Senecio adn Tide II

[VisAnastasis]

Janus seemed somewhat taken aback at first, trying to wrap his mind around it, as if over an alien concept. He kept folding the napkin slowly, but his eyes clouded over lightly.
 " I guess that from a certain point of view... I am overcompensating a bit. But isn't that a rational choice? No matter how you cut it... I am not friend shaped. I am more akin to a monster under the bed than the life of the human party. Having a perfect party with only plain napkins... I think the ship has sailed on that one, " he grinned but a little, looking embarrassed to admit it, as he carefully placed the new folded rose on a table. " I really wished fervently so, though, to make us at least a proper celebration. So, since I bring no fun to the table, I thought I should figure out what I can bring. I can not make people laugh like Tide, or feel safe like Svarik... But I can still do what I can... and hope my sincerity isn't lost in translation. If flowers are getting lost in translation... will this be lost, too? " he asked carefully, as he slowly reached for his pocket, and pulled out something from it - a simple, black key. Being shyly placed it between him and Senecio, watching him intently as he explained simply and quietly. " This is in name a place for mechanic and his apprentices... But since the mechanic in question is me, I can make exceptions. With this key, you can come here whenever you like, whether we're here or not. Whether you just need a breather, or you need to escape some malice, I enchanted the doors so they can't be broken easily by any normal means, only unlocked by its keys. I want you to have one... because in this maze of unfriendly rooms, you should have one that has no shade of danger in it, because I'll be double-checking it every single day. I made sure there's always an extra armchair for you and Hans, so, if... if you feel like sharing a meal with us while there are daily breaks during practice, you can come and hide from the bad people here with us, " he reasoned quietly, clearly gathering courage for a while now to say such words. " Unlike any substantial fun, this is what I can put on the table. Will my intentions be lost in translation, if I give it like this? I'd make you a heart-shaped sandwich if I thought that would cheer you up more, but I thought the key would be a more fitting thing to give, instead of inviting you to lunch every day and hoping you'll notice my protectiveness gradually. I am not good with subtleties... Like in hard work I put in rebuilding this room with proper safety measures, the only thing I have to offer is the effort... "

[Mirach]

"Janus," Senecio smiled and took the key, clutching it in his hand, "thank you. Nothing is lost in translation, I'm just saying you don’t need to translate all the time. It's not true that you aren’t friend-shaped. You are a friend and this is your shape."

[VisAnastasis]

Creature's pupils shook greatly, and he seemed at a loss for words for a moment.
" I... have been an Elder God before... A saviour, and benefactor on many occasions, too, but... I have never been a friend, " when words finally came, they spilled over with somber anxiety that struggled to suppress the rising hope. " I, I don't mean to say I am unwilling. Just... don't you think I'm... severely underqualified?    I've done much more than this for random believers when I was a god, so how can I have qualifications as a friend, when I have not done nearly half of it for you? I, to be honest, I've last night finished building you a self-defence starter pack gift, and I was thinking of giving it to you to cheer you up when you seem troubled... but I haven't even given it yet, so how can I qualify before even giving as much? A-and, I have gotten a book of encouraging human quotes from Sage these days, and I'm trying to memorize it so that I can manage to say something comforting when times are hard, but human concepts are so complicated... meanings of so many phrases elude me and it's hard to learn. I haven't even had a chance to use one positive quote to comfort you even once so, so... " he tried to steady his voice. " Don't you think I'm too lacking as a friend? I, I have been making plans to figure out what more can I give to make scales more balanced, but I barely gave you anything yet. It feels like receiving a reward before actually getting marginally good at something... "

[Mirach]

"I think you're... not really getting the concept, but that's fine," Senecio smiled. "When you say 'he's my friend', it usually means that you like spending time with that person, that you trust them, that you respect them, things like that. It's not an exchange of gifts and services. I mean, if you are helpful to someone, there is a bigger chance for them to become your friend, but once they are, you shouldn't have to worry about doing enough or not. It's okay to just be, you don't need to try buying more friendship."

