ph_logs | [OPEN] We pass by headstones on a walk

The last few months of Elias' life have been... eventful, to say the very least of them.

Between his "secret" discovered, his jailtime, and his subsequent bail, all tangled up with his preferred solitude coming to an indefinite end, he's hardly known what to do with himself. His days are much busier than they'd ever been now: between meeting with Shen Qingqiu to streamline socialization and care efforts, concerned neighbors and nosy townsfolk finding their way to his door in equal measures, and his own continued work with the documentation and study of the local wildlife, it feels as though he's barely had a minute to himself to simply sit down and be. He's always led a life of "get up and go", and now, he's starting to regret not taking the time he had a bit slower, all things considered.

There's no time to contemplate "should have"s or "could have"s, however. He's up for the day, dressed and put together as best as he can be (his hair is still a mess, and his clothes are a bit disheveled, but he's clean, at least?), and he's just in time for the early-morning knock at his door. It still jolts the nerves, but it's routine, and as he always does, he answers the door, waving the familiar face inside.

"Come in, come in. I've gotten breakfast made, if you haven't eaten. I won't be offended if you want to get right into it, of course," he half-jokes, turning to seek out the last bit of his tea. "What's on the list for today?"

It's not strange for her to be here, in fact, she's been here several times since releasing him from the DSA. She smiles at him as she enters.

"Thank you, but I don't have much of an appetite these days."

Not since devouring Efrain's heart and the subsequent, but temporary, near insanity had taken hold. Luckily it had long since passed.

"I hope there is less traffic these days, I've tried to warn people away as much as I can without actually stationing guards on your property."

After all, he's not under arrest anymore.

"Hah! No need for guards, no," Elias assures her, the laugh a bit awkward. Goddesses' mercy, he's imagining it now. Thank goodness the constabulary hasn't seen fit to tighten his security any further than his own handiwork. "Most of what I get now is the occasional, ah--- well-meaning neighbor. It's been, for the most part, relatively calm!"

While he prattles, a nervous tick that's still not quite shaken from the time he's been trying to spend acclimating to people in his home, he leads Valdis down the stairs, snapping his fingers in a quick, simple spell to summon an orb of light.

"I'll warn you in advance, of course, that Glory's been a bit... rambunctious the last few days. I think the warmer weather's gotten her excited, but I've been doing what I can to make it very clear that we don't pick up our guests. ...Apologies in advance if that hasn't quite gotten through yet."

Valdis follows him down, reaching out to feel Glory with her senses, searching for the soul, the emotions, the dark innocence of a child borne from blood.

"I don't think that will be an issue, I plan to shift before I see her this time. She's not big enough to lift the Hound and I'm much harder to hurt in that form anyway."

A child Glory may be, but she has the potential to be dangerous by accident, even young animals must learn boundaries. Sometimes those boundaries are hard to set, but Valdis knows she can be gentle yet firm if Glory gives enough pause.

"Besides, better to learn with me than someone else who she might kill by accident."

"Ah--- you make a very fair point," Dr. Coldwood concedes, hanging the lantern atop a hook as they reach the basement at last. "Take all the time you need, then, I'll wake her."

Down in the basement, within Valdis' reach, a resting mind snaps alert as one mind brushes another. Her own thoughts are whispers, a crowd murmuring unintelligible thought to one-another, but the murmuring of a buzzing mind falls to silence as soon as there are footsteps outside her space.

The door creaks open, hushed "good morning"s are shared, before hoofed feet clatter onto cobblestone. Golden eyes peer out into the still-opened door, and tentatively, with the words coming out practiced but still trying to become refined in their structure, Glory calls out. "Mmmiss Val-diss?"

Valdis is used to Glory's strange soul by now, and despite herself she feels protective of it. She waits back a ways, allowing Elias to speak to Glory before continuing down the stairs.

"Hello, Glory. I'm going to shift into my wolf form so we can hang out and work on a few things."

She glances at Elias.

"Perhaps we may even go outside into the gardens if Dr. Coldwood thinks that today is a good day for that."

While she's confident in Glory, she will always defer to Elias when it comes to Glory.

