Virginia
As Algen ventured deeper into the roots of Gaia, a haunting chill made him shiver, penetrating through layers of clothing and seeping into his bones. This root he was walking on, frost-kissed, sprawled out in what seemed to extend into eternity. Each step echoing the crunch of frost beneath his bare feet, the only sound in so much desolation.

Through the gaps in the roots, the god cast a gaze towards the distant void —an abyss that seemed to stretch infinitely. In the far distances, barely visible, Nevarain floated around.

From this point, Algen's home in the void appeared very distant and isolated from everything. 

He sighed, his breath making smoke from the cold. 

He wasn't expecting to someone coming to this place, but he was glad the he ventured so far, because from here he could view how beautiful the void could be.
Stephen
A thud rumble the ground as a man groaning weakly, Néel sits up groggily as he crane to the spot where his foot slips. A huge hole on the sky utter devastating sigh from the humanoid deity

*Owch... Did I miss the left corner?*

His palm touch the surface as he yelps, quickly withdraw his limb, the dark earth seem to kill any finger on its touch as his feet trembles, still, Néel crawl up as he limping across thousand knives earth

*Ah... I-can't see...*

His stone finger wipes his eyes harshly as gust blow his golden locks into his face, Néel titters as buds withering from his legs, breathing becoming choreus as his eyes notices a figure. Standing solemly under black cloaks of them, Néel moves but his legs seemingly immobile as he gazes upon the figure

*My... My voice—*

"H-Hello-"

Before he can form words, conciousness leaves him as his heavy body falls on the ground.
Victoria
Curbita barely noticed the chill as she leapt across the roots of the World Tree. Her mother had recognised that extreme heat and cold were typical weaknesses of plants, and so had granted her children an immunity to the elements. The Pumpkin Fairy was no different, the frigid air barely affecting her. What did affect her, though, was leaping onto the icy root and slipping on the thin sheet of frost that covered the air. Her little pumpkin themed booties skidded against the frost and the wood of the World Tree as she lost her balance, tripping and falling onto her back before she could use her wings to stabilise herself.

The sound of the impact would almost certainly draw the attention of the gods looking upon them, and the loud *"Oof!"* Certainly would if the thud hadn't trick. She pushed herself into a sitting position, shaking her head to get rid of the dizziness and the the snow that now dotted her hair. From here, the gods would be able to get a good look at this mortal newcomer. She was dressed like a pumpkin pie, they might be able to note, her dress coloured in the warm brown and orange tones. A little pumpkin beanie now covered in white speckles of snow sat atop a crop of blonde hair that reached down to her chin.

Notably, four pairs of leafy wings jutted out from her back like a beetle's. The leaves were large and lobed, like a Pumpkin's leaves, and they fluttered like a beetle's as she used them to push herself to her feet. With the stun from the fall slowly fading, she finally made to look around and take in her surroundings. She still seemed to be a little stunned from the fall, though, since instead of saying anything, she just shook her head and shook some more snow off of herself not unlike a humanoid dog.
Virginia
He rushed to hold the man with blonde hair as he fell to the ground.

Algen wasn't happy to have his moment disturbed and the first thing that came to his mind was to just leave the man there, but, despite not wanting to meet new people, he still found himself worrying over how pale this man was. Even paler than himself.

Gaia benevolent as ever must have made this encounter possible, because at the exact moment he caught the man in his arms, cradling him to give a bit of warmth to his body, another being appeared, descending gracefully with her little leaf wings.
She looked adorable with her pumpkin appearance.

The blonde man grunted as if deep in sleep, he collapsed so easily, and even worse, looked like a common mortal.

"Help me, please!" He said towards the fairy, he didn't know what to do in this situation and his many whispers were all mixed together, showing his concern. "He just collapsed!"
Victoria
The Pumpkin Fairy hadn't been expected to be addressed out of the blue. Her gaze flickered over to the fallen man and the person cradling him. She didn't immediately move to help, instead tilting her head as she considered both gods in front of her. 

She spent a moment weighing whether it would be more boring to help him or let him die, but eventually settled on helping him. The little fairy fluttered over, carried by her leafy beetle wings, and considered the unconscious man. "Hm... Okay!" She squinted at his face as if trying to catch sight of something that neither of them would be able to see. 

She reached into the small pumpkin themed bag that she was carrying, pulling out a huge pumpkin pie that she had somehow managed to fit in there. It was literally steaming, the smell of the freshly baked pastry beginning to permeate the air. As she held the food in her hands, though, it began to disintegrate into tiny little particles that began to swirl around her.

