Get it

Most times people don't get me, but that's ok because I get me and so long as I can sort of understand myself I think I'm doing alright.

Ehh like anyone cares

And here's chapter 7... yeah that's all I got.
 
Chapter 7:

Dinner was beyond anything that Cody had ever tasted.  The symphony of flavors danced on his tongue and sent a pleasant warmth throughout his body.  He was told as he ate that the cooks also were artists who were able to use their gifts to make food taste better than anything.  Marci said that it was a combination of their vigor for the art, specially grown herbs, and all the spirit they put into it.

Cody could barely listen to the conversation around him as he ate.  Being on a small budget he didn’t get a chance to eat this well, and because he didn’t know how to cook much a lot of what he ate was premade, easy to make, or fast food.  The warmth of the meal and the air about this place filled up places inside himself that he hadn’t been aware were depleted.  The feelings of having people around him were something very new to him after being alone for so long.

A cough from his side suddenly alerted him to someone trying to get his attention, looking over at James he jerked his head to where Howard was looking at him and sipping at a glass of red wine.

“Sorry, I guess I was a bit lost in thought, what did you say?”

“I was asking what you thought of our little compound here.  It seems like you’ve already made some friends and if that’s any indication I hope you will be settling down easily so that you can start your physical training soon.”

“Physical training?”  Cody cocked his eyebrow at hearing that, no one had said anything like that to him.

“Well yes, we have a very grueling training regimen that you’ll be expected to follow including martial arts training, schooling in your latent abilities, the standard gym training, and learning more about our history and culture.”

“Whoa-whoa-whoa!  Hold on.  I agreed to stay here and learn how to do some of the things you do so I can protect myself, I didn’t agree to any of this other junk.”

“Cody…”  James looked at him shocked, “We may be artists but we’re still trained as warriors.  We have intelligence all over the world, jobs to do, people to inspire, Silent assassins to fight against, and a culture to maintain.  We have to be like an army, I thought you would have figured that out.”

“Well… I didn’t.”  He shoved his chair back as he stood up and groaned, “This is just all a lot to take in and I don’t know what to make of it all yet!  Not to mention the fact that my apartment is a mess that I need to clean, my dog is with a co-worker who probably doesn’t know what happened to me, not-to-mention the crazy people who are now trying to kill me because I’m apparently a part of some secret order I was never aware of, and now I’m going to become a soldier against my will?  I just…”  Cody took a deep breath and headed for the door, “I just need some time to take this in, ok?”

“I understand, Cody, perhaps it would be best for you to get some sleep.  I will escort you to where you will be staying while you’re here.”  Howard stood up, and while Cody wanted to argue about him showing him the way he just didn’t have the energy for it.

They left the room in silence, Howard leading the way.  He walked ahead of Cody and he followed behind him silently and just watching his feet as they trudged along the stone floor.  It had been a long day and he hadn’t realized it but Cody was finally starting to feel tired.

“I am sorry that so much has been forced into your lap, Cody, but this is sadly how things have to be.  Your father thought he could raise you away from all this by laying low and not drawing any attention to himself but sadly he couldn’t.  You should have been instructed and taught about everything we are about.  Instead you are having to be taught all of this at once after so suddenly being thrust into it all.  I wish you could have continued to live your life alone and bohemian but at least here you will be around people who are similar to you.  You can hone your craft, become a better musician, and do what you love, and all you have to do in return is some basic training and some chores around the place.”

“Chores now…?  What am I, 8?”  Cody scoffed and shook his head.  He didn’t mind doing some work but saying it like that just made it seem like something a grunt would have been assigned to do.

“Chores are also a part of training.  Almost everything revolves around our training no matter how mundane it might seem.  You’ll have time to settle in though, don’t worry, and don’t worry about your next few meals, you can eat in the kitchen if you don’t feel like competing with the others.  Most just prefer to fight for their meals and show off a bit.  I’m afraid we all tend to be a bit flashy and we all have a need to show off for each other.”

“Isn’t being a show off a downfall for many people in stories and things?”  Cody glanced up, feeling a bit of his own arrogance rise in him to point out something to this older man.