"Does that sound good to you?"

"Wolf?" Glory brightens instantly at the offer; there's been a few stories told, after all, and it isn't as though she's actually seen one. Curiosity is quick to bulldoze any uncertainty that might creep up, and excitement is quick on its tail. "Gardens! Garden-time. Right, papa?"

It's hard to say no to a request like that, much as he's still tentative about the entire process. Shen Qingqiu managed to break the seal of such treks, but new as they are, he's still adjusting to the idea of her going out more often. His smile is tight with the gentle strain of stress, but no less genuine for it. "I suppose, if Valdis thinks that it would be for the best... it is a very nice day."

"Okay!" Her voice, clearer and clearer as she warms up, is bright, and she stumbles to her feet, grabbing a few small toys to bring with her. She listens best if she's got something to keep her hands occupied, after all. "Go now?"

Valdis smiles at Elias, she won't let any harm come to Glory, or to Pumpkin Hollow and she's positive she can do both.

"Yes, we can go now."

Valdis turns to head back up the stairs.

"I'll see you both in a moment."

She heads right up into the garden, carefully removing her clothing and shifting before the child or her father make it into the garden. She's hoping they will be able to play and also learn, hoping that Elias will be more comfortable with Glory being outside. If the town can accept Dahlia, then they can accept the young creature too. Valdis may be on Neil's side in this silly conflict, but she's certain Dahlia would agree on this matter.

She tentatively reaches out with her mind to touch Glory's, they have done this before, several times when they were first getting acquainted, but it always feels strange to touch the child's soul and mind in this way. Valdis lays down, relaxing in the sunshine.

I am very big, so please don't be frightened.

When Valdis' mind reaches Glory's, her thoughts buzz with curiosity, excitement, fear, uncertainty--- all things that slow their racing pace when a thought that isn't her own connects with her. They don't stop, but she's soothed, the same way one might be when their hand is held gently during trying times.

Okay, comes the reply, with the gentleness she's been learning from so many angles in her life. Be there soon. We can be big together.

The aging front door of the lighthouse's home creaks open, and Elias is the first to step out, but Glory is quick on his heel. Her many eyes, for a moment, grow wild, taking in so many sights and sounds all at once.

"Glory, now, remember, stay within our fence, will y---"

Elias' instructions go unheard the second Glory spots Valdis' new shape, and the fear washes away beneath a crashing wave of sheer excitement. Many hooved legs carry her clumsily through the garden's soft grasses, and she all but bounds over, reaching almost urgently to sink her hands into Valdis' fur. (Nice hands, she recalls from being allowed to touch hair before. No pulling.)

She babbles for a moment, an incomprehensible mix of R'lyean and Emeran, before she pulls herself together to practically chirp with delight.

"You are so soft! Big and soft and warm!"

Elias joins them at last, letting out a quiet, exasperated laugh. "This is the fastest I've seen her leave the front door. We'll have to remember that for the future, I suppose?"

"Breakfast would be lovely, thank you," Shen Qingqiu replies with a smile, taking a seat at the kitchen table and pulling a much dog-earred notebook out of his bag. A man of his cultivation level doesn't actually need to eat, but he enjoys good food and good company -- and the latter is not to be underestimated, when it comes to repairing the breach of trust between himself and Elias. Time spent chatting over a meal is a good way to make sure they're staying on the same page.

"It's a beautiful day outside, and the forecast says there's little chance of rain. I thought we might try taking the little one outside for a few hours? Just around the base of the lighthouse," he adds, trying to soothe Elias's most likely objection before it can be raised. "Perhaps if we take a few of her toys out with us, she might be persuaded to play like normal in the open air? And then if she's not too tired, we might work on her Emeran lessons for a time after bringing her back inside."

Pleased with the answer, Elias falls into the familiar rhythm of the mornings of Shen Qingqiu's visits as they've come to be over the months. The kettle comes off the stove, cups of tea are poured, eggs and meats are plated with bread and carried over. A mere few months ago, the terse greetings and workplace-attitudes are a far cry from this. It's comfortable, almost domestic. It's closer proximity than any one person's regularly been to him with any regularity in some time.

