Senecio adn Tide II

[VisAnastasis]

" Well, since I bashed your wish, it only seems fair that I let you bash mine, " Conrad snorted, though he was tenser, his expression more insecure and defensive. " Yes, while technically we can fulfil the second step without the first, it wouldn't feel equally great, like if we do both steps. Without the first step, it would still be meaningful, but a little incomplete, if when we would travel through the bag, we would always have to feel like guests, without our own little personal place in it... Since we are not talking about what is the bare minimum needed to accomplish what I want, but a maximally pleasant situation can be - a condition that, when we travel through the bag, we have our own little private place in it, where we can all have little space with our favourite things, and rest comfortably without fear. What else is more valuable, than a place of your own, to sleep and rest in, where no one can stab you if you let your guard down? " Conrad sounded pretty pleased, as it seemed he really believed firmly in the reasonableness of his argument. " Of course, it would be nice if you help me work on getting permission from Janus, so we figure out together how to do it in a way that is most reassuring to him. I rarely deal with someone as jumpy as him, after all. His anxieties are a bit special, after all, and... I am confident I could also finish it on my own, but recent experiences have shown me, that even if I solved something most efficiently, it may not be solution for the best, so I was thinking it would be nice if I left solving it more up to you, so that I can observe and see what I can learn from you. After all, I can easily list and negotiate favourable and good conditions like a system where we would pay rent to him in what he prefers, and organise building of the house easily, but at the end of it all, it would also... feel nice, if we got to have the house thanks to our joint effort... I can be the one paying rent to Janus for it, but it would be nice, to know it is something we accomplished together... "

---

" That is the anger I am already more familiar with. After all, I have been quite angry, when those thugs beat up you and Hans, and I came to your aid. It's just that it's usually hard for me to be deeply angry... my anger is mostly superficial, as my usual main response is worry, and more than anger, I more often feel disappointment when I meet people I abhor. Anger is too intense emotion... But I guess, if I imagine myself catching someone like Guliermo in an act of something vile,... yes. I think I can imagine real anger then. Angriest I am able to get, is probably when I can see someone drunk on the power of exerting violence on others, " Tide nodded a little more thoughtfully, his hand holding the actor's, as he inquired shyly, curiously. " Our skill gap is still heaven and earth, though...I can not wait, to see your play about Alpha where you play all characters, if feels so inspiring to imagine you pulling that off... I feel like my weakest point is imagining the invisible person I am supposed to get angry at... I guess it is not easy, to develop such a completely new skill, but I would really love to be up to the task, so please, help me do well. I need all advice you can give me, to trick you into feeling like it is real danger, " The creature seemed hopeful and enthusiastic, as if knowing Senecio is an expert, and maybe even more, seeing how patiently he was teaching Erdel today reassured him, to want to do better, too, with his help, and encouraged him to offer more. " Can you tell me how you imagined the scene? Did you imagine some nobles would kidnap Sein Miru, and try to humiliate him to teach him a lesson in remote location, and have Beast King come to the rescue unexpectedly after Sein Miru lost all hope? Or do they run into him in Hallway, and try to hurt him quickly, and Beast King happens to walk by while searching for him, and is surprised and horrified and shows his wrath openly on impulse? I remember at their first meeting, that Beast King asked Sein Miru to never again be intimate with other people, only with him, so I imagine he would be quite desperate to resist others and feel guilty for letting it happen, so it would be interesting to see what emotions the two have to overcome for their happy ending. So, how do you imagine things to happen? Hm... I guess, since you are not afraid of me... if I am acting as both Beast King and sinister nobles... If you would like it so, to feel it is more real... I could always take on a more rough, scarier form, to use as "costume" for nobles, to hurt and humiliate you with, and then take on the Beast King form when I rescue and comfort Sein Miru? Since I know you aren't afraid of me... I would not mind, if we figure out some new form you'd like to be hurt with, if you so desire... as my treat for how lovely you did today, " he cleared his throat shyly, as he was slowly growing more confident and as his trust in Senecio seemed to have deepened in the meantime. " Oh, and since they want to put Sien Miru in his place, how excessive do you imagine humiliation to be? I admit I lack a lot of creativity when it comes to trying to imagine how to hurt someone the most, but since it is a game, I will give my best. Do you think bashy nobles humiliating intimately and whipping you would seem like a reasonable experience? Or do you want me to try that lightning artefact Hans told me you received from Janus on you? I admit, when Hans first told me of Janus's gift for your defence, I was cluelessly happy, but Hans made sure to underline to me that lightning artifact may be something you will probably like me to use on you sometimes so that I am not taken aback if you suggest it at one point. I didn't really think of it until he explained. I guess I am not really too creative in art of cruelty, heh... Sorry. I am going to try my best, but most of my knowledge of cruelty is picked up by things I saw or heard on occasion if me and Hans would happen to walk in on scenes of crimes to stop, and through reading books and trashy toxic romance novels, and I would normally never wish to learn too much of it, but I am curious, how well I can do if I give my best... "

[Mirach]

Svarik sighed, and just shortly glanced at Melody to see if she understands more. "Conrad, dear... please listen to me now. I'm not bashing your wish. I'm just trying to understand what the actual wish is. You... are talking a language I don't fully understand. Well, I understand the feeling and intention. You don't ask for things and don't know how to. You hope I will take the little hints and figure t what you actually want. And I would love to, really. When you are hesitant to talk about what you want, just consider that I would love to do something for you, and if I knew that you care about something, it would bring me more joy to accept that and do that, unlike when I feel like you're indifferent about it yourself, and just doing it for my sake. But, it's the way you're talking around it, offering reasons and excuses for arguements that haven't even been made, that make it hard to understand. I'm not bashing your wish when I try to formulate it in simpler words to see if I actually understand it. You metioned two steps, but never specified the second one. First is building the house, is that correct? And the second one is... bringing more people here and making Janus less lonely? Was that the second step, or was it and arguement for the first one? I would gladly try to convince Janus about this, but step zero in your wish needs to be explaining it a little more straightforwardly, I fear. Can you do that?"

