Gemwright Ch 18

[Day 23 | Day 4 at Topaz Island]

I wake up from a pleasant dream. I'm so warm. I try to stir... but I'm being held tight by a muscled arm, against a muscled stomach and large soft breasts. I smile. I'm satisfied, waking up like this. I recall the way she kissed me yesterday. I rather enjoyed it. My small movements must have woken her though; she starts moving as well. She says something... ah, native language. "What was that?"

Ban'yun, "I said, are you awake? It seems you are. Do you always sleep in? I was wondering how long you would sleep."

Ah. "How long have you been awake?"

Ban'yun releases me and stands up. "For some time. It was a novel way to sleep. Tonight you will hold me while I sleep, yes?"

I get up, respond, "You got it," and we start our day.

I start by adding Ban'yun to the Protected Person list. Should have done so earlier.

I'd planned to go see if the Few brothers need help today, or whatever work had been assigned to me, but there's a kid waiting in the encampment for me. When I exit, he runs up to me. "The chief says you don't work today, because you are being honored with a feast. All of our guests are exempt. Okay?"

Oh, good. This gives me time to... no, I've been putting it off too long. I need to put in the carpet. "Okay, thank you. What time will it start?"

The kid says, "A little bit after the rain stops. It will go on for a while, then you'll, you know," he grins and winks at me, "and then the feast will continue until people are done."

Rin walks over to me. "No alcohol until after you've done the deed, okay?"

Me, "You got it. But I really want some more of whatever the chief had. It was incredible. After, of course."

Rin, "So your next, oh," she looks at the sky, considering, "ten or so hours are open. What will you do?"

I nod at the kid, and he runs off. "Carpet everyone's homes. I'm sure you're tired of looking at the rolled up carpets."

She looks surprised, and jogs over to her cart. Oh no. I flick my mind over to Sentral's Zone... shit. Her carpet is already down. When did that happen? I try to remember when the last time I set foot in her cart was... a few days ago when she was sick, and it wasn't done then. She jogs back over (her naked breasts swaying wonderfully) and shows me tools. Blades and glue.. Ah, the stuff I bought from the carpet guy. "I don't mind putting yours down if you want to work on Topaz. That's way more important."

She's not wrong, but... "Um, but, to have a woman do manual labor while I mess around with my hobby, that's a bit... Um..."

She smirks at me, then says "Do I need to call out Hana?" I'm flustered.. She makes a silly face. "Oh Hana~"

I laugh. I can already tell exactly how this will play out.

Hana comes out of her home and walks towards us. We connect. "Yes?"

Rin, "Grey wants to put down carpet. I think I should put down the carpet while he works on

important

things like his Topaz."

Hana smiles sweetly. "Grey, what matters more? Carpets, or sat-uh-lights?"

Me, "Um."

Hana, "Exactly. Rin doesn't mind. Now, let her take care of that while. What else is planned today?"

Me, "Well, I need to make Ban'yun's house, and also I want to try to at least get started on the bath cart."

Hana loses her smile. "You're going to make two carts in one day?"

Me, "Yes?"

She shoots a hand up to my ear, pinches it, and pulls me down. "And what if you hurt yourself again?"

Me, "Wait, ow, I'm sorry. How about, the moment I get a headache, I'm done for the day. Even a little headache. Okay? I'll play it safe."

She releases my ear. "You'd better." Then she gives me a peck on the lips before smiling again. "I wanted to talk to you about something in private. Rin, would you mind getting started?"

Rin nods, keeps her tools, and heads off to Hana's cart. Hana herself turns to me after a moment. "I want to ask about two things, actually. The first is, what would you think about Rin becoming an alchemist?"

Alchemy? "That thing we've been using as an excuse? Why?"

Hana, "We could use something to waste our money on, and who knows, we might discover something amazing with those experiments. Or we could have her make potions, she has a vague interest in that. But the real reason is, she's concerned she isn't contributing to the caravan, and wants to feel useful."

Me, "Hmmm... I hope she will pursue a career she finds personally fulfilling, rather than spinning her wheels on something she has no passion for. That said, if you feel that it would help her, I'll take your word for it. Either is fine with me."

Hana, "Thanks. I'll talk with Wed about it sometime and then we can come to a decision."

"The second thing is.. I would like your permission to listen in on your mind tonight. I want to feel it all, with you. I'll restrict my emotions completely, you won't feel a thing from me."

