Campaign Log: Chaotic Pioneering

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on February 22nd

Nothing much happened today, except rain. My acrobatics practice was limited to a short contortion act for Olivia in the evening, followed by a duo performance.


Thoughts on February 23rd

With all this rain, perhaps it had been better to go by riverboat? Perhaps not. Seamen are nasty.


Thoughts on February 24th

Leopold pulled out the balance scale, again and again, indifferent to the rain. The two scales held a silvery lump and a purplish lump, and he had a pouch full of other lumps of approximately the same colors which he compared to the two lumps that were part of the artifact. It was incomprehensible to me how he produced a reading – I believe he compared the colors of the artifact lumps to the colors of the contents of his pouch – but he declared that this place was a seven, that place had been a six and so on. From all those numbers, he concluded that there was more Chaos away from settlements and more Order where people gathered.


Thoughts on February 25th

The rain lightened during the morning, and by midday we even got some sunshine. I celebrated with a horseback performance while we traveled. Since Olivia and I bring up the rear, it was mainly Olivia who got to see the show, although Ilzo and Va’lyndra turned and watched a little. Leopold just glanced back once, and I thought I detected a slight headshake. That man has no sense for aesthetics! If it isn’t written down, it has no interest for him. I already knew he wasn’t really a fan, so I didn’t take offense. What soured my mood was the rain starting up again.


Thoughts on February 26th

Yesterday’s brief respite from the rain heralded an improvement of the weather. We had a light drizzle all day, and Va’lyndra thought it should stop completely tomorrow. We’ll see.


Thoughts on February 27th

Va’lyndra’s prediction was right. This afternoon, the cloud cover broke and the sun greeted us warmly on its way down.


Thoughts on February 28th

The rain gone, the gods decided to give us another burden instead. Va’lyndra had another of her insomnia episodes, and I don’t think she slept at all last night. She certainly was grumpy and tired today. Looking on the bright side, I got to practice acrobatics all day.


Thoughts on March 1st

Va’lyndra didn’t sleep much this night either. Everyone was on their toes around her; she needed to work through it on her own. I thought it was good that we were on the road, and largely alone. Sulla forbid that anyone should talk to her, let alone brush against her! Then we’d have a spectacle on our hands.

Darn! Did I just swear by the love god? My evening pre-sex prayers are affecting me, and I don’t know that I’m pleased with that. I’m not going to stop, though, at least not before I understand the message that Sulla is trying to hammer into my head.


Thoughts on March 2nd

Va’lyndra was looking a lot better this morning. Still tired, but without the dark, heavy circles under her eyes. Whenever she has one of her episodes, Olivia and I try to be extra quiet when we perform our devotions to Sulla. It seemed to work.


Thoughts on March 3rd

Now that Va’lyndra’s episode was over, the rain returned. It wasn’t as heavy as last week, but it still prevented acrobatics while we were travelling.


Thoughts on March 4th

As we travelled, I could tell we were approaching Surd. The traffic on the road increased, and villages lay closer and closer together.


Thoughts on March 5th

The rain stopped, allowing me to promote my upcoming performances whenever we passed other travelers or when we rode through a village. Sadly, I didn’t know how long we would be staying in Surd, or where the tour would take us, so I didn’t have much information for those who asked.


Thoughts on March 6th

Olivia decided to empty all our saddlebags inside the tent this evening, and she asked me nicely to stay away while she took stock of all our belongings. She needed the space. She invited me inside after an hour or so, and explained that she had weighed and measured everything. I planned to acquire new sets of gymnastics frames when we arrived in Surd, and they were quite heavy, but Olivia discovered how to rearrange our luggage on the horses so we didn’t have to buy a wagon to carry the frames.


Thoughts on March 7th

We made good speed in the fine spring weather, but didn’t get all the way to Surd.


Thoughts on March 8th

I haven’t received any new dreams from Sulla, thankfully, but that could be because I haven’t been able to interpret the ones I’ve already had. Zalek said to use logic to understand them, but I’m no good with logic.

We arrived in Surd around midday, and when we had passed the gate, I declared “The White Truffle awaits!” There are better accommodations available in Surd, but none that have common rooms and audiences. I promised the innkeeper to perform in the evening, and got a free suite for Olivia and me. I planned to set up real shows here, like I did in Landfall, and suspected I would need to pay for our lodgings then, as I wouldn’t have time to perform in the common room too.

Va’lyndra and Ilzo wanted to go to the public bathhouse, but Leopold just wanted to take a bath at the inn before reporting in to his guild. Va’lyndra reminded him to let them know that someone might come looking for us, since she had given the history guild as a possible location for the weapon seeker to find us, once they located an anti-Order weapon. I added that Leopold had promised to check out the snake symbol from my dream vision.

Regarding bathing, it would be pleasant to indulge in some luxury, but the public bathhouse was just that, public, and I suspected that once Olivia and I got nice and naked, our behavior wouldn’t be appropriate for public display, in fact I planned for it. Therefore, I ordered a bathtub brought up, and plenty of hot water. After a good, long soak, Olivia and I helped each other shave, washed each other’s hair, and exulted in each other’s company.

Since we had business to attend to, we eventually had to get out of bed. We brushed and braided each other’s hair, and I sent one final devotion to Sulla. When Olivia had her breath back, we dressed and left. Asking around town, it didn’t take us long to find a craftsman who could make my new gymnastics frames. I ordered two, and Olivia interjected that they needed to have some mechanism for unattaching at the middle, as six-meter-long poles were too long to transport on a horse. The frames should be ready some time tomorrow, and I told the craftsman to deliver them to the White Truffle.

I performed in the common room in the evening, and had dinner with Ilzo, Va’lyndra and Olivia afterwards. Ilzo told us he had a wonderful time at the bathhouse, where he’d had a private room with his own attendant. Va’lyndra had been in the women’s section listening to gossip.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on March 9th

Olivia and I left the inn early. We visited the merchant’s guild and found someone who could promote the shows I’d be having, as well as organize a venue and deal with all the little details that I couldn’t be bothered with. His name was Ronald, and I offered one fifth of the profits, for his services. I specified that there would be two shows each day, starting tomorrow. That would be enough time for Ronald to begin spreading the word, and for the craftsman to deliver my frames.

Our next errand was to investigate professional development possibilities for Olivia. We discovered that to practice medicine, she would need to get a license, which required taking a test and paying a fee. There were separate tests for veterinarians. There were two tests each year, and the first was one month away. Olivia didn’t feel ready quite yet, but if she could study for one month …

We left the city and looked up Leopold at his guild. He had done some digging, and could inform us that the snake symbol from my dream used to represent one of the four families that joined together to create the Church, several hundred years ago. Today, the symbol was used by the missionary branch of the Church. Leopold didn’t know how this related to my dream, so I was no closer to interpret it.

I asked if Leopold’s guild library contained books about medicine that Olivia could borrow to study. Leopold went to find out, but discovered that there were no such books here. This was a history guild, he reminded us. However, he knew there was a small library in the nobles’ district that contained medical manuscripts.

Since Ilzo had gotten a private room in the bathhouse, I suggested to Olivia that we check it out. Acquiring a private room wasn’t difficult, and Olivia and I had a great time. Despite leaving the statuette at the inn, I felt very devout, for I gave in to my desires, repeatedly.

