You are my muse, I sent him, playfully.

  Hmmm, how much of a muse do you want me to be right now? I felt him say.

  He was outside me; he filled me. Lips on my shoulder.

  Is this erotica? I asked him.

  Raised eyebrows.

  You have to ask? he did not say.

  He continued. Pouring love onto me, into me, kissing my skin, and filling me. I felt it. Every soft press of his lips. I felt him filling me.

  Without and within.

  - Within and Without: A Tindin Journey With Erotica

  New day, new plan.

  I headed up the street on my day off to Media Monastery, at least, I hoped that’s where I was going. I’d seen it on a map in a shop, and since nuns were likely a religious thing, I decided to scope out the monastery to see if I could find an answer to the “Siblin Lone Warrior Nun” mystery.

  I’d watched a lot of comedies in Shurwinn on the stream, but I’d also been watching more fantasy dramas lately without the subtitles to hone my language skills. The fantasy shows featured monasteries a lot, but it was hard to know what was entertainment and what was representative of real Shurwinn culture.

  Or who knew? Maybe it was some wily Shurwinn propaganda? Nah, I didn’t think so. The locals didn’t strike me as tricky like that. They felt genuinely thoughtful and kind, if a bit standoffish.

  So, I walked up the street and over one spoke to the east to find the monastery and the warrior nuns that were probably not hiding there stalking suspicious off spheres.

  It was a typical Shurwinn morning: bright blue skies, dry, warm air quickly heating towards hot, people walking to and fro.

  When I got close to the end of the street, I could see the monastery campus with its low, thigh-high wall and no gate. No signage either, and if I hadn’t seen it on the map, I wouldn’t have known what it was.

  There were gardens, of course, and several low buildings that looked much like the village, but it was separate from the town in a way no other buildings were in the oasis.

  I headed into the grounds, crossed beyond the wall, and a group of kids ran past me, rushing out. People were working amongst the plants, and they were dressed just like the villagers, but I wasn’t certain if visitors were welcome or if it was closed to the public.

  It seemed open, but it was also quiet and separate from village life. As if I had stepped into a place that was markedly less “town” and more like the intimacy of a private home.

  The building on the far right was more official-looking than the others; two stories and very large, and the roof was unusual in that it didn’t have a garden on top. I was intrigued, so I headed in that direction.

  No one stopped me or approached me at all; it was like I wasn’t even there.

  Did I look like a local? Ha! Wouldn’t that be something! There weren’t any signs saying, “Warrior Nuns this way, enter at your own risk!” so I kept going.

  I walked up to the garden-less building and slowed at a threshold where a door was propped open, and no one was about. I peeked in and saw two wide-open doors leading to a huge chamber that was filled with rows and rows of bookshelves.

  Library! There wasn’t anyone there, and there were no scanners or anything to admit entry, so I decided to take a risk and go inside.

  It smelled of books and paper and familiarity. It was strange how walking into a library felt comfortable when everything else was so foreign.

  I took in the huge chamber: two stories high and open to the ceiling. There were stone staircases going up to the second level, like they had been carved right out of the sandstone walls, and in the ceiling were large skylights with sunlight streaming in from above, illuminating the chamber in an ethereal glow.

  I looked around and didn’t see anything that looked like a catalog. The shelves themselves were labeled by category and a numerical system, such as “History” and “Philosophy and Mysticism,” but there were no terminals to guide me.

  I was standing there soaking it all in when a young woman entered and went over to a table that was stacked with books.

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  “Oh! Sunshine!” she said. “Do you need help?”

  “Sunshine! Are you the librarian?”

  She smiled, “No, I’m just re-shelving books.”

  She looked around my age, and I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to go through the Shurwinn bowing greeting, so I decided to ask since I got an open, friendly feeling from her.

  “Um, I know this is awkward, but I was wondering if I should take your hand to bow. I don't know which of us is older. Would you mind telling me?”

  She laughed and said with a wave, “Oh, that’ s not really needed here. That’s more if you are doing something formal like a job interview or meeting your partner's parents for the first time. Are you looking for something particular? Can I help you find a book in the library?”

  “This is my first time here, and to be honest, I don’t know what I’m doing. I wasn’t sure if visitors are allowed to come here, and I didn’t wanna be rude.”

  She waved dismissively again, “Nothing to worry about. It’s very open here. You can come and go as you please, but you shouldn’t take books out of the library without checking them out on stream.”

  “Oh, I didn’t see that as an option, but maybe that’s because I’m an off sphere? My name is Ryst, by the way,” I told her.

