While it was one thing to say that breastfeeding has benefits Vincent was quite surprised when Melody attached an actual number to it. He didn't know the baseline value but from the way she talked it seemed certain. "You measure how nurturing your breast milk is?"

"Of course! It's one of the primary strengths of women such as myself. They're variety of factors that go into determining it. Nutrients, ease of digesting, stability, the degree to which the milk retains aura and a few other factors are used to determine how nurturing a woman's milk is."

While she'd been content to listen Brigit finally chose to step back into the conversation as Vincent seemed to be caught off guard. "So are you going to be drinking from Ariel then? We do need to get you fed before we start moving again and there is quite a bit more fishing to do before we're done."

***********************************************************************

Normally when someone enters their home the first things you notice are a temperature and lightning change. While the light did change Vincent was a bit surprised that the temperature didn't seem to whenever Ariel opened the door to her home. He felt the air rush past and the light dimmed as the girl's stepped inside but there was nothing else. Their foot steps still sounded very strange to his ears as even whenever they slowed to speeds below the speed of sound they had a great distance to travel before reaching his ears. The illusion of hearing the footstep the moment it met with the ground hard enough was completely gone. It all made the return to Ariel's home feel very strange.

As the girls had been walking towards Ariel's home it was fairly clear that another woman was inside with Ellayn. The girls could hear them moving around and breathing. Once they were inside Ariel had a very good idea of who it was as she smelt the change in the air and knew additional alchemical reagents were in her house. "Healer Janice is that you?"

It wasn't Janice who responded but Ellayn. "Welcome home Ariel. Melody, Brigit it's good you're both here as well. Please come join us."

"Yes Ma'am." Brigit felt herself blush slightly as training habits took over. She expected to hear her friends laughing a moment later but they didn't. When she looked back at Ariel she noticed a sympathetic smile on her face and grinned back at her.  A few seconds later they'd made their way into her parent's study where Ellayn, Janice and Lex were currently waiting for them. Janice had an expression on her face that made it look as if she was about to burst. The only thing that seemed to be keeping her in check was Ellayn.

Once the girls were all in the room Ellayn focused her attention on each of them. "Hello ladies. I'm certain that Ariel has told you about Vincent already and had you agree to keep the information secret. Is that correct?"

Both Melody and Brigit responded this time. Melody's response was slower but no less respectful. She simply didn't have the same training as Brigit  to reinforce the behavior.  "Yes Ma'am."

"Very good. Janice please share your findings with us again."

Janice could feel herself grinning as she took a step towards the other women. "I imagine that miss Ariel has already explained that yesterday all my reagents responded to Vincent normally except one. I couldn't remember if this had happened before but I believed that it might. Well I did my research and found some very old records of when white sand glowed violet. It's actually happened a few times from what I was able to discover but so rarely many doubt its legitimacy. As you know white sand changes its color based on the residual magic around a person. Violet is believed to indicate interdimensional travel."

Vincent was absolutely certain the reagents used on him weren't truly named white sand. He also wasn't surprised that it had a strange reaction to him. What surprised him was that this had happened before and he couldn't keep himself quiet. "What happened to those men who glowed violet before? Were they able to return home?"

Janice felt her heart skip a beat as she looked towards Vincent. She'd been so excited she hadn't been thinking about him. Suddenly she felt very nervous. When she looked to Ellayn hoping to get a reprieve she could see that wasn't coming. The report would have to be continued. "Well while their situation was examined no attempts to return the men or women home were confirmed. Numerous attempts were made and it seems this is where the foundation of our current studies in teleportation were laid but as for traveling between dimensions success couldn't be confirmed."

After his talk with Lex, Ellayn and Ariel the previous day Vincent was rather well prepared for this. It didn't hit him with nearly the impact that he had expected it to. He was rather surprised though whenever Ariel reached up and  began to carefully undo the hatchlings nest she'd once again woven him into. He was even more surprised whenever he felt his clothing tighten up on him for a moment and realized it was Serenity hugging him. Sagacity, Audacity and several fluid natures he didn't know even took a moment to give him a consoling touch.

Once she had removed Vincent from her hair Ariel carefully took him between her fingers and brought him down so she could see him. "I'm so sorry Vincent. I know that you want to go home." As she spoke Ariel was actually relieved that her words weren't hollow. Her heart ached just a little and she did mourn for Vincent's situation. She wanted to make things better for him. For a while she'd feared that her desire to keep him would overshadow her concern for his situation and that would have shown something was truly wrong with her.

