When Gus Met Cassidy

 

It was another long and hot day. The training schedules were brutal, and Gus could never understand why. There hadn’t been a war in over 500 years. As much as he hated it, there had been some benefits. One of the leading families had been impressed by his skill. He had been offered a position with them. At first, he was managing their house and staff, listening to the staff from other families gossiping and other menial tasks. It had been a few years now, and he had earned his place at the table.

The Monroe name used to command respect, but after his father died, his mother fell apart. They still had their wealth, but being seen in every tavern in the city from open to close had destroyed what was left of their reputation. Gus was going to restore it. He now took meetings on behalf of Mr. Talsa. When he spoke, it was known he was speaking on behalf of the Talsa family. He still had to finish his training at the academy. If he could make it just one more year, he would never have to wield combat magic again.

Gus turned his attention back to the task at hand. He was restoring the family home himself. His mother was still spending all her time with whatever alcohol she could find, but he was now in charge of the estate. He wiped his forehead on his sleeve and went back to sanding. Once he buffed out the rough spots, he could move on to staining. All he had left to sand was the top of the railings.

“If only you had some kind of tool at your disposal that could mold that wood at the flick of a finger,” called a familiar voice.

“I like to work with my hands,” Gus replied with a smirk. “What are you doing on this end of town, Jeremy?”

“Thought I’d come by and check on you. No matter how many times you tell me you like working with your hands, I just can’t wrap my head around it.”

“It feels like more of an accomplishment this way,” Gus answered, tossing Jeremy a piece of sandpaper attached to a block. “See for yourself.”

Jeremey balked at the idea. Gus chuckled and went back to work sanding. He didn’t think it was so strange that he wanted more than just powerful magic. Sure, with a few waves of his hands, he could have the wood bent and melded to his liking in seconds. Where was the pride and accomplishment in that? He had to throw magic around violently all morning four days a week and again at the request of the Talsa family if they needed it six days a week. While at home, he just wanted to create something with his own hands.

To Gus’s surprise, Jeremy started sanding. Gus thought about commenting but refrained. It would be better to just let him have the experience. They worked in silence for another hour. The railing was almost perfect. The soft scrapping of the sandpaper had brought calm in to settle around them.

“Ok,” Jeremy said with a sigh. “I get it. It’s kind of nice. There is a little more pride in the finished product. BUT this way took hours!”

“You’ve only been here for around an hour.”

“It feels like three. And my arm hurts.”

“You get used to it,” Gus said with a grin. “Builds character.”

“I have all the character I need. Can we at least get a beer? If I’m going to be forced to stay here and do hard labor, I should at least be compensated with a nice beer.”

“No one is forcing you to stay or to do mild labor.”

Jeremy scoffed. Gus knew he would never admit to wanting to stay. So he punched him lightly in the arm and went to grab him a beer.

“I love you. You are the greatest person that has ever walked these streets,” Jeremy said as Gus handed him the beer. “You will always have a special place in my heart.”

“Has anyone told you that you’re dramatic?”

“I take pride in it,” Jeremy said before taking a long drink.

“Alright then, Drama King, are you going to help me stain the porch or not?”

“I guess. If you’re going to twist my arm."

 

They were almost done when a call from Mr. Talsa came in.

“Is there any way you can take a meeting for me tomorrow morning? I just got called away to Prush, but this is important.”

“It shouldn’t be an issue. I just need to let the academy know.”

“I’ll take care of it. They need to know it’s on my request, though, I’ll tell them it’s an order,” he said with a chuckle.

“I appreciate it. They can’t very well say no to you.”

“The benefits of my friendship,” he said. “You’re really helping me out here. I won’t forget it.”

“It’s my pleasure to help.”

They ended the call, and Gus turned to finish up but realized Jeremy had taken over. He was concentrating intensely on getting it right. He felt a sense of pride well up in him. Jeremy had become a lot like a little brother. Helping him find his way made Gus feel like he was making a real difference in the world. This was the first time he actually offered to help with something this close to manual labor. He knew better than to expect this level of investment all the time.

“I think it’s done,” Jeremy said as he looked around.

“I’d say so,” Gus answered.

“What might it take to get a hot meal?”

“I think I can make that happen,” Gus said, slinging his arm around his shoulders. “You did good, kid.”

“Kid?” Jeremy laughed. “You’re like four years old than me!”

“And decades smarter.”

 

He was going to be a little early for the meeting, but early was always better than late. He slowed his horse down to meander through the streets. He got the details of the meeting shortly after he got up. It was a routine meeting. Meet, kiss ass, make a pitch, and then wait for them to call. Talsa was in the process of developing some new tech. Gus didn’t understand it all, but he didn’t need to. That wasn’t his job here. All he knew was that it preserved a small amount of magic from creation to perform whatever task. It was genius. The magic wouldn’t last forever, and you’d have to pay to have it recharged. Something about the magic from the power grid wouldn’t give it the enchantment that made the things work.

Usually, Gus was just there to talk up the company and the family, answer general questions, and make the potential client feel special. He could do that easily enough. Afterward, Talsa met to discuss tech details and broker a deal.

His mind continued to wander as he looked around. Something, or rather, someone, caught his attention. She was beautiful. She was walking along one of the balconies above him. She was in an elaborate dress that seemed much too formal for this early in the morning. She wasn’t paying any attention to the street. She was talking to a young woman walking next to her. She laughed and took off running. He had never seen anything like it. She was just so free.

She spun around and called out to her friend. She must have felt him watching her because she turned and looked right at him. She raised her hand, and he thought she was waving to him. That’s when he collided with a sign and managed to knock himself off the horse. The wind had been knocked out of him, so he just lay there for a minute to assess.

“Are you alright?” a voice called down.

“Probably,” Gus answered.

“Should be more careful,” he heard as he sat up.

He looked around and saw the woman leaning against the railing, trying to contain a smile. He raised one hand to her as he jumped back up to his feet. He was going to have a lump on the side of his head. He looked up to the balcony again. The woman waved, letting her smile shine through.

Before he could say anything else, she turned and continued on with her friend. He had a meeting to get to.

I get a LOT of help when I sit on the couch to work