Senecio adn Tide II

[VisAnastasis]

"Well, if I had to do makeup with you dead, I would definitely allow myself to smear it up a few times before it's finally done every time I do it for at least the next century... so do be mindful of that extremely pitiful image if you ever get desperate thoughts, "Hans snorted a little bit, with an innocent expression. "I am a shameless man that uses everything he has to get what he wants, so I hope the threat of my grave sadness at least adds a bit to the pile of why you must live. Though, I much prefer positive reinforcement. I am against the concept of crying out of grief... But I will gladly ruin my makeup for an extremely happy occasion. After all, did I not cry earnestly when I adopted you the Being way? I will definitely cry when I adopt you the human way, too, so if you want to see me ruin the makeup badly, make sure you are alive and well to be adopted anew, "the creature winked sheepishly, with more confidence and just a tinge of shyness, as it tried something new. It reached for Senecio's face and pinched the corner of his cheek, but just the tiniest, gentlest bit, so it would not ruin man's makeup, too, but as if testing a new way to show his endearment." If there is something else I can do to sway you even a bit, my cute lemon cake, do make sure to tell me. To be honest, if you asked me to beg Svarik for a healing song for you, I would totally beg him for it, too. However, you always seemed to me more of a person who deals with bad memories by covering them up with good ones to get them to fade and matter less, so, correct me if I am wrong, but, "he teased with a soft warm laugh. "I kind of get the feeling it would help your recovery more if I just tell you, like, the secret intel for the top 5 best places to sleep with Tide... Am I surprisingly right, outrageously wrong, or is the truth somewhere in between? I have to know, so I can know if I should write down the list, beg Svarik, or do both for good measure...  "

[Mirach]

"The list, definitely," Senecio smirked and did a little finishing touch on the makeup.

[VisAnastasis]

Hans enjoyed watching his mastery, seeming to feel better than before, when his face was bare - he clearly felt more encouraged and confident and ready to take on the world than before.
" Do you actually want me to write you the list down, so you can read it dramatically when you feel like it? Or do you want me to briefly recite it to you on our way back to the stage?" He offered when they were done." I mean, I can always distract you with questions about your future adoption and planned name to take as we walk, but I am not not blinded by my parental love enough," he chuckled brightly as he kept teasing him." To think any distraction with wholesome content would be as effective as a an allure of future carnal pleasures. This humble father who has vast knowledge on the subject would be very happy if his wise advice makes his cute son flustered, distracted, flabbergasted or all of the above instead of miserable as he walks in his own theatre."

[Mirach]

"Just tell me on the way, as long as you don't make it awkward by parental talk," Senecio smirked.

[VisAnastasis]