She bent down, holding out her hand that began to glow with an orange light. She murmured something under her breath as she cast a spell to try and heal the man from whatever injuries he might have. Physical was always the place that she started before she tried to target any the god that he might have taken.
Stephen
His frigid arm permeates color as flowers budding along his limbs and when its seeds touch his eyelashes, Néel grunt weakly before opening his eyes, two figures staring at him curiously. The anxious young man though had crease his brows so deep, it could break the frost in the air and as Néel ruminate on it, his palm reach to touch the young man's cheek

"You would never come for me, Lephy... Still I'm glad..."

His mutters halt as he withdraw his palm, embarrassment color his face as he notice the witness of a fairy, Néel gently push the young man's shoulders with a wry smile

*He's not him... He... Just get yourself together Nela... He's not here...*

"I—I'm sorry... I must have cause trouble to you both, no?"
Virginia
It felt divine watching as the fairy made a pie dissolve into particles. When her hands started glowing, his eyes reflected the light, and he was mesmerized by how gracious she looked while healing the blonde man. He wasn't sure if this spell she was making was really having any effect on him, but trying was better than nothing.

Then, he opened his eyes, with flowers spreading on his skin so beautifully that it was hard not to stare. As this happened, though, Algen was sure this was no mortal, he felt the push on his body when the deity woke up. He only felt this with some deities like Madness, recently born...

He winced when his hands touched his cheek, a bit surprised by the contact. Not only that, but he wasn't used to this gentleness from other deities, the only one who did something similar was Xantara, but she did that with everyone. Somehow, this felt more personal than it should have been.



He couldn't finish the sentence, his shoulders were gently pushed, and he got caught by surprise once again.
His smile was a bit cold, this caught Algen's attention.


Today he was wearing flowy garments, weightless fabric made from the softest silk; It had white and gold on the clothes, and when he walked, it almost felt like they were made from clouds. The only thing bare were his feet, since he preferred to be physically connected with Gaia all the time.
Stephen
The young man's voice travels to his brain as his flustered face turn to the fairy woman, as expected, Néel chuckles at his idiocy, letting that scant warmth from his arm leaves Néel. Somehow he can't help but staring at his ebony, sliky hair, even though Néel knows, his fixed heart still whine for the mere replica of 'him'. Still, the young man extend a part of him with that same shy smile, Néel can't help but smile fondly at it

*What a flustered boy... Hah, but isn't the reason why he's like this was because of me?*

"Yes, thank you Young Sire..."

As he readily address the fairy whom had been observing them, Néel return a smile for his gratitude

*What a strange fairy is it...*
Victoria
She looked curiously on as the unconscious man awoke from his slumber. The Pumpkin Fairy shook her head. "Not really. That took barely any effort." She put her hands behind her back and tilted her head. Her form bobbed in the air as the low drone of her wings rapidly beating against the air became a quiet background noise to the conversation going on.

The Ceres seemed to almost get lost in her own thoughts before she was suddenly addressed. Her head jerked back a tiny bit as she realised that she was being spoken to, but her look of surprise quickly melted into an excitable grin. She gave off the same vibes as a golden retriever as she puffed out her chest and stuck a thumb into her cheek. "Meeeeeeee?" She exclaimed, delighted to have been talked to. "I'm Curbita!"

She clapped her hands, beginning to rub them together. "And I'm here to tell you that the best crops ever are..." She paused for dramatic effect, then pulled her hands apart to reveal a large, fully grown pumpkin that definitely had not been there a moment ago. "PUMPKINS!" As if to illustrate her point, the pumpkin exploded, sending a shower of pulp splattering like a shotgun blast. Fortunately, it had been directed at herself, so it covered the root behind her and herself pretty thoroughly but spared the two gods.
Stephen
The fairy bubbly figure sudden explosion causes Néel to recoil, pulling the young man's sleeves with him but Curbita's fireworks blooms beautifully as it stun him, his eyes reflects the warm glow of the fairy as his lips slips out an awe

"So pretty..."

It reminds him of something he saw of from the Old World, people would have gather around a space on the sky, excitedly crane their heads and—

*"Heh, how useless... Humans spray smokes on the sky to feel worthy of their measly lives... Hm? Why are you smiling?"*

*It's still pretty everywhere you go, Lephy...*
Virginia
The *Wow* Was silent but pretty visible on Algen's face, the mini explosion was so beautiful and cute at the same time that he couldn't even control his expression. He was impressed by Curbita to a point that he was flabbergasted. 



His curiosity sparked, eyes glowing from the desire to know much, much, *Much* More.
Victoria
"Well, technically, I *Can* Grow other stuff." She admitted, but suddenly frowned. "But why would I grow anything other than pumpkins when pumpkins are pumpkinly pumpfect?!" She didn't even have to move to will a whole patch of pumpkin plants to plop out of the roots around them. 

