Svarik and the company I :)

[Mirach]

When Svarik saw that it feels pleasant to the creature, he continued caressing it until Erdel and Xia's return.

[VisAnastasis]

It didn't take too long for demons, as fast as they were, to find them again. Xia with Erdel on her back landed on the surface of the ocean above them, and kind could see her distantly from below, watching as her cute little paws were playing with the surface of the water.
Sage created a little air tunnel between the surface and bottom of sea, through which they could pass the bottom without getting themselves or the food wet. Xia, who was holding the new basket in her mouth, grinned proudly, showing of good nice smelling wares they had brought. Erdel timidly slided down from her back, and after patting her, he extended hand to return change from coins to meadow king.

[Mirach]

Svarik took them, knowing that Erdel would have to leave them behind to be able to leap through layers. "So what nice did you bring for our picnic at the bottom of the sea?" he asked, patting Xia as well.

[VisAnastasis]

" It felt a little rude to bring seafood, having fact we are surrounded by Sea critters." Erdel said shyly, while Xia was posing flamboyantly with the basket, showing of. " So we got some  roasted chicken and beef,warm bread, strawberry jam, salty baked potatoes, sugar apples, and I found  couple slices of honey cake and some rainbow cookies I remember you liked. " Vampire looked flustered for some reason. " I hope that's alright... "

[Mirach]

"They sell them here? Nice choices, you two. Now let's find some nice place for a picnic..."

[VisAnastasis]

" I know just the place. " The Sage grinned innocently. " Follow me. "
He said. After a short walk deeper, they reached an interesting place - what seemed like a peculiar ruins of some ancient city, long ago claimed by the Sea.

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[Mirach]

"So that's why you should build cities on cliffs here, right?" Svarik murmured. "How old is it?" he asked.

[VisAnastasis]

" Couple thousand years, perhaps. It's hard to see just by looking at it, so most reliable way to know is to ask Beings around when it sank down. However, most of Sea Beings aren't really that much into measuring time, so most often when you ask about when, you'll hear them reply *a little while ago. * " The Sage informed him soberly. " Do not be concerned about finding some human remains, we cleared out last leftover some hundreds years ago or so." he said, as if to reassure him. " Let's just say... That humans remains are somewhat of a delicacy about Beings here. Our ancestors had long history of burying people at sea. My demon friend finds them quite tasty, though he prefers fresh ones over bare bones that can be found in waters, of course. "

[Mirach]

"Oh, really?" Svarik asked a bit faintly, this being not an information he wished to receive right before lunch. To push that thought away, he admired the architecture of the long gone city.

[VisAnastasis]

" Well, you don't need the body after you're dead. A bit selfish to hold onto it for no reason, if you ask me. " Sage commented as they walked around the ancient beautiful place. He replied shortly, not wanting to go into more detail seeing king's discomfort, but feeling need to explain himself and his friends. " Besides, there's more of a reason other than just taste, of course. " he added more seriously. " To have nothing left behind you - most see it as favor to us. Through your bones and flesh, evil people could track down and harm your relatives and those that share blood with you, long after you're gone. By eating every remains of us, they're making sure nothing of it falls into wrong hands. When I die, I will have my friends eat me, too. Least I can give them as a parting gift is a free lunch. "he grinned a little, like Conrad, seeming to have his own peculiar sense of humor beneath dignified calm demeanor, a little dark and twisted from burdens of life of temptations and hardships.

[Mirach]

"That's quite reasonable and I get that," Svarik shook his head, and smirked a little. "I just don't like to imagine it right before lunch..."

[VisAnastasis]

" Nothing like an image of dead meat to get your appetite high up for eating some nice dead meat. " man noted with raised eyebrow. " But I digress. Falcon bid me to behave, and like so far, I won't neglect his demand now either. Where would you like us sit down for a picnic, little one? There's a nice place in what used to be a royal palace, it had big open inner space, and still has lot of remnants of art and old sculptures I felt was too shame to take out. Lot of peculiar rooms to explore as well, as it was mostly intact, just swallowed whole as it went down. There's even a throne room where we had found remnants of some old king with crown of shells and pearls, it was rather breathtaking sight. Probably didn't want to leave all his possessions and go outside during the storm that turned out more dangerous than usual ones, that one. Still had his own weight in jewels and gold on himself, that funny old guy. "

[Mirach]

"Then let's find some place to sit down and eat first, and then we can explore the palace a bit," Svarik suggested. 

[VisAnastasis]

" Let's go to main square, then, if you don't want to us to find the spot somewhere in the palace for that. " Sage nodded, and he led them to that point, where, despite lot of sea vegetation has already taken claim of it, still lot of remains of neatly tiled floor and benches for sitting could be found, scattered and cracked. From the square, they could have a great view on many old but lavish and tall buildings around them, and get a good glimpse of how the place would have looked, thousands of years ago.

