World Sphere - 36 - Reconciling With Pascal

Chapter 36 Reconciling with Pascal

The following day, as we were all heading to breakfast, we found my brother already eating and talking energetically to Callem and Wynna. He was ready to get started and brought a massive backpack. His pack had clothes, training weapons, and his new blade. I was a little upset as it looked like he had used the entire block of butter on his pancakes. Who needs half a pound of butter on a stack of pancakes? As I went to the larder to get more, I gave Pascal a lazy welcome wave.

When I ascended the stairs from the larder, the others were eating, and Pascal’s mouth was agape, staring at the young women who had entered behind me. Yes, they were all well above average in looks my brother, but your creepy stalker stare will not win any of them over! I was laughing to myself at his misfortune but then realized my own misfortune. All the pancakes had been consumed while I was gone!

My own shocked stare at the empty plate caused Gareth to easily swipe the butter I had laboriously claimed from below so he could lather his large stack of pancakes before him. I made a cheesy bacon and egg scramble in the kitchen and ate some apples for breakfast. I tried to look as melancholic as possible but didn’t garner sympathy from anyone! Did these people realize who made their dinners!? Stealing all the pancakes was not nice!

After eating breakfast, I left the farmhouse and headed to the yard first. Stretching was amusing. Pascal had terrible mobility compared to everyone else, but he couldn’t stop gawking at Aelyn, Cilia, and Leda as they stretched. He hadn’t even said one word to any of them yet, as far as I knew. The young women, for their part, were ignoring the newcomer, which was good because his roaming eyes were getting creepy. Gareth had been the same way when the girls first arrived but had mellowed out his own lusty, hormone-driven demeanor.

After stretching, I went inside to make dinner while trying to think of a proper punishment for shorting me on pancakes this morning. I decided on a beef stroganoff with a spicy kick. Maybe Callem would like it, but the others would be in for a surprise. It was a short prep, and I soon opening the large chest in the basement.

I took out a folio of notes Callem had left. There was a broadsword for Gareth, a rapier for Aelyn, a saber for Cilia, and a slightly longer saber for me. I knew Callem had mentioned two weapons for himself, but they were not included in these notes. I spent twenty minutes on the saber and ten minutes on the broadsword before putting them away. I needed coal down here to make the steel. Currently, the weapons were currently just iron.

I wrote that note for Callem and then went and made 20 gold coins, storing them where he wanted. I wondered how many coins I could make if I invested all my aether now. I would still need to heal today, so I couldn’t find out what my saturated aether core could make. I went out to join the others for conditioning.

Pascal was filthy from weeding the fields but had a sloppy grin on his face—probably from watching the women work. Sweat had their thin shirts clinging to their torsos. Their pants were essentially tight-fitting, but stretchable, dark blue cotton that Wynna had gotten them for working fields. They were easy to clean and kept you cool during work. As we moved to the obstacle courses, I saw Callem give me a wink. If I knew Callem, he was about to put Pascal in his place for staring at the girls all morning.

We were all going to run all three courses separately for personal best times on each course. Pascal would be getting his ‘baseline’ time for the courses. Callem stressed we were competing against ourselves. The person with the most improved time would get out of farm work tomorrow. This perked up everyone. I asked Callem if that meant I just wouldn’t have to make dinner tomorrow, and four sets of panicked eyes turned to Callem for an answer. Callem’s response was, “You all better not let Storme win!”  Sometimes, I hated the man.

I improved my time by 4 seconds on course A, 9 seconds on course B, and 2 seconds slower on course C. This wasn’t really fair, as Callem had increased the difficulty on course C, and I was tired. After all was said and done, Leda won the prize by improving by 49 seconds overall. I arched an eyebrow at her when Callem announced the results, hoping she would transfer the reward to me, as Gareth almost always did. Nope, she ignored my suggestive eyes.

For Pascal’s part, he was still sucking wind laying on his back. He had done his best but was far slower than everyone else. I think Leda was happy to no longer be at the bottom of the ladder. It was a feeling I knew all too well. When Cilia and Leda approached me for healing, I realized Pascal didn’t know I had magic. As I healed them, which required contact, Pascal was watching with wide eyes. He was probably shocked at first that I was touching them. Then his shock was from their bruises disappearing.

“Yeah, Pascal, I have some magic. Just healing and a personal cleaning spell.” I used the cleaning spell, and his eyes popped open further as my clothes looked fresh and my skin was radiant. “You need healing?” I asked. He seemed reluctant to take it at first either from pride or reluctance to have the magic cast on him. His hesitation caused me to turn and walk back to the farmhouse without healing him. It was almost lunchtime, and I was thirsty and didn’t want to wait. Aelyn fell in beside me.

“Is your brother going to be ok sleeping in the loft next to me?” she asked. It took me a second to clear my thoughts. Oh, that was the only free bunk. I could imagine his discomfort! Freya said he farted so loud in his sleep so loud it shook the walls. Sounds like I should make some chili tomorrow!

