trans_9 | Fool's Hierophant

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Fool's Hierophant

Title: Fool's Hierophant
Location: Stacy; The Hallways

Strength.

The word meant many things to many life-forms, Renne included.

He'd thought of this word and how its meaning had changed over the years. Over days, events, eras and how it changed depending on where he ended up. When he ended up and who he ended up with.
The word had carried several meanings and as he wandered down familiar scent-trails, Renne came to a decision.

What was not there could not be, but what was there, could be. What he felt was something outside of English and what he wanted? That too, wasn't something he could entirely explain. Thus, through a stretch of hallway with a familiar landmark as his starting guide, Renne pulled and pushed himself to stand on his own two feet.

In more ways than one, he wanted to be a man.

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"So do you," he points out.

As he watches Renne, he thinks: Take your time. If you need my help, let me know. I'm right here.

That gets him blushing again, barely seconds after the first round of blushing had begun to fade off.

Offering a shy smile, he manages to get one leg positioned for the final push. Deep breath. It burns something hellish, but he's determined to try again.

That's it. He's doing it. Billy will wait as long as he needs to. All that matters to him is Renne getting what he needs out of this---but he does hope Renne doesn't go too far. Muscle tears are not at all enjoyable.

But he trusts his brother to know his absolute limit.

Limits.

He's not got a good track record for keeping within those, but much of the time when he'd broken them had been life or death. Now? It's a different story altogether.

Halfway up, his face gives a visible flinch as a sharp pang erupts in his left thigh. Immediately, the flinch turns into a frustrated almost-scowl and yes, he's being good and dropping back down.

"Eeeegh."

"Renne!"

Billy is right at his side, trying to restrain his worry. It wouldn't do to embarrass Renne further right now.

"All right. You're doing fine, it's just time for a break. Would you like a ride?"

"Eee."

For a minute, his head ducks down as if he thinks he can hide that blush of embarrassment. It isn't at Billy, no. It's more the kind of embarrassment one might get when there's the prospect of having failed a well-loved hero.

"Haow Bee leahrrrn s-tahnd uhp?"

Billy sighs. Not at Renne, but at the situation. Renne didn't fail him, and he wishes the imp was ready to accept that. But the human knew very well that if their roles were reversed, he'd feel exactly the same way.

"It's a process that happens automatically in humans. We learn to walk in degrees---first we raise our heads, then we start to lift our torsos, then we sit, then roll over, then crawl, and eventually stand when enough leg strength is built up from the previous steps. Once someone is strong enough to stand, they're usually walking in a few months---but since you walked at some point in the past, you may have some advantage and learn faster. With some leg exercises to build your strength up, I'm sure you'll be walking soon."

"Eee. May-bee, bee hell-p?"

There's a bit of a squeak then. Although part of him (the survivalist) is a tad embarrassed at the prospect of requesting assistance, most of him is slowly getting used to the ability to trust again. It's that part of himself that squashes down the survivalist.

Slowly, his arms extend out and up toward the Human's voice. If anything, Billy's the one he'd allow beyond the walls of survivalism any given time.

"I will. You can count on that."

Smiling, he lifts his brother and rests him on the broad human back. Once Renne's arms are securely around Bee's shoulders and the feet are gently supported, the human begins a slow walk to the Sensoriums. This position will minimize embarrassment and strain on Renne's legs, he thinks.

What do you think about a hot bath? I probably need one too, now that I think about it.

Squeak.

This is a curious position. Curious but...kind of fun, actually. Chitter-squeaking, his head comes to rest on Billy's left shoulder.

"Eee. Th-is be ba-ck pig?"

He's heard of this position before but had never actually done it. At the prospect of a hot bath, the beastie grins a wee bit.

Thee do not have stench. But...yes. Bath sound good.

"That's right, a piggyback ride." Grinning, he sends a wave of delight Renne's way. If they both hadn't been sore (Renne from walking and him from training), he would've bounced Renne up and down just for that.

I'm not worried about my scent, just my health. My muscles need to adapt to all those extra training sessions.

After a brief walk, they're inside a Sensorium. It's a quiet, peaceful place. The glen's grass is a bright blue, lit by two shining moons and a sky of stars. It didn't quite match Renne's sea, but it was the closest he could manage.

The hot spring itself was carefully ordered to register as different temperatures for them. Billy knew very well that Renne could handle hotter water than he could. Sighing happily as the steam hit his nose, Billy crouched low so that Renne could crawl in. A rock was positioned where Renne would climb down, allowing him to sit where his head would remain above water easily.

"Eee. May-bee Rrrr-enne gi-ve Bee ba-ck pig."

A chirp and a grin later, the pulse of delight is sent right back with a touch of something akin to "Sweet gods, I adore you" added in there. His grip remains careful while he's borne like this -- tense and sore muscles can't be missed in such close contact.

"Bee hurrr-ted?"

Chirp. Trilling at the scent of a hotspring, then outright purring at the prospect of heat, he gives the Human a nuzzle before crawling awkwardly down. It takes a minute of sniffing and exploring to learn where things are but once he hits the water?
He's beyond purring. Outright cooing, the beastie gingerly sprawls in a shallow spot with that rock as his "pillow".

Billy snorts with laughter at that, shaking his head. Then the imp is made aware of his pain.

"It's not so bad. You adjust to a constant ache after some time, but it makes sense for us to go together."

