Daisy's Adventures: 02 Back to school
Time to learn some magic
Thanks to my editor kenjisato. Also, to LanguageTool. Combined, they put me right. Any problems left all belong to me.
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My youngest children invited me over for a Memorial Day barbecue. I took a flight to the west coast, then a cab from the airport to a hotel near them. The next day, I headed over just after lunch. When I arrived, I met Layla at the door, and she took me out back where Cleopatra, Mona, and Darius were. It was clear Darius was in charge of the grill, given he had an apron saying, 'Don't mess with the chef.' I also noticed a faint shell of magic about us. I figured it was a simple privacy bubble, so the neighbors wouldn't pay attention to us.
They all looked like they were barely twenty, but I knew they were about fifty. Time slowed down for their age in their teens, and seemed to have completely stopped. Isis had told me that their divinity caused this, even as she and Osiris hadn't aged. The fact I looked twenty-five, however, was more due to my own mind's control of my body.
Another unusual thing was that Darius wore nothing beneath the apron. The girls had some wraps on, but it was clear they also had nothing on beneath. Given the high fencing around the patio and pool, I expected we would be swimming later, and they wouldn't be using swimsuits. Given the horseplay that usually happened when we swam, I was sure sex would follow.
Picking a seat, I said, "How are your parents?"
Darius replied, "Our mortal parents are enjoying retirement in a mountain cabin we bought them. Our other parents, however, should be here shortly."
Cleopatra asked, "How was the 'vacation' with the cop?"
"I had a little unexpected trouble with the local drug cartel. Now, the group that gave me trouble is in jail. Oh, and the cop knows a little bit more about me."
Just then, the doorbell rang, and Layla went inside. A few moments later, Isis and Osiris joined us.
Once everyone settled in, I started on the tale of my vacation. While I was the only full mortal here, they were all family, and all interested in my life. When my tale was done, others took their turns talking about their lives. There was little that was surprising in it all, as we had heard such things the last time we gathered.
After a while, Darius started on the grill. The rest of us headed to the pool. The girls removed their wraps, and dove in naked. I wore a bit more, but followed naked. Isis, however, revealed she was wearing a small bikini, and Osiris bared his chest and kicked off his sandals, leaving him in board shorts. Soon, we were splashing and playing with some floating balls in the pool.
Forty-five minutes later, Darius called us to dinner. We all came out, went past the pile of towels, and took one to sit on at the table. He then served us, and we had a great dinner. There was a great spread, and I had brought the watermelon, and Osiris brought the beer. Isis told us he had made it himself. When I drank some, I commented how it was just like what I drank when I went to ancient Egypt.
After dinner, the kids went swimming, while Isis and Osiris joined me working on my tan. We continued our chat, and it strayed to my future plans.
"So, An wants you to go to space?"
"Yes. Inanna, as well. It all started when I received a lump of meteoric iridium. As it has some embedded magic, I thought I should make a magic item, but asked Inanna for ideas. She spoke with An, who suggested a talisman. He also asked me to go to space as his priestess. Inanna wants me to go as her priestess, also. I have come up with a design I think suitable, but not what it is to do."
"What will it look like?"
"I felt it should look like a patch, so its presence alone won't be noticed. I searched imagery from the last century, and found something I can base it on. The background is the Earth in dark shadows, looking to a sunrise, with a blue sky. In the foreground is a shuttle rising. On the shuttle is the symbol TiΔn (倩), which means heaven. I'll use the minerals onyx and lapis lazuli for the background, gold for the sun, iridium for the shuttle, and a pearl inlay for the letter. Unlike a patch, it will be rigid, about two to three inches across, and I'll wear it as a necklace." I then created an illusion to illustrate.
Isis said, "Oh. That's nice. So you are not sure about a purpose yet?"
"Correct. An said he would bless it, so I want it to be appropriate to my mission into space. Have either of you any thoughts?"
Osiris said, "I deal with plants and the ground, not the heavens. I think others would have better ideas."
Isis took some time to think before saying, "I, too, am not focused on the heavens, or even space. But I am focused on magic. The Celestial City contains a school of magic, and they include talisman making."
"Yes. I remember. I spent some time there learning about controlling your talisman."
"Then why not go back there? I'm sure you could learn what all you could do with a talisman."
"That does sound like a good idea. I even know how to get there. But what will they want to accept me as a student? Will they accept someone from outside their empire?"
"Hm, that is a valid concern. I know. You can go there as my priestess, and I will sponsor you. That should get them to accept you, as we are on good terms with them."
"I see. Yeah, I can work with that. I could even arrive dressed as your priestess of old, looking very Egyptian. That would let me observe them long enough to make suitable clothing to fit in. And my Egyptian attire could be used on occasion as needed."
"In that case, I will pass the word. When do you think you would be ready to leave?"
"I think I could leave within a month. I will need time to create my costume, time to decide what to take with me, and finally, handling my commitments at home."
The three of us spoke a while planning my trip. One thing we realized was that it would be impractical to not carry anything. We decided I should make a purse that could hold a lot more, like my flatpack, but would also be able to appear suitable to the outfit I wore. I would also add my anti-notice enchantment, and my magic hiding enchantment.
Eventually, the day ended, and I went back to my hotel. The next day, I flew back home. That week, I spent getting my affairs in order for an extended absence. I poured myself into creating a magic purse, and then I filled it with pearls, assorted jewels, and small metal ingots of silver and gold, that I could trade for coin later. Then I crafted my costume, starting with a semi-transparent kalasiris. Since this did not cover my breasts, I added a shawl that was sometimes worn back then. This also was of semi-transparent linen, but provided sufficient covering to avoid issues.
I added papyrus sandals for footwear. While they would not last that long, I could easily replace them. Next was jewelry. I added a fair amount that I would wear, but also more to sell. After that came makeup, including the kohl eyeliner. I would leave the wig and its jewelry to just before I entered the portal. It was as I was checking myself in the mirror that I realized my skin was not tanned, even though I spent many hours a day in the sun. I wondered how that happened, but decided to worry about it later. Further checking, I realized that I looked vaguely Asian. That was actually planned when I regenerated my body, and might help when I was in the Celestial city.
Planning on leaving the next day, I invited Tony over for dinner with an overnight stay.
When he arrived, I welcomed him in, hiding behind the door. Once inside, I revealed myself in my Egyptian priestess outfit.
"Whoa. You're not naked. Well, almost. What's up with the clothes?"