NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16 (The Shrew)
Leaving my arm hanging futilely in the air, I retracted it back, making a soft noise at the absurd spontaneity the girl acted with. I fiddled around with my legs for a moment, feeling a bit awkward as to what I was even doing here. I think I had gotten swept away by the girl's enthusiasm, I half wondered if she was okay, going from throwing glasses at me to acting like we were best friends, especially considering I had barely said anything this entire time, maybe I really was a good communicator.
Resting my feet on the floor, I looked a bit nervously around, wondering what she was doing and if I should get up to go look for her. I mean, I was still a bit shocked from the suddenness of everything, looking back I was honestly surprised I managed to stay composed this far, but maybe I was still just taking everything in. I wasn’t actually all that opposed to helping her out here if it meant a roof over my head. Looking at this plain room reminded me of the room I first woke up in, thinking of that dingy depressing place I gazed into the air as I considered if it’d really be okay to just run away from whatever horrible thing the original owner of the body was dealing with to try to claim my own happiness.
No matter what anyone said, I wasn’t the type of person to put someone else's life above my own, but still, I somehow felt like I did owe at least something to this body. I had been putting it off since now, since, well, I had more important things, like not being eaten by giant ants, to take care of. But now that I was relaxing, I thought maybe I should go take a look at that.
Stopping my train of thought, I looked at the hollow icons of the system, which had remained oddly quiet since I arrived at this girl's quest. At least it does seem like my survival quest has been set back to normal, so that’s a nice confirmation of this place being safe. Not like I considered the girl particularly threatening in the first place though, well actually considering how she welcomed me, I’m not sure how to feel..
As if my thoughts had summoned her, the girl came bursting back in, holding a plate of something in one hand and a steaming glass of what smelled like coffee. Nearly tripping in her excitement, I was scared she was going to have to deflect a second projectile from the girl. But steadying herself, the girl breathlessly ran next to her, setting the food and cup next to the bed as she looked at her excitedly, speaking in a flurry before I could even get a word out.
[Mariam]: “Oh, I thought you might be hungry, so I brought these. And don’t worry about it; these aren’t a big deal! Oh, don’t be shy; please enjoy. Mmm, we’ll need to have you change clothes soon; these are a bit unacceptable. Oh, that’s nothing against you; it’s just, well, never mind. Anyway, so you’ll start working here as soon as you’re ready. Don’t worry about starting soon, and if you don’t want to, it’s okay. After all, you had to endure; it’s fine to relax. Well, not too much; I still am tight on cash, but a little is okay…”
Giving a few absent-minded nods to her stream of consciousness that was trying its hardest to make its way into my brain, I looked over at the food she brought over with lustful eyes. Up until now, I hadn’t had a single actual thing to eat, only surviving on eating the energy of those ants. While physically satisfying, it never quenched my mental desire to eat. This desire now almost were too much as I looked at the simple sandwiches prepared there, with a few small stale-looking cakes next to it. Despite their ordinary appearance, they seemed like manna from God to me at this moment. I did manage to restrain myself, which I did feel was in order for some congratulation. However, my sensibility faltered when my nose caught the scent of the coffee rising through the air.
No longer caring about appearances, I greedily snatched up one of the sandwiches and stuffed it in my mouth. The flavor of which threatened to overwhelm me. Normally, it wouldn’t have tasted particularly special. The saltiness of the meat, one which tastes similar to beef, was offset by a slightly sweet and mellow sauce, lightly applied between the vegetables, which didn’t seem any dissimilar from the ones I knew. After the first sandwich fell victim to my hunger, I quickly moved on to the cakes, shoving one into my mouth, softly muffling a noise as the gentle taste spread throughout me. I half wondered if I was actually going to cry as I desperately held back myself from doing anything strange in front of the girl.
Washing down both snacks with the bitter-tasting coffee, I winced slightly as the hot liquid went down my throat. But even though it burned, I hastily savored the taste like a man who had just come out from the desert to find an oasis. Realizing that despite myself, I was probably making a scene, I turned my head to see my oasis... the girl standing a little ways away, beaming a brilliant smile at me, which seemed to be saying “I knew it” or something like that.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I hastily wiped the plentiful crumbs off my chest, rushing to get a word out in defense of my actions before she could start going off on a torrent again.
[Iris Sinclaire]: “It was very good. . . that’s why I ate it so quick.”
