Follows
ABRAXIS
The night before the group camped outside of Acreage they could see the ruined warehouse and docks that the river Gelterdam ran against. Whatever fishing vessels were once here are long gone and the docks were in terrible shape. Abraxis sighed, leaning against his sword, the tip pressed into the firm earth.
“Something up, Abraxis?” Brendon asked as he unfurled his bedroll.
“No, Senor Agua, I was merely thinking about my job and when this task for the Academy is over, if I can get back to it.”
Lyra looked up, “You’re not a fighter?”
Abraxis laughed. “Sure. I do fight. I also drink and go to the tavern for some cerveza now and now and again.”
The Cleric shook her head. “No, I mean, fighter is not your profession? You are not part of the militia or Specularum’s armed forces?”
“Sweet heavens, no.” He lifted his sword free and wiped off the tip before sheathing it. “I am a worker of the docks.”
“So…,” Wyn asked slowly, “so…you help make ze docks?”
“Nah! That’s too much for me to know to do, Master Benji. I mean I work for Hexia for the last 3 years as a person who unloads boats on the docks, and sometimes loads things from the docks on boats. And sometimes I bring things from the warehouses to the docks. And there are times I bring things from the docks to the warehouses.”
Lannis smirked. “So, you’re a dockworker.”
“Yep!” Abraxis said with a smile.
“You’re a laborer. You literally pick things up and put then down.”
“Got it in one, Senor Offput.”
Lannis shook his head. “A dockworker. And you’re supposed to be the person we can count on in a fight?”
“Hey! I take mucho offense to that.” Abraxis scowled. “Without dockworkers there would be no movement of cargo and then your precious coats and goods and foods would not get where it needs to go. I go in and I work. I work hard.” His scowl softened to a smirk. “Not too hard, mind you. Just hard enough to look like I’m working, but not so hard that I am tired at the end of the day.”
“Holy crap,” Lannis muttered.
“Don’t knock it, Master Mager. It takes some effort to do your job well enough to be doing your job but not too good that you draw too much attention from the Headman. Hexia, that’s my supervisor, she even let me slide a few times I came in to work after the shift bell rang and I didn’t get shorted a single copper.”
“But seriously…”
Abraxis continued, staring down Lannis. “One thing you can say about me is that I am dependable. Rain? I’m there. Sun? I’m there? Sick? I’m there? Crotch spiders? I’m there. Like a clock, I am there and work all the day until manana.”
Kovid’s brows beetled. “What in the darkest deep is a crotch spider?”
The big man shrugged. “I got it after bonus one time when I went upstairs to line up for the new girl at the Iron Flame Brothel. Had good time, she had a good time, paid her in good silver, and the next day my pene was being covered in crotch spiders. Had to douse myself in good spirits a few times during the day but I still come to work.”
“I don’t want to know, mon ami,” Wyn said, “but at the same time I do. Si vous plez, how did you get rid of them?”
“Used a dagger to cut the hair off around my pene and while in the water used a hot candle to burn the ones that were still running about, ducking under the harbor water to ease the burn. Not fun. I now don’t pay the low 3 silver rate for cheap girls, money saved not worth it if crotch spiders make you loco.”
“You must be well liked,” Lannis said after finishing his laughter. “That was a pretty funny story.”
Abraxis shrugged, opening his backpack and taking out a bit of dried cheese to eat. “Maybe. I dunno. Like, we go to bar and laugh and I work hard, but truthfully, sometimes coworkers don’t know my name and I try to speak to them but I talk too slow and the just call me ‘Hey you’.”
“Wow, that sucks.” Lannis rubbed his chin. “Look, it’s been a week or less and I know your name. How can your coworkers not even bother?”
“Not all of them. Some. I don’t mind! Sometimes I don’t know their name so I remember a name that sounds like them and that works!” He put the cheese away and took out his own bedroll. “Right now though, I am not working. Pallet fell off stand, spilled goods on warehouse. Hexia real mad and send 5 of us home who nearby. When incident be over and done, I look forward to go back to work. Right now, Academy job come my way perfect fit.”
Kovid nodded. “The gold crowns will be nice.”
“Maybe. Gold nice but not last. Too much gold means too many women and too many nights deep in cups. Few drinks, some laughs, place to sleep and some clothes to wear when others get worn all one needs.”
“Don’t you want to be rich?”
“Maybe. Never were before. Don’t see need. Rich people have too much and are just as unhappy sometimes as poor people. Better to have companions you can depend on and have your back.”
Brendon nodded. “That’s a good philosophy, Abraxis.”
“Gracias, Senor. Simple truths are the best truths. I take this job because I am dock worker now, but I am also fighter. I am good fighter. I fight, protect others, be like caballero, make some centavos, and at end of day, maybe tilt a few back with good friends and share a meal.”
The party was silent for a bit, digesting Abraxis’s words before Lannis sheepishly added, “Can’t ask for anything better than that.” He sighed, “Sorry if I insulted you.”
“De nada, Senor. If I was bothered by anything you’ve said so far this trip, I already learned to tune your chattering voice out.” He laughed long and hard at that, smacking his knee and wiping the tears from his eyes while the rest of the party chuckled in agreement.
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