Clara sighed heavily and nodded. "You definitely take after your father in that regard. At least you aren't being ordered around by some faceless tyrant like he was."
Her right hand began to quiver as she took another drag. "Theresa. She's barely three years old, but she has the body of an Olympic athlete in her early twenties. I see so much of your father in her face, but she has...her mother's eyes and smile."
Without finishing the cigarette, she ground the cherry into the ashtray. "I don't know if I can be the mother that girl needs. God knows I've been doing my best these last three weeks, but she's essentially a special needs adult that can turn her arm into a gun!"
She looked at Theonis with a rare instance of vulnerability and asked, "How do you do it, Theonis? Knowing what had to happen for her to exist? She's a wonderful person, but I'm not sure if I can ever really accept her as a daughter. God, you must think I'm a horrible person."
Bother Heather and Rydia whipped their heads to Kerana and answered in unison, "There can always be more!"
Freya blushed at Liv's compliment. "That one is trouble." she though to herself.
She waved her hands up and down and said, "Alright alright. Okami, you can let them up now."
Okami backed away from the Colmers and allowed them to get up. Once the siblings were on their feet they dusted themselves off and sighed. "Thanks. Again, we're so so sorry." Louise apologized.
"Yeah." Lucas agreed. "It's really cool of you to let us off."
Freya raised a brow and scoffed, "Let you off? You and your sister ******** with my students! That's like ******** with a mama wolf's cubs! You don't get let off with a warning. You get made into a warning!"
Without further prompt, Rydia grabbed the Colmers by their collars and harshly led them out of the room.
Freya put her hands on her hips and declared, "I am Freya Goddamn Soichi! The only one who ******** with with you kids is me! So long as you kids are my students, you will not have to worry about anything but the objective in front of you! I can be a b***h, and you will no doubt think I am one! If you disliked Fenris, then you're gonna ******** hate me!"
She then took a deep breath and softened her tone. "But...I'm also fair. So, you guys enjoy your weekend. The real s**t starts Monday."
Okami walked up to Kerana and whispered, "Don't worry, she's not as bad as she says she is. She just likes people to think so. And you don't have to worry about those bad kids. They're gonna be humiliated, not hurt."
Alec sighed, "Well...that was a thing."
He looked to Kerana and asked, "Wanna go topside today? I actually feel like getting some sun. Something must've happened earlier to put me in a good mood."
Lokelonni smiled and assured Liam, "Then just a second from each. Like looking at photographs, or a collage."
Posted: Sun May 14, 2023 4:40 am
Theo stretched and cracked his neck a little.
"You're the only mother she gets. I can ask around see if we can get a psychic to help with....speeding up the development. Because she definitely is not stupid. She's very creative in combat. She can calculate the freaking ricochet of her bullets."
He faced his mom and gave her a hug.
"You're not....you're not a horrible person mom. You're a normal person thrown into a whole new world.I try not to think about things like that. We can't really change what happened. It's not fair for her to..judged for things she had no control over."
Liv couldn't help but laugh when Rydia was sicced on the siblings.
Clara let out a long, tired breath. She then put her arms around her son and held him. "You're right, but don't make a habit of it. I don't know if I can handle being wrong too much. Now, what's this about her being a mathematical savant?"
A commotion came from the direction of the central courtyard; where the flagpole was. The Colmers had been stripped to their undergarments, gagged, and had the words VIRAL and TRENDING painted on Lucas and Louise respectively. Rydia had tied them snugly to the snaps so they would not be physically harmed by their own weight. The flagpole's cleat had a sign attached to it that explained who the siblings were, that they ran the gossip and tabloid site, and what they had attempted to do earlier that (while omitting the victims of said action.)
The people were abuzz with chatter. Some laughed, others were horrified by the spectacle, and some were even wondering how they managed to get put up the flagpole without anyone else noticing.
