Chapter Seventeen:
Blame It On The Grain
"No no, dude," his voice was a soft rumble as he looked down at the five-year-old tugging his shirt, "We're supposed to stay here until the storyteller gets here."
The little boy gave him a sour look, sticking his tongue out at him, but gave no further argument, rejoining his classmates and picking up the book he had been looking at a minute ago.
The kids had been waiting for almost half an hour and almost all of them were getting a bit anxious. He was none too pleased himself, since the storyteller was -supposed- to have been there at least twenty minutes ago and keeping sixteen kindergarten children busy was a difficult task.
Heath scrubbed a hand through his shaggy blonde hair, sighing a bit. Maybe he'd better go look for the storyteller. There were enough of them there and more to look after the kids and he'd only be gone a little while.
"Yo, Kathy," he called to a girl not too far from where he stood, the only one who didn't seem to have her hands completely full, "I'm going to go to the front of the library. Ask if any of them know about the Storyteller, 'kay, gem?"
She smiled, honey-blonde curls bouncing a bit as she waved him away, "Go on, I'll look after your group for you."
He nodded and headed for the front of the building, hoping that one of the librarians would be able to tell him what was keeping the storyteller so long.
"I'm just going in to get a few books to read, Julius. It's not like I'm walking into a group of Graikos and saying 'hi, I'm Lady Bacchus, remember me? I pushed your teammate off a roof.'"
If it was possible for a pig to wince, Julius did it. "Rayya, I..."
The petite brunette smiled softly, violet eyes somber. "No, Jules, don't worry. It's not your fault and... I've made peace with that." She rubbed him affectionately behind the ears and shifted slightly; her squatted position was starting to wear on her thighs. "And I have wonderful friends and I have you and I know what I've gotta do. I just... Wilma's right, you know. I need to call Wade and sort that out."
The little black pig was silent and Rayya sighed. "It was -my- screw- up, Jules," she muttered. "He hasn't done anything wrong. Anyway, you should be proud. Gwyn says he goes out and patrols still and..." Suddenly, Julius stiffened under her hand and she scowled. "What is it?" Automatically, she pulled away from him and reached for the ring on her hand. "Trouble?"
"... No." Squinting in the bright sunlight, Julius turned his head to gaze up at the front of the library. Light glinting off the many windows made it hard for him to see and he silently cursed the fate that had trapped him in this lowly form; it was next to useless for everything. Pulling away from Rayya, he trotted forward a few steps and focused his gaze again. There was a boy at the door, twisting his blonde head this way and that, looking for someone or something. With a soft grunt, Julius forced his attention past the garish Hawaiian shirt to -really- look at him. "Rayya? That boy... Do you know him?"
Obediently, the brunette turned her gaze upwards and studied him. "No, should I?"
"Ceres Knight. Come on, girl." Julius broke into a brisk trot up the stairs.
With a grimace, Rayya stood and followed. Within moments, she was beside the young man and, pausing, she smiled at him brightly. "Hello, there."
The man jumped a bit, startled, and then pushed the blonde strips of hair out of his eyes, "Oh...'lo there, gem."
His lazy accent spoke of his 'Surfer dude' heritage, and the smile to match showed he was probably a rather recent transfer as well, "Can I help ya? I don't wanna be rude, but I'm kinda lookin' for someone right now, so if it's not important, could it maybe wait until I get the storyteller in keeping m'kids entertained?"
The brunette glanced down at the pig at her feet and, when he shook his head, looked back up at the young man. "Well, if you're just standing here, looking around, you can't say that you'd object to me standing with you," she answered lightly. "My name is Rayya."
The man laughed, shaking his head a bit. This woman was determined but, ah, well. Most of his friends were girls, anyways, so it wasn't like she was going to make him uncomfortable. Though he -did- have a tendency to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. But usually only when it was a girl he wanted to -date-.
"Heath Smith," he returned, eyes sparkling a bit, "But I'm not really just going to be standing here, gem, I've got to locate the storyteller before the kids start World War III."
