The Story, Part 3
Dec. 20th, 2014 10:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lissalysikan(note, one of my editors thinks this is not ready).
Jarveth pushed aside a branch then stepped into the campsite and stopped suddenly, Leesa bumping into him from behind. He looked at the three Lees facing him, then back at the one smiling at him as she pushed him past the opening in the fence. Looking again at the ones in the campsite he noticed Tinky in front of them, grinning up at him, her gold hair parted to let him see her huge golden eyes. He'd known she had gold hair, but he'd never seen it un-dyed in the ten years he'd known her.
"Wait!" He tried to resist Leesa's pushing, but had to step forward to avoid being pushed over. "Four of you?"
Tinky ran forward and reached for his hand, trying to pull him. "Yup, there's four of em. They told me to keep it a secret. I'm good at secrets."
Letting Tinky pull him, he looked over her little body and bare feet, then looked again at the Lees. "Which one is Lee?"
"All of us." Leena smirked. "Our parents weren't pleased at having quadruplets, and stayed with the one name for all four of us. We added endings for Tinky's sake. Leesa is pushing you, I'm Leena, and these are Leeya and Leera."
"Well, nice to meet you, I guess." He let Tinky push him onto the ground in front of the remains of a fire. As the Lees sat in a group near him, he asked, "so, um, have I met all of you at different times or just one?"
Leesa smiled, "All of us, but mostly me. I go into the city the most. It's easier for me to deal with the people than it is for the others."
Leena, sitting nearest, reached over and patted his knee, "relax, you've known us as long as you've known Tinky. You just didn't know it was four people." She smirked, "well, sort of four people. Some might consider us one person. But still, you've known us a long time."
Jarveth looked from Lee to Lee, studying their faces. "Even with you all together, I can't see any differences, so I suppose it's not too odd that I never noticed you were different people."
"There isn't any differences," Tinky said. "The magic makes them stay the same. Except hair or clothes. But bodies." She nodded to herself.
"Magic? Did you have something to do with it, Tinky?" Jarveth looked at her again, glancing at her bare chest then back to her face. He decided he liked seeing her eyes without her hair in the way.
Shaking her head, Tinky giggled. "Nope. Didn't they teach you about the Touched in Watcher school?"
"Touched?"
"Yup. Magic-Touched. People born touched by magic, but not mages. It does stuff and makes them different but they can't use magic. Well, can't use it except the way it touches them." She scowled slightly, "I would think they taught you about them, too. They're sortof magic, too, so the Hero wouldn't want them either."
"No, they were never mentioned in training." He smirked, "although the training wasn't very in-depth. Most Watchers are chosen for size, toughness, and meanness. And loyalty to the Hero, although that was mostly assumed. The only people that get real training are the ones that get chosen to work closely with the Hero." He looked around at the Lees again. "So, what should I know about you?"
Leesa shrugged, "only as much as you want to. Our interest in you is as a friend of Tinky, not a Watcher. You've already shown that you don't take the mage-hunting part of that job seriously."
"No, I don't. I was never committed to it during training, and meeting Tinky cured me of it before it could sink in. The first time I saw her she was crying, screaming, jumping and waving her arms around, completely out of control, just because two street kids were fighting." He smirked a little sadly, "broke my heart to see her so upset. I broke up the fight and chased them away." He shrugged, she wouldn't look at me, but I saw enough of her face …" he trailed off.
Leera smiled softly, "in love with the enemy."
Jarveth reddened slightly, "anyway, after that I couldn't see myself killing mages. Not sweet little girls that can't even tolerate seeing two street rats fight."
"They weren't rats, they were kids!" Tinky crossed her arms over her chest and tried to look stern.
"It's just an expression. I was one of those street rats for a short time, before the Watcher in my district saw how big I was for a six year old and took me to the barracks." He smiled at Tinky as she relaxed.
"Still don't think you should call them rats. Rats are dirty smelly vicious beasts." She let her frown go.
"So are a lot of the street kids. It's part of why all Watchers come from the streets."