Back at the inn, I performed in the common room. As the show approached its finale, Va’lyndra and Ilzo entered, and Ilzo staggered as if badly wounded. The two of them disappeared before I had wrapped up the show, and Olivia wasn’t too keen on checking up on Ilzo. Va’lyndra could take care of him anyway; she was decent at first aid, and I knew she had stocked up on healing potions. Ignoring Ilzo, I joined Olivia at her table and we had dinner. Dessert was consumed after a quick prayer to Sulla’s statuette, up in our room.


Thoughts on March 10th

I knocked on Ilzo’s door in the morning and asked what in the world he had gotten himself mixed up in. He drawled incoherently about paying some humans and ogres to beat him up. Either it was too early in the morning for him, or he had been hit one time too many over the head, so I told him to go back to sleep, and went to ask Va’lyndra instead. She informed me that they had found an underground fighting club. I told her I had hoped Ilzo could assist in my performances, but that was out of the question now.

Olivia and I went out to find other entertainers to join my shows. None of the people we found was up to my standards, but someone tipped me about a couple of horse trainers. They worked at a ranch a few hours outside the city, but according to my informant, they were skilled performers. We wouldn’t have time to go out there before my shows, so we tried to find a courier to bring them a message. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time for a thorough search, and as I had promised to take Olivia to the medical library, we would have to try again later.

We gained admission to the library with a smile and some hip-wiggling. I promised nothing, and wasn’t called out on it either, so Olivia settled for a sharp pinch to show her displeasure. The librarians wouldn’t let us take books out, but they were willing to let Olivia study on site. I asked Olivia if she was comfortable with that; it seemed medical study was exclusive to men. She said she was, and I told her to let me know if anyone bothered her, so I could beat them up.

I tried to find a courier, but found none before I had to begin preparing for my first show. Only one in three seats was filled, and Ronald explained that it was because he hadn’t had much time to spread the news about my arrival yet. I pointed out that his salary was dependent on him gathering a crowd, but he just spread his hands apologetically.


Thoughts on March 11th

Olivia and I strolled up to the nobles’ district, and to the medical library. Another smile and wink at the doorman landed me a promise that as long as I escorted her here, they’d waive Olivia’s entrance fee. That suited me just fine, not that I needed another reason to hold her hand for a morning walk. I said goodbye to Olivia and the doorman, and promised to come by to pick her up before my shows.

As soon as I asked the right people, I discovered that only the military and the nobility maintained courier services. That matched with what I knew from the Old World. There, the only times I had encountered couriers, was when I was living with Duke Leonard in Toram. I never used them for my own business, of course, but the duke was an important man, and had couriers coming and going all the time.

I found the military building from where the couriers operated, and got in to talk to an officer. I’m not sure if just about anyone could simply waltz in there and have their wishes fulfilled, but the guards made no effort to stop me when I sashayed past them. I told the officer I needed someone to go to the horse ranch outside the city – I provided directions – and deliver a message to the horse trainers: If they wanted to join my show, they should look me up at the White Truffle here in Surd for an audition. I paid two gold pieces for the service; Olivia had provided me with money for this purpose, and would be relieved that I used it. I had no doubt I could get the officer to agree to trading services, but I’d feel bad afterwards, even if I enjoyed the exchange while it was happening.

I did some practice at the inn’s common room. It was no secret that I prefer being watched while doing acrobatics, and it didn’t hurt to give the staff a performance. I told the few patrons present where I would be performing this evening. Then I went to pull Olivia out of her books.

At the second show, since the room was so sparsely filled, I noticed two familiar faces in the crowd. It was Jusiel and Kallan, animal trainers who had toured with me and the rest of Varek’s Wanderers before we disbanded, and Olivia and I decided to take up adventuring. I found the two elves after the show, and they revealed that they were the horse trainers I had heard about. When rumor reached the ranch that I was in Surd, they had taken a couple of days off from their work to meet me. They had met my courier, just as they were leaving the ranch, and he had given them my message. I told them they didn’t have to audition, since I knew how skilled they were.

I brought Jusiel and Kallan back to the White Truffle to meet my new friends, and they thought I had come up in the world, since I could afford to stay at such a prominent place. Only Ilzo was at the inn when we arrived. Va’lyndra and Leopold were still at the library, doing research. It was late, so we said good night to Ilzo and sat down in the suite I shared with Olivia.

There was so much to catch up on, and so much to discuss regarding the show! Jusiel and Kallan were a couple, now. They had only been friends when we knew them in Varek’s Wanderers, but I told them that if two people were suited for each other, it was them. Olivia agreed. The animal trainers had been forced to sell all their animals after we split up, but could do horse-related things. They had already trained Lightfoot, so it should be easy to include him in my performances.

I explained that I was having two performances every day now, but was planning to go on tour as soon as my adventuring companions finished their research. Jusiel and Kallan would love to join me on the shows here in Surd, but were uncertain if they would be allowed by their employer to take a longer leave.

I asked if the elves had found accommodations in Surd, and they hadn’t, so I offered to pay for a room here for the night, call it a signing-on bonus for agreeing to help out with the shows. Olivia rang the bell and informed the maid who appeared shortly after. The maid failed to hide her yawns, and I realized how late it was. I promised Kallan and Jusiel that we could continue our catching-up tomorrow. We said good-night, and the elves followed the maid out. I voiced a quick prayer to Sulla, and then there was just one more thing to take care of before we could go to sleep.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on March 12th

After walking Olivia to the library, I practiced with Kallan, Jusiel and Lightfoot. I asked if they bred horses at the ranch, or just trained them, and they said they did both. I showed them Ilzo’s horses in the White Truffle stable, and asked if they had any horses that were larger, and if they possibly were for sale. They said that there were larger horses at the ranch, so we talked to Ilzo and decided that we should all go out to the ranch in the morning so Ilzo could make an informed choice. The trainers had a caveat, though. The horses that seemed the most suitable were only half-trained, but they said they could finish the training while we toured. Tomorrow, they could talk to the ranch owner, too, and make arrangements for them to join the tour. I was happy they seemed to have made their choice to join me.

The number of spectators at the shows remained low, but Ronald explained that currently, theater and underground fighting were the most popular forms of entertainment in Surd. There was nothing he could do about it, he said.


Thoughts on March 13th

We rose early in the morning, and by the time the sun had cleared the horizon, Olivia, Ilzo, Kallan, Jusiel and I were well under way towards the ranch. Jusiel and Kallan formally declared that they would join my tour, and we all thought it would be good to get a manager to join us too. Jusiel and Kallan wanted to seek out Varek Mountlake, but I told them he had settled down with a growing family further south, in a city whose name I couldn’t recall. Olivia reminded me it was Vallaria. Neither Olivia, Jusiel nor Kallan had much respect for Ronald, so while I still believed him to be a victim of bad circumstances, I agreed not to take him along.

Ilzo picked out the largest horse at the ranch, obviously, and wanted to test its strength with a pulling competition. Jusiel warned him the horse wasn’t fully trained yet, and told him he was not allowed to retaliate if the horse attacked him. After a couple of minutes of tugging, during which neither Ilzo nor the horse made much progress, Ilzo declared that the horse was strong enough. He agreed to pay a total of a hundred gold for it, including the training that Kallan and Jusiel would do while we toured. The owner agreed to take one of Ilzo’s old horses in trade, for part of the sum. The elves had checked the horse out already, and could vouch for it.

We had lunch at the ranch, with the owner, his family and all the ranch hands. The table talk was all about horses, of course. After the meal, Ilzo, Olivia and I returned to Surd, but Jusiel and Kallan needed to stay a bit longer to talk to their boss, making them miss the first show. They had warned me they’d be late, so it was okay.

