Nigkala Tales Pt. 12: Continuing education

"Lightning to the sky and back as the center of a ritual. That sounds like An might be involved. What has happened to this new talisman?"

"When I tried to contact her, I failed, but I seemed to find some of her memories. Ones separate from me. I tried to find memories of the ritual and learned she meant to make a new talisman tuned to me. She also intended An to do it."

"That is truly surprising. Why would she feel you were suitable? And why would An?"

"I don't know about An, but she was impressed I lived in orbit for a time. She felt I lived in Heaven."

"I think you impressed more than her. You did indeed live in Heaven. In the olden times, the only way to live there was with the help of the divine. Nowadays, the neighborhood is getting busy. Still, your people are few, and barely have entered Heaven." She paused for a bit. "May I examine your talisman?"

"You sound hesitant."

"I am. If the new talisman is like the old, it is powerful. With An involved, it is best to ask rather than take. And daughter, it is also yours. Talismans can be very personal. It may be bonded to you, but it can have a will of its own."

"I see. May I watch as you examine it? I've never had a talisman before, and know nothing about them."

"You may. But you are wrong about having a talisman. You made my holy symbol. I blessed it with power when I sent you forward in time."

"..."

"Yes, daughter. You now have two. Now follow me, and I will explain as I go."

I fell asleep in the bath, but dreamed. As she explored the new talisman, she explained what she was looking for, and what she saw. She also told me of their use, and how they amplified one's power. It was quite rare for anyone to be bonded to two divine talismans. There were plenty of magic users who used lesser talismans to augment their power, but they would need over a dozen such talismans to rival one divine talisman. The effort needed to make a lesser talisman was such that few tried for more than four or five. When she finished her examination, she then led me through the talisman she gave me.

I woke still in the bath. Inanna's symbol lay between my breasts, and my body was submerged except for my face. Somehow, I knew I had called it to me using a skill Inanna taught me. I also knew it was far sturdier than it looked, because of the talisman magic. Among its powers was healing. Warriors often get hurt, and as their goddess, she supported them with healing. When I got up out of the bath, I tested my nipples. They were sensitive as normal, but no trace of soreness. I did a few stretches. Nothing. My body had completely recovered.

I was about to reach for a towel, when I remembered a power of my talisman of An. I knew it was just in the other room, so I focused on it and asked for warm winds to dry myself. They started slowly, as zephyrs, but soon rose to a stiff breeze. A few minutes later, I was completely dry. I released the winds and the air settled down. I headed downstairs for breakfast.

"Becky, you look beautiful."

I was startled for a minute. I had forgotten Filipe was due back late last night. "Thank you. I missed you. You have a good time?"

"Yes. Those twins were definitely experienced. They also knew each other quite well. Often, one would coach me on how I did the other."

"It is so nice to find folks as considerate as that. It is clear they know their way around each other. Did they know their way around the male?"

"I don't know about in general, but they showed me they knew their way around this male."

"He he."

"Good times. While they are good at deepthroating, they don't hold a candle to you. Something about what you do with that crazy tongue of yours. Still, everyone had fun. So, much happen here?"

"Well... I collected another holy souvenir."

"I noticed you wearing that holy symbol. Usually when you dress, you wear a bit more. Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

"Huh? I hadn't noticed I was wearing it."

"How could you not notice?"

"Well, it's a long story. It all started with a visit to the museum. They currently have an exhibit of archaeological artifacts from around and near the Sumerian time and place. Of course, I was interested. While there, I noticed they had failed to identify some seals, so I went and talked to the curator about it. Evan was doubtful at first, but I convinced him to test them. Well, he was so happy, that he stopped by to show me some of the interesting unidentified objects not on display. He also brought some crates with pieces of cuneiform tablets. Looking at the objects, I realized one was a holy object. I told him of the danger of examining it. He then offered me the opportunity to reassemble the tablets. I'm doing that in a spare room. He left the tablets, but took everything else back."

"So you've been busy?"

