CHAPTER 17
So there I was, mind my own business when all of a sudden I heard a loud crash followed by a man moaning. Dumb human, what did he think was going to happen? I didn't see the blow but the story was everywhere. He tried to fight five Mages armed with a sword! A sword!
-Julix talking to Zlex
"Okay Gand, we need to talk," Deven said as he watched Gand start to put a bed together.
"We do?" Gand asked.
"I have put a lot of money into your hotel to make it half way livable," Deven replied. "I don't care if your betting scheme gave it all back to me and then some. You even have a small stable out there."
"What do you need?"
"Pressa," Deven said. "My mother would kill me if I brought an Elf girl home, no matter how pretty she looks."
"What does this have to do with me?" Gand asked.
"I know what her job is. Sooner or later, whoever Fariday is will want something more from his servants.
She has a job and lives in Servants Quarters.
I want to rent out the room that I am staying in for a year.
This place looks like an inn anyway. I want that room along with food and a cleaning and laundry service. "
"What does that have to do with Pressa?" Gand asked.
"She is going to be living there," Deven said. "I don't want any of these others to get their hands on her. There are too many Elves walking around, too many humans with a little money."
"Fair enough," Gand said.
"I know that you are going to charge to have Elven men to live here with you.
I don't want any living upstairs. I know that Delano is going to want to secretly put his girl up there too.
I am giving you an extra four gold on top of whatever your price is for her to stay.
If she lets someone else romance her, I want her out of here. "
"Fair enough," Gand said.
"Don't let any of the women with me know," Deven said.
"I think that they already do."
"They know that Pressa and I have fun and spend time with each other," Deven said.
"They don't need to know about the rest. It is not like they have any room to talk.
I know that one of them has tried out your Red Orc friend and shy little Gwen was openly kissing that Elf boy.
I know that they don't want anything getting back either. "
"I'll hire Tong and some of his family to see about the room cleaning and laundry and things," Gand said. "Pressa knows the way that this game is played. She is looking for a man and if you plan on taking care of her and seeing about her needs, then she wouldn't do anything stupid."
"That is why I like Elf girls," Deven said. "They know their place. I always wanted to meet one and I don't want anyone else to have her. I may bring some of my friends around here and fill up your top level with others. I am glad that we had this talk."
"Not as glad as I suspect Pressa will be," Gand replied.
"There you are," Delano said.
"I already talked to him," Deven said.
"Good," Delano said. "I'll get you your coin. So when are you visiting Salta?"
"I didn't have any plans on it," Gand replied.
"Come off it, you already knew that this conversation was happening," Delano said. "You are wasting your time with your Elf girl. You could have Laura if you wanted."
"You could have Laura if you wanted," Gand retorted.
"I couldn't," Delano replied. "She has always wanted something different.
Like an Elven Wizard or a Dwarven Runemaster.
Meeting another race with magic has her blood up.
I used to hate her for it but not now. If Naeve had magic then I would have married her on the spot.
Elves are rare, let alone Elven magic users.
You could have a big home and lots of servants. "
"I could make my own money, like what Glorie is doing," Gand said.
"That girl," Deven sneered. "Typical airhead. Everything is a joke to her."
"You just made a horrible first impression," Gand said.
"And she has many men after her. You all came from days away to meet her without even knowing what she looked like.
She can be a bit much, but that is due to her power.
She can see everything that happens, she can't experience them the way that I can.
She often answers questions before you can think to ask them and other things that some others might find annoying.
Glorie is a good person despite that. There are many humans here that are cruel to non-humans just because they exist and that they can. Glorie is not one of them "
"She is a girl," Deven said.
"Doesn't matter," Gand replied. "Many human girls flirt in order to get you into some secluded place so her friends can attack you. Many lie about an attempted ravishing or anything else they can say to start trouble."
"We don't do that," Deven said. "I would never dream of calling the non magical my equal and I don't do that."
"No one but other women are mean to Elf girls," Gand said.
"No one I brought with me has done that," Deven said.
"You are not the people of Glendale," Gand replied. "They would do it and have done it."
"Enough about morons," Delano said. "I can't take Naeve back with me.
For now I want to hole her up here. I know that she has a family that she wants looked after.
I want one of those small split houses. Naeve's family can all live on one side and if Deven joins in, Pressa's people can be on the other.
