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The heel of Tabitha’s boot tapped rhythmically on the floor of the coffeeshop. She nervously fidgeted with the sleeves of her overlarge sweater, resisting the urge to bury her face in the soft turtleneck.
“I wonder if this table is too far from the door,” she thought. “Will she be able to see me when she walks in? Maybe I should move…” Tabitha huffed and shook her head. She was overthinking this whole thing. Yashee wanted to catch up when she got back from Basom, so that’s what they’re doing--drinking coffee and trading stories. Like bards should. Totally chill and casual.
So why was she so nervous?
Tabitha indulged herself for a moment and pulled her sweater up to hide her rapidly reddening face. So much for chill and casual. She closed her eyes and forced herself to take steadying breaths.
“TABS!” a strong voice called from across the coffee shop.
Tabitha’s eyes flew open and she hastily pulled her face up and out of her sweater. Yashee was bounding toward her, a huge grin on her face. Tabitha couldn’t help but smile back. Yashee stopped next to the table and set her bag down on the chair opposite Tabitha. There was a solid THUNK as the mallets inside the bag hit the wood of the chair, followed by a mysterious tinkling noise that Tabitha couldn’t quite place as the bag settled.
“I just wanted to check where you were sitting before I ordered,” Yashee said, digging some change out of her pocket. “I’ll be right back!” And she bounded off again.
Tabitha watched her until she was on line, and then her focus snapped back to Yashee’s bag across from her. Tabitha knew that Yashee leaving her bag really wasn’t a big deal. The coffee shop was practically empty; the likelihood of someone coming up and stealing it was slim to none. But Tabitha was still struck with the subtle implication that Yashee trusted her enough to not only watch her bag but watch her instruments, the source of her bardic power. Tabitha’s cheeks began to burn once more, and she was so focused on why and how Yashee trusted her so much that she didn’t realize Yashee was on her way back to the table until it was too late. The half-orc set a mug piled high with whipped cream on the table and stopped when she saw Tabitha.
“Whoa, Tabitha, why’s your face so red?” Yashee asked, moving her bag to the floor and sitting down. Tabitha jumped slightly and giggled nervously.
“Uh, just...burned my tongue on my coffee!” she stuttered out. Yashee glanced at the cup in front of the half-elf.
“You’re coffee’s iced,” she said, clearly confused. Tabitha giggled again and fidgeted with her sweater collar.
“Yeah! I...um, I mean, it was so cold it felt like it burnt!” she said, mentally hitting herself “That’s a stupid excuse,” she thought. “She’ll never believe that.” But Yashee only shrugged and grinned.
“So,” she said, settling back in her chair, “what do you want to know?”
Tabitha smiled shyly back.
“Um. Everything, I guess.”
-------
Yashee wove the tale of Chaos Sauce’s time in Not Basom and Basom as only a bard can. She painted the pictures so clearly that Tabitha could practically see what her friend was describing in front of her. It was beautifully told, though there was something off about Yashee’s description of their fight with Squid Vicious. There were a few moments that were too clunky, where Yashee hesitated briefly before telling the next part, and Tabitha could tell that Yashee was carefully editing the story as she told it, leaving out a few details here and there. Normally, Tabitha wouldn’t have put too much thought into this observation, but it was the day for overthinking, she guessed. If Yashee trusted her enough to leave her bag and her mallets, why did she feel that she had to carefully curate her story? Did something terrible happen and Yashee just didn’t want to worry her? Was it because of Randy or Raz’ul? Did THEY not trust her, and warned Yashee about telling her too much?
Before Tabitha could spiral further into her own doubts and fears, Yashee finished her story and sat back again, clearly waiting for a reaction from Tabitha. The half-elf quickly snapped herself out of her reverie and smiled as wide as she could, even politely clapping a little to avoid having to comment on the last few minutes of the story that she had missed. Yashee looked pleased.
“I can’t believe all of that happened to you,” Tabitha said, shaking her head in disbelief. “One little recon mission, ending with a fight against a giant squid alien.” Yashee shrugged nonchalantly.
