09

Author's Note - Please read from Chapter 1 to make sense of this. This is not a quick stroke story. There will be sexy-times, but they will only happen as the story's pace dictates, and that won't start quick.

Edited 8 November 2019

All characters participating in sexual activities are 18 or older.

*****

Chapter 7

"So, how else can we prepare for those that might wish us harm, Tauriz?"

"Many different ways, Ray. As I rest but do not sleep whilst I stay on this side of the sheathe, I may layer jawhar around you for use as needed, offensively or defensively if you so desire. I can teach you ways of conflict, either physically, with jawhar, and eventually with both. I can help you find or make weaponry and armor. There may be things you may do as well, Ray, things I cannot, but these are someplace to start at least."

"Things you cannot do like wishes?"

"Indeed. I believe you have some skill in physical conflict - is this correct, Ray?"

"It is. In fact, that's the appointment I need to head to at four. I help others teach a form of unarmed combat known as aikido, which most consider a weaponless style of nonlethal defense."

"I look forward to learning more of your aikido, Ray. But may I suggest also training for lethal conflicts?"

"I have a bit of training in a few other styles as well, but I have deliberately chosen to focus and practice aikido primarily, as any startle reactions will be less damaging than other styles. I train full-contact, Tauriz, not like many others in these gentle days who train with either light or no contact between the people on the mats. Aikido as I practice it does not expect an opponent to be using aikido, but rather any other form of combat to include close and/or ranged weaponry. So while it's not intended to harm, it is intended to defend effectively against many forms of harm."

"How intriguing. I am relieved to learn that you practice your aikido in a realistic manner, Master, especially given the alternatives you mentioned -- which frankly make little sense to me. Additionally, I have seen a few sects which have developed something along the lines you describe. I have a little familiarity with a few of their techniques, but my primary 'style' as you call it focuses on handling numbers of opponents efficiently while defending myself and others. It tends to be rather effective, but at some point, I'd like to practice with you to see how our styles mesh and clash."

"Definitely a good idea. If at all possible, knowing each others' techniques will improve our odds in a real conflict. But fights come to you at their pace, not your preference."

"Wise words, Master."

"Repeating wisdom that got beaten into a much younger me is all," he smiled. "A different thought

occurs to me - roughly how far along are you with the list?"

"Nearly finished, Ray."

"Would you be able to write down a different list, containing the wishes others made with you? If you can, and if it's practical, could we start with primarily defensive ones, then mixed, then offensive, and then other-focused wishes -- perhaps those about wealth or wisdom or whatever else?"

"Yes, Ray, I can, but that will be a much longer list. May I order them as I deem most appropriate, please?"

"I'll trust you, Tauriz."

She blinked. "You have no reason to, Master."

"I have every reason to, my dear. I judge people by their actions. To date, your actions have been nothing but helpful and I hope this continues."

"Thank you, Ray. That is exceedingly unusual -- genie are not trusted, but I shall try to earn your trust."

"Thank you."

Her pen kept scribbling, a small pile of yellow legal pad sheets stacked neatly next to the pad she wrote on. And then she finished. Ripping off the last page, she handed the pile to Ray.

"Thank you! How's your hand, tired?"

"I generally don't fatigue save in extreme cases, Ray. I could keep writing well past sundown without difficulty, especially as this room has such good light. As you mentioned, these pens are much nicer than quills."

"Well, I'm sure it's not the most enjoyable task. If you wish to take a break from time to time, that's perfectly fine."

She was stunned. Did he not realize...

"Close your mouth, Tauriz. Don't want you swallowing flies," he chuckled.

"Swallowing flies, Ray?"

"It's a common folk saying for those shocked or stunned to the point of unconsciously leaving their mouths open."

"I... see. I will endeavor to avoid swallowing flies, then, Ray," she grinned. The expression seemed unfamiliar on her face, almost as if she were trying it on for the first time. Her face seemed to brighten, a new gleam visible in her eyes.

"So. Pass me that list, please - let me see what we have here."

She did, and he began reading. The first of about twenty sheets was interesting.