I am going to leave you enough money to start the building.
Don't be in a hurry, you have all year to make something similar to where she was staying.
Elves live stacked on top of each other anyway, they can share a room or a bed or something. "
"What will be the pay?" Gand asked
"Same thing that you were making," Delano said. "I already know how much Fariday was paying you so don't get cute."
"Sounds like a deal," Gand said.
"Maybe getting her family down here would be the right thing to do," Deven said. "I can give her a small stipend since I am paying for her room and board. We need to discuss some things Delano about how this is going to work out."
"How much longer are you staying?" Gand asked the pair.
"We leave tomorrow morning," Deven said. "So I have plenty to do instead of staying here talking to some Gand."
Gand smiled and left them. Pressa was going to make out almost like she always wanted.
If she gets her own home, then she really would make out good.
Fariday would probably be angry at losing a bed warmer but there were others who didn't mind filling that position.
Gand walked outside and saw Gwen, Laura and Glorie talking to an obviously angry Charles Calhoun.
The man was armed and he was looking for trouble.
Gand knew that the man came there for him.
He heard that Glorie moved in with Gand and wanted to attack him while the Elves were gone and the Orcs were asleep.
"Hello Calhoun," Gand said as Jason Jelani walked up from behind.
"I can't believe that you are letting this thing, inside of you," Calhoun said.
"Who is this man?" Jason asked.
"Someone who I used to talk to," Glorie said. "Until he got Gand fired and then tried to kill him."
"He is well armed," Jason said.
"He was a guard for my father," Glorie said. "He got someone killed, nearly wrecked a deal worth several thousand gold and tore up the inside of someone's tavern."
"You really want to do this?" Gand asked.
Calhoun was about to talk and was blasted across the road. He landed hard and groaned.
"Why do you all take the time to talk to someone like him?" Deven asked. "He was an idiot looking for a fight."
"You attacked him!" Glorie screamed.
"You just said that he killed a man and nearly cost your father thousands of gold," Deven said. "He understands violence and violence is what he has got. This is my last full day here, I'm not spending it on idiots, especially not when I have made friends here."
Gand shrugged and left Calhoun exactly where he was.
The man slowly got up and realized that there were Mages staying with Gand and they wanted a fight.
Deven gestured for him to run along and Gand knew that although it hurt Calhoun's pride, that he was better off leaving.
Gand wasn't surprised when the man did just that, leave.
The excitement died down and Gand went back inside.
Most of the Mages were leaving to run some last minute errand.
It left Gwen, Ryan, Glorie and Gand alone.
Gand took a seat and let out a small chuckle.
"So that was fun, how are things going Ryan?" Gand asked.
"Lemara Mikel," Ryan said. "I know that she laid down with Tezen but she is the best that I can hope to find and she was trying for me first. I kept blowing her off and she went in another direction."
"You don't sound convinced," Glorie said.
"I'm not," Ryan said. "We have money, but they have money money. Her family wants a healer and the dowry for her is obscene. She even told me that if I didn't like her that she has other family members. How can I turn down something like that? You had to hear something similar."
"Yep," Glorie admitted. "Having Gand's friends kept a lot of the heat off me. I can see how some get jealous of the Elven girls but not me. Delano was cute but I don't think that he is the honest type."
"He is a tool and you know it,” Ryan said.
“He is still really handsome," Glorie said. "I am amazed that Gwen hasn't gone for him."
"She is way too shy for that," Ryan said.
"She is also right in front of you two," Gand said.
"Delano is too good to talk to anyone," Gwen said softly.
"I am glad that I met him," Gand said. "I am glad that I met all of you. My home is up and all of you are a big part of the reason why. I know to most of you it may look like a hovel, but I have already had great memories here and I look forward to making more."
"I want to come back, I just don't know how my family would feel about it," Gwen said. "Maybe you and everyone else can visit us once."
"I don't know if that would be a good idea," Gand said.
"You can see if it will be okay," Gwen said. "See what will happen if Raylen came, if any of the others came."
"Maybe I will," Gand said.
"I can look as well," Glorie said. "Maybe we will all stay with you, Gwen."
"Well I am going to take advantage of my final day of having Mage help," Gand said. "Everything I have is nice but if I can get it nicer, I'm all for it."