Joe nodded quickly and smiled a bit, “Good. Then… a good rule of thumb. If you think or feel it’s not good, talk to me. But, remember, I threw a pretty big fit when Garnedell tried to go in and sleep with Kilniara. To me, that is rape, even if among the people here they believe that it is normal or acceptable.

“For me, people have … people can make their own choices about themselves. When you are going to do something that will affect someone else, you need their permission first. If they say yes, then go for it. That is why I had a … I couldn’t accept Garnedell having sex with Kilniara. He didn’t ask her, and she didn’t want to.

“The same thing with the cores, Zilnek. If you would have asked and you asked hard enough, I would have let you. I would have still disapproved, but I would have let you. The problem was that you didn’t ask. Does that make sense?”

The other three looked to each other but didn’t respond with any confidence, nods a bit shaky as they considered Joes words.

“OK. It looks like it still a bit confusing. This is going to take a very long time to discuss. My people took a couple thousand years to figure this stuff out, so… yeah. We’ll maybe have a discussion at dinner for a few times and see if I can’t explicate this stuff for you, OK?”

This time, all three quickly nodded, understanding easily enough.

Joe smiled and continued, “Good. So… that part is done. Now, for punishment. Like I said before, I don’t like the punishment that Garnedell explained so we’re going to do it my people’s way.

“My people would usually send you to jail or force you to repay what was lost. But, if the person who was stolen from chose to allow the other free, they could choose to do so. I also take a bit of a … well… I like to give second chances. Not everyone is able to be perfect right off the bat. So, I’ll give a second chance.

“But if it happens again, for any of you… things are not going to be as easy as this. If something new happens, I’ll be kind and will work through that as well, but as we learn together and if you know because I have taught you, I will be much stricter.

“For now, simply admit your wrong doing and ask for forgiveness. Can you do that Zilnek?”

Joe saw the three freeze at his choice of punishment and hid his smile. Obviously shocked I’m going so easy on them. Joe continued looked at Zilnek and waited, and the boy began to shake, shivering under his gaze. Joe felt a tinge of concern worm its way down his spine and almost interrupted to figure out what was going on but then Zilnek opened his mouth to speak, beginning his apology.

“Master. I’m… I am sorry. I apologize. I have… I have…,” Zilnek began to gasp, some sobs breaking through his speech, “I have… stolen from you. I am a thief… aaaAAAaaaaaargh!” Zilnek cried out at the end, pain shooting through his body and curling him into a fetal position.

Joe leapt forward, grabbing onto Zilnek, “What?! What happened? What’s going on?”

Garnedell stood to the side, an awkward look on his face while Kilniara seemed to clutch onto the side of Zilnek, tears running freely down her face.

Joe turned to Garnedell, giving up on Kilniara as he saw she was totally focused on her brother, “Garnedell! What’s going on? Why is he hurting?”

“He admitted, master.”

Joe blinked, confusion still roiling through his mind, “Yeah? So? I’ve admitted my wrongs many times. It never hurt me like this.”

Garnedell turned his eyes from Zilnek to Joe, shock stretching his eyes and mouth, “You’ve admitted crimes before?”

“Wrongs, yes. Many times.”

Kilniara was now looking at him with eyes shining in hope, and Joe looked back and forth between the two. Zilnek’s cries had ended, but he lay curled up gasping on his bed.

“I have admitted my wrongs many times, but … I never hurt like this. Please explain what’s going on.”

Garnedell and Kilniara glanced towards each other before Kilniara nodded to Garnedell and Garnedell chose to explain.

“He admitted wrong, so now he is a Thief.”

“He’s a thief? I… wouldn’t say that. He stole, but he admitted it and won’t do it again, so he’s not a thief.”

“No. He’s a Thief,” Garnedell replied emphatically, placing a certain stress on the last word.

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Joe still struggled to understand, uncomprehending, “No. He just stole once. He’s not a thief. I… wait… do you mean… his job?”

Garnedell nodded and Joe sat back down hard on his bed before standing up and walking to Zilnek.

“Zilnek. Could you show me your status?”

Zilnek rolled around a bit on his bed for a few more moments, taking a painfully long time to respond before grunting in assent as he struggled to sit up. A little while later, his status came up and Joe blinked with some shock to see it in a dark gray color. Zilnek cried out at seeing that, but again taking quite a long time to react to what he was seeing before dropping his eyes as tears began falling down his cheeks. Zilnek followed Joe’s prompts very slowly to change to his current job tab so Joe could check it out, responding, again, very slowly.

“Huh… it really did change his job to thief… I… does this do it with all the other criminal jobs?”

All three nodded, Zilnek delayed by quite a bit, and Joe sat back onto his bed. He took a moment to consider the exciting possibilities but quickly noticed Zilnek’s and Kilniara’s agitation and Garnedell’s subdued mood. His brow fell, wrinkling in consternation.

“Is this bad?” Joe asked somberly.