Heather was surprised to feel encouraged and excited by the idea of becoming stronger. She had noticed a change to her physique and strength since they started training with Fenris. She knew that Liv had noticed. The power and attention her gains had garnered from others, especially Liv, had helped her start to overcome her anxieties about her appearance. She had even started to walk the halls in her half dragon form a few days earlier. She had never felt so strong and confident, and she wanted more.
The excitement stoked a fire in her. She felt like she had shotgunned an energy drink, and she needed to expend the energy. She whirled toward Liv, grinned with wild eyes, and took her girlfriend by the upper arms.
"Liv, I don't know what's going on, but I need you to fight me or ******** me! Maybe both. ******** comes first." she said eagerly but as quietly as she could muster.
Lokelonni lowered her head and focused on her memories of Freya. She started with the week she was born. Even as an infant, Freya looked grumpy as she squirmed restlessly in her basinet.
"It is truly incredible, once you take a moment to ponder it. To witness the miracle of life unfold before you."
Next there was a progressive series of moments where the she learned to first roll over, sit up, crawl, and then finally walk.
"To watch someone grow."
Moments where Freya watched educational television, played with her parents, or figured out toys.
"To watch someone learn."
Freya at four, clapping with joy after she had successfully fed an animal at the zoo. "I fed da ducks!"
"To witness their joys..."
Freya, at 7, crying at the waiting room of a hospital after having jumped off a geodome and breaking her arm.
"...and their pains"
Freya, at ten, successfully hits a bullseye with a knife, jumps, pumps her fist, and shouts,
Which is followed almost immediately by Lokelonni shouting, "Freya!"
"Their triumphs..."
Freya, at twelve, screaming in rage while attempting to rip her tail off a few days after it had rapidly grown in.
...and their tribulations.
Finally, an image of Freya as an adult grinning confidently. That image becomes smaller while more gather around it like a photo collage. All of Freya.
"How all those moments coalesce with their choices and shape the person they become. Although infinitesimal in the grand scale of the cosmos, that life is the birth of it's own microcosm. A bundle of memories and actions that affect the memories and actions of all those within it's orbit; creating an ever evolving ripple of memories and actions."
Lokelonni took a deep breath and sighed, "Yet somehow, someway, in the the infinite improbability of events and many choices that were made before this very moment, you have found love in my Freya. My last miracle."
Posted: Mon May 15, 2023 2:22 pm
"Just stop being wrong then." Theo replied before the commotion. He wanted to ignore it but his position wouldn't let him. He let go of his mother.
"Well..duty calls." He said." Wanna check it out?" He asked his mom before making his way there.
Saying that it wasn't something he expected was an understatement."The ********?" Then he read what was written on the sign.
At first he thought this was some kind of bullying which he hated but this certainly brought some context into it all. Notifying security he turned back to face his mother.
"This doesn't happen often."
Liv was...definitely taken aback by Heathers sudden burst of....sexual energy to put it like that. Very unexpected but she had noticed her rise in confidence lately and it was certainly hot. Alright! It's go time!
"We are going to be unavailable for a while" Liv said in general just to make sure people heard her before teleporting them both back to the bed they were just recently in.She let Heather land on top.
"So....is the little dragon going to claim her treasure?" Liam did the same and entered her mind that she had opened for him.
For him these were all unknown emotions. Just images from someone else's life. But it was...interesting. Despite it all he found himself with a soft smile the older she got. The more he recognized in her.
"I....I do." Liam replied. Somewhere he felt why she showed this to him. But the thought felt...strange. Distant but close at the same time.
"I most certainly hope not." Clara replied. "Though I can probably guess who's responsible for this. Lokelonni told me her daughter and granddaughter have a penchant for humiliating or outright bizarre punishments. Especially the daughter. I think her name is Fenris. The same she wolf that's been training you and the others."
Heather grinned and wasted no time in indulging her "hunger." Almost thirty minutes later, She rolled off of Liv and plopped next to her. The wall was singed by the heat of her breath and ripped apart in places by her impassioned grip. She swiped the sweat soaked hair off of her face and panted heavily.
"Hah...hah...I think...that's a new...record." she huffed with a dazed smile.
