What Now?
4 - Early Morning Thoughts
Scythas drifted awake, mind still fuzzy from last night's mead. He curled deeper into the blankets enjoying their warmth. A murmur came from beside him followed by a tug on the blankets. Scythas cracked an eye open in confusion. After a moment Joxer's face came into focus.
Oh, yeah. A hefty merchant offered to pay their tab if they let him have their second room. At the time sharing had seemed like a *great* idea.
Scythas studied Joxer as he slept. Strangers. They were strangers, but this man had helped him. Had treated him like a friend. And Scythas had a feeling that Joxer thought of him that way - that he wasn't just pretending. He couldn't remember his past but Scythas had a feeling that true friends were something he didn't have a whole lot of.
Scythas wanted to keep by Joxer. Go off on adventures with him - cause he'd bet Joxer's life was seldom dull. But...
Strangers.
So the questions was: Would Joxer want to travel with him? And maybe, eventually, help him find out what or who had had effected his memories?
Scythas giggled. He had this sudden picture of Joxer babbling away at some God until they just gave him whatever he wanted, if only to make him go away.
The blue eyed man closed his eyes floating between sleep and awake. Well, if they were friends then they couldn't be strangers for long. And everything else could wait until later.
5 - 1, 2, 3 Joxers?
Later arrived sooner then Scythas could have predicted.In the form of a flamboyantly dressed Joxer. Scythas turned his head at the squeak from next to him. Er, not Joxer? The doppelganger pounced on the bed.
"Joxie!" The man glomped Joxer. "It's been too long brother. Is this your new sweetie, Joxie? He's cute. I'm Jayce, by the way." He added turning to face Scythas arm still slung around the not quite awake Joxer.
"I'm Scythas." He got out of bed and found his boots, hopping on one foot then the other to put them on. "I'll be back." He told them and headed down and out. Morning necessity taken care of Scythas was headed up the stairs when someone bumped into him.
Someone who from the back looked very much like Joxer or, he assumed, Jayce.
He needed more sleep.
Scythas meandered down the hall to their room wanting to give the brothers some time to them selves. Giving a brief knock he opened the door and stepped in. He blinked at the sight that greeted him.
There were three men sitting on the bed now, identical except for their clothes.
Scythas raised an eyebrow, glancing at the men on either side of Joxer.
"Jett, this is Scythas. Scythas, Jett. My other brother." Joxer introduced. "Jett just finished his last job so he came to see us." Jett was studying Scythas, eyes narrowed.
"So your Joxer's new 'sweetie' huh?" Jett asked using Jayce's word for him.
"No! I told you he's not my swee- We're not together, he's just my friend." Joxer blushed.
Jayce and Jett shared a look. "Well, who's up for breakfast? I'm starving." Jayce asked bouncing off the bed and pulling Joxer up after him. He herded them out the door, discussing breakfast foods with Joxer.
Scythas trailed behind them, still vaguely shocked. Never dull had been right.
6 - 3rd Dregree
Jayce had bounced off to talk to a few of the performers from his troop and Joxer went to order them breakfast leaving Jett and Scythas alone at the table."Jox told us you pissed off some god and lost your memory." Jett started bluntly. "How did you meet up with my brother?"
"We met on the road here and he was kind enough to take me to a healer." Scythas answered, a bit wary of this third brother. Something about his eyes caused warning tingles at the base of his spine.
"I didn’t notice another pack in Joxer's room, you're carrying neither a weapon or a money pouch. So what do you plan on doing now - or were you thinking you'd just leach off Joxer?" Jett demanded, teeth bared in an almost-smile.
"No. I wouldn’t leech off Joxer. He's been a friend, the only one I have, and that's not how you treat your friends." Scythas replied with a sneer of his own. "I'm planning on finding a job, I just don't know what I'm good at yet."
"Oh! If you are looking for work my troop could use an extra hand while we're here!" Jayce declared, having returned in time to hear the end of Scythas statement. "Actually I could use all of your help. Yes, even you Jett! Don't make that face, it'll give you wrinkles." Jayce pushed at the frown lines on Jett's forehead, smoothing them out. Jett rolled his eyes but didn't protest.
By then Joxer had joined them, setting down a tray of meat, fruit, bread and a pitcher of cold water. "So what kind of help do you need Jay?"
"A bit of this and that." Jayce gestured vaguely.
7 - Work
"I can't believe I let him talk me into this."Joxer patted his arm sympathetically as he finished lacing up Scythas' armor.
This was a staged fight with Jett for Jayce's troop 'The Bent River Performers' opening show. Plus four more shows over the next three days.
"Jayce is kind of hard to say no to. And even if you do he does this pouting thing," Joxer moved around Scythas checking that everything was on straight. "Nobody can resist the pout, not even Jett."
Scythas could believe that after all they were both being strapped into armor that left more of their skin on display then would be wise in a real fight. In fact Scythas' consisted mostly of crisscrossing leather straps.
But work was work. Or at least that's what Scythas kept telling himself.
8 - Joxer in White
Joxer had been fine helping out with Jayce's troop. Getting people into their costumes, holding bits of the sets while they got put together, not a hard job and kind of fun. But this was not fun and Joxer was feeling anything but fine.It was the second night of performances and one of the players got sick leaving them short. So guess whom Jayce tricked into helping? Joxer. And now the brat had him wearing a dress! A white flowy thing with a veil - he looked like a Hessian Virgin or a bride!
All right so he was supposed to be playing a virgin bride. Or rather a boy sold off by his greedy father as his 'virgin daughter'. Yeah, he was confused too. Luckily his part didn't actually include dialogue. Joxer just had to 'Stand around and look pretty' according to Jayce.
Joxer fidgeted with the gauzy veil, the thing was driving him nuts. And really, what was Jay thinking putting him in *white*? It made him look washed out and sickly.
Joxer turned intending on finding Jayce and telling him to find someone else only to be shoved out on to the stage.
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