Kari returned and apologized by the next morning. She even sought out Nadia and apologised to her for her earlier attitude.
Cas was unable to enjoy the triumph, however.
After all, Kari’s actions were quite forced by her position. For all practical purposes, she was at Cas’s disposal and had nowhere she could turn to. Cas was left feeling that she should have reached out before Kari returned, but things had already fallen into place around her before she could act.
A new routine had developed in Cas’ household.
Nadia was – for the first time in her life – busy with something. Today was the start of the week-long birthday that had been prepared for her, and – lacking any experience in scheduling – her visits to their place were often very late and irregular.
This left Cas and Kari alone together, and their interactions had turned icy and awkward at every turn.
Cas, for her part, did decide to save Nadia from her fate, and although she had made up her mind to accept the girl into her house… for some reason she procrastinated on announcing it to anyone.
She wasn’t sure why she did this. Perhaps it was because of the recent fight with Kari that had rattled her, or simply uncertainty as to how to go about it, but it remained that the only people in the village that knew of her plans to save the girl were Kari and Cas herself.
Nadia, for her part, whenever she did visit, never brought up the subject of her staying. Apparently embarrassed at the show she’d made, everyone in the household pretended her request had never happened, and they were all quite happy to talk of the most inconsequential things whenever she did visit.
Of course, Nadia – pulled in a hundred directions by the preparations for her birthday – could only visit for a few scattered hours throughout the day, and she seemed to be wearing a new outfit every time she did.
Her latest visit had been in a brand new shawl decorated with wild-flowers that had been organized tastefully around the collar.
“So… yeah!” she concluded with a smile as bright as the winter-flowers poking up against her cheeks. “Mom said everyones invited to the day party, and there’s going to be drinks and… oh!” she said as if remembering something she’d been told was important, “there’s going to be a give away of Kamari powder for the first visitors! Everyone’s invited, and you’re part of everyone, so…”
The girl let the sentence die there, looking down abashedly at her toe, which dug a trench in the dirt.
“I’d love to visit,” Cas answered serenely, hating herself for still not finding the right way to tell the girl she was saved.
“I’ll be busy,” Kari answered politely, if a little too immediately.
“Oh!” Nadia’s smile was halfway between gladness and disappointment. “Well… I’ll see you there, then!”
With that, she took her leave, and once again Cas was left to face the dreadful reality of being left alone with Kari.
Cas felt no ill will towards the girl! She just didn’t know what to say, as Kari immediately turned and went about cleaning the clay cups for the third time that day.
Cas raised a stalk, attempting to think of something she could say before giving up and heading to the door.
Perhaps she’d visit the party early. It was probably best to give Kari some alone time before forcing a talk, she decided.
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The economy of the village was an alien one.
Being so isolated, and dependent on a single water source, the important daily commodity in this place was survival.
It wasn’t the desperate starvation one might have imagined. The villagers, despite their deprivation, had planned their society quite meticulously. Every household had exactly the amount of food they needed, and not a morsel more.
This ride on the edge between starvation and sustenance showed itself in a thousand ways.
For one, the people here never took food for granted.
Mealtime was at noon, and every child and man rushed home to stare at the cooking fire like it was the latest episode of a soap opera, and what few mealtimes Cas had been invited to showed her just how much a group of people could talk about the coming meal without getting bored of the conservation.
Whenever they ate, they licked their bowls clean.
It was quite different to Cas’ experience of staring at a packed fridge and giving up on fad diets.
So, naturally, all parties were potlucks, and Kari could see the tower of smoke that rose up from the village square before she’d even left her yard.
Once she’d approached closer, she could see that several apothecaries had been hired to maintain a series of still flames around the well, where an abundance of people crowded around to stick their eclectic kebabs into the flames like smores.
Well… perhaps pot-luck was the wrong word, Cas gathered as several people argued in the line to the cooking fire. Bring your own meal, seemed more appropriate, to tell by how reluctant anyone was to share their meals, unless of course they thought they could make a winning trade with their neighbor, that was.
A familiar face stood out in the distance.
Nadia, by now bedecked with an entire garden’s worth of flowers, sat on a makeshift throne made out of woven grass atop a nearby hill.
Her natural state was an advantage to the adage, “smile and wave”, which she executed to perfection, whenever any of the myriad crowd clamored for her attention.
To the side of the whole affair, a band of farmers played a myriad of reed instruments in accompaniment with chanting vocals. To tell by how little they enjoyed themselves as they sat stiffly to the side, they’d obviously been hired to perform their duties.
