《A Bard's Tale》


 Chapter One: Gauners Grave

    It¡¯s not like I was¡­ No, that sucks. Let me start over.


    Life is hard when you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re good at. However, I considered myself good at a lot of things in life, such as breaking bones, dying like that time at birth, and generally being nice.Cordial,one might say if they were trying to sound fancy. I¡¯m also good at making lists and shrugging things off. Point being that I¡­ Uh¡­


    Maaan,why are journals so hard? Not good at this shit either, apparently. Sad, but not surprising. Being direct is key when you¡¯re trying to get a point across (Or something like that. Rhetoric 101 was often skipped.), so let me just spit it out instead of candy-coating it: I¡¯ve got bad luck, my skills in general suck and I don¡¯t have a third word that isn¡¯t the F-word, so¡­


    How many times am I gonna have to start over?


    Journal inThree¡­ Two¡­Wait, what if I trytalking to you?Hm¡­ I dub thee Journal, also known as J-Man, Je¡¯Amournal, and ¡®Booksy¡¯. I like Booksy, personally. Let¡¯s give this another go if you don¡¯t mind¡­? Silence means you don¡¯t care, I think. Carrying on now.


    From literally my earliest age I''ve had some pretty bad luck. Mom never quit smoking when she was pregnant with me, so I was born pretty early and was a quite bit under average weight and size in general. To make things more apt for what would come later, I was born with a caul covering my face that suffocated me during birth. One could say that my biggest stroke of luck was being revived and getting to live a pretty full life, but another could also laugh and ask if the other was a prick. I personally considered it a good thing because I eventually learned to laugh everything off if I wasn¡¯t close to dying. I mean, if baby me could ¡®chill out for years¡¯ according to my parents,after dying, then a few broken bones and fractured toes here and there wouldn¡¯t be the end of the world. Not to say I was smiling while swearing my head off each of the thirty-six times I¡¯ve broken something, or the fifty-one times I fractured something or other out of pure clumsiness.


    Yes, while you¡¯re thinking it, my insurance company dropped me a few weeks before the Big Wang Event Something in the universe aligned then to screw me over, but it¡¯s not like I was terribly bitter about it. Life was rough and that wasokay, which was something even myparentsdidn¡¯t get. It¡¯s like everyone thinks that just you have bad luck you have to be super depressed all the time, but honestly, I just learned to take pleasure in the little things. People asked me all the time how I wasn¡¯t chronically depressed or terrified of the world around me and I just had to chuckle at the way they phrased some of the myriads of questions. It¡¯s like some people just haven¡¯t heard of a sunny disposition or something. I just didn¡¯t let much get to me in the long run. The short term? Less success in that field. Yeah, I¡¯d already had surgery on my shoulder and leg before I hit high school because of being clumsy, but I healed up and got back to tip-top-ship-shape for a pretty good while. The thing was to just let the water flow under the bridge and get over it because what could I really do about it? I¡¯d tried being generally more careful, but I spent half my time in my head, just thinking of impossible things that made me smile. Writing it down, I think the cause was the cure in that particular scenario.


    I¡¯m sure you get it by now, Journal, that I don¡¯t mind life-sucking. Ithrivein suck. I¡¯d make an analogy, but my mind¡¯s in the stable and I¡¯m not referencing hay, so I¡¯ll say I do best in the muck. Losing all my teeth to getting beamed in the mouth with a baseball was¡­ Well, I kinda let that one get to me along with the ¡®Gum Gum Gauner¡¯ thing, but like everything else, there¡¯ll be a time to laugh at that too. Right now is a time to reflect, so I guess I¡¯m just trying to explain to you (J-Man) and myself why I jumped off that bridge, and it wasn¡¯t because I had dentures at eighteen. I mean, Iget sad. Who in the world doesn¡¯t? Looking back on it, I can¡¯t really laugh because I can¡¯t take it back and I really don¡¯t understand the frame of mind I was in when I did it, but¡­ Well...


    To explain, I¡¯d bounced from job to job after getting my G.E.D, working just about every menial labor position in ¡®Frisco before landing a decent job as an accountant. Apparently, I actually was good at keeping numbers in my head, so I didn¡¯t do poorly with most tasks presented to me. My boss was willing to work with my weak points and most of my coworkers were friendly, if not a little chilly whenever I messed something up. The commute to work was hell and getting home was no better, but I loved where I lived and I enjoyed being there with the love of my life, Rachel Kivette. Raven-haired, stormy-gray eyes and a figure to match her attitude; I¡¯d never thought I¡¯d actually land a girlfriend, let alone one that actually enjoyed being around me and understood what Ireallymeant to say. There¡¯s not a lying bone in my body, so I can¡¯t say it was all milk and honey with Raven and I, but I thought the more you suffered the more you showed really cared. I took some solid whoopings from Raven because I thought it would keep her around. Let her say whatever she wanted to me in private while keeping up appearances in public. Right before she divorced with me for something(s) or other(s) (Shows how much I actually cared, I guess.), she did sleep with one of my friends, soSelf Esteemwas on repeat while I trekked my way to the Golden Gate Bridge.


    In retrospect, I just don¡¯t see why it got to me that badly. I mean, if my wife was abusive, why would it be above her to cheat? I honestly should¡¯ve expected it, but I never thought I would overreactso hard!Likegeez, when would I ever get that irration- Wait. Yeah, having my wife divorce me for a trusted friend after putting up with her crap for a year? Doing everything she told me to and still getting screwed out of everything I had? Life in general not really giving me a handout that I¡¯d ever noticed as it did with other, worse people? I¡¯m kinda starting to see it, but still. Wouldn¡¯t most people go see a psychiatrist or something instead of just going straight to¡®Hmm¡­ The suislide seems like a fun ride!¡¯? I skipped through the part where I walked to the bridge because I barely remember it at the moment. Everything felt like a dream, but it wasn¡¯t quite the same vibe. Everything felt heavy and immovable during the walk to the bridge, though I do remember that it was a very musical, very reflective journey. I basically let everything that had ever happened to me cloud my mind; fuck up after fuck up just wouldn¡¯t get out of my head. It was like I was watching a lowlight reel of my life where every little mistake was given its own little showcase, and that was justbrutal.I got by pretty well by just not thinking about my bad luck, but then again, I think that ignoring my problems for so long may have been what pushed me off that bridge in the first place


    Getting up on the side and past the fence took a little doing, but once I¡¯d gotten past everyone who was trying to stop me and set myself to jump, I started having second thoughts. They didn¡¯t convince me not to jump. The fall was¡­ Well,thatdidn¡¯t feel like a dream. The red paint of the Golden Gate Bridge was clear in my mind, so glaringly distracting to my eyes that I actually slipped when I jumped and ended up plummeting toward the water below back-first with no way to flip myself. Staring at the bridge as I fell was beyond real: easily one of the most lucid moments of my life. Being weightless during the application of gravity to my doom was another thing that I remembered, but it wasn¡¯t as if the sensation of flying was unwelcome. The experience was calming in its own mildly worrying way¡¯, with resignation and acceptance taking over the panic in my heart as the wind buffeted my ears. There was nothing holding me up anymore.. Not Rachel, not myself, not my parents, and officially not the world. For once in my life, I was completely and utterly on my own. The dark, cloudless night above me with a beautiful landmark hovering below the starless sky held the life that I was rapidly falling away from. For some odd reason, I thought that the distance between me and the bridge was like distancing myself from the pain I¡¯d felt, but when I landed, it wasn¡¯t on the water so much as far, far beneath it.


    I fell like a gold needle into the river, sinking beneath the waves without a splash or any pomp or circumstance. It wasn¡¯t as though I couldn¡¯t breathe under the water, which in and of itself was weird. No, as I fell deeper and deeper into the icy darkness, I contemplated my life and wondered where I could have gone right. Considered what I could have done to make Rachel love me. Postulated upon how the fuck exactly I¡¯d gotten my G.E.D and why I went to community college shortly thereafter. I didn¡¯t feel like there were any better choices I could have made most of the time since I was just trying to do the best I could anyway, convinced myself that Rachel never actually loved me in the first place, and figured I probably went to college to make myself less worthless. I didn¡¯t succeed with the last one, apparently, but at least I learned some nice, pretty words to describe my feelings.


    Sinking further and further beneath the water eventually brought me a kind of warmth that I¡¯d last felt when my Mom was still in her right mind, even if I didn¡¯t really feel it in the moment. I was always close to my parents throughout my life, even when I moved from Oregon down to Cali for work and wanderlust. Alzheimer¡¯s got Mom pretty bad, so memories of her from when she would still hug me and kiss my cheek without that look on her face like she was meeting someone she liked for the first time¡­ It was nice. It was more than just nice to think of the times when Mom and Dad would play with me when I was young, or when the old man would cut time out of his schedule to just spend a few more hours with me. Memories that I actually wanted kept surfacing the deeper I fell into the river, including the morning I¡¯d woken up to accepting that I was bisexual, the day I found Rachel, my wedding day, graduating with my G.E.D, and a few other things that made the coldness of the water fade into a warm, loving feeling. The bittersweetness of it filled me with so much regret that I thought my heart was about to rip itself out of my chest so it could ¡®beat¡¯ my face until it was a bloody, mostly undamaged mess. I say the last part because hearts aren¡¯t exactly made out of bone, but that¡¯s not the point. The thing is that I was riding one helluva emotional roller-coaster and the twists and turns had just finally slowed down when I hit the riverbed.


    I lay in place, the silence of the situation rained down through the river to impact my inner being. My newfound loneliness resonating in my flesh, eating away at the blood in my veins until the warmth faded into a different kind of cold. In my place, I couldn¡¯t move, could hardly think straight, and still breathed easily without issue, so I considered myself a little lucky and a lottle sad. After all, I¡¯d evidently screwed up my first suicide attempt and was apparently alive for some good old-fashioned spaghetti-regretti, or whatever it is that Rachel¡¯s little brother used to say. My palms weren¡¯t sweaty, I couldn¡¯t feel my knees or arms in all honesty, and Mom hated Italian, so it was more like ¡®Body¡¯s numb, eyes weak, thoughts are dumb. Chicken in the wok, spillin¡¯ muh yum-yum¡¯ thanLose Yourself.


    Before the self-pity could set it, I got a grip on myself in a way that didn¡¯t make much sense to me and I started laughing underwater, no bubbles coming up from my raucous, joyous guffawing. I found it hilarious that I was still alive after jumping off of the nicest bridge in the West, and it was also funny that I¡¯d escaped from harm nearly unscathed. Things had gone a little pear-shaped, yes, but I would be willing to call life downright callipygean since I was now amerman. I giggled about that little tidbit until I felt the riverbed under my back, as gross as it felt, start giving way as if an ambush predator had forgotten to eat me as I¡¯d drifted down to it¡¯s hiding spot. I hoped that dying for real this time wouldn¡¯t hurt, and I wasn¡¯t terribly worried about living my life all over again since I¡¯d alreadydone it, butlo¡¯ and behold,t¡¯was time for yet another re-examination of the Life and Times of Gum Gum Gauner.


    The new recollection of my life went over the good and bad things I did, whether I did the crap with purpose or if I did it by way of an accident; every little endeavor was laid bare to me and I sawso many mistakes.It wasn¡¯t as if I¡¯d ever gone out to cause someone harm because that just wasn¡¯t in my nature, and apparently, I was rewarded for it since I didn¡¯t have to go over and relive the times I¡¯d broken something. However, I did have to go through each and every little time my good intentions had laid another shattered glass block on the road to Hell. Seriously, after every memory it was like I was laying a brick into a path, each event making the new journey either more painful or just another step in the road. It took me a good long while to realize that there really weren¡¯t any points where I had gotten explosively or terribly angry at all, which struck me as odd.


    It also got noticed by the guy who was sitting next to me at the bottom of the Golden Gate Strait, but he waited until the end to say anything which was very polite of him if I may say so myself. Once I was done reviewing my life again, the guy asked, ¡°You seem pretty relaxed. Laid-back, I guess..l. So does everything you do turn to shit, or is it just the stuff you try to do well?¡±


    I thought a little irritably at him since I couldn¡¯t speak underwater. ¡®Geez, who is this guy? You¡¯d think he¡¯d be a little nicer to someone who just killed themselves.¡¯


    Apparently, he heard my thoughts because the English penis laughed. ¡°You overreacted and jumped off a bridge. Thousands of people do it every day, mate.¡±


    ¡®Instead of laughing, why don¡¯t you tell me why I¡¯m not dead?¡¯I thought at him some more, trying to match the voice in my head to his.


    I couldn''t¡¯ see anything in the inky darkness, but I could practically feel his annoyance just like I could feel his arrival in the first place. ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah, we¡¯ll get to that in a sec. I just wanna ask; How have you not done this sooner? I mean, you mortal chavs are all about killing yourselves over dumb shit and you¡¯ve done a lot of dumb shit. What¡¯s the deal?¡±


    ¡®Well it¡¯s not like we all just up and kill ourselves, man.¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s a fair point, but why didyoudo it?¡±


    ¡®Because I was hurt and dumb¡­¡¯


    ¡°So you made a mistake?¡±


    ¡®Add it to the list, my guy.¡¯


    ¡°Want another chance?¡± he asked casually as if he were offering me a beer.


    ¡®... Yeah, but no at the same time. I just know I¡¯m going to fuck everything up again, man.¡¯


    ¡°Take the risk and figure it out, mate. You¡¯ve got a decent head on your shoulders for trauma and weirdness. I mean, you¡¯re taking this whole thing better than most.¡±


    ¡®You mean dying but not being dead?¡¯


    ¡°Yeah, basically.¡±


    ¡®Ah. Thanks, guy.¡¯


    ¡°I just said the truth.¡± I felt the water shift and start to warm up, the sinking feeling intensifying as he spoke. ¡®Are you really not curious about this whole thing?¡±


    ¡®I really am though. Mind telling me what¡¯s going on?¡¯


    ¡°You were born with one luck.¡±


    ¡®


    ¡®The bad kind?¡¯


    ¡°No, mate, not onetypeof luck, I meanone lucky break. Getting revived at birth ate up all your lifetime luck, Gauner.¡±


    ¡®That¡­ That really sucks.¡¯


    ¡°So did your life, but you still spent a lot of your time being like,reasonablyhappy, right?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡®That¡¯s a fair point. So what¡¯s going on now? I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re not here to see the sights,¡¯ I answered interestedly. The baritone of the fellow¡¯s voice was pleasant to hear, and I liked the English accent anyway, so continuing the conversation seemed like a good thing to do for the time being. I also just like hearing people talk sometimes. Sue me,Booksy.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on now is that you¡¯re going to pick a skill, an art, and a book you¡¯ve read. I¡¯ll give you all three, plus a little present for being so cool about all this since not many of you carbonated lifeforms or whatever don¡¯t freak about not drowning. Seriously, you haven¡¯t even cried or begged for release or anything!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but laugh at that.¡®Man, I didn¡¯t wanna die in the first place. Not really. I don¡¯t mind being dead, but it sounds like you¡¯re about to give me another go at things.¡¯


    ¡°You sound excited,¡± he chuckled.


    ¡®Am I going to be skilled at my skill and artful with my art?¡¯


    ¡°Yeah, I suppose. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡®... It sounds really lame to say, but I can¡¯t actually name something I can do very well. I don¡¯t have any skills, can¡¯t do the art, and I¡¯m only good at healing. Hell, the only reason I still had my job before my wang dragged me off the bridge-¡¯


    ¡°Shut up!¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m not that good at my job either. I just suck at everything in varying degress, honestly.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right. Luckless.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯d be a good nickname-¡¯ I started sinking faster and further.¡®HEY! Help!¡¯


    I felt a hand on my chest that pushed me down deeper into the mucky bottom. ¡°Relax and let me speed this up for you. I¡¯d just let it go as it usually does, but I¡¯m really starting to like you, mate. You¡¯re cool as the bottom of a river.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t flounder and since it was supposed to be happening, I killed my panic and thought, ¡®Oh. Well, if this is how it¡¯s supposed to be, then you could¡¯ve said something.¡¯


    ¡°Yeah, I do this a lot so it kinda gets old, y¡¯know? Warn people and they panic. Don¡¯t warn peopleand they panic. It¡¯s just old, mate.¡±


    ¡®Well, I was trying to get old, but then I died to life.¡¯¡¯


    ¡°Ha! Good one, Lucky.¡±


    ¡®Thanks, Pippington.¡¯


    ¡°I know you didnotjust call me ¡®Pippington¡¯!¡± He laughed loudly.


    ¡®You¡¯ve got a nick for me, why not have one for you?¡¯


    ¡°Point Lucky. Speaking of points, what do you want to be-¡±


    ¡®Music! I wanna be good at making music!¡¯


    ¡°... You wanna be a musician?¡±


    ¡®I want to be agoodmusician.¡¯


    ¡°... I guess I could search through my files and check out some of the instrument folders, but that¡¯s more of an art than a skill.¡±


    ¡®What about being skilled with the gift of gab? Music for the art and charisma for the skill?¡¯ Like I said, hearing people talk was something I enjoyed, and if you could convince someone to chat, then that was just as good.


    ¡°Damn, you understand this a lot better than most people.¡±


    ¡®It feels like the set-up to an Isekai mango, to be honest with you.¡¯


    ¡°I can¡¯t pretend like I know what that is, but if it speeds up the process then by all means.¡±


    ¡®Anything to make someone else¡¯s life easier, my man. Is there anything else?¡¯I was beneath the muddy surface of the riverbed at this point, coated in slime and grime.


    ¡°Book?¡±


    ¡®Uh¡­ Gone With the Wind?¡¯


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    ¡®Well, what do you recommend?¡¯


    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s not really my place to tell you what to read, but whatevs. You¡¯ll get your book eventually. So you want to be charismatic, play some music and stuff, and readGone With the Wind?¡±


    ¡®Yeah, I guess.¡¯


    ¡°And I still need to find a super-power for you, so I¡¯ll get on that. It might take a couple of days, and you probably won¡¯t remember much of this conversation anyway but it¡¯s been nice talking to you, Lucky.¡±


    ¡®Fucker, did you just say super-power and gloss over it?¡¯


    ¡°Toodle-oo, Lucky-doo.¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯ I thought, the darkness giving me no indication as to what he was doing.


    I had been coated in the muck before, but now I was covered in filthand confused. That didn¡¯t even begin toapproachthe fact that it felt like all the metal in my body was being microwaved with snaps, cracks, and pops of pain surfacing every now and again, making me more than just a little uncomfortable. It wasn¡¯t debilitating, but it did make me wish I had someAdvilon hand to swallow my aches away. However, they stopped altogether as quickly as they started, lingering aches being a thing of the past as I felt myself start rising from the silt. It was gross; kinda like being born all over again, but colder and muddier. I don¡¯t exactly


    remember being born, but you get the idea, right Journal? Anyway, Once I cleared the silt I felt that I could move again, so I popped all of my super-stiff joints underwater and looked around. I couldn¡¯t see anything, so I filled my lungs with air (Somehow) and let myself get righted so I could start floating back toward the surface of the strait. However, after about twenty seconds, I realized that my lungs hurt and I couldn¡¯t breathe underwater anymore, making me panic and start clawing my way to the surface. Stroke after stroke carried me closer to my goal, my lungs screaming for less watery oxygen. The river lightened the further I went, the harder I pushed myself, but swimming had never been my strong suit after I¡¯d broken both legs. In the panic I dealt with while I was struggling to get to the surface, I expended everything I had. There weren¡¯t any real thoughts going through my head other than ¡®Breathe!!!¡¯and a slew of swear words so creative I forget how that particular, newly christened song went, but the last thing that went through my mind as I fought my way to the surface was ¡®Fuck... I¡¯m not gonna make it.¡¯


    I passed out before I ever did, which lead me to drowning. Drowning wasnotfun.


    Having died twice in the past three hours made me feel like a jackass beyond all donkey butts, so imagine my surprise (And annoyance) when I spat up lungfuls of water and threw up silt after being revived.Again.The grass beneath me was slick, soaked with the water that was still sluicing off of my clothes in rivulets, dripping out of my hair as I tried to get the taste of river dirt out of my mouth. With my luck, I figured that I¡¯d probably earned myself a spoonful of dysentery or something, but when I thought about the grass I was on I paused. There weren¡¯t many grassy patches along the way the Golden Gate Strait flowed unless I had wound up in the park or something. Even then I didn¡¯t get why I wasn¡¯t dead, so after scraping dirt off of my tongue, I actually listened to the person who¡¯d revived me for the first time since I¡¯d been brought back to life, aching sternum and all.


    Coughing up the lungs I¡¯d just emptied didn¡¯t actually happen, but it felt like it did. The warm, gentle sun radiated its kindness to my frigid flesh, which was much appreciated. Once I warmed up a bit, I heard someone say something in a very odd language. It sounded like a bastard mix of Greek and Hebrew, which I only knew because I took a trip to Greece (Story for another time) and spent a lot of time around the Orthodox church there because where better to learn about your Jewish heritage than Greece? That was sarcasm, Journal. I know you¡¯re a book, but I think you should know when I¡¯m not being serious.


    Anyway, the confusing language threw me through a loop since I only knew Hebrew from school and my Grandpa, so I only got a couple of the words they¡¯d said. I knew a pretty respectable portion of my ancestors¡¯ language, but ¡®River Person¡­ Fire¡­ Mud Demon¡¯ made little sense to me unless I was about to be burned alive for being dirty. I had to clear some more dirt and mud from my eyes, but when I did that and managed to get a real breath of fresh air I looked around and saw no one nearby. I had to fully sit up and look behind me to spot my savior, and despite my recent heartbreak, I could feel the buds of infatuation blooming all over again forbothpeople I saw. The man was aman, and I mean that in the best of ways. He was lean, but still well built, and his chiseled, Roman jawline gave him the appearance of a brooding father contemplating his next best move for his family. The grays in his hair and beard told me that he was experienced, tickling my thing for older men in just the right way though it was his choice of clothes that struck me as odd.


    They were unlike anything I¡¯d seen in person, and I don¡¯t mean that his fashion sense was good or bad. It was just that his clothing was so unfamiliar that I was a little taken aback. His shirt had slits on the side and a small ¡®V¡¯ in on the torso in front of his sculpted throat, just a couple of ashy black and gray hairs popping out of the breach. His shorts were khaki of some kind, which contrasted from the tunic-looking thing he was wearing. To my knowledge, people who wore tunics didn''t wearcargo shorts, but even then I wasn¡¯t sure what the fuck I was seeing. Everything from his hairstyle to his choice of footwear was a little off from what my norm was, buthewas the normal one out of the two. The woman that was with him?


    Don¡¯t get me wrong; a rugged manly-man gets my motor running all the same, but I always did lean towards women, and the woman¡¯s white mane and blue lipstick?Right up my alley.Why her hair was white I didn¡¯t know, but I waswell awareof the fact that it made her look like an ice queen, despite the warmth in her features and the laugh-lines on her cheeks. The woman had a rounded face whereas her companion was all sharp lines and stoicism, her countenance giving me the general feeling that she was just a bit older than me. The man seemed to be a decade my senior at least, but the woman was young enough to have probably gone to school with me. That being said, I don¡¯t know how her leather shorts, hairy legs, and absolutelybananas¡®top¡¯ would go over in a social place like Fleetwood High. I figured that I¡¯d just gotten picked up by some weirdos that lived in the woods, or maybe I¡¯d come across some kindly Jewish hippies that didn¡¯t know that drug-rugs were in this season. At least, I¡¯d thought they were hippies until I saw the sword laying by the woman and the odd, Steampunk-ish gun in the man¡¯s hands. The more I looked at their weapons, the closer I came to being sure that the man¡¯s gun was clockwork and that the woman¡¯s sword had some kind of mechanism to it.


    After I¡¯d been staring at the beautiful people for some time, the man saw that I was looking and pointed at me, laying his hand on his companion¡¯s shoulder. The woman gave me like, three seconds of her attention before she hit the guy and got up from where she was sitting. I waved and she stopped, so I got up and started backing away. There was a rock in my backward path, so I fell over that because why wouldn¡¯t I? Laughter was quickly silenced and I heard feet rapidly approaching me as I set myself up. The man trailed a bit behind the woman when she came to help me, speaking her odd language. I made out ¡®klutz¡¯, ¡®funny¡¯, and ¡®sorry¡¯ out of what she said, so I replied with something along the lines of ¡®I am clumsy, I yogurt waffle walk good.¡¯, which made her laugh some more and ask something. I didn¡¯t know the exact question, but Ididhear the undertone in her voice, so I shrugged and answered in plain English.


    ¡°Miss, I have no idea what you just said.¡±


    Her brows raised. ¡°You are not no-shell Kappa? Not Demon?¡±


    The accent to her words was strange to hear since it was like a combination of French and some South Asian mix that wasn¡¯t¡­influenced, would be a good word I think. It¡¯s like she¡¯d been born with the accent rather than learning multiple languages as I would normally assume, but that mixed with the language she¡¯d been speaking before made no sense. ¡°... Miss, you¡¯re talking over my head. Name¡¯s Gage Gauner.¡± I extended a muddy hand before wiping it off on the grass and offering it again.


    She tilted her head. ¡°Names?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m Gage. Gage Gauner.¡± I looked her in the eye.


    They weren¡¯t contacts. I knew that much. Colored contacts had a certain vibrancy to them. The lady¡¯s eyes were amber, didn¡¯t have the opacity that colored contacts carried, and they had a slight glow to them in the darkening light. I didn¡¯t know if the sun was reflecting off of them strangely or if I was imagining things, but she definitely wasn¡¯t normal. ¡°You are Gage Gauner?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± I repeated, nodding slowly. ¡°[My Hebrew name was Gatian].¡±


    She seemed to have no idea what I was talking about. ¡°You are funny man, Gatian Gage. What Hebrew is?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Evidently not what you speak¡­¡± I replied, my heart thudding in my chest. A hatred for The Queen started bubbling up in my chest and I wondered why British people always had to be evil or magical, because I was looking at two options; I was either going completely and utterly insane, I was dead, or I was on drugs. That¡¯s three options, but I didn¡¯t really consider drugs to be one of the likely ones.


    Being insane didn¡¯t seem too bad if what I was experiencing was it, I might¡¯ve been dead which again wasn¡¯t too bad at the moment, and I didn¡¯t really like drugs, so I scratched that one out seeing as how my worst experiment was alcohol and I didn¡¯t even like the taste of that. I might¡¯ve been a pack a day smoker, but for some odd reason, I had a feeling that there weren¡¯t any gas stations nearby. The longer I looked between the guy and gal that saved my sorry butt from the river the more certain I was that Kansas was a distant memory. Especially since I hadnoclue how natural the white-haired lady¡¯s ¡®do was. In a few seconds of confusion, I worked out the most logical conclusion I could from the evidence I had; The British guy saved me from dying on impact and/or drowning, lived up to his word, forgot to erase my memory, and threw me up on the bottom of some other river. It made sense in a completely bullshit, beginning of a kid-com kinda way.


    Seeing as how the lady had a modest bust and few other endowments other than being super adorable, uwu-wat¡¯s-dis levels of cute, I doubted that I¡¯d made my way into an anime. Being reminded of anime made me cognizant of the fact that I was supposed to be good at something or other, so that made me smile. The grin was received with an odd look from the lady. ¡°Why smile now? Something funny?¡±


    ¡°Do you have an instrument?¡±


    ¡°I do not know that word.¡±


    ¡°And I don¡¯t know your language too terribly good, so there¡¯s that.¡± My mood deflated like a three-day-old balloon. It still had helium, but it was a little squishier now.


    She gave me a sad smile. ¡°You die too?¡±


    That one took me by surprise. ¡°... Yeah? How¡¯d you know?¡±


    ¡°People come from river. [River of Rebirth]. Many of them come of sad, many not leave. You seem like you leave, we go to town.¡± The lady held her index and pinkie finger out, smiling at me. It was like a peace-sign but cuter in a way.


    ¡°... Why people no leave? Er, I mean, why don¡¯t people leave?¡±


    ¡°Some people sad. Sad hard when fail¡­¡± She tilted her head and tapped her cleft chin, making a popping noise with her lips for a few seconds. The loudest pop signaled the end of her brainstorming session along with the bouncing of her braids. ¡°Deaf. Yes, sad when no deaf they seek, so they ask deaf of us. Watchers. [Peace Seekers]. We give peace to sad people so they have rest.¡± Her enunciation was very careful, but even then her accent was incredibly thick. It was also a far sight from hard on the ol¡¯ drums though still difficult to understand.


    I still got the point. ¡°... You kill people who are too sad that they got a second chance?¡±


    The man snorted. ¡°Leos Common isn¡¯t that bad, fool.¡± His accent was also thicker than a tungsten cinder-block, but it was clearer than ¡®Lei-o¡¯s¡¯, as he¡¯d pronounced it. When he spoke, I got a more French-Japanese vibe from his lilt.


    ¡°Your ¡®Common¡¯ sounds a little better, yeah,¡± I replied, giving him a sheepish smile.


    The glare in his silver eyes was enough to make me look back to Leos. She rolled her amber orbs at my terrified expression, patting my shoulder. ¡°He kills in sun. Valen guides in sun. There is sun now.¡±


    ¡°Valen? And guiding to where? ¡°I asked, avoiding the scary man and his hyper-intense eye-contact.


    ¡°Me Valen,¡± ¡®Leos¡¯ said.Apparently,I¡¯d gotten her name wrong. ¡°Me, Valen, guide you to town.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay. That sounds normal,¡± I said, the lack of normalcy evident in the situation to me.


    Valen nodded and beamed. ¡°I am happy you are not sad to deaf! We go before Kaish guides you, yes?¡±


    I almost pointed at the aging man.Almost. ¡°You mean your partner over there?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°... If I don¡¯t go-¡±


    ¡°Oh, no! He guides at night, kill at day. I guide at day, kill at night. I talk more and I am nice. Kaish is schmuck.¡±


    The temptation to chuckle at that was bisected when the guy in question said, ¡°Killing is easier.¡±


    Valen cut him a dull look. ¡°[Lazy Donkey].¡±


    He cracked a smile and rolled his eyes. His next words were evidently only meant for his partner in ¡®peace¡¯ since he didn¡¯t say it in Common, leaving us to go wander into the forest. Valen and I watched him walk for a bit before she grabbed my hand and started leading me in the opposite direction, saying that I was dirty and smelly. I believed her to the fullest. When she suggested that I wash up in what sounded like a holy site, getting clean in the river felt a little ironic. After I got out I felt a lot better for the tepid bath. Valen was happy to dip her toes in the water with an eye on the sun as it took its sweet time in getting lower while I cleaned myself. It¡¯d been a bit since I¡¯d first gotten my bearings, meaning that the realization that everything I¡¯d ever known was long gone and far behind me. While I was casually rinsing pebbles out of my already messy hair, it just hit me like a freight truck out ofnowhere.I went from wishing I had shampoo to wondering if there was even shampoo on the planet to straight-updespair.It knocked the wind out of my lungs and sent me to my knees long enough for Valen to come and shake me out of a stupor.


    ¡°Gatian Gage? Are you sad now?¡± she asked mournfully. ¡°Please not sad now. You were well!¡±


    I wanted to smile at that because she was just really cute for being nearly as tall as me. Forcing yourself to smile releases endorphins in your brain, which is a trick I learned long ago. Implementing it at the moment got me off of my knees with a little help from Valen. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ever going to stop being sad about this one, Val. [This sorrow hurts deep]. But I¡¯m okay, right?¡± I smiled a little wider. ¡°Life¡¯s about making it through the next step with your head as high as you can get it, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    My words garnered another strange gesture from Valen. ¡°You are not sad now! Not be sad. You are clean, so now be happy and we go, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah sure, let¡¯s go.¡±


    She nodded twice and grabbed my right hand, hooking one of her fingers into the band of my watch as he started dragging me out of the river and on to the bank. After a quick shake and jitter to dry myself and my clothes off, we set course for a town named ¡®Rusval¡¯. Valen wouldn¡¯t say anything about it, but she was all too happy to tell me every minute iota of detail about the forest as we got started on the next portion of my journey.


    ¡­ Hmm¡­ I think I¡¯ll stop here. My hand¡¯s getting pretty tired and I kinda wanna read over what I have down. No, Journal, I¡¯m notoglingyou. Don¡¯t make it weird, dude. Thanks for listening though, this has been some great therapy. Or thanks for letting me write on you¡­?


    I¡¯m gonna need some practice at this whole ¡®journaling¡¯ thing.

 Chapter Two: So-So

    So-So


    ¡°So, uh¡­ How many people come through the river?¡± I asked tentatively, the sun finally starting to sink while Valen led me to town.


    ¡°Oh, plenty people come from the river, but few people not deaf after. The town full of people like you!¡± She turned and gave me a bright smile, the vivid light of the sunset cutting through the trees, seemingly setting her hair ablaze.


    I couldn¡¯t stop my heart from throbbing; I¡¯d always been a hopeless romantic. ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah, right. Hey Val-¡±


    ¡°You are a very friendly man, Gatian Gage. Very kind with your word. Words. Wors?¡±


    ¡°Words, but yeah. I try to be nice to people in general.¡±


    She smiled back at me again. ¡°Be careful with words from now, okay Gatian Gage? You kind, but people at whole not kind.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Kidding!¡± Valen giggled. ¡°We day people very pleasant in sun, but we sleep good at moon. When moon, we sad and not nice. When moon people go in sun, they schmucks, but they better in moon.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I have a feeling I¡¯m gonna be a moon guy, honestly.¡±


    ¡°Aww, why you say that!? No, be moon man please!¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m pretty nocturnal- er, I¡¯m more awake when the moon is up.¡±


    She pouted and hunched her shoulders, slowing down a bit. ¡°First River-Man in many daytimes and he Moon Man. Why sad times come now?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Val, don¡¯t get down on yourself. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll see each other some time.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡±


    Her tone was so sorrowful I was almost willing to start groveling, but something hurt inside that made me stop. ¡°... Are you trying to guilt me?¡±


    Valen looked back, frustrated. ¡°Well, [I want a friend]. I don¡¯t know how say that in Common, but you know the words, yes?¡±


    ¡°... I know, but... ¡°


    Alarm crossed her face. ¡°No! Gatian Gage, I not mean you must stay! I just wish you stay!¡±


    I gave her a mild smile. ¡°I don¡¯t make many friends either, to be honest with you.¡±


    ¡°... Maybe we friends from length? Friends when meet again?¡±


    I caught up a bit to lay a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Shoot, Val, you already saved my sorry butt from drowning in mud. I already consider you a friend whether you¡¯re near me or not.¡±


    Valen stopped and spun around, giving me a big, warm hug. She laid her head on my shoulder and the familiar ache started up again; the loneliness and longing for companionship. ¡°You are good man, Gatian. You will be good man for this world.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Valen. I¡­ I honestly appreciate that.¡± I hugged her back, trying not to let my thoughts get away from me.


    She let go and patted my somewhat doughy chest. ¡°We go now, friend. If we not stop by supply place before night, I have to leave and go back to river.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get going, yeah?¡± I gave her a smile I could put my heart behind, aching as it was.


    Don¡¯t get me wrong, I wasn¡¯t exactly desperate for love, but I¡¯d been without Rachel for a couple weeks at that point and dating was never my thing. If it weren¡¯t for Rachel, I¡¯d never have had sex in the first place, and if she didn¡¯t want it, we didn¡¯t have it. I wanted Valen as a casual hook-up, but my inner rational guy told my penis to lie down and stop trying to talk for me. I valued my friends where I could make them and I recognized that I was in no way ready for a relationship, but all the same I still clung to the first person who was nice to me like I always had. It was a little more understandable since I was stranded on a strange world with strange people and no idea what was what, but I still found it pathetic that I clung to my lifeline so fiercely without even really knowing her. I¡¯d always idolized the Gary Stu¡¯s in stories that everyone liked and no one could beat, but there was no way in hell that ¡®Gum Gum Gauner¡¯ was going to climb the social ladder like that.


    I started sucking on my teeth as Valen and I fell silent, the mood ruined for me on our walk. It took me quite a while to notice (Or to even think of it), but my teeth felt a lot more ¡®in place¡¯ than they usually did. Chomping down a couple times and grinding them taught me something interesting; I had all my natural teeth back and they were in perfect condition, minus a cavity on one of my canines. It was an odd thing to be sure, but I couldn¡¯t really complain since it meant I didn¡¯t have to use pine sap or some shit to make my dentures stay in place. After that I took stock of the rest of my body and found that I was mostly okay and that even my aches from earlier were being worked out. I couldn¡¯t feel the tendonitis in my knees or the arthritis in my fingers. There was also no noticeable pain in my back or neck, which had plagued me for a decade or so prior. I was in ship-shape for some odd reason that I attributed to the guy I¡¯m calling The Brit. He must¡¯ve taken a real shine to me if he¡¯d cleared me of so many medical maladies, leaving me more than just grateful for his kindness. It¡¯s always been my thing to pay someone pack as soon as possible and with more than what they gave me, but having a second chance at life kinda topped all of that. Maybe I¡¯d make the guy a sweater?


    After sharing my revelations and good news with Valen, she let me know that she was going to have to leave me at the supply depot and trade places with Kaish soon enough. It wasn¡¯t an attractive prospect, but I understood that being on the killing floor for so long tends to turn people into worse Humans than they were before. Once we got to the depot and I managed to get a good look at it I was sure and certain that whoever had built the bunker-looking place was completely and utterly out of their minds. The walls bowed outward as if they were about to collapse at any moment, seemingly made of some kind of woody-plastic material. There seemed to be grain in the siding, but it also had a plastic-like sheen to it that told me that I wasn¡¯t looking at something from a tree. The windows in the place were also curved to fit the walls, and the roof on top of the structure was something else entirely. I liked architecture well enough to be into some of the crazier things that people came up with, but I could never get drunk enough to actually understand how the building was still held up, four walls be damned. Even as I examined the moss and lichens covering the lower parts of the wall, I had no idea what to expect from that point forward. Anything I¡¯d previously thought of was seven seas away in a dinghy under the water near the bottom of an ocean.


    Valen led the way inside with a spring to her step and a bounce to a certain part of her anatomy that I scolded myself for looking at on a friend. My thoughts were trailing further and further off the road I wanted them on and seemed to be playing in the dirty, leaf-ridden gutters that they had no business being in. Between Kaish and Valen, I was in a small amount of discomfort that I hid well, as far as I knew. Val didn¡¯t seem to notice any of the times I snuck a glance against my better judgement while she was rifling through bins and cabinets to put together a proper pack for me. Food, a knife, a shortbow, and a few other camping/hunting essentials went into the bag, but then Val stopped out of nowhere and caught me looking at her bottom while she was bent over. The look on her face worried me more than it probably should have, but considering that I was alone in the forest with a woman that had a sword and killed people in the moonlight? Er, at night? Well, maybe my concern was warranted. I was soon to find out since Valen caught me again and actually turned all the way around to look at me.


    ¡°Gatian, why you look at me and no look for supply?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t expecting to get off the hook that easily, but I was still on the spot. ¡°... Because I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m looking for? Or how to use half of the stuff your putting in the bag.¡±


    She narrowed her eyes and glanced down, making me glad I¡¯d adjusted myself earlier. ¡°... Sad people get second chance. Some sad people not think about what second chance means.¡±


    I looked down and regretted thinking that the particular avenue I¡¯d had in mind was clear. A step was taken in a backwards direction while my hands covered my privates. ¡°Um... ¡°


    Valen eased up. ¡°Keep eyes in friend places, not lover places.¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    She nodded. ¡°All good, Gatian Gage. Valen was attacked before by River-Woman. She take Valen by surprise. Valen not get surprised again.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± I said, a little offended, ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything to you I wouldn¡¯t want done to me. I¡¯m sure you have lady parts down there and I don¡¯t, so I can¡¯t do to you what I would want done to me because you don¡¯t have the stuff for it.¡±


    That shocked her a little. ¡°You like men?¡±


    ¡°... And women?¡±


    Valen¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Greedy man! You greedy man!¡±


    ¡°Gr-Greedy?¡± I stammered, worried again.


    She marched over to me and jammed a finger in my chest. ¡°You not [have sex with] man! You man! You pick now and stick!¡±


    Now that was something I couldn¡¯t abide by. ¡°Val, I think you¡¯re overstepping-¡±


    ¡°No, you pick! Not be greedy man!¡±


    I folded my arms and glared at her. ¡°Well, what if I fall in love with a man?¡±


    She threw her arms up. ¡°How you baby-make with man!?¡±


    ¡°Clean the exit zone, duh.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t expecting to get slapped. I was also not expecting Valen to start outright beating me like I peed on her carpet. She didn¡¯t hit hard, but she was obviously frustrated. ¡°Bad Gatian! Bad, bad, bad! Stop think of men and think of girls!¡±


    I shoved her off. ¡°You act like I can just control who I want! It¡¯s not a choice, you narrow-minded muff-cheese!¡±


    Valen pointed another finger at me. ¡°No man-love-man allowed in forest! You leave!¡±


    ¡°Wai- what!? Val, I thought we were friends!¡± My heart broke, but only a small piece fell off. To have made a friend and lost the same one in the same day, let alone because of something I couldn''t help. ¡°Friends don¡¯t abandon each other over stuff like this!¡±


    She shook her head, lip curling and everything. ¡°You leave Valen¡¯s forest. Gatian Gage not welcome here now.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help the tears in my eyes, but I could stop them from falling. ¡°Fine. Guess I¡¯ll strike it out on my own.¡±


    ¡°You not by self. You carry Demon in you.¡±


    That¡­ Those words hurt more than being straight up rejected by my only friend because I was halfway gay. ¡°... Good luck, Val.¡±


    ¡°Not call me Val.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever.¡±


    I got going since I never have seen the point in staying somewhere I wasn¡¯t wanted. Yeah, the rejection burned after Valen had been so kind to me, but to a point I expected spite in some form from everyone I meet. When you mess up as much as I do, it¡¯s not hard to see where they¡¯re coming from, and when Valen turned me away? The River Man wanted to go back and ask for a little peace, but it¡¯s not like I wanted to die. It just hurt inside and I hated feeling like that. It was such a common thing that I almost just shrugged it off, but something in my gut told me that I should take it to heart and learn from it. No, that didn¡¯t mean that I suddenly thought being bisexual was wrong or some crap like that. It just meant that I was going to hide it from anyone I came across. I mean, I preferred girls anyway since most of them tend to live up to the whole ¡®fairer sex¡¯ thing, but that didn¡¯t mean that I was on the look out for a new squeeze, main or not. I¡¯d done a lot better with Rachel in my life, but thinking of her made my heart hurt as I walked and I doubted even further whether or not I needed a new gal so soon.


    While I was heading in the same general direction Valen been taking me, I was lost in thought, doing more reflection than I¡¯d done in the past ten years in the past twenty-four hours to help myself get a grip on my emotional state. I basically surmised that I was aching for love, desperate for companionship, and otherwise just a sad, lonely little fuckball. It didn¡¯t help that I probably still counted as a walking doormat. That wasn¡¯t my proudest moment, but the more I thought about the life I had lived before, the more I thought about the life I could live now. Sure, Gage Gauner was a timid guy with a taste for both sexes and a tendency to mess everything up, but what if Gatian stepped up to the plate and started putting his best foot forward? Where Gage would have cowered at Valen¡¯s cruel turn, Gatian would swear at her and make her feel bad! Maybe even throw a punch or two! It was invigorating to get myself under control and see a change that I needed to make. Being a meaner guy might actually get me somewhere instead of being a nice, chubby rug like I usually was, so I dropped Gage where he stood and invited Gatian to the party. Gatian Gauner. Gatian. How¡¯d that sound, Booksy? Kinda feels right, doesn¡¯t it?


    In any case, Gatian Gauner finally managed to get his head out of his butt as well as out of the funk he was in. At least temporarily. It wasn¡¯t even that I had a hard time getting out since there was just too much for me to be excited about, like my art and skill. Apparently, two moons with light to see by hung overhead that I didn¡¯t notice until I caught a break in the canopy. I just walked as slow as molasses and took my sweet time in the forest, enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells. For a place that seemed awfully similar to Earth, in the nightly light I could see that even the leaves of the trees looked odd. For the meantime, I was stuck in a place with a lot of trees, many pieces of deadfall, and plenty of animal noises to break the forest crunk. Speaking of, that song was playing through my mind after I likened the sounds of my new environment to a trippy Aes-type beat and it was pretty fitting. There was also a big, dark-furred creature that roared at me when I was pretty sure that I could see the edge of the forest. It gave me plenty of impetus to run so I made better time than I could have, all things considered. I don¡¯t know exactly how long I spent in the woods before I started running or after for that matter, but I do know that I ran friggin¡¯ fast. For all the time I wasted or saved, it¡¯s not like any of it really mattered. There was sunlight by the time I got to the outskirts of town without much to my name other than chapped legs and chafed buttcheeks, though I have to say that the exhaustion was a pretty good part of it. I still held my head high up until I picked a cobblestone wall and let the smooth rocks on the side massage my back as I slid down. For once in my life I actually enjoyed blacking out because it didn¡¯t feel like I was suffocating so much as just falling asleep in a noticible way.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    When I woke up, I wasn¡¯t against a wall. Nope, I was on a bed made of cloth and some kind of stuffing in a room with electricity. At least, I thought that was what was making the light shine. Upon cloiser inspection, the thing actually appeared to be floating a little bit away from the wall, it¡¯s pale blue glow illuminating the room I was in. The place had some nice windows that also let in light, but what I could see told me that I¡¯d slept a lot longer than I¡¯d intended. The rest of the room was vaguely reminiscent of a hospital/hospice room in the way that there were screen-like devices on wheeled rods that changed slightly every few seconds. I could make out a heart-beat monitor that used slightly rounded lines, but I couldn¡¯t read it beyond the usual numbers. Even then they still looked different, like someone with a heavy shake to their hand had written them quickly to try and keep them as neat as possible. The longer I stared at the monitor, the clearer the simple surprise became; it was in my own nearly illegible, mostly unintelligible handwriting.


    I thought that was odd but it¡¯s not like I had any reason to think that whatever planet I was on wasn¡¯t magical. I mean, The Brit said it himself (Though why I remember him saying it, I don''t know.) that I was going to get a superpower or something, so why wouldn¡¯t the rest of the world have magic? It only made sense. Still, even the allure of possible magic in the world around me fell flat when no one came to check up on me. I examined the room, taking in the plain, cut-stone walls that were sparsely decorated with murals. Other than the windows and a few pretty, happy pictures, there wasn¡¯t much going on where I found myself. Instead of staying in bed, I figured I¡¯d get up and see if there was indoor plumbing in the weird world I¡¯d ended up on. My luck finally gave me something to work with on the first go when I tried a door that lead me to a bathroom-looking place. The toilet was weirder than the Yankovich, but it was obviously a potty nonetheless. The copper monstrosity looked like it was either going to explode, burn my already aching cheeks, or be colder than a witch¡¯s heart. My need to use the restroom overtook my fear of being blown up, scalded, and/or frozen, making me sit down and hope that I¡¯d figured out the flushing thing well enough to get it right again. My business was completed in record time (Probably because I was scared of the john) and flushing had never been more¡­ Well, frightening, but I¡¯m not a pussy, I swear!


    The toilet worked as it was probably intended and I took the time to close the back of my gown. The second I completed tying it back outside of the bathroom, the only other door in the room opened and a ginger guy walked through. His big belly, red cheeks, and bushy beard gave him the air of a lumberjack, but with his reflective tuxedo jacket and combat pants, I was a little less than sure about the fellow. I gave him a little wave and he pointed at me, nodded, and left. I tried to follow him only to find that the door was locked. There was a point where I considered climbing out of the window since I was on the first floor, but it¡¯s not like I knew what was going on, and the people had assumedly helped me while I was down. It would¡¯ve been rude to just up and bolt after they helped me out so I took a seat on the bed and waited.


    And waited.


    And waited.


    There was a lot of waiting involved. The main thing I noticed was that I wasn¡¯t getting hungry, thirsty, or tired, even as the daylight faded and the moonlight came to pass as well. By the time the next ginger came in, I was thoroughly bored and had used plenty of toilet paper. The lady was thin unlike the last fellow, and her cheeks actually held freckles instead of just being bright fucking red like a Pikachu¡¯s. She was more of a Pichu in that regard, seeing as how she couldn¡¯t have been over four-and-a-half feet tall or above a hundred and ten pounds. She was a waif of a woman At least I thought. Her sallow cheeks were a little unnerving.) and not my type in the slightest, even with her surprisingly full chest. I¡¯d always been a thigh man anyway. The woman greeted me with a smile, a plastic-looking clipboard in her hand and a stylus in the other, her braided hair thrown over her shoulder. The locks went down to her navel at least, but her smile was definitely the main event. The gal¡¯s smile lit up the room in the early morning, even more so than the sun and I found that to be charming like no other. Not alluring; charming. Gatian Gauner doesn¡¯t fall for every girl who flashes him the pearly whites.


    When she started to speak, I already had a feeling that her accent was going to be radically different from Valen¡¯s and Kaish¡¯s. I was not mistaken. ¡°Why hello there! You were in quite the sorry state when they found ya out on the barn, don¡¯tcha know?¡±


    The soda was so mini. ¡°... Yeah, pissed off my guide to the town.¡±


    Don¡¯t get me wrong; I¡¯m generally not one to judge just on appearances and face value, but the Minnesotan accent? Killer. ¡°Oh, why don¡¯tcha think ya oughta be nicer ta folks who make peace? It¡¯s only polite!¡±


    I offered up a weak smile. ¡°Yeah¡­ So¡­ Um¡­¡±


    She smiled back knowingly. ¡°You¡¯re in Rusval, friend! Welcome to the home of everyone and no one! You¡¯re welcome to stay as long as ya need!¡±


    Nodding, I went to get up, but the lady quickly waved me back down. ¡°Right. So¡­ Where specifically am I?¡±


    ¡°Room eleven!¡±


    ¡°... Eleven. Mhm. What¡­ Uh¡­ Place? What place am I?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an odd one, aren¡¯tcha?¡±


    ¡°I swear it¡¯s a part of the charm.¡± I blew out a little chuckle and shook my head, getting hit by the fact that I was alone all over again while the lady crossed the room. She took some notes from the monitor when I decided to ask, ¡°Say, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    She spared me a glance. ¡°Me? I¡¯m Emilia with an ¡®E¡¯, don¡¯tcha know? I¡¯m your doctor.¡±


    ¡°I figured that much. Not your name, but the doctor part. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Emilia with an ¡®E¡¯.¡±


    My doctor grinned some more. ¡°And you¡¯re ¡®Gat-ee-yin Gahn-er¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Gay-shun Gow-ner, but yeah, that¡¯s me. How do you do?¡±


    Her brows furrowed. ¡°That¡¯s an odd phrase. Are you one of the River People?¡± I was about to say yes when her heart broke on her sleeve. ¡°Oh you poor thing! I just knew you had to be one of the dead ones!¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°Mmm, people on this planet sure are blunt.¡±


    She blushed. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, I wasn¡¯t trying to¡­ Well¡­ I¡¯m sorry in any case¡­¡±


    I waved her worries aside. ¡°Stating facts is fine, Doc. It¡¯s not like you were trying to be mean.¡±


    Emilia sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not that I was mean so much as dull-tongued. River People are so sensitive¡­¡±


    That was funny. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    Her brows raised along with the clouds that had come in over her mood. ¡°You mean you¡¯re not pressing charges?¡±


    Booksy, that woman literally said ¡®pressing charges¡¯. For being blunt. Or should I say insensitive? The latter works better. ¡°... Are you saying I could have you arrested for being mean to me, or for laying out the facts in a way that was kinda cold?¡±


    ¡°... Well, it depends on the Judician, but yeah¡­¡± She started looking worried again, steepling her fingers.


    ¡°Emilia, I swear to you, I will never have anyone arrested just for being mean to me. That¡¯s sooo petty I almost literally can¡¯t even like a sixteen-year-old right now.¡±


    She hugged me when I finished speaking. ¡°Oh, you River People are so hit-or-miss, don¡¯tcha know? Why, my sister works here and had one of ya just tease her to tears!¡±


    I chuckled and patted her back, letting her hold onto me and pull away at the same time. The intimacy of the distance and the moment were both clearly lost on her. ¡°You¡¯re short.¡±


    Doctor Shrimp blinked. ¡°... Well, yeah. Most of us Sotans are.¡±


    ¡°Sotan?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± She pointed at her braid. ¡°Red hair and red cheeks for the boyos, red hair and freckles for us gals. We¡¯re pretty short and smart, but the Choret¡¯s that guard the river make up for what we lack.¡±


    ¡°... Sotans and Chorets are races?¡±


    ¡°Mhmm! Your guide was probably a female Choret, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, regular daylight-devil.¡± I said bitterly.


    Emilia let me go. ¡°... Would you mind telling me what happened?¡±


    ¡°She thought I liked men or something and I took a joke a little too far.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°Well, homosexuality is pretty disgusting¡­¡±


    I wanted to slap the bitch, but it just seemed to be the way the world worked here. ¡°Right? I mean, I don¡¯t see how women want men, but you all will do as you do.¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± The Good Doctor patted my pecker presumptuously. ¡°Just let the ladies handle the lumber business and you¡¯ll be right as rain, don¡¯tcha know?¡±


    I really wanted to slap the bitch, but it wouldn¡¯t serve me any good later on. ¡°Say, how many of the River People turn out to be Homos?¡±


    ¡°Some, not all. They usually don¡¯t make it past their guide, thankfully. Well, ¡®least not in Gerritt. Which is where you are. Further north on the banks, those backdoor-demons get away with it, but not this far east.¡± Emilia smiled and shook her head, giving me a hug as she rubbed her head against my chest. I got nuzzled by a stranger. A homophobic stranger at that. ¡°Say, you wouldn¡¯t happen to be in the mood, would ya? We have some fine ladies that offer extra services to River Men.¡±


    ¡­ I don¡¯t even know how to really describe how I feel about prostitution, paid or unpaid. On one hand, people have to make a living, but on the other, it was unhealthy and a very unsafe practice. That being said, hospital-funded fun sounded nice, and I doubted I was going to get laid any other way. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to decline, sorry. I prefer to put in a little effort for that kind of thing.¡±


    What? Maybe I prefer a little connection before coitus. Sue me.


    ¡°I like you. Say, did you get to pick a skill?¡±


    I felt like I¡¯d just woken up for a second. ¡°... Huh, I did.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯d ya pick? You River Folk are so lucky to get something you¡¯re just automatically good at!¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ I picked talking to people,¡± I said softly, my shyness batting me over the head like it did any time I actually had something to be proud of in the slightest. However, it¡¯s not like I was proud of being able to pick any skill in the entire world and picking one of the most useless things available¡­ Better than underwater basket-weaving, I guess.


    Emilia leaned in and got on her tiptoes to bring her ear closer to my word-source. ¡°Hmm? Ya gotta speak up, Mr. Gatian, even if ya picked somethin¡¯ silly.¡±


    My face felt hotter than a cast iron skillet on an open flame. ¡°... I said¡­ Talking to¡­ Y¡¯know¡­¡±


    Her eyes lit up. ¡°You can talk to animals!?¡±


    I had to laugh at that, especially her reaction. ¡°Well, not quite. I wanted the Gift of Gab.¡±


    She stared at me like I¡¯d said ¡®I picked pink powers to prettify myself on command! Sparkles!¡¯ or something of the sort. ¡°... You¡­ Just wanted to talk to people? Were you mute before?¡±


    ¡°... Now that I think about it, we haven¡¯t had a real misunderstanding yet, nor have I with anyone else. I think it¡¯s already working.¡± I grinned to myself.


    ¡°So you were just bad at talking?¡±


    ¡°Rather mush-mouthed.¡±


    ¡°... Wow. You can pick anything in the world and you pick the thing half the world doesn''t want men to do.¡±


    ¡°... Is there-¡±


    ¡°River Folk call it sexism and misandry, but I just call it keepin¡¯ the chaff from the wheat, don¡¯tcha know?


    ¡°Well that sucks.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯ll get used to it. It¡¯s not like most of ya don¡¯t get special treatment anyway.¡±


    ¡°Fair point, I guess. So why am I here again?¡±


    ¡°Because ya didn¡¯t have a kit on ya and we thought ya were a lost adventurer. If we¡¯d known ya were a River Man, we woulda sent¡¯cha to the lodge, don¡¯tcha know?¡±


    ¡°No, actually. You have a lodge for people like me?¡±


    ¡°Yup! Rusval¡¯s pretty friendly to the River People. Go to Chorell or Thesuvia and you¡¯re in for a different story, though. Well, if ya do stuff you¡¯re not supposed ta, that is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing folks ¡®round there hump each other¡¯s butts and hate me?¡±


    ¡°Basically. Sure do catch on quick, dont¡¯cha?¡±


    ¡°I try. So¡­ What do most people in my situation do?¡±


    ¡°Nail one of the kind ladies who offer like a stubborn piece ¡®a wood!¡± She beamed.


    ¡°If I ask you a question-¡±


    ¡°Aww, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d go there!¡±


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean any offense!¡±


    Emilia started tearing up, her violet eyes filling quickly. ¡°H-How could you think that of me?¡±


    I nearly froze. Gage would¡¯ve frozen. Gatian? Gatian was Alpha enough to turn it around, so that¡¯s what I tried to do. ¡°What are you saying, Emilia? Do those women not deserve the same respect as any other? Aren¡¯t they just trying to provide a certain kind of comfort?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t expecting her to just blink and give me a bland look. ¡°You sure aren¡¯t much for Avalesch flirting, are you?¡±


    Dumbfounded wasn¡¯t the word. ¡°... You were flirting with me.¡± Was that even a question.


    She tapped the monitor next to my bed. ¡°This here says you¡¯re a real good Silver Tongue, but you haven¡¯t tried anything. I¡¯ve just been trying to read you and I must say you are quite the pickle. Mister Pickle.¡±


    Gage would apologize. Gatian would roll with it. ¡°Are you asking for my pickle or are you messing with me? Because I honestly can¡¯t figure it out.¡±


    Emilia sighed. ¡°You¡¯re a sweet guy, Mister Pickle. Why¡¯d you go and do something as awful as dying on purpose?¡±


    ¡°... Uh¡­ I was heartbroken and soon to be destitute or something like that. I don¡¯t really remember, nor do I care. It¡¯s in the past.¡±


    ¡°... What do ya want out of this second chance, Gatian? What¡¯s the plan.¡± She asked seriously, her tone reminding me of Dad¡¯s when he asked why I wasn¡¯t going to college. Or finishing high school.


    It took a good few minutes to come up with an answer for that and in those minutes, I came up with a lot of viable, but incorrect assumptions. I¡¯d assumed that I wanted to just be happy and maybe finish the life I¡¯d already had, but there was something else in my center, something that had been aching at me at the smallest mention of home or what I¡¯d lost. Wanderlust stroked my heartstrings and a need for adventure slapped me across both sets of cheeks for extra effect. It was the same thing that had driven me to ¡®Frisco in the first place, and the thing that had carried me through the miles upon miles of trails in the Golden Gate Park. As I¡¯d mentioned before, J-Man, I¡¯d been around the world for various reasons, whether for vacation or to just waste some of my parents money (I was spoiled a little. At least I¡¯m not a prick.), which equates to just sating the wanderlust I was feeling at the moment. From there, I built on my ideas and grew them into something more, something that I could see myself doing. Again, it took time for me to finally see whaT I really wanted to do beyond just ¡®make the most of it¡¯, which was something I had a feeling I should¡¯ve done earlier. Still, I eventually came to my conclusion and was¡­ Not happy. Happy¡¯s the wrong word. Determined, I think. I felt determined to succeed this time.


    ¡°... I want to become the world¡¯s objectively best musician. I want people to hear my songs and try for decades to reproduce what I make. I want to be the best there ever was, and I want to show everyone I can be just that.¡± I nodded a few times, looking down at my folded hands. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be who I was on Earth. I can¡¯t be that guy anymore. I may not have been miserable, but I wasn¡¯t happy living like I was. I think¡­ I think it¡¯s time to start busting balls for what I want. Take the opportunities in front of me instead of ask for them. I think it¡¯s time that Gum Gum Gauner got a pair of fuckin¡¯ nuts and started living life to the fullest.¡± I turned my gaze back to Emilia, seeing her lack of a smile. ¡°I can¡¯t live my life as the shy house-mouse I used to be. I need to get out and about and be the man I always could have been, even if that means a little extra blood in my sweat and tears. This has to be where I get my boots up, Emilia. It has to be.¡±


    She nodded a couple of times, the mood turned somber. ¡°Then I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll last too long here, Gatian.¡±


    ¡°... Why¡¯s that?¡±


    Emilia looked me dead in the eye and said, ¡°The people of Avalesce are notoriously harsh music critics. If you make a bad song, it won¡¯t just be tomatoes flying at¡¯cha.¡±


    ¡°Tough tacos. I¡¯m doing this.¡±


    She cracked a smile at that. ¡°I don¡¯t know what a taco is, but I¡¯m sure you have the toughest one.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a taco, nor do you, technically. Anyway, is there any¡­ um¡­ Well, anything for me to get started on that?¡±


    ¡°Eeyup. There¡¯s a River Folk center over in Luval and a bigger one in Tidrel, but that¡¯s about it for the ones in Gerritt.¡±


    ¡°Is this a country or a state?¡±


    ¡°Gerritt is the second most racially diverse, second most religious, and the first and best metal-working province in Avalesce. Rusval, Luval, and Tidrel are all cities and towns here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so can you tell me more about¡­ Um¡­¡±


    Emilia smiled, a certain gleam to her eye. ¡°Well, if ya promise not to fall asleep as soon as you step out of the room, we¡¯ll go over just about everything you need to know.¡±


    ¡°I have the funniest feeling that I won¡¯t really have control over that.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t. I¡¯ll have to grab you a wheelie, but I really just needed to check and make sure that you weren¡¯t a native. You¡¯re obviously not a native.¡±


    I tipped an imaginary hat to her. ¡°Astute observation, malady.¡±


    ¡°Did you just call me an ailment?¡±


    ¡°¡®Milady¡¯ has a bad context on Earth,¡± I said truthfully, not quite lying.


    ¡°Ah, I see. Well, let me go grab you that wheelie and we¡¯ll start talking when you wake up. How¡¯s that sound, pumpkin?¡±


    ¡°Are you calling me pumpkin ¡®cause I¡¯m fat?¡± I asked, mocking irritation quite well by my standard.


    The Doc looked like she was about to say yes before she caught herself. ¡°I call every Human ¡®round these parts pumpkin. Just like most Sotans, don¡¯tcha know?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re shitting me, right?¡±


    ¡°... Ah! I forgot you River People lived on a planet as the only sapient folk. Musta been real lonely.¡±


    ¡°Not with eight billion others, no.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m- you said eight billion?¡±


    ¡°Yeah? How many people live on this planet?¡±


    ¡°... Avalon, Septural¡¯s World Council, started doing census¡¯ in eighty-eighty: nearly a hundred years ago. Even before the Decimative Wars that put for all intents and purposes half the world into the Dark Times during it and the rest after it was over, there were only around a billion people on Septural.¡±


    ¡°What about the non-human races? Were they counted too?¡±


    Emilia looked like I¡¯d asked her what her shoe size was in Chinese. ¡°... Why would they be? You act like-¡± She paused. ¡°How in the sweet name of buttered cobble-pops did I forget you were a River Man? I¡¯d lose my head if it wasn¡¯t screwed on sometimes!¡± She laughed like a person with half her intelligence and I suddenly got very worried about my general safety and the sanctity of my bottom.


    ¡°Right. So about my clothes-¡±


    ¡°Oh, when you get assigned a Companion, they¡¯ll likely help you pick more native-friendly clothes. As for now it just so happens to be nap time, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re gonna start with a no and continue on to a ¡®I need an adult¡¯.¡±


    ¡°What kind of need?¡±


    ¡°Stop that!¡±


    She frowned. ¡°Not taking jokes too well are we?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m freaking out but I am and you¡¯re not helpin-¡± Emilia slapped me. ¡°That only works in stories!¡±


    ¡°Oh. It usually works anyway.¡±


    I grabbed a pillow from the bed and started whacking her with it, practically batting the gal around while she giggled her head off. ¡°Stop! Being! So! Casual!¡±


    ¡°Stop being so silly and I might!¡±


    I threw the pillow back onto the bed and clutched my hair. It took me a few seconds to realize what was happening, but when I realized there was spit drying on my face fresh from the tongue of a ginger I wiped it off. ¡°Did you just lick me?¡±


    ¡°Well, slapping you didn¡¯t work and you River Folk are always so hung up on that mogonomy thing, so yes. You betcha. Woulda just given ya a peck to see if that worked, but you seem fine now.¡±


    I pursed my lips. ¡°Is it naptime now?¡±


    ¡°Let me grab that wheelie for ya.¡± Emilia gave me a final smile and a wink. I came to the conclusion that she was insane shortly after she left and bid myself a good day because there was simply no other option that made sense.


    About ten minutes later, Emilia came in with yet another ginger and together they started wheeling me out of my room in the wheelchair they¡¯d brought. I saw something that looked almost like a nurse¡¯s station before everything started aching like I¡¯d just gotten a good workout, my eyes steadily growing heavier as we went along.


    Hm¡­ I feel like I should include waking up to meet my ¡®companion¡¯ and my ¡®partner¡¯, but that can wait. How ya feelin¡¯, Booksy? I think I¡¯m getting the hang of this journaling thing, what do you say? Oh shit, right. Can¡¯t say anything. Book. My bad, J-Man, but it was good talking to you. Maybe we¡¯ll pick up later tonight?

 Chapter Three: Doting Bird

    Doting Bird


    I don¡¯t actually know how long it took me to wake up from the induced nap, but I do know that I felt amazing when I woke up and smelled the toast. I like buttered toast more than I logically should, so when I sat up from the new bed I was in and immediately saw toast on a plate being held by someone things were looking pretty great. Then I looked up at the person holding the plate and wondered if my groin had already been aching or if I¡¯d just gotten that aroused that fast. The silver-haired, blue eyed bombshell in front of me was damn near Rachel¡¯s twin sister, just with different features. Their figures were damn near identical with both of them sharing the same eye-shape as well. My heart beat faster and slower in turns, skipping beats left and right as I tried to get a grip on myself. Sadness hit and elation swallowed it, both of them eating each other like a pair of cannibal lesbians with too much MDMA and time on their hands. Though I feel like there wasn¡¯t a better analogy I possibly could have come up with, I still feel dirty for it, so ignore that, Booksy.


    She gave me the most gentle, warmest smile I¡¯d probably ever seen, her teeth stained from either tea or coffee. It didn¡¯t detract or distract from her sheer magnificence though. Actually, it just reminded me of Rachel¡¯s ever-wonderful assortment of teas and my own fondness for both beverages, making me already feel a bit closer to her. I offered up a shy, bashful smile that pretty much summed up how I felt and sat up, not knowing what to say. Gage was resting from the craziness that was going on, and Gatian (The guy I was trying to be) had no idea what to make of the silver fox. She set the tray of food down across my lap and took a step back, looking a little nervous as she (Most likely) subconsciously shook a lock of hair over one of her eyes. Her silver locks were different from most that I¡¯d seen in my time in Gerritt as they were free-flowing for the most part, only tied at the ends by a loose-ish band that seemed to be made of rough-spun linen that wasn¡¯t quite what it seemed. Her hands folded in front of her as I took in everything I could see about her and I couldn¡¯t help but notice that her hands were neither small nor large, but that her fingers were thin and slender as if she were a writer or some sort of accountant. I couldn¡¯t tell from just her hands, but the paint on her nails assured me that she was in some trade that didn¡¯t require heavy-lifting and/or much use of her hands.


    I moved my gaze slowly onto her arms, seeing a surprising amount of definition in her forearms and triceps that were mirrored in her thighs and calves when I actually took the time to notice them. It only took a few seconds for me to recognize that I couldn''t tear my eyes away from dem legs tho. Yes, I know it¡¯s odd to find lesser erogenous zones more attractive than the main events, but I couldn¡¯t help that a thick, muscular pair of thighs with the tiniest bit of extra upon them kept my attention better than a loaded gun. I managed to stop staring at her tights or whatever they were long enough to glance at her chest, shake my head at her somewhat generous endowments, and meet her eye. She herself was examining me in turn from what I could tell, her smile wavering quickly.


    There was little I could do to stop myself from trying to break the ice with, ¡°... Hi, I¡¯m Carl.¡±


    Her smile fell completely. ¡°Carl?¡±


    The accent to her words was the same as Valen¡¯s, doing even more to make my feelings blitz brick walls, splattering themselves over everything in the vicinity. Gatian needed to get his head out of the sunless spot, and quick. ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m sorry, my name¡¯s not Carl. I-I¡­ Well, I think that was supposed to be a joke.¡± My grin was more like a grimace, but it was how I was feeling at the moment in all honesty.


    The blue-eyed woman smiled again, warmth in her eyes and in her laughter. ¡°Oh, I was quite worried for a second! It would not do for us to get mixed up, would it?¡±


    From the first word out of her mouth, I just felt so¡­ At ease, around her. Beaming at her, I chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it would. My name¡¯s actually Gatian Gauner, and that one¡¯s not a joke.¡±


    ¡°I know, Gatian. My name is Stellara Inova.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Stellara.¡±


    Another easy smile crossed her lips. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Mister Gatian. I am- Oh! I have already said my name, have I not?¡±


    ¡°Stellara Inova?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I am your Partner, Stellara Inova. It is a great honor to assist you, River Man.¡± She started to incline her head.


    ¡°Wait-wait-wait-stop!¡± She stood up straight as I blurted out my request. ¡°Please, you don¡¯t have to do this if you don¡¯t want to. I know there¡¯s some sort of thing Avalescians-¡±


    ¡°W-We are the Gertts of Avalesce, yes, though I am not necessarily one of them...¡± Stellara interrupted cautiously. ¡°A-Am I not to your liking?¡±


    What? ¡°What? What do you mean?¡±


    Stellara tilted her head. ¡°Am I not a suitable Partner for you?¡±


    ¡°W-Well¡­ I can¡¯t really say yes or no because I don¡¯t know you.¡±


    ¡°That is true, but do you not find me suitable to be by your side?¡±


    What did I just say? ¡°... I¡­ I just don''t wanna force anyone-¡±


    ¡°Oh, no! We Partners are all volunteers. We are compensated very well for assisting River Folk.¡± She waved my worries aside, giving me an easy smile.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Well¡­ Um... ¡°


    ¡°Another partner can still be assigned to you¡­¡± She trailed off, obviously meaning something with her words.


    ¡°What happens if you don''t get compensation for helping me?¡±


    Stellara¡¯s sorrow hit me hard, the tears in her eyes telling me so much more than she would say. ¡°... We are not allowed to speak on that subject. What happens to us is no concern of the River Folk¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a concern to me,¡± I barked, feeling angry for her. ¡°Stellara, is someone going to hurt you if I don¡¯t take you with me wherever I go?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re with me from now on,¡± I said with finality. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you safe, Stellara. No one¡¯s going to lay a finger on you under my watch.¡±


    She bit her lip. ¡°... What does that mean to you, if I may ask?¡±


    ¡°It means I just got myself a new friend, I think.¡±


    Her eyes widened as her jaw lowered slightly. ¡°... Friend?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what a partner is, right? A close friend?¡±


    ¡°... Maybe in your River World. Partner does not mean friend here.¡±


    It hit me. ¡°... You¡¯re my slave, aren¡¯t you?¡± Stellara nodded, her beautiful blue eyes filled with acceptance and a tinge of hope. ¡°Nah. I¡¯m too black to own slaves. That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s beneath me.¡±


    ¡°I- I beg your pardon?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t take someone¡¯s freedom from them in good conscience, but if it helps you more than it hurts you¡­ Still, owning someone¡­ That¡¯s so far beneath me and what I¡¯m willing to do.¡±


    ¡°I am very confused right now, but I am guessing that you do not plan on giving me your children?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t like kids?¡±


    Stellara looked offended. ¡°You do not like children?¡±


    ¡°... No?¡±


    ¡°... So you will not choose me for procreation. I accept this.¡± She nodded.


    ¡°I mean, I kinda just met you so¡­¡±


    She tilted her head. ¡°Did you not feel the spark?¡±


    My face lit up bright red, not knowing what to say. Again. ¡°Sp-Spark?¡±


    ¡°Are you not attracted to me?¡±


    ¡°...¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say to that.


    ¡°Are you- Are you blushing because I am correct?¡±


    ¡°I-I-I-¡±


    ¡°Oh, River Folk do not have Love upon Looking, do you?¡±


    ¡°... Y-You mean l-l-love at first s-sight?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°... You look a lot like my ex wife, Stellara. I¡­ I hate to make things awkward, but-¡±


    ¡°Gatian, I assure you that I will be a better Partner than your wife was in her own duties.¡± Stellara nodded sharply, her wavy silver locks bouncing as she did. ¡°Your wife may look like me, but she is not me.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to imply that you two were anything alike other than¡­ Well, being shaped the same.¡±


    Now it was her turn to blush. ¡°O-Oh¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°You look a lot nicer than she did.¡±


    Stellara¡¯s smile was not genuine by any meaning of the word. ¡°Ah. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Stellara, I¡­ I¡¯m making a mess of this first impression, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°I have met worse people.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m not one of-¡±


    ¡°You are already one of the better ones,¡± She said softly.


    ¡°Oh. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°... Gatian, are you hungry?¡±


    I looked at my breakfast. ¡°I should probably eat.¡±


    ¡°That was not a yes.¡±


    ¡°I know. I don''t really get hungry very often, I just eat a lot when I do.¡±


    ¡°How odd. Is there anything I can do for you?¡±


    ¡°Can you keep me company for a little bit? And tell me where we are?¡±


    ¡°I can do both! We are currently in the Recovery Wing of Joad¡¯s Healing Center in Rusval. Your doctor, Emilia, told me that you were having trouble adjusting to the new world?¡±


    ¡°At first, but it¡¯s kinda becoming easier to deal with now. Speaking of new worlds though, what should we do after we get out of here?¡±


    ¡°... Are you asking me what your path should be?¡±


    ¡°Well, I know I¡¯m going to find an instrument to play, but I have to get good at that before I make money off of it.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Then we should take a journey to Ponydale! TheCenturns there are very friendly and it would be a good place to start a career in music. Unlike most Avalesch, the Centurns are very forgiving when it comes to music.¡±


    ¡°... You don¡¯t mean literal Centaurs, do you?¡±


    ¡°... Two hooves, two hands, pointy ears, and tails? They are called Centurns.¡±


    ¡°Fuck me!¡± I blurted, wondering if they were Anthro or Humanoid. If they were Anthro, then I expected to meet a Princess at some point.


    ¡°... Ri-Right now?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what- I meant- I- er¡­ Well, when you say that ¡®Centurns¡¯ are people, would you happen to know any of them?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes! My adopted sister, Stellara Sola, is a Unicorn.¡±


    ¡°Shut. Up.¡±


    ¡°You do not mean to be silent, do you?¡±


    ¡°No, not quite.¡± I sighed. ¡°So the different races are real?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am a Choret, if you could not tell.¡±


    ¡°... And I am?¡±


    ¡°A River Man.¡±


    ¡°... Is there anything you can do that I can¡¯t?¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Be cute.¡±


    ¡°Other than- Hey!¡± I chuckled.


    Stellara smiled, making my heart pound a little faster. ¡°I was kidding. Chorets, or the Choresh, are very physically capable, and my people often find themselves living longer lives than most River People or other Humans. We live a very healthy life with a strict diet most of the time. For example, Chorets do not eat most forms of bread.¡±


    My jaw dropped. ¡°You¡¯ve never had buttered toast?¡±


    ¡°I have not.¡±


    ¡°Would it kill you to try some?¡±


    ¡°It may or may not, but it would undoubtedly make me rather sick.¡±


    ¡°Awww! I was going to have you try some of my toast!¡±


    Her eyes widened, her cheeks pinkening as she smiled nervously. ¡°And yet you lead me to believe I was not suitable for you. You are a very tricky man, Gatian.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    ¡°Oh, offering food from your plate to another is often seen as a very humble gesture of fondness here on Septural. To explain, I have only been offered food from another person¡¯s plate once, and that was my former mas- Ah!¡± She clutched her neck, a symbol glowing a bright yellow from her formerly bare skin.


    I grabbed for her other hand and found it, looking at Stellara with obvious concern. ¡°I think I get the gist. Stell, if there¡¯s only one meal between us, you¡¯ll always be welcome to what half you can actually eat.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ That is very kind and generous of you, Gatian.¡± She said softly, her voice like a breath in the breeze. ¡°May I¡­ May I ask something of you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be my Partner, right?¡± She nodded. ¡°Then you¡¯re welcome to anything I have, bar none.¡±


    Stellara licked her lips. ¡°Would¡­ Would you mind if I had some of your eggs?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from laughing at that. ¡°Aw, wow! I thought you were about to ask me to quest for the Holy Grail or something! Yeah, you can have all of the eggs, and if I¡¯m allowed seconds, you can have those too.¡± I looked at the plate and picked up the toast, eying one of the strips of meat. ¡°Say, what kind of¡­ Well, it¡¯s not bacon or sausage-¡±


    ¡°Oh, the meat? It¡¯s from a Buffindolo, I believe. One of the creatures the Sotans like to domesticate, if my studies are correct.¡±


    ¡°... You mean they raise them like livestock, right?¡±


    ¡°No, they are pets for the young ones. Once they reach maturity, they are sacrificed for whatever official may want them, though compensation is paid to whoever does the most work regarding the Buffindolo. My sister, Deot, was very fond of her Buffin. She massaged it daily and bought her freedom with him.¡± Stellara smiled fondly, looking out the window dreamily.


    ¡°Can I set you free?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no.¡± Stellara chuckled. ¡°I am already free.¡±


    ¡°... You still have to follow me, though.¡±


    ¡°It is much better than doing¡­¡± she felt for her neck, touching the welt that had formed from earlier. ¡°It is better than doing nothing all day and wasting away. Yes.¡±


    I¡¯d never let go of her hand or my toast, so I took a bite of the food and gave the appendage a squeeze. ¡°I have a feeling that¡¯s not what you were going to say, but I can understand the fear of pain. It¡¯s a powerful motivator.¡±


    ¡°That it is. Say, I have not met many River People that were willing to talk to me. Would you be able to tell me some things about your world?¡±


    I blinked a couple of times. ¡°Mind if we eat and talk? The eggs are still all you.¡±


    She beamed. ¡°May I go get a second plate for you? It would make things a little less intimate.¡±


    I gave her the sauciest gaze Gatian could cook up. ¡°Maybe I want things¡­ intimate?¡±


    Stellara blushed and laughed, freeing her hand from mind to pat my curly head. ¡°If I did not know you a little better now, I would have assumed that you were serious!¡±


    I chuckled a little, kinda put out by being rejected with the assumption that I was joking. ¡°Well, go grab that second plate and we¡¯ll tone it down a bit, huh?¡±


    ¡°I will return shortly!¡±


    Stellara left quickly and I finally got a chance to see what her hips were hiding while she¡¯d been standing off to my side. What I saw surprised me since I¡¯d assumed that she¡¯d been as modest as Rachel from behind, but lo¡¯ and behold, the woman was blessed by the name of the LORD!. And so was I, by extension. Knowing that I could lay her on command gave me a sick kind of joy that I killed because it made me feel bad, mostly because I equated it to rape. There were a lot of things about Stellara Inova that I was going to have to learn, but then I thought about how kind and seemingly timid Stellara was. It showed especially well when she wasn¡¯t sure of what she was talking about. The woman was buxom and beautiful, but there was a cuteness to her that was far more attractive than her raw, unadulterated looks. The only person I¡¯d seen wear makeup in Gerritt was the nurse that came with Emilia to walk me out of my room, or rather, wheel me out. Other than her, au naturale was the look of the season, and Stellara wore it well. Outside of that, I thought of the fact that I basically had a slave and couldn¡¯t help but wonder if someone had taken Stellara¡¯s gift-from-birth without her consent and didn¡¯t doubt it for a second. I felt so bad for the woman, but it made me feel a little bit better knowing that she was only subject to my will now since I knew I wouldn¡¯t purposefully mistreat her. I snacked on some tasty toast, thinking of the things I could have Stellara do before she came back and I got very excited about the prospect of being serenaded to sleep.


    There were plenty of things I wanted Stellara to do for me, like clean and cook, but I also didn¡¯t want to waste her time as a Human being seeing as how I would hate being subject to someone¡¯s will. I decided that I would ask if she minded doing anything before actually asking her to do it, and even then I planned on offering her an out anyway. When she came back to the room, I was nibbling on some buttery goodness and was determined to make Stellara the happiest Partner in the area. If I couldn¡¯t then I would try even harder to make my partner the most well-treated that I possibly could. Once Stellara set the other tray down, I started moving the meat and bread from one tray to the other, and then I moved the eggs onto the spare plate. Stellara waited for my okay to start eating, but I almost didn¡¯t give it to her out of ignorance. It took me a few bites to ask why she wasn¡¯t eating, and when she told me, I made it clear that she should take a bite when I take my first bite. It would be no other way and I would accept no other option, so I practiced with Stellara, making sure she and I took our first bites of whatever at the same time. Then we just ate normally and talked which was nice.


    While we were eating I felt like I was growing closer and closer to Stell, like to the point where we were actually becoming friends. She eased up around me and dropped some of the walls I hadn¡¯t known that she¡¯d built around herself and I saw pieces of who she really was. Then it happened. Something I could describe as nothing other than ¡®The Spark¡¯ lit up in my chest and made me blush while she was singing a little song from her childhood that she remembered. It just hit me like a firecracker inside, blowing its payload in a split second and fading just as fast it appeared. I knew that Stellara was a woman worth keeping around as I¡¯d never known before, and it wasn¡¯t just because she was my Partner. There was some¡­ She just had this¡­ Okay, Booksy, you know that feeling when you¡¯re in the shop and you spy this sweet little Diary with the page-saver and the lock on the front? The one with the blue cover that just makes you go wild? Yeah, me neither, but Stellara would probably be that book for me.


    After the feeling passed and I was able to suss out what it meant, Stellara just seemed so much more¡­ Human. Before she¡¯d felt like an alien; someone who looked kinda like me but was actually nothing close to myself. At the moment, she just felt like she was the person I¡¯d just divorced, but during the good times. The Rachel vibes were strong enough to elicit a reaction I didn¡¯t approve of, and when Stellara took notice, I could see her heart breaking through her expression. She clutched my head to her shoulder to comfort me, even though I¡¯d been smiling at the moment and muttered assurances that all would be fine once I got my legs beneath me again. I didn¡¯t know exactly why I was crying, but it kind of reminded me of the way I¡¯d felt before I¡¯d up and killed myself for next to no reason. It was frustrating to feel good and bad at the same time with all emotions being caused by the same gentle person, but it meant that I was alive and I was grateful for it. Once the tears stopped flowing, I held onto Stellara a little longer and realized something fantastic. Where Rachel had smelled like lemon and honey most of the time, Stellara smelled of a spicy, more floral Earl Grey that was especially dark. Her scent was calming and soothing and so was her presence, both of which I did my best to soak up¡­ Only writing that down do I realize that I fell harder for this woman in a day than any other in any amount of time¡­ There was just something about Stellara Inova that made her feel¡­ Handmade, I guess. Like she was built from the soles of her perfectly average, not-super-weird-looking feet to the absolutely perfectly-coiffed-yet-effortlessly-maintained locks that tumbled down from the top of her head in shimmering waves. A part of me wanted to get it together and distance myself from her a bit, so I did just that¡­ Kinda.


    After I got my fill of Stellara¡¯s vibe, I pulled away to see that she was also crying, so I wiped her tears away, giving her a worried look. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Stell! I¡¯m okay, you¡¯re okay; we¡¯re okay, okay? I just¡­ I think I felt the Spark.¡±


    She went from sad crying to happy crying. ¡°Oh, how great is this now! You have felt the Spark!¡±


    ¡°Right. I-¡±


    ¡°Oh, Gatian! We will make beautiful, free children that will be so, so very happy!¡±


    I stared at her. ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Oh, we will have a son with Choret hair and another daughter with hair as chocolate as the finest cacao! Oh-Oh-Oh! Our son will be the best musician after you! And our daughter shall be quite a capable warrior, do you agree?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah. Yup.¡± The phuq did I just do to myself? Good going, Gage.


    Stellara beamed. ¡°Oooh, when would you like to start the procreation? Now? In an hour. Soon?¡±


    ¡°... Is a couple of years soon?¡±


    She deflated visibly before perking up. ¡°Oh yes, you must begin your career before you become a father, yes?¡± I nodded. ¡°Then our children shall wait to join the world until you are a famous man! I cannot wait to see how a River Man kisses!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ We don¡¯t really have to wait for that one¡­ If you want?¡±


    Stellara smiled widely and leaned down, trying to calm herself down before the moment of truth. She failed miserably, so I ended up kissing a somewhat thin but still pliable line of lip and a strip of tooth. IT was an odd, slippery feeling that got better when she closed her mouth and we actually got to the kissing bit of making out. Her lips were surprisingly super soft and so, so sweet to the touch that I lost myself in Stellara¡¯s vibe for a few seconds all over again. Practically vibra¡­ resonating with the moment, for the sake of variety, was pretty nice. Clocking out and clocking back in like I was on the job was pretty sucky. As far as I was concerned, kissing Stellara was the best drug I could have taken, and if there was to be a repeat in the future then I would happily take the moment as a nugget of gold and store it in the vaults of my memories. Her lips¡­ There was just no way to describe them. It was like matching a puzzle piece, but having that piece be that last one to a million piece picture that could only be completed with the right partner¡­ Which¡­ She kinda was my Partner, but¡­ Fuck. You knew what I meant, Booksy. Whatever, I may have leaned in for the kiss as well, but Stellara was completely and totally in control, marking the points where we would pull away and come back together with a light sigh each time. When she pulled away for the final time, we looked at each other and smiled.


    Stellara started asking about my life and I told her everything I¡¯m about to tell you, Booksy, and then some. I told her about everything I could remember from my childhood, including the time my parents had taken myself and my brother to Disneyland, King¡¯s Island, Cedar Point, Six Flags, Coney Island, and a few other places all in the span of a single summer. It had been a great time as I recalled it, though I¡¯d left out the times I¡¯d gotten hit by shoes, phones, glasses, and a few other things. As we moved on from happier memories we went to the sad ones, though I didn¡¯t have too many particularly sad memories. Yeah, there were plenty of disappointments and failures, but as I explained that to Stellara, I also covered the fact that I¡¯m not one to really dwell on the past and the mistakes I¡¯ve made. She was surprised to hear that I, a River Man, wasn¡¯t one to pay much attention to my mistakes, but she was elated when I started talking about Rachel.


    I didn¡¯t want to talk about rachel, nor did Stellara think I wanted to, but she just kept asking questions. Everything from her personality to her build and everything in between, including our cuddling habits and sex life. It was a surprise to Stellara that River People were purely monogamous like the Chorets since so many of them started harems one way or another, and it was an even bigger shock to her that I had only ever slept with one person. She offered to help me ¡®fix¡¯ that in time, though when I asked if anyone had ever caught her eye, I couldn¡¯t help but be in complete disbelief when her answer was truthfully ¡®no¡¯. At least, as far as I could tell. Stellara had a better grip on who I was and was now certain that I was one to wait for Choret-lover levels of intimacy, but she herself admitted that she was relying on training and hearsay for her experience. There were a few things that I wanted to clear up but¡­ It was kinda awkward for some reason. Lunch rolled around and I saw that all Stellara had eaten was still the eggs, so I asked her if they actually fed Partners in Joad¡¯s and she told me that Partners weren¡¯t often afforded many rights. That being said, I had her go get us both plates for lunch since she was allowed to eat whenever I did. I wasn¡¯t supposed to eat with her since Stellara was supposed to be my subordinate, but she acknowledged the fact that I considered her my equal, even if she herself didn''t feel the same.


    By the time night rolled around, Stellara informed me that she was a Moon Woman and would most likely perk up further when the moon showed its face. I was surprised to find that she was a ¡®Moon Maiden¡¯ instead of a ¡®Sun Sister¡¯, but it made sense with her general color scheme. Once the moon was actually up, I learned who Stellara really was, and she was cuddly. After dinner had been eaten and it was made clear to me that leaving was totally up to me and my discretion, we agreed to stay in Joad¡¯s for the night before striking out for Tidrel in the morning. That being said, there was only one bed in the room, so I coerced Stellara into sharing it with me, rather than sleeping on the floor or in the chair provided. She was hesitant at first, but once I laid a finger on her while she was debating, it was like I¡¯d tied myself to her and given her a shot of Purple Man¡¯s pheromones. She was all over me for a few minutes before she settled down on my left side, hugging my arm and giggling her head off.


    I had to ask why she was so giddy, to which she replied with, ¡°I have never slept with a man before. Service, yes, but sleeping? No.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Glad I could be your first.¡± I chuckled awkwardly.


    ¡°I am happy that you are glad. When we fulfill your aspirations, I hope you will be even happier!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty darn happy right now to be honest with you. You¡¯re just the right kind of cool for a good nap.¡±


    ¡°And you are very warm for a Moon Man River Man.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Moon Man?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Have you not seen a mirror?¡±


    I held her hand while she hung onto my arm. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Your eyes. Moon Men have gray eyes.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I could have sworn that the last Moon Man I saw had black eyes.¡±


    ¡°He most likely did if he was an older man. Moon Mens¡¯ eyes turn black when their testosterone spikes in their fifties.¡±


    ¡°... So we age well?¡±


    ¡°Not all of you, but a good many. Most Moon Men are normal like any other Human throughout their lives, but most of my kinsmen age like wine. Their youth starts fine, but they generally hit their stride in their elder years.¡±


    ¡°And River Moon Men?¡±


    ¡°I have never met¡­¡± She blinked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never met one?¡±


    ¡°... Yes¡­¡± Stellara loosened her grip on my arm and gazed into my eyes, her sapphire rings growing as the pupils shrank. If her eyes weren¡¯t always the focus of my attention, I might¡¯ve missed it in the lower lights. Then I half-imagined she had some damn Alita eyes and wondered if I was hallucinating. ¡°... There aren¡¯t any Moon River Men.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± I asked casually.


    ¡°... Because they never make it past the Rivers¡­¡± Tears formed in her eyes. ¡°They¡¯re always too sad¡­¡± ¡­ Are you sure they¡¯re not just gay or bi?


    ¡°Do I seem sad to you?¡±


    Stellara breathed shakily. ¡°Your eyes are sad, Gatian. I didn¡¯t put it together, but your eyes are so sad¡­¡±


    ¡°RSF? Resting Sad Face?¡± I chuckled, genuinely amused.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretending¡­¡±


    ¡°You callin¡¯ me a liar?¡± I mocked, my fake Southern accent awful to my own ears.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to-¡±


    I kissed her because I was allowed to and it felt really good. It also stopped her from accusing me of things, which was starting to irritate me because I wasn¡¯t pretending¡­ It was just my way of dealing with it¡­


    Okay, Booksy, you¡¯re my pal, right?


    No answer? So you¡¯ll keep this quiet? Yeah, thank you, my Book. It means a lot to me.


    The thing is that¡­ Well, I¡¯ve been suicidal ever since I could remember. It¡¯s been a long time since I could actually say I¡¯ve had a good day, and there was nothing I could generally do about it other than smile and laugh. Yeah, when I said I let things roll off my back it was because it was true and largely has been for most of my life. I never let things hit me too hard, but I took my lumps nonetheless. I mean¡­ Who can honestly stand not being good at anything? Who could live like that and not be sad all the fucking time? I mean, it wasn¡¯t half bad when I was alone and finding myself, but with Rachel¡­?


    I loved her so much, but it wasn¡¯t just verbal abuse. It was¡­ I¡­ Booksy, I couldn¡¯t leave. She had me. From the second date, Rachel already had her friends believing that I was a crazy, screw-loose screw-up with nothing better to do than hump and dump other women. It wasn¡¯t me and it wasn¡¯t anywhere close to the person I presented, but women believe what they want. Even my own Aunt didn¡¯t believe that I was still the same dopey guy she¡¯d always known, and that hurt almost as much as getting hit with a phonebook. Or a sock with a naval orange in it. Or just getting pinched, kicked¡­ A few other things. There just wasn¡¯t anything I could do. I didn¡¯t bruise easily and what marks I did get never amounted to enough evidence to build a case. I tried going to a shelter for victims of abuse, but there weren¡¯t any for men and none of the female ones were co-ed. Apparently, straight/hetero guys don¡¯t get abused in Cali. Ever. I got laughed out of a police station, a hospital, and lost more friends than I cared to remember over admitting to being abused by a woman¡­ It hurt. It hurt a lot, but I thought that it was just Rachel showing her own twisted form of love.


    When she left me I just¡­ I felt so unloved. So alone that I was certain that leaving the world was the only way to find company. I was well aware of what I was doing in the moments before I jumped, and the life I lived was enough for me to take the step. I didn¡¯t slip. I got past the fence, turned around, and did a full fucking backflip on the way down; the only thing I ever did correctly to my knowledge. I wanted to die. I¡¯d wanted it for so long that finally having a half decent reason¡­? It was peaceful. It was like I found what I wanted the most in life and finally had a way to get it. Had the most beautiful place to achieve my goal, too. The only problem? I was still depressed, and I was still hurting so deep it felt like I¡¯d never be able to shake it. How Stellara saw it inside when no one else did was beyond me, but she¡¯d hit the nail on the head. The only thing, and I do mean only thing that didn¡¯t let me ask Kaish for a nice long nap¡­? The fact that The Brit took time out of his schedule to bring me back. The fact that someone cared enough to give a loser a second chance? That was enough to get me out of the forest, but that¡¯s where my goals ended. After that? Ending up in Joad¡¯s meant that I could find a purpose, and having a purpose was another thing to keep me going, but Valen had already stabbed me in the back and the only other person I actually had talked to besides Stellara seemed pretty insane.


    That being said, I felt like I needed to kiss her. I needed Stellara to feel the love I¡¯d saved in my heart, the little bit of Gage that I had left. Gatian was fine and dandy, but I had a feeling that Stellara was looking for something in me that I didn''t have anymore. I couldn¡¯t fake it because I didn¡¯t know what it was, and the facade I had up got seen through with so little effort that it was astounding. I genuinely don¡¯t like being sad so I choose not to be most of the time, but that doesn¡¯t stop my bones from hurting or my head from aching. It doesn¡¯t stop me from hating the loser I was, and as I kissed Stellara, I hoped that her lips could read mine better than Rachel¡¯s did. I hoped that she would see me for the man I was instead of the chicken-shit coward I used to be. When she slipped me some tongue, I wondered if she¡¯d done it on purpose since it didn¡¯t stay long, but I returned the favor and she accepted happily, even though Frenching isn¡¯t really my thing. For Stellara and her caramel-flavored tongue?


    Frick, it was my thing now.


    When I pulled away from her, my mind racing and my heart pounding, Stellara¡­ The look in her eyes told me she understood what I¡¯d meant to say. Then she said, ¡°You are sad, but you do not let the pain hurt. You are a very strong man, Gatian Gauner.¡± Am I as strong as your accent?


    I took her hand in mine. ¡°... Thank you. So what do you say, Partner? Wanna help a sad little bastard try and make it to happiness?¡±


    She freed herself from my grasp and worried me with the gesture until she caressed my cheek. ¡°If you do not find happiness, then I will give it to you. I swear by my Anima, Gatian, that I will find your happiness and be by your side until it no longer makes you happy. Then we will find a new happiness and we will rejoice.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to find it for me. Just stick around. Having someone that actually cares whether I live or die is nicer than you probably feel.¡±


    ¡°I am a Partner.¡± Stellara said, confused.


    ¡°And I care about you. Are we done saying obvious things?¡±


    ¡®


    She stared at me before shaking her head and giggling, another lock of silver falling over her face. Stellara blew it away like a breeze with¡­ other hair? Anyway, when she smiled at me, the heart-puddle formed rapidly and it was pretty gooey. ¡°Thank you, Gatian. I have a feeling that this is the start of something truly beautiful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you say now. Just wait until I start snoring again.¡±


    ¡°But you do not snore.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°You are a very quiet person. It is hard to know when you¡¯re around if I am not looking or actively listening to you, and that is unusual for one of my kind.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of your kind, we¡¯re both Moon People, right?¡±


    ¡°We are.¡±


    ¡°Why don''t we start our journey at night?¡±


    ¡°... Well, there may be a few weapons and supplies left here, but I doubt that a hospital carries much in the way of River Person utilities.¡±


    I sat up and she followed along with me. ¡°Then why don¡¯t we go see what we can start our adventure with?¡±


    ¡°Adventure? That sounds like a lot of fun!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will be in between all the travel. What do you say, Stell?¡±


    ¡°What are we waiting for?¡±


    ¡­ Huh. Didn¡¯t quite get to meeting Felix yet, but it¡¯s a good place to stop for now. I think my feelings are too riled up for this nonsense, Booksy. I need a nap and a drink. Preferably mead since I don¡¯t want to have a coronary or something with the other stuff.

 Chapter Four: Grace On A String

    Grace on a String


    Stell and I didn¡¯t take long in getting to the nurse station and from there we were lead to a supply storage area. Ms. Inova herself started telling me about all the things she was actually trained to do, like the fact that she could fence and work a bow rather proficiently as well as manage a small business. She was quite the handywoman when it came to all sorts of things, her training reaching back to when she was still a teenager and including plenty of little helpful hints. She could teach me pretty much anything I needed to know about her particular weapons, but unfortunately for me, there was neither a rapier nor a bow in the Supply Room at Joad¡¯s Hospital. Instead, Stellara got a pretty sketchy looking crossbow and I got a longsword that was probably supposed to be used with two hands by a Sotan. Neither of us wanted unreliable weapons, so we started our journey by finding a small shop to trade them in at for knives. Of course, there weren¡¯t many places willing to take the crossbow but the sword was well-made enough to get us a piece or two of decent steel.


    After we got our packs squared away and set our knives on our hips, Stellara and I went to the local ¡®Authoritan¡¯ station, having left the hospital with no goodbyes. Anyone I would¡¯ve wanted to see had already gone home by the time Stellara and I found clothes suitable for me and my tastes, so it was a bit of a bittersweet non-goodbye. Alone enough with only my talkative Partner by my side, we made our way to the Authoritan station pretty quickly considering the number of places we passed that were reasonably spaced out. It wasn¡¯t that Rusval was small, it was just that the place had obviously been built from the ground up by a very anal architect with a thing for symmetry and ease of access. There were straights and side roads that all made sense and had signs clearly labeled on pretty much every corner, and every building was clearly marked or labeled as exactly what it was. That being said, Stellara has no sense of direction and I pretty much got us there based on her own directions and not turning around for no reason.


    The ¡®Armators¡¯ were intimidating, but ultimately nice enough people. Stellara got a few glares that were eased when I stood beside her, but the woman had a habit of starting off in random directions when we were being led to our first waiting room. Then we were led to different interrogation rooms where we were separated. I wasn¡¯t worried about much since I didn¡¯t think Stellara and I were guilty of anything, so when I met the Armatura in charge of the case that got us questioned in the first place, I answered his questions to the best of my abilities and had no problem convincing him I was just some guy who swam out of a river. After that, he was honestly just such a friggin¡¯ peach. I do mean that in a conventional way, too. Armatura Clarik was actually a person I wanted to get to know, so I asked him a few questions as he asked me some more, but then he turned into a dick and left without getting me the caffeya he¡¯d promised. I was lead to another waiting room shortly after that, but I was honestly just frustrated and annoyed that I¡¯d been honey-potted for no reason.


    Stellara was led back to the same waiting room but with cuffs on her wrists that had to be taken off. She breathed a sigh of relief that had all three men in the beige, beige room blushing furiously before giving me the wrong smile to match the sound she¡¯d just made. I felt dirty and I wanted her to feel dirty, but there was good in me that I wanted to shine. There was also Gatian, so I smiled back and beckoned her over, garnering jealous glares from the Armators. Stellara tilted her head like she had no idea what was going on and came over anyway, sitting close beside me. One of the fellows clad in red ceramic armor warned us against any funny business, but the woman in the black armor snorted, cocked her gun, and bantered a little with the other dudes. They didn¡¯t really say much to any effect, but the message was clear; I wasn¡¯t to do anything close to fun with Stellara unless I wanted to pay for it.


    After a good while, Clarik came around again and asked about our whereabouts again, so Stellara and I told him the truth, which cleared us of guilt/suspicion for the time being. He then apologized for being a dick and sent us off into the early morning with nothing but lost time to show for our efforts. Stellara was excited to get started on the journey again but my spirits weren¡¯t nearly as high. I¡¯d assumed that everyone in Rusval liked River People, but apparently, there just wasn¡¯t enough ambient love to get us any free supplies or anything. However, Tidrel was supposed to basically worship people like me so my hopes raised as we made our way out of town. Walking through the streets was an eyeful, to say the least, and in the daylight, I could actually see what was going on with the town.


    The architecture reminded me of old Brooklyn for some reason, and for another odder reason, it smelled like Seattle without the smell of coffee and condescension on the air. The vibe to Rusval was lively, but I noticed that for a decent-sized town there didn¡¯t appear to be anything to do for recreation. Every shop we passed was utilitarian in one way or another, serving a practical/pragmatic purpose. I saw exactly two luxury item-type shops and one of them was a jeweler. The other was interesting, but without any money, there was no point in going inside. Other than those two places most buildings in Rusval were either plain brick and mortar or a drab stone, City Hall notwithstanding. Stellara suggested we go there to pick up supplies, but the Armators in front of the place wouldn¡¯t let us go inside since I wasn¡¯t a native and Stellara was just a Partner from a different province. I found that to be racist and annoying, but I didn¡¯t let it get to me since there was nothing I could do for it save for walking away.


    After a few more of Stellara¡¯s ideas bombed and failed miserably I took over the decision making and got us out of the frigging city because it was turning out to suck. With my Partner¡¯s mood on the fall, I tried singing a favorite song of mine to lighten the mood. Sapphire¡¯s rendition of Shiki No Uta needed music to go along with it in my opinion, but my efforts were appreciated by Stellara nonetheless. She asked me to sing something else while on the road to pass the time, attempting an old lullaby of her own. It was nice, but she forgot half the words while walking. Our journey had just started, so I tried to think of another song I was actually confident in singing for her and decided on one of my unknown gems. Cliquot by Beirut was made for a serenade, though I had to change some of the lyrics to be less¡­ Well, gay, but saying that has such negative connotations. As it was, the song was sung by a man about his lover who is also a man, so a couple of pronoun adjustments were necessary in my mind. I was still sore from losing the friend I had in Valen ad was in no hurry to lose Stellara too, especially since she was the only person I was on speaking terms with at the moment. Honestly, Booksy, having to hide who I really was just¡­ There¡¯s not much more taxing than pretending to be someone you¡¯re not, even if it¡¯s not that big a deal.


    To go off on a little tangent since this is my journal and I¡¯m allowed to do this, it sucked to not be able to find a little more common ground with Stellara, especially since a couple of the Armators we¡¯d seen had been kinda cute in a ¡®Man-in-Uniform¡¯ type of way. Not being exactly who I was didn¡¯t happen to be anything new, but I had the strangest feeling that Stellara would accept whatever I told her. The problem was that I didn''t trust the feeling as far as I could throw it and was wary of being rejected yet again by another beautiful woman that deigned it worthy of her time to help me. Not that I have a gender-based inferiority complex (Though I probably do), I just had problems with women that were nice to me, as in I hated letting them down. It usually ended with more work or a tongue-lashing/regular beating from Rachel in the past, but Stellara was just different. I felt like everything had to be perfect or she would eventually just give up and go back to whatever lay in wait for her, compensation be damned. The self-doubt and fear of being alone were common to Gage, but Gatian hated the weakness within and smacked my brain around until I shook the thoughts clear and picked up the journey with another song.


    About seven hours away from Rusval, Stellara and I stopped to make camp just off of the road, about twenty feet into some tall grass. We didn¡¯t have the tools for a fire and we only had one tent, but it was big enough for both of us and the bedroll could also be shared. My main issue with the small space was that my Partner was a very handsy bedmate. To be honest, I kinda got off on being groped even if she didn¡¯t know she was doing it, but it still made me feel some kind of wrong. The morality of letting myself being molested by someone having a rather interesting dream wasn¡¯t lost on me, but I also couldn¡¯t find the right option. On one hand, I could wake her up and get her to knock her crap off, but on the other, I could let her do what she wanted and hope she grabbed my sausage again. Gage and Gatian argued about it, but in the end, I¡¯m a respectable guy or at least that¡¯s what I¡¯d like to think. I maneuvered myself out of her grasp and faced Stellara instead of letting her big-spoon my handsome self, but that didn¡¯t solve my problems very well. Instead of having my front bits fondled, Stellara hugged me close and kept me in place. One arm lay under my head and the other arm led to a hand that was firmly gripping my buns a little tighter than I was comfortable with. It was at that time that I tried to poke Stellara awake, but the gal slept like a dead rock on the outskirts of the universe. There was no waking her with pansy tactics.


    Since I was facing her (And a little kinky) I licked her ear and tried to bite it, only to have her nuzzle me. It was enough to make me not want to hurt her out of sheer adorableness, so I tried tickling her sides which only got her to giggle a little at first. It didn¡¯t do me any good when I started and it didn¡¯t help anymore when she stuck her hands down my pants. I might¡¯ve been bi, but I¡¯d never enjoyed being a bottom, nor did I like anyone poking around the man-donut, so I panicked and thought of something that would wake any woman up, guaranteed. Sadly, it must¡¯ve only been for Earth women since my false RDJ sighting had no effect on Stellara. Her hand started reaching further and further, so I tried licking her face, pinching her breast, and when both of those failed, kissing her. It¡¯s always the last thing you try that gets results, though I can¡¯t say how I felt about what I got. On the one hand, it was a nice, warm kiss. On the other hand, all it needed was an odiferous baguette and a twenty-year-old bottle of chardonnay to be any French-er. Maybe an order of escargot to top it off.


    When Stellara was done kissing me back, I had to scoot away from her and pant as if I¡¯d just finished having someone suffocate me with a pillow. Speaking of pillows, Stell¡¯s pillowy lips and even softer chest filled my mind with thoughts of public indecency and forest fun, though my lower head wasn¡¯t at attention because it lacked the oxygen to think. The second brain doesn¡¯t generally need that much to get the job done, it was just that Stellara had carried on until I was about to black-out. I hadn¡¯t pulled away prior to the spots because I was still seeing how I felt about getting kissed by a half-asleep stunner, but Stellara solved that for me by asking a simple question that I didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡®Were you dreaming of me as well?¡¯


    In the filtered light of the dual moons, each of their respective glows shone through and played on Stellara¡¯s skin. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was thankful for the sight or what, but I knew that such beauties were lost on so many people. The mild curiosity in her bleary eyes, the way the blue of the larger moon played with the reddish tint of the smaller, the way the light reflected off of her eyes, giving them such an otherworldly feel¡­ I was in grave danger of leaping before I looked, knowing that I would come to regret making a decision while in the moment. Against my better judgment, I reached out and caressed her shoulder, just the two of us in our own private world. The tent was almost perfect for the mood, and I wouldn¡¯t have rather been anywhere other than in front of my Partner. Especially when the howling started.


    We¡¯d slept with our knives under our one pillow so I accidentally grabbed Stellara¡¯s. It didn¡¯t matter because I didn¡¯t even notice at the time, but either way, we were both up and ready to go in about ten seconds'' time. The tent was large enough for us to both stand up and have a little leg room though space was the last thing on my mind. Part of me wanted to let the trained fighter handle everything, but Gatian and my inner White Knight told me to protect pretty lady, so protect I attempted. I didn¡¯t even get to fully turn towards the ¡®door¡¯ before Stell used some freakish strength I never would have assumed she had to sit my ass down and make me stay put. She took her knife from me and gestured for me to stay quiet, so I did. More howling sounded closer than before. Whatever the creatures were, they didn¡¯t quite sound like wolves or coyotes. The timbre was too dull for a coyote and too high to be a wolf, so neither made sense, and I wasn¡¯t eager to find out what exactly was making the noise. I figured my time left alive was better spent looking at Stellara and her amazing ass, which made me feel better about my imminent demise. Then I thought about how I¡¯d had the opportunity to tap that and had let it pass. Presto change-o, I had something to regret in my second set of final moments, but I didn¡¯t get far into that specific type of despair because Stell decided to leave the tent and face whatever was coming at us.


    I¡¯d like to say I did the smart thing and stayed in the tent, but I¡¯d also like to say that I did the dumb, brave thing (Because I actually did) and followed Stell out into the wilderness. The first thing that I noticed was that it had grown lighter than I¡¯d thought, the light from the moons giving the forest an awesome glow that I totally wanted a picture of. Then I noticed that there were around a dozen sets of eyes peering at me through the undergrowth and darkness beyond the light and I just wanted to go home and get beaten by my wife. Ex-wife. I think it¡¯s ¡®Ex¡¯ now, don¡¯t you, J-Man? In any case, I didn¡¯t get to be scared for much longer since Stellara shoved me back into the tent with force, making me like her a little less and love her a little more. I didn¡¯t want to get eaten, but the fact that she was going to face our animal adversaries all on her own was pretty harrowing as well. I didn¡¯t want to die and I also didn¡¯t want Stellara to die alone. Without any training or superpowers, there was precious little I could do to help. The thought crossed my mind to sing a soothing song, but I wasn¡¯t stupid. That kind of crap only works in fairytales and fantasy fics, and I was currently in neither. Or maybe I was? Shit, I didn¡¯t know and I couldn¡¯t pretend to, so I focused on the one thing I could and tried to think of a way for Stell and I to get out of the situation alive.


    Well, maybe I was stupid because I certainly couldn¡¯t think of anything that would save us both, or rather, kill one of us much less fast than the other. My Partner was the only one out of the two of us who could hope to get past the dog-things and she seemed pretty hell-bent on fighting, so I did what I could to back her up and sourced my earlier idea for inspiration. My high school''s fight song was dumb when I learned it and it was sooo much dumber when I started singing it softly to Stellara, but she appeared to appreciate the moral support if the charming smile she wore was anything to go by. The howling picked up again and drowned out my song, so Stell stopped looking at the dandy-man and started paying attention to the danger-mutts again, the eyes having started moving in the shadows. My Partner dropped into a fighting stance and prepared herself for combat. Once the howling stopped in its totality, the skirmish was on.


    The first creature came at her faster than I could follow, slowing down to make a lunge at Stell. She barely moved and its corpse impacted the ground a few feet away from where she was standing, no blood spilled or anything. At least, there wasn¡¯t any on her blade. It took me a few seconds and another wolf-thing to realize that my Partner didn¡¯t have the same vibe as before. Stellara was a warm, somewhat timid soul that needed to warm up to someone, but the woman in front of me? Cool and collected wasn¡¯t the phrase for it. Stellara seemed to be doing what she was born to do, the grace of combat coming to her with practiced ease that I didn¡¯t doubt had hurt to acquire. The reason I¡¯d yet to see any blood fall hit me in the face like a brick; Stell was just striking that fast. It took three lives for the creatures to realize that attacking one-by-one was stupid, but attacking in pairs did them no better. It was a swift and brutal affair after it started, and Stellara didn¡¯t appear to be any worse for wear. What worried me the most about seeing her like¡­ Well, seeing her kill so casually was a touch frightening, making me wonder about what all exactly she¡¯d been trained to do. It would make sense for her to be a bodyguard of some kind since she was a ¡®Partner¡¯, but only then was I coming to understand what that had meant for her.


    I exited the tent to stand next to my newfound guardian. It was hard to look at her, let alone see her as the same woman I¡¯d just shared a bedroll with. Stellara Inova wasn¡¯t¡­ She wasn¡¯t the person I¡¯d just seen, at least not in my eyes. When I finally summoned the courage to meet her gaze, I saw a sadness in her that burned to see. ¡°Nature sucks.¡± I tried a smile, but it came off as weak.


    She returned it, failing similarly. ¡°... You feel differently about our partnership, yes?¡±


    I looked into her eyes, colored more by the red light than the blue. It didn¡¯t take me long to answer, but it was a question I considered pretty hard. ¡°Yeah. I do feel pretty different about it.¡±


    Stellara nodded and sighed, acceptance in her posture. ¡°Then I will return to Rusval at your command.¡±


    With her head hung and her eyes half-closed, she didn¡¯t see my flick coming. ¡°Yo, knock it off.¡±


    She rubbed her forehead and gave me a puzzled look. ¡°I apologize, I-¡± I stretched out my hand, aiming my middle finger at her nose. ¡°I am¡­ Sorr-¡± I flicked her nose. ¡°-REE! Ow¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sending you off, goofball. Stop pretending like I¡¯d do that.¡±


    Stellara rubbed her sniffer. ¡°... You¡¯re not? But¡­ I¡­ You just seemed so¡­?¡±


    ¡°Repulsed? Scared? Disgusted?¡±


    ¡°Well, more scared than anything, but also disgusted, yes.¡±


    I was about to answer her when some bug bit my ankle. I rolled my eyes because dramatic moments like the one we were having can be ruined by the smallest thing and rubbed my leg with my foot to scratch the itch. ¡°Scared? Yes. Disgusted? By the loss of life and the need for it. Not by you.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Hope entered her expression. ¡°You mean¡­ You are not upset that I emasculated you?¡±


    I was hoping that the red moon would start shining brighter at any second. ¡°I¡­ I really didn¡¯t think about it like that.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I-I mean, y-you could always¡­ Start a fire?¡± She offered meekly. ¡°That is a manly thing to do, is it not?¡±


    I bit my lip and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea. Just need to know how now.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Um¡­ Maybe you could...¡± Something bit my leg again so I lifted it to pat down the bite and didn¡¯t feel a bump or anything. Stellara laid a finger on her lips, was just a really cute mannerism that I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d liked before then.


    It was so hard to even be irked since she¡¯d just saved my life via some super dope moves that I wanted to learn, thus I chose not to be and gave her a hug. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Stell. I wasn''t¡¯ exactly the manliest guy on Earth, so believe it or not I don¡¯t have any hangups about being saved by the damsel.¡±


    ¡°W-Well¡­ What if I were to be in distress?¡± She gave me a nervous smile.


    I chuckled at the implication. ¡°Don¡¯t get yourself into trouble just so I can kinda-sorta save you, Stell. Let¡¯s move camp and we¡¯ll call it fair since, y¡¯know, ya saved my life.¡±


    Stellara smiled and gave me a surprise hug that wasn¡¯t all that surprising. ¡°Oh, I am so glad that my River Person is so kind! Thank you, Gatian!¡±


    I hugged back, pretty disturbed about the implications she¡¯d just laid out. It was clear that Partners had next to no rights in Avalesce, so I resolved to change that through my music. Once I figured out how to play something. And once I got my own instrument. And once I garnered a following. After all that, I would happily try to change the way the somewhat backward world worked if anything then for my Partner and her quality of life, even if I wasn¡¯t one-hundred percent sure that she was sane. After another quick assurance that I didn¡¯t mind playing the gender role of the girl in the relationship, Stell and I packed up and moved camp fifty feet to the other side of the road, but unbeknownst to us at the time, we¡¯d picked up a little tagalong and it wasn¡¯t the fucking bug. Once we found another decent place to lay it down during the night, we talked about changing schedules when we got to Tidrel. We also started some innocent cuddling that got a little hectic when a small amount of light entered through the ¡®door¡¯ to the tent. Stell sat up before I did, but that¡¯s because I had a heavy thing on me and I couldn¡¯t get it off. Whatever it was, the thing was furry, slobbery, and friendlier than the town bicycle, so I patted its head a couple of times and didn¡¯t panic because it wasn¡¯t killing me.


    Yet.


    Ah, just kidding, Booksy. Stellara peeled the thing off of me long enough for me to get a good look, and I wasn¡¯t surprised to see a doggy-doge looking thing with its tongue hanging out of its mouth. Stell had it by its scruff and went for a knife before I said, ¡°Woah, woah, woah! Stell, you can¡¯t be thinking of killing this one!¡± I whispered fiercely.


    She froze, looking ashamed and unsure. ¡°... It was attacking you, Gatian.¡±


    ¡°Am I bleeding?¡± I asked testily.


    ¡°... Not that I see?¡± The thing barked after she spoke, whapping her with its tail.


    I looked at the dingy fur covering his loins. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t see it killing me, then let the little guy go, will you?¡±


    She did as I asked hesitantly and the pup came back to me in the blink of an eye, propping itself up on my chest to get a better go at my face. Once it had gotten it¡¯s affection out of its system, it turned to Stell and started all over again. My Partner was clearly uncomfortable and said as much. ¡°Why is this creature licking me, Gatian? Is it¡¯s saliva toxic?¡±


    ¡°On Earth, friendly animals lick you. It¡¯s not tasting you, I promise.¡±


    ¡°... Why is this cassa friendly?¡±


    ¡°Probably because it¡¯s lonely. Or it likes sexy people.¡±


    Stellara tried pushing him away only to get flustered and start swatting him. ¡°Stop! I am not your friend!¡±


    ¡°What if he¡¯s a friend of mine?¡± I scratched his butt and he came back to me, laying on my legs.


    ¡°... Well, you do need a Companion¡­¡±


    ¡°Right? Let¡¯s name him Felix!¡±


    ¡°... You want to name a wild animal.¡± Stellara said slowly.


    ¡°River People are weird, and so are you.¡± I looked at Felix, seeing a pretty happy pupper all things told. Its fur was a dirty tannish-brown that had obviously seen better days, but the little guy didn¡¯t look like a common mutt or much like the other things that had attacked us. If I had to say, it probably was a puppy without much killing instinct going for it or something of the sort.


    ¡°Are you planning on keeping this creature?¡± She asked cautiously.


    ¡°Well, what¡¯s the harm?¡±


    ¡°Feeding it. Caring for it. Fixing it.¡±


    ¡°You know, for someone so nice, you¡¯re being pretty cold about this.¡±


    ¡°I do not understand your infatuation with this creature.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m infatuated with you, do you need to understand that too?¡±


    ¡°I already understand it, Gatian. I am a woman and you are a man.¡±


    ¡°What if I liked boys?¡±


    ¡°Do not be greedy.¡± She said, unamused. The tone she¡¯d taken was the most severe yet, though still mild. ¡°It is custom for a man and a woman to pair. The same-sex may marry, but choosing multiple-¡±


    ¡°Choosing multiple spouses something-something greedy. Yeah, whatever.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°I like the dog, I want the dog.¡±


    ¡°This thing will not bring you any luck. Cassas are opportunistic creatures at the best of times.¡±


    ¡°Like when it took the chance to rip my face off and eat it?¡±


    ¡°The creature did not do that. Do not be dramatic.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t being dramatic, I was being sarcastic. Seriously, what¡¯s your problem with a pet?¡±


    ¡°... Pet?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, an animal you keep for companionship?¡±


    ¡°Only River People do that, and their Companions are handpicked for them.¡±


    ¡°Well, what if I want to pick my companion?¡±


    ¡°... Do you wish you could have picked a better Partner?¡±


    ¡°I wish I had one that would let me keep this little pupper.¡±


    She gave me a look. ¡°I will not help it.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you sworn to do whatever I say or something anyway?¡±


    ¡°No? I am sworn to protect and care for you. Not look after your things.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Learn something new every day. Seriously, how can you say no to this adorable widdle face?¡± I picked up the pup and wiggled him in front of Stell, the pup letting me do as I pleased.


    ¡°How can you say yes to it? They are food, not friends.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe you¡¯re food!¡±


    ¡°Yes, to them!¡±


    Felix whined and started wiggling away from me over to Stellara. The Puppy Dog Eyes were in full effect, and I knew that I had to abuse them before her cold, cold heart stopped me having a pet altogether. ¡°Oh come on, Stell! You can¡¯t say no to a face like this!¡±


    ¡°I can and I have.¡± She huffed.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I supposed to be in charge here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, for the adventure and what may come after it. It is my sworn duty to protect you, and this creature is a literal cassa.¡±


    ¡®


    ¡°Well, what if-¡±


    ¡°Gatian.¡±


    ¡°Ste~ell!¡±


    She gave me a look, snatched Felix by his scruff, then unceremoniously threw him out of the tent without a second¡¯s hesitation. I stared at her and she looked back at me calmly. ¡°That settles-¡± Felix came back in, tail wagging along.


    We both looked at him as he yipped a couple of tips, looking back and forth between us. He settled on Stellara and started acting like the puppy he was all over again, probably thinking that it was a game. He lunged forth and bounced back a couple of times, nipping at Stell without actually coming very close to actually touching her. Her swats missed handily, which confused me a little. The disdain and, to be frank, hatred on her face was evident once I started paying attention to her, and I¡¯d already seen her fight. If she really wanted, Felix would have learned a valuable lesson after the first missed nip. I watched them for a little bit, seeing Stell grow more and more frustrated while my short foray into animal behavioral studies (Brazil was great, by the way.) pretty much told me that Felix was a ninety-percent goofball, nine-percent runt of the litter, and one percent innocent, which was more than enough for me. After a few more minutes of watching them, I came to sit next to Stell and earned myself a look of pure irritation.


    Instead of forcing him on her, I decided to try to ease my new favorite pup into her heart by doing a little sum-sum I liked to call ¡®schmoozing¡¯. Gage had no game whatsoever, but Gatian was the guy who was born with a silver tongue and the charisma to use it. The problem was that I was still pretty new to being Gatian and hadn¡¯t had much practice. That being said, the only thing I could do to keep the pup I took such a liking to? Try to make Stell see what I saw. My hand went to her shoulder the first time one of her swats actually landed on Felix, bowling him out of the tent all over again. The little guy had spirit and spunk in spades, meaning that he wasn¡¯t one to let a little smack ruin his fun. Stell, however, grew visibly angrier when he came back. As empathetic as I tend to be, I could practically feel Stellara getting ready to grab Felix and make him regret being a free spirit, so I gripped her shoulder a little tighter and waited for her to stop paying attention to the nuisance.


    When Stellara met my gaze, I gave her the warmest, kindest, and most gentle smile I could conjure up with all the ¡®Cool, Compassionate Guy¡¯ mojo that I had. It was enough to soften her gaze, but not to stop her from smacking the taste out of Felix¡¯s mouth when he bit her. She flinched at his whimper and had a hard time looking at either myself or the cassa when he whined. The cassa poked its nose back into the tent and looked around for a moment, shaking tremendously. My heart broke for the poor little guy so I went over to him slowly. He bolted, to make a short story shorter, and I couldn¡¯t stop the guilt in my chest from throbbing. Nor could I stop myself from glaring at Stellara.


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ seriously?¡±


    She looked at the ground. ¡°... It was a potential-¡±


    ¡°It was playing with you.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did not wish to play. It should-¡±


    ¡°Inova, that fucking cassa was a puppy, aka a baby. If that thing is supposed to grow into a wolf-thing like the others, then I¡¯d say it was barely a few months old. I understand that the pack of cassas was dangerous, but the puppy was not. A child just came to play with you and you hit it.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see her face clearly since she let a glistening lock of her hair fall over her eyes. ¡°We should sleep.¡±


    I glared at her for a few more moments. ¡°... Yeah. Guess we should.¡±


    That was the end of the night''s conversation, and Stellara¡¯s turn of character was something I just couldn¡¯t quite understand. Out of the thousands of people I¡¯d met in my life, I would have pegged Stell as one of the top ten pet people in the list, but her interactions with Felix? Mostly appalling. Even my Dad who hates dogs probably wouldn''t have reacted like she did. At least not to a puppy. I wasn¡¯t upset over not getting a pet so much as Stellara having no compassion for the creature she¡¯d likely just orphaned. It was almost as if she had no empathy whatsoever for a non-Human creature, which just didn¡¯t sit well with me. Even as tired as I was, I couldn''t sleep well next to someone who reminded me of Rachel. At least, not while I was trying to change myself.


    After a long, sleepless couple of hours, I crawled outside the tent and sat down, hoping that Felix would come back. As it turned out, he was just on the other side of the tent, scared out of his wits, limping around. From what I could tell, he either had a broken or dislocated shoulder, neither of which would have surprised me. Having mostly worked with horses and other various equines during my few months in Brazil I had little to no clue how to patch the little fella up. I wasn¡¯t sure if he could make it as he was and that just pissed me off to no end since he shouldn¡¯t have gotten hurt in the first place. I beckoned him over with soothing sounds and gestures until he let me check his leg out. With next to no idea what I was doing since he was a canine, it took a sec for me to get my bearings with him and felt that his shoulder was just out of the socket. I was sure that I was about to get bitten for it, but I set his shoulder because it was the right thing to do, immediately being blinded by a flash of light.


    The next thing I knew was that light hurt my eyes more than I thought it did. I knew that for sure. Something I was less certain of was what the hell just happened, so when I cleared the spots from my eyes I looked around for Felix. He was nowhere to be seen. Stellara was quite alarmed when she came out only to see that I was squinting, kneeling, and otherwise fine. Her first question was about my well-being and I wanted to spite her with my answer. It wasn¡¯t in my heart since I was sure that our differences could be equated to a mix of culture-concerns and misunderstandings, so I told her the truth and downplayed the already insubstantial results. When she asked for a full explanation, I told her it involved Felix and explosions, which she assumed meant that he had passed gas on me and blinded me with pure [Hind-Energy], or ¡®butt-ballistics¡¯, as the Sotans apparently called them. Without a scent on the air, I highly doubted that it was ¡®butt-ballistics¡¯ and summed it up to magic dog do magic dog thing. I was soundly assured that there were no such things as magic cassas or magic animals in Avalesce for the most part. There were a ferocious few that dwelled away from civilization, but they were supposed to be hard to find, traveling in small cells to avoid being hunted down by bloodthirsty Pegasi, Naga, and fucking Minotaurs. The Human races didn¡¯t really do the hunting thing, but the Humanoid races were all for it, apparently. As we talked, Stellara seemed to ease up and fall into a natural rhythm, probably helped along by my supportive attitude and willingness to let things go. I also wanted to learn more about the world around me and it wasn¡¯t bad having a sweet-faced femme fatale learn me a thing gooder.


    Dire wolves, bears, and sloths roamed most of the central continent freely under different names, but apparently, there were magical versions of each creature that were storied to live in stringent seclusion. There were only a couple that Stellara had ever heard of some surviving a sighting of, and one of them was called ¡®Padfoot¡¯. My Potter senses tingled and I had to ask if she was Sirius, to which she answered that she was. She didn¡¯t know why the Padfoot had let someone live to tell the tale until I relayed Earth¡¯s history of the creature to her. When Stell gave it a quick thought, she remembered that the explorer-guy had actually been eaten alive in his home shortly after finishing the description. That, in turn, was after a night at the tavern telling everyone who would listen that he¡¯d seen a Magical Beast on Avalesch soil, which was truly how the story spread. That alone made me doubt the veracity of it, but then I doubted the validity of my doubt because I was on a different planet with different creatures. Hell, even Felix had some weird looking paws and eyes going on. His pupils had been shaped like a barbell with an especially thin handle and I¡¯d found that odd at the time, but how unlikely was it really for animals from Avalesce to be so different from American fauna?


    That thought scared me back into the tent where we found a fucking bright red lynx on my fucking pillow. I paused and Stellara did too. The cat stretched and looked at us. It meowed. On my fucking pillow. I gave Mr. Shitty Kitty a dirty look and went over to move his ass, but he started screwing around with me. After having my hand batted a few times, I realized his claws weren¡¯t out and he was just looking to play. Even with exhaustion setting in I couldn¡¯t turn that adorable little face down, so I screwed with the pussy until I could grab it. Having it in my lap was better than having it where I lay my head and the little fella didn¡¯t seem to mind the change in scenery. Stellara groaned when she saw that I wasn¡¯t going to stop anytime soon, giving me a frustrated look.


    ¡°What is your fascination with dangerous animals?¡± She asked irritably.


    I passed her a sharp look. ¡°What¡¯s with you and not liking animals?¡±


    ¡°We need to sleep.¡±


    I sighed and looked at the kitty. ¡°Hear that, bud? She¡¯s actually kinda right this time. Guess ya gotta go.¡±


    ¡°Aw.¡± He mewled.


    The look I gave it was between astonished and skeptical, but Stellara confirmed my suspicions by saying, ¡°You have got to be fooling me.¡±


    I looked at her, then back to Felix. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you talk, dude.¡±


    ¡°I can.¡± His voice sounded like a cat trying to talk, which made a lot of sense because he was a cat trying to fucking talk.


    ¡°... Were you the cassa too?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Stell and I traded a look. If it could have been captured and captioned it most likely would have said, ¡®The mutual look of denial¡¯, and I would have saved it to my phone as a reaction image. ¡°It is a [damn] ohsum!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s pretty awesome.¡± I nodded along, looking at the sentient creature I¡¯d been treating like a good kitty for the past ten minutes.


    ¡°No, ohsum.¡± Felix corrected.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say much, do you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He mewled.


    I looked at Stellara. ¡°Can we keep him now?¡±


    ¡°Keep me?¡±


    Stell glared at him. ¡°Do not be useless.¡±


    ¡°Useless?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Be useful.¡±


    ¡°... I dunno.¡± He licked his paw and rubbed his ear. In that order, of course.


    ¡°You ¡®dunno¡¯?¡± My Partner was already growing hotter under the collar.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Why don¡¯t you scout ahead of us from now on? We¡¯ll be your friends and you¡¯ll be ours.¡± I bargained reasonably.


    Felix whacked me a couple of times. ¡°I like friends.¡±


    ¡°So do we.¡± I grinned at him, a little happy to add another party member. Duos never did well in my experience, but three was always the magic number.


    He kept whacking me. ¡°Play?¡±


    ¡°Sleep.¡± Stell and I echoed.


    ¡°Aw¡­ Okay.¡± He didn¡¯t move, so I picked him up and put him between us.


    With that, I had myself a Partner, a Companion, and a plan. It was looking pretty good from where I was laying, and if you disagree with that, then look at it this way; you¡¯re a book. What does it matter?


    No, wait, I¡¯m sorry, Booksy! I didn¡¯t mean it like that! Don¡¯t go¡­


    Ha! Can¡¯t leave ¡®cause you¡¯re a book. Now I¡¯m just wasting ink. Spilling my dirty, nasty ink on your virgin pages. How¡¯s that feel, Book!?


    Ah, it¡¯s time to stop. Until next time, Booksy. Stay dry~

 Chapter Five: My Loyalty

    Chapter Five: My Loyalty


    Stellara and I got off to a rough start in the afternoon when we woke up, but Felix was alive and well, feeling a lot better after I wrapped his leg up with some spare cloth I¡¯d thought would come in handy. It basically set the mood for the rest of the journey for Tidrel with Stell and I being pretty¡­ Well, we were on speaking terms, but we really needed to talk some more. It would¡¯ve been one thing if we were alone and on the road, but we had a veritable child with us, and as the days passed on the route between Rusval and her friendlier sister-city, it became more evident that Felix was barely old enough to feed himself, let alone actually do anything of importance for his own well-being. IT took some time for Stellara to break down and talk to him like a real, living, thinking being, but even then she talked down to him and showed Felix disdain that made my heartache and fear prickle in the back of my mind. In the left, creative side of my brain, I was running through the possibilities of Stell turning into Rachel through Felix and I wanted to get rid of him as a result. The right, logical side of my brain wanted me to take care of the cute kid with a penchant for playtime because it was both the right thing to do and he was my new friend. I still couldn¡¯t get a straight or even truly legitimate answer from Stellara as to why she hated Felix so much for next to no reason.


    That being said, I basically had to act as the bridge between the two so we could actually get somewhere, otherwise, Felix spent his time bugging Stell until she was close to hitting him. The ohsum was slow to learn and eager to please, so he tried and tried throughout the three days it took for us to get within sight of Tidrel to make Stellara just not hate him. He failed miserably, meaning that I practically had a son to take care of and a wildcard of a new wife to manage. I mean, my Partner could quite easily take care of herself, but my companion could be a tax write-off for the work he could actually do. That just annoyed Stell even more since it meant that Felix was nearly ineffective with pretty much everything he tried to do, and the woman was nothing if not one for pragmatism. The two weren¡¯t even terribly different as far as I could tell at first, but the longer I spent with both of them, the more I realized that Stellara had no innocence left in her. Timidity and shyness were one thing, but the woman was by no means incapable or innocuous. Felix, on the other hand, was pretty much as pure and simple as you could get, leaving his days to scouting, eating, and playing.


    I wasn¡¯t exactly sure where I fell between them since they both obviously liked me a lot and didn¡¯t get along with each other which was more Stell¡¯s fault than Felix¡¯s because the group dynamics were super fucked. While being the party leader and the guy that held us together, I was also the least combat-effective in the group and the most useless as far as things went outside of society. Stell was the ass-kicker and the shit-getter-doner for the most part, but her societal status found her on the slave rung of the ladder and gave her an inferiority complex that was too easy to land a hit on. I never meant to make her feel bad for her status or position, but I¡¯d accidentally reminded Stell that her place was literally at my back, to support me through good decisions and bad. Meanwhile, Stell eventually told me (As in just before we set up camp outside of Tidrel) that ohsums were considered good luck in some parts of the country and were worshipped as Demi-Gods and minor deities in different parts of the world. There were few enough places in Avalesce that even tolerated Magical Beasts and most River Folk friendly places hated them for some reason, so the Avalesch native in the group had a healthy distrust of the shapeshifter. However, Stell seemed to hate Felix less when he was in the shape of a typical animal that could¡¯ve been seen on Earth rather than Septural. The bird forms and some of the lizards he took the shape of for the rest periods were accepted by Stellara without question, though I wondered if it was because he couldn¡¯t talk as anything other than a crow-like creature with three eyes in the avian category. The lizards couldn¡¯t talk at all, and according to Felix, he didn''t¡¯ mind because he shifted into reptiles when he was ready to sleep in a little.


    When we settled down outside of Tidrel, there was no cover off of the road in any direction, the forests of Rusval having turned into low, rolling hills and tall grass. Our food supply was running low but Felix finally had us covered with some of his abilities. He was a young version of whatever he turned into, but that just meant that he was smaller and harder to see while hunting. He liked to screw around too much to actually kill anything himself, but he could guide Stell and I to prey with relative ease. He himself didn¡¯t give a rat¡¯s tail about the death of his targets, but I still felt bad for ending a life to continue my own, especially since it wasn¡¯t absolutely necessary. That¡¯s not why I asked Stellara to let me kill the rodent-creature-thing I ate, though. I wanted to kill it myself because Gatian was an honorable guy, and honorable guys kill the things they eat themselves, even if they didn¡¯t catch whatever it was. I felt like it was a matter of respecting my meal and where it had come from, as had been taught to me during my summers in South Dakota and the trip to Brazil (Seriously, Brazil was dope.). It almost felt like an honor and a privilege more so than an obligation or something of the sort, but I didn¡¯t get any pleasure out of slaying a rat. Granted, it was a big, mean, fluffy rat, but it was still a fucking rodent.


    I half expected to level up when I killed the thing, but I sadly did not.


    Stellara was ecstatic when I asked to be the one to take the rodent¡¯s life, citing newfound respect for me as the reason. Apparently, most River People were said to either be so squeamish they couldn¡¯t stand the sight of blood or were bloodthirsty themselves, which was confusing to me. I didn¡¯t pay it too much mind and just killed the thing quick to make sure it didn¡¯t suffer, which was something that Stell could get behind. Felix was present while we discussed mercy and necessity in turns, circling back to each topic each time we moved onto the other or another. Stell felt like everything alive deserved a swift death if there was no hope for them, which I kinda agreed with. I mean, I¡¯d always prefer to try and keep something alive, but it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t understand that Humans were omnivores and thus needed to consume flesh to survive. Still, feeling guilty over killing something was expected by me and me alone whereas Felix and Stell both wondered why I would care about conquering something or someone weaker than me. Apparently, bullying was perfectly acceptable to the natives of Avalesce which made my skin crawl. There was nothing I could tolerate less than cruelty for the sake of one¡¯s personal gain. Other than evil for the sake of evil itself, that is. I was quick to let my companions know my stance on picking on people and Felix was the first to react. He liked my vision. Stellara giggled softly at first and when I asked her what she was laughing about she said that I was too kind for my own good.


    Keep in mind that our conversation carried on late into the morning while we were outside of Tidrel, the companionship coming along with the dialog feeling different from the days before. With common ground to stand on, Stell was a little less repulsed by Felix though it was still obvious that she would have rather had a non-talking Companion. Speaking of, the last thing the three of just talked about before bed was what I expected from my¡­ Well, I can¡¯t say ¡®partners¡¯ because ¡®Partner¡¯ is a title, and so is ¡®companion¡¯, so I¡¯ll think of something else. What do you suggest, Booksy? Hm¡­. Yeah, I like that. Thank ya kindly, my papery pal. As Booksy ¡®said¡¯, my ¡®buddies¡¯ wanted a real answer from me other than, ¡®Just find happiness with me¡¯, and they evidently didn¡¯t like getting the same answer, even though Felix wasn¡¯t too concerned about it. I figured it was more or less Stellara trying to find out where we stood before the journey continued and the ohsum just bandwagoned her idea because it was fun or something.


    That conversation was awkward, and it took me like, ten minutes to get answers that satisfied all three of us respectively. Felix got a simple answer because he was a simple guy. I just wanted him to scout and stay out of trouble for the most part, which he would probably do without trying hard in the first place. For Stell, I told her that I wanted her to fight by my side instead of in front of me, hug me when I needed it, and generally just be my friend until I needed her to be something else. She had a small problem with that since she was more of a Warrior Wife than a Ferocious Friend, or at least that¡¯s what her training had geared her towards. After noticing that I hadn¡¯t said anything about seeking another person as my paramour or claiming her as my own for that matter, Stell asked if she had done something to change my mind and that too was hard to answer. I just didn¡¯t want to commit to something I wasn¡¯t sure of so soon after divorcing my own life from my body, which she understood. What she didn''t understand was why I¡¯d seen so much of my Ex in her over the past few days, although she¡¯d made it clear that she was a different woman altogether. Something I¡¯d noticed back on Earth was that doppelgangers tended to act and react similarly, so I tried testing Stellara with a few particularly annoying questions that had gotten blood spilled with Rachel to gauge her further. Much to my surprise, over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders were measured in hands instead of cups, waists were measured in millimeters (For some odd friggin¡¯ reason.), and Common was actually Stell¡¯s fourth language, and most certainly not the last one she¡¯d learned.


    Honestly, with the way she responded me, my Gatian brain told me that I had a sure-fire thing going with Stell if I wanted it but that made me ask something when Felix passed out after we made camp. ¡°Hey, Stell?¡±


    We were already facing each other with Felix on my side of the bedroll this time around. ¡°Yes? Do you have a question?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, kinda. I-¡±


    ¡°Well, would you not have a question? If you did not have a question-¡±


    ¡°Hush, woman,¡± I groaned, making her giggle.


    ¡°What is your question, Gatian?¡±


    ¡°... What do you think of me? Honestly.¡±


    She just looked at me like I¡¯d asked what color oranges were. ¡°... I beg your pardon?¡±


    ¡°What do you think of me? What was your first impression?¡±


    ¡°I do not understand.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your opinion on me, then?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re asking for my opinion?¡± Confusion, bewilderment, befuddlement, and another word for confusion were all on her face with the dictionary definitions attached.


    ¡°... Yes? Are you not supposed to give it?¡±


    ¡°Well, only if asked and never about the Partner themselves¡­¡±


    ¡°Since when do I strike you as a typical River Person?¡± I chuckled.


    Stell looked incredibly nervous. ¡°... What if you-¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t come after you if you say something bad. Believe it or not, not all River People are angsty, depressed, or terribly irritable in general.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m-¡±


    ¡°Ah-ah!¡± I lifted a finger.


    She opened her mouth and closed it soon after, puffing out a couple of chuckles. ¡°Right. An apology was unneeded.¡±


    ¡°An answer is though.¡±


    She hesitated to give me what I wanted though I had no room to talk. She only made me wait a few minutes for an answer in contrast to the quarter of an hour I had her on standby. ¡°... You are¡­ I don¡¯t know how to put it into words¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°... You are kind, Gatian.¡± She finally said. ¡°You are kind beyond your years and experiences, and that frightens me. Your heart is large enough to hold so much, but I feel as though you will be an easy target for those who would wish ill upon you. It is not that you are a do-nothing: I feel the matter depends more on what you see in the person you converse with that dictates how generous you are with your kindness, though I do not understand your feelings for Felix. He is a nuisance and I wish you would see him as such, but I cannot help but¡­ Well, I very much like your compassion, how much you care for your fellow being, even if they are but an animal, However... You would not believe how relieved I was when you killed the gempling for our meal instead of having me do it, but I was also worried by the remorse in your gaze. This world can be very hard for charitable people, and I feel as though you would not hesitate to lend your only knife to someone who asked nicely enough.¡±


    ¡°... So I¡¯m too nice for my own good?¡±


    ¡°... I am sorr-¡± I prepared a flick. ¡°I am not sorry.¡±


    ¡°There we go. I¡¯m not mad, and I¡¯m not that nice. Thank you for saying what you did, though.¡±


    She smiled weakly and nodded. ¡°You are most welcome.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more though, right?¡±


    ¡°... Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Same promise, Stell.¡±


    ¡°... Well¡­ I have a question for you, Gatian, and I just want you to know that I will respect your answer no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°... Are you homosexual?¡±


    I inhaled deeply and sighed heavily. ¡°... No.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Oh!¡± She smiled. ¡°Then I am just not to your liking. okay.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re very much to my liking.¡±


    ¡°... But¡­ You have not shown interest in consummating our partnership¡­?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°... If you are not homosexual and find me attractive¡­ Then why did you make such a face at Armatura Clarik?¡±


    ¡°... Because he was cute,¡± I whispered softly.


    ¡°... You are greedy.¡±


    ¡°I am monogamous!¡± My reply was loud and audibly frustrated, even to me. ¡°You Avalesch fucks know River People are monogamous and you still think I¡¯m going to fuck everyone under the sun just because I fucking can! I¡¯m bisexual, not a fucking slut!¡±


    She stared at me. ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°What.¡±


    ¡°... I did not take that into consideration.¡±


    ¡°No one does!¡±


    ¡°... I apologize for passing judgment before the eggs were in the basket. I should have known that your accepting nature would extend to your sexuality.¡±


    My mood was ruined for the night and I felt like bawling my fucking eyes out anyway because I was just waiting for Stellara to change her mind as Valen did. Anticipating a knife in my shoulder blades was rough, but then what I would consider the opposite of a knife pressed itself against my back. Stellara¡¯s gentle, warm breath ghosted over the nape of my neck, her comfort wrapping itself around me. It didn¡¯t take but a few seconds for the tears to fall, and it wasn¡¯t because of one single thing. My heart hurt so much from so many different events and resulting that I couldn¡¯t shrug off, which made my chest ache more. I couldn¡¯t change my nature, I couldn¡¯t change my sexuality, I couldn''t change the past, and I couldn¡¯t actively change how Stellara ultimately felt about me. What I could do was show weakness to the most important person in my life at the moment which was something Gatian and Gage hated beyond words. Having my emotions run wild tore me up inside and having Stellara be there for me didn¡¯t make it any better since I knew that she still thought bisexuality was disgusting, making me disgusting by association. Life in America had gotten so much better after the LGBT community had gotten a foothold, or at least fewer people made jokes with hate behind them. Finding myself in a regressive, judgmental world made Gage want to curl up into a ball and continue crying, but that wasn¡¯t me anymore. Gatian shed his tears and stoppered the flow with a little effort, holding in the rest of the frustration and anxiety.


    Stellara, in all her glorious awesomeness, held on tight until I fell asleep with not a word spoken between us. The night had run shortly into dawn, so sleeping with the sun breaking the horizon was a little troublesome. Staying asleep was no problem though. Waking up was another story since I felt incredibly drained from the moment I opened my eyes to the moment Stellara woke up. Felix, as heavy a sleeper as he was, woke up before Stell and went outside to do his business before returning to screw with his impromptu caretakers. I wasn¡¯t in the mood for it, and for some reason he let me be. As I was getting my peace on the final leg to Tidrel, Stellara did something unexpected. She stopped suddenly and grabbed me, spinning me around to face her.


    Once her hands were on my shoulders and holding me in place, Stellara looked me in the eye and said, ¡°Gatian, do you think I do not like you now?¡±


    I looked away until she brought me back to her, taking my chin in her delicate fingers to turn my head. ¡°Stellara¡­¡±


    ¡°Are we not friends, Gatian? Am I not your Partner?¡±


    ¡°Where are you going with this?¡± I asked exhaustedly.


    ¡°I will make you happy beside me, one way or another. Never again will you shed a tear over what you cannot affect because of what I have done. Of this you may be certain.¡±


    ¡­


    Real talk here, Booksy? It was touching. The determination and solid assurance in her eyes was veritably heartwarming, and knowing that she was completely serious about what she said and the implications within? It allayed my fears with ease and brightened my gloomy mood. Just looking into those endless blue oceans filled my heart with a solace I¡¯d already discounted. It didn¡¯t change the fact that she¡¯d shot before looking at the target, but her genuine and sincere (Implied) apology was more than enough to earn her a hug. As I came to understand more about Stellara Inova as both a person and a Partner, seeing a new part of her that was serious yet soft, I knew the thing. It hit me in the high left cheek and the low right one, both muscle groups tingling with Cupid¡¯s slap and tickle. The slap being figuratively literal and the tickle being a metaphor of the arrow, of course. In English, Booksy, that meant that I had all I needed to make a hasty decision that I¡¯d probably come to regret, it just wasn¡¯t the time to voice my conclusion.


    Stell accepted the kiss and gave as good as she got until we heard something coming down the road. Whatever it was happened to make the most unsafe sounds I¡¯d ever heard from a vehicle of any kind, and I say ¡®vehicle¡¯ because I could smell burning oil and misfires aplenty. We pulled away from each other in time to see the beginnings of a pollution-filled cloud heading our way. Stellara sighed with more than a little vexation tinging the sound, giving the pitch-black miasma a look as dirty as the smoke. Cursing ¡®Artificers¡¯ to hell and back, Stell took my hand and started marching down the road with no time to waste. Her gait was a little hard to keep up with despite the fact that she was shorter than me. I chalked it up to Choret Chops and practically had to jog to keep up with her unnecessarily fast speed-walk.


    I was surprised when it took the noisy whatchamathingamabobble nearly twenty minutes to actually come into sight for once, though I had to consider our gait and environment into the equation to give the driver a fighting chance. Then the ¡®contraption¡¯, and I do use that word ever so loosely, failed to catch up to us by the time we got to Tidrel. I honestly understood why Stellaras hated Artificers because my ears were ringing, even as the racket ceased. We passed the ¡®No Steamcycles/Coalcycles/Either Coach Form¡¯ sign long before the loud-ass dick-prick-fricker did. However, the five minute gap between the beginning of the silence and my arrival at the checkpoint was full of bells and whistles along with a droning hum that worried me. Stellara and I talked as quietly as we could to the Armators manning the waystation, but they were practically shouting at us to get the directions across. The brass Identification Plaque I was given at Joad¡¯s was enough to get us through without too much yelling, and thankfully Tidrel¡¯s authority was kind enough to loan us their wait area to regain our hearing.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The ringing stopped eventually, but we¡¯d set off for Tidrel in the late afternoon. We¡¯d been deafened for nearly half the time it took us to get there from our camp, and that had been a good three to four hours. I¡¯m not saying that Stellara was authorized to do anything to the steampunk prick when he showed up to the gate, but we were compensated for what constituted as excessive harassment. The guy was evidently a rich bitch and didn¡¯t mind forking over an exorbitant fee. A solid half went into the Armators pockets when the snooty douche cleared the checkpoint, but a quarter went to Stellara and I for our trouble. I gauged my own happiness by Stellaras, so ten gold pieces and ten brass ones felt like a good pickup to me.


    We entered town with our hearing intact, though we had to wait for Felix to join us in the form of a sparrow. He let us know that there was a place to get food not too far away which was useless information at the time. He was the only one who was hungry and since we¡¯d only eaten breakfast a couple of hours ago, it was unlikely that Stellara was going to part with our travel funds if she didn¡¯t have to. We¡¯d get supplies from the River Folk Welcome Center anyway, so it was even less pertinent to make a stop when our actual destination would do the thing the stop was meant to do. Redundancy is lost on children, so I got pecked by a fledgling for my insolence and he got squeezed like the little plushie he was for his insubordination.


    Getting directions to the Welcome Center was as easy as asking the first person we met. By chance it just so happened to be aCenturnand a Unicorn at that. I¡¯d half expected the guy to have brightly colored fur and a mane out of a cartoon, but he honestly looked like someone put longer, thicker hair on a Human and stuck some furry ears in his hair. The hooves were weird and so was the horn, but he couldn¡¯t have possibly been much more polite or accommodating. Swift was a helluva guy and an off-duty Armator at that, but the fella was uglier than your mother and had some pretty big front teeth. I didn¡¯t judge him for that, I just thought it was nice that I probably wouldn¡¯t have to worry about Stellara going after a Centaur that was shaken instead of stirred. Stalwart offered to guide us to the Welcome Center after a little small-talk and gossip, which we happily accepted due to time constraints and a desire to get some actually decent supplies.


    It¡¯s either an Avalesch thing or a fucking ¡®Septurn¡¯ thing, but no one in the party other than me was confident about following simple fucking directions. Stalwart knew how to get to the Welcome Center from nearly every part of town and was the one giving me directions the entire walk there. He was giving me directions because he kept turning around for no reason! Seriously, first Stellara, then him, and now that I think about it, Valen and I passed some very familiar landmarks a few times while we were walking through the forest to Rusval¡­ Fuckers get lost too easily, which is probably why it¡¯s so easy to get around. Tidrel was no exception, but the town itself couldn¡¯t have been much more different from Rusval in aesthetic. My starting point had seemed pretty standard as far as industrial towns went, but Tidrel seemed much more like a metropolitan area if the painted brick buildings were anything to go by. Murals and other random pictures adorned plenty of walls, most of them depicting rivers from different angles. Or it could¡¯ve been the same river I came from, for all I knew. The colors used were muted and relaxed, more cool than warm in all of them. The backsplash often depicted a starry night and the subjects were generally female, but there was one around a block away from the Welcome Center that was awash with warmth and vivacity. It was one I wanted to stop and appreciate for a little while since we were close enough to the Center to get there with my memory, so my party bid Stalwart a fond farewell, hoping to meet again under similar circumstances.


    The mural was a sight to behold from afar, but up close it was something else entirely. The detail in that particular painting was astonishing, and everything down from the leaves of the trees to the blades of grass were all there in fine detail. It was almost as if someone had brushed a photograph over the wall. I admired the mural for a little while until a stranger came up and asked what I was doing. Once I explained myself, the pleasant lady was kind enough to elaborate on the origin of the work, stating that it had been started by a Flistian that had settled down some decades ago. It had been left incomplete for a few years since the fellow passed away before he could finish his work, but his apprentice just so happened to be a procrastinator like no other. That, or the woman had the wrong idea and the River Person was working up to their Master¡¯s level, which was what I suggested to her. She paid it little mind and carried on by saying that her father had been the one to sell the apprentice the paints and brushes she used to finish the mural, which in turn had reignited the art scene in Tidrel. Apparently, it was still going strong to that day as a result of the apprentice¡¯s final touches.


    After the fun little local history lesson I guided my small group to the Tidrel Welcome Center and took note of the building¡¯s appearance just in case I needed to find it again by sight. Rather than being painted in bright colors or being covered in pictures like most other buildings in the town, there were sculptures everywhere in front of the building, on the balconies, and hanging from awnings that were evidently stronger than they looked. There were also one or two that were floating and had to be chained down to the ground, which was very interesante, if I may Spanish for a second. The Tiffany-style stained glass was beautiful and mostly clear, though colored ridiculous hues to make up for the bland, solid concrete of the building. The architecture itself was what was interesting rather than the color scheme. Its spiral staircase led to nothing on the side of the building was odd and then there was the multitude of owls sitting on the fenceposts around the place, all cut from stone. Even the domed roof was odd, but then again I had to consider that the lawn/grounds of the Welcome Center were the on ly ones I¡¯d seen in Tidrel that could actually hold a few people. More than a few, I should say.


    There were Armators at the gate, but the second the fellow on the right saw me approaching, he did a double-take and alerted his partner. The one closest to me turned and waved, shortly followed by the other, both of them wearing¡­ Um¡­ inviting smiles, we¡¯ll say. They were enthusiastic to be sure, but their excitement was bordering on mania to my eyes and I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s not far from why Stellara took my hand. With Felix on my head and my Partner by my side, we continued on until the guards approached us, practically gushing from the get go.


    ¡°You must be a River Man, right? I can see it in your walk; definitely a River Man!¡± The


    guy who¡¯d seen me first said.


    His partner tapped his shoulder merrily. ¡°When you¡¯re right, you¡¯re right! Welcome to Tidrel, friend!¡±


    Their giddiness wasn¡¯t rubbing off on me or Stell, but they were being nice. ¡°Thank you so much for that. Not everywhere is as happy to see me, y¡¯know?¡±


    Right Guard waved it off. ¡°Ah, did you come from Rusval or Sindrel?¡±


    ¡°Rusval.¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°That¡¯ll do it. A lot of the more rural towns aren¡¯t as fond of River Folk, but your Guide was nice, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, for the most part. She was a Sun Sister and the moon rose on our trip.¡±


    Both guards made a noise of understanding. ¡°Yeah, we Daylight Devils can get a bit touchier when the sun falls, but I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t come here just to talk to us.¡±


    ¡°To be honest I really didn¡¯t, but polite conversation is a luxury to be cherished in my opinion.¡±


    Apparently the guards felt the same way because they waylaid my party for hours, testing both my patience and my adherence to societal niceties. Still, I¡¯m nothing if not a sucker for a good story, and I had a few decent ones to tell in between the guards¡¯. Stell didn¡¯t really want to join in and nobody pressed her to, and Felix stayed quiet like he does about half of the time. Once we got away from the guards (Which only happened because their shifts ended), we were allowed into the Welcome Center and what lay inside surprised me a fair bit. I¡¯d been expecting polished concrete and maybe some Earth stuff to remind me of home, but the inside of the Welcome Center looked like an anti-hospital. Everything was painted a dark color one way or another, contrasting reds and blues along with greens and oranges so subtly that it was almost imperceptible. The light definitely helped, but I couldn''t¡¯ understand why someone would paint a place so morbidly. Weapons and armor on stands lined the walls along with tapestries and display cases holding tomes and other books of varying condition, but what I was more interested in than anything was the functioning steampunk water fountain. Shit was cool and made a cool noise when you pretty the button. As impressive as the contraption was, the water tasted like copper and was warmer than whatever flowed from the main vein.


