7- Ask for help when you need it - no one knows everything . " Shit . " Laura groans and tries to pull herself to her feet before immediately collapsing back to her chair . " Shit . " She repeats again . " There's no way you can go tend the bar . You're too burned out from the binding spell . " Kyle insists , stopping her from trying to get up again with a hand on her shoulder . Laura collapses her head in her hands and groans . " I know . " She sighs . " Call in Catcher ? " Torin suggests . Laura shakes her head . " I can't . He's off tonight and he has his kid so there's no way he would be able to come in . " She stares at the ceiling as if praying for a solution . " I would offer to help but ... " Kyle trails off . S " You're needed in the kitchen . " Laura jumps in . She answers so quickly that I doubt that's the actual real reason . I wander towards where Torin is standing and ask him . " Why can't Kyle help behind the bar ? " I wonder . E " Ah ... Kyle isn't so good at ... Customer service . He loses his temper and somehow ends up starting more fights than he prevents . We've tried him at the bar before but it's never gone well . " He explains , letting out a deep breath . I would almost call it a sigh but his poker face game is too strong to show that kind of emotion . I can't help but giggle and Torin blinks at the sound , even furrowing his brow a little bit . Maybe his poker face isn't perfect after all . Maybe he's just subtle with showing emotion . He's a lot less . demonstrative than most . I'll figure it out . Torin straightens up and takes a step towards where Laura and Kyle have started bickering about options . The two of them immediately fall silent even though he hasn't spoken yet . " Kyle , take Laura home . I will manage everything here . It's only one night . " He orders . The two of them stare at him a little nervously but neither of them answer . Neither of them go to move either . O 29 月 ||| 1/4 O 11:06 Fri , Aug 29 Lesson 7- Ask for help when you need it - no one knows everything . " Is there a problem ? " Torin asks smoothly . " No , no ... Not at all . It's just ... You do remember what happened last time you tried to manage the bar ... Don't you ? " Laura asks awkwardly . Torin waves off her concerns with a hand . " It'll be fine . If that happens again then so be it . " He looks a little annoyed . Something about the tension in his shoulders makes him seem uncomfortable . Still , he stares the two of them down until they agree to leave . " Are you alright here Carina ? I can stay if you really need me ? " Laura offers . I shake my head and plaster on a smile . " I'll be fine here with Torin . And please , you can all call me Rina . " I answer cheerfully . Laura is nice , but she seems to think that I need a babysitter , or maybe a buffer between myself and Torin . I'm not worried . " I'll see you later . Get some rest . Apparently magically locking a person in a building is a lot of work . " I joke . But it must be too soon because her face falls . " I really am sorry about that . " She says with puppy dog eyes and I can't help but melt a little . " I agreed to it . I'm not happy about it all , and it would be way better if I could have my phone back , but I'll make do . You go get some rest , okay ? " To my surprise , Laura pushes away from where she is leaning on Kyle and takes a wobbly step towards me . She pulls me into a tight hug that lasts a second longer than I'm really comfortable with before releasing me and returning to Kyle's side . " I will see you tomorrow afternoon too . " Kyle grumbles at me , although he sounds less happy about it . I bet he's just jealous that I got a hug and he didn't . " Have fun taking Laura home . " I say in a teasing tone . He goes SO pale . Alrighty , apparently his crush on the redhead witch is NOT common knowledge . He glances at her but she didn't notice my odd tone . She waves and the two of them head off , although Kyle is still glancing back at me as they go , his expression a warning not to say anything further . Once they're gone , the place seems a lot quieter and the sounds from the bar sound louder . Torin gestures for me to follow him . O 29 20 D لی V 2/4 11:06 Fri , Aug 29 Lesson 7- Ask for help when you need it - no one knows everything . 100 " Come on , I'll show you the tavern area and get you a drink . You probably need one . " He mutters the last few words and I laugh . " Probably . " I agree . I know I'm pushing it but I can't help myself . I dart forward and link my arm through Torin's . " Lead the way . " I smile and I am rewarded with both a furrowed brow and him blinking at me twice . Yep , apparently the best way to throw Torin off guard is just to be nice to him . That is definitely something I can manage . It might even be fun . I always did like finding the most shy child in a group . I like to try to draw them out and convince them to join in and participate with everyone else . I already concluded that Torin isn't shy , but he is definitely a bit withdrawn . I can't help but want to meddle . We head towards the noise and Torin pushes open a wooden door . It opens to an area behind a bar in what I can only describe as an old fashioned looking tavern . It's kind of amazing . If I had to design a tavern for some fantasy video game , this is what I would make it look like . There's a big fire against one wall , comfortable seating , tables for meals and a well stocked bar . If I look carefully I can see modern touches here and there . An electronic exit sign , a fire alarm . Just small things but they're barely noticeable and all have practical purposes . Even more interesting than the actual tavern are the people inside it . A lot of them look like normal humans , although from what I understand , that doesn't necessarily mean that's what they are . If humans aren't meant to know about this place then I'm fairly sure that none of them are human . Others have claws , wings , and interesting skin tones . I can't see them all closely but there is nothing normal about these people . As Torin and I enter , the room falls silent . It's kind of creepy . I mean , this is a bar , people have been drinking . But just the sight of Torin has them freezing in place and zipping their mouths . Torin steps up to the bar and I wait in the doorway , not wanting to get in the way . " Laura is unwell and will not be able to continue working tonight . Kyle is escorting her home so the kitchen will be closed . I will keep the bar open until our regular closing time . " He announces . I expect a rush of people to the bar . I mean , it's been unattended for like forty minutes while they all took care of me so people have to be wanting drinks . But nope . Not one person comes to get a drink . A few 3/4 O 29 23 O 11:06 Fri , Aug 29 Lesson 7- Ask for help when you need it - no one knows everything . 100 % people eye the bar , but then they see Torin standing there , and immediately look away . I see now why Laura thought it might not work out so well having Torin serve the drinks . Well ... Maybe I can help ? Chapter Comments Toni Wilson 7 days ago I am loving this storyline so far ... it's good to read something different 1 Reviews > 11