Love's Arcade

when I think about you…

yeonma. finally their mind connects the dots. the lampad had never spoke to them in the underworld, hard hardly even looked him in the eye. it wasn't enis place to do either of those things. eni remembers cheeping with enis siblings over how handsome and regal they are. the nymphs would swoon and sigh, hoping he'd spare their brood even a passing glance. yeonma was every lampad's first crush. first heartbreak. whenever lampads were courted by spirits or lower level demons they would mourn that it was not yeonma offering his hand instead.

however, the living realm was the great equalizer, wasn't it? they were more alike than they were different here.

"hello--" alena finds themself saying before their prey instinct can tell them that approaching an apex predator so openly may be a bad idea. small hands scrunch at nyms dress, nervous despite it all, and nym bows. "lord yeonma. i apologize. i have no offering." they could remedy that if he let them. nym spares a glance up at them and is immediately entranced. yeonma is even more magnetic than nym recalled as a fledgeling.

Well, it's not clean, but the experience is still different from the staleness of their realm. Refreshing, if they were to choose a word.

Being found, though, is not something they expect to happen.

…and the vet was like, “You know the thing with geriatric cats is—” and I was like, “What do you mean, geriatric?! It’s a little baby, look at her!" Kumail Nanjiani: Night Thoughts (2025)