"Oh yeah. That holy object was something more. Apparently, it sensed me and my own divine connections. Just after midnight, it summoned lightning to take it from storage in the museum to my bedroom. That night and following, my dreams were haunted. With Inanna's advice, I made contact, and yesterday finally found it. I intended to return it, but it didn't want to leave. We wound up with a compromise. We used a ritual to transfer it. Then the museum could have what it wanted, and it stayed with me. At the height of the ritual, I was hit with lightning. An extremely close return stroke knocked me out. When I woke up, there was a new talisman, similar to the original, yet attuned to me. Inanna was quite interested. She told me a little about it." I then touched the holy symbol. "She told me about this one, as well."

"Wow, your time has been more interesting than mine."

"Yeah, it was. After the ritual, I was unable to put my clothes back on, I was so sore. Yet, I needed a lot of water and some food to recover. The nearest bar got a treat. When I got home, I ate a few dinners then went to soak in the tub. I fell asleep, and woke this morning, completely healed, in part due to the power of this holy symbol."

"You were in there for hours?"

"All night. The heat was on, and you know how I like to float in the tub."

"You must have left it looking like a prune."

"Curiously, I didn't. Maybe Inanna felt sorry for me, or maybe I have some sort of power to not become a prune. It's not important. After breakfast, why don't you come with me and I can show you the other talisman."

"Sure thing. Can I make it for you? I feel like pampering you."

"Well, if you can keep your attention on the food sufficiently rather than on me, then sure."

Filipe started with toast, as something to occupy me as he started a large breakfast. He went all out, knowing that I would burn through the calories in my workout routine. He takes his cooking seriously, so he knew I was just teasing. He returned the favor by giving a running commentary of other things he did while away, interspersed with phrases like 'oops, too much', 'almost forgot the spice', and other dire cooking words. Yet, the results were wonderful.

We went up to our room, and I told him to get naked and on the bed. While he did that, I fetched the new talisman. When he was naked, I handed it to him.

"This is technically a fulgurite, that is, frozen lightning. It was created by that second lightning bolt hitting the sand at my feet. It is glass, but enchanted by the divine touch of An, a god of the sky."

"It looks odd."

"Apparently, its shape is determined by the path the lightning takes once in the ground."

"You say it is a talisman? What does that mean? I mean, as far as you are concerned."

"This holy symbol is a talisman, and one of the things it does for me is healing. Inanna, as a goddess of war, she keeps warriors fighting by ensuring they heal quickly when damaged. The talisman of An, as a god of the sky, allows me to have a little control of the air." I concentrated, and wiled a gently breeze around us.

"Control of the air? What do you mean?"

"Patience. It will be obvious soon." I noticed the air was starting to move.

"Huh? I can feel a breeze, and we are inside."

"Yep. I don't know how useful it will be, but I'm sure I'll think of something."

"You could use it to have a breeze blow up your skirt to flash someone."

"Oh! I like that. Especially for the Tina outfit. I'll have to practice. In the meantime, let me put these talismans aside, so I can ravish you."

He handed it to me, and I put them on my bedside table. Then I ravished him. I began by deepthroating him, but with my tongue wrapping technique no other woman could even do. It didn't take long for him to fill me with a nice treat. Then he showed me what the twins taught him. While there was little new, there was noticeable improvement in his technique. When I was coherent after that orgasm, I told him. With the warm-up over, we got to some serious fucking. We must have gone for over an hour, pounding our bodies together in many different ways. The sheets would need changing, but I knew our maid liked that particular chore.

We rested a bit after. Actually, it more like half an hour. Then I remembered the sandwiches I didn't eat last night. I looked over, and they were still on the table. I leaned over and got them. Filipe and I had lunch in bed, even as we enjoyed looking and caressing each other. Even after eight kids, we still felt like kids with each other anytime we had sex. It truly seems like we are made for each other.

After lunch, we sat quietly. We were startled by the doorbell. "Oh, Filipe, Evan is due here from the museum. You get dressed, I'll answer the door." I went to answer, and it was indeed Evan.

"What is it with you and clothes?"

I looked down, "Oh. Forgot. Filipe and I were catching up on events. Come on in, I'd like you to meet him." I looked quickly down at his crotch and saw his erection was growing.

He came on in, and said, "I'm not so sure that is a good idea. Especially as we already,..."

