The Healing Souls

The Neutral

I grabbed a bag of burgers on the way home. I thought about going out to eat, but I didn’t want to go through all of that. Not when I was going to the club tonight.

Even my human glamour was less than attractive. Forrest and Elbio made human glamour that looked like human versions of themselves. So, they were as attractive to human females as they were to troll females. I felt like that was cheating.

There had been a few human girls who flirted with me in my human form back in high school. They liked that I was tall and strong, but flirting with humans was harder than flirting with troll women. I never got past that stage. In the end, they were all talk and no action.

After finishing off my dinner, I showered and dressed casually. Something comfortable, but not stained. Other species preferred clean and I respected that. I doubted the other trolls there would.

I decided to leave my truck at home and take my motorcycle. I had three vehicles. An altered van, an altered truck, and a custom-made motorcycle. The motorcycle was just for me, but the van was for my future family. It could hold my two best friends easily and I knew it would support at least five fully-grown trolls.

The helmet I had didn’t fit, but helped me with visualizing what it would look like so I didn’t get pulled over for not wearing a helmet. The cops around here could be diсks. I respected that.

Pulling up to the club’s parking lot; I could already see a few vehicles parked. It looked like a few other people decided to get there early. I wanted to be there early enough I could watch people come in and drop their glamour.

Back when we couldn’t hide our homes, we hid in our houses if we didn’t have the ability to use glamour that day. It was only in May that I started seeing other fae in their natural forms for the first time. Some were beautiful and others were terrifying.

My dirty little secret was that I didn’t have the same issues other trolls had with different species. I thought humans were beautiful and trolls were beautiful. I could see and understand why they thought the other was ugly, but I liked women with soft, smooth skin, brilliant white smiles, and long, soft hair, women who were small and delicate with tiny noses and sparkling eyes. I also liked women who were seven and a half feet tall with rough skin and wiry hair, the ones who had droopy eyes, craggy noses, and massive tusks.

If Forrest and Elbio knew, I would never hear the end of it. They were all about looks and preferred troll women who were the strongest and most beautiful. Those thick, bulky beauties with bold personalities, all of the things trolls were most interested in.

Getting into the club was easy enough, the doorman remembered me from when I used to visit in my twenties. He was someone who troll women would be interested in. A lot of troll-like features were in his face, but he had fangs instead of tusks.

I found a seat easily and ordered a drink. I was in the perfect position to watch everyone come in. As I took the first sip of my drink, I let my glamour slip off. The two women who had looked interested were suddenly disgusted and turned away from me.

That was something I was used to. No worry. My attention was entirely on the show as people flowed into the club and discarded their glamour.

All sorts of fae were there, including Prince Rosario and his fiancé Sean. Seeing them in their natural forms was a thrill. A human-sized pixie wasn’t something we’d see often. If they were over four feet, they were usually something like a sprite, something without wings.

Other species were coming in through the night. I’d see them stop and look around with their mouths open, gaping at everything they saw. I couldn’t help but smile at their expressions. I was sure I would look like that if I were to give in to my more simplistic urges.

Three women came in talking to each other and giggling. Two of them held the arms of the third and looked around while she looked ahead. It made me chuckle as it reminded me of some old ‘a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead’ jokes.

They were all beautiful by human standards. The redhead was tall and had a fox-like expression on her face. She was the ‘plotter’ but also had the air of the ditz. I wondered how many of her plans came to fruition. The blonde seemed eager as well, but had a more controlled expression.

It was the one between them that drew my attention, though. Even from a distance, I could see her icy blue eyes. They almost glowed. The brunette made my mouth go dry. I realized my mouth had opened slightly and I closed it quickly.

Those were eyes that were beautiful no matter what species you were. And the way they looked through everyone there as if no one else existed, was enticing.

The redhead pulled them over into the crowd and I lost sight of them. Oh well, what was I going to do anyway? Nothing, I wouldn’t have done anything.

“Hey, boss,” Tripp said from beside me.

I looked over and smiled, indicating one of the empty chairs. “Have a seat, Tripp. I didn’t see you come in.”

“I was just ahead of those women you were staring at. Pretty little wolves, aren’t they?” he chuckled.

“Wolves. That makes sense. They weren’t quite human, but I didn’t know what sort of shifter they could be,” I told him.

“Yeah, they’re out for a good time. The blonde is my type, but I don’t know how she feels about dark elves. I might go shoot my shot, though.”