"To be honest, at this point, I am using the chance to do it while I still can, at least 20% solely because your awkward expression is adorable and it heals my wicked heart, "Hans teased him mischievously, as he began walking back to the stage. There was a bit of hop to his step, as he seemed happy he could distract Senecio and give him advice simultaneously. " Alright, here goes the list, 1 to 5, for my cutest kid. First, this is an easy starter, technically any lovemaking in water is fun since Tide is a waterbender, but since he likes romantic things, it would definitely be a properly romantic setting if you sometimes go out at sea, and go far east, at Star Bay where seas are calm and the night sky is reflected perfectly upon the surface. There is a good space where you can not see the shore from any side, and since Tide can warm you up, cold is not an issue, either, so all in all great romance spot, although it takes 4 hours by boat to get to it. Second place, you know how there are places along the sea where layers of the world are loose, and Beings can lead you where humans normally can not go? There is a small island two hours from here, that exists on the third layer, which is always warm and summery and covered fully with a sea of soft dandelions. The place is made on the border of reality and dream, by me and Alpha, with warped time. Dandelions grow endlessly and can not be crushed, only bent, and if you blow them the seeds turn into golden dust that makes you feel drowsy and a tinsy bit high. We usually go there on our birthdays, to blow out a lot of dandelions, make wishes, laugh and have a picnic, but I thought, with your love for contrasts, it would be interesting to make love at a place so fluffy and soft while being handled the opposite way, naturally. Third, tied to water - there is a cave at sea three hours west from here that holds underground ruins of an old city, where humans can breathe underwater in a giant half-ruined underwater temple that used to belong to the sea Deity. You can breathe, but you can't talk underwater, and with your love for helplessness and monster forms, I think you could relatively easily coax Tide to sleep with you in some of his more monstrous sea forms, as long as you don-t pick anything sharp at this point in your relationship I am pretty sure Tide won't say no. Fourth place on the list, well... To be honest, while I am the Lord of Underground at the Sea, most of my work is tied to smuggling and I delegate it excellently, so I don't need to often, but sometimes, when lives are at stake, I and some of my Being helpers have to interrogate or torture people a little tinsy bit, so on my floor of the mansion, I have a small room dedicated to it. While most of the things are for mental torture, and things that are not for it are not safe enough for love, I thought you might enjoy the place for the ambience alone. It hasn't been used in a couple of years now, but I have a solid collection of handcuffs you can borrow, and gags are pretty professional, and if you like some mental torture devices, I guess you can borrow... so what I mean to say is, I can give you permission to borrow the place sometimes if you feel like, it's really not used often since I have good control over the sea. Now, the final, fifth place... I am actually pretty curious about this one. Have you really never... thought about maybe sleeping at the Heart of the Sea? "Hans tilted his head, cautious but clearly curious. " Normally, mind you, Tide would never and never did sleep with anyone at the Sea heart... Because the sea heart is a reflection of someone's soul and essence, anyone else invading it, or worse, interacting with it, is rather vulnerable and can be a violating experience. But you, who enjoy when Tide handles your soul during lovemaking may actually be the madlad that would not be traumatized by that, so... it should work in theory, right? Besides, more than that, I was thinking... at the Sea Heart, you can not technically die, as even if you get injured and feel pain, Heart keeps you alive artificially, so wouldn't something like that up the game while also taking big pressure off Tide? The only real problem would be if you got a mortal wound, as while you would not die inside the Heart, you would die immediately after leaving it. But as long as you avoid mortal wounds, isn't it much more secure than most options? Besides, I am quite sure not just Tide, but pretty much no fool in the world yet that was blessed by the sea slept with someone in it, so you would definitely be claiming one hefty *first time ever* in the world there... Considering you were possibly the first madlads in the world that slept on poor Mister Svarik's palace roof, I was quite surprised you did not consider it until now, but then I realized you two greedy kids are probably too eager to plan an outing for such purpose and just grab each other as soon as others leave the room, so it is natural you haven't had the need to make more elaborate date plans solely for that yet, heh..."

[Mirach]

"Yeah, it's usually much more spontaneous," Senecio admitted. "And I'm taking notes, definitely. The Star Bay, island and temple sound interesting. About your interrogation room, what do you mean by mental torture? I'm not sure what to imagine, and also not sure if I'm that into it. And about the Heart, you're right, I haven't considered it, and I'm uncertain about it still. It's one thing to be open and vulnerable in soul towards someone and other to be open like that in front of yourself in the same time. Sounds like a recipe for creating some weird self-amplifying loop to me, and I'm not sure it’s worth the risk of it being a bad one. Not before some gradual experimenting, at least..."

