My eyes open to the chambermaid Nat in my room, "So sorry I hope I didn't interrupt your nap. I was just sent here to fetch you for dinner, but if you are too tired then I am sure her highness would understand… Did you put on makeup?" I shake my head, "No, I am glad I am up. I am quite famished… What do you mean by makeup?" Nat says while pointing to her eyes, "It looks like you have beautiful dark eye makeup on your eyes." I chuckle, "Those are my tired eyes. I guess even this body looks good even while tired." I say as I get out from under the covers making sure to keep Ash covered. Nat says, "Oh, well if that is the case I am actually a little jealous." I ignore her innocent jealous comment while still being worried for Ash. He seems to still be napping at the moment. I just had a thought, what if he is napping or something and a chambermaid finds him in the bed? That would be a fucking catastrophe. I need to ask, "Nat, just curious. How often will my linens be changed?" Nat replies, "Linens are usually replaced every week. Yesterday was linen day so you have several days before they will be changed." I nod, "Awesome. Thank you for the information." That is great information for us and keeping Ash a secret. In six days he will need to stay away from the castle or find somewhere else to hide while they change my linens. Wait, how long is a week in this world? It may be different from back home since this is a different world.
I ask Nat, "How many days are in a week in this world?" She looks surprised at the question and replies, "6. I can't imagine a number not 6 because then the year wouldn't be perfect. There are 360 days a year 10 months and 36 days a month and 6 days a week. 6 weeks a month." I stare at her in amazement mouth agape, "Say What?! That is completely different from back where I was from. We had 365 days a year and 12 months of varying days. It didn't really make much sense to be honest and it would probably confuse you if I tried to teach you the month and days for my old world. There was even a complicated concept called a leap year where every four years an extra day was tacked on to the end of the shortest month. Do not ask me what the meaning for this was because if I was taught it, I have forgotten it. It is just how we did things." I feel like the leap year was explained in my elementary years, but those memories evade me.
She looks like she just heard the coolest story ever, "I wouldn't mind you teaching me about your world that sounds fascinating." I smile, "It certainly was something." My voice trails off thinking now filled with thoughts for my wife Liz. What I would do to hear her giggle from a few rooms away. That was one of my favorite little things about my wife. Hearing her laugh and giggle at things from across the house. Knowing she was happy made me really happy. I let out a sigh trying not to make it sound depressed like it actually was by trying to stifle it. I miss my wife so much. I ask Nat to get my mind off the gaping hole in my heart, "Nat, do you know what is on tonight's menu for dinner?" She responds, "I am not that privy to that information but when I was passing the kitchen earlier it did smell great. I am sure you will love it."
Shortly after we arrived in the dining area. It definitely feels like a royal dining area but this area specifically seems more designed just for the royal family instead of large gatherings. Nat shows me to my seat having to pass by Prince Julio who tries to sneak a feel from Nat. She jolts with fear and goes pale, continuing to walk and pull out my seat in a professional manner. I notice her grab her chest and walk away quickly. Everyone else is apparently waiting on me except the king. I bow and greet the royal family, then I sit down and sit and wait patiently until someone speaks to me. I do not want to seem rude in front of these people, so I will just speak when spoken to. I have already greeted them this evening. I have done my part of etiquette. I mean assuming it is the same as the different kinds of royal etiquette from back on Earth. Many monarchies had traditions where it was customary to always greet the nobility with tact and respect.
So I am trying to just bide my time here for the time being until I know what the goddess wants me to do here in this castle. I didn't get an opportunity to ask before Nat interrupted our chat. I will try to ask next time. Before my mind can go any further the queen says, "Dinner is ready now we are just waiting on my husband and we will do formal introductions then. He said he had one more thing and he would be right out." She stops talking and looks at me for a moment, "That earring in your ear wasn't there before. I do not see its pair. Would you be interested in looking at my collection to see what you like? So you can have a full pair? Or something a little" she motions with her hands kind of like the queen in The Princess Diaries with that royal grace, "more… It seems a little simple." I responded to the queen, "This earring was a gift from the goddess. To remind me a little of my home world. I had died wearing something similar. The goddess wanted to give me a piece of my home world and I gladly accepted. Thank you, your highness for the offer for earrings, but if I were being honest I never really liked flashy jewelry that much. When I was married my wedding band was plain and black and I thought it was perfect."
