Vel, what are you doing?

This elf kept turning my world upside down.

I couldn’t feel empathy for spiders.

I just couldn’t...

Yet here I was…

Velariah took one of my hands and took a finger to pet Minia, and I just let it happen.

A very faint feeling of enjoyment came from the jumping spider. It was barely there, but I noticed it, nonetheless. This was a living, breathing animal and it seemed to be delighted.

I hated it.

I hated that I felt for this thing.

Why?

My head started to hurt from the thoughts that raced through my mind and I took my forehead in my palms as a reflex. Velariah took my lower set of hands in hers and asked me if I was alright.

“I..I.. don’t know?”

“El...”

“I’m okay, I think? I...”

I sighed deeply.

“This spider… I seem to feel its emotions… somewhat...”

“Are you okay, El?” Velariah let go of my hands and took my other hands in hers, forcing me to look into her eyes.

She looked worried.

“I could feel it being… happy. I felt...happy myself when it felt that way. It’s messing with my brain. I don’t know what to do...”

“El...” Velariah said softly.

“I know my fear of spiders is likely misplaced, especially with what’s dangling behind me. I...I just don’t know… I never imagined I could feel this...”

“El, it’s alright.” Velariah took hold of my shoulders and brought me to her face before kissing me. I simply closed my eyes and let her do whatever she wanted.

“It’s okay, El,” She spoke softly as she brushed my hair behind my ears. “It’s okay to feel that way. If anything, it makes you even more beautiful than anything else.”

“Because I feel spiders’ emotions?”

“Yes,” Velariah said, before kissing me again. “It’s fine. Your heart continues to grow. It’s beautiful to see.”

Velariah broke away and looked at the spider that was still standing between us, looking at me.

“Besides, it’s quite cute. Wouldn’t you agree?”

I looked at Minia. Her large eyes were still fixated on me. She seemed to emit a sense of… curiosity? Or was that… admiration?

Those eyes…

It made her look far less… creepy than the usual spiders that I used to find in my bedroom back on Earth. It was almost… cute?

WHY?

I was completely lost…

“It’s okay, El. There’s no need to be scared. Minia doesn’t want to cause us any harm. No spiders do.”

I knew that… and yet…

“I guess it is somewhat...” I paused for a second. “Cute...”

There.

I’d said it.

I brought a finger to the spider again, slowly and carefully. I felt slight shock and fear when it grabbed my finger with her pedipalps but soon relaxed as I stroked the top of her head.

I couldn’t believe it.

“I’m proud of you, Elania,” Velariah smiled at me. “You’re doing much better than I had hoped.”

I didn’t reply. I was fixated on the tiny animal before me. I felt feeble emotions coming from the small being. I could make out… joy… gratitude… hope...?

Was this my inherity kicking in?

“What is she telling you?” Velariah asked.

“She seems… thankful and hopeful. I’m not exactly sure why.”

“Maybe it’s hungry? Wanna feed it?”

I hesitated for a bit before nodding.

The elf stood up and retrieved the jar of grasshoppers before returning. She put the jar down next to her but Minia’s attention was never averted. The spider continued to look at me with curiosity. Not even food could break her concentration.

Velariah handed me a grasshopper. She had one of its legs between two fingers. I took it from her by carefully taking one of its other hind legs.

It tried jumping away, to no avail.

I held it at the spider’s side, at a fair distance. I wanted to see her jump for some reason.

Minia did exactly that. Without even turning to face the grasshopper first, she jumped on it and grabbed it, before sinking its fangs in her victim. I quickly let go as soon as the spider was on her prey. It seemed I wasn’t quite used to such sudden movements coming from a spider yet.

Also, what was that coordination?

It didn’t even turn, yet she jumped on her prey with deadly accuracy.

Just how good was this spider’s eyesight?

I secretly wished my coordination would one day be just as good.

Minia’s prey struggled for dear life, but it ultimately succumbed to her venom. Minia then walked back before me and deposited the dead grasshopper on the floor.

I could sense Minia feeling… was that… pride?

Wait…

Did it just give me a gift?

