Chapter Eight
Lucia sat at Yorwell’s worktable while he sculpted a samovar. “This is a very novel way to spend a meeting day.”
He chuckled. “I saw something interesting, and I wanted to try making it. You keep working on those cookies.”
Yorwell had done a very thorough analysis of her new body with magic and a visual examination.
She was glad that they were at his place.
It was less mortifying with just him there.
When he confirmed that her stone-to-flesh spell had been very effective, he had given her a jar full of cookies and encouraged her to sit near him while he worked.
She pulled out the first cookie and nibbled at it while he removed his jacket and dress shirt. That got her attention. Glyphs and symbols that moved even when he was standing still covered his torso.
“Uh, what kind of craft involves getting half naked?”
He grinned. “The best ones.”
He got a block of copper off a shelf and consulted his notes. Once he was ready, he put the block on a turntable, slid his fingers into the metal, and pulled upward like it was clay.
She nibbled the cookie, and her swallowing seemed to be fine. Watching him was surprisingly enjoyable.
He focused as he moved the metal. It glowed red under his fingertips, but it did as it was told.
“So, this is a weird hobby.”
Yorwell smiled. “For my people, getting control of touch is the hardest thing to manage. We all try and figure out methods that work for us. I have gone with sculpting.”
“Wait, so is Achilles a giant?”
“A few generations ago. He has it in his veins.”
“So, you are here because...”
He smiled. “Because the emperor met the chaos mage, and she sent scrolls along to him with a profile. The scrolls began to arrive fast, and he just did an all-call for anyone who could manage magic. We applied. He sorted through the tidal wave of applications, selected a few of us to arrive in tiny batches, and began exporting mages to your world.”
“And you guys just did it?”
He glanced at her with a grin. “Women with power are scarce in the empire, and your world is building them along with the men. If it can create the empress’s mother, it can do amazing things.
Being part of a bright future is something all of us agreed to.
So as we find partners, more will be authorized to arrive, but there will never be more than ten unattached imperial mages in your world. ”
“But you have families.”
“Communication has been arranged. I have two sisters and one brother.”
“Nieces or nephews?”
He chuckled. “Two of each. My brother was the one who suggested I put my name forward. Too much power, not enough ambition for him. He was right. A quiet life with the chance at a powerful partner was intriguing.”
“That is... not as horrible a reason as I had imagined.”
He smiled and worked on his project, pulling the top into a point. “So, what was the worst part about being energy?”
She swallowed. “Knowing that my family acted just the same when they knew I was there. I have lived my life as a non-event. Wasn’t an alpha, wasn’t an omega, wasn’t interested in flinging myself into matrimony, and didn’t want to go work for family. I erased myself before I ever got cursed.”
He leaned back as the shining oval rotated more slowly now. “That must be painful.”
“It is. There is personal guilt and an incredible feeling of being abandoned.”
“Well, three more hours and we can go to Mik for your appointment.”
Lucia smiled. “She’s delightfully crazy and a very good trauma counsellor.”
He stopped his project. “You have seen her before?”
“Yes. I used to sit in on her sessions, trying to gain what I could out of them.”
“Why?”
“I tried to kill myself a few times. It didn’t work, but I did try.”
Yorwell exhaled slowly. “May I ask why?”
“Religions have a purgatory. A place in between heaven and hell, life and death. A limbo where I waited for judgment. After several years, I thought I was done being judged, and I just wanted nothing. Silence. So I set out to try and kill an energy being. It didn’t go well.”
He exhaled again. “I see. How are you feeling now?”
“I have hands and feet and can talk to my cousin and aunt while I am eating cookies. I can look through people’s correspondence if they put it in electronic format.”
“And scope out showers.”
She inclined her head. “I didn’t perv on guys nearly as much as I indicated, but when I was watching you, and you were really enjoying that shower, I figured out it was probably not a great thing to be doing.”
He smiled. “So what are the real numbers?”
She held up three fingers.
“Really?”
“Yup. One was small, one was weird—”
“Weird how?”
“Uh, as wide as it was tall.”
He blinked and laughed. “Ah. Technical term is a chode.”
“Right. And then you, and I didn’t want to look anymore.”
“I am flattered.”
“Don’t be. I had no interest in catching anyone else masturbating.” She ate another cookie.
He paused and started laughing. “Noted. Would you like to come and see the inside of the house?”
“Sure. What are the options for me getting some clothes before the afternoon? Achilles’s design is lovely but a bit on the wispy side.”
