Tiktik mentions in awe, “Wow, you two are even prettier in here, really cute I mean. Not as cute as Littlebit, but no one is. Not even me! Hehe.”

I chuckle. She’s honestly adorable, even in this chibified mental avatar of hers. It’s ridiculously cute. As cliche as it is, I kind of want to pinch her cheeks like this even more than I do in meat space.

Tiktik teases, “Go ahead, I’m curious what stuff feels like in here! Can’t be much different than any other Fae-fection. Err, Fae affection.”

I blush, remembering that for some reason, everyone else who rides my telepathic waves can hear my every conscious or near-conscious thought. Still, she offered, and Teuila’s laughing her head off right now. May as well oblige. I walk closer and shrink my telepathic avatar to Tiktik’s avatar’s height, and reach out with both hands to take thumbfulls of her adorable cheeks and squoosh them about for a moment. Haha, it’s cute and funny in a way I can’t describe to have a tiny bit of telepathic pudge caught between your fingers.

Tiktik responds to my contact and thoughts by tackling me to attempt to find out if my telepathic avatar is ticklish. Thankfully, it’s not, but that just means I’ve got an adorable woman straddling me, exploring my body for weak spots while grumping playfully. Uh oh, she caught on to something I thought.

Tiktik grins evilly as she starts to purposely fade from thinkspace, chanting in singsong, “So your avatar isn’t ticklish, huhhhhh? How about youuu?”

Crap. Teuila help me out here, stop laughing! Hah, haha, hahaha, oh no, hahaha. Nooo. I writhe and squirm as Tiktik finds my ticklish spots and lays into them mercilessly. I fidget while laughing and crying. I fight my own reactions so as not to move too much, in the hopes that we don’t disturb Daffodil’s recovery. Despite the tickling taking up most of my senses, I’m able to pick up vibrations again as if the land were rumbling heavily within a few dozen miles. That’s the second time I’ve picked up such a sensation. The first time I’m positive was when Noirdivinhoz’s canyon was caved in. Is that rockslide just shifting? Or is this a new rockslide or earthquake?

Despite being mercilessly tickled, now by two lovable women, I focus my consciousness away from my body’s tactile senses with a purpose in mind. Focus Reggie. Feel it. Use your sense of direction. It’s to the northeast. Definitely a second, newer location. Worse, I’m almost positive the vibration is closing in, albeit slowly, but still its epicenter is moving this way. I’m almost positive. That’s quite worrisome.

Teuila and Tiktik stop their tickling to gaze at me curiously, confusedly. They’ve been able to read my thoughts, and now they’re curious, because neither of them sense the vibration. I don’t think either one sensed the first quake either. I’ve always been more attuned to the presence of waves than everyone around me. Sound waves, vibratory waves, the pressure of the the waves on the Night of High Water that cost us several family members, even light’s ultraviolet rays, all of it. I wish that I’d taken my senses’ warnings more seriously at many points in my life. I’m not making the same mistake again. I’m warning Harriet about this, and not relenting until I’m sure she’s taking my warning seriously.

Tiktik asks, “Is it really that serious chums?”

I nod as I draw a shuddering breath through my nose that leaves as a sigh which becomes a yawn. I explain, “I’ve, um. I knew when a mountain had moved several feet upward, I saw a horizon line a fraction of a spot higher than it should be along the ocean once, and was worried it was a tsunami, I’ve spotted glows and lights that signaled dangerous things long before others around me. All of those signaled horrid events. I. I’m sorry Te. Yeah, I know. I hope we get home some day, and I hope Gail lets us see Peni.”

My head sags forward into the midst of our three bodies as my eyelids droop once more. My expression falls into a sad frown and I struggle to not weep. Penina died because I wasn’t quick enough, powerful enough, confident enough to act to save the family that had taken me in along Can’Z’aas’s southern shore.

Teuila nudges me, frowning sadly. Wanting to remind me not to beat myself up. I know Te. I know. I’m just, I’m so tired of failing people. Why do I get to keep living through all these horrid things, yet we keep losing good, kind, sweet, or innocent people? An entire city, washed away by Leviathan. The risk of the beavers and the second critterkin contingent suffering from a reoccurrence of the Night of All Burn, Mat slaying so many chameleonfolk. Just, so many things. Teuila frowns as she grumps my way telepathically. I’ll try to drop the topic Te. Sorry.

Tiktik adds, “You two have been through a lot. What normally helps you keep going?”

I blush as Teuila grins evilly my way. Come on Te, that’s not fair. Tiktik’s a friend offering help figuring things out, she’s not asking abo—.

Teuila snickers as she responds, “Well, my Airhead just loves snuggles and smooches. Gets them right our of their head most of the time. I’m pretty sure they also got really distracted by your attention to their neck. Hehe.”

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Tiktik alights to the idea as she excitedly asks, “Really!? Say no more mon amour!”

Meep. Tiktik lunges for me, but thankfully Teuila interjects her hand, so Tiktik just ends up with a face full of Teuila’s palm. Tiktik looks confused, since Teuila was definitely hinting to tease me in such a fashion. Heck, even I’m a bit confused.

