Joram didn’t know why Nonna seemed to be in such a great mood today, but he’d take it. She’d always made sure to give him a bit extra whenever he’d seen her in the past, so he was looking forward to what she brought out after he and Isabel finished their meal.

They’d both gotten kebabs, though he’d asked for the crispy cuts of meat, while she’d gone for the more tender ones. At his suggestion, she’d had mayo added to hers, while he’d gone with the equivalent of harissa, to go along with their selection of veggies. And the meal had been going well, until Avi showed up, though her hair was a purple so dark that it bordered on black…

Wait, that must be another mind of hers… he thought as she sat down right beside him, the proceeded to lean against him in a very unsubtle way.

“What can I do for you?” he asked, not knowing this one’s name or designation yet.

“I just stopped by for some fun,” she said, letting her hand slide down under the table to his lap where she proceeded to do things best not done in public.

“I’m a bit busy right now,” he said, straining to keep his voice even. “I’ll let you know when I’m free so that we can talk,” he finished, giving her a Look.

She looked like she was about to argue, but it seemed as though she’d gotten a telepathic message and stopped.

“That would be great,” she said as she stood up, then leaned over and gave him a kiss before he could pull back in shock.

Then she was off, stuffing her stuff as she went. Which wasn’t hard, as she was only wearing a body suit, one of the ones that clung like a second skin.

“Who… was that?” Isabel asked, face carefully neutral.

“That would be Avi,” he said, shaking his head. “She loves changing her hair colour, so you’ll see that often… if you stay,” he said, getting back to the conversation.

“And you’re certain that we would be safe here?” she asked, still not quite convinced.

Well, he really couldn’t blame her for her caution, having come from a world-wide organization of assassins and all.

“I’d be beyond astonished if they could find you here,” he replied dryly. “As I’ve said, I’ve removed everyone’s slavery seals and all. With that, the weird compulsion that dampened your emotions was also removed,” he finished, noting her pupils dilating slightly at the news.

“Is that why…?” she asked, trailing off as her hand came up to lightly touch her chest.

“Hmm, you’re probably experiencing more than a few emotions that you’re not used to, hey?” he asked, more than suspecting that to be the case.

Isabel gave him a sharp look as he could practically see her putting up her walls again.

“Don’t worry, I’m not trying to woo you or anything like that,” he said, shaking his head. “I know how it can feel when emotions start flowing again after a long drought. Don’t worry, I’ll give you and your ‘sisters’ plenty of time to adjust to things. Like I said, I don’t like forcing people to do things that they don’t want to.

“Well, most of the time, anyways. I’ve gotta keep my people safe, after all,” he finished, shaking his head sadly.

For her part, Isabel continued to regard him warily until he went back to eating, not wanting to waste the delicious bundle of goodness. It took her another half a minute or so of staring before she finally broke down and resumed eating. Once done, he just waited for her to finish, though he spent the time looking out the windows at the various blooming trees outside.

“You were right,” Isabel eventually said, bringing his attention fully back to her. “The ‘mayonnaise’ did go well with the tender cuts.”

Joram smiled at that, glad that she seemed to have worked something out in her head. Something that seemed to let her share a bit of her inner thoughts.

“Right? And it can be used in so much! Like…” he said enthusiastically, then went on at length about what it could be used in, or on.

* * * * *

*1346.13.24*

Ah, he was a bit too stressed out.

After his meeting with Isabel, he’d assigned her an apartment, but had also given her access to return to the prison if she wanted to. To visit her sisters, of course. But not to let them out. That would be silly to do right then.

But then he’d properly “met” Ariel, Avi’s new mind. A5, if he was being rude. Which he’d been more than tempted to be… but had ultimately broken. Mainly because Ariel was still Avi, just her more aggressive and… sexually driven side. Which hadn’t helped his own efforts at controlling his own raging libido.

Which had resulted in the loss of the rest of the day… productivity-wise, that is. Creatively? That had gone to a whole new level that he’d never considered before when Avi herself had shown up and decided that Ariel wasn’t enough to deal with things for her.

Ahem.

Anyways, he was now racking his brain for a good gift idea for Xixi, as he was due to attend the small family gathering for her birthday that afternoon. Everything from dresses to dolls to other toys had been considered, the tossed.

