As I rouse, I hear Tiktik ask, “You really like my smile that much? Awe.”

I stretch my jaw and rattle my skull, which has the effect of, erm, jiggling the pillows my face is buried in. I try to recoil, but there’s almost no space, so I end up elbowing Teuila in the chin on accident. Sorry Te. Teuila and Tiktik both start laughing at my overreaction.

Tiktik absolves me, “It’s fine, we’re Fae, not humans with their stuffiness like personal space and stuff. Plus, they’ve got some really weird ideas about what, ugh, never mind. Anyway, pleasant dreams chum?”

I furrow my brow in confusion as I ask, “Pleasant dream? What dream?”

Tiktik pouts, “You were saying you’d fight heaven and hell to protect this cute smile.”

I boggle momentarily as I’m still dazed. Teuila’s telepathic avatar is laughing her butt off, rolling around on the ground of our mindscape. I blink rapidly for a bit, trying to process what was said. Oh, well heck, sure, Tiktik does have an incredibly cute smile.

I flash Tiktik half a grin as I mumble, “Err, I mean, honestly, we’re probably going to end up doing exactly that by the time we’re through on Rayileklia knowing the way my life’s story unfolds. So, literally? Yes. Figuratively? Yeah, sure, you’re a friggin’ cutie, and that smile is gorgeous. Who wouldn’t want to see it all the time? Though, and I don’t mean to discourage you, is it possible I was talking about Teuila? Her beautiful face fills my thoughts, literally, since we’re psychically bonded.”

Tiktik playfully pouts and starts laughing before responding, “I’m giving you a hard time pal. Hehe. I dunno, I don’t think it was either of us honestly. You spoke in a really funny voice, it didn’t sound like you at all. It was kinda weird.”

I nod along with Tiktik, still struggling against my daze to recall the last few minutes, or hours. Oh! Oh they must be talking about an Aces’ memory dream. It’s been a while since I’ve had one of those, I think. At least one where someone else was awake and I sleep-talked through it.

I conjecture aloud, “Oh, that must have been another of Aces’ memories, they were an assa—“

Tiktik flashes me a grin as she cuts me off, “I obviously know the skulker that stuck around to learn magic, the assassin that never aged. I’m pretty sure they were running through Autumn Brook recently. I guess I must have just missed Aces on their way back to the Vale for the first time in a long time.”

I grimace as a horrified expression slams itself across my face with a vigor. Gulping, I admit, “Aces was, um. Tiktik, we, uh. We came to this world by dying on ours. When we got here, there was a body, a corpse on the floor of the temple we arrived in. Based on their dagger, I knew it was Aces’ body from some dream memories I had. Whatever smile dream you were talking about must have been another of Aces’ memories showing up as a dream I sleep-talk through.”

Tiktik looks mildly stricken, and freezes in that emotional display for long enough that I’m beginning to worry. As I’m about to reach a hand up to her shoulder comfortingly, she dons a half-frown by drawing her lips back along their left side. She also shakes her head sadly and unleashes a weighted sigh.

Tiktik explains, “I didn’t really know them personally or anything, but I get to know names and descriptions and activities of a lot of people as an urban bountyhunter. It’s just my job to know those kindsa things. Still. For you guys, it’s just one sad tragedy after another by the sounds of it. Some of the people around The Brook had heard bits and pieces of your story, so the other world thing isn’t a surprise, but dying to get here wasn’t anything any random rumor was carrying. Sigh. Looks like we’re still over a day from The Brook, but you and your magic need a break. Those horses are going to poof any minute now. I think you were practicing runes even in your sleep.”

I cock my head to the side as I gaze up at Tiktik in confusion. Is that something I can even do? I know I had somniscription back in colle— What? I had what? Back in where? What’s somni— Ow, ow my freakin’ head. Oh crap, my vision is flooding with red, but it’s not anger. Blood vessels or capillaries or something around my eyes must have burst. I, wait, my nose is running, and it feels like tears are still flowing, just closer to my ears. Why is Tiktik looking so horrified?

