All That Glitters Ch. 37

"Why do you not grow your own?" a curious voice behind her asked. "You have all the ground that you need for it."

Hanalei turned to see a couple of Harradi curiously watching the exchange.

"The ground here is not suitable for cultivation," the resort's Chef explained. "And the cost of desalinating ocean water would make the food grown here very expensive even if we could get the ground ready for growing."

"Not for us," the Harradi replied.

"And you are?" Hanalei asked.

"Clarrin Aubrend, Harla for our small task force," she replied.

"What does Harla mean?" Hanalei asked, curious.

"It is a title meaning a Senior Leader, an experienced leader of a task force, ma'am," Clarrin explained, "one of those who determines the processes needed to grow food stock in different soils, climates, and water conditions. I also direct the task force in how to set up the fields to grow food."

"Ah yes, the Harradi are famed for being able to grow any type of food in almost any kind of condition," Hanalei said. "Do you think you can grow food here in this sandy soil? And where would you get the water?"

"The soil would not need much to prepare it for growing things, and you have an ocean right here. It would not take much to teach some plants to accept salt water or to provide a plant medium to treat the water to be used in the fields," Clarrin stated.

"You can separate out salt from the ocean water in a plant medium, or teach plants to accept salt water?" Hanalei asked.

"That depends on the plants being cultivated. Some can be taught; others, because of their cellular makeup, will never learn this" Clarrin explained. "That is why we would use a plant medium to desalinate the water, providing a freshwater source for the fields."

"How long will it take you to do this?" Hanalei asked.

"There are many hundreds of Harradi here for this special event," Clarrin replied. "But we will get bored very quickly here. We are all, at heart, farmers, and we need to feel the soil beneath our feet and between our fingers.

"If I said I needed help to prepare fields for cultivation, each and every one of the Harradi at this resort would want to help in that preparation. With so many Harradi here, we could prepare large fields in three days," she finished.

Hanalei turned to her Master Chef. "Give Sylvie a list of all the vegetables and fruits you will want to have as fresh produce from now on. Make sure you include all the vegetables and fruits that you could need, including things for exotic ingredients. Include our restaurants as well. We will see if the Harradi can grow them."

She turned to Harla Aubrend. "I will have Sylvie let you know where she would like you to establish the fields. Please let us know what you require to prepare the soil and we will see if we can do this in a cost effective manner."

"Of course we can," Clarrin responded confidently. "We look forward to this challenge."

"Siobhan, if you want to exchange recipes with my Master Chef, you may do so, however, you are not to impose on her your standards nor berate her for the working conditions imposed on her by the resort. She is doing the best she can with the resources she has been provided and, from the food I have already tasted, is doing remarkably well considering," Hanalei told Siobhan.

"I am sorry, Hanalei. I will try to be a better guest," Siobhan replied.

"Well, that was an easy fix," Hanalei said with a laugh after returning to her table. "What's next?"

"I have to go to see our Godparents, who apparently do not know what to do with themselves," Junelliya said, laughing.

"I'll come. Maybe seeing the children will help settle things," Hanalei stated, getting a rather dubious look from Junelliya.

The ladies made their way down to the beach area, watching with amusement as the Denders Entertainment Troop tried to teach the mostly Interspecies guests how to do the Denders Wiggle/Waggle, a kind of dance move that exaggerated the movement of the buttocks, and the 'Canard' dance to the laughing guests. It was interesting to watch the varied species attempting to do the Canard dance, especially the Paacon, who were in fact large avians themselves, though highly intelligent ones.

The Kumar-Pair had been given a large, private villa that housed twelve, their Kumir-Rai/Ro were installed in tents around the guest house, with several other nearby villas for their senior appointees.

The ladies went to the tent nearest the entrance to the guest house and pressed the call button. A smiling Kad-Hal Kumir-Sai-Rai poked her head out, the security cameras already alerting her to who was at the entrance.

"Atohan, it is good to see you," she said.

"I heard that the Kumar-Pair are at a loss for things to do?" Junelliya asked, getting a laugh from Kad-Hal.

"They are used to working from sunup to sundown. They do not know what to do to have fun as they had never had to deal with idle time before," Kad-Hal explained.

