Ch: 7 Bathtime Yacht Club
At fourth bell, the college day ended and the friends re-convened at the gate. Otho resumed his interrupted harassment duties seamlessly.
Likewise, as they struggled to keep up with the doggy interference, Ivy remarked; “I’ve known about you and Aisha since before you knew about you and Aisha.”
“Frankly, everyone did, even this chattering monkey.” She thumbed at Gary’s stumbling form, half obscured by the vast dog.
“You think I have a crush on you and that's cute, but I have my eye on Shai’s brother, cousin? Whatever. I need your giant ape over there to get in on that boy.”
“Gary? How, why?” Liam puzzled.
“The great ape was the one who got you and Aisha to stop pining and start boning.” Gary called, struggling to his feet, half riding half wrestling the dog.
“I said GIANT ape, great is highly doubtful.” Ivy retorted. “And Shai is the key, not your pet monkey.”
“HEY!”
“Shut up you gawping boob, grownups are talking…”
Halfway through Ivy’s Machiavellian plot, involving a runaway river barge and a number of costume changes, Gary interrupted. “Tallum, right?”
She paused, studying him. “Yes, her youngest cousin, brother? Whatever.”
Gary smiled. “You probably will know everything soon, since I talk in my sleep and Otho is a serial snuggler. Come over this afternoon and join the bathing club. We will get you up to speed and then make it happen, no plots, no schemes, just boy meets girl.”
“Have you met Tallum?” She asked.
Gary nodded, “Just once, but I have his measure.”
“Do you? He's a beautiful boy, too smart to stay focused on this world, he’s lost in his sketchbooks and dreams.” She complained. “Whenever I can pull him into the real world he is amazing. But he’s too shy.”
Gary leapt the mutt, gathered Ivy close and kissed the top of her head, saying. “First I make the boy dance in my palm. Once he is my finger puppet I will hand him over to you, gift wrapped. Leave it to big brother Gary and the Lima Bean.”
“HEY!” Liam shouted in protest.
“I told you I have his measure. There is a bonfire in that boy's soul, it just needs a single spark. You sweet Ivy, get to fan the flames, if you can take the heat.” He smiled with glee. “I get to strike some sparks, I was going to do it anyway. You may as well get some benefit too...”
Gary broke off at the market gate, heading to collect Shai and her brother.. Cousin? Whatever.
He strolled up to the forge, playing ‘Puttin On The Ritz’ just for fun, dragging Shai out with his power while he was still half a block away. His gift seemed to reach as far as his music did.
As the beautiful girl spun and leapt to him, Gary’s world narrowed down to just her, she was extraordinary. The music ended when she slipped into his arms. “Good afternoon miss Shai!”
“Good day to yerself, too foolish boy!”
Arm in arm they approached the forge and Gary asked; “Is Master Harlan still honor bound to beat my ass?”
She kissed his cheek.”No, ye brought me home like a proper boy should last night so he's nae tae butcher ye.”
Gary gave her arm a squeeze, “That accent is killing me.” He whispered.
She stiffened. “If Mine- my accent offends ye-you I can suppress it, Gary Ward.” She faltered coldly. “Be- is there anything else ye-ou would like to change about me?”
He pulled her closer and whispered “I mean it turns me on woman! Tone down the sexy before I get brain damage.”
He whistled a few bars of Mad World in a joke meant for only himself. “Another strange song, foolish boy? Ye’ll be singing that one fer me too, sounded sad it did.”
“I need Tallum for a minute, did you tell him about my shop?”
“Nae Gary, tis a… private memory.” She said softly.
He smiled. “I need to bring Tallum into the bathing club, he has some things I need, and He needs some things from me.”
“And ye need tae bathe with me brother fer them? Is yer mind whole boy?” Her wink was saucy and filled with laughter.
“You will see my dear! You will see wonders!” He raised his fist as though to pluck the still high sun from the sky. Thundering; “We Shall Bring Forth Marvels! All will fear the Bathtime Yacht Club!”