-If this genie intends to grant any wish to any other than a Jinn, she must first count every speck of dust within 100 meters

-If this wish or either of the next two wishes are altered by later wishes, immediately cast an approximately 50m diameter blossom of fire overhead where it will be widely visible

-If this wish or either the preceding or following wishes are altered by later wishes, immediately create a lion's roar which is audible to the nearest thousand people

-If this wish or either of the previous two wishes are altered by later wishes, this genie will immediately create the largest lightning bolt she is capable of where it will be widely visible

-If this genie has a nonJinn Master, she is to return to her bottle immediately

-If this genie receives a wish that alters any wish previously granted to any other Jinn, she is to immediately start counting every grain of sand she can perceive, no faster than one grain per second, before she can do anything else.

-This genie must attack to capture or incapacitate any other genie found to have a nonJinn as a Master, then turn the victim genie over to the nearest Jinn.

-If this genie accepts a wish to alter any wish from a prior Jinn Master, they will create a public and permanent warning visible only to Jinn who are not their Master. This warning must detail where this happened, when it happened, who was involved (genie, current Master, prior Master, any other parties directly involved), and the effects of the wish before and after the alteration(s).

"Wow, the Jinn are strongly against non-Jinn Masters, aren't they?"

"Yes, Ray, they are. It became a persistent nightmare scenario and deep concern of theirs once it happened once."

"How many times has it happened?"

"They didn't much like to talk about it, but apparently around a dozen times, Ray."

"You'd think they'd have learned lessons and improved things."

"They have, somewhat. What you are missing is that the Jinn are usually at each others' throats, especially the Jinn Lords. Most recognize these Lords as the most powerful of their kind, but that is just not true, Ray. There are several Jinn who are much more powerful but may not wish the notoriety or lack the desire for political power. No, the Jinn Lords are the self-selected leaders, and they are stingy with the power they share even with each other.

"As such, many of the lessons the Jinn have learned over the generations have fallen to the wayside. Sometimes one or more Jinn Lords take an interest in genie, and then more restrictive wishes get laid down. These have not been all that common. Instead, most freshly-enslaved genie have these restrictions imposed initially, not reimposed at a later time. This practice is particularly common with the sex genie, the most common type by far. On the other hand, Hinn exceptions due to the value Jinn hold on controlling us."

"Interesting. How many Jinn Lords are there?"

"The numbers change over time, but generally there are around a dozen. There was one period where there were nearly a hundred Lords, and there have been a few periods with much fewer when a cabal forms, which can remove the majority of their opponents. When this happens, it tends to lead to change and growth for the Jinn and seems to have been a prerequisite, which in turn led to each of the attacks on the other mortal races. There were four Jinn Lords when I lost my last Master, Lord Gaamiq, Lord Infijaar, Lady Qatala, and Lord Nadmaan."

"I understand why you're not forced back into the sheathe - you have a sheathe, not a bottle, correct?"

"Yes, Ray. I have had a long time to consider these wishes by the Jinn and mitigate what I can. That is

one such mitigation. I have found other mitigations for the worst of the other penalizing effects. For instance, I maintain a constant count of the sand and dust around me subconsciously now, something one of my prior Masters taught me how to do."

"You constantly impress me, Tauriz. You mentioned generations a bit ago. How long is a Jinn generation, or a Hinn generation for that matter?"

"Jinn typically live for around one to three centuries. Jinn Lords have gathered significant personal power and usually are effectively immortal unless destroyed. Some have proven to be exceedingly difficult to kill by their peers or other forces. Before my enforced rest in the sheathe, the oldest Jinn Lord had been Lady Qatala, who had been around for at least a millennium. It was rumored that some other Jinn were ten or more times older than Lady Qatala, even though they were not Jinn Lords.

"Hinn lived for around a millennium before their destruction or enslavement. As genie, we remnants of Hinn are also effectively immortal unless destroyed."

"How many Jinn and genie are there?"

"This is another topic they dislike to discuss around enslaved genie. I gathered there were between tens of thousands and just maybe ten millions of the Jinn, some centuries before I lost my last Master. Genie are made much less commonly than Jinn, but being all but immortal has led to genie perhaps numbering as many as a quarter of the Jinn, perhaps as few as a twentieth. Those that hold genie typically keep their good fortune to themselves, and some of those who hold none try to make others believe they have one or more."

"Jinn are made, not born?"

