Queen's note: Checking up on a few of the Flowers, as the ripples of what happened start to show.

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Garnets

Chapter Sixty Eight:

The Protected

There was just something about stealing a bed bigger than yours, and the person that owned it not minding if they were here or not. It was a big bed and it was just… warm.

It smelled like petrichor, something that was becoming tied to safety. Enough so that it was where Lily had subconsciously carried Heather after being woken up. Lily was not really thinking at all as she hummed, half asleep herself now, she had been on the way to bed after talking with John. Asin made it clear that Lily would be more of a hindrance than help even with her new wraith gift for the surviving argenta that were rushed to medical.

So Lily had done her best earlier to cover the dead carefully with some extra sheet-like clothes. It was an effort to detach what few weapons Lily could find on them, and resting on top of the bodies. Remembering something that Valen said, even though she could not tell if there was a phantom that was attached to the bodies.

Would a phantom stay in an area they died or near their body?

If there was something, someone tied in there then at least they would have a weapon to defend the living. That was what Valen had mentioned, or what Lily remembered.

She did not have much, but also remembered that the color gold was tied to rebirth and argenta funerals. Lily found the yellow paper flowers she had been making earlier that day with the kids in her old jacket's pocket, setting the small offering on each of the five bodies in the back of the bridge area.

As she set the last one on a chest of one of the men, it almost felt like Valen was setting a hand on her head, for just a moment as she debated if that was okay. The young woman had woken up fully at that, looked around with a hand to her head, startled. Checking and tentatively trying to reach out her wraith gift to get a feel around, though nothing seemed off. Not that Lily really knew what she was 'looking' for admittedly.

Lily touched her head again, puzzled, looking around in the quiet. Pretty sure the Fortress was just haunted at this point in a few different ways. At least there was no ghost story or Hollywood style demons. If there ever had been, Lily was pretty confident that John would have hunted it down with his strange version of gleefully hunting.

"I hope you can rest," Lily offered quietly to the bodies, starting to walk away and back down to the garden level. Her sleep schedule was finally starting to work out again after that chaos back on earth. For once Lily did feel tired, despite it feeling like her heart rate was picking up a bit.

Tired but excited.

That was… the echo effect from the link to John? He was excited and fighting something, Lily had just a glimpse of an odd, stone yard space and a big demon she had never seen, before Vega switched the feed off. Lily frowned a moment and glanced up, looking for a camera as she had to stop and sit on the stairs. "Vega?"

"Yes Lily?" Vega answered at once, his voice was kept soft or low as she was not far from the rooms for people to sleep in. The level above, or two above the gardens if she remembered right.

"What was that big pale demon with the horns?" Lily asked, thinking about it, "It did not seem… burned? Degraded? Or was it an Argenta native thing?"

"That was a hell native demon," Vega explained, "As far as anyone can tell, they are called 'Tyrants'. From what information Commander Valen shared, they are a type that come through on a second or third wave of an invasion to… collect."

Lily frowned, remembering glimpsing what looked almost like a trident the creature held, but it had two large prongs on a spear like weapon that was odd in then it was not razered but… smooth. "What do they collect?"

"Living people," Vega said softly, it was clear that he did not like the idea or concept of this demon's role. "From what I understand, they collect people, survivors to be brought and offered to the supposed 'noble cast' of Hell and temples."

Lily shivered, regretting asking, then looked up and around, "What… wave, stage is earth in?"

"The hell invasion on earth seems to be almost through the first stage." Vega spoke, "Hopefully, after the Slayer, John, and Valen's groups finish, they will have the needed tools and people to help track down the hell priests on earth. And then stop the invasion."

"It sounds so easy, saying it like that." Lily gave a soft, but mostly empty chuckle. She hoped those 'tyrants' would not make it to earth.

"Since the invasion started on Mars," Vega's voice softened, oddly filled with quite a lot of emotion that had Lily looking up and smiling for real. "And with my time with the Slayer, I have learned John is far to determined, and stubborn that impossible things seem 'easy'... Ah, property damage aside."

Lily giggled at that, looking down and playing with the little ring on her right hand to focus off the static feeling inside of her. Taking the ring off and looking over it to do something as she caught her breath. The opal and then looking at the tiny gold glyph and that silly little attempt at… Lily was not really sure if it was an angry crab or a flailing lobster.

How did John even do this?

It was great.

"May I ask a favor before you go to bed Lily?" Vega spoke up as the young woman was getting up. "Young Heather is showing signs of having a night terror, and she can not respond to anything spoken. I have not finished making the vibration pads for her."

