LAND HOOOOOOO

Shand and Luna have established a rhythm in their paradise. They've never had much trouble staying on the same page, so it didn't take long for them to agree upon what it is that they love most about this special world of theirs.

The peace. The joy. The rest. Everything that they had both been so denied in their previous lives, all of it belongs to them here. And after that realization, it didn't take long for them to decide that their joy would be most complete in sharing it.

So that's how they decided that their world needed to be populated, to be shared with other people. It had taken Shand about a month or two of experimentation to figure out how to create a person from nothing- in the end, he'd found that the abundance of bright, beautiful stars across their night sky provided an endless supply of souls, and, well, after that, incarnating them had been the easy part. A little bit of sand, a little bit of ice, a little bit of a song, and then some breath.

That had been hundreds of years ago, and after that first batch of people had had their own children, things started moving in a pattern that Shand and Luna quickly learned and loved. It was a calmer world, a gentler world, and Shand and Luna both reveled in interacting with the people they'd decided to share their paradise with.

They learned quickly, though, that this cycle of theirs still included death, sicknesses, pain. But it was a circle of life much more easy to embrace, much more dignified and full of hope than what they had experienced. So they had to welcome a measure of hurt back into their lives, but it was worth it.

One of their favorite parts of this cycle, of this learned routine, is sitting out together on the roof of the opera house every night, watching the stars fade into view as the sun fades out.

The moon becomes bright as Shand's pearl in the sky, and each star glitters and glistens and whispers of the days when Shand would pluck them from the sky to start a new race of people for them to love.

Tonight, Luna is telling Shand all about the day, reclined against him and as she speaks, mindlessly inspecting a flower he'd earlier placed in her hair.

Part of Luna's cycle in this world has been finding places for her abilities to fit that foster life. Shand had always been keenly aware of how destructive she'd felt, how much like a ticking time bomb and a bringer of death.

Now, she strolls the streets at the earliest break of every morning, lighting the street lamps lovingly with flames she has blown to gentle life on her fingers. She uses her voice to soothe and to comfort and she's considered the ultimate presence of a mother.

She's telling him about some of those encounters today- the weighty ones, where she sings the old and hurting into everlasting sleep when it's their time, and the joyful ones, where she whips up huge bonfires in fields for the young ones to dance around with their explosive joy, where she holds out her arms and radiates heat to every settlement in the vicinity when it gets bitterly cold.

Shand always listens to her stories, to her counts of her day, but tonight his mind is elsewhere. He hadn't started off that way, but tonight, he is gazing up at the stars, watching their twinkle and iridescent flash, and something about several of them catch his eye.

He remembers how he had first created these people, he remembers it like it was yesterday. The way each soul would shimmer uniquely, like it was emitting a special note, a new vibration into the world that no other could emulate.

Now, as Luna's voice rises and falls and its cadence calms his heart to a gentle, slow thump, his face is fixed toward the eastern sky as he thinks he can just barely hear several familiar notes spinning in the clear frosted dusk air.

He looks down at Luna, to gage a reaction from her, as if she's heard this rich, vibrant buzz as well. But she continues talking, repositioning herself so that her head leans back against his shoulder as she grows closer and closer to sleep.

The stars are talking to him, and he recognizes the voices. Luna is leaned back against his chest, so he fights to keep his heart rate steady and even as she trails off on her own words, eyes fluttering closed, head tucked down against him.

When she's settled, when she's deep enough in her sleep, Shand picks her up gently, moves her to the lounge chair on the other side of the rooftop terrace. The wind ruffles her hair like she was made to sleep out here in the frigid wind, under the stars, a goddess of her own world.

The thought makes Shand smile down at her. But he turns quickly back to the stars, squinting up, calculating in his mind, questioning. He looks back at her one more time, then makes his decision.

When the sun rises the next morning, the world is covered again in its crystal dew, its glistening frost that never kills flowers.

Luna jostles awake, seeing the sun higher up in the sky than it should be, realizing she's late to light the lamps, wondering if anyone has missed her.

When she sits up to stretch, she sees Shand stirring in the lounge chair next to her, piled up to high heaven with fur blankets wrapped all around him and propped up on all sides of his face.

But after she takes stock of him, the first thing she notices are the two children- well, not really children anymore- curled up on the couch opposite the lounges. She hasn't seen their faces in centuries, it's been so long that it feels like lifetimes ago, but she'd never forget their faces as long as she lives.

The sight doesn't entirely phase her at first glance, she's dreamed about these faces before. She dreams about them regularly.

Despite the world they've made, despite all the joy and love and smiling faces, there is still pain. People still die, fall ill, and that will never change regardless of however many worlds Shand creates.

The hurt they both feel and their past torment will never change, and that's probably the worst pain that has remained. All the nightmares still come, all the painful remembrances never fully cease.

Neither of them has to face this alone now, and that's probably the true miracle of this reality: They have each other. The softly whispered lullaby of Drunken Sailor is never too far away on the darkest night and no tortured thought has to remain an agonizing secret fear. They have each other and each other is all they need, it's been like this for centuries and they've both found unimaginable serenity and happiness in this fact.

So this must all be yet another dream, a sad glimpse at a reality she can't have to plague her mind and share with Shand when they both finally awaken for the day.

For now, she enjoys it. She's a little surprised and how realistic her mind as detailed the two peaceful faces this time, more so than it ever has before.

Allowing this vision to continue, possibly allowing it to dig at her heart more later, she stands and crosses over to the couch. Her movements are smooth and her gait is nearly impossible to see, hundreds of years of grace in each step.

The "goddess" title that the world has given her never really touched her one way or another, but, in moments like this, she becomes hyper-aware of her motions and how almost ethereal she can be, like a ghost gliding over the ground. Hundreds of years and she has only grown further and further from the idea of an average human that she used to chase so desperately, but, calling her other-worldly isn't necessarily wrong here. It's not incorrect for Shand either.

They're both magnificent spectra here, beings beyond their creation. Of course, neither really enjoys flaunting that around, but, sometimes, it is difficult to completely fit in with the people Shand has given life. Again, though, they have each other to share that knowledge with and it makes everything else feel trivial.

It's odd, she thinks to herself as she stares down at the sleeping forms, standing right at the edge of the couch before them. They're so incredibly detailed, more so than any dream should be able to conjure while tiredly grasping at a memory.

The wind on her face, the feeling of her clothing on her body, the grogginess in her eyes from just having woken up... This all feels surprisingly real.

She shouldn't but she reaches out, grazing the tips of her fingers along the girl's cheek, some long gently curled blonde hair catching and wrapping around her finger.

"Good morning."

A slow smile spreads across Luna's lips, watching the two sleep, remembering each and every distinct time she had to wake up these peaceful children, hurriedly rush to ready them for school, then send them on their way. Her mind must be ruthless today but, for now, she doesn't mind.

