The Woodward Academy, Year 3

Chapter 2: July

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David walked into Bernard Walden's Noble House of a Million Books and looked around. He'd not been in here before, instead using the campus bookstore for all his previous needs. They didn't have a large enough selection, however, and so he had been forced to make a trip to Gorumshead.

"Good afternoon, sir," the clerk said. "Welcome to Walden's Books. Can I help you?"

"I'm not sure," David said. He looked around the shop, wondering how in the world to pick out a selection of books for Jacob. "I'm trying to provide a friend of mine with some reading material. I'm not entirely sure of his preferences, though, so I would need a bit of a selection."

"Ah, I see. How many books were you hoping to get for him?"

"Honestly, he could use all the books he could get. He's... trapped, you see, and he has nothing to do."

"Seems that perhaps you should be working on rescuing him, rather than making him comfortable..."

"Rescue is, as far as I know, not possible. He's been cursed."

"Ah," the clerk said, in a drawn out syllable of understanding. "In that case, the question becomes, just how much are you willing to spend? I have something that might fit your needs exactly, but it does not come cheaply."

"What is it?" David asked.

The clerk walked over to a shelf, and David followed him. The clerk pulled a thick book off the shelf, and handed it to David. It had a blue cover, inlaid with gold and silver leaf. On the cover were the words, "The Eternal Compendium, Atreyu Edition."

David opened it, and found himself confronted by a list of book titles and descriptions that filled the volume.

"Merely speak one of the titles, or point to it," the clerk said.

David picked one at random. "The Giant Who Wasn't," he intoned. Suddenly, the pages blanked, and then refilled. David flipped to the front of the book. On the first page, it said, "The Eternal Compendium, Atreyu Edition. For the book list, merely say, 'Index'."

David turned the page, and there was the start of the book. He turned to the clerk in amazement. "This contains..."

"The advertisement says that The Eternal Compendium contains every book in existence. Obviously that can't be true, but..."

"But that list had thousands of books on it. Tens of thousands."

"Yes."

"And... Atreyu Edition?" David looked at the books on the shelf, the ones next to where the clerk had removed this one from. "Balthazar Edition... Coreander... Engywuk... Falkor... What, no letter D?"

"The publisher of The Eternal Compendium thinks the letter D, when used for such listings, is bad luck."

"How much for the entire set?" David asked.

The clerk paled. "No one person could read even one volume in a lifetime..."

"My trapped friend is a demighost," David said with a grin.

"Oh," he replied. "I'm afraid the Compendium is quite expensive."

"How much for the set?" David reiterated.

"Ten thousand granas."

"Ouch," David said. "You keep something like that here? Has anyone ever bought one from you?"

"I sell roughly one volume a year. I keep them on hand because they do sell."

David nodded. "Okay. I'd like this full set. Plus, I'd like to order a second set." When the clerk looked at him funny, he explained, "For myself."

"Again, I remind you that no one..." the clerk started.

David stopped him by saying, "I am also a demighost."

The clerk closed his mouth, nodded, and then said, "Do you wish to pay by coin or transfer?"

"I'm afraid I don't carry twenty thousand granas in coin on me... what in the world is transfer?"

The clerk pulled out a ledger. On the cover was emblazoned the name of the Bank of Callamandia, where David had his money kept.

"By writing out our transaction in this ledger, and both of us signing it, the money will be automatically moved from your account to mine."

"Neat," David said, impressed. "Now, not a problem at all in my case, but what happens if someone doesn't have enough funds to cover the transaction?"

"In that case, the entry in the ledger will turn red, and then erase itself."

"Also neat," David said. "I love magic," he muttered, causing the clerk to smile.

The clerk set about writing the entry in the ledger, and then he turned it. "You must write the amount, twenty thousand granas, and then sign your name."

"Is there a symbol for grana?" David asked.

Just a lower-case 'g' after the numbers," the clerk told him. David filled out the ledger, and when he'd finished signing it, the black ink of the InkyQuill shimmered, and then turned a dark green, like all of the other entries.

"You are now twenty thousand granas poorer," the clerk told him with a smile. He packaged up all five volumes of the Compendium in a sturdy box, and tied it with string. "It will take me several days to get the second set, I'm afraid. They are produced down in southern Callamandia."

"No rush. You can just mirror me when they come in."

The clerk nodded. "Good day to you, sir. And thank you."

-----

"Good evening, David," Lord Woodward said. "What's in the box?"

"Hopefully, something we will use for tonight's lesson."

"Hopefully?"

"Well, I'm not sure if you're ready to start teaching me spells, or if you want to teach what I need to know in order for me to need what's in the box."

"Hmm. Well, what is it you need to know, then?"

"How to turn a solid object ethereal, permanently."

"Ah, I see. Well, it wasn't the plan for the evening, but we can certainly fit it in. So what is in the box?"

"Books. And a couple rocks I picked up along the way, to practice on."

Lord Woodward chuckled. "Well, let's get started. As I told you last night, up until now, I've simply been instructing you about how ghost wizards tend to behave. I realize it seems like I spent forever on it, taking up nearly a whole week, and I also realize you don't really need this knowledge yet, but I felt it was better that you had an understanding of it before we proceeded to turning you into a ghost wizard. Now, tonight we're going to start learning actual ghost magic. But before we work on the etherium enchantment for your books, I wanted to teach you how to produce an energy ball, as it is the simplest defense against other ghost wizards."

"No offense, your Lordship, but I already know the energy ball spells."

"You know the solid forms. Solid magic doesn't work in Haven, and Haven magic mostly doesn't work in the solid world. You will need to pass over in order for us to continue this evening. You would need to do so to learn the etherium enchantment, anyway."

"Okay." David passed through the Dugerra/Haven barrier, so that he could begin to learn this new spell.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"David!" Giendia cried on seeing him. She trotted over, and embraced him, picking him up off the ground. She set him down after a second, and then kissed him warmly. David kissed back, his hand resting on her horse-shoulder.

"I didn't know you were coming to visit," she told him. "I didn't even know you were still here. Hey, how come you waited until now, if you're staying over the summer?" she accused.

David grinned. "I'm not staying over the summer. I'm only here for a few weeks, getting some extra training. I didn't get back to Woodward until last week."

"Oh. Well, that's okay, then!" she said, grinning, and blushing in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I must sound so whiny."

"It's okay. I missed you, too. What were you doing?" he asked, motioning to the yard, where she'd been working.

"Planting flowers."

"You like to garden?" David asked, a little surprised. She just didn't seem the type.

"No," she said quietly, "but they make father happy, and it pleases me to make him happy."

David nodded. "I don't want to keep you from your chores..."

"They can wait," she said firmly. "Tell me about your summer so far."

David did so, leaning against a tree as they talked. Giendia listened in rapt attention as he described things.

"Sounds like you've had quite a summer so far. What kind of training are you here to get?"

"Ghost training," he said.

"You have to learn to be a ghost? I thought dying pretty well covered it..." she said.

David chuckled. "Sorry, I'm learning ghost magic. Wizards can still use magic as ghosts, but they have to learn the Haven form of magic."

"Oh, I get it. Who's teaching you that?"

"Lord Woodward."

"Wow," Giendia said, clearly impressed.

The conversation lapsed for a short while, and then Giendia leaned over and kissed David. The two necked for a little while, but they were in public, so they didn't keep it up for too long.

"What are you doing for the rest of your summer? Giendia asked.

"Visiting more friends."

"How long will you be here?"

"Another week and a half or so."

"Will you come to see me before you leave?"

"Sure," he told her.

"Good." She kissed him again. "I should really get back to my chores," she said with a frown.

"You want some help?" he asked immediately.

She paused, but then shook her head. "No, I like to say I did things myself. Thank you for offering, though."

"Sure. Hey, here comes your Dad. I didn't know he wasn't home."

"He works during the day. Greetings, Father!" Giendia called out.

"Good afternoon," he told her. Turning to David he said, "And welcome back to you. I wasn't aware you were still in town."

"Just came back for a visit to the school, thought I'd stop in and say hi. I was just about to go, actually. I think I'm distracting Giendia."

Giendia blushed in response.

"I see. Could you stay for a few more minutes? I'd like to talk to you about something."

"Sure."

"Wait right here. I will get out of my work attire, and be right back."

