Guided Tour

After Chez asked about the tour, he ushered Kason off with him, leaving her alone with Jay before she could protest. Not that she had any plans to. Misty looked at Jay and smiled, holding out her hand. Jay bent his head to give the back of it a kiss before drawing her into him.

"You already saw some of our home, where would you like for me to start?"

Time for our first date! One of the things Misty had loved doing in her old life was watching episodes on TV where celebrities showed the world what their homes looked like. She had a feeling that this tour could very well turn into a haunted mansion tour with all the dust and dust cloths over everything. An intrusive thought occurred to her, and she couldn't help the words that tumbled from her mouth.

"Do you have any ghosts?" Jay blinked at her in confusion. She quickly consulted her encyclopedia and sighed in relief. Ghosts were not something that existed in this world. Neither did vampires, zombies, or the undead.

"Never mind." She pointed out of the windows of the study. "We could start with over there?" Nodding, Jay steered Misty to the opposite side of the study where a few more desks sat. It was almost like the reception area of a law office and had also been cleaned a little. It looked like someone had been using one of the desks recently. Then Jay pulled her out through a door. A passageway open to the weed filled yard lay before her. Stone pillars arched above on three sides of the yard.

"This is the inner training grounds." Jay gestured to the grounds. "We will have to hire people to clear out the plants that grew here, but the earth is packed down and spells exist on all four sides to contain high level magic. The previous occupants didn't invest much time here, but we will put it to good use."

They walked the perimeter where he showed her the empty stables and workshops. A circular room with several bays for forges lay dormant, hammers rusting where they were left as if one day the previous owner had just stopped and left.

That might not be too far from the truth. Misty thought

After circling the training grounds, he pulled her into a dust covered room. Even with the fabric dampening the sound of her steps, the room echoed loudly as if it was built for making small sounds bigger. Jay led her through room after room filled with chairs and couches covered to keep the dust off them. They arrive back into the dining area where they had met for breakfast. Misty looked over to the end of the table where Kason and she had.... She blushed. She pushed that thought away. Whatever mess had been created from their activities had long since been cleaned up.

He briefly showed her the storerooms off of the kitchens and where Chez and his grandson Muckle would stay. She was surprised at how warm and inviting Chez's room was compared to the rest of the estate. Then he took her down a hall with room after room for staff and their families.

"The staff quarters have communal baths set up in a central area for everyone to enjoy." She walked up the stairs with Jay, looking out over another space filled with even more plants than the training grounds. When she pointed them out, Jay explained that they were kitchen gardens, but it had been a while since they had last been in use.

"Over here are dormitories for individuals who have yet to find mates. The second floor is generally for males and the third floor are for females. All three floors have units that could be set up for families. We could take one or two of the rooms to set up the childcare." Jay pulled her through a door and closed it behind him. In the darkened hall she could barely see him. He pointed down the hall.

"Your bedroom is over there. Upstairs are the rooms that were used for children." Misty was glad that the dark hallway hid her face. She hadn't even thought about babies. She put her hand on her stomach. They hadn't used any protection.

"These are the rooms that belong to your mates." He led her to one an pulled her in. "Now that you are here, this will be my bedroom." She looked around. Now that she thought about it, having multiple mates would make it hard to all share a bedroom or even a bed.

"Are there any rules for how to treat your mates? I never expected to have more than one." Misty walked over to the window and looked out over a broad meadow. She could see the sun setting on the horizon.

"It is common practice to spend time with all partners equitably. My father had a main bedroom, and my mothers had their own. They would take turns going to his room or he would take turns going to their rooms. Even before Mother Qiya and Mother Haphor arrived, they still had separate rooms. Not everyone can do that, but it worked for us."

Misty could see the benefits to having your own space for privacy. Misty chewed her bottom lip in worry.

"Did I take your room?" Jay shook his head.

"Not really, I hadn't had the chance to live here before I met you. Chez was still setting things up when I left. I had Chez move my things here this afternoon. The first time I slept in that room was with you."

"Still…"

"There is nothing to worry about." Jay cupped his hand under her jaw and lifted her chin. He pressed his lips to her forehead before placing a gentle kiss on her mouth. "I am happy we found each other. I hope the worst of our troubles is deciding who gets which bedroom. Misty giggled and laid her head against his chest, reveling in his warmth.

When Jay slowly drew back, reluctant to end their embrace, Misty wanted to protest but she could sense that this wasn't the time for that.

"Thank you for spending time with me." He crooned before guiding her next door and she could see the bath from this morning. Misty turned to him to ask some questions, but he was at the other end of the hall where they had just come from. Jay knocked on the door and it opened to reveal Kason. Misty couldn't hear what they said, but in a moment, Kason came over to Misty.