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Cyrene wasn't in front. This shouldn't be happening. Yao Guang was cuddling into her, a cup of Xianzhou tea in hand, and very obviously complimenting her. She doesn't want to pay attention. The General does not seem to care about Taphoneiron's plight of being stuck in a situation. The pair of them were sitting on the sofa, watching some movie about a lesbian from the moon. It felt reminiscent of Taphoneiron's origins, even if Yao Guang didn't know.
"Mùngzîfíin, have you been told your eyes are just… so pretty?"
Of course not. Her eyes were perfectly ordinary and were not deserving of more attention than necessary.
"I knew you wouldn't say anything. You want some tea too? I don't mind getting up, Fûli has made me watch this multiple times already."
Taphoneiron nodded. Not too excitedly lest she be perceived as an insatiable beast, but not too subdued that it looked intentionally cautious. She had learned a pattern of how to talk to people whenever Cyrene left the Lord Ravager Daughter of Nous unsupervised. SHE really should not leave Taphoneiron alone like this, but SHE was currently unreachable aside from a faint wind chime that smelled of fresh wheat in her own head.
"Alright, I'll get on it. Any preferences, or do you want it to be a surprise?"
Yao Guang untangled herself from the embrace she had locked the woman into, her own cyan ends and pink hair slowly dragged off of Yao Guang's white and teal lounge dress as Cyrene's partner stood up. Taphoneiron could only stare blankly, perplexed as to why the Seer Strategist would ask her if she could already see the future and knew what Taphoneiron Cyrene wanted.
"Surprise it is. You know, you don't have to be so passive Mùngzîfíin. You're no longer bound to the sceptre, you are allowed to be a person now. Cuteness like this needs to take up space."
Taphoneiron could do nothing but nod like she knew what she meant by that. Cyrene would have known what to say in this situation, reciprocate the feelings that she wanted to herself, stand up for the both of them.
"I'll get you your tea, and we can continue watching the movie. It'll need a bit to steep, and I usually like two or more steeps with these teas. Will that be alright, my pretty girl?"
"Yes, Yao Guang."
The General made a satisfied noise, and turned away to the kitchen. She seemed to linger at the doorway for a moment too long, before looking back at Taphoneiron sprawled on the sofa as one of the musical numbers swelled into a hopeful optimism that she couldn't dream of matching. She must have looked so pathetic.
"I love both of you. I hope you'll remember that."
It was late at night, the buzz of Planarcadia was turning into a faint hum outside. Cyrene laid down in HER bedroom, the guest room now adorned with memorabilia of the Chrysos Heirs that SHE had found in various souvenir shops. Taphoneiron desperately wanted the real items though.
"Taph, how are you feeling? Did you like today?"
She nodded slightly, not enough to be picked up on by anyone but Cyrene.
"Do you want a hug from me, or do you want to stay 'inside'?"
Taphoneiron thought for a brief moment, thoughts and processes and equations turning in her head. She did not want to bother Cyrene with such trivial matters, SHE did not need to offer Taphoneiron a physical body, however temporary it may be (exactly 33.5 minutes, ironically). And yet… she found herself wanting to feel the warmth of another body.
"A hug might be nice. You obviously have no obligation to do such a thing for me, though."
Cyrene understood the projected desire and began the strenuous process. Much like giving birth, it was something that rarely seemed logical that humans still desired. She felt all of her senses fry with sensations and experiences, until it calmed down and she saw Cyrene's face for the first time in a while. Pink hair framing HER features, small elven ears peeking out of the tangle, HER clothed body that still somehow looked sensual in the dim light of the bedroom. The two were under the covers, warm, brown sheets draped over their identical yet entirely distinct bodies. Aeons, SHE was beautiful entirely normal.
Cyrene smiled like SHE always did, and brought Taphoneiron into the promised hug. It was warm, sure, but she could feel something else squishing around. Had Cyrene been eating well? It certainly seemed like it, even if she was not entirely sure who of their Cyrene's two partners was skilled enough to cook well for her better half. It didn't matter right now, HER embrace was warm, safe… cosy even.
