Page 27 of A Light in the Dark
“Do the other luna moths do the same? I saw a bunch of them earlier this week.”
Joel chuckled at my question. “A lot of flyers end upworking in some sort of emergency response. We can go places others can’t. Winged shapeshifters don’t exactly take up a lot of helicopter space. The real issue for them is shifting while naked. Only a quarter of Stonecreek shifters shift with their gear. All search and rescue personnel go through training in case clothing is somehow lost during a mission.”
I spent a rather inappropriate length of time imagining Joel naked. I liked the idea enough I spent a few moments contemplating how I might be in need of rescue in some fashion or another. “Do all search and rescue people help others without any clothes?”
Joel laughed. “Much to my dismay, we really are trained to handle rescue operations if naked. The Hunters have the same issue, and it’s just easier if all search and rescue people are trained to handle nudity during an op. Their percentage of clothed shifters is less than ten the last time I checked.”
Since Joel seemed in the mood to answer questions, I asked, “Do you know how long luna moths live for?”
“A week if you aren’t the shifter variety. If you’re the shifter variety, you’ll live a long time. Honestly, I don’t know of any luna moths who died from old age. They do get into accidents and die from disease, though. But old age? That’s not a problem they deal with.”
Damn. “The Fountain of Youth is actually being a luna moth?”
Snickering, Joel shrugged. “I never thought about it that way before, but I guess so. There are other long-lived species out there, though.”
“Unicorns?”
“Surprisingly not; they tend to live to be a hundred andfifty, give or take. So, longer than regular humans, but notthatmuch longer. Horses live a little shorter than unicorns. Wolves live longer than unicorns but not as long as luna moths. I don’t know about the other species, but shiftersdoall outlive non-shifting humans by at least twenty to thirty years. The current theory is that the shifting process revitalizes our cells, and as the degradation of our DNA and cell health is slowed, shifters live longer. Shifters also don’t get as many illnesses as non-shifting humans.”
“Lucky.”
“Those who become shifters through engaging in relationships with a shifter enjoy the same benefits,” Joel informed me in an amused tone. “They really are a version of the Fountain of Youth.”
“I wonder what that sort of immortality feels like.”
“From my understanding of the situation, pretty damned good, because shifters skip the aches and pains in the forties compared to non-shifters. And in the fifties? They’re laughing while the rest of humanity is popping back painkillers.”
At thirty-five, I considered myself to be fortunate to have found sufficient fiscal success to buy a good home in Stonecreek. In retrospect, I’d gotten more than a little lucky on top of working hard. I’d grabbed every well-paying job from the day I’d turned sixteen until I’d moved into Stonecreek, and then I’d gotten lucky again with my current employer. “I’m thirty-five,” I confessed. “And I think I’m ahead of most my age in my general situation. That honestly disturbs me. I am pleased to report that, as a general rule, I’m not popping painkillers yet. I thought about it after installing the steps, though.”
“I wish I could say everyone could afford to get by in Stonecreek, but we’re way behind the curve compared to Moonriver.”
“We don’t have their faction system, though,” I replied, shrugging. I’d wondered how life would be with a faction system like Moonriver used, but the idea of being limited to a faction and having to stick within one set field irritated me on a good day. “Every time I think about their system, I get mad because I’m a free spirit. I want to have the ability to roam however I see fit. Sure, I tend to stay in one place for long periods of time, but I want the option to go do something else if I want.”
“We aren’t culturally brought up for that sort of system, although in reality, we quietly have it. Most people just don’t step outside of their set course once they pick it as an adult. How long have you been with your current company?”
“As long as I’ve been in Stonecreek. Like, I’m not disagreeing with you. I just want to feel I have the option should I wish to make drastic changes in my life. Right now, though, I’m pretty happy with what I do. I do my hours, I’m paid really well for my education level, and I spend the rest of the day handling my business, reading books, and working on my house. And I like that. Sometimes, I think I should be a little more social, but then I realize I’d have to interact with people if I were to do that.” I made a show of shuddering. “And after dealing with the drama on our street most of the time? I don’t want to interact with people. I have sufficient exposure to people as it is.”
“The drama on our street is truly impressive. Honestly, is there anything I can get you as a thank you present for making the stair replacement drama-free? It’s the first timesince I’ve moved in that everyone kept the peace. I don’t know what sort of miracle you worked on them, but it had to be magic. The year I moved in, it came to literal blows.”
“But everyone is responsible for their own steps,” I blurted.
“But the stairsdidn’t match, Valerie. And the stairs not matching may as well be a sin to most of that lot.”
When I thought about it, I realized Joel’s steps were, generally, a match for ours. “Wait. I didn’t do your steps.”
“I hired someone, pointed at the steps you’d finished, and asked for something similar to keep the banshees from screaming,” he confessed. “And then to discover you had picked a solid, low-cost option for step installation? You are a sneaky woman, and I’m genuinely impressed. The construction company actually thanked me. While the stones are heavy, they’re easy to get, the job took them three whole hours, and everyone was happy. They know they’ll be back next year to replace my steps, and I can get done near the front of the line because I want a three hour job that is cost-efficient for me, profitable for them, and suitable for all weather conditionsexceptour floods.”
“And here I just made up a design I knew I could physically handle.” I giggled over how my country upbringing had come to the rescue. “I grew up in a tiny town, and we made steps like this all the time when we needed something that would withstand a punishment. Wood is when you want a pretty porch and are willing to spend extra money to have it. You can get rocks anywhere.”
“I’ve always wondered what it might be like to live in a tiny town. I grew up in a small town with big town aspirations.”
“It’s boring. There is even worse drama than on our street, and when you aren’t working in your garden or doing whatever job you might have in town, you’re bickering with your neighbors or fixing your house because that’s all there is to do. That’s why I left. I was going out of my right mind with all the pettiness. Don’t get me wrong. I love my parents, but their favorite hobby involves gossiping over who did what in town.”
“The boredom element had not occurred to me.”
“If it hadn’t involved driving an hour to get to the nearest bookstore, I might not have been as bored, and my tiny town didn’t even have the internet until recently. The internet makes it tolerable to visit, but it’sslow. It’s painfully slow. But digital books are now an option there. It hadn’t been when I left.”
“I would have fled. I would not have merely left, I would have fled.”
