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Children had come to mind more and more of late, and Dacj's current musings on the subject had not been solely inspired by very recent comments of bedtime stories to young ones. Rather, she wondered a bit if it wasn't because she'd grown up a bit--she did remember, quite well, protesting her suitability as a parent, and not wanting to be responsible for anyone else. But there was also Cass' "spoilers" to consider, making the eventuality of offspring rather inevitable, if the future the Seer'd glimpsed would come true. Possibly there was also the fact that her relationship with Seth seemed far more stable than hers with Sorcha ever had; Sorcha ran to extremes, and Dacj did like that, but it wasn't necessarily the best for children. There was also the fact Dacj hadn't seen Sorcha in rather a long time, and that coupled with her own growing desire to actually have offspring...well, if the chance came, she was going to seize it.

The problem lay in convincing Seth the kraken's relationships were not of the first-come, first-served variety and that he had every bit the right to precede Sorcha in such things. She had a feeling he was going to protest. That was why she wanted to make sure he was comfortable before springing talk of such things on him; it had been awhile since they'd discussed it. Snuggling amongst her collection of living room pillows did seem like an easy way to relax him. Dacj had a brief sting of regret that for Hytes offspring generation was such a complicated business; if they were human they'd hardly have any trouble with conception once the course was decided upon. Any decision reached today would still remain hypothetical; until such time as the option became open to them. So perhaps it was unsurprising that despite her efforts to stay laidback and cheerful, a slight air of melancholy hung about the kraken who was also rather uncharacteristically quiet...

While Dacj's mind ran off on trails concerning Generation and children and the conversation about to come, Seth's was in a far more relaxed state, wandering about where it pleased. He was mostly just enjoying their present cuddling on the kraken's pillow collection, as was reflected by his continuous purring and the slowly back-and-forth swishing of his tail. It did eventually come to his attention, however, that Dacj was being rather a bit quieter than usual. "Is everything alright?" he asked, bringing his head down beside her face in a light nuzzle. "Normally you'd have made a grab for my tail by now." Or fallen asleep; neither of which was the case.

"Everything's fine," she reassured him automatically, leaning her head against his with a light pressure. "I thought your tail deserved a bit of a break, was all~" Which was hardly the case, and Dacj immediately reached out to rectify her error of distraction. Capture wasn't the goal, or rather, wasn't the main goal--a tentacle secured itself around the tail merely to keep it within hand range, and her slim fingers reached out to stroke the fur around the striped portion of his tail. Given her musings, the touch of fur to skin only served to remind her how very much she'd look forward to a fuzzy baby of her own to pet. Argh, silly moods...

"Seth?" She hardly needed to preface any of this with his name, and it wasn't like she couldn't tell he was right there beside her, holding her even. Still, it was a way to confirm his presence, even if it was very silly. "You really want to be a dad, right?" She'd seen indications, glimmers of the wanting; certainly he'd never protested the possibility of children in the future. It wasn't the most skillful or elegant lead-in to the conversation she wanted to have, but she supposed it would do.

Ah, there came the tail grabbing. It was still a bit odd that she'd needed reminding, but perhaps she'd merely been tired enough to simply relax into the cuddling for once. He certainly didn't have any issue with it, and he resumed purring once she began stroking his tail.

Her calling him by name caused his ears to raise in curiosity and he momentarily stopped purring in surprise of the question that came after. "Of course," he replied automatically, closing his eyes as he nuzzled against her once more. He'd wanted children for... well, a rather long time now, but with the lack of frequency of Generation had basically resigned himself by now to the fact that it likely wouldn't happen for a long while yet to come. Especially with Sorcha and Dacj planning to have children first... He'd be more than happy to help them with them though if at all possible. Any children of Dacj's were bound to be adorable. "Earlier conversation bring Gen back to mind?" Though her specific question still seemed a bit odd, considering he was pretty sure they had discussed this once nearer to the beginning of their relationship...

"Mm, that's part of it," Dacj agreed, leaving off stroking his tail to tuck her hands in her lap, though her tentacle remained wound in place. "It's more than that, though." Statements made months ago and at the beginning of their relationship didn't seem to apply now; it could be testament to the kraken's occasional fickle manner more than anything else. After all, she'd protested magic until she got the hang of it; had feared intimacy until she found the source of the problem to correct and now she craved it; why should her once-protests towards offspring fair any differently? "I've kind of been thinking about it a lot recently, and...the next Gen that's available, I want to do it with you." She didn't want to put things on hold was the impulse she identified as the core reason; not for Sorcha, not for the Empire, not for anything she could help.

"With me?" he replied, surprised. "But... what about Sorcha?" He knew the cow Hyte had been gone a painfully long time, but... did that mean this was it? Or did it simply mean that Generation priority had shifted until she could be sure that her girlfriend would even be around for the children? It made a lot of sense, but... his ears still flattened down in guilt. While the circumstances couldn't in any way be helped, it just felt like since he and Dacj had gotten together, Sorcha had been pushed more and more out of the picture. Perhaps it was merely poor timing on their part (or perfect timing, depending on the viewpoint), but he wouldn't blame the cow Hyte for hating him when she returned. ... If she returned. Who was to say that she hadn't fallen under the disappearing curse that befell most all of the other Hytes at some point or another... "Are you sure about this?" Tremendously guilty though he felt, there was no denying that he wanted this. Terribly. Which only helped add to the guilt.

"Sorcha isn't here." That wasn't the only reason, but it might be the easiest for Seth to understand...though she wondered as soon as the words left her mouth if it was something she should be saying to him of all people. She'd heard the surprise, she knew he was likely blaming himself somehow for his taking precedence over her first relationship. But Dacj knew better than most that feelings changed, priorities shifted, and even if Sorcha called it "boring"...well, she wanted domesticity. She wanted to have a home, a family with calm, stable, loving Seth. Her mother had managed the task of raising a family well enough with and without her husband and had shown motherhood had never impacted her ability or willingness to stay interesting and lively; Dacj figured she could rise to the task as well. Given circumstances, she wouldn't be surprised if Seth's desire for such things as home and family far outstripped hers, but so long as the goals aligned, did it really matter who wanted it "more"?

"And I know she might still come back, but I don't want to wait...not when time is a factor. I'm tired of waiting for things. I don't want some people half a galaxy away on some other planet making me wait out of fear either." She knew instinctively the sibyl had never had children; whether it was because she hadn't had the inclination or because of fear Dacj didn't know. She pulled forward just enough to be able to turn to face him, her eyes glancing over the pinned back ears and reading them for what they were. He was guilty (since he was hardly upset over the prospect of Gen itself), and she was melancholy...they made a right pair, at times like these. "I am very sure, my love," she said softly, brushing his golden hair to one side of his face simply as an excuse to touch him. "This is between you and me; no one else enters into it," she added, quiet but firm in her conviction. If Sorcha wanted to dispute it, she could dispute it with her girlfriend--not the girlfriend's boyfriend.

No, Sorcha wasn't here. And if Gen came again in the near future and they sat it out then who knew if they would ever have the chance to have children period. ... Still didn't do much to abate the guilt though.

The reminder of the Empire threat didn't do much to help things along either. A small part of him wanted to say that it wasn't fair-- but the other part reminded him that life wasn't fair and that he had volunteered for this. The threat would never be gone until it was actually gone, but did that mean it would be irresponsible of them to want to raise a family with such things looming over their heads?

He was pulled back to the present as Dacj moved to turn and face him. It seemed that both of their moods had taken a rather significant downturn, even if in different ways. "... If that is how you feel, then we will do Gen if the opportunity ever arises," he agreed. ... Why did he still feel so terribly guilty?

What was irresponsible, in Dacj's opinion, was Sabra Sabina's rather ruthless manipulation of all the pawns at hand in her grand schemes. There was a chance, perhaps, that any children they might have would become involved in the fight yet to come; there was a chance they might carry their mother's magic, or even their father's, if the changes from Mena's pills had been enough to be passed down. Dacj was trying not to dwell on that possibility. If anything, she knew Seth would be swift to protect any children of his from such involvement, and she was hardly going to let anyone else ruin their lives over it, her children or no. The looming over their heads was inevitable, it felt, but why stop living in the meantime?

Seth's acquiescence to her request felt unsatisfying, maybe because his guilt seemed to overpower any joy the plan should bring. Dacj certainly couldn't let that be the end of things. "That is how I feel," she echoed, searching golden eyes now for something beyond the morose gloom that seemed to have overtaken them both. This wasn't how it should be. It should be happy, damn it. "I want to see you as a father, Seth. I want to snuggle our children together; play in this living room at building pillow forts and get them to team up with me against you until none of us'll be able to see for the stuffing and feathers flying everywhere. I want to tell bedtime stories and for you to purr them to sleep like you do for me. I want a family, and you can't tell me that you don't want one too. So can you please, please be happy? There's nothing wrong with wanting it, not for either of us." She wanted so much more--but she didn't think pushing the matter at this moment would help. He felt guilty enough about hypothetical children, how badly would he react if he knew she was entirely serious about that oh-so-brief 'housewife' conversation they'd had awhile back? So help her, he'd turned her more than half monogamous. That in itself was a feat.

Seth would not be letting their children get caught up in Sabra's plans. He would sooner have Mena strip the magic modifications to his DNA (which would hurt like hell, no doubt, if it were even possible) than let that once-Ti'ama anywhere near them. It didn't matter how magical or non-magical they ended up being-- just no.

As Dacj began describing hypothetical life with children, Seth couldn't help but imagine along, a faint happy blush rising to his cheeks at the image. Damn it, Dacj, don't make him want it more when they were already going to have to wait God knew how long as it was. "I do want one. I'm sorry," he replied with a sigh. Perhaps guilt was just his default these days. With a small smile, he added, "And I am happy that you want one with me." He truly didn't deserve her, and he had to remember to keep counting his blessings that for whatever mysterious reason she loved him too.

She smiled faintly at the reddening of his cheeks, and she stroked down his jawline with the outside of her fingers as he apologized. She felt the slight sigh was at odds with what she'd been trying to cultivate, so Dacj was much more appreciative of his next admission, smile and words and all. "Just one child?" she teased, her expression graduating to a playful smirk. "I was thinking more like three or five~" The kraken knew what he had meant, though, and it didn't fail to make her happy in turn to hear it. Even if she'd already known of his desire for a family, hearing the confirmation aloud he wanted it with her was something she still needed. Maybe she still didn't quite believe her own good fortune from the day he'd first said to her "I care for you."

Seth rolled his eyes at the teasing, though he did have to laugh. "Five?" he replied. "I don't think there's ever been a Gen quite that large, Love." Not that he would mind more kids himself, but five at once would be quite a bit to handle. Still, if anyone could handle it, they would probably be it. It wasn't like he hadn't had more than enough practice with chaos throughout his lifetime, and Dacj certainly seemed to thrive on it. "So, think we could get Cass to tell us how far off the next Gen is?" he asked jokingly. "Start a little pre-planning before then. Like potential names, perhaps."

