26 Storms a comin'

Bill watched the skies as he waited for Kano to finish chopping the logs. He barely heard the distinct sound of horses hooves in the distance and wondered if another body was being brought in. Sure enough, soon he saw a small wagon with two people driving towards his home. Bill was a little taken aback as he noticed that one of them was female, and a priestess at that. He recognized the shocking red head full of curls and knew it was the priestess from the nearby academy. 'Hmm, well well now. I wonder if she is here because of the pretty little fighter the other day.'

"Kano, we have guests!" he called out as the wagon pulled up. Nastalia looked to the side of the home and saw a man splitting logs. His shirt was off and she was able to witness each and every muscle of his back ripple as he swung the axe a final time. Even she could not deny the attraction of such a body. 'No wonder little Li Li was so confused. He really is a fine specimen of manliness. He can fight, he does work... mmm. Look at those arms! I bet they would feel wonderful on a cold night.' She thought rather shamelessly.

Nastalia had been taken in by her cousin's family when she was young. They had worshiped Hesphalia but she had been raised in a small village, similar to the one they had nearby. Her family had a small shrine to Revia, which a lot of rural families had. The worship of Revia was more accepted in the villages as Hesphalia was a more, urbane religion. It had churches and cathedrals and doctrine, where Revia simply wanted people safe and happy so her guidelines were much more lenient when it came to such matters as relationships. As long as they were happy and safe from harm, anything was considered fair game. This village, however, was an outlier for Hesphalia and so they had weird customs and traditions. She rolled her eyes at the thought of how prudish and silly her friend was. A vow, really, of chastity? Just how was she going to find fulfillment that way? She would never know the touch of a loved one or the simple pleasure of an evening watching the stars.

She watched as the young man whom she assumed was close to her own age, walked toward them. The sweat glistened on his taut shoulders and torso, his entire aura exuded a sense of security to her and she could not help but get a little heated as she gazed at him without reservation. Then the loud and annoying voice of the teamster broke her mood. "Put a shirt on lad!"

"Why? Its warm and I was working."

"There be a lady present! Scoundrel!"

Kano looked at Nastalia and met her eyes with his, he recognized those type of eyes, he had seen Sarah give him that hungry look. "I don't think she wants me to put it on."

The teamster shook with anger and his mouth bobbed up and down as he tried to find words. "You... You... shameless bandit! You can't be naked with a lady present!"

"If you can't be naked with a woman, how do you expect to have children?" he asked with obvious mirth in his eyes. Nastalia snorted as she tried to stop her laughter, this guy truly had no shame, and she found it rather refreshing.

"Kano. Please. Rule 4." Bill scolded while shaking his head. He was much better at hiding his mirth than the two kids before him.

"Don't antagonize the villagers. They are our neighbors and don't like our kind so we must be extra respectful. I apologize, sir." Kano looked truly repentant in that moment, but she realized he was still shirtless, and probably purposefully so. Bill tossed him his tunic and he slid it over his head, but he gave the priestess a wink and she smiled gleefully at him. She proffered her hand out and he took it to help her down. He wasted no time in clasping his arms about her waist to steady her and she just happened to 'fall' into him. Indeed, his chest was quite sturdy, she found and her heart skipped a beat. As her face touched his chest for that briefest of moments, she felt arcane energy. 'So, he is a caster. It is dark magic, but I still feel no evil from him. Odd. Most Dark magic users are inherently evil. He must have some tragic past to lead him down this road, and this old man must be trying to help him back to the light. I do believe my dear sister is wrong. Very well, I will help too.' Nastalia decided in her head that this young man needed a better influence on his life. And she and her two sisters were the perfect women to help him. Li na would be able to keep him firm and toned with her constant need for sparring. That would keep him out of trouble. She had numerous moral teachings that would keep him on the side of the light, and dear Whisper, well, she just needed a man to show her what she was missing and this bold fellow might be able to crack her shell.

"Yes, you will do nicely." Nastalia spoke aloud as she stepped back with her beaming face. Kano could not help but be stunned by how pretty she looked, young, carefree and simply lovely in the sunlight. She was radiant like this. Then her words confused him, 'What did she mean by that?' He was about to ask but she was already moving to the back of the wagon. He followed to ask but she beckoned to a wrapped body in the rear. "A bandit was killed during a raid on a farm, some trinkets were found on him so I tagged along just in case he rose up again due to some curse. He didn't. And now he is your problem. Also, my dear sister Xiao Li na is convinced you are up to something nefarious, so I and my sisters will be checking in on you regularly. Just to make sure you are who you say you are."

