Solo At A Crossroads...

[Kelski]

Timestamp: 5th of Spring, 520 A.V.

There was a lot of things to move. Kelski had tried to be discrete about it. The Jeweler wasn’t sure why she was being so quiet in regards to buying more land and property in a populated area. Maybe it was because she’d done it on her birthday, as a present of sorts, and one she wanted to jealously guard. She’d loaded up her silver gelding Moth with more than one pack and taken him quietly through the dovecote more than once. A horse could carry a great deal by itself, and so too could a woman with a magical backpack.

The Kelvic had started small… first a few clothing and household goods. Then more and more of her workshop thinned itself out of the crammed chambers of the tower and ended up in the workroom at Crossroads. It frankly gave her room to breathe in and around The Demesne. It also gave her someplace else to be. It gave her somewhere to go every day and return every day like she had some normal task to do. And then once, when everyone else had been rather busy at a late-night party down at the beach with a Svefra pod they’d all come to know, she’d stayed over one night. It was odd how something in the middle of a busy city-like atmosphere like The Outpost gave Kelski the recharge and quiet she needed.

The Wilderness where The Empyreal Demesne was located was vast and quiet and full of life. It’s lack of people – other than the denizens – was refreshingly strange to Kelski. She didn’t hate it. She also wasn’t used to it. The Manor was a work in progress that The Gem and the other mages were working on constantly. But Kelski needed this… this quiet luxurious place with its little shop and its vast courtyard with the tiled pool. Moth had been given a quiet corner of the large courtyard, with a bucket of purchased feed and a few flakes of hay. He was slight noise in the silence and a sort of muted company while Kelski settled herself in.

Unpacking and setting up the retail shop took a lot of time. There was cleaning and polishing, but also the task involved a great deal of putting the stock away in an artistic manner that allowed Kelski to showcase her work to anyone who wanted high-end jewelry. The store was already set up with display cases, counters, a little tea bar, and seating for those waiting on shoppers. The workroom was set up sparsely with things that would be needed in the course of selling jewelry… ring resizing, jewelry repair, adding and subtracting links from necklaces, setting and resetting jewels. Kelski could take anything back that needed real work and do it at home.

Home.

She smiled thinking of The Wilderness as home. And it was a glad thought that she knew where her home was despite the new location. Home was a lot of things, but it was her magical children and her people regardless of location. Kelski pulled out a crate of jewel-encrusted flowers. Mostly she made them look like roses, orchids, and clusters of small lobelias. Some of them were all metal with inserted countersunk gems. Others had petals made of gemstones – both precious and semi-precious. They were great tokens of affection and were often cheap enough to make them great spontaneous purchases. She scattered them about the display cases to provide added touches for the décor, dressing up the displays and lending an air of masterwork to the gleaming glass enclosures. Where there was room, she laid out spirals of pearl necklaces and placed some of the more unusual loose gems here and there which could be selected and then set in a variety of ways.

Kelski smiled as she worked, finishing the last display and knowing she could open the shop anytime she wanted as soon as she hired help. It would take a trip through the market to get fresh flower bouquets to fill some of the counter vases… and a selection of teas to offer at the tea bar. Perhaps she’d pick up some baked goods – cookies or tea cakes – to offer her customers as well.

The Kelvic made a day of it, laying out the new shop, stocking the vault, and making several trips back and forth between the Riad and the shop. When the sunlight waned at The Outpost, she crossed the distance to the Dovecote with Moth and took him home. She would return the next day, with one more load of goods, and look to finding some help in the shop.

words: 774

[Kelski]

The Outpost was vastly different than The Wilderness of the Empyreal Demesne. Kelski was glad to be home when she led Moth from the Dovecote. The desert air was gone and so were the long drawn out days and hot sultry nights. Instead, the air smelled of the sea and the crisp scent of spring. There was so much promise here. She looked over to the tower and saw that somehow it felt bigger. She smiled at the building and knew it smiled back. Leading Moth forward, she made sure to care for him first. He was brushed down, his pack saddle removed, and the empty crates stacked up to be carried upstairs and refilled again slowly one at a time. She turned him out in the pasture with the other two horses. Normally she’d give him an extra measure of grain, but honestly he’d really done nothing but carry a heavy load to the dovecote, through The Outpost, and had lounged in the courtyard of her new home all day as she worked on the shop. He’d had grain to eat there and fresh hay. She’d seen to his comfort first. And it had led her to realize they needed a small indoor stable at The Outpost for just such a purpose even though they did not currently have one.

