Tree house [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczOLhKDAovAn723KONiNKsdX4Znt66x-d53ln1FSZaEuIQ5xnMGmDfiyoYNx3aZoFWSv3TXsQoNNgDmoFyUV8kl5whXj3TNFhRhRw9fBjd3d7tgFgnu6FOLOmE_PJJm5Gq9NTIMls73kfGVWP0NbOcHq=w613-h919-s-no-gm?authuser=0]
Phoenix stared up in awe at the tree that had grown even more in her time away. After agreeing earlier that evening to let Everin hold onto the Flame of Life for his own reassurances, she had been informed that the entire Wayland family would be relocating to the World Tree soon and Patricia wanted everyone’s input on some future planning.
She was currently sitting with her party at one of the round picnic tables that had been set up a decent ways away from the base of the World Tree. Another table held Pati’s husband and four out of seven children, while another table held the remaining three with Pualani and her Familiar, Fen. Even Pavel had joined them with Camrin and another two former Ruwena children, as well as Pansy herding the other six newly annexed orphans.
“While I may have played a city-builder game a few times, I don’t think I’m really qualified to give input on building an actual city, Pati,” Phoenix pointed out nervously, “Especially one built atop an alien spaceship and around a giant tree.”
The runeforged laughed tiredly, “I’m not asking for that,” the priestess clarified, “I’m simply asking what features you would like to see included. Perhaps something not available in Tulimeir or even in your own rooms. That question is for all of you,” the woman added, gesturing to the gathered family plus the guests that had been staying at the estate as well.
“Oh, good. ‘Cause my city planning in a tree begins and ends with a tree house club room for little kids,” Phoenix said with a relieved sigh.
“A clubhouse could be fun,” Dazien replied with a smirk, “We can have party planning sessions and watch Sense Stone recordings of our fights. After the ones Everin showed us of Paul’s battle slowed down, I’m beginning to think they might be good to use for studying our tactics afterward.”
As the group began listing off various ideas, Kara came up with a giggling Presley held in a tail before dumping the child into Phoenix’s lap and saying, “As long as each room is properly stocked with one of those fancy barrels I have nothing more to add.”
Phoenix rolled her eyes at the obsessive voxen and smiled at the child, who was looking a bit larger and older than she remembered before. “Hello, Presley,” she greeted, “How have you been? Have you grown with the tree?”
“Tree is me!”
“Right, but I wasn’t sure this version of you would be growing so much, too,” she said, touching the tip of their nose for emphasis and causing another giggle.
“I’m learning lots. Growing bigger. Will catch up fast!” the child, who looked closer to five or six now, happily said, “Is mama gonna live here now?”
“I think that’s the plan,” Phoenix replied, giving up on correcting the kid and resigned to hoping that they would grow out of thinking she was actually their mom. While it seemed to help in a political sense, she didn’t feel very capable in that role. Maybe she could be more like a big sister? If she could just figure out how to convince Presley that Paul was their dad instead…
“Can I show you rooms?” Presley asked in a sudden surge of excitement.
“Oh? Do you have some picked out for us already?” she asked curiously.
“Important people get important rooms,” the child stated matter-of-factly before scrambling off her lap.
“Patricia, do you mind if we go look at what’s already available to us?” Dazien asked aloud, tilting his head towards the child who was bouncing up and down impatiently waiting for them.
The runeforged laughed and waved them off as the group got up to follow Presley, who skipped back to the vessel. Making their way through the now completely repaired and vibrant halls of the alien ship, they eventually arrived at the end of the hall that had labeled doors with each of their names on it.
Phoenix laughed as she read them aloud, “Punchy Noisy Aunt Rayna, Softest Hugging Aunt Saiya, Brooding Stormy Uncle Uriel, Sparkly King Uncle Dazien, and Starlight Princess Mama Phoenix?”
She glanced down at the grinning child and asked, “Did you come up with these on your own?”
“Aunt Kara helped!”
“Of course she did,” the Wayfarer said with a sigh, “Well, I guess we should check out what you made for us.”