Before he could respond Vincent heard Brigit, Melody and even Ellayn express their condolences and he was made to smile despite the situation.. "Okay so they didn't get to go home but what happened to those men?"

As she watched Janice beginning to squirm and looking towards her Ellayn gave a sigh. "They were murdered. At least we have two cases where it seems certain they were murdered. The women who found these men decided that a world full of men was worth sacrificing their lives to reach and the men were used as reagents in experiments in an attempt to reach their world and I must assume your world. We don't know if you all came from the same world. The description of the males was quite varied but that doesn't change what they did was wrong. Some men made the attempt to return home but according to Lex's research they most likely died rather than succeeded. In the majority of the cases there fate isn't noted."

Once again their talk the previous night came back to Vincent so he was ready. What he wasn't ready for was whenever Ariel took a step back from her mother as did every woman in the room. When he looked towards Ellayn he suddenly understood why. It felt like a dagger of ice had been stabbed into his chest. Her nails appeared to have changed into claws though he couldn't see any changes in shape. Her eyes seemed to have gone dark and even though he wasn't touching it her skin appeared to have gone cold. It was Ariel who spoke up."Are you alright mom?"

"Yes. I apologize. Fortunately the women who committed these crimes didn't go unpunished after their project failed. It isn't to the degree I would have done but they are not of our city and have long since died. Divine Mother bring her wrath upon them.” As she spoke Ellayn busied herself on relaxing her presence. In truth her body hadn’t changed in the least but by directing the right energies into her aura she could make herself appear more fearsome than she was. At this point in her life and studies it had became a reflex especially whenever she was angry. “Janice if you will.”

Despite Ellayn relaxing her presence the image was still fresh in Janice’s mind and she gave a slight yelp when she was addressed. She didn’t even consider arguing. “The most recent case of this happening was nearly two hundred years ago and we’ve made many advancements in the area of spacial magic since then.” Janice diverted her gaze to Lex for just an instant upon hearing him snort but she didn’t dare let it linger for more than an instant. Looking at Lex meant looking at Ellayn and she didn’t want to risk Ellayn mistaking her look for hostile. “Vincent with our increased knowledge I believe that we could find a way to reach your world. We would however need your assistance. I assure you all the experiments I have in mind would be completely humane and be completely healable.”

When Janice took a step towards him Vincent wished that Ariel was holding him closer. Part of him also wanted Ariel to kick the daylights out of Janice but he wasn’t going to ask her to do that. “I’m not certain that I want that. I want to go home don’t misunderstand me but I’m scared of what might happen if anyone of you could follow me. If one of those women who had used the men as reagents or allowed the experiment were able to make it through then I don’t want to think of what might happen.”

Once again Janice started to take a step forward but she was froze in place when Ariel raised up her free hand in a clear indication to stop. That didn’t mean she had to be silent. “I assure you the knowledge would be carefully guarded! Manevin is one of the strongest cities in existence and both the men and women of this city are of exceptional ethical quality. Your world would be safe and we could do so much for one another I’m certain.”

For a moment Vincent opened his mouth to speak. As he looked up at Janice though he couldn’t help but feel unnerved. Ariel hadn’t prevented any of the other girls from getting near him like that and she hadn’t said anything. Rather than speak he took a moment to look towards Brigit. He was a bit worried but not surprised whenever he saw Brigit’s muscles tensed as if she was ready to strike. “Ellayn you’re the guard captain what do you think?”

“A chance at finding a husband can cause even a good woman to do something very evil or stupid. In either case it could end horribly for your world based on what you told us. Furthermore if we were all such paragons of ethics my job would be much simpler. Janice I want you to talk to the high priestess of the divine union and explain her these supposedly humane experiments. If she agrees with you I’ll hear you out more.” Before continuing Ellayn looked right at Vincent. “Then if I agree I will allow her to ask your permission.”

For a moment Vincent had feared that Ellayn would allow the experiment so that when she finished speaking he was made to breath a sigh of relief. “Just ask my permission?”

“That is correct. As a man you have several sacred responsibilities but this is not one of them.”

Now Janice couldn’t keep quiet. “Guard captain Ellayn! In ancient times men were responsible for leading women to food safely and siring children. Surely leading us to this world would be well within their role as guides.”

“Yes it was and they have made this entire world good ground for us. I will not risk the destruction of another blessed garden either especially without the high priestess’s approval. Janice you’re forbidden from sharing your findings with anyone other than those within this household and the high priestess.”

“On what grounds!”