---

"So... anger. Anger should feel catharctic. Imagine having a really frustrating day. Nothing you do is working well, things keep going wrong... And then, at the end of such a day, you can't take it anymore, and there is an ugly chair you nver really liked, and you stub your toe on it, so finally you get angry and you smash the chair and break it to pieces and yell at the pieces... and suddenly you feel so much better and lighter, and you can laugh aboutt it. Can you imagine that? That's the basis for anger that you can build on. Righteous anger is even stronger, because it's not triggered by some random patty coincindeces, but by injustice. And I would love you to play both sides there, if you can. On second thought, this would be an important scene for the story that I'm really looking forward to. Let's just plan it now, and do it later, in the evening, so that we can prepare it properly and don't have anything else to do afterwards."
 

[VisAnastasis]

Falcon gulped. Indeed, trying to dance around it and offer explanations seemed to be his way of trying to convince the other party of the value of his wish, so he has less chance of being denied. The grip of his hands was tense, and he was struggling to say it without in the same time trying to justify it.
" I.. am sorry. You choose to love a silly... complicated man... I just feel like, if I don't give you enough pros versus cons, it won't feel like it has proper weight. Being able to interact with Janus more, and don't feel like we are staying on a lonely little misty hill as it would be if we had our dimension, too, is just one or the advantages. So... without advantages or disadvantages to talk of... The steps of my wish are... First step, building a nice little house that we can share here. And the second step. Second step.... " despite his fervent tries not to justify, it seemed not to come easily to him, as indeed, there seemed to be great weight in his heart, with his grand wish, and he did not dare to look up, clearly anxious as he anticipated their response. " The second step is... tied to the list of places I originally wanted to visit... Before I die. I originally planned to make Svarik the King, wait a bit until the situation is stable enough so I don't feel guilty leaving you, travel through places on my bucket list... and then go to the beaches famous for how clearly stars reflect upon the sea, and drink poison after I've seen them. There... was not really any special grand yearning, behind that bucket list originally... it was mostly made with bitterness and spite. The sights of the mountains were sad, carrying memories of war, and after I was branded traitor, I could barely leave the city because of my Underground work, so if I was to die anyway, I might as well see some of those places and see what's so great about them... and set the exit scene properly. I wanted to leave my traces through the land, and make myself a grave, where no one I know would ever find me. But now... I want to see it. The places I wanted to see purely for the sake of knowing I didn't die before seeing them... Now I want to see them with you two... so we can judge together, if they are worth seeing, and enjoy them, if so. The second part of my wish, is going through my whole bucket list, a little at a time... and adding new things as we go along the way, so the list is never empty, as it would be, if I crossed out the last place from it, with nothing else I feel that I am obliged to see, " he smiled shyly, and it was hard to phrase it so directly and plainly, instead of circling around it, and he seemed indeed fragile, overwhelmed with anxieties about what Melody and Svarik will think of it.  " I... Know it may not sound like much, and it is not like either of you is never planning to travel, especially if we can use the bag and do it more frequently and safely... But... it would feel very meaningful to me, passing through this list that only I know, of things I planned to see before I die, and see it under different circumstances, and come up with more  places to see that I could never come up with on my own. I... think it is quite a decent grand wish. It is repeatable, and not hard, so we can always do a little from it when we have time, and it is not for the world, and society certainly won't get even a little bit better because of it... nothing about it will make the whole world happier or more prosperous. It is just something I want, untied to any high ideas or efficiency... something from my heart, not head... "

---

" I don't have any pressing matters, since Death won't be meeting with Riversong today, since Svarik and others left for the capital... but it is very nice to lull you to sleep after you spend all your strength and are weak, sleepy and cuddly. It is very lovely when I can take care of you, and snuggle you into warm blankets and get you ready for sleep... so, unless you feel more eager than usual and want to do it now and in the evening if we're doing it once, my preference would be leaving it for the evening, too... Putting you to sleep after we've taken care of you is my favourite order of events, " the creature replied shyly, growing more thoughtful. " I can play both sides, evildoer and the Beast King, transition where Beast King appears would probably be hardest part to make believable, since I can only take on one form at the same time, but I am sure we can figure out how to make it work if we plan it together. As for anger... I think I can wrap my mind around a righteous one. Perhaps I am not the type to smash someone's skull, but I can wrap my mind around yelling and scorning. I understand... shock and dismay one feels when one tells someone - how dare you? How dare you do such an unspeakable thing? It is just more often in my nature to feel sad if I don't feel like the evildoer is a threat to life and can be stopped just with force, like humans, and with Demon Hunters, I mostly react with panic and rush to defeat them or run, depending what I have to protect... So, sadness or anxieties and finding quick ways to de-escalate things or stop threats is what I usually do. It does not really feel constructive... to lose your own mind by being angry. When faced with reprehensible things, I usually feel disappointed, bitter and cold to the person doing it, and sad for the victims, and negative feeling is there, but rather than scorching fire like sir Falcon's, the emotion it brings me is cold, like a wasteland of ice. As for common anger... It is harder to wrap my mind around being angry at an ugly chair but... I guess the closest to common little anger for me would be when I am insecure and pouting. Like when I try to eat the last piece of candy I love, and Hans quickly reaches for it and eats it before me, and is choking from laughter, just because it was fun to tease me. Or when he does something fun without me if he knows I am bored and would have loved to do it? Or when I want to buy limited edition of a book, and it is sold out, but Hans managed to buy a copy, and he's teasing me and won't let me read it before he does, threatening to spoil it for me? I do pout often when he's teasing or scolding me, but it is a safe feeling because there's never real malice to it, and when he passes the line by mistake, rather than get angry, I usually cry and stress eat until he apologies and we make up, heh... even if he's no longer Trickster God, when he is in a good mood, he can be too mischievous... "

[Mirach]

"That sounds great," Svarik smiled. "I would love to do that. And I will add another wish on top of that, because now I'm the only one without a wish that can be realistically fulfilled. It's kind of a mix of yours and Melody's, because I just remembered an apple tree that was growing near our house, and I loved the taste of its apples. I would like to take a twig from it and plant it here, after we build the house. It's just grass here now, but it could be a lovely garden. And as we travel to the different places, I would like to try and collect the best fruit tree from every place, to put into our garden here. How's that for a wish?" --- "Well, anger is very much like that sadness, but it feels better and it's over faster, you just need to be careful to take it out safely and not on someone. I prefer that as a conclusion of a bad day, but I'm not telling you how you should feel, only how to act. And I'd prefer evening, too. Something to be excited about for a couple of hours."

