Degree of Separation

Nigkala Tales Pt. 13: Degree of Separation

To err is human, to air is divine

Thanks to my editor kenjisato. Also, to LanguageTool. Combined, they put me right. Any problems left all belong to me.

Don't forget to rate the story, and comment on it.

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Finally, the email arrived. It contained the description of the outfit I would need to wear, with an attached pattern showing the standard attire. I had requested this, since they didn't have anything in my size. I know I never expected to again be at a university graduation as anything other than an audience member. But my work for the museum made a significant impact, and the curator of the work I did got me this gig. In a few weeks, I would be in front of a crowd of thousands, giving them a speech to inspire them.

I had already purchased the fabric, so I studied the pattern to discern how it was supposed to look. I then began cutting the fabric for the gown. I had co-opted our maid, Cindy, to help with the fabrication. Mostly, she pinned things where I told her to, and handed me stuff as I needed it. By now, I was an expert costumer, and the gown was finished in a day. Although I did not like the fact that the gown let almost no skin show, I found a black satiny fabric that wasn't quite opaque in bright lights. I also added side slits that showed a fair amount of leg when I walked, but showed nothing when I stood. I already had comfortable black flats to wear.

The next day, I made the hood. They were very specific about this. It was to be made with the same black fabric as the gown, with a brown velvet edge for my theatrical degree, and a satin field with chevron of blue and yellow for my college. The outfit is like what I saw the faculty wear at my kids' graduations. They had hoods, and this was one. The third day, I made the cap. When they said a gold-colored tassel, I used one, but added a real gold band over the existing one. It was thin, but shiny. To finish off the outfit, I made a pair of earrings. One was the theatrical comedy mask, and the other was the theatrical tragedy mask. They were real gold, with silver accents and openings for the eyes and mouths.

I decided to take some pictures of the earrings, as I had not found anything like them on the internet. I sent it to my business agent to have them copyrighted and licensed for jewelers. Who knows, it might make money. I then dressed in the full outfit and had Cindy take pictures. I took a few more with a close-up of the cap, and of the hood. I sent them in reply to the email to see if they would be acceptable. They were. Now, all I needed was to work on my speech. But I had a few weeks for that.

I arrived at the football field, and headed for the area designated for faculty. I checked in, and was directed where to robe up. When I was robed, I was to report to the master of ceremonies for some last-minute instruction on how everything would go, and where I was to sit. It didn't take long to find her.

"Hi there. I'm Becky Sue Tate, but you might have me listed as Helen Asher."

"Let's see... Here it is. Becky Sue Tate. Guest speaker, seat 12. Follow me." She led me to a mockup of the stage.

"You will be in line after Doctor Burke." She positioned me on a line taped to the floor, and stood next to me on the line.

"Pretend I am him, and follow me." She led me and stopped at a series of taped rectangles in our path. They were a different color.

"These are steps." She carefully stepped in each one, and into a large taped area with chairs. This outline also used a different color.

"This is the stage." She continued walking.

"Note the numbers on the seat of the chairs. Dr. Burke sits in number 11, over there, and you are next to him in number 12." She then walked opposite her chair and then stepped off the taped path and stood by her chair.

"When you get to your chair, walk over to it and stand. Sit or stand when everyone else on stage does." She then sat, so I did.

"When you are introduced, stand, follow the path to the podium, and give your address when indicated. When you are done, step back and return to your chair. At the end, reverse the process, and return here to change out of your outfit. Got it?" She didn't wait for my reply, but left.

I started asking and soon found Dr. Burke. "Hello there. I'm Becky Sue Tate. Looks like I am in line after you. Mind if I hang around while we wait?"

"No." He looked up at me, and said, "You a guest speaker?" I nodded. "There will be a lot of standing. You might want to switch out those killer heels for some flats. No one will see them anyway."

"I'm not wearing heels." He looked skeptical, so I lifted the hem and showed him my shoes.

"You mean you are that tall? Wow. You ever play basketball?"

"No, in college I played four years on the football team. Quarterback. Helped the team standing immensely, but the division was the wimpiest, so that doesn't say as much as it might."

"Was it touch or flag?"

