Gaijin, Part 8/40
Dec. 11th, 2008 10:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sam_gamgeeGaijin, Part 8/40
The complete header can be found in part 1.
Previous parts can be found here.
Being pounced on is not an ideal way to wake up, Rodney decided, as he groaned and rolled over onto his back. “Ugh. What’s going on?” he croaked, not opening his eyes.
“Ten month! Ten month! Rodney-san!” a small voice said loudly right in his ear.
“Go ’way, Kyle,” Rodney replied sleepily as he ineffectually batted at the small child lying on his chest. “It’s not time for Rodney-san to wake up yet.”
“Come, Kyle-chan,” Jillian said and Rodney felt Kyle’s weight disappear with a huge sigh. “You can keep sleeping, if you’d like, Rodney,” she told him.
Rodney heard her move away and talk quietly with Kyle and he rolled back onto his side and burrowed under the covers. He could understand Kyle’s, and the other kids’, exuberance – if today started a month of Christmases, he’d want to get started with it as soon as possible too. But at this moment, he just wanted to sleep.
When Rodney did get up some time later, Kyle and Jillian were gone and Kirby was meditating. Rodney got up quietly and did his morning ablutions without disturbing Kirby. As he knelt by the fire to dish out some of the oatmeal, Kirby breathed deeply and opened his eyes.
“Good morning, Rodney-kun,” he said with a smile.
“Good morning, Kirby,” Rodney replied as he sat back on his ass. “Did you sleep well?”
“I did. Did you?”
Rodney nodded as he swallowed. “Well, aside from Kyle jumping on me.” At the flash of worry that crossed Kirby’s face, Rodney quickly added with a dismissive wave of his hand, “But it’s fine. He’s just excited about the festival.”
“Speaking of,” Kirby stood and picked up a bundle from the end of his bed, “these are for you.” He crossed the room and handed them to Rodney, who had put down his bowl.
Rodney carefully undid the ribbon holding the soft package together. He carefully unfolded the cloth to reveal a pair of soft mid-calf boots that laced up the whole way. Carefully stroking one, he looked up at Kirby. “Wow. Thank you.”
Kirby nodded. “You’re going to need them this month since we’re going to be walking out on sand a lot. And the robe will come in handy outside as well.”
Rodney realized that the robe was what the boots had been wrapped in and he put them on the floor so he could look at the robe properly. The linear accents on the hems of the sleeves and at the neck gave the robe a tiny bit of flair, yet kept it understated. “These are amazing,” he said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Kirby replied with a nod.
“How much do I owe you?” Rodney asked, still fingering the boots.
“They’re a gift,” Kirby replied. “Think of them as an early birth cycle present for this cycle and a very late one since you didn’t get anything last cycle.”
“Wow. Thank you.”
Rodney was shocked. He hadn’t received a birthday present in a long time. Even though John, Elizabeth, and Carson had asked him about it, he had shrugged it off, saying – truthfully – that he was uncomfortable with the whole thing. Prior to Atlantis, he hadn’t received anything while in Siberia or Area 51 – though he was sure that if he had received something then, he would have had cause to worry about personal harm. And with his family…. Rodney didn’t know the last time he had received a gift from his family. Jeanie had been different – they had exchanged gifts up until he had left for grad school.
Rodney was surprised to find that thinking of his family didn’t hurt as much as he thought it would. Aside from when he mentioned them to Kirby, Rodney still refrained from talking and thinking about them as much as possible, but it appeared that the meditation and telling Kirby things had helped a great deal. Though, now that he thought of her, he knew Jeannie was going to kill him for disappearing again – if he ever got home.
“Come on,” Kirby said, breaking Rodney out of his reverie. “Finish your breakfast, put those on, and meet us outside.”
“Okay,” Rodney replied, putting his gifts aside and picking up his bowl as Kirby stood and left.
As Rodney passed through the commons area while cleaning up, he noticed that it was quiet and empty. It felt odd how still the air was – not even the underlying sweep of sand being blown against silk was present. And the fact that no one was around and that even the sound of voices was gone was odd. But overall, Rodney found that he didn’t mind the silence the way he used to. He was still far from being completely comfortable with it, but he definitely felt more at ease with it.
After donning his new boots – the softness of which surprised him – and pulling his robe on over his clothes, Rodney slipped through the slit in the common area’s wall that had been left untied. Rodney took a deep breath of the thinner, fresher air as he let his eyes adjust to the sunlight.
The moment of adjustment didn’t last long as other things started pushing in for Rodney’s attention. The sound of a multitude of people talking mingled with the sounds of farm animals, the clatter of pots, and a multitude of lesser camp sounds. Then the stench of the animals, mixed with wood burning and food cooking hit Rodney’s nose and he sneezed.
Looking around, Rodney saw brightly colored tents stretched out before him. He took a deep breath and centered himself, getting ready to deal with more people than he had in far too long. Letting the breath out slowly, Rodney began trudging across the sand, surprised at how well the boots helped him move over the sand.
Rodney carefully entered one of the larger corridors between tents, hoping he wasn’t breeching any customs. The people that were out and about didn’t seem to mind, however, and called good morning to Rodney in Lapran. Some had strong accents, suggesting different native languages. Rodney wandered around aimlessly for a while, not sure where he should be going or what he should be doing.
Turning a corner, Rodney saw Kelly ahead of him, talking with a small cluster of people. “Oh, thank God,” he breathed, happy to finally see someone he knew. He was beginning to wonder if the Laprans had been swallowed up by these new people. As he got closer, one of the other men said something to Kelly and looked at Rodney.
Kelly turned and smiled at Rodney. “Good morning, Rodney-chan,” he said with a shallow bow.
Glancing at the other men, Rodney could see them appraising him and could tell when they noticed the cuff on his ear by the slight turn of their heads and some quiet muttering. Rodney mirrored Kelly’s bow and greeted him with a, “Good morning, Kelly-chan.” Turning to the other men, he bowed slightly and said, “Good morning, gentlemen.”
They murmured a good morning in response before the one who had originally alerted Kelly to Rodney’s presence said, “We shall see you later, Kelly-san, maybe this afternoon. It was good to see you again. Nice meeting you,” he said to Rodney. With a slight inclination of their heads, the three men went inside their tent.
“Did I do something wrong?” Rodney asked looking at Kelly, worried he had offended them.
“No,” Kelly said, turning so he was facing Rodney fully. “We were finishing up anyway when you came up. They’re fellow yak-herders, but still relatively new at it, so I was giving them a bit of advice.”
Looking around, Rodney said, “This is – wow. This is amazing.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Kelly asked with an appreciative glance.
“So…” Rodney said, not quite sure how to begin. “What’s going on?”
“Things are just getting started,” Kelly replied as they started walking. “The groups have been arriving since the sandstorm stopped last night. Today will be a day of rest so they can get set up and settle in. We’re all out here to greet them and offer any necessary assistance. Tomorrow will be the real start of things.”
Rodney continued looked around at the village that had literally sprung up overnight. “This really is amazing. And you know everyone?”
Kelly laughed. “Not *everyone*. But I do know a fair amount of them and I know how to identify where they’re from.”
Rodney nodded. That was normal enough. “And your old bound friend – have you seen him?”
“That’s where we’re headed now – to see if he’s part of the group this year or what news I can get if he’s not.”
“And how do I introduce myself? In general, I mean.”
“I’ll make the introductions, since that’s the expectation on their part. You’ll be accepted easily enough, though, when they hear we’re bound friends, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“No, not really,” Rodney admitted. “I would just rather not start a war because I accidentally did or said something wrong.”
“I doubt you’ll be able to do that,” Kelly replied with a mischievous smile. “Maybe when you’d first arrived with that prickly tongue of yours, but you’ve come a long way since then.”
“You have no idea,” Rodney muttered as they stopped.
