Despite it being clearly difficult for her, Vive continued forcing down food until she was full… Which understandably didn't take very long. "Come to think of it, when I ate demons' flesh. It didn't really affect my taste… So, it's probably more related to how her body has changed…" I glanced over at Bear, who I was sure didn't understand anything I was saying, but listened nonetheless, letting me bounce my thoughts off him. "Demons usually feed off emotions, like fear, or in her case, despair, but she isn't a demon anymore, so she can't really do that. She isn't exactly how she was before, either, though… So it's just tricky figuring out where each line was drawn… Her blood isn't black, for example, but she still has two hearts and regenerative capabilities."
"And you can't exactly see what's happening inside of her…" He grumbled, seeming to grasp the problem.
"Right… For all I know, her body isn't actually digesting anything she eats, or she's turning it all into manna instead of energy, which could also be bad. Or maybe she has a stomach. It's just smaller than normal, and everything is fine…"
"Well… Not all demons eat emotion. What about the one you killed in the sewer hub?"
"Right… uh… That one… It fed on urine, and then the kidneys, once it got big enough… And… I'd really appreciate it… If you never brought that thing up again… EVER…"
He scratched his head but didn't say another word.
"So you're going to make me drink your pee, is that it?"
"OF COURSE NOT! I'm not going to make you do anything! So just shut up and eat your steak!" Before I knew it, I was standing out of my seat, every muscle tensed until even my ears felt like they had moved back like the hammer on a loaded gun. 'This girl… Really takes me off guard… Or… Maybe it was my fault for not including her more in the conversation that was about her…' I slowly swallowed, sitting back down.
"I'd do it if you paid me."
'Ok, so maybe I should include her in the conversation… BUT HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO RESPOND TO THAT?' "I wouldn't let you if you paid me…"
"Wait, but you just told me to eat it, though? Now I can't?"
I paused, blinking several times. 'Oh, she meant… She was talking about the steak again…' I slowly rubbed my face. "Kid… You make me really uncomfortable…
"You're a strange one. Are you rich or something?"
"That's completely unrelated…"
"Ha, I knew it, you're totally loaded, aren't you? That's why you bought so much stuff without worrying about it. I mean, you even got me underwear… Which I still don't see the point of if no one's supposed to see it…"
Bear remained motionless for a while longer before he slowly stood up and began clearing the table.
"I said I'd explain that later, didn't I?"
She tugged at her shirt, looking down. "It is later, isn't it? I mean, why would they make it so fancy if no one gets to see it?"
Bear slowly tried to continue moving, like a sloth trying to get out of the way of a stampede, eyes fixed on the wall straight ahead of him… It was almost hard to look away, though it was hard to watch, too. 'Poor guy…' I thought again.
"It's important… To like… Protect your clothes… Or something… And…other reasons…" My voice got quiet and squeaked with every word as it became more than impossible for me to ignore his presence and give a proper response, much less talk about how I went without it for years…
"That doesn't make any sense…"
I slowly shrank down, hunching over. "Bear… Can you explain it to her, please…"
"No."
'I guess he's not like Airsidh after all…' "A-are you sure?"
His eyes somehow looked heavier and darker than usual. "You ask too much, Guild master." He said softly, never so much as turning around.
'Worth a try…' "The rest of this conversation will wait until later. I'll introduce you to someone else who can explain it.
"Oh, will I have to behave for them?"
"I really don't think that word means what you think it means…"
She tilted her head. "Like… Follow orders?"
"Oh… Yeah, that's basically what it means…"
Another dead silence lasted for what felt like forever until Vive started fidgeting so much I almost worked up enough courage to ask her what the matter was. "Siya…" She finally muttered. "I don't get it… What do you want me to do? You gave me clothes… And food… And a bath… And told me I just had to behave… But you won't give me any orders. If you just tell me what I'm supposed to do, I can handle it, alright? But… Not knowing… Is.. It's…"
She froze stiffly as Bear reached across the table and patted her head, rubbing her hair between her ears in silence. She stared back at him, her eyes somehow going even wider as he spoke. "Do you know about the nobles, Vive?"
She slumped over, relaxing and letting her eyes drift to the floor. "Sure… Everyone knows about them. Those arrogant pricks that think they're better than everyone else… And… Give us clothes… And food… And sometimes some money too…"
"They give that stuff to you for free, right? Just because they are nobles, and that's their job. TO take care of all of us commoners. It's just what they do, right?"
"Yeah… They help us stay alive… And tell us… That our lives… Are important… Because they might mean something someday…"
"Well. That day has come. Your life means something now, and Siya here is a noble. She's here to teach you what comes next. You don't have to pay her back… Just like the other nobles who never asked for anything in return. Just try to be a good kid."
Her eyes bolted up to me in an instant. "She's a…" Her whole body was covered in chills again as her words trailed off. "You mean it… Don't you? It's not some cruel joke? Does it really mean something? Was it really worth it… Surviving?" As her eyes lost focus, they began to bounce around, as if trying to look at me, but being unable to, finally settling down and to the side as the making of a few tears began to flow from her left eye.
'Of course… No matter how she acted… She was turned into a demon because of how deep her despair was… So deep that it changed her very soul… I glossed over it because she seemed fine, but… You'd think I'd know appearances don't matter…'
For a while, I didn't know what to say… But I at least knew what she needed to hear… The most important thing in that moment was simple… I had to let her know that it was real… "My name… Is Siyasavide Aliyah Nayanathulu… I am in the third seat of my house and ranked as commander of the Kasesh garrison… I've killed half a dozen demons, not least of which was the one living inside you before I turned you back… I… Have the blood of dragons flowing through me and the lineage of three heroes…"
Every word I spoke just welcomed more tears. I wanted to say something more… But I was sure if I kept talking, I would have started to cry with her… It was all I could do at that point to stand tall. To be perfectly honest, it was hard not to just give her a hug… Despite not actually knowing anything, she may or may not have been through.
Bear slowly stepped over to me, patting me on the back. "I think it's time you get going. The tears will stop soon, but when she calms down, she'll be tired, maybe even hungry again. I'd let her stay here for the night… But…"
"Good call…" I slowly stepped over to her, still not really sure what to do… From the moment I met Rune, she somehow instinctively just knew that everything was sunshine and rainbows… But… it was completely different with her… It was like even now she didn't believe. She was more like… Well, she was more like me, I guess…
She cried like I did… No sound, barely any sniffles… Just tears streaming down her face like rivers, almost like she didn't even know it was happening. Given what she had probably been through, I hesitated to give her a hug, instead resting an arm on the table and squatting down by her side. "Whenever you're ready… Follow me, and I'll take you to a new life."
She smirked, her eyes finally softening. "I'll believe it when I see it."
"Ha… No, you won't."
She shuddered again as if her body was still trying to cope with her conflicting emotions as she tilted her head. "Why wouldn't I?"
"Because honestly… Sometimes it's too good to be true… Even though it is."
She finally wiped her eyes, her grin softening. "Then why didn't you take me there first? Dummy." She mumbled, standing up and tripping, making me catch her.
'She tripped, too. Is it the chair's fault? Now I don't feel so bad…' I sighed, pushing her back up on her feet. "Are you ok?"
She flinched as if a jolt of electricity shot through her, but no answer came.
'Was it because I touched her?'
"I'm… Yeah… I'm fine… It feels weird… Someone asking that I mean…"
"I might not get everything… But that… Yeah, I know what you mean…" 'What feels weirder to me, though, is how much it actually means to be a noble…' I glanced back at Bear. 'The people that tell you your life is worth something… Isn't that a little much? I don't remember that being in the job description…''