Chapter 28 - Relationship sharing
"Greg, what's up with your hands?"
"Mmh? What do you mean, Lyza?"
"I mean the rest of you looks like skin and flesh. Although it's perhaps a bit on the rubbery side if you get what I mean."
She suddenly grabbed his cheek and pinched it playfully.
"Heyy! Stwop thwat!" he whined.
Unconcerned with his discomfort she continued: "Exactly. But then your arms are all metallic and clunky. Isn't that strange?"
"Ehm... I don't know. Feels pretty normal to me."
"Haha. I bet it does. You think they can do anything special?"
There was an excited glint in her eyes that made him feel slightly afraid. As if she was dissecting him with her gaze alone.
"Maybe? Eh... I tried to remember like you told me to, but most of it is blurry somehow. I can`t get a grip on it."
The scary woman clicked her tongue in disappointment. Despite how intimidating she was Greg did not want to disappoint his only companion in this strange and unfamiliar place. The weirdly distorted howling noises coming from the distance were not something that inspired confidence in his survival should Lyza leave him here alone.
"But I am pretty sure I can do that."
He stretched his arm out in the direction of his teacup that was standing right beside the fireplace and concentrated on the charged, coiling feeling in his arm. It spooked him a bit when the hand detached itself lighting quick and grabbed the mug with nary a thought before flying back to him and setting into place once more. Bewildered he stared at the object in his hand that he had grabbed from a few meters away with expert precision.
"Not bad. Extendable arms... If I weren't on my last dive I could fetch a good price for you."
"W-what? You would sell me?"
"Relax. I can't go back to the surface so it won't happen."
That was not reassuring at all!
"A sentient relic without memories... Stranded on the eighth layer – or is it still the seventh? Without a clue what is going on. Truly, I pity you."
"Yeah. You said that before. But what does that even mean? You are constantly talking about layers? Can you explain?"
That burning curiosity inside him was acting up again.
"Ughhh... Alright. Let's start at the beginning. We are currently inside the Abyss, a large underground..."
He continued to eagerly listen to her fantastical tale until his eyelids began to drop and sleep finally overcame him. Flashes of different times, of other languages that he could somehow understand and of bright lights haunted his dreams, yet when Lyza nudged him awake he could recall none of it.
∞•۞˂Tanya´s point of view˃۞•∞
"Any progress, father?" asked Tanya who was stuck hands deep inside a rather complex machine at the moment. It was one of Bondrewd's many inventions designed to manipulate the effects of the naturally occurring, abyssal phenomenon called the "force field". How exactly it did that was not something she understood, but he had shown her the blueprints for this apparatus and expected her to calibrate it accordingly to the noted settings.
Although it was demanding work that needed to be performed with absolute precision Tanya relished the task given to her. It was one of the qualities she liked most about her employer. He respected her and treated her as the adult she actually was and not like some helpless child who wouldn't be able tell a differential from an integral.
"I believe so. To transcend human limitations one must break away from conventional wisdom, reaching places before unseen."
Tanya raised a brow, but said nothing, already used to his occasional melodramatic phases. Deciding to indulge him she replied: "And what is it that you have found out?"
"When this relic is pressed and simultaneously pushed on two overlapping, vertical ridges it hides the user's smell from the environment. I am also relatively sure that it will hinder your own olfactory capabilities as well, should you lay claim to this item. Would you make use of it?"
This was an obvious test to gauge her ability to make a logical decision with sparse information.
"My nose was never the finest. I think I can safely navigate without it." she decided after some contemplating.
"Wonderful."
Peaceful silence followed as both of them went back to their work. No words were needed as the productive ambiance of clicking and scratching filled the room. In this place Tanya could forget about the outside world entirely, instead focusing on the here and now. All was good with her father by her side, a filling meal in her stomach and electrical heaters providing warmth. Truly, a dream come true.
∞•۞˂˃۞•∞
How had everything gone down the drain so quickly? She had everything she could ever wish for! A stable life, personal connections to the boss, a fulfilling (if not dangerous) job and great career opportunities. And now...
What had she become?
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen..." she thought in sorrow.
"Haahaa!" cried the object that caused her such despair.
What a disgusting monster. To be forced to look after such a vile and repulsive existence was a shame like no other.
