Learning a New Life - 3. Chapter 3

Michael was exhausted at the end of the day. The all-mighty dollar seemed to work its own magic in this world. Michael reflected on that with both cynicism and amusement as he recalled his visits to cities and towns years ago. With only a very little use of his glamour to create an ID, the bank was happy to open an account and deposit his check into their coffers, much as the real estate agent was happy to close on the house that very day when presented with the appearance of proper documentation. Some might consider the motions odd for someone carrying a jinni around their neck, but Michael had been taught that the magical way isn't always the best way. Especially with such a young jinni that wouldn't be able to tie up the loose ends. And of course the practical limitations that the jinni couldn't do everything at once in this stage of its development.

 

For something as rudimentary as furnishings, he opted to utilize the jinni. He was standing just inside the entrance to the single-story dwelling with the door shut, taking in the large living room. He was excited at the prospect of living on his own, no more tests and endless readings and recitations, but he felt a little homesick at the same time. He sighed and moved through the large doorway at the far right end of the living room, entering what was probably once the dining room. He then moved aside the cloth of his tunic and grasped the diamond and murmured the spell that would release the jinni.

 

Just a moment passed but it was slow enough that Michael could see the nearly transparent vaporous form of the jinni stretch out from the stone and form the older looking man directly in front of him. "Michael, your wish is my command," the jinni intoned.

 

Michael smiled. He definitely was a fan of that particular aspect of the binding of a jinni to its master. The jinni was a half head taller than him, standing 6'1", and he had an appearance of athleticism to his form. He wasn't lanky, wasn't overly muscular, but rather he looked the part of a lean football player. This time, he was wearing loose shorts in a modern style that Michael had observed on many other people while he had been out. The shirt was a tank top - a tight tank top, Michael noticed with some excitement - that clearly showed his somewhat muscular, hairless torso and pierced nipples. The face was rugged, yet handsome, and though very slightly altered from the original, it was still the most recognizable part of him. The hair was black, semi-long, straight, and swept back, and the face was hairless. He appeared roughly the same age as the warlock this morning, just a few years older than Michael himself.

 

Michael could feel himself starting to react to the jinni's appearance, but he quickly tried to ignore it. It wouldn't do to get that involved with him, he had other things to do and the attempted attack by this entity's former life was still fresh in his mind, having happened only early that morning.

 

"Nate, I want a table and chairs for this room."

 

"Michael, what kind of table and chairs? There are thousands of types to choose from."

 

Michael looked at the jinni incredulously. "Can't you just figure something out based on what I want? You're bound to me," he remarked as he absent-mindedly fingered the pendant, "you should be able to pick out specifics from my mind."

 

The jinni bowed his head and then looked back at Michael. "I am not yet old enough to be able to do that for one of your own power. I must be at least several weeks old before I have access past your natural defenses."

 

"Fine. Just do something fairly simple. I want it to be sturdy, wood - make it a dark walnut wood - polished smooth on top, rectangular, and large enough to seat four. Matching style chairs but comfortable with padding."

 

The jinni bowed and clapped his hands and the setting formed in the center of the room.

 

"Still looks a bit empty. Make that seats eight."

 

The change was made.

 

The pair proceeded through the house in similar fashion. The next room was the kitchen, though Michael was not familiar enough to know what he needed, and so for the moment he settled with bowls, plates, and cutlery. A refrigerator or stove did not occur to him.

 

The bathroom was set up and then the bedroom at the end of the house, a somewhat large, queen-sized bed with a frame and matching dresser of similar style to the kitchen table. Michael had always regretted not having much of an artistic talent, so rather than attempting it himself, he had the jinni decorate the walls and ceiling to look like the forest that he had called "home" for as long as he could remember. When asked, the jinni told him that, given enough time, he would be able to enchant the walls and ceiling so they actually would feel and look three-dimensional, like his own pocket forest inside of the house. Michael smiled wistfully at the thought, knowing that it was much too large a task for his own glamour abilities.

 

Michael knew he still had the living room to furnish and the kitchen to stock so that he could have the appearance of a normal life while he, well, went to lead a somewhat normal life, but he didn't know where to start. It was getting late and he touched the diamond to draw the jinni back. The real estate agent had taken care of the water, gas, and power when he signed for the house, so he stripped out of his simple clothes and turned on the water in the bath. After relaxing in the warm water to the point where he could almost imagine himself back in his favorite forest creek, he reluctantly got out, dried off, and went to bed for the night.

 

In his own world, Nate was back at the desk and was reading the book he had found earlier in the day. The book was full of exposition. It explained the basics of what he now was, a bound jinni, and it explained his abilities, though this section was fairly short and could reasonably be summarized as "(almost) limitless." The only catch was, as the book explained, that he was a young jinni and did not have any significant manipulative abilities yet. That would take time, several centuries in fact, and that was based on rules established too long ago for any to remember who created them. The idea was the jinni must develop a sense of servitude. As a bound jinni, he was compelled to follow his master's wishes - if he had the power - though he could choose to not follow them by twisting them if he desired. This free will would vanish, however, if the master simply put the words, "I wish" into the command.

 

A more troubling part of the book discussed how he could be killed or destroyed. The tome was actually quite vague in reference to inundations, but Nate also learned that an alternative was through self-sacrifice: The jinni may not have enough power to grant a request, command, or wish, but if the jinni with all its soul desired to see it come to fruition, it could pour its own essence into the granting of it. This would power it, but it would destroy the jinni in the process.

 

A section towards the end of the book explained that in his own domain - Nate assumed that meant this world he disappeared to when he was not with Master - he could shape it to whatever form he desired. He just had to want it to change, and it would change. He tried it out and the vague and nondescript void turned into a large bedroom. It was bare, but he quickly changed that and added a large bed. The only problem was that Nate was not tired. It was then that he remembered the introduction to the book that explained, as a jinni, he would not feel many of the sensations of humans nor even most other magical folk -- he wouldn't get tired and need to sleep, be hungry and need to eat, feel pain, cold, hot, get sick, nor most other things.

 

He sighed, vanished the bed back to nothingness, and expanded the room into the size of a large modern recreational room. One thing he decided he was definitely going to enjoy about being a jinni was his ability to know practically anything he wanted. He created a relatively large television set and hooked in the game system that had most people his presumed age entertained. It had only been around for a few years but he decided it should be able to keep him occupied when Michael wasn't needing him. He pulled up a controller and sat down in a very comfortable chair that he manifest, turned on the game, and Super Mario World came to life. Nate didn't think twice nor even really notice that he had created a large framed portrait of Michael on the wall.