Lokelonni burst out laughing for a few seconds before she reigned in her amusement. "Oh, oh my no. She most certainly will not. In fact, do not approach her with that attitude at all. She will hate you for it. Freya does not need, or want, someone to take care of her. She needs to feel that she can completely trust you; not just when she is drunk. Let her know you have her back. It may take some time, but between that and feeding her she will come around...eventually."
Posted: Sat May 20, 2023 2:02 pm
" Yeah....Yeah I can imagine.Still....we have rules around here. Those apply to everyone. Image what would happen if everybody decided to dish out their own sense of justice" Theo sighed.
Liv knew she had her with that comment. And she was right. After thirty minutes she lied there sweaty, panting, out of ******** you...hah...are right."
"I should....call you that more often. Holy s**t"
Liam smiled and nodded."Yes, I suppose I..." He stopped himself.
"Are you telling me to essentially treat her like a stray cat?" He said with a small chuckle.
Both Heather and Rydia whipped their heads to Kerana and answered in unison, "There can always be more!"
Kerana shook her head and shrugged it off They just don’t get it
Rikki Tikki Travi
Freya put her hands on her hips and declared, "I am Freya Goddamn Soichi! The only one who ******** with with you kids is me! So long as you kids are my students, you will not have to worry about anything but the objective in front of you! I can be a b***h, and you will no doubt think I am one! If you disliked Fenris, then you're gonna ******** hate me!"
She then took a deep breath and softened her tone. "But...I'm also fair. So, you guys enjoy your weekend. The real s**t starts Monday."
Okami walked up to Kerana and whispered, "Don't worry, she's not as bad as she says she is. She just likes people to think so. And you don't have to worry about those bad kids. They're gonna be humiliated, not hurt."
Alec sighed, "Well...that was a thing."
Kerana swallowed hard and lowered her ears and tail after Freya’s speech. Then became cautiously optimistic about the weekend being off. She felt better when Okami spoke to her.
After Alec spoke she agreed rubbing the back other head. “Yeah.”
Rikki Tikki Travi
He looked to Kerana and asked, "Wanna go topside today? I actually feel like getting some sun. Something must've happened earlier to put me in a good mood."
She listened to his suggestion and grinned, in hopes to keep them guessing she responded, “Hmm… I wonder what that could be.” Her tail swishing as she spoke. “Going topside sounds like a great idea to me.”
Posted: Mon May 22, 2023 10:53 pm
Nova Blancke
"Oh honey....You keep ignoring the obvious. Our Theo's were the same. Paths diverged but they were the same. You were always his first choice. In this timeline and mine and...it was hard to move past that but it wasn't really something I had time to think about. Survival came first. Energy spent on anything else could result in death. I tried to put it out of my head. Raising Leo during that period was already hard enough without giving myself even more stress."
The way she kept going on how everyone in this timeline is the same as her timeline it was pissing her off and clenched her fists. It seemed like every time they got together some form of this mention came up. Despite her ancestors including herself have to deal with a prophecy of some sort to save the world in one way or another, she’d like some semblance of her own free will. The gods granted her first ancestor this promise that she would be able to choose the one she loves. Now this woman from another timeline claimed she knew this Theo as well as her own. She didn’t like that one bit.
“Tell me Crystalion, where was that ‘first choice’ when he gave HER that look to make love right then and there! Where was that ‘first choice’ when I felt invisible when the three of us were in the room together.”
“Don’t tell me you know his every thought and stop acting like you know mine! I’m not that same Trinity from your timeline and she’s not coming back. The same applies to Theo!”
“Have you even talked to him?! Or do you feel like you don’t need to because you seem to know everything there is to know about him, about me and about Gidget and have no intention to get to know who we are in this timeline. We are strangers. Dawn is a stranger to me Leo is a stranger to me and so are you.” She goes to the door, “Keep the wine…” She opened the door and slammed it.