“Here we are,” Kelly said, gesturing to one of the tents. “Come on, I’d like you to meet them, regardless if Kevin’s there.” They approached the tent and Kelly called through the flaps, “Good day to the people of Morykos.”
“Good day to a son of Lapras,” a feminine voice called from inside. “Please come in.”
Rodney followed Kelly inside. Looking around, he felt like he had stepped into the Sultan of Persia’s tent. Rich carpets lined the floors, tapestries hung on the walls, oil lamps hung throughout giving off scent and light, and a large pile of various sized pillows had been artfully thrown in one corner.
A handsome woman in her mid-fifties came out of an inner room carrying a basket. “Kelly!” she exclaimed in delight. “I thought I recognized your voice.” She set down the basket and came over to them. She placed both hands on his cheeks and he mirrored her actions and they closed their eyes for a second, breathing deeply. Rodney couldn’t help but think how similar it was to Teyla’s forehead touching.
When they let go and stepped back, Kelly said, “I’d like to introduce my bound friend, Rodney of Atlantis. Rodney, this is Natalia of Morykos.”
“It’s very good to meet you, Rodney of Atlantis,” she said with a smile. She touched one of his cheeks with a hand and after a quick glance to Kelly, who gave him a quick nod, Rodney did the same to her. “I’m glad you found someone, Kelly-kun,” she said after she had dropped her hand. “I know both you and Kevin were very close before he came to us.”
“How’s he doing?” Kelly asked as Natalia picked up her basket and led them to the pillows.
He’s doing very well, as is his wife,” she replied as they sat down, Rodney following Kelly’s lead and tucking his legs underneath himself. “They have three children now, two boys and a girl – the newest was just born. And he’s doing well in his new trade.”
“That certainly is good news,” Kelly replied with a grin. “I doubt he’ll be here, then.”
“He actually may be coming,” she replied. “I believe the elders wanted to bring the apprentices for a day or two so they could see the market. It hasn’t been set in stone yet, but I’m sure it would be possible for you to see him.” Taking up a shirt she was mending, Natalia changed the subject and said, “Now, Rodney, how long have you been on Lapras?”
“The, um, the end of the festival will mark my second full cycle here,” he replied, suddenly nervous.
“And how do you like it?”
“I like it a lot,” he found himself truthfully admitting. “The Laprans are very good people and they’ve been generous to me.”
She narrowed her eyes slightly. “And why haven’t you helped Kelly find a wife?”
Rodney looked at Kelly, stricken, unsure if he was failing in one of his major duties.
Kelly laughed and said, “Because I’m not looking for a wife, Natalia. If I was, I’m sure Rodney-chan would have found me one.”
She nodded sharply and said, “I’ll let that pass for now, Kelly-kun. What trade are you plying, Rodney?”
“I’m apprenticing with the silk guild,” he replied, glad that a crisis had been adverted.
“Good,” she replied. “And do you have anyone special?”
“No.” Rodney found himself blushing. “No, I don’t.”
“I doubt that’ll last too long for either of you – you’re both far too cute to stay single forever.”
Standing gracefully, Kelly said, “We should be going, Natalia. We’ll come see you and the others another day, okay?”
She nodded as both she and Rodney stood. “That sounds excellent, Kelly.”
Kelly took Rodney on a few more social calls before heading back to their village late that afternoon. “What'd you think?” he asked expectantly.
“I think it's amazing,” Rodney replied as he took off his robe and ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up. “And you said things haven't even started yet.”
Kelly smiled. “I think you're really going to enjoy this month. Sometimes I wonder how you haven't gone crazy with just us to entertain you and keep you company.” He seemed almost wistful as he said, “You were meant for much more than living your life with us.”
“There are people where I'm from who believe that everything happens for a reason, even if we can't comprehend it at the time,” Rodney replied as he followed Kelly to his quarters.
Ducking inside and pulling off his own robe, Kelly replied, “I have a hard time believing that you would be one of those people.”
Rodney laughed as he ran another hand through his hair, somewhat achieving the desired result before clasping his hands behind his back. “You'd be correct. I like knowing what the reason is beforehand and knowing what the possible outcomes are before I start.”
“Which is why you became what your people call a scientist.” Kelly sat on his cot and took off his boots, replacing them with his moccasins.
Rodney shrugged. “Not completely. I'm curious too – I like knowing how things work. And when I found I had the aptitude and the genius for it, I took to it like a duck to water.” Kelly gave him an odd glance at the reference, but didn't ask for clarification. “So, what are we going to do this evening?” Rodney continued.
“I was finally able to find a piece of wood for you to make into your staff. We could start on that, if you'd like.”
“That sounds great,” Rodney grinned. “Let me go put my robe away and I'll meet you out in the commons?”
“Sounds good,” Kelly nodded and Rodney left.
Kirby was in their quarters when Rodney entered. He looked up from where he was sorting out some herbs and smiled. “How has your day been?” he asked.
“Good,” Rodney replied as he folded his robe and put it on the end of his cot. He sat down and took off his boots, placing them on the floor at the end of his cot, and slipping on his moccasins. “I'm amazed at how quickly everything got set up out there. When you guys said that the other groups you trade with were coming, I was thinking maybe a couple tents and a few dozen people – not a whole other village.”
Kirby laughed. “It is rather amazing the first time one sees it. I take it Kelly was taking you around and making introductions?”
“A few.” Rodney stood. “I better get going – Kelly's waiting for me.”
Kirby nodded. “If you happen to see Jillian, tell her the Morykons want to see her.”
“Okay,” Rodney replied before ducking out.
Kelly was working on his own staff as he sat next to the communal fire and Rodney sat down next to him. Kelly stopped what he was doing and handed over a rough rod of wood that had been laying between them. It was roughly the same length and girth as Kelly's, though a bit bigger, and there were still knots and rough spots dotting its length. “This is yours,” he said. “It's tradition that when someone becomes proficient with a staff, they make their own.” Handing over a bag, he continued, “You'll find everything in here that you'll need to get it into shape.”
“Okay,” Rodney said dubiously as he took the bag and opened it. He carefully up-ended it into his lap and set the empty bag aside. Looking through the items as he set them out in front of himself, Rodney guessed they were standard wood-working tools, though a couple he had no idea how to use. He figured he might as well start with what looked like sandpaper – the fewer splinters he got, the better. He briskly rubbed the sandpaper over the wood, feeling the minute bumps and ridges smooth out beneath his hands. When he finished that, he looked at the rest of the tools in confusion. “Um... a little help, please?” he asked.
“Sure,” Kelly replied. He set aside his own staff and took Rodney's. Feeling along its length, he said, “Good job with the sanding. Stray splinters are a pain to get out.”
He leaned over and picked out a couple of tools and showed Rodney how to use them to smooth out the knots and stubborn rough spots without having to worry about the staff's integrity. After getting one of the knots started through demonstrating, Kelly handed the staff and tools back to Rodney to finish.
“You'll have more pride in it if you do most of the work,” he said.
“I could have figured that out, moron,” Rodney replied and Kelly chuckled. Rodney smiled slightly. He had never been sure why Kelly had found his put-downs funny. It had to be the fact that he didn't understand exactly what Rodney meant and was amused by Rodney's “quaint” vocabulary.
Turning back to his staff, Rodney continued to work on it until the knots had been pared down and the rough spots worn smooth to produce a streamlined piece of wood.
“Okay, I think I'm done,” he said.
“All right, let's take a look,” Kelly said as he stood.
Rodney followed suit and handed Kelly his staff when he gestured for it. Kelly held it in the palms of his hands and inspected it before holding it out in front of him and looking down its length as he turned it. He balanced it in front of him with one hand in the middle and it didn't wobble. Kelly spun it a few times before jabbing the air with it. He nodded in appreciation.
“I think you did a good job,” he replied with satisfaction. “Care to try it out?”
“Sure,” Rodney replied with a grin, pleased that it passed Kelly's inspection.
