The turnout had been better than expected, and Amanda and Barrett's Pub was packed past capacity. Word of the show had spread to the distant town of Lumina, and a contingent of dudbears had accompanied the local bartender and resident siren on the 5-day journey. Not to be outdone, the Pirate Penguins, long-time rivals of the dudbears, had docked in Polpota and brought their walrus captain. Add to that Domina's eager children, residents, and Sproutlings, and you had quite a crowd.
Duelle, ever the gallant knight, had offered to help Rachel with the cooking and serving. She was only too grateful for the help. Teapo would never fit through the throng, and the last time someone had actually seen either Barrett or Amanda work the floor, Rachel's parents were still dating. Who else was there to help?
The fairy-like girl paused for breath in the kitchen doorway. What a madhouse! "No more rum to table four," Rachel called in to Duelle. "Tusk is actually starting to sound like a pirate!"
"And don'cha be easin' up on me loime, wench," the rumbling voice filtered down from the upper deck, "or I'll be 'avin' ye keel'auled!"
"Right. No rum for 4. Has the main event arrived?"
"Ten minutes ago. He's getting his contraption ready in his dressing room."
Duelle nodded. "Guests of honor?"
"That's why he was late," replied Rachel. "He decided to walk over with them."
"Right." Duelle snappily poured a glass of wine and two lemonades, then set three plates of the house special on a tray, followed by the glasses. "Send these over, with my compliments. It's on me."
Rachel looked across the room to the head table. "Better make that 5. Two more wines."
* * *
Out on the floor, conditions were almost SRO. Many of the older children were up in the balcony, where both the penguins and the dudbears had commandeered tables and were partying down. The captain had been entertaining the kids with stories of the sea and tall tales of far off places that probably didn't exist.
At least, he had been while he was sober. Now he offered a different kind of spectacle.
"All together now!"
"AAAAHRR!!"
Tusk leveled a finger at a penguin. "You there!"
"Aaahrr!!" he piped.
"You on the end!"
"Aaahrr!!"
"Ramtieger! You next!"
The S.S. Buccaneer's helmsman downed his mug and slammed it onto the table. "Aaahrr!!"
"What's that spell?!"
"Duuuub!"
"No, not you!"
Down below, it was less chaotic, as most of the younger children were clustered near the makeshift stage. The adults had snapped up the tables and booths, leaving only the one nearest the stage. A folded card, up until a few moments ago, had proclaimed to all that it was "RESERVED". Now even it was full.
On the stage itself, Capella, smile pasted in place, performed a gymnastic spin on his juggling act. Every time a ball left his hand, Capella would spin, flip, or tumble before catching the next. Off to the side, a quiet bump amidst the colored faerie lamps, his bestest buddy Diddle cranked his Victrola, providing a steady musical rhythm to keep his friend focused.
The head table's occupants had sat down only a few moments before, but the atmosphere was pervasive enough to help them settle in for the show. The two elven children, Bud and Lisa, alternated between being absorbed in Capella's juggling and being absorbed with giggling and kicking each other under the table. Normally, their companion, teacher, and foster parent would have reprimanded them for horsing around. But they weren't disturbing anyone else, and since the point of this night out was to have a good time, she felt she could let it slide. Let them have their fun.
She wished her two other companions would take note of the kids. The sullen one in black had been very difficult to convince that you didn't bring armor and weapons to a stage show. Now she sat chin in hand, not really paying any attention to anything around her. The other, dressed in a gown of mauve that set off the violet of her hair and eyes, seemed nearly as distant. She had pulled Pokiehl aside before their walk over, and all the way here you could practically feel the weight of the world upon her shoulders.
It wasn't her place to pry into the affairs of others. It was rarely necessary. People just seemed to feel compelled to tell her what was bothering them. She was such a good listener and so empathetic that others readily took her within whatever walls they had built around their hearts. This wasn't always a wonderful trait; it would often land her in trouble (or adventure, as person responsible would usually call it). But it had also won her the respect and admiration of those who knew her.
And most importantly, she thought, it earned me a seat so I can SIT DOWN for once and enjoy an evening out without bringing the spear along. This night out had been Pokiehl's suggestion, but she'd bet good lucre Duelle pulled a string or two for the table. Local heroes have to stick together, he'd say. Normally, she'd blow it off, but she'd been yearning for an excuse to dress up and enjoy herself; opportunities like this came once in a blue moon.
She looked back to her companions to see if their mood had changed, and wondered again what had passed between Amity and Pokiehl to make her so gloomy. Bud had been so excited when he learned that the Wisdom was going to visit his home, that he had sat out by the mailbox the whole night before just to be the first to greet him when he arrived. She laughed to herself. Pokiehl did have that about him. He didn't seem quite as stuffy as the other Wisdoms she had met, and she loved the merry aura in which he always clothed himself.
"Hey, guys," Rachel broke them from their individual reveries as she set the plates and glasses out before them. "Duelle sends these with his compliments."
"I had a feeling...." The woman smirked and took a sip of the wine. "Good stuff you have here. If you'd send our thanks, I'd appreciate it."