Until the girl's eyes flutter up and two beautiful brown irises stare back up at her, casting her reflection back at her in the rich hues.

Her breath hitches in her throat at the sight. It's too real.

"... Miss Luna?"

The girl sits up quickly, appearing just as shocked, just as much in disbelief as she takes in the other woman's form standing above her.

The two reach for each other at the same time, trying to grasp what exactly this moment is and, when their hands and arms awkwardly collide, they instinctively grip onto one another and pull each other in.

Luna can't speak, all she can do is silently stare down at the fabric of the back of the couch, eyes frantically scanning the pattern for an answer as she tightly holds the girl's head against her shoulder.

"Sera?"

A deeper voice from the side joins in sleepily. He takes a second to sit up and look over at the embrace but, when he does, his own brown eyes widen and he repeats the question the girl had asked seconds ago.

"Miss Luna?"

Sera's body shakes, sobbing uncontrollably, fingers digging into the fabric of Luna's clothes even when Luna briefly breaks the holds to pull the boy into the huddle. He doesn't fight it, rather falls into the warmth just as longingly as his sister had.

Both of them cry against her, choke out words in her arms and she can feel her shirt soak in each tear.

This can't be a dream, it's too real.

They're real.

They're real and in her arms again, but she can't even manage to greet them. The most she can manage is burying her face on the tops of their heads, feeling locks of blonde and brunette hair tickle her face.

Shand's night had been long, but then again he'd signed up for that, and truth be told, reanimating souls is one of the most electrifying things he can experience, which means a lot coming from the immortal with lightning in his veins.

Still, he's exhausted. So he settles back into deep sleep on the lounge after hearing Luna stir initially. It's not that he doesn't want to see her wake in the morning. Actually, he is usually the first one awake, watching from the thick folds of his blanket, eyes barely cracked open, to see her stand and stretch and float across the floor. She's somewhere between an angel and a whisper of wind, and he won't miss that first morning sight of her for anything in the world.

Well, almost. This morning, something else pulls him back into the deepest sleep he is capable of. And he knows this deep sleep, this thing that locks him into the darkest of his memories and holds him there, this is something that Luna will see later. He doesn't want her to, especially not today, on a beautiful day like today, when there is so much good. But this is the existence they've come to know and expect.

It's probably, definitely true that Shand's night-long activities had set those memories loose, let them run free in his head undercover only to overthrow him when he finally gave in to sleep. There's a lot more to be happy about now after that long night, a lot more. fullness in this paradise of theirs, but there is still a void.

He sees bright red hair the color of fire, of sun-dried bricks curling and covered in dirt. Hair that is touched by gray in so many places. Her face is wrinkled, weighed down by time and by too much of it with him. There is pain etched into her face like breaking glass. But on her face now is peace, for the first time in a long, long time.

He can hear her voice in his mind- also worn down by the years, painful in her throat, cracking.

"Shand, listen to me.... you-"

She coughs, spackling the back of her hand with droplets of blood.

"You can't do it again. I'm tired. There's something beyond this that I'm meant for and I️ can't stay here."

Her eyes had been cloudy already when she'd said it, like the admission had given permission for the life to start leaving her body.

He hadn't wept like the first time. Or even like he had with Luna. This had been eventual, inevitable. He had brought her back once before, when she had been scared of death and what might lay beyond.

But she wasn't scared anymore. She was more frightened of the pain of living than the uncertainty of dying, and she had chosen to embrace and unknown afterlife over a tangible future of forever with him.

When the last bit of light had faded from her eyes, the power that wrapped her hand around his had drained, he hadn't even been sure if he understood the emotions he had felt.

It was a strange, numb void, as if he had lost something undefinable, something priceless that wasn't at all apparent to him yet. He felt a hollow ache at that, at knowing his own lack of knowledge. He couldn't remember a time before Dakara.

Well, he could. It had been blinding and cold and inhuman. The stab of real, tangible pain he felt after that second time she passed had been after he'd put her in the ground, and thrown the last shovel full of dirt over her. Settled in her grave, right next to Enna's.

It had bit him hard, so hard he had to let the shovel fall and then fall to the ground himself in the fresh tilled dirt. He was going to have to learn to live without her for the first time. It was terrifying, it was despair.

Although he's dreaming, Shand knows this is only a glimpse of the past. He's lived without Dakara now for far more years than he had lived with her. And still, somehow, he can feel that loss now more keenly than he had in its freshest moments.

Not hearing her voice among the stars, knowing that her face won't be among the familiar ones he'll greet and laugh and cry with today, is that same old hollow ache, the void.

And he wants to wake up from it, to remove himself from his dream and just wake up, to go about his day and all the joyful things that wait in it. But for all the powers he has, all the incredible and impossible things he can do, he can't bring himself up out of this on his own.

All other responsibilities can wait.

The lamps, the exploration, the socializing, none of it matters. Oh, she's sure some people may be concerned, may be looking for her to walk down the street and greet them, may have been alarmed by the lack of fire along their roads in the early morning darkness, but one day out of forever they'll just have to be concerned.

All that matters are the two faces in her hands. Luna pulls away from the embrace, keeping their cheeks in her palms she drops to her knees in front of them.

The impact sends a little shock wave through her, her body already unfamiliar with such a real, slightly powerful, touch and interaction with the physical world. She's spent years mastering the softest of touches, the same gentle way she holds their faces now, and her bones shake against the ground.

Or maybe she's just shaking.

It's hard to tell exactly what's going on anymore between her mind trying to grasp all of this and trying to see and focus through her tear-filled eyes.

Sera puts her hand over Luna's, clinging to it and keeping it there on her face, while Korrin turns more into her touch. They both loudly sob, filling the area with happy, meaningful sounds and just the noise alone tugs at Luna's heart.

"No, shhh, it's okay, I'm here now."

Exactly how long had it been since she was forcefully pulled from them?

That was back with Nameless. How many years had passed since then? The fox feels like an era of her life she's been so far removed from now.

"I'm sorry."

Korrin hangs his head, fists clenched on his lap. There's the faintest mark that encompasses his neck that makes her skin run cold but he seems unbothered by its presence so she tries to ignore it. He's clearly upset about what led him to his end, there's no need to bring it up.

"No, you don't need to apologize, you didn't do anything wrong."

She can't get her words out above a hoarse whisper and that alone seems to set Sera off. The girl throws herself down off the couch and onto Luna, arms securely around her waist, crying into her already wet shoulder.

The way Sera hugs her feels like a desperate attempt to make up for all the years of lost embraces and she appears more like the lost orphan child Luna found on the street than the nearly grown woman she physically seems to be.

"How?"

The question is reasonable, considering how little Korrin knows of the state of this existence and she's just personally happy he's changed the subject from his own guilt, even if his body shakes and his hands tremble.

Without even being told, she knows the exact answer.

"Shand-"

It takes a lot of effort to turn from the two in her hands but she manages a glance at his sleeping form.

And it makes her pause.