[VisAnastasis]

Finally, from avoiding their gaze during most of the time they spoke of his great wish, especially since he was anxious about how it would be accepted, Conrad timidly looked up. He glanced between them, as if to check if it really was okay, before his face lit up slowly in a heartfelt smile. " I... guess... I was too hasty, to look down on the quality of Melody's original wish. Melody's wish of growing us soothing food under the influence of Simbel's garden... on second thought, it is lovely and grand in its warmth and love, and I feel like your and mine last wishes are finally up to par. When you speak of building an orchard and a lovely little garden here, I can hear it in your voice that it is something you clearly look forward to, not something that you feel like you ought to do, like steps needed to become a great king. A thought of growing the best, loveliest fruit here, and seeing you happy, as you gather trees with songs that make you happiest... the thought of us gathering in one corner, safe and all of our own, the best that our land has to offer... it is dazzling. So... It feels nice, to anticipate it. Wouldn't it be nice, to look forward to what kind of amazing soothing things that never existed before would grow in Melody's little farm with Simbel's powers shaping them? And isn't the image of the little house, and the many trees and fruit we grow around it magnificent? We can grow vegetables in Simbel's gardens, and fruits here. Both lovely and exciting things to look forward to... in the future I never thought I would have," he admitted, as he slowly, hesitantly, brought their hands to his mouth, and kissed them shyly, as if he could not help himself. " Thank you... Tryly, " his lip wobbled, as he tried to keep a straight face. " Thank you for giving me such lovely sights to yearn for... The future you paint feels so rich and abundant that I could taste it... Both songs of Melody's happy farm, and your happy orchard here, are bound to be splendid Songs of land singing in great joy.. "

---

" You know, you are probably the only person in the world that knows what I am, that would actually suggest me anger as a reasonable option to pursue sometimes. I mean, you are aware of what I am, right? " Tide chuckled, but he seemed a little shy and wondering, as he inquired timidly. " I... I told you. Even at Being Courts, when I was acting peacefully, people would avoid me or be apprehensive of me. Behind my human form, I am a monster that consumed thousands of smaller and bigger chunks of the souls of others to become One, and people can instinctively feel it, even humans, but Beings especially. Of course, it was in times before speech and civilisation when we were a little different from animals, but my existence is still extremely controversial. People were tense even when I was clearly unarmed, unskilled in fighting, perfectly tame, and great at de-escalating... how do you think they would feel if one of my innate responses to difficulties would be anger, frustration or violence, even if it was directed on chairs? " he whispered, timidly leaning against actor's shoulder more, nudging him, as if seeking reassurance in his presence. " It is different... when we are playing a game. I can try hard to imagine how someone less anxious about scarring others could feel and act on it. It makes me quite sad, even when I remove my mask, and others become afraid looking into my eyes.  I am so very frightened of accidentally bringing terror into the hearts of people I adore and admire. Are you sure... you won't be affected, if I do my best to act angry? If our fun little games were not pretence, and if I actually did something that made you look at me with fear or anxiety that was not one of pretence, I would most definitely cry... "

[Mirach]

Svarik smiled. "Yours will be so nice, too. If you get any more such wishes, even if smaller, please try to share them, okay? I know it feel hard and vulnerable, but you don't need to fear rejection, alright? I'm delighted to know something that you desire and that's in my power to fulfill. And maybe I'll get more ideas for mine if you do. I wouldn't get the idea for the orchard here without hearing your wish."

---

"I think I would actually be more affected by your sadness than your anger. Anger feels more thrilling than scary, as long as it's eithet fake, or not directed at me," Senecio said.

[VisAnastasis]

" I like... how our wishes reflect us. One planting something healing, other planting something delicious, and the third, wishing to build something safe and sturdy... It suits us, " Falcon replied, and, finally relieved, as if he took off a great burden from his shoulders when he voiced his desire and had it accepted, he laughed, shyly but with a hopeful expression, finally meeting their gazes freely. " And, since you are insisting... if we are taking small, very small, dollhouse scaled size of a wish... When we make arrangements and are picking first fruit to plant here... I would love you two to pick a pear tree that makes you think of me, so we can plant it. In mountains...we often lived on rations most of the time during undercover or tracking missions, so it was always a brief moment of levity, when we would come across wild or half-wild trees that bore fruit, and when I was first stationed, I was very young, so others would often pressure me into eating more than my fair share of fruit, under excuse that I am still growing, and pear trees were common in that part of the mountain... I like pears. And as for the little farm in Simbel's garden... if it is okay... I would like us to plant a little bit of corn, there, too... So we can... make our own homemade fish baked with corn and apples, " he explained timidly, and although it was obvious he was trying to offer low-risk wishes so he would be sure not to be refused, there was a clear effort from him, to be more open and sincere with what he desires. While he always put great weight into what Melody and Svarik wanted, after they got together, his efforts soared, as he must have been truly hopeful and determined to do his part to make their relationship work. " For most of last ten years... I ate little, and sparingly, never in the same place in a row, so I'd be poisoned less often. I ate with duty, what was healthy, without preference. But... it was nice, eating more together in the last few months... And Melody always prepared your favourite when it were hard days... you always looked most comforted when you would eat it, so I looked forward to those days. It is a dish that makes me smile and think of you, like apples pies make me smile and think of Melody, as she'd sometimes coax me into sharing it with her when I would come to brush her hair. You are already planning to plant an apple tree, though, but to make it from scratch, it would be nice to plant corn, too... If you have some small wishes to offer back, I can give you some more small onces, but this is first things that comes to mind after hearing your wishes... "

