A Simple Life Ch. 11-23

"Do Lakota...believe in magic?"

She chuckles. "I'm just talking for myself here."

"Sorry."

"Do you believe in magic Avery?"

I look up at her, struck once more by her regal beauty as she gazed off into the distance. "Um...n-not really."

"Hmm."

We fall silent and let the cool moist wind caress our faces as we behold the grandeur before us. Flashes of lightning flicker along the dark bank of clouds and the low rumble of thunder shakes the sky.

She turns and pats my shoulder. "Come on. Let's roll some dice." She walks for the ladder with me tagging along just behind her. "You eat yet?"

"Oh, um, that's okay."

"Have you?"

"N-No, but..."

"Great!" She says as she starts to climb down the ladder. "You make the salad and I'll fry the chops." Her head suddenly pops back up over the edge. "You aren't vegan or anything are you?"

"No." I smile. "I love pork chops."

"Great." We get to the ground and Winona pulls down the ladder and takes it inside. I scoop up my pack and helmet and follow. "You want to visit the cats first?"

"Nah." I say. "Mama will have them in a safe place for the storm."

"Smart Mama." She pushes the locking latch open and uses the chain and starts to roll open one of the bay doors. "Grab your bike. Might as well keep it dry."

"Oh! Thank you."

"No sweat my dude." She lets go the chain and wipes her hands against her overalls. "Park it anywhere. Close up and lock up when you're done. I'll see you in there."

"Yeah, sure."

I watch her go more smitten with her than ever. Winona sure had a wonderful way of making someone feel welcome. It was in the simple things, the way she spoke and laughed and smiled with such honest warmth. We barely knew each other yet she was treating me like an old friend. I don't know why given the drama of our first meeting but with her I felt...safe. I was barely even stuttering!

***

Chapter 13

As I bring my bike into the garage I notice a number of extra tools and equipment now lined the walls of the bays. The place had been dusted and swept and the old bikini babe calendar had been replaced with a new one showing a proud buck. Once I figure out how to work it I close the bay door and latch it as I'd been told. I leave my pack, jacket and helmet with my bike. Taking a moment to make myself presentable I grab the paper and pencils before heading to Winona's suite. The door had been left open for me.

In the day and a half I'd been away the place had transformed from piles of boxes and furniture parts into a cozy home. To my immediate right was a shoe rack and coat hanger. Beyond that the tiny kitchen was not stocked with at least a basic level of supplies, most of which I helped to choose earlier in the day. At the back wall past the kitchen was the tall bookshelf I'd helped carry in now packed bottom to top with game books, miniature figurines, a glass vase full of dice of every imaginable color, and other such things related to her hobby. Goodness, she was really into this stuff! Along the back wall was the window and beside that her computer desk. Winona's bed was pushed right into the southwest corner with her nightstand and lamp near the open side. Next along that wall was her Johnny Cash poster, then her closet with her dresser inside, and finally the washroom off to my left. Her little dining table sat in the open near the kitchen with only one matching chair, though she had rolled her computer chair over to sit across from it. The center of the room stretching to the space to my immediate had a large rectangular rug but was otherwise left strangely empty.

"I'll be getting a love seat and TV for there." Washing her hands at the kitchen sink Winona had noticed me looking at the vacant spot. "Dad and I are taking a trip to Portland tomorrow."

"Nice." I close the door behind my and slip out of my shoes, careful to place them in the shoe rack of course. "The place looks great."

"Yeah." She says, drying her hands. "A little bare bones but it's coming along. You want some tea? I've got the kettle on."

"Yes please!"

"I thought you might." Taking an apron from off of a wall hanger she tosses it to me. I fumble the catch and quickly scoop it up off the ground and put it on. She grins as she watches me tie it around my slender waist. "I do love a man in an apron."

"Pfff." I titter, thinking it a joke.

"I'm serious." She says matter of factly. "Very sexy."

"Oh!"

Kneeling down she starts to take food from out of her half-sized fridge and put it on the counter. I approach and wash my hands. She stands up beside me, shoulder to shoulder she towered over me. Her counter space was limited, especially with the kettle and hotplate sharing real estate with where we'd be chopping and preparing, but she sets things out as best she could.

"There's a bowl up there. Knives in that drawer." She pulls out a cutting board. "There ya go."

"I'm on it boss."

"Heh."

I get the bowl and a knife and ready the veggies I needed.