"Is she on this level?" Lily asked to get up and looked worried. Heather did not really stay in her own room, as there were so many open still. She could not really tell if Heather was used to sleeping in different places, or the young girl was trying to find something that felt right.

"Yes, five doors to the right hand hall." Vega lit up a trail of lights to the side of the hallway on the floor as well. Watching Lily as the young woman moved, as experienced as Vega was with humans and children, there was sadly no substitution for physical comfort.

The light from the hall startled the girl awake, Heather yelping as she flailed away from the light at first. Confused before semi recognizing the outline as human. She was still wary until a soft little light was turned on to the person's left. Heather felt some of the tension leave her as she recognized Lily, then realized that she was a safe person to let out the barely held tears. Reaching for Lily as she came over only really feeling a bit better as she was hugged tight.

"It's okay baby girl," Lily said, even if Heather could not hear her, disentangling the girl from the portable CPAP machine. Sitting on the bed and pulling Heather into her lap for a good squish hug as she was latched onto, "It's okay, it's just a bad dream… I have them too, baby girl."

Lily did not try to get Heather to just stop crying, but be aware that she was not alone. Lily had felt better after letting out built up emotions after a nightmare, and then talking with Riggs afterwards. So she tried her best to reassure Heather that she was there, that she was safe. It was okay to be upset at nightmares because they were scary. But they were over now.

Did he come back? Heather signed as she finally calm down enough to focus on signing.

"No," Lily shook her head. Not yet.

Want hug. Heather said, pressing against Lily, even if it was not quite the same. Still a welcome hug from Lily.

I miss his hugs too. Lily agreed, thinking about things. Want to stay with me tonight?

Heather paused, blinked and then nodded, she liked that idea a lot. She would feel better with someone else, and if it was Lily…that meant they could maybe visit the guinea pigs tomorrow. Heather shifted, pressing her head against Lily to feel as she talked as she signed. Lily's mask had to be pulled to the side over her right shoulder to make room.

"Want to stay here?" Lily asked, not missing the hesitation before she shook her head. Lily thought about the long trip down to her room now, plus with a barnacle that likely might not want to let go.

Lily blinked as she got an idea, reached to grab Heather's tablet like data pad. When those big brown eyes looked up, Lily touched her forehead with the tip of her pinkie then pulled her hand out and up into the air. Idea!

Heather giggled at the face made at her. She was hugged tight and then wrapped her arms around Lily's neck, paused and sat back before her safe person could move. Lily?

The girl used the 'abbreviated' sign she had picked up from John for Lily's name. Coming out as 'L flower.'

"What baby girl?" Lily asked, having to adjust to sign again as she talked.

Is it okay, can you, Heather paused making a sound that was almost shy. Lullaby?

Lily smiled back, giving Heather the best squish hug she could. Standing up with the girl as Lily started humming. Lily had not sung for a while, in some ways a little scared too. So Lily hummed at first, feeling how Heather's still very lean form started to relax as she pressed her head against Lily's chest. Then tucked her head under Lily's head, trying to find the best spot to feel the sound.

Lily felt something in her soften, still humming until she had the little girl settled. Walking out of the room before starting to softly sing the old lullaby that her family used when Lily herself was a lot younger. Something that was from a movie older than Lily, but had always loved.

Lily faintly missed the feeling of being held by her dad when about Heather's age. Feeling him humming as her mother sang. Lily tried to bring up the feeling that brought into her voice. Not singing loudly, or moving too fast so as not to lose her voice.

Heather shifted, getting a little more into a better position as she pressed against Lily. It was not the same as what her own momma would do, but it was nice. She was held and the memory of the nightmare was starting to ebb. Maybe not fully faded, it was hard to forget about monsters chasing her. More so when it had happened before.

This… was nice. Lily was safe, like Grandma Laurel and Grandpa Aster were. Like Grandpa Valen, or the aunties… maybe not exactly like Grandpa Valen and John (her new sire? What did that mean again?), because Lily was not like a big mountain like them.

Still safe.

Heather trusted Lily to not ask where they were going once realizing they were not heading to the garden. Just wanted to feel someone else with her, it made Heather feel better.

She was just realizing that she had never been to this side of the Fortress as Lily shifted. Using the tie of her slipper to at big door that was more silver than black or dark gray metal. The doorway had both inlaid carvings in the metal, filled in with what looked like gold. Also raised ridges of brighter silver metal, or more polished? Heather could not read what the Argenta script said yet. She recognized the glyph that was supposed to mean John's name, or his old name?

