Chapter 46 {’Girl’ Talk}
Current mood: calm
Category: Writing and Poetry

"Merc! Wake up!" Mentokka shouted as she shook Merc awake. "Come on, Wake up!" Merc eyes shot opened, as she grabbed Mentokka by her arms.

"M-Mentokka?" she said in shock. "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" she replied wide eyed. "Your were just about screaming in your sleep. What's wrong, sis?"

Mentokka called Merc 'sis' when they were alone. The strong sisterly-like bond the girls were feeling towards each other. But for the third night, Mentokka was worried about Merc. She was drenched in sweat. Her nightgown was sticking to her body. Beads of sweat covered her face. "I think it was a bad dream."

"A bad dream got you screaming like that?" Mentokka asked, clearly not believing her. "Do you want me to call Uncle Rand?" Mentokka was about to get out of the bed, when Merc stopped her.

"No, please, " she said, gently grabbing her arm. "Master Rand is my teacher, not my father." Mentokka was taken back by her statement.

"What do you mean by that?" Merc took a couple of breaths before she spoke again.

"I'm sure Master Rand knows what is wrong, if not, figure it out. But there are times I don't feel comfortable talking to him."

"Why is that?" Mentokka asked, but had a feeling she knew what Merc was talking about. But she decided to wait and see if Merc will tell her. But one look into her face. The way she wouldn't look her in the eyes told her that she wouldn't tell her. "Is it because, he's a man?
Merc's eyes went wide for a moment, then she turned her face away from her. That's all Mentokka needed to see. "It is that, isn't it." Merc said nothing.

"Mentokka......" Merc finally said looking at her. "You have to understand. I never knew my father. When I had a problem. My mother was always there for me, and she always told me to keep men a distance from me when I was growing up. {Men are no good. You can't trust them for anything}"

"Sis?.... Do you think this way about Uncle Rand, and the others?" she asked, clearly not believing what she just heard.

"Yes..... I mean, no.....I mean......I-I don't know what to think." she said covering her face in her hands.

Clearly this was bubbling under the surface for Merc for a while. Mentokka knew that she knew Tosh, Uber and Gunner sometime in her past. But from what she knew of it. there was nothing out of the ordinary when she dealt with them. She guessed it had to be about Uncle Rand. So she decided to focus on him.

"Sis? Do you have a problem with Uncle Rand?" Merc quickly raised her head from her face.

"Of course not," she replied, too quickly. "I have the world of respect for Master Rand."

"Yet, there is something about him that's bothering you. You can tell me."

"Your his niece. I don't want to offend you."

"You don't have to worry about that, sis. This is between us. There will be no hard feelings between us. Remember.....were 'sisters'." The two shared a laugh. Merc nodded.

"It happened when I first met Master Rand."

"The fight here when that gang attacked you?"

"You know about it?"

"Only what, Uncle Rand told me when I asked him about it. Remember. I got there at the end of it." Merc agreed.

"I remembered being held down and one of them was hitting me in the face, over and over again. Right there, Master Rand and Tosh came to my aid. They gave me the chance to recover. But when I was ready to continue the fight. It was just about over. Only one of the gang was left standing, holding a sword on Master Rand. I was so angry, I picked up my frying pan and let him have it. One blow was enough to finish him off. The fight was over, but I was still yearning for a fight. When Tosh came over towards me to see if I was alright. Something in me snapped. I didn't see a friend. I saw a man that took my opportunity to get back at men that hurt me. So I hit him also, knocked him out cold. The only one left standing was Master Rand. And at that moment, I hated him more then anyone alive. Something inside me screamed at me to attack. And I did."

"And?" Mentokka said, eagerly waiting to heard what happened next.

Merc took a painful deep breath and continued. "I attacked him with everything I knew, and several things I made up. But, I couldn't lay a finger on him. He avoided every attack and made me look stupid in the process. He kept calling me 'Giant Women'. Never in my life, that I felt such hatred towards anyone. Master Rand humiliated me with his talking and that damnable grin. And to prove my point, he bent my prized weapon, my Sai that Master Kasumi gave me."

"But.....but didn't Uncle Rand go to Master Kasumi to apologize to her personally about that?" Merc looked shocked that she knew about that. But she nodded. "What did Master Kasumi say when she found out that you've became Uncle Rand's new student?"

"She said that she was happy that I was going to train under such a great teacher."