How dare she think she knows everything about us! This is the second timeline she suddenly knows that all people are exactly the same in all timelines. What… if she ‘knew’ me so well she certainly knew the key words to put me in such a rage. Lemme guess she’s probably saying something like ‘I knew she was going to do that’ or ‘oh typical Trinity’ because she ‘knows’ me so well.
The audacity! We may look the same or similar but that’s like saying you know a guy and his identical twin brother you’ve never met completely blind from the differences nope they’re the same because they look the same.
Trinity started looking at her phone. Looks like Freya starts training on Monday. she checked her calendar looking at dinner with Myth . Well Myth tonight’s your lucky night. We’ll rule out the friendly chat go straight to date.
She saw a couple of emails regarding a couple of people hanging on the flagpole. Damn She dropped through her shadow and emerged from the middle of the crowd. “Alright back off! Show’s over people.” The crowd dispersed and it seems as though Theo got to the scene around the same time she did.
Clara was about to reply when she noticed Trinity dispersing the crowd. She leaned toward Theo and whispered, "Don't look now, but your ex just popped up."
Heather chuckled and replied, "Once...that package I ordered...finally arrives, you're gonna be calling me....bad little dragon.
She took a few moments to catch her breath. She then tried to move, but was surprised to find that she was physically exhausted. Her legs still tingled.
"s**t. I really need to shower, but I'm not sure if my legs will support me right now. Might need a few more minutes."
"Like a stray...oh, o-ho dear!" Lokelonni giggled with her fingers to her lips. "I suppose you are right. How amusing! Though I believe it would be best if we kept that between ourselves."
She moved her covers aside and sat up. With a little effort, she managed to shuffle her legs over the bedside. "Well, it is time to start my day. I should call Kerana and see how she fares after last night."
Alec smiled brightly, whuch was a considedable feat considering his usual disposition. "Great! I was thinking that maybe we could go to Knoxburg Funderland. Heather gave me a set of pair of VIP tickets so we could go together."
Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 2:58 am
"Mom, I don't hate her ya know."He responded." I'm just done with her indecisiveness. But still gotta talk to her at work at times." Theo did spot Trinity doing her thing.
"Anyway, shall we head back?"
Liv made an audible gasp as her response to Heather's purchase.
"You didn't!"
"Yeah...sure...few more minutes would be nice." Liv responded and turned on her side to look at Heather.
"After that...wanna put me in a maid outfit for some cosplay pics for my OF?"
"That might be best." He finished his tea.
"Very well." Liam got up."I suppose I should clean myself up properly."
He made his way to the door before turning around and properly bowed to her. It wasn't the same perfect bow he did before.There were very minor, flaws. This was practiced.
"Thank you for your time. I hope we can meet again."
Clara looked slightly disappointed. "Alright. I was hoping to see how they managed to get those two down. I'm certain this place has little use for things like lift and cherry pickers."
Heather rolled onto her side to face Liv. "Hmm. Not sure if I know how. I'm more used to taking it off."
That was when an idea struck Heather, but then it immediately deflatrd. "It's a shame I have to be a good girl for the company shareholders. I think your subscribers would love it if there were a 'master' for you to be subervient to."
Deora playfully rolled her eyes and sighed with a smile, "I get it. You two are just gonna leave me and Rydia hanging. Y'know, sometimes you two are a little too cute to handle. Can't say I'm not envious, though."
Freya watched happily as her students went their seperate ways to enjoy the weekend. She waved Okami over and asked, "Think you could bring me to Trinity. I really need to catch up with her."
One shadow hop later and they were at the outer portion of the crowd that had gathered around the flagpole. Freya immediately began to laugh hysterically at the sight. That is, until she and Okami saw Trinity looked annoyed at the situation. Freya knew it would not take her first student long to connect the dots on who the culprit of that display. She turned to Okami to request a quick exit, but the wolf needed no prompting to ditch her human twin.
