Chương 21: Chapter 20: Clean perfection and Gentle Affection

When I said I should clear the bridge, the adventurers hadn't quite understood what I meant. When I got my broom and started sweeping though, they soon got it. It wasn't exactly compelling to watch, but they sat on the railing and at least kept me company as I worked. Now that I knew something about them, the way that Torch and Felorikaan sat together made a great deal more sense to me. Roxala, the leader and senior, sat across from them on the other side of the bridge's stone railing and chatted with Gelidia.

That just left me with my thoughts, and the gentle push of my broom as I cleaned paper thin shards of glass away with each movement. The noonday sun after lunch felt good on my back and shoulders, soothing my tired body. Sure I healed quickly, but that didn't seem to mean I couldn't get exhausted or sore or tired. The conversations of the people near me drifted away as I settled into the gentle, almost trancelike motions of sweeping. I'd never enjoyed this kind of thing when I had been on earth, but now?

It was curiously soothing to me. The ache of my muscles, the heat of the sun, the clean space of stone in my wake, it was all so... real, so... honest. As before, the Peasant part of me found a peace in it, a satisfaction that had been sorely missing from my life until I'd come here. My Wolf, in my mind's eye, laid in the sun and enjoyed the tranquility of it just as much as I did, sleeping peacefully in the warmth. In that moment of tranquility, of wholeness, I was also whole.

New skill acquired: [LIFE] Labor Due to synergy, your [LIFE] Labor skill has evolved into [LIFE, SYNERGY] Samu All invested skill points have been refunded, and the skill is reset to rank F I didn't break stride in my work or the gentle rhythm of my motions. I didn't want to end this... feeling, this peace I felt. It was a reward unto itself, and I remained submersed in it as I thought about the skill.

[LIFE, SYNERGY] Samu, Rank F: 0%, Your mind and body are aligned as you move and labor, increasing your mana recovery. Stamina loss is reduced while doing this. I felt a smile tug at my lips a little, and I found myself thanking the World quietly for the gentle gift. This was the first time that my Peasant had gotten a synergy from Red Hand of Vengence. I don't know what Samu means, the context of that word lost on me entirely, but the skill...

was a welcome addition, and for all that it was something I'd gotten from pairing with Red Hand of Vengence, it was... entirely peaceful! I lost myself in the work again, and all too soon for my tastes, the bridge was scoured clean by sweat and effort until none of the poison shards remained on the path. All was clear, and I sighed in gentle satisfaction. To my surprise, another notification reached my attention! Good Girl!

You've served the family of Windbinder by cleaning the gate bridge of Windbinder Keep of dangerous shards of poisonstone! For facing a dangerous hazard, bonus XP is gained! Ding Ding Ding! Your Peasant class has reached level 5! You are awarded 1 Peasant skill point. You are awarded 1 Peasant class skill slot HP +10, Stamina +15 I got XP for just... doing a specific job? For cleaning something completely? I hadn't yet until now, but... maybe that was because this was important?

I had no idea, but the level up tingles but hey, there was the inn's cellar too, right? I picked up my broom to my shoulder, and humming softly, stepping at a comfortable pace, I made my way towards the inn again.

"All done?" Roxala said, and I nodded in passing. The others looked up at me, and I flashed them a smile over my shoulder.

"Gonna work on cleaning the cellar next! Still all kinds of daylight left." I said, and Gelidia hopped off the rail. It wasn't like Roxala could see her do it, could only face her voice's direction, so the shade at least let Roxala know.

"I'm going to go with her. What will you three do?" the shade asked, and Roxala shrugged, hopping up too.

"I can help." she said. Torch got up too, and with a sigh, so did Fel. Paused at the town-ward edge of the bridge to the keep, I smiled back at them.

"Me too. Sounds good." the scout said, a grin on his face. The first thing was first. That ladder was a menace to society. With the glue I'd made, with some really stout branches that Torch found, and just a bit of water magic to steam them and allow us to bend them straight and then some more magic to desiccate them - Fel's Water magic was SO NEAT - I'd put together something I could be proud of! Sturdy Ladder, Excellent Quality, made by Emily Smith.