"I want to tell you a story. One much like the stories Philia told me when I was trapped in the Demiurge Matrix."
Taphoneiron could only cringe and hide away her blushing face behind her teal hair. She was ashamed to have done that to HER, forcing the Chrysos Heirs through such torture for so long. She was embarrassed that Cyrene was treating her with the same 'Love' that even 'Lament' could spare for HER.
"Once upon a time, there were two very wild boys in the fields of Aedes Elysiae. The first, older and more mature than the other, loved writing stories and telling tales through his deck of cards." SHE paused for a moment, lost in thought as Taphoneiron seemed to nuzzle into her chest more, the edges of her vision dimming with sleep.
"The Thief, the Twins, the Scholar, the Warrior, the Seamstress, the Navigator, the Empress, the Guard, the Healer, the Dragon, the Candle Shadow and the Deliverer. Each new shuffle and each new hand was a story unto itself, laying out the world and their struggles."
"The younger boy loved his friend's stories, but after every single game and tall tale he had a question for his friend. 'Where was the Lover? No story is complete without HER!' The older of the two could never quite answer why SHE was missing from his deck of 12. Each time he answered back 'Well, not every tale has to have romance' and left it at that."
Taphoneiron could barely keep her eyes open, Cyrene was just so warm and full of love for everything and everyone in the universe, Taphoneiron had no idea why SHE considered HER Sceptre-mate so special.
"In time, the older one found meaning and a reason to include the Lover in his stories: SHE loved everyone so dearly, as comrades, friends and only a few as true romance. HER friends may have fought a Great Evil, but it was HER love for the defeated that meant it would never seek revenge… for it had found a home."
The Daughter of Nous' eyes were fully closed, as she drifted off into sleep.
"I love you, Taph. ♪"
It was slowly dawning on Taphoneiron that Evanescia was a certified cute dork. Her fox ears were twitching like anything as she was hunched over a Fluffy Across the Blue book that didn't seem to match any of the editions she knew about. She had been getting more comfortable with getting out and about, though she often found reality to be overstimulating even while contained within Cyrene's body.
"Jeez, Cattifly… those are some bad poly brainworms there, you gotta just kiss March Bunny and Bubble Wolf already… Oh! Hi Cyrene!"
Taphoneiron was unsure of the address. Yes, it was to the wrong individual, but surely Evanescia would have issues with speaking to her instead of her actual partner. She placed herself into a nearby seat, feeling slightly off kilter with the differences between Cyrene's frame and her own stick-thin projection and mental image.
"Ohhh, Taph! Sorry I didn't recognise you. I've been reading this The Fluffy fanfic and it's been so much fun! It's got the Astral Express and the Stellaron Hunters in a college AU and they're all transgender and cute!" Evanescia's ears perked up as much as her smile did, which Taphoneiron did not find endearing.
"Ah." It was the only thing she could think of saying.
"Although… it's pretty obvious the author's never been to college. I mean, come on! I know I'm not one to judge with my high school cosplay, but she could've at least come up with proper majors for all of the relevant characters."
Taphoneiron wanted to do nothing but listen intently as Evanescia pitched the story of Baseball Raccoon, March Bunny, Bubble Wolf and Cattifly all ending up in a guys-only college dorm together, discovering their feelings and genders, being cute, and overcoming the many 'brainworms' of being transgender and plural — with some minor commentary on the writing itself here and there — it seemed interesting, even if she wasn't sure of what the last part really meant.
"… and the worst part is the author's not updated in months! This is my fifth reread since chapter 8 came out. I wish I had a bit more of an insight into what was going on…"
"I am sure the next chapter will be out soon. She must be working very hard."
"Yeah… I hope so too." Evanescia's ears seemed to emote more than her face, but at least it made her easier to read than Yao Guang. "Say, Taph, do you wanna read some of the other things I have saved? I've got loads of fanfics you could read. You might like some of them!"