“As I said a chance at a husband can lead good women to do stupid things. I fear that if this was to become common knowledge I would have to deal with attempts to take Vincent away either by force or stealth. If you disagree with my decision you know who to take it up with.”

While Brigit had been quiet she had to speak up. “Guard captain I lack the temperament to become a regular guard but if at anytime you need extra security feel free to call upon me. Just know that I won’t ask why someone was sneaking around your home.”

Despite her regular composer Ellayn couldn’t help but laugh as she looked towards Brigit. Her voice was a mixture of approval and joy. “No. I don’t imagine you would Brigit.”

Biting down on his lower lip Vincent couldn’t help but speak up and there was no way he could hide the concern in his voice. “I don’t want to cause any trouble but I don’t want to put my world in danger either. I mean. I couldn’t ask you to fight your own people.”

“Vincent that is part of a guard’s job. Even good citizens make mistakes and someone must be prepared to correct them.” Before continuing Ellayn turned her focus to Janice. “And make no mistake I won’t hesitate to correct them.”

For a moment Janice went silent and took in a few breaths. “I understand guard captain Ellayn. I will speak with high priestess Aliessa and seek her approval whenever I can.”

After a moment of thought Ellayn nodded her head. “Think carefully of what you propose to her Janice. I won’t ask you what you meant by humane experiments but I fear you may not have been thinking clearly whenever you developed them if they would require healing.”

“I!” Janice bit down on her lower lip for a moment and then felt herself beginning to frown. “They might have been a lot to ask of Vincent that’s true. Should I continue?”

“Yes. If Vincent decides he wishes to return home he may ask your help after all. You should try to convince him that you can return him safely.”

**********************************************************************

“Are you comfortable Darling?” Ellayn gave Lex a full smile as he settled down into the pool of her milk. Even after having most of the day to recover it was clear that he was still stiff after the previous night’s activities. He had surprised her with how long he’d managed to flutter his wings and the intensity. It sure had made her heart flutter and helped to bring her several orgasms. It was unfortunate that she couldn’t expect a repeat performance tonight.  

He hadn’t wanted to be out for their conversation with Janice but it was important that he be there. Now he had to be apart from his wife as she worked with their daughter. He didn’t care for either situation but at least now he could enjoy a nice relaxing soak. “It feels wonderful Ellayn.”

It felt like Ariel was walking slowly. It was a strange thought to Vincent considering she was still destroying the sound barrier but whenever Vincent compared how quickly they’d went down the hall to how she was moving now it seemed clear. She’d been slow whenever she’d left the exercise room and she was even slower upon her return. It was enough to leave him wondering what was going on despite their meeting with Janice. “Ariel are you alright?”

When she’d been out with Vincent she hadn’t thought about it. Even upon her return home she hadn’t really remembered what her mother had said just the other day. Today she would be renewing her training with her. These thoughts had brought a powerful sense of dread that surprised Ariel. It was Vincent’s question that brought her back to reality though as she looked down at him in her hand. “I’m just dreading this a lot more than I thought I would. Training with mom has never been easy she’s always been certain to push me but now I’ve gone over a year without any training from her. I’m scared I’ve fallen behind.”

“Is it that bad? You seem terrified.”

“Yeah.” After a moment of silence Ariel gave her head a quick shake suddenly feeling very guilty. “No! It’s not as bad as I’m making it out to be and I know that. You’ll see.” As she spoke Ariel made her way into the training room and walked over to the table Ellayn had placed her father on. She couldn’t help but smile whenever he looked up at her. “You look exhausted dad.”

“I am but it was worth it.” Lex looked to the side for a moment as Ariel began to place things on the table. She’d placed a table and two chairs near his bath. Upon the table there was some bread, cheese, glasses and a pitcher of milk. He wasn’t surprised whenever Vincent was the absolute last thing she placed on the table. “Hey Vincent. Did you enjoy your outing today?”

Lex’s completely relaxed tone was actually reassuring to Vincent. Though he had the look of someone that was about to fall over if he tried to stand on his own. It wouldn’t have been so strange if he wasn’t soaking in a pool of his wife’s breastmilk. “It was very educational.”

“I imagine it was. Tomorrow Ariel is going to have to take you for some fun before True Tongue wears off and you have to start studying the language. I’ve been meaning to ask. Did you pick that wing color or was that Ariel’s doing?”

“Ariel’s.”

Lex gave a slight chuckle before looking towards his daughter and wife who had moved to the center of the room. He was relieved to see that Ellayn was holding up a small sphere.

