"Take 'Ricki' back? Are you kiddin', fella?" said Garn, an amused smile on his face. He snaped his thick fingers and 'Ricki' ran to him, hugged him and looked back fearfully at Jim from over her shoulder. "Why, I wouldn't let 'Ricki' go for a thousand. She wern't much use at first, but with a little trainin' an' a LOT o' discipline, an' she come around real good. A lot 'o bulls would jus' cast her off, what with not knowin' much 'bout much of nothin', but I a lot of hard work can do miracles. Ricki here can cook an' clean like nobodys business, haul wood and bale hay from dusk till dawn, an' when it comes to handlin' calfs, she's a natural born mother. I let my smarter gals do th' complex stuff, an' sweet, simple lil' Ricki does th' grunt work an' baby makin'. She's a real natural too. Obviously, she wasn't meant t' be a man in th' first place. The gods sent her t' me so I could give her peace an' show her what she was. What are you, Ricki?"
"I'm a girl..." said Rick, her voice humble and meek. "...I'm just a girl, Jim. I'm glad you can go home, but that ain't the place for me anymore. If I leave Garn, who'll clean his house an' cook his meals? Who'll make his babies? I'm very happy bein' one of Garns wives, Jim. I like the other girls on th' farm, and they like me. And Garn...is my husband. I have to do what he wants. I know my place, Jim. I'm a girl...just a girl..."
Jim was torn between amusement and horror. This had been a smart (heck, brilliant) guy, but now...he seemed like some simple, dopey farm woman. That made sense...because that's what he'd become. This woman wasn't going to do anything without direct domination...but thankfully, that's what he'd been warned off...and what he'd come prepared for.
Jim hopped onto the table that Garn sat at and dropped a small sack that clinked musically.
"What's that?" asked Garn.
"That's the money I'm giving you in exchange for 'Ricki'. I'm not taking no for an answer."
The bull chuckled and clenched ham-sized fists as he started to rise...and Jim darted forward and arched his tail over the big Dasheen's throat. He hissed "That's enough money to buy and sell you're farm twice over, mister. I'm from a hex where we use our brains instead of our brawn. There, I've become a wealthy man...and I'm willing to by Rick from you...but if I have to, I'll kill you."
"You'd be caught by the constables and killed for it. We're well from the border, and there's no way you'd escape."
"Yep..." said Jim with a grin and a wink. "...and everyone who found out...would know that a small, weak Prinle had killed Garn. And what if I only stuck you with enough to stun you? You'd survive...and everyone around would know that you'd been taken down by a Prinle. How would you live with the shame? The young bulls would see you for what you are - an' old bull who maybe can't keep his farm and his girls anymore. You'd be challenged by every passing bull, and sooner or later...you'd lose."
Garn blanched and settled down. Jim smiled and set down a paper he had in his belt. A bill of divorce and sale...from Garn to him.
"Look at it from the right angle, Garn. The money on the table is enough for you to turn this land into a major concern. Buy the lesser farms around you...bring the whole opperation up and around. Be a REAL 'Land Owner' for a change. Then attracted a heifer from one of the finer families, and five years from now...they're calling you 'Lord Garn' instead of just 'Farmer Garn'. Now, I'll just let you think it over."
Jim hopped off the table and stood back. Garn considered charging him...but the damn Prinle had a point. 'Lord Garn' did have a nice ring to it. But he'd have to marry into a better herd to make that possible, and she'd have to be his first wife...a position that was now held by 'Ricki'. She was a great lay, and such a hard worker...but she'd have to go if he was going to make this work.
***
Ricki walked with head down cast, her farm shrinking in the distance. Jim hopped ahead, turning now and again to see if she were coming. "Pick your feet up, Rick. We've got a long way to go."
"Ricki." she sniffed, shouldering her back of food and water again.
"Pardon?"
"I'm Ricki, now. I ain't the guy you remember, Jim. I'm Ricki now...an' just 'cause Garn..." she paused and choked back a sob "...sold be to you don't mean I'm happy. You took me from my farm. I LOVED that farm, Jim. I don't much remember bein' Rick anyway. Jus' call me Ricki, okay. I wanna be Ricki."
Jim rolled his eyes, feeling a little badly for the poor girl, but knowing that in the long run...he'd done the right thing. Still, what with her being a Dasheen female...she needed to be handled in just the right way.
Ricki was smiling and whistling as she cleared away scrub and gathered wood for a fire. Jim had 'ordered' her to come...and that had helped. Then he'd 'ordered' her to gather berries and repack the suppiles he'd brought...and 'Ricki' couldn't be happier. Her simple brain - heavy with a list of simple duties - buzzed with activity. Simple activity. This was what she wanted. Work. Simple labor. A steady stream of physical tasks that would keep her busy. Clean this. Haul that. Move those over to there. She smiled the whole time, and Jim felt like a heel. Dasheen females were just simple, stupid creatures...but this one had been his friend in another life. A smart and clever boy...who'd become a simple, stupid girl on this alien world.
"All done, Mister Jim." she said with a smile as she stacked much too much firewood in a pile and presented him with the berries she'd gathered. She looked to him with a hopeful smile, and Jim said "Oh, well...that's a very good job, Ricki. Nicely done."
"Shall I set up...Oh! You don't have a tent."
"No, it's warm out. We'll just sleep by the fire."
Accepting that he - the male - was right, Ricki smiled and nodded. She was happy. She was content.
Meanwhile, Viola...
They get back to the place Jim had talked of, and find Viola waiting for them.
They go looking for Viola.
Someone is looking for them...
Something Else
Thu Mar 14 17:43:01 2013