I have a brief ponder... I have Sentral bring out and unfurl the scroll, it's time to talk to Wed. "I'm okay with that, as long as Bor'la doesn't mind. But on the other hand, we're having

very

public sex, so... Okay, go ahead and listen in. She will likely connect with me again, so just be sure to stay silent."

She looks at me, furrows her brow, then sways back, stunned. "You had sex yesterday? And she's already pregnant? Noooooooo......"

I laugh. "Sorry, I didn't know you were interested. She got me by myself and pushed me down. If the other women take me to the Garden as well, you can listen in then?"

Hana, "Don't worry about it. And thank you for the offer, I'll accept. So you're going to be a Coral Tree tonight huh? That's all it took for you to break? Men are such simple creatures."

Whew, that's embarrassing. "Um."

Hana laughs. "I'm okay with it. Now, the Gate?"

I shake my head and have Sentral open it. Wed appears on the other side. I connect to him.

¬you're alive after all# good)¬

¬yup# still here# sorry about missing the time yesterday# but I did finish the gilded gem)¬

I float the completed work though the Gate toward him. He takes it, briefly inspects it, then stows it somewhere. ¬well done# I'll get this moved# we've got a few minor orders here if you can make the time# the clients have provided the rough and then some# we angled for extra material as a replacement for payment as much as possible# also, the ruby shipment is finally ours# we should have it ready for you tomorrow)¬

¬great= thank you Wed)¬

Hana cuts in, ¬Wed can you buy some extra water crystals£ we could use some more£)¬ Hmm, that is true. ¬also one of the island girls will be joining us off the island# please buy a few extra toothbrushes razors as well as towels and the like# tomorrow I plan to come back to town for a day to shop for her# as you can guess she's rather tall)¬

¬understood Lady Hanamaya# we will be ready to receive you)¬

Around this time, the subject of our discussion comes out. I connect to her as well and gesture to her to come over.

Hana introduces her. ¬this is Grey's new woman Ban'yun= she's super pretty and so kind# she's also innocent to your conniving ways so treat her well when we come back okay)¬

¬I see# greetings Lady Ban'yun# I am Wed representing the Crew that works under Grey# if you ever need assistance with anything don't hesitate to ask)¬

¬thank you Wed# I need to learn more about the outside world)¬

...

¬Grey# if you wish I can spend part of the day in Topaz Island tutoring her# I just need some time to pick up cold crystals# I'd rather not give up my enchanted items)¬

Oh! I guess I see no problems with that. Hana shrugs and nods, and Ban'yun is simply looking at the Gate, so I say ¬that would be nice# thank you)¬

He nods, then leaves my view. Less than a minute later, he comes back, and stands in an odd location. ¬cut the Gate please)¬

Huh? Umm... Well okay. I do so. A moment later, Wed is walking over from one of the carts with a wooden crate in his hands. Interesting.

Wed, "This heat is no joke. I'll have to keep a cold crystal going." He hands me the crate. It's gem rough, and has some papers with designs on them.

Me, "Welcome Wed. Glad to have you over. I'd like to ask you to refrain from talking about the world outside this island to the natives. Ban'yun excepted, of course. I don't want to disrupt their way of life, any more than I already have. Other than that, you're welcome to do as you please."

Wed, "I'll get started with Lady Ban'yun now then. There will be time for idle pursuits later." He turns to Ban'yun, "I'll prepare her to deal with common scams and basic social manipulation."

Ban'yun, "Will you be joining us at the feast?"

He looks at me, the question in his eye.

Me, "They seem to like me, so they're preparing a feast for me. It's tonight, after the six hour rain."

Wed, "Why not. I'd be glad to see it."

Me, "I'll leave you to it then. I want to fill these orders, then work on Ban'yun's cart."

They nod, and I take my leave, disconnecting from them. The new orders are trivial. I'm done with them in less than half an hour. I spare a glance at Ban'yun, who looks frustrated. I guess the lesson is hard. But she's naive so this isn't a surprise.

Next I check in with the crabs. The one next to the Topaz is still there, but the other ones are all still wandering. I recall all of the wanderers, having Sentral move them to their bird, and then flying the bird and crab back to his box. I also hew out several large hunks of Topaz and have them brought over. It's expensive, mana wise, but what else am I gonna use it on?

Lastly is summoning a few birds and working on Topaz spheres again. I bring over some Diamond. What if I try scraping the Topaz...

- - -

Someone nudges my shoulder. It's Rin. "Hey, take a break. The carpet is installed, and it's almost lunch time for us."