The old one got thrown into a heap a little bit outside town, and it was just the first casualty of my war against the cellar and its filth. Roxala and I were the strongest - we'd drag out a piece of rotten old furniture or the remains of a crate and its rotten contents, and carry it out to the heap out back.

While we did that, Gelidia and Felorikaan would use water to wash the floor, and wind to push the water, now nearly black, towards the dungeon entrance, which would, they assured me, simply get rid of the water on its own as part of protecting itself. Rinse, and repeat while Torch swept and worked.

"Yeah, you get experience from working, doubly so from a whole job, I guess. It isn't much for combat or magic classes, but it's nothing to sneeze at. Besides - the place needs work. Lots of work, and... you've been more decent to us than we had any right to expect, Goldtail, you and Gelidia both." Roxala explained after I'd asked her why everyone was helping out like this.

"It is at least partially selfish, I assure you." she chuckled as we hefted the crate onto the growing heap. We were both sweating at this point, but when I got back into the basement, I found that the landing, and a couple rooms in each direction were well and truly clean. We were mostly done cleaning the basement! Masonry was sturdy enough to handle a little still water and mud. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"I think it's tea time!" I said, and we went upstairs to do just that. Sitting around the table together, I felt something... good. My Wolf self and I aligned in this, and I analyzed the feeling as I scraped the tea brick and set the kettle going. I'd need to find one of these of my own before the group left town, or... I suppose I could just boil the tea in a pot? I considered that. Yes... but also no.

The tea pot was a certain shape so the tea could boil quickly and not burn, and so it could keep most of its properties when poured out. Boiling it wouldn't... be quite right. But the feeling I got from sharing my space with my new friends, with Roxala, Torch, Felorikaan, and of course Gelidia... was that I was among friends now. PACK Sort of! Gelidia is, for sure, but these are friends. PACK If you say so! Wasn't pack more like family?

I felt sure I'd read that somewhere - there was no such thing as an 'Alpha' in a pack. The leader was usually the oldest hunting adult, the father because he was the biggest and strongest, but it wasn't like he beat the family into submission - they loved him. Sometimes it wasn't the male - sometimes it was the mom! Sometimes it was the younger son or daughter, also, if the older pair were hurt. But they were family. NO FAMILY. ONLY PACK. That hit home, and again my heart resonated with the wolf.

That wasn't a happy thought - I felt her pain in my own chest. I could remember my own family back where I'd come from. It felt so long ago... but... I'd lost them long before the bombs fell, one way or another. Even my... mate. Alex. God... World, how could I have forgotten him? Even now I couldn't bring his face to my mind's eye. He was... dark haired and... beautiful, and quite the gentlest person I'd ever known. For the first time in a while since I'd come, I felt a pang of longing. Home... wasn't Milwaukee.

It was with Alex. My eyes burned and a droplet of salty tears fell into my mug before I even realized I was going to cry. A soft, unhappy noise escaped my throat, somewhere between a grunt and a canine whine, and I stood up.

"Excuse me" I said, and walked away from the table, away from the quiet stares that watched me go. Even like this, I could see in my mind's eye as they furrowed their brows, as they looked at each other, as Roxala opened her mouth, and shut it again, and stopped Torch from saying anything. Once the tears started, they didn't stop. They just... kept coming. I walked quickly out of the town, and out to the wall just outside the ruined gate's portcullis, planted my back on the stone, and sank to the ground.

Grief rolled over me at last like a stormfront coming in, and it seemed to wash my peace, my sunny day, and all the good things away in a terrible wave.

"... Emily?" a soft voice came, and I realized it was Gelidia. She moved in front of me and stared down at me. I didn't acknowledge her. I couldn't bring myself to speak, to lift my eyes. I missed him... I missed his touch, his embrace, how he'd... always try to find a simple solution to our problems. He was dead. I knew it in my heart. My Alex... was gone. And I couldn't even remember his face! Why hadn't the world brought him with me? Why was it... only me? Why was I alone?

