Senecio adn Tide II

[VisAnastasis]

Creature nodded, wanting to help ease their burden, but still, feeling relieved Svarik would help him break the first ice. They arrived by then, and he opened the door, carefully putting on his wide-brimmed hat to shield himself from the sun better.
As they left the carriage, they immediately saw Owl and Mole. Owl tried to remain poised and composed, but his eyes showed clear fondness at their arrival, looking up and down to see if they are alright after a long journey. Mole did not have such reservations. As Falcon exited first, he patted his shoulder with a grin, and while Simbel was taking Melody in child form into his arms, carrying her outside all on his own despite being clumsy with a new activity he was not used to yet, Mole laughed at the cute sight. As the bard extended his hand and helped Svarik get down from the carriage, he immediately drew him into the hug, laughing with even more pleasure as if he tricked him, as despite he did not know about their relationship, it must have been at least clear enough to him since he exchanged reports with Falcon that they were all doing well in last days. He was glad to see they looked refreshed and happy, acting friendly and without restraint as usual. While he was still a little unsteady on his feet, it seemed he was getting much more used to having an artificial leg, as he wasn't using any cane for additional support, pleased that he could instead hug them with both arms.

---

Tide could not help but look up, his expression softening further with each Senecio's word, despite his eyes seeming to tremble with emotions.
" Some questions  I often pester you with are harder to answer... luckily for this simple Being, the one you ask me are easy more often than not, " he laughed shyly as he replied, his voice foaming with trust and affection. " What matters above it all is if the name is from the heart, of course. Whether the name is picked with careful attention to the meaning, or picked to be a name with no other meaning but oneself, the feelings behind it are important, not the method. It will always shine through if the name is picked half-heartedly or with affection. How can Beast King not get emotional, if he feels Sein Miru gave him the name that came from the heart? Just look at me... I have been Sihil-Tarak for less than a minute of my eternity, but I already love it so much, as if it was always a part of me, just waiting to be put to words, " he spoke with a little bathed breath, and instead of playing with Senecio's sleeve, he reached for his hand and brought it to his lips, and kissed it, continuing with a bathed breath. " I wished I could give you a one-of-a-kind name, but I have known so many languages, and I am not smart - all sounds I race to think of seem to already be claimed by words that exist or had exited once... When I think of you, I think not of sounds, but of flavors. I told you already, didn't I, not long after we met...? To me, you are a bowl, full of all kinds of sweet food, food spicy, food mushy, food like mashed potatoes of the starlit night and tasty sauce of sunshine... You are a person full of life's flavours, and I have an insatiable hunger for life. You are everything that makes life delicious summed up in one. You, who make me both so hungry and so full at the same time... how could I not love you? "

[Mirach]

Svarik embraced Mole heartily. "It's good to see you again. I assume Simbel already told you about our guest, and I don’t want to leave him waiting, so shall we let him out here?"

---

"I also like the name you gave me," Senecio smiled. "And also the one from the Beast king. I never even considered giving names as a love language before, but now I find it precious. What are you going to do with your new name? Will you keep it for yourself or tell Hans?"

[VisAnastasis]

" Don't worry, with a public relations expert like me, what do you have to worry about? I was mediating Sun Spirits and vampires since day one, you can count on me! You can leave your cute New Star in my care, I'll make sure Simbel isn't overwhelmed, doing the whole host thing on his own, " Mole promised brightly with a confident casual wink, unlike the anxious critter, not seeming nervous at all at meeting a new strange Being, even if it were powerful. He genuinely seemed in a great mood seeing them all, and he took little Melody and Svarik by the hand and playfully pulled them to the central part of the garden, limping a bit as it was harder to balance still on soft soil, but not seeming to pay much heed to it, excited to welcome them, even if they were dissuaded from a party, ignoring chuckles from Owl, who followed them and watched them endearingly. The spot he led them to had a nice view of a lovely new small lake that was dug around Svarik's new mansion and completed by now, and countless freshly planted flowers that seemed to be growing splendidly under Zephir's and vampire's care, most of which was new to Svarik - everyone clearly worked hard to create a beautiful happy garden they could see when they came back, and it was still rough around the edges with lot of work left to be done, but there was lot of love and attention poured into it. Mole clearly picked the spot both to share the renewed beautiful view to them, and because it was far enough from the pond not to seem threatening to a Demon.