"No, but that didn't stop my mom, now did it? Adoption is an option too you know," she said, chuckling. Certainly she did want biological children, but...well, who knew when that option would be available. It was something to keep in mind. Even if she'd really only grown up with one sibling, she did like the feel of larger families. The chaos of Seth's mom's home was very comforting, in a way, and certainly it was never boring. "We can try our luck with getting her to talk, but she's always tight-lipped when it's most inconvenient," Dacj added, with a little sigh she only meant half seriously. "Names we can do with or without warning, really. You never know when a good name'll come in handy." Granted, she wasn't sure she was one to talk about good names given the monstrosity that was her own full name, but she also hadn't been the one to name herself.

Mm, yes, there certainly was always adoption. Of course, that would still require there to be children in the first. "We don't have to settle on any names just yet," he replied. "But it doesn't hurt to at least start considering them. We'd likely have more than one child anyway, so..." He gave a light shrug. "Though I suppose there is plenty of time left, yes." No sense in coming up with a name today if they would only forget it in another year's time. ... Or whatever time it took.

"Plenty of time," Dacj agreed with a nod, trying to ignore her own version of the thought that time wasn't what they seemed to have any lack of. "I'm sure we can think up quite a list if we put our minds to it," she said, shrugging, as she reached to pet his ear nearest her right hand. "Of course, there are plenty of things we could be putting our minds to at the moment..."

"Oh?" he replied, ear flicking lightly beneath her hand. "And what such things did you have in mind?"

"Things you didn't want me alluding to in front of my mother or siblings," Dacj answered with a grin. She tweaked the flicking ear, and moved to give her boyfriend a teasing kiss. On the one hand, it was a pity natural reproduction wasn't an option, but on the other hand...even with a strong desire to have children now, it was also convenient to not have to worry overmuch about the results of sex.

Aaaah, those kind of things. He definitely didn't mind putting their minds to that. The cheetah kissed back, tail wrapping automatically around her waist. "Such matters are best left for private, don't you think?" he replied with a smile, giving her another kiss. "Besides, your brother was rather squicked from the mere mention on lulling you to sleep."

"That's because Eli is a prude," Dacj said, rolling her eyes. "I think Missy's right, actually." But she didn't particularly want to talk about either of her siblings right now, amusing as they'd been today. Some day Eli'd get a clue and stop bothering to object (ideally he'd lose the tentacle phobia too, but one couldn't get everything in life, could they?), but right now that wasn't her primary concern. "Best left for private, sure, but that doesn't mean allusions aren't still fun," she added, letting her club tentacles feel across his chest and arms as she claimed another kiss. "It's not like it's a secret, hmm? I assure you, I don't kiss and tell specifics."

... Somehow that didn't quite reassure Seth as much as it might have been meant to. "Mhm... And what all is included in the 'nonspecifics'?" he asked. While Dacj was at least somewhat discretionary (for which he was grateful), he himself preferred not to say much of anything at all. Though if Missy was to be believed, the kraken apparently told quite a lot to Mena... Of course, she could have well been trolling him...

She wasn't quite sure she believed the casual-ness of said shrug, but he didn't appear to be upset either. That was good, at least. "Far be it from me to squash your sense of curiosity," Dacj said with a smile, ruffling his hair. "Though we ought'n get distracted from the task at hand, you know. It requires plenty of concentration, this putting our minds to things..." She kissed the top of his head before moving on to his ear, nibbling along the edge very gently. Pre-emptive ear attacks tended to work best; when he got her first it was hard not to simply dissolve into wiggles at the ticklish sensation. She doubted she'd escape reprisal for very long though, since it tended to put Seth in a very playful mood...

"Mm, it certainly--" he had to pause at the chill that ran through him as she began nibbling on his ear. Well, that was certainly one way to elicit focus from him, though oddly enough it also made him rather unfocused at the same time. The kraken didn't get to enjoy her position for very long before Seth had moved up to kiss her quite enthusiastically. As they kissed, he moved to try to switch so that Dacj would be against the pillows instead of him.

Oooh, kissing was nice too. A little disorienting, when Seth was insisting on flipping her back against the pillows, but it wasn't like there weren't plenty of pillows around to cushion her fairly abrupt descent. Dacj's clubs twined around his middle, pulling him down closer to her as she returned enthusiastic kisses of her own. Eventually she drew away to catch her breath, smiling up at him while she traced the eyemarkings of his cheetah half down either side of his nose. She'd told him before, probably even several times, that she felt like one of the more drab Hytes, without patterning or bright colors or even stark contrasts, like Seth's gold and black. She was rather curious to see what the blender of Generation might yield so far as looks; black turned to her softer brown, perhaps, but still with the gold? She didn't doubt they'd be striking, in one way or another; hopefully they wouldn't find any tentacles inherited from their mother a burden. They'd have a father who never showed any bias against them from the beginning though, that would no doubt help. "You're so lovely," she murmured, before kissing him once more. "I'm glad you're mine." Possessive? Maybe just a little.

The cheetah Hyte purred as they kissed, and continued doing so during the short break as she traced his eye markings. He sometimes wondered what caused her to trace his marks specifically when they felt no different from the rest his skin, but he supposed it simply had to do with following the pattern. And while she had mentioned her opinion on coloring and such before, he himself had always disagreed with her. She didn't need bright colors or fancy patterns or stark contrasts to make her interesting; she was beautiful just as she was and any child of theirs would be fortunate to take after her.

He chuckled slightly at her commentary, not hesitating to kiss her back. "You're far lovelier," he said between purrs, leaning in to give her ear-lobe a light and affectionate nibble before adding, "and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"We'll agree to disagree?" Dacj suggested, resisting the urge to wiggle at the nibble. Really, it was a silly 'argument' to try and win in favor of either case, and she didn't intend to quibble overmuch at his compliments of her. He was also a lot less shallow than her, she figured--the kraken was as much as sucker as Melisande in her own way for what she considered 'pretty.' Aesthetics did matter to her just a bit; it mattered far less so when every one of her Hyte-kind was ridiculously gorgeous...

"You wouldn't, hmm~?" She flipped the spotted ends of his hair back and forth between her fingers, musing briefly that his hair really was the perfect length to play with. Hers was just long, and everywhere. "Then you should prove it," the kraken challenged, arching an eyebrow. "Prove you're mine and mine alone~"

'Prove it'? That seemed a bit of an odd request considering the nature of their relationship, but he'd go along with it. If this was the game she wished to play... "How would you have me to prove my loyalty?" he asked, half playful and half sincere. He slowly unwound his tail from her waist, simply to draw it across her belly instead. "Climb a mountain? Cross an ocean? Or perhaps simply 'show' you?" He asked the last part with the faintest of smirks, his tail still running across her stomach. "What do you wish for?"

She smiled at his interpretation of her request; amused he'd chosen to treat it as a game. And she couldn't resist the urge to shiver as fur drew across thin fabric draped over her skin. "Mountains I wouldn't dare myself, and it hardly seems fair to ask of you something I wouldn't do. Crossing an ocean might be entertaining, but I daresay even my magic's ability to wick off the water afterwards wouldn't keep you from despising it even more than you do now were I to ask that, either," she said, musing aloud as she too played along. "That considered, showing is quite tempting--" She answered his smirk by drawing him back into a kiss she spared no effort to 'show' her own affections and intentions.

"But what I wish for," she said finally, breathlessly, "is something else altogether." Did she dare being honest? It seemed a pity to waste such a perfect lead in, even if she knew she risked breaking the pleasant mood of the present. And the kraken had always prided herself on her honesty... "Seth--will you marry me?" There they were; out in the open and off of her chest, the words she'd fretted over for some time now. This wasn't the first time she'd felt so vulnerable with him, waiting with baited breath for his reply, and she guessed it would not be the last, but that didn't make the seconds pass any quicker or lessen her fear of rejection. He loved her, she knew that. But whether that meant he'd be willing to marry her had become an entirely different conundrum.

Hey, he didn't hate water that much... buuuut he certainly didn't like it much, no. Still, it wasn't like he could ever swim across an entire ocean anyway, so it didn't much matter anyway. And while he himself had meant telepathic showing, he had no complaint with showing through more wordless means either. Oh? There's more? he thought to himself curiously when the kiss ended and Dacj continued on with her speech. Just where was she taking this...?

......... Wait, what? Seth blinked in surprise. Did she just-- Ok, so clearly this wasn't as much of a game as he had thought it to be. But seriously, did she just propose to him? ... Why was this not as surprising and out of place as it probably should have been? orz But-- Oh, right, she was waiting for an answer. "I never want another other than you," he said slowly, not directly answering her question just yet. "And pardon my confusion, but what does this mean concerning relationships again?" More specifically, concerning her relationship with the missing cow Hyte. She wished for them to be married, but to potentially still date Sorcha when she returned? To marry Sorcha too? To break things off with her? And even Sorcha aside, did she still wish to be open to dating others while married? Cause that... seemed rather counter-intuitive to him, and without clearly knowing what she was thinking he was a bit hesitant to say 'yes'. Not to mention that his previous engagement had essentially been the death of his relationship, but... Ok, that was the pessimism talking. Focus on the more important matters for now.

She wasn't surprised he was hesitant in his reply, or confused what this meant. She didn't quite know herself, other than... "Concerning relationships...when," (or if, her mind suggested grumpily) "Sorcha returns, she and I have things to work out. I do still love her, but we can't keep going like this either, unless I know that's the price that gets paid upfront for the relationship's existence." Whether or not that price was something she was willing to pay was more of a matter between Sorcha and herself. "It's a matter basically independent both of my relationship with and my...request for you." Dacj was a little hesitant herself to call it a proposal, even if that was clearly what it had been. "As for anything else...make no mistake, I do still consider myself poly. But I seem to found one person who meets basically all of my needs--and that's you. You are my primary relationship, and I would never do anything to jeopardize that." Even the thought of losing him was painful to contemplate, and she was reassured mostly by the fact for every bit she metaphorically clung, he'd taken up clinging at least as tight. "Sorcha aside, with you here, I don't need anyone else. If that makes me monogamist in practice, well...I can live with that. And if I'm going to be a monogamist, why not get married?" She smiled faintly, hoping he realized it actually went a little deeper than the flippant 'why not'. "And if I'm yours and you're mine...I want something I can show the world as proof. Marriage works pretty well for that."

As Dacj set to explaining herself and her thoughts, he felt his worry and hesitance quickly begin to ebb away and was filled with a warmth in their place. She was alright with just him? No one else? It was a humbling thing to hear, but at the same time one that he couldn't help but feel happy about. He had already told her before that she was the only one he would need, and to have that (almost completely) returned... "Marriage does work well for that," he agreed, leaning forward a moment to give her another brief kiss. "Miss Tsq'ali'fhtagen Dacj'hai'gotha Sabina, I will marry you." He couldn't have been any more sure of that.

Only the bravest ever attempted Dacj's full name, and it was of special note that he didn't hesitate or stumble over the consonant mashing one bit. She was fairly sure this was really only the first or second time he'd ever tried, too, but given Seth's own need (or so she assumed) for formality and tradition in cases like this, she supposed using it made sense. It did give her a rush of affection for him, even before the warmth and happiness of his acceptance overwhelmed it. "I'm glad to hear it," she said, smiling wide. At least until a thought occurred to her, and the smile turned to more of a curious puzzlement. "...so, were I to take your surname...what would it be?" She never had heard his last name, she was quite sure, not that many Hytes seemed to use them overmuch. Mena'd kept her own; Dacj didn't feel as strong an inclination to (besides, it was a name she shared with Sabra Sabina, so ditching it was really more of a potential upside).

