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A Misunderstanding

10/9/2016

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Besides girls, the twins looked for a better place to stay. If it rained they would find themselves living in mud even if the roof did not leak.  Water would seep or even flow under the walls. They did not know what the weather might hold for them here, but they did not like the situation.
But as they expected, there were no empty houses or even rooms for rent. They tracked down Bismuth and proposed a solution that would benefit them now and New City in the future. If the city had the lumber, the twins would build a floor into the shelter.
Bismuth replied that that was not a project the city officials had considered. The twins offered to negotiate; their parents and aunt and uncle had been harshly insistent that they learn effective strategies of negotiation. They felt confident that they could strike a satisfactory deal.
But the meeting with the city officials did not seem to go well. The city officials were stunned. Never before in their memory had young men looking for mates thought to propose anything new. Policies and decisions were what they were, and not to be changed on the whim of strangers. The answer was a resounding "No!"
The twins respectfully bowed and returned to their shelter and began packing their belongings.
Bismuth had accompanied them, expecting the chastened pair to accept their lot and pay for another day of residence. So when the two began packing up, he asked what they had in mind.
Feldspar answered as he rearranged his armor for travel.
"We are going to move on. It seems that people in New City are inflexible and overly stubborn. While there are many lovely young women here, we have no interest in courting them if they possess the same inflexibility shown by their officials."
Gypsum took up the explanation. "There are two other towns for us to visit. Perhaps Far New City also has pretty young females and a more reasonable assembly of officials, or at least a temporary residence that offers more protection form unpleasant weather." He and Feldspar exchanged glances and nods, then shouldered their packs and walked out the door.
Once outside, and in clear vision of of many citizens, they bowed to Bismuth, thanked New City for the accommodations, and turned to walk down the main street in the direction of Far New City. They did not hurry.
They did not get far. Word had apparently spread quickly that the two handsome young men were leaving without so much as an attempt to court even one of the beautiful young women. This was inconceivable!
Our heroes were accosted long before they reached the edge of town.  Nearly a dozen young females, including the two that had exchanged glances with them upon their arrival, asked why the twins were leaving.
Gypsum, whose speech tended to be gentler than that of his older brother, explained the problem and their reasoning.
The young ladies, all of them, urged the tall, strong, and handsome young men to delay their decision for a short time. Perhaps the city officials could be made to see reason.
Feldspar presented a stubborn and offended attitude...much like that of the city officials. But Gypsum managed to soften his brother's attitude, and the two reluctantly agreed to give the officials some time to rethink their view. They would not, however, return to the shelter. The two shed their packs onto the ground and sat upon them.
There was a brief argument among their new escorts. No one wanted to allow others to stay with the two while the rest went to present their demands...arguments...to the rulers of the city.
The men assured them that they would wait until someone returned with news. That allowed all the petitioners to depart as a single and single-minded gang to present their grievances to the city officials.
Feldspar speculated to Gypsum that the presentation would be neither quiet or terribly polite.
Their elders had been correct. There was more than one way to negotiate.

       

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Things Are Looking Good...

10/1/2016

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The food was indeed excellent. The roast buffalo haunch was expertly seasoned and not over-cooked. The tubers were also excellent and had been steamed in a saltwater and spice solution that the twins had never tasted in Groakpod.

Despite Bismuth's assurances regarding their property, they divided their gold and silver into two pouches and each concealed one under their clothing. When it came time to pay Feldspar simply produced a single tear-drop size bit of gold from his sleeve. The server examined it, bit it delicately with her front teeth, then nodded and deposited it in the pocket of her apron. The twins added their sincere compliments, which clearly pleased the middle-aged female. She grinned widely, actually showing the sharp crowns of her back teeth. As with most Riotori of middle age and beyond, the bases of the back teeth showed the darkening of tartar.
A new invention—a brush for cleaning teeth—had gained popularity among the younger Riotori in Groakpod. The twins had noticed that the young people in all the towns they'd visited so far also made use of them. Feldspar and Gypsum each had one and used it regularly. Older Riotori thought it foolishness and most resisted the new fad.
As they sat at the rough wooden table in the rough wooden building that housed the kitchen and eating area of the public house they were aware of the many pedestrians that walked by the glass window and door that offered a sight of them from the outside. Children, parent-aged citizens, and older adults made no secret of the examination.
The twins were not surprised. They were the new arrivals. If two young men had arrived in Groakpod the reaction of the citizenry would have been the same. They returned the inspections in some cases but generally gave their attention to their meal.
There was one thing, though, that they were able to ascertain. The New City did not have a shortage of attractive female citizens in their age range.
Feldspar spoke quietly to Gypsum as they finished their meal.
"It looks, Brother, as though we should make ourselves as presentable as possible. I have seen at least three that would certainly be worth a courtship, and that is not counting that attractive red-furred one I saw when we were greeted."
"Agreed. Although the blonde-furred one I exchanged glances with in the street was very attractive, there are certainly others to choose from.
"We should definitely take our time here and look for the ones that will be as agreeable as companions as they are in appearance."
"Absolutely. Let us accept the invitation to tour the city. Who knows what, or who, we might find?"
As they emerged from the building to consider which way to go, they felt the eyes of many upon them. And more than one pair of those eyes belonged to young females that had hopes already of making a lasting impression on these handsome new arrivals.
The twins would be kept busy with courtship rituals for many days. They would not mind.

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    The story: This serial is about the "mascot" shown at the top of these pages. There are actually two of them, identical twins, Feldspar and Gypsum.
    The people call themselves Riotori, and their planet is Kylrock. The twins have been journeying for hundreds of miles, across many hazards, in search of mates. Please visit the archives to read their whole story.



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