Saltrock Odyssey Post 13
After we all had reported our acquisitions, we headed off for dinner. Lenaire and I, of course, went to the red tent. We still had three meals each coming to us. We entered and a serving har came to us immediately. Lenaire ordered us some wine and when the har returned with it, he told us what was available for dinner. We chose baked chicken, rice and lima beans.
After we’d drunk a bit of wine, I said, “What do you think the party will be like tomorrow?”
Smiling, Lenaire replied, “I think it will be an experience for you and a lot of fun.”
“I don’t know how to act at a fancy party.”
He leaned over and kissed the tip of my nose.
“Just be yourself. It won’t be all that fancy, I‘m sure.”
I nodded, but I wasn‘t convinced I’d feel comfortable there.
Just then the serving har brought us our dinner. We had a very leisurely and enjoyable dinner together. When we were ready to leave, the serving har brought us a bottle of sheh and said, “Ziera wanted me to give this to you.”
“Thank you. And thank him for us, please.” Lenaire said. The har bowed and nodded politely.
“Let’s take this to our tent,” Lenaire said. He leaned in and kissed me.
“Let’s hurry,” I added.
When we got there, Lenaire closed the front flaps and lit a lamp. He turned to me, giving me an amorous look.
“Taj, you are completely irresistible. Come here.”
I walked over to him and he took me in his arms. We shared breath and I guided his hand to my ouana-lim as I murmured, “Be soume for me.”
After we’d removed our clothes, we lay on the bed. Lenaire smoothed my hair back from my face and pressed his lips to mine, sending shivers up my spine and all through me. I opened my eyes to gaze into his. He was so strong and beautiful and all I wanted in the world. I was trembling with desire as I slid my fingers into the warm, swollen folds of his soume-lam. He moaned and breathed into my ear. He planted passionate kisses on my throat as he caressed my ouana-lim. He soon positioned himself on top of me. At first I thought he’d done so too soon, but when he sank down onto me I flowered inside him, shuddering in ecstasy. I was awash in delicious sensation. He closed his eyes as we began to move together. I felt my own eyes flutter closed as I relished the feel of his kisses on my neck. It was so easy and pleasurable to lose myself in him. All to soon I felt the tingle signaling my imminent release. When it happened, my back arched and my breath heaved with every pulse of pleasure. I felt Lenaire reach his release as well as he groaned and then went limp on top of me. I smoothed his hair and kissed his face. In that moment he seemed so perfect for me.
In a while, he eased off me and lay next to me taking me into his arms. I felt I couldn’t get close enough to him. He pulled the covers up over us and whispered, nuzzling me, “Taj, my Taj.” Soon I was asleep.
When I awoke in the morning, Lenaire was nowhere to be seen. I lay back and looked up at the high ceiling of our tent watching it billow slightly with the breeze. Soon Lenaire came in, dressed in a robe. He came over and leaned down to kiss me.
“Mmmm, I’d like to have you for breakfast.”
He nibbled at my stomach, tickling me and making me laugh.
“Here, put this on,” he said dropping a purple robe on the bed.
I regarded him, puzzled.
“I borrowed it from Kala. You two are about the same size.”
“Why do I need a robe?”
“Because I’m taking you somewhere special.”
“Somewhere I need to wear a robe?” I couldn’t imagine what he was up to.
“Just put it on and come with me.”
I complied and Lenaire regarded me with approval.
“You’re gorgeous in purple,” he said taking me in his arms. “But then you’re gorgeous in anything. Or nothing,” he added playfully.
It was my first blush of the day, but with Lenaire’s compliments, it probably wouldn’t be my last.
He grabbed some towels off the table in our sitting area and said, “Let’s go.”
As we walked out into a clear, sunny morning, I guessed we were going to go for a swim in a creek or river or something. I was very surprised when we approached the back of an extremely large blue tent.
“Well, we’re here,” Lenaire said.
“Where?”
“You’ll see when we get around to the front of this tent.”
I was dying of curiosity.