... He should have realized that question would come up sooner rather than later when it came to marriage. "You don't really need to take my surname," the cheetah Hyte replied evasively, glancing off to the side. "I don't even ever use it myself, so..." Actually, he generally liked to pretend that it didn't exist. His mom didn't even ever go by her real name, so why did it matter?

"It's the only chance I get to legally change my name without incurring fees and I currently share a surname with That Woman," Dacj said wryly. She wasn't sure why the question had caused unease or the evasive reaction, but her first instinct was to attempt to comfort him, petting his hair. "Just tell me?" It couldn't be that bad, could it?

He gave a small sigh before answering. "... Smith." Yes, he was 'Seth Smith'. The name just flowed together so well, didn't it? "My Mother's name is really Katherine Smith, even though she more commonly goes by 'elf'. So if you were to adopt the surname, you would become Dacj Smith." Still sounded better than Seth Smith, granted, but it was such a plain and boring last name... Though he couldn't really blame her for not wanting to share a last name with her grandmother either.

Dacj didn't have Seth's dislike of alliteration, though she could see why the name might be one he wasn't fond of. "No, I'd be 'Tsq'ali'fhtagen Dacj'hai'gotha Smith'," the kraken corrected with a smile. Plain and boring last name contrasted with the 'exotic' quality of her actual name actually worked pretty well in her opinion. "Dacj Smith to most though, yes." Though chances were she'd use some kind of stage name for the dancing, so that wasn't a factor there either. "It doesn't sound bad to me."

He gave a light shrug before rolling off onto his side. "Yes, well, now you know," he remarked, drawing his tail over her stomach again. "So, any thoughts of 'when' for a wedding? Or size? Family only? Family and friends? ... Elope?" The last option sounded rather nice to him personally, but he wasn't about to admit as much just yet. He just really hoped she didn't want it too far into the future... Hopefully not, since she'd been going on early about not wanting things delayed.

She made herself comfortable by turning to face him on her side, one elbow propping up her head as she considered his questions and a tentacle decided to engage Seth's tail so as not to distract her with its tickle-y potential. "I wasn't really thinking that far ahead," she admitted. She could plan when she chose to, and quite epic plans at that in her oh-so-humble opinion, but she'd been nervous enough about getting him to agree in the first place she hadn't thought much about details. She was a little surprised he suggested eloping, if only because she'd figured him for the standard kind of wedding. Though, maybe he'd just been soured on that kind of thing due to the last time he was engaged... "I think our families would like to come. We should probably avoid telling Missy until the last possible minute though, unless we want her to take over everything." So long as they gave her some important role, she'd forgive the slight of not being informed...maybe?

"Though I guess 'family' is pretty big in your case. D'ya think any of them'd want to come, or would they mostly not care too much?" Weddings did tend to be a particularly humanish sort of ceremony, and most of Seth's "family" was decidedly nonhuman. "I like parties, but small ones can be just as fun as big ones. What're you leaning towards?"

Given the complete lack of planning that had gone into his last non-existent 'wedding', it wasn't the wedding bit he'd been soured on so much as the long engagement bit. It just left too much room for things to go wrong... "I don't think most would care overly much, but there are still a few of the non-humanoids who might be interested," he replied, which would be a bit problematic. ... Especially if any of the dragons like Tereth wanted to be there. "If 'small' means family then I'm definitely leaning towards that. The trouble would be finding a place where it would be ok for certain 'members' to attend." They could always do a beach wedding? Dacj liked the water and he liked the sun; though with summer coming to an end soon, that may not work. Which brought him back to his original question, "What time of year do you think would work? There's not all that much time left for summer if we want to be married this 'year'. Are you alright with fall or winter? Or do you prefer to hold off until spring?" Please just not all the way to next summer. Spring would be pushing it for him as it was...

She wasn't entirely sure who he was thinking of, though she suspected it might involve one or more of the dragons. Finding a place able to accommodate them would definitely be tricky, even outdoors. So long as it wasn't in a forest (and weren't clearings usually used for outdoor weddings anyway?), there would likely be a way though. She'd forgotten to answer on timing in the first volley on questions and answers, and that he brought it up again meant it was important to him. It took her a moment to remember why, that his and Noelani's had been a very long engagement before it finally dissolved. Well, Dacj certainly had no intentions of making him wait that long...

"I can't imagine you and winter working too well together," she said, slightly amused at the mental images that brought of Seth shivering out in the snow (plus, it would be much harder to hold something outdoors, snow or no). "I don't really see a reason to wait until spring. Fall then, I suppose? We can probably pass on the Halloween wedding, a tentacle bride and a catboy groom are already enough," she added with a chuckle. "That would likely leave September, the rest of October, or earlier November, if we're trying to beat the cold weather."

"What, no parka wedding?" he remarked jokingly. Though he was rather grateful for not having to deal with a wedding in the snow, yes. "Fall sounds good. September? Or is that too soon?" The cheetah Hyte honestly had no idea how much time went into planning a wedding, so he wasn't really sure what would be a good date for them to aim for.

"At least a month would be helpful for planning and arrangements, I'm sure. If we're keeping it smaller, we could maybe manage it that quickly--probably for sure if we do let Missy at things," Dacj said, musing as she tried to think through what even a small wedding would need. Food, music, chairs and things--did they need a photographer, or would they just rely on Mena's resources? Cake, maybe some flowers, the dresses and tuxedos and things--if Missy didn't already have enough on hand she could likely whip them up soon enough. Or did they want to be that formal? Well, even if they were only going to allot a month for it, they did have some time to iron specifics out...

"But we can worry about the details a little later, you know," she chided him with a playful touch to the tip of the nose.

True, Missy would be a rather valuable asset for them in this case, namely because planning such things was a part of her niche. He'd just have to consult with his mother and find out who all would be on the 'guest list'. Or even could be. They'd have to keep the truffle twins locked up for sure...

He was brought back to the present as Dacj bopped him lightly on the nose. "True enough," he replied with a faintly nervous smile, his tail swishing lightly back and forth in the hold of a tentacle that had captured it at some unknown point during the conversation. "First we'll need to figure out how to share the good news with everyone, hm? Any suggestions?" Mention it casually in passing? Make a big announcement? He figured Dacj was more likely to lean toward the latter.

"Those are still details, love," Dacj said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Everything will be fine~" She knew the tail swishing was probably not agitation, but it might be restlessness? Nervousness maybe, especially paired with that tentative, almost edgy smile. "Everyone will still be here in an hour or three, or even--dare I say--tomorrow," she teased, club tentacle tracing down his arm. "I realize the last 'distraction' was of my making, but, as I recall, we were about to work on something collaboratively~"

Ah, details in general, not just on the wedding planning. Got it. And she was right; everything would be fine. He was just worrying over nothing. "Oh? Were we now?" he replied, feigning forgetful. "Well then, perhaps we'd best get to work. Collaboration only works when both put their mind to the task at hand, yes?" Everything would work out fine. They would share the good news when the opportunity came and they would start planning and all would be well. In the meanwhile, it was best to simply enjoy one another's company.

"Minds yes, but I think our bodies may be required in this task too~" Dacj said agreeably. "And you know, I think a celebration of our decisions today is definitely in order." Married in a month it seemed, kids someday--domesticity indeed. The kraken was rather looked forward to it being "official." She twined her tentacular limbs around Seth, a grin on her face as she added in a tease, deceptively innocent with wide eyes in stark contrast to her smile, "Besides, engagement sex should totally be different from regular sex, hmm~?"

'Different', eh? That could certainly be arranged. But first, he couldn't help but tease back with, "Oh? Need me to go fetch the dragons then?" Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could have sworn that he felt T'gillan roll his eyes. Except that T'gillan didn't have eyes. Oh whatever; he didn't care about the powerstone's opinion in this matter anyway. It'd only been a joke.

Dacj did roll her eyes; T'gillan wasn't the only one not very amused by that joke. "I think we'll manage without getting the dragons, thank you," she said wryly. Besides, it was hardly 'different' if they'd already had that experience (and yes, Tereth and Taith were very nice dragons but she did prefer sex without resorting to mindrape). "I think our own creativity will suffice."

It was certainly different from 'regular' sex, which was all she had specified at the time. But no, he much preferred operating under their own devices as well. "Creativity it is then." This was likely to turn out quite interesting...

After leaving his mother's house and cleaning up, Dacj and Seth both drove over to the Cottage. He really would have preferred to make this announcement sooner than this, but considering that the lake digging project had started basically the day after it had been decided... Well, needless to say, there hadn't quite been time. But now there was certainly time, and there was no sense in letting it go to waste. Even if they hadn't decided on an exact date in September yet, there was still much to be decided and prepared. "So, shall we take the short-cut into her lab, or go down the long way?" Seth asked with a smile as they got out of their cars. Having already been engaged to one of her daughters before, he had to wonder how the Angora Hyte would take the news... No no, think positive. Everything would surely be fine. ... Right?

"Thirteen floors of stairs? I realize it's almost hypocritical of me to say so, but I'm not feeling that adventurous," Dacj said with a laugh. The kraken was not without some trepidation of her own, also in regards to her mother--Mena had a tendency to go over the top at times, and given Seth's seeming desire to really make all of this Not Too Big a Deal, she wasn't sure how long his resolve would last in the face of the Turkish Angora Hyte (to say nothing of Melisande who'd be getting involved soon as they told her too). After all, look at what Mena had done for Eli simply moving out. Given that Noelani's engagement had been very protracted and kept her on the fringes, Dacj suspected she might feel the need to be a bit more closely involved this time. She loved her mother, she really did, and it was hard to deny her anything that might give her a bit of enjoyment circumstances being as they were. This was still her and Seth's wedding though, and she wanted to be sure they had a say in things.

Seth was rather amused by her profession. "Oh? But you haven't lived until you've gone down thirteen flights of stairs in a power outage with naught but Eli's sparkles and a few flashlights." That had been... quite an evening, to say the least. And probably not the best of ways in which to be introduced to Trikuado nor the Queen of Threadina, but such was life. "But fine, if you insist then we'll go down the 'boring' way and save ourselves from the perils of clothing racks and dust bunnies." They couldn't forget about those killer dust bunnies, after all.

"I'm sure that was fun," Dacj said wryly, letting them both in the front door of the Cottage with her key. "Besides, if we went down the long way, I'd keep wanting to play dressup with you, dust bunny menaces or no. Plenty of things to put on down there, after all~" Not to mention take off. But that was probably getting a bit sidetracked, wasn't it...

"Ready to face Momma Kitty?" Dacj said, taking his hand in hers and placing the other to hover above the statue that served as the trigger for the 'easy' way down down.

"You can only imagine," he replied to the 'fun' comment, given he hadn't filled her in on the rest of that evening. But yes, it would probably be best not to encourage any 'distractions' along the way, whether those consisted of the addition or subtraction of clothing. At her question he nodded, giving her hand a light reassuring squeeze. "I'm ready."

And in the next instant, they were down in her mother's little cot room. "Mena?" the cheetah Hyte called out, cautiously opening the door to the lab proper. "Is this a bad time?" Perhaps they should have called ahead in case she was in the middle of an experiment or something... They could always just head back upstairs, but he hoped they didn't break her concentration in the meantime.