Lunch was pasta and vegetable soup with croutons on top. I think Wynna was experimenting with a recipe. It was ok but bland. We had a free hour after lunch and Pascal decided to bother me.

“So, Storme, you have magic? Do mother and father know?” he asked nicely. Well, nicely for Pascal. He had bullied me a little growing up because he was jealous that I got so much attention.

I sighed and returned the courtesy, “No. Freya does know, though. You can tell them when you go back. It is just a little magic, nothing spectacular. I am trying to learn a third spell and it is fairly difficult. It would be my first strong utility spell.” I didn’t tell him the spell, and thankfully, he didn’t ask. I think he was still in exhausted and in shock by everything today. He moved all his gear up to the open bunk in the loft. I smirked to myself as he didn’t realize the bed next to him was Aelyn’s.

In the afternoon, we wrestled and practiced submission holds, and Pascal was thoroughly trounced by all the women. He was only used to fighting with a sword. However, it wasn't wasted time. Both Gareth and Callem worked with Pascal to help him improve. He was very attentive, and his infatuation with the girls was starting to fade into respect for their skill. I thought that was impressive; in just half a day, he was able to focus beyond their allure.

We moved into sword practice, and I was matched with Pascal to start. I easily parried and stuck him repeatedly. He was somewhat in disbelief and frustrated that I had managed to pass him in just over three months with Callem. After six winning exchanges, I saw Callem look at me questionably. Fine! I started to give Pascal feedback to improve on his errors. He didn’t hesitate to make the corrections. Did he have a newfound respect for his younger brother? Where had this come from?

We had to clean up and rest for two hours after sword practice before dinner. Regretfully, Gareth explained the bathing situation to Pascal. Pascal seemed to think that if there were three men and three women, each group should get equal bathing time—how little did he know! I just cast my cleanliness spell to emphasize that they were on their own. Gareth explained that the three women would get about an hour and a half of time and they would get about half an hour in the pool.

While he waited, Pascal saw me in my loft and asked who I was sleeping next to with some slight jealousy in his voice, I nearly laughed. When I said, “Gareth,” he got a puzzled look and looked at his loft. Wait…I was going about this all wrong. Why was I trying to punish Pascal for a life of ignoring me and looking down on me? I should be using this as an excuse to escape Gareth’s noisy sleeping and foul foot odors. I was cleaning his bedding every other day with my cleanliness spell’s extended range, but I could move back to the other side with Aelyn…even if it was just for a month?

“Pascal, if you are uncomfortable sleeping next to Aelyn I will switch with you,” I said earnestly. He was thinking really hard before answering, so I just went back to studying and waited for a response. The woman returned from bathing, and Pascal finally spoke up.

“Storme, didn’t you say you would switch beds with me?” I looked down to find all the young women in their underclothes. A look of mischief on all their faces. I would bet a platinum that Aelyn had told them about my needling of my brother since his arrival, and they had just joined in; even Cilia was participating, which was a huge surprise to me. I packed my clothes into my bedding and made a large bundle to transfer my things. I made sure to give Gareth an irritated look at having to move. Gareth started helping me with my books, and Pascal helped as well. Soon, all my belongings were in the other loft.

Aelyn was soon in her bed studying her spell as well. I didn’t even need to use my cleanliness spell on this side of the loft. Aelyn had a nice earthy scent. I was giddy when it came time for me to leave and prepare dinner and my revenge for the pancake injustice. Everyone came in and sat as I placed the stroganoff on the table.

Now, I must admit I felt a bit guilty. The girls, for their part, had helped me tease Pascal today, and Wynna did nothing wrong. It was really Pascal, Gareth, and Callem who had piled way too many pancakes onto their plates this morning. Everyone was greedily spooning gravy over the noodles while I waited. Gareth was first; he didn’t like spicy food and was downing a cup of fruit juice to cool his mouth. The girls were next to succumb, looking for something to soothe the burn, with Wynna following shortly after. Pascal seemed unsure of what to think. He really had poor taste buds. Callem was just shoveling the mixture into his mouth and grinning, clearly enjoying the excessive spicy taste.

I threw up the white flag, admitting to my childish prank. “Sorry, everyone. I got a little bit miffed about not getting pancakes this morning.” This just got me death stares saying you did this to us because you didn’t get freaking pancakes! “I have a solution to help you through the burn…it is called a chocolate milkshake!” I went to make milkshakes. I found a sizable portion of the chocolate ice cream was missing, and when I looked up, a guilty Callem and Wynna looked away. Well, it was their house. There was still enough ice cream to make everyone a sizable milkshake. I made them a little thin so they could be drunk, and it allowed everyone to finish dinner. We had no study session round table tonight. Wynna said it would allow Pascal could settle in and rest. My brother did look haggard.