  She smiled kindly and looked like she already knew that. “Sunshine greet you, Ryst. I’m Rillan, and since you aren’t a citizen, talk to Glorian if you wanna check out books. She’ll get you set up to rent a room. Go one building over and ask for her.”

  “Thanks, Rillan. I’ll see if I can find her. Sunshine!” I called over my shoulder as I left.

  “Sunshine!” she wished me.

  I headed over to the central building, wondering what I was doing renting a room here, but charged ahead, really intrigued by the library.

  The inside of the building held an entryway and rooms to either side, and the doors were open, inviting me in. There were several people in each room, so I approached the room on the right, feeling a little nervous.

  Conversational skills, I reminded myself. This wasn’t the time to be mind reading unsuspecting strangers. I focused my attention on practicing my Shurwinn and kept the curtain around my mind as I approached a small group. I tried not to wince as they turned to me in unison.

  “Sunshine,” I waved to them, feigning confidence.

  I really felt like I ought to do the Shurwinn bow, but they were all clearly older than me, and no one offered me a hand. I could sense that they were all curious, and they smiled at me like this was a typical day.

  I trudged on, “Rillan said I should come here and ask for Glorian?”

  A stately dark-skinned lady with impeccable makeup and a beautiful thick braid said, “I'm Sorchen, and Glorian is over there. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

  “Thanks,” I said, and shot a quick, “Sunshine” to the other people I'd just interrupted.

  A small, middle-aged, slightly round woman met us in the entryway and held her hand out to me. I knew what to do with that. Finally, bowing! A cultural custom I was prepared for!

  I took her extended right hand in my left and lowered my forehead to it, saying, “Sunshine greet you.”

  “Sunshine greet you, off sphere. You're looking for me? I’m Glorian.”

  Smiling, I explained, “I’m Ryst Nova, and Rillan told me that residents of the monastery can check out books? Can you tell me more about that? I have Work Acceptance, and this is my first visit to the monastery. I really don't know what I'm doing, but I'd like to use the library.”

  She nodded reassuringly, “You’re welcome here, Ryst. It's very informal, and people come and go. There are residence halls on the far west side of the monastery grounds, and I can show them to you if you’d like a quick tour of the campus."

  She paused, waving towards the grounds, "Each guest has a small room with a hallway group bathroom. The cost is very nominal, and we have a custom that all residents help with the general duties of keeping the monastery supplied, clean, and in good order. I can show you around?”

  “I’d love that,” I nodded, following her lead.

  It was the most I'd spoken in the weeks I’d been on Shurwinn. It was comfortable since Glorian seemed happy to show me around, and her presence was a warm welcome to my senses.

  She led me into the main room, which was a big hall with windows and doors on the sides, very open to the gardens outside. There were long tables and benches, obviously a dining area.

  “This is the main gathering area where meals are served three times a day. On the right, at the back, is the kitchen. Everyone works together to put the food out at meal time, and past the kitchen is the dojo.”

  She was speaking my language!

  “The dojo? Are there martial arts here? Am I allowed to ask about that?” I asked eagerly.

  “Ask any question, but don’t always expect an answer,” she replied with a sardonic smile. “Yes, there's sunrise Tindin flow every morning in the large gathering room, and the smaller rooms in the back are for private lessons.”

  “Lessons?” I asked.

  She nodded, “Yes, there are private students and children’s group classes.”

  “Oh, I see. Thanks.”

  I loved the dining area. It looked bright and open, and the views out to the gardens were lovely and inviting.

  “Let’s walk over to the residence halls through the gardens this way,” Glorian directed.

  We approached two long buildings, and she pointed to the dormitories and a building beyond which held a sauna and spa.

  We entered the dorm, and she showed me one of the empty rooms. It wasn’t much, but it had a double door going out to the garden, so it felt light. It was small, but homey.

  “What do I do if I want a room, Glorian? I only have a few days left at my rental casita, so I am thinking about making a switch. How do I become a resident? Do I need to have lessons in the dojo?” I asked, and thankfully, my Shurwinn came out confident and sure.

  She laughed and said, “No, you don’t need to be a Tindin student. Many are, but some are just travelers. If you tell me your ID, I can send you a residency invitation.”

  Wow! It was really that easy?

  “That sounds great, Glorian!” I said, excited to find out more about Tindin.

  I had no idea if it was anything like my own martial art, but it would be amazing to be back in the dojo again. I gave Glorian my ID, thanked her for the tour, and headed back to my casita, eager to start my new life at the monastery.

  I hadn’t seen any Siblin Lone Warrior Nuns, but the library had looked like it could hold a treasure of secrets, so I packed my truck, excited for my next adventure.