* * *
Kilniara settled on her bed with an excited buzz rippling through her body as her brother stayed behind and Master left with Garnedell to bathe. The two settled on the bed and Zilnek looked to her with excitement.
“Did he accept you? Is he yours?”
“He asked to court me. I’m… surprised. Despite his power, he seems naïve… at least when dealing with women.”
“He asked… Truly!? You must do everything in your power to take him as yours! Are you the first or does he have other wives?”
“Given his great power and skill, how could he not? But… I have not asked, and he has… he is strange.”
Zilnek stopped at that, seeming to be taken aback, “Is he… unsuitable?”
Kilniara quickly shook her head, “No. Certainly not. He is simply… he is…”
“Has he harmed you? Or done anything…”
“Zilnek! No!” Kilniara abruptly interrupted her brother, “He is … he seems too kind and sincere. It is strange for him to be … a master of such great power.”
Zilnek’s eye’s narrowed at this, “You believe he deceives?”
“All people do so and attempt to hide their true strength, embellishing. Master is likely no different, but do you truly believe his strength is not real? Have you not seen him fighting? He cleared a dungeon, only a simple dungeon, true, but he did it alone all while protecting us the entire time!”
Zilnek’s doubt quickly disappeared once again as he sighed and nodded his head slowly, but said nothing. Kilniara took his silence to continue.
“Have you ever heard of a Master who clears dungeons alone?”
At this, Zilnek shook his head firmly, agreeing with his sister, “That only means it is more important than ever that you claim him.”
Kilniara was uncertain this time, seeming to squirm a bit.
“Why are you so reluctant! A chance like this almost never comes! You know this as well as I. Grasping onto him and holding on would only increase your position and gain you everything. You think that tailors would ever reach even his shoelaces? He is enamored of you. Take it and tie him to you as best as you can.”
Kilniara looked up and found herself sighing this time, “He is… sincere and sweet in his affection of me.”
“And that makes it only easier for you to claim him. And if you are first wife, your position is unassailable: first and holding his affection!”
“But I am also …”
Zilnek seemd a bit confused but then widened his eyes in understanding, slightly shocked, “You fancy him as well? I can only be happy for you, but do not let yourself be blinded by your emotions. Do not let him control you.”
Kilniara nodded her head, grimacing slightly, “But, I told you. He is sincere.”
“Good. It will be easier for you.”
“I could simply be sincere in return.”
“That only comes with long years of knowing one another, you know that as well as I. Remember what mother and father taught us!”
Kilniara sighed, nodding her head, “Please caution me then, brother.”
“I will, but you are already quite wise”
Kilniara smiled at Zilnek’s compliment, smiling, “You seem almost more excited than…”
Kilniara cut off her statement when she heard Joe speaking, “Sorry, Garnedell. I didn’t mean to pig the bath. It’s all yours.”
Kiliniara looked at Zilnek before both caught each other’s eyes and broke out into stifled giggles.
“Pig the bath? Where does Master come up with these phrases?”
Zilnek shook his head in reply, gasping to keep in his laugh but saying nothing. Both continued giggling for another few moments before calming and the two found each other smiling and enjoying a moment of familial peace they hadn’t had for a long time.
Zilnek’s smile grew to a smirk, “Excited he might come join you tonight?”
Kilniara’s entire face flushed a deep red and she swept up a pillow and swiped it at her brother, “Out! You need to take your nightly worship of Enki. I’ll invite him to spend time with me this evening, but he will not spend the night. He has already said he wished to be certain of our feelings and compatibility before he allows things to continue to a deeper level.”
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This actually seemed to surprise Zilnek and he took a moment to reply, “Hmm… maybe you are right. He does seem a bit different.”
Kilniara nodded at that without reply.
Zilnek remained in thought for some time before replying, “Maybe, you are right. Try… maybe try sincerity, but please be careful.”
Kilinara’s smile blossomed brightly at that and she nodded, “Yes!”
Zilnek smiled in reply before waving as he left the room and Kilniara quickly turned away from the door so she couldn’t look into the room full of bathing men.
“Bye. Good luck.”
* * *
Joe had finished changing his clothes and was relaxing on his bed when Zilnek had come back from his sister’s room, telling him Kilniara wanted to talk to him. Joe hadn’t thought much of it at first, simply because Zilnek had made no big deal out of it, only passing on information. It wasn’t until Joe was in her room that he realized that he’d probably missed quite a few cultural cues that his American friends would have added, such as a lilting tone teasing him of her request or a waggle of the eyebrows to hint at something more.
When he came into the room, Kilniara was sitting on her bed but he could already see a flushing blush across her entire face as she nervously sat there with her head turned slightly away. Joe clenched, feeling his nerves roiling in an even war with excitement. He didn’t say anything, nor move too close, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall and the door open enough that the other two would be able to easily see him, if not her. Might as well save her privacy, but don’t want to be unseen.
“So, did you need something or just want some company.”
Kilniara looked up at Joe’s comment and smiled shyly before nodding, “Company would be nice.”
