“Pss!”
Aspfteros heard someone hissing at him, trying to get his attention. He’d just gone to the showers to clean himself up. Admittedly, he didn’t think he’d be here at Savepoint, the base of the Thantir, for so long, but his boss, Mimicblade, hadn’t returned from wherever the fuck he was supposed to be going, so he and Teekay (who had just rediscovered his species and found out that he wasn’t alone any more) were kinda stuck. That was fine though. Aspfteros was happy for once.
Still, someone was definitely trying to get his attention. Aspfteros didn’t know who, since he didn’t know anyone here at Savepoint. He quickly worked out out though, as a yellow-plated being wearing an overly bulky hoodie pulled themselves from a nearby shadow. Aspfteros recognised them as the being that his new friend Nyssi had spoken to when they first met.
“Heya!” the being grinned.
“Hi… I didn’t catch your name. Are you Kayel? Or are you Ret or Tanos?” Aspfteros asked. “I think you’re Kayel. I’m not sure.”
“I’m Kayel, yep!” Kayel was still grinning. It was a little unnerving. “How’s things with Nyssi?”
“Oh…” Aspfteros hesitated. “You… you are that sort of friend. Checking in and making sure she’s safe, right?”
“Do you have a problem with that?”
“No, not at all, I totally get it. We have to look after our friends. It’s common among younger Thrastarii women. I’m just… scared that I’m giving the wrong impression and you don’t like me or something.”
That grin got bigger. “I’m scaring you.”
“You are, yeah. I know you’re not a Beh’ena, but I’ve heard stories about these short, armoured beings like you causing chaos and being super strong and terrifying. You’re like the Kentarasan equivalent of the fae.”
“I… don’t know what a fae is?” Kayel suddenly stopped smiling. “They sound bad though.”
“Not bad, just powerful and strange. And if you want me to leave Nyssi alone, I will.”
Kayel stopped smiling completely, then started blinking. “Uh… what? No! I’m just checking in and seeing if she’s alright! Also, Nyssi has powerful telepathy, she’s the fifth most powerful telepath at Savepoint after Kuta, Litvir, Eksi and Talok, she could just tell me. But also also, Nyssi and I got a system so we can bail each other out if we need to. We’ve only had to use it once though, and that was when we were mortal.”
“Oh. So… why are you here?”
That smile swiftly returned. “You two like each other, yes?”
“Yeah. It’s nice being with someone who accepts me despite me being a white-scaled freak.”
“Good!” That grin was demonic now. Aspfteros did genuinely wonder whether Kayel was some sort of fae. Especially since he had literally just pulled himself out of a shadow. That was how Kentarasan fae supposedly worked. “Because Nyssi sent me a telepathic message saying she really likes you. That’s a good thing. And I want to help you really seal the deal.”
“What… what do you mean?”
Kayel reached into a pocket in his hoodie. He rummaged around a bit until he pulled out a wristband. A rather typical smart watch sort of thing that most Decay Lords seemed to wear. This one was too big for Kayel’s wrists though, and he was already wearing two heavy metal wristbands.
“My buddy Retvik has alarms on his wristbands that remind us of important events. Time’s weird now, especially since our universe is still alive, but Retvik basically lives by his ten billion alarms, and one just went off for Nyssi’s birthday.”
“I… I don’t follow.”
“It’s Nyssi’s birthday today.”
“What, really?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh. But… I don’t have a gift for her… if I’d known, I would have gotten something…”
“I’m well aware of that. I don’t know much about your kind’s traditions though, so…”
That grin was now genuinely terrifying. It became even more terrifying as Kayel shoved his hand into the dark shadow and pulled something out of it. Aspfteros was a good 40cm taller than Kayel, but he was certain that Kayel could kill him in twenty different ways right now. That thing he pulled out of the shadow was probably some sort of torture device or a pair of handcuffs or-
“I got you a gift to give to her.”
“W-w-what?”
“Alright, come on, I’m not that scary!” Kayel tutted. “Also, sorry, accidental telepathy borrowing. But, like, Retvik told me it was Nyssi’s birthday. Tenuk and Retvik have made Nyssi a burger cake that they’re gonna give her later on, but I got a couple of silly gifts for her. And I thought you could give them to her.”
Kayel handed the box to Aspfteros. Aspfteros noticed the lid was loose, and peered inside.
“There’s a necklace in there. It’s nothing special, just a shiny, polished rock on a nice chain. But it’s a flat rock, and on the back, there’s space to write a small message on it. I was going to write “hey gurl, love ya” on it, but you can write whatever you want. Of course, Nyssi’s gonna be a tad suspicious, so you’re gonna have to tell her that we told you it was her birthday today, and, like, right away, you told me you were sad you didn’t have a gift for her, but we’ve got your back. So write a nice message for her and give her the necklace.”
“I… I appreciate your kindness!” Aspfteros relaxed a little. “But… what’s the other gift?”
“A strap-on.”
“A… a what?”
Kayel snorted. “It’s dildo that you can strap to your groin, so a female can have a fake dick. It’s a gag gift I’ve been meaning to give to Nyssi for years. She’ll know right away that it’s from me.”
Aspfteros went back to being slightly alarmed. “Uh… do Temthans do anal on the first date? Nyssi said sex on the first date was common but…”
“Dude, I don’t expect you to do anal if you don’t want to. It’s just a funny gift for Nyssi. She’ll understand either way. The necklace is more important.”
“I… I guess… but why are you doing this?” Aspfteros asked.
Kayel shrugged. “You and Nyssi like each other. And me and Nyssi are besties, and I want her to be happy. You also make her happy. So I’m helping you.”
Aspfteros smiled properly. “That is really kind of you. Nyssi is lucky to have you as a friend. And I am very thankful for you and your help.”
Kayel patted Aspfteros on the shoulder. “No worries, mate. Now go and find Nyssi. She’s wondering where you are. See you later!”
With that, Kayel disappeared. Not via the shadow, but via a puff of blue sparkles. Aspfteros blinked in shock and confusion, but quickly settled down. He had gifts to give and a birthday girl to make happy…