A New Chapter

          Getting back into writing is always more difficult than falling out of it. Despite that, I have written some this week and have made sure to rest my hands as well. I'm still reading insane amounts, 24 finished already, 2 on the go and another just waiting for me to pick it up on Monday.

          I know, not much of an update. Mainly because as I've said, getting back into the habit of writing is much more difficult than falling out. I did realize that I've only taken 10 days off so far, which isn't a lot. Also, I got a full 1000 words in yesterday, despite working which is awesome. In fact, Kitsune-Ken book 2 is already over 40,000 words, so I don't think I need to get too down on myself.

          In fact, I think I'll get back into it and leave you with a little bit that I wrote. As usual, its a mostly unedited bit this one from book 2. Which reminds me... I was thinking of starting a monthly newsletter where I can keep you all updated on my schedules, when my novels will be out and share short stories or chapters with you in. What do you think? Would you be interested? What else would you like to see in a newsletter?

          Jocelyn smiled at the children as they rushed back to their homes inside the city. They grinned and waved back to the dancers, but behind them, he could see their parents. They glared at the troupe as though they had tried to kidnap the children, rather than entertain them. 

          It was the same in every village they stopped in. The people liked to shop the small amount of goods they carried from town to town, they liked the dancing and entertainment their group put out. The problem came afterwards. There was no trust sent their way afterwards.

          He may have never bought into the belief that all of them were thieves and sorcerers, but it was obvious that all too many did. Surviving beyond the walls wasn't as difficult as people who lived in towns thought. In the month that he'd been on the road, they hadn't even been attacked. Monsters had some intelligence obviously. Why attack a group of obviously skilled and armed humans when you were bound to lose?

          He turned back to the carts, glad that the day was over. When they were near a town, everybody had to work. With his skill at healing, he sold 'cures' to the people. Nothing that would hurt them, but more alcohol than herbs generally. Jocelyn had added actual tinctures and creams to the business, so that some of their cures would actually work, making it less of a snake oil proposition to sell. 

          He turned and saw that not all of the villagers had returned home yet. Two young women were still talking to Lady Marda. He wasn't close enough to hear the conversation, but he did see the girls leaning forward, their eyes wide while she spoke. They finally looked at each other, a knowing look and each glanced around before taking a bracelet off their hands and passing them over. 

          Though Marda took these with the proper amount of solemnity, they were almost certainly not worth much. Most likely, they would be cleaned up and then sold a few cities away for a pittance.

          He smiled and nodded at the girls as they walked past him. The taller girl, a rare beauty with dark hair and a naturally dour expression flushed and then turned away, rushing her steps. Jocelyn fell back a step. It had been like the first time he'd ever seen Kuzunoha.

          Like then, he wanted to help her, to make her smile. He could have slapped himself. Kuzunoha had cheated on him and broke his heart. The last thing he needed was to be thinking about her. He felt a hand touch his shoulder he turned, his teeth bared in a smile.

          "You ain't 'ngry t'at herr." Lady Marda said, her accent as thick as ever.

He nearly snapped at her; almost lost it. He was very proud of the fact that his voice was only tight.

          "You are correct, Lady Marda."

          "So? Wat's 'ou 'ngry 'bout? Who'd you left behin' to burn like 'dis?"

          "Everybody." He whispered. Then he glared at her. "Shouldn't you know already?"

          Fairy tales told in her cards. He didn't believe in cards that told the future. Maybe a god's oracle could, but not a woman with a pack of painted paperboard. He expected her to get angry at him. Instead, she barked out a laugh, as grating as the rest of her.

          "Wha didn' you chus say you wanted a reading, boi? I could see my way to dat."

          "I don't want a reading." He ground out.

          How did you tell someone you were making fun of them and not sound like a dick? The answer was despairingly simple. You didn't. He stayed quiet, watching her face go from smug to a little bit sad.

         "Ya. You sad you ain't going to see dem again. Twon' ease you heart to know, but you ain't gots to worry 'bout dat."

          "Yeah, you said I need to worry about killing people and mourning a monster."