"We have set up a relay from Liramor-23 to Terra extending the information that we get from the comms probes each day. This will allow the Kumar-Pair to keep up with issues on Pod-Saar and also allow them to issue orders back. They will only have today to be bored," Hanalei told them.

"Oh, thank the Goddess," Kad-Hal whispered to the ladies. "I had despaired of having to return early. This is the first time that the Kumir-Rai/Ro have had a chance to enjoy themselves since most of us signed on for the job. We would have been disappointed if we had to return to Pod-Saar earlier that expected," Kad-Hal explained, getting grins from the ladies.

"Allow us to greet the Kumar-Pair, please?" Junelliya asked.

"Of course, Atohan. The Kumar-Pair will always be available for you and your Chohda," Kad-Hal stated, bringing them in.

"How do you like the tent set up?" Hanalei asked.

"When we were told that we would be in tents, we were not very happy, but when we saw what Denders meant by tents...let's just say that we are more than pleased," Kad-Hal stated.

"And the climate here? Is it comfortable for you?" Junelliya asked.

"Oh, yes!" Kad-Hal said with enthusiasm. "It's a little more humid than we like, however, the temperature is lovely."

They were swiftly taken into the private domain of the villa, with it's large fenced in area and private pool. The Kumar-Pair were lounging poolside, the Kumaraie languidly swirling her foot in the water. The Kumaraie had adopted the clothing arrangement of the Byandi, being topless at poolside. The ladies noted that many of the attendants and Kumir-Rai/Ro had also adopted the same dress code. It looked odd to see a female with four naked breasts.

"Good day, Godmother," Junelliya called to get their attention.

"Atohan!" the Kumaraie cried out. "And you brought our Goddaughters!" the Kumaraie exclaimed, immediately getting up to wave at Ikekia, who giggled in delight.

"Ug!" she demanded, leaning toward the Kumaraie who smiled as she took the child into her arms.

The child leaned forward and tried to rub her little head against the Kumaraie's, with little success, as her movements were still slightly uncoordinated being so young. Instead, Ikekia made her 'rrrrrr' sound to tell the Kumaraie that she was happy.

"Yes Chohda, we are pleased to see you and to have you in our arms," the Kumaraie told Ikekia.

"Are you going to stay here behind these fences for your entire time at Denders?" Junelliya asked, sternly.

"I get the impression that you do not want us to do that," the Kumaroe stated. "However, there is the issue of our security."

"Piffle," Junelliya snapped. "You are amongst thousands of members of the Sentient Species who are here to enjoy themselves and to attend to some business. Your security, and theirs, is the responsibility of the TGA, who have a lot of people around Denders watching out for and protecting the delegates and guests.

"You will be able to attend the beach parties, the dance club, the amusement park, the theater, the casino, and all the other activities here at the resort with little fear of anything that you yourselves do not start.

"In fact, I insist that you attend these parties and activities. If I don't see you attending something tonight of your own accord, I will come and drag you out to one of my choosing, which might not be something that you would enjoy," Junelliya said, giving the Kumar-Pair a stern look.

"Yes, Mahdi," the Kumar-Pair said in unison, laughing hysterically afterwards.

"Good. We will not bring the children here again. If you wish to see, and to hold, your Goddaughters, you will have to find them in the resort," Hanalei imposed her own point on the Kumar-Pair, getting laughter from the Kumir-Rai/Ro around the pool.

The Kumar-Pair bowed to the inevitable and decided that they would be happy to see the sights around the resort. Hanalei took back the now sleeping Ikekia, surprised that she could fall asleep in the arms of the Kumaraie, whose skin and body type were so different than her own.

"You didn't tell them about the message system you have set up?" Kad-Hal asked, surprised as she led the ladies back out.

"You can let them know when the first of the messages comes in tomorrow, not before," Junelliya ordered. "Let them try to figure out how to have some fun first. I'm sure that the Kumir-Rai/Ro can help them do that."

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

The Family was back at the same table for the evening meal, when Junelliya and Hanalei heard their names being called. They looked over to see the smiling face of...

"Henadi!" they called out and rushed to greet their friend.

"How are you here?" Hanalei asked.

"We heard about the vacation and decided to get ourselves invited through Fiona," Liana Dostier told them, with a smiling Beverley Davis standing next to her while Sean Murphy and his wife Ayesha Seito stood together behind them.

