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XIV

Rora's Largesse (Day 109 on Tashoo) (Afternoon)

When we returned to the anteroom, Rora turned to me and said, "Mvilu, do you really believe you can accomplish what you have suggested?"

"As long as there are sufficient shovels and a willingness to protect the village and anohachy, I can accomplish this and a whole lot more. I am counting on the Mory desire to protect anohachy at all costs to encourage the warriors to listen to me, even if it is through Ka' Mu-Naka."

As we exited, Vamoo looked at us and smiled. He turned directly to me and nodded slightly. While I wasn't absolutely certain what that little nod meant, I had a feeling it was a very important signal that was reserved to only a very few in the village. As we headed out the front door, Vamoo stopped me and, while looking over his shoulder, said, "Mvilu, you impress me, and almost everyone else you have come in contact with, to be a very intelligent Uany. Perhaps you are too intelligent. The Ka'yno hates you with a hatred that is only reserved for the most feared and hated of enemies. So, his hatred is also fueled by fear. He fears you. The fact that you convinced the entire Ishoo'se Aka'ny to give you the privilege of unrestricted unescorted movement through the village has only fueled this fear and hatred. Take care. He will do anything he can to entrap and kill you. You are slowly starting to convince everyone on the Ishoo'se that you are "The One Who Will Unify" and he fears that more than anything else about you."

What Vamoo just said shocked and surprised me. How could he know what had just happened in the Ishoo'se Choko Aka'ny? I know that we hadn't spoken very loudly. Perhaps one day, I'll find out. However, I replied, "I thank you, my Lord, Cha-Vamoo. I will be careful."

Rora and I left. As we walked home, he turned to me and said, "Mvilu, as Vamoo noted, you have impressed a great number of the residents of Talo-Vy, including the entire Ishoo'se Aka'ny. Your lack of fear impresses them more than your intelligence. While I agree with Vamoo, I also believe that your intelligence is what will be your saving grace. Use it to your advantage. Also, continue to assist everyone at every opportunity, especially the elderly and the anohachy. This is something else that the Mory respect, even in an enemy. The fact that the mota you are going to dig will protect the anohachy only proves how far you are willing to go to protect the anohachy of Talo-Vy. Since you, a Uany, are willing to protect Mory anohachy, the Mory-Talo-Vy will revere you as 'The One Who Will Unify'. If you continue to do this, you will win more friends and allies than the Ka'yno can control."

"Thank you for the information, Master Rora."

"Vamoo is very impressed with you. He comes from a very powerful family. The Cha family has been living in this village almost as long as my family has."

"But, your family is poor. Why are you not more powerful?"

"I am not certain. Perhaps it is because my norotha will not mate and bring forth more warriors. Perhaps it is because she refuses the Ka'yno's advances." (The fact that Rora knew this still surprises me.) "It could be any number of reasons."

"I am going to do whatever I can to help you and your norotha, Rora. As a matter of fact, I am going to start on it later today, after the nakyvo."

Shortly after the nakyvo, a visitor arrived at Ara's home and handed her a small package to give to me. I opened it and there was the paperwork I needed that would allow me unrestricted unescorted movement throughout the village. Ara was shocked to see this. Because she, too, could not remember a slave ever being given such a privilege. When I told her the stipulation that the Ka'yno had put upon this privilege, she warned me about it being a trap, just as Rora had done. I assured her that I would not even approach the village perimeter without an escort and she seemed satisfied with my caution. I put the paperwork in the Etyma Jivekoo that Ara had had made for me shortly after I became an honored member of her household.

Right after I received the paperwork, Rora and I decided to go for a walk. I had some plans that I wanted to put into motion and I could not do it from the confines of the house. As we walked, I looked on the ground for sticks and branches. I had decided right after Kyna had told me about the hunting tactics of the Mory that I was going to figure out how to manufacture a bow and quiver, some arrows, a spear, an atlatl, and a quiver for the spear. Then, I was going to convince Rora to take me hunting. If my idea worked, I knew I could provide our home, and possibly the homes of our neighbors, with enough meat to satisfy their need for protein that a strict vegetarian diet could not provide, even if the vegetables were high in protein content.