          "It was true." She told him. Statement of fact, not the defensive whine it should have been.                   "You gonna find dem freends and den, one of 'ems gots to die. You'll mourn and you'll kill the one dat do it. I ain't gots to pick up a card to tell me you future. It written in every line o' muscle."

          "If I believed you, I'll be more worried." he told her.

          She shook her head. "Jocelyn, you be 'ngry, so 'ngry. It burn de air 'roun you and make a corona 'a hate. You gonna destroy youself dis way. I worry you gonna take that gurl over de edge wit you."She turned to Salla, putting away her swords. She didn't sell anything. She was there to make sure that nothing was stolen that wasn't supposed to be. A guard on their side. 

          Jocelyn was struck silent for a moment. "I would never do anything to hurt Salla."

          Marda raised an eyebrow. "You don get to decide. You a'ready made da choice.... you chus don know it yat."

          "How would you know?" He hissed.

          She looked confused. "You don believe dem gods dat gave you your powah would let you be free, do you?"

           His eyes widened. She waved him off as if she could read his mind.

          "I ain't gonna tell. T'ain't my secrat. But da gods... de harsh mastahs when you don listin. You gotta know who dey is to know what dey want."

          Salla's voice interrupted them. "Jocelyn, Lady Marda? Are the rest of the townies gone? We could use your help in the camp. In particular, Clive will need your help tonight Jocelyn. A lot of those townies brought their stuff in for us to fix."

          Jocelyn nodded and turned away. "Good evening, Miss Marda."

          He didn't wait for a response. Instead he moved off towards the smithy. Talking with Marda always made him want to hit something. His vision blurred and he saw the snake-like dragons again. No god he knew had a symbol like that. But if Marda was right... then he was on the right track. He'd find out what this god wanted of him, then he'd do it and demand that the powers be taken away.

          He would finally have the life he craved. With a nod to Clive, he put on the thick apron and gloves eagerly, picking up the pincher from the fire where Clive had set a bit of iron for him to heat. 

He put it on his anvil and paused hearing the sound of a bell. He tapped Clive and both heard the call over the dying sound of Clive's hammering. They paused. Two bells meant strangers, but this late on the road, who could be coming up? Even the townspeople had returned home already. They paled as the bell rang a third time.

       "Mongrels." Clive swore.

         Jocelyn was already turning, a gutteral barking, like sick foxes, behind them. Coming towards him and Clive were four creatures, a little bigger than a child of ten, with brown mottled skin, big ears and teeth dyed orange with old blood. Their clothes looked like they had pulled them out a human garbage, stained and ripped in places, none of it matching.

         Jocelyn's hand reached down for his blade and found nothing. He must have forgotten to put it on. He swore and chose the hammer as a better weapon than the hot tongs. Clive had a curved sword in his hand, though Jocelyn hadn't seen him draw it. 

          The creatures howled, realizing they'd been spotted.

          With a sinking feeling, Jocelyn tried to grip the hammer tight in his hand. As the first creature neared, he swung at it. The creature didn't even stop and he realized that he'd swung before the thing was close enough to hit. He cursed, trying to bring the hammer back around. It was so heavy it was hard to control but he managed to get a glancing hit in on the next one. The thing shrieked and jumped back grabbing its ear and crying out its pain at a level that hurt Jocelyn's ears. Still, so long as it was screaming, it wasn't fighting. It meant he only had to deal with the one creature.

         He turned trying to see the other one and felt it's claws run over his back. He hissed feeling the cloth rip and dig into his flesh. Dragons flew before his eyes and he could feel the cuts on his back burn slightly, healing him. He pulled back on the power before it healed him completely. If he healed it completely there would be questions. 

         He snarled at the stinging pain and hit the monster in the cheek with his hammer.

         The creature's skull didn't crack. Instead, it dented the things head in, but didn't seem to damage it. The thing hissed at him and bit at him, catching his hand in its mouth. Jocelyn could feel the sharp teeth chomping at his hand, but fortunately, the thick leather gloves he was wearing stopped the teeth from digging into his flesh. 