"And of course I can grow pumpkins without them exploding! As a pumpkin myself, I know all about not exploding, and can teach it to my crops!" Her body twisted at an unnatural angle as she seemed to quite literally shifted into a floating pumpkin. She hopped around for a bit in her true form before popping back into her humanoid form. 

As Algen introduced himself as a god, she clapped her hands together excitedly. "You're a god? That means... You're another uncle!" She clapped her hands. "Mom hasn't told us about an Algen yet, so that means that you must not have met her yet..." She tapped her finger against her chin and nodded sagely.
Stephen
Néel notices the young man's gaze on him again as his eyes soften into a smile, he bows his head into a curtsie to Algen

"I am Néel... And I have a duty to look over nature."

*Is it too vague? I myself aren't sure yet but he shouldn't be too interested in such an old soul like this body...*

While he was thinking, the ever cheerful fairy monologuing among herself as his lips chuckle lightly.
Virginia
But he got confused for a moment when she called him 'uncle'. He couldn't be related to her in any possible way unless one of his many siblings—some of whom he didn't even know the names of— decided to give birth somehow. That would make this pumpkin some kind of semi-god, right?

She didn't look like one, and he didn't feel the push he felt when around other deities, she looked common despite her appearance.



He hoped this mortal would understand at least a little about this. The other deities could think they were really deeply related, like mortal families are, but Algen only recognized the title as a way to say they're all Gaia's creation, not really as if they were truly the same blood.

Because, in the end, they aren't.

He commanded the mist to go towards Curbita, forming a small mist butterfly as a way to show that, despite his words being a little harsh, he wasn't threatening.
Victoria
"Well, my mother planted me, helped me germinate and flower and bear fruit, and then let me think and talk... I think that makes her my mom. Isn't a mom someone that brings life to you?" She tilted her head, considering the semantics for just a moment before deciding that yes, that was what a mom was.

She turned to Algen, tilting her head. "But that does make you siblings. You don't have to come from the same fruit to be siblings." She tilted her head, her eyes crossing a little as she got confused by his definitions of siblings. "Siblings are just people that you share the same parent with, aren't they?"

Some might argue that being grown from a tree was different from being birthed like a mammal, but given that Curbita had already explained herself to be a literal enchanted shapeshifting pumpkin, that kind of argument wouldn't really hold water with her. She giggled a little at the misty butterfly, her own form dissolving to mimic it. 

Her melodic voice rang out from her butterfly body even though she didn't have the vocal cords to talk. *"I dunno about the semantics, but my mom always calls all the other gods her siblings, so I think you're all my uncles and aunties anyway!"* She blatantly disregarded what he had tried to say about not being related to her mother.

The Pumpkin Fairy made a little spluttering sound when Neel mentioned his domain over nature. "Oof, nature? I'm sorry, Uncle Néel." If her misty form had a head, it was pretty clear she would be shaking it. "That's gotta suck." Like her mother, Curbita wasn't very fond of nature. Like her mother, the Pumpkin Fairy was a creature of civilisation! Agriculture was what mortal ingenuity could cultivate, not the wild nature.
Stephen
As sudden as a gust of wind, the pair of youngsters turn their attention at Néel as he frantically meet four pair of eyes, his palms slightly raise to hold off their intense staring

"Oh dear... Well, I myself aren't opposed to the ideal of growing an ecosystem myself, I am quite fond for nature..."

His words trail off as the thought of it grows colder, might be the frigid weather under here or the slightly gelid stare from Algen. For him, it might be both, his voice mutter below breaths, blending with Algen's gust itself

"To be honest, I am not sure if I am fit for the title myself. A garderner can't become the Mother of Nature just because he was assigned to it, no?"

*Am I asking myself or am I asking these two...? Haah, it's getting a little harder to breathe again...*
Virginia
As deities, they shouldn't be defined by the mortal way of telling who their families are; beings that defy reality can be allowed to define who they are related to, and Algen only thought he was a mere creation from Gaia; despite calling her mother, he was nothing but a piece, just like any other of them. Much more important than mortals, but still just creations like them.

He played a little with the butterfly, swirling it around his fingers before dissolving it.



He took a look at Néel's body, beautifully made and not showing any signs of being nature itself besides the flowers. (I like nature, I even made myself a tree.) Algen confessed, a genuine smile gracing his features. The subtle nod of approval showing that he thought Néel seemed peaceful enough.

However, when the other deity started talking about not being fit to be the god of nature, Algen got weirdly angry. It's just that this domain had so many possibilities that Gaia wouldn't let someone who wasn't capable play such an important role. His eyes, usually serene, were now intense, glowing with discomfort.

With that, Algen withdrew, closing his arms and letting a breeze carry his mist, deciding to avoid talking more than this.
Victoria
She was fine with playing around with him, dancing around his fingers. When he asked if she was a part of nature, though, she let out an odd noise that sounded something like an offended gasp and a squeal.

