Cicero just nodded in appreciation when Aesa said that she was impressed, then, upon hearing disbelief at the growing, he spoke, "Yes, this is my realm after all. I have gardens growing such things all the time," was what he stated. As for the tension, as soon as Aesa pointed it out, Gerwulf sighed and leaned a little back before putting his cutlery down. "Tension? Oh, not really as for why. Because humanity and humans are two different things, and I wanted to pick your brains," As soon as the words left those thin soft lips, Gerwulf couldn't help but tense a little bit as he glanced over to Cicero. However, it was the last phrase that truly picked at the stranger's being.
"That is because I am human. I am just as cruel, if not worse than, anyone else. Filled with desires, all of them selfish," Cicero chuckled as they watched each other. Gerwulf's eyes landed on Aesa's as she spoke of not wanting to go home alone. "You... I..." He seemed frustrated, not knowing what he could share. Cicero freed him of the responsibility then, as the last sentence was a clear directed query. "Does Gerwulf still travel everywhere, enter towns like a hurricane and smooth-talk the prettiest thing before... well, you would know, I suppose." Cicero grinned widely as his fingertips dragged along Gerwulf's wrist, over his hand, and squeezed the other man's hand lightly.
Gerwulf didn't pull away, just sighing as his other hand rose to his face and stroked his temples. "Less charades, more information. Can I?" the wolf man asked, before Cicero shrugged and motioned with his other hand to go on. "Cicero... is an immortal who changes their body. The first time we met, she was under the name Joan." Glancing through fingertips, he pressed his lips together. Wondering if Aesa understood now what was going on between the two of them. Or at least, what Gerwulf was hinting at. Though it could have been an elaborate hoax with how sordid his past was, to suggest that this creepy-suited man was one of those he had shared time with.
"Flattering, at the time. This pup thought I was a helpless woman, my chaperone having been assailed. Swooped in, saved the day. We had fun, and I let him live." Cicero's grin widened a little more than seemed normal as he tilted his head. "As for the secrecy. I abide by certain rulesets, but they are the type that you either understand or will find out if you break them. Gerwulf, while you were unconscious and for a little while dead, bargained on your behalf. So that I would do you no harm out of aggression or negligence, speak outright lies as well, or sway you with any of my abilities. In exchange, once you woke, he could not warn you of anything, tell you the rules, nor make any suggestions that could sway your own thoughts." Cicero seemed to speak all at once; the tempo spoke of an inhumane lung capacity as he never seemed rushed or had his words go askew.
"Now, you will stay for a little. Because without further medication and rest, your transition will likely break your mind. Sure, I could have told you all this in the beginning; however, how would that have been any fun?" He murmured before leaning toward Aesa, his eyes having gone back to those piercing blues. Letting out a slow breath, the scent of the food was overpowered by the floral scent and the earth, as well as something akin to sap and nectar. "Amusement is all an immortal has after a while, so why not indulge in the unknown?" He offered open-endedly. "This is why I suggested that you go home first... Cicero is eccentric," Gerwulf said while trying to look anywhere else than toward Aesa at this moment.
Realm. Had they mentioned that word before? There was so much since she'd woken that she couldn't remember. For some reason she thought she was in a mansion and there were normal gardens and sunshine outside. Now, she wasn't quite so sure. She was pondering where they could be with a word choice like that when he called himself cruel. Her stomach sank and she took a deep breath, her own blue eyes locking on him. Never had she heard anyone admit to the things that he was admitting too. Most tried to say they weren't selfish or cruel. Cicero seemed to embrace it. Enjoy it even.
When he commented on Gerwulf, her cheeks turned red, but she looked at the man across from her and smiled. "Yes. I don't think it's a bad thing though. We've had fun... welp, until I called him for help." Her eyes went to where Cicero touched Gerwulf. It was almost affectionate with the way he touched him. Aesa was pansexual, so it never struck her as odd as she watched, but it did make her curious. Her gaze went back to Gerwulfs as he explained. "Ah, the after market parts you mentioned. I think I'll pass on asking how in the hell you can change those parts out and just... accept it." She sighed, her eyes moving to Cicero as he spoke. She gave a soft chuckle at the idea of Gerwulf playing the hero. Somethings didn't change it seemed.
Cicero talked about her change breaking her mind and her eyes went a little wide. This asshole. The thought probably showed on her face as he eyes narrowed a bit and she gave a huff of aggravation. This time when he leaned forward, she didn't back away or freak out. She was starting to learn his intimidation tactics. She'd grown up with abusive, controlling, people all her life. She had learned to adapt quickly in order to survive. "I see. Soooo, I'm amusement to you. That certainly clarifies things." She looked over at Gerwulf. "Doesn't sound like from what he said about my change, that I have much of a choice. I already feel like I'm losing my mind. I'd like to not literally lose it." She shoved a bite of food in her mouth to give herself something to focus on besides the information she'd just had dumped on her.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to throw things. How could someone treat her life as if it was a toy and something to entertain themselves with? Aesa wasn't a fucking lego set to take apart and put together for shits and giggles. She knew she was freaking out slightly, but she tried to keep it all pushed down and stay calm on the outside. "So, you say you don't know what changes... if any... I may experience, but now it could drive me insane without your medicine and rest. And I don't see I have any choice but to believe you." She looked back to Gerwulf, then Cicero. "If you don't wish to share your dresses with me, which I respect, why couldn't we go get some of my clothes and come back? Or do you not trust us to return?"
