12 Preparations

"Jay!" My sister screamed waking me up the next morning as she leaped across the room to bounce on my bed and by proxy me.  I curled into a ball groaning for a  second or two, pretending to be hurt, until Syha became concerned.  Once she had stopped bouncing, I retaliated, rolling her so that she was tightly bound in my blankets and tickling her mercilessly.

The best ticklish spot for elves were the ears, it made no sense that something that easily exploitable was so readily available. I guess it made as much sense as testicles.  I mean why put something that was so easy to destroy in such a convenient package.  It was almost as if they were gift-wrapped and positioned for target practice.

"Stop!  Jay!  I'm going to pee!" Syha screamed laughing as she wiggled frantically to escape.  Leaning forward to kiss her forehead, I let her escape, chuckling as she made a dash for the restroom. 

"Mom!  Jay made me pee my pants!" she cried her dignity damaged. 

The entire family roared in laughter at that pronouncement, the mirth and family camaraderie extending and encompassing each of them. Syha pouted for a minute until Mom began shuttling back and forth between the kitchen and the table.  Her dignity forgotten as her stomach demanded attention.

Platters of eggs, bacon, and waffles oozing with fresh berries and cream were a satisfactory bribe to appease Shya's dignity.  She was soon wearing more of the whipped cream on her face, than she was managing to get into her tummy, but that only made the morning more special. 

As I glanced around at this group of people.  People that as far as I knew didn't exist yesterday, I admitted that whatever magic or programming the AI used; it was even better than advertised.  I felt like I belonged.  That the history I remembered, the birthdays, holidays, skinned knees, and disappointments were part of who I was.

It didn't matter if these were digital constructs; they felt real.  They felt like family, a stronger family unit than what I had experienced before being uploaded to Digi-verse.  And that little bit of my emotion, the cynical part of myself that wouldn't quite allow myself to believe in my good fortune relaxed.  There was certain to be disappointments and challenges to overcome in the future, but for this one moment.  In this home of peace, acceptance, and understanding, I was satisfied.

I volunteered for morning cleanup.  Geon and Syha had to be dropped off at school.  Father and Mother had a business to run and would need to open soon.  And I didn't have to report to the  Sect for a few days.  Mom did leave me a pouch with enough cores to start gathering some of the supplies I would need, and enough to spring for lunch for Niake and I.  Father reminded me that he had planned a trip to the forest the next day and suggested I come.

I quickly agreed, thinking it would be interesting to see how I perceived and experienced the forest now that my spirit root and elemental affinities were active.  I thought it might make finding the spirit herbs we hunted easier, it always seemed that father with his Iron ranked spirit root had an almost supernatural ability to root out even the most hidden plant.

A quick kiss, a lingering hug from Syha, and everyone was off.  The silence was neither a blessing nor uncomfortable.  It was just part of the day.  A pause between those hectic moments when so much is spiraling beyond your control.  It made cleanup soothing.  No distractions or interruptions as I scrapped plates, scrubbed dishes, and pans, and restored napkins and silver to the table, ready for the next meal.  I extended my cleaning spree and dusted and organized the main living spaces.  I did run a quick broom around the public areas but left the mopping for later.

Once my room was straightened and my bed made, I made my way to the restroom.  Gazing at my reflection in the mirror, I finally took the time to examine myself, paying attention to the details for the first time.��

I had the same green tinge to my hair as the rest of my family, with subtle shades of gold and honey highlighting locks that currently were stylishly sculpted with bedhead. My eyes were tri-colored.  The pupil's silver, surrounded by two concentric rings,  the next ring a wispy sky blue, the outermost, a deeper ocean blue.  It made for a stunning effect, as they reflected the light and seemed to take on an almost iridescent glow. 

The rest of my facial features were uniform and symmetrical.  My nose finely shaped.  My eyebrows and eyelashes mimicking the shades of green from my hair.  My mouth tinged blue to match my eyes.  My face was more squarish than oval or triangular.  The shape, combined with the sweeping grace of my ears, reflected an above average looking, youthful woman. Not movie-star beautiful, but certainly next girl wholesome.

My body was lithe.  Muscles corded and taunt.  The lifetime of training and exercise my parents insisted on working to reduce any extra fat deposits to nothing.  I did discover a small leaf-shaped birthmark under my left breast, breasts that were firm, small, and without the need for support.  Perhaps most men would have preferred a larger size, but I would be training exhaustively, and not having my body bounce, wiggle, and batter me as I moved about was a comfort.

My skin tone leaned more to those honey tones that my hair displayed, glowing with vitality and blemish-free.  I wasn't certain if elves didn't get things like pimples and blackheads or if I was blessed.  There was nothing in the cabinets to suggest I used things like facial cleansers or acne cream. And this body had no memories on the subject.