The biggest problem that he currently faced was that he’d not spent nearly as much time around her as he had in the past. She was now nine years old, at that age where interests that had been so important to them just the year before were now “old news”.

He’d tried to ask his mother, then Grammy, but they’d just thrown him under the bus, saying that he should have spent more time around her.

Which was fair.

At the same time, he’d been rather busy with his own life, and the many complications that he now had to deal with on a daily basis. But if he was being honest with himself, and for as much as he loved his little cousin, it still felt weird beyond belief that he was supposed to be engaged to her.

Was she a wonderfully intelligent girl? For sure. Was she one of the most caring and fiercely protective people that he knew? And then some! But she was still just a child, and that weirded him out more than anything.

If he could just be friends with her and not have to worry about being engaged with her, then that would have been a completely story, as it were. Friends were easy… ish. Easier, anyway. Much easier.

So, even though he’d kept his word over the last half year, he still hadn’t spent that much time with her. And now he was in a bind.

“Screw it,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Jewelry it is… again.”

With that out of the way, he then considered what the jewelry should be. He’d already given her that ring, so maybe a necklace? Would that work for her?

But what would he enchant it with? Because, if he was going to give her something, letting it remain mundane wasn’t an option. That would just be… silly.

So, he brainstormed for a bit, tossing out idea after idea until he sighed and placed his head on his work desk in his workshop. It was then that inspiration struck him.

He sat up then, a smile on his face as he began retrieving the necessary materials for the project.

“Damn, I’m glad that I’ve got Dust Crystals,” he muttered as he piled everything into neat stacks in front of him.

The largest one contained a few small bars of various ingots, all silvery to white in colour. Another was a few cylinders of gas, while the last was a pile of gems, with a larger one in the centre.

OK, prep complete, he thought, grinning. This would be his most ambitious project yet. First, he needed to create the Tetra-III and Tetra-IV, which was the easy part, really. Well, easier than just using [True Creation] to make the stuff, anyway. Which he promptly did.

A few minutes of [Modify Matter] and [Vacuum] later, and he was left with a several ingots of both Tetra-III and Tetra-IV. He still loved that his imagined metals could be made here, in this universe. Well, they might have been able to have been made back on Earth, but they technology hadn’t been available to even try.

The next step, however, was probably the easiest step. Once again, [Modify Matter] was used, this time to shape and ingot of each metal into the form of a necklace. He made the band wider, about two centimetres wide in fact, though relatively thing. It then widened further at the front until it connected with a stylized 2D lotus. He left ample space for the next part.

Taking the Sky Nether Jade, he also shaped it. Soon, the largest petals were filled with the rich purple jade. Next, he filled in the spaces left for highlights with the pink topazes, shaping them to perfectly compliment and fit the design.

A round of [Manipulate Matter] increased the harness of the whole, making them nigh unto invulnerable to physical damage.

Next, he used some of the Dust Crystals to enchant the gems, adding a persistent [True Metabolism] effect to the lot of them. He linked them together, easing the burden of the enchantment over the many gems instead of putting the full burden on just one of them. But also, if one of the topazes was somehow damaged, the enchantment wouldn’t outright fail, it would just reduced the efficacy a bit.

Following that, he then enchanted the jade in the same way as the topaz, though this time with two effects. The first was, if he had to describe it to anyone from Earth, a Resistance enchantment like what would be found on a Cloak of Resistance. The second was a Sustenance effect. Both incredibly useful for anyone.

Once done, he used the crystal-clear Tetra-IV to perfectly encase the gems, both jade and topaz. This would help protect them from any possible damage in the future, as well as from anyone trying to remove any of the gems.

He then used [Manipulate Matter] once again, this time on the Tetra-IV, as it wouldn’t work if he used it on anything that he’d used it on before.

That done, the final enchantments were ready to go. First up was the Storage enchantment, like what was used in storage rings and such. This one, though, would be significantly larger than the others he’d seen in use. It was a bit tricky to pull off, but not terribly so given his increased understanding of space and dimensions.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The second-to-last enchantment was deflection. Protection for Xixi!

