Chapter 13: Programmers!

As we entered the blue building I saw a counter to the right, and 3 doors across from the entry. I was reading the signs above the doors (Medical, Private, and General) as I heard Bluebird greet the person sitting on a stool behind the counter.

“Heya Granny G, has Dominick come out or sent word from tending Buckle?”

“Oi Bluebird, nothing yet, but that’s also good. Too fast from as serious as it looked would probably be bad news, like, pretty bad.” The dark skinned woman with a smattering of lined creases on her face responded. Her pink and grey hair was long and flowed down over her flowered dress. She glanced at me with unexpectedly pink eyes and continued. “Who’s the new one?”

“Monday’s the one who brought Buckle to the village, injuries and all.” Bluebird sounded a bit unsure if it was a positive or concerning action on my part.

“Eh? Suspicious Birdy. This thing here hardly looks to be up to anything cunning.” The older woman said as she looked me up and down before addressing me. “Interesting bloodline potential, you got a gender?” The way she said it seemed matter of fact, and didn’t cause a reaction from Bluebird beyond a slight eyebrow raise.

I, however, was a little confused. “Um, hello Granny G? I’m, I'm pretty sure I’m female?” I replied, and I could hear the confusion in my own voice.

She just looked me up and down and clucked her tongue before shrugging and pointing to the door on the left with the sign for ‘Medical’. “Dom didn’t say no visitors, so you can go on in with the girl.” No malice, but it felt a little bit like I was being teased, and for some reason it bit at me.

No, I suppose that is what teasing is about and my mouth opened before I considered my near instinctive reaction. “Is it my form of address, my gender or my lack of surety about either of them that has annoyed you?”

As another bit of a surprise for me, she opened her mouth and eyes a little more and didn’t reply, apparently taken aback.

“Well, excuse me for being re-born yesterday. If you want to fill me in I’ll make the time.” ‘Where did that come from?’ I wondered as I moved to the indicated door and passed through it. I mean, maybe I used to have an attitude, but nothing in my interactions with Buckle, Tom or Bluebeard indicated anything like it. Speaking of Bluebird, I heard them chuckle as I opened the door and passed through a simple passage a few meters long.

The door closed behind us as Bluebird followed me through. “She isn’t a bad person, but she likes to mess with anyone she sees as young. Which is most folk to be honest.”

Bluebird’s melodic words washed over me and helped dull some of the instinctive prickliness that I was trying to understand.

“I’m not sure why I reacted like that. It felt… unusual? Like I could maybe have stopped myself, but almost forced? Like a habit I didn’t know I had…” I trailed off while thinking out loud.

Glancing back at Bluebird I saw their eyes roll as they spat out “Programmers!” like it was a cuss bad enough she shouldn’t say it around children. Meeting my eyes they continued, “I’m going to guess you are tagged with a stage of life, Puberty. At the Grindstone I talked with a guy who did an age rollback. He complained to no end, even though he chose it and it had been years before. No need to talk about it or confirm it, we can talk later, and we should check on Buckle. Just, when you find yourself doing things you don’t really understand, it may not be you alone, but System influence. A bit like some of the class stuff, but less dangerous. Doesn’t excuse the behaviors, but look deeper at those reactions, not allowing them to drive you is probably worth the effort.”

Moving past me and my big pack in the passage wasn’t as difficult as I might have expected, and suddenly Bluebird was leading me through the door on the other end. Beyond the other door was a walled outdoor space, wooden walls, no roof and a stream running through it. Four small constructions were placed along the stream, simple roofs held up by columns with curtains on each side. Three of which had the curtains open, and one with the curtains drawn.

“Heya Dominick, G said we could come back, how is Buckle doing?” Bluebird approached and called out to the hut with the curtains drawn.

“Give me a minute” a voice chirped back from behind the fabric.