          He pulled his knife and stabbed it into the back of the creatures skull. Where the hammer hadn't done much more than frustrate the monster, the knife slid into its head with ease, parting its skull like it was some sort of jelly.

          He pried the teeth away from his wrist, seeing that the teeth had almost made it though the leather. He dropped the hammer and swallowed back the bile filling his throat. It was acidic, tasting like the cheese from his sandwich at lunch. He took a deep breath and spun towards the sound of distorted barking behind him, just in time to see Clive slice the last thing's head off.

          Sickeningly, Jocelyn could see its bones deforming, almost as if they were melting. He turned away, throwing up. He shivered and heard the bell ringing in another pattern. He couldn't concentrate on the pattern though. Were there more of the things coming for them?

           Clive's heavy hand on his back helped. "It's alright man, we repelled the attack. Finish throwing up. The first time is always the most difficult."

           He shook his head and swallowed. Clive passed him a cup of water. Jocelyn took it gratefully.

          "Thank you." he said after a sip. "I was fine until I saw..."

            He gestured towards the creature and Clive nodded.

          "The mongrels do that whenever they're hit. They form back up solid soon after, but it makes them almost impossible to kill with a hammer."

           Jocelyn shook his head. "I meant the... melting."

          Clive's response was casual. "Yeah, most monsters leave behind actual bodies. Mongrels just melt away though, leaving nothing but the junk they were carrying, pitted and scarred to hell. Why'd you use the hammer anyway?"

          "I don't have my sword on me."

           "That's a stupid thing to do on the road, even if an attack is rare. Where's your sword?"

           Had it been in his room? He remembered taking it off the night before. Jocelyn shook his head.

          "I can't remember right now..."

          "Grab it before dinner, if you don't want Marcus and the others ribbing you all week. You head to the centre and make sure nobody needs to be stitched up. I'll take care of the bodies over here. Tell Marcus you left your sword here if he asks, in the creature you killed. You'll still get ribbed, but it'll be less than it would if he knew you'd forgotten it completely."

           Jocelyn nodded. His heartbeat was slowing finally, but his stomach was still roiling. "You'll be alright?"

          He had work to do and he could process what had just happened when people weren't injured. 

          "Hey, you got hurt? You okay?"

          Jocelyn glanced at Clive. The man was staring at his back. Jocelyn stretched out his shoulders, trying to make the move look casual. 

          "I hardly even feel it. I'll ask Marda to take a look if its still hurting later though."

          Clive nodded and Jocelyn headed towards the centre area, stopping only long enough to grab his healing kit. 

Grasping Worms and Squishy-Brains

Bleh. I am sorry for the long delay. I have been trying to think about what to write since Monday, and due to Nano-Squishy-Brain, there was nothing. For those who haven't heard the term before, Nano-Squishy-Brain is achieved when you are so deep into noveling, that you're more living in the world of your novel than you are in the real world. For example, if someone asks if you're hungry, you'll be able to answer yes or no, but not when you last ate or what you're in the mood for. The person asking would have a better chance of getting an answer if they asked what your Main Character is in the mood for.
Any way, I finally figured out that I could just post something that I had worked on for you. So, here is the chapter that I spent all today working on! Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Chapter Thirty Four

       Jocelyn entered the Koi and nearly left as every eye turned to look at him. Not that he should be surprised by that. It was a small town with plenty of travellers. Everybody wanted to know if it was a friend or a stranger joining them that evening. What he didn't like was the confusion. Like they didn't know which category he fit into any more. He felt a small touch at his side and looked.

       It was the smith's youngest daughter, Carol. She was mature, her hair bound back into a matron's hair clip. Not a single hair out of place. He'd met her around town, but the first time he'd actually gotten to know her was earlier last year when he'd helped deliver her son. What had she named the boy? Calvin?

       "Jocelyn," Carol said.

       "Carol? What do you need?" he asked taking a step away from her.

       "I didn't ask before, I didn't know to ask... will you bless my baby? I want him to grow up strong and healthy..."

       She moved the baby towards him. Jocelyn held up his hands and moved away.