[VisAnastasis]

" Regarding the mental torture question, well, normally, since I have access to advanced Being made drugs it would be much more effective if I could use a syringe to directly inject things into people's veins, but Janus refuses to sell me a syringe that would be clearly used for torture purposes, so I had to be more creative and use other Beings helps to make couple artefacts with somewhat similar effects injected drugs would have, " Hans explained. They reached the door in meantime but he didn't enter it so he could answer the question first. " There is a variety of things, but if we exclude life-threatening or purposely crueller ones, hmm... they are mostly artefacts that work on the push of the button when pressed against the skin and things like that, and effects are various but mostly tied to senses. I have some that when you press it against the forehead, it disorients the person and makes them feel dizzy, incredibly weak, and unable to stand up properly without falling as if they were spun in circles. I have a device that artificially forces the body to produce adrenaline and puts it into an extreme state of terror and anxiety that takes quite a while to wear off. Another useful thing is a device that zips you and sends a shiver of pain through your body and makes your pain receptors incredibly sensitive for a while so that even a caress is painful. I hate creating needless mess, you see, so I often use devices that enable me to intimidate people the most, with the least amount of bloodshed. Sure, I have some more advanced cruel artefacts, like that one thing that makes you remember your worst memory and relive it endlessly, or one that makes you feel like walls are constantly closing in on you and crushing you, one that makes you feel like drowning, or that other one that forces your brain to recall all the most negative associations it ever formed... but naturally, I would not just let you randomly try things without properly telling you what it can do so you don-t use wrong thing by mistake. That is it regarding the torture room, but regarding the sea Heart, "he grinned bit a little. "Let us just say I am giving you food for thought. I am not saying you have to run into it now. Let us just say it like this... I know Tide very well, and for my own goals, it is in my best interest that your relationship works out. So, I am telling you this as advice for winning him over. Tide's dream, after all, is to be known by someone fully and be loved fully and madly... but another part of the same coin is that he wants to know that person fully and love them just as much. What I am saying is that, when you do feel ready, even if you don't end up just sleeping there at all, or take a few years to get to the point of wanting to sleep there, such signs of trust or insight into your nature and past are things Tide is incredibly weak and hungry for... So I am compelled to give you that advice, no matter how much inspiration you decide to take in the end or not. It is advisable for the type of bait you will need in the long run, if you are aiming for eternity. It is not an urgent concern, as you goofballs are clearly having a good time right now, but I want you to have fun forever, and the best way to coax Tide into giving you more is to give him more. He is an incredibly shy creature that only takes a step forth when the other person does it first, and he seemed to be in a very favourable state for being swayed right now, so I thought I ought to tell you whatever way you choose to give more, more romance, more insight into yourself, or more trust, it will be a big thing for him. I have seen how incredibly happy he was this morning... It was an incredibly refreshing and promising sight, so, " he winked softly. "I felt like I ought to tell you. "

[Mirach]

"Okay, no, mental torture is definitely not my cup of tea. Doesn't sound fun at all. But the ambience and some basic handcuffs might work in some roleplay, maybe," Senecio said. "And I'll definitely think about the Heart. Your talk is really making me miss Tide right now. When do you think Tide will be free, by the way? This day has been really weird so far. I've been told we're leaving early to fulfill the king's wish to see the whales, and it's already afternoon and we're still waiting to go and can't start to do anything bigger because we don't know when and if we actually leave. What are we waiting for right now, actually? Still for the first thing that delayed it or another one?"

[VisAnastasis]

" We were waiting for Eros to do his part and to see if Riversong will be okay, and Svarik and Falcon left on a horse ride in the meantime. Hmm... When I listen to them, I can hear that they are returning and are not too far from the city, and Eros seems to have met them again judging by the sound of them, so I assume, knowing Eros's abilities, that the first part of waking up Riversong is wrapped up at least. I assume we will get to see whales once Svarik and sir Falcon return, then, since they don't sound like they are particularly alarmed. So, judging by the situation, unless the king suddenly does not want to go to see the whales, I assume we will go as soon as they return to the city, in maybe fifteen to twenty minutes or so? They are rather close, "Hans explained his observations. " We should probably just give quick advice to Janus and return to the mansion to meet up with them. By the sound of it, Janus and Erdel seem to be finishing up setting up the shelf too, so it should be safe to come in now to talk and see how the shelf turned out. "

[Mirach]

"Nice, finally some actual schedule. But we came to arrange making of the costume for Erdel in the first place. Could you arrange that while I speak to Janus? And what about Tide, do you think he will join us today?"