Isn’t this behavior awfully similar to cats? They would also sometimes kill random things like birds and mice and bring them to their owner as a ‘gift’.

Velariah laughed.

“I can’t believe this,” The elf said.

She then curled her lips into a smile. “You gonna eat that?”

“What the fuck, Vel?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Nono, Minia. You should have this,” I said as I picked up the grasshopper and held it before the spider’s face.

Minia took the insect back in her pedipalps and seemed to bring it to her mouth.

“I still need to figure out how spiders actually eat,” I said with a smile.

“I’m sure Master Endomir knows. We should talk to him when we get the chance.”

“We should. Any information could be useful.”

Velariah smiled and carefully took the spider back in her hands. “Let’s get Minia back in her little enclosure, shall we?”

I could see the spider turn to me as Velariah turned around and I felt a sense of… loneliness coming from it…

Somehow it made my heart sink.

“Actually, Vel…” I started speaking with a soft, slightly hesitant voice.

I couldn’t believe I was doing this.

“Hm?” She said as she turned around.

“Just… leave it outside the crate...”

I was such a wuss. I had let a spider play with my emotions. It had me feeling… guilty…

“If you’re okay with that...” I finished.

“It’s okay with me. I just thought you’d be scared?”

I shook my head. “It’s feeling lonely, I don’t want to feel bad for putting it in a cage...”

“That inherity of yours is really fucking with you isn’t it?”

I nodded slowly.

Velariah knelt and put the spider back on the floor. Minia walked up to me and then jumped onto my right pedipalp

I focused on the faint stream of emotions coming from the arachnid and could feel… gratitude once more.

“Thank you… Vel...” I spoke slowly. “For your help… Minia really isn’t so bad...”

“Aww, El.” She crept closer to me on her knees.

She hugged me and whispered into my ear. “I’m so happy, El. We’ll overcome your fears… together.”

I never knew I could feel this way. Velariah sure let me see much more than I would on my own. I was more than glad to have her in my life...

I took her head from my shoulder and brought her before me, where I kissed her passionately. This little adventure had only served to make me want her even more than I already did.

“Hmmm, El,” Velariah let out softly as she took my hands from her chest. I didn’t even realize I had them there. “We shouldn’t do that now...”

“I… I didn’t even realize...” I whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I love you, El,” She said before kissing me again.

“I love you too, Vel,” I said after breaking away.

I turned my head to the side, where I saw Minia on my pedipalp, observing us with wide eyes.

“That’s one curious little spider, isn’t she?” Velariah said with a smile.

“She is… it’s kind of fun to see, though.”

Velariah broke the hug and stood up. “Let’s finish up our training and get some silk, shall we?”

“What? Are we still not done?”

Velariah smirked. “One more round to go.”

She walked to the dumbbells behind me and took them in her hands. I stood up and moved my pedipalp to the wall. It seemed Minia understood what I wanted as she jumped from my limb onto the wall.

I then turned to Velariah and took the weights in my hands.

“Pray that I’m going to be able to use these arms tomorrow,” I said with a sigh.

“You’ll be fine,” Velariah reassured me.

I did my exercises under the watchful eyes of Velariah, and the even more watchful eight eyes of Minia. My arms became increasingly sore near the end of it, and I hoped I would still be able to lift my weapons the next day in case we went out to the dungeon or quests.

“Ugh,” I groaned as I put the dumbbells on the floor after I finished.

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“Good job, El,” Velariah said as she walked up to me and ruffled my long hair. She then crouched to get the dumbbells and put them in front of the chest.

“You can relax now.”

She walked up to the pack she’d previously put on the crate in the other corner and took it to the tub, where she sat down and fished out a spool.

“I’ll do the work this time,” She smiled.

I smiled. I could do with some rest.

“Except that this leaves me drained, and you know it.”

“It’s alright. I think Elly will start on dinner soon. You can recover all you need.”

I sat down before the wooden tub and rested my arms on the edge while I waited for Velariah to get to work. I closed my eyes and felt myself relax fairly quickly.