He's usually awake by now.

A different memory begins to toy with the fabric of her mind: This isn't the first time she's seen him sleep beyond normal nor the first time she's seen him bundled up with anything but tranquility normally associated with sleep in his face.

Creating the people they now love so much had caused a similar reaction.

He told her about it afterward, but he didn't need to. She saw it in his dreams the rare times their minds had overlapped, but she didn't need to.

Dakara.

The name causes her heart to beat a little faster though she knows it doesn't cut her nearly as much as it does him.

"Shand?"

She's never had a significant other to cause her the amount of pain he feels every time he looks back at what is supposed to be the happiest time of his life with the most important person of his life. All she wants is to understand so she can help him with it, but she's not sure there's any help to be given.

She can't change what happened and she can't make him forget. Not only would that hurt Dakara and the memory of her, it would be damaging to him for her face to be cut from his life in any way. But it does make her feel helpless.

It's all only made worse by her inability to move, legs too weak to stand and hold her upright, hands completely refusing to let go of the precious two firmly in her grip after hundreds of years without them.

He can hear someone calling his name, and when he looks down at her in his arms, her, after he'd dug her up again just to hold her, after days and days without her- her eyes open one last time, clouded over and grayed and grotesque, her cracked mouth opens so that her corpse is the one calling out to him.

With those eyes, she doesn't even look like Dakara. Her eyes are somewhere else, somewhere beyond, the somewhere she was destined for and he was not.

But he can't find it in himself to let go of her. He pulls her to his chest and dirt falls out of her hair. He's not even thinking about the smell or the way her body is so rigid and stiff in his arms, like even in the afterlife, she's resisting him and pulling back just like she had at the end.

But he just can't. Life goes on without her, he's lived it for thousands of years, but in this relived memory, he thinks maybe he can rewrite that. Maybe he can change the past.

But other faces come to mind. He sees his father, Trita. He sees the whole family huddled around a dark wood bar. And they're not a real family, he knows now, they all know that now, but that hadn't erased the feeling they had shared then.

And he sees Nameless's face, too. The fox. Not a day goes by that Shand doesn't think about him in some way or another. If he can just let Dakara go, if he can put her back in the dirt where she asked to be, where she wanted to be left for her eternity, then he can see everyone else he loves.

Everyone but her.

The moment is impossible, he's full of tension and dread and feels like letting go of her and putting her back in the earth would be like ripping his heart out and throwing it in the grave instead.

But then, another face. He sees Luna the first night they'd come up to the rooftop terrace together, the first night they'd started that cycle, the routine. The way the wind blew her hair away from her face, the way her bright blue eyes searched everything around her with a pure, eager hunger to soak it all in and live in it, live in it and never let it go.

That, he thinks, is something he knows he can finally hold onto and not have to let go. He hears his name far-off again, like it's coming through a tunnel, and he thinks about what is happening to Luna right now. She's calling him. He has to go.

When he looks back down at Dakara, her eyes are closed- no more ghostly white gray orbs to taunt him. She still doesn't look like herself, and maybe that's for the best. He remembers her better. He remembers her in feathers and tassels and dripping jewels, spinning around with a drink tray, dancing happily on her own.

He lowers her down gently, and stands. When he looks back down, the grave is filled in again, the dirt resting as if it hasn't been disturbed for thousands of years. He closes his eyes.

When he blinks them open slowly, cold air bites at his nose and he feels fur whispering and tickling around the edges of his face. He sits up slowly, knowing where he is and what is happening, but still feeling disoriented and groggy nonetheless. Souls are a costly business.

Across the loose confines of the pergola cover, Luna kneels by the two he'd brought back first and left sleeping on the sofa. She's clinging to them for dear life, tears streaming down her face, but she's looking over at him.

"What, did I️ sleep through the alarm or something?"

Luna's brow furrows as she stares at him, but not in visible concern, rather playful frustration

She's playing his moment off for him.

After hundreds of years, they know how to read each other, know how to take a day second-by-second for the other's maximum comfort and happiness.

Every shift in his expression, every flick of his eyes, wave of his hand and smooth string of words are all things she has studied with a passion beyond light interest. She wanted to know him this well, and still wants to know him even better than this.

He has, in a lot of ways, become her fascination and he never disappoints.

She's thought it before and she'll think it for the rest of eternity: He is made up of limitless surprises.

This spontaneity and brightness in the face of his own pain, past, and even himself is everything she longs to be even after all these years. He keeps her grounded but also leads her to dream, letting her sit on his shoulder so her head can be safely in the clouds.

It's because of this she easily speaks past his discomfort.

He'll tell her in his own time, which isn't always as quickly as she wishes it would be, but it's perfect for him so she can wait.

"How could you sleep in after doing this?"

Her voice is strained but light, grateful.

Korrin and Sera cling to whatever part of her they can safely grasp like lost children, paying much more attention to her presence with them than the person that brought them back, even after they asked about how their lives were possible.

Luna's face is just as soaked as her clothes are now but she's not afraid of him seeing. He's seen her in far worse states then mid-happy-crying. This may be one of the best ways he's seen her, especially considering the catalyst to all of this was seeing her die is a grotesque and bloody pool of mangled flesh.

All she wants is to ask him a hundred different questions: How? Why? Was this all a plan? When did he start planning this?

But every answer she can think of only has one answer: It's him. How? It's Shand. Why? Because it's Shand. Was it a plan and when did the plan start? Honestly, who knows with Shand but does it really matter?

So any of those fall flat, ending in her mind before they ever make it to her lips.

"Thank you."

She smiles, blinking through her tears so she can try to focus on his face but the effort is fruitless.

"Oh, that?"

He takes the nonchalance further, pushing off the blankets and stretching more like a cat than a godlike being, nearly falling off the lounge as he attempts to stand.

Luna had gotten all of the grace, and if there had ever, in any world, been any meant for him, she had gotten that, too.

He recovers and stands, noticing that his knees are still barely shaking and his hands won't hold completely still on their own, but he wraps his arms around himself and shoves his hands into the pockets of the huge coat he sleeps in and flashes her a smile to hide the exhaustion.

"That's just a little something I️ cooked up in the throes of my insomnia. Not too shabby, huh?"

They'd been a little harder for him to bring back, if he's being honest, because he had never met them before. He'd seen them in her memories, in her countless most treasured ones, but the process was more daunting without a firsthand experience. Still, from the way Luna is clutching at them and crying, he hadn't botched it too badly.

When he'd plucked their souls out of the sky, held each star in his hand as he tilted his head and listened to the harmonious singing of each, he'd recognized them from her memories, and that had started the whole thing.

He'd never realized before that night that the sky, along with fresh, new souls that had never existed incarnate, held a vast collection of stars shining as those who had already passed on. Souls of the dead, of their most precious dead.

And in true Shand form, once he had stumbled upon that bit of information, there wasn't much to prevent him from overkill. Or, over-reanimation. Or whatever.

