A few days had passed. In the interim, the exchanges between Kat and Stretch did not changed much. They both were doing well to behave as if nothing had happened. She also did well to keep herself busy, taking this afternoon to go into town to pamper herself in the nice weather. Dr. Harvey had gotten a request for an appointment that would take him down the same road, and she rode with him until her desired stop as she often did when he would get prospects that would call him away for a while. She kissed him goodbye, wished him luck, and asked that he call her to let her know he was alright. She put on a pair of headphones and started her slow, pleasant walk back to the manor.
"Hey." Stretch greeted her as she entered the library.
"Hey." she said back. She wondered if she might find him here.
"So, ahem, about the other night."
"Yeah?" We must be alone, she thought.
"You still... Uh..?"
"Are you having second thoughts?"
"I figured now that you've slept on it a while, you might be." Stretch shrugged.
"Why would you think that?" Kat asked. She wasn't expecting this, especially after she had pretty much told him he was good to go as far as possible.
"I dunno, just—"
"Look. I'm a grown woman, I can make my own mistakes." Kat said with a sweep of her hand.
"Mistake? Damn, why don't you tell me how you really feel." Stretch chuffed.
"Can we be real for a second?" she asked, her tone was serious.
"I guess?" He shrugged again.
"I'm going to die one day." she said plainly.
"What the fuck?"
"And before that, I'll probably move out and have some sort of a thing people call life. I'm three years from thirty, still living at home. I like what I have now though, and I don't want miss out on what's in front of me." She took his hand. "But, sooner or later, it... it won't last. You even said yourself these things never end well."
"Why would you move?" Stretch asked in a low voice.
"I... I might want children one day." Kat responded.
"Oh. Well... yeah. I can see where that..." He looked away as his words trailed off.
"But for now, I don't. And who knows, maybe I'll never move. I haven't decided if I'll stay after Dad dies..."
"This has taken a dark turn into a conversation I didn't want to have. Where is all of this coming from, Kat? I thought you liked it here, that you liked us. Maybe even me?" His long arms extended to wrap around her.
"I do. But, what are you going to do when I'm old? Or would you find a way to ensure my unjust demise while I'm young and pretty?"
"That's an option? I'll keep that in mind." He said with a twinge of whimsy.
"That is not an option and never will be." said Kat.
"Why not? It's a lot of fun being a ghost."
"My dad couldn't remember me at first. That... that's worse than just having some you love die, it's like having them die twice. We wouldn't exactly have a pinky swear as something to jog my memories, either. We don't know if I would remember you."
"You think you wouldn't remember me?" He sounded himself but she could hear a hint of hurt.
"In this scenario, I like to think I do. But, I'm also not willing to risk forgetting you and everyone else." It would have been dishonest to say she hadn't thought about this before. How could one not when surrounded by beings with strange and unusual abilities. And if they played their cards right, they had all the time that time itself offered. But the risk would never be worth the reward, she had always decided.
"Plus, how does this work when I'm a ghost?" She motioned to herself.
"Well... it gets pretty limited, I won't lie to you." said Stretch.
"I like being able to have an orgasm still."
"Just rub it in my face, why don't you?" He jutted his head forward and stuck his tongue out.
"Oh, that's an option? I'll keep that in mind." She gave him her own devious grin with his words and reached out to taste his mouth.
"Let me take you up to my room." he whispered, sliding a hand up her back.
"That's gonna be a hard 'no'." she said, suddenly unmovable.
"How come?" he asked as he was snapping the taught fastener on her bra loose.
"Because that's... First of all, it's not just your room." She didn't discourage his advancing movements, she even surprised him by swiftly taking off her shirt and tossing it and her loose bra aside.
"It's just us right now." he begged when he saw her bare chest.
"The door hasn't been opened in years, I'm sure the window hasn't either, so it's probably really dusty in there." She crossed her arms.
"Please, you're afraid of getting a little dust on your butt?" Stretch gave her a little shove.