“It is, yes, but we only show off for each other.  When we are serious we go all out to destroy our opponents.  It’s just that instead of a big and fiery explosion full of smoke, our types of explosions are fiery but flashy like fireworks.  I like to think that war, fighting, and killing are all ugly things and while it is something needed that does not mean that we can not bring our own beauty to something that is originally ugly.  To bring beauty to something ugly I think takes a true artist and that’s what we all strive to be.”

Cody felt deflated at that.  Howard had a way of just taking all the wind out of his sails and no matter what Cody might be able to say he felt that he would have something else to counter it.  He suddenly cringed, feeling that he had been acting like a child.  This man may have technically kidnapped him and all, but he had still taken him into what was essentially his home and was willing to help him against some very bad people.

“I’m sorry…”

Howard suddenly stopped on the stairway that they were climbing and looked back, “Sorry?  Whatever could you be sorry for?”

“Just… I guess I’ve been acting a bit like a brat.  I really should appreciate what you’re doing for me instead of complaining about it.”

“Oh Cody, you don’t have to apologize for that.  You’ve been through a lot in very little time and it is understandable that you’d feel the way you do.”

A smile found its way onto Cody’s lips as they walked up the stairs to the artist halls.  For the first time since he came there he went down the hall of the scribes.  He didn’t know what all could be down this hall but when he passed a few open doors he was surprised.

He expected to see a lot of pens, papers, books, and inks but while there was that there was so much more.  Inside one room it looked like a room to study anatomy.  It had a medical mannequin with all the inner parts showing, a skeleton, and various books that looked to be on medicine.

“Thinking about becoming a doctor?”  Cody jumped in shock at Howard suddenly talking to him in such a quiet area.

“Uh… no, I was just thinking… what’s the deal with this?  I mean I thought scribes wrote things and that they focused on making spells and enchantments.  What’s this about?”

“Healing arts.”  The man smiled and walked into the room and picked up a stamp Cody hadn’t noticed before.

“Using words, symbols, and glyphs a scribe can do great things.  Using negative words can harm things or make them volatile, but using positive words can benefit things or fortify something.  Using positive words and symbols like ‘healing’, ‘wellness’, ‘mend’, and even ‘stasis’ and ‘love’ can help bring about healing magics to speed recuperation in a person.  It’s fairly simple to explain, but it is so much more complex than what you could possibly imagine.  It is a wondrous art form and it is nothing to scoff at.  Sometimes words are the most deadly things we as humans have, but for us the scribes make up a key aspect of our medical staff.”

“You mean these bandages I’m wearing around my chest…?”

“Yes, those bandages have special words and symbols on them that promote healing and well being in a person.  They were able to mend the small fractures you had in your body and speed the healing process of the bruises and sprains you received.  In fact with a good night’s sleep and after that good meal I think you’ll be back to a hundred percent in the morning or at least 85.”  He chuckled and ran his hand over his grey hair before he put the stamp back down and walked out.

They continued down the hall until they reached the foyer area at the back again.  They walked up the steps at the back and when they finally reached the top there was yet another foyer and more hallways and another two flights of steps in front of them, one leading up and the other leading down.  This hall seemed much more different than the ones down below and as he looked around he saw that one hallway had a water drop over it.

“That hallway holds the baths, showers, restrooms, and so forth.  There’s one for men and for women.  The one’s with the bed rooms though are the ones with the pillow shape.  It’s not exactly elegant but it’s a simple symbol and it works well enough.  Follow me.”

Cody was lead down a hall that looked the same as all the previous ones he’d seen.  The only difference was that above or on the doors were different markings.  Some had names written on them, some had numbers, a good few had those nonagon shapes on them with a symbol inside, and yet several others had some combination of the three.

Eventually they came to a stop at a door that only had a number above it.  With a sly smile Howard turned around and waved his hand at the door.  Cody looked at the door and then back at Howard before he reached out and turned the handle on the door and pushed it open.

He was instantly greeted by a familiar barking and a sudden hit to his stomach as his dog charged at him and jumped up to lick at her master’s face.  Cody hadn’t expected to be greeted by his dog and grunted at the sudden pain to his abdomen as he kneeled down and let her lick his face in joy.