Yorwell nodded. “I will call around. You are lovely in this dress.”
“Yes, but I like to be invisible in a sweatsuit.”
He chuckled. “We will see what’s available for direct delivery. But I would suggest that you do not let yourself fade away again. You are back. You survived. Wear it on your skin.”
She sucked in a deep breath, pulled her shoulders back, hugged her cookie jar, and smiled. “Where is that shower located?”
He grinned and wiped his hands on a towel before offering his arm. “This way, lady.”
They walked inside, and she got the tour. Yeah, it was the same shower, carved with waves, and the stone tiles looked like they were moving. She said softly, “There is ocean near your home?”
“Yes.”
“It shows.”
He smiled. “I have been to the islands. They feel very comfortable.”
“You swim?”
“I do. I also don’t need to breathe under the waves.”
“Oh. Neat.”
Yorwell smiled, and she didn’t get it, but that was okay because it wasn’t a bad smile. “Ready to try some lunch?”
“What are you thinking?”
“Grilled cheese and tomato soup.”
She smiled. “Lead the way.”
He held his hand out, and she put her fingers against his.
He looked electrified, and she wasn’t sure if she had done anything wrong, but he smiled and walked her down the wide stairs and into the great room.
From there, they walked toward the kitchen, and she looked at the ceiling. “Nice headspace.”
He nodded. “I can actually take on my actual height and get a good stretch in here.”
“How tall are you, stretched out?”
He chucked. “Seventeen feet.”
“Your clothes grow with you?”
“Usually.” He walked into the kitchen and started the sandwiches and soup.
“Do you often run around without a shirt?”
He smiled. “Frequently when I am at home. The glyphs under my skin denote spells I have mastery of, and they move. Movement creates heat, and I am dense enough that the heat doesn’t dissipate easily.”
She cocked her head and had a few thoughts that she definitely did not want to share. The mental image of him naked and steaming now made a lot more sense.
He slid his phone toward her. “Order what you like to do nails. You lit up when you were talking about them.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Until your funds come in, you are very welcome to anything I can offer. After, we can negotiate.”
She smiled. “Thank you. I could just grab what I needed, but I like to do things the right way.”
“You have had a rough decade. Many in your situation would be completely mad.”
“That is why I need the therapist. I don’t know if I am completely mad. I am at least partially mad.” She went through the beauty supply store menu and started with the basics and then kept going.
She looked at the total and blinked. “Uh... sorry.”
He grinned. “You are an artist, and artists need tools.”
“How do you know?”
“Your cousins all perked up when you offered to do Ted’s nails. That kind of attention does not come if the work on offer isn’t worthy.”
She smiled. “Thanks for that.”
“What?”
“It is a moment that they remembered me. That they have seen me. I knew it would be overwhelming with both of us coming back, but the one cousin that was easier to remember was what they focused on. Don’t get me wrong, she deserved it, but...”
“But what?”
“Didn’t I deserve it, too?” She felt tears starting, and she let them fall.
Yorwell paused the food and walked over to her, wrapping her in his arms. She held onto him and sobbed at the rejection that had been running through her in waves as she watched her family go on without her.
She heard small clinks hitting the floor, but she focused on her storm and getting the frustration out.
Lancing her pain would help heal. She had sat in on enough therapy to know that giving it form would help her deal with it.
The tears were the form; the grief was acceptance.
She rested her forehead against his chest and sighed. “I am sorry.”
Yorwell was stroking her hair. “I am glad you felt you were safe enough to let it out.”
She slowly tilted her head back, and he was looking down at her with a soft smile. “I got you all wet.”
He continued stroking her hair. “I hope to one day return the favour.”
She blinked and caught on. “Oh.”
“I want you in my shower, and I want myself in you, but I have time.”
She blinked. “You have time?”
“Indeed. No rush.” He held her against him, and energy started to work the kitchen.
“Um, do you need your hands for that?”
“No. You need support, so you will have it.”
A tissue levitated between them, and she chuckled and grabbed it, blowing her nose and wiping her cheeks.
The tissues floated off and burst into flames. She shifted her feet and heard a clatter. “Oh, I forgot about them.”
She looked down and swallowed. “How long was I crying?”
“Half an hour. We will have lunch, you will have a shower, and the sweatsuit I ordered with comfy socks and shoes will be here shortly.”
She blinked her hot eyes. “Underwear?”