The Queen then laughs, "Plain and black! I would never place something like that on my hands, but to each their own I guess. While we are waiting, why don't you tell us a little more about yourself, Zoe? I heard quite a fascinating tale from my chambermaid and got quite jealous we weren't able to hear it from you ourselves. She said many fascinating things. Can you tell us more about you and where you came from?" I shrug slightly, "Sure, your majesty. What exactly are you wanting to know? My likes/dislikes, what I did for a living, or maybe something else?" The queen giggles in a very sultry manner befitting her beautifully formidable appearance, "We can start there, I guess." I then say, "Well I like to exercise my body obviously" I say looking at my body.
Though it may be new it feels like my old body in terms of the strength I had from all the training I did on a regular basis that I will need to resume tomorrow. This new body is great though. When Nat was giving me the tour the first thing I noticed was how my knees were not hurting from my time in the army. Back on Earth, taking stairs would have really strained and pained my knees. Here in Gaos, my body is renewed. I continue, "I also really love cute things." I say as I do a small happy wiggle with my body as I think of Ash and his very adorable self and smiling, "As for dislikes…. I do not like brussel sprouts and I do not like cruelty of any kind." I giggle and continue, "Those two don't feel like they need to be in the same sentence. Obviously I dislike cruelty more but I do dislike brussel sprouts as well." The queen laughs in a sultry way and the princess laughs too in her little spunky way. The princess laughed, "I dislike brussel sprouts and cruelty as well." The queen stops laughing and says, "I actually like brussel sprouts. If it were celery I could understand. Celery is just really stringy and I just do not like it." The princess then says, "Nut butter is really good on those and I love those so much."
I think 'nut butter' must be this world's way of saying peanut butter or maybe they just get a variety of nuts and grind them down. Now I am a little curious, "Princess, how is that nut butter made?" She then says, "I actually don't know the details, maybe Nat does?" she says looking at Nat who then replies, "I think the kitchen gets a variety of nuts and grinds them into a buttery paste with a tad of salt if we have any in stock." I think oh like neapolitan peanut butter, "That sounds like something I would enjoy. Would it maybe be ok if I were to try some sometime, your highness?" I say turning back to the princess who then looks to her mom who nods her head. The princess then says, "You sure can, Zoe. I can bring some celery and nut butter tomorrow for snacks and tea. I will bring it all to you in your chambers" She says as she winks.
I am pretty sure that wink was a signal of our shared secret like she is mainly wanting an excuse to come and give Ash affection. I do not mind that at all if she is really doing it out of good intentions. I hear the princes groan to the side in response to her wink. I think they may have thought she had sexual interest behind the wink. Who knows maybe she did but I really do think it was for our shared secret. Queen Felicia then pipes in, "I would love to join this little tea party but we will definitely need something else besides … celery." The princess looks a little shocked and bummed out. That confirms it for me she was probably only coming to my room for Ash. I mean, who can blame her? He is so fucking adorable. We won't be able to give him attention with the queen in the room with us since she isn't privy to his existence. She seems like the type of person who might call a squirrel a pest.
The king arrives shortly after and then the queen gets up too. She then says, "We are sorry we forgot to introduce ourselves to you when we met earlier. Let us officially remedy that now. I am Felicia Von Trapp. Queen of Hedia."
It takes everything in my being to not laugh or show any signs of humor at their names.
I WOULD DIE.
She looks to her husband, "I am Juan Von Trapp. King of Hedia." I think 'Juan Von' has a nice flow to it and also think how their first names sound latinx in origin but their family name does not. I am just thinking if the people of Earth knew their naming scheme they would most probably laugh. This is a different world so their geography is not the same and maybe how I understand language from people changes in a way I can understand it kind of like with Ash and how we communicate. That is a thought train for another time though and the official introductions continue. The king nods to his sons. The noble looking one with brown hair says, "I am Juanito Von Trapp. Second Prince of Hedia." He then nods to his brother who says, "I am Julio Von Trapp. First Prince of Hedia." So that is what this guy sounds like. He even sounds sleazy. I am so glad he is a man of little words because I am not sure if I could handle a conversation with him. He then nods to his sister who introduces herself, "Riviera Von Trapp. Crown Princess of Hedia." She says with that spunk of hers as she gives a graceful wave of the hand. Juanito says in a patronizing way that siblings do, "You ruined your introduction with that tone of yours." The princess interjects, "Well at least I'm not boring like you." she says as she sticks out her tongue in sibling angst.