"Then what is the problem?" Mentokka asked, not understanding where this was going.

"Mentokka?" she said quietly "When I knelled down before Master Rand, and asked him to train me. I really did not wish to do that."

"You didn't?" Merc shook her head.

"I didn't want to train under him.......My anger was such, that I wanted to Destroy him!"

Nothing was said for several moments. There was tension in the air between the two of them. Mentokka spoke.

"Was you feeling that way when we fought each other during your training. I was dressed in the same fighting robe as Uncle Rand."

"I'm kind of embarrassed to say this, now that I think about it." she said softly. "But it felt good hitting you........because I didn't see your face. I saw Master Rand. Stupid grin and all. Yet......yet I lost to you all the same." The sadness on her face was hard to look at.

"Sis? You were cursed" Mentokka said taking her hands in hers. I'm sure that was the only reason that you lost to the both of us."

Merc looked at Mentokka and smiled. She understood what Master Rand and Uber went though to free her of it. It nearly killed them.

"So this is what Merc is going though." Mentokka thought to herself. "This is the juggling act she was dealing with. Balls of hatred and respect were in the air at the same time. How does she do it and not lose it. I know I wouldn't."

After a while, the tension was more or less gone between the two of them. The talked about nothing in particular for a while. "Can I ask you a question about Master Rand?"

"If I can.......sure."

"How old is Master Rand?"

Mentokka was about to say a number, but paused. For several moments Mentokka-Tor was in deep thought. As she thought about it. She........ wasn't sure.

"You might find this hard to believe, but I.......I'm not really sure."

"What do you mean, your not really sure?"

"Just what I said. When I think about it. Uncle Rand has always looked the same. As far as I can remember. He looked the same for over fifteen years. But other then that, he's sixty-two" Merc didn't reply to what she said. This was something she would have to talk to Master Rand about sometime in the near future. But she did have another question that she was sure that Mentokka could answer.

"This look that Master Rand is now, is it someone from his past, or is it him at a younger age?"

Mentokka told him that this was a new guise for Uncle Rand. She had never seen him look like that before. "Sis? Uncle Rand, has looked like a teenager of fifteen, He become an army officer of thirty-six, He's posed as an Ancient Wizard that was well over a hundred, And......." Mentokka stopped suddenly, and turned her face away from Merc slightly embarrassed.

"And what?"

"I......rather not say, Sis" she said, a small grin breaking across her face.

"Oh No You Don't, Girlfriend!" Merc just about shouted."Out with it!"

Mentokka held out for several more seconds, until she finally gave in.

"OK, OK, I'll tell you. But you must promise me you'll NEVER let Uncle Rand find out I told you this." She said. Merc nodded. "Promise me!"

"OK!" Merc said raising her left hand and placing her right hand over her heart. "I swear on the honor on Master Rand and Master Kasumi."

"Both Masters? I'm impressed." Mentokka said smiling broadly. Looked around the room before talking. This made Merc even more willing to hear what she was going to say. "It was about ten years ago. Uncle Rand just learned how to change his appearance using his magic. A King's Man from Fatoria hired Uncle Rand to help him track down a spy that was planning to escape with plans that numbered there Army's locations in the surrounding areas. After several day of searching, they trapped he spy in a large tavern in Fatoria. Rand and the King's Man couldn't enter the tavern though the front, without being spotted by the spy. When they tried entering though the back, they were stopped by guards saying it was only for the female dancers. After several minutes of thinking, Rand asked the King's Man to wait near the front entrance.

When asked what was he planning. Rand told him to trust him. After he left him, Rand concentrated hard and changed himself into a beautiful, young women of 20. She had strawberry-blond hair, a pair of large, firm breasts, a flat belly, firm and powerful legs of a dancer. She wore a near see though pink outfit. When one of the guard asked her who was she. Rand told them that she was new act that just got into town. She called herself the ' Water Nymph of Paradise'. The guards just about feel over themselves to let her in.

When Rand was alone in his room, he decided to chance back to himself. But there was a problem, he couldn't change back. The counter spell wasn't working. For nearly a half hour, Rand tried to change back, with no luck. Suddenly things went from Bad to Worse for him.

It was his turn on stage. His first impulse was to get out of there, but he decided against it. He closed his eyes, calmed his mind, using his magic, He remember a act he saw several years back when he was in the army. And when he added his magic to it, he...or should I say, she was going to give them a performance they'll Never forget. Besides, the spy was in the audience, and it was his job to catch him.