    Once my curiosity and whimsy were both sated, Stellara also tried the water fountain for the hell of it and managed to spray herself in the face before I could tell her to raise her head. IT was funny at first, but then she didn¡¯t stop, soaking her shirt in the process. I wish I could say she stopped once she realized she was getting wet, but it was ten seconds easy before I pulled her hand off of the button and woke her up from her trance. Stellara had taken a trip to another planet for nearly half a minute before I manged to get her attention and wipe the dopey look off of her face. It wasn¡¯t a smile or a grimace per se, but something that I couldn¡¯t really describe. She looked happy. Kinda. I guess ¡®dopey¡¯ was more apt than I thought, because she low-key looked like she was high on something. I sort of wanted to try spraying myself in the face with warm water to see if it really was that nice, but my eyes and attention dipped from Stellara¡¯s dreamy expression to the soaked portion of her shirt. If it weren¡¯t for her jacket, the entirety of her brazier would have been visible under her drenched, ash grey blouse. As it was, her cleavage was enticing and the design of what I could see was interesting enough to put my mind where the leaves fall. Instead of typical doily-lacy stuff, there were monogrammed leaves in the pink fabric, the exact color escaping me at the moment. Once I remembered that I wasn¡¯t supposed to be a pervert, I tore my gaze aware from Stellara¡¯s chest and checked her eyes again.


    She was still halfway across the universe while I was blushing up a storm, so I tried calming myself before getting her attention. That failed as I expected it to, so I closed her jacket for her and put a finger in her mouth. Stellara also didn¡¯t react to that, so I gave her a brief peck to see if that would do something, but she was still standing there.  I didn¡¯t know what else to do that wouldn¡¯t hurt her, so I wandered off to go look for some help and maybe an answer. It took me awhile to find an attendant/employee, and when she saw me, she rushed over and tackled me to the floor. It was a slow fall since I tried to catch myself but the little Sotan was evidently too happy to let go, even as we were heading to the floor. She practically exploded with joy over seeing me and getting to meet me. I was concerned about exactly neither of those things at the moment. Once she shut up long enough for me to say something, I asked her to get off of me so I could lead her to my dumbstruck friend/love interest. The lady complied with plenty of cheer to spare, and when I led her over to my Partner, all she did to wake her up was do something I would¡¯ve done if I¡¯d have known it would work. A hearty slap to the rear cheeks got Stellara out of her daze ad back into reality.


    ¡°Oh!¡± She gasped, jolting in place. She shook her head to bring some clarity to the situation and felt her chest. ¡°... Gatian¡­¡±


    The look she was giving me was enough to kill. You know, if looks could do that. And if Stellara wasn¡¯t absolutely adorable when she was embarrassed, I guess. ¡°Hey, I closed your jacket for you! Someone could¡¯ve seen some stuff!¡±


    My Partner covered her chest, her cinnamon complexion giving way to flushed cheeks. ¡°You knew that would happen!¡±


    ¡°You pressed the button before I could help!¡± I argued.


    The Sotan woman giggled. ¡°Oh, come on you silly Choo-roo, you should assume that River Folk don¡¯t know anything about your kind!¡±


    Stell huffed and turned away from me. ¡°... It is not fair.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a Partner, don''tcha know? It¡¯s not like you deserve-¡±


    ¡°Finish that sentence and I¡¯ll trump up charges to have you arrested for harassing a River Man.¡± I spat, venom entering my tone for the first time in nearly a full decade.


    Stellara and the Sotan were both shocked, but I couldn¡¯t have cared much less. My point carried itself through my words and posture well enough that I didn¡¯t have to elaborate. ¡°... Y-You would do that¡­?¡± The shrimp bitch asked.


    I pointed at Stellara. ¡°My Partner is my friend. My guardian. You attack her, you attack me.¡±


    I didn¡¯t see the look on Stell¡¯s face because I didn¡¯t give a shit what she thought. I also didn¡¯t care much as to whether or not I was about to get us kicked out of the place. The employee-lady looked like I¡¯d slapped her mother and threatened to struggle-snuggle both of them if they didn¡¯t make me the perfect New York cheesecake. They probably wouldn¡¯t know what it was and I didn¡¯t know if cows even existed on Septural, so it was likely that my hypothetical would have ended poorly for all involved. By no means do I consider myself intimidating, but I am tall and anger at a snail¡¯s pace. The quiet ones are the ones you should be afraid of in my experience, and I considered myself quiet. It¡¯s one thing to talk down to me, but to come after one of my loved ones? Yeah, no-no¡¯s abound, intelligence not found. I could tolerate pretty much any kind of abuse thrown at me with no issue, but the people who cared about me were another matter entirely. Hell, the last time I threw a punch was probably the reason Rachel went for me if it wasn¡¯t just for my parents money. Unfortunately for me, I ended up breaking a guy¡¯s jaw, cracking some teeth, and doing some damage to myself in the process. He got what was coming to him for messing with my main man Melon Matt (Named as such because he was fruity), though I couldn''t help but regret it later since my hand hurt. The Sotan, however, didn¡¯t give me the impression that I was going to have to warm up my hurty-hand.


    I stared down the thin ginger until she nodded, giving me a mild, apologetic smile. ¡°I apologize, Mister. It¡¯s just that Partners don¡¯t rank too high around here.¡±


    I gave her a flat look. ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean you have to treat them like shit. They¡¯re just as sentient as you are, and you¡¯d do well to remember that.¡±


    She pursed her lips. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true, but do you know why Partners get such a bad rep?¡±


    ¡°No, and I don¡¯t really give a shit to tell it straight. I like the one I have and Americans in general think slavery is retarded.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, not slavery, Mister. Not by a long shot.¡±


    ¡°Like I implied, if I get curious, I¡¯ll ask my Partner.¡±


    ¡°And if she lies to you?¡±


    I looked at Stellara, finding that she wouldn¡¯t meet my eye. ¡°How many people did you have to put down to get here?¡±


    She closed her eyes. ¡°... Many.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know. I¡¯d taken a shot in the dark and hit both of us. It wasn¡¯t a surprise, so I didn''t let anything show on my face when I looked at the cocky ginger. ¡°That¡¯s not all~¡±


    ¡°Then what else is there?¡± I asked boredly, making her triumphant mood diminish rapidly.


    ¡°... You don¡¯t care, do you?¡± She asked.


    ¡°You seem pretty dead-set on telling me.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ Well¡­ Besides the Tourney, I guess there¡¯s the evaluation¡­¡±


    ¡°... And that is?¡± I gestured for her to continued, as visibly annoyed as I could be. ¡°Are you dumb, or did you forget that I¡¯m not supposed to know this shit?¡±


    She flinched. ¡°W-Well¡­¡±


    I turned to my Partner, seeing that she was wearing her shame on her sleeve. ¡°Stell, can you tell me any of what you had to do to become a Partner, or do I have to ask the right questions?¡±


    ¡°... Please, do not inquire further.¡± She requested.


    I heard the beginning of a snicker and cut the Sotan a glare sharper than I thought I could, making her shake in place. I¡¯d have felt worse for ¡®flexing¡¯ on someone half my size and a woman at that, but she evidently took joy in making my Partner feel less than Human. ¡°Got somethin¡¯ to say?¡± I sneered.


    ¡°... They have to perform sexual favors to pass the test! And kill all sorts of things! Partners really aren¡¯t worth anythi-¡± Her head whipped to the side for some reason, which confused me.


    I glanced at Stellara, the tears in her eyes unfallen which was strange given how wide they were. ¡°Gatian!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I looked back to the shocked woman in front of me. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± The Sotan stared at me and so did Stellara.


    Then I noticed the handprint on the ginger¡¯s cheek and put two and two together. Her head had snapped to the side because I¡¯d slapped her, which was also why my newly christened ¡®Bitch-Smackin¡¯-Mitt¡¯ was tingling. You probably put that together since you¡¯re a pretty smart book, but that¡¯s the order I realized things in. Stell took the time to start rubbing her temples while the rude employee just nodded a few times.


    ¡°Okie-doke. Don¡¯t insult the River Man¡¯s Partner. Gotcha.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do that, but I do feel like it was justified,¡± I said. Awkward wasn''t the word for it.


    ¡°Oh no, I understand. I mean, I¡¯ve heard tell of some of you River People just going wild from the adjustment. You¡¯ll get used to it eventually and you¡¯ll treat your Partner like-¡±


    ¡°Oh no, if I ever treat anyone like you people do, then I¡¯ll kill myself again. People do what they have to so they can survive their situation. If that means taking down your former peers and sucking a fat one to live a better life, then I¡¯d do it too, and you know damn well that if being a Partner was better than what you had, you¡¯d make that your goal. Empathy is one of the biggest strengths of Humankind and right now I see someone weak and pathetic.¡±


    She stopped rubbing her cheek and just looked at me for a little bit. Her eyes seemed a little glossy for my tastes, but then the ¡®fog¡¯ cleared and she was back. ¡°... You¡­ You have a really good point¡­ I¡¯d probably do anything to avoid being a denite.¡±


    I nodded and peeked at Stellara, seeing that she was a little¡­ Happy isn¡¯t right, so I think ¡®touched¡¯ would be closer. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say that she was amazed that an Avalesch citizen saw her struggle for what it was, even if they only had a few pieces of the puzzle. ¡°I know I do. I¡¯m a man. Men are always right.¡±¡±


    ¡®


    She giggled at that, going back to rubbing her cheek. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. Most guys woulda knocked me over with a smack that fast.¡±


    ¡°I really wasn¡¯t aware of it.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s¡­ Worrying.¡±


    ¡°No, what¡¯s worrying is that my Partner gets treated like shit for non-understandable reasons. I mean, that¡¯s like the first time I¡¯ve hit someone in years.¡±


    Her face fell. ¡°Aww, now I feel bad! I¡¯m sorry, Mister, I didn¡¯t mean to push ya, don¡¯tcha know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine. Just proves a point anyway.¡±


    ¡°What point is that?¡±


    ¡°That I need to make Stellara¡¯s quality of life better for her.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯d do that for a Partner?¡±


    ¡°What part of ¡®friend¡¯ did you not hear?¡± I asked irritably.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Right¡­ So, what brings you to the Welcome Center?¡± She tried, rubbing her face some more.


    ¡°... We needed supplies.¡±


    ¡°How bout I write off a few extra things and you don¡¯t charge me for harassment?¡±


    I thought about it for a second, wondering if I should juice her for all she was worth. In the end, it didn¡¯t sit well with me to get extra things for nonsense anyway, but we needed the supplies more than we needed my morals intact. ¡°Throw in an instrument and you¡¯ve got yourself a deal.¡±


    She blinked. ¡°An instrument?¡±


    ¡°Oh mercy, uh... Like a guitar or something, I guess¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ Those are pretty hard to come by outside of Thesuvia, but we have a few, I think.¡± The lady tapped her chin and looked off into the empty air for a moment. ¡°Oh! We have and undlegar! That¡¯s like a guitar, I think!¡±


    Stellara started to say something and cut herself off, looking at the ground. ¡°Stell? Were you going to say something?¡±


    ¡°... Well, I don¡¯t mean to discourage you, but¡­¡± She bit her lip and looked at the ginger shrimp, leading my gaze to her as well. A raised brow and pursed lips awaited me.


    ¡°Are you sure about what you¡¯re gonna say there, Partner?¡± The rude lady asked, not being rude for once. ¡°It¡¯s your job to be supportive.¡±


    ¡°Is the undlegar hard to learn or something?¡±


    ¡°It has six strings.¡± Stellara said nervously.


    ¡°... How many do you think are on a guitar?¡±


    The ladies looked at each other and said, ¡°Four.¡± simultaneously.


    ¡°... A normal guitar has six strings. There are some with eight to twelve. A Pikasso is a guitar with forty-two strings.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s actually hard about the undlegar?¡± I looked between them.


    ¡°It has more strings than you have fingers on one hand!¡± The Sotan huffed. ¡°Isn¡¯t that enough difficulty for you?¡±


    ¡°How many people play instruments here?¡±


    ¡°Few,¡± Both women answered.


    Ginger lady carried on by saying, ¡°Those that do actually practice instruments are usually at it for decades until they stop making people¡¯s ears bleed.¡±


    Stellara picked her train of thought up with, ¡°And even the River People that are said to come to Septural have trouble learning instruments, much like Septurns themselves. Granted, it¡¯s more of a River Person orCenturn pastime, but there are Stallards that play, as well as some Teh Sens.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, okay, that¡¯s¡­ Bad news but... I chose playing music as my art,¡± I said simply.


    Stellara¡¯s face melted into disbelief. ¡°... You could have made art worth thousands and you chose the hardest profession?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Guess it won¡¯t be that hard to be the best.¡±


    ¡°Is that your adventure? Becoming the best musician in Avalesce?¡± The lady asked doubtfully.


    ¡°Hey! It¡¯s a perfectly valid goal!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that it wasn¡¯t, you¡¯re just in the wrong place for it.¡±


    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to travel until I can find a place to learn and evolve until I don¡¯t suck.¡±


    ¡°And I will be beside him to ensure that the sucking does not happen.¡± Stellara said proudly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll suck y- Oh, that was dirty.¡± I bit my lip, my face heating up.


    I got laughed at by the ladies. It didn¡¯t help my pride any. The little woman changed the topic from sucking things to getting things and led Stell and I to the supply rooms, which included a small armory, a ration pantry, a large miscellaneous room, and a training room for some reason. I assumed it was there so that River People could practice with whatever they¡¯d just gotten and had my hypothesis confirmed upon asking about it. After that, however, things actually started to get interesting. Yolanna, the employee I¡¯d accidentally smacked, helped us gather the necessary crap and a few less necessary things to go along with our new supplies before we moved onto the weapons. From there, Stellara picked up a tuck that was needle-sharp and weighty, but the blade itself had me fascinated. It was diamond-shaped if you considered playing card diamonds to be the standard, though I¡¯d rather just call it a rhombus. To my understanding, a tuck was not a sword with a cutting blade, but the thing my Partner was carrying could definitely do the job if needed. It wasn¡¯t suited for slashing with as straight and narrow as it was, but after seeing Stellara familiarize herself with the sword, I knew it wasn¡¯t necessary. The woman could thrust faster than a gigolo and was twice as sexy while doing it, turning on the scarousal a little.


    As one of our extra things, Stellara also picked up a recurve bow that she was unduly happy to see. From what I knew it was just another bow, but when I asked about her excitement Stellara took the time to explain that a good recurve was faster, lighter, and in her hands, more accurate than a longbow. It was also more pleasing to the eye, which I couldn¡¯t help but agree with. After she got her sword, bow, and arrows, it was my turn to pick out a couple of things. I was tempted to pick a sword and shield because of my build, but I wasn¡¯t much of a hack ¡®n slash kinda guy in the first place. Instead of a sword, I picked up a crazy looking clockwork revolver that had exposed gears and a simple action. It was also pretty simple to take apart and clean as well, evidenced by the fact that I figured it out in less than ten minutes if that. I still needed a second thing, but I didn¡¯t really want anything that would do much more than maim someone. I mean, you could get some bad luck with a shot and kill someone, but I¡¯d had plenty of practice with larger calibers in South Dakota. The caliber of my new weapon was a mystery, but from memory I placed it around a 10mm, if not a long-brass .40 or .45 ACP. There was definitely a need to test it out, but Yolanna wouldn¡¯t let me leave the room until I picked something else, so I grabbed a quarterstaff with a round metal ball on the end. It wasn¡¯t impressive and it looked pretty old, but the thing spoke to me in a way. Me and Douglerina, my new whacking stick, were both bottom of the barrel picks when it came to anything other than our specific specialties, and I liked the similarity between me and Doug. Doug was a good stick.


    After being chewed out for picking a stick when I could¡¯ve picked a bow, Yolanna took us to the training room where I scared the literal piss out of Felix. He¡¯d fallen asleep in my hair, the warm trickle running down my face most likely being a bodily fluid. We didn¡¯t practice for much longer since I was pissed off and pissed on. Plenty of both, really. There were lodgings for River People and their Partners in the Welcome Center, but they were on different floors for some reason. I didn¡¯t even have to ask that Stellara be allowed to sleep with me since Yolanna said as much pretty quickly. The knowing look she gave us brought a smile to Stell¡¯s face and a blush to mine.


    The Welcome Center was larger than I¡¯d thought, but it was so sparsely decorated that it almost felt as if you were always walking down the same hall, no matter where you were in the building. We eventually came up some stairs that were quite logically next to an elevator that I wasn¡¯t allowed to use. I didn''t care enough to ask about it and no one cared enough to explain, so Stellara and I climbed the steps to the third floor to find the room we were to be allotted for our stay. There wasn¡¯t a time limit on how long we could mooch off of Tidrel¡¯s tax dollars, so I made sure that my bath was extra long and pretty hot. I wasn¡¯t as shocked as I probably should¡¯ve been when Stellara didn¡¯t knock or even ask before letting herself into the bathroom. However, the sounds that woman¡¯s butt makes? Low-brow comedy had never been my thing, but my inner child couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the funniness within flatulence.


    I couldn¡¯t decide if I was happy or nervous when Stellara started stripping, but I decided on happy posthaste post-poot, forgetting all about the butt thunder that had previously rocked the room. Stell was beyond happy to get her still-wet clothes off and said as much, giving me a sly smile as she unzipped her denim¡­ Pants? I hesitate to call them jeans since they weren¡¯t blue, but they were certainly pants, and she took them off. It was a little disappointing when her livery didn¡¯t match, but that didn¡¯t mean that either was less exciting to see leave Stellara¡¯s voluptuous form and generous endowments. Once I saw her completely in the buff for the first time¡­? It was a difficult thing. Quite challenging. So hard to not comment, so I didn¡¯t bother to hold back. Stell wasn¡¯t wooed by my flirting, but she was happy to get into the tub with me while Felix swam in the sink. The bath was large enough for both of us, but only if we weren¡¯t too shy about getting up close and personal. My partner had absolutely no problem getting in with her back to me so she could lay against my chest, which was how we spent the hours, draining and reheating the water until we were tired of being wet. Even after we were both dressed in nightclothes (For the first time since leaving Rusval at that.) and ready for bed, my mini me refused to lie down so I could toss and turn peacefully. Instead of being able to get plenty of good, quality rest, I had to deal with a kickstand.


    We didn¡¯t do anything after going to bed, but I will say that it got a lot easier to sleep when Stellara requested cuddles. That alone made the entire trip to Tidrel worth it, Booksy, and we¡¯re not even to the good part yet. I¡¯d write more, but this entry is already running pretty long and I¡¯d hate to bore you. Maybe we¡¯ll have another go at it again? Until then, Booksy.

 Chapter Six: A Grating Word

    A Grating Word


    The Welcome Center was honestly really welcoming. A couple weeks into our stay my training was going well and I was becoming a much better shot with Clockly, my gun, and a better person whacker with Doug, muh schtick. Stell and I got a nice, full rest in our borrowed room though it was a just a touch furrier than preferred. Felix made sure to wake us up by changing into the lynx creature again and pouncing back and forth on us. I was the first to wake and caught him by the tail before he could jump on Ms. Murderation before she could prove just how unpleasant she was when woken up before her time. I¡¯d learned that lesson and only needed to be taught once, seeing as how it was three days later and I still had a bruise on my arm from where she¡¯d hit me. That was the first and only time I would try waking her up with water while she was a deep sleep, her irritation having been enough by itself to convince me, let alone the heavy blow that followed. Speaking of rude awakenings, I got my Partner started as gently as I could by letting my lips graze her; the move that consistently woke her up in a good mood. Apparently, the light caressing wasn¡¯t enough so I gave her a real smooch and got Frenched because of my thoughtful gestures. I hadn¡¯t felt anyway in particular about snail-smooches previous to meeting Stellara, but I was slowly becoming more fond of them the longer I spent with someone else¡¯s tongue in my mouth.


    Something I forgot to mention was the reason why I didn¡¯t mind being surprised tongue-in-mouthed by Stell, and that was because her saliva actually tasted like something instead of nothing or halitosis like Brittany Brunswick. I hadn¡¯t dated the gal, but I¡¯d kissed her one too many times and nearly puked because of it. Her boyfriend was a much less lucky man than I because my love interest kind of tasted like Bull¡¯s Eyes or Chu-ee¡¯s as some people called them. I don¡¯t know how to really go into detail other than that, but instead of getting morning breath, Stellara¡¯s exhalations smelled like caramel and solid creme which was a pretty prominent plus to me. As the day went on, the scent and flavor were less noticeable, but it¡¯s not like she pigged out on candy every night before bed. Come to think of it, the only dental hygiene I¡¯d ever noticed her practice (And by extension, myself since I was with her most of the time) was using mouthwash, and boy. Lemme fuckin¡¯ tell ya.


    The least fun part of my morning was always that God-awful mouthwash. That crap? It tasted like a raw mint leaf and antibiotics got wasted on Molly and some kind of pain pill, banged for hours on end, scooped the mess out of the bed, and put that shit into a bottle. It wasn¡¯t even a real liquid! It was more like a slime slash goop or something similar to a low-level enemy in a typical JRPG. I imagined that Slimes, as in the ones you stab, could have easily existed on farms in Avalesce as a whole or maybe just in Gerritt. My mind pictured blue gobs of life rolling around in grass-filled plains, leaving long stretches of slimey dirt behind them as they rolled along until someone with a steampunk vacuum came for the harvest. It made sense to me in a way, but when I¡¯d shared the idea with Stellara, she just laughed because it was ridiculous.


    Anyway, after the first kiss of the day and the abrupt interruption of a certain wet thing parting my lips, I got Stellara up and moving. She was a slow starter so I got the bath running and planned on hopping in first, but my Partner apparently didn¡¯t feel like waiting in the slightest. Stell joined me just after I got my pants off, scaring me when I saw her come into my periphery. She giggled at my involuntary antics, rubbing a little sleep from her eyes. I couldn¡¯t be mad since she hadn¡¯t really done anything or probably even thought about spooking me, so I let it go and cracked a small smile, asking if she was going to join me again. That was when I learned that the betrothed (At least in Avalesce) were expected to bathe together, sleep together, and eat together, which was why there was no such thing as a one-man-tub in the country unless owned by a foreigner. I found it a little odd that a place with as many regressive tendencies as I¡¯d seen so far would have such views on intimacy, but I chalked it up to a new planet and a new society, giving it little thought beyond what I already had.


    Then I thought about the fact that Stellara said we were already engaged and I stopped thinking and started having a nosebleed. While Stell got me some bath tissue to mop up the mess, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what fucking anime I was in and what weeaboo-ass, otakun-ass, bitch-made, possible NEET drew my piss-poor-protagonist ass into it. Things didn¡¯t seem much like an anime at the moment other than the fact that I¡¯d picked up a devoted fiance immediately after getting to my first town. And the talking animal sidekick, that¡¯s pretty weeb too. Other than that, I didn¡¯t get any isekai superpowers and I didn¡¯t think about the one that The Brit was supposed to have given me since I forgot all about it at the moment¡­ Now that I think about it, I might just be a piece of weebaboo-osity without having watched anime in the past five years prior to my arrival on Septural. That¡¯s a harrowing thought since I¡¯ve read a good bit of Gantz, Garden of Eden, and whatever the shield-guy one was. All three of them had to do with either finding new land, dying, or being typecast as something just by existing, and I was really fucking hoping that my life wasn¡¯t some kind of comic or something. Sure, weddings and stuff usually went pretty decent in the books and media I¡¯d consumed over time, but there were also plenty that were ruined by outside influence. Namely, some demon or some shit, which I didn¡¯t doubt existed on Septural because the world was butt-humping nuts, and I hump butts so I know how crazy it can get.


    While all of that was going through my head, I was staring at Stellara and the space behind her like I was gazing into the abyss. Having just gotten out of an abusive relationship, I¡¯d like to think that my hesitation to enter another with an infinitely more dangerous woman. Especially since that woman was literally lethal without trying, an alien, and possibly crazy. I tried not to let it cloud my judgment, but¡­ Well, how do I put this one, Booksy? It¡¯s like finding out that the Plain-Jane girl-next-door that turned into a sexual Empress after puberty was massacring your former classmates for a seven-figure a year job. I understood it, make no mistake. At the time, I accepted that I would never fully know Stellara complete struggle unless I met someone who could slash would truthfully tell me without punishment being dangled over their heads. The crazy thing was that I wasn¡¯t as scared of Stellara as I was of being in another relationship period, which wasn¡¯t making it easier to clarify what my subconscious was trying to tell me.


    Maybe my Id was trying to tell my Ego that I was in danger, or maybe my Superego was trying to convince it that staying with her was a morally depraved choice, but either way, guilt, shame, and fear all struck and made me wonder why I was half-naked in front of a murdersome sex-slave. The cognitive dissonance was strong enough to make me miss the fact that my nose had stopped bleeding some time ago and that Stellara herself was trying to get my attention, noticeably worried about whatever expression was on my face. I realized where I was and what I was doing, but I was frozen in place, watching my Partner as she worried herself half to death. She eventually tried kissing me as I did her to wake her up, but that didn¡¯t pull me out of the near-mindless stupor I was in. It took tears forming in those beautiful, almond-shaped eyes of her to bring me back. It also gave me a legitimate answer to my question, plus one I needed to ask.


    ¡°Stellara.¡±


    Her face brightened. ¡°Yes!? I mean, yes?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    She blinked. ¡°... I am Stellara-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like that¡¯s your real name.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s not the name I was born with, no.¡± She said slowly, obviously not getting my sudden change in demeanor.


    ¡°Your real name was Inova, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°My birth name, yes.¡±


    ¡°How many people did Inova have to kill before Stellara was born?¡±


    She saw my question for what it was. ¡°... I wish we would change topics.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be stuck on this one for awhile. I¡¯m sorry, Stellara, but if we¡¯re betrothed as you say we are, then shouldn''t I have the right to know?¡±


    ¡°Some things do not bear vocalization, Gatian.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Some, but not all. This isn¡¯t one of the exceptions.¡±


    ¡°Can-¡±


    ¡°Stellara. I¡¯ll say it now rather than later; We don¡¯t move forward together unless we tackle everything as one. If you¡¯re my partner, and I don¡¯t mean my fucking slave, then we need to know more about each other. Even the painful things we want to hide.¡±


    A touch of anger showed on her face. ¡°That is easy for you to say, Gatian.¡±


    ¡°My ex-wife looked like your twin, but with black hair. The only things physically different about the two of you are your individual color schemes, hairstyles, and voices. Your eyes are a little narrower and you¡¯re a little healthier overall, but you, Stellara Inova, are the spitting image of the woman who beat, bruised, abused and occasionally raped me. You look so much like the reason I killed myself it¡¯s not remotely funny.¡± Stellara stared at me and I continued. ¡°Mentally, you two are radically different, but sight is the main sense for a reason. I fully believe that people who look alike act alike outside of families. Knowing that you¡¯re willing to hurt people to put yourself ahead makes me think that you¡¯re exactly what I died from, and seeing you be so willing to put down something nearly harmless?¡± Her expression was stuck somewhere between ¡®What.¡¯ without a question mark ¡®SHIT!¡¯ with multiple exclamation points. ¡°It¡¯s scary, Stellara. Being with you is scary for reasons you can and can¡¯t help, and I know that a few of my fears are irrational, but what¡¯s stopping you from stabbing me in the back once you¡¯re not a Partner? Or bound by Avalesch laws? If you look at this from my point of view, then you would¡¯ve met a kind, pretty woman who was essentially your property. Then you would have seen that woman kill something so fast its blood wouldn¡¯t have time to spill. After that, you would find out that she had killed people who had potentially been friends and allies just to become your slave. Do you even realize how crazy someone would have to be to continue this journey with someone like that?¡±


    More tears formed in her eyes, but unlike earlier, these fell by the dozen. A heartbroken smile painted her lips, wavering as it was. ¡°... You think I¡¯m a monster¡­¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I think you¡¯re a fallen angel clawing her way up from Hell.¡±


    She barked out a laugh. ¡°What is the difference between them? Your Earthen theology equates the two!¡±


    ¡°From what you¡¯ve been told, yeah. Demons were supposed to be a byproduct of sin, but angels? Angels fell because of their own choices. Do you believe that you were born a murderer?¡±


    ¡°I may as well have been!¡± She shouted suddenly, her voice cracking. ¡°I thought you were different, Gatian! I thought-¡±


    ¡°You think that I¡¯m not willing to listen to you.¡± I cut in, making her shut up. ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°... Why would you?¡±


    ¡°Because in my eyes, you were my friend before you were a killer. I owe it to you to understand your motives and the feelings behind them. It¡¯s not a debt, it¡¯s a contractual obligation.¡±


    Her silence carried on as I looked at her calmly until she broke it as cautiously as she could. ¡°You¡­ I¡¯ve killed so many people, Gatian¡­ Why¡­ Why would you give me a chance knowing that?¡±


    ¡°Because people don¡¯t always have a choice. You could¡¯ve stayed an Angel outside of Heaven or you could fall and fight your way back. Convoluted, I know, but it¡¯s how I see the situation.¡±


    ¡°... Then as my friend, please¡­ Please don¡¯t be angry with me.¡± She pleaded. ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°I understand that your options were limited. How did following through with your choice make you feel?¡±


    Stellara closed her eyes and said, ¡°Badly.¡±


    ¡°What did you have to do to become a Partner?¡±


    ¡°You know I cannot tell you this, Gatian.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°It would¡­ It would be¡­ inappropriate.¡±


    ¡°You stick your tongue in my mouth every morning.¡±


    ¡°... Is that not what lovers do?¡±


    ¡°The kissing part? Yes. On Earth, the tongue is subtracted.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. You kiss well.¡±


    She touched her cheek, the ghost of a pained smile on her lips. ¡°... You do not have to say that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. We¡¯re telling the truth right now.¡±


    ¡°... What if I was trained to kiss that well?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯d say I¡¯m sorry you had to pass a kissing test just to have to settle for my one-star self,¡± I said blandly.


    She blushed. ¡°... And if you were my first kiss?¡±


    ¡°Then thank you for the honor. I¡¯ve never kissed someone as generally pleasant, aromatic, and tasty as you.¡±


    ¡°... Tasty?¡±


    ¡°Your tongue tastes like candy. I thought all Septurans or whatever you call yourselves tasted like something, honestly. It¡¯d make sense.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Did you have to pass a kissing test?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Her small smile was transparent. I¡¯d really been her first kiss.


    ¡°... Are you a virgin?¡± I asked confusedly.


    ¡°I do not know the ¡®virgin¡¯ word.¡±


    ¡°¡®To be untouched by man, or the status predating sexual intercourse¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Sexual¡­ Innercourse?¡±


    ¡°Lovemaking? Sex? Coitus? Penis-Vagina time?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡± She looked at me as if she had no idea what she was talking about, and I could see in her eyes that she was confused.


    ¡°... What sexual acts did you have to perform?¡± I asked in turn.


    She hid her hands behind her back. ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to judge you more for killin¡¯ peoples than being forced to suck a wiener, Stella- Er, Stell.¡±


    ¡°Stella?¡± My Partner tilted her head.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s an abbreviation of the name ¡®Estelle¡¯ from another country from my homeworld. It¡¯s also a name in and of itself. Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°It sounds like a combination of my names.¡± She cracked a grin.


    ¡°Stella it is then, I guess.¡± Shrugging for extra nonchalance, I leveled a cool, calm look at her. ¡°And the question you¡¯re trying to dodge?¡±


    Her face flushed all over again and this time she hid most of her face behind her ashen locks. ¡°... It is very embarrassing to speak of, Gatian.¡±


    ¡°My ex-wife raped me from behind with a fake dick. Is it more embarrassing than that?¡±


    She choked, coughed, and went over to the super-cool toilet for a little pre-breakfast purging. Little came out, but Stella? Shaking like a leaf in front of the bowl while I was watching on, damn-near completely nonplussed. It took me a few minutes to realize that there was something entirely wrong with the situation; I wasn¡¯t acting anything like myself, nor did I feel a real reason to. When I actually gave it some thought, I came to one very simple conclusion; Stellara had shocked the rest of Gage into a coma and had woken Gatian up from the semi-consciousness he¡¯d been in. Ruminating on that for a bit brought me to wondering if I¡¯d just had enough of the deceit that surrounded me or the facade that everyone apparently wore, and I decided that I was right. I¡¯d had enough of it. There were too many lies in my life, and if my Partner was going to lie to me, then I wasn''t going to live it with her. Gatian bore no bullshit, and now I bore no bullshit, especially not from someone who was supposed to be loyal to me. I felt like I was being mean to Stellara to a certain point, but while my compassion was still there for her, my desire to know heavily outweighed my weakened empathy. Watching Stellara tremble left an impression on me to be sure, but it wasn¡¯t anywhere near where it would¡¯ve been the day before by my reckoning, and that wasn''t something I liked.


    I¡¯d thought that Gatian was the person I needed to be since he was cool, smooth, funny, and useful whereas Gage was lame, awkward, boring, and generally useless outside of his one job. What I was thinking was wrong. I didn¡¯t like the way I currently felt and all I did to change it was getting frustrated and angry before I approached Stella. When I laid a hand on her shoulder I felt a little more like me, so I knelt next to her. Well, I tried to do that, but as I was getting down I got tackled by a sympathetic gal with some ick in her mouth. Gage wouldn¡¯t have known what to do, so I was a little relieved when I acted on instinct and just held her for a little bit. I eventually rolled over because we weren¡¯t doing anything other than laying there (Not even crying, just laying), putting myself on top of someone who could change the positions easily. As I gazed down at Stellara, she looked up at me and evidently didn¡¯t see whatever she was looking for.


    ¡°... You¡¯re not sad? Or embarrassed?¡±


    ¡°I could always choose to be, but why would I? I spent my time being embarrassed in the hospital when my ass was still bleeding and the cop I talked to laughed in my face. I spent my time being embarrassed when I got turned out of every shelter for being a man. I spent a lot of time being ashamed. Don¡¯t see what all the fuckin¡¯ hubbub was about; shit sucked.¡±


    ¡°... My bottom was also taken.¡± She murmured. ¡°The pain was¡­ Bearable.¡± There was a pause. ¡°I¡­ Bleeding from such a place¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that hurt. So you¡¯re an Anal Queen now, right?¡±


    ¡°What other types of Queen are there?¡±


    ¡°Sexually? You¡¯ve got the Titty Tsarinas, Bootiful Beauties, Pussy Princesses, Anal Admirals, and Sex Ba-Bombs.¡± I made all of those up, but she didn¡¯t have to know that, right?


    ¡°... That is confusing. What is Tsarina? And bootiful? What does that mean?¡± I waited for a sec as she glanced off to the side. ¡°Also, what is ¡®pussy¡¯? I wish to know that as well.¡±


    ¡°A Tsarina is a Queen of a country called Russia, but they do votes last time I checked. Bootiful means to have a nice rear, or to be callipygian.¡± She nodded, still looking confused. She wasn¡¯t wearing pants at the moment, so I just reached down and Trumped her, making Stellara gasp and grab my hand. ¡°And last but most certainly not least,¡± I tapped her lips a couple of times, making her breathing hitch with each firm pat, ¡°this is pussy. It¡¯s one of the most valuable things on Earth, dontcha know?¡±


    She practically shrank underneath me until I let her go, the feeling of her lips..?


    Shit! Sorry Booksy, it¡¯ll dry, right? Maaan! Great, now there¡¯s a fucking splotch of ink in my journal and¡­ FUCK! Ugh¡­ I¡¯m not replacing you, J-Man, but having ink bleed through three pages? Fuck you and your weak-ass pages, dude¡­ Whatever, I guess.


    God, where was I? Oh yeah, drooling. And thinking of the lips that don¡¯t usually speak, of course. I have to say with every ounce of my being and the scalding bucket of truth I keep nearby that Stella¡¯s lower lips felt like her genitals had been drawn by someone. They¡¯d been carved into living flesh as if she were a statue. I don¡¯t know if Penis Envy feels anything like what I felt then, but goddamn was Stella¡¯s pussy was great. Her lips were small and soft enough that they felt like warm marshmallow with a light smattering of fuzz. I almost wanted to take things a bit further, but the situation was all wrong for it. Ultimately, I decided against it with how alarmed she¡¯d been at my touch.


    I raised a brow. ¡°What? Too ¡®pure¡¯ for even a little fondling?¡±


    ¡°Why would you touch that!?¡± She mewled, making me shake with a barely-contained peal of laughter.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t? It¡¯s one of the best things to touch on a woman.¡±


    ¡°B-B-B-B-B-¡± She blubbered. I almost kissed her until I remembered the past five minutes, so I settled for sticking my finger in her nose.


    I was surprised when she barely even flinched. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    I wiggle the tip of my finger around and she squeezed her eyes shut. ¡°Why are you so weird!?¡±


    ¡°I could always-¡±


    ¡°N-No! I-I¡­¡± She shrank again, so I pulled my finger from her nose, concern gracing my emotions for what felt like the first time in forever, despite it only being like, ten to fifteen minutes at that point.


    ¡°Does it feel bad? I¡¯m sorry, Stell, I-¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°It- It doesn¡¯t¡­¡± If her face was any more flushed, she probably could¡¯ve passed for the Devil¡¯s unfortunately hot, virgin sister.


    I kissed her nose because I wanted to put my lips on her. ¡°You can say it, Stellara. I won¡¯t do it again if you say so.¡±


    From what I knew of her, the only thing Stellara was really anxious about was her past and my opinion, so I didn¡¯t think she would have a hard time telling me ¡®no¡¯ on that one. ¡°... It felt¡­¡±


    The brain started working again, crunching the numbers. Stella was still wearing a shirt, so I placed a hand on her breast and squeezed gently, making her squirm and give me some unnerved side-eye. ¡°Is this bothering you?¡±


    ¡°Wh-Why are you doing that?¡±


    ¡°Most women say it feels good.¡±


    She bit her bottom lip and said, ¡°... Th-That¡¯s not¡­¡±


    I stopped. ¡°Not true here? Again, sorry.¡±


    Stellara wouldn¡¯t meet my eye, but she did put her hand over mine and guide it back to where it had been. ¡°... It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s true¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you nervous? I promise I won¡¯t do anything to you at the first sign of ¡®stop¡¯.¡±


    ¡°... W-Women¡­ W-Well¡­ Choret women¡­ From- From a young age, we¡­ We are taught that¡­¡± If you pause anymore I¡¯m gonna fuckin¡¯ hit you. This is annoying. ¡°... Well, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. I really don¡¯t.¡± I rolled her so her back was flat on the ground, tilting her head so that she was facing me.


    Despite that, she still looked away. ¡°... Th-That place is woman¡¯s sin¡­¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s make a sinner out of you~¡± I growled goofily, trying to make myself sound ridiculous enough to not be taken seriously.


    It worked, which was a surprise. When Stella giggled, it hit me that my sarcasm and backhanded jibes usually went over someone¡¯s head or into their hearts. I guess the Gift of Gab is giving, huh? ¡°I feel as though you are soon to tell me I am mistaken.¡±


    ¡°If you already know I¡¯m about to say it, should I really waste my breath?¡± Wait, am I flirting? Well? The thought bashed me in the back of the head and put a smile on my face. Maybe this Gatian thing isn¡¯t so bad.


    Much to my surprise things continued to go well. ¡°You could always save that breath for something special~¡±


    It didn¡¯t take a genius to know that she meant a kiss and kiss her I almost did. I had to agree with her; saving the oxygen I would¡¯ve wasted on saying the obvious was a far better, literally sweet choice. Once we got some mouthwash, it took ten solid minutes of rolling around while making out and generally being goofy for me to see that I¡¯d been duped. Stella had talked her way out of answers a couple of questions that I¡¯d wanted answering, but even to this day, I don''t regret leaving sleeping dogs to lie. I¡¯d felt like I¡¯d learned enough from what she did say and how she reacted to get the important part of her homicides out of what I¡¯d seen rather than heard. The discomfort was one thing, but guilt and shame fill someone with an entirely different mojo, a different energy. I knew for a fact that Rachel stopped feeling guilty when the abuse became daily instead of just frequently, but on the same vein, I¡¯d never seen somewhere with so much weight on their shoulders as I did with Stellara Inova. Even as I transitioned after the realization that lies made a coliseum around me wherever I went and masks were more realistic than I thought, I started paying more attention. Even with Yolanna the previous day, I think I started to feel the prickle of knowledge start settling in. I felt like I was understanding people now more than ever.


    I also saw my previous life as the most pathetic, garbage, bullshit, asinine, synonym, and loosely similar word (I¡¯m not mad right now, don¡¯t look at me like that, book!) which kinda burned. It literally created a burning sensation in my chest that hurt enough to upset me, making me wish that it would just go away. I wanted to forget Gage Gauner then more than ever, so I lost myself with Stellara, giving myself over to the moment and the other. I wondered how my new, slightly jaded outlook on the world was going to affect my life for the most fleeting seconds of my life, wrapped up in the sprouting field of Puppy-Love. It was also known as Sucker-Love ¡®round London in some contexts, but even with the dual meaning, I couldn¡¯t help but find adequacy in the phrase. I mean, Stella had literally just suckered me into not asking about her kill count, so there¡¯s that for evidence.


    You fucking book; stop looking at me like that. We used to be such good friends, Booksy, what happened?


    Whatever. Be like that. You¡¯ll never get to smooch Stella, so ha! Speaking of that particular smooch, it ended around the time I hit the cabinet under the sink, but it wasn¡¯t very bitter and far more sweet when we finally let each other go. The day was off to a good start in my books. Granted the day started just before noon and it was past lunch at that time, but a good start, dammit. It was a little ruined by the cold bath but that was fixed easily in an obvious way. I didn''t make Stella drain the tub because I had an idea, and when my hand was nice and cold, I calmly approached her and gave her a hug. Kinda. I held her with my dry left arm and slid my hand under her strange, iridescent panties. Her yelp was great. What made it even better was the fact that I probably wouldn¡¯t have done it predating my own personal brick wall. Adding still to the moment was the snug embrace from Stellara when she felt her cheek freezing, dripping wet. Hell, even getting bitten was a plus since she did it hard enough to put a smile on my face.


    After I made Stella wet in the wrong way, I had to ask, ¡°Hey, Stella?¡±


    She waited until I moved my hand to answer. ¡°That was cold!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but how are babies made?¡±


    She gave me a look. ¡°They are stored in the hospital, are they not?¡±


    I stared at her. ¡°... Why would a woman¡¯s stomach swell-¡±


    ¡°Oh, women eat twice as much when they prepare to have the baby so they may offer it as soft food when the child comes! Was this not taught to you on Earth?¡±


    ¡°... So when a Mommy and Daddy love each other very much or not at all, they do a special dance that has a lot of different poses.¡±


    ¡°I know this, Gatian. What does this have to do with baby-making?¡±


    ¡°If you put the Daddy¡¯s¡­ Beenis into the Mommy¡¯s¡­ empty honeypot, he might leave some honey behind.¡±


    ¡°Beenis? Honeypot?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called a ¡®penis¡¯,¡± I patted myself, ¡°and a vagina.¡± I pointed at her nether regions.


    ¡°... By honey, do you mean the white fluid or the watery one?¡±


    ¡°I mean the white one.¡±


    ¡°Oh! That is not baby-making! That is the purification ritual through which women may become as fair as men, silly River Man!¡±


    ¡°How many babies does the average Choret woman have?¡±


    ¡°One. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°What happens before the wedding?¡±


    ¡°A purifier comes to the bride and flushes the blood from her sin so that she may be pure and receive the husband¡¯s final blessing on their wedding night to bear a child. Sometimes the husband doesn¡¯t give his blessing and a child comes anyway, but-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Stella, that¡¯s so fucked up.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but shake my head. ¡°Nooo, that¡¯s¡­ Everything you know about conception is wrong, my gal. The purifier would be the father; not the husband.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    And so I explained the rest of the birds and the bees to Stella, affirmed that her vagina was perfectly holey- Er, holy, and educated her on the cuckolding ways of her Elders. She was fascinated to hear my take on things, even if she ultimately believed that River Person physiology was different than Choret anatomy. I then asked her if she had ever felt good like she had with me before and she admitted that she hadn¡¯t, citing the sin of pleasure and adultery as the reason she¡¯d never really let herself. The Chorech Core Convictions was a religious movement based on group rights more so than individual rights. Unlike the largest thing of that sort in Stalfisk, the Sin-Fall Sect of Din-Fal-Sin-Ke, the Church of Chorell (As the C.C.C. was colloquially called) taught that men descended from Un Jais Vita himself, ¡®The Fertile One¡¯. Apparently, women were formed from mud and gems, which I found kinda funny since Stella was ninety-nine percent gem and one percent platinum. When asked about her particular choice in religion, she had to think hard about her reply, so I told her to stop believing in something that meant she happened to be inherently inferior. I got a look for that, but then I pointed out all the things she could do better than me that I knew of, and that didn¡¯t include the thing she was training me to do until she brought them up herself, a bit of confidence entering her voice.


    It wasn¡¯t a sure thing in the slightest, but I got Stella to stop seeing herself as a dirty, unclean thing to be ordered around, and got her on the track of ¡®R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me!¡¯. That would hopefully come to fruition before we got much further into the whole marriage thing, but I wasn¡¯t too certain that I would be changing Stellara¡¯s mind completely any time soon. I had to ask if there were other religions such as the one she¡¯d come from and she told me that it was mostly a ¡®conventionally complected¡¯ thing to be religious. That got asked about too, in which I learned that the reason I¡¯d been paired with Stellara was that we were close to the same complexion, which was a friend-factor in Avalesce. That being said, I was only considered ¡®Normal¡¯ because I was biracial. Mom being chocolatey and Dad being a vanilla swirl all his own meant that I came out a little on the ¡®high-yella¡¯ side, just a few shades darker than your average white guy. It honestly looked like I¡¯d gotten a tan since I¡¯d been on Septural, but it wasn¡¯t much. Stellara¡¯s cinnamon complexion was still a fair bit darker than myself, and she was sexier as a result. If I¡¯d been lighter, I would have most likely gotten a native Gertt as a Partner or an enslaved Sotan. Any darker and I would have gotten a Denosian or a Toddtonite. It took some needling and a couple of assurances, but I learned that I could request a non-Human companion be brought from another Welcome Center with which I could start my journey. I was happy with Stella and told her as much while I was washing her back, being sat on in a very pleasant way.


    After I was fully at attention along with the lower brain, Stella tried to prove just what her training had taught her to do, but I preferred to show her what my experiences had shown me, and boy. Boi. The taste of Stella? Once I actually managed to convince her that her lady parts had literally just been cleaned (By me) and were as prepared for being eaten (Also by me) as they were going to get, things were tasty from there. I used to enjoy cunnilingus when I had a choice in doing it, and that moment was no different. That combined with Stella''s shyness and sensitivity made the experience that much better. I probably won¡¯t go into detail since I don¡¯t have a lock on this yet, but I will say that getting Stellara to spread her legs for more than a few seconds took some doing. She was also surprised to find that I was using my mouth for sex, but she enjoyed my endeavors, as far as I could tell. I needed to wash my face before I even really got start, my initial lick of her oddly protruding node garnering a splash or two that came from a torrential downpour. Stellara practically suffocated me with her tender bits after that, closing her thick, delectable, tasty thighs around my head and making me worry about my skull¡¯s structural integrity. Apparently, Choret women were orgasm-friendly, though once I got away from the wetness, I saw another kind in Stella¡¯s eyes that worried me, making me ask what was wrong. The woman got scared. Who¡¯d have known? At least, who knew that climaxes could be scary when the situation was normal as far as I knew.


    It took her a good while to get over her first orgasm, and she wouldn¡¯t let me continue with her until she settled on how she felt about it. She didn¡¯t like the feeling, oddly enough. It was just too intense, so I asked her if I could try again if I was gentler and Stella agreed with considerable hesitation. I decided against it since she just seemed so uncomfortable, but then again, she did let me play with her breasts for as long as I wanted since she said it was a lot milder than the other thing. Much to my surprise, Stellara was ¡®producing¡¯ as well as terribly sensitive with her chest, meaning that I got a mouthful of creme-flavored milk. She also soaked the sheets at a slower pace than before.


    I forgot to mention that Felix was long gone by the time Stellara and I got back to the bedroom, having gone off to go and get some food and play with one of the employees that could tolerate him for a while. He came back while Stellara and I were in the middle of getting redressed, flying back into the room through the balcony and switching shapes mid-flight. He swooped in as a crow-thing, but landed as a cassa and bounded across the room quickly for some reason. Stellara still wasn¡¯t fond of him, but in the week we¡¯d spent together as a small group, we¡¯d grown more like a family in that Stella and I were parents to Felix, except neither of us knew how to raise a child and I basically just let him do what he wanted as long as he wasn¡¯t bothering people. That and his ohsum mindset was different than any Humans that I could¡¯ve thought of, meaning that he was some kind of different altogether. That being said, when he skittered to a stop and started barking at the door to the balcony, Stellara yelled at him to shut up while I dove for my pistol, certain that he was being chased by something. The ear-shattering cry of a raptor sounded from outside and Felix hid under the bed.


    With my gun in hand, I waited for the bird to show up, sure enough of the shot that I¡¯d take. It wouldn¡¯t be much more than fifteen or so feet if it were to come, but it never did and left me a little blue-balled with the bloodshed. I¡¯d been expecting something to come and try to kill me so I could try my ¡®Stop-Shot¡¯, a function I¡¯d had to program into the gun with dials and gauges. I¡¯ll explain it later, but basically, I¡¯d practiced using rubber-like and hard-ish bullets to just wound things instead of killing them, and the Stop-Shot was supposed to be a concussive blow that would render the target immobile for a few seconds, but I didn¡¯t fully understand the magic behind it. Stellara and Yolanna both told me that magic wasn¡¯t technically real on Septural, but I had a funny feeling at the time that told me they just called it something different. With my magical ¡®non-magic¡¯ gun at my side, I waited for the supposed predator to come and do something. I wasn¡¯t really all that concerned about it when a little red bird landed on the banister-thing of the balcony. It let out a raptor cry and shuffled its wings. Then it left.


    That was it.


    Felix crawled out from under the bed and whimpered for some odd reason. Me being me, I just had to ask, ¡°You alright, Felix? Sounded like someone wanted to talk to you.¡±


    He changed back into the three-eyed crow so he could speak more easily. ¡°She¡¯s crazy! She wants to mate with me!¡±


    ¡°I know the feeling,¡± I said blandly. ¡°Just tell her no.¡±


    ¡°I have! She keeps pecking me!¡±


    ¡°Peck her back,¡± Stellara said simply.


    ¡°I can¡¯t! What if she thinks I like her back!?¡±


    ¡°Tell her you¡¯ll peck her eyes out and eat them if she doesn¡¯t leave you alone.¡± She continued.


    ¡°... Do you think that would work?¡±


    I gave Stella a look, but she didn¡¯t know what I was getting at. ¡°Why would you listen to the one that hits you all the time, Felix?¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t want me to like her. It¡¯s pretty clear, honestly.¡± He answered plainly.


    My Partner glared at him. ¡°Then why do you insist on trying to get me to like you?¡±


    ¡°Because it makes you do that face right there and I like that face a lot.¡±


    ¡°You are pretty cute when you¡¯re mad.¡± I chimed in.


    She gave me a look as dirty as our sheets, just not with the same vibe. ¡°You will never touch my breasts again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s until I get you all hot and bothered again. I believe ¡®begging¡¯ is the term you¡¯ll soon be using.¡±


    Her confidence wavered. ¡°Wh-While your sexual prowess is¡­ slightly intimidating, I would like to think that-¡±


    I stepped closer to her, getting some five-cheese alfredo together just in case my hearty Italiano-style marinara wasn¡¯t saucy enough. ¡°You¡¯d like to think that I¡¯d know when you lust for my touch?¡±


    I swear to God, and I can¡¯t make this up, but literal steam came out of her nose in a little puff. ¡°You do not know when silence is the best course of action!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know the pleasure I can give you~¡± I winked.


    ¡°Stop trying to mate with each other and help me! Gosh, you Humans are so complicated!¡± Felix chirped irritably.


    I gave him a look. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just talk to this bird? Or is she not another ohsum?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s just a corrin! A lowly common Gertt corrin!¡± He wailed. ¡°Dad would eat me alive if he knew about this!¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡± It was the first time he¡¯d mentioned someone other than myself as his caretaker, poking my heart in a soft spot. I wasn''t offended, just surprised. ¡°Dad sounds a bit harsh. Maybe you should just eat her?¡±


    Stellara nodded. ¡°Eating her would solve your problems.¡±


    Felix looked between us. ¡°The last corrin I ate made it burn to make dirt. I¡¯m not doing that.¡±


    ¡°Then wound her.¡± Stella continued. ¡°Women do not like being wounded.¡±


    ¡°They like being wound up, and running away from her is winding her up. Face her head-on in this crow-thing you have going on-¡± I started.


    ¡°I¡¯m a sayer right now.¡± Felix cut in.


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°The thing is that you¡¯re bigger than her in that form and probably more lethal. If you really don¡¯t want to be bothered-¡±


    ¡°Wait, does that mean¡­¡±


    I looked at him, unable to read ¡®sayer¡¯ emotions from body language. Birds don¡¯t exactly exhibit outward emotion. ¡°Does it mean what? I¡¯m sorry if I sound cold, but I don¡¯t really think anything should be trying to mate with you yet. You said you were still too young to breed, right¡± He nodded bird-fully. ¡°Then this corrin or whatever is a pedophile and I don¡¯t like pedophiles. I would kill it for you if I could get my hands on it.¡±


    Stella let out a low whistle. ¡°You are not going to like much of Teh se Bang. It has a very youth-centric sexual culture.¡±


    I gave her a look. ¡°We¡¯ll change them too if we can. I¡¯d rather end slavery first since we can do that here.¡± Giving my attention back to Felix, I said, ¡°If you can¡¯t make her leave you alone on your own, then suggest getting rid of her. Hate to be like that, but I don¡¯t like it when people harass my friends. Especially for sex.¡±


    ¡°... What if I lead her here?¡± Felix asked nervously.


    ¡°I will shoot her,¡± Stella said, her tone brokering no arguments.


    He took off without another word, leaving me to look at Stellara. ¡°Are you sure you want to help Felix? It seems like¡­¡±


    She raised a brow. ¡°You said it yourself; this bird needs a swift death. I act on your own motives.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s not about helping so much as doing my thing?¡±


    ¡°Do you find an issue with this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an honest kinda day, right?¡±


    ¡°We have shared much, yes.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you like Felix?¡±


    ¡°He reminds me of my little brother and my little brother sold me into slavery,¡± Stellara answered darkly. ¡°Once I find him, he will die, as is my right by the laws of Chorell. Felix is simply too much like him.¡±


    ¡°Someone like Felix, but not Felix himself, sold you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Then fuck the music thing. We got a murder to commit.¡±


    Stella tilted her head. ¡°... I beg your pardon?¡±


    ¡°He fucked your entire life up. I¡¯m going to end his entire life. Questions?¡±


    ¡°... Why would you fight my battle?¡±


    ¡°Betrothed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and?¡±


    ¡°... What¡¯s your duty as a wife again?¡±


    ¡°To make sure you live comfortably, find your success, and help you achieve your happiness.¡± She replied with a smile.


    ¡°And my duties as your husband?¡±


    ¡°... Give me a child?¡± Uncertainty crossed her face. ¡°We are expected to procreate, which I would need your assistance with¡­ Unless-¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll procreate or something. I just want to know what I do for you in this relationship.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± She picked up her bow and nocked an arrow, looking back to me when she was done. ¡°Y-You could¡­ Make music?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make a song for you, but I¡¯ll also be a better man for you than you¡¯re assuming I¡¯ll be. My duties are pretty much the same as yours, Stella.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Make you happy, support you, and protect you. If you want the full list, we can go over it another time.¡±


    Stellara was about to say something when she whipped her entire body to face the balcony and loosed her arrow faster than I could figure out what she was doing. At her smirk, Felix said, ¡°Wow! You¡¯re really good with that stick-thrower!¡±


    She chuckled and walked toward the balcony where red feathers were still falling. ¡°I can hit a Avalesch drach with little difficulty. A corrin is no issue.¡±


    Felix was on the floor of the balcony as a faulain, his favorite form. He licked his paw and rubbed his fiery orange ears, the similarities between his current color-scheme and the corrin being evident. ¡°I¡¯m glad you like me enough to not-¡± Stellara was about to cut him off before I cleared my throat. ¡°What? Does she not like me at all?¡±


    We both looked to the female of the group and she shrugged. ¡°Rarely do my kind hold favor for any animal. You are many animals in one.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Felix mewled softly. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll leave you alone, then.¡±


    It was the first time Stella actually said something somewhat direct to Felix about her feelings toward him and she¡¯d burned the bridge he¡¯d tried to build. I wasn¡¯t happy. ¡°You also talk and you have magic, so I¡¯d say you¡¯re more like a changeling-thing than an animal.¡±


    He looked at me, whiskers twitching. ¡°Ohsums are related to changelings.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± My Partner seemed surprised.


    Felix looked at her too. ¡°... Yes?¡±


    ¡°... Changelings are called ¡®Somas¡¯ in Chorell¡­ They are revered as Demi-Gods¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    I took over. ¡°Something really powerful and holy, according to Earth logic.¡± Stellara nodded. ¡°It basically means that you¡¯re important to Stella¡¯s people.¡±


    She sighed. ¡°I have incurred much bad luck.¡±


    Felix started hopping in place. ¡°Oh! Oh! What if I don¡¯t give you any bad luck!? I¡¯ll be lucky, I promise!¡±


    The look on her face was priceless. ¡°I am not sure if you have much of a choice in the matter.¡±


    ¡°I totally do! Ohsums are supposed to grief people who give us trouble! Mom said so, but Dad said Mom was crazy because she was an ohsum.¡±


    ¡°What was your father?¡±


    ¡°I dunno, but he had a human form.¡±


    I looked at Stella and she looked back at me. ¡°... He¡¯s half changeling, isn¡¯t he?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Only changelings shapeshift with so much ease. He is either half changeling or lying.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really not!¡± He yowled. ¡°Dad liked to walk around as a Human when it was hot because you guys do the salt-water thing!¡±


    ¡°You mean sweat?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Stellara sighed. ¡°Felix¡­¡±


    He looked at her in surprise. ¡°You can pronounce that?¡±


    I ignored his curious gaze and looked at Stellara with a furious vengeance, trying not to get sold out for lying. ¡°Why, yes! She learned just this morning while I was helping her with some Common!¡±


    She gave me a second¡¯s peace before saying, ¡°I did not like you enough to learn what to call you. Now is a different matter, Felix.¡±


    ¡°Wow. You¡¯re mean.¡± He stopped hopping.


    ¡°And you are an ohsum. Are we going to state more obvious things?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    I raised a hand. ¡°I will. Stellara, you now have a reason to treat Felix with a spoonful of respect. Felix, try not to make Stella shoot you. Me? Gatian? Your job is the most important.¡± I looked at the vanity in the room, making my Partner sigh. ¡°Keep shit moving, stop getting distracted, and go train. Got it?¡± I nodded, so I nodded back to me. ¡°Good. Don¡¯t be an idiot, son.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Stellara had come over as I was speaking. ¡°Are you okay¡­?¡±


    ¡°Never better. Why?¡±


    She puckered her lips. ¡°Perhaps you would like a massage¡­? Or a drink to soothe your nerves?¡±


    ¡°... There¡¯s been alcohol on this planet this entire time and you didn¡¯t fucking tell me?¡±


    ¡°Gerritt is a dry province. There is, however, another kind of beverage that is known for its intoxicating qualities.¡±


    ¡°And we haven¡¯t been getting intoxicated because¡­?¡±


    ¡°River People are prone to addiction within the first months of exiting their respective parts of the River of Rebirth. They also carry addictive natures long into their stays here if they live troublesome, exciting lives. It would be like giving your Earth alcohol to an abused child with a tongue for it.¡±


    ¡°Ow, I think.¡±


    ¡°I use the analogy loosely, of course.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I believe you.¡±


    ¡°... You do not believe me.¡± She sighed.


    I poked her boob and made her squeak, which was super cute. ¡°Aww, do it again!¡±


    She blushed furiously and stomped her foot. ¡°Are you going crazy or not?¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m going crazy, then you¡¯re going cutesy.¡±


    Stellara was not amused by my flirtations and proceeded to forcefully dress me, literally drag me down a flight of stairs, and whack me with a foam sword for the duration of our day¡¯s training. Felix joined us for once, and it honestly felt like more friendly tormenting than abuse. The stairs were hard to navigate backward and all, but my Partner being true to her word hadn¡¯t caused me much if any noticeable pain at all. Other than the whacking. That started to smart after awhile, but unlike Rachel, she aimed for places that were able to take the abuse for the most part. My triceps and thighs were abused left and right, but it took a good hour for them to start hurting. Honestly, it was more from me blocking oddly and trying to run around and not get hit, but Stellara still made it clear that she wasn¡¯t ¡®cute¡¯. For some odd reason, she had an abhorrent aversion to the word, and it wasn¡¯t attached to any emotional trauma. She just hated being called cute, and I wouldn¡¯t stop because she was being so cute. So very cute. Her pouty, frustrated, ¡®I¡¯m mad at you, but I kinda don¡¯t wanna be¡¯ expression was adorable and tickled my heart in all the right ways.


    She didn¡¯t end up wearing herself out; Quite the opposite, in fact. I was the one who fell to the ground in a giggling heap once my legs gave out and Stella refused to strike a fallen foe, even if he was laughing at her, apparently. ¡°Ah~ Ah fuck! That- That was grrreat!¡± I chuckled achingly. Hiccups hurt after awhile, and I¡¯d had them for the final portion of my Partner¡¯s ¡®assault¡¯.


    She huffed like an adult. ¡°You are a man-child.¡±


    ¡°With complex emotions and ¡®intimidating sexual prowess¡¯, right?¡± I smiled up at her.


    Stella glared back down, her smile ruining the effect. And the blush. ¡°Stop before I beat you more.¡±


    A cleared throat garnered our attention, along with the interruption of the guy who cleared his throat. ¡°If you two are quite finished¡­?¡±


    I rolled over and let Stellara help me to my feet, not taking my eyes off of the somewhat official-looking figure. His suit was an array of tacky, gaudy, eye-sore-inducing patterns that made it hurt to look at him with plaid, squares, stripes (horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and a few on the z-axis as well somehow.), as well as a polka-dotted vest. Pink and brown, of course. The portly man wore mutton-chops and a ballcap for some odd reason along with bright, reflective neon yellow shoes that visibly brightened the floor around him. Other than looking like an utter kook, he also appeared to be waiting for something if his pocket-watch was anything to go by. He snapped it shut once he had our attention, coming over posthaste.


    ¡°Sorry, fella. Didn¡¯t mean to keep you waiting,¡± I said warily, eyeing him carefully.


    He flashed me a golden smile, and I do mean golden rather literally. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing, my dear River Man. Just a bit of business I¡¯d prefer to attend to at the earliest possible convenience, if it¡¯s no trouble.¡±


    I looked at Stellara and back to the man, seeing no reason not to talk for a bit. ¡°I have time. How can I help?¡±


    He produced a bar of stone-like stuff, split down the middle that he proceeded to pull apart, revealing a tablet-like see-through screen that was far beyond the technology I¡¯d seen to date. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve traced a supernatural being or two in my life-¡±


    ¡°I beg your forgiveness and all,¡± I said, being as insincere as possible, ¡°but I don¡¯t believe you¡¯ve introduced yourself.¡±


    ¡°How rude of me!¡± Do these people not get social cues or something? He smiled as I thought poorly of him, his first impression already pretty garbage. ¡°My name it Toddington Todderson Toddley Toddman Toddings-Toddtonington but most people call me Steve.¡±


    I looked that man dead in the eye and asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t they call you Todd?¡±


    And he looked right back at me, not a doubt in his fucking tone as he replied, ¡°Why would they?¡±


    I wanted to slap him so bad, but that was Gatian getting out of hand. I reeled him in and inquired about something else. ¡°May I call you Todd?¡±


    The look he gave me almost ended the conversation. ¡°... I suppose you may, though I haven¡¯t the faintest as to why you would.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, guy. I-¡±


    ¡°Who is ¡®Guy¡¯?¡± I¡¯m finna deck you.


    ¡°Todd, why are you here?¡± I asked, smiling through Gatian¡¯s fury.


    In his defense, Toddlingtonsman probably hadn¡¯t known the level of enjoyment I was getting out of my time with Stella and he cut to the chase when asked. ¡°Well, I am certainly glad that you asked! As I was saying before, I am what we Lasponians call ¡®Alta-fae Arantas¡¯, which translates to ¡®Supernatural Observers¡¯-¡±


    ¡°No, it does not. ¡®Arantas¡¯ translates to ¡®Purifier¡¯, and you are clearly Kinfause.¡± Stellara cut in sharply. ¡°What do you want with Gatian?¡±


    His smile was greasier than his chops. ¡°Why, would you accuse me of hunting him, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°This sword may be for sparring, but I am still quite capable of killing you.¡± She answered, making me take a step away.


    Make no mistake, it wasn¡¯t because I was scared of her. No, she was going to need space to move and I would only slow her down. I was also not terribly fond of the look on Todd¡¯s face, sunny as it was. ¡°Oh? Would your Partner happen to be of interest to me?¡± He asked plainly.


    I didn¡¯t like him. I really just wanted him to leave, so I said, ¡°Hey pal. Why don¡¯t you just leave us alone?¡±


    A familiar glassiness came over his eyes as if he¡¯d just finished a doobie. ¡°... Sure. Why should I, though?¡±


    ¡°Because there¡¯s no supernatural shit here. Just a River guy and his Partner.¡±


    ¡°Right. A River guy and his Partner.¡± He smiled, turned around, and he waddled away (waddle-waddle-waddle).


    When he was gone, I snorted. ¡°Well, that was easy.¡±


    ¡°... Gatian?¡± Stellara asked fearfully.


    I looked at her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Stells?¡±


    The longer I looked at her, the more I came to realize she wasn¡¯t afraid of something. She was afraid of me. ¡°... You¡¯re a Devil-Tongue¡­¡±


    ¡°Devilishly handsome or-¡±


    Stellara bolted and Felix was soon after her, both of them abandoning me completely. I laughed it off until I got to an empty room with our supplies strewn just about everywhere. Plenty of essentials were missing as well as Stellara¡¯s weapons, selected armor, and clothes. There wasn¡¯t much time in between me realizing I¡¯d just been ditched and the fact that I had a lot more power than I¡¯d thought I had. Between that crushing fact and thereality I was facing now and for the future, I didn¡¯t even have the energy to cry about it. I¡¯d been abandoned again by someone I¡¯d just shared my body with. She¡¯d whacked me for hours and I¡¯d let her, only to have her leave when she thought I was scary. Chance after chance and her story only got darker, but I do one thing...


    My friends left me because they thought I was forcing them to be with me¡­


    You¡¯re just a book, Journal.


    It¡¯s not the same. It wasn¡¯t then and it isn¡¯t now. Life changes too fast..

 Chapter Seven: I Wrote A Song or Two

    I Wrote A Song or Two


    Tidrel really was very kind to River People. Yolanna and a few of her coworkers were rather sympathetic when I finally ended my isolation after being left in the training room by my Partner and Companion. It wasn¡¯t necessarily my fault that I had a power no one had told me how to wield, and using it wasn¡¯t my fault since I hadn¡¯t known I¡¯d had it. It was at the Welcome Center that my training continued under the tutelage of a temporary Partner I¡¯d been assigned named Lucine. He was a guy and a Moon Man, but unlike Stellara he was a Thesuvian. His pale skin and dark, stormy grey eyes gave him the impression of an angry magician which was partly because that¡¯s exactly what he was. I¡¯d been had; magic totally existed on Septural, it was just called ¡®Terru¡¯ or ¡®Arca¡¯ in different contexts. That and the Choret didn¡¯t necessarily believe that people could have ¡®Terru¡¯ within themselves without having been tainted by Urru, ¡®Dark¡¯ Terru. It was a complicated, blind religion kinda deal, which I understood to a certain point until I asked Lucine to teach me some of what he knew. There were basic things that everyone could do, like light a stick for a torch while boosting the light from the flame, drawing a cup or so of water from the air, blowing out a fireplace, and growing an apple from a tree in less than half an hour. Things were limited, but they were possible depending on your aptitude.


    Unlike my training with Stellara, learning with Lucine wasn¡¯t really what I¡¯d call ¡®fun¡¯. It was a task, and every time I completed one thing, we¡¯d move onto another without a break and I¡¯d eventually be tested on what all I¡¯d learned. It was somewhat frustrating but it was rewarding in its own right whenever I got a solemn nod from my teacher. Lucine was mean to say the least, but his Arca and gunplay were unmatched in the surprisingly large city of Tidrel. He could draw and fire a non-lethal shot within a second of sighting a target across a room, though Stellara had been faster. The thing was that Lucine was more accurate and only took so much time because he was casting a shield Arca, drawing on his pool of Terru to both align his shot and defend him from projectiles. The man was brilliant, prickly, and Dadly as hell, reminding me a lot of my own Dad in both looks and attitude. He wasn¡¯t a standard Partner, having served his term and now being married to another River Woman that I wasn¡¯t allowed to meet by his request. It¡¯s not like I just up and asked to meet his wife, but after a month or so of spending time with each other every day, I felt like he saw me as more of a pupil than an annoyance. I wasn¡¯t upset that I couldn¡¯t meet her since he was looking for time away from her (My assumption, not his word), but I was salty that he was so damn accurate. After weeks of trying to match his skill, I eventually came to the point where I could hit the broad side of a broad if her chest was big enough. I kid, of course, Booksy. I was as close to lethal as I wanted to get, even if my shots tended to be more toward wounding people than anything else.


    My first lesson in ¡®Grata non-Aquix¡¯ or ¡®Fluid in Shortarm¡¯ wasn¡¯t how to shoot better; it was how to not get shot, oddly enough. By limiting the surface area I showed my opponent and covering vital area¡¯s with my gun, I could essentially give myself time to see where my opponent was aiming and try to dodge. With the addition of Terru into the forms of the martial art, things aligned better and it didn¡¯t actually take me all that long to get good at it. Apparently that was really respectable to Lucine since he started treating me better when I mastered the first five forms, but aftert I deflected my first three consecutive bullets? He bought me a small bottle of liquor as a present for being his most capable student, apparently just being a little slower on the uptake then he himself.


    Whereas Chorets were known for being physically adept, Thesuvians were famed for being accurate and calculating, neither of which were my style. Lucine saw that and adjusted the lessons accordingly since he was a pretty fucking smart mentor and ¡®Arcanon¡¯, a magician. His supposition for me to get even better at gunplay was for me to cheat. Basically, we started learning how my Silvertongue was activated and tried going from there, but it was really hit or miss. I usually managed to get a few shots in a row once I was super incredibly pissed about getting shot a lot, pretty much meaning that it was tied to my emotions. The thing was that I was so used to swallowing my emotions that acting on them just seemed unwise and foolhardy. Lucine and I struggled for me to find a game face and put it on, but combat clearly wasn¡¯t my thing outside of practice. We got my aim to the point where I could nail a drach from fifty paces with no issue, but there was also my lack of killing intent and my preference for studying Arca.


    I¡¯d honestly rather have learned how to play my undlegar during the time I used trying to learn Grata non-Aquix, but what I did learn, I got down well. It was enough for a compliment or two from my new Partner, which was high praise coming from him. Luce was tight lipped when it came to honest praise, and for good reason. The guy was legendary in Gerritt for having been a powerhouse in Thesuvia and becoming a Partner for more adventure, forgoing all the training necessary to be a Partner and just outright earning the title without a problem. His tales of his glory days (He was in his early sixties, but still looked damn good) were all bloody and said a lot about how violent he used to be, but by and large it sounded like he defended himself and had to become deadly out of necessity. The more I learned about Luce, the more I ended up liking him.


    Once we moved on to the other things he could teach me, we started mixing in Arca with my gunplay and it just so happened to turn out that I¡¯d picked a pretty decent gun for Spell-Shooting. I¡¯d wondered why it¡¯d had a flared bore and a strange muzzle-brake on it, but those little components apparently made shooting Arca that much easier. It was basically the reason my Stop-Shot worked when I started using it. No one at the Welcome Center used weapons other than Partners, and Lucine had waited to tell me until I was ready meaning that I got a fun little surprise when we covered that lesson...


    Once I learned more of Grata non-Aquix, I was prepared to actually delve into Arca and my Terru pool, for whatever reason. Apparently, Thesuvians had a ¡®Look after you leap so you know how to land¡¯ deal going on, meaning that I was thoroughly bamboozled with my Miyagi style training. I had a decent Terru pool going on, but Lucine told me that I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to do much about it since I was a River Person, despite being able to come up with new spells- Er, Arca, that he could cast himself. Granted, he used a catalyst and I had to use ¡®tares¡¯ (hand gestures, but I learned a few useful Arca that weren¡¯t too bad on the joints. What I got was what I was stuck with, but my Silvertongue thing barely needed any effort behind it. Lucine explained it as a trait rather than an Arca, making it something of a passive ability that was low cost and effective. I had to be at an emotional extreme to use it or have true intent to influence someone¡¯s actions. Knowing that I could make someone do what I wanted by thinking about it hard enough?


    That probably should have made me overpowered, but that alone was the biggest thing blocking my usage of the damn power itself.


    After losing people because they knew I was a Silvertongue with the ability and willingness to use my power, it was so much harder to use it without being in pain or drawing from a dark place that put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day. I had to be hurting for my power to work and that just didn¡¯t seem worth it to me. Instead of drawing on sadness, I tried using happy memories to fuel the fire, but it just didn¡¯t work. Eventually, Lucine said I¡¯d learned as much from him as I could and his position as my Partner was filled by a Minotaur that taught me a lot of survival skills since the guy was practically a nomad. I didn¡¯t know why Steerdom stopped by, but I do know that he was paid for his trouble and that Minotaurs smell terrible.


    My time with Steerdom was mostly spent getting used to the wilderness and learning how to camp out and drink heavily, which I may or may not have continued doing by using other people to purchase my booze. Shut up about it. Anyway, after about two weeks with him, a musician from the Centurn Islands out in the northwestern ocean came down from Stalfisk and stopped through town for a rest on her journey. Apparently she was on her way back to her sister¡¯s place for a visit and vacation since she was famous in her homeland, but it¡¯s not like she was terribly arrogant or narcissistic She was pretty for an alien, but she was nowhere near as charming as Stellara had been¡­ It still¡­


    Yeah, whatever. Through our lessons with the various instruments she carried along with her for performances, we settled on the undlegar since I was apparently best at that. Make no mistake, I was a surprisingly decent musician with damn near everything I really put my mind to, and that was coming from Yolanna and Hargra, two of the prickliest staff members at the Welcome Center. They often let me play the plublass (A bass-guitar. It was a bass-guitar) for them and usually enjoyed that. However, my undlegar was requested after everyone¡¯s shift pretty much every day after I translated ¡®Somewhere Over the Rainbow¡¯ into its chords. Of course, Shadesong, my teacher, was a little jealous since she just couldn¡¯t manage all of the notes for the undlegar, but¡­ Well¡­ Let¡¯s just say that teaching her how to finger the frets was pretty fun for me, and it was a welcome distraction from missing my friends. Our lessons eventually turned into jam sessions and a little more when I wanted to try an instrument I wasn¡¯t good at, having Shade come behind me to help me with the notes. She lacked Stellara¡¯s main asset, but she made up for it with a chest and a smile to melt your heart. It didn¡¯t go far beyond a little grinding, some making out, and a few smoldering look before Shade excused herself from tutoring me, leaving me to begin my journey in one of three directions.


    Lucine offered to come out of retirement to be my bodyguard for the duration of my time in Avalesce as long as I didn''t make him do anything dumb. It sounded good, and with him I could always go after Shade and see what she wanted to make of what was between us, or I could seek out the people who¡¯d abandoned me from sheer shock. I asked the old man why he wanted to get back on the road and he said that the quiet life just really wasn¡¯t for him and that his wife was leaning further and further toward divorce with every minute in each other¡¯s company. They needed a break from each other to get the absence going so the hearts would grow fonder, which I was happy to provide. Lucine being Lucine was pretty surprised when I showed off my plublass and showed that I could play it after only being apart from him for a few months at that point, but he chalked it up to River People ¡®Moju-juju¡¯. I considered it being ¡®cooler¡¯ than him and we left it at that for the day I spent preparing to leave the Welcome Center.


    I know I haven''t really talked much about the time I spent with the staff of the Welcome Center or mentioned at all the fact that I had a little sword training from the Armators for posterity, but I really just threw myself into my time with them to learn as much as I could. The knowledge I gained was worth it, but the people I learned from were pretty dry in and of themselves. I¡¯ve mostly kept my ramblings to interesting people or the ones I actually talked to, so there¡¯s always that. However, Shadesong and Lucine were the most important people I met, and I decided that they were the ones I wanted to start my new adventure with. I would find Stellara and Felix in time if they were still together and my initial goal hadn''t changed, but I still wanted to spend my time with people that liked me and the people I had with me evidently liked me. At least, Lucine was willing to put up with me and had a love of puns and Shade was musically my perfect match.


    Nearly four months after my arrival in Rusval and the start of my journey, I actually got started on my ambitions and started playing music in Tidrel¡¯s town square. For all the I¡¯d been given, a lot of the townspeople were fond of the stylings I came up with, though it was mostly freeform-jazz riffs and blues. They were super easy to come up with on the plublass, and no, that¡¯s not because of any racial reason. If you thought so, Booksy, then you might just be prejudiced. I might not even be mixed, you know? I could be Hispanic or Asian for all you know. Gwailo-ass libro. Bullshit aside, I got some change from playing the plublass and did that for a couple of days with Lucine nodding along on the side of whatever building I was playing against. We garnered a fair amount of attention and the Armators that came around whenever I played often got a laugh out of my comedy-blues medlies, so I was allowed to sing and play whatever I wanted as long as I kept it funny or happy. People started coming around regularly and tossing drachs at me left and right, and soon enough I had a travel fund again. I mean, I still had some of what Stellara didn¡¯t take, but I¡¯d been looking to pad my pockets and learn how to play for an audience anyway.


    After a few weeks of roughing it away from the Welcome Center, Lucine and I had enough from my music alone to start traveling, so our first destination was my original location of choice; Ponydale. That was halfway across the country and wouldn¡¯t be a close thing by a longshot, but with my new Partner by my side and Shadesong¡¯s address, we set forth to find the woman who¡¯d fallen in love with me without being told to. It was invigorating to get back out on the road again, and with Douglerina in my hands and Clockly by my side, I felt more prepared than ever to face the tides. Lucine was a little amused by my good mood, his old man-ness giving off the impression of also being slightly annoyed when I pulled my undlegar off of my back and started playing an aimless tune. The words struck me when I started repeating the same melody with slightly different alterations, my first song coming to me naturally.


    ¡®A single step a fall was led


    Down the Golden riverbed


    Once was ¡®live and now I¡¯m dead¡¯


    Rebirth is awful!


    ¡®The Brit had wit


    I was a twit


    He had a gift and offered it¡¯


    Rebirth! Rebirth! Rebirth is awful!


    ¡®I was a fool and saw a jewel, shining underwater


    The ring was a hook, the Brit was a crook


    I felt like a fink, so what do you think?¡¯


    Rebirth is awful!


    ¡®Woke and I drowned


    Was lost and soon found


    Swam from my bed with muck in my head¡¯


    Rebirth! Rebirth! Rebirth is awful!


    ¡®Made a new friend ever so quick


    Told her the truth and lost her; she split


    Lonely again, I can¡¯t pretend¡¯


    Rebirth ain¡¯t awful!


    ¡®Wandered around and made it through town


    Passed out, fell down and then I rebound


    Only to find I was out of my mind¡¯


    Rebirth! Rebirth! Rebirth is awful!


    ¡®I found me a lover who looked like another


    And a new little guy who felt like a brother


    Said the wrong thing and their eyes did not hover¡¯


    Rebirth is awful!


    Lucine and I sang the song back and forth, messing it up and adding new notes to the song wherever we saw fit, but Gauner¡¯s Grovel was complete and once I added a bluesy beat to it, it was actually kinda dope. I could fit the song into nearly anything, but a bluesy-soulsy thing was where it hit its stride and I really vibed with it, even with the lighter notes of the undlegar. Of course its home was on the plublass, but still, the undlegar did it justice. I even got to teach Lucine how to play it on the plublass as we crossed the country, living off of the land and hunting ads we saw fit. He wasn¡¯t the expert survivalist that Stellara was, but he was a much better cook than she had ever been on the road. The guy actually used some of our funds to buy spices and salt once we passed through Alesdale, the only city-state in Avalesce to allow River People to drink openly. I mean, in Tidrel I literally had to straw-purchase if I wanted to get stocked up, and even then the flask I kept on me got odd looks from the Welcome Center staff.


    I mean, Gerritt was a dry province, but Avalesce as a country didn¡¯t like River People drinking outside of someone¡¯s home, which I didn¡¯t really like. I got some mead for the road anyway and posed as Lucine¡¯s Thesuvian nephew since my hair was curly enough to pass it off and I¡¯m pretty pale for being biracial, however people wouldn¡¯t believe that I was wholly Thesuvian. We altered the story until I was a Denosian/Thesuvian mixed guy and a lot of people accepted that. It was my eyes, however, that sold the entire thing because mine had the same blue and gold flecks that Lucine¡¯s had for some odd reason. We talked about that over a drink or two one night and he supposed that we were soul-brothers or of the same ilk some way of the sort, destined to have met and come together. I told him he was crazy and offered to admit that he was right if he helped me with something.


    Having known him longer than I¡¯d known Stellara, I knew what his answer would be. ¡°Hey, Lucine?¡±


    He stopped scanning the bar as he was prone to doing. ¡°Yeah, kid?¡±


    ¡°Stop calling me kid, for one. You''re not that much older than me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in my sixties and you¡¯re not even thirty. What do you want, kid?¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°How bout we play ¡®Gauner¡¯s Grovel¡¯?¡±


    He looked at me, a smile at the corner of his mouth. ¡°Right now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, man. Right now.¡±


    ¡°You know everyone here¡¯s been drinking, right?¡± His heavy Welsh-Cockney accent made it hard to understand him, but I got the message clearly enough after spending so much time with him.


    ¡°Non-lethals if things go south?¡± I raised a brow.


    He gave me a look, still halfway about to smile. ¡°You¡¯ve been getting rowdier the closer we get to Ponydale.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s just that you haven¡¯t given me time to play anywhere we¡¯ve stopped!¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°Ah, ya goobski, you might as well get it over with.¡± He waved his hand.


    I picked up my plublass and offered it to him, making him roll his eyes. ¡°Come on, Luce, You know you want to~¡±


    He took it with a scowl and stroked the strings carefully. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d be playing an instrument in Avalesce with a River Man.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the unexpected that makes these trips fun, right?¡± I picked up my undlegar and laid out the first few notes, stopping short.


    We plucked the opening chords at the same time, trading devilish smiles. Lucine shrugged. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    ¡°Four. Three. Two¡­¡±


    I hit the first six notes in rapid succession and Lucine got them a little slower, so I matched his pace and we started going through the song with me providing the high notes and main melody while Lucine actually got into the groove of things and sang a little, accenting my style with his significantly lower voice. Much to our surprise, we garnered a crowd around our booth that cheered us on and asked for encores, but none of our improvs matched our one song. We had to play it a few more times over the night to stop getting things thrown at us, or I should say more things. Lucine wanted to start shooting, but I was having the time of my life just playing my music and having people like it. When I tried playing Somewhere Over the Rainbow, I actually got approached by the owner of the tavern and was asked to stay in one of the rooms and provide entertainment on a case-by-case basis. He had a wedding reception coming up soon and needed a talented musician. A talented one. And he asked me! I was so honored and thrilled that I agreed without even asking for pay, stalling my journey about a quarter of the way to Ponydale. Lucine was glad to get off of the road and have a real place to rest, as little as he would¡¯ve liked to admit it. Having somewhere soft to sleep was really right up his alley, otherwise, he was not much of a morning person.


    During the fortnight we stayed at the Hobbled Cobbler, I worked on recreating the songs I knew from my world and trying to make my own, finding that music really did come easily to me once I was in the mood to play, and I was always in the mood to play. My sixth month on Septural was coming closer and closer and I decided to celebrate once the day came. Other than that, I had to come up with multiple parts for everything so Lucine could play along with me, and where it took me a few hours to learn a song, it took him a few days. That being said, I learned quite a few solo pieces and came up with a few simple duets that Luce would be able to pull off in time for the reception, which was a lot different than I¡¯d anticipated. For one, the reception was both the bachelor and bachelorette party. Both groom and bride brought their friends and young relatives with them to the tavern to get trashed, and I wasn¡¯t the only entertainment scheduled. Strippers and dancers of various races and sexes were invited and did some freaky shit with the party-goers that stopped just shy of public sex, which made the barkeeps choice in music hella confusing. He¡¯d asked or more of what I had played, but not much of it was happy or party music, so I did a few guitar solos to brighten the mood.


    I opened the night with something slow that turned out to be a dance song. Lucine had no problems keeping up with the heavy bass of 4th of July, Rooster went over well, and when I decided to try it, Elvis¡¯ Hound Dog made people go wild! I hadn¡¯t been expecting it, but the party turned from bump-grind to dance party in just a few minutes, so I freestyled some happier music that kept the good vibes going. Luce didn¡¯t play during my solos, but he came back in for Gauner¡¯s Grovel and Somewhere Over the Rainbow, which I closed the night with. After weapons started getting thrown about when we left the stage, I had Lucine pass me the plublass so I could keep playing, even though my fingers were actually bleeding a little at that point. The blisters I¡¯d developed over the course of learning and evidently mastering my instruments of choice hadn¡¯t fully turned into calluses, making my final performance of the night the most painful. People roared when blood started dripping off of the strings and the party went absolutely nuts when I started Black Hole Sun. The final notes had people cheering and doing beer slides for the oddest of reasons, but my main concern was getting my fingers patched up. I ended up with two and half hundred drachs (Bringing my financial total to ¡®decent¡¯ levels) for my troubles and a few drinks to ease my pain. The barkeep, a Minotaur named Toray Clooz, asked if I¡¯d want to stick around for the next gig and I passed, wanting to get back to my journey. Luce was a little miffed by that since he¡¯d had fun with the whole thing, the gals that tried to get with him, and the general rockstar motif, but it was ultimately up to me to get us back on the road.


    During the trip from Alesdale, Luce asked, ¡°So what is it that your really plan on doin¡¯, Gatian? We have been on the road for the better part of a Dubbel now and all I know that you¡¯re doing is chasing a flame.¡±


    As we walked in the misty dawn light, I looked at him carefully. ¡°What? Don¡¯t tell me you want to go home.¡±


    ¡°Not quite. Just wondering how long it¡¯s going to be til I see home again.¡±


    ¡°How about four months? We get to Ponydale, meet up with Shadesong, and then we come back to Tidrel and I get off to my journey again?¡±


    ¡°... So you see right through me, eh?¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°I never though you were going to stick around for the full thing. Just long enough to see if I could take care of myself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I think you¡¯ll be alright, kid.¡± He shrugged. ¡°You learn fast, eat just enough, and you make friends with your music left and right. You might just be a prodigy with those instruments if my guess is correct.¡± You wanna add something to that, don¡¯t you?


    ¡°Guess being the best won''t be as hard as I thought.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sound too happy about that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not. I was hoping that this would be harder, but the only thing I¡¯m really finding hard is being away from Stella and Felix. I miss my friends.¡±


    Luce put a hand on my shoulder and shot a flame from his finger in front of us, the fire bursting into a flower before we could come into contact with it. ¡°They were just friends, kid. You might¡¯ve liked them, but if they couldn¡¯t accept you, then they couldn¡¯t accept you. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re blooming, Gatian. It¡¯s up to you how far you open up.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I guess. Maybe I¡¯ll make some new friends or something?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit. Don¡¯t get down and make me drag you.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Thanks for the pick me up, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Thanks for not making me pick you up, fatarse.¡±


    And that was all that was said for a good while. I didn¡¯t take the jibe to heart since I¡¯d been two-hundred-and-eighty pounds before Septural and was now down to two-twenty. It took us a good couple of days to reach the next town, and the town after that took a week. Hooversdum was a rather nice place with nice scenery around it, there being a mountain range within sight, a lake on the other side of town, and the people there were accommodating like no other. We were offered a place to stay within hours of getting to town, and there was almost a fight over who would host the musician, which was weird. Whenever we needed money, Luce would go Critter Controlling with me en tow, or I¡¯d be out in the middle of town trying to make some money. Hunting was faster for what it was and the effort involved for Lucine, but the music was a lot more lucrative for what we could do in a day for both of us. Luce and I eventually agreed to split up in Hooversdum on the edge of Ponydale when our Gertt money stopped being terribly valuable, finding that the Centurns and Minotaurs were much more generous with their coin for good music than Humans had been. Hell, after three days of making music in Hooversdum, we had enough to pay for an inn for a week and live like metaphorical kings for a few days. There weren¡¯t as many things to go hunting for so close to the Equisian border, wherein lie the colloquially named country Equinis. Ponydale and Equinis were one and the same, and that place happened to be one of the most outwardly friendly places I¡¯d ever been. Hooversdum was a brightly colored, compact town though full town littered of people of all sorts of sunny dispositions. In fact, the perma-frown on my face had to be consciously rectified if I didn¡¯t want someone to walk up and hug me. I mean, I liked hugs, but getting them from multiple people at a time was a little much. I wondered how Lucine was doing since we¡¯d split up as soon as we got into town since the old man was dour and sour-faced like few other people I¡¯d met. It was usually enough for me to laugh and hug back a little, but I couldn''t imagine Lucine dissipating a crowd by being nice. After an hour with no gunshots in town, I figured he was fine.


    As I played my music in Hooversdum, I actually came to gather a following that grew and grew by the day. Our first few days had been spent finding the best spots to get work, our fourth and fifth had been spent working, and our sixth was spent teaching people how to do what we did. There was actually a Guild or several that operated across the world with different Guildhouses in different parts of every country. There had been A Hexamond Guildhouse in Tidrel, but I¡¯d never gone since I¡¯d never been invited. The Raphtal Guild had a presence in Hooversdum since it was a larger border-town, basing their whole moral scheme on ¡®Shoot first, mourn later¡¯, or at least that¡¯s what I was told by the runner guy who was sent for me. Even if he was doing something for them, he was quite wary of the Guild. Apparently, Luce had been recruited and wanted to see what I had to say about it, so I stopped making money doing my thing and went to go talk to Luce. I knew something was wrong the second I saw him, but I didn¡¯t know just what.


    ¡°Sup, Lucine? We doing something or what?¡± I asked casually, not letting anything show on my face.


    The look in his eye was enough to get the picture. ¡°I¡¯ve been cordially invited to be the stars of Raphtal¡¯s latest feast.¡±


    ¡°... Are we the feast?¡±


    ¡°No, but the Raphs are some serious trouble. This guild has the full weight of King Lumo and Fullmaster Gran Stoker-Smith does whatever he wants anyway. He was with the guild back in the day and they rule Ponydale and Avalesce respectively... We¡¯re stuck right now.¡±


    ¡°... So is my music career over, or¡­?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see in a few hours.¡±


    I unstrapped my undlegar and started playing. ¡°Then why don¡¯t I make us a song?¡±


    ¡°... If you want, I suppose.¡± Luce made a face, obviously not wanting me to do the thing.


    I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s either that or sit in silence.¡±


    ¡°I like silence.¡±


    ¡°I like music and my wiener is bigger than yours.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut-¡±


    ¡°Yeeeah~ Her pussy smelled like faulain meat and tastes just like it too! I wanted to stick it in her butt though she turned my balls so blue! How would I come to cum if she knew not what she had to do? When she placed herself upon it, she bent it right in two! Ohhhh-¡±


    ¡°Stop. Please stop.¡± Luce groaned.


    I grinned at him and prepared another verse until the most handsome man I¡¯d ever laid eyes on opened the door I hadn¡¯t walked through and gave me a look. His dark, dark brown hair and deep blue eyes were beautiful, the dark, oceanic blue pairing together so well I never though I¡¯d see another male face so entrancing, even if they did look annoyed with me. I saw a hint of admiration on his face as well as irritation, but all I was concerned about was how fucking cute this guy was. I waved, he waved, and Luce harrumphed, ruining my moment. I shot the old man a glare and missed what the young man said, but I¡¯d heard the telltale note of an English lilt to his voice when I¡¯d heard him. It had been some time, but his voice was rather familiar in a way different from Luce¡¯s. It wasn¡¯t the Brits since I remembered that clearly, but it reminded me of some fanfiction I¡¯d read a long time ago. It wasn¡¯t that good, but I remembered crushing on the cover-guy for the duration of my readthrough. Whoever the new guy was looked just like him, but with inhuman grace and somehow looking even more arrogant.


    ¡°Were you listening, mate?¡± He asked irritably.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± I answered smoothly, trying not to blow my cover as a straight guy. ¡°Was it important?¡±


    ¡°Just keep it down, alright?¡±


    ¡°Stick around and I¡¯ll play something else.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the opposite of what I just said.¡± He practically snarled.


    I glanced at Luce and saw that he was staring at the guy, looking different than I¡¯d ever seen him. ¡°Whatever, dude. Go back to blowing yourself before your balls get anymore shriveled.¡±


    He stepped out of the room and showed his physique; lean and mean. He was kinda short at about five-seven, but he looked like he knew how to throw a mean hook. The guy didn¡¯t have a gun on his hip like everyone else I¡¯d seen at the guild, but Luce came to stand in front of me all the same. ¡°He¡¯s just full of it; all musicians are. Why don¡¯t you let this one go?¡±


    The guy lifted his chin. ¡°... Name¡¯s Max, Goobster. Remember the face before I break yours.¡±


    I snorted. ¡°Name¡¯s Bond. James Bond. I like it shaken, not stirred.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you doing something before this?¡±


    Max cracked his knuckles and Luce drew his gun, but before he could loose the first shot, Max was in my face. ¡°Think you¡¯re cute, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Luce whirled around as I gave ¡®Max¡¯ some bedroom eyes. ¡°Not half as cute as you, handsome~¡±


    He blushed. ¡°Wha-Whatever! Just stop it with the racket!¡±


    I winked at him. ¡°Handsome guy like you has a couple of ladies around, right? Wanna grab a couple and have some fun together?¡±


    ¡°Fucking- No! You hedonists are weird!¡±


    ¡°At least we know how to have fun.¡± I sighed.


    He started marching away until I got too close while following him. ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    ¡°Do you think you can get the Guildmaster to sponsor my music?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    I looked him in the eye and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you fond of my racket? It gets better.¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t like music-¡±


    ¡°Everyone likes music, Max. Just gotta find the kind for you.¡±


    He rolled his eyes. ¡°Play me a song. Play me one song that you don¡¯t think I¡¯ll hate.¡±


    It took me a sec to translate the notes, the song coming faster than anyt I¡¯d thought of before, probably from the fact that I¡¯d already tried to learn it on guitar. Clocks by Coldplay flowed from my fingers and into my undlegar like water, the song playing itself more so than me playing it. When I finished, Max was nodding, a small smile on his face along with a bit of a dreamy look., I waited a while for him to say something but that wasn¡¯t happening any time soon. It took him a solid six minutes to tell me that he didn¡¯t hate the song, and he immediately fucked off to go do something. Luce hit me once he was gone and asked if I had a death wish or something, to which I replied that I didn¡¯t and had probably just gotten us a gig. He still thought that we were going to die at any moment, and when Max came back with an eight-foot-tall Minotaur and a Unicorn that looked like she stabbed people with her horn I was thinking that he was right. Then I got a hug from Max and he welcomed us into his guild as honorary members.


    Apparently, I had flirted with Max Gadarai, the Guildmaster of the Raphtal. Luce was stunned to find that my guess had been correct. I didn¡¯t tell him what my guess was, but I¡¯d let him know that it was right. Max was kinda gay and was hiding it. If that wasn¡¯t the reason he was so touchy feely during the banquet, then I don¡¯t know what was. Hell, he even sang the chorus to a few songs that I put together for the Guild, having been meeting and greeting and eating all night long. Luce was popular with the elders of the guild, his tales of crossing the country with his River Person Partner giving everyone time to get to know him while my music got me and Max plenty of attention from the ladies. The lead singer always gets the gals, and Max could sing a lot better than I could. However, Guitar-Man gets his fair share, and my fair share were flashing me and going crazy all on their own. I passed out so many kisses and had my face stuffed into plenty of chests with Max nearby, dragging more than a couple of his own groupies into my fray. We eventually came together and got everyone into his room in the Guild, but we didn¡¯t just make a mess out of the ladies. A fair number of them wanted to see us go at it too, and it might¡¯ve been the somas, but we sure as fuck did.


    The morning after was great. There were tits in my face and I was spooning Max, still inside of him as I woke up. I was sure to pull out and wipe off before we could get caught, sticking it in this Mare with blue hair that had the best bubble-butt out of the bunch. She didn¡¯t mind being fucked awake and Max apparently liked the role model in me because he decided to get his morning started that same way. We boned our partners for however long we felt like until everyone got up to go, but Max and I were left behind. He kept sparing me odd glances as we got dressed, so I took the lead and waited for him to have his back to me, my new butt-slut being rather receptive when I wrapped my arms around him.


    ¡°Real tough party guy, aren¡¯t you?¡± I murmured in his ear, feeling the fine lines of scar tissue on his chest.


    His breathing hitched in his throat and he leaned against me. ¡°Y-Yeah, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Taken down by a guy with an undlegar~ I wonder what this means, hmm?¡±


    ¡°... You can¡¯t expose me-¡±


    ¡°Ha! Like I¡¯d get both of us crucified by doing that. No, Max, there¡¯s something else I want from you.¡±


    ¡°Okay. What is it?¡± His voice was shaky as I breathed in his ear.


    I was more than amused. ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°... Wh-What do-¡±


    ¡°When I come back, your ass is mine. When I want it, where I want it. Got it?¡± Kinda rapey, but let¡¯s see how it pans out.


    His hands moved to cover mine, his firm, sculpted ass tight against me. ¡°... But it stays a secret?¡±


    ¡°No one has to know.¡± It¡¯s working!


    ¡°... Yes, sir.¡± He whispered.


    I bit his neck and sucked for a little while, leaving my mark on him. When I let go, he stumbled forward and covered his groin, most likely hiding the wood I¡¯d caused. ¡°Good boy. I think we¡¯re gonna have some fun together, Maxi.¡±


    Max cracked the smallest of smiles. ¡°Yeah... guess we will.¡±


    I may or may not have fucked him senseless again, but that was beside the point. Once I was feeling nice and relieved, I made sure he knew who was in charge between us and probably shouldn¡¯t mention that I fucked him again to prove it. God, that guy was such a fucking bottom and his bottom. Like damn! I grabbed Luce from the bottom of a dogpile that had formed around the time people started passing out and got the show on the road, surprised at the life of a musician. There was more to it than I¡¯d thought, and I was just touching the tip of the iceberg. Honestly, Booksy, there was so much to it that I haven¡¯t even talked about yet that I had to start writing in you, which brings me to present day I guess. I mean, I kinda skimmed over the last few months because I didn¡¯t really want to go through all that, but still. With the time I have now, I feel like I need to start all over and start getting things together¡­ Now that I read through it, I really sped through life without Stellara and Felix, but that¡¯s¡­ Well, I kinda feel like it¡¯s because life doesn¡¯t feel like life without them anymore. My friends were my family, and Lucine is a great guy, but I¡¯d rather be sharing the time with Stellara. Maybe Shadesong can ease the pain in my heart, though I have my doubts.


    ¡­ What am I doing, Booksy? I¡¯ve dived into the world of music headfirst and I have no idea what direction I really want to go in. I haven¡¯t even tried to make a song about slavery or anything, and I thought that was going to be one of my first things¡­ I¡¯m losing sight of what I want, Booksy¡­ Maybe I need to read through you and see what I¡¯ve done wrong¡­


    Maybe I should take it from the beginning and annotate this¡­? Nah. I think I¡¯ll just try to go into more detail from here on. I know you get why this one was so light on details, and I know I¡¯ll remember, but maybe I just need to say it. Moving on from dark days took time. That¡¯s all I want to say right now, I guess.

 Chapter Eight: Rockstar Energy

    So. We¡¯re caught up¡­


    Kinda. I could go over what happened today, but I¡¯ve been doing so much writing in the past few days¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do, Booksy. I¡¯m used to having plenty to write about, but¡­


    Well, I could go over how my journey finally got started in earnest¡­ Yeah, I¡¯ll do that!


    I think I left off when I picked up Luce and got the show back on the road, but I should mention that it only took us about a day to get to Farrier and I wasn¡¯t pleased with the general mood of the town. It was an industrial kind of place and my music was drowned out by a lot of ambient noise, so Hooversdum was more along my train of thought. Having found a secret boytoy in Max and knowing that Lucine actually liked the town meant that we headed back and prepared to settle down for awhile. Luce got with Raphtal and asked if he could get a job or something to bide time or earn a room, but he was eventually sent back to me by the Guild Captain (The person directly under the Guildmaster) and was ordered to grab me from the park bench I¡¯d started playing on. It was actually kind of interesting and worry at the same time since I didn¡¯t know if someone was going to try and kill me, but I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the Guild.


    Max and the Unicorn I mentioned last time were waiting just outside the massive main doors of the Guildhouse, both of them smiling at me. Max¡¯s smile was muted and a little shy, but Sootina¡¯s was friendly and happy. Luce, however, was giving me sketchy looks all the while and I found out why when I got too close to both Guildies. They grabbed me and squished the fuck out of me, a certain hardness prodding me from the male half of the hug. When I was let go, Sootina gave me a brilliant smile, a quick kiss, and a hearty pat on the back. Luce was giggling his ass off like the old bastard he was while I was getting ushered into the Guild without a chance to stop or even really look back, the party already in full swing.


    Apparently, my paramour had been exposed after our tryst and was accepted by the entire Guild once he wiped the floor with anyone who was brave enough to laugh at him. I was the guy who¡¯d helped the Guildmaster sexually awaken or whatever, so I was treated as the guest of honor and was entreated to a fun day at the Guild full of soma and smooches. Max made it clear that he wasn¡¯t looking for anything official since he¡¯d just come out as being a little homo, so I taught him a couple of tricks to keep it quiet when he needed to and reminded him that we were only accepted in Hooversdum so far. After a nice kiss and an soothing assurance that we¡¯d be fine anywhere Raphtal had a presence, I was actually open to the idea of doing more things other than sex with Max. The thing was that he had a drive for submission, but couldn¡¯t really show it outwardly unless he wanted his Guild to crumble. Sootina knew and acted as his Mistress from time to time, but with me as his Dom, she wanted me to teach her how to handle him since she just couldn¡¯t boss him around like I could. I didn¡¯t know why I could and attributed it to my Silvertongue/Devil¡¯s tongue thing, but that didn¡¯t really give me an answer for her. I decided to say that it must have just been my fat meat-rod, to which she laughed and asked if I¡¯d show her.


    She might¡¯ve been kidding at the time, but the look on her face when I unbuttoned and dropped drawers said that she didn¡¯t really care. We were in a booth in the tavern-ish part of the guild whereas Lucine was entertaining his new friends in the lounge-looking bit, meaning that I had privacy and leeway to do what I wanted without being ineffectually scolded. Sootina was odd for a Pony in that she was tall and muscular, despite not being a Pegasus. That made it hard for her to get under the table to show her appreciation, even though she thought I¡¯d prefer a guy doing it. What she didn¡¯t know was that I¡¯d have preferred no one else other than Max since they were the only ones in the Guild who¡¯d shown any manner of skill at the task. Sootina was a beautiful ashen gray that was sexy like no other, and I¡¯d wanted a piece of her since I¡¯d seen her. The booty on the broad was ridiculous, even if her chest was nearly nonexistent. I swear, I could have sat on her backside and she¡¯d have never noticed, which made me a little sad that she was just blowing me. Being caught by Max when he slid into the booth was great since Sootina had him scoot next to me so I could service him while she took care of me. I gave Max ¡®the most amazing, most everything handy¡¯ he¡¯d ever gotten while Sootina? She made me appreciate Pony hospitality more than anything I¡¯d experienced before. She didn¡¯t stop while I was reaching the climax and even knew how to make it just that much better when it ended, keeping her mouth on me until I was completely spent. She also didn¡¯t overstay her welcome and cleaned Max off of me before I could make him do it.


    I¡¯d thought it was over, but there¡¯s a reason I fell in love with Pony hospitality. Max asked Sootina if she¡¯d mind doing him too and she told him to ask me, which was great. I revealed my bisexuality to them in confidence and they didn¡¯t disappoint me, though Sootina was mostly just happy to find that I was one of few people to find her attractive. That¡¯s when I learned that other than physical endowments, the hotter you were (By Earth conventions), then the less desirable you were to a good majority of Septurns. That being said, I was slightly above average either way with some of my features being attractive to the Avalesch, but Max was just passably cute and Sootina was hideous by Ponydale standards. The western part of the world was kind of weird with their beauty standards, that too being pretty regressive. Apparently having unattractive features made one a stud in Avalese, which almost hurt my feelings. It sucked to think that two of the more attractive people I¡¯d ever met had no self-confidence when it came to their appearances, but it also wasn¡¯t my problem. I dipped my stick into Sootina and showed her a good time, got back to Max, had another go at Sootina while Max helped, and then gave him a piece of me while he was giving Sootina a piece of him. I was the only one without cum leaking out of their bum by the end of our time together and I just find that funny. After going soft only to harden again so many times, I was worn out, passing out with my head on Sootina¡¯s arm while Max¡¯s head was on my chest. I liked the feeling that we had when we were together; all three of us, that is. Yeah, I liked Max by himself, but I knew Sootina was his best friend and I just worked so well with both of them. It was nice to have a unit again, even if it wasn¡¯t going to last forever.


    ¡­


    ¡­ Uh¡­


    Shit, J-Man, that¡¯s all I did today. When I woke up in the middle of the night I got to this point, but there just wasn¡¯t anything really going on other than music and sex which seem to be a theme in this life. I can¡¯t help but wonder if I¡¯d be sleeping around so freely if Stellara was by my side, but I also wanted to share her with my new friends. Only time will tell if we¡¯re going to ever meet again, but there are warring sides of me on that topic. I really just want a nap right now¡­


    I¡¯ll pick you up later, Booksy. I¡¯ll try to add even more detail from here on out, but no promises.


    ????????????????????????


    After going back to sleep, I woke up next to Sootina with Max being long gone. I didn¡¯t know what to do, so I just sat next to her and let the morning unfold as it would until it became clear that she was going to have to be woken up. I did what I felt was natural, which was slipping my dick inside her, eliciting a happy moan and a smile when she turned to look at me. After a brief moment of surprise, she smiled even wider and wiggled her ass further onto my rod, obviously enjoying the feeling of being filled in the morning. We got a quickie out of the way and Sootina thanked me for the ¡®Cock¡¯s Call¡¯ with the sun on the rise.


    Without any idea of what to do next, I asked, ¡°So¡­ Am I supposed to stay here now, or can I go back to doing my thing?¡±


    Sootina had her back turned to me, getting dressed as I watched. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s stopping you from doing your thing here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get paid for doing it here. I mean, I get laid, just not paid. I kinda need money to fulfill part of my aspiration or something.¡±


    She turned to me, her small mounds still holding stiff peaks. ¡°Why not hold a concert? You have my permission.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah, I could do that. Ring up some business for the Guild, make a bit of a name for myself. I guess I could do that for awhile.¡±


    ¡°And after your concerts?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ See, I¡¯m having problems with that one. My main thing has been drift, play music, drift, play music, but I don¡¯t really know where to drift from here.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t.¡± She gave me a look. ¡°You could very well have a home here. Max is smitten with you like no other I¡¯ve seen, I like you plenty, and the Guild would be a great place to play your music. What else could you want?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. I just don¡¯t think the Guild-Life is the life for me.¡±


    ¡°You haven''t tried it yet. You could offer a kind of service that we don¡¯t yet have. Expand our revenue pool, potentially gain new business. It could be lucrative for both of us if you think about it.¡± She struggled with her bra as she spoke.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound half bad, I guess. Take non-shooty jobs, bang you and Max to the end of the world, make new music. I guess there¡¯s worse I could do.¡± She smiled for a sec and nodded, still struggling with the clasps. ¡°Sweetheart, if you need a hand just say something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a grown mare. I can fasten a bra.¡± She blew through her lips and made a horse-like noise that amused me to no end.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you couldn¡¯t, I just asked if you wanted to make things easier on yourself.¡±


    Sootina shot me a dirty look. ¡°My hands are just fumbly from last night is all.¡±


    I rolled my eyes and got up, walking behind her as she huffed and folded her arms. I had her latched and ready to go in seconds. ¡°See, Sooty? Was that so hard?¡±


    She bumped me with her butt so I grabbed her hips and humped back, getting a husky chuckle in response. Her voice was pretty deep for a woman¡¯s, but I¡¯d noticed that a few Ponies didn¡¯t look like they sounded. ¡°I guess you can be even more useful than I thought. What do you say, Gatian? Stick with us and we¡¯ll teach you things you never thought you¡¯d learn.¡± She wrapped my arms around her.


    I rested my head on her shoulder and gave it some more thought. ¡°Well, I guess I need to make a name for myself somewhere. Why not one of the biggest towns in the whole country?¡±


    ¡°With one of the most diverse populaces in the world to boot. You¡¯ll find more people from all over the world here than just about anywhere other than Bang Sing, Claytan, Hallowed Halter, or Fiskis. If you want your music to spread, Hooversdum is a great place to get the word out~¡° She moved my hands under her bra, letting me play with her chest as I pleased.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, you want me to stay. I wasn¡¯t planning on leaving tonight or anything.¡±


    She let me toy with her for a little longer before she moved my hands and faced me again, her expression disappointed. ¡°I know I can¡¯t force you to stick around, but I think you¡¯ll really come to love the Guild if you do.¡±


    I gave her a Gatian Brand smile and chuckled. ¡°You¡¯d be enough to stick around for a little while. Max is the main attraction, I¡¯ll admit, but you¡¯re interesting too.¡±


    ¡°Gee, glad to know I still come in second.¡± She gave me a mocking pout.


    ¡°Your ass is tighter,¡± I said truthfully.


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also nicer.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    I firmly grasped it. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t say it if it wasn¡¯t true. He¡¯s more fun to fuck, but you¡¯re -¡±


    ¡°Just because he¡¯s a guy, he¡¯s more fun?¡±


    ¡°He makes the cutest little whimpers!¡± She whimpered adorably, but I knew it was fake. ¡°Close second, but the real deal is better.¡±


    Her pout was great, so I gave her a kiss. ¡°So what are we now?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Max¡¯s Daddy and I¡¯m his Mommy. I guess we¡¯re a couple.¡± She gave me a cheesy grin.


    I snorted and rolled my eyes. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a Daddy fetish.¡±


    ¡°Or a Mommy one, but that¡¯s basically what we are. If you stick around, Max is partially going to be your responsibility too.¡±


    ¡°He seems like an autonomous guy.¡±


    ¡°He is, it¡¯s just that he has a guilty conscience and kills a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Damn.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He could use a butt-fucking at the end of the day to forget his troubles.¡±


    I gave her a look. ¡°And what do I really get out of this that I couldn¡¯t get elsewhere?¡±


    Sootina laid her hand on my collar, her thumb pressing against my throat. ¡°Regret is a powerful thing, Gatian.¡±


    I looked at her hand. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a threat, it¡¯s a statement with reinforcement.¡± She started squeezing.


    ¡°You know this can end worse than just a broken shoulder, right? It¡¯s well within my power to light you on fire.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s well within my power to snap your neck and dispose of your body before you can finish that Arca.¡± Sootina¡¯s once warm eyes were now cold and joyless. ¡°If you break Max¡¯s heart, I¡¯ll break your body.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s known me for less than a week-¡±


    ¡°And yet he didn¡¯t leave the Guild just in case you came back.¡±


    ¡°Fuck me.¡± I groaned.


    ¡°I have and it was pretty good. Stay here, Gatian; life will be so much better for you if you do.¡± The warmth came back to her face, a pleading there I hadn¡¯t seen before.


    ¡°So if I stay and break Max¡¯s heart, I get hurt. If I leave and don¡¯t do that¡­?¡±


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t even care if you weren¡¯t exclusive. No one treats Max like you do. At least, no one that gets away with it.¡±


    ¡°And if I turned him on you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d make two enemies very quickly. I¡¯m surprised you¡¯d even mention it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an open kinda guy. Do you wanna have make-up sex or what?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    ¡°Why not? A little fear is sexy.¡± I chuckled.


    She wrapped her hand around my throat, not being subtle about it this time. ¡°I can do fear.¡±


    ¡°Choke me, Mommy.¡± I garbled back.


    That¡¯s how I learned that I have a mild choking fetish. So does Sootina, but she likes to be on the choking end rather than being the choke-ee, which was fine by me. Having her ride me and strangle me a little while doing it was hot and made the nut that much better, but what was really hot was the fact that Sootina kept referring to herself as ¡®Auntie Sooty¡¯ and kept up the act even after we finished. She scolded me for watching her dress and even made me leave the room once she caught me doing it again, adding a sense of excitement to the relationship that I hadn¡¯t considered at any point in my twenty-six years. I was now aware of my Aunt fetish, which made sense because my Mom¡¯s sister was so very unfortunately hot and made a habit of mowing the lawn in a bikini top. I wasn¡¯t even a boob man back then, but fuck. When you¡¯re thirteen and your super-hippy Aunt moves in and gets you high all the time? It¡¯s hard not to develop that gross, awkward, ¡®I¡¯m never telling you because I don¡¯t really want it¡¯, incestuous crush and with Auntie Sooty it was mostly just hot. She was a different species entirely, but that didn¡¯t meant that I wasn¡¯t one hell of a sinner for what I was doing. Then again, kinky sex makes you a winner, so...Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    After I got kicked out of Max¡¯s room for peeping, I did some more peeping and didn¡¯t get caught while doing it. Sootina was sure to give me a show from the keyhole I was looking in and I swear she smiled at me before she moved to leave the room. I wanted to play, so I kept up the act and pretended like I hadn¡¯t been doing anything. Auntie didn¡¯t say anything about me looking quite nonchalant with a tent in my pants, but she did guide me away from the living quarters and to the mess hall so I could get something to eat. Apparently, Max was already up and out of the Guild since he¡¯d delayed leaving for some odd reason, so it was up to Sooty to keep the Guild running. The thing was that the Guild didn¡¯t need anyone to micromanage it, so I basically just accompanied Sootina and got to know everybody. Lucine was out cold in a borrowed room, so I met all of his friends and about twenty other people (Again) before Auntie Sooty asked me what I wanted to do with my day. I wanted to know if she¡¯d help me with my concert thing and she said yes, so I gathered my funds and took a sizeable chunk out of them to start making posters at the local ¡®Printman¡¯s¡¯, or whatever she called it. Either way, I knew where I was going and what I needed, so Sooty left me to do what I wanted and made herself something to do in the form of gathering a census of some kind from the guildies.


    While I was out and about on my lonesome, I thought about myself and where the road had taken me thus far. At this point in my journey I¡¯d already lived a good portion of the rockstar life and I wasn¡¯t really enjoying it, getting more pleasure out of the incestuous kink I indulged in with Sootina. Yeah, she was a little scary, but Max was scarier and I didn¡¯t want to give him a reason to kill the shit out of me. I knew on sight that he could, but having him cross nearly fifty feet in the blink of an eye? Not worth it. I was newly cornered in a trap of my own design and I wasn¡¯t even suffering for it, nor was I worried about it which in and of itself should have been worrisome. I mean, Sootina was a little bit of a negative, but when she¡¯d been threatening me I¡¯d had a feeling her words were empty and hadn¡¯t really been scared as a result. Now that she was getting kinky and kind again, I was more likely to do as she suggested and stay put. The thing was that I didn¡¯t know if Lucine would stick around long enough for me to get out of the situation I was in, though I didn¡¯t doubt that he was in a better position than I was for any reason. I had the eye of one of the most ruthless Guilds in the world with one of their Guildmasters being infatuated with me for some reason. It wasn¡¯t an ideal situation, but as I got my shit done and headed back to the Guild, I thought about what I could do to change it.


    As I burned time by playing music in the Guild and then eventually writing, I still thought about my situation. Then I wondered why I would change anything. I mean, I had new friends in spades, Max was a sweet guy when you got to know him, Sooty was fun, and I could start my music career pretty well in Hooversdum, so why not stick around for awhile? The longer I thought about it, the more attractive the proposition became, especially when I thought about all I would technically be getting from involvement with Raphtal. Besides the sex and music, I also gained a valuable resource and protection from the Guild as well as possible gigs that might flow through the request line. It was hard to say that I¡¯d give up a good thing that just up and hopped in my lap, but the possible cons were nearly as heavy as the pros even with minimal thought. As I stuck my posters on whatever I passed, I found that I didn¡¯t really care. I just didn¡¯t care about what would be good for me in the long run and wanted to focus on what feels good now. Having Max clam up and practically bow to me on sight? Hot. Having Sootina treat me like a naughty nephew? Hotter. Becoming the biggest musician in town? Easy, apparently, but I didn¡¯t really care about becoming a big musician anymore. Stellara wasn¡¯t around, and she was the one I wanted to become famous for so I could help her, but if she didn¡¯t even want to be around me because of something I couldn¡¯t control?


    Fuck her.


    I wasn¡¯t taking the loss well. I¡¯m still not. I saw that I was spiraling a while ago and I didn¡¯t know how much longer it would be until I¡¯m completely out of control¡­ There¡¯s no one to stop me, to put me on the right path, but Who¡¯s to say that this isn¡¯t the right one? Well¡­ Other than Stella¡­ God, I miss her¡­ I miss her so much, Booksy. Nothing I do helps. Playing songs takes the edge off, but it doesn¡¯t stop the ache from being there. I could handle being a failure. I could handle getting smacked around and being humiliated, but¡­ Seeing someone who loves you look at you like you¡¯re a monster hurts so fucking bad. I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t keep going like this. I can¡¯t just keep ignoring it. I don¡¯t know what I have to do, but I can¡¯t just keep trying to get her face out of my head because it¡¯s not working. Meaningless sex is just so draining, but all I want to do is a fuck a hole into something deep enough to mirror the one I feel in my chest. It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s worse than before. I knew who cared and who didn¡¯t care, and I knew that Stellara had cared. She¡¯d cared a lot, but in that one moment, she stopped looking at me like I was Human¡­ She gave up on me just like that.


    She gave up. I want to give up. Just blindly walking forward isn¡¯t actually getting me anywhere, and Raphtal isn¡¯t the place I need to be. Where else am I supposed to go though, Booksy? I could keep chasing Shadesong and maybe find a chance at real love, but what I had felt for Stella was as close as I cared to get. What we had was genuine and for her to throw it all away¡­ Just¡­


    Later. I can¡¯t do this right now.


    ????????????????????????


    I got back to the Guild and Max came in while I was writing some of this stuff. He helped, kinda. He¡¯s so sweet that it¡¯s almost sickening, but it¡¯s not the ¡®I want your approval!¡¯ kind of eagerness that I¡¯d expected. He looked up to me in a way I didn¡¯t understand, and through my tears he was there for me. Max made a place for himself in my heart during my time of need, cementing a certain emotion I¡¯d felt for him that wasn¡¯t altogether good. I didn¡¯t like Max like he wanted me to like him, though I thought that what I¡¯d seen of him so far was nice and all. The guy was handsome, sweet, and a good fuck, but he wasn¡¯t Stellara, and I hated him for it. It wasn¡¯t fair to him, so I put on a mask and let him think he got me out of my funk with some hugs and the promise of something to do to stay busy in the morning. Sootina came in to check up on us while we were talking and sat in for a little while, making the polyamory in the room heighten to the third degree.


    While I was thinking of it, I also didn¡¯t like polyamory or any of what it implied. Even with the family unit as it was, it was starting to feel like I was banging Felix and Stellara was watching half the time. I didn¡¯t like where I was and I had to hide it before it got me in trouble. The conversation I shared with Sootina and Max ended with me getting my own room in the Guild, and it honestly wasn¡¯t half bad but the bribe was evident in it. I was given a second gun, courtesy of the Guild¡¯s own Artificer that lived over in in Ponydale somewhere. Apparently, the thing was enchanted if the runes were anything to go by, and it was a repeating pistol with the lever on the finger-guard. It was an interesting piece to be sure, but I didn¡¯t really want it and said as much. Max didn¡¯t seem all that disappointed since that meant that I didn¡¯t want Sootina¡¯s gift, meaning that he could freely give his without making it seem like they were piling it on. His gift was far more reasonable. The small derringer-type gun was classy to say the least with its blackwood scales, and the fact that it was meant to be concealed on the wrist and used as such was super cool. I accepted that one and made Sootina a little salty, but Max was happy and gave me plenty of ammo to use for my last ditch thingy.


    I wrote this out and took the time to wonder just what the fuck it was that I was doing with my life and everything within before I cam e to this exact point¡­ I don¡¯t know, Booksy¡­ What should I do from here?


    ????????????????????????


    Sootina was a huge help in getting everything for the concert figured out. Everything from tickets to concessions, she¡¯d already taken care of the day I¡¯d gone out and gotten my posters posted. She was a brutal taskmaster, but she was also a highly efficient business woman. As she¡¯d suggested, I¡¯d be doing a show a night twice a week for a couple months, garner a fanbase, and then my part of the deal would kick in. She would stay behind and manage the Guild while I took Max on tour as a lead vocalist while Lucine would be my plublassist. Together with the boys, I¡¯d have my band and we¡¯d tour Ponydale first out of the Avalesch countries, head to Chorell shortly after, hit Sotannylvania, and then head on up to Stalfisk with our first stop being in Flisitis. Once we were there we¡¯d go to Thesuvia, knock on Laspone, and end our trip by coming back to Hooversdum via the Liar¡¯s Strait. It sounded like a hell of a plan and everyone involved was interested, so instead of performing my concert by myself, I got my band together and started practicing.


    Now, it took a few drinks for Max to get any kind of decent at signing, but Luce could work the plublass just like he always could. Actually, the more I played the undlegar alongside him and helped him get the beat to go along with the melody, Luce did pretty damn well and was enjoying his craft more and more. Max was just having fun singing because he was a little tipsy most of the time, but after a day or two, we managed to get him to the point of only needed a couple shots to sing decently. It was also during that time that it was agreed in the band that we needed some percussion and a way to transport everything we¡¯d need to actually be a band, so Lucine was tasked with asking the Guildies if they knew anyone who could bongo longo time-o or otherwise add some flair to our music.


    Once we found that to be a bust, Max got the ¡®wagon¡¯ and the ¡®horses¡¯ we¡¯d need to pull it, though that doesn¡¯t really do it justice. The carriage-thing had suspension and the ¡®horses¡¯ were bred for longevity, only needing grass and tree bark to keep going. IT would be easy to stock up on their food since they literally ate bark and grass, but it was also great how much they could haul. The under-carriage was made to store their food and maybe some of ours while the carriage itself was large enough for all three of us to sleep, wrestle, and change in if we ever wanted to. There was a catch, however; Lucine didn¡¯t know Max and I were bisexual and he didn¡¯t need to know.


    That being said, having our Plublassist not know that Max and I were boning was probably going to be a problem, and I didn¡¯t really want to take Max on tour anyway. However, it wasn¡¯t really up to me so I just made the most of our practice time. Oh yeah, I totally forgot about the mission Sootina and Max took me on. Max was supposed to lead it but didn¡¯t end up showing his face until Sootina and I were finished hunting the creature. I learned that Sootina was scary with her rifle and by no means someone to mess with inside of a hundred yards. She was also someone to be generally afraid of while you were in town, because she hunted the creatures we were supposed to kill from the bell tower of the Guild. Keep in mind that the furthest creature was near the outskirts of town, having been going after some livestock for its own hunger. Sooty didn¡¯t even go to take a trophy, but she did offer to teach me how to snipe like no one else could. It was called ¡®Gratana nuva-Longinus¡¯ or ¡®Spear of the Longarm¡¯, and it was considerably harder for me to learn than Grata non-Aquix. First off, the rifle that Sootina used was called an Effingslei, and those motherfuckers were heavy. I couldn¡¯t really move with it and that wasn¡¯t really how I operated, so we looked around in the Guild¡¯s armory for something a Human could feasibly wield.


    Sooty was obviously either trying to emasculate me or was used to people with Choret strength because she kept handing me rifles that were in the ¡®Effings¡¯ caste of firearm. To explain, Effing was like a step off of a fifty caliber in either direction while my friend Clocky was a ¡®Colic¡¯ caste weapon, meaning nine millimeter to around a .40 or .45. We settled on a ¡®Coffing¡¯ that was basically a repeater with the capability to shoot a bit further and took that to a range just outside town. It was much easier for me to wield, but long-arms really weren¡¯t my thing. I could hit the broad side of a barn if it was close enough, but outside of the odd lucky shot, I could barely land a target in the squares. Yes, the targets were squares. Don''t ask me why. I could hit them with no problem as long as I was using a Colic or Ellic caste gun, but anything above that kicked too hard for me to be accurate with it. Sooty was disappointed, but that didn¡¯t stop her from getting up close and personal while teaching me how to shoot anyway.


    Once we got back to the Guild, Max had someone he was rather eager for me to meet. As we walked through the lively, well-ordered streets of Hooversdum, we went over the lyrics of a couple of songs I wanted to perform at the concert and had him tell me about his special gal. For one, he said that she was the woman that he was going to marry and have children with, looking at me expectantly. When I said that I expected him to eventually leave my tender cock- care. I meant care. Whenever he got tired of me, I expected him to just up and go settle down with someone since he¡¯d made it clear he just wanted some cuddles and fuck from me, meaning that Sootina had the wrong idea. He proved my assumption right when he said that taking it up the butt was great and all, but his girl was willing to do that for him. She just wasn¡¯t willing to be his Dom, which is where Sooty and I came it, as messed up as that is. He also explained that she¡¯d been following us for some time, and I told him that I¡¯d noticed the purple-haired, nerdy looking girl trailing behind us and bumping into things long before he mentioned her. We waved her forward and she came along, adorable to the point of bearing no inadequate words. Her hair was obviously dyed from being orange since her freckles and pale skin gave away her Sotan heritage. However, her eyes were also purple, which I assumed meant she was a Moon Maiden like Tansall from the Tidrel Welcome Center. She had a sweet smile and perfect, white teeth that were all in a row as well as slightly pinkened, round cheeks that looked like they were begging for a smooch. Her eyes were round and a little dispropotionately big but that just made her even cuter in a kitty kind of way. I already liked her, but Max¡¯s look of absolute worship told me that I¡¯d best not try my luck with her. He might bow to me when I stood behind him, but I doubted he¡¯d let me spit in his face like that.


    When she came over, she spoke before either of us could and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I know I¡¯ve just kind of been following you guys and¡­ Um¡­¡± Her pink cheeks grew pinker. ¡°Well¡­ Eavesdropping is a bad habit, but I¡¯m just really glad that Max finally found a guy friend he doesn¡¯t punch every couple of minutes!¡± She beamed, though I found something about her odd.


    Max gestured to the woman and I realized what it was that I¡¯d pinged about her; she and Max shared an accent. ¡°This is my fiance, Brume de Glose, or in Common-¡±


    ¡°Gloss is fine.¡± The smallish gal interrupted, shooting our man a salty look that was ruined by her being cute as fuck. ¡°Maxi likes to forget who wears the panties in this relationship.¡±


    I looked at her skirt. ¡°... Is it not you?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you probably didn¡¯t know. Men are only dominant in Avalesce. We¡¯re Flistian. Well, I¡¯m from Flistis. He¡¯s a muckblood from Thesuvia.¡±


    Max rolled his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re from Thesuvia too, and you¡¯re barely even Flistian, you half-Sotan.¡± She pouted extra hard at him. ¡°It just means we get the best of both worlds, and don¡¯t forget that you were jealous not too long ago.¡±


    ¡°Hush!¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°You two make a good match.¡±


    Gloss sent me a little smile. ¡°... You seem like a nice Daddy, if I can say that.¡±


    I gave her a blank grin in turn. ¡°I did the huh-who what-now?¡±


    She looked at Max and he blushed. ¡°Uh¡­ I didn¡¯t really get to cover what I wanted from you, did I¡­?¡±


    ¡°No. No you did not.¡±


    He chuckled awkwardly. ¡°... I kinda want you to.. .Um¡­ Dominate me and my wife?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to!¡± He said quickly. ¡°B-But she could be in the band too! Thesuvian drummers are some of the best in the world, after all.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah, dude. Whatever. It¡¯s cool. I¡¯ll do the thing and we can see if she can bang drum.¡±


    They looked at me and I shook my head. ¡°You two keep looking at me like a deer in the headlights and I¡¯ll let Auntie Sooty handle you.¡±


    They smile and Gloss said, ¡°You¡¯ll be great! Thank you, Daddy!¡±


    It turned me on a little when she said it, and when Max said, ¡°Thanks, Pops,¡± I got a little stiffer. It was horribly wrong of me and I really didn¡¯t want to think of the implications, but there was always my mind numbing at the thought of Daddy-domming two people that were barely younger than me. Unless it went too far, I couldn¡¯t say that I even gave a shit.


    We went back to the Guild and it turned out that Gloss was awful on the drums, but she could play the tambourine and a synthesizer type instrument with a little effort. Through the matte blue keys of her instrument of choice, Gloss could lay down a solid beat that Luce could pick up and harmonize with. From there, I added in the undlegar and we got Max¡¯s vocals to come together with a little liquid love, making a few songs turn out pretty well. Adding the dungo (The synth Gloss played) and Max¡¯s vocals to Gauner¡¯s Grovel and a couple of the other songs made the difference to them in my opinion. Luce thought thew songs had been fine before, but I was glad for the extra parts and had fun playing Black Hole Sun with my new crew. The best part was that there just so happened to be a percussion mode with the dungo that added a weightless bass to songs. The day was mostly spent learning how to play together and talk with each other without pissing each other off, and to my surprise, we all melded together pretty well. Luce was the odd one out, but Gloss and Max eventually came to accept him as something of a grumpy old grandpa while I was still ¡®Daddy¡¯. In private, Gloss called me that while Max¡¯s ¡®Pops¡¯ was only for when the three of us were completely alone, though it was still a little weird to me.


    We practiced long into the night to get ready for the concert since it was only a few days away, but with Gloss staying the night at the Guild, I learned more about Max and she herself than I could have through normal means. I learned that Gloss was Flistian and had been born in Thesuvia in a smallish town called Terra Halter. I found the name to be a little silly but Gloss had fond memories of Terra and told me the tale of her life in about five hours. She told me everything from the time she broke her arm while ice skating and how her fifth birthday party was the best ever, but then she also told me about how she¡¯d been raised with a brother and a father who¡¯d been more than happy to feel her up from time to time. It never went beyond over-the-clothes according to her, but she¡¯d been molested by her relatives nonetheless and was seeking something similar outside of their reach as a result. With Max as her brother substitute and me as her hot young Dad, Gloss was glad about the arrangement and answered any questions I had about her. Her favorite color was, of course, purple, and she loved guys with my complexion. Her biggest turn on was to have someone peep on her and her biggest turn off was being put down. Gloss¡¯ favorite kink was upskirts and showing people her panties as long as she thought they were cute, which explained the amount of times she¡¯d crossed her legs while we were talking. Her least favorite kink was bondage, which she explained away as just not liking being tied up.


    Max opened up about himself as well, telling me about his small town of Wiltshire Halter and how he had been raised with another brother himself. His life had been somewhat smooth since his family had a touch of wealth and influence, but he¡¯d trained hard nonetheless to become one of the most challenging physical opponents of all Avalesce. However, his brother was always the star of the show and in Thesuvia, Max felt like he was living in his shadow. He explained that he¡¯d sacrificed a part of his soul and his Terru for training from the most legendary fighter that had ever lived, Noir the Nightmare. She was supposedly a Fullmaster from long ago that had killed the majority of her opponents with spiked gloves and powerful kicks, which Max mimicked by using gloves reinforced with steel and similarly deadly kick. He was a hand-to-hand expert beyond pretty much any other that I was likely to meet, and the fact that I had even met him meant my life was noteworthy. He was a ¡®One¡¯master that was technically a ranking noble, and Max went on to brag a little bit and get himself scolded by Gloss, to which I responded by giving her a stern talking to for not letting her equal speak. The blush on her face told me I was doing something right, and when I laid into Max for bragging like she¡¯d been doing, they both teamed up on me, tackling me to the floor. I gave as good as I got since no one was terribly serious, but they ended up on either side of me with their hands in my pants at some point. I wasn¡¯t sure what kinds of fathers they¡¯d had, but I was really hoping that they¡¯d never done the same sort of thing with them.


    Before anything else could happen, I grabbed Gloss and sat her on my lap to gauge Max¡¯s reaction. He was happy as far as I could tell and so was she, both of them wearing smiles as I took my time in getting to know them a little more. Max was all business outside of our private time, but Gloss was half play, half study day in and day out. I say half because she played with me and paid plenty of attention to how I reacted to certain things. She was impish to say the least and loved to flash her smile, but what I really noticed about Gloss was that she was quick to warm up to someone and was keen on getting more information from me than I her, and that was saying something. We both wanted more information about the other whereas Max was content to learn as he went along, but he was happy to talk about himself and lead on the conversation. He was honestly really funny and such a great guy when you got to know him, but I think that my time with Max was turning me straight. I saw fewer and fewer reasons to be with guys the longer I was with him, but I also saw more about him that I wanted to keep around. There was the fact that he was fiercely loyal and didn¡¯t have much of a jealous streak in him if the time Gloss spent in my lap is anything to go by. She honestly just liked cuddles and I was happy to give them to her since she was so short and adorable, but then Max wanted some too and I had to split my attention between them. They really were semi-childlike in their demeanors, but they had enough maturity between them for it to not feel like I was molesting children or something.


    The night ended with Gloss trying to read over my shoulder as I browsed some legends and mythology while Max spent his time whittling something or other, being content to give me alone time with his wife-to-be. I learned some interesting stuff about prophecies that had and hadn¡¯t come true over the years, though there were a few that stuck out more than others. One where a child was born under a falling star that turned out to be an omen for the death of the village it was born in was interesting because of the details behind it, and the one where a woman was supposed to choose a white bow out of a selection, hit a target dead center, and then split said arrow was cool because it was like Avatar: The Last Airbender. That one was apparently exciting when it happened because it meant the end of Choresh occupation in Sotannyvania or something like thing. It might have been Bir¡¯re in Sotannyvania. Whatever. There was also one that really snagged my eye because of how dope I thought it was. The guy in the ¡®Minstrel¡¯s Maladies¡¯, as the fable was called, was supposed to have been some travelling flutist or piper that played songs that drove people some kind of crazy. Some of the prophecy was in plain Common, but then some of it was in bastard French/Hebrew that I couldn¡¯t make out with any real reliability, and another part was in some form of Old English or a variant thereof. That alone made the prophecy/legend a little on the crazy interesting side, but then there was also the portion in the middle of all the gobbledegook that was in Common and Hebrew that said ¡®To save the [Ruler-(Female?)] of the dust from creation, the [Minstrel] blew into [his pipe(?)] and sounded a great [cacophony] of such melancholy that his foes fell before him in [bloodied bits].¡¯. I thought that shit was so cool, but at the same time I worried about someone using my songs to hurt people like the Minstrel did in the legend. I didn¡¯t know if it had come to pass or not since the indicator in the book was damaged (It was near the top of the page, of course) so I couldn¡¯t really find out, nor was I that interested. Most of the things in the book had either proven false one way or another or were improbable anyway. I considered it no big loss and continued on with my literary adventures to start writing in my favorite book-shaped pal, you.


    I¡¯m gonna finish up in my room, but that¡¯s all for now. Page break not necessary since I¡¯m picking up with current shit from semi-current stuff...


    Gloss was happy to get to know more about me and we talked while I wrote, going over our favorite animals, sweets, and food. She really was a Chatty Cathy and when she hopped on my lap again to get closer to me, she made a note of the woody she sat on while I wrote. I had to explain that she just had a nice butt and was really cute, to which she replied that she would be happy to play with me and Max for a little bit if I wanted. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to take that step quite yet, but it was on the itinerary. I didn¡¯t let Gloss read any of my journals, but she did express considerable interest into looking into my mind. It was enough to freak me out a little with her wording, but I couldn¡¯t have cared much less about it overall. Any brain-tapping could wait until the morning, though when I left Max¡¯s room she followed me after a quick word with him. He just gave me a knowing look and said, ¡®Don''t be a bad Dad, Pops,¡¯ when I asked why she was coming with me instead of staying behind.


    I figured I was about to get laid when Gloss stopped me so she could pick out some nightclothes, but she just grabbed a modest gown and followed along to my room. When we got there, she hopped into my borrowed bed and got cozy before I got changed and headed to bed for myself. All she wanted was cuddles, and I just had to take the time to get this written out to say that Gloss was a cuddlemonster beyond all cuddlers.


    That¡¯s all. Now I¡¯m done.

 Chapter Nine: Bittersweet

    Bittersweet


    So I¡¯ll pick up exactly where I left and say this much; I was not expecting to wake up with Gloss sprawled across my chest with her breathing in my face. I was also not expecting her breath to smell like raspberries, or to have her muns smothering my tip. She woke up shortly after I did, though she was polite enough to not yawn in my face. Instead of getting up, she nuzzled me and went back to napping on my chest for like, at least another hour. I wasn¡¯t mad because she was comfy and I liked her pretty well after the previous night, and I got to touch her butt all I wanted while she whimpered and pretended not to like it. Her smile ruined it though, and she was all too happy to let my hands wander when it meant that she got to get off. Apparently, she enjoyed and looked forward to being groped by Max and Sootina in public, but private time was good too. I didn¡¯t mind doing it for her because it was fun, even if she could use a little thiccness to help incentive me to do it as much as she liked.


    Max came to us while Gloss was hugging me, standing on my toes so that I had to walk with her on me. It was fun and her smallish breasts were nice when they pressed against me, so I wasn¡¯t exactly upset or anything. I got to hug her close and walk around while doing it, which is what Max walked out of his room to see. We were on our way to see him anyway, and when he asked his fiance just how naughty ¡®Daddy¡¯ had been overnight, she said that the naughtiest thing I¡¯d done was check her butt needlessly. Max was surprised that I hadn¡¯t done the dirty with his fiance and said as much, to which I replied with something along the lines of, ¡®I thought about it.¡¯. He was open to sharing and so was I since she wasn¡¯t my wife, but I also didn¡¯t like the dynamic that was developing between the three of us. I was clearly in charge for the most part but subtly Max was the head of the snake and it showed through me. He wanted me to take charge and I had no desire to do so, but that¡¯s what he wanted, so that¡¯s what he got. I treated him and fiance equally since I assumed that it was what they wanted, but I was proven wrong by Gloss¡¯ general attitude toward me. She wanted the majority of my attention and she was going to get it one way or another, always wanting me to keep my eye on her for the next flash or funny thing she might say. The thing was that she wasn¡¯t funny for the most part, and I¡¯d seen her get dressed. Granted, she¡¯d worn the panties I picked out for her and I was excited to see them every time, but I also didn¡¯t want her exposing herself to anyone who just might see.


    After breakfast was settled and we got back to basics, as in we got back to practicing for the concert, Max mentioned that it was weird for him to technically have so much time off instead of being out and about or going to see other Guildmasters. Gloss smiled at that ad thanked him for grabbing her during his mini-vacation, then thanking me for incentivizing him to actually enjoy the luxuries his station provided. We got a giggle out of that as a trio, but Lucine snorted and asked if I was planning on taking Max¡¯s wife as well as his captain. I blushed and asked what he meant, which lead to the lovely revelation that Lucine and about three other people had seen Sootina slip under the table of our booth and give me a happy little mouth-hug. Max said he wouldn¡¯t mind sharing, surprising the fuck out of Luce and giving Gloss the go ahead to come sit on my lap for the better part of two hours. She wouldn¡¯t get off until I complimented her on everything, and I do mean everything. She wanted a compliment on her pretty, gem-like hair, the clear violet waters of her eyes, multiple on her physique, and just to make Luce uncomfortable, she wiggled around on my groin and asked how I liked her rear. She wasn¡¯t as slim as I¡¯d first assumed and she was wearing a skirt to make matters better, so I told her that her ass was magical and deserved a good licking upon request. Then Gloss showed just how freaky she really was and gave me a kiss on the lips just to show that she was interested. Lucine took the sight as well as he could, asking if I had a woman for Max. When I told him that Sootina would be my offering, we all got a giggle out of that before going back to jamming.


    I can¡¯t really say we did much more than practice and laze around for awhile before the concert because that¡¯s all we really did, but in all honesty, there were few enough ways I could think of that would have been better to spend my time. I still hadn¡¯t laid Gloss, but she was happy to help out while I showed Sooty and Max a good time, and she was also a great night-time partner. I¡¯d slept in Max¡¯s room a couple of times and they were both rather snugglesome, but the best morning I had was when Gloss woke me up with a blowjob while Max ate her out. It was pretty great, all things told, and practice that day was better than ever. Sootina came in and brought along a few listeners to hear the band play in full force, and when we finished the miniset, minds were blown and it was apparently all good. Of course, there¡¯d been a few hiccups from the band, but I¡¯d nailed my parts as best I could and it had all turned out pretty well.


    On the night before the concert, however, Gloss followed me back into my room from Max¡¯s again, the long, stone and wood hall giving us a little time to talk. She was plodding along next to me while I was casually strolling. ¡°Hey, Gatian?¡±


    I raised a brow and looked at her. ¡°Yeah, sweetheart?¡±


    She smiled at the pet-name. ¡°Oh, I was just wondering something¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? What might that be.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do while we¡¯re on the circuit?¡±


    By the circuit, she meant ¡®on tour¡¯, of course. ¡°Well, I thought we might play a song or two and make some money while we do it.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but what about after we hit the Raphtal Guildhouses?¡±


    I looked at her, seeing a new light in her eyes after nearly three weeks of knowing her. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Well, I know some things about you that you might not want me to know¡­¡±


    I answered warily. ¡°Like what?¡±


    Gloss looked behind her before giving me a sad smile. ¡°You don¡¯t really like Max all that much.¡± Her voice barely counted as a whisper.


    ¡°What gives you that impression?¡± I asked, holding the door for her.


    She led me instead by the hand. ¡°I just know. I also know that you don¡¯t want to be here, and you don¡¯t want to go on the circuit.¡±


    I snorted softly. ¡°Oh yeah? Then what do I want?¡±


    ¡°To be with the stars¡­¡± Gloss gave me the most knowing of smiles. ¡°You already have someone you love, don¡¯t you? Someone who might not feel the same?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah. How do you-¡±


    ¡°River Man, Terru manifests in all forms. It¡¯s not unusual for someone to be born with my gifts every once in awhile.¡±


    ¡°Stop reading my mind.¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°Oh, silly! I don¡¯t read minds, I interpret thoughts! It¡¯s a completely different field!¡±


    ¡°... Shush and get in bed, shrimp.¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh! Not until you tell me why I¡¯m a good cuddler!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not even worried about any of the other stuff?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like Max doesn¡¯t already know, and I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised that you don¡¯t really want to play Daddy for someone barely a few years younger than you, but you treat us well and seem to have enough fun anyway.¡± She shrugged. ¡°If you¡¯re having fun and we¡¯re having fun, then why shouldn¡¯t we all have fun together?¡±


    ¡°Fair point.¡± I stalked toward her.


    She stood her ground until she was face to chest with me. ¡°Do you want something, Daddy?¡±


    I wrapped my arms around her waist and picked her up so I could chuck her on the bed. She enjoyed it as per the usual, so I crawled in shortly after and we settled down for the night. It was a little wild that she had sussed me out so easily and knew me so well without knowing me at all, but then again. I was kind of expecting her to know things she wasn¡¯t supposed to. Gloss had a certain look in her eye that said that she held her tongue more often than she spoke, which was saying a lot because the only thing that little woman liked to do more than talk was sit on a lap. Other than that, collecting information must have been her thing, but I couldn¡¯t understand what kind of Arca would let you read someone¡¯s mind. Yeah, ¡®spells¡¯ were pretty conventional as far as western fantasy goes, though that was the problem in and of itself. To cast an arca or a ¡®spell¡¯, you needed a fundamental understanding of what you were trying to do. If you¡¯re sparking a fire, you¡¯re looking at how you could ignite the air with your Terru. If you¡¯re drawing water from the air, you generally think of creating a funnel for the moisture. It¡¯s intuitive in a way and complex in others, but what I just couldn¡¯t wrap my head around was using Terru for non-typical arca. I¡¯d been assured that magic/Terru was limited to things I could do with some practice, but evidently, the skill floor was intermediate and the cap was sky high instead of being a mountain top.


    While Gloss and I were cuddling I asked exactly how old she was and I nearly pissed myself when she said forty-three in the plainest, most serious tone she could have come up with. The thing was that she used a silly voice to try and be funny, and she hadn¡¯t used the slightest bit of inflection when she¡¯d said that she was nearly twice my age. I had to ask if she was serious and she told me that some races just aged slower than others and that River people basically aged the fastest other than Toddtonites. It sucked, but apparently that was only out of the Humanoid races. The Naga only lived for about forty years apiece for most breeds, and the Minotaurs weren¡¯t the longest-lived creatures, but it was Unicorns and the like that took the cake with aging since they lived to be a hundred easily. After that little talk, Gloss told me more about some of the races on Septural that I hadn¡¯t already learned, like the fact that Sotans were great agriculturalists, the Choret were incredible fighters, theCenturns were mediators across the planet, and apparently, there were Dragons that liked to swoop in from time to time to check on the world as it was developing. Few of them were hostile, but it was always stressful to see great darkness swallow the sky.


    I spent quite a few hours just asking Gloss about random stuff until we eventually passed out with Sootina coming in as our wakeup call well after midday had passed. She was happy to see that my mini-me was resting between her legs, though Gloss pretended to be grossed out. She didn¡¯t miss the opportunity to feel me against her most private area, however, but still. Her thighs were nice and soft, and her bottom was perfectly adequate for cuddles, so I wasn¡¯t exactly the picture of anger. Sootina didn¡¯t join us in bed, but she did get in the shower with us since she herself was waiting for someone to join. Max had already been up and gone so she¡¯d held on for us until she didn''t feel like waiting anymore. It was a tight squeeze with all three of us, but I had a really, really good time while surrounded by sexy on all sides. Both sides.. Whichever.


    Anyway, after the morning crap had been done in the afternoon, I grabbed Luce and Gloss for one more practice sesh before we started helping out with the conversion of the guild into a stage. I mean, there was already a stage for whatever entertainment came through, but we expanded it a bit for legroom and got some lights set up, though you shouldn¡¯t ask me where they came from. I couldn¡¯t find Sootina for hours, so I couldn¡¯t ask, though it¡¯s not like I really cared I had lights to go for my show, amps to make my music louder through some form of enchantment, and I was feeling lie I was at the top of my game. In between setting things up and sound test, Gloss was all over me and kept whining about how Max wasn¡¯t around, so I shut her up with kisses and fondles until Max finally showed back up just a couple of hours before the show was scheduled to start. Apparently, he¡¯d had some kind of town hall meeting to go to and that had taken some time, but what I was mostly glad about was the fact that Gloss glomped him instead of me and stuck to him. It was a welcome break from her attention that let me do a lot more micro managing almost as if I knew what I was doing. Without Sootina being around, I had to be in charge, so I stepped up and took the reins, as little as I wanted to. Making sure that everything was in order took a good amount of time and effort I couldn''t really afford to be spending, but I spent it anyway since I needed to and was pretty stoked for the concert.


    Crunch time came and thirty minutes before the set with meant to start, Glsos and Lcue had stage fright. Max and I were ready to get our rock on, but Lucine wasn¡¯t used to playing for a real audience and Gloss was shy outside of interpersonal relations, so it took a lot to get both of them in ship-shaoe for the gig. I just wanted to play my music and kept my undlegar on me at all times, strumming it every once in awhile to sate the itch in my fingers. We were on the side-stage that was curtained off from the main stage, but we could still see that we had a full house. The bar, lounge, sitting area, and den-looking-thing had all been converted and in turn filled with people waiting to hear the Guild¡¯s new bard. It took a long time for me to make out that last word from the crowd¡¯s ramblings, but once I heard it, it was practically all I could hear. The Bard was about to make his first official appearance and I was ready to get out and debut, but Luce still needed a little helping hand. I threatened to shoot him once for every note he missed and to stomp his testicles twice for every time he froze up, which motivated him enough to cuss me out and get back into his usual rhythm. With that taken care of, my only real concern left was Gloss.


    Max had been keeping her calm for the most part, but it was my kiss and the threat of rebuttal that got her on the right track. I was either likable enough for people to put up with my shit or I was scary enough to make people fall in line when it came to my concert, but with it being so close, there was nothing that I wanted more than for my music to be heard and for the songs I played to leave a mark on my audience. Excited beyond words and as prepared as I was going to get for the task ahead of me, there was always the lingering doubt that I wouldn¡¯t be able to perform. I cast it aside as Gatian instructed and followed his word as I had been. He wanted me to stand up straight with my chin high and a smile on my lips, so I did as he said and started playing Ghost Witch by Scar Parade since I¡¯d translated it a couple of weeks ago. No one else knew the song, so when I started jamming to the only song I knew that was solely a guitar solo, the crowd behind the curtain started cheering because they thought the set was about to start. It wasn¡¯t quite yet, but I wanted to play something so bad thaT Ijsut had to get some melody into the air, my finger flying as I did my best to wear out my calluses. Playing faster and harder than ever before, I rounded up the gang and got onto the stage. Gloss and I grabbed the right side of the stage while Luce and Max got the left, the final notes of Ghost Witch ringing through the halls as I finished with a savage grin. The crowd fell silent and the lights dimmed until only the stage was illuminated. There was a brief countdown.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    The show was on.


    The very first song we played was one of my favorites to play, and Uprising was the perfect song to get the crowd hyped. 4th of July and Black Hole Sun were up next, but then I wanted to switch things up a little. I grabbed the plublass from Luce and played Isn¡¯t She Lovely exactly as I¡¯d heard Victor Wooten play it, hit Purple Haze almost perfectly, and then lead into the complex stylings of Delta Sleep, which I¡¯d only practiced a single song of with them. I¡¯d done Lake Sprinkle Sprankle, but that one hadn¡¯t been ready in time for the concert, but then I played Camp Adventure by myself and sang the entire thing without faltering, confusing myself and my band when I lead into yet another song that I hadn¡¯t practiced with them. However, this time they played along. I¡¯d never even thought of playing Voodoo Child, but it leaked from my fingertips and I made my undglegar wail with an acid-fueled fury, a battery-powered passion, an electric boogaloo that needed no part two. It was easily the most fun I¡¯d ever had outside of a few times with Stella, feeling more alive while the air was filled with my noise than I ever had with just about anything else, even going so far as to ignore the fact that I¡¯d caused some kind of Terru-Magic with my music. Songs were officially my drug, and once I stopped making my guitar-thing have a stroke with the sheer awesomeness of the vibrations, the music took its time in fading out completely. Silence iovertook the crowd that had once been roaring and cheering, eventhrough the slow songs.


    Then all Hell broke loose.


    I¡¯d never known it before, but it was dangerous to be a musician in Avalesce. People started fighting for no reason, though having money and underwear thrown at the stage was nice. Up until boxers started showing up, that is. Once man panties hit the staged, I got my people away from the action so we could celebrate ourselves. I was taking a break from soma, but I had some mead from Alesdale and there had been some more alcohol imported by the bar since Raphtal had that kind of pull, meaning that the party was really getting start. You know, after the fight died down. I might not have been much of a drinker on Earth, but being with Luce usually means taking a shot out of a flask or two and being closer to the laxer laws of Ponydale meant that I could get liquor more easily. I mean, I was riding the high from the show and just wanted to come back down a bit, but I really have to say that I¡¯m starting to get a tongue for good alcohol.


    The overall idea was that the concert was a resounding success, if the amount of tips we got just for playing music were anything to go by. The Guild was set up to take a forty percent cut, so I split the rest of the wealth evenly until Max straight up said that he would kick my ¡®arse¡¯ if I gave him money, and Gloss said that her father would buy her whatever she wanted, so I split the profits with Luce instead. He only ended up taking about ten percent anyway when he¡¯d been entitled to fifteen, which made me wonder why no one wanted to get money with me. I ended up with a little over a thousand (Closer to fifteen hundred, actually) drachs, which brought my total monies up to a lot. I could officially afford to settle down in one spot for a few months until I could get on my feet, which eventually would turn into me playing more music to make more money, probably putting on more concerts afterwards.


    That being said, with the sucess of the concert rapidly bleeding throughout the town, it wasn¡¯t much more than two or three days before people started flocking to the Guild with more jobs than we could handle. The first couple of days had been filled with people from town asking if they could hire me for an event or some shit, but as time went on and it became more pertinent for me to get a bank account, more people came from miles around. Sootina was happy to act as my manager and helped me sort through the requests as they came, nailing myself down to Hooversdum for a couple more months. There were a few balls I was set to play at with some slow songs at town hall, another party for some young soma-smoker with too much money and not enough brains, and then there was the request that came from on high. While Sootina and I werte busy rejecting people who simply just wanted me to play for them, there was a pretty important looking couple, a Mare and a Stallion, that came up to where we¡¯d been taking numbers and sat down without a word. The stallion was a solid, slateish kind of grey with a darker mane and his partner, whoever she might¡¯ve been, had a ruddy brown coat and a blonde mane along with a Stetson for some reason. The man was wearing a suit and the woman was in a nice, old-fashioned dress that was downplayed like my own clothes rather than being ostenatious like every other person¡¯s on the planet.


    When they sat down, I opened the conversation with, ¡°You know, it¡¯s not often you see and Avalesch person with clothes that don¡¯t hurt a River Man¡¯s eyes. I appreciate your style, Miss¡­?¡±


    She took her hat off and nodded. ¡°Apple. Jaqueline Apple, but most folk call me Jacki.¡±


    I extended a hand to her and she shook it. ¡°Gatian Gauner, but most people call me Tony Flow and the Majestic Master of Mayhem.¡±


    The guy laughed a little while his partner shot him a dirty look. He straightened up pretty quick, clearing his throat and saying, ¡°May we call you Gatian?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my name, man,¡± I said plainly. ¡°What, you don¡¯t think I let just anyone call me Tony, do you? That¡¯s an insult in my land.¡±


    His eyes widened. ¡°Oh, my deepest-¡± His partner whacked his leg under the table. ¡°Ow! Jaqueline!¡±


    She cut him a stern glare and he shut up again. ¡°He¡¯s talking through his neck, Mortimer.¡± Jacki looked back to me. ¡°Are you this much trouble for everyone?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Only the cute ones, I think. You should ask Sooty here just how much trouble I am.¡±


    The woman in question bumped me with her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re fine until the music starts playing.¡±


    ¡°Which is why we¡¯d like to talk to you!¡± Morty exclaimed, looking more excited than the situation demanded.


    ¡°I¡¯m booked up for the next couple of weeks, but I could always-¡± I started.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re booked for the foreseeable future at the Rhubarb Ranch.¡± Apple Gal interrupted.


    ¡°It¡¯s too bad I don¡¯t like ranches.¡± I replied, smiling.