"What is it you do? I thought centaurs didn't wear clothes." He had been working mightily to ignore Giendia's nudity since he'd arrived. She hadn't offered to put on a shirt, and he hadn't wanted to be rude about it.

"I work in construction. We work with stone materials, and it is best to have some bodily protection, just in case of falling stone, or flying chips of it."

David nodded. Dubnin walked off into the house, and David leaned back against the tree again.

"You know what he wants to talk to me about?" he asked Giendia.

"No," she said, not looking up at him. She continued to work on the arrangement of her flowering plants as David waited. It didn't take long before Dubnin reappeared, free of his work clothes, and apparently having taken a very quick shower.

"Walk with me, David," Dubnin said. The two walked down the path away from the house, and then took a new path which led out of the village, into the surrounding forest.

Finally, when there was no sign of centaurs anywhere, Dubnin asked, "David... how do you feel about Giendia?"

"I like her very much. She's a very nice... uh... person."

"Why the hesitation?" Dubnin asked with real curiosity.

"I wasn't sure if calling her a person was offensive," David admitted.

Dubnin chuckled. "Even centaurs have a habit of calling each other people. In Dugerra, I think it has become a generic term for any self-aware life."

"Oh. Well, anyway, I consider Giendia a good friend. Why do you ask?"

"I'm afraid that she considers you perhaps more than that," Dubnin said.

"Well... okay, we make out, I admit."

"'Make out'?"

"Kiss a lot," David explained.

"Yes, I'd noticed."

"But I'd never really thought much of it, I guess. She's a teenager, I'm a teen... well, okay, soon to be twenty, but a teenager, still, I guess. I just figured I was someone different to kiss."

"To my knowledge, David, you are the only person Giendia has ever kissed romantically."

David said, "Oh."

"What's wrong?"

"Well, nothing, really, but it does put kind of a different meaning on things, doesn't it?"

"Perhaps. I believe that Giendia might be what we call anthroposexual."

"Come again?"

Dubnin chuckled. "Yes, it is a bit of a mouthful. An anthroposexual is a centaur who is sexually attracted to humans. They are quite rare, but not unheard of."

"And you think Giendia is one?"

"Her obvious attraction to you would suggest that, at the very least, she is curious. However, her lack of interest in centaur boys - she has shunned several of them who have shown interest - would suggest that it is more than a mere curiosity."

"Wow. That's a new thought for me. I mean, I figured she just liked making out."

"Then you have no interest in her... in that way?"

"I'll be honest, Dubnin, I had never thought about it. I find her to be quite attractive... at least, her upper portion, anyway..."

Dubnin grinned at that.

"But... I'm not even sure how inter-species uh... 'intercourse' would work."

"I'm not allergic to the word 'sex', David," Dubnin chided him.

"I imagine not, but this is your daughter we're talking about," David replied.

"I'm also not blind to the activities of teenage centaurs. My main concern would be her reaction if you rejected her. What would you do if she asked you to have sex with her?"

"Uh... well... honestly, I would ask her, 'How'?"

Dubnin chuckled again. "I think she could handle that reaction. But... would you carry through with it?"

David hesitated for a long moment. "You do realize this is a very weird and unpleasant conversation for me to be having, right?"

"I had understood you to be somewhat more open where sex was concerned. I talked to Prof. Stott when she brought you here..."

"It's one thing to be open about sex, Dubnin. It's another to be talking to a girl's father about having sex with her."

Dubnin shrugged. "As I said, I am not blind to the fact that centaur teens do such things. But you're avoiding my question."

"No, I'm not. I'm just trying to get over my squeamishness about admitting to a girl's dad that I would almost certainly have sex with her if she wanted to... if I could figure out how it all worked."

Dubnin let out a big breath, and his shoulders slumped in relaxation.

David wasn't sure how to read that. "Is that... um... acceptable to you? Or is this the part of the conversation where you tell me to stay away from your daughter?"

Dubnin laughed outright. "Giendia's sex life is her business, as long as she is responsible about it. You and she are not capable of cross-breeding, so there would be no worry along those lines."

"Are you willing to accept the idea that she would want to have a human partner?"

"That does not bother me. Could you live with it if word got out that you had slept with a centaur?"

"I'm already an outcast, Dubnin. I'm a demighost. Anything else that might be added to that would be a mere drop in the bucket."

Dubnin turned around, and they started to walk back toward the village. "Of course, I cannot say for certain that any of this will come to pass. I have not, and will not, discuss this with Giendia. I hope I have not changed your opinion of her at all..."

"No... well, I might be more attentive to her behavior now, but no, I still feel the same way about her."

"Also, please do not tell her that I said anything to you about this. It would embarrass her, and it might upset her that I was prying into her life. I just don't want her to get hurt."

"I'll try not to let that happen," David told him.

"Thank you. You're a good man, David... even if you are short two legs."

David laughed.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Leaving us so soon?" Dean Lengel asked, grinning.

"I wasn't sure you even knew I was here," David said, looking at Sam.

"Oh, she didn't tell me," the dean said. "David, the day I don't know what's going on around here, worry. Was your time with Lord Woodward productive?"

"I'd like to think so."

"Good. I have a present for you," she told him. She handed him a thin, hardcover book. On the front, it simply said, "The WASH", with a picture of the school. The picture, as David had envisioned it, was animated, showing all of the waterfalls moving.

"Turn to the back page," she told him.

David did so, and found the acknowledgments page. He'd had no hand in creating this final page. He and the committee had all felt that, if the school wanted to acknowledge their work, they would find a way to do so. Sure enough, David's name was there at the top, listed as "Editor and Coordinator".

"I notice you left Cherise's name off," David said.

"Not that I'm ungrateful for her work," Dean Lengel said, "but I'd rather not advertise that we employed a crazy woman to create our handbook. This is copy number one. I wanted to make sure you got the very first one. I know you didn't really want to work on this all last year, and I appreciate you taking the time out to help us."

"It was worth the effort," David said. He tucked the book into his duffel bag, and turned back to the dean. "Sorry I didn't stop in and say hi. I didn't want to get in trouble."

Dean Lengel snorted. "You'll learn, eventually," she said cryptically, then gave him a hug. She moved off, leaving Sam and David alone.

"How did she know I was leaving today?"

"She has her ways," Sam said, then moved in close. She hugged him and gave him a soul-burning kiss. When she was done, she let him go. "I'm going to miss you. Where are you going now, that you don't need me to take you?"

"I'm going to visit Mr. Garibaldi. He said he'd pick me up at the Slyther Inn."

"Oh, okay. Well, have a good summer. I'll see you in..."

"About a month or so. I may need a place to stay for a week..."

"You are always welcome in my home, David."

He smiled at her, and they kissed again. He turned and stepped onto the rock lift, and she watched as he disappeared down the hole.

-----

"About time you got here," Mr. Garibaldi told him.

"Hi to you, too," David said, sitting down and dumping his duffel bag on the floor. "You could have come onto campus and found me, if you were in a hurry."

Mr. Garibaldi waved it off. "Then I'd have had to deal with Dean Lengel. I'm always uncomfortable around her."

"Hmm," David said with a grin. He ordered his usual Gorumshead cream pie from their waitress, who wasn't Bonnie. "Must be Bonnie's day off," he said as the waitress went away.

"What, you want a quickie before we go?" Mr. Garibaldi teased.

"Well, if she was in the mood," David replied. Garibaldi chuckled.

After David had finished his snack, Mr. Garibaldi said, "So, you ready to travel?"

"Yeah. How far away is it?"

"Not that far. We'll go by normal carriage, so it'll take about an hour."

"Fair enough."

-----

The two arrived in the town of Bolmont around mid-afternoon. They stepped out of the carriage to find Zyla waiting for them.

"Welcome home," she said to Mr. Garibaldi. The two kissed sweetly. When they were done, Zyla turned to David. "And welcome to our new home!" she said. She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi... and look at you! Congratulations!" he told her. She was sporting what was clearly a baby-belly.

"Thank you!" she said, blushing.

"How far along are you?" David asked as they walked back into the house.

"Four months," she told him.

He looked accusingly at Garibaldi. "And you didn't even say anything at licensure! Shame on you."

"Didn't think you'd be interested at that particular point in time," Garibaldi told him.

"Uh-huh," David replied dubiously.

"Anyway, let me show you to your room," Zyla told him. "Then we can sit, and you can tell us all about your summer so far."

