Chapter Twelve

It is so pleasant waking in the morning without parts of your body beating on you. For the first time in nearly a week, I wake sans cramps and fluids leaking from me. I just want to lay here and enjoy the feeling but something is tickling my nose. Cracking an eye open I spy the offending object. It's the tip of my girlfriends tail, lightly twitching close to my face. I turn my gaze to the side slightly to peer into the face of said girlfriend. She is laying on her side, top leg draped over mine, top arm across my torso, hand on the far breast, head on my shoulder. What am I, a body pillow? Why, yes I am, thank you very much. I start to return to sleep, but feel a urge, I need to pee. Darn, I was so comfortable. I wiggle out from under Emi, which causes her to search in her sleep looking for her warm pillow, a frown on her face. I grope my way to the door, cracking it a bit to let in some light. I use the pot then clean up.

I slip out the door, to take a look at the sky, it is quite bright out here, so it's after dawn, time to be getting up. Before going back to my chamber I light a candle then open the door then using the lit candle I light the one on the table next to the bed. Emi has curled into ball, knees up with arms crossed over her chest. I lean over her caressing her from knee to shoulder, whispering, "Time to get up, love." She roll on to her back just as I reach the top of my stroke causing my hand to caress a nipple. Her arms reach up and capture me in a hug, her lips kissing mine. I settle on her, returning the affection. She soon asks to be let up, she need to pee. I let her escape, flopping over in her place.

While doing her business she asks, "What's planned for today?"

"Bricks need to be made, test holes checks, workers checked on and Helen's loom examined, why do you ask?"

"Proper clothing must be chosen, my dear. Given the variety of tasks today, skirts and short tunics should do. That alright with you?"

"That sounds good."

She has finished and is putting on the tunic she wore yesterday. With, "Back in a bit." she leaves, going to her room to get new clothes. I want to wear my swim wear under my clothes but if I do that, what will I do tomorrow, I can't wear it all the time. Emi and I will need multiple sets of underwear made, ours is the simplest to make, not like Tilly's, Helen's panties were quick to make, too. I could make some low slung ones using that method easily enough. And Helen needs a bra made, we didn't do one for her yet. And Aden's swim suit was comfortable, we could modify our drawers before getting in to all the different styles of panties.

I break out of my rabbit hole, getting up to dress. I put on a pair of drawers and a short chemise, topped by a short tunic and a knee length skirt. Looking at the skirt I notice it's the same one I wore the other day back from being laundered. Which reminds me that I want to visit the women who do the laundry. I could have a few things to make their work easier and quicker.

I have finished dressing when I spy the new lamp, which still needs testing. After snuffing one of the candles I take the lit one and the new lamp to the outer room. Both candle sticks go on the table by the window. I sit in the chair like I was reading a book, the candle behind me and to the left. One candle isn't much light. I light the two candles on the new candle stick and snuff the old one. Reseating myself, two candles is better but not by much. I then adjust the reflector so the the light from it is shining where the book would be. Using one of the pages of plans from the work table as a book the light is much bright now, if I move the page out of the reflectors range it makes a big difference. Success!

Emi has returned. I sit her in the chair and hand her the paper. I ask her to hold it like she was reading it. I relit the single candle and turn the new lamp around so only the single candle was lighting the paper. I asked how was the light. Bad was the reply. I blew out the single candle again and returned the lamp to where it had been. Emi was impressed, that was much better she said.

Knock, Knock. " Whatcha doin'?" It's Helen. I soon have her in the chair trying out the lamp. She wants one, now, where can she get one. I tell her which blacksmith to goto and to tell him you would like a candle stick like the queen ordered. I snuff the candles and we go down stairs.

We poke our heads in the kitchen to say good morning to Tilly to let her know we were up and about. We continued on to the garden for our morning exercise. Helen followed along not knowing what else to do. When we got there and doffed our slippers, she asked what we were doing now. I told her, "Each morning we come out here to do some exercise. Care to join us?" In answer she removed her stockings, her shoes are still under the bench where she had placed them last night on arrival. I assisted Helen into the proper form for vertical centering, then explained the correct way to shift her weight from foot to foot and the proper breathing. Then I had her stand in vertical centering to watch us as we did the forms first. Emi lead us slowly though the forms she knew as I faced her, mirroring her movements. Towards the end Aden came out and stood watching, too.

