The soft walls only extruded a pleasant warmth, rather than a sickly slime, or digestive juice.
 
 
Though there was one drawback.
 
 
“I... it's dark…” whimpered Nillyna in slight fear.
 
 
“Not to worry, Nillyna, I can fix that,” said Lily reassuringly.
 
 
Suddenly, the fleshy tube became illuminated by a pale blue glow.
 
 
Gasping in awe, Nillyna pressed off of Lily just enough to take in her surroundings. The fleshy walls were illuminated by tiny veins that carried some kind of luminescent liquid throughout the entire chamber, giving enough light to luminate everything around. The chamber itself looked to resemble some kind of tunnel composed of muscle tissue that hugged them from all sides, aiding her and Lily's descent without difficulty.
 
 
Eventually they came to rest at what could only be assumed was what Lily recently dubbed her sanctuary, Lily straddling stop Nillyna, the fleshy walls hugging them close, but not suffocatingly so. They both lay at rest at a slight angle, no doubt due to the position of Lily's body from outside. Had Lily's still been planted in the ground no doubt her and Nillyna would be nestled in the chamber in a standing up position.
 
 
“This is actually the first time I have ever brought someone else into my sanctuary with me,” admitted Lily, her tone playful.
 
 
For a while Lily and Nillyna just stared at each other, Lily with a soft smile and Nillyna with still budding confusion. She had been so overwhelmed by desire and sorrow that when Lily began kissing her she was so happy she had little room in her mind for anything else. But now that her excitement was dying down she was beginning to realize how strange this was. Lily had shown nothing but hostility towards Nillyna since she brought her to her home, so why was she acting so humble and gentle now?
 
 
“I...I don't understand…” she said, looking deep into the crimson pupil of Lily's eye that wasn't obscured by her hair. “Lily, why are you acting like this?”
 
 
“Acting like what?” Inquired Lily in an almost flirtatious tone, reaching into her long, slender, green hair and pulling something out. “I'm only fulfilling my end of the agreement.”
 
 
Nillyna gasped in shock.
 
 
Lily was holding her Soul Contract in her hand, unfurling it to reveal Lily's signature at the bottom next to her own signature, which she had signed beforehand. This meant it was official. Lily was bound to the agreement to never harm Nillyna and show her affection, in exchange for food and comfort.
 
 
It explains how she got free of her restraints, for it says in the contract that Nillyna could not restrain Lily against her will in any way. And it also explained why Lily hadn't tried to eat Nillyna. She never could eat her, ever again.
 
 
“I... don't understand,” repeated Nillyna chokingly, taking the contract from Lily and running her hand over the luminescent signature of Lily's below, “You wouldn't believe me. You were convinced that I was only interested in your fruit. What could convince you otherwise?”
 
 
Lily was quiet for a second, turning her eyes away from Nillyna, her playful expression falling to be replaced by a look of slight remorse.
 
 
“I had some time to think about it,” Lily admitted, tightening her grip on Nillyna as she turned her gaze back at her. “You were right, there's nothing in your Soul Contract that would hurt me...and... practically…if I did sign it, you are forever bound to never hurt me either...so...there wasn't any reason to doubt your serenity anymore.” Lily caught herself before she got too emotional, hiding the guilt that had been surfacing behind a mask of what she hoped appeared to be eagerness. “Not to mention all you are offering me.” She grabbed Nillyna's hand. “I didn't believe it at first but since you can't go back on the terms of a Soul Contract…it would be foolish of me to decline if you are sincere about what you're offering me".
 
Recalling about the Contract stating Nillyna would provide Lily with someplace to take root again made some of her earlier loss resurface. "Especially considering that I have no place to go, what with my forest being destroyed."
 
 
Though Lily still tried to make it look like she was only interested in the benefit of the contract. She may be feeling guilty and oddly clingy towards Nillyna right now, but she wasn't prepared to look 'that’ soft towards her yet.
 
 
Nillyna smiled as passionate tears streamed down her face, no doubt conjured up by the burning flames of affection that had been rekindled within her breast.“Does that mean you will stay here, in my home, with me?”
 
 
The contract didn't require Lily stays up here with Nillyna in any regards, so it was her decision alone to remain where she was.
 
