Brain walked purposefully through the quiet halls of the temple. Months of planning, of waiting, of suffering the inane ramblings of the priests were finally coming to fruition. The air buzzed around him, his anticipation tangible as he neared the sanctum. He choked back a triumphant "Yes!" as the doors were opened for him.

He was ushered inside by a chubby, jet-black mouse that Brain recognised faintly as Priest Adri. They smiled warmly, taking his hand in their own as they led him to a low wooden table. The Brain stared ahead, studying the carvings in the wood and ignoring Adri's dull pleasantries. They climbed on top of the table to a small china plate with a piece of unsettlingly pink cheese sitting in the center. Brain turned expectantly to his guide for instruction. The priest chuckled slightly, "This cheese is how you'll meet Beauty; it has his blessing. Once I've left the room, just eat it and wait for him."

Brain raised a brow at them, "You're leaving?" Adri only nodded cheerfully before giving him a final pat on the back and strolling away. The Brain shook his head; months of unrelenting "devotion" to get here and now he was simply left to his own devices. He picked up the surely laced cheese in front of him as he pondered how this cult had survived so long. He looked down at the crumb in his hand and swallowed thickly. He sighed and quickly shoved the piece into his mouth, swallowing it whole and hoping whatever was in it was not addictive. He sat down on the table and waited. His eyelids grew heavy and he let them fall shut for a moment.

When he opened his eyes again the Brain was very distinctly not sitting on a wooden table in the inner sanctum. He blinked at the world of colours around him. Colours somehow sharper than any he'd seen on Earth. Colours that felt real in a way he couldn't name. Colours that felt alive.

The mouse wandered through the immense plane, molasse thoughts struggling to keep up with the flurry of new stimuli. He moved aimlessly until a far off sound caught his attention. The first sound he'd heard in this sharp yet soft place. He made for the sound, a distinct lack of urgency in his steps. And his mind. He blinked at that realization but couldn't muster any emotion beyond mild surprise.

He came to a pavilion, the scent of honeysuckle and something undeniably and inexplicably yellow wafting out from its center. The faint sound of someone humming to themself could be heard, quieter, somehow, than it had been before Brain found the pavilion. He drifted inside, foggily wondering what he was looking for. A detached fervor hitherto unnoticed gripped the Brain as he searched for something he had no name for. And then, in the heart of the garden, he found it.

A tall mouse with cream coloured fur so shiny it was almost pearlescent. His eyes were endless, an almost perversely beautiful shade of blue that could not belong to Earth. His tail curled elegantly around his legs as he sat amongst the flowers. A crown of Queen Anne's Lace sat unevenly atop his head. The song he hummed dripped like honey and hung heavily in the air. And in an instance Brain knew that this was Beauty.

The Brain stumbled forward a step before forcing himself to stop. He stared at the being before him until his humming faded away. He carefully inspected a cluster of daffodils at his side as he spoke, "Poit… Would you hand me that watering can, please?" His tail lifted and gestured at a place to Brain's left. The short mouse scrambled languidly for the can and hesitantly placed it in the god's waiting hand. Beauty accepted it and turned to water the flowers around him. "Thank you," he said, turning to the Brain as he set the can down. He smiled and Brain noted his pronounced overbite; a detail, though initially overlooked, that fit the creature in such a wonderful way that the lab-mouse had to bite his tongue to keep from mentioning it. "It's nice to finally meet you. Face to face, I mean."

"I- ehm," the words stuck in Brain's throat for a moment, "Yes, it's… a pleasure… Sir."

Beauty laughed and the sound was like dripping silver, "My name is Pinky, you're welcome to use that- Troz!"

With his name the shock of Pinky began to ebb and relinquish its hold on Brain's tongue. "Pinky?" he asked a bit skeptically.

The taller nodded, "Zort! It's pretty, don't you think?"

"It's… strangely fitting."

Pinky's smile grew and he gave an aprecitory sounding, "Narf!" Whatever that meant. He held his hand out to Brain, "Sit with me." Brain obliged, oddly at ease with this ethereal stranger. The god's tail wrapped tentatively around his own, but Pinky didn't seem to notice. He hummed and placed a pink carnation behind the smaller mouse's ear.