[VisAnastasis]

Janus appeared more thoughtful and vulnerable as he spoke. He glanced aside a little unsurely as if wondering how much he should say in front of Erdel and Hans right now, but in the end, it seemed he made a choice.

" Words like trust and respect... are immensely heavy for me, " as he spoke, unsurely, instead of folding more flowers, he took a couple of plain napkins, and hesitantly put them closer to the actor, explaining hesitantly. " Humanity... has betrayed me, you see. No matter how much I gave it... it turned against me when it judged I did not give enough. It... it was my last high priest, that handed me over to the king that... imprisoned me. And when I pleaded for mercy, people I helped previously renounced me, saying they never knew me. For... for ten years I was imprisoned, and no one even dared try to ask to see me, even when the king dared them to, to humiliate me. No one... wanted to risk, associating with a monster-shaped fallen god, "he smiled frailly as if apologizing. " I... am sorry. I can not bring myself, to say words such as trust. But I respect you greatly. You are very helpful to me... And not only because you always advise me sincerely, even though that means a lot. I would drown in dark thoughts if I was the only good adult in this cursed place. But it is no longer cursed, because it has you, and I can look forward to seeing you each day. It feels refreshing to be angered by the same things, and share the same goals as you. I was just thinking... that the way we live here in the theatre is not a bad way to live at all, " his hand trembled a bit as he nudged a few cookie plates closer to him, even if that meant they were no longer perfectly symmetrical. " I'd never feel so unreasonbly comfortable here... if I could not look forward to you plopping down into the armchair, without any fear or distrust. The value of the safe net you offer me is too high... so, please, try not to think of my efforts as buying more friendship," he requested with clear frailty. "  I like that we are on the same side, and I like how natural you make it seem. This simple, straightforward normalcy and peace that we have, with no complications or deception, is very precious to me. I don't want it to end up one-sided, like my love for humanity ended up being... Since you died, it can not be helped that you are suffering, but I can not be your friend if I do not give my best to support you. If... if in my time of need, at least one person visited me, I feel like I may have not lost my mind so deeply. I don't know what 'if only this happened I'd not go mad' is for you, and I am lacking, but if I keep putting things on the table, something is bound to make difference. I know how terrible is when everybody you thought would put things on your table abandons you, and you are not alone, but if you don't give them enough in their time of need, people may feel alone even if they are not. My wish to make you things is my own flaw and my overcompensation because I am afraid of losing you again and making things is the only thing I am good at. Everybody can lose their mind... I know it, because I lost it once, too. Dying so terribly seems plenty good reason to me for one to lose their mind, so... I do not wish to be the complacent person who tried to put nothing on your plate when you needed it most. I am really doing my best to figure out what I can put... "

[Mirach]

Senecio took a cookie and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, I should have known it's something deeper and let you just fold the roses... It really is nice to know that I can come fown here and plop into an armchair. I think I'll definitely use that as I get back into rehearsals. It might really be just what I need, we shall see..."

[VisAnastasis]

