v8c9: Small Steps (Patreon)

Mostly uneditied

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The walk back to where we would be staying for the night was silent. None of the Ravine folk seemed to want to break the quiet, and honestly, it suited me right now…because I was pretty fried.

I had managed to suck it up for Tall-lan’s sake, but god damn. That had hurt. I wanted to curl up and whimper for a while. Since arriving into this world, I had been beaten to death, hit with multiple lightning bolts, cut up, smashed though multiple trees and a mountain, been poisoned—yet half of what Tianlan had felt was probably the worst pain I’d ever been in.

I was managing to keep how I felt about the entire experience under wraps from Tall-Lan, but Tianlan knew. I could feel a mental touch, equivalent to a hand on my shoulder.

The feeling of gratitude was enough to turn the boil of my emotions into a dull simmer. I had promised my friend. I had followed through with it. Yeah it sucked… but the memory of the pain would fade.

Of course, I’d do it again without a second thought.

But I was still simmering, and right now I knew I was fixing to bite somebody’s head off. I had already been a bit snappish at the Ravine Folk earlier. Hells, I probably would have started smacking bitches if any of the Ravine Elders had pushed the issue, but luckily for them they were smart enough to actually listen.

Thank Tianlan, I suppose. No wonder she was so fond of these people, they actually had brains—or at least knew when a fight wasn’t going to go their way. 

Maybe it was Tianlan’s feelings infecting me. The memories of Altan were quite vivid. I would have liked to have met the guy. He was vivacious, full of life, and absolutely ride or die. The Ravine Folk had always been Tianlan’s friends. Whenever she had been sad, or feeling lonely, she had come here, to bask in the ravine, or to simply see her friend.

Tianlan trusted these people enough to let them know at least a bit about herself. We’d see how it all panned out in the future. But for the moment, playing the mysterious master and saying they were already on the right path seemed like the correct choice. I’d like to think I was getting better at acting. It was getting easier at least… and the general grumpiness I was feeling had probably helped a little. 

We got back to the grounds pretty quickly, and I was shown to our quarters for the night; A large yurt. Big D was on top of it. He raised a brow and I nodded at the rooster, indicating that I was fine. He hopped down to my shoulder. Rizzo popped out from under his coat, sniffing at me.

I bid the Ravine Elders good night, a bit more pointedly than I probably would have normally. Again, they got the hint, bowing and dispersing.

I let out a little sigh, and entered the yurt. I wasn’t too out of it to notice how nice it was. It wasn’t as grand as the Magisterial Palace in Grass Sea City, but it had something those cavernous rooms didn’t. A kind of warmth. The windows were open, letting the cool breeze of the ravine blow through the structure—and what a wonderful breeze it was, full of the smell of flowers and greenery. The walls were lined with rugs, showcasing the designs of the ravine. They were really nice. Thick and plush, and I would have to get a few of these. There was a stove and a chimney as well, both currently unlit, and the bed was large, with one of the stove’s pipes going under the bed so in winter, it would be warm.

I could see myself actually living in one of these—maybe I should make one, because this was practically glamping.

Meiling was standing in the center of the room. She had been reading a scroll, and looked up when I came in. Zhuye was already asleep. My wife stood without comment and marched up to me, her purple eyes searching mine.

“Are you alright?” Meiling asked, her voice quiet. Her fingers ghosted over my body, glowing a soft green. She was searching for aches and pains, but there were none. It was all in my head in the end.

“I’m good,” I replied, catching her fingers. “Are you?”

“I only caught a bit of it.” Meimei said, waving things off. “Though even that much was…bracing.”

I felt Tianlan’s wince, and Meimei gave her a soothing mental pat.

“Bed.” I declared, reaching down behind Mei’s legs and scooping her up. Meimei just smiled.

Zhuye stirred as I got into bed with my wife, clambering over to lay on top of me. Big D settled onto the pillow where my neck met my shoulder, his feathers warm and soft, while Rizzo disappeared into Meiling’s sleeve.

I let out a sigh. Family cuddles made everything better.

I fell asleep and didn’t dream.

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The morning had me feeling a lot better, and ready for the day ahead. It was really interesting seeing the ravine breakdown the yurts and the campgrounds. They were just so fast at it.

“Breaking camp swiftly is something everyone learns,” Baatar had informed me when I asked, and I got the implication. In case they needed to run and disappear into the side passages.

The Patriarch hadn’t changed after last night. He seemed to have taken my words to heart, acting exactly the same as he had, which was appreciated.

The others looked to be trying as well, but several of them made aborted bows when they saw me.

A work in progress.

