Chapter 9: Trading stories

When Leander came to, he noticed all the tubes connected to his arms. He was hooked up to a mana converter, and that was never pleasant. But, on the bright side, Morris was sleeping by his bedside. Then, one of the axe warrior's blue eyes cracked open, and he gave Leander a bright smile.

"Hey, healer. Awake at last?" That brought Leander to a panic attack. For how long had he been out?

"How long has it been?" Morris looked at the calendar, and Leander grew ashen. Then, Morris winked at him, and Leander had the desire to throttle him.

"Just messing with you. I paid extra, and they gave you the premium treatment. It has been just three hours," Leander was touched that Morris would spend so much on him. Even if the axe warrior had taken the money out of Leander's own gem-filled pouch. Leander's eyes found the heavy pouch on the bedside table. It looked no smaller than before.

"Morris, please don't tell me you paid out of your own winnings!" Leander snapped. Morris placed a hand on the pouch and pushed it out of Leander's reach.

"You got mana exhaustion because of me. It was only fair," Leander was having none of it. For Morris needed the money as much as he did.

"You will accept all the money back," Leander demanded.

 Morris stood, towering over Leander, and placed a hand on the healer's pillow.

"You will not order me around when I want to look out for you. I am not a child, Leander," Leander gulped and sunk deeper into the bed. Then, like a summer storm, Morris's face brightened, and he sat in the chair again.

"Now, you will be happy to hear that I didn't say anything about the pile of gems currently being chipped away in the sewers," Morris said absentmindedly.

"That is stealing," sure, they could keep everything they got their hands on. But only as much as they could carry. Anything else was the guild's property. That was why bottomless bags were the very first thing adventurers invested in.

"The treasure is on the wrong side of the dungeon grounds," Morris said in a sing-song voice. Leander's face brightened at that.

"Really? I didn't see very well. I was focusing too hard on the levitation spell," Leander's lips tugged upwards; Morris nodded excitedly.

"It fell on the other side of the line. By the time people reach the end of the dungeon grounds, we can have bought a bottomless bag and cleaned all the gems from the sewer," Morris raised his hand and brought it closer to Leander's. Leander gave him a weak high-five. For, all the tubes couldn't allow for a proper one.

"When am I getting discharged?" Leander looked at the tubes that were pumping mana into his system even now with worry. Mana was always unstable after such an intervention. Morris looked at the sand clock and then pointed at it.

"Not much longer. Look at how little sand there is left," Leander looked on as the sand grains fell, but soon got bored with that.

"Tell me something about yourself?" Leander turned to stare at Morris, who placed a hand under his chin.

"Well, my life is full of fluff and warmth. Honestly, you will be bored with it," Leander smiled at that and hoped it was not an evasion tactic.

"Come on, just one thing," Leander pleaded, and Morris sighed.

"Ok, I'll trade you: one detail for another. Let us see. When I was little, my mother made salty cookies. And I helped. We made a couple in the shape of bones for my dog. He waited exactly five minutes for them to cool, and then hounded us for one until we gave them to him," Morris stopped talking and looked expectantly at Leander.

"Ok, well," Leander wondered about what he could say. Since Morris had taken the easy road, he figured he could, too.

"I had a pet hamster growing up," Morris barked a laugh at that.

"Really? And your first mission was to rough the poor cretins up?" Leander's face softened. It was ironic, true.

"Anyway, Fluffs..." Morris leaned back into his chair and began laughing hysterically.

"Really? Fluffs?" He managed, clutching at his sides.

"Yes, Fluffs. It was a perfectly reasonable name for my four-year-old mind," Leander defended himself and waited until Morris calmed down.

"So, Fluffs?" Morris let out a final chuckle and Leander decided to continue.

"Fluffs liked chewing the carpet. So, mom sprinkled it with red pepper one day. You should have seen how his tiny legs moved that day. He raced faster than a fox whose tail is on fire," Morris tried to imagine the hamster rushing towards its salvation, and he was reduced to chuckles once more.

"Did Fluffs stop his attack on the carpet?" Leander shook his head, and Morris's eyebrows rose. "You have to give him points for determination."

"Yes, well, he got the last laugh too. Because the pepper got him to poop all over the carpet and under the furniture. Mom left him to his chewing after that," the final sand grain fell, and the nurse came inside as if called.

"It is time for you to be checked-out. Please recommend the clinic to all of your friends," she sounded like she had rehearsed that line many times.

After all the needles were taken out of Leander, he was given a piece of candy, of all things, and told to pick this clinic next time he needed it. Leander promptly handed the sugar fat depositing lollipop to Morris, who shrugged and plopped it inside his mouth.

"You will need to burn that with many hours in the training yard," Leander said. Morris shrugged.

"Yes, well, can't be helped. Besides, I was going to swing the axe a couple of hundred times anyway. Do you want to watch?"

Leander bit the inside of his cheeks. He hoped that he was not blushing right now.

The prospect that he was going to be watching Morris swing an axe so many times sounded alluring to him. But he had to get his mind out of the gutter. Least, he lost the only person who wanted to be in a party with him.