#12

"Well, damn." Keegan speaks up. "I think your lady might just have a point." A huge grin on his face.

"Hah!" I bark out a laugh. "Yeah, I guess it's sort of our thing. She calls me a show off, and I prove her right. Heheh." A few more chuckles escape. "Well, who knows how long they're going to be in the bath for. You all can see to the horses, I left some feed for them in the stables. There's snacks and water around the fire pit and, if you need anything else, just ask."

"Thank you, Ser." Keegan says.

"Oh, just Sorrel is fine. Now, if you don't mind, I think I want to try my hand at soap making. I know Amelia bought some in Riverton, but I'm sure I can do better."

The man just nods before setting his men to work. They still seem a bit blown away by the show I just put on, but snap to at his orders.

Meanwhile I grow a hickory tree and a bunch of the flowers I know Amelia likes best. Taking the tree, I strip it's bark and leaves, then fashion a large tub and several smaller trays. Next, I use fire magic to reduce the rest of the wood to a fine white ash, and dump it into the tub.

"Hmm, wonder which oil will work best." I mumble to myself as I take out a large crate full of wooden bottles. Each holds a different type of oil made while practicing our magics. Setting the bottles aside, I fill the tub with boiling hot water. "Okay, lye is potassium hydroxide, and I already know how to sense potassium from my Fertilize spell. So... Yes, there it is."

Having found the magic ingredient, I then dump most of the water and everything else into the fire pit. Cooling the water down and starting with small samples to get the ratio right. I mix the concentrated lye water with each type of oil, dumping all the leftovers into it's one tray. The soaps are very soft, so I end up having to draw out the excess moisture. I'm left with a few dozen tiny soaps, each around the size of my thumbnail.

"Now to test for lather." I conjure some water and try out each soap on the back of my hand. "Oh, yeah. This one's good, and Amelia will love what it's made from." I say to myself. "Oops, almost forgot the flowers."

Drying said flowers out, I then add them to my chosen oil before mixing in the lye and pouring it into the trays. "They'd be a bit soft if I couldn't control the moisture content directly." I complain to the air. "Maybe I can figure out how to hydrogenate the oils.. be nice to have some margarine too. Never thought I'd miss dairy this much."

"Tell me about it." Amelia says peeking over my shoulder. "I'd kill for some real meat though. That stuff you made has the right texture, but even with all the spices we've tried it just doesn't taste right." She's talking about some seitan I made from some wheat gluten, and used way too much magic to give it the same mouth feel as chicken.

"Was, I talking to myself again?" I rub my head, embarrassed. "Yeah, well, it's that or rat steaks. So, how was your bath?" I change the subject and hand her a bar of soap. "Here. You're gonna love this."

"Smells nice, much better than what we just used. No grit either, I'm surprised it's so hard. Did you use that leftover beeswax?"

"No, I didn't even think of that, I just used magic to dry it out." I explain. "You're really gonna love what it's made of though." I hold up the empty oil bottle and rotate it so she can see the carving.

"Is that?" She asks before erupting into laughter at my nod. "Oh, that's perfect. I don't know if she'll love it, or hate it, but it's perfect."

"I know, right?" I grin. "So, where's the girls? And, you're out early. Or did I lose track of time again?" I say looking up to see the sun hasn't moved very far.

"Oh, they're still in there, I just tried out that shower of yours. Thank you for that, by the way. Soooo good!" She hugs me. "I wanted to get started on dinner. That, and I was hoping we could take a bath together later."

I clean up my mess, mostly just by tossing everything I didn't want to keep in the firepit, then move to help Amelia with dinner preparations. She tasks me with making the bread, like always. I take my time and knead it by hand while we chat about nothing in particular.

The sun is barely a hand above the horizon by the time Marta and her niece leave the bath house. The bread is almost finished, and the stew only has a little while more to simmer. So, I tell the guys to take a quick shower, and promise that they can soak to their hearts content later.

***

"Oh, this is delicious, miss Amelia." Keegan says after his first spoonful. "Best we've had for weeks. Carl's probably the best cook amongst us, but that's not saying much. Sorry Carl." Carl just grunts and continues eating.

"Keegan's quite right." Marta speaks up. "You could easily best most of the, so-called, top chefs in the Capital. Don't suppose you have any wine to go with this?"

"Ah, sorry no. Sorrel tried once, but it did not turn out very good, at all." Amelia ends flatly

"Hey, I told you it just needed some time to age... for like a century, or two." I joke. "Seriously though, that stuff could strip paint. We've got plenty of juice, though. and, Amelia had me bake up some treats for desert after we learned we'd be having visitors."