Te mutters, “I uh. I can maybe try that out later. Koff. I mean. Dangit I’m doing it again. Crap. I’m sorry. I. I get jealous and possessive. It’s not fair, I know. We’re really open and, and, and stuff. Heck, I’ve spent more time with Lin’s lips locked around mine than Reggie has. Err, ahem, koff. Uh. Yeah. Point being, I’m sorry for being a jerk with my kneejerk jealousy.”

Tiktik teases, “Sounds like you’ve got a couple things going on, don’t worry, no need to be jealous, plenty of teeth to go around!”

With that, Tiktik lunges instead for Teuila’s neck, catching her offguard, and I’m left wearing a mildly surprised, slightly uncomfortable expression as I blush to high heavens while Teuila squirms under Tiktik’s attention. Uh. I really think I need fresh air. Okay, that’s a lie. I wear the Neckchain of the Everbreathing. Huff. Gosh, that is. Wow. I know Tiktik’s a Fae, and that we’re rather famous for having almost no boundaries, but wow.

Hm? Yes Bud, yes, this whole situation is entirely inappropriate, especially to bring up any topic like that. No it’s. No, I’ve. Hold on. I’ve told you before. Even if I wanted the biology, and I don’t, I don’t have it right now, but I still. Now hold up just a second. I’m not yelling at you, it’s okay Bud, just let me explain, please?

Tiktik snorts a laugh, causing her to release Teuila’s neck with a soft popping sound. Apparently she can hear me telepathically talking with bud, or at least my half of the conversation. We don’t share a portion of our soul, err, I don’t think we do anyway. So Bud probably can’t— Oh wait. She’s Fae. You totally hear all of this, don’t you Tiktik?

Tiktik snirks, snorting and laughing as she confirms, “Yep! Hehehe. I gotta say, never, snrk, hehe, thought I’d have someone’s long pointy stick proposition me to bear a child for them, or well, their wielder. Hahaha. Oh hey, that sounds so dirty now that I say it out loud, hehehe.”

Now Teuila gets to be freed from her own embarrassment and squirming as I steam to my ear tips once more. Dangit Bud, you butt. I asked you to not press me on that topic anymore Lullaby.

Tiktik gasps and interrupts, “Wait, wait, wait, Bud is Lullaby? -The- Lullaby? Requiem for the Windless Wilds? There’s stories about him in the library! How did you two end up together? I mean, Reggie, you’re literally out of this world, or, well, from there at least.”

I chuckle, grateful for the distraction as I attempt to explain, “So, uh. We ran into an individual that was a bit of a kleptomaniac. I’m not even sure it qualifies as kleptomaniacal theft to do what he did though. After capturing and stealing some people’s souls, he would go raid their domiciles or stores for magic equipment or valuables. Apparently Bud had been lost in human lands for some time, passed around from collector to collector, with none of them really having any idea the value Bud really held.”

Tiktik’s face is milimeters from mine as she gazes into my eyes enraptured, awaiting more. I blush, sorry to disappoint as I conclude, “That’s kind of all there is to the story. Milbert, Necromancer of Navica died in Victo. We didn’t even have to be the ones to finish him off. We then gave him a bit of turnabout for fair play, and looted his tower before destroying it.”

Tiktik half pouts for a moment before laughing as she backs off, withdrawing her face from its intimately close position, though she can’t gain all that much distance. Teuila tries tickling Tiktik for payback from the earlier necking affection, and now I’m left stuck between two women tickle fighting, squirming around each other. I squirm myself in mild discomfort and embarrassment. Okay now they’re playfully biting each other’s hands to ward off the tickles as one hand or another approaches. I roll my eyes and huff a faux exasperated sigh as I chuckle. I’m pretty sure I know exactly how this is going to escalate.

My life is insane. It’s ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. Yet, I wouldn’t trade it in order to live as anyone else. I knead my eyeballs through my eyelids as I rub away the wet and the itch. I continue to blush and fidget as I try to focus on meditating while keeping our steeds empowered to move at their top speeds. I’m left mostly breathless, and out of touch with reality, but it definitely serves as a solid distraction from embarrassment. Until my attention is drawn to both of my ears feeling wet, warm, and being tugged in two directions by two different mouths.

I nearly faint at the overly intimate embarrassment and teasing. Tiktik tries to speak around a mouthful of my ear, her tongue tickling its ridges the entire time as she tries to ask, “You didn’t know you were doing this? I can see why you kept it up after realizing. Their reaction is cute and funny.” Though the sound that actually comes out is, “Oo i-inf no oo err doinf ish? I an ee aye oo kepf ipf up afpfer realizing. Err eacthun ith coothpf and f-unny.”

I can feel Teuila simply grin evily across from Tiktik at the other side of my head. She nods, and attempts to blow a raspberry, which ends up just motorboating my ear. I’d facepalm, but my arms are trapped. Apparently while I wasn’t paying attention, each of them snagged one of my arms and now has said arm locked behind their backs. Finally the two release my ears as they return to giggling, and presumably speaking to one another across a telepathic wavelength that I’m not invited to. That’s quite fine by me, I’m not certain I even want to know if they conclude to attempt some other choreographed teasing at some point.

I’m just going to snooze while trying to maintain the horses. I give them the best, vaguest directions to go on, so hopefully they can keep making a pretty straight line for The Brook.

I smile softly as I begin to drift into a fitful sleep filled with hints of joy creeping in along the edges of my consciousness. I do feel warm embraces against each of my sides as I pass out, falling asleep once more.