[VisAnastasis]

" I can arrange the costume, no problems, I also thought it would be better if I do it, that's what I wanted to ask you since it would be a pity for you goofballs to bother with paperwork stuff when I can do it instead. I am not at sir Falcon's level of unnaturally good estimations, but Erdel is quite slender, so it's easy for me to figure out his measurements, he does not have to come to the tailor personally, I'll just pass it on. Unless you really want to do it, I can go arrange the costume, and we can regroup at the mansion, what do you think? I assume you won't feel unsafe as long as that vampire kid is with you, " Hans inquired gently. "As for Tide, he will be surely worried for Death and will probably try to convince him to come with us, just to participate, to take his mind off worry, even if he does not speak with anyone. So, what happens will depend on what Death chooses, but I also do not want Tide not to come with us, especially after he was so sad we could not all hang out together at the Ball. So, if Death chooses to come, I was thinking of asking Erdel to take care of him and watch over him instead of Tide, since they seem to get along okay, and I want Tide to be free enough to focus on you, for my grand matchmaking goals, of course," he smiled a bit. "If Death does not come, well, we will have to find a replacement babysitter so Tide feels safe enough leaving him. I would feel a bit bad denying a trip to Erdel, but, well... it is the truth that out of people here, Death may feel safest with him, and as much as I figured, it seems Death promised to teach the lad Spirit language when he has time, so he is long overdue on lessons, anyway, so it could be a good distraction to teach him some of it. Xia is another person he used to be close to, but their relationship is a little in the air right now, so I would rather not trouble the child. I could also ask Sage, as although they did not talk a lot, he will be rather safe with Sage. Jake also gets along well with Death, but considering the Riversong matter touches them both, the two might just amplify each other's worries so I would rather keep them separated for now... So, choosing the right babysitter in case Death does not want to come to our picnic will be a bit of a challenge, but as long as we find someone Tide knows can take care of Death well we can surely coax him to come with us. "

[Mirach]

"But either way Tide will join us? That's good... Okay, I'm going to talk to Janus and you take care of the costume, and then we go back to the mansion."

[VisAnastasis]

" Do not worry, I will drag that rascal Tide with us even if I have to guilt trip him to death, "Hans grinned and waved to him as he turned away, " Good luck, kiddo, do your best and see you soon... "
As he left him in front of the basement, Senecio could go in for the talk. Once he opened the door, he saw a new little addition to the resting area of the room. On the left free corner of the wall now stood a nice little white wall shelf with a mix of swirly and heart-shaped decorations - clearly something Janus has sometimes previously carved out and painted to resemble children's book illustrations but did not want to set up before seeing if Senecio will accept the key.
On the shelf, he had placed four a bit comically large jars that had wooden lids with some strange runes carved into them that probably had the function to preserve the contents longer. As for the contents of the jars... they were countless colourful cookies, filled to the brim of each. Janus distributed all the leftover cookies from the tea party into the cookie jars, putting vanilla scones and all others the actor said he liked the most into the one labelled "Senecio's positive reinforcement jar", and the rest into three other jars, one for each of his apprentices.  Erdel, who seemed to have written text for other labels, too, since he had rather lovely handwriting, was just finishing up writing the label with the name of the youngest child, and in meantime, Janus was finishing tying a lovely silver ribbon bow around the lid of Senecio's jar as a decoration, in the same manner he decorated the jars of children - each jar was adorned with a ribbon of different colour, matching favourite colour of each child.

[Mirach]

"Nice shelf," Senecio smiled. "Does it mean I get a cookie for coming here?"

