Jennifer Jones
Stories
4
Chapters
1,292
Words
687.3 K
Comments
0
Reading
2 d, 9 h
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Tala stopped by to say goodbye to Lyn on her way out of the Caravanner’s main office. The other woman seemed surprised, for some reason, but otherwise didn’t comment, except to say, “I’ll see you at home.” It was late afternoon, and the sun had already set, though light still clung to the sky to highlight the clouds overhead, and periodic lights on the main streets provided easy illumination. Tala knew it was cold. Even Terry seemed to snuggle closer into her neck as she stepped outside, but to…-
211 •
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Tala waved goodbye to Lyn over her shoulder as she walked through the Caravanner’s Guild headquarters and to a nearby receptionist. “Hello.” “Greetings, Mistress.” “I’m Mage Tala, here to see a guild official?” The assistant looked down at his notes, flipping through a book, hunting for her name. “Ah! Here you are. Yes, right this way.” He came out from behind the counter and led her down a side hallway. “Will your bird be with you?” The assistant wasn’t inscribed, and he was…
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211 •
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Tala finished eating her fourth Cheesy Little Caravan, to Rane and Lyn’s increasingly awed concern. “How are you not distended?” Rane hesitated as Tala’s eyebrows rose, and Lyn gave him a horrified look. “What? I know you’re inscribed, but how does it fit? That’s way more than you ate at the noodle place.” Tala looked down at her stomach, not a bulge in sight. “Stronger muscles? But, that’s a rude question, Master Rane.” She was kneeling beside the table, as she’d almost broken…
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211 •
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Tala moved through the city in a bit of a haze, Terry on her shoulder. If she was being honest, she didn’t really register anything at all, until she was standing in Holly’s personal workshop, looking at the auto-inscriber. She tilted her head to the side, regarding the machine. “Is that bigger?” Holly was frowning in her direction. “Are you alright, Mistress Tala?” Tala shifted her gaze to the small, older Mage. “Yes? Why?” “I just told you that I’ve been adding to the device,…
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211 •
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Tala was decided: Rane knew his food, and she was quite happy with the noodle place he’d led them to. To her surprise, Rane hadn’t objected to her order. He’d insisted that she get whatever she wished, and he’d cover it. He’d remained adamant, even after she’d asserted that he didn’t have to pay for her full order, or any of it really. Thankfully, the place was inexpensive, so her meal, enough food to feed a normal household, had only cost around three silver. Now, their food had arrived,…
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211 •
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Tala reached the indicated building at the edge of the Guardsmen’s training yard and was met in the entrance as soon as she’d stepped inside. By the insignia, the woman who met Tala was a sergeant, though Tala had never met her. “Sergeant.” “Mistress Tala. Welcome. I found you on the approved access list, but there wasn’t much beyond that. I was told you wish to use our training yard?” The sergeant eyed Terry with a mixture of interest and caution but seemed to have decided not to…
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211 •
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The Constructionist Guild was open, or so it seemed. Tala noted that the entrance didn’t actually have doors on it. As she strode inside, she again felt the magic in the surrounding stone scan her and project an infrared pulse, at least to her mage-sight. It was nearly a minute before an attendant came out, looking a little bleary eyed. “Mistress? How can we help you?” She was inscribed, but not a Mage. Tala frowned. “Did I wake you? I’m sorry, the entrance was open so-” The attendant…
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211 •
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Lyn stared down at the food log before her. “What even is this?” She picked it up, examining it from all sides. “Can a single person eat it?” She was bouncing it up and down slightly, seeming to be testing its heft. Tala quirked a smile. “Well, I ate two for dinner.” Lyn gave her a flat look. “Can a Tala scoffed. “I’m hurt, Lyn.” “No, you’re not.” “Fair enough.” Lyn hesitated. “Wait, Tala… “That may or may not be the case.” She sighed, rolling her eyes.…
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211 •
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Tala came out of her quick wash in less than five minutes. The small amount of water had heated quickly, so she’d put out the fire before she’d even gotten into the tub. She took a moment to clean up the blood from her floor and gather the bits of gold, putting them in a small cloth and storing it within Kit. Now clean once more, dry, and fully dressed, Tala sat in the living room with Lyn and Holly. The two women listened intently as Tala told them what had led up to her body’s rejection of a…
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211 •
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Tala was turning to leave Holly’s workshop, and Terry had already flickered up to her shoulder, when Holly grunted. “I forgot. For your other hand, I want to do something a bit more esoteric for you. It will require practice, but it should be incredibly useful, if you can make it work.” Tala turned back towards the Mage. “Yes. By quite a bit, actually.” “Harder than creating spell-forms in my lungs?” Holly gave her a flat look. “Don’t be tiresome.” Tala found herself smiling.…
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