I reach up to wipe away the tears and snot, but what shows up across the back of my hand is blood, from each orifice. This, um. This seems pretty bad. I. I don’t know if I can--. I begin to convulse and twitch as my headache spreads throughout my whole body. H-help. P-please. Some, some, someone. I can sense Teuila panicking and Tiktik acting on some frantic impulse as it feels like my brain is leaking out my nose and ears.

My reddened sight doubles as my eyes unwillingly cross. The only reason I’m not choking on my tongue is the enchantment on the Neckchain of the Everbreathing. If I had any control over myself right now, I’d huff an exasperated sigh. Was I even crafting any runes? Was I overextending myself? I can’t remember why I’m suddenly almost dying yet again. This is stupidly frequent as a staple in my life. The bleeding and the almost dying that is, not the convulsing to the point of being trapped in my head, that’s sort of new. I’d had spasms and twitches most of my existence, but this is frightening, even for me.

Just like that, the convulsions calm, and though I’m left breathless for the moment, I don’t feel all that much the worse for wear. What even brought them on? Was it, was, huh. Was I thinking about something?

Teuila’s telepathic avatar rushes into my mind and orders, “Stop! Whatever it is, whatever thought you think you were about to have, don’t have it! Focus, focus on me, please. Just. Just. Breathe Air, breathe. Nothing else. Just think about me holding you while you breathe. Please? I suddenly understand Luni all the better. No wonder she—. Huff. If she was always guiding y—, anyway, that’s not important. Just, just be with me. Please?”

I blink confusedly at Teuila before I telepathically send, “Of course My Wings. Always, any time. I love you. Luni? Do you mean her riding around in my head non stop for so long? Is th—“

Teuila copies one of Luni’s mannerisms as her telepathic avatar taps my lips and face while she says, “Bup bup! No more of that. Oh heck I’m turning into little sis. Eh, worse things could happen. For now, just breathe, hold me, let me hold you. No thinking. Okay?”

I chuckle as my telepathic avatar snags Teuila’s avatar’s hand to nuzzle its palm. I’m quite happy to acquiesce to such a request. Though Te knows me, my brain doesn’t exactly shut off or stop thinking, even when I’m putting it on autopilot mode and retreating from a monotonous task in reality. That’s fine though. I nuzzle Teuila in thinkspace and meatspace. Or at least, I thought I was nuzzling Teuila in meatspace. I just realized our seating arrangement means my face is not near Teuila's body, rather it's situated in front of Tiktik as she straddles me to face me so that we can runecraft together.

My eyes flick open to take in a patch of bluish flesh along Tiktik’s left shoulder and bicep. She looks like she wants to roll on the floor laughing, but there’s no room. She must have cleaned up the blood on us with her magic. I’m pretty sure I was bleeding fairly badly. I blush and retreat from Tiktik’s clavicle and shoulder, squirming uncomfortably.

Stolen novel; please report.

I mumble, “Sorry, I, err. I was in our mindscape. Forgot meat space for a bit.”

Tiktik teases, “Sounds fun in there! Maybe I’ll take you two up on that offer at some point after all! Hehe. Well, maybe anyway.”

I blush furiously and continue to squirm while avoiding Tiktik’s gaze. I’d like to laugh off my own embarrassment, but I’m trying to just focus on being present with Teuila. Tiktik’s presence complicates that presentness slightly. Even if she presents her presence in such an adorably silly way the way that she does, it's a gift of joy for the most part. Huh, that’s a present. That’s a lot of presents and presence. I rattle my head as I chuckle at myself.

