Death and Tide

[VisAnastasis]

Tide's mind accepted the weight, and despite it was heavy, it was too playful to resist the feeling of curiosity it felt - before, he was focused on getting to understand and know Death, but this time, he was interested in exploring more of how it felt to exist together. Under the demon's playful curiosity, their Semai slowly opened its eyes, looking around with wonder, as if seeing the world for the first time. All the colours seemed sharper, brighter, and all the scents more intriguing and fun to explore... That joy and wonder of existing came from Tide, but it overflowed through their joint mind. Being a Semai meant not only that their minds were combined, but also that they felt as if their souls were bound together too, with being so close. Yes, there was pain from their joint injuries to it - but in both with Tide, Death didn't feel like he was missing something, as they were sharing all their layers between them, and it felt whole and wholesome, especially with demon's encouraging excited attitude of exploration.

[Mirach]

The Semai looked at his hand, observing it carefully. The burn was smaller than on Tide's hand, as it was fused with Death's hand. He studied it and while Tide's mind gave him playfulness, Death's gave him a strong focus on healing.

[VisAnastasis]

Tide's thoughts were always all over the place, and he was all too easily distracted, enjoying all kind of things and indulging in them. He wasn't used to such a sophisticated level of focus to feel so natural and calm, so innate, with such sharp focus and perception. As one, they observed the hand, despite the pain of the injury, enjoying the fact they were alive and things were looking up, and enjoying existing like this, in a whole different way neither of them quite knew before.

While Death gave Semai better focus, Tide's curiosity supported it, as it was wonderingly moving its fingers, studying the feeling of having one hand made of two minds and matters.

[Mirach]

Carefully, the Semai started to try healing the hand, stopping often to chevk how it looks or feels and what works best.

[VisAnastasis]

It was an unusual feeling, like Tide predicted, of both healing someone else, and healing himself, as they were connected, and healing that missing layer. It did not hurt, but there was a little eery discomfort to it, as it was reminding on the loss. It was at first a quite slower process than Death's usual healings because it was so unusual, and because of Tide's mind, unused to handling this kind of power, was slowing him down. The sensation of both relief at the little bit of pain relief as the wound was slowly closing, and the feeling of being the one healing it was all in all unusual. But soon enough, Tide caught up to it, adapting to the feeling. His biggest quality seemed that adaptability, that ability to pick up things intuitively. There was not just Death and Tide bound in flesh. They were one person, and that person was just about to try to up the stakes on its first experiment.

Their Semai grinned, as both of their minds proceeded to use Death's innate power to heal more efficiently, the lines between them blurring more than at any point before - and for the first time, Death experienced how it felt to bend soul under his command. It was like moving water, like having the fibres of it bend like waves under your will and desires - as Semai bent the torn pieces of its joint burnt soul gently, to put them in a better position to mend easily, all the while their focus on healing was growing.

[Mirach]

With that, some weak but deep feeling of being in tune with himself spread over their mind, as being able to heal was in Death's nature and being able to heal in all layers was very satisfying.

[VisAnastasis]

Likewise, Tide, who felt a little doubtful of himself and inadequate last night after seeing Death's skill, enjoyed the wholesale feeling of being so in power and control, it being a delightful change from previous feeling of helplessness. Right now, their Semai felt empowered,  like it could do anything. Along with satisfaction came a thin but bubbly feeling of happiness, as things felt just right in the place, like a missing piece into just the empty spot in the puzzle.

[Mirach]

Despite that feeling, the Semai still kept his focus on healing - or rather because of it, since the feeling originated there. He did not stop before the hand was fully healed.

[VisAnastasis]

When they were combined, it didn't feel like Death doing him a favor - it just felt so natural, as if they were both just sharing something that made them happy. Seeing the hand healed made Semai pleased because it was an accomplishment for both of them, Death being glad he was able to do this, and Tide happy he was able to take part in it and enable it. Their joy was multiplied and mutual.

There was thriumph in their sucees, and although Death gave it a little subtler temperament, Tide's excitement couldn't help but manifest through it - carefully, Semai clenched and unclenched his hand, and when no pain came from it, it carefully clapped, and then chuckled with pleasure, and clapped it's hands against each other again stronger, with more confidence.

[Mirach]

They enjoyed it for a while, but then got a little unsure about what to do next, a but hesitant to part just yet. 

[VisAnastasis]

That hesitance came only from Death's part of the mind, though - Spirit was so used to doing things that had to have a function or usefulness, that he was unsure when that usefulness run short. But through being one with Tide, he experienced a whole different kind of feeling - contentment to just exist and enjoy that, without having to fulfil any higher purpose. Existing was purpose just enough. Through Death came timidness, but through Tide, came untamed curiosity about their new form. Slowly, trying out its limbs in this strange tall shape, the Semai stood up. There was the pain of Death's injury, but entangled with Tide's stability it was soothed and in its joy felt more like an echo. The creature staggered, but found its balance, and discovered that it was not tired - tiredness or hunger was but a distant shade in its existence, and all was overshadowed by its desire to figure things out and explore its strange form.

[Mirach]

Death's mind was content with that feeling and being more passive in this situation, unlike with healing, it just observed.

