Callie's Heroes

PART III - MUSIC, PHOTOGRAPHS AND MEMORIES

“What happened! Is Tazrok okay? Please tell me he’s okay!” Callie pelted Vanis as he walked into the bunkhouse. Both Pixyl and Lena were eagerly awaiting news as well. Xin, on the other hand, was working on drawing something at the table, and barely took notice of Vanis returning.

“Calm down, calm down,” Vanis said, holding up his hand. “I believe the situation has been resolved and our friend is currently getting dressed.”

“What happened?” Lena asked, genuine concern showing on her face.

“I ran into Healer Tasi on the way and we went to check on him together. He had run himself out of mana and was sitting exhausted in the showers. It appears he took the Druid trainer’s suggestion to work on his healing quite literally. We spoke with him about mana conservation and gave him a small potion. He should be fine.” That wasn’t the whole truth. Vanis hadn’t mentioned that Tazrok had been purposely wounding himself in order to have something to heal, and it didn’t look like Callie had made that connection yet. The frown on the faces of both Lena and Pixyl confirmed they knew what had happened, though.

“Whew!” Callie said in relief. “You made me worried. You’re sure he’s okay?”

“He is, yes. Although he’s likely exhausted. Healer Tasi is sending a stamina potion over for him shortly, so he’ll be in prime form for whatever he is planning shortly.” Vanis gestured towards Xin questioningly, who was still lost in her work.

“She w-w-wanted to try drawing something c-c-complicated,” Pixyl said.

“Yeah. She’s completely engrossed in it,” Callie added.

“I see,” Vanis said, moving to relax on his bunk. “How was the hot bath on your wing, Pixyl?”

“G-G-Good! Great even! I feel almost no p-p-pain.”

“I sat in the pool for a few minutes too,” Callie said sheepishly. “The water was SO HOT! It was amazing! But we couldn’t stay in for long or we’d probably get cooked.”

Pixyl let out an embarrassed giggle. “Very cooked.”

“Healer Tasi told us to make sure you soak at least once a day, Pixyl,” Lena said in a motherly fashion. “And to help out any way we can. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance if you need it, even if you are able to slice up Demons with ease. We’re all here to help each other.”

Pixyl nearly snapped a snarling response of pure independence, but caught herself and simply nodded. “Alright.”

A light thumping from outside signaled the approach of Tazrok, which was soon confirmed by the heavy thump of his feet on the steps, followed by the door opening. The Ogre that entered carried a bundle of bloody clothing.

“Tazrok!” Callie exclaimed happily. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. Ran out of mana ale. Foolish of me.”

“Aww, it’s ok. That’s why we are here for training, so we make mistakes now and learn to do it right.” Callie said with a smile, trying to be chipper. “Don’t beat yourself up too bad.”

“She is correct, Tazrok,” Vanis said as the Ogre lay down on his own oversized bunk, having shoved his clothes into a basket under his bed. “We make mistakes now, so that we don’t make them when it really matters. As for your fatigue, I asked Healer Tasi for a stamina potion, and she’ll be sending a Sprite with one shortly. You’ll be feeling much better by the time the Major comes to retrieve you.”

Tazrok nodded as he stretched out and leaned back against the wall. “Good. Thank you.”

“In the meantime,” Vanis said as he stood, “let me show you something my trainer was able to procure for me.” He bent down and retrieved a long basket. Setting it on the bed, he reached in to remove a well-crafted lute. Stylewise, there wasn’t much to it, but the care that went into the craftsmanship was evident. “In addition to wanting me to practice my Dancing Light skill, Trainer Terrin suggested I play occasionally for the other recruits. He even gave me permission to use my Inspiring Melody skill in the garden.”

“Maybe you could play at the party tonight,” Lena suggested. “Hopefully you know something a little more rousing than the usual dirge you hear from most Bards.”

Vanis pondered the suggestion for a moment. “Perhaps something like this?” With that, the Elf began to slowly walk around the little house, playing a quirky upbeat melody on the little wooden instrument. The simple, happy tune brightened the moment. Callie and Pixyl both clambered up on their respective bunks, grinning to the music, as Tazrok’s huge, booted foot swung to and fro. Only Xin failed to partake, as she was still concentrating on her picture, lost in her own thoughts.

“Yeah!” Lena said. “I think something just like this. I’m not familiar with it, though. What is it?”

“It’s a nursery song called Dorie the Dour Sheep.” Vanis said with a laugh. “I learned it when I was a small child.” Smiling at Callie and Pixyl, he began to sing in an unwavering, practiced tenor voice.

Dorie the Dour Sheep was always so blue,

She never would play like other ewes do.

She'd just mope and sigh, all day and all night,

Until one day, she saw a star so bright.

“I remember this one,” Lena said with a smile of recognition. “My mother used to tell me this story as a child, although it was a Grumpy Puppy, not a Dour Sheep. She never sang it, though.”

“Is there more?” Callie asked.

“There are two more verses that I remember,” Vanis said, “but I think there are more, too.”

