I did wonder about the name “Iguana Meadows,” but it was unexpectedly accurate: we spotted a couple of substantial lizards that might have been iguanas even before we reached the side road marked by the appropriate sign. After that, we saw more, lounging on rocks in the sun and eating low vegetation, especially a kind with leaves that looked thick and plump. I thought scaly beasties typically ate insects or prey, but what did I know? Maybe iguanas were different. Maybe it was just the lizards here that were. I had no idea. I adored cats and dogs and pocket pets, I wished badly that my chaotic life made it anything but unfair to have a cat or two, but I could never quite get into the non-mammal sorts.
We came into the vilge itself in mid-afternoon.
That was a relief, because Aryennos, now that he was feeling better, was intensely curious about where I was from and about my healing magic, and just about everything else. I told him that I was tired and carrying his weight, while not a problem, did require more of my attention; Serru distracted him with accounts of pces she’d been and things she’d seen, and that worked well enough for most of the trip. Apparently she’d wandered a long way, into pces he considered thrillingly exotic. Most of them did sound intriguing, although I had no intention of being in this world long enough to see them.
Iguana Meadows was smaller than Quailbrook, but the architecture was the same: painted cob walls, wood framing and doors, thatched roofs. The same pets and poultry roamed around freely, mostly disregarded by the same colourful people—although all the dogs I saw were collie types. The immacute streets and absolutely ft ground no longer felt as strange.
No one paid any attention to any of us.
That was distinctly preferable to being obviously a freak who didn’t belong in this world.
Besides, I spotted a few more people who were furred in different colours and the impression I got was distinctly feline, though I didn’t get a really good close look and decided that chasing after them would be rude. Some people had scales. There were centaurs and deer-people around too. I’d had brief encounters with all of those on the road, just in passing, and others besides that had all begun to blur. It was becoming clear that “human” was only one option for “person” around here. Even if the local definition of “human” didn’t quite match what I was used to.
Serru paused for a brief conversation with someone who had scaled skin in soft green shades, then quickly caught up. “We’ll need to visit the bank and post office and the tavern. We can stay here overnight and have a hot meal. We should be able to replenish basic supplies, although the selection will be limited, but I doubt I’ll sell much.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said. I didn’t think it was a good time to argue about her spending money. With any luck, the fruit from the cardinal tree would make up for it, but she’d mentioned that it would sell better in a rge city. “You got directions?”
“Yes. The bank first, I think.”
“Lead on.”
We made our way to a building with two doors facing the street. Next to the one on the left was a sign with two circles of the same size offset about halfway to either side; on the right the sign had three circles of the same size, the outer ones barely touching at one edge and the third overpping both and touching the centre of each. Both doorways were rge enough that I could fit through it without much trouble, but then, buildings here so far all had wider doors and higher ceilings than I was used to. The symbols nagged at me; had I seen them on that secondary building near the shelter by the Quincunx?
“Oh, good,” Aryennos said, and paused while Serru helped him slide off my equine back with care for his still-sore leg and ribs. “I’m definitely buying dinner and I’m hoping I can treat you both to rooms for the night.”
“Will you be able to access it with no identification?” I asked. As far as I knew, Aryennos literally had only his clothing, and that was definitely the worse for wear.
Aryennos stopped in his tracks and turned in pce to give me a wide-eyed look of utter astonishment.
“Stupid question, I take it?” I asked Serru.
“Ah... it’s unexpected,” Serru said, but by now I recognized the tone that meant she was being diplomatic.
“So it uses magic or something?”
“No. It is much more fundamental than that.”
“How can anyone not know how banks work?” Aryennos asked incredulously.
“Keep your voice down, please,” Serru said.
“Sorry.” He did moderate the volume, but the tone stayed the same. “The bank and the post office are universal!”
Obviously, I’d tripped over something that I wasn’t going to be able to expin away as ‘I’m not local.’
Serru looked at me, looked at him, sighed, and said, “If you have any gratitude, you will say nothing to anyone else and draw no attention. Nathan, banks offer a location in which to save money, which will be avaible from any other bank. Those in settlements are often staffed and in those, one can deposit or withdraw a limited number of items as well. Dying by mischance or age makes no difference, it will still be the same when you next visit a bank. There is no proof of identity necessary. Simply stepping into the bank is sufficient and infallible.”
“Oh.” Well, that expined why it was so unthinkable that I had no idea how it worked.
“The same is true of the post office.” She gestured to the other side of the building. “Messages are held safely and can be retrieved from any location. Packages can be sent from a post office with the staff to handle it and picked up at any staffed post office, but at an unstaffed one you will get only a notification that there is a package. Every settlement will have one. Unstaffed structures with a bank and post office exist even outside settlements, in pces where they will be convenient, such as near some shelters. This one is a hybrid, with someone working in the post office who can help in the bank if needed but it would be excessive to have both staffed regurly in such a small vilge. The entire system is essential and, well, fundamental.”
“Where are you even from?” Aryennos asked.
“That is not information you are entitled to,” Serru said.
“I...” Aryennos struggled visibly with respect pitted against that bottomless curiosity. “But... I might be useful to you. I know a lot of things most people don’t, even if I’m no good at life between settlements.”
“Go inside and get what you are getting.”
“So you can talk behind my back? Or leave?”
“We’re not leaving, obviously, we need supplies.”
He surrendered, and limped into the bank.
“I’m sorry,” I sighed.