---

" I see... then... I will give my best. As long as I am secure you will stop the game if something I do affects you negatively... I guess being a scary, easier-to anger critter is on the table, " Tide's a little worried expression brightened up, as he grinned shyly, looking reassured. " The only thing that would make me sad is passing over the line without intending to, and not knowing I passed the lines before it is too late, and I end up scarring your heart or awakening bad memories, perhaps to the point you would not longer feel safe enough to be with me... But you already know my anxieties. I know I ask a lot from you, who has trouble distinguishing if someone went too far or if it is still tolerable - but you are doing so well until now. I am proud, of your efforts. When I think about it, I am equally proud of you for refusing my advances yesterday, as with how well you did at rehearsal today. So, unless you don't feel like doing it tonight, I will give my best, to show you at least decent anger. I will give my very best, I promise, " critter nodded its head fervently, with optimistic bubbly brightness, looking quite confident. " I can generally manage cold disapproval and flabbergasted shock... so I will try to draw from that. Is there anything else other than anger that would make it feel more real and scary for you? It's embarrassing, but... you are just so hard to frighten, " It was quite peculiar, seeing with how much enthusiasm Tide was brainstorming, but since it seemed his trust in Senecio's sincerity was very deep and secure now,  he was clearly looking at this as a dare in a game, not a thing worth of worry. " No matter what I do, your fear always feels half-baked... As in, you are acting it decently, but it doesn't seem like you were ever genuinely afraid. If villain nobles are going to strive to properly humiliate and intimidate Sein Miru, they would try to frighten and put him in his place, but neither you nor character's heart races with frights easily... hm... should I try to aim for emotional fear? While he may have some fears I don't know about yet, from impression I get, Sein Miru's biggest fear would be Beast King discarding him, so he may be terrified that if he is intimate with someone else, even if it's against his will, that Beast King will leave him, because he ordered him not to have any other partners. Should we try to lean into insults and fears of the mind, then, since pinning you down, hurting or whipping you does not do much to spike up your fear? You... said you like being called bad boy when we were there, upon the palace roof, but it doesn't suit me too much, to insult people, as me, " he said shyly. " But if I am playing someone most reprehensible, then I think I could give it a try. What do you think? Do you have any ideas what would be fun to add? "

[Mirach]

"Well, in that case another wish is just natural, I think. A fish pond, of course," Svarik said. "We could go fishing here, when we have time for it."

---

"Well, from the story point of view, the nobles think Sein Miru in the king's disfavour. Maybe they want to get the king's approval by punising him, but I think it would be more likely they just want to amuse themselves, and think that if they pick him, they can get away wth it safely."

[VisAnastasis]

" Oh, should we make a fish pond here, or should we grow fish at Simbel's pond? Now that I think about it, Simbel said that in the past, priests used to grow fish in the pond that would be good for other's health. We don't grow any yet, wouldn't it be lovely to find some pink and silver fish, to surprise him? " Melody chipped in brightly, pleased with the fun idea.
" Simbel's waters are freshwater, so only freshwater fish can be grown there... So how about we keep freshwater fish we like at Simbel's pond, and make a salty body of water for some lovely seafish here, so we have both? " Conrad, who was relieved after removing the heavy burden from his chest, seemed still flustered after his efforts to be more honest, but his face was overflowing with tender anticipation, as he planned something for the future together with them, instead of always plotting surprised for them secretly, seemed to have been a pleasant change. " In either case, whatever we decide, you are right, this place still misses something to feel authentic... It needs more sound. It would be nice to design some stream, to give it more life. If people in old age could build something like Halls of Water, there's no way we can't build something with some nice music. We have Zephir, Janus, and so many Listeners gathered up... Something soothing, that wouldn't be destructive to the surroundings, on a small scale, should be doable. Besides, it would be nice to be able to give Janus something nice to listen to when we aren't here, too. This world is too void of content, even if he can't taste and smell things well, there's no reason we can't give him nice things to hear and see. "
" When it comes to giving nice things to see, what do you think about planting giant strawberries? " Melody suddenly chipped in brightly, as it seemed the conversation of everyone picking what they liked what very fulfilling and fun for her. " When I was speaking with some Beings in the house, I learned one of the Sea Kingdom's Beings grows giant strawberries in their field, but that after consideration, Hans concluded importing them as smuggled goods in Lowlands would raise too many questions, so in the end, they are mostly bought by Beings living in human world. I wanted to ask Hans to get us some to try together, so I can also gather the seeds, and grow some for us myself. They come from deeper layers of the world, and most are eaten when they are as big as watermelon, but if you grow them well, they can grow much bigger! " girl explained brightly. " Even if he can't eat them, there is no way for one not to smile, with a bunch of giant strawberries! They have very strong soothing smell when they are ripe, too, so he even if he can't smell well, he's bound to sense a bit of their sweetness! There are many fun and peculiar fruit and vegetables from deeper layers, so if you tell me some of your preferences, I am sure we can see with Hans what he can find for us, and if needed, I could also travel to get some fun seeds, too.  "

---

" I see... So it is senseless violence brought by amusement and drunkenness on power... Violence brought by a feeling of superiority and arrogant lack of fear from any punishment... Casual violence one can partake it knowing they will easily get away with it, like Guliermo's violence. Yes... I guess I can get properly angry at such attitude, then, " Tide nodded a little more quietly, pondering the situation. " Hm... Well... You are right, it makes sense for it to be so. For it to be a careless, simple power trip, brought under superficial other excuses, where the actual real reason is power trip and lust. And it is even worse, because Sein Miru may know his relationship with Beast King isn't going poorly, but if he would use Beast King to try to scare them off, even if he were to succeed, he'd only turn himself into Beast King's weakness and turn Beast King into a liar, and there's no way he'd want to cause him trouble. So what possible plea to leave him alone can he possibly give, when he's resisting them, if he can't even use Beast King's grace as his shield? If he tries to protect himself by claiming he's precious to Beast King, he'd be ruining their previous plan, and if he stays quiet, he'll break his promise to Beast King to not be with anyone other than him... it is truly a sad place to be in. It is really important scene, we need to craft it with proper diligence. First about look, is there anything specific look you would like us to give to this nobleman villain? " the creature inquired, slowly, but with clear trust, as it seemed, even more after actor's acceptance today, he seemed trusting that Senecio would respond well to even less human form of him, so he wasn't that reserved about showing him more anymore. " If it is hard to describe, you can draw too, since I have quite a lot more control over my less presentable human looks, unlike for my more presentable ones. Are there any features that would make it scarier for you, and Sein Miru? I don't have too strong preferences for choice, other than I think, if it's okay with you, I would like to have more arms. You are surprisingly agile and wiggly when you try to resist and get away, so it would be more comfortable to have more arms to do things easier. Are we only making one noble villain or more? If it's more villains it would be hard to pretend to be more people with just two arms, anyway, and since it is Beast Kingdom, even if we choose to have only one nobleman villain, it would still be plausible for him to have more arms, so it shouldn't break immersion, it just depends on what we choose. "

[Mirach]

"That's a great idea!" Svarik smiled. "I could be collecting fruits from the human world, and you could collect them from Being world. The stream can't have saltwater though, that wouldn’t be good for the plants, so if we want seafish here, we need to keep the water from seeping into the soil. Or we can also have freshwater here, and have sea food when we're at the sea. Or... maybe leave that for someone who actually knows how to build ponds to figure it out."