"Oh, you back stabbing c**k-bite." Freya muttered under her breath. She turned on her toes and attempted to sneak away before Trinity saw her
Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2023 2:54 pm
"Well I'm not the only one around here who can fly. Also got telekineticists, plenty of options." Theo responded."Speak of flying....." He got that playful smirk knowing full well how his mother would react. Though he respected her boundaries, he'd still tease.
Liv bit her lip a little.
"You know....there are ways to hide that." She traced two fingers across her own face from ear to ear. Creating a simple illusion of a ballroom mask.
"Wigs and masks baby. That would work right?......Mistress?."
"Good. You too."
With that he left and made his way back to his own apartment for a shower and proper breakfast.
Clara took two steps away from Theonis and pointed at him, "Don't you dare! I will give you such a pinch! Let's just go back inside and meet back up with Theresa and your father. Before I do anything else today I need to apologize to her"
Heather's face turned a deep red, and she blinked twice.
30 Minutes Later
Heather was adorned in her recently acquired Bowsette cosplay. She was half tempted to go half dragon along with the outfit, but she was afraid her rather unique physical attributes would give her away. She was more than satisfied with the blonde wig and her Persona 5 "Violet" mask. Yet there was still something bugging her.
"I dunno, Liv. I look and feel great, but I'm starting to have second thoughts about this. Were you this nervous when you first started posting, or were you a superstar from start?"
Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2023 2:56 pm
Gotcha Liv thought to herself.
30 minutes later she was adjusting her white thigh highs. Her Princess Peach outfit wasn't standard because why would she not show her legs. That long pink dress prevented that. Instead her version had a thigh split.
"You do look and feel great. For me it was...yeah I was nervous but excited. But I didn't have that many doubts. Let's just have some fun." Wrapping her arm around her girlfriends waist, she looked at her. "You do make for a great Bowsette."
She had set up the camera to take pics with short intervals.
Theo laughed and made his way back with his mother. He'd get her flying with him one of these days."Sure."
Deora playfully rolled her eyes and sighed with a smile, "I get it. You two are just gonna leave me and Rydia hanging. Y'know, sometimes you two are a little too cute to handle. Can't say I'm not envious, though."
Kerana smirked as she heard how annoyed Deora seemed cat_cool
Rikki Tikki Travi
Alec smiled brightly, which was a considerable feat considering his usual disposition. "Great! I was thinking that maybe we could go to Knoxburg Funderland. Heather gave me a set of pair of VIP tickets so we could go together."
Kerana’s tails wagged with excitement. “Wow! Really!? VIP tickets! My family and I would go there every year when it comes to town.” She couldn’t believe how much progress he made since their picnic on the surface.
flashback
After a long training session was done with Fenris Kerana strolled to Alec, “Hey Alec it’s Friday. Wanna go see a movie? Or go to the mall?”
Exhausted and somewhat oblivious to what his girlfriend meant he replied, "Sure! I think there's a double feature of British romantic comedies playing tonight at the V-Cinema."
Kerana twiddled her thumbs, “Um… I was thinking maybe we go to the surface. It was a beautiful day when I was up there with Ilex earlier. Heck might be a great day for a picnic. What do you think?”
"Oh...oh! You mean up there, in the sun, away from Valhala."
Alec remembered that Kerana had been wanting a sunny picnic for weeks, since before he became the Grim Reaper. He had also promised her. The idea of going out in public, for the first time in months, put a lump in his throat.
"Um..."
Her smile, those eyes. He couldn't say no. It was time to make good on his promise.
"Yeah. Okay, yeah. Let's do it! Let's have our picnic in the sun!" He said with gusto.
Kerana wondered why she sensed a hesitation there. She thought he’d have as much gusto going to see the new horror flick up on the surface. She’d burry her head in his chest at certain scenes she couldn’t look at. He’d tell her when it was safe to look.
She thought he’d be less shy after he ascended. But looks like he came around to the idea about the picnic. She hopped with a, “Great!” Her tails wagged in unison with excitement.
“I think I have the food covered. Want to pick the location?”
"Location? Uh...just a sec." He said with a raised finger.
