Adarin snickers. "No, no, it's okay. I shall let my sacrifice go unsung. It shall simply be a mystery, lost to the ages. Forever."

"Yes," agrees Vernaia. "She is. We'll try to avoid any pitfalls."

"It's another sacrifice I'm willing to make. For the sake of your bedroom's decorations."

Vernaia trills happily back!

"Yup. You're welcome," says Adarin smugly.

Vern is not going to overstay her welcome! Path is probably feeling lonely, so she'll hold off on telling Adarin about this for a little while. She'll go offer wingsnuggles.

Wingsnuggles are always appreciated.

"I will appreciate your twice-over sacrifice for ever and always."

"Good, good. That's way better than having people write theses on tacky decorations, anyway."

Vern quietly informs Path in the wingsnuggles, "I think Adarin and I have come to an understanding with Charlie and Kesathi. We like them."

"Oh, I dunno, it could lead to entertaining thesis titles. A Discourse on the Decorations In This One Witch's Bedroom. A Comparative Analysis of Tacky Amateur Statues.. That kinda thing."

"I'm glad you're getting along," says Path. "We were a little nervous about that. They're protective."

Adarin giggles. "Unsacrificial Sacrifices of Snuggles? That's hilarious, but... No, no. Tacky decorations are too tacky to be brought to the world willingly. I can't do it. There lies the path of madness."

Vern nuzzles Path! "We were nervous about it too, but we get where they're coming from. Kesathi had some legitimate worries and I told her that we have the best of intentions for you. We care about you so much, Adarin's never been this sappy before, it's adorable."

Isabella hugs him. "And madness would be very much in tension with your priesthood, of course."

"We don't think you'll hurt us," says Path. "Not a bit."

Hugs! "Very much so. Also, tacky garden gnomes, along with madness."

Wikipedia is still amazing, but leads to strange places. He has no idea how he got to garden gnomes from his starting point of the radio, but it was a marvelous journey for all.

More nuzzles are required. "We don't ever want to. We don't think you'll hurt us either and we trust you so much."

"Oh no, spare me tacky garden gnomes. I don't know why people like them, it's incomprehensible."

Feathery feathery snuggles! "We don't have any speck of a plan to hurt you."

"They are so terrible! I found them on Wikipedia and I have no idea why!" says Adarin, laughing.

"We were pretty sure you wouldn't, anyway. I'm glad to hear you say it, though."

"Some people like them! It's weird!" laughs Isabella.

"We don't want to hurt anybody, but especially you," says Path.

"Very! But it's okay, this plane has wonderful things, I can tolerate weird garden gnomes."

Vern giggles, attempting to snuggle even more than they already are - something that's quite difficult to do. "We're the luckiest person. The absolute luckiest."

"There's more weird things where that came from. Maybe you'll get as far as ugly Christmas sweaters and fling up your hands in despair and hie back to New Kystle."

Path is on board with experimental attempts at being snugglier. "On what time scale?" he wonders.

"Not likely," he says. "I'm currently dating someone here who's pretty amazing, and it would be against my religion of Sense to leave her."

Vern looks embarrassed! "Well. Everything? Sometimes we were unlucky, but this is - it's right there with the best actually viable outcomes, and most of the ones that are impossible. We found a place where I would exist, and Adarin's said he's happy that he's had something given to him he didn't know he was missing. Then there's the magic that's useful and different, and the technology."

She looks even more awkward. "And, of course, in the middle of that, is you. So it's worth it."

Well, that just makes it necessary that she kiss him, doesn't it?

"I think we like you being sappy," laughs Path, preening her. "It's sweet."

Kisses! This is a good idea. They probably shouldn't go any further than this while they're at her parent's house, but kisses he can support.

Vernaia giggles, a little. "Good, because I feel awkward and like I'm flailing around."

That's okay. Reward kisses for being flattering don't have to turn into sex-in-childhood-bedroom for being delectable.

"You haven't had very long to learn to be a daemon," says Path. "You're doing really well."

Good, good. Now, cuddles are a different story entirely.

"Thanks. I think I've messed up sometimes, but I'm trying," replies his wingsnugglesmate.

Cuddles! Cuddles are good. Cuddles are just the thing.

"I haven't seen you mess up too badly," Path assures her. "Everyone does, anyway."