    Jacki pursed her lips. ¡°Ain¡¯t really a yes or no kinda offer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not, but you can always make things easier on everyone and just say yes!¡± Morty added.


    I looked at Sootina and she looked at me, amused. Giving my attention back to our guests, I gave them a reply. ¡°Well, I¡¯d be intimidated if we weren¡¯t in the middle of my best friend¡¯s turf, or if I was inclined to be intimidated by Centurns.¡±


    Sooty hit me. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    I rubbed my arm and huffed. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like many of you are Minotaurs or anything. After seeing a couple of those guys, why would I be scared of Centurns? Besides, I¡¯ve never met an impolite Centurn.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Incredibly, very, so racist,¡± Jacki said flatly.


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not because I hate you, I just don¡¯t innately fear you because you guys don¡¯t always have scary features. You Centurns tend to be pretty cute since so many of you tend towards being smaller than me, and with your big eyes, it just makes you guys default to cute.¡±


    ¡°Big eyes?¡± They all asked simultaneously.


    ¡°Yeah, like babies or small kids.¡±


    Sootina huffed. ¡°My eyes are smaller than Gloss¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Gloss is a Human puppy.¡± I answered flatly.


    ¡°Ooo, I¡¯m telling her you said that!¡±


    ¡°Do it, she¡¯ll lick me.¡± I deadpanned, turning back to the Centurns who were still looking offended. ¡°Nothing against you guys, it¡¯s just that Gatling Gatian is with Raphtal, and Raphtal shoots people.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want to be with the Guild instead of a wealthy, well-connected noble family?¡± Mortimer asked, leaning in.


    Jacki sighed. ¡°We can make this a lot rougher for the Guild, ya know?¡±


    Sootina huffed. ¡°Raphtal has rounds in the cylinder with every major government of Septural. I¡¯ve never even heard of the Rhubarb Ranch.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a place, it¡¯s a familial grouping. The Rhubarb Ranch includes my family, the Apples, and a bunch of other Centurnfamilies with fruit related names.¡±


    I smiled at that. ¡°So the fruit basket wants me to ¡®hoedown¡¯?¡±


    Jacki looked quite unimpressed. ¡°Cute.¡±


    ¡°Yes you are! Yes you are!¡±


    Sootina hit me, making me glare at her. The look in her eye told me to knock it off. ¡°Gatian, now would be the time to flip that politeness switch.¡±


    I hit her in the clam with a solid wham that nearly had her headbutting the table. ¡°Or nah. I don¡¯t even want to be stuck here, what makes any of you think I¡¯m going to trade my long leash for a shorter one?¡±


    Jacki, ever serious as she was, smiled a little. ¡°Free spirit?¡±


    ¡°For the most part.¡±


    ¡°I can respect that. You know, it¡¯s up to me to decide what happens to ya.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather say it¡¯s up to me, don¡¯t you think?¡± At her raised brow, I expounded further. ¡°No matter what you ultimately decide, it¡¯s still up to me to present material for you to judge. You¡¯re the throughput, I¡¯m the input.¡±


    ¡°Throughput-¡±


    ¡®


    ¡°Is a word on Earth that bridges input and output. It¡¯s not commonly used, but it does exist in a dictionary or most.¡±


    ¡°Smart and talented. Good combo,¡± Jacki nodded.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it though? Why don¡¯t we just take him now and-¡± Mortimer started.


    ¡°Blooded or not, you¡¯re still dealing with Raphtal and a personal friend of both the local Guildmaster and captain. Would the Apple Family really want to start trouble with us?¡±


    The reddish Mare didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°You might be tough, Sugar, but you ain¡¯t Apple tough. Trust me when I say that no amount of fancy shooting will ever make my blood back down.¡±


    ¡°DoCenturns have periods?¡± I asked politely.


    I got stared at for that and hit by Sootina. ¡°Shut up, Gatian.¡±


    ¡°Owwie!¡± I whined mercilessly. ¡°That really hurt!¡±


    She gave me a look of such utter vexation that I had to stop myself from laughing. ¡°Shuddup.¡±


    ¡°See? Why would you want to be here when you could be treated as a respected employee by our group?¡± Mortimer gave me a brilliant smile.


    ¡°Sorry, but when I cast my lot with someone, I don¡¯t pick it up until I get stabbed in the back. No point in letting loyalty be your biggest flaw, right?¡±


    Jacki smiled at me. ¡°So you¡¯re really going to make jus do this the hard way, huh River Man?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d really rather you guys just left and we left it at that, but if you want trouble¡­¡± I shrugged and started the tares for a shock arca that made life a little easier with animals that liked to nip. If arca weren¡¯t so rough on the hands, I¡¯d probably have used something stronger.


    ¡°Oh, we don¡¯t want trouble.¡± Mortimer started.


    ¡°We just happen to find it wherever we go poking around. Wouldn¡¯t say too much on that though. Makes the kids scared of us.¡± Jacki winked at me


    I shot Morty with Fuldis, which is a shock/force-push arca that made him hit the back of hit chair and shake like a leaf. Jacki got the side effect of getting pushed more so than shock, but her head hit a wooden part of the booth and she was out. My non-employers seemed rather incapacitated at the moment. Then Jacki stood up from the table and prepared to slam her fists on it to no effect. She didn¡¯t get to follow through with the motion because she evidently passed out from something or other and her partner-guy was already out cold. I figured that Jacki probably had a concussion and had just stood up to fast. When it hit me that I¡¯d just successfully used an arca to subdue actual opponents, I was a little excited since the worst thing I¡¯d had to use my Terru for was killing off some wild dogs while traveling. Hell, I¡¯d leared the spell myself after crafting it with some ingenuity form Luce¡¯s part, and to brag a little, he said that I was one of the best Arca users he¡¯d seen in his time. I mean, I¡¯d already figured that I was a little above average, but knowing that I was better than a lot of people rather than some was nice.


    Anyway. After a few hours in the holding cells, Jacki and Mortimer were live and well for the most part, save an egg on the back of Mort¡¯s head. Once I deigned it worthy of my time to visit them (Kidding, of course.) I took the time to go and see if they were willing to be more reasonable. It didn¡¯t surprise me that Jacki didn¡¯t really feel like being reasonable since Pegasi in general aren¡¯t as far as I knew, and she was also feeling quite upset about being subdued by someone who hadn¡¯t technically been in a hand-to-hand fight in his entire life. I was sure to inform her of that fact, which was why she was mad. It was funny until she threatened to break my weiner over her lower teeth with her top teeth, specifically to bite my dick off. Jacki was the type of gal who didn¡¯t like to be restrained and I honestly understood that beyond a reasonable level. Being tied up was awful, and being put in a cell (Long night in New York. Long Story) was pretty bad too, but she was only dealing with one of those things anyway. Raphtal doesn¡¯t tie people up, but they do hold them for leverage and we used Jacki and Mortimer as leverage to make the Rhubarb Ranch fuck off.


    Well, I say that like we just up and did it in a day or two, but we just sent the letter out earlier today and got the prisoners settled in for a short stay as hostages. That was the important bit from the day, but the interesting portion of the sunny hours came by the way of the Fanatic Four as they called themselves. The four were a Cow (Female Minotaur) a Mare, a young Lasponese woman, and an Amanese guy who looked like he could bear an eyedrop or two with as inflamed as his eyes appeared. Together they made up my rapidly, hastily put together fanclub and joined together to ask me to perform a few songs for free at a party they were going to hold in my honor, which I had to politely decline. It wasn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t want to party, it was because I just didn¡¯t feel like it. Any chance to play my music had been ruined by the Rhubarb Ranch people and my shows were going to have to be private-only for awhile. They were understandably upset, but then the Minotaur had to drag the Thesuvian off of me because Sootina was off doing something else instead of guarding my body. It had just been a hug that had been great for two reasons, though I¡¯d still have preferred my personal space.


    After the Fanatic Four had been dealt with, I was free to do with my time as I pleased and had the night to myself for the first time since I started staying at the Guild. I can¡¯t say I was less than glad for the time alone since it allowed me to do some upkeep on my instruments and equipment in general, but I was also appreciative of the time to just let it all out. A lot had been going on and I¡¯d been doing a lot in the past few days before and after the concert, getting my future started and all that. It had built a lot of pressure that I needed to let out, so I silently sobbed while in my shower and let the warm water make me feel better. My heart still ached from old wounds, or at least, things I should have been over by now. I couldn¡¯t help the feeling that I was replacing something in my life that I had no business replacing, a kind of self-assurance that told me that I was doing the wrong thing. Knowing what the problem was didn¡¯t help, which is why I started writijng again. You do help, Booksy, even if I do act like a prick sometimes¡­ You¡¯re the only one I tell these things too and you keep them quiet, so thanks. I appreciate that.


    I think this is it for now. Maybe I¡¯ll write down this song I¡¯ve been playing with in my head for awhile¡­ How about that, Booksy? Sound good?


    Miss You: Gatian Gauner


    I never took my shot, but even then I thought


    I might have a future with you


    Don¡¯t say that you¡¯re afraid,


    You left me with this ache,


    And now I¡¯m climbing up this mountain


    Let¡¯s just go our ways


    We¡¯ll skip out on the pain


    That we would¡¯ve made today


    Sometimes I might try, to see through this lie


    That I try to tell my-self


    But what if the otherside could never be so kind?


    Am I left for this moment?


    I never meant to say


    The things I did that day


    Now I¡¯m here, I pray


    Set aside the scars and open up our arms and


    Accept a whole new love


    But where will mine come from?


    ¡®Cause you¡¯re the only one


    I dream of


    Can¡¯t say I don¡¯t miss you


    But I really hope you knew


    That I would truly still love you¡­


    Always love you¡­


    I miss you, Stella, Felix. Here¡¯s a drink to meeting again one day.

 Chapter Ten: Brutal Backhand

    I spent a long week just writing songs while in my room, not really leaving to do much other than eat and see the sun every once in awhile. Even then I only saw the daylight in the mornings since I was up all night making lyrics and melodies, which my Littles understood up to a certain point. Lucine was just happy for the extra time to talk to people and not deal with me, Sootina didn¡¯t mind at all due to her maturity, but Max and Gloss? Less happy. Less happy by a good margin. It wasn¡¯t something was concerned with when I came up with Miss You or No Way, which I¡¯ll write down for you. I know you¡¯ve already seen (And heard me play) Miss You, but No Way is my favorite out of the new songs and really means a lot to me. We¡¯ll get to that when it comes up because I actually did perform it for Max, Gloss, Sooty and the gals of the Guild.


    During the week I wallowed in seclusion song-crafting my ass off and back on again to double the thiccness, my style evolved more than I could have ever hoped. I¡¯d been a good mimic for most of the covers I did, and the undlegar translated well enough into guitar notes, even if it did have a more echoey, wailing tone to it. My overall sound went from being reminiscent of pretty much any generic amateur guitarist¡¯s flair to having a certain Je ne sais quoi to it that made my heart flutter when I hit my stride. It''s not that the music was terribly good in the beginning so much as it just sounded like me. It was a little melancholy with the register I generally defaulted to, and my vocal octaves started to wane from a low tenor to a solid, middling baritone that was nice and throaty for some of Pearl Jams songs. I basically taught myself how to put my emotions into my songs rather than just jamming out with the whammy out and it was super nice to see myself in my music. ¡®Oh, don¡¯t you mean hear yourself?¡¯. No, I wrote my music down in my own little language, so yeah, there¡¯s that.


    When I came out of seclusion, my hair was finally down to my shoulders and I now had a beard since I¡¯d neglected to shave for the past few weeks prior. Over the last few days, it had really started to come in and it showed in the thickness of the short hairs. The first person I saw when I went downstairs was Granny Gunhilder in all her loving, sweet, crazy glory. Her real name was literally Gunhilder mind you, which meant [Firearm Maniac] in Thesuvian, which was what she and Max were. There was something to be said about the Thesuvians I knew, but there was also something to be said aboutCenturns and Septurns in general being weird. As for myself, I was completely normal and there was no one who could convince me otherwise for any reason, which is a complete and utter lie. I was depressed, for one. And had basically been on a liquid diet for the better part of a fortnight at that point, for two. I¡¯d shed a good couple of pounds over the past few months from my diet and exercise in general, which had also strengthened me a bit. I was sure that keeping up with my push-ups and sit-ups had helped, but that also meant I was a little delirious when I came out of my self-induced hermit-ness. Granny Gunhilder was not the right person for me to be talking to at the moment with her shifting-patterns and holographic pants. She hurt my eyes to look at, but she gave me a hug and complimented my smell, so that was nice.


    I meandered my way to the kitchen for some ice cream that was sweeter than Earth ice cream and a few cups of water to help settle my stomach. It was a good meal that accomplished what I wanted it to do, but someone evidently alerted my Littles to the fact that I was out and about because I was tackled from behind while talking to Popol, a Gauss-style specialist. Gloss barely even made me stumble for some odd reason, which was weird because we usually went to the floor whenever she did that since she was little but got some inertia behind her for her charges. The hug she gave me was sweet, so I turned around so she could bury her face in my chest and Popol laughed at us since Gloss¡¯ antics were well known around the Guild. Apparently, it had become common knowledge that I was in charge when it came to Gloss rather than Max, which was amusing in its own right. Then there was the added fact that it had been exposed that Max was sharing Gloss with me, which was awkward when Popol brought it up. Gloss giggled it away and grabbed my sausage, so I gave her a little spank because I could and told her to stop being bad. It was well-received by the audience, which is exactly how I thought of the situation. It struck me as odd that I¡¯d just disassociated myself with people I¡¯d come to know pretty well over the past month or two, but I really wasn¡¯t worried about it.


    I let Gloss take me to Luce because I was in the mood to do some talking, but Lucine was high off of soma and could barely keep a train of thought together, so I took Gloss out on the town for a bit. I showed her the love that I really wanted to rekindle in my heart and she appreciated the time I spent with her like no other, or at least it seemed like it. I bought her a new dress and some shoes because she¡¯d seen them in the shop window and hadn¡¯t brought her purse along, which eventually led to me paying for lunch and some midway-style games in an arcade. It was a fun time that I enjoyed, but then Gloss told me that Max was actually out on a pretty important mission and I almost got worried. Almost. I knew Max could take care of himself and then some, but I couldn¡¯t help wondering if his mission had anything not do with the Rhubarb Ranch and the trouble I¡¯d caused with them. Gloss didn¡¯t know anything about the situation since she didn¡¯t really care that much, so we resolved to head back to the Guild so I could get caught up.


    As it turned out, Sootina was looking for me to talk about that particular topic and it was helpful that she was so forthcoming with information. As it went, we¡¯d released Jacki and Mortimer to the Rhubarb Ranch in exchange for a ceasefire and a moratorium on any actions that involved me. Basically, we¡¯d bought me time and that was about it. Sooty broke it to me as gently as she could, but the effect was the same as if she¡¯d said it bluntly. My time at the Hooversdum Guildhouse was coming to a close, and the curtain was falling pretty quickly. Sootina gave me a conciliatory hug that I pretended to need, but I honestly just put on a show. I was ready to leave Hooversdum and go further into the world and I needed Luce to sober up before I could. I also had to make sure that Max wasn¡¯t coming with me anyway. Gloss still wanted to be a band, but Max had actual responsibilities to take care of so his answer needed to be heard in person. Otherwise, Gloss packed up and Luce got his shit together after a few hours, meaning that the only one left to get their shit together happened to be yours truly. I packed slowly and methodically after I washed my clothes and prepped my gear for travel as best I could. We¡¯d have a wagon to carry our equipment, but if we¡¯d had more time, we could have managed to convert the wagon into a temporary stage as well for any of our concerts It was a bummer to be sure, but we still had transportation other than our own feet, and the giant goat-like creature that was pulling the wagon apparently fed on tree bark, so that was cool. It was a low cost beast for sure, but it was also pretty quick. It was also ugly and smelly, which Avalesch people cared about a lot, apparently making the species as a whole cheap and marketable to working class people.


    It took a couple days for Max to come back, specifically earlier today. It was yesterday that I played No Way for the Guild¡¯s female population and the song was taken pretty damn badly if the tears were anything to go by. Damn near everyone was crying other than me, so I had no clue what to do about that until people started clapping. A few men that had decided to sit in were nodding along solemnly, but I should probably write the song down before I go any further into the reception it got.


    No Way


    By Gatian Gauner


    No way, No way


    No way that I can dream without you


    No way, No way


    No way that I can breathe without you


    No way, No wa~ay


    Don¡¯t you see what you¡¯re doing to me?


    You permeate the air that I bre~athe


    How do I escape this feeling?


    Your touch was always so appealing


    No way, No way


    No way that I can walk without you


    No way, No way


    No way that I can talk without you


    No way, No wa~ay


    I know I used to lay beside you


    Do you still feel the warmth as I do?


    No way for you to hear me calling


    Will I ever freeze the falling?


    No way, No way


    No way that I can stay without you


    No way, No way,


    No way that I can love without you


    No way, No wa~ay


    A final word just to peek through


    I wrote a note but it never saw you


    Will I ever find the whole truth?


    No way, No wa~ay


    Needless to say, it wasn¡¯t necessarily about Rachel, and it wasn¡¯t completely about Stellara, rather a woman I created in my mind that was a combination of the two. I felt like it fit for either of them with how I felt, but I still didn¡¯t see why anyone was crying until I actually paid attention to the lyrics. It inspired me to sing the second favorite of my crafted songs, Time Runs Out. You wanna see that one, Booksy? No? Alright, maybe another time. Anyway., I broke some hearts with my song and mended them by cracking some jokes, but that brings me back to Max¡¯s homecoming. It was honestly the last interesting thing that happened before the event, so that¡¯s all I¡¯ll say on the matter. I will say, however, that when Max came home his spirits were low and he was looking pissed as all Hell until I gave him a hug. He was glad to see that I was out of my room but mad that he missed so much time with me and that he¡¯d have to stay at the Guild instead of coming with me. That also meant that he was basically going to hand Gloss and the care of her over to me until I returned, which wasn¡¯t something that I was necessarily looking forward to. The girl had a habit of getting herself into trouble, even if it was generally pretty minor and only needed a quick explanation to clear up most of the time. Having to look after Gloss for fear of pissing off Max was annoying, but she was a part of the band nonetheless, even if she did tend to act more like a groupie than a roadie.


    When he broke the news to us, I had to pretend to be sad, but Gloss actually was. She cried and made a fuss about how she was going to miss him even more than usual until he put an actual collar on her. It had a heart-shaped lock on it to keep it on and Gloss didn¡¯t actually look too happy about it. She liked it, but when Max said that the collar would protect her from anyone she didn¡¯t like, she kinda deflated and took it to heart. Apparently, she was hoping for some less than consensual sex, or at least that what I got from it. I was hoping that she wasn¡¯t quite so kinky, though there was also the sneaking suspicion that she was exactly as sketchy as I thought she might be. Other than that, Max was ready to hand over his fucking fiance lie she was an extra knife or something, but at least I¡¯d have someone to dip my dick in if I ever felt like it. I still hadn''t slept with Gloss and I knew that frustrated her, but I also wasn¡¯t sure if I should¡¯ve been boning her. Then Max told me that if I didn¡¯t, she¡¯d find someone else to do it for her and I¡¯d have to track her down. It was better to satisfy her once or twice on my own and then let her do as she pleased according to the man who was supposed to know her best.


    That leads me to tonight and the happenings so far. From Max¡¯s arrival to the knowledge that he¡¯d be letting me go do my own thing, things were pretty quiet other than the clapping of his cheeks. That was pretty loud and so was he, though having him do Gloss while I did him was fantastic. It was just kinky enough for me to get off even harder than usual, though seeing him eat his own cum out of her was less sexy and more disturbing than I cared to let on. That was enough to make me hump him some more to make him regret doing it, but that just turned him on and Gloss wanted in on the action, so he ate her out again. Have I ever mentioned that my life is weird, Booksy? Because it is and I feel like that needs to be stated more often than not because it¡¯s bone-jarringly true.


    That closes it for now, Booksy. Until tomorrow, that is.


    ????????????????????????


    Alright, so traveling is boring. It really is. It¡¯s the second night of our journey and the only thing that¡¯s really happened was that Gloss had to give back to the earth and didn¡¯t want to do it outside, despite the fact that we were stocked up on toilet paper. She eventually did it, but the second day is where things picked up. It started simply enough with Luce waking me up for my watch since I had the last one, but then things got weird. The red and blue moons of Septural seemed brighter than they¡¯d ever had before, but I didn¡¯t think it was worthy of my time to mention it. While it was still dark out, I noticed that the persistent wind had started to die down, evidenced by the fact that my campfire was burning more steadily at the moment. IT was something that made me curious, but again, I thought nothing of it.


    That is, until I felt someone sit down next to me in the grass. It was a face I¡¯d never seen before, but the person was familiar all the same. The fellow seemed a little on the jacked side to be sitting next to me so casually, but his face was¡­ Eerie, in a sense. Like he was definitely an otherworldly being and my life was little more than his plaything. The feeling surrounding The Brit was there in all it¡¯s tea-sipping glory while he relaxed, marshmallow on a stick and everything. It caught fire and he let it burn for a moment before blowing it out and having it on some graham crackers. I looked at him for a while and decided to play a song while we sat, not really acknowledging him beyond a nod when he took the time to look at me. He didn¡¯t speak until I finished the song, and even then he only said that it was nice.


    ¡°So what¡¯s up, my man? Am I fucking something up?¡±


    He chuckled at that and speared another marshmallow on his stick. ¡°No, nothing quite like that, mate. I¡¯ve just been listening to your songs.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, cool. You like any of them?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, most of them. You¡¯re pretty good at what you do, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Little too good¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you get for being general as fuck with that art, Gatian. ¡®I wanna be good at making music!¡¯,¡± he scoffed. ¡°Do you know how much time that paperwork took me? ¡®Making Music¡¯ can be anything!¡±


    ¡°Speaking of your gifts-¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t take the Silvertongue back, nor the Devil¡¯s Tounge. You asked for a power-¡±


    ¡°No, motherfucker, you said you were going to give me one. You didn¡¯t let me pick.¡± I said bitterly.


    ¡°It would have bitten you in the ass in another way, Gatian. These things aren¡¯t free.¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that? Didn¡¯t I ask you what the catch was?¡±


    ¡°... Okay, so I screwed you a little, but can you honestly-¡±


    ¡°Man, I¡¯m still fucked up over that, though.¡±


    ¡°Fair point. Not really making the second life worth it at the moment, are we?¡±


    ¡°The rockstar thing is cool.¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t think so.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°I know, but at least I tried, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Man, this sucks. You moon-moon wankers are so¡­ ¡°


    ¡°Depressive?¡±


    ¡°Depressing, mate. You guys never make it long.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll just have to live a little longer than most.¡±


    ¡°You already have, but it¡¯s not really a win in my book until you come all the way.¡±


    ¡°All the way to what?¡±


    The Brit shrugged. ¡°Well, it depends on where you get sent to, but the dream for most people on Septural is to marry, find a nice place to spend their lives, and do basically nothing else until they have to rise to an occasion or something. Most people get by with just doing their jobs, but then you have the people that go above and beyond, just like Earth. You¡¯re a Beyonder, so your end goal is different. My main thing for you right now is to get you to be happy because that¡¯s what you want, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but you¡¯re honestly overthinking it. You¡¯ve already given me a lot, Brit. IT¡¯s enough.¡± I reached over and put a hand on his shoulder.


    He looked at me, his silver eyes glowing in the moonlight. ¡°... You don¡¯t want more? I mean, I can make this even easier for you-¡±


    ¡°Brit.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s enough.¡± He cracked a small grin. ¡°You don¡¯t need more because you already have too much.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The Brit snorted. ¡°You know, you¡¯re the first person that¡¯s ever said that.¡±


    ¡°I ought to be. I mean, how many people wouldn¡¯t just take what they could get and run with it?¡±


    ¡°So you see where I¡¯m coming from?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do. Are we going to do anything, or are we just here to talk?¡±


    ¡°Are you not enjoying the conversation?¡± He asked mockingly.


    ¡°:You¡¯re not half bad to talk to, but if you¡¯re here, then I can¡¯t help but imagine why.¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d already put it together. I¡¯m here to either upgrade things or end them, if you want.¡±


    ¡°... Can I get a flask of alcohol that doesn¡¯t run out?¡±


    ¡°Is that it?¡± He asked incredulously.


    ¡°Can I pick the type of alcohol it pours?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s¡­ Come on, mate, you¡¯ve gotta have something you want more than that.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Why ask for money and power when you¡¯ve already given me the power to practically make people do whatever I want them to. I mean, I could take over the world if I stayed angry enough, but I don¡¯t want to be that guy. I don¡¯t want power. I don¡¯t even want fame anymore, Brit. It¡¯s all¡­ It all feels so pointless without her¡­¡±


    ¡°Co-dependency is so unattractive.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Just sayin¡¯, my guy. As for what you want,¡± He passed me a flask, ¡°there it is. Anything you want at your fingertips. Just pour and it¡¯ll flow, but you can¡¯t drink straight from the flask. I¡¯d really recommend against trying, but if you want a mouthful of liquor to hit the back of your throat all at once....¡±


    I shook it. ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it. Are we good?¡±


    ¡°You mean other than the fact that you¡¯re a hair¡¯s breadth from killing yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, other than that.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine, just don¡¯t¡­ You know¡­¡±


    ¡°Brit, it¡¯s not easy, but I don¡¯t want to die again. What if I have a third life that I can¡¯t make better?¡±


    ¡°Good way to think of it, I guess.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Gatian? Can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it like to be alive?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not?¡±


    ¡°No heartbeat, no nothing.¡±


    ¡°Ah. It¡¯s warm, I guess. It gets hot and cold... Feelings suck. There isn¡¯t much to being alive, you kinda just do it.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Do you think you¡¯ll ever come to love life?¡±


    ¡°Life sucks, Brit. I¡¯d trade you places if I could, but I¡¯m pretty sure you don¡¯t get an afterlife.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I was alive a long time ago, I just died. My afterlife was boring enough to make me give it up, so there¡¯s always that.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°So I have a nice, peaceful existence to look forward to if I can make it through this one, right?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°And if I don¡¯t make it through?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t really deal with that sort of thing.¡±


    I shrugged and so did he. ¡°Es lo que es.¡±


    ¡°It is what it is, yeah.¡± He offered a friendly fist.


    I bumped it with my own. ¡°To the things we can¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡°To the inevitable and the path that takes us there.¡± He produced a Guinness, which I¡¯d never had before. It wasn¡¯t half bad as far as beer goes, but I¡¯d had better on Septural.


    After we were done drinking, I looked at the moons and saw that they were growing dimmer and dimmer until they¡¯d returned to their normal states, the wind picking back to lick at my fire. It was odd, to say the least, but I assumed that it was because of the Brit. The supernatural things were becoming more common as the days had gone by with some of the Guildies giving me a few extra arca to practice and use for my own gain, but the changing weather? Weird. I chalked it up to the new life as I had countless other things and eventually gave myself a couple of shots out of my flask to steady my nerves and to take the edge off of the loneliness. Yeah, I had two trusted companions by my side most of the time. Yeah, I was getting to be pretty good at what I was doing. Yeah, Gatian Gauner was a lot better than Gage ever was, but he was also just about as happy as the other guy and that made me sadder. I just didn¡¯t like thinking of what I¡¯d done, the amount of sex I¡¯d had, or the fact that anyone who learned too much about me left at the drop of a hat. Luce, Gloss, Max, and Sootina were all different, but even then I didn¡¯t feel half as close to them as I did with Stella and Felix. I missed and still do miss my old crew, but¡­


    I guess it¡¯s just not meant to be, Booksy. I mean, I¡¯m ready to get back on the road and all, but things are so different from what they were on Earth. Even from the moment I woke up on that riverbank, everything¡¯s been so different from what I¡¯m used to that I think I just gave up on being who I was and changed¡­ Me. Gatian is so different from Gage that it¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t know how to say it, Booksy. I¡¯m not a musician, not popular, or even that well-liked. But Gatian is all of those things. Gatian pulls people to him, Gatian is Mr. People Person. That¡¯s just not me, but I feel like who I continues to change and I don¡¯t like the feeling. It¡¯s scary¡­ It¡¯s honestly scary, Booksy. I don¡¯t know who I am or what I even really want to do anymore, and that just makes me feel so¡­ Lost. That gives me an idea as to what I should do, but I don¡¯t know how to find myself when I¡¯m already living free and clear, and it¡¯s not like I owe anyone other than Raphtal anything in all honesty, it¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know, Booksy. What do you think¡­?


    Oh right. You¡¯re a book.


    Anyway, I think that¡¯s it for now. I¡¯m sad, you¡¯re a book, and we¡¯re together. Let¡¯s be books together, yes? No? Okay.


    I didn¡¯t wake up since there was no way for me to awaken due to my current state of consciousness, so that meant I got to wake everyone else up. Hornmun, the goat-ram thing was already chewing up some grass and wandering away from the campsite in the early morning light, but I ended up giving him some bark as an extra snack because he wasn¡¯t supposed to last long on just grass alone. I actually had to wake Luce up to get him untethered from the cart so we could go and have at a tree or two, but after a solid meal, she was considerably better off than she¡¯d been previously. Gloss wasn¡¯t waking up for anything, not even a little finger action, so I let her sleep it off or whatever. Not being concerned about either of my sluggish party members was natural, and I ended up getting things moving all on my own, as I had the night before. The journey was already starting to look long, and the hours passed without nary a word given between me or Luce, but the silence was nice. After living in the Guild for so long and hearing practically every little thing while being up and around, and then being in a town as large as Hooversdum meant that I was ripe and ready for a little companionable silence, and Luce provided just that. Gloss eventually woke up when we stopped to let Hornmun have some water at the edge of a creek that ran near the road. I¡¯d heard the water and got us to stop for the sake of our load-bearer, though Luce assured me that he/she/it could keep going until we actually got to Ponydale and past the border of said country. We didn¡¯t know where our first stop would actually be rather than a pitstop/refueling point for Hornmun, but we figured that the bigger the town, the better the chances of finding work.


    Gloss convinced us to try looking in some of the smaller towns while we were at it, just to get the rural communities too, but Lucine made a good argument in that every hour we spent in a small town with a small population, the less we were actually spreading my songs. It was a conundrum that gave me an idea for a song, but then Gloss countered with the fact that we were making music for my purposes, and so far I¡¯d shown little hesitation in sharing my sounds with anyone who would listen. It brought up a certain duality pertaining to my psyche and how I looked at things. I was basically a hardcore drug dealer with my music. I¡¯d noticed that a lot of people wanted another song like I wanted another drink in days past, and that¡­ Well, I¡¯d like to say it scared me, but it was the part of the music scene that I actually liked. Having people hooked on my verses, waiting for the next melody to rear its beautiful head? It was addicting in its own way, which inspired me to translate Vicarious by Tool through the undlegar and then the plublass for Luce¡¯s enjoyment. Gloss wasn¡¯t fond of the song because I couldn¡¯t remember the drumline for it and the song didn¡¯t seem to need a terribly outstanding one to go with it until the bass solo.


    I taught them the song piece by piece and then had me a good ol¡¯ thinkin¡¯ ¡®bout the way I remembered music. The Brit had basically told me that I was going to be good at whatever I wanted to do as long as it involved making air vibrate pleasantly to the ear. That and that alone made me write the new song that I¡¯m recording in Three¡­ Two¡­


    Lost by Gatian Gauner


    First Verse


    Travelled ¡®cross the land; saw some new sights


    Never been so happy seein¡¯ city lights


    Took- seven days and- six nights


    One big horse and three mismatched knights


    Stole away from the forest¡¯s blights


    Gettin¡¯ back to town feels mighty nice!


    Chorus 1


    Oh can you say you ever been so lost?


    Don¡¯t know who ya are; how much did it cost?


    Can you really say that you got your way?


    Fuck it lil¡¯ boy; take them toys and play!


    Second Verse


    Sometimes things just don¡¯t work out


    Throw around ya weight but you got no clout


    You can¡¯t pull it back no matter how hard you try


    So don¡¯t you sit there and ask yourself why!


    Get the fuck over yourself lil¡¯ boy!


    You got more to do than be a decoy!


    Chorus 2


    Oh can you say you ever been so lost?


    Don¡¯t know who ya are, how much did it cost?


    Can you really say that you got your way?


    Fuck it lil¡¯ boy, take them toys and play!


    Final Verse


    On the road again with a brand new crew


    Couple hundred miles away, baby what can you do?


    Will we meet again? That I can¡¯t know


    But I know I gotta get on with the show


    Never made a song without thinking of you


    So with this last one, let¡¯s hope it¡¯s through


    Goodbye sorrow, hello hope


    Being super social or a misanthrope


    Don''t know who it is, am I talking to you?


    Maybe I am, do you know what to do?


    Lucine really liked the edgier sound and the gritty bass lines I wrote for the song, and the fact that it played on the lowest octave I could get the undlegar on (At least, while sounding decent.) just added to the melancholy mood of the rhythm. I made sure that there was an interesting, syncopated drumline to go along with the bass. The overall feeling of the song was heavy, and I mean that I could feel every note in my bones. Gloss was less receptive for the most part, and her reason was ¡®It makes me vibrate and I only like doing that when I want to.¡¯, which was honestly weird. With her projected persona, I would have assumed that she was down for a free orgasm or at least a session with nature¡¯s vibrator, but then again, she was a wildcard anyway.


    After I made the song I just wrote down, we actually happened upon a small hamlet. It didn¡¯t seem like too bad of a place from a distance, but there was also the fact that it was pretty much a two stop town. There were only a handful of roads visible from where we were on the road. Not very promising, but as we got closer we heard the fucking screams. All hell was breaking loose in whatever town we were nearing, and none of my party wanted to tango with whatever it was. We agreed to go The fuck. Around. Luce was the only one who wanted to even go on one of the roads, but as we cut off the main path and headed away from the hamlet, we noticed people running from the town, cloaked in what appeared to be purple flames. Luce made us stop and we almost turned around, but I convinced him to make a lateral move rather than a U-turn. It didn¡¯t work out, which is why I¡¯m currently writing in a tree with only my essential¡¯s. I might have to explain that later as my ramgoat is currently being eaten by what appears to be flaming zombies.


    Maybe I¡¯ll sing myself a little song. A little song to sing along with. It¡¯ll probably be Miss You------


    Holy shit. Lemme get back to you.


    ????????????????????????


    Well, Luce just got eaten alive by flaming zombies a few hours ago now. He came down from his hiding spot, guns blazing and never once thought to aim for the head. He only took two of the twelve out, and I can still hear Gloss¡¯s muffled cries from her spot. The¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know what to call them. The zombies or what the fuck ever left after Luce lead them away, which was probably when Gloss and I should have left. The thing is that we can¡¯t really go on without a pack animal, our wagon, or our instruments. Gloss isn¡¯t really a combatant, and we¡¯re a good few days from any other settlement¡­ anywhere. I have a map-tablet that tells me where we are, but there¡¯s no way in hell we¡¯ll be able to carry enough food to make it to our next place on foot. We¡¯re fucked, in layman¡¯s terms. Fettersfield was the last resting place for four days nonstop travel north, east or west. Our only choice was to head south toward the stream of flaming dead that was still visible in the night sky, which was a bad idea. It was a great time to have my survival skills kick in, but things were looking dire for Ponydale anyway.


    It¡¯s been awhile longer so let me fill you in. I got Gloss, gathered about a week¡¯s worth of dried meat, hard tack, and jelly, got our weapons and my armor, then made a point of getting the fuck up a tree again to scout for more predators. It was a good idea because they came back briefly, some of them going over our supplies. Nothing caught fire, but when we inspected them again, a thin film of something nasty was covering the plublass and Luce¡¯s extra pistol. A few other things were covered, but we had what we needed and that was enough for us to keep going. For once I was glad that Gloss¡¯ synthination-device (SDi) only had fifteen notes and wasn¡¯t hard to carry, otherwise it would have been much harder to get the fuck out the forest and start following the map to our next destination, which was right the fuck back the way we came. We needed to warn Hooversdum about the impending threat, and we needed to get there fast. With my undlegar in hand, I made sure we had something to listen to during the journey since it honestly helped keeped Gloss awake and gave me a reason to keep going. It also gave me a reason to learn how to play with a pick when my fingers got raw, which I couldn¡¯t really consider a plus.


    Gloss and I were both shellshocked after seeing and hearing Lucine, my teacher and


    friend, die such a gruesome death. It was hard on both of us and neither of us wanted to talk about it, but I did sing a ballad for him that I came up with during the second night of our long walk. Gloss said she liked it and asked if I¡¯d make up a song for the town that got ransacked, but we were in a tree and it was hard to balance, rest, and play at the same time. There wasn¡¯t time to think of it between relaxing and balancing on my branch, so I said I¡¯d play it for her another time. The night passed smoothly into a new day, but Gloss was shaken after a nightmare and was hard to get moving. We only had two more days to our destination and I was ready to get there by any means necessary, ready and willing to take the main road for once. It was the only way to get Gloss moving again, and it was the most dangerous way to go.


    We knew we were too late to warn anyone before the town even came into sight. There were broken bones with bits of gore left behind on the roads from Hooversdum, along with teeth, clumpos of hair, shit, and vomit all in spades. The road was soaked in every manner of besoilment imaginable, so we stayed off of it and waited until we came as close as we wanted to get to use my viewfinder to get a closer look. The town was dead as far as I could tell. The once colorful walls were now coated in splashes and prints of blood from the massacre that had happened, and there was precious little anyone probably could have done about it. More glore and remnants of the citizens of the once happy town were visible in just about every corner I looked, but Raphtal, surprisingly enough, still had a flag flying. I suspected that no one had been left alive to take it down, but Gloss was too excited by the sight to listen to reason. She took off once I told her about the oddity and I had to follow as quickly as I could, my quarterstaff helping me poke her after getting close enough to do so.


    We¡¯d made it deeper into town and closer to the Guild, but nothing was as it had been. Things were strewn about, ripped clothing eveyrwhere, and there was next to no noise in the settlement. Gloss didn¡¯t take off again and walked close to me as we made our way to the Guildhouse and what was left of it. We arrived at our final destination together and I let us in, the door having been locked from the inside out I unlocked the door with the Arca that Max had taught me what seemed like years ago now and we saw what had become of Raphtal. It wasn¡¯t a pretty sight, but there wasn¡¯t any blood away from the entrance of the guild. The further we went inside, the less bullet holes and pieces of zombie we found, which was a good sign. We got to the staircase to the second floor and met a barricade, so we started calling out for anyone that might have been left behind. Soon enough we got word from someone upstairs to meet us outside, so we left and came around the side of the building to see Algmund climbing down a rope made of sheets.


    When he landed, I asked, ¡°Al, what the fuck happened? Where is everyone?¡±


    He shook his head and panted a little as he was a heavy set guy. ¡°Everyone took off with the survivors a day or two ago. I¡¯ve been laid up here trying to send some help to the capital, but you guys are the first to show your faces.¡±


    ¡°Did we lose anyone?¡±


    ¡°Falkru and Doff, but neither of them have been with the Guild long. You know we can take care of ourselves with the ammo stacked high.¡± Algmund wiped some sweat off of his brow.


    ¡°Can you tell us anything about what attacked? What happened?¡±


    ¡°Dreadnots. Flaming fuckin¡¯ Dreadnots. A city¡¯s worth.¡± He shook his head again. ¡°There were so many of ¡®em¡­ Shit went sideways right after they were spotted outside town, and when they hit, we sent a detail to go round up survivors and to help out however we could, but we don¡¯t know the exact losses. The town¡¯s done for in anycase.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I gathered that.¡± I sighed. ¡°We have to pick up, though. Where was the horde headed?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just the thing. They hit the town and turned tail, like they were just making sure that the border was fucked to all Pomnett.¡±


    Pomnett was the Septurn analog to Hell, so I was a little unhappy to hear that it had turned out so bad. I wasn¡¯t exactly expecting hash and wieners for lunch when we came through, but I was also expecting Raphtal to have held out. To know that we lost people weighed heavily on me as did Lucine¡¯s murder, but there was little to nothing I could do about it at the moment. Algmund said that he was going to stay behind, but I had to get Gloss to her family as soon as I could so that I could travel as lightly as possible. She didn¡¯t want to stay with me and wait to die, and Algmund didn¡¯t want us traveling alone, so he offered to look after Gloss on their way through to Thesuvia while I took my happy arse to Chorell. It wasn¡¯t my first destination by a long shot, but I figured that skirting Toddton and heading down would be my best bet. The thing was that we didn¡¯t know where the plague was coming from and it could have very well come from even further south in Denosia/Mothica or Chorell itself.


    With my destination logged into my maplet, Algmund bid me farewell and Gloss thanked me for saving her life. It wasn''t something that I took pride in, so I told her to be safe and wait for Max to come find her. If it wasn¡¯t him, then I wanted her to send me a message and i would come to take care of her. I had responsibilities to take care of, even if I didn¡¯t want them. Either way, whether Gloss called me or not, I had a funny feeling that would be meeting again under dire circumstances. She and her chaperone left me at the Raphtal Guild house so I could stock up and say goodbye on my own. It was my home for a little while, but I held little in regard for it. However, it gave me the time I needed to finally break down and just¡­ Process. Seeing someone die wasn¡¯t exactly new since I¡¯d seen a few people get beheaded in Serbia (Long story, Mafiya was involved), but it was something else entirely to see a close friend be devoured alive while trying to save my skin and that of my Little. Lucine earned himself a full bottle of soma to be poured our and a glass of the finest liquor I could think of. Ace of Spades was my drink of choice for the night, and by the time I drank enough to make myself finally sleep, I was two sheets to the wind and flying high enough to miss a visitor in the night. I woke up this morning to find a note next to my chosen bed. It read thusly:


    There¡¯s a place for you with us, River Man. The Mundane will become Terruc. The Terruc will become Mundane. You shall know your true power with us. This is an invitation; not a summons. You may join us or you may fall as the chaff from the wheat. Welcome to Septural, Gatian Gauner. We of [Something I Can¡¯t Read] await your reply.


    It¡¯s a worrying note to say the least, but I don¡¯t know what to do about it. The invitation was ominous to say the least, and the only clue I have about where the damn thing comes from is the seal that was on it. It looked official other than the one that was on the note itself, but I don''t have a way to interpret or identify it. I guess I¡¯ll have someone look at the thing when I get to the next town, but¡­ After breaking down and building myself back up last night I don¡¯t know how far I¡¯ll actually get. Without someone to watch my back, I had a funny feeling that I was going to get myself mixed up in something I wanted no part of. I shrugged off the feeling and started following my map, making sure my pistol was ready for action at a moment¡¯s notice. Without further interruption I started on the path of promise, as in the one for Stellara Inova. I was glad to have a direction again, and I currently have a melody in my head¡­ Now I just need my freedom anthem. I think I¡¯ll call it ¡®Lucine¡¯s Ire¡¯


    Rest in peace, Teach. Luce. Old Bastard. It was a good ride¡­ I¡¯m¡­


    I¡¯m sorry I got you killed.

 Chapter Eleven: Cross The Land

    ¡®Cross the Land


    After I finally said my goodbyes to Lucine and got my ass on the move, I found myself coming up with song after song, all about staying strong in the face of an unknown threat, freedom, or civility to your fellow man. I felt like each of the songs had a moral to them that made them worth making in and of themselves, even if some of the words could be interchanged and used as propaganda. It was basically nice propaganda, I guess. I¡¯d feel worse for that, but it helped pass the time as I skirted the border of Ponydaledale and started on my way into Toddton. Most of what I saw on the road was enough to keep me off of it, and as I closed the distance between Hooversdum and the next town, I couldn¡¯t help but notice the Toddton advertisements that were along the road. Most of them had something or other to do with changing your identity or living as a Human with other Humans of all kinds, though I wasn¡¯t exactly encouraged by the tones of the images. They used a symbol similar enough to Brimstone that made me wary of trusting whatever I was going to find at the next border town. If I could have done anything about my supply situation, I would have, but all I had were Luce¡¯s plublass, my undlegar, and some important stuff to take along with me. Most of my money was on me in one way or another, however, I¡¯d been sure to give Algmund and Gloss a hefty travel fund just in case they ever needed to spend some pennicals.


    My conscious weighed on me heavily as I considered the sacrifice made so that I could live and the reason for my next step. I knew that I needed to get to Chorell and help as many of the slaves as I could since that was one of the main countries that used them, but then again I also needed to stay the hell alive. It was a curious conundrum, though the inner turmoil was honestly refreshing rather than just being aimlessly sad. I had another purpose and it was to set people free with my music. There was also plenty of time to think about the invitation I still needed to have examined and what it meant to me. It honestly sounded like some dark shit that I wanted no part of, although I considered worse things to be than a little evil. That alone made me want to do away with the note before I lost all sense of morality in my downward spiral, even after I¡¯d thought that I was doing so well.


    Halfway in my head and halfway into my surroundings, I came across an abandoned wagon with a goat-thing like the one I¡¯d previously had. The wagon was unmarked and had a few supplies in it, however, the thing was that the goat-creature pulling the wagon was faster than I was at a walking pace and obviously had no interest in being my lackey. Eventually, I did catch up to the damn thing and climb into the back of the wagon for a bit where I learned that the wagon had hollow seats. It had been a good while since I¡¯d gotten any rest, so I tucked my large frame into one as well as I could, curling up a bit to get inside. It was nice, cool, and dark inside the box, and after having put my bedroll down, it became a nice little hidey hole for a nap.


    When the cart took off out of nowhere I knew I¡¯d made the right choice in hiding before I could get myself eaten. If I stayed where I was, then I would most likely be fine and dandy for a good while, but then I realized that the creature wasn¡¯t stopping any time soon. I had a few things in the seat compartment with me, such as my map, Clockly, and my knife, but I doubted that it was actually going to do me any good. My map told me that I was uncomfortably deep into the Ponydale border and that I happened to be going damn near toward the center of the chaos. The terrain went from being smooth enough (I guess) to being absolutely awful. For once I was thankful for the advanced, unnecessarily complicated structure of Septurn carriages and whatnot up until one of the back wheels broke off. There was a simple lock in place on the seat that I pinch close with my fingers, slotting a piece of metal into a shaped hole and that kept me in the box, being bounced a little as the livestock ran. Before I could really get my bearings, the animal I¡¯d grown to appreciate over the course of my nap and ride thereafter came to a sudden stop with a raucous screech and the wagon tottered and teetered for a moment. Then the thing rolled completely over and I heard them.


    The dead and the damned.


    Their growling and yammering in their strange language was audible through the wood of my hiding spot, as well as the tearing of flesh and the ending cries of Goatmun the Horned One. I stayed exactly where I was with my eyes closed as tight as they would go for as long as I could manage, but then I heard a voice. The words were muffled and hard to make out, but I could have sworn that they said something about ¡®Tying up loose ends¡¯, which could have been bad for me with everything that was going on at the moment. In any case, I waited until the sounds were long gone and I couldn¡¯t think of any other reason to stay where I was, so I opened the hatch and let me and my things fall onto the ground. The wagon was on its side so that meant I got out quickly at the very least. My hopes were high when I noticed that the scent of burning flesh wasn¡¯t as pungent as it could have been, so I gathered my things and grabbed my pack from the other compartment, checking my equipment under the harbor of the wagon. Once I was sure that I had everything, I peeked out to see where I was and saw that the cobblestone road I landed on continued into the middle of a deserted town. Consulting my map told me I was in Equinaire, the capital of Ponydale. It was located on the eastern part of the province, but what confused me was how I got so far inland without noticing it. The trip should have been about a day¡¯s nonstop travel, but then I realized that I must have woken up after a good deal of time. The compartment had actually been pretty cozy if I may say so.


    I was scared to get out and about and it was for very good reason. Purple flames could be seen in the distance, but they were gradually going away. Doors and windows opened around the town, most of them looking my way or at the gore that was spread around the sides of the road. Weeping and cries for help could be heard and it took me a second to realize that they¡¯d only started once the threat was gone. The Ponies of Equinaire were scared, but at least they were smart about it. Chilling under the wagon, I started to play one of my songs meant to encourage people under the oppressive thumb of adversity.


    Frosted Field by Gatian Gauner


    O¡¯ I stared across a frosted field


    A frosted field of red


    The frozen mist


    The land was kissed


    By the devouring dead


    Few survivors stood the wake


    Most of them did flee


    What was once lost to them


    A town or two or three


    Heed my call and starch thyself


    The battle is now done


    The war¡¯s not lost


    There¡¯ll be a cost


    But I¡¯ll pay it for one!


    It was honestly less of a song and more of a chant, but slowly and surely the chant grew mong people until it was being quietly sung around me. I emerged from the cart and saw myself surrounded by people who were just glad to be alive after the deadly event that had just taken place. I whipped out my undlegar and played the tune along for the song and people started coming with weapons and cheers were thrown out as the spirit of the attacked rallied behind my song. It felt good to give hope back to people, but I also didn¡¯t want to die, so I stopped playing before we got too loud. The chant died down and the town came around, people voicing shouts to hunt the undead that had accosted them and their home. I found it flattering that my song had jumpstarted them, but I was deathly afraid of the people going off and getting themselves killed over next to nothing. The next thing I knew, there was a group of people arguing against leaving and another arguing against going after the horde. I found it pertinent to play another song about living to fight another day and that evidently worked out for me. Things were looking bad in the capital without a leader in sight, but then someone cried out about a meeting at the castle for all survivors and everyone got moving.


    I¡¯d somehow ended up in the middle of an exodus to royal grounds, but I really wasn¡¯t complaining about the huge audience I had for my sounds. Yes, it was super fucked that the particular concern on my mind was getting fans, but I was still working coward- toward, an overall goal and being opportunistic was just Gatian¡¯s way. Seizing the chance and Carpe-ing the Diem were both easy, and I basically got myself a concert going by the time we all got to the castle. I was in front of the castle steps, singing a song about the horrid tyranny of slavery when a bugle sounded over my undlegar, signaling for me to stop playing. I joined the crowd and waited for the royal person to appear so I could make a song about them too, but then I saw Lumo Sheldrake himself, the King of the Ponies. He had both wings and a horn, the symbols of the royal bloodline and whatever. I didn¡¯t really care until he stared me dead in the eye and nodded in my direction, giving two dudes the go-ahead to approach me. I stayed where I was while he started his speech and was collected handily by two Pegasi guards that looked worse for wear.


    It was quickly made clear to me that I wasn¡¯t being detained and that the King wanted my attention for some reason or the other. That alone was still worrying, and the state of the castle grounds were even more concerning. Things had gone to hell pretty well in the castle, and I was none too happy about being ¡®incentivized¡¯ to meet the King on the behalf of some mysterious benefactors. I would first be brought to the people who¡¯d bought me (In less kind words) and then I would meet the guy in charge. However, before I quite realized what was going on, I was in front of a gal¡¯s bed and she was very purple. By purple, I do mean that she was purple and that she was also a Pegacorn like Lumo. I assumed she was his daughter or trophy wife, but the smile on her face told me she was more innocent than I¡¯d given her credit for. She beckoned me closer once I entered the room and one of the guards that had brought me whispered a warning in my ear. I didn¡¯t really need it.


    I approached the Mare in bed and asked, ¡°Is there a song you would like to hear? I have one for everyone.¡±


    She chuckled gently, placing a hand on her modest chest. The pain in her eyes was clear. ¡°Play me something¡­ Peaceful.¡±


    With a nod, I started No Way and saw that she was mourning, so I changed the ending lyrics to make it a little happier. Once I finished, I started freestyling The Scientist from memory and got it pretty well for only having heard the song a billion times in the span of just under twenty years. The Princess smiled as I played and breathed more deeply as I carried on, seeming to be in less pain as I played. I tried to think of the mildest, kindest songs I could play for her, but she was dying and there was nothing I could do about it. I sang her to sleep and watched as she exhaled for the last time, her body shuddering to a final halt. The final few notes of my song played out without words to accompany them and I sighed, sorry to see a fan go. I¡¯d grown attached to my one-woman audience. She was a very good listener. The guard that had warned me against harming her came to check and see that she was gone, and once he saw that she was, he escorted me out of the room and into another where there was a pale Mare with a white mane sitting and¡­ Well¡­ She was staring off into the distance when I came i before turning her gaze to me.


    ¡°You played for her.¡± She murmured.


    ¡°... Yes, ma¡¯am. She asked for-¡±


    ¡°A peaceful song. I heard.¡±


    ¡°... May I ask-¡±


    ¡°I am Rudy Rhubarb.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances, Ms. Rhubarb.¡±


    She squinted at me. ¡°You¡¯d rather meet me fresh off of beating up two of my favorite agents?¡±


    ¡°Would it be better if I left, or¡­?¡±


    ¡°Play me your favorite song.¡± She folded her arms and glared at me. I didn¡¯t think she really meant anything by the look, but there was no telling.


    I nodded and started playing Lake Sprinkle Sprankle by Delta Sleep for her, but she didn¡¯t really seem all that pleased by the time I finished the song. She asked for another and I played her one of my own, the original song seeming to over better with my singular audience member. She had me play a few more of the songs that I made and kept looking at me with the same appraising, disapproving eye.


    ¡°You have talent.¡± Ms. Rhubarb said bluntly.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°As such, you will play for me and my cousin upon request. You will not leave our care until instructed. Am I clear?¡±


    I raised a brow at her and strummed a few notes as I spoke. ¡°What makes you think it¡¯s a funny joke? I¡¯ll not be tied under your yoke.¡±


    She blinked. ¡°Did you just sing at me?¡±


    ¡°Your offer smells poisonous, if I took it I¡¯d be remiss. Don¡¯t make me regret my time, let me be and we¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re singing at me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m singing a song and strumming along, is your underwear cheeky or is it just a thong?¡±


    Granted, the Mare looked to be old enough to have given birth to a Centurn version of me, but I hadn¡¯t gotten laid in the better part of a month at that point. Nailing my potential captor seemed like a good idea to me. Then she said, ¡°If you keep singing at me, I¡¯ll hit you.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t hit me.¡±


    ¡°Then silence, Minstrel. There are better things for you to be doing.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Like coming up with the battle anthem that we¡¯ll take against the Char Horde.¡± Rudy Rhubarb said as seriously as could be.


    ¡°... Right. I¡¯ll sure do that.¡±


    She raised a brow. ¡°Are you saying you won¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°I just said I would.¡±


    ¡°Without a reward?¡±


    I gave her a look. ¡°I feel like my reward is being allowed to walk away untortured.¡±


    Her brow furrowed. ¡°We don¡¯t torture.¡±


    ¡°Beatings count as torture.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°You¡¯re a River Man, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Rhubarb rolled her eyes. ¡°Then I couldn¡¯t get away with hurting you because I wouldn¡¯t let myself. You¡¯ve shown little in the way of ill will toward anyone that doesn¡¯t stand in your way, and you even seem to be civil towards those that do. You treated my people well while you held them hostage, and Jaqeline was very adamant about leaving you alone. However, it would appear as though you¡¯ve walked yourself into my lap, so why wouldn¡¯t we become partners, hm?¡±


    ¡°... Partners?¡±


    ¡°I say that, but you¡¯ll be working for me, of course.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Is there anything I¡¯d have to do?¡±


    ¡°What you¡¯re already doing, I imagine. Write songs, perform them, and maybe make some money.¡± Rhubarb smiled slyly, the charm of a mature woman not lost on me in the slightest. ¡°We could always sweeten the deal, if you like.¡±


    I clicked my tongue and smacked my lips. ¡°Tell ya what; If I can get you off with my tongue in ten minutes, then I get favorable terms. If I can¡¯t, I¡¯ll still finish you off and you get the terms you want.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think I¡¯d do that?¡± She asked, looking less than pleased.


    I shrugged. ¡°I dunno. I was hoping to get something out of it.¡±


    ¡°You feel pleasure from your tongue?¡±


    ¡°No, but you would.¡±


    She raised a brow. ¡°I can take care of that myself, though I don¡¯t suppose you have any idea of how Ponies seal deals, would you?¡±


    I thought about it. ¡°The Gertts shake hands and I think the Chorets hug. How do Ponies do it?¡±


    ¡°With a kiss.¡± Rudy didn¡¯t miss a beat, nor did she appear to be tricking me. There was something about the ruby-redness of her lips, however, that made the idea seem less appealing than it should have been.


    ¡°How about a firm handshake?¡±


    ¡°What? I¡¯m enough for a romp, but not the intimacy between?¡± She actually looked really amused by that.


    ¡°What can I say? I can bed and bolt, but kissing and telling isn¡¯t my thing.¡±


    ¡°Come here and close this deal before I actually hit you.¡±


    ¡°That would hurt, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°It will if you make me hit you in the first place. Move those hooves, Mister.¡±


    I sighed and walked over to her before bending down to seal the deal. The kiss was nice, but it was an empty gesture made to someone I didn¡¯t really want to kiss all that much. Still, it was said and done with, so I sat next to Rhubarb. ¡°What now?¡±


    Rudy gave me some side eye. ¡°Now? Now you play for me. Something that means a lot to you.¡±


    Miss You was the first song I could think of, and by the time I finished playing that for her, Rhubarb was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief and was smiling warmly. ¡°I take it you liked the song?¡±


    ¡°It was splendid, Mister Gauner. Superb.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean I can leave now, or can I play another song?¡±


    ¡°Why say both as if you¡¯d like to do both?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m down for both, honestly.¡±


    ¡°Play me another song, if you wouldn¡¯t mind too terribly.¡±


    I shrugged and started playing the chords to My Fellow Friend, a song I wrote about treating people with the same respect and dignity you expected. Rhubarb laughed at some of the sillier lines and asked me to teach the song to her, so I did and she was neutral when she gave me some interesting news. My music had an interesting, Terruc quality to it that confused the older woman but also drew her to me. It was enough for her to dismiss me to a nice room that I could call my own for awhile and get some much needed rest from the excitement of the past few hours. There were a lot of things that I needed to process, but for the most part, I was just glad to have a nice bed and a full stomach since there were a lot of worse alternatives. My time was spent doing some personal maintenance like manscaping and cutting my hair down so that I couldn¡¯t get a full hand of it. I figured it¡¯d be for the best to get rid of my signature locks in favor of a short, pragmatic style that wouldn¡¯t get grabbed at any point. It was saddening to see my curls go, although it was considerably cooler and I felt better now that I looked less like myself. Gatian¡¯s new ¡®do was alright, but I ended up taking a pair of scissors I found and evening it out a lot.


    After I found myself presentable, I found the time to write in my favorite journal and put ink on his dirty little pages. Yeah, you like this, don¡¯t you, Booksy? You like it when I write words on you, don¡¯t you? Little diary. Oh yeah, I bet you can¡¯t wait to get splattered and-


    I¡¯m dirty-talking a book.


    Bullshit aside, there are books in this room that are really interesting. Most of them deal on the history of Arca or Terruc Magic in general, which were all pretty cool. I learned that there was a ranking system to Terru pools and a system underlying in Arca that Lucine hadn¡¯t been explained to me. There were only three general ranks to Terru pools, but they each had three degrees that widened the spectrum a bit. Everyone could do most ¡®C¡¯ level arcas, but even Lucine hadn¡¯t been able to crest ¡®B+¡¯, even after years of training. There was also the fact that he was a tactile guy, meaning that he was less inclined to book-learning when he was still alive unlike myself. I absorbed knowledge from the books as best I could and found that I was around a ¡®B-¡¯ in terms of power through my own testing. It wasn¡¯t out of the norm for a River Person to have a lot of Magic and just not know how to use it, so I resolved to ask Rhubarb to get me a teacher as payment for my services, whatever they may end up being.


    Anyway, it¡¯s a good time to get some rest. I¡¯ll fill some more in when there¡¯s more going on.


    ????????????????????????


    Waking up in an unfamiliar place left me disoriented and unsure of what my next move should be. I eventually remembered where I was and what I should be doing, which evidently wasn¡¯t enough to motivate me to do any of it. I¡¯d been living just to survive up until that point and the energy in me just¡­ Petered out, I guess. It was like I couldn¡¯t escape working for the Rhubarb Ranch as much as I wanted to, and I felt as though I was going to be playing some music on the battlefield if there was any bad luck in my future at all. With things going how they were my hopes weren¡¯t too high in the first place, so I chopped every last one of their balls off and decapitated my dreams so that I wouldn¡¯t be disappointed. Sad time was now, and now was happening in the shower with the bathtub filling up. I couldn¡¯t help but look at everything I¡¯d had and how I¡¯d lost it all so quickly after getting it. Some things I could get back, most I couldn¡¯t. It hurt to think that I was just aimlessly wandering around with a vague goal and an iffy way to do my business, but when I thought about the situation as it was currently, I turned off the shower and let myself sink into the generous tub, wondering if there was truly light on the surface or if it was a trick born from a drowning man¡¯s mind.


    My heart was heavy with the pain of loss and the consistency of it occurring in my life. My mind was clouded with sadness and some water. My eyes were also clouded with water, which made me realize that I was slowly drowning. There was nothing in me other than survival instinct driving me out of the water, to clear my eyes, or to take a breath. My body wanted me alive more than I did, and it took me a few minutes to come to the conclusion that I needed to live for something again instead of letting loss tear me apart. My mind went back to her, back to Tidrel. It was such a distant memory that I almost wondered if it ever happened, but there was the fact that I could see her face so clearly. Her eyes. I laid back with my head out of the water and wondered if I¡¯d ever have a chance to meet the woman who¡¯d stolen my heart again, wondering if I could take it back from a distance or if it had to be mailed back. Then I thought about Lucine and the father-figure I¡¯d seen in him, even with as little time as we spent together socializing. We¡¯d just had a bond like no other that I missed, and then there was Max, Sootina, and Gloss, my own ¡®family¡¯. My band and my manager, more like. Still, I missed them too, even if I couldn¡¯t tell myself that I¡¯d ever loved any of the three.


    Taking my time in the bath had little to no effect on the amount of time I spent strumming the plublass quietly in memory of Luce and his jerky, sliding technique. I¡¯d never taught him to keep his fingers on the frets at all times, but he¡¯d done exactly that and it had given him a unique sound. I played No Way with his instrument and let the half of the whole harmony carry me into distant memories. Training in Grata non-Aquix, teaching him in turn how to play the plublass, and traveling took up most of the time in my head because that was mostly what we did. Our relationship had been pragmatic as well as personal. We both wanted to get better at something we didn¡¯t really have a vested interest in, and the other was willing to teach as long as the former was willing to learn. We¡¯d been close in our own way and it wasn¡¯t until he was gone that I realized just how much I relied on Luce. I¡¯d already mourned him, but the melancholy over losing another family to events out of my hands and a father to murder just ached into my fingertips and needed to be released through music. It was my therapy and my medication. My drug and my fixer. I needed to play as much as I needed to be heard, so I made this one for Lucine.


    Luce¡¯s Song


    Verse 1


    I be-lieve


    Some of us


    Born to the grave


    I see


    Much blo-od


    Spray from the frey


    Chorus 1


    I feel I must atone


    Scarred up by the wretched sight of your bones!


    Verse 2


    Mo-re fear


    Entering


    They wait at bay


    Mo-re sears


    Their flesh


    Into a blaze


    Chorus 2


    I feel I must atone


    Frightened by the bloody sight of your bones!


    Final Verse


    I thi-nk


    You¡¯d like


    For me to slay


    I thi-nk


    I¡¯m made


    For judgement day


    2nd Chorus


    Why must we die alone?


    Scarred up by the


    Frightened by the


    Troubled by the morbid sight of your bones


    When I opened my eyes, I noticed something inside me. I felt like I was tickling a well of inspiration, something that I needed to get out into more songs. I grabbed a spare book I used for songs and started getting melodies and words down as fast as I could, flipping between pages like a madman as things fell into place straight from my head into the work before me. Soon enough I had fifteen pages of seven different songs, all of them ready to be put together and fine tuned. The thing was that it was now night time, I hadn¡¯t eaten, and I was a little bleary-eyed from staring at ink and paper for so long. As to not damage my vision further, I focused on playing the songs rather than writing them down for a little while and earned myself an audience of two from a maid and butler that came to escort me to meet Prince Lumo Junior, heir to the throne and music aficionado ¡®as no other member of royalty before him could ever be.¡¯, as was explained to me.


    I¡¯d dressed in normal clothes, which were apparently perfectly fine for a performance in front of the Prince. My dark green shirt, army green jacket, and black pants seemed to have little to no effect on the guy, but I did take the time to study him as he showed me nothing but disdain. From what I could tell, Lumo looked almost nothing like his jet-black father. Junior himself was a greyish color with white spots spread about on the fur I could see, and his mane was different from his father¡¯s as well. Instead of being an ashy grey, it was pitch black in a different shade than Senior¡¯s coat. They did favor outside of their color schemes with their weak chins and alien eyes, making me want to deck both of them in the face. I knew that Lumo Senior was the King and Arcamagus of Ponydale, but what exactly that meant for his son, I didn¡¯t know. I did know that the prick snapped twice and evidently expected me to start playing.


    I looked at him like he was stupid and he gave it right back to me. ¡°Have you no sense? Play.¡±


    ¡°Have you no manners? Request something.¡±


    He drew back in his chair and I glared at him. ¡°Guards! Should we teach this uppity little Human how we do things here in Equinaire?¡±


    Around me were guards, bristling with distaste while also drawing their weapons. It didn¡¯t take a genius to know that few of them if any actually thought they had a reason to go after me, but apparently Prince Low-Blow (Or Loblo from now on) thought I needed an attitude adjustment. As such, I brought my undlegar to bear and let the hate flow through me. I usually don¡¯t mind authority too much, but the Prince in front of me had earned himself a song in all the wrongs ways, and I was going to give it to him. The first note I played screeched into existence with an ear-shattering wail, followed by a hard slide into a blitzkrieg of a riff. I hadn¡¯t intended on singing, but the words just came to me like I¡¯d been intending on freestyling something super sick. The solo was great by my standards, but according to Lumo Junior?


    Well, I was still glaring at him when he said, ¡°... I¡­ I¡¯ve never¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never what, punk?¡±


    ¡°I have never¡­ In my entire life¡­ Heard such a raucous cacophony of such epic proportions! What style of music-¡±


    ¡°Thrash metal.¡±


    ¡°Thrash harder!¡±


    ¡°... Get me my other instrument.¡± I didn¡¯t know how, why, or when the Prince decided that I was worth listening to, but apparently my music was mojo-rific and magical as the sailor girl. I think her name was Seres or something, but that doesn¡¯t actually matter in the slightest.


    The prince snapped his fingers and some of the guards that had closed in on me rushed off to go do the thing he¡¯d asked while I took it upon myself to abuse my undlegar like it was my meat and I was a young man who¡¯d just learned about microwaving a sock full of vaseline. That is to say, I made sure that every sound out of my guitar-thing was new and intense to the ear so that it would translate how I was feeling into raw noise. The songs had no rhythm, no beat, and no melody, but they harmonized all the same, and when I added my own growling vocals to the music, I had the Prince losing his shit to the point where he was moshing the fucking guards. The chaos in him soon spread to the guards and even the butlers ,though the maid in the skimpiest outfit ever seen was more concerned about getting the fuck out of dodge before someone realized she was gone. There was a part of me that wanted her to stay until I was done making sounds do ear pain hard, but there was also a part of me that wanted her gone due to the fact that she was killing my vibe, man.


    Once the maid gal was gone, the shit hit the fan in the worst of was as the moshing turned into a full-on brawl, all the while I was just ripping strings on my undlegar with my fingers until I couldn''t feel them anymore. When the pain was enough to make me stop, I saw and felt that my fingers were super blistered and that they fucking hurt. There wasn¡¯t a doubt in my mind that I¡¯d just done something I shouldn¡¯t have, and the state of the room I was in spoke volumes of that matter. Guards were slowly picking themselves up off of the floor, though whether they actually got to their hooves was another story.The Prince lie on the floor, one leg bent the wrong way at the knee and an arm that was looking a little too flexible for comfort, and I was nursing some pretty raw fingers. Everyone in the room was panting heavily, bleeding, and/or limping. I was no exception, having pulled a muscle in my leg during a particularly dope riff.


    No one really knew what had just happened, though I was well aware of the fact that I¡¯d felt some manner of cathartic release in being able to hammer out the worst of my emotions. Inspecting my hand more closely wasn¡¯t something I wanted to do since I was bleeding, but I¡¯d killed animals before so it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. Still, my hand was looking worse for wear and would do with a soak in some salty water or a spritz of alcohol, and a lot of the guards were looking forward to getting the hell away from the Prince since he was coming ¡®round as well. I decided to stay behind and nurse him myself since no one else wanted to do it, choosing to let him use my jacket as a pillow while I got his face cleaned up with my shirt. He looked up at me through blackened eyes that held much gratitude, so I smiled back and assured him that I¡¯d have his six as needed. He murmured out a ¡®Thanks¡¯, which I was quite sure was the first time he¡¯d ever said so without sass or sarcasm behind it. Getting the guy to his feet was beyond me, but I knew a couple pain relieving arca that would do him some good while I went to go get help. No sooner than I had stepped out of the room was I caught in someone¡¯s grasp, and I wasn¡¯t happy about that. Nor was I happy about the look on the Armator¡¯s face when he looked past me and saw the Prince laid on the couch, still bleeding a bit.


    I earned myself a quick beating that I was pretty sure I deserved, I just didn¡¯t want it. After that little bit of bother was over, I took the time to go and see the darkness that had once swallowed me in the River. By that I mean I got knocked the fuck out and my utility payments got voided like a mother fucker out of nowhere. It was somewhere between relieving and worrying when I woke up in the dreamscape, a place I¡¯d only been while lucid dreaming (Because that¡¯s the only way to get there, duh), but my last appearance in the place had been on purpose. Being there without meaning to be was weird, so I conjured up a pina colada to make things more chill. I changed it into a mojito after a few dream minutes, but then something strange happened, and I mean something stranger than being beaten into super-consciousness. On the one hand, the images passing before my eyes were interesting, but on the other, I had a feeling that they were important.


    Images of a blue-haired woman, and yes I do mean blue as in her hair looked naturally blue, surfaced and showed me a billowing flag rising behind her before the image shifted. Next, a woman with a sloping jaw and gentle, kind eyes faced me then turned away, pointing at the stars above. The final image was of Stellara reaching out to me, so I struggled to take her hand despite the dream gaining control over my thoughts. My limbs wouldn¡¯t move in the inky blackness, but Stella was so clear¡­ She felt so close that all I wanted was to hug her and tell her that I forgave her, but it was out of my limit. I wasn¡¯t saddened at the vision, but I was upset by it and the pain that was growing in my face. My left eye was swollen shut however, the right was open and ready for business. I saw that I was in yet another room, but this time it was a cell and I didn¡¯t want to be in a cell. My arms, legs, and sides hurt, but nothing felt broken other than my will to exist at the moment.


    Sitting myself up was hard, but looking around was harder. My neck felt like it had been sliced on all sides, and when I realized that I actually had been cut on both sides of my neck ,I panicked. The wounds had healed a little, but they still hurt to the touch. Neither had been sewn up, so I was wondering how in the bloodiest of fucks I wasn¡¯t dead. It took a good few hours for the horrid truth to come crashing down on my head, and when it did, it was like the ceiling itself had given way. I was back in the bottom of the River, except instead of having thousands upon thousands of pounds of water crushing me, it was the weight of my own fate that got me to break down. Except I couldn¡¯t cry. I could weep and I could whisper, but I couldn¡¯t actually cry. I didn¡¯t know if it was because I was dehydrated or if it was because of the obvious¡­


    I was dead. My heart no longer beat and blood no longer flowed in my veins. Acceptance came to me in the form of razor-wire and lemon juice for minutes that stretched on.


    Then I woke all the way up and found myself gasping for air, back in the room I¡¯d started my day in. My head was pounding and I had a nosebleed, but other than those two things I was completely fine and in no mood to be bothered. When a familiar butler came to call, I denied him and waited until he left to make my escape out of the window with as much of my crap as I could carry. My stick had to stay behind, but I got most of my shit together and got to steppin¡¯. It probably would¡¯ve been a better idea if I wasn¡¯t on the second story of the building, which would have been easily the third or fourth on a ¡®regular¡¯ estate. Climbing down was complicated and difficult, but I managed it without fully exhausting myself. I assumed that my months of diet and exercise had done me well since I hadn¡¯t died. Well, I did fall, but I didn¡¯t die which is the important bit if you ask me. Once I made it out of the castle, I made quick work of getting off the grounds and back into the city itself. My map was still in my pack up until I found a good point to stop and consult it only to find that Equinaire was larger than I thought. The map zoomed in magically and showed me the nearest exits, but those didn¡¯t help me at the moment since every gate was probably covered by a guard who would soon be looking for someone with instruments. I needed to get out of the city and Ponydale as a whole pretty fast before either the Prince got hurt or Rhubarb enslaved me, and that only left me one option that I knew of. Walk out looking like I was supposed to be leaving, and if anyone stopped me, then I would cut and run as far as I could get. Picking a direction was the easiest part of the plan. I just thought enacting it would be difficult.


    As it turned out, I was wrong. No one so much as spared me a glance as I walked through the capital, and getting out was as easy as blending in with the rest of the people leaving. Plenty of races once called Equinaire home, but with the tides of the dead coming and going, people were looking to either band together or get the fuck out of dodge. The capital wasn¡¯t actually the biggest city in Ponydale, as I learned from talking to a few people on our way out of town. IT was close, but the military and political strength of the country was actually split. People were heading to Clyde¡¯s Dell for protection and to join the muster that was gathering there under the order of King Lumo himself, though that wasn¡¯t where I wanted to go. I had a place in mind and a few Chorets looking to go with me, so I joined my fellow yellow and tan brethren onward to Coranett for safety, refuge, and asylum, which I think are all synonymous in context.


    I¡¯m on watch with a couple other Moon People right now, but I think this is it for the time being. It¡¯s about high time I left the plains and headed to the Corusan Mountains, don¡¯t you think, Booksy?

 Chapter Twelve: Lam Chops

    Lam-Chops


    Traveling proved to be more difficult than I¡¯d expected, and it was all my fault anyway. The Royal Family was officially hunting for me in Ponydale, and not only did I have that on my plate, but there was also word of the Rhubarb Ranch looking for someone fitting my description. Well, before I cut my hair all over again. The vision I had of my future had scared me plenty and was more than enough to make me change my appearance as much as I could. Even my traveling companions couldn¡¯t identify me from the sketches that were posted in the towns on the way to the Centurn/Choret border, and that was exactly what I was going for.


    I stopped playing my undlegar for a couple of weeks while we crossed the land without searching far and wide. There was also more weight loss in my path as well as budding friendships with most of the people in my group, even if they by and large didn¡¯t trust me as far as they could throw me. In my eyes, I had bigger fish to fry like avoiding capture by the Equinish  Crown, a term with the Ranch, or being caught and made to play for someone else for whatever reason. I didn¡¯t even like playing music while in Ponydale, so when we finally crossed the border into Chorell, I was glad to be able to unholster my undlegar and play a couple of songs. Wonderous wasn¡¯t the word for it. Ecstatic describes how I feel, not the pure joy of being free to play my music again. My group enjoyed it as well, though none more so than a Sun Woman named Kihasha, or Kiha for short. She came to me whenever she was feeling down about having to leave her home, and I was happy to play her a song to cheer her up. I¡¯d like to say we developed a more romantic bond, but we honestly grew closer platonically. For all it was worth, we still ended up going our separate ways. She went to the steppes and I headed further toward Coranett with a few other Moon People, though I don¡¯t know why the group split up the way it did. When I asked about it, I just got a standard ¡®We stick with our own¡¯ answer that I¡¯d come to expect for the Chorets.


    During my time with them, I¡¯d noticed the differences between some of the races and found my begotten information unsurprising. Of course each culture was going to be different, and none more so than the hyper-religious, homo-hating Chorets. Even the Centurns had made more sense to me in Hooversdum, but I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s because they acted like I used to or what. I mean, the Centurns as a whole were generally a generous, kind race while the Chorets took their kindness and doled it out as they saw fit. When they¡¯d believed that I was just another one of them, I¡¯d been treated no differently than any of the other ex-pats. Once it was revealed that I was a River Man, I was set aside from the group in a way that upset me a little. Instead of being treated as just another warm body, they started revering me like I¡¯d come through some great struggle to get a second chance at life, or like I¡¯d actually done something worthy of note. To my knowledge, the most noteworthy thing I¡¯d ever done was make songs, and even then they didn''t like all of the ones I played for them. Centurns were a lot more forgiving with their tastes in music, but Chorets abhorred anything with too many swears or sexual references, so a lot of my music was censored for their benefit as well as my own. Little made me want to stay with the cell I¡¯d split off with since they still treated me like an outsider, so I made sure that I wouldn¡¯t run into that particular problem and split off from the group for my own purposes.


    Being on my own again didn¡¯t bother me for once. I mean, the nights were lonely, but I was starting to feel like I was better off on my own. No one to look after, no one to answer to. It was nice in its own way, but there was an emptiness to my life that made my heart ache with the need to find some manner of social interaction. I found myself often doting on memories of my dove and my little cat guy, or of drinking with Luce, or just chilling with Max and Gloss. Thoughts of my music made me want to play some, so I accompanied my travels with songs and ended up just strumming along as I went step by step. I traveled across rolling hills and dry steppes that held little in the way of food to be found, but it was easy enough for me to find edible plants out in the middle of nowhere. My group had set me up with plenty of food, but even as I walked on and supplemented my supplies, I was running low and needed to get to Koachma, a medium-sized Choret town, within a few days or I would be out of food and nearly out of luck. I had Centurn bits and Gertt drachs, but no Choret chocks. I hated that the Chorets were famous for not accepting foreign money from fellow Chorets, but it wasn¡¯t going to be a problem very long once I got into town.


    While on my way to the state/province I did eventually come across more people in the form of a Denosian Caravan heading north to Stalfisk. I got a word with one of the leaders and a meal from them as well in return for warning them about the death and destruction in Ponydale and the capital thereof. I figured the favor was worth what I got, so I broke away from the group ad backtracked on my way to Koachma, making my way there after two more days. When I touched ground in the new place after having only seen tiny towns and villages, it was¡­ Well, it was Choresh, to say the least. Everything reminded me of some kind of religious establishment with the dominant color being green with accents of yellow and pink adorning the walls. The pink and green portions were all of the same patterns in the same shape of a triquetra, though when I came closer to inspect one of the drawings, I evidently garnered some unwanted attention. Standing and staring at the image didn¡¯t really help me discern what it was supposed to be, but the shape of the mosaic was obvious enough. It took a little guesswork, but I assumed that the patterns were made of faces of the same little girl just stretched and distorted. The picture made me feel better about being in a new place full of strange, unknowable people, but turning around to see a semi-circle of young Choresh women around me?


    Terrifying.


    I didn¡¯t know what my armed and dangerous looking friends wanted, though I had the most sneaking of suspicions that it wasn¡¯t tea and crumpets. No, I hoped that they were there for a snack that consisted of what I had in the pack on my back instead of a slap or a smack to be tossed in my direction. There was little to do at the moment, so I looked at the symbol again, looked at the ladies, then back to the symbol, and let my gaze rest on the women before me.


    ¡°Excuse me, but could anyone tell me if these are faces in this thing?¡± I asked politely.


    An ashy-haired woman with a rather square jaw stepped forward. ¡°Your hair.¡±


    Her accent was dreadfully thick, being a gross combination of phlem and mouth-vowels. ¡°Yeah? I know it¡¯s uneven.¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°River Man?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah. I came from the River of Rebirth.¡±


    A couple of them sidled closer. ¡°And you come here where there is no River.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t a River in Chorell?¡±


    The one I¡¯d been talking to rolled her eyes, and a few of them started whispering. I heard translations through the hubbub, but another woman came forward instead of talking with her associates. This one had brick-red hair, signaling her status as a Daylight Devil. ¡°There are rivers here, but no banks for the River. You should have a Partner, River Man.¡±


    I shrugged in turn. ¡°Why do I need one? The first one left, the second one died, and I don¡¯t want to lose a third in the slightest. I¡¯m good.¡±


    That made her furrow her brow. ¡°... You did not sell her? Your Partner?¡±


    There was no stopping my lip from curling, but I could have stopped myself from spitting in her direction. ¡°Who the fuck does that? Stella was nothing but kind to me until she bolted, and I¡¯d never repay that by selling her like some fuckin¡¯ cheap jewelry. You might be used to a different kind of River Person, but that sure as fuck ain¡¯t me.¡±


    Apparently that was worthy of a round of applause. Ash Head stepped closer along with Brick Head and they folded their arms. Ash rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Then where did she go? Hm?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. She took my Companion and ran. I didn¡¯t follow.¡± I scoffed and shook my head. ¡°Didn¡¯t think she¡¯d leave like that.¡±


    Brick took her turn. ¡°Your Partner¡­ Willingly left you? Yes, we believe that. We sure do.¡± She started coming closer.


    I let my hand brush over Clockly and go to my knife. ¡°Y¡¯all sure you wanna do this?¡±


    ¡°River Man versus Choret? I think we¡¯ll take our chances.¡±


    I whipped my knife out and put it in my right hand before drawing Clockly with my left, my Arca already loaded into my bullets as I¡¯d done over the course of the past few months. While they weren¡¯t lethal they would still hurt plenty, though the recoil from my shots was more manageable than I remembered. That factor allowed me to get four of my five shots off before I even had to swing Doug, the women in question falling to my rounds handily. I didn¡¯t see any blood, but I also didn¡¯t see any reason to go easy on people who just assumed that I was a bad guy. My knife connected with a dark-haired woman¡¯s side and I brought her to the wall after firing my last shot. There was no time to reload, so I bounced her head off of the stone and jutted my knife out again, catching the thigh of yet another overly aggressive Choret. I had a funny feeling that they were the revenge type and I also knew for a fact that they were faster and stronger than me, so I had to play as smart as I could. It didn¡¯t help me dodge any of their blows, but with my frame being lighter than ever before (At this height, I should say), it felt almost as if it were natural for me to be throwing out attacks and eating blows of my own. There was¡­ A clarity, I¡¯ll say. A certain lucidity that fighting brought to me that made me feel alive, made me feel stronger. I was getting my ass handed to me by people without weapons for the most part, but there was¡­ It made me feel alive. It made me feel safe and warm and loved, and it just¡­


    There¡¯s no telling if I needed the fight or if I just wanted it, but I felt better while beating the shit out of a bunch of people than I ever had while playing music. Doing damage felt good, and I didn¡¯t want the good times to stop. Making someone else feel the pain that I¡¯d felt for days? Weeks? Months? Since I fucking got here? I had to stop myself before I went to far, standing above eight women that had brought their hands to the knife-n-gun-fight. Five more were picking themselves up behind their fallen sisters and eight men were standing behind the ones that had chosen not to fight. All were looking at me as I nursed the thousandth swollen eye, hundredth pair of fractured ribs, and who even knows how many broken noses I¡¯d earned in my lifetime. It was crunch time, but something rose up in me as I used my willpower to balance myself. I didn¡¯t say much about the strength behind some of the hits I¡¯d taken, but they¡¯d been liberal with the amount of force behind them. This time, something was probably fractured other than just a rib and that something was my fret-hand, which made me both sad and upset. Lefty was my favorite limb since I was ambisinister and liked to mess with people who thought I could only write terribly with one hand.


    I backed up to the wall and dumped my cases from Clockly, eyeing the crowd suspiciously. I¡¯d literally cornered myself with the semi-circle forming around me, chants of ¡®Slaver¡¯ and ¡®Betrayer¡¯ being thrown about like candy in a parade. I was scared to be sure. The men had brought weapons and some of the women who¡¯d chosen not to fight were now brandishing knives. The only reason, and I do mean only reason I was able to hold my own previously was because I had the only weapons. Now that the playing field was weighted even further out of my favor I didn¡¯t know what there was to do. Then I thought about where I was and the resources afforded to me, so I sheathed my knife with my back against the wall, holstered Clockly, and brought out the undlegar. The opening notes of Red Hot Chili Pepper¡¯s Under the Bridge rang out in the air and I changed the tune mid-song. I started with heavy, low notes that thrummed through my bones and started playing a melody I¡¯d sworn to forget. The song I¡¯d played for Prince Lumo in the dream had to have been the cause of the mini-riot/mosh pit, so I did the only thing I could thing to do and unleash the beast through my strings.


    The effect wasn¡¯t immediate, but it was there. The crowd became agitated before my very eyes, pushing and shoving at each other as it grew, everyone jostling for a position closer to me while staying a decent distance away. There was no time to waste. Directing the flow of the tune, I turned the aggression up to eleven and only stopped long enough to pull out my pick. The notes were even louder now and drew in the crowd, rowdy as they were. I hadn¡¯t added the lyrics yet, but things were already starting to turn hot and agitated. The first punch was thrown with the most impressive slide I¡¯d performed to date and shouts took over the crowd. I ended up dancing on my ground-level stage, dodging random people that got shoved my way like I was a natural or trained practitioner. Excitement coated my heart as my plan came to fruition, the Devil¡¯s Tongue worming its way into the devil¡¯s music: Metal. I didn¡¯t actually know many metal songs, but I knew what they sounded like. Things were getting crazier and crazier with each rapidly passing measure, so I got the fuck out of the center of the circle once I saw a gap and left the mob to break itself up. With that in my trail behind me, I took my happy ass the fuck back to my inn and told the keeper that he¡¯d never seen me. He said that he had and I slipped him the contents of one of the wallets I¡¯d found while making my exit. Apparently my music makes people want to throw their money or something, because I¡¯ve noticed that happening more often than not when I perform for a crowd. Valuable projectiles aside, I was set for a little while and I had money that would actually take me somewhere in the country- er, province, which was a plus. A Huge negative, however, was the fact that I didn¡¯t have a partner and the Chorets thought I sold her. Go figure, am I right?


    There I was, the biggest advocate for freedom and liberty that I knew of, on the lam in another province, but this time for practicing the shit that they themselves did. I mean, it was common knowledge that the people of Chorell sold their children when times got tough and that was just a fact of life. Something completely different was their view on how people treated their legally begotten property, which sounded like a case of throwing the soap and shampoo out with the bathwater to me. They could easily fix the situation by not selling kids, but nooo, they just need to be one of the few provinces that actually practices slaving on top of slavery. And then condemns people for it. God, the practice is one thing, but to judge for doing something socially acceptable makes no sense to me, and the Chorets made no sense to me as a whole. Their religion was as convoluted as their culture in my eyes, and I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around any of what I was seeing. The deep-seated roots of the Church were evident everywhere one looked, and the Church supplied Welcome Centers with Choret children to offer as Partners. To condemn your religion and still follow it is the most mind-boggling, absolutely baffling thing is the most ridiculous thing I¡¯ve come into contact within the normal realm of stupid things, that by far being the stupidest.


    Ranting aside, I had the funniest feeling that I was in a bad place again, except this time I¡¯d started a riot and had actually hurt people myself. It honestly felt like I¡¯d finally screwed the pooch, but as I made my way downstairs, I ran into a familiar face that I¡¯d never have thought I¡¯d see down the road. Valen stood before me wide-eyed and confused, asking a simple question. I told her that she had the wrong guy and almost got away from her before she snatched my arm and whirled me around.


    ¡°Gage Gauner,¡± She said numbly.


    Lying seemed like a good idea. ¡°My name is-¡±


    ¡°Gatian, yes. [Why are you here, Gatian? What brings you to the home of holiness?]¡±


    Now, my Bastard-Hebrew was rusty, but I thought I got the message clearly enough and didn¡¯t just want to hear ¡®home of holy¡¯.  [... I¡¯m¡­ Daroo?]


    She furrowed her brow and brought me closer for inspection, making me lean away. ¡°[Why are you here, ¡®Daroo¡¯?]¡±


    ¡°[I¡­ My sister was sold, but, I¡­ Um¡­]¡± I shrugged. ¡°[No greeting or anything? You¡¯re just going to shellfish lamp?]¡± I tilted my head and thought about that. ¡°[Sorry, I¡¯m not a native. I¡¯m only Choret through heritage.]¡±


    Understanding dawned in her eyes. ¡°Ah, you became good liar, Gatian!¡±


    ¡°[... Whaaa?]¡±


    ¡°You not Gatian?¡±


    I pointed at myself and tried to shrug her off. ¡°Daroo.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s not true either¡­¡± Valen seemed to be doing mental gymnastics and scoring a lot of low digits.


    ¡°While you figure that out [can I go find my sister? I heard she got sold by her Partner and-]¡±


    Valen gasped. ¡°[You¡¯re the guy everyone was talking about! Lopsided hair, bruised eye-]¡±


    I jabbed her in the throat for being a turncoat and for also not being on my side, though I also shoved her for good measure. Remaining in the inn was a horrible, terrible idea, so I stole a hat from a rack and shuttled my ass the fuck out of Koachma without getting half the supplies I needed for the next leg of the journey. I figured it was more pertinent to stay safe than to get started doing what I do goodest, though there was an cinkling in the back of my mind that told me that I was being followed. When I settled down for camp halfway into the moons¡¯ ascent, I found out exactly who was following me and it was yet another familiar face. Or it was a normal Fauxlain that happened to be either grey or blue-ish. Either one. When the thing entered my tent, it made sure that it was on top and that I wasn¡¯t going anywhere fast. Its paws felt soft against the decent enough fabric of my tunic, but I was worried about the claws within said paws. The Faulain was larger than Felix had ever been, and by a good fuckin¡¯ margin at that. When I say that I was under the foot of an apex predator, then I friggin¡¯ mean that this thing was bite-half-your-head-off big. However, it didn¡¯t seem to want to hurt me which was a plus if I¡¯d ever seen one.


    Not knowing what to do seems to be my norm, so I went with, ¡°Heya, friend-o. That¡¯s a mighty soft paw you have  there.¡±


    If I didn¡¯t already know a talking cat, I might¡¯ve been surprised when she answered. ¡°You smell of blood. Choret blood. And the River.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve taken a lot of baths since I got out of the River.¡± I was actually kinda offended by that.


    Her lynx-like face fell toward mine. She sniffed my lips, so I licked her nose and got sneezed on for my trouble, but that was pretty much it for the bodily fluid flying. She let off me with her paw and decided to lay her head on my stomach instead, another familiar gesture. ¡°You smell like home, Human.¡±


    ¡°... Would you happen to know a little red ohsum?¡±


    ¡°Most ohsums are red.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s a fun fact.¡±


    ¡°Fun? A word I¡¯ve not heard in these crags for many years.¡± She snorted a heavy sigh.


    ¡°How many winter¡¯s have you seen, Ms. Ohsum?¡±


    ¡°I am no ohsum, and I have seen more winters than most creatures that walk these lands, save for the Elder Drakes.¡±


    ¡°Wow, so I¡¯m talking to¡­ Well, who and what are you exactly? If you don¡¯t mind my asking, that is.¡±


    ¡°I do mind, Home-Human. It is night. Your kind sleeps during these times.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Moon Man.¡±


    ¡°... A Moon Man of the River?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that weird.¡±


    ¡°Bad tidings come my way, then. Your kind is an ill omen.¡±


    I flicked her because I felt like we were bonding. ¡°That¡¯s not very nice. And to think I¡¯m still being so kind as to-¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°Yammer on incessantly?¡±


    ¡°My emotionables.¡±


    She popped a glowing, sky-blue eye open and cast her gaze to me. ¡°You are bad luck and a loud pillow. Accept these things, Moon River.¡±


    ¡°That kinda sounds racist.¡± I laid back and let the large cat do as she pleased.


    ¡°Deal with it.¡±


    ¡°... Could you at least-¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She interrupted.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I know-¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    I shut up and let Ms. Kitty have her beauty sleep. Thankfully I¡¯d limited my water intake and had went wee-wee before beddy-bye, but there was also a twenty to thirty pound head on my stomach that also happened to be pressing on my bladder. It was shaping up to be a long, warm night under the fur of Ms. Kitty, and I had no one to blame for this particular random event. Apparently I¡¯d been sniffed out by someone related to someone I¡¯d spent a long time with, but who that was escaped me. The most likely suspect was Felix since it didn¡¯t seem like the Faulain had wanted anything other than a nap when I¡¯d implied that I knew him, although that was pretty much the ¡®All black people know each other¡¯ thing. Just because they were both talking animals didn¡¯t mean they actually knew each other, but then that begged the question of what ¡®home¡¯ was for Big Cat Lady and what that meant for my status as a meal. Like it or not, I was stuck yet again, and this time I didn¡¯t want to hurt anything. It¡¯d felt like another drug when I started really laying into the violence and chaos and that just wasn¡¯t who I was or what I wanted to be. Distancing myself from the outright bashing of brains seemed like a good idea, and keeping the big gray cat in a good mood seemed pretty important.


    Sleep got me like the sneaky bastard it is and had me wake up when the Faulain moved her head off of me. Come to think of it, I just assumed she was a female because of her voice, but the thing could have easily been asexual or androgyne or whatever. That didn¡¯t change the fact that her name was Ms. Kitty until further notice. Speaking of notice, my bladder let me know that I needed to go, so I followed Ms. Kitty out of the tent and had myself a tinkle while the moons were still up. I figured it¡¯d be a good time to pack up camp since I didn¡¯t have afire or anything, so I got everything together, stuck it on or in my pack one way or another, and continued on my way down to Coranett, though I had the sneaking suspicion that I was going to need to find a Partner before I could call myself safe in these lands.


    As it turned out, Ms. Kitty fucked off and left me alone, so I waited for a little bit until I reasoned that if she¡¯d found me by my scent once, she could do it again. I was proven correct when I felt rather than heard or saw her coming back to join me again. It wasn¡¯t that the ground was thrumming with her step or anything so much as her presence just being noticeable once you know what to look for. It went from dawn to feeling like dusk the moment she bounded back to my side, rubbing her coat along my arm and leg. I let my hand rest on her back and welcomed her, which earned me a purr.


    ¡°Now that I seek you no longer, I find your softness inviting,¡± she said as I stroked her fur.


    ¡°What were you looking for me for anyway?¡±


    ¡°I smelled my home away from my home. It was interesting and you are interesting. You have proven to be good luck so far.¡±:


    ¡°Have I? Did you go hunting while I¡¯ve been walking?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I was successful. Why did you not join me in the hunt?¡±


    ¡°If I hunt, I¡¯m probably going to lay traps. I¡¯m not very good at killing things outright.¡±


    She turned a baleful eye to me. ¡°You are a Human. Murder is in your nature.¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. I forgot that you were of the River. I smell its waves rolling off of you nearly as strong as the scent of home.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of home, is your home a small red ohsum and a Changeling?¡±


    She stopped suddenly and whipped me with her tail. ¡°I know of what you speak, but that is not my treasure to have. I am too old for family, Moon River.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t have a son?¡±


    ¡°I did not say that. All Faulain are my children in the eyes of the creator. Once I stopped birthing, they took care of the forests themselves. I am simply the first. The Alpha.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so what can I call you?¡±


    ¡°What would you need to do that for?¡±


    ¡°To find you. Get your attention.¡±


    ¡°Someone else shall choose a name for me. ¡®Kitty¡¯ is degrading.¡±:


    ¡°Right¡­ Well, aren¡¯t you nocturnal?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°What about Nyx? You¡¯re pretty blue and you¡¯re like, the first of your kind, right? Nyx was the first of the Egyptian gods besides Nut, I think.¡±


    ¡°... Nyx. That is a good name.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also because you scratch things.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t scratch, I claw, as in I¡¯ll claw you for making that dreadful pun again.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Nyxie.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Nyx.¡±


    ¡°Nyxie.¡±


    ¡°Nyx¡±


    I patted her back, smiling. ¡°Won¡¯t you be Nyxie just for me?¡±


    She whacked my back with her tail and tickled my neck with the tip for a second. ¡°Won¡¯t you be lunch just for me?¡±


    ¡°If it comes down to it then, yeah. You can eat me if we¡¯re both starving and there¡¯s no hope.¡±


    ¡°... I was not expecting you to answer in such a way, nor to be so serious while saying such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I have a feeling you¡¯d kill me quick. I¡¯ve never really starved, per se, but I can imagine that being extremely hungry sucks. Why not kill two birds with one stone? End my suffering, fill your stomach; boom. Win-win.¡±


    ¡°If you would not taste like moon dust and River mud I would consider it, but you do not have the makings of a good meal. I suppose I should apologize for-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, it¡¯s just nice to talk to someone who just¡­ Talks back, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Have you been talking to many faulains?¡±


    ¡°No, not since my Companion, the ohsum. I-¡±


    ¡°Oh for feather¡¯s sake!¡± Nyx hissed suddenly, stopping on three paws. She scanned the ground before sitting down and examined her right front paw, a couple of thorns stuck in there deep. I got glared at for chuckling. ¡°Do you think thorns in paws are funny? Now I have to find a bird!¡±


    I whipped out a small pen-knife I had on hand that I only really used for cutting paper. ¡°Give me a sec and I¡¯ll get ¡®em out for ya, Nyx.¡± After pouring some Everclear from the Nonstop Party-Pop (The flask I got from Max), I lit the blade on fire with a small Arca, let it burn out, and made sure the blade was just a little warm when I went to work on Nyx. She was chicken when it came to getting patched up, whimpering and mewling like a fucking kitten while I carefully pushed and dug the thorns out of her paws. It wouldn¡¯t have been quite so bad if they weren¡¯t serrated, but still. I managed to get most of them out with a slide rather than ripping them out one by one, so I was greatful for that. The hard part came when I convinced Nyx to let me pour some alcohol in a spray bottle I had in my pack and spray her wound. She let me do it, but I hadn¡¯t known that cats had so many colorful curses in their limited language. After trying a few different styles we found a way to wrap her paw that was both functional and pragmatic, so without further ado, I took the lead and Nyx eventually stopped limping once the healing started. After all the fuss, she was grateful that she hadn¡¯t had to let the wounds heal over the thorns since she just healed that fast, so I asked how many thors she had in her paws and she said ¡®Enough to make every step hurt when I think about it¡¯, so I asked her if she¡¯d ever been to an animal doctor.


    Of course, the ancient Cat Goddess-thing had never been to someone to see about getting the amount of thorns one collected over the course of a few thousand years out of her paws. Seriously, apparently she had over a dozen thorns in her paws at varying lengths, and she trusted no one other than me to go digging around in her paws for them. When I mentioned that I could sedate her and cut the thorns out whenever we had time, she asked if we could hurry and get it over with so she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about it ever again. Understandably (I hope), I was reluctant to practice surgery on an animal that could kill me without thinking about it, especially since said animal was becoming a friend of mine and I was also starting to appreciate the dialog we kept up. I¡¯d only cut the other thorns out because I¡¯d seen them go in, which didn¡¯t make Nyx mad, it just irritated her that I wasn¡¯t willing to something I had never done before. Then she said that she had literally regrown each ear, her tail, multiple teeth, and both front paws multiple times. I did what seemed natural at the time and let the giant, darkish blue cat Demi-Goddess convince me to perform open-paw surgery on her in the least sanitary of places outside of an actual sewer.


    There wasn¡¯t much in my bag of Arca that actually made Nyx do any more than blink when she didn¡¯t want to, so none of my D-Class healing would work. The highest rank spell I even had was still in the C-Class range, but even then all of that was combat stuff. I wasn¡¯t made to be a medic, but something that had been said to me in Ponydale rang in my ears, and then a few campaigns of D&D. Rudy Rhubarb had called me a Minstrel which was like a Bard, and I already had a ¡®Frenzy¡¯ song. I wondered what the most chill, relaxing song I¡¯d ever heard with the most depressing lyrics and came up with Dust in the Wind by legendary Kansas. I had to play it on my undlegar since the bass was negligible in the song, but before I knew it, I had Nyx crying herself to sleep, moaning about how pointless it was for me to pull the thorns from the paws of a ¡®Worthless, pathetic dust bunny¡¯. That was worrying, but she was also slammered to the point where being drunk was like being sober. Seriously, feeding that damn cat moonshine cherries and having her gag at every kind of shine I could think of was hilarious, but in the end, it was good old American apple pie that soothed the savage beast along with a depressing song. Apple pie and depressing music. That really is American as fuck. Now I regret not calling Nyx Molly Ringwald or something. Oh well, that cat pun was bad anyway.


    I had a stolen book with me from the Equinaire castle, or rather Castle Unity as it was colloquially called, but it wasn¡¯t my usual genre. It was an instructional book on some more combat Arca, a few field-medic-y things and a couple of disease-ridding charms that were all but useless without the right tools for the job. I wasn¡¯t an Artificer, which was who the book was mostly for, but there were still a few disease runes that were simple enough for me to cut out in paper and use the stencils for them. They all had different indicators that would show if they worked, but the lights that were supposed to ¡®glow with the intensity of a loose candle¡¯ were more like nightlights in the dawning sunlight. I suppose a ¡®loose candle¡¯ could be somewhat dim, but I wasn¡¯t too concerned about it. After making sure that the Anti-Infection Rune and the Pain-Relief Rune (C- Class) were both glowing as they should have been, I got started pulling the myriad of thorns from the figurative lion¡¯s paw. Nyx was definitely as big as a lion, but she was sleeping as soundly as a cub when I made my first incision. I tried not to cut the middle of the paw while I was operating, but there was little I could do about it when I started finding thorns.


    The majority of them were so deep I couldn¡¯t get at them with my fingers, but a bit of quick thinking got me a pair of sturdy twigs that I skinned, straightened, and narrowed down. They worked pretty well once I added ridges for gripping which made me wonder about the use of smooth chopsticks. Bullshit aside, I managed to pull out several thorns before Nyx even started to twitch. Blood was all over my clothes and hands, but it was dark and non-arterial, so I wasn¡¯t worried about her bleeding out on me. By the time I finished with her front two paws, she was starting to stir and growl, so I sang her a simple lullaby that I thought up and she was out again like a light. The second I got her back paws finished, however, I came to the crashing realization that I could have been healing her as I went along with some runes from the book instead of using my immaterial arca, so I took care of that before she woke up. The wound had long since stopped bleeding and I couldn¡¯t feel anymore lumps in her paws, but what amazed me more than the fact that she both trusted me to knock her out and cut her open was how fucking fast she healed. I¡¯d never seen a cut actually close before my very eyes, but the time-lapse was real with this one. In the span of about fifteen minutes, no matter how deep the cut and with little help from my Terru/magic, the lacerations mended, the flesh knit back together, and before long, there wasn¡¯t even a scar to show that anything had happened. I couldn¡¯t be proud of my handy-work since I was still mostly covered in blood from the waist down, although I was still happy to help someone who needed it.


    I stayed with Nyx for awhile, just in case she woke up and saw that I wasn¡¯t there. When she came to she was a little groggy but overall less irritable than she¡¯d been when she¡¯d first laid down. After a few minutes of her not waking up, I decided to write this out with my spare time. I¡¯ll pick it up again here in a few, Booksy, so don¡¯t worry. I have a feeling that this is going to be a day to remember, especially with my talking cat as my new friend and conversation-pal. Let¡¯s see what the day has in store for us, no?


    I¡¯m not adding a page break here because I forgot to do it earlier and I already wrote out the ¡®I¡¯ before I could remember to do it, so deal with it. With my first and hopefully only surgery having been a resounding success, I welcomed her to the waking world with a little water and a bite of some meat I had in my pack. Before we knew it, Nyx was back on her feet and she deigned it worthy of her time to bitch at me for actually putting her to sleep. I¡¯d been unaware of the fact that she¡¯d wanted to be awake for the operation, but I figured it was for the best anyway. Her ire was plenty enough to make me apologize though I had to actually ask her how her paws felt. She shut up for a second and started bitching about the same damn thing again, so I told her that I¡¯d never pull another thorn from her paw as long as I lived and was pretty stubborn about it until she literally stepped on a sharp rock four hours later into the day. Then for all the moaning, bitching, and whining she¡¯d done, Nyx asked me to get the rock out of her paws so she wouldn¡¯t chip a tooth on it and I caved since I¡¯m too nice for my own good. She then started bitching again, so I went with ¡®Eat me or shut the fuck up already.¡¯ and she shut up.


    The journey from then was pretty quiet till night fell, with Nyx breaking the silence when the moons rounded the horizon. ¡°Moon River, you seem annoyed.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± I¡¯d barely heard her the first time and had to think over what she said. ¡°Annoyed? I¡¯m not, really. I don¡¯t stay one way for long.¡±


    ¡°Still, I feel ungrateful. You assisted me with no incentive.¡±


    ¡°My incentive was the feeling I got from helping you. That¡¯s all I¡¯ll ever need, Bast-urd.¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t know my name?¡± She was as surprised as I was.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t have one.¡±


    ¡°No, Bastet is my first name. I find it odd that you know of it.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I know of a Goddess with that name back on Earth, but she wasn¡¯t real.¡±


    ¡°Your Ascended do not exist beyond the River?¡±


    ¡°... You have Gods here?¡± It was news to me. The only people I¡¯d ever seen do so much as pray were Choret.


    ¡°They rise and fall as all things do, but yes, we have Ascended Beings here on Septural.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really cool, actually. Which one is the God of Death and Rebirth?¡±


    She stopped so suddenly I thought she was about to step on something else, so I looked at the ground around her paws and waited to see what she was seeing. Then I realized she was seeing me because that¡¯s where her face was pointing. ¡°What concern is that of yours?¡±


    ¡°That sounded kinda weird, but you basically asked why I cared, right?¡±


    ¡°That is correct.¡±


    ¡°Ah, then I care because there¡¯s flaming zombies sticking the cocks into every orifice Ponydale has. It might be worthwhile to send up a prayer to that guy in particular.¡±


    Bastet, as she was apparently called, snorted. ¡°Are you sure you should be asking the embodiment of the Ultimate Mercy for a favor? Especially with your circumstances.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Bast started walking again, so I followed closeby. ¡°I mean that there is no God of Rebirth on Septural. We do not live second lives away from the Plains of Rest and the Forest of Mercy, and even then, my children and their kin must be delivered to their final slumber, or they walk the earth as Revenants.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Revenants.¡±


    ¡°Bast, I know what a Revenant is, dammit! I¡¯m asking why the fuck your dead people turn into zombies!¡±


    ¡°They tend not to. The Dreadnots are a creation.¡±


    ¡°So if I die-¡±


    ¡°No one knows. You may very well be allowed to live yet another life.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like it¡¯d be worth it.¡±


    ¡°Three lives for the price of one? You would call that a worthless trade?¡±


    ¡°Two for one is a deal, three for one is suspicious. What purpose would anyone have for keeping me alive for so long? Especially after I threw the first chance away and would probably fuck the second one up if I haven¡¯t already.¡±


    ¡°I have not eaten you. I would say that you are doing well.¡±


    I patted her back and chuckled at that. ¡°You sure do have a way with words, Bast-turd.¡±


    ¡°I feel as though you just insulted me.¡±


    ¡°Do feelings really matter, Miss Dust-Bunny?¡±


    ¡°... We will never speak of that again.¡± She growled.


    I pretended to wipe her coat off until she looked back at me. ¡°Sorry, thought you might¡¯ve been shedding.¡±


    ¡°Liar.¡±


    ¡°Cat.¡±


    ¡°I am far more than a simple cat, Moon River.¡± She huffed, tail going up into the air.


    I poked it a couple of times and smiled as it recoiled with each touch. ¡°Yeah  I¡¯d say you are. This kinda reminds me of a story I read a few times about this guy and his Companion. Except the guy was handsome and so was the wolf.¡±


    ¡°You would attack both of us simultaneously?¡±


    ¡°If I take a shot at you and not myself, is that really fair?¡±


    ¡°You are strange, Moon River.¡±


    ¡°Would you care to hear about the story?¡±


    ¡°As aimlessly as we¡¯ve been wandering, I would welcome anything to break the monotony.¡±


    ¡°Well then, there was this story about this guy, right? Except the guy was special because of some prophecy and everyone kinda expected him to be normal. The thing was that the guy was reborn on a different planet and everyone he was meeting were aliens, so he kinda had to adjust to the fact that the people had Human faces, but ears like a horse, tails like a smaller equine, and sometimes wings or¡­ Horns.¡± I thought for a second. ¡°Huh. I think I might be living a furry¡¯s ideal life right now.¡±


    ¡°A furry dream?¡±


    ¡°No, a furry is a person who is sexually attracted to like, animals and Humanoid races like the Centurns or the Minotaurs, I think. I¡¯m not too sure, but a lot of them dressed up like animals and proceeded to do the dirty while wearing the fursuits, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Humans.¡±


    ¡°Humans indeed.¡±


    ¡°What about the man¡¯s wolf? Where does she come into play?¡±


    ¡°Why do you assume it¡¯s a she-wolf?¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s how all stories go. A male and a female embark on a quest, fall in love, and have kits. Many tales go this way.¡±


    ¡°Well, how¡¯s a Human supposed to have puppies with a wolf?¡±


    ¡°I gave birth to many species. It would not be impossible for one such as I.¡±


    ¡°... What.¡±


    ¡°Was that a question?¡±


    ¡°I meant it to be, but it didn¡¯t really come out as one. Bast, are you saying that you¡¯re like, Mother Septural?¡±


    ¡°I am nothing of the sort. If I was, would I need a mortal such as yourself to pull so many thorns from my own four paws?¡±


    I tapped my chin and thought about that. ¡°Y¡¯know, I could still see you being a Demi-Goddess or something of the sort.¡±


    ¡°What does ¡®demi¡¯ mean?¡±


    ¡°It means something like ¡®kinda¡¯ or ¡®lesser, but similar¡¯ in context. Otherwise, I think it¡¯s just a replacement for ¡®semi¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I see. This would also be incorrect. I claim no divinity.¡±


    ¡°Are you revered?¡±


    ¡°As a mother should be,¡± she replied proudly.


    ¡°Well, then I dunno what to call you. What even are you, anyway?¡±


    ¡°A faulain, you kit.¡±


    ¡°I know that, you pussy. I was asking why you¡¯re blue, huge, and-¡±


    ¡°I am not huge, I am sizeable.¡± Bast sounded pissed like I¡¯d just called her fat, which made no sense because she wasn¡¯t a fucking Human.


    ¡°Cat, are you fucking my dick right now?¡±


    ¡°Am I¡­ I beg your pardon, Moon River, but I believe your language slipped from Common for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Bruh.¡±


    ¡°Are you feeling well?¡±


    ¡°Okay, Bast, I¡¯m going to ask you one time and one time only, and if you fucking lie to me, I¡¯ll never get off your tail and subsequent hindquarters until you tell me the damn truth; Are you sensitive about your weight?¡±


    ¡°... Maybe.¡± She said softly.


    ¡°... Alright, I accept that and you for who you are, no further questions asked. How are your paws feeling?¡±


    She turned to look at me. ¡°Better. Much better. I should have thanked you earlier.¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve been more certain that you were okay with how I handled things, or rather how I was planning to. Still, glad your walking pads aren¡¯t constantly causing you pain.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still old, though I forgive and thank you for forgetting.¡±


    ¡°You don''t¡¯ sound old, and you carry yourself as¡­¡± I collected my thoughts as Bast waited for me to continue. ¡°Well, you carry yourself like an important person who doesn¡¯t want to be important. Then you have to think about how you¡¯ve had to deal with responsibility and crap since like, day one, so you¡¯re used to stressing about everything. I¡¯d say you sound like your average mom of four with no dad in the picture.¡±


    ¡°... So I sound like I am very stressed, possess some level of stature, and have annoying, young children?¡±


    ¡°I mean, how you got that last bit from what I said is reasonable enough, but the specificity of it was pretty friggin¡¯ great. Grade-A assessment. Deduction. Whatever.¡±


    ¡°Why do you sound intoxicated half of the time?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m drunk on misery and depression or some shit like that.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not that bottle you¡¯ve been sipping out of since-¡±


    ¡°Well, would you look at that! A lil¡¯ birdie!¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re drunk, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m honestly surprised it took you this long to notice.¡± I shrugged it off.


    ¡°... I¡¯ve lived long, Moon River.¡± She said, her voice lighter than before.


    I almost looked back, but decided against it. ¡°I don¡¯t like where this is going, so why don¡¯t we not and just get to our destination.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve walked among Humans in my time. Long enough to know when there¡¯s a problem.¡±


    ¡°I know I have a problem, but it helps and I¡¯m perfectly happy with my life at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say-¡±


    ¡°I know what I said, but I didn¡¯t mean it. Why are you worried about this, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Ill omens don¡¯t come to pass for foolish reasons. I am with you for a reason.¡±


    I finally looked back and saw a gray Cat-Humanoid thing with blue clothes on. The tunic had paw prints around the hem, which I though was cute, and the pants were stylish as far as Septurn standards went. A little out of fashion if what Kiha and Felmie had told me was up to date, but still. If it wasn¡¯t for the whiskers, ears, and a button nose, she¡¯d almost look like a really ashy Human. I glanced behind her and saw a tail, so I stared for a second and turned my gaze back to her.


    ¡°Why the fuck aren¡¯t you a cat?¡±


    ¡°I am always a cat. Why are you drinking yourself silly?¡±


    ¡°Makes me play better. Clouds up the bad thoughts, bring out the good times. You don¡¯t know me well enough to say otherwise.¡± She shrugged and made no move to continue, so I stopped. ¡°What? Do you think you¡¯re on some quest to make me stop drinking or some shit?¡±


    ¡°You helped me, so I will help you. You are obviously a friend of a friend.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°You smell like home.¡±


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡±


    ¡°You smell like the dust of the stars,¡± she answered cryptically.


    ¡°That means nothing to me.¡±


    ¡°It means that someone that has crossed your path and bore some manner of adoration for you was formed of the stars during gestation. Does this clarify things?¡±


    ¡°... Are you just a wisdom spouting, shapeshifting cat-person now or something?¡±


    ¡°I was already wise. I have been ¡®spouting¡¯ wisdom at you all day.¡±


    ¡°You spent half of it bitching about getting knocked out by a song.¡±


    ¡°While that is fair, we were speaking of your drinking problem.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know why you decided you only needed two legs to have this talk-¡±


    ¡°Is this form not more familiar to you?¡±


    ¡°Not by much, no.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t sound so nonchal-¡± She flashed brightly and appeared on four legs. ¡°Well, damn. That was quick.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had many years to practice. Should we not discuss this?¡±


    ¡°Well, if we do, can we do it on the move? I¡¯m kinda running from a government, a shadow organization, a town, and some rabid fans at the moment, so maybe we could¡­¡± I gestured behind me with my thumb.


    ¡°Where are we going? This is not a wise road to travel for a Slaver.¡±


    ¡°Fucking- Why does everyone automatically think that!? Fuck-mothering-dick-suck-fuckling-bitch-cock-juggling-blither-faff-bugger-bloody-snatch- you know what? You know fuckin¡¯ what? She left me! I didn¡¯t want her gone! I didn¡¯t want her to leave! She just did! And nothing is going to fucking change that!¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you drink.¡±


    ¡°Oh, fuck you.¡±


    Storming off didn¡®t make me look mature, but I really didn¡¯t want to deal with her shit at the moment. Bast followed and caught up easily because I also didn¡¯t really want to be alone again, which in and of itself told me that I needed some kind of help. That was a hard realization to come by since I was already used to drinking myself to sleep and into a stupor when I woke up. Keeping a buzz for the past few months had gotten me through them, and yeah, I left my drinking out of my journals. So what? Maybe I just didn¡¯t feel like it was worthy of mention? Because it¡¯s-


    It¡¯s not...


    I can stop if I want to, I know I can¡­


    Right, Booksy? You know it too¡­ Don¡¯t you?

 Chapter Thirteen: The Here And Now

    The Here & Now


    I didn¡¯t like hiding the fact that I was still drinking from Bast, so I didn¡¯t. Instead, I just drank as I normally did and ignored her when she said that I was killing myself slowly. I knew she was right, but my problem wasn¡¯t my problem, you know? It was like it was someone else¡¯s life I was living at the moment, and it had felt that way for some time now. There wasn¡¯t going to be any magical change of heart that would make me suddenly want to stop drinking, but I did sip from my bottle a little less often than I¡¯d been doing for the sake of peace and quiet. In between bitching at me and giving me sass, Bast told me stories about things she¡¯d seen that even I would find unlikely, and I didn¡¯t doubt that the two moons above were actually different planets. It wasn¡¯t true as far as anyone knew, but still.


    Over the course of the three days it took for me and Bast to get to Coranett, we decided that it was best for her to come in the guise of a Humanoid so she could pose as my partner. Since she believed me about Stella leaving me rather than sticking to her assumption Bast didn¡¯t really have a problem with it. She considered it helping me and so did I, which made it unanimous and got her off my back about my drinking for the most part. By the time we actually got to the city we¡¯d run into quite a few groups of interesting people that were all shapes and sizes. I learned that Chorets weren¡¯t as exclusive as I¡¯d thought, but then again there weren¡¯t many Humanoids if any wearing any of the jewelry associated with the Church. It took some cajoling and a few free songs, but I was able to get my freedom and liberty pieces out to the public so well that I could hear some people humming the tune as Bast and I got past the town¡¯s main checkpoint. We weren¡¯t searched or anything, but someone did question my companion and whatever the fuck she was. Apparently, cats don¡¯t walk on two legs, but Dogs do. She played it off as being foreign and no one could correct her since they didn¡¯t get a real country from her. Bast almost got herself detained until I told them that she was my Partner and that she was difficult at the best of times. It got us through, I¡¯ll say that much.


    There wasn¡¯t much for us to do once we got into town. The streets were alive with the hustle and bustle of a big town, but religious symbolism and idolatry were everywhere. Triquetrae were splayed on almost any available surface in green, yellow, and pink while scripture verses were strung across doorways and alleys. It was honestly nuts with how deep they were into their backward religion, but I wasn¡¯t going to judge them based on their idiocy. I preferred to judge them on the pure hypocrisy of their culture in and of itself, which low-key made me a racist. However, in my defense, even my own Partner had been taken aback by learning that I was bisexual, and my Guide from the River had left me to die for it as well. And they anally raped girls for the sake of letting priests steal their virginities. That was fucked up too. It actually inspired me. Inspired me with song!


    Backwards FuttBuck by Gatian Gauner


    O¡¯ that chick was kinda silly, suckin¡¯ on his little willy


    Didn¡¯t know that what he did was super wrong!


    Oh he took by the waist an¡¯ then he took her by the face


    and then he kept on sinnin¡¯ all night long!


    O¡¯ the Chorets are a race who are all ¡®bout savin¡¯ face


    But they don¡¯t stand up til you¡¯re fuckin¡¯ done!


    Don¡¯t you sell your Partner, partner,


    End up somewhere darker, darker


    Than the bottom of a Priest¡¯s black he~art!


    Now all them rapey Bishops be slackin¡¯ on their push-ups


    So why don¡¯t you go an¡¯ take ¡®em down?


    ¡®Cause they¡¯ll surely rape your daughter


    Throw her hymen to the slaughter


    And call that horrid shit normal in this town!


    WEEELL~


    I for one am done right now this song is just ¡®bout through


    But let me tell ya partner, ¡®cause here¡¯s the plan part two:


    Burnin¡¯ down the churches then we hang him till he lurches


    No more Priest gon¡¯ tell y¡¯all what to do!


    And then you repeat the song until the churches get burned down, or at least that¡¯s what I planned on doing. I never said I fully understood the Church and what it did, but I knew that parts of it were poisonous, if not straight up rotten. The best thing to do with a moldy piece of bread is to burn the whole loaf, so that¡¯s what I planned on doing. There were other options, of course, but I¡¯d told Stella that I was going to set her free, and despite her leaving me, I was a man of my word. Finally in the heart of the Church of Chorell, finally where I needed to be, I took up a seat in a tavern with Bast and started working on getting us some free drinks with costly entertainment. Apparently I was a little out of practice, but it was nothing that a few seconds of tuning and a brisk glass of water couldn¡¯t fix. Before I knew it, I was pumping out Gauner¡¯s Grovel like it was second nature. Mostly because it was, but you know.


    Bast bobbed her head along with the rhythm of the music and we started to garner a crowd before long. Some people gave us drinks, others gave pieces of money. Some threw ripped underwear, which I think is actually a Choret thing because the Ponies and Sotans don¡¯t do that now that I think about it. Outside of the things we were given, nothing got thrown at me and people seemed to enjoy the tamer songs. I figured they would appreciate some Jewish hymns if I could remember them, but I was pretty sure I needed a balalaika to make the songs sound right. In any case, Bast and I secured ourselves a room for the night with neither of us choosing to sleep in the bed. I wanted to sleep on my bed roll and Bast wanted to sleep on me, so I helped us both out and we got a good night¡¯s rest. Well, I say that, but the clock on the wall says that I¡¯m up past midnight and I need a drink, but my pack is across the room. Guess I¡¯ll have to do this one sober.


    ????????????????????????


    Our first day in Coranett started and ended much the same as the next two. It took a little while, but I started to lay the groundwork for a fanbase in Chorell with Bast by my side at the inn we were staying at. I didn¡¯t know the name of the place, but I recognized the symbols well enough, so I was able to get to and from the inn with little to no problem. Bast, however, needed to retrace my scent if she wanted to get back to the inn in her Human form. I found it amusing enough, but after a few days more of making music and collecting underwear, it started to get less amusing since it always took her hours to come and go from wherever she was going. That being said, I could have probably found a wife if I wanted one. I got enough fucking offers for it, for no real reason other than my musical talent. That wasn¡¯t what I wanted someone to want out of me, so no suitor was really appealing out of the lot.


    After a full week of not writing in you, I¡¯ve come back to say this; I hate Chorell and everything it stands for. I hate its people, and I hate its food. Chorell food always tastes like fat and nothing else, and their people? So closed minded that none of my songs have any lasting effect. I¡¯ll come back when I have more information and something to go on, but for the time being, This is it, Booksy. If I don¡¯t write in you again, I drank myself to death or otherwise found a way to get it over with.


    ????????????????????????


    Still kicking and¡­ Well, let me just tell you about it.


    I woke up a day or two ago in a fog, my drinking finally catching up with me. Bast was in her human form, resting on my chest while watching me, so I closed my eyes and rubbed her arm because her fur was still soft. After a while of just laying there, we heard a knock on the door, but I was a little too hungover to deal with anyone at the moment, so Bast answered the door. A pleasant female voice asked to see the River Man with the gray Cat Partner, but Bast turned her away, thinking she was just some groupie. I was listening during the conversation so I picked up on a few nuances of the woman¡¯s voice, citing her as an Expatriated Choret from her accent. It was a little familiar, but it wasn¡¯t like Valens, which confused me since I knew a lot of Choret people and didn¡¯t care to remember anyone else. Bast still got the woman to go away,but not before I heard her say something interesting.


    ¡°I must see Gatian! He is in grave danger!¡± The woman whispered urgently from the doorway.


    ¡°Then tell me so I may make him aware of his peril.¡±


    ¡°He is without his Partner¡­¡± The woman said softly.


    ¡°I am his Partner.¡±


    ¡°No, you are not! I know his Partner.¡±


    That piqued my interest, so I picked my head up and took a moment to look at Bast¡¯s tail. That was about all I really saw before I laid back down and started wondering about who knew my Partner situation. The only person I could think of would have been one of the women I was traveling with so I said, ¡°Bast, let her in. I probably know her.¡±


    I saw Bast lean forward before looking back. ¡°Gatian, this woman knows you.¡±


    ¡°I figured.¡± It wasn¡¯t like I meant to be sassy, but it just came out like that.


    ¡°No, Gatian, this woman smells like home.¡±


    ¡°Then she probably knows me, Kitty.¡± I sat all the way up and started rubbing sleep out of my eyes.


    ¡°Gatian? Is that you?¡± The woman asked.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me. Who are you?¡±


    Bast let the woman in and no one said anything until I looked at the silver-haired temptress. With her short locks and full bust, I was surprised to see that she was Choret after all, even if I¡¯d assumed so in the first place. Then I saw her generous hips and let my gaze wander back to her clear, ocean blue eyes and found myself staring into the face of someone I very much wanted to forget. Stellara Inova stood before me with a concerned look on her face and a certain amount of unfamiliarity behind her own gaze. Standing up, I saw that she was a little different than I¡¯d seen before. Slimmer by a good margin and a bit taller, I had a funny feeling I wasn¡¯t looking at the woman I¡¯d known, or at least the woman I remembered. However, there was the slightest bit of something in her that I felt. I didn''t¡¯ know what it was, but there was something that I liked about her, and it wasn¡¯t her figure. Then,m just to seal the deal, I saw that her eyes leaned more towards a blue-violet that I¡¯d never seen rather than Stella¡¯s beautiful ocean blue eyes.


    ¡°Who¡­ Who are you?¡± I asked uneasily.


    ¡°I am Stellara Cosma,¡± the woman said softly.


    ¡°... So you¡¯re Stella¡¯s sister.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re not welcome here.¡±


    Panic crossed her face. ¡°Gatian, please, we-¡±


    ¡°Stellara left me like that.¡± I snapped my fingers for emphasis. ¡°What do I owe you? Or her, for that matter?¡±


    ¡°... You owe us nothing [Mister] Gauner, but we need your help. Stella needs your help.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Tell her that she should have stuck with me if she wanted me to lend a hand.¡±


    Cosma wrung her hands. ¡°... I can¡¯t see her.¡±


    ¡°And? You have been given your answer,¡± Bast replied for me. ¡°Leave. You have no place here.¡±


    Stellara¡¯s sister dropped to her knees, spread her arms and hands out wide, and touched her forehead to the floor. ¡°I beg you. She¡¯s all I have left¡­¡±


    Bast looked to me, somewhat nonplussed. I raised a brow. ¡°Your input?¡±


    ¡°It would be bastardly to ignore her completely. Hear her plea then cast her out.¡±


    I looked back to Cosma, her head still down. ¡°... That¡¯s not who I am. That¡¯ll never be who I am.¡± I saw Bast nod out of the corner of my eye. ¡°Cosma, get the fuck off the damn floor and face me like a woman. I can¡¯t say anything in good conscience like this.¡±


    She got up and looked at me hopefully. ¡°Please, you¡¯re our only hope of-¡±


    ¡°After this, I want you two to leave me alone. Stellara chose to leave and that was all that needed to be said between us. She didn¡¯t want me. She divided us.¡±


    Cosma nodded. ¡°When first we met again, she spoke of you, Gatian Gauner. She spoke of a kindness that-¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°She helped corrode. What are you getting at?¡±


    ¡°... Stellara said that if she were to ever come into trouble that I was not to come to you.¡±


    ¡°I wonder why she¡¯d say that.¡±


    ¡°From what she told me, I wondered as well. The man she described was¡­ Different.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Then here¡¯s to more of the same. Where is she and what does she need?¡±


    That seemed to dampen her spirits. ¡°... Stellara is being held at the [Church of Solitude] here in Coranett. I came to appeal for her case to no avail, but surely her Partner would have a hope of exonerating her¡­¡±


    ¡°Stellara was a slave before she met me.¡±


    ¡°... Yes, she was.¡±


    ¡°What happens when I release her from her duty then, hm? Is all forgiven and she just goes free? Carries on as she sees fit?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Cosma admitted.


    ¡°So you don¡¯t know if I can even help?¡±


    ¡°... I thought it was-¡±


    ¡°Whatever, we¡¯ll give it a shot. Just don¡¯t tell Stellara if you can manage, and point me in the direction I need to go.¡±


    Hope entered her gaze again. ¡°I can lead you to the church if you¡¯d like!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll do.¡± I nodded toward the door. ¡°Wait outside while I get ready for the day. If I¡¯m going to do something important, I¡¯m gonna look good while doing it.¡±


    Cosma smiled before Bast said, ¡°When do you ever look good?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, pussy.¡±


    ¡°Bite me, Human.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°It is far more threatening when I say that.¡±: She huffed.


    ¡°But it¡¯s kinky when I do it, so ha!¡±


    Cosma nodded a couple of times and waited until Bast and I were both looking at her to leave. It was a little while before I was actually ready to do anything, but awhile by my standards when it comes to getting prepped doesn¡¯t really mean anything. It could mean ten minutes or it could mean nearly an hour, but either way you get my fucking point, right Booksy? What am I saying, of course you do. Anyhow, after I got ready and shit, we got moving and it turned out that the Church of Solitude was actually a fucking prison. It was a bit of a surprise since it was also a courthouse, but the thing about the place was that it also counted as an active place of worship and that was a bit of a trip. The Chorets really knew how to multitask with their buildings, and it showed in the sections of the Church. When we entered, I was given priority as a River Man visiting his Partner since the relationship was viewed as matrimonial or marital or something of the sort. I figured it was for the best that we get things over with quickly, so I didn¡¯t fight the flow at all and barely had to say anything until I was standing in front of a Judician.


    The old man doubled as a Priest, garbed in plenty of idolatry, reeking of sin and subterfuge. I already didn¡¯t like the fucker, but still. When I was behindthe desk where I was supposed to make my case, the Judician took his sweet time in getting to the hall or whatever it was. It was set up kind of like a normal American courtroom with a witness stand and a dais for the Judge-guy-person, but without jury seating. That was a little worrying, but then again, I also didn¡¯t like Chorell in the first place. However, I¡¯d been faking it for the better part of a week, so as I stood with a cat lady and a regular lady, I considered what brought me to that exact moment. It didn¡¯t take long to blame Stella for everything and I settled on that attitude for the duration of our wait for the person we were there for to be brought out. It took the better part of half an hour, but Stellara was eventually presented directly in front of me, and was she ever a sight to see.


    She¡¯d traded her generally fashionable get-up for some prisoner garb that looked uncomfortable. The tunic and breeches looked like they¡¯d been made by someone who didn¡¯t give a damn about personal comfort. With the way Stellara was walking I didn¡¯t doubt that the thin lines of red that were striped across the back of the light green tunic consisted of blood, though I have to admit that seeing a bloody trail of footprints behind her was disheartening. I barely even recognized her face. She was hard to look at in a lot of ways and I¡¯m not talking about the zig-zag patterns on her clothes. There were plenty of things that I saw in Stella¡¯s appearance that I didn¡¯t like, but seeing that she was freely bleeding from an eye and the other being swollen shut? It hurt to witness and I wanted nothing more than to end Stella¡¯s suffering as the plan had been all along. When they made her stop in front of me, I slowly reached out to her until I was reprimanded.


    ¡°Halt! Contact with prisoners is strictly forbidden!¡± The Priest-Judge shouted loudly.


    I withdrew my hand. ¡°... Why¡­? Why did you do this to her?¡±


    ¡°We punish those who break laws.¡± Old Guy scoffed. ¡°She broke a law, she was punished. I believe you would seek to take her from the Chorell lands?¡±


    ¡°I believe I would seek to take her back under my wing, yes,¡± I replied firmly. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re punishing her for, I want it known that I don¡¯t want this. She was supposed to have wronged me, right?¡±


    He nodded and stroked his thin, wispy beard. ¡°I see. So you would accept someone who abandoned you so coldly just because they are being punished for their crimes?¡±


    ¡°It was a singular crime and I don¡¯t think it merits being brutalized.¡± I snapped. ¡°Your laws are either broken or draconian, and I want my Partner having no part of it.¡±


    ¡°Then take her and leave.¡± The guy said simply. ¡°That is if you can abide by our laws long enough to do so.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Bring it on, butterball.¡±


    If he wasn¡¯t aware of his chub previously, then he should¡¯ve been after that. However, after he decided to stroke his beard some more, he gave me a look. ¡°Then there are two ways that you may go about this. You may either purchase the freedom of Stellara Inova from the Province of Chorell, or you may compete in a contest with my chosen champion.¡±


    Stella started shaking, so I asked, ¡°How much is the price of freedom?¡±


    ¡°A finger of my choosing as well as ten thousand silver Choret pennics.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m guessing I don¡¯t get to pick my own weapon if I choose to fight.¡±


    ¡°That would be incorrect. You may use whatever weapon you so choose.¡±


    I unslung the weapon I¡¯d used for months upon months, my skill with it tuned by battle after ¡®battle¡¯ that really didn¡¯t count as fight. I held up my undlegar and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s get this shit over with. I¡¯ve got my weapon, so can we get the show on the road.¡±


    I got stared at by everyone in the courtroom, including the Judician. ¡°... Are you being serious right now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, bro.¡±


    ¡°You intend on fighting a man far superior to you in combat with¡­ An undlegar.¡± He said, his thick accent getting thicker. ¡°An undlegar.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, nigga.¡± I¡¯d have hit him with a hard R if Mom wouldn¡¯t slap my ass from Earth. ¡°An undlegar. That¡¯s what this thing is, right?¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    ¡°Then where¡¯s your champion so I can kick his ass?¡±


    ¡°... One moment.¡±


    The Judician brought forth a steward or something and talked to him for a second in Choresh, which really didn¡¯t affect my understanding of the conversation. After they were done talking, the guards that were manning Stella took her somewhere else, A trail of bloody footprints following them as they left. Stella only looked back once, but I didn¡¯t know if she caught my nod or not. Before we could be lead out back for the slaughter I was about to be the star of, Cosma took me aside and asked our guide if she could have a word with me for a moment. I had no qualms with it, but the gist of Cosma¡¯s stop was that she was eternally grateful and that I didn¡¯t actually have to go through with the fight if I didn¡¯t want to, stating that she would happily take my place if I wanted her to. The thing was that I didn¡¯t want her to, so I just played my instrument and sang a little song to pass the time, but there was a lot in it that nobody picked up. I translated part of Daft Punk¡¯s Harder into guitar and played it to make myself feel a bit better about possibly dying.


    We arrived to a large, flat grassy area behind the tall monument to the Chorets God or whatever where there was a ring set up with stone pillars on eight points. There was plenty of downtime between our arrival and the initiation of the contest, so I filled the time by playing more songs and singing along. I eventually got people to sing Bohemian Rhapsody with me and that was fun, so I went through a few more Queen classics and added in a few Beatles bangers to the mix. The set went over well as it usually did, but there was more on my mind than just playing to a nonexistent crowd. Well, a small crowd, I should say. The back of my mind was wrought with thoughts of Stellara and getting my woman back, but there were also plenty of doubts about whether or not I would ever be able to truly call her mine again without bringing the law into things. Of course, once I had Stella again I could officially set her free, which soon became the plan. If she wanted to live with Cosma in Chorell, then I had no problems with that whatsoever other than the ones I¡¯d already had. The sheer weight of my choice was hitting me where it hurt and I found it less than pleasurable to see that someone¡¯s life and liveliness literally hung in the balance of scales I could tip. Stella meant so much to me, but she¡¯d also caused me so much pain¡­ To be honest, I was tempted to lose the contest on purpose just to take the hope she¡¯d given me away from her, but the more I thought about it, the less I wanted to do it. Stella¡­ She had a place in my heart and threw it away, but I¡¯d kept it. Through gallons upon gallons of booze, days upon days of misery, and song after song of heartache, I still wanted Stellara to love me back like I loved her, and there was no one else in my mind who could take her place.


    As the Judician brought out his champion and started with the contest rules, I barely paid enough attention to get by, too lost in my own thoughts to care. I know that when he stopped talking, the buff, well-muscled guy and I entered the ring with our respective weapons and faced off from opposite ends. I was nervous, but on the surface, I was calm and ready. I was about to drop a bomb full of Mom¡¯s spaghetti, and by that I mean I was about to paint the ring with the guys entrails using the power of song! Terru was allowed for the duel, which was the only reason anyone thought I¡¯d use my undlegar, but when the other guy pulled out a sword and buckler, I had a funny feeling that he was waiting for me to start slinging projectiles from my strings. Instead of doing the obvious, I did the not obvious and started playing Private Hell by Alice in Chains. I had to go an octave high so I could still get the bass notes out and make the song sound right, but I translated it well enough.


    Unlike a lot of my performances, there was something different about that one. There was something on the line, something I stood to lose all over again if I didn¡¯t come out on top, and the longer I played the more I fell into the music and its meaning. My heart started to ache as I lead into the chorus and a sensation I¡¯d never felt before came over me. It wasn¡¯t an emotion so much as a general feeling of¡­ It was like I was getting high off of some kind of drug and now I was floating into the ether with my physical form being trapped in my meat shell while my anima went on to bigger and better things. Once I got my bearings in the new feeling I really settled into the song and the notes just¡­ They resonated within me, making my heart pound and my face flush. It made me ache inside in a way that felt so indescribably phenomenal that all I could do was keep playing.


    My eyes had been closed the entire time, but I knew that nobody had moved during the duration of the song, and that¡¯s how I wanted my audience to be left. Even after the final words were sung, everything fell silent for the final notes of my soliloquy, the ending thrum sending electricity through my veins and filling me with a sense of completion that I hadn¡¯t felt since¡­ Well, maybe my first song, but even then I¡¯d felt something was missing. Nothing felt like it needed to be added, and nothing needed to be said about the performance. I lead into Chop Suey out of nowhere and it had the effect that I guess I wanted. The champion guy, already having succumbed to the magic I¡¯d pumped through Private Hell, was no match for the harsh reality inside of Chop Suey and the directed force I threw behind it. Within a few seconds of the song, the man was already cutting himself on the edge of System of a Down, but in a literal sense instead of a figurative one. While I played, he cut himself with his sword and roared along to the melody, oddly enough. I found it to be a strange occurrence, but I figured he¡¯d bleed out with a sick enough guitar solo. It came and went, but the guy eventually stopped cutting himself once he was wearing a red shirt across his bare chest, his own blood being the cloth of the piece.


    I came to a stop, both realizing what I¡¯d done and who I¡¯d done it for, quickly coming to the conclusion that I¡¯d do it again if it meant bringing Stellara to a place where she could be safe. As it turned out my kind of magic was the wrong kind, because Armators swarmed the ring and poined blade at me with intent to kill. Shrugging, I played a soothing tune to lighten the mood, looking around as if I was completely innocent in all that had gone on. It was damning to be sure, but I¡¯d won the contest as I¡¯d intended to do and learned for certain something I already knew. My Terru could be channeled into song and literally change someone¡¯s mind before my very eyes depending on my intent behind the song. I found it to be overwhelming, and I was tempted to break my undlegar and leave it in pieces for them. A lot was going through my mind, but I didn¡¯t let it show on my face. The guards around me, the ones closest, babbled to each other about something or other that I didn¡¯t pay attention to because I didn¡¯t need to until I heard it; they were asking each other why I was smiling. It wasn¡¯t a smile so much a a grin, but it coined the nickname ¡®[Grinning One]¡¯ that I wasn¡¯t terribly fond of. I definitely didn¡¯t feel like smiling, but that was when I realized why I was doing it.


    I felt like I¡¯d messed up.


    ¡®


    Honestly, in a lot of ways I had, but I was still allowed to walk free as I¡¯d used legal means to dispatch my enemy. The Judician was unhappy, but still personally handed the key to Stellara¡¯s manacles to me once the Armators cleared out of the way. The look on his face was sour as he said, ¡°Take your witchcraft and leave, River Man. The prophecy will not be fulfilled this day.¡±


    ¡°Prophecy?¡±


    He glared at me. ¡°The Minstrel¡¯s Maladies will not come to pass here, you swine.¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°At least I don¡¯t rape kids or buy ¡®em, but whatevs, nigger.¡± I hoped my Mom wouldn¡¯t slap me. Apparently I was still black enough to get away with it. ¡°You solve your problems your way, I do things my way.¡± Holding up the key, I said, ¡°This means I own Stellara, right?¡±


    ¡°As a River Man, she was your right. As the victor, she is your right. Do with the sinful traitor as you please and leave.¡± He leaned forward for extra emphasis.


    I shrugged and looked for my former Partner. ¡°And my prize is¡­ Where?¡±


    He pointed and I walked off, shortly joined by Cosma and Bast, though I was tackled by Cosma. She was also crying which was a huge turn off, but she did have a nice chest and I can¡¯t say anything against that. There were worse people and things in general to be trapped under, but I still needed to get free in the first place to get Stellara out of her chains. I carefully reminded Cosma of that fact, and by that I mean I told her to get the fuck off of me and help me up so we could get back to her sister. After that, she was all too happy to usher me over to Stellara and practically hopped in place while I looked the woman in the eye. There were still Armators on either side of her and she didn''t raise her chains for me to unlock them when I stopped in front of her.


    It took me five seconds to look at her chains, the key, and back to Stella. She wouldn¡¯t meet my eye, so I held the key up. ¡°Inova.¡±


    She twitched, finally looking at me. ¡°... Gage.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think Gage could do that to someone?¡±


    ¡°... Gatian.¡±


    I tossed the key at her, landing it on her chest. It slid down until she caught it. ¡°You left. That was your choice.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡± she murmured.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. You were scared. You made a hasty choice. Everyone makes mistakes.¡± I looked to Bast and jerked my head toward the church. ¡°C¡¯mon. We gotta get out of this country before we get shanked.¡±


    Bast looked at Stellara. ¡°... Are you not going to free her?¡±


    ¡°She has the key. I don¡¯t give a damn what you or anyone else fuckin¡¯ says. From now on, from this day forth, Stellara Inova is a free woman.¡± She met my gaze readily as I asked, ¡°Is that understood?¡±


    ¡°No, but I don¡¯t often claim to understand Humans.¡±


    ¡°Not my problem right now.¡± I looked over my shoulder to Stellara, tears cutting through the blood on her face. ¡°Go home. Live your life.¡±


    I didn¡¯t take that moment to leave because it made me feel like a badass, but it did feel like the natural conclusion to the events that had unfolded until Stellara (Inova, I should say) called out, ¡°Gatian!¡±


    I didn¡¯t bother turning all the way around and just nodded to show I¡¯d heard her, stopping for what I hoped would be the last time before my feet carried me back to her. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll repay you for this. On my life, I swear I will.¡±


    ¡°You already owed me your life once and it didn¡¯t work out too well. I said I¡¯d set you free eventually and I did it, so take my word for what it¡¯s evidently worth and go home.¡±


    And with that, Booksy, I left the woman I¡¯d loved most of all with her sister and took a crazy cat lady along with me back to my tavern/inn combo. All in all I can¡¯t say that I was sad to leave Stellara behind, but as I was packing up to head to the next big thing, I wondered if I would go to Stalfisk or Teh Se Bang next since Avalesce was fuckin¡¯ dumb. This is written from the road on our way to Claytan, the heart of Avalesce itself. I know I literally just said that the country was dumb, but the biggest city in the whole shebang was supposed to be some kind of spectable to behold. If it was half as pretty as I thought it¡¯d be-


    Okay, so Bast just interrupted me for something a lot more important than what I was just writing about. When she changed into her faulain form for the night, she laid her head on my stomach inside our tent as per usual before asking, ¡°Why did you let the Starry Ones stay behind? I thought you intended to save for previous Partner?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I free her from being a prisoner?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but-¡±


    ¡°And being a slave?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but-¡±


    ¡°Also, didn¡¯t she fuck me over in the first place? Dig her own grave?¡±


    ¡°I see I¡¯ll get nowhere here soon.¡± Bast huffed and closed her eyes.


    ¡°So what do you mean by ¡®Starry Ones¡¯ anyway?¡±


    She popped an eye open. ¡°You would ignore my question and ask one in turn?¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°I left the Stellaras behind because I didn¡¯t want them to follow me. Drama Queen.¡±


    ¡°Why not? They were good luck.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe Stella left for some crazy reason I don¡¯t know and wanted to stay gone or some shit.¡±


    ¡°The stars and the moons belong together.¡±


    ¡°Oh, will you shut the hell up with the philosophic, mushy-malarky bullshit?¡±


    ¡°Is it not true? Are they not together in the very sky above us?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll blow your brains into the sky with Clockly if you don¡¯t shuddup.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t play a song to make me eat myself?¡±


    It hurt more than I wanted to let on. ¡°... Go to sleep, Bast.¡±


    ¡°I see. Good night, Moon River.¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer.

 Chapter Fourteen: Smoke And Mirrors

    Smoke and Mirrors


    There were a million things going through my mind on the road out of Coranett, but there were even more things on my mind as we crossed the border of Chorell back into the Pony lands. It had taken some time of course, but the southern reaches of the city-state were in shambles anyway, so there was little to no point in trying to make a real stop anywhere. Bast and I looted for supplies, or rather, I looted for supplies and she went hunting, leaving it up to me to cook whatever portion of her kill she thought I warranted. I often got the leg of some creature for my troubles, but whatever it was, I always had some leftovers and dried them as best I could with what I had. The Ponies didn¡¯t keep much salt around since it was addictive to them, but I found enough in people¡¯s houses to salt some meat and cure it on a string-bound sack. After a few pit stops in ruined towns, Bast mentioned that we could head south to Denosia and see if my music would be popular there, but all I had in my heart was a weight that I couldn¡¯t shake. And I felt no desire to play. Bast didn¡¯t quite understand why, but I did.


    My music had perverted itself into a monster; an unholy amalgamation of magic and might that I had used for evil, though in the name of a good cause. It was beyond me to deal with the consequences of my actions, but I had to nonetheless because it was my shit sandwich and I needed to eat it. Thus, I accepted my exile from Chorell and found myself back in a place I had no business being. Bast¡¯s reasoning that we head south and skirt Toddton to avoid any trouble from the west was wise, but I honestly wanted to head north more than anything, so we found ourselves on the fine line between two places that didn¡¯t like me on our way to one of the most River-Person friendly places in the world. Sotanylvanniia was supposed to be a farming culture like no other with advanced medicine to boot, so I was a little excited to see what would be in store for us there. The country was told to be one of the more technologically advanced places in the world, more so than Ponydale or Gerritt. God forbid anyone name Chorell any manner of advanced with their well water system and generally backward-looking ¡®tech¡¯.


    While screwing around in a library in a town formerly called Villa of Sola, I found a book on Sotan culture and history that Bast chastised me for stealing. In my defense ,it was just one of a few that I took to bide time on the road and further enrich myself through study. Altogether I¡¯d nabbed the book on Sotans, a book on intermediate and advanced healing arca, and another book on some interesting Terruc theory that I wanted to see if I could try and understand with the help of a small dictionary. There were plenty of things for me to study, but the herbiary and bestiary were the last books I felt I needed in my pack, otherwise, I was just robbing the place and that didn¡¯t sit well with me. Bast didn¡¯t bring me anything to eat that night, so I assumed that she was mad at me. I didn''t really care as I read by firelight and tried my new spells out one by one. I learned that Artificery was actually really fucking hard to get right, but the Arca side of Terru was something I could actually do. Runes weren¡¯t my thing, but I did have a knack for temporary enchantments that brought my spirits a little higher.


    It took four days from the border of Ponydale and Chorell to get to Sotanylvannia, but the change in the place itself was enough to show me that Sotanylvannia was¡­ Different. Gerritt and Ponydale had mostly consisted of plains and forests while Chorell had mostly been steppes and plains, but Sotanylvannia? Rolling green hills as far as the eyes could see with lush, green grass sprouting from every inch of every acre. The sight was something to behold and the early autumn air was enough to bring a slight chill over the grasses. The wind rolled over the blades and brought forth a smell of such freshness, such homely warmth that I traded a look with Bast before we set foot in the new land. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of silver disappear under the horizon from behind us and I wondered what it could have been, so I decided to ask.


    ¡°Hey, Bast, did you see that?¡±


    ¡°Our pursuers?¡± She asked calmly, licking her paw.


    ¡°... Bast¡­¡±


    ¡°Since we left Coranett.¡±


    ¡°Seriously!?¡±


    ¡°I thought you knew.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you-¡±


    ¡°I just said why, fool.¡±


    ¡°... I hate you so much right now.¡±


    ¡°Would you care to go meet them?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. I¡¯d kinda like to know who¡¯s been following us for damn near three weeks.¡±


    Bast, in all her feline glory, gave me the most bored look I¡¯ve ever fucking seen. ¡°Do you really need to ask?¡±


    ¡°Well, should I set a trap or expend extra rations?¡±


    ¡°That is entirely up to you, O¡¯ Oblivious One.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll step on your tail again.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be sorry soon enough.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even apologize.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t make you do that, but you would surely regret it nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. And you can get made into a coat.¡±


    ¡°Try me.¡±


    We looked at each other and I flipped her off. ¡°Opposable digits.¡±


    ¡°Fangs.¡±


    ¡°Thumbs.¡±


    ¡°Speed.¡±


    ¡°Dexterity.¡±


    ¡°Strength.¡±


    ¡°Intelligence.¡±


    She snorted. ¡°It was who that knew we were being followed?¡±


    ¡°A smart person would¡¯ve said something.¡±


    ¡°A smart person would have noticed in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Shut up before I make you into cat-jerky.¡±


    ¡°Okay, lunch.¡±


    We talked shit back and forth for awhile longer as I traveled to the bottom of the hill with her joining me. My magnetic charm was nothing to be sniffed at, after all. I decided to route our pursuers by doubling back a bit and rounding a different hill, making it easier to see them when they crested the one I¡¯d just been on. As I¡¯d partially suspected, the people were Chorets, but there were only two of them. I could only really see their skin tones and hair, but they were both Moon Women, and one had longer hair than the other. It took a sec for me to realize that it must have been the Stellaras following me all along since it made the most sense, so I turned the tables on them with Bast¡¯s help and started following the sisters as they had done to me. Sadly, they noticed me a lot sooner than I noticed them, though they just stayed in place til Bast and I caught up. Stella looked a little worse for wear, but the time over the land had obviously done her some good. Her eyes were both looking better and she was walking pretty fine for the most part, but I was still worried about her. Concern made me want to see if something was wrong, but the pain of rejection made me wary against getting close to her again. However, as we approached I saw something about them that made me hesitate to come any closer. Bast waited with me as Stella and I stood just meters away from each other, within earshot and within range for normal conversation in a large city. The moment felt tense, so I raised the tension by coming a little closer and stopping when I felt it was worth my time to do so. I was scared of what she might say, but even with fading bruises, scabs, and pain evident on her face, there was nothing I wanted more than to have Stellara Inova come to me so I could scold her for leaving me, so I could hug her for following me, and so I could scream at her for stabbing me in the back.


    A lot of things went through my mind when I stood in front of Inova and Cosma, but what I said was, ¡°Why? You¡¯re free.¡±


    Stella nodded and her sister went to speak, but I prevented her words with a gesture, nodding to my former Partner. Inova took the time to speak. ¡°... Gatian, I owe you. More than I¡¯ve ever owed anyone anything, I owe you my life.¡±


    ¡°... What if I don¡¯t want it? Stella, you left. You chose to leave at the drop of a hat when I was trying to do something for us, and that hurt. Why would I let you come back so you could stab me again?¡±


    She straightened herself up and looked at me. ¡°Because you¡¯re Gatian.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well I didn¡¯t think Gatian was the kind of guy to go around starting riots or drink himself to sleep, but what do I know?¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not following me anymore. Just join the party, share what you have, and we¡¯ll all be hunky dory, okay? Okay.¡±


    I turned and started to go, but Cosma grabbed my arm. ¡°Gatian, please, let us- wait, did you-¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I said you¡¯re coming with me, bright one. If it was going to be easy to get rid of you, then it probably would¡¯ve happened a good while ago.¡±


    ¡°Fair point.¡± Cosma smiled.


    I rolled my eyes and got back to walking, leading my pack into the general direction of the biggest Sotan town on the border. It was still pretty small by most standards when I zoomed in a bit, but it was a real town without any churches or fire on the buildings, so I was glad to be in Sotanylvannia. The place is hard to spell and takes awhile, so I¡¯ll just call it ¡®Sotanville¡¯ like the natives do, though I don¡¯t think anyone is going to mistake me for being one in Sotanville. Choret was a bit of a different story if you went off of skin color alone, but otherwise my features made me pretty alien on Septural. That being said, coming into range of the town took more time than I would¡¯ve hoped with the hills and valleys of the terrain. I was glad that it wasn¡¯t awful, and when we came across a lake, we almost went swimming until the wind picked up a bit. We still took the time to wash up and get our traveling clothes clean since we could, and with the supplies we added to our own from the lake and its surrpundings, we were good to go for a while longer. Bast even brought back a full size deer that she let us measly, meager, pathetic Humans take care of. She still ate plenty of the beast, but she actually let me and the Stellaras get our fill before she dug in. When she was done with what we¡¯d cooked, she went back to the raw stuff and the rest of us started talking among ourselves.


    ¡°So what the hell made you two want to follow us out of Chorell? I thought you were getting along just fine without me.¡±


    Stella and her sister both looked at me. ¡°... When did I ever imply that I was better without you?¡±


    Cosma nodded slowly. ¡°Inova hasn¡¯t been herself. Not since coming home.¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°So what? It¡¯s not like you looked for me.¡±


    ¡°Yolanna said you¡¯d left with another Partner by the time I returned,¡± Inova said softly. With her bowl in hand, she said, ¡°I followed your lead to the border of Ponydale and Gerritt where I heard tell of a talented musician becoming famous from playing in taverns, which I figured you would be interested in. I followed the rumor and found a Mare named Shadesong that seemed to know you-¡±


    ¡°Wait, You met Shade?¡±


    Inova nodded. ¡°She told me that she hadn¡¯t seen you since nearly coming for your hand in marriage¡­¡±


    I nodded and sighed. ¡°Good woman, skittish though.¡±


    My former Partner accepted the news and took it to heart, looking worse off for it in all honesty. It was like a wind had been taken out of her sails and Cosma noticed it as well. ¡°Sister, shouldn¡¯t we set up our tent? It¡¯s getting late.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all Moon People here.¡± Inova said, stirring her stew.


    ¡°And we¡¯ve been up all day.¡±


    The longer-haired sister shrugged. ¡°... I suppose I would like to eat.¡±


    Cosma nodded a few times and stared at her stew while I considered ways to break the tension. ¡°So¡­ what do you two do for fun?¡±


    Stella cracked a small smile. ¡°Argue.¡±


    ¡°Do you ever kiss?¡± I asked hopefully.


    ¡°No? Why would we?¡±


    ¡°I dunno. To make up after arguing?¡±


    ¡°We make up with pranks.¡±


    ¡°Oh do you now?¡±


    Cosma smiled gently as I spoke to Inova, though I didn¡¯t know why. ¡°Why, yes. There was once a time where I placed an itching irritant in Cosma¡¯s shampoo and convinved her that she had mites.¡±


    The slimmer Stellara colored in the firelight. ¡°It wasn¡¯t as good as the time I made you think a Cree-Hag was under your bed!¡±


    ¡°You can sleep outside the tent.¡±


    ¡°I believe that would be an honor reserved for Miss Hag, don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    The sisters started bickering back and forth, and amusingly enough, I learned a lot about them while they talked. I learned that Stella was definitely the warrior and pragmatist of the two with a superstitious mind-frame that let her see bogeymen in all corners while Cosma, the less religious of the two, could only be messed with physically, which I made sure to do before we all went to bed. I suggested we start doing a group hug as a way to promote group morale and whatever before bed and they agreed after a little cajoling, so I grabbed both of them by the rear, laughed my own butt off, and apologized for groping them. Stellara Inova grabbed my left arm and made me stop laughing while Cosma grabbed my right and made me start feeling worried. Then they took me down gently and both gave me serious looks of various intensities. Cosma looked like a determined older sister while Stella looked like she wanted an answer to something she hadn''t     asked. I decided to be proactive.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to sleep with you.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t the question, but I was curious,¡± Bast said, laying down next to my head.