Olivia and I met Va’lyndra and Leopold at the White Truffle in the evening, and they said I should begin planning for a tour, heading south towards Fort Glory. There was some competition going on there that they wanted to see before it ended. When I asked what kind of competition, Va’lyndra just said, “conference”. I was sure I had heard that word before, but couldn’t scrape up a definition on demand, so I just nodded.

Va’lyndra and Leopold needed a few more days to conclude their studies, but because of the conference competition, we have to hurry to get there, and they wanted to hire a steamboat. After a long discussion, during which Olivia whispered an explanation that the conference was a gathering of important people debating various issues, I agreed. Provided that it wasn’t the same ship as we had taken to Landfall, the Seabreeze. I would never set foot on that ship again. Va’lyndra and Ilzo said they would go and look for a ship tomorrow.


Thoughts on March 14th

Va’lyndra ordered Ilzo to put on his gold-plated armor, and then they headed for the docks. I escorted Olivia to the library and met Kallan and Jusiel for practice. We decided to take the practice into the streets, and promote the shows at the same time. The elves had heard that Winnie Wik, the juggler, had settled down in St. Clair. It was admittedly two years since they heard from her, but since St. Clair lay between here and Fort Glory, we could look for her when we docked there.

More people filled the seats at the shows today, and while the venue was far from packed, even I had to admit to myself that maybe Roland wasn’t as good as he pretended to be. I hadn’t put in much of an effort, and still nearly doubled the attendance.

Va’lyndra had signed a contract with the captain of the Floating Fly, and informed the rest of us in the evening that we needed to leave within a week. She said we would have time for two stops on the way south, but otherwise, we would be sailing day and night. I told everyone that I wanted to stop in Vallaria and St. Clair, to pick up some people who would join the tour. Nobody had any objections or other suggestions. I asked if it would be possible to stay for a whole day in these cities, and Va’lyndra thought that should work. We agreed to let the captain know we wanted to leave tomorrow night. That way, I could have two more shows, and the captain could gather up his crew and sober up. Va’lyndra asked Leopold if it would be possible to borrow books at his guild’s library to take along on the journey, and I took that to mean that it was time for me to go to bed.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on March 15th

Va’lyndra went to notify the captain of the Floating Fly that we’d be leaving tonight. Ilzo didn’t show up for breakfast, nor had he been at our little gathering last night, so Va’lyndra decided to buy the provisions we needed for the journey. Vegan food for everyone! Leopold went to study at his guild again.

I brought Olivia to the medical library, and she burrowed herself in her books. I asked the doorman who I needed to sleep with around here so Olivia could borrow a few books. He stammered and took me to the head librarian, to whom I presented the same offer. He, in turn, took me outside, to a nearby building, where we sealed the deal, and the head librarian said he would let Olivia know she could take her books with her when she left, since she had displayed model behavior during her visits, and he knew she would return them in pristine condition.

I practiced with Jusiel and Kallan in the streets to promote my last shows, and returned to the library to fetch Olivia. Walking back towards the venue for my shows, I apologized for the way I had bargained for her books. I could tell she was conflicted. She had really wanted those books, but hated what I had done to get them. Struggling to find the right words, Olivia settled for a trip attempt, which I turned elegantly into a front walkover. The sudden movement and my sparkling outfit caught the attention of the people on the street who turned and called my name. I realized a small group were standing in line to get in to the show, so I smiled and waved at them. Either Ronald had done a remarkably poor job of getting spectators today, or I was running late. I couldn’t believe the former, so I told Olivia we had to discuss this between the shows. Tears were brimming in her eyes when she nodded.

Nothing in the world can make me feel as awful as Olivia’s tears. Wracked with guilt, I performed poorly. The crowd was satisfied, though, but Jusiel and Kallan confronted me with it afterwards. They asked if I’d had a fight with Olivia, for they had seen her crying in my dressing room before the show, and she hadn’t come out to watch, like she used to. “I need to fix this,” I wailed, and pushed past them.

Surprisingly, there was a bathtub waiting for me in the dressing room, and Olivia ordered me sternly to get the filth off. I stripped and did as I was told. She gave me a bar of soap and pulled up a stool behind me and began massaging my shoulders. “I know you meant well, Mattea, but in the future, please remember that what you and I share is far more important, far more valuable, than anything else in this world. I would have survived without these books, no matter how many times I told you I wished I could take them with me when we go on tour. The next time you want to do me a favor, talk to me before you drop your pants. Okay?”

I promised, but a twitch in Olivia’s hands on my shoulders told me she didn’t believe I could keep my word forever. Her hands moved forward, and she rested her head on my shoulder. Cheek against cheek, she whispered that she forgave me. Her hands lingered for a while on my breasts, before one of them plunged into the water.

Knocking on the door snapped me out of the already receding hunger, and Kallan’s voice called out that it was five minutes until showtime. I rolled off of Olivia, who stood up and fixed her dress, which was bunched up around her waist. “Hurry up and put on your costume, Mattea. I need to redo your braid. The way it looks now speaks volumes. Sordid ones.”

The second show went much better, and then Olivia and I told Ronald that we were leaving town, so he didn’t have to put on more shows. We would take our payment now. Ronald handed over fourteen gold pieces, which was disappointingly few, at least compared to the raging success I had in Landfall. Olivia demanded to see his ledgers, and after looking them over, convinced Ronald to part with four more.

Leaving the venue, Olivia complained about how poorly Ronald had served us. We wouldn’t be using him again! “How much should we pay Jusiel and Kallan?” I whispered. Olivia suggested twelve silver for each of them. They hadn’t been available for all the performances, and while they had helped out, they hadn’t had their own act. I agreed with her reasoning, and she doled out the payment to the elves.

Olivia and I discussed how to split the profits from the upcoming tour too, but all the talk of shares and fractions, income and expenses confused my poor brain, and I asked Olivia to take care of it. “Oh, Sweetie! Of course, I will,” she said and gave me a hug, awkwardly because of the stack of books she carried.

We fetched our belongings at the White Truffle, and headed for the harbor with Leopold and Va’lyndra, who had been waiting at the inn. They explained that Ilzo had already gone, so he could get a tour of the ship before we left.

This ship, the Floating Fly, was much smaller than the Seabreeze. It still had a crane to lift the horses from the docks and into the cargo hold, and Va’lyndra, Jusiel and Kallan made sure the horses were comfortable. I asked the nearest sailor where I could find my cabin, and he informed me that there were two sleeping rooms, one for us and one for the crew, below decks, next to the cargo hold. The captain had his own room in the tower, so I headed there. Olivia decided to come along, and I felt a stab of guilt. I assured her that I wasn’t planning anything inappropriate, a promise I managed to keep easily, as the captain wasn’t even there.

Olivia and I waited, and half an hour later, the captain came aboard, accompanied by two harbor officers. They signed some papers, and the harbor officers left. The captain announced that all passengers had to wait below decks while the crew fired up the engine. Not wanting to be a bother, I complied.

After a while, a sailor arrived and let us know we could come up on deck now if we wished. I asked for the captain, and the sailor took me up to the bridge. Olivia took my hand and followed. I asked the captain how much it would cost to rent his cabin. Two gold per night, he stated, expecting us to balk at the steep price, but I just said “Agreed!” and held out my hand for him to shake. The captain claimed that he couldn’t leave the bridge to clear out his cabin until the first mate woke up. Olivia explained that this would likely happen in the morning, and suggested that we spend the night with the others. We could wait to be private until tomorrow. I thought about it, looking Olivia up and down hungrily. “If that’s all right with you,” I told my lover. Olivia suggested erecting our tent in a corner of the room, which I thought was a much better idea. We tried to be quiet.