She followed that star, as it led her along,

To a meadow of flowers, where she heard a sweet song.

And as she danced and sang, she realized with glee,

Being dour was not her, she was meant to be free!

So now Dorie skips with all her might,

She's the happiest sheep, on the hillside so bright.

So if you're feeling blue, just remember Dorie's fate,

And let your spirit soar, it's never too late!

“Aww, that’s sweet, Vanis. And the music is cute, too.” Callie said. “I have a bit of musical ability, but I’ve never played a lute, mostly just guitar, which I guess is probably a little like a lute. And you sing way better than I do, too.” Callie had been around music all her childhood, because her dad would still jam with his buddies in an informal garage rock and blues cover band. Callie used to sit in the corner, playing with dolls and tapping her feet as the band would play rock classics and old Chicago blues on a Saturday afternoon and evening while her mom was working her side job at the local Krogers. Once in a while, her dad and the boys would land a gig at some small bar or lounge or wedding, and if it was relatively safe enough, she’d get to come along and watch the band make some damn fine music.

When she got older, her dad taught her to play the guitar. She knew she would never play nearly as well as he could, he was just a gifted natural at it, like his own father was. But Callie learned enough to handle chord changes, a little picking, and some of the classic rock songs her dad would play with the band. In fact, some of her favorite memories were the many times they sat in Grandpa’s basement, the three of them playing old sixties and seventies songs from his generation, and rock classic’s from her dad’s, not long before her grandfather passed. It wasn’t at all her kind of music, but still she learned the chords and the words as the men sang the lyrics from Dylan to The Beatles to Springsteen and Skynard and a dozen others from their era. The memories were priceless.

Once, she even surprised them both with acoustic versions of a couple songs by Lady Gaga and a few other more-modern ones. Together they all laughed as Callie brought the songs up on Youtube and the men tried to sing and play along with the fast-changing words. Of course, all the sing-alongs began to wind down with her Grandpa’s death. And later, after her dad had died, it became really hard to even pick up the instrument and play again. She tried a few times, singing and playing for her mom favorites by Simon and Garfunkel or Janis Joplin, but it only served to make them both sad. Callie had played for her dad and grandad, and now she couldn’t do that any more. The music was just too empty now.

“Perhaps some time you can share what you know of the music of your world,” Vanis suggested. “It might give me something new to play for this one.”

“Maybe,” Callie said quietly, still feeling introspective, as there came a light knock on the door.

Before Vanis could move to answer the door, Pixyl hopped off her bed to open it. Fluttering at eye height for normal-size people was one of the tiny Sprites, holding a flask of yellow liquid tightly to her chest. The Sprite blinked in surprise, seeing no one there, before she looked down and saw Pixyl. With a surprise flip in the air, she darted down to eye level with the Pixie. “Hello!” she said in a cheery voice.

“Hello,” Pixyl responded flatly. “How m-m-may I help y-y-you?

With a harrumph, the Sprite said no more and held out a vial of thick, yellow liquid. Pixyl reached out and took it. “Goodbye!” the Sprite said with a cheery wave to everyone in the room, before she scowled at Pixyl and darted up and away, her little wings fluttering rapidly.

“They don’t seem to say much,” Callie said. “I’ve only ever heard ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ from any of them.”

“Usually they are m-m-more chatty,” Pixyl said with a shrug. “If you get a Sprite talking, they can go for hours if you let them. They get distracted easy, so I bet they keep it short while w-w-working.”

Pixy held the vial out to Vanis, who set his lute on the bed and took it.

“Tazrok,” he said, “this would be for you. It will give you your strength back.” Vanis removed the cork stopper and held the potion out for the Ogre.

Making a face of dread, Tazrok gingerly held the potion daintily between his fingers. With a gulp, he drank it down with a loud, “Bleh!” It was not tasty at all. But, in a moment the Ogre stretched his arms out and made a grunt of approval. “Taste bad, but feel more good.” He handed the vial back to Vanis, who set it on the table against the wall, skirting carefully around Xin.

“That’s the undeniable truth, Tazrok,” Lena said. “All the best potions taste absolutely awful. You’d think they’d be able to do something about that with a Culinar, but I guess it messes with the effectiveness if you combine Alchemy and Culinar magics.”

It was about an hour later that Major Celeste walked to Ogre House to retrieve Tazrok. As she approached, she could hear bursts of occasional laughter, with the deep voice of the Ogre standing out amongst them. It was good to hear everyone having a good time, especially considering what had transpired on the training field only hours previous. Given how all of that went down, and what Pixyl had to go through to save everyone, emotions could be much different. Tazrok’s laughs seemed to show that the experience of healing the Pixie hadn’t left any lasting scars, either.

She knocked firmly, and in a moment, the door was opened by her student, Lena.

“Major!” Lena said with a happy smile. “Are you here for Tazrok?”

“Recruit,” Celeste snapped gruffly in greeting. “Yes I am.”

“Come in, please,” Lena said, standing aside.