[VisAnastasis]

"Oh, how did you know? Among other things, yes, I did plan to use it as bait to make you wish to come here more often, " Janus seemed a little flustered that Senecio guessed it right away, almost messing up the bow before straightening it out again. " To be completely honest, though... I have to say I mostly intended it as a self-reward arrangement. I have been thinking, and I believe my system of giving points and rewards for doing well and making healthy life choices is working unexpectedly well... but still, in the long run, I figured it may feel a bit discouraging, to feel like you have to do well to be rewarded... After all, sometimes even merely waking up and going through the day is good enough to be worth commending, "the creature shared its thoughts timidly. Since not many folded rose napkins were used for the tea party, it gathered the remaining ones in its hands and began decorating the empty place on the shelf with it as it explained. " So, you may look at it as a bunch of preemptively given reward points, Senecio... Every cookie is a point I am giving you by default, just so, because you are a lovely child, "he grinned the littlest bit, with a timid, but brighter proud feeling, "So since you are a good kid, make sure to reward yourself properly and come freely to take cookies whenever you need to remind yourself of it so that black-tinted glasses of the world do not cloud your judgement. I will fill it up for you whenever it starts dwindling. After all, this is a preemptive reward merely for existing, so the least I can do is keep it full as long as you are alive, or as long as you wish to keep coming here... "

[Mirach]

"It sounds kind of childish at first, but when you think about it, it's really true. Why would only children deserve little sweet rewards? I'm going to take one," Senecio smiled and took a cookie from the jar. "So what's the thing you wanted our opinion on?"
 

[VisAnastasis]

"Well... about that, I want to ask something about mister Svarik, and something about Xia... I guess asking about Xia first will be better, because it is less sad and mostly centred on my ignorance, "Janus said slowly as he leaned a bit against the wall and fiddled with one rose napkin while he spoke, as that seemed to calm his uncertainty a little. "You see, I do not exactly have a lot of common sense, so it is hard for me to judge what is appropriate sometimes... But this morning, when Xia came by Hans's errand to send me a message that we have time to rebuild the stage today, it happened to be breakfast, so I invited her over. I normally would not think of such a thing, but she seemed to rather enjoy heart-shaped sandwiches, and kids really liked to feed her and pet her, so, I was thinking... she is both quite strong and friend-shaped, so it would be reassuring and soothing for kids to have her around and cuddle her since I can not offer them any physical affection, and I wanted to hire a bodyguard for the children since the first day, anyway. Being culture generally frowns upon child labour, but since her circumstances are unique and she feels like she has to work to be valued, I thought it may not be bad to give her such a job, since caretaking is natural for her, and for someone as qualified as her, it can hardly be called a job. Al she has to do is spend time with the children so bad people do not approach them when I am not around, and soothe them if they are anxious. But... the overqualifications are the problem, "he sighed, sounding, indeed, rather unsure and troubled, as indeed, while seeing Xia as a child, he saw her as equal, too. "She is a flying creature, and fliers are very rare, you see... So offering her a position so low makes me feel like I am taking advantage of her. She has qualifications that can give her the opportunity to make a great amount of money and any Being along the coast would pay her a fortune to be a delivery person for goods and messages. I only have the pay you give me, of 55 coins, and I give 11 coins per child, so by rules of fairness it would be to pay her equally, which is the last 11 coins so that there is no jealousy between them... but even though I know little of money, I am aware that is silly payment for a Being as overqualified as her. Is it really moral, to try to entice her with an easy entry-level job? I feel like I would swindle her and deprive her of better life opportunities, but at the same time, kids like her a lot, so I feel like I should try to pursue it, even if it is shameless. What should I do? "he whispered quietly, indeed, his eyes ardently looking for help. "It, it is not like I have nothing else to offer. Since we have a lot of space now, I can give her a place to stay there along with us, and since I am a demon and am learning the current human language better myself, I can teach what I learn to her while others are sleeping at night, and I guess, since she is young and knows little of the world, it would not hurt to teach her other things while I am teaching mechanics to other children, anyway... I do not have much more to offer other than knowledge and cookies, though. Do you think this is an immoral idea born from my greed, that only sounds logical to me because it seems like the best solution to my worries about the children's anxieties? Or is it actually a good idea by common sense standards? I... can not tell if it is the idea that only seems good to me, or if it is an actual good idea, and she seems like such a tense frightful child, I do not want to add more uncertainty on her plate by presenting her with a bad deal. I do not have... qualifications to figure out if the conditions I have in mind are good or bad... "