---

" To be honest... I love it and yearn to treasure it and use it with care, but it is so hard to keep it for my ears alone. When Beings are young, or just forming a new strong bond, they have more tendency to give more solemn, shiny names that reflect how much they adore the person they are developing strong feelings towards, but once you've lived for a long time, and once you know someone for so long you have lost count, new nicknames usually come in forms of silly endearments and inside jokes, since you spend so much time joking around and knowing each other that endearments often blend in with humour, as hard blows of life need to get softened by silly gentle things. When Hans likes and feels close to people, for example, he often calls them little pies, and adds flavour depending on the mood. Since apple pie is his favourite, he saves littlest apple pie nicknames for special occasions and people... It is one of the things that just developed on its own due to some jests and jokes about a thousand and half year ago, when apple pies were unusually expensive after few bad apple harvests, and we would have to save up carefully to buy even littlest apple pie, so it made the dish precious, and it stuck around even if the original language changed a lot. So lot of nicknames that form after a long time of knowing someone and spending time with them are spur-of-moment endearments... It's been a while since I received such a lovely name from a pure sentimental point of view, " Tide was beaming with bubbliness, speaking with joy, clearly hopelessly romantic about it. " I don't want to tell it to too many people, at least, is how I feel at the moment. Would it be alright if I shared it with a small number of people? I can't wait to brag about it to Hans, but I would like to mention it to few others, when the opportunity arises. Alpha and Sage, definitely, but also to Erdel and Janus, if it would be alright, too, since they are among beings closer to you, and I'd like to share my joy of it with them since they will be happy for us... Unless you want to save sharing about it with them yourself? You must tell me if you want to reserve the right to talk about either name, or things like this, so I do not unknowingly steal your chance to share those things with others, " he asked fervently, despite his habit of double-checking with Senecio to make sure of his boundaries, his head clearly in the clouds, and flowers that grew on his neck peeking out from behind his collar more as they grew too numerous under weight of his feelings. " Forgive this silly King on his excitement, he can't wait to share such things... it has been so long... no scratch that, " he giggled softly. " I have never been in a relationship quite like this, that is as sugary, soft and pure as cotton candy... "

[Mirach]

Svarik observed the changes in the garden with pleasure, before setting the bag down and opening it. "We're safe at hime, you may come out!" he called into it.

---

"I would like to be the only one to call you that name," Senecio said. "As long as they don't use it, you can share it with who you want."

[VisAnastasis]

" Thank Beings, it took a while, so I was getting worried something may have happened to you on the way home. Sure, I've only known you for a few days, but if someone were to even as much as yell at a cute puppy like you, I'd set them on fire, " a faint chuckle came out from the bag, and the space around it bent and twisted a little, and creature materialised in the air with a slight shake of the Fabric, as if he was too restless staying in bag for too long and took a shortcut to exit quickly. As if by instinct, despite a little tense, creature first glanced at three of his passangers, checking out if they are alright, the glowy white orbs of its eyes curling lightly in contentment seeing everyone is okay. He seemed a little out of place, as if he would be less surprised to be stabbed indeed, and was unsure how to proceed. His gaze naturally followed from Melody who was in child form and carried by Simbel, to Simbel himself. Pond God clearly tried to stay calm and collected, determined firmly to be a good host, but Alpha must have looked quite chaotic and powerful in his eyes, and he somehow managed to smile, but the smile was frozen on his lips, and he was clearly struggling to melt it to the best of his ability. That was already a situation Alpha was more familiar with, and despite he had no mouth, they could feel his expression grow softer and compassionate. He moved so very slowly, not to frighten Simbel, and he made a flamboyant courtly bow to the group, making sure his hands were visible and it was clear he is unarmed, speaking playfully, seeming to try to leave good first impression. " Hi there! I am Alpha Centauri, Star by birth, Tailor by profession, and an enjoyer of lovely things by choice. Why did you not tell me you have such lovely companions? My, with such adorable eye candy to feast on, how do you not seem to gain any weight at all, cute sugar? "