Kelly handed Rodney's staff back to him and picked up his own. “We better go down to the practice area. Otherwise, either Jean, Kirby, or my father will have our hides, since we should know better about the proper places to do things.”
“I take it you and Kevin got that a lot?” Rodney smirked.
“We had our fair share,” Kelly replied with a grin. “And you've been here long enough that you wouldn't be exempt from punishment for knowing better. Come on.”
The next morning, Rodney was up before either Kirby or Jillian, excitement thrumming through him. He could see why everyone's response to this tenth month festival was akin to Christmas – the possibility of meeting so many new people who had who-knows-what to offer, as well as possibly having information on how Atlantis was doing was exciting and Rodney wanted to get on with it as quickly as possible. The only difference was that he couldn't remember ever being this excited about Christmas. The closest thing was probably finding out just how much potential Atlantis had, even if he wouldn't be able to publish anything about it for a long time – if ever.
Not able to lie still any longer, Rodney decided to get up. By the time Kirby and Jillian got up, he had done his morning ablutions, kindled a fresh fire from the previous day's embers, and had breakfast almost ready.
After a quiet breakfast, Jillian pulled on her boots and robe and gathered up a few small items that Rodney didn't recognize before bidding Kirby and Rodney a quick goodbye and was gone.
“You should come with me,” Kirby said as he gathered up some of his medicines into an over-the-shoulder pouch and pulled on his boots and robe. “This will be a good chance for you to be formally introduced as my apprentice. It'll open a lot of doors for you.”
“Okay,” Rodney replied, pulling on his own boots and robe. “What do I need to bring?”
“Just yourself.” Kirby smiled. “Don't worry – it may be business, but it's not very somber.”
As they entered the new encampment, Rodney was surprised how busy it was – even this early in the morning. Practically all of the tents had stalls set up in front of them with a plethora of items and services displayed. Rodney couldn't believe that all of this had happened in under 54 hours. He soaked in as much as possible as he followed Kirby to their first appointment. He made a mental note of every stall that looked even vaguely interesting so that he could revisit it if he had time. The festival might last a month, but Rodney wasn't sure how much free time he would have.
Their first stop took them to a family with six kids – each of whom welcomed him loudly and cheerfully as he was introduced to them. Rodney couldn't imagine having that many, let alone that many with the oldest being only six or seven and going in steps down to about one – if that. Kirby checked all of the kids out and pronounced them all healthy before sitting down to talk with their parents – who were their people's healers. Rodney listened attentively as they traded information about what sort of illnesses they had encountered in the past year and what sorts of things they had used to heal them. Rodney was surprised at how in-depth their discussion was and couldn't help but think that they were, relatively speaking, as informed as Carson and the other doctors on Atlantis would be. Before they left, Kirby and the couple exchanged some of their herbs and the couple wished Rodney well in his studies. Rodney felt slightly embarrassed by it – he wasn't a young schoolboy – but thanked them shyly and ducked his head in response.
The second and third stops were much the same and Rodney found he was enjoying himself as he listened to the more experienced healers talk and share information.
“I believe it is time for lunch,” Kirby said as they emerged from the third tent.
Squinting up at the sun, Rodney found himself agreeing. “Sounds good. Are we going back to –?”
“No,” Kirby interrupted. “I know a place we can eat – and I have to stop there anyway.”
“Lead on,” Rodney said.
Kirby took them to a small stand a few tents down. As they drew closer, Rodney realized that it was the source of the roasted meat he'd been smelling during the past meeting.
“Good day, Dom'yan,” Kirby said with a slight bow when they reached it.
“Good day to you as well, Kirby,” Dom'yan replied, inclining his head. “How have you been this past cycle?”
“Very well, thank you. The gods have been very kind - I have been given a new apprentice.” He gestured to Rodney. “This is Rodney of Atlantis. Rodney, this Dom'yan of the Nagdali.”
“Good day, Dom'yan of the Nagdali,” Rodney said, repeating Kirby's bow. As he had done fleetingly with Natalia the day before, Rodney noticed the similarities Dom'yan had with both the Laprans and Natalia. Given how small the Lapran population was, and extrapolating that the Morykons and Nagdalis' populations weren't much bigger since they were all intermarrying, he wasn't surprised.
“Good day to you, Rodney of Atlantis,” Dom'yan said, inclining his head to Rodney. “Isn't he a little old?” he asked Kirby with a sly grin.
“His age is an asset,” Kirby replied. “At least with him, I don't have to deal with growing pains while I'm trying to teach him,” Kirby rolled his eyes, “which is why I've only ever taken one at a time - I don't think I could deal with more than one at a time.”
“You are a better man than I, Kirby,” Dom'yan replied with a warm smile. “And I suspect you are here for food.”
“We are,” Kirby, affirmed. Pulling out a smaller pouch from his bag, he said, “I also have your medicines.”
“You are a life saver, my friend,” Dom'yan said with a grin as he took the pouch, making it vanish into his robes. “Give me a moment to prepare your food.”
“He has digestive problems,” Kirby murmured to Rodney. “Somewhat ironic, isn't it?”
“Here you go,” Dom'yan said, putting two laden plates on the counter.
Rodney suspiciously eyed the plates that held what looked like some sort of barbecued pulled pork, a mixture of rice, beans, and cheese, and some cooked leafy greens that looked suspiciously like the spinach his grandmother had always tried to make him eat, and for a moment, his old fears suddenly rushed to the fore, but he pushed them down when he realized that the chances of citrus poisoning were slim to none. He picked up his plate and the smells that assaulted his nose made his mouth water and his stomach growl. Both Kirby and Dom'yan laughed.
“Aren't you feeding him enough?” Dom'yan asked Kirby with a chuckle.
“Oh, we feed him enough,” Kirby replied between bites of the maybe barbecue. “He has a continually empty stomach.”
“Better me than him in this business then, eh?” Dom'yan said with a twinkle in his eyes.
“He'd know how to cook better than you,” Kirby replied as Rodney was about to take his first bite and Rodney eyed him suspiciously. “Don't worry,” he replied with a laugh. “Dom'yan's cooking won't kill you.”
“And it might put some meat on his bones,” Dom'yan said with a critical eye.
Rodney looked down at himself. Sure, he'd lost a fair amount of the pudge he'd been told he needed to lose time and again by Carson and all his other doctors, but he didn't think he looked *that* bad. He certainly wasn’t gaunt.
“If you keep scaring my apprentice, Dom'yan, we're not coming back,” Kirby said. “Eat your lunch, Rodney-kun.”
Rodney took a tentative bite of the maybe-barbecue. “Oh my god,” he said, closing his eyes briefly in bliss as the flavor blossomed in his mouth. “This is *amazing*. Seriously.”
Both Kirby and Dom'yan chuckled. “I think he likes it,” Dom'yan said.
The next two weeks flew by. Every day, Rodney was up early and out among the newcomers until late in the evening – a large portion of the time was in the capacity of Kirby's apprentice as the elder healer traded herbs and information with the various tribes or tended to someone who either had fallen ill or had an ongoing condition that Kirby was more adept at dealing with than that person's own healer. But he was also able to spend some time going around with Kelly and looking at the different wares that were being offered and visiting with Kelly's friends.
“He's here,” Kelly whispered urgently one day while Rodney was studying a piece of technology at one of the stalls. He wasn't completely sure what it did, but it wasn't Ancient tech – even if it was a very good-looking imitation. All of the technology that he had seen had been pretty low-tech. He knew that there were a few more advanced things that were being offered, but didn't know how to ask about them.
“Who's here?” Rodney asked, bewildered, looking up.
“*Kevin's* here,” Kelly replied in exasperation.
“Oh.” Rodney looked around them, but couldn't pick out anyone that he would assume was Kevin. “Where?”
“Well, he's gone now,” Kelly sulked. “I just saw him briefly at the other end of the row.”
“Are you sure it was him?” Rodney asked.
