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Throughout the days, more and more humans were united with compatible spores. Beta spores were introduced safely to the suffering patients, and their recovery was quick thereafter. Some patients couldn’t last through the attempt to find a spore that wanted to grow into a mote within them. Others recovered in a tightly controlled climate, still seeking a match.

Velvet couldn’t shake the beauty of the little yellow mote. Darmon. He brought safety to the others. Not only was he their guide away from the war on the surface, but he was the key for life beneath it.

As she slept for the night, she could feel the familiar pull of desire. Within moments, her mind felt his presence. He recently fell asleep as well. What would this unique creature be dreaming about?

Against her better judgement, she joined his dream. A small part of her said she was checking up on a patient, but a much larger part of her was just too curious to stay away. She was the first to see his mote’s faint light, and from there, the community welcomed the unique lichen organism into the network.

His dream was like nothing she’d ever seen. Above her was a vast expanse, a bright blue pool so deep, suspended above her and somehow still immensely empty. Darmon was standing on the edge of a cliff, looking out at the rough landscape. A tear was in his eye. Velvet approached slowly, as not to startle. He didn’t seem to be surprised that she visited his dream. Velvet started off with an apology for the intrusion, but he raised an eyebrow at her.

“I’ve had the strangest dreams since I’ve been here. It’s reminded me of long ago, when I would crawl into the caves to look at all the pretty lights. If I fell asleep in there, it was always a lucid dream,” He admitted to her.

“Lucid?” She tilted her head, her yellow pods tilting out of phase with her antlers.

“You know, being able to control your dreams. Or have full conversations like this one…” He smiled a small smile. Something was muffling his amusement.

“Where we come from, that’s the only way we dream. And we can visit others…” She couldn’t read his unfamiliar facial expressions, and his mote wasn’t helping much with his body language right now.

“You’re telling me that you’re really here? I’ve never seen you before,” he refused to believe her statement.

“But you know my name. You knew it when we accepted you into the community. I’m Velvet,” She sat down next to him, her faunlike legs dangling her hooves beyond the rocks.

“Human’s don’t trust their dreams to mean anything. I can imagine that you’d say your name because I know your name. Somehow. I guess I don’t understand that second part quite yet,” he mused, then looked off into the distance again. She had a secret desire for him to look at her, but knew it was more responsible to keep this to a matter of helping him.

“Human, huh?” she prodded, looking back over at him. There was that faint yellow light again. This time it was pulsing slowly, dormant. Even in slumber, it entranced her.

“Yeah. I suppose your species hasn’t had the pleasure of researching us,” he looked up at her, setting her ablaze with emotion. She wonders if he can see her colors.

“For example, I know that you’re a Server. And the doctor who treated me was a Scholar. And it was a Priest who called me fungal life,” he continued, “we identified a wide variety of fungal gender.”

Her blank expression meant that most of it flew over her head. He sighed, “nevermind. Another time, then.”

She placed a hand on his thigh, trying to get his attention, “I do want to listen. There’s going to be a lot of learning between us…” She felt her body grow warm, wanting to keep his attention, “but you’re a part of the community now. All we have is time. I just wanted to make sure you’re ok…”

He seems to react to either her heat or her touch, she couldn’t tell. His expression changed on a dime again, looking outwards again.

“All of this, the wasteland…” He mentioned, her eyes finally drawn to where he was looking. The marred surface of the ground. It was not smooth, but intensely pitted and charred.

“This used to be my home, on the surface. It’s all gone now,” he shook his head, tears returning to his eyes.

Her hand grew, encasing a portion of his leg. She wanted to comfort him, rooting him to the ground.

“Geeze, that feels so real,” he flinched, hands pushing against the mass of hyphae that was enveloping his leg.

“I’m sorry,” she paused, wondering what she was doing wrong, “is this dream too much for humans?”

He chuckled, a delightful sound, “not the weirdest dream I’ve had. But certainly vivid, that’s for sure…”

His hands gave up pushing his leg out of the embrace as he remembered it was a dream. She grew her network around him, encasing more of his body.

“Ok, that tickles,” he says politely, now distracted by the speed at which he’s losing sight of his extremities. It slows again as she pauses to let him clarify the word.

“It means that… Y’now, I’ve never had to explain that word. Not even to children. That’s odd. It’s a sensation that makes you want to laugh. Or itch. Or both, and probably at the same time.”

“When fungi touch, we share memories, thought, or emotion,” she looked at his chest, seeing if the little yellow light would shine through, “I suppose I can’t feel any of that with you. To me, it’s an odd sensation too, like grabbing an unexpectedly soft rock.”

“Thanks,” he drawls, “that makes me feel much better to be compared to a soft rock.”

Her hyphae started to grow again, now crawling up his torso. He rolled his eyes, “Just not over the face, I guess. I suppose it doesn’t technically matter…”

She nodded, happy to hear his preferences. As she reached his chest, she finally felt what she was looking for. A soft presence pressed up against her tendrils. She sent her comforting emotions, her eyes able to see the yellow light pulsing in response.

“Oh my god. That actually worked…” Darmon’s voice turned soft with astonishment, “like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders… Despite it being completely wrapped around them.”

His body was nearly mummified in her presence. It was nowhere near the connection she could have with other fungi, but then again, most other fungi didn’t glow a lovely yellow for her, the yellow that she found quite beautiful. She could see that mote swirl around his chest in happiness, lighting up her hyphae and sending the good signals right back.

“I’m going to have to admit something to you,” she started, her voice beginning to fawn, “it’s something that other fungi would have picked up by now, but I find you very aesthetically attractive.”

His face turned beet red, and not just from being swaddled in heavy vines. He stuttered, “I’m sorry, what? But I’m human. I guess I can’t judge…”

She shook her head playfully, her antlers sending her yellow pods bouncing, “no, no, no. I mean yes. But you are fungal. A lichen. I saw your yellow glow, even before we woke up your mote.”

“If my hands were free to facepalm, I would by now. I think I get it. You are attracted to the mote?” His body weight shifted in the cocoon to no avail.

Velvet pondered the statement, but again shook her head, slower this time. She began just as slowly, “no. At first I thought so, but that’s not really how lichen works. You’re a symbiote, so it’s a package deal.”

“Right. Now you’re speaking my language. I’m a scientist, after all.” He smiled back at her, “Well, thank you, I appreciate your honesty about my attractiveness.”

Now Velvet felt like a weight was lifted from our shoulders. We welcome you. All of you.