There was a pause, Lily moving side to side with Heather in time with her song, looking up with a questioning face. Then the big doors opened in front of them.

The air was cool, but it had a familiar smell. Like rain on hot wet rocks, or hot docks… it smelled like after a storm just off the beach. Heather went completely limp as she was carried inside. At first not realizing why she suddenly felt so safe, aware of the air shifting as a heater turned on somewhere.

It smelled like John in here.

It was dark, more so compared to the light of the hall, but Lily seemed to know where she was going. The young woman grinned as Heather seemingly turned into a noodle, trying to stay close but unable to wiggle or help now. Her eyes half lidded and sighed with the loss of tension. Heather pointed at the big window once in the bedroom area, making a soft sound of surprise.

Lily walked over, giving Heather a hug again and taking a few deep breaths and moved her mask back to get a breath of the medicine. Settling back into humming then singing, keeping that same tune though. For a little bit they just enjoyed the view of the broken moon, watching it seemingly shift a bit as the Fortress did in space.

Taking a moment to focus inward, trying to think how Asa showed Lily to use the Wraith gift… That sort of internal wiggle and then shrug to the right. Heather squeaked, blinked and then giggled at the soft feeling before looking down. Lily grinned, moving to sit on the side of the big bed, having to first set Heather down on it before climbing up into the bed after getting her jacket off. It definitely smelled like petrichor here, more so as there was a heater that was turned on above them.

Heather reached over, grasping Lily's left hand with wide eyes, seeing the little silver sparkle of the wraith gift. Fascinated, and then pressed Lily's hand against the side of the girl's own head. Feeling that it was not quite like that not-really 'sound' of a deep rumble from John. it felt lighter, softer, cool instead of warm, but still really nice.

Soothing.

Heather half lidded her eyes, leaning into Lily's hand for a few more moments. Then the older woman was pulling Heather into the middle of the bed, there were some wiggling and giggles. Lily kidnapped all the pillows and a big brown blanket that was on top of the otherwise made bed. That big stuffed bunny was still here.

Lily grinned as Heather grabbed one of her hands again, trying to get her to pet Heather's hair. The young woman pulled off her mask to put it above the two with the tablet of them, so either one could use it if needed, and then was promptly pounced on. The two cuddled, where it felt… safe.

Feel better? Lily signed as Heather was settled after a bit. Giving the wanted head pets, and Lily smiled at the sleepy nod. Waiting for Heather to be fully asleep, like others had done for her.

Lily blinked a bit, looking around the dark room, suddenly having an odd feeling she could not place. Not that same kind of… echo from John. Not like earlier. Not the excitement that sort of bled through this strange bond. It was not anything bad, confusing and odd but not bad.

It felt like heat.

Lily was always feeling cold, and the Fortress on a whole was cool but some rooms. Logically it made sense not to have , but just… it was cold. After Lily got this wraith gift from Gaia, she was always cold after.

Vega had closed the door to the other parts of the attached rooms. Or just the sleeping area to help heat up this space more. Between the warmth and the scent of petrichor, Lily could close her eyes and pretend that John was back. As childish as it might be, just imagine he was not far like at the desk-

Lily half opened her eyes, not aware as they glazed a bit, but not from the wraith gift. It felt like a rolling heat wave, like swinging into the engine room of a boat compared to the cold deck. Only no scents of oil, warm metal and diesel. Just a familiar heat spreading in Lily's core as she settled into the safe feeling.

It was almost like a big warm hand spreading on her back or side. Getting a head press that she had learned meant affection.

Just…she felt warm and safe, and Lily was finally able to get herself some real sleep again. Just as she did slip into sleep, Lily could have swore she heard a thunder deep voice saying something.

Lily and Heather were at least able to sleep curled up in their guardian's bed. But also unknowing that their little bonds to the new god were getting just that much stronger. Though without his Mark, the new gift shifted a bit, shielding them from awareness of others outside of Fortress just that bit better.

It also meant the tentative reading of a young gorgon heart would suddenly vanish from a currently active Celestial Locator that was being used. Making the Hell Priest curse darkly, before wincing as his goddess behind him frowned at both the loss of the signal and curse.

Reviews!

XFireStoneX: Vega likely would but he has Cascade, an experienced battle Altan to help him now! And yesss the Slayer and his sentinels are going to terrorize hell now LOL