Gnawing on my lip I try to wiggle such that I can rotate at least halfway clockwise to be able to face Teuila by shuffling to sit slightly sideways on her lap. This has the unfortunate effect of dislodging Tiktik’s straddled position such that she falls smooshed between the two of us, particularly her face between our faces. Despite her comfort with affection, and lack of worry for personal space due to being Fae, Tiktik seems to be blushing the hardest out of the three of us as she struggles to extricate herself from her cramped position.

I start to mumble an apology again but Tiktik just laughs it off as she explains, “Don’t worry about it. I left my heart in the Fae’s Wilds, but accidentally snuggling or smooching or even getting a bit frisky isn’t going to change that. Heck, not even biting, see?”

Tiktik chomps into my neck and my eyes flash wide as I squirm and gulp. Teuila starts to laugh so hard she bounces her lap, shuffling us even further into a cramped position, loosing Tiktik’s lip-grip on my jugular. Tiktik topples the few inches of distance between her and Teuila, accidentally trading a headbutt with Teuila, causing both to laugh. Tiktik kisses Teuila’s forehead in apology, where the tiniest bruise mars her features. That would be Teuila’s own strength working against her, even just shuffling slightly is done with such force that most people would probably end up with a concussion from falling even that short distance.

My mind is flooded with images of our current position in a third person view from the last few seconds, and I flush heatedly with blush at the thoughts. Is this the kind of feeling Lil gets when they trade reptile good-luck ear-tonguing with Nagas like Dehlia? Phew. Yeesh. I mean, well, err. Yeah. I guess I get it. It’s not like I exactly disliked Dehlia’s, erm, luck wishes either. Though I’m personally uncomfortable with the, uh, feelings associated with the intimacy implied by the activities.

I have to pout as I continue to blush because Teuila’s telepathic avatar is once again rolling around on the ground laughing at my train of thoughts. Thankfully Teuila takes pity on me. Her avatar stands and walks to embrace mine. We kiss for a long moment before resting our foreheads together. I try to just focus on breathing, being in the moment with my beloved Wings.

That is until Teuila teases, “Y’know, if I knew it tripped your trigger so much, I’d have been biting up and down your neck for years by now.”

I gulp as color drains from my face, then returns as a rush of red that sets my eartips steaming both in mind space and meat space. I pout while blushing and adopting a minuscule head-shake. These women in my life. Luni would definitely have chosen a similar, if not the exact same tease to hit me with. Ugh my freaking heart is fluttering so hard. Sometimes you’re the worst best thing ever, you know that, right Te?

Teuila adopts the Shellcracker Family Squee, that single elongated laugh of glee that sounds her joy through a wide mostly closed-lipped smile. I’m in love with the best people in the totality of several worlds. The joy that Teuila can elate is beauty, bliss, pure wonderment. I’d say that I wish I could pause time to capture the moment, but I don’t need to. She brings that joy into my life and my mind repeatedly. Despite everything, all the craziness, I’m probably the luckiest being in all of existence, every existence.

Teuila teases, “Darn right buster. Hehe. Nyeh.”

As Teuila’s mental avatar blows a raspberry, the motion carries over into meat space, so Tiktik gets a face-full of Teuila’s tongue, and now Teuila’s the one dying of embarrassment. My poor Wings. You kinda had that one coming. Hah. Sorry my love.

Teuila blushes for a long moment as Tiktik teases, “Let me guess, more mind space accidents? Just what do you two get up to in there?” before shrugging and then licking Teuila back.

Now I’m left rolling around in my mindscape laughing. This is far too much tongue to be sharing with someone we’ve just met, hah. Though I suppose Lil and Dehlia only knew each other for a few hours over the course of two meetings before they started, uh, sharing a lot of reptilian tongue. I probably shouldn’t judge based on my stupid Fakeworld memories.

I also probably shouldn’t be allowing myself so much joy, sitting next to a friend on the edge of death, after recently hav—.