 
"If you will have me," Lily replied, allowing some of her feelings to slip past her mask of pride; since Nillyna had already constricted herself with her own Soul Contract of her own accord, she might as well give her the opportunity to decide on this one mutual portion of the bargain being struck.
 
 
“Yes!” Replied Nillyna, nodding her head vigorously. “More than anything.”
 
 
Lily pulled Nillyna close again.
 
 
“I'm glad,” she whispered into Nillyna's scalp, once again unable to keep up her selfish facade momentarily. “I was afraid you were too upset with me.”
 
 
It actually warmed Nillyna's heart to learn that Lily was nervous about her reaction. She didn't even know that she could even be capable until now.
 
 
“Never...I would never be too upset to not want to go through with this with you,” she said, tears of joy streaming from her eyes in greater numbers than her sorrowful tears ever did. Her heart beat profoundly in her chest, but Nillyna felt as light as a feather as she nuzzled her head into Lily's soft chest and tightened her grip on her.
 
 
She could not believe that Lily was here to stay. It may be a relationship of convenience at the moment, but Nillyna had full confidence that Lily would eventually learn to care for her too, somehow, and she wasn't naive enough to fully believe all of the selfishness Lily was trying so hard to emit was genuine. After all, she had appeared to care about Nillyna's reaction to this more than anything else.
 
 
A tingling warmth spread throughout Nillyna's body, and driven by this new sensation, she looked up at Lily and pressed her mouth to hers. Lily didn't resist, pressing back against Nillyna with equal force, and probably twice as much passion. Arms explored feminine curves, driven by primordial desires to feel soft flesh sliding beneath their touch.
 
 
Nillyna's desire grew in intensity, and before long one of her hands slipped from Lily's shoulder, moving down to her left breast and taking the soft orb into her hand and squeezing it gently.
 
 
Lily moaned gently into Nillyna's mouth at the sensation, responding by sliding her right hand down the small of Nillyna's back, past her abdomen and hips until she reached her succulent bottom. Nillyna moaned in turn as Lily fondled her cheek gently, digging the tips of her fingers into the firm muscle tightly, letting go and then squeezing gently from a different direction.
 
 
Nillyna's mind was a haze of bliss that left no room for thought, her body relying on impulses alone to guide it.
 
 
Suddenly, Lily separated from Nillyna, their tongues linked by a string of saliva. The plant girl was moaning and trembling fiercely, leaning on Nillyna's shoulder for support. It was only after Nillyna caught her breath that she regained enough coherent thought to realize the new sensation in her lower right hand.
 
 
It was soft and wet.
 
 
Pushing Lily off her slightly, Nillyna looked down and found her hand had slipped from its perch on Lily's hip and down her well chiseled navel to her shapely womanhood, her fingers fondling Lily’s delicate lips. At first Nillyna was too wrapped up in the pleasant sensation to even consider stopping, but her rational thoughts managed to bleed through enough to realize she might have been going a little too fast. After all, her and Lily had just gotten together.
 
 
“I... I'm sorry,” she gasped, moving to remove her hand from Lily's groin. “I... I shouldn't have…”
 
 
“NO…” Lily almost shouted, taking her hands off of Nillyna and pressing the hand back to her sex. “Don't stop... Please don't stop.”
 
 
Lily's desperate tone brought a sympathetic smile to Nillyna's face.
 
 
She complied to Lily's request, taking the plant girl's pulsating vulva into her hand and gently fondling the sensitive lips with her fingers. Lily melted into a pool of bliss, a sensual moan escaping her mouth as she felt the most sensitive portion of her body was caressed. Nillyna could not help but smile at Lily's cute expression, bringing her hand up to stroke her cheek, Lily moaning even louder as her face was touched.
 
 
Suddenly, Nillyna stiffened up as tremendous pleasure rocketed through her body.
 
 
Looking down to the source, Nillyna saw Lily's hand slip to her own groin, her index finger automatically slipping between the lips and into her inner sanctum. Pleasure once again coursed through her body as Lily's finger began to slip in and out of her at a steady, even pace, but a mischievous smile appeared on her mouth. So Lily wanted to go all out already?
 
 
Quickly, Nillyna slipped her own index finger inside Lily, beginning her own even pace of slipping in and out.
 
 
Lily's moans doubled in volume, and, much to Nillyna's shock, pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss. It took a little time to adjust, but eventually Nillyna fell into the rhythm of pressing her finger into Lily while stimulating her mouth while at the same time receiving the same from Lily.
 