"He can do magic, and he bakes. Why couldn't my idiot parents have engaged me to someone like him." Abigail sighs.

"Abigail! My brother may be an idiot, but he's still your father and deserves your respect." Marta scolds the sullen girl.

"Sorry, kinda seeing someone right now." I shoot Amelia a smile. "Is that why you're traveling to the Capital? For her wedding?" I ask, rather repulsed by the whole idea of arranged marriages.

"Uh, not exactly." Marta starts. "More like the opposite, actually. I do love my brother, but like Abby said. He, and his wife, can be rather boneheaded at times."

"Boneheaded?" The girl snorts. "Is that what you call them selling me off to some fat, old, baron in exchange for some vague promises? Boneheaded?"

"Now, dear. You're safe now. No border baron from Cendassa can get to you here in Larendath, least of all in the capital." Marta tries to soothe her niece.

"So, you rescued her and are going to shelter her in the Capital?" Amelia asks.

"I could do no less for my favorite niece.-" Marta says before being interrupted by her Abigail.

"I'm your only niece."

"You're still my favorite." She counters. "I make the trip out there every few years to visit Mother, and Abigail and I have always gotten along. So, when one day I get a letter sent by messenger bird said that she was to be wed to the old baron after her next birthday. Well, I dropped everything and rushed over." She takes a deep breath. "Meeting the creepy old bastard in person told me everything I needed to know. So, I snuck her out of there that night."

"Wow." Amelia says taken aback. "I know he's from Cendassa, but aren't you a little worried? What about her family?"

"Not at all." Marta state confidently. "My brother can toady his way out of it, and I've got quite a few patrons in Larendath."

"That's right! Auntie Marta's one of the best painters in the city. She's done portraits for all the nobility." Abby gushes.

"Well, maybe not all of them." Marta says downplaying her achievements, but a hint of pride still leaks into her voice.

"Oh? Maybe we'll book an appointment once we get to the Capital. If we ever get there." I let loose an exasperated sigh. "Seriously, I wish I knew teleportation magic, but I don't even know where to start with something like that. Or, if it's even possible, for that matter."

"You're so powerful, though. I'm sure you could figure it out." Abby says. "I've read stories about Awakened who could fly, and just poof in wherever they want. It must be so amazing."

"I've read stories like that too. Somehow, I doubt they were written by the mages themselves." I say with a rueful smile. "And what you saw earlier wasn't so much power, as skill. Plantshape is my highest leveled spell, and even then, if I hadn't used my staff, it would have dropped me on my ass trying to be that flashy. Just ask Amelia what happened when I was making our wagon." I give my girl a kiss.

"Yeah, he can be a dumbass at times." Amelia smirks at me.

"Oh my gods!" Marta gasps. "How did I miss that work of art? Did you really make that yourself?"

"Yeah, the whole thing took a few hours. The carvings were a bit of an apology for a pretty big dumbass moment. You're welcome to look it over later, but for now. Who wants desert?" I pull a half dozen pies, and a few platters of various sweets from my inventory.

***

"That didn't go too bad." I say to Amelia after we've retired to the vardo for the night. "Sorry for showing off earlier."

"It turned out alright. But, I think somebody's got a bit of a crush on you."

"I know! That guy Carl was checking out my ass all night." I huff indignantly.

"Oh. Ha ha." Amelia deadpans. "I'm serious."

"Yeah, I know." I give her an understanding smile. "I think we should tell her aunt that she's a potential Awakened. I don't think Abby's ready for the power yet, and who knows who she'll run into in the Capital. But, I'm sure not going to awaken her though. Last crazy girl I did that to jumped straight into bed with me." I get a swat on the shoulder for that remark.

"Probably a good idea. Do you know what affinities she has?"

"Uh-huh, I could practically feel the campfire being drawn towards her after dinner."

"Really? Now, I'm doubly glad you're not going to awaken her. Just imagine a flighty teenage girl with fire magic in the middle of the grasslands."

"Doubly glad, eh?" I cock an eyebrow at the water mage sitting next to me. "Don't tell me you're jealous. Oh no. You are. Of that little thing? She may only be a couple years younger than you but she comes off like a little brat half the time."

"Nnn." She grunts. "Not about her, not really. Just worried about once we get to the City. Everyone's gonna want a piece of you."

"Like that's not true for a certain beautiful blonde water mage? I'm not worried, and neither should you be."