He can't help but smile coyly at the look on her face. These two will be the most impactful for her, except for maybe... Well, she doesn't know yet what else is waiting. So he lets this moment hang around them for her to enjoy in its entirety.

There's a hint of something also on her face, that smallest of expressions that makes him feel like she's looking right into the core of him, because in reality, she is. She can see the visions and memories that torment him almost as soon as they start in on him, and she's always waiting, patient and kind and so gentle, for him to unburden himself whenever he feels he's ready.

He's not ready yet, and maybe after the day is over, he won't even need to. After all the years of the past playing over in his mind, he's learned that some pains are easier to push back into the sleeping world and pretend about in the light of day. Dakara has always been one of those things.

He inhales deeply, rubbing at the end of his nose.

"Come on, Luna, manners. Are you gonna introduce me or what?"

"Oh!"

Luna's head whips back around to the two clutched in her arms, both of who have seemed to calm down enough to stare back and forth between them with wide eyes.

Well, not entirely.

The younger girl has a wide innocent expression, one very reminiscent to Luna's own all those years ago when they first came to this world or whenever she finds something new to entertain her. Looking at the expression, it's nearly impossible to believe the two aren't actually related in any way, but maybe that's just more to show how impactful Luna was on her life.

The young man, on the other hand, looks confused but keeps a steady eye on Shand, thrown off by how casually he speaks with Luna. Not even back for a full day and he's jumped back into his protective role. Even his narrowed eyes look similar to Luna's rare sharp gaze, like he's searching to see something beyond what others can. Unlike Luna, though, he never finds that answer but he continues to look.

These "children" are more like her than Shand could have ever known before he brought them back.

"This is Sera."

Luna rests a gentle hand on the top of the blonde's head, stroking the ringlets down and back.

"And this is Korrin."

In contrast, she keeps her hand on his face, thumbing over the old remnants of a tear trail on his cheek, completely wiping it away.

The way she looks at them, all the tender love and care she can manage dripping from her eyes with the last of her warm tears, is complete and utter joy and gratitude, taking in the sight of them like observing her favorite beautiful art.

"Sera, Korrin, this is Shand."

Sera sits up slightly, still never allowing the physical contact with Luna to break, and nods towards Shand with a sheepish smile.

"Hello."

Korrin, on the other hand, doesn't move one inch, keeping his firm stare.

"Why does your name sound like someone mispronounced 'sand?'"

"Because my father thought everything was a joke before he started killing people for money. I️ like to think it mellowed him. That, or it relieved him of a prior lisping issue. Take your pick."

Shand nods at Korrin, studying both of their faces and seeing Luna replicated on them each in different ways. There is an arm's length, analytic quality to Korrin that takes Shand way back, to that first day he had met Luna and the looks she had given him when Nameless had first left her shoulder to rest on his.

In a lot of ways, too, Shand sees some of himself in the young man. The way he stands protectively between Shand and Luna, the subtle challenge to the casual tone between them. If there's any kind of hostility Shand can appreciate, it's this.

Then again, from any description Luna's ever given him of Korrin, he always assumed he'd like the guy.

Shand directs his attention to Sera now, the demure look on her face, her shy body language. And he knows he'd just dreamed about his own girls and he should be more gentle with himself, but sometimes he hates how much, how often he sees Enna everywhere.

In the faces of people going down the streets, in the faintest sound of laughter carried up to the terrace on the wind. In Sera's sweet, trusting wide eyes, in all of her curls. He pauses too long before talking to her, he knows, but he tries to play it off.

"Pleased to meet you, both of you. A little jarring, I'm sure, but I️ think you'll find it's not half bad here."

He looks at Luna now, feeling a chill run down his spine and not being entirely able to discern whether it comes from the cold, or the exertion.

"There should be coats to fit them both in the coat closet down in the foyer. I️ hope nobody's allergic to fur. It saves lives out here in the tundra."

He knows at this point, that his flippancy is no longer really called for. And Luna's two probably are starting to develop a perspective of him as somewhat of a strange, aloof, furry ass. But still, something in the pit of his stomach is still clenched for so many reasons he can't put words to, and this is his best defense against it.

"Should we maybe go for a stroll? Show you around, see the sights? I️ mean, there's cake."

In a turn of events, Korrin's eyes light up at the mention of cake.

Luna laughs, covering her mouth to try to stifle the sound but Korrin turns to her with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

She pokes his cheek with a small teasing smirk, wiping her finger across it to pretend like she's wiping a smudge off his face.

"Oh, nothing. You just had a little drool there."

Korrin stands straight up, bright red, turning from Shand to make sure the other man can't see, afraid to show anything but amusing male strength and pride in the face of what he thinks is a face-off.

Sera leans around Luna to get a better look at her brother, frowning disapprovingly at him.

"Really? You're such a child."

"'Really' yourself!"

He animatedly turns to defend himself and it's obvious they're about to bicker. Not even away for ten minutes and the siblings are back at being a family again like nothing happened.

Luna stands, pulling Sera with her, laughing awkwardly between them to keep them distanced.

It takes everything in her to not comment on how Korrin now stands tall over her or how Sera has caught up to her height, but the thought is still there.

She's missed so much. Even with them here, there are years of their lives and growing that she wasn't a part of.

"Okay, he's right, let's get the two of you jackets. We keep things cool here."

As Luna ushers them past Shand, her eyes flick to him but the only expression she wears is a kind patient smile, letting the look linger long enough that she knows he sees it, then she turns back ahead to begin to lead them both down.

Even after hundreds of years, something about the look on Luna's face still makes him swallow, sniff a little bit, reach and tighten his grasp around some composure.

She always knows what's wrong with him before he even knows himself. And there's always that look on her face. It's calmer, gentler than concern, but he knows what it means. And he's an idiot for it, but something about knowing that she still cares to that extent throws him off a little from time to time.

He cares about her, of course. Clearly. But he's always shown it in a different way. He's never been good at talking about emotions, sorting through things out loud. He's always been able to pick up on things, listen, wrap her in his arms tight when she needs to cry or just be held. But he can't imagine that he can unwrap her with just one look, the way she does to him.

"Uh, for those of you not interested in scaling down the side of what is for all intents and purposes a cliff, there is also a staircase through the trap door."

He has to clear this throat to keep his voice from cracking, and he tells him that it's just his tiredness. Would he be able to lie to Luna as well as he can lie to himself? Not a chance.

The staircase is long and spiraling, fitting in with the decor of the opera house much more than the simple arrangement of the rooftop terrace. By the time they reach the main floor of the place, the foyer, the two kids are looking around with wide eyes, taking in the colors and the textures and the ornamentation of the place.

Shand pulls open the coat closet door and rummages for a moment, pulling out two that seem to be the right sizes and handing them to Luna.