"They do?"
"Yes. To be a Watcher a man has to have no family, no partner, not even allowed a girlfriend. Getting too close to someone can get a Watcher in trouble, even demoted to Watchman. Not many survive that."
Leesa and Tinky asked "why?" at the same time.
"Because the Watchers are not promoted from the Watchmen, we're just put in charge when we complete training. The Watchmen resent us as privileged. When one of us gets demoted they take out their resentment on him."
"I meant why not be close to someone," Tinky clarified. "I don't think I could take it, being alone." She shuddered.
"Because we have to be ready to kill anyone that we suspect of doing magic, reading, writing, or just owning a book. So if we had a girlfriend, for example, and she learned to read, it would be hard to decide whether to follow the rules or to let her get away with it for love. So," he shrugged, "if we aren't allowed to be close to anyone then we shouldn't ever have that conflict."
"Wow, when you break the rules, you go all the way!" Leeya teased. "Loving a little mage that can read and write and even owns a book."
Jarveth grinned, "well, in my defense, I didn't know she owned a book, although I should have suspected. She knows too much about before the Purge." He noticed Tinky trying to shush Leeya. "Tinky, I already know you're a mage. There isn't any secret that could get you, or even me, in any more trouble."
"Oh, I guess that's true." She looked at Leeya, "nevermind, you can blab." She slipped off Leesa's lap, then turned around and started tugging at Leesa's boots, "don't need these now."
Leesa let her get them off, then pulled her back onto her lap. "You more comfortable now?"
Tinky smiled up at her and nodded.
"I don't suppose you pulled me all the way out here just to talk about being a Watcher, though," Jarveth said, watching Tinky. "Or to reveal your secret to me."
"Actually, the first is a little bit of the reason." Leesa wrapped her arms around Tinky's chest. "Knowing about you, I mean, and since you're a Watcher that would come into it. You're Tinky's best friend in the city and knowing more about you makes us more comfortable."
Jarveth nodded, "does that also mean I get to know more about you, so I can feel more comfortable?"
Leera nodded as Leesa replied, "that would be fair. Our biggest secret is that there are four of us, and you know that, now."
"I think we need to know about lunch!" Tinky stood up and wiggled a little. "My tummy said I didn't eat yet and it isn't happy about it."
Leena stood up and pointed at the wood pile, "you set a fire and I'll grab some steaks."
"Anything I can do to help?" Jarveth asked.
Leena beckoned him to follow her, "you can be the man and carry things." She led him to the river bank, then around the rock pool Tinky swam in to another pile of rocks. "Under here is some deer meat. The water keeps it cold enough to be good for days. We have to keep the stones around it or other animals will steal it."
Reaching down, Jarveth lifted a large flat rock from the pile and looked down into the opening. "Oh, nice. Don't even have to keep getting more ice, like in the city." He reached down inside and pulled out a net bag holding what looked like four steaks. "How much?"
"That will be enough, if one is enough for you. They're a little less than a pound each." As she watched him put the rock back she whispered, "we noticed you look at Tinky's chest and our feet a lot. Is all the bare skin bothering you?"
"I wouldn't say bothering. It's just, well, new to me," he whispered back, his face a little flushed. "You know the rules about showing skin in the city. Don't change for me, I admit to enjoying it."
"Okay. Just trying to make sure you aren't any more uncomfortable than necessary." She turned and led him back toward the firepit, noting that he was looking at her feet again.
Tinky was kneeling in front of a flat stone, rolling potatoes in salt, wrapping them in broad leaves, then poking splinters of wood into the leaves to hold them in place. Leera was stacking wood in the firepit while Leeya was setting an iron frame over it. They managed to work around each other seamlessly in spite of working in the same place.
"Um, that fire is going to be hard to light that way," Jarveth commented.
Pointing at Tinky, Leesa grinned, "no, it won't be."
Jarveth looked at Tinky, then shrugged.
Once the firepit was set the way Leeya and Leera wanted it, they took the potatoes from Tinky. "Ready, Baby."