    ¡°... What is this?¡± I asked carefully.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been drinking from that bottle since we stopped.¡± Cosma said firmly.


    ¡°And for quite awhile before.¡± Stella added. ¡°Gatian, are you an alcoholic?¡±


    I looked that woman dead in the eye and said, ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s like, sixty-percent your fault.¡±


    ¡°Then I will one hundred-percent cure you of this malady.¡±


    Stellara and I looked at each other for a long while. ¡°Stella, I needed you and you


    weren¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here now.¡±


    ¡°I still have A Devil¡¯s Tongue.¡±


    ¡°Your heart is too pure to use it for your own gains. You haven¡¯t so much as played a


    song since, have you?


    ¡°... No.¡±


    ¡°Can you make your music with your other instrument?¡±


    ¡°Dunno.¡±


    Stella nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t know because you don¡¯t want to try. You¡¯re afraid of yourself.


    Of losing me again. Gatian, I ran because I thought you were using your power on me before I realized that you didn¡¯t know you were using it. I apologize from the deepest depths of my heart and beg your forgiveness for leaving you, but I need you to listen to me now, my friend. Let me be here for you. Let us help you pull yourself out of [the soup].¡±


    ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t need you to help me, Stellaras.¡±


    ¡°You do.¡± Cosma said. ¡°You helped us, so we¡¯re going to help you whether you like it or not.¡±


    ¡°And we will bring your music-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I want to do anymore. I want to do something a little cooler than be a rockstar now.¡±


    Stella¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°... What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°I want to join a Guild. You know,take jobs, do concerts somewhere from time to time for extra cash, you know; live the Guild life.¡±


    My former partner and her sister looked at me, then at each other. ¡°Well¡­¡± They said simultaneously.


    ¡°The only Guild you could join would be the Moon-River Regiment.¡± Stellara said.


    ¡°Oh, that is not good.¡± Cosma hissed.


    ¡°Why¡¯s that the only one I could join?¡± I asked, wondering about the name.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Because that is the only Guild that openly accepts River People. Your kind may be well liked in some places, but the world¡¯s overall opinion of River People is varying, so Guilds don¡¯t often allow them to join.¡±


    ¡°So I would have to go to the Guild I¡¯m also nicknamed after?¡±


    ¡°Nickname?¡±


    ¡°He is a Moon Man of the River. Moon River.¡± Bast explained.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    I looked at the twins. ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°Hush. This is worrisome.¡± Stella traded a look with Cosma.


    ¡°Quite.¡±


    They let me up, so I sat up and brushed myself off. ¡°What¡¯s worrisome?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever heard of the Minstrel¡¯s Maladies?¡± Cosma asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah, in passing. Refresh my memory?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the legend of a musician whose skills are so incredible that he wreaks destruction after failing to be paid¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t sound like me.¡±


    I got stared at as Stella said, ¡°You literally drove a man insane with a song.¡±


    ¡°Fair point.¡±


    Cosma picked up with the story. ¡°The Minstrel was said to have given up music in favor of becoming an adventurer or something of the sort in the story, and when he does, he finds a grisly end.¡±


    ¡°And you think I¡¯m the Minstrel?¡±


    ¡°It would make sense.¡±


    ¡°I thought the Minstrel played a pipe?¡±


    ¡°He did, but some tales say an undlegar.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that sucks.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Oh well. Guess that¡¯s off the table.¡±


    ¡°What about becoming the best musician in Stalfisk? It¡¯s cold there, but it¡¯s supposed to be a very nice place to live.¡± Cosma said hopefully.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to your retirement home.¡± Stella said firmly.


    ¡°Oh come on, Nova!¡±


    ¡°It was bought with money given to you from selling me!¡±


    ¡°Right? It¡¯s as much your house as it is mine!¡±


    ¡°I say we sell that house and don¡¯t live in the symbol of Stella¡¯s slavery. All in favor?¡±


    ¡°Wait, so we¡¯re still going to Stalfisk?¡± Cosma asked.


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡± Stella cursed.


    ¡°What? Don¡¯t like it cold?¡± I asked interestedly.


    ¡°We¡¯re coming to the winter season anyway.¡± She moaned piteously. ¡°It¡¯s going to be even colder!¡±


    ¡°Oh well, at least you still have silver hair. You¡¯ll blend in with the snow.¡±


    She glared at me with no real intent behind it and I couldn¡¯t help but smile back at her. ¡°... You¡¯re¡­ Different, Gatian.¡±


    ¡°Time does that to people.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°... You¡¯re firmer than before. Meaner.¡± She said it as if it were just a casual observation.


    ¡°And you¡¯re bruised. Are we making any more observations?¡±


    ¡°... I never stopped loving you, my friend,¡± Stella said softly.


    I almost hit her. ¡°Right. That¡¯s why you left.¡±


    ¡°I left because I didn¡¯t think I had a choice in whether or not to stay. When that proved false, I had no reason to stay away any longer.¡±


    ¡°... You just thought-¡±


    ¡°Devil Tongues are supposedly a breed of their own. However, I have a strange feeling that you know little of your power.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be wrong. I know I have to be really mad or really feeling a song to use it actively.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s triggered by emotion?¡± Cosma asked.


    I glanced at her, a little disconcerted by just how much she and her sister favored at the


    moment. It wasn¡¯t as if either were terribly different from the other, but their voices were my main way of telling them apart. Cosma had a softer, lighter  voice while Stella had a tone that she used most of the time that seemed to make her the younger of the two. Cosma appeared to be older and wiser while Stella was more free-spirited and prone to wandering off randomly. I didn¡¯t know what to do with either sister, but I had a funny feeling that they were both important to my life and the path I was on, so keeping them close was most likely a good idea. Instead of zoning out while thinking, I answered while halfway in my head and got a weird look for what I said.


    ¡°.... What?¡± I asked innocently.


    ¡°You¡­ You activate it by drinking?¡±


    ¡°Oh? What? No, not quite. Drinking really helps get me in the mood, but I don¡¯t have to, I don¡¯t believe.¡±


    Cosma gave me a sisterly look, and by that I mean she glared at me like I¡¯d just broken Mom¡¯s anniversary vase. ¡°Can you please ween yourself off of that horrid substance? It¡¯s an unholy elixer.¡±


    Stella glanced at me and her sister, probably sensing a storm brewing between us. ¡°Sister, Gatian is not Choresh. He is not beholden to our laws.¡±


    Cosma sniffed. ¡°Still.¡±


    ¡°Cozzy, I have a flask of literally infinite liquor. Get off my nads.¡±


    ¡°Just liquor?¡± Stella asked, sensing a compromise.


    ¡°It can be any form of alcohol, I guess. Want me to-¡±


    ¡°The Chorets drink mead and hard ciders on holidays.¡± She offered, hope in her eyes.


    I shook my bottle and looked at Bast who¡¯d been silent for some time. ¡°Yo, you thirsty?¡±


    ¡°I still remember the last time you fed me that accursed liquid.¡±


    ¡°So yeah?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± She crawled closed and opened up, so I poured it into her mouth a couple shots at a time. Once I was done, she licked her chops. ¡°Mmm, brown liquor is far superior to white.¡±


    I shook my flask a few times and filled my bottle with mead this time, giving it a sip. ¡°Eh, still has a bit of maple to it, but it¡¯s not half bad. You want some?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what just happened?¡± Cosma asked, furrowing her brow.


    ¡°I believe his flask has an enchantment.¡± Stella said softly.


    ¡°Never-ending party!¡± I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve got enough to go around, if you¡¯d like some as well.¡±


    Stella picked up her cup and drained it before passing it to me to be filled. I cranked up the alcohol content on the mead and gave her some, but Cosma abstained. I got a bowl of it for Bast and sipped on my own bottle for some fun times. Cosma, the only one not drinking asked, ¡°So why do you drink, Gatian?¡±


    I stopped while sipping from my container. ¡°... Because there¡¯s a lot of things you see on the road that time don¡¯t fix by itself.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± Bast asked.


    I raised a brow. ¡°The Partner I borrowed when Inova left, a man named Lucine, got himself killed to save me and a young woman I was responsible for. Then I saw an undead horde plunder the majority of the towns I managed to find in Ponydale. Even the capital got attacked, but the last I knew there was a garrison on the rise.¡±


    ¡°You were in Ponydale when the bloodshed began?¡± Cosmas eyes were wide, her hands trembling lightly.


    Inova placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sure Gatian and I can keep you safe, sister. If not he, then I myself.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t an enemy you can fight with conventional means. Last time I ran into them was on the way from Equinaire and they were resilient to damage both magical- er, Terruc and physical.¡± I elaborated. ¡°None of my lightning or water arca had any effect, and those are my best alignments so I¡¯m nearly useless against them.¡±


    Cosma smiled creepily out of nowhere and Stella sighed. ¡°You¡¯re Arca-inclined?¡±


    ¡°... Kinda? I like Terru and studying it.¡±


    ¡°You surely jest!¡± Bast gasped, hiccuping since she was a lightweight. ¡°You spend so much time with your nose in those books of yours, I never know if you can actually read or if you like the pretty symbols!¡±


    ¡°Hey, just because I keep a buzz doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t enjoy my reading.¡±


    Stella rubbed her arm. ¡°... Are you¡­ Well, have you tested all of your affinities?¡±


    ¡°Well, no, but-¡±


    ¡°How good are you really with lightning Arca?¡± Cosma inquired, leaning toward me.


    ¡°... Decently?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your highest arca class with Lightning spells?¡±


    ¡°C+?¡±


    ¡°Then your affinity is most likely Tempestian, or rather, the Arch is. Many Tempestian River People have no trouble with most lightning Arca. Would you like to try one of my namesake spells?¡± She asked, her blue eyes glinting in the firelight.


    I glanced at Stella and she nodded. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Cosma taught me the incantation and hand signs for a star-based Arca and I gave it a shot. ¡°Cosma inova stellaris en feller¡±


    Nothing seemed to happen other than the night growing a bit brighter, which is when I looked up and saw on the moons something I¡¯d never noticed before. Two symbols, one of a piecemeal full moon on the blue moon and another of a pinprick-patterned cresent moon on the other. It was such an odd sight that I had to look back at the one who¡¯d taught me the spell in complete and utter awe.


    ¡°Neat trick, isn¡¯t it?¡± Cosma preened, puffing her chest out proudly.


    Stella gave me an apologetic smile. ¡°She likes to show off.¡±


    Bast snorted. ¡°Starborn.¡±


    She got stared at for that, and it wasn¡¯t by me. ¡°What do you mean by Starborn, Faulain?¡± Cosma asked.


    ¡°I am no Faulain.¡± Bast sniffed. ¡°I am no more a Faulain than you a monkey.¡±


    ¡°She is an ohsum, sister.¡± Stella said, grimacing.


    ¡°I am not an ohsum either. I am not red.¡±


    Stella¡¯s jaw dropped and Cosma covered her mouth. I was bewildered. ¡°What? Is she really some kind of Demi-Goddess?¡±


    ¡°Bastet.¡± Stellara said numbly.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Bast tilted her head.


    ¡°Bastet called us Starborn.¡± Cosma whispered.


    ¡°She did.¡± I looked at the blue cat. ¡°Bast, does that shit mean something?¡±


    ¡°It means they are born from the stars, you fool. Formed from the dust of creation.¡±


    Inova huffed out a laugh, looking a little loopy while Cosma blinked, smiling. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re funny. We¡¯re no more Star Children than Gatian would be of the Moon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Moon Man.¡± I said flatly.


    Cosma¡¯s head whipped toward me. ¡°... The Moon River shall cross with the Star¡¯s dust¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, now I recall.¡± Bast said cheerfully, like she¡¯d just figured something out. ¡°The Sunless Soldier rides at dawn to take from the River of Rebirth a Piece of the Moon. I wonder where that rascal is¡­?¡±


    ¡°The Sunless Soldier¡­?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, if you are the Moon River, then a bitter Day Person should have crossed you in some manner.¡±


    ¡°... That happened. Yeah.¡±


    ¡°And I assume you were healed by a lusty Sotan?¡±


    Stella cleared her throat and I furrowed my brow. ¡°Well, not so much.¡±


    ¡°Gatian, that nurse flirted with you nonstop and you never flirted back.¡±


    ¡°What nurse?¡± I felt as though I¡¯d clearly remember someone flirting with me.


    ¡°Remember Emilia?¡±


    ¡°With an E?¡±


    ¡°That one, yes. She was trying to become your wife.¡±


    ¡°And I got stuck with you.¡± I rolled my eyes.


    ¡°You could do worse.¡± Bast said indifferently.


    ¡°Much worse!¡± Cosma added.


    ¡°I was kidding anyway, but what¡¯s the legend, Bast?¡±


    ¡°A piece of the moon fallen into the River shall be fetched by the Sunless Soldier and delivered unto the lusty Sotan. The Starborn Heir is to then deliver the Moon River to¡­¡± Bast licked her paw and stroked her ear.


    ¡°To¡­?¡± Was chorused by every Human present.


    ¡°I forget.¡±


    ¡°Cat, I¡¯ll make a very expensive coat out of you if you don¡¯t get your shit together.¡± I warned.


    ¡°Remember my lunch comment from earlier?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh, dinner-blah-blah suck my assey eat my wienie, I know you want the penie.¡± I deadpanned.


    Now I got stared at, but Bast remembered something. ¡°Ah, yes. The Starborn deliver the Moon River to the edge of the world or something of the sort. Definitely not Denos. Too warm for the Beacon of Being, I would think.¡±


    ¡°The Beacon?¡± Cosma squeaked.


    ¡°A-Are you sure?¡± Stella asked.


    ¡°As Sure as the sun does set. Why, are you nervous?¡±


    The sisters looked at each other, then Stella looked at me, her eyes holding a truth I wanted to know. ¡°Gatian¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... That legend ends in sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°Of me or you?¡±


    ¡°The Moon River shall shed its blood and be returned from whence it came.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think we should go north.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to give either of you the choice.¡± Cosma said softly, a light chuckle at the end of her words.


    Stella blinked. ¡°Sister¡­?¡±


    Cosma smiled. ¡°We¡¯re Starborn, Inova. Do you know what that means?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like what it means, Cosma!¡±


    ¡°Too bad. I love it and I think that this man is worth sacrificing to claim our birthright.¡± Cosma turned toward me and froze.


    I took my thumb off of Clockly¡¯s hammer, the click having gotten her attention. ¡°You really want to betray me after I save your sister¡¯s life? I didn¡¯t have to step in. I didn¡¯t have to help you. I don¡¯t have to let you walk away from this.¡±


    Stella gave me a firm look. ¡°Gatian, please stop this.¡±


    Cosma started reaching for something and I didn¡¯t want to see what it was. Just as Stellara Inova was saying ¡®Stop acting like you¡¯re going to pull the trigger¡¯, I saw a flash of steel in Cosma¡¯s hand and made a choice I couldn¡¯t bring myself to regret. I shot her in the forearm and put a pretty decent hole in it, making her yank her hand and the knife she¡¯d grabbed up. The knife was launched into the air and Stella dove at me, knocking my gun from my hand as her sister grasped at her arm. As I tumbled with Stella something unlikely happened behind her. The knife turned in the air and came down blade-first into Cosma¡¯s shoulder, burying itself down to the handle. The night flashed red for a moment as the light from the smaller of the two moons glowed brighter, its radiance tinging everything as Stella turned back to see what I¡¯d seen. It hit her like a ton of bricks, but then something came out of her mouth that I¡¯d never expected to hear.


    ¡°Wait, who in Pomnett is Cosma?¡±


    I stared at Stellara Inova as she scrambled back to her feet, staring at something I could no longer see. I sat up as fast as I could to see the last of Cosma¡¯s hair darken to a bloody red and see her eyes go from blue to another, brighter red that spoke deeply of malevolence and malcontent. The indifference in which ¡®Cosma¡¯ pulled the knife from her collar was almost sickening, but it was most certainly frightening. Stella grabbed for her estoc and I picked Clockly back up, waiting for her or Bast to make a move. The cat seemed calm and Cosma seemed to be looking at her, speaking growls and grunts. Bast replied with one low growl and she disappeared into the air, the night returning to its previous dim luminance while a red mist hug in the air.


    Me being me had to ask, ¡°Shit the dick-fuck, what happened just?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Bast asked calmly.


    ¡°Who the fuck is Cosma!?¡±


    ¡°A Revenant.¡± Stella said shakily. ¡°I¡­ I lived with a Revenant¡­ I¡­ I fell under her spell completely¡­¡±


    ¡°Stell, what the fuck?¡±


    She looked back at me, tears streaming from her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m a Stellara, Gatian¡­ There were only five of us. One Unicorn, one Sotan, one Thesuvian, one Amanese, and one Choret. All girls. No repeated races. No two hair-colors the same.¡±


    ¡°... So¡­ Revenants.¡± I pursed my lips.


    ¡°She was still your sister, she just wasn¡¯t a Stellara.¡± Bast yawned. ¡°I thought you knew and accepted her anyway, though I suppose I should have thought less of you. No Choret is that accepting.¡±


    ¡°Do¡­ Do they live among people normally or some shit?¡± I asked for the sake of knowing.


    ¡°Not often. Even then they generally choose to leech life from those around them.¡±


    I went to stand next to Stella and put my arms around her shoulders. ¡°Um¡­¡±


    She curled up against me, wide-eyed. ¡°There¡­ Even my memories¡­¡±


    ¡°Likely falsified, if you were sold as a child, that is.¡±


    Inova looked like she wanted to cry, so I held her head to my chest and tried not to panic. ¡°Well, at least she¡¯s gone now.¡±


    ¡°Not quite.¡± Bast laid down and pretty much seemed to go to sleep.


    ¡°Cat.¡±


    ¡°Human.¡±


    ¡°Gatian¡­ The Star¡¯s shadow shall fall over the Moon¡¯s River¡­ Cosma¡­ Cosma must be the shadow,¡± Stella said, her voice choked. ¡°Gatian¡­ I¡¯m being haunted by a Revenant that is sworn to sacrifice you¡­¡±


    ¡°Only if we go north, right?¡±


    ¡°Where are we to go to escape her otherwise!?¡±


    I looked to Bast. ¡°Cat, explain.¡±


    ¡°Revenants will only go so far north. If this Revenant is trying to drag you to the Beacon of Being, it is very old, very powerful, and terribly, terribly cruel.¡± She licked her nose. ¡°Stellara Cosma is most likely the being known as Khroma, which is an old friend of mine. We used to hunt together from time to time, but she was always more interested in the killing than the eating. Fine molly.¡±


    ¡°Bast.¡±


    ¡°Khroma will kill you. There is nothing you can do about that now that she has seen your face.¡±


    And it¡¯s all my fault!¡± Stellara wailed miserably. ¡°I led you to your doom! I¡¯ve killed you!¡±


    ¡°What if we kill her first?¡±


    ¡°I would like to see you try.¡± Bast huffed out a little chuckle. ¡°My hunting companion would not be felled so easily. She just has bad luck.¡±


    ¡°Like you and your thorns?¡± I asked, trying not to be pissed.


    ¡°Yes, actually.¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up.¡±


    ¡°You mean that as-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that literally.¡±


    ¡°Of course. And yes, falling objects always hit Khroma.¡±


    ¡°They always hit Cosma too¡­¡± Stella mumbled.


    ¡°Okay, so I have an eldritch murder-thing after. Why don¡¯t we kill it?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± Bast popped an eye open. ¡°If you could not detect her deception, you would be killed.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t catch it either.¡±


    ¡°Yet I knew she was a Revenant all the same.¡±


    ¡°So you say, lying ass cat.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    Stella clutched me tightly. ¡°Gatian¡­ We must run!¡±


    ¡°Or what?¡± I asked, thunder crackling in the distance. ¡°Please tell me that was a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡± Bast sighed, getting up. ¡°I¡¯m not fighting a dead thing. They taste awful.¡±


    ¡°I wish to run.¡± Stella said quickly. ¡°Let us leave now please.¡±


    I gave her a look and grabbed my pack. ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah, let¡¯s run. Where the Hell are we going?¡±


    Stella looked to Bast, so I gave her my attention as well. ¡°... Why are you two looking at me?¡±


    ¡°You know Khroma! Would you not know a place safe from her?¡± Inova asked.


    ¡°Of course I have safe havens, but I have no reason to go to any of them.¡±


    ¡°... I thought you and Gatian-¡±:


    ¡°We are even at the moment,¡± Bast answered plainly. ¡°I have no reason to assist either of you further.¡±


    ¡°And you are¡­?¡± I shrugged. ¡°The fuck are you doing for the foreseeable future? Help us and it might be interesting.¡±


    ¡°It might be, but you might also die.¡±


    ¡°You can still eat me if I get killed.¡±


    ¡°Then I would just kill you myself, fool.¡±


    ¡°You can also eat Stella.¡± I pointed at her.


    ¡°Second answer repeats the first.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Bast, how about you leave us to run and you fuck off and do your own thing?¡±


    She looked at me. ¡°If I wanted to do that, I would¡¯ve-¡±


    ¡°Well, right now if you¡¯re not willing to be a team player, then you¡¯re just not a part of the team. I don¡¯t need a fair-weather friend.¡±


    I got a sniff for my words. ¡°Fair-weather friend. Ha!¡±


    ¡°... You only help out when you want to and my life is currently in mortal danger. If you just up and decide not to help, then I kept you around to watch me die. I¡¯d rather die alone, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°You complain a lot.¡±


    My blood boiled. ¡°You know what? Bast, fuck off.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    I drew Clockly on her. ¡°I¡¯ve shot one person today, I¡¯ll make it two in exactly ten seconds.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t shoot me.¡± She huffed.


    ¡°Seven.¡±


    Stella tugged on my free arm. ¡°Gatian, we-¡±


    ¡°Five.¡±


    Bast rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll help. You¡¯ll owe me for my services, naturally.¡±


    ¡°You have got to be the biggest shrew I¡¯ve ever seen shaped like a cat.¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°At least I¡¯m pretty.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re heavy.¡±


    The fur on her hackles bristled. ¡°You take that back!¡±


    ¡°Lardassed cat. Get fuckin¡¯ goin¡¯ already.¡±


    Bast glared at me. ¡°I am not fat!¡±


    ¡°No, you are lithe and graceful and currently our lifeline¡­¡± Inova said quickly, getting quieter.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Bast started trotting away.


    I looked at Stella. ¡°Guess we¡¯re following her.¡±


    She just had a blank look on her face. ¡°... You just threatened to shoot a Guardian, convinced her to lead you to safety, and insulted her weight. This is the worst night of my life.¡±


    ¡°How was prison?¡±


    ¡°It tickled very much. I am very resilient to pain, but this¡­ this stress is unbearable¡­¡±


    ¡°Then walk it off.¡± I patted her ass and started following Bast.


    She followed behind, the storm gathering in our wake. We¡¯ve landed for the morning and we¡¯re going to try to travel later in the day, but I just wanted to take the time to get this written out before I forgot any of it. Khroma¡­ Scary. Very scary, and I¡¯m not entirely sure on why she wants to kill me other than for some prophecy I might not even really be a part of. I mean, am I the Minstrel or the Moon River¡­? I don¡¯t expect you to know, Booksy, but its nice to get my thoughts on paper. Until we meet again, Journal.

 Chapter Fifteen: While My Guitar Gently Weeps

    While My Guitar Gently Weeps


    After I called Bast fat and played her like a fiddle, Stella and I followed her to the nearest copse to get some rest in the daylight. We needed to keep moving, but we were heading north and Stella was very not fond of going in that direction. I, on the other hand, didn¡¯t really care where we went as long as Stella was safe, and that was odd in and of itself. Moon River prophecy aside, I really felt that I needed to protect Stellara Inova from the world like I¡¯d already failed to do. I was afraid for her life and her health, no matter how often or sincerely she said that she was fine, or that she didn¡¯t need to be coddled. Of course I knew that she was tougher than I thought she was, even if I already thought she was pretty tough. It was just hard not to fret and worry over her while we were on the road again because I didn¡¯t want anyone slowing us down.


    Okay, so that¡¯s a lie. I really was just worried, but even that had me feeling conflicted. Stella was the one who left, but after hearing that she came back and tried to find me? I can¡¯t help but want her back like and have life like we¡¯d had it before, just with a bigger cat following us around. It was a new leg to our adventure together and as pathetic as it was, I wanted to love Stella as much as I could and let my heart meld with hers. There was a part of me that ached for her to be in my life again, to hold onto her in any way I could. Even my hesitation to play more music came crashing down when she asked me to show her my real skill. I took my plublass and played some gentle melodies for her that helped pass the time, but it wasn¡¯t as though I was playing for an audience. I was also afraid of making someone do something they didn¡¯t want to, so I avoided singing as much as I could.


    While on the road we fell in line with another caravan that was heading northeast which was very convenient. We were allowed to travel with them on their wagons after paying a small fee that was reduced for a River Man, his Partner, and his Companion. Apparently, I looked the part of the traveling Bard with a penchant for causing trouble, but when I told people that I mostly just ran into then subsequently away from it, I usually got laughed at. Evidently, when you cut weight after being fat your entire life, people think you look kinda scary. That being said, Stellara assured me while we were alone that I was just looking lean and fit, but I¡¯d caught a glimpse of myself in some woman¡¯s hand mirror when we¡¯d first started traveling with the group. I kinda... looked like I killed people for drugs and sewed their corpses together. My eyes were a stormy grey that seemed to darken when I looked at them directly and my hair was dreaded in tangles after I¡¯d twisted my hair up. The look wasn¡¯t half bad to me, but I still ended up cutting my dreads off and having someone with some scissors fix the damage I caused.


    After a week of moving along at an ox¡¯s pace, the group alighted to Villa Sola Solara in Toddton, which was a city-state within a province. Sola was a nice enough town if you were Human, but I¡¯d been told while on the road that Toddton was a very racist and traditional place that didn¡¯t like Terru or Arca at all. In fact, the study and practice were both banned in Toddton, so we had to start our fires and dry our meats from whatever we found while hunting the old fashioned way. It was tedious, but I had survival skills that made living in the wilderness a lot easier than it could have been.


    We parted ways with our traveling buddies in Sola and I asked around to find my party and inn for the day since we¡¯d been traveling through the nights. I didn¡¯t know why the caravan traveled at night until we got to town, but needless to say that running with bootleggers can make you some very kind friends very quickly. Stella, Bast, and I were all allowed to stay in someone¡¯s spare home outside of the town as long as we picked up after ourselves, which I had no problem with. What I did have a problem with was the fact that Bast and Stella chose to argue who would sleep with me. It previously hadn¡¯t been a problem with there being enough space in the tent for all three of us, but with the limited bed sizes we had to choose from there were some contentions.


    ¡°I¡¯m his Partner, am I not? Would I not reserve the right to share his bed?¡± Stella argued in the middle of the fucking night, bedclothes on and everything.


    Bast was laying on the couch grooming herself. ¡°I am soft and warm. He is a very nice pillow. I will not concede to someone less soft and warm than I.¡±


    Inova grabbed her breasts. ¡°You do not have these! These are softer and warmer than any part of you!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s got a point.¡± I commented idly, sipping spiked tea.


    Bast turned a baleful eye to me. ¡°I am very soft, am I not, Moon River?¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    ¡°But are my br-¡± She thought hard for a second. ¡°Yes, are my beasts not softer?¡± Stella countered.


    I pointed at her. ¡°Breasts, and hell yeah they are.¡±


    ¡®


    Bast huffed. ¡°For a time I was his Partner as well.¡±


    ¡°But I was always his Partner-¡±


    ¡°Until you left.¡±


    ¡°I came back!¡±


    ¡°Too little, too tortured.¡± Bast drawled.


    I raised a brow. ¡°There¡¯s a thousand ways to skin a cat too, y¡¯know? Million ways to make a man bleed, but there¡¯s a trillion ways I can get away with offing you.¡±


    ¡°My coat is more valuable on me than off of me.¡± She huffed.


    ¡°You are a coat.¡± Stella huffed.


    ¡°A warm, tender, soft coat that will be sleeping with the Moon River.¡±


    ;


    Stellara looked at me, frustration in her gaze while I slurped some friggin¡¯ tea. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Tell her that you wish to cuddle with me!¡±


    Bast snorted. ¡°Moon River, tell your female that she lost her privileges.¡±


    ¡°Then I deserve a chance to get them back!¡± Inova protested.


    ¡°Then seize your chance another time. Come Moon River.¡± Bast hopped off of the couch and stretched.


    ¡°Fuck both of you, I¡¯m sleeping alone in my own bed.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Y¡¯all some kind of wild though, I¡¯ll give you that. Real trip.¡±


    Stella looked heartbroken and Bast looked annoyed. ¡°Then who shall be my pillow?¡±


    I pointed at a pillow on the couch. ¡°Have you ever used a real pillow?¡±


    ¡°Too soft.¡±


    ¡°Not my problem.¡±


    ¡®


    Bast¡¯s claws raked the floor. ¡°Would you like it to be your problem?¡±


    I rolled my eyes harder than Sisyphus¡¯ boulder rolling back down the hill. ¡°Everyone here knows that we¡¯re all too close to really hurt each other. We threaten and bluster, but at the end of the day, I¡¯m still gonna sleep alone and you two are welcome to worry about that if you want, but it¡¯s something I want. Something I need. A little alone time could be good for all of us. I mean, hell, we¡¯ve been traveling together for close to two weeks now and we¡¯ve been outrunning Khroma the entire time, so why don¡¯t we just kick back, relax, and not get into an argument over nothing?¡±


    Stella and Bast traded a longsuffering look between the two of them, the power of their uterus¡¯ coming together to allow them to communicate telepathically or something. I don¡¯t know how the womb works, but I assume that the fallopian tubes act as antennae for them. In any case, Stella ended up picking me up, slinging me over Bast, and then making me stay there while she prepared a palette on the floor. I didn''t get to sleep alone, but at least I wasn¡¯t cold or anything.


    My dreams were disturbing when I managed to get to sleep. Stella really helped lull me under when her breathing slowed down, and Bast nuzzling me like a cat a tenth her size was adorable, but my dreams? Fucking weird. I saw Khroma¡¯s face looking over a ravine full of muck and scum of all kinds, but it honestly looked like someone had drained an ocean and left all the nastiness at the bottom in a thin layer of brackish, nasty brown water. Then, a village or a hamlet appeared in the dream and a tornado of blood, bone, and gristle slapped viscera on everything in sight, drawing me closer and closer to a chubby man and a pale, gaunt fellow. I felt a jerking sensation, a pulling at my very core that got me out of the way as the blood cascaded into the sky and sprayed the men. I saw Bast¡¯s Humanoid form glaring at me for a moment and the image shifted into another form, one of a dark blue woman, and I do mean woman, with royal blue hair that was billowing in an unfelt breeze, carried by a wind I couldn¡¯t fathom. Looking her in the eye made me certain of what I needed to do, but just like that I lost the task and jolted awake in a frenzy, scrambling away from my companions and into the kitchen of the house we were staying in. It was shocking to say the least, but my mental state had suffered for the dream and I was sure that I¡¯d nearly died and had two people to thank for the close call. When my companions came to see what was wrong, I told them about my dream and Bast mentioned that she¡¯d pulled me out of it.


    I was on the highway to my grave and my very soul knew it. Something was trying to change my path, but I didn¡¯t know what it was or what it wanted me to do. Going with the flow had never worked out for me in the past and I rather doubted that it would do me any good in the future, so instead of staying on said path, I got my party up and moving in the wee hours of midday to get out of the house and back onto the road. Bast was semi-used to my craziness, but Stella had never seen me go bonkers over a vision before because I¡¯d never had one around her. There were a lot of things correlating in my life that I¡¯d read about, such as the Minstrel¡¯s Maladies and the Moon River thing, though there were even some parallels in my life from tragic shit I¡¯d read for shit and giggles. None of it boded well. Following Bast seemed like a really bad idea and I learned why shortly after I got us moving for the morning. We¡¯d gone off-road for a bathroom break and were coming back when we saw a number of people moving in the direction we¡¯d been coming from. It normally wouldn¡¯t have been enough to arouse suspicion, but these people happened to be the flaming zombies that I¡¯d seen in Ponydale, shocking both me and my friends into a stunned, silent stillness. The tension in the moment was high as we waited for them to pass, but even as a couple of them seemed to stare straight at us we resisted the temptation to run.


    When it was all said and done nothing happened and we decided to cut through the forest on the other side of the road on our way up through Stalfisk. Worried out of my mind about Stella, I made sure that we were as safe as we could be in a tree with our former tent acting as both hammocks and canopies. They were good for the rainy night and we were off the ground, but I was still terribly afraid of being discovered. Lo and behold as I write this with a night vision arca, I can see bright purple flames flaring in the distance, coming closer to us. We need to rest, but we don¡¯t have the time. Khroma is coming and she¡¯s not doing so slowly. I have a funny feeling that we won¡¯t be able to run for much longer, but hiding was also not an option. J-Man, this might be the last time we talk¡­


    This really might be the last time. After this, there¡¯s a very good chance that our pursuers will catch up to us and we¡¯re going to have to either fight or die. I doubt we¡¯ll fight long¡­ Booksy¡­ Do you have anything? Anything that might help?


    I thought no-[Auric Avarice]-t.


    ¡­


    The fuck. Booksy¡­ Did you just¡­?


    [It was not the book. Will you join us, Minstrel?]


    Are you guys the ones who sent me the note back in Hooversdum? I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t understand the language.


    [We sent no note. We are the Songweavers. Your note is another matter.]


    I weave songs.


    [And so we shall provide you with the song for Auric Avarice. Should you use this song, we will know, and we will send for you.]


    Help me out of this one and I¡¯ll owe you a big favor for sure. Two quests of your choo-[No.]-sing. Wait, don¡¯t use my hand to interrupt me!


    [Use the song and join us or seek your own strength. My final words of advice to you are these; You are strong enough to choose either path, Minstrel. Be wise. Ally yourself with those you can trust. The Songweavers are an old order with little nobility, but we are powerful and we are everywhere. We will be there when you need us, and we will come to your call. When we arrive, we will bring you to our homeland and you shall provide us with your best craft. Once your song is recorded in our annals, you shall spread your heart across the land and cement your work into another culture. All songs have a place, Minstrel Gauner. Let yours find its home.]


    ¡­ So what¡¯s the catch?


    [Your song reflects you. You may not like what you discover.]


    You¡¯re not telling me everythin-[I am.]-g. Oh. Well, I¡¯ve hated myself for a long time. If it means saving Stella, then¡­ Then there¡¯s a lot worse I¡¯d be prepared to do.


    [I know.]


    ¡­ How long have you been reading my writing?


    [A colleague sold you the book. I find you to be very¡­ Endearing, Gatian. I must admit that I am eager to meet you.]


    So someone¡¯s been reading my most private thoughts¡­ You should know I¡¯m not a Minstrel.


    [Do you still drink every day?]


    [Auric Avarice by Hellatrois Ingdunoir


    I sing I sing


    For your one call


    I tread so light as the sun falls


    Father O¡¯ Father won¡¯t you lie down


    For my maidenhood is not yours to crown


    I sing I sing


    For days long due


    My heart is enraptured by not him but you


    Won¡¯t you come save me from suitors this day?


    Or will I myself have to steal away?


    I sing I sing


    For but one bit of gold


    The lands it would take me of stories untold


    This night is forever, my day will soon come


    I¡¯m running I¡¯m running far into the sun


    I sing I singThis tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    For your alms today


    No father no husband no bed do I lay


    I wish for adventure and lands to be tread


    But now I just beg you for a bite of your bread


    I sang I sang


    For days that passed


    I lived for so long but my end came by fast


    I hunger I hunger for so much more


    Failure to sail, myself I do abhor]


    Well¡­


    [They are beneath you?]


    Coming closer.


    [Do you know the song?]


    I have a melody for it.


    [... Do you have any other paths?]


    You know I don¡¯t.


    [You assume. Be wise¡­ Bard. What is done cannot be undone.]


    Yeah. That¡¯s what they all want you to think.


    ????????????????????????


    I played Auric Avarice with my plublass and had some trouble with the lighter notes, but Stella sang along on the second playthrough and helped me keep the rhythm. I imagine she thought that I was just making our impending doom a little more romantic, but one by one the zombies beneath us that had been looking up were fizzling out, the flames on their bodies and in their eyes dimming down until they were completely gone, leaving the entire horde re-deadeded, which was like, my favorite way for those particular creatures to be. We got out of the tree since we¡¯d already packed up and got the fuck out of dodge as fast as possible until I made us stop in a ghost town for a little while. Bast was keen to the idea, but Stella was losing her wits and wanted nothing more than to keep going which I understood plenty. However¡­ Even as we sit here and I record my thoughts¡­ Are you¡­?


    No, apparently not. Still, I used the song and people are supposed to be on the way now, but I don¡¯t know what to do other than prepare for a hostile encounter. I explained what was going upon to Stella and Bast, but neither of them had ever heard of The Songweavers and neither were too keen on the type of Arca that was used to enchant my journal. Either of them could have said something about dispelling it at any point until I brought it up, which was when they both admitted that they didn¡¯t actually know much about their planet¡¯s magic and what it entailed. In fact, I knew more than both of them combined since I¡¯d been on Septural for nearly eleven (Thirty-day) months at that point and had studied what I could about Terru for most of it, so I was pretty certain that it was nothing to be genuinely worried about. If someone wanted to hurt me, they could have done so much more easily with the information I record in my journal. The Weavers had never reached out before, but I imagined that it was a now or never kind of deal. There was¡­ I mean, how¡­ Booksy, it¡¯s weird...


    In any case, I still have to get Stella to safety and maintain our safety, so I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be sending anyone into the creepy, haunted looking mine that seemed to emanate darkness from within. Stella herself wasn¡¯t too upset about that, but Bast was hungry and wanted to go hunt, which just wasn¡¯t wise at the moment. We didn¡¯t have the food to feed her fully, but everyone got a snack and we ate what we could. Hours passed in the town without anything happening, but since I¡¯d already broken my moratorium on making music and performing it,, I chose to play Under Pressure to make everyone feel a bit better. By everyone I mean Inova of course, and she apparently loved to hear me play. The look in her eyes when I played my music¡­ Her appreciation¡­ I just... She¡­ The look in Stellara¡¯s eyes when I showed her how I could make my strings sing made me feel...


    Better. I don¡¯t know how upset I was with her for leaving me twice and expecting me to just take her back, but¡­ The admiration and amazement she displayed when I showed off my music was addictive and I really wanted to make her smile and look at me like that again, even if a bigger, wiser part of me wanted to wash my hands with music and give up on my dream alltogether. My heart hurt every time I played another song for her, but the smile and¡­ The expression she wore was just so...


    Booksy, I know you in particular don¡¯t talk, but can you imagine? Losing a woman you fell for way too fast, never really got over, and then had come looking for you only to be tortured for leaving you? Literally and figuratively. To see her all over again with scars from her choice, not a mistake by nature, but choice¡­? Even though she acted on her own, I feel so responsible for the fact that Stellara Inova will never have the same left eye. The scars over it nearly blinded her, but even as the twin florid lines parted her moderate, ashy grey brow, I couldn¡¯t help but think that they suited her. The almond shape to her eyes seemed sharper than they had when I¡¯d met her, the troubles of her most recent perils having given her a certain edge that couldn¡¯t be dulled while still in danger. One of the scars on her eye, however, stretched to the midpoint of her forehead and there was another that went into her hairline that was covered by her locks. Even as I watched her sitting and smiling, her features softened by relaxation, I couldn¡¯t help but see that she avoided certain positions and constantly moved her hands unlike before. Stellara Inova had previously been a statue in motion, but now? She felt like a Warrior Queen with a bone to pick, but the way she looked at me didn¡¯t change. It was like she still saw the person in me that had made her want to be with me in the first place, and once I finished Drops of Jupiter, Stella¡­


    She came to sit next to me and leaned her head on my shoulder, so I put my plublass down and wrapped and arm around her, getting some fucking snuggles from the woman I¡¯d wanted most in the world since I¡¯d met her. It felt so good to have her back, to know that she was free and still wanted to be with me. To know that I helped her and didn¡¯t expect anything- Hadn¡¯t expected anything I should say, but even then I still got what my heart desired, what I¡¯d wanted since I¡¯d seen fear and despair in her gaze. Even if it did look like we were stepping from one mess to the other, I couldn¡¯t stop my heart from pounding when I laid my head on hers and held her tight. Stella was back in my arms after nine and a half long months and there was nowhere I¡¯d rather be with her. Anywhere with Stellara was home to me, and when she looked me in the eye, hesitation on her tongue, I knew there was something I had to say.


    ¡°Inova¡­ I¡­¡±


    She bit her lip, eyes sparkling in the setting sun, the magical- Terruc, lights I¡¯d put up having a similar glow.. ¡°Gatian¡­ I¡­ There¡¯s one thing I need to know.¡±


    I brushed her cheek with my thumb, gently cupping her face as she placed her hand over mine. She took a deep breath and smiled wearily, most likely getting the slightest hint of the scented oil I used everyday. ¡°Stella, I swear to you that I¡¯ve never used my anything against you. Not willingly, not knowingly, and not through any purposeful means. The only way I know to activate my Devil Tongue thing is to be really, well and truely pissed¡­ Or use it in a song, but I¡­¡±


    She closed her eyes, both of her hands touching mine while I held onto her as if she were a wafer rather than the capable combatant I knew her to be. ¡°You would never use it against me. If you did and I was fine with it, we would never have true love. If you did and it hurt me, you would never forgive yourself. If you did and I was upset, we would never be together¡­¡±


    ¡°Inova¡­¡± Tears fell from my eyes, the most sober I¡¯d been since The Brit had given me the bottomless flask. ¡°I love you. I love you so much, I¡­ I don¡¯t know how else to say that I never stopped loving you, Stella. I never stopped wanting you, to be with you. I don¡¯t care who¡¯s who or what¡¯s what; I tried to be me without you and I¡­ I made a lot of mistakes. I did a lot of stuff I¡¯m not proud of, but... ¡°


    My Partner pulled my head into her bosom and let me rest me rest against her still-bountiful bosom, even if said bosom had been slimmed by malnutrition and stress. ¡°Gatian, there is no amount of shame that you could possibly bear that would be greater than that which I carry, and I do not mean to belittle your plight. I¡­ Regret was... ¡° She stroked my hair and sighed, holding a tense silence for minutes. ¡°... I barely made it out of the Welcome Center in Tidrel when I wanted to come back for you, but Yolanna had asked if I was cancelling my contract before I could leave... I said yes. I couldn''t take it back¡­ Not without your permission and not without time. I had to wait, Gatian. I had to¡­¡±


    ¡°... There¡¯s one thing I have to know too.¡± I murmured into her chest.


    ¡°Anything, I swear the truth.¡±


    ¡°... Is guilt why you¡¯re here?¡±


    Stella froze ad barked out a laugh that was half-snort, a quarter choking, and another quarter of just pure amusement. ¡°Oh, Gatian! Guilt is why I returned, but love is why I stay. No amount of guilt would make me face a horde of flaming undead unless it was one of my sisters, and even then I would assume they were dead! Gatian, I owe you my life when you owed me nothing. I came to you as a strange alien that was far too eager to please, far too mysterious for your liking, and far too secretive to have a real relationship with.¡± I rose from her chest and saw Stella smiling at me at me, tears flowing from her as freely as they were from me. ¡°The love in your heart¡­ The- The Gatian I knew and see now¡­ I¡¯ve never met a more amazing man on this planet. I¡¯ve never even met a person, halt, (Period/Full-Stop, for reference) as kind, understanding, and willing to accept a¡­ To accept the lowest dregs of the world as you, Gatian. There was never a choice in the matter for me. From the moment you woke up and¡­¡± She shook her head and covered her mouth, her breathing hitching.


    ¡°Stella.¡± I said softly.


    She smiled again and sniffled, the truth in her eyes. ¡°You looked at me like I was your


    equal. You looked at me like I mattered, Gatian. You looked at me like you were fully prepared to treat me like any other woman that would have stood in front of you, and I had my doubts, but¡­¡± She giggled, looking down for a moment, her lips twitching madly. ¡°You¡­ You told me I was beautiful. I know it¡¯s so, so terribly vain, but¡­ Even my sisters said that I was a late bloomer, and you¡­ You never said, not once, that anything I wanted to change was something that actually needed to change.¡± It felt like the right time to take her hands in mine and keep listening. ¡°You don¡¯t know what they do to prepare you for being a Partner, Gatian. They¡­ They tell you that the decade and spare you just spent getting ready to go on the adventure of a lifetime might not be neededat all. They tell you that you might be a maid or butler. They tell you that you might be a slave of a different kind, or that you might get sold. They tell you all these horrible, horrible things that happen all the time¡­¡± Inova choked up, hardly able to keep her smile.


    It broke my heart, the truth I¡¯d needed to hear finally spilling forth. ¡°Stellara, I¡¯d never-¡±


    ¡°Did you know that seventy-seven percent of all Partners are raped at some point? Male or female. It¡¯s just about equal.¡± She asked still looking at me with adoration, such¡­ Such pure love in her eyes that I¡­ ¡°Every Partner goes into their assignment with the assumption that giving in makes everything easier. We walk to the Welcome Center, fighting tooth and nail to get to what might be just as bad as what we left¡­ Giving up... It does make it easier. It makes it hurt a lot less, and that¡¯s just a fact. Every Partner I met that taught in the Edu-train-tion Camp said that they had been raped by either their River Person or one of their Person¡¯s friends. It didn¡¯t help that the River Person knew and usually didn¡¯t care¡­¡±


    ¡°You know me-¡±


    ¡°Gatian, I knew from the way you looked at me that you were in love. Well, I knew there was a chance¡­¡±


    ¡°So when I told you about Rachel¡­¡±


    ¡°It explained a lot, and when you told me that you had been raped¡­ That was when I¡­ I grew fearful.¡± She wouldn¡¯t meet my eye anymore. ¡°I¡­ A part of me knew you were telling the truth, but another part of me thought you were going to say that it wasn¡¯t that bad. Then you said that you could put it behind you and¡­ I¡­ It was around the same time you made an advance...¡±


    I watched on, my heart¡­ ¡°... I...¡±


    Stella looked at me. ¡°... Are you¡­¡±


    ¡°You have more to say and I understand, Stella. I really do.¡± I smiled through the pain.


    ¡°... When I learned that you were a Devil¡¯s Tongue¡­ I thought it was only a matter of time. Felix and I made it back to Rusval without really talking about what happened, but when I asked him if you¡¯d ever used your Terru before¡­¡±


    ¡°He couldn''t¡¯ say that I had¡­¡± I nodded a few times, trying to keep my smile.


    ¡°No,¡± I almost choked, ¡°he said that you¡¯d tried using it on me to let him live. You saved his life, Gatian.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why he was so fond of you¡­ He should still be in Tidrel waiting for you to return, but it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if-¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going back for him after we finish this Songweaver business-¡± I blurted.


    Stellara smiled at me again and cut me off. ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I furrowed my brow, wiping my eyes.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t seen Felix in nearly a year and there¡¯s a good chance that the scatterbrained little ohsum isn¡¯t even there anymore¡­ But you still want your friend back. You know he isn¡¯t scared of you and you want him back. Just like me.¡± Her lips quivered again. ¡°Gatian, you might have hurt people or even killed them on Earth or in your time on Septural. You may have done deeds as dark as the blackest night, but your heart is still noble. Your hands reach out to help those in need, your voice calls out to those who¡¯ve lost hope, your feet carry you to the next destination to touch the next Anima and you don¡¯t even realize it¡­ People¡­ People are better off for knowing you, Gatian. Felix was. Shadesong was. Hemric, Jo¡¯elle, Himtu, Wymone¡­ All better off for your songs, Gatian. All Partners that had abusive River People and your songs eventually reached them.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how to take that. ¡°You¡¯ve¡­ You¡¯ve heard more of my songs?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re everywhere in Ponydale and they¡¯re growing in Chorell outside of the Church¡¯s reach, of course. You¡­ You¡¯ve single-handedly done more for slaves and Partners in the past six months than countless Thesuvian Missionaries and Amanese Palanines in the past decade....¡± Stella freed her hands from mine to cup my face. ¡°Even¡­ Even after I thrust my sword through your back... You kept your promise...¡±


    ¡°... Stella¡­¡± I put my hands over hers and gazed into her eyes like never before, seeing oceans of gratitude and awe, lakes of appreciation and regret, ponds of happiness, fear, and apprehension, and a water-world of reciprocated love in her eyes. ¡°I love you and your oddway of saying things. I love you so much more than I should or than you would ever know¡­ But if you ever leave me again because you¡¯re afraid of me... ¡° I shook my head. ¡°Then¡­ Then I want you to have a good reason when we meet again, because I swear on your life, the thing I hold most dear in this world, that I will never raise a hand against you unless I¡¯m groping you. I¡¯ll never give you a reason to leave if I can help it.¡±


    She stared at me. ¡°Did- Did you just say grope?¡±


    I wanted levity, butb I also wanted to get my point across. ¡°Well, I want to be able to cop a feel on my future wife when I want. In private, of course.¡±


    Stella blushed lightly, her lips twitching madly. ¡°You mean...?¡±


    ¡°If I never stopped loving you, then who else would I want to marry? Like, d-¡±


    I saw the kiss coming from the beginning of the conversation but it was exponentially sweeter than I¡¯d ever thought it would be. Stella sweet caramel-cream lips touched mine for the first time in what felt like eons, eras long past in the wake of our seperation. We picked up right where we left off, coming closer to each other and pressing our luck like there was no tomorrow. It was a moment of unity, of love that I¡¯d longed for since Stella had turned her back on me so long ago. I felt no need to cast another Truth Arca or anything of the sort. She¡¯d felt guilty and had been honest about it, and she¡¯d been telling me the truth when she¡¯d said that she well and truly loved me... From the bottom of my heart through the tips of my toes to the other side of the planet where Shadow-Gatian sat with Shadow-Stella, the bliss ran through me. We might¡¯ve been hunted by a Revenant-Demon thing that wanted to kill me and taste Stella¡¯s honey-buns, but there was nothing that would cow the two of us while we were together. Our mountain was scalable and we were prepared to take every tiny step to get to the summit and back down the other side to our happy ending. With Stella¡­ With Shade it¡¯d felt¡­ Kosher, for lack of a better word, and with Max¡­ He was my buttslut-goodboi body-guard, point-blank. Gloss was¡­ Eh. With Sootina it was taboo, kinky, xenophilia and overall just lustful, but with Stella? When I thought of taking things a step further with her, it just felt right. Her hands felt natural against my bare skin and mine on hers. My lips were meant to be pressed against Inova¡¯s as if it was written in the beginning and there was nothing that would¡¯ve, could¡¯ve, or should¡¯ve killed the moment.


    ¡°Ahem.¡±


    Except for a cockblock whorse. Yes, that¡¯s a real Centurn slur and I do think it¡¯s hilarious. I pulled away from Stella and she sat up straight, placidity on her face. I slowly turned to face Jaqueline Apple and Mortimer Whatshisname while Stella peered around me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you interrupted at a real bad time, but I¡¯m gonna give you a chance. Walk out that Goddamn door, come back in seven hours, and we¡¯ll talk.¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡± Jackie smiled.


    ¡°Bitch I will feed you your intestines and see if you get twice as big or disappear.¡± I snarled through my teeth.


    ¡°Seconded.¡± Stella snapped.


    Jackie stopped smiling, Mortimer backed up, and Bast stretched behind them,. Licking her chops. I took over. ¡°I¡¯m gonna give ya one last shot to make this right, ¡®cause I¡¯m sittin¡¯ here with my long-seperated, sexy as fuck, awesome as getting a second chance at life itself girlfriend. I¡¯m enjoyin¡¯ a good fuckin¡¯ time an¡¯ ya got ¡®bout six secon¡¯s ¡®fore I fuh-kin¡¯ lose it.¡±


    The orangey-tan Mare shook her head. ¡°See, we coulda done this real easy-like, but you had to go an¡¯ make it all hos-tile.¡±


    ¡°Bast?¡± She nodded as I spoke. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ hope you¡¯re hungry.¡±


    Jackie furrowed her brow as Mortimer turned around just in time to see bast pounce at his partner. He jumped back and watched in horror as Jackie Apple was partially eaten alive by the giant blue faulain that was Bastet, which meant that he never saw Stella calmly walk up to him. While Bast was finishing with Jackie¡¯s wings, Stella grabbed Morti by the horn, brought his head into her knee, then drew her knife and broke his horn off with the pommel. He screamed immediately and clutched at his ruined nose and forehead until he lost all feeling in his body. At least, that¡¯s what I assumed happens when you get stabbed in the spine by a Terruc bone that was sticking out of your forehead a couple seconds ago. Jackie screamed and wailed in horror, crying out for him as she was watching her friend get brutalized in less than eight full seconds while Bast took her time with her prey, laying on top of her while she nibbled at and snapped open the bones of Jackie¡¯s former wings. She was fuckin¡¯ loud, pissing herself, and clawing at the wooden floor beneath her as she struggled to get another breath to help ease some of her pain, but I made it unnecessary as a mercy to her. Bast jolted when I cast the only ¡®kill¡¯ Arca I bothered to learn, but she got over her surprise and sniffed some grey matter, giving it a lick. Apparently she liked brains because she ate them all the same.


    Needless to say, once the rage, fury, and indignation faded I was pretty horrified by what we¡¯d done to people we probably could¡¯ve talked it out with. I knew for a fact that we could have subdued them with ease because Bast could have held Jackie hostage while Mortimer got the hell out. There was another way that was easy, simple, and would have probably been faster than killing both of them. Stella was perfectly fine for the most part and Bast was as callous as ever, but I needed a different house to stay in and got one with Stella. The bed in the house was fine since it had been covered with sheets and they had caught most of the dust, but still. It didn¡¯t matter where I slept because I¡¯d watched Bast eat a sentient being and saw Stella Inova herself flip the killswitch like it was nothing. I was in shock and Stella was there to hold me while I got over it, despite having killed more than my fair share of people in the past months. Even at that¡­ I killed people because they were trying to rob me or kill me themselves, and I¡¯d been drunk for both times. I¡¯d known Jackie before I¡¯d started adding bodies to my conscious and seeing her face again after I¡¯d already known that she would¡¯ve let me live¡­? I¡­ I gave Bast the okay because Stella was in danger, but that scared me¡­ It still scares me... I was more concerned about Inova than I was about myself and my own health, which was a major problem because I¡¯d just shot my mental health in the foot. I mean¡­ I¡¯ve killed two real live people, Booksy. Some highwayman was the first when I was traveling to Choret, and some guy before that when I was traveling with Luce, but Jackie¡­? I knew she had family and a lot of it. She was going to be missed, and so was Mortimer. The robber-guy? He¡¯d attacked us and had gone after our lives, the dumb-fucks that had tried to rob Luce, Gloss, and myself¡­ They were after our supplies and I didn¡¯t even really care at that point, but the Rhubarb Ranch? They just wanted me to play music for them¡­ Jaqueline and Mortimer didn¡¯t have to die; they did because I couldn¡¯t let them take me away from Stella, and I¡­


    I have her back¡­ What would I do if I lost her again¡­? What else would go wrong in my life before I found my way to her again? There¡¯s¡­ There¡¯s just too much at risk, Booksy.


    Whoever¡¯s reading this¡­ I¡¯m just trying to do right by Stella, okay? She deserves that much¡­


    End of Book One

 Fool On The Hill

    Damn¡­ It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve touched this thing. I guess I could always try to catch myself up, but¡­ Wow. I almost had to start over, Booksy. Remember when I first picked you up? Man, that feels like forever ago, but it¡¯s only been a year and a half. I don¡¯t really know why I decided to start writing in you again. Maybe it¡¯s because life actually got interesting for a change? Ah, I know you can¡¯t laugh, but I got a giggle out of that. Yes, Booksy, for the first time in damn near six months, I started writing music again and making my own shit to play. Granted, it was mostly to pass the time and entertain my posse, but still. It was great for keeping spirits high, but there were also the occasional gifts that we gave each other to keep things interesting. For example, Stella just made me a gift for myself and one for someone I¡¯ll have to track down, and I also made her a significantly cooler set of broad-heads than she¡¯d previously had.


    What¡¯s that, Booksy? What have I been up to before the last few days?


    Getting my ass, kicked, that¡¯s friggin¡¯ what. After it became clear that my cadre was lethal and that I was the weakest link, Stella practically demanded that she be allowed to train me into a fighting minstrel, which I really thought sounded terrible. A brawling bard would be cool, but I¡¯d played D&D in my years and Bards? We typically don¡¯t do the fight-punch-kick. We sing the songs, get laid, and sing more songs, which I wanted to do for Stella while we waited for the Songweavers to arrive. Sadly, it just wasn¡¯t in the cards for me and Stella was the main reason why. She healed quickly enough to get herself to top form in just a few short weeks of rest, so she then spent most of her time trying to make me use Arca as I fought or to just be good at fighting in general. As it turned out, Partners were just a cut above everyone else, which I¡¯d already known. I had to reiterate that to Stella when she floored me for what felt like the thousandth time in a four-month period and asked her why she was training me so hard. Her elegant reasoning was ¡®For something to do, mostly.¡¯. And to make me sexier, which I couldn¡¯t argue against.


    Speaking of coitus and looking good for that particular act, Stella and I both wanted to alight to the nearest bathroom with running water, but that¡¯s not to say we never had the supplies to bathe. We just didn¡¯t have hot water and that was a pain in the ass, but it was alright enough. Being clean and unshaven wasn¡¯t always fun, so I spent many of my days teaching Inova how to ignore the itch by strumming the plublass until I eventually had to replace the strings a couple of days ago. I barely remembered how to do it, so it took me a while but the thing sounded completely different with a fresh set of strummers on them. Bast asked if I would play her a new song as soon as I got the plublass tuned, but Inova saw the sadness in my eyes. When she asked what was wrong, I had to admit that I felt like I was leaving a part of myself off of my instrument, just replacing the strings I had learned to play the thing with and had taught others as well¡­ It brought up Memories of ¡®Gatling Gatian¡¯ and the Raphtal Raiders, as short-lived as the band was. I missed Max and Gloss, but Lucine? There was no chance that I would ever see him again, and even as we waited for the Weavers to show their faces, I couldn¡¯t help but think of the helpers and nurses at the Tidrel Welcome Center. They¡¯d been sad to see me go, and the looks on their faces as they¡¯d seen me leave... There was something about the memory that struck me as odd, even as little as I¡¯d thought about it since leaving the town. Still, I was far more concerned about what they would think when I returned without Luce.


    Stella soon assured me that she would do something with the strings for me, but I didn¡¯t want anything done with them. Still, I trusted my girlfriend or [Loved Maiden] (We labeled it, Booksy. Be jealous.) to do right by me, and she took the strings and fucked off somewhere. Bast and I talked about my old friend and I avoided drinking my sadness away, but it was a slow process. I was still in the process of drying out for once and for all, but Stella was adamant about me not trying to cold-turkey the sauce, even if I¡¯d only been addicted for a few long months. She was still wary about letting her River Person experience withdrawal and worse symptoms, but for the most part, without all the extra carbs and sugars I¡¯d been drinking, I was looking kind of skeletal¡­ I mean, I¡¯d had a few extra pounds when I first arrived on Septural, but before then I¡¯d had a few more to my memory. It just felt like with every major change in my life, I shed more and more weight and saw more and more of my bones. Bast wasn¡¯t terribly concerned about it since she kept everyone pretty well-fed through hunting, hunting, and hunting, but she did become a little frightened by my form when she saw me without clothes one time. Her previous apathy had been to my benefit and had kept Stellara Inova from Mother-Henning me to death and back, but when Bast saw each and every one of my ribs? Shit, I couldn¡¯t have gotten away from them if I wanted to.


    I spent many of my days eating as I had the day before, spending little in the way of time honing my music and making more songs since Stella and Bast were constantly getting me more food and whatever. I eventually got them to stop so I could play them my new song, but then Stella swore like she¡¯d cut herself cooking (Which she had and had barely noticed) and ran out of the house. Bast and I lazily followed her to another quarter of the town that Stella had explored and declared largely boring, so no one went over there. However, we managed to follow her to the fucking Artisan¡¯s street and saw a few cool things we probably would have wanted to see last month when we finished combing the rest of the visible, non-dangerous parts of the mine. However, when Stella came from a metallurgist¡¯s shop with her scarred smile wide and her bright blue eyes sparkling? My heart melted like it did every other day when I woke up next to her and I had a hard time blaming her for keeping a lovely surprise a secret.


    We came to meet in the middle of the street quite a decent distance away from our house, my arms folded in front of me. Bast grumbled about tricksy Human women and Stella practically skipping with her arms behind her. The chest I was still so fond of snuggling up to at night still seemed quite perky and bounced freely as she¡¯d stopped wearing undergarments some time ago. I¡¯d only seen them after she¡¯d cast them into the trash and I still respected that Stella was a deeply devout woman, so I¡¯d yet to see her in the full-buff but still. I could ask any time I wanted and do as I pleased, although would I really be that guy? Every time she smiled she could have been flashing me something completely different every time and it would have the same effect. When she came to a stop in front of me and started to play coy, Bast huffed and started walking around us as she usually did to keep watch.


    I took Stella into my arms and gave her a mildly frustrated smile. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me there¡¯s an Artificer¡¯s shop here, Inova.¡±


    She pouted slightly, her regal, torture-hardened appearance clashing with her projected emotion. It didn¡¯t mean she failed to pull it off though. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t keep your runes from you, my noble Watcher!¡±


    My brow twitched involuntarily since she had me. The only thing I¡¯d really wanted to find was an Artificer¡¯s shop. Everything else was under my radar. ¡°Mhm. I know, so what have you been keeping this little gold mine to yourself for, hmm? Has someone been-¡± I saw the smile that broke out on her face again in the wake of my all too non-scolding words. ¡°Okay, what is it?¡±


    Stella started twisting from side to side. ¡°Oh, I just¡­ Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm?¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡­¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you doing something with Luce¡¯s plublass strings?¡± I asked, having nearly forgotten about it.


    She smiled widely and presented her left hand, holding a small jewelry box fit for a ring. ¡°I believe my barde may find the product of my efforts kiss-worthy~¡±


    I raised a brow and accepted the gift. ¡°First off, I¡®d kiss you for free ninety-nine, but... Stella, you didn¡¯t have to make me anything-¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you make me a new string for my bow from part of Luce¡¯s strings?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah? Is it not-¡±


    ¡°It works much better than a conventional string, but I fear I will break my bow with too much force.¡± She laughed and waved it aside. ¡°Open your gift, Gatian! I want to hear you use it!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at that and did as she asked, immediately surprised by what I found. Inside was a pick, but it wasn¡¯t your average tool. No, it was a Damascus steel pick with more intricate patterning in the metal than any I¡¯d ever seen before. I couldn¡¯t imagine how many folds it had taken to get something that wouldn¡¯t bend with heavy use, or how she¡¯d even managed to get the strings to stay together for a billet in the first place, but there it was. It even had a bracelet attached to it with a clasp that fits just right around my wrist. My friend, my favorite drinking buddy, my slave-driving taskmaster of a mentor¡­ My right-hand man. Luce was always going to be by my side now, and it was one of the most beautiful pieces I could have ever asked for. Inova earned herself a kiss and a hug, which is when I felt a longer box behind her back, tucked into the back of her trousers. Somehow. She still had plenty of posterior to share, so I imagined that it was tight, uncomfortable squeeze. Paying it little mind, I let her tie it affix it around my neck as we did the snogging of a lifetime before I gave her a break from my salty embrace. Clutching the pick, I looked at the woman I wanted to make my wife and just smiled.


    ¡°Thank you, Stella.¡± I bit back more tears.


    She pouted again. ¡°You haven¡¯t even looked at the necklace!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the largest string cut down and probably made into the shape of a gun while still being entirely made from the strings.¡± I chuckled, sussing out the design from the hints she¡¯d dropped over time that had seemed unrelated to anything for awhile.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°I can keep the pick, but the necklace has to go to his River Person.¡±


    She smiled gently. ¡°Then wear it for her until you can tell her what happened. Until then, would you like to hear the music you make with your new plucker?¡±


    I thought about it. ¡°I¡­ Probably can¡¯t really use it. It¡¯s going to wreck my strings¡­¡±


    Stella rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh. No. Metal-on-metal. Who-would-have-thought-of-that?¡± She monotoned her words so hard I thought she was going to turn beige.


    ¡°Yeah, keep it up Granny.¡±


    She coloured. ¡°I am only four Earth years older than you! We are nearly the same age on Septural!¡±


    I stuck my tongue out at her and it got licked. Once I got the taste of caramel and cream off of my tastebuds, I said, ¡°Septural¡¯s years make no sense. It¡¯s like living here is living in reverse dog-years.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve lived here long enough to get used to it,¡± she huffed.


    I gave Stella another hug and let her lean away from me. ¡°Oh, baby~ I can¡¯t wait to make beautiful music for you next year~¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an entire year away!¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Wait, what-¡±


    ¡°You arrived in the middle of the last third of summer. It is now first spring in Gerritt, if the stars speak the truth,¡± Stella said dryly.


    ¡°... What. I¡¯ve been here for like-¡±


    ¡°Yes, a full Earth year and then some. Did you really not know why I made a feast for you?¡±


    My jaw dropped and I felt my heartbeat escalate like an anchor through water. ¡°... Was I supposed to-¡±


    Stella leaned forward. ¡°Supposed to¡­? Alvage (Al-vah-gay. Don¡¯t ask me, she won¡¯t tell.), there is very little that a River Person is expected to know in their years on Septural. You are not really expected to know much about anything other than the place you settle down in, and you¡¯ve never settled down. You still know more than most, however.¡± A smile crossed her lips. ¡°Besides, you wouldn¡¯t have had any obligations anyway. If I was your mother, then that would be a different story.¡±


    ¡°Inova, I just¡­ I thought you were trying to fatten me up-¡±


    ¡°I was also doing that. Yes.¡± She nodded.


    ¡°It was good for me as well. There were many pieces of flesh that were supposedly not fit for putting weight on you.¡± Bast yawned, stopping for a moment before she made herself dizzy. ¡°There are visitors coming, by the way. I figured I would let you know this time.¡±


    I looked at her. Stella looked at her. I spoke as such, ¡°Thanks for the heads up. Did you know the Ponies, Jackie and Mortimer, were coming?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was hungry, it was likely that I was going to get to eat them. Win-win situation, would you not agree?¡±


    Stella nodded. ¡°Quite beneficial. I was wondering why you distanced yourself from us before they arrived.¡±


    ¡°Ambushed,¡± I murmured, shaking my head. ¡°... What¡¯s done is done. If we can talk to these ones we will. We¡¯re not killing anyone we don¡¯t have to anymore.¡±


    Bast grumbled about having to keep hunting and bitched about that while Stella said, ¡°Ah, you still find it distasteful. I understand, Gatian. I truly do.¡±


    ¡®


    ¡°Right. What enchantments did you put on the pick?¡±


    She smiled, happy to get a chance to explain some of her Choresh-style Terru while I was just glad to get to something less¡­ Achingly cold, is a good couple of words for it. ¡°Well, with the blessings of the Allfather-¡± Stella caught my ever-patient smile. ¡°The Allfather exists!¡±


    ¡°But not the Allmother?¡±


    ¡°Shush! With the blessings of the Allfather I was able to place an enchantment of ¡®Delicacy¡¯ on it. That pick won¡¯t even scratch a piece of chalk!¡±


    I raised both brows. ¡°Really? I can¡¯t wait to give it a shot then! I¡¯ve got a new song I¡¯ve been waiting to play for you anyway.¡±


    ¡°No song for me?¡± Bast jested.


    ¡°The last one was for you.¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°The Lion¡¯s Roar?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it needs you or another big cat in the beginning to sound right.¡±


    Bast breathed out a few amused breaths. ¡°I swear, spending any time at all with you Humans is enough to dull one¡¯s fangs.¡±


    ¡°At least it sharpens your wit,¡± Stella chimed in.


    ¡°Only when dealing with other females.¡± Bast inclined hear head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll slap both of you on the butt, I swear,¡± I sighed. They really had been riding my ass for being a man for a while and there was no sign of the teasing letting up.


    Upon the end of that conversation, I took us back to our house that was actually in the middle of our street that also had a few wilderness-sourced treats to eat. Speaking of food and eating, we did that first and then I started on getting my new song together in my head. I¡¯d formed different parts of it during different periods of thirty days, which was around the time I started to realize I had no idea how long a month in Septural actually was. Stella eventually told me that one month was sixty-four days, give or take a couple special months, and that her birthday was coming soon. I asked what she wanted and all she said was that she wanted something specifically made for her, so I made Part One: SuperNova part one of her birthday gift. A lot of it was just melody that there aren¡¯t lines on these pages for, but I can still transcribe the lyrics and teach them to Stella, right?


    Here goes nothing; first full recording of everything in Sup- Oh. Hol¡¯ up fam-o. Shit just got palpable.


    Nova Part One: SuperNova by Gatian Gauner


    Verse 1


    Sometimes I see


    A world inside of me


    A world inside of you


    A heart just broke in two


    I know I have half


    And you have other


    Watch out pretty sister


    Here comes a daring brother


    Chorus 1


    Every-day


    Walking next to you


    Eyes up to the sky


    A star will shine for you


    The moons will rise for two


    Bridge


    Verse 2


    Sometimes I see


    A whole new thing or two


    Another blessed marvel


    That I can share with you


    I know I want much more


    I know you want it too


    So come on you sexy thing!


    Before our day is due!


    Chorus 2You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Every-day


    Walking next to you


    Eyes up to the sky


    Moons will rise for you


    The moons will rise for two


    Bridge into Solo


    Final Verse


    Sometimes I see


    Way up in the sky


    Visions of you


    Then I wonder why


    Every-day


    Walkin¡¯ next to you


    Wonder if we can


    Wonder what we¡¯ll do


    Night¡¯s Lit up by sun


    Supernova hun


    Baby I love you


    Know you love me too


    I taught Stella the lyrics to SuperNova and now¡¯s for the part two that fell in place as I writing the fucking original one. I decided that UberNova was going to be the second part of who knew how many. My musical wiener wobbled even as I finished off the last verse, so let me hurry up and get UberNova done too.


    UberNova: by Me, fool


    When you make me wait, babe, I wait for you forever


    Know I can¡¯t escape, ay, as long as we¡¯re together


    Tell me what you want to see and I¡¯ll make your wishes true


    ¡®Cause baby you done blinded me just doin¡¯ what you do


    Watch her strut, watch her talk, fuckin¡¯ watch my woman dominate


    Might be a man before me, but I swear I¡¯m finna steal the plate


    When she bat them lashes she knock my heart up out my chest


    Goddammit baby, don¡¯t you know you¡¯re makin¡¯ me a wreck?


    I said, I said, I can make your every dream come true


    Never knew a freer soul until I done met you


    Can¡¯t sit and lie I think about what would happen if you left


    Talkin¡¯, talkin¡¯, talkin¡¯, bout to make myself go deaf


    I ain¡¯t felt this way so long it¡¯s been since I saw this


    Can¡¯t take my eyes up off you or something I swear I¡¯ll miss


    Every second with you makes me think my next step once or twice


    ¡®Cause you keep me warm at night when my heart straight cold as polar ice


    The stars that swim around you never shine half bright as you do


    Don¡¯t know what it truly is that draws my dumbass to you


    But that look inside your eye just makes me warm and fuzzies melt


    Sounds like some pussy bullshit, but you already knew how I felt


    ¡­ So¡­ Booksy. I have two songs in your pages and I¡¯m thinking of dropping a third¡­ Nah, I¡¯ll wait til tomorrow. Still, it was good talking to you again. I forgot just how clear my head felt after writing¡­ I guess I¡¯ll have to-[Bard.]- okay, you guys. Seriously. Six months of nothing and you just take over my damn hand?


    [Our escorts approach. Do not attack.]


    Yeah, yeah, yeah. Any reason you couldn¡¯t have gotten here three months ago?


    [... You are very lucky to be where you are, Bard. Very lucky indeed.]


    That¡¯s not ominous.


    [... While you are a musician, sarcasm is not needed for this conversation. These are grave times, Bard Gauner.]


    What¡¯s that mean, then?


    [The Char Army and the Scorched grow larger every day. Ponydale has fallen.]


    ¡­ Christ¡­


    [Christ? A River God?]


    Kinda, not important. What the hell happened to Ponydale!? What about Hooversdum!?


    [Hooversdum was abandoned. You started your career there, yes?]


    Yeah¡­ Started a lot of stuff.


    [A shame, but not an uncommon story in this day. Our escorts will come for you, but know that this journey will not be simple.]


    See, now you¡¯re being cryptic and I¡¯m kinda in shock about my friends and fuck-buddies possibly dying, so-


    [Fuck¡­ Buddies?]


    People I stick my cock in from time to time that let me do it because it feels good for them too.


    [... Accursed whore-bred Bards!]


    I have a girlfriend now, thank you.


    [You¡¯ve also been in a long abandoned town for months.]


    Fuck off and get your people here. When should we expect them?


    [They are but an hour away. It would do you well to prepare.]


    Guess it¡¯s a good thing we stay travel-ready, I suppose. Any words of advice for your escorts?


    [Do not tell them you are betrothed to your Partner.]


    ¡­ Why not?


    [Because one will likely be quite annoyed¡­]


    STOP BEING CRYPTIC!!!


    [IS THAT HOW YOU EMPHASIZE YOUR WORDS?]


    Fuck. Off. Already.


    [I asked a very fair question.]


    [I eat butts and drink white pee]


    [You Bards are such children.]


    And yet you want me to write you a song.


    [We could always leave you.]


    That would be incredibly petty. I¡¯m gonna get ready.


    [... Gatian. If I may call you that, I mean.]


    Yeah? You can call me by my name, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ll get mad or anything.


    [Hm¡­ I was under the assumption that you had taken a pseudonym and would¡¯ve preferred that.]


    Gatian¡¯s as close to a pseudonym as I need. I mean, yeah, it¡¯s still technically my name, but the one I was born with and was known by on the other side of the River was Gage.


    [Truly? You were named as a tool for measurement?]


    Ha-ha. No, there are a lot of translations for ¡®Gage¡¯. In some Choresh it can be interpreted as ¡®Oath¡¯ like in French, but then the Chorets also have another translation for it I can¡¯t recall. As far as I know, my Dad picked it because of my adopted uncle¡¯s Frenchery.


    [What translation do you use?]


    What do you mean?


    [What does ¡®Gage¡¯ mean to you?]


    I dunno. Promise or something, I guess. I¡¯m good at doing what I say I will.


    [... Would you like to know what Gage means in Tsukan?]


    Tsuka, right? Isn¡¯t that one of the provinces of Teh Se Bang?


    [Yes to both. It is my homeland.]


    Is that where I¡¯m going?


    [No, you are not. Would you care to know what your name means to me?]


    Yeah, what¡¯s it mean?


    [Defiant One.]


    ¡­ Are you [No.] going- fuckin¡¯ don¡¯t do that m¡¯kay?


    [I very much look forward to meeting you in person, Gatian.]


    Before you go, what do I call you when I meet you?


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Bitch hung up on me. Damn.


    ????????????????????????


    It didn¡¯t take long for me to get everybody caught up on what was going on and why we had to finish getting our shit together an hour earlier than we usually practiced. That being said, even Bast had a saddlebag to carry on her back when we left the place we¡¯d called home for half a year or so. Half an Earth year. Whatever. Stella explained that we¡¯d only been there for a few weeks over a month and that hurt my feelings since it meant that my time scale was way off. There were plenty of other things for me to think about, however, like how to get my Gauss Rifle up and frigging working, which I had about forty-five minutes to do. There was a lot that could have gone wrong while I was tuning it, but after finding the thing in someone¡¯s shop and repurposing it for my own uses? Hell, the thing was just supposed to be a glorified nail gun, but I turned my little doohickey into one of Septural¡¯s first true semi-automatic weapons since most were lever-actions or revolver-based. It didn¡¯t have the same punch as Clockly, or really even half of the killing potential, but for some reason the effective distance of the ¡®rounds¡¯ I¡¯d modified it to shoot was a pretty good margin better than the pistol. Stella didn¡¯t know anything about ballistics, but Bast, surprisingly enough, told me that my ¡®rounds¡¯ went further because they were lighter than my lead ones, though that made no sense.


    Then I got lectured by a fucking cat.


    As I was touching up Wallace the Gauss Rifle Bast took the time to explain something that I¡¯d never noticed and never would have anyway. She told me that Septural had a stronger magnetic field than Earth, which how she even knew she wouldn¡¯t tell me. The damn Molly mentioned that there had been a really smart River Person she¡¯d spent a lot of time with for some reason or other, but then went onto explain more cool things, like the fact that a bullet with the same amount of powder would travel about one-point-three times as fart on Septural than it would on Earth. Why exactly wasn¡¯t explained to me in full because my brain was doing the dumb, but she also pointed out that I had been trained to shoot shit. I still practiced Grata-non-Aquix and with Wally, I usually went through the forms that I could remember of Gratana-nuva-Longinus whenever I gotten terribly bored. Point being that along with the ambient Terru in the air, the planet¡¯s magnetism needed to be accounted for through a form of Arca that was almost solely based on movements, poses, and gestures, though no one in the present day had known of the ¡®Demon Dances¡¯ until Bast had told them, and even then the knowledge was never widely spread. The reason being that, and this is from an ancient cat God-thing herself, if someone had every type of weapon made available to them and knew the correct forms, they could potentially be unstoppable until they ran out of stamina. When Luce had been teaching me he made something very clear; If there ever comes a time where you master the forms, then you probably won¡¯t have to worry about getting hit any time soon.


    After that fun little history lesson, I nodded along and said, ¡°Damn. To think that I¡¯ve been using Terru basically since I started training in general¡­¡±


    Stella cut me a mild look. ¡°We did not dance.¡±


    Bast yawned. ¡°You are not trained in one of the Dances. You wield a blade. Your skills are of a different mold.¡±


    ¡°I wield a bow as well!¡± My precious Partner protested petulantly.


    ¡°Does your bow-¡±


    ¡°It has a metal string!¡±


    ¡°-have a trigger?¡±


    ¡°My own fingers!¡±


    ¡°The Grantonid has nothing to do with loosing an arrow. Your kind has no hope of ever grasping the concept, so do not hope to understand,¡± Bast drawled, all too amused.


    I furrowed my brow. ¡°Come to think of it, I think Luce said that Grata-non-Aquix was heretical to some Choresh beliefs. Something along the lines of ¡®sinful sways will fill your days, so move with purpose, always focus.¡¯ or something like that, right?¡±


    Stella blushed. ¡°... Some sways are okay¡­¡±


    I raised a brow at her. ¡°Inova, why the hell do you still defend a religion that did awful things to you? It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°... Why did you forgive me?¡± She asked softly.


    ¡°Hm. I would say it is because you look delicious. If not a mate, then a meal.¡± Bast nodded sagaciously.


    I pointed at her. ¡°She¡¯s got a great point.¡± At Inova¡¯s look, I rolled my eyes and looked back to her. ¡°What part of ¡®I keep my promises¡¯ did you miss? I made you a promise. I kept it. You gave me a reason to forgive you. I forgave you. Now I touch your butt when you¡¯re not expecting it.¡±


    I got a mild blush for my words, but she didn¡¯t really change her expression. ¡°... Even after I hurt you and accused you of such awful things?¡±


    ¡°You left because you were scared and your fears weren¡¯t unwarranted. I have the power to make you do whatever I say. You saw factors and mannerisms in me that made you think you might have been under attack. You fled for your own safety. We¡¯ve been over this.¡±


    ¡°But I was wrong-¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m not. Your Church drew blood on you. Painted a trail of your footsteps behind you wherever you walked. Scarred you for life¡­ Because you were scared and were just a little too late in fixing your mistake. How is that fair, Inova? If I were to run into a siren and knew what it was, I would waste no time in going the way I came. Point-blank. Did the Church of Chorell even ask you why you ran?¡±


    ¡°I was under oath, Alvage! I swore an oath that the blood I spilled would be for your glory! I swore an oath to protect you from yourself and others! Gatian¡­ I swore to be the best Partner a hurt soul could ask for and I pushed you away¡­ I¡­¡± Her face, crestfallen as it was, seemed to etch further with the ache of a result she couldn''t alter. ¡°... The moment I even said ¡®Devil¡¯... I was already breaking a law. The first step I took away from you without your approval broke another. Eating food meant for you. Making you cry. Failing to teach you properly. Needing you to save me¡­¡± She brushed her thumbs across her eyes, smearing moisture across her cheeks. ¡°They removed the¡­ mark. As per your request in reward for defeating my main tormentor, they relieved me of my duties¡­¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re well and truly free and your dumbass decided to leg it with the crazy, half-drunk bard? I fail to see your logic, but I love to see you smile.¡±


    And smile she did, though it was barely a hint of one. ¡°... You must think me a fool¡­¡±


    ¡°... Inova, if I asked you a question, would you as someone who doesn''t have to lie tell me the truth?¡±


    ¡°I owe you as much.¡±


    ¡°... What do you really even see in me?¡±


    ¡°Save it.¡± Bast grunted.


    ¡°Hey, you agreed to crap like this four months ago.¡± I pointed out pointedly.


    The big blue pussy glared at me. ¡°If I have to hear another word about how googly your eyes are for each other, I¡¯m going to claw them out of your skulls.¡±


    Stella sighed. ¡°Leave it to Bast-turd to ruin another golden opportunity for romance.¡±


    Bast looked at her. ¡°Don¡¯t play with him so much, he¡¯ll be as bad as a kit.¡±


    My supposedly loyal girlfriend smiled. ¡°What? You¡¯re saying he isn¡¯t already?¡±


    The steady thrum of Bast¡¯s ¡®laugh¡¯, which was honestly just an especially loud purr, made my bones feel funny as always. ¡°If you two are quite done, I think I¡¯m gonna go empty the reserves.¡± I could have sworn I heard someone groan, but it sounded like it was just on the wind.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go in my territory.¡± Bast reminded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pee on you, cat.¡±


    ¡°I am not your territory.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pee on me either.¡± Inova gave me a womanly look. Like, you know that look your girlfriend gives you when you say something really dumb on purpose and she actually thinks you¡¯ve gone full, unabashed Idiocracy? ¡®Why do plants like electrolytes/Because it¡¯s what plants love!¡¯ and everything. It kinda hurt my feelings. ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Don''t sound disappointed!¡± Alarm crossed her face.


    ¡°Am I not allowed to feel my feelings in this society?¡± I started wandering off to find somewhere to have a break.


    ¡°Please tell me-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what the feelings are about, you nut.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take me very long to get out of sight and find a nice, quiet place to drain the tank while I thought of assisting things, like rushing rivers, white water rapids, and cacti. Boy do I love me a cactus. Sure do, Booksy. After I finished up and started wondering where the hell our escort was, I did not go very far before I came face to face with some fair haired guy that was a little shorter than me. There was also a familiar gray Mare that was as tall as a Pegasus, despite being a Unicorn. Sootina stared at me, I stared at her, and together we ignored her friend.


    ¡°... You¡­ You survived¡­¡± I said numbly.


    Sootina smiled widely, the time between having done her some good. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned! If it isn¡¯t Gatling Gatian in the flesh and blood!¡±


    ¡°Holy fucking shit! Sooty!¡± I cheered, elated to see my friend and ally once more. By the look on her face, she was happy to see me as well. A hug was on the itinerary, but an explanation was needed first. ¡°What the hell are you doing here!? How did you get out of Hooversdum!? Is- well, you know what? Can I get a hug first?¡±


    She beamed and gave me my hug. ¡°When the Scorched and the Char Army came through Hooversdum we had plenty of time to evacuate, but we did fight until the day was done for the most part. The Gerritt Guild is gone, but Max and Gloss are both safe in Thesuvia seeking refuge with Max¡¯s family and the Guild there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you got out!¡± I held her at length and smiled at her some more. ¡°Hot damn¡­ I never thought I¡¯d see you again.¡±


    She raised a brow. ¡°How do you think Auntie Sooty felt when you up and dove into the heart of the madness? There was no telling where you went or what happened to you!¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t as scared for me as I was. Not by half.¡± I nodded repeatedly.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably fair, but still!¡± She gave me a certain look.


    It reminded me of bedtimes and cool sheets, sometimes with cuffs, sometimes not. ¡°So¡­ Speaking of fair, are you with the Songweavers or something?¡±


    ¡°I was always one of them.¡± Sootina offered up an apologetic smile. ¡°I was the one that technically got you started on the path, so they found it fitting to be the one to help you continue it.¡±


    ¡°... Sootina,¡± I looked at her partner. ¡°My music isn¡¯t really¡­ normal, you know? I think¡­ Well, I¡¯ll play whatever I come up with for you, but-¡±


    ¡°Wait, when¡¯s the last time you wrote a song?¡± She asked worriedly.


    ¡°Well, I just wrote two not too long ago, but you know how those things go. They were meant to be for Stellara, and the one before those was for Bast.¡±


    Sootina stared. ¡°Would¡­ Gatian, do you mean your ex-Partner Stellara when you say that?¡±


    I blushed and looked down. ¡°... She came looking for me¡­¡±


    ¡°... Then I suppose I can leave it at that.¡± The look of disappointment on her face was evident while her Human Partner raised a brow.


    The other guy shrugged. ¡°You like it, you should have tied him down.¡± Can your Russian drawl get any thicker, my guy?


    Sootina passed him a shitty look. ¡°I¡¯ll geld you, Rasputin.¡±


    ¡®Rasputin¡¯ shrugged again. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be the first time, but it would be the worst time. Da, for certain.¡±


    ¡°Wait, by Ra-Ra-Rasputin do you mean the lover of the Russian Queen?¡± I asked uneasily.


    ¡°... Ra-Ra-What?¡± Sootina giggled her ass off while Ras looked amused himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s a part of a song that basically says that Rasputin was a badass.¡±


    His eyes shot open. ¡°I was no baeddel!¡±


    ¡°No, not what you said; bad-ass. Like, someone really tough, cool, and generally awe-inspiring.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ That is much better.¡±


    ¡°What was that thing you thought I meant anyway?¡±


    ¡°A hermaphrodite of sorts in some terribly mundane language.¡± He snorted. ¡°I may have been gelded after laying my Tzarina, but it was well worth it for the bragging rights.¡±


    ¡°Debatable, but you do you man.¡± I nodded toward him and looked back to Sootina. ¡°So, would you like to meet the rest of my party, or¡­?¡±


    ¡°We only really came for you.¡± Sootina said dryly. ¡°Even then we didn¡¯t know it was you. We just knew that you didn¡¯t like being called a Minstrel and decided to be a Bard.¡±


    The amusement on her face was a little insulting. ¡°It¡¯s perfectly fine to be a Bard!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re a sexual-deviant murder-gypsy, perhaps,¡± Rasputin said loftily. ¡°However, Minstrels don¡¯t go around using powerful Song Arcas to ah¡­ [Something in Russian, I dunno.] people.¡±


    Sootina looked a lot less amused and turned to me. ¡°Ah, yeah. Would you like to explain why there was a report of a musician taking down a Champion of the Church of Chorell with nothing but a grating song?¡±


    I averted my gaze from her harsh judgement, Gage showing his face after a long time of being asleep. Then Gatian shoved him out of the way and made me meet Sootina¡¯s eyes with a firm gaze of my own. ¡°Sootina, I swore to protect Stellara Inova and eventually set her and every other Partner free. She needed my help, so I made sure she would walk away as an unbound woman from that moment forward. It may have cost me my Partner and a man his life, but it saved Stella and she¡¯s as free as a person without her past. She doesn¡¯t owe anyone anything other than what she thinks she owes people, and that¡¯s how it should be. Yeah, I used my music to hurt someone, but I used it to free a slave that had no business being someone¡¯s property in the first place, and there¡¯s nothing in my entire life that I stand by more than that.¡±


    My kinky long-lost, presumed-dead friend looked at me passively. ¡°So¡­ You would risk your life and your very music for someone that abandoned you in the first place, broke your heart, and lead you to¡­? What? An abandoned town in the middle of nowhere?¡±


    I looked her dead in the eye and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been scared too, Sootina. I iunderstand that fear made me do a lot of dumb, dumb things. Made me take pain I shouldn¡¯t have. Wasted money I should¡¯ve saved. Lost time I could¡¯ve spent better doing nothing. Stella¡¯s smarter than me, because when she was scared, she ran and hoped for something better than what she had. When she realized she didn¡¯t have too much of a reason to be scared, she came back and wanted to make things right, just too little too late. I know that feeling too. What you don¡¯t understand is that I¡¯ve been close to where Stella put herself, and I made the mistake of going back to something bad for me. If I¡¯d proven to her before that it was a good thing, then this never would have happened. I evidently showed her enough to make her come back, and it wasn¡¯t because I abused her into thinking she needed me.¡±


    ¡°If she had never left you, then things would have been just fine all the same.¡± Sootina drawled. ¡°You do realize that she already had her ¡®better¡¯? She-¡±


    ¡°Was being a goddamn person!¡± I snapped. ¡°It¡¯s Human to want more! To seek a better and better normal! It¡¯s fucking Human to want the best possible life you can get! You know fuckin¡¯ what!? In America, there used to be slaves before a large enough group of people decided to wage war and start killing people that owned slaves! And you know what!?¡± At this point, I¡¯m sure my face was bright red. ¡°I¡¯m half American-slave! Half of my lineage comes from slaves! So fuckin¡¯ yeah, I understand the desire to escape and be free! It was beaten into my brow by my mother and her family for years as I watched the bullshit she had to put up with along with my uncles, cousins, and aunts. My entire family has stories of legitimate persecution You know what for? Just being the descendants of slaves. Just for being different. Just for what they were and what they were largely presented as. It didn¡¯t matter if the individual was gilded in gold from the bones to the butthole, ain¡¯t no nigga goin¡¯ nowhere without blood, sweat, and fear.¡±


    Sootina looked a little taken aback. ¡°... I didn¡¯t know River People still used slaves. Rasputin is quite old¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been hundreds of years and the hate¡¯s still there.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I might not have been a slave, but people still didn¡¯t like me for what I was. Didn¡¯t understand that it didn¡¯t have that much to do with who I was or who my family were. People see what they want to see when they look at someone else¡¯s plate, Sootina.¡±


    ¡°Jew.¡± Rasputin scoffed.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t like, a hundred different people hate you enough to kill you before the internet?¡± I asked irritably.


    ¡°I know what that is but I fail to see the.. Ah, the significance in this conversation.¡±


    ¡°The internet made every person with access to it a target. You didn¡¯t even need a target to get shot at.¡±


    Sooty sighed. ¡°Gatian, stop being mean.¡±


    ¡°You started it! Fuck, he coulda shut the hell up!¡±


    ¡°And now I¡¯m finishing it. Let¡¯s go grab your companions and I¡¯ll withhold judgement on Stellara Inova until I meet her.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°There¡¯s also a giant cat named Bastet or something like that. We call her Bast.¡±


    Sootina rolled her eyes. ¡°If you have a Companion it¡¯s probably not all that big.¡±


    Smiling I said, ¡°We¡¯re gonna have a fun time.¡±


    I stopped smiling on the short walk back to my Companion and Partner, but when


    Sootina laid eyes on Bast, her jaw dropped and I could almost swear that I could see her pupils turn to hearts in the low lights of the waning moons. Stella and Bast stepped forward when we arrived, but when I smiled and waved all was well. I introduced everyone and told my newly formed group that we needed to get a move on before I died of old age and that got a few laughs, so we got moving before daybreak and ended up setting camp up during noon the next day. With our destination in mind, I can¡¯t help but feel like I¡¯m walking into a trap or that my music isn¡¯t going to be good enough, but¡­ I don¡¯t know, Booksy. I¡¯m not used to feeling this nervous, I guess. It¡¯s not like me to get the jitters over the next leg of the journey, but I guess I¡¯m just going to miss my temporary home. Living there wasn¡¯t very easy by any means, but it had been a life and I was happy to live it when I wasn¡¯t worrying about something¡­ Everything just feels off... Maybe I¡¯m just imagining it...


    Oh well. Back to the grind, right, Je¡¯ Amournal?

 Bad Moon Rising

    Bad Moon Risin¡¯


    So camping was¡­ Hot. Warm, really, but it was getting hot fast when I tried to go to sleep. Sootina wanted to share her tent with me and me alone, but Bast wanted to cuddle some and Stella had her rights as my girlfriend, but there was also a problem. My original tent had been just large enough to house myself and Bast with Stella cuddled up close as long as no one got too adventurous. That aforementioned tent had been cannibalized for bandages at some point or the other, so I was left to use my gift of gab to convince Sootina to share her luxurious, auto-erecting tent with my squad as long as she got to cuddle with both me and Bast. Bast, never one to let an opportunity pass, was elated in her own way to get someone taller to snuggle up to. Stella didn¡¯t mind sharing me with a Mare for some reason which was all well and good, though it made me wonder if she just wasn¡¯t very possessive or if she didn¡¯t think anything would come of it. Sootina had talked to my Partner enough to be comfortable letting her stay in the tent, but Sootina made it no secret that she¡¯d been raised to despise the Choresh and their ways of selling their children into slavery.


    Stella wanted to defend her people, but after I¡¯d been whittling her down for so long, she had a hard time seeing why her parents had sold her, and I made sure that she knew she hadn''t deserved it. Sootina got through to her better than I did in some ways and fell off in others, but between the two of us, we managed to convince Stella that she should truly free herself from her path if she ever really wanted to be free. My Partner laid on my shoulder and rested while she thought as Sootina and I caught up for old times sake, though Stella occasionally popped in with a question here and there.


    In the middle of a conversation about the food we¡¯d had in the mining town, Sootina asked, ¡°So Gatian, who¡¯s better? I wanted to wait, but I have to know.¡±


    I looked at her blankly, seeing that she was looking down at me expectantly. ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Me or her?¡±


    ¡°... Um¡­ Well, no one kisses like Inova, but¡­ Uh¡­¡±


    The look of disbelief on her face almost hurt my feelings. ¡°Wait, you haven''t?¡±


    ¡°W-Well¡­ We came close once or twice, but-¡± I felt my right arm practically creak under the pressure of Stella¡¯s grip. ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Sooty¡¯s jaw dropped and she slapped Stella¡¯s arm. ¡°Wake up, you neglectful thing! I can¡¯t believe you haven''t slept with your supposed Master!¡±


    Stella practically bolted upright. ¡°Chorets wait until marriage!¡±


    Sootina sat up herself, almost rolling me over entirely. ¡°That¡¯s a load of wet hay! Your priests are all too happy to ram a rod up your rears for what exactly? Your well-being?¡±


    Stellara looked like she was rapidly being cornered. ¡°It was how I was raised!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re old enough to know better!¡±


    ¡°Then give me time to learn!¡±


    ¡°Learn faster and suck some damn dick!¡±


    ¡°Maybe I will!¡± Stella huffed loudly.


    My pants were kinda loose, so it wasn¡¯t hard for Sootina to expose my bare, pale cheeks and roll my happy ass back over so that my front-tail was flailing about. ¡°Hey, ladies, can we-¡±


    ¡°Hush, Auntie Sooty is doing you a favor!¡± She firmly grasped it and made me fear for my pubes. Once glance and an eye roll later my wedding tackle was more fit to catch the usual fish than for fly-fishing.


    (Ctrl+F Scene is Over to Skip)


    I was glad to be rid of the unnecessary hair, but that just meant she could grab it from the base. ¡°Sooty, why don¡¯t-¡±


    Inova stuck her finger in my mouth. ¡°No, I will pleasure you! If I must fulfill my wifely duties ahead of time, so be it!¡±


    I bit her finger and whacked Sootina¡¯s breast, but that just got me shoved on my back and the second finger in my mouth. It was really hot in a femdom kinda way, but I wasn¡¯t feeling it too terribly at the moment until someone swallowed the tip of my pole and sucked. It was my first oral experience in quite some time, and by that I mean after Rachel did it once and her jaw got tired after two and a half minutes on the dot, there was Sootina and Max. I wasn¡¯t really all that afraid of going out too early since I wasn¡¯t even trying to hold on in the first place. Raising my head showed me the glorious sight of Stellara Inova with my member in her mouth, a determined glint to her eyes that made my knees weak and my week good. Apparently her training hadn¡¯t been for naught since Stellara knew just how to work the tip without letting up on the suction, but then she actually started bobbing her head and I was in fear for my sanity. She¡¯d already pulled her fingers out of my mouth, leaving me to hold her hand as my toes curled and Sootina giggled lightly as she moved behind me. A few seconds passed and we changed positions so that Stella was between my legs and Sootina was bracing my back with her lap. Instead of continuing with her mouth, my Partner shyly caressed her breasts, losing steam rapidly.


    ¡°What? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve lost your nerve, little gi.rl~¡± Sootina teased mercilessly.


    Stellara¡¯s face grew red quickly. ¡°I¡¯ve not lost anything! I-I was¡­ I was just wondering if Gatian might like something a little-¡±


    ¡°For the sake of the land, girl! Use them or do what you were doing before! Or just fuck him. That¡¯s perfectly acceptable.¡±


    If I wasn¡¯t so¡­ Stiff, we¡¯ll say, I probably would have stopped Stella there, but... There¡­ Honestly, all that was on my mind was the sensation of her tongue, the warmth of her breath, and the careful attention my Partner paid to my lifelong friend. Lust clouded my thoughts as I remembered that bopping bologna didn¡¯t truly hit the spot. When Stella looked me in the eye and asked her question, I didn¡¯t hear what she said and probably mumbled something along the lines of ¡®This is the best day of my life¡¯, which was probably what made her smile and blush.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you think so, Gatian.¡± She took her tunic off easily, her breasts rising as she inhaled deeply.


    My eyes were glued to her form while I saw Stellara completely topless. It was a sight to behold since she had tanned lightly while we were in the dusty old town, though the difference in her complexion was barely noticeable. Her cinnamon hue hadn¡¯t deepened by much, but she still looked more and more delectable as she hovered over me. Sootina¡¯s hands covered my bare chest and played with my most vestigial of fleshy bits for some reason, though for another, stranger reason it felt wonderful. There were a lot of things I wanted to happen, and Stella putting my member between her breasts was on the top of my list for the moment. My Partner lowered her chest to my groin, the moment her breasts touched my member I sighed at their warm, plush softness. Even as they wrapped themselves around my member and encompassed it with their weighty-yet-pliable goodness, I felt the old familiar feeling start to rise up. Then Stella put her mouth on the tip and started slowly, although it was just too much for me. Having the woman who¡¯d claimed my heart help me find release was exhilarating. My stamina had been built up during my time in Hooversdum, but it had faded completely in my time away from women that wanted to sex my man muffin. However, it was safe to say that I¡¯d never had a more satisfying orgasm in my life.


    I tried to warn Stella, but even before I could mutter whatever it was that I said, she had increased her suction on the tip and swirled her tongue around it faster, using her tastebuds on every side somehow. I tried to think about how it was possible as I cracked a macadamia in her mouth, or in other words, I had to crack a mac with thoughts in the back. She got a mouthful of who I was in particular and I was sure that the load was unpleasant, but much to my surprise, Stella went from grimacing to furrowing her brow. Then, as my third shot landed, her eyebrows shot open and she went at it all over again and I either couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t stop. Either way Stellara made me orgasm until my balls fucking ached, sucking load after load out of me like it was normal or something. She finally let off when she decided to just let her cheeks fill and shared it with Sootina as proof of the fact or whatever something-something God-fucking-damn! My eyes were blurry as Stella and Sootina traded my seed between themselves over me, which is exactly what Rasputin walked in on. He promptly walked out on it and it wasn¡¯t as though anything had stopped, so I just watched and felt as Sootina took one of my hands and placed it on my Partner¡¯s chest. I¡¯d never felt something so satisfying before, nor had I ever really considered the fact that Stella would be okay with me just doing it. Then, as if a breeze had blown through her, Stella slowly pulled away and wiped her lips off, swallowing and blushing like mad.


    ¡°... I can serve. I can be of service.¡± The resolve in her voice was undeniable and the look in her eye was enlightening, to say the least.


    ¡°Aww...¡± I eloquently enunciated.


    Sootina nodded and huffed. ¡°Good girl. I suppose there¡¯s still a Partner in you somewhere after all.¡±


    ¡°There always has been.¡±


    As much as I would¡¯ve liked to say something, the lull of sleep pulled me under. I passed the fuck out and promptly started snoring until nightfall because I was hella tired from the walk, being up for so long, and having to bust the shell of such a fat, hard, intense, long nut, but I awoke alone to my surprise. I had plenty of time to think of what Stella had said and what I hadn¡¯t¡­ She didn¡¯t really want to do what she did; she¡¯d felt like it was her duty. She¡¯d been pressured into it. I felt like a fucking slave-master¡­ It¡­ It wasn¡¯t a good feeling, Booksy... After getting myself dressed, collecting my thoughts, and exiting the tent, I saw my posse of peoples and a cat sitting around a campfire, everyone eating something or other. I decided to join them in the consumption of the nutritional foods, so I grabbed some dried fruits and meat from my pack and plopped down next to Stella. She gave me a warm smile when I sat down and I returned it with a lazy, bleary one of my own. With the guilt in my heart, it was a little rough to try and keep up with the conversation as it went along, but even as I sat I started noticing something.


    I figured it had been because I¡¯d known them so well over the past few months, but I was getting similar vibes from Sootina and Rasputin as they talked with Bast and Stella. I was out of the conversation, but I always had a feeling that I knew who was going to speak next, something along the lines of what they were going to say, and what they really meant by it. For example, I knew Rasputin was going to use a Russian expression before he actually finished the topic he was using to lead into it, despite never having heard the phrase. I also knew that it equated to ¡®harvesting rocks yields no crop¡¯, which got him hit by Sootina once I said something and he agreed. No one really said anything about it but I was beginning to think that I was either seeing incredible patterns in the way people talked and aligned them without paying attention or my Gift of Gab extended to other people¡¯s conversations and had grown stronger over my seclusion.


    ¡­ Somehow.


    How that somehow was some-howing I didn¡¯t know, but I did know that the blue moon shone brighter than the red one, her brother. Come to think of it, I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve ever mentioned the names of the moons, but that¡¯s probably because just about every different race calls them something else. In Common, they¡¯re just the colored moons but Bast calls them Astra Alva and Rojol Empere, so I¡¯m inclined to call them that. As I said, Astra was glowing more than the smaller Rojol, but they were both beautiful in the sky. I¡¯d once asked Bast if the moons were magical in any sense and she told me that they weren¡¯t, but that they did affect the tides when they grew apart. They seemed as close as ever to me, though with the blue moon emanating its calm over the other more florid one, I couldn¡¯t help the general feeling that something was afoot. The ominous presence of a warning hung in the air rather than an immediate threat, and trying to shake the feeling off did me no good until I had my weapons on me.


    Sootina noticed first, raising a brow. ¡°Really, now? What are you going to do with that, Gatian?¡±


    I frowned and settled into my seat. ¡°Hopefully nothing comes out of the woodwork and makes me use it. I feel like tonight¡¯s not a good night for a fire.¡±


    Rasputin shrugged. ¡°You sit with a master of Earthly Magicks and the Terruc Arts. Fear not, young man.¡±


    Sooty rolled her eyes. ¡°Do I need to go on over-watch?¡±


    Stella leveled a look at her. ¡°River Folk may not be the best fighters, but they still develop instincts worthy of note. Gatian¡¯s rifle-contraption is marvelous for dispatching small and medium-sized targets!¡±


    The look I got from the Longinus-nuva-Gratana master was shaming to say the least. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s a Magna-Gun.¡±


    I raised my chin. ¡°It¡¯s a nail gun modified into a Gauss rifle.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a Magna-Gun but with better bullets.¡±


    ¡°How about I shoot you in the hoof and we converse after that?¡±


    ¡°First of all, if you put a nail in my hoof, you¡¯d better be damn ready to pull it out and bend that sweet, juicy little rump of yours over.¡± She shook a finger at me. ¡°Second, that thing won¡¯t pierce armor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I have Clockly. He hits hard enough with the Arca-Blasts, or Spell-Shots, that I don¡¯t need a heavy weapon.¡±


    ¡°Just get a normal rifle.¡±


    ¡°I get my ammo back with this one!¡±


    The look she gave me after that really hurt my feelings. ¡°Don¡¯t be cheap and lazy.¡±


    ¡°I fight with Arca too!¡±


    ¡°Prove-¡±


    I¡¯d already made the hand gestures, the tares, behind the broad side of my weapon and whipped my hand down toward Sooty¡¯s hooves. ¡°Hoarime!¡±


    ¡°...¡± She looked at her frost covered hooves and shook the snowy stuff off. ¡°... Was¡­ Was that it?¡±


    I smiled triumphantly. ¡°That¡¯s all I need for now,¡± I said as she stood up and stomped her hooves, more frost falling off as she did so.


    ¡°Wait¡­ How thick is this?¡± She shook and shook to no avail.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not that thick.¡± I traded a look with Rasputin and he wore an ¡®Eh, I¡¯ve seen better with less effort¡¯ kinda expression. I pulled a face. ¡°Hey, now.¡±


    ¡°What? It¡¯s not the best I¡¯ve seen, not the worst. I think more is yet to come, da?¡±


    I gestured toward Sootina as she kicked harder and harder. ¡°Dammit, Gatian! This crap is cold!¡±


    ¡°Mhmm.¡± I hummed smugly, inspecting my nails.


    ¡°You have to the- The- The count of now!¡± Sootina started toward her pack and found no purchase on the ground. ¡°What in the-¡± She slipped and slid around. ¡°Mother of a sow!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, turns out I¡¯m adept with ice for some reason, even though I¡¯m a Tempestian. Who¡¯da thunk?¡±


    Sootina fell on her face and Rasputin got a laugh out of that. ¡°Ha! Such a spell is more fit for pranks than battle, but its uses¡­ I admit interest.¡±


    I cracked a smile. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s more of a joke than-¡±


    ¡°Gatian Gauner!¡± Sootina roared.


    Rasputin and I traded a very worried look. ¡°You grab her guns.¡±


    He returned my crazy suggestion with a fucked up expression. ¡°I am innocent here. Do not include me, da?¡±


    I peeked at Sootina to see her shivering and crawling toward me with fire in her eyes while Stella and Bast appeared all too amused. ¡°G-Gatian, would you like to undo your Arca for dear Aunty Sooty?¡±


    ¡°Rimeinol. Look, Sootina, I-¡±


    ¡°Proved your point.¡± She said, sitting and rubbing the rest of the frost off of her legs. ¡°I¡¯d better not be- Wait, what the- Gatian, what the hay!?¡± She started patting her legs, looking confused, then she rubbed them normally.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t make something that hurts without making a good enough cure for it, Sootina.¡±


    Rasputin raised his brows and Sootina looked a little surprised herself. ¡°That one was yours? I thought Lucine taught you.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but I don¡¯t really like hurting people in general and I actually like you so¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, thank you for your consideration.¡± She pulled out a derringer and shot me in the shoulder, the sound and impact stunning me for a second and I jerked to the left for a moment. It was like getting pushed with¡­ Well, a bullet, but then that shit stung. I had to look at my arm at some point, but I wasn¡¯t bleeding. Still, that bitch hurt.


    I stared at Sootina. ¡°Well, fuckin¡¯ ow!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have your apropos for healing, apparently.¡±


    I gave her a look. ¡°Next time I¡¯m letting you get frostbite.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s meaner than shooting you with a plasbe bullet!¡± Sootina protested.


    Rasputin looked elsewhere, Stella smiled, and Bast appeared to go to sleep. ¡°Those fucking things still hurt! And that was point blank!¡±


    ¡°I could¡¯ve aimed lower.¡±


    ¡°I could¡¯ve aimed higher.¡±


    We both shut up and I helped my dear young, femdom Aunty to her feet- Er, hooves. Then she showed that she was hardcore into that femdom life by slapping me and grabbing my face. ¡°Remember who Aunty is, Gatian. That was unnecessary.¡±


    I heard Stella before Sootina rolled her eyes and looked to her. The creak of her bow was telltale, and the venom in her voice was something else. ¡°Incensing me to perform my duties as a Partner is one thing, but don¡¯t you dare lay another hand on him.¡±


    ¡°Shoot me and you regret it. Gatian likes to play. We¡¯re playing. He just needs to remember the rules.¡± Sootina said calmly, removing her hand from my face.


    The thing was I could have sided with either party and probably gotten to the same place I ended up. Even taking the middle road sucked. ¡°How about we all play nice?¡±


    Sootina looked back at me. ¡°There¡¯s a price on your head, Gatian. You killed a Champion of Chorell. It would be-¡±


    ¡°Sootina, stop fucking threatening me, pack up, and let¡¯s get to our next site. You¡¯re fuckin¡¯ killin¡¯ me here.¡± I walked away, grabbed my shit, and started disassembling the tent.


    Stella came over to help right away and so did Sootina with a few minutes of waiting, but Rasputin and Bast were apparently content to either use Terru or sleep until we prepared to get back on the road to wherever. Sootina had to lead the way since Rasputin was officially on guard duty, but I couldn¡¯t have cared less. At that point I knew I was walking into a trap and there was a lot I could do about it, but I wanted to see what the Songweavers had in store for me. Whether it was a life of music or a fight to be lost, I wanted to see who¡¯d saved my skin and prove that I wasn¡¯t just some ¡®drunk murder-gypsy¡¯ or whatever.


    Even as we walked I had a hard time staying out of my head. Sootina¡¯s true colors had shown once I got the better of her, and it was harder to see the same Mare I¡¯d felt so much for so long ago. It would¡¯ve been less troubling if I didn¡¯t know that killing her would end in my death, or if I knew what kind of bull Ras was packing. However, the situation was growing suckier by the second as Sootina informed us that we would be to the nearest ¡®Den¡¯ in two days time if we kept at our pace. Instead of keeping at our pace, Rasputin pulled a pipe from his pack and started a jaunty tune like there was nothing wrong with the fact that we were getting more and more wired as we walked along. I eventually joined him with my Plublass, but the two instruments tended to clash whenever we misread each other¡¯s movements. IT was hard playing free-form on the go, but we managed well enough for the most part.


    After another day of walking, we finally got some rest and slept for like, three hours.


    Apparently, Rasputin¡¯s music was a little like mine in the way that he could affect the world around him with it, but his seemed to be localized in a way. Before we got going again, I asked, ¡°Hey Rasputin, are all Minstrels and Bards like¡­ Well, like us?¡±


    He raised a brow and followed Sootina¡¯s lead, staying next to me. ¡°Not necessarily. Every instrument serves a purpose in its own way.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Wind instruments, even brass, all carry the same Terru. They invigorate and lighten moods.¡± He answered drolly. I¡¯d done that with my undlegar.


    ¡°And percussion?¡±


    ¡°Attacks and combat.¡± I¡¯d also done that with my undlegar


    ¡°Strings?¡±


    ¡°Cyka, they¡¯re useless for the most part. Many people hate them and most people aren¡¯t affected by them.¡±


    I caught Stella glancing at me and kept my eyes on Rasputin. ¡°Are there any other kinds of instruments that Terru actually affect?¡±


    ¡°Winds, percussion, and metals that do not include strings are all quite potent. The practice of playing them was forbidden long ago and only came back into¡­ Err¡­ Modern, culture after the Decimative Wars. Even then, any musician with talent was drafted to the battlefield if they didn¡¯t get into the Weavers.¡±


    ¡°Oh. So-¡±


    ¡°There are many types of Terru. Were you not taught this?¡± He raised a brow at me.


    ¡°My mentor focused on guns since Arca were largely demonized in a few provinces. I learned some, but we never delved too deep.¡±


    ¡°... Son of a sow, your mentor was-¡± When he finished rolling his eyes he saw a gun in his face.


    ¡°My mentor was a brother in arms who died so that I could live. Finish that. I dare you.¡±


    ¡°Your mentor was inefficient. Did you even know that your affinity has nothing to do with the elements?¡±


    Sootina snorted. ¡°We all technically use Air Terru, Ras. Give the guy a break.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ How did the Amanese one with the stupid beard put it? Ah yes, you gun-grata fool.¡±


    She snorted again. ¡°Okay then, O¡¯ Mighty Eunuch, what¡¯s his real alignment?¡±


    Ras pointed. I followed his finger. Sootina looked too and Stellara shook her head.


    ¡°How in the blazes did you three utter kits not know the Moon River was aligned with Astra:Alva? Stellara, you call him Alvage!¡± Bast yowled. ¡°Fools! You utter, complete, stupid kits! Why do I have to tell you everything about this world!?¡± I saw her claws pop as she gnashed her fangs.


    ¡°Well, how was I-¡± I started.


    ¡°You¡¯re good with ice. You are the Moon. River. Water is blue. Astra is blue.¡± She snapped.


    ¡°Bast, God, will you-¡±


    ¡°Oh hush.¡± She trotted to the front of the group before pausing for a second. ¡°... Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know why Stellara came back, Moon River.¡±


    I looked at Stellara as we walked and she looked stricken. ¡°I¡­ I told you the truth¡­¡±


    Bast stopped and covered her head with her paws. ¡°I¡¯m not hearing this. They¡¯re not this dumb. I am not old, they are dumb.¡±


    ¡°Did you not have all the time in the fuckin¡¯ world to fill us in!? Shut the fuck up or exposit already you salty. Blue. Pussy-cat.¡±


    The lion sized cat rose and blushed. ¡°Flattery will get you nowhere, though I supposed I could enlighten you.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t a word for it, but rarted comes to mind. ¡°... Yeah, thanks.¡± I said as blankly as I could.


    ¡°... Are you-¡±


    ¡°Bast, are you eating well? You¡¯re looking a little slim, you know? I don¡¯t know much about faulains, but I might start getting worried if you get much smaller.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? I haven¡¯t noticed¡­ I suppose I¡¯ve been exercising more recently.¡± She licked her paw and rubbed her ear.


    Sootina and Ras could¡¯ve traded places with statues as long as the rocks had dumbstruck expressions. ¡°It really shows. Maybe it¡¯s just me, but you¡¯re looking powerful.¡±


    That practically had her purring. ¡°Why thank you! It¡¯s not easy to crush prey beneath ones paws with such a lithe form.¡±


    ¡°I could imagine you practically bouncing off of something more than a few hundred pounds.¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°Oh? Why, I wouldn¡¯t say that.¡± She fucking cat-giggled. It was weird. Stroking Bast¡¯s ego was always a fuckin¡¯ trip.


    ¡°Speaking of those heavier creatures, they must keep your fangs some kind of sharp! I mean, I¡¯d like to compare them to one of my knives sometime.¡±


    ¡°Oh stars above.¡± Sootina whispered to Ras.


    ¡°Is he serious?¡± Rasputin asked.


    Stella hit both of them. ¡°Indeed, Bast. Even in the abandoned town, you still kept yourself looking quite presentable.¡±


    Megalomani-cat preened. ¡°Of course! A Guardian and Matriarch must be presentable at all times! As should both of you, in fact.¡±


    Finally. ¡°Oh? Why¡¯s that? I know the Moon River must be some kind of important, but what could be more important than guarding nature itself?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t heard the full prophecy?¡± She asked, gossiping like the old cougar she was. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve heard bits and pieces, but the gist is that the Moon River and Astra¡¯s Daughter would unite. The prophecy said you two would be together, and what a pair you usually make!¡± She waved her paw at me.


    I chuckled. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re just saying that, Bast. You¡¯re really too sweet for your own good, but if you don¡¯t mind my asking, is there something Stellara and I are supposed to be doing?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Why, when Rojol Empere shines his brightest in the millenium, the Moon River and the Daughter of Astra shall join forces and battle for the balance. So it was spoken.¡±


    I heard a clap from Sootina and saw her smiling. ¡°The River and The Moon! I love those songs!¡±


    ¡°I thought this was behind us.¡± Stella grumbled bitterly.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t even gotten started!¡± Sootina blurted. ¡°There are dozens of songs in The River and The Moon, Gatian. It¡¯s one of the most confusing, least accurate prophecies to ever come through the Minnerettes, but if I¡¯m the one that gets to bring the Moon River and the Daughter of Astra¡­?¡± She held a hand to her bosom. ¡°Oh, I can just imagine it! I¡¯ll be allowed to make music again!¡±


    Stella and I stared at her. ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Sooty smiled shyly. ¡°Gatian, did you know¡­ Well, it¡¯s not so much past as present, but do you know how old I am?¡±


    ¡°... Come to think of it, I knew Max and Gloss were younger than me, but I never knew your age.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sixty-seven.¡±


    ¡°Bish, I beg yo pardon?¡± I asked, forgetting that I had been raised Jewish as fuck. Like Lil¡¯ Dicky, I guess.


    She grimaced. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to hide it from you, but we Ponies are a long-lived people.¡±


    ¡°... So¡­ Do you just age slowly, or¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, an average Pony my age would still look older than me, but¡­ Well¡­ You know I could never truly hurt you, right? Broken bones and bruises heal, but scars and blood never fade.¡± She looked me in the eye imploringly.


    It was hard to say no to her because I felt like she was telling the truth. ¡°I believe you, but I have my doubts.¡±


    She grimaced again. ¡°... Okay, I deserve that, but I do hold you dear, Gatian. You make music that reminds me very much of what my fianc¨¦ used to make. He passed away as a result of a song I made, giving me his life force while¡­ Well, draining it from him. My lover fell and the Songweavers took me in to help me control my Terru, but that was just the thing. I¡¯d performed a Deathly Deed.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m guessing I have one of those under my belt too.¡±


    ¡°Song Terru were forbidden for a reason.¡± Sootina sighed. ¡°Your Sever Song or whatever you named it was a Deathly Deed. Draining the life from Luna¡­¡± She took a deep breath and gave me a sad smile. ¡°You killed someone in a way that was wrong, but you could have done the same thing with skill and a sword. I bucked the entire breed, let alone just the pooch.¡±


    ¡°So they took your instrument and forbid you from making more songs?¡±


    She held up her hands and waved them peculiarly that seemed to make trails of images appear as she moved. Vague impressions of fingers on frets and keys passed before my eyes and I saw for myself what Sootina meant to show. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore, but I can¡¯t really use a weapon that doesn¡¯t have a trigger. The impact of a sword against another is simply awful.¡±


    I was thunderstruck for a moment, but Stella and I still approached. Carefully, I took Sootina hands in mine and examined the marking and scarring on her fingers and palms. It looked as it every tendon had been cut and that most of the bones had been broken at some point, and even beyond that there were markings that appeared to be burnt into the fine fur of her hands. That or they were stained there, but in any case they looked like razor-wire that had blades in the form of picks and circles. There was little I could do to imagine the pain that must have been wrung from her maimed appendages, but I had a funny feeling that there was something I could do about it.


    ¡°... Hey, Sooty,¡± I murmured, inspecting the marks.


    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s nowhere near as bad as it was. You ought to know that from our time together.¡± She shot me an innocuous wink, smiling lightly.


    ¡°... How did the Weavers get a hold of you?¡±


    ¡°I turned myself in out of grief.¡± Sootina didn¡¯t cease her little wistful smile, though the memory obviously pained her. ¡°No one believed that I could take someone¡¯s Anima with a song, nor did they believe I wasn¡¯t a Lorrack.¡±


    ¡°A Vampire in this world.¡± Rasputin clarified. ¡°Very intelligent, very deviant. Not unlike Sootina herself.¡±


    She passed him a dirty look. ¡°I suck seed, not blood. If you¡¯re going to call me a whore, at least do it right.¡±


    ¡°I said you were a deviant, not a whore. Continue with your tale.¡±


    Sootina rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyway, the Songweavers came once Prince Lumo heard of the tale, he himself being the apprentice of the Grandmaster of Ponydale at that time. Having studied under Archmage Nyx and the Lone Star Noir themselves, Lumo collected me and gave me a choice: Leave my music behind or waste two lives instead of one. If I died, then Luna lost everything for nothing at all¡­ It was worth it from the beginning.¡± She pulled a face, still regretful. ¡°Luna lives on through me and I¡¯ve yet to touch an instrument in years, but¡­ Luna was the one who started me on the path, Gatian.¡± She smiled at me, tears in her eyes. ¡°If I¡¯m rewarded for bringing you to the Weavers, I¡­ I could make a song for her like I¡¯ve wanted to for thirty years.¡±


    I¡¯d yet to let go of her hands, instead thinking of a melody to go with some lyrics I¡¯d just thought up. ¡°... What if you didn¡¯t have to ask the Weavers?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s their Arca. Frolick¡¯s ¡®spell¡¯. It¡¯s Earthly Magic, not Terru.¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°Ras?¡±


    He snorted. ¡°Make your own enemies. I owe Sootina little enough.¡±


    ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t ask you to risk it.¡± Sootina continued, trying to pull her hands away.


    I looked that woman dead in the eye. ¡°There¡¯s so much you don¡¯t tell me, so why did you tell me this, Sootina?¡±


    Her eyes widened. ¡°What do you-¡±


    ¡°Sootina, I shouldn¡¯t be able to use Song Terru. I never should have been able to in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Rasputin asked. ¡°Granted I have yet to see you use a powered instrument, but you possess the skill nonetheless. Our session earlier was typically syncopated because of my own errors.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°If I would have analyzed your style more, neither of us should¡¯ve missed a beat and I could¡¯ve added my own strength to yours, if you call it strength at all.¡±


    ¡°Gatian, you play strings,¡± Sootina iterated.


    I swung my plublass around and fingered some frets. ¡°You¡¯ve got an assumption. I¡¯ve got a fact. What are you willing to bet?¡±


    Stella smiled. ¡°Oh! Oh! Are you going to play one of the Nova songs? I do so enjoy them!¡±


    Sootina gave her a strange look as I shook my head. ¡°Nah, this one¡¯s called Ashes of Atrocity. Just made it up.¡±


    ¡°When?¡± Rasputin asked.


    ¡°After I saw Sooty¡¯s hands.¡±


    He rolled his eyes and Sootina chuckled. ¡°Gatian, the first draft of any song never does anything. If you¡¯re willing to wager something, then I suppose I¡¯ll have to match you.¡±


    ¡°Your hands for your fealty,¡± I stated coldly.


    Ras seemed a lot less annoyed and Sootina seemed much more unsettled than I¡¯d seen her before. ¡°... You¡¯re suggesting that you can break Terru and Magic with a song you made for a plublass in under ten minutes. Gatian, shut up before I-¡±


    ¡°I gave my terms. Match them.¡± I challenged.


    She leveled a stern look at me. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I should even humor this, Gatian. The worst thing that can possibly happen is that your song does something. The best result is that I¡¯m right.¡±


    ¡°Your terms.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you Ponies notorious gamblers?¡± Stella asked loftily, inspecting her nails. She shined them on her tunic and continued with. ¡°I mean, isn¡¯t that why Minotaur Gambit-Grottos are allowed in the country?¡±


    My kinky dom and my sexy Partner exchanged a heated look that Stellara evidently won. ¡°... We¡¯re not as bad as Dragons themselves.¡±


    ¡°That would be a fair point, but even a Choret would take this chance~¡± Inova sang. ¡°After all, if you¡¯re right then nothing happens and you get something out of it. If you¡¯re wrong, you get your music back. What do you have to lose?¡±


    ¡°Literally my hands.¡±


    ¡°But strings do nothing, Sootina. This is established fact.¡± Rasputin grunted irritably. ¡°Let the fool play his song and we shall judge when he is finished. There are plenty of things you could name as your prize, after all.¡±


    Sootina pursed her lips and looked at me again. ¡°... Why do you want my fealty?¡±


    ¡°Because I trusted you more in Hooversdum than I do now.¡±


    Hurt crossed her face for a moment before acceptance covered it up. ¡°... If you want my fealty, then I want you to make me a song.¡±


    ¡°I already have.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡± She blushed.


    ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°... Um¡­ Well, if I don¡¯t have the Teruni lifted-¡±


    ¡°The curse on her hands.¡± Ras informed.


    She gave him a look. ¡°He knew that. Anyway, if the Teruni isn¡¯t lifted, then I want you to speak on my behalf to the Songweavers.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get started.¡± I plucked the opening strings to Ashes of Atrocity and got started in earnest after a few more test notes.


    Ashes of Atrocity by Gatian Gauner


    Ice cold anger burns in my heart


    I wish I¡¯d seen through the light to the dark


    I made a promise I intend to keep


    Don¡¯t you dare sit alone, I¡¯ll not let you weep.


    There are pains in life you don¡¯t need to bear


    I say this to you without flattered flair


    I seek to heal your greatest pain


    Isn¡¯t it such a terrible day for rain


    I see your ache and I must go


    Byh your side but you¡¯ll never truly know


    If I could help you, then I surely must


    But my trust in you has bitten dust


    I¡¯d seen great towers built once by man


    No such gift as a helping hand


    Won¡¯t you see the man in me?


    Or am I here just to make it three?


    This dread I feel is so misplaced


    I hang my head and hide my face


    A simple word I needed then


    Forgiveness is my only friend.


    The sun will set I¡¯ll die this day


    And rise with the moon as my hands fold to pray


    Can you see my love for you?


    Or can I even truly break through?


    It was an easy song to find chords for and... Um¡­ It happened, I guess. I mean, that was the song, but I¡­ I didn¡¯t know it was going to be straight easy to play. I¡¯ve ever really been one much to write a dirge myself, but it didn¡¯t turn out half bad, I guess. Sootina looked at her hands as I tried to understand why I¡¯d just gone sadboi like never before and raised her brows, seeming pleased. She showed her fingers off to Rasputin and he shook his head in wide-eyed disbelief, then he glared at me.


    ¡°So, how do your hands feel?¡± I asked pleasantly.


    Sootina rubbed her fingers. ¡°They feel¡­ Better. A lot better¡­ The Earthly Magic is gone¡­¡± The smile on her face warmed my heart. ¡°... Gatian, I¡­ I don¡¯t know how to thank you, but I can¡¯t give you my fealty.¡±


    ¡°Then how about the loyalty of a friend?¡±


    She gave me a sad smile. ¡°I always knew you were smarter than you looked.¡±


    Ras raised a brow and Stella looked confused. ¡°I do not understand.¡±


    ¡°Sootina¡¯s walking me into a trap,¡± I answered.


    Stella stared at me and Sooty placed a hand on my shoulder. ¡°W-Well, it¡¯s not a trap per se-¡±


    ¡°Yes, but what else is new? She hasn¡¯t said a truthful word since she opened her mouth.¡± Inova said, looking more confused. ¡°I thought you were just going along with it.¡±


    I glanced at Sootina. ¡°Sooty, is that-¡±


    ¡°Did you really need an Arca to ask that, Gatian?¡± Sootina asked, sounding betrayed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you trust me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve lied about nearly everything you¡¯ve been asked, and if Gatian isn¡¯t okay with it then neither am I. Why am I not killing her right now?¡± Stella asked, folding her arms, looking at me.


    Rasputin raised his hand. ¡°Because I could kill you before you got close enough to do so.¡±


    Stella rolled his eyes at him. ¡°You brag of your power and make no effort to prove your boasts. Be silent.¡±


    Sootina smirked. ¡°You know you¡¯re not supposed to-¡±


    Stella spit at her feet. ¡°Gatian freed me. You yourself said that the ways of the Partners were foolish before Gatian woke, so if you think they are foolish and unworthy of your time, why would you cite them? At all?¡± Sootina raised her brows and opened her mouth. ¡°Oh, you have something to say? You entrap your friend and lead him to¡­ What, exactly? For your own benefit, at that. You are no friend Sootina, regardless of your word. And furthermore, how exactly did you drain your lover¡¯s Anima before their youth? Hmm?¡±


    Rasputin paled and turned to Sootina. ¡°Christos¡­ I didn¡¯t-¡±


    It didn¡¯t make a lot of sense to me, but I got the gist while Sootian coloured and said, ¡°I would never! I loved Luna-¡±


    ¡°Except Ponies have unique names~¡± Stella said in a singsong voice. ¡°I happen to know a Luna, and would you like to know what she told me?¡±


    ¡°That she was-¡±


    ¡°That she was one-hundred-and-five years old. I met Luna in Fareerer, Sootina. I spent a long time looking for Gatian, and I¡¯ll be damned if I let him truly trust someone I don¡¯t find worthy.¡±


    I looked at her. ¡°Uh-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too trusting.¡± Stellara said with a little smile. ¡°I¡¯ll protect you if you don¡¯t always do it yourself, Gatian. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Sootina already had her rifle pointed at my Partner and Rasputin didn¡¯t seem to know what to do. ¡°Just had to open your mouth, huh?¡±


    ¡°So are Max and Gloss in on it too?¡± I asked, trying to keep up.


    ¡°Tsk, they¡¯re Guildies through and through, and they also weren¡¯t alive sixty years ago, so no. Thesuvian¡¯s might be famous for being smarter than average, but they¡¯ve got nothing on Unicorns.¡± Sootina said, her voice flat and her tone unforgiving. ¡°I suggest you stop with your little story there, however. Aunty Sooty¡¯s fingers are itchy.¡±


    Stella shrugged. ¡°You had better kill me in one shot, and even then you can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Try me.¡± Sootina growled.


    Stella smiled, ¡°Why, would you really assault the Daughter of Astra? Gatian¡¯s Partner? The man who was to speak on your behalf to cure the curse?¡±


    Sootina stood stock still for a few seconds, then put her rifle down. Grata-non-Aquix prepared my hand, my heart throbbing in my chest as my friend spoke. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Stellara shook her head. ¡°What really happened to your lover? I have a guess, but why don¡¯t you tell us the truth for once?¡±


    Sootina dropped her rifle and folded her arms. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my lover, first of all. Lunk Nut was just some dumb Pegasus who annoyed me all the time. I made a song to push him away, but it made him fall in love. I tried another to sap the love he felt for me and it didn¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°You told me it was an accident¡­¡± Rasputin said softly, his accent muddling his words.


    ¡°The result was, not the action itself.¡± Sootina barked out a laugh. ¡°So what? Now you know the truth. I suppose-¡±


    I blew her head off.


    Rasputin¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°... She was a sinner, but-¡±


    ¡°She was lying.¡± I said through tears. ¡°... I can¡¯t believe I trusted her for so long¡­¡±


    ¡°That may have been the case, but she was affiliated with the Songweavers.¡± He grunted. ¡°This is going to make you enemies.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got fuckin¡¯ plenty, tell ¡®em to line up,¡± I snapped.


    Stellara put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°... What should we do now, Gatian?¡±


    ¡°If the Songweavers didn¡¯t know about Sootina being rotten to the core, then I don¡¯t see a reason to ally myself with them. If they did, then they¡¯re some kinda fuckin¡¯ awful.¡± I said through grit teeth, glaring daggers at Rasputin.


    He shrugged. ¡°I have my orders. None of them were to actually retrieve you.¡±


    I furrowed my brow. ¡°That was a lie too?¡±


    ¡°No, Sootina came to collect you. I came to observe for Yuria. Your pen-pal, if you would.¡± His expression didn¡¯t change from one of irritation and disappointment as he came over to nudge the lifeless Dullahan formerly known as Sootina. ¡°A shame. There were few rifle-women with her command of the form. That I knew of, at least.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°This just leaves another mystery at my door, guys. What do the Weavers really want from me? Why hasn¡¯t Khroma come back to fuck us up? How did Sootina get that lucky? In fact, was she really even working for the Weavers or was she a double-agent?¡±


    ¡°Questions indeed.¡± Rasputin murmured. ¡°I cannot tell you what Yuria wants from you, but I do know that she is fond of you. She thinks of you as¡­¡± He trailed off. ¡°Well, perhaps it is not my place to state such assumptions. Yuria will vouch for you against punishment. Sootina was telling the truth when she said that your sin could be forgiven.¡±


    I raised my chin. ¡°Yuria¡¯s favor, a forgivable sin, and maybe Ashes of Atrocity? It did lift Earthly Magic.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve also erased the melody from your mind.¡± Which he did. I tried then and again just now; the notes won¡¯t form in my head and wouldn¡¯t when he told me so. ¡°A song dedicated to a¡­ Bad radish, would bear no sweet fruit.¡±


    ¡°Are radishes even-¡± Bast started.


    ¡°Shut up, that¡¯s not important.¡± Ras rolled his eyes and started twisting his beard as the cat huffed. ¡°What is important is that you learn to control your Terru better. Whether you find an apt tutor outside of Avalesce or study with the Sweavers, the choice is yours.¡±


    ¡°Your word carries weight with Yuria, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°... If it did not-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t need the sass, just a straight answer. You saw me come up with a song for a specific purpose on the spot, right?¡±


    Rasputin smiled. ¡°Indeed, you are more intelligent than you would seem. I like where you are taking this.¡±


    I gestured by spreading my arms. ¡°Talent like that is useful. Earthly Magic is dope. Wanna make a deal?¡±


    ¡°Not on the terms you have in mind. You wish to circumvent the Minstrels without paying your dues.¡±


    ¡°Can you blame me?¡± I asked, my voice sounding a little lighter, like it had before I started chain-chain smoking. I didn¡¯t know if it was my Gift of Gab-thing or me getting more comfortable with haggling over the course of the conversation, but something felt off about my voice.


    Bast purred and Stella nodded a few times as Rasputin tilted his head from side to side. ¡°Possibly, but you spoke as though you knew of me, so I cannot pretend to do so. Lay your Queen, Gatian, but do so after your studies.¡±


    ¡°Studies? So you¡¯re-¡±


    He smirked. ¡°No, if you want to learn, the Songweavers have an Academy in Lahgo. Yuria was eager to have you enroll, but knowing your age¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t really blend in with a bunch of college kids these days.¡± I said flatly, my voice smoothing further even as I spoke. It didn¡¯t take a genius. ¡°You fucking prick.¡±


    ¡°Mistress Yuria is a very wise woman. Perhaps the structure and guidance of higher education will cull your murderous habits as it did my own?¡±


    I folded my arms, only then noticing that my sleeves were a little loose. ¡°How old am I, Rasputin?¡± The power of my glare was probably less than what it should have been, but there was always hope.


    He shrugged. ¡°Now that you¡¯re finished, I would say nineteen or so. Maybe nineteen and a day.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nineteen and a- Nigga imma splitcha wig.¡± I popped my knuckles, not really all that mad.


    ¡°No you won¡¯t. You have no desire to.¡±


    ¡°Stop messing with my head, fuckface.¡± I sneered, meaning to snarl.


    He started walking away and I followed reluctantly, tightening the string belt I had to keep my pants up. ¡°Perhaps you should pray to overcome me someday? You might be talented, but nature has never defeated mankind entirely, boy. Study. Learn. Prepare. If you defeat me, I swear to you I shall pass down every fraction of my knowledge to you should you still want it.¡±


    ¡°And the other catch?¡± I sassed mercilessly. I was already annoying myself with my tone.


    ¡°Try, try, try again. You will fail. You will move on. I will have defeated the Moon River.¡± He looked over his shoulder. ¡°The catch is that you will not be able to fight me until you are strong enough. Even then you will not replace experience and labor with natural talent, even if nurtured.¡±


    ¡°Hoarime.¡± I pointed at his ass.


    Stella giggled while a snow tail grew out of his ass, which was not what I¡¯d originally intended the Arca to do when I¡¯d first come up with it. Unfortunate effect, but it was still a cold tail. Rasputin grabbed it and pulled, the snowy appendage melting as he did so. ¡°I despise pranksters.¡±


    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll just take my time in getting strong enough to undo that. I just don¡¯t think I have the capacity to do more than that at the moment!¡± I sighed theatrically.


    ¡°Rimeinol-lahl;.¡± He replied boredly, the snow falling from his ass. He made a few unfamiliar hand-signs and cast his Arca at the ground. ¡°You can walk. If the¡­ Motherly one wants a ride, it is permitted.¡±


    ¡°Motherly!?¡± Stella gasped. ¡°I am not motherly!¡±


    Seeing as how I was around her height and she was probably my senior by five years, I disagreed as well. ¡°More like a big sister or older cousin.¡±


    ¡°Stop your incestuous jokery!¡± She squealed. ¡°Gatian! I might like the new you, but that doesn¡¯t mean I want to be a Mommy!¡±


    I gave her a fucked up look that she deserved, looked at Ras, and stopped cold. ¡°I¡¯m fuckin¡¯ campin¡¯. Stella, I¡¯m snuggling with you. Bast, you¡¯re welcome too. Ras? Don¡¯t touch me, creepman.¡±


    ¡°... Three hours and I can have us there.¡± A horse¡¯s hoof came out of the ground.


    I looked at it. ¡°Fuck your couch.¡±


    ¡°... Vat?¡±


    ¡°Gatian wants to adjust to his new form and hormones, I assume.¡± Bast said with far too much enthusiasm, which got her fucking stared at. ¡°What? He reeks of musk.¡±


    ¡°... I could strangle you right now, but I prefer pounding pussy.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Rasputin dropped his own pack and stepped on the hoof. ¡°We will take a break.¡±


    And so we took a break and I wrote this out, but now¡¯s the time when I reflect on everything that¡¯s happened and try to make sense of it all. Speaking of which, I feel fine and that really, really fucking worries me. I¡¯ve weaned myself off of alcohol with Stellara¡¯s help since Partners are trained to treat addiction, but I¡¯m just as numb now as I was then. I still love Stella and I appreciate Bast for everything she is, but there¡¯s so much on my mind that it¡¯s hard to give a fuck about my own problems right now. Sootina was a traitor, which reminded me far too much of what Yuria had said the last time we¡¯d spoken. I¡¯d felt that Sootina was off from the very beginning and had assumed that she was bluffing when she was threatening me. It had been in her eyes that she was fully faithful that she was speaking the truth, despite leaving lies on the table. I¡­


    I didn¡¯t need to kill her and Rasputin said as much. We both knew that he was right, but I couldn''t¡¯ let someone like her get the same kind of power that I have, especially if she¡¯d already used it to kill someone for her own benefit in the past. There was no telling how old she¡¯d actually been, but it was obvious from the skull fragments that had flown above her shoulders that she wasn¡¯t immortal or anything of the sort. What really concerned me was that, even though justified, I¡¯d killed Sootina without a second thought as soon as my Arca had gone off, letting me know that she¡¯d been lying. I didn¡¯t and still don¡¯t know why exactly she¡¯d forgotten that I¡¯d cast it, but I¡¯m beginning to think Rasputin and the drama had something to do with it. There¡¯s so much I should feel for everything that went on there, however¡­


    It¡¯s hard to regret killing Sootina because she¡¯d¡­ She¡¯d probably hurt Max and Gloss at some point. I didn¡¯t doubt that her loyalties were only to herself once the die was cast and that wasn¡¯t the kind of person I liked. She was all too happy to force her way and manipulate things to her advantage and only her advantage, then pretend like she had everyone¡¯s best interests at heart. She was a living tick, a piece of shit, and a spider of epic proportions, but she was Also Aunty Sooty, and she was one of the few people I¡¯d ever trusted to restrain me on the promise of being let go later. She abided by my boundaries, helped me get paid and laid, and had laid the way to Lucine¡¯s death¡­ Actually, that kinda sucked. Fuck that bitch.


    Damn that¡¯s cold, but¡­ Boosky, Do you know what I¡¯m saying? My heart should hurt and I want it to, but I can¡¯t muster up the fuck to give about a woman I¡¯d truly cared about before I¡¯d started killing people¡­ Even if she hurt me, I should feel something¡­


    Right?

 Island of Idiocy

    Once Rasputin was done being a dummy-dumb-dumb and Bast let me hop on her back, we got a decent move on and Bast was glad to prove that she was stronger than an undead horse. She wasn¡¯t as far as I knew, but she could carry me with ease and stay with the others well enough. At least her stamina didn¡¯t make me feel like a fat ass, but I still felt practically gelded with every step after a good bit. When we finally alighted to a big-ass, blue-ass, silver-sand-having-ass lake that also had an island in the middle of its waters. Well, more like a small archipelago that joined to make a larger island altogether, but the structures connecting the smaller outcroppings seemed¡­ Well, old. Even through the fog I could tell the place had probably been there for a hot minute, even if it was kinda far away. I doubted it would take much to break some shit, but looks could be deceiving. As far as I knew there wasn¡¯t really anything to be afraid of other than the fact that Ras could kill me at any point and that I could be facing judgment for saving Stella. There was plenty of crap on my mind as we came to the river bank, but I couldn¡¯t say that I was worried at all. Thanks to Rasputin¡¯s Terru, I couldn¡¯t even come up with a reason to run that didn¡¯t seem foolish and I started to actually grow a little scared of the man before that too died down.


    We waited on the edge of the lake and I examined the islands a little more. From what I could see they were raised high from the water on outcroppings that shouldn¡¯t really have had that much foliage. Low and behold there was so much flora on the islands that it was nearly impossible to see anything other than a few tall, proud spires sticking up above the high tree-line that wouldn¡¯t have even been visible if not for the clouds passing behind them. I¡¯d clearly stepped out of my comfort zone and Stella was right there with me, she herself being a little hesitant to take my hand when we stopped. I went ahead and followed through for her since I wanted to feel closer to someone I probably wouldn¡¯t have to kill, though there was always the possibility. A part of me that was still logical chalked that up to Ras¡¯ magic as well and took some time with Stella to do a little chatting.


    ¡°He got us before we even knew what was really going on. I don¡¯t doubt that he had something to do with you killing Sootina, Gatian.¡± She whispered to me as we stood away from Rasputin.


    ¡°I know, but he hasn¡¯t killed us yet. Maybe there¡¯s more afoot than we know-¡±


    ¡°When hasn¡¯t there been, Alvage?¡± Stella sighed miserably.


    ¡°What? You didn¡¯t think I was just going to become famous and we were going to have a happily ever after, did you?¡±


    ¡°No, but I also didn¡¯t think that I would be a step away from being exiled from my homeland on a journey with a being of legend while I myself am also a being of legend. You are trouble, Gatian. My life was simple before you came.¡± She gave me an ever-so pouty look that made me smile.


    ¡°You know you love me enough to put up with this.¡±


    ¡°I might, but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t want to be bribed for doing this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay you in kisses~¡±


    ¡°You can start with a down payment of a hug.¡± Stella cracked a little smile and I gave her the payment requested.


    ¡°If you two are done being¡­ Sweet,¡± Rasputin grunted irritably, ¡°our boat is coming.¡±


    I looked out to the water with Stella and saw along with her that there was a pretty sketchy looking raft being manned by an old¡­ Man. Which I already wrote down so I can¡¯t take it back unless I scratch it out, which I¡¯m not doing. Whatever. Stella and I went to go wait by Ras and the old man with the boat came by to pick us up. It was about as safe as one would imagine a semi-flat, walled raft to be with water leaking into and out of the boat as we were paddled along the way. In order to make the misty, foggy morning a little less doom n¡¯ gloomy, I started playing Black Hole Sun as best I could with only four strings with Rasputin joining in and nailing the song, much to my surprise. The lower register of his pipe was a spectacle to behold even though I was beginning to suspect that I was leaking Terru as I played music. If he wasn¡¯t covering for that, then I don¡¯t know why else he started playing.


    The old guy and Stella seemed to have a good time with the song and the old man asked Ras to stay for one more duet with me as a little extra payment for his efforts. I was happy to play another song I remembered for him, but there wasn¡¯t much of a place for a pipe in Ring of Fire, which was what I had in mind. I decided on Falling in Love by Conway Twitty and took a try or two to remember every note. I got a kiss from Stella for it and Ras got to play along and add an interesting part to the whole, so I considered it a good mini-concert. The old man stopped me before I got off the boat and Ras raised a brow when I looked at him. Neither of us knew what to expect, so I went back to the old man with a small smile.


    ¡°Hey, sir. How can I help you?¡± I asked politely, trying to be nice.


    He smiled back, his teeth dark and uncared for. ¡°Well, now¡­ It¡¯s been a good while since someone done called this ol¡¯ Sotan ¡®sir¡¯!¡± He chuckled a few times.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re older than me and you did me a favor, so my parents would be a little mad if I didn¡¯t.¡± I laughed along with him. ¡°I¡¯ve got time for another song, if that¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°No, no, sonny, that ain¡¯t what I¡¯m after. Dontcha know there¡¯s a light in ya?¡±


    ¡°I have a song for that, ironically enough.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessin¡¯ ya should sing that little song to yourself right about now. Might be good for your light.¡± He patted my shoulder and reached into a sling he carried with him, fishing around for something for a few moments. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the expression he wore as he dug, making the old man give me a look. ¡°Now just what are you laughin¡¯ at there, youngster?¡±


    ¡°Your concentratin¡¯ face was somethin¡¯ funny, if I can say that.¡± I grinned back easily, feeling pretty good about the day.


    He rolled his eyes and pulled his hand out of his whatchamacallit. ¡°Y¡¯know, most of y¡¯all River Folk are all too happy to ignore people like me. Give up your Partners once ya learn who they are an¡¯ what they¡¯ve done. Ain¡¯t too many of ya with Guardians as Companions either.¡± He took my hand and put a necklace in it. ¡°I can tell just by lookin¡¯ at ya that you¡¯re another breed. Don¡¯t know your name and I won¡¯t ask nothin'' else of ya, but I want ya to carry that to the end of your journey. My days are done, but I got a feelin¡¯ you¡¯re goin¡¯ far, kid.¡±


    I looked at what he gave me and saw it for what it was. The little blue candle with an unlit wick had to be something special since the song I¡¯d been thinking of was This Little Light of Mine, and that was often sung at my Mom¡¯s preferred church with candles in hand. The symbolism was strong, but I didn¡¯t need any more clues to get the message. Well, maybe I could use a few more because my faith in the Almighty was still a little shaky, but whatever. I figured the candle would protect me from curses as long as my faith stayed strong, but I figured I¡¯d ask anyway. The Binding of Isaac was never 100% accurate, last time I checked.


    ¡°So what¡¯s this for, my generous sir-man?¡±


    ¡°That? I dunno. There¡¯s a red one out there somewhere, an¡¯ a green one I think. I only ever found the blue one.¡±


    ¡°... So-¡±


    ¡°Well, I seem ta recall it bein¡¯ for somethin¡¯ or other¡­¡± He tapped his chin.


    I looked to Rasputin as he stood stonily, like a breathing statue. ¡°Memory song maybe?¡±


    He gave me a look. ¡°Hush.¡±


    The old man popped his lips. ¡°Ah-ha! Yeah, I remember now! It was for¡­ Fire and ice¡­?¡±


    I looped the thing around my neck. ¡°Even if it doesn¡¯t do anything it¡¯s a nice memento with a good story attached. Thank you, new friend.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re welcome, sonny. Just don¡¯t go around tellin¡¯ folks where ya got yourself a candle at this time a¡¯ day!¡± He cackled like mad.


    Rasputin coughed. ¡°I believe we are done here.¡±


    After a quick shrug, I joined Ras and Stella on the shore and waved old new friend goodbye. Stella was quick to say, ¡°That man was not natural.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I looked to her.


    ¡°No, he was not. He was not the usual rowman, nor have I ever seen that boat.¡± Rasputin said bitterly. ¡°Special privileges, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me-¡±


    ¡°It was a Quelin, a Shade. Nothing to fear.¡± Stella gave me an easy-going smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be worried about, if he liked you, then you most likely gave him a reason to leave.¡±


    ¡°... So I just made a friend I¡¯ll never see again?¡± I pulled a face.


    ¡°At least he didn¡¯t possess you.¡± Rasputin spit on the ground and continued walking.


    ¡°He¡¯s right, but still. All turned out to be well.¡± My Partner patted my arm, so I held her hand and we walked together.


    ¡°He was no match for me anyway. I would not have let you come to harm.¡± Bast said lightly.


    ¡°I doubt that you would¡¯ve, but you seem to be a master of hindsight.¡± It wasn¡¯t meant to sound mean, but it kinda did.


    ¡°Mistress, and I still would have defended you.¡± She huffed.


    Something made me feel like being nice to her. ¡°As long as you didn¡¯t get yourself hurt. I¡¯m guessing your fur is just thick since you¡¯re not that heavy, so don¡¯t-¡± She rubbed up against me. ¡°Goddamn, are you soft.¡± I stroked her fur casually, getting some purrs.


    ¡°Thank you. I must say, your pheromones smell lovely.¡±


    I looked at Stella, she looked at Ras, and he looked at Bast in distaste. ¡°Do not court the betrothed one, cat.¡±


    I heard her claws pop. ¡°Your Arca work not against me.¡±


    ¡°... Do as you please, I apologize.¡± He said softly.


    I looked at Bast. ¡°You could make him give me back my years and totally subvert all of this, couldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°This seems more fun.¡± She wrapped her tail around me.


    Stellara came up beside her and scratched behind one of her ears. ¡°He¡¯s mine, you know.¡±


    ¡°You are his. He is mine.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you my Companion? Didn¡¯t we agree on that?¡± I asked amusedly, joining Stella.


    ¡°Stop it! You were doing then as you are now! I will not be swayed by your appendages!¡± Bast shook her head gently, not really stopping us.


    ¡°Who¡¯s a good kitty?¡± I crooned.


    ¡°Who is the fluffiest and cuddliest?¡± Stella continued, earning us both looks from Rasputin.


    ¡°Who¡¯s my deadly widdle cuddle fiend?¡± I stopped Bast to give her a hug.


    She purred. ¡°Stop, we have things to do.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. The Guardian speaks the truth,¡± Ras said, obviously uncomfortable.


    The look Bast gave him kinda scared me. ¡°We have a few moments, meat.¡±


    And so we spent the next ten minutes petting and loving on Bast until she got tired of it and we got a move on. I had to say that the cuddling was the highlight of the morning since everything was layered deep in the fog, and the forested parts of the island gave everything an ethereal, unnatural feel that the boat-guy mirrored perfectly. I could swear that I saw shades of people passing through the trees and peering out at us, but I also gathered that as we walked, more was exposed to us. By that, I mean that the islands were by no means as large from the shore as they were while actually being on them, and I had no doubts that I was on some very magical land at the moment. As we got deeper into the main island and traveled the path, I saw more flora and fauna that made little to no sense in my time with my group. Stella commented on some glowing purple flowers that she thought were beautiful while I was looking at some similarly radiant mushrooms that were pumping spores around them left and right. The mild greenish coloration paired well with the vivid pinks it was giving off, but there was more to see that I wanted to catalog with a camera I didn¡¯t have.


    Rasputin gave us time to stop and examine things from time to time and even let us pick some fruits that were safe to eat. There was an orangey-reddish tangerine-like fruit that tasted sour and a little spicy, but the flavors blended well. It was kind of like eating a spicy-sweet-n-sour thingamabob from my favorite Chinese place down the street from my old apartment, but it was still radically different. Everything was just barely cold in the crisp morning air, making it all taste that much better. There were even some tomatoes that tasted pretty much like tomatoes, but a little saltier. I preferred them over the normal variety and chose to eat a couple since I was hungry, but the further we traveled the tastier things got. There were even durian-looking fruits that had strange bluish blushes across green skin that we cut down. We only got one, but the flesh of the fruit was amazing. It was like eating smooth, creamy cookie dough that was missing chocolate chips, but nevertheless I¡¯d rarely had something so tasty in my entire life. Stella hated it, citing that it only tasted like baked goods when she tasted it on my lips. Ras didn¡¯t know that it had that quality, but apparently the spiked fruit was called ¡®River-Man¡¯s Meal¡¯ and was semi-poisonous to Septurns. River People could eat all they wanted and it would apparently help cure a few diseases, but for Septurns it was little more than an extremely bitter, incredibly disgusting thing to make children eat for being bad. Even if it was mildly poisonous it was only about as bad as Castor oil according to Ras. Knowing that Castor oil was pretty fuckin bad if you got a big spoonful, I had a few qualms about the practice.


    After taking it all in, I had a hard time imagining a better place for magical musicians to practice the craft. Even in the din of the forest, I could hear a few melodies ring out above the mild noise in the trees. It felt like a beautiful, soothing place to be and there was little more I wanted to do other than start writing songs and playing them for the world around me. I felt more inspired than I had in years to just up and start making music, but when I unslung my plublass Ras waved a hand without stopping and forestalled the beauty I was soon to make. A little frustrated, I took the time to look around some more but my fingers were on fire with the need to make a song. There was so much on my mind that I actually started crying out of frustration, feeling more pent up than ever to get my feelings out in the open. Stella must have picked up on it because she wiped one of my eyes with a concerned look on her face, neither of us breaking the silence further so we could experience the ambiance.


    Rasputin eventually brought us to a castle, and when I say a castle, I mean a fucking palace that looked like it was well-fortified and able to take a beating. Vines and ivy climbed the outer walls and parapets as they circled the enclosure, but the size¡­? Too large for me to accurately gauge from where I was standing. Rasputin walked up to the large metal-bound doors and rapped on them loudly, standing back to allow the other side to open the gate. The doors were set into granite-like stone that stood out from the rest of the rocky wall, but still gave the place one hell of a feeling anyway. Once our way was clear and we were allowed entrance, I saw for myself that the islands were connected by bridges, but that the walls spanned every part of the archipelago past the forest. There was more to see with each building being something unique in and of itself, but with no real architectural references to use at that point in time there was no way to accurately describe everything. Most shit looked like an angry mishmash of whatever they could find from scrap heaps, but then there were magnificent things that were pieces of art more so than domiciles.


    People wearing more conventional clothing than I¡¯d seen in my year and a half on Septural was¡­ Strange, to say the least. I mean, I¡¯d expected to see more of the same zany patterns impressed on modern clothing, but here? The people wore stuff that looked like I¡¯d pick some of it out from Rue 21 or something like that for the most part. Those of the people that were wearing things more similar to my own tastes were usually around my age, which made me wonder why Raspoutine (I know how I spelled that.) had aged me down in the first place. We didn''t stop to talk to anyone at first but we did end up in a clothing shop for a brief while. Stella was excited to get some comfy new clothes and I was happy to get out of what I was wearing, so after we bought a bunch of stuff that looked like it would fit with some varying currency I had on hand, we went to a public bath-house. That¡¯s when I learned there were public bath-houses. That¡¯s also when Stella learned that there were public bath-houses since she¡¯d only ever heard of them in Stalfisk.


    We were loathe to leave each other¡¯s sides, but we were also more comfortable staying in a smaller group, so we got a private co-ed room on the premise of no funny business in the water. I had no problems with that and neither did Stella, but even before we left the atrium of the place where you checked in¡­ Hell. with the building¡¯s wonky walls, curtain of smoke and steam hanging in the air, and vaulted ceilings? It was a strange place to be, and the pink and purple stones in the wall didn¡¯t help much. Stella liked the design of the place and the general purpose, but she was hoping that there would be many bathrooms. She was wrong. I was nervous, and Rasputin wanted to get clean, so we all got naked and headed toward the allotted room. It was nice enough with the more muted grayish stones around the water rather than the somewhat vibrant stones of the walls, but even then the water itself was of a golden hue. Stella and I approached nervously and gazed into its not-that-deep-depths, seeing a lot of bubbles and gold.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°You first,¡± I said softly.


    ¡°It looks¡­ Unhealthy,¡± She replied uneasily.


