Jack was in a good mood today. Of course, he still wasn't happy about the whole kidnapping thing, but at least the kid's sharp mind and inquisitive nature meant his stay here wasn't all that unpleasant either. Admittedly, Jack might be trying to justify things to himself, but what was the alternative? Assassinate the kid's father? This was definitely a lesser of several evils situation, and he was determined to offset the evil with as much good as possible. Of course, it helped that the kid was such a willing student.

To'brel was looking at the wall they'd built in confusion. "But why doesn't the dirt just wash away in the rain?"

Jack smiled. Despite seeing the evidence in front of his eyes, To'brel was still asking obvious questions, which was good. It meant he was doing more than simply memorizing what he was told. Instead, the kid was genuinely trying to understand the concepts behind what he saw.

This time, Sare'en did the translating while Orth'kun kept an eye on everyone. Grim was also present and enjoying his scritches from Sare’en while also keeping a wary eye on the slightly nervous To'brel. At least each seemed to have accepted that the other was no immediate danger. "Well, think of steel. It's a substance made by combining purified iron and carbon, but it's far stronger than either on its own is, right? This is somewhat similar, even if it's on a very different level. The mud, clay, and fiber combine to be studier and more stable than any of the components. It'll still wear down faster than stone, but it's more durable than skins and easier to repair than either. The final whitewash finish gives it a little more protection by granting it a degree of water protection. It's quick, easy, durable, repairable, and offers better thermal protection than almost anything else so readily available. It's my hope to spread this idea far and wide amongst your people to increase the general quality of life for everyone.

The kid was looking at Jack oddly. Then, after a moment, he came to a decision. "Why, though? Why share this knowledge so freely? Possessing a village of the strongest, warmest houses would give you a considerable advantage for growing and keeping a thriving village. So why just give the knowledge away?"

Sare'en also looked curious at the human's generosity, though less confused than To'brel. Jack sat back and considered the kid's question. Finally, he shrugged. "You know, among my own people, that philosophy is quite common, but through our history, there have always been a few rogues determined to share their ideas freely in the hopes of benefiting as many people as possible, even at the cost of their own fortune. The inventors of seatbelts and insulin come to mind..."

At the look of confusion on the kid's face, Jack realized at the end there he'd gone off-topic enough that explaining what he'd just said would be difficult. So, with a shake of his head, Jack tried to return to the topic at hand. "Anyway, I've got a lot more to teach you all, but before we can get into much of what I know, one of the first steps is ensuring you have enough stability to spare some time for academic learning. It's virtually impossible to worry about abstract concepts like math and physics when you've got a leaky roof and an empty stomach. Plus, something as simple yet beneficial as this wall here," —Jack slapped the new construction— "should spread like wildfire if given half a chance. I'm just speeding the process up a little, is all."

It was at that moment that Jack's leg chose to spasm. It wasn't the worst spasm he'd endured, but it was more than enough to make Jack stumble, only to be stabilized by a concerned Sare'en. He closed his eye and focused on breathing for a moment while waiting for the spasm to pass. Then, re-opening his eye, Jack noticed a thoughtful-looking To'brel looking at him, as if trying to unravel a puzzle. After a moment, the kid finally spoke again. "Is it true what they say? Did you get injured fighting an entire army by yourself? No offense, but even if you weren't injured, you hardly seem capable of fighting me, let alone an army..."

Jack closed his eye again as memories flashed through his mind. The young raider's face came to the forefront even as Jack struggled to shove them aside. Not that they didn't deserve his attention, but this was not the time or place. Shaking himself free of his contemplation, Jack was met by Sare'en's confused and concerned expression. He was mildly embarrassed to realize more time had slipped by than the single moment he'd thought. He took a steadying breath that was only slightly shaky as he blinked his eyes to banish the unwanted tears threatening to form.

The kid looked more lost and confused than ever as Jack struggled to find an answer to his question, rather than snap at him in misplaced anger. Finally, he smiled sadly. "That's a story I'm not prepared to go into right now, or possibly ever, but I will say that, while it's probably been changed or exaggerated in the retelling, there's a kernel of truth there. But though I want to ensure the safety of my friends and family, I'd prefer to do it by preserving life rather than taking it."