Tinky stood up and pointed at the smallest wood bits and scowled at it, causing it to burst into flames.
The Lees giggled at Jarveth's face.
"That's it? I'm a bit disappointed. I was led to believe magic involved strange rituals and weird words. Pointing and frowning?" Jarveth looked truly disappointed.
Tinky giggled and skipped to him, hugging his legs, "aw. Next time I'll babble a lot and make little sparkly fires around it for you, kay?"
Holding the dripping bag of meat out of the way with one hand, Jarveth put his other hand on her back and patted it, "thank you. I would like that. I hate it when my illusions are shattered." Realizing his hand must be cold from the icy water he lifted it away quickly, "oh, sorry, didn't mean to freeze you."
Leesa laughed. "Don't worry about it. She doesn't feel cold, even in the river. She actually plays in that water until we drag her out."
Tinky grinned up at Jarveth, "yup, I'm immune to ice!"
"No you aren't!" Leesa rolled her eyes, "not feeling it and being immune to it are not the same!"
Tinky giggled and let go of Jarveth to let him help with the meat. "I know, I know. Just kidding."
After getting the steaks out of the bag and giving them to Leera, Jarveth turned back to Tinky. "You really don't feel cold? How about hot?"
"Cold is just not hot. I can feel the hot and make magic to kind of stop it, but cold isn't a thing." She looked thoughtful for a minute. "Hey! I can make me not cold, I bet! C'mere!" She grabbed at Leesa's hand. "I wanna see something."
Leesa smiled and let Tinky drag her, Jarveth following, to the river. Before she could stop her, Tinky dropped her pants and climbed down into the pool, her face scrunched in the scowl she used for making fires. Leesa grabbed for Tinky's hand and found it hot.
"You're too hot, Baby."
Tinky held on to Leesa's hand, her feet kicking in the water, and concentrated. After a minute she smiled up at Leesa, "warm enough and not too hot?"
"Your hand is." Leesa pulled Tinky out of the water and ran her free hand over her body, "you did it! You're as warm as if you hadn't been in the water at all!"
Jarveth reached over and caressed Tinky's bottom, a look of admiration on his face, "now that is impressive magic. That water is COLD."
Tinky grinned and let them set her back on the ground near her trousers. Pulling her pants back on, she looked at Leesa, "Now I gotta figure out how to do that and make it stay. I had to think too hard to have fun. But I can do it!"
"What did you do?" Jarveth asked, watching her wiggle her body to get her pants pulled on over wet skin.
"Um, well, I pulled a lot of magic into me and made it wiggle the particles like it does for fires but then I made it wiggle less when Leesa said I was too hot."
"Particles?"
Tinky nodded. "You can't see them cause you don't got mage-sight, but everything is made of little particles. If they wiggle fast, it's hot. If they wiggle slow, it's not." She let Leesa button her pants, holding her hands out to the side and flapping them a little. "But I had to pay too much attention to make them wiggle just right for me to do anything else at the same time." She put a tiny finger to her lips and her eyes rolled up for a minute, "hm. Maybe that's not the best way for living things. Gotta do some experiments."
"Experiments?"
"That's a old word for doing tests of things to see how they work. From before the Purge. Means testing stuff and paying attention to what happens and then testing again different." She pulled away from Leesa as the last button was done on her pants, then grabbed both Leesa's and Jarveth's hands. "But now I got ideas!"
Jarveth looked at Leesa with one eyebrow raised, "this is not the Tinky I know. I like it, but …"
Leesa grinned back, "it's why we bring her out here. She can let loose and be herself."
Once back near the firepit Tinky let loose of Leesa and Jarveth and started walking around on her toes, her hands flapping aimlessly, looking up at the sky.
"What is she doing now?"
"Working out something in her head. She does that at home, too." Leesa pushed Jarveth to a log set to act as a bench. "I'm sure you're not as used to sitting on the ground as we are. Have a seat and tell us a bit more about being a Watcher while she's not paying attention."