----------------------------------------
Uriel cautiously opened the door to his supposedly future room and was completely taken aback. It was such a chaotic mess of furniture and decor that he wasn’t even sure what they were doing together at first.
A gray stone bed frame with blood-red linens glinted in the firelit torches lining the walls. A desk that seemed carved from glistening blue ice. A sofa next to the window that looked like a stormy black cloud was being sporadically lit from within. A tiny tornado dancing in a corner for… reasons? Ambiance? He had no idea.
The floor itself looked like polished obsidian with veins of lava running through it, and it wasn’t until he noticed the runes carved into it that he realized that the room was a reflection of what was inside him… inside his soul.
When it clicked that the elemental decor was a representation of his Aspects and the chaos that lurked within, he angrily shut the door. He glared at the label that stared back at him. He was not “brooding,” nor did he storm around.
Trying to put the uncomfortable room behind him, he peeked into the others who had left their doors open behind them. They were all reflections of their Aspects to a certain degree.
Rayna’s room was across from his. It had various musical instruments and training equipment suitable for a pugilist to practice with. Gems glittered everywhere in mostly shades of blue and orange. The bard was already attempting to make music with some of the alien devices and Uriel decided not to disturb her.
Saiya’s new space strongly reminded him of the tranquil garden zone within her [Restful Retreat] ability, complete with soft grassy flooring, a waterfall feature along one of the walls, plenty of fragrant lotus flowers decorating surfaces, and a view of the evening sky above them that was starting to show stars.
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Phoenix was still standing in her doorway, and when he reached it at the end of the hall, he could understand why. It was as if they were standing on the edge of reality itself and looking out into the cosmos. No window broke the view of infinity but there was an obvious boundary determined by the various furniture placed around the room that appeared as cloudy nebulas or asteroids floating patiently for their use.
The hearth was a miniature sun with a half circle of nebula chairs beside it surrounding a floating asteroid cleanly cut in half serving as a tabletop. A miniature blue moon had an alcove carved into it that served as both a desk and shelving for various books around it.
A much larger nebula of colorful clouds served as a bed with tiny twinkling stars floating in the air above it. Soft, melodic music was floating through the space, and it made everything feel like a dream.
As he glanced up at the ceiling, which continued the stretch of night sky, he noticed constellations that didn’t actually exist in the distance. They were highlighted by glowing connected lines to form various sigils, eight of them. Each corresponded to one of the gods who had marked the Wayfarer.
“I told you that your soul was beautiful,” he whispered in awe.
She glanced up at him curiously and he nodded towards the ceiling and explained, “I think Presley tried to replicate what they saw in our auras.”
“I’m almost afraid to step into it,” Phoenix said bashfully, “It feels like I’ll keep falling forever.”
He could understand that feeling as the floor just looked like more empty space. Only the fact that the furniture seemed still in relation to them made him believe it was merely an illusion upon solid surfaces.
Uriel took her hand in his, “Then we can fall together,” he said with a soft smile.
She returned it and took a step forward, not falling but seemingly walking on air. The Astromancer pulled him along behind her, aiming straight for the desk and he chuckled as she reached for a book to check out first.
“I should have guessed what would tempt you most,” he teased.
“You have no idea how happy I am for my translation ability right now,” she replied with a bright smile.
He laughed and shook his head, “Well, I think I’ll leave you to read, then, and go check out Daze’s room and see if it’s also an illusion.”
She hummed in response, her attention already falling into the book and he added, “Call for me if you need help walking across the room again.”
Phoenix rolled her eyes at him, “Ha ha. Go check on your boyfriend.”
“I’m not really a fan of labels like that,” he replied with a grin and a shake of his head and quoted, “They’re both presumptuous and not entirely comprehensive of the reality.”
She laughed, “You sounded a bit like Dazien again there.”
“Where do you think I heard that from?” he said as he reached the door, “I just happened to agree with it.”
“It’s almost like he tries to use the bigger words to sound more noble.”
“Seems like it works then,” Uriel pointed out, then gave a parting tease, “Don’t trip on a star while I’m gone.”