“*Yes,* I'm sure. Let's go see the Morykons and see if he's there.”
Rodney sighed and put down the gadget, promising the seller he'd be back before following Kelly to the Morykons' tent. He'd been there a number of times since the initial meeting and had found he liked them a lot. He just hoped that Kelly wasn’t getting his hopes up at wanting to see his best friend – former best friend – whatever.
When they were two tents away, Kelly stopped suddenly, causing people behind them to glower as they went around. “I don’t know if I can do this, Rodney-chan,” he said.
Rodney rolled his eyes. “Why not? This is all you’ve been talking about for the past two weeks.”
“I know, but what if we’ve changed too much and don’t know what to say to each other? What if having you here makes him feel weird? What if he doesn’t want to talk to me?”
“Look at me,” Rodney commanded. When Kelly did, Rodney said, “Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Okay, I’m sure you’ll have enough to talk about – you haven’t seen each other in over two cycles. If you or he feels weird that I’m here, I’ll leave, easy as that. And if he doesn’t want to talk to you, then he’s being an asshole. Now get over there and see if that was really him."
Kelly’s gaze darted between Rodney and their destination before he blew out another breath. “You’re right.” He stood up straight and looked at the tent resolutely. “If I don’t do this now, he’ll leave and I’ll hate myself for not knowing for sure.” He glanced at Rodney nervously. “You’re coming with me, right?”
Rodney rolled his eyes again. “Of course I am. Bound friends, remember?”
Kelly blew out a breath. “Right. Let’s go.”
“If you don’t start walking, I’m going to push you over there.”
Kelly nodded and he finished the rest of the distance under his own power, with Rodney ready to grab him if he decided to try fleeing.
At Kelly’s stricken look once there, Rodney muttered, “Oh, for the –,” before calling into the tent, “Good day to the people of Morykos.”
“Good day to the people of Lapras,” a voice called. “Please come in.”
“Go on,” Rodney said to Kelly. “Get in there or I’ll call him out here.”
“You wouldn’t!” Kelly stared at Rodney wide-eyed.
“I would,” Rodney smirked. “I’ve done worse. I’ll push you in there if I have to.”
“Is everything all right?” Natalia asked, looking concerned as she appeared at the entrance to the tent.
“Can Kevin come out and play?” Rodney asked before Kelly could get a word out. Kelly snapped his mouth shout and glared at Rodney.
“Sure,” she replied with a smile. “Come on in and I’ll get him for you two.”
“I hate you,” Kelly hissed to Rodney as they followed her inside and stopped in the main room as she disappeared into one of the side rooms.
“I doubt you mean it,” Rodney replied serenely. “You’ll be thanking me by the end of this.”
The sound of children giggling drifted out of the room seconds before Kevin emerged. “Who wanted to –,” he broke off mid-sentence when he saw Kelly. “Kelly!” he exclaimed, a grin lighting up his face and he rushed over to him. “My gods, it is you!”
“Who did you think it would be?” Kelly replied, whose grin matched Kevin’s.
They touched their hands to each other’s cheeks and held the pose for a few moments. As he watched them, Rodney knew that even if this was going to continue being ridiculously saccharine, making Kelly come see Kevin had been the right thing to do.
When they broke apart, Kevin gave Rodney a once-over and asked, “Who’s this, then?”
Suddenly shy again, Kelly said, “This is Rodney of Atlantis. He came to us at the end of the festival two cycles ago. He’s my bond friend.”
Kevin grinned and said, “Welcome, Rodney of Atlantis,” before putting his hands on Rodney’s cheeks and closing his eyes. Rodney did the same, if a little uncertainly, given that two hands seemed to be reserved for people who were very close. Stepping back, Kevin said, “I’m glad you found someone, Kelly-chan. When was the ceremony?”
“Only a few months ago,” Kelly replied.
“Good for you. Good for both of you,” Kevin said, including Rodney in it as well. “Excuse me for being an inconsiderate host. Come and sit and tell me what’s been happening since I left. And I want to hear all about the two of you.”
“Only if you promise to tell me about your wife and children,” Kelly replied as the three of them settled on the pillows. “And I’m sure you and Rodney can commiserate together over your apprenticeships.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Kevin replied with a smile. “Dealing with a bunch of kids who’re nine and ten isn’t the best.”
“Four words,” Rodney said, “Twelve-year-old girls.”
Kevin winced. “Okay, I think you win.” Switching topics, he said, “You remember how apprehensive I was about going to Morykos, Kelly? I have to say, I love being a husband and a father.”
Rodney listened to them catch up with an amused smile on his face. He could tell that even after an extended period of time apart, they were still very close. He contributed when necessary, but was content to simply let them talk.
Rodney sighed in frustration. When the festival ended in three days, everyone would be going home and he still had no idea how they would manage. He had asked a few of the tribes, but they had all remained closed-lipped on the subject. He had told them – pleaded, even – to at least let him send a message to Atlantis, but they refused that as well.
“Okay, here’s the plan,” Rodney heard one day as he was perusing a table with a variety of technological odds and ends. “We’re going to strike in three days after everyone else has left. Study your layouts. Remember that we’re shifting to the left of what we did last year. You know what you need to do.”
Rodney was shocked. He remembered Kirby telling him about the raids, but to actually hear one being planned was different. He set down the gadget he had been studying and gave the man behind the counter a stiff ‘good day’.
Rodney wandered aimlessly, trying to get his thoughts together to figure out how to proceed. While the Laprans might be content to let the Korsans raid them and even think that doing so was giving them good karma, Rodney couldn’t just sit by and watch while people he had come to like, and in some cases maybe love, lose property or family members, or be taken themselves.
As he ran into a laughing Kelly and Dom’yan, Rodney felt a wave of relief. “Kelly, I have a problem,” he said urgently.
“Okay,” Kelly replied, immediately turning serious. “I’ll see you later Dom’yan. What is it, Rodney-chan?”
“Not here,” Rodney replied. They were quiet as they headed back to their settlement and Kelly directed them into his quarters. Once inside, Rodney blew out a breath. “I heard the raiders talking – well, one in particular. We have to stop them, Kelly.”
“What?” Kelly asked, shocked. “Why?”
“What do you mean, ‘why?’,” Rodney asked indignantly. “Has it ever occurred to you that what the Korsans are doing isn’t the will of the gods, but the actions of a petty, greedy people? So we need to stop them.”
“How, Rodney-chan? It’s just the two of us.”
“Then we’ll get the other men and women to help us and we’ll fight back. If you put a little force behind all the staff training we’ve done, I’m sure you could easily kick their asses. We have to show them that we won’t let them take our possessions, let alone our family and friends from us.”
“Rodney-chan,” Kelly pleaded. “I know that we all – yourself included – have come to see you as one of us, but that’s not the way we do things here.”
“It should be,” Rodney pushed. “Think about it, Kelly. What was Kirby like after his apprentice was taken two years ago? I’m sure you knew her. Weren’t you upset that she was taken, even if it is a fact of life? I’m sure there have been others that you know.” Building up steam, he pushed forward. “What if they took Kirby? Jillian? Kevin? Me? Your dad? Wouldn’t you want to do whatever you could to either get us back or, at the very least, keep it from happening to anyone else?”
“Yes,” Kelly ground out. “But, Rodney-chan –”
“No buts,” Rodney said, holding up a finger. “I’m not going to let this happen again, if I can help it, so you’re just going to have to trust me. Now, you better get back out there before anyone notices we’ve been gone for a while. I’ll be out in a bit.”
Kelly looked at him with a mix of skepticism and like he’d finally lost his marbles, but complied.
Rodney wasn’t sure *how* he was going to coordinate this – things like that had always been John’s job on Atlantis – but, damn it, he wasn’t about to let a group of thugs terrorize his people any longer. He stalked into his quarters and flopped down, immediately pulling himself into a half-lotus. Pulling himself together, he promised himself he’d figure out a way to stop this once and for all.