Despite my best attempts, my voice still came out stiff and disjointed. I meant to say something else, but I guess that was good enough, or so I thought. But that thought was quickly destroyed as the smile on her face seemed to freeze for a moment. She quickly walked over close to me, looking down at me with her bright eyes tinged with pity, though she kept the smile on her face; it seemed forced.
Slowly bending down, she started to wipe my face, as I just now noticed that there was a trail of tears starting to pour down my face. Realizing the danger of the situation, I immediately opened my mouth to protest and offer an explanation for the situation, but these attempts were muffled by the gentle dabbing of my eyes.
Finished, she carefully retrieved the plate from next to me, softly speaking.
[Mariam:] “I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’m very glad. Don’t worry; you’ll be able to eat a lot of food like this in the future!”
Sighing heavily, I got up and gently grabbed her arm as she was about to walk away. Her body jumped slightly at the sudden contact, but still, she hesitantly looked at me with an expectant gaze. I knew I had to make myself clear before things continued to spiral out of control, and so I slowly opened my mouth, calmly considering what needed to be said.
[Iris Sinclarie:] “Please listen for a moment. I don’t know what conclusion you’ve come to regarding me, but I don’t think it’s correct, so pl...”
Much to my chagrin, she suddenly cut me off in the middle of my sentence.
[Mariam:] “Then where are you from? How did you end up next to my shop? Why are your clothes all torn? Why did you cry eating that simple food? I know you don’t want me to pity you, and you feel bad for involving me in your problems. I understand, but please trust me; you don’t have to deal with your problems alone!”
Raising her voice at the end, she locked her eyes with mine as if victorious over something, and somehow I felt like I had lost as well. Meekly letting go of her eyes, I sheepishly looked away from her, as despite her misunderstanding, I really wasn’t able to answer any of her questions very well. Maybe if I had taken some more stuff from the apartment like this body's old phone or ID, then everything I did take was lost in that cave so it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.
My seeming acceptance of defeat only further served to inflame her as she suddenly launched
into a new attack on both my sensibilities and pride.
[Mariam:] “Don’t worry about it, okay! We’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other, and it’s not just me who can help you. Believe it or not, my brother is a warden; he’s even gone into a couple of rifts as a part of an office. He’s actually really tough, so don’t worry so much. Oh, and my grandfather is a craftsman for wardens as well, so we have a lot of cool people in the family. I mean, I mostly just run this shop, but the point is you’re not alone!”
Trailing off when she talked about her brother, her voice peaked a bit when it came to her grandfather, as if she was compensating for her lack of enthusiasm before. Helplessly, I just nodded my head stiffly, really not sure what else I could do at this point other than be swept along. Still, it wasn’t an entirely comfortable feeling, so I really didn’t have that much spirit to protest.
With one final deep sigh, I slowly walked over to the bed intending to lay down again, but the girl suddenly interrupted me by holding out a bundle of clothes that she had taken out from nearby the doorway and pressed them into my arms. Pointing a bit embarrassedly at my tattered clothes before saying with a bit of exasperation.
[Mariam:] “Please change out of those clothes before sleeping at least! Oh, and if you have it in you after you change, please come meet with me in the front of the store so we can actually get to know each other, though I won’t press you too much, I hope we can get along from now on!”
Nodding my head, I cautiously accepted the bundle of clothes from the girl, wondering if they would fit me as clearly I was a bit taller than her. I began to peel off the ruined armored dress, thanking it lightly in my heart for its service before intending to throw it out. Making sure Mairam had exited before getting fully nude.
I wasn't sure if this world's sensibilities were different from mine so I’m glad she exited without having to be asked. Putting on the fresh set of clothes, I wondered why I didn’t feel much excitement at this moment I realized why, there was still that time counting down to some ominous fate, still a goddess who hadn’t replied to my courses, and still a whole set off other strange things i have yet to figure out.
Rubbing my head, I looked at the overly stylized black dress given to me, looked at the new room, I was left in, glanced at the multitude of unread system messages and I had to wonder if really everything was going to be alright. Still I thought back to my time in the cave, the pain, the fear, the anger, when compared to where I was now, it really did seem like hell, but with a smile i started to laugh even surprising myself, raising my gaze high into the air I finally felt the burst of relief I was longing for, I had really escaped from there, I had really survived, and even if I wasn’t sure what was going to come with it at least I know there’ll be a tomorrow.
{Current Time until apocalypse: 297hrs, 34m, 16s} . . .