This chapter takes place during Ch64 of SFTD.

Celosia very much appreciated Tygan, but she wondered what kind of things he subjected himself to.

It was another evening in his lab as the two of them mused on just what could be done for some armor that was inspired by her for the soldiers. They'd gotten quite far—he suggested woven fibers for dense armor and flexibility, she came up with the addition of it linking with an individual when a psionic command was given to it, allowing it to use their nutrients to regrow and heal the host in the case of damage, along with a vine to mimic what Viper tongues could do. The plans were drawn and Celosia was already looking into genetic compositions for the "plant"—but naturally, Tygan and her got swept up in idle conversation. She was amused—he was immensely capable of carrying a topic and it was just so easy to get off track with him.

The topic had eventually come around to the Lab itself. "You're in here quite often," Celosia mused. "If I didn't know any better, I would accuse you of living here, but I don't see any beds."

There was a small, hardly noticeable twitch in Tygan's face. "... you could say that I live here, and most would in an overexaggerated fashion."

"Oh?" It was hard to tell if he was saying that was the truth or not. Celosia proceeded like he was. "Well, hypothetically, if you did live here... I don't imagine you would sleep on the examination table. And I can't quite think you would sleep on the bare floor. Surely one of the few times you leave is for bed in the Barracks, hm?"

Again, there was that twitch. The light caught Tygan's glasses, and his head slightly turned towards his desk. "In actuality... it's an open secret, I suppose, but I do not. I own a bed in the Barracks, but it goes empty every night."

"Really!" She was starting to get concerned for Tygan's back. "So you're telling me you sleep on the floor in here? If I had half a mind I'd move you into the Basement, though I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate being so far from your workplace."

"That... would not fix the issue of why I sleep here in the first place." Tygan got up, directing her to follow as he walked towards his desk. "... may you keep one of my secrets, Celosia?" When she nodded, he continued. "I... I cannot calm myself down long enough to sleep in an area like that. I know no one there will do anything to me, I assure you. It's just..." He sighed. "I, quite literally, cannot put a finger on it. I highly suspect I have some form of generalized anxiety—I tried once, towards the beginning of all of this, and all I could do was lay frozen in bed, staring at the ceiling the whole night. So..."

They got to his desk. Tygan reached down for one of the larger drawers, pulling it open. When he pulled it out, it was a tightly packed roll of material, colored in reds, oranges, and black. The word was different for it in what she remembered of her own language, but she recognized it for what the humans called it—a sleeping bag. Mildly horrified, she walked a bit closer to him. "... that is your bed, every night?"

"It unfolds."

"I know what a sleeping bag is," she assured, trying not to sound condescending. "That still isn't a bed! What would Samhien say if he knew you were damaging your back like this? What would Eliza say?"

Tygan looked away, putting the sleeping bag back. "Samhien already knows, but has given up saying anything. And I... I would be sleeping with Eliza if I could. My options are very limited if I want any sleep, Celosia, and I am not about to request my own room. The Chosen are exceptions, for needing beds that the Barracks cannot support."

That may have all been the truth, but it didn't make it any more reasonable for Tygan. She was beginning to see why he grimaced a little sometimes whenever he had to lean over to get something. Celosia's tail swayed as she stood there, in thought. There really wasn't a good place to just put a bed down in here, and no areas to put a small room for a bed that would be just in the way. She looked up. The ceiling was quite a ways away, and had lights, but most of the light in this room came from the ship's reactor and directed lights, either on rails or hooked up above the counters. There was a ton of room for a second floor—and while there was no room for a bedroom down here, there was enough room for a set of stairs, perhaps.

She looked back down at Tygan, who seemingly had been watching her think. "Tygan? How would you feel about a loft?"

He blinked, looking at the ceiling, then back at her. "You're not suggesting to grow a second floor, are you?"

"I am. Anything to take the edge off of that back of yours. Plus, wouldn't you like somewhere to retreat to that isn't the greenhouse if you don't want to immediately be seen by anyone who enters the room?"