       "Carol... I helped you deliver him. I'm not... I'm the same guy I was then."

       Her eyes filled with tears of relief.

       "So you already blessed him? Jocelyn, thank you."

       She moved Calvin into the crook of her arm and grabbed his hand. She tried to kiss it and he yanked it away. She looked like he'd tried to slap her or worse slap Calvin.

       "Carol, I don't... I'm not holy. I'm not..."

       "You're blessed." She said, looking confused. Then her expression turned stricken. "You don't approve of Calvin?"

       "Calvin is fine-"

       "Is it me you don't approve of then?"

       "Carol, I like you fine... Ow!"

       Something had caught at his hair and a few strands tore out of his scalp. He turned and saw Donal, the tanners eldest son.

       "Your hair... it will be a blessing." Donal stammered before running off, the strands protectively held near his chest. Jocelyn moved to run after him, but shook his head in disgust instead.

        "I'll just have to hope he isn't planning on eating it or something... My hair isn't a blessing..."

        "Gods damned right it isn't. Now, I want to know why you didn't fix me when I broke my arm."

        Jocelyn turned again, feeling assaulted at this point. Was everyone moving closer or was it just him?

       Sam was there. He was older than Jocelyn, dark unwashed hair and a long dirty beard. His eyes were dark and his skin, yellowish. He'd broken his arm falling from a height a few years back. Jocelyn ground his teeth.

       "Your arm was fine. It didn't need to be Healed. All it needed was rest."

        "I lost nearly three weeks of work due to it. Do you only use your powers to help your ex's? Or did she put out again with that little harlot you started keeping recently when she started sleeping the nights at your place? Is that why you healed her?"

       Three weeks to heal a broken arm and the man had the nerve to think Jocelyn had done nothing? Had he been here helping so long that they took quick healing for granted?

       "Kuzunoha wouldn't have healed on her own. She was dying..." Jocelyn growled.

       "Yeah, what about my arthritis? I guess that isn't important enough to matter?"

       They were moving closer, surrounding him. That last had been from Joel. He was old, one of the community elders. He'd owned the tailors until he'd passed it down to his daughters.

       "I've been helping. That's why you come to see me every week."

       Healing Joel once a week made the condition manageable and arthritis wasn't life threatening to begin with. Speeding up the body's natural healing cost him nothing and he'd always done that freely. Healing like he had done for Kuzunoha, that would kill him. Slowly, but it would result in his dying before his time all the same.

       "If you really cared you'd take it away forever!"

       Joel moved forward to punch him and Jocelyn stepped out of the way. The old man tripped and fell to the ground. Argent, the bartender, stepped forward before anyone else could move.

       "Hey, this is my bar. I'll have no fights in here, especially not with Hidalgo's healer. Blessed or not, he's safe in my establishment."

       Joel and Sam snarled and left, taking three others with them.

       "Thanks, Argent." Jocelyn said.

       He was shaking. How had the town's mood turned from respect to hate so quickly?

       Argent picked up another glass and a cloth.

       "I remember when you helped my momma. She nearly died of the flu, didn't because of you. Whether you healed her or Blessed her, I got nothing to say. You did your job in my book. Sit down. You and your girl eat free, as always."

       "My girl..." Jocelyn felt a touch at his arm. Salla was smiling at him.

       "Come and sit down."

       He nodded and then flush guiltily, remembering what Sam had said about her and Kuzunoha.

       "Salla? How much of that were you here for?"

       She sniffed out in annoyance.

       "Enough. It's alright though. I mean, I waltzed in and took the best looking guy in town from them. They were never going to like me. I will say that I'm surprised to get it from the men folk too. Normally it's only the women that are the vindictive ones, fearing I'll steal their husbands and sons."

       "It isn't true. What he said." 

       About anything, he wondered? Jocelyn wasn't sure. Kuzunoha certainly hadn't tried to steal him away from Salla... only because she didn't want him though. She'd made that clear when she'd cheated on him.

       Salla took a drink. The mug was half empty; she must have been in here before he got here.