Seth overestimated Philomena's current lab operations--having finished the more complicated of her current projects some time ago with force-aging Phoebe into teenagedom (the wisdom of which Mena still wondered about occasionally), she now amused herself with the care and advancement of her domestic breed of tentacle beasties and, at present, with sudoku puzzles. Ah, the life of a mother whose children had mostly moved out (or effectively so in Missy and Dacj's cases). Still, the voice did come as a surprise. "Seth?" He hadn't been having any issues with the telepathy, had he...oh, no, there was a Dacj too. Purely a social call then, was this? Her ears swiveled forward in interest. "Well kids, what brings you by~?" Mena asked, propping up her elbows, clasping her hands and leaning forward in curiosity.

"Good things~" Dacj said breezily, taking a seat on a nearby spinny lab stool. "I see the house is still standing. S'always good to see~"

Oh good, she was having down time. That was a definite relief. "Hello," he greeted with a smile, a bit more relaxed this time as he followed after Dacj. "It's been a while since we've stopped by. How have you been?" Might as well open up with pleasant chit-chat, right? No sense in dive-bombing into things just yet. Besides, he was actually curious as to how the other was doing... She certainly looked to be doing well at the least.

Mena glanced from kraken to cat Hyte, made even more curious of the true reason for their being here beyond simple idle chat by the smalltalk. Dacj's penchant for cutting straight to the point had come from someone, after all. She liked dive-bombing straight into things! "Oh, you know. Keeping busy, as I'm sure you both have. Still working for your mom's?" She hadn't heard anything to the contrary.

"Mm, we were just there. Elf put in a lake. It was very nice," Dacj said, quite pleased. She was also a bit amused Seth was taking the roundabout way, but as she'd "stolen" the proposal from him (should she have gotten him a ring? Aaah, they needed to do that still, didn't they), she figured she could at least let him handle telling the parents. Besides, Mena already considered him her son basically, it was just a matter of formalities, really.

"Yeah, we've been working on that for quite a few days now," he replied. 'We' being basically the whole family; the dragons may have done most of the digging, but it had still taken everyone else to move the dug-up dirt. "My mother just picked up a new aquatic resident today, so she kinda needed a place to live." But yes, he was stalling. Not by very much of course, but he could already tell that Mena wasn't buying them being there simply for the sake of chit-chat. Perhaps it would be best just to dive into things after all...

"But um, there is another reason we're here aside from catching up." He glanced over at the kraken Hyte briefly before looking back to Mena with a small smile. "Dacj and I are engaged."

"Oh, well, I can certainly see why a lake would come in handy~ Phoebe just got a pool, poor thing," Mena said with a chuckle. And if he'd been working on that for several days, no doubt that meant Dacj hadn't seen him much in that time either. Even more curious as to why they'd seek her out then... Luckily, Seth chose not to draw out her pain. Another reason? Yes! And--oh. Well. That certainly explained the visit! Engagement, huh? Dacj certainly hadn't broached this subject with her before. Well well, it wasn't often she was genuinely surprised~ "Oh? Congratulations then," Mena said warmly, sliding off her stool to head over towards the other two Hytes and offering first Dacj a hug, then Seth. "So~ Date? Time? Place? Preferences for gifts?"

"No houses, Mom...uh. Unless Seth wants one," Dacj hedged. She was pretty sure he liked his apartment just fine and kids probably were a ways off--they'd just figure out the extra bedrooms when they needed them, right? "We were thinking of something pretty small. And soon. September, really."

"Ah, no, we're good. ^^;" Definitely no need for a house just yet. Perhaps after the kids, but... for now the two separate homes seemed to work well enough. "And yes, September, though we haven't decided on an exact date or place yet. There's still a lot of planning to do." Which they would be getting to once they told everyone about the engagement first. ... Though, they may wish to save Missy for last if they didn't want to spend the rest of the time from now until the wedding planning.

"Weddings do usually require a lot of planning," Mena agreed. Her own had been put together fairly quickly, and with the involvement of a second couple as well, but a month's timeframe or so seemed about right to her. "There's always the fall equinox coming up, though really the date's up to you too. Whatever day you feel like remembering for the rest of forever..." Choosing Valentine's had made things pretty easy on Colt, she supposed. "Is there anything I can do for you prep-wise then? Really, I'd love to help."

Dacj shrugged. "I figured Missy'd take over clothes, and Phoebe'll prolly kill me if she doesn't get to be maid of honor or whatever. I don't want you to worry about it or anything, Mom..." Since they kind of did still have Phanes and everything to worry about. But at the same time, letting Mena plan something nice could be a welcome change of pace for the catwoman.

"We're not entirely sure what all prep-work will be necessary yet since we haven't established any fine details, but if we need assistance with anything then we'll be sure to let you know," he replied with a smile. While he certainly didn't want her to go out of her way on anything, Seth also didn't want her to feel left out. She was the mother of the bride, after all, and he was in agreement with Dacj's unexpressed thought that Mena could use something a bit more cheerful to focus on. ... Or would wedding details only be a painful reminder for her? Crap, he hadn't thought of that. Maybe they wouldn't ask too much of her after all. But then that returned to the issue of feeling left out. ...... They'd find a balance somehow.

"Please do~" Mena said cheerily. "Don't forget to let me know when you have sorted out the basics, definitely!" A wedding was really just about what everyone needed, with all the rest going on. And with a wedding train to Dacj's dress to hide her tentacles, even Eli might manage to make it a day without a freak out. As an empath he really ought to know better than to let even a single flinch spoil his sister or his friend's day... "Onto the rest then, I presume? I take it Missy would have kidnapped Dacj away if you'd told her first," she added with a grin.

"Why she'd need to kidnap me, I have no idea. She's got all my measurements and more," Dacj said, shaking her head. "I'm sure she already has dressforms for all of us, really. A dressform is also likely more cooperative."

Seth didn't actually know what a dressform was, but he assumed it to be something like a mannequin and had no doubt that the pig Hyte did indeed have some. "Yeah, we'll probably save Missy for last..." Looking back to Dacj, he asked, "On that note, should we go ahead and head over to your brother's then double back? Otherwise we may not be able to tell him for the next week or two." Perhaps he was exaggerating, but there was the entirely real possibility that he wasn't. Whatever the case though, he did at least what to tell the kuppy before they began making plans with Missy.

"Sounds about right," Dacj agreed with a laugh. "Guess we're onto Eli next then. Be back in a bit, Mom~" She offered the catwoman another hug, a wave, and then toddled off for the portal upstairs. At least this time they could take one car to Eli's?

Mena waited for Dacj to saunter most of the way out before putting out a hand to stop Seth from following after just yet, smiling up at him. "I'm glad you two are happy together." She did wonder about Sorcha and the cow's place in things, but...well, she could sympathize with things as they stood too. "Try not to get too nervous, all right? We'll take care of all the worrisome things; you just focus on your happiness."

Seth blinked in surprise when Mena stopped him, but her words had him smiling warmly. "Thank you, Mena." He gave her another hug himself before moving to follow after Dacj agin. "We'll be back soon." Her sentiment had been a simple one, but it was one that warmed him up nonetheless. They truly were family.

It was a short while later that he and Dacj were pulling up in front of Eli and Kamiko's place. They'd called ahead of time to make sure that he was home, so the kuppy knew they were coming. "How do you suppose he'll react?" the cheetah Hyte asked casually as they got out of the car. He imagined the other would be a bit surprised to say the least (given how surprised he himself had been when Dacj had asked him), but he wasn't entirely sure beyond that.

"It's Eli. He'll be silly, in some way or another," Dacj said with an affectionately meant eyeroll. "Still, he is a magical boy. He's contractually obligated to be favor of things lovey-dovey if Japanese anime has anything to say about it." Not that real Contracters were anything like actually interested in love and justice for the most part; Eli was a pretty rare exception.

Eli met them at the door, quick to feel over their moods. No trouble. Always good. In fact, spirits seemed to be good all around. Why they were here though, he really didn't know. "Ah, hello, Seth, Dacj. What can I do for you?"

"Hello, Eli," Seth greeted pleasantly. "No need to do anything, we were just hoping to borrow a bit of your time is all." And this time there would be no ODing on alcohol and catnip, so that was certainly always a plus. This visit should definitely turn out better than the last. "I hope we're not interrupting anything."

"Oh, no, come on," Eli said, gesturing them inside. "If it's not a matter that needs privacy, feel free to take a seat in the living room," he suggested, waiting until Dacj was well clear of the door to shut it. Then he trailed after them to take a seat on the couch, albeit the edge of it. He didn't mean to look worried, really.

"Calm down, Eli, it's nothing bad," Dacj said wryly. "You might even approve~" They'd hardly gotten in the door and already the kuppy was being silly. Granted, last time between the two of them they had managed to give him an awful hangover and inadvertently discover his natural addiction to 'n**...

"Approve? Of what?" he asked curiously, glancing to Seth and cocking his head ever so slightly to one side in a questioning look. Dacj wasn't really the sort to need approval for anything. Had something happened with Seth then?

Dacj hadn't been kidding about the 'silly'. Eli was an empath-- surely he could tell from their moods that there was no reason at all to be worried, right? The kuppy's questioning didn't go unanswered for very long. "Well, the reason we came over is to share some news with you." Brief pause, before giving a small smile. "Dacj and I are engaged." Now to wait and see if they would actually be able to visibly see Eli's brain go 'tilt', or if the kuppy would have some other reaction to the news.

Eli's head tilted further. Engaged...? To be married? Was she getting married to Sorcha too? But he hadn't seen Sorcha in ages...he had a feeling he might need to talk to Dacj about Sorcha before too long. Not that the kuppy knew where she was either, but he couldn't imagine her reacting well to her girlfriend off and getting married while she was gone either... Why was it always the empath that had to sort these sorts of tangles out? Dacj didn't seem worried. Dacj didn't often worry about this kind of thing though, which was why he'd given her the temporary empathy, but he supposed she could only learn so many lessons at once...

Breathe, Eli, breathe. Sorcha wouldn't come after him first in any case, right? "Uh...wow. That is news indeed," he said, scratching behind an ear and trying not to say anything too stupid as he let it sink in. Really, other than the poly thing, he couldn't think of two people better suited for such a thing as marriage. "I guess it's about time?" he offered, with a sheepish smile. "I'm glad for both of you." He had no idea what'd brought it on, but yay for marrying?

...now just to hope they didn't plan on inviting Noelani either. He had a feeling there was a lot of work ahead so far as he was concerned...

So, he'd just about pegged it in his prediction of Eli going 'tilt'. He grew slightly nervous though as the silence stretched on, figuring that Eli was thinking through similar paths as he himself first had. Sorcha was a prominent glaring issue here, and for good reason. "Thank you," Seth replied with a meek smile, though the kuppy's own congratulations seemed more than a bit hesitant. Not that he himself had been immediately cool with the prospect until Dacj had further explained her feelings on the matter. Of course, Eli was also Noe's brother, so there was probably also that to take into acco-- oh God. They'd have to invite her if they were doing a family wedding, wouldn't they. That would be terribly awkward. Ok, ok, worry about that stuff later. Empath here. Just... don't think about Sorcha or Noe for now. Or any other complication that may arise, like future trips to Phanes. ... Why couldn't he just turn off his brain?