 
The world vanished for both of them, their entire existence centered around the immense pleasure coursing throughout their bodies.
 
 
But among this maelstrom of sensations, Nillyna had a little spark of desire.
 
 
Driven by this new need, Nillyna removed her hand from Lily's groin and used it to remove Lily's from hers.
 
 
Lily broke the kiss, their tongues connected by a thread of saliva again, looking slightly annoyed. “Why...why did you…?”
 
 
She never got a chance to finish her objection, her body stiffening up as a whole new sensation coursed through her being. Nillyna had thrusted her lower body forward, her's and Lily's sex's colliding with an audible wet smack. For a second, Lily could not even comprehend what was going on, she was so overwhelmed by pleasure, but once Nillyna began grinding her slit against hers it was enough to snap her back to reality.
 
 
A fresh series of moans echoed through Lily's sanctuary for a second as Lily and Nillyna sang out their passion before they locked mouths in sloppy kissing once again. For the longest time, all that mattered to these two was the passionate pleasure radiating from their groins, especially after they discovered the position that allowed their clitoris to brush against each other with every slight move. However long this went on was a mystery to them, but neither cared in the end.
 
 
All that mattered was the subtle grinding of their hips and the humping of their partner.
 
 
“Ni...Nillyna?” Lily gasped out, breaking the kiss once again, Nillyna struggling to acknowledge her. “P...please…” Lily tilted her head forward and presented the beautiful flower that sprouted from the top of her head. Nillyna seemingly picked up on Lily's desires instantly, extending her long, Lepidopteran tongue from her mouth and feeding it into Lily's flower, instantly tasting the delectable nectar she remembered from before.
 
 
Lily's pleasure more than doubled at the sensation of Nillyna's tongue entering the flower on her head, the plant girl almost letting out a passionate scream as pure bliss coursed throughout her entire being
 
 
Eventually, the inevitable climax poured over them like a warm downpour. Liquid coated their thighs as their eager slits gushed generous amounts of sexual fluid that flowed down into the depths of Lily's sanctuary, though neither seemed to notice, too busy letting out finishing screams as their bodies convulsed. Then it all came to a halt and both petite figures slumped against each other.
 
 
A panting Lepidopteran lay exhausted under the humanoid portion of an Immortalitus plant within the sanctuary of her body, both panting for breath as the sexual bliss slowly receded, but still left them with a marvelous afterglow.
 
 
Slowly, Nillyna came to her senses, her breathing returning to normal. When her vision refocused she instantly became aware of Lily's weight over her body, rising and falling with gentle breaths. The feeling of having Lily draped over her like this brought a smile to her exhausted face.
 
 
It actually didn't seem real.
 
 
After all that had happened, from the shock of inadvertently giving up her quest for eternal youth and replacing it with a desire to be with an impossible partner, to the harsh words Lily's threw at her up till recently, did she really just have a sensual moment with the being she desired? Lily was right here on top of her, the gentle rising and falling of her breathing a further sign of her presence. It did happen.
 
 
Nillyna smiled and closed her eyes, a subtle tear of joy sliding down her cheek.
 
 
“Thank you,” she whispered softly.
 
 
Some time later Lily pushed off Nillyna enough to look into her eyes, smiling.
 
 
At this point it would be time to consume her mate and she had been worried that the temptation would surface as soon as they were through from the beginning of their intercourse ritual. But it didn't come, in fact, she didn't feel hungry at all. Maybe it was the Soul Contract, maybe Lily's impulses were easier to manage than she initially thought. But whatever the reason, her ravenous desire to consume after sex no longer seemed to stir around Nillyna.
 
 
“You're welcome,” she whispered in turn, stroking her hand over Nillyna's face, the Lepidopteran sighing contently as the hand slid gently over her facial features.
 
 
But Nillyna suddenly remembered the traumatic scene in the cellar moments ago.
 
 
She looked at Lily with a frown, irritated about one thing. “Hey, if you didn't intend to harm me, why did you have to cover my chandelier's and the door with your vines? You scared me half to death.”
 
 
Lily looked slightly taken aback by the sudden outburst, but became slightly embarrassed.
 