“Ooh Tawney did tell me of this! When ye starts makin pronouncements and declaiming vengeance or what not. Ye be hatching some scheme, an twil blow up in yer face. Providing much fun for me! Careful of the fingers boy, those be precious tae me.”
She sped off, presumably to pry Tallum free from his workbench.
He was a handsome kid, just about Gary’s age, maybe younger. Bright ginger and freckled but, he looked strong and fit. In the confines of the forge he moved with a grace few very large men managed, a very large man. He was well over Gary by a head and his hands looked like shovels.
When he spoke his voice was deep, but soft and dreamy, “I had an idea for a water gear driven triphammer for the forge, just a little one.”
Shai clamped her hand on his arm. “Move ya lummox, Ye will no forgive me an I dinnae make ye go!” He had no trace of Shai's, or her uncle’s accent. Just a quiet voice that carried everywhere. Huge goddamn lungs, the kid was a monster.
Gary had felt it when he met the giant boy the first time. When they shook hands, no message popped up from Interface, just that old familiar feeling. Shai had it too, perhaps that was part of why her touch would… Right!
He snapped his attention back to the young man. Like those rare and unique instruments, Tallum was a genius restrained only by doubt and fear. If he had the courage and tools, he could set the world on fire.
Or less poetically, he was a nerd that just needed to find his fandom. Briefly, like an arsonist preparing to ignite his creation, Gary wondered what form it would take. He knew what fuel and how the accelerant worked. Until you strike that spark though...
Leading the giant downstairs, Gary and Shai sat back to watch him play with the toys, while the rest of the bathing society were upstairs.
A chalkboard in the workshop had a rough sketch and dimensions drawn in a few colors of chalk, diagramming the complex parts of a small machine.
Gary leaned close and whispered. “How do you think this is gonna happen?”
Shai replied, “He be so shy and retiring he may nae do anythin…” She was cut off by the sound of a tool spinning up. The whir of the drill press quickly led to the soft chatter of drill biting metal.
In less time than Gary would have thought possible Tallum handed him the still warm prototype. A perfect tuning machine, rendered in bronze.
Gary had crafted some wooden knobs to complete them, but Tallum went the extra mile and carved a delicate fleur de lis in brass.
It was so much better than anything he had expected from the first effort, he had trouble remembering the second part of the plan. Shai helpfully kicked him in the ankle to keep things going.
“Tallum, my grandfather always said, it's important to digest new information before getting to work, let's go upstairs and meet the rest of the gang”
He balked, the giant becoming hesitant. Looking to Shai, she smiled at him. “Ye kin trust this foolish boy. An I trust him as well.”
Gary laughed. “Don’t trust me, trust yourself. Every afternoon after this, I will disassemble and reassemble one machine, I will instruct you in its safe use and maintenance. As was done for me.”
Tallum nodded solemnly. “Thus, by the ancient rites of my homeland you, Tallum Harlan's son, are a trainee apprentice luthier. Under my guidance of course.” Tallum looked suspiciously at him and he coughed.
“And in exchange for this largess I, Gary Ward shall become assistant apprentice tinker under you.” Gary held out a hand hopefully.
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“We are almost brothers now, I guess. Cause if you break Shai’s heart I will tear you to pieces. We hug.” The ginger beast said, before pressing Gary into juice. The look on the giant's face as he gazed over the tools he would soon be disassembling was almost lustful.
In the bathing room Gary was surprised anew at how thoroughly and completely his nudity taboo had shattered.
The others, for their parts, had been swimming and bathing in the river their entire lives. While indoor plumbing existed in communal living facilities like the orphanage, the tradition of bathing in the river was alive and well.
Gary’s hope for a shocked or panic stricken moment was not just dashed, but evaporated without even leaving a bad smell. Nothing at all, Tallum walked in, waved to the gang and got into the pool, floating there like a ginger dreadnought.
“Ginger Dreadnought.” Gary said to the group, causing some raised eyebrows. “Ohh, potential band name.” He said, causing more raised eyebrows.
