It takes only a bit of doing, but I actually have Farzee and her slightly devious, slightly manipulative mind to thank for making quick work of my plans. She’ll handle organizing the volunteers come early morning after dawn. Shiz and Atter and I will be heading off first, before that, pre-dawn, to make sure we get the most precious cargo first. We’ll leave Atter in her domain while she organizes her people, as Shiz and I evacuate the precious cargo. We won’t have access to Kinzul, Luni, Lil, or the Vivant, sadly. So, as much as I love her presence, and would love to have her help, I won’t be seeing Prinrin during this excursion. That group is headed off to the Laotzxchi Citadel.
Farzee begs a moment of my time at her size, I relent seeing no harm in it, and she queries consent beforehand, so I agree. Farzee makes sure to stand a few steps away, so that we lean for our faces to meet, rather than pressing our bodies tightly together. We share a tender, non-romantic kiss, little more than a peck on the lips. It’s one of gratitude going both ways. I then assume a taller stature once again, and kiss her forehead, before sending her on her way with a pat on her head, and a gentle hand on her back.
I offer Veril a hug, and kiss his forehead as well, sending him on his way much the same as Farzee. He’s privately mentally marveling at my restraint, because he’d very much like to be smooshing faces with Farzee, whereas I am working to cut back on any lascivious behavior between the two of us. I can’t help chuckling and shaking my head incredulously at him, when Veril forgets his psychic walls are down. I still flash him a bright smile as I send him along on his way.
Prinrin attempts to resume her perch, but Kinzul steals me away momentarily, and I barely manage to catch Prinny telekinetically before she falls on her face. She flashes me a cheeky grin, while offering Kinzul a wry smile on the sly. There’s something about that, um, corrupt away, from earlier, between the two of them going on. It’s mildly weird seeing Kinzul be almost playful at this point, but also heartwarming. There’s so much to life, there’s always more pain and sorrow, but there is joy too. I suppose one really has to embrace it when one can.
Though, the particular joy that these two women are sharing is, ahem, at my expense in some ways. Not that I mind in the slightest. I mean, one of them is my wife and the other is one of her oldest friends by the sounds of things. I mean, Kinzul isn’t necessarily my wife, yet, but, just, yeesh. What the hell even is my life? I guess, kind of amazing in some ways. Two of the eldest ladies in the domain, are taking some subtle plays against each other about teasing me, or something. I’m not entirely sure what to make of most of this.
I rattle my skull, trying to reorient my brain, because I was going to— oh. Apparently Kinzul and I are having a private moment in the stacks of the library while Prinrin distracts Lu Te and Lil. So that’s what that little bit was about a moment ago.
Stroking my cheek, our Lady Kinzul comments, “My love, Schism, I take it you’re about to make use of that which we’d just worked together to create, despite your desire, and my desire, for you to nurture your love rather than your powers. I’m weary from managing our Latents, and I would see us both rest, all of us rest. You’ve committed yourself to protecting an evacuation, and there are so very many things to attend to. While you must protect those under your charge that you’ve granted sanctuary to, you must also see to it that our home, our domain is protected. I know you’ve already had the same wariness, that not all who are granted refuge may truly be seeking it.”
Before I have a chance to respond, Kinzul continues, “I simply beg of you this one night my love. Rest, hope for the best but prepare for the worst for the morrow. If you do rest, I would—. I should like to take my rest with thee.”
I’m only a little bit torn. Rapid advancements in abilities, powers, and sustainability for Mount Solace, by placing their needs ahead of mine and those of my loves, or resting with those I hold dear, to maintain my sanity, and share my love. I’ve got to be honest, a personal request from the woman soon to be my wife really makes the choice easy. I feel like any choice I make, I’m letting someone down, so I might as well try to make the best choices that I can, and try to live without regret.
Knowing what I might like to ask before I ask it, Kinzul adds, “I think we can agree that petty dramatics are unnecessary. You will of course be in my bed.”
I gulp slightly as a devious smirk crosses Kinzul’s face, before she looses a delightful titter of mirth. Kinzul continues, “As will the rest of those closest to us. I dare say the emotive looks upon your face are as Prinrin claims, so expressive, and lovely to gaze upon. I especially enjoy those in the realm of shy, embarrassed, mortified, and the like.”
