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Kronii was always proud of how well she’d be able to show her appreciation for others without having to say a word. Prior to manifesting on Earth alongside Chaos and Space, she had been able to shower them in gifts nearly every century. Just what were the gifts that happened to take the top of her list? Well, not to toot her own horn, but she would consider herself a genius for what she had given the pair.
“Kronini! ”
The Warden of Time let out a questioning hum, directing her gaze over to the tan woman. Sana looked mildly distressed, and did not hesitate to let Kronii in on why.
“Humans keep mixing up Saturn and Jupiter! If that wasn’t bad enough, then guess what else.”
Kronii tilts her head, silently prompting the other to continue.
“They’re mixing up Uranus and Neptune, too! For one, Jupiter is way bigger than Saturn, and Neptune isn’t even as green as Uranus is. Can you believe that?” Sana indignantly scoffs. Kronii can only watch as she paces, grumbling about humanity’s audacity.
“Can’t you take it up with their current Guardian?” Space shakes her head at this. Kronii doesn’t blame her. The current Guardian of Civilization is far from willing to socialize with them. It’s such a large role, enough that Kronii doesn’t fault them for not being more open while humans are bringing crisis after crisis upon themselves. Not to mention having to clean up the mess that the previous Guardian had left behind.
That night, though, Kronii takes it upon herself to get rid of Sana’s frustrations. She waits until the other is busy stacking stars before pushing herself into the glittering void of a domain. It feels more taxing than usual, which is to be expected since the domain isn’t her own. When she manages to locate the first pair of problematic planets, her first thought is along the lines of how similar they really look. Humans weren’t at fault here, not when they couldn’t see the size difference from Earth.
Kronii approached what she assumed was Saturn, based on the fact that it was smaller than the other. She had originally wanted to work on the large canvas that was Jupiter. It would have been perfect . However, she saw that Chaos had left a mark on its atmosphere in the form of a swirling, vibrant, red blush. Kronii didn’t want to take attention away from it.
Initially, it was difficult to come up with something that would stand out enough for humans to perceive it (why was she being so considerate?), but as she saw the asteroid belt, she felt triumph rise within her very being. Pulling forth several pieces of thread woven from the thickest sands of Time, she curled them into several layers of rings. Each one would increase in size from where she had started to wrap them, until the amount was satisfying enough for her. All it took was a snap of her fingers within the vast silence of space. In the blink of an eye, several rings appeared around the planet, shimmering as they caught sunlight at an angle. As for the other two… Her first thought had been to adjust the color of one of them, make it a darker blue, but why go through such work when she could further her efforts? She presented Uranus with a set of rings of its own, these being more silver in color than Saturn's.
“Why were you poking around in space?”
Sana asked, suspicious, the next morning. Kronii remained silent. The next thing she knew, Sana quickly flickered in and out of her view. The Warden just assumed that it was for several brief revisions of different parts of space to see if anything had been tinkered with. At some point, Space’s demeanor changed, and Time was pulled into a tight hug. Kronii could barely register all the words of gratitude directed her way.
A few weeks later, she found an odd contraption at her bedside. The word ‘telescope’ was scribbled on a paper beside it, and on the back was an explanation as to how this one was special. It was for keeping a distant eye on timelines, the paper said. Kronii made sure to tuck both the telescope and the paper away into a safe place within her domain.
The matter of coming up with a gift to give Chaos was different. It had been a challenge . If Chaos wanted anything, it’d likely be guaranteed entertainment. Kronii knew that much. But when most of Kronii’s existence was meant to be carried out in a planned and precise manner, the idea of spontaneity had been foreign to her. Until she met Baelz, of course. With that in mind, Time got to work, pulling scraps of various ideas together until they were enough for her to feel comfortable putting them into creation.
“What’s it do?” Baelz asked, looking over the object in her hands. She was thoroughly thrilled as much as she was confused. Despite the bright blue and gold colors that adorned it, along with silver gears that ticked against each other, it didn’t look as though it was anything as grand as she had been told. Not that she minded, she was happy enough to receive something from Time.
