Oh My, I Messed Up the Story

By the time Blaise was able to make it to the de Kanta home for dinner, the board games had already begun to sell. Now all they had to do was wait to hear back on how high the demand was from the merchants when they came back in a few weeks to decide whether or not to make more.

Abby had been petting Simba and feeding him treats in the side yard and singing to herself when he arrived. "Is that song from your home?" he asked, making her nearly jump out of her skin.

"You scared me! Don't sneak up like that," she said breathlessly with a hand clutched over her heart.

"My apologies."

"And yes, it is. It was really popular on the radio when I was in high school. Ah…a radio is this thing that broadcasts music."

Blaise sat down next to her in the dirt and looked at her with interest. "Is music very important where you come from?"

Was music important?! It was a part of everyday life! People listened to music in the car, while they worked, in the grocery store. They forked over hundreds of dollars to see their favorite musicians live and then screamed themselves hoarse.

Abby sighed. She would give anything to have her phone with her and be able to listen to her iTunes library. But it hadn't been in her pocket when she was transported to this world and even if it had been, there wouldn't have been a way to charge it.

"Yes. I miss it a lot, which is why Katie and I are trying to get a piano up here. We want to try and recreate some of our favorite songs. I took piano lessons for a long time so I know how to read music. It should be doable."

Once they had a piano, she wanted to use it for the performances they put on. They would have to build a roof over the amphitheater to turn it into a concert hall but that wouldn't be so difficult to do.

It might even be possible to recreate musicals if they had a piano. Her mother had loved musicals and had passed that love onto both of her daughters though Abby was more into them than Katie was.

They shared a few nostalgic favorites but she was the one who sought out new musicals on her own. Unfortunately, she had never gotten to see a Broadway show live before coming here.

If she could recreate even one she would be happy. The standard wouldn't be at all the same but anything was better than nothing, right?

Simba began sniffing Blaise curiously and Abby sincerely hoped the lynx wouldn't do anything to hurt him. He was a big teddy bear but only around her. Everyone else he was at least slightly wary of.

He nearly gave her a heart attack when he plopped himself in Blaise's lap and closed his eyes in contentment. "I think he remembers you," she said in disbelief.

Giving the lynx a head scratch, he didn't seem fazed at all. "Well he did sleep in my knapsack often enough on the road. Can you tell me more about your world's music?"

He changed the subject back so quickly! Was he really that curious? She supposed she would be too in his shoes so she told him as much as she could. She was in the middle of explaining the concept of concerts when Katie found them and called them in for dinner.

She muttered about how she couldn't believe how big 'that thing' had gotten as Simba bounded away and Abby couldn't help but laugh. Not everyone could be a wild animal tamer. She had gotten lucky with the beef jerky.

Unlike the last time he ate dinner here, Blaise was far more engaged in the conversation. He didn't simply sit back and observe everyone else. He even made sure to talk to Adam, who was sitting between him and Abby.

Had he been shy before and felt more comfortable now? Or was he making an extra effort to get to know her family for her?

It was a heady thought but she couldn't help but wonder. If he was, it might mean that he was trying to court her. She wanted to dismiss the thought because he wasn't like that but he had already proven to be more sentimental than she originally gave him credit for. It was possible.

Blaise stayed a couple hours after dinner to play Monopoly with them once the kids were asleep and actually managed to win even though this was his first time playing. He had an acute business sense. Or maybe it was simply his Warrior strategy training shining through.

Katie, who was normally the reigning champion around here, had been impressed to say the least. "When was the last time someone beat me?"

"Abby did nearly seven months ago," Al sighed dramatically. "I'll never win at this rate. I'm terrible at this game but it's still so fun."

"I could give you a few pointers," Blaise offered. "It really is quite simple."

He accepted the offer eagerly and the two of them ended up discussing what to do and not to do to hold onto your money. Al was usually the first one to go bankrupt every time they played, which was ironic considering he was primarily in charge of the clan's finances and doing a good job there.

Katie leaned over to whisper in her sister's ear when the men weren't paying attention. "Would a boring guy really play Monopoly with you and talk with you about how music back home worked?"

Abby flushed. She had called him boring before, hadn't she? Back when she denied liking him for the first time. Since returning to the Kanta clan, Blaise was anything but boring. He was actually quite fun to be around.

"Shut up, Katie."

"Shutting up."