Chapter 28

Tom had new problems.

By the end of his fourth week on the planet (twenty-four days), he was feeling the itch to go. He was also damn horny. Being more than half a metre taller than most of the inhabitants wasn’t conducive for him to find someone to help with his itch.

He was also worried that he would damage them. While he didn’t consider himself over endowered, he knew he was a bit above average in that department. He had certainly been bigger than his Therian friends and had to be a little careful with them until they adapted to his size.

It didn’t help that the height of the local women and even their youthful appearances also made him think of them as kids or young teenagers. While he knew intellectually that they weren’t, it still didn’t help.

While many of the locals were very pretty, Tom had not been attracted to underaged girls since he wasn’t the same age as them. Basically, at his age, if they weren’t legally adults, he wasn’t interested.

He also preferred taller women, and he couldn’t find them here. He had been told the Genteli women in the Aqua Islands were taller, but none lived on this island.

Also, he hadn’t actually met a woman here who stirred him. Thinking of Matte didn’t help either. He really missed Matte more that he wanted to admit. He had never thought he could fall in love with a guy who was also a girl. He loved both sides of Matte’s personality, especially his female one.

His other worry was passing on the gene he had acquired from the Therians. Not that he regretted a minute that he had spent with any of them. They had given him so much, and he doubted he could ever repay them.

He suspected more people here had magical capabilities than those on Earth. However, the locals didn’t have a high opinion of Therians, and he was glad he hadn’t mentioned his ability to change gender to anyone.

None of that helped him to get laid, he’d have to go home to achieve that desire.

Tom was down inspecting the bus when Monte found him.

He was doing some final modifications, while he contemplated how he was going to approach Monte. He felt terrible to have to pull Monte from his home when he was so busy, but Tom knew it was time for him to go.

He walked through the bus and chuckled to himself that the back section looked a lot like the caravan he stayed in at Uluru. He had even borrowed the colour scheme as he had liked the white and green decor.

One of the few differences was that he had kept the back doors of the bus and didn’t have a dedicated closet, washing machine or clothes dryer in that space. This and the extra width of the bus also made the bedroom bigger and more to his liking.

The clothing and linen closets in his bedroom had built-in cleaning, ironing, and repair spells, so the machines weren’t needed. The closets were also a lot bigger inside than out, thanks to him learning the ‘Hold More’ incantation that made a larger space accessible from a smaller one.

He had put a glamour spell on the space so that anyone else opening the doors saw what they expected to see in a cupboard. If they went to remove an item, the item would go to them. They would also be compelled to not rummage through his cupboards as many women he knew were inclined to do.

His larder was also a much larger space, and you could even walk around inside of it. He had cheated and attached the fridge and the small pantry cupboard above it onto the hidden door to the larder.

The stuff Tom used all the time was kept in them, but his main stores were behind, and that door only opened for him. If he pushed on the fridge, the fake wall slid back into the pantry far enough, so that he could walk past.

Tom had also learnt, thanks to Tron, that he had to add a special spell to the spaces that were in an alternate dimension. This was so that the cupboards and closets could access that space no matter where the bus was in the universe or time; he hoped. He doubted that he would ever discover exactly how those dimensions worked.

He had also altered the front section of the bus. The double set of bunks were now down the wall on the driver’s side. They butted up to the end of the bathroom, and each had its own curtain. The kitchen bench, sink, fridge, and larder were opposite the bunks.

He had put an extra bench-style sofa-seat on the kitchen side and opposite the dining table and its bench-style seats. The table could be dropped down, and that area became a slim double-bed, and the sofa could be a bed too. Potentially he could sleep seven people that were his size.

Under the cushions of the bench-seats and under the bottom bunk also became expanded storage spaces. He had kept one row of seats across the bus behind the driver and the front doors. They were in case he ever had passengers, or he just wanted to sit and talk to the driver.

Tom had also added a thin wall with a sliding door to lock-off the rest of the bus from this front area. The back doors wouldn’t open if the back area was locked-off, and the bus was in transit. They were mostly for use once the bus was parked up.

The baggage space accessed from outside the bus on the left (passenger) side had also been expanded. He had loaded four reelers that could be folded down into a smaller space, as well as whatever furniture, camping gear and outdoor equipment that he wanted. Amy had been a big help with acquiring the things he desired from her extensive stores.

The windows of the bus had been altered so you couldn’t see in but could see out even if the lights were on. Tom had added crystal lights that looked like down-lights in the required spaces. He had even added light switches that were spelled to control specific lights.

Tom had replaced the diesel motor with two much smaller but powerful electric motors that used energy from all of the crystals he had added to the bus. He had even sprinkled the roof with crystal sand, and it acted as a huge solar-charged battery.

When he had been on Harmony, he had been amazed to learn just how much electrical energy even very small Quaz crystals could store. And that he had to be careful when holding the crystals in well-lit areas or he could get a nasty zap from them if he earthed himself.

With the extra space, now that the motor and fuel tanks were gone, he had added a freshwater tank and a recycling system. They both had access to an alternate space to increase their storage capacity. The accompanying recycler unit that Amy had located for him in the warehouse had a limited interface.