"Standard. It usually took three to bring me down. That opened up my receivers, and I got a lot of yardage that way. The opponents never had sufficient defense to cover my receivers, my runners, and me. And if they rushed, I usually gained yardage."

"Yeah, I can see it. But your hood indicates what, theater? Your earrings look kinda familiar."

"Professionally, I'm an actress, and I have a bachelor's degree in the Dramatic Arts. I made the earrings, and yes, they are Comedy and Tragedy."

"They look professionally done."

"Thanks."

"But I'm not sure you have the correct regalia."

"I make most of my own clothes, because I cannot buy off-the-shelf. They gave me this pattern, and I sent pics after I finished. They said it was good."

"Oh? Looks like today's ceremonies might get interesting."

"How so?"

"I don't want to spoil whatever is planned."

"Oh well. I hope I won't have to do improv."

"I doubt they would do anything too outlandish, so you should do fine."

"Okay. Say, how soon do we get started? I never got a schedule."

He looked at his watch. "About twenty-five minutes."

We continued to chat, and at about five minutes to go, they called everyone to get in line. Dr. Burke introduced me to the man behind me. Before I realized it, we were heading on stage at the football field. There must have been over a thousand graduates, and the stands had maybe three times as many. Dr. Burke gave me a running commentary on the process, saying it helped him keep awake. When his name was mentioned, he said quietly, "My turn." He spoke for a few minutes before returning.

"Ms. Tate, please come here. Dean Jones, if you will."

Dr. Burke said, "Your turn. Break a leg, so to speak."

I arrived next to the podium, as did the dean, who was given the mike.

"Ms. Tate, I am Dr. Robert Jones, Dean of the Archaeology department. We have asked you here for two reasons. You already know you are a guest speaker, but we also want to do more." An aide passed him a scroll. Unrolling it, I could see all the fancy print, but he didn't give me time to read it, instead showing it to the graduates. "Some years ago, under the auspices of Dr. Deniz Kaplan, Ms. Tate translated an unusual ancient book. Her work was extraordinary. She revealed Egyptian influences in cuneiform writing, and gave an extremely detailed translation. Not just a simple one, but also possible others, and why she chose what she did. There has been a lot of argument over what the translation means, but not over its accuracy.

"A few months ago, she was also involved in the Akkad tablets. Yes, the same ones you recently studied. Before she got involved, they were in a million pieces, and it was thought a hopeless task to re-assemble them. She managed in under a month. Experts have studied the reconstruction and have yet to find a flaw. Other experts believe these tablets were created in Akkad, the city of Sargon, and written by his daughter Enheduanna. While that is still under discussion, the tablets themselves are either the originals, or among the earliest copies.

"In both cases, her work has been extraordinary, and significant. She also identified some cylindrical seals just by briefly seeing them in an exhibit. It is clear she is an Archaeologist among the many other things she is.

"Becky Sue Tate, as Dean of the Archaeology department, and with the blessings of the university, I hereby present you with a Doctorate of Archaeology, honoris causa." He then let the scroll close and handed it and the mike to me.

"Thank you, Dean Jones. I'm not sure what to say."

The mike didn't pick up when he whispered, "Say your speech and inspire them."

Clearing my throat, "I wrote a nice speech. It is no longer going to work. So... Improv time."

I paused, dramatically. "As you know, I am Becky Sue Tate. No, make that Dr. Becky Sue Tate. But some of you have recognized me as the actress, Helen Asher, and likely my signature role as Nigkala. I take my acting seriously, and want to make it as real as I can. I was a fan of the Nigkala stories as a kid, and learned to speak Sumerian because of that. When I played her, I refined my knowledge of language and became an expert. I also got interested in other things Sumerian, and so refined my skills in that ancient culture. I spent well over a year immersed in the learning, and if you want that level of expertise, you will need to invest that level of dedication.

"I have other achievements you can read about. But I spent a lot of time and effort to learn and develop my skills. But what about you? You are at the beginning of your career, where your decisions will affect the rest of your life. I made some of the greatest decisions in my life while still a kid. I continue to make such decisions, even now. But knowing their impact, I carefully consider most of them. I don't always get the time to consider, and sometimes, neither will you. But I find the most important thing is to know yourself. What do you want? What is important to you? While I have a passion for acting, I also have a passion for archaeology. Find your passion and go for it. Don't be afraid to try something. Don't be afraid of failure. Don't be afraid of risk. Do be aware, and try to make sure you have a plan to deal with both success and failure.