And that was the other strange thing about this village. Money was a non-starter here, and no one was allowed to have more than they needed of food – the only truly vital commodity – but still, some people here were wealthier than others.
This was obvious, to tell by the size of the party Nadia’s mother had been able to organize.
Cas wondered for a moment who that woman was, and what she might have which could have incentivised so many people to gather.
Vaguely, she recalled that promises of free drinks and Kamari powder.
Kamari powder… that term reminded her of something right before the a cloud of the valuable material burst into the air before her.
Through her coughs, the stylish woman that had bumped into her apologized, rubbing at her eyes. “Oh, look at me!” she chastised herself, “already thirty and still not looking where I’m going. Oh, but please, have a chalice of Kamari powder for visit- oh!”
Tami’s eyes flashed open once she got a look at the person she was attempting to gift Tamari powder to… that is to say, the same person who’d given it to her in the first place.
Cas, for her part, was too surprised to be annoyed, though the flush of embarrassment that took the woman’s face was gratifying.
“Oh! Great Sage! How wonderful of you to visit!” she bowed deeply, discreetly hiding away the clay chalice of Kamari powder in her veil.
“Uh, huh…” Cas intoned. “I’m glad to visit. Though, I can’t help but be surprised to see you giving away what you worked so hard to have me make.”
Tami quickled looked askance before answering. “Well, you were an exceedingly generous Sage to give the amount that you did. What sort of person might I be if I didn’t follow your example and give out my riches freely?” She spoke with an affected regality, naturally rising to take an angelic pose with her words.
Cas… wasn’t buying it.
“Freely?” Cas questions. “You mean, freely as long as everyone shows up to this party and does what you say?” she gestured to the musicians at the side.
“Well,” Tami shrugged casually, “nothing in this world is truly free.”
Shameless, Cas thought, though she couldn’t help ignoring that thought for a far more pertinent realization.
“You’re Nadia’s mother, then?” Cas asked.
“Ohaha!” Tami let out a truly embarrassed laugh that left Cas feeling a bit rude at having asked. “Well… I suppose one could say that, yes. She’s my daughter.” Tami waffled about the point a bit before recollecting her usual composure and playing the perfect hostess. “It means so much to me that you’d take the time to visit my daughter’s birthday. I hope you’ll make a habit of that over this week. We have so much planned!”
“Oh, perhaps,” Cas attempted to avoid the woman’s piercing gaze. “I actually just came to stop by. I should be leaving soon-”
“Oh, nonsense,” Tami interrupted, reaching out to reflexively grasp Cas’ hand before realizing the Sakkari lacked such an appendage to be controlled by. Recollecting herself, she coughed and continued, “you absolutely must stay until dinner proceedings. You’re my new guest of honor, after all!”
“Oh, but I really-”
“Oh, very well,” Tami said with a tone of painful acquiescence. “I won’t ask you to stay the night, but you must at least say hi to the birthday girl. It’s the least custom you could observe.”
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Cas… really did not want to talk to Nadia at the moment, and quickly looked for any avenue of escape.
As if sensing her trepidation, Tami quickly leapt in with a soothing note in her voice. “Oh, if I must bribe you. How about this? I understand you’re always on the look out for rare plants to study. Well, if you’ll look over there…”
Tami gestured to her daughter sitting on the straw throne, as well as the vibrant bouquet that rose about her head like a stiff collar.
“You’ll see,” Tami noted, “the bright blue flower on the armrest. It’s not pressed,” she said with a sort of bragging tone, “it’s a winter daisy. It’s one of the few that sprouted this season, and I can promise it’s the only one that anyone’s been given permission to cut. You won’t find an opportunity to study a flower like that for a long time, I can promise you that.
“So, why don’t you just stay for a short five minutes, and I can promise that delightful flower will be yours to take.”
Despite her colorblindness, Cas could pick out the winter daisy from the other flowers. It had a life and vibrancy lacking in the others that had been dried and pressed like museum pieces. A short glance at her material’s sheet confirmed to Cas that she’d never tasted that flower… and she’d always been a completionist about such things.
Besides, winter flowering plants were often very unique things.
And, it wasn’t like she was eager to go back to the awkwardness with Kari, in either case.
Slowly, over the course of Tami’s precisely presented speech, Cas found herself swayed enough to acquiesce, “maybe for just five minutes.”