    We looked at each other in time to catch Ras shoving us both in. I surface first and shook my head clean, wiping my eyes to look for Stella while making sure my spare towel wasn¡¯t wet. The one I had on was soaked, but I wasn¡¯t too worried about it. Inova surfaced a few seconds after I did, clutching her towel to her chest. I had to say that with her hair slicked down and a pouty look on her face, Stella looked¡­ Well, then you also have the amber glow that was radiating onto her skin and you just have this¡­Shit, Stellara looked good and I probably would have had a nosebleed if not for that towel. She got it back on under the water and gave Ras a dirty look as he got in, looking mostly unimpressed and nonplussed. Instead of saying anything, he knocked on a big blue stone that stood on the outside of the pool and I think I felt something open up underneath me. It preluded the buckets that popped up, both blue and both looking pretty personalized. One was clearly for Ras with its bottle of ¡®Fortified Wine¡¯ and the other was obviously for me since there was a small bottle of ¡®Syrupine Spirit¡¯, which was Septurns answer to maple whiskey or bourbon. Either way I wanted to get Stella¡¯s stuff before anything else happened, so I knocked on the ruddy stone that looked kinda like the blue one and then came Stella¡¯s crap.


    Ras didn¡¯t care, so Inova and I took the time to look at our one-time toiletries together to see what was up. In my basket was a shampoo and conditioner/relaxer that I needed to leave in my hair before washing out for some reason. I felt like I knew what a relaxer was, but I also knew that the straight razor in the basket was out of my grasp. Stella used the cream to shave the iffy beard off of my face and then I helped her shave her legs because Rachel had made me do it for her often. I knew how to treat a woman without fucking up my chances of being able to get close to her, even if I was a generally a fuck up. I couldn¡¯t shave myself, but shaving other people was no problem at all for the most part, though I did have to be extra careful when Stella asked me to shave her pits too. She knew River Men tended to like their women with a little less fur and I couldn¡¯t help but appreciate her willingness to go the extra mile, so when she asked to cut my hair and style it herself, I didn¡¯t feel any reason to deny her.


    Before we got nice and spotless and after I got my hair shampooed and conditioned, Stell cut my hair while it was semi-wet and it turned out okay, but I had a problem. When she¡¯d cut my hair it had turned from brown to ashy-grayish wherever she¡¯d cut it, looking like I had ashy/snowy hair on top of my natural dark brown. I thought it looked incredibly stupid but Rasputin explained it away as me being super receptive to ambient Terru and having absorbed a lot of it during my walk. He couldn¡¯t tell me whether or not my hair would ever go back to normal, but he did say that he thought the change made me look more like a native. That was never my intention and only served to annoy me further, but at least I got clean. It was nice and could¡¯ve been better. Kind of like the Chinese place down the street with the best lo mein in town and iffy everything-else..


    The news clothes made me feel like I was back in action and ready to start decking people, or rather, thety made me feel like a part of the world at large and not like some ragamuffin that lived in a deserted town. The change was welcome and I felt it in my bones when I got the clean clothes on, but there was also something to be said about the do I now sported. My hair was a lot less curly than it had been, the relaxer probably b eing the cause of it. I didn¡¯t mind since I still had plenty of waves and a few curls left over, but I kinda felt like my signature look was gone. Rasputin and Stella reasoned it away as giving me a new start away from the horrors I¡¯d seen so far, and from the expression on Ras¡¯ face, I couldn¡¯t tell if they were both fucking with me or what. I mean, I was pretty much fine for the most part and played along as if I was anyway, but I didn¡¯t know what made them think something was wrong.


    While we were on the way to the tallest building I asked, ¡°Stella, what¡¯s the big idea? What do you mean by ¡®fresh-start¡¯?¡±


    She gave me a confused smile. ¡°Gatian, you¡¯ve nearly died multiple times, been forced out of country after country one way or another, lost friend after friend, had to kill people before your first year was even up, and had to lose everything you had at multiple points. You¡­¡± Stella shook her head and looked at me, a glint in her eye. ¡°You¡¯re stronger than you give yourself credit for, but you also need a break, Gatian. The months we spent in seclusion were no break for you. You need to be around people, to do things that fulfill you beyond the basic needs of survival. I believe this may be good for you, Gatian.¡±


    ¡°What? I¡¯ve been fine, Stella. Yeah ,it sucks that I had to do the thing we¡¯re not going to talk about now, but I got through it. Hell, I haven¡¯t even slowed down-¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s exactly what you need to do.¡± Stella said tenderly. ¡°Alvage¡­ You¡¯ve been pushing yourself for a long time. IT might be a good idea to ease up a little.¡±


    ¡°Novi, you know-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t, but I can listen.¡±


    ¡°... I just want to get us to the goal-line.¡±


    She gave me a hug. ¡°It takes longer than you might think. We¡¯ll travel this path for now and see where it takes us, no?¡±


    I hugged her back, huddling in the comfort. ¡°Sure. I figured we would anyway.¡±


    There was a good ol squeeze and we caught up to Ras at the door of the place we were supposed to go, which was when he gave us a look and asked, ¡°Why does Bast know to follow me, but you don¡¯t?¡±


    I looked at the place Bast had just walked off from. ¡°Yeah, what you said.¡±


    He looked too, then into the building where she¡¯d went. ¡°Cyka. I guess we¡¯re going in.¡±


    ¡°Sure looks like it.¡± I commented idly, following him into the tall, mostly stone building.


    The outside had reminded me of Hogwarts in a way, just with more wonk in the walls than the magical school. There was also an air of Terru about the place that made me want to make music all over again, but I was assured that the time for my plight was coming. As we walked down a hall that was too long for the building to contain, Ras explained a few things to me, like that fighting was forbidden unless it was a duel, all Terru and songs were to be cataloged and anything outside of the catalog was not to be used, and then there was also the fact that he was planning on taking my plublass, which earned him a hearty ¡®Go fuck yourself, tard¡¯, to which he replied by not taking my instrument.


    ¡°If you will not listen to that particular piece of advice, perhaps you would be willing to hear this?¡± He drawled boredly.


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Fire away, O¡¯ Wise One.¡±


    ¡°Do not insult Mistress Yuria to her face. She does not care what you say behind her back, just do not call her...¡°


    ¡°Call her¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Stella leaned in. ¡°I would say do not call her ¡®old¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s kinda obvious.¡±


    Bast padded alongside me, having doubled back past some side halls. ¡°It took you long enough. Were you kissing again?¡±


    ¡°Before you three sidetrack us with some silly aside, I must warn you; Mistress Yuria does not appreciate comments on her appearance. If you compliment her, she likes her style of fashion and her jewelry. Keep other things to yourself. Do not speak unless spoken to. Do not swear, and while I say this now, I mean cull your tongue. You are at her mercy. Remember that.¡±


    I patted his as because I could. ¡°Sure thing, Sugar Butt.¡±


    Stella whacked me before Ras could. ¡°Gatian! Stop harassing people!¡±


    I patted her ass because I could. She just nodded. ¡°Okay then.¡±


    ¡°Are you finished, fool?¡± Rasputin growled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cuss, don¡¯t be rude. Duh. Got it.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll just treat her like she was a teacher or my Mom or something. It won¡¯t be a big deal.


    We¡¯d yet to stop moving in the hall, but I felt like we were being followed by something, so I looked behind us. Stella was a step behind me and Bast was to my side, but there was a librarian looking woman shuffling along with an airy smile on her face and some pretty cute glasses on her face. She seemed to be around middle-age, definitely older than Stella and I at the moment, but younger than Rasputin by what I could see. I gave her a nod and she just kept grinning and walking along, so I turned around and looked at Ras while he pouted about not being listened to or something. It took awhile to get his attention again, but when I got it there was a massive part of me that regretted getting it. Rasputin was a motherfucker to be afraid of when he wanted to be despite his generally apathetic disposition, and it showed when he snapped at me, nearly bowling me over with the sheer fury behind his look. Then he looked behind me, paled, straightened up, and nodded at the cute slightly older lady who¡¯d been following us. I turned to look at her and saw that she was walking around us to the door we¡¯d stopped in front of.


    ¡°Hello, Ras, have you brought Mother more visitors?¡± The woman asked airily, as if she were barely paying attention.


    ¡°Yureki, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you again.¡± He inclined his head in a shallow bow.


    ¡°As always.¡± She waved and looked at us, widening her eyes. ¡°Why, those iris¡¯! Those blues! They¡¯re so pretty!¡± Yureki beamed and flittered over to Stella, her loose dress covering her figure unlike Stellara¡¯s choice in attire. Yureki stood directly in front of Stella while my Partner just smiled at her warmly. ¡°You have such pretty eyes! What is your name, Miss?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Miss Yureki. I am Stellara Inova, Gatian Gauner¡¯s Partner.¡± Inova inclined her head as well.


    Yureki touched Stella¡¯s neck where I remembered her getting hurt once. I didn''t remember the specifics until the new woman said, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re¡­ Oh! Mister Gatian must have freed you, no?¡±


    Stella nodded again. ¡°Yes, Miss Yureki. Gatian is¡­ There are few words for such a man, but kind and understanding are two very apt ones.¡±


    The woman rubbed her neck for a few more moments before her hand drifted up to her lips. ¡°Hmm¡­ There¡¯s guilt on the tip of your tongue when you talk about him¡­¡± Stellara froze at her words.


    I cleared my throat. ¡°All¡¯s forgiven and I¡¯d like to think that Inova follows me of her own free will for the most part.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s mostly true, but she¡¯s sad¡­¡± Yureki sighed, cupping Stellara¡¯s cheek with her hand. She walked away and looked at me before stopping at the door again. ¡°Gatian¡­ Be kind.¡±


    ¡°I try, and I generally do a good job with Stella.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°That¡¯s nice. Mother is going to like you two.¡± Without another word, Yuria¡¯s mysterious daughter faded into the door, and I do mean that she took a step and literally faded out of existence which was terrifying in and of itself.


    ¡°Okay.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°... Gatian.¡± Stella said softly. ¡°I think I understand this place a little more now.¡±


    ¡°Yup. the dead walk freely.¡± I murmured.


    ¡°... Yes, my apologies.¡± Rasputin cleared his throat. ¡°I¡­ I may have forgotten about their tendency to show off to newcomers. They often act as though they were living, so it is easy to forget who is gone and who lives on.¡±


    ¡°Yuria had a daughter?¡± I asked, probably looking fine while I was screaming with no mouth in my braincase.


    ¡°Has. Yureki lives, she just¡­ She is¡­ The woman is lost in song at all times, and song can do many things with the right understanding.¡±


    I walked up to the door and went through it, looking over my shoulder. ¡°Whatever, faggot. Move your shit-ass the fuck over here so we can see this old wrinkly little-tittied, fat-ass bitch cunt with her tacky bullshit.¡±


    He looked at me like I pulled the trigger with a gun to my head. ¡°... I will stay here.¡±


    Stella bit her lip. ¡°... That seemed unwise.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see if I¡¯m dumb and lucky or if I just have dumb-luck.¡± I turned and very suddenly saw a huge amount of nothing, by which I mean the space beyond the door was black. I doubted that my companions could see what I could, or rather couldn¡¯t, but either way I didn¡¯t really want to see what was on the other side. ¡°Yo, is this supposed to be black as fuck?¡±


    Rasputin walked away ¡°Do svidaniya, I¡¯ll drink to your memory.¡±


    Stella watched him go and turned back to me with a helluva worried smile. ¡°... Maybe it won¡¯t be bad¡­?¡±


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m about to go get my life-sauce boiled inside of me.¡± I looked into the inky blackness.


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s my fault and I know I did it on purpose. Shut up and walk with me into the sweet abyss, okay?¡±


    Stellara pursed her lips. ¡°... I did say I would follow you anywhere¡­¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°... Can we leave?¡±


    I gave her a look. ¡°We¡¯re already here and Yuria might want to talk to me or something. I dunno. Do you really wanna go?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather like to, yes.¡± She admitted softly.


    I extended a hand and walked toward her. ¡°Then fuck it, let¡¯s go.¡±


    She grabbed my hand, said, ¡°I don¡¯t think that was wise either,¡± and followed me down the hall until I walked face-first into an invisible wall. I¡¯d bumped it pretty good, stumbling back after impact. Stella followed suit seconds after and I got a chuckle out of that while she rubbed her nose, but either way the message was clear; we weren¡¯t going anywhere unless we had permission, and we evidently didn¡¯t have permission to leave. I knocked on the empty air and found something solid which evidently made Stella curious because she did it too. We stood and fucked with the wall for a while because how often do you see a legitimately invisible wall? Throwing stuff at it, whacking it, and trying to climb it took a few minutes until I heard Stella yelp from behind me, her arm behind her back as she was forced to her knees.


    Yureki smiled at me and I waved. ¡°Hey. Mind not doin¡¯ that there?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Where should I do it?¡± She asked pleasantly.


    ¡°Well, best bet¡¯s in a bed, but if you¡¯re adventurous, the sky¡¯s honestly the limit,¡± I said, channeling all of my inner wisdom and idiocy.


    Yureki giggled at that. ¡°You¡¯re silly. I was expecting you two to come in a while ago!¡±


    Stella grunted and Yureki tweaked her arm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Honey-Bunny, but you did say that you wanted to leave.¡±


    ¡°Well, how about you stop doing that and we go to the void?¡± I inquired.


    Yureki let Stella go and clapped her hands. ¡°I knew you were smart! I really don''t like hurting people because I can¡¯t get away with it anymore, but I figured you wouldn¡¯t do anything that dumb!¡±


    ¡°How dumb was-¡±


    Yureki stopped smiling, her brown eyes turning black and cold like a Demon¡¯s from Supernatural. It was edgy. ¡°Come.¡±


    ¡°On your back or your belly?¡± I blurted out, Gatian grabbing the one tongue in my whole body and offering it as a sacrifice.


    Yureki¡¯s look darkened. ¡°The unfaithful have no place here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing God abandoned my ass, then.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Seriously, can we get moving or are you going to keep trying to look scary all day?¡±


    The semi-corporeal being stomped her foot. ¡°I¡¯m scary!¡±


    ¡°Only when you¡¯re being extra silly, silly-head.¡± I beamed at her.


    I mean, if she was¡­ Okay, it really didn¡¯t matter, she might have had a cute pout, but the woman herself still scared the shit out of me. ¡°I am not silly! I am almost a hundred years old, darn it!¡±


    I bent down despite the fact that she was only about a head shorter than me and pinched one of her surprisingly full, plump cheeks. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just the cutest!?¡± The slap was well deserved, but it was also well worth it because it sent her off in the direction I was facing. My cheek stung a little, but the look Stella was giving me made it all the more worthwhile because that woman straight up had no idea what to make of the event that had just unfolded in front of her. So much so that I had to ask, ¡°Didn¡¯t think I had that, did ya?¡±


    ¡°... River People are scary.¡± She shook her head, walking off toward Yureki in a daze.


    I followed the women who were both complected as I¡¯d like to be and bobbed my head along to Fool On The Hill by the Beatles. Not knowing what was ahead of me was a little scary, but knowing that I¡¯d probably pissed my benefactor off was a little more than petrifying. Still. I walked along with the other two and wondered where Bast had went since she tended to fuck off and do her own thing if she wasn¡¯t the center of attention. Trying to pay it no mind didn¡¯t do much for me, so I tried to focus on Stella¡¯s ass instead and that got me pretty far. It was a great thing to look at, especially since it was attached to a lady who was really nice and sweet. It also helped that Stella¡¯s pants had an interesting design on them that reminded me a bit of a mandala.


    At any level there would be a point to stop staring, but I evidently don¡¯t know that. I walked into Stella while asstronomizing and she gave me an all too knowing look. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a marvel!¡± I whispered back.


    ¡°But right now?¡±


    ¡°Are you two talking about me?¡± Yureki asked, standing in front of a pitch black chasm.


    ¡°If we were, it¡¯d be about how cute you are when you blush!¡± I said with the power of ¡®patronizing¡¯ wrapped up in a burrito.


    ¡°I¡¯m not cute!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fuckin¡¯ tots magots adorbs, Yureki-chan.¡±


    She puffed out her cheeks and marched into the darkness, leaving me with Stella. My Partner, for the first time ever, whacked me on the arm with intent to cause pain. It didn¡¯t really hurt, but it still got her point across. ¡°Gatian! It¡¯s bad enough you did exactly what Rasputin told you not to do-¡±


    ¡°Stella-¡±


    ¡°And then you just had to go and antagonize Yuria¡¯s daughter at that, and that¡¯s not even mentioning-¡±


    ¡°Novi, my heart, I-¡±


    ¡°Hush! You just up and did the thing with the person and we were already in hot water for that other thing and now you want to press your already terrible luck even further! Why do you make these choices!?¡±


    I bit my lip. ¡°... I kinda just blurted it out¡­ I didn¡¯t think about what I was saying, I didn¡¯t even really mean to.¡±


    ¡°... Oh. That is still bad. Do not do that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mother.¡±


    She gave me a flat look. ¡°Please don¡¯t throw my life away, Gatian. It¡¯s yours to use as you please, but I would like to see our happily ever after as well.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s really hurtful-¡±


    ¡°Gatian, we know nothing of Yuria, we killed one of her colleagues, and then you insulted her and menaced her daughter.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have much to say to that. ¡°... Guess I lost my manners.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not what I meant, Alvage¡­ You just¡­ Please, think before you act.¡±


    I¡¯d already known she was going to say that, but it didn¡¯t make it suck any less. ¡°I¡¯ll try but for now we have doom to face.¡±


    ¡°I almost want to try leaving again.¡± She sighed.


    I looked into the inky blackness. ¡°You know they can probably hear us, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to say anything and hope they let the cute one live.¡±


    I watched as Stellara started walking. ¡°Right. Wait, wait, who¡¯s the cute one?¡±


    Stella stopped in front of the door and waited for me to join her, but she didn¡¯t tell me who the cute one was. Instead, she shoved me through the wall of nothing and into the actual room on the other side, which was not a very large room. For not being a large room it didn¡¯t seem very cramped or anything with plenty of space for ten people to mingle and whatnot, but I didn¡¯t really want to chat up the platinum blonde woman or the half-amused, half-frustrated Yureki. The blonde woman seemed to be a little younger than Yureki and her hair was considerably lighter, but I realized after a moment of looking at them that they had some oriental features. Namely rounded jawlines with plump cheeks and high cheekbones, despite Yureki being thinner than average and the other woman only being a little heftier. It was odd to see them both with such natural hair colors while looking so different, but then again I was probably being racist and now I feel bad¡­ Good going, Gatian.


    In any case, it really seemed like a good time to bring out the charm and dagger, so I lead with a bright smile and a wave once I got my footing. ¡°Why hellooo! What a wonderful¡­ Evening, I think. I¡¯m picking and sticking with evening, so we¡¯re gonna say it¡¯s a wonderful evening to make your acquaintance, Yureki and Miss¡­?¡±


    Yureki pouted at me. ¡°I¡¯m not cute.¡±


    ¡°Lie to children, they¡¯ll believe you.¡± Stella sighed as I spoke, so I gave her a look. ¡°What? You can tell kids anything.¡±


    ¡°Gatian.¡± The blonde woman said softly. ¡°I believe you may have something to-¡±


    ¡°Say? Right, yeah, where¡¯s Yuria?¡± I asked, looking her dead in the eye as I did so. ¡°I thought she¡¯d be in here.¡±


    Yureki tilted her head. ¡°... If you¡¯re this silly and you think I¡¯m cute, I can¡¯t be that cute.¡±


    Blondie looked at her. ¡°Are you still trying to be scary?¡±


    ¡°... No¡­¡±


    ¡°Daughter-¡±


    ¡°Oh shit! You¡¯re Yuria!? Suuup G?¡± I clapped and pointed at her. ¡°What¡¯s good, what¡¯s good?¡±


    Yuria stared at me. ¡°... What in all manner of song has possessed you, child?¡±


    ¡°Whimsy!¡± I smiled.


    Stella took a deep breath and let it out slowly. ¡°I apologize, Mistress Yuria. Gatian is a very mouthy milo. He was much quieter and more polite at his natural age.¡±


    The eldest in the room smiled at my Partner. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Inova, I understand that banalities and idiocy drips from the mouth of every young soul at some point.¡±


    ¡°Ow, my feelings.¡± I muttered. The looks I got for saying it made me wish I¡¯d stayed quiet.


    Stella put her hand on my shoulder. ¡°You didn¡¯t try, Gatian.¡±


    I stared at her like she¡¯d asked me what color my potatoes were. ¡°Wha- Damn, that was fast¡­ Did I ever tell you I was really scatterbrained in my younger years?¡±


    ¡°I think I know.¡± She gave me a wry smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna hurt my feelings eventually.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll kiss them better.¡±


    ¡°No kissing allowed.¡± Yuria waved her hand as if to clear a foul odor. ¡°In fact, Stellara, I believe you may find yourself more comfortable away from Gatian for the time being. Once he begins crafting his song, I believe he will become simply insufferable.¡±


    ¡°I apologize, but I have to stay with him. If I¡¯ll walk through a sheet of nothingness, then I would follow him to the ends of Septural.¡± My faithful Partner put her hand on my back and I felt special.


    Songweaver-Woman shrugged. ¡°A grave is not a pool, though we swim all the same. Gatian, have you any idea what you¡¯d like your first song to be?¡±


    ¡°A lullaby. I¡¯m kinda getting tired.¡±


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t waited so long to see me-¡± She started a little irritably.


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s your calming presence and soothing aura. Really puts a guy at ease.¡± I nodded sagaciously.


    Yuria gave me a look. ¡°Rest, then we shall reconvene.¡±


    ¡°Cool, point me to the place.¡±


    Yuria swept her arm in a grand gesture. ¡°The furniture here tend to be more comfortable than the beds.¡±


    I looked at Stella and she looked at me. ¡°Can we cuddle?¡±


    ¡°Cuddling is adorable, so it is allowed.¡±


    ¡°Sweet.¡± I tapped Stellara¡¯s arm. ¡°Wanna nab a couch and a nap?¡±


    She raised a brow. ¡°Find your own couch, I would like to lay down on something softer than a bony cat.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t take offense to that if you give me a k-¡±


    ¡°Ah-ah! What did I say?¡± The old blonde bitch tsked.


    ¡°... Kookie? Find me a cookie and I won¡¯t take offense.¡±


    Stella chuckled at that. ¡°I would make you one myself if I knew what it was.¡±


    I raised a hand and a finger along with it- Wait, I lifted all five fingers. Four? Is the thumb an appendage? I¡¯m confused. What counts as a digit, Booksy? Does it need to have three knuckles or what¡­? Oh yeah, I can¡¯t really expect and answer because you¡¯re a book and Yuria¡¯s like, right over there¡­ Anyway, I lifted a finger along with the rest of my hand and put it down, preferring to write instead of talk. I guess I could keep writing for a while, but my hand¡¯s starting to get tired and I really do need a nap. Man, I can practically feel my good vibes fading away, though. It¡¯s like the longer I stay up, the faster my energy drains. There¡¯s no positive way to spin that, but at least sleep won¡¯t elude me for too long.


    We¡¯ll pick up after I wake up. Until then, my fair-paged pal.

 For Whom The Bell Tolls

    For Whom The Bell Tolls


    My nap, like many naps, was inauspicious in design and implementation. I slept like a log and woke up feeling tired anyway, so I hardly saw the point in going to sleep. Yuria was gone from the room along with Stellara, but Yureki was there along with Bast and the two were talking like old friends. Which, after a moment of listening, I realized they probably did have some form of relationship with each other through a mutual friend. The more I listened the more I realized that they were talking about the same person in fond tones, both stating a liking for said person¡¯s personality and general cordiality but despising their temper. It was an odd thing to think of in a person; someone being really, really nice with a fuse short enough to blow in your hand. The more I thought about it the less I realized that the conversation had stopped. That is until Yureki stooped over me with her eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Just how long have you been awake, Mister? You have things to do!¡±


    I booped her because I could. ¡°Boop. I¡¯ve been up for a few minutes. What¡¯s the difference-¡±


    She swatted at my hand and scowled. ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for three hours!¡±


    ¡°... I was awake for like, two days.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not very nice for being as cute as you are.¡± I said flatly.


    That got a blush out of her. ¡°Well, maybe if you were less of an anus I would be nicer!¡±


    ¡°Scary people aren¡¯t nice, but you¡¯re cute so you¡¯re obligated to be nice.¡±


    ¡°... I despise you so much,¡± she growled.


    I made a kissy face at her. ¡°I know you do, but what do I?¡±


    ¡°That barely makes sense!¡±


    Tired as I was, I still had energy to mess with someone, which now that I think about it was definitely more Gatian than Gage. Whisking myself off of my slumber-spot, I wrapped Yureki up in a hug and gave her the sauciest look my gangly, still awkward-looking, barely-teenage form could. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to be a¡­ Sinner, would you?¡±


    ¡°Mother forgive me.¡± She started to swoon in my arms, making me drop her because it had officially gotten weird. ¡°Ow! You complete asshat! That was a faint waiting to happen!¡±


    I crossed my arms and raised my brow. ¡°Teasing is all well and good but you didn¡¯t think I was that easy, did you?¡±


    She glared up at me, cheeks flushing. ¡°You tease! I was-¡±


    ¡°Acting like a lovelorn harlot?¡± Bast mewled.


    ¡°Do you want to have your claws ripped out again?¡± Yureki asked coldly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bite your arm off as I did with your battle-brother Somgnol. I don¡¯t need claws for that.¡±


    Yureki looked back to me. ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I asked politely.


    ¡°Are you going to help me up?¡± She asked through her teeth.


    ¡°If you¡¯re half as nice as you are cute about it.¡±


    ¡°When a knife appears in your leg, don¡¯t be surprised.¡±


    I stepped back. ¡°That was mean, Meaniepants.¡±


    ¡°Ooo! I¡¯ll get you, boy!¡± Yureki started scrambling to her feet.


    I made a few quick gestures and cast my second favorite Arca at the ground. ¡®Hoarime!¡±


    The frost formed quickly and she started skidding around instead of getting up, finding no purchase on the rapidly slickening surface. I, on the other hand, was well on my way out of the room and down the hall at full tilt. I slowed down when I remembered the invisible wall but I also reasoned that I would have passed it long before I slowed down, so I headed down a side hall and did some real, legitimate thinking. When I put my mind to it, I reasoned that my age couldn¡¯t be permanent since it probably wasn''t that kind of Magic. Granted, I was appreciating my newfound athleticism and healthy lungs as well as the lack of lard that had been on me in my first run at nineteen, but there was a wrench in the cogs there. There was also the fact that I lost the muscle mass I had gained over the months. And then I had the unfortunate reality that I was now younger than Stella by a decent bit and that I was acting weird anyway. Yeah, I still had my calluses and whatnot, but I¡¯d lost a good deal of my emotional control and strength. Both were showing as I tried pushing open a fucking door. Then I tried pulling it. Definitely a push door, but I wasn¡¯t going anywhere fast and that pissed me off more than it honestly should have. I drop-kicked the door because I was trying not to be found and blasted the thing open, knocking a person over with the force of the kick.


    I got up pretty quickly, but the guy I hit with the door was down for the count, so I walked into the room and found that it was a classroom. A lot of people were staring at me. ¡°... Hey, whassup y¡¯all?¡± There were a lot of murmured greetings in return, so I continued. ¡°Where¡¯s the teacher in here?¡±


    A lot of people pointed to the door, so I closed it behind me and saw a very, highly unfortunate soul squished behind it. That soul was also taller than me, kinda pretty, and again, squished. Very squished. A little squashed. A bit squeezumed, one might say ¡°... Ow¡­¡± The pretty teacher lady mewled.


    ¡°... Was I supposed to push or pull?¡± I asked quietly.


    The Amazon wasn¡¯t as tall as the door, but she still looked like she could have had a much better time of things despite being big enough to clock me from where she was standing. When I offered her a hand she took it and practically peeled off of the wall, joints popping as she did so. ¡°... It¡¯s a pull from the other side,¡± The poor teacher answered achingly.


    I closed the door the rest of the way with a kick, holding onto my poor, poor victim. ¡°I¡¯m reeeally sorry about that¡­¡±


    She offered me a weak smile and things got bad from there. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ Just eager to learn, right Gatian?¡±


    My heart hammered in my chest, a curious fog in my mind preventing me from commenting on the fact that she already knew my name.. ¡°... Yes? I mean, yeah, totally. I love learning like, so much.¡±


    The teacher-lady patted my head, a small feat for someone damn near two full feet taller than me. ¡°Next time, just knock, okay?¡±


    ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Victim Number One moaned from the floor.


    Miss Teacher scowled and glared at him. ¡°One moment.¡± She curtsied strangely for a second and popped both of her knees before doing another strange gesture for both of her shoulders. I did not anticipate her grabbing the guy I¡¯d practically murked and promptly picking him up. ¡°You, sir, are still leaving my class. Be happy someone just came to take your place.¡±


    I watched, stiffening up as she held a man as thick as I was at my heaviest with one hand, opened the door with the other hand, and threw his ass out to the other side of the hall. ¡°... Damn.¡±


    Teacher-lady raised a brow at me. ¡°Was that a swear I just heard?¡±


    I nodded rapidly. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am, won¡¯t happen again, ma¡¯am.¡±


    She smiled warmly. ¡°Then welcome to the class, new pupil. My married name is hard to pronounce correctly if you¡¯re not familiar with classic, Elder Thesuvian, but you can call me Miss Wolvram.¡± Miss Wolvram extended a hand.


    I reached up and shook it. ¡°... So you¡¯re not single?¡± My voice was tiny and weak, but there was probably hope in there somewhere.


    ¡°Hmm? I didn¡¯t quite catch that. Nor your last name, for that matter.¡±


    ¡°Gatian¡­ Uh¡­ Frick.¡± I looked off to the side and panicked. ¡°Uh¡­ Gimme a sec, I got like, three names.¡± I tapped my head with both hands trying to get the scaroual to reasonable levels. ¡°Uh¡­ Gatian Gauner. That¡¯s my name.¡±


    Her bluish-green eyes lit up like blue tourmalines in the pleasant-enough lighting, but there was something about her gaze... ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re a River person like Grigori and Adolf?¡±


    The look I gave that woman was as blank as the night sky in the city. ¡°... When you say Adolf, do you mean Adolf Hitler, or¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, why?¡± Her look brightened further. ¡°Oh, do tell me you two knew each other on Earth!¡±


    ¡°... I... I kinda need to go shoot that guy on principle¡­ Can you¡­ Can you point me his way?¡± It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s still a service to shoot Hitler, right? Jehovah? Shalom, dude, I need some advice.


    ¡°... You need to shoot Hitler. Why?¡± Miss Wolvram folded her arms and people started getting the fuck away from the front of the classroom.


    ¡°Well¡­ I mean¡­¡± I scratched my head. ¡°I mean¡­ It¡¯s not really complicated, but the guy¡¯s basically the worst person in history on Earth besides like... Joseph Stalin or¡­ Pol Pot, maybe? Well, just being one of Hitler¡¯s close friends on Earth meant that most of the world wanted you dead for good reason. The guy killed a few million people.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. Such an artist would never spill blood.¡± Wolvram seemed to like me less and less as I spoke.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ It¡¯s probably the Hitler I¡¯m talking about¡­ Um¡­¡± I rubbed my temples. ¡°So you know how the Chorets have a really weird, really strict religion?¡±


    ¡°... Yes? I suppose.¡± Her stance became slightly less aggressive.


    ¡°Well, my family follows a religion called Judaism and we¡¯re also ethnically Jews.¡±


    ¡°... Your point?¡±


    ¡°Adolf Hitler hunted and genocided over two million of my people, including family members of mine that lived in the country he ruled and the places he took over. He also started a world war that ended with a lot of blood and bodies. Supposedly because of our religion. Which basically tells us to keep to ourselves and help people when we can anyway. Jews are not Chorets. We don¡¯t want you to join our religion or do things our way; If you¡¯re not born Jewish or convert to it through marriage or something like that, then you¡¯re probably never going to really have the option of being accepted as a Jew. We¡¯re not a syncretic or violent religion. Overall, we¡¯re happy to worship our god, hoard money, and peck things with our long noses and two of those three things are racist, antisemitic stereotypes. Hitler didn¡¯t just kill fighting-age men, either. He killed women and children, infants and babies. Old and young. It didn¡¯t matter.¡± Unless everything I know is a lie, but I still kinda wanna shoot Hitler for the Heaven Points.


    The slap coming from a mile away meant that I saw it being delivered on a long, fleshy stick, I just didn¡¯t see my new teacher move after she started the motion. Still, I swayed to the wrong side and got hit that much harder, spinning a little as I saw spots and stars. ¡°You may-¡± Miss Wolvram started.


    I shot her in the leg with a Stop-Shot since it was both non-lethal and just painful, but she looked at the Arca-laced bullet as it impacted her and gave me a bored look. My head was spinning and the only reason I¡¯d gotten the shot off was muscle-memory in Grata-non-Aquix. ¡°What was that supposed to do?¡± She asked, more annoyed than worried.


    I rubbed my face and worked my jaw. My teeth had cut my cheek. ¡°It was supposed to hurt and that¡¯s about it. Fuck you, bee-tee-dubs. I¡¯m not fuckin¡¯ lyin¡¯ to ya; Hitler is literally what you call people when they¡¯re being assholes or doing something to hurt someone. So don¡¯t be a Nazi.¡±


    She raised her hand with a placid look before something seemed to cross her face. ¡°Nazi¡­ I do believe I¡¯ve heard that somewhere¡­¡± She put her hand down.


    ¡°Yeah, Hitler was the leader of the Nazi Party in Germany and became history¡¯s most famous dictator while doing it.¡±


    Narrowing her eyes, she said, ¡°Take a seat.¡±


    ¡°No, I want a hug for your treachery. Why did you slap me? That was uncalled for.¡±


    ¡°You hit me with a door.¡± She pointed out.


    ¡°You¡¯re obviously strong enough to bear that once or twice.¡± I spit blood into my hand and wiped it off on my jeans. ¡°Seriously, that was just unnecessary!¡±


    More people backed up when she leaned down. ¡°Don¡¯t make me be mean to you, Gatian.¡±


    I booped her. ¡°You¡¯re just mad that I play the undlegar better than you.¡±


    Miss Wolvram blinked, picked me up by my shoulders, then carried me to an empty seat and dropped me in it. ¡°Class dismissed.¡±


    A lot of those fuckers sprinted out of the door while my eight-foot-tall teacher towered over me with an unreadable, hardly friendly expression on her face. Once everyone was gone and the door slammed shut, I swallowed and said, ¡°... This isn¡¯t one of those good times to be in here, is it?¡±


    She walked over to her desk, ran her fingers over a few boxes that were on it, then wound one with a key she¡¯d kept on a necklace. The music started as she made her way back to me. Wolvram reached over and took my arm in her hand, placing my hand down on the table. Her thumb then pressed against my index finger while the strength in my body failed me. ¡°Do you know what they call me here?¡±


    I stared at the potential pain. ¡°... No ma¡¯am, I don¡¯t, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s respectful.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re damn right. My name is Miss Wolvram. Not ma¡¯am. Remember that.¡± She pressed down and made things very uncomfortable.


    It wasn¡¯t quite fractured or breaking, but that was also one of my fret-fingers. ¡°... Miss Wolvram, I¡¯m here to make music... I can¡¯t do that with broken fingers.¡±


    ¡°You can play your drums just fine with nine fingers.¡± Which is when she broke the first one.


    ¡°Frick!¡± I hissed, going rigid. ¡°That was unnecessary!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it. ¡° Her smiles were long gone as she moved on to the next finger, holding my hand down.


    ¡°I can¡¯t play the drum! I play the undlegar and plublass you fuck!¡±


    ¡°Then I suppose you should have been,¡± She broke my middle finger too, ¡°more polite.¡±


    I glared at her and bore my teeth. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a lovely day to hit yourself?¡±


    Her smile came back along with a glassy look in her eye. ¡°Why yes, I do believe it is.¡± Her fist met her face and she staggered herself. She looked back at me with fire in her gaze. ¡°Oh, you think you¡¯re cute.¡± Bitch, I might kill you. Fuck this woody, I¡¯m gonna shove a gun in your mouth!


    I was used to making most of my tares, the Arca-gestures, with my left hand since it was the one I usually kept open, but times were tough and two of my fingers were useless for the moment, so I made do with my right by my side. ¡°I thought you were cute until you started breaking shit!¡±


    She cocked back and smashed the desk in front of me as I finished my Arca. I had a second to fling it, but Wolvram caught me while I was trying to get away and threw me into more desks. While I was flying away from her I had a chance to throw the Arca as she said, ¡°Get over it!¡±


    ¡°Umbralisis!¡± I shouted back, hitting her with my spell as I arched and hit some poorly-placed desks. I¡¯m sure they were perfectly assembled to learn school, but they fucked my day up a little bit worse.


    I crashed into the desks as she waited for me to get back up. ¡°Umbralisis? What kind of useless Arca have you been taught.


    Having to roll out of the pile I created with my body and kinetic energy kinda pissed me off, but I was already pissed off. It was hard to get back up and I probably had a bruised rib or several, but I was good enough to get back to my feet, shaky as I was. ¡°Favorite Arca. Don¡¯t need to kill ya, just stop ya. Call it my mentor¡¯s special friend.¡± I stood up straighter and popped as many of my aching joints as I could.


    Miss Wolvram rolled her eyes and started walking towards me, so I limped around her and got into position in the front of the room where her shadow wouldn¡¯t reach. As it was, she happened to be in the middle of the room and I had some distance to work with. ¡°You¡¯re not doing a good job of stopping me.¡±


    I stood still and started loading lethals into Clockly. ¡°Mhm. Yeh.¡±


    She walked as slow as she possibly could, probably to heighten the tension. ¡°You know I¡¯m just toying with you right now, correct? When I¡¯m tired of this-¡± I shot her in the leg again, but this time there was blood and she went down, her shadow getting caught on a desk as she cleared the rows. ¡°Fucking cassa-boy! You goddamn assclown! I can¡¯t believe you actually shot me!¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m planning on shooting you again, so get ready,¡± I replied blandly.


    ¡°Fucking ow! Stop! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    The door swung open and Yureki stood there. ¡°... Am I interrupting something?¡±


    I pointed at Wolvram with my gun. ¡°She broke two of my fingers for being a smartass, so I shot her. Shootin¡¯ her again here in a moment. Iffin¡¯ ya wouldn¡¯t mind¡­?¡± I waved her away with the gun.


    The looks of disappointment on Yureki¡¯s face was kinda funny. ¡°Really? Wolvy... You know better than to assault River People. And Gatian?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Shooting people is very rude. Don¡¯t do that, even if they break your fingers.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I gave her a look. ¡°Can you heal them? Otherwise, I can¡¯t make any music until they do it themselves.¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t you play the drums?¡±


    ¡°No, why does everyone assume that!? I play the undlegar and plublass!¡±


    ¡°... Why?¡± Yureki asked.


    ¡°Because they work best for me!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that! You have so much more potential than just playing strings!¡± The ghost-ish person practically shouted. ¡°You could play the best pipe if you really put your mind to it!¡±


    ¡°Bleeding out over here. Me. Bullet. In leg.¡± Wolvram groused.


    I held up my left hand. ¡°And you crushed two of my fingers for pride and hubris. Get over yourself.¡±


    ¡°That was rude, Gatian.¡± Yureki huffed.


    ¡°Can I break your fingers?¡±


    The cute one looked at the tall one. ¡°... Now that I think about it, I probably would have shot you too, Wolvy.¡±


    The pale Amazon picked herself up and hobbled toward the door. ¡°Whatever. Be in class tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Class?¡±


    Wolvram rolled her eyes. ¡°Not you, Yureki.¡±


    ¡°Class¡­?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t really-¡±


    ¡°Gatian, I can still kill you without trying that hard. Shut up, go get your fingers fixed, and shut up,¡± Wolvram snarled.


    I looked at her fantastic, perfect bubble butt muttering. ¡°Damn.¡± Two looks were thrown my way for that. ¡°What? It¡¯s nice!¡±


    The ladies looked at each other and said some shit in a language I didn¡¯t understand. Yureki decided to ask, ¡°Gatian, what¡¯s nice about Wolvy¡¯s back?


    I thought fast. ¡°Her backside?¡±


    ¡­ Okay, I thought fast and I spoke fast, I just didn¡¯t think about what I was saying.


    Two more looks were thrown my way, but it was Miss Wolvram who asked, ¡°Yes, but what¡¯s nice about it? Are you truly trying to threaten me?¡±


    ¡°... Is a light spanking scary?¡±


    ¡°Wha- Oh you-¡± Her face fell flat. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    Yureki gave me another disappointed look, though this one seemed like I¡¯d just gotten rejected by the pretty girl at prom. ¡°That was¡­ Very smooth, but¡­¡±


    ¡°... What?¡± The blank look on my face told her nothing apparently.


    ¡°Your parting flirtation. Your River Folk courting methods are odd indeed. Have you shot Stellara as well?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°... Did you not mean to invite Wolvram into your bed?¡±


    My eyes shot open. ¡°Oh shit, Stellara¡¯s gonna be pissed!¡±


    ¡°About?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do that! I shot her because I was mad!¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose it is a good thing that Wolvram was less than receptive,¡± Yureki mused.


    I glared at her. ¡°I was just looking! You didn¡¯t have to point it out!¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to make the comment you did, but you offered to exchange light punishment for physical pleasure. You should not have-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant to do!¡±


    ¡°Every region is a little different, but that was some pretty apt Avalesch flirting.¡± She said, pursing her lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me tickle you to death.¡±


    She raised a brow. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t shoot me? I¡¯m offended.¡±


    ¡°She broke my bones!¡±


    ¡°Is that a turn on for you?¡±


    ¡°... Is shooting someone supposed to be flirting?¡± I asked, actually done with society as I knew it.


    ¡°It is when they break your bones.¡±


    ¡°What.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... So if she broke my leg and I shot her in the head?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ That would be a bit much. On your part, that is. Depending on how long-.¡±


    ¡°I wish I could shoot you.¡±


    Yureki pouted. ¡°You could if you wanted to. Stellara Inova might be bound to you, but she can share.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not fucking shooting you. I¡¯m not fucking shooting anyone that doesn¡¯t deserve a large amount of pain in a localized area.¡±


    ¡°What if I-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll freeze your face.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not ekki. That¡¯s not ekki at all,¡± She said softly, frowning heavily.


    Rolling my eyes, I folded my arms. ¡°Stop giving me the sad eyes. They only work for¡­¡± She kept giving me some potent puppy-powered looks. ¡°Stop that.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m sad! You flirt all the time but you won¡¯t even shoot me!¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to be shot!?¡±


    ¡°... You know what? I forgot that I¡¯m celibate anyway.¡± Yureki tapped her chin a few times. ¡°Oh yeah, I need a husband¡­¡±


    I backed away, nursing my hand as I tried to leave. ¡°I¡¯m a minor?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re legal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in dire need of a sane River Person adult.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s hard to come by. You know how you got here, right?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be-¡±


    ¡°This lake is a part of the river. It¡¯s pretty much up to us how we treat you.¡±


    ¡°... Could I get some-¡±


    ¡°Food? Drink? Soma?¡± She leaned in. ¡°Prophylactics?¡±


    ¡°... I need some fuckin help with my hand, if you wouldn¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Then the medical ward will be our first stop! Follow me, future husband!¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to be her future husband. ¡°I plan on marrying Stella, to be honest with you.¡±


    The look I got for that was honestly insulting. ¡°... Why?¡±


    ¡°Because she¡¯s sexy as fuck, looks after me, and-¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a Partner. They¡¯re selected by River People for other River People based on the Anima-Base they get to read. Stellara was handpicked for you because you would like her.¡± Yureki said coldly. ¡°Even if you love her with all your heart, all you¡¯ll ever be to her is a Master. A kind one, but a Master nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°... You didn¡¯t need to say that,¡± I stated.


    Yureki shrugged. ¡°Marry me and I won¡¯t do it again.¡±


    I turned my back on her and walked away, which was almost a mistake. However, my gun was ready and cocked when Yureki stopped right behind me. ¡°That¡¯s unwise. I don¡¯t give a shit if you think it¡¯s sexy. If I blow a fuckin¡¯ hole in you, it means ¡®Fuck you¡¯. Step off.¡±


    She raised a brow and stuck her finger in my barrel. ¡°Try me.¡±


    I finished my tares with difficulty and shot the Arca at her stomach with my thumb as the lead. ¡°Fuldis.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t one of my better Arca, but it was honestly as effective as I needed it to be. The spell basically shoved someone away as hard I as I usually could with my full effort but with an added shocking effect. Yureki skidded back and twitched a couple times, giving me enough time to close the damn door behind me and take off at a brisk pace. Yureki followed me until she suddenly disappeared and reappeared directly in my path. If she weren¡¯t so small, I probably would have seen her before I ran straight into her shield Arca. The look she gave me was a little hotter than I would have liked, but then again if she was looking at me with a mild frown it would have been too hot. The coy smile to her lips as I rubbed my aching face and tried not to swear at the pain in my hand made me wonder what flirtatious sin I¡¯d committed just then.


    ¡°You little tease~ you were hiding something that fun all this time?¡± Her eyelids lowered as she twitched again, the Arca lasting as long as it should in all the wrong ways.


    I still had a few minutes before it was completely out of her system, but the shocks should have honestly been strong enough to give her a little pause if nothing else. ¡°... That wasn¡¯t me flirting either.¡±


    ¡°You started it, you finish it, or I tell Mother that you¡¯ve been flirting around and shooting people~¡±


    My heart actually skipped a beat. ¡°You¡¯re not kidding, are you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Either do what I say or go away.¡± Yureki smiled.


    I swallowed hard and tried to focus on the pain in my hand, using the panic I was feeling as the base for my power, but fear wasn¡¯t what the Gift of Gab drew on. I wasn¡¯t angry at Yureki because she was scary more so than Miss Wolvram. At least that woman made sense; she was tall, strong, and beautiful. Yureki was short, a waif, and looked like she was crazier than I gave her credit for previously. There were a lot of things I wanted to happen in that moment, so I chose to walk away because running had done me no favors. Yureki followed so I waited for her to catch up and kept walking, casually thinking of a way out of the hole I¡¯d dug for myself. Instead of seeing something easy to do and simple to implement, I thought of something stupid that probably wouldn¡¯t work the way I wanted it to.


    ¡°... Yureki?¡± I asked softly.


    She smiled up and patted my arm. ¡°Yes, lover?¡±


    ¡°... How do the Amanese make love?¡±


    Surprisingly, she blushed. ¡°W-Well, usually when a man and woman are interested-¡±


    Fuck it, it¡¯s worth a shot. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a man?¡±


    Yureki slammed her foot onto the ground. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter!¡±


    ¡­ Gatian, what the fuck? No, wait, I¡¯m Gatian. Yureki, you¡¯re fuckin¡¯ a trap? ¡°It kinda does¡­ Stellara will never marry me if I lay a man. It¡¯s against her religion.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe I-¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t marry a man, either. I need to be able to travel freely in Avalesce and the rest of the world, which is already kinda hard to do as a River Man away from the River.¡±


    Yureki scowled and turned around, walking away from me as I continued down the hall, wondering if the trap I¡¯d almost fallen into was going to ravish my bottom because I¡¯d refused to ravish¡­ Hers. I¡¯m still going with her for now since I¡¯m guessing Yureki is whatever transgender¡¯s equivalent is on Septural, or she just really wants to be a girl. Either way, I respect that and still think she¡¯s crazy as shit, so I¡¯m just going to leave her alone and not put myself in the same situation. Speaking of, I decided not to open up any other doors and eventually looped around behind a long wall and ended up back in the main hall after a good while of walking. I eventually came face to face with Yuria as she seemed to lead a group of people around my age about as if she were teaching on the move, which she probably was from the looks of things.I waved with my good hand and she took notice of my limping form, concern etching itself into her face as we closed the distance between us.


    ¡°Dear Rojol above, Gatian, you attract trouble like a yusap to sugar water. What happened to you?¡± Yuria asked in hushed tones once she got near enough.


    ¡°Miss Wolvram isn¡¯t very fond of me.¡± I chuckled, wincing.


    ¡°... You can¡¯t play your undlegar right now, can you?¡±


    ¡°She only broke two fingers. I heal pretty fast.¡± I cracked a small smile as Yuria came to hold my hand, her touch gentle.


    She held my fingers like Stella would have, a familiar touch that made the ache feel considerably less sharp. ¡°The medical ward will have the supplies to get you back onto your feet. Are you sure you don¡¯t need anything else?¡±


    ¡°Well, Wolvram  told me that I¡¯m attending her class tomorrow-¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Got mouthy, had my fingers broken, then shot her because she-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you commented on her physique.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know, but-¡±


    ¡°Let me guess; You offered her a spanking or another beating?¡± Yuria sighed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what that meant,¡± I answered awkwardly.


    ¡°Did¡­¡± My benefactor shook her head. ¡°Knowing Rozana she just left, didn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Probably to the same place I need to go.¡± I watched the crowd of students Yuria had following her form a semi-circle around us.


    She looked back. ¡°Ah, yes, my lesson. I was hoping to have you join the third one of the day, but if you¡¯re promised to Miss Wolvram tomorrow, then I suppose it would do you little good.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    Yuria gave me a small, regretful smile. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later. For now, follow the heart and cross to the ward and you¡¯ll be better the longer you stay. The ambient somnerre will help plenty.¡±


    ¡°Somn- Oh, the song-ambiance. Song-in-air, somnerre. Okay.¡±


    Yuria blinked. ¡°River People¡­ You are an interesting people, I¡¯ll say that much.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of River People, do you know Hitler?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s a lovely man. Quite the artist, but he does make music from time to time.¡±


    ¡°Can I shoot him for the crimes he committed on Earth? One death really wasn¡¯t enough. He deserved a lot more than just killing himself.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m assuming-¡±


    ¡°His name is synonymous with evil. To a point, so is Rasputin, but he was so long ago that his legend was blown out of proportion. Hitler died about sixty years before I was born.¡±


    ¡°... Sixty years previous to your birth and you would hate him so?¡±


    ¡°He was responsible for a lot of my family dying. Many of my people. Blood begets blood.¡±


    Yuria gave me a warm smile. ¡°Then be the bigger man and put the blood of the past behind you. This is not Earth. What happened there has no place here.¡±


    ¡°... You say that, but Hitler inspired people.¡± I said softly. ¡°His actions echoed throughout the whole goddamn world. I still know people that praise him to this very day, Yuria. Hitler killed himself as a coward to escape punishment for his crimes. He wasn¡¯t grief-stricken or downtrodden. He was an invasive species in a desolate land that turned innocent infants into ashes and meat. Letting him live makes me a worse person. Just because the past is behind us doesn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t bear consequences for our actions.¡±


    He smile saddened. ¡°Even after death, you would hold a grudge against a man you never knew?¡±


    ¡°Even after death, I would still hunt down the man responsible for the death of millions upon millions.¡± My answer was resolute and solid.


    ¡°That way of thinking¡­ You¡¯ve never shown it to me before.¡±


    ¡°... If a man killed your grandparent¡¯s friends and family, then his followers years later attacked your parents, and yet again years later more of his followers attack people that look like you just because they look a certain way¡­? Hitler¡¯s people offered no one any mercy. There¡¯s no honor in extending mercy to someone who would kill a newborn, Yuria. There¡¯s no coming back from something like that.¡±


    ¡°Are you the same as you were on Earth?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m a lot worse now than I was then. You shot yourself with that one,¡± I said coldly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll assume that Wolvram dismissed her class to deal with you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that happened.¡±


    Yuria looked back at her class. ¡°You are dismissed for now. You may join the evening class if you wish, but know that space will be limited and I will have less time for individual study.¡±


    There were some chuckles and a few hollers, making me blush for some reason. ¡°What are-¡±


    Yuria waved the class down. ¡°It¡¯s not that! You lot assume every Minstrel is a Bard!¡±


    They made some comments and people started walking away while a few more people came forward. Yuria went to talk to them and I stood on the sidelines for a sec until she came back. ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk, shall we?¡±


    I followed beside as we began our little journey. ¡°Speaking of walks, where¡¯s Stella?¡±


    ¡°She is not a musician, nor does she have any real talent with any instrument. We do have Combat Masters, though I do believe that Miss Stellara would have caught the eye of our very own Grandmaster Lahgo, of Lake Lahgo. She, as one of the few female Fullmasters, would be a very good tutor for your Partner.¡±


    I nodded a few times. ¡°... What about me?¡±


    ¡°Wolvram will not be very apt for you. Her Terru revloves around the percussive, striking melodies that follow Thesuvian drumlines. You¡¯ve always had an¡­ A certain flair to your music.¡±


    ¡°Like how I can cast with a string instrument?¡±


    Yuria raised a brow. ¡°So you¡¯ve spoken to-¡±


    ¡°Rasputin said it, then everyone else I¡¯ve spoken to about Minstrel Magic- er, Song Terru...  Either way, there¡¯s something about me, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    Yuria laughed openly. ¡°It only took you nearly two years to realize it! Oh, Gatian, how I look forward to seeing you as you grow.¡±


    ¡°Guess I¡¯ve got about eight more years to do that now.¡±


    ¡°You do. You know you won¡¯t age until you¡¯re done with your schooling, cor-¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°... You¡­ Rasputin just turned you into your younger self, didn¡¯t he?¡± She deadpanned.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Yuria sighed heavily with the weight of an administrator behind it. ¡°We do that because a young mind is much more flexible. I was hoping to teach you myself to help you develop your music further.¡±


    ¡°Well, if we get my fingers healed I¡¯ll just write a new song tonight.¡±


    ¡°But when you finish is the question. There¡¯s no telling how long a Terruc song may take to put together.¡±


    I looked at her and decided to freestyle some lyrics to Beirut¡¯s Cliquot.


    A flame in the poorhouse, a knock on the door; Yes I¡¯ll hope that they¡¯ll go away. Yesterday¡¯s fever has brought the dear Reaper; Yes dear, I¡¯ll sit here and pray.


    What will it be? Shall I leave or here shall I stay?


    What melody will raise my head upon this day?


    Shake up the foundation and run out elation; I¡¯ll be here ¡®til all would pass


    Take me from my home, you know that I¡¯ll roam; My feet carry me to the last


    What could it be? Shall I leave, or here shall I stay?


    What melody will raise my head upon this day?


    I¡¯ll sing for the friends that I have made and the home where I once laid my head


    Oh, I¡¯ll sing for the days that we spent so happy on top of our bed


    But the hearth does grow so cold¡­


    I raised my brow at Yuria. ¡°So what¡¯d you think of that one? The music¡¯s gonna make it better, right?¡±


    Yuria herself wiped away a tear. ¡°... You borrowed a melody, but made your own lyrics, did you not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I have to be writing my own song for a new melody.¡±


    ¡°... Gatian Gauner¡­ You don¡¯t even know how terrifying you truly are.¡±


    ¡°... Whaaa?¡± I looked at her smiling, still confused as the day I¡¯d popped out of the damn River in the first place.


    ¡°... When you were reborn, you were given a choice of an art and a skill. Knowing you as I do and having peered into your innermost thoughts¡­ ¡° Yuria chuckled, laying a dainty, kind hand on my arm as she gave me a heartwarming, motherly smile. Her lips curved the exact same way Mom¡¯s used to, the corners of her mouth hooking slightly to make her look a little like a smiley-drawing with dimples. It was so familiar that I trusted it on sight, despite... ¡°It''s hard to see you as anything other than a child younger than you are now, Gatian. Your people are so short-lived that you have so little time to learn all you need to, and even then I feel as though you were behind on the curve. You¡¯re far too trusting, or at least you were when you stepped foot on Septural. You came here as a beaten, abused child looking for guidance and you found temporary acceptance if what Stellara Inova told me was true. Then you were rejected in a land that was supposed to accept you exactly as you were, a world used to strange and unusual things. You started turning cold when you started training in combat with Lucine, though you didn¡¯t see what was happening. Shadesong, your tutor-¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on!¡±


    ¡°No, she was not a Weaver.¡± Yuria shook her head, getting me started again since I had stopped. ¡°Shadesong was another pen-pal of mine. She told me that you were surprisingly¡­ Apt. Your¡­ apropos, your demi-natural gift, clued me in to the fact that you were completely unaware of the sheer power you could wield, so I suggested that she move you away from potential catalysts and move onto useless instruments. Never did I consider that your inborn gift would transcend the bonds of stringed-instruments.¡±


    ¡°... So I¡¯m-¡±


    ¡°Extremely rare, but not unheard of, if that was your question. Both yourself and Stellara are cut from different cloths than of even those you hold in high regard. Your physical attributes may be average, but Stellara Inova is a Grandmaster in waiting. You yourself will be the strongest¡­ Bard, to have ever carried the title, though why you insist on being one is beyond me.¡± She rolled her eyes and gave me a motherly look so patronizingly condescending I thought she was an actual black mother for a second.


    ¡°Thanks, Mammy, guess I¡¯ll be a minestrone.¡±


    ¡°Is that not Earth food?¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mom, guess I¡¯ll be a Minstrel.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of shame in being a Bard, you know.¡±


    I raised a brow at her. ¡°What if I change the whole game and flip the script? I could be the most moral Bard to ever lute it up.¡±


    ¡°Looting?¡± She gave me another motherly look, but this one full of disappointment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me in that tone of voice. A lute is a string instrument.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still disappointed, but there¡¯s no helping it. I suppose your songs do carry a more¡­ Passionate, shall we say, undertone to them.¡±


    ¡°Songs help me process how I feel, I guess.¡±


    ¡°... Interesting and disheartening.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a sadboi.¡± I chuckled and thought of a song.


    ¡°Of course, but¡­ You would¡­ Gatian, it makes no sense for you to have gotten this far with this much power. It makes no sense for you to not have taken over a town or used or skill to subdue your foes. It makes no sense that you¡¯ve yet to ask for an instrument since stepping foot here, knowing that you could level the island and no one could stand in your way to your knowledge. Gatian, you should have been put down when you were still covered in mud. When I first learned that your power pushed firm boundaries. When Sootina inevitably betrayed you-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hearing a lot, but I¡¯m not hearing much, Yuria,¡± I replied, my mood dying down. ¡°I¡¯m too sad to have gotten past the River Guides and too powerful to let walk around unchained. However, you let me do whatever the fuck I wanted for the better part of a year because, and I¡¯m sure you damn well knew, that I don¡¯t want power like that. I just want to make people happy, to get happy myself, and to maybe settle down after doing a lot of interesting things. I just wanted a slightly above average life, Yuria. I never asked for a second chance, but I got one. There wasn¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°Oh, but you did. You chose to be not just good at your art, but one of the best. You chose, and this still something that The Man and I laugh about; Talking to people, as your skill!¡± She threw her head back and laughed way too hard at something that wasn¡¯t funny at all. ¡°You could have chosen trades or scholarly focuses. You could have chosen physical boons aplenty, but you chose to talk when you could have chosen anything.¡± A thunderous noise sounded once, then again. I looked around and saw a large square bell hanging from a tower.


    ¡°Why do I feel like you¡¯re really trying to hurt my feelings?¡± I asked, half sure she was telling me something I needed to know.


    ¡°I¡¯m not, but that¡¯s utterly ludicrous, Gatian! Who even cares that much about communication? Most people are good at it by just walking through their daily lives, but you chose a path that was a stroke away from mind-control! Gatian; you chose to be one of the most powerful Terrumani in history with the charisma to lead a nation. How does this not amuse you to no end?¡± I stopped cold, my knees feeling weak. Yuria continued walking for a few steps, talking to herself. ¡°I mean, you unwittingly became the biggest threat in the modern era if you had the mind to be. What- Oh.¡± She looked back, seeing as I stared at her. ¡°... Gatian?¡±


    ¡°Yuria¡­ Did you just¡­ Are you serious right now?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re awfully pale¡­ I suppose this is part of why we are supposed to use less bluntness with your ilk.¡±


    ¡°Did you just say I have enough juice to level this¡­ Yuria, that¡¯s not even plausible.¡± I chuckled and shook my head, walking on myself, eventually passing her.


    ¡°... Of course. Forget I mentioned it.¡±


    ¡°I will here in a little bit, but before I do...¡° I paused for a sec, not sure of what to ask. ¡°... Do you think you could tell me what my prophecy means?¡±


    ¡°... The Bard¡¯s Ballad states that the Bard will eventually die in battle. The Minstrel¡¯s Maladies states that the Minstrel lives on happily ever after. The Moon River Prophecy foretells the end of the world.¡±


    ¡°... Piss in my cereal, why don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I would not.¡±


    ¡°It would taste better than this news.¡± I grunted.


    ¡°How-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask, and what am I supposed to do?¡±


    She gave me a blank look. ¡°... Whatever you want?¡±


    ¡°... Was what Yureki said about Stella-¡±


    ¡°Partners are handpicked by other River People for River People based on certain criteria. Stellara Inova was paired with you because she was compatible, it that¡¯s the harsh truth you heard..¡±


    ¡°... That still hurts.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t have to love you back.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t.¡± I murmured. ¡°She still sees me as her Master with a few extra steps.¡±


    ¡°... Then perhaps you should see how you feel in time. Hasty choices solve nothing, Gatian. To act blindly in this would be pure folly.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Let¡¯s just get my hand fixed.¡±


    And so we did. Luckily I¡¯m not left handed, but life still kinda sucks. My fingers are really itchy and they¡¯re on the mend, but I won¡¯t be able to play my usual instruments for a few more days. That¡¯s honestly the least of my worries since I now know that I¡¯m one of the biggest targets on the face of the planet to the right people. I was lucky that Yuria decided to look before she leaped, ad I was lucky that she¡¯d known the real me instead of who I was presenting myself as. She was scary beyond all means for a lot of reasons, and the main one being her interest in me. I don¡¯t know what Yuria wants, but if I¡¯m half as powerful as she says, then I¡¯m a walking nuke waiting to go off¡­ It feels like a story. Everything still feels like a story.


    Maybe¡­ Maybe music isn¡¯t worth it, Booksy. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t be here¡­ But how am I gonna leave?

 High-Strung, Low-Tension

    High-Strung, Low-Tension


    Yuria, kind as she was to me, made it clear that I wasn¡¯t skipping class at any point while I was on the island. It was one thing to be forced to do someone else¡¯s will, but it was another to have that altered by me and have it end all the worse. I sat in Wolvram¡¯s class for days on end, listening as she expounded upon the ins and outs of percussion and showed me for certain that she was still angry about being shot and hit on. Every time she laid a paper in front of me, she cracked my desk a little more with the force in which she put it down. I barely reacted. It was hard to care, even when she was glaring daggers at me for playing ¡®simple beats with a superior creation¡¯. None of my beats with the drum could be replicated by anyone in the class when I put my mind to making something complicated and decent, but even then my right hand was carrying me through most of the lessons. Wolvram clearly didn¡¯t like me or the proficiency I showed with her instrument of choice, Occasionally sending percussive blasts at my left hand to trip me up. She rarely failed, but over time I learned how to beat her at her own game.


    There wasn¡¯t a soul in the class willing to stand up for me and I didn¡¯t want to be bothered with Wolvram, but she continued to push me as I attended her class. There was a lot I wanted to happen to her, and when my fingers finally healed up I brought an undlegar to class that was on loan from the academy, confusing my few associates and peers. Flistor, a young man with a heart of gold and a healthy fear for our teacher, was my closest thing to a friend. Even he refused to sit near me when I brought the undlegar, making multiple people choose to stand in class. Near the back. Wolvram entered after the bell rung from the main tower and walked in shuffling papers around as usual. She cast a cursory glance at me that was leaning toward a glare (As always) until she spotted my undlegar. The look on her face didn¡¯t make me feel anything, and I didn¡¯t want to deal with the consequences of actions I¡¯d yet to commit.


    ¡°Gatian Gauner, have you brought a string instrument to my percussion class?¡± Wolvram asked incredulously.


    I nodded. ¡°Yes, Miss Wolvram.¡±


    ¡°I assume you plan on playing it?¡± She asked, smiling like she was waiting for me to say yes.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯ll allow it, Miss Wolvram,¡± I replied tiredly.


    That dampened her mood as the class looked on. ¡°Then¡­ I suppose we have little choice. Class? We have a special song from our resident idiot. Make of it what you will.¡±


    Awkward laughs were heard around the room. I was already one of the top students in the class by my peers reckoning. No one wanted to mess with me just in case Wolvram was possessive about her targets, but I was still a pariah due to my talent. As I took to the front of the class and stood near-ish to an unamused Rozana Wolvram, I said, ¡°This song¡­ I made it while my hand was healing. Guess it¡¯s for you too, but it¡¯s for a couple people.¡±


    She raised a brow, her cheeks pinkening slightly. ¡°Cute. No one writes songs that fast.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°This one is called ¡®Thrice¡¯... I¡¯m gonna start now.¡±


    And so I did.


    Thrice by Gatian Gauner


    First Verse


    Thrice I heard my name in the wind


    Three short bursts, will I find you again?


    Don¡¯t know who and I don¡¯t know where


    Looked in the mirror; Do you even care?


    Chorus


    Was it the future?


    The past, now?


    Was it your own device~?


    My spirit dwindling so far down


    Did you love me?


    Did you ever?


    Was our past a lie~?


    My spirit dwindling so far down now


    Second Verse


    Was it ever meant to be?


    Were you just the first my eyes could see?


    Seen now pastures greener still


    Just a void that I need filled


    Chorus 2


    Was it the future?


    The past, now?


    Was it your own device


    My spirit dwindling so far down


    Did you love me?


    Did you ever?


    Was our past a lie?


    My spirit dwindling so far down now.


    I stopped playing and looked at Wolvram, having had my eyes closed for the short performance. ¡°How was it?¡±


    She stared at me, her eyes misty and concern in her voice for the first time since we¡¯d met.. ¡°... Take your seat, Gatian. Class is starting.¡±


    There were murmurs in the class and worried looks tossed at me left and right, but no one dared interrupt Wolvram to see what my song really meant. I didn¡¯t care to explain in the first place and followed along the class as Wolvram set it, choosing to let my music speak for me. The morning class ended and I was scheduled to join Yuria¡¯s afternoon class for the first time, but Wolvram held me back once people started leaving and asked for a word. Her expression was unreadable and no one dared make assumptions about what we were going to do out loud, but I couldn''t say that I was terribly concerned


    Once the class was cleared and we were alone for the second time since we¡¯d met, Wolvram gestured for me to come to her desk and sit in the chair she kept near it. I followed her implied instructions and looked at her calmly. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°... How long did it take you to write that song?¡± She asked.


    ¡°A few days. I haven''t had much free time.¡±


    Rozana Wolvram stared at me, something in her voice I couldn¡¯t identify. ¡°... And you actively miss beats to stop your percussion from being Terruc.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°No matter how much I taunt you.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°... Gatian, you¡¯re strange¡­ ¡° She shook her head, narrowing her eyes as she looked at her hands. ¡°I haven''t forgotten your previous comment: the flirt you threw my way. I can¡¯t help but feel it was connected to the song.¡±


    ¡°Greener pastures.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I see.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°... Would you teach me that song?¡±


    ¡°Thrice? Yeah, I guess. Don¡¯t have anything for it other than an undlegar, though.¡±


    ¡°I know a bit of the instrument, though I¡¯ll not pretend to have your skill.¡±


    I raised a brow, meeting her gaze. ¡°You understand that I have no concept of Avalesch flirting, right?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t flirting.¡±


    ¡°Then yeah, just tell me when you have time.¡±


    That seemed to surprise her. ¡°I figured you would¡¯ve shown a level of dissatisfaction at the very least. I¡¯m not offering myself or anything of the sort, but I thought-¡±


    ¡°Miss Wolvram, you¡¯re an attractive woman but I don¡¯t fall for all of you. I barely know you, and you broke my fingers. Regardless of whether or not your ass is nice to look at, your willingness to inflict actual damage on people over bullshit is retarded. I¡¯m not going to put up with that in a relationship, whether it¡¯s directed at me or anyone else. The only reason I come to your class in the first place is because it¡¯s a consequence of something I did. I don¡¯t like being here. I don¡¯t want to be here. Say the word and I¡¯ll leave.¡±


    ¡°As I said, you are strange indeed, Gatian.¡± Wolvram mused, her bluish-green eyes sparkling with something I couldn¡¯t identify. ¡°... I look forward to seeing you put some effort into your music. There are a few string-instrument instructors here that would be, for all intents and purposes, insulted by the fact that I sent you to them. If not for their own pride, then for yours.¡±


    ¡°So, what now?¡±


    ¡°... Do you wish to replace the one who doesn¡¯t love you in turn?¡± She asked plainly.


    ¡°Not without speaking to her myself.¡±


    Wolvram cracked a grin. ¡°Good man. You are dismissed, and keep your eyes in decent places.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± I nodded and left, grabbing my loaned undlegar and plucking a few strings as I walked along.


    It was either Moonlight Sonata or Fur Elise that I was idly playing as I walked, but either way it didn¡¯t sound right in the octave I¡¯d translated it to. Dropping to C Minor did the trick and made the song resonate with me a little better, earning me looks as I strolled down the halls to Yuria¡¯s classroom. Rarely enough were the students in the halls since most of them were scholars from all over, just in a younger form. Their nerdiness carried over and it took the rare eccentric to play openly and risk ridicule, but it hadn¡¯t really been a concern for me at the time. I¡¯d had a good show, an uneventful class, a clear talk, and another chance to niggle at Yuria in the next few minutes coming up. Things were looking up for once since I¡¯d stepped foot on Lahgo island, and especially since learning that I was a walking nuke.


    That little tidbit was still hard to swallow and with neither my Companion or Partner being around. I didn¡¯t have anyone to lean on. I¡¯d gotten so used to being with Stella and Bast that being alone was pretty awful all by itself, but the sting was fading by the day. It had already been two weeks since I¡¯d last seen Stella and a week since I¡¯d seen Bast, but even then I didn¡¯t miss then like I should have. I was already getting used to walking alone again and that didn¡¯t make me happy. Being lonely was never good for me, so I went to Yuria¡¯s afternoon class to see some people that actually liked me. After the days I¡¯d spent with Wolvram, a lot of people from the class I¡¯d interrupted with Yuria sought me out for conversation and answers. I gave them as many as I could once I gauged the mood of the crowd but it was slow going to figure out how each of them had been contacted. It was largely through letters since many of them were Septurns or settling River People, but my method wasn¡¯t the oddest by far. Songweavers were an odd bunch and many of them were always on the lookout for a new way to up the ante. However, I never revealed that my strings were Terruc, but I did play My Heart Will Go On with a flute-like pipe called a pitup. It sounded better on the pitup and ended up being an energy draining song that needed to be countered by another students own fresh tunes. It was common for people to test new songs on each other when they were made with innocuous emotion, so nobody got mad at me for making them feel like a melatonin junkie.


    I got a lot of friendly associates out of my mingling and a couple interested looks from time to time, but a lot of the interest was based around my relationship with Yuria. It wasn¡¯t as if I was Yuria¡¯s pet or anything, however there was conjecture that I was her boytoy nonetheless. People gave me hell about it and usually asked me how she was, but I could never lie and say I¡¯d been with someone when I hadn¡¯t. That¡¯s what my arguments usually boiled down to, but there was one young woman who had only been a couple years younger than me before being aged down that was persistent. And flirty. She was a River Woman named Leah Di¡¯Angelo, but everyone called her Dirty Di or Di-Di for the simple fact that the woman had some loose morals. She enjoyed being in the youthful body and made me well aware of that fact, but I was none too keen on trying out the island bicycle. She was persistent and a lot of guys asked me why I didn¡¯t go for her before they answered their own questions with Yuria. The older woman wasn¡¯t one for sex and intimacy though she freely made jokes and occasionally kissed a student¡¯s cheek for funsies. She liked kisses and hugs and hand-holding if you weren¡¯t a couple, but the other stuff was not to be shown in front of her, and River People had it the worst.


    If you loved your Partner and didn¡¯t form a couple with them, you were completely in the clear and no one on the island saw you any differently. If you had a bond like me and Stella, people actively discouraged you from being in the relationship and some people even likened it to a teacher raping a student. Partners were also discouraged from returning feelings or developing feelings for their Masters for the simple fact that it was twisted and the people of Lahgo all thought the practice was warped in the first place. The tradition of providing a guide for a River Person was fine, but picking a sex-puppet that would be hugely obedient? Fucked up, and I happened to agree wholeheartedly. Di-Di always reminded me of Stella whenever I saw her because their eyes were similar, and the thought of being with someone like my Partner while feeling how I felt was wrong to me. I couldn¡¯t explain that to her or Stella, but the longer I spent on Lahgo the more I felt like I¡¯d let Sootina make me use her. The more I felt like our whole history was the epitome of solace found in the bond between the abused and broken.


    ¡°Hey, Gatian~¡± Di-Di sang like the fool she was. Garnering looks and attention as she wanted after class had ended, she continued. ¡°Have I ever told you how much I can¡¯t believe that epic name of yours? I mean, Gatian just doesn¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Hebrew. My English name is Gage,¡± I said flatly. ¡°Can we not do this today?¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on! It¡¯s your first day in class with us and you won¡¯t even let me have a little fun?¡± She asked poutily.


    Baroan, the most liked guy in class, came to my rescue. ¡°Di Di, you know Gatian is still healing up. Why don¡¯t you sink those fangs into someone else, cougar?¡±


    Leah colored. ¡°I¡¯m younger than you! I¡¯m younger than him!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re also slutty.¡± Elss chimed in coldly from behind. ¡°Be a whore somewhere else, Gatian is here to learn.¡±


    I looked back at the auburn, almost stereotypically-nerdy woman and saw that she was nodding at me. I returned her nod and looked at Di Di. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in that kind of thing right now. I just need to work on my control and sound, and that¡¯s it.¡±


    Leah looked at me incredulously. ¡°You think I¡¯m some-¡±


    Baroan coughed. ¡°Um¡­¡±


    Leah whacked him. ¡°I am not a slut!¡±


    Yuria coughed. ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    Leah whirled around and almost whacked her too. ¡°O-Oh. Hi.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Yuria gave her a droll look. ¡°Sleeping around again, are we?¡±


    ¡°I- E0.r-¡±


    ¡°That will be seven full scales, thank you very much. I¡¯ll be leaving a somnode on your pipe as well.¡±


    ¡°Miss Yuria!¡± Di-Di wailed.


    ¡°Your date with Yeviu can wait,¡± she answered, amusement lacking in her expression. ¡°And if I continue to hear that you¡¯ve been neglecting your studies for coitus, I believe you¡¯ll be excused from my class.¡± Yuria then looked at me with a certain level of ¡®I Know What You Did Last Summer¡¯.


    I raised my hands. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me, I¡¯m just here to learn school and make sound-good type noises.¡±


    ¡°... I really wish you spoke differently some times, but I understand. I suppose.¡± Yuria said, a little irritable after the occurrence. ¡°I believe Miss Wolvram has sent for you, however, so it would¡­ behoove you, to make haste.¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°What does Wolvram-¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been canoodling with her?¡± Yuria asked testily.


    ¡°Other than attending her class, I don¡¯t see her.¡±


    ¡°... Hurry and go,¡± Yuria said softly, looking at the group of people around me. ¡°And you all should be going now. It¡¯s time for your next class.¡±


    ¡®


    ¡°Bye, Miss Yuria.¡± Baroan left, Taking Elss along with him.


    Leah stayed behind. ¡°I want to negotiate-¡±


    Yuria cut her the coldest look I¡¯d seen from her by far. ¡°Close your mouth, I can smell rotted semen on your breath.¡±


    Di-Di shut up.


    I went away at that point because I didn¡¯t like what was going on and I didn''t want Yuria to snap at me. Wolvram¡¯s class was empty when I got there, but there was a music box with ¡®Play Me¡¯ written on a note stuck in the seam. Opening the box let me see that there was a simple mechanism inside that I was pretty familiar with from my Grandmother¡¯s collection, so I turned the key and let the chimes wash over me. It was a melancholy melody that had no real effect on me that I noticed but it was also beautiful to listen to. I played it once and played it again, just tuning out the world until I realized that it was the exact purpose of the music box. To clear the mind and ease the soul. I wound the box as far as it would go and sat at my desk, cracked as it was.


    Taking a moment to just sit and think without being worried throughout the entire event was relaxing. It felt like exactly what I needed to continue on with my day and get my thoughts straight. It also helped me decide that Stellara didn¡¯t deserve to be the person I pinned my hopes on, but that wasn¡¯t something I really wanted to face. The more I thought about her, the more I realized that Stella didn¡¯t have a choice. Whether I¡¯d freed her or not, she was still indoctrinated and would probably be in the same place I was mentally. Trying to make sense of what there was between us happened to be completely impossible on my own so for the first time since I¡¯d set foot on the island, I planned on going to see Stella. We¡¯d been told to stay apart for the duration of our visit, but I couldn¡¯t help myself anymore; I needed to know what she wanted from me and for herself in the long run, and there was only one way to do that.


    I wrote a quick song that was more of a chant, but I also had my undlegar to help me along with my tune. ¡®Along I go with no one there. Along I go I do not care. Along I go I see you not. Along I go with my own thoughts. I go I go I go I go along my merry way! I go I go I go I go and make merry today! Along I go with no one there. Along I go-¡¯ so on and so forth. The song repeated itself as many times as I needed it to whether or not there was a door in my way. After my room in the dorms, I just fucked off and waited for people to open main doors while I played the song and went along my merry way after all. No one commented on the odd guy singing and dancing along without a care in the world while dragging boulders on his shoulders metaphorically. I decided to nudge someone with my foot while playing my song and found that it worked better than I¡¯d thought in the first place. The person I¡¯d nudged was talking at the time and didn¡¯t even react.I decided to dance around the pair and sing my song as loud as I could without straining my voice and they paid no mind.


    There was an urge for me to be an utter dumbass with my newfound power and it would not be indulged. At that moment. Nope, I already had something to do and chose to go outside of the Minstrel¡¯s Academy for Gifted Musicians for the first time since I¡¯d gotten there and realized I¡¯d been brainwashed already. Realizing that kinda¡­ It kinda killed the effect and I came to wake up, in a manner of speaking. I almost broke down in tears when I realized that I¡¯d yet to see the sun in its true form in over a month. Bast had probably noticed that I was just going along with life, even after having Yuria lay out the facts to me. I saw what was happening for once and it made me want to stop singing. I didn¡¯t because the song gave me another sense of clarity that had surfaced when my fingers were broken; There was more to the island than I thought. I myself was being groomed into a weapon and Yuria herself had told me that the same was happening to Stella, so I decided that she too deserved the chance to see for herself and make a choice.


    The only problem I faced was not knowing where in the crazy, snowflake-sensitive world she¡¯d gone. I assumed she was somewhere on the islands, so I wandered my way in to the forest and quieted my song so I could maintain it longer. The first chance I got in a secluded part of the woods, I took the blue candle necklace the old man ghost-dude had given me and funneled my Terru into my hands. It wasn¡¯t guaranteed to work by a longshot, but it was also the default method for activating modern enchantments. Luce had never taught me many of the old ways since they were useless by and large, due to the fact that many had long since ceased to be useful. However, I needed a hope now more than ever after seeing hard truth and cast a small Arca to light the candle on a guess and a prayer. I wasn¡¯t surprised when it worked, a waxed flame appearing on the wick of the candle. I pinched the flame after a moment, having gotten everything I needed and more from the wisdom of wax.


    After I looked around the place I found myself my song ended for a few minutes at that point. The beauty of the forest was lost on me for a moment, my eyes seeing more than they had before Rasputin had thrown wool at my eyes left and right. The forest was made to calm one¡¯s senses and make them slightly subservient, more susceptible to certain suggestions. I remembered that the old Sotan had given me a way to see through the haze and now that I was paying attention I realized that there was still a lot I stood to learn from the Songweavers, though it necessitated a song to be written on the fly. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever write that one down because it¡¯s just¡­ It¡¯s short anyway, and¡­ I really just don¡¯t want someone to figure out some sort of counter-Arca or some shit.


    After singing my song and a few others that were along the same lines with the same goals, I started practicing some Arca because I¡¯d probably forgotten half of my arsenal by that point. Hoarime, Umbralisis, and Fuldis were all still working, but I had to experiment to get Inoskic, working again, which was a bitch. After learning how to mildly poison things again I realized that I¡¯d learned a bunch of half-useless shit and tried to remember something along one of my fucking affinities for once. It had been some time but I did remember Lucine saying that my heart was torn between a storm of the heart and the hearth of home. It sounded a lot like he was talking about Gatian and Gage at the time, but some Arca theology books I¡¯d read while delving into the abandoned towns book supply lead me to believe that he was talking about Tempest Terru and one of the many forms of Earthen Magic that had ¡®died out¡¯ by the time the industrial age came around.


    The phrase ¡®Storm of Heart¡¯ often meant some kind of kinetically charged Terru for a Thesuvian, but that in and of itself was conjecture based on the author of the book and the nationality of my mentor. Different nations had differing and correlating opinions and my books were mostly Thesuvian or Unicorn based, so half of it was reading for fun. The Thesuvian stuff boiled down to my abilities to think fast, react when I really wanted to, and the fact that it usually took something serious for me to lash out. Thus, I was either Ignitian or Tempestian, and I was pretty shit at fire Arca. I only had two Tempest Terru Arca, and one of them was the ineffectual Fuldis. The other was the stronger, louder Zeotsu, which would probably need a catalyst or something of the sort to be cast without hurting me. After all, casting Arca isn¡¯t free by a long shot. It usually just hurts a little if it¡¯s not that strong, but killing someone with a hand-cast Arca?


    Masochistic at best. Suicidal at worst.


    Now, there was a trick to getting a catalyst, and Lucine explained it to me because Unicorns are the only ones who can make catalysts and they¡¯re usually assholes about it. Clockly was technically a catalyst, but it was solely for Arca-Arrows, or rather certain spells that could be cast with bullets. It was overpowered in its own way, but my weapons were gone and all I had were a tired voice and aching fingers. I stopped playing for a little bit and settled on letting myself rest for a little while, deciding to sit down and chill out. When I got my breath back and felt another song take place in my heart I let it flow through me and just sang it to myself, knowing for certain that I was just doing something for the sake of doing it. Adding the undlegar to it gave it a healing effect, but prior to that it had just been a pretty little song.


    Once I felt my throat soothe itself, I got back up, fucked off to the edge of the island, and saw that there was a ferryman waiting for me, despite having said nothing about leaving. The woman, which was the ferryman that I mentioned before (Ferrywoman sounds dumb for some reason), waved and smiled brightly. I waved back and saw that she, for some reason, had blonde hair. Not a pale, barely yellowish blonde like Yuria, but a completely normal-looking, casual blonde that I wasn¡¯t terribly fond of. The woman looked friendly enough, but I had bad luck with blondes and the trend had continued thus far. When I approached she waited for me to get closer before saying anything, which I really appreciated.


    ¡°Hey, bud. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be somewhere right about now?¡± She asked, her age showing in her words.


    ¡°Hey pal, can you not?¡±


    ¡°Not what?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Not make assumptions. I go where I please.¡±


    She smiled back. ¡°They take you from someone?¡±


    ¡°They said she was being trained as a fighter.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean the silver-haired one that¡¯s been breaking people¡¯s shield arms?¡±


    ¡°Sounds like my Stella.¡± I shook my head, grinning to myself.


    ¡°How bout I take ya to her for a spell?¡± The lady asked kindly. ¡°Sounds like ya done broke the somnerre¡¯s effect, so why don¡¯t ya-¡±


    ¡°Can I play a song for you real quick?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°I like you. Sure.¡±


    I started strumming my instrument and went at it in earnest once I had the general melody stolen from Radium Eyes, translated over to the undlegar.


    Clearly by Gatian Gauner


    Merry makes a man. Clear mind, solid stance.


    Plugs in his ears. Waving off his fears.


    There was a song that never


    Ever quite sounded right.


    He would play his own but to claim them


    He found had no right.


    Dummy likes to sweat, Dummy likes to hear.


    Dummy¡¯s getting wet, Dummy¡¯s bout to clear


    .


    He drops, he tumbles heading further in,


    Never to know the truth


    He sweeps his eyes now in his way


    Uncovering the cold day


    Oh you got, crystal clear eyes


    You- You got crystal clear eyes


    There was more to the song, but that was the gist of it. The lady gave me a round of applause. ¡°Damn, that was actually pretty good. Different too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m told I¡¯m a unique guy.¡± I shrugged. ¡°How¡¯s your day going?¡±


    She nodded, her brow high. ¡°It¡¯s good and it got a little better. How bout I lend you a hand now?¡±


    ¡°Mind if I play another song or two while we go?¡± I asked the Shade.


    ¡°Sure, bud. I don¡¯t mind as long as you can play me something with a little more pep to it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think of something.¡± I chuckled. ¡°I have a love song or two, but I don¡¯t think those are too peppy.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ Well, do ya know Wonderwall?¡±


    I gave her the look of the ages and started playing it. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I like young ladies with pretty blue eyes.¡±


    ¡°The middle-aged woman in front of you ain¡¯t fallin¡¯ for that, but you are sweet.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyway, hop aboard, will ya? I don¡¯t have all day to spend dilly-dallyin¡¯.¡±


    I started playing her request and put no real effort behind it, but I still made the song sound good, if that makes any sense. I didn¡¯t put my heart behind it since I don¡¯t like the song and barely remembered it, but my hostess wanted what she wanted and I decided that she deserved it. I played Wonderwall and followed up with a song I wanted to hear that translated better to the undlegar than any guitar song ever used before. Fernsehr by Adios Ghost rocked the boat with how much I got into it, despite the song having vocals I couldn¡¯t identify with at all. Adding my own made the song better to sing, especially since the vocals were pretty¡­ Well, the song would¡¯ve been just as good without them in my opinion, but I wanted to brighten the day a bit and added a little Terru to the song. I almost ended the song before the ferryman asked me to keep it going, so I just jammed out and sang what I felt was right for the lyrics. Making up a song on the fly made the woman stop rowing, the warmest smile on her face that I¡¯d seen in weeks.


    ¡°Now what song is that?¡± She asked.


    I let the final notes play out as I finished the song. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but the feeling here is strong~.¡± Realizing that I was still singing made me stop. ¡°My bad. Still feeling the music.¡±


    ¡°I see that, hun.¡± She chuckled, our momentum petering out. ¡°So what was that?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Spontaneous Jam-Sesh Number One?¡± I asked more than answered.


    She smiled, her cheek crinkling with amusement. ¡°There aren¡¯t many people like you, kiddo. People who can make Terruc song up on the fly, that is.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I figured.¡±


    ¡°There are more like you though. Just not here.¡± The lady spoke casually, as if she were telling me tomorrow¡¯s weather.¡±


    ¡°... Could you help me find someone like me?¡± I asked. She reached into a pocket and tossed me a thick metal disk. It was about as thick as a candy-bar was tall, which really made me want a candy bar. ¡°Oowoo, what¡¯s this?¡±


    The lady raised a brow. ¡°Something to put a little bulgie wulgie in your pocket.¡±


    I flipped the disk open and saw a compass. It was a very cool compass. ¡°Cool compass.¡±


    ¡°Say what you want and it¡¯ll point you to it. Doesn¡¯t always make sense, but it never steered me wrong.¡± She cracked a smile.


    ¡°Thanks, I really appreciate that. Say, what¡¯s your name, anyway? I don¡¯t think I ever said I was Gatian either.¡±


    She extended a hand. ¡°Matilda. Pianist extraordinaire and Yuria¡¯s former fave.¡±


    ¡°... You mean like Yureki?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that must be her current one.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I just row these days.¡±


    ¡°Shame there isn¡¯t a piano anywhere on the boat, I¡¯d love to hear you play.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t even if I could. I left that all behind a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°... I wasn¡¯t good enough,¡± Matilda said softly, looking into the waters.


    ¡°... The only reason Yuria likes me is because I¡¯m a walking nuke, and I did that by accident.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°When I died, I picked the Gift of Gab and I wanted to be one of the best musicians to ever live.¡±


    Matilda looked back at me. ¡°The Friendly Bard.¡±


    ¡°Prophecy?¡± I sighed heavily.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t too many Bards that won¡¯t stab ya. Ain¡¯t too many River Folk pick those talents. Ain¡¯t too many River Folk Bards...¡±


    ¡°Fuck me¡± I groaned.


    ¡°What all ya got so far?¡± She asked, smirking.


    ¡°... How long have-¡±


    ¡°Honey, I¡¯m older than the academy itself.¡±


    ¡°Cheeki breeki Damski.¡±


    ¡°So whatcha got?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ ¡° I thought about it. ¡°I think a Minstrel thing, Moon River, The Bard¡¯s Ballads and the Friendly-thing now¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, then you¡¯re probably gonna tie all those up and get the ¡®Bard¡¯s Tale¡¯.¡±


    ¡°... I beg your goddamn pardon?¡± I asked, smiling.


    She leaned back. ¡°... You alright¡­?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like a prophecy¡­¡± I chuckled, smiling still.


    ¡°... It¡¯s more of an epic or a full length story, but-¡±


    I pulled out a pen knife and flipped it open. ¡°Mhm.¡±


    She brought the oar to bear. ¡°I might not-¡± I pressed the blade against my neck


    . ¡°... Woah. Woah. Let¡¯s calm down a sec.¡±


    ¡°Am I in a story?¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t take drugs before you do stuff, kiddo.¡± She said, her hands extended toward me. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just put that down for a spell?¡±


    I did. ¡°I¡¯m losing my mind.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say so¡­ You don¡¯t wanna be in a story?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d really rather not.¡±


    ¡°... Then don¡¯t write stuff down? I dunno, kiddo, but it¡¯s not worth your life.¡±


    ¡°... It is when this doesn¡¯t feel real. Nothing about this-¡±


    ¡°The Bard¡¯s Tale says you feel like you¡¯re in a dream or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no, I don¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s just supposed to be a general thing. ¡®Dreamy steps he took on a boat with no sail. The¡­ Person of the song-¡¯ Ah, that makes no sense.¡±


    ¡°Shade of the song?¡±


    ¡°... You know?¡± She asked, surprised.


    ¡°After one of my songs, yeah. Probably Clearly.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    I gave her a smile. ¡°Maybe I can help you get to the other side when we¡¯re not over open water?¡±


    Matilda smiled back, little more than a curving of her lips. ¡°... You¡¯d take time out of your day for that?¡±


    ¡°... A day for your eternity sounds more than fair,¡± I said slowly. ¡°If I can help you do cooler stuff than row boats and listen to me, then why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a real good guy, Gatian.¡± She started rowing again, seeming to struggle a bit.


    I got up and reached for the oar. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be tired, Tilda. Lemme take over for the rest of the trip.¡±


    She raised a brow. ¡°I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s just-¡±


    ¡°Give me the oar before I give you a bruise.¡±


    ¡°Kinda-¡±


    ¡®


    ¡°That bruise could be a hickey, I didn¡¯t say what kind.¡±


    Matilda passed the oar with no more kerfuffle. ¡°Say no more.¡±


    I gave her a wink and started rowing toward the direction she¡¯d been going. ¡°Thanks for seeing reason, demon.¡±


    ¡°Aww, you¡¯re welcome.¡± The sarcasm hit me in the face with her expression as the launchpad.


    ¡°Row, row, row your boat, gently cross the lake! Wake yourself before you die, your life is surely fake~¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Matilda gave me a concerned look.


    ¡°Grim? I know, but I really only sing about what I¡¯m feeling.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really grim.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I try not to lie.¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± She laughed, shaking her head. ¡°Lord, I forgot what millenials were like.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, boomer.¡±


    ¡°Watch it.¡±


    ¡°Boomer made a boom boom.¡±


    Matilda rolled her eyes and took her jacket off, exposing a traditionally Caucasian complexion that I hadn¡¯t really seen since Gerritt. Most people on Lahgo were around my complexion or a bit darker, and then there were the other races. Sotans and Fiskians in generals were all either too pale or too ruddy, but Matilda was off-white and about the color of the brownish parts of a Saltine. I¡¯d rarely realized how much I missed seeing more variety in the people around me, especially since I was sure that the magic on me in the Academy was some form of assimilation-type brainwashing since I really couldn¡¯t remember many people standing out unless they were key I my day to day. That in and of itself was odd since I love watching people and practice it regularly, but I wasn¡¯t going to pretend to understand what exactly had gone on. I almost made a song to clear that up, but then I realized I was just rowing and not really paying attention to where I was going. Matilda looked like she was having a good time, smiling and relaxing while the shore came closer and closer. I rowed us away, further down the lake to prolong the journey a bit and sang a lullaby for my new friend. She sang with me, already knowing the lyrics to a song my mind barely even recalled. My Mom had memorized it and would sing it to herself all the time, I just never knew what it was called. As we repeated the song and grounded on the shore, Matilda sang along until it stopped itself and we just exchanged a hug.


    ¡°Thank you, Gatian. There¡¯s a long road ahead of you, but you¡¯ll tough it out. I know you will.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the vote of confidence and for the compass. Both are probably going to be useful around ten minutes from now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll live.¡±


    I got off the boat and looked back to answer that, but she was already gone. A little saddened, I pulled out the compass and said, ¡°Thanks, Tilda. Now let¡¯s find Stella.¡±


    The compass¡¯ blued-steel arrow pointed northeast, so I followed my primarily inanimate guide and started on the journey to find my Partner. I wasn¡¯t too worried about it since I¡¯d been through a hypno-forest before, but there was something odd about the one I was walking into. It seemed to lack any of the same qualities as the other forest and actually made my mind feel sharper, more acute as time elapsed. It might¡¯ve been my song or the surroundings, but a lot of things I was taught in class? Thinking back showed me that I barely learned that much about music; half of the Academy was based on where to go to gather a following so you could spread the Songweaver¡¯s teachings in secret while making money for them. It was basically a Pyramid scheme with zombies, in all honesty. Why I didn¡¯t think of that before, Teruni. Plain and simple. Ras loaded them down on me and Stella and I didn¡¯t doubt that there were going to be even more waiting for me. Simple and Clean came to mind when I wanted to sing a song, so I played that on my undlegar and hope that it would clear my being of anymore Teruni. Little did I know that I also took care of the age Teruni that Ras had cast on me. My fucking uniform fit like it was made of me to come back to twenty-six, my musculature returning and making me smile. I shed the jacket so I wouldn¡¯t look like a regular student, rolled my sleeves, cut off the hem in my pants, and wandered through the forest after mussing my hair up.


    Gatian Gauner was back in action. Right after a potty break.


    Speaking of breaks, I think I¡¯ll end this one here, Booksy. I wanted to get past meeting Matilda and coming to my senses, but there¡¯s more to this entry than what I¡¯ve written down¡­ I¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯ve felt like something was off for a while now. Two and half lefts like a motherfucker; something just wasn¡¯t quite right. When I figured out what it was, it hit me like a sack of bricks; I¡¯d written a story called ¡®Bard¡¯s Tale¡¯ when I was a kid and it was panned in class because it was about a wonderful musician who was sad because he was too good. The parallel is clear and it¡¯s odd that this shit keeps coming up again ad again, prophecy after prophecy after prophecy¡­ Shit¡¯s not adding up, but all the pieces are falling in place¡­ More on that when my hand doesn¡¯t hurt, I guess.


    Later, Booksy. Take it easy.

 Toxicity

    Matilda left me out in the open once I got out of the boat and it was a glorious day to be free. I played a jaunty little tune to keep myself going, having played more music in the past eight hours than I had in the entire time I¡¯d been learning to play more. There was a lot on my mind as I traveled through an unenchanted forest and saw in the distance that there was a massive castle with battlements and intimidating walls ahead of me. I stopped in my tracks after meandering through the short jaunt and saw for myself that I was probably way out of my depth. I didn¡¯t have my gun, I only had a pen knife and my undlegar, and I was pretty sure that Zeotsu would fracture fingers when I cast it. Nothing looked good for me, so I designed another song for the hell of it and accidentally conjured a storm over the castle. It wasn¡¯t immediate and I¡¯m not entirely sure if it was me since a storm front seemed to kinda just form about thirty minutes after I gave the song a shot, but lo and behold, there was rain.


    Scared of both myself and the coincidence if it was one at all, I couldn¡¯t help but shake and shiver under my own daunting strength. I made a song calling for a storm and one came up. I wondered what would happen if I made a song calling for an extra life or something, but couldn¡¯t decide what would sound good for something like that. I did, however, get discovered because I was signing and playing music, so I met a guy that wanted to kick my ass more than he wanted to get my autograph. A song may or may not have disappeared me from his view and ran inside, but you can¡¯t prove anything. You can¡¯t prove anything at all.


    It took time for me to meander through the halls and even as I did, I felt like I was starting to learn more and more about Lake Lahgo as a whole. Warriors were being trained specifically to handle threats like Minstrels. They were practically being raised as fodder for the people surrounding me, and when I found a nice empty place to shut up and sit down for a second I processed some things I heard and tried to make sense of them. I mean, why would student talk about ¡®slaying Minstrel meat like Slayday is Payday¡¯ if they weren¡¯t killing Minstrels? Why even have us in the Academy if we were just going to be killed? Was it the ones that tried to run? Was it the ones that didn¡¯t perform? Was there a reason Wolvram set me free, or was I being way too paranoid. I had a small, quiet panic attack in a closet and tried to exit without being seen, but it wasn¡¯t in the cards for me.


    I was spotted immediately. Muscular people of all races started to surround me and I waved at them, trying to walk through the crowd until I got pushed back I held my undlegar and prepared a song to get myself out of danger should shit get shittier. It didn¡¯t get shittier for a good while, not until some random woman with blue hair walked forward with a look to kill the devil. She seemed pretty upset, but the man that followed behind her was the one to fear. His black and silver hair told me that he was old enough to want to protect his territory, and the look in his eye told me that he was fully prepared to make me a decoration underground. Lean and toned, he reminded me a bit of a taller version of Max, especially with his eyes and hair. I walked up to him and he raised a sword, pointing it directly at my chest.


    ¡°Hi,¡± I greeted with a friendly smile, as friendly as I could get. ¡°I need to find Stellara Inova.¡±


    ¡°Leave.¡± He grunted.


    I popped my neck. ¡°That¡¯s all I need to know the score, the same ol¡¯ thing won¡¯t work no more. I¡¯ll make you kneel you are my whore, now get on all fours and take me to the store!¡± I sang shortly before plucking away at my undlegar like a lunatic. Please work dumb shit. Please don¡¯t let me die...


    I got laughed at until the song continued and the laughter because hooping, hollering, and ruckus and general. People started square-dancing and fucking around in general. The sword wielding man went from scowling to winging his sword around freely as I kindly took off and let myself get out of the fray before it got started in earnest. Sadly, the second I let the notes start to fade, the people that I¡¯d been controlling through song got mad and started yelling at me post-haste. That incentivized me to yuck it up with the country stuff and keep on plucking away until I found a good point to run the fuck away. Another song popped into my head, specifically I Believe I Can Fly. I had to slow down to play it softly, but I floated none the less until I was on the ceiling. Playing a song and trying to make another one at the same time was giving me a headache like no other, but I got Flipside Swing sung and forgot it as soon as I sang it. Life was getting rough and I only had myself and Sootina to blame, but there were still things I could do to get myself to not die.


    With my day having run long and having used a shitton of Song Terru in such a short amount of time, I decided to nap on the ceiling, as was my right as a gravity-defying dude. The ceiling was hard and sucky, which made me really wish I had my jacket so I could at least have a pillow. Watching people pass underneath me left me a little scared, but when I tried finding another place to sleep, I eventually learned that I could walk anywhere, I just couldn¡¯t jump. Trying saw me flying from the ceiling to a rafter, and that was a rough landing. I didn¡¯t fall off but I came damn close to becoming a good ol¡¯ splattercat on the floor and that just wasn¡¯t where I wanted my life to end. Aching and severely wishing I had some food, I laid it down and called it a day.


    I awoke to the sound of people churning beneath me, so I peeked over the rafter I was on and saw a lot of people looking up. I didn¡¯t like that at all and learned why it was a bad thing as I saw the blue haired woman from the day before climbing a rope up to where I was. Bows bristled as I looked down along with crossbows and a few other kinds of firearms and whatnot. A shot rang out and my face subsequently hurt, so I rolled back over and felt a gash on my cheek that hadn¡¯t been there previously. These people weren¡¯t trying to beat me; They were trying to kill me. Panic hit me hard and I didn¡¯t want to be where I was, but just as grabbed my repaired undlegar, my trusted instrument for the past two years, the neck broke from the bowl and I stared in horror as my lifeline snapped before my very eyes. A hand appeared on the rafter and I choked up, staring at the blue-haired lady as she came over the side like it was nothing and stood up. Cheers sounded from down below and I started backing up as best I could, scooting on the wooden structure as Bluman the Blue-Haired Human stalked closer and closer.


    ¡°Hey¡­ Uh¡­ Wouldn¡¯t wanna happen to play a round of Parcheesi, would ya?¡± I asked , getting to my feet for a second.


    She shoved me and I went down, but not to the floor. I panicked hard as she said, ¡°Why did you even come here, Minstrel? How did you come here?¡±


    ¡°I-I came to talk to Stella¡­ I accidentally broke the mind-control somnerre at the Academy. Got a ferryman to take me here.¡±


    She stopped. ¡°... You were allowed to come?¡±


    ¡°If by allowed you mean I snuck away, then yeah.¡±


    ¡°... How did the Weavers recruit you?¡±


    ¡°Terru and force?¡±


    ¡°... Why have you come for Stellara Inova? She is better off without you as a free woman.¡±


    ¡°... I just want to know if she ever really loved me back, I guess,¡± I said softly, my voice weak and meager.


    Bluman gave me a look. ¡°What makes you think she ever had a choice?¡±


    My shoulders slumped and I felt a lot of my energy drain. ¡°... Go figure.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that was callous of me.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t make it any less necessary, I think.¡± I paused for a bit. ¡°... Can I at least say goodbye?¡±


    Bluman raised a brow. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°... We¡¯ve been together for¡­ for a while. She was my Partner and a good friend¡­ It would be weirder to just cut ties.¡±


    ¡°The truth hurts. I warned you.¡± She turned around and went back down to the rope, shimmying like it was nothing.


    I waited for her to go all the way down before I poked my head over the edge again, seeing that she was waving me down. It¡¯s not that I was terrified of heights or anything, but the fall definitely scared the shit out of me. As I tried to climb down the rope, I ended up sliding about halfway down because my hands got sweaty and was almost fine for it other than a few nicks and scratches. People surrounded me at every junction until there was a break in the crowd. Stellara and Yuria were brought forward by the man from the day before and Bluman. Stellara stepped forward first, but was held back and scolded for breaking rank. She didn¡¯t wear any outward sign of disagreement, which told me a lot in the first place.


    Yuria came forth and promptly tried to smack me, to which I leaned forward and nearly headbutted her. Grata-non-Aquix was till in my muscle¡¯s memory banks, so I followed the motions and countered with an open hand of my own, slapping her in turn. ¡°How fucking dare you.¡± She stepped back and the man made to come after me, but I pointed a judicious finger at Yuria. ¡°I am not your weapon. I am not your pawn. I am not your toy, and if I ever think you¡¯re pulling bullshit again, I will not hesitate to make a song just for you and watch you turn into meat. We clear?¡±


    She stared at me and her lip curled as she touched her cheek. ¡°You- You¡¯ve just made enemies around the globe! Dammit, Gatian. Why couldn¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t I fuckin¡¯ what?¡± I asked, leaning forward, taking a step toward her. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t I be okay with being forcibly aged down and being brainwashed? Why couldn¡¯t I be okay with being a pariah half the time and being hunted by your latest Shade?¡± I spread my hands. ¡° I fuckin¡¯ met Matilda, Yuria. Got anything to say to that?¡±


    Yuria paused and froze when a hand landed on her shoulder. Bluman gave Yuria an odd look. ¡°Latest Shade?¡±


    ¡°A misunderstanding-¡±


    ¡°Yureki is a Shade, Mistress Lahgo. She masquerades as a living being at times and emanates much power,¡± Stellara said softly.


    Bluman seemed intrigued. ¡°And if what your precious Gatian says is true, then he was effectively kidnapped for the sake of joining your cadre. We are forbidden from taking that choice from people, Yuria.¡±


    ¡°A moment, if you would,¡± Yuria asked sweetly.


    ¡°I know the boy is powerful,¡± Lahgo said flatly. ¡°That much was obvious when he trapped me in one of your precious song Terru with an undlegar. That is no excuse.¡±


    Yuria paled. ¡°You- You would just let him walk freely? Without guidance?¡±


    ¡°Such is the will of a true man.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind!¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re stepped out of your reach. Gatian will be allowed to leave since he did not choose to come,¡± Lahgo said with finality.


    Yuria¡¯s face went from pale to red in seconds. ¡°After all I¡¯ve done for the boy!?¡±


    ¡°What have you done for me besides take my Partner and brainwash me for your own devices? I was happy with Stella.¡± I gestured toward her. ¡°I had what I wanted and you stole my bliss for what you wanted. I don¡¯t owe you a goddamn thing.¡±


    Yuria pulled out a small flute-looking pipe. ¡°As one of the Masters of these islands, it is well within my-¡±


    ¡°As the Grandmaster of these islands, I say he leaves in peace.¡± Lahgo cut in.


    Yuria tried to argue, but got forestalled with a look. Lahgo gestured for Stella to come over to me and she followed the order without a word, only then looking me in the eye. I saw that she was sad for the conversation, and I don¡¯t want to repeat it, but¡­ ¡°Gatian¡­ Gage¡­¡±


    ¡°Stella¡­¡± I took a deep breath and shook my head. ¡°... The more I think about it, the more I realize I never asked what you want.¡±


    She gave me a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m the Squire of the Grandmaster now¡­¡±


    ¡°And I couldn¡¯t ask you to give that up.¡± I smiled back, my eyes watering up. ¡°... My Mom had a saying and she had it for a long time. ¡®If you love something, let it go. If it comes back, it was meant to be. If not, it was better to have loved and lost than stayed cold in the first place.¡¯... You came back, but¡­ I don¡¯t blame you for staying.¡±


    ¡°Then you understand.¡± Inova seemed to ease a little.


    I nodded back and took a shaky breath. ¡°... Yeah. Be happy, Stella. I¡¯ll be seeing you.¡±


    ¡°Be seeing you.¡±


    And then I walked away.


    I turned my back on Stella and got to stepping¡­ The bond between a lovelorn master and an abused slave was¡­ It was a sham of what we could have been. Stella took her chance to do something she well and truly wanted to do, and me? I was left to wander alone without even Bast to console me. I didn¡¯t have a damn thing to my name other than the candle and compass, but Lahgo assured me the rest of my stuff would be brought to me at the edge of the lake once I was fully prepared to leave. A part of me wanted to go back and beg Stella to come and be with me again, but a bigger part knew that I¡¯d made the right choice. I needed to get the fuck out of there, so I left and walked back through the forest until I found a good place to just sit and soak near the edge of the island.


    Getting hit in the face with the fact that love was out of my reach hurt, and knowing for certain that Stella no longer held any kind of affection toward me¡­ It made a lot of things seem pointless. It just hurt and I was tired of being somewhere between painfully sober and in regular pain, so I decided to take care of both problems with my never ending flask. Once it was brought to me, that is. I just wanted a stiff drinking and another nap, but I had to keep moving and chose to wait instead of swimming off on a wing and a prayer. It turned out to be one of my better ideas because I saw a fish the size of a fucking cow breach the water to catch a bird that flew too low. It was mad crazy and a good reason to stay dry.


    Someone eventually came for me with my stuff on a boat and the trip out of the lake was a short one. I had my feet firmly on the ground once more and only turned back to the islands one more time to make myself hurt that much more, seeing no point in wishing for something that was never meant to be. I couldn¡¯t pretend to understand why prophecy after prophecy popped up and fell through, but I did know that hurting and feeling like I was dying inside was nothing new. My plublass was back, so I played some slap-bass blues and called it my macaroni. Saddened as I was, I found it pretty hard to really give a damn about what was going on since Stella had already made it clear in her own ways that she was with me out of obligation. The blow had been a long time coming, I just wished that it hadn¡¯t hit so hard.


    There was nothing like an aimless journey to cloud one¡¯s mind, so instead of continuing to be dumb, I pulled out the compass I had been given and asked it for some guidance. At first, I didn¡¯t know what exactly I wanted since it was a stretch for me to ask an inanimate object to do anything for me, but I asked nonetheless and got it to point directly behind me. I¡¯d asked for a teacher that wouldn¡¯t try to use me, hoping that I could find a way to harness my skills and get myself to a decent place in life. Then I asked for someone that would love me like I wanted to be loved, so I followed the arrow away from Lake Lahgo, Stella, and the life I¡¯d barely been aware of for¡­ Damn, I don¡¯t even know how long I was there... With so much going through my mind, I didn¡¯t realize that I was walking along with little indication of where I was actually going, so I pulled out my map and decided that I was done with Avalesce and everything it had held for me, settling on Stalfisk as my next destination since it seemed to be where the arrow was pointing.


    The colder, more advanced country seemed like it would be more my speed since it was the original home of River People and a lot of River People that didn¡¯t choose to settle in Avalesce chose Flistis or Laspone instead because of the cultures there. At least, River People from my time. I had a feeling that Thesuvia was going to be more my speed, but no matter where in Stalfisk I wanted to go, I had to disregard my compass to get there I had to back track and go along lake Lahgo so I could follow the river to my next stop, but that¡¯s ahead in time and right now I just...


    I¡¯m¡­ Booksy, I¡¯m lost and I¡¯m hurt. Not literally on either count, but life still sucks enough for me to regret leaving the Academy and not just putting up with being brainwashed. Life was easier when I felt like a zombie, but that¡¯s no way of thinking. Even as I walked along the River of Rebirth in all its grandeur, I couldn¡¯t help but feel more distant from anything than I ever had before. There wasn¡¯t a chance that Stella was going to come back to me anymore. She was free and she was appreciating her freedom. There was no point in becoming a famous musician because all it would bring me was trouble. There was nowhere for me to go since the Char Army had taken down my bastion of Hooversdum, so I decided that I was going to put myself to use my own way.


    From now on, I think I¡¯m going to try and help people solve their problems. Maybe being a musician was a bust, but if I could help people in other ways or just make someone¡¯s day better? Well, come to think of it that¡¯s basically all a Bard is.


    ¡­ I need a fuckin¡¯ nap. Time to set the tent up and get the fire going.


    ????????????????????????


    So it¡¯s been the better part of two months since I¡¯ve touched this last and I¡¯m in Thesuvia now. The only reason I knew I even entered Thesuvia was because I came across a pair of Watchers that were all too happy to lead me to their town of choice, though I¡¯d been in the fucking mountains for most of my trip. That shit was long and arduous with little in the way of people around, and I¡¯d grown lean again after being in the rough for so long before I started using somnerre to kill birds. It had been a rough, long journey and I was glad to be in Thesuvia since my destination was clear from the compass. The Watchers were kind and assumed I came out of the River myself, but I told them that I¡¯d been on the planet for some time and they were still happy to help me.


    I landed in Holloway Halter, a large town that was pretty friendly toward River People, and my temporary guide Hamishe, was really nice and considerate. He took the time to ask me what had happened to my Partner and I told him the story, not surprised that he was a little upset with Stella for leaving me to do her own thing. I told him that I wasn¡¯t worried about it, but even after my time to find myself and put myself back together after that particular hit, I was still a bit bitter about freeing someone and getting nothing from it other than heartache. I¡¯d wished that I¡¯d just kept Stellara by my side in the past, but fake love isn¡¯t really love and that¡¯s all I would¡¯ve gotten from her. Acceptance was key and I found a spoonful here and there, but¡­ I missed her. I missed her for all she was to me, but that¡¯s not terribly important at the moment.


    When I entered Holloway Halter, I was greeted by a whole new place that I¡¯d never have expected to see on Septural. The people around Holloway were all dressed like normal people and the buildings were normal too. At least, it seemed like a place built by River People. I stood out the most with my dirty travel gear and worn out everything, but I felt like I was somewhere I was supposed to be for once in my life. Much to my surprise, there were a lot of Gertts and Ponies around the town, most of them looking down on their luck in their own ways. Some of them were missing limbs or eyes while others simple had a haunted look about them. I assumed that they were refugees from the Char and Scorched incursion I had seen oh so long ago, but these people seemed more or less as though they¡¯d already given up.


    Hamishe was all too happy to drop me off at the largest Welcome Center I¡¯d ever seen, complete with people inside and more supplies than I¡¯d seen even in the Academy. When I came in, there was an Amazonian woman that was obviously Thesuvian. The purer the blood, the taller the females and the shorter the males as far as I could tell. It explained why Wolvram had been a tall one, at least. The woman I saw first was easily near seven feet tall, but she seemed as though she wasn¡¯t aware of her size. Our eyes locked and she gave me a warm smile, one that I returned with some apprehension. The talk with Hamishe had gone awkward a time or two since I just wasn¡¯t used to talking to people, but I resolved to try harder to not make a fool of myself.


    ¡°Hey there, River Man. Have you been around for a while?¡± The woman asked conversationally. Her smile was a little shy and her cheeks were a touch rosy, but the tint faded as she spoke.


    ¡°Yeah, Septural¡¯s been home for a couple years now. Pros and cons and all that, but life is life.¡±


    ¡°I hear that,¡± She gave me another little smile, her teeth far more faithfully maintained than any Brits. The accent was close, but the hygiene was incomparable. ¡°Is there any way I can help you? I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t come here for conversation.¡±


    ¡°... Um¡­¡± I blinked. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what I actually need¡­ Hamishe kinda just brought me here and it seemed like a good place to go.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± She gave me an awkward look. ¡°... You know what all we do here, right?¡±


    ¡°The same stuff as an Avalesch Welcome Centers?¡±


    ¡°Well, most of that stuff. We don¡¯t usually hand out weapons or stuff like that, but we¡¯ll still get you to where we need to go. We also don¡¯t really offer permanent placement, which-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got all the weapons I need and don¡¯t want anyway¡­ I guess I need an undlegar or something. I¡¯ll probably buy whatever I need around town, but I need an undlegar.¡±


    ¡°... Okay?¡± She looked confused. ¡°Wh-Why an undlegar?¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°It¡¯s the first thing I really enjoyed playing.¡±


    ¡°... So you like difficult instruments?¡± She tilted her head.


    ¡°Yeah, strings and stuff mostly.¡±


    ¡°What about one of your own Earth instruments? We have a few replications here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯d be cool¡­ Could I play something for you?¡± I asked.


    The lady laughed, her cheeks pinkening again. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what, if you can play me something decent, then I¡¯ll do something for you too.¡±


    I raised a brow and looked at the lady, seeing her give me a similar, though less appraising look. I liked the way she styled her hair, her voice was a nice, soft alto, and she was very personable. She also seemed to be acting, but her enjoyment was genuine. ¡°Okay. If I can play you something decent with your instrument of choice in under four hours, then I want¡­ Well, to get cleaned up, first of all, but I want your help in buying a house or finding a place to stay here.¡±


    She stared at me. ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I haven¡¯t had a place to call my own since I died.¡±


    ¡°I figured you¡¯d want something¡­ Well, I guess a house is material, but do you have two thousand of any kind of currency?¡±


    ¡°I have around seven thousand Pony Bits that are useless and a lot of Gertt drachs that aren¡¯t doing me any good.¡±


    She raised her brow. ¡°Wow, where¡¯d you get so much money so fast?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m resourceful and kinda talented.¡±


    ¡°How about I just take you to grab something and we drop the deal thing? It doesn¡¯t sit well with me to hinge something like that on a bet. Besides, I¡­ I don¡¯t usually see too many River People like you...¡± She trailed off, another blush coming to her face as a woman sitting next to her nudged her.


    The Welcomer rubbed her arm and the lady who¡¯d nudged the one I¡¯d been talking to raised her brow. ¡°She¡¯s trying to say that you¡¯re polite.¡±


    ¡°I-It was implied!¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you. I really do try to be courteous when I can be.¡± It had served me well in the past. ¡°My name¡¯s Gatian, by the way. Gatian Gauner.¡±


    ¡°Alana Wolvram, at your service.¡± She rose and offered me her hand across the desk


    I shook it, trying not to blush as I thought of a crazy coincidence. ¡°Would you happen to know a woman named Rozana?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ I think my Grandma was named Rozana after her mother who disappeared.¡± She said uneasily, giving me an odd look.


    ¡°Yeah, I think I know your Great-Grandma. Small world.¡±


    ¡°... How?¡±


    ¡°Long story, kinda boring, really depressing.¡±


    ¡°... Fair enough.¡± Miss Alana touched her face and her partner just chuckled.


    She left her desk at the Service Station to guide me to the supply room where I picked up a viola. I didn¡¯t really want a viola, but it was better than a violin and had a case to go along with it. I tried playing it a few times before I got a solid note out, and once I learned how to get one good note out, the rest followed and I already had a decent understanding of how to make good noises with it. Alana was astounded at my skill but didn¡¯t manage to hide her disappointment when I traded for an acoustic guitar that looked like it would be at home on Earth. When I raised a brow at the look on her face, she just said that I¡¯d been doing well with the one I knew. I chose to explain that I didn¡¯t know anything about violins or bow-string instrument and her composure melted, the act she¡¯d put on giving way to a woman who was outright kind and a bit shy. Apparently she¡¯d made some assumptions about me from my appearance and what I¡¯d told her, but I was proving everything wrong. After that she was a little bashful and it was adorable, but I still needed to play her a song.


    The undlegar and plublass translated well to the guitar and playing a real instrument I was familiar with from before just made my day better. Alana was saddened that her shift ended before I could play her something, but then she invited me to go out and explore the town a little with her since she was off I took her up on it and played something as we walked. With a real guitar, the first song I had to play was one of my all-time favorites. Everlasting by Grey Reverend was a acoustic miracle that Alana was fond of, which I accidentally made her cry with. I apologized and she was slow to say that she had been crying because the song was just beautiful. I wanted to cheer her up with a happier song, so I played Clocks on guitar instead of the Ye Olde undlegar and it came out better than expected.


    Seeing the sights and able to play music again as I pleased was great. The strings from the plublass had been useless for a while, but that wasn¡¯t the nicest part. I¡¯d yet to check my compass again, but I had a feeling that Alana liked me a little more than she let on. Even if I was kinda smelly and dirty, she freely touched me and seemed to genuinely enjoy walking with me. The thing was that I didn''t know if I could trust her or if I was just jumping to conclusions in the first place, but Alana looked like she was having a good time. She showed me to a nice inn and hesitated to ask me if I would come see her again tomorrow. Then she was a little less shy whne asking if I could maybe come up with something she lend a hand toward. It was like a soft jab more so than a real punch when she said that, but I¡¯d assumed romantic interest when it was professional. I knew the score then and berated myself inwardly for being so desperate for affection, bidding Alana fond farewell.


    I walked into the inn and made some friends at the bar inside after I put on some clothes that I bought while walking. My unique hair and attachment to my instrument garnered questions that eventually turned into song requests. Kindra, Larry, and Frodrick were all adventurers themselves, or rather the Septurn term for it was ¡®Fortune Seekers¡¯, as in they took odd jobs for dangerous stuff in order to get a high reward in congruence with the risk taken. They were a great group and made me feel at home, even if they themselves weren¡¯t from Holloway Halter. Kindra, the female of the group, was a little short with me and kind of rude from time to time, but Frodrick assured me that she was curt with everyone. Larry was the perfect picture of a male Kuudere if Kindra was a tsundere, but between the two of them I still felt like I was one of them. A few songs and many drinks later saw me sharing a bed with Larry, despite his meager, ineffectual, untrue protests. He was blushing the entire time I was in his room, but I wasn¡¯t attracted to him at all. I knew he wouldn¡¯t have minded some action, but I hadn¡¯t found a male attractive in some time. I still recognized handsomeness where I found it, but I think the gay had been drained out of me in the Academy. There were plenty of hot, nailable dudes there and plenty of femboys that I¡¯d seen around town, but I just¡­


    Maybe I left it behind when I decided to throw myself into being Gatian and leave Gage behind entirely. Gatian was straight, apparently, so I didn¡¯t cuddle up to Larry and enjoyed knowing one more thing about myself. It was nice to split the cost for the room, even if I would¡¯ve rather bunked with Kindra and got some real contact with another person. I slept like a rock over the course of the night and found pleasure in sharing a bed with someone, even if Kindra did make jokes about me nailing Larry like a stubborn piece of wood. Frodrick knew better since he¡¯d come in to check on us through the night and had found us trading jokes and whatnot rather than packing fudge, joining us for a bit. The group eventually took their leave from the inn during the early morning hours, so I got to stepping and decided to see Alana again.


    There was a part of me that wanted nothing to do with her, but there was another part of me that had seen genuine happiness on her face when we¡¯d been walking. It was an expression that blossomed across her face when I entered the Welcome Center, a wide smile that made me feel a little better about my choice. The first thing she did was brush a stray lock of wavy hair behind her ear, then she stood and evidently dropped something all over herself because she swore and started making motions to clean up behind the desk. She looked back at me, her face flushing with a florid ferocity that I found adorable. One of Alana¡¯s coworkers, a woman I assumed to be the previously mentioned Sotan named Bethany, cracked up and came over to help while her friend appeared to be working herself up over next to nothing. I strode up to them and Alana froze like a deer in headlights, her face red and her friend asking for her help. Stuck, she looked between the tow of us and I waved her off, mouthing, ¡®Help the woman!¡¯


    Her face became a darker shade of red and she disappeared behind the desk once more, her friend rising as Alana went down. The Sotan gave me a knowing look. ¡°Are you Gatian Gauner?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, are you Bethany?¡± I asked politely.


    She smiled and extended a hand. ¡°Pleased to meet ya, Hun. Looks like you¡¯ve just about got Alana- Oof!¡± She doubled over quickly and Alana popped her head up.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. There was a fly,¡± Alana said pointedly.


    Bethany whacked her back. ¡°Watch it, Dianite.¡±


    ¡°I am not!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re huge!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re tiny!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t stop the smile on my face as the four-foot woman talked down to someone who was barely shorter than her while bent over on their knees. ¡°I am not tiny! I¡¯m the average size for a Sotan my age, you Diancie!¡±


    I saw a finger come up and Alana opened her mouth, making me laugh out loud for the first time since I¡¯d parted ways with Stella. Well, I¡¯d chuckled from time to time, especially with Frodrick and the Fortune Seekers, but never truly barked out a laugh that showed how I really felt. It was a great little show that made Bethany give me a look while Alana hurried to stand, both women blushing furiously as I worked out the last of my giggles. Then another round started and I walked out, came back in, and saw for myself that it looked like Alana had wet herself, especially since her drink of choice had been a bright, urinary yellow and her skirt was white. I saw that, barely kept it together while she saw me shaking uncontrollably. Alana turned away from me and started to walk away, her shoulders hunched as she probably felt some kind of humiliated. Unlike before when I¡¯d been warring with myself on whether I should¡¯ve gone to see her in the first place or not, there wasn¡¯t a doubt in my mind that the woman in front of me needed a hug and a smile.


    There was no need to lower my stance and creep up on her, but I did it anyway and grabbed Alana after spooking her with a loud, ¡°Boo!¡±


    She started like a fucking engine and shrieked like I¡¯d stabbed her, whirling around to get hugged before she could finish panicking. ¡°Gatian! You utter butthead!¡±


    I let her go and smiled up at her. ¡°What, a little surprise isn¡¯t fair game?¡±


    Alana¡¯s face was still red, her beautiful green eyes looking straight into mine. ¡°... Th-Thesuvians don¡¯t do that¡­¡±


    I pulled a face. ¡°Well, Earthicans and Americans do it, and I¡¯m an Earthican American.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think now¡¯s a good time-¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, Allie!¡± I grabbed her hand and she went stiff, her face lighting up all over again. ¡°Aren¡¯t you an employee here? I need help!¡±


    She blinked. ¡°Uh¡­ H-Help with what?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t get to see too much of the town before night fell yesterday. If I¡¯m gonna buy a house here., I need a guide. It wouldn¡¯t hurt if that guide was a nice lady with pretty eyes and a heartwarming smile~¡±


    Her face fell. ¡°Oh¡­ I guess you could ask Beth-¡±


    ¡°I was talking about you,¡± I said, chuckling.


    ¡°... Oh.¡± Her voice was practically a whisper in the wind while she looked down, brushing the same lock of hair back over her ear. ¡°... I could do that¡­ I-If that¡¯s what you really want.¡±


    I offered up my most winsome smile, and by that I mean I smirked but tried to look friendly while doing it. ¡°Well, didn¡¯t you say that I could have your help with something if I played you a decent song with an Earth instrument? Why would I not come to collect on my deal?¡± The little smile on her face almost melted away until I said, ¡°Wait, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m flirting. Earth flirting is different, right?¡±:


    She promptly turned red all over again, smiled like I¡¯d just told her I was a clown on weekends for rich children that liked to kill people, and giggled awkwardly. ¡°Y-Y- I- Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Should I try Avalesch flirting? Because I don¡¯t really like Avalesch flirting; it usually involves hurting someone.¡±


    Alana rubbed her arm and kept her weird smile. ¡°... I¡¯m just¡­ W-Well...¡°


    Bethany came up behind her and smacked her ass. ¡°Hey, Lover-Boy is back!¡±


    ¡°Hey, Beth. You wouldn¡¯t mind covering for Allie so I can take her around to- Er, so she can show me the landmarks, would you?¡±


    Bethany smirked triumphantly at Alana who would not meet her gaze. ¡°Told you he wasn¡¯t laughing at you.¡±


    ¡°Beth! Will you stop trying to embarrass me-¡± Alana started.


    ¡°In front of cutie pie over here? Sure!¡± Beth gave me a smile and a wink. ¡°Alana can be real shy when it¡¯s not the job, so be sweet, will you?¡±


    I blushed a little myself. ¡°I¡¯ll be the picture of a perfect gentleman.¡±


    Bethany raised her brows and nudged the mortified Alana. ¡°Cute and polite? Who said working at a Welcome Center was a bad-¡± Alana clamped a hand over the short one¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Shush!¡±


    Bethany rolled her eyes and stepped away, addressing me before walking away. ¡°Like I said, she¡¯s shy and sensitive like a lot of Thesuvians, so-¡± That got her hit. ¡°Ow!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡± Alana hissed.


    ¡°Oh.¡± I threw every ounce of disappointment that I possessed into my tone and body language, letting it flow naturally. It was a cheap move, but it¡¯s how I honestly felt.


    Beth looked at Alana before the taller woman pointed at me. ¡°Don¡¯t you start!¡±


    ¡°... Sorry.¡± I wrung my hands.


    That seemed to upset her even more. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean like that! I just- I meant- Well, I-¡±


    ¡°Are you going on your date or not?¡± Bethany asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a date! It¡¯s work!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if she really meant it, but it was still a damper on my mood. Bethany rolled her eyes. ¡°And you talked my ear off for three whole hours about how much you ¡®love your job¡¯, right?¡±


    ¡°Bethany!¡±


    The ginger gave her a look. ¡°You almost wouldn¡¯t stop talking-¡±


    ¡°Gatian, let¡¯s go!¡± Alana said quickly. ¡°We¡¯re losing daylight!¡±


    I gave her a muted smile. ¡°... Sure. let¡¯s go.¡±


    Beth sighed and shook her head, walking back to the Service Station. ¡°Whatever.¡±


    Alana held a hand out toward her, but didn¡¯t stop her. ¡°Oh, fiddlefaff!¡±


    I came a little closer while she was looking at Beth. ¡°So¡­ Are we stopping to get you a change of clothes?¡±


    She looked back at me, then down to her skirt. ¡°Oh- Oh, come on!¡±


    ¡°Raincheck?¡±


    Alarm crossed her face. ¡°N-No! I can just put on a different uniform, we can still go!¡±


    The ball was back in my court, and I figured I¡¯d take a shot with it. ¡°Would we still be going if it was a date?¡± Alana blushed furiously and started stammering like mad, so I took pity on her and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want to call it, but I¡¯ll call it sightseeing.¡±


    ¡°Sightseeing! Yes! That¡¯s what it is!¡±


    ¡°As long as we agree, I guess.¡± I shrugged.


    She nodded rapidly. ¡°I¡¯ll go get changed if you want to wait in the Recreation Wing.¡±


    I knocked on my guitar, strapped to my back as it was. ¡°I¡¯ll just wait here and see if I can get a mini-concert going while you¡¯re gone.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I would¡¯ve liked to hear you play.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and I¡¯ll play another song just for you~¡± I gave her a wink.


    She smiled back bashfully. ¡°Then I¡­ I guess I don¡¯t have time to waste.¡± she hurried off, her long legs carrying her quickly to her destination.


    True to my word, I started playing my songs one after another until I had all of the employees and some odd River People gathering around to hear what I came up with. Alana didn¡¯t take long, but I still got through Slither by Velvet Revolver before she came back. When I saw her, I knew the perfect song to sing as the water in her hair beaded up and occasionally dripped onto her blouse and the floor below. Drops of Jupiter was made for the moment, and I knew that my message got through to her because when I finished the song, she swooned and had to be caught by an Amanese fellow, there as a Partner to some blonde chick.


    Alana turned out to be fine and I got a couple dozen coins for my efforts as tips, which I allocated as date-money. After a few more minutes of talking to people and accepting compliment after compliment, I went to find Alana and she was not nearby. It took the better part of half an hour to convince one of the employees to take me into their Break Room so that I could find her, but when I got there, Bethany was trying to calm her down and Alana herself was rambling on about sweetness and niceness and cuteness in turns before Tara, the lady who¡¯d led me there, let our presence be known. Bethany looked like she was having the time of her life while Alana stared in horror, fainting back onto the couch without further ado.


    ¡°I think she likes me,¡± I said idly.


    ¡°Ya think?¡± Beth chuckled. ¡°Ya¡¯ll are gonna be such a cute couple.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to give it a month or so before I try to make a real move, but I like her so far.¡±


    ¡°Little slow for a Septurn romance, but I respect it. Alana likes it traditionally Thesuvian anyway, so it¡¯s probably for the best.¡± Tara chuckled at little and tapped my shoulder with a fist.


    ¡°Oh boy, there¡¯s plenty about her to like. If you¡¯re into the shy, bashful, sweet type, then she¡¯s perfect. Just don''t try anything too weird and she¡¯ll probably go along with it.¡± Bethany patted Alana¡¯s leg before I came over and threw my jacket over her lap. She raised a brow. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Just saving her modesty. I won¡¯t ask her to pick my nose since that¡¯s probably weird.¡± I nodded sagaciously.


    Beth chuckled at that. ¡°Damn, cute, polite, talented, and funny. Kinda kickin¡¯ myself for stayin¡¯ home yesterday.¡± She sighed.


    I shrugged. ¡°I like my ladies tall anyway.¡±


    ¡°Damn Dianites.¡± She grumbled.


    ¡°What is a Dianite, anyway?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just especially tall women. Named after Diana Di Arc, who was taller than any other Human in history.¡±


    ¡®


    ¡°Ah. Why is it bad to be tall?¡±


    Beth raised a brow. ¡°... How do you plan on boinking her again?¡±


    I felt my face heat up. ¡°... Well, it¡¯s not going to be the most interesting sex life unless-¡±


    Tara hit me. ¡°Hey now.¡±


    ¡°What!? It¡¯s where the conversation was going!¡±


    Tara gave me a dirty look. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to consummate it, then you might as well not start it.¡±


    I flipped her off. ¡°Unless Alana likes missionary and riding, then there¡¯s not much I can do about that!¡±:


    ¡°Missionary?¡± She asked.


    Bethany giggled. ¡°I know I had a River Man who called something that. He wanted to try doing it from the front!¡±


    Tara blushed brightly and covered her mouth. ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Bethany herself was a little rosy around the cheeks. ¡°He thought I¡¯d do it!¡±


    ¡°... What?¡± I asked.


    Tara looked at me, covering her chest. ¡°You dog!¡±


    ¡°Dogs do it from behind!¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s normal!¡± Bethany cackled. ¡°You River People make no sense! Half of you can only get laid from Welcome Women anyway since frontways is your main way!¡±


    ¡°w¡±


    Tara hit me again. ¡°Only whores and Ponies do it like that!¡±


    ¡°Stop hitting me before I hit you back!¡±


    ¡°Oh no, you¡¯re not flirting with me, buster.¡± She pointed at me.


    Bethany lost her shit and Alana started coming to. ¡°Oh my¡­ I just had the worst dream¡­¡± She rubbed her eyes and looked at Beth.


    Beth looked at her, face ruddy from trying not to laugh. ¡°Hey, Alana...¡±


    Alana¡¯s expression was pensive. ¡°... Yes?¡±


    ¡°Wanna do it from the front!?¡±


    Alana choked on something or other and started coughing like mad, so I stepped out of the room, knocked, then entered all over again. The woman I was there for seemed like she wanted to be in a lot of different places rather than the one she was in. ¡°Hey, Alana. I¡­ Would like to go and sight-see?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Mhm¡­¡± She also made no indication that she was going to move.


    ¡°... I swear, I thought you¡¯d like the song.¡±


    She nodded and answered in a small voice. ¡°.... I did.¡±


    ¡°... Should I-¡±


    ¡°Do her from the front!¡± Bethany shouted.


    Alana hung her head, I hung my head, and Tara and Bethany laughed and laughed until Alana stood up, walked up to me, then subsequently asked, ¡°... Is¡­ Is that really the normal way for River People?¡±


    ¡°Is it important? I¡­ I think that¡¯s a little ways down the road¡­¡±


    Alana curled a lock of her hair. ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°... Would you like to go on this da- daytime excursion?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯d like that.¡±


    And so we got started on actually seeing the town. It was awkward at first, but as I talked about my life on Earth and some of my happier memories, Alana became more forthcoming with her own words and experiences. She offered them up as a way to keep the conversation going, even as we were stopped by people that had heard me play one way or another. It was fun to meet and greet with fans while Alana was with me, especially since she seemed to be more comfortable whenever we weren¡¯t alone with each other. I eventually nutted up instead of just shutting up, deciding to ask Alana to a late lunch. She agreed after a pause, a question obviously on her mind. After lunch and during a more important part of our walk, Alana pointed out the few places that had vacancies and I mustered up the courage to ask what was on her mind.


    ¡°Hey, Allie?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Gatian?¡± We were in the middle of town, a good distance from the Welcome Center.¡±


    ¡°... Do you mind if I ask what¡¯s on your mind?¡±


    She blushed and swallowed hard. ¡°... W-Well¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to judge you for your thoughts, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about.¡± I gave her a supportive smile and laid a hand on her arm.


    Alana gulped again and said, ¡°W-Well¡­ I was just wondering¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°... What¡­ Well¡­ Are you¡­ Are you really interested in me?¡± She asked, her eyes standing out against the pinkness of her cheeks.


    ¡°... I¡­ I think so,¡± I admitted. ¡°I mean, I find you attractive and I like what I¡¯ve seen so far¡­¡±


    ¡°... Are you sure it¡¯s not just because I¡¯m well-connected?¡±


    I looked at her. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    She seemed surprised. ¡°Well, I am a River Representative¡­¡±


    ¡°... I thought that was just a job?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a career, and you make a lot of friends in my position.¡±


    ¡°... I just think you¡¯re cute. I don¡¯t really care about what you can do for me. I don¡¯t need you to do anything for me. If I need something, I¡¯ll do it my damn self.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I peeked at her again, seeing her smile to herself.


    I took a moment to examine her in earnest, seeing that she wasn¡¯t exactly well-endowed beyond her looks and personality. It¡¯s not that I cared, but I did notice that her bust wasn¡¯t anything to write home about if you took her height into consideration, despite her bottom being fantastic. I would¡¯ve put Alana around a C-cup or a large B, but her bottom? Almost perfect for her general vibe. Her body was the least of my worries, her eyes and face being the interesting part of the modest sculpture that was Alana Wolvram. The gentle slope to her jaw made me wonder just what her parents looked like to give her such a kissable cheek, the fullness of her lips that begged for me to press mine against them. I saw the curve of her smile and the stain that she used to dye her lips a rosy, deep red, making her paleness stand out that much more. Even in her uniform, she appeared to fit perfectly into the ¡®Shy Librarian¡¯ role perfectly. I¡¯d never known many shy women since it was hard to get close to them in my experience, but it seemed as though Alana wanted company. She just wasn¡¯t always the most socially apt and seemed to be a bit awkward outside her work environment. Alana was definitely a kind cutie with a nice booty, but her personality was the main attraction.


    ¡°Gatian?¡± She asked, looking directly at me. ¡°Is there something funny?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? What makes you ask that?¡±


    Alana curled a lock of hair. ¡°You¡­ Well, you were just smiling at me for a little while¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I guess I got lost in your eyes. Explains why I keep thinking of emeralds and epidote.¡±


    Alana blushed furiously, showing that I¡¯d landed my shot perfectly. ¡°... Earthen flirting is nice.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess I¡¯ll keep on doing it. You know, they say all women love a man in uniform, but I think a woman in uniform is even better.¡±


    She giggled at that. ¡°It¡¯s just a uniform.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it looks good on you. Makes me wonder what you wear on a day-to-day basis.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a lot of skirts and blouses. I like smocks and olones too, b-but¡­¡± Alana blushed at that for some reason.


    ¡°What¡¯s an olone?¡±


    ¡°W-Well, it¡¯s usually a house-skirt or something like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, so something you wear at home?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, but I change whenever company comes over!¡± She said quickly.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ Olones tend to be on the short side¡­¡±


    ¡°How short?¡±


    Alana waved her hands and let them rest by her sides. ¡°Mine usually go just past my fingertips¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but think of such a wonderful sight and felt my face heat up. ¡°Well, I¡¯d hate to make you change, but I also wouldn¡¯t want you to feel uncomfortable in your own home.¡±


    ¡°... W-Well¡­ Maybe if it¡¯s just you,¡± She murmured.


    I put my hand back on her arm. ¡°I¡¯d keep my eyes in decent places. I know when to look and when to be polite.¡±


    Alana smiled back, glancing at me. ¡°... You¡¯re really sweet, Gatian. Most guys¡­ Most guys that I meet want something from me.¡±


    ¡°I do want something from you, though,¡± I said, giving her a look.


    She didn''t seem too surprised. ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you do. What I want isn¡¯t material, Alana.¡±


    Her brow raised and she seemed less than amused. ¡°It¡¯s not?¡±


    ¡°Happiness can¡¯t be bought or sold. It can¡¯t be bottled or preserved, but it can be made all the same.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± Alana tilted her head, seeming confused.


    ¡°Allie, I want to be happy. I want to love again. I want¡­ I want something real.¡±


    She blushed and looked at her hands as she interlaced her fingers. ¡°... Right¡­ Gatian?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°... I think¡­ Well¡­¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°... You should go to the Town Hall to buy a house¡­ There¡¯s an apartment available in my building¡­ I-If you¡¯re interested in being neighbors!¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± I let my hand slide down her arm so I could squeeze her hand. ¡°You¡¯re alright, Alana. I¡¯m glad I met you.¡±


    ¡°Ah! I-I...¡° She got tongue-tied and flubbed her sentence terribly.


    I pulled her down to give her a peck on the cheek. ¡±I¡¯m going back to my inn. The complex is the only one in town, right?¡±


    Alana evidently didn¡¯t trust herself to speak, nodding and saying. ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Then can I see you tomorrow? I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll get away with this again, but I wouldn¡¯t mind hanging around for a little while. Might put a concert on or something.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± She nodded rapidly.


    I waited for her to actually say something, but when she didn¡¯t I just gave her a good squeeze and got a gasp and a great hug in return. Alana might not have had breasts proportional to her size, but when my face was pressed against them, I had a hard time believing they were anything other than the way they were meant to be. She let me go suddenly and ran away a lot faster than I could have, but I also wasn¡¯t in the mood to run. With her gone and nothing else on my itinerary, I had to do some stuff that I¡¯ll write about next time. For now, my hands are tired and I want a drink. Time for a sip of something burny.


    It¡¯s been good, Booksy. I¡¯ll pen this tale some other time.

 A Certain Learning Curve

    A Certain Learning Curve


    A few weeks into my stay at Holloway Halter saw me getting a house of my own at a slight discount since the housing around the area was especially cheap for River People. It kinda sucked that refugees couldn¡¯t really afford even the discounted price, but the ones that came around town were usually Ponies or Gertts and Thesuvians don¡¯t like Centurns. That, and Gertts tended to disagree with traditional Thesuvian values, so I¡¯d seen plenty of fights break out between new faces and natives. The feeling was mutual all the way round, but Holloway was a main stop on the road to the Greater Centurn Islands to the north, the original home of the bastards. I didn¡¯t really have anything against Centurns when I¡¯d been in Ponydale, but in Thesuvia? They were absolute snakes, and I was glad to have my weapons more than once. Pegasi didn¡¯t need much more than an idle warning, a mean look, or a gun in their faces to back off, but Unicorns? They tried to have Arca-battles on a daily basis to the point where a detour route was specified for those wishing to travel through town. Unicorns were not allowed in the main streets, which really went to show just how bad things were getting across the continent.


    The Char War had been at a stalemate for some time with Flistis and Sotanylvannia holding strong in their own battles, but as Gerritt slowly lost more and more ground, it was getting clearer and clear that Chorell, Denos, and Mothica were all going to need to step in, even if the war wasn¡¯t at their doorstep. There was word of Denosian Warriors and Shamans being dispatched to purify once conquered lands, but the Mothicans were said to be reluctant to fight people on fire since their people were especially flammable. Nothing good would come of them fighting in their eyes, so it was up to the rest of the continent to help out. River People were warned to, like myself, head to Thesuvia, other provinces in Stalfisk, or Teh Se Bang, but I wasn¡¯t really feeling any sort of aster in the air while I was trying to make a life for myself. Times were tough and music was good for cheering people up, but I wasn¡¯t making money like I used to from it. I made enough, but¡­ I didn¡¯t like taking cash from refugees, so I didn¡¯t. If anything I had to use somnerre for their benefit and I was starting to get a reputation as ¡®The Plucking Peacekeeper¡¯ for the times I¡¯d stopped fights with songs.


    However, being able to put on a free concert at the Welcome Center had gotten me a certain accolade from the Onemaster of the town, who was basically the Mayor and the town¡¯s head Armator. The prize for keeping the town peaceful for almost a full four hours was a voucher for some kind of ¡®secret service¡¯ from someone named ¡®Zenku Stown¡¯, which was pretty hard to figure out. The Armatura itself had asked me to play for them to raise morale, the local Smithy hired me to make a work song (Which I already had for them after hearing the beat they usually worked to.), and I was starting to become popular in general around town. People were usually happy to see the River Man with Choret-hair, which felt pretty damn good. A smile and a wave could even get a lost Unicorn to calm down if they¡¯d been in town long enough to hear about the guy with the crazy-difficult instrument. Yeah, I played a lot of music for free, but... Booksy, I didn¡¯t really care. It was good to be useful; to be liked in a place I called home.


    As for Alana¡­? Well, she¡¯d shown me just how bashful she could be, even if we were spending more and more time together. I could go on and on about just how paralyzingly cute she was and how she exuded an air of clumsiness and grace in turns. I¡¯d seen her do a couple steps of a little dance when she was walking to work and she accidentally whacked some kids head, immediately apologizing to both her and the gal¡¯s parents. She was so embarrassed that they couldn¡¯t really hold it against her, and it had been pretty obvious that it was an accident. Alana was just a bit of a lanky long-gal which reminded me of the fact that she could probably pick my skinny ass up if she wanted to. Settling down was probably meant for someone my age, and I was enjoying the life I had, pitfalls and all. There were plenty of wrongs with the rights of my life and how it was rising from the shadows of the unknown, but it was going fuckin¡¯ good. Yeah, there was a fuckin¡¯ war, but it wasn¡¯t at my heels anymore. Things were tense for everyone else, but for me? Soaking up the aster. There wasn¡¯t a noticeable disaster anywhere in sight, and that was how I liked it.


    Hell, Booksy. Life is still going pretty well. I ended up playing the Armatura¡¯s benefit earlier this week, the smiths loved the song and the other versions I made to go along with it are usually heard throughout the day at various volumes. I still don¡¯t know who ¡®Zenku¡¯ is. I¡¯ve been asking around and Alana¡¯s been using her connections, but I think it might be a trick of some sort. There¡¯s an elderly man I like to eat dinner with in the local tavern and his name is ¡®Zenu Stouno¡¯, so I¡¯ll probably ask him later tonight if he¡¯s the mystical dood. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me, but Zenu¡¯s not really the type to ¡®work¡¯, per se. You ,kinda have to feed him booze to even get him to talk much, but once he starts he won¡¯t stop. Helluva drinking buddy, kinda has a problem.


    Anyway, I didn¡¯t end up visiting Alana and the Gal-Pals today since there was supposed to be a pretty big influx of River People in need of displacement assistance. A lot of my fellow River Folk never thought to save up and buy anything of value and a lot of people assumed that Thesuvian Welcome Centers honored Avalesch permanent placements, which wasn¡¯t true. The Thesuvians didn¡¯t even do Perma-Placements, and that caused a lot of problems with people expecting free rides. Not really my problem, but Alana¡¯s been stressed out lately and I try to do what I can to help her calm down and relieve pressure. When she invited me over to her house and needed a hug, I offered her a back rub and massaged her feet. It was apparently unheard of for Thesuvian men and wasn¡¯t a very popular move for most of the races other than Harkans, I think. The gender roles were basically swapped in Thesuvia and were a weird mix of semi-modern and a little archaic, but I wasn¡¯t complaining. Much. We still haven¡¯t really even made it official, but we do try to spend the time together that we can.


    Other than that, I¡¯ve noticed something I wasn¡¯t really paying attention to before. The only Septurns with conventional body odor were Chorets, Lasponians, and another race I can¡¯t remember right now. Apparently they were known for smelling better than ¡®even the most aromatic of River People¡¯, and a lot of people were assuming that I was one of the three or four races that were notorious for smelling good. However, I just think we smell like sweat and grossness most of the time. Evidently it wasn¡¯t strange for Septurns to have a specific taste as far as River People were concerned, but all Septurns thought that River People should bathe less than normal to let their natural scents be their cologne/perfume. Guess who bathed twice a day because he could? Alana told me that I smelled like kinaeman (Something like cinnamon) and caffeya (some kinda coffee), which was nice if she saw me after a hot day, but still. I didn¡¯t and still don¡¯t like it when I can smell myself, but Septurns don¡¯t use deodorant! Had to get some charcoal-rub, which only Minotaurs and friggin¡¯ Denosians used.


    Right¡­ That¡¯s enough about the life I¡¯ve been cobbling together. I¡¯m gonna go talk to Zenu. See you later- Oh fuck me. I could¡¯ve just said that name to the compass and-


    Whatever.


    ????????????????????????


    Turns out I had to miss dinner with Zenu to find Zenku and that¡­ That was a near, near miss. Turns out Zenku was a River Woman who used to be a dominatrix before she got fed up with her customers trying to use her for money and sex (I don¡¯t even really understand it.), which led me to almost getting cuffed and having adult ¡®fun time¡¯. I did not want any of that, but Stown was also well-connected. She got me in touch with one of the elder-smiths at Astra¡¯s Arm, the local Smithy. I went there, talked to Folger Elmer, a twitchy guy who¡¯s tongue was always getting stuck somewhere in his mouth, and had him ¡®upgrade¡¯ my shit. Apparently he was the best Artificer in town and could prove it, so I let him hold my hunting knife, Clockly, and since he wanted me to give him something else, I asked if he had anything I could buy at a discount. He was cool with that and offered me a sword, to which I asked him if he was crazy. He then offered me some armor that had perception inhibiting runes on it. Shit would only wear off once the runes themselves got damaged, but I could either make myself very noticeable by rubbing the left pauldron-thingy or do the opposite with the right. Rubbing my left shoulder made the armor shine, but rubbing the right one made it look more like mottled cloth that hadn¡¯t been dyed correctly. Being skeptical of the quality, I later tried piercing the armor with my knife only to find that it was pretty good shit.


    I left my stuff with Elmer Folger- Er, Folger Elmer, and figured I¡¯d ask Zenu¡¯s forgiveness when I saw him next. Instead of heading to the tavern, I wandered around over to Holloway High-Reach, the apartment complex I got my place at. Furniture was hard to come by, but the Gal-Pals had all pitched in to help me find stuff and it had turned the place into home. Everything I actually needed was eventually found over the last two weeks, but I still went over to Alana¡¯s for caffeya and teeya. They were basically coffee and tea respectively, but caffeya tasted pretty much the same anywhere you went if you drank it straight and teeya was different depending on the friggin¡¯ town. Teeya was more of a nightly drink and I often shared it with Alana once I¡¯d showered and shaved for the night. I always showered before I saw her if I could, even if she asked me not to, but I kept much the beard I¡¯d grown for her sake. Bethany had mentioned that Alana liked a man with a bit of beard but not too much, so I asked Tara and she¡¯d told me the same thing. It was never above Bethany to mess with someone, but she usually looked out for Alana¡¯s best interest. As it turned out, Alana actually did like the new style and complimented me on it from time to time. After I hopped in and out of the shower in record time due to a lack of man-funk going on and my hair not needing to be washed, I went over to Alana¡¯s and prepared myself.


    Gage wouldn¡¯t have usually just knocked and walked on Earth, even if she said he could. However all of the Gal-Pals did it one way or another and would happily walk in on you in the bathroom if they weren¡¯t Thesuvian. Tara and Aliss would at least knock before coming in, but Bethany, Hasha, Li-Oh, and Cacoma would all stroll in freely. I¡¯d been caught in my boxers, in a towel, and generally half naked plenty of times in two and a half weeks, but Alana and I had never walked in on each other. A fact that had been pointed out by Bethany and Hasha a few times over the past few days while hanging out with Alana. However, the girls (and Coma and Li-Oh. They¡¯re both cool.) all agreed to go out bar-hopping, despite only having three places to get booze in town other than the stores and a soma-press. Alana liked soma, but wasn¡¯t really a fan of booze other than the soft stuff. I wasn¡¯t a fan of soma unless it was mild, but I had a flask full of whatever liquor I could remember and was happy to share. I wasn¡¯t an alcoholic so much as a high-functioning drunk, but I was sure to give the sauce its due respect and didn¡¯t abuse it too often.


    The sun was giving way to Astra and Rojol with a little dilly-dallying going on, so it was probably like adding a filter to my already coffee-with-milk complexion. I hoped that it would give my haircut some extra help since it had gone silvery-white at the tips again when it had been cut, annoying the ever-loving shit out of me. It made me look old. Well, to me, at least. Otherwise, it kinda made me seem like a Choret, but that¡¯s not important. Instead of stalling like I had been, I knocked twice, waited a second or two, and then let myself in as was considered barely acceptable by Thesuvian standards. Alana said I could do it so I did, but she also pointed out the only reason that I would in the first place was so she would know it was me. However, with the jazzy music going on in her living room, I doubted that she heard me. I let myself in anyway and saw for myself why she usually ran off to her room whenever Li-Oh, Coma or I came over. While she was dancing in a way that only a woman with the grace to match Alana¡¯s height could, I saw a little more than I think she would have thought necessary. I wasn¡¯t a pervert, but I am now!


    No, I kid. I knocked on the wall and tried to get her attention, but she only paid me some mind when I went to go sit on my favorite loveseat. She froze when I passed in front of her, then she stared after me as I casually looked back. ¡°You dance better than you sing by a mile, Allie. You ever gonna dance to my music?¡±


    She just stared.


    I waved and she looked at the closed door behind her, then back at me, then at her mini-mini skirt. ¡°... Gatian¡­¡±


    My face had been warm since I walked in, but I was trying to play it cool. ¡°I knocked like usual, but I figured you were-¡±


    Alana flapped her hands at me. ¡°No! You can¡¯t tell anyone you saw that!¡± She protested, her face bright red.


    ¡°Saw what?¡±


    ¡°That goofy dance!¡±


    ¡°... Goofy?¡± I furrowed my brow. ¡°... You¡­ You were on beat for every movement. Everything flowed together. Alana, that was magnificent,¡± I said dumbly.


    She held her arms in front of her. ¡°... I-It wasn¡¯t goofy?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s like me calling my music bad in general. I mean, I don¡¯t know Septurn standards for dancing at all, but that was good by Earth standards.¡±


    Alana held the hem of her skirt, smiling and she twisted from side to side. Another factor in me finding her overall appearance cute beyond the short skirt that barely covered enough to properly be called clothes were the striped knee-socks she was wearing, the casual blouse and tank-combo, and the general lack of a bra. I say all that because Alana went to say something to me with her cheeks just being a little pink, then realized what she was wearing. Her blouse was sheer, her tank strapless, and her skirt-thing rather short. She blushed, pulled her shirt down a little, then gave me the patented Allie Grimace, which was kinda like a smile of horror. Not wanting her to feel uncomfortable, I kept my eyes in decent places and walked back up to her, looping my hands around her waist and looking up at her.


    ¡°G-G-Gatian?¡± She stammered.


    ¡°I love the socks. Very cute.¡±


    ¡°Th-Thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°And your blouse is very fetching. Green is definitely your color. One of ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°O-Oh¡­ I-I thought I was more of a riminice-tone¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, earth-tones are definitely your thing. Your eyes are such a beautiful shade of green, after all. I guess they¡¯d be pretty with whites and blues too, but that dark green really goes with what you already have.¡±


    She looked at her white tank and the striped, knife-pleated osone, I think it was called. No, olone, there we go. Everything went together. ¡°... I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to make everything match¡­ I guess that¡¯s the Thesuvian in me.¡± Chuckling awkwardly, she held her hands in front of her.


    ¡®


    I grabbed her wrists and brought her arms around my shoulders, hearing her breathing pick up. Bethany and Aliss had both advised me to be forward with Alana in the past and I¡¯d been trying to do so time and time again. I started small and worked my way up to doing what I was at the moment, which was the biggest leap by far. ¡°Does the Thesuvian in you want to give me a hug?¡±


    Alana grinned and squeezed me, giggling as I did the same. Hugging Allie was always nice because she didn¡¯t mind if I pressed my cheek against her chest, but then again, most Thesuvian women liked hugs too if you were above five-eight. She let me go long after politeness would have dictated her doing so, but neither of us were upset. ¡°Does the River Person in you want to do something tonight?¡±


    If I say you, am I in trouble? ¡°I was thinking I might show you some Earth beers, mead, and maybe an ale or two.¡±


    She smiled and let her hands rest behind my neck as she seemed to ease up. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not just trying to get me drunk?¡±


    ¡°I could be, but where would the fun in that be? Besides, I was going to offer to cook something to go with our drinks just for that purpose.¡±


    Her smile grew and before I knew it, our first kiss was in action and it was friggin¡¯ great. Thesuvian¡¯s usually smelled kind of minty in general whenever they sweat and Alana was a little like sweet-mint gum, if I remember right. ¡°Oh, Gatian, you¡¯re so sweet!¡±


    I pulled a face. ¡°I try to be, but now I¡¯m beginning to think you only keep me around for your sugar addiction.¡±


    I loved seeing her smile up until she realized what she did. ¡°... I just¡­ I just¡­¡±


    ¡°Kissed me? Yeah, we could do it again if you want. I would love that.¡± I nodded, smirking at her.


