Learning a New Life - 8. Chapter 8

Michael stayed at home and tried to remember everything that Susan had told him about kitchens and laundry and everything else that he had not known before two days ago. He found Nate invaluable during this time, and he wryly thought to himself that he could remember how to conjure illusions and channel natural forces, but he could not seem to remember the difference between the stove and oven, nor fathom the difference between his sink and dishwasher. But, with Nate's ability to answer any question and his infinite memory, they got by.

The time they spent together was enjoyed by both, as while Nate tried to prove his usefulness, loyalty, and emotions to Michael, Michael enjoyed being wooed and played coy to Nate's advances. It may have helped that both were naked. Michael had grown up naked, running free with the very few children of the clan. Nakedness among the elves was not something unusual nor to be ashamed of, as they believed it helped ground them and increase their connection to the land. It was when he began to be trained in his abilities that he was first told to dress. He was required to wear clothes while in training and this included when he had ventured into the city. His teachers knew he would need to get used to them, but his adoptive father wanted him to at least enjoy his younger years as they did.

Michael still preferred to be naked, but he had learned enough that when he was outside or with others, he was to wear clothing. But now, he was alone in his home with Nate, and he found the courtship more interesting without bulky coverings.

Nate appeared as Michael wished. His form had initially been dictated by the desires of his master, and he could tell quite clearly that his form aroused his master and preferred it that way. It was in this manner that after two days of setting up a more contemporary American house that Sunday evening found them in bed together. Only this time, Michael let go. After Nate climbed into bed with him, Michael turned and kissed him passionately, Nate returning the sentiment. Their hands explored each other, Michael's gentle biting of Nate's nipples sending pleasure through his partner as he travelled down Nate's torso to what he knew lay nestled between his legs.

Nate moaned and unconsciously thrust forward as Michael took him in his mouth, savoring the feel and the taste. Michael felt something different this time. He had been with many others who at least looked his age while he lived in the Glen, but there had been little emotion to the interactions, it had all been physical. This was unique, and the budding relationship brought the sensations to an entirely different level. After several minutes, they switched, and Nate's considerable knowledge was apparent to Michael during the experience. Nate drifted lower until he was sucking in addition to massaging an area that brought a deeper moan from Michael.

Michael looked down as he was spreading his legs and Nate looked up at him. The look in his eyes led Michael to nod, and he spread his legs wider. It was gentle, as a lover's first time should be. Nate made sure that he was the right size, starting small at first with gentle strokes. After several minutes as Michael adjusted, Nate changed his phallus' size, increasing girth and length. Michael seemed not to directly notice, but was moaning more loudly. Nate continued, quickening his pace, and increasing his size to one that many would consider fairly large. He had conjured a lubricant that numbed pain before starting, and Michael was very much enjoying the ride. Neither lasted much longer, and as Nate felt the spasm contractions around his own penis, he brought himself over the edge as well.

Michael lay panting, splayed out on the bed, as Nate softly withdrew. He vanished the mess and lay on his side next to Michael who was still breathing heavily. Nate propped his head up with one hand supported by his elbow and with his other, he stroked Michael's hair. Michael turned to him and they kissed deeply as he further embraced the jinni. Michael fell asleep holding and being held, while Nate continued to stroke his hair and feel Michael's soft breath on his chest.

* * * * *

"Avery, this is the young man I mentioned on the phone. Michael, this is Avery."

"Pleased to meet you, Michael," Avery greeted, extending his hand.

Michael looked at it and replied, "Yeah."

Avery, slightly perplexed, looked to Susan.

"As I explained, Michael may seem a bit ... 'odd.' He's not really from around here. Part of this whole arrangement is that I'm hoping you can help him learn how to interact better with people."

"He's foreign?" Avery asked, peering more closely at Michael, who shuffled almost imperceptibly from one foot to the other.

"In a manner of speaking. I'll let him tell you when he's ready. Suffice to say, you do owe me that favor for clearing up that - shall we say, little 'incident' a few months ago? Importing that case of Zyladron without properly checking the shipping? Attracted a nasty case of pixies if I do recall correctly?"