He smiled as he wondered if there was more meaning to her words, especially as she poked his pectoral muscle with her finger and it lingered there for probably a bit longer than necessary. Kano grasped the body and placed it nearby so that he and his teacher could prepare it later on. Meanwhile, there was pretty lady present and she required his attention. "My dear warden, please, may I have your name so I might know whom is keeping me in line?" His words came out like honey and she ate it up with a grin. "You may call me Priestess Nastalia Huntington, or simply Nastalia. Now, off with you. I must return to the Academy as I have other things to attend to."

Kano shook his head and wondered what the future would bring here. This priestess was unlike any priestess he had ever met before in his life... not that he had met any before, so maybe they were all like this one. Then again, as he thought about Li Li he realized that maybe it was just this priestess in particular. "Oh, yes. Please let my dear wife Li Li know that I terribly miss her and hopes that she returns to my arms soon. My heart aches at her distance." And he waggled his eyebrows at the lovely priestess in front of him. She laughed heartily and realized that this scoundrel was a true rogue. She found herself enjoying his presence, it was refreshing compared to the stuffy bumpkins of the village. "And whom should I say sent such a message?"

"Her dear betrothed, Kano of course."

Nastalia started to climb back up to the wagon, but decided maybe allowing this rogue to lift her would be more fun. She pointed at the seat and stood before him and he seemed to understand what she intended. His hands grasped at her hips and she felt a little rush of excitement as he easily lifted her up into the air. He indeed was strong, those muscles were not just for show. They were functional. His scent caught her nose and she could not stop herself from inhaling deeply and felt a little rush of giddiness take over. He smelled too good, just too desirable. Then, at the end she caught a slight hint of something else... a smoky smell... She doubted anyone else would catch it, but she had trained in such things. Nastalia made a note in her mind to come talk with this Kano more in depth later. Then her thoughts returned to the feeling of his hands upon her hips and her thoughts turned a bit more heady as she realized that as a caster, those hands would be quite dexterous.

As the wagon pulled away, Kano took his tunic off once more. "Just can't help yourself, eh boy?"

Kano grinned in response before speaking, "I love women. I can't help that. I like how they look, how they smell and especially how they feel. And I enjoy the power I have over them. Who doesn't like a little bit power?"

Bill laughed as he recalled his own flavoured past and he pulled his pipe back out and continued smoking. He recalled his early days in Florence when he was just a young aspiring dotore. A face came to mind of a beautiful maiden, she had worked in a tailor shop and he had visited her daily. Until her family caught the plague and he could not save them. He had hoped to marry that girl, but then he too fell to the plague and wondered if he would meet her in the next world. Only to wake up here in Chelandria. Unable to die and unable to forget. He was more human than the others, this is what made him the best at Natural Death. This is why he longed to be released. Someday, he would see his darling Nicolette once more and never be separated from her again.

Bill sighed as he recalled his own birth name. Vincenzo Fazzetti de Florencia. "Kano, I have something to tell you." He waited till Kano set down the axe once more and walked over to have a seat next to him. "I shall be gone for a bit. Need to settle some affairs to do with both your ascension and my own... retirement. You will be on your own for a bit. You need to take care of the villagers needs and try your best to not antagonize them. Also, watch the graves and tend them as normal... Consider this my test for you. My siblings will have their own tests for you later before you are accepted as a true Deathless. Now then, lets go eat and then I'll be on my way."

They ate in silence and Kano helped the aging Doctor to pack his travel bag. It was a single small trunk, more of a briefcase in his eyes, and only held a few necessities. Kano was not sure how he felt about the idea of Bill passing. Nor was he certain that this was the best way, but he had to accept that this was what Bill wanted. He hugged the man before allowing him to leave the place that he had come to call his home here in Chelandria. It was an odd thought, he had a home on Earth, but it was fuzzy here. And when he was there, it was a fuzzy image of this small cottage. He sighed as he watched the old Plague Doctor walk down the road and away from the cottage. Darkness was falling and he still had a few things he needed to do with his new buddy cooling in the shade nearby. "Come patsy! We need to get you in the ground!"