Laz didn’t know how to take this news. He also didn’t know why the hell he was again stuck facing giant creatures.

’At least I’m a god now too... wait... doesn’t this mean I can be huge too? Is that possible?’ Laz’s head was filled with some very fantastical thoughts for a few minutes before he let it go.

’Doesn’t matter anyway...’ Being that large was cool and all, but it had never been a plus for any of the gods he had encountered. In fact, those gods were now considered weaker than him. Of course that was on the grounds that they fought in an even setting. If they fought somewhere that was beneficial to their race or power, then even being stronger might not be enough.

The biggest difference Laz noticed, being back on earth, was how empty of power his world really was. While it seemed like that great tree was kicking out energy, it wasn’t nearly enough to fill the entire world, at least not yet. Right now, it was like trying to heat your entire house with one space heater. The room closest to it would be fairly warm, but everything after that would still be cold, even if the entire house was sealed. It would take a long time to actually warm everything up. And while that indicated that those looking for strength would have a better chance by getting closer, the Elder Fae living in the massive tree had already made it known that no one was allowed to get to close.

’Or so it was before I’ve been gone. Still though, I can’t seem to reach A’ruya either now that I’m back. I feel like I can sense her which means she can sense me, but trying to talk to her is like screaming into a void. I can’t imagine anything has happened to her, but how would I know either way....’ Laz thought to himself.

Jormungandr had gone back to sleep as this world wasn’t exactly good for it’s presence nor it’s energy requirements. It also reminded Laz that it wouldn’t be a good idea to take it out unless he needed it because without some sort of energy source, it wouldn’t be able to maintain it’s power level for long. Even when Laz had drawn it out in the pocket dimension, the energy it sapped from the air was astounding, but with the death of so many gods in such a closed off space, the air had been brimming with it. Despite that, it was barely able to release one percent of it’s power since otherwise it would have drained the pocket dimension dry.

Laz decided to shower and change into some new clothes and there was quite the selection present in this spare room. The washroom was quite a ways down the hall and there were only two in the entire facility, or so Laz had been told. One for the females and one for the males. While small, it had everything he needed in dispensers. A warm shower finally brought him back to life. After finding some decent jeans and a button up shirt that fit, even if it was a little tight, Laz took a look at himself in the mirror.

’Rough... real fucking rough.’ Grabbing a disposable razer from the bathroom, Laz took to shaving in the mirror after trimming a bit of the beard first. While he hadn’t had one when he went to sleep, it was clear it had grown while he was frozen in the ice which didn’t exactly make sense. But thinking about the strength of his own body, he could only imagine that his beard hair had managed to force itself through the thick ice to grow.

’I wonder if there is a realm where hair doesn’t grow anymore? I mean, is it possible? Isn’t hair growth a sign of healthy cells and skin? Well, guess it doesn’t matter anyway...’

Laz also took the time to do some other body grooming since there were other places that were out of control as well. He could have used his black flame, but considering the circumstances, he didn’t think it was a good idea to reveal something like that with so many other people around. Plus, he didn’t sense any cameras or listening devices, but one could never be too careful. When it came to spiritual sense and electronics, things could get a little wonky.

’Can’t believe I have to start thinking about electronics again,’ Laz thought to himself with a laugh. After all, he had been in a world without for several months and he had grown used to it. Sure, they had their own ways of dealing with lighting and heating, but it wasn’t the same.

By the time Laz finished, Sven was back to call him to supper and couldn’t help but stop cold. Sven wasn’t an old man as he was in his early thirties, but even he lost his composure when seeing the cleaned up Laz for the first time.

"Damn... It’s enough to make a guy want to cheat..." Sven said after staring for a moment as Laz put his shoes on.

"Easy boy. You’re husband is a doctor and could probably kill you slowly while keeping you alive. Or me. Either way it wouldn’t be good," Laz said with a smile. He didn’t mind being complimented, even if it was by a man who preferred other men. Such a thing wouldn’t make him uncomfortable. Besides, he didn’t see anything negative in Sven’s eyes either so he could understand the man was good natured, even if he couldn’t keep his opinions to himself.

"Right. Thanks for reminding me. But still... You could be a model. With that slight build but those obvious muscles... It’s like you were sculpted from stone. Can I?" Sven said with a questioning gaze. Laz shrugged and let the man touch his chest.

"Damn it and damn you. At least I know Anton prefers bears to pretty boys otherwise I would have to challenge you to a duel just to defend my honor," Sven said with a laugh.

"Alright alright. Enough joking around. Food time?" Laz laughed back.

"Yes yes. Come with me," Sven said before moving out the door to lead the way. Laz followed. He had to admit that the base was kind of like a small maze. With is memory, thanks to his realm, he wouldn’t have to worry about getting lost, but that didn’t mean he could immediately figure out where to go or how to get there unless he had been there before. Well, not unless he had a map to study or used his spiritual sense to get a lay of the land, which he was hesitant to do in this new environment. After all, they had devices to see if he was an infected already, so who knows what else changed in the time he had been gone. Was it possible they could detect a spiritual sense? He had no idea.

Entering the dinning room, Laz saw that the girls had gathered around the captain while the doctor was on the other side of the table himself and smiled with Sven walked in. Even Laz could tell the frail man seemed nervous until Sven showed up. Looking at the eight place dinning table, Laz couldn’t help but wonder why they didn’t seat three and three, but whatever. Laz took a seat next to Sven and began looking at the food.

"Everything was made by Shelly and Saanvi. Jun and the captain couldn’t cook to save their lives and they mostly argue that my food isn’t that good," Sven said with a laugh.

"It’s not that it’s not good hun. It’s very nutritious. It’s just a little lacking on the flavor side," Dr. Anton added as though he was trying to prevent the big man from having hurt feelings.

"Yes. You should feel lucky you get to taste Shelly and Saanvi’s cooking. It’s not something just everyone get’s to enjoy," the good looking captain said as he began to dish out his own meal. While he meant it as a compliment to the two women, Laz got a different feeling from the man about it. Almost a feeling like possession, where Laz was being treated by something the other man owns. It was a weird feeling to have since it was clear to Laz that the captain was not Saanvi’s husband. She was actually the furthest from him as Jun sat on one side of him while Shelly was on the other.

Laz didn’t speak but did eat the nice spread. It really was quite good. In the mean time, Laz observed the vibe between the six people and couldn’t help but wonder if he was wrong.

The body language Jun gave off was subtle and didn’t reveal anything other than a uniformed reaction, almost as though everything she did was mechanical. Shelly was the most friendly and seemed to be the closest to the captain. On the other hand, Saanvi seemed very nice, but was hesitant in many of their interactions.

Nothing needed to be said about Sven and Dr. Anton as they were hiding nothing. They seemed close and while Anton was a bit of an introvert, Sven was definitely not. Most of the time, he was leading the conversations with everyone and the women all seemed to be at ease with him.

As for how they treated him, Jun was robotic, Shelly was nice but distant and Saanvi was kind but seemed to hold herself back. One time when she was asking about something he had mentioned about Texas, Laz heard the captain cough and Saanvi cut their conversation short soon after.

Once food was done, Laz was asked to return to his room as Sven and the doctor were on dish duty. The captain seemed to request Shelly’s help with something along with Jun, but Saanvi couldn’t as she had her own reports to process so was able to escape. Laz though he saw a helpless glance from her as she turned away, but wasn’t sure.

What he was sure about was the look in the captain’s eyes every time he looked at the three women.

In his eyes, they were already his, whether they knew it or not.