Dacj could accept Eli's cautionary congratulations, but the look on Seth's face...well, the cheetah had definitely turned a bit pale. What was he suddenly worried about? Better not be Sorcha--they'd gone over that. So what else, spawned by Eli...? Oh. Other kuppy. That had to be it, right? "Oi, both of you, stop looking faint. Do I have to talk to Noelani?" she asked, crossing her arms. Granted, they seemed to have sorted things out as best they could the last time they talked, but if it would stop everyone from worrying she supposed she could extend an effort at communication or something... "Or is there something else to worry over?"

"Sorcha," Eli offered, rather sorry to bring it up but it was relevant, so...

"That's between me and her, really. I've already talked all of that over with Seth, Eli," the kraken said, shaking her head. "Don't I get to get married with a minimum of fuss just like everyone else?"

He wasn't 'pale', he was just... not rosy. He was a bit surprised though when Dacj somehow managed to guess what he'd been thinking about. "I will talk to Noelani when the time comes," Seth replied back. (... Probably.) Then, half wryly and half apologetically, he added, "And sorry to break it to you, Love, but I don't think 'minimum fuss' really fits into this equation." How could it possibly ever be the case? Between the both of them. Pologamy and ex's didn't make any such situation easy, and that was discounting the rest of their lives. Sure, they would certainly strive for as little fuss as possible, but troubles would surely arise. They'd be fools to expect the opposite.

Dacj was not buying Seth-the-pessimist. She was getting married and it was going to be a happy, not-stress-filled thing or heaven help the person or thing who interfered! "Minimum fuss, all things considered. Whatever. The point is, this is our business and if we have to, I will totally elope with you."

Now Eli felt guilty. He was sure Mena for one would want to be part of things (to say nothing of Melisande, or even Phoebe really...or Mirth...) and he knew he wouldn't hear the end of it if his actions had been what tipped the kraken over the edge. "I'm sure you don't have to elope," he said quickly, reassuring both in voice and with subtle projection of calm and soothing. He couldn't really help it, he just didn't want anyone to jump to anything hasty.

While he'd considered the option of eloping before, that wouldn't really 'solve' anything and would likely only make things worse. Besides, he liked the idea of a proper wedding... It was just getting to the point of said hypothetical wedding that would be tricky. "I hardly see what would make that necessary," he replied, not really understanding what Dacj was getting into such a fuss about. Technically neither of them had even mentioned Noe, and Sorcha was only brought up once she out-right asked.

"Fuss may make it necessary," Dacj said wryly, scooting closer to Seth to lean on his shoulder. "Let's pick a date sooner than later, Seth." She was glad they'd already decided on September at least; she'd've gotten utterly fed up with everything long before spring if they'd ended up waiting. Fed up enough to haul Seth off for a sudden elopement, with his permission or no. Well. She'd have to get permission within the ceremony itself, but kidnapping was totally within the realm of things she could normally get away with...

Judging by the tone and feel of Dacj's emotions, Eli wondered if she wasn't thinking of more of a "deadline" than necessarily a save-the-date. He wisely decided voicing this aloud was a bad idea. "Dates are good. What kind of a timeframe did you have in mind...?"


Seth had much the same impression, though in this case he didn't particularly mind. He too wished to be wed sooner rather than later after all. "We were thinking September," he explained. "We just haven't yet figured out when in September. Perhaps a bit later on in the month to give more time for wedding prep...?" The questioning line was directed more towards Dacj, as she was the one asking for a date just a moment ago. They'd need to look at a calendar and see what worked for them... Which date would officially become their 'anniversary' date in years to come. It was a pleasant thought.

"Mom brought up the fall equinox--that'd be the 21st or 22nd? Could just go for a month straight from now though either," Dacj said, with a small shrug as she remained close to Seth. That would make it a bit earlier on. "Any numerology tips, onii-chan?" she asked, raising her eyebrow as she directed her gaze towards Eli.

"Aaah...not offhand, I'm sorry," he apologized. "So long as you pick something you like? Everyone else will just come when they're told, I suppose." Perhaps Kamiko would like to come to the wedding as well. Eli suspected were Dacj not overly concerned with her own affairs at the moment, she might be teasing him about her getting engaged first and now it seemed married off long before Eli ever did.

"We could look up this year's equinox date later as a potential wedding date," the cheetah Hyte replied with a light shrug. It sounded like an interesting type of day to hold a wedding on. Not to mention it would make remembering their anniversary much easier in later years. "In any case, sorry to have just dropped by on such short notice. ^^; We'll need to head back to the Cottage next to tell Missy the news as well..." ... Perhaps they should stop for food on the way back first if they wanted to have time for any eating the rest of the day.

"Thank you, Eli," Seth replied as the other offered to look up the date for them. Yes, Missy would probably be quite displeased if she didn't at least have that to work with. As it was, she would no doubt be asking them plenty of questions on details that they hadn't even had time to iron out yet. Of course, they may well be ironing everything out this evening for all he knew.

Eli left to find the answer for them, and returned in short order. "It'll be September 23rd this year, which falls on a Friday."

"Sounds like we've got a winner then," Dacj said, looking to Seth with a warm smile. So long as he had no objections, it seemed like the matter of date had been settled quickly enough.

"Indeed we do," Seth replied, smiling back. September 23rd... It sounded like a nice date. Not difficult to remember. "We should probably stop for a bite to eat before we go see Missy though. Care to join us, Eli?" It wasn't like they typically got to spend all that much time together, but if the other was busy then he would understand.

"Ah, sure," the kuppy said, surprised to be invited along. "I'll even do you a favor and request we not talk wedding details since that's all Missy'll want and I wouldn't want you to get tired of them so quickly," he added with a small smile. Also he didn't want Dacj to tease him. He was hoping she would be too distracted to pick up on it.

"Missy'll induce detail-fatigue in anyone about any clothing related subject," Dacj agreed, mostly from experience. She couldn't say the shopping trips with her older sister (cousin?) weren't usually interesting, but the pig Hyte's stamina was something else. Dacj was really hoping they could keep the store-shopping to a minimum for this venture though. "I'm sure she'll be relying on you for special effects or something."

"I will study my flashiest, showy parlor tricks," Eli 'promised' with a chuckle.

"Such beautiful hair you have. You know why we are told to keep it long, yes? A symbol of the veil of our power. Some more primitive civilizations would count bravery and courage by keeping tokens of those they'd killed in battle. We here are much more civilized, aren't we, Meerie?"

Mayameer had nodded earnestly. Nevreso smiled, then grasped Dacj's hair tight in a makeshift ponytail in one hand. "They say it's not just a symbol. I suppose you will find out." Her head fell at the sudden loss of a significant weight, and the severing via magic of her hair left a cut across the skin of her shoulders as well. It was almost a relief to lose it, especially since Nevreso seemed to be losing her interest for the moment.

[Remember. Remember why this is our responsibility.] The sibyl lured the conscious Dacj back to the relief of the depths of her own mind, though the relief was temporary at best; the memories the sibyl insisted Dacj see was no less painful to witness than her own injuries in the here and now.

The red moon had been slumbering, until the sibyl woke her up too. It had been a much easier process than waking Eltimion, perhaps because Mayameer was not truly a Ti'ama, her mind was only strong enough to act as one bolstered by the Chaos. The red moon's sleep was fitful, she tossed and turned and the slightest disturbance would wake her. The sibyl had thought she was doing the promised pathfinder a favor by seeking the red moon earlier, by trying to solve his problem for him. But she'd led the ambitious young Nevreso straight to the place of holy, and the Contractor had not hesitated to violate sanctified ground.

And when she couldn't save Mayameer from herself, Nevreso had stepped in with the offer of Contract. If the dark powers of Mayameer's were to turn to her command, Nevreso swore to ravage this world until the very end...and naturally, Chaos accepted. She'd tried to minimize the damage as the sibyl, triggered the ancient defenses of the holy place and tried to crush them all with the collapse of the mound, but clearly Mayameer and Nevreso had escaped. Her body had been the only one never found, and the location was one no one else would think to look.

Her hypothesis was that the red moon was Mayameer, that the girl could be saved, because the Twilight Crystal of the Old Empire had not been used up in purifying the length and breadth of the instellar empire. Ti'ama Tears were stronger stuff than even that. When Aikatyrine had died and come back, creating the Phanes Crystal to challenge the Vanth who wanted to destroy this world, the red moon had reacted. The sibyl had felt it react. The Twilight Crystal existed still, broken in pieces and hidden in the souls of the last Empress of the Old Empire's Praetorate and closest friends. Half of it Sabra Sabina had known of; the shards of Ti'ama Tear embedded in the souls of the ever encircling fates, Haiaen and Contractor Donat nel' Renni. Half of it belonged to the twins who'd stood at Reeni's side, mere children at the time the sibyl had theorized and thus their identities were unconfirmed in the modern era. Zephyrus ne' Olwynn and former Phoenix to Sovreen, Akios.

The only thing that could save Mayameer was the Ti'ama Tear formed in reaction to her, and it was the pathfinder's task to put that Tear back together. That was why that had been waiting for Haiaen and Donat; why Shimy's plan could not proceed otherwise. As for Zephyr and Akios, remaining in the Empire and sharing a first Contractor with Nevreso, who knew how much taint of corruption had already made their way into the shards of what was once a pure thing...

[There is a chance Elias may fall. If that happens, there is a way to bring him back using the Phanes Crystal Aikatyrine holds. But you will have to channel it, enough pure power to purify Eltimion and him through her.]

It went without saying the task would kill her.

The past two days... had been incredibly difficult. Of course the actual mayhem of Phanes had been the worst of it all, but even the next day he and Dacj were still very clearly feeling the effects of the emotional trauma. Dacj moreso, naturally. It pained the cheetah Hyte to see Dacj in such a state, staring off into space lifelessly for long periods of time and even breaking into tears on occasion. He tried his best to comfort her, but between the both of them the mood in his apartment remained rather somber. Ruby had come over to coo at them for a while, but even the firelizard eventually had to give up and return home.

Today hadn't been too different thus far, and currently Seth was cuddled up with Dacj on a pillow pile in the living room. He wasn't sure how or when all of these pillows had migrated to his place, but at the moment he was grateful for it. He purred lightly as he gave Dacj an affectionate nuzzle, more in an attempt to cheer them both up a bit rather than an automatic purr. He wished he could erase her pain.

She didn't mean to be depressing, but it kind of came with the territory. At least having Seth close also ensured he kept her from being a lump in one place for too long--he'd encourage her to move every so often, often under the guise of activities she suspected were meant to cheer her up. He knew better than to push too hard on it, but soothing music and food had definitely been attempted, as well as Ruby's own contributions to the mood. It made the kraken feel even worse that the crimson flitter had been forced to leave because they were too damn sad. What did that say about them, that not even projected positivity could make much of a dent in their current negativity?

And his attempts to cheer her continued, with purring and nuzzling. She hadn't realized before now he could force himself to; the discovery also did not make her feel much better. It was at least comfortable to snuggle amongst her migratory pillows, and she was grateful that despite herself, he was still trying. She felt badly for making him try so hard to comfort her, but his efforts were helping at least a small bit. "I hate feeling like this," she muttered, sighing. But between flashes back to her brief stay in the palace to the sibyl's last message to putting Seth through all this trouble... It was like a deep, deep hole, and it was very difficult to climb out of, even with help.