He turned his back to her and hunched over his phone with his thumbs flying. He was good at using search engines, so it only took him a few seconds to find a park that was a few blocks away from a movie theater.
He pocketed his phone and spun back around. "Wellington Park is pretty close to a small movie theater that's been around since the 80's. I thought we'd wait until we get there to make a choice."
“Why not both?” she said with a shrug. “We could have a picnic then watch a movie.” She really liked where this was going. “ Ok let me pack up the food and we’ll get out of here.”
"Ah, okay. Sure. Um, should, I mean, is there anything I can do to help?" He offered. He didn't want to just let her do everything. It made him feel lazy...or useless.
“Sure. I think I have a charcuterie board so that will work for the sides. Thinking maybe some sandwiches or fruit salad or egg salad.” It was obvious she was excited but indecision about what exactly to bring. She would only bring a part of the picnic with the clubs she was part of in school but it seemed like she was overthinking it for a picnic for two. It’s obvious she wanted it to be special.
Char cutie what? He had never heard of such a thing. That was a lot of things she mentioned.
"Um, I think I can do the sandwiches or the fruit salad. It seems easy enough. We also need a wicker basket and a checkered blanket too, right?" He asked innocently.
“I have those already. I got them, while you were in the hospital.“
“You know, I’ve been wanting to make good on our promise. I never thought we’d be so different or in training to save the world then. Crazy right?”
"I know what you mean. It seems like yesterday I was laid up in bed, and you had just the one tail. Now we're being trained by a werewolf, an ancient child, and a blind elf queen. I think we deserve this little piece of normal."
Alec felt his heart rate go up. The prospect of being out in public after so long made him feel a little queasy, but he was going to try his best to give Kerana her day.
“Or at least as normal as the Grim Reaper and a Kitsune going out cat_sweatdrop”
They headed toward her place. Kerana was pulling out some fruits for the salad that needed to be chopped. “Any idea what kind of sandwiches?” Her tails curved like a question mark as she started thinking about it.
Alec noticed Kerana's tails acting like furry emojis and chuckled. "Heh, honestly I'd never had anything more complex than ham and cheese on white before you started making little heart shaped goodies for me. I've heard good things about turkey and roast beef, though."
Alec rummaged through her fridge and looked through a surprising variety of cheeses.
"What's monster cheese like? Wait...oops, I mean moo, muh, muh-en-ster...this white cheese with the orange crust?" He asked with a tone of embarrassment.
Kerana couldn’t help herself, blushing as she observed Alec’s posterior as he reached for the cheese in the bottom drawer. Then he turned to ask her his question.
“Um… right. No you got it right. I know it’s spelled funny but it’s pretty much like ‘monster’. Perhaps it’s more like that old TV show ‘The Munsters’.” She rubbed the back of her neck.
“I think it will pair well with turkey, chicken or ham. I tend to use it for mac and cheese or French onion soup. It has this mild slightly nutty buttery taste to it. Guess that’s the best way to describe it.”
“I usually like to add some lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and mayonnaise. Oh I tend to like a ciabatta bread, but we do have white bread too. I can get to work on the sandwiches if you could take care of the fruit salad. Probably would be best to pull out the charcuterie last since there’s not much to do there.”
Sandwiches were a lot more complex than he thought. "Sure, I'll take care of the fruit salad. Just dice it and throw it all together, right?"
Alec took Kerana's spot at the table and grabbed hold of the kitchen chef's knife. A familiar tingle went from his fingers to his upper arms. He shook his head to clear away those thoughts and got to work expertly cutting the fruits Kerana had left out. He knew his way around a blade.
"So what's a charcuterie? You mentioned something about a board? Is it like an hors d'oeuvre tray?"
“Yeah, kinda. It was something I picked up while at the grocery store for snacks. It has sliced up fancy meats and cheeses with crackers.” Sometimes growing up the kitchen was a safe haven for her from her dad’s expectations.
"Sounds neat. Kinda reminds me of how my oldest brother would sneak cheddar cheese cubes to the rest of us before a big church dinner."