---

" Oh, my, is it possessiveness I hear, or are you claiming it as intellectual property? I wouldn't want to get into a copyright court case with you, since Hans would defend you and I'd definitely lose, " the creature chuckled, seeming entertained and pleased both, his look equally soft. " Lot of Being Gods indeed had secret names only high-ranking priests knew, but, well, it sounds much cuter coming from you. You know, it is a breath of fresh air... seeing you be more daring to ask for something. You are always asking for quite easy things, though. Are you really satisfied with such small requests? " he tilted his head with a streak of curiosity, inquiring shyly. " Playing a game of secret names is quite delightful, I will gladly partake in it, but don't you think you are a little too undemanding? Even if you were not the one to give it to me, I would not deny you the joy of keeping a private nickname, so you can be more confident. Is there anything you'd like to request of me, perhaps, that is... less easy? It just does not feel like a challenge. Everything we do, from sleeping together, sharing meals or building pillow forts, all we do comes easily and naturally... You have been so considerate towards me today, letting me carry you around so much even though it is unusual and makes you self conscious brought me so much joy, I would love to return the feeling, but you are always just so agreeable and well adjusted, and all your requests are sensible and reasonable... You took forever to even suggest buying some new furniture for your room, the lowest stake request that can ever be for a big household that burns money like hotcakes just for monthly food, " he snorted a little bit, knowing he is a big part of the reason for high costs of food, before he coughed, trying to coax him shyly. " Don't you think it would be a more exciting game, if you dared me for more dramatic, challenging things, instead of making requests so sensible? Goodness... Of course, we can use the name only between us. It's a piece of cake level of ease demand, one I could never say no to, my dearest Seine... "

[Mirach]

"Alpha, these are my friends Sil Symbel, Owl and Mole," Svarik introduced them. "Welcome to our garden."

---

"It's not intellectual property," Senecio smiled. "It's your name. I kust like the feeling of being the only one to use it, and you being the only one who calls me Seine. And speaking about furniture, I should finally bring it to my room and arrange it. Do you want to help me with that?"

[VisAnastasis]

" Your garden is gorgeous, I must say, so whether in the garden or people, eye candy in your estate is truly abundant, sweet sugar, " Star praised them amiably. " I was caught by surprise by your request to come here, so I fear I did not have time to prepare any presents beforehand, so it isn't anything big, but let's see... yes, this should do it. Weather here at the pond will always be hot from now on, it seems, but all three of you are under cloaks. It can't be all that comfortable. So, please, allow me, " he exclaimed, and dramatically, he snapped his fingers, and nearby shadows from the trees around them seemed to linger and be pulled toward Mole, Olw and Simbel's cloaks, and sucked into the texture. They looked the same as before, but their song seemed to have changed slightly. Owl and Mole seemed to make the flashy friendly display with bemusement, while Simbel seemed a little taken aback.
" What... did you do? I... don't feel the burn of sunlight as much as before, where the cloak covers. What did...?"
" Oh, I gave others just some slight cooling, but your vessel is weak against sunlight, so I just gave your cute cloak a bit, well, a little more than bit of light refraction boost. We wouldn't want such cute cotton candy getting burned just from going outside, now, would we? " he pointed to the creature and winked at him, and unlike before when he was fearful, Simbel's composure broke more, and his face was flustered and reddened with Alpha's flamboyant gestures, not able to help but be touched with the thoughtful gift, clutching the edges of the cloak with his free hand thoughtfully. He shyly turned to Svarik, as if asking him fom help with his flusttered face - it was clearly with lessened fear this time, but while Simbel was ready to face hardships and bad blood, he was obviously at a loss at what to do with such casual friendliness and such a strange spur of a moment gift, not knowing how to return it.


---

" Just as I said, all your requests are extremely reasonable and sensible... Don't you get bored, always asking for things that are as easy as a piece of cake, my Seine? " Tide chuckled playfully, putting on a pouting face, as he straightened up and made sure the actor is secure, before he turned to the door, so he could keep carrying him around as they left. " Still, I will overlook it, because it feels nice that you ask for more things recently, even if they are not hard to do... But it would still be nice for me to feel that, if you had a bigger request in mind, you wouldn't hesitate to ask me about it. Could you promise me you'll keep it in mind? " the creature asked as they walked, looking a little more thoughtful, but also embarrassed, as he spoke of such a thing so directly. " I know in human customs, it is often considered improper to burden the other person too much, and I am not saying that if you see me doing something important that you should add to my burdens, but not every day will have a crisis of such kind, and today there is none. It is hard to explain... but I guess you can say that having higher expectations of someone is a form of love language among Beings, too. Because the time we have is so vast, creating bonds isn't easy, because there is no rush to do anything, and it is hard for things to last forever, so it is harder for Beings to bring themselves to invest in relationships that might not last. It is harder to understand for humans who often have a concept of at least some family members or friends that could possibly last their whole life. The heartbreak of losing a friend you have known for thousands of years is bigger than a friend of a couple years, so lot of Beings are slow to make bonds to avoid heartbreak. For Beings, it feels reassuring, when the other party expects more from you because Beings always try not to raise their expectations too high, as it is a sad feeling, to hope for more and realize you were the only one hoping, while the other person was keeping a safe distance. Having high expectations is like putting all of yourself into something, which means you believe in the strength of the bond enough to act entitled to more. So, what I mean to say, " he coughed shyly, his face shy, but quite bright. " If from you I expect a one-of-a-kind, fairytale romance that will last forever until the stars turn cold, you can also feel free to put bigger expectations on me... I am sure Hans feels the same, with how happy he was when you began feeling freer to ask us for things like new furniture and carriage, and today, while you were requesting from us things that would bring you comfort. It may seem to you like you are the one benefiting, but expecting things from each other as a natural part of life is what Being bonds are. Whether in time, names or material things, gifts are a natural part of the way Beings love... "