Strange how things turn out, isn't it?

The addition is quickly made before hackles can raise, though it doesn't stop a suspicious glance back. Objection its left to uncertainty, lips pulled into a tight, thoughtful frown as he passes the food and drink over, before sitting just to the other side of the table. "Are you entirely certain she's ready for something like that? You don't think she might--- spook and attempt to run off, if the local wildlife decides to get a bit nosy?"

Not that Glory's had much trouble with that before, considering the few bugs trespassing in her room that were met with an unfortunate end by curious teeth.

Shen Qingqiu takes his first bite of the eggs with a little hum of delight, taking a moment to enjoy the flavor and texture before turning his attention back to the conversation.

"I really don't think so," he says agreeably, acknowledging the validity of Elias's concern even as he tries to persuade him out of it. "We've had great success in teaching her to return to her room when she feels tired or stressed, haven't we? If we leave the front door open, she should see it as the closest route to safety."

He leaves it there for a moment, taking a sip of tea instead. Elias has already heard his most important arguments, Shen Qingqiu's thesis, so to speak: that Glory can't live in her father's basement forever, that she needs to learn that there are good things as well as dangerous things in the world.

"...That's an entirely fair point," Elias finally concedes, taking a sip of his tea, and letting out a soft sigh with it. "It's a big jump, of course, but we're due to take it at some point. So long as we stay in sight of the front door, it--- should be alright."

Paranoid skepticism be damned, it wouldn't be the first time they've had to wrangle her, after all - a clumsy trip up the lighthouse's stairs that she was too scared to descend showed them that it wasn't impossible, at least.

"I'll just hope that the neighbors don't get too curious. I think new faces and the outdoors may be a bit... much, all at once. One step at a time."

"I agree. And you can be sure that if anyone even seems like they might be thinking about getting too close, I'll send them on their way."

He smiles slightly. Apart from Elias himself, of course, nobody is more concerned with Glory's safety and comfort than Shen Qingqiu himself. He even surprised himself a little, with how much he's become invested in the little sprout. It must be a projection of his own guilt over failing Luo Binghe, he supposes; thank goodness Glory is much too young to fall in love with anyone, much less him.

With any luck she'll spend the rest of her life thinking of him as her kindly old uncle, or something.

"It's a plan, then. Breakfast, then outdoors." Elias takes a moment to draw in a breath, and then let an equally slow one out, a huff of a laugh joining it. "Quite a day we've got ahead of ourselves!"

There's some quiet, remarkably domestic conversation had between the two, before the time comes at last to set things into motion. Elias leads the way when the two descend the stairs, just as he always has, and with a gentle knock at the basement's door, he opens it, hanging his lantern within.

"...Glory? Glory, are you awake?"

His call shifts the mound that makes up her form, too many eyes opening all at once, wide, then bleary. Many mouths that'd hung open close, their thin seams disappearing, and the tendrils that make up her form curl and wind together in the precise patterns of a torso, shoulders, arms, a neck, a head...

Hircine eyes finally glance over, a mere six settling on her face, as she finally rises on cloven legs, slowly and clumsily.

"Good morning, papa. Good morning, laoshi..." Her greeting comes as more of a sleepy rumble than proper words. "Daytime?"

"Yes, it's daytime again," Elias replies gently, before gesturing back to Shen Qingqiu, stepping aside to let him step forward. "We've got something special planned for you today."

"Good morning, dear." Shen Qingqiu smiles and steps closer, giving Glory an affectionate pat on the top of her head. "It's a beautiful day outside, nice and sunny. How would you like to come play on the grass before your lessons?"

Chirping, chittering, fidgeting with clumsy hands--- all signs of brimming, overwhelming joy that Glory hardly knows what to do with. Much less so when he offers for them to go outside. Clunking, clattering hooves stumble to stand as quickly as they can, threatening to rise over her two guardians, if she didn't hunch her shoulders to stay close.