When I got to the front of the tent and looked inside, I could hardly believe my eyes. Inside there were many sparkling pools with waterfalls and fountains. The center of the roof was open, letting in shafts of sunlight that seemed to dance on the water. There were small ornate lamps hanging all around and I could only imagine what it would look like at night. I turned to Lenaire, almost speechless.
“How…how did they do this. It’s amazing!”
“There’s a natural spring here. The rest is harish ingenuity. Come on. Let’s take a bath.”
He led me down one of many paved pathways that meandered around all the different pools. The pathways were painted with colorful stylized fish and sea creatures.
“We’ll get in here. The warmer pools are in this area.”
There were several racks, so we hung our robes and towels on them and got into the warm water. There were steps down into it and there was actually steam coming off the water. It was pleasantly hot.
“Mmmm,” I said, relaxing into the water.
“So we finally found water that’s warm enough for you!”
I nodded. “I could stay here all day.”
We swam and luxuriated in the pool for quite a while. I loved every moment of it. As I looked around, I saw many hara walking, swimming, getting in and out of the many pools, in various stages of dress and undress. It made me think of how uninhibited we all are, for the most part. Humans would have called it immodesty; at least the humans of the generation I’d been part of.
“This reminds me of an ancient Roman bath,” I remarked.
“I’ll bet it had a lot to do with their inspiration.”
“How does the water stay clean?”
“I’m not sure, exactly. It’s circulated somehow, I guess.”
“We need one of these in Saltrock.”
“You be sure to suggest that to Seel when we get back,” Lenaire said, laughing.
I splashed him and he came over and grabbed me. We embraced in the warm water.
After a while Lenaire said, “We’d better get out. The warm water and your lovely body are making me feel roony and we’ve still got a lot to do today.”
I reluctantly agreed, but added, “Can we come back here one night?”
He looked hungrily into my eyes and said, “Oh, yes. I would definitely love that.”
We got out and dried off, then donned our robes and went back to our tent. When we got there, we both dressed and Lenaire said, “Let’s go eat breakfast at the red tent.” I nodded and we set off.
We decided to sit outside this time. We ordered an omelet with mushrooms and cheese and coffee. Lenaire gave the serving har two tokens. When we’d finished our breakfast, Lenaire said,” We need to get you some clothes for the party. Let’s go to the more exclusive part of the city.”
“Won’t that be too expensive? I don’t want to be greedy.”
Lenaire laughed. “Getting you an outfit for a party won’t be a big deal. Don’t worry.”
We went to a part of the tent city that I’d not seen yet. We passed many tents offering a lot of what looked to me like fancy and exotic things. There were tents that had nothing but jewelry, one selling cosmetics and hair ornaments and even a place where hara could have their hair braided, cut or decorated. Finally Lenaire said, “Hey, this one looks promising.”
I wasn’t completely convinced, but we went inside. The attending har gave us a rather cold smile and a stiff nod. I felt intimidated. Lenaire, however, seemed unaffected by the har’s snobbish greeting. We looked around and I decided to really consider some clothing on a rack. As I perused them, I was a little put off. The outfits were all very gauzy, flowy and sheer. I panicked a little in my mind, hoping Lenaire wouldn’t want me to wear these things. He must have noticed the look on my face because he said, “What is it. What’s wrong, Taj?”
“Uh, Lenaire? These look like girls clothes.”
He threw his head back and laughed whole-heartedly, eliciting an arched eyebrow and a disapproving stare from the attending har. When he regained his composure, he wiped his eyes, saying, “Oh, God. Taj, these aren’t for you. Let’s look over here.”
On the other side of the tent were leggings, trousers, tunics, shirts and a lot of things that were more to my liking.
I was at a loss, so I asked Lenaire, “What do you think I should get?”
He answered, “Well, lets get some things for you to try on. I think something blue, to set off your lovely eyes.”
He picked out a dark blue tunic, a saphhire blue silk shirt and some black leather pants. I tried on the tunic first. Lenaire shook his head. “It’s too big for you.”