I had used my chronoputer to determine the best way of preparing the wood for everything I intend to make. One of the things suggested was to heat the wood in a smoker to remove most of the water in the wood and strengthen it. I even found plans to build a smoker that fit my needs. I had hand drawn the plans and on one of my walks with Rora took them to the swordsmith and explained what I needed for him to do. He seemed a bit skeptical at what I told him I wanted, but after studying the plans for several minutes, he told me that he could build it. He asked me what I intended to use it for. I told him that I would use it to cook meat in a manner that had probably never been used in Talo-Vy before. After I promised to give him some smoked meat, he started building the smoker. When I asked how much he would charge me to build the smoker, he said that, since I lived with Ara and he knew her situation, all he would ask is that I show him how to smoke the meat and allow him to manufacture and sell the smokers, if they worked. Since it meant that I would have absolutely no "out of pocket" expenses, I readily agreed to his payment requirement. It took about ten days to complete the smoker.

As soon as the smoker was completed, the swordsmith offered me a large piece of Taojoo meat. He asked me to smoke the meat and allow him to try it. I took the meat and, after gathering the proper type of wood, smoked the meat. After I finished the meat, I took it back to the swordsmith. He cut off a piece of the Taojoo and put it into his mouth. Several seconds later, he was overflowing with his praise of the flavor of the meat.

Today, I was ready to find the sticks and limbs that I would need soon to manufacture my hunting weapons. I was also collecting sticks to lay out where I wanted the ditch to run.

As Rora and I walked, we happened to near the market area. This time it wasn't because he was trying to hide his intentions. We found Joola's booth and approached. She was sincerely happy to see us. When we told her of my good fortune, she smiled happily and said, "Now you can visit Tyarza any time you want."

I said, "She may not want me to visit. She seemed a little upset as all of you were leaving yesterday."

"Believe me, Mvilu, she was happy for you. By the way, what did you say to her when you and Rora visited the day the Ka'yno tried to expel Rora from the village?"

"What do you mean, TaJoola?"

"Before that day, Tyarza was difficult. She was surly and angry all the time. She would do what she was required to do, but little more. Since that day, she has become a model slave. She asks what she can do to make things easier for us. She does more than is required of her. She prepares dishes that she remembers from her home for us to eat. But, most importantly, she sits and stares at the front door as if she is waiting for someone to come and visit. The only Uany visitor she has ever had was you, Mvilu, although I must admit that several neighbors have asked if she would be interested in mating with their male slaves. Every time this has been suggested, she has vehemently refused and in no uncertain terms. So, what did you say and do on that day?"

"I simply told her that her life, while not perfect, was not that bad. I asked her if your family had ever offered to do her physical harm in any way. I also told her that, during bad times, it is better to bend like grass in the wind than to be blown over like a tree. Oh, yes. I also asked her how she would feel if--uh, never mind."

Joola thought for a couple of seconds and then said, "The wind, grass and tree is a good analogy. She seems to have taken it to heart. I hope so. She can be a very sweet nohachy."

Putting some fruit into a bag, Joola added, "Here take some of these Nakooja fruits to Ara. I know she loves them and they are very good this time of year." (I call what Joola put the fruit into a bag, but it was more like a finely woven net with a draw string than an actual bag.)

Rora said, "Thank you, TaJoola. Norotha will appreciate them very much. How much do we owe you?"

"You do not owe me anything, Rora. You know that."

He looked at her in a somewhat conspiratorial manner and, in an equally conspiratorial tone, whispered, "I can afford to pay now. Mvilu convinced the Ishoo'se Aka'ny to force the Ka'yno to increase my pay to six Shurtan a day."