The Major entered to find the rest of the bunkhouse all relaxing, save the Lizardkin who was busy, appearing to be doing something at the table. Tazrok was sprawled out on his bunk, his back resting against the wall, as was the other Elf, Vanis. The Gnome and the Pixie were both sitting cross-legged on their bunks as well, looking a little guilty about something. Celeste couldn’t help but to think that was going to be a recurring look on their faces.

“I also have a new suppression band for you, Pixyl. Olin knew I was coming this way, so handed it off to me.” She held out the leather strip, which Pixyl took with reluctance.

“I’ll p-p-put it on in a bit,” the Bladeweaver said.

“Hi, Major,” Callie said with a wave. “Tazrok is feeling better now, so he should be good to go.”

“Feeling better?” the Major asked.

“He overdid it a bit earlier,” Vanis said. “But Healer Tasi sent a potion.”

“Anything serious?”

Vanis shook his head, “Not at all, just a little mana exhaustion.” He then silently mouthed the words ‘it’s fine’ to her with a knowing nod. Celeste caught the words and gave a brief nod in return.

With a groan, the big Ogre stretched and then swung his long legs to the floor. “Am ready.”

Before Tazrok could walk over and join the Major, Xin set down her charcoal and exclaimed, “Done!”. She turned to hold up the picture she had drawn, an excited happy smile exposing her sharp teeth.

“Wow!” Lena said in amazement.

Xin held up not a mere sixty-second sketch like she had done of Lena, but an intricately detailed drawing. It showed the six members of Ogre House as if they were standing outside, with the bunkhouse behind them. Pixyl and Callie were in front, big smiles on their faces. Behind them were Xin, Lena and Vanis, also wearing warm smiles. Behind those three stood the towering feature of Tazrok, his big arms outstretched so his hands rested on the shoulders of Xin and Vanis as if gathering them all in for a hug. It looked to Callie like a typical family photo you might see on someone’s holiday greeting card.

“Holy cow!” Callie said. “That’s great, Xin!”

Celeste moved to get a better view of what the Lizardkin was holding up for everyone else to see. Callie was right, the picture was absolutely marvelous. Not just in its quality, that much was evident, but also in the emotion it conveyed. It showed these six, who had been strangers just a day before, as if they were a simple, happy family. The Major couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of regret, having never had a family of her own growing up. “That’s really lovely.”

“Thank you, Major,” Xin said. “Until this morning, I had never been able to draw or even been much of an artist of any kind, but all that seems to have changed. This would be my Symbiote’s doing, yes?”

“Maybe?” Celeste said with a shrug. “I couldn’t tell you. Master Healer Tasi is the real expert on Symbiotes here in camp. But if this is new as of this morning, it could be. You’d really need to ask her.”

Xin nodded. “I shall do that then. I worry this new talent will fade, but I hope it is permanent.”

“Perhaps it might even be useful to the war,” Celeste thought out loud. The re-addressed Xin. “There is always the need for mapmakers and tactical scribes when strategizing or mapping new areas. Keep practicing. I’ll requisition some additional materials for you.”

“Thank you, Major. I will keep at it, and let you know how it goes. If my new skill continues and can be of assistance, then please make use of it.”

The Major nodded, before turning her attention back to her reason for coming. “There’s been one small change, Tazrok. We would like to add a fifth person to your punishment, if that would be permitted,” Lena said. Then she added with glint in her eye, “We will have plenty extra of your … items available.”

“Who added?”

Celeste scowled. “The Fairy Warlock from earlier. The one that summoned the Demon. Trainer Terrin has him scared senseless that he is to be punished publicly, in addition to whatever Terrin is doing to him.”

Tazrok nodded. “Can include him. Vanis, Warlock does not need legs, right?”

Vanis gulped. “One could argue they are not required. But they are helpful.”

The Ogre shrugged. “Can grow back in time.” He then gave the Warlock a wink.

Vanis chuckled. “You should be fine, then. Just ensure his arms are able to be waved around. He’ll need those.”

“You … You aren’t really going to tear his legs off, are you?” Callie asked.

Tazrok turned to Callie and put on the biggest, scariest, and evilest grin he could muster.

“Major?” Callie said shakily, suddenly a little concerned.

“Don’t look at me, Callie. The Corporal is the one in charge here.”

With that, the Ogre turned and walked past the Major and out the door.

As Celeste turned to follow she stopped, turning to look at Pixyl and then at Callie. “Since this morning, I’ve had to deal with multiple incidents with the two of you. I’d really appreciate no more shenanigans today. It’s crazy enough around here without you two helping.”

Callie looked at the Major and then narrowed her eyes slightly. “Hey, Pixyl?”

“Hmm?” the Pixie responded.

“I think it’s really important we come up with a fresh list of shenanigans we can pull…”

Major Celeste started to respond, but before she could get a word out, Callie added a simple “... tomorrow.”

Lena laughed with a snort as the Major sputtered, stumbling for words. Finally, Celeste sharply pointed two fingers at her own eyes, before turning them and jabbing them towards the not-at-all-innocent, grinning short ones.