Then I tried on the blue silk shirt. It had a slim fit and ornate silver buttons all down the front. Lenaire regarded me in it and said, “This looks perfect on you. Beautiful.”
Then I tried on the black leather pants. They laced up the front and fitted closely. I’d never worn anything like them in my life, but I liked them and hoped Lenaire would, too. When he saw me in them and the blue silk shirt, he said, “My God, Taj. You look stunning.”
He turned to the attending har and said, “We’ll take them. We’ll take these, too.”
I got dressed and handed my new clothes to Lenaire who placed them on the counter with some other things I didn’t see. He gave the har some bottles of something. The haughty har uncorked them and smelled them and then smiled warmly and took Lenaire’s hands, thanking him. The har also nodded politely to me and we left the tent. When we got outside, I asked Lenaire what he’d given the har. He answered, “Some perfumed oils. I knew he’d be happy with them.”
“What were the other things you got?”
“Kohl, to line our eyes. I got blue for you and black for me.”
I regarded Lenaire apprehensively.
He said, “Come on, Taj. It’s time you embraced your soume side for more than just aruna.”
I’m sure I blushed. I did love to be soume during aruna. But I still considered myself to be male. Maybe I would have to rethink that.
Lenaire then gave my very worn boots a keen look. “I think we should get you some new boots, too.”
“I think you’re spending too much on me, I don’t want to -”
He interrupted me. “Taj, a pair of boots won’t phase us, believe me.”
I shrugged. “Okay.”
We walked around until we came to a tent that had nothing but footwear and went inside. There were tables full of shoes, boots and slippers.
“How do I find my size?” I asked.
“You’ll just have to try on anything you like and see.”
I must have tried on twenty pairs of boots, but finally, I found a black pair that fit perfectly. They laced up to about the middle of my calf and felt so comfortable. I smiled up at Lenaire.
“These are the ones. They’re perfect!” I said.
He offered the har something and he nodded. The deal was made. The har thanked us and we left his tent.
“What did you give him?” I asked.
“Just some oil. It’s good for softening leather.”
I shook my head. “This barter system really works.”
“Well, it can, but you’ve got to know and have what the other har wants.”
We went back to our tent and put our purchases there. Then we went to Sahan’s tent to find the other hara in our party. We were a bit late, so Sahan told us they’d already split up the list. He gave us ours, telling us that they wanted us to meet up with them in the evening. I asked Lenaire, “What’s on our list for today?”
“Let’s see - tools, candles, and wood for building.” Lenaire sighed. “Yesterday we were lucky to find wood for burning, but wood for building will be harder to find. Well, the sooner we get started, the sooner we’ll be done.”
We looked in a lot of tents before Lenaire found something he wanted. There was a whole table full of all kinds of tools.
“What tools do we need, exactly?” I asked.
“Any we can get.”
He spoke with the har for quite a while. Meanwhile I poked around looking at all the items. There were some nice carved wooden boxes, some hairbrushes and combs and even a few pieces of jewelry. I wished I had something to trade. Lenaire had given me such nice things and I wasn’t able to get him anything. I knew he didn’t care, but I still would have liked to be able to get him a gift. Finally, he came over to me, looking very pleased.
“I got us all the tools on the table. This is really a good find. Come on and help us carry them all to the wagon.”
The har had already called over three hara from the tent across the way. I assumed he owned both tents. Two of the hara helped us carry the tools and the other watched his tent until he returned. We all took as many tools as we could carry and were able to get them all to the wagon in one trip. The har took whatever he’d been promised in the deal and left. I noticed he’d taken some fresh produce. I assumed he was going to enjoy that for himself.
“Well, let’s get back to it. We’ve got more stuff to find,” Lenaire said.
We went into a tent where everything looked like it had been just dumped into piles. We began to search through a mound of fabrics when I noticed some hara near us rummaging through a heap of metal. I couldn’t help staring at them. The three of them had elaborate Mohawk-style hair and lots of ear and face piercings. They were shirtless, but completely covered in black tattoos. They also each had several different kinds of knives strapped on them. I nudged Lenaire and whispered, “What tribe are those hara from?”
