Back in the Inn, The three of us headed to the back of the building. Dorthy was nowhere in sight, but there was a young man standing at the bar.
"That's my older brother, John. He is a Bard like you, and he plays songs sometimes when there is a larger crowd," Annie said as we walked into the back.
"Really? Do you have any other siblings?" I asked, trying to divert from the topic of Bards.
If this John could play or sing, we would be in different categories.
"No, just John, and he doesn't really talk that much. He loves to sing and play in front of people, but he is kind of awkward. Mom will come out and replace him when things get busy for supper," Annie explained as we entered the kitchen where her father was working.
"Dad, we are here to help! What do you want Talon to do?" Annie shouted at her dad, and he looked up from a big pot he was holding the lid for.
Tom looked over at me and narrowed his eyes, grabbing a small sharp blade from a magnet that ran across the back of the wall. He tossed me the knife, and I caught it without a problem and the old man nodded at me.
Well, it was hard to call him an old man; he was probably less than fifty.
"The sack over there needs to be peeled and then chopped and washed. I'll set the water to boil, and that will be about thirty minutes. I can do it in fifteen, but as long as you get them…." Tom trailed off as he saw that I was already on my sixth potato.
I had already grabbed a stool and two pails when he had pointed to them and pulled the sack over. I listened to him talk but focused on the yellow spuds, spinning them in my hand, peeling the skin off.
"I guess you seem to know what you're doing. You will have to do better than that to beat my score!" Tom laughed, and I grinned.
Just you wait, Old Man! I was getting a feel for this; my Dexterity was now at twelve from my level going up to four.
"You better check your pot, old man, and keep counting," I said as I made it through half the back in seven minutes from the clock on the wall, but I was tearing them up.
The last half of the bag took less than three minutes, and I jumped up to the counter where a cutting board was, tipping the pail over. I quickly started cubing the peeled potatoes and tossed them into a large metal basket that was sitting in one of the sinks that were half full of water.
"The clock is ticking! Three minutes left!" Tom called over his shoulder, but I was on fire, tearing through the last part of the pail.
I slammed the knife down, panting, and looked up, and Tom was smiling at me. It kind of felt good, but I had really pushed myself to beat him.
"Very good; I like that spirit! A good match for my daughter!" Tom laughed, and I nodded.
"Yes, she is a wonderful friend and a valuable party member! She took down an orc today that charged into town!" I exclaimed, and Tom whirled around on me with a big smile.
"Really?! Later you and I should have drinks after the dinner rush in my den. I would really like to hear how she did from someone with an eye like yours," Tom said to me, and I nodded.
"Yeah, I can agree to that. I might ask you for some advice as well," I said, and Tom nodded at me.
"Now, there is a sack of onions and carrots. That is the next target, but you don't have to go so hard this time. You proved your stones, and you are a straight shooter. I like that in a man; it shows that they have good morals when they can tell you exactly what you mean," Tom said as he turned back to his big stew pot.
I wasn't sure if I had good morals, but I didn't like to step around things if I didn't have to. I wasn't perfect, and I found it better to hide things, but this was a new life.
Once the dinner rush was over, the girls and I were treated to a big meal in the back, where there was a big table with long benches on either side. Dorthy had offered to bring it up to our room, but I thought it might be nice to eat with everyone.
Supper today was partially due to my efforts, and something about that seemed to make everything taste better. The stew, fresh bread, mash, roasted onions, and carrots were all so good that I ended up overeating.
"So one call a doctor, or just grab a knife and cut me open! I ate too much, and I feel like I'm about to give birth through my belly button!" I complained, and everyone laughed at me.
"Serves you right for having four portions!" Annie scolded, and I grinned through the pain that would most certainly not lead to death because I couldn't die.
That was a constant joke that I thought about but never really voiced since I really didn't want people to know. That would get me far too much unwanted attention.
"That just means the boy likes the food! He was a great help and even surprised me! I heard you killed a tough bastard of a monster, Anne! How did it go?" Tom asked, looking at his daughter, who seemed to get shy suddenly.
"I did, but it wasn't that big of a deal," Annie said, looking away from her father with a red face, grabbing her one arm.
"An orc is no joke, so don't sell yourself short! You did good, girl. I am proud of you!" Tom laughed and ruffled his daughter's hair, but he stole a glance at me.
This must be why he wanted to talk to me in private. It seemed that Annie got embarrassed around her father, but that was understandable.
"I am going to steal Talon for a bit. I want to talk to him about a few things. He will be back up after," Tom said and stood, stepping over the bench, waving for me to follow.