Shade jumps down and hugs the Yew Queen.

"If it's you- if it's for you- then I don't care."

Hug, and a hungry kiss.

And...

It seems Shade already has a bit of her heart. Leftover, or regrowing -

Makes this easier.

The Yew Queen wants her to care. Wants her to be able to love, as much as she wants to love - wants her to love the Yew Queen but she's trying not to focus on that, to avoid specific things she wants Shade to feel, more focused on the capacity...

She wants her girlfriend back.

Shade starts crying as color seeps back into her, and hugs harder.

She's crying too! And clinging. Very clinging.

"You're not- you're not allowed to die again, okay?"

"I know. I'm sorry."

Many hugs.

She's definitely not going to be the one to stop this hug. Mostly she nuzzles Shade, hugging her tightly, crying into her shoulder.

It'll be teary hugs for a while then.

"So the others, they brought you back to life?"

Kiss. "Yes. And then brought me back to you."

"I'm sorry I didn't go with them. But I just- didn't want to be that sad."

Kiss. "It's okay. I was - worried - but... You should look out for yourself, too."

"Wanna look out for you."

"I love you. I - can try to be more open with what I need or fear."

"Love you too."

Happy nuzzle.

"I don't want to leave your side for - a while."

"Good. But it's been kind of a long day, so maybe we can go somewhere else?"

"We can introduce you to all your alts! While cuddling, of course. Perhaps on a very soft couch. I hear one of your alts is a library goddess..."

"Oh, that sounds nice."

"It's a date, then, darling."

She solicits Tentou for a ride back, keeping an arm around Shade the entire time.

Eeee girlfriend.

They world hop, and the Yew Queen solicits the location of the nearest comfortable cuddling place (Tentou has some quite well refined suggestions).

"I didn't actually get to meet many of our alts, just got the overview story..." she comments, draping herself over Shade's lap.

"How many of them are there?"

"Hm... A lot. Of the crows - that's my alts - we have... Me, the other Hisame, Mora, Glint, and then your darling, and three or four not connected to our group - Acererak we killed and plan to leave dead, Mara chose to stay in her world before we obtained easy methods to go back and forth, and Loki seems to have vanished, with Ikol who may or may not be an us. So now we're up to five crows plus three or four elsewhere."

"Of the lightnings - your alts - we have you, the Keres, Eliana, Ellayania, Elatra, and Elieyha, with Eliko having stayed with Mara. So we're up to six lightnings plus one elsewhere."

"I'm Tentou, one of the two of us named Hisame - from mostly identical worlds, with some divergences. The other Hisame is Naraka. Mora is our ritualist. Glint is a goddess of madness. Acererak was one of our enemies, briefly. Mara was a powerful bridge between the human and spirit worlds. I never met Loki or Ikol."

"The Keres is my and Naraka's darling. She's from a world we haven't been able to find again, with strong powers. Eliana is from the world the Keres and I met in, and she controls blood. Ellayania is a goddess, and the host of our main base. Elatra is a magic user from Acererak's world. Rather interesting system. Both Ellayania and Elatra are Glint's darlings. Elieyha is from Naraka's world, but didn't have an alt in my world - she's more reserved, doesn't really talk to the rest of us, and isn't attached to a crow."

"That is a lot. ...And the same face thing is kind of weird."