"But, I am. And, you weren't exactly truthful about your little show with the bathhouse not being a display of power. I couldn't handle that volume of water like that, but you did it with wood, and didn't even get short of breath. You're only level four, and I'd wager you're already one of, if not the, strongest mage in this part of the world. And with your growth..." She trails off.

"I'm sorry. I can't do anything about my strength, but I'll try not to be so flashy in the future."

"Hah! I'll believe that when I see it." She barks out.

I give her a wry smile. "I'll admit to being somewhat impulsive. But." I cup the side of her face. "If you haven't noticed. All my showy displays are for you. I've still got some hang-ups from.. before. And, I keep trying to impress you because deep down I have trouble believing that someone so beautiful, and so talented, not only wants to be with me. But she accept who.. what I am."

"You're Sorrel, that's all you need to be. I know what those kinds of doubts are like, I was just having some myself. They never really disappear, but I think I know how to get rid of them for a while." She smiles and takes my hand into hers. Standing she pulls me up with her. "Now. Come on. I want to break in that bath."

***

"Ah, Miss Marta, you're up early. Good." I say to the painter from my seat at the table. "Could we speak for a moment, it's somewhat important."

"Is everything alright?" She asks warily.

"Yes, everything's fine. But, there's something you need to know about your niece." I say after casting Soundproof around us.

"Oh, she's just a kid with a crush, you don't need to worry about it." Marta rushes out.

"Heheh, no not that. What I wanted to talk to you about was your niece's magic."

Her face goes still, like she's having trouble processing what I just said. "But Abigail doesn't have magic..?" She eventually offers.

"Not yet." I say plainly. "After I awakened Amelia I gained the ability to sense potential mages around me. Your niece is the first one I've met."

"Wha..? How? Little Abby? Really?" She splutters each question out.

"Yes really. Yes Abigail. And, I'm afraid I don't know anything about the how's or why's of what makes some people have magic. I tell you this about her now, because I doubt I'm the only one with the ability to sense potential mages. Once you reach the city she may run into someone else that can."

"So, you won't be awakening her?" She sounds a little disappointed.

"Sorry, no. She seems a bit immature to handle the responsibility just yet. That and the middle of the grasslands is not the best spot for a fire mage to awaken to her powers."

"F-Fire Mage. Oh no!" She covers her mouth to hide a look of shock. "She'd want to play with it all the time, and all that dry grass. Oh no." She repeats herself.

"Exactly!"

"This, this is, I don't even know. S-should I tell her? No! I need to tell her, she'd hate me if she found out I knew for weeks and didn't tell. Oh, she's going to be insufferable." After speaking to herself for a bit, Marta gives me a look. "Hey, Sorrel? I know you won't awaken her, but could you please tell her. She'll come straight to you with questions anyways..."

"Yeah, I thought you might ask, but let's wait 'til after breakfast." I look behind her and drop the Soundproofing. "Mornin' Abby. Care for some breakfast? I was just about to make waffles, don't have any dairy but I've found a recipe that works pretty good."

"Mmm, yes please. Uh, what's a waffle?"

"It's like a crispier pancake with little pockets to hold syrup. Earth!" I summon half a dozen polished stone waffle irons onto the table and use fire magic to start heating them. "These are waffle irons. Don't touch, they're hot. Normally they're cast iron, but my earth magic isn't that good yet."

"That is so amazing. What I wouldn't give to have magic." She says and Marta and I just eye each other.

"Let me focus for a minute here, we don't have any leavening agents, so I have to do this the hard way." That said. I remove everything I'll need from my inventory. I first coat the irons with oil, then split off six blobs of premade batter. 'Having an inventory that keep everything fresh is so awesome!' I think to myself and get a little 'you're welcome' *Ding* from Temmie-chan.

As soon as the batter hits the pans, I close the lids and use air magic to fluff everything up as it cooks. Moving the waffles to a large platter as soon as they're done, I then repeat the process until there's more than enough for everyone.

"Help yourselves everyone." I say after dismissing the conjured cookers. "Sorry there's no butter, but they go great with fresh fruit, and there's a bunch of different jams and jellies to try. This bottle has maple syrup, and this one has a concentrated nectar, it's very sweet."

"Mmm." - "So fluffy." - "So good." Various appreciative noises fill the table as everyone digs in.

"Glad you all like it, but you should try some made with buttermilk. I swear, I'm going to fill half my inventory with dairy the next time I have to go anywhere."

"Then I'll fill mine with meat." Amelia responds to my grumbling.

"What is an Inventory? Do all awakened get one?" Abby asks around a mouthful of syrupy waffle.