"No, I'm afraid of leaving a butt-shaped impression of unnecessary questions." Kat said.
He took a second to think. "I see. Good point. But, doesn't that excite you a little?" He moved a little closer to try and slide her arms apart.
"Not as much as it seems to excite you." She shoved back at him, but her hands reached right through him. She huffed.
"Don't worry so much. Even if Stinkie and Fatso start askin questions, and even if it got to a point where they knew about us I'd tell them to keep their fucking mouth shut." He had started to work on coaxing the button of her jeans loose.
"It's still a 'no'." She couldn't deny a smile that he referred to her as half of 'us'. However, as much or as little as the idea indeed excited her as she helped him undress her more, she was fervent in ensuring there would be no need in hiding more than having to. It was starting to become worrisome on her mind, keeping a secret like this. It reminded her of the times she felt like the Trio could read every thought and anguish on her face, a few nurturing crushes for example. And they weren't reaching out to help her with her worries but only to exacerbate them. In the end of whatever situation had ailed her though, she always came out of it fine. And as an adult, she learned to see that's what they were trying to tell her with their mean jokes and tricks.
"What if I cleaned up?" he asked, admiring the simplicity of her undergarment before flinging it behind him.
"Then they're gonna ask why you did that." She wasn't happy about having to go get those later.
"To which I can respond, 'because I wanted to.'" Stretch replied in a matter of fact as he sat close to his clothes-less companion.
"Still 'no'." She shook her head, but looked back at him with a small smile. "I do wish there was something I could do for you though." she said.
"Oh yeah? Such as?" His brow rose with his smirk.
"Like... what you did for me for instance." She blushed a little.
"I'm sure that would be nice, Kit-Kat. Sorry to disappoint ya."
"No. No, I'm not disappointed." She shook her head again. She didn't want what he lacked to be a source of negative tension in this venture she'd thrown herself into.
"You could do something for me, though." he proposed, slinking closer to her again and leading her to lie beside him.
"What?"
"Okay, I'm just gonna throw this out there, if you want to." Stretch held a hand up to assure her she had an option to decline.
"What? Tell me." Kat's eyes widened.
"Talk dirty to me." He gave her a wicked grin.
"W-what?" she stammered out, trying to brush it off with a giggle.
"You heard me." he said.
"Like, 'I'm a bad girl'?" She wasn't really on board with this idea if it was going go down that sort of road. This was Stretch after all and she did have boundaries still.
"Not exactly, but good first try." He chuckled a little.
"Okay then, like what?"
"Just um—talk to me about what you'd do if I were... Just lay here with your head on my chest and whisper some sweet-nothings to me so I can sleep tonight. I won't talk back, much. I only want to listen."
"I can try." She cuddled up and fit herself into a pocket between his side and his arm. His embrace was cold, and held a form in a way the skin on her fingers and on her body couldn't quite translate. He was there, but not; a sense of thrill and fear that one holds in their hand just before they dare to break the surface tension and peer into the ripples. She brought her leg over where his would be and took a deep sigh.
"Yeah. This is nice. Real nice." he said in agreement.
"So, do you want me to start?" Kat asked him quietly.
"We can just lay here for a bit longer if you want. I'm enjoying this." Stretch replied.
There wasn't much room for two on the loveseat, but they made it work. A bit longer went by, Kat gathered a little courage, cleared her throat and it all disappeared as soon as it had been summoned; a pestering feeling made her realize it was daylight and she was very naked in a very large and open room. She flustered.
"I-I'm not good at this. And I'm starting to feel embarrassed. I can't think of anything to say with you looking at me like that. Like that, stop."
When he looked away there was a stint of sadness that he shook aside with a scoff. She couldn't help but feel remorse for twice denying him something that might return the favors he'd given her.
"Could I have a chance to think of something first?" she asked.
"I have nothing but time, sure. You gonna sing me a soliloquy?" Stretch smirked.
