Colour

This story is a product of Tumblr and, based on the story idea that people only see color when they meet their soulmate, someone wanted a story in that universe wherein aromantics could always see color.  If this story is in any way offensive or problematic, please let me know how I can change it to not be offensive, or if I should remove it entirely.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Lane Bryant had a wonderful plethora of attractive clothing styles, cut for bodies of myriad shapes and sizes.  If only they stuck to black and white, rather than taking in clothing from designers who used colors So Badly, either because they were new to color, or could not see it at all.

Melissa sighed, inspecting a shirt with a garish mixture of dull orange and neon yellow, attempting to decide if she could forgive herself for buying it.  It wasn’t like the vast majority of her friends would be able to tell the difference, as most hadn’t found their soulmates, yet.

Melissa had been born with the ability to see colors from birth, all colors, all shades, from blues and purples, browns and oranges, yellows and reds, all the colors, and she’d been confused for a long time, because other people couldn’t, wouldn't until they found their soulmates, not even her parents.

"Lissy~!"

She was pulled out of her thoughts by someone calling her name.  It turned out to be Joanne, her scalp showing pale in the parts between her braids.  She must have gotten her hair done recently.  Joanne was trailed by an amused Denton, whose diamond-shaped parts were also nice and neat, his long ropes of hair pulled back into a loose ponytail at the base of his neck.  They both looked so nice today.  Were they out on a date?

Joanne and Denton were Melissa’s exes from college.  She’d broken up with them, because after a year, they’d wanted more emotional commitment from her than she was willing to give.  She'd felt bad, wanting to give them what they asked for, but they were not her soulmates, and she was not theirs.  It had taken time for all of them to recover, and discovering the term "aromantic" had helped Melissa understand why she'd been born with the ability to see all colors, rather than the monochrome world it seemed everyone else experienced, as well as why romance Just Didn't Work for her, but the trio had a strong relationship that had translated into a deep, continuing friendship, and it was always nice to see them.

Melissa brightened at the sight of the pair, who had been terribly occupied in, gasp, real lives, things like jobs and bills and all of that, happy to meet them again after months without seeing them, and she waved in greeting as they came through the racks of clothing, then winced as the clothing in Joanne’s hands became visible.  The top was a deep, vivid green, while the skirt was a riotous orange and pink extravaganza.

Separately, they’d have been interesting pieces, if a bit inappropriate for the warm undertones to Joanne's brown skin, but Melissa had no doubt that Joanne wanted to wear them together, because they were nicely-cut and would do marvelous things for Joanne’s body.

Joanne laughed at the look on Melissa’s face, uninsulted by the silent criticism, “Shit, I was afraid these would look terrible together.  Denton says the skirt looks fabulous, and /I/ think the shirt looks great, but you know us.”

When Joanne and Denton hooked up, Joanne gained the ability to see blues, purples, and greens, while Denton gained red, pinks, and oranges.  Neither of them could see shades of brown, so while they could somewhat monochromatically dress themselves, and each other, neither could appreciate the cool brown of Denton’s skin against Joanne’s darker skin the way Melissa could.

Melissa laughed, “Yeah, I know you two, and I promise that you don’t want to be wearing that when you meet your other soulmate.  What would they think of you?”

"That we’re better dressed than them, because we can see some colors, and they can't see any?"

Joanne swatted at Denton with her shirt for his commentary, laughing as he playfully whacked her back with his hair.  These losers were so cute, Melissa really didn’t know what to do with them.

"Uh…excuse me?"

The man had a short fade, a sheepish look on his face, heinously mismatched clothes, and a pair of necklaces in his hands, as he spoke to the trio, “Have you found your soulmate?”

People always asked Melissa that when she talked about seeing colors.  She didn’t bother to say no anymore, or to explain that she’d been born with the ability to see colors, it just wasn’t worth the effort.  Similarly, Joanne and Denton had gotten sick  of explaining that they'd met one of their soulmates, and could only see a portion of the full color spectrum.

"Yeah," sighed Melissa, ready to be terribly annoyed by this guy, "What’s up?"

"Well, I wanted to get my mother a necklace.  She just found her soulmate, and she likes pink, but I’m not sure what it looks like."

That would explain why he was holding a pair of orange necklaces: he couldn’t tell the difference.

"Neither of those are pink," Denton spoke up, leaning in to peer at them, "I think they’re orange.  That’s orange, right Mel?"

"Yeah, that’s orange."

"….is that what orange looks like?”

Three heads swiveled for a look at Joanne, who was staring at the necklaces, her eyes intently focused, her mouth hanging open in shock for just a moment before she licked her lips and swallowed, “I…I can see that color.  That’s what orange looks like?”

