The rest of the week passed with little of note – the other Department Heads giving Braelin a good-natured hard time about being the ‘best’ of them the next morning, but soon moving on. Milve had been officially added to the Gardening Department as Holy Advisor – the title given to previous priesti within the castle staff hierarchy.

Jurao considered clearing time in his schedule to attend their first department meeting but ultimately decided against it. Hujur was already attending, and his partner did not need the King to babysit him – or appear to, in any case. He would make time to attend a later meeting, when they were fully settled, as he made time to attend every departments’ meetings from time to time – even branch meetings, when he could manage it.

However, fate intervened with that plan.

“Your highness,” Alae said, opening the door to Jurao’s office a crack, “A High Priestess Milve is here to see you.”

“Send her in,” Jurao said, curious as he set aside his paperwork. It was an hour past the end of the midday meal, and he hadn’t expected to meet anyone.

“Good afternoon, your highness,” the woman greeted – four waste hounds obediently on her heels, marking her as a High Priestess of Sciekles. She carried not a staff, as most High Priesti, but a lance as her badge of office.

She was an older traditional demon with red skin, gray angular markings, and purple hair secured back with braids into a bun. Her waste hounds sat around her smartly, two on each side. They were all between two to three feet of height, with gray and red mottled black fur and ram horns. Two had solid red faces, while the other two had solid black faces – if Jurao recalled correctly, that made two males and two females.

“Good afternoon, your grace,” Jurao replied, nodding to the seats before his desk, “To what do we owe the honor.”

“I prefer to stand, thank you,” the priestess chuckled, “I am the High Priestess of the Temple of Sciekles located in the Volcanic Wastes, Milve. I came to speak with my former colleague – perhaps you know him? Green skin, very stuffy, has the same name?”

“Ah, yes,” Jurao nodded, getting to his own feet, “He’s currently in a meeting as the Holy Advisor to the Gardening Department, but they should be near finished – I can lead you there.”

“Thank you,” the High Priestess’s brows rose, “But you hardly need do so yourself, your highness. I would be perfectly content with a guide.”

“Ah,” Jurao nodded to Alae as he stepped out, “My partner is the Head of the Gardening Department, and it was their first department meeting – I refrained from attending, but admit that I am curious as to how it went.”

“I see,” she chuckled, “Then since I have your ear – could you confirm for me that Milve was dismissed from his position for making a human an honorary member of Iescula’s faithful?”

“He was,” Jurao nodded, “My partner is that human – he is Beloved of Iescula.”

High Priestess Milve held up a hand, “No need to defend the decision to me, your highness – I’ve known the other Milve for over a millennium, I know he wouldn’t do such a thing on a whim. But it just seemed so out of character, I needed to confirm.”

“The Temples of Iescula and Sciekles in the Wastes are close,” Jurao asked, though the lack of reproach was certainly refreshing.

“Indeed,” the High Priestess nodded, “I was born in my temple, and the other one arrived when he was barely an adolescent – we became High Priesti at the same time, even. It annoyed him to no end.”

“I can imagine that,” Jurao said, leading the way out to the gardens. Of course, the meeting was taking place in the Gardening Office – or it would be, when the expansion for a meeting room was complete. They had not anticipated needing one, but with two branches now under the Department – Horticultural and Spiritual Guidance – it seemed prudent to add. In the meantime, the meeting was being held in the Rose Cage Garden, at one of the larger tables that could be blocked off by the plants.

When they were near, two of the High Priestess’s waste hounds surged forward and around a hedge – and soon reappeared being chased by Petal, both with wagging tails and happy barks.

“Milli?” priest Milve said, rounding the hedge.

“Milve!” the High Priestess replied, rushing forward to pull the man into a hug, “There’s my favorite priest who shares my name!”

Milve sputtered, attempting to escape the embrace – but as most Scieklean priesti, ‘Milli’ was heavy with muscle and difficult to shake, “Off me, you ridiculous woman!”

Milli laughed, pulling away and roughly tousling her colleague’s hair, “Good to see you’re in high spirits!”

“What’s this?” Hujur asked, “Ah, good afternoon, my lord – we’d just finished up.”

Jurao stepped around the priesti to join Hujur, Braelin, Gaele, and Yheor and asked, “How did the meeting go.”

“Well, I think,” Braelin replied, watching Petal and the wastehounds with a confused smile.

“I agree, I didn’t need to step in at all,” Hujur chuckled.

“Ah, I should, um,” Gaele flinched, then, “Uh… compile notes?”

“It can wait a bit,” Braelin replied.

Gaele seemed to consider this, then nodded and shifted fos weight before bowing, “Good afternoon, your highness.”

Fos is getting better, Jurao reflected, nodding back, “Good afternoon. High Priestess Milve of Sciekles came to check up on… Holy Advisor Milve.”

“You can all just use Milli to make it less confusing,” the High Priestess laughed, having Milve in a headlock, “That’s what we did in the Wastes, and unlike this one, I didn’t pick the name!”

“Ah,” Braelin nodded, “Yes – there are two Temples in the Volcanic Wastes.”

“You must be the human that cost this one his post,” Milli said, walking over and holding out a hand, “Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Braelin shook but offered Milve a sympathetic look.

The priest growled, “Milli, we are no longer children! Cease!”