"A sexy soliloquy, yeah."
"Okay wow, that was bad. Now I'm embarrassed. Get out of my house."
"You don't mean that, shut up." She rose up and took a pillow to smother his face, rolling her eyes when it sank through him.
"I don't, come here."
She was curious, looking at him there with his arms behind his head. His eyes looked heavy, but still carried a shine. He gave her a smirk and lifted his hand to touch her calf.
If she could kiss his mouth, and he could feel it, then perhaps he could feel other things. It was clear he was lacking a certain component but she knew not having skin and bones didn't stop ghosts from feeling pain. And if he could feel pain, surely he could feel pleasure. He did say he could remember what it was supposed to feel like.
"Can I try something?" she asked.
"Go ahead."
She positioned herself over him, the chill of his strangely solid, yet viscous body cushioned her nether. Tingles spread through her that she channeled into lowering herself to meet his face. She lifted her hair away that draped her shoulder like a dark cowl and kissed him a few times on his mouth and his face and neck, moving in different places so as not to touch the same spot, save for his hungry lips which she gave plenty of attention. She could feel his breath, if you could call it breathing; subtle pressure on her chest as she held his face into her. It was like a wave was pulling her farther out to sea with every lick of his tongue, so dangerously close to sharp rocks that could dash her to pieces. She toiled with his mouth again and let desire lead her.
She continued to try her something. Using her nimble fingers she traced a few lines down his chest and kissed softly along them, stopping where she thought his navel would be. He sucked air through his teeth, which caused her to quickly look up in a start. His brow was tight and he had bitten his lip. Before he could open his eyes to meet her she was readily exploring her theory again. She imagined he had a slight belly to him, he had the resemblance of one that revealed him to be a drinker before death. She thought with her fingers on his satin shape, about if he would have a trail of hair that lead from his navel to his... Her mouth played along the invisible line. His chest was beginning to don a slight heave to it, though he was quiet. She inched herself lower down his body, letting her softness drag along him. It filled her with exhilaration she exhaled into a misty chill. This time he gave her the smallest of noises with his own sliced outward breath. She moved herself forward, and back again using herself to sense the being beneath her. She gazed on the shiny mark she'd left on him and giggled to herself, reminded of his 'boop'. She slid to his lower side and rest her face below his torso. She stole a single look at him to ease her hesitation. In the second she had caught his glance he looked strained, but in a way he seemed to be enjoying.
She took this new fuel for her ambition and pressed her mouth against his certain spot. It was a smooth surface, but it didn't stop her from experimenting with a tiny lick of her own, or firm touches of her lips. She opened her mouth and pulled a soft suckling into a long love-bite. It tasted strange, as if ice could taste like the smell of an old book and metal. The sharp but sparse inhales above her told her to please, keep going. In her empty hand she formed it around a solidness she imagined to be there and mimicked a few motions he might use for his own imaginative means. When she took him against her mouth once more, she felt him rise attentively. She kept at this for a while longer until his heavy breathing began to taper out. She wiped her mouth off and slithered up his side.
He cleared his throat. "That was certainly something."
"Did it work?" she asked as she wiggled back to the snuggling spot waiting for her.
"Despite your lovely efforts doll, it's not going to 'work' but, yes, that... felt amazing. You really had me believing you had my cock in your mouth. If I could cum, you'd be choking on it for sure."
She whimpered a little from hearing him say such a foul thing so close to her.
"You'd like that though, wouldn't you?" Stretch nipped at her neck. "I'm sure you think about it. You looked like you know what you were doing. Who taught you that? You didn't just pull moves outta that fine ass of yours from nowhere Kitty-Kat." He grabbed himself a handful of her bottom and squeezed.
"I do think about it." She wasn't going to answer his other questions. "I think about how long it must have been since anyone has touched you. I think about what it must feel like to hold that in for so long." This time she leaned into where his ears should have been and pulled on what she could taste lightly with her lips. He fell quiet.
