Gemwright Ch 27

*Author's Note* There are no intimacy scenes in this chapter.

The walk back to the camp is uneventful. I consider feeling bad about what I just did. Then I think about how they tried to put their weapons in my body.

I think I did the world a favor. You're welcome, world.

I just hope that law enforcement doesn't catch up with me. I can just tell them I'm a powerful telekinetic, but I'd rather not. Maybe I should look up self defense laws? I can't imagine I'm in the wrong, but maybe there's a clause that says self defense has to be non-lethal or something.

Arriving home, I decide to deal with whatever comes as it comes. I lay my purchases on the table, and bring out that pine diffuser again. Let's put this unfortunate memory behind me. I put in two reeds, like Aleese had, and bring it over to Sentral's box. Setting it down on the floor, I grab some of the Topaz and start spinning it. I want to get a lot of portals ready, in case I need one for whatever purpose, and also to make more of the birds portal-able.

I'm becoming rather proficient at this, if I do say so myself. I'm slotting bird #43 when Rin comes back. "Good morning, Grey. How's your day going so far? I thought I saw you leave this morning."

I look up at her, and wave her over. Since I'm sitting on the steps to Sentral's box, she sits in my lap. I wrap my arms around her. Mmm, I don't do this enough. I squeeze her a bit tighter. "What happened today... I bought some scented candles and 'diffusers.' I accidentally hired a prostitute. And I was attacked by muggers. They lost."

Rin giggles. "I imagine it was quite the surprise for them. Oh, that scent, it's quite nice. It smells like trees!"

I'm glad she didn't press about the matter. "So, now that you're off 'work,' what are you planning to do?"

She leans back against me. "Probably look for more books. If I'm going to be an alchemist, I need to learn the basics. After that, I need to learn what those who came before me did, so I can avoid the same experiments. And at some point I need to buy Identify. How about you?"

What? "Hmm, I hadn't thought that far ahead. Probably get lunch, it's getting on in the day. What's that about Identify?"

Rin, "You can buy a blessing, Identify is one of them. They call it a soul-print"

Interesting. "We can do that too. For now, should we have Bor'wa check in with her parents? The Re's as well? Do they need to check in? I guess they're married now, but still."

Rin, "The Re's are going into town to learn their trades. I taught everyone enough to make themselves understood."

She stands up and gives me a peck on the forehead, then walks past me to inside the Box. "This is a nice diffuser. I thought it was more of a rich person thing."

I laugh. "I am a man of some means, these days." I have Sentral bring the rest of the crate over with telekinesis. "I bought a few of them. Care to give them a whiff?"

She looks interested, and takes them one by one. I tell her, "Take any you like. I can just buy more."

She smiles, and selects one. A candle, rather than a diffuser. "This one then. Thank you. What's this note though?"

Me, "Ah, that's from the courtesan I mentioned. I thought it was a massage parlor, but it turned out more than that was on offer. I was surprised to meet a feokorn woman for the first time."

She looks at both sides, and reads the one in Jensin. "Do you want to go?"

I think about it. "I'm curious, I suppose. The woman herself didn't do anything to me but wrap me in her tail. Which was rather enjoyable."

She nods, then stands up. "Let me hold on to this for now. I'll call Bor'wa over, alright?"

Me, "Thanks, Rin." I touch the wall of the box. The inside is dark, but that's not an issue. I send my senses through the gem work, and quickly find the Shrine Topaz tablet. I remove a ring at random, and hang it from my necklace.

Bor'wa shows up soon after, with her red bird in tow. I send her a telepathic connection. "I'm going to connect to the island. I'll let your parents know you are okay, and you can talk to them." She nods, looking a little confused. "Anything wrong?"

Bor'wa shakes her head. *I thought we would wait longer to talk to the island again."

Huh. "You don't have to talk to them."

She smiles. "I want to, it's OK."

Alright then. I open the Topaz... and look through the perched bird's eyes. Curiously, a fire is going in the fire pit beside the perch. I don't see anyone...

I unfuse the bird's feet from the perch, and fly around. A ha. There's Bor'la. I connect to her mind, and return the bird.

¬Grey= ah excuse me# Vai'grey# I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon# is all going well£)¬

¬it is# I have your daughter here to check in with you# the first day in Port has gone by and no disasters have struck)¬

¬hi mom= I'm doing great= I saw people eat fire= and a giant tower with lights= and so many boats= and people= it's

incredible

=)¬

¬wow= it must be amazing over there)¬

¬Bor'la# is your mate around£ perhaps Bor'wa can catch up with him as well)¬

¬he's not around right now# I'll let him know our eldest is doing just fine)¬

I nod, then remember she can't see me. ¬thanks Bor'la# I think that's all from me)¬

¬wait please)¬ "Vai'grey, can I tell mom about being weaker?"

