//------------------------------// // Ch. 8: Gifts // Story: Rising From Avarice, Gaining New Friends // by KingReptarAlmighty //------------------------------// Spike had spent the past twenty minutes staring at the Tanzanite. It wasn’t normal, that he was sure of, evidenced by the miniature lightning strikes that seemed to flash through the gem every few seconds or so. It was a beautiful thing, and it felt like it was resonating with his very soul as he looked through every facet of the intricately carved stone. Honestly, it might’ve been. He’d read his book on rare gems, and this wasn’t in there. Either it was so rare no one had seen it yet, or it was made specifically for this staff, one of a kind. And Spike wanted nothing more than to remove it from the staff and put it in a glass case or something so it could sit there and look pretty. And especially so it wouldn’t get damaged somehow. Luckily, it didn’t seem entirely possible that it could be damaged. The staff hovered a couple inches off the ground, and it seemed to perfectly right itself no matter how much tipping force was applied, so it didn’t seem possible to scratch it on the ground or on walls, especially since the magic field that let it levitate extended in a full spheroid around the object, keeping it from bumping into walls even if it caught some momentum and started floating around the room. Also, apparently Jupiter’s gifts extended into modifying Kipkirui’s house.  On the surface, nothing appeared different, which is why neither of them noticed when running outside to see the effects of Jupiter’s thunderstorm, but when they came back inside, and Spike ascended the ladder to his room to keep reading, mostly because he wanted to finally get back to the monster section of his book, he came up to find that his wardrobe had been modified, all of his clothes transformed to fit his new size, including the same purple robe and cloak that Kipkirui had, which had appeared alongside all of his resized clothes..  Then came the big stuff. The entire layout of his room had been shuffled, specifically to make room for a single statue of an eagle, which he learned upon touching it for the first time, was a portal into his own private sanctum, much like Kipkirui’s bookshelf, though he would say that Kipkirui’s entire house was a bit of a sanctum. The interior was beautiful, an elegant marble spire that housed another eagle statue, and after spending around ten minutes inside he started gaining the same glowing that Kipkirui had when in his own sacred area, but with the added flair of cool, electric blue fog rolling off of him. The Marble Spire was empty, but it held some presence. The smell of ozone and the feeling of impending electricity hung over the area habitually, and it practically exerted an overwhelming force. Spike felt so at home it was strange. “The initial decorum was a statue of myself.” Spike nearly threw himself into an early shed as Jupiter’s voice came from behind him. “One of my sons informed me that the statue was unnerving. I can certainly understand why, sometimes my presence can be a little unnerving, as you likely just noticed.” The god of thunder absently held his hands behind his back, staring at the Marble Spire. “Of course, I do try to personalize them a little. Still, you can change what you want, or if you lack the resources, I can help out just a little. I wouldn’t suggest getting used to divine help though.” “I’m sorry, because this is probably gonna be rude, but how am I meant to address you? Is it ‘Your Majesty’, is it-” Jupiter silenced him with a raised hand. “Spike, you need not worry about that. I will be the first to admit, Gods are dramatic beings, myself in particular…” Jupiter gave him a thumbs up. “But honorifics are for the days of old, and for those who we haven’t chosen.” His arms returned to their idle position behind his back, done with the moment of reassuring humanity. “I actively worked to get you to show up in my domain. I put in the effort to have the privilege to be your patron. To address me by name would be fine. Though if you do want honorifics, most just refer to me as Lord Jupiter. Your majesty is so…” He simply shook his head, exasperated. “It’s not preferred. I have to go now, okay? Enjoy what I’ve given you. And if you need me, I’ll likely be there. I don’t have many proteges, and most of my duties are relatively self-governing, so I have free time.” Jupiter gave him one last smile, before the clouds condensed around him, and when Spike waved away the fog, he was gone. Spike stood there for maybe a moment extra, before turning to the spire, flying to the top, and laying a hand on the stone eagle topping it. He nearly jumped out of his scales for the second time that day when the eagle bowed its head at his touch. It made a sound somewhere in between a honk and a screech, which Spike snickered at, having not expected it. When he removed his hand, the stone eagle flew in a circle around him, and as his vision faded out, and back in, he was in his room at Kipkirui’s house again, the lights in his room were dimmed, and he heard the distant sound of spattering oil from downstairs. Spike took a deep breath, before grabbing his new staff, and heading for the kitchen. He’d had enough change for one day, and more than enough gifts. All he wanted was something for breakfast, because it was already hitting eleven, and he hadn’t even eaten yet.
“Hey, Kip, what arE YOU- HOLY GODS!” The room was practically filled with food. That’s not even an exaggeration, Kipkirui had exceeded the kitchen space, bleeding into his desk space and the living room, putting plates on whatever flat space was available. There were even pancakes on top of the fridge. “...Does this not seem excessive to you?” Kipkirui leveled him a questioning glance. “You didn’t eat dinner last night because you were so into your book, and neither of us had breakfast. I want you to take a moment and actually listen to your body. How are you feeling?” Spike blinked a couple of times, not exactly sure how to respond. So, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and listened to how he really felt. And how he felt was... Honestly, Spike felt like someone had beaten him with a sack of potatoes. He was mentally and physically drained, and maybe there was a bit of emotional strain too. He was tired beyond his own comprehension, and it wasn’t until he took a minute to actually listen to himself that he realized just how tired he was. But before he was tired, he was hungry. Very hungry. “Okay, wow. I need some food. And a nap.” Spike slid into the bar, blinking rapidly as he felt his eyes overcome with the sudden onset of exhaustion and dryness, and he grabbed the nearest beverage, a glass of orange juice, and drained it, funneling just a bit of cold into his body to try and snap himself awake. “Either way, emotionally, I’m exhausted, but I’m feeling pretty good, all things considered. Jupiter is… surprisingly paternal.” “Well, his wife is the goddess of marriage. Affairs aside, he's a pretty good family member, and even though it kind of goes against the God’s codes, he’s always shown a bit of favoritism. I’ve heard stories, but I haven’t seen anyone directly talk about it besides you. He hasn’t had any mortal children in centuries, and he hasn’t taken on any protege in about as long. Jupiter’s stuck to the god’s realms for the most part, in recent years.”  “So, I’m Jupiter’s first protege in centuries. Y’know, as much as I like titles like that, it’s the type of thing you can’t say without sounding like you’re bragging.” Kipkirui smiled, setting down the last of about fifty plates. “You’re right about that, but hey, flaunt it. Why not, I got to brag about having a direct connection to Pan for a while.” Kipkirui took a sip of his own glass of orange juice. “Until then, eat some food, and afterward, you are taking a nap, because I refuse to let you stay up for no reason.” Spike would say after the fact, that he ate a little more than some food. Of the 50 plates, Spike ate 40.