Cleaning Up After The Ancients - Chapter 146

Chapter 146 - Surprise Gift’s

Ten thousand years ago, before the Wraith war, when there had been nearly a billion of his people walking amongst the stars, Psionic Amplifiers had been so rare that there had been less than a hundred known to exist within the entire Pegasus galaxy. 

Officially nine people had held the knowledge needed to construct new ones, each the current elected leader of the nine city ships. With an additional copy held within the secret High Council archive that had been brought back to the Avalon galaxy. 

Unofficially Eventus knew now, that number had been ten, with the additional name on the list being Janus. Who had apparently gone on to construct at least one amplifier for his sister, though Eventus would bet good money that the number of such devices constructed by the rogue scientist had been somewhat higher than that.

That rarity meant that the psionic amplifier currently sitting in the palm of his hand, was the only one he'd ever touched in his four hundred plus years of life.

“So…” Rayla began with a tone of thinly disguised interest after a few seconds passed. “What new space-magic did you get?”

Eventus felt his eye twitch. “We're still in the nullification field, Rayla.”

“Well yeah.” Rayla pouted, shuffling slightly in place. “But I figured that since you're a super space wizard it wouldn't work on you.”

“It would defeat the point of the nullification field generators if they couldn't block out everyone's powers equally.” Eventus said dryly. 

Truthfully he wasn't a hundred percent sure they would be able to stop someone at Adria's level, but Ascended willing, he had already butterflied away her birth.

“Anyways, as far as I know psionic amplifiers only enhance what's already there by allowing you to draw more energy from the upper planes, they don't grant someone entirely new gifts.”

Rayla furrowed her brow. “Does that mean I've always been able to use fire magic?”

“Pyrokenisis.” Eventus corrected with a sigh, starting to regret the fantasy phrasing more than a little at this point. “And yes, though likely at so low of a level that you were only able to do things like unconsciously keep your socks warm when running around the arctic.”

Taking a few seconds to hide the pendant away in one of his inner pockets, he turned back to the bed and motioned to the largest of the bags. “Go ahead, everything in there is stuff I picked up for you.”

With a happy bounce Rayla all but leaped onto the bed and began digging into the bag, pulling out a carefully tied together green and black silk outfit.

“They're called hanfu robes.” Eventus explained as she twisted the gift at various angles to better take it in. “High quality martial heroine cut, though I'd be careful nonetheless since it's still just human level work.”

“Martial heroine?” Rayla repeated in clear confusion at the words.

“Martial heroes are the Chinese version of sword and sorcery.” Eventus explained with a grin. “Though oddly more realistic since many of the sorcery elements can trace themselves back to various meditative and energy channeling teachings my people left behind before they ascended.”

Which almost surely wasn't his fault, even if he had once bet a friend with telekinesis that he couldn't float himself on a sword.

Rayla gave him an odd look. “So… It's an adventuring outfit?”

“I mean, I suppose from a certain perspective.” Eventus acknowledged, ignoring the little voice in the back of his head warning that no good would come of that answer. “But I got it more so you'd have some examples of actual human clothing outside of borrowed uniforms and outfits from the SGC'S costume department.”

Carefully setting the outfit down on the bed, Rayla reached back into the bag and pulled out a carefully folded red and gold silk cheongsam. 

“Is everything in this bag clothes?” She asked as she eyed the dress with thinly veiled suspicion.

“Yes.” Eventus confirmed, waiting a moment for the Elf’s look to turn sour before pointing to the smaller bag on the bed and continuing. “Everything else is in the other bag.”

Truthfully he was probably spoiling her a bit more than necessary with all the gifts, but Xiaoyi had suggested that Rayla might appreciate having at least some wardrobe choices that weren’t just synthesized on demand. Something Eventus hadn’t really been able to argue with given his people hadn’t exactly held the highest bar when it came to style choices.

Glancing between the two bags, several complicated emotions seemed to flash across Rayla’s features before she turned an almost begging look to Eventus.

“Go ahead.”

Quickly scooting over to the smaller bag, Rayla pulled out a carefully wrapped lump of brown packing paper. Tilting her head in confusion at it for a few seconds, she finally turned to Eventus with a question look in her eye.

“Its one of the less expensive ways humans use to protect potentially fragile objects during transport.” He explained. “You can just pull it off and throw it into the garbage.”

Following his direction, Rayla carefully tore the paper off to reveal the six inch long light green jade dragon statuette inside.

“Ohhh.” 

“According to the seller I got it from, it's hand crafted out of real jade.” Eventus offered, leaving out that he’d made sure to confirm both of those claims with a scan before selecting it. “Which is a type of silicate mineral that early humans believed had mystical powers due to its use as a decorative element by the Goa’uld.”

“Then it doesn’t have mystical powers?” Rayla asked as she slowly looked over the statue in detail.

“No.” Eventus confirmed, his lips twitching slightly at the thought of an obvious joke to follow that question up with. “It’s not naquadah after all.”

Hopping off the bed, Rayla took a few seconds to carefully arrange the statue on the room's dresser before returning to the small bag and pulling out a dark lacquered wooden box with faux gold inlay in a cherry blossom like pattern on its surface.

Opening up it, the Elf made an odd noise and then set the container down before beginning to pull out and examine each of the various hair ornaments within.

“While we were browsing Xiaoyi reminded me that you didn’t have anything for your hair.” Eventus explained, smiling at the big eyed look she was giving the floral like jewelry. “The other box in the bag has some overly fancy brushes and combs that she swore were about as high quality as you could get.”

Thankfully the only real difference in her hair from that of a human, outside of its near platinum color, was its structure being several times more resistant to wear and damage. Though unavoidably that did mean that any eventual snarls she might get would be that much more difficult to untangle.

“I’m sure Teyla or one of the women around Atlantis can show you how to use them to the best effect.”

Setting the hair ornament she was holding almost gingerly back in its box, Rayla turned to Eventus before jumping off the bed and grabbing him around the middle in a tight hug that left a distinctly fuzzy feeling suffusing him. “Thanks dad!”

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Author’s Notes: A bit of a slow-life style chapter today, but I did want to cover the gifting. And show that Eventus wasn't completely horrible at the whole "bringing new life into existence" thing.