Serru shrugged. “It was inevitable that there would be things that it would never occur to me to tell you because I could not conceive of their absence. Likely it will happen again. The question is simply what to do with Aryennos.”
“Could he know anything that might be helpful?”
Slowly, she nodded. “It is easily possible that he knows more about the Quincunx and about travelling between worlds than I do. Esoteric lore with little application is not among my stronger skills, and I know only what is common knowledge. Aryennos strikes me as the kind of person who voraciously gathers lore for its own sake with no regard for whether it seems likely to be useful.”
“It probably isn’t actually dangerous, right? He isn’t going to report me to some government agency that will lock me up as an alien?”
Serru’s pink eyebrows rose. “Is that what would happen in your world?”
“That’s what pop culture says. It would be more probable for people to assume mental health problems, but with enough evidence, it could probably happen.”
“That’s a poor and callous sort of hospitality. No, there should be no danger, as long as we can persuade him not to be overly careless. To be absolutely clear, I would not expect anyone to become aggressive after learning where you’re from. It is not an unfamiliar idea, that individuals are sometimes born who are new to this world and some are not reborn here so they must go somewhere. Aryennos is not the only one who would want to learn more. Even if it meant persistent and intrusive questions from those allowing curiosity to overwhelm courtesy and kindness.”
“I’d really rather avoid that. Obviously. But Aryennos already knows something is up. If he could have info we need, then I can probably put up with some questions. Besides, we’re leaving tomorrow and he’s going home to his job, so it won’t be for long.”
“I can’t think of a reason why it would be a particurly risky idea. We should be able to make it clear to him that you want to keep it private. Not in the middle of the street, though. Over dinner would be better.”
“Okay. I’m looking forward to it. Not that I’m objecting, you’re good at keeping us fed, but I haven’t actually had much prepared food here yet.”
She chuckled. “I know. There is likely a short menu in a pce so small. We’ll pass near a much rger city after the second site, one I know very well, and they will have far more options and better shopping.”
“Sounds like fun.”
Aryennos emerged with a drab pouch the size of my palm clutched in one hand.
Serru gave him no time to speak. “No questions now. I need to visit the bank myself, and the post office to check for messages and a package I’m expecting, and then we’ll go to the tavern and talk.”
“All right,” Aryennos said. “There’s a general store over there.” He gestured up the street, the way we’d come. “I’d like to find some clothes that haven’t been abused by a river. I’ll meet you there?”
“Can you walk that far?” I asked.
“My knee is feeling better all the time and it isn’t far.”
“If I take the edge off the pain, will you promise me you won’t decide it’s completely cured and overdo it? I mean, you’re an independent adult but I’m responsible for the consequences of my actions.”
“I would rather not injure myself again.”
I nodded. “Go ahead, Serru. I’ll be here.” I brought up my golden dispy, found Anodyne, and dropped it to about half. I didn’t want him to hurt, but I wasn’t convinced he wouldn’t get cocky. One hand on his chest, the other in the centre of the wheel, and golden light briefly shimmered around the former while heat surged. Without a pause, and without removing my hand from his chest, I used the other to spin the wheel to Quickheal and cast that as well. With any luck, that would counter any damage he did by walking around. I let both hands fall, and the dispy vanished. “Good luck shopping.”
“Thanks. I don’t expect much to choose from here, but I’ll settle for boring if it’s intact. See you soon.”
I watched him critically as he walked away. There was a perceptible limp, but it wasn’t extreme. I shouldn’t need to worry about him right away.
I did my best to ignore the inquisitive looks in my direction. A small centaur with dark-spotted white horse parts and long unbound bicoloured hair, in a yellow top, smiled at me and offered me a pale purple flower with many petals; I thanked them, and they blushed and ran to hide behind the nearest tree, but giggled again as they peeked out at me before scampering off with a spotted puppy.
Serru returned, and smiled when she saw the flower. “Making friends?”
“Little centaur, not sure boy or girl, maybe six or seven years old. Never said a word.” With limited other options, I shrugged and tucked the flower behind one ear. It smelled gently pleasant, a bit like wild lics. “All done?”
“For the moment. I can usually sell enough that I don’t need to withdraw coin, but this vilge will have little interest in most of what we’ve gathered. I have enough to cover anything we might need.”
I nodded. “This whole thing is getting complicated. I feel like I stand out anywhere, in any clothes, and there’s always that chance of saying the wrong thing. Letting people believe I’m lost in the usual sense doesn’t work when I give myself away.”
She id a reassuring hand on my arm. “We won’t be here long, and you don’t need to interact with the vilgers beyond necessary courtesy. Attracting a little attention is not a catastrophe. Tomorrow morning, you and I will be on the road alone again.”
“I’m looking forward to it. It’s fascinating seeing how life works here, but it’s a lot more rexing alone with you. I think I see why you choose to live the way you do.”
She smiled. “I’m always more comfortable on the road, and I’m enjoying sharing it with you. Shall we go find Aryennos? A general store will have tents and some sort of travel bars avaible, and basic healing supplies like Bandages. I noticed that you’ve used more than I’ve seen—I assume the rest were during the period you can’t talk about. Your scarf is gone, too.”
Two on Aryennos, one on my hands, two on that irritating guy near the Quincunx... she was right, my supply of those was dropping fast. “Sorry about the scarf. It, uh, was useful. Um, that would be helpful. My healing spells only go so far.”
“Yes.”