"Does it hurt you?" She whispered. "Does it feel good? The answer is, yes. Because I feel it too." Kat pressed her breasts against his chilled form. "I can feel it deep inside me when you kiss me. I get so wet thinking about it..."
He groaned in a stiff short breath. She could do this after all, feeling delirious enough to say anything if could will what she really wanted into existence.
"I never expected you to do that with your tongue the other night. It never happened that way in my dreams before." Her heart was beginning to sprint at the betrayal of her own self. She laughed at its recoiling shadow huddling in the corner of her mind. She found his hand and guided it to her inner thigh. "I took a bath the next morning just so I could touch myself and remember how it filled me up."
"Fuck." He hissed when his touch released a silky sound against her.
"I might cum right now just thinking about it here, Stretch." She began to use his hand to mimic how she had tried to replicate the motions of he'd used with his tongue. She sighed at the blend of tendrils and flesh, whispering moans against his the side of his head. "Let's go take one together after this. I want to know what it would feel like."
"You're lucky I don't need to breathe."
"No. No you don't. You just need to stick your cock in me." She was beginning to get close her orgasm, her fingers keeping the motion above while his own worked below.
"If I could..." He inserted another of his digits, pushing crooked and aching trembles feverishly. He rolled himself on air and kissed her intensely, he wanted to drink in her tender noises of ecstasy. She twisted beneath him for a few moments until her body allowed her to relax. They laid together as a windless pile.
"Maybe I could though, maybe?" Stretch pondered half-whimsically, breaking a lasting silence.
"I thought that was like eating with non-utensils for you." Kat had begun to dress herself. She disguised a shiver by shaking out her top.
"I don't mean that. I mean for good."
"I don't understand." she said, fitting her head through the hole of her shirt.
"Did you know that there is a machine, right below your feet, that can bring ghosts back to life?"
'He can't be serious...'
When she and her father arrived years ago, after settling in and unsettling the residents, and after tricking their ill-intentioned patron into finishing her business, she and her tiny ghost friend spent weeks that turned into months delving into the books of the library. They were trying to uncover the secrets of the Lazarus. Rediscovered and faded news clippings told a story of an eccentric and heartbroken father trying his best and failing to find a cure for his sick son. The son would later die, the story read, and the father would go on to construct a strange and awesome machine to bring life back to him. That is, until the locals deemed him too much of a harm to himself and others and sealed the poor man away into an asylum before the switch could be flipped.
That explained Casper's side, but there was always something... odd about the other three. Something in the air that no one could remember enough to form the right questions. They knew they were brothers, and that Casper was their nephew, but when they died or how, Kat could never get the details out. Even Casper couldn't remember exactly when they arrived, but he knew it was after he died, and after the Lazarus had been built. But, getting anything from the Trio themselves; this wasn't something they liked to share or just couldn't remember. Eventually, she stopped asking after getting nothing as answers, and she respected her father too much to ask him to break his confidential fidelity.
"We can't, there isn't any more... whatever it was, left. There was only the one." She paused a moment and remembered, "Well, there are a few bottles that have a little bit left in them and if we could put it together, that'd be about a fourth of one if we're lucky but... I don't think that little amount will work for you."
"We can make more, couldn't we? Make enough for everyone!" His eyes lit up as he snapped his finger.
"It isn't that easy." Kat shut him down.
"I'm sure the how-to is in here somewhere." He wasn't going to let it go that easy.
"It is, but it's in pieces. Casper I looked, but I don't think we ever found all of it. We didn't even put what we found together once we realized about the uh..."
"The what?" Stretch piped.
"The ingredients list." Kat said with unease.
"It can't be that bad. What's in it?"
She was quiet for a moment. "It takes a lot of blood. Blood, Stretch! Like a scary amount... An amount large enough to warrant being put away if people knew or suspected that you had that much blood." She looked around. The manor creaked in its old stutter, as if to shake off a terrible memory.