Denton’s gaze lingered on Joanne, while Melissa watched the man with the fade.  She could see the way his eyes darted over Joanne’s clothing and skin, Melissa’s, Denton’s, even his own, as he began to see colors he had never experienced for the first time, and he finally, slowly offered, “My name’s Arthur.”

Joanne recovered first, offering Arthur a little smile, “Hi, Arthur.  I'm Joanne, this is Denton, and I…guess we can have Denton teach us both what pink looks like?”  She shot a hopeful look at Denton, and he nervously pushed his hair back, “Uh, yeah.  I could…totally do that.”

Melissa was out.  The last thing she needed was to watch these yahoos flirt over learning colors like they were in a cheesy romcom, so she took the shirt and skirt from Joanne, “I’m gonna go put these back for you, ok?”

Joanne looked at clothes and laughed, grimacing at her options, “Uh, yeah, thanks Lissy.”

"Bye Denton."

"Later, Mel."

"Nice meeting you, Arthur."  He gave Melissa a sheepish wave as she escaped.  She was happy for her friends, but no thanks.

Sern

The temple is a small, squat affair in the center of the village, unassuming and rather drab.  The most interesting thing about the temple is the large courtyard it surrounds.  At the center of this courtyard is a tree, possibly the largest in the world, certainly the oldest, and the small temple gives the impression of containing the tree, protecting it from the world.  Or perhaps protecting the world from it.

The courtyard is never empty.

The courtyard, and the holy tree at its center, is a gathering place for the vast majority of the village, because it is the most comforting place to be, filled with the prayers of future parents wanting children, new parents offering their gratitude for their children and exchanging advice, and children, running and laughing, brown skin made darker by the sun, black curls bleached yellow by the same.

The future parents are the primary concern of the priests in the temple, as the future parents are the most likely to go without food or sleep, praying to the tree and the ribbon they've tied to it for a child.  In a few weeks' time, if they are both devoted and truly want a child, the ribbon will adorn the oblong red fruit that will bow the tree's branches.

In that oblong fruit will be the beginning of a young child.  When the fruit grows to the proper size, a priest will carefully harvest it, cutting the stem above the ribbon marking parentage, and the parents will take the fruit home to begin the work of feeding energy into it, and the young child within.

Assuming that the fruit does not wilt due to lack of attention or toxic environment, it will gradually shade to blue on the outside, then grow larger and larger for five months, at which point, it will actively take the energy it needs from its parents, rather than passively receiving, and in a final burst, it will bloom into a rainbow-colored flower, vividest bright blue on the outside and deep, blood red in the center, where the new baby will lay, crying and wanting its parents.

Most parents keep the ribbon and flower as a memento for themselves and their children, all parents return to the temple courtyard, to offer their thanks to the parent of all, holy Casern, who has granted them their new child, and also to seek advice from each other, as well as the head priest.

Because the new baby will be a combination of the parents' energies, its young body and mind will be an amalgamation of the parents.  It is not uncommon for parents who have sustained disabling physical injuries to pass those disabilities, or a portion of those disabilities, to their children, and it is just as common for people born with such disabilities from their own parents to pass their inherited disability on to their children.

Similarly, parents with certain mental states frequently produce children with similar mental states, or, more commonly, children whose mental state is some unique combination of the mental state of the parents.

Such a variety of bodies and minds offers children, and their parents, the chance to learn and grow, and it is not uncommon to hear children exclaiming to their parents and peers about prosthetics or wheelchairs they have encountered that they like, or for children, deaf, partially so, and hearing alike, to make up hand signs together to describe things they encounter until they learn the true sign for it, as well as for children, blind, partially so, or not at all, to come up with words for their own experience.

The childrens' games, of course, naturally vary based on the ability of the group gathered, and either have audible, visual, and tactile components, or depend on teams, to accommodate for varying levels of ability and disability.  Lessons about the world with the priests, of course, are similarly crafted, though most children learn the vast majority of what they know from their parents and peers as they grow, from work and play, as well as from socializing in the courtyard, modeling what they experience from that environment.

On any day, the head priest will see many couples and triads of parents, some female, some male, some mixed-gender, offering advice for how to handle this aspect or that of parentage, reassuring nervous parents that their child's fruit is the right color for how long they've been home, so on and so forth.

Xe is very good at xir job, and xe enjoys it greatly, enjoys talking to people, meeting people, and, of course, watching the children grow up around the temple grounds nude as the day they were born in the tropical heat, variably investigating the physicality of a sex they don't have yet.

All children, of course, are born without sex, much like holy Casern, and they will be given four chances to try different anatomy as they age, depending on what they encounter in their studies that they are curious about, or based on what they are told.