Thoughts on March 16th

Olivia and I went outside and found the captain moving out from his cabin, assisted by one of the crew. We fetched our luggage and moved in as soon as the captain finished. I changed into my kinky leather outfit, tied a rope between the leather straps and the bed, and promised Olivia that she would have me all to herself until it was time to go ashore.

After a while, someone knocked on the door, and I dove into the bed and hid under the cover. Olivia looked questioningly at me, so I sat up, pulled down the cover, and gestured towards my outfit. “Ah!” She asked who it was and what they wanted, and a sailor replied that they wondered who was the leader in our group. Fearing he would come inside, I had Olivia tell him that it was Va’lyndra. Footsteps receded.

Ilzo took care of the cooking for us passengers today, and Olivia fetched two plates of overboiled vegetables for us so we could eat in the cabin. She informed me that Leopold had forgotten to bring rocks, so he too had to endure Ilzo’s cooking.

As promised, we spent the day in the cabin. Olivia went outside on a few errands, but otherwise she spent much of the time reading while I practiced acrobatics. She was so sexy, just sitting there with her books, that I got distracted. Thankfully, Olivia was patient with my needs and provided the orgasms I needed to leave her alone, most of the time.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on March 17th

It was raining today, but that didn’t matter much, as I planned to remain in the cabin. Olivia reported that we would be docking at Vallaria in the afternoon, and that Va’lyndra had told the captain we would be leaving again in the evening.

We spent the time as we did yesterday, with studying, gymnastics and sex. Jusiel and Kallan convinced the captain to let them take one horse up on deck, and trained with it. Ilzo had an accident, stepping on Leopold’s backpack, and breaking his wax tablet and a healing potion.

In Vallaria, Leopold purchased a small barrel of rocks to eat for the rest of the journey. Va’lyndra went shopping and returned with fancy travel garb and a barrel of ale to share with the crew. I took Olivia, Jusiel and Kallan and went to visit Varek. Luckily, he was at home, and opened the door himself when we knocked. He was happy to see us all, and invited us in for a bottle of wine. I told him we were going on tour and needed a manager. I explained we were going by ship to Fort Glory, and then we would perform our way north to Surd.

Varek would love to come with us, and said he had to discuss it with his wife and his boss first. The rest of us went outside to wait, but heard raised voices from inside. His wife didn’t like him going away for so long, but Varek came out and said that he was ready to go.

Varek wanted me to come along to see his boss, so while Olivia and the others returned to the Floating Fly, he and I went to the merchant’s guildhall, where we convinced his boss it was a good idea to let him come. His argument was that one can’t say no to such a celebrity as Mattea Vishi. His boss said we had to promote the merchant guild at my shows, with posters saying that the show was sponsored by the merchant guild. “But is the merchant guild sponsoring my shows?” I asked. The boss said of course, they were sending one of their officers to support the tour, after all! “Uh, who?” I asked, and Varek cleared his throat. Oh…

Varek and his boss talked privately for a few minutes, and then we returned to the ship, too. As soon as everyone was back, we cast off.


Thoughts on March 18th

I put on my leathers again, and the rope, and spent the day with Olivia.


Thoughts on March 19th

Varek dropped by our cabin and asked me to join him and the elves in planning the tour. I asked Olivia if she was okay with that, since I had promised to let her have me all to herself, but she said that she had only thought the promise lasted until Vallaria, and we were past that city. Olivia did join me for our discussions, though, and she pulled Kallan aside for some girl talk. I didn’t pry. If Olivia wanted me to know what they discussed, she would tell me, otherwise, I figured I’d rather not know.

We arrived at St. Clair before midday. I took Olivia, Varek, Kallan and Jusiel ashore to see if we could locate Winnie Wik, the juggler. The captain wanted to remain in port until evening, so Va’lyndra suggested we put on a show. I asked Varek to organize it. Kallan said she and Jusiel would get a couple of horses from the ship for the performance, so Olivia and I headed out, in search of the juggler.

We found the address that Jusiel and Kallan had, but when I asked there, we learned that Winnie had moved, and the current residents didn’t know her new address. She could be anywhere, but probably not in the Old World. Olivia and I returned to the others, and we put on a show in the afternoon. Then we congregated at the Floating Fly, and then we were off.


Thoughts on March 20th

Since they would be travelling with us on the tour, we decided to get Leopold, Va’lyndra and Ilzo involved in the planning. None of them had the skills to perform their own act, but Ilzo could toss me about, Va’lyndra could prance around and look pretty between acts, and Leopold could help with the rigging. Just like in Landfall.


Thoughts on March 21st

Nothing new happened today. We continued planning, and did some practice. Olivia squeezed in some study time.


Thoughts on March 22nd

I woke to the sound of Olivia’s screams. I sat up and tried to recall where I had put Scorchmark, while Olivia ripped away the bed cover and ran out. There was nobody else here; had she had a nightmare? But then why did she run away from me like I was a monster? My body sense was off, as if my hands weren’t exactly where I believed them to be. I looked down on myself and nearly fainted. My breasts were gone, and on my groin stood the reason for Olivia’s flight. It wilted under the stare of my disbelief. I was a man!

Realizing anyone could see me, I closed the door. How had this happened? How could I fix it? I startled when someone pounded on the door, and again when a man’s deep voice replied, “who is it?” I touched my throat in wonder while listening to Va’lyndra and Ilzo discussing what to do with a stow-away they had discovered.

The door opened, and Ilzo entered, cracking his fingers, eager for a fight, unless I completely misread the situation. Va’lyndra followed him inside and asked me what I was doing here. I told her I woke when Olivia began screaming, but why were they here? Shouldn’t they deal with the stow-away? Va’lyndra asked, “Mattea, is that you?” I struck a pose and replied, “Duh! Obviously! Who else should I be?”

Va’lyndra asked me to fetch my Sulla statuette. My fingers tingled when I pulled it out of the saddlebag. I didn’t see anything special about it, nor did it seem like Va’lyndra did. Blushing slightly, she asked me to put on some clothes, or at least remain here in the cabin, while she went to talk to Olivia. Ilzo stayed with me, so I decided to get dressed. It appeared I had grown around ten centimeters, and my shoulders had widened, so I barely got into the clothes, and I had to leave my jacket unbuttoned. I pulled out my mirror and studied myself. A remarkably handsome fellow looked back at me, but amazingly, I felt no attraction to my reflection. It felt as if I was looking at my twin brother. All my features were there, but with a masculine tint.

Olivia asked through the closed door if it really was me, and I said yes. She opened the door and looked at me, wide-eyed. She whispered something to Va’lyndra, who told Ilzo she had seen a giant fish with teeth on the outside, following behind the ship. Ilzo dashed out to look. “We need to catch it! Do you think we can eat it?”

Olivia asked why I had become a man. I confessed I didn’t know, but Va’lyndra said it was because I worshipped Sulla. I went over to the door and slammed it in her face, leaving me alone with Olivia. We stared at the statuette, the three-faced, two-sexed statuette. Oops.

Still wrapped only in the bed cover, Olivia dressed awkwardly, and I felt a stab of pain at the idea of her being afraid of me. Olivia thought I should remain here until this passed, and we agreed that she should move out and sleep with the others. I blinked back tears, and the hunger took over, but receded when Olivia rebuffed my flirting. In this shape, she wasn’t attracted to me anymore.