" It is not as if I avoid speaking of my past on purpose... I but don't particularly appreciate it when people think of it as a sob story. It is not a sob story, it's merely my story, " the creature whispered as it leaned forth, and gently nudged the steaming cup of tea toward the actor. " The past should not be forgotten... but it should not be a sole metric of defining someone. Even if one wanted to feel sorry for oneself for eternity, such is the nature of the world that it is not possible. I do not share this so we can feel sorry for me... I merely wished to be better understood. I could not leave you in a misunderstanding that I am the shallow kind of person that tries to buy friends with gifts. Me... an elder god of doors and new beginnings... trying to buy a new beginning? " the creature grinned but a little, and despite its eyes being clouded with memories his smile had some lighter bemusement. " My fall was my own doing, anyway, so there's no reason to pity me. It was a result of my insistence on not giving humanity anything that could potentially be evil or lethal, that was way above their technological level. I fell out of favour... because in times of growing wars between growing kingdoms, I remained as stubborn as I always was... and kept giving people better living tools and prostetics instead of weapons and war machines. Th-there... simply was a mismatch between demand and supply.. nothing more. I could not give them what they wanted, " he explained apologetically, filling up cups of Erdel and Hans who drank up a bit in meantime. " I merely... wish to be understood. And... I am telling you this because I am afraid you'll grow to look at me with a different gaze with time, as you begin to realize the gap between current human technology and my technology. Even humans who were genuinely friendly with me, once they got to know me better and I shared more with them... would with time grew bitter, with how much I had and how comparatively little I gave to humanity, " his eyes that looked back at the actor were sombre and anxious, and he finally bid weakly. " To be honest... As I said, I have finished building you a little self-defence gift package... Now that you know of it, you may claim it when you see fit, now, or to cheer up when you're more anxious, whatever the human standard is. But.. it is I who is anxious about it. To be honest, I'm perfectly capable of creating fool-proof deadly weapons which would most definitely kill anyone who would dare attack you... but I am still equally terrified of giving you technology above humanity's current standard. It would just put too many targets on your back, as no matter how great a weapon is, nothing beats numbers if evil people got greedy and tried to take it from you by force. So, I did not build you anything grand... the things I built are not lethal. So... I guess what I wanted to ask is... is.. " he paused, before finally binging himself to say. " Will you resent me as well? If you get hurt again, will you resent me, who stubbornly offered you non-lethal protection and tried to cheer you up with folded roses, instead of building you a foolproof weapon? At such time, will you renounce the friendship you offer me now? "

[Mirach]

Senecio seemed a bit confused by the conversation. "But... why? No, I would rather get hurt than have a fool-proof deadly weapon in my hands. I'd be worried all the time that I panic and kill someone who didn’t actually mean harm, or that it gets stolen. I don’t think anyone should have something like that. I wouldn’t trust myself with such a thing. I've already done some pretty stupid things and hurt a few people, including Erdel. You can’t really make a foolproof weapon. It may be foolproof in how to use it, but it will never be foolproof in when to use it, and there are too many fools walking around, and count myself among them."

[VisAnastasis]

Janus, who didn't know what happened between Erdel and Senecio, and was a bit distracted for a moment by that, glanced briefly at the young demon - but since the former vampire didn't seem shaken by Senecio's words, he let it be, and turned to the actor again. His heart seemed the one most shaken, but this time, a hesitant rising relief and growing bubbles of hope were palpable.
"I... kept telling humans that. But they kept blaming me for being able to give them better things and choosing not to. Everyone thinks all other people are fools, but not they... The truth is, I also don't go around carrying deadly weapons for the same reasons, even if I have them. I just don't want to become a murderer too lightly, as there are too many fools around and I count myself among them. I understand their point, though, and their bitterness... If you lose someone dear to you in a random bandit attack or to a possibly fixable situation if better technology was available, it's easy in retrospect to blame a God that could have, but didn't give you better tools to work with... I really do understand that. I just could not give them what they wanted, because fools outweigh the wise. But... if you truly do not want weapons beyond your means and would resent not me for denying them to you... if... i-if our needs and demand truly do match... Could you prove it to me? "he bid quietly with a hoarse voice, as he reached for his bag to the side, and took out something from it - a little black box decorated with a shiny silver ribbon. The ribbon was, just like in book illustrations, tied in a pretty bow shape, but it was quite wrinkled, as it seemed the creature, unused to folding it, needed many tries until it managed to tie it properly. " If... If non-lethal things I intended for you truly leave you satisfied and you do not crave more than them... I... will let you call me your friend, and I will ask your permission to call you such, too, "he finally gathered enough courage to say it, as he offered him the box with a weight of heavy anticipation. "But I can not as a responsible adult let you say such heavy words too lightly if you may come to regret them later... It is the responsibility of adults to look out for the younglings and not let them make mistakes... "

[Mirach]

"How do you want me to prove it to you?" Senecio asked, still a bit puzzled by the situation. "What is this? The non-lethsl version? Should I unpack it?:

[VisAnastasis]

" It is easy... This is the limit to what I can give, at the current technical stage of humanity... If it is good enough that you won't be bitter for not getting something better... we can be friends, " the creature whispered. "There can simply be no equal friendship if there is bitterness on any side. It tilts the balance too much and turns everything that once seemed good enough sour... I do not want that for either of us... "

[Mirach]

"Okay... I'll just yake a look, yes?" Senecio carefully pulled on the ribbonand opened the package, wary to not touch anything inside before he knew what it is and how it works.