As he watches her hand the coats out to them, help them into them and work at the zippers together with them while laughing, there is such a war of feelings clashing in him. Seeing her like this is everything he wishes for. There's not a trace of sadness or pain or past hurt on her face. It's pure joy.

And he can see her day in and day out with these kids, raising them and loving them and doting on them like a good mother would, spending the happiest days of her life with them.

That feeling sends warmth up through his chest, curling near the base of his throat and making his face feel warm, too. But there's something else, something sharper and tighter and more precise that makes his shoulders tense. Seeing her have this second chance with her children, doing all the things she's missed the most. Knowing he can't ever have that chance.

Dumb, stupid, selfish. He shoves it all back down and pushes the door of the grand foyer open for them once they're all wrapped up like him.

"So I️ saw some eyes light up at the mention of cake, so I️ guess that's where we'll be headed first."

Sera has her arm looped through Luna's, still desperately clinging but her eyes are stuck on her brother who seems to nearly bounce as Shand tells them what the plan is.

"Korrin, you're so embarrassing."

She covers her face with her free hand, wishing she could pretend that she didn't know who he was but, even if Shand hadn't known in advance they were related, their matching brown eyes would have been a dead give away.

"It's not my fault you can't be happy with the small things."

He snaps back, trying to not let her ruin his mood but he does calm himself down. Luna overs him her hand and he seems reluctant to take it, caving after a healthy blush colors his face.

The entire family stands side-by-side, linked together, and are they a sight to see.

Two blondies with a plum in the middle, who doesn't even look that much older than them anymore but they still cling to like their older sister or mother. Not only that, but their dark eyes are sharp contrast to her bright ones.

Nothing about them screams family if you're going off looks because, genetically, they're not. Looking at them and their happiness they are the picture perfect family.

Yes, the siblings are bickering but Luna's constantly chiming laughter between the two seems to keep everything at bay and nothing escalates beyond repair.

They all follow after Shand happily and, even with them hanging off her arms, she moves so smoothly that their completely normal gaits look clumsy.

"I bet people wish they moved like you."

The topic has changed to such and Sera is observing Luna walk with wide-eyed awe, trying to figure out how it works to move but seem like you're floating.

"I don't know about that."

Luna smiles modestly, happy eyes on Sera, watching her observe the walk in a weird loving and amused cycle.

"Shand, do you walk like this?"

Korrin asks pointedly but there is a slight undertone of not wanting Shand to be completely left out of the conversation, trying to attempt to be civil and friendly.

“I️’m lucky if I️ walk at all, Korrin. It’s face first more often than feet first, I’m afraid.”

He still walks a bit ahead of them, unwilling to admit, knowing how foolish it is, to blame his clumsiness on the assertion that he can still feel the earth roll under him sometimes like simulated waves, even though he hasn’t been on a ship in so very long.

Strangely enough, Shand often forgets how different he and Luna are in this world, the one designed around everything they have in common. But seeing her over his shoulder, arms linked with what are clearly her prides and joys, he gets this sinking feeling that despite everything he’d pushed through and refused to give up to in life, everything he’d faced in his dumb young reckless abandon, that he was never half as good a parent as Luna.

The bakery is close, but it leads into the more populated part of town. The opera house stays mostly empty except for planned events. All of the people living here know that it’s mostly the god and godess’s territory, their haunt and their hill.

As he pushes open the bakery door to usher them all in, Shand glances down the somewhat empty streets toward the inner, more populated area of what has over time become a large city. He’s plannig out where the next stop will be.

As Luna and the kids unhook arms to get through the door, Shand sees Korin catch sight of himself in the glass of the building’s window. He fingers along the scar at his neck, as if it’s foreign and shameful for him.

Luna and Sera are already indoors, oohing and ahing together. Shand claps Korin on the back, drawing his gaze from his reflection.

Shand stretches his neck out a bit, ruffles some of the hair back from the base of his neck to show a similar scar that has faded around the front, but remains thin and ropey at the base of his skull.

“There’s no fun way to have your neck broken, but chicks dig the scars, so we’ve both got a leg up on the competition.”

The self consciousness clears from Korrin’s face a little as he almost laughs, but Shand passes him and joins the others insje with Korrin following behind.

Luna walks with Sera, both pointing happily at several cases.

Sera is oblivious to anything happening, but Luna notices.

She sets the girl off on a conversation, leading her to take control of all the talking to keep her distracted while Luna looks around the shop for the two men.

The sight of Korrin worrying over his reflection makes her heart drop. She's the reason he has that. Her old world, the old world that hated her beyond what should be humanly possible, had killed him like a criminal all because he was connected to her.

And now here he is taking note of the damage her life has caused him. She hasn't thought of all of that in so long that it suddenly feels fresh and extremely raw. There are no words she could ever say that would be enough of an apology for the mark.

But just when she thinks she's going to have to walk over, Shand steps in.

Luna can't hear what they're saying but she can see Shand move his own hair, point to his neck, and the way Korrin's shoulders seem to relax at the sight.

Of course, she knows what he's pointing to and the lopsided smirk on his face when he enters the shop clearly says he just made some sort of smart, funny comment on the matter.

An intentional comment.

Try as he may to keep up his appearance, to live the "thug" part of "noble-thug," he has always been the better of the two of them when it comes to connecting to people's pain and lightening the mood.

The way he does it all is so specific to him, lightening the mood in a way to still valid the other person's concern and to acknowledge it, never allowing it to get brushed off, but also making sure it doesn't hang over the person's head. It's unique to him and she's loved spending all these years watching him master his technique to a beautiful compassionate art.

Between the two, powers aside, it always made sense to her that he was the being of life to this world. His creation had all the charm, wit, understanding, and kindness of the person that carefully crafted them.

He was everything they needed, all they could want to add extra sparks of joy into their lives.

He was everything she needed.

A warm feeling builds in her cheeks as the thought passes through her mind the moment he makes it over to them.

Where did that come from?

She's had these thoughts for a while but she's been able to contain and sort through them better than this, but she knows for a fact she is outwardly blushing like a child.

"Good talk?"

Luna attempts to hide the sudden display with a smile, keeping her eyes gentle as always, but even she can feel the different look buried in the various hues of blue.

It's admiration if she had to peg it down with one word, but it feels like so much more than that at the same time. It's beyond what she can describe, here's hoping it's not as obvious as she thinks it is.

"We're scheming to take over the world already. Oh, wait."

Shand grins with squinted up eyes at his own joke, like a small child.

She has a look on her face that he's not sure he can put a finger on just yet. She'd clearly seen his and Korrin's interaction and she looks thankful to him for stepping in. But it's something beyond that. Shand supposes for now he can just chalk it up to her happiness at being reunited with some of the only people in her world who were ever important to her.

It's probably that. It's also probably why her cheeks are flushed and he can feel the heat that she's radiating from where he stands even several paces from her. What a bad state to be in, in a bakery of all places.