David leaned over and whispered to Garibaldi, "Is she always this cheery?"

"She likes you," Garibaldi replied, just as quietly. "Count your blessings. Some of my work buddies get a downright cold shoulder."

David grunted softly, and then followed Zyla down the hall to his room.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David was helping Zyla with the dishes - something he'd insisted on doing - when Mr. Garibaldi came in.

"Joe! What're you doing home? Is something wrong?" It was late morning, and Garibaldi, David had learned over the previous week, never came home during his work day.

"No. Well, yes, but nothing that you need to worry over. I came home to get a decent meal. I'm probably going to have to be gone tonight."

"What's going on?" David asked.

"We've got a case. It's a kidnapping."

"Oh, dear," Zyla said, frowning.

"Yeah. Looks like you're going to be short an instructor this year at the Academy," he told David.

"What do you mean?"

"Prof. Arpilla. She's kidnapped her own kids. We've already been to her apartment, and she hasn't been there in a couple days, at least. Records show she went to Earth. Someplace called San Diego."

"Where in the world is that?" Zyla asked.

"Hell if I know," Garibaldi replied. "I haven't looked it up yet."

"It's on the other coast," David said. "Western Mirelia, in your terms."

"Good lord," Zyla said. "Why run so far? And why to Earth? She has to know that won't stop the Rimohrs..."

"Who knows what goes on in the mind of a criminal?" Garibaldi asked rhetorically.

"Any chance I could tag along?" David asked as nonchalantly as he could. "I mean... it might help to have an Earth-savvy guide along... assuming your partner is as astute about the techno-world as you are..." David said with a grin.

Garibaldi eyed David hard. "What's your interest?"

David bowed his head slightly and spread his hands in confession. "I know Prof. Arpilla personally. I find this to be highly out of character for her."

"It's against regulations to bring a civilian on an investigation..." Garibaldi temporized.

"Well... okay. I tell you what. I am going to go visit San Diego today. If we happen to see each other on the way... at least say hi, would you?"

"Right," Mr. Garibaldi said. "I guess we can bend the rules a bit. Pete'll probably bitch a bit, but I'll settle him down. He's not familiar with Earth, either, so it does make a bit of sense to bring you along. But watch yourself. Don't get in our way. We have a job to do."

"I'm fully aware of that, Mr. Garibaldi."

"Are you ever going to let him call you Joe?" Zyla asked her husband.

"No. Then he might think I actually like him or something."

David chuckled, and Zyla started lunch.

-----

"Remember, Stroud, you're just a guide," Officer Reed told him. "Garibaldi and I will do the real work. Just stay out of our way."

"Gee, this speech makes me feel all warm and fuzzy," David told him. "And seems very familiar," he said, looking at Garibaldi.

"Look, David... we're sticking our necks out here. If you interfere, or just slow us down, and a kidnapper gets away..."

"I am not going to allow her to get away," David said sharply. "I just want to know what's going on."

They passed through the local travel gate, to find a ride waiting for them. They all climbed in for the ride to Logan International Airport.

When they got out of the car, David could see the look of disconcertment on Garibaldi's face. Reed looked almost panicked. David shook his head.

"Do you guys have tickets yet?"

"No," Garibaldi managed.

"Come on." As he walked into the terminal, he said, "I hope Jailla's okay in my bag."

It took a little walking, but they made it to a ticket counter.

"Three first-class seats to San Diego, please," David told her.

"For when?"

"As soon as possible."

She typed into her computer, and then said, "We have a flight leaving in an hour. We don't have three seats together, however."

"That's quite all right," Garibaldi said.

She told them the price, which even David thought was high, but they paid it. They were given their boarding passes, and directions. The only luggage was David's carry-on bag, so that made the whole process much simpler.

"You realize you stand out like a sore thumb?" Garibaldi told David. "Even more than we do."

"I like my uniform. Probably more than you like yours. Besides, in this culture, we're far less likely to be thought of as suspicious."

"That makes no sense," Reed objected.

"If you're going to cause trouble at an airport," David said, "You don't start out by drawing visual attention to yourself. You try to blend in as much as you can. Expect to be asked to remove your coat, though. They will want to check you for explosives."

"Good grief," Reed muttered.

Once they were through security and had found the right gate, they sat and waited. It wasn't a long wait before they started the boarding process, and they were soon on the plane. David and Garibaldi were sitting next to each other, while Reed was forced to sit a few rows away. David noticed that Garibaldi looked a little nervous.

"Don't like flying?" he asked.

"I've never been in one of these things," he told David.

"Oh. Well, it's safe. Just relax. Hell of a lot faster even than pegs."

"Right. That's why we're using it. Take too long to go that far otherwise. How long is this going to take us?"

"Just under eight hours. We have to stop off in Minneapolis and change planes."

"You mean, this thing can't make it the entire way on its own?"

"It probably could, but there are commercial considerations to be made."

"Ah."

"What are we going to do when we get in?" David asked.

"What do you mean?"

"It's going to be evening by the time we get there," David said. "Not much time left in the day. Do you know where she's staying?"

"No, we didn't get that information."

"So we have to figure out where she is... What are you going to do this evening?"

"Probably just check in to the local inn."

David chuckled.

"What?"

"I don't think you understand what you're getting into. San Diego does not have 'a local inn'. There are probably a hundred hotels in San Diego. Look, imagine everyone in Dugerra, packed into one place, and you've got the idea of what San Diego is going to be like."

"I don't... why do we have to prepare for takeoff?" he asked in response to an announcement by the captain.

"Don't worry about it. Just make sure you have your seat belt on."

"I do... well, this isn't so bad," Garibaldi said as the plane began to roll. As it went faster, however, Garibaldi was pressed back into his seat, and looked over at David, a little pale.

When the nose rotated, and the plane left the ground, Garibaldi muttered, "Holy jumping jefferlopes!"

David giggled.

"I don't understand what you're trying to say about San Diego," Garibaldi said after getting his bearings back.

"Look out the window," David told him. They were still over Boston. Garibaldi did, briefly. They were already much higher than pegs would have flown.

"What is all that down there?"

"Boston. That's one city. San Diego is at least that big. Maybe bigger. Geography's not my best subject."

"I couldn't live like that," Garibaldi muttered. "I'd kill somebody, all crowded together like that."

"People kill each other with distressing regularity in a city like Boston. So... now that you understand what we're dealing with, how do you plan to find Prof. Arpilla?"

"I'm not sure," Garibaldi said.

"Do the Rimohrs ever communicate to the local police?"

"Yes. We're supposed to do that... with the chief of police in each town we go to."

"I'd suggest this time, you use their resources. They can probably track down her whereabouts a lot faster than you can. At least find out where she's staying. After that, you can go in and do your thing."

Garibaldi nodded. He hazarded a look out the window again, and this look was briefer than the last. He decided to close the window shade this time.

"How... high are we?" he asked.

"Well, we're probably not at cruising altitude yet, so I'm not sure."

"How high is that?"

"Oh, thirty, thirty-five thousand feet."

Garibaldi paled. "I'm sorry I asked."

David just chuckled and shook his head.

-----

Both Garibaldi and Reed were completely befuddled when they stepped outside the San Diego airport.

David shook his head and hailed a cab. As he opened the door for them to get in, he asked, "Don't they give you guys any training about this stuff?"

"Talking about it, and seeing it, are two very different things," Garibaldi told him.

"I guess," David replied noncommittally. He climbed in the front seat, since the back was full.

"Where to?" the cabbie asked.

Seeing the hesitation from the two in the back, David said, "Police headquarters building, if you please."

"You got it."

Once David got them to the police building, the Rimohrs felt a bit more comfortable, and were able to once again take the lead.

"Excuse me, we need to see the officer in charge."

"You mean the chief of police? His office is on the third floor, but he went home hours ago."

"Who is in charge at this time, then?" Reed asked.

"That would be Capt. Gannon. Second floor. Leave the elevator, take a left, it's at the end of the hall."

"Thank you," Reed said.

"Elevator?" Garibaldi asked.

"Techno-rock-lift," David muttered in explanation. "That door over there."

David pressed the button when they got there, rather than waiting for the Rimohrs to do something hillbilly-esque. The elevator arrived shortly, and the three stepped in.

"Now what?" Reed asked. David pressed the button for the second floor, and the doors closed.

"Whoa!" Garibaldi said as the floor pressed up against him. "I'm beginning not to like it here..."