"So?" She peers over at me from the corner of her eye. "Get a chance to talk to Kayla?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. I did."

"And?"

"Um..." I hesitate, unsure of what to say. I didn't want to lie but neither did I want to tell her that our mutual friend said some not very nice things about her. I did not like stirring drama up between people I cared about and I liked hurting people's feelings even less.

After an awkward silence she sighs. "It's cool Avery."

"Sh-She didn't tell me anything." I choose a little white fib to smooth it all out. "She said you were great to have as a friend and fun to be around but I told her not to tell me anything else."

She looks at me. "You did?"

"I-I don't think friends should talk about each other behind their backs." I say truthfully, then add in very soft tone. "Besides. I-I'd like to get to know you...myself a-and make my own mind up."

She looks down at me for a long moment. Feeling nervous under her gaze I busy myself with washing and chopping the lettuce. "That's...that's really cool Avery." She says at last. As I continue to put the salad together she takes a moment to go to the computer and get some background music playing.

"I don't have internet yet." She says as a sappy country ballad begins to play. "We'll have to make due with what I've got saved."

"That's okay. This is nice."

She returns to my side. Unwrapping the chops she lays them out on a plate. "And how is Kayla?"

"She's great. Living in the Tits now. She's single again."

She laughs. "Offered you a booty call?"

"The invite was there." I giggle.

"Good old Kayla." Reaching past me she grabs a few seasonings. "She always had a soft spot for you."

"She was talking about doing a movie night party tomorrow." I say. "If you're interested."

The salt shaker in her hand pauses...then continues to shake. "Yeah! I'd love to go to a party with you Sprout."

"W-W-With me!?" I stammer. My intention had only been to inform Winona about the gathering, not ask her to accompany me to it. I'd barely been here fifteen minutes and I'd just asked Winona out, by accident! And she said yes!

"Dad and I ought to be back in plenty of time." She says. "What's the movie?"

"I-I-I d-d-don't kn-kn..."

"Hey." She places a hand on my back and leans down to look at my face. "What's up?"

I snort, angry at myself for stuttering so badly, and shake my head. "N-N-Nothing."

"Okay." She looks me in the eyes...and smiles. Soooo beautiful! Very softly she rubs my back. "Breathe Avery. Just breathe."

I gulp in a deep shuddering breath and slowly let it again. "I'm sorry."

"You really don't have to be. It's cool." Just then the kettle comes to a full boil and clicks off. Taking a mug from the cupboard she plonks a tea bag into it and pours it near full. She places it on the table to steep then returns to my side and continues seasoning the meat with a smoky smelling mesquite rub. "Are you worried that it will be awkward for you? Being there with me?"

"N-No." I whisper.

"It will be for me." She admits. "That girl broke my damn heart. I thought we had something."

"Oh! W-We don't have to...g-go there."

"Nah, it's cool." She says. "I'm over it. I didn't understand Kayla like I do now. I've grown a lot since the last time I was here. Or I've tried at least."

"That's...good."

"Yeah."

I am struck with how far her effortless warmth, her easy kindness, and her vulnerable honesty had gone in soothing my jangled nerves. She was everything I hoped she'd be and so much more. Here I was hanging out with the most gorgeous girl on the island. Sharing a meal with her. And we already had a first date planned! By gosh I was one lucky fella. In a comfortable lull we continue our preparation for a few minutes as the music softly plays while outside the whoosh and rattle of the approaching storm was just picking up.

With growing confidence I say. "Hey, what song is this?"

"Mmm?" She tilts her head. "Feels So Right."

"It's nice. Great harmony."

"Yeah. Alabama's awesome."

"Are they your favorite?"

She smirks and with her head motions back to the opposite wall. "What do you think?"

Peeking back over my shoulder I see Johnny giving me the finger. "Oh. Ha! I should have guessed." She was just setting the chops into the pan to sizzle when I announce with a flourish of my knife. "Salad's finished."

"Already?" She says and nudges her hip into mine. "Damn you're fast Sprout."

"At making salads at least."

"You're all done and here I'm just getting cookin. Typical man."

"Pfff." I snicker. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"I got this." She nods to the bookshelf. "Why don't you grab the Character Manual. Take a look. Try to get some ideas of what you want to play."

I rinse and dry my hands. After adding milk and honey to my tea and tossing the bag I go the bookshelf and peruse the spines. "So many books! All of these are for Fables of Fantasy?"

