Expanded Horizons: Beyond the Blue

Taking Flight: Chapter Four

Ulan bounced in his seat as he played his tune, setting the mood for the entire room from his booth against the wall. The excitable people pranced about, hopping to the tune and dancing as if they had gone mad. The faint aroma of beer and beef filled the room as the patrons merrily had their fill.

Every time someone passed Ulan's table, they would drop a coin or two for him, encouraging him to keep on playing. Ulan had to take a break every now and again to catch his breath and have a little something for himself. It was fun, playing for the people of each place he stayed, but the night was getting old and it was almost time to take a rest.

Ulan set his flute in its case and hooked it to its usual spot at his side. Sitting back, he looked at the small pile of tins before him, more than enough to pay for his drinks and food for the night. He was using the money from his musical career to take care of renting his rooms, so for now, he knew he could comfortably do just about anything he wanted.

As he piled the coins together and placed them in a bag, several young ladies drew close, slowly, looking at each other frequently and then at him, then chattering amongst themselves. Ulan noticed them and placed his money in the usual spot under his left wing, then looked their way and waited patiently. When they saw he clearly knew they were approaching, they finally bravened up and approached him.

"He-hello?" one said timidly.

"Hi!" Ulan replied enthusiastically with a wave. The ladies blinked. "I'm Ulan, the bard. Who're you?"

"Uh, I'm Tammy," the first one said. She seemed to be taking the leadership role. "We were wondering if we could sit with you?"

"Sure!" Ulan answered happily. The ladies quickly ushered into the spots around him, squishing in so everyone could take a seat.

"Thanks," Tammy said.

"No problem."

There was a moment of awkward silence as the ladies looked at each other, unsure of what to do next. Ulan just glanced from one to the next in a cycle, waiting for one of them to say something. Finally, Tammy got her courage back up and continued the conversation.

"We're really sorry, we've just been followed by some guys for a bit and we wanted to go somewhere they wouldn't follow," Tammy said. She looked around. "Hopefully they don't come this way."

"I hope so, too," Ulan said cheerily. "I wouldn't want to have to hurt them. That wouldn't be fun." Tammy blinked.

"Uhh... no, I suppose it wouldn't..."

"I prefer not to do that, but I don't mind too much if they're bad people."

"Oh."

"Are they bad?"

"We- we think so."

"Don't worry."

Ulan looked at the menu and decided he would treat the young ladies to dinner since they seemed to be having a rough go of it. The sack of coins he had gotten would surely cover the cost easily enough. They all looked so small, so he made sure to pick something hefty for each of them. When the waiter came by, he flagged him down and ordered everyone a solid dinner.

"You didn't have to do THAT," Tammy said.

"You ladies need to get big and strong!" Ulan said. "Food is important for that. That was what my coach always told me."

"Oh, coach. Uhh, what did you, uhh, do?"

"I did a bunch of stuff!" Ulan said excitedly. "I was a distance fire-breather, flight heavy-lifter, and dragger!"

"What are those?"

"I flew with heavy weight, shot fire as far as I could, and pulled heavy weight against the ground."

"Oh, that explains why you look so strong," Tammy said, pretending she knew what a strong dragon looked like.

"You wouldn't guess I'd get strong looking at my tubby da, haha!" Ulan paused as the food came out and the waiter set the food down. He thanked him and gave him the money for food plus tip. "They always said I was stunted, but I proved them wrong."

"Really?"

"Yep, but I graduated school AND showed them I could be just as strong as them. Ma and Da always told me, 'Where you are now has no bearing on where you will be.' And it's true."

"Wow, they sound really-"

Tammy cut her sentence short as she glanced to her right and froze. A few tables away and closing the distance were several menacing men, hands in pockets and contempt in their expressions. Ulan followed her gaze and frowned as they walked up.

"Hey, ladies," the first said. He turned his attention to Ulan. "Sorry if they were bothering you. They tend to lead us men on sometimes."

"Hmmm." Ulan was unconvinced.

"Ladies, why don't we get out of here, back out on the town?"

"I-I don't think we should-"

"Is that a no?" Ulan asked before Tammy could finish. She looked at him and nodded slowly, watching in mildly scared curiosity as Ulan leaned forward over the table.

"She didn't say it," the man said.

"No is no, and anything besides yes is no," Ulan said, a smoldering annoyance emanating from his person. "No yes? No go."

"Who're you to decide what modern linguistics has become?" the man asked.

"I speak your language, at least," Ulan said, beginning to stand.

"What would that be?" the man asked.

"For some people, the only language they speak is force. And sometimes, the only dialect of force people understand is more," Ulan said. The tavern had quieted down at this point, and everyone was watching the exchange. "And trust me, I'm a native speaker." He puffed out a bit of flame from his nose as he finished.

The man realized being torched in the middle of a busy tavern wouldn't be the best look for picking up women, looked around to see he was getting way too much attention, and ordered for his men to bail. They all scurried out of the place like rats, and Ulan sat back down.

"Oh my god-" Tammy tried to make a comment but was cut off.

"I can't believe I got to say it! My da told me that one," Ulan explained. "He always said, 'Son, you want to make sure they know you are stronger. And if you say it in certain ways, it becomes much clearer, and they will leave you be.' And then he gave me a bunch of examples I memorized. That was awesome!"

"Oh," Tammy said. "Uhh, yeah, haha. Nice."

"Anyway, you should all eat!" Ulan said. "Can we get some mead glasses over here?!"

The bartender sent over several glasses of mead, free of charge, and Ulan ate his dinner with the human and elf ladies, chattering on about his adventures thus far and all the adventures he was hoping to have next. The tavern returned to its cheery tone, and Ulan enjoyed his night making new friends, eating good food, and relaxing again in his new, exciting routine.