The Adventures of identical twins Feldspar and Gypsum

Strangers in the Night

6/19/2016

It seemed to Gypsum that he had barely closed his eyes. A sweet feminine growl caressed his ears and a soft female finger stroked tentatively the long left horn on his head.
"What? Who are you?"
"I am Galena, handsome warrior. I am here to offer myself to you for the night."
"And to snare me for the rest of my life as well, eh?"
"Oh, no, I would never wish to hold you against your will."
"Perhaps not. But I choose to decline your offer anyway. I wish to sleep. Please go back home."
"But my Gypsum—"
"Hey!" Feldspar's harsh snarl cut through the night and the very short distance between tents. "Can't you hear, girl? He said no and I say no! Trot your furry little bottom back to town and stay there. And tell the rest that they will get the same lack of welcome!"
She hesitated. She may have looked distressed or disappointed, but such expressions are difficult to convey on Riotori faces.
Feldspar growled again and left no room for argument. "Move it! You interrupted my sleep!"
Disconsolate, the lass slumped slowly back to town. She saw another who was on her way to the tents. She did not pass along the message. Let this one suffer the same humiliation she had. A sudden cunning thought entered her mind.
"Do not bother the one in the tent on the left. He is unfriendly and uninterested. The other one, though, Feldspar, seemed he might be more receptive."
The other nodded and moved on. She did not believe for a minute what she had just been told. It was an old trick. The truth was likely to be the opposite. Then again, she knew Galena had played the game before as well, and might be trying a double deception.
So when she came to the tents she crept into Feldspar's. She knelt beside and started to whisper an endearment. But he had not fallen back to sleep and she was interrupted almost before she began.
"No! We have been warned about your approaches and the rules of your town. We have no intention of making such an important choice this early in our quest."
"But Feldspar—what a wonderful masculine name!—you will never find a woman more beautiful and loving than I. Share this night with me and I will make every night beyond a delight."
It was dark, so Feldspar could not determine if she was as beautiful as she claimed. But her voice was sweet, her growls and lisping snarls delivered in a high pleasing tone.
"Perhaps that is so, but I still choose to look farther and longer."
"Brother, get rid of her and let me return to my sleep," growled Gypsum with harsh impatience.
The girl, still on her knees, began to weep. "There are so few men that come this way. I may never find a suitable one to give all the love and passion that I hold."
Gypsum was a sucker for a woman's tears.
"What is your name, girl?"
"Spinel."
"A lovely name. Neither of us will sleep with you. But we will remember your name and mention it to young men that may wish to travel in this direction that you are a maiden of wonderful charms and a girl to be treasured. Now go back home and hold onto hope that soon you will have your heart's desire."
"Oh, thank you, Gypsum! My gratitude is forever yours!" Then she got off her knees and forced herself to walk proudly and with her head up back to her home.
"Nice tactic, Brother. Maybe now we can sleep."
The two settled down to do just that.
Five minutes later, in a sleepy voice, Gypsum asked, "What was her name?"
"Galena, I think."
"No, that was the first one. This other one's name."
"Don't you remember?"
"Huh! Guess not."
"Oh well. Maybe we'll remember in the morning."
They both were soon asleep.

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Enjoy Only Some of the Offerings

6/11/2016

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There was no available lodging for any of the new arrivals. But Apatite assured them that the entire village would pitch in to build a residence for Pyrite and Amethyst and after that a shop with kiln and tables to his specifications. All Rackarn asked in return was reasonable repayment once they got their business going.
Gypsum asked permission for the four of them to set up camp outside of town for a meal and then the two men would be on their way. Apatite would not hear of it. All four would be his guests for lunch. In payment the twins would recount all that they had seen and done since they left their home—and where was that by the way?
"No matter now! You can talk and eat at the same time and pitch your tents this evening on an excellent spot, soft and flat, on the other side of town. Then, if you insist, you can be off as early in the morning as you like."
Although still suspicious, the twins agreed. Judging from Apatite's size, the meal would be plentiful. Like young men everywhere and of any sentient species, they enjoyed over-eating once in a while. The twins had been subsisting on rations that barely fueled their efforts. The opportunity to take on a little extra should not be ignored.
So it was with mumbles and growls and supplemental gestures that Feldspar and Gypsum regaled Apatite and his huge family of their adventures since leaving Groakpod. "Huge family" was exceedingly accurate. Not only did over a dozen Riotori, from gray-haired to infant, attend the meal, eating and listening, but all of them showed the same tendency to size that apatite showed.
Gypsum was tempted to inquire about this feature, but his wish to be polite kept him silent.
Feldspar had no such reluctance.
"If I may be impolite, I would be interested in why you all have the appearance of being so well-fed. I noticed that the feature is not common among all in Rackarn, but certainly your family seems...blessed? or cursed? with a size we have never seen before."
"No offense is taken, since it is clear that none is meant. It is a family trait. As you can see, my father," and he indicated one of the older males at the table, "and even my grandfather," he indicated one of the three gray-haired family members, all quite wide of girth, "possess this feature. Even on rations close to starvation the girth seems to stay. While it hampers us a little in physical activities, we are all quite healthy.
"Also, in many of the villages and towns in this area, girth indicates being well-fed, which implies wealth of some kind. All of us, men and women, have no trouble finding mates within the surrounding forty miles."
Finally, as Shul began to flirt with the western horizon, the four newcomers were shown to the place to make their camp. Apatite escorted them and then, before leaving, offered a warning to the twins.
"You are big and strong young men. I know already that many of the women of age are considering you as potential mates. During the night they may come to your tents and offer themselves to you. If you do not wish to be tied to any of them, you must not yield to their temptations. If you do, you will be required to marry. They may even say to you that there will be no conditions, but that would be a lie. You must deny them and send them home. You need not be polite, but you must not touch them, either."
"But what if they lie to their parents, or others, and insist that we did what we did not?"
"They would never tell a lie like that."
"But you say they would lie to us!"
"Of course. You are strangers, and not a part of the village. Lying to you would be part of the strategy. But lying to any citizen of the village about something that important would be unthinkable!"
With that Apatite left them to pitch their tents. He gave a hearty wish to all four for a good night's sleep and ambled back to town.
The twins consulted, then set their tents so that the openings faced each other. That way they might be able to help each other to avoid the temptations that might visit during the night.
Pyrite found the situation rather amusing and set his own tent as far from the twins' as possible. Amethyst was feeling quite jealous and wanted to sleep close to the young men, to help chase away their visitors. Her father insisted, harshly when she protested, that she tent next to him.
As darkness settled upon them like a velvet sheet they all drifted quickly off to sleep.
Until...