Kelski would have one built immediately. It was a necessity she hadn’t accounted for.

Once she’d taken care of Moth, she went immediately to the bath outside to do something about her ‘worked all day’ smell and to get the tinge of horse off her. Her bath was quick and efficient. Usually she lingered, but there was so much going through her mind that she felt unusually hurried. Kelski had no idea where the sensation was coming from, but it was there none-the-less.

Swinging by the stables on the way back to the tower, Kelski meant to pick up as many empty crates as she could to carry upstairs, but when she got to where she left the pile, it wasn’t there. She frowned over this and instead headed right back to the tower. She slipped into the main door, noted how well the main hall was coming along, and sniffed at the smell of baked bread. Mosa and Ember had likely been baking again. Kelski’s smile wasn’t at all slow to come. Instead she detoured through the kitchen and snapped herself up a hunk of that bread. Buttering it well, she stuffed part of it into her mouth as she gave Mosa a half hug and hugged Ember with the other arm… bread still balanced in her mouth momentarily.

“Delicious!” She said, then glanced around. It was well past time for dinner, for certain, but there was some remains of what looked like clam chowder in a pot over the stove. “Chowder?” She asked. Mosa nodded.

“Aunt Kelski, Dess was looking for you.” Ember added, causing Kelski to flinch a bit.

“Okay, I’ll go find him and then be back for more.” She said, holding the bread now in her hand so she could talk, though she did use it to gesture with. Kelski continued to nibble on the bread, not realizing how hungry she was as she hit the stairs and started up the smaller tower adjacent to the large one housing the kitchen and current living quarters. She was on the top floor so she spiraled up a long time before she passed found the end of the stairs and all but stumbled over the pile of empty crates from the barn. She paused staring at them and then glanced up.

Dess stood a few feet away.


Word Count: 611

[Kelski]

“I wanted to help.” He said quietly, his blue eyes concerned. He was standing wearing only a pair of cotton leggings, sweat glistening on his bare chest. He’d probably been putting the others through a training drill and had seen Kelski return or Moth’s presence in the field. He’d had time to carry up all the crates, that much was for sure.

His voice, his statement, conveyed more words than his actual sentence held. Kelski hadn’t told him what she was doing in The Outpost. She’d barely spoken of it. The girl wasn’t sure why she’d not talked to him about it. The conversation was necessary, for certain, and evidently it was going to be carried out now. Kelski froze at the door, studying him.

Dessarian met her gaze. He waited. The man had infinite patience. And even though he wasn’t Kelvic, he had the stillness of an animal while he waited for Kelski to decide what she was going to say. He didn’t convey prey though – never that. He conveyed strength and carefully controlled power. He was indeed her equal and when she stood across the room facing him like this it reminded her of that fact.

“I meant to tell you. I went through The Dovecot and found The Outpost. I explored it and purchased land there – property and a shop – so we can have a presence there along with others. It is a good place for the Meraki to be and a good place for a retail outlet for my jewelry.” She explained.

Dessarian nodded thoughtfully, slowly, his eyes still on hers. “It wasn’t that you needed space?” He asked.

She shook her head and her feet moved of their own volition. They carried her across the room and up to him until she felt his arms around her and her body held close. Through their bond she could feel his need for her, his worry, and his understanding. She also knew he had concerns.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, knowing that the first three could be left aside for now. It was the forth thing she felt from him that was troublesome.

