“I do not think I am the best person to attempt to explain,” Jurao frowned, “I have never felt close enough with another person to consider any of them - until now. And I appear to be confusing you the more I attempt to do so.”
Braelin hummed, “Perhaps Alae?”
“Ah,” the King nodded, getting to his feet, “I will ask him.”
His secretary looked up as he opened the door, “Your highness?”
“Alae, would you be able to explain the three forms of life partnership,” Jurao asked.
The man laughed, rising from his seat, “Yes, of course.”
“Thank you,” the King said, stepping aside to allow him entry.
Alae easily walked across the room, taking a seat on the edge of the low table before the heart, on the opposite side of the chairs. He started, “So, Braelin, you understand the concept of romantic attraction, right?”
“I do,” the human replied, sitting up attentively.
Jurao returned to the seat next to him.
Alae nodded, “Yes, humans and demons tend to share that one - with nuance, but the generalities are the same. Demons also have two additional forms of attraction, which can lead to both courtship and formal life partnership through marriage - queerplatonic and sexual.
“Queer platonic attraction is for forming an intimate bond with someone that is neither romantic nor sexual in nature, though it may share traits of either, depending on the individuals involved,” Alae went on, “Some human cultures have a concept of it as well, though I know it is not found in most.”
“I see,” Braelin nodded slowly.
“It’s the same kind of commitment as a romantic marriage or courtship,” Alae elaborated, “But with deep platonic feelings rather than romantic ones.”
That seemed to clear up any lingering confusion on his partner’s face, and the human said, “Oh. Now the way you all refer so specifically to romantic attraction so often makes more sense.”
Alae chuckled, “I’m sure it does - though plenty of rumors suspected you and Jurao would develop a queerplatonic relationship rather than a romantic one. The Department Heads just had more specific information to judge it as romantic.”
“Ah, yes,” Jurao nodded, “Sexual attraction does tend to feature more in romantic relationships than queer platonic ones, in general.”
“Sexual attraction?” Braelin looked at the King in surprise, “For me?”
It had not occurred to Jurao that he hadn’t actually told Braelin about the times he’d found the human attractive, and he felt his tail swish uncertainly as he replied, “Ah. Yes, once or twice.”
Braelin’s cheeks flushed pink as he said, “Oh. I… hadn’t realized you felt that way.”
“I actually thought at the time that I was getting ill,” the King admitted, “Since it was… only under specific circumstances.”
“Specific…?” Braelin frowned, then his face went redder as he asked, “Ah, the vines?”
Jurao nodded, his tail starting to swish a bit more forcefully.
They were interrupted by Alae letting out a laugh, which the man quickly stifled - he turned away from them, holding up a hand to ask for a moment to collect himself.
“Sorry,” Braelin cleared his throat, scratching at his chin, “Did you mention that… sexual marriage also exists for demons?”
Alae nodded, seeming to bring his own amusement under control to face them again, “Ah, yes - I haven’t seen it in any human cultures I’ve run across, but I won’t discount its existence. Basically, if two demons experience neither romantic nor queerplatonic attraction but are incredibly physically compatible and get along as friends, they will establish a formal relationship of that kind. All of Maenscul’s marriages to other deities are sexual marriages.”
“I see,” Braelin replied, and Jurao noticed in profile that even the tips of the human’s ears were pink, “Thank you for the explanation.”
“Of course,” Alae covered his mouth to stifle more laughter, “Let me know if you have any more questions. I’d be,” he had to pause, falling forward a bit in silent laughter before righting himself, “I’d be happy to answer all I can.”
“Thank you, Alae,” Jurao said as well.
His secretary nodded and waved as he left the office once more.
For a few moments, Jurao and his partner sat in silence.
“Have I made you uncomfortable,” the King asked, concerned.
“No!” Braelin said quickly, looking at Jurao and away again, “Ah, no. I just… people have been attracted to me before, it’s not. I understand it’s not a conscious decision or. And you did see me in a very sexual context.”
“Yes,” Jurao said, for lack of a better reply.
After some time, Braelin said, “I suppose I just… hadn’t expected you to think of me that way. Since we’ve spoken about not having found people sexually attractive before.”