Me, "Weaker?" Oh, because of the island's effect. "Ah, I can give you a ring for that. Sure."

She nods, then looks at the Topaz. ¬you were right mom# about the blessing# after we left everyone noticed we weren't as strong= Vai'grey says he can help with that though)¬

¬truly£ perhaps I have not been properly thankful to the Guardians# I will have to resume the rituals tonight)¬

Hmm, I think I'd heard mention of that before, but they hadn't struck me as particularly religious people. ¬the entire island seems blanketed in some sort of strength enhancing effect# as to who or why I can only speculate)¬

¬I see# Bor'wa# are you working hard£)¬

¬yes= Ringara taught me more al'ruheiban today# I can speak it a little now)¬

¬that is good# listen to the adults and learn everything you can# now# I want to talk to Vai'grey so run along)¬

¬bye=)¬ She disconnects, waves at me, and goes to Hana's cart.

¬it hasn't been the same since you left# we're still eating the Sea God meat you gifted us# but without you there to enjoy it with us it isn't as delicious)¬

Hah, surely she exaggerates. ¬I'm sure it isn't that bad# enjoy it while it lasts# I'll hunt another if it becomes needed but I don't want the tribe to be dependent on me)¬

¬no need to worry# we aren't so soft# we will be fine even without you# there's just a spark of excitement that's missing)¬ A beat passes. ¬ah yes# a woman named Lan'bi struck up a conversation with me the other day# we weren't close before# but we talked for a while about you)¬

She was... the one who got off on the idea of 'Panhumbelir,' right. ¬she was a rather devoted woman)¬

¬she is# we shared our experiences with you# and we understand you now)¬

¬oh£ what do you understand£)¬

¬I wonder# that reminds me Vai'grey# next time it's your turn to have it your favorite way is it not£)¬ She sends me a vague image of being on my back, with her on top. ¬invite me to your home sometime won't you£)¬

I'm never going to get any rest, it seems. Heh, that's alright. ¬perhaps# I'll invite you over when I have the free time)¬

¬I look forward to it# goodbye Vai'grey)¬

We cut the connection. After double checking that the bird is fused to its perch properly, I close the Topaz portal. Ah, right. I put my fourth ring back on, too.

Should I make a strength ring for Bor'wa? I don't want her to eventually return to Topaz Island and be unusually weak.

Which brings me to my next thought. Could I enchant wristbands or something instead? On the island, I saw not a single ring on a finger. Mostly necklaces and bracelets, with a few anklets in the mix. I try to.. pose the question to my gemsense, but unlike with rings, I get no guidance. I suppose I'll have to experiment with it if I want to get anywhere with it.

For now I summon... just Diamond. I smooth out the scratches on my rings' Jet, then apply the smallest layer of Diamond to protect them. It's invisible over the black color below it, but that's the point.

I request more gems. Emerald, Diamond, Jet, and Amethyst. I flow them together in the rough usual shape for a ring. I check with Sentral's Zone, it seems like Bor'wa is in Hana's house alone. I call a few birds, and head over. "Bor'wa, are you there?"

She calls out, "Yeah!" so I walk in.

Me, "Do you want some enchanted rings? They'll help emulate the island's effects. It'll help with that weakening you were talking about before." She considers it, then nods. "You'll have to sit still for a while."

Bor'wa, "Can I watch? Also, can you show me one of the others? I was curious about what's inside them."

Well, if it'll keep her entertained. There's no sort of special structure, so I take the gems off my necklace, remove the Jet and Diamond, and set them aside for her to look at. "Excuse me, then." I place my hand on the table, and put her hand overtop of it. She inspects the gems with her right hand.

Bor'wa, "Telepathy please! Show me!" I shrug, and connect to her mind. I let her watch as I shift around the internals.

I put Diamond shells on her fingers instead of Jet, and fill it in with the other stuff. I start with Amethyst and Emerald. I'll add the Jet on the outside later, so she can watch me create it.

Some time passes. Bor'wa patiently watches me work, and compares my gems to her own. It takes 'only' 45 minutes to complete her strength gem. She smiles, and says "Do the next one! I think I figured it out!"

