Halfing

"You're... a quarter-halfling?" Mayra was dumbstruck. She'd come to be strangely fond of the odd man, but had never suspected he was anything more or less than an eccentric human.

"I know, my height's something, ain't it? Never believe I wasn't full human. You shoulda known Mama Millicent, she never grew taller than a child! She was certainly wide, though." He paused in her memory.

"Why wouldn't you tell us you're not human before?" Mayra wasn't sure what the protocol was for polite interaction anymore, but at least he didn't seem offended.

"I expected you to notice, but young people these days don't see anything they don't want to." Jimmy shook his head in disappointment.

"Wait, that reminds me... you said Mama Millicent died of being sick and you couldn't heal her, but that healing tea recipe was amazing! Just how sick was she?" Mayra pressed on, trying to solve each of the things that didn't fit in her mind.

"She was paranoid, my Mama. Hid her recipe book. I didn't find it til after she died, and she was too sick to tell me how to make anything." Jimmy huffed, but the corner of Finn's mouth twitched a little. She was beginning to see where Jimmy got some of his less personable traits.

"I see. Did she inherit her recipe book?" Mayra asked.

"Now, now, I've already answered more questions than you girls were entitled to. I gave you some leeway because of the butter tart, but I'm done now." Jimmy crossed his arms.

"Well, may I have another assignment?" Finn asked hopefully. "We can make you more butter tarts."

"Want me to blow up bigger than Mama Millicent? A quarter-halfling can only eat so much, you know. No, just bring me more pollen when the flower blooms again." Jimmy stated. "Make sure you do your best and get it all."

"Why is that?" Finn asked. He hadn't made that stipulation before, had he?

He sighed, "Didn't I just get on to you for too many questions?"

With that, he was gone.

Finn flushed, slightly embarrassed at the rebuke. He probably just wanted to make sure she got him as much as possible.

"So he's.... going to a different world every time he does that?" Mayra's furrowed brow tried to understand the mystery.

"That's what he said." Finn continued staring, "It's a bit weird that we saw him coming through a 'doorway' this time, but not when he left... isn't it?"

"Your eyes are too slow. I'm not traveling every time you think I'm gone," Jimmy's voice carried on the breeze, and the girls startled.

"Don't eavesdrop! It's RUDE!" Mayra called after him, earning an echoing chuckle.

_________________

Ashley ended another shift guarding the City Hall and headed back to the barracks. They were somewhat near the city gate, and she relished being at least that much closer to eventual escape if orders should send her elsewhere.

Her father had come to speak to her again today. His pressure on her was increasing, switching from berating to persuasion to manipulation and back. The tactics were exhausting and she struggled to resist the whiplash of his mood swings. This morning he was pleading how much he missed her and worried for her safety, how he longed to have her home so he could take care of her.

That might have worked if he weren't trying to marry her off to some far away rich man. There must be some extreme bride price for her hand that her father couldn't wait to get his hands on. It didn't make a lot of sense to her, though. She just knew she needed to resist it.

Idly, she wondered about her chosen future husband. Having seen both Roland and Riley write to Finn, she wondered that the man chosen for her had written often to her father, but never to her directly. Maybe it was a decorum thing where he was from?

Still, she would have liked to know more about him. Maybe next time The Provider started in on one of this tirades, she would turn back on him and ask him all kinds of questions about the man. If she played 'cold feet', maybe he would soften and not be so harsh with her.

Not that it would change her mind. Her father was becoming worse over time, but she still knew him and that she wouldn't be physically beaten, at least so far. If he got too angry... she shuddered lightly and wondered. At least she'd gotten some combat training and might stand a slight chance of defending herself.

If it weren't for the army, she'd have no chance of staying beyond his grasp. If she'd simply run away, she had a feeling that he would be able to follow her far beyond where she was able to go.

Plus, she had no real money of her own and no wilderness survival experience beyond the brief army training. She wished she could still be with them, except... she mourned Roland. He had been one of the first and only soldiers to befriend her and try to help her. Now she could only hope that Peter would stay safe. And Riley too. The man could be a little insufferable but he seemed to have a good heart.

She sighed as she neared the barracks. The world had changed significantly since her time trapped in her lovely home with her chaperone and servants and almost anything she wanted... other than freedom.

Moving to the side as two riders passed, she was surprised when they jumped down.

"Ashley!" Suddenly she was being hugged by Mayra and Finn.

"Oh, am I glad to see you two." She responded, hugging them back. They had spent some time together on the road back from their destroyed village, and Ashley liked them quite a bit. The one or two friends she'd been permitted by her father to have were snobbish and shallow. These women were refreshingly open and kind, even in the face of tragedy.

"How are you holding up? Do you need anything?" Finn asked, looking her over.

"I'm... surviving. Father comes often and it's not pleasant." Ashley admitted softly.

"I wish there were more we could do for you," Mayra added. "Can we bring you anything? Baked goods, clothes, anything?"

"I have to wear the uniform, but a change in food might be nice," Ashley admitted. Really, she just wanted an excuse for them to come visit her. It wasn't strictly permitted, but no one ever came to inspect the women's barracks as she was the only one there.

She had been afraid in the loneliness at first that Father would send someone to kidnap her and bring her home, but she would eventually be missed if she didn't show up for duty. For now, the army's protection was enough to keep the man at bay.

"Of course!" Mayra beamed, "I'm baking all sorts of things to fill the time. I'm thinking of opening a shop to sell it all."

"Are you really?" This was the first time Finn had heard of it.

"Well, yes," Mayra sheepishly admitted. "I've been very helpful to the Shermans, but they've been supporting us entirely since we came. I'd like to repay some of that generosity. Especially since I've been using all the ingredients in their kitchen to fuel my baking sprees."

Finn nodded. Whenever she'd asked for tasks, Mrs. Sherman had directed her to another volunteering opportunity, and never getting a job. She hadn't considered the financial side of things, but it was very thoughtful of Mayra to do so.

"By the way," Ashley said with a sad look, "I'm sorry about Roland. I know that you... that is, I... have a suspicion about how close you two were." This was directed at Finn.

"Thank you." Finn said simply. There was nothing more to say on the matter.

Mayra pressed her lips into a flat line. She still held out faint hope that Roland somehow survived. Hadn't she and Finn just been learning about the magical things of this world? Surely anything, including his rescue and healing, were possible. Riley hadn't actually seen Roland die.

Ashley saw Mayra's face and responded with a curious look. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Mayra winced at having such a readable face, "I'm just not sure he's dead. And I don't know whether that makes it easier or harder. But now I know stranger things have happened, so I just want to believe for a while." She turned a worried look at Finn, fearing rebuke or a resurgence of grief.

Finn stared for a few moments at her. "I suppose that's true. Stranger things have happened."

Finn had wanted so badly to believe that he was still alive that she had been trying to extinguish any irrational hope that sprouted in her heart. To hear Mayra verbalize a similar feeling was oddly soothing. Finn might not be crazy for wanting to entertain such thoughts.

"Maybe hoping isn't the worst thing in the world."