“I was pretty buckwild, but no big deal,” she said. “I had Randy and Raz’ul to back me up! Couldn’t have done it without them, we all have each other’s backs. Well, you know, of course! Your band’s the same, right?” Yashee stopped suddenly and leaned forward.
“Say, what have you guys been up to anyway?” she asked.
“Nothing as exciting as what you’ve been up to,” Tabitha said, waving her hand in dismissal. “If I told you, it’d just bore you.” Yashee reached out and grabbed Tabitha’s raised hand, pulling it down and resting it on the table without letting go.
“Naw, come on!” Yashee pleaded. “I just told you my whole story, this can’t be some one-sided thing. I wanna know what you’ve been up to.” Tabitha tore her eyes away from their clasped hands to see the half-orc smiling gently with an earnest look on her face. Suddenly Yashee jolted a little and let go of Tabitha’s hand. She grabbed her coffee mug almost awkwardly and said, “We, uh, missed school, kinda. We wanna know what we missed.” Tabitha grabbed her own coffee mug and nodded.
“Um, alright,” she said. “But I’m telling you, it’s not going to be a very good story.” Yashee’s smile widened.
“You’re right,” she said, “it’s gonna be a great story!” Tabitha laughed a little harder than she should have, and launched into her own tale.
———-
One story led to another, which led to two more cups of coffee, and then four. The daylight coming in from the windows flowed so seamlessly into the light from the candles scattered around the shop that the two girls didn’t notice the sun going down. It wasn’t until the owner came over to them and informed them that it was almost closing time that they realized how long they had been talking.
They were oddly silent as they began the short walk back to Strumlotts. After a minute or two, Yashee cleared her throat.
“Thanks for, uh, calling me that night in Basom,” she said. “It was nice to know someone back at school was thinking about us. And it was nice to hear from you.” Tabitha smiled and ducked her head down slightly.
“Yeah, well, I just wanted to check in,” she said. “It seemed like y’all were gone for so long, and with um…” Tabitha coughed nervously, immediately regretting even hinting at what happened in the combat room back at school. “Well, I just got worried.” Yashee grinned despite the slight tension in the air.
“Well, now you know you have nothing to worry about! Not even some big squid alien can stop THESE!” She flexed dramatically and Tabitha laughed and blushed a little.
The two girls fell back into a comfortable silence for the rest of the walk to their dorms. Tabitha couldn’t help but glance up at Yashee-- tall, strong, beautiful Yashee. She stared up at her and felt a small, fond smile creep on her face. Her heart fluttered a bit, and despite the light, floating feeling in her head and stomach, she felt tinges of dread creeping in as well as the reality of her situation dawned on her.
“Oh no,” she thought, as she bid her friend--crush--good night and headed up to her room. “Oh nooo,” she thought in the elevator up to her room with her face covered by her turtleneck.
“Oh no,” Ilda signed when the doors opened and Tabitha stumbled into their common room with her face still hidden, and Gareth laughed.
-------
About a week after their coffeeshop meeting (Tabitha refused to call it a date, even in a platonic sense of the word), the half-elf found herself in a training room. Her band’s teacher had informed them just that morning that they would be leaving for their first major assignment in a few days, and any extra preparation that they could get in would be beneficial. Ilda and Gareth were prioritzing the more theoretical side of their bardic education and were holed up in the library. Tabitha was going to go with them but Ilda signed to her that they had noticed that she had been increasingly restless recently (Gareth mumbled something about “extra useless lesbian energy”) and she suggested Tabitha go downstairs and do some combat to try and release some tension. Gareth opened his mouth with a wicked grin to say something else but Ilda stepped on his foot and dragged him away.
So here she was, face to face with a wood golem. Tabitha hadn’t yet cast the spell to animate it, still deciding whether to focus more on her physical or bardic combat when there was a knock on the training room door.
Tabitha turned and saw Yashee’s face in the window. The half-orc was waving wildly, sporting a huge grin. Tabitha was struck with a slight sense of deja vu as she was reminded of her and Chaos Sauce’s first fight, and she hesitated a moment before smiling and waving back. Yashee opened the door and entered; Tabitha craned her neck to see if Randy and Raz’ul were behind her but to her surprise (and slight terror) Yashee was alone.
