Kilniara looked back up at him and smiled softly, “You are a very kind and good man… and a good master. Apprentices should not ask of their master. It is… not considered appropriate.”

Joe sighed, “That might make sense if I knew about Acokzau and fairy and… dwarves and elves and… whatever else there are, but… I don’t so how can I know what to do for you?”

Kilniara’s smile grew, “A good man. I told you.”

Joe snorted, “Well… help this good man out to do good things so I don’t stupidly leave someone without or leave your brother frozen.”

Kilniara shook her head, “We do not freeze easily. It is not comfortable, but we are not weak to the cold like the base are.”

Joe raised an eyebrow at that, “You can … survive freezing?”

Kilniara looked up at him and smiled softly, “If we are prepared enough, we can. It takes… effort and it is quite uncomfortable.”

Joe nodded, impressed, “Still very cool! Very cool!”

Kilniara beamed in excitement, grinning with a hint of mockery, “I’m glad I can impress such a great eccentric as you.”

Joe smirked, “Haha… funny.”

Kilniara’s grin turned to laughter, “It was… wasn’t it.”

Joe rolled his eyes and the two fell silent for a time, quiet and enjoying each other’s companionship. They remained like this for a time before Joe spoke again.

“Well, remind Zilnek to get a deep stone tonight. I’ll cover paying for it.”

Kilniara smiled up at him, “Thank you.”

She then looked over at her brother then began giggling again, “Although I wonder if he will still want one. I believe he has found one better.”

Joe glanced over to see what she was looking at and then followed her eyes to the two boys cuddled up on the bunk bed and Joe’s own smile grew, a soft chuckle echoing out from deep in his chest. The two fell silent again for a time and then Joe turned to Kilnaira.

“So. How can I help you set up for this independent new life you’ve chosen?”

Kilniara looked up at him then her smile grew to a bright grin and she nodded, “How do you wish to help?”

“Well. What do you want to do?”

“I would like to be an adventurer.”

Joe’s eyebrows went up slightly but his grin grew, “You want to keep fighting? I thought you wanted to be an alchemist.”

Kilniara’s grin turned sly, “You only fight for half a day. I can be an alchemist in the afternoons and evening and hunt for my own cores and materials in the morning.”

Joe’s grin melded to one of pride and he nodded, “An alchemist still? OK. You want to sell your materials?”

Kilniara’s grin grew greater then paused in thought, “Possibly. But I would prefer to use the majority to help in my adventuring.”

“Ooh… ok. That sounds good.”

Kilniara nodded, “Yes, but I’ll need my own alchemy station to do so.”

Joe nodded, “OK. Then… you’ll want to get your own place?”

She quickly shook her head, “No. Not yet. It will take a long time before I am able to become an alchemist and even longer to practice to become useful, let alone proficient in the art.”

“OK. That… seems wise. How long does it take to become proficient?”

Kilniara paused at that, looking a bit fearful. Joe noticed and quickly shook his head and hand.

“No… no… calm down. I’m just helping you plan.”

Kilniara’s worry faded at that and she nodded, “I’m… not sure I really know. But it is quite a long time.”

Joe nodded, “I would think so. Should you find a teacher?”

Kilniara’s eyes winded at that, a smile forming on her lips, “If… it is possible. Getting an alchemist here, though…”

“Difficult?”

Kilniara snorted, “We are the tip of the tail here.”

Joe’s eyes knit, “Tip of the tail?”

Kilniara noticed his confusion and pulled her tail up in front of them before pointing to the tip of her tail, “The tip of the tail. The end of nowhere. The last place of any meaning.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Joe quickly got the idiom and smiled, nodding with a smirk, “Ahh… right. The butt crack of nowhere.”

“The butt… crack.. the butt crack…?”

A wave of mana burst outward and Kilniara’s confused expression immediately transformed to horror, then humor, then disgust, then finally humor again before she stared up at Joe with shocked disbelief, “That cannot be common saying amongst your people?!”

Joe smiled, “True. It’s actually the ass crack of nowhere.”

The eruption of mana occurred again and Kilniara’s disbelief turned to shocked dismay before shifting to humor, “Your people… I… I used to respect them, but… now…”

Joe’s eyebrows shot up that before a massive grin formed on his face, “Are you taking a shot at my ancestors?!”

Kilniara looked up at him cautiously with a hint of a smile that grew when she saw his good humor and the smile quickly blossomed into a smirk. Joe looked back and shook his head, laughing at her and the two settled for a time before Joe shifted slightly. Kilniara pulled back to allow him to move before quickly shuffling right back into his side with a soft sigh of relief for his warmth. They remained like this for another few moments in silent before Joe began again.

“So, then… what else? Do you need help moving?”

Kilniara cocked her head, “Moving?”

“Carrying stuff to your new place.”

“Carrying… I have nothing to carry.”

