A Life More Ordinary Ch. 03

"Well, I think she's staying," Kay said, "She's grafted onto my neck at this point."

Marnie clapped. "Great! Every farm needs a good cat! Alright, I should get back, the girls get anxious when I'm gone for too long, spoils the milk."

"Sure thing, thanks for stopping by, Marnie!"

"Of course, sugar! You stop by the ranch, sometime, I'd love to get acquainted once you're settled in!" She winked mischievously and headed south. Kay tried to wave goodbye without dislodging the cat. She failed, and the cat hopped down and wandered over to the porch.

"I suppose you need a name," Kay said.

"Meow," the cat said.

"I don't know what that means," Kay replied.

"Meow!" the cat said.

"And I'm sure it's a very nice name, but I don't speak cat and I doubt you want me calling you Meow all the time." Kay was surprisingly entertained by this conversation.

"Hmpf." the cat grunted. It appeared less entertained.

"Alright, alright," Kay said, thinking. "How about Luna? I know you're not a black cat, but it's a fine name, anyway."

The cat sat up and meowed cheerfully. Kay smiled. "Luna it is, then! Welcome aboard!" It occurred to her that either this was a very amenable cat, or it could understand her, which was patently ridiculous.

Kay surveyed the farm and was pleasantly surprised at the amount of area she'd been able to clear in a week. She had already watered the crops and stacked the lumber and stone from her earlier clearing, barring the tree she fell right before Marnie's visit. Kay decided that could wait for the time being. She had business on the mountain today.

*****

Kay knocked at Robin's front door before entering, as directed by the sign indicating the carpenter's hours. The shop potion of the house was rustic and warm, with a small waiting area to her left and a hallway to the right, through which she could see a brightly lit laboratory. Robin was seated behind a large mahogany desk with some woodworking manuals in front of her. She looked distracted and hadn't noticed Kay enter, most likely due to Demetrius's tongue attacking her pussy.

"Uh, Robin?" Kay asked. Robin looked up with a start, nearly causing Demetrius to hit his head against the desk.

"Hi! Kaylia! How are you?" Robin asked, a little louder than necessary. Demetrius suppressed a giggle before slowly pulling Robin closer and returning to his ministrations. Robin clasped her hands on her desk, leaning forward.

"I'm well, yourself?" Kay kept her face neutral, but the faint scent that reached her nose was explanation enough.

"Great, I'm just great, just, ah-... just catching up on some techniques reading!" She indicated the manuals in front of her, doing her damnedest to distract herself from her husband's oral assault.

"Sure, sure," Kay smiled and sat on a nearby chair. "Are you busy? I could come back later."

"N-no! Now's fine, I'm happy you came by! What ca-aan I do for you?" She kicked Demetrius, who withdrew his tongue and started licking the entire length of her opening, occasionally grazing the tip of her clit.

"I wanted to discuss remodeling and new construction, actually. I've got plenty of materials building up, and I wanted to get an idea of what we can do once I have the cash to fund projects." Internally, Kay was cracking up, but she really wanted to see what Robin could do. As a carpenter.

"Yeah! I'd be happy to go over some plans and ideas I had when I was fixing the cabin up!" Goddess bless you, Robin thought, she might have a chance of not totally embarrassing herself if she could focus on something else.

"Awesome!" Kay withdrew some sketches from her back pocket and spread them on the desk, noting Robin moving closer as she did so. They were rough drawings of the farm, with notes on what areas had been cleared as well as estimates of total square footage once everything was cleared away. Robin asked questions about Kay's long term goals: what she would be focusing on, whether she'd also be raising animals, additional workspace needs. As she and Kay got deep into the discussion, Robin remained aware of the warmth in her core, but found it much easier to weather the distraction.

Demetrius knew Robin was incredibly turned on by this turn of events, as a fresh pulse of moisture greeted him as the discussion continued. He was incredibly turned on, not only by the sweet bounty before him but by the passion in Robin's voice as they talked. He hoped that Robin would be interested in returning the attention once her business with the attractive farmer was concluded (she almost always did). He lapped at her nectar before turning his attention to her clit, a devilish idea forming.

"So you'd probably want that space for SHEDS!" Robin had been indicating building placement when Demetrius wrapped his warm lips around her clit and gently licked, sending powerful waves of pleasure through her body. She stamped on the floor with her right foot a few times, battling the intense sensation.