What in the world did she figure out? I shake my head, and fill in Jet and Amethyst to the other shell, and start nudging the enchanted ring together. She interrupts me, ¬push this part up=)¬ and sends me a mental picture of the section I'm working on. Curious, I try it... and the enchantment is suddenly much closer to completion. Huuh?

Me, "How did you know that?" I take a peek at my own constitution ring; there's no angle like the one she just had me made.

Bor'wa, "It's obvious! This part over here comes in, and

this

part curves, so that part over there needs to turn! It's like that in all of your rings!" She accompanies her words with more mental images of angles and curves in my gems.

....? What? I glance through them with my gemsense, but I... don't see it.

She tries to explain it to me again, but I'm just as stumped.

Hmm. "How about this? Can you help me craft the rest of this ring? And if it works, can you explain it how you knew?"

She smiles. "Okay!"

The ring finishes in a mere five minutes.

Including

the time I spend trying to understand her explanations. She's understanding something I just don't.

I sigh. "Huh. Maybe this is why Drothur wanted you to come along. You understand something that I can't see." I correct my bad posture. "If you have any other recommendations, let me know. For now, I'll be bothering you when I need to make more rings. Somehow you are able to understand the shortest path to a destination that I have to brute force my way to."

Sentral connects to me. I feel a touch of anxiety.. ¬Hanamaya has attempted communication)¬ and then disconnects.

Whew, nothing critical. I reach out to Sentral, then to Honeydew, Hana's personal golem, then to Hana. ¬hello Hanamaya# what is it£)¬

¬Grey we're being harassed by some rich fellow# can you please come here as soon as possible£ the staff won't let him in but we also can't leave)¬

She sends me a memory of a building that she's presumably inside of, and a sense of its general location.

¬I'll be over as soon as I can# I'm leaving now)¬

¬bring Ringara and maybe your flashlight# he looks like a noble so please try not to kill him)¬

¬understood)¬

She disconnects, and I follow suit. I'm already walking out the door. Well, this isn't good.

I swiftly put on a better set of clothes, and connect with Rin. ¬there's some sort of trouble with nobility that Hana and Vai'yun have gotten involved in# I need you to come along and help translate# would you please£)¬

¬of course# I'll get ready now)¬

So reliable.

- - -

We hurry along to the gate. I bring along the pouch from this morning with a few more gold this time... maybe money can solve whatever the hell is going on here. I also stash a bird along the base of the wall somewhere, to make sure there's no range issues.

I pack the flashlight as well, in case it comes to it, and a bit of extra Jet, so that bystanders won't be blinded as long as I'm not careless. I loop some gem around my arm, and hide the flashlight in my sleeve.

Smirking, I toss one last item inside the bag...

We leave for town. Once inside, we resume walking quickly. I ask Rin, "Do you know anything about dealing with nobility? It's a bit of an unknown for me."

She shakes her head. "Only that people of common birth like me are to bow our heads, and generally do what they say. According to the law, they can't hurt us for being disrespectful, but if they do, it's hard for us to get justice."

Well, we'll see. Worst comes to worst, I use force to deal with the situation, and we leave for some other port town.

There seems to be a crowd gathered, so I have to push my way through a few times. At the front of the crowd, there's an open space of a few feet, before a loose ring of armed and armored people surrounding the front of a building. Looking at it, I have no idea what kind of building it is, but it's the same building from Hana's memory. The guards are dressed in leather with a few bits of metal; half hold swords, and the other half are spearmen. They're uniformed, all of them with an emblem of some stylized blue bird. One gentleman is dressed differently than the rest, no armor, but he is wearing a sword. Thirty something, well-groomed beard.. handsome if I'm being honest. But he's probably the jerk responsible for this situation.

Haaahh...

Me, "Rin, please follow. I need translation both ways, so please keep your mind open." It'll be a

little

awkward, but I should be able to speak Al'ruheiban as well as Rin, temporarily. There'll be some lag as she translates for me, and feeds me the response I want.

I walk up to the gentlemen. I think my best bet is to keep a poker face. "Good afternoon. I'd like to enter this building. May I?"

He turns his head to me, looks me up and down, and says, "What business do you have at this clinic?"

Ah. I can guess why they're here. "My wife is in there, and would like to leave. I'm told she's being harassed."

The nearby guards all turn their heads to me, and the swordsmen put their hands on their hilts. The man himself narrows his eyes at me.

Me, "A bit taller than me, brown skin, wide hips."

He turns to me, his eyebrow raised in a picture of disbelief. "That vision of beauty is

your

wife?"

I nod. "She is. Please move your men so she can leave."