Sitting on the log, Jarveth looked at Leesa's bare feet, then pulled off his own boots and wiggled his feet. "It's not what I would choose, if I had a choice." He looked over to make sure Tinky really wasn't listening. "You know the penalty for most crimes is death. I try to let as many petty crimes go as I can, but if I am too lenient the Watchmen will be only too happy to get me demoted." He sighed heavily, "I don't talk about it around Tinky. She keeps me from thinking I am a horrible person and if she knew, well …"
"Yes, she doesn't have a strong grasp of doing what you need to do even when you disagree with it. That man she burned wouldn't have survived." She looked Jarveth in the eyes, "we made sure he didn't die from the burns, though."
Jarveth nodded, "thanks for that. I like being honest with her, although it is hard at times."
"So. What was training to hunt a mage like?"
"Pictures of mages. Well, pictures of people they claimed were mages. The only resemblance was the gold hair and eyes. They made the faces look older, some very old, since mages can live hundreds of years. I think whoever started the training program was from after the Purge and didn't know about the aging thing. They never told us about it." Looking very uncomfortable, he wiped his hands on his thighs. "Tricks for killing someone before they know you're going to, backstabbing, hidden daggers, that sort of thing. A mage that knows you are after them can defend themselves very effectively, we're told."
"So basically they teach you to be assassins, murderers, and thugs."
Jarveth scowled, "assassins, mostly. They try to get people who are already murderers and thugs and teach them a little finesse."
"And you?"
"They got me too soon. I hadn't been on the streets long enough to turn mean. Maybe a little cold at times." He looked at his feet, "I learned to try not to think a lot when doing what needed doing. It's not easy, and I try to let people go when I can, but I still do what is required." He looked up as Leesa sat beside him. "I've been replacing the Watchmen in my district with less blood-thirsty brutes whenever I get the chance." He smiled weakly at Leesa as she put a hand on his knee. "Most of the men I have now are loyal to me more than to the Hero."
"Does that help?"
Putting his hand on top of Leesa's, Jarveth nodded, "yes. They don't even question when I let a pickpocket go with just a threat. The first time. I don't think they'd be so easy about a mage, though. The fear of magic in the city is kept pretty high between the purge cycles."
Leesa let him caress the back of her hand, his rough hand a new feeling on her skin. "Um, what purge cycles?"
"Every ten years? You would have been, what, six? The year they put me as Watcher was one. Gather up all the people that the Watchmen have reported as suspicious, call them mages, make a big show of a public execution." He looked at her quizzically, "you are old enough to remember that. It's a huge show."
"We're older than that. We're older than Tinky. We only look like teens because of the magic. The constant use of magic that keeps us connected slows our aging similar to the way Tinky's nearly stops hers." Leesa smiled at him, "there are good things about being Touched. Always knowing what each other is thinking, feeling, and seeing, aging slower. Magic is not the great evil the Hero would have you believe." Her face became more serious, "but we weren't in the city for the purge celebration. We didn't know what it was about, but it was encouraging crowds and we don't handle crowds much better than Tinky does."
"You feel everything from your sisters?" Jarveth looked into Leesa's eyes, "everything?"
Leesa grinned and blushed, "yes, everything. Even the thing you want to ask. They can feel your hand on mine, feel your knee under my hand, see you looking into my eyes, as if they were sitting here." She smiled at him gently, "we enjoy your company. We have for years. But we need to be clear, it's as a friend. Can't be any more than that, if you were thinking I was flirting." She pulled at her hand lightly.
"Um, well, I was thinking you might be, to be honest, but I wasn't sure. People are always trying, usually insincerely, but since you've been a friend for so long I didn't know what to think." He held her hand on his knee and was pleased when she relaxed again. "I like you, but my heart is rather committed to someone else. That I can't have her doesn't matter."
Leesa looked where he was looking and saw Tinky still dancing on her toes flapping her hands, spinning slowly, "does it bother you that she belongs to us?"
"A little. Not angry bother, more like jealous bother." He forced Leesa's hand to his lips and kissed it, "but I am glad to know I lost out to people that care so much for her that they'll give up a dangerous secret to help her."