Unbidden thoughts of two of the sailors manifested in my head. I hadn’t thought much about it at the time, but I had registered that they were into men. Maybe I could get from them what Olivia denied me? No, no, no! I banished the idea and distracted myself with talk of the old days. Olivia joined me at the table, and after a while, she started to cry. I gathered her in an embrace, and as one thing led to another, we ended up in bed.

Our lovemaking was slow, clumsy and inelegant. I was completely inexperienced with this new body, and Olivia was wary of it and skittish. I stopped at every moan she gave, afraid that I was hurting her. “At least your tongue hasn’t changed,” Olivia exhaled when she slumped down on my chest, “I really needed that.” It was clear she didn’t find me attractive in my current shape, but she knew it truly was me hiding inside, and that was enough. There was no need for her to move out of our cabin.

Olivia remained inside with me, and buried herself in her books while I practiced acrobatics, trying to get used to this larger body. It was difficult. In the evening, I prayed to the statuette again, asking it to give me my own body back. Olivia asked what I had prayed for last night, and I told her I had given Sulla my usual request, to bless our love. “Oh, dear!” Olivia exclaimed, looking me in the eyes. “Oh, dear!” she repeated with a glance further down. If her first exclamation had another meaning, the hunger drove away any desire to talk.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on March 23rd

Sulla gave me another dream. A voice asked, “Do you wish to remain as you are, or do you wish to learn more of your true nature?” The question repeated over and over, relentlessly. I woke, drenched in sweat. Olivia lay beside me, which was unusual. We always entwined for sleep. I cursed the man-flesh that had warded her off. It was still there.

I watched Olivia slowly come awake, afraid to touch her, lest she run. A look of disappointment came to her face when she saw me. I wished her good morning and told her of my dream. Olivia reassured me that even if I were stuck as a man, she would still love me. Tension drained away.

Olivia studied, and I practiced. I was still unfamiliar with my new body. When I started getting bored, I tried to seduce Olivia away from her books, but she turned me down. I tried to distract myself with a difficult balancing routine, and it worked for a while. I made another seduction attempt, with a shoulder rub and whispers of my undying love, and Olivia turned and let me kiss her.

While we were resting afterwards, someone knocked on the door. Olivia asked who was out there, since I didn’t dare to raise my voice. It was Ilzo, who wanted to know if things had gone back to normal. “No, they haven’t,” Olivia replied sadly while caressing my well-defined pecs. I didn’t believe I was any stronger as a man, but like Olivia, I missed what had concealed my chest muscles.


Thoughts on March 24th

I was still a man when I woke, and today we would arrive at Glory Harbor! As we approached the port, the captain gathered all the passengers to say goodbye, but I hid in the cabin. When Va’lyndra came knocking, I didn’t respond until she identified herself, and I begged her to get Olivia. Olivia helped me wrap up so I wouldn’t reveal myself to the crew, or anyone else, for that matter. Va’lyndra cruelly insisted on putting on a show, but I gestured “NO!” as frantically as I could.

Olivia suggested finding an inn, and Va’lyndra and Leopold located the best one in the port town. They had only one room available, but it was a “family suite”, so there were enough beds for us all, divided among enough rooms that everyone who needed to, could be private.

Varek, Jusiel and Kallan had also learned what had happened to me, and had overcome the initial shock by now, so we all could gather and discuss what to do about it. I began by saying that I wouldn’t show myself until I had turned back into my old form, but Varek suggested that I pretended to be my own twin brother. Va’lyndra objected, saying it would be risky. Someone might know that I didn’t have a twin brother. We decided I should be my cousin instead, Fabian Vishi.

I needed to acquire a new costume, and Jusiel offered to lend me a set of everyday clothes. I looked strange in my too small women’s clothes. Olivia and I found a seamstress, and described what we wanted. Such a costume had to be made from scratch, and they needed two days to finish it. I offered double pay if they could have it ready by the morning. I realized that as a man, a very handsome man, if I may say so myself, I could perform bare-chested, so I amended my order accordingly. As an afterthought, I bought travel garb too. As this was a high-end establishment, they only had expensive clothes, but it wasn’t as if we couldn’t afford it.

Back at our room, I asked Olivia if we should try those pills she knew… It turned out they were partially dissolved, victims of time and wet weather, so we decided to throw them out. It wasn’t as if I needed them, Olivia said, and explained that they were meant to help men achieve virility. It was clear that I needed no help in that regard. Unfortunately, Olivia had developed a head-ache on the way upstairs, and went to bed fully clothed. I joined her in bed and held around her, but she asked me not to. Broken-hearted, I turned away and fell asleep crying.


Thoughts on March 25th

I had the same dream as two nights ago, but the incessant voice never let me reply, not that I was quite sure what to say. I certainly didn’t want to remain as I was, but neither was I sure I dared to learn more. My evening prayers to Sulla now consisted of me begging to get my own shape back. Olivia apologized for lying yesterday. She hadn’t really had a head-ache, she just wasn’t in the mood for intimacy.

I fetched my new outfit from the seamstress and replaced my saddlebags with slightly larger ones. I was sure to get them waterproofed, even though that wouldn’t be necessary quite yet. Leopold and Va’lyndra asked about travel through the desert between Glory Harbor and Fort Glory, and gathered supplies. While walking through the streets of Glory Harbor, I saw several catfolk, like Kine. They were all branded as slaves. Kine wouldn’t have liked to see that, no, not at all!

There was a broad, well-traveled road that stretched west towards Fort Glory. According to Leopold and Va’lyndra, we should arrive early tomorrow.

In the evening, when we were alone in our tent, Olivia knelt between my legs and offered to gratify me that way, as way of apology for hurting me last night; she had noticed me crying, and felt awful that she hadn’t dared to comfort me at the time. However, when I saw how disgusted she was by the thing poking at her face, I flipped our positions and worked my magic tongue. When Olivia was good and ready, she invited me inside.


Thoughts on March 26th

The same dream came to me again. And I was still a man when I woke up. Didn’t Sulla understand that I wanted to be reshaped to my old, glorious self?

After a couple of hours of travel, we crossed a bridge over a brown river. Not much later, Fort Glory rose above the desert. The city lay nestled in a mountain pass, and its walls stretched up the hillsides. The flags of many nations flew proudly above the city. I feared we might not find room inside the walls, for there was a sea of tents below the city.

Leopold pulled out his artifact and measured a one, the lowest measurement he had ever done. Perhaps we would encounter Serals here? I hoped we wouldn’t have to fight, for I was still struggling to acclimatize to my new body. It had unfamiliar needs. Olivia had to remind me every morning to shave my face.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on March 26th (continued)

We passed four camps, approaching Fort Glory from the north. Sun Empire and Virendia had delegations on our left, and Novgod and Kardia on our right as we followed the main road. Ilzo wanted to “see everything”, but Va’lyndra said we had to find an inn first. That could prove difficult, if all the people among the tents had failed to procure lodgings inside the walls.

There was a large wooden sign with lots of text about the new laws, concerning slavery and the former nation of Tamburin, which was split among the victors from the war, Virendia and the Holy Alliance. Garuk and the mines were part of a new nation, Free Tamburin, who didn’t seem to have much autonomy.

Guards stopped us at the gates, asking for identification. We had received documentation from the adventurer’s guild before leaving Urdon, but as I had changed genders since then, my papers weren’t any good. Olivia was paperless since she wasn’t a guild member, and we never had any reason to get papers for her before. They allowed us to pass, though, once we stated our names and occupations, paid one silver coin and promised to go to the immigration office. Olivia claimed to be my servant, which isn’t true, but she perfected that deception long ago.