"YES!" She all but squeals with delight, colliding her head softly into the side of Shen Qingqiu's own. (She used to be far worse about full-on collisions with those horns of hers, but is well-versed in "soft bumps" now.) "Do you think we see a bird? Or a bug? Can I eat grass? I wanna get some leafs for my bed!"

"We'll take it one thing at a time, but I'm sure we'll see some lovely things out there," Elias assures her with a warm chuckle. "But we won't know until we get there, will we? Come, come, let's get moving."

Busy as he might be, it isn't hard to find Dr. Coldwood out and about, should you need him.

Out in the woods when he's able, he's frequently stopping to study some specimen or another, with a chatty little fungus perched upon his shoulders. Other times, he's in town, trying to make the best of his errands under the prying eyes of so many. It's uncertain of where the general public's opinion lies, and he's doing his best to take it in stride, as though nothing's happened at all.

(That doesn't stop him from looking like he's sweating bullets whenever he's flagged down for a conversation, however.)

With Wizard and herself slowly getting their future living space situated, Sorceress has been running errands for the other magic caster in between moments of rest.

Goddesses, she really needs to get a broom. It would make things so much easier.

But as she's collecting supplies and samples of various things, the witch happens upon the doctor. She doesn't know who he is, nor is entirely concerned why he's out here until she spots the little mushroom critter on his shoulder.

"Ah, excuse me, sir," Sorceress calls out. "I do apologize for disturbing you but... is that a Myconid on your shoulder?"

The new voice clearly surprises him, a little jolt lifting his shoulders and jostling the aforementioned mushroom, but after a surprised glance back, Dr. Coldwood settles, offering a sheepish grin for his brief shock. He finally parses what she's said, though, and with raised brows of interest, he moves to sit further upright.

"A Myconid! No, I don't believe I'm familiar with the term - though it certainly does sound possible," he remarks, thoughtful. He lifts a finger to his little friend, who climbs upon his hand, allowing itself to be offered up to view more closely. (Apparently, it's used to this; the Morelull doesn't even flinch.) "I'm not certain of her species, but I've taken to calling them mycenafauna. Though this one, I've taken to calling Chanterelle. She's quite friendly, if you'd like a closer look!"

"Mrrmrrlull," Chanterelle sing-songs, in apparent agreement.

The witch leans over to get a better look at Chanterelle. "Ah, yes. Seeing her this close... She is certainly far cuter than a Myconid so she must be something else."

There's a pause as a smile forms on Sorceress's lips while she gazes at the mushroom. "Chanterelle is a lovely name. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss."

Her attention turns to Elias as she stands up straight. "It must be exciting to have discovered a new species."

"Terribly exciting! There's always something new to be found, these days," Elias half-jokes, straightening his posture and returning Chanterelle to his shoulder. "This island in and of itself was a new discovery, so imagine my surprise when I've documented most of it, and new creatures on top of that begin to appear. Some that our offworld residents are familiar with, even! Now, it feels like every unturned stone could hold something new."

A final stretch, just enough to crack his back with a quiet grunt, before he offers an enthused grin, and a hand to shake.

"Dr. Coldwood! Resident universe-native biologist to this town. I don't believe I've had the opportunity to see you about, are you new in town?"

"That is quite exciting then! To think you've discovered everything only to find you've just scratched the surface," she nods with an eager smile and gladly accepts the man's hand.

"I am new. It's a pleasure, Dr. Coldwood. People call me 'Sorceress.' I wonder if our arrivals have inadvertently brought creatures and various other things with us?"

"Sorceress! The pleasure's mine," he gives a warm chuckle with his words, taking a moment to brush dirt and forest debris off of himself. "It's entirely possible, now that you mention it. Have you seen anything familiar to you, by chance? Plants, animals, architecture? I've learned that much of the things we have here aren't dissimilar to things from other universes, and the idea's captivated me, if I'm being honest. Is it not incredible, that even universes away, other places find themselves with bluebirds just like our own?"

She taps her finger to her lips as she thinks in what she's seen so far.

"There is a decent amount in common, even down to the pantheon... the architecture of the town seems more wood made than stone. Far more gothic looking than what Hydeland has but it's enough to still feel like home. I've yet to truly explore further from town, I'm afraid, so I'm not familiar with the animals of this place.