“Yeah, it’s just me! Hope that’s alright!” Yashee said. “I came down here to get some practice in and saw you and I figured I’d see if you wanted to practice together. Without spells, maybe. Y’know, to avoid a repeat of last time.” Yashee said this with innocence but Tabitha still felt a pang of guilt deep in her heart. It must have shown on her face because Yashee’s smile fell slightly and she took a step back.
“It’s totally cool if you planned to practice alone! I didn’t mean to interrupt or anything,” she said. Before Tabitha could think too much she shook her head.
“No! Please stay!” she said, and then blanched. “I...I mean, stay, yeah. It’d be good to... to fight a real person. To prepare for, uh...actually doing that.” Yashee’s grin returned and she took her mallets out of her pants’ pocket.
“Sweet! No holding back though, okay? I don’t bruise easy,” she said, stretching her arms above her head. Tabitha managed to tear her eyes away from Yashee’s biceps to do some stretching of her own.
“Don’t worry,” Tabitha said, getting into a ready stance, “neither do I.” And with a delighted laugh, Yashee leapt forward, mallets swinging.
-------
The two fought until they were too exhausted to continue, declaring a draw. Despite her bold words earlier, Tabitha could feel several bruises forming on her arms, but she was a little proud to see Yashee nursing some sore areas as well. They straightened out the training room in a companionable silence, still trying to catch their breath. As they gathered up the last of their gear, Yashee’s stomach rumbled loudly and she and Tabitha burst out laughing.
“To the cafetorium, I guess, huh?” Yashee said when they had calmed down. Tabitha nodded.
“Yeah, I’m sure Randy and Raz’ul are waiting for you,” she said. “I guess I should find Gareth and Ilda in the library.” Yashee frowned slightly, confused.
“Are you not hungry after all that?” Yashee asked. Before she could answer, Tabitha’s stomach growled even louder than Yashee’s had. The half-orc grinned and grabbed Tabitha’s hand, pulling her down the hallway.
“There’s our answer! Let’s go!”
-------
It didn’t take long for them to reach the cafetorium and sing for their food (two solos, to Tabitha’s slight disappointment). They found some seats and Yashee almost immediately launched into a story about some antic Randy had pulled just that morning. Tabitha ate and listened and tried very hard not to think too much about how good Yashee looked, even after their fight. About halfway through their meal, Yashee glanced over Tabitha’s shoulder and she stopped talking mid-sentence. Suddenly she stood and waved her hand above her head.
“Hey! Randy! Ilda! What’s up! Is that Raz’ul and Gareth with you? C’mon over, join us!” she yelled. Tabitha turned around just in time to see their bandmates trying and failing to hide behind some tables and trash cans. They all smiled awkwardly as they stood and shuffled over with their trays of food. Tabitha tried to not let herself look too disappointed but apparently failed--Ilda signed a quick “sorry” when Yashee wasn’t looking. As soon as everyone was settled, yashee resumed her story, getting Randy and Raz’ul to add their own commentary. Soon enough, the whole table was talking animatedly. They were easily the loudest group in the cafetorium, and Tabitha had to admit that she was having a great time despite her earlier disappointment.
After they all finished eating, as they were putting their plates and silverware away, Yashee sighed happily and threw her arms around Gareth (who grimaced) and Randy (who grinned).
“I’m so glad we got to do this, guys,” she said as they left the cafetorium and started to head back to their dorms. “All of my friends together, eatin’ lunch and hanging out. It’s the best!”
Tabitha was staring straight ahead as they walked and kept her gaze forward as the two bands parted ways to head into their respective dorms. As they rode the elevator up to their rooms, Ilda took her hand and squeezed it. Gareth lightly punched her arm.
“Friends, at least,” he said. “Better than nothin’.” Tabitha nodded.
“Friends,” she repeated. She could work with friends.
-------
Their assignment sucked. What their teacher thought was a dependable lead on a town in desperate need of a revitalized entertainment scene was actually an incredibly old tip, so after travelling by foot in the rain for two days, they arrived at a town with a vibrant music and theater district. They at least got into a few evening concerts for free for their troubles, but overall the three students were soggy, sore and put-out. They got some rooms at a large inn in the center of town and tried to sleep before they began the trek back to school the next day.
