Much Cuteness Shall Occur (Amos)

[Amos Freeman]

Amos laughed, shaking his head.

“I’m pretty sure that would be impossible for me,” he murmured. “But, like… well, this is kind of weird, but people don’t even realize how many things they think about. Like, even if you think you’re only thinking about doughnuts, you’re thinking about thinking about doughnuts, and thinking about me, and you, and… this sounds kind of like doughnutception or something,” he laughed. “But you get what I mean. When other animals think about food, they just think about food. I mean, they have instincts at the same time, but I can handle those. But it’s not your fault, it’s just the way we are.”

He shifted a bit, and the leaves rustled under him.

“We can try one more time. It’s only tiring if I get to stay,” he joked. This wasn’t entirely true; removing his spirit did require some form of exertion, kind of like an invisible muscle. But it wasn’t worn out yet.

“Oh, try keeping your eyes open this time,” he instructed. “So I can see out of them.”

He opened his gate once more, slipping out and in with very little pause. If he’d had a body in this form, he’d have been holding his breath.

[Juniper Birdsong]

"It makes sense," Juniper mused. "I wish I could feel into other people's minds. Or animals. Animals would be so cool." She pouted for a moment. But she really didn't mind too much - she loved her own ability.

She laughed at his word choice. "Doughnutception. Sounds like heaven. Mm. We should get doughtnuts. I'm hungry now." She bit her lip.

"Keeping my eyes open, got it," she told him. She did so, this time changing the course of her thoughts and focusing on the colors of the air above them. It was a light greenish hue in here, calm and still, with a few strands of indigo where the air was cooler. It was easy for her to focus on the colors - they were so beautiful, so graceful and intriguing. She could watch them for hours. "Ready," she murmured.

[Amos Freeman]

Amos figured that he might have a better chance of staying in her mind if he didn’t say anything. Animals didn’t speak English, so this was never a problem; animals spoke instinct, feeling, motion, and that was usually how he tried to communicate with them. On the rare occasion that he did use English, it usually only resulted in a really confused rabbit.

He was looking through Juniper Birdsong’s eyes. He was seeing the wind in colors.

A feeling of wonderment overtook him, and he was content to stare vicariously and say nothing for a long while.

You’re amazing, he thought after a while. He was jostled a bit, but not dislodged; this was a vast improvement, and also a relief, because he had no way to steel himself. His consciousness was at the mercy of the mind he was in unless he forcefully removed himself.

[Juniper Birdsong]

There it was again. The tickling. This time Juniper ignored it for the most part, still concentrating on the colors. She tried desperately not to think about whether or not it was working, but judging by the silence that continued, she assumed he was. The tickling increased until she felt a sort of fuzziness in her head - it wasn't unpleasant, but she could definitely tell something was happening.

You're amazing. There he was. She smiled. Could she communicate with him this way? Worth a shot. Watch this. Still focusing on the wind, she slowly raised a hand and spun it, making the green swirls spin in a dizzying dance as the indigo strands drifted downwards and blew outward. And, because she knew it was his favorite color, she concentrated and forced the green upwards, until it changed to blue and indigo and finally an intense, dizzyingly bright purplish-blue. It wasn't ultraviolet, not exactly, but it was as close as she figured she could get.

Pretty cool, right? She continued to play with the colors, weaving them in and out of branches and blowing them across her skin. How many people could say they shared minds with their best friend?

[Amos Freeman]

Right, was all Amos could think in return. He felt very precarious, as though thinking too many words would flip him back out of her mind. He sent a feeling of gratitude and contentment instead; she might not recognize that it came from him, but at least she would feel it, and that was good enough.

He had never been in a human mind for this long, and he was excited and slightly nervous at the same time. He felt their thoughts brushing against each other, clashing, recoiling, and his spirit began to loosen.

Thanks, he thought faintly. It’s almost ultraviolet. I wish I could show you–

And that was all the connection could handle. He inhaled deeply as he returned to his own body, furrowing his eyebrows. He was a little cold.

“Sorry, I think that’s all I can take right now.” He rubbed his forehead with one clammy hand before smiling over at Juney. “Um, I think we should go get doughnuts, just saying.”

He looked at his watch.

“Next time, I want to try riding the air scooter.”

[Juniper Birdsong]

She wished they could do this all the time. Being together nearly all waking hours of the day was one thing, but this... This was entirely new. And so wonderful. After a while she began to wonder what thoughts were her own and which were his; it should have frightened her, but it didn't. It seemed... Natural, somehow. Weird.

The feeling of him leaving her mind was almost painful in a way. It was like someone had switched off a light in her mind, and she flinched, blinking rapidly. Her thoughts were her own again. She immediately threw herself onto Amos (gently, of course), snuggling into his shirt. "You okay?" she asked. "You did amazing. That was.... I can't even explain how awesome that was. You're incredible." She beamed up at him. "I love you."

She nodded vigorously. "Doughtnuts sound fantastic. Let's do it." She laughed. "I think I should practice the air scooter a bit more before we try together. But I promise, we will someday."