“Bella?  But I don’t understand, why’s she here?”  Cody looked up and tried to pull back from his dog’s happy licking of his face that was just as much joy from seeing her master as it was excitement at the smell of chicken on his breath.

“She belongs to you doesn’t she?  And she’s part of your family right?  It only made sense that we’d bring her here to stay with you.  We also managed to collect some of your things that weren’t destroyed, though we weren’t sure if you wanted them or not.  We got your bed sheets in case you didn’t like the ones we had for you, your clothes, books, and such.  I’m afraid your guitar was beyond repair but I’ll have a new one made with the tuning pegs from the old one.  I figured it might have been special.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate it, but what about Bart?  I mean I was going to crash with him until I could get my place fixed back up, and did you get my music book it belonged to my dad.”

“We got everything we could, including your book.  It’s right there on your nightstand.”  Howard pointed to the bedside table where his old notebook lay and turned around to leave.  “As for your friend, I called him personally and told him that I was your uncle and that I was going to offer you a place to live with me until things calmed down for you so do not worry about that.  I have also already had your dog watered, fed, and she was outside in our enclosed garden to relieve herself not too long ago so she should be fine for the night.  Get some sleep, Cody, tomorrow will be another big day for you and it would be best to be well rested for it.”

The young man stood and nodded as he continued to pet and stroke his dog.  He shut his door after Howard had left and went to sit on his bed.  Bella walked with him and rested her head on his knee happy to be back with her master but Cody couldn’t stop the thoughts he had in his head.  He wondered what would be awaiting him in the future and what all he could do now. 

Would he be living in the shadows, could he live a normal life, would he die like his parents did, and many more continued to torture his mind as he laid his head down upon a the pillow on his bed.  Bella jumped up on the end and circled before laying down.  Cody just watched her settle down before he looked up at the ceiling again.

“I guess our simple life has turned into something a bit more, huh, Bella?”  a soft shuffle at his feet made him look down and saw that her eyes were closed and she was likely asleep already.

“I guess we got a bit more now with these folks, but I gotta wonder if we have to much now…”  He sighed softly and turned off the lights in his room from the bed side switch and turned onto his side looking at his father’s old book.  There was suddenly a lot of bad coming his way, and he wasn’t so sure anymore if he could handle it all.

Been a long time coming

I think this might have been one of my favorite chapters to write in this whole story.  Hope someone out there likes it too.

Chapter 6:

Walking down the aesthetics hallway again, Cody decided to take a look into more of the rooms to see what was so special about the things going on here.  Looking for something that piqued his interest he came to a familiar door with a vase inside the nonagon.  Remembering it to be a room for ceramics Cody thought it was as good a place as any to look into and slowly pushed open the door as quietly as he could.

Insides he saw a girl who couldn’t be much older than 16 working with some kind of tools to sculpt a block of burnt orange clay.  She had a hair net holding her blond hair up and out of the way, and was wearing an apron that was stained by the clay.  She held her sculpture carefully and looked at it from all around before she looked back at a large statue of a plant.

“Can you hand me sponge and fanned forming tool please.”  She held out her hand and Cody gawked as the plant statue unfurled what must have been a vine, grabbed the items she had asked and then gave them to her.

“Thank you,” She went back to her working completely unaware that someone was watching her until she leaned back and stretched out.

“Oh, hello there.  Did you need something?”  The young woman stood up and wiped her hands on her apron as she walked over to Cody.

“Just… what the heck was that!?”  Cody pointed to the strange plant sculpture that had moved all on its own.

“Hmm?”  She looked back at where he was pointed, “You mean my golem?”

“What’s… a golem?”

“New to the sculpting arts huh?”  She chuckled and walked back to her clay.

“People who sculpt use an ancient ability to bring our creations to life.  It’s called animation, with it we can bring things to life to assist us.  Pretty nifty huh?”

Cody nodded and turned around, “Yeah… Well sorry to interrupt I was just looking around and watching when I saw that is all.”

“It’s fine, if you ever want a lesson in sculpting with clay feel free to ask.”  The young woman waved to him as she got back to her work and Cody left.