 
“Sorry about that,” said Lily sheepishly, “I wasn't intending to ambush you or anything, I swear.” Nillyna shot her a suspicious look, “honest.”
 
 
“Then why?”
 
 
“Oh, well…” Lily seemed genuinely embarrassed, so Nillyna decided to drop her suspicion.
 
 
It didn't matter at this point.
 
 
“You don't have to tell me,” she said, reaching out and running her own hand over Lily's face. “I guess it doesn't matter.”
 
 
“No, I should tell you,” said Lily, smiling as Nillyna gently stroked her face. “After all, if there's going to be a mutual trust between us it should start with the small things.”
 
 
Nillyna wanted to insist that it didn't matter, but decided it wasn't worth arguing with Lily, especially considering she had just succeeded in bridging the impenetrable gap that had been between them till now.
 
 
“You see, Nillyna, I didn't cover the lights to try and get the drop on you,” Lily explained, “after I signed the contract the restraints you put on me disappeared.”
 
 
“That's what I figured,” commented Nillyna, “part of my terms are I that can't hold you against your will.”
 
 
“Well, once I was free, I decided to explore my surroundings while I waited for you to return,” continued Lily, “and... well, uprooted like I am makes me so much taller than I'm used to being. I'm so tall I kept bumping my head on the dangling lights on the ceiling so I covered them in my vines. When I heard you coming, I became afraid that you would think something was up, so I shut the door behind you to keep you from fleeing until I could explain.”
 
 
That...was actually a very thoughtful gesture in Nillyna's opinion.
 
 
And it also reminded Nillyna of something. Lily has been cooped up in her cellar for several days now, and since she had lived up to her part of the bargain (exponentially actually) it was only fair that Nillyna live up to hers. So, she needed to decide where she was going to plant Lily.
 
 
No, she needed to let Lily decide where to be planted. Though the door to the cellar was far too small, Nillyna was going to have to teleport Lily outside. Though, cut off from sunlight (inside the cellar and inside Lily) she would need her talisman.
 
 
'Where is my talisman anyway?'
 
 
“Oh, by the way,” Lily suddenly said, snapping Nillyna out of her musings. “I believe that this belongs to you.”
 
Rustling from above drew Nillyna's attention, and looking up, she saw that vines had entered the sanctum from above, lowering something towards Lily and Nillyna. Nillyna's talisman cane slid between her and Lily, gently deposited into the hands of its owner. Nillyna smiled at her cane, the diamonds along the neck glowing, signifying that it still held a decent amount of magic stored within.
 
 
“Thanks Lily,” said Nillyna, lifting the cane up, the diamonds pulsating. “This is just what I needed at the moment.”
 
 
Lily's eyes widened.
 
 
Nillyna was about to cast a spell, and though the Lepidopteran could not harm her now she was still jumpy around magic. After all, she had no real defence against it, her last encounter with Shadow a forever testament. The cane suddenly flashed a bright light which faded after a second.
 
 
“Nillyna, what did you do?” Asked Lily, but Nillyna didn't have to answer, for Lily suddenly collapsed against her chest, her eyes gently closing, a blissful moan escaping her lips.
 
 
Nillyna jumped slightly as the position of the sanctuary chamber changed, going from being reclined diagonally to laying completely horizontal, the sound of Lily's full body impacting solid ground resonating around them.
 
 
Nillyna shook off the brief dizziness at the abrupt shift in position, smiling down at the blissed out Immortalitus plant leaning against her chest.
 
 
“You okay?” She asked gently, running her fingers crossed Lily's green hair.
 
 
Lily's first response was just another moan of pleasure.
 
 
“I... I feel…,” Lily struggled to say, “I...feel the sun...the wind…” The chamber shifted from side to side as Lily flexed her entire body from outside. “The...the ground... the grass…”
 
 
Guilt nawed at Nillyna's heart.
 
 
She had held Lily in her cellar for several days, cut off from the outside world where she had lived her whole life, cut off from everything she was familiar with. But that was all over with. Now she was going to make sure Lily had everything she would ever need.
 
 
Including being outside in the fresh air.
 
 
Suddenly, Lily grabbed Nillyna under her upper arms, and they both slid forward as Lily dragged them to the entrance of her sanctuary. The leafy aperture opened and Nillyna and Lily slipped out of the long, rooty coils of Lily's body, the plant girl scooping Nillyna up bridal style as she stretched out on the stem appendage attached to her hips.
 
