D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad

--- Lily ---

The discussion over Thyme's release of knowledge continued well into the night. If Thyme hadn't provided snacks, Lily was sure she'd have skipped dinner. Even though Kat had poked her about it… she'd just ignored the warning. A constant string of 'Just five more minutes' until Thyme had metaphorically slapped her in the face with a fish. Which was something else Lily learned.

Sure her tastebuds were different between forms… but perhaps not as different as she'd like. Sure Thyme hadn't actually hit her in the face with the fish… but it was exceptionally fresh, completely uncooked, and only lightly seasoned. She'd eaten the entire thing, scales and all. Even a few bones. Probably.

Lily was mortified when she finished but Thyme just shrugged and ate the plate as a joke to show they didn't think what she'd just done was weird.

Which was nice, and a large part of why she agreed to come back the next day. Sure Thyme had made a quick announcement at breakfast that everyone's purchases and prizes would be left in their room by lunchtime… but that wasn't what Lily was interested in right now.

"Welcome back Lily. I'm glad you decided to join me for the morning," said Thyme.

Lily blushed and said, "Well… you agreed to help me work on my style a bit and I AM interested in hearing about some of the stories behind your clothes. Well, that and the books of course,"

"Indeed. I have some special containers for those books as well. I'll go over it all later, but I'm using you to test a few theories about how things react to a world without magic. Most of them should work, but one of them is intended to fail in a non-catastrophic way. I'm hoping you'll give me a writeup of it all.

It should even give you a bit of a jumpstart into your spatial affinity… but you didn't hear that from me," said Thyme.

"Of course, just your standard packaging I'm taking back home," said Lily with a nod.

"Indeed, indeed. As long as you tell Kat it's standard, even if you both know that's a lie, she can tell people she was informed it was all standard with no trouble at all. Anyway, today I'll be taking you to just one of my closets… but I did agree to help with your look. So I'm wondering if you have any preferences I need to take into account?" asked Thyme.

"Um… I don't know? I mean… I want to look nice, and I want to look nice standing next to Kat… but I don't want anything that draws too much attention. Not only am I still definitely on the shy side of things… but Kat's asexual, so it's not even like I'd be wearing something nice to show off to her you know? It'd mostly be for me. Which feels sort of bad to say…" mumbled Lily.

"I don't think it's too bad. Kat likes you for you and not what you're wearing. Besides, I doubt Kat is completely immune to your looks. She's just not going to find them sexual. I'm sure you could go for the 'exceptionally adorable' angle without much trouble," added Thyme.

"Right… but I'm not sure how much I want to play that up either? Like… I get that… that Kat is asexual but she's said she'd be fine with… um… certain activities. Which, no I'm not ready for that EITHER but like… I wouldn't want her to think of me… like a kid or something…" mumbled Lily.

"You're the same age just about. That makes it a lot easier," responded Thyme. "I myself… have issues in that area,"

"Wait… are you not asexual? Or sort of just assumed. Not sure why… but I just sort of got that vibe?" said Lily.

"Ah… that's a complicated issue. Which, I suppose I can touch on a bit since you brought it up. I… don't remember the last time I was sexually attracted to anything or anyone.

Dryads don't normally feel it the same way as everyone else… but these bodies I've made a very good and I know that some other dryads have used them and found… sufficient reactions to things," said Thyme trying not to embarrass Lily with the explanation.

"I think, and really this is just a guess, that I'm closer to 'Demi-sexual' but I lack true peers. So many people just feel… maybe not like literal children but in the same sort of category. Even the other dryads, the ones that are theoretically older then me… just know so much less about the world. About life. Plus, there is the fact that a lot of that time was spent asleep.

"See, I'm powerful. I enjoy playing up the jokester angle to get people to forget just what that really means. Not to sound conceited… but with my affinities and my level of strength? I am basically a god. Now, I know for a fact I'm not the strongest creature on the planet… but I might be the strongest PERSON. Which… makes it hard to really connect with people.

"The only people who maybe have a chance are the kings and queens… but they all have their own issues. Ulf would never remarry and he's sort of like a brother or an Uncle figure. Auctifer obviously has his harem, Titania… maybe. Not a big fan of her tendency to sleep around… and little Oditr is basically a baby. Once again, not literally… but she's so much younger then the rest.

"Honestly I'm proud of the girl. She has managed to stand strong against people that are her superior in many ways. Once again, not to denigrate her efforts, she's very powerful for her age… but it's that 'for her age' addition that needs to be said. Then after that? There's really not too many options left for me. Certainly not ones I know of.

So… yeah it's hard to say. I have the vaguest of memories of that sort of thing when I was younger…

"But the bodies I was using back then shouldn't have been advanced enough for that. Perhaps they didn't need to be… or perhaps it was just a dream, or some fungus that was giving me gout. Could be anything really," explained Thyme.

Lily let out a sigh. "That's… sort of sad Thyme,"

"Eh, I have good friends, plenty of people who are basically family and I'm probably immortal already. I've got time. If I have to wait for the universe to end and make me way to a knew one with more powerful figures to find love? I can do that," answered Thyme with a shrug.

"That… that's crazy to think about," mumbled Lily.

"Indeed. You've taken steps to secure your relationship with Kat very early into your long lives. Normally, rushing into something like that so early could very well cause a disaster… but the fact that your minds are connected so intimately? I doubt it'll ever become a problem," stated Thyme.

"Wait why?" asked Lily. "I mean… I don't regret doing it, but it WAS terribly impulsive. It felt like the only way to keep up with Kat in the long term…"

"Honestly you're probably right on that front. I don't know what would've happened… but yes I think this was your best chance at keeping up. As for why you're not likely to have issues? Communication is the key to any relationship and even after a century of knowing someone… where you can share information with just a glance? There can still be moments of miscommunication.

"You two bypass that entirely. Of course, there is also the idea that you'd get bored of each other… but I find that's not how it works in the real world. Sure it does happen… but not with everyone, and almost certainly not with those who fall properly in love and not lust.

Now don't get me wrong, some people like Auctifer need to branch out… but I doubt either of you feel the need for that," explained Thyme.

Lily blushed brightly. "Um… no. Even… even before it was Kat I only had one person on my mind. Sure they turned out to be a horrible person in the end… but before that final nail in the coffin I didn't stray. Kat is much better. So much nicer to me, so much more than that bitch… the idea that I could ever find anyone else is ludicrous,"

"Exactly. For all that people imagine that love becomes boring as the years go on… strong bonds of loved forged in your younger years? They became the foundation of your life going forward. They are not so easily broken apart. I mean, take Ulf for example. He loved his wife and stood by her side for hundreds of years, and he will mourn her passing for hundreds of years more.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he never remarries… because she was that important to him.

"Still, death does have a way of changing things. Of course, that's not a problem you'll have to worry about either. Neither of you will leave the other behind," said Thyme with a wistful sigh. "I am slightly envious but I have hope I'll find my match someday. So come, let's explore some lighter topics! No sense dwelling on the distant past and future just yet,"

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