“We are going to be stretched too thin to fast. We don’t have a solid enough of a home base here that’s defensible to move ourselves into another place. On one hand, if we have a place to go, a secret place, then that is a good thing. But this should and needs to be the heart of our operations. Kelski nodded from within the protective wall of his arms. “I agree. But it was not an opportunity I could pass up. The Outpost has a newness to it. There are still properties available and retail spaces that might not be there if these dovecotes have appeared all over the place like they have in Zeltiva and The Empyreal Demesne.” She added.

She could feel Dess nod, then he bent over her and kissed the top of her head. “Okay. Then don’t do it alone. Let us help. What more do you need?” He asked, knowing he’d seen her workshop empty out of its extras and become infinitely more manageable in the last few days.

Word Count: 530

[Kelski]

“Nothing really. I’m almost done. I just need to hire some help that I can trust to manage the shop and someone to caretake the house. A small group of people would be best.” She added. “And it’s a strange place. I don’t know who to trust with such things… important things. A jewelry store and a home that will not be occupied for a while. It might even turn into a magical training center… a school.” She offered, glancing at Dessarian.

He looked thoughtful. “It’s a tall task for a place we know almost nothing about. And people we don’t know. Would you like some help?” He asked, studying the woman before him. Her hair was tangled and her face was more relaxed than he’d seen her in the last few days.

Dess looked thoughtful as Kelski stepped out of his arms. She studied him a moment and then nodded slowly. “I’m used to doing things on my own.” She said softly, almost apologetically. The man nodded, keeping quiet though there was a new tension in him she hadn’t seen before.

“Is that where you were on your birthday?” He asked softly.

Kelski nodded. “I do things like that… I bought the Riad on my birthday. And the shop. I thought it was a … fitting present.” She added.

“I remember your birth, Kelski. Why wouldn’t you let me celebrate that with you? You were gone all night and most of the next day. You took Moth so I knew that you probably went to The Outpost. I knew you moved a great deal of your shop there too. I didn’t know if you were leaving us or just expanding.” He added.

She smiled then. “I keep forgetting. I’m used to… being alone.” She added quietly.

“You aren’t alone now.” He reminded her gently, a hand reaching out to stroke down her cheek. He had an understanding in his eyes, one that she wished was not there. Most of Dessarian’s family was dead, all of them really. And only a few outliers were left, most of which they’d gathered at The Empyreal Demesne. Kelski hadn’t known them, but he had. And he carried the weight of their deaths with him.

“Kalistan is at The Outpost. Healers there are trying to help him. There are truly gifted Opal Order people there.” Kelski explained, knowing Dessarian knew his best friend and her older brother had vanished a few days ago. “He was my first trip over, after I discovered the place.” She added. “I think he’s getting better.” She explained. “It gives me hope.”

“Come to bed, sweet bird.” He said softly. “You are exhausted. Tomorrow… we’ll go back. We’ll hire some help. And I’ll visit my friend.” He smiled in that way that told her everything would be okay.

Kelski nodded, crossed the room, and slipped into bed. She didn’t even remotely feel guilty getting a good night’s sleep and waking early. The pair broke their fast in the kitchen under Mosa’s watchful eyes, then took the last load to the barn, packed up Moth, and lead him through the Dovecote.

The Sea Eagle introduced her bondmate to The Outpost, making sure to grab him a map from the Dovecote caretaker before she marked carefully on it where The Meraki Riad was and where indeed her new retail shop was. They took Moth to the Riad, unpacked him and settled him into the courtyard. Then she gave him a quick tour of both the Riad and the shop. Then the set about to find some employees.

They had absolutely no luck. There were workers to be hired, but nothing that Kelski would trust to run her home and shop. After a time, Dessarian left her to finish unpacking the last load in the shop and vanished into the midst of The Open Sky Bazaar. He was gone bells and bells, well into the night. Kelski was afraid something happened to him. But she was a stranger in a strange place and Dessarian was a trained operative of these sorts of things.

So she took it on faith and waited. Soon enough he returned. He walked through the courtyard. Kelski was in the pool, soaking up the last of the pool’s heat from the sun, and watched him slip in. He had a grace about him from his martial arts and a calm demeanor. He noticed her immediately, smiled, and joined her at the edge of the pool.

“Are you okay? It’s been bells.” She said softly.