While Gary joined the human punchbowl, Ivy slid up to Tallum. So slowly he never understood what was happening until it was too late, Ivy slithered into his arms, like an eel through seaweed.
Giving her a thumbs up he got the ball rolling.
“For the new members. Welcome to the Bathtime Yacht Club, Llc, some restrictions apply, consult your physician, If Bathtime exceeds four hours bring more bubbles.”
Liam, Tawney, Aisha, Shai, Tallum, Ivy and Otho the dog all stopped and stared.
Unsurprisingly, Tawny led the pack. “The what now? Gary, we will not be putting up with your nonsense.”
Liam agreed, nodding firmly. “No one discussed a name.”
Gary sighed, pointing to a sign over the door in softly glowing lanterns. The origami letters in green paper spelled out;
Bathtime Yacht Club Llc.
Beneath that was a series of origami lanterns depicting a stylized bathtub, clock chime, a boat and a truncheon.
Gary pointed a thumb behind him. “Signs made, can't change it.”
“Again, thank you to our new members, big ups to Tallum and Ivy!” A soft growl sounded from somewhere in the mist. “And Otho the dog!”
Gary wiped his brow. “So, this is my magic bathhouse, essentially nothing in here is real except what you brought in. That means that most stuff will vanish if you leave with it.”
That settled the mood. “Seriously, don't eat the sandwich, it's for Otho- the human Otho!” The dog sounded upset, grumbling somewhere in the mist.
“Anyway, I'm from far away, like really far away, I will bring you up to speed individually, because you stopped paying attention when I started talking about the sandwich. Fair I guess but now you have to figure it out from context.”
The two tuned back in from each other for the last sentence and were ignored when they raised their hands. “Nope, gotta wait. So Liam, updates?”
“Not much, they pumped me like a dry well for three hours. Not trying to pry out secrets, mind you, but for every detail about where you come from.”
“They could just ask me… anyway, Tawny? Any info to share?”
“Much like Liam they wanted to know what you told me about where you come from.” She frowned. “There is some deeper game here”
“Yeah and we can’t see the board, but everyone gets a look at my balls.” The entire group splashed Gary at once, nearly washing him from the pool.
Regaining his composure Gary continued. “For my part, assessment exams. News flash, nothing I know means shit here.”
Shai poked him tenderly. “Almost nothin ye know means shite, foolish boy.”
Aisha coughed softly and spoke. “I have something, the three old schemers are requesting books and documents related to weapon Contracts, etheric magic and something called the etheric veil. Not much, but it shows that we are on the right path.”
Gary took pity on the new members. “There are a lot of reasons to join the Bathtime Yacht Club, some join for friendship, or mystery, or for the sweet bathtime perks, some join just because they like me.” He winked at Shai. “No membership dues, save that you keep Bathtime secrets to the Yacht Club.”
Gary looked around. “Any volunteers to bring the new kids up to speed?”
Tawny smiled, “I will, I need a long soak anyway.” She looked tired and a little sad.
Gary bowed, sweeping an imaginary hat and cape dramatically “Thank you fair Tawny, I must take Shai dancing on the square.”
The small golden girl hugged his pale muse tenderly, before Shai grabbed his hand and began pulling him to the edge of the bath.
In the fountain square, a drummer and the guitarist were making a pleasant country dance. It was the kind of loping simple beat that made synchronized dance possible without extensive training.
They joined the whirl and almost immediately it was Shai’s dance, her influence spread like ripples in a pool. Any step she made was soon duplicated by the women down the line, men soon followed.
In wonder, Gary held back, contemplating if this was what his power looked like from the outside. Slowly at first and then more quickly, the dancers and then the musicians fell under her power.
Her simple brown skirts flared and swirled, showing glimpses of those legs, flashing barefoot through the crowd. Nothing in her dress or appearance picked her out as more than a pretty girl dancing, but every movement was a joyous prayer in a language all her own.
The dance ended at seventh bell, the musicians quietly and reverently packing their instruments. Gary wanted to go meet them but they vanished too quickly.