[Mirach]

"Yes, that's nice," Svarik smiled.  "Who would have a picnic inside, after all? Let's set it."

[VisAnastasis]

Erdel thought of everything - he also bought them spare plates, some new cloths so they could clean hands after meal, and two bottles of fresh juice and wine so they would't get thirsty after eating. They spread food on a nice tablecloth with red square striped that caught lad's eye in the shop.
 As they left rest of the things in the house, after a bit of thought, former vampire took off his soft long cloak that once used to protect him from the sunlight, and he spread it on a place Svarik picked out to sit at, as, despite they were in air bubble now, land beneath it was covered with water a moment before, and he didn't want king to sit on wet ground and catch a cold.

[Mirach]

"Are you sure?" Svarik asked a bit uncertainly, as he knew that clothes are a part of Erdel's essence now, and it felt a bit wrong to sit on someone's essence. "I can sit on my own cloak..."

[VisAnastasis]

" You were already sitting on your cloak while you were playing for Sea Deity. It got wet. Beside, mine is thicker and took long to weave threads are tightly bound together. Falcon ordered it specially for me, so it would protect me from the weather that was able to kill me back then. It will serve you better, sir, than a wet cloak you wear now. " vampire replied quietly, despite seeming a little vulnerable with such sign of trust, looking determined, as he surely wouldn't have offered it had he not thought it through already. " Cernonnos said, it's just like an extra layer of skin, but one that can be taken of should you chose to. I remember Solstice could take of her clothes too, if she wanted, and Melody as well. Book says nothing ill will happen to me as long as I get it back in the end. " he managed to smile faintly despite it surely took some toll to part with bit of himself for the first time. " I have yet to learn to get comfortable with it, so it's okay. I do not mind... But I will mind if you get sick. "

[Mirach]

"Yes, I remember that Solstice could take off her clothes..." Svarik smirked a little. "Alright then, if you insist. Thank you..." He took the cloak and sat down on it very carefully.

[VisAnastasis]

With Svarik's words about Solstice and his smirk, creature suddenly grew red in the face, and he looked insecure, not knowing should he be flustered or offended, as he suddenly realized how his comment must had sounded as if he had learnt of it from some personal experience.

" I, um, just sow her take of her cloak once or twice in common room... It was just a distant observation... " he tried to excuse himself before his king. " I happen to know Solstice was courting around lot of boys in Organisation, but... For Goodness sake.. I am married, and that was as far as my observation went, honestly! " he stuttered. " My faithfulness is unquestionable. I was just, um, curious how does the whole material form thing work at a time, and asked Solstice questions about that. I was just curious, that's all. It was just an observation. " it seemed being flustered won in the end, because he turned his look away shyly, looking at other side and slouching, keeping hands in his pockets. He didn't seem to want Svarik to think of him as a man who would go around with other people when he had wife and child of his own, as being faithful to his marriage was important to him - but judging by the overall quite unusual redness in his face, it was quite likely that Solstice, playful as she was, was indeed teasing him and flirting with him as well as others, being entity that brought fertility to life, it not being a big deal to her, and embarrassment about it seemed to linger on man's face.

[Mirach]

"I'm sorry Erdel, I didn't mean to imply anything... about you, at least. But will better shut up now..." Svarik said, not wanting to reveal it was his own experience he was speaking about and not someone else's. He quickly put some food on his plate and took a bite from it.

[VisAnastasis]

Vampire seemed flustered and dumbfounded about it, not sure what to do, redness not coming of his face easily. When Xia licked him behind ear to make sure he's alright, he just caressed her shyly, and timidly sat down on one broken column at a side, cold not bothering him. Xia lingered with him for a moment, before she took on a form of a child, seeming to like to mimic human behavior. She clumsily took couple of steps to then, and sat down between Svarik and Sage. As they started eating, she eagerly took part in meal as well, knowing some of them, but seeming to marvel at everything new, specially at the sight of rainbow cookies, as they were very sugary, and bright colors seemed to cheer her up.

[Mirach]

Svarik ate quietly, a bit embarrassed about the whole thing with Solstice. When they have eaten, he stood up and returned the cloak to Erdel.

[VisAnastasis]

Erdel thanked him quietly, and took a cloak, seeming still a bit embarased, but relieved when he was holding it, feeling better when he was whole again. He froze suuddenly then though, not dressing in it, just observing Svarik's own wet cloak a little sadly.
" Are you... cold, sire?"

[Mirach]

"No, I'm fine," Svarik assured him. "And we will start moving right away."