Jarveth pushed aside a branch then stepped into the campsite and stopped suddenly, Leesa bumping into him from behind. He looked at the three Lees facing him, then back at the one smiling at him as she pushed him past the opening in the fence. Looking again at the ones in the campsite he noticed Tinky in front of them, grinning up at him, her gold hair parted to let him see her huge golden eyes. He'd known she had gold hair, but he'd never seen it un-dyed in the ten years he'd known her.
"Wait!" He tried to resist Leesa's pushing, but had to step forward to avoid being pushed over. "Four of you?"
Tinky ran forward and reached for his hand, trying to pull him. "Yup, there's four of em. They told me to keep it a secret. I'm good at secrets."
Letting Tinky pull him, he looked over her little body and bare feet, then looked again at the Lees. "Which one is Lee?"
"All of us." Leena smirked. "Our parents weren't pleased at having quadruplets, and stayed with the one name for all four of us. We added endings for Tinky's sake. Leesa is pushing you, I'm Leena, and these are Leeya and Leera."
"Well, nice to meet you, I guess." He let Tinky push him onto the ground in front of the remains of a fire. As the Lees sat in a group near him, he asked, "so, um, have I met all of you at different times or just one?"
Leesa smiled, "All of us, but mostly me. I go into the city the most. It's easier for me to deal with the people than it is for the others."
Leena, sitting nearest, reached over and patted his knee, "relax, you've known us as long as you've known Tinky. You just didn't know it was four people." She smirked, "well, sort of four people. Some might consider us one person. But still, you've known us a long time."
Jarveth looked from Lee to Lee, studying their faces. "Even with you all together, I can't see any differences, so I suppose it's not too odd that I never noticed you were different people."
"There isn't any differences," Tinky said. "The magic makes them stay the same. Except hair or clothes. But bodies." She nodded to herself.
"Magic? Did you have something to do with it, Tinky?" Jarveth looked at her again, glancing at her bare chest then back to her face. He decided he liked seeing her eyes without her hair in the way.
Shaking her head, Tinky giggled. "Nope. Didn't they teach you about the Touched in Watcher school?"
"Touched?"
"Yup. Magic-Touched. People born touched by magic, but not mages. It does stuff and makes them different but they can't use magic. Well, can't use it except the way it touches them." She scowled slightly, "I would think they taught you about them, too. They're sortof magic, too, so the Hero wouldn't want them either."
"No, they were never mentioned in training." He smirked, "although the training wasn't very in-depth. Most Watchers are chosen for size, toughness, and meanness. And loyalty to the Hero, although that was mostly assumed. The only people that get real training are the ones that get chosen to work closely with the Hero." He looked around at the Lees again. "So, what should I know about you?"
Leesa shrugged, "only as much as you want to. Our interest in you is as a friend of Tinky, not a Watcher. You've already shown that you don't take the mage-hunting part of that job seriously."
"No, I don't. I was never committed to it during training, and meeting Tinky cured me of it before it could sink in. The first time I saw her she was crying, screaming, jumping and waving her arms around, completely out of control, just because two street kids were fighting." He smirked a little sadly, "broke my heart to see her so upset. I broke up the fight and chased them away." He shrugged, she wouldn't look at me, but I saw enough of her face …" he trailed off.
Leera smiled softly, "in love with the enemy."
Jarveth reddened slightly, "anyway, after that I couldn't see myself killing mages. Not sweet little girls that can't even tolerate seeing two street rats fight."
"They weren't rats, they were kids!" Tinky crossed her arms over her chest and tried to look stern.
"It's just an expression. I was one of those street rats for a short time, before the Watcher in my district saw how big I was for a six year old and took me to the barracks." He smiled at Tinky as she relaxed.
"Still don't think you should call them rats. Rats are dirty smelly vicious beasts." She let her frown go.
"So are a lot of the street kids. It's part of why all Watchers come from the streets."
"They do?"