The ride was short, and they stepped out. David turned left and walked down the hallway, finding the door marked with the captain's name on it. He waved his hands as if presenting it to the Rimohrs.

They walked in, and after dealing with the clerk at the desk, got in to see Capt. Gannon.

"Rimohrs, huh?" he said, after they'd introduced themselves. "I've heard about you, but never met one. Wasn't sure I believed this whole magic nonsense until now. So what can we do for you gentlemen?"

"We are supposed to check in with local law enforcement when we go anywhere on official business."

"You here chasing down a bad guy?"

"A kidnapper," Reed confirmed.

"Damn. Well, if you need any help from the department, just let me know."

"Actually," Garibaldi said, "our guide tells me that we could, in fact, make use of your services. We need to find out what inn our kidnapper might be staying at."

"Inn?" Gannon asked, bemused.

David coughed. "He means what hotel. They know she's here in San Diego, but not what hotel she's staying at."

"Well, sure, we can figure that out. You got a name and a description?"

"Her name is Catherine Arpilla. Description..." Reed said, faltering.

David chimed in. "5'8", brown hair, green eyes, slender build."

Reed glared at David briefly, but then said, "She has two children with her, a boy, eight, and a girl, seven."

"Okay, no problem. Where can we reach you?"

"We haven't found a place to stay yet," Reed said. "We'll call you when we do, to check in."

"Good enough." Capt. Gannon gave him his direct line number, and they left.

Reed confronted David in the hall. "How is it that you can describe Prof. Arpilla so precisely?"

David rolled his eyes. "I had her as a teacher all last semester! Kind of hard not to know what she looks like. Why the hell do you think I wanted to come along?"

Garibaldi said, "We need to find a place to stay. Any ideas?" he asked David.

"Depends on how pricey you want to get. Knowing you, though, you'll want to avoid elevators, so maybe a high-end motel."

In the end, they stayed at a Holiday Inn. David tried to tell them that it was not what they were thinking, but they had insisted. When they arrived, the two Rimohrs were simply confused. They went to eat, and then to their rooms. David availed himself of the opportunity to watch television. He hadn't been able to do that in quite a long time.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

In the morning, they checked back with the department, and found out which hotel Prof. Arpilla was staying in. They made their way to her room. Reed tapped the lock and said, "Avata." They heard the click, and then he turned the knob and they went in.

"I'm kind of surprised that worked on an electronic lock," David admitted. "I figured you'd need Technomandy."

"It works on the locking bolt directly," Garibaldi explained. "Rather than acting to replicate the key, it simply forces the lock mechanism to move."

David nodded. He stood out of their way as they moved around, but they seemed like they weren't really finding anything.

"I don't know what the hell we're supposed to find here," Reed admitted. "Everything looks out of place to me."

David sighed. "Wasn't there an Earth-qualified Rimohr available for this case?"

"We don't have very many people in the Rimohrs familiar with Earth, David. Most of them work in the department that deals with recruitments and with rogue wizards."

"And you couldn't borrow one?"

"Didn't think of it, really. Besides, you offered so fast..."

"Yeah, but you told me to mind my own damned business," David pointed out. "So I can hardly be of use."

"Fine," Reed said, aggravated. "Do you see anything out of the ordinary?"

"Out of the ordinary, no. But there are some brochures on the table for the San Diego Zoo. I would think that's where they went."

"What the hell is a zoo?" Reed asked.

"Think menagerie, for the public. Only much more pleasant for the animals."

"I see," Reed said. "And to get there?"

"Any cabbie will be able to get us there. It will cost to get in."

"Everything around here does," Reed complained.

"Welcome to Earth," David replied.

-----

As they entered the zoo, they looked around in a bit of despair. It was a huge place. There was no telling where to begin.

"Well, let's go," Reed said. David fell back just a little as Reed and Garibaldi walked off.

"Jailla," David said very quietly, "Can you fly around and see if you can find them? You remember what she looks like, right?"

"Yes."

"If you find her, just come back and tell me."

Jailla paused, then said, "I will let you know if I find anything." He flew off without further hesitation.

"We're never going to find them in this place... and what the hell is that thing?" Garibaldi asked a few minutes later.

"It's a hippopotamus," David said. "Read the sign."

"Great griffin goats, this place is weird."

"What's a griffin goat?" David asked.

Reed glared at him. "It's just an expression."

"Oh."

They wandered the park for a long time, before they came across the cable car entrance.

"This flies over the zoo?" Reed asked.

"Yeah. But you can't get off except at the beginning and end."

"Still, it might allow us to spot her. We'd know what part of the zoo she was in."

"True."
The three of them got on the cable car, and looked around as it left the station.

"You don't see very much of the paths this way," Reed complained.

"Well, it is designed to look at the animals, not the people," David replied. Suddenly, David felt a tingling in his skull. He looked around, to see what was going on. In his mind, he suddenly received a vision. He could see Prof. Arpilla. She was standing with her children, pointing at a Galapagos tortoise. The kids were happy as could be. Slowly, the image faded.

As they neared the end of the ride, David looked around. He found what it was he wanted.

"I need to... uh, make a pitstop. I'll catch up with you guys."

Garibaldi looked at him for a very long moment, but David just looked back blankly.

"Meet us... where?" Garibaldi said.

"Which way are you walking from here?"

"Back toward what this map calls Front Street. We'll try to decide where to look once you join up with us."

"Okay. I'll catch up with you, then. If push comes to shove, I'll just use my mirror."

"Don't be long," Garibaldi said, once again eyeing David.

"I won't be."

David made for the restroom, which was close by. He stepped inside of it, and, seeing no one nearby, faded to invisibility. He stepped out, to make sure that Garibaldi and Reed actually went off in the direction they said they were going to go. Assured that they weren't watching him, David went back into the bathroom, and changed back to solid form. He headed out, quickly moving along a path until he was out of sight of the two Rimohrs.

Walking purposefully, David made his way to the area with the reptiles. He walked more slowly now, looking around. He had morphed his coat while he was in the restroom, so that it was now shorter and black. He didn't like messing with his uniform, but he didn't want Cat to bolt on him, either. He needed to know what was going on, but if she'd really kidnapped her children, he would have to turn her over to the Rimohrs. He just wanted to give her a chance to explain first, and he didn't think Reed was interested in explanations.

Finally, David came up behind Cat. She was talking with her children.

"It says that it's a Komodo Dragon. Hmph. Doesn't look like a very impressive dragon to me," she told them. They giggled.

Stepping to her side, David said, "Give it some credit... a single bite from it will kill you."

Cat started to turn, but David put his hand against her back, and firmly kept her from doing so.

"Keep looking at the dragon," he told her.

"David! What are you doing here?"

"Hoping you have a good explanation for what you're doing three thousand miles from home," he told her.

"Um... we're on vacation. Look, if this is about the money..."

"I couldn't care less about money," David told her, keeping his voice even. He didn't want to upset the children, who were gawking at the big lizard. "You're being hunted."

"What?"

"The Rimohrs are looking for you. Your husband has accused you of kidnapping your kids."

"That son of a bitch," she said, controlling her voice for the same reason David was. "I did not kidnap them!" she said firmly. "This was a planned trip. Elliot knew about it well before it happened. Hell, it was his idea! He bought the damned tickets!"

"I was wondering how you'd managed to get out here on what little you let me give you," David confessed.

Cat's eyes filled with tears. "David, what am I going to do?"

"You're going to walk with me, and we're going to meet Mr. Garibaldi and Officer Reed. I'm afraid this vacation is going to be cut short."

"I'm going to jail? I didn't do anything!"

"I don't think you'll go to jail. I'm pretty sure the evidence will bear out your version of what happened, instead of your husband's."

"David, I... I don't know if I can handle this."

"It'll be okay, Cat. Come on." Raising his voice, he said, "Come on, kids. We have to go see someone."

"Who're you?" the little girl asked.

"This is Uncle David," Prof. Arpilla told her. "He's a good friend of mine."

David walked slowly, allowing the children to easily keep up.

"What am I going to do?" Cat said. "I can't fight him. He's got all the money, he's probably got all sorts of people saying how I'm a lousy parent..."

"Yes, but he's clearly a liar."

"But proving that..." she said.

"At any time, did you handle the money for buying your tickets to get out here? Did you actually do the paying, and he gave you the money?"