Gary and Shai also vanished into the crowd, slipping back to the house and locking the doors, once satisfied that they were alone.
Together in the early darkness they skipped and danced Shai home. Gary, wobbly legged, but still too wired to sleep, returned to the shop to do a little work before bed.
He was still stunned by how much work he could get done when he let his gift loose. He probably could have glued it up tonight, but left the back and soundboard to cure a little more.
That was how the days went; morning workouts, remedial classes, the bathing society, dancing, making love, working and bed.
The week after the launch of the Bathtime Yacht Club, Liam decided Gary was sufficiently skilled to join martial arts lessons with the rest of the orphans. Junior section, twelve and under. Becky was mean.
The kids were really good, not in the “aww, how cute” way. Dannyl had a chain whip, spined with points like a chainsaw, working out solo in a corner of the courtyard. He flailed a practice dummy made from a log into splinters with terrifying speed.
That small man, armed with what amounted to a motorcycle chain studded with vicious spikes, was terrifying.
Becky used a rapier with brutal skill to perforate a dummy of her own, stitching it into loose straw. Another boy in the corner was using a weighted practice sword on a post driven into the training grounds.
His steady chopping of blunt wood against the post was metronomic and precise, striking one hundred times and then switching to another strike for the next hundred.
Liam was mostly a spear user, but deft with a sword as well. As he sparred with Gary he asked; “Your spear, it becomes a lot of weapons, does it do a sword?”
“No.” Gary lied. “It won’t do a sword.” He took the pause to ask a question that had been puzzling at him. “Liam, the kids are all so serious about martial arts, is there a competition? Like with a dojo across the valley? An All Valley martial arts tournament?”
Liam stared, a little worried look in his eye. “We are going to War, Gary.”
Now it was Gary’s turn. “Who are we at war with?” Waving his hands around at the kids he asked. “Who the hell sends little orphan kids to war?”
“No Gary, not war, War, God of conflict, bringer of strife, the bloodwashed one. Almost all orphans get pledged to War, and once you swear a Contract to War he won't let go.”
Gary’s blank look said it all. “A person’s first divine Contract is the primary Contract, even more so, if you Contract early like Ivy and me. It sets the tone.” Gary nodded. “War is the god of conflict. He does not play well with others. If War is your first, War will probably be all you can get.”
Liam was clearly struggling to hide a deep hurt inside while he spoke. His hands trembled and he cast his eyes down to hide the frustrated and angry tears. Gary folded his new brother into a silent hug while Dannyl made rude faces over Liam’s shoulder at Gary.
Liam spoke up in the next meeting of the Yacht Club. “I’m not sleeping much.” Aisha and Shai both nodded, having noticed themselves.
Tawny thought for a moment and nodded, “Yes, I believe it is an effect of Gary’s pool.” She paused. “I was not explicitly commanded to keep it secret, but…”
“The words go in the outside voice.” Gary stage whispered to her.
Tawny splashed him with a disapproving glare. “Gary is attached to a font of pure etheric magic, volatile and chaotic, this eldritch vortex is bound like a Contract, but to his soul, through his gifts. This magic contaminates them, creating unpredictable effects. Most notably this pool.”
They all looked down into the green tinted water around them.
“This pool is only Mostly water…” She paused while the boys chuckled stupidly.
“It is actually…” She paused while the girls cried “ewww, Gross”
“actually etheric magic, manifesting as water because Gary wills it, as such it has a potent tonic effect on people and animals immersed in it. Objects will rapidly degrade due to its chaotic magic.”
“So the way a Contract makes an attribute grow, this thing is making my gifts grow.” He surmised.
“Precisely,” Tawny said smugly. “That is why your gifts are ridiculous.”
“His gifts mayhap be,” Shai purred. “But the rest o him be entirely diculous!”
“Keepyourhandsoffmysisteryoucad.” Tallum intoned, freeing himself from the traditional obligation in a well practiced ritual. “I’m going down into the shop, I want a closer look at the gearing in that drill press.”