Tabitha was tossing and turning when there was a tinkling sound coming from her bag on the floor by her bed. Her Ira Glass.
She reached down and fumbled around with her eyes closed until she felt the smooth glass in her hand. She put it on the pillow next to her and mumbled out a sleepy, “hullo?” to whoever was trying to contact her at the ungodly hour of 10 PM.
“Tabs? Are you there? It’s me, Yashee.” Tabitha blinked rapidly as she immediately tried to wake herself up.
“Oh, hi Yashee,” she said, stifling a yawn. “What, um, what’s up?”
“Just wanted to check in on you!” Yashee said brightly. Tabitha was quite jealous of how well-rested she sounded. “Like you did for me on my assignment. How’s it going so far? Were you sleeping?” Tabitha rubbed her eyes and sat up.
“Was tryin’ to,” she said. “‘S’been real shitty so far, actually.”
“Oh no, I’m sorry!” Yashee said. “Do you want me to go so you can relax?” Tabitha shook her head and then realized belatedly that Yashee couldn’t see her.
“No, ‘s’fine,” she said, yawning again. “Relaxing really wasn’t working.” There was a moment of silence and Tabitha wondered if the call had dropped.
“Well,” Yashee said finally, “why don’t you tell me what’s happened so far, and I can tell you what’s happened here and maybe talking will wear you out enough to fall asleep.” Tabitha smiled a little and shook her head again.
“No, you really don’t want to hear about this,” she said. “It’s boring. Nothing like your assignment.” Yashee laughed a little.
“I think I could use some boring right now,” she said. “C’mon, be a bard, paint me a word picture!” Tabitha laughed too and then laid back down.
“Fine,” she said with a smile. “But if it’s too boring you have to tell me and I’ll stop.” Yashee laughed again and Tabitha’s tired brain decided that it was her favorite sound. She settled deeper into the pillows and began her story.
-------
Tabitha opened her eyes to sunlight streaming into her rented room and Ilda and Gareth standing next to her bed. Gareth had a smug look on his face and Ilda had one eyebrow raised and Tabitha’s Ira Glass in her hand.
“Uh,” Tabitha said, “I can explain.” Gareth barked out a laugh.
“Jeez, Tabs, it’s not like we caught you with stolen goods or something,” he said. “Unless this isn’t your Ira Glass and you didn’t call a certain someone last night?” Tabitha tried to quickly reach out and grab the Glass back from Ilda but her bandmate was faster and kept it out of reach. Tabitha sighed.
“I didn’t call anyone last night,” she said indignantly. Then, after a moment: “She called me.”
Gareth and Ilda exploded; Gareth began talking a mile a minute and Ilda’s hands flew so fast that Tabitha couldn’t even begin to decipher what she was signing. She let them freak out for a minute, still trying to wake up. Finally, they wore themselves out and they quieted. Tabitha sighed again and arranged her pillows so she could sit up more comfortably.
“Yashee called me last night,” she said slowly and quitely, “to check on me like...like I checked on her during her assignment.” Gareth opened his mouth to say something but Tabitha continued. “It was friendly, and nice, and it meant nothing, I’m sure. We just talked, that’s all.” Ilda had an odd, almost skeptical look on her face as she put the Glass down (still out of Tabitha’s reach) in order to sign better.
“And how exactly did this conversation end?” she signed.
“I--” Tabitha stopped and thought. “I...don’t remember...I told her about how we got here and some of the bands we saw, and then she was telling me about this prank Randy pulled on Symbol...but I don’t really remember anything after that.” Gareth practically doubled over in laughter.
“Seriously? SERIOUSLY?!” he said. “You actually fell asleep while talking to your crush?! How much more cliche can you get, Tabs? Seriously!” He was stopped from mocking her anymore by a well aimed pillow to his face.
“I was tired!” she said. “It’s not...it’s just NOT, alright? We’re just two friends who talked late at night and I fell asleep! It’s no big deal!” Ilda and Gareth were both looking at her skeptically now. She flopped down on the bed with a groan and covered her face with her hands.