"No, he said the tickets would be waiting at the airport for us. They were. The same with the tickets to the zoo."

"That was a big mistake on his part. I guess he's just not Earth-savvy, either."

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"Businesses keep records here. Detailed records. They'll know who paid for what. It blows a big-assed hole in his story that you kidnapped the children if he bought you tickets to go to San Diego."

"But will the Rimohrs believe that?" she asked weepily.

"Reed? No. He seems like kind of a dick. Garibaldi, probably. Especially when we let them know who's currently controlling your finances."

"I don't want to get you involved in this," she objected.

"Cat, I'm already involved up to my eyeballs. I just traveled three thousand miles to make sure you weren't railroaded by the system."

"Why did you do that?" she asked seriously.

"Because I don't want to see you hurt. I know we're nothing more than lovers, but I do consider you a friend, and I'm not going to stand by and watch some dickhead use the system against you."

"Thank you, David. I owe you, big time."

"You can repay me sometime when your kids aren't around," he said with a grin.

Cat blushed, but smiled and said, "Count on it."

Garibaldi and Reed were waiting at the entrance, and they saw David and Cat walking toward them. Reed started toward them, but Garibaldi held him back. David kept his hand on Cat's lower back, both to encourage her, and to make sure she didn't bolt. Running would only make things so much worse for her.

"Some pit stop," Reed accused David.

David leveled his gaze at him. "I wanted her side of the story before you slapped her in shackles and chains and dragged her off to a dungeon."

Reed's eyes went wide. "You really think that's what this is like?"

"I don't know what your procedure is. All I know is you seemed very much more interested in arresting her than in finding out the truth."

"Not to be cruel, David, but how much more truth do we need? Her husband told us..." Garibaldi started.

"And did it occur to you, Officer Garibaldi," David interrupted, stinging him with the use of his title, "that her husband might have, oh, I don't know, lied to you?"

"Your personal involvement in this, whatever it is, might also be clouding your judgment on the issue," Reed pointed out.

"Admittedly. But I'm pretty sure that the actual facts of the matter will bear me out on this one. I came here for two reasons," he explained to Reed. "First, to make sure Cat was treated fairly. Second, to make sure she didn't run from you in panic."

"Why would she do that, if she is innocent?" Reed asked.

"Please tell me you're not really that dumb," David replied. "Innocent people run from cops because the system scares the shit out of them, and they don't believe they'll get a fair shake."

Reed sniffed. "I can't restrain you here, it's too public. If you run..."

Cat said, "As long as David can stay with me, I'll go willingly."

"Fair enough."

"You know, guys," David said, "We're already here, and it would be kind of unfair to the kids not to let them see the rest of the zoo... She's in custody, so you're still doing your job..."

"We have a plane to catch," Reed said.

"And another will be leaving in a few hours after that. It's a big city, Officer Reed. Come on, you might actually learn something. Or is that what scares you?" David said with a grin and a challenge.

"Fine," Reed replied. Garibaldi chuckled, and the entire group walked off into the zoo.

-----

"I think it's time you explain your involvement in all of this," Garibaldi told David. They were all sitting in a McDonald's, to make the kids happy.

David looked at Cat, then at the two kids, then back to Cat.

Cat said, "Garrett, take Angela and go play in the playground, would you?"

"'kay, Mom," he said. "C'mon, Angela."

"Don't eat my fries!" she said menacingly to Officer Reed.

"I'll watch him for you," David promised in a whisper, then winked at her. She giggled and smiled at him, then wandered off with her brother.

"So?" Reed said.

"So leave the kid's fries alone," David said, motioning to Reed's hand, reaching for the girl's fries.

"About the case..." Garibaldi said.

"Cat and I have a relationship," David said simply. "We have had since April."

"So anything you say could be a lie, aimed at protecting her," Reed said pointedly.

"I'm a demighost. Do you actually think I ever expect people to believe me? But everything I will tell you can be backed up by written records."

"Okay, so you're going to tell us she's innocent, right?" Reed said sarcastically.

"Yes, in fact, she is."

"Of course you'd say that, so..." Reed started. Garibaldi interrupted him.

"And you said that you could back that up," Garibaldi said.

"Her husband knew she was coming out here. In fact, he bought her the tickets to do so."

"A convenient story, that cannot be proven," Reed said.

David rolled his eyes.

"Yes, it can. Garibaldi knows how. Further, on her own, Cat does not have the money to have made the trip out here."

"And you know this because..." Garibaldi prompted, expecting the coming answer.

"Because the only money she's got is the money I've given her."

Cat was nearly crying now, and David took her hand, squeezing it. "I've been helping her financially since April, a month after her wonderful husband threw her out of the house and threatened to take her kids away from her permanently. I would suggest that this is part of his effort to do so."

"And you can back that up," Reed said.

"That? No, that's just an opinion. His motive for lying to you is... well, what was it you said, Mr. Garibaldi? Who knows what goes through the mind of a criminal. His actions, her ability to commit the crime... those things can be checked out directly."

"Do you have your ticket stubs?" Garibaldi asked Cat.

"Back in my hotel room, yes. The park ticket stubs are right here," she said, reaching into her purse and taking them out. She gave them to Garibaldi.

"Before we leave tomorrow, we can check this with the park. We can check the other at the airport."

"Check what?" Reed asked.

"They keep records here, Pete. If her husband bought the tickets, they will have records that say so."

"And she wouldn't have access to her own husband's accounts?"

"She hasn't had since March. That's why I'm helping her," David pointed out.

"Uh-huh."

"Again, we can check with the bank about that."

"You're buying this?" Reed asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I am. I trust David's judgment. Plus... look at those kids. Do they look distressed in the slightest? The only person here who looks upset is her."

"Good acting on her part," Reed said dismissively.

"You want to spell me, to prove it?" she offered.

Garibaldi grimaced. "You know we can't do that."

"Even if she offers?" David asked.

"It requires a magistrate's authority."

"And she knows that," Reed said.

"What, you think I'm trying to get you to let me go? I just don't want to go to jail for something I didn't do."

"We can let it rest until we get back to Gorumshead," Garibaldi said.

"Mr. Garibaldi, how are we going to handle sleeping arrangements now?" David asked.

"You think we're going to let you keep an eye on her, alone?" Reed said snidely.

"No, I know very well that you won't. Which is why I'm wondering how things are going to be arranged. I don't know about you, Reed, but I'm pretty sure that Zyla wouldn't like Mr. Garibaldi sleeping in the same room with her..."

Garibaldi blushed slightly. "Uh, yeah. And I don't think Rita'd be okay with it, either," he said, looking at Pete.

"Containment charm?" Reed suggested.

"Could be a bit dangerous. Some techno might run into it..."

"As long as we construct it properly, they shouldn't see it."

"David... will you stay with me?" Cat asked him, quietly.

"Yeah."

"If you think you can break my containment charm..." Reed warned.

"You just don't listen, do you," David replied.

Garibaldi waved his hand. "Chill out, you two. Pete... David's not a risk. David, Pete's just doing his job."

"I didn't know his job included an attitude problem. If it does, you need to work on yours. Maybe you could ask Toscani for lessons."

Garibaldi just held his hand out to prevent Reed from replying.

"Let's just finish up here, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever," Reed said.

-----

"I don't know how to thank you," Cat said. "I'd be falling apart without your help."

They were in his hotel room. The children were in the next room, and both rooms had containment charms around them.

David kissed her as he slipped off her blouse. "Thank me when we get it all cleaned up. Convincing the magistrate might not be nearly as easy as convincing Garibaldi."

"What about Reed?" she asked as her pants hit the floor.

"I don't think he'll ever believe either of us. I don't know what his deal is."

"Well, let's forget about them for a while, and let me show you how much I appreciate your help." She kissed him deeply, and in just a few seconds, David had no thoughts of the Rimohrs whatsoever.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Mr. Stroud... I thought we were done seeing you," the magistrate said.

"Sorry, Your Honor," David replied seriously. "I would have thought we'd see a different magistrate... kind of a long way from where my last hearing happened..."

"There are only a few magistrates in Callamandia. I handle most of the northern section."

"Oh."

"As I'm sure you're aware by now, this is a more informal proceeding than usual. What can you tell me about the situation?"

"I first became aware of Prof. Arpilla's situation in mid-April of this year. At that time, she was living in her office on campus, because she had no financial assets. We became intimate, and I also offered her some financial assistance.