[VisAnastasis]

Inside the package, there was nothing that resembled conventional weapons, or anything large or bulky. Instead, there were three small objects. They seemed more like what humans would see as artifacts - one object was a little round sphere with a button, the other one looked a bit like a small compact sealed syringe with prepacked rainbow-coloured shining liquid inside it, and the third one seemed like a lightning-themed handheld artifact with a button on a side and mechanism on the top.

" When... When you take things like the hair or nails of Beings and destroy them, they know you are in danger and can come to you... but it's extremely inefficient in emergencies as you may not have time for destruction. I made those items with a bit of Being parts of a couple of willing Beings. When the items are used, they will be alerted and know to come to you, " Janus whispered quietly. " First thing is for physical protection... When you press the button on the sphere, it will create a small shiny force field shield around you... Nothing fancy or long-lasting, as I fear I am not strong enough to make a properly strong item, and it will brake relatively easily under pressure if a strong Being with killing intent attacks you with a sword a few times... But me, Rain, Eros, Alpha, Hans and Tide will feel it being used and know you are in peril. It is primarily a safety net for Demon Hunter level one-time defence. The second item is emergency medicine... if you are poisoned again. I built it by consulting with Eros. It is not a panacea, and won't cure you, but if you push it into your body, it should lessen the pain, slow the poison, and protect your brain and heart for a while longer - and there is Eros's feather inside, so he can reach you immediately, as he's best at figuring out poisons. And... the third item is something I developed for myself over the last 300 years when I need to quickly immobilize humans that attack me without hurting them so that I can run away. It's hard to explain in human terms, but I guess you can call it... a little pocket lightning?" he explained shyly. " I can recharge it for you if you use it up... but essentially... if some bastard is threatening you, just zip him with a bit of lightning and run. At first, when I invented it, it would sometimes work more or less efficiently, but over the years, I perfected it so it always stings pretty badly but does not cause damage, and can be used from a couple of meters distance, or when pressed against someone's skin. Unless you aim for eyes or privates, it is extremely unlikely to kill someone, and you can incapacitate them for 10 seconds or so, depending on the person, so you can run and hide, while all of us, me, Rain, Eros, Alpha, Hans and Tide, will know you are in danger. Oh, but you don't have to worry about us being alerted if you use it on yourself. Last night, when I was putting the finishing touches since you're playful by nature and like such things, I realized you may be tempted to try it, so I put some extra conditions for you. Nobody will be alerted if you give it to someone to use on you willingly, and if it is used on you since you are recognized as its owner, I made it so the pain is higher but the effects last shorter and the danger level is even lower. It's just a little last moment setting I added just in case. Your item is generally always in that safe mode unless you use it on the enemy. I foolproofed it to the point when unless you purposely try to kill yourself and go for the eyes a few times, it'd be very hard for you to kill yourself by accident, " he explained, like before with a whip too, completely innocently unbothered with Senecio's tastes, and sounding rather proud of himself for remembering to add the setting, as he reassured him more fervently and protectively. " But besides the point, while you may or may not play with it, of course, my main initial intent was that you can scare the hell out of your intellectually challenged enemies. It frightens the death out of people that know nothing about proper technology so... If someone threatens you, just zap the bastards a bit and claim self-defence, Hans should solve it so you only pay some of those human "fines". So, feel free to give them some well-needed divine retribution. Toss in some nightmares too, for the good measure, " he whispered shyly and vulnerably, anticipating his reaction nervously. " This Elder God gives you his blessings... "

[Mirach]

Senecio couldn’t hide an amused grin as Janus explained the uses, as Janus obviously guessed correcly what he would think about when presented with the third thing. "I must admit I was a bit afraid it will be weapons, but this is great. You really anticipated my question about the last thing, but I have a dimilar obe about the other two. Can they be used by someone else too? What if I give the ball or the antidote to someone who needs it at the moment?"