Alec looked over his shoulder to Kerana and watched for a moment as she assembled the sandwiches. There was a part of him that wanted to put down the knife, sneak behind her, wrap his arks around her waist, and kiss her neck. The other part of him promised to marry her someday.
While distracted, the knife went down and nearly cut off the tip of his finger. He cursed his inattentiveness, but then a devious idea came to him. Maybe it was time to show Kerana one of the tricks he learned while he was at "work."
He grinned and popped his left hand off at the wrist like a toy. There was no blood. It reminded him of Thing from The Addams Family. While Kerana was still busy, he held his severed hand to her and asked, "I'm done here. Would you like a hand with that?"
“Nah I-“ Kerana saw his hand severed from his body. “EEEEYAAAH! Alec your hand! Quick hand me your wrist I hope I can heal this” she bit her lip worrying.
He immediately regret his decision. He put his hands up and waved them in a calming fashion. "Whoa whoa whoa! Kerana, it's okay! I'm just joking. See, no blood. Watch."
He popped his hand back on his wrist and wiggled it back in place. He flexed his fingers and said, "See there, back where it belongs and no worse for wear. It's a thing I can do now. Sorry I scared you. I was trying to make a stupid hand pun."
Kerana eyes widen as she stared at his hand moving without being properly attached. ‘How can this be okay?! How can this be a joke?!’ Then he placed his hand back on like nothing happened. She felt relieved then paused a moment and realized the joke.“Heh, heh, I see now. So when did you find out you could do this?”
"When I was, y'know, working. I was experinenting with the sorts of things I could do as the embodiment of death. Turns out, so long as I want to remove a part of myself, I can just pop it off like a Potato Head. I'll spare you any further demonstrations, though. Sorry again."
“It’s okay. I just didn’t know and don’t worry, there was a lot I had to get used to already. I’m sure if you use this enough around me I can adapt to that too. I just don’t want to be in the way of you using one of your gifts.”
She looks down at the completed sandwiches “The sandwiches are pretty much ready, just need to put them in plastic bags.” It was something easy to do but she figured it would be a good opportunity to encourage his ability, "I suppose I could use a ‘hand’ with that.”
Alec smiled and raised a finger. "Watch this."
With a flourish of his hands, a half dozen small blue flames emerged from them and began to put the sandwiches into the bags and place the other parts of the picnic into a floating wicker basket without actually coming into contact with them.
Alec moved behind Kerana and said, "They're actually kinda cute and funny, once you see them like I do."
He then made his hands into faux binoculars and moved them over Kerana's eyes. The six flames actually looked more like the Boos from the Mario series. Each one displayed a different emotion as they diligently worked to assemble the picnic.
She thought his dismembered hand would hold the bags and she would place the sandwich in them. Then he displayed a different trick “Oh?” She watched as she saw the blue flames come forth helping out. She looked through his faux binoculars, “Cute indeed. Man you’re pulling out all the tricks today, huh?”
“Looks like it’s all packed up. I’ve got the sodas. Let’s go to the park.”
“Thanks little guys!”
The little ghosts waved to Kerana with broad smiles and faded back into the ether. Alec laughed and explained, "They're actually brothers. When they were alive they led, let's say, less than honest lives. They were executed all at once, and have been together in the afterlife since. Crosis punished them harshly, and I offered to let them pass since they served out more than what was fair. Then they asked if they'd still be together, and my answer didn't satify them. Rather than be separated, and in gratitude for freeing them from their torment, they agreed to assist me with literally anything."
Alec took the cooler and left the basket to Kerana. A shuttle was called, and they were on their way to the park.
Alec was calm, at first, but the further they got from Valhalla the more his anxiety grew. It evetually manifested as a bouncing leg. He would occasionally look outside to watch the condition of the weather.
Kerana noticed his bouncing leg she could sense he was anxious. She touched his bouncing knee and asked, with concern with her eyes “You okay?”