I start laughing because the situation with their sibling dynamic is funny. They all look at me and I stop laughing and say while standing up briefly to bow, "It is a pleasure to officially make your acquaintances, your highnesses." The king claps his hands and then says loudly, "Great! Now that the introductions are finally out the way, let us eat!" With that servants came rolling in the dining room with the food. I was so hungry that I could eat a cow. Though I can talk to them now I do not know how I feel about this now. I haven't stopped to think about it yet since getting these powers.
I am not going to think about my diet too much right now and plus there is the circle of life too so I shouldn't feel bad for eating meat once or twice. I should just make sure to give my thanks. They bring out the first course which is a light refreshing soup. I am trying to hold back from slurping it down like a heathen because I am just so hungry and so far I am doing a good job. A tiny slurp escapes my lips and I cover my mouth, "Excuse me." The princess then laughs, "Slurping is a thanks to the chef in our culture like a good belch at the end of the meal. It isn't something to ask for an excuse by any means." I raise my eyebrows in interest, raising my glass of water up to my lips for a quick sip of water before saying, "That is quite interesting. We had many cultures back on Earth that thought belching was a form of flattery for the cook but there were probably just as many if not more that thought it was ill mannered and the slurping was usually hated by all where I came from. I am hoping to learn more about your country here and more about your customs. They sound truly fascinating and I want to try to follow your country's customs while I am here, your highness."
Prince Juanito interjects, "Some people here hate it too. Like me personally I really hate slurping." The Princess Riviera mutters, "baby" under her breath and Juanito throws a napkin at her. The queen then gives both of them the death glare and the king clears his throat, "Alright you two. That is enough bickering out of you. We will gladly teach you about our people but we would like to know more about you. What did you do before coming here to our world?"
Oh yea I never did get to this earlier when we were talking before he arrived so it turns out everything worked out realizing I don't have to repeat myself or anything, "On Earth, I was a teacher." Queen Felicia responds like she is amused, "I would not have guessed that. What did you teach?" I sigh and think. I want to respond truthfully, knowing this might be a mistake. I say, "To be honest I couldn't care less if they remembered anything I taught academically. What I hope they learned from me was how to question authority and think critically so they can make their own informed decisions. I do want to clarify that this world I came from is really different from this one. Where I am from there was no monarchy." The king then asks inquisitively, "What did you have if you did not have royals?" I took a bite of food while he asked that and I wiped my mouth before replying, "We had a collective of individuals in a checks and balances system who led our country. The leader of this collective we called the President and they were always elected by the people and could only serve in 4 year terms and could only lead the country for at most 8 years before passing the role to someone else." Queen Felicia replies, "Wow. That seems so radical."
Princess Riviera chimes in, "What kind of place was it?" I reply, "It was a dystopia that normalized obesity. There was a literal epidemic in our country and many people died from weight related health problems because of it." The princess asks a followup question, "What caused this problem?" I sigh thinking 'what didn't?' and respond, "There were many things that contributed to the dystopia that was my home country. Our country was very entertainment based so many people were just sedentary. Not to mention that healthier choices were always marked up in the stores while other not so healthy choices were more affordable to the masses. The food manufacturers also put weird chemicals in the food causing not only health problems but also weight problems as well since the body can't process foreign substances. Due to not being able to process the foreign substances they were turned into adipose tissue otherwise known as fat. That and people tended to make poor choices when eating food and would often eat too much fried food or sweets."