"Plan well, and success or failure, you will be better off. And the better you plan, the more likely you will have success. Sometimes, however, you cannot plan. Then you must do what you think is best. If you have learned to think through things, then you will likely have good results when you decide on impulse. Success begets success, even when guessing. But never assume success. That path leads to arrogance and folly.

"Another part of success is working with others. On the set, I depend on many people. While I think highly of my skill, I make an effort to be nice to others and help when I can. This makes them happy to work with me, and to help me when I need help. Too many times, I have seen actors that think only of themselves. They may have skills, but they are not as welcome on a set, and may cause problems there. In your work, whatever line it is, being nice and helping, pays off in having a happier and welcoming workplace. Whether you are god's gift to the field, or just a plodder that gets the work done, people will welcome you if you follow my advice."

I looked back, and indicated I was done. "Thank you all, and again, I am humbled by your faith in me." Lowering the mike, the crowd broke into applause. I backed up a step, and handed the mike over.

After gathering their attention, Dean Jones said, "Dr. Tate, thank you for your inspiration. I know our graduates appreciate it. I thank you for your wisdom." He nodded at me, and then continued, "The next speaker is..."

I kind of tuned him out, as I was getting a rather heady feeling from all of this. I made it back to my seat without a misstep, but I have no idea how. I sat there a bit.

Dr. Burke touched my arm. "Earth to Becky Sue. Earth to Becky Sue."

I was startled, but managed to quietly answer, "Huh? What?"

"I said great speech. Your improv is better than some rehearsed speeches of the others I could name."

"Thank you. Is it always this heady?"

"What do you mean?"

"I could feel their enthusiasm. Like a physical thing."

"They were enthusiastic, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Maybe it's just becoming a Doctor. I mentioned the gown was off? Now it makes sense. It is the gown of a doctorate, and now you are one. Congratulations."

"Thank you." I could still feel them, so I didn't think it was ordinary.

"That is because it is not."

I heard that in my head, but it was not Inanna's voice. It was masculine, and while not overly loud, seemed thunderous.

I tried to reply, "Who speaks?"

"I am the Lord of the Sky, priestess. You now possess one of my talismans."

I thought for a bit. "Lord An?"

"Yes. My former priestess Enheduanna gave my talisman to you."

Hesitating, I asked, "What is the purpose of feeling their enthusiasm?"

"I am the maker of Kings. For you to rule, you need to understand your effect on others. This is the first time you have spoken to a crowd since then. As you learn, you will become more effective. With my aid, you will become a leader, and soon you will rule all the cities near you."

"All the cities about, are only some of the hundreds in this state. There are fifty states and some other territories that make up this nation. This nation has been stable for lifetimes. Taking rule of a handful of cities would not be accepted, and as strong as I might get, I could not hold out against this nation."

"I see the truth in what you say. I have slept for a long time, and did not see these changes come. Ruling this nation would be even greater, but there might be some difficulties to achieving it."

"Ruling as a king or conqueror would not be accepted by the people. And the tradition here is to rule only for a small span of years. It has served us well, and the people would not like to change that."

"There are other paths to rule."

"I am sorry, Lord An, but I have no desire to rule. I take joy in telling stories, in helping others, in being a warrior, in being a courtesan, and in being adored by fans. Ruling is not something I have ever sought."

An replied threateningly, "You accept my talisman, but reject my patronage?"

I thought for a few moments, and then said, "You are a Kingmaker. You also grant Authority. Kings need Authority, but there are many others that need it as well. Your aura of Authority would go well for when I help others. A while ago, I found myself one of many prisoners. Your Authority would have changed things there and saved a lot of people a lot of trouble and pain. Today, I have been recognized for my expertise. Having Authority with it would make it even more accepted."

He seemed mollified. "You are right, I also grant Authority. I shall think upon your words."