The streets were crowded, as expected. We followed the main thoroughfare for a bit, looking for inns, before I found a man carting apples and asked where the best one in town was. He said the inns were packed, due to the conference, but gave directions nonetheless. Glancing at Va’lyndra’s fancy clothes, he also mentioned the possibility of renting a mansion, although we shouldn’t keep our hopes up for that either.

Leopold thought hiring a mansion would be cheaper, since there were so many of us: Olivia and I, Va’lyndra, Ilzo and Leopold, and Varek, Jusiel and Kallan. It made sense, so we moved towards the upper class district, and eventually located an office organizing rent of houses. Va’lyndra, Olivia and I went inside.

The man behind the desk frowned at us. This place clearly catered to the nobility, and while at least Va’lyndra and I wore better clothes than the average woman – or man, in my case – we clearly weren’t nobles. The clerk asked who we were, and I gave my fictional name, Fabian Viashniskaya, and my real profession, acrobat. He asked if there were anyone who could vouch for me, a sponsor perhaps? I got Olivia to fetch Varek, who even provided a document showing that we were decent people who wouldn’t trash the place we rented. The clerk admitted that there wasn’t much available at the moment, but he had one place which had just been vacated. He pointed to a map of the city which adorned the wall behind him, to somewhere on the south side of the city. The rent was forty gold per night, and he encouraged us to inspect the property before signing the lease.

The clerk summoned a woman named Karina, a nicely dressed servant who curtsied to us when she entered the room. She worked at our mansion, and would take us there to show us around. The mansion was larger than we would need, and even had towers! There was a garden behind a tall wall where I could hold small performances, if we could attract a noble audience. There were guards and servants included in the lease. There was no library, but Leopold’s guild has a chapter house in Fort Glory, so he’d survive.

It was an awesome place, but could we afford it? It was forty gold per night! Va’lyndra had faith in my ability to provide income, and Varek said he would try to find guests who could afford an expensive evening of entertainment. Ilzo offered to front the money for a week when I asked who had that much money. We returned to the property office and signed the contract, then went back to the mansion and settled in.

Leopold measured a one on his artifact scale, like he had done outside the city. Then he reminded Olivia and me that we had to go to the immigration office. Va’lyndra and Leopold began whatever research they had planned here in Fort Glory, but the rest of us headed out. There was a line at the immigration office, and it took an hour to square things there. Olivia and I got identification papers, stamped and signed and everything!

Ilzo decided to go off on his own to explore the city. Varek and Olivia began organizing my performances, while Jusiel, Kallan and I went to promote the shows. Varek warned us to do it among the tent camps outside the walls, as he wasn’t sure yet what was acceptable inside the city.

We all gathered at the mansion again in the evening. Ilzo had purchased a heap of souvenirs from different nations, everything from clothing to spices. Olivia and Varek had found a choreographer, a fop of a man named Karl Gustav, who wore feathers in his hat and frilled silk ribbons on his clothes. Jusiel, Kallan and I set up a show for him, to show what we could do. Then I seduced Olivia. What was so easy in a woman’s body proved a lot more difficult as a man. But it was worth it. Olivia was absolutely worth it. I love her so much!


Thoughts on March 27th

A voice in my dream asked the same question as before, but now seemed irritable and impatient. I decided I wanted to learn more about myself, but was unable to communicate it while I was dreaming.

At breakfast, Leopold discovered to his chagrin that the staff was unused to the gnome diet, and talked to the cook about sending someone to a quarry to get some rocks for the table, at later meals. Varek said we were setting up on the marked this evening, not in the garden, as he hadn’t been able to break the barrier to the nobles, as he put it. Va’lyndra, Leopold and Ilzo should arrive a couple of hours before the show started, as they didn’t have quite as much to rehearse as Jusiel, Kallan and me.

After a long day of practice, we held our first Fort Glory performance ever, as we hadn’t ventured this far south with Varek’s Wanderers. The crowd was better than it had been in Surd. It could be due to the throng of people squeezed into the city, or perhaps people here just had their priorities straight. Theaters, ptui! Acrobatics is the most sublime performing art. Executing feats that strikes the spectators with awe far outstrips memorizing some boring dialog!

After the show, Varek said he would try to get us a larger arena, perhaps outside the walls on the south side of the city. Back in my room, I tried to convey to Sulla’s statuette that I wanted to learn more about myself. I didn’t know if it took, but I had laid my heart bare to it. Now I just had to bare something else. I began flirting with Olivia.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on March 28th

I dreamed I was a sequence of people, both men and women. There was neither wealth nor poverty. I believed that at least some of these people were descendants of the person I was in my first dream. In some lives I had the ability to manipulate people, and in one generation I drained life out of a sexual partner. I noticed that in all the visions where I possessed supernatural powers, I was a woman. Unfortunately, I was a man when I woke. I recounted the dream to Olivia. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. I said it would be awesome to have wings like in my first vision. I’ve flown once, using a magic potion, and it was marvelous! Olivia said she would love me no matter what form I took. I smiled and said that if I suddenly sprouted wings, I needed to be very careful, particularly if it happened here in Fort Glory.

I prayed to the Sulla statuette, and spent the rest of the day preparing for, and performing, the show. Va’lyndra heard about competitions outside the city, with no cost to participate, but with large prizes. The competitions were going on as long as the conference lasted, and it would be fun to join, but they were held in the evenings, when I had my shows.

Tonight, we performed in Sun Empire’s tent camp, on their marketplace. I meditated before the statuette when Olivia and I got back to our room at the mansion, and discovered how to focus my will and change between Fabian and Mattea. It took a few seconds and a lot of effort, but it was a price I would pay ten times over. I had performed bare-chested, and Olivia’s eyes popped when I grew back into a woman. She buried her face between my breasts. “That’s not the only parts of me that have returned to normal,” I said. Olivia tore my trousers off, and we celebrated my return.


Thoughts on March 29th

With the ability to change genders at will came also an understanding: Having sex with me drained people of their good luck. Not that I was receiving any of it. Olivia frowned pensively for a moment when I told her. Then she said “I don’t care!” and threw herself at me.

Even though I wanted all the attention I could get, in my own form, to build my reputation, having Fabian disappear suddenly might draw suspicion, so I transformed back to my alternate, male body before leaving the room. Although I had begun to acquaint myself with that shape, it still felt a little “off”, so using it for a few more days wouldn’t be a bad idea. I predicted that there might come a time when I need to change into Fabian and be at my best. I should probably change into the male body regularly, to keep up the familiarity.

From today, there would be two shows each evening, according to Varek, so even watching the competitions was out of the question. I had already realized that I wouldn’t have time to compete. Ilzo, on the other hand, decided to skip the performances to go wrestle and throw knives, after taking a trip up the mountain earlier in the day. To his credit, he won the wrestling competition, but I was still mad at him for standing me up.


Thoughts on March 30th

Varek had infiltrated the higher ranks of society, so today we were having festivities at the mansion. The main event, of course, was my acrobatics performance in the garden. Olivia told me that Va’lyndra had come to see her; a man would arrive during the show, and he should be taken to her. With a background in service, Olivia had taken command of the household, and she notified the guards about Va’lyndra’s visitor.

Ilzo informed me that there would be a long-distance running competition this evening, and asked permission to join. I told him I needed him at the show, and that I hadn’t quite forgiven him for his escapade last night. When Va’lyndra said he should use his gold-plated armor, he smiled broadly.

