The three new members of the clan fell into roles quickly. Now that a relationship had been established with the most important clans, Cal moved to become known for something. Nyla was still determining what he was up to, but Nyla had been asked to bring the three new clan members to the workshop Cal had made for himself deep in the mountain.

"Nyla, are you the clan leader's mate?" The female youth said. 

"No," Nyla said with a smile, "while I may have feelings for him, I do not believe he reciprocates my feelings." 

Nyla saw a look she had seen on many a young woman's face when she planned to bed a man she fancied. Nyla smile. "If you wish to try and capture his heart, by all means, try, but also remember he is not Narvish, and his emotions are far more intense than ours. At least, that is the experience I have had."

The young woman blushed. "Of course, Nyla, forgive me."

Nyla smiled at the young woman and saw both of the young men looking at her as if she might bite them. She did not know what had been told to the three of them, but they all behaved as if she were a high priestess and not just a friend of the clan leader. She opened her mouth to disabuse them of the idea, but the door in front of her opened, making the young people drop their jaws on the floor.

"But... But... We are underground. Deep underground!" One of the young men said, looking at the massive room's blue sky and grassy floor. Cal sat in the center of the room, his eyes closed, psychic energy rolling off of him in waves that felt like they might tear the very world apart if he wished it. The young woman, who had planned on bedding Cal only moments before, now looked at him with fear and awe.

"What is he? My affinity for the holy relics was minuscule, not enough to even be considered a lesser priestess. Still, I can feel the power coming from him." The young woman spoke, tearing her eyes from Cal to look at Nyla. "Are the rumors true? Has a god descended to walk among us and show us the mistakes in our ways?"

Nyla laughed. "No, Cal is not a god, though I will admit that is what I thought when I first met him." 

"That was very funny." A disembodied voice said, seeming to come from everywhere at once.

"What was that?" The second young man said, falling into a ready stance. 

"That would be Artie, back in his usual form," Nyla said, addressing the room. "It was funny, though I will admit I prefer knowing the truth than not." 

"Fair enough," Artie said, and reality seemed to ripple, and the blue sky and grass vanished to reveal a sterile white room with machines all around it. "Cal, they are here." 

"I know," Cal said, smiling and standing. "Welcome, everyone."

"Good morning, clan leader." The three youths echoed simultaneously.

"I have not had a chance to get to know you all as well as I would like. That is what I would like to do today." Cal said, looking at each of them in turn.

"You want to get to know us?" The young woman asked hesitantly.

"Yes, first of all, I don't think I ever got your names. I was a little preoccupied when we returned to find you outside." Cal said.

"Ha!" Pinetil said from where Nyla had just noticed her seated next to the door they had entered. "That is the understatement of the century. You told them all welcome, then made Artie deal with everything while you sulked in your room."

"As Pinetil says, I was not a good host. So I would make up for it." He gestured to a workbench that had chairs around it. Three on one side and two on the other. "Please join me."

Nyla took the chair next to Cal, and the three young Narvish sat opposite them. Cal started. "So, first of all, the Clan Leader title is one of many that I have. To make life easier, I will ask that you simply call me by my name, Cal. In return, I would know all of your names." 

The young woman spoke first. "My name is Hista. It is said my name is derived from the true name of the Goddess Yillna." 

Nyla took a breath. Yillna was a Goddess of Lust, the statement Hista had just made was culturally believed to be as forward as a young woman could possibly be. She had essentially declared herself on par with the Goddess of Lust or possibly even part of the Goddess herself. 

Cal smiled an emotionally neutral smile. "It is good to meet you, Hista." 

Next was the young man who had been shocked by the outdoor appearance of the workshop. "I am Gorn, Clan Le... Cal." 

The other two youths snickered at Gorn. Cal ignored them. "Gorn, it is good to meet you!" 

Cal looked at the last young man. "I am Hudnarin." 

"It is good to meet you, Hudnarin. It is good to meet all of you." Cal said, smiling, and Nyla noted it was not the smile she usually saw on his face. Cal continued speaking, "So, Hista, Gron, Hudnarin, what are your skills? What can you offer to the Clan of the Storm Dragon?

Hista's face drew up like she had tasted lemon. "What do you mean?" 

Cal's face was suddenly expressionless. "I mean, what skills do you have that will benefit not only you but the others in the clan as well?"

Gorn was excited. He began speaking at a rapid pace. "Oh, I have many skills, Cal! I have spent time with many of the Clans of The Twelve and done many jobs. My most recent was with the first clan, and there I was studying under their craft master to learn to use the Leaves of Venwood trees in making art and rooves."

Cal smiled a genuine smile at Gorn. He could tell the young man was genuinely excited. "Well, that is good. As you can tell from the clan hall, we like to work with Venwood, both the wood of the tree and the leaves, and I think you and I can come up with any number of things for you to do. The Storm Dragon welcomes you, Gorn." 

It clicked in Nyla's head. That last phrase was the official greeting and welcome used when someone joined a clan. Cal had been doing his own research on these three before he spoke with them. She decided to watch what would be a fantastic show.

Next, Cal turned to Hudnarin. "What about you, Hudnarin? What can you off the Storm Dragon?"

Hudnarin stared blankly at Cal, locking gazes with the human, until he finally burst out in a smile. "In all honesty, I am unsure. I do not know what you need or what skills I have that you would desire. I did not hold much of a position, and the clan that Hista and I come from is not a member of the twelve. The last time I heard our potential rank, we were between forty and sixty. The only thing I know for sure is that I can hunt and have been trained in the basic use of a spear." 