"Really! Well, congratulations, Rora. I guess I will have to start charging you normal price for everything now." A look of utter shock crossed Rora's face before Joola smiled and said, "I was just kidding, Rora. I know that six Shurtan still will not purchase much. So, please accept the fruit as my way of congratulating you on your good fortune." She leaned close to Rora's ear and whispered, "Will half price for your purchases be acceptable?" Rora nodded. Joola added, "Good. I know how much pride you have, Rora. That is why I always offered you a chance to work off what you owe me."

"I thank you, TaJoola." He said.

During their conversation, I was looking around. Finally, I asked, "By the way, TaJoola, where is Tyarza today? She said she normally helps you at your booth, so I thought she would be here today."

"She is at home. Kyta needed some help in preparing a new recipe. So, I told Tyarza to stay and assist her. I am sure if she knew you and Rora were going to be coming here she would have insisted on accompanying me."

"I do not know, TaJoola. I want to believe you, but, like I said, I am afraid I may have upset her too much. She did not even say good-bye when you left TaAra's home yesterday. Did she say anything to you last night about what I may have done to upset her?"

"The only thing she said about you was, 'Do you think Mvilu finds me attractive?' When I replied that I thought you did, she said, 'Then, why does he avoid touching me?' That, I had no answer for. I did not know you were avoiding touching her. Are you?"

"Well, I am not certain of the customs of--this area of Tashoo. I was not certain that it would be acceptable for me to touch her since she is promised to someone else."

"I am not Uany, Mvilu. So, I do not know the customs of the Uany. I will ask her to understand that you meant no offense to her." Leaning closer, Joola whispered into my ear, "I believe she is in love with you, Mvilu. But, she keeps her emotional attachments hidden. When we ask of her home, she changes the subject and will not say anything about her home other than to say she is from Zasho-Thoo."

"Did she mention the warrior to whom she is promised?"

"She has not said anything to Kyta or me about it."

"On the day she and I met, she told me, in no uncertain terms, that she is promised to a warrior who is a better chohachy by accident that I will ever be on purpose. That is all I know about her past myself.

"Thank you for any assistance, TaJoola. Rora and I must be going. I look forward our next meeting." I looked at Rora for assistance.

He nodded and said, "TaJoola, may your future bear you many arothoo and may your arothoo always honor you by providing for your old age."

Joola replied, "And may you always be successful in your every endeavor."

Joola looked at me and smiled slightly after she replied to Rora's blessing and said, "I wish that you also are successful in your every endeavor, Mvilu."

Although I wasn't certain why Joola had smiled, I had my suspicions. Rora, on the other hand, was completely unaware of the smile. After the exchange of blessings, which seems to be a normal way of life among the Mory, Rora and I left.

As we walked back home, Rora asked me, "Mvilu, why are you collecting those adauanka (sticks)?"

I said, "I am hoping to do something that will help you and your norotha and, perhaps, our neighbors as well. I will tell you what it is when I know it will work."

When we returned home, I went outside while Ara finished preparing the nakymoty. I took one of the strongest sticks and pushed it into the ground at an angle so that it showed no shadow. I had decided it was time to start learning about Tashoo. I had been playing with my chronoputer and relearned a few of its functions and one of them, naturally, is a timer. Because my body clock seems slightly out of sync with everyone around me, one thing I wanted to know is why. It's close, mind you, but it's still off.

When I got the stick lined up correctly, I started the timer on my chronoputer. When I returned to the stick the next day, I was going to get as close as I could to the exact amount of shadow and stop the timer. I was guessing the day to be about twenty-five hours long. I was calculating this by the fact that my body's day seemed to be about one hour shorter than everybody else's day here. After I started my timer, I got up and went back inside.

Shortly after we finished eating the nakymoty, we had a visitor. Ara answered the door and said, "Chitekuro, Ka' Mu-Naka. Please enter our humble home and grace us with your presence."

