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“Right, and… before I go…” John murmured, pulling his phone out of his inventory… and trying to ignore the eyes on him. The sun was setting and yet still the caretakers of Brighton Manor were hard at work, and now that he was standing in the marked off spot for his transport to and from his old world, he could feel the eyes locked on him. He wasn’t exactly sure what they were so excited about – the most he ever got was a quick flash of light when someone vanished, and often not even that. It wasn’t any more interesting than seeing someone enter a Barrier, yet they seemed quite perturbed by it.

His fingers were a bit out of practice from spending so long in his new world, but it only took a few seconds for him to write out a quick text message for Layla.

Hey, Layla, had some stuff to take care of at the Manor, sorry it took all day. Gonna be in town again tomorrow. Meet for lunch, maybe a bit after? Will be near the Market, just a few blocks away, not sure when I’ll wrap things up though. Lemme know if you’re free and I’ll call when I’m out. Maybe we could make it our second date?”

John stowed the phone away and paused. He gave a quick wave to the staff around, particularly the ones that were still staring. Without a posse of beautiful, inhuman women surrounding him, there was noticeably less staring… but he would have preferred none at all.

“I, uh, I’m going now. Coming back tomorrow morning, too. Could you maybe not scream when I do it? Everyone freaks out and thinks we’re under attack, and then Moira gets really mad. ‘Kay? Awesome,” John said. Nobody responded, but his rather intentionally awkward way of calling out the fact they were staring did get most of them to turn their eyes away, which was enough of a win in his book.

That done, John immediately began to World Shift away, grateful to be going back to somewhere more private. What caught him off guard was when, just as the world around him began to fade, he heard the distinct sound of a notification popping up – and of his phone going off.

“What the-”

When John reformed out in front of his house, he quickly re-opened his inventory. To his surprise, his phone already had a notification – a new text received from Layla. John’s thumbs fumbled to open it, still slightly in awe at the sheer speed of the reply.

”I’d love to. I’m free all day. I could even go with you, if you like. Just let me know when and where, and I’ll be there.”

"A response that quickly? She must be even more terminally online than I am..." John chuckled to himself as he stowed the phone away once more. "But at least I have an answer. I wish I could respond, but it’s not worth going back to shoot her a thumbs up or something. I should really see about setting up a way to send and receive messages on my regular phone now that I'm regularly talking with people outside the manor. Maybe Tricia can find a way to do it? She figured out how to get the drones working here, I wonder if she could find a safe way to get my phone to work here too?"

Well, John hadn’t even had to wait for morning to get his answer, so that was at least something. He was only halfway to his house when he realized something.

”Was that the first time I’ve ever actually asked a girl out?” The thought made John stumble as his brain short-circuited for a moment, poring over his interactions with his lovers. He continued traipsing off to the house, mind struggling to recall tiny details from the last year and change.

”No, no, it can’t be. I’ve spent so much time with all of them, and not just training, surely one of them has to count. We’ve been shopping, and drinking, and… shit, did I ever actually call it a date? Does it have to be called a date? What are the Abyss rules, I barely even know the mundane ones, and...”

"Alright everyone, pile the trash and leftovers on the counter."

The kittens rushed to deposit their plates and scraps as quietly as possible, eager to go out and play after refueling. Meera and Mithra weren't far behind, followed much more leisurely by the rest of the adults. Once everything was gathered up, John set to using his Salvage and Refine abilities to clean up.

The actual materials weren't particularly useful - a few low-grade food scraps, plus some raw plastic and styrofoam from the take-out containers - but it was a remarkably effective way to completely remove all the food from their plates and recycle the waste. It took a few minutes to finish processing, but the time wasn't completely wasted - as each dish was done being scoured of food, he could give it a quick wash with some conjured water.

He wasn't sure if mundane germs could even affect his creations, honestly, but it somehow made him feel better to scrub them by hand... or, rather, by spell. Elemental Control meant he didn't even have to touch the dishes, just conjure up some water and heat it with fire, then do his best waterbender impersonation and weave the liquid around. Admittedly, he'd broken more than a few dishes and had to remake them before he got the hang of using enough pressure to scour the dishes, yet not enough to shatter them. But hey, practice was practice, right?

"My Lord... if you would like, I could do that for you."

John glanced over his shoulder and found a noticeably distressed looking Yvara gazing nervously at the dishes. She was wearing a rather flattering black dress she had crafted for herself in a similar style to the one Aclysia wore, though without the additional trim and decoration.

"What, these? I appreciate the offer, but it's no trouble at all. Besides, I don't even have a sink you could get water from... or anything else, actually," John said, gesturing to the dishes.

His cleaning area was really just a large, flat counter he had made. He formed, controlled, and heated the water himself, and used the very same water as the scrubbing tool, so he hadn't needed any other tools. Someone else could have used the water he kept in the enchanted tank and gotten a brush or sponge from somewhere, but that would've involved a lot more time, effort, and wasted water that John would have to refill later.