       "Of course it isn't. I'm not a harlot and you haven't been keeping me. And while I wouldn't put it past Kuzunoha to try it, I know you well enough. I have no worries on that front."

       He sighed.

       "You've been here months. I'd hoped they would start accepting you as one of them."

       "Jocelyn, you remember how long it took for them to accept you, right? Hell, some of the old men here still refer to you as "the new boy". It's something that people in towns always feel. They're close-minded."

       "I'm going to have to do it all over again."

       "Do what?" Salla looked confused.

       He gestured. "Leave. Work to be accepted somewhere else."

       "Why would you want to leave? You've got a good thing going here?"

       "Did you see what just happened? It's not that I want to leave, it's that I'm going to have to."

       "Jocelyn..." She put a hand on his arm. He shook her off.

       "This is serious." He told her. "The first time I healed someone I was seven and my best friend had fallen wrong. She'd broken both her legs. I fixed her. Within a few days everyone was acting weird, begging my parents to see me. They were hated when they wouldn't let anyone. Still, they didn't really start worrying until a man dressed in royal livery came to my home. He told my parents that the high lords wanted to see me, to see if I was Blessed. We all knew the stories. Kids held captive and used only for their power to keep the lords and their high mucks happy. I don't want that. We left that night."

       "I think you're over reacting just a bit."

       "You think I should have gone to work for the lord?"

       "By the gods, no." Salla said with a laugh. "Those high lords are all the same... grasping worms who want everything. Everybody who gets that much money and prestige becomes one. If they don't start that they, they turn that way. No, what I think you've over-estimating is your community. Your people. They'll accept you again. But they have to get used to the idea of who you are now. Give them some time."

       He wanted to growl, but it seemed reasonable. It had only been a day. That also meant that it had only taken a day for hate to develop. Better not to think that way though. He was so worried that they would never accept it though.

       ''I can do that. Give them some time to come to terms with it."

       "Good. We can work on some of your other problems."

       "Other problems?"

       "Kuzunoha for one. How long will it take before she's fully healed?"

       "She is fully healed."

       "She's... what?" Salla said. "I saw her this morning. She did not look healed to me."

       "All of the illness in her was cleared when I healed her. What she is now is weak from blood loss, bruised, beaten, dehydrated and suffering from malnutrition. Richard and Shasta confirmed that she pretty much stopped eating after she got hurt. She was only drinking water and slim broth and she drank less and less of both every day. But all she needs is water, easily digestible food and time."

       "Good. When she's around we don't seem to have time for each other."

       Jocelyn leaned his head back. 

      "Trust me. I don't want her in my home anymore than you do. She'd been be gone soon. Another two, maybe three days and that's it."

       "Where's she going to go?

       He didn't answer immediately. He didn't know.

       "She has money. Even if she's still too stubborn to go home to her sisters, she had money to pay for an inn."

       Would he really send her to an inn? Three days after she'd nearly died? He corrected himself. Three days after she'd ruined his life a second time.

       "Good." Salla put her hand on his. "I'm less that fond of her. She can be self-centred, vain and catty."

       "She is that." He agreed.

       "So if we leave, where will we go?"

        "We?" He hadn't thought about that. What would Salla do if he left? She responded before he could.

       "You thought I wouldn't come with you?" She seemed disappointed by that. "Jocelyn, before I stopped here, I'd never lived in a town. Why would I stay here without you? I wanted to stop moving around, I wanted to know where I'd be the next day, where I'd be working. But I'm about ready to go on the road again anyway. Oh! You could join my familia!"

       "Would your family accept me?" He asked. She laughed.

       "You're blessed. Of course they would accept you. It would take time for them to trust you since you're a townie, but having a good healer, especially a blessed would be a huge blessing for the whole kompania."

       He puffed out his breath. Because he was blessed. Everything would be fine because some god had decided to meddle in his life. Maybe the gods should have given him some sort of a map or a purpose along with the powers he was granted. The truth was he'd never wanted to be blessed. He'd wanted a quiet life. Living with a woman he loved. Could he do that on the road? He could do that with Salla?

       He didn't know.