Continue to Part 9
The complete header can be found in part 1.
Previous parts can be found here.
Being pounced on is not an ideal way to wake up, Rodney decided, as he groaned and rolled over onto his back. “Ugh. What’s going on?” he croaked, not opening his eyes.
“Ten month! Ten month! Rodney-san!” a small voice said loudly right in his ear.
“Go ’way, Kyle,” Rodney replied sleepily as he ineffectually batted at the small child lying on his chest. “It’s not time for Rodney-san to wake up yet.”
“Come, Kyle-chan,” Jillian said and Rodney felt Kyle’s weight disappear with a huge sigh. “You can keep sleeping, if you’d like, Rodney,” she told him.
Rodney heard her move away and talk quietly with Kyle and he rolled back onto his side and burrowed under the covers. He could understand Kyle’s, and the other kids’, exuberance – if today started a month of Christmases, he’d want to get started with it as soon as possible too. But at this moment, he just wanted to sleep.
When Rodney did get up some time later, Kyle and Jillian were gone and Kirby was meditating. Rodney got up quietly and did his morning ablutions without disturbing Kirby. As he knelt by the fire to dish out some of the oatmeal, Kirby breathed deeply and opened his eyes.
“Good morning, Rodney-kun,” he said with a smile.
“Good morning, Kirby,” Rodney replied as he sat back on his ass. “Did you sleep well?”
“I did. Did you?”
Rodney nodded as he swallowed. “Well, aside from Kyle jumping on me.” At the flash of worry that crossed Kirby’s face, Rodney quickly added with a dismissive wave of his hand, “But it’s fine. He’s just excited about the festival.”
“Speaking of,” Kirby stood and picked up a bundle from the end of his bed, “these are for you.” He crossed the room and handed them to Rodney, who had put down his bowl.
Rodney carefully undid the ribbon holding the soft package together. He carefully unfolded the cloth to reveal a pair of soft mid-calf boots that laced up the whole way. Carefully stroking one, he looked up at Kirby. “Wow. Thank you.”
Kirby nodded. “You’re going to need them this month since we’re going to be walking out on sand a lot. And the robe will come in handy outside as well.”
Rodney realized that the robe was what the boots had been wrapped in and he put them on the floor so he could look at the robe properly. The linear accents on the hems of the sleeves and at the neck gave the robe a tiny bit of flair, yet kept it understated. “These are amazing,” he said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Kirby replied with a nod.
“How much do I owe you?” Rodney asked, still fingering the boots.
“They’re a gift,” Kirby replied. “Think of them as an early birth cycle present for this cycle and a very late one since you didn’t get anything last cycle.”
“Wow. Thank you.”
Rodney was shocked. He hadn’t received a birthday present in a long time. Even though John, Elizabeth, and Carson had asked him about it, he had shrugged it off, saying – truthfully – that he was uncomfortable with the whole thing. Prior to Atlantis, he hadn’t received anything while in Siberia or Area 51 – though he was sure that if he had received something then, he would have had cause to worry about personal harm. And with his family…. Rodney didn’t know the last time he had received a gift from his family. Jeanie had been different – they had exchanged gifts up until he had left for grad school.
Rodney was surprised to find that thinking of his family didn’t hurt as much as he thought it would. Aside from when he mentioned them to Kirby, Rodney still refrained from talking and thinking about them as much as possible, but it appeared that the meditation and telling Kirby things had helped a great deal. Though, now that he thought of her, he knew Jeannie was going to kill him for disappearing again – if he ever got home.
“Come on,” Kirby said, breaking Rodney out of his reverie. “Finish your breakfast, put those on, and meet us outside.”
“Okay,” Rodney replied, putting his gifts aside and picking up his bowl as Kirby stood and left.
As Rodney passed through the commons area while cleaning up, he noticed that it was quiet and empty. It felt odd how still the air was – not even the underlying sweep of sand being blown against silk was present. And the fact that no one was around and that even the sound of voices was gone was odd. But overall, Rodney found that he didn’t mind the silence the way he used to. He was still far from being completely comfortable with it, but he definitely felt more at ease with it.
After donning his new boots – the softness of which surprised him – and pulling his robe on over his clothes, Rodney slipped through the slit in the common area’s wall that had been left untied. Rodney took a deep breath of the thinner, fresher air as he let his eyes adjust to the sunlight.
The moment of adjustment didn’t last long as other things started pushing in for Rodney’s attention. The sound of a multitude of people talking mingled with the sounds of farm animals, the clatter of pots, and a multitude of lesser camp sounds. Then the stench of the animals, mixed with wood burning and food cooking hit Rodney’s nose and he sneezed.
Looking around, Rodney saw brightly colored tents stretched out before him. He took a deep breath and centered himself, getting ready to deal with more people than he had in far too long. Letting the breath out slowly, Rodney began trudging across the sand, surprised at how well the boots helped him move over the sand.
Rodney carefully entered one of the larger corridors between tents, hoping he wasn’t breeching any customs. The people that were out and about didn’t seem to mind, however, and called good morning to Rodney in Lapran. Some had strong accents, suggesting different native languages. Rodney wandered around aimlessly for a while, not sure where he should be going or what he should be doing.
Turning a corner, Rodney saw Kelly ahead of him, talking with a small cluster of people. “Oh, thank God,” he breathed, happy to finally see someone he knew. He was beginning to wonder if the Laprans had been swallowed up by these new people. As he got closer, one of the other men said something to Kelly and looked at Rodney.
Kelly turned and smiled at Rodney. “Good morning, Rodney-chan,” he said with a shallow bow.
Glancing at the other men, Rodney could see them appraising him and could tell when they noticed the cuff on his ear by the slight turn of their heads and some quiet muttering. Rodney mirrored Kelly’s bow and greeted him with a, “Good morning, Kelly-chan.” Turning to the other men, he bowed slightly and said, “Good morning, gentlemen.”
They murmured a good morning in response before the one who had originally alerted Kelly to Rodney’s presence said, “We shall see you later, Kelly-san, maybe this afternoon. It was good to see you again. Nice meeting you,” he said to Rodney. With a slight inclination of their heads, the three men went inside their tent.
“Did I do something wrong?” Rodney asked looking at Kelly, worried he had offended them.
“No,” Kelly said, turning so he was facing Rodney fully. “We were finishing up anyway when you came up. They’re fellow yak-herders, but still relatively new at it, so I was giving them a bit of advice.”
Looking around, Rodney said, “This is – wow. This is amazing.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Kelly asked with an appreciative glance.
“So…” Rodney said, not quite sure how to begin. “What’s going on?”
“Things are just getting started,” Kelly replied as they started walking. “The groups have been arriving since the sandstorm stopped last night. Today will be a day of rest so they can get set up and settle in. We’re all out here to greet them and offer any necessary assistance. Tomorrow will be the real start of things.”
Rodney continued looked around at the village that had literally sprung up overnight. “This really is amazing. And you know everyone?”
Kelly laughed. “Not *everyone*. But I do know a fair amount of them and I know how to identify where they’re from.”
Rodney nodded. That was normal enough. “And your old bound friend – have you seen him?”
“That’s where we’re headed now – to see if he’s part of the group this year or what news I can get if he’s not.”
“And how do I introduce myself? In general, I mean.”
“I’ll make the introductions, since that’s the expectation on their part. You’ll be accepted easily enough, though, when they hear we’re bound friends, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“No, not really,” Rodney admitted. “I would just rather not start a war because I accidentally did or said something wrong.”
“I doubt you’ll be able to do that,” Kelly replied with a mischievous smile. “Maybe when you’d first arrived with that prickly tongue of yours, but you’ve come a long way since then.”
“You have no idea,” Rodney muttered as they stopped.
“Here we are,” Kelly said, gesturing to one of the tents. “Come on, I’d like you to meet them, regardless if Kevin’s there.” They approached the tent and Kelly called through the flaps, “Good day to the people of Morykos.”