[Mirach]

"I think it would be a really nice solution to her situation, actually. She's a child herself, and should be with other children and learn things, but she wants to work and earn her place. She may be qualified to do other things, but this would be better for her than being a highly paid messanger. If you employ her, I can give you more money so you can pay her better. Just formulate it... well, like you just did, actually. That the kids need a protector and someone who can be close to them and feel safest with her. She also needs someone close to her, but before all she wants to feel useful, so I think she would accept. It's not exploiting her when what you ask from her is good for her too."

[VisAnastasis]

"Oh... are you sure? Really? "Janus's eyes widened, and he seemed genuinely taken aback that his thoughts were taken so positively. " I... I mean... I am aware that she technically has no guardian, so it is not like I am stealing her from a parent. But that is all the more troublesome. Since she can pick literally anyone in the world, I would like to make sure that I am actually giving her the best possible work conditions, so that I do not feel like she could be doing better working somewhere else... I could really use her help, but I do not want to try to claim her if you believe she would be better of elsewhere. It is unpleasant enough to use child labour at all, but since we live in a world where those particular children would work, anyway, the least I can do is be the best employer that I can be, otherwise, there is no point in hiring them... I do not want to remain in her memory forever as an adult that took advantage of her when she knew too little of the world..."

" If you do not want her to regret being employed by you, how about you just pile up the loosest and best conditions, so that when she looks back, she can see how much effort you put to give her lot of freedom to do what she wants to? Xia is the kind of child that will value the amount of sincerity more than anything else, " Erdel suggested slowly. " You can ask her for a small number of hours, to cover the minimum time when you can not be around children, but give her additional rewards when she spends more hours, like cookies and food and toys. That way, she will easily be able to meet the hour quota, but still have the incentive to stay longer to play with other children, and also be able to leave if Hans or Death ask for her or need to send her on an errand. Definitely offer her a place to stay with you, since she dislikes spending nights alone, and it will be a good condition for her to have kids she can put to sleep each night, as she likes to cuddle a lot. Give her a jar of her own here, and when you are at it, perhaps it would not be a bad idea to use the reward points system you use for children for her, too, " vampire, who clearly spoke out of his own experience raising children, spoke rather readily and fervently. " Kids need stability to grow up well more than anything else, and for an insecure child like her it would be good for her to grow up being rewarded often and clearly when she does well... "

" Oh... Yes... I did not think about it, but I guess it would be unfair, if I did not count points for her, too... I do not want to do this if I can not find a way to make everything fair, in everything. I can easily count points for one more child. Speaking of fairness... How can I even begin to figure it out... what kind of pay is fair for a situation like this? " he turned his head to Senecio anew, his ears drooping downward with trembling, anxious hope. " On the one hand, just like the children, I would like to pay her a lot, and I overheard she is saving up to buy a big stuffed toy for Death, out of all things, and I do want her to reach her peculiar goal easily, but also, I do not want to pay her too much more than the other children, so that I do not spoil their good starting point with jealously. I am currently paying each child 11 silver coins as you advised me, Senecio. Should I make a new deal with you for something so that I can get more money so that I pay her alone more, or should I pay all the children more? What should I do to make sure that I am... you know... a good... " he was fiddling with his thumbs around the folded rose napkin nervously. " No, I mean, not just merely good, but a really good employer for them?"

[Mirach]

"I don't really have an idea what the wages for Being messangers are, but if she has food and accomodation taken care of, 11 silver is a nice wage in human standard, and would allow her to buy toys and sweets easily. I don’t know if there's something bigger she would like to buy or save money for, but since we enoloy you, then she'll also be rechnically employed in the theatre and we can figure out some bonus for her with Hans if it's needed," Senecio said. "For the other kis as well. I understand the need to work for things instead of just accepting them. It should be natural for children to just accept care, but if it's not, being a good employer is the best thing you can do in the situation," Senecio said.