Gary waved, “Have fun, now I know how Mr Halls felt.”
Alone at last Gary and Shai splashed some Water out of the pool before retiring to the garden to smoke in blissful repose. They took a walk (dance) around the neighborhood (most of the lower half of town) to clear their heads and went into the workshop.
The changes were startling, Tallum had convinced Gary to buy a small used foundry of the sort used by traveling prospectors. It was installed near the compact forge, puffing hot fumes into the exhaust.
Tallum melted down scrap he had gathered from around town to form brass, bronze, copper, and even a precious few silver ingots.
In the racks, with Tallum’s help Gary had acquired enough rough milled lumber, cloth and hides to start a furniture store.
On the quiet side of the shop, Gary’s instruments in progress hung. He had taken a few simple orders, mostly some drums and flutes for the local kids. A guitar repair for a local sofa musician really settled him in and made the place feel welcoming. The violin still hung silent.
Violin, instrument, Ironwood, string class, unranked, can be enchanted up to unknown Rank plus by a qualified sorcerer. Quality, rare
He had traded out all of his old style peg tuners wherever he could for Tallum’s new bronze geared tuning machines and life was good, but on this one that would never do, she had to be traditional all the way.
He tuned her up and tried a little gentle fiddling. It was good, too good. Really, It was way too good to be just his own novice violin skills.
He closed his eyes for a moment and saw his skill tree, pulsing gently with subtle life. His musicianship skill was being fed by a lot of threads, it was so central to his life that was no surprise.
Poking in a little deeper he found a side note tucked into the footnotes of a page related to his aura.
Artisan/Entrainment/FamiliarStranger/HomeIsWhereTheHeartIs/Null/Null/Null, Objects created with or by and effects of or from listed gifts will benefit from a bonus to effect/ability/use stacking while in active aura effect.
That was just broken. That was why he could use Entrainment on himself to put his skills into the zone at will. That and he had made a goddamn fine violin.
He was considering his guitar and mandolin for an upgrade already. Otho would love to get his hands on the mandolin. Dumb old goat.
Taking the violin he decided to get some air. “Shai, Tallum?” He waved the violin and bow in their general area. “I’m for the dance.” He said using her grammar and his accent.
“Is it finished?” Shai asked, never having heard anything like it before.
“She is, sexy lady, and I'm not really a violinist. But the song I'm going to play is not a violin song.” He smiled. “I'm going to poke an over proud woman into letting me fix a terrible wound.” He kissed Shai, “Don't hit her if she gets butthurt. I need to get my hands on her instrument again...”
Outside the temple of Joy he brought the violin up and began, soft and sweet but carrying all through the square.
Its nine oclock on a saturday…
He gave ‘Piano Man’ his best effort, ringing off the stones, plaintive and hopeful.
It tasted like dreams do, when they turn to tears. A little salty, but still your own.
When he opened his own eyes, and blinked the mist away, she was there holding her case, while Shai swayed and cried just a little.
She had hands like Shai, tough and calloused but quick and dexterous, though tiny in comparison. She took his violin and bow, handed him the case, turned and left without a word.
As he and Shai walked back he whistled again, ‘Mad World’.
“That sad song again, ye will sing it tae me when its time.” She held him closer. “Ye seem tae know all the sad songs foolish boy.”
“As you wish, Dread Pirate Shai.” He agreed. Her short shriek of mock outrage sent them chasing each other through the streets like idiots as a violin sang sweet hymns to Joy behind them.
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Gary took one of the weekend days each week for working in the different crafts around town, completing all his gathering skills in short order, at least to novice level.
Most of the craft halls worked like the woodcutter’s guild. Informal membership, careful use of their people and their skills, it was a good system; it was established practice at the orphanage to rotate the older kids through most of the basic crafts.
After setting up that firm foundation, he started working slowly through the refining crafts, like smelting, sawmilling and weaving; they were integral to building the foundation he wanted.
He reveled in the intoxicating eb and flow of his muscles when working the more physically demanding jobs, savoring his new fitness and ability.
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