“No fun, as ever,” Milli sighed, releasing the man anyway, “And here I thought things might have changed a little, Holy Advisor.”

“That is-” Milve sighed, straightening his clothing and hair, “Braelin built a shrine to Iescula and two other plant deities here. I requested to oversee it after my dismissal.”

Milli’s brows shot up, “Perhaps we do have more to catch up on – besides,” she looked over at the hounds playing with Petal, “Snip and Snap missed Rascal.”

“… Rascal?” Braelin tilted his head, “I thought you didn’t name them.”

“I didn’t,” Milve huffed – but his face darkened in a light blush.

Yheor snickered.

“Not officially,” Milli agreed, crouching down conspiratorially, “But that’s what he called the Crushfern whenever he thought no one was listening.”

Braelin’s brows rose, “I see – though I’ve renamed them Petal.”

Milli’s brows rose in turn, “Renamed?”

“It… chose a better master,” Milve sighed, still looking away.

“It seems we have much to catch up on, old friend,” Milli said, rising back to full height, “Next, you’ll tell me you’re courting someone.”

There was a moment of silence where Milve’s blush deepened.

Yheor was the one to finally laugh, “Two someones. Humans, even.”

Milli looked over at Yheor, then at Milve, then around at the rest of them, and back to Milve again.

The priest sighed without looking at any of them, “It’s true.”

“… what, did Iescula herself order it?” Milli laughed incredulously.

“No,” Milve sighed, finally turning back, “But I did speak… no, I received a rather sound scolding from My Lady.”

“Huh,” Milli considered this, cupping her chin.

“… what does the name ‘Milve’ mean?” Braelin asked, “It feels as though you both having it is not such a coincidence.”

“It means ‘faithful’,” Milve replied, “As Milli implied – I picked it as my new name when I arrived at Iescula’s Temple, while she received the name from her parents.”

“Which is why he hates when people try to shorten it, but I don’t mind,” Milli added, then clapped Milve on the back, “Let’s get some drinks, old friend.”

“Very well, as I know you will not accept no as an answer,” Milve sighed. He turned to Braelin, “We’ll be in my cottage if you’ve need of me.”

Braelin nodded, “I’ll try not to interrupt.”

Milve rolled his eyes – then glanced over at Petal and the wastehounds before shaking his head and walking away.

Milli frowned and said, “I’ll leave Snip and Snap out here – they’ll find me when they’re done playing, and Break and Burn are good enough company for me.”

As she walked quickly to catch up with the other priestis, Hujur snorted, “Cheery names, but very suited for the hounds of the Goddess of War.”

“I liked her,” Yheor declared, “She seems fun.”

When Jurao looked over, he noticed that Petal had stopped moving – tendrils floating in the direction of the retreating clergy… but only for a moment before the hounds distracted it again.

Perhaps we misjudged their relationship, Jurao thought.

“Um,” Gaele said, then cleared fos throat, “I didn’t, uh, realize Priest Milve had friends.”

Yheor laughed in surprise, and Hujur shook his head – though with an amused smile.

“Nor did I, but it makes sense,” Braelin shrugged, “He can certainly be difficult, but I wouldn’t consider him a bad person.”

“I suppose,” Gaele nodded, then cleared fos throat again, “Well! Time for me! To compile those notes!”

“Lordis Gaele,” Jurao stopped them with a hand on fos shoulder.

Fos flinched, “Y-yes, your highness?”

“I’m glad you’re feeling more comfortable around me,” Jurao said, patting fos shoulder before taking his hand away, “Keep working at it.”

There was that familiar sparkle of awe in fos eyes as fos smiled and nodded several times, “Yes, your highness! I will!”

Fos started to run off – then stopped fos-self and walked instead.

“… fos was worse?” Yheor asked, “I mean, I gathered they have a lot of respect for you, your highness, but...”

Hujur chuckled, “Fos has a lot more self-confidence now than when fos was working for Halvern – even he agrees this was a good move for Gaele.”

Braelin nodded, “Gaele used to get so flustered by Jurao fos would run away as soon as possible – fos sees him as a personal role model.”

“Well, he seems like a good choice to me,” Yheor laughed, then shaded her eyes to look up at the sun, “I better get moving as well – Voga finally worked up the courage to ask me out to dinner and I’m excited to see where he’s taking me.”

“Have fun, I suppose,” Braelin replied.

“He’s not that bad,” Yheor rolled her eyes, “He just got used to how things work for chefs in the Beastkin Realm – he worked in a royal kitchen on that side as well, though not as Head Chef.”

“I believe you, but he’s still kind of an ass,” Braelin replied.

“I’ll give you that!” Yheor laughed, then turned to bow, “Good afternoon, your highness.”

Jurao nodded as she also took her leave.

“I’ll go make arrangements for our new priestly guest,” Hujur chuckled, bowing his head as he left as well.

Braelin hummed – taking a glance at Petal, Snip, and Snap – then waved Jurao over as he went back to the table surrounded by hedges.

Curiously, Jurao followed, taking a seat.

His partner surprised him by straddling his lap, “We should go out somewhere to eat sometime.”

Jurao’s tail swayed as he rested his hands on his partner’s hips, “Is that a typical human romantic activity?”

“It is,” Braelin smiled before leaning up to catch the King’s lips in a kiss.

It had been some time since they last stole away just to share kisses, and Jurao found he was quite happy to engage in the activity again.