Neophyte World Builder

SARA (NETHYS)

Sometimes Sara wondered if that moment alone with Akasha had been a dream. She’d never spoken to the strange girl again since, nor had any other sort of contact. Yet when she looked in her Achievements listing, the evidence of the meeting remained, easy to see.

Mostly easy. Her Achievements list had been growing quite a lot lately, with all of the so-called “inventing” she’d been doing. To her, it was basic practice, but she hadn’t realized that her methods would be so transformative. She wasn’t as into the fictions about going to another world and introducing gunpowder, but an ex of hers had really liked them so she knew about them.

Sara had no idea how to make gunpowder, and no idea if it would even work in this magical realm. She had plenty of other skills, but she’d rapidly learned that people in this world were innovative and clever, and most of the ideas she had relied on things that hadn’t been invented yet… and she had no idea how to invent them.

She sighed and dismissed the thoughts to finish what she had managed to introduce. A few more scribbles put down the deduction, and she held up the twin sheets of paper to inspect them. Unlike last time she’d done this, the columns matched up. She set the sheets aside to be filed after Genev returned tonight, then stretched arms over her head.

Sara would miss this place.

She closed the door behind her and stepped out to the open room. In the four years since she’d arrived, Genev’s business had become so successful that the headquarters had plenty of space. It was a whopping four story building, with the top floor devoted to the bedrooms—Sara had her own bedroom, despite rumors of a relationship with Genev—and the third floor holding her personal office and a recreation room.

With the money she’d made, this “recreation room” had mostly been used for her personal training. Sara had never wanted to be a fighter, but she knew that with her upcoming trip she’d need to be able to defend herself. The training had been rough, with the delicate Totem she still had, but that would change when she got her new Totem.

Her pack, a sword, and her other equipment were still leaning against the wall, just like they’d been doing for the last four weeks. Ready to go, right after she picked them up and walked out. She’d been ready for twenty days—weeks in the Ellarto Republic were five days long—and still hadn’t swung her pack on and started her trip. Every few days she said she’d start “tomorrow” and then… didn’t.

She knew she was procrastinating, and it was painful for her to admit. She’d never been the type before, and she suspected she knew what had changed.

Sara was enjoying herself.

As she walked down to the second floor, the reason for her hesitation unexpectedly pounced onto her side and gave her a squeeze!

“We got the contract! We’re set, Nethys! How are the finances looking?”

Genev practically chirped that to her, which wasn’t surprising. The woman’s totem was some kind of avian, and she had the iridescent feathers and even taloned feet to show for it! She also had the smokey glasses she normally wore set upon the table nearby, intended to protect others against her potentially lethal gaze. The merchant had one hell of a dangerous look thanks to a particularly potent Totem granting her a mystic gaze.

Sara smiled, gently pushing Genev away. “That’s great! They all line up this time… no mistakes. You’ve really gotten the hang of the double-entry yourself.” She stepped back from the stifling avian’s hug and smoothed her dress.

Hands clapping together, Genev giggled in a way that was far more youthful than she really was. Sara knew that the lovely woman was older than she looked… mid-thirties, by Earth reckoning, and slightly older by this world’s. And she was lovely in a way that Sara sometimes envied. Her delicate appearance didn’t stop her from having a figure that most of the men they worked with were constantly distracted by, and her bubbly and friendly demeanor really poured on the charm for most.

All things that Genev used to ruthlessly wrangle better contracts, while never actually committing to anything romantically. That’s one reason the rumors had started. While most accepted that Genev was widowed at a young age—one of the reasons she was a rare full owner of a business in the Republic even as a woman—a few of her competitors had noticed how closely she worked with her partner “Nethys” and how affectionate she was. The idea that Sara and Genev were lovers was a common refrain, but that didn’t stop people from coming to them for business. Genev was just that competent.

It didn’t help matters that the rumors were half right. Sara did not believe Genev had murdered her husband, but she did know Genev had little care for the sex of her object of affection, and more than once the older woman had brought home a one night stand… most of whom were women. She also knew that Genev’s current object of affection was… Sara.

“I couldn’t have done it without you, Nethys!” Genev’s smile was warm and almost doting, before it slipped into a regretful sigh. “Your methods made everything so much easier, even if they were painful at first. I don’t suppose you’ll consider one last time staying here with me more permanently?”

Sara hadn’t expected another proposal right this moment, but she smiled tolerantly at it. “No, sorry. It… really is tempting, but not really my thing, and you know I have…” She frowned as she trailed off. “What do you mean, one last time?”

