NOVEL NEXT Chapter 113 – Aideen’s Worries
"On one hand, relationships bring one joy, often as long as it lasts and at times even beyond. On the other hand, pain and suffering inevitably awaits when things come to an end. Whether it was worth it or not, is up to the individual to decide." - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.
A park in the Inner District
Tohrmutgent
Lichdom of Ptolodecca
3rd day, 2nd week, 9th month, year 91 VA.
On that early autumn day, both Aideen and Artair could be found sitting on a bench in the park, a canopy of lush trees with leaves that were beginning to yellow shading them from the afternoon sun, while the two chatted animatedly with one another.
After their first meeting at the winter solstice celebration of the previous year, Artair had often visited Aideen to consult her on various things. Since she had felt quite comfortable talking with him, she happily helped answer his queries when he did so.
By the time a half year had passed, the two would regularly meet up just to talk with one another, or otherwise spend time together, even when neither had any particular business they needed to ask about at that time.
Several times Artair visited and after a good chat, invited her out for a good meal at a local eatery. He always remained polite at all times, though Aideen could tell that the therian man was feeling some sort of attraction towards her.
Despite her age - over seventy years by now - Aideen was very inexperienced when it comes to personal relationships like these. During her life, she was taught quite strictly, and people in Vitalica generally discouraged any romantic entanglements amongst those too young. Even when she grew older to the age where it was common for people to start finding a partner, she mostly stayed away from such entanglements. For anyone who approached her, she had to consider carefully whether they did so for her, or for her status instead. More than a few times, it was the latter instead, while the few that aren't never developed much further. The same reason was part of why both her siblings married later than most.
After she became unliving, those advances entirely stopped. It was one thing for the populace of Vitalica at the time to tolerate undead presence, but none would ever consider pursuing one. People in Ptolodecca were more open minded, but even they balked at the notion most of the time. The couple times she had been pursued in a romantic manner, it was people she had to turn down, since she learned of their… unhealthy fascination with dead bodies.
Which brought about a second, underlying issue that had Aideen herself think of relationships with some measure of trepidation. Vitalican culture placed an emphasis on having children, some leftover from their days as serfs or worse, where one doesn't know if their master's whims would end them the next day. To have children was basically the only real way for the people back then to leave a mark in the world, a reminder that they had once existed, as chances are only their descendants would remember them after their passing.
For Aideen, children became an impossibility after her death. An unliving's body is for all purposes dead, even if they act and look alive and generally could enjoy life for themselves despite that fact. They could experience pleasures as if they were still alive - something learned from all the other unliving around mostly - but children, regardless of the unliving's gender, was out of the question. Their bodies were dead, and so were the seeds of life within them.
That issue, after she learned and received confirmation about it, had given Aideen some self-image issues for a while, her upbringing clashing with reality, though kind, helpful words from her family had helped her a lot to go through that phase back then. Even so, after learning of the fact that she as now barren, Aideen had basically avoided thinking on relationships herself. Her doting on her nieces was an escape from the cruel reality that she'd never have children of her own, in a way.
Aideen actively avoided romantic relationships since then, never seeking one for herself, especially after the few that did pursue her turned out to do so for less savory reasons. Well, maybe calling it unsavory reasons were too harsh, as they certainly did not mean anything bad, not sought after status or money. It was just that their personal preference was one greatly frowned upon by the majority of the populace. People in Ptolodecca generally leaves those like them be, as long as they kept their predilections private and did not inconvenience others.
When she looked at Artair sitting beside her at the bench, she was still unsure of what to think. Whatever led to the therian man's attraction towards her was certainly not physical attraction. Therian aesthetics differ far too much from human ones for that, even if interspecies couples weren't uncommon in the world. For what it's worth, from a human perspective, a mixed breed therian male like Artair whose features take from large feline predators would seem intimidatingly manly, with their powerful physique and large body, coupled with fierce features.
Aideen herself doesn't dislike his appearance, and given how polite and upfront the man has been with her so far, didn't think he was pursuing her due to her status or whatnot either. His attraction seems more sincere than that, and she didn't peg him for a literal corpse-lover like the previous few that pursued her either.
What actually he found attractive about her, Aideen did not know, but she found that she didn't mind the attention, and was comfortable with his presence, quite enjoying their times together, happily chatting the time away or bonding over delicious meals - he had introduced her to some she had never tried before in some of their meetings - before they parted ways when the night fell.
Maybe she should ask him directly one of these days...