"Most of them. I've got almost every book from all three editions of FoF there."

"Wow." Focusing on the shelf with the black and blue color palette that I recognized from my half a game I scan across until I find the well worn copy of the Character Manual. I slide it out from the rest. "I don't know what I'm doing."

"Just take a browse. See what inspires you." She says. "Last time you got a premade and were thrown in right at a big moment. Actually building a character, getting a feel for them, and starting from scratch will teach you so much more about the game."

Sitting at the table I place the book in front of me and admire the artwork of a band of heroes sneaking toward a monster's lair full of glittering treasure. I was so nervous and confused on my first try that it had been a miserable experience but Winona's enthusiasm and this evocative art did stir the spirit of fun inside of me. I open the cover and begin to slowly leaf through one page at a time.

"So I can choose anything in this book?"

"You bet." She says as she shuffles the pan back and forth over the hotplate. The mouthwatering aroma of sizzling smoky pork mingles with the spice of the chai. Safe inside this cozy room while outside the wind howled I sip my hot tea and scan the words and pictures. "If you've got ideas not in there I'm sure there are options from the other supplements that'll work. Or we can just improvise."

"Improvise?"

"I am the Game Master after all. My world, my rules."

"Your world, your rules." I repeat. "So I can just...do anything?"

"Within reason, sure! It's a fantasy game. You ought to be able to play whatever your imagination can come up with."

"Fantasy?" I whisper as the image of a fair princess in a flowing blue gown with a delicate silver tiara upon her brow catches my eye.

"Yeah." She says. "Make a fantasy YOU to live in my fantasy world."

I run my fingers lightly across the pretty art. "A fantasy...me?"

***

Chapter 14

As Winona fries the meat I sit silently sipping my tea and flipping through the pages as ideas began to swirl. A fantasy me. But what kind of person was that? I startle as suddenly two hands are on my shoulders and I could feel the brush of my host's breasts against the back of my head.

"So what are you thinking Sprout?"

"I...think I'd like to try a mage again." I say, trying to maintain my concentration with her so close. "I never even got to cast a spell last time."

"Awesome." She says. "Got a race in mind?"

"Elf." I say without hesitation. "They're...they're cool looking."

'Cool looking' glossed over the many things I liked about that race. They were long-lived, wise, noble, nature loving, a bit mysterious, and they cared about things like beauty and tranquility. And best of all, they were all sooooo pretty!

"Nice." She says. Leaning down over me, her chest now right alongside my head, she reaches out and flips back a few pages to the elf section. "There's some sweet options for elf casters. Right here." She points and taps the page. "Magic boon is a must have. A free power and drain resistance across the board on casting. One of the most broken combos in the game."

"Broken?" I read the entry, but it was the one above it that catches my eye. "Oh!" I say. "This one gets you a pet! Ha ha ha!"

"Nature? Eh. The bonuses are meh and familiars kinda suck." She says. "In combat they're more a liability than anything. Besides, that's more for Rangers and Druids."

"Oh. Okay. I-I'll take Magic then."

"Hold on Sprout." She looks at me from the side. "Do you really want a familiar?"

"Um...kinda."

"Then take it." She pats my shoulder and returns to check on the pork chops. "This is your character Avery. Whatever you think will be fun to play, that's what's important."

As the music plays, the meat sizzles, and the escalating storm rattles the big bay doors out in the garage I pull my pad of paper closer and start jotting things down. My fantasy me was an elf, a mage, and had the Nature boon. To complement the boon I choose Nature as my 'Guiding Principle' as well. I really liked the idea of being a nurturer of all things green and natural. Without even rolling a single dice a foggy image begins to form in my mind of this person who was me but not me. It was only now dawning on me how deep this game went. The first time I'd played it I was trying to understand it as a board game but as I read the sumptuous descriptions and ogle the exquisite art and imagine my fantasy self's place in this magical world it fires up an appreciation of what this game could be and why it evoked such excitement from people like Olivia, Charlotte, Liam, and Winona.

"How's it going?" Winona sets down two plates, each one loaded with one thick pork chop and a heap of glossy dressed salad.

"Oh, um, good I think."

She drags the other chair around the table to sit at my side instead of across from me. I go to pull the book and paper away but Winona says to leave it. After she gets us some cutlery and drinks she sits at my side and starts munching away at her salad as she peruses what I'd written down with a surprisingly intense interest. I take my knife and fork and begin nibbling myself.