Some children will first try a sex they are fairly certain they don't want for their first choice at 12, and change for their second choice at 15.  Others will choose the sex they think they want at 12, and try the one they think they don't want for their third choice at 18 before changing back for their final choice at 21.

Others are indecisive and switch back and forth, while some know what they want and make their choice immediately, never varying it, and still others find themselves surprised by how much they like or dislike a certain sex and change or maintain their decision accordingly at each decision point.

All such decisions affect how childrens' bodies grow and develop, because changing sex doesn't eliminate the effects of the prior decision they've made, and some children will choose no sex at certain decision points, depending on how they want their body to develop.

Some children, like many of the temple's priests, choose no sex for more than one decision point, precisely because they want to serve holy Casern, or else because being without sex is familiar and comforting to them, though most choose a sex at least once.

One child, to the high priest's vague surprise, chooses no sex for all their decision points, even though their parents are all strongly attached to their sex, and most of their peers are strongly interested in one sex or another.

Xe finally understands when xe prays to Casern, and that child, now an adult, appears before xir with a faint, pleased smile, standing before the massive statue of Casern, resembling the deity incarnate.

"Oh," xe murmurs, surprised by this development, earning a wider grin in response.  Xe falls on xir face, humbled and honored by the incarnation of holy Casern answering xir query for more information, as well as for the honor of having raised and taught said incarnation for all these years, though there is only one reason xe can think of for them doing this, at this stage of xir life, "I am ready for the end, whenever you shall deem it right to take me from this life, holy one."

"I know you are. But you have much work ahead of you."

Xe looked up to see Casern's genderless young incarnation give a slow twirl, turning to look up at the statue they stood below, "And I have much to learn yet."

And Baby Makes Four

**This story features non-graphic mentions of rape, attempted rape, kidnapping, slavery, and PTSD.  If these story elements are upsetting to you, please be forewarned that they appear.**

When Lady Tori of Tremaine Castle first saw Etra, she was instantly enthralled by the woman, tall and a bit sickly from overexertion, but with elegant hands and flowing robes that changed color before Tori's eyes.

Etra was the traveling storyteller, come to the Tremaine from distant lands and her stories were magic, brought to life for children and adults alike with illusions so vivid, Tori could taste them, feel them, smell them.

Etra gave herself the role of the wise witch, and Tori was suddenly transformed into the brave knight Etra had endowed with the weaponry to retrieve the clever princess kidnapped by filthy barbaric northerners, played by a beautiful merchant named Janelle, who was just as confused about her sudden change in role, but who, like Tori, played along.

Tori fought a dragon, huge and bitter with age, hot breath transforming her black globe of curls into a flaming halo of death, while Janelle used science to discredit the evil young wizard before his savage king.

Tori outwit a troll, at the expense of bruises that lasted for days, and she truly felt those days, dragging heavy armor and heavier feet ever forward after a princess all her comrades assumed dead, while Janelle made friends with female housestaff who taught her how to keep the envious wizard from exacting his vengeance by way of nightly visit, and used what she learned to thwart the evil wizard until he gave that tactic up

Tori navigated swamps and climbed mountains, and when she reached the princess, she had truly fought for her lady, while Janelle had fought just as hard, navigating treaties with the king with wit and determination, and nightly assassins from the evil wizard with powders and poisons hidden in her long ropes of hair.

Janelle came to Tori's side, the princess as triumphant as the knight, and the wise witch who narrated their adventures declared them victorious and deserving of the happily ever after due any princess and her knight.

It was a terrible shock for both women when the illusory framework serving as their twinned stories dropped away, leaving Tori down on one knee before Janelle's travel-worn shoes, a soft, warm hand between her shoulderblades.

The hand slowly, hesitantly withdrew as Tori lifted her head, looking past the round of Janelle's belly and ample bust to the softness of her face, where she saw the desire and devotion she felt, only partially leftover from the tale, reflected in Janelle's deep brown eyes.

Tori stood, but a cloud crossing the sun caused Janelle to glance towards the sky, reminding both women that they'd lost half the day to this silliness.  Tori's time could and would be made up at the expense of Tori's night, but Janelle's was her livelihood, and her way of having food and a place to stay the night.  As apology, Tori invited Janelle to stay the night in a room at Tremaine Castle, and the look on Janelle's face assured Tori that whatever room Janelle was to be in, she wanted Tori to be in it as well

Etra, haggard and worn from her entertainment efforts, staggered over to the pair, her wide smile lit from within as she praised both women for their roles in her story, praising their passion and enthusiasm, confessing that she extended the tale farther than she usually did in deference to their commitment to their characters, long fingers and elegant hands once again catching Tori's attention as Etra concluded by informing the pair that it was the best performance she'd done in years.