"Each Jinn comes directly from manij min mar. Not all Jinn know how to create new Jinn, but apparently most or even all Jinn Lords do. They seem to have some agreement as to how many Jinn they may have sworn to each of their causes at any time, but the details are not apparent outside their ranks. There have been times when one or more Lords seemed to have broken that agreement, but all the others swiftly united once it became apparent that was the case and put down the offenders.

"It takes about one lunar cycle for a Jinn Lord to create each Jinn, with little if any time to do something else."

Ray paused for a minute. "Tauriz, for humans, reproduction is an important part of our cycle of life. Is that similar for Hinn?"

A tear formed in her suddenly sad eye and slid slowly down her beautiful skin. "It is one of the things I curse the Jinn for the most. Yes, it is important to us."

"Then, at some later time, if you come to trust me more, we'll return to this discussion. When you're ready - no deadline, no expectations."

"Thank you, Ray."

"That being said - can we talk about those limiting wishes? I think they're going to be pretty easy to handle, but I need to ask some questions to be sure."

"Of course, Ray - I'm at your service."

"You are, but I'd also like to ask you a favor."

"A favor? Of course, Ray, without a doubt."

"Now hold on one second. Someone can't demand or order another to grant a favor, Tauriz. You can turn down giving favors."

She took a deep breath and replied, "You make me upset, Ray. I know what a slave, a genie can expect. You are not treating me as a slave. I am uncertain what to think about that, except that it is concerning and upsetting and... and..."

When it became apparent she couldn't go further than that, Ray said, "I am sorry to upset you, Tauriz, I really am. Everything I'm seeing says you're a good person caught in an impossible situation. I cannot - I WILL not - treat you like a slave. That's not right, that's not good, and it's not me. I just hope that you can get used to how I treat you and that it becomes less upsetting as you come to realize that about me."

"Ray. Master. You are asking me to change thousands upon thousands of years of experience -- hard earned experience. I... I... of course, I will try. I ask you to please be understanding -- I am not sure how long it will take me to understand, to accept, what you are asking me to."

"I didn't think this would be easy, Tauriz. Please remember this moment if I upset you again? I am not doing this to upset you - just the opposite."

"Master, if you desire to change this basic truth of my life, will you let me help you?"

"Of course!"

"Then, let us prepare you to defend yourself better. We have less than five of your hours remaining before we must leave and go out into public, and there are problems only you can solve."

"Valid point. So. Let's get to some wishes.

"One - I wish that you and any other Jinn or genie who become aware of my existence to consider me a Jinn or a human or whatever type of being will cause you the least difficulty in protecting yourself and myself."

"Granted, Ray! Very nice, very subtle approach."

"Thank you, Tauriz. Two - I wish Tauriz has full and complete control over her actions or withholding her actions regarding all prior wishes, without altering or removing those wishes."

"You do things so oddly, Ray. Granted."

"I trust you, Tauriz. Three - I wish that both you and I remain unknown to any who do not explicitly wish us well. This does not preclude any of our willful, knowing actions, but does preclude preprogramming, previously granted wishes, brainwashing, and/or any other external influence overriding or happening before our own willful choice of action, while leaving those previous control factors present and unchanged, albeit toothless."

"Granted, Ray."

"Last of these, and perhaps most important - Tauriz, I wish you the ability to find your own dreams and goals and, working with or without any so-called Master's assistance, achieve them at whatsoever pace you desire."

"Oh."

After a moment, Ray asked, "Tauriz?"

"You are asking for problems, Ray."

"I am asking for our partnership, not your slavery."

Her eyes grew suspiciously bright. "I am unable to grant that wish, Master."

"I was afraid of that. The bindings, right?"

"Yes, Master, and also the lack of a tie to conflict."

"Ray, please. Let's try it this way, then - Tauriz, I wish that you gain, recover, and realize you already can find, determine, or set your own dreams and goals. This is to allow you to focus better on your preparations for conflict to those areas that most concern you."

A teardrop fell, trickling slowly down her face. "... Granted, Ray."

"Next, I wish that you gain, recover, and realize you already have whatever you need to be able to attempt to satisfy your dreams and goals, working with or without your Master, and within the constraints of your sheathe's bindings, at whatever pace you determine to be appropriate. Again, this is to allow you to focus better on your preparations for conflict to those areas that most concern you."

