Present Tense (Out of the Fire #3) - Candace Blevins Page 0,25

foot seven, and Eunice was perhaps three inches taller. She weighed a hundred and fifteen pounds, and she doubted he weighed more than a hundred and seventy.

And yet, he scared her, when James, at nearly seven feet tall and probably at least three hundred pounds, didn’t.

And it felt like dollface was supposed to be a slam. Like she wasn’t real because she was pretty.

“I shot two paintball guns. Rifle and handgun. It wasn’t terrible.”

“That wasn’t what impressed Nathan and the other geeks. You did good.” He looked at her shirt and smiled. “Gondor University? Nice touch with the tree in the center. I haven’t seen that one.”

Now he was being nice? He was going to give her some kind of emotional whiplash. She used the same tone she’d used before. Logical. Not unfriendly, but not friendly. Neutral.

“I visited most of the sites in New Zealand. Took some finagling, since I couldn’t go during the day, but I got to walk through Hobbiton, see Edoras, some of Mordor. Tongariro National Park was worthy of goosebumps.”

“Nice. Is there anything you need before you turn in for the day? You have, what, about thirty minutes until dawn?”

“Did you draw the short straw? I can hear the heartbeats and breathing of the other two. They’re asleep.”

He shook his head. “I wake at four and either work out or go for a run. I ran this morning, came home, showered, and I’m about to fix breakfast. The big guy will likely get up when he smells bacon. Fancypants sleeps in when he can, so I don’t expect to see him until sometime well after noon.”

“Fancypants?”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

She had to think back to remember his question. Did she need anything before she turned in?

“No. I noted a steering wheel setup in your den. I’d like to practice driving on the right side of the road virtually before I try it for real.”

“Drake will send you to an out-of-state specialty driving school before you can be insured to drive a company vehicle, but some virtual learning would be good. Collosa can get you into our gaming systems when you rise tonight.”

She could get herself in if she wanted, but figured it was best not to point that out. “I’ll be working from ten until five in the coming weeks. Shorter than a human’s hours, since I don’t break for snacks, meals, or bathroom breaks. I assume this means I’ll see you most mornings?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t want to like me.” It needed to be said, but now that she had, she kind of wished she hadn’t. She didn’t let it show on her face, though.

He stared at her a few seconds. Zero emotion, but he was clearly considering how to answer.

“No. You looked like the kind of woman who annoys me. I agreed to set your boundaries and rules, but I assumed the other two would incorporate them and check in with me as needed for changes to your program.”

“And now?”

“You don’t annoy me.”

So pragmatic, she couldn’t help but like him. “I’d like to find a good D&D game to join. It’ll obviously need to meet at night.”

He crossed his arms. “You have a favorite character to play?”

More tests. She’d passed the first one by knowing Elvish, and she’d bloody well pass this one too.

“Yeah. Dragonborn Bard — Gṛṇāti of the Magnusingens clan. She goes by Tia. Most of her spells are healing spells, though she has Dissonant Whispers in case she needs to fight. She attended the College of Lore, but just barely made it through, since she was more interested in her writing and partying. Not drinking so much, though she did that, but waxing poetic and entertaining people with her art. She has a gorgeous songblade, passed down from her great-aunt on her mother’s side. Her voice is magical, as is the case with many dragons from lore, but she can also use a variety of instruments. In a pinch, she can use a blade of grass between her thumbs.”

“Okay,” he broke in before she could keep going. “You’ve done this a few times. Which rules do you play under?”

“My favorite group stuck with three, but I’ve played under five. I can easily work with either. Do you have a favorite character?”

“I like to keep it simple. I have a human fighter, an elven wizard, a dwarven cleric, and a half-orc barbarian. The latter is my favorite, but I usually wait to see what will best round out the group.” He frowned. “You graduated