“How about Elly?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, she is doing far more now than before, right? How about all the costs for groceries now that I live here? It’s not like I don’t eat much… Then there is Gray as well. She is pretty much taking care of him full-time.”

“Elly’s pay has been increased by a fair bit. Don’t worry about it too much, El. She doesn’t pay for the groceries herself. Besides, food isn’t that expensive for us.”

“Still, I was thinking of getting her something.. You know?”

“That’s alright. Do whatever you feel like doing, El. Though, I feel like I already know what your decision will be.”

“You think ten gold will be appreciated?”

“Seriously, Elania? She might faint if you give her that much.”

“You said it yourself. I’ll do it anyway. Besides, it’s one day of work for me, possibly less than that if I eat a lot in a single day.”

I paused for a second while Velariah ran her hands over my spider abdomen with affection. I loved the feeling it gave me.

“Also, we will have plenty of time before we depart. There are many things we still have to take care of here. One day more or less doesn’t make much of a difference.”

“You’re too nice, El.”

“Elly deserves it.”

I relaxed further as Velariah ran her nimble hands over my spinnerets, causing me to start the silk strands. From there, it was a simple matter of relaxing as Velariah slowly pulled out the threads.

“She is very sweet, isn’t she? I’m impressed at her skill with Gray. She said she had to clean up wolf poo inside the house only once.”

“That is impressive, indeed,” I replied.

Our conversation quieted down as I simply relaxed and let Velariah’s hands do their job.

Money-making never felt this good…

I could fall asleep like this. I wondered if that would actually cause the silk production to stop.

I could hear Velariah call out and realized that I had been in some kind of drowsy state, as if I was between waking and sleeping.

“El, are you okay?” She asked.

I shook my head rapidly, forcing myself back to reality.

“I must have relaxed a bit too much. I’m fine, Vel.”

“I’m starting to get jealous of you, you know? All those extra body parts of yours seem to enjoy my touch a bit too much.”

I smiled. “You have no idea.”

“I think Elly just finished dinner. You hungry?”

I thought for a moment. I didn’t feel as hungry as I expected. I felt drained, sure, but not hungry.

“Not so much. Then again, we plan on repeating this process tomorrow. I need to keep this body sustained,” I said.

“Lame excuse to stuff your face. I know how much you love our maid’s cooking,” Velariah smiled before she took my head in her hands as I turned around.

“A quick kiss before dinner,” She said as she planted her lips on mine. “I’m looking forward to more, tonight.”

“You temptress,” I let out. “I fear I may be too worn out for more, though...”

“It’s fine,” Velariah smiled and peered into my eyes. “Cuddling with you is the second-best thing.”

I chuckled and took her in for a hug before I noticed Minia still staring at us from the wall.

She’d be fine waiting here for a bit, right?

I left her behind and followed Velariah to the dining room. The sight that awaited me made me smile.

Plates were already placed on the table, indicating that dinner was almost ready. Draco and Seralyn were playing a game of checkers.

The reason for my smile was Nira. She had Gray on her lap, who was looking at the harpy with great interest. Nira was playing with him, covering her face with her wings which caused Gray to cock his head. It appeared he was wondering where she’d gone. Nira then revealed her face by quickly retracting her wings, causing Gray to stick out his tongue and continue staring.

It was so damn cute.

“Welcome back,” Seralyn said without turning her attention away from the game before her. “Hope you guys had fun.” She smirked at her remark.

“Sure did,” Velariah said.

Seconds later, Elly entered the room with oven trays with stuffed bell peppers.

Seralyn and Draco finished their game. There were only two turns left to play, anyway. Apparently, the brunette had handily defeated Draco, which came as a surprise to me.

She sure did improve a lot, didn’t she?

It came as no surprise that this food, too, was of the highest quality I could imagine. Seeing so many vegetables and meat stuffed together inside bell peppers gave me an idea for something that I guessed Elly would have no problems with making.

“You guys ever heard of pizza?” I asked when I was the last one still eating.