The garden show was a raging success, and I enjoyed the mingling afterwards immensely. There was food and drink and music, and a good time to be had. Va’lyndra’s friend, Fredrik, arrived and the two of them secluded themselves for a good while. When Va’lyndra came out, I gave her a nudge and a wink and asked how it was. She glared at me and said nothing. “Welcome to the world of adulthood,” I declared. She really is clueless! I gave up and went inside. Fredrik was sleeping on a sofa, and didn’t even wake up when I plumped down next to him. Good job, Va’lyndra! I nearly became jealous, but I knew I had Olivia, so everything was all right. I spent the rest of the evening with an arm around her, chatting to wealthy merchants and low-ranking nobles; Varek hadn’t attracted the cream of the crop yet.


Thoughts on March 31st

Leopold spent yesterday at his guild doing research, he informed us at the breakfast table. He completely forgot the time and missed the show, but found a clue to possible undercover Serals, advisors to nobles. That was why we were here in the first place, so I guess I shouldn’t be angry with him for missing the show. I asked if I shouldn’t do something to help with our world-saving quest, but Olivia explained that my job was to draw attention away from Leopold’s and Va’lyndra’s snooping.

According to Leopold, there were about three to five Serals in each nation, doing advisory work and influencing the nobles. There apparently weren’t as many in Sun Empire, and the Holy Alliance had about as many as all the other nations combined. Leopold invited Va’lyndra to come with him to his guild to meet the source of this information; perhaps she had salient questions for him.

Varek said there would be another garden party this evening, and Va’lyndra returned in time to help out. The guests were higher-ranking than yesterday’s, and included a council member from Kardia and a Fort Glory bigwig, a high human. I talked to them, as a good host should, and they asked how it was possible to accomplish such acrobatic feats as I had displayed. I gave a simple explanation, and told them that my cousin, Mattea, was even better than me.


Thoughts on April 1st

Leopold informed us that he had identified two persons, one from the Holy Alliance, and one from Virendia, who might be Serals, and we concluded that we didn’t have a clue what to do with that knowledge. Ilzo wanted to kidnap them, and Va’lyndra reminded us that there was a Chaotic weapon on the way. We should probably wait for the weapon before doing anything.

The Virendia Seral was an advisor to the colonial governor at Surd, and had accompanied the governor’s son in the Virendia delegation to the conference here. We should easily be able to find the Seral again when we returned to Surd after my tour.

The conference could last as much as a full week from now, but we didn’t have the mansion for much longer, so I suggested that we split the party when the lease expired tomorrow. Leopold and Va’lyndra could remain in case something happened that we needed to know about, and would easily overtake the rest of us, as we would take our time in towns and villages on the way north. Leopold also wanted to go into the desert south of the city and make measurements there. For some reason, the southern gate was only open between six and nine in the evening, so Leopold planned to go out one day and return the next. The guards didn’t pay much mind to who passed, as long as they did it while the gates were open.

Today’s show would be at the grand market, and then we were going on tour! Varek suggested that someone went ahead of the main group and did the necessary preparations and promotions for the shows. As he was the most competent person I knew for those tasks, I decided to send him, instead of hiring a random person to do it. Varek would leave today, so I told him that Mattea would be doing the tour, not Fabian. He replied that if that was true, it was good news indeed! I had Olivia confirm that Mattea was back. Olivia took over managing the show at the market.


Thoughts on April 2nd

Va’lyndra and Leopold stayed in Fort Glory when the rest of us left. I wished them luck in finding somewhere to stay, but Va’lyndra said that there should be room in the tent camps outside the city walls.

We made good speed, but didn’t reach Glory Harbor. We left the road and made camp. Once I was alone with Olivia, I discarded Fabian and became Mattea. I had finally grown used to the male body, but both Olivia and I preferred me as a woman.

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on April 6th

The tour has begun! We arrived in Glory Harbor early on the third, and found that all was ready. Varek had done a good job. The days in Glory Harbor were spent practicing with Ilzo, Jusiel and Kallan, and promoting the shows. The evenings were when we held our performances, and the nights were blessed with lovemaking.

After three days in town, we left on the fourth, heading north. It felt kind of strange to have everyone on horseback. Troupes travel by wagon, as a rule. We arrived at a large village in the evening and put on a show for them. Varek had already come and gone when we got there.


Thoughts on April 15th

We arrived in Unity today. That brought back memories. When Olivia and I first arrived at the New World, this was where our ship landed. And by coincidence, we met Varek Mountlake again. We spent the winter in Unity, making preparations, and when spring came, we began touring with Varek’s Wanderers.

Unlike then, my name was already known to the populace, so we got a warm welcome. Olivia disliked some of the calls I received while making my way into the city, and made me promise to stay close.


Thoughts on April 22nd

Two shows per night for a week was enough, and we sought greener pastures further on. Va’lyndra and Leopold arrived halfway through our stay here, and joined the show.


Thoughts on May 3rd

We arrived in St. Manus after stopping in six villages large enough to sustain a show.


Thoughts on May 17th

We departed from St. Manus yesterday morning, and arrived in Emperor City tonight, without stopping to put on a show in between. Leopold went to visit his guild and report; their headquarters are here.


Thoughts on June 1st

After two glorious weeks of performances, we left Emperor City behind.


Thoughts on June 15th

We took our time getting to St. Clair, with eight shows on the way.


Thoughts on June 22nd

We only spent one week in St. Clair, but it was an eventful one. Early in our stay, Olivia noticed Va’lyndra sneaking off with her Elendus statuette, and Ilzo following.

The next day, Olivia, Jusiel and Kallan located Winnie Wik, and reported that she seemed to be part of a gang, keeping watch on a street corner. Olivia brought me along to meet the former juggler, who startled when I said hi. She collected herself, and replied. I asked if she had retained her juggling skills. “Barely,” she replied. She did have some balls lying nearby, and demonstrated. Her skills had unfortunately deteriorated. Olivia whispered that she seemed sick, or perhaps influenced by “something or other” – drugs or alcohol probably. I asked Winnie if she was feeling all right, and she claimed to be fine. I told her if she wanted to take up juggling again, I’d love for her to look me up.

Finally, Va’lyndra started on one of her insomnia episodes. I couldn’t recall her having any difficulty sleeping since she and Leopold arrived in Unity, but unless we’re camping at the time, I seldom recognize when she has only a single night of disturbed rest. This episode has lasted two days already.


Thoughts on June 24th

Olivia hasn’t been feeling all that well these last few mornings, and today she told me the reason. She suspected that she was pregnant. Wow! That made me so happy! We always wanted to have a family together, and with my new-found superpowers, that was possible. Thank Sulla! We had decided to adopt, when we felt ready for it, but having a child of our own making was so much better! Olivia scolded herself for not recognizing the pregnancy sooner, when she started missing her periods, but in her mind, she had never been with a man. Only me. After raining a deluge of hugs and kisses on Olivia, I decided to listen to her belly, which had indeed started to swell. How could I have missed that, when I saw Olivia naked all the time? I heard a strong heartbeat, and declared it proudly, but Olivia assured me it was her own heart I had been listening to. The baby’s heart wouldn’t be discernible for months yet. Silly me!


Thoughts on June 25th

After prancing around proud as a peacock for a full day, I expected the others to pick up on Olivia’s pregnancy. We had decided to wait with the announcement. Our happiness was contagious, though, and Va’lyndra slept like a baby last night, for the first time in several days.


Thoughts on July 6th

We arrived in Vallaria, after eight shows on the road.