A moment passed where neither mouse spoke, only absorbed the other. Then Pinky reached out to smooth an unruly patch of fur on the Brain's shoulder and the moment ended, "I do have to ask why you're here- Poit."

Brain's ears flattened against his skull, a guilty blush dusting his cheeks. "I had been planning to use your… followers in an elaborate ploy to take over the world," he cleared his throat uncomfortably, "I suppose I'll have to devise a different plan for tomorrow night."

"Much appreciated," the god absently took Brain's hand and started tracing the lines of his palm. "It's not a bad idea," he offered, "But I don't know how much help anyone here could be- Narf! My followers are lovely, but they're not exactly primed for a fight."

"Part of the point was avoiding a physical conflict," the lab-mouse muttered, trying to ignore the fact that Pinky was now leaning into him ever so slightly.

"Oh?" came the intrigued reply.

The Brain shifted his weight, pushing back against the taller mouse. "This commune is filled with renowned artists," he began, "My plan was to frame myself as a prophet and tell them that they were to use their skills to create propaganda that would inspire the world's leaders to give their power to me." He grinned, conjuring an image of himself sitting on a throne draped in velvet with a perfect view of his world sprawled out before him. He could see the shining streets and smell the fresh, clean air. Could hear the bustling of a city where no mouse was ever shoved into a mind-numbing maze or pumped full of drugs in the sullied name of science. Where learned helplessness was an archaic term.

He caught Pinky's gaze and quickly looked away; the enraptured look in other's eyes was too much for him. The god sighed, "Narf~ It's beautiful, Brain." The smaller cocked a brow at him. "Oh, sorry," he said with an embarrassed giggle, "Zort- Very rude of me not to ask your name first."

"I would expect a god to know his devotees' names; it's the beautiful comment I don't understand."

Pinky blushed, "Well I am a god of beauty, aren't I? Actually, there are quite a few gods that would disagree with that -Troz- I'm technically only a divine spirit… But I was talking about your fantasy; the throne room and the city and… the rest." The mouse's blush deepened, "Sorry… poit."

Brain swallowed, "Can you… read minds?"

"Oh, no. No- narf. Not at all," he assured, "I'm just aware of certain things sometimes, when they fall into my domain. Dreams are the most common thing."

"My power fantasies fall within the God of Beauty's dominion?" the Brain chuckled disbelievingly.

The god only nodded, "Fantasies like that are always in my domain- Poit."

"Why?"

"Because wanting to help people is beautiful."

The Brain's face burned and he turned away, "I want only to help myself."

"Troz! If that's what you want to say," Pinky chuckled, "I can't stop you." He stood up, pulling Brain with him. "There is one more thing I have to ask, though," he said as he adjusted his flower crown, "What are you going to do now?"

"The only thing I can do," the short mouse responded, "Go back to the lab and prepare for tomorrow night."

"You do have another option, poit. You could stay here."

Brain shook his head, "I have no home here."

"You could," Pinky promised, "You could have a wonderful home here."

"I'm still Acme property. I have to go back."

The tall mouse cringed at the word property. He tapped his chin thoughtfully, "We could… buy you."

"And then what?" Brain asked, a little annoyed.

"Then you would live here and never have to worry about scientists or experiments again! Zort!" Pinky flung his arms in the air, clearly distraught. He took Brain hands and clasped them to his chest, "No one would ever hurt you here. I can protect you here."

Brain blinked, taken aback by this sudden outburst. "Why do you care to protect me?" he asked, eyes fixed on their hands.

Tears welled in Pinky's eyes, "There's no beauty in pain," he drew one of Brain's hands up and held it to his cheek, "Only in the triumph over it… and you're too beautiful- Troz. I feel it; it hurts."

The Brain swiped a tear off the face of the vexingly compassionate mouse in front of him and sighed. "Then I will stay here," he promised, "If it stops your tears."