"Can do." Rachel smiled, a rarity.
"Hey! I want some wine, too!"
"Bud, you're not old enough!"
"Aww...."
The woman chuckled. "Your sister's right, Bud. I'm sure Rachel wouldn't steer you wrong with the lemonade."
She leaned over to the waitress and spoke beneath the din. "Where's your mom and dad? I didn't see them when we came in."
Rachel grinned mischievously. "I convinced mom to take dad out for a romantic stroll or something. Anything to keep him out of here and my hair."
"Good ploy."
Rachel glanced to the back of the stage. "Looks like the show is about to start. I'll be back if you need anything."
The woman followed Rachel's gaze to the shadows at the rear of the stage. The Wisdom
was indeed there; you couldn't miss that hat. "We should be ok for a while. Take
care."
* * *
Pokiehl smiled from his position in the wings, doing his best to stay out of sight. Capella and Diddle had earned their round of applause and deserved to have it without being upstaged. Besides that, he was rather enjoying the close of their act.
Capella took his bows with much aplomb, doffing his hat and waving to the crowd. Diddle remained his usual, reserved self, but the Wisdom could tell that he too was proud of their performance.
"Thank you, everyone! Thank you!" the monkey shouted out over the noise. "You wouldn't believe how great it is to give a performance with a roof over our heads. I don't have to worry about the weather driving off the biggest and best audience we've ever had!" The crowd favored Capella with another round of applause. Diddle slipped a fanfare record into the Victrola and started to play it.
"All right, Domina," Capella continued, "this is the moment you've all been waiting for! Tonight, Amanda and Barrett's is proud to be host to one of the most famous bards ever to tramp across Fa'Diel. A lesser creature might be called a mere minstrel - a storyteller - a jongleur - but THIS bard is no less than a crafter of dreams! Let's give a big welcome to Pokiehl the Wisdom!"
Capella swept off the stage to handclaps and a chorus of 'aaahrr!'s, with Diddle and his Victrola trailing behind. Pokiehl, by contrast, entered demurely, stepping onstage without a hint of the bravado that his foppish coat, his top hat, or Capella's introduction would have suggested. The faerie lights seemed to sense his approach, and they flared with an aura of faint blue as he left his contraption at center stage and walked forth to survey the audience.
No one really knew what Pokiehl was or where he hailed from. His avian features suggested he was related to the Windcallers, birdmen of the Norn Peaks. The Wisdom lacked their severity in all things, preferring to dress in showy colors and to be friendly to anyone and everyone. Most of all, Pokiehl had the soul of a minstrel and true showman, unmatched by any Windcaller bard, and his down-to-earth manner set him apart from his fellow Wisdoms.
His dark eyes glittered in the azure light, barely visible beneath the brim of his hat, and he beamed at the audience. "Good evening, Domina," his gentle voice insinuated out through the noise to the still-applauding crowd, and they softened to silence.
"First, I'd like to thank you all for coming," he said, adding a barely perceptible nod to the occupants of the head table. He extended a wing towards the rafters, gesturing to the siren roosting out of sight of the people. "I'd also like to thank the lovely, golden-voiced Monique, for donating the use of her beautiful faerie lamps for tonight's performance."
Up in her perch, the siren smiled and blushed. The audience gave quiet applause, though a quiet murmur of distrust arose from some in the audience.
"In particular, I'd like to thank Amanda and Barrett, wherever they might be, for hosting our little show tonight, and if you happen to see Rachel, she is helping me collect lucre for Domina's Children's Fund. If you enjoy the show, please help us out with a small donation. It would be much appreciated.
"And speaking of appreciation, I'd like to give my thanks to the fine pair that kept everyone from noticing that the great Pokiehl, in his infinite power," the Wisdom glanced side=to=side, then knelt and hissed in a stage whisper, "was running behind schedule!" The audience chuckled.
Pokiehl stepped back over to his contraption, a music box on a stand, and began to crank the lever on its side. A mysterious tune tinkled forth and slowly swelled as the faerie lamps dimmed to a faint purple. "Tonight, though, you would find but five Wisdoms in all of Fa'Diel, for I have cast off that hoary mantle. Tonight, I am not Pokiehl the Wisdom, but Pokiehl the Bard." The Wisdom paused and spread his winged arms wide, the lever on the box continuing unaided. "And I have a tale to share."
Light erupted from the music box as seams broke open and the sides folded down. From within the box a magic lantern, freed from its confines, cast out its bright silhouettes. A faerie lamp at its heart pulsed with eerie color, shining a roiling mix of light and shadows onto the pub walls, transforming the tavern into the heart of a thunderstorm.
The music scintillated into less-ominous tones, becoming a mournful lilt. "Old
Man Winter is at the door, biding his time of arrival," incanted the Wisdom.
"Thus I give you this tale of Summer, to prolong its warm survival. Lean ye closer,
children all, and hear my sorc'rous rhyme." He touched the music box, and shapes
opened up in the dial of the magic lantern, giving life to a myriad wheeling dragons and
knights. "For little is more magical than those words, 'Once upon a
time'...."
