Bridget slaps Slash on the back as he stands up and walks back to his wife. He wasn't gone for long, but it felt like a lifetime being away from his wife. All the emotions of being embraced by a beautiful woman, the hug and then a kiss, have left him in shock. He made a new friend, but she already feels like family.
A woman who would die for me just like that… How did that happen?
Slash sits down next to Sodina, who is finishing up her wine. "What type of wine did you get, my love?" Slash asks. Sodina replies, "A strong white wine, the finest in the region." "How expensive was it?"
"It doesn't matter, silly," Sodina giggles, "because Bridget is paying for it!"
Slash shakes his head, looking at his wife. "That is not the response thought you were going to say."
"That was amazing what you did." Sodina kissed Slash lightly and looked into his eyes. "I saw your reaction to her beautiful body. You are my man for sure." She smiled from ear to ear, knowing that Slash went through a lot of craziness to get the help they needed. "But I do understand how someone that…large could rival me."
"Here you are. One piece of dragon meat for the two of you." The waitress puts down the plate of dragon meat and an extra glass of wine.
"This looks amazing!" Sodina says, doing a little dance in her chair before taking a bite. "While you were talking with Bridget, love, I tried to extract some of the poison out of my body with a healing spell. I got one drop out!"
"You did?" Slash's face lights up with excitement. "Oh, my goodness what joy I have in my heart for you. Did you use Revival of the Goodness?"
"Yes," Sodina went on. "It took so much out of me. The lamb helped me, though, and gave me the strength to get at least one drop. That was the one good thing we learned at the church all those years ago was how to extract poison. But, love, I'll be dead soon if I do not get the rest of it out. Draining one drop of infected blood every six months is not going to cut it."
"I'm selfish and do not want to lose you." Slash sighs. "We will get this wretched curse out of your body."
As closing time draws near, Slash walks toward the waitress who brought him his meal.
"My wife is rather ill at the moment. I am here to wash the dishes for the meal, even though Bridget paid for it."
The waitress nods at him, showing him the path to the dish room. Slash walks back to the kitchen, where the pile of dishes awaits him
The things I must do to survive here. Why couldn't I have some magic power to clean them without lifting a hand?
Slash puts on an apron and starts to fill the sink with soapy water.
"Well, if it's a hand you need, I am more than willing to help!" Bridget bolts into the kitchen, axe in hand. "I can just crush all the plates and you won't have to do them!"
"That's not going to work!" Slash proclaims.
"Well, I guess I will help you do them the normal way." Bridget takes off her cloak to put on an apron.
The waitress comes into the kitchen, surprised to see Bridget in such attire.
"Mistress Bridget, you must not do such a menial task!"
"It's okay, ma'am. I am helping out a friend who owes a debt." Bridge smiles as she turns her attention to the pile at hand. "So, why don't I wash and you dry?"
"Sounds like a plan," Slash says as he grabs a handful of towels.
"So, tell me, would you ever cheat on your wife?" Bridget speaks seriously.
Slash looks puzzled as he starts to dry the first dish handed to him. Bridget with haste washes the dish quickly.
"I would not cheat on her because Sodina is my everything," he replies, drying more dishes as Bridget hands them over. "No matter how sexy the woman, I will run if I am in a situation where I could fall into temptation.
I am still a man, and beauty is beauty. I must continuously be on my guard and not fall into any pitfalls where I could tarnish my love for her."
"That is so sweet." Bridget continues to wash the dirty dishes and pass them to Slash.
"I know that you are pure of heart, Slash, but I also sense a dark past full of regret in your heart. Could you tell me a little about what happened?" Bridget stops washing dishes and looks at Slash intently.
"Sodina was poisoned, and we were with two of our childhood friends. We do not know what happened for sure." Slash clears his throat before going on. "We ventured deep into the Eastern Kingdom to search for the goddess o that region. We finally found her deep inside a damp, murky cavern. Our journey was full of monsters, traps, and all types of bewitched doors, but we had a competent party. We had two other childhood friends with us, Amanda and Lorenz. They were both murdered by the same individuals who poisoned Sodina."
"How awful!" Bridget exclaims.
"I could not carry their bodies out of the cavern. They died cruel deaths, my friends. I swore to protect them and…I couldn't do anything, nor could I see what was happening. It was as if the enemy manifested out of thin air or was waiting there for us all along."
Slash leans over the sink, his eyes squeezed shut, tears falling down at a rapid pace. He is afraid of what Bridget might think of him, but his heart needs to grieve once again. "I am the worst of the worst. What good is a man who can't keep his word?"
Bridget puts her damp hand on Slash's back. "You will make it. Your friends died knowing you did the best you could."
"How could you understand?! Has anyone died underneath your watch?" Slash turns toward Bridget, tears still streaming down his face. "I am a wreck, and I am sorry for saying that." He turns back to the sink.
Bridget stays quiet, observing the weeping man beside her.
"I promised their parents I would look after them. One of them was impaled with a spear, and the other cut down with a scythe. I swear I will find whoever killed them and put my sword through their throat. I remember the scythe being a light purple tint with a certain aura around it. That type of power doesn't go away." Slash shakes his head. "I am sure they are out there hurting and killing other people."
Bridget finishes cleaning the last dish.
"It's okay to feel that way," she says. "When you are cold, hurt, and beatdown on the inside, a shower on the outside will cleanse the soul, making your heart anew. Let those tears flow, dear."
She takes off her apron and puts on her cloak. "I will be waiting in the main lobby. "
Slash looks at the dishes left to dry. I'm glad they have a lot of towels to use. Otherwise, I'd have to air dry all of these on a rack. He finishes drying the dishes and takes off his apron.
It feels good to complete a task, even though Slash really didn't have to. Good deeds go a long way.
Slash tidies up the kitchen, leaving the area spotless, before heading back out into the main tavern room. Sodina and Bridget are waiting for him.
"Ready to go, silly?" Sodina asks Slash.
"Of course. I worked hard back there, and it's time for some rest with my love."
"The inn is right down the street from here," Bridget states. "It's only two blocks, and I usually rent two rooms, just to be safe. You may have the other one."
The couple thanks her in unison, and Bridget laughs.
"When you're a powerful adventurer like me, people do want you dead often. I have yet to see a bounty hunter, but I am sure my name is being used in blacklisted guilds."
"You mean those guilds that are in the bad parts of town?" Sodina asks.
"Yes, those guilds." Bridget nods. "Many of them are run by merchants who trade on the black market. You can pick up some killer deals there, but I would not recommend going unless you have a party of four people or more. Any less and you are asking for trouble."