AN: I hope you enjoy this commissioned work, I'll be posting the rest of it when its finished. Best bug doesn't get a lot of love, and this has been a fun one. For reference: This story is set after 'The Pleiades Ball' For those unfamiliar with some of the characters: Inta: A vampire character who served with Gustav Montagne during the war for the new world. Bertra: Formerly Berenice, she was turned into an elf during a race change experiment and was unable to return to a human form after the war that resulted in the formation of the Sorcerous Empire. She was guarded by Entoma and after they became close friends, she settled into life in Crescent Lake under an assumed name so that her past as a Cardinal would not come back to haunt her. Vanysa: A peasant resurrected as a demon and serving as a research assistant.
The warmth of the summer sun came down like drops of rain, steady and unavoidable, and in the right circumstances such as these, quite welcome. The day off at the beach in the Holy Kingdom was drawing to a close with the coming of the new day. A slow and easy breakfast brought to the maids and their companions on the beach proved the perfect end to it all.
But to Entoma, it only spurred her curiosity to watch the way the others interacted with one another. 'CZ and Neia are like the best of friends, but Solution and Nua have the clear power dynamic of teacher and student. Leinas and Aureole are like 'pals', while Lupusregina and Enri are like… what? Almost lovers who enjoy teasing? Or is it more a stage act where one is definitely the straight man in an ongoing comedy? Sebas and Tuare are obviously romantic, but… what does that even mean?'
It opened up yet another question. 'What is Bertra to me? Of course how much of her is 'Bertra' and how much of her is 'Berenice'?'
The question was cut off in her own mind when gates began to open, resolve struck, a quick back and forth message spell, and Entoma had permission. "Bertra," she said, approaching her companion, "we haven't had much time together lately, would you like me to join you?"
Bertra's pale face lit up. "Absolutely." She said, and when the gate opened up behind her, they went through at the same moment.
Moments later, through magic that still threw Bertra for a loop, they were in her kitchen.
The void at her back was gone like it had never been there at all, and they were alone. The little room was par for the course of a well-to-do peasant of the merchant class. The entire room was 'grown' into being over ages, shaped by careful tending through the elven arts. As someone well-to-do, she didn't use a well, she used a simple enchanted fixture over a sink that would drain the water outside if there was too much.
Her pitchers and dishware were made of smoothed wood, while her tea pot was brass and shone like gold when the light hit it through the many windows that let the light of day shine through.
"You've done well for yourself." Entoma said and sat at the kitchen table while Bertra's hands moved about the now familiar and comfortable environment.
"Thank you, Entoma, I owe Lord Ainz… honestly I was going to say 'this life' or 'my life', but it's a lot more than that." Bertra replied, briefly pausing.
"Do you still think about your old life? Back when you were 'Berenice' I mean?" Entoma asked as gently as she could.
Berenice stopped in mid pour, freezing for a moment, and the sloshing sound became dripping as she overflowed the cup. "Damn!" She cursed a bit and set the pitcher down, snatching up a cloth, she wiped the hot tea up and poured the second cup a moment later. She then answered, "Sometimes... but I don't think of it with much fondness. I'm happy here."
"Really? It's been that easy for you to…?" Entoma started to ask, but then stopped when she saw the twitch in Bertra's eyes.
"After what happened, what that man did to me… made me submit to protect my life… I realized how bad I was. Even saying that is bad, because it means I didn't really think about anyone's pain or suffering until it affected me. My country was vile, and I have nothing but regrets about that life. I don't deserve any of the comforts or continued existence I have now. If I hadn't volunteered for that experiment and become 'this'," she waved her hand up and down the front of her elven form, "I'm sure I would have been in a noose next to Raymond. I was lucky, nothing more."
"So that's why you spent all the time collecting stories of the persecutions? Some kind of atonement?" Entoma asked and lifted her mask a little to drink.
"I can't ever atone, but… I can make sure people don't forget, and that's a step forward." Berenice said and with a quivering smile she reached for a pitcher, "Milk? Oh, and… would you like to remove your mask?"
Entoma held out her cup and accepted the milk in her tea, then set it down and reached for her mask, "This really doesn't bother you?" As Entoma set the mask aside, her insectoid features became obvious, the sharp, clawlike purple facial appendages that would guide prey into her mouth wiggled a bit, her multiple red eyes all centered squarely on Bertra.