"I wish my home was as luxurious as yours." Came the reply from Ka' Mu-Naka. "Are Rora and Mvilu available?" He said, as he entered our home.

"Yes, they are, my Ka'." Turning she called over her shoulder, "Mvilu, Rora, Ka' Mu-Naka is here. He wishes to speak with you."

Rora and I entered from the living room. "Chitekuro, my Ka'." We said.

Mu-Naka led us to the dining table and we sat. He looked at Rora, then me. He had a slight smile on his face as he said, "Mvilu, did you have any idea what you were doing when you convinced the Ishoo'se Aka'ny to give Rora his back pay?"

"Only that I felt an injustice was being done to my master and I thought it should be corrected. Why do you ask?"

"Hoo-Kavy calculated the amount of back pay that Rora should receive. It totaled up to ^1904. One quarter of that amount is ^476. Here is the amount that was agreed to be brought to Rora this evening."

Ka' Mu-Naka produced one ^100 coin, four ^50 coins, seventeen ^10 coins, one ^5 coin and one ^1 coin from a small bag he had in his Etyma Jivekoo. When Ara and Rora saw the coins, they were dumbstruck.

Mu-Naka continued, "When he learned how much back pay the village owed Rora and how long it would take to pay it to him, the Ka'yno started cursing you to the eight winds, Mvilu. It will take the village 476 days to repay Rora because we are only repaying him at a rate of 3 Shurtan a day."

"I am sorry the village has to suffer for what the Ka'yno did to my master, my Ka'. But, I am glad that the circumstances are being rectified."

Mu-Naka stood and said, "I agree. The Ishoo'se Aka'ny was completely unaware of what the Ka'yno was doing to your master, Mvilu. But, there is little the Ka'yno can do. He refused to pay Rora properly and agreed to the repayment method, even though I believe he was tricked into the agreement." Mu-Naka laughed quietly before continuing. "You are a very tricky Uany, Mvilu. I will have to be on my guard with you."

"You do not have to worry about me tricking you, my Ka'. I treat those who earn my respect the way I would want them to treat me. It is only those who earn my scorn that I pull that type of trick on."

Mu-Naka smiled again and said, "I must be leaving. I will barely make it to the Suala Ka'ny before sunset. May the blessings of the Great Being be upon this house and all who reside here."

We said, "We wish the same to you."

After Mu-Naka left, Ara went to the kitchen to prepare our humble nakymoty. Despite her protestations, I followed her and, as best as she would allow, assisted her. Earlier in the day, while Rora and I were at the Suala Ka'ynony explaining how to protect the anohachy of Talo-Vy, Ara had received a relatively small allotment of two kilograms of Nakanaka meat. Due to the fact that I had recently refused to eat a portion of broiled A'koony, Ara had started cutting her meat allotment into cubes and making a stew so each of us could have at least a little meat protein. As a matter of fact, when I would dip out just vegetables and broth, she would give me an overtly dirty look and force several pieces of the meat on me by dipping them out and putting them into my bowl.

After the nakymoty, I assisted Ara in cleaning our few dishes and putting the left over stew, our nakyvy, into the refrigeration unit. Despite the length of time I lived on Tashoo, I never did figure out how this, the freezing unit and the lighting worked since they seemed to be built as part of the house and I saw absolutely no switches or electrical outlets of any kind on the walls.

When we had finished cleaning up, Ara and I joined Rora in the family room where we chatted about our day for a short time. Ara even produced the first printed book I had seen since my arrival in Talo-Vy. Ara sat in her chair, tucked her feet under her and read her book while Rora and I discussed the location and potential distance of the ditch. Seeing Ara tuck her feet underneath her as she sat caused me to smile slightly as I thought how human she looked as she sat there.

After about half an hour of discussion, I excused myself and went to my room. I undressed, crawled under my furs and, by the time the lights extinguished themselves, fell sound asleep.