Lenaire tried to check them out without them noticing.
Looking a bit confused, he leaned over and whispered, “I want to say Irraka, but they’re too well-behaved and they don’t smell.”
I started snickering. Lenaire added, “Hey, they look real friendly. Why don’t you go ask them?”
We both started chortling and snorting, trying to stifle our laughter, when I saw Lenaire freeze. I turned around and saw that the strange hara were staring at us.
“Uh-oh,” Lenaire said under his breath.
“Let’s go,” he said, barely audibly. “But don’t run.”
We tried to look nonchalant and walked out of the tent. Luckily we didn’t have to go past them to exit. When we got outside we ducked into the first tent we saw - quick. Lenaire peeked through the tent sides, but they were nowhere to be seen.
“Whew!” he said. “I think they thought we were laughing at them - big mistake, whatever tribe they’re from.”
Since we figured ourselves to be safe, we had a good laugh over the whole thing.
We turned around and Lenaire let out a cry of surprise. I caught in my breath and half hid behind him. There stood the Mohawk hara; the meanest-looking one right in front of us and the other two a few yards away. I started to sweat and tried to swallow. Lenaire stood motionless.
“You dropped this,” the har said, his face expressionless as he handed Lenaire our list.
“Oh…uh, thanks,” Lenaire said.
The har nodded once and they all left.
I felt dizzy and had to sit down. Lenaire let out a breath he’d probably been holding almost the whole time. Then he sat down next to me.
Obviously relieved, he started to laugh.
“You okay, Taj?”
“Yeah,” I said relieved and laughing, too. “I thought they were going to kill us!”
“Well, I didn’t think they were going to ask us to dance,” Lenaire joked.
“I think we need a drink,” he added.
After having a few bottles of ale and calming down, we got back to the job at hand and were looking over a table full of water pipes and cigarette holders sitting in colorful disarray, when Lenaire suddenly stopped like he’d heard something.
“Come on, Taj, hurry!”
I was confused, so I asked, “What? Where are we going?” I quickly glanced around, afraid for a second that the Mohawk hara were back.
“Kemahl found some building wood and wants me to talk to the har.”
Relieved, I asked, “How do you know?”
Then it hit me - mind touch. Lenaire had never mentioned he could do it, although I guess I should have assumed such an experienced har would be able to. After all, every har has the potential.
“Was it mind touch?” I asked.
“Of course. We’re almost there, I think. Yeah, look. There’s Kemahl.”
He stood outside a very large tent waving us over.
When we got to him, he took Lenaire’s arm and said, “You’ve got to see this!”
Inside, at the back of the tent, were several piles of lumber, some smaller boards, a couple of doors and windows and some cans full of nails.
The attending har came over and introduced himself.
“I’m Dashahn, owner of this tent. See anything you like, tiahaara?”
Lenaire continued to assess the goods.
“We might be interested in some of these building supplies.”
“Hmm,” Dashahn said. “Might be, or are interested?”
Lenaire looked the har in the eye.
“Might be, if the deal is right.”
“Come into my office,” Dashahn offered with a shrewd smile.
His “office” consisted of a table with several bottles of liquor on it and a few mismatched chairs. We sat down and the bargaining began. Lenaire showed him the list and he and Dashahn talked quietly and seriously as Kemahl and I partook of the liquor, which was a bit sour and tasted something like cherries. As they spoke, I regarded Dashahn, thinking he looked like he had too many teeth. The bargaining went on for a good while but finally it was settled to both Lenaire’s and Dashahn’s satisfaction.
He didn’t offer to help us, so we had to make several trips to carry everything to the wagon. Dashahn then walked back with us on our last trip to the wagon, bringing a rather strong-looking har with him to carry his things back. Needless to say, that pissed me off a bit, and I could tell it had the same effect on Lenaire and Kemahl. Finally, when the strong har was all loaded up with the first batch of Dashahn’s goods, Dashahn bowed to Lenaire and said, “It was a pleasure doing business with you.”