---

"I love the idea of more arms," Senecio said. "Restraining arms, with different textures. Something like insect legs, hard and articulated, but also something boneless and flexible, but very strong, like octopus tentacles. Oh, and octopuses have those neat sucker cups, too! And jellyfish have stinging tentacles..."

[VisAnastasis]

" We have a lot of pretty great individuals on our side, so I am sure, if we choose to, that making both saltwater and a freshwater pond, and freshwater stream, would be possible, but we can pick freshwater for now. Since it is an endless summer here, and since both you and Melody lived near waters for a long time, one at the mountains, the other at Sirnis lake, I imagine you'd like to swim sometimes, too? As long as we won't have those streams too deep, so you don't drown by accident, and neither of you boths alone, without company to jump in rescue in case of accidents, I'll allow it, " Falcon offered a compromise, as it was quite a big thing from him, to suggest such thing that could add little element of danger in this very safe pocket world.
" Both me and Svarik are good swimmers, so that won't happen, but we'll be careful, of course, " Melody soothed him, and the man nodded slowly.
" I am just saying... just in case, of course. Even if you may be a great swimmer, it takes only one moment of oversight... But as long as you are careful, I will trust you, " the man said, voicing his own preferences timidly. " As for me... I always liked, many little wooden and stone bridges, around city walls, at places where river meanders along the orchards... I can hold my breath for a very long time, and swim well, but those are more skills I learned for efficiency and survival in the mountains, so I am not caught unprepared and die for such silly reason. Rather than that, I liked walking or sitting on bridges, and watching the water flow and light refract upon it. The more I think about it, the idea of some waters in this stillness sounds lovely and rich... In the last ten years, I was only ever able to calmly pass along bridges under the safe cover of moonlight, when I would go leave presents for children under the guise of Star Boy. I can not safely venture during the day, and even if we have build little artificial lake around your new mansion and we have white's pond, there will be lot of people circulating around, so you can't exactly freely just in the water when you feel like it, either, just like you can't walk barefoot into the council meeting. In real world, there is danger and level of manners we have to maintain, but there are no such things here, where no one can see us. So here, we can just do what we choose to, and exist freely, and gather our favorite things, and our favorite fruit... If you agree, some more water and bridges, I think they would be nice, as I said, and... " he wiggled shyly, with a timid expression as he added. " And... what are your opinion.... on raising bees? Janus doesn't like seeing death, and lot of bees die daily, simply on nature of their short lifespan, so I am sure seeing creatures die as much would make him sad... But what if it is special kind of bees? You spoke to me once, of Cernunnos's bees, that make honey that promotes health and longer life, and that have over generation, with his son's Emil's care, grown into a bigger, more resilient kind, that lives a lot longer, and dies harder. If we can make some kind of deal with Cernunnos, don't you think it would be lovely, if he would agree to let us grow some of his bees here? Currently, they are growing in the inside space of the second fortress with Emil, so it is not like they are unused to smaller spaces, but still, wouldn't they be so much happier here, under the sun? And what about Cernunnos, too? Since we have the bag on borrowing terms, our travelling capacity has grown greatly. Cernunnos wasn't able to see Sun for so long, and is still sickly and frail... Wouldn't it be nice, if we could pick him up, and bring him for a visit, too, once we help Janus and solve our safety problems in the capital? This place filled with sunlight will surely be very lovely for him to travel in, and while Janus excels with runes and mechanisms, Cernunnos's technology seems to thrive a lot of runes and crystals, so there's no reason not to recruit both of the unique cute bastards into our world peace project... I am asking completely pragmatically, and totally not because it would be nice if we can see how we can improve that guy's health, too, and not just swindle him to get his large fluffy bees, unique healing herbs and knowledge... He can only keep a limited number of bees in that small enclosed space, having the bees buzz around happily in this large space would be a nice sight to see, and he could grow a lot more honey that way, too, so it is only plus, if he lets us help grow his little bee farm. I can not imagine anyone more qualified than you and Melody, to raise those cute special critters into happy bees, here, where they can roam freely, without one predator in sight... "

---

" Great, I can make all of those! It is fortunate that I lean toward Sea more than land Being, then, as I can pull off all of those appendages, " Tide explained happily, with an excited voice, as this was quite a new and unique request, but because he trusted Senecio, it was clearly a request he seemed happy to fulfil. " So, insect legs for one pair of arms, one pair of octopus tentacles, and one pair of stinging tentacles? It is doable. So, do you just want those three hand pairs, or do you also want more humanoid pairs into the mix of top of it? Or multiple numbers of other types of arms of your preference? If the group of nobles is supposed to be large, if you let me take on a larger form, I can easily figure out how to add more arms. By the way, do you have a preference for size? Until now, I mostly kept to the same size as my most common form you know, and that one can fit 6 arms, but for anything more, I would need a larger form. Would a larger form make it feel more threatening and scary for you? Maybe some along the size of the form from morning, that I used to have when I was at Demon Court, around twice my normal size? And are there any other hand features and limbs you would like me to try making? Hmm... other than insectoid, octopus and jellyfish appendages, it is also easy to pull off smooth and oozy arm texture, like that of amphibians, with harder structure beneath such skin, or slimy texture such as some Deep sea monsters have, that doesn't have too great strength, but is formless, with no bones, without set shape or form. But even if it's something else, I can probably figure out how to make it, I just need your help to figure it out... I don't have special preference, I would just really love if you could help me create something that would help you immerse yourself in fearful experience, as you are too fearless for just being restrained to do anything for frightening you, " he commented his impression bluntly, with a  fervent curiosity. " What can I do, to make it properly scary experience for Sein Miru, while it's still exciting for you? It won't really be romantic dashing lover's rescue trope if Sein Miru does not really feel he is in terrible danger, is it? "

[Mirach]

"Oh, I would love to have bees here! And maybe we could get some birds, too, to fill the space with more songs. I'm so excited for this plan, I can’t wait to get home so that we can start figuring out how to heal Janus's essence."