"I still think it is dancing," Aden said when we finished.

"It's not? It sure looked like one." said Helen, a curious look on her face. "It was so pretty."

"It started as a martial art but is now an form of exercise." I said. "You going to join us Aden?"

"Sure." as he removed his boot and stockings.

I showed him the centering form, explained the breathing and shift of weight, giving a demonstration of that. I had Emi show them the simplest forms one at a time, having them repeat them before proceeding to the next one. Then we all did the first ten forms. I decided that was enough for their first time. We went in for breakfast. Tilly had the table set and food waiting for us. As we all sat down I asked what everyone had planed for today. Aden was again supervising the harvest, Tilly had bread to bake, Helen was going to go order one of those lamps and make some more panties. I told them what Emi and I would be doing today.

As we finish eating I have Emi fetch Aden's swimsuit for him to try on. When she hands it to him I ask him to go to my room to try them on. He comes back down minutes later, with his ears red, embarrassed to be seen by four women. I have him turn, they fit him well and he has a fine bottom to boot. I ask if they are binding or pinching anywhere, he answers no. I have him go change back but not before Kalvin comes in. When he sees the way Aden is dressed he asks if they are comfortable, Aden answers they are very comfortable more so than he thought they would. Kalvin ask if he could get a pair too. Did he have a pair of drawers that could be modified? Yes, he did, did I want them now? No, wait until this evening. We know what we will be doing this evening then. I ask Helen to join us, too.

Kalvin informs us our mounts are ready, though there are only four. Aden volunteers to ride double with Helen. We put on our footwear and leave via the west gate, Aden helps Helen up before mounting himself. Kalvin helps Emi and I. I ask Aden to bring Helen with him on his return to the palace this evening as we ride to town. When we reach the town hall we say, farewell to Helen who heads to her shop. Aden talks to the workers and cart driver telling them where to find the stone. I let them know I will be by some time during the day to check on the lining tests. I tell Karl he is in charge of the crew.

As they lead the cart to where the stone is, Aden says he'll see us at dinner and to have a good day. We ride back to the palace, going to the west gate. After dismounting Kalvin stables the horses then returns to the guard house. I go through the gate looking for Tobias, he was such a big help making the first batch of bricks I want his help. He is not in the garden so I shout up to a guard on the wall, "Yo, guard, have you seen Tobias this morning?" the reply came that he hadn't but another guard on a different part of the wall said he is by the well. I hear the guard call to Tobias saying the queen is looking for him. I walk back out of the gate and shortly Tobias rounds the corner.

"Good morning, Tobias. Are you free to give us hand making bricks again this morning?"

"Of course, your majesty. Buckets of water, correct."

"Yes, please. And some chopped straw."

Emi and I went into the garden and removed our footwear then returned. We then started measuring sand and clay and mixing it together, Tobias returned with two buckets of water then started chopping straw. When he had a basket full that was spread over the sand and clay then the water was slowly added. Emi and I worked the straw into the resulting mud, occasionally turning the edges into middle of the pile. I spread some sand on the ground then lay the mold out. Making a mud ball then threw it into the mold, beat it in, getting the air bubbles out, then smoothing the top. While I did that, Emi made mud balls and Tobias prepared the next pile of mud. Last time the bricks were layout in the random manner but today they were in neat evenly spaced rows.

We worked steady for a couple hours then took a break, drinking from a ladle from a bucket of water. I asked Tobias how the watermelon and other melons were doing? I had a craving for watermelon or cantaloupe. They should be ready in a day or two. Something to look forward to.

