I get to the realm of the goddess alone. Vi is not with me at all. I feel the rush and intensity of feeling of contentment and love from the goddess and the feeling of my soul being hugged. She then says in that comforting tone of hers, "She couldn't come tonight. Not that she isn't allowed, but the requirements for a non-light magic user differ. You will need to unlock your light magic and then infuse your power with her soul so she has traces of light magic to travel with you." I sigh, if I wasn't here I would probably be frustrated because I am still having problems with that. Though, since I am here, I feel content with my circumstance and I respond with no frustration in my voice, "That takes actually unlocking my ability. I am feeling like I am hitting a wall." The goddess replies as she lounges on a chaise in a spot I often see her, "You are on the right track. Keep following the feeling in your chest and soon things will become clear."
I sigh at the cryptic response and then ask one of the main questions I had, "How long do I need to stay at the castle? When do you want me to leave to continue my mission?" The goddess then replies with that reassuring tone of hers that makes me feel more at ease, "You will know when the time comes." Another cryptic response, but my feelings of contentment are preventing me from getting upset over the cryptic responses. That and she said it in such a way that warmed my heart with that beautiful voice of hers. I then reply while changing the subject, "Ok, then. Well tomorrow I am getting my first enchanted tattoo here and I was wanting to get something for you. Is there something you would prefer I get as my first tattoo for you?" The goddess then replies as she gets up and approaches me, "The princess knows of a flower I love. Ask her when you wake up. Our time is coming to a close. You didn't rest your soul that much before talking to me this time. We need to cut this short for your sake. If you take longer in between visits you can stay here longer for the visits." I reply as she reaches out and caresses my face making my heart swoon, "Ok goddess. Thank you for talking to me as usual. I will continue to try my best, I love you." My soul immediately starts traveling after I said that and then I am back to my body.
I woke up before Vi. I go ahead and start my daily workout quiet like a ninja. I realized that I never got the opportunity to ask about preventing myself from saying or preventing others from accessing my forbidden knowledge. That can wait until another time I guess. Back to my workout, today I want to work on my triceps and chest. I go in-between tricep dips in the chair and pushups on the floor. I keep going until I break a sweat and when I stop to get a glass of water I see Vi is finally awake and is staring at me, "You are quite sexy when you are training." I replied a little startled, "Oh you are awake! It is a bummer you couldn't join me with the goddess last night. She was able to tell me how I can bring you but I will need to unlock my light magic and then infuse your soul with my magic before we fall asleep so your soul can travel the same places a light magic soul can."
Vi excitedly says almost in disbelief, "You can use light magic?! I can't believe I never asked. I figured you might not have known since it wasn't fully awakened. Now we have to get it awakened. I know my father will be ecstatic. He has been searching for a light magic user the whole time he has been king to defeat the demon king." I replied, shaking my hands, refusing such a duty, "I did not come here to defeat anyone. I just came for peace. I do have the ability to find other light magic users though so we can find more if your father really wants someone to go. I would prefer if you guys would let me talk to the 'demon' king first though." Vi replies confused, "How will you manage that? They speak in the demon tongue. No human can understand the demon language."
I sigh deeply then think if I should go ahead and tell her my ability? Then think why not I have already disclosed a lot to her already and she doesn't seem to want to exploit me and so far she has kept my secrets. I reply sitting down on the bed and squeezing her leg through the blanket, "I can. I have a special ability that allows me to speak with all living creatures that communicate with language. 'Demons' are included in that." Vi then replies with a surprised look on her face, "That is way more than what I initially thought you could do. I can see why you kept that secret. If my father knew exactly what all your ability could do, I know he would never let you leave the castle ever and you would never know freedom in this life. He isn't a bad man, but he is obsessed with being the best king he can be and he would be able to do a lot with an ability like yours. I will keep this a secret for you as well for the sake of your mission. I don't want to get in your way or the goddess's way."
She reminded me of what the goddess said and I say, "Speaking of the goddess. She said that for my tattoo today I needed to ask you what the goddess's favorite flower is." Vi replies with a look of realization, "I actually do know that. The Daruna flower that is like the divine on Gaos. This flower is imbued with light magic and is very beautiful. For someone like you who is actually a light magic user I think it is a wonderful idea and perfect. Where were you thinking of getting it?" I reply while looking down to my exposed foot, "On my left foot. That is where I got my first tattoo in my first life so I thought I would keep the first here too." Vi hisses as if in pain, "OOOF! That is going to hurt. Foot ink I hear is pretty painful." I reply reminiscing, thinking of my past life, "They aren't so bad. Though I have heard the tapping tattoo method is a little more painful than the tattoo machines we had in my first life in the age I lived. My experience yesterday with your mother with the giant butt plug was more painful than any tattoo I received in my first life so I think I will be just fine."