Clearly Tygan was tempted, as he hesitated. He ran his thumb along one of the front pockets for his pants. "... you shouldn't have to go so far out of your way for me. I can only assume that would be a massive use of resources on your part."

"Less massive than our living area, and I managed that quite well. Besides..." She knelt, easing a hand onto his shoulder. "Maybe this is me going out of my way. But it's me going out of my way for a friend who needs it. Besides, maybe we can have further conversations up there, hm?"

"Ah..." Tygan cleared his throat, then settled his hand on hers. His touch was warm, and she held back the urge to take a hold of his hand. "I... if you are insisting, Celosia. What would you need from me?"

"Just a general idea of what you'd like it to look like, and where you'd like the stairs for it. I'll be making them wide enough for theoretically any of us to go up there—and trust me, I'll make it all sturdy enough for anyone to be up there, if you want."

Tygan eyed a portion of the room behind her, but still, his gaze wandered back to her. "... you're truly willing to do all this for me?"

"Truly. Don't ask me to repeat myself so much, Tygan."

He lidded his eyes—and for just a second, his thumb rubbed across her hand. "—the area over there, opposite to the greenhouse. That could be used for stairs, and they could even have a landing."

She smiled, already bringing up compositions for the floors in her head. "Alright—and what color would the 'wallpaper' be?"

It was a while of banking resources and drinking water until she basically had a pouch for it, but Celosia was ready.

She had several seeds in sacs on her back—some in clumps, some quite large, and all of them sucking up the nutrients she had been harboring in preparation to be planted. They'd drawn up architecture plans, and now it was time for the moment of truth. Her eyes were closed as she sat under the UV light in the greenhouse, getting just a little extra energy for the plants to make sure they were strong and didn't need her to check in on them anytime soon.

Her meditative state was interrupted as she heard the door open. Knowing it was Tygan, she kept her eyes closed, trusting him. "Just a moment more, and I should be ready."

"Of course." He was silent for a moment. "... may I ask you something, Celosia?"

She nodded. "Within reason, as always."

"Right. I..." There was some shuffling. "I was wondering where the two of us stood. This is above and beyond what I would expect you to do for anyone else—even someone else that would be your friend. I'm truly thankful, but... I'm wondering if there is something unsaid between us."

Celosia opened her eyes, meeting Tygan's gaze for a moment before he looked away. She... she knew what he was asking. Truth be told, she was wondering as well. The fact that he was taking the time and care to ask it like this either meant that he was trying to find the politest way to reject her... or her own feelings might be requited. "What do you think there is unsaid? Because there may very well be."

Tygan laced his fingers together, fidgeting with his thumbs. His voice was soft and halting. "I was wondering if there was something more that perhaps only I was seeing. Maybe it is just the nature of the friendship we share. But I wanted to clear things between us so there would be no... awkwardness. More than I usually bring, anyhow. If it's just me seeing things... then I would be happy to remain friends with you, Celosia. I would never ask to give that up."

Oh, Tygan. Celosia got to her feet, the fins on her back retracting. "... there is something more there, Tygan. Something I'd like to explore with you. I feel like I know you, but... I feel like I only know a version of yourself you have presented to me. I still enjoy that version of you, but..." She walked towards him. "No more trying to hide the parts of yourself you think will burden me. No more curating a version of yourself to best suit my needs. I still want you to try to better yourself, but... I want to see you at your most comfortable. The you that is you. When I see that Tygan and have known him... then we can move forward on what is between us. Ok?"

Tygan looked up at her—and for the first time, there was this sort of vulnerability in his eyes, like he was trying to decide if he could let down his guard around her to that extent. He averted his gaze, right hand settling on his left arm. "... ok. It will take me some time, Celosia, especially since my mind is... elsewhere." On Eliza, likely. "And the fact that... I think of presenting this 'true' self to you and my blood pressure spikes. But I want what is between us. So... you have my word that I will try."

