Chapter 14: Fireside Conversations

The ancient technology was built to last: Nier only had to make sure the generator had enough fuel. An easy thing to do when the fuel in question was running through his veins. As long as he checked up on Yonah every week or two, she would be perfectly fine.

Nier sighed and leaned against the wall of the cave. Everything was happening so fast… He barely knew how to react anymore. Was he right to team up with his Replicant?

Nier nodded decisively. Yes, he was. Any step towards peace, no matter how small or odd, was more than worth it. But what should he do now? How much should he reveal? And how much would they believe if he did?

He frowned, thinking it over. He had told the most important things: that Gestalts (or Shades, as Replicants called them) were intelligent, that some of them went mad, which he was trying to stop, and that most didn't know about the language barrier. Should he say more or was it better to stay quiet?

Nier had lived through it, had time to come to terms with everything, but even he had trouble accepting the truth. No, he couldn't just tell them everything at once. They either wouldn't believe him or assume the worst.

But he couldn't stay silent forever either, nor could he lie. For all he knew, Grimoire Weiss might regain his memories…

He needed to wait and gain some trust first. Then he would try to see whether they could accept the truth.

Nier flew without hurry, enjoying the feeling of wind under his wings. The faint echo of the magic bond that tied him to his Replicant showed that he was still in the village. Probably asleep, since it was currently the equivalent of night-time. Granted, the sun was still up, if covered in clouds, but people still needed sleep and he supposed it was easier to have a common resting time.

He looked at the mountain cliffs, searching for a shadowed spot to hide in. He didn't want to be at the mercy of the weather for however long he had to wait until his Replicant decided to move out.

Something bright caught his eye and Nier veered off, flying towards what he could see was a campfire. He landed on a narrow ledge close to the top of the cliff and curiously looked down.

Why was Kainé staying outside?

"Hey! I can fucking see you there!" she yelled.

Nier wasn't trying to hide, so it wasn't surprising that Kainé noticed him. He jumped down, spreading his wings to slow his descent, and landed, keeping some distance between them.

"Why the hell are you here?" she grumbled.

"I was wondering the same thing," Nier replied. "I thought you would go with-" he stumbled slightly over the name, "-with Nier and stay in the village."

"None of your business," she snapped. "I like being alone, so how about you fuck off to wherever the hell you crawled from?"

"Can you even talk without swearing?" Nier asked dryly. "And I flew, not crawled."

Kainé rolled her eyes, "Whatever, smartass."

She didn't tell him to leave again, so Nier sat down, stretching his hands towards the fire.

Kainé seemed perfectly content to ignore him, so Nier took the chance to study her. She felt closer to a regular Replicant now (she certainly looked normal, clothing choice notwithstanding), but there was still an undercurrent of something inherently Gestalt within her.

Well, Nier supposed that answered the question of whether the Gestalt or the Replicant was in control.

Kainé abruptly stood up, grabbing her swords, "If you are going to take up space, then make yourself useful and watch the fire. I'm going to catch some food."

She quickly ran off, leaving Nier a small supply of kindling to manage the fire with. He shook his head in bewilderment. What the hell was her problem? But as long as she wasn't trying to stab him, he could deal with the attitude. At least she stopped pretending to not understand him: Nier had more than enough communication problems without her adding to them.

Nier sighed. He was probably being unfair. Even without taking possession into account, Kainé had issues upon issues. Her rant during the battle was certainly enough of a clue…

Kainé returned before he ran out of things to add to the fire. She held a slightly bloody rabbit carcass, which she put over the fire and soon the smell of cooking meat filled the air.

"If you want something to eat, get it yourself," Kainé said. "This one's mine."

Nier shook his head, "I don't need food."

"Lucky bastard," she scoffed.

Silence reigned once again, but it didn't feel too strained. Nier was never one for small talk and Kainé seemed to be the same.

Nier shuffled his wings slightly, draping them over himself. They tended to become nearly insubstantial when fully folded, which sometimes felt like they were falling asleep.

"How the fuck do you fly with these things?" Kainé asked.

"My wings are stronger than they seem," Nier replied. Seeing her dubious look, Nier stretched his right wing to its full length, "Here. See for yourself."

Kainé stared at him like she doubted his sanity. Then she slowly raised her hand and rubbed the tip of his wing between her fingers. She pressed her thumb to the translucent membrane, looking like she half-expected to tear right through, but the wing was much sturdier than that.

"Huh…" Kainé let the wing go and Nier wrapped it around himself once again.

Kainé turned her attention back to her dinner, ignoring him again, but it still felt like something had shifted between them, the silence becoming a fraction more comfortable.

Who knew? Maybe in time they could become something more than incidental allies.

Nier certainly hoped so.