We went back to work, finishing the pile of sand and clay. We again wash our feet off by the well, thanking Tobias for the help. He replied it was his pleasure to help his princess. I give him hug when he say that. We go back into the garden, wash our feet better then go in the palace. I ask Emi if she has things to do, she answers yes, she does, I let her go do them. I enter the study, intending to sketch some more but am interrupted by knocking on the door. When I answer it, it's Clara, the woman I ordered the stockings from delivering them. Oh dear I owe her money don't I. I invite her in, taking her to the parlor then went to the kitchen asking Tilly to serve her tea, please, while I located Emi. Then check Emi's room, no Emi. Then my rooms, no Emi. Where is she? I looked around for the basket with the coin pouch in it, no luck. Arg, maybe Tilly has ten copper. I grab my slippers before I leave my rooms, slipping them on. Back to the kitchen, now no Tilly. I go into the study, ah, there is the basket, now where is the pouch, it's not here, Emi must have it. I go back to the kitchen, Tilly is back, thank you god. I ask her if she has ten copper, I need to pay the lady for the stockings and I can't find Emi who has the money pouch, god I hate not have money on me just because of situations like this. Tilly who is staring at me, walks up to me and puts a finger to my lips saying, "Calm down girl, this is no crisis to get into such a state over. Here is ten copper left from the other day. Now relax, we can't have the queen meeting her people in this state."

I fall into the centering form, eyes closed, relaxing my whole body, breath in, breath out, centering my mind and body, I feel the stress fall away. I open my eyes, take a full deep breath, then sigh, smiling at Tilly, thanking her. I place the coins in my pocket as I goto the parlor on the other side of the palace. I greet the woman again, apologizing for taking so long, I had trouble locating my coin purse. She gives me the stockings, they appear to be exactly what I wanted, I try one on, then re don my slipper. It is prefect. I pay the woman, thanking her then sit and put the other stocking on, laying the stockings on the table next to me. I escort her to the door, opening it just as Aden reaches for the handle, I thank the woman for a job well done.

I greet Aden asking if there is a small supply of coin in his office at all times, telling him about not have any idea where the coin was kept and needing some for the woman that just left. He showed me in which drawer of his desk he kept the petty cash. I thank him. Has he had a good day so far? He had, the harvest is moving along nicely. He inquired on my day. I told him of making the bricks with Tobias' help, that they were all done, just needing to dry. We had moved to the sitting room where I picked up the stockings then we went to the dining room. As we seated ourselves Emi and Kalvin came down stairs. I asked Emi where she had been, she had been cleaning up the room Helen had used as the maids hadn't been informed of her stay.

Tilly served us a fine dinner as usual, today it's a seafood stew, shellfish, small crustaceans and fish with vegetables. With a loaf of fresh bread, so fresh it was still warm. And fresh butter. Yum.

I ask Kalvin what the guards do in their off time. He says they don't really have time off, with a ten hour on duty cycle, it only left a couple of hours to get anything done it you wanted to get enough sleep.

I ask Aden what he did during his time off. He says he hasn't had much of that lately, a certain queen was keeping him too busy. I apologized for that, I would try and get a new minster to run the farms so he didn't have to.

I then asked Kalvin how Lian was holding up, had anyone told him of the trial? He had not been told of the trial, he thought the guards were mad at Lian for what he had done. What he had been able to hear in town the people felt the same.

I asked Tilly if the maids and Abby felt that way, too. They did. And her feelings on the matter? She felt like taking a big stick to him then making him row to the mainland in a tiny boat during storm season. I do believe she's peeved at him.

I do hope the merchant ship arrives soon, I have a feeling that if the people weren't so busy with harvest there might have been trouble. I don't want that kind of problem.

I asked Tilly where the eggs we ate came from? She says that Tobias has over a dozen hens and a pair of roosters that run around the orchard. Really, I do need to talk to him more. I ask where he lives? He has a room in the back of the stable, next to the tack room.