Each door Cody looked into surprised him more and more.  Painters who could bring the ink off the paper and form into fully formed creatures, hypnotic dancing moves that made him feel like he was being hit by waves, a group of people working to make blades that shimmered and caught the light in such a way that they seemed to vanish from sight, and even a guy who was able to juggle fire balls with a special pair of gloves.  Each new art he saw made Cody feel like he was in a dream.  Nothing he saw here was like anything he had ever seen before, anywhere.  It was beyond amazing.

After traveling down the hallway he found it to circle around to a smaller area similar to the area similar to the area that was at the entrance to the halls.  It had a similar glass structure on the ceiling, but this one was electrical and cast a soft warm light over the area.  Upon the floor was a large circular rug of a deep red and on the walls were other tapestries.  Another staircase lead further up and possibly deeper into the structure that was inside this mountain, but what interested him at the moment was the hallway that had the ear inside the nonagon.  Down that pathway was his supposed art of music and looking down the long hall made him curious as to what he would find there.

Cody shook his head and blew out a puff of air to psych himself up.  He had no need to be worried or nervous about this and he kept telling himself that as he started to walk down the hall.  He looked over each door way at each shape; inside was a different instrument or musical note that was shaped oddly.  As he walked he could hear someone playing a tune at each door though it sounded very muffled.  He figured if all these people practiced music then it would be easier if all the rooms were as soundproofed as they could be.

He looked up and looked at the various instruments as he passed each room.  He didn’t know why but he wanted to find a guitar to see what someone in this place could do.  He saw a harp, what was likely a violin, various woodwinds and brass instruments, and even drums but he didn’t see a guitar or a piano either when he thought about it.

Looking ahead Cody could see that he was getting close to the open area again when he finally found what he had been looking for.

“Figures it would be one of the last places I’d go to…”  Cody sighed and took a deep breath before he turned the door knob and slowly pushed it open.

Inside was a guy in his early 20s.  He had shaggy brown hair that he had brushed over his left eye and was dressed in baggy jeans and a simple green t-shirt.  He had a guitar in his lap with a black woven strap over his shoulder.  In front of him was a small notebook where he was reading notes and writing down notes before he played them.

“H-hey…”  Cody waved as he entered the room and looked around.  There were shelves that had some notebooks, stacks of strings, picks, and various other things that a guitarist could use.  It didn’t have much space but it had the stool and stand the guy was using as well as a small couch and a lamp on a small table beside it.

“Hmm?  Oh, hey there.  You need somethin’?”  The guy stood up and set his guitar on a stand before he looked up at Cody.

“Uhh… well I’m new here and to all… This…”  Cody waved his finger around in the air as he shrugged, “And well I play the guitar and I sorta wanted to see what another guitarist could do.  That Howard Nickles guy did some pretty amazing things with his violin and I saw a sculptor that had a large plant and had it hand her things and just painters and a fire juggler who juggled actual fire, and I just wanted to see someone with a guitar to see what they can do.”

“Heh, another guitarist huh?  Most people tend to favor smaller instruments that are easier to carry around, around here but I like it even if it is harder.  Better than the harp, though that’s mainly used for healing music and inspiration and not attacking like most people tend to focus on.  But I guess I’m getting off subject did you want to know something specific?”

“I guess I just want to see what it can do and see what I’m able to do.  I’m completely new to all this so I don’t know anything about what I can do.”

“Well all our abilities are pretty much the same it’s just a matter of what we’re taught.  I’m a musician but if I was taught how to I could create sculptures or paintings to inspire and attack.  It just happens that I’m naturally good with a guitar and so that’s what I focus on.”

“Yeah… about that.  I saw people bring pictures to life not to mention that statue, just how do they do that?”

“It’s our bloodline, our blood and genetics have a special something about them that gives us these special powers.  We can put a piece of ourselves into our mediums and create effects based on our intents.  In the aesthetic’s case they tend to put a bit of their blood as well as part of their spirit into their things.  Doing that gives their works life and they can use that to do things with.  Breaking the sculpture or destroying the painting destroys the being but that’s pretty basic.  We just have a special power in us.  We can inspire people in a way that other people can’t and we can use art in ways no one else can.  You’ll learn how to do some pretty special things too when you learn some special songs.”

“Special songs, huh?”