The queen replies, "Didn't you all have mother's to tell you what is best to eat?" They probably used word of mouth from generation to generation about diet in this world. I try to explain how Earth was when I left, "You see, your highness, where I came from it was so normalized in the culture that it was often the mothers who were feeding their children the non-healthy diets." Prince Juanito shivers, "Ewww. Does that mean most of the women were fat?" I sigh trying not to show my obvious disgust at his comment and behavior, "Women were more heavy-set, yes, but one can still be healthy even with weight. Like my wife was a very beautiful, plump, curvy woman and was healthy. Healthy beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. As long as you are in good health that is all that matters. Children and adults alike would eat a lot of fried foods and sweets and not eat enough vegetables or exercise. Sweets are not bad and neither is fried food, but in excess like most things are bad for you. I can't imagine living without my chocolate. I had a little chocolate every day and it was during my tea time."
The princess perked up, "You used to eat chocolate everyday?! Chocolate is such a luxury. I thought you said you were not nobility?" Worlds really are different aren't they. I say, "Well, where I am from, chocolate is mass produced and is very affordable to the masses. It isn't a luxury item where I am from. I would buy chocolate chips and use them in all sorts of ways and one of my favorites was making a certain treat. I would get pitted dates and fill them with caramel sauce and put a pecan half on top of the caramel and then cover them with melted dark chocolate and then sprinkle sea salt on top before placing in a cold place to harden. Those are pretty addictive and I used to love eating like 10 of them with my daily tea." The queen then chimes in, "First chocolate, then salt? Salt is more expensive than chocolate here." I look at her really confused like, "I find it hard to believe something so easily acquired as salt would be more expensive than chocolate. Whoever you buy it from is scamming you." The king, now very interested, chimes in, "What do you mean they are scamming me?" I responded, "Well, your highness, all you need to acquire salt is ocean water. You just boil the water out of it and you are left with salt. That is it. That is assuming your oceans are salt water here."
Everyone gasps then slowly starts laughing and the king then says, "Please send for an envoy to our ever so gracious coastal companions in the country of Pacifica. We need to have a chat as soon as possible." The king directs to one of his retainers. He then turns his attention to me, "Thank you for that information. I had no idea salt was so easy to come by and our neighbors have been exploiting our ignorance. Well no more. Thank you again, you have saved us a lot of gold. If they do not want to negotiate after this we will just make jobs so we can create it ourselves. We have access to the ocean on one of our borders we can use to access ocean water for our own salt trade. We may not have anywhere near as much ocean access as Pacifica but we can make do with what we have if we need to."
The queen then says, "Back to what you said earlier. You said chocolate was easily available to the masses? Chocolate made available to the masses sounds almost preposterous. Only the nobility have access to it here in Hedia." I sigh feeling bummed out since I'm a whore for chocolate, "That really sucks, it sounds like I won't be able to have it as frequently as I would like but there are other sweet things out there that aren't chocolate. I do not want to break your bank with something that is expensive." Queen Felicia replies, "Darling, we are the royal family. The most wealthy in all of Hedia. If it is chocolate you desire then eat your fill. Especially after all the gold you saved us."
I reply to the Queen, "I do not need it everyday, it is fine. How about I will eat it if you offer it during tea or dessert for everyone here to share?" She replies wearing that same sultry face and voice as usual, "Sounds good to me, darling." Did she just start calling me darling…again? I heard it like twice now and I am pretty sure I am not imagining it. I smiled a polite smile in response. The servants then removed our bowls from the first course and replaced it with the main course meal which was an elegant looking piece of poultry with a delectable looking sauce on it served with veggies on the side that looked pretty well seasoned. Seeing the poultry I put my hands together and close my eyes and say a little quietly, "Thank you for the sustenance. I pray your next life is long." Open my eyes and dig in and it is good. Prince Juanito asked, "What was that you said over your food there? Was that from your old world too?" I giggle, "No, your highness. I guess you could say that is just a me thing. Felt the need to respect the life sacrificed so we could eat this meal."
I don't want to say more for fear they may prod and get closer to my ability that Princess Riviera already knows about. She probably knows why and that is why she bears a clever spunky smirk on her face right now. It is actually really fucking cute to be honest. After our brief eye contact that basically acknowledged our secret Prince Juanito says, "Why though? It was just some bird." The king and prince Julio seem to agree with this sentiment. I reply, "If it is not for you then just don't do it. I am not trying to force ideals on anyone, your highness. We all believe in different things and value different things in life. Some value power, some value wealth, some value sex, some value family, the list goes on and is never ending. Everyone values different things and if we were to go around this table right now there would be different answers and that is perfectly ok, your highness. The goddess knows everyone is an individual and she loves having her creations have free will to choose how to live and what to value in life. So it is perfectly ok for you to think I am weird for thanking a dead bird. I even know it is weird, but I still feel I need to do it, regardless."
