I looked up to see two familiar faces entering the mess hall doors. It didn't take them long to spot Diane and me and come over. Diane stood up to give Trish and Nathan a hug. Trish held a bundle in her arms as Diane greeted her, "It is so good to see you! And who is this little one?"
Trish went a bit red, but smiled proudly, "It is good to see you too. This is Catherine, but we call her Cathy for short. She was just born last month."
They finally had the baby talk! It would be quite a few years before the Cathy would be able to play with me though. I got up and came forward. Trish bent down with a grin as I got my first look at her daughter. Tiny dark brown eyes looked somewhat vacantly back at me.
Diane grinned at us, "She sure is cute. Congratulations!"
Trish smiled back and took a seat next to where Diane had been sitting. We had been on the end so they just slid another bench over. Two of the caravan guards eyed them up, possibly recalling what had happened such a short time ago. Diane noticed and gently waved off the two overprotective watch dogs.
To my surprise, they relaxed somewhat and went back to their food. I knew that they were still watching though. No movement that Trish or Nathan made would be missed by their sharp blue eyes and keen senses.
Diane inquired about quite a few people here as Trish and Nathan caught her up on the latest gossip. Diane nibbled on a bun as she spoke very quietly to Nathan, "So where are they going to dump that guy anyways? Nice swing by the way."
Nathan jumped a bit like a naughty boy caught when he thought he got away with something without anyone noticing. His face clearly mirrored his shock. He also didn't know how to answer Diane's question without potentially admitting that he was the guilty one.
Ben was sitting across from us and chuckled at his reaction, "In case you forgot, not much happens that she doesn't see. Anyone with blue eyes here saw you plain as day, although no one else was able to even see you in the shadows."
Nathan blinked in surprise and glanced down the table suddenly realizing that most present had the same blue eyes that Diane did. Most were also smirking or grinning in his direction. Heartfire hearing made it very hard to have a private conversation.
I could see the gears in his head working overtime. Diane's blue eyes had once been unique. For an entire group to have the same impossibly blue eyes was leading his mind for a tour of the nearly impossible implications.
Trish was giving Nathan a long suspicious look, "I have no idea what they are talking about, but you and me are having words later."
Quite a few chuckled at Nathan's distressed look. Diane suddenly stood up with her eyes on something else. I looked up to see Ace approaching with a grin. Ace greeted Diane with a handshake and a big grin, "Nice to see you back. It sure is boring here without you around. The food in winter also takes a big hit."
Diane chuckled and gently cuffed him on the shoulder, "Nice to see you too. Since when do you think with your stomach? I thought that was Trish's tactic."
Diane shifted to avoid Trish's half-aimed swat as she juggled her daughter. Ace chuckled and shook his head before sliding gracefully onto the bench beside Nathan to peer around the married couple, "So how long is your group staying?"
Diane shrugged, "Depends how fast we can trade for what we need. We will likely head out the morning after tomorrow. That gives us almost two days to trade and load stuff."
He nodded, "If you get bored, feel free to join us in the smaller practice sessions. They are still being held at the same location." He was referring to our usual low-key training room where people almost never went.
Diane grinned in anticipation, "I might have to. That is as long as I can get there without being assaulted."
I winced and the guards across from us glowered at that comment. I blinked in shock as a dark stormy emotion crossed Ace's face. I had never seen him upset except when that one archer had aimed tried to shoot Diane so long ago.
His voice was hard, "If they know what is good for them, they won't try anything. The first guy is already on his way to the Swift barn. He was the same guy who tried to shoot at you before. He will wake up beside a note that clearly states that if he approaches either your group or ours, that we will drop him into that cage."
That sounded a bit bloody minded for my tastes. Diane also looked somewhat surprised at Ace's expression and comments. Trish and Nathan looked wary, but this was obviously nothing new to them. Diane's mind went back to something she had been looking forward to, "I could use a good workout later tonight. Trading stops at 7pm to let us rest, so I can show up shortly afterwards."
Her comments distracted Ace from his dark thoughts and he was back to his usual self as he grinned at Diane, "How much backup and padding will I need?"
I giggled, time had not dulled his memory any. Quite a few at the table chuckled or snickered. They knew exactly what he was talking about after so many hours of going through Diane's training attempts. Diane pretended to consider the matter, "Better bring the usual five, at least. I guess we will see how out of shape I have gotten."
Ace took her seriously. I could see some others down the table grinning or shaking their heads in disbelief. I could hear several quiet plans as some people planned to follow and watch this guy get chased around the training field. The one had a new video recorder he wanted to try out.
After lunch, Nathan and Trish had to go back to work, but Ace followed us back to the camp. As a trainer, he had more control over his schedule than most. He helped us unpack the last little bit. Diane glanced around, "We are mostly set up, so we have a few minutes to relax before we get swamped with people eager to trade. Feel like a tea or coffee?"
Ace grinned at Diane, "Please tell me that you are not planning on drinking coffee. I don't need any extra bruises later tonight in sparring practice."
I grinned silently. Diane chuckled and shook her head. Others nearby were also amused, word of their pending match was quickly spreading. Ace glanced up in surprise as he heard someone above chuckling.
Ben sat on top of the trailer and grinned down at him, "If you hadn't heard yet, several are planning on attending the session just to watch. We have not yet seen anyone or anything give her a run for her money in a fight yet."
Ace nodded slowly at the large man on top of the trailer, "It will be interesting to say the least."
I giggled at Ace's expression. He had likely never seen such a large man either. Ace accepted a cup of tea as he and Diane gossiped about the life of traders and about the various settlements we had been to.
Ace found it humorous that other places would not let anyone fired move into their settlement, yet Roland was more than happy to have the super energetic blue-eyed people in both Sanctuary and with his caravan.
Sanctuary was needed at this point. There were almost a hundred of us now, and over half were fired. It simply would not be possible for all of us to ride on the trucks. Ace was at ease despite the sea of blue eyes. He never had been one to judge a book by its cover and he knew the symptoms and details of Heartfire very well from sparring with Diane and her letters.
I climbed to the top of a trailer as the first customers arrived. Diane and Ace joined me on top to watch the trading below. He watched the bartering and bargaining below with curiosity. This was the first trading fair he had seen since the zombies showed up. Diane quietly explained how they were trading as well as how they assessed value.
We watched the trading below for hours as the afternoon wore on. We were also watching for any theft, although it wasn't likely here. The trading eventually slowed down.
Diane looked at Ace, "Feel like heading for that match you promised me?"
He grinned, "Give me a fifteen minute head start to gather my backup."
I giggled at his insistence for backup with sparring with Diane. Ace quickly left to go find his friends before Diane showed up to reacquaint him with his bruises. Eighteen people followed Diane as she headed off to the sparring room that they used to use. I followed the group towards the Fort.
Rick and Donovan were waiting by the main door, "Hey Laura, feel like heading to the training room for a bit?"
I grinned and nodded before heading over to them. I usually spent time with them when Ace and Diane attempted to see who could swing a sword or dagger the best. Several of the traders following watched me go with a reluctant frown, but when Diane didn't object, they also remained silent.
I skipped along between them, gaining surprised looks from others in the hallway.