"Okay! Sorry! Yes, thank you, I owe you for getting rid of those nasty vermin and I'm not even holding it against you that you took my entire shipment."

"Yes, well, Michael here will be helping you out in the store doing what you need in the back, right? And when you think he's up to it, you can bring him up front to work the registers and help customers," Susan dictated.

Turning to Michael, she briefly explained, "Avery here is what we call a 'practitioner.' He has no inherent magical ability nor talent, but he practices the craft in his own way. His store is used by the general public for herbs and spices in cooking and he stocks flowers, bushes, and trees now that we're headed into Summer, but there are a few back rooms that serve as a storehouse for other, shall we say, more 'exotic' ingredients. Avery, please show Michael what I'm talking about."

Avery walked towards the back of the store where there was a short hallway with two doors on either side, one labeled for men, the other for women. "Okay, so this hall looks like it dead-ends, right? Just a wall."

"Why is it glowing?" Michael asked.

Both Susan and Avery looked at Michael quizzically.

"What?" he asked.

"Michael, did you cast a 'Magical Sight' spell recently?" Susan asked.

"No … why are you staring at me?" he continued, starting to back away slightly and move his hand to his pendant.

Susan turned back to Avery, tucking the note in the back of her mind for later. "Never mind. Avery, please continue."

Avery, still not at all understanding what was going on, nonetheless took his cue from the actual witch and went on: "Okay, well, for most of us, this wall looks perfectly normal. But it's an illusion. Set up by my father," he proudly added.

"Cirroc actually was a witch, quite powerful in fact, and he founded this shop to help provide the community with some harder to get items," Susan explained to Michael.

"Moving on, and moving through, you just walk straight through to the ne—"

"I think he was saying 'next room,'" Susan added. "It's soundproof – part of the cloaking. Here, take my hand. You will feel a bit of resistance, and that's so normal people who may for some reason actually approach the wall feel a normal wall. It's also warded against people with ill intent. Just step through with me ... and here we are!" she finished, as the both of them appeared in a large, well lit room on the other side of the enchanted wall.

Michael looked around, and for one of the first times in the last month, he was impressed. The room was vast, appearing almost as large as the front "normal" part of the store. If one took the time to examine the building from the outside, they would not be able to find any footprint of this room, for it was contained completely within a small pocket reality. It was connected fully to the store to allow normal magical methods of communication to come through, and it even had a modern security camera system set up to monitor the bathroom hallway so that people would know when it was clear and they could come out.

About two-thirds of the room was brightly lit with sunlight and supplemental growing lights, except for one corner, while the other part was lit normally. The region with the extra plant lights contained rows upon rows of different live plants, almost none of which a normal person would be able to identify. For his part as he slowly walked the aisles, Michael recognized the majority of them. The dark corner of the room had no obvious method of screening the light, but Michael assumed it was an enchantment and it, too, glowed slightly purple around the edges to Michael's vision. Peering through into the darkness, almost like a curtain giving way he saw more plants that were lit by very soft dark lights. As with most of the plants in the room, these also emitted the very softest glow to Michael.

Stepping back and exploring towards the other section of the room, Michael observed numerous shelves stacked with bags, jars, and bundles of plants. Some jars were transparent glass and others opaque. The transparent ones contained dried, powdered, or otherwise prepared plants, and all had clear labels. At one end of this area of the room was an almost miniature kitchen with dehydrators, large pots, a stove and oven, mortars and pestles, and blenders for the processing of the different plants. Besides impressed, Michael looked almost happy, an expression that was not lost on Susan.

"For starters," Avery began after Michael had looked around for several minutes, "you'll stay back here and tend the plants. Susan said you may have an affinity for this sort of work. You'll also be expected to harvest them when they're ready and properly prepare them. I've had to have volunteers come in for some of the more difficult ones since, well ... you know. But now that you're here you should be able to handle these. I'll teach you how to do all this. Once you've got a hang of it and Susan and I think you're ready, we'll take you out on the floor as a sales rep and cashier, too. May not be the most glamorous thing in the world, but it's important work nonetheless."

"Okay," Michael replied.

"Then it's settled," Susan chimed in. "When did you say he'd be working?"

