Waffles, Deities, and A.D.D. ( ͡ಠ ︵ ͡ಠ)

Max felt anxious as if whoever it was, was a long-lost friend, and no, Arin does not produce those feelings. That was more a mix of terror and the camaraderie of various hijinks and shenanigans over a long friendship. This? This was different. Whoever it was, felt like home in a way Max had never experienced before. She followed the pull that had begun the moment she had seen the figure and flew so quickly that she left a wake in mirrored waters below.

Max stopped on a dime, her form becoming a perfectly flat circle in the air just in front of the figure. What in all the short-person dimensional frames of holding!

Sage was just as she had imagined them to be and more. Plants of all kinds, some she knew but more she didn't, sprouted into existence around them like children excited to see a parent. Life flourished and Max soon heard the echoes of creatures amidst the greenery. As miraculous as that was, her attention was drawn to the figment of her imagination standing before her.

They stood at almost 219 cm and had a black yukata loosely tied, revealing moss-green-colored skin flecked with freckle-sized emeralds from their well-defined abdomen up across their broad chest, neck, and face. Hair the color of rich dark earth rested in a casual waist-length braid, decorated with tiny carved stones.

Max flushed as it clicked that Sage was here, and glomped onto their well-muscled chest. The smell of the forest after a cool rainfall ensconced her. Her form wobbled, a physical manifestation of the tears that would have fallen if Max had been human. She sunk into the gentle embrace that surrounded her and tentative hands that rubbed her wavering form comfortingly.

"Max, it's okay. You are okay." The blob's wobbles stilled after some time and once again smoothed out into a perfect oval once more. Max looked up into Sage's affectionate golden gaze and wanted to cry. Both she and Arin had put a lot of effort into the creation of their characters and, in all honesty, they had become almost lifelike for the duo.

'Sage, you're here,' Max thought.

"Yes, I am here, Max." Sage smiled gently, cradling the wobbling blob like an infant.

'I knew it. I died didn't I.' Max thought forlornly. She wasn't upset. It's just Arin, for all her weirdness, would probably die of guilt and that bothered her. It's not like she meant to boob-punch her best friend into the afterlife.

Sage's chest rumbled from their soft laughter. "No, no, you are not dead, and don't worry about Arin." They let out an irritated sigh and spoke tersely, "Yes, you will see each other again."

Max prickled and Sage quirked an eyebrow. "Don't think that. I would never do that and you above all know that I would not harm her, at least, without reason." The prickles settled and Max nestled herself back into her beloved Sage's arms.

"Max," Sage sighed exasperatedly at the smooth blob. Max's form did a soft wave in response.

'What is it, Sage?' She thought, perfectly content in their arms.

Sage laughed again, their chest rumbling. "Max, sweet Max. You cannot stay here."

Max prickled, letting them know how she felt about that statement. 'Why not? You're here. I'm here. We can wait for Arin and- Oh! If you are here, then maybe Neith is with-'

"Max." Sage interrupted. "I know you want to see your friend, but Arin and Neith cannot come to this place." Max sagged. She knew it was not impossible, but it would be damn difficult. Arin would never let that minor detail stop her though, because, for all of her flaws, Arin was loyal to a fault. Even if Sage said that Arin wasn't allowed to come here, knowing Arin, she'd feel responsible for Max's situation.

Sage nodded in agreement with Max's thoughts. "You are correct, Max. Arin would stop at nothing to get you out of here. Her loyalty to you is one of the few things that I admire about her."

Max shrugged blobbishly in agreement. If the situation had been reversed, Max would have fought tooth and nail to get Arin back. However, Max is just not equipped to open the gate for interdimensional travel, unlike her short, rage-filled friend in this case. Arin would have to take the lead.

Sage sighed exasperatedly. "Max, Arin does not have another dimension or any dimension inside of her. Please tell me you still aren't going on about short people being creatures of interdimensional holding for rage, right?" Max prickled the deity, irked. 'How dare you! Look at the situation I am in! I legit got boob-punched out of my body! All that rage has to come from somewhere.'

Sage let her poke them for a few moments before running a calming hand along the back of the blob. "That's not how it went. The timing wasn't right. It was unfair of you to be pulled here and Arin wasn't thinking of you when- ouch!" Sage yelped as they jerked a hand away from the spikey ball.

'Timing my ass. You liar. Don't forget I know you too. Fairness is naught but the perception of an individual, usually to their benefit, which differs from one who can maintain the equilibrium of an entire planet and more! So don't go trying to twist things around!" Max finished with a particularly vicious blobby jab against Sage's exposed chest. 'Hmph, try to lie to me, will you?'

Sage pulled Max away from their delicious muscles and glowered. "Just because you know, does not mean you need to be cheeky. I am-"

'A nature deity. Yes, I know. I made you remember?' Max snarked, while she slapped at their wrists with anger-fueled blobby tendrils. Sage's skin darkened to the color of burnt trees as their golden eyes deepened, appearing to burn like a volcano erupting while their incisors sharpened. The black nails on their hands lengthened and small scales appeared like magma chaotically formed over darkened skin as their form reshaped and softened, giving way to a supple, curvaceous figure. Their black hair grew past widened hips down to their knee while the air shimmered from the heat that Sage exuded. The multitude of tiny stones threaded through Sage's hair, transformed into radiant gems like stars amidst the long black tresses.