Ellayn gave her daughter a smile as she looked at the orb. “I had thought to spar with you in hand to hand combat as well as test your control of nightmares. However, your father made a very compelling argument last night for easing you back into your training and really seeing what you’ve learned while studying with the regular guard. To that we’re going to play catch. I will try to inspire fear in you with increasing intensity and you’re going to do the same to me. We’re going to gently toss this ball back and forth between the two of us and see who can make who fumble first. Naturally destroying the ball counts as a fumble.”

Ariel couldn’t help the smile on her face as she felt a huge wave of relief. Her first instinct was to walk over to her father pick him up and cover him in hugs and kisses. That would have meant turning her back on her mother during practice though and she knew better than that. It was clear however why her father was so exhausted. She knew how he’d persuaded Ellayn to relent and take it easy on her. “Alright do you want to begin?”

As the women began to take their positions Vincent stood and watched at first but Lex once again spoke up. “You should probably set down. They’re going to be a while.”

Giving a nod Vincent walked over to the seat furthest from Lex. He still felt a little uncomfortable with the entire milk bath situation and that was his wife’s milk. As he set down he took a moment to look at the food and gave a sigh. “Does Ariel know the same spells as Ellayn?”

“She’s not as far along but yes. She’s actually even further along than Ellayn was at that age. We’re both so proud of her. I just.” Lex was made to recoil slightly as his daughter’s muscles seemed to become even more defined, her height appeared to increase though he couldn’t say how much and her teeth seemed to become that of a carnivores. The image only held in his mind for a moment and as it faded he found himself starting to chuckle. “You felt that one didn’t you Vincent?”

Vincent felt like his heart was pounding against the inside of his chest trying to escape. He could feel his hands trembling even as Ariel seemed to return to normal. “What was that?”

Lex gave an approving nod as he looked Vincent over. He actually felt pleased that his daughter was showing such interest in him though there was a lot to learn about this man from another world. “That was a bit of light bending around the corner and hitting us. The conversation not quite heart and the taste not quite recognized. It was also wasted energy that should have been focused on Ellayn but based on what we saw I’d say Ariel has plenty of power left. You did good though.”

“Me?”

“Sure! You’ve already recovered. You mentioned that you don’t have magic in your world which makes it even more impressive. You’ve already told your body that what it saw wasn’t real and you should stop being scared.”

Vincent took a moment to take in a deep breath and look around the massive room. Except for some lighting along the walls it was empty though the floor seemed to be covered with some kind of plant fibers. Perhaps it was for easy repair. He knew it had to be strengthened with magic for these women not to destroy it in an instant. Despite it’s impressive load carrying abilities though it didn’t hold his interest long. His attention was drawn to Ariel whenever he heard a sonic boom and noted she was already holding the ball. She was also breathing heavily.

“Very good!” Ellayn was actually surprised by the ease with which Ariel snatched the ball out of the air. She had feared her daughter would be paralyzed by fear or hesitate too much. She felt her entire body tingle whenever her right hand was made to hesitate when Ariel returned the ball. That she had to push her arm to move despite her daughter not training with her for a year was very exciting and brought on a strong sense of joy. It also left her feeling confident that she could increase the power of the spell.

Don’t embarrass yourself in front of Vincent. It was such a strange thought given that she’d just come to know him and still had a long way to go. Yet it had been the thought that got Ariel’s hand to move. She could feel it as her mother increased the power of the nightmare and once again she repeated this thought as she forced her body to move. As she returned the ball she’d stolen a glance at Vincent and was delighted to see him watching her. Her resolve grew even stronger as the words of her father and Vincent reached her.It was hard to imagine but based on her age she was beating her mother in many ways.

Watching these women play catch was like watching lightning in many ways. The ball would be tossed and often caught well before he actually heard the sonic boom. There was also an element of fear there though. What would happen if they lost control and the ball was to hit one of them? Vincent had reminded himself that serenity was still protecting him and Ariel had told him she could keep him safe but he still worried. Was that part of the nightmare? “Lex what is going on exactly?”

“Each time they toss and catch the ball they’re increasing the energy they’re putting into their spells trying to make the other fumble or destroy the ball. The goal isn’t to do this by throwing the ball faster than the other but to rely on your ability to instill fear into your opponent. The reason a ball is used is it’s relatively harmless so they’re really relying upon the magic. Ariel’s really doing well.  You can have some bread and cheese if you want by the way.”