"She's been reticent to allow me to help her very much, but I have been providing her rent, food, and other essentials. She did not have the finances to make a trip to San Diego."

"She could not have made use of some of your money without your knowledge?" the magistrate asked.

"She didn't have direct access to my account. I paid her rent directly, and gave her a small allowance in order to buy the other items she needed, like food and clothes. It was not enough to take three people from here to San Diego on. She'd have had to not eat for three weeks, and she doesn't look starved to me."

"Her husband claims she stole his money," the magistrate offered.

"I can't speak to that except as a character witness, Your Honor. I have no knowledge of it one way or another. But I imagine that the security officers at the Bank of Callamandia might have a coronary at the very suggestion that she could break their security practices."

The magistrate chuckled. "They might at that. You seem to be more confident than you used to be, Mr. Stroud."

"Two years at Woodward will do that for a person, Your Honor," David replied.

"That it will. Do you have anything else to say in regards to this matter?"

"Just my personal opinion of Prof. Arpilla. She is not capable of what is being suggested. If she was going to steal from her husband, why not do it in order to house herself? If she was going to kidnap her children, why wait until now? As terrified as she is of the outcome of all of this, she isn't the kind of person who is willing to break the law to get her way."

"Hmm," the magistrate intoned. "Very well. You may step down."

David returned to his seat, which was right behind Cat. He put his hand on her shoulder, and squeezed lightly.

The hearing continued until everyone had spoken. Finally, the magistrate sat back. "I've heard both sides, and I've looked over the evidence provided by both sides. Mr. Arpilla, none of this information supports your allegation. In fact, it very much suggests otherwise. I'm going to dismiss the charges against Mrs. Arpilla. Further, I will be entering a charge of false accusation against you. You will be required to pay a fine of one thousand granas, plus two weeks wizarding suspension.

"I am also directing the Rimohrs to investigate allegations, made by your children directly, that your current girlfriend has been abusive to them, and that you haven't protected them, despite knowing what's going on."

"What?" Cat replied, shocked and dismayed.

"Until that investigation is concluded," the magistrate continued, "the children will remain with their mother."

"That bitch can't afford to feed herself!" Mr. Arpilla screamed. "Garrett and Angela will be eating grass by the end of the week!"

"Mr. Stroud?" the magistrate asked, already knowing the answer.

Without even looking at Cat, David replied, "Trust me, Your Honor, those kids will be well looked-after."

"I thought so," the magistrate said. "This matter is closed."

"This isn't over, you bitch!" Mr. Arpilla snarled. "No one takes my kids from me!"

David walked over to the man, leaned down, and stared him right in the eye. He did not lower his voice, and everyone there heard what he had to say.

"I was doing my best to stay out of Cat's business, but you've made that impossible. Do you know who and what I am?"

"Why should I give a shit?" the man snapped.

"My name is David Stroud. I am a demighost. Do you have any clue what I can do to you, if I have a mind to?"

The man paled just slightly.

"I see that you do. You go anywhere near Cat or her children until the court says it's okay, and you won't have to worry about the Rimohrs coming for you. I will hunt you down, and you won't like what happens when I find you. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," Mr. Arpilla said resentfully. Then he turned to the magistrate. "You heard him! He just threatened me!"

"I heard no threat, Mr. Arpilla," the magistrate said, controlling the mirth in his voice. "Merely a statement of consequences. Personally, if I were you, I'd try not to cross him. He seems like the kind of person that keeps his promises... whatever they may be."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"You know, David, you're lucky the magistrate didn't throw the book at you yesterday. You did threaten that guy."

"He what?" Zyla asked. She, of course, had not been there.

"I made no threat," David said. "A threat would require me to say something specific, like that I would hurt him, or that I would ruin his career, or something such as that. All I said was that he would 'not like' what happened. That could be something as innocuous as me telling the Rimohrs where to find him, or, my personal favorite, haunting the motherfucker so that he can't sleep for a week."

Garibaldi chuckled. "That sounds like the voice of experience."

"I've done it before, yes... with a little help."

"Why would you do that?" Zyla asked seriously.

"There was this guy," David said, "who was cheating on my best friend. Then he broke up with her, to be with the other girl. I decided that if he could put her through that much pain and torment, he deserved a little torment of his own. So, I got a couple of my ghost friends to help me, and we made sure that his life was miserable for a while. He almost didn't pass his licensure exam, I hear."

"Was that what you were shooting for? To keep him from being licensed?" she asked.

"Not really. I just wanted him to understand."

"Understand what?"

"You don't screw with my friends and think you're going to get away with it," David said. "I've had damned few friends in my life, and being a demighost hasn't made me any more popular. I won't let people hurt those I care about without at least trying to do something about it."

"That's why you had to go help Prof. Arpilla," Garibaldi said.

"Yes. I just couldn't believe she had done what she was being accused of."

"But if she had been?" Garibaldi asked.

"Then I would have lost a friend. I don't break laws, Mr. Garibaldi, and I wasn't about to help her break one, either. If she'd been guilty, the result would have been the same... only we probably wouldn't have stayed to see the rest of the zoo."

"What's a zoo?" Zyla asked. When David explained, she said, "Aww, I want to see a zoo!"

Garibaldi said, "Maybe when you lose a little weight."

"Hmph," Zyla said, feigning grumpiness, and smacking her husband - hard - on the arm for his remark.

David chuckled. "You don't pull off 'bad mood face' very well, Zyla."

Zyla laughed. "Not unless I'm really in one."

David feigned shock. "That happens?" They all laughed at that.

Growing more serious, Zyla said, "Are you sure you have to leave tomorrow? You'll miss Joe's birthday."

"Yeah, that's my birthday present to him, to get out of his hair," David said with a grin.

Zyla frowned. "We've enjoyed having you here."

"Well, you have, anyway," David said. "He thinks I get in his way on cases."

Garibaldi sputtered, and Zyla giggled.

"Anyway, no, I can't stay. It's going to take me a full day to get to Olissa's house, and I want to take her to the Nagyara Festival, so I can't dawdle too much."

"Well, it's been great having you here," Zyla said. "Even if Joe won't admit it. And you're welcome back any time."

"Thanks. It's been... interesting. At least I wasn't the one on trial this time. Speaking of trials, Mr. Garibaldi, do you have any idea what's happening with Cherise?"

"She's been deemed unfit to stand trial. She is currently in the psychiatric facility at Barnard Hill. If she is ever deemed sane enough, she'll be exiled to Earth. That is, however, unlikely, because in her current state, she couldn't be trusted not to use magic, even knowing it's against the law for her to do so. Her license has already been permanently forfeited."

"Forfeited?" Zyla asked. "I thought the term was revoked..."

"It is, if you have a license already," Garibaldi told her. "Cherise wasn't licensed yet, and now she never will be. She is what they call a dead wand. A wizard who isn't allowed to ever perform magic."

"I'd feel sorry for her, if I didn't know what kind of psycho bitch she was. I came dangerously close to killing her when she hurt Olissa."

"Oh?" Garibaldi said. "I didn't hear about that..."

"Really? I'm surprised that someone didn't tell you."

"I think you may have more friends than you think you do, David," Zyla suggested lightly.

David snorted. "I doubt it. They probably just didn't want to get involved."

"What stopped you from killing her?" Garibaldi asked with professional interest.

David shrugged. "I didn't want to become a murderer. I had just enough reason left in me at the time to remember that, and so I backed off."

"And you did this over a girl?" Zyla asked.

"Over my best friend, who happens to be a girl, yes."

Zyla simply smiled, and said nothing.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Welcome to Houma," Olissa said, giving David a quick kiss. "Where's Jailla?"

"In my bag. I can't very well take him on a bus ride, now can I?"

"Oh. True enough. Just like I can't take Bispy out of the swamp. You sure you're going to be okay roughing it for a few days? Our guest room isn't the nicest place."

"I'm quite sure I've been in worse, unless your father put bars on the windows..."

Olissa chuckled. "No, it's not quite that bad. How was your trip in?"

"Long and boring," he said. "Just the way I like them. I've had enough excitement this month."

"Oh?"

David couldn't tell her any details, because it would betray a confidence, so he said, "I was helping Mr. Garibaldi with a case while I was visiting him."

"Dangerous?" Olissa asked.