"Nonsense. He knows I play the field. I already told him about you. I want you to meet him."

"I..." he looked up when he heard something.

I looked, and saw Filipe. "There he is now." I grabbed his hand and pulled him over to Filipe, even as Filipe came to us. "Evan, this is Filipe, my husband. Filipe, this is Evan Smith, a curator at the museum."

"Um, hi, Mr. Tate."

"Actually, it is Hernandez. Becky Sue's professional name is Tate, but our kids are all Hernandez." Filipe put his hand around my waist, and started playing with a lower breast.

I enjoyed the sensation for a bit, then I said, "Come, you're here to see the tablets, right?"

He was staring at the breast Filipe was playing with, but said, "Yes. I still can't believe you got so far."

"Then come to my office and see. I have the partials there. Filipe, come see as well. I'm sure it will be fascinating." I broke free of Filipe and led the way to my office.

As we walked there, Evan said, "What's with the AC? It's kind of breezy in here."

Filipe and I looked at each other. He said, "It's been acting up all morning. If it doesn't settle down by tonight, I'll call someone." Meanwhile, I focused my will and dismissed the breeze I summoned earlier.

When we got to my office, I said, "Wait by the door while I get them out." I then cleared some stuff from my desk to make it flat. Then I went over and fetched them, placing them on the desk. "These printouts show what I have so far." I then lifted them, revealing the pieces. I walked back to the guys. "Evan, have a look." I waved him forward. I also saw he was fully aroused by this point. After he started forward, I placed Filipe's hand back on my breast. He knew what to do. We both watched Evan as he was focused on the tablets. We could hear him mumbling, and I guessed he was trying to read them.

After half an hour, and much using his phone to look stuff up, he finally turned back to us. "I think these might be part of the 'The Adoration of Inanna of Ur'. If it is, then it is one of the oldest found. Perhaps even the original. How is this possible? The AI program couldn't get anywhere close to this level of completeness."

I was distracted to see that he had come in his trousers, and didn't even seem to realize it. So, ignoring it, I said, "I decided to start with the pictures supplied. After a while, I realized the clay had different shades, and textures. I also realized the writing seemed to vary between a few styles. I sorted them out and came up with several groups. I went through the crates, pulling out one group, leaving the rest. With fewer pieces to deal with, it took a lot less time. As I worked, I even felt inspired. This is the result so far."

"Can I take some pictures? I want to tell the bosses about this."

"No. Or rather, not yet. Right now, they think this is a puzzle that will take forever to solve, and so are not very interested in it. The moment you indicate it has had significant solving, they will want to take it away from us. They will want the credit, and leave us in the dust."

"You are so right. They have already taken the cylindrical seals. Thankfully, you had the foresight to document the discovery and the scans. I had already logged the creation of the wax models as additions to the exhibit by that point, and sent the scans to a number of scholars, so if they try anything, the documentation will show the truth."

"Good. You may not get credit for understanding them, but we will get it for discovering it. Anyway, at the rate the tablets have been going, I think I might be done well before you have to pack the exhibit up. You might even be able to exhibit them for a bit."

"What a coup that would be. But the lion's share of the credit will be yours, not mine."

"There is more to it than that. You took a risk, and will reap the assembled tablets and what they bring. Finding employees who know when to risk is difficult, but having one is a boon. They will notice you. But there is one thing you need to work on."

"Oh?"

"Your reaction to my body has keyed you up, and the tablets made you careless. Look down." I smiled as he did.

"Shit!"

Filipe spoke up, "Follow me, I'll get you sorted."

As Filipe took him to his bathroom, I went and dressed for working on the tablet. A few minutes later, they joined me, Evan in one of Filipe's robes.

"His pants are drying now."

"I wanted to see you work."

"Actually, you can help me. Take this set of paper. It lists the third group of pieces I will work on. I need to go through all the crates and unload only those. I will call out a tag, and you tell me if it is in the list. With you handling the paperwork, I can sort faster."