Prince Julio finally opened his mouth with a scoff, "Sure is weird alright." and immediately stopped talking just as quick as his blurb was and went back to spectating, soaking and absorbing conversation. I obviously knew he would feel that way it is written all over his face. The queen says, "I think it is a very interesting and compassionate practice though I do not think it is for me." Fair. I mean I didn't even do this in my first life. They can't hear animals like I can now. It is completely different for me now from my first life. With these abilities comes new feelings and values since my world has been turned upside down here. I will probably end up cutting out most of the meat out of my diet because of this ability. I guess I am terrified that I might end up eating a friend. I will definitely miss that source of protein but I can get my protein from other sources like beans, eggs and dairy products like greek yogurt. Though they wouldn't call it greek here. I will most definitely miss meat so I savor the bites I am eating during this meal and will during my stay here while I am unable to make many furry and feathery friends. I do not want to have to make requests and be picky when the food is that spectacular. When I leave here and make more animal friends though I will most definitely be cutting WAY back on meat if not all the way out of my diet. The king nods, "Yea that isn't my cup of tea." I do not know why they are just refusing what I said. I am not trying to force my ideals on them or anything.
The only one I know that would say something positive is Princess Riviera but I do not need her to. I meant what I said when having different ideals and values is ok. Different ideals can line up and agree on certain topics and it happens all the time. Similar to the philosophy of the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Having a common thread even if they might be different. I think the princess is trying to figure out what to say without saying too much. I think I might just keep talking to save her, I laugh and say, "You guys remind me a lot of my meat-a-tarian brothers in my first life. They would sarcastically say something like, 'Oh no not the little chicken.' and then proceed to eat the chicken. I mean I also would eat the chicken. We loved to eat meat but the way they would do that sometimes and you guys talking like this reminds me a bit of home." Julio then pipes in again, "I thought you said you didn't like cruelty. Would that not be considered cruel laughing at a life like that." I responded, "For clarification I was never laughing. In nature there is a law of the survival of the fittest and there is a natural order of things. You have herbivores that eat plants, carnivores that prey on the weaker herbivores, and omnivores like us humans who can eat both plants and meat. Why would we be created to be able to consume both if we weren't meant to? It is a natural occurrence in nature for animals to be felled to sustain another for that is the food chain."
Prince Julio was intrigued, "What is this food chain?" I then explain, "All creatures living in Gaos are a part of this food chain to even include everyone at this table. Take for instance chickens eat plants and stuff while they are preyed upon by many different species to include us and for sake of this discussion I will. So chickens eat plantlife, we eat chickens, wolves eat us, stronger predators eat wolves depending on your ecosystems here that might be a tiger or a panther or maybe even a bear and you even have animals that prey on the dead carcasses that are left behind. This is the food chain at its most simple. In actuality it is very complex and interwoven. Everything has to eat something for sustenance. Though since people can use magic here in this world, the food chain might be a little different than what I described in my simpler explanation."
The queen then says like she remembered something, "Oh yes! That is right! Nat did say the world you came from did not have magic. How did you all survive without magic? I do not think I can think of life without my water magic." Prince Juanito then says, "Same, I cannot think of a life without my wind magic." Everyone else at the table nods in agreement and I say, "We used technology and innovation. We had these really useful appliances like a washing machine and dryer to wash and dry laundry for us. All we had to do was put the laundry in and the machines did the rest. I would often do laundry while I watch a show on my tv."
I already know what they are going to ask and the princess then asks inquisitively, "What is a show? What is a tv? Is a show similar to a play we have here?" I then respond, "Well think of it as like an immortalized play that can be played over and over again as much as a person wants to see it on a big rectangle screen that we called a TV. TV is short for television. It is a device that shows these shows where you can even see a play on it if you would like but there were things called movies and tv series we had for entertainment. Movies are like stories told by actors that make you feel like you are in the story and the same with tv series but those are told episodically to keep the populace entertained over time. We were very entertained on Earth. Though being so entertained came with its own problems."