"Mmm." She swallows. "A nature wizard? Never seen anybody play one before."

"I-Is that okay?"

"It's unique. It's awesome." She slices off a bit of pork and chomps it down. "So tell me about him." She asks through her chewing. "Or her."

"Or her?" I whisper.

"Yeah." She says as she sits back, pushing her glasses up her nose in that charming way she had. "Don't worry about the rules or the numbers right now. Just tell me who they are."

"Sh-She..." I smile, emboldened by Winona's interest. "She lives in a forest. She looks after it."

"Oh nice. We can work with that."

"She lives there with her whole family."

"Okay. Is it like an estate or kingdom or what are you thinking?"

I think a bit as chew on some tasty pork. "No. They're just simple country elves." I say. "Simple and happy. They tend the forest."

Winona nods. "Alright. Married? Kids?"

"No." I say. "I think she had to stay pure so that she can talk to the unicorns."

"Uh...okay. Where'd you get that from?"

"Don't unicorns only approach virgins or something?"

She shrugs. "Sure Sprout, they do now. Anything else?"

"Um. My Grandma is a wizard too." I say. "She is very wise and she taught me everything. I love her very much." She looks at me with a funny smile. "What?"

"You slipped into first person." She nudges my arm. "I think you're gonna be a natural at FoF."

I grin and mutter bashfully. "I hope so. This all sounds so fun."

"It's only the best game ever." She says with an infectious enthusiasm. She suddenly gets up and hurries to the shelves where she fishes out three ten-sided dice from the rest then returns. She places them on the paper. "Green for nature okay?"

"Oh! They're so pretty." I say, admiring the creamy jade hued polyhedrals.

"You like them?" She says. "They're yours."

"What? Really!?"

"I've got tons of 'em and you'll need a set anyway." She says. "I'll find the others in this set later. This is all you need for now though. Come on, let's roll some dice!"

"Okay!" Hurriedly I chew down the food I had in my mouth and wipe my hands on my apron.

Winona briefly explains the five key stats, each of which were split between an 'active' aspect and a 'passive' aspect. "So, like, in Physical for example. Active would be feats of strength or effect how hard you hit while passive determines how tough you are and how well you can resist poison or disease or what have you. In general Active aspects are more offensive and Passive more defensive. Get it?"

"Um...no."

She grins. "Don't worry about it. Just roll and we'll figure it out. It'll all become clear as we go." As I take the two dice she indicates that I start with and begin to rattle them in my hand she then tells me about the dizzyingly complex system of deciding the numbers that at character creation ranged from 30 to 80 out of 100. "It's easy. Each stat starts at 30. You then roll a percentile, divide it by 2, round down, and add it to that. The third d10 is the Fable dice which we'll roll at the end. Got it?"

I laugh and shake my head. "Nope."

"Just roll the damn dice." She chuckles. "And don't worry too much if it's low. There are things you can do to boost bad stats."

"Okay." I let the dice go. Both of us lean in as they tumble across the table to land on...oh no. "Zero?" I say as I stare at the twin zeroes looking back up at me. "I got zero. That's really bad, isn't it?"

Winona, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging open, gawks at the dice. "Avery! That's not zero, that's 100! Your very first roll was the best roll you can get!"

"Oh." I smile. "Cool."

"I've NEVER gotten a hundred at creation!" She says, a hint of jealousy coming through. "Beginner's luck or what. Wow. Okay, well, write that number down and roll four more times."

I write down the 100 and roll again. "69. Heh!"

"Ha!" She guffaws before doing a double take. "No, that's a 96. 96! Get OUT of here!" She shoves me nearly off of my chair!

With a humongous smile I rub my shoulder then write the number down. While she is still marveling over that one I roll the next. "87."

"Stop it!" She cries as I laugh and quickly write it down. "The other players will think I'm playing favorites!"

"I can't help it." I say ebulliently. "I guess I'm just lucky." As I tempt fate with those words I let go the next roll. "2."

"2!? Ha ha ha!" Winona shakes me by the shoulders, to which I giggle wildly. "Talk about hot and cold. You are a walking, talking min-max machine."

Pretending to be perturbed by the roll for affect I grumble as I jot down the low number. "Last one." I say as I rattle the die in my hand...and let them tumble from my fingers. "93!"

"NO!!!" Winona leaps from her chair and begins pacing about the room. "You did NOT just roll that! That did NOT just happen!"