Upon Vestia: Chapter Twelve

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"Yep, all alone on a desert planet with a weird bird." Ellie scowled, "False gods. So gross. I hope all immortals die soon." She paused, "Umm, well, I hope the immortals I like stick around for a while longer though."

"Yes." The fox said, picking up the plate with his mouth and hopped onto the table to be high enough to dispose of it. "Let us be off."

Shane looked to the book curiously because that just sounded wrong.

"But it looks awesome!" Ellie protested, holding up the book for Shane's inspection.

Shane chuckled at the front page then shook his head "Wow, we had books like that on Earth too."

Matt waved to the others. "See ya guys later. Work calls." He nodded to third and lead the way off to wherever the cleaning stuff was kept.

"Okay, so... all things considered, people are here don't make much mess. Not unless they've had a fight or something. So it's usually just sweep, mop, dust, pretend to be busy." He smirked. "Fingers crossed there's no major thing to deal with today." He hauled out a mop bucket and regarded third critically. Mmmm. "here." He tossed a dusting cloth toward him. "I usually start off up here, and do the main walkways when everyone else has gone off for the day, so they won't track anything over the wet floors. But we can start anywhere you want, got a preference?" He grinned and whispered "as long as you look busy, vestia totally doesn't care."

"Heck yeah. I read this stuff all the time," Ellie looked delighted. "I gotta go get to work," she said a bit furtively. She totally wasn't sneaking off to see if she could get her omnicom to translate this. And if she was doing that, she wasn't doing it so she could read it, honest.

Third followed Mattias to the broom closet, watching him as the humanoid dug through the contents within. His head tilted up slightly when Matt looked down at him, the fox catching the cloth in his mouth before placing it on the floor and looking up, watching him again. "I have no preference of where we start. Though, it is a big ship? The bots help, yes? Are you in charge of a particular wing?"

"yeah the bots help... or they follow me around and beep at me. Sometimes i'm pretty sure they're mocking me. " Matt snickered, he didn't seem to mind. "It is a big ship, but only the inhabited bits need regular sweeping. The bots deal with all the uninhabited bits... but... " He grinned and help up his ring of keycards. "I can totally get into anywhere Vestia hasn't purposely sealed off. Come on, we can start with the rec rooms, they get used the most. "

Shane watched her go then chuckled and cleared his plates before heading to a rec room to play around until the others were ready to go.

Third nodded, picking up the rag in his teeth again and plodded along behind Matt. Had anyone not known better, it'd almost seem as if Matt had a loyal vulpine companion and not a sapient, secretive acquaintance.

Matt chattered happily as the painkillers started to make a difference and would set Third the task of "dusting" while he swept and mopped.
He wasn't a particularly demanding boss, in fact he didn't really seem to mind if Third was doing the work or not.

"So what's your story anyway? You and the other fox... you're the same but not?"

The fox was pushing the rag across the tabletops and shelves with his front paws while he walked with his back, awkwardly but effectively wiping away dust and grime from the surfaces. He flicked his ear at Mattias, thinking on the answer.

"Well, yes. I suppose that's the best way to put it. You know of our species, yes?"

"Kinda... but not really. It's all really confusingly alien to me." He chuckled. "you guys turn into orbs and float about and.. have some almost symbiotic thing with the keepers that I totally don't understand. Honestly Vanessa freaks me out a bit so I don't ask questions. She's intimidating, kinda hot.. but intimidating." He laughed.

"Well, our species isn't born like others. We don't reproduce sexually." He shook his head, thinking as he continued to dust. "Each of us is created from two or more souls of pre-existing species. We are two or more souls, fused together into one." He looked over at Matt critically, "I would not be surprised is some of us are created from Satare, or the like. If there is a Satare-made Entropium does exist, however, I highly doubt it was a peaceful born one. It was probably born violently, like we... I... were, was?"

Matt tried to follow all that. "How does that work? the fusing? " He was genuinely curious. "My father's race have two souls, but they're born that way.. we're born that way. A mortal soul and an elemental, entwined around one another. Smooshing two existing souls together into one sounds... difficult. How do you decide which personality gets priority?"

"Well, according to Vanessa, it's sort of like finding the right piece in a milk puzzle." Third continued to explain off-handedly, "See, each soul is unique, but sometimes, somehow, these souls can be... entwined together, and fit perfectly, like puzzle pieces. That's when an anamcara is born. Currently, not even the Guild has an idea how it works completely, so we can't very much predict when a fusing will happen. Most of the time, the two psyches morph into one -- that's usually the case when an Anamcara is born in a peaceful manner, say two lover passionately kissing having to have the right kind of soul, or two friends hugging. Maybe just even two strangers bumping into each other."

Third sighed, looking almost glum. "However, then you have the violence-born anamcara. These are ones born out of loathing and destruction, say a fight or a war, when two enemies clash and strike each other, morphing at that moment. Most of the time, even then the two psyches somehow make up and fuse into one, but then you get the problems like Quinn and I, when it doesn't. It's apparently considered a disability among the species, as it is a distracting and oftentimes detrimental trait. There is treatment for it, however."

Matt nodded, smiling a little at the comment about lovers. Sounded like a more extreme version of the Kevali pair boding. Becoming one, it was kinda romantic. The smile faltered when third went on to describe his own creation. "That sound ominous. I hope that treatment doesn't involve hurting either of you." Matt shook his head. "It must be hard, surrendering yourself like that, I can see why two souls would resist the process. To submit your will, your very self... i'd fight it too."

Third nodded, "Yes, although we're both aware that we become whole, it's hard for us to imagine having to give up what makes us, well... us."

Matt nodded. "I totally get that. You wouldn't be you anymore, you'd be.. some other being entirely. " He shook his head. "Doesn't seem totally fair you didn't get any say in it either. It's like, completely subverting your free will and right to autonomy in one moment. " He sighed. "Then again, I don't understand a lot about the universe so maybe i'm looking at it all from the wrong angle." He shrugged. "What's the treatment?"

"Well, apparently it's basically each of us having an amount of time 'out,' and not suppressed by the other, to let us grow comfortable with each other, and over time, develop a more of a need to become one with each other."

"So... like therapy?" Matt shook his head. "Well good luck man. Sounds sucky and you have my sympathy. But plus side, you get to come out and play right?"

Third chuckled, rather enjoying someone else's presence for once besides scaring them half to death. "Yes, that much is true..."

Matt finished mopping and leaned on the mop. "I think we're about done here. Wanna go "dust" the arcade?" He grinned.

Third chuckled, noting the tone of voice, "Sure... We haven't played in an actual arcade in... several hundreds of years..."

Matt laughed. "Awesome. Come on." He picked up the mop and bucket. "Just gotta empty this." He went to do that and return the cleaning stuff to the cupboard. Then he lead the way to the arcade.

Third followed him casually, the fox paw plodding along the floor as he looked up at Matt in thought.

Matt glanced back at the fox. "What? You wondering how I manage to keep my job when I slack off so much or something else?" He grinned. "Really, I just hate penal servitude and community service. I'm the worst probation officer ever." He snickered. "but shhh, make sure you look good and miserable when you see Vanessa so she thinks i'm super mean."