Hello, Everyone!
Welcome to a new episode of Mary Windfiddle's story :)
Last time, after saving a couple of children from a monstrous attack, our heroes sent them to their Papa and spent the nithe at his orphanage. They met the other kids, gave out some oranges and altogether had a very nice time. Mary reflected on her own upbringing as an orphan herself and felt great symphaty towards Rabajorhax and his children.
“I’m telling you, there's something fishy about this Papajorax,” Aurum said.
“Rabajorhax,” Bruno corrected.
“Why is everybody so cheerful here all of a sudden?” the bard pressed on. “Why wasn’t he worried about the children being attacked? And what happens to all the kids that leave the orphanage? I bet they get eaten or something!"
"He told us what happens to the children," Mary said. "They go to the nearby towns to get jobs and start a life."
"Yeah, well, I don't trust him," Aurum pouted. "It's suspicious."
Mary shrugged. Whatever her friend was thinking, she felt peaceful in Rabajorhax' company. She bid the others good night and went to her room. For the first time since forever, she'd be sleeping separate from them – a rare luxury she intended to take full advantage of.
She spread her books and journals on each flat surface and wrote until late in the night. She made sure to leave some time for actual sleep, though. She still remembered Gillean's words about wakedness being the source of most of her anxiety.
Before she got to bed, she crafted Aingels out of some of her discarded paper. She'd gotten used to doing that after the strange happenings in Myth Adofhaer. If there was anything invisible around her, her origami tressym was sure to see it.
The moment her spell came to effect and animated the winged cat, he jumped down and started scratching on the door. That was strange. Aingels had never behaved like that before!
Mary opened and followed him in the hallway, down a flight of stairs and to a door with the same carving as the trees in the grove. She knocked shyly and the door opened.
"Hello, Mary." Rabajorhax smiled at her. He was wearing a pair of pyjamas embroidered with brown teddy bears. "What brings you… Oh!"
Aingels started rubbing on his feet and was arching his back for a petting. The man indulged.
"I'm sorry for intruding on your evening," Mary said.
"It's no problem," Rabajorhax said, picking Aingels up and stroking his chin until he purred. "He's adorable."
"That he is," Mary said.
Remembering Aurum's concerns, she used the moment to quickly flash to Aingels' senses and look at the man holding him. There was nothing invisible or strange about him. Rabajorhax was just a nice plump fellow who liked children.
And, obviously, cats.
Morning came sooner than Mary would have liked. The bed had been comfortable and the house wasn’t in Myth Adofhaer, where she didn’t feel right. Mary packed all her belongings in the Pocket of Holding and went down to the first floor, where the smell of pancakes filled the air.
"Morning, Ma…" Bruno greeted her on the doorstep and coughed, hiding a snicker into his beard.
"What? Why are you laughing?" she said.
"No, no, it's nothing," he said, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. "I’ve still got some giggles left from last night."
They got to the dining room where children were already having breakfast and got greeted with a laugh and flashes of amused looks. It was a bit strange but there was always something of a cheerful atmosphere in the house anyway.
"Hi!" Aurum said on the table. His eyes looked at Mary, his eyebrows shot up and then he looked at Bruno with a questioning glint in his eyes.
"Hi," Bruno said and sat on the nearby chair.
P f f f f f f f f f t !
The sound of a juicy fart filled the air. The children exploded with laughter. Bruno reddened, stood up and looked on his seat. There was nothing there.
With his belly mirthfully shaking, Rabajorhax appeared from the next room and headed towards the breakfast table. Bruno squinted at him. Then, the moment the man sat on his chair, another farting sound came from under him. The children laughed again and Bruno and Rabajorhax looked at each other, like two masters acknowledging each other’s skill. Bruno was a straight-faced and practical ma… dwarf now, but Mary and Aurum had heard stories of his younger years when he used to be quite the jokester.
The bard seemed to pay little attention to the giggles. He leaned forward, chin on interlaced fingers, and stared at their host.
"Sooo, " he said. "Jojoparax."
"Rabajorhax," the man corrected.
"What's up with all those carvings of you around here? Are they some kind of magic? Who made them?"
"I don't know," the man said. "Pro'bly a fangirl."
Mary snickered just like she’d done when Anton and Ilyana had said the same thing. It was the word they'd used. She found it hilarious.
"Yeah, right," the bard said. "Why would anyone be your fangirl?"
"Are you kidding me?" Rabajorhax said. "Look at that beard, that bod'! Who wouldn’t want a piece of that?"
He patted his belly and the room filled with more laughter.
"Yeah, no, but seriously. How are you making everybody so cheerful?
Rabajorhax repeated the gesture, bringing on even more merriment in those around him.
“Where are you actually from?” Aurum continued the cross-examination. “Are you really human? You don’t seem human. Are you a dragon? What do you do with the children when they grow up?”
For the first time since they’d seen him, Rabajorhax’ eyes became serious. His mouth was still smiling and his tone was still polite and carefree but there was something different about him.
“Look, Aurum,” he said. “I can feel a lot of hostility in your tone. You seem like the dangerous kind of adventurer and I’d very much like to stay alive around you. So, let’s just drop the mistrust I don’t really deserve, and enjoy our breakfast. The children have made sure it’s a good one.”
“Plus…” he leaned towards the bard, “You can’t keep living in the shadow of doubt, always expecting enemies to pop up from around the corner. It’s really tiring and sad to have so little faith in people. Not healthy at all. ”
Then he turned around and started joking with the kids. Aurum frowned but didn’t say anything else.
Soo, are you as suspicious of this Rabajorhax as Aurum is? There's something fishy about him but I don't know what exactly. Mary likes him, though. So does Aingels. Let's hope it's a good thing :)
See you next time!
Take care and be well!
(Also, here's a link to the Chapter Guide, the Glossary and the Map for the series. You're welcome!)
An important disclaimer: These are my notes from a D&D game turned into a narrative. All the worldbuilding and NPC encounters belong to our DM, and all the actions of the other main characters (Aurum and Bruno) belong to my co-players. My contribution to the story is only everything Mary-related (actions, reactions, inner thoughts), as well as the writing itself.