Dess nodded. “I did have luck. I asked quite a few questions discretely and ended up in The Habūb.” He said, a twinkle in his eye as he squatted and planted a kiss on Kelski’s forehead.

“The Habūb?” She asked, puzzled. “That’s not on any map.” She added.

Word Count: 804

[Kelski]

He laughed. “It turns out there’s a deep dark side to The Outpost as well. There’s a maze that’s a warren of criminals behind the Riads. An overlord runs it. He has… resources. But you gained his attention buying a Riad and a shop here. He knows you have money and he knows we are K’etir and Damazar. It’s a dangerous combination and he knows it. He made an introduction, this overlord, and asked what I was looking for. And he made me a deal only you can deal with, I suspect.” Dessarian said, looking thoughtful.

“This might be a bad idea, but I guaranteed you’d pay him four thousand gold mizas in the next season or so in exchange to take a problem off his hands.” He added. “It might solve our problem and it might not. But I have confidence in you. The goods should be right behind me delivered.” He added, looking thoughtful.

Kelski narrowed her eyes. “You purchased a problem from him to solve one of ours?” She summed up?

He nodded. “It seems Sand… that’s the name of this Habūb Lord, acquired a pack of Kelvic wolves… very young… in exchange for a debt he was owed… a few thousand. Your mizas will cover his debt. But the debtor had no coin. These Kelvics are under a year, completely unruly, and he can do nothing with them. I know you, Kelski. I think you can. So I purchased them for the debt they were given to him to pay for. He’s happy, and I think this might solve your issue. It means, you might need to spend more time here or the wolves might have to come spend time, but between all of us… Mosa, Ebon, Ember, Hattie, Darcee… everyone. We can help them. They need help. And once they are better… they are here. We can leave Lynneah and Keesha here for now. Until the wolves are better and ready to take over here. The girls will enjoy a change of pace.” He said thoughtfully.

Kelski nodded, thoughtful. “Wolves? Young ones. Kelvic wolves?” She knew predators. And they could be good people. “They were slaves?” She asked, deliberately using past tense knowing Dess would understand they would not be slaves here.

He nodded.

The Kelvic slipped from the swimming pool, reached for a robe since she didn’t have a stitch of clothing on – something she didn’t mind at all but knew Dess would be upset with if strangers appeared – and looked thoughtful. “I have multiple guest rooms here. They can share. But I don’t know that if they are slaves we want them roaming free the first night.” She looked unsure, not knowing how to handle the wolves at the moment.

“Best option would be to take them immediately back to the ED and bring the girls back here. No?” She thought out loud. Dessarian agreed.

“That would be best. Let’s wait and see what shape they are when they are delivered. I never actually laid eyes on them.” He added, turning his head abruptly when they both heard the sound of footsteps in the courtyard. There was a pause at the gate then a series of bells rang, attached to a pulley on the outside of the gate.

Dessarian went to answer it. Kelski padded barefoot after him wrapped in the robe. Quiet voices exchanged words and the Kelvic could hear the rattling of chains. Dessarian took possession of what looked like five older teenagers, all dull-eyed, something Kelski could recognize as drugs. The two non-descript men with them turned to leave and Dess led the youths into the courtyard by neck chains. Anger rose in Kelski because she knew not a single one of the young men knew where they were or were in any shape to fight.

“Let me get dressed really quick, get Moth, and lets get them home.” She said, all but running from the scene, hitting the steps and making her way up to her room where her fresh clothing was. She was down in a heartbeat, fully dressed, and had Moth in tow. They loaded three of the boys up on Moth’s back so they could each only handle one apiece.

Then, together the group of seven people and one horse headed towards the Dovecote and hopefully a way to get the boys detoxed and cleaned, deloused, and fed. They weren’t in good shape, that was for sure, and if they were drugged, Kelski could only imagine what they would be like when the drugs wore off.

Regardless of the outcome – whether the boys would work for the roles Dessarian saw them in – the Meraki was right in thinking they needed a better situation than they had at the moment.

Word Count: 797

Thread Total : 3515