“Yes,” the King said again, “I hadn’t thought to mention it.”
Braelin nodded, “Yes, no, there was… no reason for you to do so. Unless you… wanted to…”
“Wanted to what,” Jurao asked.
His partner looked at him in soft confusion, “Unless you wanted to have sex?”
Despite how long it had been since he’d last been asked that question, it still caused the King’s mind to draw to a halt.
They were interrupted from continuing the subject by Hujur bursting through the door, “My lord, the envoy from the Iescula priesthood is here and-”
Jurao jumped to his feet in surprise, staring at his Steward.
Braelin also twisted in his seat, equally off-guard.
Hujur looked between them, blinking several times before saying, “Ah. My… apologies, am I interrupting…?”
From the receiving room, Jurao could hear Alae start laughing again.
“Ah,” Jurao cleared his throat, then glanced at Braelin before saying, “No. What about the envoy.”
Braelin seemed to be attempting to rub the color out of his face, which was perhaps the common human practice.
“Yes, right,” Hujur replied, shaking his head, “The envoy is a senior priest, and he’s not happy - he’s demanding to see you and Braelin at once.”
“He’s at the shrine,” the King asked, immediately moving.
“Ah… yes! Yes, he is,” Hujur replied, stepping aside to allow Jurao to take the lead.
Despite the awkward atmosphere, Braelin was at the King’s side as usual. It reassured him that he really hadn’t caused any undue distress, though he still wondered at the reaction.
Jurao had to be careful to keep his pace from becoming too fast for his companions, but they still made it to the gardens in record time.
As Hujur had said, they found the Iesculan priest standing before the shrine - or rather, bring blocked off from the shrine by the Crystal Hydra trees, which did not bode well in the Demon King’s mind.
“What is this,” the King asked.
The priest turned to face their little party - he was dressed in the more common style of demonic clothing, with a long tunic tied over one shoulder and a rope belt looped twice around his waist. As an Iesculan priest, he wore no metal that would otherwise be common - grass-plaited arm guards on his upper arms and thinner woven bands on the lower set, with a woven fabric wrapped around his horns and ankles.
He had dark green skin with white circular markings, his yellow hair arranged in various braids with plants strung into them. He stamped a wooden staff on the ground and demanded, “Your highness, make these belligerent trees part!”
“I would know your intentions first,” Jurao replied.
“My intentions!” the priest demanded, “My intentions are to knock this blasphemous ‘shrine’ to the ground! How dare you! To place Iescula next to a human deity! It is an outrage that her likeness shares space with any save her parents, but a human deity!?”
The plants around them rustled ominously, and Jurao thought it a small wonder that the priest had merely been blocked entrance.
The man pointed his staff towards Braelin directly, “And to put a human in charge of her children? To let him coddle them and destroy the independence the goddess prizes?”
Jurao noted that on the end of the staff was some kind of softer, leafy brown plant. It rustled against the end, a few tendrils reaching out toward the gardener.
Braelin frowned and reached back, “The poor thing - it must need water.”
The priest made a noise of disgust, pulling his staff back, “Don’t you dare place your feeble human hands on my familiar! This is a Rambling Crushfern - the very height of an independent plant! It can go years without a drop of water and be just as strong as during a flood! That I have tamed this one marks my status as High Priest of My Lady!”
Jurao glanced at Hujur.
His Stewart grimaced, “I didn’t realize he was the High Priest.”
“Just because it doesn’t need water doesn’t mean it doesn’t want water,” Braelin frowned, stepping away from the King.
If they were not in the gardens and Jurao had not recently learned that Braelin was Beloved, he would have been more concerned. As things were, he was intrigued.
“Ha!” the High Priest scoffed, stamping his staff on the ground again, “A Crushfern would rather drink the blood of prey it has broken all the bones of than taste pitiful water!”
Jurao was a bit alarmed by how quickly Braelin’s dagger appeared in his hand.
“Really?” the human asked, appearing fully intent on offering his own.
The High Priest seemed knocked a bit off balance by the reaction.
His familiar, however, leaped from the edge of his staff and curled around the human - pulling the hand holding the dagger away from his other arm.
