GFL – Page 0077

Grouping For Looks is a page-by-page retelling of the Looking For Group saga through the lens of a mirror universe where Cale is a goateed tyrant and Richard is a holy soul trying to set him on a good path.

INT. SHACK IN TOWN BORDERING KETHENECIA – THE PAST – DAY

Cale points his swords at the newcomer. Benny stands at his side, her staff erect, Krunch on her shoulder. Behind them, Richard shields Tavor with his body. 

Pella dusts her hands off and keeps smiling. 

PELLA
Greetings my kind fellows, and apologies for the door! Perhaps my ears tricked me, but did I hear the archmage’s voice? I was under the impression he’d met a grim fate and came to investigate. 

Cale wickedly smiles. 

CALE
Why yes, the archmage is right…

Cale whips around and stabs with a satisfying SHUNK.

CALE
Here!

Richard, hands on his hips, doesn’t appreciate Cale’s swords in his chest. The Archmage-possessed Tavor remains unharmed behind him. 

RICHARD
Wrong spellcaster. 

PELLA
What an odd collection of companions you all are. Why, that reminds me of my uncle Vymea-

Cale rolls his eyes. He draws his swords from Richard’s chest and stabs at Pella. The buff bard parries his blades with an ark like she’s striking an epic chord on a guitar. 

PELLA
Ooop, careful there. So, my uncle Vymea. The only dwarf you could trust, they called him. Trust to let you down is more like it! He kept making new groups of friends, which was easy for him. He was likable, fun, and had a smile that said “we’re the same, you and I”. But Vymea was only out for himself. He asked for favours, using his friends until they realized this relationship only went one way and cut their losses. But that didn’t stop old uncle Vymea. He just found new friends. And over the years, weirder friends. He kept having to expand the kind of creatures he’d hang out with because he eventually burned enough bridges that no dwarf wanted anything to do with him. Then no elf. Gnome. Never no human, of course, there’s more of them out there than cockroaches in a greasy kitchen. 

As Pella rambles, the group exchanges glances. When she keeps talking, they shrug, and start tip toeing around her. Cale, Benny, Krunch, and Sooba all sneak past her and out the door. Richard’s next, with Tavor tucked under his arm. 

PELLA
So anyway, eventually the only friends Vymea could make were the kind of wanted to stab him. The funny thing was-

No longer lost in thought, Pella realized she’s now alone in the cabin. 

She pouts. 

PELLA
They didn’t want to keep me? 

GFL Archives

Original: LFG Page 77

First Grouping For Looks: GFL 001

Previous Grouping For Looks: GFL 076