We finish our stew, cleaning the bowls with a bit of bread, can't let any of the goodness get away. I tell Kalvin we will need horses this afternoon. He goes to stable to get them ready. I tell Tilly that Helen will be joining us for supper again tonight. We will be working on small clothes and swimsuits again. I remind Emi to bring the basket as I am sure I will be sketching Helen's loom later. I tell Tilly and Aden we will be at the inlet first, then mistress Nora's, then Helen's with stops at the blacksmith, the carpenter and the carver somewhere in there. Then the swimming hole. Whoops forgot the swimsuits, I had Emi go get them.

When Kalvin comes saying the horses are ready, we leave with a "thanks for the meal." to Tilly. Emi and I go out though the garden as that is where our boots are. I show Emi the new stockings for the slippers, she ask if she can wear them some time. I tell her there are two pair for her. We don our footwear and exit the garden, checking the bricks on the way to the horses. I tell Emi to note at the bricks will need turned and scraped in the morning.

When we reach town, Aden heads out to the fields and we head to the inlet. On the way we over take the cart loaded down with stones. There are no workers though, I ask the driver where they are. Half are at the source of the stone and the rest are at the inlet, shifting stone around. I ask how many loads he has moved so far. He says five, this is the sixth. So two thirds of an hour to load, transport and unload a cart of stone.

When we reach the inlet I can see a large pile of stone on either side of the path to the water. That is a good idea. Karl is not here, his son is though. He bows to me, "Your majesty."

"Any problems?" I say.

"No, your majesty."

"Good. Keep up the good work. Was it your idea to make two piles?"

"Yes, your majesty."

"Very good. When it get close to time for supper you can quit for the day, pass word to your father."

"Yes, your majesty."

I walk over to the liner test holes. The first one is dry. So is the fourth. The third is half empty and the second one is down a fingers breadth. Well that is that.

I ask the driver if Aden arranged for him to be here tomorrow, he says yes he had. Good. I call out to Hans, waving him over. I tell him that tomorrow between loads I want them to pick away at the big rock in the one pond, It only has to be taken down to the original depth of the hole without the clay. They are to collect the broken off rock in baskets, and after the last load of stone for the day load the broken stone in the cart. I will let him know where to unload it tomorrow when I come to check the liner test.

Emi and I remount then lead Kalvin back to town, the first stop is the blacksmiths shop. Kalvin enters the shop to fetch the smith. When he appears I ask about the wheel barrow. It is all most done, the axle will be delivered later this afternoon. Then I ask about the pot, that just needs a final polish, it will be delivered this evening. Then I ask if I could use his smelter to cook some stone. Cook stone? Yes, I want these stones to be heated to red hot then left to cool, I would compensate him for the charcoal used, he just fires and supervises the cooking then the loading of them into baskets. What kind of stone? Limestone. Oh you are making slacked lime, he could do that. I tell him there will be a cart delivering the limestone tomorrow, just tell the men where to put it, I will have it picked up when it's ready.

Next stop is the carpenter shop, when I inquire about progress on the thresher he shows me the completed drum and frame. I tell him very good, I'll let Aden know. I thank him and take my leave.

Next is the furniture maker, who shows me a near finished hood and body, he estimates another day. I thank him.

The carver is next, he shows me the grill which is done, the treadle is done and he is beginning the crank. I thanks him.

Then we head out to mistress Nora's hut. When we get there she is in her garden harvesting herbs. We greet her and I inquire which herbs can be used as dyes. "I'll assume that you are inquiring about locally grown ones, there are two reds that grow here abouts, and several yellows, I have not seen blue woad grow here abouts, but I haven't gone very high into the mountains. I have four of the yellow producers growing here. An if you have a pomegranate tree growing in your orchard you have a fifth." I ask her if she knows how to dye cloth with these herbs? Some she does but not all. I thank her for talking to me.

We head back to town to see Helen at her shop. I tell Kalvin that we will be here awhile. We enter Helen shop saying "Hello, Helen, You here?"

"In the back, your majesty, come in."

"I have come to see your loom. Where is it?"