And together they go. He watches with a smile as Renne slips into the wonderfully heated water, then strips to a pair of swim trunks and slides in. All lingering worries vanish from his mind when the water touches him, to his amazement. He sits next to Renne on a deeper rock chair, submerged up to his neck. Aches and pains slowly begin to unravel, leaving a very content human behind. It helps that Renne's pleased as well.

"Is it too soon to ask if you're feeling better?"

"Eee!" That chirp is in the tone of a laughing "Whaaat?" in response to the snort.

"Rrrr-enne noh wahn-t Bee hurrr-ted."

By now, he's got his eyes closed and his ears flopped back in a posture that depicts complete relaxation. Purring a purr that'd outdo any chorus of felines, the oddity's head turns to face the Human's voice.
Usually, he's got better control over the way his Solidity reacts in emotional situations, even ones like this comprised of solace and peace. Yet he's not all that perturbed when he feels the slight tingle of a very rarely-taken appearance of himself take shape.

Skin turns a metallic silver with a sheen of blue. Everything from the hips down changes completely and with little more than that tingle into a "tail" that looks like a married version of squid-legs and a fantastical merman's tail. Rather ornate, the appendage, really.
The silver-blue travels up his skin and his hair takes on that style more akin to his nine to thirteen-foot tall counterparts: Bald with a wide strip of hair down the middle. Flanking that come a pair of almost-majestic head-crests and his ears gain aquatic-looking finned edges. Fin-like things even sprout from his outer forearms and a scaly mask of silver "grows" onto his face.

"Eeeee. Bee?"

Not much Billy can say is adequate to capture what he's witnessing, so he'll settle for watching the transformation with quiet admiration. He wonders if the imp's gained any new abilities---but even aside from that, it's a fascinating change to behold.

"Wow...uh, I mean yes. I'm feeling better. What about you? What does this mean?"

"Eee -- "

It takes half-a-second to realise what he means. Blushing an odd blue beneath the silvery mask, the oddity carefully leans forward to offer a nudge.

"Is hap-py. Is ah-forrre Trrrrahn-scend."

This, One rare to come into. This, from Happy, Serene. This, Solidity before Transcend, if One be-lieve, safe.

Renne gets a gentle touch to the shoulder in response to the nudge. Simple enough to convey gratitude, but not enough to risk aggravating sore muscles.

I'm glad I could provide that for you, he thinks happily, briefly plunking his head into the water. When he comes up a moment later, he rubs at his temples with a look of clear bliss on his face. This is grand. If he had special abilities like Renne's, they'd probably be active too.

One wish, do same for thee.

He smiles then and allows his Solidity to do as it will. Slowly, it reverts back into the typical appearance. While loving the warmth, Renne's not keen on moving away from his rock-seat into deeper waters.

"Bahff, is goo-d. Bee noh hurrr-ted noh morrre?"

Soon, Renne's back to his normal shape. They're both relaxed, peaceful...yes, he could get used to this. He exhales with a contented noise, turning his attention to Renne once more. It was so easy to drift off in this comfortable place.

"I'll probably still need some rest, but the loss of tension has helped significantly." When your starting point is feeling like a truck hit you and your ending point is feeling like you fell down a short flight of stairs, you take the stairs.

"Eee. Rrr-enne tu-ck Bee be-d th-en." Chirp.

Ah, yes, even while contented as a housecat and finding his own leg-cramps easing away, the beastie's intent on being mama. So sue him, he adores a certain Human.

However, before anyone intends on getting out, the oddity adds a wee something to the nice, warm hotspring. Specifically, a gentle "whirlpool" effect. Water-massage, yes he knows what it is.

"How did I know you would say that?" Renne doesn't have to worry about complaint anymore. The human's found it...comforting to be tucked in sometimes. Not that he's ready to admit that to anyone else.

Dragging his mind back to the present, he moves to say something. Before he can, though, the words falter in his throat. That sudden flow of the hot water against his back destroys his resistance faster than he can say "thank you". Billy drifts into a loose stance on the rock, allowing the waters to soothe the pain from his body while he expresses his thanks in a somewhat more direct manner.

Of course, who can resist replying to that with an utterly innocent expression? Really. But no one need worry; with these two, it's quite likely such secrets shall remain secrets eternally.

Renne has to grin then, both at the whirlpool sensation and what he's imagining Billy could potentially do. His grin? Grinning like a little fool, he is.

Spoiling Billy is most assuredly, a favourite thing to do, you know.

Wait a minute. Wasn't Billy supposed to be the one pampering Renne today? Blast it, the imp had already found a way to turn the tables on Billy. But if Renne's benefiting as well, he can't find the heart to complain. He'll just have to work extra hard at spoiling his brother later.

By some miracle of the water, most of the pain is nothing but a faint memory before long. He looks to check on Renne with a grateful smile. "How about you?"

"Eeee. Rrrr-enne noh hurrr-t noh morrre."

There's a momentary squeaky-chirp as the oddity carefully stretches. His ears remain flopped down and his eyes are kind of half-open. Were he feline, one might compare his expression to that of a housecat with that eyes-half-open, utterly relaxed state.

"Great," he responds, in too deep a state of relaxation to summon up his bigger words. "Wonderful." And he means every word fully.

After a period of nothing but companionship and bliss, he opens his eyes and pushes down on the rock. "You ready to go yet?"

Fool's Hierophant

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