Seems like you and every other woman in my life, yeesh heh. I feel mean for having thought the thought though. Honestly, I just delight in seeing your smile, sharing in any of your joys, and if those joys are because of me, it’s all the more enrapturing to be a part of the experience.
Anyway, there are a few things I can do without having to stay up all night to accomplish them. I can put in some of the reading time with the myconid form, I’d also like to take one day’s worth of harvests at some point into my inventory through my plushy form. It’s not going to be one of tonight’s things though. I can check out these two notes from Nietru though.
Let’s see, She wrote this one,
“Dear Schism,
I admire you more than I’m comfortable communicating in front of the others. I hope it doesn’t come off as hero-worship, or romantic infatuation. As part of the strategist’s council, the workings of your mind fascinate me on levels few others do. I… may find the workings of such a mind, or a mind that contains those workings, to be a highly attractive part of someone, but I wouldn’t ogle someone for their physical appearance, even one as pleasant as yours. I might snog them for their brains, but not intentionally ogle them.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t also find you to be lovely in other ways, but I promise you that if you catch me staring at you, I’m lost in thought, marveling at something I’ve realized about you, your decisions, your plans, or your abilities.
It will do wonders for the Order’s war efforts to have you in a position of high esteem within Mount Solace. I think you may need, no, let me apologize. I believe it would benefit the Order for you to make public appearances in which you performed debriefings, and sitreps, or simply answered questions about your plans, for the wider audience of the populace of our home.
I am truly excited to work alongside you in the capacity that I’m afforded. I understand that you are one of our most valuable field assets as well, so I know that our interplay will be brief and far-between, but I look forward to it regardless.
Excitedly, yet cordially yours,
Nietru-Devalor”
Wow, that was really lovely. It feels nice to read someone’s honest thoughts about me that are praising without being too hero-worshipy. Her suggestion of public events for P R is, eugh, not my cup of tea, but she’s probably right. I’ll put some thought into maybe considering possibly doing it at some point. What was the other letter?
“Dear Schism, again(sorry!),
Spymaster’s regular reports contained an oddity that I interpreted to be some form of code meant for your attention. She frequently, somewhat infuriatingly, will rely on pictograms or other forms of foreshortening her communiques. It’s a fairly useful communication technique that would make intercepted communications less useful to our enemy, but Errissa literally cannot be intercepted, so it seems redundant.
Spymaster’s message meant to be passed on to you could be interpreted a few ways, but I didn’t want to make any assumptions, so I’ll lay them out for you.
Chasm, gap, or Schism
Thankful, or grateful, or thanks, or gratitude, or enjoyment, or the looking forward to of something.
The number four.
A thin wooden object, such as a broom, a cane, a pencil, or possibly a single-plank bench.
Space, place, or a room of some sort.
Interception of facial expression intended for one target, such as a scowl, a smirk, a wink, or so forth.
My apologies for a second communique when I haven’t even delivered the first I’d wanted to give you. I hope that an informal thank you for your receiving them might make it up to you. That will probably include affection of some sort, based on what I’ve heard of your preferred methods of communication and gratitude.
Gratefully yours,
Nietru-Devalor”
Snrk. I snort back a laugh. I got sexted by Spymaster. Hah! Jeeze. Really Errissa, “Schism, thanks for the(and looking forward to the next) broom closet face-time, wink.” I shake my head incredulously at the state of my life. Still, it was pretty spectacular.
My Lady, reading over my shoulder, and reading my internal monologue, teases, “So I’ve something to try to surpass for my spouse’s attention due to our Tenith’s Latent after all.”
I wilt under the tease, the implication that Kinzul easily picked apart what the face-time was, but also the implication that she’d be trying to top it. My throat and the roof of my mouth has dried out, so I gulp down sticky saliva to try to return my breathing passageways to their normally moist state.
Inappropriately, yet hilariously, Teuila comments, “I dunno Aunty Zool, my Airhead is pretty smitten by my latent. Might be hard to top. I could give you some pointers. Go for their ears, or neck. Wink.”