“You should. Have fun while you’re young. I know you’re not old enough to have a mate, yet. If she’s here tonight, she’s here to have a ‘fae encounter’,” I said.

“True. Which one did you like? Maybe you should give her a fae encounter of her own. Though, I never realized you looked like this, boss. Your human glamour actually looks so much like a natural human I never realized…. This is why the other trolls on the crew are such diсks, isn’t it. You don’t look quite right.”

His face was scrunched up in a near wince. I sighed and rolled my eyes. He didn’t mean to insult me, but not being straightforward was an insult to trolls.

“The other trolls on the crew treat me exactly how trolls should. I look exactly like a half-troll should. I don’t need your pity, Tripp. Go find some girl to flirt with. You don’t need to sit here. And don’t feel sorry for me, because I’m going to find my true mate next weekend. You still have a couple of decades before you can find yours, don’t you?” I asked with a smile.

He scowled slightly. It was a sore spot for him. Like other elves, dark elves reached maturity at the century mark. He was older than me, but I was technically more mature since he was only eighty.

“Or you could get lucky like Prince Rosario did. He’s only eighteen and already found his true mate. That’s one lucky elf boy.”

“All trolls are diсks,” Tripp muttered as he got up.

That we were. There was no such thing as a kind troll. I was probably the closest he would get and he pissed me off by not saying I was ugly to begin with. It was what he was thinking, but he danced around it.

What kind of asshole isn’t honest with others? Especially other fae. None of us liked liars and falsehoods. Trolls didn’t even like little white lies. The truth was real, it was hard, and sometimes it hurt, but it was true and that was enough for us.

He left the table and wandered in the direction of the bar. I sipped my drink as I watched the dance floor seem to clear, then refill. They were like the ocean’s tide, rushing on and off of the floor. It was almost peaceful to watch.

On the other side of the dancers, were several other trolls. Ones who were as polite to me as possible because I built their house, or hired their cousin, or something else. They wouldn’t be actively rude to me.

My work won over a lot of the trolls in the area. If they wanted to own their own house one day, they would be polite or I might decide not to build it for them. And humans were bad at building and designing for trolls. Only I knew where to find appliances, cabinetry, and fixtures that wouldn’t break if a troll used them.

One of them nodded to me. I raised my glass and nodded back. I didn’t need to go see them. Only an idiоt would see the interaction as an invitation.

A bottle thumped onto the table and I looked back to see Tripp there with the bottle. He scowled at me again, but I could tell he wasn’t angry.

“I bumped into a troll at the bar. I managed to talk him out of pounding me into the ground by telling him I worked for you,” he pointed at a very attractive troll female.

She winked at me before heading over to where the other trolls were. I almost laughed. A lot of people couldn’t tell the difference between troll males and females. Their voices were deeper than a human’s and they didn’t ‘feminize’ themselves by human standards.

“Glad it worked out for you,” I smirked.

“He told me you were hideous and when I called him out on it, he looked at me like I was strange. He said I should buy you a drink, then come talk to the other trolls so I would know what I did wrong.”

“Are you going?”

“I mean, he seemed like a good guy. He gripped my shoulder pretty hard and said he could probably break my neck with one small motion.”

I managed to hold back my laughter. Dark elves were considered the link between trolls and elves. They were what let us call ourselves fae instead of monsters. They looked like elves carved in living stone. We were just bigger and stronger versions of them.

“You should go. Find out more about how trolls are when they’re not on their best behavior. Perhaps it’ll help you relate more to the trolls on the team,” I suggested.

“You think so?”

“Oh, definitely. And stick closer to the troll you were talking about. Maybe say something about how big and clunky they are. Something about how they might be strong, but you’re fast enough you could probably beat them in a fight.”

“Will that help? I thought they would think I’m trying to start a fight.”

“It will, definitely. Like you said, all trolls are diсks. This is how we bond,” I assured him.

“Okay, if you say so. I’ll see you on Monday.”

“You sure will, Tripp. Have a good time.”

I waved him off and poured myself another drink out of the bottle he brought. He would learn a lesson about lying to others. Or he would have the most interesting ѕex of his life. Either way, I would have a good laugh with the other trolls at work on Monday.

Sending softies after female trolls was a favorite pastime of our males. We couldn’t indulge, but they were always a little grateful for it. Every troll knew who I was, even if I didn’t know who they were. Maybe she would come to my coming-of-age party. She was one of the most gorgeous females I’d ever seen. It was one hell of a night for me. I couldn’t wait to find out what else I’d see.