 
Nillyna breathed a sigh of relief once she felt the cool, spring air on her body. It wasn't uncomfortable inside Lily's sanctuary, but being in such a confined space could be taxing if you aren't used to it. And it also meant more room for being held the way Lily held her.
 
 
She had teleported them a short distance away from the entrance to the cellar, Lily's eyes widening, the other becoming visible for the first time as she tilted her head upwards as she took in the sights of Nillyna's estate. The expansive, flowing
planes of grass rippling in the light breeze, the glistening lake in the distance, and acres of trees. Then Lily spotted Nillyna's mansion to their left, her eyes trailing upwards as she struggled to take in the humongous dwelling, complete with its windows, balconies and multiple luscious gardens.
 
 
“Oh...my!" Lily knew that 'civilized' people like Nillyna lived differently when compared to her own lifestyle but she had never laid eyes on anything like the overwhelming structure before her.
 
 
"First time seeing a building, Lily?" asked Nillyna, taking a guess at what had her companion so transfixed.
 
 
"Y...yeah," mumbled Lily in astonishment, "I... have known about civilization for a long time...but I never thought…it was so big... and beautiful."
 
 
Nillyna blushed at Lily's words, which were obviously derailed due to still being mesmerized by her over extravagant abode. She hadn't had a house guessed in quite awhile, least of all someone who didn't look upon her home with jealousy and envy, so actually hearing praise for its beauty wasn't something she was used to.
 
 
"It is quite a big place," Nillyna admitted sheepishly, "far bigger than most actually."
 
 
"Really?" Asked Lily interestedly. "So not everyone lives in a place like this?"
 
 
"Goodness no," answered Nillyna with slight pride. "Not everyone, in fact, most people can't afford to live like I do," she gave Lily a coy smile. "For which you can rest assured that I have the resources to care for you, Lily."
 
 
Lily only nodded in response, still focused on Nillyna's house. It was so huge she could not take it all in at once, and strangely, she felt a desire to see more, and the only way to do that was to get a closer look. The concept of movement was something that never occurred to Lily, due to being literally planted in the ground for all her life, but now…
 
 
She looked down at her unearned body, still in a coiled up position due to the cellar lacking space to accommodate her full length. Slowly coming to a decision, Lily began to uncoil, her plant mouth emerging from the tangle of roots and vines to slither outwards into the distance like a great serpent. Nillyna watched it go from her position in Lily's arms, awestruck as all of Lily's body untangled itself and extending outwards, the vines and roots weave over each other so as to spread out and not impede each other.
 
 
Then Lily began to lift her humanoid torso up upon her tap root, the impressive length more than enough for her and Nillyna to extend at least forty feet in the air and be stabley supported. Nillyna was slightly surprised by the sudden height, but it didn't bother her too much, and she soon calmed down, for she was well acquainted with heights. Her wings are for more than just to transmute into extravagant clothing after all; they are fully functional, and prior to her perfection her teleportation, were Nillyna's primary mode of transportation when she was a child.
 
 
So if Lily were to accidentally drop her she could just drift softly to the ground, though she hoped she didn't. She was rather enjoying her place in her arms.
 
 
Lily was taking in even more of the sights provided by her new vantage point. She had never seen rolling plains of grass before, only felt them through the limited tactical skills of her plant mouth whenever she sent it out foraging. The sight almost transfixed her more than the sight of the mansion, for she had never seen so much grass in such abundance. The woods wasn't the largest collection of trees she had ever seen, her forest had covered several acres after all, but the lake was something that really caught her eye.
 
 
Lily had only seen water gathered in small puddles after a rainstorm, it never even occurred to her that water could collect in one place in such amounts. It refracted the light of the blue sun above that it almost appeared to be a large sapphire. Nillyna let Lily take in her surroundings, after all, this was her new home now.
 
 
Lily's attention was once again drawn to the mansion. From her elevation, she could see even more of the grandeur. Then, a little to the left, beyond the house, Lily noticed something that really drew her attention.
 
 
"What... what is that?" Looking back to her body, Lily contemplated her options on how to get a closer look at what she was seeing. She had been stationary her whole existence, so movement was a new concept to her. Still, now that she had a good look at her full form, she noticed that she greatly resembled the snakes that once shared her clearing with her.
 