*"Of course not!"* She asserted forcefully. "My mom planted and grew me from scratch! It'd be weird for the goddess of agriculture's creations to be *Natural*." She said the word like it were an insult. Her mother was a goddess of civilisation, not the crude wild nature. 

It had nothing to do with mortals, really. Honestly, the Ceres never really made much distinction between what was mortal and what wasn't. Their lives were protected from the march of time by their mother's blessing already, so they never had much room to worry about things like mortality. They could still die, but it would not be the passage of time that would do them in.

She did agree with what Algen said, flapping her wings a little faster as if to simulate a nod. *"That's right!"* She exclaimed. *"As much as you drew a short straw, Gamma must have had some reason to give you your purpose!"* Gamma Gaia was not the type to freely give out power, Triticea had once told her daughters. That power was granted in exchange for the gods carrying out certain purposes, just like how the Ceres had been granted power by Triticea to fulfill their purpose.

Her misty form swirled, and she popped back into a more solid form. This time she was a tiny little dog. Her leafy beetle like wings had returned, beating rapidly to keep her in the air. The low drone of her beating wings began to fill the air once more as she grinned at him. At least, it *Seemed* Like a grin, since dogs' faces could just naturally seem like they were smiling.

*"Gamma Gaia wouldn't have given a purpose to someone that wouldn't be able to carry it out!"* She reassured her divine uncle with absolute conviction. She believed in Gaia's will just as firmly as her Mother did, after all.
Stephen
The fairy jumps around in a dog form in a blink of an eye as she echoes back Algen's huffing rejection of Néel's unsure moment, at that, his lips crack a small smiles, chuckles at both of their kind nature

*You both truly trust the divine decision of Gaia, huh. I'm envious~!"

*Well, I'm more worried than envious... They seem to be under the influence of that creator for long time...*

Néel smiles again as he clap his palms, point at a distance as his frigid skin seeping into the withered seedpods, merging into a blue rose as he notices them and pluck it gently, offering them to Algen

"How about we converse more in a warm environment? I am not fair much in this sort of weather."
Virginia
He was angry, still he couldn't help but laugh at how the fairy got a bit angry with him implying that she was part of nature, (I'm sorry Curbita, you're very sweet, and I won't imply this again.) The whispers echoed.

Néel wasn't wrong in saying that this place was cold, with a branch that extended so close to being entirely in the void, he wasn't surprised to see that even his breath was visible. Algen was fond of coldness; that's why he felt at peace sitting on the edge of the branch, his bare feet dangling on the abyss; his white, loose clothes made from silk and organza swayed with the soft wind, and he wasn't really inclined to leave this soon.



He imagined that they would like the interior of Nevarain's houses, since his mortals prioritized warmth where they lived. Those homes felt like a nice cup of hot chocolate during a thunderstorm.
Victoria
"Of course I do." She nodded proudly at her Uncle Néel. "Mom always says to trust in Gamma Gaia's will. The gods were given their domains for a reason, because Gamma thought that they were the right ones for the job." 

Algen's assurances seemed to calm her down entirely. She put a paw below her mouth and looked thoughtful. "That's right." She nodded. "Pumpkins *Are* Sweet to the taste." If she found it at all disturbing that she was technically talking about the taste of her own kind, she didn't show it. 

The offer of warming up the place did appeal to her, though not for the reasons they might have expected. "Good idea!" She exclaimed with a grin. "The cold isn't good for growing pumpkins!" However, her idea of what Néel was asking for was rather different than what he had probably been thinking of. Instead of heading to a warmer area, she was more interested in bringing the warmth to them.

She clapped her hands, a burst of hot air blasting from between them. Glowing orange magic grew into a large bubble that washed over both herself and the gods that had gathered here. The temperature rose steadily until it was a pleasant summer's day - the perfect temp for cultivating pumpkins.

It occurred to her that there was a good chance that she was actually older than these uncles, causing her to giggle.
Stephen
Waves of warm gust blows at his face as Néel winces in the miracle of Curbita, soon, the air around them become a pocket heater, frost melts on his arms and Néel can finally breathe again. But before he can flip his head to Curbita, the thorn inside his hand startle the homosapien.
It was the abandoned blue rose, roll around between his finger as he looks up at Algen. His white attire blinding Néel's conflicted feelings, his palms grip on the rose, letting the blood flow down his arms

*What am I even doing? He isn't Lephy... No one can be him... Still, do I see the god before me or the demon who I acquaint...*

"I like the cold too but it doesn't let me see your face very well, Algen."

He flick his face away from Algen's view as Néel quietly absorb his blooming feelings, let them rot for all eternity. Until he can forget this heartbreak, it will become fertilizer for a new start.

"Anyway, Curbita, my deepest gratitude for providing us this shelter."

