Rinkaiel, Part 2

[4uk4ata]

Kalin looked like he had swallowed a couple of live frogs, and they decided that they wanted out. "Wait," he said, gulping uncomfortably at Maya. "You're a witch now? How'd that happen? And miss Layla - you're studying to be one?" His tone suggested something halfway between distaste and... well, not quite horror, but intense dislike.

[Graybeard]

Witch? Layla thought. Where did that come from? Don't the Veracian priests all take limited magic more or less for granted? But then she remembered that Kalin wasn't a typical Veracian priest, not by any means, although she wasn't exactly sure what he was.

"What I am going to be studying to be is a good mother," she told him. "Good mothers take care of their children. When you have children of your own, you'll understand that." If you have children of your own. Somehow I think your chances of passing on your genes may not be so good.

"So anyway, who's going to Tsuiraku-town, and who's staying here?"

[kagome_kino]

"A witch?" Maya repeated with a thoughtful expression "I don't think I have the qualifications to be a witch. So i will be going to Tsuiraku-town getting some medicen would be very helpful."

[Sareth]

"Um... I'm Miss Jam... Miss? What the Hell am I saying?" I shook myself. "I'm Jamie. Layla is over there." I pointed to the weird girl's right. "What are you, blind or something?"

Before I could get an answer, I could feel my gear being tugged off my back. "Mother?"

"Give me that," mother ordered. "I know you. If I don't hold on to this stuff, you won't come back from town."

"Mother..."

"Now, off with you. Have a good time while I watch YOUR DAUGHTER." Mother smiled as she forstalled any objections regarding Nera's maternal branch. "And remember, don't be out past midnight!"

"Mooooooooom!"

[Graybeard]

"Jamie."

Layla started to do a double-take, then thought better of it. It was a common enough name, after all, and they were a continent away from the Jamie that the Gewehr had had orders to snuff in Kiyoka. Besides, Peter's orders were clear: the Gewehr contingent in Rinkaiel was supposed to protect this Jamie (for Luminosita alone knew what reasons), not rub her out. She got back to the matter at hand.

"Kalin, maybe you shouldn't come with us if magic makes you uncomfortable," she said. "Tsuiraku-town is an expatriate community full of people from Tsuiraku, and they use magic for damn near everything. Would you rather stay here and help Mom with my son?"

[kagome_kino]

"Actually I am... are you psychic or something?" Maya tilted her head in puzzlement wondering how Miss Jamie pulled that off. "speaking of which if there is a cart can someone help me to it I can't seem to find it." Maya had an intense look on her face as she searched for the cart through the fuzz wondering were it was hiding.

[Sareth]

"... Oh." Well don't *I* feel about six inches tall. "Um. The cart is over the..." I started to point, then slapped my face into my palm. "Right. Um... How do I even..."

I could hear my mother laughing, even though I could plainly see she was playing with Nera and not laughing at all.

[Graybeard]

Layla face-palmed. "Over here," she said, perhaps a little louder than necessary. "Maya, is it, we'll help you get into this thing."

The hack and its occupants headed for Tsuiraku-town.

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"Your first grandchild?" Faye asked Jasmine, trying to make small talk.

[OOC: OK, so time for everyone to dream up some adventures...]

[Sareth]

"Yep!" Jasmine nodded as she kept little fingers from curling into her hair and yanking. "Isn't she something? So well behaved! Not at all like her mother. Isn't she? Isn't she?" Jasmine's voice descended into baby talk as she rubbed her nose on a squealing baby forehead. After a moment the woman looked up at her companion. "So, your... daughter? mentioned something about magic for mothers?"

[Graybeard]

"So, your... daughter? mentioned something about magic for mothers?"

It took a second for the question to register on Faye; she'd only been listening with half a mind when Layla gave her evasive answer to Maya and Kalin. Then comprehension dawned. A more artful evasion than some, I suppose. "I don't know exactly what she's up to," she answered, half truthfully. "I never needed magic when she was a girl, even though she was a bit of a wild child. Tomboy type, lots of scrapes and bruises from trying to keep up with the boys." Of course, it was more the other way around; not many of the boys could keep up with her. "I think she has this idea that she can learn some healing magic to deal with all that, but I think there's more to magic than just taking a couple of adult-education courses. Don't really know, though; I've never messed with it myself. Have you?"

Zachary picked this moment to interrupt. "Mama?"

Faye beamed with pride; not many 7-month-olds could form words at all yet. But her grandson was special, of course.

---------

"Have fun," Joe said as they dropped Layla off at the nondescript building just inside Tsuiraku-town housing Dasuke Kinabalu's magic laboratory. "We'll pick you up in two hours." He turned back to his passengers. "Shall we find a magic shop, or an apothecary?"