Lastly, he added a minor glamor effect, allowing the user to change its shape and size at will, but also allowing it to automatically adjust to the size of the wearer. No need to adjust it as she grew!

Well, the last-last thing he did was to add a restriction to it. He tied it to their Aneath bloodline so that no one else could use it if they stole it. Upon further reflection, he quickly added Aloralla to the approved list. Who knew if she’d ever need to use it? And she was, after all, his favourite auntie.

When he was all done, he smiled. He glanced at the time, then just about fell over. He was cutting it a bit too close!

Now in a rush, he quickly whipped together a gift box for it, adding some black satin as a lining and shifted over to the Aneath mansion in Stormhaven.

* * * * *

Xiora was, once again, vexed.

Normally, Joram was early wherever he went. Be it for lessons with his grandparents, to practice, or for a ”play date”. He was early. Especially if it was something important, like her birthday.

She’d already greeted aunty Sulia and uncle Ivaryn and her little cousin Zaleria, who was almost two and getting ready for her own birthday party in a few days. Zanth had come with his parents, and even the Matriarch had come, looking so very different than she was used to.

Her own sisters, Seldanna and Elodia, were busy playing with Zaleria, just enjoying their time together.

Now that both the calendar year and the academic year were finishing or done, she hoped that she’d get to spend more time with Joram. She really missed him and their time together. She wanted to show off how much she’d improved too, as she’d been working very hard these past months.

Their little visits were just that, little. They had seemed so… empty compared to what she’d been used to. As though he’d been distracted the entire time, even though he’d been “attentive” to their conversations.

She was about to suggest that they start when she felt a faint… ripple that she associated with Joram. As happy as she was, she was going to pretend to be wroth with him for being late!

“Joram, I’m glad you could make it,” her mother said when he walked through the door to the small parlour they were using for the event.

“I’ve missed too many of Xixi’s birthdays already,” he said, sounding embarrassed. “For her, I’ll attend as many as I possibly can,” he finished, giving her mother, then her, his warm smile.

A smile that broke her resolve.

“Joram!” she practically squealed as she rushed him, then jumped so that she could give him a flying hug.

He caught her, then spun, whirling them about a few times much to her great delight.

“It’s good to see you too,” he said when they stopped.

He tried to set her down again, but she wasn’t having any of that, so she kept her arms tight around him and even wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her ankles together on the far side.

“Nope,” she pouted, clinging to him for all she was worth.

“Now, Xixi,” her mother started reprovingly, then stopped at a wave from Joram.

“It’s fine. I know she missed me, and I can’t blame her. I’ve missed out time together too,” he said, then patted her on the head, sending a warm feeling through her. “But how can we eat like this?” he asked, directing that question to her.

Gah, right on target, she thought, admitting defeat as she slowly let go of her favourite person… aside from her parents and sisters, of course.

Once down, Zanth was able to approach and say hi, then the three of them went off and started chatting. Zanth was excited to start school, and Xixi couldn’t help but add in her own excitement regarding that as well. They then talked about what they might study. Surprisingly, Joram spilled the beans, letting them know what they’d be studying.

He also let them know that they’d also get to choose a couple courses of their own, something that would fit their interests and affinities.

Which, she learned, would be as Mentalists and Crafters, more than likely.

She also learned that both she and Zanth would be in a smaller class than normal half the time due to their being Mentalists as well as Mages. It surprised her to learn that being able to use Mental Strength was so rate outside of the Clan, and grew a bit anxious thinking about being singled out like that.

“Ah, there’s nothing to worry about,” Joram waved off her worry. “Your teachers and instructors will make sure that you’re both well taken care of. Just don’t let the special treatment go to your heads. I’ve seen too many people get big heads because of that sort of treatment, and I won’t have my cousins become like those spoiled brats,” he said, giving them an obviously mock glare.

“Don’t worry about that,” Zanth said, shaking his head. “Our parents would turn our bums red if that happened,” he said, shooting a glance at his parents.

“Well then, I have nothing to worry about,” Joram said with a laugh that they all joined in on a moment later, though hers was a bit more reserved. For as wonderful as her mother was, her hand could still shine her bottom like brass if she got into too much trouble.