"Hmm, I see your point." Tilting her head, she seemed to think for a moment but her amused glance spoke differently. After all, she knew quite well that the pig at her side would accept no less than immediate awakening. "Tell you what, hon, I've got an offer for you. How about you give me about five minutes of peace and quiet for a chat and then I'll help you keep control? I really like kids myself."
The man scratched the back of his head, laughing a bit, "Well, all right, then. Whatever it is you want to talk to me about must be important if you're this determined, gem."
Not that he'd actually make her help out with the kids. Although he might make her help him find the Storyteller. That at least wouldn't require too much of the poor girl.
Her smile was bright and welcoming; he was a nice guy and talking to him felt easy and uncomplicated. It was a nice change. "Excellent." Looking around, Rayya bit her lower lip in thought. Then, abruptly, she pushed the young man behind a pillar. The pig followed. "Okay, then. Heath, hon? This is going to come as a bit of a shock but..."
"You're Ceres Knight." Julius snorted. "Simple and to the point. Welcome to the Romanus, boy."
The man looked at them thoughtfully, then up at the ceiling, playing with the edges of the Hawaiian shirt he was wearing, "I'm afraid you'll have to be a bit more specific," he informed them, "I don't know what a Ceres Knight or a Romanus is. Is that a club? You inviting me to join your club, gem?"
That'd be all right. It seemed he'd already passed any initiation if that were the case, and he did have some time after classes and between volunteer work he could use for it. And besides, if there were other girls as pretty as this one in it... But, wait, had the pig just talked?
He looked at the pig, then at the girl, "Did your pig just talk?"
"Well, yes. His name is..."
"My name is Julius. This is Rayya and you're Heath." The pig wrinkled his snout. "She is also Lady Bacchus and you are Ceres Knight. Following so far, young man?"
Rayya nudged him with her foot, frowning. "Be nice, Jules, or else."
He eyed his charge for a long moment. Then he seemed to deflate and his gaze melted, affectionate and relieved. "Fine," he grunted. He looked up at Heath expectantly. "Well, then? Do you understand?"
He looked at the pig curiously, "Is he a robot? I didn't know they made pig robots that could talk. Learn something new every day. So it's a robot club, then? And Ceres Knight is my club name?"
This was a little weird, but then again, coming from California, it didn't really freak him out. He'd been through stranger stuff. And Ceres Knight wasn't any worse than Heather Rowan Smith.
Julius stared at him in utter disbelief. Then, with a grumble of what was certainly Latin swear words, he trotted out of sight. Rayya smiled apologetically at the young man. "I'm sorry, hon," she murmured. "He gets awfully short tempered. A real brat, you know?" She laughed a bit and stepped closer, touching his shoulder lightly. "But what he says is true. Being a Romanus... Well, it's like being a superhero, I suppose. You're batting for the team of ancient Roman gods."
He scratched his head, watching where the pig had retreated off too, "I made him angry? Sorry, dude!" he cried after the creature, still not sure whether or not they'd answered his questions about whether or not the thing was a robot.
"A superhero? So it's a role-playing game? I guess I can deal with that."
He cracked his knuckles, "So I gotta fill out stats pages or something, right? Sunny was into that stuff for a year or two. It looked pretty complicated to me."
Rayya giggled. Far from being frustrated, she was charmed by his even nature and inability to grasp the concept. "No, hon. Not like role-playing. Not even like LARPing."
A confused look crossed the man's face, "Well, what then, sparkle?" he asked. It wasn't role-playing and he was supposed to play at being a superhero? Maybe they wrote stories. Or called it something other than role-playing.
...And maybe it wasn't really a robot pig. He'd never heard of any such thing. But how come it'd been able to talk, then? Animals couldn't talk. He knew that one for sure. He'd've been -real- happy if his horses -could- talk. Make it easier to take care of them, for one, and easier to get them to do what you wanted them to.
Before Rayya could answer, though, Julius reappeared, a piece of wheat in his mouth. "Here, take this, boy," he grumbled, words muffled and impatient.
Heath took the bit of wheat, looking at the pig again. “You really a talking pig, then?" he asked, confused, "But, then, how is it you can talk? Wish m'horses could talk..."