They hadn't hidden the fact that this was Cicero's realm, but it was just not elaborated on, or what it actually meant. If she actually knew that this place floated in the middle of the void, surrounded by unspeakable entities while the structure was built from materials and magic, more of her mind would probably melt away. As for Cicero and how he acted, he was honest when he did speak, and perhaps more than anyone else, given that he embraced what he was. Cicero nodded, Gerwulf just smiled when Aesa said that they had fun until the call.
Neither of them elaborated on how Cicero was Joan previously or when it occurred. Gerwulf didn't because he didn't want to scare Aesa, while Cicero just didn't like sharing such details unless he actually owned the person who found such truths from him. When her eyes bugged out and she became more aggressive, he couldn't help but chuckle. "To a point, true, you could have the willpower to push through what is happening to you; however, from what I have seen. Even being shown this side of reality seems to be straining you. As for amusement, yes, everyone and everything is on that list... it happens when you've seen civilizations turn to dust, Aesa" Cicero said lightly before Gerwulf took over.
"You always have a choice... even if it is between a rock and a hard place, it's just hard to argue with Cicero. He... stacks the deck" - "Come now, that makes it sound like I cheat. I would never do that; it's just making the alternative not as intimidating. I mean, I am the most reliable source of help for her condition," Cicero murmured before pulling his hand away from Gerwulf. Listening to her, while her thoughts ran rampant. "I don't know what changes may occur with your body. However, I have done extensive body modifications on others, and their sense of self becomes fragile. It is usually the reason why shifters have a beast, for example. It takes over when needed while the humanoid mind transitions, then they spend their lives embracing what they are by accepting their beasts." Giving a more down-to-earth example.
"The problem with you is that what I have done to you does not create a beast. So there is no protection against what you will go through. That is not a change, just how you will respond to your world crashing down around your mind", Cicero stated, giving a more in-depth explanation. What she had asked him before and what he was talking about were two separate things. This showed how literal his answers were in relation to her words. "Yes, I don't trust you not to return. What little trust I have in people is laced with poison. You asked before why I won't do things out of the kindness of my heart... my heart was torn away from me, a very long time ago. So, such actions require more effort than it is worth." He wasn't bitter, just stating facts like he was reading an excerpt from a book with that smile upon his lips.
"Straining me?" Strain. Growing pissed off was more like it. "It's doing something, but strain might not be the word I'd use." She sighed. "And I have quite a lot on my mind and things to consider on top of the changes you think might break my brain in half." She didn't look at Gerwulf. What was the point? Cicero knew what she meant. Though his comment on the civilizations he'd seen pass was fascinating. She did like talking to 'elders' and hearing their stories and learning from them. Something told her Cicero wouldn't share anything for free. She'd still make the comment. "I would enjoy hearing about the things you've seen if we're going to be here a while. From both of you, now that I know Gerwulf isn't just a hot and eccentric military brat."
Her eyes when to him as he told her she had a choice. "I've dealt with those choices many times. Griffin was good at giving them. As was my grandfather." She focused on Cicero's comment about her situation. It made sense. She could see how being changed like this would mess someone up. In a way, it hadn't really sank in for her. The pregnancy felt more heavy and pressing than becoming a supernatural creature. She knew that it should be the least of her worries. At least for a few months. She likely wouldn't even start to show for months yet. Aesa closed her eyes and shook hear head, clearly trying to clear her thoughts.
She stared at him as he talked about her mind crashing down around her. As she stared, she put a bite of food in her mouth. "I see. So I should just plan on losing my set when this all... .sinks in so to speak and anything that is going to happen starts happening." She nodded. "I admit, it's not all really... hit me yet. Possibly whatever you gave me for pain or anxiety, but I assume it will when I settle down or start to actually feel any kind of pain that might remain." She frowned propping her chin in her hand as he talked about not trusting them. "I can't fault you for that. I'd have trust issues with that too." She tilted her head, a thought coming to her that Gerwulf wouldn't like. "What if you escorted me, Cicero?" She smiled. "Can't run away if you're with me, now can I?"
Cicero liked getting a rise out of people; any emotion that brought one to the extreme was true. He didn't mind if it was positive or negative in manner, though, as it made little difference to him if he was liked. Feared or respected, they were the only markers for those who were not under his employ. "I take great offense to that, I've always been more than hot," Gerwulf joked with a genuine smile breaking onto his features. Cicero was more non-commital, though unlike Gerwulf, he was more willing to speak about his age and past as long as he got something out of it. "Perhaps a little later," Cicero murmured.
The thin man would have laughed if he could have heard her thoughts, given that Aesa was likely very wrong, as it all depended on her body chemistry. What creature he had used as the blueprint was a cat that was born from a pig, according to legend. His own recreation of it was likely not perfect, so the side effects could include accelerated gestation. Gerwulf sighed, nodding as she spoke of her Grandfather and the man named Griffin.
"Not losing, more like the corners of your mind will expand and you will need to relearn everything again," Cicero spoke more softly as he leaned back and sat against his chair. "The substance I have pumped into you will help, but will start fading not too long from now. I am hesitant to give you another dose of the same, in case you build a tolerance. Though if you permit me to use my abilities, I can make it all a bit easier to swallow."
Gerwulf did look between the two, but couldn't help but shrug. As it wasn't his choice, though, what Aesa said next did make him sit up. "I... well. As long as Cicero doesn't let harm come to you," speaking out before he sat back down, looking back at his plate, he picked up his knife and fork, before beginning to eat once more. He'd give Aesa time to pick her poison as it were. Aesa was right, though. Gerwulf did not like the idea, as his deal with Cicero was only to do with her while they were in this realm. What the aberration would do outside was another story. "True, but I quite enjoy looking at the female form. What do I get for the inconvenience of stepping outside of my realm?"