[VisAnastasis]

The creature didn't dare relax fully yet, but it seemed Senecio's reaction encouraged him, and he responded more brightly.
" Oh... I only wove those more complex conditions into that last item, since I needed to make sure it was safe for you to play with. But the other two are more straightforward. The first object creates a 2-meter sphere shield relative to the centre of the object, so whoever holds, the shield is around him. It will make a shield for whoever uses it, so if there are more than one people you wish to protect, you must stick closely together. And the antidote is the same - you can use it on anyone. The only constant though - when either item is used, those whose body parts I used will be alerted that they were used, as it is an automatic process, no matter who uses it. Oh, if the three objects are destroyed, we will all be alerted, too. I made it so that there is always a higher chance we know danger is upon you, so if there's absolutely nothing you can do and need help, or if someone tied you down so you can't press the buttons, the artifacts respond to your strong thoughts and will brake if you fervently wish for them to break, as long as they are not further than couple meters distance from you. It, umm, took a bit more out of me to enable it, but I thought it was worth it so that you have more certain ways to assure we'll be alerted if you're in need even if your hands are incapacitated. "

[Mirach]

"Ah, that answers another question I had," Senecio nodded. "Cool. I only have one more. If I activate the shield and someone is standing just on the 2-meter radius, or has a body part sticking out, what happens then? And what if an enemy is closer than 2 meters? Would it then trap you in with them?"

[VisAnastasis]

" It is a complex thing, that has a lot of little safeguards woven into the build. I often make them for lower-level weak Beings at Sea, such as myself, so Alpha who is the fastest and among the strongest critters at Sea is altered and can step in to help. Hans and Alpha have a formal agreement regarding that, where Alpha provides his blood for making those things and agrees to help in exchange for deals with Hans. Your item alerts more people, though, as I said, because more people volunteered for your safeguard specifically. " creature despite nervousness could not help hide its love for technology and conditions as he talked about gadgets he clearly enjoyed making. " I'm not your common mechanic, ahem... You should know that I make pretty complex things for Beings, just like mirrors that react to your desire to see someone and enable you to see them through it over huge distances, or glasses whose lenses respond to eyes and adjust to enable as good vision as possible. I personalise as much as I can. Your item also responds to intent... Basically, at the moment of activation, it pushed out all material objects the one that presses the button wants to push out. So, for example, if a shelf of books fell on you and you can't get out, if you press the button with intention of pushing out the shelf, all books and shelves will be pushed away from you and thrown outside the barrier, out of the 2-meter radius. Same for people you want to push out... If someone is swinging a sword at you, the moment you press the button, you'll toss the bastard across the room, " he explained brightly. " It takes more energy to toss out someone strong like a Demon Hunter, though... so naturally, the item is more effective against common humans than Beings that specialize in killing, so do be careful. Everyone you don't want to be pushed out won't be pushed out, though, so allies or things you feel neutral towards like random chairs or plates will just remain as they are when the item was activated. There is that weakness, though, as you said - if your ally is on the border of radius, with, let's say, only their leg sticking out, an attacker wouldn't be able to go into the shield, but he would be able to cut off their leg. But the sphere border is always glowing with visible shimmering light, though, so you will be able to see the border of the protection easily. So, just don't stick out your legs out of curiosity, and all will be well. As I said, out of all of us, Alpha is the fastest physically, and Eros can teleport where his feathers are, so in danger, either of those two would probably be the fastest to reach you. The rest of us will give our best, naturally, but in any case, even if Demon Hunter attacked you, as long as you don't make mistakes, you will have solid survival chances as long as Alpha has enough time to come, or as long as you are facing a lone hunter and not a whole unit. But you are human, and Demon hunters are still people with hearts, so the chances of Demon hunters going straight for the kill with you are really low... But I tried to do as much as I could to cover as many scenarios as possible with my limited current power, just in case. More than weapons, I judged your best chances with supernatural danger is getting reinforcements... "

[Mirach]

"I agree," Senecio smiled slightly. "And I really sppreciate it, it sounds perfect."