"I can speak simply because I always have. Honestly. Haven't you ever heard of me before? No, never mind." He cut himself off with a shake of his head. "Anyway, yes, you are Ceres Knight and you seem halfway intelligent at least and, since you haven't tried to kick me, I'm disposed to like you despite everything." He noticed Rayya giving him another warning look and quickly barreled ahead. "Hold that up and say 'Ceres Romanus Deus Power, Grow', okay?"
"But most normal pigs can't talk, Julius." His brow wrinkled thoughtfully. "Heard of you? You aren't, like, the mascot for Orange Julius or something, are you? Man, I love that place..."
He looked down at the sheaf at the rest of his words, blinking, "But, what'll that do?"
At a glare from the pig, he quickly held it up as he'd been instructed and said the given words. Instinctively, as soon as he'd said it, he dropped the sheave, and it started to grow. And grow. Until he was surrounded by an entire field and suddenly his clothes seemed to be changing and the sheaves of wheat were dying, which made him want to cry. Then, as quickly as it had happened, the field was gone, and there was only the little sheaf of wheat, sitting in his palm.
"...Wha...What..?" he blinked, looking about, then noticing the toga, "Whoa! I'm wearing a toga!"
"But it's a -cute- toga." Rayya giggled before wolf-whistling.
"-Rayya-."
Heath couldn't help but blush, grinning a bit, "Well, maybe, but how'd I get to be wearing a toga? What's -in- that bit of wheat? You haven't given me drugs, right? Mum and Sunny'd be really disappointed in me if you were and they found out."
"It's kind of... Like magic, Heath." Rayya held out her hand to show the amethyst and gold ring glinting on her middle finger. "I'm Lady Bacchus and I get a -much- more embarrassing outfit. We get powers and we're... supposed to use them to survive."
Julius' voice cut in, softer and more gentle than it had been moments ago. "To survive and fight your enemies. As a Romanus, you are sworn enemy to the Graikos."
Rayya's mouth twisted as if in pain. "Though the Angelus and the Astronomia aren't too keen on us either."
The man blinked again, "The... Oh! It makes sense now. Romanus, Graikos. The Greeks and the Romans and Ceres was..."
Now he definitely blushed, "Waitaminute, Ceres was the -goddess- of Harvest. How c'n I be a goddess? Plus, I don't know if I'm too keen on the idea of fighting people. What if somebody gets hurt?"
"It's a war, young man. People -always- get hurt."
With a shudder, Rayya half-turned away and hugged herself absently. "We have control of our own powers, Heath," she murmured. "We can avoid hurting if we want to. I hate it all, too. Can't stand going out, looking for people and knowing that I'm supposed to hate them. I can't but... Sometimes they -can- hate us and they do."
"A war? Over what?" He looked at Rayya, who definitely seemed to be less than happy about something suddenly, "And don't worry, gem. If people are out there tryin' to hurt you and the rest of these 'Romanus' I'm certainly not gonna stand back and let 'em but I won't go -looking- for a fight."
"Perhaps not but you -should- go patrolling." Julius paused and surveyed the young man. He seemed an utterly fluffy-headed pacifist but he also seemed to have a streak of protection. Chivalry? Perhaps. Truthful? Definitely. The pig nodded to himself. This boy would be alright to go with his Rayya. "You can go with Rayya. In fact, I'd suggest the two of you arrange to meet tonight."
Heath nodded, "To make sure nobody's getting hurt, right? Find the others and all that? I'm good with that."
He smiled reassuringly at the younger woman, "And if you -are- available tonight, I should be able to get the horses fed in time to take a short trip around. Do you want to meet at my place? That way I can introduce you to the parents quickly so they'll be okay with you stopping by sometimes?"
He had a feeling he'd be seeing a lot more of Rayya. Not that he minded, of course, she seemed nice enough. But the parents would definitely want to know about her.
Turning back to face him, the smile that replaced her former expression was brilliant and Rayya seemed young and vibrant once more. "Oh, you angel," she chuckled. "That sounds great. I'd love to meet your family. Can I meet the horses, too?"