"No, not really. Just a lot of travel going on."

"Oh. Well, your traveling isn't done yet. It's about an hour to the house from here."

"Are we going to need a boat to get there?" David asked, thinking he was joking. Olissa looked at him straight-faced.

"Yes."

-----

The house, David was glad to see, was at least on solid ground. There was a small barn, as well, which, David learned, was where he would be sleeping.

"This wasn't really supposed to be a guest room. It was supposed to be for a farm hand. But I don't know what they were thinking. You can't farm anything out here. So it sits empty."

David threw his bag on the bed, and Jailla flew up and settled on a nearby shelf. David sat down on the bed, and Olissa sat next to him.

"Exactly what does your father do?"

"He fishes."

"With a pole, or..."

"No, he fishes for alligators, mostly. That involves a trap and a gun."

David nodded.

"Come on, let's go let Ma and Papa know you're here."

The two of them crossed the yard, which had a few chickens scratching at the ground, and a family cat which hissed at David as he passed.

"Ignore him, he does that to everyone," Olissa said. They walked into the house, and then she called out, "We're home!"

Mrs. Volaire came out of the kitchen to greet them. "Well, David! Nice to see you again. No luggage?"

"I already showed him his room," Olissa explained.

"Ah, well, that's good, then. Well, make yourself at home. Your father isn't home yet. He should be here any time."

Olissa nodded. "Let's go sit on the porch and wait for him," she told David.

The two sat side-by-side in the porch swing, chatting, until Mr. Volaire pulled up to the dock.

"Looks like he caught one today. We'd better help with the groceries," she said. The two walked down to the dock, and, without a word, Mr. Volaire handed each of them a box of groceries. He didn't speak until he'd gotten out of the boat.

"It was a good day, che. Two gators, plus a fish during a slow spell."

"Good work, Papa," she told him.

"Come on, let's go in. It's terrible hot out here."

David looked at Olissa. She shrugged, then followed her father into the house.

As David was helping unpack the groceries, Mr. Volaire came into the kitchen. "So, David, what you think of our little home?"

"Well, it's certainly quiet here," David said.

Mr. Volaire laughed. "You ever lived in the country?"

"No, sir. I've always been a city boy. Dugerra is as close as I've come to country living."

"You like it in Dugerra?" Mrs. Volaire asked as David handed her a big bag of rice.

"I don't really know yet. I mean, I've lived at the school pretty much exclusively. I've been to Senesty, and a couple small towns, but I haven't really seen Dugerra very much. What I have seen seems to be nice. Why do you ask?"

"Just wonderin' if you thought you were going to stay there," she replied.

"I'm going to go for citizenship. I don't know if I'll stay in Dugerra, but I want to have that option."

"Smart boy," Mr. Volaire said. "Plenty of time to make up your mind later on. So, what brings you down our way?"

"Just wanted to visit with Olissa, see her home, that kind of thing. Oh, and to escort her to the Nagyara Festival," David said. He saw Olissa flinch out of the corner of his eye, but he had no idea what that was about. They had discussed this in May, and she had readily agreed. Had she changed her mind?

"Oh?" her father said. "Well, I don't know about that. We'll have to discuss it. What's for dinner, mon shou?"

-----

There was no chance for David to talk privately with Olissa about their plans for the festival, as her father started the discussion of it immediately after dinner. The 'discussion' did not involve David or Olissa at all. Instead, her parents argued back and forth over whether or not to let her go.

It was her father's position that they had used up all of their 'spending money' going to see her licensure, and that anything further was unacceptable. Her mother took the position that Olissa deserved a reward for getting her license, even after missing a month of school. The debate went on for long enough that Olissa got up and left the room. David heard her go out the front door.

It amazed him that her parents didn't even notice that she had left. Shortly after that, he, too, got up and left the room. He headed out the door, expecting Olissa to be sitting on the porch. When he didn't find her there, he was a bit confused.

Her home was not so big that David had too much trouble finding her. She was standing in the gazebo, facing out toward the water, away from the house. David approached slowly, not quite sure exactly what her reaction to the situation was going to be.

He stepped up into the gazebo, but he didn't approach her right away. For a minute, he just stood, watching her. She wasn't crying, but she'd not turned to acknowledge him yet, either.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked softly.

"No, David, I don't," she said, her voice tightly controlled. "Right now, what I want," she said, and she started to turn, her hands moving to the bottom of her shirt, "is for you to help me not think about it for a little while." As she said this, she finished turning, and her hands lifted her shirt up over her head. She dropped it onto a nearby bench. As she reached behind her to unclasp her bra, David stepped over to her, unbuttoning his own shirt.

"You don't need to undress," she told him softly. "I only need access to one body part," she said with a smile.

David stepped close to her, and pulled her against him, holding her tightly.

"Maybe so, but I like to feel your breasts against my skin," he told her. She couldn't respond to that, because he immediately kissed her, his tongue slipping into her mouth to dance with hers.

David's hands slid down Olissa's back until he reached her ass. Here, he lifted her skirt until he could reach under it, feeling her panty-clad butt cheeks. He massaged these for a moment, causing Olissa to groan in enjoyment. Finally, he slid his fingers under the waistband of her panties and tugged them free of her hips. She stepped out of them, and then pressed her entire length against David. Her nipples were hard points, digging into his chest, and he loved that.

David backed Olissa up until her butt was resting against the railing of the gazebo.

He broke their kiss, and asked, "Is this sturdy?"

"Mm-hmm," she replied, smiling at him. David grabbed her hips and hoisted her up onto the railing. It hadn't been the gentlest of maneuvers, but Olissa didn't care. She wanted what she knew came next. She slid her legs open, inviting David to take her. She slid her skirt up, to give him unfettered access to her pussy.

David pulled down his pants and underwear, and then stepped in, his dick now trapped between their bodies, as he kissed Olissa again. She only let him do that for a little while, though.

"I need to feel you inside me," she told him. David smiled softly at her, and he rocked his hips backward just enough to allow his cock to slip down between her legs. When the head of his dick slid across her clit, she twitched. David smiled at that, but he kept on, letting his dick slide further and further down.

When the head of his dick was pressing against Olissa's entrance, her embrace became tighter, and she mewled softly. David understood, and he pressed forward slowly, his dick sliding deep into her pussy in a long, smooth stroke.

"Oh, god, that feels so good," she told him. "You make me feel so good."

David returned to kissing her, and then he started to move his hips, sliding his dick in and out of her in a slow rhythm. Their tongues danced as their hips rocked together, their passions slowly rising.

After a while, Olissa made David stop.

"I can't keep myself still like this anymore. Not with your dick inside me," she told him. She gently pushed him back, and then hopped down off the railing. She turned around and bent over, then reached back to lift up her skirt.

David recognized this position instantly, and he stepped back in, sliding his prick back inside of her quickly.

"Oh, yeah. Fuck me good!" she told him.

David took hold of her hips as she gripped the railing for support. He began to ram his cock into her, his balls slapping against her with each thrust. Olissa panted and grunted quietly, not wanting to attract any attention. For long moments, she enjoyed the feel of David's cock filling her up, driving her closer and closer to ecstasy.

When it arrived, Olissa shoved her hips back at David, forcing him inside of her to the fullest. Her pussy gripped him, and her body shuddered. She strangled her cries of pleasure, allowing only faint gasps to come from her throat. It took her quite some time to settle from her passion, but she finally regained control of herself, and then she stood, turning to face David.

Smiling at him, she said, "Sit on the end of the bench."

David moved her shirt, and sat down, facing her. She stepped to him, and straddled his legs, then slowly sank downward. David held his prick in place, and she impaled herself as she came to rest in his lap. She used her pussy muscles to massage his dick as they simply sat together, looking into each other's eyes and enjoying the moment.

Finally, Olissa started to move on top of him, using her legs to lift up, and then letting gravity bring her back down. David put his hands under her ass to help her move, and then he took one of her nipples into his mouth, sucking on it and nibbling lightly.

Olissa mewled in pleasure at that, enjoying every touch. The two kept this coupling slow and easy; she'd exorcised her frustration. Now, she just wanted to feel good.

For long minutes, the two continued like this. Occasionally, David switched nipples, and after a while, the two of them started to kiss. They were both approaching orgasm now, but they were in no hurry to get there. Finally, though, the moment arrived. Olissa squeaked, and her pussy grasped at David's dick. David, who had been holding back for a while, allowed his cum to burst forth, filling up her pussy. Olissa shuddered and wriggled on top of David, once again trying to keep herself quiet.