       "I'll keep that in mind. Maybe. Would you be up for travelling somewhere else instead of with your family?" She smiled, proudly.

       "Jocelyn, do you know the history of my people? We believe that the goddess Denina chose us.  She wanted people to follow her and so she danced in the sky to let everyone see. Those that saw her twinkling footsteps swore that they would learn that dance and began travelling, searching for the old ways and the ancient knowledge. Our eldest tell us that our travels are the dance. What I'm saying is that so long as I left a message for my kompania here, their well wishes would follow me everywhere. Decide where your heart is leading. So long as ours remain in accordance, I'll be by your side."

       She lifted her hand and put her palm to his. It was a strangely touching gesture. He felt connected with her. It had been a long time since he'd felt so comfortable with a woman...

       He shied away from that, turning his mind over to wondering how he was supposed to figure out where his heart was leading him to? It was easy for Salla. She just followed her goddess, dancing among the stars, apparently. The gods of his birth parents had never laid such a clear path for him. He venerated them, the lady of winter and lord of summer, but he didn't worship them. How could he worship any god, not knowing if it was the one that had Blessed him, or worship another, knowing that some other deity had believed in him so much that it had blessed him at birth?

       Now that was an interesting idea. Finding out what god or goddess had marked him, might help him find out what exactly he was supposed to do. Perhaps he could even find out more about being a blessed. Find out what others had done before with their blessings.

       If he had more information, he could find out who his god was. That would be the first step to finding out why he'd been blessed. Where could he find that much information? Not in town, clearly. But he had heard about a huge library somewhere up north... He'd ask about it, see if he could find out where it was.

       He smiled at Salla and their hands, still touching. He stood and kissed her, winding his fingers between hers.

       "Thank you. You've given me a lot to think about."

       She kissed him back.

       "That's what I'm here for."

She was like a porcupine...

So, I was writing for Nanowrimo today and I ended up having this great scene about a girl having to go ask her ex if she could stay with him for a few days. A few of my friends asked to read it and I figure, I could do worse. Thus, I'm going to post the entire chapter here. Please, let me know what you think about it. By and all, it's unedited, except for a few things like spelling and character names, so please be kind. I hate sharing unedited stuff, but when it's Nanowrimo, what am I to do? Oh, in case you're also doing Nanowrimo and would like to friend me over there, my handle is Feytouched! I hope you enjoy my chapter twelve of Kitsune-Ken, Volume 1.

          Jocelyn kissed Salla again and she snuggled against him, her hands slowly searching his body. It was nice having her by his side, in his room. They hadn't been dating long, but they had become comfortable quickly. She understood him.

          There was a knock at his door and he grimaced. Most times she understood him. This was the part she hated though.

          "Sorry." He whispered, against her lips.

          He turned to the door and started to get up. He'd need clothes, pants at the very least. Fortunately, he always kept a set right by his bed. Salla's shoulders dropped.

          "Do you have to go immediately? Why can't you wait?"

          He sighed. "I'm the only healer in town. I need to be available, regardless of the hour."

         "But we're..." she gestured. "We're in the middle of something here. It's probably just someone who stubbed their toe or something. You can ignore it for a few minutes at least."

          She reached out to him. He caught her arms and kissed her fingers.

          "Salla, I'm sorry, but you know that I have to be available."

          She slumped but looked around at the house they were in.

          Because he was the healer, despite only being twenty, he lived in one of the nicer places around town. They had clean well access, tubs for heated water, thick stone walls and even a solid wooden roof. Repairs were done often by grateful people, food and new clothes were left at his door for him; everything he had, he had because he worked for the town for the benefit of everyone. Part of the job description meant that he needed to be available whenever someone needed him.

          Salla loved the respect they were all shown in and around town, but she didn't much like that he was always available for others.

          Honestly, even had he not been the town healer, he still would have done it though. It was his path to help people. The air was cold on his skin and he grabbed the pants and threw them on quickly.

          Though he would have done it anyway, times like this he did almost wish he could ignore the call.

          The stone floor was chilly and he made a mental note to throw an extra log on for the night. It may have been spring, but the weather was skill cool out, too cool to go without.