Alas, he turn his face at the shapeshifting fairy, bringing out his best smile—struggling with it, of course.
Virginia
Algen clapped his hands when Curbita did her thing. Whatever god that made her gave truly impressive skills to their mortals, the pumpkin fairy was the perfect example of this, showing so many things to them that Algen couldn't even predict it would exist.

Unfortunately, this was a little too hot for him that was used to be constantly cold. 
He huffed, a hot breath making him bothered, looking like he had just run a marathon.

He felt a little like a fish out of water, the humidity leaving his body and the mist getting even thicker, stiffing the air.

One would be surprised to know that mist on summer days wasn't a really pleasant thing.



When Algen noticed blood coming from Neéls hand, with some petals of a blue flower falling into the ground, he quickly dropped to his knees, grabbing his arm.

Algen didn't know how someone could make such a smile while being in pain.
He looked to Curbita, searching for a clue about this situation.
Victoria
She beamed right back at the Living Nature, having no trouble with smiling at all. When you lived happily with no troubles to worry about except who would win small games, it wasn't difficult to be happy. "No problem! I'm always happy to accomodate for my uncles! Well... Unless mom tells me not to, but she's never mentioned an Uncle Néel or an Uncle Algen, so it's probably alright."

Curbita puffed out her chest proudly at the compliment. Her head began to grow bigger, literally, as she was showered in praise. Unfortunately, she soon sensed a more concerned gaze on her, causing her eyes to open a little and catch a glimpse of her uncle's bleeding hand. Her reaction, however, was probably not as expected.

"Woah, cool!" She clapped her hands together. She seemed to have chosen to imitate him, as when she pulled her hands apart they were stained with... Yellow. Yeah, she was a pumpkin, so she had pumpkin juice flowing through her veins instead of the more standard red blood. "You could be like, the god of fashion!" She complimented her Uncle Néel. She didn't seem to understand that the blood was meant to be a bad thing.

When she was asked to heal it, she tilted her head. "Why would I heal it?" She tilted her head. "Uncle Néel's a god! If he didn't want to bleed, he would just choose not to and it would happen." She spoke with absolute confidence. "There's nothing I can do that a god can't already do."
Stephen
His mutters suddenly interuppt by Algen's face lean into him as his cold palm cling to Néel's wrist, it send shivers down his spine as his ebony pairs shine beneath the orange glow of Curbita's veil. 
The furrowing crease on his face was because of Néel and it gutted his stomach further as he wipes the blood away, smear them on his tunic hastily, he avoid Algen's eyes, shakily formulate his words

"No, no, no... It's okay, Algen, Curbita. It's just—I was confused... That is all..."

But what he didn't know that the blue roses which he crushed bloom on his back, the more his feelings grows, the more they emerges as he felt his throat tighten, Néel scooch himself to get away but the force of Algen's grasp startles the homosapien as his shoulders trembles

*I need to clear this up... I need to make him hate me... He's not... He's not 'him'*

But somehow his words stuck on the tip of his tongue as Néel grunts against his teeths.

*Bollocks—!*
Virginia
His eyes glowed upon seeing some flowers on Néel's back, blue like his eyes on this form he was wearing. (And I was also curious if your kind can heal easily or not...) He was in a trance looking at the flowers that were so beautiful he couldn't help but try and touch them.

He was mesmerized by both beings, Curbita, a creation so well-made, and Néel, a deity so unique. He felt lucky to be there, even if this place right now was too hot for his taste.
Victoria
Néel's assurances that it was ok were something Curbita accepted without question. She'd already believed that he was fine even before he'd made any attempt to reassure her, so she didn't really need much mind changing to just go along with what he'd said. She just nodded to show her acknowledgement, clapping her own bleeding palms together and getting pumpkin chunks all over the roots beneath her. Thankfully, her uncles were both far away enough to avoid getting any pumpkin showers at the moment. 

The question did make her giggle, however. "Well, I *Did* Regrow my head earlier. Mom gave us fluid shapes, so I can do... This!" She willed her hands to swell to wither into old grandma hands, but it didn't stop there. Her hands literally withered into dust and left only stumps behind. It didn't even take seconds for new hands to sprout from the pumpkin-juice-soaked stumps, however, quickly popping a new pair of hands into existence. 

She examined the flower curiously, tilting her head. "It's nice... Not as nice as pumpkin flowers, of course, but it still looks pretty good." She appraised. As a daughter of the goddess of agriculture, evaluating the value in plants was as easy to her as breathing, though it was coloured by her inherent bias towards the plant that she had been before she had been awakened and given a more malleable body.
Stephen
Even before Néel can stops Algen's advance, his ripping force startles the homosapien as he grit back his surprised sensation, the hollow root where Algen pluck doesn't bleed but his cheerful, *Cruel* Smile certainly spark an itch inside Néel's heart.
Instead of asking him why and risking their needless worry again, he holds back his tears with a grin, crooked with grimacing brows as he accept Curbita's compliment

"Y... Yes, is that so? May I ask for how does pumpkin flowers looks like, Curbita?"