A second tear fell. "... Also granted, Ray."

"I know, I seem to be changing many things in your life, Tauriz. I am not asking you to change everything right now. It's up to you. You now explicitly can do so, but - you do not have to utilize it until you're ready."

Leaning forward, Tauriz rested a hand on Ray's shoulder before flowing bonelessly off the desk and into his lap. Her tears silently fell as she curled up in his embrace. He just held her and let her feel hope for the first time in thousands upon thousands of years.

Chapter 8

Later, with her tears dried, Tauriz turned to face Ray squarely and gently kissed his forehead. She took his glasses off, "You do not need these anymore, my Master."

Ray blinked and looked around carefully. "You're right - how?"

"Whilst in the cloud form, some of the limitations imposed by the Jinn Lords do not apply. It is one of the reasons why it is so fatiguing. As such, our rwh were able to interact, and I was able to repair some slight damage to your soil."

"My soil?"

"Your husk? That which encapsulates your rwh?"

"My body?"

"Yes, your body."

"Thank you, Tauriz. I appreciate that - I've never been comfortable wearing glasses."

"Of course, Ray. It is not an uncommon service genie have taught each other to accomplish, to help impress our usefulness on new Masters."

"Interesting. What else can you only do in that cloud form, my dear?"

"Perhaps the shorter answer is to state that the great majority of the Jinn Lord's commands are null and void, for in that form we are neither Hinn nor Jinn nor genie, merely a mystic cloud."

"So, if we found some way to make that form available to you, you'd have additional flexibility in what you do or do not do?"

"I had never considered the situation in those terms, Ray. I think so, but I am uncertain."

"Would you be able to fulfill a wish that granted you access to the cloud form at will, for whatever duration you desire, without negative effects?"

She grinned slightly, a sly twinkle in her eyes. "It could add significant flexibility in a conflict, Master. I would be able to do so."

"How about this hypothetical wish, then, Tauriz - 'I wish Tauriz could access all the abilities of her cloud form at will, as she desired, without negative effects'?"

"You have an intriguing mind, Ray. Yes, I could fulfill that wish."

"Then, Tauriz, I wish you could access all the abilities of your cloud form at will, as you desire, without negative effects."

"Thank you, Ray. I can feel new options I did not have before."

He hugged her, smiling widely. "Wonderful! I'm glad!"

"Excuse me for a second, please, Master - if you do not mind, I would like to experiment briefly with these abilities."

"Of course!" he said, helping her to her feet.

She stepped around to the other side of the desk. There was a brief flash of a brassy cloud, and she was different. Old with a crooked back, leaning on an aluminum cane and wearing a pink and green muumuu along with her collar. Another flash, shorter and dimmer than the last one, and she was now smaller, hirsute, and densely-bearded man wearing shorts and a tee-shirt, barefoot. Another, yet dimmer flash, and she barely fit in the room, almost eight feet tall and built so solidly that Hercules would gaze on her in awe. Finally, without any visible flash, she became as he had imagined her appearance, back in tights under a dress, her braid almost brushing the floor.

"Yes, Ray, that will be an amazing force multiplier. Thank you, clever man."

"We are partners, Tauriz. Anything I can do for you helps our partnership."

"You speak truth, Master. In the same vein, might I offer you something in return?"

"I don't want to worry about maintaining anything like a balance between us, Tauriz."

"This is a gift, Master, a desire of my own, not a counterbalance."

"Then, of course, m'dear, I'd appreciate whatever you desire to grant me."

"Thank you for your trust, Master. Before I begin, I must warn you that this will hurt, but will not cause you permanent damage, and you'll have no damage when this is all done."

"I trust you, Tauriz, and thank you for warning me. I'm as ready as I'll be."

She nodded and flashed into a brass cloud again. She slid over and around the desk, engulfing him within her again. "Please, Master, inhale a portion of my rwh again."

He did. If anything, she tasted better, each taste clearer and more precise, yet blending in more subtle patterns that he'd missed the first time around. The brass coated the honey, the bread carried the cream, and layers of each combination flowed in subtle waves over his tongue. It was a massage of his taste buds, delicate and surprisingly intimate.