Joe smiled back, “That would be nice.”
Joe sat for several moments, fidgeting for a conversation before just asking her to tell him about life in the city. It let him get to know her more and soon several hours had passed in the night, the sun long setting and the night now a strange muted bright twilight caused by the reflecting gas giant above them which seemed to be absurdly bright while still making things very difficult to see. At one point in their conversation, Kilniara had asked him to join her on her bed, but he’d declined and countered with her joining him at his side. She gladly accepted and sat beside him, taking his hand a few moments after sitting at his side and clasping it a bit awkwardly in two hands until Joe laid it down on his knee and the two simply dwelled in the feeling of holding and being held. She soon relaxed into it and even seemed to enjoy it, although Joe could only guess from her actions.
The conversation meandered without any guidance and soon they found themselves sleepy, Joe feeling sleepy much faster than Kilniara. He didn’t know how long he’d rested against the wall, but he found himself jerking away when he felt his head slip to the side and he came to, finding Kilniara’s head resting against his shoulder and her somehow tucked up under his arm.
His quickened breathing calmed when he realized all was well, then quickly quickened again when he realized he had a beautiful, if unusual, woman pressed up against his side. He allowed himself to simply enjoy the moment for a bit before sitting up cautiously and stretching while trying to keep from moving her as much as possible. He soon found a crick in his neck and an ache that wasn’t pleasant in his shoulder blades and upper back.
Stifling a groan, he knew he wouldn’t be enjoying a pleasant sleep tonight, but couldn’t keep staying on the ground as that would only exacerbate his back pain. He stood carefully and pulled Kilniara up into his chest easily enough, finding her quite light for her height, proving his first impressions of her: she was incredibly lithe. As he picked her up, he did almost stumble once as her tail caught him by surprise, slightly throwing off her weight; quite a bit different from what he was expecting. Slipping her into her bed proved easy enough, surprisingly, as his strength proved more than enough for the job, although it was unpleasant as he had to lean over with her in his arms as he pulled her blanket down.
With great care, as she was still asleep, he slid her into her bed, slipping her head softly onto her pillow before slipping his hands out and settling her on her side. What the heck am I going to do with her tail anyway? I wouldn’t think it would be that comfortable, right, lying on her back? Joe then straightened her arms and legs cautiously, a tricky proposition seeing as he didn’t want to touch anywhere that would trouble her, but he felt comfortable enough as he simply lifted her from the elbows and calves, then pulled her tail carefully out from under her legs before covering her with a blanket with care.
Joe found himself staring at her for a few moments before he shook his head and turned back to his bed, closing her door behind her. He stopped in front of his bed to stretch his back thoroughly. When he climbed into his bed, he found his mind racing a mile a minute, trying to think back to how humans of Earth in ages past carried out courting, as she seemed to understand that the best. His mind wandered through a lot of details before one fact had him stuttering to a terrified halt. Shit! I’m supposed to ask her father first, right? No father, but Zilnek. Did I just totally piss him off? Joe’s mind sat stuck on the idea for the rest of the night until exhaustion dropped him into sleep.
* * *
Kilniara’s eyes opened after her door closed, stifling a squeal of excitement and a wistful sigh. Her eyes closed shortly after, and was soon asleep. While she had been feigning her sleep, her exhaustion was real enough.
* * *
Kukurnal left the inn in the late evening as seemed to be usual but found himself quite happy as he had a conversation partner in Master Joe he hadn’t believed he would ever find short of one of the long lived or even an Ancient One. He held in his glee but found he still wanted to step lightly, almost skip, down the street.
His mind lost itself in the ideas Joe had planted while he allowed unconscious memory to guide him back to his temple but found his path blocked by several people, jolting back into awareness.
His irritation spiked, and Kukurnal spoke harshly before even seeing who it was, “Why do you stop me! Out of me way… oh, pardon me clan guardians. I was lost in my thou…”
“Your scholarship is well know, Priest Kukurnal. It is we who should apologize. I would not think of offending you, but the Matriarch seeks your council.”
“Ah. Truly! I… when would the Matriarch desire my meeting?”
“At your convenience, Priest Kukurnal. We understand the unusual timing and location of our request, but the Matriarch wished you to receive this message as soon as possible and to reply at your earliest convenience.”
So my convenience better be really fast. “Is the Matriarch available at this time of night?”
“Ah… no. She is indisposed, but would be available tomorrow.”
“Then I will see her tomorrow, after the noon meal?”
“I will inform the Matriarch of your soon arrival.”
“Please offer my greetings as you do so.”
“Certainly, Priest Kukurnal.”
Kukurnal watched the guards turned to leave, his excitement turned sour with the Matriarch’s summons. Well… this is … strange timing. It wasn’t unusual for Patriarchs and Matriarchs, or clan leaders, to seek out the priests of Knowledge for advice or guidance. The time, though; the time and location hinted at urgency which left Kukurnal with a bad taste in his mouth. Urgent Clan Leaders tended to make their urgency other people’s problems, and he had no desire to deal with a Matriarch’s urgent problems.