Free Influence by Stuart Johnstone

he sat at
the make-shift table with his nose buried in the game rule book.
    ‘Ok, I need
you guys to roll for hit points,’ Vic announced handing Lizzie a small velvet
bag. She undid the tassels and spilled out on to the table some extremely
strange looking dice of various colours and bizarre geometrical shapes.
    ‘Hit
points?’
    ‘It’s like
your life-force, how much damage you can sustain,’ Robe explained.
    ‘You’ll
need a D10 Liz,’ said Vic.
    ‘Come
again?’
    ‘A ten
sided,’ said Robe handing her one of the ridiculous plastic shapes.
    ‘So I just
roll the dice?’
    ‘Die.’ said
Vic.
    ‘Huh?’
    ‘Die
Lizzie,’ he repeated, his patience fraying at her inexperience.
    ‘That’s a
bit harsh Vic, I’m just trying to get my head round this geek-fest,’ said
Lizzie a little hurt.
    ‘No, sorry
Liz. I mean Die as in one dice, singular. You just need to roll the one.’
    Lizzie
humoured the boys, and followed their instructions as best she could and before
long she was rolling dice to decide outcomes and, despite herself, she cared
whether her dwarven alter-ego lived or died and took strange satisfaction at
rolling high on twenty sided dice to be informed she had just hacked the head
off of this or survived an attack from that.
    ‘Damn, I
forgot the music,’ said Vic, suddenly halting proceedings.
    ‘We need
music for this?’ asked Lizzie.
    ‘We don’t
need it, it just adds something, give me a minute’. Vic disappeared out of the
room, doubling back at the last minute to take his paperwork with him casting a
mistrustful glance at Lizzie and Robe.
    ‘Good, I
thought I wouldn’t get a chance to fill you in Liz,’ said Robe with a serious
look and lowered voice.
    ‘What do
you mean?’ Lizzie whispered back.
    ‘The
stepdaughter, Malene. She’s in league with Varin,’ Lizzie gave him a blank
look. ‘The evil dragon riding mage? Well they’re in it together. We will
retrieve the crystal only to be betrayed at the last minute at the citadel. The
real goal of the mage and his stepdaughter is to seize Dryonas’ throne.’
    ‘Robe, you
sneaky little thing, have you been looking in your brother’s books?’ she said
smiling.
    ‘No, of
course not, and I resent the accusation. It’s just that he’s… predictable.
Don’t get me wrong, my brother is entertaining, but he’s not terribly original.
I’ve played a few scenarios with him based on this theme and it’s been the same
thing each time with only subtle variations on narrative. Don’t let on you
know, just when it comes to the part in the citadel be on your guard.’
    ‘Um, sure
I’ll be ready I guess.’ With Vic out of the room they were in new territory.
Lizzie couldn’t recall ever being alone with Robe and an awkward silence soon
fell over them, awkward at least for Lizzie, the uncomfortable situation seemed
to be lost on Robe who again picked up his rule book, the rudeness of his
actions oblivious to him.
    ‘So, your
parents; they seem nice,’ said Lizzie grasping at anything to break the
silence.
    ‘Do they?’
said Robe, closing his book.
    ‘Sure. What
do they do?’
    ‘You mean
their occupations?’ Robe raised his eyes to the ceiling in consideration, as if
having never before been asked that question. ‘Mother does nothing, never has
done, Grandma’s money means she’s never been required to. She has some
psychological issues which makes working an unlikely venture for her. She
forgets things, and is prone to long mental black spots. Father is… a playwright ,’
this he framed with exaggerated finger quotations. ‘I believe he was involved
in a semi-successful production in the early eighties but these days all he seems
to produce, locked away in his office day after day, is empty bottles of vodka
by the plastic bag full,’ he said without a hint of shame. Lizzie was stunned
by his candidness and wasn’t sure what to say in response.
    ‘I’m
sorry’, she decided on.
    ‘Why?’ said
Robe with genuine