519. Day and Night, 1

(Rose)

I slept for real. I had some bad dreams, but nothing unusual nor too bad.

As I woke up, Night was already up.

She stood proudly. She’s not the kind of people feeling shame over every little thing, nor even being naked.

She’s looking at the morning sky. I follow her, feeling really cold, holding my arms.

R - Good morning, Night. How do you feel?

N - I just had my first dream.

R - Oh? Nice!

She remembers it vividly. Ait was a design. A biological figure.

N - I want to create it now... I need more blood...

R - A great new bird already?

The desire to create that new lifeform she just dreamt of is a terrible itch to her.

N - Something more human. Ah, I miss my old self already! I would start crafting it right away!

I giggle and go put my hands on her shoulders.

In her eyes, there’s this glint of insanity, from a demon or god that turned human on a whim.

But there’s also the mechanical emotions, of desire and frustration.

She’s far from being insensitive or apathetic. On the contrary, she’s so emotional she still seems like she’s between adulthood and childhood.

So I reassure her.

R - You will find your way back to creating life sooner or later, don’t worry. Imagine, every night you sleep as a human, you have a small chance, a random chance, to discover something just as good, and possibly greater!

N - ... I didn’t say I was going to abandon this life already.

R - It pleases me to hear it.

N - It’s been only a day.

She grins. I smile.

We begin walking down the hill.

~

We enjoy everything we feel, from the grass, mud and stones below our feet, to the air brushing us.

It’s been too long for me. It’s all new to her.

We chat about the past, while making our way to a dead city where we can hopefully find some clothes at least.

N - So Snake has been good?

B - It’s an understatement.

N - I was proud of my masterpiece. Good. My bird has done well for itself.

R - How good has it done?

Blume tells us a tale that sends some shivers down my spine.

I didn’t realise with my flesh what had led to Blume reaching us into space.

And how brave Myls was. She went beyond. Blume calls her the black rose sometimes. And that’s not all...

B - Calamity was akin to a mindless Licht, but also Myls’s own reflection in a way. Like Ogre has been to you Rose.

R - Oh...

Myls and Snake defeated their Nemesis. Bravely. It may have been a war of vengeance for everyone, but in the end, we won.

And the explosion in the sky was the end of it.

R - You didn’t expect Snake to go that far away without you I guess?

N - Chaos freed Snake from my grasp. I’m really proud of what it did and how far it flew on its own volition. I built it well.

There’s more than pride. I’m sure there’s affection as well. She has a form of love for her creation.

Meanwhile, we reach the outskirts of a city.

Night whiffs something and grins. I think she smelled some animals.

She brushes me away.

N - I’ll leave the equipment and clothing research to you. I’ll find us the food...

R - Well... You seem awfully eager to hunt something.

N - Oh yes. I smell sweat and blood a few kilometres that way.

R - Anything human?

N - It smells different. But who know how humans could have evolved around here?

I let Nightmare running ahead. She may still look like a mostly defenceless naked woman, I know she is the top predator here. And she’s on a trail right now. She’s a real wold. On two legs.

I lose sight of her rapidly, but I have no worry about her safety.

R - Well Blume, it’s up to us to find decent clothes for us both.

B - I thought you were used to your shamelessness by now.

R - Why you!

I slap the largest rose bud around my chest, gently.

I walk down streets of collapsed buildings now covered with grass and shrubs. It’s an older city.

R - Do you think I can overcome my melancholia someday? Without warmongering?

B - Why not?

I smile, a little amused by the simplicity of her answer to my deeper concern.

R - You’ll help me from within?

B - Yes. For now. As I said before, if I’m not really close to watch over you, I’m afraid your life expectancy will drop drastically.

R - Oh come on...

B - Good thing you’re technically one of our kind now.

R - Am I? Well, roses have always been hard to kill in our family. Cut one flower, another will grow instead. Forever!

I laugh maniacally. Blume takes control of one of my hands, and slaps me gently. I’m still surprised though.

B - Reckless flower.

R - Mean little one.

~

I scavenge scraps. Blume notices gaps and boxes I wouldn’t.

No real set of clothes, but scraps of cloth and plastic I can repurpose at least.

We spend the day investigating the less damaged buildings of the town centre.

I’ve seen Spanish writings around there I think. Fragments, here and there. We’re probably somewhere in Iberia so.

I find sturdy pieces of rubber. I miss the tools to repurpose them, but take them anyway. We’ll figure it out.

I feel hungry.

R - I hope Night finds something good to eat.

B - I wouldn’t worry about that.

I find a knife in a drawer. My first good tool in this new life. It’s an odd feeling, to be given another chance, again.

I know I’m still mortal, I can even feel it in the depth of myself. But still.

It feels odd to be back and living again.

I smile at Blume for that.

~

At twilight, we easily find Nightmare back. She’s roasting already her catch. It’s something enormous, in the middle of a square.

She looks happy, and possibly tipsy.

The beast being roasted whole over a bonfire is as big as a hippopotamus I think.

R - What is that...

N - I don’t even know! A kind of bull perhaps. Lots of good blood also. Here, have a bite!

I have a slice of meat from that giant bull handed to me. It tastes a little gamey but rather good.

R - I’m impressed.

She grins, amused.

Given the head of the beast isn’t being roasted with the body, I have a fair guess at how that beast was killed.

R - What have you done with the blood then?

Nightmare points at what I thought was a spherical stone or sculpture on the side. It’s actually a giant drop of blood, maintained in a skin she probably created on the spot. It’s soft to the touch and still lukewarm. There’s more than a hundred litres there.

R - What will you do with it?

N - Eat!

R - Eat it?

N - No. Eat your share now!

She doesn’t like me keeping what she cooked on the side. I comply and take a few more bites at the roasted dinner. I stuff myself then with more meat than ever before.

~

The next morning, as I wake up, I see Nightmare using the knife I found to work on the leftovers of the beast she got.

She dries slices of cured meat. And she scraps a little further the leftovers of flesh on the inside of the skin of that huge beast.

R - Oh, you’re tanning the leather? Good idea.

N - Eh.

A proud puff. She’s truly enjoying herself.

We have enough food for a few days, and probably nothing intelligent will try to harm us after that display she indirectly made.

So we’ll stay around here a few days. We’ll gather food, equipment, strength and spirits. And then, we will decide where to go.

The sun is warm up there. I find myself smiling again.

~