Letting out a heavy sigh, I remove my eyes from the door and dimly remark to myself. The conversation across the table comes to a halt, and I glance up at the impressive specimen on his way. I try to not focus on the man's magic. He seems to somewhat be aware of this and the glow dies down. Though, there's little he can do to off-set his internal majesty.

"You are worried for him?" he asks and all I have to offer is a nod. My love left one night and has not been back for several days now. A bed which should be occupied by his warmth isn't and... I'm not sure what to do. I left my flower for him and he's gone.

There's no way I can go home with what I have done.

"Try not to worry so much, my sweet. He's still around," the human gilded-bark explains, and my eyes snap up. A wave of magic emanates from the man and I just as quickly feel it come back.

"Y-You can sense him?" I ask, desperately trying to follow where the pulse went. I cannot. It goes too far out. Though I may have once been an ivy-mother, I am nothing to those in my life right now...

"I can. He's still well within the range of Tryhpeltzweig's roads and so on. Again, try not to worry. He's fine and on his way back," the man explains and I nod slowly, a dim thanks with my true-voice giving him what I now owe. He nods, a slight smile distorting the way his magic looks to me. I sigh at the beautiful sight and clench a hand tight, wishing for my love's quick return.

"So... Uh, about the clothes?" Einervaene asks, her quiet voice trying to find a moment to be assertive.

"Clothes? Oh, right," the human gilded-bark repeats to himself, his head turning down towards her bare feet. Something about questions towards Einervaene's lack of shoes and socks. My love would've taken us to do that. With him gone for the time being, I suppose I can only idly linger near this conversation like the Orbital-Halo does to our world.

"Y-Yes... Rianta-chira and Nin-kischu were kind enough to lend me some spares they had but, well..." Einervaene explains, her clothes unchanged even with my permission since the ryphurgok incident. I've been telling her that it's fine for her to wear something else. But she's been insistent on looking after the first outfit she chose. Even if it meant having to be naked while it was being washed, which, I have no understanding as to why, but she hates exposure.

How can she? She's gorgeous in such an intoxicatingly exotic manner.

My eyes join in on the staring, as do Einervaene's own eyes. All down to her bare legs. Her reasons for it being an issue, though, are not the same as mine. Our concerns are not mutual.

She's a human petal, one far superior to anything I can possibly be within a few years at best. While I am willing to accommodate her based on a variety of factors. My precious love's own insistence being chief among them. Her exposed flesh is a danger. Not only does she have a glow I can never have, she is so much greater than me.

Her tender, soft body being for my love's eyes will tempt him!

Hand-filling breasts that go beyond the palm. The narrow slimness towards her hips and the outward curve that then lets you slide down her legs. A tight, well-honed body that is still soft despite all she has gone through. Her form's far closer to that of the divine, especially consider my love's involvement with them...

He has seen what a goddess looks like, and it is not aelenvari. It is human-like, just like his tastes more so might be. Especially with how his return has turned out. With all that resentment towards his osibindah form, he's going to want to hold something so much closer to what he once was.

"And you were hoping I'd be able to help you get some shoes or boots?" the human gilded-bark enquires, a short laugh escaping him as he gets back into his chair. He relaxes into it with a lengthy lean.

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"I was hoping more along the lines of the funds to get at least two outfits... Nothing fancy... That way I can return Rianta-chira's clothes in quick, due time." Einervaene struggles to not mutter to him. She quickly looks my way and our eyes just barely miss each other.

"I see no problem with that. It might have to wait, though. With the incident with the ryphurgoks and all. So I can't particularly comment on if any of the shops that do clothes chose to stay open. The more expensive ones might have. They were, after all, in the part of town the ryphurgoks did not reach. And, well, damage. But, again, I've not paid particular mind to some of this. My council has been dithering about with it," the grand human explains, his shoulders shrugging.

"Really? Those creatures seemed to have got quite close to your estate!" Einervaene speaks back, her surprise bringing some noise back to her front. Though, it seems she is forgetting where the importance of this flower is. Unlike what an aelenvari might do, these humans have built themselves around a core, rather than a more sensible staggered line.

Problems that ideally should only be seen by the human-roots can reach as far as the gilded-bark's very throne!

I am a little confused, however. Why would the supposed petals of this flower not want to be living closer to the gilded-bark? I've never taken part in it, but I am quite familiar with how vicious it gets between petals at the first chance to change bulbs. What they were once proud of vanishes in a moment when you can get closer to me or Oak'endoor.

Eugh, humans, and their baffling ideas.

The gilded-bark of this flower raises his right arm, gesturing about the same way, "Better part of town is that way. They only got close to my house because it is right in the middle of town. And, as such, any problem that occurs is in my direct line of sight. More so if you go all the way up to my tower. Even more, given what I've heard about your little adventure."

He chuckles a bit as Einervaene's posture takes on a timid shape. I consciously rub the place my healing wound is, but choose to focus on the other details. What I wanted, I got. I got to see my precious love show himself off in front of all these humans. All but one saw him and Einervaene's presence... That was probably more to my detriment.

"I suggest we get going to this place and do our searching there, then. If the gilded-bark is willing to help us out with your problem." I tell them, getting involved for the sake of refocusing my thoughts. Though, the mere idea of us ever going anywhere near stems and gods and goddesses forbid... Roots... For essentials, it makes me feel unwell. I'd rather have my love turn into a beast again and have his talons ravage me crimson.

Petals, the human petals are all we go to!

"But... Wouldn't clothes from there not last very long...? I-I... I have a bit of experience with how quickly clothes meant to be pretty last in the wilderness and on long journeys." Einervaene insists and I shake my head, rising up with a sharp tap of my bare points. Moving on over, I place myself against her sitting down body.

"We buy more than just a couple of outfits, then." I sternly inform her, moving away slightly so I can get her onto her feet.

The human gilded-bark laughs quietly, his head visibly shaking, "Let me go get you some money then, or maybe proof I sent you? I can have them send me a bill later. It's not like I can run from the debt."

The man gets up and leaves, his thoughts leaking out through excessive mutters. Left alone with Einervaene, I pick up my efforts to have her get up. This changes a little as I start to drag her back to our current place of residence. Much as I am fine with occasionally walking around without tubes or suction pads, I refuse to do it outside on unending stone.

"Rianta-chira! Can you not hold my hand so tightly?" Einervaene complains as I take the moment to get some annoyance out of my system. Not that she can probably tell with how I am speeding ahead of her. Though, maybe I should slow down? She's creating an awful lot of drag with her slower movements and its angling me in the wrong way.

It's dangerous for me to walk like this even with tubes, let alone without. Thankfully, the plentiful, soft and plush carpets of this wondrous bulb give my points some grip. I also have furniture to put my free hand on for extra stability. The walls are helpful, too.

Much as I do not resent my life as one of the aelenvari, I do sometimes wonder about having actual feet. The weaknesses of a tip against a foot are quite clear when done in strict comparison. Outside of soft soils and earth, my kind struggle to walk in a reliable manner when bare-pointed. Anything that does not part easily will forbid our narrow tips from securing a hold.

Gods and goddesses forbid we walk on anything with holes like those accursed grating paths...

Oh, of course, we're in a human flower. Maybe I should switch my tubes to something wider-ended? I would have to change my whole outfit to match, though. Well, the luxury of being able to walk upright on my own is more than enough motivation.