Chapter 51: Chapter 49 – Old Acquaintance

Why is she calling me now? How is she calling me? I'd given her my phone number since it was part of the deal for renting my apartment, but this was the Interface. Did it just, what- intercept calls meant for my phone? But I'd been able to call my old phone when I was talking to the Kindlesprite. Surely that would cause problems, normally...

 

I was a little hesitant to answer considering the circumstances, but... I could just hang up if it wasn't actually her. And I wanted to ask her about something anyways. I pressed the Accept button after another moment's hesitation. "Hello?"

 

The voice on the other side was a little different than I expected, but still recognizably my landlady. "Selene? Oh, that's a relief. Is it okay to talk right now?" She certainly sounded relieved.

 

I wasn't sure what she was talking about so I just nodded. Ah. "It's fine."

 

She let out a reassured hum. "That Mr. Swanson fellow left a few hours ago, but he left his men at my place. 'In case you needed help', he said. Hah. I only just got back to my Dungeon, or I would have called sooner."

 

My brow furrowed heavily. "They're still there? Are they causing any trouble?"

 

She cackled brightly. "Oh~ no. I've had them cleaning the place up. As if I'd let them scare off my tenants without taking my pound of flesh." Her tone turned more serious. "No need to worry about me. Are you alright?"

 

Her concern confused me. She was always a little fussy, checking up to make sure I wasn't dead yet. The food she brought was probably the only thing that broke the endless chain of cereal, instant noodles and microwave pizza. That and the cheap rate for the apartment meant that I had a more than favorable impression of her. But... it was hard to imagine her standing up for me. So why...?

 

"I'm fine... No... I was a little rattled." I moved past it before she could offer any empty sympathy, letting a questioning tone color my voice.  "But he said, 'Your landlord didn't know how to contact you either.' What happened?"

 

She snorted, and the sound held a surprising amount of contempt. "What, a bunch of scary men in knock-off uniforms show up asking about you, and I'm supposed to roll over and turn you in? Please. I'm old, but I'm not helpless. It's true that I couldn't openly resist- for my granddaughter's sake- but a few little white lies here and there aren't any trouble."

 

"Hmph. You're a good girl, Selene. I don't know what that man wanted with you, but I'm sure you want to do the right thing. Don't let anyone intimidate you. Everything is changing, and if you need any help, just call me. I'm sure we can figure something out." Her tone changed, and I could almost hear her narrowing her eyes at me behind her glasses. "Speaking of which- have you been eating properly? It's a little early this week, but I can bring you some casserole."

 

I swallowed reflexively. "Um. I don't need to eat anymore. The Refinement pattern..."

 

"That's... Hm. I suppose that's one way to deal with it." She sighed. "Just make sure to take care of yourself."

 

Her tone turned a little sly. "The Refinement pattern, though. You were quite a looker underneath everything; I bet you're downright gorgeous now, right? It took forty years off me, but I never looked this good in my life. Mary Thomas must be rolling over in her grave right now." She cackled again.

 

I had no idea who that was. The flattery was also flustering me, so I couldn't come up with an answer. She continued on without waiting for one.

 

"You have some intelligent Creatures by now, right? Not just golems or robots?" It was phrased as a question, but it felt a little accusatory.

 

"Yeah. " I looked up at the Kindlesprite, who was patiently waiting for me. "Kindlesprites and Fairies."

 

"Fairies?" She gasped aloud in shock. "I never would have expected you to make Fairies. That's so... unexpected." She laughed good-naturedly. "Good. That's good. I'd love to see real-life Fairies some day. What a world." She laughed a little more. "Oh! You can send me a picture. Of you and your Fairies." Her mood had shot straight up, but I was horribly embarrassed.

 

It only now occurred to me how weird it was to use Fairies. It was a choice that a little kid would make, not something I would have picked under normal circumstances. Despite that... I found I felt a surprisingly fierce desire to stick with the choices I'd made. I had no regrets in making Geni, or Mica, or any of the others. Even the Nymphs, with their far-too-physical personalities.

 

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A streak of impulsive, stubborn emotion laced my aura. Like I had something to prove. "I'll... do that. A picture of my Creatures. But not right now. Everybody is busy." My sight shot back to my Kindlesprite. "Well, not everybody..." I hesitantly closed the distance to her. "Do you mind if I take a picture of us?"

 

She tilted her head slightly, but I knew the answer even without asking. "I do not mind. If you need anything from me, you need only command it."

 

I had mixed feelings about that, but I slid next to her anyways. Without any direct input from me, the screen of the Interface changed into a mirror. The only sign that it was actually a camera function was the wire guide visualizing the rule of thirds.

 

Seeing the screen, I realized that we would have to get a lot closer. Even holding the Interface as far away from us as possible, it would be troublesome to get us both in frame. "Ah... Sorry." I carefully leaned into her side, half hugging her against me. Then... "Smile- if you want."

 

On the screen, I could see her tilting her head at me. After a moment, she turned towards the screen and smiled ever so slightly. It was significantly more natural looking than what she'd managed before. Practice pays off after all. It still looks rather neutral though.

 

The Interface made a clicking sound, like the shutter of a camera, and the image froze in place. I sidestepped so that we had some space again. "Sorry." It slipped out involuntarily.

 

She shrugged, back to her usual stoic expression. "I do not mind."

 

I didn't like being in pictures, so I sent it without really looking at it properly. Otherwise I probably would have deleted it on the spot. But once it was sent... I realized I hadn't looked at my reflection since I'd used the Refinement. She was right. I look- Well, much better than before.

 

I still looked rather plain with the easy comparison of the Kindlesprite in the same photo, but... I still felt it was a little off. There was a strange sense of disconnection. Like the face in the photo was too pretty to be mine. I suddenly realized that a voice was coming from the Interface.

 

"-good. I'm sure you'll get along well." She chuckled softly, then suddenly shouted. "Hey there! Make sure to take good care of Selene for me. She's the kind that doesn't bother with her own problems unless they inconvenience someone else. So don't leave her alone for a second. Got that?"

 

I flushed in embarrassment. "What- That's such a- I'm right here, you know?!" I looked at the Kindlesprite, who she'd clearly been addressing.

 

Her brow was furrowed, and a conflicted feeling was chasing itself around her aura. She did not respond.

 

A quiet laugh echoed out from the Interface. "Eventually, we'll have to catch up in person. For now though, I have to get back to looking after my granddaughter. Her husband's a bit of a fool, can barely pick out his own clothes, let alone run a Dungeon." She sighed. "Kids these days only care about what they can see, never dig any deeper. Hah. You can call me any time, Selene. If I can't answer right away, I'll definitely call you back when I can. Until then- Please take care."

 

The end of a conversation was always a relief to me... But I also felt a little regretful. "Okay. I'm sorry for the trouble." I spoke quietly.

 

"Ha. It's no trouble. Or more like, it's not your fault. Just remember to call me. I'm serious. Stay safe, Selene." There was a brief pause before the screen changed back to the Supply Depot's information.

 

I took a moment to collect myself. I was a little unsure what to do next, and my thoughts kept circling back to the conversation. She was so... Nice. It was confusing. I understood that it was probably a projection of her own nature, rather than something to do with me... I was like a stray cat that she put food out for, sometimes. That didn't mean I couldn't appreciate it, though.

 

But, the Supply Depot had long finished being made so... Perhaps now was a good time to check the Market. The thought was enough to bring up the Market menu, but it was quickly overlaid with another message.

 

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