A Lukewarm Bath

Checkers agreed to tell her hosts some tales from her home for their entertainment after dinner that night. The laundry for the household having been done, the kettle was available for Checkers' use. She could either use the warm, but filthy and foul-smelling water, or draw fresh water from the creek and heat it over the dying fire. Checkers chose to draw new water, and to use the embers of the fire to heat it just enough to take the chill out of it.

Checkers, relaxing in her makeshift tub, noticed that she had become quite dirty by the journey. The stiffness from her limbs eased as they soaked in the lukewarm water. After the time in the grasslands, she felt fortunate to be enjoying this luxury. She felt strong enough to fly now, but her pouch and spear were in Benjamin's possession. She also admitted to herself that, although she was not completely comfortable with these people, their exotic customs excited her curiosity and sense of adventure, and she found herself not wanting to leave, at least for a few days. She had noticed that she was no longer thinking of them as animals, and that Mary at least stopped referring to her as an it. She was also lonely, and even conversation with the anglideri would be a welcome break from the complete solitude that she had experienced, and was likely to be her lot again, if she could get free.

She also needed reliable information about the country to the west, and these two might provide it. She thought of the practical problem of killing the dragon. She could not kill the dragon alone. The preferred source of help would be the Glideri occidentali of the old stories, the legendary Glider colonies of the West, if they really existed. If she could find one, then she would have help, and could possibly earn citizenship. However, the existence of these colonies was widely disbelieved as a fable. So what could she do? She would take the friends and allies whereever she could find them, even if this meant engaging the large, brutish-looking folk: the ogres, as they were coarsely called by the vulgar amongst the Glideri. Perhaps the best amongst these brutes had some sense of honour and level of civilization, and she could make common cause with them. She could expect close questioning from Benjamin tonight, but if she impressed the couple favorably, perhaps some opportunity would come her way.

Mary came out to the kettle with a bundle for Checkers. The bundle smelled of lavendar, and included an oversized skirt and shift, and large cloak, and a small rag. "The rag is for your boots, which will have to be shined before you enter the house. Bennie likes things just so," she explained. "Unfortunately, the fashion of this country is toward long sleeves that would be ill-suited for those wings, so I have no proper blouse or shirt for you to wear. If you wear the cloak in the fashion of a toga, it will look a bit odd, but it will be attract less comment than wearing nothing but a shift. You will have to let you own clothes air out and be scented overnight before you can put them wear them again."

"Thank you, Mary. I shall abide by the customs of your country. Would it be possible to get something from my pouch?"

"What exactly?"

1. "The diptych and stylus. If I am going to have to spend another afternoon in the Cowpens, I need something to do."
2. "The beans. I see that they do not grow them around here, and there is a drink that can be prepared from them ...."
3. "The spear. I am not sure what that cloud of dust toward evening [in the West] is, but I would feel better if I could defend myself."

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