"Yes. To be a Watcher a man has to have no family, no partner, not even allowed a girlfriend. Getting too close to someone can get a Watcher in trouble, even demoted to Watchman. Not many survive that."
Leesa and Tinky asked "why?" at the same time.
"Because the Watchers are not promoted from the Watchmen, we're just put in charge when we complete training. The Watchmen resent us as privileged. When one of us gets demoted they take out their resentment on him."
"I meant why not be close to someone," Tinky clarified. "I don't think I could take it, being alone." She shuddered.
"Because we have to be ready to kill anyone that we suspect of doing magic, reading, writing, or just owning a book. So if we had a girlfriend, for example, and she learned to read, it would be hard to decide whether to follow the rules or to let her get away with it for love. So," he shrugged, "if we aren't allowed to be close to anyone then we shouldn't ever have that conflict."
"Wow, when you break the rules, you go all the way!" Leeya teased. "Loving a little mage that can read and write and even owns a book."
Jarveth grinned, "well, in my defense, I didn't know she owned a book, although I should have suspected. She knows too much about before the Purge." He noticed Tinky trying to shush Leeya. "Tinky, I already know you're a mage. There isn't any secret that could get you, or even me, in any more trouble."
"Oh, I guess that's true." She looked at Leeya, "nevermind, you can blab." She slipped off Leesa's lap, then turned around and started tugging at Leesa's boots, "don't need these now."
Leesa let her get them off, then pulled her back onto her lap. "You more comfortable now?"
Tinky smiled up at her and nodded.
"I don't suppose you pulled me all the way out here just to talk about being a Watcher, though," Jarveth said, watching Tinky. "Or to reveal your secret to me."
"Actually, the first is a little bit of the reason." Leesa wrapped her arms around Tinky's chest. "Knowing about you, I mean, and since you're a Watcher that would come into it. You're Tinky's best friend in the city and knowing more about you makes us more comfortable."
Jarveth nodded, "does that also mean I get to know more about you, so I can feel more comfortable?"
Leera nodded as Leesa replied, "that would be fair. Our biggest secret is that there are four of us, and you know that, now."
"I think we need to know about lunch!" Tinky stood up and wiggled a little. "My tummy said I didn't eat yet and it isn't happy about it."
Leena stood up and pointed at the wood pile, "you set a fire and I'll grab some steaks."
"Anything I can do to help?" Jarveth asked.
Leena beckoned him to follow her, "you can be the man and carry things." She led him to the river bank, then around the rock pool Tinky swam in to another pile of rocks. "Under here is some deer meat. The water keeps it cold enough to be good for days. We have to keep the stones around it or other animals will steal it."
Reaching down, Jarveth lifted a large flat rock from the pile and looked down into the opening. "Oh, nice. Don't even have to keep getting more ice, like in the city." He reached down inside and pulled out a net bag holding what looked like four steaks. "How much?"
"That will be enough, if one is enough for you. They're a little less than a pound each." As she watched him put the rock back she whispered, "we noticed you look at Tinky's chest and our feet a lot. Is all the bare skin bothering you?"
"I wouldn't say bothering. It's just, well, new to me," he whispered back, his face a little flushed. "You know the rules about showing skin in the city. Don't change for me, I admit to enjoying it."
"Okay. Just trying to make sure you aren't any more uncomfortable than necessary." She turned and led him back toward the firepit, noting that he was looking at her feet again.
Tinky was kneeling in front of a flat stone, rolling potatoes in salt, wrapping them in broad leaves, then poking splinters of wood into the leaves to hold them in place. Leera was stacking wood in the firepit while Leeya was setting an iron frame over it. They managed to work around each other seamlessly in spite of working in the same place.
"Um, that fire is going to be hard to light that way," Jarveth commented.
Pointing at Tinky, Leesa grinned, "no, it won't be."
Jarveth looked at Tinky, then shrugged.
Once the firepit was set the way Leeya and Leera wanted it, they took the potatoes from Tinky. "Ready, Baby."
Tinky stood up and pointed at the smallest wood bits and scowled at it, causing it to burst into flames.