"Swallow, then talk, dear." Her aunt chastises the girl.

"Gulp. Sorry."

"That's alright. The system gives Awakened a place to store anything they'd like. whatever's kept in there doesn't rot, it even stays the same temperature as when it was first placed inside."

"That's amazing, I wish I could be an awakened." Abby says after clearing her plate.

"Oh? what would you do if you got magic right now." I ask the girl.

"That's easy." The girl says. "I've always wanted to throw around fireballs like in the stories." Marta's eyes widen when she hears this.

"You do know you're surrounded by wooden walls right now? And outside that, a bunch of trees and bushes. And outside that, nothing but dry grass for leagues."

"Well yeah, but it's not it's all just gonna burst into flames." She tries to counter.

"And that dismissive attitude is why you will not be getting magic anytime soon." I say flatly. Watching her face go through contortions as she works out what I just said.

"Wha? huh?" Her face finally settles on confusion. "You say that like I-."

"Have magic, yes. You have to potential to be a Fire mage, it just hasn't been unlocked yet, and won't be until you mature enough to handle it." Her eyes start going wide at my words. "Fire is not the tame little thing you see in your fireplace at home." I make a hologram in my hand showing a kitten made of fire. "It is a ravenous beast that wants nothing more than to devour everything it can." I swiftly morph it into a slavering tiger standing on the table that looks like it's about to bite the girl's face off.

"AAAAAHHHHH!!" She tumbles backwards off her chair and I catch her on a cushion of air so she doesn't get hurt. Everyone else at the table, aside from Amelia who knew I had planned this little light show, shrank back but was otherwise frozen in place by fear.

"You're in no danger." I use Soothing Voice and shift the girl back into her seat and shrink the tiger back down to a kitten and have it prance around her empty plate. "You have magic, Abigail. But, you are not ready for it." I state simply and with a tone of authority.

"I-I.. But why?" She sniffles.

"Do you remember the wagon story last night?" I lean forward and play with the illusionary kitten. "I screwed up. I made one simple mistake and nearly died because of it. Would have, if it wasn't for Amelia." I send the kitten over to nuzzle my hero. "And, that was with a Nature spell. Just making some fancy wood. What would have happened if I was playing around with a fire spell?"

"..."

"Miss Marta. You're a painter, right? Could you please describe your home and studio." Seeing where I'm going, she gives a quick description of her home. And I model it like a dollhouse on the table. Lastly adding a tiny Abigail playing with an even tinier kitten.

"Please don't." She breathes.

"I don't want to. The last thing I want to do is frighten or hurt you. But, I would be hurting you more if I didn't show you this." A miniscule spark flies off of the kitten's tail.

"Nooo.." Abigail and her miniature cry.

"Or this." The house fire is replaced by a vast field of grass. Mini-Abby walking along with a kitten beside her as tigers destroy everything in her wake.

Tears flow down the long haired girls face.

"Or this." This time the miniature is in a crowded market with the kitten riding on her shoulders. She gets knocked down. A flash of anger on her face, swiftly replaced by horror as the kitten turns into the beast once more. It mauls through the crowd, but instead of blood splashing everywhere. There's only clouds of ash.

"Do you understand now Abigail?" The image of destruction fades leaving only the kitten, rolling on it's back trying to swat at a tiny spark. Before it too fades away. "I didn't want to teach you this lesson, not like this. But you need to learn it!"

"No!" She shouts. "I don't even want magic if that's all it's going to be!"

"Yes, you do." I say simply. My voice still soothing and calm. "Because for all the destruction it can cause if misused. It can create so much more. Now let me give you one more show. This time, pure fire magic instead of just light. Amelia, an Ice-shield, if you would." I ask before standing and walking over to the fire pit.

Once there I take a few pouches of minerals I'd collected by sifting the soil during these weeks of practice. Taking out my staff, I cast a simple spell. "Flame!" Pushing my Mana Manipulation to the max, I use the flame it self to hold the contents aloft, the pouches themselves having burnt up almost instantly.

The insides quickly melt and fuse into glass, the larger one clear, the smaller three, red orange and yellow. Taking the colored ones, I bend and stretch and fuse them together, making a tiny teardrop shaped flame. Tongues of flames spiraling around each other giving it the illusion of motion. Next I take the larger clear glass and flow it over and around the tiny flame. Where, it swiftly takes the shape of a kitten, curled up in sleep. Innocent and cute, but with a heart of fire.

"Fireproof!" The glass sculpture falls into my enspelled hand. Swiftly hardening as I draw the heat away, tempering in seconds instead of hours.