This certainly wasn't the first time that Seth had ever consciously decided to purr, nor would it probably be the last. His ears perked slightly when the kraken spoke, but then resumed their prior position at her actual words. "... I could call Eli," he suggested quietly before turning to his previous purring. It wasn't an unreasonable suggestion really; he was an empath and her brother and he hadn't been able to see her since before the recent Phanes mess. ... Even if he didn't come very close, he could still try some projecting from afar...

"I'll forgo the tentacle hysteria, thanks," she said wryly. Not that she assumed he'd get close enough for that--though touch was supposed to help with projecting. If he couldn't touch her, he wouldn't be nearly as helpful. It was kind of too bad Seth didn't have empathy; telepathy could be useful but she'd already decided simply excising the memories was not a path she wanted to take. It was too risky, and it wasn't like anyone could take the memories away from Seth (unless he asked Reira) so that would be cruel to have him remember and her not. With empathy she'd still be a pain but at least he could feel like he was doing something with more immediate effects? "Though...I wonder. 'Member that empathy spell? Maybe if Eli could work it so you could project at me..." She just didn't want to face Eli himself quite yet. It was testament to her willingness to do something, anything, to break out of this mood she was willing to suggest the idea despite the fact it would leave Seth knowledgeable of exactly how much pain she was really is. Eli could help Seth after, if he had to.

Well, it wasn't like Seth would have invited Eli over without having a talk with him first. ... A long talk, and one that he was still rather inclined to have in perhaps a few days time or so. Having a phobia was one thing, but when it hurt one of your own family members in this way... Well, needless to say, it had gone on long enough.

He was intrigued though by her counter suggestion. "I can ask," he replied, fishing his cell phone out of his pocket to start a text message. "... Is that really want you want?" He had never used any sort of empathy before, so he would have to practice for a bit to try to even remotely get the hang of that sort of projecting. Not to mention the fact that, given his own state of semi-funk, there were no guarantees that such an experiment would work.

"...only if you're willing." She had a suspicion he'd lie about willingness or not so long as it seemed to be making a difference. Maybe it had been a bad idea to suggest it after all... "I don't want you to feel you 'need' to." After all, other people didn't have empaths around, and they got over things like this. It would just take time to heal the pysche, was all. Even if time was not a particular luxury they had at the moment. Whenever Eli was ready to take the fight to Nevreso...

The thought of the woman was enough to send Dacj shuddering once more. How deceiving Contractors looked--young and beautiful and confident, and Nevreso was no exception. The taint of Chaos corruption had left no visible mark. But her cruelty far surpassed even Sabra Sabina's--at least Shimy had the decency of some kind of motive, even if she hid behind the greater good. There was nothing good or even excusable behind Nevreso's smiles and pleasantries. It made her body ache in protest just to even think for a moment on the injuries the woman had given her...

Could she really subject Seth to her emotions when her emotions felt like this? "...and I'm worried you'd get lost, feeling what I am now," the kraken amended, before burying her face close to Seth's chest.

"Of course I'm willing," he replied automatically, though whether or not his response was heard was debatable as Dacj was shuddering and had a far away look in her eyes again. He waited patiently as her mind completed it's latest circuit, and once she had buried her face back into his chest he held her close. "If I did my job right then perhaps we could both stay afloat," he offered, placing a light kiss atop of her head. Cell phone still in his hand, he opened it up and punched out a quick text to Eli.

Remember the empathy spell you used on Dacj before? Is there a version that allows for projecting? -Seth

Message sent. Empathy would only really be a temporary solution, but perhaps a small break in the pain would at least help her to heal better.

That would be nice, if it could, but Dacj wasn't willing to trust to anything blindly right now, other than that Seth was here and not going anywhere. That could be trusted absolutely. He had stepped into the most dangerous place in several worlds just to carry her back; staying close now was the easier task, presumably.

The answer to Seth's text came promptly.

...I can modify it for that purpose, if you'd like. It won't be easy to deal with that kind of turbulence though.

Have you told her about your magic yet?
-Eli

... Of course that would be the first thing that Eli would ask him about. He was quiet as he typed the reply.

... No, not just yet. And I know it wouldn't be easy, but considering your on-going proximity issues with her, the only other option would be to let her weather it out on her own. -Seth

Sent. He doubted the puppy would be cruel enough to just leave things at that, even if he was (understandably) still miffed at them for keeping him in the dark for so long. "Eli says the spell can be modified. Would you want to come with me if I drove to his place, or should I ask him to come here instead?" Leaving her on her own was not even an option. One way or the other, he would be near her still.

Hmm. Out to Eli's place? Maybe getting out of the nest, comforting and cozy as it was, might have some merit. "Since we're askin' for his help, his place might be best," she said. It was definitely as shielded as this place now was, with considerable defenses. It was safer than most places. Even if it meant seeing Eli, it was a big enough house where they could hide out in one of the guest rooms or the medi-suite even; Dacj wasn't sure Seth had ever been in there since to her knowledge it was mostly for patching Kamiko and Eli up after patrols... Even brief thoughts of the Shiba Inu woman brought to mind the trap that had caught her and the kraken's body tensed; she wondered if Eli had told Kamiko yet about what had happened.

"I'll let him know we're on our way then." And while holing up in his own place was cozy, it might do them both a bit of good to move about some and get some fresh air. Besides, it wasn't like Eli's place wasn't nice as well. He wrote back another message to him.

Thank you, Eli. We'll be over soon then. -Seth

"Anything we should take with us?" he asked, sticking his phone back into his pocket before moving carefully to both stand and help Dacj up as well. "Pillows? Snacks? Other?" Not that Eli didn't have food and such at his own place, but if there was something in particular that Dacj thought she might be in the mood for later...

She was careful as she put weight on her tentacles, wary of phantom pain even though she knew she'd been long healed. Maybe it struck so hard because she hadn't been awake to see herself healed, so she couldn't quite believe the injuries had gone away so quickly. Seth's support was certainly appreciated though, and a brief stab of grief came at the thought that she couldn't imagine dancing while she was being this tender on her tentacles. She didn't want to feel crippled, but she didn't know how not to.

"Ah...sure. A few pillows'd be nice, I'm sure Eli's got plenty of snacks at his place." And sugar. Her brother could totally make her cookies, he liked baking, didn't he? Something soft and warm and terribly bad for her sounded like an excellent idea at the moment.

Seth gave a faint smile and nod at her request. "I'll grab a bag to pack some pillows in then." There was no telling how long they'd stay over, so perhaps it might not hurt to pack a few toiletries and such as well...

~*~

The drive to Eli's had been a mostly silent one, with occasional attempts at idle chatter. It was a mildly cloudy day, but it didn't quite look like it was going to rain either. He was glad for that, because he doubted that a rainy day would do anything to help improve their current situation. [We're here,] he announced to Eli as he turned off the car. The cheetah Hyte was quick to move around to Dacj's door to help her out of the car before grabbing the pillow bag from the back seat. "Ready to head inside?"

Eli felt them approach long before they so much as rang the doorbell. Granted, he'd had his shields partially down and mental senses extended to get a better idea of what he was dealing with, but it was hard to miss the oncoming storm--both of them. Dacj's felt a rather more intense, shifting between wildly different emotions from grief to fear to self-hatred and refusing to settle for long. Seth's was more of a perpetual gloom, that wasn't unfamiliar to the kuppy. He'd felt a lot of Seth's emotions over the time they'd known one another, including extremes like this.

He went to greet them, worrying on his way down the stairs. He knew that he was likely the best choice to be working on both of their emotional states, but his phobia did still exist and Dacj had enough to worry about without focusing on his fear or any other inadvertent magic blasts it might cause. So in that way, doing this for Seth was probably doing Dacj a favor. But Seth would be stuck dealing with a storm the equal of some of the worst he'd ever felt himself personally, and Seth was not exactly great at dealing with his own emotions. "Hello, Seth, Dacj," he said quietly, opening the door and letting them in. "Wherever you'd like to go is fine, it's a quiet day here. If you're worried about shielding, all the rooms on the second floor are."

He glanced to Seth. [Are you sure about this? It's bad, Seth. Her alone is worse than the breakdowns from back when Noe was kidnapped, and you'll still feel what you're feeling now. You'll have to be able to separate her feelings from yours to have this work.] Dacj looked as bad as she felt. She looked physically kept up, if perhaps with mussy hair, but that was understandable if she'd been resting or laying down a lot. But her eyes were very distant, and she didn't quite seem to meet his gaze even though she looked at him when he greeted them. There was none of the warmth or brightness he was used to feeling from her presence, the contained energy she tended to expend with a sly smile in a particularly clever prank. No, this Dacj was something else. And he mourned for his sister, who had been forced to go through so much for some connection to him or Eltimion even in her past life he didn't quite understand. Even when she was fearful of her magic, even when she'd been upset from Seth's breakup with Noe and it had gone out of control...even then she'd still been herself. She wasn't now.

"Thank you, Eli," he replied before meeting the other's eyes. ... That bad, huh? He remembered quite well what a useless lump he'd been back when Noe was kidnapped, as well as back when they had simply broken up. The cheetah Hyte was terrible when it came to dealing with emotions, but... he had to at least still try. Because Dacj wasn't herself anymore, and even without empathy he could clearly see the pain and guilt and fear that continued to afflict her, and that more than anything else is what had him down as well. She didn't deserve to be in a state like this; no one did. [... I am sure.] Not in his ability, but at least in his willingness. [Could you just... give me at least a brief tutorial or something afterward? A little experience wouldn't hurt.]

[No, you're right, a bit of experience before jumping in would be best,] the kuppy agreed with a mental sigh. Why did he feel like letting Seth do this was akin to pushing the cheetah off a cliff? Well, it might actually feel like that, come to think of it... [But it'll be the same as hers in that once I give it to you, it'll be on a timer. I can't lift it earlier than the set parameters of the spell.] And that was the real trouble of things. If it proved too overwhelming for Seth, Eli would have two major crises to deal with.

[...Should I try first? With Dacj?] He didn't know if he could manage being close enough to her to project, because he'd have to touch her. But it seemed the slightly more responsible thing to do, even if he feared hurting her a bit more in the process.

Pushing off a cliff? It might be more akin to being dropped into and abyss really. But again, even if Seth was clearly in over his head, he still had to try.

... Unless Eli tried first. [If you think you are able, then by all means please do,] Seth replied, before giving the kuppy a very pointed look. [But if you try then don't you dare flinch away from her. Understood?] Phobia or no phobia, he would have none of it. The last thing Dacj needed to deal with right now was her brother's inadvertent rejection of her. But if Eli could manage the task on his own, then all the better.