"Over there by the window, I like light when I weave." she points to the back wall. Sitting on a table a short distance from the window is the loom, it's different than what I imagined. I was expecting a larger floor loom. She had said that she could only make narrow bands of cloth which this would be more than able to do. The problem is I wouldn't be able to put a flying shuttle on this. This type of loom has a rigid heddle, where the heddle is used as the batten, and then manually raised or lowered, it's the one of the slowest types of loom. To modify this I would need another heddle and the treadles to operate them and the associated linkage. Basically a new loom.

I ask her if she has seen any of the other looms in town. Yes, she has, hers is the newest loom in town and one of the bigger ones. One of the weaves has a loom with multiple heddle that can weave patterns but weaves a narrower cloth. Well blast it, there goes the modify the looms option.

I then ask her what she uses to spin thread. She hands me a drop spindle, well this I can improve. A spinning wheel would increase the production of thread quite a lot, if I remember correctly by about ten times. Should I build a traditional wheel or a modern one? Bearings are going to be a problem again. Double or single drive. So many options. Emi pokes me, apparently I'm down a rabbit hole again.

Getting my sketching supplies, I start to sketch the loom, trying to get as much detail as possible. When I finish, I ask Helen what she is working on. More panties. For who, I ask? She had made two more pair for Tilly, Emi and me plus was working on two for her self and was almost done with Emi's help. She had worked out a system that let her make multiple pair at a time if the sizes were close. She would like Emi and I to try on the pairs she made, to check the fit. We oblige, first taking our boots off, no need to chance getting dirt on the panties. I drop my drawers and slip in to the first pair, they are little snug at the waist but otherwise alright. The second pair are just wrong. I slip them off then compare the two against each other. They don't match. The second pair are larger than the first. I told Helen that the first pair were snug in the waist and the second was a little large, ah, simple fix she said. She soon had them repaired and back to me to try on. She sure is quick with a needle. They fit perfectly. She tells us to just pay for the cloth, she figures that she will make a bit of coin selling three or more pair to every woman on the island, these can be considered her payment for the design. I agree to that, asking how much for the cloth. She tells me, it's a fair price so pay her. I remind her about supper and to bring cloth for her bra. Before we leave Emi and I change to swimsuit bottoms, the tops will have to wait.

Gathering Kalvin we head to the swimming hole. I ask Kalvin if he had been bored waiting. No, he had done some whittling. Really, are you good at it? He pulls out carved animal, a horse, leg folded under, head down. It look very real. I tell him that it is very good and I may have something for him to carve. He thanks me for the compliment and what is it I want carved? I'll show him later. I glance at the sky, suddenly wondering what time it is. Mid afternoon by my guess, I ask Emi and Kalvin to confirm, they do. When we arrive at the swimming hole I get out the sketching supplies and do quick sketch of a loom shuttle, with bobbin. I tell Kalvin that the bobbin is the object to carve, if he can do more than one they need to be the same length, they could vary on diameter but not by much. We bid him adieu as he rides to the other side of the island. We strip to our bottoms and quickly don our tops, helping each other get them adjusted.

We swam a little then I showed Emi the crawl, trying to go as slow as I could so she could observe me as I passed her. She tried it but didn't go far, her breathing was wrong and she was thrashing about. I told her to slow down,breath out with her face in to water, make sure her hands were cupped and flutter kick. The next try was better she made it twice as far before panicking. I have her float face down slowly blow out her breath until she needed to take a breath then to turn her head and inhale. Then repeat. I held her left hand above her head and have her turn her head to the right to breath. Then added gentle kicking to the mix. Then I let her hand go and she started to move up stream. I caught up to her and had her start moving her arms too. She soon had to stop and turn around, having run out of room. We started crawling back going fairly slow. When we got to the beginning I stopped her and gave her a hug for job well done. Now do it a little faster. And we did. Four times. When we stopped we were breathing hard.

We lay on the beach relaxing for a bit afterward, catching some rays. As we lay there I asked Emi what she thought of the top, she said hadn't notice it at all, though the bottom had creeped into her butt crack. I mentioned we shouldn't lay there to long or we would burn to a crisp or at least I would, being a phosphorescent white girl now. When we had dried off we changed back to our regular under garments and put on our tunics and footwear, then call for Kalvin.