Shand laughs a little to himself, remembering how they had taken a few years to get used to each other. Him being cold all the time, her being hot. Him jumping like a fish into water at every chance he got, her staying as far away from it as possible.

Those first few years had been exciting, wonderful, exploratory. They'd realized that for all they knew about each other and how close they felt, the bond they shared, they hadn't been around each other in so long.

And even then, they hadn't been around each other for a long enough period of time to really get used to each other. For one to be able to read the other, to look at an expression and be able to predict accurately the next sentence that will come out of the other's mouth. To be able to anticipate each other's whims and needs as if they were their own.

In a lot of ways, the several centuries had taken care of a lot of those things. Shand shakes his head to himself as he strides to the back of the kitchen, opens up a deep freezer, and returns to Luna's side with several ice packs- two that look like hand warmers, but with the opposite function, and one shaped like a pillow to fit around the back of her neck.

At this point in their joint rule over this paradise, they're pretty well prepared for each other.

But still, things like the expression on her face now, or how she's looking away as she blushes, Shand knows there are still some things they haven't figured out about each other yet. It's not like they're going to run out of time, but the thought of that intrigues him.

They had always been similar in that aspect, so he figures that's another reason why they had gotten along so famously together and why Nameless had set this whole thing up. He knows the traits that are intrinsically Luna. The care, the gentleness, but also the bluntness when needed. Her careful watch over him like a mother hen, but also her tendency to step back and just let herself be amused when he's doing something only marginally stupid that can't end in injury.

He knows the constants, but there are also new things all the time, things that still spark his interest and make him curious, like he wants to sit down and just ask her a million questions to peel back this new layer of her. And the crazy thing is, it's not that they've changed that much over all the time. They've just gotten more and more comfortable around each other, more and more understanding.

So he knows he'll get to the bottom of it eventually. But there are other games at hand today.

As Luna presses the ice packs against her flushed skin, Shand reaches over the flat top of the glass case to pull a plate of cupcakes out from the other side.

Strangely enough, they look like Sera, as much as a food can resemble a human. The icing is ivory white, piled high and covered in gold colored curls and twists, round and shiny brown sprinkles that gleam in the light like her eyes.

He holds the plate out to her, and it's clear that the similarities aren't lost on her.

"I️ was going to make a joke about them not actually tasting like you, but then I️ realized that was not how I️ meant it and that Luna would probably chase me around this place and repeatedly kill me. So maybe just try one and I'll shut up about it."

"Shand."

Luna whines from slightly off behind the two, greedily pressing the ice packs to her skin, thankful that they hide her expression, even if they do push her cheeks a bit and give her a rather silly expression when paired with her long, drawn-out pout.

She'll take that over trying to come to terms with whatever just happened seconds ago.

"Thanks."

Sera chokes out the word, snatching one of the cupcakes then stepping a pace or two back from Shand for good measure, and Korrin is suddenly in with the group though he can't decide where to stand anymore: Between Shand and Sera or Shand and Luna.

Still, he takes a cupcake long before there is even an offer, hungrily biting into it as Sera works on the wrapper around hers with more grace.

The sister cuts her eyes at her brother, forever annoyed with his lack of civility.

This is just how it is between them and probably the difference in age between them. Korrin grew up on the street for years he remembers, but Sera was too young to recall most of that. Their mannerisms are night and day in a lot of ways to reflect the different points in each of their developments that Luna had become a part of their lives.

Even the way Korrin can't hide his overjoyed expression compared to Sera's happy but controlled happy hum when she finally takes a bite contrasts their memories against each other.

But Luna loves that. She loves their personalities, their differences, and how both of them brought a different kind of joy into her life and, now, are still bringing her.

"You should share with Miss Luna."

Sera scolds her brother who has all but finished his cake in a few large bites.

"What, why me? Why don't you share, it was your idea?"

Korrin shoots back but there is a small sign of guilt in his eyes for not thinking about that before.

He's too defiant to admit that out loud.

"You're closer to her than I am so I figured that would have been obvious. You're such a twit sometimes."

Now even Sera is defensive but she does look at Luna and offer the mostly in tack cupcake for her.

And all Luna can do is smile and listen as the two continue back and for like they had when they were children, shaking her head at the offer.

Her blue eyes flick back and forth with the debate, taking in each moment their voices fill the bakery. It doesn't matter the topic, ridiculous or not, but that they're here and she can watch them like she had for what felt like long years in the moment before she realized years of forever were what awaited her.

Shand watches them too, she can see him out the corner of her eye. She's sure this isn't as meaningful to him as it is her, that it's actually probably annoying to watch and listen to, though that may be rude to say since she can't see his expression.

But the mental image of him standing there watching with a similar smile on his face, just as amused and amazed by this moment, warms her right to her core. As if she needed any help with that.

If this continues, the ice packs will be nothing but slush by the time they leave, they're already starting to condensate on her hands and face.

He did this, though. He brought them back, is watching life he created out of sheer will walk around and talk and argue and act like spoiled children, so is it too far off for her to imagine him being happy with the scene?

She wants him to be happy with it, with these two, the world, all of it. His happiness in general, that's what she wants and has wanted since day one.

Maybe something about this bickering will stir some of that happiness he deserves and ease him after the nightmare she saw haunting his face when he woke up.

Shand does watch the siblings banter with a tight lipped smile, not willing to interrupt it with any interjections of his own.

What he’s witnessing right here between these two, takes him back so many years. It’s like standing in the middle of his own family again.

It’s so clearly him and Lunath.

At that thought, the smile starts to drain off his face as he remembers. After everything that he had done the night before, he’d slept like a dead man and had woken up just as clueless.

He’d forgotten completely about Lunath. Of course not completely. The little boy Dolan had adopted and brought up as his own, even though Shand had only met him later on, was still every bit a brother to him. The bickering, the bantering back and forth. The silly squabbles. The undying protectiveness and willingness to die before any harm would come to him.

But last night, when Shand had been scanning the stars and identifying their notes, their voices, he had picked everyone out one by one, except for Lunath. He wasn’t in Shand’s sky, and in the gentle din of far off star noise, Lunath was missing.

He would be the only one, aside from the ones Shand knew he couldn’t bring back regardless, that would be missing today. And his heart falls into the pit of his stomach as he remembers.

He chances a sideways look at Luna, who is watching the scene with so much love in her eyes he think she might burst. Her happiness when she sees the others, even the unexpected ones, is going to be unparalleled.

But her face when she realizes that Lunath, the boy she’d loved and given up so much for, isnt among them? She’s going to be crushed, as crushed as Shand is starting to feel now.

He tries to push the thought away so she can’t see the feelings written out across his face. There’s still so much to be had, so much they hadn’t had only yesterday.

But he’s grown so accustomed to being able to give her the world, literally, that now it feels wrong and incomplete and like it’s defeating the purpose to give her a world that’s missing a chunk.

Luna looks over at Shand. She has no basis for thinking he's looking over at her, she can just feel it at this point, like an extra sense.