---

Senecio licked his lips as he imagined the sensations. "Oh yes... several living restraints with different textures, some cold and slimy, some stinging, some rough, some sharp... And spikes, and teeth. And a big form. How big can you be?"

[VisAnastasis]

" Indeed, it will be so lovely! Melody explained brightly, imagining the buzzing of bees all around them. " Once it is filled with little liveliness, the song of this place will be even more beautiful! I can't wait! "
" Yes... I... Am excited, too, " Conrad admitted shyly, as it seemed his mood was considerably brighter and more hopeful, and, hard as it was, he seemed to feel glad, that he managed to share with them something he felt so strongly about directly, instead of acting like things don't touch him emotionally, and that he is only doing them for their sake. " Some parts will be harder, some easier... When we get back, I will immediately begin preparations, at least for the part of making Melody a little farm in some part of the garden. I can start process and some starting steps, after reassuring Riversong first, while you go talk to Lipka. Until then... Please, tell me, what you would like us to do while we wait? We did everything I wanted to do, and it is... strange, but nice feeling. But now, it is your turn, " he smiled timidly. " Now that you are a little weary from running and from thinking up all those wishes, would you like that nap? Or is there anything else we can do? I apologize, for not preparing any book or anything of such kind, that I could read to you to fill the time we wait. When we build a little house here, it will be much easier, to fill the time, because we will be able to keep books or board games that we can play, and beds to nap in, but this time, it's only the three of us... "

---

" Well, in the past I could easily be as large as a mansion, you know... But after I gave a third of my heart to Sage, lot of such very large forms grew too hard to maintain without heartburn. But you don't really need something the size of the mansion, right? Where could we ever make love, in such a case? In the barren desert, an abandoned forest, or at some deserted island, far enough from humanity so the appearance of such a huge monster won't cause havoc? " Demon chuckled playfully as if he was having fun imagining the insanity that would come from such a chaotic situation. " What size did you have in mind? I can easily fill any size that goes up to the ceiling, even if our ceilings are quite large. If you'd want something taller than the ceiling, we'd definitely have to choose some location outside to make love at... So what size did you have in mind, for my villainous form? And yes, some rough and sharp, and spikey arms are doable. A for teeth... hmm... it would feel strange growing random teeth around my body, but wait.. how about having more than one mouth? " he suddenly chipped in with curiosity. " I would never go out with multiple mouths, mind you... and since I am One, not Many, it is not something I really feel need to do, as dividing mind into too many smaller minds can get a bit draining for too long... But this is quite a short time, so it isn't that straining, and besides, if I am playing multiple characters that are hurting you, it only makes sense that I have more mouths, right? Mind you, in such state, I am not capable of leading some too deep philosophical conversations, as I am spilling a little bit of my conscience in different partial heads, even if the main head makes the most decisions. But still, " he grinned innocently. " Villains that hurt you don't need to go into particularly deep conversations, right? All they need is mouths to insult and to bite you with, don't they, my sweet love? "

[Mirach]

"Well, coming up with the wishes was exhausting," Svarik chuckled. "How about you? Are you still feeling too alert to take a nap with me?"

---

"It could be just one," Senecio said. "One huge general of the Beast King's army, with many hands. Not outside, though. I would prefer privacy, but unfamiliar surroundings. Is there a big room we could claim for this without anyone walking in on us?"

[VisAnastasis]

" Speaking about my wishes honestly out loud... was so exhausting, " Falcon admitted, too, mirroring his words. " I guess... A short nap would be alright, after all. It is not like someone can sneak up on us behind our backs here. It is... as safe as a place can be, I guess... "
" Right, it is. Come on, my adorable sweet starbeams, " Melody gently tempted them, straightening up a little as they sat. " I slept well last night, so leave this watch to me, "before Falcon let them rest their heads on his lap, and this time she offered them the same. " I'll wake you bundles of joy up when we arrive. "
" I guess... closing eyes for a little bit won't hurt. We will have a lot of time left... " Conrad said very slowly as if wrestling and trying to accept the idea of being on the receiving end, but trying to adjust and behave better, despite his anxieties - he clearly genuinely wanted to put an honest effort to make their relationship work.

---

" Hans's floor has a couple more public rooms that serve as common rooms where Beings can gather, as, while a lot of Beings are fine casually hanging around with humans, some are more fearful or shy due to previous experiences, or have language barrier problems that make them insecure, so they prefer hanging out among others of our people when they visit shortly, " Tide explained. " This complex of little throne rooms can't be accessed unless you are allowed first, since we don't hold open courts, but lot of places tied to defence are around here, so either Hans or our Head Guard could happen to walk in, so if you mind that, yes, we should find other room for this, if Hans accidentally walking in on us if noice worries him would be embarrassing. But whether it is in empty guestroom, or some room on my floor - what kind of room would you like? It really depends on what you prefer, as all floors of our mansin have equally high ceilings, for the sake of comfort of tall Beings. So it only depends on your preferences, and how full the said room is. Some rooms, like that one room with the pool on my floor, doesn't have much furniture as it mostly has water, while other rooms, like my sewing room, is packed full with materials, clothes and fabric... so it really depends what we are aiming for. There's lot of unusual rooms, and there are more rooms on the inside that would seem on the outside because space is slightly bendy thanks to Alpha's and Janus's hard work. So I would need you to give me more ideas. Are we looking for more unusual, less humanlike from, and then after Beast King rescues Sein Miru, continuing the play in the more human, familiar room? "

[Mirach]

"I'll fall asleep much easier if I know you're also getting some rest," Svarik smiled and put his head into Melody's lap.

---

"Yes, that's the Beast King's private room. And for the first part I'm thinking something more empty and impersonal, like a hallway. You know, the general doesn't really care if someone sees him, he thinks he can get away with it because of Sein Miru being in disfavour. But also somewhere that we won't be disturbed, because I'd hate having to break character to explain what we are doing."