The feeling soon passed as the ceremonies drifted into the awarding of degrees. I noted they were reading off names rapid fire, twelve at a time, and alternating sides. The students were collecting them a row at a time. It took a long time, but still went quickly. They slowed down after the lesser degrees, as there were far fewer greater degrees. Eventually it was over, and we exited.

Once inside, Dr. Burke stopped me and shook my hand. "Welcome, Doctor, to our hallowed halls." Almost immediately, I was surrounded by others who also wanted to welcome me. The other two who had received honorary degrees were likewise welcomed. As I was changing out of the gown and folding it up, an aide handed me an invitation. There was a reception for all new Doctors in the faculty lounge. They had a buffet, a bar, and lots of seating. I mingled a bit then settled into a small sofa and curled my legs under me. I took up the whole thing, so others usually had to stand by my side or sit across from me. I had a fine evening and returned home tired, but happy.

Over the next week, I refrained from using An's power. I spoke with Inanna about it, as well. She suggested I find a way to make An happy. I looked into my town's leadership, I also checked out my union membership. Neither one seemed to appeal to me. Filipe reminded me about our volunteer efforts. With fundraisers, and helping out others, it seemed a better fit to me for An's idea of rule. So I increased my participation in those efforts. One of the ways I helped with fundraising, was to help staff a booth at fairs where I could talk to people about giving, and maybe even speak to a small crowd. I eventually settled on helping out the most with Habitat for Humanity, who always need supplies and volunteers, and the result helps the community by providing housing to the needy.

Over the next several months, I tapped into the Talisman of An when I spoke at the booths. They started to generate more donations and volunteers than expected. In the fall, the top ten fundraisers in the last twelve months were given hang-gliding lessons. While I was only fundraising for half a year, I was in the top ten. So I looked up the sport online, and it looked fun. The only downside was the recommended clothing. That is, lots. So, since I was unlikely to find any in my size, I studied the requirements, and searched for some fabrics I felt would work. That is when I found a wonderful fabric. It put transparent-when-wet bathing suits to shame. It was a high-tech artificial material, woven in a stretchable weave, and the best part was that it was transparent. I felt an invisible outfit was something I just had to try; but it would be too much for this. But the fabric also came in colored shades of partial opacity.

For the inmost layer, I went with a nearly-transparent red, and I made a leotard that was a tad small. When I wore it, I had serious camel-toe. I found it supported my breasts nicely, and due to sneaky tailoring, it followed my skin perfectly, as though it was painted on. Looking in the mirror, my nipples, and my vagina were quite obvious. I then added leggings and sleeves, but did not connect them to the central piece. The leggings went from ankle to just under my crotch, leaving a band of open flesh between the two. The sleeves likewise went from wrist to shoulder, leaving the shoulders bare.

Next, I made pants using a slightly more opaque red. These were a looser fit. Worn on top of the leotard, you could still see everything, but not as easily. The pants had an elastic waistband, making it easily removable. I made a shirt using the original material. The shirt buttoned up. My nipples were fairly visible, but obviously under cloth. For the final layer, I made a wind-breaker using the same fabric as the pants, and a skirt, using the original material. Of course the skirt was short, but with those three layers, you couldn't see my vagina, unless I took the pants off. On top, with three layers, you could make out that I had nipples, but not very well.

I completed the outfit with socks, canvas top sneakers, gloves, goggles, and a helmet. I was now ready for the wind and cold while up in the air, and for teasing on the ground. I drove up the day before to the nearest town and stayed in a motel. Soon after arriving, I went to the pool naked, with just my room key on a lanyard, and swam for an hour. I encountered a few night owls that also wanted to swim.

One man called, "Hey there, are you really naked?"

I just stood up. Being in the shallow end, even my vagina was above the water. "Yeah, it's not easy finding suits that fit, so I sometimes just skip it. Does it bother you?"

"No! I'm fine."

I looked down at his erection, smiled, and said, "So I see." I then did a surface dive to swim to the deep end. On my way back, I aimed for him, and stood up six inches from him. By this time, my nipples were at full mast. "I have a little time. Wanna play?" Apparently, I overloaded him, because he fainted. I picked him up and laid him down at the side before resuming my laps. The other guys decided to just enjoy the show. The two gals were undecided, between jealousy and outrage.