Eli could feel the iron of Seth's reprimand, a smoldering burn the kuppy knew would get much worse were he to actually hurt Dacj even inadvertently. To manage this task, he was going to have to be able to accept her--all of her, dreaded tentacles and all. The question was did he think he could, in order to bring back the cheery, conniving sister he knew, and yes, did love? There were times they'd been closer than others, when he'd tried to keep her crush a secret and tried to tell her to move on. Or when he'd helped her any number of times with things she needed for one scheme or another. They'd been closer before she started dating Seth, he thought, but it was only to be expected. She'd partially taken his friend away, but in exchange they had both been very happy--Eli knew that, he could feel it. Despite his misgivings about Sorcha when they told him the news of their engagement, after Dacj's tetchyness had been dealt with...they were thrilled with each other. And now they were like this...Dacj listless and broken, and Seth able to muster himself out of the gloom at Dacj's pain only to metaphorically hiss at Eli were he to make it one iota worse.

He was an empath. He needed to fix them both, well as he could.

Focus, Eli. She is your sister, and she trusts you. Be worthy of that trust. Silent reminder to himself delivered, he avoided answering Seth directly for the moment and instead turned to Dacj. "Where would you like to get comfortable? Can I get you anything?" he asked, softly with a tentative smile, starting slow with just regular projection of calm and comfort. No touch, just waves of pleasant emotion.

"I really want like, a whole bunch of fresh baked cookies right now," the kraken admitted, tucking her short hair behind an ear. Eli felt a twinge now that he truly looked at it; it was his first time really glimpsing the true length of the shorn hair. "Chocolate chip or something, maybe."

Eli smiled a bit wider. "That can certainly be arranged. Go pick one of the guest rooms to hole up in and I'll be sure to deliver them soon's they're done."

Dacj nodded, pushing against Seth lightly to get him to lead the way upstairs. She didn't feel like dragging him along today. Nor did she plan to be picky about which room she got, probably just the first one on whatever side Seth turned towards.

Seth had to smile ever so faintly too at her request. Baking was definitely something the kuppy would be more than able to do for her. He himself had not trying much baking at all considering his lack of a sweet tooth. At Dacj's push he led the way up the stairs and to the second floor, turning into the first spare guest room that they came upon. Unlike the room they had stayed in the last time they were here, this one was of a green color theme. Not that he particularly cared about the color of the room, but it did make him vaguely curious as to what all of the different themes were. "Would you prefer the pillows on the bed, floor, or couch?" Well, the couch might not afford much room given it was more of a loveseat than a full couch, but it was still an option.

Did she want to stretch out on the bed, or snuggle closer on the couch? Well, if Eli was going to remain around, perhaps it would be kinder to slip her tentacles under bedsheets... "Bed, I think," she said aloud, moving to make her thought of keeping her tentacles out of a sight a reality. She'd had her fill of exercise on the stairs and now was grateful to half-hide under covers once more. "After I've had my fill of snacks...when d'ya think he'll do the spell thing?" She felt a little guilty for even asking. But anything was better than continuing to wallow...

"I'm not sure," he answered honestly, climbing into the bed with her once she was settled. That depended on if Eli plucked up the courage to just do it himself or if he'd give him a try at it. "Though when he does do the spell I may actually have to get a small tutorial from him outside of the room first. Would you be alright being alone for a small bit?" he asked, genuinely concerned. The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel worse by him being gone for too long.

"I could manage for a small bit, probably," Dacj said as she snuggled close, even though brief irrational thoughts flashed through her mind at the very thought of it. No, someone was not going to come take her away again, especially not by some sort of stealth attack. Seth leaving would not cause the room to melt away into some other scene like the sim room...or one of Nevreso's illusions...were it not for the very real proof of her injuries that others had seen, she might've guessed that was mere illusion as well. Very skilled, very painful illusion...but it seemed Nevreso preferred to save her magic for other things. It didn't matter anyway. Nothing was making it through Eli's front door...or the roof...or the back entrances. Dammit.

No, she wouldn't be okay with it. She wanted to be, but she wouldn't. She could almost see the value of suppressing emotions now... Might make her a little less pathetic, at least for long enough to Seth to get his tutorial.

... She was lying. Even without looking he could tell, but a brief glance at her surface thoughts confirmed it. He nuzzled her gently as she snuggled close, doing his best to comfort her in the face of her fears. “We would still be just right outside the door,” he said quietly, lightly wrapping his tail around her waist. “No one can get in here.” Anyone who tried would die a very quick and painful death. As it was he would very much love to get his hand around Nevreso’s throat if he was given the chance. No one tortured Dacj and got away with it. She would pay for what she had done if he ever saw her.

Apparently she was that easy to see through. "I know no one can," she agreed with a sigh. "...I just can't seem to make myself believe it, is all." Which was where she was assuming the empathy would help. Once she could get over her fear... She'd thought she was past this, the guilt and the fear, and for awhile she had been, but then all it had taken was a few cruel hours (or less? She wasn't sure how long they had kept her) to undo months of work towards finally, finally being okay with herself and her emotions...

Eli needed to hurry up with those cookies.

He didn't say anything in response to her remark, simply continuing to hold her close in his own silent reassurance of his presence there.

By the time Eli came upstairs with the cookies, Seth had already unpacked the extra pillows they'd brought along to help make Dacj more comfortable. For whatever good they were worth. The cookies might help more though. He gave the kuppy a faint nod of greeting, but otherwise didn't say anything... aloud. [Have you decided then?] He needed to know what to mentally prepare himself for.

[I want to try one thing with you first...and then we'll see,] the kuppy thought back, moving closer to the bed to offer the plate of warm cookies to Dacj. "Your confectioneries ~ I'll even overlook crumbs on the bed," he said, gently teasing as he gauged her emotions. They had gotten slightly worse, in such a short span...yes, something would have to be done sooner than later. [We can even do it in here. I'm going to give you a glimpse of what she's feeling the way I feel it, but without giving you empathy to amplify it. Sound like a good test?] If he couldn't handle even that, they had a definitive answer.

"It's much appreciated," Dacj told Eli, as she placed the plate on top of a blanket-covered tentacle. She took two immediately to munch on, gooey chocolate putting her in a slightly better of a mood. There was certainly something to be said for "comfort food".

The cheetah Hyte's ear flicked lightly as he listened to Eli's proposal, but in the end he couldn't fault the suggestion. [Sounds fair,] he replied, making sure to first lock away any and all of his own emotions so that he was nothing but a (mostly) numb slate inside. This would be the real test here, seeing if he could even handle a fraction of emotions that he would be unable to bury since they would not actually be his own. [... Whenever you're ready then.] Donotreactdonotreactdonotreactdonotreact...

Eli felt what Seth was up to, and he didn't think it would be doing the cheetah any favors. Make him all the more certain that he was mostly just feeling Dacj's emotions, maybe, but that didn't mean the dam he was using to hold his own back was going to hold... [Hold on.]

There was a fine line between too much and not enough to prove an accurate test. A wave of grief, self-loathing, fear, anxiety, shifting between the extremes crept up on Seth slowly. It put the metaphorical-minded Eli in mind of a thunderstorm; generally rumbling but with brief, sharp flashes that were somewhat akin to stabbing. It was slightly muted from what she was actually feeling, but it should prove the point...

Why... was their self-loathing mixed in among the storm of emotions beginning to overtake him? There should not be self-loathing in there! But the rest... was not good. On reflex he scrambled inwardly to push away these stabbing emotions, but nothing he did had any effect in stemming the wave. If this is what Dacj was feeling then Eli needed to have done something two days ago and-- he honestly didn't know how he was still maintaining even a semblance of a poker face, because all he wanted to do right now was hide in a safe corner somewhere right now and cry his eyes out. This was pathetic, he couldn't even be strong enough to be able to help his fiance. What was he good for? Spying on and invading people's thoughts? Like that helped worth a damn. That wouldn't keep their family safe. Nevreso could come back at any moment and despite all of his threats otherwise there was really nothing he could do. Dacj would be hurt again and it would be all his fault for not protecting her and--

The cheetah was near a break-down.

Eli sensed him nearing the breaking point (well, that hadn't lasted long) and withdrew the artificially projected emotions, replacing them with more soothing, calming feelings. [Guess that settles that,] the kuppy thought quietly, not trying to accuse Seth or diminish him in any way. It was reluctant only because Eli knew what needed to happen next. [You may want to leave the room for this. I'm going to have to talk her through things and...you getting into a killing rage probably is going to be a bit distracting.]

Despite the few moments that had passed, Dacj got the feeling something was very wrong, starting with Seth's stony face. "What's going on?" she asked, cautious, looking from Seth to Eli. "...are you two talking telepathically?" Dammit, she hated when they did that. Wait. Why was Seth using his telepathy? To keep an eye on her thoughts? Did she really seem that she was that badly off...? Okay, well, she was, but he still could've mentioned it...

.... Damn it all. It was a relief for the more calm and soothing emotions to come and settle in instead, but it only further proved that he would be unable to help Dacj with this and it tore him up inside to know that that had only been a fraction of what she was feeling right now. He blinked as Dacj asked if they were using telepathy. He supposed he'd been silent for a bit too long. "Sorry, Eli was just testing me to see if I would actually be able to handle the empathy," he replied apologetically. "... He's going to give it a try first." [... When you say 'talk her through things'...?] Did he actually mean what he thought he did?

Seth's answer didn't quite satisfy her (they'd never mentioned the testing to her and she'd been present the whole time...had she just zoned out?) but the surprise of Eli acquiescing drove any accusations from her mind. "Eli is? Won't you need to touch me to project well?" she asked, frowning.

[I mean, she's going to tell me details of what happened so I can speed up the process of letting time heal them...basically.] He assumed the details would not be particularly pleasant. "Yes, I will. We're going to see if we can deal with your fears and mine all in one go," Eli said with a sheepish look.

... If that was the case, then Eli was right; he would need to leave the room. There was no way he couldn't not fall into a rage were he to hear the details of what she had undergone. It was bad enough just having seen the end result. "I'm going to have to step outside while Eli's working," Seth told her apologetically, unwrapping his tail from around her waist as he spoke. "I'll be just outside of the door though." He really didn't want to go, but... it wouldn't be good for him to interfere in this right now.

Now Dacj really wasn't buying that some sort of communication wasn't going on right in front of her. Why was Seth going to have to leave? Shouldn't he want to stay, to provide support to her and Eli? Eli also didn't seem surprised by Seth's statement. "If...you have to," she said, still frowning. Just outside the door meant outside the shielding. Was Eli going to try something that would be dangerous for anyone else to be around...?

[I'll be very careful with her,] Eli promised Seth silently as he created a small stool with quick hand gestures and faint pink magic. He set it beside the bed and hesitated only a moment before reaching for his sister's hand. There was no one else who could help her; it was all up to him. He owed her this much. It helped that she was conscientious and had already tried, in her own way, to make things easier for him by tucking her tentacles out of sight. Though he had a feeling part of what was going to need to happen was going to require them out in the open, dealing with their inevitable injuries sustained... His furry thick fingers held Dacj's slimmer, more delicate ones carefully, and he nodded to Seth--best to leave now. He waited for the cheetah to go and close the door behind him before looking back to his sister. "You're going to have to tell me what happened, Dacj. Your emotions are everywhere right now, so the only longterm way to fix them is to start from the beginning."

Well, that explained Seth. He'd slit throats for much less than torture against her person...the thought of it caused an uncomfortable nervous giggle, and the kuppy's head tilted ever so slightly to one side. Dacj suppressed another giggle; Eli always looked so much like a puppy when he did that... It occurred to her belatedly that this was the first time her brother had held her hand and that the touch felt more like Mena's than Seth's, triggering a more pleasant flash of memory back to when she was a child and her mother had been into beach field trips for both of her young tentacled girls at the time. Then she realized she felt much more relaxed than she had in days and looked to Eli, unable to quite summon 'suspicion' but figuring him for the cause anyway. "Already working on me, huh?" she asked with a faint smile.

