Page 6 of Scales of Time

The hissing for applause was nice, and when Kris took her seat, the four daughters stood and began their dance. It certainly was sexy to human eyes. Even the heavily pregnant woman moved gracefully.

Kris tried to mimic the hissing when the ladies finished, and Yorness nodded in approval. “Well done. I am very proud of my family.”

The family grinned.

“Now, someone show Kris to the guesthouse. She has some sleep issues that require some isolation.”

Kris snorted. “She’s not wrong.”

One of the servants was summoned, and Kris got up and followed them out to the guesthouse. Her bags were there already, and a moment after she got there, she had her antihistamine in her hand and was injecting it into her thigh.

The itching of her skin and throat eased up immediately. The bread was fine; the fruit was fine. The vegetables in the raw state were suspect. The meat was fine. She now knew what to avoid.

The servant looked concerned. “Are you well?”

“It seems that leaving my world did not sever me from allergies.”

“Allergies?”

“A histamine response that my body has. I have it under control now that I know what I am dealing with.”

“The mistress is insisting that you rest and get used to our days. Someone will come to retrieve you and deliver any clothing considered appropriate for your day.”

“Well, as long as whoever is choosing realizes that my whole body is like the skin under your scales. A protective layer is needed.” Kris smiled.

“I will make sure that it is passed along.”

“Thank you.”

The servant left, and Kris explored the guesthouse. It was large, with four bedrooms, and her bag had been left in the larger of the four. She did a standard recon and went to her room. She needed to lay down, and the fatigue from the antihistamine kicked in.

Kris needed a nap in the worst way, so she pulled off the tabard that marked Yorness’s household and Kris’s fealty to Kifessan. She dropped onto the bed in her suit because she wasn’t sure what the knock-to-entry protocol was, and she settled on the platform into sleep. She was sure that things were going to increase in intensity. That was how Yorness worked.

Chapter Two

The sun was a reddish purple when Kris woke, used the facilities, and took a shower as soon as she could. There was a cleaning unit for her bodysuit, so she made use of it while she used the solar shower. She was going to be dry and tanned by the time she left. Flakey skin was a definite possibility.

She got dressed, and when that was done, she braided her hair along her scalp. Learning to make her own conditioner had been a thing. She had to find the supplies locally but was pretty sure she could manage it.

The first stop was the kitchen, and the second was the kitchen of the main house. If she was staying with her employer, she was going to have to do a lot of maintenance. Yorness forgot that she didn’t have scales.

She headed down to the main level and checked the kitchen. She found enough wax and oils to mix together into a makeshift body butter. It was a well-stocked kitchen, and she got melting right away. Kris looked out the window and saw gardens.

She grinned, turned the oils off, and set them beside the heating element. With a spring in her step, she wandered out to defile her boss’s garden.

She smelled seven different types of flowers before she picked a blend she liked and gathered them in her tabard. When she took her loot back to the guesthouse, she stripped and bruised the petals, easing them into the oil before she set it to melt. She stirred slowly, and when the petals were all in the melted oil and wax, she took it off the heat and inhaled the scent. It was quite pleasant.

She left the flowers to harden in the mass and rubbed her hands along the hardening wax, smoothing them across her hair. The protective layer felt nice on her braids.

Kris rubbed the rest of the balm into her skin and headed out to look around to see what she could see.

The light had a distinct purple tint, and she left the guesthouse and wandered toward the large, distant buildings that reminded her of barns.

There was a fence between her and the barns, so she stayed on her side, looking for any sign of animals. The heavy thudding made her blink. Something was coming. A lot of somethings.

She watched the thundering of what seemed to be large iridescent pigeons with hooked beaks. Kris stared, watched the flock stampede past her, and saw one straggler trying to keep up with the others. It was purple and peacock blue as it struggled past, and Kris sighed. “Hey, little one. Everything is harder when you don’t quite fit, right?”

The little one was still taller than she was at the shoulder, but it slowed and looped to come toward her. Kris remained on the other side of the fence as the little creature walked toward her and confidently stuck its head over the fence.

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