Friggin’ hell Teuila. Jeeze, hah. She shoots me her mile-wide closed-eyed smile and rocks her head side to side derpily. Almost equally inappropriately, Kinzul responds, “Thank you my beloved Tenith, I shall take that under advisement, though I may perhaps have some advantages I could leverage, or allow my spouse to leverage. I believe you called them exhibit double ds?”
I snort a laugh, choke, cough, sputter, and topple over into midair, catching myself in my telekinetic grip. Teuila’s giggle morphs fairly quickly into a short cackle. Luni chuckles uncomfortably, while Iylynila simply returns to a state of blushing so hard she can’t interact with reality. Lil looks aghast, dismayed, or perhaps disgusted, but mostly playfully so.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Prinny though, she’s ah, found her way back to her perch clinging to the right side of my torso, with her legs wrapped around my waist, essentially sitting on my hip. I think she must have taken advantage of my toppling over, to cover the distance Kinzul had put between us a moment prior.
Grumbling through my blush, I almost want to tease Kinzul, but the only ways I can come up with sound exceedingly mean to even my subconscious, and I’d never intentionally hurt her. I am wondering if she really wanted all of us to retire to her chambers for our sleep tonight. Kinzul offers her regal subtle head-tilt in response to my thoughts.
Ah, at this point, Iylynila and I are both being ganged up on, in order to keep us blushing. I want to get some things accomplished, and this is quite distracting, so I’ve been moving into the Myconid alchemist form for a while now. One thing I can do to shorten the refractory period, or recharge time, or casting cost, whatever you want to think of it as, for the Myconid form is I can make it an immobile version of itself. Basically only the tendrils move, but it can’t amble or anything like that. I know I’m a bit of a cheater, since I can just levitate myself around with telekinesis and so on. I would prefer most times to have it be able to amble, but I’m trying to just make a quick short use of it.
When I finally slip into the Myconid form, Prinrin exclaims, “Oo you’re such a cutie Schism. So soft though, almost a shame that. Almost feels like you’re naught but squish, as if I could sink right in dearie. Not that I think I’d mind, mind you. Oo I really can sink right in Schism my sweetie, just feel right here, and here. You’ve got me all atingle again my dear.”
I try not to let on to the wry smirk that would cross my face normally, during the point that Prinrin complains about my having become soft. In a truly private wavelength, with my walls up elsewhere, I jokingly, teasingly, joyously think one word at her, “Deviant.”
Her own emotional private wavelength indicates she’d be cackling if she weren’t trying to be subtle. While Prinny’s amusing herself with the squish of my new, currently immobile form, I mention to everyone, “I’ll be ready to follow everyone to bed in a few minutes, I just want to test a few things, and grab the phone.”
Floating back to the battery banks where the phone is plugged in, on a T K Surfboard, I realize a bit of a flaw with checking in on the phone at the moment. Realizing I can’t activate its touch-screen features, I simply stow telekinetically with the dimensional pocket into the hyperdimensional haversack. While at the battery bank though, I check through the various types of energy devices, and I find several power packs that have USB-micro outs, and regular USB ins. I should have had these charging too, so I take the time to plug them into the powered USB-port hub. I snag a USB-micro cord for the phone, and place it alongside the phone in the hyperdimensional haversack.
Okay, some quick mathing, an— holy crap. The weird swarmbrain hivemind is so good at math! I think it’d be better if I linked up more brains too! Gosh, I almost want to ask for volun—.
Beloved, adorable, deviant Prinrin offers, “Oh Schism sweetie you needn’t even ask, of course I volunteer for whatever little things you need my dear. Can’t have our Hero going without volunteers now can we? I’m sure knowing you Schism sweetie, it’ll be a unique experience to be sure as well. I’m all yours for the attempt dearie.”
Wanting to explain to Prinny the process, and possible dangers, I start, “Okay Prinrin, I’ll be loosing a small puff of spores, try not to inhale too awfully much of them, you really only need one tiny spore of me to make its way inside y—.”
Wonderful, sly, adorable, beloved, deviant Prinrin quips, “Oh Schism sweetie I think it’s a bit too early in our relationship dearie, for me to be taking you inside me. But then again for you our Hero my sweet, I suppose I can make an exception.”