I looked at the natural stone floor and how it descended to the stream, shallow steps of natural slate or sandstone. There were a few small plants clinging to the gaps in the rocks and growing along the stream. Each of the other huts that I could see into had water filled holes or baths that appeared to be fed by the stream in some manner below the surface.

My brain was behaving a little loopy as I compared the color of my foot to a similarly shaded rock nearby when a rustle jolted my attention back to the hut with the no longer closed curtain.

Dominick’s green hair was like lush grass on his head, and brought his height slightly higher than a meter. Behind him I could see another water filled bath which contained Buckle, eyes open and looking over at me.

I couldn’t help myself, and smiled. “I’m glad you are awake, I hope you are feeling okay.”

His eyes blinked, and I noticed that his ear tip had been reattached somehow. “Monday March, ye should really take off that pack ‘n rest. Don’ be tellin’ me ye been hauling that ‘n tother since the Taz?”

My brain took a moment to think about it before I shrugged, pack shifting on my back, and replied. “Didn’t see a good spot to put it down. And I’m not really tired. And I don’t want to lose it, because you already got hurt trying to save me and it’s yours, and I wasn’t sure if you were gonna be okay, and I thought you might be dead, and I wasn’t sure what to do so I kept it on.” Okay, I didn’t really reply so much as ramble.

“Lass, what happened to ya after I passed out?” Buckle’s eyes narrowed and briefly glared at Bluebird.

Continuing with my trend of confusion, I filled Buckle in about the rest of the trip. Getting to the wall, calling for help and talking to the guard. Leaving Buckle to be taken in by the healer for help and waiting to talk to Bluebird. The truthstone, the axe being covered in blood and left up a tree. Bluebird FLYING! Me being sorry I didn’t have his axe, but hopefully he can get it back before returning home. People staring at me as we walked to the bath, and Granny G seeming annoyed with me.

With eyes still on Bluebird he asked me, “And no one said that ye had blood spray o’er a third a yer face?”

I could see Bluebird wince as the question hung there. “Er, no…” I lifted my grey hand and touched my face feeling a hint of tackiness, then pointed over at the stream and looked at the Guild Rep, “Can I go clean this up?”

Grimacing, Bluebird spoke, “Sorry Monday, I hope it can wait a little, we will get you cleaned up before we leave. Buckle, we didn’t know anything about her, bringing you here injured and blood on her and her axe. Not to mention a possible injured taz that could be stalking her, brought right to the village.”

Sudden confusion overtook Bluckle’s face, “Injured? I ‘uz sure it wuz dead.”

I spoke up in response, “It wasn’t on the path when I was gathering you and our stuff to come here. So I…” Interrupted by a holler from Buckle I stopped mid explanation.

“WILLY! SPIT IT OUT!!”

Unnoticed by me, Willy had apparently been sitting at the edge of the bath. The toad suddenly croaked and disgorged something many times his own size beside the pool.

The impossibility of the act took second place to the foul stench wafting over me. The shape wasn’t unrecognizable. It wasn’t melted, but it was… It was the taz and it was starting to melt? My brain rebelled for a few more seconds as I heard a gag from Bluebird, a grunt from Buckle, and humored chuckle from Dominick. Willy had started digesting it, I guess, and it looked wet, and slimy, bloody gash still present in the eye and mouth area.

“Monday struck that blow ‘n saved us both, er at least me. Any bounty er value left in it is hers, I cede ta her fer bringin’ me back fer treatment, which I’ll pay Dom meself.” Looking from Bluebird to me, Buckle continued. “Now lass, Dom ain’t said as much but I be certain he wants me ta rest. I planned 2 silver ‘n food and bed fer a day er two.” Nodding to the small pile of bloodied clothes nearby. “Take 7 of the empty silver out the pouch ‘n talk ta Ann from Pillow an Pie. Keep me bags there ‘til I kin get em. ‘N make Bluebird deal wit dat mess.” The goblin’s finger came above the water and pointed at the partially digested taz while his eyes closed. Bluebird winced again, Dominick shrugged and I just tried to follow directions.