    She hesitated to bend down again, so I placed a hand behind her neck and stood on my tiptoes to speed up the process. The second was just as good as the first, and it felt better since I knew that she wasn¡¯t lost in her head at the moment. Time probably got tired of slowing down for me and my moments, but it felt like it was moving at a snail¡¯s pace nonetheless. Feeling ¡®close¡¯ to Alana felt right more so than carnal, like I could just spend the day cuddling with her or going on a walk and I¡¯d be happy with it. It didn¡¯t stop me from wanting to take her from top to bottom, but c¡¯est la vie. Alana had a job and a life, and I was willing to cull my own ambitions to meet hers. When I pulled away from her, my paramour¡¯s kissing face was too adorable to not give another peck, practically waking her up from a smooch-induced trance.


    The easy smile I wore was met with a nervous one from Alana. ¡°Ga-Gatian... ? Can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°... Why- Er, Well, I mean...¡°


    ¡°Why did I kiss you?¡±


    She nodded and looked down. ¡°A-And¡­  Why did you let me¡­?¡±


    ¡°Because I likes ya and I was not going to turn down a kiss from the cutest Diancie on this side of Septural.¡±


    ¡°I am- Okay, I¡¯m tall, but I¡¯m not a Diancie!¡±


    I wrapped my arms around her and beamed. ¡°Nope, you¡¯re Honest Allie with a heart of friggin¡¯ platinum.¡±


    She pouted down at me. ¡°... You just liked my outfit, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really cute, but fashion isn¡¯t my motivator in life.¡±


    ¡°... How much did you see when I wasn¡¯t paying attention¡­?¡± Her tone was soft and her eyes locked onto mine, a certain level of concern in her gaze.


    Smiling was the wrong move, but I couldn¡¯t stop. ¡°... Enough to know you didn¡¯t know I was here, so I walked in front of you.¡±


    ¡°... Sorry I hit you¡­¡±


    That was a shocker. ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°Wh-When you walked in front of me¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even notice, but thank you for apologizing. Now, are you going to teach me how to dance or can I get started making a mess of your kitchen?¡±


    I got a look for my words. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to let you see that¡­¡±


    ¡°I did knock, but I can¡¯t say I¡¯m sorry. Not honestly, at least.¡±


    She fingered the hem of her skirt some more. ¡°... I ate right before I came home from work¡­¡±


    ¡°... Alright¡­¡± It was a bad sign. ¡°Should I go, or¡­?¡±


    ¡°:No!¡± She covered her mouth. ¡°I-I mean¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to make things awkward¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s only as awkward as we make it, and my power to un-awkward a situation is stronger than anything.¡± I pulled her down for a peck on the cheek. ¡°Grab some glasses with an extra dose of ¡®pretty please¡¯ and we can get started on sampling stuff.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­ I don¡¯t want to be rude¡­ But¡­ I usually¡­¡± She muttered the rest of her words.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to say that you usually only drink the light stuff, then I¡¯ve got you covered. If you want to go change, I¡¯m never going to try to put my two cents in on that if unasked. You do you, beautiful.¡±


    Alana lightly swatted my arm. ¡°You just want another peek!¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not planning on looking. I told you the truth when I said I¡¯d keep my eyes in decent places.¡±


    ¡°... Well, maybe a gal likes it when men are impolite some- Yeep!¡± She went ramrod straight when I let my hands go from her hips to her lower back, stepping closer as I did so.


    ¡°I can be impolite. Your reactions to it are adorable!¡± She didn¡¯t really answer to that, so I let her go. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll grab the glasses. Make yourself comfortable, which I say with a hint of irony.¡±


    ¡°R-Right.¡± She wore her goofy smile and wobbled over to her sofa-thing.


    After getting the things I said I¡¯d get, I brought them to Alana and saw for myself that she was wearing something with blue stripes under her olone, but I averted my gaze after a second or two of ¡®not¡¯ noticing her following my gaze, both of our faces warming up. Lover-Girl crossed her legs and looked away when I looked at her, but it really didn¡¯t do her many favors. Instead of a front view I had a side-view, and the side view was a little cheeky no matter how you cut it. I didn¡¯t know what the right move was, so I sat in the place I usually did and poured us both a half-glass of Red¡¯s Black Cherry, which I love, to get us started. I didn''t know what to add in as a compliment to it, but Allie had shot glasses laid out from her standing-bar and I filled those with some amaretto. Alana took her glass and sipped her drink a second after I downed half of mine in one go. Her eyes widened and her plump, soft lips split into a thousand watt smile.


    ¡°Wow, this is delicious! I didn¡¯t think liquor was ever meant to be sweet! Or bubbly!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ale, cuteness. Specifically Red¡¯s Black  Cherry, one of my favorite kinds.¡±


    ¡°Ale then, goobski. It¡¯s excellent and it barely tastes like alcohol!¡± She tried a sip of the amaretto. ¡°... That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s delicious¡­¡± She seemed confused. ¡°Now, that¡¯s liquor, but it¡¯s pretty sweet too¡­¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°Have you ever tried rum?¡±


    ¡°Is it sweet?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to try that too.¡± She cradled her glass and sipped it again, smiling more. ¡°I should have known that a Bard would know his alcohol.¡±


    I¡¯m sure she meant to jab a little, but I decided to roll with it. ¡°What can I say? Womanizer by day, drunk by night~¡±


    Alana giggled at that. ¡°You couldn¡¯t be a womanizer if you tried, Gatian. The only reason you looked earlier was because I was practically flashing you! And I gave you permission to look.¡±


    My face flushed. ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Plus I know where your gaze usually lands. You glance. Most men stare when they¡¯re attracted to a woman~¡± Her smile was pleasant and her tone was gentle.


    I looked down, a little embarrassed. ¡°Since when did you get so bold?¡±


    She finished her shot and I did the same with mine. ¡°It¡¯s a Thesuvian tradition to trade jokes when the alcohol starts flowing.¡±


    And flow did it ever. We may have started light, but before long, the giantess was outdrinking me left, right, and center. She was downing booze like it was water and I had to measure my shots before I ended up passed out on her couch. Lo¡¯ and behold, I ended up in her lap after about twenty-seven shots and could barely keep my wits about me. There wasn¡¯t much going through my mind other than the softness of Alana¡¯s thighs, or the warmth of her hands. I offered her free rein of the flask and she showed me just why she didn¡¯t drink a lot when we went out; The woman could hardly get drunk. She drank from my flask until she was a little hammered herself, both of us having decided to get a little sloshed for the first night of the weekend. After a while of playing with my new hair and talking about random things, I tried to go home as politeness dictated, but couldn¡¯t walk a straight line. Between Drunk Alana and Drunk Gatian, we managed to convince ourselves that I lived too far away and that we should just ¡®share a bed¡¯ since we were ¡®going to get married¡¯ anyway, so that¡¯s what we did. I remember enough to know that all we did was sleep, but I did so in my boxers and not much else while Alana slept in just her tank top and panties. Being the big spoon to someone taller than me was great and was very masculine, hoo-rah, so my night couldn¡¯t have gone much better.


    Morning saw my face buried in Alana¡¯s chest and my arms wrapped around her. Her hands were halfway in decent places, and by that I mean she had a hand on my arm and the other was grabbing something wooden. I wasn¡¯t really complaining since she was just grabbing and letting go which felt pretty decent, but I didn¡¯t know how conscious Alana was of what she was doing. Kissing her awake seemed like a good idea until I licked my wrist and smelled the power of Morning Hallitosis, thus settling on kissing her cheek. Alana woke up after eight pecks and five smooches, turning her face in time to make the sixth smooch a considerably better one. I felt her freeze for a moment before the hand that was on my arm snaked through my hair and held me closer to her, starting the morning in quite a lovely fashion. Meeting each other¡¯s gaze in the bright beams of light that shone through her curtains¡­ I well and truly missed waking up next to someone. Missed having someone to hold and treasure. I didn¡¯t want to pin all of my hopes on Alana, but I could see myself falling for her even harder in time. For the moment, I just wanted to enjoy the morning a little more.


    We snuggled and cuddled and snuggled some more until I had to get up and go pee. While I got up and stretched, Alana giggled at me and asked, ¡°Does this mean what I think it means?¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m funny-lookin¡¯?¡± I smirked back at her.


    ¡°No, silly! Is¡­ Well, are we¡­?¡± She bit her lip.


    ¡°What¡¯s the term for ¡®dating¡¯ or ¡®courting¡¯ in Thesuvia?¡±


    Alana blushed and curled a lock of her hair. ¡°W-Well, the flirting stage is called ¡®chatting¡¯, the outing stage is ¡®dating¡¯, the snuggle stage is Cubskil, the fooling around stage is ¡®Hanskil¡¯, and the more serious stage is ¡®Neskil¡¯...¡±


    ¡°... We just spent a full night cuddling. Is there like, a gender specific term for a cuddler?¡±


    ¡°In native Thesuvian we would call each other boski and vaski.¡±


    ¡°Are you my vaski?¡±


    She blushed brightly. ¡°... I-If¡­ If you want¡­¡±


    ¡°I do want, but what do you want, vaski?¡±


    ¡°... I want my boski to come k-kiss me¡­¡± She held a finger in front of her lips, smiling to herself as I came over and gave her exactly what she asked for. The expression on her face was definitely worth the risk of morning breath, mostly because her breath smelled like creme de menthe.


    I pulled away in time for her to lay a hand on my face, contentment hitting home as I saw someone who liked me for who I was, who could probably fall for me if I didn¡¯t backslide with the progress I¡¯d made. For all my sins, I still wanted absolution; I still wanted to perform some kind of  penance for my crimes and I felt as if I would find it with Alana. Again, it was wrong for me to pin so much on the woman, but¡­ She felt special. She wasn¡¯t just the first that caught my eye since many women on my path had been more endowed and technically more ¡®beautiful¡¯ by some standards. It was just that Alana was the total package and just so happened to feel like home, even if we¡¯d only spent a couple weeks together. No single one of them could ever hope to match Alana¡¯s spirit, her grace. She was brutally bashful and reserved, but the one time someone had said something rude to me, she¡¯d nearly bitten the guy¡¯s head off before I could really reply. Bethany had told me that she was just really protective of the people she loved, and I appreciated the truth for what it was. I already meant something to Alana and she had a place with me too. However, I needed to get a shower and wash my mouth out because I was still a little hungover and was ready for a shower in my own home.


    I took my leave from Alana and her home to cross the courtyard to my place. Getting there kinda sucked since Allie wasn¡¯t behind the door, but I¡¯d arrived anyway just as Li-Oh was trying my door and finding it locked, so I got a chance to spook him early in the noon hours. I put my hand on his shoulder and he practically jumped out of his skin. ¡°Fuckwad-tickle-dick- Ah, fuck you, Gashua!¡±


    I chuckled at him and bumped his fist when it was offered. ¡°Sup, Li? I see you didn¡¯t bring your plublass.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was just gonna grab you and ask if you could help me string up my Aunt¡¯s pinan.¡±


    I looked that man in the eye. ¡°... Her what?¡±


    ¡°... Not your area of expertise, is it?¡± He pulled a face.


    ¡°Dude, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever even seen one. If it¡¯s not handheld, then it¡¯s a no-go.¡±


    ¡°Ah, fair enough. Fuck that old shosh anyway.¡± He shrugged. Shosh means something like ¡®Shitty, smelly person¡¯ in context. Otherwise, it just means ¡®Smelly person¡¯ without an expletive in the sentence. ¡°You wanna go shoot?¡±


    ¡°Man, you¡¯re filling a stereotype so hard these days.¡±


    ¡°Hey man, just because I¡¯m Amanese and like guns doesn¡¯t mean a damn thing!¡± He laughed at my casual racism.


    ¡°And just because I¡¯m a River Person doesn¡¯t mean Alana¡¯s kinky,¡± I reminded, chuckling.


    ¡°Speaking of, that was you I saw coming across the courtyard, right?¡±


    I pulled out the key to my house and unlocked my door. ¡°Hell yeah, and speaking of, I need some fuckin¡¯ water.¡±


    Li-Oh followed me in. ¡°You¡¯re so full of shit, man. You just got done ploughing a neighbor, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    I rolled my eyes and looked back at him. ¡°Why do you assume all River People are party-people? Half the ones at the Welcome Center end up asking for the Soft Hand anyway these days.¡±


    He scoffed. ¡°Just proves that you¡¯re made of cooler, sha-wae type stuff, man.¡±


    I didn¡¯t ask what the sha-thing meant since it was probably Amanese, focusing on getting some water. ¡°Me casa, su casa hombre. Help yourself.¡±


    ¡°I can slam.¡± He hopped over my island like the madman he was and landed in front of my icebox, digging through it to grab one of the ciclas, a popcicle. I bought them specifically for when he came over anyway, but most people were fond. ¡°Speaking of slamming, where were you coming from?¡±


    ¡°After you explain sha-wae.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it means ¡®Warrior Spirit¡¯, if you¡¯re into that kind of stuff.¡±


    ¡°Shit, I¡¯ve never been a warrior, man.¡± I chugged my glass and started filling it again. ¡°Anyway, I was coming back from Allie¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Ah, doing some gardening or something?¡± He asked sarcastically.


    ¡°Drinking liquor and¡­ what do you Septurns call that shit? ¡®Lip-lounging¡¯?¡±


    I watched his jaw drop as he grinned. ¡°Bravo, brova! And it¡¯s lipping-loungy, but way to go, my brova!¡± He offered me a congratulatory fist and I bumped it. ¡°So you¡¯re still taking it Thesuvian-Slow, I see.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s usually like this on Earth, man. People don¡¯t throw themselves into relationships where I¡¯m from.¡±


    He raised a brow. ¡°You River-¡±


    ¡°Hey man, understand where a lot of us are coming from,¡± I said, not willing to go down that route again. ¡°My Partner looked like a sexier version of my abusive ex-wife and actually treated me decently. Yeah, she was ordered to, but I only found that out because I¡¯m the one River Person that cared about that shit. Because I was suspicious of the person trying to help me out. A lot of people who killed themselves to get here are barely hanging onto a thread of sanity, Li. It doesn¡¯t take much for us to turn to the Soft Hand if the surrounding people aren¡¯t careful, so having someone as nice and generally attractive as a Partner being there for us? It¡¯s helpful early on.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t it hurt you more than help?¡±


    ¡°... You know I¡¯m a Moon Man, right?¡± I asked.


    He furrowed his brow. ¡°There aren¡¯t any Moon Men River People. They all either get caught by the Watchers or kill themselves later on.¡±


    I grabbed a lock of my hair. ¡°You don¡¯t think I do this shit myself, do you?¡±


    His jaw practically hit the floor all over again. ¡°... Brova¡­¡±


    I spread my hands. ¡°I got this far because of my relationship with Partners, man. The one that belonged to me got me going and the one that was lent to me kept me alive and taught me a lot.¡±


    ¡°My man, you have no idea how sha-wae-gon you are right now!¡± Li-Oh pointed his dripping cicla at me, getting the shit on my floor. He missed my look as he said, ¡°You¡¯re like Super River Man, Gatian!¡±


    ¡°Super River Man is about to make you clean his damn floor.¡±


    He looked at the mess he was making. ¡°... Don''t you have an Arca just for that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and using so many Arca over the past few months have made my hands go from a twenty-six-year-old¡¯s to a hexagenarians, Li. There isn¡¯t a healer in town that can patch Arca-Exhaustion, so I have to be careful.¡±


    Li-Oh ate the rest of his cold treat and grabbed some henny towels to wipe up the mess. ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know I can still dig up a catalyst for you on the UC, right?¡± ¡®UC¡¯ meaning ¡®Under-Cover¡¯


    ¡°... Have you been looking into that crap again? You know the catalysts around town are all bogus or faulty.¡± And they were, by and large. A few people had ended up in the clinic after being told they had the right Arch for some.


    He cleaned up and I lent a hand because I¡¯m not a prick. ¡°That¡¯s just the thing. I¡¯ve heard tell of a Mare that¡¯s only been handing them out to people who can pay the right price, and she only gives the right one to the right guy!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s saying she still has any?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re supposed to only work with certain kinds of Terru Archs, which is why they¡¯ve lasted as long as they have. Most of the common ones are already gone, but if you want to try your hand¡­?¡± He gave me a look.


    ¡°... Your Aunt doesn¡¯t even have a pinan.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Gatian! You know you¡¯re already in the market for one!¡±


    ¡°Just because I¡¯m Arca-inclined doesn¡¯t mean I want to be your glorified ADC, Li. I¡¯m trying to settle down.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be able to enchant stuff around the house, do more Arca, and-¡±


    I sighed, making him beam. ¡°If I say yes, will you test it for me?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. It¡¯s only for Tempest Archs.¡± I gave him the look of the day and he had the good grace to blush. ¡°So I had her hold onto it, just in case! So what?¡±


    ¡°... Fine, but if it doesn¡¯t work, it doesn¡¯t work. And I¡¯m not spending over a two-hundred holli on it.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Zenku said two-hundred was good for an adequate catalyst. I don¡¯t need one that bad.¡±


    Li-Oh gave me a look. ¡°Fine, but if I pitch in, then I want you to at least enchant my gear, man.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d do it for you anyway, Foo-Li.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s my sis- Ah shit. Stop with your puns,¡± He grunted.


    ¡°Foolie, Foo-li. Modern classic.¡± I sighed, draining my water. ¡°Are we gonna get a move on?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and you can tell me all about how Alana lips it.¡±


    ¡°Nah, but I can tell you that the woman has some fuckin¡¯ soft lips. I mean, I had to get another kiss before I left.¡±


    ¡°Just one?¡±


    I shoved him on my way past him. ¡°Just one. She¡¯s timid, man.¡±


    ¡°And so are you! You barely held her hand when we were out and about!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re taking it slow.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even kiss her! Not even at work!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m trying to get hired on as a tutor for Grata-non-Aquix and music, man.¡±


    He raised a brow. ¡°You don¡¯t know one of the Gratonid.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fluent in Aquix and I figured out a good bit of Longinus.¡±


    ¡°... Seriously?¡± Li-Oh asked, looking at me in a new light.


    ¡°... Yeah? It was pretty standard according to my mentor. Longinus was a hobby, but I got some more of the dance down with help from a cat-lady.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah, no man¡­ River People don¡¯t learn the Firearm-Flounce. Any style¡­¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Their Partners usually... Well, your Partner kinda sucked, didn¡¯t-¡±


    I jammed a finger in his chest. ¡°Stellara Inova was a good Partner, but she was a free woman at heart. I don¡¯t blame her for taking her freedom and running with it. I¡¯ll be damned if I let someone who doesn¡¯t know a fuckin¡¯ thing about that situation talk shit.¡±


    He raised his hands. ¡°Sorry, brova, no offense meant¡­ Figured you¡¯d be mad at her¡­¡±


    ¡°Why would I? I understand her choice and I support it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but¡­ If you know one of the Grantonid Forms¡­ Doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯ve used it...?¡±


    I leveled a calm look at him. ¡°Li-Oh, I¡¯ve killed people. I didn¡¯t need the Grantonid to do it.¡±


    ¡°Holy shit, man!¡± His face lit up. ¡°Then why won¡¯t you join my party!?¡±


    ¡°Because killing people hurts you more than them in the long run. It takes seconds, maybe hours to die from bleeding out. It takes decades to die from guilt.¡±


    The expression he wore told me I¡¯d hit him hard. ¡°... Oh.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ve seen my fair share, Li. It¡¯s not all it was cracked up to be, the life of a Seeker.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Can you still teach me Arca?¡±


    I grinned at him, feeling bad for shooting him in the foot metaphorically. ¡°Of course, man. I¡¯m not gonna hold out on you, but you¡¯re gonna need a catalyst of some kind.¡±


    Li picked up the pace. ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry, dude! She said I might be able to get one if I align with one!¡±


    I rolled my eyes, convinced the woman was already a charlatan like the last two Li-Oh had taken me to. He talked excitedly the entire way to the Centurn¡¯s part of town where relatives and fellow Centurns opened up homes and businesses to let people have a place to stay. I would¡¯ve opened up my own home to a family, but HHR (Holloway-High-Reach) had implemented a strict ¡®one family, one home¡¯ policy to stop their apartments from becoming tenements as some of the city had already. Speaking of, the further and further we went into Pony territory, the fewer Humans we saw. Naga slithered around in pairs from time to time, acting as the guards of that part of town since they were magically-resistant and were too heavy to be picked up by Pegasi. Li-Oh eventually pulled me through Red Light and Faet Light, both districts that were generally to be avoided. Alana would¡¯ve beaten his ass black and blue if she¡¯d known he¡¯d taken me through them, so he asked that I keep it quiet. I told him if we got into trouble, that he¡¯d better not expect me to handle everything as we landed in a part of town that seemed¡­ Untouched, I guess, by the struggles of the people who were passing through.


    The estate I saw was a little worn down to be sure, but by time rather than by Terru as with parts of Holloway Halter. There were tents and temporary lodgings all around the gates, but nothing from the refugees themselves seemed to have made it in. Li-Oh brought me to the Intra-Com-Box and said that we were customers for ¡®The Full Moon of the Castle¡¯, thus signalling for the gates to open. We slipped inside and only then did I notice that we were walking into a place I didn¡¯t really want to be. The Unicorns that had all been sitting down, looking downtrodden in general, had all stood up and were now watching us enter. More Unicorns came out of the estate and a few Pegasi swooped down, relieving me of my knife since I¡¯d neglected to bring Clockly with me. The guy who took my knife walked with us and grabbed Li-Oh¡¯s gun as well, taking off onto the porch and setting them in a lockbox.


    While we were being escorted inside, I rammed Li in the ribs with my elbow and got a pained squeak for my trouble. ¡°The fuck did you just take me, Li-Oh!?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cool! We¡¯re with the Center, remember?¡± He whispered back rubbing his side.


    ¡°I¡¯m not yet, fool.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine! Just play it cool, man.¡±


    We were walked up to the front doors where a secondary weapons check was performed and I got molested by a gay guy with jacked-up teeth. His smile made me feel dirty inside and reminded me of the fact that Li-Oh liked to mess around with really shady characters for some reason. Speaking of reasons, the one I had for coming with Li in the first place was fading until I could barely see it anymore, even as we were led through the house. My dumbass homie tried to keep the mood from getting too grim. However, when we were taken into the parlor, I couldn¡¯t have been much less enthused.


    I locked eyes with Rudy Rhubarb and Lumo Sheldrake themselves, though only one of them seemed to recognize me at all. ¡°... Goner? Gatle Goner?¡±


    Panic flooded my veins. ¡°Um¡­ Gaitan?¡±


    Rudy sat back in her chair, eyeing me carefully while Lumo huffed. ¡°Why have you come, Gatian?¡±


    I looked at Li-Oh and saw him beaming. ¡°We came for-¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t talking to you, Human.¡± Rudy spat. She nodded toward me. ¡°What have you come for, Gatian?¡±


    ¡°... A catalyst. One for a Tempestian.¡±


    Lumo rolled his eyes. ¡°You Humans always think you can handle a catalyst without proper training. If we sell one to you, what would you do with it?¡±


    I raised a brow at him. ¡°Do Kings really care what peasants do?¡±


    Lumo smiled. ¡°That. That was a very good answer.¡± He snapped his fingers, his horn lit up, and from beneath him and came an ornate box inlaid with silver or platinum and chased in gold or some kind of polished vronia. Both existed on Septural, but vronia was more useful for containing magical items.


    Rudy studied me carefully. ¡°... You recognize me, don¡¯t you Gatian?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°You look familiar.¡±


    ¡°So do you.¡±


    Lumo gave her a jealous look. ¡°Dear cousin, we¡¯re in no position to be taking consorts or the like.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    He opened the box and said, ¡°That aside, stick your hand in here. Whatever sticks to you is most likely to work for you.¡±


    I came over and tentatively stuck my hand inside. ¡°... So¡­?¡±


    ¡°You can pull it out now.¡±


    I pulled it out and two stuck to me. One was a short wand that was partially made of metal and partially made of wood, the two materials seeming to have been melted together. Then there was a ring with a large black jewel and a grey cut in the center that seemed to billow as it stuck to my finger. ¡°... Okay then.¡±


    ¡°Tempestian, as he said.¡± Rudy made an approving face. ¡°Smart for a Choret.¡±


    Lumo raised a brow. ¡°That¡¯s no Choret, cousin. Listen to him speak.¡±


    She smiled at me. ¡°Then why does he have moon-hair?¡±


    The former King looked to me, rolling his eyes.  ¡°The wand I understand, but the ring makes no sense.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°If you stuck to the wand, then you lean towards the Storm Tempest. If it was just the ring, you¡¯d be Wind.¡±


    I looked to Li and he seemed kinda jealous. ¡°Double fuckin¡¯ pooled. Not fair.¡±


    ¡°Watch the language, man,¡± I said quietly.


    The Centurn King and the leader of the Centurn Mob both chuckled at that. ¡°Spent some time in the Dale, have you?¡±


    I looked back to Lumo. ¡°I have, but it was a short visit and it was before the War. Which one can I buy?¡±


    He looked at me. ¡°... You don¡¯t seriously think you can pass up the Storm Wand, do you?¡±


    ¡°It would be unwise for yourself and inconvenient for us.¡± Rudy droned, inspecting her nails. ¡°Storm-Tempest Archs are rare anyway, and Tempestians are usually Wind.¡±


    I pulled the ring off of my finger and put it back in the box, taking the wand for myself. After a moment to cast one of the few typeless Arca I was comfortable with these days, I let out a low whistle. ¡°Two hundred holli and a seventy-five bits.¡±


    Rudy raised a brow, Lumo having turned to her in the first place. ¡°You would-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a B Rank flat. It¡¯s only worth two hundred holli here. The bits are for the trouble you had in getting here.¡±


    Lumo frowned but Rudy grinned. ¡°So you know your stuff. How about we up the ante?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°The catalyst for your named price, but you enchant something for me. How does that sound? I even know the incantation.¡±


    I waved the wand. ¡°The named price and the enchantment, but I want a catalyst for my adventuresome friend here.¡±


    Lumo picked one out and tossed it at him. ¡°Earth catalysts are a dime a dozen. That one¡¯s aligned with his rank, so take pleasure in making my wife happy.¡± And yes, Lumo was talking about his cousin.


    Li-Oh held the bracelet with awe in his eyes, so I looked back to see Rudy clapping her hands. Without a word being spoken, a white-metal sword was brought to us and presented to me. ¡°This the thing?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± she said, her voice silky smooth. ¡°The enchantment is ¡®ma hol weeke¡¯.¡±


    ¡°... Ma hol weeke.¡± I said, catching her inflections and mimicking them perfectly.


    Li-Oh almost cracked up before I thumped him a good one, the enchantment coming to life as I waved the wand over the sword. I didn''t know if that was exactly what I was supposed to do, but it worked nonetheless. Rudy smiled. ¡°For future reference, you only have to point at the object you want to enchant.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Are we free to leave?¡±


    ¡°Tell me, Gatian¡­ Did you think I wouldn¡¯t see you for who you are?¡±


    ¡°I kinda hoped that you wouldn¡¯t, but that¡¯s because who I am is an idiot.¡±


    She stopped smiling. ¡°... I believe I must be mistaken, then. Take care, and do not leave without paying.¡±


    I took out two credit cards (pieces of metal worth money at a bank.) and three twenty-five bit coins. ¡°It was a pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Likewise.¡± Lumo said haughtily. ¡°Do let us know how your endeavors turn out.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°If our paths cross again, then of course. People always need more friends.¡±


    Lumo didn¡¯t take the news too well, but we were dismissed nonetheless and I narrowly avoided getting captured by the Pony Royalty for a second time. We collected our weapons, got off property, and Li-Oh started bombarding me with questions and I only answered the last one. ¡°Yo, Gatian, that was brilliant! It¡¯s like you knew everything to say, how to say it, and how!? How in the world did you come up with that King line!? Pure genius!¡±


    We were nearly out of the Pony quarter by the time he shut up long enough for me to hit him in the arm harder than I¡¯d ever hit a person. ¡°You fuckin¡¯ asswipe.¡±


    ¡°Yeow! What was that for!?¡±


    ¡°Li, that was King Lumo and Rudy fuckin¡¯ Rhubarb.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°I was in Ponydale when the Char Army ran through. Equinaire, or whatever the capital was had fallen hours before I got there.¡± I explained, thoroughly unamused.


    ¡°So!?¡±


    ¡°If Rudy figured out who I was, there¡¯s no guarantee your connections would¡¯ve done a damned thing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so sha-wae! A Warrior with connections like that!?¡±


    ¡°Li, you ass, they would¡¯ve kidnapped me. Again.¡±


    ¡°Oh, holy shit! Brova, you are so cool! How did you escape them and the Char? Were they as fearsome as they¡¯re said to be? What was it like?¡±


    I paused, memories I didn¡¯t want spending far too long in my head. ¡°Li¡­ I barely made it out of their castle and... The Char killed my mentor in front of me. Destroyed a place I called home for a couple months. Pushed a lot of people out of their own homes¡­ How can you glorify any of this, man?¡±


    He stared at me. ¡°... Because it¡¯s the best opportunity for adventure and glory since like, ever!?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Don¡¯t get yourself killed, Li-Oh. And next time? I need names.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have any faith, man! I¡¯ll show you and all the nonbelievers that Li-Oh Noto was made to slay Char!¡± And he ignored ninety-percent of the fact that he¡¯d almost gotten me captured. Li was an actual idiot, but his heart¡¯s still mostly golden.


    I rubbed my temple, the ache building rapidly in my noggin. ¡°Right. In the meantime, how about I read up on some enchantments and we figure out what¡¯s best for your gear?¡±


    Li beamed. ¡°Sounds good to me. I think I¡¯m gonna try a few Arca with this catalyst!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it. You know you¡¯re not a very high rank.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I can still fling rocks pretty well!¡±


    What he left out was that he could only do it three times before needing to quit, and without a catalyst it was only a party trick good for sport or hunting. I warned him again and ended up going home, wondering what all I could do with my wand now that I had it. The thing was weighty and seemed like it would be as good as an awl as a wand, but that would probably ruin it or something. I decided to try casting Fuldis with some oomph behind it and pushed myself bak a bit, a pulse of steam and electricity flying from the wand. It stopped after a good while but I was glad that I¡¯d aimed it upward. Shit probably could¡¯ve killed someone if I¡¯m not mistaken, so I stowed my wand and hurried home, not very sure if I should¡¯ve listened to Li-Oh this time.


    Looking back on the events of the past couple days, it¡¯s been good, Booksy. I finally spent the night alone with Alana. Nothing really happened, but so much happened at the same time. We got to talk, dance, sing. And I got to see the flirty side of Alana that so rarely shows its face. Then there was the fact that she was just so heart-stoppingly adorable already, which didn¡¯t help or hurt anything really. If anything it just makes me want to spend more time with her, but I can¡¯t help but see the folly in that idea.


    As for finding a suitable catalyst that apparently makes my Arca more¡­ Lethal¡­ I can¡¯t help but wonder if Rudy really did see me¡­ See the Bard. There was a light in her eyes I didn¡¯t like when I left with Li, and I think trouble might be brewing if I ever go further north¡­ I think it¡¯d be best to calm down on the music for a little while¡­ What do you think, Booksy? I don¡¯t want to get kidnapped again, and I don¡¯t want Alana to be in danger¡­ Here¡¯s hoping the Rhubarb Ranch doesn¡¯t do any poking around. I honestly thought I left those fucks behind in Ponydale. Gotta hit Li again for damn near ending the life I¡¯m living. I¡¯m sure Alana might do it for me.

 Damage Control

    All anyone could talk about was how the war was going, inside and outside of the Welcome Center. River People and their Partners were all largely terrified and now folks were starting to flee all the way to Teh Se Bang in an effort to stay alive. The Pony Migration had all but ended in the past week with the ¡®Moon and Shadow¡¯ having passed over the town. After a lot of thought and plenty of patience, I halted my music for the time being until I was sure that they were gone, though in that time I was actually presented with a title before becoming a tutor at the Welcome Center. With my ¡®mastery¡¯ over Grata-non-Aquix, decent command of Gratana-nuva-Longinus, and apropos with Arca, I earned the title of ¡®Trademaster¡¯. It was a step below ¡®Onemaster¡¯ which in turn was a step below ¡®Grandmaster¡¯. Apparently breaking up fight after fight for the Welcome Center had me considered as one of the most powerful guys around town because I was one of the few willing to keep the peace between more than three or four people, which is right around the time my life got complicated. Granted, the three months of peace had been nice during my stay, but the going never stays good, in my experience.


    There was another Onemaster that I¡¯d kept hearing about that came to town last night. It didn¡¯t take him long to start making a fuss at the Welcome Center, but I was at home with Alana when all of that was going down. We¡¯d chosen maple bourbon as our drink for the night and we mostly just relaxed to the sounds of other musicians. I¡¯d made a habit of listening to other people for inspiration, but Alana often made the assumption that I just didn¡¯t think I was good and had stopped playing for the same reason. I told her it wasn¡¯t true time and time again, and last night was no different. She eventually went home since she had work in the morning, but I didn¡¯t have to be there until noon. I usually walked with her anyway since the early morning can be a bit dangerous in Holloway Halter, but it¡¯s not like Alana couldn¡¯t reasonably handle herself. I didn¡¯t like risking it, but it wasn¡¯t because I thought she was incapable. There was just no room for trust in my heart for the average person anymore after someone had tried to rob the shop Coma worked out. He didn¡¯t kill the woman, but she was still in the hospital all the same.


    Anyway, we rose separately and walked to work together, finding evidence of yet another brawl. For the hundredth time that month, cleaning staff was setting the foyer back in order and it was as tedious as it was the first time, if not more so. Alana and I pitched in despite it not being our jobs, but then again most of the Welcome Center staff help out to keep the second home looking good. Once everything was cleaned up and we had the story in all its pieces, I agreed to stay up front with the Greeters just in case the guy came back. Lo¡¯ and behold, he returned a little earlier and saw me glaring at him as he swaggered his way in. Halfway down the carpet, he froze, my eyes widened, and I hopped over the counter to go greet an old friend.


    I walked up to my former sub and extended a hand. ¡°Damn. Been a while, boyo.¡±


    ¡°... Ga-Gatian?¡± He asked, his hair longer than before. It was still well-kempt, just in his eyes now. ¡°... That can¡¯t be you¡­¡±


    ¡°Sup, Max?¡± I raised a brow. ¡°Heard you were raising hell in here last night and I wasn¡¯t even around to play anything.¡±


    His face brightened and I got a hug, giving one back in turn. ¡°Holy shit, it¡¯s really you, bruv! I thought you died after Algmund got Gloss home!¡±


    I patted his back. ¡°Nah, you know nothing takes down Gatling Gatian, Max. How¡¯ve you been, man? I¡¯ve heard about the Onemaster thing.¡±


    He let me go, scratching his ruddy cheek. ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯ve been better, I guess¡­ Sorry about causing trouble on your turf, mate.¡±


    I gave him an easy smile. ¡°For a friend? All¡¯s forgiven. Why don¡¯t you try playing nice this time and I¡¯ll introduce you to everyone?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not a good idea¡­ I¡¯m not going to do anything else, but you should really be more ready to defend yourself, mate. It¡¯s not a good idea to leave your home turf unprotected these days.¡±


    ¡°I know, but it¡¯s not like I should be doing patrols or some shit, right?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°No, but¡­ Raphtal has a presence here in Thesuvia too, Gatian. You¡¯re still an honorary member if you have the badge.¡±


    I stared at him for a moment, pulled out my trusty, over-worn wallet and produced the seal. ¡°Damn. I forgot I had this.¡±


    He beamed, his cheeks pink instead of red. ¡°... Glad you kept it, mate¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course. I also kept one of your drumsticks.¡±


    Alana came up beside me, a little shaky. ¡°U-Uh, Ga-Gatian?¡±


    Max shot her a dirty look before he noticed the finger in his face. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°You might outrank me, but that¡¯s my sweetheart, Max. My vaski.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Oh. Oh¡­ Yeah.¡± He tapped his chin, looking at her. ¡°You always did like the tall ones best, didn''t you?¡±


    ¡°Taller and sweeter I find them much neater.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ I guess after so much time I should¡¯ve figured you would¡¯ve gotten the uumpas out of your system.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is, but I don¡¯t like where this conversation is going. Alana, Max. Max, Alana.¡± I introduced.


    Max nodded at her. ¡°Treat him well, okay? I¡¯ll rip your hair out otherwise.¡±


    Alana paled. ¡°O-Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Max, don¡¯t threaten my vaski.¡±


    ¡°You used to threaten mine all the time! I remember you spanking her on more than one occasion!¡± He snitched brutally, making Alana¡¯s hands fly over over her mouth and making the peanut gallery gasp.


    I glared at Max. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to say any of that. It was a different time and a different relationship.¡±


    ¡°Gatian!¡± My girlfriend gasped.


    I gave her a pleading look. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later, Alliebear, just not now.¡± Turning back to Max, I said, ¡°Can I talk to you? Outside?¡±


    ¡°Embarrassed of me already?¡± He pouted.


    I leaned in real close and whispered, ¡°Daddy¡¯s about to pound that ass raw, no lube, if you don¡¯t shut the fuck. Up.¡±


    His eyes widened and he blushed deeply. ¡°... I see. I¡¯ll be waiting outside.¡±


    He backed away. I looked at Alana and her disappointed face. ¡°Yeeah¡­ I¡¯m sorry, baby, I used to be a deviant when my Partner first abandoned me. It¡¯s not what it sounds like, but it¡¯s kinda what it sounds like. That¡¯s not me anymore, okay?¡±


    She touched her cheek. ¡°I¡­ I believe you, but¡­ Why¡­ Why didn¡¯t you tell me you had a past?¡±


    ¡°... Because I thought everyone in that past was either dead or had abandoned me?¡± I tried, not really sure myself.


    ¡°... That¡¯s a¡­ That¡¯s okay, Gatian. You don¡¯t have to sound unsure.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just not sure if that¡¯s all of it, vaski. I¡¯ll be back in a bit, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ Just¡­ Don¡¯t get hurt, okay?¡±


    I prepared to answer her and rethought it. ¡°No promises, but I will be back.¡±


    And so I left with the crew watching me go, greeting Max when I got outside. He looked back at me and said, ¡°You¡¯re straight now, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I pulled a face. ¡°Yeah, pretty much.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Spent so long without another guy in sight I just lost the taste for them I guess.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s okay¡­ Do you mind if I bring Gloss to come visit you sometime? I know she¡¯d love to hear that you made it at least.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Feel free. Say, do you know anything about the Weavers?¡±


    Max rolled his eyes. ¡°Sootina¡¯s fake secret-group-thing? Yeah, whatever it was, it had the Mare in her head half the time and staring at her nails the other half.¡±


    I looked him dead in the eye. ¡°You really don¡¯t know anything about the Songweavers?¡±


    ¡°Who writes songs these days besides you and people who want to get stockaded?¡±


    He had a point and a truth in his eyes. ¡°The Songweavers are real, Max. Sootina sold me out to them.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Sootina was cursed by an old organization and she sold me out to them. It¡¯s why she was so friendly to me in the first place.¡±


    His face fell. ¡°Sootina¡­ She¡­ She was working two sides?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Damn...¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I know you had to hear it.¡±


    ¡°Does¡­ Does that mean she had something to do with the Char?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but I do know that she was some kind of wicked. I killed her for betraying both me and you.¡±


    Max, patted my arm, looking down. ¡°... I guess¡­ I guess I knew Sootina was always a snake¡­ Thanks for telling me, Gatian.¡±


    ¡°I owe you a lot, Max. If you ever need to get off your turf for a while and kick back, you¡¯ve got a place in my home. I live in Docile Eight, by the way. It¡¯s one of the bigger ones in the Holloway High-Reach.¡±


    ¡°Oh, one of the Halter Heights? You have your own place?¡± He asked, raising a brow.


    ¡°You know the banks of Gerritt and Chorell are still up and running, right? Plus I had plenty on me from my travels and work.¡±


    ¡°Wow, so you would¡¯ve been a great target!¡± Max chuckled, glad for the change of subject.


    ¡°If you could survive the encounter. I¡¯ve killed a few people since last we met.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t we all? It¡¯s the tides these days, and being a Onemaster comes with plenty of challenges.¡± He sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll put the word to Raphtal that Holloway is our grounds now. Things ought to get cleaned up around here before winter sets in.¡±


    ¡°I have no problem joining the fold, but what do you mean by ¡®cleaned up¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Raphtal is housing refugees for the winter in the Old Guild Stronghold, so there¡¯s plenty of room for a few thousand people, plus it¡¯s practically a tent city now. A lot of Ponies have been talking about settling down for good and making a trade with catalysts and the like.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. Word here is that the Migration was halted, but no one knew why.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be the OGS then. There aren¡¯t a great many Ponies still trying to make it back to the islands or even further to the other continent.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of, I never hear anyone talk about the other continents.¡±


    ¡°Well, Avalon is the better one of the known two. There¡¯s the Old World and Avalon as far as we know. Fraust Bastion isn¡¯t really a continent since no one can live there.¡±


    ¡°... So there¡¯s an entire world¡¯s worth of history on the other side of the planet that I¡¯ve never heard about?¡±


    ¡°Kinda. The Old World is said to be cursed or something, but few enough people take the Liar¡¯s Straight past Denosia anyway. Shit¡¯s just not worth going through the Sea of Sorrow.¡±


    I bit my lip. ¡°Not foreboding. Not foreboding at all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very foreboding, which is why people don¡¯t go there. Speaking of going places, you wanna have a quick sparring match?¡±:


    ¡°We¡¯re masters of two very different arts, Max. I think you¡¯d win anyway.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me beg!¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°There¡¯s a training room in the Welcome Center. We stop at first blood, okay?¡±


    He gave me a crooked smile that made me remember good days. ¡°Then what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go!¡±


    And so I led him to the training room and we gathered an audience just by heading in that general direction. People asked and Max answered, meaning that our small following soon became a full audience sitting in the bleachers and standing on the sideline. The people closest to the action had Shield Arca or wards of other kinds at the ready while the staff, if they couldn¡¯t cast Arca, kept things orderly and maintained the peace while Max and I got ready. I loaded Clockly and set my speed-loader with half non-lethals and the other half Arca bullets, the same set up already in my gun. I wouldn¡¯t need my knife, but I had my wand on me just in case I needed a way to cheat. When I remembered that Max was faster than I could see, I also reminded myself to be a little scared.


    Bethany was the referee and commenced the match once we were both ready, neither of us really wanting to prolong things. Max had his reasons and I had mine, but I figured that my best opening move would be a pumped up Umbralisis that didn¡¯t stop Max from moving at all. It just slowed him down to the point where I could actually follow his movements, but that didn''t mean that I wasn¡¯t getting hit left and right. He was still a lot faster than I could normally react, so I got hit time and time again, but never in the face. It would¡¯ve been a quick fight if he¡¯d just hit me in the face a few times, but instead, Max let me get a charged Fuldis off and blast him with it. I¡¯d had to shoot it from under my opposite arm since I was covering my head and the easy-bleedy bits, but it worked out for the best. He went flying back and landed with a bounce off of the padded floors of the training room, twitching and jerking as he tried to get back to his feet.


    Pretty much everything was aching pretty hard as I walked over to Max, but I doubted that I was feeling what he was feeling. The guy didn¡¯t honestly hit that hard, but I couldn''t get a lock on him with Grata-non-Aquix so I had to use Arca, even if it wasn¡¯t how I wanted to pin. There was a poke with my wand, meaning Max was bleeding and I was declared the winner, but I was well aware of the fact that the only reason I won was because Max held back in the first place. Well, at least that¡¯s what I thought until I talked to him after releasing both of the Arca I had on him


    ¡°Stupid Arca. Stupid Gatian. Stupid slowness!¡± Max cursed in the locker room he¡¯d been guided to after the match. I¡¯d heard a racket being raised from the doorway, so I figured it was pretty pertinent to get in there before he damaged more property.


    ¡°Hey, bud. You alright?¡± I asked cautiously, coming in.


    He was in my face in a moment. ¡°How did you kill my Lightning-Speed!? That shouldn¡¯t have been possible without a real powerful Shadow Arca! And how did your Lightning Arca get so strong? I remember you being almost useless with Arca back in the day!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m lower B Rank, Max. It¡¯s just the matchup, I guess.¡±


    ¡°The matchup? The matchup? I couldn¡¯t even land a hit on your face! I could¡¯ve won that in one punch if it weren¡¯t for the matchup!¡± He groaned.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I smirked.


    Max glared at me. ¡°You¡¯re an arse.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a sore loser.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m- Okay, yeah, so?¡±


    ¡°Just pointing it out, Maxxie.¡± More like Maxipad.


    He sighed. ¡°I guess that just means you really have gotten stronger than you were before...¡°


    ¡°Max, I just happened to use a Shadow Arca on you at first glance. I didn¡¯t even know that it would do anything other than stick you to your shadow.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know I¡¯d win in a real fight, but it still sucks.¡±


    I rubbed my aching ribs, grimacing. ¡°Just asking, but-¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was being serious to see where you were. Sorry for going so hard in a spar, but I needed to know if I could train you up a bit. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aching.¡±


    The shitty look I gave him was met with a blush. ¡°Yeah. Shithead.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t have any healing magic¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, iffin¡¯ you¡¯re doin¡¯ the okay dance, I¡¯m gonna go get my fucking ribs wrapped. You probably cracked two.¡± I said truthfully, having done it enough times to know the feeling.


    ¡°Oh... My bad.¡±


    ¡°S¡¯all good. I¡¯m just gonna shoot you next time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rude.¡±


    ¡°So¡¯s breaking my ribs, Max.¡±


    ¡°It takes longer to heal from getter shot.¡±


    I hit him in the dick when he wasn¡¯t on guard and his eyes widened as he doubled over. ¡°There. Even.¡±


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you get for being a dick.¡±


    He nodded, sinking to his knees. ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°See you at my place. Holloway Heights, Docile Eight.¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± He held up a thumb.


    I shook it. ¡°Yergaeboi.¡±


    ¡°Whaa?¡±


    I left after getting away with it because I could and went to go see Hasha because she was the resident nurse. She was already looking for me alongside Alana, and they were both quick to fret over me and my rapidly bruising form. It had been some time since the fight when I found them, so Hasha was quick to ask if I could feel anything terribly injured and I pointed her to my purpling ribs. She got a poultice on them and Alana help quite competently, not really acting half as nervous as she had been before. She was definitely a healer and it showed in the look on her face as she wrapped my left arm too, a decent amount of bruising there from my blocking. It could¡¯ve been worse and it could¡¯ve been better, but I was certain that I¡¯d almost gotten my ass handed to me. When Hasha and Alana said I was good to go and rest, I started off towards the exit.


    Alana caught up to me and I gave her a little smile. ¡°Hey, Allie. How¡¯s it going?¡±


    Her countenance had worry and concern written across it. ¡°... Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Probably gonna go train for a bit and sharpen up my Grata-non-Aquix. Then I¡¯ll probably be Arca-crafting all night.¡±


    ¡°... But you won¡­ Right?¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°The only reason I won was due to Max not being able to hit my face. I got outclassed and was lucky. If I didn¡¯t cast that first spell, he probably would¡¯ve done even more damage.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s what Bethany said¡­¡±


    ¡°She is one of the wiser friends in our group. Li-Oh could learn something from her,¡± I droned.


    ¡°Gatian¡­ Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I will be. Just a hell of a wake up call.¡±


    She reached for me and I had no reason to deny her, so I got my hug and enjoyed it too. It was a nice, warm hug that felt amazing, but I also needed to get home and start practicing, so I bid Alana goodbye and got to stepping since I didn¡¯t have anything to do at work. I¡¯d cleared it with my supervisor/coordinator, so it was cool. I¡¯d collected a few books over my years and there were a few more that the Welcome Center had lent me to sharpen my skills, I just hadn¡¯t gotten around to viewing anything yet. That being said, even with cracked ribs and a kinda-fractured forearm, I practiced Grata-non-Aquix for four hours straight, speeding up and slowing down the forms as my muscles screamed in protest. I did it until I couldn¡¯t feel the ache anymore and every movement flowed into another one way or the other. It wasn¡¯t Lucine¡¯s mastery, but it had its own Gatian-brand magic to it that I hoped wouldn¡¯t get me killed. After two more hours of flowing through my known bits of the Grantonid, I started in on some Arca books and got to spellcrafting.


    Now, I¡¯ve never mentioned how any of my Arca came to be, and the thing is that they¡¯re mostly personalized. Most people that use Arca make them using their preferred syllables, and those that make them use them for a specific purpose. There¡¯s a lot of ways to do the same thing depending on the inflection you use when casting Arca, which was part of the reason why Thesuvians and Centurns were so good with Terru. Their native languages needed a lot of articulation and precise pronunciation to speak correctly, so they were largely superior with Arca. That, and there was a way to shortcut with tares that other races just didn¡¯t get, but Luce had only had to teach me to do it twice. Things like making brooms sweep, starting fires, washing dishes with only a rag, and making light were all on the table for Average Andy/Andir. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Most of my Arca were utilitarian or household type things that I could use instead of trying to do things myself, but my combat Arca were the ones that kinda fucked up my hands. Things are generally easier and less painful with an adequate catalyst, and it¡¯s really hard to not see. The only reason I was making more Arca for combat rather than using the ones that I had was because I needed to deepen my arsenal in order to combat more obstacles. I didn¡¯t know what all accompanied being a Trademaster, but I had a feeling that I was supposed to be the protector of the town or something of the sort. As such, I fully intended on protecting my new home and the people within it. Especially since a Onemaster had kicked my ass.


    With that in mind, my first new Arca was another Storm Arch, and it was Fulmacosadoma, and it was definitely one that attracted attention when I used it outside in the courtyard of my complex. It was a shield spell for sure, but it was also predominantly made of translucent clouds and arcs of lightning. It took about as much Terru to cast as Zeotsu, but it was far more useful than just hurling a bolt of lightning at someone. I could maintain it for a full forty-five seconds before it started to waver, but three-quarters of a minute was fantastic for a first run. A little experimentation taught me that it was bullet proof, but that the length of which I could hold the spell was directly tied to how much damage and other Arca I threw at it. Most of Clockly¡¯s shots only shaved seconds off when I cast the Arca around a random wooden post, but Zeotsu nearly shaved the time by a third. Doing all I had in such a short period of time meant that the sun was setting and the Terru was dwindling, but I still had two Arca I needed to try casting.


    Fulmacosadoma took some time to say and therefore cast, but Murka was simple and easy. It provided a deep fog that was nearly impossible to see through wherever I walked within its confines, but even when  I got up to my docile and looked out across the courtyard I had a hard time seeing any of the houses on the first floor. Shit was damn near impossible except for the ones that had brightly colored doors. The sunset only made the doors seem to glow in the fog, but that wasn¡¯t my main concern. No, someone had gotten lost in the fog and was calling for help, so I alighted to ground level and cast the compliment to Murka, which was Illuminai, which let me see through the fog specifically created by Murka. I got to the person with no problems and had them help me test some things in exchange for a few holli, which turned out to be for the best. Even with magical lights all over the fog, it was impossible to see another person unless you were close enough to touch them with your elbow, and even then it was still troublesome to make out the other person. However, with Illuminai, the fog was as good as a light misting and even helped me see people within the fog by making them have a very slight glow to them.


    After I settled those two Arca, I dissipated the fog, turned off Illuminai, and went inside to drink the pain away. Even as I got my buzz on, the exhaustion that usually hit me with spiced rum was nowhere to be found, but I did enjoy my drink. Sip after sip, all I could think of was how Max had creamed my corn and had violently shown me that I wasn¡¯t worthy of being called a master of anything. He came to my place around three in the morning when the moons were high and I was feeling pretty good. He had a black eye and looked like he¡¯d cleaned up a nosebleed recently, giving my half-drunk brain cause for concern.


    ¡°... Yo, you good, Max?¡± My brows had furrowed and I¡¯d stood aside waving him in.


    ¡°... You¡­ You got some mean friends, mate.¡± He chuckled, walking in and looking around. ¡°... This all yours?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, everything in here is mine or will be if someone doesn¡¯t come back to take it.¡± I shrugged. ¡°What do you mean by I got some ¡®mean friends¡¯?¡±


    Max cracked a smile. ¡°I mean you¡¯re not the only sleeping mondi in this town.¡± Mondi means ¡®threat¡¯, for the record. ¡°Some of your friends from the Welcome Center thought you were gonna kick my ass for raising shite yesterday. You didn¡¯t, so they did.¡±


    ¡°... They beat up a Onemaster?¡±


    He snorted, smirking. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for our contest, they wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance. They stole your Arca and added an Earth Arch to it. Shit got my feet stuck in the ground and they chucked whatever they could find at me. Dirty, but smart.¡± Max smiled fondly.


    ¡°I forgot you were a masochist.¡± I commented.


    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you are.¡±


    ¡°... Fuck you, but a little humbling is what I came for anyway.¡±


    My brow raised and I sipped my drink, liquid courage in my veins. ¡°Hell, I¡¯d like to try my Grata-non-Aquix against you sometime, even if you don¡¯t go full speed. Seeing how fast I can get the forms under pressure would be good.¡±


    He looked at my glass. ¡°When did you start drinking?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ After Luce died? I think.¡±


    ¡°You know River People-¡±


    ¡°And Thesuvian¡¯s aren¡¯t supposed to have the relationships you had with me, Sootina, and Gloss all at the same time.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s a fair point, but then again, the only people like that are the Tebang and Sebang.¡±


    I had to think about that, remembering that ¡®Te¡¯ and ¡®Se¡¯ basically meant ¡®Sea¡¯ and ¡®Fire¡¯. I¡¯d never heard either term before away from Li¡¯s Dad and precious few Bir¡¯rens I¡¯d met. ¡°Fire-crotch.¡±


    ¡°You liked it!¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°What can I say? You¡¯re cute and abusable.¡±


    ¡°What, so you only slept with me because you could hurt me?¡±


    ¡°No, I slept with you because you were cute, fun, and made a great addition to the band.¡±


    He gave me a satisfied look. ¡°I can live with that.¡±


    ¡°Good, because the other reason is the ass you had back in Hooversdum, which you no longer have.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s mean.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±


    He took a step toward me. ¡°You know¡­ We¡¯re all alone right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d really rather not.¡±


    ¡°I can live with that too.¡± He sighed. ¡°Getting action in Thesuvia is hard.¡±


    ¡°Dye your hair and say you¡¯re a River Person.¡±


    ¡°Arrestable offense.¡±


    ¡°Ask a nice lady what she wants in a man.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s actually a good idea. I¡¯d do that now, but I¡¯d really rather not at this time of night.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s when the real whores are out anyway. We¡¯ll ask some of my friends who didn¡¯t throw shit at you in the morning.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see any faces, so I dunno who it was.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll ask around and see if I can find someone if you want to confront someone.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I was a real prick the first day I was here trying to draw out the new Trademaster. If I¡¯d known it was you, I would¡¯ve just asked.¡±


    ¡°Eh, the past is the past. Do you want to sit up and talk some more, or¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°Want a drink to help close those eyes?¡±


    ¡°Whatcha got?¡±


    I went over and picked up my flask. ¡°Whatcha want?¡±


    ¡°Well, my favorite for a casual sip is a Syrupine Spirit.¡±


    I poured it for him into one of the glasses from my carousel and handed it to him. ¡°Give it a shot.¡±


    He raised a brow and sipped the brew, approval written across his face. ¡°Uncanny.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good like that. Let¡¯s grab some blankets and a pillow and we¡¯ll fold the couch out.¡±


    ¡°It folds out? How did you manage to get one of those!?¡±


    ¡°Connections.¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust them. If it¡¯s all the same to you, I¡¯ll just sleep on the cushions.¡±


    ¡°All¡¯s well, but blankets and pillows are still needed.¡±


    And so they were delivered and I got to go to sleep after realizing that I¡¯d been waiting up for Max. Once we¡¯d chatted a bit and the sleep was present, I had a good dream about counting sheep and riding said sheep as they hopped on fences. Once that dream was over, I awoke to arguing that hadn¡¯t quite risen above a dull roar. Alana and Max were hissing at each other in my living room when I came out, and both of them looked at me as I glared at them. A middle finger was raised, but neither of them looked at it. Alana¡¯s nose sprung a bloody leak and Max licked his lips, both of them looking towards my hips. I then looked down and saw that my dongle was dangling out of my drawers, so I stuffed the salami back into the pack and glared at them harder.


    ¡°Shut the hell. Up. Ya boy tryna catch his beauty rest.¡±


    Max pointed at Alana. ¡°She started it! I was just sleeping when she came in out of nowhere and woke me up!¡±


    Alana pointed right back at him. ¡°You abused your authority as a Onemaster to get away with harassing Welcome Center staff and then you had the gall to go to the victors house!¡±


    ¡°The inn wouldn¡¯t let me get a room!¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re an arse!¡±


    ¡°I just needed a good fight!¡±


    I walked back into my room while they were arguing and came out with my wand. Alana took notice first and shut up, prompting Max to shut up and look at me. ¡°... Whatcha doin¡¯ with that wand, Gatian?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m about to make an example out of the next one who tries arguing about bullshit in my house,¡± I said plainly. ¡°Would someone like to continue the conversation?¡±


    Alana shook her head and Max gave me a look. ¡°I¡¯ll apologize, but I want an apology too.¡±


    ¡°Reasonable.¡± I nodded.


    He turned to Alana and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making an arse of myself and belittling the Welcome Center folk. I probably won¡¯t do it again here now that Gatian¡¯s around.¡±


    Alana glanced at me and I waved my hand from side to side. ¡°... As long as you don¡¯t start anymore trouble, I won¡¯t make any more trouble for you.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± Max offered her a hand.


    She shook it cautiously, and when Max pulled her down to his level, I cast, ¡°Parkus¡¯, which was just a small ball of electricity that made someone¡¯s day worse.


    Max had barely just opened his mouth and curled his lip when the ball hit him, shocking the shit out of the guy since catalysts amplify power. He let go of Alana when he was done being shocked and looked at me. ¡°... Ow. Not just ow, but ow!¡±


    ¡°The next one won¡¯t be as gentle, Max.¡±


    ¡°Message clear. I think I oughta-¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He nodded and left, leaving Alana to come over to me and watch him go along with me. Max looked back. ¡°... I kinda made a mess of everything this time¡­ Next time won¡¯t be so bad.¡±


    ¡°I trust you, brova. Be easy, aight?¡±


    Max nodded and headed out. Alana breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Whew, I thought he was going to start something else¡­¡±


    ¡°Nah, something¡¯s getting to him,¡± I said, my tone flat. ¡°It¡¯s for the best to let him work it out himself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re usually right, but¡­ I think that guy might need some real help.¡±


    I raised a brow at her. ¡°So do I, but neither of us are gonna go get it. We¡¯ll get by how we get by. It¡¯s just the way Raphtal rolls and it always has been. Especially for the Avalesch.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a Guildie?¡±


    ¡°Honorary, but yeah. I have the seal.¡±


    ¡°... You must lead a very interesting life.¡±


    I booped her. ¡°You¡¯re a part of it.¡±


    She smiled shyly. ¡°You¡¯re very sweet, Gatian.¡±


    ¡°I feel a but coming.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t one.¡±


    ¡°Even better! What brought you over, anyway?¡±


    ¡°I came to change your bandages and check on your wounds. It should be time for another poultice.¡±


    ¡°Ah, then let¡¯s get to it.¡± I was already half-naked, so there was no point in stripping.


    Alana didn¡¯t seem to notice, instead just picking up the bag she¡¯d put down before I¡¯d come into the living room. ¡°Just a moment, I have to find the right bandages in this kit. I just grabbed Bethany¡¯s, but she keeps her stuff organized a different way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in no hurry.¡± I commented idly, waiting for her to panic or fuss over something.


    She did not, instead finding the correct bandages and coming over to strip the old ones off. ¡°Mhmm. Stay still for a bit.¡±


    I did indeed stay still. ¡°You know-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I need to focus to make sure I get the poultice spread evenly and the bandages wrapped right. Hold onto it and we¡¯ll talk in a sec, okay?¡±


    I held back a chuckle. ¡°Okay, sweetness.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see her smile, but I could practically feel her slipping further into caretaker mode than she had been, so I considered it a net positive. In all honesty there could have been worse things going on rather than me getting taken care of by a pretty woman who liked me well enough, but nevertheless, it did kinda suck when Alana unwrapped my ribs. They still hurt a bit, but it wasn¡¯t unbearable. After removing the poultice and bandages, she reapplied some more and got me taken care of with time to spare, there was just one problem. I¡¯d gotten a little stiff throughout the ordeal and my problem had already poked Alana twice while she was wrapping me up. I tried to break down the tent with some bad thoughts, but try as I might, the woody was there to wiggle.


    Alana finished up and looked at me with a warm smile, brushing her hair over her ear as she was kneeling. It didn¡¯t help my pride that she was so close to being level with my chest. ¡°There. How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Like my ribs aren¡¯t aching and I need to get dressed. Thank you for the home care and the soft touch, Alana. It¡¯s very much appreciated.¡±


    She blushed and looked down, getting back up. ¡°O-Oh, you¡¯re welcome, Gatian¡­ I just didn¡¯t want you to have to walk all the way to the hospital with cracked ribs¡­¡±


    ¡°... Oh yeah, I probably should go to that. The hospital.¡± I said blankly.


    She gave me an amused look before her eyes flicked down and she got a lot less amused. ¡°... Dear me¡­¡±


    I had a feeling she was looking at my sausage, so I did a little Elvis move and she got another nosebleed that wasn¡¯t stopping like it had last time. It cracked me up until she kept staring and got a goofy, familiar smile on her face as she turned red. When I got her a tissue for her issue, she ignored it and started off into space, blood starting tio run down her chin. I started cleaning her up and grabbed the rest of the tissues. Alana took the box from me when I came back after getting most of it, but the damage was still done and she was terribly embarrassed for having been caught looking. When I went off to go change, Li-Oh and Cacoma came over to see how I was doing and my main dudes were all too happy to tease Alana over her crush-turned-romance with me. Coma was cool about it and was supportive, but Li-Oh came from a family that didn¡¯t really like to see River People mixing with Septurns. He said he was fine with me and Alana being a thing, but he¡¯d also said in the past that River People should marry the Partners picked for them so the other Septurns can have each other. It was a popular opinion over in Teh Se Bang, but Li-Oh was Second gen Thesuvian-Amanese and his parents were immigrants. The opinion wasn¡¯t shared by many in Stalfisk, but in Teh Se Bang, I would¡¯ve been all but forced to marry Stellara, regardless of our revelations about our relationship. Instead of putting up with Li making fun of Alana¡¯s tastes, insulting me indirectly, and potentially taking it too far, I offered to help him come up with a few Arca.


    I got looked at like I was a fucking lunatic three different times. Li took point and folded his arms. ¡°That¡¯s not funny, man.¡±


    ¡°Really, yo. It¡¯s not as cool as you prolly think.¡± Coma added in, his thick Din Fal Sin Ke. (Din Fal) accent coloring his words as always. He was still Fiskian, just close to Teh Se Bang border. ¡°Yo, Lana? Why don¡¯t you tell him? He¡¯d get it better comin¡¯ from you.¡±


    Alana nodded and looked at me. ¡°Um¡­ Gatian?¡±


    ¡°Yes, dear?¡± I asked.


    She blushed and smiled, looking down. ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°For Heptat¡¯s sake, woman. It¡¯s just a sweetcall.¡± Coma shook his head. ¡°What she means to say is that making Arca is dangerous.¡±


    ¡°What? No it¡¯s not.¡± I barked out a laugh. ¡°What do you do when you make Arca? Throw suffixes and prefixes into a hat and pick two?¡±


    I got stared at. Again. What I wrote earlier notwithstanding, I was about to learn something. Li looked me dead in the eye and said, ¡°Man, stop talking like you make your own. I¡¯ll just learn some on the road.¡±


    I gestured toward him, my eyes wide. ¡°The hell!? I¡¯m right here! I can teach you some of mine or just make you some if you let me borrow your catalyst, fool.¡±


    Coma whipped his bouncy-ass hair and turned toward Li. ¡°You got a catalyst? Sweet, brove.¡±


    Li scratched his head as my vaski glared at him. ¡°... Gatian technically got it for me.¡±


    Alana gasped. ¡°Gatian! You are a Trademaster!¡±


    Li seemed more embarrassed than I was. ¡°He¡¯s a River Man, Alana. I¡­ I didn''t really tell him.¡±


    ¡°We did some illegal shit, didn¡¯t we?¡± I asked flatly.


    ¡°More like peri-legal.¡± Cacoma sighed. ¡°Still, what¡¯s all this business about you making Arca? The only ones who can do that are full-blooded Suvians and Hoofers.¡±


    I recognized the slang terms for Thesuvians and Centurns, rackeds my brain. ¡°My mentor, Lucine, was Thesuvian. I think he was half Choresh or something, but Thesuvian all the same.¡±


    ¡°... Okay¡­?¡±


    ¡°... He taught me how to make Arca.¡±


    ¡®


    ¡°When you say ¡®Lucine¡¯, you wouldn¡¯t happen to mean Luce of Tidrel, would you?¡± Li asked, looking unconvinced of his question in the first place.


    ¡°Well, yeah-¡± I answered.


    ¡°WHAT!?¡± The fear in his gaze was very unwarranted


    Alana stared and she seemed to pale while Coma just chuckled. Then he stopped and sat down gesturing for me to do the same. ¡°Brove, I¡¯m gonna tell you somethin¡¯-¡±


    The heat turned up to thirteen, tossing eleven in the can and buttsexing twelve through sexual coercion until it couldn''t function anymore, let alone stand. ¡°Man saved my life. Speak real careful ¡®bout my mentor, fuckface.¡±


    Coma jolted at my ferocity. ¡°... What happened, man? Before I even say anything, what went down?¡±


    ¡°Luce was a Partner in Tidrel, took up teaching on the side to make some extra money for his River Woman. He taught me Grata-non-Aquix and most of the Arca I¡¯ve ever used. Max, the guy who shook up the Welcome Center, was a Guildmaster in Hooversdum, a bigger town on the border of Gerritt and Ponydale.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Luce and I stayed in the Guild for a while as I tried to get my music fine-tuned and tried to get a band together so I could hold a concert-¡±


    ¡°Wait, you thought you needed more people to sound good?¡± Li-Oh asked, shocked.


    ¡°It was awhile ago. The band was a good idea and made me a lot of money, but when I ended up needing to leave Hooversdum because of the Rhubarb Ranch and their appreciation for my music, I took Max¡¯s vaski Gloss and my mentor Luce with me. We made it into Ponydale during the initial Char incursion.¡± The room had fallen silent, save for me and my words. ¡°I spotted trouble in the distance and wanted to turn back along with Luce, but Gloss put up a fuss and took us closer to the town. We got chased off toward the forest and got into some trees for saftey. Gloss and I were panicking since we were about to fucking die, but Lucine¡­ He hopped down and fought what he could off. He only killed a couple before he got torn apart.¡±


    Alana laid her hand on my shoulder, still looking unsettled. ¡°... Even¡­ Even Lucinor couldn¡¯t fight the Char?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t have the necessary tools.¡± I shook my head, turning my gaze to Cacoma. ¡°So again I say; Speak careful ¡®bout my fuckin¡¯ savior.¡±


    Coma sat forward, mulling over his words. ¡°... You said Luce was a Partner, right?¡±


    ¡®


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°... Do you know much about them? Partners?¡±


    ¡°I know that a lot of them get sold as kids into something they never chose.¡±


    ¡°Luce picked being a Partner. It was either that or be killed for crimes against Septural.¡± Coma said quietly. ¡°Lucinor Gramatone was a half-Pony, half-Thesuvian with a threshold for Terru unlike most, brove. Dude was so Terruc it was said that he could make catalysts and use them himself¡­¡± Alana and Li shook their heads at that. ¡°It explains why you know the trick to crafting Arca without killing yourself.¡±


    ¡°... Why is using your own catalyst bad?¡± I asked irritably.


    ¡°It kinda makes you unstoppable for the most part.¡± Li said uneasily. ¡°Imagine making a staff without a single noticeable flaw in it. How does someone beat a staff made of the highest grade stuff with a crazy Terru pool, especially with an Arca Scholar behind it?¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Luce was to Arca as I am to being a fuckin¡¯ Bard. Goddamn, now I miss you even more¡­ ¡°Lemme just get this straight. Lucine changed his life, turned over a new leaf, and you Septurns still hate him?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah.¡± Li scoffed. ¡°Dude was a maniac of-¡± I glared at him and he shut up.


    ¡°Yeah, and Adolph-fucking-Hitler gets to walk around free on this goddamn planet despite killing millions of people. Tens of thousands of babies. Children. Innocents in general. How the fuck does that work? What? The crimes beyond the River don¡¯t count here?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Alana shook her head.


    ¡°Not really.¡± Coma shrugged.


    Li gave me a look. ¡°Well, wouldn¡¯t that suck?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, dude, when your past fuckin¡¯ follows you to the next life? Shit sucks. Shit really sucks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not making Arca for me.¡±


    ¡°And you wanted a catalyst why exactly?¡±


    ¡°... Uh¡­ Options?¡± He tried.


    ¡°Shut up, Li-Oh. If you go one your Seeker quest, you¡¯re gonna get yo¡¯self killed.¡± Coma scoffed.


    ¡°Not you-¡± Alana sighed as Li spoke. ¡°Alana!¡±


    She just shook her head at him. ¡°There a Terruc war on and you¡¯re not even going to let the Apprentice of one of the Modern Era¡¯s most talented Arca Scholars make you a protection Arca¡­?¡±


    ¡°Your element is Earth, right?¡± I asked, putting a couple I¡¯d already had for him to the forefront of my mind. ¡°I have one or two already that we can test in the courtyard.¡±


    Again, I got stared at, but Coma was the one to ask, ¡°... How about we see you come up with one for yourself?¡±


    I shrugged and went to my bookshelf, pulling a few of my collection from the shelf. They all watched and listened while I muttered to myself while reading to help the information stick and came up with something that I didn¡¯t really need, but would probably prove useful with my Tempestian Arch. Speaking of¡­ ¡°Hey, what all falls under Tempest? I know I can use a few things, but I kinda want something more useful if I¡¯m going through the trouble.¡±


    ¡°What happens during a big storm?¡± Alana asked, giving me a warm smile.


    Coma and Li nodded, but Li-Oh was the one to speak. ¡°Rain, skyholes sometimes, light-lances, and shade.¡±


    Coma snapped his fingers. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the wind. There¡¯s always a good breeze with a big storm.¡±


    ¡°What about ice? Does it ever rain ice on Septural?¡±


    Alana beamed. ¡°Yes! It snows and hails here!¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡± Li inquired.


    ¡°That¡¯s already useful. Thanks guys and beautiful gal.¡± I winked at Alana and nodded at the bros.


    Once I¡¯d had some time to further deliberate and do some thinking about what exactly I wanted, I came up with the idea for some more along the lines of an Arcana than an Arca, so I got excited and wondered why I was just now thinking of making Arcana and Grand Arcana. I didn¡¯t have any of either type thus far, but I¡¯d never needed a bigger, stronger spell for any reason since it would¡¯ve shattered my hands to cast. Now that I had a sturdy catalyst, I was happy to take everyone out into the training grounds in the back of the Welcome Center. After teaching Li the two Arca I¡¯d had in mind for him, we learned that he was next to useless after casting one. It didn¡¯t really matter to me since I was there more for myself than for him, but it kinda sucked all the same.


    In light of Li¡¯s general ineptitude, I had a new Arcana I wanted to try out that would hopefully do me some good. There were dummies there that got replaced whenever they got too worn out, but with Thesuvia being a largely peaceful, mostly urban/suburban country, there wasn¡¯t much going on in the training front other than the few River People that wanted to join up and help with the war. There were others as well, just not in my neck of the woods.


    Speaking of wood, there was also a larger dummy that was used for two-handed weapons because it could take punishment from Minotaurs and Chorets, but when I stepped up to the bastard, Alana stood next to it as per Coma¡¯s request and everyone cheered when we found that the dummy was taller than she was. Alana took it well since she was used to people poking fun at her height, but I still told her that even if she got to be ten feet tall she would only be more beautiful for it. She then asked what I meant and I told her she would just be easier to see like the beacon of beauty she was. It went over well and I also made a mild joke regarding the fact that she was out of my league, breaking the ceiling for it easily. That too was well taken with the advent of a kiss and genuine interest in the Arcana I had come up with.


    I prepared myself once we were done having our fun and everyone was excited to see what I¡¯d come up with, so I warned my peeps to stand back and give a brother some space just in case worse came to worst. With everything I needed in my hand in deeper inside my core, I released Rimbraka Omnivo on the big dummy and¡­ Well, I knew what the spell would do from how I worded the Arca itself, but I didn''t expect to have to run from my own Terru for fear of getting caught in it. Barely making it away in time for the shadow sphere to stop, I laughed my ass off when Alana and Coma came to pick my ass up away from where I¡¯d dived, my near death experience ticking the timer on my adrenaline. I¡¯d calmed down by the time the shadow sphere went away and was back on my feet to see what Li-Oh was staring at. It turned out that he was gaping in terror for a very good reason because I truly had very nearly died.


    Everything in about a twenty or twenty-five foot radius had been worn away or pelted to Hell and back and then straight on into Gehenna. The ground was walkable if you didn¡¯t mind stepping on chunky ice, but the shit was embedded so deeply into the ground that it barely mattered. The shit was melting already and making a muddy mess in the heat, but the mulch around the stump where the target used to be was enough to take care of the worst of it. Everyone just stood and stared at the scene of destruction that I¡¯d accidentally wrought, my last few chuckles leaving me as I realized what the spell would do to a person in five seconds flat. My Terru had taken a beating for casting the Arca in the first place, but I was confident that I could have gotten Fulmacosadoma up and prepped before I got killed. However, Alana fell to her knees and started crying, so I knelt with her and hugged her, weakly breathing huffs of air.


    ¡°Brove¡­¡± Coma said softly.


    ¡°Brova¡­¡± Li echoed.


    ¡°You almost got hit by that!¡± Alana wailed, letting me hold her as she hugged me back in turn. ¡°You almost got hit by that, Gatian!¡±


    ¡°We know.¡± I said softly. ¡°But I didn¡¯t and I now know to be further away if I ever cast that again in my life.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± Coma requested, laying a concerned hand on my shoulder. ¡°Brove, you really almost ate the shit-biscuit back there. You need to be more fuckin¡¯ careful.¡±


    ¡°Stop nagging him and congratulate the guy! First Arcana ever crafted was a blinding, resounding success, my man!¡± Li-Oh cheered. ¡°You gotta-¡±


    Alana picked me up when she stood, holding me close like I was her precious child or something. ¡°No! Li, you need to wisen the fuck up! Gatian almost died and the first thing you do is ask him to do it again? You selfish saucha!¡±


    Coma raised his hands. ¡°I¡¯m out. Lana¡¯s mad; Im out.¡±


    Li openly stared at the most timid, mild, calmest, shyest, most gentle woman he knew. ¡°Uh, Alana, it¡¯s not like that¡­¡± He chuckled awkwardly, pressing his fingers together. ¡°I-I meant whenever he-¡± He caught something out of my view, and I was in no hurry to change it. I was comfy in Alana¡¯s arms. ¡°I- er¡­ Nevermind?¡±


    ¡°Damn straight.¡± She snarled.


    ¡°This is nice.¡± I commented, snuggling up to Alana.


    ¡°Gatian? Are you okay, sweetie?¡± Allie asked tenderly.


    I looked up at her and grinned. ¡°How could I not be? Warm, comfy, alive. All good here.¡±


    She smiled down at me, the curve of her lips fading as she realized she was still holding me. ¡°O-Oh¡­ Do you want me to put you down¡­?¡±


    ¡°Only if you don¡¯t want to cuddle.¡±


    I caught Li whispering to Beth, the little Sotan having shown up while I was preoccupied. Alana blushed harder and put me down. ¡°... I didn¡¯t mean to-¡±


    ¡°Alana, I really didn¡¯t think you were strong enough to carry me. You didn¡¯t even try.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry-¡±


    ¡°Hey, if I wasn''t okay with it, I¡¯d say something. Just don¡¯t be too possessive.¡±


    The look on her face was priceless. ¡°P-Po-Possessive?¡±


    ¡°Cheat on her and I¡¯ll shank you!¡± Bethany called from a distance.


    ¡°She¡¯s too much woman for me to be cheating!¡± I shouted back. ¡°If I can¡¯t handle her, how do I handle two!?¡±


    Bethany, Li, Coma, and Hasha¡¯s bitch ass all laughed at that, the commotion having been enough to get a detail sent out to investigate the disturbance since we hadn¡¯t said anything about it. Alana whacked me softly for my words, asking if I was really going to look for other women while I was with her. I had to know how she came to that particular conclusion and had her explain her train of thought, which turned out to be the natural one for a Thesuvian. Being ¡®possessive¡¯ was how Thesuvian women staked their claim and made sure that their boski¡¯s knew that they were loved and wanted. In turn, boski¡¯s were supposed to get cuddled and do some housework in traditional Thesuvian culture. Just think 1950¡¯s America, but with more respect for your spouse and what they do going both ways.


    That being said, it was a legitimate worry for Alana since I was a Trademaster and seemed to still be getting stronger whenever I put the effort forward. However, it¡¯s not like I would¡¯ve ever cheated on her in the first place, even if I was a Grandmaster or a Fullmaster. Shit¡¯s just not my style, and I explained to her that I¡¯d been married once upon a life and had been cheated on in turn. It wasn¡¯t okay then and it wouldn¡¯t be okay in the present, so we left that topic behind, joined our friends, and everyone went to fucking work because Li had been sent over to stop Alana from being gone too long by their manager, Rachall Gufft. Apparently Coma was just stopping by to check if I was okay, but he still needed to get back to the shop. I had my journal in my travel pack and got this written out in between my own job and messing with other people¡¯s. There weren¡¯t too many people looking to play an instrument or learn to fight, but the few that there were happened to not want to learn anyway. Partners never want to learn from River People, apparently, especially if it¡¯s something like Arca. Partners are forbidden to learn the stuff during their training anyway, but few learn later.


    Oh well¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Booksy, can I- Okay, you¡¯re a book so I¡¯m just gonna write it down¡­


    I missed Max, and¡­ Well, I¡¯m glad I got to see him again, I really am, but the guy¡¯s not who I thought he was. Coma told me that Max was a huge asshat and had been the entire time he¡¯d been in town, which was why he couldn¡¯t even get a room at a shitty inn, let alone a decent one. I didn¡¯t know why Max was acting the way he was, but I do know that my past is catching up to me now that I¡¯ve had time to settle outside Avalesce. Things are slowing down and Li seems to be wavering on his Fortune Seeker thing, but¡­ I can¡¯t help this feeling. Like this peace was never meant to last. I really want to protect Alana and my friends¡­ I¡¯ve only known them for three months, but they¡¯ve¡­ They¡¯ve already left their footprint on my heart. Each one of them (Besides Hasha) would be missed if I ever had to go away or if I lost them.


    Gotta keep getting stronger, Booksy, and I think the best way to do that is to get a more portable instrument¡­ I¡¯ll look into having Havard make me something. He¡¯ll probably be able to come up with a harmonica-ocarina or something like that. I don¡¯t know what exactly I want, but I know that it has to be concealable and I have to be able to bring it with me wherever I go. If he could make it small enough to fit on a necklace, that¡¯d be even better...  Pocket sized and powerful¡­


    Too bad I suck at casting with a pipe. I guess that¡¯s something I could work on, but Yuria never taught me exactly how to get the pitch right to access somnerre with a pipe. I usually used my voice to activate the shit in the first place, though if I was playing a pipe¡­ Maybe I could try throat-singing into it¡­? No, that¡¯s stupid¡­ And drums get more powerful the bigger they are, so maybe a ukulele? Yeah, how¡¯s that sound, Booksy? I can make a war song on a fuckin¡¯ ukulele, just watch! Speaking of watching, it¡¯s time to get back to ¡®training people¡¯, but that really means I¡¯m just learning stuff for myself. It¡¯d been kinda weird to have a real, legitimate, I-Get-Paid-Specifically-For-This kind of job again. Weird but good.

 A Friend Indeed

    A Friend Indeed


    There¡¯s only been a couple of days since I¡¯ve written this time, and some interesting things have happened. Well, two things. Both technically occurred on the first of the two and it was doubly cool to get to experience all of it firsthand. To get into it, Alana had me stay the night with her so she could keep a better eye on me. Her reasoning for letting me spend my first night alone being that she didn¡¯t think I would heal so slowly with the poultice until she asked about Max¡¯s Terru Arch. I told her that he¡¯d mentioned light, so she surmised that he was the ¡®Sunny Rain¡¯ to my ¡®Stormy Night¡¯, which made a lot of sense when I compare and contrasted myself to him. However, that wasn¡¯t important and that particular conversation happened on our way home from work. When we got back home, Alana took off toward her place and I went to mine to grab a couple of things for the night and ended up hurting myself by walking into a doorknob. Don¡¯t ask, just know that it hit me higher than a normal one would have since Thesuvia was home to Dianite after Diancie. Shit was not cash at all and made my feelings hurt, so I went over to Alana¡¯s with a little irritation on the brain, especially since I knew she wasn¡¯t going to wear one of her shorty-short-skirts while I was over since she knew I was going to come.


    While I walked over, I cast a little somnerre that I¡¯d been working on with my guitar by using my wand as my pick. It was a calm, haunting melody that made me smell like cinnamon and chocolate to myself. That was the intended purpose of the spell and I only had to use it once since I was supposed to be able to smell it all the time now, so when I walked up to Alana¡¯s door and knocked, there may or may not have been a slight, smell-good based bounce to my step. I knocked twice, walked in, and heard familiar music that I hadn¡¯t expected to hear anywhere on Septural. It was a reimagining to be sure, but Frank Sinatra¡¯s Something Stupid was playing as surely as the sun rose and I found myself singing along for the sake of enjoying a good song. Alana was nowhere to be seen while I sang and waltzed around the ¡®loudbox¡¯, which was just a glorified speaker that always had a lo-fi popping to its sound. I guess it was Hi-fidelity in Septural, but whatevs. I loved it for the sound and ambiance and it was definitely the closest thing to listening to vinyl that I had art the moment. When the song finished and led into something I¡¯d never heard before by a different artist, I had to check out the loudbox and saw that when I stopped it, there was an RF, which was a runner-flat. They¡¯re kinda like CD¡¯, but straight, double-sided, and made of something weird and matte. It¡¯s how the shop-guy explained it to me and he was a River Man. The RF in the slot that looked different from the others that I¡¯d seen or had in my collection, but I didn''t want to get my sebum on it, which is just skin-oil, you papery fuck. I closed the box back up and let it play some more.


    When I rose from checking out the thing on the inn table, Alana was coming from the hall down to the master bedroom, a big smile on her face along with a house coat that I thought was fetching. From the expanse of wonderfully smooth, mostly bare skin that I saw, I guessed that she was either wearing shorts or one of her miniskirts, so my hopes were high that I¡¯d get a peek of something round and squeezable. Granted, I¡¯d yet to ask Allie if I could cop a feel or just go ahead and do it, but it wasn¡¯t on the mind at the moment. Looking was enough with her, especially since I wasn¡¯t just attracted to her for her looks. Even as she quickly closed the distance between us, I couldn¡¯t help but appreciated the vivid, emerald-esque quality of her eyes, the white-opal quality of her skin. Her fashion sense also suited her perfectly, especially with the house coat and low-cut top she was wearing. For being seven feet and two inches tall, the woman had a lot of grace and style about her. The dark, wine-like red she usually stained her lips with perfectly accented her eyes and skin tone while her eye-liner just made those impossibly deep, adumbral lakes of forest green stand out even more. That wasn¡¯t even mentioning that her eye-shadow matched her lip-stain (Septurns don¡¯t use lipstick or wet stuff in general. Learned from Stellara.) with near perfect precision, nor did it hurt that her slippers matched her housecoat with aplomb. The blue leather shoes looked pretty comfy, but the knit coat looked warm and cozy. I kinda wanted it for the times I spent alone so I could cuddle it when Alana wasn¡¯t nearby.


    Just looking at the woman made my heart want to leap out of my chest, my face heating up as she drew near. It was like everything else there just faded out of existence and she just stood there, smiling at me with true, real, absolutely genuine love in her eyes. We hadn¡¯t said it to each other yet and it could wait a while longer, but I felt¡­ Stellara was¡­


    Shit, Booksy, how do I put this? I guess you could say I dropped out of the moment and just came to the conclusion that I was madly in love with Alana, and it wasn¡¯t ¡®Love on Look¡¯ like Stellara had claimed with me. No, it was¡­ It was different. Alana thought I was handsome because she thought I was handsome. There was no extra impetus for her to like me, no threat of pain or rebuke if she didn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t need to like me to be content with her life. Allie was just a woman in the world that had been looking for someone to spend her life with and she thought I was cute. She saw me and she chatted me up. She had a crush. She wanted to start something. The woman in front of me wanted to know more about me and why I was the way I was, what had happened to make me ¡®Gatian¡¯. She also wasn¡¯t a cold-blooded murderer or my legal property. I had to say that I honestly fell for Alana because of who and what she was; not because she¡¯d been handpicked for me. Not because she was drop-dead sexy with a familiar face or complexion close to mine. Not because she looked like my cunt of an ex-wife that I still had feelings for. We weren¡¯t being forced together by anyone.


    For the first time in my entire goddamn fucking pathetic life, I loved a woman because I liked her¡­


    Yeah, that was as depressing as I thought it¡¯d be, but it also meant that I was growing as a person. I mean, if I had enough self-respect to only be with someone because they treated me right and I liked them, then the sky was the limit. I took the tunnel-vision as Gage¡¯s last gift to the Gauner name. My last hurrah before I shot the last piece of me I needed to kill so I could live. The world started coming back to me and I could feel it coming. My eyes were heating up, my lips were starting to quiver, and time was rolling as it should have been, meaning that Allie was surprised to see me nearly breaking down in tears for next to no reason. I couldn''t tell her that I was about to cry because I was happy that I died. I didn¡¯t feel the need to say anything about how I kept walking into bad relationships one right after another until I¡¯d found her. There was no purpose in explaining that she and her kindness, her truth and her veracity, had touched me in so many ways over the past quarter of a year.


    Instead of trying to talk about any of that, I stood on my tiptoes, cupped her cheeks with my hands and felt her slender, delicate jawline. Appreciated the extra collagen in her lips. Saw the beauty in the woman in front of me. Thought of the kindness and compassion that lay below the surface. I kissed Alana gently, but without hesitation. My cheeks were wet and my lips were dry, but the waterworks stopped on contact. When I pulled away, I gave Alana a smile I felt in every inch of my body, every ounce of blood in my veins. I felt it in the bony bits, the fleshy bits, and especially the fatty, brain bits. It was like doing a drug that just made you feel good without any side-effects other than a goofy look on your face and great hugs to be given.


    Alana still seemed worried, even though she returned my offering. ¡°Gatian, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine.¡± I chuckled, still a little choked up. ¡°... Alana?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sweetie?¡±


    ¡°... Thank you for¡­¡± I looked off to the side, unsure of what to say. Looking back to her, I still didn''t know. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not entirely sure. Just¡­ Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, but I¡¯m starting to worry, sweetie. You were fine when I started coming toward you and you just-¡±


    ¡°River People cry when we¡¯re happy too.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s a little odd, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Big time, but it¡¯s a thing.¡± I shook my head, chuckling some more.


    ¡°So¡­ What made you so happy that you felt like crying?¡± She asked, seeming eased by my explanation.


    I smirked and wiped my eyes. ¡°That¡¯s for me to know and you to find out. Speaking of things that we¡¯re finding out, I¡¯m really liking that housecoat. And your makeup. And your slippers. And those gorgeous eyes. And that pretty cute widdle face. And your hair, which always looks good. And you. I¡¯m really liking you.¡±


    Alana blushed at that, smiling against her will. ¡°Stop it! You¡¯re embarrassing me!¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡±


    ¡°Yes! You know-¡±


    ¡°Actually, I really don¡¯t.¡± I took her hands, holding them. ¡°Have I ever told you that I like your hands? They¡¯re so soft, and you¡¯ve got a surgeon¡¯s touch, I swear. You must have been a damn good pickpocket in a past life, ¡®cause I just checked for my heart and it¡¯s gone.¡±


    She lit up like a Douglas Fir in Seattle. ¡°G-Gatian!¡±


    ¡°Your eyes remind me of just how much I envy any person that¡¯s gotten more kisses from you than me.¡±


    ¡°Oh my¡­¡±


    ¡°Your skin mighty be as fair as snow, but I want you to know that it¡¯s my heart that¡¯s melting.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t stop, I¡¯m going to melt!¡± She squeaked, unable to stop smiling. ¡°Gatian, just what has gotten into you!?¡±


    I hugged her and subtly took in her scent. It wasn¡¯t floral at all, instead being more of a baked good of some kind. She smelled warm and sweet, like fresh Hawaiian bread or something of the sort. ¡°Can I melt you with the flames of my passion?¡±


    ¡°Ooh, you¡¯re too sweet!¡± She hugged me back, laying a kiss on my cheek after a moment. The joy in her expression just made me that much happier. ¡°Now I¡¯m¡­¡± She paused, frowning. ¡°... No, that¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s not good.¡±


    I raised a brow, having a feeling about her topic. ¡°If you were going to say, ¡®Now I¡¯m glad that Max hurt your ribs¡¯, then I¡¯m glad too. I don¡¯t know if I would¡¯ve come over today in particular if you hadn¡¯t invited me.¡±


    She smiled shyly, looking away. ¡°... Then I guess I am kind of happy¡­¡±


    I kissed her chin because I could and snaked my arms into her housecoat, eliciting an ¡®Eep!¡¯ for my endeavors. Letting my hands rest on her hips seemed like a good idea as Five Minutes More by someone other than Sinatra started playing. My song was on, so I didn''t let my hand right hand stay where it was for much longer. I let the left sit on her waist and offered her the other, seeing Alana¡¯s nervousness on the same sleeve her heart was. With the weight of pure adoration on my heart, I offered up my most winsome smile, I took her left hand and started a little two-step, making my movements a little larger and more grandiose so Alana wouldn¡¯t have to restrain herself as much. After a few steps to get into it, she stole the lead from me and I finally grokked why a lot of Thesuvian men decided to date outside their race in the modern era. Being swung around by Alana was emasculating like no other, but hearing her laugh and sing along as she held me¡­?


    So, so very worth it.


    We danced to a few more songs and I even got Alana to put on one of her favorites and teach me the steps she usually used for it. As I¡¯d expected, my skill and apropos in Terruc matters did not extend to dancing and I fell. I fell a lot. Alana giggled at me whenever I did, but it was a beautiful thing I didn''t mind hearing. We traded hobbies for a minute and I started teaching her guitar, but unlike myself Alana had natural talent with my side of things. Even if it looked like it fit her more than me at the moment, I couldn¡¯t help but think about having one made for her. I couldn¡¯t remember the names exactly, but I would¡¯ve called my guitar a Dreadnought or a Dumbo¡­ Jumbo? I think Jumbo. Either way, it was a little big for me since I¡¯d lost weight and added some lean muscle, but with Alana? It looked natural in her hands, and the strap even matched her eye-shadow and lip-stain.


    We started out slow with one of the simpler songs in my repertoire, which was Cocoa Hooves by The Glass Animals. It was one of my favorite songs, and teaching Alana the chords only took a few hours since she was a diligent student and, as I said, had plenty of natural talent to back it up. She messed up plenty and didn¡¯t want to stop, but when she peeled her eyes away from the frets for the first time in about thirty minutes, she saw me looking at her and apparently understood why I¡¯d been crying earlier. The look of frustration on her face eased into a blank look that into formed itself into the most touching, most caring of smiles. I reached out and brushed the lock of hair that she was always fussing with over her ear, brushing her cheek with my thumb. She held my hand to her face, her eyes partially closing as she took a deep breath. The gentle curvature of those magnificent, inviting lips called to me, but I held back.


    ¡°Gatian¡­¡±


    ¡°Alana¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Her breath caught in her throat, making her swallow hard before she bit her lip. ¡°Gatian, I¡­ I know it¡¯s early, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Alana Wolvram, shut the hell up.¡± I murmured, making her blush. ¡°I want you to listen when I say I love you. I want you to know in the back of your mind and the bottom of your heart that I well and truly do love you. I want you to never have so much as half a reason to doubt that I love you, so listen up, take it to heart, and believe it.¡± She was already about to cry, so I just said it. ¡°I love you. I love you, and I don¡¯t need any pretext, but you give me such a mountain, an entire world¡¯s worth of reasons to fall for you. I¡¯m not going to lie and say I love every little thing about you, but I like every little thing about you, and that¡¯s harder. You don¡¯t always choose who or what you love, but you have control over the people and things you like¡­ Just not in this case.¡±


    Her lips shook. ¡°Gatian¡­ I love you too. I¡­ I¡¯ve wanted to say it for weeks, but¡­ I-I just never knew the right time. The right way to say it. I was¡­ I was afraid that you didn¡¯t feel the same way-¡± She barked out a laugh, squeezing my hand. ¡°Gods above and wiggums below, I¡­ I never thought I¡¯d love again. Not like this.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m glad that you were wrong. I¡¯m glad that I saw you first in the Welcome Center. I¡¯m glad that you offered to help me and show me around town¡­¡± My eyes got misty, try as I might to stop them. ¡°I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t let the past get in the way of trying again.¡±


    She smiled back at me. ¡°That makes two of us on two different occasions.¡±


    I came a little closer and so did she. Then I moved and she shifted. We continued until we were kissing again, the moment¡­ The kiss was¡­ It was right. The convergence of two separate paths crossed by chance. A moment of unity that I¡¯d never known that I was longing for because I¡¯d had the fake edition my entire life. The real thing was¡­ It was magical, for lack of a better word. There was no Terru or somnerre in the air. Just¡­ It¡­ I don¡¯t know. It was something¡­ New. Something unfelt in my breast. A sensation that I couldn¡¯t get enough of, even when the knock came on the door. Neither of us made any move to pull away, but then there was another knock and I briefly wondered who the fuck even knocked at Alana¡¯s door besides me. As it just so happened, someone slammed a fist on the door I pointed my wand at them, seeing that it was Hasha¡¯s cunt-ass herself.


    Our eyes met. The fear in her gaze meeting the steel in mine. ¡°Hasha. Leave.¡±


    Alana coughed and I looked to her, seeing her give Hasha a dirty look. ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Hasha folded her arms and smirked. ¡°What, I¡¯m supposed to-¡±


    I threw something decently heavy at her, not paying attention to what it was.


    It barely missed the bitch. ¡°Fuck you! What the fuck was that for!?¡±


    I cocked my head to the side and looked at her, but before I could conjugate a perfect insult to both her character and intelligence, Alana¡­ Well, she said, ¡°Okay. Okay, Hasha, I get that you''re dumb. I really do. I understand that it must be so hard for you with the mental capacity that you have, or shall we say the lack thereof? I mean, I know you can¡¯t dress yourself since you wear Sunbright Yellow with Guerma Green, but I didn¡¯t think you were actually mentally handicapped enough to not know Thesuvian Romance when you see it. Not only did Gatian and I just tell each other we loved each other for the first time, but we also were in the middle of a kiss.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Hasha had been getting madder and madder up until that point. ¡°Fuck you, you Diancie bitch! I-¡±


    I pointed my wand at her again. ¡°Say that again. Call my vaski a fuckin¡¯ bitch again. I¡¯ll break somethin¡¯ on you. I¡¯ll break somethin¡¯ off of you after I freeze it.¡±


    She shut the fuck up.


    Alana grabbed my wand and tossed it behind her, getting a look from me for her troubles. She lightly pushed me back and stalked forward, but when I grabbed her hand and tried to stand up for myself, she looked at me with an expression I¡¯d never seen on her face. Alana doesn¡¯t get mad. She cries. She gets upset and she cries. She gets determined and focuses. She can have the worst day, but you know what? That woman has never so much as curled her lip at a person in front of me. According to Bethany, she¡¯d taken a beating from some bully before Beth stepped in back when they were still in school, and it was because Alana was the gentle giant. Not a gentle giant, the. As in I highly doubted that there was a kinder, gentler, more genial, generally nicer person than Alana. I knew she probably had a mean streak to her, but the look on her face would¡¯ve decapitated a Naga standing behind a Minotaur.


    ¡°Boski.¡± She said icily. ¡°This one¡¯s mine.¡±


    I raised my hands and backed the fuck up.


    She turned back to Hasha¡¯s dumb ass and popped her neck. Hasha herself seemed a lot less nervous with my wand gone, even going so far as to crack a confident, arrogant smile. ¡°So that¡¯s it? If you were gonna make all that fuss then you should at least try to keep it up.¡±


    Alana took two steps toward Hasha and she rolled her eyes. My Vaski didn¡¯t seem to react. ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±


    ¡°OoO, the big bad Diancie is mad at me! Whatever will I do!?¡±


    ¡°Hasha Rojer, this is your last warning.¡±


    Now, the people of Flistis, the Flistians, were not rumored to be cowardly people. Nor were they rumored to be wise. ¡°Um, bitch? Did you just say you were warning me? I warn you, last time I checked.¡±


    ¡°Boski?¡± Alana asked, her voice soft.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°... Look away.¡±


    I did not. I saw Hasha roll her eyes again and take a step toward Alana. I did not see Alana slap her, but I fuckin¡¯ heard it and caught the results. The entryway wasn¡¯t terribly wide, but my vaski still slapped that bitch from right to left, bouncing her off the wall. Hasha hit the ground in a daze, a perfect picture of ¡®I didn''t think you¡¯d do that¡¯ written across her body language. Dazed and confused, the unwelcome interruption didn¡¯t have time to get herself together because Alana picked up by her hair and shirt, and by that I mean she lifted her off of the ground. Hasha squealed a little before getting slammed into the wall, the wall on the opposite side, and then the wooden plank of the walkway outside. I probably wouldn¡¯t have given a shit if it stopped there, but Alana walked the fuck off with our most tenuous friend, strolled down the steps, then threw her by grabbing the back of her pants and keeping ahold of her hair. Alana saw me watching, so I waved. She nodded and headed back up the stairs, her immediate neighbors coming out of the woodwork, some asking me what had just happened since I technically have the average Armator¡¯s authority. I calmed everything down, waited for Alana to walk past me, and then followed her into her home.


    I knew it was coming so I latched onto her from behind for a good squeeze, then came around to see that she was already shedding tears. ¡°It was a little much, but Hasha pushes your buttons every chance she gets, Allie. The only reason Beth hasn¡¯t jumped her dumb ass is because you asked her not to.¡±


    ¡°B-B-Bu-Buh-But I¡­¡± She choked out.


    There was another hug. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Everyone who knows your name knows that you would never hurt someone without a reason.¡±


    She hugged me back and let loose, most of her sobs detailing guilt and regret as well as the fact that she¡¯d just had enough. Hasha had crossed a line with me, but she had leapt over it by Thesuvian standards. Apparently it¡¯s rude to watch. Incredibly rude. Borderline charge-worthy if you were on private property, even if you¡¯d been invited. There were apparently places for voyeurism and exhibitionism, but not Alana¡¯s fuckin¡¯ house. I assured Alana that Hasha had no reason to do what she did, no reason to be so mean to her in general, and no real reason to be mad that she got her ass beat for being a bitch. When the Armators came and I explained everything, they were on our side from the get-go because Alana¡¯s lived in Holloway Halter her entire life. Lief, one of the guys who stopped by, was actually one of her exes and took me aside to explain that Alana had never done anything like that in all the years he¡¯d known her. He also explained that he broke up with her because she got too tall, which was normal because he was a fuckin¡¯ half Sotan in the first place. Even if the guy was just Thesuvian, he¡¯d still be under five-five. As it was, the dude was about level with my solar plexus, and I saw the wisdom in his choice.


    Lief and I talked for a little while and he gave me some background on Alana, but there wasn¡¯t much of it that hadn¡¯t been told to me or that I¡¯d gathered for myself one way or another. He did tell me that she really didn¡¯t like having her nose booped and that she was averse to having her perfect thighs being touched too. With his advice to stay supportive in my ear, I did what I was already doing and went back to assuage Alana¡¯s baseless fears pertaining to whether or not she was going to jail. IT didn¡¯t help all that much in the long run, but she did eventually calm down and we got to cuddle, so that was nice. The night ran long since the next day was for the Weekend Warriors to handle rather than the usual Welcome Center staff, and we got the mood back from earlier with the help of a little alcohol and the rapid changing of topics whenever things started getting even so much as slightly gloomy.


    Dawn broke and Tipsy Alana confessed something to me that I¡¯m still kinda surprised about. Apparently she was a virgin, despite Thesuvia not really having any customs towards losing ones V-card. In Avalesce, it was largely assumed that you were supposed to be experienced in sex if you were a certain age, which is a large part of why I got so much of it at the Guild in Hooversdum. Intercourse was apparently comparable to baseball in Avalesce; it was the country¡¯s favorite pastime and the only exception in the land was Chorell, but even then they were sexual deviants of their own right. I¡¯d heard that things had been getting better there and that their Church was coming under heavy fire from more and more influential people both within and outside of the nation. Even with the Char Army knocking on everyone¡¯s door, people are still concerned about others and that kinda touches me, but I got way off track.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about Alana still having her virginity and I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to be the one to hurt her since I¡¯d never done it before, but I wanted her in that way. I wanted to feel closer to her than I already did, but Alana wasn¡¯t a physical-affection kind of person anyway. She was definitely one for words of affirmation, so instead of laying her while she was a little drunk and had just gotten done beating up one of her longtime bullies, I just told her that I loved her, complimented the things that I liked and joked about the things that I thought were funny. She didn¡¯t think it was all that funny when I booped her, so she booped me back. Then I licked her nose. The blush I got from doing that was great, but it wasn¡¯t the best thing.


    Oh no, our time together got a lot better. In the early morning light, I got to see plenty of Alana since she¡¯d long since done away with her housecoat and was just chilling in an olone and her tank top. She¡¯d kept the top buttons closed on the coat as she did with all of her things that had buttons, but her tank had no buttons and she was wearing some pretty cute livery. The brown of the accents matched her hair perfectly and the whites stood out against her already pale skin, both of which were aesthetically pleasing. I brought you along, Booksy, so I could go over the last few things that happened over the night since they were interesting, but I¡­


    I need to do better with my journal. From now on¡­


    Nah. I might see you tomorrow, might not. It¡¯s all good.


    [Gatian.]


    Oh. Hi.


    [It has been awhile since last we spoke.]


    Yeah, yeah, whatever Yuria.


    [I see you¡¯re still bitter.]


    And I wouldn¡¯t be because¡­?


    [... That is a very fair point. I would like to make you an offer, however, seeing as how you never held up your end of our bargain.]


    What bargain? Get kidnapped, brainwashed, and become your fuckin weapon? For¡­?


    [Your life. Auric Avarice.]


    I made plenty of songs while I was at the Academy. I taught you one. Take that. You never bartered for a song that you chose; you asked for a song. Not a particular one.


    [Those do not count.]


    I don¡¯t give a fuck. You fucked me over. You tried to use me. Don¡¯t be mad that I¡¯m not putting up with you because you¡¯re fuckin snake.


    [One of-]


    Get this and get it right. I fucking hate you. You wanna make my fuckin¡¯ day? Go ahead. We can end yours early.


    [... I see. You know my threat was not idle, no?]


    And I know where you are. Don¡¯t move now~


    [Gatian, what do you mean?]


    [Gatian.]


    [Gatian. What do you mean?]


    [GATIAN GAUNER YOU WILL ANSWER ME]


    ????????????????????????


    I answered her.


    ????????????????????????


    I had to go back to my house after my morning with Alana, asleep as she was. The last glimpse of her resting had been¡­ It was what I needed at the moment. The reason I stayed in Holloway instead of leaving when the refugees got heavy. Why I did what I did, I already know, Booksy. I had to¡­ Right? She¡­


    No. I can¡¯t afford to think like that. Not now.


    My morning started in the evening when I actually got up, so I made a quick sleep-aid teeya that put me out for another seven hours straight. I didn¡¯t feel much better when I woke up, but the noodle was less floppy and soggy than it had been and I was ready to use it to tackle my problems. As it was, Alana stopped by when the sun was over the horizon to ask how I was doing since we¡¯d both taken the time to reset our sleep schedules. She knew something was wrong, I just couldn''t tell her what. Apparently it was a good time to bother Gatian because Hasha showed up too, but this visit wasn¡¯t for me.


    She was looking for Alana and I backed my vaski up, but it wasn¡¯t that kind of conversation. Hasha apologized for effectively tormenting Alana for years on years, even going so far as to say that Allie should have beat her ass sooner. They ended the bad blood with a handshake and a hug with Alana being stopped mid-apology by both myself and Hasha multiple times. My vaski was still timid and bashful, although now everyone in our circle and half of the town knew that she kicked the ass of one of the toughest, meanest bitches in town without breaking a sweat. According to Hasha, damn near anyone who saw her over the past thirty or so hours asked if I¡¯d up and kicked her ass for talking shit to Alana or if it had been Bethany. She told the truth to those who wanted to know and even covered Allie¡¯s bases too, often saying that she wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if my vaski had cried because she¡¯d hurt one of her friends. Being known so thoroughly by so many of the residents of the somewhat large town embarrassed her to no end, but Allie bore the brunt of it and was willing to deal with the rest as penance for laying smacketh down. Granted, Hasha was bullshitting about the amount of people that had asked, but she¡¯d told one of the area¡¯s biggest gossips and it would eventually spread anyway.


    Hasha was a lot cooler than she¡¯d ever been before and didn¡¯t even have to make fun of anyone to make a joke, finally having found respect for the pacifistic woman after pushing her to violence. As it was, I still didn¡¯t like Hasha because she was still arrogant as shit, despite getting her ass thrown like a smelly Raggedy Ann. In any case, Hasha said her peace on the matter and had a dirty look for me, to which I replied that I would happily take her on without a wand or weapon. Alana immediately put that idea in the dirt since I was still healing, but even she noticed that Hasha sounded different while she berated me. I didn¡¯t know what Alana thought, but I knew what was on my mind from front to back...


    I didn¡¯t know I was scary¡­


    I held it back before Hasha left, but she evidently sensed my sour mood. ¡°Sweetie, is something wrong? I know Hasha was acting kind of¡­ weird, but you know she¡¯s not exactly Thesuvian.¡±


    ¡°Allie¡­ Did¡­ Did Hasha sound¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°She definitely sounded different, I¡¯d say. She could barely control her voice and she didn¡¯t really seem mad when you said you¡¯d take her on¡­¡± Allie gave me a worried look. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t have anything to worry about, right?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°That wasn¡¯t anger or something sexual, Allie. She was scared for her fuckin¡¯ life.¡±


    My vaski pursed her lips. ¡°... Well¡­¡±


    ¡°... Alana¡­¡±


    Her eyes shot open. ¡°Y-You don¡¯t scare me! I know you better than she does, Gatian!¡±


    She was telling the truth as far as I could tell, but it¡¯d already hit me. ¡°... Yeah. I know¡­¡±


    ¡°Gatian, Hasha just¡­ She¡­¡±


    ¡°Alana, the thought of fighting me made a coward out of one of our most foolhardy friends. The only person outright dumber than Hasha is Li-Oh.¡±


    ¡°I thought you-¡±


    ¡°I do like Li, the guy¡¯s just stupid. At no point does he listen to any of the advice I¡¯ve given him. His one friend that¡¯s been outside the country. His one friend that can help him protect himself with Arca. His one friend who¡¯s been in a real, ¡®If I lose, I die¡¯ fight. Hell, even if someone else has been in one, I¡¯ve been in more just from fucking walking around Avalesce. The boy doesn¡¯t listen to reason, won¡¯t prepare past what he thinks is necessary, and frankly is well on the way to getting eaten alive. I was fully planning on breaking his leg if he won¡¯t listen to me. And I¡¯ll break it again if he¡¯s not-¡± The look Alana gave me shut me up. ¡°... I casually talk about maiming people¡­¡±


    ¡°... Why would you hurt Li-Oh?¡±


    ¡°To save his fuckin¡¯ life. If he goes to Avalesce anytime soon, he¡¯s dead. Li can barely handle his own in a tavern, and even then Coma and I pulled his ass out of the fire.¡± I turned away from her too late.


    She tilted my chin back towards her, my breathing uneven and my eyes threatening to betray me. ¡°... You¡¯re worried about your friend, Gatian. None of us plan on letting Li leave Thesuvia. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡± I pursed my lips and shook my head, stepping away from her when it started becoming too much. However, Alana had seen it before and had paid attention. Instead of leaving like I wanted her to so I could wallow and not infect someone else with my mood, she brought me to her chest. ¡°Gatian¡­ There¡¯s still a lot of love in your heart. It¡¯s okay to be mad at someone for doing something dangerous. It¡¯s not wrong to mad at your friend for trying to throw his life away. But do you want to know something that I¡¯ve learned in my twenty-five years?¡± I nodded against her, not trusting myself to speak. ¡°I learned that you can¡¯t hold yourself accountable for everything. You¡¯re not responsible for your friends. You¡¯re not responsible for most of your family¡­ It¡¯s not your purpose to help people. It might be your job or your hobby. It might be your motto and your credo. It will never be your purpose. People largely do what they want. They always have and they always will. If Li gives us all the slip and makes it out of town, then you can¡¯t help that. Unless you want to rob your friend of his privacy, freedom, and the basest right to happiness, then you can¡¯t do anything...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t something I wanted to hear but I needed it to be said in one way or another, and having it come from Alana was the best method of delivery. She was there for me while I cried because I didn¡¯t want to lose someone else, and she understood that it just hurt too much to think of another friend dying to the Char¡­ Booksy, I carry it off really well, but my head is completely fucked. Gage never would¡¯ve thought to use Arca on Hasha. Gage never would¡¯ve threatened Li-Oh¡¯s health¡­ The fucker also never had to kill anyone. Never had to drink their faces away for months so he could sleep. Never saw his friend get eaten alive. Never heard the cries while walking through ruined towns, saw people clinging to life with their fucking guts on the ground. Gage¡­ Gage fuckin¡¯ died and Gatian got to experience all that, and¡­ I¡¯m not half as tough as anyone thinks I am.


    People wave and come up to talk to me when I go around town. There¡¯s never a day in Holloway that I don¡¯t hear some kind word or two tossed my way. However, Li, Coma, and Beth were all too happy to tell me that I was one of the most respected people in the town because I was supposed to be one of the strongest. I¡¯d made it through the Char and the Scorched without losing a limb or looking like any of the refugees. I got to Thesuvia with my mind, morals, and sense of self intact, but¡­ What people never realize is that I¡¯m not sipping ale or mead from my flask every ten minutes. It¡¯s fuckin¡¯ Green Dragon, every-fucking-day, all the fucking time, just to keep myself together. Because when I see someone bleed, I don''t see a cut, I see a gaping laceration. When I hear a gunshot, it¡¯s not just one, it¡¯s a fucking battle. I¡­


    Fuck all that sad shit; Alana makes it better. My friends make it better. The life I lead makes it better. I hadn¡¯t drank all day and was probably overly emotional because of it, but I needed to stop drinking again anyway, even if Alana hadn¡¯t said anything. ¡°... Allie¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, my precious boski?¡± She whispered in my ear.


    ¡°... I need help.¡±


    ¡°I know, sweetie¡­ I know.¡± Her voice was as soft as a down feather.


    I hugged her tighter, thankful that she¡¯d accepted it. Once I¡¯d gotten it together enough to say something in a solid sentence, I went with, ¡°Allie¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Gatian. You know I won¡¯t judge you for it.¡±


    ¡°... I can¡¯t be a Trademaster¡­ They¡­ They don¡¯t do the things I do-¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± She asked gently.


    I tried to come up with something, but she just giggled. ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Bad thoughts are natural, sweetie. Some people have more than others, but you know what? You¡¯re crying.¡± That threw me through a fucking loop.


    ¡°What does-¡±


    ¡°Gatian¡­ I¡¯ve met River People that killed themselves to escape persecution. I¡¯ve met the Guardians when they bring news of another mercy. Believe it or not, I know a good number of people worse than you, but do you know what else?¡±


    I held onto her hands, desperate to know what was next. ¡°What.¡±


    She smirked at me. ¡°You are hands-down one of the kindest, most generous, politest, most gentlemanly people I¡¯ve ever met. You are, without a doubt, the best River Person I have ever come across in seven years of working at the Center.¡± The confidence in her eyes was¡­ Heartwarming. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you how many times I¡¯ve been¡­ Ogled, by people, not just men, who come to the Center. Their jaws drop when I stand up, but¡­ You smiled. You never commented on my height until you knew I was okay with it. You have never insulted someone in front of me that hadn¡¯t already insulted someone else. The only times I¡¯ve ever seen you actually try to hurt someone¡­ One was your fight with Max, and I don¡¯t think you really wanted to fight, and you¡¯ve cuffed Li-Oh a few good times, but¡­ You rarely hit anyone, and maybe it¡¯s just me, but everyone hits everyone.¡±


    I cracked up at the look on her face when she said the last part, the fact that she thought that she was pointing out an obvious secret was great. ¡°Allie¡­ I don¡¯t hit people because I don¡¯t like getting hit. I just give people dirty looks when they try to do it. Max deserved an ass whooping he didn¡¯t get, but I still electrocuted him. Insulting people just isn¡¯t my thing, and your height is kinda sexy, so of course I¡¯m not going to make fun of it. That would be like saying that your butt is so toned I¡¯d be afraid of breaking fingers on it.¡±


    She blushed and tried to give me an admonishing look. ¡°I love you, but you spend too much time trying to make me blush.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not afraid that I¡¯m going to break my fingers on your rear because I¡¯m pretty- Nope.¡± I shut myself up as she turned brighter. ¡°Not digging the hole any deeper.¡±


    She looked away, holding our hands between us. ¡°I¡­ I-I wouldn¡¯t mind¡­¡±


    ¡°Then I might just try when a moment arises,¡± I said, holding back a smile.


    And just like that I felt considerably better. Booksy, Alana¡­ Alana isn¡¯t Stellara, and that¡¯s a good thing. When we laid down for the night and shared a bed again in my place, it was different from sleeping with Stellara. For one, when Alana cuddled up to me, she didn¡¯t just hold onto my arm or my waist and call it cuddling. No, my vaski draped her arm and leg over me and held me as close as she could, even if we were both already warm. It was like¡­ It was like comparing a handshake to a full on hug, and I preferred the hug. Even if extricating myself from her grasp was a challenge, she was a pretty heavy sleeper anyway. Getting this written out¡­ I feel like I¡¯m ready to start taking my mental health a little more seriously. There¡¯s a therapist at the Center, and I might just see him.


    On a side note and as a closing word¡­ Booksy, you¡¯re my homie, right? Okay, because there¡¯s no way in hell I¡¯m telling anyone other than Coma this, but Alana¡¯s bottom? Like a cloud. Stellara¡¯s ass was firm and felt great to hold onto, but it had always been something I¡¯d made myself do. I don¡¯t know why, but it never felt natural. However, with Alana, we just laid down and I copped a feel. She giggled because it tickled and I didn¡¯t press my luck, but it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t feel welcome to do it again. That being said, I did get another taste of heavenly softness before going to sleep. Sue me.

 Trust In Me

    Trust In Me


    I¡¯m going to pick up where I left off for once instead of there being a few days in between. I know, right? Must be weird for you too. Anyway, I woke up with Alana snuggling the ever-loving Christ out of me and that wasn¡¯t a bad thing. Her affection felt an awful lot like a hug with extra comfort and her perfume still lingered on her, the sweet smell of a bready-cake still wafting off of her from time to time. My hand lay on her naturally hairless thigh, courtesy of her pure Thesuvian heritage. The other countries in Stalfisk were a little on the furry side, especially Laspone, but Thesuvians? The only other countries with half of their fun little traits were Harkol and Amane, and that place was home to Yuria¡¯s people. And Li-Oh. Neither of them made me think too highly of the Amanese since both could be terribly manipulative, it¡¯s just that I¡¯ve taught both of them that being so with me is a mistake.


    In any case, my morning was starting out fantastically. It might have been a little lazy of me to forgo my workout in favor of snuggling a little longer, but I couldn''t say that I really cared. Her arms were perfectly placed to stop me from giving a damn, and I wasn¡¯t going to be able to get away without waking her up anyway. Alana had well and truly ensnared me, body and soul. It was nice. Once the sun started peeking through the curtains, I kissed her awake with a few small smooches, moving onto a little hickey I thought was fun. If she was going to stake her claim, then I would happily do the same in my own way. I left a nice little mark after getting a few drowsy moans from Allie, but I was sure to let her sleep through the event so someone could embarrass her later. It was a set up and a little mean, but, it was also going to be hilarious and it meant that she was mine.


    When Alana woke up, she looked into my eyes and smiled before twitching. She blinked, felt her neck and the slight welt there, blushing furiously. ¡°Gatian¡­ Did¡­ Was that a dream?¡±


    ¡°Was what a dream?¡±


    ¡°... Gatian, I need you to be honest with me, and I won¡¯t say anything to anyone. I swear


    it.¡±


    I gave her an amused look. ¡°Are hickies not common here?¡±


    ¡°... So you¡¯re not a Lorrack?¡± She didn¡¯t quite seem convinced.


    ¡°Am I unbearably irresistible?¡±


    ¡°Well-¡±


    ¡°Too handsome for words or handsome with adequate words to describe the level of beauty within these magnificent facial features?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re silly.¡± She giggled, her tension seeming to ease. ¡°... So¡­ What does blood taste like?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how to react to that. ¡°... I don¡¯t really go out of my way to taste it, but the iron makes it taste like metal, I guess.¡±


    Alana actually seemed surprised, then had to think. ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh my God, that¡¯s really flattering.¡± I gave her a peck for the hyperbole.


    She stared at me. ¡°Gatian¡­ You know most River People are conventionally attractive on Septurn, right?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t know?¡± The look on my face apparently gave her pause, but not for long. ¡°Oh my- Sweetie, you can¡¯t be serious!¡± She started giggling at me.


    My face heated up. ¡°What!? What is it? Stop laughing at me!¡±


    Allie pulled my face into her chest and rolled me on top of her. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great! One of the cutest guys in this part of town didn¡¯t even know!¡±


    I put my arms on either side of her and gave us some space. ¡°Alana, stop messing with me before I give you a hickey on your cheek.¡±


    My vaski looped her arms around my neck and smiled up at me. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you could try asking someone with a little less to gain from it. Maybe¡­ Beth?¡±


    I blushed harder at the memory of Beth and her lamentation of staying home for my first day in town. ¡°... Shush.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm.¡±


    I looked at her smug face and kissed her because I could, even though I couldn''t take a compliment. Much like Alana herself, actually. It didn¡¯t strike me in the moment, however, it was a good kiss without a thought occurring to me in the duration. When I pulled away she stroked my cheek. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do with you, Allie.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you literal little minx. Why don¡¯t you un-shush?¡±


    I got a kiss for being cute. ¡°Mwah~¡± She followed up with giggles. ¡°There¡¯s a lot about yourself that you don¡¯t know, Gatian. I¡¯m glad to show you some-¡±


    ¡°Are we taking this top off now, then?¡± I cut in, my cheeks as red as hers.


    ¡°Gatian!¡±


    My grin could match the Devil¡¯s. ¡°Kidding, but-¡±


    She pouted at me and I shut up. ¡°I wasn¡¯t kidding¡­¡±


    ¡°... That look isn¡¯t even fair.¡±


    ¡°What look?¡±


    ¡°The look on your face!¡±


    She pouted harder, her evergreen eyes peering straight through me. Even without her eyeliner they seemed large and inviting, but at the moment they were so sad! ¡°I can¡¯t help how I look¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, mercy! You¡¯re killing me.¡± I lowered myself and kissed her jaw. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Allie.¡±


    She stopped pouting and gave me a strange look. ¡°... You are?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Gatian, I¡¯m not upset or anything, so-¡±


    ¡°But you just looked so sad¡­¡± I rolled off and snuggled up to her.


    ¡°I mean¡­ I was, a little, but-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m-¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to-¡±


    ¡°But Allie, I-¡±


    ¡°Gatian!¡± She laughed as she said my name. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    I was about to apologize again when she kissed me and gave me a look, making me roll my eyes. ¡°Okay, so maybe the Sad Eyes are a little effective.¡±


    ¡°Sad Eyes? You mean like Karra ahra?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ I think Birrens use it as ¡®To sadden another through one¡¯s sadness¡¯, or something.¡±


    ¡°Karra ahra?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t making my eyes look sad anyway!¡± She pouted at me again.


    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re so cute when you do that!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing to be cute!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making that face and it¡¯s adorable!¡±


    She huffed and pouted at me some more, making my heart throb. ¡°... You¡¯re no better with that goofy smile.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not being goofy on purpose, it¡¯s just that you get really cute when you po-¡± The look on her face changed and I extended that syllable. ¡°-uut on that expression.¡±


    ¡°You were about to say pout, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... Maybe.¡±


    She gave me a look that was ruined by her blush. ¡°I am a grown woman, Gatian. I do not pout.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but what do you call it?¡±


    ¡°... My ¡®Dealing With Goofiness¡¯ face.¡±


    ¡°Is that when I¡¯m teasing you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too cute to be this mean¡­¡± Her pout jumped right over ten and hopscotched to eleven.


    ¡°If I¡¯m cute, then you¡¯re cuter.¡±


    ¡°I am cuter. You tell me all the time.¡± She smirked.


    ¡°Stop using my own words against me!¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°Stop giving me so many reasons and I will.¡±


    ¡°... Aren¡¯t you ticklish?¡±


    Alana furrowed her brow, confused. ¡°... Yes? Why?¡±


    ¡°Revenge!¡± I seized her sides and started making the woman I loved squirm beneath my fingertips.


    ¡°G-G-G-¡± Alana went for my hands.


    I swung my leg over her and mounted my angel, grabbing her wrists as she easily sat up. Overpowering her wasn¡¯t an option and Alana didn¡¯t want to be tickled at the moment, instead latching onto my neck and leaving a mark of her own. She licked the spot to collect whatever moisture she¡¯d left behind and gave me a stern look. ¡°Now, is that what you did earlier?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°It means something, you know.¡±


    ¡°What does it mean here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a territorial thing.¡±


    I looked up at her, smug as shit. ¡°I¡¯m not the jealous type, but I am exclusive.¡±


    ¡°You do know that this is also¡­ An implication¡­¡± She gave me a knowing look.


    I raised a brow. ¡°And? I thought you¡¯d be more embarrassed.¡±


    She blushed at that. ¡°... I¡¯m not a prude, I¡¯m just traditional¡­¡±


    ¡°Are the marks traditional?¡±


    ¡°Some couples apply them as a part of a daily routine¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that cute?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes you are.¡± Alana looked at the clock and so did I. ¡°Oh shoot, we have work today, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°I gotta do some training anyway. Meet you in thirty?¡±


    ¡°Forty-five?¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± We sealed it with a kiss.


    ¡®


    And so I actually did have time to knock out a hundred pushups to get a good swell going before my lukewarm shower, but it wasn¡¯t my full workout. Even then I¡¯d just done them all together, though I was surprised at my endurance until I remembered that Septurns were better fed and nourished than River People on a general basis, and that Terruc foods were actually cheaper than some normal ones because they were easier to grow and tasted inferior. Shit was a little weird, but it made for a healthy populace and a generally lean one. I couldn¡¯t actually remember the last time I¡¯d seen a terribly obese person, even after having been mildly obese myself for the first year. I suppose that Septural just melts it off of you or eats you. Either one.


    I got out to the courtyard five minutes early since my uniform was easy to put on and Alana met me right on time with her makeup kit in her travel-bag. I hesitate to call it a purse even though that¡¯s it¡¯s name, it¡¯s just that the thing had a metal plate on it and could be used as a weapon. She joked about putting her makeup on while walking, but I advised against it and she told me that she¡¯d actually tried once, having failed miserably. A lot of Alana¡¯s funnier stories were of mundane madness and what her friends inflicted on her, but it beat mine and some of my gruesome, darker humored jokes such has ¡®How many shots to kill a man? Depends on what he¡¯s drinking.¡¯ and others like it.


    We talked on the way to the Center and walked quickly, despite wanting to take our time, I¡¯d see Alana later in the day, so I wasn¡¯t too worried about missing time with her over the week. However, it quickly became apparent that life was not due to be good when we arrived at the Welcome Center and saw Rachall standing outside. She walked towards us when she saw us, calling out ¡°Gatian! Have you brought your weapons with you?¡±


    ¡°Most, yes. What¡¯s the matter?¡± I asked, jogging forward.


    We stopped in speaking distance. ¡°It would appear there¡¯s a garrison mustering here in Holloway. Your presence would be very much valued.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I can do that, but what¡¯s the cause? I¡¯m not one to run off blind.¡± Very much. All the time. I mean, I like to be informed when I can be!


    Rachall didn¡¯t know my past that well anyway. ¡°I understand. There seems to be a regiment gathering in order to squash a few brigands that have taken to terrorizing refugees. If it were just minor things we could forgive them, but we¡¯ve recently heard that the brigands have cost the frail Prince of the Ponies his life¡­¡± She gave me a pointed look.


    ¡°I was asked for by name, wasn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°A very powerful woman knows your name,¡± Rachall said softly.


    I took off my autumnal coat, removed my uniform jacket, and handed the latter off to Alana. ¡°Life. Life kinda sucks sometimes.¡±


    She gave me a worried look. ¡°Gatian, don¡¯t get yourself hurt, okay?¡±


    I smiled slightly, giving her a kiss. ¡°I¡¯ll be back, Alliebear.¡±


    Alana blushed and Rachall sighed. ¡°Ah, I do hope you return unscathed, Gatian. The Muster is at the Town Hall, so meet there soon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be off. Keep Li-Oh back, will you?¡±


    They both nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll keep everyone safe here, so you go worry about those Din-Fallers!¡±


    ¡°Oh hell.¡± I grumbled. ¡°Minotaurs.¡±


    ¡°And Chorets. Don¡¯t forget the Chorets.¡± Rachall reminded, sobering up.


    ¡°I won¡¯t. Take care, you two. I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t you have any armor or anything?¡±


    ¡°My main thing was not getting hit. That¡¯ll be the thing I focus on.¡±


    ¡°What about-¡±


    ¡°I have another Arca and one more Arcana I came up with, but haven¡¯t tested. If we need that kind of force, then at least I¡¯ll be ready. Don¡¯t worry, Rachall. Especially if you¡¯re going to worry Alana while you¡¯re at it.¡±


    Allie gave me a smile. ¡°I¡¯d rather have Coma go with you¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s needed here! He¡¯s one of our better fighters!¡± Rachall cried.


    ¡°I¡¯ll grab Hamishe if he gets mustered as well. There¡¯s no telling, but stop worrying anyway.¡± I gave Alana a quick peck on the cheek. ¡°No more bullshit, I¡¯m off.¡±


    With that, I was indeed off and on my way, heading toward Town Hall with a worry in my heart and a funny suspicion that there was more than meets the eye about this little bandit bust. There were plenty of people gathered when I got to the Muster, but a lot of people left when they learned exactly what it was for. In fact, over half of them fucked off and I was one of the few that even appeared to give a shit that someone relatively innocent had been killed for the sake of what was probably a money thing. In any case, as the only Trademaster present, I got stuck to the Grandmaster¡¯s side as he gave his speech about how we were going to trounce the threat and beat those bandits into the grave.


    Apparently we were killing people.


    Yay.


    I wasn¡¯t down to kill people, but I was duty bound to do it and that really sucked for a lot of reasons that I didn¡¯t want to think about. Trying to explain that to Grandmaster Paulo was pointless since he was a Flistian and was also a Grandmaster. The guy was arrogant to be sure and that was probably why I got stuck next to him. I was mostly there to keep him in check according to Onemaster Traye. Speaking of the town¡¯s main mayor-guy, he advised me to wait for a note from the Fullmaster of Thesuvia, so I stuck next to Paulo until a messenger came from the Post with a letter. The missive I was sent from the Fullmaster (Some guy named Gary or something) said that I was to keep an eye on Paulo and make sure he didn¡¯t cause trouble in house The note also told me to be more careful in the future with my purchases, but I had no real reason to write back. For the hundredth time, I reminded myself to go and slap Li-Oh.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    According to Paulo, he got a missive specifically requesting my presence at the gathering just to be his right hand because of my skill and ability to learn. He may have let it slip that he just thought I was a rising star that could use a little guidance on the path, so I played nice and pretended to learn from Captain Autismo himself. For much of the morning I followed him  as he blustered around and made a mess of the things he had me organize, so I just went behind him and got everything reorganized based on the data that I had. When we had moments to spare and I wasn¡¯t cleaning up after him, he taught me that he was a Tornadic Arch to my Tempestian, so he thought we were like Wind Warriors on the same path.


    The guy was fond of me, make no mistake about it. He was toxic and a pain in the ass to be around, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel that he¡¯d make a great drinking buddy when everything was over and done with. His propensity for tall tales and the like was obvious and he enjoyed talking a lot more than most people in his position, but even trying to sneak a roll of soma every now and again couldn¡¯t keep me from despising him for long. Paulo was an asshole to our men and the only people he showed any respect to were me, our organizer that I¡¯d appointed, and this one Thesuvian woman who apparently said she was going home. I didn¡¯t talk to her, but she was apparently the other Onemaster of Holloway and didn¡¯t want to deal with Paulo from what I¡¯d heard. That being said, I got our plan put together by manipulating Dumbfuck¡¯s words whenever he spoke and making whatever wrong thing he said right. It wasn¡¯t a solo effort by any means since the people I¡¯d picked for my crew were helping out when they could. The only reason they really even got to help me out was because Paulo was less severe with them than anyone else. He¡¯d already ordered two floggings and the day wasn¡¯t close to being done.


    Our teams were going to assault the bandit¡¯s captured town from two fronts with the Grandmaster¡¯s plan as the shell. When he stopped paying attention to me, I was going to start a concert and draw out all the bandits which would then lead to a great and powerful nap for everyone involved. Then we¡¯d arrest everyone and conscript them to war in our steads. It was filthy and kind of manipulative of me, but all the Armators and Armatura present approved of my tactics and made me feel like I actually knew shit about things until they told me that I¡¯d just cleaned up and made Paulo¡¯s plan one hundred times better. Knowing that I had stolen and improved his idea kinda sucked, but it did mean that he was useful at the end of the day. Paulo wanted to kill everyone; I wanted to arrest them. Most people liked my idea a lot better.


    Speaking of, the attack was put together and would be taking place at midnight the same night, so we all spent our time with the crew in the Town Hall so the plan wouldn¡¯t get anywhere we didn¡¯t want it. There was a lot to do to get prepared, so I loaded all of my speed-loaders, prepped my knifed with a little extra whetting, and checked my wand for any damage. There was another Terru specialist in the party with us, but he wasn¡¯t much for using Arca in battle. He had a catalyst and all, but it wasn¡¯t attuned to him and I wasn¡¯t going to risk his well-being over an advantage. I assured him that mine wasn¡¯t to me and that he could use it anyway once I¡¯d checked it for damage, but he was still afraid of breaking it, so I agreed to tell him what his Arch and Catalyst Arch were. Apparently there had been Centurns selling Flame Arch catalysts and the guy had gotten lucky, but he was an incredibly weak practitioner. A couple Arca I couldn¡¯t use were suited for him, but all he could really use was a fireball. After the sun was getting ready to set, Paulo kept me by his side, his sickening accent not sounding anything like an Italian¡¯s, but he was all MaMa MiA PiZaRhHeA all the time.


    ¡°Gatian, my friend! Don¡¯t you want to drink before we go and make our enemies pay for crossing those poor Centurns? Or perhaps we could spar?¡±


    Due to my rank, I¡¯d been respectful for most of the day. ¡°I don¡¯t think sparring before a battle is the wisest. It¡¯s best to stay well-prepared, no?¡±


    ¡°Why not prepare-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste our resources, Paulo. Every hit we take from each other is one less we can take from the bandits. The less I take into the fight, the less chance I have of coming home without a mark. I want everyone here to come and go as they were first.¡±


    He raised a brow at me, my sudden change in demeanor causing one in him. ¡°I would offer you friendship and you would offer me¡­ What, exactly?¡±


    ¡®


    I looked him dead in his eye. ¡°A reliable ally in the field of battle. Walking into a fight cocky is how great men die. I¡¯m not great. I¡¯m not cocky. I¡¯ve already died once.¡±


    Paulo seemed to accept my words. ¡°There is wisdom as you speak, but I can¡¯t help but feel as though¡­ You are perhaps undermining me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit that I partially am, Paulo. I want to arrest these bandits, not kill them.¡±


    ¡°Would they show you the same mercy?¡±


    I tilted my head, looking at him calmly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that I was a bandit. I¡¯d like to think myself a Trademaster; A guardian for those who need help.¡±


    ¡°... An honorable man, I see.¡± He nodded to me.


    ¡°You say that as if you aren¡¯t.¡± It may not have been the wisest thing, but I wanted to know the man who was leading the charge.


    ¡°... There is a level between Grandmasters and Trademasters, and I do not mean ¡®Onemaster¡¯. I will show this to you.¡± Paulo walked off from the office we were borrowing, stopping at the door. ¡°Follow.¡±


    I chose to follow and he rallied the troops as we walked, people coming from room after room as we gather and split up. I was in charge of one group and he the other, so I led my group to the drop point without further ado. The trick was to get there unseen, but with only ten out of our sixty dudes in my squad, I wasn¡¯t as worried about it as I could have been. I had the Terru guy and a few Armators with me, but they weren¡¯t exactly the stealthiest. As we approached the town, we took a wide, arching route to our starting point and notified our team with the Fire Flask we were given once we managed to get to our agreed point. The note burned and another popped into existence, saying to close in on the target. However, when we got past the outskirts of town and realized there was no noise¡­


    There wasn¡¯t even an animal in the night. Nothing. No music, no words. Nothing. The eerieness crept into me and I wondered just what I¡¯d walked myself into, but there was little going on. A bandit woke in the night and came to greet us with words, but we just silenced him and detained him, sending two of our men to keep him down and out for a little while. The guy gave up without a fight since he was heavily outnumbered and even thanked me for showing him mercy, though I didn¡¯t feel it necessary. We had to get another two men from our detail to help detain another one, but then the silence broke. Screams, shouts, and cries were heard in the span of a few seconds, carrying on for half a minute before they died down to a dull roar. Fifteen more seconds later, I heard shouts of outrage that were silenced just as quickly, then running and the sound of rainfall. My crew had hesitated and I¡¯d held them back for fear of what was to come. And then it started¡­ It started raining. Hot, sticky rain that smelled like metal. Squishy hail began to fall. Sieg, the Flame Arch guy and I cast some minor lights¡­ l...


    All we saw was carnage.


    Walking through the village just saw¡­ We...  I had my people go home. They took the two prisoners we got and I sent them the fuck home. I didn¡¯t want them to be any worse off than they already were, but honestly, it looked like the Char had been through town, just without the fire. Corpses in various states of completion were strewn about like tinsel and baubles on a fucking Hallmark Christmas movie. Intestines from all kinds of people hung from roof to ground, wrapped around blown-out lightposts and just¡­ The bits and pieces of people that had all fallen since I¡¯d sent my men back to make the most out of their awful day¡­ I was covered in the blood of dozens of people. I walked through people. The more I walked through the village, the more bodies and viscera I saw that made me want to turn back and leave it all behind myself. Every step I took made my heart ache, brought another tear to my eye, made me hate that much more. Every step I took was a challenge and it was hard to see the point in whatever it was that had been done. A monster had come, surely. A monster beyond all reason and humanity had come to make the sinners regret everything they¡¯d done in their lives.


    I eventually came across the other group, the shocked few of them that were left and hadn¡¯t either deserted or been killed. I stood by while Paulo flaunted and bragged about his strength while gales tore at men who were still living and were soon killed. It was a mercy kill with every shot out of Clockly. I added more bodies to my soul out of mercy. Paulo¡­ that man¡­ That man stood with the few people that he was trying to make laugh with his sadism. His wickedness. Little more than a quarter of the team was left with him and I recognized a couple of our men that had been torn apart like the rest. Paulo tore our own people apart. He was trying to get more screams from ¡®bad guys¡¯ and made a show of checking to see who¡¯d shot the poor few who¡¯d died slowest.


    When he saw me he smiled wide and swept his arms, guffawing for some unknown reason. I walked up to that man and shook my head, my tears having stopped minutes after I¡¯d stopped and seen him. ¡°... This¡­ It didn¡¯t need to happen like this, Paulo. They would¡¯ve surrendered.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°The difference between you and me is not our morals, Gatian, but our methods. You would have done the same to these swine, no?¡±


    ¡°No. No, I was here to make arrests, Paulo. The fucking plan was to arrest them... There¡¯s a lot different between us. More than you¡¯ll ever know. I-¡±


    Paulo didn¡¯t seem to care, turning his back on me. ¡°Then go home. You are not meant to climb the ranks, and you have said as much yourself.¡±


    Jeers were called from half of the people that surrounded us and Paulo seemed to soak it up. I assumed them to be his cadre brought from his town. The rest were mine and came to form behind me. Paulo seemed to ignore it. ¡°... I see. Take care, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°And to you, Gatian. Maybe you¡¯ll live a quiet life, no?¡± He smirked at me and turned around, walking away with his group.


    ¡°... Sir?¡± One of the holdovers with me asked.


    I looked him in the eye and spoke softly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You can stay or go, but I have to stay.¡±


    The man wasn¡¯t covered in blood like I was, but he offered me his canteen. ¡°... This might help.¡±


    ¡°Is it liquor?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s not gonna help. Thanks, bud, but¡­¡± I shook my head.


    He nodded and dumped the water on my head. ¡°That¡¯s what I meant.¡±


    I nodded back. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll take a bath. Y¡¯all go on an¡¯ get home. Imma clean up the trash.¡±


    The man offered me his hand. ¡°What happened here-¡±


    I shook it firmly. ¡°We don¡¯t know what happened here. Paulo did everything... He never came back. We never met him at the rendezvous.¡±


    ¡°... He never came back.¡± He nodded, his eyes red and bloodshot.


    I looked around at the fifteen or so people left. ¡°All of you¡­ Get some rest. Go home, hug someone, and don¡¯t hold this in. If you can, talk about it. If you can¡¯t¡­ I¡¯ll be at the Welcome Center. I¡¯ll help you get through it. Get a drink. Get through the night, then get through the day. No matter what you do after this; You didn¡¯t die here. Remember that.¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡±


    ¡°Take care of this.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see you at home.¡±


    ¡°Sir, take care of yourself.¡±


    There were a few more muttering that went around and I bore them with a straight, placid face. I waited until they were half a football field away before I walked away from them in turn, hunting for the first time since I¡¯d gotten to Holloway. I found the herd I was looking for and channeled everything I had. Every ounce of my fury, indignation, and the hatred I felt for the man who¡¯d slaughtered so many like cattle to the killing floor¡­ I conjured up every sickened second I felt and gave it everything I had, my wand at the ready. The metal glowed from the sheer amount of Terru I was putting in the Arcana and I knew that it was going to be a heavy hit to my stamina for the rest of my waking hours, but I didn¡¯t care. I didn¡¯t give a fuck. I didn¡¯t give a fourth of a fuck. I didn¡¯t give a single F, U, C, and it wasn¡¯t  ¡®K¡¯ with me. Not by a fuckin¡¯ longshot. The animals in front of me? They took my rage and had it crammed down their throats.


    ¡°Rimbraka Omnivo.¡±


    And they were encased in a dome of shadow. The highwinds and screams from the dome were nasty to be sure, but I¡¯d already shed tears. I¡¯d already cried for someone. I waited until the dome was gone. They, in turn, were now goo, gristle, and blood. With that out of my way, I started heading back to Holloway Halter with a heavy heart and tired eyes. I hadn¡¯t wanted to see any of what Paulo had shown me, and I refused to let him make another scene. However, when I got to the edge of the bandits¡¯ town, there was a slender man waiting for me at the edge of a house. I drew my wand, but when I stopped a decent distance away from him, he got off of the house and waved. I waved back.


    He approached and I met him about halfway. Upon closer examination, the man only appeared young, probably being somewhere in his thirties. I didn¡¯t doubt that he knew what I¡¯d done, but there was something about him that I was unsure of. He seemed to be a little familiar, but I¡¯d never seen his face before. ¡°Hail.¡±


    I nodded back at him. ¡°Yo, whassup?¡±


    He raised a brow. ¡°You sound perturbed.¡±


    ¡°I just killed some animals. It¡¯d be hard to not sound disturbed or perturbed with the amount of them.¡±


    ¡°Understandable. You¡¯re also covered in blood.¡±


    ¡°Eeyup.¡±


    ¡°Any of it yours?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather some of it be mine. Wish none of it was spilled.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to know that you have a heart.¡±


    ¡°Right. What do you want, brothaman? Can¡¯t imagine it¡¯s anything good.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°Just a fair warning. Khroma sends her regards, says you¡¯re on the same side now that your path is altered.¡±


    ¡°... Bitch wants me sacrificed. We¡¯re not on the same side.¡±


    ¡°She says you¡¯re not slated for the stone anymore. You¡¯ve chosen right.¡±


    ¡°... Then who¡¯s gonna die?¡±


    ¡°The prophecy doesn¡¯t fit you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Aight.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re supposed to be happy about that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I welcome someone to come and fuckin¡¯ try me right now.¡±


    ¡°I can feel it. You¡¯re some kinda pissed.¡±


    ¡°I had to mercy kill my own men. I¡¯m not pissed. My heart¡¯s in pieces.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t shoot the messenger, but there¡¯s one last thing I need to tell you. Unless you want to do me a favor, that is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d consider it merciful if you¡¯re serving Khroma.¡±


    ¡°Right. Khroma says to stay away from her favorite pet.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Were you serious about wanting a Soft Hand?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s a kindness no one else will give me. That no one else can. I don¡¯t care if it hurts. I just want out.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m sorry for this, but you asked.¡± He nodded as I spoke, closed his eyes and dipped his head one final time before the Grantonid guided my hand.


    I nodded back and shot him in the head, dropping the guy in a second flat. It was just another body to the toll. I waited for a second to see if he really would come back to life and he truly did start to twitch and jerk. I cast two Arca on him, both strong enough to kill. He couldn¡¯t reform, and I stayed for another hour to see if he would anyway. He didn¡¯t... Tonight, I write in you as my therapy, Booksy, because I didn¡¯t want to do any of that. I didn¡¯t want to kill Paulo, but I couldn''t let him kill more people in turn. I didn¡¯t want to fight Khroma before, but I wanted her dead now more than ever. The bloodlust in my veins was growing by the second, an orange fluid flowing from my nose on my way home. I didn¡¯t know what it meant and I didn¡¯t want to ask, thinking that I was just losing my touch with reality. When I checked in the lamp light, it seemed to be a little more scarlet and I was glad that I¡¯d bled for myself¡­


    Seven mercy kills. Sixteen executions. One bastard to rule all the ones I¡¯d seen before.


    I killed more people in an hour than I had in my entire life, Booksy...


    And for fucking what?


    ????????????????????????


    I woke up and went to work without any kerfuffle. It was in the news that the fight had been bloody and that the town was going to be torched to cover the Grandmaster¡¯s crimes, but I couldn¡¯t help myself from feeling relieved that it had all been over and done with in a day. I needed to talk to that damn therapist now more than ever and scheduled an appointment for the evening when the female one I¡¯d never met was supposed to be in. I¡¯d have preferred talking to a guy, but a therapist was a therapist nonetheless and I was banking on Doctor-Patient confidentiality. In any case, getting to work with Alana was a little quiet because she knew I¡¯d probably killed someone and was reeling from it, she just didn¡¯t know the context. The Septurn love languages were a little different, but she still bought me something to eat on our way in, but it came back up. She tried hugging and touching in general, but all I could offer in turn was a weak smile. There was a little Arca-Heart made and casually flung at me, to which I asked her to teach me how to do the same thing. Mine came out smaller, but I gave it to her all the same and she accepted that I just needed to get busy.


    After we got to work, I ended up in the music room, playing Dust In The Wind by Kansas to make my aching heart feel better to no avail. Trying happier songs didn¡¯t really do me any good, and I eventually just stopped playing altogether until it was time to start training. My students were doing well, I just didn¡¯t really care that day. Everyone knew that I was on the team that had killed the highwaymen, and everyone that had been in Paulo¡¯s squad spoke of the massacre in hushed tones, their horror being enough to sate most people¡¯s questions. However, there was always going to be that one person out of every group with no tact and no real regard for politeness.


    During our lunch break, Alana and Aliss were chatting with Hasha and Beth about something or other while Cacoma and Li were discussing the battle. I was late to lunch since my best student finally got through a full song without missing a note and that had brightened my day a bit, but it wasn¡¯t meant to last. Li saw me approaching the table with a crusty bread-bowl holding some chowder-type stuff inside and he frowned, giving me an odd look for my choice in meal since I was usually a pretty heavy eater during the main three meals. The appetite was pretty dead for the day, so I stopped to talk to the gals for a pick me up and surprisingly enough, Hasha took me aside for a quick chat.


    She seemed a little fidgety when we got to a decent enough place for a quick talk, so I said, ¡°Mind if I eat and talk? I don¡¯t want my bread to get too cold.¡±


    Hasha rolled her eyes. ¡°I assumed that¡¯s why you brought it, goobo.¡±


    I nodded toward her. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°... Alana told me something.¡±


    ¡°My dick isn¡¯t that small, it was cold.¡± I dipped my spoon into my soup and ate a bite.


    The ice broke in half. ¡°Pfft- Alright, that was pretty good¡­ I guess¡­ Gatian, I was kinda scared of you, but... I really don¡¯t have to be scared of you if I don¡¯t push too hard, huh?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t like being a dick, I just feel the need to make a point sometimes.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Right¡­ And¡­ Thank you for your service, as little as you wanted to do it.¡±


    I chewed on a bit of bowl. ¡°... I don¡¯t really have anything positive to say to that. Sorry, but thanks for the sentiment. I do appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let that topic die where it is. My boyfriend¡­ He¡¯s not too...¡°


    ¡°He was there, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡± I nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Evunn, see what I can get through to him.¡±


    ¡°You don''t-¡±


    ¡°Nah, I work at the Center. It¡¯s shouldn¡¯t just be River Folk we help. Not this time.¡±


    Hasha smiled, barely lifting the corner of her mouth. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ softy.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Not as soft as my limp noodle. If there¡¯s nothing else,¡± I sipped soup directly from my bowl and it was good, ¡°I got soup to suck.¡±


    She rolled her eyes and we rejoined our friends. No sooner had I sat down than Li asked, ¡°Yo, how many of those dudes did you zap n¡¯ cap, man?¡±


    Coma kicked him under the table, Bethany slammed her fist into his thigh, and I looked at him. ¡°... Li... Seriously?¡±


    Li was busy trying to hit people back until Beth fixed that shit with a look. ¡°¡®Scuse you, pumpkin. That¡¯s way outta line. You know damn well that¡¯s not table talk, and especially not work talk.¡±


    ¡°It was an honest question!¡± He defended.


    ¡°Yeah, that I¡¯m not answering in any other words than these; Why the fuck are you so concerned about glorifying slaughter?¡± I looked him in the eye and leaned forward. ¡°There¡¯s nothing nice about it, Li. No one likes it other than sick. Fucks. Are you a sick fuck?¡±


    ¡°... I get it.¡± He raised his hands.


    Beth nodded and I went back to my soup. It sucked. ¡°... Shoulda got some fries to go with this.¡±


    Aliss nudged me and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll trade you seats if you take these terrible things from my plate. I¡¯m trying to avoid the tubers for now, they go straight to my hips.¡±


    ¡°Like Alana, you¡¯d probably look even better for it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­ Actually kinda sweet.¡± She giggled a bit.


    Alana gave me a harmless look. ¡°Are you saying you want me to get heavy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying I would give you a nibble if you did. Hell, for as tall as you are, you¡¯re probably still lighter than I am and that goes for both of you pale tree-people.¡±


    Coma nudged my gal and wiggled his brows. ¡°He wants ya to be a big-bottomed beauty~¡±


    Alana nabbed a fry and glared at him, but Alana isn¡¯t good at giving people looks. Tara tried to get one of my weird fries too, but was handily denied as I swapped with Aliss. For some reason, most of my fries were eaten by Alana, so I ate her fries with my soup. She then proceeded to help me eat the rest of my soup bowl and it was apparently really cute, but I think the Diancie just had a taste for my food. She offered me some of hers in turn and it was even cuter when we fed each other. I may or may not have enjoyed my lunch more than I should have, even while being the center of attention with Alana. Everyone commented to me later on how relaxed and carefree she seemed during the time with me and I rather thought she was trying to make me feel better. It was a Thesuvian custom for a couple to eat off of each other¡¯s plates when times were tough, but Beth had to tell me that it was Alana¡¯s way of showing that she loved me. The more I thought about it the more I found that it was likely true, so I decided to ask later. For the time being, I had an appointment with a fuckin¡¯ quack.


    Counselor Gurtis was a fool and I didn¡¯t want to deal with her since she was already asking me for help before I even made it to my appointment. Maybe I was just depending on my visit too much, but Gurtis was no help to me and I was more helpful to her than she to most of her patients. Instead, I ended up filling her role for the evening sessions and a lot of the guys there saw me and could actually talk about it. I won¡¯t record any of what was said, but¡­ I was lucky in a manner of speaking. Me and my crew were mostly spared from seeing Paulo in action, but many of the men weren¡¯t and many couldn¡¯t sleep or eat already. I didn¡¯t have the authority to prescribe anything and neither did the Counselor in the first place, but I could recommend that they smoke some Soma for the time being and try not to drink themselves to death. Telling their spouses how they felt about what they saw might help, but I had no idea what I was doing. I wasn¡¯t a leader; I needed counsel my-fuckin-self and I was only getting it with Alana.


    When my overtime was over, the night staff were settled in and were glad to pay for a meal at the cafeteria. I didn¡¯t ask for it, but a lot of them recognized that I needed to eat something else since I¡¯d run off a couple times during lessons and sessions to throw up until I found the trashcan in the Counselors office. It was enough to put the smile back on my face, so everyone got together and came up with the perfect comfort food; chili-cheese fries with a blended malt. I had to eat the fries with a fork and the company that surrounded me made me feel better, but there was a guy on the shift that made it all a little more bearable. Jerald was one of my team and had volunteered his time since it was a night mission, getting away with it since the day staff had stayed anyway. We ate together, him lunch and me dinner, all while talking shit about Paulo and lauding his disappearance. It took some time for me to realize that Jerald had probably been telling everyone what I¡¯d done and how I¡¯d sent my people back so I could face the bastard alone, but I wasn¡¯t really grateful or angry about it. It just meant that I spared him and he appreciated it for what it was.


    At the end of the day, I helped someone and it got me some tasty, crispy fries. That¡¯s all I ask.


    I went home with my shit on me because I didn¡¯t feel like leaving it at the Center, and for once in my life in Holloway it turned out to be a good idea. There was a large, beaten man staggering toward me from an alley I¡¯d just had to doubletake down, not sure that I¡¯d seen him in the first place. None of my Arca could be used for steady light, but Grata-non-Aquix had my body feeling ready when the first bolt of black flame came my way. When the second and thrid came, the first impacted and exploded, so I shot the hulking figure three times. Twice in the head, once in the heart. It staggered but didn¡¯t fall, so I cast Zeotsu at it with my wand and added a little extra oomph. The crack of lightning filled the night and illuminated the alley, blowing back my target once and for all.


    I was obligated to take a look since I was basically a Deputy or something of the sort, but when I came up to the guy for closer inspection, I saw that it was none other than Paulo. He already looked half-dead when I¡¯d first seen him, but now that he was fully dead, I cast a modified for of Rimbraka calla Raibrimakura, which caused an electrified frost to form over his skin and roast him from the inside out. The sad thing was that it was just an Arca Luce had taught me to make sure that I knew that they could be dangerous, having demonstrated its effects on a rodent. By the time I stopped channeling Terru into it, Paulo was done and done, and I was well on my way to the cop shop to deal with paperwork.


    A long night turned into a long day as I kept myself fueled with caffeine to stay awake at work until I passed out from stress and not sleeping, knocked out in a chair mid-lesson. Felicia, the woman who was learning from me at the time, came back with Alana and my vaski carried me off to a room to get some rest, which I learned from Unor, one of the men in charge of taking care of the Temp-Placement rooms. I slept until after lunch and Rachall tried her damndest to send me home, but I was up for another shift in the Counselor¡¯s seat as I¡¯d agreed to the day before. The Center was no longer just helping people that were misplaced from their world, instead opting to reach out to the community at large and offer their support that way. Doctor Soh, a nice guy with a decent temperament, handed out more scripts for Sweet Sleep Elixer than ever before and a lot of people were coming back without being able to get their orders filled. There was nothing we could do about it other than wait for the next shipment, and even then I could feel myself growing detached from the world around me. We subbed in Somsata Guff, a soma-based dream-eraser that seemed to help people plenty and there were some people willing to split up their SSE¡¯s so that someone else could get rest. We were making do.


    It was getting harder and harder to care about people who¡¯d been gung ho about killing others in the first place. Point blank. I knew that some of these guys wanted to hurt those bandits instead of arrest them, but a lot of them couldn¡¯t deal with the consequences of their actions. It was a shame and I hated feeling that way, so when Alana asked me to walk her home, I happily accepted the offer since she¡¯d stayed late anyway. She¡¯d made it clear early on that she just wanted me to follow her, so I jokingly asked if I could hold her hand and she just grabbed mine. There was a look on her face that worried me, but she still smiled whenever our eyes met. I asked what was on her mind during the walk and she requested a little more quiet time, so I just held onto her hand and looked on as the sun set.


    Alana led me out toward the forest and eventually past the treeline, having some trouble in picking her step every now and then. ¡°Alana, it¡¯s been nearly an hour. What are we-¡±


    ¡°Just a little further, Gatian,¡± she said softly. ¡°I want to show you something.¡±


    We were nowhere near any of the violence that had occurred the other day, but there was still something worrying me about the situation. It turned out to be for naught since Alana took me to a creek with all sorts of flora and fauna around it. The animals were largely calm and didn¡¯t appear to be scared of us and the flowers that grew there¡­ Every one of them was unique and different, something new to see and a specatcle all its own. The creatures there were all familiar too after I¡¯d seen them all in my travels. There was even a little faulain there that seemed a little too ruddy for its own good, their usual color being Bast Blue.


    I looked at it a little longer than the other creatures and it came up to sniff me. It did so for a little while, pawing at my leg. ¡°... Gatian?¡±


    ¡°... Felix?¡± I gasped.