“Yep, over the course of our existence many of our founders have written songs that can do amazing things.  They started off simply, chasing away fear, making it rain, and such… and when the Silent came into being they started to make songs that could attack, break stones, cut things, cast illusions, and such.  I’m currently working on a song that can create a strong blast of air that was written during the exploration age when ships had sails.  I think it can be useful if played in conjecture with some other songs.”

“Do you mind if I…”  Cody pointed to the guitar with a smile and the young man nodded.

“Sure, go ahead, and hey man the name is James.  You need any help around here you just ask me and I’ll do what I can.”  He chuckled and held out his hand which Cody shook in a firm grip.

“Cody, and thanks this is all just really new to me and I kinda miss playing a guitar I haven’t practiced in a few days.”

“Heh, try going for a week without playing, it will just about drive you to conducting a symphony in your head.  If we don’t express ourselves we tend to get all our ‘inspiration juice’, as some of the people here like to say, backed up and when it gets out… well things can be a bit intense.”  He smiled as Cody put the strap of the guitar over his shoulder and picked up a pick.

“Sounds like this place can be a little crazy, huh?”  Cody placed his fingers along the frets and started to pick at the strings in a simple scale to get his fingers limbered up.

“Ehh we’re all a bit crazy but we mean well and it sure can be interesting.  We’re all good people though and would do anything for each other.  We’re like a big family here.  The whole Organization is just like a really large extended family.”

Cody nodded as he started to play a song he had heard on the radio a few weeks ago.  It wasn’t any really special song, just some pop song that would get to the top of the charts and then quickly fall again.  Played with a guitar though it actually sounded a lot better and on this one especially.  The guitar had smooth strings that were so closely wound it was nearly impossible to see the grooves between the threads.  The wood was a fine smooth feel and there was a light varnish on it, just enough to protect the wood and give it a slight glaze.  The sounds it produced were beyond what Cody had heard before from his old guitar, but this one sounded almost exactly like the one he had played in Howard’s store.

“Did that Howard guy make this guitar for you?”  Cody looked up from the guitar as he continued to play as James stood before him with his arms crossed.

“Nah, he didn’t make it for me, but he taught me how to make one for myself.  He said that this is actually one of the most impressive ones he’d seen a student of his at my age make.  Most take years to get as good as him but he thinks I could be making guitars as good as him and more in just a few more years.”

“So… You want to teach me one of these songs in this book of yours?  I mean what’s this ‘Bolero Blast’ here?”

James got a very wicked look on his face and chuckled, “Oh man… That’s a good one.  It can make a small combustive blast that’s like a small explosion.  Good for making a distraction and for starting fires.  Also handy to knock people away and cause some serious harm too, but maybe we should teach you something simpler and less deadly for a first timer, huh?  After all you don’t even know HOW to cast these songs.  Playing them just straight up won’t actually do anything unless you know how to really use your power.”

So for the next several minutes James taught Cody the basics about putting a bit of his spirit into the special songs he would play.  After he was taught how to put his spirit into it he tried a simple song to blow wind.  James told him that the fiercer he played and the stronger emotions he felt then the stronger the effects that would happen. 

To demonstrate the point James played that same song seeming calm and produced a gentle breeze.  Then he took several deep breaths and got a very angry look on his face as he started to play again and a much stronger blast of wind hit Cody hard enough to push him back a few inches. 

“Of course stronger emotions produce stronger results you don’t have to be angry or anything, but being angry makes for a strong song.”  James continued to play a small scale and handed it back to Cody to practice it some more.

The two talked about their skills and James continued to show him a few songs.  Cody felt actually happy about being able to play again and it made his soul a bit lighter to have someone who could relate to. 

“You’re doing real good with this song, but what about your own songs?  Surely you’ve composed something good right?”

“Heh, I’ve written some songs, but they’re just songs nothing like this.  Just songs to entertain people and I guess ‘inspire them’ too though I’m not so sure how I did that.”

“Man, just by playing we inspire people, that’s our most basic power.”

“Yeah, I know just about everyone I’ve met has said that.”

“Well it’s true, but that doesn’t really answer my question.  What kind of songs have you written before, you got a book with your stuff in it?”