“Good day to a son of Lapras,” a feminine voice called from inside. “Please come in.”
Rodney followed Kelly inside. Looking around, he felt like he had stepped into the Sultan of Persia’s tent. Rich carpets lined the floors, tapestries hung on the walls, oil lamps hung throughout giving off scent and light, and a large pile of various sized pillows had been artfully thrown in one corner.
A handsome woman in her mid-fifties came out of an inner room carrying a basket. “Kelly!” she exclaimed in delight. “I thought I recognized your voice.” She set down the basket and came over to them. She placed both hands on his cheeks and he mirrored her actions and they closed their eyes for a second, breathing deeply. Rodney couldn’t help but think how similar it was to Teyla’s forehead touching.
When they let go and stepped back, Kelly said, “I’d like to introduce my bound friend, Rodney of Atlantis. Rodney, this is Natalia of Morykos.”
“It’s very good to meet you, Rodney of Atlantis,” she said with a smile. She touched one of his cheeks with a hand and after a quick glance to Kelly, who gave him a quick nod, Rodney did the same to her. “I’m glad you found someone, Kelly-kun,” she said after she had dropped her hand. “I know both you and Kevin were very close before he came to us.”
“How’s he doing?” Kelly asked as Natalia picked up her basket and led them to the pillows.
He’s doing very well, as is his wife,” she replied as they sat down, Rodney following Kelly’s lead and tucking his legs underneath himself. “They have three children now, two boys and a girl – the newest was just born. And he’s doing well in his new trade.”
“That certainly is good news,” Kelly replied with a grin. “I doubt he’ll be here, then.”
“He actually may be coming,” she replied. “I believe the elders wanted to bring the apprentices for a day or two so they could see the market. It hasn’t been set in stone yet, but I’m sure it would be possible for you to see him.” Taking up a shirt she was mending, Natalia changed the subject and said, “Now, Rodney, how long have you been on Lapras?”
“The, um, the end of the festival will mark my second full cycle here,” he replied, suddenly nervous.
“And how do you like it?”
“I like it a lot,” he found himself truthfully admitting. “The Laprans are very good people and they’ve been generous to me.”
She narrowed her eyes slightly. “And why haven’t you helped Kelly find a wife?”
Rodney looked at Kelly, stricken, unsure if he was failing in one of his major duties.
Kelly laughed and said, “Because I’m not looking for a wife, Natalia. If I was, I’m sure Rodney-chan would have found me one.”
She nodded sharply and said, “I’ll let that pass for now, Kelly-kun. What trade are you plying, Rodney?”
“I’m apprenticing with the silk guild,” he replied, glad that a crisis had been adverted.
“Good,” she replied. “And do you have anyone special?”
“No.” Rodney found himself blushing. “No, I don’t.”
“I doubt that’ll last too long for either of you – you’re both far too cute to stay single forever.”
Standing gracefully, Kelly said, “We should be going, Natalia. We’ll come see you and the others another day, okay?”
She nodded as both she and Rodney stood. “That sounds excellent, Kelly.”
Kelly took Rodney on a few more social calls before heading back to their village late that afternoon. “What'd you think?” he asked expectantly.
“I think it's amazing,” Rodney replied as he took off his robe and ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up. “And you said things haven't even started yet.”
Kelly smiled. “I think you're really going to enjoy this month. Sometimes I wonder how you haven't gone crazy with just us to entertain you and keep you company.” He seemed almost wistful as he said, “You were meant for much more than living your life with us.”
“There are people where I'm from who believe that everything happens for a reason, even if we can't comprehend it at the time,” Rodney replied as he followed Kelly to his quarters.
Ducking inside and pulling off his own robe, Kelly replied, “I have a hard time believing that you would be one of those people.”
Rodney laughed as he ran another hand through his hair, somewhat achieving the desired result before clasping his hands behind his back. “You'd be correct. I like knowing what the reason is beforehand and knowing what the possible outcomes are before I start.”
“Which is why you became what your people call a scientist.” Kelly sat on his cot and took off his boots, replacing them with his moccasins.
Rodney shrugged. “Not completely. I'm curious too – I like knowing how things work. And when I found I had the aptitude and the genius for it, I took to it like a duck to water.” Kelly gave him an odd glance at the reference, but didn't ask for clarification. “So, what are we going to do this evening?” Rodney continued.
“I was finally able to find a piece of wood for you to make into your staff. We could start on that, if you'd like.”
“That sounds great,” Rodney grinned. “Let me go put my robe away and I'll meet you out in the commons?”
“Sounds good,” Kelly nodded and Rodney left.
Kirby was in their quarters when Rodney entered. He looked up from where he was sorting out some herbs and smiled. “How has your day been?” he asked.
“Good,” Rodney replied as he folded his robe and put it on the end of his cot. He sat down and took off his boots, placing them on the floor at the end of his cot, and slipping on his moccasins. “I'm amazed at how quickly everything got set up out there. When you guys said that the other groups you trade with were coming, I was thinking maybe a couple tents and a few dozen people – not a whole other village.”
Kirby laughed. “It is rather amazing the first time one sees it. I take it Kelly was taking you around and making introductions?”
“A few.” Rodney stood. “I better get going – Kelly's waiting for me.”
Kirby nodded. “If you happen to see Jillian, tell her the Morykons want to see her.”
“Okay,” Rodney replied before ducking out.
Kelly was working on his own staff as he sat next to the communal fire and Rodney sat down next to him. Kelly stopped what he was doing and handed over a rough rod of wood that had been laying between them. It was roughly the same length and girth as Kelly's, though a bit bigger, and there were still knots and rough spots dotting its length. “This is yours,” he said. “It's tradition that when someone becomes proficient with a staff, they make their own.” Handing over a bag, he continued, “You'll find everything in here that you'll need to get it into shape.”
“Okay,” Rodney said dubiously as he took the bag and opened it. He carefully up-ended it into his lap and set the empty bag aside. Looking through the items as he set them out in front of himself, Rodney guessed they were standard wood-working tools, though a couple he had no idea how to use. He figured he might as well start with what looked like sandpaper – the fewer splinters he got, the better. He briskly rubbed the sandpaper over the wood, feeling the minute bumps and ridges smooth out beneath his hands. When he finished that, he looked at the rest of the tools in confusion. “Um... a little help, please?” he asked.
“Sure,” Kelly replied. He set aside his own staff and took Rodney's. Feeling along its length, he said, “Good job with the sanding. Stray splinters are a pain to get out.”
He leaned over and picked out a couple of tools and showed Rodney how to use them to smooth out the knots and stubborn rough spots without having to worry about the staff's integrity. After getting one of the knots started through demonstrating, Kelly handed the staff and tools back to Rodney to finish.
“You'll have more pride in it if you do most of the work,” he said.
“I could have figured that out, moron,” Rodney replied and Kelly chuckled. Rodney smiled slightly. He had never been sure why Kelly had found his put-downs funny. It had to be the fact that he didn't understand exactly what Rodney meant and was amused by Rodney's “quaint” vocabulary.
Turning back to his staff, Rodney continued to work on it until the knots had been pared down and the rough spots worn smooth to produce a streamlined piece of wood.
“Okay, I think I'm done,” he said.
“All right, let's take a look,” Kelly said as he stood.
Rodney followed suit and handed Kelly his staff when he gestured for it. Kelly held it in the palms of his hands and inspected it before holding it out in front of him and looking down its length as he turned it. He balanced it in front of him with one hand in the middle and it didn't wobble. Kelly spun it a few times before jabbing the air with it. He nodded in appreciation.
“I think you did a good job,” he replied with satisfaction. “Care to try it out?”
“Sure,” Rodney replied with a grin, pleased that it passed Kelly's inspection.