And just then, a jolt tickled her brain. "Hang on, I think I just..." Kat began looking around the room.
"What?"
"I remember on that page it said six gallons are required. That's as much as maybe four people have. Or maybe—"
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that maybe one really tall person, one fairly large person and one average person had enough to split the difference. I'm starting to think, no, now I'm positive you guys were murdered to make that stuff."
"Hm." Stretch seemed puzzled with his thoughts and Kat's words. "You know," he said when a minute had passed, "there might be some merit to that."
"Really?!"
"Yeah... it's mostly just a fog, but, hm," he trailed off into thought again.
"It's okay," Kat tried to assure him. "Take your time. You don't even have to tell me if you don't want to."
"It's not that, it's just trying to recall this stuff. That was a long time ago. A long time ago. Getting close to over a hundred years now I think, give or take."
"Oh." Kat blinked.
"I can remember bits and pieces but most of that time or before is just, a dark mess and then one day it's me and the boys and Casper and we're here like we'd been here for a while. I do remember, once in the early days, a nice black car pulled up out of nowhere. Two fleshies come out and they got a little bonebag waddling behind them. Me and the boys are thinking, 'what's this, who's this now?' Casper wanted to greet them but we said hell no to that— don't give me that face, we've lightened up on him over the years, haven't we? And you wouldn't be letting me dig you for gold like that if you thought I was still an asshole."
Kat wrinkled her nose, "Sometimes you can be."
"Don't interrupt Kitten, I'm getting to the good part. So the fleshies are fixing to stay a while, talking about renovations and things and you know how well that set with us. But I said, 'let's just stay cool and we'll get 'em when they least expect it.' The kid was the hardest to keep Casper away from, and the boy's parents never really paid attention to him. This kid was one of those quiet types that never really wanted to interact with anyone but always wanted to play with the taxidermy animals. Pulling out the stuffing and sewing it back in, weird right? Couldn't have been older than four or five, and he's doing pretend surgery. So one day, Fatso decides to get in this bear he was messing with..."
"Oh no..." Kat groaned into her palm.
"Oh yes," Stretch nodded and grinned widely. "I'm sure you can imagine what happened after that."
Kat was quiet for a moment as she reflected in the story he shared. "I wonder who they were," she said after a time. "How would they know to come here? Did the house get put up for sale?"
"No, I don't think so. I can't say for sure, I don't remember everything."
"Carrigan..." Kat said bemused.
"What's that bitch got to do with this?" Stretch asked, surprised he had heard that name. It had been a long time.
"She inherited Whipstaff from her father. How did he get it? Unless... the boy! But his mother... she must have been related to Casper's dad, the deed was to his name wasn't it?"
"Yeah, but he went to the looney bin."
"Before his wife could divorce him?"
"So then..." Stretch tapped his chin.
"So then," Kat followed, "when he died, or maybe when he was committed, the deed went to her. She must have married Carrigan's grandfather. Wow," Kat poked him in his chest, not caring it sank right through him. "That's a terrible story! You jerks! That woman may have been Casper's mother and that boy was probably your nephew!"
"Only half." Stretch shrugged.
"Half a brother to Casper, all the same. Did he know?" She eyed him sternly.
"I barely even know!"
"Well, thanks for that, now I have to tell him that lonely little boy he wanted so badly to play with was his freaking brother, and you all frightened him." Kat heaved a sigh. She couldn't feign her excitement in uncovering a mystery like this and felt a smile betray her.
"So how do you run that thing downstairs again?" Stretch was still keen on glimmering some more information about the mystery that concerned him most.
"I really don't think you should, Stretch. Before my dad, we... That night, Casper and I tried it out on him, and then it stopped when Dibbs— you remember him— took the bottle out. When I opened the door, Casper was an egg. Like an actual egg. Like sunny-side up, yolk and all. I had to blow him back up for twenty minutes with bellows before he was normal again."