“Yeah, I guess…”  Cody took the strap off from around his shoulders and set the guitar down, “It was my dad’s book that he used to write in before he died.  I just use it now and write my songs in it.  Mainly some country and a bit of rock music I guess you could call it, but it’s just all pretty basic.”

“Still though, you’ll have to show me some of that music later.  Right now though…”  James brought his arm up to look at the watch he was wearing on his wrist, “It’s time for dinner and if we don’t get there quickly we’ll miss out on the good stuff.  And I do not want to fight Hannah for the chicken leg again… that girl can make a mean ink dagger from the playing cards she’s made.”

“There’s a… woman who can make daggers from playing cards?” 

“Man… The things we can do here will blow your mind.  Just do your best tonight and maybe you’ll score some of the good stuff.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Dude… It’s part of the training here, we fight for our supper.”  He grinned and started to walk out of the room, “Gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘food fight’ I’ll tell ya that much.”

A sudden fear came to Cody as he followed James down the hall and down the stairs from the Foyer.  This place just kept on getting crazier and crazier and he honestly wasn’t sure it was a good idea to stay here.  They walked down the long flight of steps into yet another foyer that split off into three more hallways. 

“Down this hall on our left here are the smiths and workshops.  That’s where we make our inks, instruments, weapons, etc. and on our right leads to the kitchens and mess halls.  There are rooms for people down here too but most people use the bed rooms above the art hall.  I guess most people just feel higher up inside the mountain.  Me?  I just find a place to lie down and that’s where I sleep for the night.  I put my stuff in a room upstairs but that’s just to store the few things I own; I don’t stay there a lot.”

“Makes sense I guess…  So just what kind of fighting do you guys do for food here?”

“Oh you’ll see…”  James chuckled and pushed open a door to a long dining hall with a table that went for nearly 30 feet.  The room was sparsely decorated, with only some instruments hanging from the walls and a few sculptures placed in the corners.  Sitting around the tables were dozens of chairs and people were sitting around them waiting for the food.  Looking around Cody saw Vince and Marci who waved him over to where they were sitting and Cody and James both walked over to their spot and sat beside them.

“Good to see you guys here on time.  Dinner should be served here in the next few minutes.”  Vince sat back and stretched his hands above his head popping the knuckles in his hands.

“Just watch out for Carl there,” Marci pointed to a large Hispanic man who seemed to be in his early 30s and had the hair on the side of his head shaved but a strip of hair from the middle of his head flowing back and tied back into a braid, “He’s got a some small bug sculptures he’s made from metal that are quite fast and the pincers on some of them look quit sharp so watch your fingers.”

“Is fighting over food REALLY necessary?  I mean aren’t you guys all on the same side?  Why fight?”  Cody looked around at the various artists around trying to remain calm despite the fact he had seen several people who could do very dangerous things with something as simple as a piece of paper and an ink pen.

“It’s a matter of survival, Cody, we are always training.  The Silent are relentless in their goal to kill us and all that we stand for; besides this sort of thing can be really fun sometimes.”  Vince smiled and pulled his arms across his chest, stretching out.

Cody just looked around some more as he saw everyone seeming to prepare for dinner when a loud gong startled him.  He looked over as some doors opened up and some people started to walk in.  Leading the people was a older man of around 40 years old, he had an eye patch over his left eye and a scar going horizontal over the left side of his face.  He had a small piccolo in his hands that he was playing a melodious tune on.  Behind him were plates of various dishes floating in midair.  Various types of fish and parts of chicken were on many plates, pastas and sauces were on others, and a roasted duck followed up the rear.  As he walked around the tune continued and the plates sat around the table.

Next a strange white octopus that had an actual black outline walked in carrying various plates of vegetables, salads, and soup.  Seeing the amazed look on Cody’s face as an woman in her 30s walked in behind the creature carrying a couple of pitchers filled with drink.

“That’s an ink beast.  Megan there can paint things on paper and then bring them to life.  It’s useful and she can make anything from a swarm of flies to a giant Cyclops.  It’s a pretty interesting power but it’s not exactly waterproof.”  James chuckled as the octopus put the plates around the table.

“What she can’t use a waterproof ink or something?” 

“Man, I’m joking.  The ink can only be used once and it’s only as strong as her emotional state and the medium she drew it on.  Thus it would be stronger drawn on a stone than on paper.”