She's holding an umbrella for some... Oh, it's raining. I stand up, tossing the birds aside for Sentral to deal with, and pocketing the infuriatingly-not-spherical-enough Topaz. "Thank you Rin. Let's see it then." I ask Sentral to dry me, and then again when I reach my house.

There's a somewhat distinct smell, probably the fresh glue and cut carpet. With clean feet, I step on the carpet. Feels good. Just like in the store. Rin says, "The tiny scraps have simply been tossed out. The larger ones I've kept here in case you decide to remodel."

She did a great job, at least, to my amateur eyes. "Rin, this is really well done. Thank you."

She smiles at me. "You're welcome. We want to help out too. One day I'll cast incredible magic, but for now at least, let me help with the small stuff." She walks up and gives me a hug. "Love you."

I hug her back. "Love you, too."

She lets go. "Now, let's get lunch. Hana brought a little chicken to the cooks today, and said she'll put aside a serving for us."

Hah! "Even though we didn't need to work, she still jumped in?"

I collect Ban'yun and Wed from Rin's cart. She looks unhappy, and relieved to have a break. There's about two dozen coins on the table between them. "I dislike coins after all. I thought 'money' was a good concept, but exchanges and denominations and counting, it never ends."

I smile. "You'll need to know. I'm sorry." By the time I look again, the money has all vanished. They grab umbrellas and follow us to the village. It's strange seeing someone wear so much clothing, and he's wearing several obscuring layers like he always does, asymmetrical and loose, making it hard to tell where his hands are.

The kids are managing the seating today, as usual for rain days it seems. I ask them to seat us together anyway, since I'm not looking to be paired up with any more than I already am.

Wed gets a lot of stares. This doesn't surprise me, but nobody makes a fuss or anything. Some of the kids ask him, but he glances at them, then doesn't answer. When they gesture at their heads, he shakes his head. Well, that's his prerogative.

Ban'yun asks him anyway. "They are curious about you. Why not answer?"

He looks at her sideways. "Secrecy is my shield and my blade. There is too much I don't know about these people. I won't lie to them, but refusing to answer a question is an answer in and of itself. Better to refuse to speak."

Rin, "I think that's a sensible thing in your line of work, but isn't this place different? They don't mean anybody harm."

Me, "Give him some time. He isn't obligated to be chatty, but I also think that he will quickly come to see the truth himself."

Rin smiles, "That's true, isn't it? Nevermind, mister Wed."

Wed, "Perhaps so." He takes a bite of his deer, having declined the special chicken option, and declared, "Needs more salt," and produced a fucking salt shaker. What! I'm so jealous!

Laughing to myself, I dig into my own chicken. Hmm, this is good. The spices are the same, but the meat is different. I think part of it is undercooked, but this is new to everyone, and it's not like it'll make me sick with my constitution.

Eventually, it was Bor'wa who cracked Wed. She bounced up to our table with her own meal, sat right next to him, and started asking question after question before he gave a slight sigh, and included her in the telepathy. "Why do you wear so many clothes? Aren't you hot? You're old, how many children do you have? Are you also extremely powerful? Why is your skin brown but their's isn't?"

He answered a few and didn't answer others.

Lunch eventually winds down. We packed up when the next group came in. My heart gave a little jump when I recognized Bor'la among the incoming. She saw me, gave me a wave, and went back to the people she was walking with. As though we hadn't... deep breath. That was just transactional for her, most likely. We rinse off the leaves, and walk back to camp. Rin informs me she'll join Hana helping the feast tonight. I guess I don't have a problem with that.

Wed, "I'm picking up that this feast will involve more than just food and drink." He then looks directly at me.

I blush a little. Ban'yun laughs at me. "Your culture is so strange. This is something to be celebrated!" She turns to Wed. "Tonight Grey will take Bor'la into the Garden and gift her a child. I suspect most of the village will be watching."

Wed nods. "Lucky you." I don't say anything. When we arrive back at the camp, I visit Sentral to withdraw some gems, then start working on a new cart.

I'm not at it long before Bor'la surprises me with a visit. "Bor'la! I'm glad to see you, but I was expecting it to be a little later."

Bor'la, "Hello, Grey." She gestures at her head, and feeling a bit of deja vu, I connect to her. This time, she only hugs me, and does not draw me into a kiss. She does, however, have a floral aroma.