Thoughts on July 8th

While I was having my hand-shaking session, a middle-aged and weathered elf woman approached me. “Mattea Vishi? I’m looking for Va’lyndra.” I saw my friend nearby and went to tell her someone was asking for her. She must have made a good impression strutting around between acts in that nice dress of hers. I said I thought she preferred men, but Va’lyndra didn’t get the reference. She can be so clueless sometimes! I think it stems from not having developed a sense of humor. Or perhaps her mother dropped her on the head when she was a baby? Va’lyndra took the woman with her and left.


Thoughts on July 9th

Va’lyndra was unusually happy this morning. I suspected she had had a good night, but it turned out the woman had brought the Chaotic weapon we sought, and Va’lyndra had analyzed and purchased it. The weapon was a large knife, but not as long as Scorchmark, with a spell that sharpened it and another that made the weapon inflict Chaotic damage on non-Chaotic beings. The weapon was as fine as Lady Karita’s sword had been, and both weapon and sheath were gilded. The hilt held two purple gemstones as well.


Thoughts on July 10th

After congratulating Olivia with her birthday, thoroughly, I transformed into my male body and asked her to marry me. Olivia asked if I was joking. “Yes, I didn’t really think it through, I just thought it would be a nice gesture on your birthday,” I admitted. With all we had learned during our adventures, none of us really wanted anything to do with the Church anymore. An off-the-books wedding, on the other hand… We agreed to find somewhere nice after leaving Vallaria, where we could exchange vows in front of our friends and the Sulla statuette, and we could order a nice meal at the next village.


Thoughts on July 16th

We said goodbye to Vallaria and continued north. Varek told us he had checked in with his guild, and his family, for it was months since he was here last.


Thoughts on July 18th

We crossed the border into Virendia, leaving Kardia behind us. The weather was nice, and Olivia spotted a light patch of forest a few minutes west of the road, so I declared that we were going there. Our companions were puzzled, but broke into smiles and cheers when I explained that Olivia and I were getting married. I pulled out the Sulla statuette and settled it on the moss, before taking Olivia’s hands. “Olivia Wikt, I love you with all of my heart. You are my rock, steady and solid, the one I trust and rely on. I promise to protect and keep you, now and forever.” Olivia squeezed my hands gently in thanks. “Maystatea Viashniskaya, I love you more than anything in this world. Your love shines like the sun, and you care envelops me like soil nourishing a seed. In your presence, I can grow and blossom, become the woman I was meant to be. I will give comfort when you are sad, guidance when you are lost, and ‘food’ when you are Hungry. This I swear to you.” I blushed, and felt tears of happiness well up in my eyes, but Olivia startled; the statuette began to glow! I pulled her close and held her until the light subsided, a few seconds later. Then I gave her a thorough kiss, before everyone congratulated us. As planned, we ordered a fine meal, with cake and fancy wine, when we arrived at the next village. Olivia passed on the wine.


Thoughts on July 20th

Va’lyndra pointed at Olivia’s belly and exclaimed congratulations, thus revealing our little secret to everyone. This brought another round of well-wishing from our friends. Leopold was lost in though and missed the whole incident!


Thoughts on July 24th

I woke to find Olivia between my legs, love shining from her eyes. Happy birthday to me!

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on July 25th

Va’lyndra wanted to experiment with the Chaotic knife, and asked Leopold to hold it. The gnome reported that he felt uncomfortable wielding it. When I tried, I felt nothing, presumably because I’m Chaotic, and Leopold is not. I asked who should keep it. Both Va’lyndra, Ilzo, Leopold and I know how to use a knife in combat, but we agreed that Leopold had the best weapon upgrade potential. He, however, was skeptical with the discomfort he felt when holding the weapon. He had to try using it, and asked Ilzo nicely if he could test it on him. Leopold felt the discomfort lessen for a minute after nicking Ilzo, and agreed that he could keep it. I reminded him that he shouldn’t carry the weapon so jewel thieves could see it, and Va’lyndra added that if Leopold lost the knife, she’d have Ilzo eat him, for it had cost her eighty thousand.


Thoughts on August 1st

We finally returned to Surd, late in the evening, after twelve shows on the way from Vallaria.


Thoughts on August 2nd

Leopold checked in with his guild and delivered his treatise on Serals, Order, Chaos, control and freedom in society. He had even made a copy for Karl Morgenstern. Before the first show this evening, he showed us that he had visited a leatherworker and acquired a new sheath for the bejeweled knife, as well as leather wrappings around the hilt to hide the purple gemstones.


Thoughts on August 3rd

Va’lyndra began another insomnia episode last night. Hopefully, its not lasting long. We finished the tour tonight, and Olivia did the final tally. We had brought in one hundred and eighty thousand copper, and that was after paying for venues, lodging and so on. Jusiel and Kallan received nine thousand each, according to their agreement with Olivia, definitely not bad for four months of work. They had been given some spending money intermittently, but received the bulk of their reward now. Varek was paid by the merchant guild, so he received nothing from us. About half the remaining money went to Va’lyndra, for dishing out for the Chaotic knife, and we split the remainder according to our adventuring agreement, one share for Olivia, and four for each of the rest of us. I could probably have argued for getting a larger share, being the star of the show, but since the tour really was cover for our Seral investigations, I thought it was fair for Va’lyndra, Ilzo and Leopold to receive shares accordingly.


Thoughts on August 4th

We said goodbye to Varek, Jusiel and Kallan, and I gave Varek the silver arrow I won in the archery contest at the Urdon summer games. I felt I had to give him something, since we didn’t pay him for managing the tour. Varek said he would have it framed when he returned home in Vallaria, and display it on a wall. There were hugs all around. Jusiel and Kallan said they would try to get their jobs back at the horse ranch, and that we were welcome to drop in if our travels took us in that direction.

Now, we had to take care of the Seral business. We sent a letter to Karl Morgenstern’s contact, Sirius Nopel, the colonial trade minister, where I asked for an audience. Leopold composed the letter, as I have no way with words. I signed at the bottom, though.

Due to her difficulties sleeping, Va’lyndra was tired and grumpy, and not good company. Ilzo declared he was going out to have some fun, now that the tour was over and we waited for a reply to my letter. Olivia and I locked ourselves into our room, here at the White Truffle.


Thoughts on August 5th

Ilzo was injured when we met him for breakfast, Olivia pointed out. He looked all right to me, but then, I don’t have Olivia’s sharp eyes, nor her skill at knowing what to look for. When asked, Ilzo admitted he had found his way back to that underground fight club.

Olivia and I spent the day in our room. Olivia had decided to plow through her books one last time before returning them to the medical library. Watching my wife – my wife! – I noticed that she was bulging against her dress. We should probably go shopping soon for a new set of clothes.

In the evening, a maid knocked on the door. A letter had arrived from the trade minister, a short note inviting us to come to his office tomorrow at three o’clock, and a pass for Va’lyndra, Ilzo, Leopold and me. I informed Va’lyndra, Ilzo and Leopold. Va’lyndra was still not sleeping, so I was worried she wouldn’t be able to keep her temper reined in during the audience. I didn’t say that to her, of course. I didn’t want my head bitten off.

Our bedroom activities have gradually changed character over the last few weeks. I’m flexible enough to maneuver around Olivia’s growing belly with ease, but Olivia has lost some agility and stamina. We also have to protect the baby. As a result, our lovemaking isn’t as tempestuous as it used to be. When we go to sleep afterwards, we don’t entangle the same way we used to either. Olivia sleeps on her back now, and I wrap my arms and legs around her from the side; at least I can still do that.