Kelly handed Rodney's staff back to him and picked up his own. “We better go down to the practice area. Otherwise, either Jean, Kirby, or my father will have our hides, since we should know better about the proper places to do things.”
“I take it you and Kevin got that a lot?” Rodney smirked.
“We had our fair share,” Kelly replied with a grin. “And you've been here long enough that you wouldn't be exempt from punishment for knowing better. Come on.”
The next morning, Rodney was up before either Kirby or Jillian, excitement thrumming through him. He could see why everyone's response to this tenth month festival was akin to Christmas – the possibility of meeting so many new people who had who-knows-what to offer, as well as possibly having information on how Atlantis was doing was exciting and Rodney wanted to get on with it as quickly as possible. The only difference was that he couldn't remember ever being this excited about Christmas. The closest thing was probably finding out just how much potential Atlantis had, even if he wouldn't be able to publish anything about it for a long time – if ever.
Not able to lie still any longer, Rodney decided to get up. By the time Kirby and Jillian got up, he had done his morning ablutions, kindled a fresh fire from the previous day's embers, and had breakfast almost ready.
After a quiet breakfast, Jillian pulled on her boots and robe and gathered up a few small items that Rodney didn't recognize before bidding Kirby and Rodney a quick goodbye and was gone.
“You should come with me,” Kirby said as he gathered up some of his medicines into an over-the-shoulder pouch and pulled on his boots and robe. “This will be a good chance for you to be formally introduced as my apprentice. It'll open a lot of doors for you.”
“Okay,” Rodney replied, pulling on his own boots and robe. “What do I need to bring?”
“Just yourself.” Kirby smiled. “Don't worry – it may be business, but it's not very somber.”
As they entered the new encampment, Rodney was surprised how busy it was – even this early in the morning. Practically all of the tents had stalls set up in front of them with a plethora of items and services displayed. Rodney couldn't believe that all of this had happened in under 54 hours. He soaked in as much as possible as he followed Kirby to their first appointment. He made a mental note of every stall that looked even vaguely interesting so that he could revisit it if he had time. The festival might last a month, but Rodney wasn't sure how much free time he would have.
Their first stop took them to a family with six kids – each of whom welcomed him loudly and cheerfully as he was introduced to them. Rodney couldn't imagine having that many, let alone that many with the oldest being only six or seven and going in steps down to about one – if that. Kirby checked all of the kids out and pronounced them all healthy before sitting down to talk with their parents – who were their people's healers. Rodney listened attentively as they traded information about what sort of illnesses they had encountered in the past year and what sorts of things they had used to heal them. Rodney was surprised at how in-depth their discussion was and couldn't help but think that they were, relatively speaking, as informed as Carson and the other doctors on Atlantis would be. Before they left, Kirby and the couple exchanged some of their herbs and the couple wished Rodney well in his studies. Rodney felt slightly embarrassed by it – he wasn't a young schoolboy – but thanked them shyly and ducked his head in response.
The second and third stops were much the same and Rodney found he was enjoying himself as he listened to the more experienced healers talk and share information.
“I believe it is time for lunch,” Kirby said as they emerged from the third tent.
Squinting up at the sun, Rodney found himself agreeing. “Sounds good. Are we going back to –?”
“No,” Kirby interrupted. “I know a place we can eat – and I have to stop there anyway.”
“Lead on,” Rodney said.
Kirby took them to a small stand a few tents down. As they drew closer, Rodney realized that it was the source of the roasted meat he'd been smelling during the past meeting.
“Good day, Dom'yan,” Kirby said with a slight bow when they reached it.
“Good day to you as well, Kirby,” Dom'yan replied, inclining his head. “How have you been this past cycle?”
“Very well, thank you. The gods have been very kind - I have been given a new apprentice.” He gestured to Rodney. “This is Rodney of Atlantis. Rodney, this Dom'yan of the Nagdali.”
“Good day, Dom'yan of the Nagdali,” Rodney said, repeating Kirby's bow. As he had done fleetingly with Natalia the day before, Rodney noticed the similarities Dom'yan had with both the Laprans and Natalia. Given how small the Lapran population was, and extrapolating that the Morykons and Nagdalis' populations weren't much bigger since they were all intermarrying, he wasn't surprised.
“Good day to you, Rodney of Atlantis,” Dom'yan said, inclining his head to Rodney. “Isn't he a little old?” he asked Kirby with a sly grin.
“His age is an asset,” Kirby replied. “At least with him, I don't have to deal with growing pains while I'm trying to teach him,” Kirby rolled his eyes, “which is why I've only ever taken one at a time - I don't think I could deal with more than one at a time.”
“You are a better man than I, Kirby,” Dom'yan replied with a warm smile. “And I suspect you are here for food.”
“We are,” Kirby, affirmed. Pulling out a smaller pouch from his bag, he said, “I also have your medicines.”
“You are a life saver, my friend,” Dom'yan said with a grin as he took the pouch, making it vanish into his robes. “Give me a moment to prepare your food.”
“He has digestive problems,” Kirby murmured to Rodney. “Somewhat ironic, isn't it?”
“Here you go,” Dom'yan said, putting two laden plates on the counter.
Rodney suspiciously eyed the plates that held what looked like some sort of barbecued pulled pork, a mixture of rice, beans, and cheese, and some cooked leafy greens that looked suspiciously like the spinach his grandmother had always tried to make him eat, and for a moment, his old fears suddenly rushed to the fore, but he pushed them down when he realized that the chances of citrus poisoning were slim to none. He picked up his plate and the smells that assaulted his nose made his mouth water and his stomach growl. Both Kirby and Dom'yan laughed.
“Aren't you feeding him enough?” Dom'yan asked Kirby with a chuckle.
“Oh, we feed him enough,” Kirby replied between bites of the maybe barbecue. “He has a continually empty stomach.”
“Better me than him in this business then, eh?” Dom'yan said with a twinkle in his eyes.
“He'd know how to cook better than you,” Kirby replied as Rodney was about to take his first bite and Rodney eyed him suspiciously. “Don't worry,” he replied with a laugh. “Dom'yan's cooking won't kill you.”
“And it might put some meat on his bones,” Dom'yan said with a critical eye.
Rodney looked down at himself. Sure, he'd lost a fair amount of the pudge he'd been told he needed to lose time and again by Carson and all his other doctors, but he didn't think he looked *that* bad. He certainly wasn’t gaunt.
“If you keep scaring my apprentice, Dom'yan, we're not coming back,” Kirby said. “Eat your lunch, Rodney-kun.”
Rodney took a tentative bite of the maybe-barbecue. “Oh my god,” he said, closing his eyes briefly in bliss as the flavor blossomed in his mouth. “This is *amazing*. Seriously.”
Both Kirby and Dom'yan chuckled. “I think he likes it,” Dom'yan said.
The next two weeks flew by. Every day, Rodney was up early and out among the newcomers until late in the evening – a large portion of the time was in the capacity of Kirby's apprentice as the elder healer traded herbs and information with the various tribes or tended to someone who either had fallen ill or had an ongoing condition that Kirby was more adept at dealing with than that person's own healer. But he was also able to spend some time going around with Kelly and looking at the different wares that were being offered and visiting with Kelly's friends.
“He's here,” Kelly whispered urgently one day while Rodney was studying a piece of technology at one of the stalls. He wasn't completely sure what it did, but it wasn't Ancient tech – even if it was a very good-looking imitation. All of the technology that he had seen had been pretty low-tech. He knew that there were a few more advanced things that were being offered, but didn't know how to ask about them.
“Who's here?” Rodney asked, bewildered, looking up.
“*Kevin's* here,” Kelly replied in exasperation.
“Oh.” Rodney looked around them, but couldn't pick out anyone that he would assume was Kevin. “Where?”
“Well, he's gone now,” Kelly sulked. “I just saw him briefly at the other end of the row.”
“Are you sure it was him?” Rodney asked.
“*Yes,* I'm sure. Let's go see the Morykons and see if he's there.”