[VisAnastasis]

The little bit of quietness could not quench the deep curiosity and playfulness of the Semai. It was taller than both of them, but it was very slender, and it had some of Death's elegance and Tide's tendency to take light, hopping steps. It almost hit the roof with its head when it stood up, but it snickered at that, and crouching, explored the room in the second layer, thirsty at the sight of everything it was seeing this new way for the first time.

It slowly opened the door and left the house, and it gracefully jumped upon one of the ponds in the cave, touching the surface and walking upon it, curiously observing its image in the water. They had Tide's soft long cloak, it only had a little lighter colour. There was not a big mask covering their face, though - instead, there was a veil, doing the same purpose, but matching their joint mentality more. Their hair was long and curlier, but wasn't blue - it matched the colour of their eyes, which was neither clear blue nor deep violet - it was a very soft colour that seemed to shimmer a little, but was closest to pale lavender, soothing, flowery, and pleasant. The Semai knelt, tilting head at its image and raising its veil to take a better look - it was strange to observe this new face and expression, but it felt right, as it was its own face, and its own eyes, and it was pleased to slowly gain an image of how it looked like.

[Mirach]

Even as they were looking at their image, there was something at the back of their mind. There was a place that did not merge fully, hidden in the black hole that was now hidden in their soul, feeling like a part of both of them. 

[VisAnastasis]

The feeling grew stronger the more Semai gazed into its reflection - the more it got comfortable with being itself, more acute that little place of discomfort felt until it could ignore it no longer. Death was always used to keep feelings hidden, and Tide to not press and others and be polite, but this time it felt different - they existed as one, and Tide was always so used to examine his own feelings and work through them. This felt like exploring himself, and that was the very way he became one with himself instead of many, by accepting every part of himself. This felt wrong, opposite to how it was supposed to feel.

So, Semai grew thoughtful, but after initial hesitance, it couldn't keep himself from it, and he let his thoughts wander to that unsteady concealed part of itself, trying to remember, to figure it out, to understand why it was resisting it and what is keeping it from it.

[Mirach]

There was a feeling of terrible guilt, of doing something so opposing to his nature that it tore the soul. Nit even Tide's optimism could surpass that, and the Semai did not touch that place anymore. Death's part was aware of it and caused a wish to part ways to grow in their mind, feeling it was enough for now.

[VisAnastasis]

In the same time, that desire to part caused Tide the sadness and pain. Semai at the same time wished to part and was feeling conflicted and grieved about it, and it just couldn't maintain its form in its contradictions. Tide didn't understand and wanted to understand, and it was hard to resist that urge, and he didn't want to pass any line, and at that moment, a little rough around the edges, to stop himself from inquiring, Tide pulled back, and the Semai broke suddenly. They didn't prepare for it, and with it, there was some whiplash, the two of them fell into the water they balanced on so easily before, both a little disoriented and needing a moment to get a grip on themselves.

[Mirach]

After Death oriented himself a bit, he sighed and looked at Tide sadly. "It was nice. I'm sorry we had to part because of me."

[VisAnastasis]

Tide coughed out a bit of water, drying his eyes. He subconsciously touched the mask on his face, to assure it's there, before he gazed in Death's direction, to see if he's okay.
" It was nice," he whispered. " ... But we parted because of me, didn't we? I let go first. " he asked quietly. " *I* am sorry. I let curiosity get the better of me and push you... Are you okay? "

[Mirach]

"It's not really relevant to speak about who did what," Death said. "It was both of us. To do something as Semai, we have to agree on it."

[VisAnastasis]

" Okay, so, are you avoiding the more important question, mister Snek? " Tide snorted a little, extending his palm to the animal so it could swim to him, as he asked, more specifically, so Death couldn't avoid it. " Did it hurt when you dropped in the water? Are you cold? Come here... "

[Mirach]

Hesitantly, Death coiled himself around Tide's hand, seeking its warmth. "It was just a bit harsh..." he murmured.

[VisAnastasis]

After Death came to him, Tide gathered him in his arms. He didn't leave the water, though, he seemed to have an idea. He immersed himself up to the shoulder while making sure the snake can breathe well and float easily, and then, he warmed up the water in that little pool around them, until it began to steam and it felt like a nice cosy spring, comforting and warm. The steam that made the air all the warmer too was just an added bonus to the unexpected little gesture.
" Better? " he asked innocently, holding the animal closely, so it could relax and not fear to sink. " I've seen some sailors put their ill dogs into water, and told me its good for joint pains and injuries... I imagined the injured spine would feel a little better in water, with less pressure on it and all. You are right, the parting was harsh... So I hope this may be better than an empty apology... We don't have to be Semai to have a nice time... "

[Mirach]

Death uncoiled himself slowly, floating in the warm water. "It's rather nice..." he said wonderingly.

[VisAnastasis]

When he sow creature is light enough to float, he relaxed slowly, and grinned.
" Yes, it is... " he agreed, and he submerged his head under the water, soaking himself below the surface for a moment, enjoying the feeling of water all around him. When he resurfaced again he just turned on his back and floated on the surface too, enjoying the warm soothingness of water after, indeed, a harsh parting. After a moment, as he had forgotten himself and only then remembered, he raised his palm and looked at it. It didn't hurt and it had no scratch or a blemish. " It is... rather nice... " he repeated Death's words wonderingly while observing it.