[VisAnastasis]

Janus was nodding fervently at Senecio's words, as it seemed he was firmly determined to be the best employer he can be, with a real, timidly growing enthusiasm. He seemed finally convinced it was a good idea and that it would not be immoral to pursue it.

" Thank you... I know it may sound like I am preachy, but I do not want to fall into the temptations of doing the best for me, just what is best for the child, because that is my role as an adult and I can not compromise on it. When I meet up with the children... I will ask them if they have any additional insight into more things that Xia may want so that I can give her the best offer I can when I talk to her today. And... speaking about doing things right... How do I even begin to explain what I want to ask about Svarik?  " he whispered with a little weary smile, his feelings reflecting a strange mix of determination and a numb, suppressed anxiety. " Well... I guess I can put it like this... yes. He is a ridiculously friend-shaped man, of little clear wants but endless good intentions. When I bid him for a deal to examine and treat the younglings, he wanted a deal where he does the best he can for my children, in return for me doing the best I can for his friends in the capital later. The problem is... he over-delivered. He took care of the children way too well, " he grinned frailly, his faint joke dripping with tiny spikes of dread. " And Eros met me shortly today to tell me Svarik's expecting mate and a sick friend are to take a long and exhausting flight from the capital today, and that I should do with that information what I feel is the best... And I feel rather guilty because my head is telling me what a very reasonable response would be, but my heart... is faltering. It should be such an easy and small thing to offer because it is really just a small and proper acknowledgement of his care for the children, but it is so hard to bring myself to do it... But at this point, it would be immoral not to do it, since it is an offer that would neither require me to strain myself or build something... only to borrow him something... "

[Mirach]

"What is it, and why is it so hard?" Senecio asked directly.

[VisAnastasis]

It took a moment before Janus was able to reply to that question because the words seemed to be stuck in his throat.
" Some powerful Beings, like Death and Eros, are able to go through fabric carrying material things without big cost to themselves... but some things are harder to carry than others, and some are impossible. For example, it would be easier to carry a simple book, than something complex... like a pocket dimension. They could drag pocket dimensions along with them, but it depends on a lot of things. For example, carrying the medallion I made for Svarik and Falcon would be relatively easy as it is simple. But carrying something complex... like my bag... would make him more tired.. but not impossible. He can take my bag, and bring it to the capital if I pass my ownership of the bag for a while to him and Svarik. There is a catch, naturally. Eros could carry my bag instantly through the fabric  - if there are no people currently inside that bag. Travelling through fabric with living souls inside would take too big a toll and be too dangerous for the souls... So, it is not like he can just take the bag there, have Svarik's people enter, and then just bring them back in a matter of minutes. But he can do the second-best thing. He could take the bag there instantly, put people inside the bag, and then just hold the bag in his hands and fly really fast to the sea. Instead of a whole night of slow arduous flight, considering the distance, hm... they could be at the sea in 4 hours and 10 minutes at most from the moment Eros leaves, and even more important, instead of holding onto him firmly not to fall, they could just rest or sleep in my temple for all the time while Eros is flying, with no hardships. Who... who with any heart would make a lady with a child and a sick creature fly the whole night if he can help it, right? Even more so, soon Svarik and his friends will be going back to the capital, and the least I could do is borrow him my bag so all of them could travel back in it so they return well rested. If I borrow them my bag to travel in... even just a fast person like your little friend Erdel can just carry them in a bag as he runs, leave them at the capital, and then just someone has to bring the bag back to me. It is so easy and simple, right? Yet.... "his voice was hoarse and rough, and he seemed to have trouble putting a stinging suffocating pain into words, avoiding Senecio's gaze. " This bag... was always everything to me... who is so small and weak. On the hierarchy of the Being world from Highest to lowest Beings... I am far below even little Melody who is considered a low Being. I am just a pebble on her shoe, "he tried to smile, but his face seemed to refuse to cooperate, " Long before I put my main temple in there, it was my home, where I put materials, did research and built things. When I would hide there, no Demon hunter would be able to find me, and no human could reach me. Everything I own is there...and I am so weak now that even if I lost it, I could never make something like that again, so for now, it truly is one of a kind item in the world. My item, my home, my laboratory where I build things, my last link to all my temples, my last resort safety net... And the only reason old kings did not covet it is that they just knew I can enter it and were using priests to deliver me through it from location to location. They hid it away when they captured me because they did not want me to use the divine item to escape... but they would not try to force me to use it for evil if they knew what it really was, and that it was a place people can live in. But due to circumstances, Svarik already knows it is a living space, and I believe his friend Falcon already suspects there could be more use to it than living space that he hopes to coax out of me one day. And... they do not seem as corrupted and violence-hungry as their ancestors, but...  "he shook his head weakly. "You can never know. You truly can never know, and I was betrayed so easily before, so it is laughable to assume I am a good judge of character unless there are obvious signs of evil. In lack of obvious signs, I am such in a situation where making a precedent is a moral thing, to return his kindness with kindness... but it is just so hard... "