It was a hesitant agreement from Cas’ end, but the smile that adorned Tami’s features in response was sweet, like a spider that had caught its prey.
…
And so, Cas spent the next few hours failing to extricate herself from the series of meetings with important personages and dinners and talks that Tami – whether by promises or social pressure – endlessly managed to include her into.
It was a learning experience for Cas everytime she managed to find an avenue of escape and Tami so deftly closed it off for her.
She realized. Tami was rich – if she could be called rich — not because of any abundance of Tamari powder, but rather because of a peculiarly developed talent the woman had for getting other people to do as she pleased.
And currently, much to Cas’s chagrin, she was pleased to have The Great Sage attending her party perpetually.
Still, social niceties or no, Cas had gotten her flower, and she was quite determined to leave.
“Oh, but won’t you please stay just a little longer?” Tami begged assiduously, crouching down as she followed the slime at her slow pace.
“No,” Cas said tiredly, having had enough payment for the day, “I don’t believe there’s anything more for me to do here. Thank you for your hospitality,” turning her eye back around to leave.
“Oh, but you won’t have to do anything at all!” Tami assured. “I apologize if I’ve worked you too hard, but the party is beginning, now, and I can promise you’ll be free to enjoy yourself. Besides, I’ve prepared something for you-”
“Trust me, I’ve had enough preparations for one day,” Cas said, absolutely certain that nothing promised could convince her to stay a second longer.
The knowing smile Tami threw back at her seemed amused at her certainty.
“Oh?” she lifted a pretty finger to press against her chin. “But I’d heard you were looking to train your Aura. Sin is meant to replace one of the flute players tonight, but I could give him special dispensation to train you instead. What with him living so far away, I’m sure this would be a rare and prized opportunity.”
Apparently, Nadia’s penchant for smiles was hereditary, to tell by the comfortable, arrogant, kindly smile that graced Tami’s overconfident face.
It was as if she were already certain of her victory. It was an arrogance that Cas could hardly stand. It was an astounding display of obliviousness to haughty conceit that was nevertheless absolutely justified as Cas deflated and asked:
“When is he due to arrive?”
Tami rose up in a chipper clap. “Oh, who can say with that man. I’m certain he’ll arrive by the end of the day, though. Until then, you wouldn’t mind meeting with-”
And so the rest of Cas’s day went like a puppet show, dancing on the marionette strings Tami had planned out for her until, like a bastion, Sin arrived, and Tami – ever a woman of her promises – provided her a surprisingly natural escape from the conversation they’d been having with the Fari elder.
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Cas, after her twentieth rep, dropped the stone boulder with a soft thud.
“Ok,” Sin nodded, apparently pleased with the progress of her strength training, and said the words which Cas had – in the back of her mind – been salivating to hear.
“Strength training,” alone, had done a lot for the Sakkari in her.
Increasing base strength from 2 to 3 might have looked unimpressive on paper, but the resultant changes were well worth it.
Her body, for one, felt… firmer, and rather than flattening against the force of gravity, rose up into a more spherical form whenever she let herself relax.
Shape change improved as well. The skill didn’t level up, but the shapes she created were crisper in their detail, and more resistant to deformation, tougher.
It made her wonder exactly what it was she trained when she lifted the boulder. She didn’t have muscles that could be encouraged to grow. In fact, all she’d ever done when lifting the boulder was shape change her stalks to a new location against resistance. Perhaps that encouraged her shape-change ability to develop more.
It was something she’d have to study more… later, because right now Cas was – as previously attested to by her salivating thoughts, obsessed with learning about Aura manipulation.
Now, of course, both aura manipulation and training shape change were fascinating topics with many undiscovered mysteries about them. However, Cas was – for the moment – more interested in Aura manipulation because…
Well, come on, it was Aura manipulation! You know, raise your hand, glow blue, go pew pew and blow up rocks with your mind kind of aura manipulation. Cas spent the entirety of her Siablo III career playing casters for a reason! That regenerating, blue MP bar was the lifeblood of all the fun she’d had in the game. So, despite the fascinating questions that arose about how slimes grew stronger, Cas was at the moment busy trying not to explode into hysterics at the idea of learning actual magical, woo-woo super-power stuff!
“Teach me, teach me, teach me, teachmeteachme, me, me!” Cas hounded at Sin’s shins, circling him like an over excited roomba.
Emphasis on trying.
Sin took the demands with his usual good humor, and – after Cas had been calmed down and the class room set – the man stood in the center a makeshift circle he’d drawn in the ground.