After that, their conversation turned to other subjects. She had truly missed this. But lunch was called too soon for her liking, bringing them away from each other so that they could sit with their own families at the table.

But the food was wonderful, warm, and filling. She was glad that the conversations with the adults was light, not straying into boring topics like the reconstruction efforts of New Brightside and the Clan Home. Instead, they spoke about life in Stormhaven and her and Zanth’s imminent school life.

Then came the birthday wishes and presents. They were all quite lovely, but mostly revolved around clothing and accessories, ranging from simple to fancy enough to be worn to formal occasions. Then, once again, Joram presented his present last, handing her a pretty box, wide and long, but also relatively flat.

“Happy birthday,” he said with a smile as she took the box.

“Thank you,” she said, feeling very happy to have him there, more so than getting something from him.

Well, almost more than that. After all, he did give amazing presents!

She took a moment to admire the box and its lustre before unlatching it and slowly opening the lid. She noticed that there was a ribbon on each side, then understood their function when they stopped the lid from opening too far, preventing it from touching the table.

Then her eyes were drawn to the most beautiful necklace that she’d ever seen, and her jaw dropped.

As her mind whirled, she faintly heard the buzz of conversation around her as the adults started speaking almost all at once.

She recognized the Sky Nether Jade, as she’d had a plaque of authority made out of the precious jade. But she wasn’t sure what the pink gems were, but they were also super-pretty! Everything was arranged like a flower, probably a lotus? She wasn’t sure, but at the same time didn’t quite care. It was beautiful.

Xixi then reached down and lifted it up, and was astonished at how light it felt. With so much metal, she’d expected it to be quite heavy. But no, it almost felt like it weighed nothing at all for its size.

Joram then helped her put it on, then told her how she could change its size and shape if she wanted to. That led to her experimenting with her necklace as the adults began giving Joram weird looks. She didn’t care, it was an amazing gift!

“Thank you!” she said, giving Joram another full-body hug that he returned gently.

“You’re welcome,” he said warmly, sending more warmth through her chest.

After that, came dessert, the second best part of the party, bringing her happiness to its climax.

* * *

“Joram, what was that?” she asked her great-grandson after they’d left the party.

“Hmm?” he asked, seemingly distracted.

“The necklace,” Tatia prompted, nudging him in the ribs with the elbow of the arm he held in his as they walked.

“Oh, that,” he said, apparently not noticing her elbow. “I just wanted to make sure that she’d be OK when out and about,” he said, shrugging off the fact that he’d given a child a powerful Artifact.

“Joram, that’ll get too much attention drawn to her,” she replied calmly, knowing that sometimes you had to lead the boy to the proper conclusion.

“Hmm? Nah. With how I tied the enchantments, it would take a strong Mentalist to even notice them, and only if they handled it,” he said, waving off her concern. “Even then, it won’t work for anyone but our family, and auntie,” he finished, probably referring to Xixi’s mother.

“Well, that was at least wise of you,” she said, a bit relieved at that, but not fully. “Still, could you perhaps scale your gifts to the person a bit better than that? A nine-year-old really shouldn’t have a Legacy Artifact like that,” she added, shaking her head at the ease with which he could produce such ridiculous things.

“Hmm, good point,” he said, nodding. “Next time, I’ll be sure to make something less eye-catching,” he finished, obviously coming to the wrong conclusion.

Well, at least that’s progress, she thought with a mental sigh.

With how distracted the boy had been lately, it was a wonder that he was as present as he was. Normally, he’d just send one of his doppelgangers to deal with things instead of coming in person. And from what she’d learned, he’d been spending a lot of time with the many young women she’d met earlier that year.

“Joram,” she said, stopping them at a couch set opposite to one of the large paintings that lined the broad hallway that they were in. “What’s going on with you?”

He stopped with her, then looked a bit panicked for a fraction of a second before relaxing.

Then he shared. She was surprised at first, but then was glad that he’d trusted her enough to open up to her. She’d known that many of the young women that surrounded him were interested in him, but when she learned that a few more had been added to the list, and that they were all determined to get close to him, well.