On the way back through town we stop to pick up Helen who rode behind me this evening. As we approach the palace we come upon a man carrying a cooking pot and a bag. Hurray, the pot for the steamer is finished, add steamed veggies to the menu, not to mention steamed pork buns. Yum. I have Emi pay the man then carry the pot and I the bag. We need some paniers or saddle bags to carry stuff. When we reach the palace, Kalvin takes the horses and we goto the garden gate. I stop to check the bricks then decide to scrape the bottoms of them, turning them as I do. Emi and Helen help also so the job is done quickly.

When we remove our boots I hand two pair of the anklets that I left there after dinner to Emi, who put on a pair straight away. Helen asks if she could try a pair on, I hand her my other pair. She puts her shoes on over the new stockings, saying it feels strange to feel air on her ankles. I tell her she can wear them tonight, just leave them here when she leaves. I ask her if would stay the night again? Sure, she wouldn't have to leave early that way. We go in with me saying, "Honey, we're home," to Tilly. She gives me a scowl, I'm sure she doesn't think I'm funny.

I have Emi give Tilly her pot. We get the steamer and set it up on the table, the tiers fit the pot perfectly, and the lid too. I start to tell Tilly what she can make with steamer but Helen interrupts wanting to know what it is and how it works. I ask Tilly if there is a vegetable that needs to be cooked for tonights supper. There is and it's time to cook it. I have Tilly put a knuckles depth of water in the pot and put it on the fire. Tilly brings some carrot sticks over, which I placed in one of the tiers letting them see how I did it before putting the lid on.

Once the water was boiling I placed the lidded tier on the pot after moving it away from the fire. We could see steam rising from the holes in the lid. As the carrots steamed I told them of the foods I remembered that could be steam cooked. Most were Japanese, Korean or Chinese. I lifted the lid and poke a carrot with the tip of a knife, still a little crunchy. I pick up the carrot and replaced the lid then cut the carrot in to bits, handing Tilly the knife so she could try a bite. She did, still crunchy but it was cooked. The others tried a bite, nodding. I removed the tier moving it the cutting board, then transferred them to a bowl adding a big pat of butter and covered them. I tell them if you put different foods in different tiers you could cook the whole meal in one go.

We let Tilly finish supper while we go freshen up. I need to so am sure the other need to also. Emi brings along a pitcher of hot water which she shares with Helen by pouring part of the pitch in the basin in the room she used last night. I had candles lit by the time she returns. I comment that the swimsuits should be hung up to dry in the same place as before. After placing the pitcher on the table, she goes to do that. I have my toilet finished by the time she returns so I let her attend to her needs while I sit at my writing table and write a list of thing I need to do tomorrow. I have been forgetting to do or ask about some things.

The list includes :

Talk to Tobias about chickens and eggs

Stack the bricks

Draw plans for spinning wheel

Draw plans for basic loom

Draw plans for flying shuttle

Draw plans for composting toilet ( I am SO tired of chamber pots )

Draw plans for salt pond pier and water lift

Draw plans for Flax machines, heckler, scutcher, and breaker

Draw plans for grain cleaner

Find and talk to a shepherd

Explore possibility of putting tub on first floor of new section with gray water system in courtyard

Get a portable drawing board

Saddle bags or panniers for horses

ask furniture maker about checker board and pieces

Find an artist to draw some card printing blocks

Draw plan for printing press

Design concept for removable type

Explore dyes

Saws, crosscut both types

Weights and measures

ask potter about buttons ( could whittle them )

ask potters about Go pieces and carver about board

Potters, weren't the potters suppose to have the estimate by today? or tomorrow? There is still time this afternoon, it is still afternoon. I wonder if can build a clock, a fairly accurate one. I am not exactly sure how a escapement works. A gear, a pendulum and what ever that thing is called. Maybe I should write everything I could remember down, so someone could investigate it later. What would people think of airplanes, rockets and computers. But there are bad things, too. Over population, pollution, climate change and over use of chemicals.