I was the first one back in the loft and studying, as everyone else was on clean-up duty. Aelyn came up to the loft and whispered to me, “There is a plot afoot to put pepper juice in your shorts.” I smirked. It was a childish prank but I deserved it. “It was Wynna’s idea. She has a salve that she thinks should resist your cleaning magic.” Now, I was a little hurt. Et tu, Wynna?

It was actually nice to listen to Aelyn’s whispering voice. It was very pleasant, especially compared to Gareth’s deep voice, which I could clearly hear from across the room. Pascal and Gareth were having a deep and loud conversation. They discussed which sword form is the best to counter which sword form.

“Your brother is ok,” Aelyn said. “He may have been gawking but he felt guilty about it. He has a girlfriend who he has…”

I stopped her, “I don’t need to know about that.” Aelyn was quiet for a while we both studied our magic.

Aelyn whispered, “Thank you again for how you have been treating me. I can’t believe how fortunate I got to fall into this situation after...” Before Aelyn could continue Leda screamed.

“I did it! Storme! Storme!” She scrambled down her ladder and into my loft, straddling me on the bed. “Watch Storme!” The compromising position might have been intentional, knowing Leda, but we had wrestled many times over the last two months. Nothing happened that I noticed. She looked disappointed. “Well, I’m already clean, so you can’t see, but I imprinted the cleanliness spell!”

I nodded and said, “That is fantastic, Leda. It looks like you forgot to return the book in your haste to show me.” She blushed, and her dark skin turned darker. She slowly removed herself from her position above me, realizing what she had done. I was ashamed to admit my body had started to respond. “Make sure you take some notes on the first few evolutions you want before returning the book. I tend to be rather indecisive on my own evolutions.” Leda was slowly climbing down from the loft, not making eye contact with me but nodding at my advice.

“If I learn the pocket space spell can I celebrate on top of you too?” It was a very quiet whisper from Aelyn that I wasn’t sure was intended for my ears. I blushed and actually got a little distracted in my studies as I replayed her words in my head over and over, imagining Aelyn in Leda’s place. If I had looked over at the other loft, I would have seen both Gareth and Pascal’s mouths hanging open from the series of events.

Pascal acclimated well to the next week of training. Gareth and Pascal got along famously, which made me slightly jealous. Gareth worked with Pascal nonstop, and Pascal was no longer shy about asking for healing from me. According to Callem, Pascal was making good progress and should be at the top of his class in the first year of his Academy class. Callem also talked about the Annuals.

It was a massive tournament for melee combatants. Usually, the pre-academy bracket entrants came from the large cities, but he thought Pascal might be able to do well. He had been planning on having Gareth win it next year. The other two tournaments were for the Academy students and Professionals. The Professional Annuals had the highest prestige, with a sizable winner’s purse from the Triumvirate.

At the end of the week, the massive ice sculpture in Callem’s yard was finally beginning to shrink, and the aether I had invested in was finally expiring. This caused Gareth, Cilia, and Leda to chip away at the ice surrounding the bucket. I had said no more ice cream until I got my bucket back.

The hot pepper juice in my underwear did occur, but I had been checking every time I changed, so I just faked being burned and ran to the stream after casting my cleanliness spell a few times, leaving a cloud of vanilla scent in my tracks. Wynna’s salve did not prevent the spell from working. I thought the women deserved a win, and everyone’s laughter was worth it, even if it was at my expense. I wouldn’t retaliate because I didn’t want it to escalate.

My progress with the basement weapon crafting was going well. After Callem had gotten the coal, I made rough stock weapons and then completed one weapon each day. Callem left notes on how he wanted the weight and lengths adjusted for each weapon, and I did my best to do so. The best progress came when Callem was in the basement with me, directing me in person.

After the week I had all four weapons done, Callem was going to bring them to Antal in Hen’s Hollow for bone handles after getting everyone’s grip impressions on clay. I was only making gold coins, and after some calculations, I guessed with a full aether core, I could make about 30 now. So, my efficiency with the metal creation ability and my aether pool were steadily growing.

My relationship with Pascal was actually getting pretty good. He was still envious of me, but there was a strong undercurrent of respect, and he recognized how hard I was working. We even talked a little, and I found out he was dating Sashan, a farmer girl who is a year older than him and is currently in the Academy. He had been interested in another girl who was in his immediate circle of friends. But they found kissing too awkward and broke up. I mostly listened to him talk while I tried to study. I was actually glad Gareth was here to distract Pascal. Otherwise, he might interrupt my studying nonstop with his desire to talk to his estranged little brother.

I felt like I had made minimal progress on imprinting the spell, which was the only sore point the first week Pascal was here. I even turned to my reference books to help expedite the process, but I made no substantial gains.

After the week, Callem said he was going to town with our grip impressions. He didn’t tell anyone why, but he mentioned he would bring back Freya and Monty for a visit. This excited me, and I also wanted to get the bucket free of ice! My sister needed to try ice cream for herself; her sweet tooth would love it!

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