"I know, it's just... you've already been so incredibly generous to me, to all of us. Since I first arrived in this paradise of yours, you have fed me, housed me, provided me with all manner of material on request, even given me a plot of your own land to build a Temple upon! If this were in my homeland, even after the end of months-long celebrations of your first arrival, when you came to our Temple, we would have showered you with gifts, lavish meals, endless affections... I feel a great shame at providing so little for you!"

"Well, as you said, you built an entire Temple. I'd hardly call that nothing."

"The Temple is dedicated to you, but it is a gift to all who know the joys of worshipping you. I should do something worthy of the gifts you have given me! If... if my body pleases you, you may use it as you please, Lord. I am unused to such things, but I will do my best if you-"

"That won't be necessary," John said, perhaps a bit too hastily, judging by the crestfallen look on Yvara's face.

"Of course. You already have so many wondrous lovers, there is no need for another. I should not have presumed myself to arouse or interest you when you are surrounded by such beauty."

"Wha- no, no. You're beautiful, Yvara," John hastily spat out. "I just don't want you offering yourself up like some kind of payment."

"But... I have nothing else which is not already yours."

John sighed, momentarily dismissing the water and letting the dishes rest as he focused on her. "Is it really important to you that you do something for me? Would it make you happy to be able to pay me back in some way?"

"It would make me feel a great deal better about the many gifts you bestow on us," Yvara agreed, nodding hesitantly.

"Well... how about after you finish with the Temple, you can tidy up around the house? Nothing specific, just picking up, dusting, that sort of thing. You can even build stuff to help with cleaning the house, since you're so good with construction."

It was a broad request, and very intentionally vague so as to sound bigger than it was. Honestly, for the most part, aside from the kittens making a mess when snacking or someone leaving clothes around, the house was pretty immaculate most days. There was never even much dust. Aside from occasionally washing their clothes and bedsheets, there was never a great deal of tidying to do at any given time.

"Oh, of course! That would be a wonderful way to honor you," Yvara agreed eagerly.

"Not honoring me," John corrected. "Just helping out, since you feel like it's important. My only rule is not to change anything big about the house without asking. And that includes redecorating outside of your own room," John added. He specified she should only build things to help clean, but given her penchant for statues and the general aesthetic of the temple, he didn't want to take any chances of coming home and finding an altar or shrine had been built.

"Of course! At most, perhaps a storage shed outside for some cleaning supplies... and perhaps a sink, or some other form of running water," Yvara noted, hand on her chin.

"Not a bad idea... "John agreed, chuckling. Most of the others couldn’t easily create or control water, and at least it showed she was on the right train of thought. “Alright, I’ll leave it to you, then. Just don’t push yourself too hard, alright? You already do so much work for your Temple, I don’t want you to lose sleep or exhaust yourself trying to feel like you’ve paid me back.”

“I have a great deal of endurance, Lord. You need not worry about me…” Yvara began, though her face fell slightly when she saw that was not an answer that pleased John, “...and I will take many breaks. And… some leisure time?”

The last part came out with some trepidation, but Yvara noticeably perked up when John finally gave a nod. Yvara bowed, straightened out, then squeaked out a farewell that was a bit too fast and high-pitched for John to fully make out.

”Right… Well, at least she seems to understand not going crazy with renovations. I’ll still keep an eye on her, at least for a while.”

”Creator John, do you require any assistance with your tasks? I believe the materials that you provided for me earlier have somewhat increased my capabilities. Perhaps I may be of use to you in some form?”

“Ah, I mean… I’m basically done,” John said, voice sounding a little bit more defeated than he had intended. He had just started up the cleaning again, with only a few dishes left and all the Salvage timers finished since he’d started talking to Yvara.

”Very well. Is there any other way I may be of service?”

“Not at the moment. Why, are you feeling bored now?” John mused, not realizing until after the words left his mouth almost exactly what he was going to hear in response.

“What does boredom feel like?”

“Ah, right. It’s, uh… kind of like you really want to get up and move, but you don’t know why. You feel like you really want to do something, especially something you can focus on, but nothing sounds right. Kind of hard to explain, like a lot of the other emotions we talk about.”

”I… think I may be bored?” Aclysia said. Her lips pursed, if only for a moment, as her eyes seemed unusually distant.

“Uh. Okay, not as predictable as I thought, then,” John murmured, once more taking his focus off the dishes and letting his conjured water vanish. “Okay, so… what makes you say that?”

”Since I finished consuming the materials that you provided, I have noticed some changes to my functionality. I seem to have improved physically – my reactions are faster, and I am able to observe things as if they were occurring much slower. However, what you describe does feel… something like what I am experiencing. I wish to… do something, but I am unsure of what that is, or how I should go about it.”

“Okay, well, admittedly there’s not always a ton to do around here besides training and talking, but I’m sure we can find something. How about you come to my room with me? Everyone will be going to bed in the next few hours, anyway.”