She smiled, and she watched as his face softened at the sight. "I find that well. Let's get your loft made, hm?"

He nodded, and followed after her as she walked out. Everything was ready—they designated a spot in the middle of the lab for a wide arch to support the bottom of the floor, outlined an area to serve as a balcony so Tygan could check on the Lab if need be, and picked out all the other minor details. All that was left was to plant the seeds. Celosia arrived at where the staircase would be, sprouting some vines to reach back and take one of the sacs of seeds. She kneeled down and pressed it against the floor, the container molding to it rather than breaking. "Grow strong, and know you serve a good purpose." She kissed the membrane. "I love you, and I thank you for doing this for me."

She issued a psionic command, and stepped back as the seeds began to rapidly sprout and grow. Using the high-density nutrients and their own genetic plan, they burst forth, twisting together, roots crawling over the metal and hardening. Green stems grew out and formed bark steps, cell walls strengthening and hardening. The stairs went towards the opposite end of the room, away from the reactor, then made a landing and doubled back, supports growing and reaching down. As the prospective floor of the supersystem began to form, she looked back towards Tygan. She reached for one of the other seed pouches, one with one of the large seeds in it. "Take the other one, and plant it where we specified."

Nodding, Tygan gently took the other from her back, her "skin" starting to languidly regrow where the indents now were. She was going to feel sluggish for quite a while after this. Her and Tygan planted the sacs, and with another command, trees burst forth, connecting with the floor of the other plant and supporting it. Branches spread along the bottom, strong and supple—and per Tygan's request, maple-like leaves sprouted. Eventually, the light in the area dimmed slightly as there was now quite a bit of ceiling above them—though the core of the ship still provided plenty of light. There were two lofts, or perhaps balconies, overviewing the research and autopsy parts of his lab.

They watched it grow for a moment until Celosia spoke up. "It will take a few hours or so for it to complete and then strengthen itself. Any idea of what you wish to do in the meantime?"

Tygan crossed his arms. He said he was free from his surgery duties for today, so it was just a question of what he wanted to do. "... I had been thinking over the armor we had been designing based on your own physiology. Something then occurred to me—should we not armor you, and the other rulers?"

"Vel'kiin doesn't need armor," Celosia was quick to say. "Plasma shots do nothing to her body plates. The most she might need is a helmet, maybe some gauntlets. Shazara-Ta has his own armor, but I'm sure it could do with some upgrades. Rodin's body is his armor, and..." She hadn't really thought of appearing on the battlefield again. Going to get Vahlen was mostly so that she could convince the others to stay behind and not kill her. Theoretically, she could grow her own armor, but it would be more resource-efficient for her to just have a set made for her. "Well, I would definitely like some. Just in case, though we might have to get creative with coverage. Openings on my lower lower back are a must, at least, but I should be fine for sunlight as long as my back fins are exposed."

Tygan nodded, taking the information in. "Certainly. Shall we go share our finds with Lily?"

"Absolutely." They began to walk, and a thought made Celosia smile. "... you've probably noticed this, but Rodin and Lily are getting rather close."

"Indeed. I was wondering when Lily would finally realize that all of his flirting was not mere bluster."

Celosia chuckled. "Ah, youth. Especially considering that addon he asked her to make. I would have thought that obvious enough right there."

Tygan looked to her as they exited the Lab, raising an eyebrow. "An... addon?"

Oh. Celosia laughed. This was going to be fun to explain.

What was only supposed to be a few hours' diversion at most turned into the rest of the day as Celosia pulled Tygan into conversation with the rest of the Rulers after they teased Rodin and Lily. Thankfully, they eventually made their way back to the Lab. Celosia was languidly pacing into the room as Tygan took the new sights in—and if she wasn't so tired, she'd be impressed with herself.