If this form could cough, and sputter, right now, it would. Devious little minx. My train of thought gets another private emotional wavelength cackle from Prinny while I’m shaking my head mentally, smiling and eye-rolling towards her telepathically. Especially because of—. Well, anyway. I suppose I can just go ahead and try it then. I’m new to this form, so when I attempt to release a small puff of spores, it might be more than a little. Worse, Prinny inhales deeply, taking most of the cloud into her lungs. I begin to panic in worry for my sweet little old deviant gal.
I can sense every bit of Prinrin, and I feel her contentedly giving herself over to the pleasant numbness, the faint tingling of surrendering her senses and limbs to the spores. I have to actively send wavelengths into her body to keep her muscles in place to maintain her grip about me. Oh Prinny sweetie, I’m so worried about you dearie. Wait, is my brain picking up on my sweet Prinrin’s speech? Oh why so it is. Well this little test is giving this odd little old pair one heck of a new connection now isn’t it dearie?
Oh my sweet, my foolhardy little old deviant dear, this isn’t meant to be surrendered to, nor taken in so much at once Prinrin sweetie. Oh please be alright you daft little dear. I worry that I’ve absorbed your consciousness my dear. That’s no good, no good, no good at all. My beloved little old lass, why would you go and do such a thing as drinking so deeply of me, and then surrendering so much of yourself to me Prinrin dearie?
It’s all on your will Prinrin my sweetie, you can take it back, but you’re reveling in this. The spores only work on consenting parties dearie, but why did you consent to every last one of them? Oh, oh I believe it’s starting to clarify. Oh you really are a little deviant now aren’t you Prinrin sweetie. Letting me into you like this, after the moments we shared earlier, letting me know your joy and excitement, and the honesty of that statement on an intimately deep level—. You’re just full of spunk aren’t you my dear?
Grinning, I’m glad it got the response I desired as Prinrin begins to retake some semblance of control over herself to giggle delighfully. Still, she worried me, so I grump, “You had me so worried for you, you lusty little deviant you! You near gave me a heart attack, and for a second, I thought you might start growing a mushroom cap permanently, and end up stuck as a thrall forever. You know I was trying to warn you not to do that. Why would you risk it, my beloved devious little old lady?”
Prinrin’s response is, “Oh Schism my sweetie, I knew you wouldn’t let anything awful happen to me, or take advantage of the connection. Surrendering to it was blissful my dear, utterly blissful dearie. It felt like the days of floating along soft clouds long before the storm was ever used, back when dragons were heavy, before we were even mountains in size. Why, back then it took real power to not destroy whatever spot you’d landed in, and falling was much, much faster, so being such a runt, and gliding along in the warmth of the sun, skirting the clouds and dipping my wings into them, it was pure delight dearie, so it was. My poor Schism sweetie, I’m sorry I gave you a fright, I’ll strive to make it up to you the next time we can take a look at your artifact, after I’ve spoken with my sweet lad.”
I’m really regretting shifting into the immobile version of this form at this point. I’d definitely be coughing and sputtering at the mention of what happened inside the—. Wait. That would explain why a mile of clouds felt like it took thirty minutes to fall through without even counting the vortexes keeping us aloft occasionally. It would explain why the Damnation causing a minor earthquake didn’t also leave a crater the size of Tokyo. The Worldstorm enchantment has more and more layers to it that I’m constantly learning, all designed to reduce dragonkind’s ability to rampage around the world, lording over and destroying everything. Oh Kinzul my love. What it must cost you to have created this, and continuously cost you to maintain it.
Trying to divert my mind from the sad path it’s about to go down, Prinrin redirects my thoughts, “So Schism sweetie, what were you thinking of doing with this deviant little old runt’s body and mind now that you’ve got access to it? Ahem, I of course mean what was this test of your abilities that you’d intended to perform? Before I went and got a little carried away that is my dearie.”
Internally I’m wearing a wry grin and shaking my head dubiously. A little carried away is putting it lightly my beloved Prinrin. I lightly admonish Prinny while communicating my concern for her, “I’d have never forgiven myself if something had gone horribly wrong. I know you trust me, but that was more than a leap of faith, that was an unnecessary risk. I love you and don’t want to see you harmed.”
Prinrin nods along and assures me, “I know Schism sweetie, I know. Sorry my dearie. I suppose I let myself get a little swept away by certain thoughts and feelings that we both undoubtedly reciprocate. Trust, love, lust, and so on.”