I shook my head. “I’m stupid. There’s no way that’s going to be called the same in this world. It’s basically some form of bread dough that is rolled out flat. The edge of it is slightly elevated. One then adds tomato sauce on the dough and tops it off with all kinds of meat, vegetables, and cheese before baking it in an oven at high temperature so the dough gets nice and crispy.”

“El,” Velariah started before sighing. “I just finished dinner, why do you have to make me hungry again?”

“I was just wondering if it exists here. When I see all these ingredients… they are very commonly used in pizzas.”

From their absent reactions, I got the idea that this dish was yet to be invented. It didn’t necessarily make me feel sad or anything. I knew this dish was one of the easiest there was.

“Haven’t heard of anything like it,” Draco started. “Sounds delicious though.”

“Oh, but it is,” I spoke. “The best part is that you can make endless variations regarding the toppings. All kinds of fish, meat, vegetables, cheese, hell, even fruit is used.”

I chuckled. “Here is a fun story. There is a certain fruit in my world called pineapple. Now, there are some people who put it on pizza...”

I chuckled again and started laughing.

“What’s the matter?” Velariah asked with a smile.

“For some reason, it is seen as a grave sin to put it on pizza by a fair deal of the population.”

“Your old world sure is weird,” Velariah said, an incredulous expression on her face.

“I have to be honest though. A lot of it has grown way out of proportion. It seems to be a trend that people are eager to go with. It’s more of a joke than anything else.”

“You otherworld humans are crazy, you know that?” Seralyn said.

“I know, I know. I’m not human anymore, though,” I replied.

“What is this… Pineapple you speak of, anyway? I haven’t heard about it,” Draco asked.

“In almost any other language besides my own, it’s called ‘ananas’, or something that very closely resembles that. Do you happen to know that, by any chance?”

Draco shook his head.

Oof. This was going to be tough.

I ate my last bell pepper while I thought of a good way to explain what a pineapple looked like.

“Well,” I started when I finished my dinner. “It’s a fruit with somewhat of a hard… outer layer.”

I started making gestures with my hands to indicate their size.

Having four hands was crazy handy. I didn’t even have to move my hands after I had them in place.

“They are about this big and have strong leaves sticking out on top of the fruit. The outer layer is somewhat prickly. I could draw it if you guys want me to?”

“I already know what fruit you’re talking about,” Velariah laughed. “We get them transported to Dawnleaf sometimes. They are yellow on the inside right? And very sweet.”

I nodded.

“Yeah, it’s as I expected. They are called Conefruit.”

“Conefruit? That’s even worse than pineapple!” I laughed. “And I thought English was bad.”

Nira looked at me as if I’d gone crazy. She obviously had no idea what I was talking about.

“My old language,” I explained.

I imagined Conefruit made some sense, though. They looked more or less like pine cones…

Pine… Cones…

Waaaait a second...

“Is there anything special for the dough?” Elly asked, obviously interested. She broke me out of my newfound discovery of the likely origin of the word ‘pineapple’.

“Olive oil. Do you have that?” I asked.

She nodded.

“Then it’s just a matter of adding a tablespoon or two to the dough, possibly a bit of sugar as food for the yeast, and that’s about it. Theoretically, you can try experimenting with different kinds of flour. I don’t know what works best. I have no idea what kinds you have available.”

“I will most certainly try.” Elly seemed resolved to make this world’s first pizza. I figured I would just let her have fun with it and give her all the credit for it.

“Elly, the only thing I’m asking, please don’t tell anyone that is not us that I was the one to invent this, okay?”

She nodded. “I understand.”

“Thank you, Elly.”

After dinner, I observed Velariah, Seralyn, and Draco play some more checkers while Nira played with Gray. Observing my friends simply filled my heart with fulfillment. After an hour or so, I decided to call it quits and make my way over to the bathroom.

Creating silk, and having an extensive dinner after, had me feeling tired.

Velariah stood up and wanted to come with me. I had told her she could stay here but she was having none of it. I resigned to my fate and bade the others goodnight.

“Goodnight, Miss Elania. Hopefully, we can do some more… adventurous things tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Draco. I hope so too.”

Nira and Seralyn bade us goodnight as well and we retreated to the bathroom.