Rodney sighed and put down the gadget, promising the seller he'd be back before following Kelly to the Morykons' tent. He'd been there a number of times since the initial meeting and had found he liked them a lot. He just hoped that Kelly wasn’t getting his hopes up at wanting to see his best friend – former best friend – whatever.
When they were two tents away, Kelly stopped suddenly, causing people behind them to glower as they went around. “I don’t know if I can do this, Rodney-chan,” he said.
Rodney rolled his eyes. “Why not? This is all you’ve been talking about for the past two weeks.”
“I know, but what if we’ve changed too much and don’t know what to say to each other? What if having you here makes him feel weird? What if he doesn’t want to talk to me?”
“Look at me,” Rodney commanded. When Kelly did, Rodney said, “Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Okay, I’m sure you’ll have enough to talk about – you haven’t seen each other in over two cycles. If you or he feels weird that I’m here, I’ll leave, easy as that. And if he doesn’t want to talk to you, then he’s being an asshole. Now get over there and see if that was really him."
Kelly’s gaze darted between Rodney and their destination before he blew out another breath. “You’re right.” He stood up straight and looked at the tent resolutely. “If I don’t do this now, he’ll leave and I’ll hate myself for not knowing for sure.” He glanced at Rodney nervously. “You’re coming with me, right?”
Rodney rolled his eyes again. “Of course I am. Bound friends, remember?”
Kelly blew out a breath. “Right. Let’s go.”
“If you don’t start walking, I’m going to push you over there.”
Kelly nodded and he finished the rest of the distance under his own power, with Rodney ready to grab him if he decided to try fleeing.
At Kelly’s stricken look once there, Rodney muttered, “Oh, for the –,” before calling into the tent, “Good day to the people of Morykos.”
“Good day to the people of Lapras,” a voice called. “Please come in.”
“Go on,” Rodney said to Kelly. “Get in there or I’ll call him out here.”
“You wouldn’t!” Kelly stared at Rodney wide-eyed.
“I would,” Rodney smirked. “I’ve done worse. I’ll push you in there if I have to.”
“Is everything all right?” Natalia asked, looking concerned as she appeared at the entrance to the tent.
“Can Kevin come out and play?” Rodney asked before Kelly could get a word out. Kelly snapped his mouth shout and glared at Rodney.
“Sure,” she replied with a smile. “Come on in and I’ll get him for you two.”
“I hate you,” Kelly hissed to Rodney as they followed her inside and stopped in the main room as she disappeared into one of the side rooms.
“I doubt you mean it,” Rodney replied serenely. “You’ll be thanking me by the end of this.”
The sound of children giggling drifted out of the room seconds before Kevin emerged. “Who wanted to –,” he broke off mid-sentence when he saw Kelly. “Kelly!” he exclaimed, a grin lighting up his face and he rushed over to him. “My gods, it is you!”
“Who did you think it would be?” Kelly replied, whose grin matched Kevin’s.
They touched their hands to each other’s cheeks and held the pose for a few moments. As he watched them, Rodney knew that even if this was going to continue being ridiculously saccharine, making Kelly come see Kevin had been the right thing to do.
When they broke apart, Kevin gave Rodney a once-over and asked, “Who’s this, then?”
Suddenly shy again, Kelly said, “This is Rodney of Atlantis. He came to us at the end of the festival two cycles ago. He’s my bond friend.”
Kevin grinned and said, “Welcome, Rodney of Atlantis,” before putting his hands on Rodney’s cheeks and closing his eyes. Rodney did the same, if a little uncertainly, given that two hands seemed to be reserved for people who were very close. Stepping back, Kevin said, “I’m glad you found someone, Kelly-chan. When was the ceremony?”
“Only a few months ago,” Kelly replied.
“Good for you. Good for both of you,” Kevin said, including Rodney in it as well. “Excuse me for being an inconsiderate host. Come and sit and tell me what’s been happening since I left. And I want to hear all about the two of you.”
“Only if you promise to tell me about your wife and children,” Kelly replied as the three of them settled on the pillows. “And I’m sure you and Rodney can commiserate together over your apprenticeships.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Kevin replied with a smile. “Dealing with a bunch of kids who’re nine and ten isn’t the best.”
“Four words,” Rodney said, “Twelve-year-old girls.”
Kevin winced. “Okay, I think you win.” Switching topics, he said, “You remember how apprehensive I was about going to Morykos, Kelly? I have to say, I love being a husband and a father.”
Rodney listened to them catch up with an amused smile on his face. He could tell that even after an extended period of time apart, they were still very close. He contributed when necessary, but was content to simply let them talk.
Rodney sighed in frustration. When the festival ended in three days, everyone would be going home and he still had no idea how they would manage. He had asked a few of the tribes, but they had all remained closed-lipped on the subject. He had told them – pleaded, even – to at least let him send a message to Atlantis, but they refused that as well.
“Okay, here’s the plan,” Rodney heard one day as he was perusing a table with a variety of technological odds and ends. “We’re going to strike in three days after everyone else has left. Study your layouts. Remember that we’re shifting to the left of what we did last year. You know what you need to do.”
Rodney was shocked. He remembered Kirby telling him about the raids, but to actually hear one being planned was different. He set down the gadget he had been studying and gave the man behind the counter a stiff ‘good day’.
Rodney wandered aimlessly, trying to get his thoughts together to figure out how to proceed. While the Laprans might be content to let the Korsans raid them and even think that doing so was giving them good karma, Rodney couldn’t just sit by and watch while people he had come to like, and in some cases maybe love, lose property or family members, or be taken themselves.
As he ran into a laughing Kelly and Dom’yan, Rodney felt a wave of relief. “Kelly, I have a problem,” he said urgently.
“Okay,” Kelly replied, immediately turning serious. “I’ll see you later Dom’yan. What is it, Rodney-chan?”
“Not here,” Rodney replied. They were quiet as they headed back to their settlement and Kelly directed them into his quarters. Once inside, Rodney blew out a breath. “I heard the raiders talking – well, one in particular. We have to stop them, Kelly.”
“What?” Kelly asked, shocked. “Why?”
“What do you mean, ‘why?’,” Rodney asked indignantly. “Has it ever occurred to you that what the Korsans are doing isn’t the will of the gods, but the actions of a petty, greedy people? So we need to stop them.”
“How, Rodney-chan? It’s just the two of us.”
“Then we’ll get the other men and women to help us and we’ll fight back. If you put a little force behind all the staff training we’ve done, I’m sure you could easily kick their asses. We have to show them that we won’t let them take our possessions, let alone our family and friends from us.”
“Rodney-chan,” Kelly pleaded. “I know that we all – yourself included – have come to see you as one of us, but that’s not the way we do things here.”
“It should be,” Rodney pushed. “Think about it, Kelly. What was Kirby like after his apprentice was taken two years ago? I’m sure you knew her. Weren’t you upset that she was taken, even if it is a fact of life? I’m sure there have been others that you know.” Building up steam, he pushed forward. “What if they took Kirby? Jillian? Kevin? Me? Your dad? Wouldn’t you want to do whatever you could to either get us back or, at the very least, keep it from happening to anyone else?”
“Yes,” Kelly ground out. “But, Rodney-chan –”
“No buts,” Rodney said, holding up a finger. “I’m not going to let this happen again, if I can help it, so you’re just going to have to trust me. Now, you better get back out there before anyone notices we’ve been gone for a while. I’ll be out in a bit.”
Kelly looked at him with a mix of skepticism and like he’d finally lost his marbles, but complied.
Rodney wasn’t sure *how* he was going to coordinate this – things like that had always been John’s job on Atlantis – but, damn it, he wasn’t about to let a group of thugs terrorize his people any longer. He stalked into his quarters and flopped down, immediately pulling himself into a half-lotus. Pulling himself together, he promised himself he’d figure out a way to stop this once and for all.
Continue to Part 9