Bor'la smiles at me. "That disappointment. You'll have to wait. We have things we need to do first. Tell me, do you like this smell?"

I take a deeper sniff. It's a nice smell, but nothing too exciting. "It's a nice smell. I like it."

She lets go of me, and nods. "Then it's not good enough. Come with me."

I toss the gemwork onto the ground. She adds, "Bring some birds would you? Bor'wa won't be quiet about the birds, and it's made me curious."

I smile. Like mother, like daughter? We'll see. "How many would you like?"

Bor'la, "Only two for now. I'm sure doubling my vision will be enough of an adjustment."

Me, "Sure thing." I set her one, one bird to each arm, and connect them to her vision. I float over a blindfold, and she lowers her head while I tie it on. "One second while I let my folks know where I'm going. Huh. Where are we going?"

Bor'la turns to me slowly, angling her arms so the birds look at me. "Hebat is its name. It's about a short journey north of here."

I walk over to Ron's house and poke my head in. "I'm going to Hebat with Bor'la, not really sure why. It's north of here."

Ban'yun looks over. "Grey. Wed has thoroughly made me aware of my naive ways. I apologize for asking, but tomorrow will you demonstrate your strength? It seems that simply believing the words of your mates was... foolish."

I smile. "Thanks Wed. I'd be happy to show off for my women. Tomorrow morning?"

Ban'yun smiles, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Thank you for understanding."

Me, "Look forward to it. See you two later."

I'll have to consider what to show her. For now though, Bor'la is waiting for me.

... or not. She's enjoying herself with the birds. I call over four more to my left arm. "Bor'la, want some more?"

Bor'la turns and beams at me. "I would!" I laugh, and put more on her arm and connect them to her. She sways a bit, but stays standing. I slowly add all four, and have a few more with orders to follow a hundred feet up.

Me, "Let's go. I've got more following us if you want them."

Bor'la, "She bragged about having so many birds, seeing through all of their eyes at once. It's hard to keep track of everything!"

We walk north, with an umbrella for each of us. Bor'la is laughing like a girl half her age, running ahead of me with her arms out, and spinning, taking in the world through 12 inhuman eyes.

Eventually she turns to me. "Thank you for that. I think that's enough for today." I disconnect them one by one and have them fly above.

Me, "Did you come to understand your daughter a little better? She has a great time with them.

Bor'la, "I've always understood them. But now I understand this, too. Having many eyes, though.. Yes, now I can see the appeal of this."

I see. "So, what's the plan out here?"

Bor'la, "Up ahead is Hebat. It has a wonderful view, and many flowers grow there. I wish to find the one you like the most. I will tell you why another time."

The ground is a little steep here. We climb upwards. I don't look through the birds, I want her to see it with my own eyes.

Before long, we reach the top. There's flowers

everywhere

, with bees flying between them. She walks in fearlessly, and picks some flowers. Then she grabs others. Soon, having a good collection of flowers, she brings them to me, and hands them to me one by one. I sniff them, and she listens to my mind. She shakes her head after each one.

Oh, this one... Is that lavender? It smells like it, but it isn't as light as I remember though. The flower is also orange, instead of purple. She drops the rest of the flowers, snatches up a few more 'lavender', and presses them to my nose. "This will be my scent with you then."

Mmm. "I would like that."

She smiles. "Good. Now, you need to learn a dance. There will be dancing around a bonfire and I would like you to dance with me. It is simple, but I want you to put on a good show anyway. Help me gather more of this flower and I will explain it to you."

I grab more of the not-lavender flower, and she explains the dance. It's a dance of 16 musical beats, involving a squat, throwing my arms up, twisting, a gyration, and a jump to the left. It's pretty physically demanding if I'm going to be stepping like this repeatedly, but I'm up for the challenge.

Bor'la takes the flowers I've collected, and bundles them with some string I hadn't noticed she had. We go to a somewhat clear area, and she sets down the bundle in the middle, and sets down her umbrella. She demonstrates the dance for me, showing each step, and on the second go around I join her, dropping my umbrella too. I notice after a few rounds, she's keeping her distance from the bundle. It must be our bonfire. I work on keeping my distance from the 'fire', as well as Bor'la. By the sixth round, I think I've gotten it mostly down. In the eighth, she says "Good. Now at full speed."

This is where it gets a little tricky, mostly due to the ground being muddy, but my agility ring sees me through. The gyration into the jump is the only tricky part, the rest is just remembering.

We go for another eight rounds before she's satisfied I've got it down.