Lenaire gave him a cursory, “Thank you,” and then breathed a sigh of relief as Dashahn walked out of sight. Not long after that, he sent his har back for the rest of his pile of things.
Kemahl clapped Lenaire on the back saying, “You certainly earned your pay on that one!”
“I’ll say. But it was such an amazing find. I never thought we’d find anything like that.”
“Yeah, and he knew it. You did a great job. I knew dealing with him I’d be out of my league. Thanks.”
Lenaire smiled at him and then got three bottles of ale out of the wagon.
“I think our work day is over,” he said as he handed Kemahl and me a bottle apiece.
“Here‘s to our success and mostly to you,” Kemahl said, looking at Lenaire.
We clicked our bottles together toasting our success. I noticed it was probably fairly late in the afternoon.
“What time do you think it is?” I asked Lenaire.
“Time for a late lunch, I’d say. I’m starving. Join us, Kemahl?”
“No thanks, I’ve got to get cleaned up for tonight.”
I’d forgotten. The party was tonight. I started to feel a little nervous.
“Okay. Taj and I went to the bath tent this morning, so we’re going to eat. See you later.”
We went back to the red tent and ate heartily. I knew there’d be food at the party, but that was quite a few hours off, yet. I found myself hoping I wouldn’t do anything to embarrass Lenaire. I wasn’t used to fancy parties. I already felt like a fish out of water just thinking about it.
Suddenly, Lenaire’s voice scattered my thoughts.
“If you’re worrying about tonight, believe me, there’s no need. It’s just a party. It’ll be fun.”
“I know. I guess I’m just a bit unsure.”
“Of what?”
I shrugged. “Of what to expect, how to act.”
Lenaire smiled reassuringly. “Just be yourself and have fun. That’s all!”
“Okay. I know I’m being silly. Okay.”
When we finished our meal, we went back to our tent to get ready. Lenaire decided we should go to Tof’s tent first to find out when we were leaving for the party. He was there and greeted us warmly.
“Well,” Tof said, “it’s supposed to start at dusk, so when it’s getting dark, just meet me outside my tent. We’ll all go together.”
We then went to our own tent.
“How long until dark?” I asked.
“I don’t know. An hour or so, I guess.” Lenaire answered. “More than enough time to get ready. He regarded me intently and said, “Let’s take a walk.”
We headed out past the tent city into a very lovely, quiet area with some grass, flowers and a fresh breeze. I think he knew it would relax me.
We sat on the soft grass and watched the sun go down. I leaned my head on his shoulder and all seemed right with the world. Soon he said, “We’d better get back.”
I looked into his eyes and nodded. I felt ready.
When we got to out tent, we both got dressed. I put on all my new clothes and it occurred to me that I had no idea what Lenaire was going to wear. I’d been so wrapped up in my own insecurity. I figured whatever he wore, he’d look magnificent. I was right.
He wore a powder blue tunic over tan suede pants with suede boots. He had two thin braids in front and the rest of his blond hair loose, his eyes lined in black. He was the most dashing har I’d ever seen. I stared at him, speechless. Then I said, “You’re… you’re beautiful.”
He came over and embraced me.
“Probably only to you,” he said smiling.
I knew that wasn’t true.
“There’s one more finishing touch,” he said.
He beckoned for me to sit on the bed, and he proceeded to line my eyes with the blue kohl.
“There,” he said. “Now stand up and let me look at you.”
I stood, a bit self-consciously, as Lenaire looked me over.
“My God, Taj. Look at you. You’re ravishing, stunning. You look beautiful.”
I felt my face get hot, and I shook my head. Lenaire came over and took me in his arms.
“I mean it, Taj. No har is as beautiful to me as you are.” He kissed me, and I really knew he meant it.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“I’m ready.”
~~~ to be continued ~~~