With the last of the water we managed to find now gone down her throat, an exhausted Ariel gasped and heaved. She then tossed the empty bottle away and leaned back against a café counter, with her legs splayed out, sore and even worse, wounded.

There were tiny pieces of dark chitin lodged into the soles of her feet. Although, thankfully, she wasn't bleeding profusely.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Guila asked, unsure of her own expression as she knelt next to Ariel's legs, while carrying pieces of torn up curtain and hand towels on a wide metal tray. "You should've told me."

"I…!!" A flash of what could've been anger appeared on Ariel's expression, but no further answer came.

"..." Of course Guila noticed that minute change. But she had no idea what to say, so she just looked away to tend to her wounds. ‘The last thing I would've wanted was for you to feel pressured to carry me.’

She thought about saying it, but that would’ve meant Ariel leaving her behind. And… shockingly enough, Guila didn’t want that to happen either. So all she could do at this point was try to alleviate her pain. But as soon as she pinched one of the chitin pieces, Ariel hissed. Then she groaned between gritted teeth when the nearly centimeter-long piece was pulled out and the bleeding worsened.

"Just a few more, okay?"

Guila couldn't possibly know what Ariel was thinking at this point, but she had an idea. Regret. Ariel must be regretting what she did. If she were in her shoes, Guila probably would’ve too. However, Ariel didn't want to voice it. Because her Mistress was the reason behind her actions.

"...nhrk!!"

With every pinch and every pull, relief washed over Ariel and her reactions weakened. Until the last piece was dropped onto the floor. Then, Guila patted the gunk and blood away with a towel, giving both feet a rough cleaning.

But they weren't done yet.

Bracing for her inevitable reaction, Guila held both of Ariel's calves on her lap and held them against her waist. Then she reached for the gel sanitizer she found behind the counter, and, with a worried look, she soaked a clean towel with it.

"We don't have alcohol. So, I'll have to smear this on your feet several times. Otherwise, you'll get sick. But it's going to sting… a lot." After hearing that, Ariel stared at where she thought Guila’s face was with terrified eyes, but she nodded anyway.

"Here, bite down on this." She told Ariel as she pushed another rolled towel lengthwise across her mouth. "Try not to scream, okay?"

Ariel may have nodded, but there's no way that was ever going to happen. When the towel touched her sole, she growled. And, when Guila had to wipe the gunk away, she screamed like she was being murdered.

"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGG!!!!"

But she couldn’t stop there. Once she was sure no stains remained, Guila pooled more sanitizer into her hands, and proceeded to massage her feet - trying to push as much gel into her wounds. She honestly wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do, but her wounds were deep, and she knew for a fact these things carried all sorts of diseases. So… despite how much agony she was in…

‘I have to!’

“NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

She thrashed violently, but she was too weak and exhausted to truly shake Guila off anymore, even in her current state. The piece of cloth did its best too, but Ariel had never felt this sort of searing pain. Being wounded was one thing, but this-! No matter how much she understood that they had to stay as quiet as possible, she couldn't help it.

Guila did her best to help muffle her voice further with another towel, but it still wasn't enough. Nevertheless, it would soon be over and… she used one last hand towel to wipe both of Ariel's feet clean. Her physiology was… honestly fascinating. She barely bled, despite the severity of her wounds. Or… was that a bad thing, and her body had healed with the pathogens inside her.

All Guila knew for sure was that a day or two in a Health Pod will deal with it very quickly. All that mattered was getting home quickly in order to use it.

Slowly, she used some cut-up tablecloth as makeshift bandages, as well as rudimentary footwear.

‘I… I should’ve thought of it beforehand. That janitor’s room, no, even at the clinic - there was so much cloth there, we never needed to travel barefoot!

But… why didn’t I… WHY DIDN’T I THINK ABOUT IT…!’

Carefully, as gently and as snugly as she possibly could, Guila wrapped her feet. After all, it was these feet and these legs, smaller than her own, which managed to get them this far. Then, slowly, she placed her legs back down on the floor and checked outside.