Cody nodded as a few more people came in with a few more arts and dishes.  Cody asked questions about each thing and one of his new friends would answer him in turn.  It didn’t take a very long time but eventually everyone sat down and Cody saw Howard walk in and sit at the head of the table.

“Evening, everyone.  Before we begin dinner I’d just like to say that I hope you have all had a productive week while I was away on business and look forward to seeing what all you’ve gotten accomplished.  Also, for those of you who haven’t already realized it, we have a new member in our order today.  Please welcome Cody Ethan Johnson everyone, and do try to go a bit easy on him tonight this is his first dinner with us.”

The people around gave a slight chuckle as they looked at him, making Cody blush slightly especially at the use of his full name which never was said without   Everyone was starting to prop themselves up and it looked like they were getting ready for a race and were just waiting for the starting pistol to go off.  Cody had no idea what was to actually happen so he just kept looking around trying to decide if he should actually get involved in this or wait a moment to see how it went.

A sudden gong was rung and everyone sprang up and started to battle over the food.  Marci flipped up over the table and drop kicked a man’s hand who was about to throw a knife as she reached for her own knife that had a string tied to it and threw it at a piece of fish before she pulled them both back to her and flipped back off the table.

Vince seemed to take a different approach.  Instead of going on the offensive he just reached for a piece of chicken.  When the Hispanic man with the bug statues threw something at him he expected to see blood come from him, but instead he pulled his fingers in like he was making a fist and fabric came up from his sleeve and covered his hand.  When the bug hit it, it simply bounced off and made a strong ‘ping’ sound like it had hit something hard.  With a smirk on his face, Vince continued to grab at food trying to bring it back to his plate.

While all this was going on, James had gotten out a small guitar from off the wall behind them and was playing a small tune.  Cody looked around and saw that the various liquids that were meant for either drink or soup were floating all around, much like how Howard had shown Cody earlier.  James was obviously going to be taking the soup for his supper but it seemed like the liquid was being tugged in another direction towards the man who was playing the piccolo.

The sounds of the small guitar and the small woodwind battled against each other in a fierce melody.  Neither side seemed to want to give in to the other, but James got a smile on his face and suddenly switched his tune to a different melody.  The soup that had been hanging in mid air suddenly turned to ice and because it had been tugged towards the man the chunks of soup ice flung and hit him in the head.

“OW!”

“Sorry, Nate, but maybe next time you won’t fight so much over soup.”  He chuckled softly as he turned his attention to a piece of ham and quickly grabbed it before anyone else could.

It seemed like it was a true battle around the dining table.  Food was flung, curses were shouted, and meat was stabbed, though the meat was already dead.  Cody didn’t know what to make of everything and every time he tried to grab a piece of food some ink beast, a metal bug, a blast of air, and even a large wooden pronged trident would strike at it to take it away from him.  He could see now why they did this, as it was really a type of incentive training.  If you wanted to eat you had to be strong and good at your craft otherwise you’d be beaten out and would be left with nothing.

It might have seemed like it was a bit barbaric, but if they really were constantly being hunted down by this strange evil group of assassins then they had to be strong.  At the moment though people were tearing into their meals with no regard to manners except for Howard who seemed to be in charge of this group and most of the food was gone.  Cody looked around but saw that most of the good stuff had already indeed been taken and still others were still fighting for the last bits of morsels.

Cody quickly looked around and grabbed a few biscuits and heaped them onto his plate.  He next reached for a pitcher of what seemed to be a type of sweet tea and poured himself a glass.  It seemed that while the food was up for grabs when it came to drinks they just shared.  Looking around at what was left he put some corn on his plate and a few berries.  It wasn’t much but it was enough that would keep him from starving at least.

He still sighed as he looked at his plate when suddenly a few things came into his view.  He  looked up and saw that Vince was offering him a piece of chicken, Marci was passing him some jelly and condiments, and James offered him a baked potato.  They all put the things on his plate or near it and went back to eating themselves.  It wasn’t a very large gesture but just from that small act alone, Cody knew he had made some good friends here, and he hoped that in the coming days that they’d be there to continue helping him strive forward in this crazy mess he had somehow gotten himself involved in.