Vi brow furrows as she wears a remorseful expression while holding her chest, "Again, I am sorry you had to go through that ordeal. When you talk about it my chest tightens for you. I hope you are right with the ink though. I will be with you the whole time you get it in case you need support. I think my father said they should be arriving some time after breakfast since they got in late last night and stayed at a local inn." I reply, "If that is the case, before Nat gets here with breakfast let me go take a quick bath and I will be right back. I don't want to be all stinky and sweaty for my tattoo. That would be disrespectful to the ink artist since they will be spending a long time up close and personal in my space." Vi nods and responds while stretching under the covers, "I will be here." With that I leave to go wash up with Sir Stirling in tow as my muscle for my journey to the baths.
I return to see the princess eating breakfast with Ash. Ash has his little saucer that has Ash's breakfast on it and his afternoon snack. I love Nat so fucking much. I didn't even need to ask her to bring stuff for Ash and she just does it. I smile and join in because I am starving. As I dig in I reach over and give Ash a scratch on his head while he is digging in. Vi then says after gracefully wiping her mouth with a napkin after a bite of food, "Nat says that the ink artist has arrived and is setting up and says that after you eat to go to the drawing room where the ink artist is set up. I believe mother and father will be there to watch as well. Just wanted to give you a heads up." I reply feeling particularly anxious and fearful of the queen, "Thanks, Vi. I will channel my best smile when I see the queen and try to give her a nice and strong greeting. Keyword try. Guess I will find out. Wish me luck. She is already intimidating, but now I am scared." Vi wipes her mouth after another bite and replies, "Just smile and try to greet her. I will save you if she tries anything. I won't leave your side today. I am taking a day off from my princess duties today so I can be with you. I just know if I were to actually work today, she would try something. She has a way of not wanting to let go of her 'pets' sometimes." I shiver at the thought, "Ok. I will do my best." I say as I finish eating. When I finish we head to the drawing room.
When we arrive the ink artist is sitting and waiting patiently for us while doing some last minute preparations. He put out a long sheet over a chaise lounge chair to protect it from ink. Before I go over to the ink artist I look around and see the King and Queen sitting to the side drinking a cup of tea while reading the Hedia Herald awaiting my arrival. I approach them and give my best smile and say, "Good morning, your highnesses. I hope you are having a wonderful morning today." Seeing the queen this close my skin has goosebumps remembering the intense cold from yesterday and I hold back shivering in response. DON'T SHIVER. The queen perks up when she sees me and says in a sultry manner with eyes dripping in desire, "Good morning, Zoe." She takes a look at the Princess and sighs and she goes back to drinking tea and reading the Hedia Herald.
THANK THE GODDESS.
I could kiss the princess right here and now from how effective just her presence is but will contain myself. Though her looking over to the princess implies that if she wasn't here that the princess's earlier assumption was spot on. I probably should try to not be alone with the queen anymore if I can help it because of this. I need to be careful. I then walk over to introduce myself to the ink artist, "Hello. My name is Zoe." He greets me, "Nice to meet you. I am Felix. Hope we can get along." He says to shake my hand. In this world instead of shaking the actual hand they just grab the hands instead and hold it with the other hand so that is what I do. Just like when I shook hands with Nat. Two times makes a pattern. He asks in a very professional manner, "So what are we getting today?" I then say looking down at my blank canvas of a foot, "A Daruna Flower on my foot in whatever style you specialize in." He then replies processing the information of my request, "Ok. Ok. I can definitely do something like that but for the type of ink I was told I was going to be doing today that might need to be a tad larger to get it to come out right to get the necessary detail you probably want. Not much larger though." He makes his hands in a circle about the size of a rose flower in full bloom which is larger than I was initially told but that is fine for me.
In my first life that would be considered a small tattoo for me so I say without hesitation, "That works for me. Though if it will cost more money you will need to ask his highness since he is footing the bill. I don't want to make a decision that affects the cost without his say." The king chimes in while not looking up from reading the paper drinking his tea, "Don't worry about the money. Get what you want." Felix says, clapping his hands once, excited for his new commission, "Got it. Now I specialize in a step below realism. I believe a good outline helps the ink keep longer." I giggle, "You sound like someone I know who is in the same profession. Do you have designs for Daruna Flowers you like Felix?" He says, "Let me whip up some drawings for you and see which one you like best." He turns to the princess, "Would it be possible to get an image of the flower so I can make sure it is accurate, princess?" Vi nods, "Certainly."
She immediately goes to the corner of the room and talks to Nat and Nat hurries off to somewhere to get what Felix needs. Within a quick minute Nat is back with a book on flora and hands it to Felix. He opens it to a page with the Daruna flower and gets started on some sketches. It takes him about as long as my tattoo guy back home. Each of them are equally beautiful and it is hard for me to decide so I ask him to pick his favorite. In my previous life, I had many flowers tattooed on my person and several repeats at different angles ranging from flower buds to full flowers in bloom. I can totally just get all of them for different tattoos. Then he says with a bright smile, "Alright, where are we getting it?" I reply pointing to my foot, "On my left foot." He hisses like Vi did, "You sure. These hurt on the feet." I reply in a reassuring tone, "In my first life I had ink on my feet. I think I can handle it." He says with uncertainty in his voice, "Ok. If you say so. Go ahead and lay down on the chair and get comfortable this is going to take a while. Let me know if you need to take a break." I nod, "Ok."