          He opened the door and blinked. Kuzunoha was on the other side of the door, looking chagrinned. His mood dropped along with the temperature as a cool breeze blew into the house, chilling the ground even more.

          "What do you want?" He asked and then winced. She'd asked to be left alone to make her own bad decisions. He'd told her to do so. Still, it wasn't like him to be rude and angry. Perhaps he didn't love her anymore, but that didn't mean that he wanted her to suffer. He just wanted her to grow up.

          "I'm sorry... Can I come in, Jocelyn?" She shivered.

          He hadn't noticed what she was wearing before then, but now he looked. Normally at this time of year she would be wearing a thick cotton robe, the traditional dress of her ancestors. Now, she was wearing a pair of men's breaches, a decidedly common homespun shirt and a pair of her best slippers. She hated the modern clothes that Himiko preferred, probably because Himiko preferred them. He couldn't think of any good reasons why she would be coming to his house late at night, wearing someone else's clothes unless something was wrong.

          "Get in here. What happened? Are you alright?" He led her to the kitchen and sat her down. Then he rushed over to the stove and threw on an extra two logs and a pot of water. A lot of things could happen to a woman this late at night.

          She watched him, shivering, her arms wrapped around herself.

          "I'm sorry, Jocelyn. I didn't mean to wake you like this."

          "It's alright, I wasn't asleep yet." He felt a slim pang for Salla. "Now tell me what happened?"

          The door to his bedroom opened and Salla came out. He had a momentary hope that she would be bringing him a shirt to wear, but to his embarrassment that was all she was wearing.

          "Who is it, Jocelyn?" She stopped as she saw Kuzunoha. Her mouth set into a line.           "We may not have been asleep, but it isn't as though we weren't doing anything."

          He raised an eyebrow at Salla. It may have been true, but it was cruel. Kuzunoha didn't need that. Since he'd caught her cheating, she had only come to him when she needed help, when no one else could, like when she'd brought Richard. She wouldn't come unless she was in need somehow.

          Kuzunoha saw what Salla was wearing and flushed, glancing down at her own clothes. She crossed her arms, as if she were embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you were staying here at night now." She glanced back at him and looked away. "I'll just... leave. I'm... sorry."

          Kuzunoha was the sort of woman than made you want to protect her. He couldn't just let her leave this way.

          "Kuzunoha, sit down. My door is always open to you, even if... other doors may be closed." He looked at Salla. "Please go back in, I'll be back soon."

          Salla's eyes flashed and he sent her a slightly frustrated look. Please, he whispered to her in his mind, begging her to understand. The faster I help her, the faster I'll be able to come back to bed.

          As if she'd heard him, she sighed with annoyance and walked over to him. She kissed him, hard, her hands on his chest. He opened his mouth to her kiss. It was urgent, worried. She pulled away and smiled at him. That smile held all the confidence he could have hoped for.

          "I love you. I'll be waiting for you in bed."

          He smiled, watching her walk back to the room. Back when he'd dated Kuzunoha he'd decided that clothes were silly and that women paid too much attention to how they looked in them. Privately, he liked his women naked when they were with him, something partially concocted by Kuzunoha's refusal to leave his house unless she looked perfect. Salla had convinced him that women wearing his clothes, was a close second.

          He turned back to Kuzunoha as the door closed and he coughed into his hand. He tried not to be disrespectful... staring at Salla had been that. He cared about much more than just her body, but that display didn't show that side.

          Kuzunoha glanced back at him and jumped, looking away from him.

          "It isn't that important... not important enough that I disturb." She gestured to the bedroom. "I'll find somewhere else, it's fine..."

          He stopped her and sat back down. "Somewhere else? What are you talking about?"

          She sighed and wouldn't meet his eyes. "I... I can't really go back home."

          "Tonight? Can't you get a place at the Koi or..." He thought about it.

          She really didn't have many places to go. She wasn't the sort of person to make friends easily. She was more like a porcupine. If you could get past the quills, you'd seen what a cute creature she could be. If you irritated her... well, she wasn't shy about showing her displeasure.