[VisAnastasis]

" Is it... truly not even just "enough"... but Perfect? "Janus seemed genuinely taken aback by such a big word. "A-and I'm not speaking in a matter of current quality... This really is best for my current abilities regarding non-lethal protection... I am just not healthy or strong enough right now to make something stronger. I-if, if I ever get healthier, I'll naturally try to upgrade the things... It's pretty regretful that I could not pull out a bigger range than two meters, or stronger defence... or that it still has to activate with a button, instead of with the owner's thought... But that's my current limit that I can't overcome unless I get healthier. I'm not asking for that which is out of my hands... But of what is in them. Is it really so completely okay that I offer you such defensive instead of offensive things, that you respond so calmly? "he had to ask, with growing bafflement, and apologetic wonder. " I... really do not doubt your sincerity. You were always honest to a fault with me, and it holds great meaning to me. But I do not understand. It... it never seems to me like you'd ask me for anything with real desire... Even when you do ask for something, you always ask... like asking for human cookies, " he snorted nervously. "Like... it would be neat to have that, but... that isn't a huge deal if I don't give it to you, either. Can anybody really... lack covetousness that much...? Are... my thoughts delivered properly, without loss in translation? Are you... truly satisfied and not bitter? That I did not give you more... "

[Mirach]

"The technicalities can be improved, I guess, but the concept really seems perfect to me. Great for protection, impossible to hurt someone accidentally. So, I really think there's nothing you could give that would be more. If you shift it to something more deadly, it just becomes less because of it," Senecio tried to explain his thoughts.

[VisAnastasis]

" How... anticlimatic. Truly, refreshingly anti-climatic. How wonderful flaw, to be so unreasonably easygoing... but how could I possibly complain? " After the previous few minutes of pent-up tension, the creature could not help itself, and as he finally let go of it with couple times repeated reassurances, it had to release its anxiety somehow - and it began laughing suddenly, its shoulders trembling a bit. It was the first time Senecio heard Janus laugh out loud, and it was unsure and frail but had a shy shimmer of growing slowly relaxing affection, sparkling faintly but surely, like specks of golden sand in the sun. It was a vulnerable inexperienced rough sound that held relief, bemusement, and hope, as he looked back at the actor anew, calming down slowly, but still bubbling up, restless and grateful. " Well... technicalities can be improved... but whatever it is, I really like whatever we have between us. And since I'm already talking about it... if you agree... I'd like to request from you to cancel our deal of you giving me one day's worth of advice a little at a time that we made when we met here. " he requested unexpectedly, while shyly as if he couldn't help himself from trying to offer him something more, he nudged the plate with vanilla scones closer to the actor as he explained. " It's true I still have things I want advice on, and there are some new matters that confuse me and trouble me, and it would help me a lot, so tell me when you have time to advise me a bit. But... I'm pretty confident I-m the only one counting and knowing 2 hours and 3 minutes of that one day of advice promised has happened and 21 hours and 57 minutes are left, so... " he teased most unexpectedly warmly, as he dared to ask bravely, or rather, as bravely as he could master. " So, let us cancel that deal so that I don-t have to keep counting, okay? What do you think? Since... since we are friends, instead of asking you for advice since we have a deal, I can just ask you for advice solely because we are friends... "

[Mirach]

"I certainly wasn't counting, so sure, you don't have to either. Just ask me if you need an advice. I'm not sure if I should offer one if I don't know if it's wanted... that's what I was trying to do, with the napkins, you know. I knew you are trying to do a lot of things that are new to you, and appreciate advice. But I didn’t have all of the context. Sometimes though, you might need an advice and not know that you actually do, so it's complicated. Something that's better figured out as friends, I guess."