"Everything alright?" Kay asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"Yeah, sorry, my foot likes to c-cramp up sometimes," Robin apologized. "Nothing to wooorry about." Why does he have to be so good at this? she wondered.

"Yeah, my leg does that sometimes, it sucks." Kay commiserated. "So, you think separate sheds for the kegs and the other processing, smelting and such?"

Robin nodded, fighting off an orgasm as Demetrius softly moaned into her body. She somehow regained control as they sketched out spots for a chicken coop, a barn, feed silos, and the aforementioned sheds. Once they had decided on a rough outline of outbuildings, they turned to the house itself. Kay had some ideas about that, specifically a much-needed kitchen and some space for drafting equipment. Robin nodded, biting her lip as Demetrius continued to lick her sensitive nub.

Before long, they had agreed on a set of plans, and Robin drew up statements of work (in a shaky hand) for everything, including materials needs and total costs of labor. As she did so, Demetrius intensified his approach, rapidly licking everything his tongue could reach while carefully sliding a finger into Robin's pussy. She was being such a good sport, she deserved a reward.

Kay collected the documents and rose, offering Robin a hand. The resulting handshake was hurried, and Robin really squeezed down on it, but it was otherwise genial. "Thank you so much, we'll definitely get rolling on these once I can bankroll it."

"No problem!" Robin said. "Thanks for stop-ping by!" Please go before I explode, she pleaded internally.

Kay turned to leave, but stopped just at the door. "Oh! Nice to see you, Demetrius!"

Robin's eyes widened in shock, her face turning beet red.

"Nice to see you too!" Demetrius called out, sliding a second finger into Robin and crooking his fingertips to reach her spot as he gently sucked on her clit.

Robin grabbed the edge of the desk with both hands, her climax ramming into her like a freight train. She screamed wildly, bucking her hips in her chair as she made a complete mess of Demetrius's face. He continued to lick and suck at Robin's nub as she rode his face, eventually reaching down to grab the back of his head and hold it in place. It was surreal to orgasm in front of Kay, but it was insanely hot, as well; she locked eyes with the farmer and a second wave hit, taking her even higher.

Kay stayed until Robin's ardor was well and truly spent, recognizing her presence added fuel to Robin's fire. She smiled as Robin leaned back in the chair, her hair now wildly out of place. Their eyes met again, and Robin mouthed a silent "thank you". Kay smiled, but they were both shocked by a call of "Mom?" from the hallway. Kay heard Maru's footsteps before she saw her, swift action was called for.

"Hey, Mom, have you s-" Maru rounded the corner and bumped into Kay, who was leaning in the door frame. "Oh! H-hi! Sorry!" Maru readjusted her glasses and blushed.

"No worries. How are you?" Kay asked, making sure she blocked Maru's view of her mom.

"I'm good, I was worried I'd have too much last night, I haven't hung out in a while." Maru smiled, she was pretty happy to see Kay. "Have you seen my mom?"

Kay glanced over her shoulder, Robin was clearly freaking out a little. "She's right here, but I think you should give her a few minutes." She gently took Maru by the arm and led her back down the hallway a bit.

Maru tilted her head. "What's up?"

Kay lowered her voice. "Let me rephrase: you should give her and your dad a few minutes." She raised her eyebrows as Maru caught on.

"What!" She covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. "You didn't walk in on them, did you?"

"I mean, he didn't have her over the desk or anything..."

Maru started laughing as quietly as she could. "Oh my gosh! I better..."

"Yeah," Kay agreed, "I think you better..."

"Oh!" Maru whispered, "Can Haley and I come over tomorrow night? We wanted to talk to you about everything that happened."

Kay nodded. "Sure."

Maru smiled. "Okay, see you then. And thank you."

"For what?"

"For keeping everything, you know..."

"Off the record?"

Maru nodded, tapping her nose. "On the QT..."

"And very hush-hush." they finished the quotation in whispered unison. Maru giggled and headed back down the hallway. Kay turned around to leave.

"Okay, I think you're-" Her breath caught as she saw Demetrius now sitting in the chair, smiling amiably at her. His pants were neatly folded and prominently displayed on the side of the desk.

"Thanks for covering for us," he said, his hands resting on the desk much like Robin's were previously. There was a soft *gluck*ing sound coming from underneath the desk. Kay just shook her head.

"You two are incredible." Kay said, laughing as she made her exit.

"Thanks! Come again!" Demetrius replied, glancing under the desk in response to a loud moan.

