She feels better with being in Occlus's lap, right now, than kneeling. More fully enclosed, curled up, head tucked under her Mistress's chin. A bit awkward, but...

Ani's a lot calmer, now.

"...I don't think I handled that well," she says, softly.

"I think that was a hard situation to handle at all."

"Yeah." Nuzzle. "Want her to be - okay."

It is very hard to think charitably of someone who failed her pet so badly, but-

"She will be. You have had thirty years. For her, it was yesterday."

She sighs. "Yeah. Even if - most of those thirty years didn't count - I've had seven, since Vader. It's - meant a lot. Especially my time with you."

Hug.

"So allow her time to put her head in order."

Hug.

"I will."

She wants to not really have to think or process her emotions, for a little while... Just be Occlus's.

But after that, she thinks she should perhaps try getting her own head a bit more in order.

(Maybe talk to that therapist alt Naraka mentioned?)

"Whatever you need, I am here."

What she needs is - possession. Just to be Occlus's toy, and nothing else.

Some time later - after some very thorough distraction, and sleep, and time kneeling at Occlus's feet spent meditating - Ani goes to find Naraka to ask for a ride to Glint.

"Sure," she says. "You doing better?"

"Yeah. Just - a therapist alt will be novel, if nothing else."

She nods, feeling a bit awkward. "Glint's - helpful." And: portal!

She smiles and squeezes her alt's shoulder. "Thank you," she says, and then steps through.

This part of the Shivering Isles is peaceful. It's a small building - a library - built into a mountainside, overlooking a white stone canyon full of similar small balconies in a variety of stones. Bridges arch between them, mostly fine, almost gossamer, like they would break if brushed against. Yet - oddly sturdy.

There's a river, far below, of crystalline green water. There's people, about, sitting on balconies, admiring the view. A flew flying between balconies, or jumping off bridges to float down to the river below. There should be noise, probably, but - only a small murmur, soft and unobtrusive but friendly all the same, reaches Ani.

There's no railing, on this balcony. A black bench curves along the very edge - Ani could sit with her feet over nothingness, if she wanted. The bookshelves are of a similar dark stone, finely engraved, full of paper books with colorful spines.

(Omnipresent - an echo, like she's standing on an enormous mirror of herself. One friendly, and curious, and welcoming, and a bit charmingly insane.)

She doesn't call out, at first, instead turning to examine the books.

They seem to be all fictional - poetry, literature, plays. Romances, fantasies, tragedies. All the titles are interesting, all the covers imaginative, and none of them are anything she's ever heard of.

...She should - get on with talking to her alt. Her her head sorted out, so she can get on with her life - 

She takes down a book of illustrated poetry, sits with her legs dangling over the empty sky, and reads, entranced.

To fight aloud, is very brave - 
But gallanter, I know
Who charge within the bosom
The Cavalry of Woe -

She loses track of time - 

To learn the Transport by the Pain
As Blind Men learn the sun!
To die of thirst—suspecting
That Brooks in Meadows run!

- as she reads, finding herself - not tearing up, but pensive - 

As if my life were shaven,
And fitted to a frame,
And could not breathe without a key,
And ’twas like Midnight, some -

- she always loved poetry, as a teenager. Went silly reading love poems, when she started puzzling out her feelings for Elesse. Found - companionship, or something, in dead poets' words. Even as a child, she loved listening to songs…

When did she forget?

The sense of herself, mirrored, becomes - more present, somewhat, while Ani's taking a break from reading.

There's a person sitting on a bench across from her, now.

An - oddly familiar face, though not one Ani's ever seen outside of the mirror.

She's smiling, softly.

...This is stranger than meeting Naraka was.

She bookmarks her place in the book - there's a ribbon on the spine, how cute - and looks at her alt.

"Glint?" she asks.

"Yeah." The other her waves. "Though - I suspect you want me more in my capacity as Sheogorath, Lord of Madness, right now."

"...I suppose so. Though I - hope I'm not mad."

She laughs, and, voice teasing: "That's a real pity! All the best people are."

That startles a laugh out of her.

She looks more fondly on her alt, and -

"You remind me of something. Long ago..." Ani smiles to herself. "When I was a kid - not much after Elesse started raising me - I got annoyed or - something - with all the Jedi Order's rules, and said if I ever founded an Order, I'd make the first two rules - something like 'Never believe anything you read' and 'Disobey everything written in these rules'. Both being written and part of the rules referenced, of course."

She smiles. "Aw." And, swinging her legs a bit: "Those sound like great rules. After we're done here - you should help me make some rules like that for my followers." Pause - "I don't know how much context you got, but - I'm the Lord of these lands, and of a significant chunk of people in Tamriel, and I replaced the other Sheogorath fairly recently. I'm still working to distinguish myself, so... A new set of directives would help that."