"No. You wouldn't hurt me, you're my friend, even if I quite frankly don't deserve to be." Bertra replied and took a sip of her own tea. "You really don't ever have to ask to take off your mask, it's no different than taking off a coat when you come indoors. You can be yourself with me. It's funny though, if you think about it."
"What's that?" Entoma asked, reaching for a biscuit as Bertra quietly slid a plate of several long lemony treats over.
"You wear a mask you can take off at any time, but everybody knows who you are. But in my case, my entire body is a mask I can never take off, almost nobody knows who I am, and if they ever find out, I'll lose everything." The former Cardinal let out a little half laugh and took up a biscuit which she dipped into her tea.
"I don't, though. While nobody will touch me, and even if they tried, they can't hurt me, revulsion stings. I was created to serve, and yet still I can hear it said, 'Who would want me to serve them'? I think about my creator, how he gave me my mask, and I can't help but wonder… did he think I was repulsive? Is that why I have this?" Entoma asked and laid a hand on the bug mask that gave her the appearance of a normal human girl.
When Bertra said nothing, Entoma continued, "I have friends, my sisters, you, I get along well with Enri and Neia on the rare times we meet, and Leinas is very nice. As a hybrid of arachnid and human, I 'like' company. I feel affection like anyone else… I think." Entoma said and reached up to scratch the top of her head with one of her arms.
"You think?" Bertra asked with a blonde eyebrow raised.
"What can I compare to?" Entoma asked and opened her arms as if the answer was obvious.
Bertra laughed heartily, shaking her head and slapping her thigh, "Right… of course, what other experience can anyone compare to, it's not like you can see what I experience… of course. I'm sorry, that was a foolish question."
The former Cardinal of the vanished Theocracy then became more serious, "If you're really troubled by fearing how people will respond to you without your mask, there is one person who you might be able to talk to. She's working as a teacher in Hoburns now, teaching combat magic to explorer class priests."
Entoma's multiple eyes blinked in unison, "Who?" She asked. 'There aren't many people who are capable of teaching that kind of magic out there, and there is definitely one I don't want to see.'
"Keeno. I don't know her very well, but she's always worn a mask for… well, you know, she might be able to offer some advice that I just don't have the experience to. Besides, she doesn't wear a mask anymore." Bertra suggested, with an encouraging little smile spread over her face. She reached across the table to cover the tip of her friend's appendage, "A friend's happiness is your happiness, and I just want you to be comfortable in the world you helped to shape. You deserve that, a lot more than I do. Give it a try, you've got nothing to lose."
'Keeno… I don't know that name.' Entoma thought and though she couldn't frown with her mouth's fixed shape, she understood her friend's intent and gave in. "Alright." She said when the hand that touched her finally withdrew. "I'll go to Hoburns."
"Alright, feel free to drop in any time at all, I got lots of new books in for my shop, if you want, you're free to borrow some, and please, take some to Lord Mare with my compliments." She said with a little grin, "Queen Zetsumei has paid in advance for double copies of all new books so they can be sent to Lord Mare as gifts."
"She really is pushing hard, isn't she?" Entoma asked rhetorically, privately wishing she could let out a derisive snort like humans did, it was just such a useful response.
"She is, but… the last time I made a personal delivery to him, he seemed to like it." Bertra replied with a shrug, "Though his sister was none too happy about it."
"That's not a surprise, she doesn't like Zesshi." Entoma answered, then stood up. "Thank you for having me, I'll come see you again soon, and I'll come by later to do a book delivery for Lord Mare."
Bertra stood with her, and then after only a moment's pause, she circled around the other side of the table, and reached out to the small battle maid, and embraced her.
"Thank you." Bertra said with the utmost gratitude, the body of her friend felt warmer and softer beneath the maid robes than she expected.
Entoma was briefly shocked to the point of breathlessness by the overt physical affection from the former Cardinal. "F-For what?"
"For giving me a chance to stop being who I was, for forgiving me for being who I was, for letting us become friends when I didn't do anything to deserve that chance, for never rubbing my face in my failure, and for being there for me after I endured what I did. For just being… you." Bertra said with a contented, if fragile smile on her face as Entoma restored her bug mask.
"I wish you all the happiness in the world, and if there's ever anything I can do to further it, then… you have only to tell me." Bertra said and let go, the hard, long, shell coated arms of her companion returned the embrace, and then Bertra stepped aside to make room for the 'Gate' to appear as she knew it would.
"See you soon, Bertra, see you soon." Entoma replied from behind her mask, and when the gate appeared, she stepped through and vanished.