He's staring at her, his eyes lost, distant, conflicted, over what she couldn't possibly know.

There are a lot of things she does know about him, but she's no mind reader and that used to be an issue for them in their early years. All either of them knew how to do was keep secrets but, around the time eternity began to sink in, they quickly realized this world and their sanity could not last if they were nothing but honest with one another.

No, that doesn't mean they share every thought they ever have, but it does mean that, in times like this, when they're caught and know it, they share what's going on in their heads, haunting them without reflection in their eyes.

Luna's smile falters as she stares at him, eyebrow arching, and everything feels slow motion, even the way she mouths his name, making sure to not draw attention to him, feels drawn out, like her lips are pushing against an invisible force.

What is this feeling? Why is her heart aching? This pain isn't hers.

Emptiness and regret, she has her own, but these, in this moment, don't belong to her. They're his.

Ever since he had connected their minds long before this world began she has felt deeply attached and in tune with his emotions, the stronger they are the more she feels them.

What is he thinking? What hurt is playing in his mind, refusing to let him have a second to himself?

And it hurts all the more when he continues to stare without a response before his eyes flick away, giving her no sign of an answer, no signal that he wants to even discuss this later. He knows, he could see that she was trying to figure out what was going on, but he's avoiding it.

Why?

"Here."

Sera has taken a different cupcake from the plate, handing the new one to Luna and, with only split moments, she recovers expertly, looking from Shand to the younger girl with a well-timed smile.

This isn't a new trick, this isn't new to her relationship with Shand or her position in this world, she's been expertly manipulating her way through life ever since she was a child. The entire operation is just smoother now.

"Thank you."

She takes the cake, biting into it while Korrin jokes about her sweet tooth and Sera attempts to jump in on her defense, making a snide comment about his own love of sweets.

The quick moment between Shand and Luna has passed and left a divide in her own heart and mind.

Shand casts his gaze away from her the second he realizes he's looking at her while the thoughts race through his head and his stomach starts to turn.

There's no way for him to tell her about this now, for him to warn her before the fact. How is he supposed to start that conversation? The pain will hit her in the heat of the moment, just when she's feeling her highest joy of seeing everyone they love all back in the same place. Then, it will all fall out from under her and he can't do anything to stop that.

For the first time in centuries, he feels the fresh stabbing of that old, familiar disappointment in himself. That nagging fear that maybe he hasn't been able to escape himself after all, after all this time, and that the destroyer he's been has come back to haunt him finally.

But every fresh pang of guilt and fear and dread that go through him, he can see mirrored on her face, despite the fact hat she's covering it up for the sake of the kids. And all of this, in the middle of time she's supposed to be enjoying being back with them.

He tries to clear all the negative feelings away from himself without showing it on his face, for Luna and Korrin and Sera. This is still a special moment. He had been excited to move on from the bakery and continue the surprises for the day, but that excitement has faded and he's wanting to take as long as possible in this place.

So he sits down in one of the wrought iron chairs near the window and watches Sera and Luna with their small cupcake bites, Korrin brushing crumbs off his chin with his cupcake already devoured and gone.

"There's plenty more in the kitchen, we're not just limited to cupcakes you know-"

Shand cuts his own sentence off as, out of the corner of his eye, he sees a strange whirl of color glide by the bakery window. Panic knifes through his chest as he realizes what's happening.

Karma really is no joke. All that time he had been the hard one to deal with, throwing kinks in the plan and refusing to play along. All those times are coming back to bite him now.

The door of the bakery flies open, hits against the wall behind it, to show Nameless standing in his full, large-form glory, across the threshold.

He cuts his eyes intentionally over to Shand first, and Shand sighs.

"What part of sleeping until we came for you did you not understand?"

"Who do you think you are, my mom?"

The massive fox teases and his voice rings loud and clear in the small room.

Sera shrieks sharply, backing away from the door at the sight of the looming monster, Korrin shifting to stand between the two woman and the new threat, knees shaking as he quickly realizes he has no clue how to fight this thing off.

Nameless's large red eyes shift to the other three, looking clear past the boy, a toothy animal grin, familiar even right down to how slow and intentional his lips pull back over his white teeth.

"Fengari."

A half-eaten cupcake drops to the floor, the icing splatting on the wood.

Luna ducks past Korrin without warning and sprints across the room, but even that isn't fast enough for her. She leaps the last several feet in quick flight, ramming right into his neck with enough force that the two actually fall back outside the door, pushing Nameless down on his back.

Her form is nearly lost in his flowing white fur, lying right on top of his mammoth form that she barely even covers half of with her entire body.

A rolling laugh sounds deeply through his chest, paw awkwardly trying to pat at her back the best he can with his limited movement, her face buried deep in the fur on his neck.

Nameless presses his snout to the side of her head, messing up her hair that cascades down on him, purple mixing with white.

After the initial moments of happy laughter, Nameless grows silent, closing his eyes, a tear that had been stuck since the day he died finally rolls down into his fur hundreds of years later.

Luna lifts her head, staring down at him, unable to see him through her tears, only comforted by the fact she can feel him, fur soaked and matted from where her face had just been. He leans up, resting his black nose against the tip of her much smaller one, huffing out a warm blast of breath at her face, wisping her hair back, attempting to control a sob that starts to take hold in his throat.

"I haven't heard that name in forever."

"Forever is a really long time, isn't it?"

The two attempt to share a casual discussion but it comes out choked between all their shared crying.

"I always liked that name for you much more than 'Luna' anyways. It suits you."

Nameless turns over to his side, throwing Luna off of him onto the ground but not far enough away to be out of each other's grasp, still nose-to-nose, in much the same position they had been when the fox had passed lifetimes ago, the ground below them wet with tears this time rather than blood.

"You'd be the only one."

She runs a hand over his face repeatedly, the texture of his fur filling her memory all over again.

The cobblestone is rough under their sides and it looks uncomfortable but neither of them seems to even notice, forcing laughs between tears. Even then, the laughs stop and their faces contort together as the crying becomes more violent for both of them and there's no longer any way for them to exchange words.

Sera and Korrin stand just inside the doorway, watching the scene in complete confusion, never having seen Nameless a day in their lives, but they can see enough to tell he's important to Luna so they don't interrupt.

Still, they exchange confused glances at each other then at Shand since he was the one who first spoke to the fox.

"Quick recap for you."

Shand turns to the kids, who are clearly mystified as to what is going on and why their adoptive mother is rolling around the streets with a strange fox twice her size.

"That's Nameless, he is- er, was? An extremely powerful sociopathic fox who was more or less Luna's guide. They spent a lot of time together. I️ mean a lot. Thick as thieves, those two."

His tone comes out even and almost cold, despite the fact that he's genuinely enjoying the shock and sheer joy that Luna is experiencing right now.

Sure, he's a little pissed that Nameless can't follow directions. But again, he's pretty sure he deserved that little insurrection.