 
Mimicking the slithering movements of the serpentine creatures Lily managed to mobilize herself like a lamia, approaching the far left side of the house.
 
 
Lily had taken to just enjoying being held in Lily's strong grip when she noticed where she was headed and her eyes widened in worry. With all that had happened so far Nillyna had neglected to tell Lily about a certain aspect of her home.
 
 
"Lily...Lily, wait," Nillyna said, wishing to warn Lily about what she was about to see. "There's something I haven't told you about my home."
 
 
But Lily only appeared to be half listening, almost mindlessly drawn to the sight before her. Nillyna's house was situated on the edge of the floating landscape that was her estate in order to provide an unobscured view of the infinite countryside below. It was a sight Nillyna never got tired of herself, but for someone without prior experience to such things the first time could be a bit...overwhelming.
 
 
But Nillyna's warning fell up short, for she had arrived at the precipice where Nillyna's house was situated.
 
 
There was a brief pause.
 
 
Then Nillyna gasped as Lily suddenly dropped her, spreading her wings to glide gently to the ground. Once she got her footing she looked up Lily's impressive height to gauge her reaction. Once again, only a single eye was visible through the curtain of green hair, but the pupil had expanded to the point where it almost encompassed the red iris.
 
 
For Lily it was like the whole world just fell away, revealing a whole new world below.
 
 
Fields and hills extended into the distance, miniscule, appearing small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Township could also be made out, minute enough to fit in the bowl of a spoon. Off in the distance the silhouette of a mountain range could be made out, blending into the horizon.
 
 
Needless to say, Lily was speechless.
 
 
The sight before her was clear as day...yet, her mind was refusing to process it. Never before had she seen such majesty. Never in all her life did she ever believe that one day she would view the world in a way that should only be reserved only for the god's.
 
It was... hard to take in.
 
 
Nillyna just stood before her, patiently and silently, Lily's impressive height easily overshadowing her, only mounting to her building apprehension.
 
 
She didn't desire for Lily to be exposed to this so abruptly, and she hoped it didn't impact her negatively. The last thing she wanted was for her love (for as far as that will go) to suffer from mental shock, and she hoped she could accept what she was seeing before her. But, for a long while, Lily just stared at the landscape, Lily's anxiety building with each passing moment.
 
 
Eventually, enough time passed for the sun's visibility to shift in the sky, and by that point Nillyna couldn't keep quiet any longer.
 
 
"Lily?" She cooed softly, placing a hand on Lily's taproot, the only part of her she could reach. "Are you alright?"
 
 
Both Nillyna's voice and the light contact was gentle enough to barely ruffle a flower, but Lily reacted as if she had received an electric shock. She yelped loudly and jerked so bad that lost her balance and fell over on her side.
 
 
"LILY!" Nillyna immediately rushed over to her fallen torso of the plant girl, kneeling down on all 'six' before her and inspecting her for injury.
"Are you alright?"
 
 
Nillyna took in pant after frantic pant, her chest heaving as her versatile half human half plant heart thundered in her chest. She twisted her humanoid torso to roll onto her side, propping herself up slightly with her arms. Nillyna's worry only intensified when her and Lily locked gazes.
 
 
The plant girls mouth was hanging open slightly and her eyes (for which both were visible now, due to Lily having to tilt her head upwards to meet Nillyna's worried gaze) were glazed and unfocused, Nillyna surmising because she was so overwhelmed her brain couldn't keep up with anything else. Guilt formed in Nillyna's heart, she hadn't intended to cause Lily such grief, nor did it ever even occur to her how Lily would react to the aspects of her home when she first brought her here. Nillyna needed to do something to calm her down, or she feared her mind might actually just snap all together.
 
 
Only one solution came to mind.
 
 
Moving slowly so as not to alarm Lily, Nillyna gently eased her upper arms under her arms and gently brought her into an embrace. Thankfully, she didn't resist, but neither did she move to return the show of affection. Undeterred, Nillyna gently lifted Lily up and slumped her head over right shoulder, wrapping her arms around her back and drawing herself up into a kneeling position, steadily dragging Lily's humanoid body up with her.
 
 
For a long while Nillyna just knelt there, gently massaging Lily with the palms of her hands, the frantic breathing in her ear slowly dying in tempo until it resembled normal inhaling once more. Eventually Nillyna felt Lily wrap her own arms around her back, finally reciprocating the embrace.
 