[Mirach]

"Alpha is a very special tailor," Svarik smiled. "He also made amazing clothes for Conrad and me. Could you maybe ask someone in the kitchen to bring bread and salt so that we can welcome him properly? I'm sorry we came back on such a short notice and didn't give you any time to prepare. And I need to go see Lipka, will you stay with them for a bit?" he asked Melody.

---

Senecio nodded. "I will remember it if I have some request, but I can't really think of anything right now. My only concern now is how to pass the time until the evening. Do you think Hans would like to join us in furnishing my room?"

[VisAnastasis]

" Don't worry, Mister Sunshine, I've got this, good luck, " girl smiled at him softly, and Alpha raised a thumb up and winked at him too.
" No worries, sweet sugar, " he reassured him. " It seemed we are not in for any stabbing today, so I'll gladly eat a bag of salt if that's what you cuties want me to, though I would not say no to some cake afterwards. I am more of a sweet tooth without teeth kind of critter. "
" A bag might be too much too soon, " Simbel chuckled a little shyly, at last, relaxing a little bit as he was getting used to his guest's peculiarities. " B-but, I have some nice high-quality salt and bread I keep in my little home, for Being guests, and, and I have some fruit cake I keep when Sun Spirits stop by for afternoon tea time... Currently, vampires are staying there, they like to stay close by during the day... Would... you like to meet them? They are a little bored during the day, so they would surely have fun meeting you... "
" I am bored out of my mind, having run with no one to talk to for so long, and there is a surprising lack of escalation and violence of the first meet, which is disappointingly anti-climatic - so I might as well play along, hopefully, something exciting comes out of it " Alpha shrugged innocently, and he turned to Svarik, grinning mischievously. " Sugar, I'll go check out just how well you've dressed those poor bastards from the sun, and see what can be done about it so they don't burn out and turn into a cooked crisp over time, but if it turns out to be a boring endeavour, you owe me some fun later, got it? " he teased. With those parting words, he confidently turned and gestured to Simbel with soft hand movement to lead him. They parted ways there, each to their own path, the bigger group to Simbel's house, Svarik to Lipka, and Conrad quietly slipped away to take care of piled-up official work in the meantime.  

---

" I don't want to pressure you when you're not in the mood to hang out, as he'll pick up if it's forced... But I told you - Being love language is in giving things, names and time. What is more valuable that you can give him than time with you? There's no way Hans wouldn't be glad to feel you love when he is a part of your day. He doesn't say it, but knowing him, I am quite sure he is secretly anxious about Alphas leaving without telling him, so he could use a distraction in either case. That Being said, " Tide coughed shyly, explaining him as he walked out of the room. " Regarding gifts, when we were talking between us, me and Hans ordered you two little things we intended to give you when you furnish your room... it's nothing big, just a little table decor, as we didn't want to burden you by big furniture pieces you might not like to place in your room, but we wanted to give you little something to congradulate you on officially settling in, so if we plan to unpack and pick furniture today, wouldn't it be nice to call him, so two of us can give you gifts together? Then, after we finish, we can see how much time we have left, and figure out what to do with the rest of the day. Three heads are better than one... "

[Mirach]

Svarik went to find Lipka. He was gone for over an hour, and then it was Lipka who came to find Conrad, while Svarik went to look for White. She entered without knocking and closed the door after her, leaninh on the doorframe with a little smile. "So... Svarik told me that you two figured it out. I was starting to wonder if you are both dense..."

---

"Great, then let's call him," Senecio said. "Just a last check before that, did we need anything more for the evening?"