*****

The mine entrance wasn't very far from the Wright household. From the outside, it didn't look like much, just a cave in the cliff face. The remnants of Joja's "environmental operations" had been mostly cleared away, a few tread marks and bits of metal the only remaining signs of the project. Kay took in a full breath of the fresh mountain air before stepping inside, her pickaxe held in her right hand. She would have preferred an actual weapon, these kinds of caves could house all manner of hostile creature, but the pick would have to do in a pinch. She didn't dare summon the Galaxy Spear; that would be like signaling for help, and she had no doubts her sisters would respond.

The narrow passage into the mountain soon widened into a fair-sized cave. Kay saw a minecart sitting on tracks that led deeper in, and there appeared to be a lift against the back wall. Of more immediate interest was the man peering down along a ladder, likely into the mine proper. He was an older gent, dressed in a green jacket, brown pants, and a red half-cape. Hooked on his belt was a basic leather scabbard containing a broad sword. In addition to greying hair and a tightly-groomed beard, an eye patch covered his left eye. She marveled at the man, the very picture of the grizzled adventurer; something about him seemed familiar.

"Problems?" she asked, announcing herself.

"Maybe." He stood up to regard Kay, nodding slightly after a moment.

"Kay Gardner," she introduced herself, extending a hand.

"Marlon White," the man returned, accepting the gesture, "pleased to finally meet. Been hearing quite a bit about you."

Kay had the overwhelming sense that she'd met this man before, but couldn't place him. "Just trying to make a good first impression."

"I'll bet." He returned his attention to the ladder. "I take it you're looking for ore?"

"Yeah," Kay replied, "Clint said this is the spot for it."

"It is," Marlon agreed, "it's been abandoned for quite a while, but there's still plenty of ore, especially the further down you go." He looked up. "You strike me as a woman that knows how to defend herself."

Kay nodded, hefting the pickaxe. "I've been in a few scrapes."

Marlon scratched his chin, then stood and unhooked the scabbard from his belt. "Here, should be a sight better than that mining pick for defense." He offered it to Kay in two hands, and Kay accepted it the same way. Stepping back, she withdrew the blade and saw that it was in pretty bad shape; the edge didn't seem sharp and had several chips, and the entire blade was pocked with patches of rust. Still, it was pretty balanced for its advanced age and poor condition, it would at least make for a good club.

"Not that much better, but thank you." She returned the blade to the sheath and clipped it to her own belt.

"I think you'll do alright." Marlon said with a grin. "Once you've explored a bit, maybe help thin the slime population down there, swing by the Guild and we'll talk more." He headed for the entrance, his gait smooth and sure.

"Sure thing," Kay replied, "nice to meet you."

"You too, General." Marlon gave a quick salute as he left. Kay's jaw gaped.

"Oh, come on!" she said, exasperated. She shook her head as she turned and descended the ladder into the mine. "Some low profile, General. Ugh."

*****

If nothing else, the mine was an excellent workout.

Kay spent several hours exploring the abandoned cave system. The pickaxe got a real workout clearing boulders and numerous piles of rubble, and Kay figured it would be an excellent source of stone once the fields were finally cleared out. She was pretty surprised at the light levels, boosted by a number of still burning torches and lanterns scattered throughout the caves, but didn't dwell on it too much.

Marlon was right about the slime population needing culling, the caverns seemed flooded with the green creatures. Kay found herself switching to the sword frequently enough to keep it to hand more often than not. It definitely functioned better as a club.

About halfway through her excursion, she found an elevator door. Kay tried to picture her descent through the mountain to determine when it swung around to link up with the elevator shaft, but found it rather difficult to do so. Curious, she pressed the 'UP' button, and the door opened with a loud DING, revealing a spacious elevator. She looked inside and saw a number of buttons labeled 0 through 120 in increments of five. This mine goes pretty deep, Kay realized. She pushed a few of the other buttons for lower floors but got no response.

"Great," she said to herself, "probably have to fix this too while I'm down here." She shook her head and continued downward.

The fauna population started to diversify as Kay found herself attacked by slimes, aggressive moles, and occasional giant flies that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, their arrival presaged by a loud buzzing. Kay also started to find sizable copper deposits amongst the larger boulders, along with a fair amount of coal and raw quartz. Her pack swelled with her subterranean plunder, and she started to see the benefit of upgrading to that fancy new bag Pierre had prominently displayed on the shop counter. She even liked the color, a bright red.