As he shut the door behind him, he gave a slight start as Dazien said from beside him, “You know, it’s usually me that teases like that. Are you picking up more of my habits now that those earrings aren’t limiting you as much?”
Uriel gave a huff, then shrugged, “She seems to like it when you do it, so I figured it was safe enough.”
His partner gave him a slight frown, and he noted the obvious lack of antlers that had been a constant accessory lately, “You know, Senesh, I know we’ve talked about this a lot before, but you should just try to be yourself around the others. Not the silent brooding shadow or the apathetic encyclopedia of avals… or the charming gemite who’s accused of flirting whenever he opens his mouth.”
“I’m not… I just–” he hesitated slightly, glancing towards the door to his mess of a room, “Maybe I’m just trying to be better than what I am.”
Dazien moved to walk with him toward the Defender’s room, “I went to look for you in your room. It seems you also figured out what Presley tried to do with them… I take it you weren’t happy?”
Uriel gave him a flat look, “What made you guess that? Was it the lava running through the rune soul scars etched in the floor?”
“It’s not that bad–”
“Daze, I don’t want to be constantly reminded of the mess that was done to me, alright? It took years not to flinch just from being touched, remember? You think I want to live with the memories surrounding me like that?”
“Point taken. I’m sure we can ask Presley to change it if it bothers you that much… but Uriel, your Aspects are a part of you, and all of us accept that. You’ve used them for so much good now… I was hoping you had learned to accept them as well.”
Uriel stopped and stared into the room that reflected his partner. Black floors with marbled golden veins had a few black fur rugs placed at various points. All the furniture was elegant wrought gold shaped into swirls with rich purple upholstery.
There were even tapestries of the four animals that seemed to make up Dazien’s Familiar, along with a lifelike painting of Rex over the roaring fire in the hearth. The Familiar himself was languidly lying in front of the fire, yawning happily at getting to stretch out.
There were also a variety of decorative swords mounted around the room. A pair of windows opposite the door showed two rooms further inward. One seemed to be a training room similar to the one they normally used, with a mat, blunt practice weapons, and a training dummy. The other led into a luxurious bathroom with the largest bathtub Uriel had ever seen.
It was both elegant and mostly practical… a suite fit for a king.
Uriel felt his chest clench as he sincerely said, “Your soul is beautiful too, my king.”
“You think yours isn’t?” Dazien asked him seriously, the concern clear on his partner’s face.
Instead of giving an answer he knew the stubborn man would try to refute, he asked, “Can I just stay in here with you? I can’t… I don’t want to be alone in that other room.”
“Of course, Senesh,” Dazien replied, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, “Whatever you need to feel at home.”
He nodded, walking towards one of the sword displays, and asked, “Speaking of home, how are the new duties as a Wayland going?”
“They’re good,” Dazien replied, walking up beside him, “A lot of information to assimilate with how the House functions and current political stances. I’m not taking a very active role yet, and that’s probably for the best with everything going on at the moment. Plus, we’ve been busy fighting monsters. I expect it might pick up once the blood moon ends, but hopefully, Phoenix and you will hit Sapphire by then, and we’ll be leaving the tundra.”
“Still chasing after that quest even though Paul isn’t coming with us now?”
“Yes. Honestly, I half wonder sometimes if he debriefed me on his plans just in case he died in battle. As a sort of backup plan should the worst case play out.”
“You’re not a backup, Daze. He trusted you to lead us even if he never said as much,” he said, trying to reassure his partner and finding his attention drawn to the tight microbraids trailing down past the gemite’s neck. His hand reached up to feel one, the slick compact feeling of it strange compared to how it normally felt.
“I’ve been meaning to ask if you like it like this or not,” Dazien said without turning to look at him, but Uriel could see the gentle smile, “Patricia said I should try it for a while. Figure out what I might like along with what looks suitable for my new station.”
“It does look very sophisticated,” he admitted, then added with a bit of embarrassment, “I like running my hand through it, though… when we’re alone.”
“Perhaps I’ll try something different then. Something that’s easier to take out after a long day of monster fighting,” Dazien replied thoughtfully, “I think I like it when you play with it too. Makes me feel like I’ve actually come home.”