Yep, really regretting having a form that can’t shake its head right now, or cough or sputter. Anyway, the test will be more noticeable with more volun—. Of course you all would. Fine, fine, gather close, but don’t take as deep a dose as Prinny. Just inhale a tiny—. Every last one of you. Of course. I. Oh my.
My head swims with the sensations of over half a dozen bodies and minds, our head, our bodies, our minds. We’re all linked, and each of us feels that joy of surrender, giving over to the sporebrain, the hivemind, floating within a sea of ourselves. This could be dangerous. Still, while they give themselves over freely, I’m able to distribute calculations across our combinations of brains, and manipulate our Latents on levels I’d never dreamed of, with Kinzul’s Administration Latent essentially at my command. Kinzul does balk slightly, and withdraws a large portion of herself from the hivemind, preventing me from maintaining such strict control over everyone else’s Latents.
I toss my senses towards Kinzul, and she acknowledges that she doesn’t want me to divulge what I’ve figured out from the action, so I maintain a mum state of mind. Still, with so many brains working in tandem, in concert, on the problems of exactly how to efficiently apply permanency to resource nodes, is almost simple, almost. We’re set about the problem to be able to hopefully maintain some of the Can’Z’aasian digital aura upon the nodes, should the worst come to pass ending in the shop being destroyed. It’s experimental, and we don’t actually want to test the results, but we manage to utilize some gem dust permanency enhancement enchantments on the more pressing resource nodes in a relatively short time.
One last thing to test before bed, I begin flipping through one of Yisstendahl’s tomes. I can’t tell if Nala gave me three, four, five, or six, based on some of these bindings seeming to be possibly all one book. Friggin’ hell, a tome of comets and meteors, and a tome of time. Nala was friggin’ right, these are tip toppity relevancy. Let’s see, one of these tomes Teuila hadn’t used yet is a forty hour tome. We’ve got me, Kinzul, Lucky, Lil, Lu, Te, Prinrin, and Illy. If I were able to take five hours, possibly all forty, with all of us linked like this, I believe we would all be granted the benefits of the tome’s enchantment. There’s something about the hivemind and the speedreading combination that has some unexpected interplay, that I’d need at least one data point to determine a likely pattern, at the very minimum. Anything right now is conjecture, but it’s still likely that we can share enchantment benefits to some degree at least.
I’m almost upset at myself now for having read some of these tomes that won’t be re-empowered for decades or centuries. I wouldn’t have made it this far without them though. I wouldn’t have come up with the ideas that I did, to even create a new form like this.
Let’s enhance the cultivation of the glow-lichen while we’re over here, the more fresh-air the better. Alright, let’s drop this form, so that the spores dissipate from our loved ones, before we get too caught up in this. Our Lady wants us to adjourn to her chambers for rest, and all of us are more than okay with this. We’re all exhausted, and some of us will be wakening in four to seven hours to start missions.
Once we’ve returned to form, Lady Kinzul makes use of Teuila’s Latent, by clasping us all to her breast. Essentially weightless, Kinzul spreads her wings, revealing most of her legs as her dress’s form changes to accommodate the missing mass. She takes flight, swiftly bringing us near to the top of Mount Solace from Mount Verdimenn in almost no time at all.
Too tired for modesty, those of us that are more comfortable, or used to, sleeping in the nude, do. Illy and Teuila snuggle intimately to one side of Kinzul, while Prinrin settles in between Kinzul and myself, glommed onto my wife. I manage to rest one arm over Prinrin, laying my hand gently on Kinzul’s abdomen. Luni is beside me, and Lil beside her, and I manage to snag both of them in a tight embrace, while Lucky remains down near all of our feet.
Drifting off to sleep in a pile of so much love, affection, and perhaps a smattering of other emotions, is pure and utter bliss. It’s heaven. My mind races as I begin to think of more applications for my old powers and new forms, and I hear groans from nearly everyone in the bed. I chuckle as I feel several walls partially go up to block my narrative stream from their incoming reception. We all want to sleep, me included, but this form of mine is brand new, fresh, and it’s excited in so many ways. Still, sleep does manage to take me before long, due to the calm that being surrounded by so much love instills me with.