“Well, my pocket-sized peer, I am very glad you asked,” Kronii puffed out her chest proudly, carefully taking the object away from the other’s grasp. “It’s something of a time-traveling device. Not sure what to call it, really, but if you turn this knob a few times and then press this button on here, you’ll be sent to a random timeline at a random point in time!” Bae’s ears perked up at the mention of the word ‘random’. Then, she frowned.
“Dude, you know I can do that with my powers already, right?”
“But that’s where you’re wrong! You see, with your powers, it’s not entirely random since you have to think about it to an extent. With this… Time Bomb, it takes that away and leaves it entirely up to chance. To return, all you have to do is press the button again and you’re back!” Kronii couldn’t help but beam proudly at her work. Sure, there had been painful trials and errors, but they had been worth it. The isolation hadn’t been fun, but when Baelz had grown seemingly more and more bored with Earth and playing little games of chess with different societies, it admittedly frightened Kronii. Kronii figured it was the least she could do to keep the other around. Especially when the rodent girl brightened after her explanation.
“Let’s test it out right now then, pretty please!”
Kronii was more than happy to oblige, passing the item into an eager Baelz’s smaller hands.
When the newest and seemingly permanent Guardian of Civilization manifested, Kronii was almost as confused as ever. She hardly knew this girl, and the change in environment was strange. Most Guardians of Civilization kept to themselves, brushing others off. This one was more open, leaving Kronii wondering just what she could give her. But it was a simple fix. As it turns out, a golden pocket watch had been enough to make the owlish girl happy.
“Turn this spinny thing here, okay? You’ll go back in time and you will see everything humanity did at that point. Push this button to confirm and when you’re done, then push this other one to be sent back to us,” Kronii gently explained, leaning into Mumei as she spoke. The Guardian was absorbing the information well enough, letting out soft hums of affirmation as she listened.
“What if it breaks? Or what if I forget where I put it?” Mumei fret, staring at Kronii with wide, worried eyes.
“That can easily be fixed,” Kronii hummed, snapping her fingers. Though the watch had not changed much physically, the chain attached to it now had a faint glow. The Warden gingerly placed it into the Guardian’s hands. She watched as the younger individual tightly clasped their hands around it, though still confused. “Now, it’s connected to its current owner. Since that’s you, all you have to do to find it is imagine you’re reaching out through the dark and pulling the chain, and it’ll be right there in your hand.”
What Kronii hadn't expected was that a detective would manage to get ahold of it.
So she made another one that only Mumei would be able to use.
With the concept of Hope, the Warden was reluctant. It was just as difficult to think of something as it was to come up with something for Chaos. But when she realized she failed to put the most obvious things together, she had mentally kicked herself.
She presented the nephilim with a multi-colored diamond made with the hardened sands of Time.
“This,” Kronii slowly began, “contains humanity’s most treasured wishes. Those irises within show only a portion of what it can hold. I want you to motivate yourself with this, and make more irises bloom within the hearts of others using your voice.”
The Warden couldn’t help but cringe at how cliche her words sounded. They seemed to strike a chord within IRyS, though.
“I’ll fill up hundreds of these things with hope,” IRyS said, seriously. “You have my word that I will, Kronii. Enough to make myself six whole pairs of wings.”
But Nature had come before Civilization and Hope. To this day, Kronii isn’t sure what to give her. She’s bounced ideas off the wall multiple times, none seemingly good enough. For whatever reason, nothing feels as though it’d be right to give the Keeper of Nature.
“So, um, what does Fauna like?”
Kronii regarded the red-head, crossing one leg over the other from where she sat. She had called Chaos to her domain to try to get an idea of what to give Nature. For example, Baelz had given Fauna the gift of seasons, saying that the uncertainty of the changing times would be fun. If there was anyone she trusted right now, it’d be Baelz Hakos. Except Baelz gave her a confused look.
“I need to give her a grand gift. Like the Time Bomb I gave you or the watch I gave Mumei.”
Chaos regarded her with surprise. Then, she tilted her head.
“I thought you already got her somethin’. Are you havin’ favorites now?”
Kronii shook her head in response, sighing.
“She got me Boros. I haven’t made her anything yet.”