Genev’s sigh was so loud it sounded more like a frustrated groan. Sara winced internally. She knew that sound. The bird-woman was exhausted and annoyed.

“I know you have been telling yourself to stay just to make sure it will all work out,” Genev replied with a gesture up the stairs. “And I let you do it because this deal was so important, I really could use your help. But we’re successful now, and as painful as it will be to let go of someone of your talent, I know you never intended to stay here. You need to leave while you’re still young. You have a long journey ahead of you.”

Blinking rapidly, Sara tried to process all of this. She’d mentioned her intentions more than once, but she’d never laid out her exact plans or a timeline. She shouldn’t have been surprised that her business partner knew all this, given how perceptive the bird vaskan was, but Genev had never said anything about it before.

“I um… yeah, I was thinking about it,” Sara admitted evasively. “I do like it here, though. I’m not sure what to think. Were you just teasing me with those offers?”

Genev smiled and let out a tittering laugh. “Oh, Nethys… my dear little money pot. None of them are just teasing. I know what you want to do, but I had to ask in case you changed your mind. If you had decided to take me up on my offer, I’d have run us off to Partaon to be wed right away, and the next ten days would be a blur of pleasure you couldn’t even articulate.”

She darted in and kissed Sara on the cheek, before chirping playfully. “I have something for you, wait right here.”

Sara said nothing, feeling her face heat up.

She had never taken a serious lover in this life… she’d been too focused on her project. That didn’t mean she’d stayed celibate, of course. She’d had a few flings with some of the men here, though never more than a quick one night stand. Until Genev she hadn’t seriously considered the option of trying the other way, but the avian was very persuasive.

Mostly because she didn’t really have a problem with the idea, and Genev wasn’t boasting about what she could do in those two weeks. The few times that her partner had brought someone home for intimacy, Sara had gotten very little sleep. The noises that both made were always incredibly distracting, enough that she did have one small part of her curious what Genev could do.

Ultimately, though, the avian vaskan was simply a very good friend. That she could be certain of, and had no hesitation in admitting. Sara hadn’t had a close friend like that in her previous life on Earth, but she was sure she had one now. The guilt that came with leaving her partner just cemented that fact.

Sara really was tempted to stay. She was even tempted to give Genev a chance. And that was what scared her… because it would end up becoming more, and she wasn’t ready for that yet. Even if she was in reality a little older than Genev, instead of the awkward age gap they already had, she wanted to do a little more with her life this time. The success and happiness were a trap… weren’t they?

She wanted nothing more than to run away then and there.

“Got them!” Genev called, coming up the stairs again. “Sorry it took so long, but… well.” She dropped three large tubes on the table. “I knew you would leave sooner or later, so I wasn’t sure if I could get them in time, but here’s a little going away gift!”

Sara stared at the table. Three tubes like those for scrolls, she could tell that. It was the idea of a gift that Genev had planned for that she kept getting stuck on. Had it been that obvious she was planning to leave?

She thought back to the pack in the rec room. Of course it was obvious, you dimwit. But Genev was taking it so well, it was like a dream.

“Going away…? But…” Sara stammered. “You don’t have to do that. I’m abandoning you. I don’t want to, I just…”

Without warning, Genev took hold of both of Sara’s shoulders and stared right into her eyes. Her usual smile was gone, replaced with a look of utter seriousness. She squeezed Sara’s shoulders in a firm grip as she looked at her.

“You aren’t abandoning me,” Genev said firmly. “Look, I get it. I’m not your type, and I’m a lot older than you as well. You’re amazing, and you helped me build up my business with tricks I’ve never dreamed of. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love for you to move in and stay with me… I love you.”

Sara nearly choked as the older woman said those words. Genev was a flirt, but she’d never heard her say anything like that. Before she could fully process what she’d heard, Genev continued.

“But I can say that because I’ve had relationships. I know what I want in life,” the avian pointed out. “You still have a lot of potential… a lot more than I do. I’d just be holding you back from what you can do. Go see the world… I bought you these maps because you talked so much about travel, I wanted to help you out.”

She gave a light smile. “And hey… if you finish up in a few years, and settle on what you want… I can hope it’s me, and you come back.”

Sara felt like a fraud. She was no genius, she was just someone who stole basic business methods and introduced them a few centuries early. She admired Genev, and wanted the best for her, but even if the other woman was wrong about her age, she was right about everything else. People here were so intense it was still hard for her to grasp the way they approached things.

She’d come here to get funds for her trip, and training for it. She’d succeeded… at the cost of a broken heart from her best friend. She’d barely even done anything, and lives were already bent around her.

Is this what the gods felt all the time?