"Are you originally from here?"

"This world, yes! But this place, no. Though few can claim to have been born and raised on this island. I'd been a sailor before I'd landed here, and to tell you the truth..."

He lowers his voice, playfully conspiratorial.

"Things here are strange, even compared to the mainland. But what could one expect from an island that was rumored to have appeared suddenly in a part of the sea that had been assumed to be fully charted?"

The witch blinks with a look of intrigue, leaning in as the doctor gives her some juicy tidbits about the island. "Oh, I see... How interesting! How recently did it appear...?"

"Morning, Dr. Coldwood," Leon calls. He's leaning against a low retaining wall and enjoying the early spring sun on his way back home from his early shift, but stands up straight as the other man passes. "You got a moment? Was hoping I'd see you around one of these days."

It's about this point that Leon realizes that getting flagged down by a constable in uniform is probably not the most reassuring thing in the world that could happen for a man in Elias's position, and he stops, thinking that over, before continuing.

"This is not official police business, for the record. I just got off work and was wondering if you needed anything. Shen Qingqiu told me a little about what's been going on while I was out." He smiles a little, looking apologetic. It's not like he was involved in anything going on, but, well. On behalf of the department, he guesses.

"Ah--- Officer Kennedy! Certainly."

Straightening himself out from his rush, Dr. Coldwood steps over, offering a little wave as he does. The promise of not being official business does little to ease the nerves, but Elias draws a slow breath, and cracks an uneasy smile in return. He's trying to be as civil as possible, after all.

The question makes that smile a bit more forced. It doesn't surprise him that other officers are hearing the news, even if it does put all the more eyes upon him.

"I'm quite alright, thank you," he's quick to assure, lifting the fabric bag clutched in hand for emphasis. "I'm just getting back from getting some ins and odds for that exact reason. I'm not sure how much he's told you. We're, ah... experimenting with new fruits, these last few weeks." An awkward beat. Goddesses' mercy, he's always been bad at this. "Enrichment! I'm sure you understand."

[ Closed to Nimona... and someone else? :3c ]

A new day comes; the godling feels the warmth of the sun through the stones of her home.

Hooves, slowly stabilized in numbers, click against cobblestone floors, and wandering eyes look up to the ceiling. Tracking those boots that move through the home, open cabinets, catching every word muttered under breaths. There's a scrape of metal, a click, and the sound of fire. It starts to smell nice in the house, even all this way below the earth.

It's not anything for her to worry with, not yet. Papa's waking up. Laoshi will probably be here soon, and then they'll come visit.

For now, it's time for her to worry about her toys. They've gotten more interesting since she's started to see new faces. It'd been jarring, at first--- but with how many of them come to bring her new things for her home, to tell stories, even to bring snacks, she doesn't quite feel so much of a need to bite first and prod the remains later. That doesn't make people want to come back, she's been told. (She doesn't understand why that is. Biting is fun. People get scared over such strange things.)

Lost in her own little world, Glory curls upon the floor and sets herself to her own little stories, mashing several together that she's been told. Great journeys across seas to incredible mountains, swords that talk (played expertly by a dried reed), and a very heroic role played by her favorite toy horse, flailing it's ball-jointed legs. All the while, she warbles and hums - what words are Emeran and what words are R'lyehian are a gamble.

For such a thing as she, all tendrils and eyes and limbs and teeth, such things almost look absurd. But, at the very least, she's having a blast with it.

Eventually, another sound becomes audible outside the confines of Glory's room. A whisper. A rattle among the rocks. A noise almost like a shimmer of light made audible. Through one of the gaps in the cobblestones, a soft pink glow rises.

Little by little the light molds itself, going from a mist-like glitter to a physical thing. And then, across from Glory, there sits a human-looking teenager, watching her with avid interest.

"Hey."

There's a moment of stunned stillness, where every one of Glory's eyes are trained to the shimmering light, even as it changes shape. She watches Nimona for a moment, hesitant - she's never seen this face before. When she sees new faces, usually one of the familiar ones is here, but that isn't the case today.