The circle was four paces wide, and Sin walked around it, dragging a foot along the border to deepen the trench.
Coming to the start and end of the process, nodding with a satisfied expression at the stage he’d set for himself, Sin stepped over the border and took a stand.
Normally, Sin was a magnet for the audience of children that followed him around. Even now, twenty paces distant, a half-hearted game of marbles had been set up by the village children, who pretended to play even as they stared over at the natural spectacle that was Sin.
Tami, ever the gracious hostess, had done something which kept the children from approaching closer and disturbing the lesson, though it seemed even her charming ways weren’t enough to keep Cas completely isolated, as even some of the adult men decided to take their smoke breaks within easy listening distance of the man.
Apparently, it wasn’t just Cas that felt excited at seeing the aura lesson.
Cas found all of this interesting, and broached the man – who’d been getting ready to start his lesson.
“Do they not know how to manipulate aura either?” Cas asked, growing a stalk in the direction of the sparse crowd that had developed, keeping her voice low so as not to let them hear.
“Ha!” Sin let out a boistrous laugh. “I doubt there’s a babe alive that doesn’t know how to use their Aura. You’re quite the exception here, Cas. However, some people are better than others, and I’m the best there ever was!” he gestured to himself with a proud smile. “Besides, lady Tami has convinced the lot of these dogs to hold a wrestling competition. I gather they’re here to see if they can spot any weaknesses.”
Sin laughed boldly over at the men, most of whom looked away and pretended to find sudden stains on their smoke pipes that needed wiping.
It was a funny sight, but Cas wasn’t in the mood to laugh.
She was excited to learn, of course, but there was a certain severity to her emotion that didn’t allow her to take any part of this frivolously, because Aura manipulation was a serious, serious priority for her, and Cas wasn’t willing to take it for granted.
With that familiar tinge of focus whenever she prepared for a lesson, Cas honed in on Sin and his makeshift stage. The chattering children and smokey men in her periphery faded away, and Cas was all focus.
And Cas wasn’t merely attentive, of course. In her, she had the decade of intense schooling, from her undergraduate to her post graduate career, wherein she’d spent her time learning to learn as it were, picking all the tricks for being an effective student.
“Well,” Cas smiled and took her ready seat, saying to Sin, “I’m glad to have the opportunity to learn from such a renowned expert.”
The most useful of these lessons was, of course, to flatter your supervisor first thing in the morning.
“Oh, great Sage, you’re too kind,” Sin almost blushed, quickly returning to his more professional stance, “but onto the lesson.”
Lifting a leg, sin dropped into a shoulder-width stance in the center of his ring.
“Sage, It’s clear you’ve grown strong enough to begin touching your soul.”
Sin looked straight ahead as he spoke the words, chanting them as if they were an oft repeated formula. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, his words seemed to match his energy, which Cas could suddenly feel! It was a thrumming, white hot energy that resonated with her own and – looking closely – she could see that Sin looked brighter all of a sudden, as if an invisible halo flashed around his silhouette.
The scene in its totality felt holy to Cas.
Sin spoke in that prescribed, chanting, staccato rhythm. All the while, that invisible light was growing, spreading like great wings on either side of his figure, and Cas felt all of this as she’d never felt any lesson before.
Immediately, she felt embarrassed at having attempted to apply her scholastic experience to this.
She didn’t know how, but Cas could feel that this… this wasn’t a lesson that could be learned by analysis and memorization.
“Cas,” Sin spoke her name for the first time, drawing her from her reverie. “Can you hear me?”
“I can hear you,” Cas attempted to match his formal language. She could feel the energy, and intuitively guessed that there was a simple totality to the whole thing. She remembered all those Zen Koan’s she’d never understood, about how the truth was nothing, and was to be understood intuitively, without discursive thought!
She remembered all that Taoist sage advice she relied upon whenever she failed to study for an exam.
‘The right effort was no effort. The right understanding was not attempting to understand!’
“Cas. Listen carefully now,” Sin prepared.
“Yes,” Cas whispered hoarsely, ready to receive that riddle, that simple, elegant spark of knowledge that would unlock all her potential at once!
“Channeling one’s aura… is a simple, eight-step process.” Sin spoke suddenly, maintaining that liturgical voice which echoed regally – sounding more like the fitness-gram pacer test, now, for some reason.
Cas immediately woke up from her dreams of enlightenment.
“Pardon?” she asked with an innocent voice.