          "Ever, maybe?" She sat down and pushed her hair behind her ear. "Himiko came home tonight while I was getting ready for dinner with Richard and-"

          "I was wondering whose clothes you were wearing," he muttered.

          She flushed and crossed her arms over her again. "Actually, these aren't his, but..."

          He groaned, "Start at the beginning, please."

          She sighed and told him. His measure of Richard went up slightly. At least the man knew where the boundaries of work and pleasure were. And if Kuzunoha had gone to make a deal with Jack, he would probably be doing some research on who Richard was now. If nothing else, he would want to make sure that she wouldn't be falling for this man or making sure that Richard would be leaving town. The two were friends, but Jocelyn knew he had some plan about marrying her and consolidating the families. He'd all but told most of the men in town to leave Kuzunoha to him.

          He wondered if he should warn her. He decided against it and made a note to go and see Jack later. Maybe he would find out some information about this stranger that would put Jocelyn's mind at ease.

          "And why can't you go back home?"

          She looked away. "I'm not... I'm an adult Jocelyn. I need my own home, my own... well, a place that's mine. She'll never respect me so long as I'm still living off the family's wages at home."

          "Kuzunoha, do you even know how to get a house?"

          She shook her head. "No, but I was going to ask... well, I thought... you might know..."

          He sighed. "Kuzunoha, most houses are built for their children when they marry, if their parents homes are too small for the entire family. You might be able to claim one of the abandoned houses at the outskirts of town, but you would have to clean them up, making them livable, do repairs..."

          Those homes were empty usually because of bandit raids. In some cases, the blood hadn't been washed out completely, left to dry and flake away after the bodies were removed. He personally wanted those homes taken down and perhaps new homes built over them. The question as always was who had the money or time to do such work And if Himiko wouldn't help her sister, Kuzunoha would have to choose one and hope that she could clean it herself. It was a bad place to be in.

          "Well, I will be leaving soon, perhaps as early as next week. But don't worry, if I find enough money with Richard, I should be able to afford to pay somebody to help me fix up one of them. And perhaps Richard will be willing to let me stay with him for the rest of the week. I don't want to..."

          "I can't give you the healing room, but I do have a cot, a pillow and a blanket you can borrow for a few days. After that, we'll have to talk about the arrangement, but I can at least do that." He wished that the look of relief she shot him didn't make the stones in his stomach crack so much. "Let me set up the cot."

          About ten minutes later, Kuzunoha was set up for the night and Jocelyn retired to his room. He looked at Salla. She was in his bed again, but she was glaring viciously at him.

          "So? What was wrong?"

          She would have heard him moving the cot, even if she hadn't heard the conversation.

          He slid out of his pants and under the covers. "Kuzunoha will be staying here for a few days. Her sister has cut off her money and until they make up, well, I can understand why she doesn't want to go home."

          He would have to talk to Himiko tomorrow. It wasn't quite in his job description, he was a healer, not a priest, but someone had to try to talk to her. If nothing else, she would want to know where Kuzunoha would be staying.

          He sighed. The last time Kuzunoha had stayed here had been years ago, when they'd still been together. She'd been in this room. It felt wrong, having her outside and Salla in here. Salla was glaring at him, but softened as she slid over.

          "It won't be for long will it?"

          She kissed him and then started trailing kisses down his chest. With a disappointed sigh, he stopped her from going lower.

          "It shouldn't be for long, but I've never liked... well, it would feel like there was an audience."

          He didn't like getting too intimate when he had a patient in the house, but somehow, knowing it was Kuzunoha right outside... it felt ever odder. Salla grumped and moved to the other side of the bed.

          "So, you're kicking me out while she's here?"

          He shook his head and pulled her close, kissing her.

          "No." he said fiercely. "You are always welcome, but its like when I have a patient. I just... don't like it. Please stay. I'd... I'd still like to have you by my side tonight."

          Slowly the tension left him and he pulled her close against him. He wanted more, the gods knew he did. He was so glad to have a girlfriend who understood. Still, it took him a long time to fall asleep, even with Salla lying warm beside him.