The new face looks just as curious about her as Glory is to them, though.

Slowly, with keen interest, Glory moves, folding cloven legs in the closest mirroring to the way Nimona sits, leaning down to both get a closer look and press her hands to the floor. It's a clumsy parallel, but one made in earnest.

"...Hhhello," she starts, but reconsiders, instead opting to parrot the word, "Hey. Who... are you?"

Oh she is so freaking cool.

Cheerfully: "I'm Nimona! You're Glory, right? I heard 'em talking about you. Love the incomprehensible horror from beyond the known universe look."

She leans in a little more, watching her reflections move across all of Glory's eyes. "How come they stuck you down here?"

"Niii... moooh... naaa..."

She tries out each sound, slow and deliberate. That's easy enough to remember. Such a strange new face from all the others she's met before, and a name just as different. How exciting! (Not to mention secretive. Does her papa know that she's got a new friend down here?)

Before she can find too many to questions to ask, Nimona gives her one of her own - one that surprises her. She has to look around, as if to double-check on the little world around her, before she answers.

"Stuck? Not stuck." Her answer is definitive, with the air about it like she's just thought about it, and just now decided it, all in one fell swoop. "This is... my bedroom. See? There's bed."

One of her long arms extends to point to the mattress upon the floor, with a blanket tossed upon it. It's torn in some spots, and poorly sewn back up in others - a never-ending battle of repair.

"Are you... stuck, here?" She asks, after she considered it for a moment. Maybe that's where this new face got that idea from? Perhaps she's gotten trapped? "It's okay. There's a door. Papa can open it for you."

Oh, yikes. This poor kid. Nimona tries not to wince.

"Nah, I'm good," she says with a slightly strained grin. "Nobody sticks me anywhere, I can go wherever I want. See?"

She collapses inward with a muted pop!, transforming into a bright pink fly, and zips around Glory's... head? Well, whatever kinda counts for a head. The bit of her that holds the most eyes.

"When you're this small you can squeeze through anything," she goes on, her voice about three octaves higher and twice as fast. As she skids to a halt and hovers in front of Glory, "Hey, so, uh... Papa lets you out the door too though, right?"

The mass of tendrils that constitute a "head" properly form one, pressing and shaping together something almost goatlike, the tendrils so malleable that the tendrils disappear. Six large eyes stay trained to the fly, even with the change, and she lifts her hand to the little bug. (Though, no contact is made. She doesn't want to hurt this bug friend like she had accidentally done with the last one.)

"Out the door? Mm... yes," she answers, after a thoughtful hum, tipping that newly coalesced head of hers to and fro as she contemplates. "But only... when..."

Another thoughtful hum of recollection.

"Nice," she settles, "and a good time, for out of my room. Not always... a good time. But sometimes. But because of... bad times. I can't open it by myself."

One afternoon, there's a knock at Elias' door.

Beyond it, there is a smiling, eager woman. In one arm, she's holding a lovingly wrapped package that is very obviously a bottle--- ostensibly there is wine in there. Her other hand holds a rope, dragging behind her a string of cantaloupe-sized rubber balls in rainbow colors, strung together by said rope like pearls. The front-most ball has a carefully painted smile and floppy rope antennae, and the other balls are threaded with rope "legs". Some kind of toy, perhaps. It seems she dragged it all the way here. It looks heavy.

"Hi!" She sighs out the word, still grinning. "I'm Sally Boyle. I, ah, I'm the pharmacist in town. We've met a few times, j-just briefly. Um. Listen, I'm sorry if this is presumptuous, but I heard about--- everything, and I also am raising both a toddler and an eldritch entity. Mind you, mine are separate individuals, my toddler's human and Yellow is--- more or less a teenager, but I thought it might be nice to someone who can relate a little and--- Christ, I'm rambling. I brought presents! One for the baby---" She gestures to the toy. "---and one for Dad." She offers the bottle. "If you'd like to talk, I'm here for you."

Of all the people he'd anticipated visiting, the local pharmacist wasn't one of them, and Elias is so surprised by the sight that she's able to get through her entire explanation without interruption, save for him looking a little bewildered, even as he takes the bottle.

