Chapter 124: One vol.3

Rose Ausra sat, legs crossed, upon a lime-green couch, mind wandering as she grasped at emotions tethering her to the world. Even as time was less significant to her than most, somewhere deep, she calculated it all the same. It had only been a few weeks since she had been awoken but, even then, she had experienced far more than she imagined. Memories still fresh in her mind.

'Would the thing that became me be considered alive?'

'Your creator asked that I call you Rose, and I think I'll abide by that much.'

'Step aside, doll.'

'—how do you have that? Put it down!'

'I envy you, Rose.'

'. . .I hope you're not only eating orbs. . .'

'Do you think you're alive?'

'. . .soon enough you'll be overwritten. . .and I'll have her back.'

'It's because you're just my type.'

'I see. . .you're a good girl too.'

'I'm in love with you.'

'Shouldn't you two kiss?'

As those thoughts and memories swam through her mind, the homunculus stared placidly at the wind that danced above her outstretched palm. It was a soft calmness unlike the element of lightning. It didn't try to break out of her will. It didn't try to harm her. And it didn't struggle for her complete and utter attention. It was simply there, gentle and soft.

'Like Elsa,' She thought. Though the girl in question was anything but soft, the element's gentleness nonetheless reminded Rose of her, and she couldn't help a smile from her lips. 'It feels like it'd support and be there for me, no matter what.'

Then she stared at white lightning, rumbling and crackling above her left palm, fragmenting into branches and stealing much of her attention to simply keep it at bay. To keep it controlled within her means.

'Wind as gentle as the parts worth living for,' Rose thought, staring at the two elements, 'Lightning as chaotic as the parts worth fighting against.'

Her hands closed, and the elements disappeared, extinguishing as she severed her connection with the world's hum; traces of blue weaving away like dissipating fog. The sound of the core within her unbeating heart, audible to only herself, remained; she felt mana running through her blood and veins, powering her, reminding her that she was not human.

'I wonder if Maria would have enjoyed a normal relationship,' Rose thought as she stood from the couch, her lengthy, black hair draping softly behind her. Thinking of the girl who had wished to die in the end, and the memories she had taken from her. . . 'Probably not.' She doubted someone who had been placed as the wife of another without her own will would look kindly on any tangentially similar relationship.

The sun had begun to break through the window at her right, highlighting the simple living room of the apartment; the couch, the table, the clock, and the television that currently only appeared as a small piece of circular metal upon the wall. Rose turned and stared at the orange glow of Alos's morning, her golden eyes appearing like the brilliance of flames in that light.

The sound of footsteps drew her eyes. Light on the wooden floors of the space. Then there was a yawn, and she knew who it was immediately.

"Good morning, Rose," A voice called out to her.

Rose turned her eyes into the hallway, past the kitchen, and spotted a fit, but short figure, the same height and build as herself, hair desolately black below two curved horns of the same color, and eyes crimson as if they had been painted by blood. That individual wore a relatively loose shirt over her form, reaching her thighs.

"Good morning, Lilias," Rose smiled.

Lilias Aunbren nodded, her expression placid as the beauty she exuded, her black tail—wide as a ruler—dangling listlessly above the ground.

"I feel a trace of the utilization of true magic," The girl said, glancing around in interest. Of course, something like that didn't fully disappear in seconds from the perception of those with experience. "I suppose you were testing your new element?"

Rose nodded. "Yes, should I have waited?"

"No, wind is one of the safer elements in terms of training." The dragonian shook her head. "As long as you don't try and summon a wind storm, of course."

The girl paused.

"You can already summon and control it, correct?" She asked.

"Much better than lightning." Rose shrugged.

Lilias chuckled. "Experience compounding with an easier element than the one you began with."

At that, Rose could only agree. Then she noticed an oddity.

"Where's Elsa? You didn't wake her up yet?" She asked, raising a brow, "It's already 8am."

"I thought I'd leave that to you," Lilias replied, "I'd imagine she would like to be woken up by her girlfriend, wouldn't she?"

Rose rolled her eyes, but nodded. "You're probably right."

"Definitely." The dragonian turned around, waving a hand behind her with a light yawn. "I shall go ahead and wash my face then."

"Mhmm."

After watching the girl enter into the hallway and turn right into the bathroom, Rose followed her path, turning left into the single, spacious bedroom of the apartment. To the right, there was a bed, swords strapped to its head. To the left, another bed with an individual still sleeping in it.