"That sort of is the point you know," Eli said wryly, smiling back. It only lasted for a few moments though, until he assumed a more neutral expression, steeling himself for what he might hear next. He'd heard more stories than most of Nevreso's cruelty, but that didn't mean he was any more prepared than Seth was to hear the details all laid out... The difference was the kuppy was used to dealing with emotions in a more positive way, and an expert at separating his own from others'. Still, even accounting for his mother's depression the once, this was going to be the hardest task he'd ever faced since getting his shielding... "Whenever you're ready, Dacj."

She took a deep breath, and then several more, letting Eli's projected comfort slow her anxiously beating heart and lull her into a state of pure recitation. It was just giving the facts, right? Even if she could remember them in every painful detail... "It wasn't really getting taken that scared me, you know. It was waking up in that palace--it looked just like Zephyrus, Eli, and that should've been warning enough. But I didn't know--she started out so...so pleasant, even if she made my skin crawl and I knew something was wrong. She was just like Shimy, you know--Nevreso. Same smile, same voice, same manipulative b***h underneath..."

"I think Shimy's possibly even more so," Eli interjected mildly, working to soothe away the fear and panic and doubt in the kraken brought to mind by her own words. "The difference is that Shimy cares for that world, Phanes, more than anyone else, I think. Nevreso cares for no one. Not even her own sister." Where was Miri now? Eli wasn't sure he wanted to know. It had been so long since they'd heard back from her...

Caught between the Empress who would let corruption bury the planet in fires far brighter and more all-consuming than those of Dies Irae, and the woman-not-a-woman at all, once Ti'ama who still cherished the husk of a world built around her own decaying former body. How lucky they were. Dacj wondered if Eli could feel sarcasm even in her thoughts. "She didn't know who I was, you know. She thought I was the sibyl reborn. It had been long enough, decades even, for the sibyl t've been born naturally, so she didn't even realize I was a Hyte like you. But the sibyl tried to kill her once, so she took exception. I imagine that's the reason she set the red moon on me within five minutes of my waking up."

Eli frowned, concentrating briefly on the rush of fear new and old--old he could only expect as a remnant of her fear from the time on Zephyrus, with that old preserved bit of evil. "Mayameer was there? Corporeally?"

"Oh, she was solid all right. Like Elti can be." Dacj shivered. "She took my tentacles in her hands--she had magic she used like claws--and all she had to do was touch and the skin split open and she just laughed, because my blood was a color she wasn't expecting..."

This was the chaos-form of Mayameer, he guessed, but he didn't have much time to dwell on the matter, since Dacj's raw emotions were gaping wounds now as surely as she'd described the physical ones. "Tentacles? She did this to more than one?" he prompted, keeping his straight face while inwardly squirming. For once, it wasn't because of the limbs themselves--no, it was because he'd never thought of them as that delicate. She didn't describe fighting back--her emotions told him it hadn't seemed to occur to her, because they were submissive and fearful--and he wondered for the first time, looking at her hands, if her limbs weren't more like extra long fingers. The torture she described then, more akin to breaking helpless fingers or toes than stronger arms or legs.

"If I hadn't been healed as quickly as I was, they'd be covered in scarring. Not just them, all of me. Everything except the face," Dacj said bitterly, angry tears welling up. What good would she have been then, scarred and possibly crippled? She already couldn't run--what if she couldn't walk, either? She almost resisted the feel of Eli's attempts to place the stronger extremes of her emotions behind a sort of veil--she wanted to stay angry at her captors, she wanted revenge--

"But you weren't," Eli reassured her quietly. "You were rescued, and Seth brought you to safety, and even with everything that happened you were still able to be healed as if nothing happened. Does the disparity of your memories and the lack of scarring bother you?"

"...yes." How could it not? It was as if everything had been some kind of terrible dream, and everyone else was able to simply gloss over it. Everyone but her and Seth, witnesses of the bloody disaster that had been the kraken at the end of things. "But I don't want to just forget these memories. I spent half a year tossing and turning over dreams I didn't understand until Seth was able to uncover some of the sibyl's memories still hidden in my mind...my soul? I don't want to forget anything important like that ever again."

"That's why you've got an empath helping you instead of someone else now. Your memories will stay, they'll just...not be as vivid. Do you see what I've started to do?" Eli asked, still all comfort and reassurance as he worked at the deeper level on the knot of negative emotions still comprising the core of the problem. "They'll be further away. Past, like Zephyrus. Ages ago, it'll feel like. And then you can 'worry' more about things like your wedding. Remember?"

It seemed impossible, after what she'd felt, but...Eli was telling her the truth. What she'd started telling him--the pain wasn't so immediate anymore. "Weddings. Yes. Those," she said, laughing faintly, in a momentary good mood before the fear crept in once more. "I don't know--if I can stand to be touched. Cuddling's one thing, but Seth's got claws he can't retract...I know he's careful, but I don't want to freak out in the middle of an otherwise pleasant moment..."

"Well, there's one way to partially test that without getting Seth involved," Eli said, surprised by his own sudden confidence as he flipped the blankets over Dacj's tentacles back. He squeezed her hand lightly, tensing only for a second before his free hand patted the lower mass of tentacles nearer to the tips. They were much stiller than he was used to thinking of them as, and far softer than he'd ever realized. And squishy. Very delicate and squishy. "Does that feel like you can't stand it?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"No..." she said quietly, eyes wide as she witnessed the one sight she honestly never thought she'd see. He was voluntarily touching her limbs. He was--when had he--what? Confusion and a fair bit of awe replaced the fear and tenseness of before, and she held her limbs still lest some sudden movement on her part frighten him--not that they'd been up to their usual roiling antics, of late.

"And I'm sure Seth's methods of persuasion are much better than even mine in that regard," the kuppy added, teasing. "You'll be fine, Dacj. I don't intend to let you leave here until I as an empath am satisfied you've healed emotionally too. I'm sorry it took me this long to try."

"You're never gonna top this though," Dacj murmured back, unable to believe he was still able to stand this--and smile and tease at her! What was this? Could she actually feel...good, even happy, after everything? It seemed Eli was determined to get her there...

Seth felt like the ultimate failure as he left the room. Why hadn’t he been able to handle even just that small sample that Eli had given him? It wasn’t as if he himself hadn’t felt any such emotions in the past… and maybe even now to a small degree. He didn’t want Dacj to be in that sort of turmoil. He wanted to help her. It hurt a bit to know that he couldn’t.

He paced around for a small bit before eventually just settling for sitting down beside the door. How was Dacj doing right now? What were… they talking about? He couldn’t check even if he had wanted to due to the room’s shielding. Was she wanting him back right now? Was Eli able to push past his phobia? … He had to be. Eli could feel better than anyone what Dacj was feeling right now, and even with his phobia there was no way he could just let that lie. She’ll be fine, Eli will help her. … They don’t need me.

It occurred to Seth then that since the trip to Phanes his was his first moment of actually being alone. Of having nothing to do. These past few days he’d been focusing with single-minded intensity on doing what he could to help Dacj, so much so that most any and all of his own thoughts and emotions had been shoved off to the side. He felt… tired. Exhausted. A part of him ached, though he was in no physical pain. His mind flashed unbidden to the sight of Dacj when he had found her, to the smell, the blood, the burns… So many burns… And he had done nothing. No revenge extracted, nor could he even summon up enough energy to heal her himself. He’d been too late to spare her any pain, too weak to alleviate it. Just as he was too weak now to even help her with the aftermath. His eyes burned as he rested his head down on his arms.

He couldn’t help the sibyl either. He had just stood there with the rest, watching as she suffered and died a second and very painful death. And frankly… it scared him. Dacj and her past self were entirely different people, but they shared the same soul. How could he be sure she wouldn’t ever try to pull some equally noble and stupid trick someday? Sabra wouldn’t hesitate to ask it of her, if it came down to it. They were all just pawns to her, there to help her save Phanes. Well bully for Phanes, her old shell of a planet, but what about them? They may not have been ‘important’ compared to say Haiaen and Donab and Twilight and the like, but they were still people with their own thoughts and emotions and a right to just peacefully live their lives. Even Eli shouldn’t have to be involved in any of this as he was. How did everyone expect a three year old non-kristi’os kuppy to be able to save a little girl from Chaos that had destroyed an entire Empire? It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t even remotely reasonable, and there was no way that their next visit to Phanes wouldn’t end with some sort of suffering. Everything had a price, and Seth was terrified to find out what such a price may be.

… And in the end, they’d never even found Colton or Zane. So many had died in those missions, and to what end? So the Red Moon could play with them and send dead Praetorate at them? Mena was without her husband and son, and Eli was without his father and twin. There was no telling where they were anymore. … Perhaps he should just go find a hole somewhere to crawl into now while he futilely willed the universe to stop being so cruel.

Eli continued to talk with Dacj, working through the rest of her memories of pain and fear surrounding her meeting with Nevreso and Mayameer, until she stopped flinching every time she remembered something, and she could speak matter-of-factly about her torture even if it still made her uncomfortable. Uncomfortable was fine. To numb her entirely to what had happened would likely have longterm effects Eli wasn't willing to risk, and she was still smiling by the end of it. It helped, he was sure, he kept teasing her about Seth. She felt badly for exposing him to the sight she'd been and the unhappy lump she'd continued to be coming back from Phanes, and she extracted a promise out of him that he would help Seth feel better about things too. "I have to push and hammer and pry and all I can ever do is try, but you've got something better than that," she'd explained. "I know he must be in really bad shape, so...you have to, Eli. I'm sure it's tiring and I don't mean to take advantage of you..."

"No, it needs to be done," he'd agreed. He still felt badly that he'd let Seth be after the breakup with Noelani, and he wondered if that had been the beginning of a shaky foundation--or, no, Seth had always buried his emotions, Noelani or no. But it was about time he at least tried to help Seth. "You'll be all right alone?"

"Now I will," she said, with a smile. "Might take a nap. Send him in when you're done with him." Chuckling, the kuppy waved a goodbye and braced himself before he opened the door.

Oof, that was bad. "Seth. Come with me for a bit will you? Dacj's fine, she wanted a bit of a rest," the kuppy said, reassuring. Eli tried not to frown at the speed with which he felt Seth speed-suppressing his emotions. Yes, he had his work cut out for him all right...

The cheetah Hyte's ears twitched at the sound of the doorknob turning, and he was quick to dry his eyes (which his enhanced speed helped with a small bit) before the door even fully opened. Had he thought about it he might have used that same moment to also completely recover himself first, but his immediate focus was back on knowing how Dacj was doing. [You're sure she's alright?] he asked, getting up to follow Eli. Did the other want to talk with him about something she'd told him in there? Or did he just have more questions about recent events in general? He supposed he'd find out soon enough.

She slid her arms over his shoulders by virtue of her elevated position on the pile, holding him once more as a stealthy tentacle lifted a pillow behind him and threw it lightly at the back of his head. "This is the pleasant things~" she informed him with a giggle.