He considers. "What's your name?"

I shake my head, "You first."

A spearman with more gold on his armor than his cohorts steps forward, "How

dare

you!" He reaches for my collar with his off-hand, but I nimbly step to the side.. He reaches again, faster, and I step to the side again, but discreetly sweep his feet, causing him to fall forward.

Me, "Oh my. Are you okay, mister spearman?"

I honestly expected to hear the scrape of swords being drawn after that, but they hold their ground, looking at me warily.

Noble, "Noor, that's enough, thank you." Noor, apparently, gets to his feet, and walks back to where he was standing before, but if looks could kill, I'd definitely be falling over dead right now. I give him a blank look back, then turn to the noble again. "Where

are

my manners? I'm Sasson Salmoon al-Khazraji, heir to the Salmoon family house. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance." He gives what I assume is a formal bow, his right hand over his heart, and his left arm at his side, bent down to the elbow and then 45 degrees back up into the air, fingers splayed in some odd gesture.

Well now what? Rin sends, ¬I'm sorry# I don't know what the proper response is in this situation# introduce yourself however you see fit I guess£)¬

He stands normally again, so I'll just go with whatever. "I am pleased to meet you as well, master Salmoon. I am Vai'grey, a traveling jeweler." I give a deliberately clumsy copy of his bow. "May I retrieve my wife?"

He nods slowly... then, "Why, yes, of course. Go ahead."

I nod at him, look back at Rin, nod, and begin walking towards the door. The guards... get out of our way. From the side of my eye, I see him motion towards one of the guards and talk with him about something. Whatever. I approach the door.

Hana opens it for me, and welcomes me inside. Vai'yun looks troubled. I give her a hug. "I'm glad you're okay. Let's get you out of here."

Vai'yun hugs me back. "Hanamaya says I shouldn't apologize, but I feel responsible."

I can sort of understand. A peerless beauty suddenly appears in town? Of course moves are going to be made on her. I probably should have seen this coming.

I let her go. "You aren't responsible for his actions. He's being incredibly rude, but I've made him aware that you are

taken

. He appears to be a rational person, so hopefully he'll just let us leave. If not... I'll handle it somehow."

They nod. I add Vai'yun to telepathy, but Hana declines. "Sorry, not right now. Don't mind me, I'll follow your lead."

I furrow my brows. "Let's talk when we're done here, Hana." I turn, and walk back out the door.

Most of the swordsmen, and all of the spearmen have left. The noble and three guards are all that remain. They all glance at me and my women, but all of their gazes linger on Vai'yun.

The noble, ah, Sasson, steps forward. "Vai'grey, allow me to introduce my retinue." He names them, but I make no effort to remember them. "May I know who these fine women are?"

I nod, and introduce them. "This is my wife Vai'yun, and my women, Hanamaya and Ringara. They mean the world to me."

He nods. "You said you were a jeweler. May I treat you and yours to a meal? I have been thinking about commissioning a Spinel cut recently. If all goes well, perhaps I could hire you on. Our pay is top rate, I assure you. I just so happen to have a table reserved at a quality restaurant by the name of Double Willows."

Shit. Um, what now... I guess? "Hmm.. What do you think, ladies?" ¬Vai'yun# you are free to decline# I completely understand if you don't want to)¬

¬I'm not entirely sure what's happening# but he's apologizing by buying us food is he not£ I will allow him to make amends for his mistakes)¬

¬I don't mind either)¬

I send ¬alright# then we'll go)¬

Rin, "Sure."

Vai'yun, "Yes, I accept his meal of apology."

Hana speaks up though. "You three have a good time. I'm going to bother our

friend

, okay? Eat enough fancy food for both of us, Grey."

Me, "You sure?"

Hana, "No problems! Enjoy!"

I hesitate, then nod. "Alright. See you later, Hana." She walks a little ways off, turns and waves, then jogs back in the direction of camp.

Back to Sasson. "The three of us would be happy to accept your invite."

Sasson, "This way, then, please. It is somewhat difficult to maneuver a cart here, but my carriage is nearby."

He leads the way across some streets, and talks to one of his attendants. He makes a gesture, probably a salute, then runs off in the direction we're heading.

I don't particularly want mister noble to hear my question, so I ask my ladies ¬is Hana feeling okay£ I'm worried about her)¬

A response comes from Rin's direction, ¬she is feeling under the weather I believe due to overuse of her telepathy# as if you overuse a muscle and it becomes strained# you also overworked yourself in a similar way remember£ she just needs to rest for a few days)¬