Orth'kun, who'd been quiet almost the whole time, chose that moment to speak up. "Well, I don't know about the raiders, I joined up after that, but I can tell you that by combining his magics with several simple ideas and tools, the wizard and S'haar helped my village deal with a mated pair of wolgen with only a single casualty. When asked what payment they required, all they asked for was the future promise of trade deals. I'm not some scholar who understands the workings of even half of what goes on in this outpost of theirs, but from what I've seen, you can trust Jack's intentions and ability."

Jack nodded his appreciation for the guard's words before turning back to To'brel. He saw something of the raider's face in the kid. Maybe it was just the similarities in age, but he couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he'd ever gotten the chance to speak with the raider the way he was now speaking with the young noble. Jack smiled again. "Well, anyway, enough about the past, let's talk about the future of argu'n construction. Let me explain what whitewash is and how it can be made. There are a few methods, but the most readily available here will be either limestone or eggs and shells..."

As Jack continued his explanation, he couldn't entirely banish the idea that this kid was, in some ways, a second chance for him. Not that he could undo what had been done, but maybe he could do things better this time...

*  

Angela wasn't in the best of moods. Why did she have to do all of the menial labor these days? Well, maybe not all the menial labor, but at least the mining... True, she'd co-opted the mining harness for her own use without asking. Also, S'haar and Jack had agreed that it was probably a good idea to ease their new guest into the Outpost before throwing Angela at him in all her "glory"...

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

As Angela hefted another beam into place, she pouted. It's not like she was that scary. She'd even spoken with him once before, and he'd seemed perfectly reasonable! Admittedly, the kid hadn't gotten a look at her apparently intimidating new body, nor had he known who she was until the conversation was over, but still, this seemed like overkill!

What's worse, Jack was just out there palling around with the kid while Angela was stuck in here all alone! True, she'd tapped in to listen to the conversation, but Jack was ignoring her because he wasn't responding to any of her jokes or taunts.

It was with interest that Angela noticed Em'brel's signal approaching the cave. The AI kept working while she waited for the girl, but a portion of her attention was held by the fact her signal appeared to be approaching with uncharacteristic lethargy.

Once the signal was just outside the room Angela was working in, a surprisingly timid voice called out. "Angela, are you there? Can I come in?"

The AI locked an extra brace into place to be safe as she responded. "Yes and yes. To what do I owe your company? It's rare for anyone to come into the cave, now that you're all living out there."

The girl slinked in, looking somewhat guilty as she did so. Angela kept working while Em'brel looked around for a place to sit. Finally, after a moment of relative silence, or at least as much silence as digging through loose rubble for ore could get, the younger woman decided to answer the question. "Well, I just needed to get away from everything and everyone for a minute. A few minutes... Maybe a little longer..."

Angela gave the girl a curious look. Despite the AI's face lacking any practical emoting ability, Em'brel must have deciphered the intent because she started explaining. "I'm just feeling...conflicted at the moment. I'm glad my cousin is safe and doesn't seem to have had any part in my recent troubles, but I just don't know how to feel around him! Every time I see him, it reminds me of the past and my family before you and Jack... Don't get me wrong, you all mean the world to me, but still..."

Angela nodded her head in understanding. "You don't have to justify caring for and missing your father or your old life. Whatever good or important things you experience in life here or elsewhere, it's not some zero-sum game where one experience nullifies another. They're all important."

Em'brel looked up at Angela with a wan smile, then shook her head. "You know, Jack said something similar about pain once. You two really are brother and sister, regardless of your species..."

Angela "smiled," making Em'brel chuckle at how awkward it looked on the AI's machine face. Jack had once commented that Angela's new body was eerily close to something he called the "uncanny valley," but to Em'brel, she was just Angela, albeit in a new and much larger body. With a chuckle of her own, Angela retorted. "Hey now, I know it's easy to look at my charming demeanor and think I'm just another cute face, but where do you think Jack learned everything he's teaching you all? Admittedly, I'm not quite as adept at understanding the subtle complexity of some feelings, but on the whole, I like to think we're not all that different."