"Come and meet your namesake," Junelliya said, dragging Henadi over to her mother, who was holding Zarrenia. Junelliya picked up her daughter and turned to Henadi. "This is Zarrenia Henadi Latti Piscium, named after my maternal grandmother, after you, and in deference to the Pod-Drran, Se-Lam Poda-Rai-Latti, Latti for short," Junelliya told Henadi as she gave the child over to her friend to hold.

"You named her after me?" a suddenly tearful Henadi asked, hugging the child close.

"You are the bravest woman that I know, Henadi," Fayad informed her. "I hope our child is a quarter as brave as you, and fervently hope that she never has to display any of that bravery," he finished with feeling.

Liana and Beverley peaked at the baby from around Henadi's shoulder, each extending a little finger for the baby to grab onto. The baby was looking curiously from one face to another, while holding the fingers of two of them, a little smile gracing her face.

"Oh, she is so beautiful!" Liana exclaimed.

"I beg to differ," said a voice in halting Standard, "our Goddaughter is a most ugly child."

The ladies turned angry faces toward the speaker only to be brought up short by what they saw. They all recognized immediately the Kumaraie but did not recognize the male standing next to her.

"Ladies, may I introduce the children's Godparents, the Kumaraie Na-Maj Se-Lam Pod-Rai and her new mate, Kumaroe Jarl Se-Lam Pod-Sai-Roe, the Imperial Couple of the Pod-Drran," Hanalei said, shocking the three women even more.

"Does that mean that you have adopted the children as I see your family name as being part of theirs?" Henadi asked.

"Not adopted, no, but we have acknowledged them as part of the Pod-Drran people, entered through our house," the Kumaroe advised, getting understanding nods from the three ladies.

"I do hope that you do not mind if I hold your Goddaughter for a bit more," Henadi asked. "I have just discovered that she has been named after me."

"So you are the famous Henadi Noor," the Kumaraie replied. "WE have heard much of your exploits and the Kumir-Rai/Ro are fascinated by you. As a whole, the Warrior Class value bravery and perseverance, traits that you have shown in abundance."

The Kumar-Pair sat at the table with the family, talking like ordinary people to the new trio of ladies, to Sean Murphy and Ayesha Seito, and the extended family, while taking turns holding and speaking to their Goddaughters.

The Kumir-Rai/Ro looked on with wide smiles, seeing the Kumar-Pair acting like this. Recordings were made to be sent back to Pod-Saar. The people of the Pod-Drran would be surprised to see their Kumar-Pair so openly enjoying themselves while on vacation, talking animatedly to the very strange people around the table.

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

Junelliya was walking with Hanalei as they made their way from the ocean to the large, air-conditioned tents set up along the back of the beach later that evening, enjoying the cooler air in the tent. The children were in the Dender's Resort Day Care, allowing the two young mothers a little break. It wouldn't be much of a break as they were breastfeeding and the children were hungry every four hours, though Ikekia was starting to sleep longer through the night now.

They had been watching the exploits of the Byandi in the ocean as they themselves swam around, being given rides by the Byandi, who were very swift in the water. Now, they were headed into the air-conditioned tents. Though the evening was cooler, it was still hot and humid.

"What are your plans, Junelliya," Hanalei asked. "I thought you mentioned something about your students playing in a church?"

"Notre Dame de Paris, in France," Junelliya replied. "They allow musical teachers and students to play in the cathedral to give the students a feel for large scale acoustics, for a fee of course."

"Of course," Hanalei laughed. "I hope they didn't set you back too, much?"

Junelliya called up the imagery of Notre Dame and told Hanalei that they would be going tomorrow afternoon to play, and then attend the concert being held in the church in the evening, culminating in the playing of the cathedral's massive pipe organ.

"It should be interesting, and I have a lot of inquiries from all of the Interspecies Community to attend," Junelliya admitted. "Not sure how to manage that," she admitted.

Hanalei opened her comp. "Hi Juanita, it's Hanalei Anar. My mate and I have an issue with the movement of VIP's for a concert tomorrow."

"How many are going, do you know?" Juanita asked.

"Hi, Juanita, it's Junelliya Harlen, Hanalei's mate. It was originally only supposed to be my music students and I, however, when the group heard that we would be staying for a music concert, they wanted to be part of it."