He shift his whole focus on the fairy as if he wholeheartedly avoiding Algen's gaze. His confused action will be answer if Néel can just look at him. This tearing heart will be healed if Néel can just find any sign of rejection. But even so—

*Why did he laugh like that? Does he found my heartbreak... Funny? Oh, I know it, I shouldn't let my feelings so apparent to anyone... But I bloody did it anyway...*

Néel finally tries to stand on his feet and when he do, the homosapien turn his head away from touching Algen's eyes. Somehow he felt in his gut that if he does, everything... The tingle heat from that cruel demeanor. His Lephy. His skin crawls at that thought.
Virginia
He notices how Néel avoids his eyes and doesn't say a thing when he says how beautiful the flowers are. This must have been a bad decision, but Algen didn't quite comprehend it. He had feelings too and wanted to have them, but he wasn't any closer to a mortal, he hadn't learned yet how some things aren't appropriate... It was only recently that he learned that his mortals had desires in their hearts —desires that could also kill them. He was now learning that some gods could be very similar to mortals, more bound to mortality even though they were immortal. Néel must be one of those, letting pain and many other things affect him much more than Algen and other deities would ever let.

He felt a pain in his chest, the same way he felt when his Sombra was turned into a statue. The same way he felt when Madness left him to rot.
The difference here is that even the Sombra was beautiful after death, and Madness didn't seem to mind when she ripped a piece of herself apart; his smile there was more appreciated.



With that, he waited to see what Curbita would do now, and in the meantime, he focused on making a portion of the mist his favorite flower while the blue one from Néel decayed on his hand.

He put the flower on his head despite it withering, since he didn't want to waste such a pretty flower, and formed a forget-me-not from dust, tapping Néels shoulder to try catching his attention.



He remembered what the bug goddess Savarii said about mortals —she must be someone like Néel too.

Curbita must understand what Algen says, they both seemed fine with what happened to Néel. Algen a little less since he was troubled by why the deity would let himself feel pain, but he still thought just like Curbita.



He pondered, letting his words settle a little and changing his form to be different. The form that was made after Madness and was entirely formed to be inside a blue palette, looking fragile.
Victoria
If Néel had wanted to turn the conversation away from the reason his hands were bleeding, he had picked exactly the right topic to ask exactly the right person. There was nothing in the world that could distract a Ceres more effectively than asking them to talk about the genus that they represented. Immediately, her mind slipped away from the topic of bleeding hands as she brought her hands together again.

Instead of bleeding this time, she pulled them apart to reveal a beautiful pumpkin flower had sprouted from them. It was shaped not unlike a traditional star, with five sharp petals coloured with a warm orange yellow colour. Curbita smiled with pure, unadulterated joy at the flower in her hands. She had seen many things in her travels between the realms, but nothing more beautiful than the flower of her own fruit. Pure adoration and childish delight danced in her eyes as she cupped her hands around the star-shaped flower and let out reverent breaths. Gently, she brought it up to showcase it to her uncles.

She overheard the conversation going on between Néel and Algen, so she interjected to offer her own mortal perspective. As she lifted her hands and gave the flower a new home in her hair, she shook her head. "Well, I dunno what it's like to be all goddy, but my mom can be volatile. She's got like, two aspects, so she's always switching up on us! But that's what us kids are for, right? To take care of our parents just like they take care of us!" 

Her perspective was obviously not a universal one. Not all mortal species were as close to their creator deity as the Ceres were, and the fonder and more personal way that Curbita spoke of her mother would probably not be shared amongst most other mortals speaking of their gods. Still, she hoped that her encouragement would help to reassure both of her uncles that it was okay for them to be imperfect, because their mortals would be there to help them make up for what they didn't have.
Stephen
His words. His action. His face. May everything serve to deceit Néel because this suffocating from Algen's awkward smile and—a forget-me-not, it's enough to overturn his broken heart, giving it another vessel to swells and waiting for a chance to shatters into pieces again. Néel aren't foreign to heartbreak, but maybe so when it involves individual like 'him'.
The homosapien shyly take Algen's gift, tears rolling down his cheek as if his confession is answered, but he knows it isn't. There's nothing to be said or nothing hanging. But this mortally painful god blindly open his battered heart, shakily take in breaths

*When will I learn to not giving up my heart...?*

As Néel pondered, Algen honest words draw his attention as he change his form again, an attempt to mimic ways of a mortal awes Néel as he bring his palm to the wilted flower, revitalize it onto Algen's silky hair, his lips slightly pull into a carelessly sweet smile

"Being a mortal or a god, I don't think it's important Algen. It's your heart whom my eyes looking at."