[VisAnastasis]

Conrad was at a table, with big stacks of documents scattered upon it - it seemed he tried to bury himself in work diligently, so he would not think about the important talk going on in the meantime. He clearly wasn't that successful, as the moment Lipka entered, his head fell even lower to the papers instead of rising, even though he stopped writing. As if caught in the trap he could not escape but had to endure, he was looking at the paper.
" If I went with Svarik, to help him ask for your hand in marriage, all while knowing how I felt about him... would I not have been even more sinful, shameless man? " he finally spoke up quietly, speaking around the subject, as if it was hard to say it directly. " Ignorance may lead someone to make choices harmful to the other party, but it is not a sin. Harm is still harm, but it wasn't made in malice. We are both bastards, but if it counts for anything, we weren't manipulative... just dense bastards... "

---

One of Conrad's men in the garden directed him to Simbel's little house that was built next to the pond. Since last days were busy and it was only recently finished, it was Svarik's first time coming there. Both the little gate around it and door were slightly open, as they must have left it so Svarik can comfortably come in when he is free.
The little house was of moderate size on that ground level, but the underground level small staircase lead to was quite larger, with one common room in the middle, and doors to many small rooms to the side, including the door that connected with catacombs deeper under the city. But right now, everyone seemed to be in the common room in the middle, and Svarik could see them as soon as he descended down the stairs. Seven vampires seemed to be presently here, and it seemed they wanted to lessen Simbel's burdens and help him, knowing how important hosting is to him. Since Alphas seemed to like fruits and sweets, some were feeding him cake, while other were cutting and peeling various food or making juice for him, looking anxious and determined as well, so Simbel's sincerity with his important guest isn't lacking. At center in little table, while munching on food idly, Alpha had many sheets of papers before him, and was drawing something with two pair of hands, discussing whatever designs he was drawing with Mole, Owl and Simbel. Most of them probably noticed Svarik's arrival, but vampires seemed anxious and must have felt better to not draw attention to themselves to trouble him, while Alpha must have not felt the need to invite him by words, just waving with one of his palms toward him without looking up, idly inviting him to join them with the gesture.

---

" You mean for our evening plans? " Tide asked to confirm, as he turned to carry him to where he must have felt Hans was. " There's no need to plan it all beforehand, we have general outline, and I have a question about gradation of danger, but I can always ask it before we start, too, so there's no rush. We are doing it for fun, after all, so you don't have to put pressure on yourself to make a perfect plan, we can just have a perfect time on the spot. I will need one more thing from you, though, to think about until the evening. By the time we are to start.. I will need you to decide, what kind of fate do you wish for me to give, to Demon general, " he inquired gently, indeed, not pressuring him for an answer, just making sure he has time to think it through. " Just tell me when you decide. I have known both the feeling of wanting to spare someone that did bad things because you owe them too much to kill them even if they did terrible things, and the feeling of being terribly afraid for someone you love dying, and killing someone in fear, without wanting to. I am sure Beast King, with his lonely life, may know the first feeling, but it would not be unusual, if, seeing Sein Miru in despair, he would feel the second feeling for the first time in his life, too,  " he whispered quietly, with a frail, reassuring smile. " So, I think it would be equally likely, for Beast King to spare Beast General in consideration for his past service, even if it pains him to, or if he were to kill him in panic while rushing to make sure Sein Miru will be okay. Both decisions can give us more consequences for the future. If he kills the General, it can lead to bigger political strife and more enemies that blame him for what they feel is unjust death. If he spares General, but dismisses him, General may feel wronged, and may kidnap Sein Miru later, to torture and abuse him to take vengeance. So, just tell me when you choose what direction of the plot would you like, deal? If you prefer we keep General alive so we can keep him as antagonist to hurt you more severely later with more rage, we can do that, or if you want catharsis of having person that abused you killed in order to save you, as an act of protection, and have worse enemies come after us later as results of that, we can have that too, " his smile was gentle and soft as he reassured him. " I am really curious what your desire is on the matter, so just tell me when you decide what you think would be more fun. "

[Mirach]

Lipka sat down into an armchair. "I thought so. At least about Svarik. You're usually a bit more intelligent, so I wanted to know if it was only him who was clueless, or both of you. I'm not jealous, you know. I'm glad you figured it out, instead of him being unhappy and not even knowing why. We have that in common, right? We want him to be happy. And he's got so much love in his heart that it feels like it's enough for the whole world, so it always felt to me I could possibly have ot all, nor could I take it all for myself. I don’t know if I can even return it in equal measure, so it's good to have some help there. But with that being said, I'd like to know how you feel about me. Svarik assured me that you're not jealous, either, but I wanted to talk to you alone, because you can tell him one thing to reassure him, but feel otherwise."

---

Svarik came closer and sat down next to Simbel. "What are you doing?" he asked, looking curiously at the plans.

---

"I think I would like to keep him around for the future," Senecio said. "It would be a pity to get rid of such an interesting form, with all the various parts and textures... But I don’t want the king to just let him go. I think he could be imprisoned, so that Sein Miru can feel safe for now, and then we can aat that he escaped when we need him later."