Julius sighed internally in overwhelming relief.
He grinned, "Great! Mom and Dad'll be happy I've got another friend and Sunny's always happy when I bring home girls, 'cause she usually makes friends with them, too, and of course you can meet the horses! You'll love 'em. We've got a whole stableful, though, so if Julius is a bit edgy and wanting to get out fast we might wait and do that -after- we patrol, right?"
Rayya nodded. "Whatever you say." She giggled. "Man, I haven't been around a horse since I was little and used to do pony rides." Suddenly, she blinked and burst into more giggles. "Oh, -Heath-, you're still in the toga!"
He looked down, staring at the thing and then blushing, "Ah! Guess I am, at that! How do I get out of this thing?" Not that it wouldn't entertain the kids to see him in a toga but he wasn't too sure his boss would like it much. And he definitely wanted that Hawaiian shirt back. It was his favorite.
Rayya barely managed to speak through her giggles; for some reason, the fact that they had conducted a long conversation without either of them realizing he was still in costume seemed hysterical to her. "Close your eyes, click your heels together three times, and say..." "Just think about how you looked before, boy." Julius snorted but it was obvious he was hiding his own amusement at Rayya's reaction with gruffness. It was nice to see her smiling. "Ignore her and close your eyes and think."
He closed his eyes, tapping his sandaled feet together three times, "There's no place..." He grinned, opening them to peek out at the others. Of course, in the meantime, he was picturing himself as he looked before, like the pig had instructed, and the costume slowly faded into his Hawaiian shirt and cutoff shorts.
He also promptly found himself in a tight hug, whisps of chestnut hair over his face as Rayya caught him up in an impulsive motion. "Thank you," she whispered.
He laughed, gently pushing strands of her hair away from his eyes and patting them down on her head softly, "Wow. If Dorothy impressions earn me hugs, I'm totally doing them more often from now on!"
He grinned, returning the hug and getting just a little bit more seriously, "But honestly, gem, I'm glad I could make yah sparkle."
"And I'm glad I met you." Slowly, she released him and stepped back. -But I'm so very, very sorry that we met like this.- Her smile lingered, though, softening. "You're great."
Julius coughed slightly. "You might want to exchange phone numbers, you know."
"Oh!" The brunette blushed slightly and laughed. "Good thing I have him to take care of me, huh?" she asked Heath lightly as she dug in her purse for a tablet and pen.
He ruffled the girl's hair rather affectionately, laughing a bit, "Oh, don't worry, gem. I'll be helping him take care of you if that's what's needing doing."
He wasn't going to let anyone hurt Rayya if he could help it. She reminded him a bit of Sunny. Quickly, he pulled out a pen and a little notebook from his pocket. Always keep paper on you when you're dealing with little ones, that was his theory. After writing down his phone number on the paper, he handed it to her, another laugh escaping his lips, "And feel free to call for anything. Even if you just need someone to talk to, alright?"
"Ditto." Rayya scribbled her information down, tore the paper in half, and handed the piece with her number back to him. Her violet eyes shone warmly, already feeling clearly affectionate towards the easy-going young man. "I'm getting good at listening."
He put his hand over his heart, a melodramatic sign of his appreciation, "If I ever have a problem, you'll be the first to know!" he declared, grinning and taking her phone number. Carefully, he set it in the pocket of his cutoff jeans, "I'll be sure not to lose this, that's for sure..."
"See that you don't." At a look from Rayya, though, Julius softened and nodded at Heath. "Right. Glad to have you around, boy. I trust you to do your best."
"Of course he will, Jules." With a soft smile, Rayya suddenly hugged him. "We'll get together soon. Now, then... Need help with those kids?"
Heath grinned lopsidedly, "Absolutely," he said, "If you're any good with them, of course. Otherwise, maybe we'll just look for the Storyteller to pacify them, right?"
He looped his arm about her shoulders in an obviously platonic fashion and led her back towards where they'd first met. It'd certainly been an interesting day, that was for sure. But he'd had stranger... He just couldn't think of any at the moment.