The weird combination of pride in her great-grandson for being so astounding, the warmth in knowing that he would be surrounded by people who genuinely appreciated and perhaps even loved him, as well as her own thoughts and feelings about monogamy and polygamy, left her silent and thoughtful.

She had known that he was a person who valued quiet and his alone time, and could appreciate how hard it all was for him to deal with. But at the same time, she was relieved and glad for the growth that he was showing. Not only socially, but emotionally as well. She could still remember his less than dignified escape when confronted by his parents about those young women.

Tatia still laughed about that.

As much as she’d initially disliked Avi, she was now glad that she’d been there for Joram. The fact that she was basically a soul clone of the Founder had helped her better accept Avi… a lot faster than she would have otherwise.

“Joram,” she said when he finally trailed off. “I know it’s not easy. Take your time. There’s no rush. From what I’ve seen of your ‘Study Group’, I can assure you that they’re not likely to go anywhere.

“I’m also glad that you’re starting to trust others more,” she said, reminding him of his first years in the clan. “At the same time, be careful. Especially of hurting Xixi’s feelings,” she said, knowing how reluctant he’d been to be engaged to her those years ago.

“I know,” he said, shrugging uncomfortably. “It’s just that she’s more of a sister to me than my fiancé.”

“Usually, that doesn’t happen,” she said, shaking her head. “Children growing up together with the expectation that they’ll marry one day is quite normal. Except when a Reincarnator in involved, anyways.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Joram said, nodding. “And I suppose that that would have been the case had I not retained my memories right from the start.”

“Be that as it may, we’ll do something about the arranged marriage. I know that Lysanthir and Xiora have been spending much more time together, so perhaps that would be a better match for them in the long run,” she said, vocalizing the thoughts she’d had regarding that whole mess.

“That’d be good,” Joram agreed with a sigh of relief. “I know that Zanth’s had a crush on Xixi for ages, but hasn’t said anything because of me.”

“Kids will be kids,” she murmured with a smile.

From there, their conversation turned to less dense topics, for which Joram seemed appreciative. Well, she described them as “less dense”, but that only qualified on the emotional side of things.

When she learned of the Belladonnas that he’d captured, she nearly tripped and face planted on the garden path they’d made their way too. She quickly activated her privacy ward before grilling Joram.

Halfway through, she’d needed Joram’s help to sit on one of the garden benches as he continued his ridiculous story. That he’d gone and learned slavery magic had nearly caused her heart to explode, but that he’d done so in order to learn how to break those cursed seals had relieved the pressure in her chest.

“So, what, you’re just going to let them be? Just let them wander around your Small World?” she asked, not quite believing her ears.

“For now, yes,” he said with a shrug. “There’ll be a lot of observation needed before I’d feel comfortable letting them out by themselves. For now, they’re confined. Though, I hope to get them reintegrated into society on the sooner side of things,” he said, gazing off into the distance.

What a dreamer, she thought, taking in Joram’s profile as she wondered if he really knew how hard it would be to unroot the training and indoctrination they’d been under for who knows how long.

“In the meantime,” Joram suddenly said, turning to her again. “I’ll just keep them snug in the Realm. At some point, though, I would appreciate it if you could arrange to for someone to help dad with his workload,” he finished, making her once again appreciate how filial Joram was.

“I suppose that I could make some time between cultivating,” she grudgingly offered, secretly happy when Joram gave her a brilliant smile.

“Thanks Grammy,” he said, looking relieved. “I swear, I could feel dad’s resentment from class,” he said shaking his head.

Knowing full-well how much Ivaryn hated paperwork, she was reasonably sure that Joram hadn’t been imagining things.

“All right then,” she said, drawing his attention back to her. “You head off and do what you need to do. Just be sure to be back in time for Xixi’s and Zanth’s first day at school. Also, be sure to take your time getting to know any of those young women before committing to more… or getting roped in like you were with Emily,” she finished, mostly serious, but also hiding how funny she still found that situation.

“Har-har,” he fake laughed. “Thank you for your concern, Grammy. I’ll talk with you later,” he said, then leaned over and gave her a warm hug that she gladly returned.

Then he was gone, vanishing like a ghost in the garden.

“Still completely ridiculous,” she snorted before heading back inside for a warm cup of mulled wine.