A blissful sun returned Coshire to its regular lively glory. Vamanas' streets teemed with busy workers walking to clock in.
Hitirus stalked the road in front of the home he discovered Ether in the night before. Eagerly waiting for him to pop out and search for something to do.
Yet who came out of the door was Nestres. His noble orange eyes matched the unending hunger to drive off paranormal entities off Koroth.
"Think we can change to be more... presentable?" Hitirus looked down at his Brittle Ice Thawed / Deep Ocean Feral body. "Maybe a Zesher."
"Me! I can be Yonie!" a standard Yonie excitedly replied.
"Sorry bud, let the girls stretch their legs. I'm taking your Yomie," the female Zegus abruptly shut down the Yonie's hopes.
"No, wait. He wants to -"
Before the Yomie could finish the sentence, Hitirus morphed to suit their bodies. She had the same overall body of a Zegus, with the exception of very soft skin and shoulder-length hair.
Despite the perfect blend, some features were off. Such as Hitirus' yellow hair and cyan eyes. Even her cheeks were very pink, almost as if trying to cling onto a Feral's ability to change their color at will.
"This'll do," she muttered.
Her badly stained outfit made Hitirus look like a messy Zesher. No regards to presentation or comments.
Yet when she stepped out into the sunlight, all other Variants could see was her. She was oddly beautiful, very eye-catching. Especially with her calming eyes.
Nestres realized many workers stopped hurrying to their jobs, and when he saw why, curiosity got the better of him. He stared as well, trying to figure out what made this stranger so interesting.
Both Variants locked eyes. Hitirus saw strange ideas popping up in Nestres' mind, maybe even plans. However, she was firm on speaking with Ether.
"Who are you?" Nestres asked.
"Friend!" Hitirus pointed at Ether's window. "My friend is inside! I miss my friend, I want to see him again."
"You mean Shora? I've never seen you before," Nestres glanced inside the bedroom. "Hey, Shora, is this your friend?"
Ether groaned, annoyed that he had to let Shora take over. In moments, the Yonie completely overhauled his personality.
Hitirus watched Shora poke his head out from under the window. The blissful green eyes lit up once they saw each other.
"Huh? Eh! Pretty Yomie Yomie!" Shora cheered. "Veneti otas vemsi (Pretty beautiful lady), eh..? Yomie Yomie (Girl Girl)?"
"Shora! Hi, hi, hiiii!" Hitirus smiled from ear to ear. She moved closer to see him, then pressed her face through the bars. "Love you, Shora!"
Nestres smiled. "You two are such bundles of joy. You can visit Shora in his room, if you'd like."
The offer halted Hitirus' thinking. She wasn't sure if this was a trap or a sincere offer. But one thing stuck with her: regardless of it being a trap or not, Hitirus remained a Verwirrtsur, any situation was easy to escape.
So she accepted. Stepping through the front door and right into Ether's bedroom. It smelled of fresh lavender and roses got stronger on the inside.
Hitirus looked around, noting how many gifts Ether had. Multiple crowns of flowers sat on shelves, along with coloring books and reading books.
"I'm sorry Nestres," Shora frowned. He reached for the curtains. "But I want to be with my friend in private." He closed them, leaving Nestres curious.
Yet he wasn't the type to poke his nose in other's businesses. So he left to find his trusty Noble Mind, Fruzzy.
Shora turned back to Ether. "I'm guessing you're Hitirus?"
Hitirus nodded. "Yeah, it's a bit off to do what you just did. Considering how I'm clearly female and you're male, wanting to meet me in private sounds sketchy."
Ether shrugged. "I'm happily married to Pearl... I just - just need to uh... find h - her."
"You lost your partner?"
"It's a bit of a long story. The short of it was I put my family on Sky Beasts to escape while Infinus came to take over. Hylo jumped off, so she's all I've got," Ether explained.
"Hopefully you find them soon. Anyway, what's up?" Hitirus asked.
Ether sat down on his bed. "I hate this life. That's it. Now, I know why you're here. It's obvious in your name, King-cleaver. But to be a King, you need Noble Minds."
"Don't know anybody," Hitirus mumbled.
"Yours truly?" Ether gestured at himself. "I'm a 'trophy' not a Noble Mind. Still up for grabs, y'know. Besides, I'm trained to fight like one now."
Hitirus raised an eyebrow. "Can you -"
"I technically am eating the sun, yes," Ether suddenly answered. He pointed at his crown. "Whenever I'm deployed, this goes up in flames. I'm instantly overcharged and glowing white."
Ether cocked his head back. "By the way, my daughter is also up for grabs. Hylo's getting powerful enough to rival me when I last met you."
There was a pause. Hitirus thought about it for a moment. Having two Coros members on his side could prove to be a good choice, especially if they trained hard enough.
But that'd mean he'd have two brawlers. Offensively, this would be perfect. Yet to push through the others, they'll need more than just bawlers.
A Variant capable of fighting Gatruda in their world would be favorable. Even one with enough skill and experience could change the tide against most other Nobles.
"Well?" Ether pressed on.
Hitirus nodded. "I can see us working together."
The door quietly swung open, then a hybrid slipped inside. They noticed how dark the room was, and both voices conversing.
"You'll just have to promise me -"
Ether noticed Hylo standing awkwardly by the door. Her eyes wide open and a look of concern plastered across her face.
"Neddy, who is this girl you're talking to? She better not be my new Neddy..." Hylo gritted her teeth in sheer anger. "You heard that? I'll kill you, creature!"
Hitirus sighed, it was that time again.