With last
night's nightmare still fresh in her mind, the anguished blonde had
decided to stay where they currently were for a few days. She could use
the stopover to work on Joxer's anemic combat skills. The goofball had
potential, but unfortunately it was not as a warrior. She thought it
would take years to train him to an acceptable level of proficiency.
After waking her slumbering companion with an earsplitting
scream, she had started with the first training session. Joxer had the
remarkable gift of knocking himself unconscious, something that must
have saved him numerous times. 'Well, it's just that gift that may save
him when it's time for him to face me,' she had thought grimly.
That night, Callisto
enjoyed another fine repast concocted by her travelling companion. The
slim blonde could readily admit that Joxer was a fine cook. She idly
wondered, not for the first time, just when had she stopped enjoying a
fine meal. In last few years, food had only been a necessity, not
something to think about. Being immortal had cured her of the food
thing, which only got in the way of The Quest.
"Thank you Joxer," she said gratefully. "Your cooking is as good
as your fighting skills are not. Why don't you do this for a living
instead of being the warrior-klutz?"
Her sidekick looked startled. Callisto didn't speak as much as he
remembered. She was much more introspective and could go for an hour
without speaking -- kind of like Xena, although he would never say it
out loud. He mulled over her unexpected question before answering.
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"Why would I
want to do that? Nobody ever looks up to a cook," he said bitterly. "I
want to be a hero. I want people to say 'there goes Joxer the Mighty'
sincerely. I want to help people; to change their lives for the better.
But nobody takes me seriously which is frustating. I know that I'm a
klutz. I can pretend to be oblivious to everyone's remarks but it still
hurts. I'm not giving up though -- this is what I want to do."
His vehement answer managed to surprise her. A snappy retort came
to her mind almost by reflex. But before she could air it, Callisto saw
the pained look on his face and thought better of it. She blurted out
an "I'm sorry Joxer", then got up and walked off into the woods.
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