The First Supper Pt. 1

Cress looked down at the mess in the hallway and knelt down, picking up her beat up rabbit purse and refilling it with all the random junk she'd dumped into the hallway. She had checked her phone, which by some miracle hadn't gotten much more damaged thanks to its case, and had over a dozen texts from her mother and her friends, Kirian and Vianna. None had been urgent, mostly just "Did you get home okay?" and "Why didn't you call me yesterday". Her mom had called several times, leaving a few irate voicemails. Her mother loved calling her and keeping her on the phone for hours, so it wasn't unheard of for Cress to ignore calls every so often. She'd just have to make up a good excuse.

"What excuse though? 'Sorry I missed your call, Mom, I was transported to another world and hunted by nightmare fuel. Oh, by the way, I'm also living with a human-spider lady'. I'm sure that would go well."

Cress's shoulders sagged and she let out a weary sigh. She had said Illia could stay and genuinely didn't think it would be horrible, but she doubted the rationality of her decision. A part of her was still terrified of Illia. How could she not be? She'd watched the woman behead a man. And her eyes… Cress shuddered at the memory. Even in the little time they'd spoken, she'd seen Illia's closed eyes twitch when the woman made certain facial expressions.

Once she had collected her belongings, Cress walked back inside and locked the door behind her. The blood in the hallway had already been cleaned up (Illia had taken the liberty while Cress was passed out) and from what she could tell, Illia was in the spare bedroom she'd tied Cress up in. An initial concern had been that Illia would be insulted by the room as royalty, but the sinister woman had simply laughed at the notion saying that she was used to similar accommodations as a soldier.

"I should make something to eat and call Mom," she said to herself. "I haven't eaten anything except for that jerky Dian gave me…"

Guilt strained Cress's heart. Mia, Dian, and Marcel had been so kind to her, risked their lives for her, even though she was a stranger. Now she was going to live with their killer. Was it an insult to their memory? She shook her head, unsure. It wasn't like she could ask them or they were still around to blame her. Then again, who knew what happened to people after they died in that world. Maybe they had an afterlife where they cursed her from beyond the grave. She'd have to ask Illia later.

"I wonder what she eats." Cress paused just before her hand knocked on her new roommate's door. What if it was insects? A painful shiver rattled through Cress's bones. How many aspects of Illia's life overlapped with the spiders of Earth? As Cress contemplated, the door suddenly opened, making her jump backwards and hit the hallway wall.

"Are you alright?" Illia asked. "It was not my intention to startle you."

"I'm fine. Just wasn't expecting you to open the door. I was just about to knock and ask what kind of food you liked. I was thinking of ordering something."

Illia's head tilted on her long neck and the closed eyes that sat where her eyebrows should be twitched in what Cress could only assume was the equivalent of furrowing. "Order a meal? You told me you were of the common class, yet you have servants provide your meals?"

"No, it's not like that," Cress said, her eyes looking away from Illia so she didn't have to look at Illia's unnatural expressions. "We can pay someone to bring food from a restaurant. Sort of like a mail carrier."

"Fascinating. Having food couriers is such a novel idea and you even compensate them for their efforts."

"Y-Yeah. Don't worry, you'll get used to it the longer you're here. I was thinking Chinese food if you're okay with it."

"Why did I say that?! There's no way that she knows what Chinese food is. Why didn't I just wait for her to tell me what she eats?"

"Chinese? Is that a dish?"

"It's a type of food that is loosely based on the food from a foreign country. It has a varied menu so I thought you might be able to find something to your liking."

"Then please order this 'Chinese'," Illia said with a closed mouth smile. "I will leave the selection of my meal to you."

"Are you sure? I can give you the menu if you want."

"That would be of little assistance. I cannot read your language."

"Of course! I hadn't thought of that. Then again, maybe you can? You're speaking English."

"That is only due to my translation spell which unfortunately only affects speech."

"You have a translation spell?" Cress said, her hazel eyes opening wide. "That's amazing! But how are you able to cast magic in a world where magic doesn't exist?"

"By utilizing the mana my body naturally produces. Though my capacity for mana is quite large, I am loath to admit my current repertoire of spells is limited to the most basic of spells in this world."

"Being able to use magic at all is amazing."

"I suppose. With that in mind, come here."

Illia raised her long index finger and placed it on the center of Cress's forehead, directly on the bandaged gash the woman's sword had left. A familiar warmth spread throughout Cress's body and she looked down to see her injuries slowly fading away.

"I apologize for not tending to your injuries sooner."

"I-It's fine. It saves me the trouble of visiting the doctor."

The woman nodded, another warm smile on her lips. She seemed to smile constantly and Cress wondered if Illia was doing it intentionally to try and put her at ease.

"Anyways, I'm going to order the food and then call my Mom. Will you be alright on your own?"

"Of course," Illia said, her green eyes staring intently at Cress's bedroom door. "I will remain in my quarters for the time being."

Without taking her eyes off Cress's door, Illia returned to her room. It only took the woman a single stride, but there was a stiffness to it that almost made her seem tense.

"Is there something in my room? What if it's a trap?! All of this could have been an elaborate lie to make me lower my guard!" Cress felt her pulse quicken at the idea and her chest felt heavy. "Then again, that seems like a convoluted plan for someone who can kill me without a thought. But what was she worried about?"

Try as she might, Cress couldn't come up with an explanation and gave up guessing. There were too many possibilities. Instead, she plopped down on the living room couch and ordered a wide spread of dishes in hopes that Illia would enjoy at least one.

"I really don't want to call Mom," she sighed, laying down on the fluffy white couch. Like her room, her living room was decorated in a white and light pink aesthetic, but otherwise was as basic a room as any. Aside from the fluffy three seat couch, there was a peach shaped bean bag chair, a white wooden coffee table emulating a Victorian design, and her television mounted on the wall shared with her bedroom. Behind long pink curtains coupled with sheer white drapes was a sliding door that led to a small balcony that overlooked the street.