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Derlik knelt down by Nix's side, gently wrapping his arms around the other to help him keep calm.
"No, you didn't, I promise. See? It's perfectly okay." The flower had returned to the position it had been in before, the soul stopping it's rocking.
Nix relaxed a little, but still seemed uneasy. "Don't wanna hurt the flower…" He said weakly, pale and nervous in Derlik's embrace.
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"You're okay, Nix, see?" Derlik said softly. He kissed the other, hugging him close. "You didn't hurt the flower, at all."
Nix nodded weakly, huddling close to Derlik as he watched the flower. "Are you sure?" He asked softly. "T-The soul could've fallen out…"
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"I'm sure. The soul wouldn't have fallen out." Derlik moved one hand to gently move the soul to the side, showing Nix the thick filament that kept the soul connected to the flower.
Nix whimpered when Derlik touched the flower, still nervous, but relaxed a little when he noticed the filament. "So the flower is okay?"
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"The flower is okay," Derlik confirmed, smiling as he sat the soul down. He held Nix to his chest, rubbing the man's head.
Nix closed his eyes, leaning into Derlik's hand with a shaky sigh. "If you say so… aren't souls pretty fragile, though?"
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"Souls are actually really strong," Derlik explained. "It just doesn't seem like that all the time, since gods are powerful enough that we have to be careful when handling them."
"I guess that makes sense… so it would be hard for someone like me to hurt one?" He asked.
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"It would be," Derlik confirmed. He offered a small smile, kissing Nix's head.
Nix nodded a bit, still nervous. "Okay… if you say so. I just don't wanna hurt anything…"
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"It's okay, Nix," Derlik hummed. "You won't hurt any souls, I promise."
He nodded again, still not entirely convinced. "Souls are important…" He said softly, more to himself than to Derlik.
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"Mhm," Derlik hummed, even though he didn't really agree. Souls were just toys, after all, for the gods.
"I mean, if the souls got hurt, then there would be less souls, right? Then less things can be reincarnated, and that's not good."
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"Well, there are new souls made," Derlik pointed out, being gentle for now. "All the time."
"I guess so, but… souls aren't just expendable, are they? I-I mean, they're what keeps everything on earth alive."
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"No, they're not expendable," Derlik said softly. "It's okay, Nix, we're not going to hurt any of them."
Nix nodded a bit, fidgeting with his hands. "Okay… sorry…" He said softly. "What else is around here?"
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Derlik lightly patted Nix's head, offering his arms to pick the other up again.
"I'm not sure," Derlik admitted. "I don't come down here often."
"Mm… I don't blame you." Nix looked back at the house with a disdainful expression, obviously still not fond of the idea of Halm at all.
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"So, why don't we explore together?" Derlik offered.
"Sounds good to me." Nix rested his head on Derlik's shoulder and sighed softly.
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Derlik ran his fingers through Nix's hair, humming some as he walked down the path, smiling.
Nix closed his eyes, purring weakly as Derlik pet him. He seemed content to be distracted for the moment.
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Derlik smiled, some, when he saw this. He continued to pet Nix, kissing his head.
"Oh, want to go check out that cave?"
Nix looked up at the cave, eyeing it warily. "Um… s-sure, if you want to."
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"If you're not comfortable with it we don't have to," Derlik assured.
"I'm fine with it as long as it's safe…" Nix replied softly.