    ¡°Hey! It¡¯s my buddy!¡± He jumped up and down. ¡°Allie, you found my buddy!¡±


    Alana smiled at me. ¡°I thought a good luck charm could be-¡± She couldn¡¯t speak past the kiss I placed on her lips, brief as it was. ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Alana.¡± I bent down and scooped Felix up. ¡°Hey there, Feels. You¡¯ve been getting bigger, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! You made a really nice friend! She gave me a snack!¡±


    ¡°That was nice of her. What have you been up to since I last saw you, huh? You must¡¯ve had a long journey.¡±


    ¡°I did! There were fire people and bigger ohsums and there was even the time I got to go to Amane! It was really cool!¡±


    ¡°Damn, sounds like you¡¯ve had a time of it, little guy. Did you make any friends along the way?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but some of them got eaten. Life, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. I had a friend get eaten too, and I had to shoot another one, but I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay.¡±


    Felix pawed my face. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re oaky too!¡±


    ¡°You mean okay.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    I smiled at him. ¡°Do you want me to put you down?¡±


    ¡°No, I wanna go live with you! You make the best road-food! I was with some Harkans for a while and all they ate was dried fish and they gave me some, but fresh-kill was a lot better¡­ Will you make food for me? Pleeease?¡±


    I chuckled and looked at Alana. ¡°The complex allows Companions, right?¡±


    She nodded, rubbing her cheek. ¡°I thought your companion was a Guardian named Bast?¡±


    ¡°Felix was first. He ran off with Stella out of confusion.¡±


    ¡°Either way, if they talk, they aren¡¯t really animals¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say so,¡± said a normal-ish looking deer-thing.


    ¡°Here, here!¡± Clucked a particularly large Owl-ly thing.


    ¡°Oh, hello all.¡± I greeted mildly. ¡°If I knew you could all talk, I would¡¯ve said something sooner.¡±


    ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± The deer went back to biting some bark.


    I looked at Alana. ¡°You keep interesting company.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t?¡±


    I cracked a smile. ¡°I guess I keep cute company.¡±


    There was a chorus of feminine grunts and a few masculine ¡®Aww¡¯s from the peanut gallery while Alana blushed. ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve been invited to come spend time with them¡­ I just thought you might understand better than our friends.¡±


    ¡°A friend of Felix is a friend to us all,¡± The owl said kindly. ¡°After all, the little guy is the best judge of character.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll sssay,¡± said by a snake-thing dangling down from a tree. ¡°The little fella ssspeaksss highly of the River Man.¡±


    ¡°Hey, have all of you been looking after Felix?¡±


    The owl-ly gal hooted a little. ¡°He flew with me in Amane during the migration.¡±


    The deer-thing came and poked me with its muzzle-snoot. ¡°He ran with me in the forests of Flistis.¡±


    There were a few more stories to be told and I ended up talking to a bunch of Ohsums and Changelings, so that was a kind of mood-booster like no other. And so I got to hang out with a bunch of animals and talk to Felix some more. He was as cuddly as ever, going from me to Alana regularly in our arms. It was a nice, calm time that I regret not taking more advantage of while I had it, but there were worse things to deal with than missing out on talking to animaniacs. For the time being, I went home with Felix and Alana offered to come over the next days after work since I was ¡®supposed to¡¯ stay home for the rest of the week. No, I didn¡¯t have vacation days, I was being forced to stay home. I wasn¡¯t even supposed to take patients, but I¡¯d still be getting paid more for counseling. Not having anything to spend my time on was going to suck, but at least I could make some music and get a tracklist for an album together. I mean, I had a spare room that I could set up as a studio, I¡¯d just rather have a house for that.


    Alana slept with me and Felix decided to get up to old habits, sleeping in the divot between us as we cuddled. Alana¡¯s minty breath warmed my face and tickled my nose until morning, but I didn¡¯t take a prescription for myself at any time. She¡¯d mentioned that I should¡¯ve before bed¡­ I almost snapped at her for it, and I still feel bad. Vaski dearest understood why I was mad at the suggestion, holding her ground all the same. The sleeping tea wasn¡¯t working and I was still trying to wean off of liquor, but apparently my flask is more magic than I thought. I tried it earlier, but I didn¡¯t pour a glass until Felix got up to use the restroom and I got this written out.


    Codeine-Ambien syrup? I need real rest. Give it to me.

 Culture Shock

    My morning started as it had for the past week. Alana stirred and her arm twitched underneath my head, waking me up. Her eyes opened a second after mine, both of us looking down to Felix who had jumped from me to Allie. Breakfast was upon us and our pet slash kid was ready to eat, but for once, Felix fucked off before we could fully awaken and let us get some more sleep. It was the weekend and I¡¯d given him my saltiest look to get him off my nuts, meaning that I got to cuddle up to Alana for a little longer and get a few kisses in while I did so. It had been a while since she¡¯d slept in her own bed, and even then it had been a few days since we¡¯d gotten alone time, last night and the morning included. All was well, however, since our friends were just passed out drunk in my living room and in-progress recording studio.


    Hasha and Li-Oh had taken the studio for some reason, which left Beth, Tara, and Aliss to share the couch between themselves because Coma¡¯s chair was still his, even after he¡¯d donated it to me. I always let him have it since my other chair was better anyway, but I was the only one who could really get some decent rest in it. That aside, Alana gave me morning smooches to get the day started and I decided to get a little handsy for a little fun. We hadn¡¯t done much more than round third base, but I still got a thrill out of copping a feel when I could. Her impossibly soft bottom kept my attention and she was all too happy to feel up my muscles wherever they were. After a good ol fashioned bout of making out that almost went too far again, we pulled away from each other.


    I got out of bed first and Alana gave me a low whistle, admiring the wood that grows early while I stretched. It was worthwhile to just let it flow and stand as it would since Alana like to poke and prod at it from time to time, and the morning was no exception. She slapped my pickled so I whacked her with it before covering up with a robe and heading to the bathroom only to discover that Coma was in my tub. It wasn¡¯t odd since he liked cold places and the bathroom was the coldest room in the house, but it did mean that I had to wake his ass up and get him out of my shower so I could get ready for my day. He took it as well as a hungover Lasponian usually would, which is to say that he talked shit about my Grandma on the way out and I threw a wet washcloth at him. Which is probably why he pretended to be Alana and threw ice water on me during my shower.


    Getting out meant that Alana could get in while the girls headed over to her place to get showered. However, Hasha was the last to join them, a certain look on her face that Coma and I didn¡¯t miss. Li-Oh still hadn''t shown his face, so Coma and I went to go see him in the studio and found the guy butt-ass naked with a doogie (A condom, usually spermicidal) on his chest and two more in my trashcan. Cacoma laughed his way out of the room and I just shook my head, not really surprised and not really happy that my favorite room in the house had been soiled before I could even get laid myself. With that in mind, I woke Li up with a cup of ice-water and Coma laughed about that too until I froze his ass in the most literal sense by casting Hoarime at his butt.


    Alana came out of the shower in some casualwear she¡¯d never worn before while the boys were being boys, Li-Oh finally getting up and putting pants on while I was busy staring at Alana. She looked fantastic, and Coma agreed, but he wasn¡¯t thunderstruck like I was. Her frilled top accentuated her modest bust and the deep purple paired well with her skin and eyes. I¡¯d never seen her wear shorts before, but the ones she was wearing left her legs largely bare and open for my viewing pleasure, but what tied everything together was the ponytail she had her hair up in, giving her an effortlessly beautiful look.


    After Coma said, ¡°Damn, lookin¡¯ good, Lana.¡±


    Alana smiled. ¡°Thank you. What do you think, Gatian?¡± Her bangs were still a little damp as she brushed them aside.


    ¡°... I¡­¡± I licked my lips. They were awfully dry. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    She blushed. ¡°That¡¯s not a real answer, Mister!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d die all over again just to see you like this,¡± I said softly, nodding along.


    ¡°Aww! That¡¯s so morbidly sweet!¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ River People pick-up lines.¡± Coma scoffed. ¡°Septurns can¡¯t use that.¡±


    ¡°Get wrecked.¡± I shrugged, still looking at Alana. ¡°I love you so hard.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, silly goobski.¡± She giggled.


    ¡°Coobski?¡± Coma asked, confused.


    Alana blushed harder looking down. ¡°I-I-I meant boski!¡±


    He shrugged, tapping my shoulder. ¡°I dig it.¡± By which he meant he understood, in most cases. Since we¡¯d exchanged the look, it meant, ¡®I¡¯ll find out for us, man¡¯. Coma the real homie.


    Allie looked at me through her hair. ¡°... I¡­ Well¡­ I didn¡¯t mean anything by it¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it mean?¡± I asked, hopefully forgoing the need for Coma¡¯s research.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s just¡­ It means ¡®silly¡¯, but cuter, I guess.¡±


    ¡°My vaski is a goobski,¡± I said flatly.


    Coma chuckled. ¡°Seems like it. I¡¯m gonna hit the shower.¡±


    Li popped his head out of the studio. ¡°Someone say shower?¡±


    ¡°Nevermind, Li. Go ahead, man.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I don¡¯t know what happened last night, but-¡±


    Alana pinched her nose. ¡°Eww¡­¡±


    Coma and I weren¡¯t far behind her. ¡°Damn dude, what did you do in there?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ May have doubted what was in the condoms.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no, you fucked Hasha, hackwar,¡± Coma chuckled. I didn¡¯t know what hackwar meant and Coma never explained it to anyone any time he said it.


    ¡°Maaan, I hope it doesn¡¯t get weird now.¡±


    ¡°Bathe, stinky.¡± Alana huffed, getting out of the way.


    ¡°And take your nasty loads with you, dude.¡± I chimed in.


    ¡°I¡¯m just Amanese!¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯all smell like ya fuck dead animals.¡± Coma barked.


    ¡°Is that what that smell is? God, thanks for reekin¡¯ up my fuckin¡¯ studio. Next time, don¡¯t open the rubber.¡±


    ¡°We tie the doogies off because-¡±


    ¡°Because your ick is smelly! Go flush!¡± Alana groaned, waving a hand in front of her face.


    Li-Oh muttered some unkind things about Lasponian honesty, Thesuvian olfactory preferences, and River Man douchery before he went to get cleaned up. Coma, Alana and I all took to the living room and had some hair of the dog. Felix came back from under the bed to tell me that he¡¯d found a bullet and wanted to add it to his collection, so I told him he could keep it and he went off to the closet I kept open for him. He slept in there (Sometimes) on the top rack and kept his stuff on the shelves like a good kid, he just had some problems with wetting the bed during nightmares. I never treated it like a big deal and tried to help him through some of his trauma, but the little guy had seen as much as I had and came through the other side warped in his own way because of it. Everyone loved Felix, but he could be a real downer just because he didn¡¯t know what bloodshed meant to normal people. He was learning, just not all that fast.


    When Li got out of the bathroom, he scooped up his buddy and got to petting as per Felix¡¯s request. Coma headed in and Li immediately asked, ¡°That didn¡¯t really happen, right?¡±


    Alana giggled. ¡°What, don¡¯t tell me all the looks you give Hasha are just idle curiosity.¡±


    He shot her a dirty glare, his cheeks reddening. ¡°I¡¯m just sayin¡¯, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°That you¡¯d prefer if you could remember it?¡± I asked amusedly.


    He blushed harder. ¡°... I finally get to the goal and she¡¯s gone before I even wake up.¡±


    Alana¡¯s heart broke on her lack of sleeve ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Li. It¡¯s not the end of the world though, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t you always brag about being the Pipe Master when you¡¯re drunk?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s all bullshit! I don¡¯t lay pipe, I lay straw when I¡¯m drunk!¡±


    ¡°It sounded like you were doing a good job at mating,¡± Felix commented.


    He pulled the little ohsum¡¯s ear. ¡°Hush, you¡¯re too young for that stuff.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting close to mating age! It¡¯s only a couple more years¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry, it¡¯s not fun when you¡¯re Human.¡± Li spoke softly, looking at him.


    I looked at Li in turn. ¡°You made the right choice, man.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah. When everyone¡¯s telling you that it¡¯s wrong it probably is¡­¡±


    ¡°But everyone keeps saying to go for Hasha, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I get it, but¡­ I don¡¯t know-¡±


    ¡°Maybe she doesn¡¯t take sex as seriously as you think?¡± Alana tried.


    ¡°It¡¯s Hasha. If it isn¡¯t noteworthy, she ghosts the guy.¡± Li sighed.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be like that if Hasha wants to stay in the group. The main reason we keep her  around is because you argue for it. The other one is because she¡¯s loyal like a real bitch, just callous¡± I reasoned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a dick, man.¡±


    ¡°I lie all the time. Right.¡±


    ¡°... Shut up.¡± He huffed in such a manly manner. Very manly. Like Max when I was pounding that boipussy.


    ¡°Anyway, what are we all doing today? Didn¡¯t Beth plan something?¡± Alana switched tactics.


    ¡°She sure did, and I¡¯m willing to bet that it involves food.¡± I chuckled.


    Li scoffed. ¡°Beth is always hungry. I swear, if that little Sotan ate anymore, she¡¯d be as wide as you are tall, Gat-Cat.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Maybe, but you know she¡¯d panic if she ever put on more than five pounds in a week.¡±


    Alana giggled. ¡°Oh my, neither of you know?¡± We looked at her expectantly. ¡°Beth and Coma have been talking. Apparently she¡¯s thinking about putting on some weight for him~¡±


    ¡°Ooo, thick Beth.¡± Li raised his brows at me. ¡°Could be kinda sexy.¡±


    ¡°I prefer my women to be able to reach the top shelf, but Beth is already pretty damn cute. A couple extra pounds certainly wouldn¡¯t hurt her at all, especially if it goes to the back.¡±


    Li and I touched knuckles. ¡°Dude, she¡¯s already got that Sotan chest going on.¡±


    ¡°More of a thick thigh kinda guy,¡± I glanced at Alana and subconsciously licked my lips. ¡°She¡¯s already got some, but-¡±


    Alana gasped. ¡°Gatian, you would hound after my best friend!? And my thighs are not thick!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re some kinda sexy, and you act like you wouldn¡¯t get a taste of Coma or Li if you had a chance,¡± I scoffed.


    ¡°Maybe, but we had a deal! You have to stick to me and Aliss!¡±


    ¡°Fine, but you can only go for me and Coma.¡±


    We laughed at each other, not worried about either of us cheating for so much as a second while Li just watched on confused. ¡°What? Gatian can only have Dianites and Alana can only have brown guys?¡±


    ¡°Gatian isn¡¯t brown, he¡¯s Cook¡¯s Sugar.¡±


    ¡°And Alana isn¡¯t all that tall, her beauty is just more easily visible than others.¡±


    ¡°Aww, you¡¯re so sweet, Gatian!¡±


    ¡°Not as sweet as you my little snowdrop~¡±


    Li and Felix both sighed (Or groaned, I wasn¡¯t that concerned.) as we got started before the day was even set to get going. Coma came out of the shower soon enough and everyone got a move on to Alana¡¯s house so the girls could finish up with company. As it turned out, Hasha was some kind of fucking bashful about talking to Li and neither of them said a damn word to each other the entire time they were sitting together. It was brutal to say the least, but there were honestly doing decently and Beth had gotten them started by outright asking if they¡¯d slept together. Hasha had to confirm it and she may have let it slip that it was surprisingly good, which was why she was feeling so awkward. She¡¯d made fun of Li for years about his whiskey dick and the laundry list of ladies who would protest any of his brags, but she kinda had to admit that she had a good time and wanted to try again sober. Li was ecstatic and thus they became fuck-buddies.


    Sadly, Beth is evil when she wants to be and asked, ¡°So¡­ Gatian.¡±


    I had no clue what was coming, smiling at her as I usually. ¡°Sup, B? Whatcha need?¡±


    ¡°When are you gonna dick up Alana?¡±


    The room fell so silent you could hear a pin drop on the carpet. ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean it hasn¡¯t already happened?¡± Aliss asked, giggling. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, Beth, it¡¯s almost been half a year!¡±


    I looked at Alana, blushing furiously as she was. ¡°Right¡­¡±


    Tara gasped. ¡°What!?¡±


    Coma coughed. ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡± Alana blurted.


    ¡°W-We¡¯re just waiting for the right time¡­¡± I tried, my own embarrassment eating my ass like groceries.


    ¡°We¡¯re not weird!¡±


    ¡°We just don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that-¡± I looked at Alana and she looked at me. I shrugged. ¡°Oh come on! Don¡¯t make me answer this myself!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why we even have to answer it. It¡¯s our bodies and our relationship. If we want to wait, it¡¯s our right.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe Alana¡¯s scared of Gatian¡¯s sausage.¡± Aliss nodded sagaciously, having seen it exactly once while slightly chubbed. She¡¯d walked in on me after a shower, to explain. ¡°I¡¯d be a little scared if that was my first.¡±


    I wished that I was the type to faint, but Alana and I still said, ¡°Aliss!¡± in unison.


    The woman in question shrugged. ¡°Just saying.¡±


    ¡°Really now?¡± Beth asked, all too interested.


    Tara glanced down at me and I glared at her. ¡°Well...¡±


    Alana whacked Aliss because she was nearby. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of Gatian or his sausage!¡±


    ¡°Allie, I¡¯m gonna sit down.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m going to stop talking to these people! Geez!¡± She huffed, folding her arms and garnering my attention. She wasn¡¯t wearing a bra and I noticed.


    I stared for a moment, stopping dead in my tracks until Coma hit me. ¡°Preoccupied or nah?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, marshmallows on the mind.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I shook my head. ¡°When are you gonna give Bethany the ass-blasting she needs to shut the hell up?¡±


    ¡°You did not just say that, Mr. Celibate.¡±


    ¡°Maybe some things are worth waiting for?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you two just put on a show for us?¡± Hasha teased.


    ¡°How about I freeze everyone in this room?¡±


    ¡°So what were we doing today?¡± Tara asked.


    Everyone looked to Beth and she said, ¡°We, my friends, are heading to the spa!¡±


    Li, Coma, and I all looked at each other. ¡°You guys-¡±


    Coma raised a brow at me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the spa?¡±


    Li-Oh nodded. ¡°I like the spa.¡±


    I sat back in my seat. ¡°I¡¯m surrounded by femmes and femboys. Hasha, you fucked Li, didn¡¯t you? Just stuck it in that tight lil¡¯ ass, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Alana giggled. ¡°Oh, is the big bad River Man too afraid to go to the spa?¡±


    ¡°... Kinda.¡± I said uneasily, not liking the looks on everyone¡¯s faces. ¡°I don¡¯t think-¡±


    ¡°Penalty!¡± Pretty much everyone shouted.


    ¡°D¡¯aw, fuck.¡± I groaned. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Beth raised a hand first. ¡°You have to let Alana sit on your lap until we leave!¡±


    Hasha¡¯s hand had been up next, so she said, ¡°With Aliss on top!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± The tallest gals in the group said.


    I was already sitting and I didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Aww man, this gonna be¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help laughing. ¡°Shit, this is gonna be great! Best penalty ever!¡± I patted my lap. ¡°C¡¯mere, Allie, give your boski some love!¡±


    Alana sighed and came over giving me a kiss before she sat in my lap sideways. I hugged her and smiled up at her, the reason for my ¡®excitement¡¯ becoming more noticeable. ¡°Gatian, you should¡¯ve emptied your pockets, at least.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing in my pockets.¡± I said as Aliss sighed and came over.


    ¡°Sorry, Lana.¡± She sat on Alana and my vaski realized what it was.


    ¡°Oh. Oh dear.¡± Alana murmured, turning cherry red.


    I chuckled and held onto her while Aliss seemed to be getting comfy. ¡°You know, you¡¯re pretty soft, Alana.¡±


    ¡°R-Right¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I know I¡¯m heavy-¡±


    ¡°Not as heavy as me.¡± I snorted. ¡°I¡¯m havin¡¯ a good time.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Aliss asked as I put a hand on her back to help keep her steady


    Alana covered her mouth, looking at me from the side of her eye as I made it twitch. ¡°I sure am. Alana is pretty soft.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± Beth asked, looking confused.


    ¡°Sit in a guy¡¯s lap. I dare you.¡±


    She looked at Li, then to Coma and asked, ¡°Is that seat taken?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like having things in my lap. Guys don¡¯t in general.¡±


    Li nodded. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just weird.¡±


    ¡°Too bad.¡± She walked over and gently sat on him. ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± She snuggled up to Coma, ¡±really get it. What¡¯s it supposed to do?¡±


    Coma seemed to be fine with how things were going, wrapping his arms around Beth and getting a weird look for it. ¡°What? Gatian did it to Alana.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and they¡¯re dating.¡± Something that was true, but her words were betrayed by her snuggling up to Coma and laying her head on his chest. ¡°We¡¯re just friends, man.¡±


    ¡°True, but it kinda feels like I¡¯m supposed-.¡± He stopped cold when Beth got to the spot.


    ¡°You know, this isn¡¯t actually half bad. Does this have a name on Earth?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s either cuddling or snuggling.¡± I answered, seeing Coma¡¯s discomfort. ¡°Earth guys love it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I guess it¡¯s pretty similar¡­ Say, Coma?¡± Beth asked.


    Alana looked at me, I looked at her, and we both looked at Coma as he said, ¡°... Yeah¡­?¡± There was so much awkwardness in his voice.


    ¡°What¡¯s in your pocket?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ A knife.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Didn¡¯t feel it when I sat down.¡±


    Aliss hummed. ¡°Then are you sure it¡¯s the knife?¡±


    Bethany wiggled on his lap. ¡°It might be. It¡¯s soli- Ohmyfuckingshit!¡± She was gone in an instant, whacking him half the time. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you!¡±


    ¡°It just happened! You kept-¡± Coma tried to defend himself.


    Bethany yanked him out of his chair because Sotan and continued beating his ass. ¡°I was just trying to get com-¡± She suddenly stopped and everyone looked at me, Alana, and Aliss. ¡°... Aww lord!¡±


    Aliss started wiggling in Alana¡¯s lap. ¡°Ooo, can you feel me, Allie? Me and my sausage~?¡± She mocked my voice, making hers husky and masculine for extra effect.


    Alana squeaked out, ¡°Shush!¡±


    Bethany grinned evilly. ¡°I know what the real reason you two haven¡¯t done it is! You just like to feel it!¡±


    ¡°Shush!¡±


    Aliss got off of Alana and Allie then sprung off of me in turn, but I just let my arms rest on the back of the couch and spread ¡®em wide. ¡°Yeah, I like having a soft bottom in my lap. It¡¯s nice.¡±


    Aliss groped Alana and got whacked, but not before she said, ¡°Damn, that is soft.¡±


    ¡°Stop molesting me and let¡¯s go to the spa!¡± Alana protested.


    Bethany smiled at me some more. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. If Gatian likes soft bottoms, why don¡¯t we see whose he likes the most?¡±


    ¡°What, so you¡¯ll sit on Gatian¡¯s dick, but not mine?¡± Coma asked, rubbing his everything.


    ¡°Well, maybe if I would¡¯ve known I was gonna be sitting on sausage-¡±


    He plopped back down and patted his lap. ¡°Then get the fuck back over here and get poked.¡±


    Bethany blushed. ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Full of shit? Yes you are, yes you are~¡± I teased.


    Bethany huffed and went straight back to Coma¡¯s lap, even after all the fuss she¡¯d put up. ¡°I am not.¡±


    I winked at Coma and he leaned in, blowing gently in her ear. ¡°You are full of something sweet, right?¡± He asked.


    She shivered in his arms and Alana started coming back to me, trying to sit next to me. I shook my head at her and she blushed while Bethany said, ¡°I¡¯m full of spice and meanness, which you¡¯re gonna figure out here in a sec.¡±


    He hugged her and pressed his lips against the base of her neck, making her go straight as one of my own favorite moves got her warmed up. I could see that Hasha was stroking Li¡¯s thigh while they talked to each other and watched events unfold and Aliss had gone to keep Tara company since Alana and I were cuddling again. Alana was a little less embarrassed about it, but she still wore a blush along with the little smile on her face whenever she chose to shift positions for ¡®whatever reason¡¯. It seemed like the ships were all setting sail with Aliss being the only one without a...


    I just now realized that I counseled Hasha¡¯s boyfriend.


    Oh, shit, wait, polyamory. Forgot about that shit. It¡¯s really easy to forget when only some people practice it, but it¡¯s not uncommon in Stalfisk.


    Anyway, Beth whacked Coma softly for practically kissing her. ¡°Stop that!  I can feel you breathing down my shirt!¡±


    ¡°I thought you were comfy?¡± He teased ruthlessly.


    ¡°I¡¯m the only-¡± she looked at Alana being back in my lap, then looked to Hasha and saw her immediately hop onto Li, making him frown in turn. ¡°Okay, so maybe not, but still!¡±


    ¡°How do you guys enjoy this?¡± Li asked, trying to shift and get comfy.


    Hasha glared at him. ¡°Girls like it just fine.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you don¡¯t have stuff to get squashed!¡±


    Coma loosened his arms from her waist and placed them around her chest, squeezing her breasts. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not just being¡­ Sensitive?¡±


    ¡°I am sensitive!¡±


    Coma got a laugh out of that. ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°All you¡¯re doing is turning me on!¡±


    Everybody, including Beth, laughed at that and she got off of Coma, much to my surprise. ¡°No offense, but¡­ I just don¡¯t think you¡¯re my thing, Coma.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I figured you were queer anyway. It was just fun to mess with you.¡± He shrugged it off, smiling as Aliss let out a deep breath and grinned to herself. She stopped when she saw that she¡¯d been caught by yours truly. ¡°Besides, I like to aim a little higher than Sotans anyway.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. Short jokes are the first step to little pee-pee jokes, just remember that.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you-¡± Tara gasped. ¡°I knew it!¡±


    Alana leaned into me. ¡°Wait... How many of you didn¡¯t know?¡±


    The ginger¡¯s eyes widened as Tara giggled. ¡°I was kidding, Lana.¡±


    Alana looked at Bethany, her face worried. ¡°... No one else knows?¡±


    Bethany¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°You knew!?¡±


    I raised a hand. ¡°I thought so, but you only make passes at guys. I¡¯ve caught you lookin¡¯ at gals, just never commented on it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve only ever talked about being with guys after Alfgeir, and even then you never wanted him to touch you. And you¡¯re really handsy with girls. And you always look at Hominee when she ch-¡±


    ¡°Shh-Shush! Shut up! Stop talking!¡± Bethany squeaked, looking every bit like a freckled tomato. ¡°Geez, I should¡¯ve known you¡¯d know, but still!¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Bethy, I¡¯ve been your best friend since Class One,¡± Alana said gently. ¡°It¡¯d be worse if I didn¡¯t.¡±


    Beth rubbed the back of her neck. ¡°Well... I didn¡¯t plan on being outed today¡­¡±


    Hasha chilled out in Li¡¯s lap, looking pretty comfy. ¡°Hey, more dick for me.¡±


    ¡°I have Alana anyway. Unless you suddenly planned leaving the group, nothing¡¯s changed for me other than who I have to beat up for pissing you off.¡± I nuzzled Allie and she giggled.


    ¡°I already knew, so you know I don¡¯t care,¡± Alana said kindly.


    Coma shrugged again. ¡°I¡¯m not disappointed. While we¡¯re coming out, I¡¯ve been trying to bang Aliss for months.¡±


    Aliss giggled at that. ¡°Oh my gosh, I knew it!¡±


    He raised a brow. ¡°How¡¯s my progress on that, by the way?¡±


    She twirled and glided over to him, landing in his lap. ¡°I think you might have a shot if you¡¯re trying to make more than a one night knock.¡±


    Coma¡¯s face brightened up. ¡°Oh shit, really? I thought you weren¡¯t interested!¡±


    ¡°I was playing hard to get~¡±


    ¡°Playing hard to get almost kept you single.¡± He pointed out, amused.


    She kissed his nose. ¡°Playing hard to get got me a boski.¡±


    ¡°What does goobski mean, by the way?¡± He asked.


    Alana lit up like it was tanning day and she¡¯d forgotten the oil as Aliss said, ¡°Goobski? In the Old Tongue it means ¡®beloved idiot¡¯.¡±


    Coma and I both looked at Allie who was giving me a sheepish smile. ¡°... Surprise?¡±


    ¡°You goobski.¡± Tickle torture was apt for the moment.


    I only got so far before Alana grabbed my hands and pressed them to her chest, laughing all the while. ¡°Gatian, if you don¡¯t stop tickling me, I¡¯m- I¡¯m-¡±


    ¡°Letting me grope-¡± I gave her a gentle squeeze and an old familiar feeling started in my face. ¡°Whoa.¡± she whacked my arm, but it was my nose that bled. ¡°Shit, get off a sec.¡±


    She did, glaring at me while I pinched my nose until she saw me tilt my head back and go toward her kitchen. ¡°G-Gatian?¡±


    ¡°Nosebleed, had my mind blown,¡± I said casually, trying not to let my mind cloud while I smiled.


    She came with me as I got cleaned up, joined by Beth. ¡°So what? You get too hot under the collar and your nose bleeds like a Thesuvian?¡±


    ¡°Only with the really, really hot ones.¡± I plugged my leaking orifice and let the blood flow into the henny-towels.


    Beth reached up and grabbed a breast for herself. ¡°Damn! That¡¯s soft¡­¡± She gave Alana an appraising look when she got her hand slapped. ¡°So are you two-¡±


    ¡°Monogamous, and you knew that!¡± Alana huffed.


    Beth shrugged. ¡°I just figured I¡¯d ask. Never hurt to try.¡±


    ¡°Ha! You¡¯d have to go up on her.¡± I chuckled.


    Beth and Alana glowered at me. ¡°You¡¯re/That¡¯s not funny.¡±


    I raised my hands. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m already bleeding.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, and you¡¯d better shush if you wanna stop.¡± Alana huffed, turning her nose up at me.


    Beth patted her ass ad headed back to the living room. ¡°I¡¯m ready to head to the spa since you two aren¡¯t doing the penalty anyways.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±


    I groaned. ¡°I¡¯m not seriously gonna have to go, right? What even does a Thesuvian spa have?¡±


    Allie¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re some of the best in the world! They have mud baths and hot springs, and they also have a recreation room with a jet-pool and a Locovisual!¡±


    Beth¡¯s brows shot up. ¡°They finally put that in!?¡±


    ¡°Apparently they had a River Person stop by and get a job there. Now she does all the electrical and installation stuff. They¡¯re getting really modern!¡±


    I cracked a smile, pulling the needless plugs. ¡°That actually doesn¡¯t sound half bad. Are we all going naked or what?¡±


    Beth stared at me, then looked at Alana. ¡°I didn¡¯t think about that.¡±


    Allie beamed. ¡°We can pick up new waterwear!¡±


    Aliss had her arm around Coma¡¯s shoulder and his head was resting on her chest. ¡°I¡¯m good with that.¡±


    ¡°I am not getting into the mud baths in something new,¡± Half-Pint groaned.


    I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck. I was planning on hitting the springs first.¡±


    Alana smiled at me. ¡°So you want to come?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. On Earth, spas are gayer than Li is horny.¡± I explained.


    Beth looked at me. ¡°... Gay.¡±


    ¡°Yes, as in if I were to go to a spa and anyone was to find out, they would immediately assume I fucked men. Which I used to, but-¡± Beth and Alana traded a look and dragged me to the living room where I got stared at. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Coma looked at me funny. ¡°Did you just say you used to be gay?¡±


    ¡°Bro.¡± Li laughed with Hasha. ¡°You like dick?¡±


    I blushed. ¡°No, not anymore. It was a couple years ago anyway.¡±


    ¡°What about before then? And did you get with anyone we would know?¡±


    ¡°The only guy I got with on Septural was Max, but that was when he was the Guildmaster in Hooversdum-¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± They all chorused.


    ¡°You nailed that little piece of sex-bomb!?¡± Aliss gasped.


    Alana just stared at me with a goofy, goofy smile and a blush. ¡°Oh¡­ Oh my¡­¡±


    Beth fanned herself. ¡°Holy shit, I think I might be greedy, but damn!¡±


    Tara licked her lips and Hasha giggled to herself. ¡°Damn, Gatian! Way to go!¡±


    I blushed harder and flipped everyone off. ¡°I¡¯m straight, and I was never gay, I was bi.¡±


    Beth straightened up, but she was the only one. ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    Alana giggled some more. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s kinda hot¡­¡±


    Beth gave her an odd look, but when the rest of the girls commented on it one way or another, she saw that she was the only one with the Avalesch mindset. It¡­ It still hurt. To have Beth come out as gay and then immediately turn around and judge me for being bisexual, and not even currently being bisexual¡­ I accepted her, so why couldn¡¯t she accept me? I didn¡¯t understand it, but I didn¡¯t have to since she appeared to get the fuck over it and still talked to me as a friend. In any case, we all picked up new swimsuits that were still called ¡®Waterwear¡¯ as I debated on whether I really cared what I got or not, but in the end I still went with something blue because I like blue and a lot of my things were either silver or blue. It went well with the Earth-Moon-like quality of my eyes, which I always forgot about outside mirror-time. I don¡¯t tend to look in the mirror very long or look at my eyes anyway, but Alana complimented me and that¡¯s all I cared about. I alsoI got compliments for matching with my hair, which was an accident.


    All the girls had gone together and were keeping their purchases secret while they made the guys model for them. Li and Coma were a little reluctant to show off, but I didn¡¯t give a single fuck since I used to have nothing to be proud of. I mean with my appearance, although it applies to other things as well. Shit, after coming to Septural and losing weight, plus working out and eating better, I was looking good. I had to say that I liked looking in the mirror when I actually did so just to see how I¡¯d come from being the portly guy from Accounting to being a Trademaster that was respected and feared. Generally, I tried not to stare at myself or anything, but the confidence boost was real. When I went into the changing room, I examined myself in the mirror since I felt like it and smiled at me, giving myself a nod. I had a decent rack of abs going, the decently defined six pack going strong. My shoulders and triceps were definitely the good part about my upper body, but the pecs weren¡¯t sagging and they bounced when I wanted them to instead of when I walked. My biceps were toning up well and my legs were looking pretty cut up, but in a good way. The more I looked at myself, however, the more I saw the scars from training, making myself feel kinda¡­ Self-conscious, I guess.


    With all that in mind, I walked out of the changing rooms and let the muscles flex as they would, getting approving looks and a couple blushes. Coma poked his head out after I came out, but he went back in when Li-Oh strutted his stuff, getting more giggles than whistles for his slim, skinny frame. Coma was last and had to be coaxed out, but I don¡¯t know why. The guy had a bit of a gut that could be knocked out with dedicated crunches, but his upper body? The fucker was swole and I¡¯d never noticed since he always wore a jacket or a baggy sweater with everything, but honestly Coma could¡¯ve gotten it back a couple years ago. That being said, he got the fuck over himself when he started getting felt up, especially when Aliss stepped in and let her hands wander. He had the wrong complexion for a blush, but the little grin he wore while Aliss told him exactly how much she appreciated his hard work? Definitely worth the trip.


    The boys stayed in their gear and the gals paid for everything because they got something out of it. And it was also customary for Thesuvian women to make more money than their male counterparts because of sexism and a wage gap that had long existed in the country. Seriously, if Alana did my job, she¡¯d make damn near twice as much as I did, even without a title. It was bullshit of the highest degree that didn''t get rectified with the advent of River People ideals because of some bullshit about the opposite being true in a different country. However, it basically meant that Alana made enough from her job to take care of both of us if I ever wanted to focus on my music, I just can¡¯t deal with not having a job. Hell, the only reason Li had a job was because he was single, and Coma was a special-order machinist for small and medium metal parts. He loved his job and said he wouldn¡¯t quit, even if he got married.


    That being said, none of us guys really liked that we got free shit since we all worked and could pay for it ourselves, but Alana was too busy having fun to listen to me for once, so I decided to just accept the kindness  and swallow my pride. However, when we got to the spa , I paid my own way and gave her a look when she tried to pay for me again. ¡°Hmm? Is something wrong, sweetie?¡± She asked quietly.


    ¡°River Men are used to filling the role of a Thesuvian woman, Alliebear. It¡¯s nothing, I just don¡¯t like people paying for my shit.¡± I explained.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± She pursed her lips, visibly upset about the news.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I really don¡¯t want to-¡±


    ¡°Well, what if you just pay for the stuff relating to your¡­ Stuff, and I¡¯ll cover the rest?¡±


    I gave her another look. ¡°I make enough to get by, Allie.¡±


    ¡°... But¡­¡± Distress entered her appearance.


    Aliss came by with a mildly annoyed Coma. ¡°I feel like you two are having the conversation we just had.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying it¡¯s kinda early to-¡± Cacoma started.


    Aliss gave him a look. ¡°You¡¯re not defeminating me on the first date, Coma.¡±


    He sighed and looked at me. ¡°What¡¯s your argument?¡±


    I looked at both of the women who were taller than me and said, ¡°What are you? Sexist? Can¡¯t believe a man can make his own way? Too good to let us take care of ourselves? Are we incapable of doing so?¡± I waited a second, but just a second. ¡°Lemme answer that for you; No. We¡¯re not. The only things either you technically have over us are height and paychecks. We¡¯re still on equal ground last time I checked.¡±


    Aliss gave me a look. ¡°Shut up, Gatian.¡±


    Alana nodded. ¡°I just¡­ I just want to take care of my boski¡­¡± She gave me the Sad Eyes.


    ¡°Oh mercy,¡± I muttered. Alana was still giving me the look when I turned back to her. ¡°... Fine. If it means so much to you¡­¡± I rolled my eyes.


    I got a hug for it. ¡°I knew you¡¯d come around! Oh, just think of all the things we can do now, like-¡±


    ¡°Wait, did you think I was poor or something?¡± I pushed her away and gave her an odd look.


    Alana froze, Aliss froze, and Coma looked at me like I was crazy. ¡°Dude, you have accounts in like, four countries. How would you be broke?¡±


    They both stared at him, then looked back to me as I nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve got somewhere around ten or fifteen thousand holli worth saved up.¡±


    Alana leaned down and her face was very close to mine. ¡°You mean¡­ You mean you¡¯re rich?¡±


    ¡°.... My family would usually call it street rich, yeah.¡± I leaned away.


    She put her hands on my arms and looked me in the eye. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that you could have afforded a Locovisual this entire time and you chose to live at the Heights?¡±


    ¡°... I wanted to be closer to you¡­¡± I said, blushing furiously. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s-¡±


    I got a kiss for that and Aliss was all like, ¡°Oh my stars, that is so romantic!¡±


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s wrong with the Heights?¡± I asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with the apartments, it¡¯s just that¡­ Well, you could have a house built and still not have to work until you started collecting your Trademaster¡¯s Pension at forty-something,¡± Aliss said, shaking her head at me. ¡°Still, very cute.¡±


    ¡°Not as cute as you, my sweet jerom~¡± Coma said, likening Aliss to a tall, graceful bird.


    Aliss smiled at him. ¡°We should get sushami after this!¡±


    ¡°You mean sushi or sashimi?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, a River Person taught the Flistians how to make it and they combined the two. Sushami!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fun to say.¡± Alana commented.


    ¡°Speaking of fun, shouldn¡¯t get with-¡± I looked behind me and saw that we were alone. ¡°The fuck did they go?¡±


    ¡°Sir? They went to the springs,¡± The clerk lady said, having listened the entire time.


    Alana and Aliss took off and Coma and I followed at a sedate pace. ¡°So you and Aliss, huh?¡±


    He bit his tongue and chuckled a bit. ¡°Honestly didn''t even see her as a real option until you came around, man. Everyone¡¯s been pushing me and Beth for years, but then you came along and fell for Alana.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°Dude, you¡¯re the first River Person to date a Thesuvian woman that I know. Hell, a lot of Thesuvian men don¡¯t even like staying in-house, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°I kinda get it, but there¡¯s just¡­ Well, you know Alana.¡±


    ¡°I do, but I don¡¯t see what you see in her, man. She¡¯s too sweet.¡±


    ¡°Whatcha mean?¡± I asked as we got closer, stopping next to the door.


    He lowered his voice. ¡°I mean I¡¯d be afraid of pissing her off all the time or messing up and not knowing it because she wouldn¡¯t say anything, and sometimes the quiet ones have a temper. Thesuvian women are allowed to abuse their spouse here. As long as they don¡¯t break something, at least.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­ Fucked. That¡¯s absolutely fucked, but Alana... she¡¯s great at communication. It¡¯s one of her many pluses, like not being abusive. I know an abusive woman when I meet one, and she doesn¡¯t have the coldness for it.¡±


    He patted my shoulder, both of us heading inside. ¡°Lissie¡¯s a talker too, but she doesn¡¯t like to talk about the deep stuff so much. Might change now that we¡¯re together, and if she tries-¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll whack ya, but she¡¯s not going to throw a punch. The way she wants you to like her is kinda obvious.¡±


    ¡°Perceptive fuck. Was reading people your skill?¡±


    ¡°Kinda.¡± I scratched the back of my head.


    Coma and I went down the hall casually, talking all the while until a door opened and we heard, ¡°You¡¯re in the wrong hall, fellas.¡± Come from an older Sotan woman. The door opened when we stared at her, revealing a short naked ginger. ¡°Well?¡±


    I pointed the other way and started walking. ¡°Thanks for the heads up. Nice rack.¡±


    Coma followed. ¡°Our bad, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! And I know it¡¯s nice!¡± She called after us.


    We got to Li soon enough with him just chilling in the locker room, listening to the music. ¡°Took you guys long enough.¡±


    ¡°The tall ones are harder to please,¡± I joked.


    ¡°Tsk, their standards are higher.¡± Coma cracked.


    ¡°They have a hard time getting over themselves.¡±


    ¡°They just don¡¯t think we¡¯re up to par.¡±


    Li gave us both shitty looks. ¡°I¡¯m ready to go look at our stacked friends.¡±


    I stripped my shirt off and tossed it. ¡°Ditto.¡±


    Coma did the same. ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    We stuffed all of our shit into Li-Oh¡¯s locker because it¡¯s not like any of it needed to go elsewhere, and with that, we made our way out to the co-ed springs. Much to our glee, Bethany had been keeping watch and ran off to go tell the others that we¡¯d come out, so Li, Coma, and I all waited for them to show up before getting into the water. Before they came out I had plenty of time to look around, appreciating the more modern take on traditional hot springs. The stone slabs laid into the floor were tasteful, and using different stone for the walls was a nice touch. However, the lack of a ceiling in the place was a little weird and made the light drizzle that came down suck a little, but steam sure as fuck helped with it. In any case, People were being friendly with each other and I¡¯m pretty sure I saw a couple casual handies underwater, but I didn¡¯t look that long. No one was making much noise other than the constant drone of conversation, but I wanted to ask if the spa was the place where it was okay to watch. In any case, me and the boys were ready for the West Side to come to the East Side, which I can say because the springs faced east.


    Blathering aside, assume that various compliments that didn¡¯t amount to much were tossed around from person to person. That being said, Bethany was the first one out again, her form-fitting suit being more than a little attractive, I had to say. It wasn¡¯t that Bethany was a stunner so much as she knew how to play to her strengths, which were definitely her chest, hips, and toned stomach. Without much of an backside to go with her wide hips, the effect was lost on me but I really did appreciate the pink, red, and white floral for being cute. She joined the boys and we gave her Bro Comps, which was all we were really willing to say to her since it already felt more like she was one of us. Bethany took it in stride, beaming when Coma told that she was officially ¡®One of the Pole People¡¯. The next one out was Tara, and while she had a boyfriend already, the guy rarely came around and preferred to stay home and work on poetry. He also wasn¡¯t one for the physical stuff which was fine by Tara, but out of our non-Thesuvians she was the tallest and most stacked. With hips that couldn¡¯t lie if they tried and a chest to best the rest, Tata¡¯s- Tara¡¯s outfit definitely suited her. I thought a one-piece would¡¯ve looked better for my own reasons, but I couldn¡¯t deny that the heft and sway of her breasts caught my eye. I barely even realized that she¡¯d gone for a solid light brown that matched the gentle, creamy-coffee tone she had to her. Once I realized that I wasn¡¯t just staring at gravity-defying boobs, I picked my jaw up and told her that she looked good.


    Now. the problems that would usually arrive when a guy has no time to himself and chooses not to get laid popped up and I started thinking of pounded puppies and kicked kittens but to no avail. I had three more to get through and I couldn¡¯t be hard before mine came out, which sucked. Especially since Li had already gotten a comment from Tara about something of the sort. At that particular moment, Coma and I traded a look and a nod before Aliss came out. Now, I wasn¡¯t ogling my homie¡¯s girl, but I¡¯d given Aliss some looks in the past and she was nice to see in motion, and Alana truly did prefer that I keep my interest to her and Aliss, even if we would only be  intimate with each other.


    In any case, I thought that she was prettier than Tara, though that wasn¡¯t saying much. However, for all her height, she didn¡¯t have too many endowments to show off. However, the sleek one-piece she¡¯d picked suited her and the color she usually kept her hair, a bright platinum. The planes and valleys of her body directed my eyes past the obvious places and had me wondering just how the hell a camel had gotten all the way to Thesuvia. Or at least, how one of their feet made the journey. Coma caught a comment about popping a woody and apparently I was the last one standing, but I was made to suffer a little longer.


    While Li and Coma got teased for being aroused, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that Beth¡¯s outfit had two little standouts and that Tara¡¯s bottoms looked a little dark the further one looked down. I¡¯d barely seen the little tells, but I had a feeling that everyone was going to have an awful lot of luck later in the night. With three of our four ladies out of the way, I was glad when Alana and Hasha came out together because Gaht. DAYUM. I¡¯ll start with Hasha because I saw her first, and I had to say that orange was not my color at all. Even if it was a muted pastel like the one Hasha wore, it just wasn''t my color. However, even as the least ¡®River Person cute¡¯ of our friends, she still pulled off her intended look quite well. She had the ass to wear a bikini unlike Bethany, but what she had in booty she lacked up front. However, I forgot she even came out when my tall glass of gorgeous came out to play.


    Alan was blushing as usual when she came out, when we locked eyes, she held her hands behind her and gave me the cutest smile of all time. Maybe it was the swimwear, maybe it¡¯s Maybelline; I don¡¯t know, nor do I care. All I knew was that Alana¡¯s one-piece was¡­ It was¡­ Great is a word that could be used, but perfect has more oomph to it. The dark, rich green shimmered in the light as she walked through the steam, every snowy inch that her suit exposed bare for my eyes to feast upon. I started from the bottom up and saw that her thighs were¡­ Unladen, they just¡­ Okay, so my mouth is watering, and I need to quit. However, Alana. Being slim-thick was working perfectly for her, and the ever so slight crease that showed her lower lips had me feeling awfully faint for a moment, but then my eyes traveled over her tiny, barely noticeable ponch and scooted on her to her breasts, perfect as they were. I hadn¡¯t known if they were perky or saggy since I¡¯d never gotten a good look at them without a bra. Although while they were being contained with her suit, I couldn¡¯t have found anything more perfect for her to wear. The peep-hole where her belly button showed was sexy, the woman the suit was on happened to be sexy Even the fucking straps were perfect for her.


    I didn¡¯t even realize I was hyperventilating til I was on my way down, the dumbest grin on my face while I gawked at the people coming to surround me. Coma and Beth got me back to my feet and I shook them off, going over to Alana before she could worry herself too much. ¡°First your nosebleed and now you almost faint? Gatian, I-¡±


    ¡°Yes, you the fuck are.¡± I said giddily.


    Aliss giggled. ¡°I think you knocked him over by just by wearing my suggestion, Lana.¡±


    ¡°Eeyup.¡± My voice cracked and I didn¡¯t even care.


    Alana¡¯s blush crept down her neck. ¡°... R-Really? It¡¯s not¡­ Too much?¡± I laughed like an idiot. ¡°It¡¯s too much, isn¡¯t it? Isn¡¯t it!?¡±


    I put my hands on her shoulders, seeing that she was about to cry. ¡°Can you put this on some other time too?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not too much~¡± Aliss sang.


    ¡°Yo, Gat-Cat, you cool, man?¡± Coma asked, nudging me.


    ¡°Heaven is green.¡± I giggled. Alana gave me a kiss and I snapped out of it, looked down at the rest of her, looked back up, and before I even realized it was already over, I needed another kiss. ¡°Goddamn, you look fucking delectable!¡±


    Alana looked at Aliss who shrugged, then to the rest of the group. Everyone shrugged, so she asked, ¡°I-Is that good?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when we get home if you put that back on.¡±


    She blushed, the implications clear. ¡°Oh my.¡±


    Coma clapped my shoulder. ¡°Alright, can we just go ahead and say the Diancies are the winners of the Waterwear Showdown?¡±


    Aliss gave him a look while Li scoffed. ¡°If we can pick two, then I¡¯m saying-¡±


    ¡°Guys and girls! We have eight people, so the guys vote and the girls vote one a piece.¡±


    The girls all looked at Beth like she couldn''t count before she and Li joined me and Coma. Tara chuckled. ¡°Since when are you one of the guys?¡±


    I picked up a wet towel and snapped her with it, getting a loud yelp for my troubles. Beth looked scandalized until I dropped the towel. ¡°She¡¯s just started initiation, so there¡¯s always that.¡±


    ¡°That was my ass!¡± Shorty protested.


    ¡°I know. I just hit it with a wet towel.¡±


    The rest of the girls got a laugh out of that and the circles formed quickly. ¡°Alright team,¡± Li started. ¡°I say I¡¯d fuck the tits off Tara.¡±


    Beth scoffed. ¡°Guys and tits.¡±


    Coma grunted. ¡°If that¡¯s the angle we¡¯re working, then it could only be Tara.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave Tata- Tara out of it for now and look at the rest. Everyone knows who my vote is.¡± I shrugged.


    I got some knowing smiles that were tempered by envy on a couple faces. ¡°Yeah, what y¡¯all got isn¡¯t common. Not trying to step on your toes-¡±


    ¡°Hey, I know where she¡¯s looking and I know where you¡¯re looking. I¡¯m not worried.¡±


    ¡°Sweet, cause my votes on her too.¡± He said quietly.


    Bethany nodded. ¡°Definitely Alana.¡±


    I looked back to the girls and saw that they were looking at us. ¡°So we¡¯re agreed?¡±


    ¡°Hey if we¡¯re just going with ass-¡± Li-Oh tried.


    ¡°Alana has ass and something up front.¡± Beth pointed out. ¡°Hasha¡¯s got the seat to beat the heat, but Alana¡¯s like, the perfect middle ground wherever you go.¡±


    ¡°She really is.¡± I nodded.


    Li pursed his lips, looked back at the girls for a moment, then came back with, ¡°But she¡¯s so pale.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be racist, Li,¡± Beth said irritably.


    ¡°Yeah man, you know Lana¡¯s cool.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know, but-¡±


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s wrong with pale people?¡± I asked confusedly.


    Coma rolled his eyes. ¡°Snow-Skins are supposed to be conniving, violent, and manipulative or something. The Amanese are real bad with that little stereotype, but it¡¯s kinda bad all over Teh Se Bang.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fair, but-¡±


    ¡°And pale can still be cute. If Alana ever went tanning and had a little more confidence, all of you would¡¯ve known I was gay a lot earlier.¡± Beth glanced at me. ¡°But exclusive is exclusive.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t munch on my snack,¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s not my type. Too bashful, and kinda reserved. I like to be the center of attention.¡±


    ¡°Too shy, too tall, not freaky.¡± Li shrugged. ¡°That, and I¡¯m just not into the Thesuvian-Swing


    ¡°I¡¯m just not into Lana like that. She¡¯s like a big sister to me.¡± Coma shrugged, which is probably how his shoulders got so defined. Dude was shrugging his seventy-pound arms all the time.


    ¡°So we¡¯re all agreed?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it.¡±


    ¡°Biased much?¡± Li scoffed.


    ¡°And you aren¡¯t, Mister Tiddyman?¡± I raised a brow.


    He blushed and had the good grace to say, ¡°Fair¡¯s fair I guess.¡±


    We joined the girls and the first one to say anything was Hasha. ¡°Took you guys long enough! Gosh, it¡¯s like you had to take pictures and get busy before making a choice!¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Who did you all pick?¡±


    Aliss cleared her throat. ¡°Well, after careful deliberation and based off of previous findings...¡±


    Tara picked up with, ¡°And after some careful observation¡­.¡±


    ¡°Gatian; got it.¡± Beth said plainly. ¡°We picked Alana.¡±


    Tara glowered at her. ¡°We were getting to that!¡±


    ¡°Took too long.¡±


    Coma chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s the sausage.¡±


    I lit up and tried to glare at him when Li nodded and said, ¡°Sausage.¡±


    Everyone else nodded too. ¡°Hey!¡±


    Tara scoffed, not paying attention to me and my chagrin ¡°And have you seen Gatian? The guy¡¯s toned and kinda ripped.¡±


    I pointed at Coma. ¡°His muscles are bigger than mine!¡±


    Aliss rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s a clean-cut, foul-mouthed factory guy, but you¡¯re a sexy adventurer with scars.¡±


    I felt a few of the ones on my stomach from where I¡¯d been stabbed once or twice. There were plenty of scars from surgeries too, I just didn¡¯t pay them any mind. ¡°Oh. Okay.¡±


    ¡°So the hottest guy and gal are a couple?¡± Beth asked. ¡°Can we all just agree that Gatian and Alana make the cutest power couple in the whole town?¡±


    The group agreed while Alana and I took the time to comment to each other about the things we appreciated about each other¡¯s outfits. However, when I mentioned that Alana¡¯s suit left just enough to the imagination and made her blush, she pointed out that my trunks were a little loose and kept falling down and exposing more and more of my pelvis as the steam soaked in. I hoped that I wouldn¡¯t lose my trunks on standing, but I decided to tie my shorts off anyway, despite preferring the looser fit. We didn¡¯t talk long and finally got into the damn hot springs which was a great move. The water was a little too hot, but once I sat and got used to it things were a lot more relaxing. Having Alana and Aliss on either side of me was also nice, but when they kept scooting closer I got a little worried. Aliss and Alana talked around me for awhile so I just sat back until Aliss¡¯ hand fell to my thigh with her and Alana making direct eye-contact. Alana didn''t seem to mind, and when I looked at Coma he was interested, if you catch my drift.


    It was then that I remembered that Aliss had admitted to being an exhibitionist and Coma a voyeur.


    I looked at Alana and saw that she was putting a hand on my other thigh, gently squeezing me beneath the water. Both hands started creeping up my thighs and I severely needed an adult that wasn¡¯t getting off on the events unfolding, so I looked to Bethany and saw that she was chatting up Hasha and Li. My eyes ghosted over them and I saw some shit I ain¡¯t really pay enough attention when I should have asked earlier. Guy on guy, girl on girl, guy on girl, and all sorts of devilish combos were going on around me and I felt Aliss touch it. She raised a brow and looked at me, stiffened both of body and rod. She saw my discomfort and went for Alana¡¯s hand, dragging it directly on top of me. If I wasn¡¯t being set up to be yelled at, then I was clueless.


    Turns out, I was clueless.


    [Ctrl+F ¡®Degeneracy is Over¡¯ to Skip]


    I looked at my vaski. She looked at me. There was a question in her eyes that I didn¡¯t quite get. ¡°... Are you okay, Gatian?¡±


    ¡°The fuck is going on¡­?¡± I asked softly, glancing down to the pair of hands resting on me.


    Aliss gave me a peck on the cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, silly~ Just relax and let the good times roll.¡± She squeezed Alana, making her squeeze me in turn


    Alana licked her lips. ¡°I-If you¡¯re uncomfortable¡­¡± Bitch, you bet I am.


    ¡°People¡­ Don¡¯t do it here, do they? Is this the place you¡¯re supposed to do the watching?¡±


    They both laughed, Coma was the one who said, ¡°They keep it kosher here, man. You can get off, just don¡¯t get under or behind someone. As for watching, it¡¯s why most people come here if they¡¯re single.¡±


    Damn¡­ When in Rome, I guess. Or rather, when they¡¯re on your bone. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Great-¡± Aliss started.


    ¡°Gatian, neither of us are going to be mad or offended.¡± Alana offered me a gentle smile. ¡°It¡¯s just customary for Thesuvian vaskis to share with friends in places like these.¡±


    Aliss gave her a look. ¡°Yeah, it shows us exactly what we missed out on so we know what we want.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Coma chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m- Yup.¡±


    Aliss gave him a wink. And turned back to me. ¡°Sit back, relax, and let your eyes wander. I¡¯ve seen you glance every now and again, so¡­¡± She took my hand and placed it on her collar. ¡°Let the nice, tall ladies take care of this little problem.¡±


    Alana stopped her from squeezing me again and looked me in the eye. ¡°Only if you¡¯re okay with it.¡±


    How the hell do I tell you that if someone touches you, I¡¯m killing them? ¡°... I¡¯m sorry, but I think I¡¯m too possessive to share¡­¡±


    Allie beamed. ¡°The only competition you have here is Beth now, so don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d enjoy being with a girl as much as a guy.¡±


    At my confused look, Lissie explained. ¡°You and Coma are only allowed to touch if you get permission. You can ask, but it¡¯s not really ¡®acceptable¡¯ to approach someone outside of your circle. Now, if you were to come here alone and look for fun¡­¡± She gave me an obvious once over. ¡°Well, don¡¯t be surprised if someone asks you to rent a room-¡±


    ¡°Which would be cheating.¡± Alana said firmly, making her serious face. I knew it was serious because her left dimple was showing, but not the right one.


    ¡°So¡­¡± My head hurt. ¡°... I can get all the handies and suckagents I want, I just can¡¯t stick it in?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Coma sighed. ¡°It¡¯s great to come here and get offers when you¡¯re single, but coming with friends is nicer. You can get handsy without asking.¡±


    Speaking of our friends, I looked back to Hasha, Li, and Beth, seeing that Tara was coming our way with a salicious grin. However, even as the magnetic power of shiny, slick, bouncy breasts tried to keep my gaze, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that Beth¡¯s hands were directly between her legs and that Li was poking above the water with Hasha¡¯s hand stroking him. When I actually started paying attention, I noticed that Li hand his hand under Hasha¡¯s top and that the darker woman was also stroking Bethany¡¯s thigh. Two hands stroked me at the same time and my focus was diverted back to Alana, who seemed to be waiting on me to do something. I pulled my hand out of the water and brought her in for a nice kiss, but then I felt Aliss¡¯ hand on my shoulder and pulled away from my vaski, meeting her gaze. I saw reassurance there, so I did something I never thought I¡¯d do.


    Aliss kissed me and I didn¡¯t stop her. One of my girlfriend¡¯s squad smooched me and she was cool with it. And my best friend¡¯s girl, not to leacve that out. And she was one of my own best friends. It was fuh-ckin¡¯ weird. Aliss was, and I hate to say this, but overall a better kisser than Alana and she was also more eager for it. In fact, Aliss was so voracious that she pushed me back by the face and gripped me a little too hard, making me pull away. She eased up immediately, looking surprised. ¡°What? The big bad Trademaster doesn¡¯t like it rough?¡±


    I stared at her. ¡°... I¡¯m with Alana.¡±


    Coma laughed. ¡°He¡¯s got you the~re oh shit~¡±


    It was weird to hear my bromie moan. It was even weirder when Aliss pulled the string on his shorts and pulled him out. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a watcher?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m watching.¡± He sighed, his voice tight.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting off from this too, aren¡¯t you?¡± I could see her arm working, so I looked back to Alana and went back to kissing her while they were busy with each other.


    Another tap later had Tara pushing Alana away playfully so she could sit on it. ¡°Oh schlove! You weren¡¯t kidding, Lana!¡±


    She blushed and grinned while I decided to go Roman. I let my hands drift up her back and got an indistinct noise of approval for doing it, letting my hands rest on her shoulders. ¡°Just remember, Alana has first, second, and last dibs.¡±


    Tara ground her supple bottom on me and almost got me to moan. ¡°Oh, I know, but I can still have a little fun too, right?¡±


    I reached around and stroked her thighs, making her giggle. ¡°I don''t mind, just let me know if I¡¯m going too far.¡±


    Tara looked back at me, lust in her eyes. ¡°Oh, sugar, trust me. You can¡¯t go too far out here until you whip it out.¡± She continued to grind on me, jostling my hands a bit while Alana watched on with interest.


    A quick check told me that Li, Hasha, and Bethany were fuckin¡¯ goin at it, which was fuckin¡¯ hot. Granted they were all friends I¡¯d never considered having sex with (in depth), but knowing that I could probably get a blowjob or a handy from most of the gals in the group was¡­ Fuckin¡¯ weird¡­ Life had thrown me a fucking curvy nutsack and told me to swing at it... However, seeing Beth eat Hasha while she sucked Li-Oh? Fucking. Diabolical. I could even seen one of Beth¡¯s lips past her bikini bottoms and the fingers she was using on herself. My mouth felt dry all of a sudden and Alana leaned in front of me for just a second to see where I was looking before giving me an innocent smile and getting up.


    I felt kind of abandoned while chatting and feeling up Tara, but just as she went to move my hands somewhere a little more fun for her, Alana pulled one of the strings on Beth¡¯s bikini and turned to wink at me. Instead of just continuing like nothing had happened, the Sotan moved her hand and started over, this time spreading herself wide open for me to see. There was steam and distance between us, but I was some kind of aroused. Having it all be okay; Hell, having the scene in front of me unfold like Beth¡¯s lips¡­ Life was odd, but I was leaning toward good. It was hard to see, but I could barely see a double strip of fur on Beth¡¯s muns, a strange pattern for a landing strip.


    As I¡¯d been saying before going down that particular rabbit hole, Tara put my hands on her tits and let me feel for myself just why she was the ¡®hot one¡¯ of the group. ¡°Hmm, I can feel you throbbing~¡±


    ¡°And I can feel you being soft as fuck.¡± With Alana¡¯s attention focused solely on me and my exploits, I felt a little emboldened.


    Deciding to give her a little show felt like it was what I was supposed to do, especially since my ¡®innocent¡¯ little Alliebear seemed to be getting a little warmed up herself. Her hands went to her chest when my hands gripped Tara¡¯s so I pulled my friend closer and higher up on my lap so she was getting the full length underneath her ¡°Ooo~ It¡¯s bigger than I though~¡± My right hand went from her breast to her stomach, inching it¡¯s way down. ¡°Oh. Damn¡­¡±


    Aliss and Coma were having fun watching themselves, but they decided to go get a better position for it and an older couple came up to them. I watched for a moment as Coma laid it out and Aliss backed him up, the older Thesuvian¡¯s taking to the younger one quite quickly. I watched on until hands started going places and Coma started stroking, giving my attention back to the task at hand. However, when I cupped Tara¡¯s sex with my hand, I wasn¡¯t gauging her reaction. Alana¡¯s hand gripped her breast and it was obvious as shit; She was a voyeur. Tara¡¯s hand came over mine and I started to pull back, but she held me where I was.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Wouldn¡¯t happen to know how to use those, would you?¡± Tara purred.


    I stroked her between her lips and got a little shiver. ¡°It¡¯s been awhile, but I don¡¯t mind some practice.¡±


    Letting my fingers pet and stroke her sex was fun since she was out of the water. I caught Li looking at us and he tapped Hasha¡¯s shoulder, getting her to stop for a few seconds. He then arched his back and groaned, garnering some attention from Alana and Beth. The short one looked back at my vaski and said something to her, but Alana wanted to watch, so Beth told Hasha to take care of herself and started coming on to Allie. Even as I found Tara¡¯s absolutely tiny clit, I hesitated to play with it because I remembered that there was something I was supposed to do first. I reminded myself to try to slicken up my finger first, so I let it slide between her lips and got her shaking for a second or two.


    Confused wasn¡¯t the word for it, but I kept going anyway. Stroking her clit was enough for Tara, however. ¡°Oh fuck~ Gatian~¡±


    She arched her back and grinded on me while I kept stroking, thoroughly befuddled since I¡¯d only been teasing her for  like, thirty seconds. When I slipped a finger into her, I learned why. Tara must have been getting no action. ¡°Did you just-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since we¡¯ve been able to come out and my man isn¡¯t very physical,¡± She said quickly.


    I flicked her pearl a few times and made her twitch and bounce on my lap while Beth felt up Alana, both of them looking at me and Tara. ¡°Say, do they-¡± I looked around and answered my own question. ¡°Nevermind.¡± I slipped my left hand under her top and palmed her breast, pinching her nipple once I found it over her large areola.


    ¡°Fuck, why are you so good at this?¡± She gasped while I just barely got started.


    ¡°When I actually start trying, I¡¯ll let you know,¡± I said blandly, pinching her clit gently. As in the tiny thing was barely being squeezed..


    ¡°Fuck! Ohmyfuckohmyfuck, Yes!¡± Tara shouted, a warm trickle running down between my legs.


    We were being stared at while she slumped against me, weakly grabbing at my hand. ¡°... Did you enjoy it?¡±


    Tara slid off of me and rested against my wall, giving me a look. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    ¡°Damn. You¡¯re sensitive.¡±


    ¡°You know-¡± She took a deep breath and tried again. ¡°You know it tingles when a River Person touches a Septurn, right?¡±


    ¡°It does?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kinda like being tickled without being tickled, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°I do now.¡± I chuckled.


    She patted my leg and gave me a peck on the cheek. ¡°I needed that.¡± Tara sighed heavily and sank down into the water. ¡°This is why we love the spa.¡±


    Alana and Beth came over with my vaski sitting next to me and the short one wiggling between me and Tara, her bottoms tied to her wrist. I saw for myself that it really was a dual-landing strip. ¡°Now that. That was fun to watch.¡±


    Tara patted her leg. ¡°Sure you¡¯re still not into guys?¡±


    Beth pretended to give me a once over and shrugged before hopping into my lap, surprising me completely. ¡°Nothing inside, okay?¡±:


    I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a big hug. ¡°Now I¡¯m starting to feel like the town bicycle.¡±


    Beth giggled and patted my leg. ¡°Just consider it a brovejob and it¡¯s less weird, right?¡±


    I let my hands wander over her sternum and chest, letting my hands rest on her ample breasts. She was decently endowed for being as short as she was, but her ass was not dick friendly. After giving her chest a try, I got a snort for my troubles. ¡°What? I can already feel your ass, I¡¯m just checking on what all I¡¯m missing out on, right?¡±


    She laughed and bore her breasts to the whole room. ¡°IF you¡¯re gonna play with ¡®em, at least do it right.¡±


    I gently cupped her breasts and found that her nipples were actually a little thick, which was fun because they were already hard. A little pinch got nothing out of her so I figured she wasn¡¯t terribly sensitive. The pressure I applied the second time got the sexiest moan I¡¯d heard by far, and as much as I would¡¯ve liked to dive below the water, Alana beat me to it and commented on the softness of Beth¡¯s lips. The Sotan took it in stride and encouraged me to try for myself, so I felt her lips and they were, in fact, soft as fuck. I kept her request in mind and let my finger dip between her lips and stroke her opening, but the main even was definitely her swollen clit. I¡¯d like to say that it took some maneuvering, but I had her cumming in five minutes and she held on for ten more when I refused to stop, making Tara, Hasha, and Alana all stare in amazement when I made her squirt twice. By the time I was done with her, Bethany was barely coherent. Li and Hasha offered to get out with her, though they practically had to hold her up for a little while.


    Coma and Aliss followed them shortly after and Tara had gotten what she wanted, leaving with them soon enough. After all too short a time, Alana and I were left alone and I wasn¡¯t sure of how to take the situation. ¡°So¡­¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t meet my eye, blushing hard. ¡°... It was a good idea to get you here¡­¡±


    I chuckled awkwardly. ¡°Yeah, everyone seemed to think so¡­ I¡¯m just¡­¡± At the moment, I really wished that I hadn¡¯t come, but I didn¡¯t know how to tell her that. I did, however, want her more than fuckin¡¯ ever. ¡°I¡¯m just kind of-¡±


    Alana looked at me, resignation in her eyes. ¡°I know, it¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s okay.¡±


    I blushed and looked into the water. ¡°W-Well¡­ We could fix it now¡­ I-If you want?¡±


    Allie blinked. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We¡­ Well, you touched it, but we¡­ We never actually did anything together.¡±


    She stared at me before carefully placing herself on my lap. ¡°I-I¡¯m not too-¡±:


    ¡°Perfect? Yes, you are too perfect.¡± I pulled her back further on my lap and rested my head against her. ¡°... I¡¯ve been waiting for this since y¡¯all sprung it on me.¡±


    ¡°... So have I¡­¡± She murmured softly. Looking back at me.


    I needed no further impetus. My hands wandered unfamiliar territory for the third time in the day, my heart knowing that I¡¯d made myself wait for this particular moment. When Alana stiffened up, my hands went to her shoulders and toiled away at the stress they held. Then I moved on to rubbing her arms, the pale flesh warm from the springs. It was like running my hand over sleek living marble with every pass until I wrapped my arms around her. Alana made a happy noise and hummed until my hands slip upwards toward her covered breasts. She whimpered a little before my hands shadowed them completely, her little moan making it that much more important for me to make things good for her. I could feel her nipples poking out through her waterwear, inviting me to slip my hands under her one piece and take control. Inviting, but not commanding. Alana helped me do just that by making me squeeze her breasts a little harder than I thought she would¡¯ve liked, but not by much. When I went even harder, she whimpered and winced, giving me the idea to rub the ache away if I¡¯d caused any. The fact that I wasn''t touching them directly occurred to me again and I sought to rectify that, but¡­


    ¡°Alana¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± She breathed, her voice like a wisp of steam.


    ¡°... May I?¡±


    Alana Wolvram looked back at me, a lovely expression meeting my gaze along with misty emeralds. ¡°You¡¯re such a gentleman with me¡­ Of course, my love.¡±


    With her say so, I forestalled the moment with a kiss that turned into my vaski straddling me with my rod barely contained by my trunks. She took a deep breath, the length of my member pressing against her. Allie¡¯s¡­ Her¡­ I don¡¯t want to use the usual words for her; she¡¯s too respectable for that. Her womanhood rested against my shaft as we embraced again, taking another step down our path as lovers. Yes, some of my morals had been outright thrown out of the window for the woman, but it was for the sake of accepting her culture. I didn¡¯t want our first time to be in a place used by the public for anything of the sort, and our restraint with each other showed that. What happened between us largely stayed right where it was. I didn¡¯t touch anything on Alana that I wouldn¡¯t have done in public as a jest, and the look she gave me when we pulled apart was¡­ I felt as though I¡¯d fucked up.


    [Ctrl+F ¡®Degeneracy is Over¡¯ to Skip]


    ¡°... Not here¡­ I¡­¡± She shook her head, biting her lip. When Alana spoke, it seemed to pain her. ¡°C-Can you wait a-¡±


    ¡°I would wait through my entire life all over again. I can wait a few hours.¡±


    She kissed me one last time. ¡°... I¡¯m sorry I pushed you into¡­ This.¡±


    ¡°You understand me too well.¡± I caressed her cheek, satisfied with the gesture.


    She gave me a wry look that was ruined by the heat in her gaze. ¡°You can say no, Gatian... Never feel forced to do anything with me or for me, boski.¡±


    ¡°I could, but I wouldn¡¯t leave you here alone. And it got kinda fun when people started¡­ Getting off on top of me¡­¡± I admitted, getting quieter and quieter.


    My vaski tilted her head, her patented puzzled face worn proudly. ¡°Did¡­. Did you¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, but it kinda...¡°


    ¡°Oh¡­¡° She bit her lip and looked down.


    ¡°I-It¡¯ll go down,¡± I chuckled weakly.


    She gave me a naughty smile. ¡°Well, at least you know you¡¯ll attract the right kind of attention.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not and just have you looking at me, honestly.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be sure to look, as per your request.¡± She smiled at me and I could feel my heart melt like always. Alana placed a hand on my arm. ¡°Should we go join the others?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m really wrinkly.¡± I chuckled, standing up.


    Alana followed and we took our leave from each other to go back to our respective locker rooms, meeting up with everyone soon after. It had been a good time so far, but I could only wonder what depravity there would be next on the list. However, Alana lead me to their outside area and I learned why the visit had been forty-five holli.


    There was a grill and a patio out and everyone was already eating something or other. The good times did seem to be rolling as everyone stopped the debauchery and started with something I could deal with on a moral basis, but when I saw that they were all looking at something, I had a hard time abiding by it. There was a TV on with a third person perspective over someone¡¯s shoulder as they hacked and slashed through enemy after enemy. If it were a movie I would¡¯ve had no problem, but I knew that Locovisual was based on memories. Seeing people eat to literal slaughter¡­


    When in Rome...


    I ignored the fuck out of the LV and instead went to go get something to munch. My mood turned somber, I tried to keep up the cheer, but Alana sensed my waning mood and offered to escort me home. Nothing seemed good when it was offered to me, so I went home without eating and had a few of my friends guess what was wrong. After all that, Alana kind of understood wasn¡¯t really in the mood to talk by the time we got home, eventually just bidding Alana goodbye to consider the events of the day. I¡­


    No, Booksy, I wasn¡¯t¡­ I wasn¡¯t happy with myself after today. I had a good time letting loose, but I feel¡­ Wrong. I feel like a fucking slut. I feel like my friends are heathens and they want me to be a whore. Even Alana didn¡¯t bat an eye at the blood on the LV or any of the shit going on in the springs, but it¡¯s her culture; Her way of life¡­ I¡¯m either going to have to get used to it or shut the fuck up if I want to be with her, but knowing that she condones swinging and partner-swapping to a point and even just¡­


    Booksy, I can¡¯t buy an LV. I¡¯m not joking. I can never have my memories committed to a runner or someone¡¯s going to find out a lot more than I want them to know¡­


    Goddammit, the fucking springs are still¡­ I mean¡­ Even if Alana gave me the go ahead, how could I just do that with people I¡¯m going to see tomorrow? My coworkers? My friends¡­ What the hell kind of relationship did they all have and where the fuck do I fall in¡­? Today was good for a fuckin¡¯ headache and a heart full of guilt. That¡¯s about it. At least I¡¯m upset about being treated like a vibrator rather than being the guy who massacred people... I¡¯m going to roll some soma. No, don¡¯t worry you paranoid book, I¡¯m not going to use one of your pages¡­


    Yeah, sounded weak to me too. Still, I¡¯m getting better.


    Aren¡¯t I?

 A Love Made True

    A Love Made True


    ¡°Gatian, you¡¯ve been acting strange these last few days.¡± Alana said worriedly, catching me during our lunch break.


    She was right. I had been. I¡¯d been avoiding her and our friends when I could and when I could actually bear to be around them, things still felt different. ¡°Ah, I guess I have.¡±


    She put her plate of rabbit food and a bowl of fries down on a table and placed a hand on my arm. ¡°... We¡­ Gatian, I just want to be there for you¡­¡±


    I gave her a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll get over it, Alliebear. Just some misgivings is all.¡±


    ¡°Gatian, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong, but I¡¯m sorry-¡±


    ¡°Alana, we¡¯re fine. I¡¯m just¡­¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°... Can we talk later?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I replied, not really wanting to mean it in the slightest.


    We parted ways and I ate lunch with the group for the first time since the week started and everyone commented on my absence. Apparently I wasn¡¯t half as good at hiding the turmoil inside as I thought because Bethany pointed out that I looked uncomfortable, Coma commented on it, and everyone else made sure that I knew that I looked like I didn¡¯t want to be there. Of course, that didn¡¯t make me want to be there any more than I already did, but they were still my friends and I felt like I owed them something. At the very least I owed them my company, but even that started to feel like something I should be keeping to myself. The fact that every woman in our circle besides Hasha, the ones I knew well and cared about¡­ They could all accurately describe my member, and that disturbed me to no end. The fact that my friends watched people kill others and had no problem with it¡­ There was no veil of falseness behind LV. No smoke and mirrors to make those memories seem like they didn¡¯t truly happen. Those came from someone¡¯s mind and that was brutal on my psyche.


    I ended up leaving lunch earlier than usual to get back to playing music. I¡¯d been playing a lot lately for my own enjoyment and had taken to going to the tavern after work. Playing for coin and my own form of peace of mind was good enough for me, but it was mostly for something familiar. Something to feel like myself again, I guess. Music had always been an escape for me on Earth and it continued to be one for me on Septural, the only difference was that I was now making it. Anything from the wildest indie to the most contemporary rock was at my fingertips and the melodies I heard in my home were what really made me feel¡­ Worthy, I guess. Bringing music to life always made it feel worthwhile to be alive and it never stopped doing that for me. That being said, I played at the Welcome Center, cast a somnerre as I walked, and made it to the tavern unassailed.


    Tim, the nephew of the owner with a heart of gold, was already setting up my corner for me and had done the same the day before. It seemed to be a developing habit of his to prepare for me when I came, so I came up to him with a grin. ¡°Hey there, Timmon. How¡¯s the day been?¡±


    He grasped my hand, a jolly smile on his round face. ¡°It¡¯s been good already, but it¡¯s about to get better, aye?¡±


    His thick, northern Thesuvian accent was analogous to Welsh with a touch of cockney just to be extra stereotypical, and yes, his teeth were fucked. ¡°That it is, my friend. Got a lead you want me to start with? I know a couple of your usuals.¡±


    ¡°Ah, can ya do the Septurn Classic? I even gotcha somethin¡¯ special to use for it, just gotta see if I can find the damned thing.¡±


    I gave him a smile. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get warmed up while you take care of it. Don¡¯t forget to tell the folks I¡¯m in.¡±


    He gave me a look, friendly and mocking. ¡°And what will we do with the half of this side a¡¯ town that don¡¯t come by?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I guess you wouldn¡¯t miss a performance to nab ¡®em, would you?¡±


    ¡°Not on your life!¡±


    We both got a chuckle out of that and I grabbed a seat on my usual stool, the familiar faces already coming a little closer. I joked and jibed with a few patrons over chords and notes that I played to get tuned, my new song aching to be played. Tim came back in time for more people to come, just making his reception with my alternate instrument that much worse. However, when I laid eyes on it, I felt something I¡¯d usually felt when around Alana or at least something akin to it.


    Tim held an undlegar, made entirely of wood and polished to perfection. The strings were all made of proper material; the bronze-y stuff that was hard to find and only made the sound when you hit the note right. My heart melted as he presented it to me and said, ¡°A gift for the last few days. Ya done livened the place up and brought in a whole new kinda mood, Gatian.¡±


    I accepted it from him carefully, afraid to drop it and marvelling at the originality of the piece. Even the frets were correctly embossed in blued grandium. ¡°... Tim¡­ How did you find this?¡±


    ¡°Ah? Grandpa was an aspiring musician in Avalesce. Poor bastard got branded two times and called it quits. Came right back home and played in this very tavern for years, he did.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Better off in your hands, I would say.¡±


    I played a few notes on it, the thing horribly out of tune. However, the strings had been replaced before it had last been used and were quick to come back to life with a little help. ¡°Septurn Classic, right?¡± He nodded and there were a few cheers, making me chuckle. ¡°Then good thing I know it by heart.¡±


    Septurn Classic Folksong


    There was a Minstrel fair and light


    Would hark the brightest day!


    His fairest maiden ever prudish


    Could not get off- No way!


    Cracked-coll Cracked-coll


    Can we crack a coll today?


    Cracked-coll Cracked-coll


    I¡¯ll lay my seed in hay!


    The Minstrel did sing of the day


    Where he could crack his coll!


    When he might go and reach the peak


    His maiden would surely fold!


    Cracked-coll Cracked-coll


    Can we crack a coll today?


    Cracked-coll Cracked-coll


    I¡¯ll lay my seed in hay!


    Mister Minstrel had a mo¡¯ to spare


    He took his chance and asked!


    His maiden took it poorly


    And she stuck her foot in his ass!


    Cracked-coll Cracked-coll


    Can we crack a coll today?


    Cracked-coll Cracked-coll


    She crack-a the coll o-nay!


    Yes the song is about busting a fucking nut, and yes, I was fully a-fucking-ware that I had friends in the audience listening to me sing the stupidest song I¡¯d ever heard in my life while people laughed and fucking cheered about it. Apparently, Septurns were bawdier people than I¡¯d ever really considered since no one had ever requested me to play that song, but hamming it up and being dumb with it seemed to be the way to go. However, I really didn¡¯t want to deal with some of the people that had shown up, so I led into one of my own happier songs and broke out a few familiar ones that kept the smiles going. By the time midnight rolled around, I¡¯d already made plenty again and didn''t really need any of it at all. There was just something fulfilling about playing my songs for people rather than playing them to teach them, but maybe it¡¯s just me.


    Alana and friends came over to my booth when I announced that I was done for the night, but I say that with loose interpretation. They took their time in coming over, but Alana had a smile for me when she got within speaking distance. ¡°You¡¯re still the best I¡¯ve ever heard.¡±


    I grinned in turn. ¡°I try. What brings everyone over?¡±


    ¡°Coma mentioned that he¡¯d seen you in here yesterday and that someone had said you¡¯d been here for the past few days. Trying to earn some extra money?¡± She asked pleasantly.


    ¡°Ah, something like that. Just feels nice to play for an audience, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°No, not really, but I can see that you really enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, takes me back.¡± I smiled into my glass of ale. It was the weakest in the house.


    ¡°... Gatian, I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t help if you stop telling me what¡¯s wrong.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°... I just don¡¯t know how to say it, Allie.¡±


    ¡°Culture shock?¡±


    I stared at her. ¡°... I forgot that phrase.¡±


    She offered me a hand and I reached out to take it. ¡°River People don¡¯t share partners or watch LV, do you?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t share partners, but we have Television, and it¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s not like LV. Not much.¡±


    ¡°Is there something about LV that bothers you?¡±


    I took a moment to gather my words. ¡°Alana¡­ How does watching the memories of someone killing other people not bother you?¡±


    ¡°Because it already happened. There¡¯s nothing I can do to change it¡­¡±


    ¡°... And you¡¯d just watch someone¡¯s last moments, some of the most shameful in a man¡¯s life¡­?¡±


    ¡°What makes them shameful?¡±


    ¡°A lot of people don¡¯t have a chance to go to the bathroom before they die. Some people beg for their lives. Some people break down and cry their hearts out when they know they¡¯re not getting back up.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯d noticed that a few times, but I thought it was just odd¡­¡± Alana tapped her chin, a ponderous look on her face. ¡°... I suppose you see LV as if you were there yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Kinda.¡±


    ¡°I guess it would be different if I¡¯d actually seen someone pass away in person¡­ I¡¯m-¡±:


    I shook my head. ¡°No, I¡¯m just¡­ It just takes time, Alana. I¡¯m not¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to be able to hop into every aspect with Thesuvian culture with you.¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve known that,¡± She said, squeezing my hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Gatian. I¡¯ll try to be more considerate from now on.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll try to be less¡­ Withdrawn, I guess, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how to feel about everyone?¡±


    ¡°... I kinda feel like I¡¯m only welcome because I look good.¡±


    Her eyes told me I was wrong, then she did. ¡°Gatian¡­ We love you because you¡¯re a generous, funny, goofy goobski who won¡¯t hesitate to do anything for any one of us. You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re more than just a handsome face, Gatian.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Still feel weird, but I¡¯m starting to understand it, I think.¡±


    ¡°Life never seems to get less confusing for you, does it?¡±


    ¡°Not really, no.¡±


    Alana came a little closer and I got off of the stool, pushing it against the booth¡¯s table. I liked that we had a little space to ourselves, even if it was seating. As I stood, she sighed. ¡°When it rains, it pours¡­ I hope this is the last thing for a while.¡±


    ¡®


    ¡°I¡¯m sorr-¡±


    She gave me a stern look. ¡°Don¡¯t be. It¡¯s not your fault that you¡¯re even here in the first place, Gatian. I, as a Welcome Center Greeter should have known that you would need to be introduced to concepts before being thrown into them. It was my fault, not yours. You have nothing to apologize for.¡±


    I kissed her briefly. ¡°You¡¯re so willing to shoulder the blame¡­ It¡¯s not all yours, Alana, but I appreciate it. Allie-vaski.¡±


    Alana blushed and smiled a little. ¡°... That¡¯s a very affectionate term, i-if you didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I figured it would be since vaski is short for vavinski and Thesuvians use abbreviations to be cute.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t fair¡­¡±


    ¡°You could call me Gatski. The Great Gatski.¡±


    ¡°Is that a reference?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it doesn¡¯t work well for me, so it¡¯s funny.¡±


    ¡°Gatski¡­¡± She smiled to herself, holding her fingers to her lips. ¡°Funnily enough, it means something like ¡®beloved great one¡¯ in the Old Tongue, but I don¡¯t know what exactly it would translate to.¡±


    I picked up my guitar, Tim having taken the undlegar back at my request. ¡°What say we go home and make up on some of the time we lost in the past few days?¡±


    Alana gave me a warm smile, that faded early as soon as it came. ¡°Our¡­ Our friends want to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Shit.¡±


    ¡°Tara and Beth especially.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Shit.¡±


    ¡°Gatian...¡°


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to them, I just don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°I understand, but¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Allie?¡±


    Alana sighed. ¡°... They both¡­ They¡¯re more¡­¡±


    ¡°Shorter than you? Easier to run away from?¡±


    She giggled and tried to smile. The attempt failed, but it was worthy of note. ¡°... Nothing. It¡¯s nothing. Please talk to them, Gatian.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re worried-¡±


    ¡°You prove time and time again that I have nothing to worry about, and yet I took you to a place where you would reasonably worry about nearly everything that goes on there. Gatian, I have no reason to be jealous so I won¡¯t be. You don¡¯t give me reasons to suspect that you would cheat on me, so I won¡¯t imagine any.¡±


    I held her hand and gave her a more meaningful kiss than the ones we¡¯d shared in the past few days. ¡°Thank you for the faith.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s well deserved.¡±


    I left her company to go and join our friends who were all polishing off the last of a meal or two while I approached. ¡°If it isn¡¯t Mister Finger-n¡¯-Flee himself!¡± Hasha slurred. ¡°Come to get friendly and-¡±


    Li clapped a hand over her mouth. ¡°Hey, man. Feels like we never see you outside of work these days.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    I had a seat next to Beth and Aliss scooted to let Alana sit down. ¡°Just having some River Man problems, you know? You guys all technically rank as swingers on Earth. Or polyamorous.¡±


    Aliss nodded. ¡°And¡­?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not normal to me. In Avalesce, most people are presumably monogamous and don¡¯t do that. In Ponydale, multi-partner relationships were hyper-kinky and were based on fetishes. The dynamics on the spa really fucked with my head.¡±


    Beth chuckled. ¡°So, what? Fingering your friends made you feel weird?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Way beyond weird.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± She stopped laughing.


    Coma rubbed his neck. ¡°Kinda feel like I pressured you into it¡­¡±


    Aliss coughed. ¡°If we¡¯re placing blame-¡±


    ¡°Alana and I already had this talk. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be going back to the spa any time soon.¡±


    Tara nodded. ¡°It was fun, but not having you around really sucks, Gatian. We missed you, bud.¡±


    ¡°You sure it wasn¡¯t just the dick you missed?¡± Coma teased.


    ¡°That¡¯s what he thought it was, Cacoma. That¡¯s not really funny.¡± Aliss defended.


    ¡°Oh. I thought it was just River People mogonamy.¡±


    ¡°Monogamy, and it is, but every one of the girls was all over Gatian at the spa besides Hasha. I¡¯m sure he feels like some River Women do outside Thesuvia.¡± Aliss put a hand on his arm.


    Hasha was too busy sucking Li¡¯s face for me to notice that Traves (Travis) had come along, but then he spoke up. ¡°I know a lot of River Women feel... objectified, when they go to places that are more sexually¡­ liberated, than their River Countries.¡±


    ¡°Good point, Trav.¡± Beth gave him a nod.


    Alana smiled and waved at him ¡°Hasha finally got you out of the house?¡±


    He snorted. ¡°More like Li did.¡± Which made sense. Traves and Li-oh were like opposite sides of the same coin and were doing more and more together with Hasha as of late. ¡°You know Hasha never makes coming out sound good.¡±


    She stopped long enough to give him a kiss on the cheek. ¡°You know I¡¯ll buy you whatever you want, Sugarbutt~¡±


    He kissed her back and rolled her eyes. ¡°If it¡¯s not food, paper, and ink, then I don¡¯t need much.¡±


    Hasha started sniffling and Li took over. ¡°Yeah, but I could use a new choker or something if you want to go shopping tomorrow.¡±


    She hugged him. ¡°Yay!¡±


    Alana looked longingly at the two and I caved after having held up for so long. ¡°I¡¯ve got some extra money to spend now if you¡¯d like to do something for ourselves, Allie.¡±


    She gave me a frustrated look. ¡°You know I can¡¯t let you-¡±


    ¡°You pay for whatever we do, I¡¯ll buy the food or whatever consumables we need while we do it.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not too bad, I guess.¡±


    Aliss nudged her with her shoulder. ¡°The independent ones are hard to deal with, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    Coma scoffed. ¡°Like you dote on me.¡±


    ¡°I dote on you all the time!¡±


    He gave her a sly smile. ¡°Then why don¡¯t we go back to your place and get an ice cube?¡±


    Aliss laughed. ¡°Walked right into that one, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Alana looked at me, giving me a potent though innocuous look. ¡°M-Maybe we could- Er, well, you could c-come over¡­?¡±


    I smiled at her. ¡°Let me see if Felix needs me to fix breakfast for him and I¡¯ll be right on over. That is, unless you want to come along and see him for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s probably asleep right now.¡± She seemed to be happy at just the thought of his sleeping face. ¡°It doesn¡¯t bother you-¡±


    ¡°Felix likes you, Alana. If he wants to see you, that¡¯s up to him. I¡¯ll never tell him to stay away from your place or you yourself.¡±


    She smiled a bit more and the group noticed us being cute, the mood feeling like it had in the past. Unsurprisingly, however, my friends asked me to put on a personal concert back at my place so we all went to my apartment and I played as soft as I could as to not wake up the neighbors. Old Lady Lorran still came up to give me some cookies and asked me to keep it down, so I sent everyone else home after laying some out for Felix on the small kitchen table and sang Lorran to sleep as I usually did whenever I woke her up. She appreciated the lullaby and always said that she felt a lot better for it when I sang for her, which reminded me of something.


    I remembered singing for my Mom and with her when the Alzheimer¡¯s was getting bad. She couldn¡¯t remember a lot of things, but she never forgot I¡¯ll Be There by The Spinners, and that was the song I usually sang for Lorran, even if it was more of a love song. It just felt like it fit the mood whenever I sang for her, but I eventually went to Alana¡¯s and sang it for her too. She liked the song, but she had one she wanted to sing for me, even if she really looked like she didn¡¯t want to try singing. However, with her own guitar that we¡¯d technically stolen from the Welcome Center (I¡¯d lied and asked for it. It was given to me for whatever I needed it for anyway) and she started playing an unfamiliar song. One that I¡¯d never heard before. The chords were simple and the intro meandered from style to style, but the song was¡­ Well, just let me write it down.


    For Gatian by Alana Wolvram


    Chorus 1


    The obstacles inside, should never have the right


    To be part of your problems


    Let not your path decide, take it all in stride


    Troubles falling one by one


    There was another said


    To be part of my head


    But he was never quite like you


    I looked so high and low


    Never knew where to go


    But then you came right through


    Bridge


    Chorus 2


    The beauty that you¡¯ve seen, deep inside me


    Feels like it grows and grows


    The man in front of me, makes me want to be


    The best of the Diancies


    But how could you not know?


    I don¡¯t want my love to go


    So with this song I must show


    Singing for the truth


    I will bringeth down the roof


    To offer you this proof


    Words are not my strength, I sing for you at length


    I¡¯ve tried to make it all sound all sound right


    But days have turned to weeks and the song is incomplete


    So I guess for now this good night


    One more final verse


    And this song I shall rehearse


    I swear you will hear it first.


    We¡¯d just sat in her living room and she played for me, her talent not making up for her nerves. She made it through the whole song and had a hard time looking at me until I started hiccuping while trying to clean my face up. ¡°... You don¡¯t have to laugh¡­¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not-¡± I hiccuped. ¡°Laughing! You¡¯re so sweet!¡± I said through tears.


    Alana looked at me. ¡°O-Oh, you¡¯re¡­ Oh right, River Person tears of happiness.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°God, I feel like such a sap, but I love that song!¡±


    She held her guitar to her chest and smiled shyly. ¡°... I wrote it just for you¡­¡±


    I got up and gave her a hug and a watery kiss on the cheek. ¡°I know, Alliebear. How long did it take you to write that?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± She blushed.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how long it took, I¡¯m just touched that you wrote it for me.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m glad it only took a couple months then.¡±


    I pulled away from her and fixed my face for the last time. ¡°... Months?¡±


    Alana rubbed her cheek, looking down. ¡°Septurns¡­ We aren¡¯t really musically inclined like you River People¡­ Most Septurns are terrible with instruments.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good, though.¡±


    ¡°Only when I play with you.¡±


    ¡°Then maybe you¡¯d like to sing a duet with me?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I could do that.¡±


    And so I taught my favorite lady the entirety of Something Stupid by a certain Mrs. Nancy Sinatra and we had fun with the song while learning and playing with it, growing closer until we put the guitars down, showered separately and went to bed. Alana had me shower first and thus I was in bed before her, but when she came to the room, I had a hard time believing that sleep was coming any time soon. She usually wore an olone or a similarly short pair of shorts to bed, but that night she wore the first nightgown I¡¯d ever seen her wear, and what a sight it was. The sheer, purple material was different from anything I¡¯d seen her wear before and actually offered very little in the way of opacity or modesty. I could see her body underneath and could barely make out a line of underwear, but the waist-level of the nightgown was the most innocent part. The camisole-like thing cupped her chest perfectly and showed just enough of her breasts to be absolutely enchanting. That paired with the blush on her face while she wore it¡­


    Perfect didn¡¯t describe the moment.


    I welcomed her into bed with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re trying to seduce me.¡±


    Alana gave me a shy smile. ¡°I-Is it working¡­?¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°You say that like you couldn¡¯t ask for a little or a lot of extra love whenever you want. I might not be an exhibitionist, but after the first time we can do it wherever you like.¡±


    Her eyes held a question that I had an easy answer to, even if I didn¡¯t like the way the day had led up to it. ¡°I¡­¡±


    I swept the covers away from me and exposed my mostly naked state, tent and all. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say no if you wanted to come over here and make something of the night. We could bear to be a little late to work for once.¡±


    She came a little closer. ¡°W-We are early most of the time¡­¡±


    I beckoned her toward me. ¡°Then why don¡¯t we make something of the dawn?¡±


    [Ctrl+F Intimacy is Over to Skip]


    Alana crossed the last few feet on her way over to me and bent down for the initial kiss. I met her as much as I could without actually standing, but rolling her over me and onto the bed was easy. She made a delightfully surprised noise and giggled when I climbed on top of her to continue the kiss, submissive and happy to let me work my magic. I¡¯d already explored the usual places with my hands in the springs, but we weren¡¯t in public anymore. We were in the privacy of Alana¡¯s home and I could definitely deal with it. The kiss was quietly passionate, growing in intensity once I let my hands wander over familiar territory. My willingness to feel my way around let Alana¡¯s apprehension fall to the side as well with her fingers tracing the fine lines of my musculature and scars, her delicate digits brushing over every ridge and valley that they could find. I didn¡¯t break our kiss because I¡¯d had my fill of her; I broke it because I was hungry for another kind of affection, another taste of her. At the moment, her breasts seemed like a sumptuous meal.


    Before I could palm, her breast, Alana¡¯s breath hitched and she pressed her hand over mine. ¡°... Gatian¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, my beloved?¡±


    ¡°... I love you.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help the smile that broke out on my face. ¡°I love you too, Alana.¡±


    Her hand guided mine to her breast and the other reached up to cup my face. ¡°... I can¡¯t stop my heart from pounding¡­ I¡­ I¡¯ve never felt like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Then may I introduce you to my Gatian Brand love? It¡¯s twenty-five percent more fun than any other brand~¡±


    She giggled and pulled me down for a kiss. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be a loyal customer.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only a customer if you buy the product. If you help make it and just so happen to get something from it¡­¡± I gave her a little squeeze before pulling her camisole down, preparing myself for my first glimpse at Alana¡¯s privates. ¡°I¡¯d say you¡¯re co-owner of this love.¡±


    She bit her lip and I looked down, her nipples perfectly pink and small. They were adorable if I may say so, and so very sensitive if my first impression was anything to go by. I teased her with my fingers and made Allie gasp, her breathing turning ragged the more I played with her. ¡°That- That feels really nice¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think I could make it feel nicer?¡±


    ¡°Eep! I-I-I¡­¡± She blushed hard, her expression adorable as I lowered my head.


    I was sure to let my breath was over her breath, eliciting a strained noise from her just as I freed my tongue from my lips. I let the slick muscle pass over the tip over the bumpy, soft tip of her breast without ever touching the peak and she gasped, her hand snaking up into my curly locks. The tension seemed to be rising and nerves took over her countenance, so I gave her another kiss before continuing. When I let her breast enter my mouth, I was surprised to find that she actually had a taste beyond the sweet mint of our kisses. Septurns having flavors to them was a little odd, but having Alana¡¯s breasts taste like peppermint was odd. I didn¡¯t mind and even found it to be pleasant, but even as I avoided tasting the tips of her pert, surprisingly perky mounds, I think Alana had a small orgasm if her shudder was anything to go by.


    She seemed more relaxed as I moved onto her nipple, taking the first in my fingertips as I so pleased, The smile my vaski gave me encouraged me to suck a little harder to make her moan a little louder, my techniques from reading erotica coming in handy. The tip of my tongue swirled around her peaks in turn, earning plenty of delectable, enticing little noises besides that which she¡¯d been making. With every especially intense pull or nibble, her back arched a little and she let me do what I felt like doing. Eventually her hand gripped my hair and she writhed beneath me, climaxing for certain this time as I just played with her breasts. When she let me go, I realized that Alana was gentle even when she was supposed to be out of control, the grip she¡¯d had on my hair barely being enough to hurt. Any other woman would have made my scalp tender, but I appreciated Alana¡¯s restraint.


    I let go of her breasts and kissed her again, not able to reach all of her thighs as I would¡¯ve liked to. Still, every centimeter of smooth flesh that I felt heightened the moment for me, and getting to lay kisses and hickies on her neck before I made my way down her body was fun in and of itself. However, when I started kissing my way down her collar, Alana asked, ¡°A-Aren¡¯t I supposed to¡­?¡±


    ¡°When I¡¯ve had my fun~¡± I growled playfully.


    ¡°F-Fun~¡± I bit her. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s fun¡­¡± She whispered longingly.


    I squeezed her breast and started kissing my way down her chest. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be greedy, but...¡± I kissed down her sternum, stroking her thighs again. ¡°I can¡¯t get enough of you.¡±


    She squirmed a little as I skipped over her tummy and started kissing up her thighs, having crawled between lovely, long, smooth legs. Her breathing hitched and grew more erratic with every passing caress. The reactions I garnered made the moment that much sweeter, and even the heady scent of her minty arousal filled my head with nothing but dreams of her flavor. However, when I went to place my final kiss on her lower lips, I found that I¡¯d completely forgotten that she was wearing panties. Embarrassed for all of two seconds, I took the time to pull them off with my teeth and was rewarded with a soft laugh as my reward. However, just as I pulled them off, Alana closed her legs and bent her knees.


    I laid my hands on her knees and watched as she blushed deeper and deeper, turning as red as her cherry further and further with each passing moment. ¡°G-Gatian¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, my vaski?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ You¡¯ll be gentle, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°As gentle as the breeze.¡±


    ¡°The wind can blow pretty hard...¡± She glanced at me.


    ¡°Then as gentle as a lover¡¯s kiss.¡± I chuckled.


    She smiled a little relaxing as she spread her legs a bit. ¡°Then¡­ Do-Don¡¯t be¡­ Well, Thesuvians¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m eager to see, not to judge. And I wonder what you taste like down here, so get over your nerves and let me lick you better than you¡¯ve ever been licked before.¡±


    Alana looked at me and laughed. ¡°Oh, Gatian¡­ I do love you so much¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­?¡±


    ¡°... There is no but, goobski.¡± she spread her legs and the hunger came back with force. ¡°I just- He- Hey~!¡±


    I stroked between her impossibly full, impossibly puffy lips, staring at them with fascination. ¡°Holy Hell¡­ Alana¡­¡±


    She closed her legs around my hand, trapping my arm. ¡°I-I-¡±


    ¡°Alana, you can¡¯t just show me such a fuckin¡¯ perfect pair of lips and not let me kiss ¡®em!¡±


    She eased up and peeked through her fingers. ¡°Wh-What¡­?¡±


    I opened her legs for her and carefully caressed her sodden petals. ¡°Allie¡­ Your lips¡­ They¡¯re easily the most beautiful I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± I¡¯d taken my eyes off of her face and started kissing down her legs again until my lips made contact with her plump outer labia.


    ¡°I-I-It¡¯s not¡­ Fat?¡±


    I kissed both petals at the same time, flicking her somewhat large, engorged clitoris with my tongue. With her height, it was no surprise that her pearl was a little on the large side, but even the hood and nub itself were appetizing. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful¡­¡±


    Without any further need to explain my arousal, I began slowly and took my time in licking the dew from her flower as carefully as I could. Every refreshing drop cooled my tongue and fanned the flame inside, but I could wait a while longer to make Alana mine for once and for all. I traced her labia with the tip of my tongue and made her wriggle beneath me as I teased and toyed with her, not tiring of her noises or reactions any time she gave them to me. However, I wasn¡¯t planning on making her wait forever so I put my tongue to better use and gave her clitoris a second and third flick with my tongue, sending her over the edge for a larger orgasm than the one before. The time was coming for me to take her completely, but I still had time to spare before she caved and got over her shyness.


    There was extra nectar flowing from Alana¡¯s opening and I tasted it to be sure. It was minty and more of a polar-ice kind of minty than peppermint, the change in flavor welcome. Instead of using my tongue on her clitoris, I chose to enter her with it and use my fingers to stimulate the important part. All things being said, she tasted fantastic and had no stamina after the last orgasm even though I¡¯d stopped to let her have it freely. Alana¡¯s legs tightened around my head and I felt Heaven squeeze my melon until she let me go, both of us panting for similar reasons. I¡¯d gotten a faceful of love from her and it was all rather wet, so I wiped my face off on her bed aftrer I licked my lips clean and rose. Alana seemed to be having quite the time of it, shivering from time to time and biting her knuckle to stifle her moans further.


    ¡°Are there any Thesuvian customs about tasting yourself on your lover¡¯s lips?¡± I asked playfully.


    ¡°I-I-It¡¯s... It¡¯s a fetish¡­¡± She gasped between breaths.


    ¡°Is it one of yours?¡±


    All she had to do was nod her head and I came to her, freeing myself of my own restraints so I could lean down and take what I wanted. My member pressed against her as her breasts melded against me, our lips meeting each other as we prepared to consummate a relationship formed out of pure emotion and continued out of mutual respect and admiration. I¡¯d never felt closer to Alana than I had at that moment and rarely had I ever felt such¡­ Contentment, I suppose. As my shaft parted her lips and wetted in her nectar, even as our kiss extended onward and the sun rose on us, I couldn¡¯t help but feel as though the moment was crafted perfectly for us. Breaking the connection allowed me to look my love in the eye, to see the echoes of my own emotions in her.


    The time had come. ¡°... Are you ready, Alana?¡±


    She cupped my cheek softly with her hand, gentle as a falling feather. ¡°I¡¯ve never been more sure of anything, Gatian. I¡¯m ready.¡±


    I never broke eye contact when I lined myself up against her tight, narrow entrance. Lubrication was a must, so I teased her for a few moments and let her get her breath before I prodded her entrance, the slickness helping me ease myself in. She couldn¡¯t have possibly been much tighter, not if I wanted to join with her. My size had never been a problem before, but as I saw the hints of pain etch themselves into her face I couldn¡¯t help but want to free her of the ache. I¡¯d only gotten a couple of inches in, so I pulled myself out of her as slowly as I had gone in before trying to make more headway. She held onto me and I decided that another kiss was necessary, the move being the best I¡¯d made by far. Once our lips met, my rod slid into her up to her hymen, the small barrier preventing further entrance. There was no time for me to ask as Alana wrapped her legs around me and aided me in claiming her purity, the final push making her gasp into my mouth.


    I would¡¯ve stopped if she didn¡¯t start moaning nearly as soon as I reached her deepst depths, a portion of my rod still unenveloped I was surprised to say the least, but then I realized that Alana was climaxing and I couldn¡¯t pull out if I wanted to. With her legs still hooked behind me, she brought me in further and I felt another barrier once I was pushing my full length into her. Again the tightness returned and she shivered and shook beneath me, her size having no effect on how enticing I thought her moans and expressions were. I came to a full stop and tried to start thrusting, but Alana¡¯s honeypot was too much for me to bear. I couldn¡¯t manage to pass five repetitions before I lost control and pushed as deep into her as I could go, releasing my seed for the first time in a considerable period. However, the climax wasn¡¯t to be had alone since Alana soon began writing beneath me all over again, crooning about the warmth filling her depths.


    She looked me in the eye and smiled weakly, her gaze carrying her affection through to me. ¡°My love¡­¡±


    ¡°Good lord¡­ It feels like we were made for each other.¡±


    We held the position for a few seconds until it hit her. ¡°... Gatian¡­?¡±


    I raised a brow at her and took a deep breath, watching as her eyes slowly widened. ¡°What? You thought I was a one-and-done kind of guy?¡±


    ¡°I-I just thought¡­¡± She covered a wavering smile with her hand. ¡°... I-If you c-c-can¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, my sweet little vaski, we¡¯re just getting started.¡±


    I proved that I planned on keeping my word by immediately pulling myself from her, though her snug walls just impeded the progress. Not wanting to hurt her during her first time kept me from ravishing her like I wanted and her endowments meant that I wasn¡¯t going to last as long as I would¡¯ve liked, but there was something about me that Rachel had always appreciated and that was my stamina. I could go without technically having to stop if I really wanted to until my back started hurting. However, I didn¡¯t have back problems on Septural and Allie was about to learn the sexual voracity of a man deprived of a busted nut for months on end.


    Beginning slow was the key to building a good orgasm, but even then I kept a thumb on Alana¡¯s clitoris the entire first round. With every thrust being welcomed with a moan varying in pitch and volume, I quickly learned how to make my favorite moans come more and more often and even came to find out which ones meant she would climax fastest. Her walls, slick as they were, practically drew my member further and further into her until I reached the bottom of her honey pot, but for the second round, Alana asked if she could be the one on top so she could see where we were joined. I had no issue with it and took the time to look for myself as I picked her up and practically dropped us into the new position. It hurt a little when we came to a stop but the look on Alana¡¯s face made me certain that it had been the right move. As her mouth open into a silent scream, I felt the barrier start to give way and the very topmost paert of my tip penetrated her cervix. Apparently it didn¡¯t hurt with Thesuvian women, but that was a fuckin¡¯ shocker if I ever felt one.


    I was deeper inside of Alana than  I had been in any woman, the sensation more fulfilling, more completing than any I¡¯d experienced during such an event. Then, just as I doubted my stamina for the first time since we started, Alana started gyrating her hips and fingered her pearl, her inner sanctum slowly welcoming me in further. I hadn¡¯t thought it possible, but her cervix molded around my tip until it swallowed it, the feeling simply too much for me to bear. I let my load loose without being able to hold back, the intensity of the orgasm clearing my mind of anything other than the purest of ecstasy while Alana¡¯s nectar flooded my waist. We climaxed together and I felt my own seed engulf my tip as I filled my beloved from the deepest part of her, only stopping once I had climaxed longer than I ever remembered.


    {Ctrl+F Intimacy is Over to Skip]


    The release had been the beginning of something new and the end of our activity with Alana being too weak to continue. She tried not to collapse on top of me as to avoid crushing me, but the woman was light for her size and I had no problem with letting her rest on top of me. After a few minutes of basking, her inner entrance squeezed me out. ¡°Awww¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, her breasts near my face as I rolled us over. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can pull out, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Please¡­?¡±


    I wrapped an arm around her and gazed into her eyes. ¡°You could never convince me to.¡±


    She smiled back, her eyes closing for a little longer than a blink would have lasted. ¡°Gatian¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Alana?¡±


    ¡°... Thank you for coming to Holloway.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for being here. I never would¡¯ve stayed if not for you.¡±


    Her final smile was dreamy and her last words for the time were spoken softly. ¡°I love you, Gatski.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, Allie-vaski. I love you more than you know.¡±


    She fell asleep with a smile on her face and I laid and watched her rest for longer than I probably should have. The dawn light shone through her curtains and made her look like a sleeping angel. One that I had loved over the course of the last couple of hours and one that had taken me for the ride of a lifetime.


    Well, Booksy¡­ I think that¡¯s it for now¡­


    Life¡¯s good.

 On This Life I Swear

    On This Life I Swear


    Noon held a wonderful sight and a glorious feeling both in my heart and in my lower body. The head that was on my shoulders smiled at the woman smiling at me in turn and the head that was a little lower certainly woke up for himself. I was still inside her and my heart told me to let her know, even though she was likely well aware. I made myself twitch while her walls quivered, a sure sign that she knew a little about muscular manipulation. My efforts elicited a giggle for the trouble, though I wasn¡¯t after a giggle. The kiss we shared marked our first day as a real, true couple rather than as friends who¡¯d kissed and shared secrets. I brushed a lock of hair off of her face and wondered if there had ever been a more perfect moment in the history of Gauner, Gatian or Gage. I knew that it was absolutely unrivaled in the annals of my mind and committed the moment to fleeting memory, engrossed in the comfort I felt, the contentment that washed over me.


    We lay in bed for a while, just looking at each other, caressing each other. Nothing needed to be said. There was no point in writing in to work since Beth had probably guessed it and covered for us, so imagine my irritation when a knock sounded at the door and ruined the moment. However,r I took it in stride since I¡¯d had hours to bask in Alana¡¯s presence, but as I moved to pull out of her, she winced and her inner muscles flexed, drawing me back into her. She bit here lip and shook her head, placing a hand on my chest as we rested. I paid the knock no more mind until there was a knock on the door to Alana¡¯s bedroom. Her arms were long enough to grab the covers in time to not have us be exposed and for that I was grateful.


    Beth and Rozalin, a gal from the Center, came into Alana¡¯s room without much hesitation. I was on the correct side to lift my head and see them, but Allie had to crane her neck to keep us connected. ¡°Can I help you?¡± She asked testily, the anger in her voice surprising every one present.


    Bethany raised her brows and Rozalin stepped back. ¡°... Just checking up on you, Lana.¡±


    My vaski gave her a look. ¡°You really have to stop walking into my room.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be appreciated,¡± I added, trying to be helpful.


    Beth nodded and started backing out. ¡°Just gonna¡­ Y¡¯know¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s¡­¡± Roz paused. ¡°Not. Let¡¯s not.¡±


    They left and Alana turned back to face me, giving me a pouty look for the amusement on my face. ¡°What¡¯s so funny, cute-guy?¡±


    ¡°I legitimately never hear you so mad unless someone¡¯s being extremely rude... It was kinda hot.¡± I meant every word too.


    ¡°H-Hot?¡± She asked, her confidence giving way to her approval-seeking default. ¡°... Is that- Is it good?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say you should be mad all the time, but it¡¯s kind of sexy when you stand your ground. It reminds me that there¡¯s even more to you than I already think there is. Hidden depths in a gem of a woman.¡±


    Her cheeks pinkened and she trailed a finger down my chest, watching its path. ¡°... So c-confidence is sexy¡­?¡±


    ¡°I guess it is.¡± I chuckled, making her shiver.


    ¡°Ooo~ Ding-dong.¡±


    ¡°Yes it is.¡±


    She giggled, her eyes rolling. ¡°No, silly, ding-dong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± I laughed along with her and she moaned again.


    Alana sighed and tried to pout, but couldn¡¯t past her smile. ¡°I¡¯m trying to tell you a joke!¡±


    ¡°What kind of joke starts with ding-dong?¡±


    ¡°A Ding-Dong joke, goobski!¡± Her laugh was beautiful and put pressure in all the right places.


    ¡°A Di- Oh! A Knock-Knock joke!¡± I kissed her for being cute. ¡°Ding-dong.¡±


    She tried again, but her lips wouldn¡¯t listen to her. ¡°I¡¯m home¡­ Butthead.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± I couldn¡¯t help myself and turned my head to laugh in earnest, unable to hold it back because what?


    Alana giggled along with me in between, shivering and holding me still with her leg to make me stop my tiny thrusts. ¡°I didn¡¯t even have to tell a joke~¡±


    Calming down, I stroked the ridges along her back and sighed. ¡°You wanted that, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°It felt pret-ty good.¡± She teased. ¡°Do you blame me?¡±


    ¡°So what round would we be-¡±


    ¡°Five, if you count my dream.¡±


    ¡°Wanna go for six?¡± I asked, using the space she¡¯d given me to pull out and thrust back in.


    Her eyes fluttered and she bit her lip. ¡°... River People¡­¡± I raised a brow and she sighed. ¡°You can be¡­ Addictive, to certain races¡­¡±


    I thought back to my former buttslut and the sheer, unfiltered disappointment on his face when I told him I was straight. I also recounted months of dumping cum in that man like it was going out of fashion. ¡°... Oh¡­ You¡¯re not telling me that my¡­ seed, is¡­?¡±


    ¡°More like the tingling sensation.¡± Alana seemed a little less than concerned about it.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°... We spend a lot of time touching¡­¡±


    ¡°... Should I pull out¡­?¡±


    She gave me a reassuring smile. ¡°It¡¯s not that, I¡¯m just¡­¡± She looked down as I felt myself continually twitch, her eyes closing for a second before they fluttered open. ¡°... I¡¯ve been¡­¡±


    The piece didn¡¯t seem to fit the puzzle. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Alliebar, say what¡¯s on your mind.¡±


    ¡°...I haven¡¯t really stopped¡­¡±


    ¡°Stopped whaaa- oh.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°That¡¯s pretty¡­ That¡¯s pretty great.¡±


    ¡°... I-I¡­ I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m ready for¡­¡± Alana looked away, her face, neck and a good portion of her upper chest either red or pinkening.


    ¡°Would me pulling out be too much?¡±


    ¡°... I think so.¡± She whispered.


    I kissed her again, starting to free myself from her as gently as I could. In the end, she didn¡¯t let me get all the way out in the first go and I ended up pulling myself out of her during her third orgasm.I would¡¯ve tried harder during the first two, but I didn¡¯t want to hurt her or myself. ¡°Damn, you are¡­ Incredible is a word, but amazing¡­ A little better.¡±


    She panted for breath beside me, shuddering for a few more seconds. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    ¡°I forgot that you knew how to swear.¡± I said, not too happy about being blue-balled.


    Alana sat up and grimaced, her grunt as sexy as one of her moans. ¡°I swear when I need to.¡± Her legs shook as she got them beneath her, the endeavor ending with her sitting back ,a frustrated look on her face. ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°When your legs don¡¯t work like they used to before~ But I can still sweep you off your feet, so¡­¡± I shrugged, sitting up and stretching.


    She was propping herself and The Pout was on her face in full force. ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s not fair?¡± I smirked, adding to her reasons to wear The Pout.


    ¡°... You can just... move with no problems¡­¡± Her bottom lip stuck out just a little further.


    ¡°Oh mercy, you¡¯re giving me sugar shock, sweetheart~¡± I reached out to stroke her cheek.


    My vaski let me do it, but she was obviously dealing with a certain level of annoyance. ¡°I just wanted to do something for you¡­¡±


    I let my hand rest on her shoulder. ¡°I would appreciate it, but even the thought counts for something.¡±


    The Pout lessened. ¡°... Still¡­¡± Her eyes flicked downward.


    A thought crossed my mind and a plan formed in a split second as I lowered my eyelids, giving her the sauciest look I could without being coated in marinara. ¡°Maybe we could use¡­ the other hole?¡±


    She stopped pouting and started looking really scared. ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t¡­ I think you¡¯re-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding, but continue the thought,¡± I said, trying not to let my joviality patronize her.


    I almost got whacked for being a smartass, but she started falling before she could hit me. ¡°Okay, this isn¡¯t fair¡­¡±


    The Pout was back, so I cuddled up close to her, giving her pecks and smooches as I laid her back down. ¡°How about I treat you to some breakfast in bed and-¡±


    ¡°Gatian, I can¡¯t let you do that!¡± She protested, holding me as I tried to get up. ¡°I-I¡¯m supposed to be doing that for you!¡±


    ¡°... I-¡± I looked at the dried blood on her thigh, glad there wasn¡¯t a lot of it. ¡°I mean, I didn¡¯t just have something torn inside of me and orgasm multiple times in a row after doing so for most of the night, so¡­¡±


    She blushed. ¡°That was a little while ago! I-I-¡±


    ¡°It was within the last couple hours, so sit back, relax, and let General Goobski get you some grub, okay?¡±


    Alana shook her head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then we have to wait until you can walk to eat.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not fair!¡± She groaned letting go of me and sighing. ¡°Why do you have to be so big!? All Thesuvian women-¡±


    ¡°Wait, how big is the average Thesuvian man?¡±


    ¡°Not half your size! And I stay updated on the census!¡± The complaining was about to start and it was pretty funny. ¡°Not even Lasponians average that big, and Denosians are bulls on two legs, and you just had to be Denosian! I just had to pick the biggest sausage out of the bunch and now I can¡¯t even-¡±


    I kissed her because the complaining was about to lead into crying if my guess was anything to go by, and I liked to think I knew her well. ¡°Tradition isn¡¯t everything, Allie.¡±


    She still looked like she wanted to cry, as frustrated as she was. ¡°... But¡­ You don¡¯t let me do anything for you, Gatian¡­ You don''t let me buy your food when we go on dates or help you with shopping, you don¡¯t let me cook for you and you never let me buy you anything in general¡­ I just¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s on your heart, Alliebear?¡± I laid down next to her, rubbing her arm as she suffered in company.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t feel like I provide for you and¡­ I made you wait so long for last night too¡­¡±


    I made sure she was looking at the doubtful, though loving look on my face. ¡°I love you, Alana. Whether you fulfill whatever it is you think I want from you, I get enough. I get what I actually need from you and so much more. I have my own money and-¡±


    ¡°Gatian¡­¡± She murmured. ¡°You¡¯re not listening¡­¡±


    My heart ached at the look on her face. ¡°You feel like less of a woman because I¡¯m so independent.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    I brushed her cheek with my thumb. ¡°And it makes me feel like less of a man to let someone provide for me, even if it¡¯s from the kindness of their heart¡­ I¡­¡± I took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°Alana¡­ I never used to be able to take care of myself and now that I can¡­¡±


    Her lips finally curved out of their intense frown and formed a line. ¡°Now you feel like you can¡¯t be dependent or else you¡¯re backsliding¡­¡±


    ¡°... So where do we compromise?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t¡­ I can deal with you paying for either your household things and your part of our dates or your rent.¡±


    I stared at her. ¡°Woman, have you-¡± I shook my head. ¡°... Vaski, that¡¯s essentially half of my monthly living costs either way.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d ask how you knew, but I already know you glare at my bills when you think I¡¯m not looking.¡±


    ¡°I want to take care of those too,¡± she said firmly.


    Rolling onto my back, I sighed. ¡°... You know I¡¯d probably make as much as you-¡±


    ¡°You average a hundred and sixty-nine holli a night. Even with your salary for being an instructor, it doesn¡¯t really match up.¡±


    ¡°God-damn.¡± I sat up and stared at her.


    ¡°Wh-What? I-It¡¯s my job to know your finances¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s normal here though¡­ Mom could recount every holli dad earned from when they started dating to when they got married¡­¡±


    ¡°... It might be normal to you, Allie, but that¡¯s technically a felony most of the ways you¡¯d do that on Earth. In America at least.¡±


    She sat up against the headboard and took my hand in hers. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to look out for you since I know you¡¯ll never ask for help¡­¡± Her expression and tone told me she was being honest, despite how little I liked the truth. ¡°I just don¡¯t want you to run out of money-¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m rich¡­¡±


    ¡°Gatian¡­¡±


    I inhaled, held it in, and exhaled it along with bits and pieces of my pride. After a couple of minutes in silence, I pinched the bridge of my nose and said, ¡°... Rent would be easier to handle in one go. You¡¯re not paying my bills, Alana.¡±


    ¡°... What about-¡±


    ¡°Yes, dates are yours. No, I¡¯m not letting you pay for the food and my house, and we¡¯ll split the cooking. One night I do it, the other you do.¡±


    She gave me a weary smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad we don¡¯t really argue¡­¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°We¡¯re both willing to put the effort forward and adapt to each other. It wouldn¡¯t work half as well if we weren¡¯t willing to make sacrifices for each other.¡±


    The look on her face puzzled me, even if it was a touch wry. ¡°You sound like my Mom.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to suck your Mom¡¯s wiener?¡±


    ¡°She-¡± Alana seemed alarmed. ¡°I don''t think she had one¡­ Did she?¡± She glanced at me.


    ¡°What.¡±


    She smiled and stuck her tongue out at me. ¡°Gotcha.¡±


    My eyes widened as she clued me in. ¡°... You¡¯re joking half the time and no one gets it.¡±


    ¡°Well, not quite half, and it¡¯s usually when I¡¯m dealing with our friends and I can make them laugh. We can both be funny!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m funnier.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to say that¡¯s wrong, but¡­¡± She shrugged and tried to swivel her hips, the motion only making her twitch. ¡°... Crap.¡±


    ¡°Still can¡¯t use your legs?¡±


    ¡°W-Well it was¡­¡± She steepled her fingers, balanced as she was against the headboard.


    ¡°It was too good, or was it your first time? Wait, I know it was your first time, but was it too good?¡±


    ¡°Both, and I¡¯ve never climaxed so hard.¡± She groaned. ¡°It was like¡­ Well, it was great, but I could barely move.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not an entrance.¡± My precious vaski shook her head.


    ¡°I was going to suggest a round two, or rather, we just start a whole new thing, but if you¡¯re not-¡±


    ¡°I wish, but it¡¯s not wise.¡± Alana sighed. ¡°If I couldn¡¯t even handle you pulling it out, I doubt  I could handle the other part¡­¡±


    I kissed her for fun. ¡°Can I go make breakfast now?¡±


    ¡°... Yes, but next time-¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah, you can cook a feast and I¡¯ll peck and nibble at it or something.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Enjoy the perks of dating a loyal River Man for once, will you?¡±


    ¡°I guess I could.¡± She pulled a face, her shoulders slumping. ¡°I mean, you have the same reasons as me, so I should be more understanding¡­¡±


    ¡°I love you and your non-working legs.¡±


    ¡°I love you and your smartarsed remarks.¡± She huffed.


    ¡°Arsed?¡±


    ¡°Thesuvian for ass, and... You do have a nice one.¡±


    ¡°You wanted to say something else.¡± I teased.


    ¡°Yes, but it wasn¡¯t true and it wouldn¡¯t have been fair of me.¡±


    ¡°I repeat; I love you.¡± Without waiting for a reply, I walked out and got to making breakfast as best I knew how, which was to say that I made eggs the way I liked them, bacon, and biscuits.


    I wasn¡¯t expecting to be interrupted but I¡¯d known that it was going to happen from the shuffling steps I heard in the hall. The song I was humming had been aimless, but I turned it to a winding, fanciful tune that I accentuated with a few minor vocal flairs from time to time. When Alana wrapped her arms around my shoulders and sighed I felt like I knew the feeling. I almost forgot to turn the stove off while just holding her arms in place, wading deep in the affection. She remembered for me and commented about it offhand, resulting in biscuits that were a little overdone and bacon that was a bit crispy, but both were still edible and we did eat. With Allie ambulatory, she had another go in the kitchen and made more food since neither of us had anticipated being so hungry, and even then there weren¡¯t any leftovers.


    Sunset came and was nearly turning to dusk when there was another knock on Alana¡¯s front door. Grateful that we¡¯d chosen to shower, change, and light some candles, she called them in and let me stay on her lap, continuing to stroke my hair as another one of her odd runners played in the loudbox. In walked Bethany and Aliss followed by Coma, the short one still looking apprehensive.


    Beth waved and Alana said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about earlier, Bethany, but-¡±


    She waved her hands and shook her head. ¡°I get it. Private moment and probably the only one like it. I¡¯m sorry, Alana, I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    Allie curled a lock of my hair, her expression not visible to me. ¡°It¡¯s okay, but just be aware in the future.¡±


    The ginger had the gall to smirk. ¡°So¡­¡±


    Alana giggled. ¡°Not now, you Sottle!¡±


    I¡¯d never heard the slur before, but Bethany evidently found it amusing. ¡°Whoa, the mouth on you!¡±


    Aliss and Coma seemed confused. ¡°Okay, what?¡± The taller, paler one asked.


    Coma looked at me and I winked at him. ¡°My man, my guy, my brother! Look atcha, straight cheedah!¡±


    Alana looked down at me and I was, in fact, straight cheesin¡¯. ¡°Sup?¡±


    She laughed, not blushing for once in her life. ¡°Oh, just tell them in plain words why don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Alana came three times when I pul-¡± She clapped a hand over my mouth while Beth and Aliss¡¯ collective jaw-joints started looking awfully vestigial.


    ¡®


    Coma scratched his head, looking at me in bro with ¡®Seriously?¡¯ on the brain. Alana, on the other hand? ¡°Gatian!¡± She freed me from her hand, her face florid. ¡°They didn¡¯t need to know that!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all gonna know! I¡¯m gonna tell Cacoma and Li and you¡¯re gonna tell all the girls, so why can¡¯t I brag?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s a really fair point¡­ But, it¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Still embarrassing to have me talk about it?¡±


    ¡°Kind of¡­¡±


    Beth nearly exploded. ¡°You¡¯re just gonna shut him up!? Alana fuckin¡¯ Wolvram, you total tease!¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Aliss took a step forward heroically, hand upon her breast and all as she wore a brave face. ¡°As your siska-¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, knowing ¡®siska¡¯ was a term for an older sister.


    ¡°Cousin,¡± Alana clarified.


    While I was busy being floored Aliss almost got to continue. ¡°As I-¡±


    ¡°First or second?¡±


    Alana raised a brow. ¡°Her father-by-marriage is my uncle and her Great Grandfather is my also mine. The vines are a little complicated near the current fruit.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re blood related.¡± I said in simpler terms.


    ¡°Effectively first cousins once you figure everything out, yes.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what life was.


    Aliss took my silence as consent to carry on. ¡°Like I was saying, you can¡¯t just not tell us! The guys are gonna talk anyway, so send them to Gatian¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°I kinda wanna hear how girls describe the act,¡± I said loftily.


    Alana giggled. ¡°Well, why don''t-¡±


    ¡°Same here, honestly. Gatian and I can say the usual guy stuff first if that¡¯s a fair trade.¡± Coma offered.


    Beth waved a note, plucked from her pocket. ¡°I¡¯m curious what you two are going to say. And yeah, Gatian, this got dropped off for you at the Center. Something about training or¡­ Something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll check it out in a sec.¡± She handed it off to me. ¡°Y¡¯all gonna grab a seat or stand around?¡±


    ¡°Gatian¡­ I¡­¡± Alana said softly. When she knew she had my attention, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ well, can I say what I would usually say? To the girls?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t embarrass me more than I¡¯ve embarrassed myself on Earth.¡± I knew the others were listening, but I wanted them to know. ¡°My first time was when I got married to my ex wife and I didn¡¯t last past getting it in all the way.¡± And she broke my nose for not satisfying her. The more I got hit, the sadder I got. Sadder I got the harder I got because jacking it was an escape for when times were tough. I¡­


    I didn¡¯t want them to know that, but it was a part of why I appreciated Alana so much, even if it wasn¡¯t saying a lot. Alana gave me a worried look and let me stroke her cheek even as she said, ¡°... I mean, it¡¯s not like we didn¡¯t¡­ climax together that time, but¡­¡±


    My face lit up when I realized it. ¡°Aw fuck!¡±


    I got laughed at and laughed at myself in turn, practically losing my shit while all but Alana did too. Coma, my main man, took my side immediately after getting his yuks in. ¡°Aight, I mean that¡¯s rough, but it happens to all of us. I¡¯m guessin¡¯ you ain¡¯t really let Alana get you off previously either, right? And with y¡¯all bein¡¯ together all the time a man ain¡¯t got a chance, you know?¡±


    Alana gasped and I chuckled some more. ¡°Actually, yeah man. I don¡¯t get to take care of myself and I¡¯ve never let Alana go past touching it until last night.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Gatian! I would¡¯ve been willing to help!¡± My precious vaski said regretfully.


    ¡°I was too busy loving your presence and cuddles to worry about it,¡± I answered nonchalantly. ¡°The time was well spent in either case.¡±


    Aliss sighed. ¡°That¡¯s why an independent man is better than a typical one; You all have such a way with words~¡±


    Coma raised a brow at her. ¡°Are you sure I talked my way into your heart instead of stealing it from afar?¡±


    She looked at him adoringly. ¡°... Stars above, love is in the air~¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes, not quite quelling the smile on her face. ¡°So how long did it take for round two?¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t even round one?¡± I kind of asked.


    ¡°You got off, so-¡±


    ¡°No, I mean I didn¡¯t pull out or stop. At all.¡±


    Alana blew out an audible breath. ¡°He really didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    All three of them looked at me with different emotions that I could discern. Coma read as respect, Aliss read as disbelief, and Beth¡¯s expression was doubtful. ¡°Really?


    ¡°Really¡­¡± Alana said for me. ¡°I didn¡¯t even finish before he started.¡±


    I lightly whacked her with my hand. ¡°You say that like I could move. You were so tight I thought something was gonna tear.¡±


    ¡°Thought.¡± Alana said dismissively to herself, but to everyone else she said, ¡°You¡¯re too big for your own good.¡±


    I sat up and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Damn, I¡¯m sorr-¡± The look on her face shut me up. ¡°Oh, right. I thought-¡±


    ¡°Well, there was that and probably a little more, to be honest with you.¡± My vaski admitted, looking down at me. ¡°It didn¡¯t hurt enough to make me ask you to stop, did it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t like the idea of that happening every time¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, it probably won¡¯t in the future,¡± Aliss explained, uncertainty on her face. ¡°I just don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard that happening with a River Man¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s got the sausage.¡± Beth said triumphantly. ¡°The sausage of power!¡±


    The gals laughed at that while Coma and I made eye contact and continued with one of his questions. ¡°So how many times did you get her off?¡±


    Alana squeaked a little and I thought about it. ¡°... You know, it¡¯s kinda hard to count. She tried to hide some of them.¡±


    He gave me a confused look. ¡°What do you mean? It¡¯s not like it was more than three-¡± Coma¡¯s face feel flat and he looked directly at Alana. ¡°Damn. Dayum.¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡± Beth shouted.


    ¡°Oh dear¡­¡± Aliss fanned herself.


    ¡°H-He never stopped to let m-m-me fi-finish! A-And h-he¡­¡± Allie protested, trailing off as she got knowing looks.


    ¡°Just one right after the other?¡± Beth asked, leaning in.


    Aliss bent forward eagerly. ¡°Don''t tell me the rounds blended together!¡±


    Alana must have nodded because Coma glared at me and the girls shared an incredulous, knowing look. Coma, on the other hand, flipped me off. ¡°Fuck River Men.¡±


    ¡°I did~¡± My vaski sang merrily.


    Aliss looked at Coma with a certain light in her eyes. ¡°Don''t stop next time. Ever.¡±


    ¡°That takes practice and a certain mood-¡± He tried.


    ¡°Can your pride really take that as a Septurn?¡±


    He glared at her. ¡°Stop objectifying me, Aliss.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Dick better, Coma.¡±


    He shook his head at her and Alana took his side. ¡°That¡¯s not fair, Lissie. We all know Gatian doesn¡¯t make sense on a good day.¡±


    ¡°Peanut butter rub-a-dub!¡± I said to prove a point. ¡°On a side note, put her in a Coma coma!¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Alana said, banking my lob. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even speak Common all the time and he¡¯s a River Man!¡±


    ¡°[It¡¯d probably throw you through a loop if you knew how many languages I can hold a decent conversation in.]¡± I said in Hebrew, basically talking to myself.


    I got stares from everyone, but it was Coma who asked, ¡°Was that Choresh?¡±


    ¡°Oh shit, I forgot Hebrew and Choresh were basically dialects of the same thing. Yeah, I speak an indeterminate amount of Choresh, depending on where exactly I am in the place.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the different dialects, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Some words are identical in some dialects, in one of the northern ones they speak a mix of Hebrew and French that¡¯s harder to follow, but easier to get my point across in.¡±


    ¡°French? Is that another language?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s kinda like Sotash or Flistian.¡± Bethany smiled at me, then said something I¡¯m not going to translate because it was bastard French at best. ¡°{How much do you understand?}¡±


    I gave her a fucked up look because I¡¯d never heard someone with a slight Minnesotan lilt- Fuck. Well, I know where the Sotans get their names from. Anyway, Minnesotan French was weird. ¡°{... I barely understood any of that to be honest with you.}¡±


    Her smile faded a bit, ¡°{Ah, you speak the fancy stuff.}¡±


    ¡°{I¡¯m not familiar with the French dialects, but I know mine is accented.}¡±


    ¡°It really is, but you get your point across pretty well.¡±


    ¡°Fancy Sotash not your thing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not really. I know some, but the sette system back home and all¡­¡±: She shrugged it off.


    The sette system was basically the caste system turned down to seven or eight, but it still hindered people. ¡°Bullshit and stupid, in my expert onion opinion.¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes and Aliss picked up. ¡°So¡­ I don¡¯t know who to ask, but was it good?¡±


    Alana looked down at me and I looked up her, saying, ¡°I tried¡­¡±


    Her smile was heartwarming. ¡°You were, and it you were so gentle¡­ That meant the world to me, Gatian.¡±


    ¡°(Oh) fuck you!¡± Beth and Aliss yelled and groaned in turn.


    Aliss spoke first and said, ¡°There is no way you made him wait this long-¡±


    ¡°And he didn¡¯t dick you harder than- than-¡± Bethany continued, stuttering at the end.


    She and Aliss traded a look and the tall one said, ¡°There¡¯s no way he didn¡¯t nail her like a stubborn piece of wood-¡±


    She shut up when Bethany continued with, ¡°So don¡¯t lie about it!¡±


    Right after Aliss huffed, her face flushing. ¡°And don¡¯t try to make up stuff!¡±


    Alana and I looked at each other again, then back at them. My vaski asked, ¡°... What¡­?¡±


    ¡°The hell, girls¡­? What were your first times like?¡± I inquired carefully.


    Alana squeezed my arm. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to do it again, even if it hurts like it did¡­¡±


    Beth looked like she wanted to smack her and Aliss wouldn¡¯t look at either of us. ¡°Okay, so my first time was with a Thesuvian guy, right?¡± The salty ginger began. ¡°He stuck it in and didn¡¯t stop for a minute and a half. Just rammed it in.¡±


    Aliss glared at her. ¡°You said there was foreplay. I doubt Gatian just ¡®wham-bam-nice-clam¡¯ and stuck it in!¡±


    Beth winced. ¡°Ooo, dry slipper?¡±


    ¡°What slipped?¡± She spat bitterly.


    Coma winced. ¡°Ow.¡± He got glared at for even commenting on it. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve never taken a firstblood and I never planned on it. I just know it¡¯s supposed to be wet before you go in.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how to treat a virgin?¡± I asked, surprised.


    Coma and Beth got it, but Aliss took a sec. ¡°Oh, maiden. No, there aren¡¯t exactly classes for men to take on the subject here in Thesuvia, and women don¡¯t usually talk like this in front of guys. You and Coma are boskis and you made a stellar point when you said everyone in our circle was going to know at some level.¡±


    Coma shrugged. ¡°My Dad told me to start slow and be sure to find the inner node, but¡­¡±


    ¡°My man, we can talk any time. America¡¯s pretty open about the finer details and if no one wants to get into the nitty gritty; We have books on it and the whole damn internet,¡± I offered.


    ¡°You just gonna do me like that?¡± He spread his hands


    ¡°My bad, homes, but there¡¯s a lot of stuff I don¡¯t use, Co-Man. Not everything works for everyone.¡±


    Aliss scoffed. ¡°It¡¯s not that-¡±


    ¡°Uh, honey?¡± Bethany deadpanned, raising a hand. ¡°I think I¡¯d know best of all of us and it can be dumb trying to get a Sotan off, period. Ponies and Thesuvians too, but Sotans-¡±


    Aliss shivered. ¡°And the propesity for the other place-¡±


    Beth lit up bright red. ¡°Th-That¡¯s just a tradition! No one does that-¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Alana coughed.


    ¡°Liar.¡± I coughed.


    ¡°Booty.¡± Coma blurted unceremoniously.


    Beth shook a finger at him. ¡°It¡¯s not something all of us do! We¡¯re not Chorets!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s racist.¡± Aliss inspected her nails.


    Beth stumbled on her words and stammered while everyone gave her similarly disappointed looks. ¡°Th- I- Tha- Er- I¡­ Fuck all of you. Honestly.¡±


    Aliss smirked at her. ¡°Racist.¡±


    ¡°Diancie.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that tall!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even have to jump to touch the ceiling anywhere you go.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be jealous, half-pint.¡± I scoffed. ¡°Just because you need a step-stool to make poo doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re cuter than anyone.¡±


    Beth gave me a weird look. ¡°What¡­? I don¡¯t need a step-stool to shit, River Boy.¡±


    ¡°How else do you get up to the toilet, shorty?¡±


    Aliss chuckled along with Alana, but Beth just looked confused. ¡°Gatian, what are you talking about? I just sit down-¡±


    ¡°After you climb up, right?¡± Alana asked.


    ¡°Do you need a reacher to get your potty-paper, little girl?¡± Aliss teased mercilessly.


    Beth finally got it. ¡°You¡¯re making fun of me¡­ For being short?¡±


    ¡°How did it take you that long to get it?¡± I asked.


    She didn¡¯t blush or anything. In fact, Beth barely reacted. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What¡¯s bad about being short?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a song specifically about everything wrong with being short, but it also says you have no reason to live and that¡¯s both inaccurate and mean.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, kinda harsh, dude.¡± She furrowed her brow.


    I shrugged. ¡°I never said I liked the song, I just said it existed. And short people have a lot more handicaps than tall people anyway. It¡¯s better to be tall.¡±


    Beth rubbed her neck. ¡°... I guess it is.¡±


    Coma looked between me and Beth. ¡°... Yo, Beth¡­ Are you not making Dianite jokes anymore or¡­?¡±


    ¡°... They don¡¯t really make sense. I mean¡­¡± She seemed to be having trouble. ¡°It¡­ It makes more sense to make fun of short people¡­¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re going to, sweetie,¡± Alana said comfortingly.


    ¡°Right? I mean, other than Diancie and Dianite, you don¡¯t really say anything to us.¡± Aliss added her thoughts on the matter.


    Beth shook her head, still looking bewildered. ¡°I know, but... It just makes less sense the more I think about it¡­ Why would being able to see more from a higher view be bad?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Alana looked down at me.


    ¡°And the moral that the precious young fools learned was that making fun of someone for their physical features was stupid, childish, and demeaning. The end.¡± I clapped.


    ¡°It kind of is, but¡­¡± Aliss rubbed her cheek.


    ¡°That¡¯s ninety-percent of what everyone around here says to each other.¡± Coma chuckled. ¡°I guess you¡¯re the nicest out of all of us besides Alana, man.¡±


    ¡°I try.¡±


    Aliss and Beth just sighed while Coma shrugged. Alana picked up the dead air with, ¡°So what brings you all over?¡±


    Beth grinned at the change in topic. ¡°Well, I was coming to see if you were still mad and Aliss wanted to come along. Coma¡¯s stuck to her, so¡­¡±


    Aliss scoffed. ¡°Yeah, right. Coma does his own thing most of the time.¡±


    He grabbed her hand. ¡°It just makes me appreciate my time with you more, Lissie.¡±


    ¡°Goobski.¡±


    ¡°Nuttah.¡± He chuckled in turn.


    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s that mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s basically Goobski in Lasponsese. It translates to ¡®adorable fool¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± She huffed mockingly. ¡°I guess I can¡¯t really say anything, though.¡±


    ¡°You really can¡¯t.¡± Alana tittered. ¡°Nuttah.¡±


    ¡°Goobaba,¡± Aliss rolled her eyes, smiling.


    ¡°Translation for the foreigners?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It means something like¡­¡± Alana tapped her chin. ¡°Silly idiot woman, I¡¯d say.¡±


    Aliss huffed. ¡°More like ¡®lovable bitch¡¯, but yeah.¡±


    ¡°I was using the nice interpretation.¡±


    ¡°And I was using the right one.¡±


    They started speaking Thesuvian to each other and I was completely lost. It was a gutteral mix of Welsh and maybe Swedish? I couldn¡¯t tell, but I did know that they laughed as often as they pointed at each other and no one else knew what they were saying either. ¡°Anyone else feel excluded?¡±


    ¡°You two wanna go to the spa and do some watching?¡± Beth asked.


    Coma shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather wait for the second go with Alana. Sorry.¡±


    Alana squeezed my arm. ¡°What makes you think it¡¯s happening any time soon?¡±


    ¡°Eh, time spent with you is time well spent.¡±


    ¡°Awww¡­¡± She let her fingers drift over my cheek. ¡°You¡¯re too good to me, Gatian.¡±


    Coma scoffed. ¡°You say that, but you¡¯re not on the receiving end of a relationship with a Thesuvian woman. Y¡¯all crazy generous and it¡¯s just not necessary.¡±


    Aliss pinched him and he slapped her hand as she said, ¡°Don''t say that like you don''t enjoy the benefits.¡±


    He gave her a look. ¡°I appreciate them, they just aren¡¯t necessary.¡±


    ¡°I know the feeling, man. Alana couldn¡¯t even walk and she tried to stop me fr-¡± She clapped another hand over my mouth.


    ¡°Gatian, That¡¯s- That¡¯s not something they need to know...¡± She said softly.


    I removed her hand. ¡°Point being you don¡¯t let me do stuff to show that I appreciate you right back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just not Thesuvian¡­¡±


    ¡°Gatian, Alana still made breakfast, right?¡± Aliss asked casually, raising a brow and looking generally sure of herself. ¡°It¡¯s not like she just-¡± She glanced at my vaski and quit smirking. ¡°Oh¡­ Oh Allie¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I-¡±


    ¡°Do you think you could walk after I tore your lady-bits and made you lose feeling in your legs?¡±


    Aliss grimaced. ¡°Well-¡±


    ¡°Seriously, you Thesuvians get so hung up on some of your traditions.¡± Beth scolded. ¡°So what if Alana didn¡¯t make food? I never cook for anyone. Period. I don¡¯t even technically cook for myself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a-¡± Coma started.


    ¡°I know, but not all of us actually like baking, you know?¡± She grumbled. ¡°We¡¯re forced to learn no matter what.¡±


    Coma shrugged like he usually did. ¡°Lasponian men cook for their women after the first joining. Granted, I bit the bullet, but if Alana couldn¡¯t even walk, then why would Gatian make her? I know, especially with how traditional your families are,¡± He pointed at Alana and Aliss, ¡°that Alana didn¡¯t just up and say ¡®Fuck it, not happening.¡¯, right?¡±


    ¡°Damn straight, man. She tried multiple times and I eventually laid her ass down. She still managed to talk me into letting her pay my fuckin¡¯ rent.¡±


    Coma¡¯s face fell and Aliss raised her chin at him. ¡°So Gatian sees reason!¡±


    My homie hung his head. ¡°Fine, but I pay for everything else. I¡¯m not arguing about this again, Alissora.¡±


    ¡°Alissora?¡± I asked incredulously.


    She raised a brow. ¡°Yeah? What of it?¡±


    I sat up and looked at Alana. ¡°Allie, what¡¯s your full name?¡±


    ¡°Alana Wolvram¡­?¡±


    I whipped around to face Aliss. ¡°How did I not know your real name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my real name. It¡¯s my Adult Title, it¡¯s just stupid.¡±


    I looked back at Alana and she said, ¡°Alyana. Allie was a really good nickname.¡±


    ¡°Damn. I guess I should tell you that my birth name is Gage.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Coma spurted, pressing his thumb against his lips..


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Aliss roared.


    Beth covered her face. ¡°Stars above¡­¡±


    My face heated up and Alana wouldn¡¯t meet my eye. ¡°... Alana¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m s-s-s-sorr-rr-hee-hee!¡± She said, holding back her laughter.


    I decided to face the laughter head on. ¡°What¡¯s it mean?¡±


    ¡°Dick!¡± Aliss guffawed. ¡°Your name is Elder Common for fat dick!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m about to be one if you don¡¯t shut the hell your mouth.¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°So what is Gatian? Your Adult Title?¡± Beth asked, shaking her head.


    ¡°Yeah, in Hebrew it means ¡®Watchman¡¯. Ironically enough, Gage is Hebrew too and it means ¡®valued one¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say.¡± Alana muttered.


    ¡°Oh, shush.¡± There wasn¡¯t too much I could think of that would be more embarrassing than being literally named ¡®dick¡¯.


    ¡°The thing is that it¡¯s hilarious. No offense, man.¡± Coma tried to wipe the smile off of his face, but it was stuck.


    We talked a little more about Alana¡¯s first time and it was a nicer conversation than it had been, but she was mostly just glad that I wasn¡¯t surprised by her being a maiden. Aliss and Beth had known, but  Coma wasn¡¯t sure and just had speculation. However, he did mention that Aliss didn¡¯t let him lay on her lap lie I was with Alana so she blushed and told him that it wasn¡¯t really something she¡¯d ever done before. She wanted him to sit in her lap, but Coma wasn¡¯t fond of the idea and said he got more from it than she ever would, giving me a nod for turning him on to the love of lapdances. Beth told me that I was weird, Alana agreed, Coma flipped me off and told me to stop raising the bar, and Aliss shook her head, telling him that he was better than any she¡¯d had before. With egos boosted and the mood right, I continued letting Alana play with my hair until someone asked why my hair was Choret silver at the tips. I explained it in a few seconds, saying that the somnerre and ambient Terru of somewhere I hadn¡¯t wanted to be just stuck into my bones.


    I rolled my eyes when Alana said that I was due for some reading and opened the note Beth had passed me when she¡¯d come in. the amused smirk I wore melted the more I read. My friends and vaski continued on while my world started to fall apart beneath me, the reality of life hitting me harder and harder with each word read. My brow broke into a cold sweat and I closed my eyes, barely hearing the peaceful, friendly chatter beneath the waves of turmoil rolling over me. News from the front lines had slowed over time and I¡¯d thought we were winning the war with the Char Army. It couldn¡¯t have been a more baseless assumption. Gerritt had fallen days ago and the front was now in the mountains of Flistis. There was a muster going around for all Masters of all kinds. I¡¯d known that my station was dangerous and could¡¯ve resulted in me being put in another unfortunate position, but¡­


    I¡¯d barely recovered from dealing with Paulo. The slaughter in the nameless captured town. There was a lot I still had to deal with and little enough time for me to come to terms with the events, but at least¡­ At least I got to be with Alana. The news shook my world beneath me, then it was Alana who was shaking me. ¡°-atian? Gatian, are you okay?¡±


    I bit my lip, unable to lie to her. ¡°No. No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up, brove?¡±


    Aliss looked at him. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s probably-¡±


    ¡°The note¡¯s about the war¡­¡±


    ¡°... Shit.¡± Coma grunted.


    ¡°Oh no¡­¡±


    Beth took a deep breath. ¡°I hoped not, but¡­ What¡¯s it say?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re gathering every Master except the Fullmaster and Truemasters. Gerritt has fallen. Flistis is the new front.¡± I answered. There was no easier way to break the news without sugarcoating the encroaching peril.


    Alana placed a hand on my arm. ¡°Y-You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re being drafted...¡±


    The tears in my eyes refused to fall in front of her. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    All she could do to stop herself from breaking down was reach for me, so I held her and tried to allay her fear. ¡°Alana¡­ As long as I take an instrument, there isn¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°Gatain, don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t lie to me¡­¡± She murmured.


    I took a deep breath, looking around the room. Pity and remorse coated every expression. ¡°... Nothing that is said after this point is talked about between anyone other than us. Got it? Not even the rest of us. Just. Us. Everyone I trust the most is in the damn room, and if I think you told someone, I¡¯ll wipe a month of fuckin¡¯ memories.¡±


    ¡°Brove, that¡¯s fucked.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been betrayed already. I don¡¯t make the same mistake twice.¡±


    Beth, Aliss, and Coma all looked tense, but Alana wore her confusion readily. ¡°What...?¡±


    I scanned the room one more time. Beth nodded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t leave this conversation.¡±


    Aliss nodded as well. ¡°Between us and no one else.¡±


    Coma shrugged ¡°Homies don¡¯t bleed secrets. It stays here.¡±


    I took a deep breath and figured out what I wanted to say. ¡°There¡­ There aren¡¯t many ways for me to show you what I mean, but¡­ I need you to understand that Arca and runes aren¡¯t the only way to cast or otherwise use Terru.¡± I was met with blank looks. ¡°Okay, do none of you know anything about Terru?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not commonly taught, no.¡± Alana confessed. ¡°Most Thesuvians either practice for life or never bother to learn at all.¡±


    ¡°Lasponian¡¯s don¡¯t deal with Terru except for ceremonies. Magically binding oaths and rituals. Stuff like that.¡± Coma explained. ¡°I use some Artificery, but it¡¯s not something I do even monthly.¡±


    Beth spread her hands. ¡°Sotans enchant, but we don¡¯t cast Arca, and you have to go to Unitution to learn how to enchant anyway. I have a few enchants that I can use, but they¡¯re household type things.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Okay, so the only two ways that most of you Septurns know to use Terru in the first place is either with Arca or enchanting. There¡¯s a third way, it¡¯s dangerous, kind of unpredictable, and easily the most convenient way for me to cast Arcana without using a wand.¡±


    Coma scoffed. ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Dude, I can¡¯t show you because I can¡¯t fully control what one of my songs does.¡±


    ¡°... You lost me, man.¡±


    ¡°Same here.¡± Aliss and Beth echoed.


    ¡°... If I¡¯m not careful, some of the songs I play could¡­¡± I pursed my lips and look down. ¡°They might level the town possibly?¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± It made rounds through almost every voice other than mine.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ My music is Terruc. Well, a lot of it¡­¡±


    Alana gaped at me. ¡°Does that mean-¡±


    I waved my hands. ¡°I can¡¯t really control when a song does something or what it does unless I¡¯m pissed or in danger! If I¡¯m just playing a guitar, n-nothing happens! I really have to try to-¡±


    Alana looked a little unsure, but there was still acceptance in her eyes. ¡°Gatian¡­ Could you¡­¡±


    Aliss apparently knew where the question was going. ¡°... Could you brainwash someone?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I balled my hands up and took a deep, shaky breath. ¡°I¡¯m a Silvertongue, but-¡±


    ¡°Hey, fuckface!¡± Beth barked, making me wince. ¡°You take shit from everyone in the group. You¡¯re as nice as Alana. Just looking at your face makes my heart hurt, Gatian. I believe you, but I don¡¯t believe you would ever use the Devil¡¯s Tongue to hurt someone.¡±


    ¡°I-¡± I thought about it. ¡°Okay, there was one time, but she broke two of my fingers before I made her punch herself!¡±


    Coma chuckled at that, seeming to ease up with Bethany¡¯s outburst. ¡°You made someone hit themselves? Who was it?¡±


    I glanced at my vaski. ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    She looked at me, horrified. ¡°You what!?¡±


    ¡°Not you! Your Grandma- Er, I mean your Great Grandma¡­¡±


    ¡°Brove.¡± Coma bit his knuckle, trying not to laugh.


    ¡°... My Great Grandma-¡±


    ¡°She uses Song Terru too! I know she went missing a long time ago, but she lives on this island on some lake in Avalesce where they train Minstrels and¡­ Well, they also kill Minstrels on the other side of the island where they train warriors¡­¡± Bad times resurfaced in my mind as my eyes widened and I pursed my lips. ¡°Shit, Lahgo was¡­ Lahgo is¡­¡± I shivered.


    ¡°... Seriously?¡± She asked, looking unconvinced.


    ¡°Your Great Grandma¡¯s name was Rozana and she was taller than you by about six inches. She¡­ She actually looked a lot like you now that I think about it.¡± I rubbed my left index and middle fingers. ¡°I think she had¡­ No, I know she had blue-green eyes, her skin was a little less fair than yours, and her accent was a little more¡­ Archaic.¡± I furrowed my brow, focusing on her. ¡°She¡­ Rozana¡­¡±


    ¡°Gatian, were¡­ Were you in love with my Great Grandma?¡± Aliss asked uncomfortably.


    ¡°Oh, hell no.¡± I waved it aside. ¡°I owe Rozana a lot, but I still don¡¯t like that woman. She broke two of my fingers over bullshit.¡±


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Aliss gasped.


    Alana held up a hand. ¡°Wait, did she just break them or did she just do something strange?¡±


    ¡°She laid my hand flat and broke them with her thumb.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Alana slumped. ¡°... Are you¡­ Are you sure she looks like me?¡±


    ¡°A handful of years older, but yeah.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a hundred times cuter and a lot less bone-breaky, so I¡¯d say you¡¯re about a thousand to a hundred-thousand times better.¡± I consoled her sincerely.


    Alana gave me a worried smile as Beth asked, ¡°So¡­ Did you fuck her?¡±


    ¡°... She broke. My fingers.¡±


    ¡°That was in Avalesce, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So?¡±


    ¡°... Did you annoy her before she did it and flirt after-¡±


    Alana was already looking at me when I cut Beth off. ¡°Shut the fuck up. Why would a River Person know Avalesch flirting?


    ¡°Fair point. So what does your Song Terru do?¡±


    ¡°Well, the only time I ever used it to attack someone¡­¡± I thought back to Chorell. ¡°... It was when I found my Partner after she abandoned me the first time. I used the song to defeat someone to earn her freedom from both prison and my service.¡±


    ¡°And she¡­ She¡¯s not with you right now?¡± Coma asked.


    Allie seemed pretty concerned about it too, but I just said, ¡°Stellara¡­ Stellara is her own person, guys. No one here should harbor any animosity toward someone seeking their best life, and I¡¯ll defend that until I die. Even if you think Stellara owed me something¡­¡± I shook my head and spoke softly, though I didn¡¯t mean to. ¡°I loved Stella and I let her go. She never came back to me; I found her and she stayed for a second time. She never really loved me like I loved her. It¡¯s for the best that I have someone who doesn¡¯t have to deal with me¡­ Who doesn¡¯t feel obligated to love me.¡± I turned to Alana and smiled at her. ¡°Stella was pleasant, but she was trained to be. Everything she did for me was because she had to, not because she wanted to.¡±


    She let me have her hand and looked at me with resignation in her eyes. ¡°You still have feelings for her, don¡¯t you?¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°The love I had for Stella¡­ Loving you is different. It¡¯s a lot more¡­. I¡­ It feels like I¡¯m¡­¡± I laughed the next time, looking at the ceiling. ¡°God, I can say what I felt with Stella, but all I can say with you is that¡­ I don¡¯t deserve a second of what you give me¡­¡± I looked back to her, smiling ruefully. ¡°I know that I love you and I¡¯m not afraid of what you¡¯ll say to it. I¡¯m not afraid of you lying to me or that you¡¯re depending on me for your overall happiness¡­ If we split, you can find someone else. You don¡¯t have to be around me if you don¡¯t really want to be, and... ¡° I shrugged, making a face. ¡°You¡¯re completely independent. You¡¯re your own person with your own goals and your own opinions and values that I can¡¯t always change. I like you because you act like¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t know how to put it into words, but I love you because that alone doesn¡¯t compare to the full quiet-riot that is Alyana Alana Wolvram. My Allie-vaski. There isn¡¯t a soul alive with the same kind of love and compassion in your heart, and you¡¯re¡­ My nickname might be Gat-Cat, but you¡¯re the true Gatski in my eyes.¡±


    ¡°... I love that you¡¯re always honest with me, even if you¡¯d rather avoid me than lie.¡± Allie stroked my cheek.


