Koda’s attention when we were all changing earlier. I’ll admit, up to that point I hadn’t looked through them, but several are quite spectacular.”

“Why do you think she improved so much in such a short time? Her Symbiote, probably, right?”

“That would be my guess,” Vanis said with a nod. “Xin mentioned that her trainer suggested drawing her totem while the joining was still fresh. Perhaps the act of drawing immediately after the joining helps meld the final form into the connection or something. Regrettably, I know very little about the Shaman class beyond the rudimentary.”

“I guess we’ll find out tomorrow when we’re on the training fields,” Callie said with a shrug, placing Xin’s artwork back in a pile where she found it.

Vanis excused himself for the back room, and Callie returned Pixyl’s booster block to the side of her bed, before climbing into her own to sit. She was still reliving the sword fight with Vonn in her head blow by blow, and still kicking herself for every mistake she realized she had made. Why had she blocked that blow when she should have parried to open up a counter strike? Why did she dodge in that place instead of blocking and adding a spin?

“Shall we go find the others?” Vanis asked, emerging.

“Sure,” Callie said, but then paused just before she slid to the floor. This was actually a good opportunity to ask Vanis in private about that Childlike Charm trait that was revealed earlier, and her concerns about what to do. She was fairly sure she could trust Vanis to keep it private. “Hey Vanis, before we go, can I talk to you about something? Something a little sensitive?”

Vanis was in the process of buckling his utility belt on, but stopped. “Of course, Callie. What is the matter?” Vanis set his belt on his footlocker, before sitting on his bed, giving Callie his complete attention.

Callie fidgeted. “So, I have what I guess I’d call an ethical issue, and I need to talk to someone about it. In confidence, though.”

“Of course.”

“This morning, when I was in the shower with Xera, they told me something I’m supposed to keep secret, but because of what that secret is, I now know something that is really bothering me.”

“What is wrong?” Vanis asked, the sincere concern showing both on his face and in his voice.

“Remember when you told me I should ask myself what my class was? When I came out of my trance last night?”

“I do.”

“Well, like I mentioned to the Major, Xera told me how to find out more things about my skills and perks and stuff. Details and how to unlock them, that is.”

“Of course, how to query your Symbiote,” Vanis said flatly.

“You …. you know about that? Why haven’t you said anything to us?”

“I gathered that if the people in charge wanted everyone to know, they would have told us. Given they have such a concern about recruits using their powers before they are ready, I didn’t think it was something I should share.”

Callie nodded. “That’s what Xera said too, and I guess it makes sense. They said we would all get told about it tomorrow in training.”

“So what’s bothering you?” Vanis asked.

Callie took a deep breath. “Okay. One of the traits I received is called Childlike Charm. It affects people around me, making them feel like they should protect me like a parent might. We’ve all seen how mothering Lena’s been, almost to the point of it getting a little weird. I’m worried it’s affecting her, and not sure if I should tell her about it. And if I am affecting her, I feel bad about it because I know I wouldn’t want anyone messing with my head. Especially after seeing what happened to me with Juniper.”

Vanis stared blankly at Callie, his face unreadable. Finally he said, “Tell me what the trait information is.”

Callie queried her Symbiote and then relayed the details.

Vanis made a contemplative face as he mulled the trait description over in his head. He remembered Lena’s panic attack when Callie had overheard them talking the day before, and Lena’s constant need to know where the Gnome was, or why she wasn’t back sooner. With the information Callie had just provided, he now saw the connections. Eventually he smiled, and then laughed.

“What?” Callie said, trying to smile along.

“It really does explain a lot, actually.”

“How do you mean?”

“Lena and I have been doing everything we can to keep you protected. Your little charm would explain much of it, in addition to fully explaining what’s happening with Lena.”

Callie got a concerned look on her face. The idea that she was controlling other people’s actions with a charm of her own already wasn’t sitting well, and Vanis suggesting it as the reason everyone was helping her actually pained her and made her question the sincerity of her new friends.