"Come on, Tanya! Smile a little!"
"You are not father! How dare you order me to debase myself that much!" was what she really wanted to say, but instead she just forced a strained grimace on her face that vaguely resembled an expression of joy. Tanya was not sure if she would do something regrettable if she opened her mouth now.
"Oh my, so cute!"
Her fury could not be contained any longer and turned her aching lips into a full scowl.
"I. Am. Not. Cute!" she bit out.
"Haahaa-Haaa..."
"Deep breaths, Tanya... Deep breaths. You don´t want to strangle that thing in your arms accidentally. Bondrewd would not be amused."
Slowly she rocked back and forth in her seat, sporadically tickling the abhorrent thief that sat in her lap and feeding it more cookies to keep it occupied until her father showed up. What was taking him so long? The humiliation of entertaining the origin of her problems grew with each minute that went by. Why was she here? Just to suffer?
"Ah, I've finished drawing you both! Your father will certainly treasure this as proof of this moment forever."
"Noooooo! Burn it! Burn it!"
"He should be here any minute now."
Tanya plastered another empty smile on her face to greet him in case he came through the door while the threat to her good life merely continued to babble something inane. She did not want to listen to those high-pitched noises so she rubbed its head to placate it for the time being. Why had she not protested more when Bondrewd took it in?
So distracted was she with mindlessly petting the equally mindless creature sitting on her that she not even noticed her employer until it was too late.
"Magnificent. It warms my heart that you get along so well. I am sorry you both had to wait so long, but I wanted to ensure that it is absolutely perfect."
"You wasted so much effort for this thing..." she lamented mentally.
He placed a large box on the decorated table and lifted the lid to reveal a frankly mouth-watering cake with seven burning candles on top. The aroma, the form, the colouring... It looked better than anything she had eaten in the last decade of her life.
"Hold her closer, dear. Yes. Now blow them out as quickly as you can and think of what you wish for the most. The Abyss works in wondrous ways. Who knows if one day your hopes might get fulfilled?"
"Pffffffft."
"Quick, Tanya! Help her!"
Reluctantly she blew the last candle out. Stupid thief couldn't even correctly push air out of its tiny mouth.
"You are an amazing sister, Tanya. Happy birthday, Prushka! You are now officially seven years old. This life is a gift, so never forget to always remain thankful for being able to experience this wonderful world. May blessings and curses alike line your way forward! I love you with all my heart."
"With all your heart, ey? Where is there space for me then?"
Rationally thinking, she knew that she was acting stupidly. Her father had invested far too much into her already to suddenly drop her for this defected child. It would make no sense and Bondrewd was a man of reason through and through. Still, she felt as if she was slowly getting replaced by Prushka.
"He calls her my sister... Will I become one of many? Am I going to be replaceable? Will he not... love me as much anymore?"
In the beginning Tanya had simply tolerated the silver-haired toddler, because she had not seemed like a threat to her position as Bondrewd's daughter at all. The small, bleeding bundle was too insignificant for that. A cynical part of her had even believed that the sickly child would die before she spoke her first word. Ignoring her competitor for years had led to her realizing her true feelings about the situation only recently.
As selfish and immature as it was...
Tanya did not want to give up her title as the Lord of Dawn's darling.
"Why are you looking so gloomy, sweetheart? You should try the cake. I made it for both of you."
"Really?" she couldn't help but ask.
"Of course. I was a terrible father for you these last years. I never baked you something as extravagant as this. I apologize deeply for this error. To make it up to you somewhat, I made this one Lino-fruit flavoured. You like them, right? From now on you will get a similar cake every year."
"B-but the cost of the sugar alone-"
"Hush, my child. Just eat up and enjoy. Your little sister might not leave anything for you left otherwise."
She would not let that happen! Tanya would not be denied this rare treat! Hastily she grabbed a slice and nibbled at it, savouring the exotic taste. Her eyes closed in pure bliss as the sweetness of the glazed cake exploded on her tongue. Indeed it tasted exquisite – no, heavenly.
"Ahh~"
"You two are simply adorable. I am the luckiest man of the netherworld to possess daughters like you."
If it meant cake, maybe sharing him would not be too horrible...