For a moment Vincent looked at the plate but quickly looked back towards the women. “I tried some this morning and got pretty sick.”

“Seriously? Wow. That’s just. Well don’t worry Ariel will get you where you need to be. In that case though feel free to drink some of the milk.”

“Is bread and cheese that easy to eat?”

“It is whenever it’s made from a woman’s milk. I’m surprised you couldn’t handle bread or cheese made with Ellayn’s milk.”

Vincent was about to comment whenever he noticed Ellayn gave a sharp and even rather violent flench. Her hand shot out and for a moment the ball seemed ready to slip from her fingers before she managed to regain control. He didn’t think this was due to fear as Ellayn looked in their direction. There was a smile on her face but much to his surprise it was nervous.

“Surely you’re joking. Was it really the bread and cheese made from my milk?” As she spoke Ellayn looked towards her daughter. Her head dropped slightly as she gave a rather embarrassed sigh.

For a moment Ariel said nothing but she felt a bit embarrassed herself. She also felt rather bad for her mother. “Mom I’m certain it’s because Vincent’s body is so delicate!”

Had her milk became hard to digest over the years? Lex had no trouble with it but he had trained his body so that he could eat a variety of things. Despite her daughter’s words Ellayn couldn’t help but feel a slight weight settling on her shoulders as she used her free hand to push up against the underside of her breasts. When choosing her traits Lex and she had never done much with her breasts. At times she lamented this decision. A sharp pounding of her heart and a jolt of fear brought Ellayn out of her memories as she smiled at her daughter. “Very well done. Okay Ariel let’s keep going. I’ll just have my milk evaluated later.”

Vincent felt more than a little strange and embarrassed as he listened to Ellayn. The bread he’d eaten had been made using her milk and apparently so had the cheese. How Lex cold seemingly think nothing of another man eating it was beyond him. It was thinking of the casual way Melody had spoken of using her milk though that really let him get a handle on this situation. For these women sharing their milk with a man was apparently nothing special. Surely though drinking from the source would be something that’s reserved for men they’re courting at least. He resolved not to ask as he continued to watch Ellayn and Ariel play catch.

***********************************************************

“Here you go.” Sagacity smiled at Vincent as she placed a pillow next to his head. It took him a few moments to take hold of it as if realizing what was going on.

“You gave me the pillow the other night?”

“That’s right. Ariel is very fond of you but that can cause her to make simple mistakes. She’s just so happy to have you sleeping in her belly button that it slipped her mind.”

Despite everything this brought a smile to Vincent’s face as he lay his head back on it. He hadn’t been very active physically during the day but he felt exhausted. There had been a lot of information to take in. “Thank you. I didn’t even get to ask. What’s going to happen tomorrow?”

“I am not certain. After two days of learning though I wonder if it may be time for a day of fun. You’ve spent your first days here as an observer after all.”

Fun? The word surprised Vincent and made him set up. “Why fun tomorrow?”

“True Tongue will be wearing off shortly after and thus will begin a long period of learning with limited communication. I believe you should build up some good memories in advance. It’s unfortunate that there is only a day to prepare for that.”

Vincent had been ready to lay down and go to sleep but Sagacity’s comment had him alarmed and setting up. “That’s right but couldn’t they just cast True Tongue on me again?”

“They could and will in an emergency situation but otherwise no. You probably didn’t realize this but True Tongue increases the activity of mystic energies inside of your brain. Prolonged exposure to this increased activity can be quite damaging to an untrained mind. You could easily find yourself unable to speak or hearing words in response to feelings or sites. A single casting such as what you experienced is quite safe however.”

“Even for someone that isn’t of this world?”

“Based on your examination yes. I apologize I seem to have upset you. Tomorrow once she awakens I’ll speak with Ariel about helping you to enjoy yourself for the day and preparing some basic communication methods. We most assuredly want to know whenever you need to relieve yourself.”

Vincent actually felt himself blushing a little at that. “”It’s pretty awkward having to tell everyone whenever I need to use the plant. Is that normal for men of this world?”

“No. I’m afraid most men have a way of quietly letting their wife or date know that they need to take care of such needs. For now though you should sleep. You can speak with Ariel about such things in the morning.”

“What about you?”


Perhaps but I admit I prefer to observe.” As she finished speaking Sagacity pushed the pillow back to Vincent. “Please rest and try to think of something fun for the coming day.”