Em'brel shook her head. "For the record, I never thought you were 'just another cute face,' but these days, I'm not sure cute describes you all that well..." Then, as Angela started to protest, Em'brel held up her hands and quickly explained. "Beautiful, mysterious, charming even... but you're a little too large and intimidating to be called cute anymore..."

Angela narrowed the light in her eyes, giving the impression of squinting. "Well, you heaped on enough other compliments that I'll let that slide..." The AI then looked down at her body, twisting to look at her frame as she did so. "But it's not my fault I'm so large! This mining harness was the only frame I had to work with unless I wanted to start from scratch... Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time, so I figured..."

Em'brel was laughing now as she watched her friend's antics. The AIs movements and mannerisms were similar to when she'd just been a projection of light. However, seeing them repeated in a much larger and more intimidating body was charming and oddly relaxing. It tugged at memories of simpler times, giving the girl a moment to relax before the situation at hand came back to her. Em'brel's laughter trailed off, and she became somber once more.

For her part, Angela stopped her performance and looked back at her friend. This time her voice was more gentle as she continued doing her best to help the poor girl cope with everything. "Well, I can't say if things will ever be the same again, but there are still good times ahead. I know things are hard right now, and that's fine, but there's always hope for the future. Sometimes you just gotta struggle for a while to give hope the chance it needs to become a reality."

Em'brel shook her head, but she still looked drained. "That's fine, and I intend to continue struggling, but is it alright if I need to take a break now and then?"

Angela laughed as she gently patted her friend on the head. "It's not only alright, it's required! If you don't take some time to catch your breath now and then, all you'll do is burn yourself out. So feel free to come by anytime you need a break from it all! I'll use my big, clumsy body to scare off any would-be trouble makers!"

Angela made a show of flexing her "muscles," causing Em'brel to laugh once more and with a little less strain this time.

*  

Ger'ron was working with his most troublesome student, though not his worst. This one outperformed most others when he bothered to apply himself like he was supposed to.

The old guard sighed as he leaned against the storage shed they kept the belly bows in. "It helps if you aim and shoot the thing, rather than fiddling with it like that..."

Tel'ron, his son, merely grunted in exasperation as he fiddled with the trigger mechanism. "Which metal worker made these parts? There's far too much friction in the action. It'll probably wear out after only a few hundred shots! The whole mechanism needs to be taken apart and re-tooled!"

Ger'ron sighed again, this time pinching his nose. "I have no idea. We don't label them. For all I know, this could be one of yours..."

That finally got through to Tel'ron, who looked up sharply. "I would never release such substandard craftsmanship! If I ever made something like this, I'd melt it down for scrap and start over!"

Ger'ron held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I wasn't actually saying it was yours. I was just saying I have no idea who made it! You can grab one of the others from the shed, if you'd like. One you made, if you prefer!"

Tel'ron was back to squinting at the mechanism. "I'd never be able to focus, knowing this piece's condition. I'll have to take it back and rework it first!"

Ger'ron debated between giving in or pushing the issue, but Fea'en walked up and saved him the trouble. "Listen here, young pup! I'll be the first to demand perfection from myself and my workers, but this is a part of life in the Outpost. If you want your workers and apprentices to listen to you, you need to lead by example!"

Tel'ron looked between Fea'en and Ger'ron a moment before nodding his acknowledgment. "I hadn't thought of it like that. You make a good point..."

With that, the metalworker turned and started loading the bow, leaving Ger'ron shaking his head as he leaned over to Fea'en. "How in the world did you pull that off? I've been trying to get him to train for years!"

The woodmaster shrugged. "I speak obsessive perfectionist. If you have trouble with him again, just let me know."

Ger'ron looked at his partner a moment before responding, "You know, I think you might have been a little light on practice hours this week..."

Fea'en glared back at him. "Don't push your luck, old man!"