Tori invited Etra to Tremaine Castle for the night as well, the interested arch of Janelle's brow informing Tori that Etra had caught Janelle's attention as well, even though Tori strongly suspected Etra would only sleep.


Tori and Janelle were both pleased and delighted when Etra accepted the invitation, but though the women made their interest known, and Etra seemed to reciprocate, by the time the meal had ended, they had watched in awe as Etra consumed enough food for five women to replenish energy lost, and was forced to sleep off her necessary gluttony alone.

With Etra comfortably ensconced in her bed for the night, Tori and Janelle retreated to Tori's quarters, where Tori discovered that Janelle was witty and achingly sweet, while Janelle learned that Tori was devoted and astonishingly lonely, and the women bonded over their shared experience in Etra's story, and more.

Neither much minded Etra's absence, though when they fed each other fruit and sweet-tasting breads over lunch, to help each other recover from a night as interesting as their day, they were saddened to learn that Etra left early in the day, but with promises to return to them someday.

Janelle remained with Tori for more than a month, learning the lady of the castle and being learned in turn, but soon, she was forced to return to parents and siblings that missed her and needed her to take care of them.  Tori sent gifts of food, cloth, and toys home with Janelle, happily accepting freely-given promises to return.

Janelle craved travel and frequent change of scenery, so even though she had Tori's patronage and love, she continued her work as a merchant, selling and trading far and wide.  She visited Tori often, occasionally bringing her family to join her, until soon, Tori considered Janelle's family her own, a distinction they accepted with pride.

Before long, the people of Tremaine considered Janelle and her family as much a part of Tremaine Castle as their Lady Tori, because rather than exploit Tori's kindness, Janelle's family found ways to help and improve Tremaine, and its lady as well.

Years came and went, and though Tori and Janelle sometimes thought of the storyteller who'd brought them together, they were happy together, even when Janelle's absences left Tori aching for her love, and Tori's refusal to travel left Janelle aching in much the same way.

When Etra returned to Tremaine Castle, it was shocking and unexpected, the tall woman deathly ill from escaping slavers she met while in the distant, cold north, her spirit deeply poisoned by the iron that had burned her body in reaction to the magic it possessed.

Etra had needed somewhere safe to return to, and Tremaine Castle, so far from the cold of the north, and home to at least one person Etra remembered wanting her presence, seemed like the perfect place to come to, even after so long away.  She was, of course, quite right.

Tori tended Etra while Janelle, having traveled widely, explained to Tori that the northerners were prone to kidnapping any woman capable of magic and attempting to use said woman to obtain magic for their daughters, born of a northerner and a southerner, as the northerners had no magic of their own.

Etra could not get pregnant, and would have thus been useless to the northerners.  The only reason Etra was able to escape was because her captors did not realize her powers extended beyond illusions, which were merely what she was most skilled at, and she was able to use it to return to Tremaine when they set her loose in their snowy woods, with intent to hunt her like an animal.

It took a long time, but between Tori and Janelle, they were able to restore Etra's body to health, and though Etra's mind had suffered from what she'd endured, Tori and Janelle learned how to navigate those painful places, to make Tremaine Castle a safe place for Etra to be.

Etra tasted of Janelle the first time she kissed Tori, and it was an old, familiar flavor combined with a new and exciting one that made Tori fall in love with both women, all over again.

Soon, though, even love and old fears could not curb Etra's wanderlust, and with Janelle as her companion, Tori felt she needn't worry too much about where her lovers went or how long they were gone, though the days without them were long and slow, causing her to turn to Janelle's family, now Tori's as well, more and more.

Janelle's niece, Dana, was clever, and she loved Tremaine as her own, so Tori began grooming the girl to be the new lady of Tremaine, waiting every day for her lovers to return to her when she was not occupied with such grooming, and the matters of Tremaine that so occupied the bulk of her time.

It was a joyous day in Tremaine when Lady Tori's loves returned home, both glowing with pride in work well done, each their own, and both fiercely missing their shared love.  And share they did, occupying the rest of Tori's night and much of her next day, showing her how much they'd missed her.

After only a few days with Tori and Janelle, Etra soon insisted that she was ready to set out for her next adventure, even that she'd stayed too long, to both her lovers' dismay: Janelle, because she'd only just reunited with her family after time away, and Tori, because, like Janelle, she didn't want to see Etra leave so soon.