The other two looked up before nodding, saying nothing, Zilnek looking up and nodding almost a minute after the other two.

“How?”

Garnedell replied once again, “If he is found or others see his status, he will be arrested and thrown in jail or killed.”

“Well… shit!” Joe cursed softly but then quickly swallowed the rest of his words, “I really didn’t mean for this to happen. I never got a criminal job for admitting wrongs. Amongst my people, it is considered polite and correct to do so to those you have wronged. Oh well, no biggie. We’ll just change his job back.”

Kilniara looked up with hope, Zilnek also looking up with burning eyes while Garnedell relaxed with a relieved smile.

“Zilnek. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know this would happen. It has never happened to me. Please forgive me. I will try to be more careful in the future. We’ll go to the temples and change the job tomorrow, OK?”

But even as Joe finished his statement, Garnedell was already shaking his head, “Master. We cannot change his job at the temple.”

“Why?”

“If a priest changes a criminal’s job, they will also become a criminal and become a dark priest.”

“A dark priest?” Sweet. Another job to raise stats! Joe, however, kept his inner monologue from showing on his face and remained somber.

“Yes, master. A priest who changes a criminal job will become a dark priest.”

Joe thought for a bit, mind rumbling through possibilities. Well, this is not a cool complication. Joe’s mind meandered, lost from the solution but then realized he did have an option. Huh… just get the priest job. Get the job change skill. Assign ‘char:’ to it and level it to a hundred percent so I can use it even with another job. Then I can just change his jobs, get my dark priest job, then use my job change skill to change my job back to a non-criminal one. After I’m not a criminal, then I can use my priest job again, right? Maybe?

Joe nodded, plan worked out and smiled at the other three, “Well… this really sucks, but don’t worry. I think I’ve figured it out, OK? It will take… it will take a long time. Sorry Zilnek, but you can just upgrade this job until I get you your job back, OK?”

Zilnek was now no longer crying but a smile bloomed on his face several minutes later as he quickly dropped to his knees and bowed deeply once again, “Thank you, master. Thank you. Truly, thank you!”

Kilniara was still crying, but now tears of joy spilled down her cheeks as she looked at her brother and watched on.

Joe quickly reached down and pulled Zilnek back up, “Zilnek. I’m… really... I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I did not know this would happen. I will do everything I can to return you to a non-criminal job, OK?”

Joe pulled Zilnek into an embrace after he’d pulled him up, and he felt Zilnek tense in his embrace, but Joe simply held him, expressing sorrow and hope. After a bit, he pushed Zilnek back and clasped his hands on Zilnek’s shoulders.

“Don’t worry. We’ll fix this.”

Joe then looked to the other three, smiling, but then felt his smile drop when he noticed the other two staring at him awkwardly.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Joe asked Kilniara and Garnedell.

Neither of the two spoke, looking away from him.

“Come on, guys. I … Look, I already made a mistake with Zilnek tonight. I don’t want to make another mistake. Please tell me what’s going on.”

Kilniara looked away, red staining her cheeks, refusing to talk. Garnedell looked to her a few times, seeming to plead with her to speak before looking to Joe, “Master… we… would you like us to leave you and Zilnek alone tonight?”

“Why?” confusion painted Joe’s face before realization hit him like a truck and he quickly shook his head, “NO! No no no no no! No. You got it all wrong. I… we… I was just offering comfort. Do men not hug men here?”

The other two looked to each other, “Nobody hugs as you did… except maybe whores… or… loose … um… those seeking sexual… ah… sex.”

Joe huffed a laugh, shaking his head before continuing, “No. I’m not looking for sex. This…” Joe sighed deeply and restarted.

“My people hug as a sign of comfort and love. It can be sexual. But it can also simply be one of friendship. I even hug to say good bye to friends or family when I am leaving.”

The other three looked amongst themselves and Joe quickly interjected to Zilnek, “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I was trying to bring you comfort. It is how my people do it. I am … I’m definitely not seeking sex with you. I don’t… I’m not… Let’s just say I really only like women. I…,” Joe ended with a sigh and a shake of his head, “Zilnek. I like you as a friend and nothing more. I’m not interested that way.”

All three faces turned red and they turned away from him and Joe sighed with a shocked chuckle, turning back to his bed.

“Right. Tonight has been… insane. Let’s… let’s just go to bed, OK?”

The other three nodded, not really looking at him, just as much as Joe was keeping his gaze averted from them.

Joe readied himself for bed and Kilniara scrambled from the room quickly as he began to disrobe. Joe and Ganredell were settled into bed by the time Zilnek began preparing for bed, taking much longer to begin. It was quiet for a few moments, but then the two boys began talking and Kilniara joined in shortly as the three began chatting amongst one another excitedly, although Joe grimaced at Zilnek’s painfully slow responses, although Kilniara and Garnedell seemed to take Zilnek’s slow response in stride easily enough. Joe fell asleep to the soft sound of excited, if exhausted, apprentices.