[VisAnastasis]

Conrad could not help but smile faintly, as if little encouragement helped.
" Since it is for your sake, I can't help but cooperate, " he teased, and he seemed timid and quite outside of his comfort zone, unused to being on the receiving ends of such things. Melody was quite confident and casual about it, and Svarik was already lying down, so in the end, he joined him too. The girl used her cloak, to shield them from the sunlight lightly, and the man's restless expression softened a bit more. He gave his best, and it took some time, but after a while, as Melody hummed a gentle lullaby for both of them and caressed their hair to soothe them, he very slowly drifted into a light sleep.

---

" Yes,  while it would certainly be a fun explanation to come up with on the spot,  it would not be fun at all to have to pause the game, " Tide chuckled, his expression growing thoughtful. " Tell me, did you have any special plans in mind to fill the time until the evening? If not, would you like us to go exploring the mansion a bit, so we can take note of rooms we'd like to have fun in, now and in the future, if something catches your eye? You said you needed a tour of the mansion anyway, since you don't know too much about it. Mansion is too large to explore it all at once without growing too tired, even if I carry you, you will probably be overwhelmed with seeing too much at once. But I could lead you through some rooms that are more generalized and large, so we can continue figuring out the scenario when we pick the stage for the Beast General. What do you say? Would you like to explore some mansion rooms, or do you have something else in mind to do until the evening?  Since you are thinking of a hallway-type thing, if we are going for Beast General accidentally running into Sein Miru and abusing him in a random shadowed side hallway, did you imagine more of pinned against a wall with nowhere to run trope, or suspended in the air by restraining limbs trope? " Tide teased him a little bit, clearly curiously trying to draw out Senecio's preferences by watching his response. " All I am saying, if we don't need a bed, there is quite a wide choice of rooms to pick from, if we need a bed or something soft to lie you down on like a sofa or an armchair, we would have to pick from guestrooms. "

[Mirach]

Svarik wasn’t as tired, but with the gentle lullably, lying on the grass under the warm sunshine, he dozed off together with Conrad.

---

"I imagined something along the lines of pinned against the wall and gradully lifted up by the restraining limbs," Senecio explained readily. "And a tour of the mansion is a great idea, anyway. I haven't seen much of it yet."

[VisAnastasis]

Though it was a light sleep, since Melody took good care to keep them calm and soothed with her lullaby, and since he trusted her, and the safety of the little dimension, Conrad was able to rest well at last, sleeping soundly after a while.
Once they reached the capital, when Alphas gave them the sign, girl gently woke them up, so they could leave the bag, to the orchards around the city, where the tall Being waited for them patiently, looking over his shoulder a little, as he was self-conscious of his surroundings, careful not to meet any humans here, so his appearance doesn't frighten them.

---

" Then, if you agree, let's check out some rooms, and if we find the right one for the scenario, we can continue talking about the scene in it, " Tide offered brightly, seeming excited to show the actor a little more of their home. " Should we start with some more rooms on my floor? You barely entered a few rooms until now, and besides, it might be a good idea to not have too far a route between General's and King's room, so you wouldn't be embarrassed carried along the hallway after your rescue, either. This whole floor, the second floor, is Hans's floor, while the whole third floor is mine, so there are plenty of rooms you haven't seen yet. "

[Mirach]

"Thank you for carrying us," Svarik told him. "Now come inside, and we will carry you the rest of the way."

---

"Yes, let's check the rooms on your floor, and maybe also hallways that are morr out of the way," Senecio agreed.

[VisAnastasis]

" Are you sure it wouldn't be better if I go in, even if it causes a bit of commotion, sweet sugar? " Alpha asked tactfully. " Will it pose difficulties, to enter through city gates, for your handsome rebel boyfriend? In such case, even if I create a bit of dramatic entrance, wouldn't it be fine, since your little vampires friends and your little Sil Simbel will probably be notified right away to come to handle me? "
" Don't worry about me, " Conrad shook his head, thought, growing more calm and collected as he carefully put on his hood. " I'll be coming in as a bodyguard, and I know most of the guards tasked with entrances, there's nothing some easy bribes won't fix. We plan to slip in quietly. "
" If you are sure three such handsome people can slip in that quietly, I will let you... I''d feel much calmer if you wore black clothes with mist and stars I had sewed for you so nothing would happen even if someone stabs you, but I can't exactly make you. " Being scolded him lightly, at which Falcon took on a bit of guilty expression.
" I plan to wear them often... I am just saying the first time for the Ball... "
" It is a terrible waste, to tailor you a fairytale armour that puts any Being armour to shame, and not use it every day, not to even mention not leting me see some delicious starlit eye candy. I was so terribly bored running, eye candy would be much appreciated, but alas! I am cursed with the affliction of having a hard time getting angry at adorable excuses,  " Being lamented dramatically,  waving his arms away while stepping toward the bag. " Seriously, you will be the death of me, you cute joy nuggets. Just make sure to knock to let me know I should go out if there's trouble, deal? " he said, as despite his inclination toward dramatising the situation, it was clear he was worried for them in his own way and tried to be considerate, knowing Conrad's legal status is complicated.

---

Tide nodded brightly, excited to show him some more of his rooms. He fought, and offered him his hand shyly.
" We can walk holding hands if you'd not mind, " he started, but then he corrected himself embarrassedly. " That is, I meant to say... I would actually quite like to carry you around on our tour, but I don't want to pressure you. Even if someone sees us along the staircases, they will probably be Beings, and Beings don't have strong opinions on such things... so wouldn't carrying you be alright, perhaps, after all? Or is it something you'd not feel free enough to do without Hans's presence to reassure you? If you'd rather not be carried, would holding hands be still okay, then? "

[Mirach]

"Alright," Svarik nodded. "I would also rather have Conrad inside with you, but I'm not even going to ask him because I already know the answer," Svarik smiled. "We will be careful."

---

Senecio looked a bit unsure. "Well, I guess it would be alright," he said finally. "I should save my strength for the evening, right?"