Alec reflexively tensed up, but he relaxed once he heard her question. His first instinct resulted in him saying, "Yeah, I'm good. Just excited."
Then he thought about how Kerana stressed honesty between them, even if the lie was to spare her feelings.
He took a deep breath and bit his thumbnail. "This is the first time I've been outside of Valhalla and off the campus since they took me in."
For a moment of brevity he chuckled and said, "This may come as a shock to you, but I'm actually an introvert. Not quite to the level of agoraphobia, but for the longest time I only felt safe in my room."
He looked at her and saw the concern in her eyes. He cursed his weakness and apologized, "I'm sorry. This was supposed to be our special day and I'm wrecking it."
Kerana chuckled with him when he mentioned that he was introvert. She knew he was one, it was painfully obvious. She tend to like the shy types and wanted to help bring them out of their shell and watch them bloom. But she also did not want to force them out when they weren’t ready.
Alec had made a lot of progress since his ascension but perhaps this was not his time to return to the surface. “No, this is supposed to be our special day. I’d feel bad if you are out there uncomfortable and I was ignoring it.” Then she heard rain drops on the roof of the van, then it started to pour. “Heh, looks like Gaia agrees.” She looked at the name tag of the driver and said, “Hey Carl, sorry to ask but it looks like the weather has changed its mind. Could you take us back?”
Alec felt a surge of panic bolt through him. "No! This isn't fair to you. You've been keeping yourself cooped up because of me. May-maybe we can go to the movie first?"
He stuttered. He hadn't stuttered for a while. He didn't want Kerana to deny herself the things she enjoys because of his anxiety. He felt awful. His inner dialogue was not helping. He could feel himself starting to spiral.
“Alec look at me. You’re not taking anything away from me. I’ve been going to the surface frequently with friends and training with Ilex. It’s okay if you’re not ready there are other friends that could not go or are not ready to go to the surface so I meet them where they are. Let me meet you where you are.” She was rubbing his back and shoulder. “I love you Alec and I’m willing to wait on this until you’re ready okay?”
“No pressure.” She looked into his eyes hoping her words were reaching him and helping him.
He looked back into her eyes and felt his heart rate slow down. There was no placating, no patronizing, and no sense of her just wanting him to stop. What she wanted was for him to be comfortable, and he knew that.
He nodded and huffed, "Ok. I'm sorry. You were so excited. I feel so stupid. I help souls cross over, and I get worked up when there's a slight chance of being in pub-"
His eyes darted around as he thought of a solution.
"Have you ever wanted to go to Europe?"
“Europe? I’ve always wanted to go there. But it’s way to pricey for a flight. Why do you ask? ” Kerana raised an eyebrow wondering what Alec had in mind.
"Because we don't need to fly, and the sun is going to set in the scenic hills of Austria in and hour. There'd be no one there for miles. Just you, me, and a picnic under a painted sky."
“Wow! Sounds perfect. Great idea Alec. We could go there after we get back to Valhalla.” She figured it would be easier to summon his scythe and set up a portal outside the van.
Less than ten minutes later, Alec opened a portal to the Vorarlberg region of Western Austria, and right by the Bodensee lake. They were surrounded by fields of grass interspersed with white and yellow flowers. The trees swayed with the winds, and the sky had just started to turn a shade of pink.
Alec closed the tear and sighed with relief, "Just in time. Think you can ask the local flora where it'd be okay for us to sit without disturbing them too much?"
Kerana’s eyes went white and her hair flowed as she communicated with the flora what they had in mind. The flora responded by sway away from the area where they could sit. “Coast is clear.” She pulled out the blanket and placed it down. Sat on it with the basket and patted a spot next to her.
It was finally happening. That moment kept him motivated during his first time working. It wasn't sunny, but then again neither was he. It felt like a special moment for just the two of them.
He sat down where she patted and smiled warmly. "I'm excited to try out these fancy sandwiches."
She smiled as she remembered that special moment. Then she looked to him now. Now, he's the one asking her out to the surface. "Do we need anything before we head out?"
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