 
"Better?" She asked the plant girl.
 
 
"I…" Lily's words caught in her scratchy throat, her mind still trying to regain enough capacity to form comprehensible words, "I... think so…" she finally managed to get out.
 
 
Nillyna smiled and stroked Lily's hair. "Take it easy. Take all the time you need to calm yourself."
 
 
Lily nodded over Nillyna's shoulder, but only for a second to compose herself before lifting her head up and looking at the overwhelming view before them.
 
 
"What...What is this?" She asked.
 
 
Nillyna followed her gaze to the distant horizon.
 
 
"This is just another feature of my home, Lily," she gently explained.
 
 
"But...but we're floating in the heavens," Lily managed to stammer out, pulling her attention from the horizon with great effort so as to look up at Nillyna as she held her. "How is this even possible?"
 
 
Nillyna just smiled as she continued to stroke Lily's hair. "It is an impressive feat of magic, isn't it?"
 
 
Lily mouthed the word 'magic'.
 
 
She should have known, nearly every miraculous thing that occurs in this world was the result of magic in some form or another. Still, despite all she had seen in her life, she never would have guessed magic could be potent enough to elevate something as large as Nillyna's estate. She remembered the Soul Contracts description of how vast Nillyna's land was, and it seemed that it was all suspended in the sky.
 
 
A light breeze swept passed, and when looking in its direction of origin she found herself staring at the distant land below once more. A sudden shutter coursed through her body as she suddenly imagined herself falling from this height. That was another foreign concept for Lily, being used to being practically part of the ground.
 
 
"Can...can we please go somewhere else?" Requested Lily with a nervous shiver.
 
 
Nillyna frowned as she picked up on Lily's unease, staring at the horizon with affect. The view was the most admirable trait of her home as far as she was concerned so she really couldn't understand how Lily could be so put off by it. Then again, she had known about the elevated nature of this place before she had even bought it, in fact, that was the sole reason she had sought it out in the first place. Still, that was her opinion, not Lily's, and it would be rather presumptuous of her to think she would already have that in common.
 
 
Besides, Nillyna might be able to persuade Lily to enjoy it as much as she does some day.
 
 
"Of course," Nillyna replied, gently standing up to her feet, pulling Lily's humanoid torso up with her. "We still need to decide where to plant you, after all."
 
 
Lily seemed to perk up as Nillyna mentioned that.
 
 
Maybe it was after being uprooted for so long or maybe it was the thought of having her roots gripping through the ground made her feel like she was less likely she was about to fall from this place and towards the distant ground below, but the mere thought of once again being snug in the ground was very appealing to Lily at the moment. She didn't rise up to the extent she had before, only to the point of standing only a few feet taller than Nillyna, but enough to where she could slither on her plant half again.
 
 
"Where do you intend to place me?" Lily asked Nillyna.
 
 
Nillyna simply smiled up at her. "That's up to you, dear."
 
 
Despite the hospitality Nillyna had show this far it still took Lily by surprise that she would allow her to choose where she could bed down on her property.
 
 
"Huh?... But…" the humble nature of Lily's voice as she tried to rebuttal surprised even her. She didn't even know she had manners, nor that she could feel that she might be overstepping a boundary
 
 
"It may be my home, yes," began Nillyna, gently cutting off Lily's protest. "But since you'll be living up here with me I think it is only fair that I let you decide where you will rest. After all, there is a lot of space up here, and actually, I haven't even thought about where I should put you, and I don't know where you would be most comfortable."
 
 
Lily felt the urge to argue further but decided against it.
 
 
"Very well," she said. "Th-thank you."
 
 
"You're welcome." Nillyna held out a hand to Lily, obviously meaning for her to take it. "Let's go. How about I show you around my home first, then afterwards you can decide where you would like to spread your roots."
 
 
Lily looked back at her extensive taproot, flexing the multiple smaller roots (which bore her precious fruit), and the long vines. She wondered if she could move for an extended period of time with the same wiggling motion like before. Only way to find out was to try.
 
 
Wearing a thankful smile, Lily grabbed Nillyna's offered hand and, with some experimentation on Lily's part, began to explore the beautiful scenery that surrounded Nillyna's mansion.