No insects. Not on the brick road, on the other buildings, not a single one in sight. Besides a few of the tiny, inch-sized ones. The same thing was true inside the cafe, where the only sign of their presence was the stench that wafted in from the way they came.

Most likely, everyone who was in this area were unharmed by the initial disaster and then moved to the Main Square. Since there was no food or targets here, none of the insects were present either. However, Ariel probably had a much clearer picture than her, despite being unable to see. Although, little did she know what she actually focused her hearing on.

"Mistress…" Ariel called out, while staring at where the only other source of breathing was. But, she held herself back. She didn't know if Guila was looking at her, but she hoped with all her heart, that she wasn't. Because right now, her mind kept reminding her of what she had nearly done.

It was only right, of course. Given the crime she was so close to committing.

‘But why?! Why did I think of doing something so evil, to someone I loved with all of my heart? Am I defective? Is that why I’m unworthy to chase after Mistress and Master?! Even if I was, why would I leave Mistress behind, when we needed each other more than ever before?! Isn’t that what I-’

Then these swirling thoughts, through which she ground her teeth, were cut short.

"... You've been calling me Mistress, again." Guila's words were somber. "I guess, my name doesn't roll off the tongue that well, huh?"

The same ears that allowed her to notice her Mistress’ attempts at deception before, now once again, showed Ariel the sadness and desperation that she felt - the genuine emotions that could only be portrayed through the subtleties in one's voice. Though, there was no way that Guila could know that.

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"Mistress…" She whispered back. To which Guila immediately turned around to look, only to see Ariel staring down at herself with seemingly lifeless eyes.

"... do you really need me?"

"?!"

She was taken aback by the sudden question, but rather than answer immediately, Guila's thoughts returned to the words she told Ariel little more than an hour ago. Then came the fear of what would come next. How exactly had she interpreted what she'd said? Was there still a chance to fix it?

Ariel took her shocked silence differently, however. Since there was no doubt in her mind that her Mistress already knew what she was about to say. After all, she understood nothing about love, until Guila told her the truth.

"Because I learned something… earlier, I told you that I loved you and Master. But… I don't." Ariel spoke slowly and quietly, while so visibly disheartened. But just like before, when she first laid her heart out, Guila couldn't speak. She wasn't allowed to. She had to listen and accept whatever came her way.

"... Before we started acting like friends, you told me that to be loved, I should be needed first." Then, Ariel began to sob. But no tears accompanied her dry heaving. "That's why… I was so happy when you told me not to give up. Because, even if you never said it, you admitted that you needed me, too."

'Acting'. Ariel was much more than capable of playing a part, and… she completely fell for the performance? That one word alone, nearly made Guila buckle. But clearly, this wasn't over yet.

"I thought, that was my chance to make you love me back. I felt like I could do anything. Even though I was so scared, I was able to act strong, walking ahead, carrying the weapon, and, and... just like Master in the memories I was given. Someone that you could fully rely on…!"

"But…" Her heaving got louder, and maybe that was when she finally noticed it herself. Because she covered her mouth with both hands and waited until it passed, before she continued. "I'm so sorry, Mistress…"

"Ariel…" Guila gasped out her name, with trembling hands and lips. She knew that she wouldn't want to hear what came next. But her next words left her lips, regardless. "What are you talking about…?"

"I wanted to drop you, Mistress." Ariel paused, surprised by how easily she was able to reveal it. But the sound of Guila limping closer, relit her conviction to keep talking. "Y-you were so heavy and it hurt so much to run."

Conversely to her who goes silent when confronted, Ariel grew bolder with every word she spoke.

"I was so afraid I'd die because I had to keep carrying you. That's why I didn't tell you about my feet! Because I had to atone for-" Even though she heard it coming, Ariel still couldn't prepare herself for what came next.

When the empty water bottles they’d left on the floor were knocked out of the way, she clearly thought she'd get slapped. Abused just like before all this happened, for being the wretch that she must've always been.