Stretch had started cackling at her description of his nephew and took longer than appreciated to stop. This was the first time she had told him what happened before his brothers and their new best friend had arrived on the scene. This was his way of showing her thanks.
"I thought his head looked a little bigger." he laughed.
"Ahem." She had been very careful at the time to make it seem less large, rather than the opposite, but she blown her friend up a bit too hard, resulting in a slight pop.
"Are there some bellows lying around down there? I kind of want to know what it's like to be an egg."
"It didn't look enjoyable. It looked slimy and gross and undercooked." She winced.
"Does it hurt?" Stretch wondered.
"If it did he didn't say." Kat shrugged. "I never asked Dad."
"Probably didn't then. He's a bit of a whimp."
"Hey now, I've heard you whimper over less. Recently." She raised her eyebrow.
"Listen, you." He leaned in to meet her playful kiss on his lips.
"Six gallons, huh?" he said when they parted.
"Yeah... that's... that's kind of insane." Kat felt a thread of guilt that needled questions she was ashamed to want to ask her tiny friend. She felt even more remorse having been so blunt about his tragedy without his input.
"I'm sure I could find four guys who have it coming." Stretch said, thinking with a wicked glint.
"No. Absolutely not. That is where I draw the fucking line Stretch." Kat pointed her finger at him so roughly it poked through his chin.
"Hey, take it easy, I'm just kidding."
"No, you aren't. You might not be serious right now, but I know you are not kidding. No one else is going to die for this shit, I fucking mean it." Her expression was filled with fire and cautioned him to tread lightly.
"Okay. Okay. Simmer down before you scratch my eyes out Kitty-Kat. I promise you, cross my heart, I won't kill anyone. Or lead them to their death. Or get them too drunk to see the open manhole behind them. Behind them, remember that very important little detail? There were signs and tape on the way in and he still fell!"
"Whatever, I wasn't there, any one of you coulda done something." She crossed her arms in a huff.
"The boys and I was still in shock from having been the recipient of his big fat kiss and blubber about how much he loves us, so."
"Hold on, what?" Fury had suddenly become skepticism.
"Haha yeah! Oh you didn't know about that?! Huh, wonder if he still remembers, I'm gonna go ask him later."
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. The air around them swam mired and heavy.
"If only it wasn't so gritty, huh?" Stretch sighed.
"It was worth a thought though. Just, not that worth it." Kat said.
"Hear me out for a second. You fleshies have err, what do you call them, uh... blood-drives, right?"
She hesitated, "Yeah?"
"What if, instead of taking it from someone who didn't want to part with it willingly, we just—"
"Steal it from someone else who actually needs it?" Kat interjected.
"I'M THE ONE WHO NEEDS IT!" he roared, taking a jumpy and startled gasp from her.
"I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout. I'm just... This is right here! It's right here! Out of all of us, Kat you really don't understand what it's like to live in this place, year after year, knowing this machine is in my fucking basement and I can't even use it."
"I..." She was as pale as he, at a loss for words. She knew he was right though. How selfish did she have to be say she was the only one who could benefit from this mechanical wonder. The cost was not equivalent to the reward. In her mind a million scenes played out, most of them reading as newspaper headlines with the same story as the ones she had found in the forgotten rooms, only with that of her and her father's faces on them. She'd had enough of seeing her name in news columns or bit-specials. But he was still right to want this.
"Please, Kat. There's billions of you humans, billions. That's a sea and all I'm asking for is a few buckets, Bucket."
"You don't get to call me that." she said in warning, dropping one of his hands from her shoulder.
"Sorry, pails then."
Kat growled. "Even if you can somehow manage to get that much blood down here, how are we going to keep it cool, huh? I imagine that's an important factor. We don't even have all the steps, let alone know if it's complete."