When Olissa finally settled from her climax, she thought to rise, but David held her in place. His semi-hard dick was still buried inside of her, and he wasn't ready for that to change yet.

"If I don't get up, your legs will fall asleep," she told him.

"I have no circulation for you to cut off," he told her. "Just relax a minute. I don't want you to go away yet."

Olissa settled back down onto him, and he embraced her, looking up into her face.

After a slow, sensual kiss, David leaned back just a bit and said, "Olissa, I know you don't want me as a boyfriend, but will you at least let me help you out financially? There's no reason you should be stuck living this way if you don't want to be."

Olissa looked him in the eye for a very long moment, without saying anything. "And you wouldn't expect anything from me in return?" she asked.

"Nothing that I'm not already getting. Your friendship, your support... occasional physical contact," he said, making her grin in embarrassment. "I just don't like seeing you hurting like this."

"Why would you do all that for a girl who won't even go out with you?"

"Because I like you... and because it doesn't hurt me at all to help you. And if it makes you feel better about things, then I can feel better knowing I've helped you out."

Tears came to Olissa's eyes, and she leaned in and kissed David for a very long moment. Finally, she broke their kiss.

"I'll try not to abuse your help," she told him.

"Don't even worry about it," he told her.

They sat for a long time, just being together, before they finally decided they should go back inside, and end the argument by letting her parents know that David would go ahead and pay for Olissa's trip.

When they came back in the house, Olissa's father grumbled, "Where you two been?"

"Mind your business, Papa," Olissa told him softly.

David could tell, by the look on Mrs. Volaire's face, who had won the argument. Before Mr. Volaire could tell Olissa no, David said, "Look... after talking it over with Olissa, I am going to go ahead and pay for her trip to Nagyara."

"Why did you have to talk it over?" Mr. Volaire asked.

After a quick glance at Olissa, who nodded, David said, "I had to convince her to accept my help."

"That don't make any sense," Mr. Volaire objected. "Why wouldn't a man treat his woman to a vacation?"

"Papa, David's not my boyfriend. He's just my best friend."

"Hmph," Mr. Volaire opined. "Well, whatever. So long as the trip is already paid for. You plan on bringing her back here?"

"Actually," David said, "I thought, since we were already so close to the school, that maybe, after the festival, I could drop her off at Aunt Shandra's, and she could go back to the school from there."

"And where will you go?" Mrs. Volaire asked.

"Back to the school," David told them.

"I thought they wouldn't let you stay in the dorms until the RA's were back," Olissa said.

"Yeah... but I can stay with Sam."

"Who is Sam?" Mrs. Volaire asked.

"Prof. Stott - Sam - is my Potions Master. She's also a very good friend."

"Have you already asked her if you can stay with her?" Olissa asked. "I wouldn't want you to be stuck without a home..."

"I've already stayed with her twice," David said. "Over Yule break, and then before I went to visit Gwen this summer."

"Oh," Olissa said.

"You're dating one of your teachers?" Mr. Volaire said in dismay.

"Not dating, as such. We have a mutually non-exclusive relationship."

"And the school doesn't object to that?" Mrs. Volaire asked.

"Finally! Somebody who finds it weird!" David said. Olissa giggled at him, but she was concerned about something else.

"Where does Prof. Stott live?"

"In faculty housing," David said uncomfortably.

"And where is that?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Olissa's mother wanted to know.

David said, "It was one of the rules that was imposed on me when I was permitted to enter faculty housing. I can't tell anyone where it is, or how to get to it." Turning to Olissa, he said, "That's why I've never mentioned it before; I didn't want to have to answer all of Jim's and Simon's questions. I know you were wondering why I hadn't said anything."

"I was," she admitted. "But that makes sense. If they're going to hide it, then it would be dumb for them to just let you blab about it."

"So, let me get this straight," Mr. Volaire said. "You're courtin' my daughter, while you're sleepin' with a teacher?"

"Papa!" Olissa snapped.

David raised his hand. "I am not courting your daughter," David corrected. "Olissa and I have already discussed having a relationship. We are merely good friends."

"Then why are you takin' her on a vacation?"

"Because she's never been there, and neither have I, and I hate going to those kinds of things alone."

"Ah. Well, okay then."

"Can we go now?" Olissa asked, exasperated. Mr. Volaire waved them off, and they both left. They decided to go out and sit on the porch swing together.

"Sorry about the third degree," she said.

David chuckled. "No problem. I'm sure it does look a little weird to them."

"I'm sorry I can't be your girlfriend," she told him. "I'm just not ready. Not after Rick."

"I understand," he told her.

The two sat for a long time on the swing, just relaxing together and chatting.

-----

David was lying in bed, trying to go to sleep. He didn't usually have trouble, but the smell of chickens and the strange animal noises that filtered in through his window were making it difficult.

When he heard a strange creaking noise, he almost got up to see what it was. Before he could make that decision, though, the bedroom door opened, and Olissa slipped inside. She silently crossed the room, removing her shoes, and then slipped into bed next to him. He scooted, to give her a little room, but she still snuggled close to him, which he didn't mind in the least.

"Your father..."

"Hush," she said, kissing him softly. "I just want to cuddle for a little while... and to tell you something."

"Okay."

"I'm not comfortable with you helping me, and not getting anything in return. I know I should accept charity gracefully, but when it's coming from someone I care about, I just can't."

"So..." David said, worried she was now not going to let him help her.

"So, once again, I'll resort to the only thing I have left to give you in return. I will become your sex slave."

"Do what?" David rasped.

"From now on... for as long as you're helping me... and unless I am in a long-term relationship with someone else, I cannot refuse any sexual request you make."

"Olissa..." David said, not sure about this at all.

"David, I need to do this. Things have to balance for me. I have to be giving you something in return for your help. My body is all I've got that you might actually want... unless you'd like a chicken..."

David chuckled. "No thanks, on the chicken. But what do you mean might want? You should know by now that I like your body. I think you're beautiful."

"And I think you need glasses. But since you do like it, then I can offer it in return for your help."

"But... slave? You feel the need to go that far?"

"Well, okay, maybe the term is a bit harsh, but I couldn't think of another way to describe it. Basically, if you ask me for it, I'll give it to you, whatever it is."

David shook his head at her. "You're crazy, you know that? But if that's what you feel you need to do, I'm not going to say no."

"Good." She kissed him softly, and then she lay down next to him.

"Make sure you wake me up when you wake up. I'll have to sneak back into the house before Papa wakes up."

"Okay." The two settled, and finally David was able to fall asleep.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

When David awoke, he found Olissa watching him.

"Did you go to sleep at all?" he asked her.

"I dozed a little, but this bed isn't very comfortable."

David stretched, and wiped his eyes. "Don't you need to sneak back into the house?"

"Not until I've done something else," she told him. She reached under the covers, and into his briefs, taking his dick in hand. It was already hard as iron, since, like many mornings, he'd woken with morning wood. She stroked him, and then pulled the covers back.

In a few more seconds, her mouth descended on his cock. David grunted in sudden pleasure, and rested his hand gently on the back of her head, encouraging her to keep up her actions.

Olissa's head was soon bobbing, her tongue sliding along his shaft as she moved. It didn't take long at all before David grunted, and spewed his cum deep into her mouth. She swallowed all of it, and then let his cock go, licking it clean, and then kissing it before she put it back in his briefs.

"Wow, that was nice. You've never done that before," he said.

"I know. You've never asked me to."

"Some women don't like it. I didn't want to offend you."

"I just wanted to let you know, this is kind of what our agreement means. If you want something, I will do it. Don't worry about offending me." She slid up and kissed him again, and then rested her head on his shoulder for a little while. David didn't say anything at all, but held onto her tightly. He let his thoughts wander over what had happened since he'd arrived at Olissa's home.

I get being uncomfortable accepting charity, but a slave?

His mind just couldn't quite process the thought.

Well, as long as she's happy with the idea, I guess. Whatever it takes to get her out from under this... way of living. I knew her family was poor, but this is a bit pathetic. So I guess I can live with her weirdness. Not like I won't enjoy her... uh, 'servitude'.

With a smile, David admitted to himself that yes, he would enjoy it quite a bit.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
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