    ¡°I love that you¡¯re patient and understanding, but I also love that you put up with my baggage.¡±


    She furrowed her brow for a moment. ¡°Oh, your lug-abouts. I understand, and you know I¡¯ll always be there to pick you up when you¡¯re down¡­ Except¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°But if it gets hairy, you still have your songs, right?¡± Coma asked.


    I nodded. ¡°I still have my Arcana too¡­ I guess I can craft a few more now¡­¡±


    ¡°Like that... Rim-breaka one?¡± He asked carefully.


    ¡°... Yeah, and you can¡¯t accidentally cast it without the tares, Coma. War is war, and the Char deserve no honor.¡± I shook my head. ¡°... I¡¯d rather this all be over, but if I gotta head to the lines¡­¡± Tungsten entered my resolve and rang true. ¡°... If I have to face the Char again¡­ This time I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not afraid. This time¡­¡± I could only see one face at the moment, hear one voice. ¡°I have to kill them all.¡±


    Bethany was the only one who didn¡¯t nod along. ¡°And what would that mean for Gatian? Because I know you, Gatian. This isn¡¯t for you.¡±


    I knew my eyes were hard and I already felt the determination settling in like never before. ¡°This is for Luce. And Gloss. This is for the Guild and Hooversdum. For Tidrel and Rusval. It¡¯s for me being forced into the Rhubarb Ranch and escaping the skin of my teeth. It¡¯s for me watching people I knew torn apart on the streets of a place I called home. It¡¯s for the peace that was promised to me and a countless amount of other people who died looking for theirs. It¡¯s to save the peace I have now, to save the place I call home... The place I call home, Bethany.¡± We saw each other and I knew. ¡°It¡¯s for more than revenge or glory. If I can walk away from this as just another soldier coming home from a victory¡­ Then that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do. If I can walk away from the war as a nobody who fought the hardest and killed the most, then that¡¯s what I want.¡±


    ¡°... What are the Char, Gatian?¡± She asked softly.


    ¡°People burned to death by the Scorch.¡±


    ¡°... Do you not consider them people?¡±


    ¡°I consider them targets.¡±


    ¡°Were they not once people?¡±


    ¡°Were they not more recently cannibals? Would they still live their lives knowing what they did? Would they just rebuild, forgive, and forget?¡±


    Beth looked at me, sadness in her eyes. ¡°... You¡¯re already resolved to doing it.¡±


    ¡°... I just needed a reason. I¡¯m being called. I have my reason. They showed me and mine no mercy. I¡¯ll extend the same courtesy to them with a clear conscience.¡±


    Alana put her hand on my shoulder. ¡°The Char have killed and they¡¯ll kill again, Gatian. When you take care of them once and for all, know that your work will be done. I¡¯ll even try to help you retire early if you want.¡±


    ¡°You just don''t-¡±


    ¡°Killing many enemies in war is legendarily lucrative. I wouldn¡¯t quit my job, but it would be a little more than unreasonable for me to ask you to let me provide for you then. I wouldn¡¯t have a point and you would be extra rich for slaying our enemies. You could even sell your memories of the fight and make money from runners.¡± Alana tilted her head at me. ¡°... If you¡¯re as capable of killing those despicable creatures as you are playing music, then¡­ Would you even¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d buy the country and make you my Queen,¡± I jibed.


    ¡°Silly, but a nice thought.¡±


    Aliss sighed and looked at Coma, but he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not a real fighter. Killing people isn¡¯t my thing.¡±


    ¡°I hope not, but still. I don¡¯t want your pride to make you do anything reckless in the future, alright?¡±


    ¡°No worries from me.¡±


    Aliss gave her attention to me. ¡°And Gatian¡­ Come back home safe, okay?¡±


    I smirked at her. ¡°I can¡¯t promise I¡¯ll be okay, but I¡¯ll come home in one piece.¡±


    Bethany shook her head. ¡°Now is when I say my sappy line, but I don¡¯t really do that. Don¡¯t get butt-sexed to death, Gat-Cat.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t in the plan, but you never know.¡± I shrugged, giving Alana a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Allie¡¯s little pee-wee is so cute!¡±


    ¡°I knew it!¡± Bethany jumped up from the couch.


    Aliss shrugged. ¡°We loved you before and we¡¯ll-¡±


    ¡°I have never had a thing like that on my body in my entire life.¡± Alana deadpanned, pulling my head to her chest with my arm. It took me a moment to realize I was in a headlock.


    The noogie started, so I tickled her in turn. We continued screwing with each other and eventually started talking to our friends again, but they were happy to leave us with our time together, precious as it was. I was supposed to head south next week on the first day of the weekend and I needed to start getting my affairs in order. Alana offered to help take care of my house and Felix which reminded me that I needed to go see him to feed him. Probably. There was plenty of fruit for him to eat out and about in the kitchen anyway. I was glad for the time I¡¯d gotten to spend in peace, and for what it¡¯s worth there aren¡¯t many ways I would¡¯ve rather spent my time.


    I went back to my house to start crafting useful Arca and Somnerre (Which I should¡¯ve been capitalizing this whole time) in my down time, setting up my house after I started running out of ideas and came into my first case of real Writer¡¯s Block. What I really needed was taken care of and my ability to come up with songs based on the situation rarely failed me, but I worried long and I worried hard, much of my time spent thinking about my reasons to fight. My reasons to come back home. It was a lot to take in, but I really, truly had something and someone to see tomorrow. I guess you could say that I found more than I could have ever asked for...


    Being able to say that feels good. I have something to live for...

 My Precious Things

    My Precious Things


    I looked at everything on my coffee table for the millionth time in the past three and a half weeks. No one had touched a thing. On the table sat a small blue candle on a necklace a palm-sized compass, a layered steel pick, a green-gem pick, a leather bracelet, a solid chain necklace, and the knife I¡¯d carried with me since Rusval. There weren¡¯t many things on the table depending on what ¡®many¡¯ means to someone. However, they were my most valued items other than my guitar and plublass, most of them being things I planned on taking with me. However, Luce¡¯s pick was the one I planned on taking as I¡¯d long since retired the one Stellara made me. While I looked at my things one last time before packing them, I picked up the pick Stellara crafted and marveled at it for what felt like the last time. Letting go was hard, but it was a decision I had to make.


    In the end I decided to take the metal pick into battle with me. Luce¡¯s pick¡­ It didn¡¯t deserve to be lost if I died. Stellara¡¯s pick was disposable, but not Lucine¡¯s, and I felt as though that meant more in the end. After all was said and done, I headed over to Beth¡¯s place and wondered how the hell I was supposed to know which one it was. Alana and Bethany had both said I¡¯d just know, but I wasn¡¯t fond of being left in the dark and not knowing where I was going while not being coated in armor? Not my idea of ¡®bright¡¯, in my defense, but I still wanted to see my send-off party since my friends had gone through all the trouble of doing it for me. Granted, I still wasn¡¯t due to leave for a few more days, but apparently they just felt the need to make me feel appreciated and welcomed back into the group, so Bethany pulled out all the stops. I wasn¡¯t sure what all was going to happen, but I was sure that I was at least going to have a little bit of fun.


    The sight that greeted me in the north side of town¡­ I¡¯d never really gone there since I¡¯d never had much of a reason besides getting a catalyst, but I quickly learned that it was a continuation of the estates where the Rhubarb Ranch Matriarch had stayed. I wasn¡¯t sure if going there was a good idea anymore, but I was also more than ready and willing to deal with a problem if it arose out of sheer paranoia. When I got to the fourth ¡®house¡¯ from the final turn, I learned just why it was going to be easy to tell which house was hers. Every other place on the block was conventinal while the Sotan homestead looked more like a collection of mansions rather than one estate. The yard was greener and more full of life than the other yards I¡¯d seen with plenty of flowers and a garden or three sprinkled along the stone walls. It was a beautiful little place that tickled my fancy and made me feel welcomed already, but as I came into the courtyard, I had a hard time figuring out which of the three mansions was supposed to belong to my friend.


    I had plenty of time to figure it out, I just didn¡¯t use it wisely and ended up getting approached by and irritable looking, stout Sotan man who seemed like he wanted to wrestle me. ¡°Hey, whatcha doin¡¯ here on my slabs n¡¯ stones n¡¯ land, dontcha know?¡±


    There was no need to be mean to the guy. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Bethany Haims and our friends. I¡¯m Alana¡¯s boski.¡±


    ¡°Alana?¡± He asked, fingering his straight, bushy beard. ¡°Huh, if you¡¯re Alana¡¯s boski then ya oughta be Beth¡¯s pal, sure enough. Well, the house on your left there¡¯s our parents and they like ta be left alone for the good and long.¡± He nodded, and I tried to remember him name. ¡°Bethany¡¯s place is that right there orange-y one with the shutters n¡¯ the two gardens n¡¯ the fruity smell to it. Mine¡¯s the place back there with the clocks n¡¯ gears¡¯ n¡¯ whatnot, dontcha know?¡±


    ¡°I know now. Thank you.¡± I extended a hand. ¡°And I have to apologize, but I can¡¯t recall your name.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m Harrehsin, dontcha know?¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m Gatian. It¡¯s been a pleasure meeting you, Harrehsin.¡±


    ¡°And a pleasure to meet you, Trademaster. Take care in the coming battles, alrighty?¡±


    ¡°I will, my friend. Hopefully I help us win.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully don¡¯t count for shit, dontcha know? Fight hard. Get up when you¡¯re knocked down, and come back swingin¡¯ every time.¡±


    I gave him a nod and wandered off toward Bethany¡¯s place, not quite smiling about his parting words. He didn¡¯t seem all that hopeful himself, a little distraught below the Sotan cheer. IT was a firm kind of brooding that didn¡¯t seem too dark, but I¡¯d known happier-looking people to be crazy. Nihil Novi, and all that. Instead of focusing on things that did me no good however, I chose to wonder why Bethany barely had a Sotan lilt and her family was so pronounced with it. Curious, I decided to ask when I saw her and was forestalled from doing just that by Coma when I came in. Either way I didn¡¯t really mind not knowing, and Bethany¡¯s place¡­ It was worth the walk, I¡¯ll say that much. I¡¯m not good at architecture or anything of the sort, but Bethany¡¯s house was magnificent and seemed like I wanted to live in it. It actually made me like her a bit more since none of her other friends were so opulently wealthy as far as I could tell, and if she didn¡¯t care about it, then I could respect her and her desire to live a normal life. I¡¯d had the same problem and had wanted something similar out of my life on Earth with a lot of people assuming my life was cake until they got to know me. Suppose I felt her struggle in a way I just didn¡¯t think I would¡¯ve been able to.


    A woman in some nice clothes came to greet me in a very polite, yet altogether unsettling way. I wondered if she was there as a maid or something, so I asked, ¡°Excuse me, but what is it you do around here?¡±


    She gave me a blank smile, her eyes not quite right. ¡°Anything Miss Bethany doesn¡¯t feel like doing herself, Sir.¡±


    ¡°... Like¡­?¡±


    ¡°Usually cleaning, but sometimes cooking. There isn¡¯t much to it since the place rarely gets dirty.¡± She laughed airily, her entire being not seeming quite¡­ Right, I guess.


    I kept an eye on her for the remainder of the walk and she showed me to a room with two tall doors, announcing my presence before letting me in. I saw the look Aliss gave the woman before she disappeared back into the expansive space beyond the doors, but no one else seemed to care. Looking around let me see that there was an LV playing some form of date or whatever and there was also a cheese fountain. Coma and Hasha were making use of the spigot by creating a dish that I couldn¡¯t remember the name of but enjoyed myself, and Alana was by my side in a heartbeat.


    ¡°Gatian, you¡¯re late!¡± She huffed, giving me a playful look.


    I looked at my watch, the one thing I¡¯d let her buy me. ¡°... I¡¯m five minutes ear-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be early to your own party!¡±


    ¡°Oh. Can we kiss?¡±


    She gave me a puzzled look and then the kiss I¡¯d asked for. ¡°What did that have to do with being late?¡±


    ¡°What does anything have to do with anything? Connections are relative.¡±


    That confused the shit out of her and I considered it a win. ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°Relativity, my dear.¡±


    ¡°Stop brain-fucking Alana.¡± Beth said from my other side, taking me by surprise.


    ¡°Stop sneaking up on innocent guys who don¡¯t like being snuck up on.¡± I huffed manfully.


    She gave me a look. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be early to your own party, but you are supposed to stay late, so don¡¯t go home early on us, okay?¡±


    ¡°Is there going to be sexual debauchery?¡±


    ¡°Maybe if Aliss and Tara get drunk.¡±


    ¡°Or Li and Hasha.¡± Alana added.


    ¡°Or Alana and Aliss.¡± Beth said to me.


    ¡°That was one time and it was back in school!¡±


    Beth shrugged. ¡°It was fun to watch.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of fun, I¡¯m gonna go coat myself in cheese.¡± I said, letting my voice dip.


    Alana giggled. ¡°Beth decided to go all out for her favorite guy~¡±


    The short one gave her a look. ¡°Coma¡¯s my favorite, and you know that.¡±


    ¡°Ow, my feelings.¡± I chuckled, smiling at her.


    Beth shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s really close, if it makes you feel any better. You¡¯re second.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I can deal with that. Especially since you¡¯re not really on the menu anyway.¡±


    Her cheeks pinkened a little as she smirked. ¡°Yeah, yeah, no one likes a greedy gal anyway.¡±


    I glanced around us and behind myself to be sure. ¡°So¡­¡±


    Alana looked at me. ¡°Is something wrong, Gatian?¡±


    I looked at Beth and she seemed confused. ¡°... Are you saying that you¡¯re quote unquote ¡®greedy¡¯, Beth?¡± My question came out soft, and I made sure that there was no judgement behind my eyes.


    Her eyes narrowed. ¡°You read too much into stuff.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry.¡±


    Beth walked away and Allie put a hand on my arm. ¡°... How did you figure it out?¡±


    I looked at her and saw a grim acceptance on her face. ¡°She just said so.¡±


    ¡°... I fail to see how, but-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, Alana. It¡¯s a secret between us.¡±


    She smiled warmly. ¡°Thank you. Her family wouldn¡¯t stand for it otherwise. Speaking of, They like you. They want Beth to try coming into our relationship.¡±


    ¡°Is it because Beth likes me?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Alana laughed, ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re a Vol-Master. You don¡¯t collect a salary, you just stand guard in your home. It¡¯s a very noble profession to the upper classes.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I assumed it meant Voluntary Master. ¡°Being an Active Trademaster is less honorable than being a VolMaster?¡±


    ¡°Well, the active ones tend to do more suppression, and the masses don¡¯t like government crackdowns at any level. When you came back from taking care of those bandits, it was¡­ The town appreciated it, but we would have rather your plan been the course of action.¡°


    ¡°You-¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason the people from your squad are still respected in town. A reason people leave you alone. The survivors from Paulo¡¯s Slaughter tell tales of a demon painting with a bracelet creatures of strife that tore everyone¡­ Tore them all apart.¡± Alana shook her head and looked me in the eye. ¡±Yes, there were bandits that made it back, and¡­ They said there was no one there that stood a chance against a blooded Grandmaster.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how to respond. I knew what she was saying and I knew that I¡¯d done my best to make sure that no one would ever find out about what had happened. ¡°... Alana¡­I-¡±


    The look in her eyes¡­ It wasn¡¯t that bad to see. ¡°We all know¡­ We all have different ideas, but¡­ It all amounts to the same th-¡±


    Coma threw a ball and it whacked me in the head. ¡°Catch!¡±


    I barely reacted. ¡°Alana, I¡­¡±


    She looked at the ball and back to me, breaking the delusion, showing me that the intensity of the moment was predominantly in my head. ¡°... Okay, but you know we still love you, and that¡¯s what matters, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Goobski.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°... Gatian?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°... Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah- Er, fuckin¡¯ yes, I¡¯m good.¡± I chuckled, shaking my head as Coma came over. ¡°I should¡¯ve known people would figure it out when Paulo didn''t come back¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ You were one of the two people in the entire muster that could have reasonably had the power to even damage him¡­ And then there was the Arcana you came up with¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn, I guess it¡¯s kinda obvious¡­¡±


    ¡°It was, and you came back with guilt written all over your face so clearly I wanted to get a rag and help wipe it off.¡±


    ¡°Damn, Lana!¡± Coma laughed. ¡°Didn¡¯t know you were just now telling him all that.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t stop my face from heating up as Alana cracked a smile. ¡°It¡¯s about time he knew. There¡¯s no point in letting him feel guilty or ashamed.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± He blinked. ¡°I didn¡¯t really consider that.¡±


    ¡°Hasha didn¡¯t say anything until now.¡±


    I facepalmed. ¡°Her fucking boyfriend, Traves¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Coma asked.


    ¡°He stopped coming to therapy a while ago. I knew he wasn¡¯t coming back and I meant to talk to him about it at the tavern.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s doing better thanks to you.¡± Alana said cheerfully. ¡°However, he mentioned that he thought no one was there for you other than myself and Hasha brought it up to me. You have too many friends to feel alone, goobski.¡±


    Coma nudged my shoulder with a fist. ¡°Yeah, man, and don¡¯t think we¡¯re dumb, my man. We figured out that you sevved Paulo when the week was over and he didn¡¯t show up.¡± ¡®Sevving¡¯ was short for ¡®sinking seven¡¯, since Septurns bury their dead seven feet deep. It¡¯s the number of the dead or something like that.


    ¡°Fair point.¡± I sighed. ¡°Still, I¡¯d he would¡¯ve been useful in the battle coming up. I don¡¯t regret killing him, but I see why I shouldn¡¯t have¡­¡± I shook my head, the smile fading.


    ¡°The guys who were with him said he was a mondi. All you did was slay the mondi that was harassing actual Humans.¡±


    ¡°Guess I should¡¯ve expected less from you than I did.¡± I smirked.


    ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t expect anything at all?¡± He raised a brow, smirking right back.


    ¡°It would be a favor to yourself.¡± Alana teased.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do you a favor and make a direct deposit.¡± I purred.


    Her jaw dropped, Coma¡¯s jaw dropped, but he laughed. ¡°Fuck, brove!¡±


    ¡°Gatian!¡± She whacked me.


    ¡°You liked it!¡± I protested.


    ¡°Oh damn! Alana, you a freak!¡± Coma boomed.


    ¡°I-I am not! It-It was the heat of the m-moment!¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°It thought it was good.¡±


    She glared at me with no heat in her gaze. ¡°And I almost let you come to bed with me tonight! Hmph!¡±


    I could¡¯ve shrugged it off since I knew she wasn¡¯t being serious, but I decided to let the emotions it would¡¯ve hit show and my face melted into the perfect picture of Sad Gatian. ¡°R-Really¡­?¡±


    Alana caved hard. ¡°W-Well¡­ I¡­ I guess it would be lonely without you¡­¡±


    Coma shoved her lightly. ¡°Don''t get played like that, sizz.¡±


    She gave him the Sad Eyes and he caved too. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to make Gatian sad¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lana, I should¡¯ve kept my mouth shut.¡±


    Allie, as powerful as she was, turned the Sad Eyes to me. ¡°Gatian¡­?¡±


    I gave her a hug. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you warm and cuddled up good tonight, I promise.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty femme, brove.¡± Coma commented.


    ¡°I¡¯ll cuddle you too and stick it in the back of your throat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bite it off.¡± He scoffed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was going to stick it in your mouth.¡±


    ¡°How el- Oh¡± He stared at me.


    I gave him a wink. ¡°When this face is a¡¯ showin¡¯ ya better get ta runnin¡¯. ¡®Cause this gorilla dick Daddy is comin¡¯ for ya.¡±


    ¡°Gorilla- Boy, shut up.¡± He rolled his eyes and looked at his plate. ¡°This is probably good now, so I¡¯m gonna go eat. Keep being weird, man.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for asking Beth to host.¡± I nudged him.


    ¡°Eh, she was gonna do it anyway, she just needed a better reason than none.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t complain. Did we bank granna meat?¡±


    ¡°Anything from the Melting Pot is here, man. She had them cater.¡±


    ¡°Dope.¡± I looked at Alana and she was already rolling her eyes. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You know Thesuvians can¡¯t really eat cheese, right?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Coma nodded and speared some random meat and veggies with his fork. ¡°Yeah, man. The only country where everyone eats cheese is Avalesce, and even then that¡¯s halfway because they¡¯re the melting pot of the continent.¡±


    ¡°That was a terrible reason.¡± I chided.


    ¡°Really? It¡¯s why they¡¯re called what they are. Because all the cheesy bits from Teh Se and Stalfisk all get tossed in the pot.¡±


    ¡°Cheesy?¡±


    ¡°Different connotations in different places and they all amount to the dregs of society. It¡¯s not like Avalesce is a shining beacon, but the Chorets and Toddtonites really make the place suck.¡±


    ¡°Chorets aren¡¯t all bad¡­¡± Alana said softly.


    ¡°There are some, but they¡¯re usually too religious for their own good, Lana.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Chorets aren¡¯t bad to most River People, but still. If they find out you don¡¯t have your Partner, things get¡­ Bloody.¡±


    ¡°Damn, never thought I¡¯d hear the day of a Choret not managing to kill a bad River Person.¡± Coma rubbed his neck. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re bad, but some Chorets can hunt down rogue Minotaurs solo¡­¡±


    Alana furrowed her brow, but the party apparently decided to start and her question got waylaid as Hasha, Li, and Tara all showed up together. The drinking started with Soma distillate and moved onto alcohol once most people were either buzzing or high. True to form, Aliss started getting handsy and Tara started getting hotter the more she drank, breaking a sweat in the cool-ish room. As I watched my friends do their usual things, I started wondering just what would await me when I came back from the war. What I would be like. I wondered if I would still appreciate the laughter and the smiles the same, or if I would hate them as I saw them. I wondered if I would still love my friends the same knowing that I¡¯d been pulled from peace instead of them to fight a war that wasn¡¯t even mine by birth. I wondered if I would still be ready and willing to face my lover if I came back after killing something that didn¡¯t live in fire. There was a lot on my mind and a lot on my heart, but as I watched my friends be happy and live on as if there weren¡¯t people dying hundreds of miles away, families being forced from their homes daily¡­ As I watched them ignore the reality I saw, I wanted to join them in living. I wanted to live alongside them, strengthening my resolve to come back as I fell into the smile on my face and wore it honestly for the first time in days.


    Almost like clockwork, Aliss started her hijinks three hours into the party and it was still going strong with the eight of us all partaking in something or other, but we decided to calm it down. Half of it was because Li and Hasha were already doing it and we¡¯d had to move the party elsewhere, but the other half was because everyone was fucked up from the floor up and Aliss was up to her usual shenanigans. However, they started on Alana and moved onto Beth after my vaski said ¡®no¡¯ and Aliss forgot to stop. I reminded her with a death-glare that she understood, even while lowkey fucked up. When she started on Beth, her efforts were well received and I couldn¡¯t tear my eyes away for some reason, so I decided to rest my head on Alana¡¯s shoulder and enjoy the moment.


    I must have passed out one way or the other because I suddenly found myself in the dreamscape, alone and unhindered. After not having made a visit since the nightmares had come back, I was surprised to be lucid-dreaming again. A voice called out, ¡°This isn¡¯t right, mate. None of this is right!¡±


    I turned around and saw no one, but even as I thought about it, I realized I didn¡¯t consider his accent British anymore. ¡°You never came from Earth, did you?¡±


    The man that came forth from the shadows¡­ I felt like I already knew him, but his eyes and nose were all I needed to see to know that it wasn¡¯t Max. ¡°It¡¯s complicated, but no, we technically come from the same planet. No, other than visiting I rarely go to Septural because the place pretty much runs itself¡­¡± He ran a hand through his somewhat long, wavy black hair. The frustration in his blue and green eyes was evident and he continued as I met my savior for the first true time. ¡°Gatian¡­ You keep getting boned. I got the last stretch nice and proper for you, but¡­ I fucked up, Gatian. Your Fate¡­¡±


    I looked around in the darkness, letting my eyes settle on him as I closed the distance between us. Then, since I was sure we were technically in my mind, I imagined a small deserted island with plenty of shade and a lot of beach to go around. We were in a cabana with two walls and a bar lining said walls. ¡°You¡¯re here to explain some shit, right?¡±


    He nodded, going straight for some bourbon. I chose spiced rum myself to fit the theme and we sat down at a low table, The Brit starting off with hesitation. ¡°... So¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have let you pick the art and skill that I did.¡±


    ¡°Because?¡±


    ¡°They were connected to prophecies individually and they both keep making new ones that make no sense. Half of the surrounding prophecies that drop on you, The Minstrel and The Bard, are only there because you wanted music. Moon River and whatever else,¡± He seemed incredibly strained, ¡°are all decimating everything I do to make you a relatively normal guy¡­ To just give you a good life before you go again¡­¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s your main job?¡±


    ¡°This time?¡± His shoulders sagged. ¡°This time I just wanted to make something that didn¡¯t go up in flames and end with someone being miserable with what they had-¡±


    ¡°And did they go through the same stuff I have?¡±


    ¡°... No? I guess most lived normal lives and just lost too much for themselves to carry on or whatever. The ones that have lived half the life you have had chosen to do so. You stumbled into it.¡± I was already chuckling before he finished the last part of his sentence. ¡°... What¡¯s funny?¡±


    ¡°I fucked up again. That¡¯s what¡¯s funny¡­ Mercy,¡± I shook my head, laughing again. ¡°One last good and proper fuck-up, right?¡±


    He cracked a smile at that. ¡°Unlucky to the very fuckin¡¯ end, bruv. That¡¯s a rough roll.¡±


    ¡°Nat-one, critical fail. So what¡¯s wrenching the works?¡±


    ¡°The Fates you basically snatched up and someone you haven¡¯t seen in a while. If you head south, you¡¯re going to be found and there¡¯s nothing else I can do for you then.¡±


    ¡°... Who?¡±


    ¡°Cosma?¡± He shrugged. ¡°There¡¯s been a couple of beings with the same Anima asking around about a River Man that freed his Partner on the fronts. If you don¡¯t show up with a Choret or a Denosian that¡¯s willing to lie and be your human shield¡­¡±


    ¡°... What if I shaved my head? Down to the roots?¡± I asked.


    ¡°... You¡¯d look like a mixed-blood Choret.¡± He said softly.


    ¡°So just cut my hair and I¡¯ll be okay since I speak the spoken and can just say I was raised in like, Laspone?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too good at lying.¡± The Brit chuckled, looking a little approving.


    ¡°A touch of the same and truth in the game makes a lie spread like flames.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, fool.¡± He sipped the rest of his drink and refilled it with magic. ¡°So¡­ Don¡¯t take any of those prophecies seriously, Gatian, they-¡±


    I shrugged with a dash of honest emotion. ¡°I forgot most of them. It doesn¡¯t make any sense for so many to all be true about one person.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s complicated.¡±


    ¡°What can I call you besides Britney?¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ anything, honestly.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ What about¡­ Kevin?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fuckin¡¯ call me Kevin.¡±


    I raised my hands. ¡°Woah, bro, way aggro.¡±


    ¡°You joke around a lot. Call me¡­ Faith.¡±


    ¡°Protestant bastard.¡±


    Faith rolled his eyes. ¡°Whatever. I meant to tell you that I was sorry about Stella.¡±


    ¡°Alana has her perks and I like them better.¡±


    ¡°I see that.¡± He smiled again. ¡°She¡¯s a good one, but her Granny is going to gut you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why.¡±


    ¡°You nailed her descendant and might have gotten her pregnant.¡±


    I felt my blood run cold. ¡°I beg your pardon?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think sex was just for fun here, did you?¡± He asked.


    ¡°... Life is hard.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding, Alana wouldn¡¯t have let you do it if it wasn''t a safe day.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you so much and just tell me what you came to fuckin¡¯ tell me.¡±


    ¡°The Moon River Prophecy is real. Bast wasn¡¯t lying when she said that she could smell it on you.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m with Alana now. And Felix is my Companion.¡±


    ¡°Bast is old and forgetful. Half of what she remembers of the prophecy is lies and propaganda from old days and dark times¡± He rolled his eyes, taking a deep breath. ¡°No¡­ You¡­ You¡¯re supposed to-¡± Something dragged across my face.


    ¡°-essary?¡± Alana slurred.


    I woke up on the floor with two sets of genitals very close to my face. The sobriety of my dream last long enough for me to remember the tares and risk the worsening arthritis for a quickie. ¡°Hoarime.¡±


    ¡°Wha-¡± Li started to fall on Hasha before they both sprung up, clutching their junk respectively. ¡°Fucking fuck!¡±


    I rolled and shoved both of them away from me making them fall as I cast, ¡°Rimeinol¡± Sighs and grunts of relief sounded from both of them as I got up. ¡°Don¡¯t do that. First and last warning.¡±


    Alana grabbed my arm from the couch, looking at me with concern on her face. ¡°Boski~¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re drunk.¡± I looked around and saw Coma and Aliss chilling while Tara and Beth were cuddling.


    A little disappointed that I¡¯d missed a worthy show, Alana was begging for my attention and my sobriety was failing, so I sat down next to her and wrapped her arm around me like she always tried to when we were alone. I wasn¡¯t really comfortable with it most of the time since I don¡¯t like being the little, but at the moment? I needed a hug and a continuous one was better than a temporary one. Hasha and Li got up themselves and complained about moisture and shrinkage, to which I replied that I didn¡¯t give a fuck and that they should have known better. Alana cuddled me extra hard as Hasha and Li went back to their own sofa in the circle, so I gave Alana a kiss and she asked if I would sit in her lap like I did for her.


    Now¡­ It wasn¡¯t an attractive prospect and she¡¯d asked before, but I maintained that I was heavier than her and¡­ That was pretty much it. At the moment I didn¡¯t really want to. Seeing the love in her eyes and knowing that it was one of the last moments we¡¯d have together before I either killed or got killed changed my mind. Swallowing my pride tasted like metal, but Alana¡¯s lap was comfy, she was warm, and it was easy to relax on her. Having her arms around me was nice, even if the whole thing was more emasculating than I cared for it to be. Alana didn¡¯t try anything with me in her lap other than cuddles and pecks, which were all received with a warm welcome. We eventually decided to find a room and get away from the party, so Alana reluctantly ended the embrace to lead me to a room as large as my entire rather decent apartment.


    The bed therein was enticing to say the least, but I didn¡¯t sleep with pants and neither did Alana, so we both left the trousers on the side of the bed. I folded mine and didn¡¯t care if she folded hers, so I slipped into bed and she came in facing me. ¡°Am I supposed to be taking a hint?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind being your little spoon,¡± she answered softly, the moons barely casting light on her shoulder.


    ¡°Would you rather be the big spoon?¡±


    ¡°... Yes, but-¡± I rolled over and wiggled back a bit, making her gasp a little and make her happy little noise as she cuddled up to me. ¡°I knew I should have just asked!¡± She whispered softly, the joy in the tone pleasant to hear.


    I took a moment to enjoy the feeling. ¡°It¡¯s not bad. Being held, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it nice? I wasn¡¯t lying when I said I wouldn¡¯t mind being held, though.¡±


    I let my hand rest on her arm, stroking it with my thumb as I said, ¡°Don¡¯t stick anything in my butt.¡±


    ¡°Ew¡­¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Time passed and we lay there, intoxicated but not quite tired enough to sleep it off quite yet. Eventually my vaski¡¯s hands drifted from my chest to my stomach, from navel to waist, and then below the belt entirely. I wasn¡¯t opposed to it since I would¡¯ve said something before then, and it was nice to hear Alana voice hesitation to initiate something, just in case she was too loud. I pulled her hand away after a long period of teasing and stroking that left me aching, and my first idea was to adjust myself and roll back over. I couldn¡¯t see her face, but I could scoot closer and wedge my spear between her legs. My endeavors earned me a kiss and I got to have a little fun for myself with Alana. She had the same idea that I had, but her plight resulted in grabbing a hard muscle and the one I grabbed was soft. I definitely felt like I got the better end of the deal.


    Alana, being more forward due to her own imbibement, slipped me somewhere pleasant and we had a fun time from there, though I never stuck it in. I did, however, learn that Alana was not very good at fellatio, but she made up for it by taking instruction very well and learning from the things I told her. That being said, she was not a quitter and even made a show of swallowing as the sun rose. She also mentioned that my special sauce was tasty and that she wouldn¡¯t mind doing it again sometime. It just so happened that she got tired around that time and went back to cuddling me before she fell asleep. It was a welcome move that I appreciated even more than the sexual favors, but there was also the fact that I just wanted a few more precious memories to take with me to battle. I didn¡¯t know at the time, but there was already a final present made and ready for me that I was only going to get when we were preparing to depart.


    Alana and I woke up first out of everyone and got to the living quarters of Beth¡¯s mansion easily enough. Then Beth herself and Coma got up, followed by Aliss, Hasha, Tara, then finally Li. once everyone was up, Coma presented the gift from him, Aliss, Beth, and Tara. Beth funded the metals that went into the large shield-shaped locket, Coma made the casing, Aliss took the picture, and Tara learned and perfected some Denosian Luck and Safety runes that went into the thing. The locket was on a sturdy, slippery chain that wouldn¡¯t let certain people grab it or take it off which was pretty damn cool since I wouldn¡¯t get choked with the thing. However, Alana, Li, Hasha, and then Beth and Coma again decided that I needed something else, so they found some Pony Artificers that were willing to work with Hashelhuff the Arrogant, a Minotaur Smith that hated everyone in town. The only person that could really ask him for favors that I knew of was Coma and even then Coma only got so much. However, he and Alana got me a broad-bladed knife like I¡¯d always wanted.


    When they presented the locket to me, I was grateful and very much appreciated the light, durable container that held a picture of my friends and lover, even if it didn¡¯t hold my Companion in the picture along with them. The thing was a piece of work to be sure and every intricate detail that had been engraved or cared in was masterful in my eyes, bringing the waterworks as I tried to hold them back. However, Alana presented the knife to me while my vision was blurry and I had to clear my eyes to see it. However, when I pulled the grandinite piece from its dark green leather sheath, I couldn¡¯t help but stop the shit and marvel at it. The knife was made of a different, darker metal than the locket and it was¡­ It was magnificent. The patterns in the knife were like Raindrop Damascus and caught the light with ease and splendor, making the piece shine and shimmer just before the shine went away and the knife turned greenish blue wherever the shine had been. It wasn¡¯t a chemical reaction or rust as far as I could tell, but it was still cause for concern according to Coma.


    ¡°... Hey, man¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Dude¡­ This thing is-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming with you,¡± my best friend said firmly, his expression daring me to disagree.


    ¡°No. No you¡¯re not, Cacoma. They¡¯re summoning the Masters. There¡¯ll be a time when you need to fight for our home.¡± I put a hand on his shoulder, seeing the frustration in his eyes. ¡°I need a place to come back to. I need my friends to be somewhere I can find them when I drag myself out of this. I love you like a brother, Coma, and there¡¯s no way in hell I¡¯m losing another person I love to those flaming shitbags.¡±


    ¡°We all been losin¡¯ people, Gatian. We all want this to end. It¡¯s not just your job anymore-¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. But you know what? If I can¡¯t protect my home, then I¡¯d feel a lot better knowing that you, of all people, were here to do it in my stead.¡±


    ¡°Gatian, the knife says you¡¯re dying inside. You don¡¯t have to keep up the facade anymore.¡±


    I let him go and smirked. ¡°You¡¯ve never met a real American, then.¡±


    ¡°I don''t get it.¡±


    I sheathed the knife and hooked it onto my belt. ¡°This thing have a name?¡±


    ¡°... Okay, now I¡¯m really lost.¡±


    ¡°So am I.¡± Li admitted among murmurs of agreement from the gals.


    ¡°The knife. Does it have a name?¡±


    Coma looked at Alana who seemed to freeze. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t say anything!¡±


    He looked back to me. ¡°... How¡¯d you know we named it?¡±


    ¡°Call it a hunch.¡± I chuckled, just having guessed at it in the first place. Why wouldn¡¯t they name it? ¡°So what did you call the beauty?¡±


    Alana blushed brightly as she stammered out, ¡°Th-The H-Ho-Homeward Blade¡­¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Homeward Blade¡­ I like that. I like that a lot. Is it enchanted with Pathfinding or something?¡±


    Coma gaped. ¡°Brove, stop!¡±


    ¡°Stop what?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s creepy!¡±


    ¡°Kinda.¡± Aliss nodded along.


    ¡°How so?¡± I raised a brow.


    ¡°It¡¯s like you know what I¡¯m gonna say before I say-¡± He froze.


    Beth furrowed her brow. ¡°... When can you ever tell Gatian about anything?¡±


    Li scratched his temple. ¡°Come to think of it, he didn¡¯t seem all that surprised about the presents.¡±


    Alana looked at me. ¡°Gatian, are you Clairvoyant?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Nah, I picked the skill of being able to talk to people before I came to Septural. Basically the Gift of Gab. I kinda know what people are gonna say before they say it. It¡¯s kinda handy, but it gets annoying when I can¡¯t really get surprised in a conversation.¡±


    ¡°So-¡± She blushed. ¡°You know what we¡¯re¡­ Thinking about saying?¡±


    ¡°Only if you really intend on saying it. If it¡¯s just a thought and doesn¡¯t eventually come out of your mouth, I don¡¯t think I glean it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not bad at all.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Nah, it just helps me talk gooder better more of the times.¡±


    There was a chorus of insults and jibes that I took with little seriousness if any at all, instead deciding to go home with Alana after bidding my friends goodbye. I hoped that Rachall wouldn¡¯t be too upset about losing her resident Trademaster after all her bluster about not missing me in the slightest, and I wondered how Horaz and Zenu would do without our sessions. I hoped that my friends would stay together without me and that nothing would change before I came home. There was a lot going through my head that Alana helped clear out, but there was also plenty that I needed to deal with at the same time and the feelings were overwhelming to say the least. However, I still needed to pack for the trip to Om¡¯s Halter further south to meet up with the rest of the Masters who were going to war¡­


    Booksy¡­ Life feels like a story again. This¡­ This doesn¡¯t feel real¡­ My chat with Faith¡­ I need to talk to him again, but I don¡¯t know what he can really tell me¡­ I need to know the Truth behind the Moon River Prophecy, and I need to get Felix off of my head, but the little guy is asleep and I don¡¯t want to wake him up. He¡¯d better not bird-piss on me again like he did years ago.


    I know what I have to do now and why I¡¯m doing it, I just don¡¯t know if it¡¯s right. I guess that¡¯s just life, isn¡¯t it?

 Dear Laughing Doubters

    Dear Laughing Doubters


    It came all too soon. Before I even knew it, the final day of the week had arrived and it was nearly time for me to leave. I was allowed to skip work in order to prepare for the battles ahead, and I hooked up with Coma to get some armor made. I financed it just fine, but having him and Hashelhuff both working on my shit? And having had time to read up on a few runes for myself? It was a fun time and a good distraction that lasted long enough to keep me calm. We essentially made a ballistic shirt and pants to go along with it out of the toughest clothes that money could buy on a short time frame. There were a lot of things I could do to protect myself further, but they were usually heavy and added more weight to my already impressive travel pack.


    I¡¯d made sure that I was well-prepared for the journey ahead of me, and my friends¡­ I had talks with all of them one on one. Hasha and I actually got over our bad blood and hugged when we spoke, Li asked why he wasn¡¯t allowed to do what I was doing and got hit for it, and Tara was all too happy to offer me a free trip to the spa when I came back with any perk I wanted, even if Alana said ¡®no¡¯. The last one struck me as odd, but she shrugged it off and explained that she just didn¡¯t know what else I would want from her. When I told her that a smile and a friggin¡¯ hug when I came home would do just fine, the woman had the nerve to ask if I had an ulterior motive. The thing was that Tara already had a good idea of who I was, or so I¡¯d thought. I asked and she mentioned that she wanted to do something for me like I¡¯d done for her, but she wouldn¡¯t elaborate on what exactly it was. We talked for a good long while and she came to a conclusion that I approved of. When I made it back home, she was going to buy and subsequently cook the fattiest, heaviest steak she could find and eat it with me. Since we were the only ones with any real appreciation for correctly cooked meat, it would preferably just be the two of us and our lovers.


    Aliss came by a couple days before I left and let me know that my Welcome Wagon was already set up and ready to go, asking if she could possibly entice me a roll of soma so we could talk. It wasn¡¯t one of the more potent strains and it was supposed to be milder in flavor too, but the tradition of smoking soma instead of making drinks with it was still a little weird to me. The drink was odd in and of itself, but smoking the ruddy purple stuff was still a little too much like the stories I¡¯d heard about fake weed. It hit like a truck and didn¡¯t last very long like the killer crap from Earth, except Aliss promised that the strain she had was more fun than any she¡¯d brought yet. That being said, knowing Aliss and her propensity for getting to the point I call ¡®too fucked up¡¯. I was a little more than hesitant to try the vividly purple herb. It turned out alright, but the only reason I imbibed was because it was as mild as promised. It also lasted longer and I assumed that it was more like marijuana than the rest of the soma strains I¡¯d tried, meaning that Aliss and I had a very mellow, winding talk that ended with a hug and neither of us knowing what she really meant to say. However, she too mentioned that she owed me a lot and I had no idea what she was talking about. When I asked about it, she said that she was just really glad that I came when I did and I had to parse that out for myself. I couldn¡¯t so I didn¡¯t, but Aliss didn¡¯t care and promised to make my welcoming party the best ever.


    Li-O, and yes, I¡¯ve been misspelling his name this entire time because that¡¯s how it was on his uniform, ended up coming by with Beth a couple hours into my daily sit n¡¯ soak. It was the time I¡¯d started taking for myself to process and deal with everything on my plate, and it was usually well worth it. They interrupted it pretty good by just walking into my place and I ended up having to apologizing for having a gun pointed at both of them. Clockly and Mini Max (The derringer I got from Max way back when) got holstered, no one got shot, and Beth opted to steal my kitchen for a bit. Though she didn''t say what it was for, I kinda hoped that she was going to cook something since Beth was said to be one of the best cooks in the area. She also put on my favorite runner, which was an odd omen I didn¡¯t take into consideration. Li, however, sat me down in my living room and asked me once and for all why I was allowed to throw my life away and he wasn¡¯t. He wanted to know why I thought I was more important than him.


    I¡¯d never laid my hands on Li-O before then, but that. The accusation that I thought I was worth more than my friend, the implication that I thought I was better than him, and the fucking gall of an untrained civilian to ask why a trained murderer was being sent to war¡­? Li earned that smack, earned the heated words I shouted at him, and heard me when I told him that I loved him like a brother and that the reasons I had for going were better than his ever had been. I wanted to defend my home, get revenge for my mentor, and save as many people as I could, but it took to that moment for Li to understand that he was truly being a fucking child about not getting to get himself killed and had been badgering me about being ¡®lucky¡¯ since the news had hit. Beth came in while I was going the fuck off on him and calmed me down before I could get started with everything and probably ruin our friendship. Li-O, as shocked as he was, still had the wherewithal to acknowledge that he was wrong. I apologized for blowing up and he shook his head, furrowing his brow before he just up and left.


    Beth rode my ass like my legal name was Bojack Seabiscuit for a good ten minutes until she saw that my face had gone from remorse and concern to ¡®no fucks found¡¯ in the latter part of her argument. I won¡¯t go into the nitty gritty, but Beth asked why I said what I said and I told her that it had been on my heart since Li asked what I thought of him becoming a Seeker. I could practically feel her running over the conversation in her head, trying to find something that I¡¯d said that wasn¡¯t true in one form or the other. She eventually gave up on trying to nag me, thanked me for saying some stuff she wanted to say, then got down to why she¡¯d come. Beth brought me to the kitchen and showed me that she was making ¡®Friendship Stew¡¯. I was told that I was a very lucky man, so I rolled my eyes, gave her a hug, and told her that she was great. She accepted the compliment and asked if she could have Alana while I was away, but I had a retort prepared because I figured she¡¯d joke about it. I told her if that she ever finished coming out that she would be welcome to join in with Allie and I from time to time. Bethany pretended to have no idea what I was talking about, but the worry in her eyes was evident when I said that I knew she was still in the closet and had made a hasty decision.


    The woman in front of me was terrified, and I looked her in the eye and told her that I never thought she was greedy for a second. I never gave a damn that she thoughT I was cute too, or that she was just as likely to wait for me as Alana was. Despite knowing before she may have even landed on it, I¡¯d waited to bring it up so that she wouldn¡¯t feel half as antsy about me knowing, so I assured her that it would stay between us, though she hadn¡¯t really said anything since she¡¯d frozen. It was like I¡¯d just told her that I was going to shank her with Beth paling like I¡¯d told her best kept secret. She reacted carefully, asking what exactly I meant by what I said. When I told her that a lesbian wouldn¡¯t have let a guy finger her, period, and that her looks towards Coma were more than cursory glances, she swallowed hard. In light her earlier vehemence about nothing being there, what I¡¯d seen then told me that she wasn¡¯t as opposed to being with a guy as she¡¯d made out to be. I could see tears in her eyes when I pointed out that I too had been bisexual and wasn¡¯t going to judge her for it, which opened up a discourse about why I couldn''t tell anyone and got me a hug for being a good friend. Beth was quick to tell me that she wasn¡¯t going to go after anyone in our circle and had just been kidding about Alana, but I let her in on a little secret;


    Alana was by no means a lesbian to my knowledge, but she wanted to try with Beth since she had my permission to do so. Bethany took the info and held onto it loosely, not really concerned about her friend¡¯s interest in her. I was glad for it since it could¡¯ve complicated things even more than they already were, but even as we talked and the stew she made cooked, we found that there was a lot more we needed to talk about at another time. None of it was spoken on before we ate the delicious, nutritious super soup, but when we did talk about Tara¡¯s interest in me, we kept it kosher for as long as we could. Beth knew more than I did, but she was vehement about Tara not wanting to steal me away from Alana. If Li and Coma were my brothers, then the Gals were sisters to each other and their loyalty had never once wavered in any of their times in the circle. It also came up as to how the friends started, but I only got a bit of the story and learned that it had really started with Beth, Alana, and Aliss.


    Coma came by the day before I left town to bring over my armor and we had our talk then with him telling me to my face that he didn¡¯t want to say goodbye. I accepted that and hugged my homie for a non-homo amount of time, both of us getting sweaty near the eyes. It had only been six months since we¡¯d met, but¡­ I¡¯d grown as close to my friends as I had to Luce, and I was closer to them than I was to any of the Guild. My friends never stabbed me in the back either, and few of them wanted more from me than my company and maybe a feel of my sausage.  Coma¡­ He really was like the brother I never had. The guy was my drinking buddy and practically my partner in crime, both of us having played many minor pranks on each other and our own selected targets. The good times rolled for a little while and we shot the shit as we were wont to do, but all good things come to an end and all goods tides head back to see. When Coma left from my house, he said one more thing to make sure I knew the score between us. He told me, ¡®If you don¡¯t come back¡­ I¡¯m going to hunt you down in the next world and Imma fuck yo life up, ight?¡¯. It was as close to ¡®I love you¡¯ as we got with each other.


    My brother from an alternate vagoo had stopped by early, leaving me to greet Alana alone in the late morning when she woke up. She was heartbroken that she¡¯d overslept and missed time with me as a result, which earned her a kiss for being sincere and got me some tender loving for being the usual me. However, as much as I wished to be happy with her, the moments were bittersweet and my heart grew heavier and heavier in her company, so I did what I could and huddled in her hugs, lost myself in her kisses, and gave myself over to Alana¡¯s brand of love. She was keen to let me have as much of it as I could stomach, and I could never tire of her touch, the aura she permeated from deep within. There was always something about Alana that I couldn¡¯t put my finger on, but it was a good mystery. It felt like there was always more to learn about her and how she would react, like how she cried when I told her that I was going to miss her more than I¡¯d missed anything from Earth. I should¡¯ve expected it, but the waterworks were there and I got cuddled extra tight for it.


    We didn¡¯t do very much with the little time we had together, just talking about our lives and getting a few more facts out in the open. By the time I was actually tired, Alana had convinced me to let her hold me throughout the night and I didn''t have a problem with it. ¡°... Gatian? Are you still up?¡±


    It had been a few minutes since we last spoke. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m awake.¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°This.¡±


    ¡°... This?¡±


    ¡°This, yeah.¡± I squeezed her arm, holding it against me a little more firmly. ¡°... I¡¯m not going to get this for a while. Not til it¡¯s all over.¡±


    ¡°You sound confident¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of dying. I¡¯m afraid of not making it back home.¡±


    ¡°... Gatian, I-¡±


    ¡°Alana, I¡¯m going off to fight a war. Not just a skirmish or an assault on a town; a full scale war against an unforgiving, unrelenting enemy. If I don¡¯t come back in-¡±


    ¡°You will.¡± She growled.


    ¡°If. If two years pass and you haven''t seen my face, I want¡­¡± I took a deep breath and tried to continue.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± She murmured back. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a lot longer than two years, Gatian. You¡¯ve ruined me.¡±


    I knew what she was trying to do and wasn¡¯t surprised that it had worked for her. ¡°Ha, you say that, but-¡±


    ¡°You stole my maidenhood and now I can¡¯t even feel my own fingers in there!¡± She wailed quietly, her horrible fake sobbing as awful as could be. ¡°Oh, the travesty!¡±


    ¡°Like you didn¡¯t enjoy it.¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°Maybe I did, but that doesn¡¯t change much right now. I still wish it was me instead of you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better hope you don¡¯t get drafted.¡±


    ¡°Then go win.¡±


    ¡°For you? I¡¯d rope the moons.¡±


    She pressed her lips against the nape of my neck, her soft breath lulling me further into a state of calm that just wouldn¡¯t let me sleep. ¡°... Gatian?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°... Do you know anyone named¡­ Y-Yuria?¡±


    My heart skipped a beat. ¡°No, not anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I¡¯m just being silly.¡± She sighed. ¡°If Alana and Li are common names on Earth, why not others?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Yuria was two-faced as hell. If I don¡¯t have to think that far back, I won¡¯t. What makes you ask, anyway?¡±


    ¡°W-Well¡­ A Choret happened through the Center during your leave and she mentioned that¡­¡±


    I rolled over. ¡°A Choret? In this part of Thesuvia?¡±


    ¡°I know, right? I knew something was up since she wasn¡¯t one of the Watchers, but she was just so cordial!¡±


    ¡°Did she have silver hair?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and she was definitely a Moon Woman.¡±


    ¡°Do your remember her eyes?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ Blue-ish? They were strange, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever seen a Choret with eyes like hers.¡±


    ¡°... I was really hoping that I left that shit in Avalesce.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°... Where did you know Yuria?¡±


    ¡°From the same place I knew Rozana.¡±


    ¡°... Gatian¡­¡± The look in her eyes¡­


    ¡°Alana, she took over my mind. She kidnapped me. I couldn¡¯t even have left without the help of a couple do-gooders with better morals than Yuria. The woman wanted to make me into a superweapon¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t want to just be a tool to kill people¡­¡±


    ¡°You choose-¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t, Allie¡­ I¡­ You don¡¯t understand what it was like¡­¡± My voice trembled as I spoke. ¡°... It was... I couldn¡¯t feel anything. I was numb all the time. I didn¡¯t even care that I was alone in a sea of people. I didn''t¡¯ care that I was being groomed into a kiling machine. I barely even reacted when Stellara was taken from me and I¡­¡± I held back tears.


    ¡°They stole¡­ You.¡±


    ¡°... Yuria deserved to die, Alana. I had to kill her. I had to make sure that she would never hurt someone else again¡­¡±


    ¡°And my Great Grnadmother was one of her allies?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­ She freed me from the mind control. Helped me get free and let go of Stella¡­ I owe Rozana a lot¡­¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Does that have anything to do with why you love me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, no.¡± I chuckled. ¡°You two are completely different people and I think she¡¯d be upset if I went after you. At least, if she knew about it.¡±


    Alana stroked my cheek. ¡°... Gatian¡­ Did you really?¡±


    ¡°I made it swift and painless when I killed her. I¡¯ve never wanted someone to suffer, but I never wanted to be under her thumb again, Alana¡­ that woman¡­ She was too willing to use me for whatever she wanted. Too willing to collect on a debt I already paid. She wanted more from me than I was willing to give and wasn''t afraid to take it.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ You killed her to protect yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°... What about Stellara?¡±


    ¡°What about her?¡±


    ¡°Did you¡­?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her since I left. Are you¡­ Alana, I didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, but¡­ What¡¯s stopping you?¡± She asked, something odd in her voice.


    ¡°... Stellara isn¡¯t a threat to me.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just worried about you, Gatian.¡± She stroked my cheek. ¡°... You don¡¯t¡­ You don''t seem to have the heart for killing¡­¡±


    ¡°I try not to. Killing without remorse is a step toward being a monster in my eyes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but I don''t¡¯ really think you¡¯re cut out for being a Master of any kind. You have to kill people to climb through the ranks.¡±


    ¡°... Guess I could study some extra protection runes¡­¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to do.¡±


    ¡°Is it working?¡±


    ¡°Gatian¡­ I love you so much.¡± She brought my hand to her mouth. ¡°... I love you, but I don¡¯t think you should join the Muster¡­ Why don¡¯t¡­ Why don¡¯t we run away?¡±


    My heart skipped a beat. ¡°... We¡¯re both-¡±


    ¡°Gatian, really? Why don¡¯t we? Just us, taking on the world without either of us throwing our lives away. We could go to the Pony Islands and-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still a wanted man with the Ponies, Alana¡­¡±


    ¡°And we can avoid them too! Just... ¡°


    ¡°Alana¡­ I¡¯ll come back.¡±


    ¡°What if you don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°What if I do?¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll be different anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s no telling what could happen to our home. I¡¯m sorry, my vaski.¡±


    ¡°... Gatian¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Alana?¡±


    ¡°... Will you write to me?¡±


    ¡°Every night.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I love you, Alana.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, Gatian¡­¡±


    She held me to her chest and I laid an arm across her for the sake of keeping her close as we faded off to sleep, but even then my heart was heavy. Morning came all too quickly and Alana left me with one last, long, meaningful kiss before she ran off to her house where the Gals were probably already waiting, knowing them. At least, I could¡¯ve sworn I saw Beth in the doorway. I¡¯d said my goodbyes and gotten all I needed to get done with in the time I¡¯d had, but there was still the fact that Felix wasn¡¯t coming with me. I didn¡¯t want to take him into dangerous territory and there were worse places for him to be than with Alana.


    My stuff was all gathered into a pack that I¡¯d enchanted for protection and waterproofing, you being in that pack until I took you out to write this down, but that¡¯s getting ahead of myself. Instead of doing just that, I¡¯m going to carry on with me leaving my house with all of my shit packed, knowing that my friends and lover all felt some type of way about me leaving. I knew that I had to come back as soon as I could, but Alana¡¯s words about Khroma were nothing to scoff at and there was more that I didn''t really want to think about, but the longer I put it off, the worse off I was. Even before I got out of town I needed to play a song to calm my nerves, so I played one of my favorite songs of all time. Dear Laughing Doubters fit the bill, just not in the right way. People doubted that I was going to come back from my war and to a point, I doubted that I was going to be okay when I came back, but there was just too much for me to come back for. There was too much for me to live for once in my life, and even as I crossed the border out of Holloway Halter and creeped out back into the wide open world, I thought to myself.


    I idly played some music to keep myself busy and to help me get along without thinking too hard, but even as I remembered that there was supposed to be a Onemaster on their way from the town, I wondered if I would meet them and subsequently came across them as they were picking up camp a little ways away. The woman was obviously Thesuvian and didn¡¯t look like much of a warrior if her build was anything to go by. I wasn¡¯t judging her or trying to profile someone, but the lady looked rather lean and seemed to be unused to camping out from the amount of time it was taking her to get all of her shit packed for the trip. I walked over to her and waited until she seemed a little more awake to make my presence known with a few notes from my guitar. The woman jolted and looked up, shouting at her tent as she raised her hands.


    I raised a brow and waved. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not here to-¡±


    A gun got shoved out of the tent and in my direction as a familiar face poked out of the flaps. ¡°Sis, why didn¡¯t you take the- Gatian?¡± Gloss asked, looking confused.


    I returned her look and furrowed my brow. Her hair was bright pink and looked like it matched her undies if what I could see was any indicator. ¡°... Gloss?¡±


    She lowered the gun. ¡°Hey, Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Daddy?¡± The tall, clearly Thesuvian woman said carefully.


    ¡°Sis, it¡¯s complicated. I think he disowned Max.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    I rubbed my neck. ¡°I didn¡¯t disown him, I just don¡¯t like guys these days. It wasn¡¯t really anything personal and we¡¯re still on good terms.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, doesn¡¯t he go visit you whenever he see¡¯s me and Marissa?¡± Gloss asked.


    I nodded toward her sister. ¡°Hi, Marissa. Occasionally, but he never tells me what business he has in Holloway unless it¡¯s related to Mastery one way or another. I thought you two lived together and he didn¡¯t want me to visit because he thought-¡±


    ¡°Do you want to pick up where we left off?¡± She asked dubiously.


    ¡°Eh¡­ I kind of have a woman for myself now and we¡¯re exclusive.¡±


    ¡°So is she Thesuvian?¡± Gloss asked, starting to help with some of the camp related stuff.


    I strummed up a tidy little work song I thought would help things move along for a bit. ¡°Yeah, her name¡¯s Alana-¡±


    ¡°Wolvram?¡± Marissa asked, smiling. ¡°I love Lana! She¡¯s such a dolly!¡±


    Gloss packed up some random crap and nudged her sister. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s your girl crush.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I only see her at the spa every once in a while in the mud baths-¡±


    ¡°Wait, Alana goes to the spa without me?¡± I asked incredulously.


    ¡°Ah, she goes to the beauty side with the girls. I never knew you were Gatian Gauner!¡± Marissa smiled at me while she and Gloss watched me tackle the tent, doing away with my song. ¡°So you¡¯re the Trademaster of Holloway?¡±


    ¡°That I am. I even beat Max with dirty tricks and dumb luck.¡±


    ¡°He told me he kicked your butt.¡± Gloss giggled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll shock you like I shocked him. He landed more hits, mine just counted a lot more.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm~¡± She sang, my skills with the tent coming in handy.


    We got them packed up the rest of the way and Marissa extended a hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we¡¯ve never met before now, but I¡¯m the Onemaster around Holloway Halter. Marissa La''Vene, at your service.¡±


    ¡°You already know me, but it¡¯s nice to meet one of like, three people that outrank me in town.¡± I chuckled. ¡°So what¡¯s your specialty, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m an Arcan Themeal.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡± I asked, smiling blankly.


    She sighed. ¡°I make a lot of Arca rounds and themea from there.¡±


    ¡°The..mea.¡± My smile got blanker.


    ¡°Um¡­ I shoot from far away?¡±


    ¡°Oh, a sniper!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡±


    ¡°Someone who uses a really long gun to shoot really far away.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, then I¡¯m a sniper.¡±


    ¡°So why do they call it an Arcan Themeal?¡±


    ¡°Because we use Arca rounds and you have to shoot a themee in flight to become a Themeal.¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay. So what Grantonid did you learn? Longinus?¡±


    She stared at me blankly. ¡°There aren¡¯t exactly many masters of that around Thesuvia, Gatian. We generally specialize in Aquix here.¡±


    ¡°... Do you use a pistol?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a Collic, right? Or is that an Ellic?¡±


    I pulled out Clockly. ¡°I think this pistol is a Collic.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, I use a Coffing.¡±


    I thought back to the Gauss Rifle I¡¯d stopped using some time ago. ¡°Ah, so a small rifle?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t do any of the close range parts of Grata-non-Aquix, but I¡¯ve modified my forms to help me shoot further more accurately.¡±


    My brow raised. ¡°I can teach you some Longinus if you want. My Mentor knew Longinus and Aquix pretty well, and I learned how to handle and Effing from a friend.¡±


    ¡°You- Oh, yeah, Trademaster. I forgot.¡± She smiled. ¡°So what are some of your Trades?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I specialize in Tempestian Arca and Grata-non-Aquix, but I can use some Shadow and Ice Arca too.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course! The Moon Tempestian might be slow, but you guys hit hard!¡±


    To explain, every Terru Arch could go two ways depending on if you were a Moon Man or a Day Dude. While I was a Sunswallowe4r Tempestian, a Storm Mage, Max was most likely some sort of Tempestian himself, but probably a ¡®Daybreaker¡¯ rather than a ¡®Sunswallower¡¯ like myself, which are types of storms to Septurns. A Daybreaker Tempestian, as opposed to a Sunswallower, would probably have access to Major Growth, Water, and Light Arcana, some Minor Ice and Shadow Arca, and go from there. I myself had Major Lightning, Wind, and Water Arcana with Minor Shadow and Ice Arca. We might have been two halves of the same coin, but our input and output couldn¡¯t have been much more different.


    Getting back to the conversation, I grinned and nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m pretty potent with what I can do, but I wouldn¡¯t rather have too many others at my back than Max. Guy¡¯s a madlad beyond the meaning.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean he¡¯s really strong? You should see his brother.¡± Marissa purred, her tongue parting her lips for a second after.


    Gloss huffed. ¡°Garrison is an ass.¡±


    ¡°Ah, will we be meeting both of them at the Gathering in Flistis?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, Garrison is staying behind since he¡¯s the Fullmaster of Thesuvia.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, so Max is a Guildmaster and Onemaster and his brother is even higher than that?¡±


    ¡°Garrison is about half of why Max got made a Guildmaster early and no one really likes it. Max had the talent to do it naturally, but Garrison wanted to stick his nose in his little brother¡¯s business.¡± Gloss made a face and kicked at the dirt.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sure he was just trying to look out for him.¡±


    Marissa smiled. ¡°He was, but that¡¯s a part of why no one¡¯s too happy about it. IF he¡¯d done it because he thought Max was capable it¡¯d be one thing, but he practically appointed Max as the Guildmaster in Hooversdum because he had the power and connections to do it. Life was really hard for Max for awhile.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°If he can handle me at my hungriest, then he can handle whatever comes at him. Does anyone know exactly what we¡¯re doing when we get to Ilpturn?¡±


    Marissa grinned some more and patted the brassy plate on her hip. ¡°Did you get a tablet?¡±


    I fished it out of my back pocket, blued the silver was. ¡°Yeah, but I can¡¯t read it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in Flistian.¡± She said, suddenly sounding uneasy while Gloss looked a little confused.


    ¡°Hey, why¡¯s his look like that?¡± Gloss asked. ¡°I thought they were only gold, silver, and white?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Marissa stared at my plate-thing. ¡°C-Can I see it f-for a¡­ Well, can I see it?¡±


    I tossed it to her. ¡°No problem.¡±


    She caught it and stared at me while Gloss just looked between us. ¡°... Sis?¡±


    Marissa shook her head and evidently read the plate. ¡°... Oh¡­ It was Paulo¡­¡±


    Gloss snorted. ¡°The guy that never-¡± Her eyes widened and she gave me the biggest, stupidest grin. ¡°Holy shit!¡±


    ¡°Gatian¡­¡± Marissa asked shakily.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t see what he did to those bandits, Marissa.¡± I growled. ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn if Grandmaster¡¯s have immunity from shit like that on Septural, but this River Man don¡¯t play that shit. I set the Op up so that we would have minimal bloodshed and maximum arrests.¡±


    Marissa¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Wind¡¯s-Wrath fell to you¡­ And you weren¡¯t the one¡­¡±


    I stared at her. ¡°... How many people thought I left that village looking like that¡­?¡±


    ¡°... Most of the Masters I¡¯ve spoken to¡­¡± Her shame was written on her face. ¡°... I thought it was¡­ Well, I only said-¡±


    ¡°You spread rumors that I was a fucking monster.¡±


    Alarm crossed her face until Gloss said, ¡°Marissa doesn¡¯t get taken seriously because of her Mastery. And she skittish like a jumoo.¡± A jumoo was a mouse-like creature that was good in stew and kind of hard to find since they were so fearful.


    Marissa face fell. ¡°I-It¡¯s not that bad¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the brave one, if that tells you anything,¡± The significantly shorter woman said flatly.¡±


    Marissa sighed. ¡°This is why Mom didn¡¯t let you live with us.¡±


    ¡°So you could scare people and make them want to kill you?¡±


    ¡°Th-That¡¯s not-¡±


    ¡°Oh, I was finna shootchu.¡± I barked out a laugh. ¡°You think I¡¯m just gonna up and let you talk about me behind my back and you don¡¯t even really know the story? Yeah, fuck you.¡±


    She handed my tablet back to me, looking down. ¡°... I¡¯m sorry¡­ Sir¡­¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Your plate says¡­¡± She mumbled the rest.


    Gloss rolled her eyes. ¡°Do you know the Common-Spoken Ranks?¡±


    ¡°Only for the Masters.¡±


    ¡°Well, the Masters are extra-military, but there¡¯s actually a rank you have right now. It¡¯s probably higher than Marissa¡¯s.¡±


    Marissa sighed. ¡°... You¡¯re a Intron¡­ I¡¯m a Cenitron.¡±


    ¡°And that means¡­?¡±


    ¡°It goes Menitron, Cenitron, Denitron, then Intron. After that, you have Dematone, Hematone, Kematone, and the top two are the Menatrones. There¡¯s only ever two or three Menatrones at a time for one country, but they don¡¯t do much outside of squabbling with each other. At least, that¡¯s what the word is.¡±


    ¡°How the fuck am I an Intron already?¡± I scratched my head.


    ¡°You killed a Grandmaster and got away with it for the most part. People are going to know as soon as they read your plate.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s my plate say?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a list. It says you¡¯ve fought the Char before and won, which got you to Cenitron. Then you cast a real, true-blue Arcana and that got you Denitron.¡± She thought for a moment, her little sister watching her expectantly. ¡°And I think you¡¯ve fulfilled two or three of the five requirements for a Dematone, so you¡¯re an Intron.¡±


    I handed my tablet back to her. ¡°What were the requirements?¡±


    Marissa looked at it and pursed her lips. ¡°Blah-blah, Char, Arca thing, blah-blah¡­ So you¡¯ve taken down someone higher ranking than you and you¡­ Overcame¡­ Anima Manipulation¡­¡± She stared at it, rubbed it for a sec, then stared at me while Gloss looked like she¡¯d just been slapped. ¡°... You¡­ You poor thing¡­ Gatian, I¡¯m so sorry, i-if I would¡¯ve known¡­¡±


    Gloss turned to me with tears in her eyes. ¡°Who was it!? I¡¯ll beat their ass like there¡¯s no tomorrow, I-¡±


    ¡°The fuck is Anima Manipulation?¡± I asked blankly.


    ¡°... When someone rapes your mind¡­¡± Marissa answered softly, looking confused.


    ¡°Oh. That¡­ That was probably the least painful buttfucking I¡¯ve ever had, in that case. Don¡¯t cry over that.¡±


    ¡°B-But¡­ You were a prisoner in your own body! There¡¯s no telling what all happened to you!¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Not like I remember most of it, and I overcame it anyway with a little help. Stop crying and let¡¯s start walking, aight?¡±


    They nodded and Gloss hugged me briefly, but Marissa came over hand held onto one of my hands with both of hers. ¡°... Gatian, we stopped here because we¡­ We didn¡¯t want to go.¡±


    ¡°... Then I¡¯ll go to Ilpturn without you. Stay safe-¡±


    ¡°How can we leave a River Person to fight a battle for our country!?¡± Gloss shouted. ¡°We¡¯re going with you, no matter what!¡±


    Marissa nodded firmly. ¡°We can¡¯t let more people like you fight a war for a place they weren¡¯t born. If you¡¯re going to fight, so will we.¡±


    I pointed at Gloss. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re a Trademaster.¡±


    ¡°Nope, I just really need to get ahold of Max so he can treat me like his sex sock.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s straightforward and I respect that.¡± I looked at my new companions, wondering how the journey was going to unfold. ¡°Onward and upward then, ladies.¡±


    And so we began the first steps on our way to the River so we could actually make it to Ilpturn in reasonable time. There was a town near the banks further south that I could remember from my initial trip to the region, and if I remember correctly, it¡¯s called Wilting Halter. It was about half a day¡¯s travel from where I met the girls and learned that people were going to know that I was a murderer if they read my tablet. That being said, I was understandably nervous about traveling down to the capital of another country with a death written in metal in my pocket, but there were witnesses and whatnot in Holloway that would probably back me up if need be. I tried not to worry about even more shit as I made my way south, but there was a lot on my heart and mind and none of it was getting shrugged off no matter how much I tried moving my shoulders. There was only one thing to do, and that was to keep walking toward fate. Even if Cosma/Khroma is waiting for me in Flistis, I can¡¯t help but feel¡­


    Booksy, I feel kinda ready¡­ I mean¡­ I escaped Ponydale. I escaped Chorell. I escaped Lahgo. I killed the Char that stood between me and life itself. I killed the man that stood between me and Stella. I killed the woman that stood between me and my freedom. I died, came back, and I¡¯m stronger now than ever. Je¡¯ Amournal, my steadfast friend¡­ This time¡­ This time, I have somewhere to go back to. I have a home waiting for me. It¡¯s not the first step in some short trip, it¡¯s just another stone in my long path to happiness, and I can¡¯t help but want to crush it as it stands. Those Char-broiled flaming sacks of shit had better watch out. Hell, anyone in between me and returning to my home better steer fucking clear.


    Gum-Gum Gauner¡¯s gonna fuck it all up.

 The Man, The Myth, The Murderer

    The Man, The Myth, The Murderer


    There was a lot to be said between my journey and the places took me down an offshoot of the River of Rebirth and a lot of it was amusing. Gloss was as steady a travel companion as ever and had taken up to riding next to me on the boat to Ilpturn, as little as I would¡¯ve liked her to do so. She usually tried to sit in my lap at least once a day since she was allowed to do so with me under Max¡¯s word, but even then I still had Alana to go home to and I didn¡¯t want a past flame to ruin the one I had waiting for me in my home. Marissa and Gloss always included me in their chats because I usually had a song or story to go along with whatever we were talking about, but after leaving Wilting Halter with them, I couldn¡¯t help but feel like I was their bodyguard. Marissa had made it clear that she was not going to the front lines in any meaning of the word, but Gloss was all too happy to talk about how she couldn¡¯t wait to see some action for herself. She¡¯d long since changed from the terrified little thing that had seen my Mentor give his life for us, but I wasn¡¯t sure if it was for the better. Gloss seemed like a regular psychopath at times that was barely kept in check by who she used to be, so I decided to ask Marissa about it when we still had a day¡¯s travel between us and our destination.


    I caught her on the main deck while Gloss was sitting around the back of the long, somewhat shallow ship. It had a sail and whatnot, but there wasn¡¯t much reason for it outside of trying to tack up-river, which we weren¡¯t doing, but Marissa was fond of feeling the wind that came off of the large sheet for some reason. She stood there with a couple of the ships crew and a passenger or two that were going their own ways. Not wanting to interrupt, I came by and waited until someone asked me what my specialties were to say anything. There was plenty to say on the topic, but I didn¡¯t want to let too much slip, so I just said that I was an Arcadine with tricks up my sleeves. It made me a little popular with some of the people who¡¯d mentioned Arca earlier before I came over, but Marissa was all too happy to tell them that I was some kind of Archmage in the making and told them about how I could use my catalyst easily without it being attuned to me. I didn¡¯t see what the fuss was, but apparently it was worth something to the Captain since he offered to make me a rich man if I would help enchant his ship in the next port. I agreed to it since he basically told me that I¡¯d be the battery and someone else would be doing the real work, but even then I forgot what my Terru Rank was.


    Marissa and a few others that were going to Ilpturn assured me that we were going to be tested and our Muster Ranks adjusted based on what we¡¯d done. They wouldn¡¯t just automatically know like with hospitals since they needed a more comprehensive look into someone¡¯s mind than just the last three or four days, but I didn¡¯t need to be told that we were going to have that done as well. The only thing they group didn¡¯t tell me about Ilpturn was what to expect of the town itself, so I decided to ask the Captain when I had time. Outside of that, I found a polite moment to grab Marissa for my question.


    She smiled when we stopped in my room below decks, giving me a strange, amused look. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you have a thing for Thesuvians.¡±


    ¡°Kinda, but that¡¯s not it,¡± I said softly.


    ¡°Is it about Gloss¡¯ vestigial thing?¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have a dick, but she does have River Person levels of PTSD from what I can see.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°This war isn¡¯t going to help her. We need to get Gloss to Max and see if he can help her at all or otherwise find a Counselor that can handle her. I don¡¯t know if-¡±


    ¡°There¡¯ll be one in Ilpturn, but¡­ What makes you think Glossy has post-trauma stress?¡±


    ¡°She jumps at loud noises and she never used to. There¡¯s a look in her eye when she talks about hurting people. She¡¯s more forceful than she used to be, but more reserved in other ways. Gloss is different from when I left her, Rissa.¡±


    ¡°... Oh... I guess... I guess it¡¯s just been a long time since I knew her that well¡­ This is the only time I¡¯ve ever really gotten to know Gloss in the past few years.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a surprise. You guys said your parents divorced when you were still young, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, Gloss¡¯ Dad split from Mom. I¡¯m pure Thesuvian, she¡¯s half Thesuvian and part Sotan.¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve known that, but still. You two are absolutely sisterly, so I think that your support and corrections could go a long way into helping her become a more¡­ Psychologically sound person, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ So why do you talk like a Lasponian sometimes and then use Thesuvian and Amanese words at others?¡±


    ¡°Because Lasponians basically speak in ebonics half the time and I¡¯m half American Black. I know that means nothing to you, but I legit feel pretty comfy around Lasponians because they remind me more of the family I grew up around. My brother from here is Lasponian.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s really sweet! It¡¯s nice that you found your own family here, even if you¡­ Oh, I shouldn¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fine. I¡¯ve been here for years at this point.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? It must be nice to be a Day River Man.¡± She smiled.


    ¡°Moon Man.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Moon Man. Look at my eyes and hair.¡±


    Her jaw dropped in a second. ¡°You don¡¯t dye your hair?¡±


    ¡°No, I never have either. It gets cut and looks like this.¡± I flopped some of my silver-tipped locks.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re special,¡± she said softly


    ¡°I try.¡± I scoffed. ¡°Are we going to talk about something else, or-¡±


    ¡°Have you ever heard of the Moon River Prophecy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, in passing.¡±


    ¡°... Can I tell you all of it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡±


    She cleared her throat. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s a little long, but it¡¯s been passed down from many Thesuvian families over the years since it¡¯s the main one for the country. Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be.¡± I grinned a little, kinda of amused.


    Rissa nodded and started singing the prophecy as I¡¯d half expected. ¡°Oh once there was a lad so young, tall, and strong! His kindness knew no balance but his luck was surely wrong! He fell up from a bridge so high and as he fell he saw the sky but not for naught he wondered why~ Why he was falling. If the sky would hold him close then he woould surely know the most, but from his post he did fall~!¡±


    It barely made sense. IT was definitely a Septurn song, and Thesuvian as hell at that.


    ¡°Down below the river, he sank and breathed, for what he could not swear to do was what he would truly need! A second chance to live a life he did not take heed, asked for two important gifts and never knew he was to lead! The other side held a river much like the one before, except he was coated and mud and drowned before the shore.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Shush. His Partner ever beautiful would be a familiar sight, but what he would never know was that she possessed such might. Abandoned once already, twice came to call, then all alone he found the man who brought terror far. Learning and growing should the Moon¡¯s River ever flowing happen to fall apart, there would be another meeting of the Moon¡¯s faux heart. The two would grow together and surely grow apart, for the Moon River knew not who could hold his HEART~! A life of peace he shall find and found yes he did, then the flaming fires came to ask him what he did. Without an answer he would fall, but an answer he surely had! ¡®What¡¯s always there and never rises, comes in many many sizes, could love life too but what about you? Can you shoot the moons?¡±


    ¡°The fuck was that!?¡±


    ¡°... The song?¡±


    ¡°The fuck. Was. That!?¡±


    ¡°Th-The prophecy¡­¡±


    ¡°Goddamn, that was a terrible, terrible song. No wonders everyone says music critics here are harsh! You fucks butcher everything you sing! I thought it was just the Avalesch!¡±


    ¡°That hurts, Gatian¡­¡± She rubbed her arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m kinda sorry but not really to be honest with you. You could have just said the prophecy since you know Septurns can rarely sing.¡±


    Her lips started trembling. ¡°I¡¯m the¡­ My family says I¡¯m good.¡±


    I stormed over two steps to grab my guitar, and glared at the offender with heat and fury in my gaze. ¡°I¡¯m gonna teach you a song and you¡¯re gonna fuckin¡¯ learn it.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay¡­¡±


    I started playing Somewhere Over The Rainbow because it calmed me down, but I was still pissed at Marissa for singing off-key, off-pitch, and without rhyming for most of the song. She was actually a decent singer once I got her to listen to herself on a short recording, and her voice was definitely good for duets. I taught her a few more songs and laid down some true, honest compliments for her to pick her ego up with since I¡¯d slapped it so hard. In my defense, she was really annoying and so was Gloss, so I kind of just snapped at someone for making a mess out of one of the things I loved most in the world. I still felt bad even if I could reason it away, so I tried to be nicer for the rest of the trip to Ilpturn. There was just the fact that the boat was boring and there wasn¡¯t a lot to do or much money to earn outside of doing what I was already doing for most of the day.


    According to my audience, my songs got a little messy with Marissa and Gloss singing along, but they were still good to hear, even if they weren¡¯t willing to throw money at me for them. I played well into the night for the last good time that a lot of us felt like we were going to have, keeping the spirits high for the last piece of our journey. Arriving in Ilpturn was a somber, solemn affair that had most people looking like they were about to go meet the reaper themselves. Instead of letting the mood settle onto my group, I kept everyone busy by asking them questions and making everyone check their own and each other¡¯s crap. As it turned out, my magic compass was missing and Gloss had it, but that was the only thing that was worthy of note. She didn¡¯t try to steal it or anything and had found it herself, giving it up easily. I used the compass to point us in the right direction and idly wondered how Gloss had gotten my compass until I remembered that she¡¯d used it as a hand mirror for a little bit. I hadn¡¯t been suspicious for a second and that was a little worrisome. My absolute path to finding my way back home had nearly been taken from me and that was not to happen again. I looped the compass on the the chain I wore around my neck, the shield protecting and the compass guiding me forward.


    A brief moment passed as my trio walked alone. I say that because we were fucking bom-barded with people asking for directions since Ilpturn was Flistian and therefore set up like a Goddamn labryinth with less floors. That, and the Avalesch were notorious for collectively having a terrible sense of direction, and so did most¡­ Septurns in general¡­ I didn¡¯t think about that too hard until now, but unless someone had been led somewhere, they usually couldn¡¯t make it to the place I asked to meet them, and yes, I am talking about my friends. And Luce. And Max for that matter. That¡¯s probably why most towns had simple layouts in Avalesce as a whole and from what I¡¯d seen in Thesuvia. I hadn¡¯t really been deep into any Flistian towns when I¡¯d been traveling up the River, but that¡¯s because my happy ass took the mountainous, lonesome road that no one else fucking took because it was shitty.


    As we walked and lead the horde through a town I would¡¯ve liked to have seen before I got to fu- You know what? It¡¯s not worth being this mad over. I saw the town with an unnecessary amount of Masters and their posses following me and my meager trio, so I lost myself to my thoughts. In hindsight, I¡¯d focused in on the fact that I could have seen the town if I¡¯d been less impatient and that had irked me. Yeah, the mountain path was shorter on foot, but shittier by many vast, winding, rocky, ankle-rending miles. Half the reason I was able to go toe-to-toe with Coma in a straight brawl (with gloves), no holding back, was because my footwork was Ibex-inspired. Even if it had helped toughed me up and make me a better fighter, I still didn¡¯t like the fact that I had calluses on my feet thicker than the ones I got from working on that damn ranch in Brazil. And the farm in Montana. Montana was a bullshit punishment in the first place for being bisexual, so thanks Dad.


    God, I¡¯m getting rambly and angsty¡­


    Yeah, that helped. I just looked at the shield and the picture inside. The quote they had inscribed for me. ¡®Chosen Family is the Best Kind¡¯. It was short and sweet, and it said a lot about the life of a River Person. I¡¯ll get to why I¡¯m stressed in a sec, Booksy, it¡¯s just been a long couple of days.


    Anyway, so I, and I do me I alone, got the mob of people to the fucking recruitment office. I was the first one in line because Septurns are generally respectful like that, which was pretty nice. That being said, the second the Bricc lady who looked at my tablet, she gave me a dirty, filthy look. ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    I¡¯d yet to speak to a native Flistian. The pure Fran?aise Arrogance in her voice made me want to shoot her. With a Stop-Shot, mind you. ¡°Are you going to ask for an explanation or am I expected to give one?¡±


    She was obviously so Flistian, but she was also only a few inches shorter than me and I¡¯d never seen one so... Ripped. Or intimidating. The brow she raised flexed her entire forehead and popped three veins. ¡°You trying to start something?¡±


    ¡°I am promised to someone else, both in a sexual sense and in a deathly kind of way. I¡¯m not trying to die, I¡¯m trying to fuck up some Char.¡±


    Her face went from Southern-Caucasian-Gal-With-a-Tan to beet-red in next to five seconds. ¡°Do you think we need you for that?¡±


    I shrugged and started on the breathing, leveling out the Terru flowing through me. ¡°More than a sane army needed Paulo, yeah.¡±


    She gave me the four full breaths I needed to float into the Grata-non-Aquix mindset, which was enough to avoid the worst of her first punch. However, she seemed to be a little more physical than your average Choret, evidenced by the fact she landed two into my chest before I could pull my gun. I got the distance I needed to whip out my wand, but it wasn¡¯t good enough. ¡°Oh no don¡¯t! Fight like a Master!¡±


    I just didn¡¯t have enough time for a harmless one, so I tried to shield. ¡°Fulma-¡± She was halfway to me. ¡°-cosa-¡± The woman leapt toward me and I almost panicked. ¡°-doma!¡±


    ¡°Rraa-¡± She smacked into me and blew my ass away. Instantly, life was pretty fucking bad but it got worse fast.


    I hit the inside of my shield at speed and bounced off of it, popping my back in multiple places with the force of the impact. My breath was driven from my lungs and the world darkened around me, but my shield would only hold as long as I would. I had to cling to consciousness if I wanted to stay alive, but the woman was at my shield. She pulled back a fist wrapped in a studded glove and I felt myself smile. The second the lightning in the shield hit the sweat of her hand, she was stuck, slowly being electrocuted to death.


    ¡®Is that who you are now?¡¯ Echoed in my mind.


    ¡®There¡¯s a war on, Charlie Brown. Everyone¡¯s dyin¡¯ in the summer. Pray to God for a little more spring.¡¯


    ¡®... That never used to be you.¡¯


    ¡°Guldis¡± I spat, blood coating my lips as I coughed the Arca out. She was blown back hard, but she would probably live. ¡®Still not me.¡¯


    ¡®... I¡¯m glad. Don¡¯t lose you.¡¯


    My darkened vision faded further. Breathing was agonizing. Everything hurt. ¡®Heh. Yeah. Thanks for the reminder.¡¯


    And then I fucking blacked out because I had a punctured lung, mostly broken ribs, multiple fucked up vertebrae, and one helluva concussion. However, Erina lived. The super muscular woman who worked out too much and took everything as an offense? Yeah, she lived, but Fulmacosadoma was an Arcana level shield, and she¡¯d touched it with mineral-laced water on her hands, soaked into her gloves in the Ignitice (Summer) heat. Erina was diagnosed with treatable brain damage, but there was now an arrhythmia with her heart beating slightly slower than was supposed to be healthy. However, my medical care had been fully paid for by her pension and I was almost ready to go after three days of decent attention from a few doctors. Septurn method for healing bodies worked just friggin¡¯ fantastically, but their stuff for fixing the mind was¡­ lacking. Mental health really wasn¡¯t a focus in Septurn life, but you would fucking think, right? Apparently just wasn¡¯t anything they could really do with the mind without potentially messing something up horribly. I knew from Lahgo there was no way to touch the Anima itself, but brain damage?


    Anyway, it took two and a half days for my head to fully adjust back to a level where I wasn¡¯t frequently dizzy on my feet or getting irritable for no reason. The third day was when I felt like me again, and when I felt like me, I played music. Maybe I¡¯d been so testy because I had a song I needed to sing, but it was only for the right audience, and that was the person who¡¯d taken care of the damage they¡¯d caused. Erina was in and out of consciousness during my stay at Yoad¡¯s Memorial, and yes, I do remember Joad¡¯s clearly. Most hospitals were run by Sotans, and Sotans worshipped Patron Saints with similar, stupid names I never bothered to learn. In any case, I wasn¡¯t allowed to see Erina when I asked because the nurse in charge of her thought I was trying to kill her. While in a hospital gown. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I allayed her fears by getting pissed off and Silvertongue-ing her earholes in a secluded spot because I wasn¡¯t in the mood to explain it rationally. From there, Attendant Loomil opened cans of mini-sodas and poured them directly into my earholes by being glad to talk to a Avalesch-reborn River Person. While we traveled back to my room to get my guitar and then to Erina¡¯s to make some music, she told me all about how the fight had gone to the papers. And she chose to tell me that anyone who had seen the fight or read the blow-by-blow wanted there to be a rematch since it had technically ended in a draw with both of us out of action. It wasn¡¯t my favorite situation, but there were worse ones to be in.


    When we got to Erina¡¯s room, I could see the conflict in Lumil¡¯s eyes as she struggled to open the door. It wasn¡¯t locked, but there was obviously a part of her that wanted to protect her ward more than she wanted to help me. ¡°Here, let me get that for you,¡± I said softly.


    Lumil backed away and shook her head as I slipped in. ¡°Wait a sec¡­ Hold on!¡±


    I looked back, beginning the opening notes to a new song. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    She stared at me. ¡°... Whatcha doin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Singing. Stick around.¡± Turning back to Erina annd her semi-conscious, confused form, I began.


    Gifted Treasures by Gatian Gauner.


    Verse 1


    It¡¯s been a long time, since I¡¯ve your smile


    And I want to know where it¡¯s gone


    If you take this one from me


    I promise it won¡¯t be long


    Bridge the gap and mend the break, con-nections built won¡¯t fall away


    Yesterday has gone and past


    This pain was never meant to last


    But I still remember your smile,


    Though it¡¯s been such a long while


    Innocence was left behind


    These memories just won¡¯t rewind


    Can¡¯t relive all the brighter days


    So I trudge through and make my way


    Chorus


    If you ever thought to crack, to fall and stumble looking back


    Got something to say to you


    You sicken me for not pushing through


    Solo


    Verse 2


    I once thought the walls of Jericho


    Would fall so quickly to your heavy blows


    Here you lie so deep in your deep regret


    For what did all the pain earned pain beget?


    Get back up or I¡¯ll kill you


    Keep on fighting the war¡¯s not through


    You can¡¯t sit and wait and wallow


    I¡¯ll choke you out of your bullshit sorrow


    Hear my song and raise your fist!


    There won¡¯t be a Char we¡¯ll miss


    Laying waste to the flaming fucks


    Septurns and River Folk; Rise up!


    Chorus


    If you ever thought to crack, to fall and stumble looking back


    Got something to say to you


    You sicken me for not pushing through


    I let the song fade, my breathing a little labored since my lungs were technically on the mend. However, Erina was sitting up. Her back was straight, there were tears in her eyes, and she was nodding. ¡°... Did you write that for the cause?¡±


    I nodded back. ¡°For the cause. For us. For our friends. For our families.¡±


    Erina took a deep breath and sighed. ¡°... Trademaster Gatian¡­ I concede defeat.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re seriously still-¡±


    ¡°I feel at fault.¡± She barked. ¡°I was not in a position with the authority to judge you. I was not¡­ I was less of a woman than I am.¡± Erina murmured. ¡°... I showed you the worst of a Flistian, and for that I do apologize.¡±


    ¡°Apology accepted but unneeded. You paid out of your own pocket to put my ass back together.¡±


    ¡°And you have cast some Arca of great healing, no?¡± She raised a brow, no veins popping that time.


    I smiled and shrugged. ¡°I just played a song I thought you needed to hear.¡±


    ¡°... Thank you.¡± She hesitated to say something else.


    ¡°Speak your mind, sister. We fought each other and healed each other. There are few boundaries we¡¯ve left to break.¡±


    Erina smirked and nodded to herself as the smile faded in seconds. ¡°... Why did you kill my Uncle, Gatian Gauner? Was he not one such as I?¡±


    ¡°... I killed Paulo because he massacred a village full of bandits that I¡¯d planned to arrest. We worked together for most of the day. He agreed to my plan. He was supposed to be the diversionary force and I was supposed to sweep in with Arcan shackles.¡± I shook my head and looked at the floor. ¡°... He used his Terru to slaughter people¡­ Raining blood coated me and my men. I was hit with fingers and falling organs. There was¡­¡± I closed my eyes before looking at her. ¡°He showed no mercy. Are we monsters, Erina, or are we protectors?¡±


    ¡°... What are you, a River Man?¡± She asked bluntly, the France in her mouth needing to be smacked.


    I glared at her. ¡°Have some damn respect for your station and your enemy. The Char and Scorched are literal monsters, but your fucking fellow person should at least get a moment¡¯s consideration.¡±


    She stared at me for a hard, long moment. I couldn¡¯t really say just how long it happened to be because I wanted to see how muscular her face was at that point. Then Erina had the gall to tilt her head and smile at me. ¡°You¡¯re a sweet, kind man. You will make a Thesuvian woman very happy someday.¡±


    ¡°First off, now I don¡¯t think I even helped your brain damage at all-¡±


    ¡°[You pig!]¡± The brawny woman laughed in a mixture of hyper ¡®Hon-Hon-Hon!¡¯ and ¡®Ah-ah-hah.¡¯ that came out like grinding gears to my ears. ¡°Cured or no, I do feel much better. Much clearer.¡±


    ¡°The let¡¯s get this clear; My Thesuvian woman is eighty-percent pushover, thank you very much, and I¡¯ll thank you to remember that.¡±


    ¡°Then she is not Thesuvian.¡± Erina drawled. ¡°She at least pays your rent, no?¡±


    ¡°Christ, that was a battle¡­¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Oh? At least you tried, I suppose. More than most Flistian men would do.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Would you sit and keep me company for a while longer? It¡¯s been a¡­ Sotan. It¡¯s been Sotan,¡± She said flatly.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Lumil whined from behind me. ¡°I try hard to make it a cozy atmosphere!¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re new.¡± Erina stated it like she still had brain damage.


    ¡°Oh. Flistians are assholes. Right.¡± Lumil pursed her lips and hung her head.


    ¡°You little bitch!¡±


    ¡°Now ladies, one of you is clearly more capable of bare-handed murder than the other and we¡¯re in a place of healing. Plus I¡¯ll fuckin¡¯ kill ya if you hurt the tiny Ginger.¡± I aimed the last part at Erina.


    Erina rolled her eyes. ¡°Defender of the weak, Forgiver of the strong, perhaps the merry Bard will come and sing this day his song?¡±


    I made a show of looking at each woman. ¡°Well, I do consider myself a Bard with a big, juicy, throbbing, inviting-¡±


    ¡°Oh dear,¡± Lumil murmured.


    ¡°-fanbase, so I guess I could be that Bard.¡± I finished by looking at the only one who¡¯d spoken and saw that she was let down. Erina was biting her lips until some people I didn¡¯t recognize barged into the room. ¡°Oh¡­ Shit.¡±


    There were two doctors, a young Toddonite guy and a middle-aged Flistian woman, as well as four orderlies that got to hear Erina burst out into laughter. ¡°Gatian, you are a jester!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t stop the blush. ¡°Bard, dammit! I said Bard!¡±


    She laughed even harder, Lumil stared giggling at me, and no one really seemed too worried about tackling me. However, The Flistian doctor had a bone to pick. She marched right up to her patient, grabbed her face and checked over Erina like she did not give a single slice of processed cheese product. Swiss or otherwise. It took her a good few seconds and I decided to turn away because I¡¯m polite, but after about a minute I was spun right back around. The florid, angry orange of the tanned woman¡¯s eyes seared in my muddy, murky brownish-greys. She then grabbed my face and opened my mouth, and practically did everything other than grope me or do the hernia check.


    I felt a little violated.


    ¡°You.¡± She barked.


    I stepped back, clutching my guitar. ¡°I feel dirty.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± The doctor glared. ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fuckin¡¯ me alright.¡±


    Her associate came over, speaking with a mixed Italian-French accent that was probably from Central Flistis. ¡°My apologies, patient. Doctor Frouher is brilliant, but she refuses to learn an¡­ ¡®ugly¡¯ language.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Thanks bud.¡±: I glared at the Flistian fuck and answered in French, learned from my bi-annual trips to Paris. ¡°[Fuck you.]¡±


    Her eyes widened and she smirked. ¡°[Tell me how you healed her and it¡¯s not even a question. I¡¯ll get you someone for that.]¡±


    ¡°[I¡¯m promised to someone else. Don¡¯t feel me up again.]¡±


    Frouher shrugged. ¡°[It was an examination. I¡¯m sure you could bear another.]¡±


    ¡°[I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a woman or a doctor. I¡¯ll put you in a very uncomfortable maneuver until something pops.]¡±


    ¡°[Don¡¯t threaten me with a good time.]¡± She raised her brow, rolling her eyes. ¡°[How did you heal Erina?]¡±


    ¡°[Yes, I¡¯d like to know as well!]¡± Erina herself beamed at me.


    I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a magic man with magic music. I¡¯m out, though. Bye.¡± I tried to walk out.


    Frouher caught me. ¡°[I don¡¯t think so.]¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with you Septurns and thinking I won¡¯t hurt you?¡± I gave her a smile.


    She smiled back. ¡°[I don¡¯t know what you said-]¡±


    Erina cleared her throat. ¡°[It might be wise to let my friend leave, Madam. I will defend his choice to keep¡­] Magic, [out of our hands.]¡±


    Frouher frowned. ¡°[I¡¯m your doctor.]¡±


    ¡°[Who healed me?]¡±


    Frouher narrowed her eyes. ¡°[Why wouldn¡¯t I want to learn so I could heal others with the same method?]¡±


    ¡°[You can¡¯t. Septurns are averse to my methods, at least in learning them. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to, which I don¡¯t. It¡¯s that I can¡¯t teach you how because I¡¯m a special man with special Magic. Enjoy your broader scope and I¡¯ll enjoy my potency.]¡±


    Frouher glared at me but let me leave with no more fuss, but I still couldn¡¯t check myself out of the hospital. I had a visitor waiting for me in my room in the form of a dour Thesuvian man. He was obviously pure-blooded since he was a short bastard, but still. He seemed like her could easily give me a run for my money. ¡°So you¡¯re finally back, yeah?¡±


    I nodded at him and sat on my bed. ¡°Sorry, had to do my good deed for the day. Can I help you?¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Healed the woman who put me in this bitch. I think I healed myself too, but I¡¯m not one-hundred on that, y¡¯know?¡± I popped my neck.


    He flinched at the staccato. ¡°That sounded painful.¡±


    ¡°It was a good one. What can I help you with, man?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I was here to arrest you, but I don¡¯t really feel as though I should. Were you here to join with the garrison?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a River Man, a Trademaster based in Thesuvia.¡±


    His brow raised. ¡°A River Master? Now I¡¯ve heard everything!¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a rare one, pal.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I figured. No one ever says anything, but I kind of knew.¡±


    ¡°I see. What a nice fellow you are.¡± He smiled at me.


    ¡°I try. Can I join the Muster still, or am I arrested?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to serve your home and I¡¯m sure that some part of your past just caught up to you. I wouldn¡¯t mind too terribly if you joined up, however.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, man. Get me out of here and I¡¯ll go fuck the Char in their throats with my fists.¡±


    ¡°Hung-wo, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get that, but if it means I wanna kill some flaming fucks, that¡¯s about accurate.¡±


    ¡°... Okay, so what was your rank?¡±


    ¡°I think I was an Intron.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll keep your rank and I¡¯ll see if I can help you from there. You didn¡¯t have to heal Erina.¡±


    ¡°She paid for my healthcare. They couldn¡¯t help her. I could. It¡¯s not that complicated.¡±


    ¡°... Truly a kind soul. What makes you hate the Char?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve taken a lot from a lot of people. They don¡¯t deserve mercy.¡±


    ¡°A guardian, then.¡±


    ¡°Of sorts.¡±


    ¡°Then I best get you out of here so you can do your job, yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be down for it.¡±


    He nodded and left, giving me time to place some more music and think of a tune specifically for the Char. When the guy eventually came back, he brought Gloss and Marissa with hiom and they were glad to see that I was okay. I myself happened to be grateful that Gloss had been denied entry and that she was going to live with Marissa as they traveled back to Thesuvia. There was also word of Max coming to visit me soon, so I got my clothes, weapons, and armor back and got dressed properly. With little to do other than wait and be visited, I practiced some of my Grantonid forms and just tried to relax for the last litlte while I had. As it turned out, Max came back and saw me before I was officially released and he had something to say to me.


    ¡°You fucking muppet!¡± He snapped after winging open the door to my room. ¡°Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? Do you have any idea what would¡¯ve gone down if you¡¯d have killed Erina? Do you?¡±


    I waved. ¡°Sup, Max?¡±


    He marched over to me and stuck a finger in my face. ¡°Don¡¯t make me hit you.¡±


    ¡°How bout you kiss me instead, sexy?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tease me either!¡±


    I patted his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s all good, Max. Why don¡¯t we get out of here and-¡±:


    ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m waiting for Gloss and Marissa to come back so-¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not coming back. Gloss said she hadn¡¯t seen you and she was pissed that you were making time to see me.¡±


    ¡°I knew she was with you!¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°Fuck this shit!¡± He threw his hands up before clutching his hair.


    I laid my hand on his shoulder again and tried to make out the silver lining. ¡°Hey, at least we can go get into the garrison now, right?¡±


    He gave me a look. ¡°Shut up and follow me. We¡¯ve got stuff to do.¡±


    We actually did turn out to have stuff to do, and the main thing was getting out of Yoad¡¯s and into the streets of Ilpturn. It didn¡¯t take us long to get out and back to the Muster where I was able to join the Regiment without hassle. Max was disappointed to hear that we were the same rank, but I thought it was pretty cool and he eventually came around to my side of thinking. Anyway, we were directed inside a tall, lacquered wood building that wasn¡¯t very interesting for a lot of reasons, but the people inside more than made up for it on different levels. There were plenty of interesting people to see, but none more interesting than the pack of silver and auburn haired people that seemed to be keeping their distance from everyone else. The Chorets and Minotaurs were probably the most obvious in the room stroke the Ponies and few Mothicans, and that was saying a fucking lot. Between the sheer diversity of the crowd and the amount of people that all had a bone to pick with the Char, I never expected some bitch to walk up to me of all the people in the room.


    I most certainly did not expect said bitch to be Khroma in her Cosma suit. ¡°Gatian~¡±


    I put a gun in her face faster than she reacted. ¡°Mhm. Hi there, Khroma.¡±


    ¡°Ah-ah, it¡¯s Cosma right now, Sweetie.¡± She plugged the barrel of my gun with her finger.


    Max tapped my arm. ¡°Who¡¯s the cutie?¡±


    ¡°Something or someone evil,¡± I answered. ¡°What do you want, Cosma?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°To make sure you know something and know it well; I¡¯ll kill you if you hurt Stellara.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°You will~¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Methinks-¡± I shot her finger and nothing happened. ¡°So violent! Why don¡¯t I just take care of you now so you¡¯re not a problem later?¡±


    ¡°Hey! No fighting in the house!¡± Someone shouted from further in the building.


    I rolled my eyes and holstered my gun. ¡°Leave me alone, Cosma. I want nothing to do with you.¡±


    ¡°Give me a kiss and I won¡¯t bother you at all.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Max raised his brow. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I popped my neck and glared at Cosma. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to, but I don¡¯t want to deal with it. Leave us alone and we¡¯ll leave you alone.¡±


    She extended a hand. ¡°Deal?¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± I shook her hand and she gave me a quick hug that I nearly shoved her for. ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Just a token of good faith. I trust you¡¯ll leave my dearly beloved Stellara alone, no?¡±


    ¡°If I even see her. I¡¯m sure she wants to talk to me about as much as I do her.¡±


    Cosma nodded and started walking away waving over her shoulder. ¡°Take care~¡±


    Max nudged me. ¡°So¡­ Evil gal on our side?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Keep an eye on her if you can. She might very well end up killing people.¡±


    ¡°Scary. I can take her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice that you think that, but I highly doubt that you could. Bitch is straight murderous, man.¡±


    ¡°Ah, then I¡¯ll take care of it. Come on, let¡¯s go meet with the other Introns.¡±


    I looked around. ¡°How do we find them?¡±


    He started walking off and I followed, assuming that I¡¯d either been ignored or had otherwise been heard and he had chosen not to respond. We alighted to a room further into the great, mostly wooden building and came into a room that was decked out in silver and blue. There were a few people inside eating or otherwise drinking something, but we weren¡¯t left alone for long. A nice pair of people came up to us and asked for our tablets, only letting us join the others once they were sure of who we were. Max and I were free to do as we pleased, so we agreed to join the same squad and just needed to get it cleared by the muster-master or whatever to be on the same team. We met quite a few of the other Introns and they were a colorful bunch made of Onemasters and Trademasters, though I was quickly taught that I wasn¡¯t the only guy who could cast and shoot with Grata-non-Aquix. It was cool to see other forms of Aquix that other people came up with for themselves, but it was always personal and a lot of people didn¡¯t like learning new stuff. I shared Arca with a Pony Arcandine and a half-Thesuvian woman who seemed all too happy to get to know Max.


    Anyway, I¡¯ve had a bit of downtime to get this written out, so I guess there¡¯s not much more to say right now. Max and I got to bunk together, but there¡¯s supposed to be a good chance of us being in different cells of the same squad. Not really what I had in mind, but it works for now. In any case, I hope Ammanelle stops flirting with me. She¡¯s nice and all, but I can¡¯t be much clearer without being rude. I have permission from Alana for oral, but I¡¯m not really interested in accepting the attention I seem to be getting.


    Let¡¯s get some rest, Booksy.


    ????????????????????????


    I woke up in the lower bunk, though I can only say that because it was the bed below the other one two above it. The layout of the barracks for the Introns was weird, but it was cozy and afforded you a modicum of privacy. My badge was supposed to be coming to replace my tablet and I was also supposed to be learning who my Dematones were and Hematone was. Max and I were both Introns along with a Kinfaun woman named Julay Haloya Horojaya (Zhu-lay Hay-low-ya) and a Denosian simply named Momon. I had time to myself according to the clock in my ¡®bunk¡¯, but even as I looked around and appreciated it for what it was, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how well we¡¯d be treated on the field of battle. The fine bed and spacious hole in the wall I had was nice and allowed me to get dressed in privacy with the curtain it had, but even then I mostly had to wait for my other Introns. When my morning started to drag on, I got up and moving, hoping that the Dematones would be a little more proactive. As it turned out, a group of them were heading to come get me and the rest of the Introns, so I met them in the middle of the hall and got filled in by my superiors.


    The hall was long enough for me to get introduced to Hema (Hemgir Alsfeld), a Harkan woman with steely gray eyes and dark blue hair as well as my Minotaur Dematone, Stitch Gasperdi. She was very insistent that I call her Sterdi, and Hema was very insistent that I just call her what I already called her. I didn¡¯t even bother trying to pronounce it because everyone called her Hema, and it was probably because her thick, unidentifiable accent was too heavy to pronounce whatever she said her name was. However, she could spell it in common, though I suspected she heavily abbreviated it until I heard her talk to another Harkan. They speak in sentence-based words, so their language can be a little complicated to learn since it¡¯s backwards as fuck, but either way, two women were in charge of a group that was mostly men and I was wondering if someone was going to try to be a dick on either side of things.


    When we got to the bunks, Dematones started waking up their Introns in different ways, but my Dematones were pretty normal about it. I wasn¡¯t allowed to do anything and had to stand around for a bit and bite, but no one in my cell was mad at all about being woken up. In fact. Max was happy to see that Hema was a looker for an older woman, and apparently Julay was infatuated with Sterdi. Momon was a quiet guy and looked as if he was just uncomfortable with the situation, but he was quickly assured many times that all would be well and that he would be fine. In any case, our Dematones lead the way to the place our Hematone had told us to meet them, though I, as always, had to get us there. However, this time it was only because Sterdi was busy trying to explain how inappropriate Julay was being. Max was quiet about his admiration, but Julay was brash and excited about it, meaning that she was probably going to get swapped out. At least, that¡¯s what I thought until we met our Hematone.


    Torre Weals was a jolly kind of guy with round cheeks and a round gut to go with it, but he definitely wasn¡¯t one to mince words needlessly. He told Julay he would kill her if she broke rank and tried to hit on her superior again and that was the end of that. The guy was scary beyond fearsome to a point, but there was also the charisma he had. The little Sotan man was more talkative than most of his kind, but that was saying a lot more than I might be implying. He talked to us about the operation first and then lead on into his personal life, but it was all nice to hear and made for a good mood. However, he saw what I¡¯d seen so far and the group and stuck me and Julay with Hema while leaving Max and Momon with Sterdi just based on the group dynamic alone. I thought it was a good thing anyway since the teams seemed divided up into long range and close-quarters combat, but I¡¯d just gone off of my own assumptions. In reality, Julay was a Gratana-Nuva-Longinus practitioner and I could cover the mid-range with my Arca, but Hema herself was more of a close range fighter. That being said, Sterdi was a long-ranger with her own Effing, Momon was an Arca kinda guy and Max was definitely the close quarters fellow. The teams were well balanced from the get go, but then our Denitrons and Cenitrons showed up and I learned who I was going to be helping out in the days to come. I won¡¯t record all their names since there were fifteen and five respectively, but I had plenty of people to look out for in my future.


    The day closed with the battalion getting to know each other in groups, so Julay and I sat with our Cenitrons and Denitrons to get a better idea of how to talk to them and deal with them in general. It was clear that I was the more popular of the two of us, but there were also people who hated me for being an Intron at twenty-something. Apparently my crest, my badge said that I was of indeterminate age, which was crazy for multiple reasons. For one, no one else was indeterminate and I was the only one who had a blued tablet in the first place. The badge came on another chain and was in the form of a round shield that I was to wear on my person at all times. It was blued and partially silver this time, but it matched the rest of the Introns save for my name and Rebirthday¡­ Sapfall (Analogous to May, I guess) fourteenth. An auspicious day indeed.


    There wasn¡¯t much for me to do besides train and otherwise try my best to get inshape for the war ahead, but I could also try to make more music¡­ Nah, with all the practitioners here, especially some of the ones who are willing to train others, I might as well learn some stuff...


    Doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t still be making music on the side. Who did you think I was, Booksy?

 Ring of Fire

    Ring Of Fire


    There was no time. It was more sudden than I could have expected. There was another attack further south in a mountain town called Hepnil and my squad was lotteried into going. MAx would stay behind, but my team was on the move and we were heading south by wagon upon wagon. It was an arduous journey that took days, but I got to know some more of my Deitrons and Cenitrons on the trip. There was one in particular, a Toddtonite with a heavy hand towards his racist speech, though he often praised River People for their resilience and whatever else he could think of. I usually shut him up one way or another because there were Chorets and Denosian¡¯s in our squad that were under him, but the prick just about never really wanted to close his fat ass mouth.


    The longer we spent on the road, the more I missed my home. My friends. My Alana. I often found myself looking at the locket and smiling to myself at the memories I¡¯d already made, sharing them with my peers, regardless of rank. Come to think of it, most people had little to no problems coming to me to talk rather than going to Julay or Hema. In fact, I actually got most of the requests and shit taken care of, which was probably a part of why Hema stuck so close to me. If I didn¡¯t tell her what was going on with our people, then no one else wanted to talk to her because of her accent and harsh demeanor. Julay was just a pervert with a loud mouth and a habit of trying to sleep around, which I thought was kinda gross, but the gal could do as she pleased as long as she didn¡¯t do anything too stupid. As far as I was concerned, I liked the dynamic well enough, but I still thought that Hema could find a thing or two to make herself more approachable. Like not cursing people down to the level of doggydom. That might help.


    In other news, we¡¯ve bedded down for the night. This hasn¡¯t taken too long to get written out and I¡¯m glad for the time to myself, but now I already have someone on their way to bother my ass. I fucking hate being so high up since everyone else lower than me gets their work done in a couple of hours and everyone above me basically just supervises. I mean, Julay¡¯s not above me, but all she fucking does is hit on people.


    Have to catch you later, Booksy. Duty calls.


    ????????????????????????


    So as it turned out, Felsh was coming to bring me to Hema, though why she didn¡¯t just come herself, I¡¯ll never know. In anty case, when I got to Hema¡¯s tent, she was already drinking and it wasn¡¯t a good sign from what I could tell in the past week. Someone had gone and pissed her off. ¡°Well, well, well, if it is not Mr. Quartermaster himself.¡±


    I took a short breath and let it out. ¡°Yeah, what is it Hema?¡±


    She glared at me. ¡°What makes you think you can talk to me like that?¡±


    ¡°... What makes you think I¡¯m going to put up with your bullshit?¡± I gave her a fucked up look. ¡°Browbeat everyone else. I¡¯m fuck-mothering Gatian Gauner.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m-¡±


    ¡°Hard to pronounce. Are we done with the barbed stuff?¡± I checked the flaps of the tent and cast a quick, altered Murka called Murkasi that shrouded the inside of the tent with a silencing fog.  ¡°You really look like you need a hug.¡±


    She waved some of the fog away from where she was standing, the Planning Table being covered in fog soon enough as she collected her prize and sighed. ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    I cracked a small grin and held her at length. ¡°You can always lean on me, Hema. I got your back, right?¡±


    She kept it brief as she had the last two times. ¡°I appreciate it, but this is no small matter, Gatian¡­ Our men¡­ They do not respect me. They have no reason to respect Julay. You are effectively the only one anyone listens to.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m nicer than you,¡± I said bluntly.


    ¡°Of course you are, but they are-¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not soldiers, they¡¯re Masters from all over the continent. There¡¯s no reason for any of them to want to talk to you outside of work, and you make them work. No one likes to work other than crazy people.¡±


    She sighed and folded her arms, her modest bust heading north temporarily. There was a certain elegance to Hema that I appreciated, but it¡¯s not like she had much on my sweetheart. I could see myself pursuing Hema in another life or on another path, but that¡¯s not really here nor there. ¡°I see the wisdom in your words, but¡­ How else does one lead if not by example?¡±


    ¡°... What example are you trying to set?¡± I asked, folding my own arms.


    Hema noticed the motion. ¡°... I suppose that I was trying to make our men more aggressive toward the enemy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making them more aggressive toward each other. Shut that Toddtonite with the loud mouth up and all of the people as dark as me and darker are going to follow your lead. Hell, come out and be friendly with me in front of people. I know you like to save your face or whatever, but why don¡¯t you show the people who you really-¡±


    ¡°No! Th-That would be wildly inappropriate!¡± Hema gasped, frantically waving her hand at me. ¡°What if our men came to me with their personal issues!? How would I handle them!?¡±


    ¡°... You know it¡¯s gonna take more than being cool by association for people to do that. Hell, the only reason I do it now is because I was a Counselor at a Welcome Center.¡±


    ¡°... You- You were a Counselor?¡± Her eyes went wide.


    ¡°... Yeah?¡±


    ¡°So¡­ You know how to help our men with the horrors they will see?¡±


    ¡°I do, though it won¡¯t be anything I say or do that makes them better,¡± I answered uneasily.


    ¡°Be that as it may, I would like to be able to speak to you on how to help our men.¡±


    ¡°You know me,¡± I shrugged, ¡°always willing to help.¡±


    She gave me a rare smile, though it only curved one side of her mouth. ¡°Always, are we?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not helping Julay.¡±


    ¡®


    ¡°I never even thought to mention her.¡± She chuckled, her face falling back to her usual neutral expression. ¡°No, I was going to ask for your assistance. The matter you spoke of just a minute ago. Cool by association.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah, I¡¯m cool, so if you¡¯re cool with me, everyone else might think you¡¯re not mean. You just have to be the me you are when we¡¯re alone-¡±


    ¡°In front of others? Simply preposterous.¡±


    ¡°So you say, but you don¡¯t know how far it¡¯ll go into getting you back to the top of the totem pole.¡±


    She raised a brow. ¡°You speak of your rod?¡±


    ¡°I speak of a literal pole with imagery carved into it. Being on the top would mean being the most important or respected.¡±


    ¡°I see. I shall join your totem pole and we will¡­ Try.¡± She frowned, blushing hard.


    ¡°Hey- Woah. Woah, there¡¯s a lot of smoke in here.¡± Someone said with a Choresh accent.


    ¡°Who is that?¡± Hema barked.


    ¡°Illuminai.¡± I said softly. Once the fog cleared, I saw for myself that it was Weyll, a Choresh man with a habit of picking bad times to say things. ¡°Two-L, what¡¯s up?¡±


    He scratched his head and glanced at Hema. ¡°Um¡­ Permission to use extra rations¡­?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Hema barked.


    ¡°Hema, we just talked about this, right?¡± I said softly.


    She blushed again and still wore her frown. ¡°I see. For what purpose are extra rations required?¡±


    Weyll looked at me and started to speak, but I gestured toward Hema with my head. ¡°Uh¡­ N-No reason, we-we¡¯ll make do-¡±


    He flinched when Hema opened her mouth, though all I needed to do was raise a brow. ¡°... Perhaps I could be convinced. There is no shortage of food here yet. Why do we need to expend more resources?¡±


    He cracked a small smile. ¡°Uh¡­ Ramune burned the stew?¡±


    Hema tilted her head. ¡°Does that not add the flavor?¡±


    ¡°No. It just tastes burnt.¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°Oh. Very well, then. Save what has been made so far for whoever can stomach it. Wasting food altogether is pointless, but do not halt from making more edible sustenance.¡±


    Weyll looked at me. ¡°... Yes. Yes, I¡¯ll go now.¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°I¡¯m not in charge, Weyll. Hema leads the front for a reason, and it¡¯s because she knows this stuff a lot better than I do. Trust me, you can lean on her for the logistics and nitty-gritty as well as myself.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ He glanced at her and asked. ¡°C-Can I borrow Intron Gatain for a bit, Ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°Allow his return to be swift.¡± She huffed, going back to the magic map on the table.


    I nodded toward Weyll and he lead the way out, but we didn¡¯t go far. ¡°Wow, you really are too nice, man.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°How can you be friendly with that?¡± He asked quietly.


    ¡°She¡¯s a great gal, it¡¯s just her station makes her think she has to be a hardass. I meant what I said though, and it¡¯s really better if you just get used to her barking at you. She gets the point across and it¡¯s usually something important if she¡¯s loud about it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but she doesn¡¯t yell at you.¡± He snorted.


    ¡°That¡¯s because I know her well enough to dissuade her from that. You guys either think I¡¯m a goody-two-shoes or too nice for my own good, but you guys have to realize I¡¯m just laid-back. Not much gets to me. A lot gets to her. It¡¯d mean the world to Hema if you kept trying to talk to her, even if she got sullen and moody, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°... Are you saying she¡¯s a-¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a complete and total Duanite,¡± I rolled my eyes, ¡°and as such she needs a gentle approach from a strong spine, know what I mean?¡± Duanites were basically Tsunderes, Muginites were the Yanderes, and Hoarinites were the Kuuderes.


    Weyll chuckled. ¡°I can¡¯t believe our leader is a Duanite. I¡¯ll have to ask for her address so I can keep in touch if she¡¯s really sweet on the inside.¡±


    I punched him lightly. ¡°Save some for the rest of us, Casanova. In fact, why don¡¯t you go see how my other Intron is doing?¡±


    ¡°Gods above, don¡¯t make me do that!¡± He laughed, shoving me right back .¡±The way that woman talks, the Kinfaun must do it in the streets!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t intend of finding out, but there¡¯s always-¡±


    ¡°Telmell is not the kind of woman I thought she was.¡± He rubbed his cheek, looking a little irritated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it to heart, bud. The gal probably just wasn¡¯t in the mood with what¡¯s coming up, you know?¡±


    He gave me an odd look. ¡°You don¡¯t do a Luck Fuck before a fight?¡±


    I had to laugh at that. ¡°Christ, why would I!? All it would do is drain my stamina and get me killed in the long run. There are better ideas to be had.¡±


    ¡°I see your wisdom, but how else would this fight be fair?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair in the first place.¡± My tone turned cold and I glared at Weyll. ¡°You¡¯d do well to remember that our dead join their army.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right.¡±


    I nodded at him. ¡°Go get your Luck Fuck and wisen up, Two-L. Things are about to get a lot worse from here.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°At least I die with my pride. Until next time.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t die if I have anything to say about it.¡± I said it more to myself than to him, but I figured he heard me anyway when he blew out a little chuckle. Walking back to Hema, I said, ¡°That didn¡¯t take long. Are you ready to be liked?¡±


    She furrowed her brow. ¡°I am liked.¡±


    ¡°Not by him, but I did tell him you were a Duanite-¡±


    Her face exploded with color and she practically popped her top. ¡°I am no Duanite!¡±


    I raised a brow and cleaned my ear. ¡°Even if you aren¡¯t, you¡¯re still loud. My ears hurt now.¡±


    ¡°Hush, insolent man!¡± She turned her back to me.


    I had a couple options as the flag raised, but I decided to take the flag and stick it in the past. ¡°I¡¯ll hush later, we have to walk and talk.¡±


    She held her tongue for a long moment until she turned back to me and said, ¡°I am not a Duanite.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m not half black-¡±


    ¡°You are yellowish at best.¡±


    ¡°First off, fuck you, I¡¯ve just spent a lot of time inside in Thesuvia. Second, I¡¯m leaving and you can come with or you can do whatever you want. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the boss of you.¡±


    ¡°Something you would do well to remember.¡± Hema huffed haughtily, giving me some serious side-eye.


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting.¡±


    ¡°... At least you are consistent.¡± She sighed, giving me another rare grin.


    I raised a brow and gave her a smirk for hurrying up with it. As she came to a stop next to me, I stood and offered support. ¡°You got this, Hema. Just try to relax and act like you¡¯re on a friend-date or something.¡±


    ¡°Friend¡­ Date?¡±


    ¡°Did you ever have a practice date?¡±


    ¡°Yes, with my elder brother long ago.¡± She said flatly.


    ¡°Treat me like your younger brother, like you¡¯re trying to show me how to communicate with women or something.¡±


    She rolled her eyes and walked out. ¡°With your charisma, it would be a failure before it launched.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we¡¯re not doing this for me, we¡¯re just trying to get you out and about, right? Let people know you¡¯re not all scary all the time.¡±


    I got whacked for that. ¡°I am not scary to my allies.¡±


    ¡°Right, and I¡¯m not yellowish at best.¡± I said mocking her super-thick Danish-like accent.


    ¡°I do not sound like that!¡± She protested.


    I pushed her lightly, smiling. ¡°I¡¯m not mocking you, I was just making up a silly voice.¡±


    ¡°You were mocking me, and my voice is not silly!¡±


    ¡°Your voice is normal, it¡¯s your accent that¡¯s silly.¡± I chuckled as we walked to the Mess Wagon, passing people on our way.


    We attracted a lot of attention. ¡°Gatian, why are you making fun of me?¡± I demand to know!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not making fun of you, I¡¯m making you make fun of yourself by leading you in verbal circles.¡±


    ¡°Cease!¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡±


    She stormed up in front of me and held out a hand. ¡°I said-¡±


    I grabbed her hand and started dancing. ¡°You said¡­?¡±


    Hema wasn¡¯t impressed, but she danced along with me anyway, placing a hand on my shoulder. ¡°I was going to say that your merriment must be appropriate of your station.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not soldiers, Hema. We¡¯re all individual fighters who all know that we¡¯re deadly. How you have us set up is based off of that, but you expect us to be¡­¡± I stared at her and stopped moving.


    ¡°So you finally see why I am so harsh?¡± Hema asked softly.


    ¡°... Damn. Most of us are gonna die.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Most likely. There is no discipline within the ranks.¡±


    ¡°We never had time to instill any¡­¡±


    Hema patted me on the cheek and let go of my shoulder so she could lead the way. ¡°We are strong, are we not? Surely we will make it back?¡±


    She stopped when she saw that I wasn¡¯t following. ¡°... Hema, meet me in the War Tent with food. We¡¯re going to be up for awhile.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to give me an order?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you a favor. Tell someone else to do it, I don¡¯t particularly care.¡± I turned and started heading back.


    ¡°Gatian, what are you-¡±


    ¡°I need to talk to an Artificer and get an amp made. I can make this a lot easier on us¡­¡± I shook my head, having spoken over my shoulder.


    Hema let me leave without any fuss or bluster and when I got back to the War Tent, I studied the map we¡¯d been given and saw the landscape as a challenge to overcome. The village we were supposed to be going t0o was still holding strong, but there were Char, Dreadnots, and Scorched at their door, knocking louder with every day. However, there was a point in the village that overlooked the flaming horde, and that¡¯s all I needed to know that my plan was going to work. If only I could carry it out, that is. There was a lot for me to consider, so I zoomed in and out on the map all around the valley the regiment of Char were stationed at and saw that there was another battalion of the bastards coming in from the southeast, heading nonstop toward the town. With the information I had at hand and the power vested in me, I created a new song and parsed it out even while Hema tried to tell me that she¡¯d had a great conversation with someone.


    I eventually came out of my song-based reverie and took notice of her and my now-cold stew. ¡°Gatian, have you finally stopped your ruminating?¡±


    ¡°... Hema, you¡¯re not gonna like this.¡± I said softly.


    ¡°I already do not. Spill.¡±


    ¡°... We have to make an example out of someone. Throw a group at the Char and see if they come out of the other side. If Hepnil is in too good of a condition, no one¡¯s going to realize how deadly this battle can be. Everyone¡¯s going to be fighting for glory, but no one¡¯s going to listen until they see for themselves.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not sacrificing-¡±


    ¡°Not our people. We might be able to get the Hepnilians to tell our soldiers of the war. Let me go ahead and I¡¯ll prep the town.¡± I looked her in the eye. ¡°If anything I can thin the numbers before they come any closer, but it¡¯s not a guarantee, and it¡¯s a wing and a prayer in the first place.¡±


    Hema stared me down. ¡°You. You think one man can turn the tide when an entire town could not?¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Let me prove it to you and judge me from there.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Hema frowned, her brows furrowing. ¡°... At least take someone with you. A small reconnaissance squad.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take Delmar and a sniper.¡±


    ¡°The best we have outside of Julay is Fredea, and she uses a Coffing.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°It¡¯ll do. I have your blessing, yes?¡±


    Hema gave me a look. ¡°You were going to do it anyway to save as many lives as you can.¡±


    ¡°Open book, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°No, but you are a good man and a stalwart guardian.¡± She said firmly, making me blush. ¡°It is hard for you to lead when you know that your men may not return to their homes. You would rather shoulder the world and drag yourself to the finish than make another fret for the sake of their own safety. You are good. You are kind. You are wise, but in this I believe you are most foolish. Therefore, As I have learned from my husband-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re married?¡±


    ¡°My husband is a good woman.¡± She raised her chin at me.


    I raised a brow in turn. ¡°That would be a wife, and I hope she is. Otherwise I might have to shoot her for making you upset or something.¡±


    Hema rolled her eyes. ¡°She is my husband. What is your plan?¡±


    I smirked and let the piece of Gage I still held onto so dearly shine through. ¡°... I¡¯m gonna try and save ¡®em.¡±


    She stood stock still and stared at me until I walked out of the tent, following me for but a few steps. ¡°Gatian.¡±


    I looked back. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°... Come back with Delmar and Fredea. I will court martial you for any other result.¡±


    I snorted. ¡°Tch, like I can up and ditch my team. If I succeed¡­ Well, this war might just go a different direction.¡±


    ¡°You do not see this going well for you.¡± She surmised.


    I gave her a sad smile. ¡°Would you even hold onto something for me if I asked?¡±


    ¡°I would not let you leave if I did not feel that you were in your right mind and sound of body. You will return. Take your charm with you and return as a whole being.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Hema. You¡¯d better be waiting for me in Hepnil in two days.¡±


    ¡°We surely shall.¡± She nodded.


    I returned it. ¡°Take care, Hema. It¡¯ll be like I wasn¡¯t even gone.¡±


    With that being said, I turned and left on my way back to my tent. All of the thingS I¡¯d brought with me came along and I sent a couple runners out to get Delmar and Fredea. Neither of them actually liked me all that much, which was a part of the reason why I wanted them to come. They were carefree and strong in their own minds, which would go far in teaching the others if something went wrong. If two of the biggest idiots in camp were scared of fighting the Dreadnot horde because of their own experiences , then it would serve well to make anyone who felt unruly be a little more susceptible to suggestions and orders. Unlike anyone else, however, they chose to come together as they¡¯d already been eating together during their meal time.


    Delmar stopped in front of me and clapped a fist to his chest as I took down my tent. ¡°Intron Gatian, I answer your summons.¡±


    Fredea was with him, though she wasn¡¯t half as serious about it. ¡°Cenitron Fredea, reporting for duty.¡±


    ¡°Fredea, Delmar, I need you two to pack up the essentials. We¡¯re heading to Hepnil early.¡±


    ¡°Any reason why?¡± Fredea asked, giving me a look. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day.¡±


    I glared at her. ¡°It¡¯ll get shorter for you when you fuckin¡¯ die, which is what I¡¯m trying to prevent. Get moving, we have to try my plan before we just up and throw ourselves at an entire tiown¡¯s worth of Char.¡±


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t anyone just call them what they are?¡± Fredea huffed.


    Delmar smirked until I barked, ¡°Did I give you fuckin¡¯ order or did I ask you a question? Pack your shit. MEet me here. We move in fifteen, and if not, I¡¯m slapping you.¡± She rolled her eyes and I slapped her. When she stared at me, I said, ¡°Disrespect me all the fuck you want, but when I say jump, you ask how high from six inches in the air.¡± I glared at Delmar. ¡°And you, Mr. Smiles over here. Go do what I fuckin¡¯ told you to do.¡±


    He clapped hsi hand over his chest and Fredea did the same, glaring at me all the while as she followed Delmar to the rows of tents. I myself started playing a song to soothe my nerves, not really meaning to go anywhere with it. I ended up playing We Never Change and led into Clocks by the time they returned, having enough time to get them on the road and away from the main wagon-train. We took two of the spare things that reminded me far too much of Hornmun and how she¡¯d been eaten previously. Fredea refused to ride with me, even though we were both smaller than Delmar¡¯s Denosian ass. Serious, the guy looked like the eight foot tall version of Terry Cruz, but with a gut and a little buffer. Fredea, instead, wanted to ride with Delmar since he ¡®Was less likely to get bucked off¡¯ than I was. However, I quickly proved that my horseback-riding lessons had not gone to waste in my highschool years, though I had to thank Grandpa and his prickly self for that. He¡¯d been insistent that I learn how to ride and shoot at the same time, so I could still probably hit the broad side of a barn and avoid getting killed by my steed. However, the going could have been faster since the Hornmuns we borrowed were either tired or uninterested in traveling so late at night. However, it only took us a night and half a day of riding at a decent pace to make it all the way to Hepnil.


    When we got there, the town was still being prepared for an attack and my companions sobered considerably. There was plenty happening with people drilling bars and planks over their windows, barricades being built, and a good number of weapons being doled out to the healthy-looking, strong FListian men and women that had gathered to protect their town. We had to be let in once we came to the town proper, and I had to say that they were geniuses for building fortified walls out of stone and mortar.  It was good sign to be sure, but the village wasn¡¯t happy to see me and my cadre. Apparently they were very unfriendly toward the Burnaks, which was what Fredea just so happened to be.


    Hoiwever unwelcome we were, our power and abilities were accepted, even if there were mutterings in Fre- Flistian, about the Burnak who was out of place in the world. Fredea took it kinda hard at first, but I had something to say to her while we were getting the animals tied up. ¡°Hey, Fred.¡±


    She glared at me. ¡°I bet you¡¯re loving this.¡±


    Delmar folded his arms, his expression neutral as I responded. ¡°While you¡¯re with me, I¡¯m not. This bullshit isn¡¯t going to last much longer if I have anything to say about it.¡± I snapped right back. ¡°Lose the damn chip on your shoulder and realize this; I don¡¯t give a shit about what you are. I care that you go home. I care that you cover my back. I care that you look out for our brothers and sisters in this fight.¡± I stomped my way up to her and jammed my finger in her chest. ¡°If you can¡¯t fight with this situation, tell me now. I¡¯ll change it, and if shit don¡¯t go smoother for you, I¡¯ll have you head back, no strings, no demerits. I wouldn¡¯t have even brought you if I knew the town was racist as shit.¡±


    Delmar poked my shoulder. ¡°What of me?


    I looked at him. ¡°What about you? I haven¡¯t heard a word about Denosians. It¡¯s not an issue for you.¡±


    ¡°There is a Toddtonite-¡±


    ¡°Next time he says something, remind him that Gatian don¡¯t play that shit.¡± I barked. ¡°If you need to, smack him one and bring him to me or Hema. Her tolerance for pointless hate is about as high as mine.¡±


    Delmar gave me a smile and a nod, so I looked to a red-faced Fredea. ¡°... You¡¯re different¡­¡±


    ¡°From Hema? Not all that-¡±


    Delmar burst out into merry laughter. ¡°Fredea disliked you because she thought you were an arrogant pretty boy! Your compassion and ¡®get it done¡¯ demeanor fit you well, as I have said.¡±


    ¡°The fu-¡± I looked at her, seeing that she was doing the thing where women close their eyes and hit someone. She wisely chose Delmar. ¡°First off, don¡¯t hit your peers. Second, since when the fuck am I even considered cute?¡±


    Fredea stared at me and Delmar laughed some more. ¡°Oh yes, your River Person standards are strange indeed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Like, you¡¯re¡­ A little more than cute, if I can say that. I¡¯m not coming onto you, but...¡± She scratched her temple, a blonde lock jostling with the motion. The look Fredea was giving me insulted my intelligence.


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Yeah, okay. I already have a woman I plan on making my wife when I get home, so don¡¯t worry about ¡®Pretty Boy¡¯ trying to smooch you or some shit. I¡¯ve got better lips to kiss, thanks.¡±


    Freda cracked a real, genuine smile, confusing the shit out of me. ¡°You¡¯re not as bad as I thought.¡±


    ¡°Then here¡¯s hoping I can tell you exactly what to expect and have it taken it seriously.¡± I shook my head and started explaining the plan.


    I finished up before the village¡¯s Chief came by to see us and ask what we were doing here ahead of time, so I looked at the hairy, short old man and told him that I was planning on making Magic music in the mountains, asking if he knew the best place to cause an echo around Hepnil. He told me that there were multiple points where they chanted their prayers into the mountains and said that it would be useless, but I just nodded at him and asked him to take me to one of the points. There were four in total, so it was going to take a good little bit to go to each point. Fredea and Delmar were tired, so I told them to take five and rest so I could get some more info from the Chief and grill him about the Char incursion.


    According to the old man, they¡¯d attacked the lower part of the valley and stayed there, most likely trying to kill off the last of the life the village used for pretty much everything. I suggested that they all get the fuck out of town, even if they were settling in for the long haul. Village elder-guy wasn¡¯t having it. In French, he asked if I would just have them leave their homes and livelihoods, what made their village great. In response I toild him that living to see another day was more important than having a place to lay your head at night ad he heartily disagreed, opening a discourse htat continued for hours upon hours until we were well and truly at the top of the mountain we¡¯d been on. From the hights point, I could see plenty of Char, Scorched, and whatever else was in the army now. However, all they appeared to be doing was waiting and milling about, practically like they¡¯d just waited for me to try my position out. However, the natual acoustics weren¡¯t good enough, so I had him take me to two of the other points before we settled on the fourth. It had the best echo out of every other point we¡¯d tried and it still overlooked the Dreadnot/Char Horde. It had taken ius four hours to get everywhere in town, but it was worth the trip, even if I did feel like I was about to die. The Chief let me be as I traveld out onto the rock that jutted from the mountain side, guitar on my back and a plan in my mind.


    Without further delay, I got up to the top of the rock and shouted, ¡°Hey you, Char-broiled cock-suckers! Y¡¯all ready to Rock!?¡±


    Okay, so wiser, more intelligible, less idiotic things had been shouted at an army before, and then I heard myself on the wind and I hated that I could, but from what I could see the Char were a lot more active than they¡¯d been. There was no reason left for me to not try, so I did what I do best; Played my music as loud as I could.


    Solar Beam by Gatian Gauner


    Verse 1


    I hope to God I see you one more time~


    Can¡¯t play this game no more or fall in line~


    Won¡¯t you come, come break me


    And I will open up your eyes~


    Show you all of your lies~


    Chorus


    Together- in time


    I trust that I will make you mine~


    Coalesce and fly~


    And you will be so high~


    Verse 2


    I hope to God I see you doin¡¯ fine~


    Can¡¯t see your face or feel your hand in mine~


    I see you, yeah you there


    Will you make me turn a blind eye~


    Miss all of the lines~


    Chorus


    Together- in time


    I trust that I will make you mine~


    Connect with- this night~


    I¡¯ll set you alight~


    Final Verse


    I pray to God you take me back when I~


    When I come home I swear it¡¯s the final try~


    This battle, is won~


    I¡¯ll show you fire from the sun~!


    As I played the final notes of Solar Beam, I noticed the crowd below¡­ It dimmed down. The fires that were lighting up the dark parts of the valley were flickering and going out piece by piece. I smiled to myself and played a few more notes, just a trill to get the blood calmed down after such a good song. However, the moment I turned my back and smiled at the openly-staring Chief, the valley erupted in a fucking geyser of Goddamn flames! I could feel the heat from where I was standing, the violent, violet light spilling upward into the sky, eradicating any trace of clouds that lie below or near the pillar of fire. I¡­ I stood and saw as thousands upon thousands of people ascended through the pillar, each person wreathed in flame as I made out Human-shaped dots trailing up into the light. I wasn¡¯t sure what I was seeing, but I knew for certain that I had caused it.


    The village chief climbed up behind me, his voice small. ¡°You¡­ You did it.¡±


    My head swiveled on my shoulders and my body hesitated to follow the motion. ¡°... You speak Common¡­¡±


    The wizened, elderly man started removing his robes. ¡°Yes, yes, I tricked you. I do apologize, my young son.¡±


    I stared.


    His plain, dirty, muted robes fell as he finished undressing, revealing a pretty dapper suit (For a Septurn), even if it was horribly mismatched and only had two buttons on the jacket. The man also started patting his pockets and looked confused until he checked his breast pocket. ¡°One moment, dear boy, it¡¯s been some time since I¡¯ve had to do any of this. I¡¯ve taken to wearing the disguise all the time, just in case you stopped by a little early.¡±


    I had nowhere to go, but I still had my wand on me. I brandished it with the awe-inspiring event still going on behind me. ¡°Chief Alfweir-¡±


    He pulled a small gua-sha from his pocket and a whetstone along with it. ¡°Ah, you might as well know my real name. They called me John Donne, though in my time it was pronounced quite differently. You may call me Father John, if you like.¡±


    ¡°... John. Give me one reason not to kill you.¡±


    He raised a brow before peeling his face off. When he finished, the mask was gone and had revealed a man not a great deal older than me. I would¡¯ve put him in his forties, but I remembered John Donne from my shitty English 101 professor, Margaret Holmes. He died at sixty something. When John finished peeling the mask off, he busied himself with pulling bits and pieces of it from his moustache. Looking quite unimpressed by my efforts, I opened my mouth to cast a spell and he raised a hand, a shot ringing out and a bullet hitting close to my foot. There was no telling where the shot came from, no telling if another was coming for me, and no telling what I was wanted for.


    ¡°Is that a good reason?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with-¡±


    ¡°Yes, some of the Grantonid, but not enough to dodge a bullet when you can¡¯t locate the origin point, no?¡±


    I glared at him, unsure of how he¡¯d known that particular flaw in the art. Most people thought Grantonid experts were practically invincible against bullets. ¡°... What do you want?¡±


    He raised his brow again. ¡°For you to join us, of course. Don¡¯t tell me you thought those silly Songweavers sent you the note in Hooversdum, did you?¡±


    ¡°... Kinda forgot about it. Jog my memory?¡±


    ¡°The Terruc will become Mundane and the Mundane Terruc.¡±


    ¡°... Gonna end the world or something?¡±


    ¡°Ha! Or something, I would say.¡± He smiled at me easily before backflipping off of the rock.


    I looked behind me to see that the pillar was dying down with there seemingly being no survivors on the ground. My eyes followed the stream of flame to where the pillar seemed to be fading out above the clouds.A sane person wouldn¡¯t have believed the sight, but I know damn well that I saw just about everything that got sucked up on the edge of a big hole in the sky. ¡°... Fuck me¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you coming, son? We haven¡¯t got all day.¡±


    I looked down and saw that he was indeed waiting on me, so I hopped my way down and stood in front of him. ¡°... Who did you say you were with again?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. We call ourselves the Riverborn in this particular language, though we use Greek as our common tongue.¡±


    ¡°A Clan of River People?¡±


    ¡°Yes, free from the constraints of the old world, you know.¡±


    I shook my head slowly. ¡°Are you behind the Char?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°We are fighting them as you are. Are you the cause?¡±


    ¡°Not as far as I know.¡±


    ¡°Then won¡¯t you walk with me? If your subordinates are cooperating, they should still be alive.¡±


    ¡°Should be. That¡¯s promising.¡± I snarled.


    ¡°And you would take that tone with me because¡­?¡± John seemed considerably less amused than he had.


    ¡°Because Donny, this is sketchy.¡±


    ¡°Sketchy, but it¡¯s what you have to work with, is it not?¡±:


    ¡°... Can you give me a fuckin¡¯ straight answer for once?¡±


    ¡°In due time, though I suppose it would be a little quicker if you were to join us.¡±


    ¡°For what? For what reason would I join a clan of people hundreds of miles away from the life I built for myself?¡±


    He raised a brow. ¡°You, Gatian Gauner, are the most powerful Minstrel to walk Septural in the past¡­ Say, five hundred years? The Dark War was heralded by a Minstrel with too much power-¡±


    ¡°You keep saying Minstrel when I¡¯m a fuckin¡¯ Bard.¡±


    ¡°... You willingly-¡±


    ¡°The definition doesn¡¯t define me, I define me.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± He cracked a grin, seeming less amused than he had. It was more of a ¡®I get that¡¯ kind of look.


    ¡°So all you want me for is my fuckin¡¯ power?¡±


    ¡°You just released thousands of captured soldiers and civilians from a hellish life of being on fire and never extinguishing the pain. The Char are just people, Gatian. People waiting to finally die.¡±


    ¡°... Then lead the armies-¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t work like that.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Your idea to use the mountains as an amplifier, utilizing nature itself to do your dirty-work¡­ Simply brilliant! However, if you¡¯d tried with a conventional amp, you might as well have been shouting in Prussia for a volcanic eruption.¡± He shook his head and chuckled some more. ¡°No, Gatian, I need you to do something other than fight. I just needed a taste of your potential, and now that I have what I needed, I can ask you a small favor. Something you¡¯ve surely already found a song for in your travels.¡±


    ¡°Ight. What?¡±


    John¡¯s smile faded. ¡°Gatian, as a fellow River Man, I promise I will not cause you or your loved ones any harm. I suppose I should have opened with the offer to walk away with no rebuke.¡±


    ¡°That might have been nice. I¡¯m taking that offer, so-¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t even hear my request?¡± He asked, obviously surprised.


    ¡°You¡¯re being cryptic, won¡¯t give any real amount of information, threatened the lives of my kouhai-chans¡­ I don¡¯t have a reason to like you. If you would¡¯ve just sent me another letter, I probably would have come and taken care of it.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡± He nodded a couple of times. ¡°... Would it change your mind at all if I were to mention that you could help people who have not crossed you?¡±


    I gave him a baleful glare. ¡°Appealing to my better nature doesn¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯re trying to use me for whatever purpose. You could have reasonably asked any Minstrel-¡±


    ¡°The Weavers are behind the Char.¡± He said solemnly. ¡°Rozana is not a River Woman, but she is a reliable ally all the same.¡±


    It answered a lot of questions. I didn¡¯t like that. ¡°... So you arranged for me to be freed.¡±


    John nodded, stroking his beard. ¡°It was not in the plan at all for you to join the Weavers. Rozana tried to break the mind control early in your stay there, but it was too strong, too recently set in. She had to craft something specifically to break the heavy somnerre on you.¡±


    ¡°... So when she broke my fingers-¡±


    ¡°Yes, she was trying to wake you up.¡±


    ¡°Damn. And I shot her for that.¡±


    John Donne started at me before walking up to me and socking me in the fucking stomach one good time, but I jabbed back and caught him in the jaw. ¡°You fool! How could you k-¡± He blinked, arm cocked back for another punch. ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°In the leg, you asshole.¡±


    ¡°... Still justified.¡± He shrugged.


    ¡°She broke-¡±


    ¡°To free you. People have lost their lives over the freedom she gave you.¡±


    It hit me. ¡°... Stellara is with the Weavers.¡±


    He made a face. ¡°And the Guardian, Bastet.¡±


    ¡°Is Bast evil too?¡±


    ¡°She is a sister to Cosma. Not evil, but misguided all the same.¡± John rubbed his temples. ¡°I cannot explain to you just how furious I am that you left your Partner, but I understand all the same. She was in her right mind, you were not.¡±


    ¡°... So Stellara really didn¡¯t want anything to do with me.¡± I took a deep breath and sighed as the wound reopened.


    ¡°It¡¯s for the best. Your love was star-crossed indeed-¡±


    ¡°Can you just explain everything? From like, the beginning?¡±


    John inhaled heavily and gave me a droll look. ¡°If you¡¯re not joining the Riverborn, then there is no reason for you to know.¡±


    ¡°Other than the fact that Stellara and I are halves of the Moon River Prophecy.¡±


    ¡°Walk away and it will likely never take hold. The Prophecy was hardly legible when it was taken down in the first place. Much of it could very well be wrong, and I doubt you have killed Yuria-¡±


    ¡°Ooo.¡± I hissed.


    His brows raised. ¡°Really now?¡±


    ¡°That sounded like a good kind of ¡®really¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a step in a dangerous direction for you, but that ancient whore is better off dead than poisoning the planet. That does explain the retarded advance of the Char¡­¡± He stroked his beard thoughtfully. ¡°...Yes, this is indeed good news. How did you manage this before you left the Academy? I was under the impression that you barely managed to escape with your life.¡±


    ¡°I went back.¡±


    The look I got from him was hilarious. ¡°... You haven¡¯t left Thesuvia. Not until you were called for the garrison.¡±


    I winked at him. ¡°Don¡¯t piss me off. Again, I should say.¡±


    John licked his lips and smiled deviously. ¡°There are more that you could bear to relieve of their lives, if you ever felt so inclined.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an assassin, I¡¯m a murderer.¡±


    ¡°And the difference is whether or not you get caught. You didn¡¯t get caught.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Yeah, okay. Why is it good that Yuria¡¯s dead?¡±


    ¡°It means that Yureki has most likely taken her place as she was the most popular choice for her successor, though I have my doubts about her true abilities.¡±


    ¡°Yureki¡¯s a Shade.¡±


    ¡°Still quite killable, I assure you. Come, Gatian. Let us go check on your subordinates at the very least.¡±


    ¡°You know I¡¯ll kill you if you try to fuck me over, right?¡±


    ¡°And your entire life would be thrashed before you. Should that ever happen, of course.¡±


    ¡°I can make sure it¡¯s worth it.¡±


    He paused for a moment. ¡°... You speak far too casually of throwing everything away.¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t really give a shit.¡± I scoffed. ¡°Take from me and I¡¯ll just find you, kill you, and make more things. I can be happy anywhere, I just need someone worth being happy with.¡±


    He didn''t even seem to notice my bluff. ¡°... Then what is it that you would want from joining us? Because we can offer you much.¡±


    ¡°First off, no more bullshit like this. You got something to say to me, write a note or just say it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± He seemed to be growing salty.


    ¡°Second, we take down the Char.¡±


    ¡°I was already doing-¡± He started.


    ¡°Third, Stellara gets her freedom. I fought for it once, and I¡¯ll fight for it all over again if I have to.¡±


    Johnny Donny kept giving me increasingly shitty looks. ¡°That¡¯s more up to her than either of us.¡±


    ¡°Then I don¡¯t want her killed for being led down the wrong path.¡±


    The shit was flushed from his face and a modicum of respect replaced it. ¡°Doable. I suppose you¡¯d like to order an extraction?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯d be unreasonable. The Warriors let me go because I was brainwashed into being there. Stellara chose to stay. I won¡¯t take her from a place she calls home.¡±


    ¡°You still love the woman.¡± John surmised.


    I thought about it briefly, finding an answer I was comfortable with quickly. ¡°She kept me alive when I wanted to lay down and never get back up. She helped me find out that I was being betrayed, and she¡­¡±


    ¡°She protected you and showed you love.¡± He said it like it was already obvious, like he hadn¡¯t needed to hear it at all.


    ¡°... Yeah. I owe her. At least for the kindness she showed me.¡±


    ¡°And you would owe what to whom now?¡±


    I glared at him. ¡°I owe it to my future wife to come home having been faithful to our rules the entire time I was away.¡±


    ¡°A heavy toll to bear during the tides of war, though we both know this is unlike any other.¡± He shook his head.


    ¡°... All I want is to get rid of the Char and go back home to my sweetheart, John Donne. Promise me that and I¡¯ll heal your person.¡±


    He raised a brow. ¡°I can get you home right now without worrying about any pesky problems that might pop up.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to go now, I need to go when the Char are dead and gone.¡±


    John extended a hand. ¡°Save my people from this disease and I will save the life you held in Holloway Halter. I promise you that much, Gatian Gauner.¡±


    I grasped it and shook. ¡°I¡¯ll save your people, I guess. Just point me to them.¡±


    ¡°How about I lead you there?¡±


    ¡°Are we walking into a trap?¡±


    ¡°Only if you consider altruistic obligation a trap.¡± He answered flatly.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get obligated.¡± I sighed, following as he started walking away.


    Between the sketchy situation and the sketchy flame thing that had just happened, I was looking for an opportunity to cut and run all the same after I healed his people. I didn¡¯t want to be beholden to the man in any sense, even if he¡¯d come across as genuine for a good part of the conversation. The thing was that Yuria had genuinely seemed to want to help me and now I was conversing with a man who was clearly no friend to her. However, he knew Rozana without me saying anything and knew of the music box. He knows a lot about stuff he shouldn¡¯t, however, that¡¯s usually a bad sign. Then again, I have to think of the fact that he¡¯s known where I¡¯ve been and what I¡¯ve been doing, where I¡¯ve gone and what I¡¯ve done. He¡¯s had an eye on me for a long time and just now did something when the war was in full swing. Call it auspicious timing or call suspicious, either one works.


    There were a lot of things I didn¡¯t like about the situation, but I only had so many options


    if I wanted to get back to Alana alive and keep my team from dying along with me. When we got back to the village, a party was being thrown and my subordinates were making merry like they hadn¡¯t just about died. The people of the town were wearing normal clothes at the moment, so I went over to Delmar and got his attention as soon as I walked up to him. The guy flinched at the look on my face, put down his cup, and went to get Fredea. They returned, both high off soma but pretty much okay in anyone¡¯s eyes. I still gave em¡¯ both a bonking for doing dumb shit on the job and they apologized, having found a noticeable amount of respect for me in the hours since my song made a fucking valley erupt. When they got their shit together, I had John lead us to the villages sick ward and we were asked to don masks for our own safety. Delmar and Fredea were a little worried since they hadn¡¯t known anything, but I figured that the cheers from the Riverborn when I returned was enough of a tell for either of them. If not, it wasn¡¯t my fucking problem.


    We went to the damn clinic-looking place and  I played the song I¡¯d played for Erina in Ilpturn once we got to the center of the quarantine room. Most of the place was gray or beige, but I didn¡¯t really give a shit. However, what hit me was¡­ The pure misery, the reek of decay and illness hung heavily in the air, smelling similar to the Char. As I looked around, I saw people of varying ages and both sexes as they lie in wait for an ounce of peace, and¡­ I understood whty John had been so subversive, but I still didn¡¯t approve. I could imagine myself doing something similar if I felt my options were dying as my friends and family were around me. It wasn¡¯t an obligation when I saw the level the people had been reduced to.


    As I sang and poured the compassion I did my best to keep healthy and strong out into the song, about half of the people saw damn near immediate results. I combed my mind for another healing song, but it didn¡¯t turn out to be necessary. A lot of the people just needed me to play it with a little more heart behind it, which I did as an encore when a little boy asked me to. It was a touching moment because the little bastard was obviously on his last legs. His lips were cracked and raw, even though there was balm on them, and fluid ran from sores on his face, chest, and arms. The fluid looked as though it was¡­ It was fuckin purple and gross, I¡¯ll say that much. The song healed people to the point where the sores were little more than acne scars, but it healed them all the same. I wasn¡¯t surprised, but I was happy to see that people had actually needed to be healed instead of there being some kind of trick. The tears in people¡¯s eyes, in John¡¯s eyes, were true and were full of gratitude. He¡¯d hidden it well, even from a guy who was getting to be more and more skeptical of the people around him. The anxiety on the walk back had kept him talking, and I¡¯d noticed that he seemed impatient while I was talking to my cadre. However, I hadn¡¯t put two and two together until I¡¯d seen him hugging a woman around his age and a young man who seemed to be his son. The joy they shared was enough to make the endeavor worth it, and to know that I¡¯d helped along with it meant a little to me.


    When John left his family to come talk to me, his voice was shaky and he seemed to be very close to hugging me. ¡°My dear man, whatever you need: name it and it¡¯s yours.¡±


    ¡°Are there any more sick people?¡± I asked politely.


    ¡°Across the planet, there are. We have our strongholds, but many have passed and


    would pass before you made it to their doors.¡± He shook his head. ¡°... If I¡¯d been able to convince the Council of your power before¡­ We could have saved my daughter as well.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯ll be another time for mourning. How many of the Char did I just take care of?¡±


    ¡°The Dreadnot Horde has been thinned by a margin that I would not consider unimpressive for but a single man. The mountains and valleys may very well be your playground.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± I opened up my tablet map and zoomed out. ¡°Where are they?¡±


    He looked at the map and furrowed his brow. ¡°Hm¡­ This is not a populet, is it?¡±


    ¡°Nah, just a maplet.¡±


    ¡°Semora Omniboe.¡± He pressed a finger into the gem of a ring on his hand, the red jewel glowing before adding colors and more detail in general to the map. ¡°A temporary though quite effective Arca.¡±


    ¡°What were those Archs?¡± I asked, never having head ¡®semo¡¯, ¡®omni¡¯, or ¡®boe¡¯.


    ¡°Ah, they¡¯re long lost to the River People, but your Tempestian Arch may be able cast the Arca if you¡¯re even more lucky than you seem to be.¡± I thought God was going to strike him down for calling Gum-Gum Gauner lucky. ¡°The ¡®semo¡¯ was fire, but I can only tell you that ¡®boe¡¯ is for death, and I doubt you have the alignment to properly cast it.¡±


    I made a face. ¡°Fair, I guess. What was your Arch?¡±


    ¡°Ah, they called it ¡®Man¡¯s Malice¡¯ some time ago, but I¡¯m sure you know that Archs have little to do with one¡¯s being.¡±


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t just seen your face when your family was healed, I might be tempted to get the fuck out of here.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. In any case, there are no Char or Dreadnots left in the area.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s time to get back to camp.¡± I nodded thrice.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t your regiment coming here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be-¡± I yawned hard. ¡°Fuck me.¡±


    ¡°How long have you been awake? I¡¯m sure it¡¯s been a long day or two now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s closer to three. Guess I¡¯ve just been busy.¡±


    ¡°If you want to return to your people, I will arrange a guard to escort you in case you fall asleep. The ride would not be comfortable to one fresh from the River-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve slept in wagons before, but I won¡¯t be sleeping quite yet.¡±


    ¡°Then carry on, my good man. Write a letter and send it with¡­¡± He made a face. ¡°Wait, do you have a tellette?¡±


    ¡°I do not.¡± And it was mostly because I¡¯d never wanted to get too attached to another phone-like thing as I had in my previous life.


    He pulled something that looked like a smaller version of my maplet out of his pocket. ¡°I¡¯d thought not, otherwise it would have been much easier to get you here. I¡¯m glad I came prepared.¡± He smiled and handed it to me.


    I opened it and frowned. ¡°Is this based off of Apple?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I believe some of our people have mentioned the¡­ Company, I believe. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Because it sucks.¡± It tapped the notepad icon on the screen and it opened up a small¡­ Notepad¡­ Yeah, it was straightforward, but it was no V series. ¡°At least it¡¯s user friendly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never understand some of our people and their aversion to types of technology, but I make no judgements. I¡¯m sure it works similar to something you¡¯ve used?¡±


    ¡°Do I actually have to write on it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Stupid, but I can deal with it.¡±


    He just chuckled. ¡°Then I take it that this is goodbye for now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess. You could always give me money, land, and women.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me.¡± He said flatly. ¡°It would be more trouble to you than you¡¯re willing to deal with.¡±


    ¡°... Okay. I¡¯m gonna grab my guys and go.¡±


    The expression on his face irritated me before he even spoke. ¡°One of them-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a general term.¡± I groaned, turning to leave.


    I didn¡¯t to leave right away. There were plenty of people who wanted to thank me for healing tham and I bore their praises with as much of my pride intact as I could. Even if all I had done was play a song, it helped people and they were grateful. I accepted the accolades, but they just made me uncomfortable and that stated coming across to the crowd. A man asked me if I¡¯d meant to save them and I told him that I had, making him inquire about my modesty. Being called out made my face flush furiously and I was laughed at for a few seconds before I got a hug from the boy who¡¯d asked me to play the song again earlier. I felt him slip something into my pocket and resolved to see what it was later.


    On the road back to camp, Fredea sat with me and Delmar¡¯s Hornmun seemed a lot happeir for it. I ended up checking out the little totem the boy had given me, the thing just being a carved stick with a pair of snakes in the wood. The small token of apprciation meant more to me than all of the words that had been said, so I tucked it into a pouch and carried on until we met back up with our people. Hema wanted to talk to me, but she understood that I wanted to write in my journal and rest for a bit.