The Lees giggled at Jarveth's face.
"That's it? I'm a bit disappointed. I was led to believe magic involved strange rituals and weird words. Pointing and frowning?" Jarveth looked truly disappointed.
Tinky giggled and skipped to him, hugging his legs, "aw. Next time I'll babble a lot and make little sparkly fires around it for you, kay?"
Holding the dripping bag of meat out of the way with one hand, Jarveth put his other hand on her back and patted it, "thank you. I would like that. I hate it when my illusions are shattered." Realizing his hand must be cold from the icy water he lifted it away quickly, "oh, sorry, didn't mean to freeze you."
Leesa laughed. "Don't worry about it. She doesn't feel cold, even in the river. She actually plays in that water until we drag her out."
Tinky grinned up at Jarveth, "yup, I'm immune to ice!"
"No you aren't!" Leesa rolled her eyes, "not feeling it and being immune to it are not the same!"
Tinky giggled and let go of Jarveth to let him help with the meat. "I know, I know. Just kidding."
After getting the steaks out of the bag and giving them to Leera, Jarveth turned back to Tinky. "You really don't feel cold? How about hot?"
"Cold is just not hot. I can feel the hot and make magic to kind of stop it, but cold isn't a thing." She looked thoughtful for a minute. "Hey! I can make me not cold, I bet! C'mere!" She grabbed at Leesa's hand. "I wanna see something."
Leesa smiled and let Tinky drag her, Jarveth following, to the river. Before she could stop her, Tinky dropped her pants and climbed down into the pool, her face scrunched in the scowl she used for making fires. Leesa grabbed for Tinky's hand and found it hot.
"You're too hot, Baby."
Tinky held on to Leesa's hand, her feet kicking in the water, and concentrated. After a minute she smiled up at Leesa, "warm enough and not too hot?"
"Your hand is." Leesa pulled Tinky out of the water and ran her free hand over her body, "you did it! You're as warm as if you hadn't been in the water at all!"
Jarveth reached over and caressed Tinky's bottom, a look of admiration on his face, "now that is impressive magic. That water is COLD."
Tinky grinned and let them set her back on the ground near her trousers. Pulling her pants back on, she looked at Leesa, "Now I gotta figure out how to do that and make it stay. I had to think too hard to have fun. But I can do it!"
"What did you do?" Jarveth asked, watching her wiggle her body to get her pants pulled on over wet skin.
"Um, well, I pulled a lot of magic into me and made it wiggle the particles like it does for fires but then I made it wiggle less when Leesa said I was too hot."
"Particles?"
Tinky nodded. "You can't see them cause you don't got mage-sight, but everything is made of little particles. If they wiggle fast, it's hot. If they wiggle slow, it's not." She let Leesa button her pants, holding her hands out to the side and flapping them a little. "But I had to pay too much attention to make them wiggle just right for me to do anything else at the same time." She put a tiny finger to her lips and her eyes rolled up for a minute, "hm. Maybe that's not the best way for living things. Gotta do some experiments."
"Experiments?"
"That's a old word for doing tests of things to see how they work. From before the Purge. Means testing stuff and paying attention to what happens and then testing again different." She pulled away from Leesa as the last button was done on her pants, then grabbed both Leesa's and Jarveth's hands. "But now I got ideas!"
Jarveth looked at Leesa with one eyebrow raised, "this is not the Tinky I know. I like it, but …"
Leesa grinned back, "it's why we bring her out here. She can let loose and be herself."
Once back near the firepit Tinky let loose of Leesa and Jarveth and started walking around on her toes, her hands flapping aimlessly, looking up at the sky.
"What is she doing now?"
"Working out something in her head. She does that at home, too." Leesa pushed Jarveth to a log set to act as a bench. "I'm sure you're not as used to sitting on the ground as we are. Have a seat and tell us a bit more about being a Watcher while she's not paying attention."
