He gets dressed and takes out his shaving kit and mirror, something he acquired shortly after coming to The Ranch. The dull knife he uses to shave the stubble off has been magically imbued with the ability to only cut hair. You could run the edge along your wrist without the fear of opening a vein, yet run it along your jaw line and the stubble comes off easily.
Breakfast is the only time when he isn’t required to be at the table before anyone else gets to eat. Others rise much earlier than he does and that wouldn’t be a very practical rule. He scoops a cup of soap out of a large barrel sitting in the corner of his room and then grabs a set of clean clothes.
Leaving his room, he goes through the kitchen where Ezra hands him a towel before he exits out the back door. A little ways past his workshop is a good sized stream where he had a deep pool dug adjacent to it, allowing the water to flow in and out. His bathing pool, at least during the summer that is. He’s not about to use it when there’s snow on the ground.
Removing his dirty clothes, he steps into the cool water and then sits on the sandy bottom. It’s just a couple feet deep and only comes to his mid chest when he sits in it. Using the soap liberally, he gets all the dirt and grime of the day before off as well as thoroughly washing his hair. All that he needs now is a toothbrush and he’d be set but he hasn’t been able to locate one yet, not to mention a suitable toothpaste. He figures he’ll have to make one himself, but hasn’t had the time yet.
Once he’s clean, he rests in the water and just enjoys the sensation of being surrounded by it. Everyone here thinks him slightly crazy to want a bath every day, except Miko who tends to join him more often than not. Most of the others wouldn’t bathe at all if he hadn’t made it a requirement. Everyone has to bathe at least once a week, more if they’re exceptionally stinky. He’s going to have good hygiene on his place.
When he finally brings himself to leave the pool, he dries himself on the towel Ezra had given him and then dons the clean clothes. Back at the house, he drops the towel and the dirty clothes in a basket for Ezra to wash later on.
She already has a plate of eggs and tubers ready for him upon his return. Jiron is there as well as Jorry, both looking as if they had too much fun the night before. Between bites, he asks, “You guys okay?”
“Just a little hung over is all,” admits Jiron.
“We didn’t get into trouble though,” offers Jorry.
“Did you hear anything?” he asks them.
“Not too much,” says Jiron. “They might’ve known we are with you so didn’t gossip as they might of otherwise. But the general opinion of the people there is that you’re okay.”
“That’s it?” he asks. “Just okay?”
“Well, it’s better than being called evil or demon spawned,” jokes Jorry. “At least they accept you and aren’t afraid of you.”
“That’s something, at least,” agrees James. He sees them exchange glances and asks, “What?”
“Well, one traveler who was passing through asked if you were possessed by a demon,” Jorry explains.
“Why did he ask that?” he asks.
“Seems someone fitting your description is said to have been possessed by a demon a while back,” replies Jiron. “In some town called Willimet, there’s a woman who’s claiming that you were.”
“Oh my god!” exclaims James. “That’s absurd.”
“You know this woman?” asks Jorry incredulously.
“In a way,” he admits. “Here’s what happened…” He relates to them the events as actually transpired back in Willimet. When he gets to the part where he and Miko are forced to leave the angry crowd, Jiron can’t stop himself as he starts laughing.
“You needn’t worry though,” Jorry says, a grin on his face as well. “The people around here don’t take any stock in it. They just dismiss it as idle gossip.”
“That’s good news,” James says, breathing a sigh of relief.
“But it makes for a good story,” Jiron adds. “I expect it to spread fast.”
“Can’t be helped I suppose.” Changing the subject, he says, “I plan on going into town today. Need to see the blacksmith.”
“What for?” Jorry asks.
“Want a special chest made,” he replies, not expanding any further on why.
“Like some company?” Jiron asks him.
“Yes, I would,” he says. “Plan on leaving right after breakfast.”
Finishing his last bite, Jiron says, “Well then, I’ll just go get the horses ready while you finish eating.”
“Thanks,” James says.
Jiron gets up and leaves the kitchen through the back door. James finishes eating quickly and then goes to his room where he fills one of his belt pouches with thirty gold coins. Then he returns to the kitchen and leaves through the back door. Making his way over to his workshop, he searches through his sack of crystals for five of the largest, all roughly the same size. Once he has them in another of his pouches, he leaves the workshop and heads over to the barn.
Outside the workshop, he can smell the meat being smoked in the smokehouse. Glancing over to it, he sees Miko and Illan sitting in a couple of chairs, talking. Looks like Illan is instructing him in the finer points of smoking meat.
As he approaches the barn, Jiron comes out with the horses. They mount and are quickly on their way. Uther’s standing guard at the end of the lane leading to The Ranch where it meets the road into town.
“What’re you doing?” Jiron asks him.
“Making sure no one approaches the house,” he replies. “After hearing what you said at dinner last night, Illan set up a schedule for watches out here.”
“Seen anyone?” James asks.
Shaking his head, he says, “Not a soul.”
“Be back in a couple hours,” he tells him.
Uther just gives him a nod as they turn on the road and head into town.
Chapter Three
They find the blacksmith overseeing an apprentice who’s working on some nails, his hammer ringing with every blow. His other apprentice greets them as they ride up and asks them to wait a few moments while he tells his master that they’re here.
When the apprentice has finished the nails, the blacksmith comes over to where they’re waiting. “What can I help you gentlemen with?” he asks.
“My name’s James and I wish to have a small iron box built to specific dimensions,” he says as he holds out his hand.
Taking the hand, the blacksmith gives it a shake then replies, “Kraegan, nice to meet you. What sort of box did you have in mind?”
Using his hands to show the dimensions, James gives him a rough idea what he wants. “Also, I need the inside to be padded to prevent the contents from coming to harm,” he explains. “On each of the four sides, as well as the top, I need to have a crystal embedded within it.”
“Hmmm,” he says as he considers the request. “The box and inner lining I can do with no problem. The crystals now, that’s another matter. I know someone who can do it and can get with him to do that part once I’m done with the box.”
“That would be fine,” James assures him.
“For what you’re asking, I’d have to charge seventy five golds for everything,” Kraegan says.
Sighing, he knew it would come to this. He begins the haggling process and eventually works him down to fifty three. “I have forty golds on me,” he tells the blacksmith. “I can give you the rest upon delivery of the box.”
“Agreed,” the smith says as he leads him over to a table where they count out the coins. Once the count is agreed upon, he asks, “Do you have the crystals with you?”