He reached out and I gave him the papers. I then continued pulling out pieces and calling out tags. In less than an hour, we had gone through all the crates. With that, I explained my method of sorting out the edge pieces and then ordering the rest to make matching easier. I apologized that there was little for him to do, unless he wanted to put gloves on and join in. For a minute, I thought he might, but he shook himself, and chose not to. A few minutes later, they left.

It was slow-going at first, but once I got the edges mostly matched up in maybe a dozen segments, I started on the insides. When Filipe came to get me for dinner, he saw I had over a third filled in. Dinner was filled with mundane minutia, and it felt wonderful. After dinner, I went downstairs and worked out. Filipe joined me for a while, but left to check for his next part. We were well enough off we could retire now, but both of us enjoy work too much. And that meant looking for the next part all the time. While I had made a larger splash, I had fewer opportunities as 'normal' women only have one pair of tits. Filipe, however, had far greater variety as a character actor. He didn't get the lead often, but he managed to work in ten to fifteen films a year in various secondary roles. But that meant always looking.

When I finished, I showered, and went to bed. He was already there. We had sex, and talked about how badly I teased Evan. And to learn I did it to him twice was priceless. We chuckled at that, and soon were asleep, holding each other. In the morning, I woke early, and slipped out of bed. I was doing laps in the pool when he came out with our breakfast. I joined him, and we ate leisurely.

"Matthew visited last weekend."

"Oh, sorry I missed him."

"Given that he had a number of friends, I think that was the plan." I smiled. "I didn't want to intrude too much, but when they came out to the pool, I couldn't resist."

"Oh? Do tell. It sounds like the beginning of a good tale."

So I told him what happened. "I think he is growing into a nice young man. While his friends may razz him about me being a MILF, he handled it with aplomb. So I did my best to stay away. That's how I ended up at the museum."

"I had wondered. Are you going to work on it today?"

"Yes, all day, I think. It is interesting, and the accomplishment is satisfying, like when the director says, 'Cut. Print.' and you know he liked the take. But the satisfaction lasts longer."

"I know what you mean. Those volunteer projects we help with are like that, as well. Not very profitable for us, but immensely satisfying. Speaking of profitable, I have some interviews today, so don't hold dinner for me. I'll eat out or fend for myself tonight."

"Fend for yourself, ha. Tammy stocks the fridge well with stuff we like."

"That she does. That she does. Well, I best be getting ready, as my first one is in an hour or so."

We had both finished by then, so we brought our dishes in, then headed upstairs to dress. I got so into my work, I completely forgot lunch. I didn't come up for air until no more pieces were left that I could place. I stretched, and looked at the time. Ten at night. Oh dear, I quickly went down to the kitchen and got myself some sandwiches. I headed for the basement for my exercise, but I cut it short, as I wanted to join Filipe in bed. A quick shower, and then I dried off using the new method. Only this time, I tried to focus on control and discernment to see just how it worked. I then joined Filipe in bed and snuggled close as he was already sleeping.

The next day, rather than swim first, I made the wooden form. While the glue was setting, I went swimming, and then had breakfast. The form was ready by the time I picked it up, and I went and packed the third tablet. For the next two weeks, I continued like this. Filipe had picked up a small part, and was off again. I had just finished packing the last tablet, and set the finished tablets around me in a circle, with the leftovers beside me. Now the question was how to fit these pieces, as they did not go where I thought they should initially.

"Use the Force, Luke."

What? That came out of the blue.

"Use the Force, Luke."

Again, but this time I realized it was Inanna. "My queen, I understand what that phrase means, but the Force is part of the mythology of the film. I don't think it exists, or at least I have never encountered it. Besides, what do you know of the Force?"

"Actually, you have encountered it. When you summon the wind, you are accessing divine power. When you project your sensuality, you summon divine power. Your 'whammy' sometimes uses it also. As to knowledge, you are my daughter. I want to know about you, and what your life is like. Your acting is often in what you call 'sci-fi' and your cosplay is also. So I looked into it, and learned about its culture. It is so weird at times and closer to the truth than they know at others. And the flexibility of mind needed to comprehend it, also lends itself to comprehend the reality you found yourself in when I pulled you into the past. I had wondered why the experience didn't faze you as I expected it would."

"I see. But why use such a cryptic saying?"