"Where is this concert to be?" Juanita demanded.

"Notre Dame de Paris, Paris, France, in Europe," Junelliya admitted. "We were originally going to be there to benefit from the large area acoustics for my students, who have never experienced this before, then take advantage of the concert but someone leaked the fact that we were going to a music concert and they wanted to be part of it.

"I told them they would have to sing for their supper, but it did not discourage them, in fact, they seemed to be even more determined to be part of this," Junelliya finished.

"Sing for their supper?" Juanita asked, curious.

"When the cathedral's Director of Music discovered that we were a Pod-Drran troop, they wanted us to play a few numbers just prior to the concert itself for the benefit of those who were purchasing tickets to the event. Apparently, they are using it as a means of pushing sales. They gave us a discount, for the afternoon and for the event.

"Of course, the other species wanted to showcase their own music and cultures, so the Director was as giddy as a child in a candy store," Junelliya explained, to much laughter from Hanalei and Juanita.

"To answer your question, so far, I have one hundred and eighty attendees, representing all of the species and all of them will be showcasing their music," Junelliya finished.

"I'll work it all out for you, just let me know the timings," Juanita assured the pair.

Plaza del Sol, Denders Resort, Terra

War Dragon Kloä>, Minister of Interspecies Affairs for the Asocan, was up early, Sunday, or actually up late, as he was still not used to the time change. He and his staff of four were going to check out the swamps to the North of the resort, when they passed the Plaza del Sol and saw many people involved in martial training.

"You need to understand the weak points of your opponents," said a diminutive female to those around her. "If you understand and train for that, you can even take down a Djinaëte or an Asocan," she reassured her people.

Kloä> roared out his anger. "Foolish human, thinking you can take down one such as I!" he called out a challenge. "Come then and see how strong you are!"

Kloä> snapped his jaws shut with a loud report. Suddenly, he found the woman in his face, literally, as she had used his body to climb up and wrap her legs around his snout. Her legs were surprisingly strong, and held his snout shut.

The Asocan could snap their jaws close around a large animal and rend huge chunks of flesh from the poor beast, sheering straight through flesh and bone. While their jaws were strong when closing, they were not nearly as strong when they were being opened. Despite her small size, the woman's legs easily held his snout shut as they wrapped tightly around it.

All of this happened in the flash of an instant as Kloä> watched the woman draw a large knife and plunge it into his snout right below his left eye. The blade was long, sharp, and very strong as it penetrated the bone of his snout into the inside of his mouth, where he could feel the tip with his tongue.

"You may not have noticed," the woman snarled, "but this blade could just as easily have entered your eye. It is long enough that it would have penetrated right into your brain. It might not have killed you but it would have rendered you a mental vegetable."

The woman swiftly drew her blade out of his snout and did a backflip away from Kloä>, landing on her feet and backing away slightly from the now very angry War Dragon who was still in pain from the knife that had penetrated his snout.

Kloä> stepped toward the tiny female, who simply threw something that landed between his eyes. He focused and saw a strange multi-blade object fixed in his skull between his eyes. It hadn't penetrated far, but then again, she hadn't thrown it with force. Kloä> stopped moving on the female.

He paused for several seconds, before he spoke again.

"You have proven your point, little female," he rumbled to his adversary. "What do they call you?"

"I am Oshiiru Kimiko, known as Kim to most," she stated.

"I am the War Dragon Kloä>. I have been in more than one hundred battles and only have three scars to show for all that. Today, I have received two scars that I will wear with pride."

Kloä> then did something that shocked his staff of four. He bent a knee to Kim.

While Asocan's were bipedal, they did not easily kneel. An Asocan only knelt to the Asoc, or to those who have defeated them in combat. For the War Dragon to kneel to this tiny female was a mark of respect that most Asocan never attained.

Kim reached in and swiftly plucked the throwing star from between his eyes.

"May I keep that?" Kloä> requested, pointing to the throwing star.

Kim smiled and handed him the sharp blade.

"I have never seen a blade like this," he rumbled. "I will mount this on my wall and admit to all that I was bested by someone with true martial skill. After so many battles where I was the victor, you have humbled me this day, little Kim."

Without further comments, he turned and marched away, heading to see the medical team to have them place Samet in the wounds, which would leave a distinctively coloured scar behind.