Sitting on the log, Jarveth looked at Leesa's bare feet, then pulled off his own boots and wiggled his feet. "It's not what I would choose, if I had a choice." He looked over to make sure Tinky really wasn't listening. "You know the penalty for most crimes is death. I try to let as many petty crimes go as I can, but if I am too lenient the Watchmen will be only too happy to get me demoted." He sighed heavily, "I don't talk about it around Tinky. She keeps me from thinking I am a horrible person and if she knew, well …"
"Yes, she doesn't have a strong grasp of doing what you need to do even when you disagree with it. That man she burned wouldn't have survived." She looked Jarveth in the eyes, "we made sure he didn't die from the burns, though."
Jarveth nodded, "thanks for that. I like being honest with her, although it is hard at times."
"So. What was training to hunt a mage like?"
"Pictures of mages. Well, pictures of people they claimed were mages. The only resemblance was the gold hair and eyes. They made the faces look older, some very old, since mages can live hundreds of years. I think whoever started the training program was from after the Purge and didn't know about the aging thing. They never told us about it." Looking very uncomfortable, he wiped his hands on his thighs. "Tricks for killing someone before they know you're going to, backstabbing, hidden daggers, that sort of thing. A mage that knows you are after them can defend themselves very effectively, we're told."
"So basically they teach you to be assassins, murderers, and thugs."
Jarveth scowled, "assassins, mostly. They try to get people who are already murderers and thugs and teach them a little finesse."
"And you?"
"They got me too soon. I hadn't been on the streets long enough to turn mean. Maybe a little cold at times." He looked at his feet, "I learned to try not to think a lot when doing what needed doing. It's not easy, and I try to let people go when I can, but I still do what is required." He looked up as Leesa sat beside him. "I've been replacing the Watchmen in my district with less blood-thirsty brutes whenever I get the chance." He smiled weakly at Leesa as she put a hand on his knee. "Most of the men I have now are loyal to me more than to the Hero."
"Does that help?"
Putting his hand on top of Leesa's, Jarveth nodded, "yes. They don't even question when I let a pickpocket go with just a threat. The first time. I don't think they'd be so easy about a mage, though. The fear of magic in the city is kept pretty high between the purge cycles."
Leesa let him caress the back of her hand, his rough hand a new feeling on her skin. "Um, what purge cycles?"
"Every ten years? You would have been, what, six? The year they put me as Watcher was one. Gather up all the people that the Watchmen have reported as suspicious, call them mages, make a big show of a public execution." He looked at her quizzically, "you are old enough to remember that. It's a huge show."
"We're older than that. We're older than Tinky. We only look like teens because of the magic. The constant use of magic that keeps us connected slows our aging similar to the way Tinky's nearly stops hers." Leesa smiled at him, "there are good things about being Touched. Always knowing what each other is thinking, feeling, and seeing, aging slower. Magic is not the great evil the Hero would have you believe." Her face became more serious, "but we weren't in the city for the purge celebration. We didn't know what it was about, but it was encouraging crowds and we don't handle crowds much better than Tinky does."
"You feel everything from your sisters?" Jarveth looked into Leesa's eyes, "everything?"
Leesa grinned and blushed, "yes, everything. Even the thing you want to ask. They can feel your hand on mine, feel your knee under my hand, see you looking into my eyes, as if they were sitting here." She smiled at him gently, "we enjoy your company. We have for years. But we need to be clear, it's as a friend. Can't be any more than that, if you were thinking I was flirting." She pulled at her hand lightly.
"Um, well, I was thinking you might be, to be honest, but I wasn't sure. People are always trying, usually insincerely, but since you've been a friend for so long I didn't know what to think." He held her hand on his knee and was pleased when she relaxed again. "I like you, but my heart is rather committed to someone else. That I can't have her doesn't matter."
Leesa looked where he was looking and saw Tinky still dancing on her toes flapping her hands, spinning slowly, "does it bother you that she belongs to us?"
"A little. Not angry bother, more like jealous bother." He forced Leesa's hand to his lips and kissed it, "but I am glad to know I lost out to people that care so much for her that they'll give up a dangerous secret to help her."