“I don’t think you need worry,” Vanis said comfortingly, seeing the look in Callie’s eyes. “Based on that description, there are three key things to know.”

“Okay,” Callie said, a little worried.

“First, and most important, you cannot control it. It just is part of who you are. It’s no different than the fact you have pink hair or purple eyes or you are short. Just as Lena and I have Danger Sense or Xin has her color changing skin, Gnomes have this weak charm. It’s a racial trait, and not one you are able to cease using, unlike Juniper and her seduction charm.”

“I didn’t really think about it like that,” Callie said. “It would be different if I was doing it on purpose. Still, I have a bit of an icky feeling about it.”

“Second,” Vanis continued, “as to the effect, remember the description? It’s a suggestive charm, Callie. Lena couldn’t be made to do anything that part of her didn’t want to. None of us could be. Truth be told, I certainly have been affected as well.”

“Oh no, I’m so sorry!” Callie cried out.

Vanis laughed. “Suggestive, Callie. If some part of me didn’t want to be parental and nurturing, it wouldn’t have done anything. That said, I’m not so sure about Tazrok and Xin. I think Tazrok is naturally protective of anyone that is small, maybe just a little more of you. As for Xin, if I recall, Lizardkin don’t raise their own young. Instead, hatchlings are sent to a communal care for their childhood. I suspect that she’s affected the least, if at all.”

“I wonder about Pixyl,” Callie said.

“I think she sees you more as a sister than anything,” Vanis said with a chuckle. “And she is smaller than you, so it wouldn’t affect her anyway.”

“Yeah, it does sort of feel like that, I guess. I was an only child, so I don’t have a great reference of what having a sister would be like, though.”

“What I find quite amusing,” Vanis said with a snicker, “is that despite all her claims to the contrary, Lena must harbor some pretty deep parental inclinations. It’s possible, she doesn’t even realize it. She’ll beg me to kill her again, I’m sure, if she finds out!”

Callie giggled a little along with Vanis, before frowning and saying, “Still, I’m really sorry if I’m putting a charm on you, or on any of you for that matter. I don’t mean to.”

Vanis held up his hand. “That’s just it. Why would you need to apologize? You have no way to control it, and more importantly, as I said, any action I took that may have been paternal in nature was because at least part of me wanted to. Your minor charm? If anything, it removed an inhibition. It did not force an action.”

Callie’s face was frowning, trying to process what Vanis was telling her.

Vanis attempted to give a comforting smile. “Tell me, Callie, on your world, if someone saw an infant that needed help, what would they do?”

“Most people would help it, of course.”

“And how many of those people would go beyond simply helping because part of themselves had a parental or nurturing instinct triggered? How many would take in that infant temporarily, or defend them without mercy?”

Vanis had a point, Callie had to admit. A lot of people would go out of their way to aid a helpless baby. She’d never had any real desire to have children, but Callie remembered she once climbed a tree to get a little kitten that was stuck far up. If she thought about it, there was a deep feeling of responsibility that led to that, not just a desire to be nice. Was that akin to a motherly instinct? On another occasion, she found a stray puppy down the street, and when that puppy looked at her with those big brown eyes, she distinctly remembered the moment her heart melted and she would have done anything for her. Was this charm really just the psychic equivalent of big puppy-dog eyes?

“What’s the third thing?” Callie finally asked.

Vanis shrugged. “As charms go, it’s incredibly weak. You’ve seen what Juniper was able to do with her seduction charm. Thankfully, it was one she was able to cease using at will. But there are combat charms and curses out there much worse than you can imagine, and take much harder control of your mind than even what Juniper did to you. I myself have a spell that will so fill the target’s mind with nightmares and horrors that they are petrified with terror or run with fright.”

“Huh,” Callie said, digesting that statement. “I wonder if I’d be able to resist that spell.” Seeing the confused look on the face of Vanis, Callie continued. “Gnomes have a Resist Fear trait. And apparently, using mana you can try to overcome it if you are currently in fear of something. I actually think I accidently used it earlier.”