Joe’s good humor evaporated at that and he looked over at her with some concern but she simply continued looking at him with confusion. Joe quickly realized she wasn’t offended nor was she really understanding what he’d said and he considered explain, but stopped himself. Right… explain how my people have so much stuff normally they need to stuff an entire massive moving vehicle to just go from one place to another. All she has is a couple changes of clothing. Everything in a single small tote bag…

Joe smiled at her, “Just trying to help.”

Her smile grew at that and she looked up at him before nodding, “Then, my thanks. But I will be able to care for myself.”

Joe nodded, “Then when would you like to move?”

“After the dungeon run today?”

Joe cocked her head at that, “After?”

She nodded, “Mm… I still want to fight and grow. I don’t want to miss the fight with you.”

Joe paused at that, deeply considering, “So then… you want to join my team?”

She looked up at him with a grin then faltered as she noticed his serious face. Her face grew pensive, “Yes? Is that not…”

Joe grimaced and looked away, “I… give me a moment.” This… is it really any different? How would … His frown deepened and he continued his thoughts, a similar sense of unease as before arising from within him and he ground his teeth as he considered. He sighed deeply then looked back at her.

“If there is no change to our relationship, then…”

She quickly shook her head, “We would be partners. Half of what we make goes to me.”

Joe’s eyebrow rose at that, a frowning smirk, “Half?”

“Of course. There are two of us.”

“Two?”

“Yes.”

“And Garnedell and Zilnek mean nothing?”

She frowned at that, “They are your apprentices and your responsibility.”

“And bring double your fire power. If all four of us attack and kill, bringing in cores. My team and I bring in three cores to your one. But you wish one for one instead of one for three?”

Kilniara frowned at that, “They are your responsibility.”

Joe felt a grin forming, “Yup. Then we will go alone.”

Her eyes widened at that, a small sense of panic shifting in and she quickly looked at him. When she noticed his grin, she grimaced and slapped him again.

“You… not fair.”

Joe snorted, “What is not fair is asking one for one when you should only receive one for three.”

Kilniara sighed and looked up at him, “But I need to practice bargaining.”

Joe nodded at that, “Ahh… that makes sense. Excellent. Then… for each practice, you will owe me one core.”

Her eyebrows shot through her hairline and she began sputtering, “What!? No. How is that fair? How… that isn’t how …”

Joe nodded, “I understand. We can take what you owe out of each days haul.”

Her eyes widened and she quickly sat up, squaring against him, spluttering while waving a hand at the two sleeping boys, “You charge them nothing!?”

Joe’s grin turned evil, “They are my apprentices.”

Her spluttering erupted anew, continuing for a time until she finally paused and deflated. She stared at him then snorted.

“You really are an evil man. Kukurnal is right. A son of Plutus and Saga. How… What… How…”

She finally ended with a huff and sat back, staring at him. Joe grinned and smiled at her. Her anger slowly faded and a soft reluctant smile began to form on her face before she wacked him with an fist against his shoulder.

“No fair.”

“You’re right. What you offered was completely unfair.”

She grimaced, growling before turning away and slamming back down on the sofa to sit with her back against the wall, but a bit distant from him and he chuckled softly before draping an arm around her. He pulled her in as she struggled against him for a bit before finally sighing and snuggling back up against him. Joe pulled up the blanket and draped it back over her to hold the warmth in. They fell silent for a moment at that until Joe began again.

“Don’t worry. It’s fair you get your share. But it’s not half!”

She looked back up at him with a huff and a frown, “I had to try.”

Joe chuckled, “Maybe try something that’s a bit more realistic.”

She sighed and leaned into his side at that and then began to truly melt back into him, “I do not understand how to do this.”

Joe smiled, “And that is why you must experience it.”

She fell silent at that for a moment before nodding and accepting his statement. They remained silent and allowed the camaraderie to grow. As their silence continued, Joe turned ever inward and was soon perusing his mana and mana points once again. His points began spinning everywhere and sending out spurts of mana in rather random directions and locations. He made sure to not really spurt it at Kilniara, not too sure what effect it would have or what the cultural mores were about mana usage in this way but wasn’t too concerned. After all, Garnedell had spurted his mana at him and he’d done the same to Garnedell the whole time and Garnedell seemed unbothered by it. The morning continued, Kilniara at his side and comfortable to simply rest there.

Suddenly, Kilniara shivered at his side and turned towards him, wrapping her arm around him in a side hug before reaching her head up to press a kiss against his neck. Joe blinked out of his mana practice and shuddered a bit, feeling the cool press of her lips against his neck. He paused, enjoying it before looking down at her. She looked up at him with burning eyes.

“Joe,” she spoke with a burning passion that snapped right through him straight passed his defenses. He shuddered.

They stared at one another for a time, both looking into each other’s eyes as their breathing grew more ragged and rapid. She came forward cautiously, seeking his approval and he wrestled with the moment for a bit before deciding a kiss, just a kiss…

Their lips pressed against one another and time lost all meaning. Joe found himself simply enjoying her presence, both physical and spiritual, pressed up against one another in a depth that Joe found mentally shattering. His caution that he’d so carefully restored evaporated beneath the blazing heat of Kilniara’s passion that seemed to grow even faster than Joe realized.