“Look, I just…” She sighed once more. “I like her SO MUCH, right? ‘Cause she’s pretty, and talented, and strong, and kind so how could I not? But she’s a friend. We’re friends, she said so herself. And that’s great! It’s amazing because we can still spend time together, and I’ll take that over nothing. So yeah, we talked last night, and I fell asleep, but it’s not a THING. Alright?” Ilda and Gareth were quiet. Then a strange noise came from the Ira Glass. It almost sounded like a cough.
“Uh...Tabitha?” Yashee’s voice came out of the Glass. Tabitha shot up, wide eyed. She looked at her bandmates, who had similar expressions of shock on their faces. Before Tabitha could say anything, Ilda and Gareth were out of her room and the door was closed, and she was left alone with her Ira Glass.
“ Tabs? You there?” Yashee asked. With great effort, Tabitha reached over and picked up the Glass, holding it up to her face instead of throwing it across the room like she wanted to.
“Uh. Hi,” Tabitha said in a small voice.
“Hi,” Yashee answered. Tabitha didn’t think she sounded angry or upset, so that was a plus, she supposed.
“How...much of that did you hear?” the half-elf asked timidly. Yashee huffed out a small, awkward laugh.
“Um, all of it,” she said. I fell asleep not long after you did and I kinda didn’t hang up.”
“Oh.” Tabitha was mortified. She blinked back embarrassed tears and cleared her throat. “Well, I should go! We probably need to leave soon, so I guess--well, you probably won’t want to see me when we get back to school, so I don’t know when I’ll see you but--” She was babbling, but Yashee finally cut her off.
“Tabitha,” Yashee said quietly, and Tabitha pressed her lips together, still trying not to cry. “Why wouldn’t I want to see you?” Tabitha started to stammer out an explanation, about how she had ruined their friendship with her stupid feelings but Yashee cut her off again.
“Hanging out with you has been, like, the best thing ever. I definitely don’t want to stop doing that. I just wish I knew sooner that you wanted to hang out as like. More than friends.” Tabitha didn’t even dare to breathe. She wondered briefly if she was still asleep and dreaming.
“Really?” she finally managed to squeak out.
“Yeah!” Tabitha could practically hear the smile in her voice. “I like you like...a lot. Realized it around our coffee, uh, date when I got back from Basom. But I didn’t think you were really interested.”
“I didn’t think YOU were interested!” Tabitha blurted out. “In the cafetorium, when we got lunch, and Gareth and Randy and everyone were all there and you said you liked having all your friends together, I thought that’s all you wanted to be.”
“No! Well...sort of?” Yashee said. “I wanted--WANT to be your friend. But like...isn’t dating supposed to be an extension of a friendship? That’s what my parents taught me, anyway. So I wanted to make sure we were friends first, and then just never followed up, I guess. Oops.”
Tabitha couldn’t help herself--she cracked up laughing. Yashee joined her and it tooka few minutes for them to calm down. Tabitha shook her head as she wiped tears away.
“Clueless,” she said. “We’re both clueless.” Yashee snorted.
“Yeah,” she said, “but I’m glad we can be clueless together.” Tabitha grinned and then jumped when there was a sharp knock at her door. Her teacher yelled to her that they were leaving in ten. Tabitha stood up, cradling her Ira Glass in both hands.
“I, uh, guess that I should go,” she said.
“Yeah, me too,” Yashee said. “See you when you get back? We can get coffee again. Make it a real date this time. If you want.” Tabitha grinned wider.
“Yeah, I’d like that a lot,” she said. “Bye, Yashee.”
“Bye, Tabs. Safe travels. See you soon.”
Tabitha hung up. She let herself have just a moment to squeal and jump around happily before washing up, getting changed and gathering her belongings.
When she opened the door, she found Ilda and Gareth standing in the hall, smiling at her.
“So, a date, huh?” Gareth said smugly. Tabitha smiled back and walked past them.
“Yep,” she said over her shoulder. “You’re next, y’know. I hear Randy’s single…”
She laughed as Gareth spluttered indignantly behind her.