For their sake, Etra stayed another week, and then, she was gone again.  The next years were hard on Tori, for Etra could not be kept home for longer than a few days at a time, not returning for months at a time, and Janelle frequently got itchy feet before Etra returned, and would often leave Tori without either of her loves for weeks, sometimes months at a time, especially if they left at the same time, though she still saw Janelle most frequently.

Things changed when Tori got pregnant.  She had made her desire to have children known to both her lovers, and while Janelle had no desire to be pregnant, and thus took measures to ensure Etra could never give her one, she had assured Tori that if a child came along, she would be happy to dote on that child as one of its mothers.

When Tori learned she was to have Etra's child, Janelle promised to relay the message to Etra when the two travelers' paths inevitably crossed, as neither was prone to using backroads or obscure routes, for no people could be found there to support their work.

Tori was six months along, her belly beginning to swell when the women returned to her, together, for once in a rare while, and Tori was relieved when both promised to stay close until the baby was born.

The next few years were blissful for Tori, who needn't pine for her lovers' presence while they were away, only seek them out in her home.  Janelle, more accustomed to remaining in one place for longer periods, handled the time rather easily, learning some of what her niece knew, and some of what the rest of her family had learned to help Tori as Tori's pregnancy took a toll on her, and Etra's illusions and tactics from distant lands helped Tori and the people of Tremaine in still different manners.

Etra was less content with her restiveness, and took long rides throughout Tremaine to learn and entertain the people, sometimes with Janelle, and sometimes alone, though when the baby was born, she doted on the child as much as Tori and Janelle.

The child was named Morgan, and when Morgan was old enough to walk and ride a horse, Etra insisted that an expedition was necessary, taking Janelle with her and Morgan.  Tori had never been more terrified in her life, but when Janelle eventually brought Morgan home, explaining that Etra had continued on alone, Tori was relieved her child had returned healthy, as well as a little saddened that life had returned to what it once was, even understanding that her life smothered her Etra.

Fortunately, Etra returned home more often, frequently to sweep Morgan away, sometimes to bask with her family, Janelle and Tori and Morgan, the four of them all together.  As Morgan grew, Etra was also able to enjoy more intimate time with her lovers, staying home longer to do so.  Janelle, of course, also resumed her traveling ways, often taking Morgan with her, and Morgan would frequently leave with one traveling mother and return with the other.

Tori laughingly resigned herself to the fact that she had a family of wanderers, and when Morgan struck out alone, Tori had a third party to await the return of, with reunions being happy affairs, and occasions when they were all together, usually Morgan's birthday, even happier.

The love of Morgan's life turned out to be a northerner, to terrified shock and awe, but the tales of love Morgan carried back were enough to sway Janelle and Etra, the frightened Tori resisting for a long time, out of memory for pain caused her lover.  It took visits from Morgan's new family to convince Tori that, if nowhere else, Morgan was safe with them.

Even so, Tori did everything she could to tempt Morgan's new family to Tremaine, where her child would be close, and the dangers posed by the northerns would be minimized, but their home had been with them for centuries, and Morgan wisely pointed out that Dana, training under Tori's tutelage, was better-suited to look after Tremaine than the wanderlust-filled Morgan.

With a heavy heart, Tori traveled from Tremaine for the first time in her life, to attend Morgan's wedding.  The trek was frightening, remembering the experiences Etra had endured, and being amongst so many northerners was disorienting, but with Etra, Janelle, and Morgan to show her the way, Tori found the trip enjoyable, leaving Dana to do what she had been learning to do for decades.

Tori was happy to return home, and though she was sad Morgan was so far, the distance and the travel exhilarated Morgan, who visited often, frequently with gifts and messages conducted from Etra or Janelle as Morgan's route crossed theirs.

The years passed, and the travels of Etra and Janelle slowed, fewer trips out happening each year, those trips lasting shorter and shorter periods of time.  Tori wanted to be happy, but she knew it was because her lovers were becoming less and less capable of doing what they loved, which saddened her greatly, because it was their passion.

To their pained shock, Etra was the first to pass, burned out by her powers, and though Tori tried to console Janelle by traveling with her, Tori could not travel with Janelle as Etra had traveled with Janelle, and Tori soon gave up the effort.

Tori was the next to pass, her life of dedication to Tremaine having finally taken its toll on her body, and she was buried beside Etra.  When the grief-stricken Janelle followed her into death a year later, she was buried on the other side of Tori, the way the new lady of Tremaine thought it should be.

Morgan mourned the deaths of three mothers, but time softened the most painful edges, and Morgan left Tremaine in the most capable hands it could be left in, allowing the Castle and its surrounding area to flourish, until noone was left alive who remembered the Lady Tori, the Illusionist Etra, and the Merchant Janelle, who loved each other so.