Princess Riviera perks up, "I think I would love to watch a show that sounds quite lovely" She says as she gracefully yet with a hint of spunk in her facial expression brings her hand up to her face very noble-esque. Queen Felicia interjects, "Can you elaborate what you mean by what you meant by problems?" I dab my mouth with a napkin and respond, "Sure, remember when I said that there was a weight problem where I am from? People would sloth around soaking in entertainment, eating food and not exercising like they should and it was slowly killing everyone. There was even a show on tv called 'My 600 pound life' which followed extremely obese people and their day to day life. People would just let themselves go to the point where they needed immediate intervention to save their lives because getting that big will kill you. I almost lost my tattoo artist like that."
As I say this the servants are removing the main course and are bringing out the dessert. The queen then responds, "I almost forgot you said that. That is a strange world where the majority of people are overweight. Seems like it is make believe a little but it is too weird a detail to be fabricated in my opinion. What is this tattoo artist you speak of?" I perk up in excitement, "They use needles filled with ink and stab you over and over again in what you guys might call a special ritual to draw and write on human flesh to make you a walking piece of artwork. It was a painful process since you get stabbed repeatedly with needles but in my opinion it was well worth it for the finished result."
I look down at my blank arms in slight disappointment and sigh, "I really do miss my tattoos. I had many of them. Most women on Earth love to shop for shoes, but I would rather spend money on tattoos that last forever and are beautiful. Let me rephrase: CAN be beautiful. An unskilled idiot can pick up a tattoo needle and call himself an artist. I saw some bad tattoos in my day and let me tell you. Once you get it you are stuck with it." I say getting a slight pain in my chest ignoring it as I laugh thinking back to when I was a corrections officer. There was a guy that had a horrible triforce (from the Legend of Zelda) tattoo shaded blue with no outline and worst of all it was crooked. I continue, "You can try to get it covered up but you need to include the original image with the coverup. You can't just draw on top of it like a new canvas. I actually had a few cover up tattoo jobs done and things with layers like flowers and bird feathers are great. I replaced an anchor tattoo with a rose and a dragon into a phoenix. Those tattoos I got when in a toxic relationship so they had to go. Those coverups were some of my favorites, too." I say as I trail off now looking down at my blank skin that is inkless.
Getting a pain in my chest in the process of reminiscing and the more I think about my old tattoos, the more it hurts. The queen then says, "Body art huh? That reminds me there are some cultures here in this world that have things like that where they stab the skin over and over again though we don't call it tattooing here we just call it getting 'inked'." I laugh like a cackle the laughing taking my pain away from my chest, "I am sorry your highness, we also referred to it as getting inked so I think it is funny that our informal way of saying it is how you guys refer to it. I figured for explanations I would use the formal terms for you all instead of what I would have called slang. Who knew that using slang there would have been correct?" I rhetorically ask while laughing. The princess then says, biting her lip briefly, "I think women with ink are hot." The queen then coughs then sharply says, "Riviera not at the table." then under her breath a little bit continues, "save it for the tea party." The princess nods in understanding and now I know we are going to be talking about romance interests for sure at the tea party tomorrow.
Prince Juanito then says, "I do not know, I think a woman untouched by ink is perfect like you right now, Zoe. That new body of yours is just magnificent to behold." That was so fucking cringe. I respond in a habitual gratitude 'not wanting to die' sort of way, "Well I appreciate the compliment, your highness, but as soon as I find one of those artists I will get ink on this body. OOOH! I have a question." I make eye contact with the other members of the royal family and continue, "Since there is magic here, is there a way to get enchanted ink?" The princess is back in the discussion, "Actually yes. That is actually the common practice to infuse ink with a spell. Though really good spells would cost a fortune for the ink." I am 100 percent locked in this conversation, "What kind of spells, your highness?"
