Vol5: Chapter 3 – Thoughtful or instinctive

After wandering through town for a part of the afternoon and delivering the letters to the post office, who promised a safe delivery, but not a particularly quick one, Mirgia eventually made his way out of the town of Redsan and towards the home of Teddy and his wife. “If you leave the town on the sunset side and then just keep walking till you see a lovely little farm then you’ve found it. If you get into a dangerous plain of red sand, you’ve gone way too far and should have probably reconsidered your steps hours prior.”
Mirgia smiled. It wasn’t often that he met people who were just so outwardly pleasant to be around. Growing up in the elven city of Milinia, people had always been very reserved. A lot of elves were very aware of their long lifespan and would regularly take much time to spend on themselves in quiet contemplation, ignoring those around them. It was only around festivals and other fun events that the people of Milinia let their guard down a bit more.
Mirgia had spoken a little bit with the innkeeper and learned that Teddy was quite the loved figure in town, often running around helping anyone who might need it. Having lost his parents at a rather young age, he was taken in by a local farmer, with many of the townsfolk sharing the care for the little boy. Garvin said that Teddy was likely still trying to pay the villagers back for all their love and help.
Mirgia had already decided to try and figure out a way to repay the smallfolk farmer for his hospitality somehow. How he was going to accomplish that in his current situation, he didn’t know yet, but it could be as simple as helping out on the farm for a little bit. People didn’t need grand gestures after all, they needed concrete help. And that was something he could provide.
Mirgia saw several other people travel in the direction of the farm and wondered if they were also invited to the dinner. More surprising was that at a certain point the Sahilid he saw in the inn the previous day were walking the opposite direction, away from Teddy’s farm. They seemed to suspiciously eye him up but didn’t say anything as they passed by each other. Strange, but nothing to linger on as the farm was coming into sight. Although he allegedly was found near this spot, this was his first time seeing the farm, but like Teddy said, it was hard to miss as it’s the only building outside of town. And to make it even harder to miss, Teddy came running over to meet him halfway up the road. “Glad you could make it, friend, come on, I could use some help on the grill.”
Mirgia smiled. Part of him felt like he was in a dreamstate, going from such a tense situation to such a pleasant one overnight and he felt a pang of guilt creep up when he thought about whatever situation Cobal and Mana might be in. The logical part of his brain quickly reminded him that there was nothing he could do to change any of it, but it didn’t fully eradicate the guilt.
Teddy led him around the back of the house to where several large tables were already partially set. Besides Birdie and Teddy, several other smallfolk villagers were running around preparing things.
“What’s this celebration for?” Mirgia asked.
“Do you need a reason to eat with friends?” Teddy replied, handing him an apron and some tongs. “Keep an eye on that one for me, will you, I’ll go meet the other guests as well.”
Before Mirgia could argue, Teddy had already gone and he was standing alone at the grill, a little bit awkwardly looking around. He didn’t know anyone here after all.
A young woman walked up to him, probably not past her mid twenties. “You look like you’re new around here.”
“What gave it away?” Mirgia said as he struggled to turn a bit of sausage on its side without it rolling back over.
“Length,” the young woman said with a grind on her face. She had her blond hair in a messy bun and deep emerald eyes hidden in a suntanned face. She reached to just around Mirgia’s waist, which was on the taller side for a smallfolk.
“That makes sense,” he replied. He reached out his hand. “I’m Mirgia.”
“Doroly, Uncle Teddy told me about you.” She smiled.
“I feel like he’s everyone’s uncle,” Mirgia responded.
“That’s just ‘cause most of us call him that, but in my case he’s actually my uncle.”
From behind Mirgia, Birdie came running up. “Mom, I got the bread you asked me to get.” She looked at Mirgia. “Oh, glad you came.” The girl smiled brightly. “Are you feeling okay?”
Mirgia nodded. “I’m feeling fine, thank you again for your help the other day.”
“I’m very proud of her,” Doroly said with a smile.
“You raised her well.”
“Most credit goes to my husband, he’s the one that did most of the raising while I was out and away.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve been employed as a mercenary for quite a few years now, so I spend a lot of time away from home. But I’m on a bit of a break right now,” she added.
“I see.”
“So what’s your plan moving forward? Teddy told me that apparently you just materialized out of thin air one day? Even with all my experience traveling, that’s pretty high up on the list of strange stuff to happen.”
“If it makes you feel better, it’s not an ordinary afternoon activity for me either.” Mirgia sighed. “I was with some friends of mine, dealing with a cult off the coast of Jasodar. Are you familiar?”
She nodded. “Never been, but know where it’s located.”
“Well, we were on board a pirate ship.” He saw her frown and added. “Don’t ask, it’s complicated,” before continuing, “with the pirates and my friends, we went onto the island under the cover of night in an attempt to sneak into the cultist camp and deal with their leadership in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, it seems like they were more than prepared for a raid like this and they used strange magic with runic circles to somehow teleport me here.”
Doroly nodded. “And were you the only one who was teleported?”
Mirgia shrugged. “I don’t know, but as far as I’m aware, I was the only one who was teleported here at least. Once I’ve gotten my bearings here and get some money to travel back to Milinia, I’ll figure out what happened to the rest.”
“I would be worried,” she stopped herself as she realized what she was saying and blushed. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright, and I am worried about them,” Mirgia said. “But the truth of the matter is that there is simply no way for me to get to them in anything less than several weeks, so rushing over is completely pointless. Better to deal with things at hand and reconvene later.”
“You’re staying very calm and collected under such a strange situation, I’m impressed,” she stepped next to him. “You’re burning that one,” she said and took one of the sausages between her fingers before flipping it with ease.”
“Good call.” Mirgia checked the rest of the meat in front of him while he continued. “Well, it’s how we often deal with problems. Panicking is not efficient and although it’s a very understandable reaction, many elves are trained to get past that initial feeling and take the time to really think about our situation before making a decision. It’s often better to think things through than to regret a hasty decision.”
“I’m not sure I fully agree with that,” Doroly replied to his surprise.
“How come?”
“Well, sometimes a quick decision is needed to prevent things from getting out of hand. Especially when it comes to fighting and my line of work. You don’t want to regret missing out on an opportunity because you stood around too long thinking about strategies.”
“There are no wrong or right answers when it comes to life,” Mirgia replied.
“How wise.”
“Dionil said that.”
Her eyes went wide. “You know the woodland sage?” She asked.
“I spent some time with him when my friends were visiting. Well, they were strangers when they visited, but friends by the time they left.”
“I’m so jealous, he’s a legendary figure in our field. He traveled with the Blueyerd Hero after all.”
Mirgia smiled. “Well he also taught the new Blueyerd Hero some things as well.”
“Don’t tell me you know Lady Mana too?”
“I didn’t know Mana was so popular this far from home. But yes, she is one of the friends who were with me before I was teleported here.”
She grabbed his arm. “Sit next to me during dinner, you have to tell me more.”
“Well, I’m afraid I don’t have a lot of interesting stories to tell, but I can tell you a few things here and there.”
“That’s all I ask for.”
“Y’all getting along great I see,” Teddy slapped Mirgia on the back. “Glad to see it.”
“Teddy, thanks again for all you’ve done for me.”
“You’re manning the grill are you not? We’re pretty much even.”
Mirgia was going to argue with him, but the smallfolk farmer didn’t give him a chance. “I hope you don’t feel uncomfortable around so many people of such a different height, but I’m afraid all my family and friends are from Redsan.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, as long as you can get me a chair that fits me, I don’t mind.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” He chuckled. “Thanks for manning the grill for a bit, I’ll send Kenny over in a bit to take over so you can get some food in you.”