The lush surroundings reflected the deity's change, and green growth burned away leaving charred ground and trees behind. The air filled with wood smoke and created a haze that illusory shapes danced through. In nature, there was always a give and take. Sage themself, was the physical manifestation of such duality, changed appearances depending on their mood. Neither side was terrible, it just took and gave in different ways. A contradiction that mirrored the duality that simply was Sage.

Max was calm in the face of this destructive side. In nature, where disaster struck, fresh growth always followed and stopped slapping at Sage's wrist. Fine, she could be the bigger person here. She extended blobby tendrils and reached out for her beautiful catastrophe incarnate to pull her closer to them. Sage's eyes widened a fraction before pulling her back against their soft breasts, their magma scales oddly comforting.

'Maybe because there are so many shapes to each scale and because she had lost her shape that it was a natural 'opposites attract,' scenario. Either way, Sage is Sage.' Max thought idly as she unconsciously patted their voluptuous chest. There, there, it's ok.

Sage snorted as the fires that blazed from between their scales and the fires in their eyes cooled to an ember. While they did not revert to their previous form, they loosened up. Sage softly brushed Max's tendrils off their chest. "Only you, Max, would try to calm down an angry nature deity." They chuckled.

Max couldn't argue with that, but once again. She knew Sage. "Max," Sage spoke, their voice uncharacteristically solemn. "Let's get this out of the way. I rather there not be any misunderstandings between us. I am not a figment of your imagination. It was just easier to let you think that to avoid potential issues because I - "

Max prickled at them. 'It's ok. You don't have to explain right now. I just want to enjoy being here with you and frankly, I don't need a grand speech about how you came to be because I already know. So save the formalities for later Your Naturalness. Say what you need to and we will argue about the chicken and the egg later.' Max sassed. Sage went rigid and the fires that had once cooled blazed once more.

"Max." They bit out. 'Uh oh.' Max thought and patted them until they cooled down. 'There, there, do you feel better now?'

Sage looked at Max and then held her away from their chest. "Max, I am trying to be serious here." The exasperation-laden tone said it all and while Max understood that Sage was trying to talk to her, she couldn't help it. It was difficult to pay attention when you were having a telepathic conversation and fangirling over her dream in the flesh.

Max waved several tendrils at them in a dopey, needy fashion. 'Well, you can be serious holding me against your chest. Blob here and you are comfy! Hug now!'

Sage growled, literally growled and Max felt herself melt, 'Hello -'

"Shut it." Sage snarled. "Don't even say whatever it is you want to say and get yourself together this instant."

'Fine, if you are going to be huffy about it.' Max flicked a tendril with the attitude of a diva as she regained her naturally circular shape.

Sage suddenly smiled sweetly, and Max felt a chill run down her back. Sage's smiles come in three different categories:

1. Gentle

2. Smirk- get ready to blow shit up

3. Sweet- You just done-did messed up.

And right now, Sage was giving her smile number three. Shit.

'Um Sage,' Max thought frantically, 'Sage, I'm really, really sorry.'

Sage held the quivering blob at eye level and gave her a sweet smile. The quivering blob broke out into goosebumps and her azure tendrils reached out to once more sooth the deity that not only birthed life but reduced planets into nebulae.

"Oh no dear, dear, Max." Sage cooed, their eyes gleaming mischievously as they smirked gleefully and twirled with her whimsically.

'Oh, waffles!' Max thought, 'I really flipped their switch.' The blob pulsed several shades of azure as minuscule bumps fluttered all over her surface.

"I was telling you that Neith pulled Arin into our world, causing Arin to drag you along with no preparation." Sage's golden eyes narrowed in irritation but continued, "In all honestly, that is most likely why she let the 'me' of your game be ruthlessly slaughtered. That way, she'd pull you over with her when you reacted so over the top, as you are apt to do. Only she pulled you across too soon. Her recklessness could have resulted in you being unable to have form at all. Her spur-of-the-moment could have scarred you to the point that you'd only ever serve as a guide or some sort of ghostly companion. As you have noticed, humans cannot cross this many dimensions without repercussions as evidenced by your current form."

Sage brought Max in close and held her tenderly as they continued to speak. Only this time Max prickled, trying to escape the danger that was coming her way. How was she supposed to help herself? How was it her fault?! What did she do this time?! Fuck. Where was Arin when she need her to translate how she got herself into these situations? If Max was being honest with herself, though, Arin would just tell her, that she 'jacked it all up' and leave it at that because it was funny to 'watch her think about where she went wrong.'

Max snapped back to attention just in time to hear Sage say, "Oh, so you don't have any opinion. Very trusting of you my sweet, sweet, Max. Don't worry your little blobby self about it, I will not trouble you any further with the details. And Max," Sage said, positively aglow, their teeth sharpening ever so slightly, "do be a dear and try not to die again."

'Oh, you asshole, I didn't die on purpose. It wasn't my fault!' Max yelled before everything went black.