"I always liked a good treasure hunt. Just tell me where to start looking. And you're a smart-cookie, Kat. You're the one who got this doohickey to work to begin with. If anyone could figure the rest out it's you."
"You're really giving me too much credit, it wasn't just me who made it work." She looked at him in the brief silence. He had a longing desperation to him. It would be grand, she couldn't deny it, and his eyes begged her to help him.
And if they succeeded, it could even mean a second chance for all the ghosts. She pictured all of them for a second, and sighed. "Just so you know, I'm not completely okay with this idea. I will... try though. I'm not helping you get the blood however, you are definitely on your own. And if you find some, you better find it in a fucking medical bag."
"I swear on my life to be, this will be a painless procedure and no one will be hurt." His demeanor had become shades brighter.
"How are you even going to get all this blood?"
"I'm a fucking ghost, Kat. All I gotta do is pop outta the blood bank and demand it of poor frightened nurses and I'm pretty sure they'll just give it to me."
"You do you I guess." she said.
"I intend to. Now where do we start looking for this recipe for disaster." He wiggled his fingers together and licked his lips as he scanned the room for potential spots to turn inside out.
"It's all over the place, some's in the library, some of it's downstairs, some of its upstairs. I think this one has a page, actually." She spotted and lifted a torn leathery book from the desk her father used and flipped the musky pages until a loose sheet freed itself.
"Oh wow. It's this page." she mused while scanning it.
"Which one?"
"The list..."
His eyes tore over the scribbled note as fast as he had ripped it from her hands. She peered on her toes over his shoulder, which still wouldn't have done her much good were his body not transparent.
"Phosphorus, silicon, I was expecting like, bones and lungs and shit when you said blood. Oh... here, yeah."
"Some of this stuff, I think we can order as capsules and break them apart. Activated charcoal for the carbon we need, magnesium and calcium. There's plenty of water around, but it's saltwater, so we'll need to figure out filtration somehow. I wonder if the system down there still works." She continued to read off a few of the items required.
Fortunately advancements in medicine had developed a pill or tablet for just about anything that makes up a human. The body was surprisingly simple when broken down to its barest components. But the amount of each item needed for this venture could prove to be suspicious, and expensive. The lime they needed would be a challenge. Limestone was easy to come by along the southern coast, but up north the rock was much more hardy. She wondered how easily she could have some sent to the manor. Surely there would be a niche site she could find, willing to sell her a spare stone or two.
"And refrigeration. That is going to be vital. You don't happen to remember your blood type do you?"
"Uhh...? Does that matter?"
"Only if you want to live long." she snickered.
"Uhm." He obviously didn't know.
"Okay then, I guess we'll start with O-Positive. Think you can remember that? It's the easiest to transfuse and there is usually never a shortage. Who knows, maybe when making a brand new body from scratch, we get beginner's luck."
"I gotta say, I'm really starting to like smarty-science Kat."
"Well, I'm not a doctor or a biologist, in any way, just so we're clear. And you're too willing to put so much of this on me. What if it doesn't work? What if something goes wrong, or the hospitals in town really want their blood back?"
"We can say we tried, and I can leave it at that." He picked a petal off a flower that did not exist and tossed it into an empty wind.
"That'll be super easy for you when they cart me off to prison." she bit.
"Relax, Kit-Kat. I will take care of the bloody business."
"I'm telling you this once, okay? I'm only going to try as far as I'm comfortable. I won't stop you from finishing on your own, if you can—but the second I start to smell danger, I'm done, Stretch." She cut her words across her throat.
"I won't ask any more of you, Kat."
"Good." She nodded once.
"Except for one thing." he said.
"Ugh, what?"
"Give me another kiss?" He pointed to his face.
"Sure." She smiled and granted his request, happily giving him a few extra he hadn't asked for. The two soon floated up the stairs, the sound of water being drawn followed quickly after.
"I don't know why you even bothered to put your clothes back on." chuckled Stretch as he closed the door behind him.