When her named was called all the lights went dim. Suddenly a soft, gentle rain started coming down on the stage. But instead of flowing down off the stage. It stayed in it's place. The sound of a harp and a lute filled the room. Suddenly the water seem to move and dance with the rhythm. When Rand came on stage. She stood with her arms extended as the rain came down harder to drench her. At this point everyone in there were totally enthralled with her performance. Her arms and hips swayed to the music. Her hands started glowing, and the water rose and fell to her movements. She slowly started spinning around and the water seem to spin around her in the opposite direction. She increased the speed of her turns, the water moved to increase it's speed. At the end of the performance, Rand stopped spinning, and feel to the floor, and the water disappeared, leaving the stage dry and her soaked.

The roar and cheering was loud and long. They wouldn't let her leave the stage, until she gave them another performance. Half way thought the second act, some drunk fool came up on the stage and took Rand by her arm. Without thinking Rand punched the man in the face that sent him crashing though a table in the front row. Even though Rand looked like a small girl, She was still Master Rand. Suddenly a fight broke out in the crowd. At that moment Rand saw the spy trying to leave his seat. Rand leaped off the stage and delivered a well placed kick to his lower back. As the brawl spread though out the tavern, Rand dragged the now unconscious spy towards the window near the entrance, and promptly pitched him out the window near the King's Man. Where he instantly shackled him.

When Rand tried to climb out the window, an arm grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back inside. So for the next half hour, Rand fought her way though the entire tavern, laying out at least ten men and several others that was more interested in pawing and grabbing at her body.

When she finally made it outside. She was breathing hard and her outfit was just about hanging off her body. The King's Man being a man of chivalry, placed his cloak over Rand's near naked body. Rand was about to tell him that she was Rand, but he was sure he's never believe her. She told him that she was Rand's assistant, And Rand was still inside fighting. Realizing that his friend was in trouble, he ran into the tavern to 'rescue' his friend. Suddenly several guards rushed towards the tavern and entered it. It was then, that Rand took her leave of this place and headed to a nearby Inn to take a well deserved bath, and to figure out Why the Hell he couldn't turn herself back into a man?"

Merc and Mentokka was laughing so hard, the two of them were in tears and Mentokka feel off the bed. After getting back onto the bed, Merc asked her what happened after all that happened. Mentokka told her that Rand learned that he spoke the last phrase of the counter spell wrong. When she asked how long it took for him to remember it. Mentokka said it took him two whole days. Which go the two laughing once again.

Mentokka said, Rand went to receive the King's phrase for all he done. But he has to go as Rand's assistant and a young Tosh as his page. When asked where was Rand-Tor. She said He apologized for not being there, but there was death in the family and he went home sometime last evening. The King believed it and offered his deep condolences of the lost of his family member. And for those two days, Rand received countless looks and hungry glares at her. Even the King's Man made a pass at her. With that, Rand couldn't get out of Fatoria fast enough.

After another round of laughter, Merc said she wouldn't tell a soul. After several minutes of talking, Merc decided to call it a night. With that Mentokka raised her hand and muttered something under her breath, and Merc not being the wiser, fell into a deep sleep. Mentokka suddenly glowed a soft light around her and changed into Rand.

Mentokka was worried about Merc and her nightmares, so she told Rand about it. He asked her if she has another nightmare, her told her to come and get him. So that night when Merc started screaming in here sleep, Mentokka went to get Rand to see if he could help. Rand told himself that he was going to keep an eye on his student. But he was sure that she would see him in a different light after hearing the story when he turned into a girl and couldn't change back.

"I want you to see, that I'm not perfect, Little Lady." He said walking out of Merc's room. "And I hope, it will get rid of some of the feelings of hate you have for me. For I truly believe you will be my best student ever."

There he saw Mentokka sleeping soundly at one of the tables. Smiling, he cast another sleep spell on his Little Girl. This time a deep sleep spell like the one he put on Merc. and carried her into the bedroom and placed her onto the other bed next to Merc.

"You two, rest easy." He said drawing the blankets on them and leaving there room. "I'll do my best to guild and protect you both."

With that Rand made a small pray to the gods for there wisdom and Blessings, then headed to the Inn to call it a night.