Eventually, Kay reached a small, open cavern. Another elevator door was in the wall, and the way down was over in the corner. What grabbed Kay's attention was a large, red chest in the center of the cave. Cautiously, Kay went over and levered the lid open with her sword. The lid swung back into the chest with a bang but no other drama, and Kay found a pair of leather boots inside. They were of similar make to Abby's, but not as tall and of a darker color. Reaching in and sizing them up, Kay thought they might fit. Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, she kicked off her current work boots and tried the new ones on for size. A perfect fit, the boots were very comfortable for appearing brand new; Kay realized they were already broken in after a few steps, which raised a few questions. Deciding she'd had enough spelunking time, Kay went to the elevator and headed for the surface.

*****

The Adventurer's Guild was an unassuming log cabin tucked in a corner of the mountain plateau on the northeast corner of the lake. Kay opened the door and walked in to see Marlon leaning behind a counter at the back. He was in conversation with a similar old coot in a rocking chair, and Marlon waved Kay over.

"Ye' think they're gonna break out of the mines?" the coot asked, his eyes closed but clearly aware of his surroundings.

"I don't know, Gil," Marlon replied, "I got someone looking into it for me." He looked pointedly at Kay, and she got the feeling he was winking at her with his missing eye.

"Ye'd better," Gil continued, "ain't nothin' more unsettlin' than a bunch'a slimes barrelin' down on ye like a green tide."

"Yep. Gil Howard, Kay Gardner." Marlon made the introduction.

"Charmed," Kay said with a grin.

"Pleasure," Gil replied, his eyes remaining closed. "You're a ways off from home, aint'cha?"

Kay's eyes narrowed. "The farm isn't too far-"

"That ain't what I mean," Gil cut her off, "and you know it, missy."

Kay looked at Marlon, trying to keep the daggers out of her gaze. "I guess we're doing this now?"

He nodded. "Probably for the best." He pulled out a black and grey uniform and laid it out on the counter. The left breast of the coat was adorned with a selection of service medals below the Imperial insignia, and the shoulder bore captain's bars above a pair of crossed sabers. Recognition fueled a burst of memory.

"18th Cavalry," Kay said, getting a nod from Marlon.

"Mustered out about, oh, 40 years ago, hopped a boat to Ferngill, ended up here. Gil was my batman, career soldier, decided to come along."

Kay turned and cast a thoughtful look at Gil. The fog of her memory had finally cleared completely. " 'Mustered out,' huh. AWOL seems more accurate."

"Beggin' yer pardon, your Generalship," Gil replied with a snicker, "but I wager you ain't 'xactly on two weeks' furlough, yerself."

"True." She returned to Marlon. "Helican Ridge, right? Full charge, broke through the 88th Infantry and 12th Artillery."

"And terrified the whole time. If it hadn't been you personally giving those orders, we would have deserted on the spot." Marlon's face dropped a little, the memory of that hellish battle dredged up for the first time in years.

"I know," Kay replied in sympathy. "I'm glad you got out."

"So, what about it, ma'am?" Marlon asked. "You here on Imperial business?"

Kay shook her head. "Due for a trial board with you and Gil, when they find out."

"And about Goddess-blasted time, too," Gil chimed in, "don't think we didn't see what was goin' on behind that mask a' your'n."

"All the men knew, ma'am," Marlon added, "we just kept it to ourselves. Jobs to do and all."

Kay nodded, her gaze affixing on the middle distance as other memories... faces... flashed through her mind. "We all had jobs to do, captain."

"Right you are, ma'am," Marlon responded.

Kay shook her head, dispelling the melancholy as best she could. "Thanks for the club, by the way." She placed the rusty sword on the counter. Marlon snickered as he replaced it with a wooden one.

"Figured you'd make out just fine. This ought to be a little better."

Kay picked it up, it was surprisingly heavy for its size, and excellently balanced. It would do, Marlon was right about that.

"Thank you," Kay said. Marlon waved her off.

"Don't thank me yet. You've seen what's going on down there, we need someone to make sure the local populations stay under control. I figure you gathering ore and minerals regularly will help keep the numbers down."

Kay raised an eyebrow. "That bad?"

Marlon scratched his beard. "Normally, no, but that drilling Joja was hellbent on finishing disrupted the local ecology. Normally, things would settle out over time, but it never hurts to take a conservationist's hand to help things along."