Teuila’s mental avatar stomps up to mine and fumes as she glares my way. Gulp. Right, try not to beat myself up. Live in the moment. Eat, drink, and be merry, because tomorrow I might die. Oh Te. Oh my beloved Wings. I’m sorry. Teuila bursts into tears in and out of think space as I remind her of my looming death. We fall into each other’s arms again and I try to just shut off my stupid self-loathing brain.

Tiktik grumps, “Okay, now you two are back to crying. Seriously, what’s going on in there? I don’t mean to be nosy, but you offered, and now I’m starting to worry. You both seem pretty great. What all is going on? Maybe fill me in, or let me in?”

I guess it wouldn’t hurt to offer her a temporary casting of the spell, before committing to making it permanent. I telepathically ask Teuila, “How do you feel about it Te? Do you want to let Tiktik in at this point in, well, in everything?”

Teuila’s mental avatar frowns and chews inside its cheek as she attempts to weigh her decision, “I, I get so jealous and possessive of you, my Airhead. This is, I mean. This is the first time that I get to be the first and only one in your head. It makes me feel so special—“

I interrupt, “Oh Te, my wonderful, strong, kind, beautiful Teuila. You are special. You are, you truly are. I’m sorry if I don’t make you feel it enough.”

Teuila pouts aloud, “I, I didn’t mean it like that. I, I mean you do. You really do. You’re grrr eight outta ten. Err, I mean out of eight, or five, or something. Err, you’re great, that’s all. Ignore the rest. I, I just. Screw it, let’s do it. She’s great. She’s really really great, and maybe she will have some ideas. She at least deserves to know just how heavy things really are. She signed up to face down apocalypses with us after knowing us for a couple of minutes. She’s my kind of gal. Please bring her in here Airhead, my Air? My very own breath of fresh Air.”

I flash Teuila a weak smile as I return to meat space to ask, “Are you up for this Tiktik? I’m about to start casting. It’ll be temporary unless we all agree that we should continue, then I’ll get out the ruby paste and make it permanent, if you’re okay with me marking your body, mostly your head, with it. You're a bit smaller, so I'll have to travel down your neck a bit, hopefully not down your torso, but I'm an amateur at runecraft, as you know.”

Tiktik jokes, “I’m down, you can rub your paste wherever you need to, it sounds like an adventure in those brains of yours. Just, um. Ignore Bizzy if you can hear him? Bizzenblade shouldn’t be real. Not sure what to do about him, since I accidentally created him in the ‘Twixt.”

I nod as I wear half a smile while reading Tiktik’s expression. Despite joking and teasing, she’s earnest. To add someone into an already established telepathic link, I need our heads to touch, so I motion for us to all lean our foreheads together. I take my time crafting the runes for the telepathic link spell so that I don’t burn through any more S P than I absolutely need to. I also make sure that our steeds are fresh and empowered as strongly as I can reinforce them with my S P. Inhaling a ragged breath, I loose it as a halting sigh.

It’s several intimate moments, resting tightly crammed in against one another, with our heads and faces as close as can be. I’m almost nervous as I’m approaching finishing the last rune. I haven’t brought someone in to our inner circle since Lightning. Our, well, our shared paramour, Linti, Lightning Hunter. She’d answer to Lin, Linti, Lightning, or Hunter. It was a trait of the cat tribe to have a name that was sort of a title or a story all its own, and to answer to any part of it.

Suddenly Tiktik struggles to telepathically express, “That’s so cool! A cat tribe? Like kitty cats, or like people cats? How do you two, um. Hang on, I’ll get the hang of this.”

Moments later an avatar begins to form for Tiktik, but it’s a bit different from her actual body, and ever so slightly goofy looking. It’s cutesy with giant eyes and a head that seems disproportionately large. Also, certain assets are definitely differently proportioned in such a compact version of her. She giggles as she tries to inspect herself. Despite the unusual mental avatar, we’ve brought someone into our most intimate of spaces for the first time since we were staring down the barrel, or facing down our share of apocalypses on Can’Z’aas.