Our breakfast was a kind of soup—meat, fat, and berries that grew in the Ravine. It was simple fare, but I had asked for what they would normally eat instead of a grand feast like last night. It was filling, and energizing.

It was good, and with the tea, we were soon ready for the first thing we were going to do today—Olsokh Ir practise.

I was actually excited I got to be Tarzan. The rope blade was surprisingly intuitive… and doubly so when I had Tall-lan in my head helping me through things. Though we did need a different name for her, Tall-lan was fine as a joke, but…something for the future.

I ended up kind of speeding through the beginning portions of the explanation, mostly because I was cheating.

“And then around the forearm like that,” Tall-Lan said, keeping it tight… but lose enough to slip my arm out just in case. Her voice was firm, but full of warmth. It was a little strange to have a second passenger, but she was enough like Tianlan. I didn't really notice it.

I let it rip, swinging the grappling hook-like tool to wrap around one of the tree’s branches, then kicking off, swinging to another horizontal tree. With a jerk of the rope, it loosened from the bind it had on the branch, and it allowed me to pull it back in while I landed. I couldn’t help the grin that came to my face.

“You’re a natural, Master Rou!” Tarkhan called.

I looked down from the top of the tree and smiled, sitting down for a moment to watch the others.. Rizzo had taken to things like a natural, and swiftly ascended to be beside me. Gou Ren and Xianghua came next, the two of them both surprisingly good at it, while Biyu was taking a recording of Yun Ren hanging upside down. Meimei missed her first throw and laughed while Sarnai helped correct her form. Big D was the furthest behind—mostly because he and Babe were still deciding on which kind of knife head he should use on the end of his rope.

Washy had appointed himself “lifeguard” in charge of catching anybody who fell. He was relying entirely on the bees to pay attention for him, because he was utterly consumed with whatever he had on the stove… and it wasn’t like any of us could actually get hurt by falling at this point.

Suyan was sitting with Zhuye, who was playing with a length of rope, looking at it curiously.

The people of the ravine who had stayed were all looking on with small smiles, and Baatar seemed particularly pleased, the Patriarch of the Grand Ravine seated on a rock.

The old man had three kids using him as a jungle gym, and he didn’t seem to care about the propriety of the matter, simply looking utterly at peace.

…they really did do things different in the Ravine. And they were making it really easy to like them. I turned from the others, and looked at the side of the ravine.

“Xiaoshi could make it to the top of the ravine in less than ten seconds.” Tall-Lan goaded.Tianlan and I laughed at the blatant challenge

So I took her up on it, my Olsokh Ir unlimbering. My eyes roved over the trees, planning a path. 

And then, I was Tarzan. Or Spiderman. But hopefully not George of the jungle, I don’t think the trees would survive me hitting them.

“Whooo!” I cheered.

“Not bad!” Tall Lan declared.

Tall-Lan’s more reserved personality was because she had been in shock. With the morning, and time to recover? She was definitely still Tianlan. 

Even after thousands of years of what was basically worship, her core was the same. She was a bit different. More… regal, I guess, and like I had joked last night she spoke with gravitas. But she was hardly reserved. She was actually kind of loud. She was less excitable than Tianlan, less animated, but just as relentless. 

Which honestly made sense, considering what the Ravine said was a proper woman.

“Lets go!” Tianlan cheered as I swung twice around a tree before launching myself nearly vertical.

Which thinking about it… might have been based off of Tianlan in the first place?

Everything kinda fit. Fierce, unafraid to speak her mind, fond of hunting and fishing and climbing. And above all, a defender of the home.

Had Tianlan, while she was incarnated, accidentally made an entire culture think that tomboys were the ideal woman?

That would actually be kind of hilarious.

Chuckling to myself, I pushed the thought from my mind, and instead focused, swinging up the ravine wall until I was at the top of it.

I was, naturally, slower than Xiaoshi and Altan. But it had been fun as hell. I crouched on a tree near the top, just taking it all in, and letting the breeze tousle my hair.

I let out a breath, and let the breeze flow through my hair.

“Ah… I’ve felt this a thousand times in my memories. But here… it feels so different,” Tall-Lan whispered.

“Its always different in person,” I agreed. I stood up from my crouch on the tree, and let out a breath. I allowed myself to tip backwards… and I fell.

The wind whistled past my ears, the horizontal trees flashed by me, with little tilts of my shoulders.

And at the last moment, my blade lashed out. It wound around a tree, and I swung around it, bleeding off momentum, before releasing it and landing at the bottom of the ravine once more. The rope uncoiled from my arm with ease, and I looped it into my belt and sheathed the blade in one motion that felt right.

I think I was going to enjoy myself for the rest of this visit.

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Jin, Jin, Jin, of the jungle, strong as he can be...