[Mirach]

"I see why you are hesitant," Senecio said. "I would hesitate, too. I'm also in a similar position towards king Svarik. He spared my life when he had all the right and reason to just  have me executed, and as if that wasn't enough, he risked himself to heal me when I was dying. What am I supposed to do to repay that? But something so precious, something that would hurt so much to lose... I think I wouldn’t borrow it without a guarantee. You may be less selfish than me, though, and Erdel can probably reassure you about the king. But you would still be tense for the hours it would take them to get here, so I would still advise you to use some guarantee at least. Could they maybe give you something precious to them that you could hold onto until they come back with the bag? Or some other kind of guarantee that would ease your mind, if you can think of it...

[VisAnastasis]

"I think the only thing sir Svarik seems to truly value... are his people. While it seems to me that it would hurt him somewhat to lose things like moments from his past or gifts from his friends, it did not seem to me anything other than holding lives hostage would feel like an actual loss to him, or a loss big enough to convince him to keep his word if he really wanted to brake it... And I really am not that kind of person. To be honest, the easiest guarantee he could give... would be with his own life. We could make an official Being vow, and he could swear to me that he will not try to hold onto the bag or pressure me into giving it away or using it for bad things, and die if he brakes that promise... but I just can not bring myself to ask for such a big guarantee, you see, " he smiled, with a very fragile, apologetic expression, even as he distanced himself from humanity, not being able to hide his warmth, as fit for someone that had once been an Elder God. "It would be different if he were even a little, a littlest bit cruel, evil or corrupted... but as things stand, even if he betrayed me... even if he stole it... I would not really want him to die for it, or suffer, even, " his fingers were clutched over the napkin tightly. "You... are right. Perhaps I am indeed longing for some kind of guarantee to keep me calm while I wait, but... I really do know not, what is big enough guarantee to calm me even a little, as my reason is telling me my concerns are silly, but my heart is telling me they are not. I know... that when king's men took me, I was alone in the world, and now I have Tide and Hans to take my side and fight for my rights or help me retrieve what I lose, but my heart is not listening. But I can not put Svarik's life or well-being on a table just because the bag is the most important thing to me. Svarik is such a friend-shaped person, and I know that just because someone is such, they care to necessarily be a good person, but... it would be just like asking me to want to risk a life of a nice soft little butterfly. No matter how many times you would tell me the butterfly is evil, I could never make myself want it to die or be hurt needlessly... Even if he stole from me or the bag ended up stolen or destroyed while in his care, I could not possibly actually want him to end up hurt... Yes, I did have people steal from me here and there while I was a God, and it did generally make me sad at a time, and a lot of humans, in general, made me disappointed, but I did not want them to be hurt just because I was hurt... "