"A warrior then," Cal said, nodding in approval. "I can always find a use for an able-bodied person willing to learn. Are you willing to learn Hudnarin?"

"Of course!" Hudnarin said enthusiastically.

"The Storm Dragon welcomes you, Hudnarin," Cal said again. Then turned to Hista. "What of you, Hista? What can you offer the Storm Dragon?" 

Hista looked like she wanted to spit at him for suggesting she had to offer anything. "Well, as I said, My name is said to..."

"Yes, yes, I know. derived from the name of the Goddess of Lust and all that." Cal said, waving his hand dismissively. "I want to know what you can offer to the clan. The whole clan. Unless you intend to make that offer to every person in the clan? I did not think you were the type, but far be it from me to judge your career choices." 

Hista looked ready to explode. "I am NOT!" 

Cal stared at the young woman. Still waiting for an actual answer to his question. He waited as the young woman composed herself. Then smiled and, in her sweetest tone yet, spoke once more. "I am sure I can offer you something." 

"I am not sure you understand," Cal said. "I do not need anything from any of you. But you all want to be a part of the Storm Dragon, and as you saw, I welcome any who have something to offer to the Storm Dragon. So what do you have to add to the Storm Dragon? What is it you do that will benefit every single clan member?"

Hista ground her teeth and spoke in a tone that desperately tried to hide how angry she was. "I am willing to learn, I have worked in communal kitchens before, and of course, I can perform general labor." 

Cal nodded. "Good, you shall be Artie's assistant in the kitchens then. You hear that, Artie? This one is your responsibility." 

"Understood, Cal." The disembodied voice said again, startling the three new members.

As Artie's walking frame entered through a door, Cal looked at Hista and spoke. "The Storm Dragon welcomes you, Hista. And I welcome all three of you, so long as you work to benefit the clan, I can assure you of great things to come. Welcome, and please enjoy your time here. I expect you all to not only work but to also live well. If there is anything I can do to make your lives easier, please do not hesitate to ask, and I will see what I can do."

Artie walked over to Hista. "Hello, Hista, and welcome to the Clan of the Storm Dragon. I will begin preparing lunch and would like some help, just a little, and I also want to show you where we will primarily be working."

"I'll help as well, Artie," Nyla said, walking with Hista towards the door.

Nyla glanced back to see the two young men talking animatedly with Cal about something. Cal glanced up and smiled at her as she turned the corner into the hall.

Artie was a master chef. Nyla knew it was due to a massive database of cooking skills and reference materials, but it was still fun to watch. While Hista was far from Artie's level of skill or speed, it was apparent she had cooked before. Knowing her skills lay elsewhere, Nyla did her best to stay out of their way and simply fetched things that Artie asked for or cleaned up stations he and Hista were done with.

After finishing the meal, Artie asked Hista to put the dish into the oven after setting it to cook the meat casserole they had prepared. Hista had said yes, and then as soon as the door closed, Hista turned to Nyla, taking off the apron Artie had insisted she wears, and threw the garment at Nyla. 

"I get it. I can't believe I thought you were his mate. You are just a servant." Hista nearly snarled at Nyla, "So go ahead and clean this up and put the dish inside. Then do something useful and bring me a drink." 

Hista stormed out, and Nyla did her best to reign in her emotions, tears forming in her eyes. Pinetil's voice cut through the silence. "Why do you let her treat you that way? And why do you cry over the words of a self-proclaimed harlot?"

"Oh! Gods Protect me. Pinetil, please, not right now. I really can't... I just can't right now." Nyla said, taking the last waste and dropping it into the recycler.

Pinetil surprised her then and walked over to place the casserole in the oven. Pinetil gave Nyla an appraising look and nodded. "Just remember, Nyla, you are friends with the most powerful individual I have ever met. He seems to have a soft spot for you. Never undervalue yourself; never let a woman like Hista tell you what you're worth." 

"Thank you, Pinetil," Nyla said with a smile. She closed her eyes to wipe the tears from them, and when she opened them, Pinetil was gone. Nyla suspected she would deny ever having the conversation. "I appreciate it, Pinetil, but I have my own ways of teaching lessons." 

Nyla tapped into her connection with Artie. "Artie, tell me, will spicy foods, like I read about in a cooking book, kill a Narvish? I know there were things you told me I could not eat on Earth."

"No, the things I flagged as unedible to you were dishes that contained high concentrations of garlic," Artie said, then responded before Nyla had a chance to ask. "The thing you are looking for will be in the top right cupboard. It is a green jar with dark oil in it. Three drops is what I would recommend, but you could also just put a straw in the jar and hand it to her."

"How... How did you know?" Nyla asked, retrieving the jar from the cupboard with the help of a step stool. 

"I was the one who did research and investigated those three. I knew what kind of person she was. After being included and showing a friendly demeanor as you did, I had hoped that Hista would not try the same thing she apparently always did. Still, when it became clear, I set a process that would alert me to any interactions between her and anyone else that held a negative tone. That and she is not as quiet as she thinks. I could hear her in the hallway." Artie paused, then spoke in a smug tone. "She is in the main hall, sitting in your seat at the high table whenever you finish that drink she asked for."

"Thank you, Artie. I'll be sure to get it to her right away." Her tone betrayed her intent. Artie laughed in her head as she rubbed the label, which read 'artificial pepper oil 1 million Scoville', off the bottle, dropped a metal straw into the jar, and went to find Hista.