"Well, we're open 10-6 Monday through Friday and 10-2 Saturday. Kira likes the weekend and mornings, Quincy's in the afternoon, Jade - well, she's here when she's here but she's the only other practitioner on staff ... let's do something easy. Let's just say that you work 10-6 Monday through Friday. Standard 40-hour work week and you'll meet all the other staff." He looked at both Susan and Michael, while Michael looked at both of them.

"That'll work," Susan stated after a few seconds.

"It's 9:45 now, so we might as well get you oriented. Kira should be in in a few minutes and she can handle the front of the store – she's used to opening if I'm not here for whatever reason. Oh, and Susan, I'll talk with you later, thanks for bringing him by!" Avery called after her as she disappeared through the wall. "Where was I? Oh yeah, so, you'll meet Kira in a bit, but I should tell you that both Kira and Quincy do not know anything about magic, they don't know about this room, and they are not supposed to. They're just normal people who think we cater to the 'New Agey' crowd."

"Why?"

"There aren't enough practitioners nor witches in the city to run this kind of store – you should know this, there are maybe a dozen in Denver, but up here I think we have half that."

"Oh." Michael paused. "I didn't realize there were so few."

"Yeah, well, anyway, just make up excuses about where you were, like meeting with me in my office or something if one of them asks. I don't expect it to be an issue, they're really not nosey people, and you'll be spending most of your time back here, anyway. Um, we'll tell them that you're out talking with suppliers most of the time. How's that?"

Michael looked at him. "Okay?"

"Alright, we'll do that. We also need to work on your interpersonal and communication skills." Avery looked at his watch. "Kira should be here any minute now, so let's go back out and I'll introduce you two. Then, I want you to come back here and spend the rest of the morning familiarizing yourself with our stock. I want you to look through all the plants here - don't worry, they're labeled - and make a list of ones you know and ones you don't know. Hell, make a list of ones that you think would be useful if I don't have them. We'll go through them after lunch, say, 1:00. Okay?"

Michael nodded.

"Better. Alright, let's go."

The two left the secret garden and came out from the back just as Kira was unlocking the door after putting a new till into the register. Kira and Michael were introduced, Michael finding Kria's youthful face, single hoop earring, and short red hair almost fairy-like. Avery explained that Michael would be in and out of the store a lot to represent them with clients and suppliers. After shaking hands (a skill Michael was rapidly picking up but still found odd), Michael went to the back of the store again with Avery, Avery ducking into his office while Michael went into the hidden room.

* * * * *

"So many plants," Michael said to Nate for the fourth time as he ate handfuls of Cheerios. Nate nodded again. "Avery seemed surprised I knew so many of them, but Corther had taught me all the herbology and it was just the few I didn't know that I needed to be reminded. I recognized the names, but couldn't remember what they did. And there were some they didn't have, but I only mentioned the rare but safe ones. I still don't really know if I trust these people."

"And you're taking care of the plants?" Nate asked, somewhat rhetorically but hoping to move the conversation along.

"Yeah. And prepare them. It's weird, elves work with the plants while humans seem to just use them. Some get ground, others dried, some juiced, and others have to be fresh for potency … so much to keep straight, but there are general instructions and guides for each that are stored in the room. They use them in potions or eat some to enhance their own powers or alternate states. It's too bad – so destructive. But even though Corther tried to teach me, I couldn't work with them the same way the elves can. I guess that's one way we're different. And since they never raised a human, they didn't know how to teach me to use them in potions. So this will help."

Nate nodded again. "Are you happy?"

"It's too soon to tell. There's so much to learn, it's like I'm back at the Glen, surrounded by plants and books again …"

"That's good, right?"

"Yes," Michael smiled.

"Then we should celebrate!" Nate produced a large vase of chocolate-dipped strawberries on the table. Michael tasted one slowly with uncertainty before grabbing several more as Nate smiled and explained, "I watched a lot of the television while you were at work. It's funny, but a lot of daytime television seems to be guides on pleasing your man."

"Mmm?" Michael asked.

"Oh, trust me, you'll find out more about what I picked up."

Later that night, Michael was beginning to wonder exactly what kinds of shows Nate had been watching.