The second floor had fully grown and was now standing proud. Leaves hung down from the tree branches holding it up, but were out of reach enough to not be in the way. The outside of the addition was a dark blue, per Tygan's request—colored with succulent-like leaves. Handrails of bark and flowering branches guarded the balcony on this side, and the whole room now smelled far greener than before.

As she moseyed into the room, Tygan looked back to her, a smile on his face. "Celosia? It's... it's wonderful. Thank you."

She smiled back at him. "I'm glad you enjoy it. We still have furniture to plant, of course."

"Then let's be about if, if you can make it up the stairs."

Celosia scoffed, making for them. "I'll have you know that I sized everything there to fit Vel'kiin herself."

Tygan came up alongside her after making for his desk and taking out a pile of neatly-folded clothes, shaking his head. "I trust in that. It was more your state I was referring to."

Ah, right. She'd used a lot of energy today, and while the artificial lights helped, she really hadn't gotten back up to speed. But she didn't want to drag Tygan away from this, so she shook her head. "I will be fine. I would not be a queen if I did not have some measure of endurance. Come."

She made her way up the stairs, which had grown their own handrails. Leaves bent towards her as she walked by, and when they got to the door on the small deck, it automatically opened for her. They'd planned the initial room as a sort of living room, plotting out a table, chairs around it, and a couch or two for lounging. As of right now, the room was empty, giving emphasis to the blue-colored walls, patterned by broad leaves—and the floor, tightly-woven white stems that had some protective filaments, mimicking soft carpet. There was a sliding door to the balcony on the right with optional royal blue petal curtains, and a door that led to the bedroom beyond.

Celosia took the last pod, taking out and planting the seeds appropriately. "The furniture will be moveable," she explained as it grew, "but if you try to move something and it doesn't budge, leave it. It's refreshing itself with nutrients from the supersystem. It will be more pliable to moving within a few minutes." She kept a few of the seeds from the sac, turning back towards him. "Just the bedroom, now, and I think might use the last of what I have extra to speed it up."

"Please do not strain yourself on my account," he urged.

"It's alright." She gave him a slightly more wry smile. "I will be sleeping here tonight, if you will have me."

Tygan opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. He eventually got his words out. "O-of course. I would like having you. In... in the regard that—"

She laughed, leaning down and patting Tygan's cheek. "I know! Come, let's get the bed made."

Clearly flustered, he trailed after her as they entered the bedroom. The walls and floor were the same, with now a door on the left side towards the other balcony with the same curtains. She planted the nightstand, the table, a dresser, and a few chairs before moving onto the last seed for now—the bed. As Tygan put his clothes away, Celosia kissed it, tongue wrapping around it and transferring the last of the nutrients she had banked for this occasion. "Grant him countless nights of fair sleep," she spoke after. "Or, at the very least, be more serviceable than a sleeping bag."

Tygan gave a good-natured sigh as she planted the seed, with it quickly springing forth from the energy given. A her-sized bed took shape, growing and connecting a canopy to the top for privacy, all in royal, dark blue. The blankets—made of petals—were a slightly larger shade, and the mattress itself was soft and filled with plant fiber, condensing in the middle for a good night's rest. She gestured and the canopy parted. "Well? I'll be retiring to this bed. You're welcome to join me."

As she crawled up on it, Tygan seemed unsure. "W-well. I... I would like to, of course, I would just... need to dress down to be fully comfortable."

She gently laid down on her backside. "Tygan? I told you to be as you are. I will not flinch away from seeing you."

Message gotten, Tygan still hesitated for a moment before moving to the dresser, hurriedly getting changed. His night clothes were a simple, loose t-shirt and some sleep pants, and when he got back, he paused at the edge of the bed. She opened her arms, and he folded up his glasses, putting them on the growing nightstand and joining her after. She wrapped him up in a hug, turning on her side and letting him lay against the bed. Celosia would be a little groggy in the morning, maybe more than that. But as she saw Tygan's eyes go wide at how comfortable the bed and pillows were, feeling over the blankets and subtly snuggling up to her more...

She knew it would all be worth it.