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Back to Business?

6/4/2016

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After Pyrite explained the plight he and Amethyst found themselves in, Apatite brushed it away with a wave of his hand.
"I understand your trouble, Pyrite, but as you know we in Rackarn do not share your religious views. Your lives are not considered worthless to us! The opposite, in fact. If you cannot return to Krakold, we would welcome you here! If you could make your wonderful pottery here, then Rackarn pots would become as prized as those from Krakold. We might displace Krakold as the elite source of ceramic containers."
A crowd of curious villagers had grown, bunching up to the sides of the five and behind Apatite. None had assembled behind the twins. That would have implied a threat and therefore contrary to good manners. Their murmurings reflected the same optimism their greeter so quickly embraced.
"No! We are grateful for your welcome, Apatite, and your compliments. But, though our family has abandoned us, we have not abandoned them. We will not go into competition against them. They will have enough difficulty as it is to continue without us. We lost the wagon and the animal. They will not even be able to make deliveries for months, perhaps. We will not take advantage of their misfortune."
Then despite his sincerity, his considerations swerved to the practical aspects of his avocation.
"Besides, you have no kiln, no shop, no delivery wagon, and Amethyst and I could not do all the work sufficiently to produce what you have in mind."
"But those things can be built. And we have several youngsters that might be very interested in learning the trade. We even have an excellent clay bank only a short walk upriver."
Pyrite felt his interest and hopes arise; he pushed them down. "It does not matter. We will not work to take food from our family's mouths. Besides, we are still in debt to these two men. We can do nothing not in accordance with their wishes."
"That is good to hear!" proclaimed Feldspar without hesitation. "Our wishes are that the two of you stay here, where you are welcome. Do your best to fit in and work with your new neighbors."
Gypsum had been listening closely as well. He had an idea. "Pyrite, your family will not be able to produce enough to support themselves, especially without a delivery system. You and Amethyst are in the same condition. Even if you get assistance after the building of shop and kiln your helpers will have a period of training before they are good enough."
He stopped talking. His fangs had begun to chafe his lips. He had found it necessary to talk so much more since they picked up these two. Feldspar likewise.
But Apatite had picked up the thread of the idea and continued it. The twins had noticed immediately that his fangs were worn thinner than normal at their bases. A sure sign that he spoke overmuch.
"Of course! Between you two here and the rest of your family there you will be able to supply the demand. They will produce more, we can supply the wagon for deliveries, and the proceeds will be split equitably. You can even expand your territory of sales after a while."
He spread his arms in an expansive gesture and managed to show his teeth in what passes for a smile among Riotori males. "It is a win for everyone!"
Feldspar, always suspicious, inquired. "And how would all that benefit you? Your enthusiasm is very great for someone else's fortune."
Apatite was unabashed. "But it will be our good fortune too! Some of our young people will learn a trade. More wealth will come into our village, which will enrich everyone indirectly. Our relations with the citizens of Krakold will grow closer, offering better mating opportunities for our young men and women.
"Which reminds me: I assume both of you young men have undertaken the journey to find mates. Perhaps you will find them here."
"I think not, Sir," replied Gypsum. "We intend to travel farther and see more of Kylrock and meet many more young women before we make so permanent a decision."
"Hmm! Well, that is your choice. But it comes with a hazard. There may well be problems while you are here."
The twins exchanged glances. What was going to go wrong this time?

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Strangers in the Night

Enjoy Only Some of the Offerings

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