His own words flushes himself as Néel break his eye contact with Algen, his earlobes paints beet red. Even Curbita's words become a gust of wind as Néel's world only highlighted the fellow god besides him.
Virginia
When Néel forgave him, he became much more at ease and happier. So happy that when the flower on his ear bloomed again, he decided to also do more for Curbita and the season god. 





He mimicked the way his mortals made porcelain and ceramic from mist, shaping it to form the small porcelain flowers in a bracelet for both of them. The appearance of the flowers seemed common, but upon looking closer, they would see the constant movement of fog bottled inside the accessory.
Stephen
As he happily chatting with the fairy and also Néel, his darknened face only brighten further, overlapping the season god's muddy jealousy as he take a glance at Curbita's flower, wincing at the fairy's effortless action to make him smile but before he can act on his selfish self, the mist surrounding him twinkles as buds blooming one by one, the homosapien agape at his bushes of pumpkin and blue flowers, slowly cups them on his palm

"The very ugly thing can be a burning star... Personally for me, it's pretty enough."

His lips hovers but quickly close it as to not say anything more but somewhere in Néel, hoping for his gaze at him. Just little bit would be fine for this slowly falling in love god.

*Even back then... I can't fall in love with anyone else... But a godhood of freedom—might not be so bad*
Victoria
Curbita remained blissfully unaware as to the specifics of the whole lookalike drama that was currently going down between her two uncles, because both of them were complete and total strangers to her. She did tilt her head at the red shade that his ears turned, however, because she didn't quite understand the colour choice there. She had only recently been deployed to spread abundance, so she didn't actually have much experience with other mortals besides her sisters. That unfortunately meant that she had no idea the implications of someone blushing.

What she did understand was Algen's compliments to her flower. She seemed more flattered by this than any compliments that she'd received herself, in fact, her smile splitting her face. No, literally, her grin tore open her cheeks, but it didn't seem to hurt her in any way. She'd just come to understand that bigger smiles usually meant more happiness, and so she was taking that to an extreme that she didn't yet understand wasn't normally possible for mortals. "Thanks, I love it too!" Despite her much larger than normal mouth, her voice didn't seem to have been affected at all.

She was particularly delighted with the pumpkin themed bracelet, snatching it up with a gasp of excitement. "It's... Pumpkins!" She exclaimed, "I love it! I love it I love it I love it!" She kicked her feet in the air as she hugged the pumpkin themed bracelet close to her chest. She seemed more happy with the fact that it was pumpkin themed than anything else, but the fact remained that she clearly liked it. "I'll tell mom to send you some gifts as a thank you!" She gave him a thumbs up. "My sisters and I spend all our time back home cooking, so we've got the best stuff in all the World Tree! I can send you some Pumpkin Pies!"

She reached behind her back and ripped one of her wings off of her back. A new one sprouted instantly, but she took hold of her old leafy wing and scribbled a note for herself on it with her finger and some magic.
Virginia
Algen laughed, his true voice coming closer than the other voices for the first time. A laugh that was breathy and raspy, almost as if he had damaged vocal cords.
The sound of it was so quiet that he was probably the only one who heard it.

Happy for it but ignoring it anyway, he lowered his head to thank Curbita for the appreciation of his gift.
He was a little disturbed upon seeing how far her smile could go, but being a god made him see far weirder things, so, in the end, even if he was a little disturbed, he ended up getting used to her face very quickly.



He said this, considering that younger minds would like her, just as much as he liked her. And, if you think a little, he was indeed a young mind.

Algen, hearing what Néel said, turned to him, closing his hands in front of his heart and pushing it forward. A sign he thought would be good to sign his next words:
"Thank you." 

Maybe he should start teaching his mortals sign language, this would probably be a better way to express himself without using his voice.



He turned his attention back to Curbita, who was talking about gifts. He smiled, giving her two thumbs up.
"I would love pumpkin pies!" He said this while clapping his hands happily. "Tell your mother I would love to meet her too! Perhaps I can make more gifts for you and her..."|

Algen took a portion of mist and started shaping it on his hand to make another bracelet, this one with some pumpkins and little stars.
Stephen
His hands doing some sort of motion as his words flutter the homosapien as he avoiding Algen like some blossoming teenager.

At the same time. Curbita waving around the bracelet excitedly but until his vision adjust to the blinding rays, he notice the present he give to him. 

Well, also Curbita. His finger lightly touch the pumpkin bracelet as he kiss them softly without letting Algen knows as the god of mist turn his attention to the fairy, chatting all innocently without noticing Néel's gaze on him

*Well, that is to be expected... You're always so selfish huh, Néel Marches Lavertheri...*

The homosapien was about to turn his attention away as to calm his heart but Algen timely catch his wrist and it messes with his heartbeat. Again.