‘I understood perfectly what she was thinking and what she was expecting… it… was just like me.’ But instead, Guila just loomed over her. Though she could not see, Ariel did not have a hard time imagining her expression. Anger. Hatred. Maybe even tears, if her Mistress still had some left to cry. Yet Guila only watched. ‘She must be feeling so… weak, right now.’

"I… that's why..” Just as quickly as it came, her fervor evaporated. Along with whatever conviction gave her the strength to be defiant and even dare to speak out. “... I'm not worthy to…"

As Guila knelt down and the rustle of thick clothing neared her, so too did Ariel reach her limits. She raised her hands to her chest in some ill-thought of defense. But she couldn’t even bring them up to protect her face. She was completely drained of energy. When she realized the pointlessness of her attempt, Ariel shut her eyes and turned away, terrified… but accepting of the palm that she just knew was coming.

Then Guila's arms wrapped around her neck.

"Eh…?"

She was being hugged, However, there was no relief to be had, as Guila's grip tightened and her shoulder pushed up against her chin, forcing her to stretch her neck and face directly upward.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry, Ariel." As if oblivious to the discomfort and pain she was causing, Guila whispered, her voice cracked and crying. Regret? Anger towards herself? Thanks to all those self-serving emotions and ideas, she’d deluded herself into thinking that she had begun to rebuild their relationship. She believed that, despite not even taking the time to truly understand the grave harm she’d done to the young girl's heart.

"I'm sorry. I was jealous and defensive, but you're right." Guila paused, trying to figure out the best words to say. "... you don't love us. Because, you were made to think that way."

"But wanting to drop me wasn't really a bad thing." She knew her attempts to console and reassure were clumsy. That, like how Ariel tried to copy their husband, she could never emulate her mother, who always knew what to say to console me. Because her mama never needed to ask her for forgiveness.

However, she did.

"Loving someone doesn't mean never having thoughts that go against that love. I got angry at my-" Guila pursed her lips, then continued when the moment passed. "I…There's no need to punish yourself for it, okay? It's normal."

As unqualified as she was, Guila thought she finally understood something; that taking up her mother's mantle was the first step to actually building their relationship properly. To be one to raise Ariel. But the second and more important step was to tell her directly.

"You don't have to act when around me anymore, understand? You can be scared. You can be angry and complain. You can be selfish. But most of all, you can stop worrying about being thrown away. Even if you don't love us yet, me and your Master… we'll care for you, in every way that we can. So that you can learn to love us."

"... really?"

Unknown to Guila, despite the pain and discomfort she was causing at that point in time, Ariel felt an emotional levity she never thought she could experience. Enough to ignore everything else that could’ve taken away from it.

"Yes, really. We're a team now. No more Mistress or anything. I promise you."

"I… I was going to…"

"But you didn't. I didnt even notice what you were about to do. So, I don't mind it at all."

Of course, that was a lie. Guila figured out the possibility even before Ariel mentioned it herself. Yet, why say that now? It was just a childish misdemeanor. It was Guila’s job to forgive it after a sufficient punishment was given, and she already did. It took a while for Ariel to realize her own tears finally running down her cheeks. But when she finally did, she wailed against her shoulder.

Even though she knew that what she wanted most to hear would never leave Guila’s lips.

Neither of them could have possibly known it at this time, but Ariel had been freed. She was free to finally start choosing for herself. Even more unknown were the choices she'd make.

When the tears finally stopped, they smiled while in each other's arms. No more delusions. No more forced-upon responsibilities. Just blank slates with which we could write anew. Starting now, all the joys they’d share and pains we’ll give one another, will be what’s carved into those slates.

"I don't want to carry you ever again, Mistress… I mean, Guila."

"I don't want that either. That was the first time my lower back has hurt ever since it was changed, you know?"

Even while whispering beneath the backdrop of distant chittering and deathly stillness, the atmosphere between them was lighter than it had ever been before. Eventually, they walked out of the cafe's smashed front door, hand in hand - neither of us noticing any danger.

Then came a distant ping, a dull bang, and strong flashes of light in the distance. Not a second later, came the deafening buzz of thick and black clouds as they rose into the sky and converged towards the source.

Those in the Kyrsana Opera House had made their move.