”As you wish, Creator John.”

John weaved up to the second floor, past the kittens now slowly ramping down from their after-dinner hyperness, with Aclysia close on his heels. Once they were inside and the door was shut behind them, John motioned for Aclysia to take a seat beside him on the bed.

“So, do you still feel that sensation you were describing?”

”I do not believe so. There is something else, harder to describe, though...” Aclysia said via their connection. Then a strange thing happened. For the first time that John could remember, Aclysia frowned – though she did not elaborate, or even seem to notice that her expression had changed.

“Okay. That could be boredom then, since going to a new place can help with that. Did this start recently?”

”Yes. I noticed it well after noticing the increases to my physical abilities. I don’t think it really started until around dinner time.”

”Yeah, when we all left you alone while we went to the dining room to eat,” John mused. It wasn’t an active exclusion – more that no one had invited Aclysia in, and she had never followed of her own accord. It wasn’t unusual for her, so John hadn’t thought anything of it at the time, but he felt a pang of guilt now.

“Well, that would make sense, especially if that was the first time you were alone that day. Boredom happens a lot when you’re alone with nothing to do. Were you around other people the rest of the day?”

”Yes, I spent a great deal of time with Yvara while you were gone, after consuming those materials. She seemed fine with me not being able to communicate directly with her. She did most of the talking, especially about you, Master.”

“I’m… sure she did,” John acknowledged. “And what else?”

”Spending time with Yvara and listening to her tell me about her Temple in her old world was most of my day. It was a long walk to and from the Temple, and those you left with started returning home soon after we left. I did not have time for many other activities.”

“Sounds like you kept busy. Well, uh… I don’t need to sleep, so if you want, you can follow me around. I’ll probably mostly be doing some light maintenance, going and finishing the dishes, stuff like that, but that might be enough? We can talk to Tricia and Lerianna for a more scientific approach to emotions and psychology too, that might be helpful for you.”

I would greatly appreciate that, Creator John.”

John tilted his head slightly, curiosity overtaking him. Despite her words and her still level tone, Aclysia’s frown was still there. John fought the urge to reach out and physically move her lips back into place – he’d grown so accustomed to her unmoving expression that this almost felt wrong.

“Aclysia, how do you feel right now? You said the boredom was gone now. What else is there?”

”What else? I am unsure. I don’t know that I have any similar feelings. I am feeling mildly hot, though.”

“Hot?” John held his hand up to Aclysia’s forehead just to be absolutely certain, but all he could feel was the cold touch of stone. “You’re not any warmer than usual. What kind of ‘hot’ are we talking, here?”

”It is different than the sensation of temperature. It is as if I am the source of the warmth, and yet it feels wrong to be heated so. I do not mind touching warm things, but this feels different… as if my mind were hot too.”

“Your mind? Oh, yeah, that is… probably what someone who has never felt emotions would describe it as,” John mused. A part of him wondered if he should be recording this – but surely all Artificial Spirits went through something like this, right? John wished this had come up earlier in the day so he could’ve asked Tricia for a book on Artificial Spirits, but that was just one more thing he’d have to request of her.

”You have an idea of what this feeling might be?”

“Well, if it’s what you’re describing, it’s probably anger. I mean, I can’t know for sure without feeling it myself, but… sounds about right. Did you notice that you started frowning about a minute ago?”

”A frown? I-” Without moving, Aclysia seemed to become suddenly aware of her own face once more. She tried to shift her face back into a neutral position, but now that it had moved, she seemed almost unsure of what her normal expression was supposed to be. John bit back a chuckle and nodded in the most reassuring way he could.

“We do that when we’re mad, or annoyed, or just sad. You’re probably upset because of these feelings you’re experiencing and the fact that you can’t control them, and don’t even really know what they are. That’s totally… well, none of this is normal, exactly – but it’s natural for people to get frustrated, and sometimes to even get frustrated about being frustrated. It seems like eating that material must have increased your level and stats, and I’m guessing because your mental stats are going up, you’re going to start experiencing more of these emotions.”

”You have asked me a few times what I ‘liked’. If it means what you have explained it as… I do not believe I ‘like’ these emotions,” Aclysia said, face settled on a slightly off-kilter version of her normal, blank stare.

“They are pretty complicated and annoying sometimes,” John agreed. “But they’re not all bad. For every time you feel sad, or angry, or just want to scream at the world, you’ll find something that will make you smile, something that makes you happy. I don’t know exactly what it’s going to be like for you as you develop, or how you’ll experience all these things for the first time, but if you ever feel like it’s too much for you, that’s what the rest of us are here for. We’ve all been through some bad times, but however sad or angry you feel, however bad things get, there’s always something worth it all on the other end of that struggle.”

”You are sure of this?” Aclysia whispered into his mind, sounding almost skeptical.

“…”

John paused, meeting Aclysia’s eyes and finding a strangely piercing gaze waiting for him there.