"That's twice that I have had to poke you in the ribs, love." whispers Emi in my ear as her finger pokes me. "Where were you this time?"

"Thinking of the things that people of this world would find strange or horrifying. So many things, of which so many are unusable by us at the moment."

"We will work up to them if need be then. To much change at once could be bad, I have noticed at people don't like to change things." she says.

"You are wise beyond your years, Emi. It took years for people on Earth to figure that out."

"What were you writing. Oh my, that is some list. Why Tobias and a shepherd? What are Go, a printing press and checkers?"

"Go is a game for two players, simple to learn, hard to master. Checkers is another game, a little more complicated to learn by easier to master. A printing press can make multiple copies of a book, quickly, and cheaply. It uses the type below it on the list. Tobias and a shepherd, I want to improve chickens and sheep, chickens to improve egg and meat production. Sheep to increase the length of the fleece, longer fleece is easier to spin. They would take years to improve, the same with grains or any other plant."

"You missed when I explained to Aden that if you select the largest seed from the heads with the most seed on them to plant each year you could increase yield in a few years. It's call selective breeding, you can do the same with vegetables and animals. In chickens you can breed for eggs or meat, the birds for meat are plump with large muscles while the egg birds are lean but can lay an egg a day, though to get that amount of production you must feed grains. Cows had been bred to produce large quantities milk or milk rich with cream or large muscled bodies or to be small or to have lots of tallow to make candles from. Pig the same, to grow quickly or to have large litters or have an even temper so not to attack the farmer."

"There were farming practices that would grow large crops but destroyed the land in a couple of years, while other methods could slowly increase yields while increasing the fertility of the land. And methods to raise cattle or sheep so they didn't over graze the pastures all the while improving it."

"I have all this knowledge in my head and I want to share it with as many as possible, as quickly as possible. Knowledge is a two edged sword, it can be use or abused, something can be use to help people or as a weapon to kill a multitude. So do I withhold some and let future generations discover the omitted knowledge on their own? Or publish it with a warning, which could just cause some jerk to use it anyway."

"I don't know, this is something I have never thought about."

"Oh well, It will be here tomorrow, so let go to supper, we are probably late seeing as Tilly was working on the vegetables just before we came up here."

Saying it made it so. When we when down Aden, Kalvin and Helen were at the table, which was set with the food ready to serve. Tilly was about to sit down when we came in. I apologised for us being late, I was explaining somethings to Emi.

I told Aden the arrangement with the blacksmith and would he make sure the workers had a supply of baskets. Then asked about saddlebags or panniers for the horses. He wanted to know what kind of items I wanted to carry. I told him I wasn't sure, maybe tools, baskets, buckets, small pieces of lumber or metal , you know stuff. I informed him that the thresher is near completion, tomorrow afternoon possibly.

I then asked if there was there a soft yet firm material available, I had an idea for a grain cleaner but need a material that wouldn't crush the grain while rubbing the husk off. He want to know how soft, like your hand I replied. He got a puzzled look. Kalvin got it, being a farm boy. He told Aden to remove the husk the farmer rubbed the grain between his hands. Tilly asked if soft leather would work. I had my doubts about leather, I wasn't sure it was soft enough. How about sea sponge says Helen. Maybe, but doesn't it have large holes in it? Kalvin suggests leather covered sponge. Now that might work I say.

I then ask everyone if they know of a artist in town that could draw some new cards for us. Helen wants to know what cards are? Emi reaches over to the side board and opens the drawer there, removing our deck of cards, which she passes down to Helen, explaining what we use them for. Helen then sorts the cards, looking at each one, then asking what the K,Q and P are for, Emi tells her they represent the King, Queen and Prince. I tell her that is what the artist would be doing, drawing images for the K,Q, and P cards, and maybe the back too. She says she may know someone, she can ask her tomorrow.

As we talked we ate. When we had all finished eating the trays were loaded down with the used dishes and taken to the kitchen by Tilly and Emi. The rest of us showed Helen how to play Rummy, which she learns quickly. We play three hands, of which Aden wins one and Kalvin two but Aden won over all, by catching everyone else with a lot of points in their hands while Kalvin only got a few points.