“Interesting,” Vanis said, rubbing his chin. “I didn’t know that about Gnomes. But that could explain the many crazy gadgets and contraptions they are constantly creating. If you have no fear of something exploding, you are more likely to try making it. Of course, that doesn’t help you if it does explode. You said you used it earlier today?”

Callie nodded, and relayed the story about her meeting Vonn for the first time and how afraid she felt of the Lamia. How there was a sudden burst of warmth through her, and the fear just seemed to suddenly disappear.

Vanis smiled. “I can almost assure you that is exactly what happened. You were afraid, and you unknowingly triggered your Resist Fear trait. Good for you. Remember that feeling. Remember what may have happened in your head to make that trait activate. It could save your life someday.”

“I also wasn’t afraid the first time we met Koda, when he was being a jerk and trying to scare us. But Jesca was scared and Thucax was almost petrified. I also wasn’t all that afraid of Tazrok when I met him in the wagon, and honestly I should have been terrified. This trait has a passive anti-fear part to it, right?”

“Probably,” Vanis said. “With this trait, I suspect you are generally less likely to be afraid than others. If you are affected, you have a way to attempt to magically counter it with the active part of your trait. It’s an amazingly useful racial trait, actually.”

“I feel like I have so much to learn.” Callie said glumly.

“You do. But I also think you are doing very well. You’ve also made friends here, and not just the people in this house. Jesca and Thucax. Koda, Fizzlebek and Vonn, Thorn and Celeste and Tasi, and even Xera, as awkward as that was; you’ve connected with all of them. The hardest part for you isn’t going to be learning how things work. It’s going to be keeping your secret from the people who become your friends.”

“It’s strange, Vanis, back on my world I don’t really have any friends anymore. I had lots of friends in college, and partied a lot at the clubs and stuff. But now that I’m back home, the kids I grew up with have all moved away. With my dad gone, it’s really just me and my mom, and maybe a few people I know online.”

Vanis gave a confused look. “Online? This is that inter-web global library you talked about, right?”

“It is, but that’s not really important here. I’m just suddenly realizing that I’ve been here barely a day and I’ve met more people and made more friends than I have in probably two years back in Chicago. It’s just … strange to me. And really overwhelming in a way. Since my dad died, I’ve gotten comfortable not being around people much anymore, although at the same time, now that I’m here, I am also really missing the parties and socializing like I did in college.”

“You have strength, and you’ll get through. And we’re happy to help,” Vanis said with a smile, before with a wink he added, ”Whether you are controlling our minds or not.”

Callie chuckled, but it was a bit of an empty laugh. “So what do we do about Lena? Should I tell her? I mean, she’s going a little crazy with the mothering. She wanted to walk me to the forge earlier! Like I was just a little kid going to her first day of school!”

Vanis smiled. “I think that might change when she sees you fight and realizes you are capable. Your sparring match was quite the sight considering you had never wielded a sword before. But, in the meantime, I’ll talk to her. If possible, I won’t tell her about the charm, but I’ll strongly remind her that you are a grown adult and that she needn't worry so much.”

“And I guess kill her if she becomes her mom, right?” Callie said with a weak laugh.

“Oh absolutely. It would be a mercy killing.”

“What about Tazrok and Xin?”

“Their responses seem much less … acute … than Lena’s. Again, likely because it’s harder for either of them to subconsciously think of themselves in a parental role to you.”

“Maybe,” Callie said, part of her still a little uneasy, but feeling immensely better than she had. “Thanks for talking to me about this, Vanis. It means a lot.”

The Elf smiled. “Any time, Little One.”

For a moment, Callie resisted the urge to run over and hug Vanis, but that resistance faded in only a second and she did just that. Vanis slid off his bunk to his knees, and they embraced. “Any time, Little One,” he said again, quietly, holding her tight and knowing, both of them knowing, without a doubt, it was because he wanted to.