At Their Mercy

Chapter 32: Vivid and Blank

A/N:  Okay, I have written the courting steps since I kept meaning to explain them:

1. Ask for blessing from family
2. Present first gift with declaration of intent
3. Marking of prominent feature(s) on body in a symbolic colour of courtee
4. The two beings spar to display their power
5. Introduction of courtee to prominent family, and in cases of a deity with a non-deity courtee, introduction of courtee to prominent deity beings that relate to their domain.
6. Courtee is taken to a place of importance/significance to the courter. (Basically like a date)
7. Courter wears an important article of clothing belonging to the courtee to show equal ownership.
8. Both parties settle into a shared home to prepare for their lives together.
9. Courter and Courtee mark each other with their magic10. Courter officially asks courtee to be their soulmate

Then soulbonding ceremony

Soulbonding ceremony is a celebration of the coming union. The ceremony has become the equivalent to a wedding to declare the two officially soulmated, married, ect.Bonding of the souls is a private matter done in the privacy and at the discretion of the soulmates. (It is purely a magic exchange. It's not like... lewd? Lmao I don't know how else to explain.)

ANYHOW!

Enjoy.

Dream arrived back in Erratum's plane of existence with a bag in his hand and a rather pleased smile. He had spent the last hour or so setting a few things up to lure the overworked god out of their home and, personally, he believes he's done an excellent job thus far. The difficult part would be convincing Erratum to let Dream do what he had planned for them, but he was certain the other would cave with some insistence.

He sighed to himself as he spotted the god, still sitting in the same position with several windows opened. That strange 'soul' was hovering in front of them and was the focus of their latest binge. When Erratum had first revealed it to be Ink's shattered soul, the spirit had nearly collapsed under the weight of his own shock. Apparently, Erratum and Nightmare had worked to pull the shard pieces into a somewhat soul-shaped form, though it didn't appear even remotely stable. Dream was impressed to hear how skilled his brother was with his magical control, brushing aside the whole 'manipulating a soul' issue. Dream could agree that their attempts were absolutely called for and passed no judgment upon them.

Now, Erratum had been sitting in their garden for a few days, obsessively running check after check over this 'soul' and attempting to push the pieces even an inch closer to each other. Dream could tell it was taking a toll on their mind, as they constantly heard them muttering strange things to themselves. The most alarming one Dream had heard so far was along the lines of, "we could use this," and the spirit couldn't help but feel chilled by it even now.

Erratum glanced up briefly as Dream approached, giving a hum of acknowledgment before glancing back to the 'soul' in front of them. The spirit frowned sharply at them before settling beside them and grinning once more. Erratum could sense his eagerness and anticipation battering against their person, causing them to sigh and finally give Dream their attention.

"Did you need something?"

Dream nodded quickly as they sat up on their knees. "Yes! You've been sitting here for way too long and I think you need a break." He stated firmly. He watched the god give a tired sigh, but he wasn't about to let them dismiss his concerns. "So!" The spirit continued as he sat his bag down with a smile. "I decided to use you as a canvas if you're going to just be sitting here!" He decreed, much to the other's confusion.

"I'm sorry?" Erratum watched as Dream withdrew a mortar and pestle and a few various items. The spirit uncorked a vial of powder and dumped it in the little bowl before adding in what appeared to be a few berries. "What are you doing? I would like to know before you start volunteering me for your activities." They questioned with a hesitant look.