But with Nameless back, with Luna aware of it, there's only so much longer he can draw the rest of this out. Only so much longer that he can pretend she's not going to end up broken hearted because of him.

But it doesn't mean that he's not also happy to see the fox, just that, as normal, he's going to act annoyed instead of excited.

"Uh, Nameless, sorry to interrupt your wrestling match, but if you had followed simple directions there would be no need to. But I️ do need to steal a few moments of your time, and I'm going to beg you once, and then never again, to not screw in any way with the world we've got going here because we've kind of perfected it over time and we like it how it is. Like, seriously. I'm not joking."

Nameless's long flowing tail easily reaches Shand, flicking him in the face, for old time's sake but also to tell him to calm down.

"If this is the world you and Fengari have created and love, then why would I mess it up? Besides, I'm going to be around for a long time, again, so I'd like to enjoy that time without being hated by this world's god and goddess, thank you."

Luna finally sits up, wiping at her face, Nameless quickly by her side, nuzzling her small cheek with his oversized snout, and she laughs at the gesture, pushing his face away but the two don't ever move more than two steps from each other, even as they stand.

"I say that, but it is nice to know that you still realize how much power I have. You're not as dumb as you look, pirate boy."

Large red eyes dart to Shand with a challenging spark, but the teasingness of his words is nearly dripping from his tone.

Luna flicks one of his ears which he then flicks back, smacking her hands in return.

"Shand, how many people did you bring back?"

She smiles over at him, but she's obviously confused by all the familiar faces she never thought she'd see again, piecing together that he probably went overboard and has planned an entire party of loved ones.

Nameless rests his massive head on Luna's shoulder, peering over at Shand with a mischievous smile, but mischievous over what Shand couldn't possibly know.

Playful over Luna's question, already knowing the answer? Or is it more than that?

It definitely seems more than that, like an amused knowingness is entertaining the fox's mind. Then again, when hasn't it?

Shand's voice gets stuck in his throat for a moment, caught up on what words he's supposed to say now.

All but one...? Everyone we've ever cared about minus a few that are going to really sting...?

"Uh, you got me."

Shand says after clearing his throat, lifting his hands innocently. Sera and Korrin are still watching with quizzical, confused looks. Shand can't blame them. Even after hundreds of years, he hasn't totally gotten used to being referred to as a god. Luna a goddess- yeah, that transition was much more logical, therefore much easier. Because really, when in her life hadn't she been a goddess?

"I️ got a little carried away with the whole reanimation thing, you know how I️ can get when I️ can't sleep and it's just, you know."

Shand tries to act like he's prattling on uselessly just to buy himself more time, but he knows that's not an act that's going to fool Luna, or Nameless for that matter. For a moment, he wonders in a tiny little slice of horror at what he's done in bringing the fox back, who will have a lifetime full of bones to pick with him, but he'd be lying if he said it wasn't good to see the creature's face again.

"There are a lot of folks waiting for us down the street, in one of the newer apartment buildings."

He finally gives up, realizing he can't postpone the inevitable forever.

"Well, that's where they are provided that they actually stayed asleep and stayed put and didn't buck the system like some of us."

Shand's lips pull into a taut grin directed Nameless's way, and for the first time he realizes that perhaps he and this more real version of Nameless might have more in common than he'd have thought before.

"We might as well go pull them out of their magical slumber now before more of them start to get any ideas."

Shand nods over to Luna now.

"You know the building- it's the tallest one you can see from the terrace, that one they built, I️ don't know, maybe three years back? Next to the candle store that made you sneeze like seven times in a row that day? Remember?"

"Oh, you mean the store they offered to tear down when I started sneezing and I had to basically beg them not to? That one?"

Luna sighs, leaning back against Nameless who huffs like the impact had been a lot when, in reality, it hadn't even moved him an inch.

Being deities was fun and had perks but it did come with its own odd sort of pressure, the main one being that everyone was constantly watching.

The people they cared for are beautiful and wonderful, caring and devoted and she wants nothing more than to keep watching and leading them, but their affection can easily go too far.

That shop was someone's livelihood, years of money saved to start a goal and dream all their own. The fact everyone seemed to be on board with closing it because some frilly scent made her sneeze is ridiculous. It took nearly a day of convincing to make them reconsider.

It was worth it. The candle shop is the most popular one in this large growing town.

"What kind of people are we looking for?"

Sera leans against the door, watching the fox in growing fascination, but Nameless just sticks his tongue out at the girl in response teasingly. The gesture pulls a blush from Sera at how innocent and cute the looming creature can act.

"Fengari will know when she sees them."

Nameless chuckles, cutting his eyes back to Shand, grin still present on his face, tail wildly swaying behind him, refusing to let Shand ignore the entertained gleam in his eyes, even though he knows they can't speak about it right this second.

Shand rolls his eyes at Nameless to hide his growing delight that the fox is back with them.

"Uh, well."

Shand looks at Sera, still trying to decide how she feels about Nameless and his alternation between childlike and controlled ferocious.

"Luna and I️ have both lived for quite a long time, and it's been so long that we've seen everyone we care for die. So, due to a complicated and unexpected series of events, I️ was able to bring a lot of them back to this world so we could see them again. Starting with you two."

He nods at Sera and Korrin both.

"You're pretty high up on Luna's list."

Both of them seem to beam at that, and Luna's huge smile gets even brighter from where she's sitting leaned into Nameless's fur.

Shand stands, stretches slightly, figures he'll do this just like he's done anything in his life- quickly, and with no regard for consequences.

The bakery door is still stuck wide open from Nameless's dramatic entrance, so he ushers the rest of them out and down the street.

People are milling about around them, going about their every day business, except that most of them are not prepared to see an oversized fox wandering the streets with their beloved god and goddess.

Some of the adults just stare and take the sight in, while the children hide behind anything that they'll fit behind and stare at Nameless, whispering and laughing with wide eyes, fairy stories and imaginings spilling out of their mouths at the sight of him.

Shand watches them with affection, ruffling some small heads as he passes. Some of the more outgoing children run up and poke him as he passes, and he waits til they turn to run away and then grabs them up, spinning them in the air or tossing them up and catching them before finally setting them free.

The building in question is just up ahead now, jutting into the sky and forming really one of the most recognizable facets of the city's skyline, especially from their special spot on the terrace. The building is designed like a hotel made up entirely of floor-sized suites, which Shand had thought was ridiculous at the time but had had to admit his error when the place had taken off.

He holds the door open for the kids and Luna, but acts like he's gong to shut it in Nameless's face as he passes, which earns him a flick from Nameless' tail.

As they get into the elevator, as Shand hits the button for the top floor, he starts to feel more and more jittery, more anxious. About the fact that he'll have to see Luna looking for Lunath and not find him, about the fact that he'll still be looking for Dakara and Enna despite already knowing they are missing, about the fact that he's about to see dear loved ones that have been lost to him for thousands of years.