The princess starts listing a few examples, "Well you can get a tattoo enchantment to keep your body temperature normal so whether you travel to hot or cold regions you will not feel the harsh weather. Also other common ones are for base stat boosts like for more speed, power, magic, etc. Some may be powerful to grant someone a special ability like skin as strong as dragonkin scales. Some people get obsessed with these though and can become a monster in the pursuit of power." I am so excited, "I love tattoos so much. I will most definitely have to pick those spells with care. I do not want to become a monster that is for sure. That temperature spell seems like the first one I will get because I get cold very easily." I laugh as I look down suddenly getting a chill as if on que and continue, "Especially if the goddess wants me to wear this." I laugh a little harder and continue, "How big would a tattoo like that be?"
The Princess Riviera replies, "For common spells like that they can be very small." She says as she touches her thumb to her middle finger. I then say in astonishment, "Wow that really is small. I could get a bunch if they are that small. That temperature one seems like the perfect one to have since I will be traveling the world. That is assuming I can even find an artist here." I trail off again a little disappointed. The king then decides to join in, "I have a proposition. Since you have saved our kingdom a lot with your knowledge on salt, I shall invite one of those artists here to the castle and they can give you that temperature enchantment tattoo you would like. We wouldn't want you catching a chill or anything. It will take a few days to travel for them to get here though so I will summon you when it is time."
I do a happy wiggle and do a basic white girl excited eeeeeeeee, "Thank you so much, your highness. I greatly appreciate your hospitality. I hope I can be of further assistance while I am here. I really do not want to become a burden." The king scoffs, "You can never be a burden now with what you have done for us. It may have been a simple conversation for you but for us you saved us A LOT of gold we can use for this country and its people. That is worth a lot more than a silly tattoo." I then reply, "Well, when worded like that how can I disagree, your highness. Again, thank you for your generosity." I say as I start eating my dessert, which is a small cake. The king does say, "I do think you will be a valuable asset to this kingdom. I want to make your stay here as comfortable as possible. So please let us know if you require anything and we will try our best to accommodate you." The way he said that was almost like he was offering me a job or maybe saying he is not wanting me to leave. I might have to test that later… not now. Obviously it is all about timing.
The princess chimes back in, "So back to that tattoo, Zoe. What were you thinking of getting with the enchanted ink?" I then reply, "It all depends on the kind of artwork the tattoo artist specializes in. Every artist has a style they like to draw in and I ask them to keep that style. It is like having a piece of the artist's soul. Whether that is tribal design, realism, abstract, water colors, etc." Princess Riviera replies, "A piece of the artist's soul. That is a very romantic thought." She says while looking at me with a lustful look in her eyes continuing, "I don't know if I could go in not knowing what I want already. I would definitely get a flower of some sort, personally."
I reply, "That is completely normal. I also would go in with a general idea in my previous life, but I don't know what all these artists can do so I figured I could wait until they get here. To save myself from any possible unnecessary disappointment, princess." Satisfied with my answer we continued eating for a few minutes enjoying the food and drink and I then asked, "Your highness, I have a question. Do you have a library?" I need to see if they maybe have a book on acquiring light magic but also reading books of this world will teach me about this world and also it will help pass the time while I am here.
The king replies, "Why well of course we do, Zoe. You are more than welcomed to roam the library as you see fit. I'll have someone escort you after dinner so you will know where it is. If you ever get bored in your quarters you can just ask one of your guards outside your door and they will escort you to the library whenever you desire. I will allow you access to everything outside of the forbidden collection."
NOW THAT IS GOOD TO KNOW.
I replied, "Thank you, your highness. That is very generous of you." He chuckles lightly, "You thank me like I gifted you the library itself. You have not asked for one material thing from us and I think that is peculiar. Do you not desire material possessions?" I answer truthfully, "It depends on the material thing we are talking about. Though generally speaking I value my family and those closest to me more than any possession I may have. Possessions can be lost or replaced, people cannot. Also, here in this world I have a mission that requires me to travel the world. I cannot do that if I am carrying around many things. So I will have even less than I did on Earth due to constantly traveling and living a nomadic lifestyle." I say making it sound like I was a minimalist on Earth when I wasn't. In fact I had many collections to include books, game systems, amiibos, movies, etc. Point is, I was by no means a minimalist but here in Gaos I will be forced to be a minimalist.