*************************************************************

May 5 3027 DA

“This feels a little awkward.” As she spoke Ariel couldn’t help but blush. The women a man tended to be with he was either courting or a husband to and the games most society played reflected that. The only exception was games meant for two men which mostly involved their wings and mother and child. As Vincent wasn’t being courted at the moment Ariel knew she had to stick to a mother and child game or sister and brother but it still felt very awkward especially as her feelings towards Vincent weren’t that of a mother or a sister.

“You can’t think of anything to do for fun?”

“It’s not that I can’t think of anything that would be fun. It’s just the games I know are really for courting or husband and wife. There is no way I can play either of those with you right now. Oh! I know a game that you’d likely enjoy. We can play tag.”

Vincent was made to flinch at the mention of a kid’s game though he kept that thought to himself. “What do you mean tag?”

“Well you don’t have wings of your own so I’m not surprised you don’t know. Okay the way this works is I close my eyes while you fly around my body and I try to catch you. The rules are pretty simple. You need to try to trick me into reaching for the wrong spot and especially for grabbing the wrong part of my body. Typically there is a point system for that. Let’s say if I reach for you and don’t catch you then you get a point and if I actually place a hand on some part of my body then you get three points. If you can get twelve points then you win but if I catch you I win.”

For a moment Vincent said nothing but took in what Ariel said. “Is that normal?”

“Well the points differ depending on how experienced the players are. There are also some more adult versions such as well while you’re flying under my nose I could try forcing you into my cleavage by exhaling sharply. That type of game is for courting and marriage though. The one I’m talking about is more for kids to learn to use their wings and keep their speed up. Though from how Sagacity was talking she thought I should take you out and do something fun.”

“I have been wondering about that. What do men do while their alpha wife is working?”

“Typically that time is spent with their lesser wives actually. If you’re wondering about my father mom always brings a few books along for him to read and they talk a lot. He can’t really fly around while she’s walking due to how quickly she moves. Oh! And at times he plays board games with her fluid natures.”

“How!”

A slight giggle escaped Ariel as she looked down at Vincent as he set on her knee. “The pieces are actually made from part of the fluid nature’s body. Still as for things we could do for fun. We could go to the temple of the divine union and look at some of the art, a museum, the theater is.” A slight groan escaped Ariel after a moment. “Okay we could go to the theater but I really dislike what they’re showing right now.”

“I’m guessing most games men play involve their wings.”

“A great many do yes but not all it’s just those games are.” Ariel couldn’t help but grin as she looked down at Vincent. “Well one game I know some couples play is the wife will try to bounce her husband from breasts to breasts without forcing him to use his wings and bouncing him as high as possible.”

Vincent couldn’t help but blush as he looked up at Ariel. She most assuredly had the chest for such games. Part of him desperately wanted to suggest trying it but his more rational mind easily won out. “That sounds quite. Stimulating. Don’t you have work today though? I’m still not entirely clear on what you do.”

“Oh! Well I told you I’m a guard in training but in truth I’m well past the point in terms of ability where I could become a guard. Mom is putting me through some extra training and education so that I can begin as a lieutenant.”

“She can’t just give you that rank?” Vincent knew that he’d asked a Silly question as Ariel was made to giggle. There was a mixture of surprise and humor in her voice when she responded that kept Vincent from feeling too silly and helped him relax.

“No! They are some serious consequences if she did that and I failed. For me to become a lieutenant I’m saying I have the physical abilities and knowledge to make up for five years or more experience and my mom has to agree with that. The reports I give are part of my observational training. I’m no good to anyone if I can’t see trouble when it’s in my face. Anyway mom told me this morning that because I did so well last night she’s changing my work schedule. She wants me to get back to work on my physical training but otherwise I’m to see to you today and then begin teaching you our language tomorrow. Oh! We need to begin with that first. I was thinking how about if you need to relieve yourself you cover your bottom?”

Vincent could have sworn that he heard something break upon hearing Ariel’s proposal. For a moment thought left him entirely but his mouth didn’t remain shut. “Absolutely not!” When he heard Ariel giggling a few seconds later he found himself feeling even sillier. “I take it that was a joke.”

“Of course. You can just do the potty dance.” Ariel couldn’t help but snicker as a look of annoyance flashed over Vincent’s face. She would have been worried if he wasn’t grinning as well. “Let’s keep it simple. We’ll relate it to taps and fingers. One finger held up means you want something or need to wait. You can then indicate what that is by pointing. Two means you’re hungry, three you need to relieve yourself, four you’re uncomfortable and five means you’re truly distressed. In return I’ll hold up one finger for I understand, two for I don’t understand and three for wait.”

“That sounds good.”