She reached down and wiped away a little blood from his face with the back of her paw. "I'm just glad you feel better, Tarrin."
"I will in a while," he grunted, sitting up. "You're one brave woman, do you know that?"
"Sometimes we all do things we don't like to do," she smiled. "Believe me, that was something I do not want to experience again."
"You are weird."
"Then we're a matched set," Jesmind grinned at him wolfishly. "Come on. We both need to get cleaned up, and I need a new shirt. Why is that whenever we're together, I always seem to end up out of my clothes?"
"Bad luck, I suppose," he answered.
"Depends on the circumstances," she said with a wink, then she climbed to her feet and sauntered back towards the house.
Tarrin looked at her for a long moment, then blew out his breath and climbed to his feet. Were-cat females certainly kept life interesting. Figthing one moment, flirting the next. And she had the nerve to flirt! Then again, she knew that the fight had settled him down, drained away his anger, so she could act the way she used to back in the Tower. Jesmind usually wasn't much of a flirter, though. Usually, Jesmind's idea of flirting was unlacing his breeches. But he wasn't the same male he was then, and perhaps she was acting differently because of it.
He started towards the house. Jesmind was certainly much different than he remembered her to be. He wondered what other surprises she had in store for him.
Tarrin used Sorcery to clean and fix his clothes, then replaced the door. He was busy hanging it when Jasana padded out in a little brown shirt with holes in it and a pair of sturdy little canvas breeches, grabbing hold of the end of his tail and holding on to it. Tarrin waved a paw at her quickly as he lined up the new door, then slid the hinge pin down into place to hold it.
"Why did you and mama fight?" she asked intently.
"It's what Were-cats do sometimes, kitten," Tarrin replied casually, bending down and sliding the other hinge pin home. "Your mother and I had some arguments in the past. Fighting is a way to settle them."
"I don't like it when you fight."
"I don't like it either," he told her honestly. "I'm sure she told you about when we met, didn't she?"
"Umm," she hummed. He'd learned that was one of her ways of saying yes.
"We fought alot back then, too," he told her. "Your mother and I have always seemed to been fighting, for some reason or another."
"Mama says it's because you're too stubborn."
Tarrin looked at her, then he laughed quietly. "I think it's because your mother is too stubborn," he said with a smile.
"I took the ham off the fire. It was getting burned."
"That was thoughtful, kitten," he complemented her, slapping the dust out of his fur. He spotted a broom in the corner, so he retrieved it and went about cleaning up the shards of wood laying all over the floor.
"Can we eat now?"
"I thought you said you weren't hungry."
"I guess I am," she admitted.
"Let me finish cleaning up, and we'll eat," he promised. "We have to wait for your mother in any case."
That made Jasana smile for some strange reason, then she bounded off towards his parents' old bedroom.
Tarrin had the floor cleaned up, and was scooping up the debris in a conjured dustpan when a hesitant knock came at the door. Tarrin didn't bother to look at it, using his tail to pull the latch, then pull it open. The scents coming through the doorway were unfamiliar to him, but he knew that they were human, and there was no smell of armor of steel about them, so that meant that they were friendly.
"Tarrin?" the voice of Garyth Longshank called out. "It is you!" he laughed.
Tarrin turned and looked, and saw Garyth Longshank standing at the doorway, but he wasn't alone. Jak Longbranch was beside him, a longbow in his hand, and Karn Rocksplitter stood on the other, his big staff in his hands. "Good grief, son, when did you get so tall?" Garyth asked immediately.
Tarrin was getting tired of that question. "It's a long story," he said mildly, looking at the three of them, broom in his paws. "Well, don't just stand on the porch. Come in."
"Yer lookin' alot different, boy," Karn told him gruffly. Karn had been one of Tarrin's friends and mentors. The grizzled Dal smith had taught him a little bit about blacksmithing, a little bit about life, and had taught him Arakite. His bald head wasn't quite so bald now, with some peach fuzz about it because he hadn't shaved it lately, but his beard showed alot more gray in it than had been there the last time he'd seen him. Jak was a little taller now, and had the lean-whiplike frame of a man who lived from his bow and backpack. He had a scar on the right side of his forehead, and his brown hair was longer, tied in a tail behind him. The smiles of the young boy were gone, replaced by a haunted emptiness in his eyes that made Tarrin feel sorry for him. Tarrin knew what he felt, knew what it was like to suffer that kind of loss.
"Sit down, gentlemen," he said briskly. "We weren't expecting company for breakfast, but I think we can accomodate you."
"Thank you, lad," Garyth said with a small smile, and the three men settled in after Jak closed the door. "Where is Jesmind?"
"Cleaning up," he replied. "You missed the fireworks."
"What do you mean?"
"We had a disagreement," he said mildly. "Disagreements among Were-cats usually end up with broken furniture."
Garyth chuckled, and Karn grinned knowingly. "That explains the wood laying all over the porch."
"Thank Jesmind for that. She hit me when I wasn't looking."
"That's the best way to hit someone, boy," Karn told him with a gravelly laugh. "I think Dumas is going to be very happy replacing all the things you break."
"I can do that myself, Karn," he said mildly. "So it's an expensive hobby we can indulge ourselves in."
"Well, it's good to see you, lad," Garyth told him. "I'm sure you know why we're here."
"I killed the Dals," Tarrin shrugged. "Now you're either coming to thank me for it, or berate me for doing something so stupid."
"A little bit of both, to be honest," Garyth smiled. "I'm happy to see them get theirs for what they've done, but you know they're going to retaliate."
"They won't be here to retaliate, Garyth," Tarrin told him, taking some plates out of the cupboard. They were the same plates he used to use. Jesmind had truly simply taken over the house. "You're not going to see an armed Dal column in Aldreth again." He set the plates at the table, and realized he was two chairs short to handle them all. Mother had had six chairs at the table, but two of them were missing. So he simply reached within and Created two chairs identical to the four at the table, making them appear in the holes.
"Karas' hammer!" Garyth said in a strangled tone, jumping when the chairs appeared.
"Sorry, I forget you're not used to that," Tarrin apologized.
"You really did learn magic in Suld," Jak finally said, looking at him calmly.
"Actually, that magic was taught to me by a Faerie," he admitted. He was still in contact with his Druidic power, so he Conjured forth a large breakfast for all six of them, ham steaks and boiled eggs and warm, fresh bread and porridge and a pitcher of chilled cow's milk, complete with cups made of clear glass.
"You must make Jesmind very happy that she doesn't have to cook," Garyth laughed as he looked at the food.
"I don't know, I haven't made her a meal like this before," he answered.
"Tarrin! Is that Garyth?" Jesmind called from the back room.
"With Karn and Jak," Tarrin replied. "Come to breakfast!"
"I'm glad you-well, I'm glad things turned out alright with you and Jesmind, Tarrin," Garyth said gently. "She told me that you didn't know about Jasana."