UNLESS! I just had a thought. What if magic bags exist in this world that hold way more than the space would originally allow. A bottomless bag concept would be pretty fucking awesome and I wouldn't have to worry about being a minimalist. Though that seems like it might be special. I do not want to keep asking about things because then they might think I might be asking for them instead of just out of sheer curiosity. I will wait until a later time to ask about if the concept of a bottomless bag exists here in this world or maybe an item space stored in a wrist band like in that one anime Shangrila Frontier. If only life were an anime. If I had an item like that I could live comfortably on the road and carry a tent/hammock, cooking supplies, food, weapons, comfort items like tea and a tea kettle, fun snacks, the list goes on.
Just after I finish thinking this Prince Juanito chimes in, "We have enchanted boxes and bags that can hold more than their original size. Though not all of them are created equal. Depending on the level of enchantment depends on how much more it can hold. The greater the enchantment the more it holds. Obviously the biggest cost a lot of money. So you would not have to live the life of a minimalist on your journey at all." I answer in amazement, "That is so cool, your highness! That makes sense with the level of enchantments. You get what you pay for."
Princess Riviera giggles, "Now you are sounding like my mother." She giggles as she covers her mouth. Prince Juanito starts giggling too and Queen Felicia replies, closing her eyes in a graceful queen-like manner, "I do, and Zoe gets it." Giggling continues a bit longer before it starts to fade. We wrap up dessert and then the queen continues after gracefully dabbing her mouth with a napkin, "That was quite a lovely dinner. We need to definitely try to get together and do this everyday, don't you agree, honey?" She gently and very intimately squeezes his majesty's arm in a manner befitting her very sultry yet formidable beauty. He replies wearing a warm yet noble expression, "Yes, I quite agree." He says as he dabs his face with his napkin following it with wine. The queen then continues looking in the direction of the beautifully thick chambermaid, "Since we are done, Natalie, go show Zoe where the library is so she can take a quick look around." Nat nods and then waves me to follow her. I turn to the royal family, "Thank you for allowing me the privilege of dining with you all. It was a pleasure and delight, your highnesses." I then turn to leave to follow Nat hearing the royal family beginning to talk again inaudibly as I get out of earshot.
Once we arrive at the library I look around in amazement with stars in my eyes. This library was magnificent. It was two stories and had many different sections and was quite large. I looked around in awe looking at all the different kinds of books. Skimming titles, nope, nope, nope, "Economic History of Gaos" ew boring, "World History of Gaos" not so boring. I grab that book even though it isn't originally what I came in here for but this will be valuable knowledge for me in this world if I am going to be living in this world. I take the book over to a chair and start reading. The words are all in english just like when Ash talks to me. I definitely think it is the ability I have just translating everything to something I understand. I highly doubt they use English for texts here in this world since different history means different languages and language evolution. Why would they know English when they do not share the same history as Earth?
After reading for the first time and realizing more about myself and my newfound ability I started reading this book on World History of Gaos. It starts off with the ancient conflict between humans and demons. Demons in this book look like they might be a mixture of beast people and horned people. They just look like a variation of humans from looking at these pictures. In anime they would probably call them 'demi-humans'. I prefer that to demons. Something tells me this history is only telling one side and it probably is the side that did the oppressing. Especially if humans here are as bad as they were on Earth. I continue reading and it looks like these "demons" speak their own language and cannot communicate with the humans in a way they understand. I will definitely need to be a mediator between humans and the 'demons'. I am going to call them demi-humans from now on because I do not like calling them demons. It feels derogatory. It appears they live in the country next to us in the demi-human territory called Calla. Good to know where they are in relation to me since I will have to journey there most definitely. I need to get world history through their perspective. According to these books, they are to be feared but obviously people are going to fear what they do not understand.
Nat interrupts my train of thought, "Excuse me Zoe. I fear it is getting quite late. Would you like me to take you to the baths?" I close the book, "A bath sounds amazing right now. Is it ok if I take this book back with me to my chambers? I would like to get to know more about the history of this world while I am here and this book seems to be perfect for that." Nat replies, "I am sure it won't be a problem though to be on the safe side let us keep the book here in the library for now until I can ask first." I replied, "Fair enough." As I stood up and took the book back to the shelf I retrieved it from. Then I follow Nat to the baths.