Help Me Find the Words: A Sonia x Gundham Tale

Day 14 - Afternoon

Gundham set down the bags he was carrying, removed a key from his pocket, and unlocked his door.  He pressed his arm against it once again to hold it open for me.  Heavy bags of my own in my hands, I bustled in, thanking him as I entered his cabin.  I exhaled in relief as I set down my share of our 'shopping' trip.  I clapped my hands together and took a look around the room.  The wheels of my imagination started turning as I created a vision of what the space could become.  Helping Gundham feel more at home in his new home... the thought itself makes me giddy.

I started removing things from the shopping bags, carrying as much as I could in my arms.  "Gundham, this is most exciting, is it not?"  I felt the tower of trinkets and decor start to slip from my fingers, and my heart stopped as I felt myself losing balance.

My descent to the floor was cut short when I landed in his arms.  The only casualties were the bedding and a small throw rug. "I previously warned you against carrying too many things at once. You must be training your mortal form for greater purpose and strength. It is... most admirable," he let me go and took some boxed pieces from my now toppled tower.

"I do believe we can always strive to be better," I replied as I set my things back down, picked up a large black candle, and started removing its plastic wrapping.

The majority of the afternoon was spent unpacking the goods we acquired and arranging them. Gundham doted on the Devas first and foremost, with new habitats for them to explore, and new toys for their enrichment. They had their own corner of the room completely full of contraptions for them to live in, including pipes that traveled up the wall and onto a cage on his desk.

Meanwhile, I stood on a small stool to replace the room's standard white curtains with black ones. It was difficult at first, but I caught on quickly, and soon the entire room became dim. Gundham took notice, temporarily changing his focus from the Devas to me. "Excellent," he said with a satisfied smile. I smiled back, pleased that he was pleased.

By the time he finished with the Devas, I was balancing on the thin frame of his bed, lifting the mattress in an attempt to stretch the fitted sheets over the corners without any corners snapping out of place. I sheepishly grinned as I let gravity bring me and the mattress back down into place. But of course, when I landed with a THUD, the other side's corners released their grip. I whined as I kept my arms stretched on the bedding still in place. I heard Gundham chuckle as he approached. I flipped myself over and sat up, watching with astonishment as he tucked the remaining corners in with ease.

We finished arranging the bed, draping just as many throw blankets as there are in my own room across the maroon sheets we just set in place. We took down the fabric from the canopy bed and wrapped purple string lights around the canopy instead. That was my idea, and I think it created a dark, yet, warm aura. We rolled out an ornate rug and placed it in the center of the room, partially under the plush bench. We assembled a bookshelf and filled its space with candles, Deva-proof plants, a few books-- Gundham said he would acquire more another time, and my favorite piece, a small lamp shaped like a skull. I placed the batteries inside, pressed the power button, set it on the shelf, and stepped back to admire our work, accompanied by the setting sun. "Exquisite," I heard Gundham declare. I looked toward him, and he was already looking at me, "You truly have a flair for decorum. This illuminated skull of a mortal is divine."

I grinned and skipped back over to the lamp. "Look!" I tapped the silicone and its white light changed into red, then green, then blue, then pink: it was a rainbow! I am sure this is not Gundham's preferred color scheme, but it is certainly fun.

"My word," Gundham gasped, "Sonia, how long have you been concealing these abilities?"

He rushed toward me and took my hand, studying it, "Hm?" I was confused