[VisAnastasis]

" Alright, good luck, sweet things. I'd offer you my Blessing to reassure you, but it would be discourteous of me to doubt your ability to stay safe for such a brief time on your home terrain... Still, if you get hurt while I am away, I reserve the right to be extremely petty and disappointed in you, so take extra care, my sweets, " Alpha smiled faintly at them. He seemed somewhat nervous and equally curious about how his first outing in the city will turn out, but even more, worried for them. He patted Svarik's shoulder slightly as if to reassure him before he went inside the bag, his shimmering presence concealed within it perfectly as if he were never there.
Once they were alone, Falcon lead them through the little bridges and streams, toward the smaller, West city gate, planning to buy off the guard to let them in without raising alarm. As they were getting closer, even if it was outside of the gates, the air was warm, and the day was sunny as if it were early summer. But as they stepped closer, it suddenly grew a bit hotter, the warm winds from the inside of the city blowing more strongly, greeting them - it seemed Simbel recognized them, who appeared so close so suddenly and was excited by their presence, not speaking into their thoughts yet, as if too excited to form a sentence. The first sign they felt through connection with their flower from him was timid but devoted and warm. It held no words, only a greeting of longing and missing, that soothed them and let them feel they were home after a long while.

---

It seemed Tide tried to restrain himself and not be too hopeful, not to pressure him, so he must have been prepared for rejection. But with the acceptance, his tentative courteous expression melted into a heartfelt smile.
" I hope you always know, that my joy at this does not mean you must force yourself if it is unpleasant to you... Please, always be honest to me. One word, and you will silence me right away. Yet... since we are in a relationship... will it be fine if I am honest, even if truth may be burdensome? Because you can perceive my feelings, I am deprived of the chance to pretend to be impartial to not burden you... So won't honesty be better? Honestly... " Demon whispered softly, as he shyly reached for the actor. He raised him up from the floor, but not to his shoulder right away. As if too happy not to turn his feelings into a gesture of affection, he pressed the actor lightly against his chest and nestled with him lightly, his chest trembling with affection and purring. " Thank you... for always doing your best when I ask for something. When you leave your comfort zone for my sake, you are ten, no hundred times more handsome to me than any Findling could ever be.... "

[Mirach]

Svarik breathed in the warm air deeply and smiled with the welcoming feeling. "Let's go home," he said. "Should I go first and talk to the guard, or am I too recognizeable already? Maybe it would be best if Melody talks to him."

---

"I'm still not comfortable with it in public, but inside is fine, I think..." Senecio murmured.

[VisAnastasis]

" Melody is pretty, so he may annoy her and keep us here longer to try to flirt with her, but between us, she should be best, because you are too recognisable... Hmmm..." Conrad was thinking, but he stopped suddenly, and had grown thoughtful. " Thinking about it, though, it seems like I have an issue of solving whatever I can on my own, so I can save up chances to ask for favors for things I can't solve on my own. Even if this isn't a big problem to solve, it is annoying to go through documents and explain our purpose, and enter with Svarik without causing a fuss... So how about we... see how it turns out when we act a bit more needy? Hm... Simbel is close enough to talk in thoughts to, so let's see if we can delegate this to him, while we wait for our turn to enter the city gate among other people that wish to enter at this time. "

As he said so, it seemed he tried to share his request with Simbel, as the mental image grew more excited, clearly pleasantly surprised it was asked for a favour, as, other than actual big-scale requests tied to saving the world, or practical deals and arrangements, Conrad never asked Simbel for small things he could solve on his own.

" Master Sunshine! Master Sunshine! " after a moment as excitement subsided, a familiar warm voice filled the meadow king's mind. " Is everything alright? Do the guards look unusually stern and suspicious of our Conrad, to make him antsy enough to ask? Do not worry, I could step in if there seems to be trouble. Or does it just seem like identifying you and going through your papers will take forever since you a king and would need safety procedures? Do you want me to come in a carriage to get you? Ben is taking a nap, so I can let Zephir guard him, and I can come in our carriage and pick you up. Most of the guards and priests already know me, and even those that don't, all know Tarmagil's body, so they will skip identification if I say you are guests I am expecting. " he offered brightly, with ease that made it clear he was getting away with evading lot of burdensome things by a combination of his newly emerging God status and the fact people who knew previous high priest for decades had trouble not seeing him as a figure of authority and acting on it, so much that even pink hair couldn't undo old habbits.

---

" I like how you get quieter when unsure of something I ask, but still consider it seriously. But I also like your hesitation. It makes me so proud that you assert your boundaries, and I know you wouldn't let me carry you outside if Hans's bright mood didn't encourage you... It is okay. It wouldn't give me a happy memory if you just accepted it not to disappoint me. In the grand scheme of things, all we have is time, so what I want most of all from our relationship is good memories with you, "Creature whispered while nestling with him lightly before it innocently kissed his cheek and gently raised him up, putting him comfortably on his left shoulder. Since Hans wasn't there this time, he had both hands free to support him from the side, purring with pleasure as he did so. " If you conclude at one point you will never get comfortable with it, I want you to tell me, and I will stop asking... But if you are willing to make an effort, I would be glad if you gave it more chances to see if you will grow fond of it, " as he began walking toward the exit, he confided in him shyly. " I know that from a human perspective, it is not a conventional thing... but in a lot of things, living in the human world, Hans and I adjusted to it, even if it is not a Being norm. As a Demon I can not get tired and do not sleep, and as a Spirit Hans needs rest and sleep... But during the long War, most of the time, we never could stay in one place. We only had our souls, and each other. Many times, I spent years not eating, so Hans could power through with little food we had. Even when I would not have to pick him up and run - we would have to walk, to not stay in one place. But while he was a powerful Singer, Hans always had terrible stamina, while I had it all. So, whether I would be holding him close against my chest and warm him as he slept, nestled with him when he was sad, or carried him on my shoulders when we would travel the night and watch stars, I surely spent thousands of years, just like this. More, if we count the uncountable time long before, when we were both little more than Beasts, when I would carry him in my teeth or on my head when we walked the world as Monsters of primordial times, " creature purred against him, with clear, palpable joy in his voice.  " Even Strong Beings, when they travel in pair, like Death and Riversong, would by norm exchange to carry each other so they could keep travelling comfortably, even when times were of peace. It is one of the Being norms that do not have human equivalents. Holding one's hand is romantic, but I am tall, and it is hard for people to not get tired, and the palms get sweaty. But there is something magical, about feeling someone's body weight pressed against yours, and embracing them as you walk, or having them caress your hair and lean closely as you travel through the known and unknown... It may be holding someone's body, not soul, but the feeling of closeness is the same. It is just a very simple, pure happiness. I would like to have it, with you, too....  "