[VisAnastasis]

" I see... I am pretty stingy with context, aren't I? " creature seemed a bit embarrassed as it looked back. " I guess... if there are things you are wondering about and need context for... you can ask me. It is not as if I try to hide everything about myself on purpose... I, I am just not used to people asking me, and most things are pretty sad, so I just never wanted to make you sad on purpose. The few people I know better, like Hans and Tide, already know, so I do not know when and how people normally share such things. Besides setting terms for Being deals, I... usually only used to say couple sentences per year outside of that, as I spend most of my days scavenging corpses for food, so my language and talking skills were exceedingly rusty and rigid when we first met, "he seemed a little embarrassed as he admitted. "I... talked way, way more than I ever used to before... since I came here. And out of all those talks, even when the subjects were sad, the most comfortable talks were always with you... so please, do not feel bad about trying to advise me even if you lack context. I truly am trying a lot of things new to me and am unsure about most of them... Do not underestimate the value of an anchor you are giving me. Right at this moment, there is advice I know I need on something connected to sir Svarik, and another one, on something connected to little Xia... First I need it because I am a coward, the second, because I am a  fool, " again, he chuckled a little shyly, covering his mouth with his hands - it seemed he was growing freer in both speech and gestures the more frequently Senecio was using the word "friends", unable to contain the bubbliness. "But things you do not need to give but choose to give anyway are much more precious, and for what it is worth, I think you are onto something with the napkins. While it is certainly more fun to clean your face with a cheerful rose... if I kept folding them for all this time, I would spend the whole time doing so, and we would not have this conversation. My heart is certainly much lighter, that you choose to discuss napkins with me, so... thank you. I am feeling better, not having to worry about when and how to give you that non-lethal gift and if you would be bitter over it or not, too, I am merely worried if I made you sad by accident. If I did, I did not mean to, some things just sound sad without one meaning to make them that way... "

[Mirach]

"Just a little bit sad, and also more safe and a little more brave... it's a complex mix. Like it's complicated that you might need advice without knowing you do, and I might need context without knowing it as well. That's why it's good to talk... We will just make a design for a costume for Erdel, and then I'll come back here and we can talk about the king and Xia, how does that sound?" Senecio asked. "Although, Erdel knows the king better than me, so maybe he could advice you better there. Again we might need some context to decide that."

[VisAnastasis]

" Okay.. you see... "Janus fiddled with his fingers as he struggled to find the best way to explain, appearing a little embarrassed to not be able to find words easily. His feelings were swirling more, but they were uncertain and coloured with both tinges of fear and courage, so it was hard to untangle them. " To Svarik, I want to borrow something... nothing grand, like what I built for you, and to most, it would be the pathetically casual thing to borrow... but to me, because of my circumstances... I guess you could equate it to borrowing my trust. So, needless to say, I am pretty terrified and I, I guess what I really seek isn't advice, but the reassurance that... my good intentions will not lead to a slippery slope of destruction at least once," he smiled frailly. "And, from Xia... I want to ask for something. But I feel pretty foolish, because she is vastly overqualified for what I have in mind, and besides, she is also a child, which makes things more complicated. So... I guess I need a friend to tell me, that either my worries are unfounded, or that I am meddling beyond politeness and should just do nothing so that I can decide whether to meddle aside or not. "

" Well, Senecio knows what you are like, and I know how Svarik and Xia are like decently well, so if I can help anyhow after we take care of the costume, I can stay during the talk just in case you may need information about them I may know better than Senecio, " Erdel timidly spoke up for the first time, as he glanced at the actor to see if he approves. "It is really no bother to me to just stay aside while you talk and just clarify something if I can prevent some misunderstanding. I technically have decent free time right now, since sir Svarik is protected by sir Falcon, and that guy is practically a sword master, so it would be an overkill for me to go with them on their date, anyway. "