"Good grief, she really should stop staying up so late with me. . ." Rose murmured as she moved closer.

A girl was spread out upon that bed, cover kicked off of herself, black, shoulder-length hair strewed about, and midriff with abs in view.

'Though that's nothing new.'

She reached out a hand to take a lock of the girl's hair. Objectively speaking, Elsa wasn't beautiful, she was the type that was rough around the edges in both appearance and personality. In the eyes of Rose, however, she was one of the most beautiful girls she knew, and perhaps the only one who shined so brightly, so warmly. Someone who kept her grounded in the notion that she had freedom, no matter how limited it may be, and that there was meaning to life beyond fighting for more.

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"Are you simply going to stare at her all morning?" The dragonian wiped her face with a white towel as she came beside her.

"I'm thinking, Elsa's beautiful, isn't she?"

The dragonian nodded. "As much as I agree with you, it is still about time to wake her up, don't you believe?"

"I know that, but. . .Lilias. . ." Rose furrowed her brows. "What exactly do lovers do?"

"You're asking me? I have you know I have no romantic experience."

"Yes I am, I want to try my best. . ." Rose muttered, "And you're a person who knows a lot about the world in general, and especially about people. I'm sure you know a thing or two about lovers, whether or not you have experience."

"I mostly prefer to watch things like romance play out," Lilias countered flatly. "I usually do not involve myself with the notion of love beyond that."

"Elsa told me you helped push her forward in confessing, you know?"

"I merely chatted with her, nothing more."

"You said we should kiss after I accepted her confession."

"Only because you two looked like lost chickens."

They stared at one another, neither refusing to bulge from their stances, reading each other's expression. Though, Rose had to hand it to the girl, the ice-cold beauty was a very hard book to read; it hardly opened no matter how one tried to pry. On one hand, Rose could only think of two occasions when the girl had been easier to figure, and both times had been of her own volition, driven by memories of her past.

"You're really going to have me end up having to look it up on the mana web, aren't you?" Rose asked. It felt to her like something that shouldn't exactly be searched up. Even she had some level of dignity.

Lilias faintly smiled, amused. "You know, that is a great idea."

". . .are you a sadist?"

"Perhaps?" The dragonian tilted her head with a shrug. "Who's to say?"

Rose momentarily thought about asking the girl about her older brother and his relationship, but disregarded that idea in the next moment. As she understood it, anything that had to do with Lilias's family was a soft spot for the dragonian. In the end, she could only sigh.

"You're not helpful," She muttered begrudgingly, giving up.

"I'm well aware of that."

"Sometimes, I want to slash you with my sword."

"I'm well aware of that as well, but you won't win against me."

Rose scoffed and turned back to Elsa.

"Wake up," She said. And when the girl did not, she poked her on the cheeks. "Elsa, it's morning." Yet, seeing her still fast asleep, Rose smacked her on the face. "Wake up already!"

"What the fuck?!"

The covers of the bed flung open as the figure within jumped up, her face seethed with rage as she glared around the room, lightning crackling around her fists.

"Which motherfucker smacked me?!"

Then she met eyes with two unamused faces, her Spirit's effect dissipating immediately once she recognized them.

"Oh, it's you two," She muttered, calming down. The next moment, she was grinning as she stared at Rose.

"Why are you grinning at me after being smacked awake?" The homunculus asked, confused, "Do you like being smacked?"

"Well. . .if it's you, I don't really care how you wake me up?" Elsa replied.

For a moment, Rose's thoughts stopped at the genuine answer, caught off guard. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond to that. Then, realizing something odd, she furrowed her brows. She shared a look with Lilias, then they both stared at the girl.

"Elsa. . .are you a masochist?" They asked.

"Wha-what?" The girl's face turned crimson in an instant.

"If you are, you can let me know." Rose smiled. "Though I'd prefer not to, I don't mind smacking you if it makes you happy."

"I'm not a hecking masochist!"

Rose chuckled. Besides her, Lilias was suppressing a chuckle of her own.

"Aren't you the sadistic one here?" The dragonian asked, tail wrapped around her waist.

"I'm simply teasing her."

"Eh?" Elsa blinked her eyes.

Then the doorbell rang.

The three frowned in unison as the atmosphere shattered.