He said he doesn't resemble mortal but does his genuine smile a sign of a god or was it his real emotion? Néel masks his true feeling behind a polite smile but this time more polish

"Oh, you're certainly a charming gentleman, Algen. I expected people go crazy for you, no?"

*Like I was...*
Victoria
"I like my smile too!" She agreed pridefully. There didn't seem to be even an ounce of shame in her body as she gleefully complimented herself and accepted the praise being heaped upon her. She seemed to be basking in it not unlike how a plant basked in the sun to photosynthesise... Hey, maybe there was something to the whole description of praise as *Glowing* After all. The Pumpkin Fairy's wings seemed to beat even more intensely at her steadily growing ego. Perhaps it was a sign of happiness in the Ceres, like how dogs wagged their tails when they were excited about something?

It might come as a surprise that she grew even more excited when he accepted her offer of pumpkin pies. Finally, a chance to show him once and for all what the ultimate crop in all the realms was! She seemed to tune pretty much everything else that he'd said out when she'd heard that, nodding absently as he asked her to put him in touch with her mom. She could definitely *Ask*, but actually getting her shut in of a divine mother to agree to do anything productive that *Wasn't* Related to the Wheatmother's domain was not a prospect that inspired a great deal of faith in her. 

She relayed this much to Algen. "Well, I can try, but mom's a bit of shut in. Like, so shut in that she made my sisters and me just so we could remind her to get out and talk to people." She warned. Néel hadn't really addressed her all that much this time round, so she didn't really have much to say to him in return. Instead, she'd lowered her head and delved deep into her mind to conjure up some ideas on how she might wheedle her ever antisocial mother into getting out of the realm for once to go see these two uncles that Triticea had never met before.
Virginia
Algen got a little surprised with what Néel said, why would someone go crazy over him?

He laughed a little, thinking that he maybe could do something like that if he showed his true form. To mortals that must be overwhelming.


He then pinched his forehead, remembering that some time have passed, and he needed his attention in a single place, focused in Nevarain with his mortals. Today was an important day for them, and following what Curbita said he decided to help his mortals and try getting closer.


Then, he looked to the dark horizon, straight to Nevarain where part of his consciousness was. 


He was in a bit of a rush now that he remembered his obligation with helping his mortals with the festival, but at least, that gave him an Idea.



He turned to Néel, rushing to hug the god. Something he learned with the mortal called Methusela, that told him hugs were a form of greetings and goodbyes.

He imagined many flowers blooming around beyond the forget-me-nots, flourishing on houses and in the wild.

Algen attracted the mist to himself, decided to go back to what he needed to do, and took portions of It, molding in a mirage of an invitation.



The invitation said: "The mortals on Nevarain are preparing the cold festival, every god, demigod and some mortals are invited to celebrate with us on  , please, bring something especial and something you want to be forgotten."
Stephen
He didn't get to processed Algen's embrace and he already rushes out of Curbita's veil, hurriedly talking about some sort of festival. 

Néel was about to stop him but were halt by his mist, revealing the festival Algen are talking about as the homosapien cups the mist, now that Algen's gone. 

The beautiful mask Néel let him see melt, only loneliness carve in every wrinkles on his face as he let his eyes follow the trail Algen left

*It's not about whose power are whose, it's my heart, you silly...*

He turn his gaze at the fairy as if all of his energy are drained from himself, Néel can only mutter to Curbita

"Your mother, Triticea would seem to like meeting Algen, Curbita."
Victoria
She snickered a little. "Let's hope so, but don't count on me actually getting my mom out of her realm. She's already been dragged out a bunch to social functions by the other gods already, so she'll definitely be extra grumpy."

On one hand, that didn't bode well for the chances of Triticea showing up to the invitation. On the other hand, it was a nice implication that she wasn't at all scared of her divine mother in a foul mood, so either she wasn't afraid of getting smited or didn't think there was a chance of it happening.

Despite her warnings, she pocketed the invitation... Somehow. Her dress didn't appear to have pockets, but that didn't stop her from sliding the letter somewhere down the pumpkin pie-scented fabric nonetheless. Something seemed to occur to her, though, since she frowned and scratched her head. 

"Wait, something I want to be forgotten? I don't really want anything to be forgotten, though." She tilted her head. It wasn't that she was attached to much, just that she didn't actually own much. "I guess I could bring my blanket or my pumpkin pastries? That's really all I have." She definitely couldn't take the cooking apparatus, since that belonged to her sisters just as much as it did to her.
Virginia
With that he waved a goodbye, his smile lingering for a while before truly dispersing in the fog.