Their shower was supplied with body and hair gel that had a subtle fragrance, more the scent of fresh rain, no overpowering flowery like fragrance.  All the bathing products were designed to enhance the natural scents and pheromones that I produced, instead of masking them.  It meant that the fragrance would activate and create a scent unique to each individual.

I was the girl next door pretty with no need for artifact or device needed to enhance.  Wholesome and glowing with health there were no makeup,  powders, or concealers to enhance the fresh face I sported.  It made getting ready much easier and quicker.

I wiped down the sink and gathered my dirty clothes and wet towels before heading into my bedroom to choose something to wear for the day.  The selection was rather uniform.  Sturdy clothing, devoid of embellishments.  Clothing that was functional and meant to last, made of solid fabrics and muted colors.

I chose a mauve Hanfu, securing the top with a wide leather belt and silver buckle instead of the traditional cloth belt that normally was paired with it. It was made from some kind of linen so was light and cool.  The shoes were more like ankle-high socks.  But once they were in place, the soles formed to my feet giving me the best arch support and most comfort I'd ever enjoyed.  I wasn't sure how they got them to do that, to change density and function in targeted areas, but, however, it was done, I approved.

The only other item I grabbed was a link chain that my Father had threaded my Sect token through the previous evening.  It was a requirement that I have the token handy now that I was a Sect member,  and the chain made for a practical solution.  The token was safely secured once the chain was placed around my neck and tucked within my Hanfu.

My hair was short enough that no styling was required, a bit of fluffing, and finger combing as I gathered everything into a ponytail and secured it with a set of silver sticks.  It was all that was really needed to produce a look I was happy with.  It made more sense that I keep my hair short if I was going to be training in martial techniques, having my hair pulled or used against me seemed to me not only stupid but dangerous, but convention for both sexes required hair be longer than I thought prudent.

I had spent almost two hours getting what little accomplished I had managed.  I was sure my mother was in her clinic already meeting with today's clients.  I thought briefly of popping in to let her know I was heading out.  Deciding against, I headed for the town center and some of the shops that catered to Sect items.

I would pop into The Blue Cockle Hotel and meet up with Niake, but I hoped to have some idea of price for some of the more esoteric items I was going to need.  A Spirit weapon would have to wait, but I did want to see what a storage device was going to cost.  Even if it was the lowest-rated I could find.

Cultivators were required to earn merits to pay for manuals, pills, weapons, and techniques.  There were safe ways to earn those merits, but they paid poorly.  It was much more efficient and expedient to hunt herbs and beasts.  My Father had prepared me well for both eventualities.

A storage bag would allow me to gather more materials each time I visited the hunting grounds, allowing me to make fewer trips.  I was hoping I could find something large enough to make those trips a bi-weekly event.  I wanted to spend the rest of the time cultivating, practicing martial forms, and advancing my ancillary profession.

The shop I had been looking for was one that traded in secondhand merchandise.  A mix between pawnshop, commission shop, and overstock distribution market.  Cultivators often found themselves attacked by more than just beasts, banditry and theft were an acknowledged fact of life.  The spoils from those encounters often included items that were exchanged for cores in secondhand shops like this one or auctioned off.  I was hoping my luck from yesterday was still strong, and I would find something that might serve.

I was amazed at the number of pills and potions that were displayed on the main floor.  They seemed to have stocked an eclectic mix.  Everything from bone cleansing marrow pills to elixirs that would help you break bottlenecks between levels.  I didn't know enough about their effects to bother, and I had no use for them yet, so nothing on the first floor caught my attention.

 Still, that left the entire second and third floor bursting with weapons. It wasn't until I reached the fourth floor that I found the storage devices.  Bags, rings, bracelets, pendants.  They came in all shapes and tiers, each opened to a dimensional space that could store between one squared meter to hundreds of squared meters able to hold an entire warehouse full of items.

Although my parents had been generous, there was no way I could afford a low-level spirit stone for the most basic storage device.  I would have to wait and hope I could earn enough money once I entered the sect.  Until then, a backpack would have to do.

My disappointment was short-lived when I stumbled upon a Hunter's pack that was well-made.  It contained a sleeping roll and some basic cookware.  But the pack had a  plethora of pockets that would allow me to separate herbs and beast parts.  The pockets had even been treated to contain and minimize leaking from blood and viscera.  There was a small spatial enchantment that would allow me to store about twice as much as normal and reduce the weight of items stored tenfold.

It had a simple enchantment to keep items placed in the pockets in stasis, so it would allow me to stay out hunting until the pockets were full.  Not as efficient and useful as a storage device, it was still handy and practical.  Best of all, it had been buried under a pile of other basic gear and I was able to haggle the merchant down from fifty low-level beast cores to twenty-five.

That put a large dent in the money my parents had given me, but I was well satisfied as I left the shop and headed to the Blue Cockle to meet up with Niake.