When Emi and Tilly returned Helen gave Tilly her new undies, which made Tilly smile. I suggested she try them on so she took Helen to her room to do that. While they were gone I asked Kalvin if he had brought his drawers? No, he would go get them. I asked Aden what he had planned for tonight, he is going to go catch up on his paper work, he was behind. I tell him I will sketch up the design for the grain cleaner soon but need to know if the wood working shops had lathes. They did. Good, some of the machines would need turnings. I let him go do his paperwork.

The other three return. Tilly is still smiling and so is Helen, they tell us the undies fit well, Helen method works. Kalvin hands me his drawers. I hand those to Emi who gives me a length of twine which I use to measure Kalvin. Like Aden his ears turn red when I do that. When I am done measuring him I tell him to take the rest of the night off, suggesting he take the cards with him, maybe he can teach the other guards to play.

The four of us go up to my rooms where we start work on Kalvin's modified drawers and bras for each of us. Emi and I want bikini top style bras, Tilly one like her swimsuit, Helen one like Tilly's with more cleavage. We start on the drawers, Emi and I making the waist band, Tilly and Helen cutting and restitching the body so it is done in record time. Next are the bikini tops for Emi and I, Helen brought the patterns back so they get cut out at the same time. Helen and Tilly started making strapping. I changed the design a little, these will have the narrow cloth as the back strap and the neck strap are now shoulder straps that connect to the back strap so they aren't visible under our tunics or blouses. The four of this type are quickly finished. Tilly's are again quickly made from the pattern, Tilly and Helen stitching nearly as fast as Emi and I can cut out the parts. With the experience of Tilly's under our belts, Helen's are done in a timely fashion, not as fast as Tilly's seeing as these are a new design but still fast.

All of the pantie designs so far have been high waisted ones. Helen asks if there are other styles. I sketch some designs on outlines of torsos to give her an idea of all designs. Hip huggers, boy panties, T back, g strings, you name it, I sketched it. As she looked at the T back, she gives a giggle, explaining that for Emi and her to wear those they would be Y back instead of T back. She asks Emi if she would like a pair like that. Emi nods. So Emi get measured again, the key measurement be just above her hips and around her legs. Helen ask me to sketch a pair with no separate waist band in front but having stretchy cloth at the hips of the body and the front being doubled over at the top. The front is wide, from the edge of the stretchy cloth at the top narrowing at the crotch then being brought up the back to within two knuckles of her tail, where two straps, one on either side go around the tail to join the waistband. The waistband being cut with a frog to close it. On this pair of panties the tail hole is directly below the frog, instead of a finger length from it. When they are finish Emi tries them on, showing us the resulting fit. Tilly says she would never wear something like that, I'm not sure but Helen and Emi like them.

We decide to goto bed. These short night are getting to us, Tilly is already yawning. As we are tidying up I get an idea, I go get one of my pair of trousers. Laying it on the table I ask Helen how much cloth it would take to make a pair of trousers like these but shorter, say cutting to legs off here, a good hand length above the knee. She starts measuring the trousers, scribbling some notes, asks what cloth this would be made of. I tell her they could be a medium weight linen or wool. She lays out a piece of her linen, the widest she has, folding it so it covers the trousers from the waistband to where I indicated the cutoff point was. So two pieces that length and that width, at least. She asks when would you wear something like that. I say when you are wearing a skirt or tunic and need to ride. Or to exercise in. Or to wear over your swimwear at the beach. I can almost see the wheels turning in her head.

After that we do go to bed. Emi leads Helen to her room, the same one as last night. Tilly take her new clothes with her to her room. When Emi returns she blows out the last of the candles in the outer room. I had already lit a couple in my chamber and was in the midst of my toilet when she returned. She had gone to the kitchen and returned with hot water which she mix in the basin. So we had a bath, scrubbing each others back and feet. When we finished we tidied up and crawl in to bed, cuddling. I am tired tonight so I think I beat Emi to sleep for once.