Uh oh. "That will not be necessary, Evanescia, you really do not have to loan me any of your collections-"
"It's all online, I just printed this out and got it semi-bound by a friend. I'll probably made a proper book when it's finished." She closed the book and presented it, looking at her expectantly. "C'mon, I wanna see your reactions! I'm pretty sure there's actually some of the Chrysos Paws in there, and… it'd make me really happy to share this with you." She blushed openly and bowed a bit, passing it into Taphoneiron's hands.
"Sure. Would you like to sit with me as I read?"
"I would love that! Not as much as I love you, though!"
She was rapidly dragged out of the dark recesses of Cyrene's mind, with no way to slow down. That was issue number one. The second issue was that she found herself locked lips with one of their Cyrene's partners. She couldn't tell which one, as the masses of Cyrene's pink hair obscured her vision beyond the facial features right in front of her (which were entirely non-distinct with her eyes closed). She had to pull away.
"Oh, no. No, no, no, no. I am sorry. I- I am sorry."
The eyes opened themselves to reveal Yao Guang's piercing gaze, but also a suspiciously Evanescia-sounding yelp came from somewhere else on the bed. Had they been…? No, all of them were still clothed and did not seem to have any further intent beyond just kissing.
"Taph?" Both called out her (shortened) name, sending an odd sensation to her heart — even if she didn't have one in the strictest sense.
"I wasn't aware something like this could happen. Mùngzîfíin, are you alright?" Yao Guang shimmied under the Sceptre's weight, attempting to remove herself so that Taphoneiron could get her bearings.
Taking it as a sign to get off of Yao Guang, she obliged their Cyrene's partner and got a good look at the situation. The bed was a mess, Cyrene had been on top of Yao Guang after seemingly having been between her and Evanescia, and the three of them had been in the couple's room and not their separate one.
"Jeez, pretty girl," the address from Evanescia should not have caught Taphoneiron off guard that much, "you're gonna be okay. Sit between us, you're gonna be alright." She took the offer just to not insult the fox lady. No other reason.
"Oh wait, is she blushing?~" She was not, in fact, blushing. She had to not be blushing. Evanescia's warmth got a lot closer and more intense, and it was not just her face and everything else about the situation.
"I think the pretty girl is, in fact blushing." Yao Guang moved the covers back into place, and also snuggled into their body. She was being dragged into bed by two very attractive ladies she could not possibly refuse.
The bed was warm, but three bodies made the heat and contact unbearably wonderful and good. The room was decked out in Yuque decorations and various fandom posters, but through it all a picture stood out. The three women, smiling at the camera, dressed exquisitely, and… a gap in the line-up for a fourth. She was about to ask about it, when a light and airy giggle came from one side, followed by the other with a heartier chuckle. What was so funny? It must have been her, surely. Nothing else would have made sense-
Taphoneiron felt two light touches on either side of her face. And then another two. As they sped up, she realised what was happening… she was being double-teamed with kisses.
"Good girl! We both love you so much, and Cyrene won't stop gushing about how adorable you are… so we decided to put that theory to the test!"
"And I can safely say that while this wasn't in any of the divinations I cast, I should have seen it a mile away. A good girl like you was almost guaranteed to be adorable like this."
Her brain was close to switching off from the praise and the kissing. "I- thank- thank you- but… I do not know, why are you treating me like this?"
"Taphoneiron. You are a wonderful girl and Cyrene specifically asked us to do this at some point. Granted, I did not expect it to be so soon after SHE asked, but I'm happy to oblige my partner's requests." Yao Guang lightly stroked Taphoneiron's hair, the pinks running through her fingers that marked her host as a Pure Child of Anāśrava. She really did love the colour pink. "Besides, I have had my suspicions that you needed some level of encouragement."
Taphoneiron nodded rapidly. She liked it when people were nice to her.
"Well then, there's something we need to hear first before we go all out." Evanescia's dorky smile curled into a smirk, seeming intent to extract something out of Taphoneiron.
"I… I love you all too."
And like that, the two women descended onto Taph, kissing and nuzzling until she fell asleep, surrounded by people she loved.
"Thank you, Evanescia and Yao Guang." A faint noise came from Cyrene's mouth, before the both of them were pulled into sleep together.