Then, Gelidia wrapped her arms around me, and pulled me gently into an embrace, squeezing me into her and just... rubbing my back and holding my head. After a moment, I shifted position, and embraced her back, burying my face into her neck and just... let go. Her expression softened, and her scent changed. It was subtle, but... gentle sadness washed out of her, and matched my own. She pet my head, and sighed softly as she clutched me tight to her chest. Even if she was a shade... she was real to me.

She felt real... to me. She didn't ask what was wrong. She didn't offer me advice, or solutions to something... nobody could fix. She understood. She just... held me, then sat with me. I found my fingers entwining with hers, and we just... held on. We'd both lost a lot. But we'd found something... that was good, too. The pain didn't vanish. It wasn't magically gone, but... I was comforted.

She sat in quiet for several minutes, rubbing the back of my hand with her thumb as my tears dried, as I let the peace of this new world, of my friend's company, wash over me again. Then, she reached out and took my chin gently. She lifted my tear-streaked face, and... pressed her lips to my tears. She kissed them away, gentle, cool lips pressing to my face delicately as my grieving heart skipped a beat. She cupped my cheeks, and pressed her forehead to mine gently.

"Emily... I don't know what's bothering you... but... I'm not going anywhere." she said, and then... kissed my lips gently. It was like drinking from cool waters, and my Wolf responded easily, bidding me to... take. To accept what she offered. I found myself responding to her gentle kiss and the soft break as our lips parted, as my breath became mist before me as it washed over her. I'd... never kissed a woman before, and it was... a novel experience for me. Her lips were sweet and cool, tender and patient, and...

and I liked it. More than that... I liked her. Maybe this was a situationship. Maybe I was on the rebound from a loss. Maybe my wolf thought I was an idiot for making things complicated. She nudged me forward and I returned the kiss with a little extra ardor, my tongue pressing into her lips firmly as my hands sought her, stole her close to me! The noble girl's shade tensed, then... melted against me with a soft noise of assent.

I was as real to her as she was real to me, because of the curse we shared together, and that made what we were doing not only possible... but plausible! We were separated by gulfs of time and lifestyles, and yet... we'd found ourselves thrust together, the shade, my wolf... and I, and yet.. separated only by a few thin veils of fabric. Her tongue danced with mine hungrily, and she rewarded me with scritches to my scalp as tender, excited little noises escaped my throat.

Her spectral body resonated with my own in desire, and I could feel... moisture there, sense it as I squished my sex against her own, mine hidden under leather, hers, a bit of her dress as she straddled my lap. She was cool... but I burned hot, and my Wolf had hungers that were anything but civilized.

I found myself giving a needy whine, letting the wolf wash away my grief for a time, letting her flow into me more strongly than I'd ever allowed or even been aware she could have before as her lips slid across mine, impossibly smooth and pure, her body meeting my needy press with a gentle roll of her hips and a soft, shuddering noise as our kiss broke and we sat, our pelvises secured to each other tightly by her hands and mine. I panted like an animal.

Somewhere in the last few moments I'd poured stamina into my body and changed just a little, taking on a more savage aspect as my hair thickened and ears perked on my head. My tongue lolled out, doglike, and Gelidia giggled down at me.

"There's my hound... are you going to be alright?" she asked, with a tender, suggestive little roll of her hips and a fresh capturing of my ear. She bit her bottom lip and... oh my god, that was so... cute. It was supremely attractive to me... and I wanted her, there and then. My Wolf, almost rabidly, sought her spectral flesh and wanted to hear her... her cries! I wanted to see her squirm and hear her enjoy what I did to her, and it was the single most savage, animalistic, and intense urge I'd had yet.

I hesitated, thoughts catching up to me, and she reached out to cup my ears, and gently scritch at them, just the right way. I felt my gaze go unfocused as everything swam, and she giggled at me. I couldn't even begin to care - I must have looked stupid, and I could feel myself panting, hear it as blood pounded in my ears and... What a beautiful night to have a curse... Oh.