“No blood?” Braelin asked, returning the dagger to his pocket, “Water it is then, I suppose.”
Jurao watched as one of the Razor Ferns flicked the lid off one of the buried clay pots.
Braelin smiled, walking over and holding an arm towards the pot, “Thank you for sharing.”
The fern delicately tapped the human’s knee, careful to only use the flat side of its leaves.
The Crushfern experimentally dipped a tendril down into the opening, then seemed to shiver and shuffled down Braelin’s arm to focus on drinking.
The High Priest had gone silent, staring.
Jurao cleared his throat lightly, “Though Braelin may be human, he is also Beloved of Iescula.”
“What?” the priest asked.
“I was visited by the deities in my dreams last night,” the King clarified, “Nosu, my patron, informed me of it.”
The High Priest stared in disbelief - first at Jurao for several moments, then back at his partner. Woodenly, he walked over to the human.
Braelin looked up from watching the Crushfern drink, soft smile falling from his face.
The High Priest’s tail twitched, and he held out a hand, “If you are Beloved, a mark should appear on your hand when I appeal to the goddess.”
The human sighed, groaning as he got to his feet. Hesitantly, he held out his hand.
The High Priest didn’t touch Braelin directly but cupped his two bottom hands under the human’s.
Jurao moved closer, curious.
“My Lady Iescula, of Stone and Leaf,” the man said softly, “I call upon you to judge this soul - reveal to me your will, My Lady, so I might follow it.”
There was more rustling - and then creaking as the Crystal Hydra trees returned to their usual upright positions. The dark sky lit up as the Firebloom Bushes burst into full flame around them, the bulbs of the Crystal Hydra trees flickering as they swayed and the Howling Shrubs shedding snow. The Staticbells created arcs of lightning between each other, the Razor Ferns striking each other with a ring of blade against blade.
Hujur huddled closer to the King, ears back uncertainly while the High Priest looked around them in shock. Jurao thought it was an impressive display - but despite knowing the gardens wouldn’t bring his partner to harm, pulled Braelin another step away from the aflame bushes.
Within the shrine, the floating lights of the trees gathered around the statue of Iescula - which groaned as its five eyes blinked and glowed green while its mouth twisted into a grimace.
“FUCK OFF MILVE,” rang out the divine voice of Iescula, speaking through her statue, “HAVING SOMEONE TAKE CARE OF YOU IS JUST NICE, OKAY? YOU CAN BE INDEPENDENT AND STILL LIKE A LITTLE LOVE AND AFFECTION! DWARLA WAS NICE ENOUGH TO LET ME HAVE ONE OF HER FOLLOWERS, SO BE NICE TO HIM!
“AND HOW DARE MY WIEZAS TELL ON ME TO MY KESI, HUH!?” the goddess scoffed, referring, of course, to Nosu telling Maenscul about Braelin being her Beloved, “NOW I HAVE TO DEAL WITH YOU THROWING A FIT WHILE THEY’RE IN MY EAR ABOUT THIS AND THAT! FUCK’S SAKE! I’M MY OWN GODDESS; I CAN MAKE WHOEVER I WANT MY BELOVED!
“ALSO, HI BRAELIN!” she added with a cheerful smile, the statue groaning as it gave a little wave, “THANKS FOR LOVING MY PLANTS AS MUCH AS I DO - MAYBE YOU CAN TEACH MILVE A THING OR TWO FOR ME, EH?”
Braelin offered a little wave back, then frowned as he looked at the back of his hand. Indeed, a glowing symbol had appeared there - one of a stylized flower encased by a circular wall, the mark of Iescula.
“ANYWAY, THAT’S ALL I HAVE TO SAY,” Iescula added, the statue shrugging, then pausing as if listening, “OH, AND KESI WANTS ME TO REMIND MR. DEMON KING TO VISIT THEIR TEMPLE OR WHATEVER. BYE!”
As all returned to normal, High Priest Milve cleared his throat - face dark with a black-blooded blush. With great effort, he said, “Well then. I suppose… I am at your disposal.”
“I suppose,” Braelin agreed, not appearing enthused by the idea as the mark on his hand faded.
“Well,” Hujur sighed, removing his hands from his ears, “It could have gone worse…”