With anyone else, she had created gifts for them in a timely manner. More or less. Usually before they’d get an idea of what to get her. But with Fauna, she felt so nervous when it came to thinking of how the other would react. For whatever reason, Kronii wanted nothing but Fauna’s approval. When the Keeper had presented her with a snake whose scales were pure white, Kronii’s world had been illuminated. Baelz, silent as she read Kronii’s energy, slowly nodded.
“Well… I can tell you what I know about her. Since I talk to everyone all the time, ya’ know?”
“I’d… I’d appreciate it, Bae, just tell me everything. I’ll get you some ancient coffee.”
When the Warden found the Keeper, she had been exhausted. Not that Fauna had been in a better condition herself, flowers out of place in her hair. Somehow, she had been stuck going along with Baelz’s schemes for what felt like eons. Likely it was just a month, or even a few weeks. She hadn’t been able to see Kronii at all. When she had worriedly asked Bae about it, she got a dismissive response and there was an instant change in topic.
Seeing the Warden here in front of her, now, sent relief through her. Running a hand through the messiest parts of her hair, she allowed a small amount of her power to help her neaten her appearance.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Fauna asked, voice sweet.
It had made Kronii’s heart skip a beat. Drawing in a deep breath, it was now or never. Kronii extended a hand out to Fauna.
“I… There’s something I want to show you, if you’ll let me?”
All it took was another snap of her fingers once she felt the other’s touch against her own. Their surroundings became a forest, vibrant and full of life. Fauna’s head tilted in confusion. She couldn’t understand what was so special about this forest. Fauna would know, she loomed over many forests in particular as the Keeper of Nature.
Despite herself, she allowed Kronii to lead her deeper, through winding trees and roots that whispered at her about the Warden’s nerves. As they passed by some ferns, she felt them purring welcomes to Kronii, as if they were already familiar with her.
“I always know what to get you guys. It doesn’t take me long to figure something out,” Kronii’s voice breaks the silence. Was it shaking? Fauna couldn’t tell. Maybe it was from the quick movements as they made their way through the forest. “But you’re different. In a good way, I mean. Shoot, stick to the script…” Nature can’t help the giggle that escapes her as Kronii trails off. Embarrassed, judging by the faint pink of her ears.
When Kronii eventually slows to a stop, it’s at a clearing, illuminated by the sun’s warm glow. The grass is vibrant, and flowers of varying colors have bloomed here over time, it seems. But Kronii speaks up again, taking the entirety of Fauna’s attention.
“I always know what I’m going to say or do. Always planned. But for whatever reason… you make me want to get rid of all that. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing! I-I want to feel unplanned with you,” Kronii pauses, cringing, then sighs, “that sounded better in my head. What I mean is you make me feel something that no one’s really managed to make me feel. Yeah, Bae is random too, but she’s more like a sister to me. And you… Geez, I’m not good with words.”
Kronii takes a deep breath, most likely to calm herself down. By this point, though, Fauna should be the one trying to calm herself down. Her face feels hot.
“I know you look after a bunch of forests. But what makes this one different is the fact that it’s ours. Nothing can touch it or harm it. Not the weather, not the seasons, and humanity can’t find it. It’s frozen in time. And I’m doing this because to tell you the truth…”
Fauna hadn’t even noticed when she had stepped closer to the Warden, but there isn’t much distance between them now.
“It’s okay, I can wait,” the Keeper whispers, and she’s now vaguely aware of the fact that Kronii’s body is trembling. She’s never seen that happen with the Warden. She lets herself lean in, pressing a chaste kiss to the Warden’s lips. Kronii gasps gently when she parts, Fauna can feel the change in their breathing, and chooses not to acknowledge the break in Kronii’s voice.
“I love you Fauna. I want you to have somewhere where you know you can go to where you’ll be safe and undisturbed. This forest… is for you.”
“It’s our forest, remember? Like you said,” she smiles slightly, “I really do want to share it with you, Kronii.”
Their shoulders are still trembling as they wrap their arms around Fauna in what seems to be the tightest hug they are able to muster.
“I love you too,” she responds, quietly enjoying the way the words feel on her tongue. Kronii’s body shudders with relieved sobs.
“Thank you for the forest,” Fauna finds herself mumbling into Kronii’s shoulder, barely holding back her own tears of joy. She wants to stay here, even if it’s just for a bit longer.