[Text] un: voidheart

[dreamnailedit]

Hello.

This is The Knight.

I wish to talk about families.

What is your family like? Do you have siblings? I have many siblings. More siblings than there are moonblessed. One of them is here with me. They are also a knight. They were one long before I was, and they are very good at it.

I have a child. They were not born by mating, as humans do, but by a dance with myself and my friend Grimm. It was part of an important ritual.

My Father is a King. My Mother is a Tree. Also a Queen.

That is all of my family. Please tell me about yours.

Comments

You're fine!

[dreamnailedit]

I wonder if he knew. Or reciprocated.

[The funny thing is, they don't even understand the term "gossip".

And yet here they are.]

[instilled]

There is a mistake in the previous message.
The word 'I' was meant to be 'It'.
May all who read please forgive this error.
This vessel will be vigilant that it does not make another.

As for your question, sibling.
Grimm's reciprocation or lack thereof was not something this vessel was privy to.
But it assumes his child came from somewhere.
Parthenogenesis perhaps.
But mating is equally likely.

[dreamnailedit]

I am not so sure that is an error, sibling.

You have a heart now.

The child I know of came from our ritual.

It involved a dance. I imagine Grimm danced often.

[instilled]

You are the heart.

[ Which was a refutation without any direct denial. It felt oddly panicky about that, and quickly threw itself into the other part of the conversation to try to divert itself.]

Ah, so you are the other parent of Grimm's child?
Congratulations, sibling.
His kind are likely to only reproduce once.
Not like Mother.

[dreamnailedit]

Yes.

[Yes, they are, which means as long as they're around their sibling's heart is nearby.

But they'll just leave that thought to germinate on its own.]

Yes. He asked me to gather the fires and help him craft the charm.

It is strange to think of all the different ways bugs can reproduce.

But humans only have one way.

[instilled]

[ Ignore it, ignore it.

Oh, Father... ]

Maybe that way works best for them.
There are not many different types of human here.
There are so many different types of bugs.
From maggots to Wyrms, they are a varied creature.

[dreamnailedit]

That is true. Humans are only one-

I saw the word "species" used in a book.

[instilled]

"Species".
There are only one "species" of human, but many "species" of bugs.
That sounds correct, yes.
They do all look very similar.
Like us vessels.

[dreamnailedit]

Yes. All about the same height, all with their strange soft skin.

The differences are inside with them.

[instilled]

They are a fascinating people.
No wonder you wished to know more.

[dreamnailedit]

They are so different from us.

And yet, much about them is familiar as well.

[instilled]

From us Vessels?

[dreamnailedit]

From all bugs.

But very much so from us, yes.

[instilled]

Perhaps they too are children of God and Void.
Though it might be expected that they would not be surprised that the Root could have children in that case.

[dreamnailedit]

Their Gods may be very different from ours.

The Void is always the same, of course.

[instilled]

Yes.
And there is comfort there.
All who are a part will know that, of course.

[ Even that mad, laughing Kingsmould its Father had made. ]

[dreamnailedit]

I have tried to share that comfort with them.

I am not sure how well it has worked.

[So many of the humans they know (and Lobco) have so many... excess emotions. Ones that seem to hurt them. It couldn't be a bad thing to take the edge off those, could it?]

[instilled]

It is perhaps too intimate for them currently.
They have not the relationship that we do.
Maybe when they become as close as family.

[dreamnailedit]

That would make sense.

It is merely a matter of time then. Good. I have much of that now.

[instilled]

You do.
It is a blessing.
Please, enjoy and live your life, sibling.
It is the least you deserve, for what you have done.

[dreamnailedit]

You must do the same.

Now that you are free.

[instilled]

I...
It
Will try.

[dreamnailedit]

[They'll take that initial slip as another tiny win and just leave the conversation there.]