Page 8 of Medium
We were all agreeable and trooped outside. Ms. Jackson, who’d followed us silently through the house, perked up. They bounded off the deck and onto the grass before running in a circle. Suburban neighborhood yard sizes were not meant for exercising tigers.
“Crap. This is their first time on grass. We should’ve taken them to a park or something before now. Fuck.” Cal rubbed his face.
Well, that was just sad. But Ms. Jackson was making up for lost time, rolling on their back and stretching in the sun.
“Hey, Ms. Jackson,” Shane called. They stopped twisting their back into the grass and lifted their enormous head to look at him. “I have a hammock in my back yard. Uh, it’s like a swinging bed made of knotted rope. Don’t let me forget to have you try it out.”
Ms. Jackson rolled over and bounded to their feet. Then without even a running start they leapt onto the deck, landing next to Shane. He took a couple of steps back but otherwise held his ground. I put a hand on his shoulder in case he needed support. Ms. Jackson walked forward and rubbed their head against Shane’s hip. They didn’t leave any fur behind like a housecat would, though I wasn’t sure if that was a tiger thing or a Ms. Jackson thing.
“Uh, you’re welcome?” Shane chuckled uneasily.
Ms. Jackson turned around and jumped back to the grass. They proceeded to walk along the fence, inspecting the overgrown shrubbery.
Shane turned to Greg and Cal. “When you get around to it, let me know if you want some help with your landscaping.” He looked around the yard. “I can put together a few designs. Or at the very least I could help you pick out some native plants that’d be more drought-tolerant than what you have here already.”
Cal’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “I didn’t know you were a plant expert, Shane. It’s really nice of you to offer.”
Shane turned ruddy under his tan. “Oh, well, I don’t know if I could be called an expert. But I do work with plants all day.”
I shook my head at him. “He’s being modest. While we were on the way up here his boss called him because no one else can do landscape designs like he can.”
Ruben said, “Shane, I frequently need a landscape designer—mostly for single-family homes, nothing too difficult. Would you be willing to show me a couple of your designs?”
Shane’s face turned even redder, and he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Oh, I don’t know if I’m good enough for something like that. I’m not a licensed landscape architect or anything.”
I could tell Ruben was about to argue, but Shane had his mouth pressed into a thin line and his shoulders were hunched over.
“Tell you what, Ruben,” I interrupted. “Why don’t you give me your contact info. I mean, we’re going to be connected anyway, right? And Shane, when we get back to Houston, I’ll convince you to show me some of the things you’ve done.” I flashed him a winning grin, and I was relieved at his tentative smile back. “Would you trust me to tell you if I think they’re good enough to send Ruben some photos?”
“Um, okay.” Shane clasped his hands together and looked down at his shoes, but he didn’t seem upset.
I had trouble continuing the conversation because my eye caught on Shane’s fingers where they interlaced. They were thick and strong. They probably wouldn’t have the dexterity required to do a Boingy Boing, but they’d feel damn good in my ass.
Fuck. Objectifying Shane was inappropriate. I should’ve been paying attention to the conversation. I dragged my eyes away. “Um, that okay with you, Ruben?”
“Sure. Didn’t mean to pressure you, Shane. I just really prefer to give my business to other members of the campaign, you know?”
Shane nodded but didn’t speak.
“Why don’t we sit down and do the connections?” Kayla said. She pointed at the folding chairs arranged in a circle on one side of the deck.
I sat next to Ruben, and Kayla sat by Shane. She told him, “My best friend Fantine is in your District.”
Shane brightened. “Fantine Walker? She’s great.”
Kayla beamed. “She is. She’s the reason I go to Houston so often.”
“Well, I’m glad we’ll be connected.” He didn’t say anything else.
I stepped in. “Okay, well, Ruben, are you ready to try a connection?”
“Sure.” The big man turned in his chair so he was mostly facing me. He held out his hand.
I clasped his wrist, and Ruben wrapped his fingers around my forearm. I closed my eyes and looked for our magic. Ruben’s wheel was bright and spun swiftly, like most shifters’ magic did. He had about thirty or so connections already, and I could easily see which one led to Greg. I used my magic to tease out a tendril of his, then I wrapped mine around it. I pushed my intent to connect through the spot where our magics joined, and I felt Ruben doing the same.
And it was done. It felt just like every other connection I’d ever made with a Wonder. I opened my eyes and released Ruben’s hand. I chuckled. “That was way too easy for all the buildup.”
Ruben laughed, clapping me on the shoulder with his big palm. “No kidding.” He made a sweeping gesture toward Shane and Kayla. “Your turn, but I daresay you won’t have any more trouble with it than we did.” No doubt. The experiment was a success, and hopefully more Wonders who traveled outside their Districts would connect with multiple DMs going forward.