He gets his colors he needs in receptacles near his station and grabs the needle and starts tapping on my feet. It feels just a tad more painful than the machines from Earth but it is most definitely bearable. I stare in fascination at this primitive tattooing method. This is actually a dream come true for me. I always wanted to get a tattoo done with this primitive tapping method but hardly anyone on Earth actually still practices it. It is most definitely an artform. As he continues I love how it is turning out and my chest is humming. I smile and hold my chest. Vi says wearing a slightly surprised expression, "Now that is not the reaction I was expecting. Is your core reacting to getting the ink?" I reply wearing a soft smile as I feel this warm hum make my chest feel fuzzy, "I was just thinking about how much I love how it is turning out and my chest purred in approval." Vi laughs at my words, "Yea I don't think I have ever seen someone get a positive feeling from ink before. I have heard of people tightening, but not the opposite."
Felix joins in the conversation, "It isn't as uncommon as you think. Though you are right, more often than not people tighten." He says while not breaking focus, continuing to tap systematically and with artistic precision. He is actually free handing this which I have never done before. In my first life I have always had artists use stencils. Though stencils probably don't exist in this world. He is doing a fabulous job without one. It takes him longer than it would back on Earth to complete the tattoo since he is tapping not using a machine so instead of probably a 2 hour tattoo it took 4 hours which was about as long as a larger piece on earth. Makes sense though. This body doesn't swell as much as my other body.
I love that.
When I thought that my chest burned hot but still not quite enough to unlock my magic. Felix stops tapping, "Ok, I am finished now. Let me clean it off and moisturize it. This is everyone's favorite part." I ask Felix as he wipes my tattoo clean, "Is there a special skin care routine I need to do to care since it is enchanted or will regular skin moisturizer work?" Felix says applying the moisturizer which feels so refreshing, "Yes. Enchanted ink is a little different from regular ink. You will need enchanted ointment to apply a few times a day to ensure your body doesn't reject the enchantment. You could get away with not using it, but it is not recommended due to the fact that if your body rejects the enchantment, amputation of the tattoo might be the only way to save you. Also, make sure to not keep it submerged in water for long periods of time. It will ruin the image. So no soaking in the bath" I feel the weight of his words.
Enchanted ink is dangerous if the proper steps aren't taken unlike regular ink and I will definitely need to be vigilant in my aftercare, "That sounds serious. We don't want to lose limbs. As for the water thing, I am already aware. You don't have to worry about that one." As I say this he gives me a container filled with this enchanted ointment and I gladly accept, "Thank you so much." Looking down at my foot admiring his work of art, "I really love it. Where is your shop? I would love to visit you when I start my journey." Felix says as he starts packing up his supplies, "I am located a few days' trip away just inside of the border of Pacifica. There is a town called Haka on the border where my shop resides." I replied while making a mental note of what he said, "Good to know. I will definitely be coming to visit in the future. What is your going rate?" Felix replies, "10 gold per hour for regular tattoos and if the tattoo is enchanted it is at least 20 gold per hour. It all depends on the level of enchantment. Today was just a 20 gold per hour charge." I nod understanding the pricing, "Ok. Noted. Thank you so much for coming out today." Felix replies getting the last of his supplies packed away, "It was my pleasure. I got myself a repeat customer out of this." He says with a smile.
I stand up and shake his hand the Gaos way, "A repeat customer indeed. Do you have a catalog or pamphlet of different ink and enchantments?" Felix replies after patting his pockets and deflating, "Not on me sorry, but I do have a catalog at my shop. Feel free to stop by whenever." I reply feeling a little bummed out that I couldn't see all of their enchantments, "Bummer, guess I will just have to visit then." I say with a smile. Felix says turning to King Juan, "I am now done your highness, if you would like to discuss payment." The king gets up slapping his hands to his knees, "Alright follow me this way and I will settle your tab. How much for today?" Felix replies as he follows King Juan, "80 gold" With that they exit the room to handle business and Vi says, "I don't know about you Zoe but I am starving. How does lunch sound?" My stomach growls as if on cue and Vi giggles, "Sounds like you agree." I giggle too, "My stomach beat me to that answer apparently, Princess Vi."
We went and grabbed something to eat and when we finished I went back to the library to research light magic and Vi joined me. This is actually the first day she has spent so much time with me and it is actually kind of nice. There are hardly any books that have anything on light magic. The little bit of books I am finding just have the generic stuff or talk about the Daruna flower I just got tattooed on myself. Apparently it is the only plant in nature imbued with light magic. Though just as light magic users are scarce, a daruna flower has yet to be seen apparently in this world for centuries. The last reported sighting was reported in "demon" country. I sigh, closing the book and putting it back and asking, "Are these all the books you have on light magic, Vi?" She replies, "Sadly yes. I am sorry we don't have more but it is a rare magic. If light magic souls could awaken easier then it wouldn't be so rare. There was a point when light magic users were just as prominent as other users but I do not know how they were able to awaken like that. I am sure we will figure something out. Did the goddess say anything?" I replied, "When I asked the goddess, she just said I was on the right track and kept her answer cryptic. So, I guess I need to keep doing what I am doing."