"Oh, goodness, ah--- wow, you're--- thank you?" The words come out as a baffled little laugh, but he can't help a smile, puzzled as he might be. He comes to his senses and opens the door the rest of the way, offering a hand. "That looks heavy, here, let me bring that in! Would you--- care for a drink? Doesn't have to be the wine, of course, but I'd be happy to share. You said your teenager is eldritch?"

He's rambling now, as well, but who could blame him, with so much to process? As soon as he's got the toy, he's quick to step aside and let her in.

"I'll have whatever your having," Sally assures her, following him in. "And yes! His name is Yellow, he's apparently part of one of those Elder Gods called the King in Yellow, and he takes it very seriously despite also really wanting to be more human. He likes to pretend he isn't a sweetheart, but he absolutely is. He and my toddler are absolutely inseparable. Maybe they can have a playdate with yours, once she's a little more people-friendly. You know, it can be so hard to start acclimating little ones to strangers no matter what species they are. Gwen was so shy when I first got here."

Edited 2025-06-01 22:29 (UTC)

"The King in Yellow! Not a name that rings a bell, but it certainly does fit with what I have heard," Elias half-jokes, and despite some lingering tension, there's something... freeing, in a way, to have Glory discussed like she's no different than any other child. It strikes nostalgic chords that haven't been hit in an age, and it brings a soft, warm smile to his face before he's even realized it.

"Her acclimation has been slow, to be certain. We've not yet had much interaction with any in her, ah... cognitive range? Her age and her current progression aren't synchronized, but she's learning quickly! She may find herself to that of a seven or eight year old before we know it."

While he prattles, the silence of isolation of what Glory is giving way to the relief that someone has outside experience with such a thing, he finds a couple glasses, and brings the wine back. She brought it, so why not share it?

"Tell me, have you had any trouble with your boy in the, ah--- physicality of his existence? Glory, she certainly tries, but she's so very large, and she can't quite gauge just what amount of force hurts we mortal creatures. She's begun to grow sensitive, as well, as far as we've seen - which is better than the alternative, of course! But... it isn't particularly productive when she's got an Emeran lesson for the day, and she's inconsolable because she crushed a beetle she found in her room."

"Oh, yes, he usually wears a human form, but when Yellow is mad, the tentacles come out and he gets---- non-Newtonian. It's a whole thing. And then he'll sulk because he's given himself an emotional crisis. I think he feels guilty for his temper, but then is embarrassed that he feels guilty because he thinks he's meant to be above morality somehow, and then he's unhappy about that because he wants to be liked, and then that's an identity crisis about what it means to be the King in Yellow--- he's got very complicated feelings. My partner and I, we try to help him through it, but we've only managed to get as far as we have through little bits and pieces. But, you know. Teenagers." Sally shrugs, chuckling fondly. "It'll be alright. For both of them. One step at a time. They both need to learn how to temper their own strength, and that takes practice!"

Elias can't help a chuckle of his own, and leans back against the seat that he'd taken, listening with equal parts keen interest and fondness. What a strange thing to come to anticipate, when Glory reaches that of a teenager's mind - will she be as temperamental, he wonders? Maybe she'll get an attitude? It's strange, to consider that new, and exciting to wonder, yet here he is.

"It does! I imagine your boy will figure it out before long, as well. And I'm certain, even if he acts as though he doesn't, he appreciates it," Elias jokes fondly. "Glory is at a point where she's oscillating wildly between terribly clingy and remarkably independent. It's anyone's guess when I wake her in the morning, if she'll decide that she's spending a day telling her own stories to herself, or if it's a day where I'll be getting nothing done, because she's got to be attached to my hip. Does your boy ever go through such a time? Or has he hit the point of being a teenager where he's decided to try to be detached?"

[OPEN] We pass by headstones on a walk

We counted dark spots on the moon [CR + Previously discussed!]

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The stars were barely visible [Open]

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I know that I should let you count them far from this city roof [Closed]

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[Wildcard] Eldritch Parent Support Group

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