“Umm…. Hi?” said Sui

‘Hi’ returned the spider

“Wait how can you talk” asked Sui

‘I can’t’ the spider shrugged

“That doesn’t make any sense I can clearly understand you” said Sui

The spider shrugged again ‘You’re the crazy one not me’

… Am I being lectured on my sanity by my own pet that insists it can’t talk. Quickly dismissing that line of thinking, Sui decided to tackle the other more pressing issue.

“Ignoring that, you’ll need a name” said Sui

The spider lifted its front foot ‘Yes, I do… probably’

“Well, you got any ideas?”

The spider tilted its head and raised its third leg ‘How could I have ideas for a name, I’m not that smart’

“See this… this is why I’m wondering if I’m crazy or not. You can’t have enough self-awareness to realise you’d be bad at naming without being capable of naming yourself

The spider pointed both of its second legs towards Sui ‘Hey, you’re the one projecting. What does that say about you?’

“Nope. We are not doing this. You are not about to bring this back around to my on sanity” said Sui “I’m perfectly fine”

The spider crossed its legs and glared ‘You’d sell your grandma’s soul for a bolt of cloth. You are insane’

Sui frowned at that “I would never do that thank you very much”

The spider crossed to more legs ‘Yeah, but only because she’s worth at least six bolts of cloth’

“Exactly” said Sui

“Wait no, what am I saying I wouldn’t trade her for anything” said Sui

The spider changed to crossing its third set of legs ‘Keep telling yourself that’

“I don’t have to take this from you. I didn’t sign up for this” said Sui

The spider tapped its two front left legs ‘Yeah you did. You even took the time to read the warnings’

Sui growled “Well, how do you know all this stuff”

The spider pointed both of its legs towards Sui again

“Yeah yeah I’m the one projecting, so its really just me who knows this stuff, but don’t think for a second I believe you’re an ordinary spider” said Sui

The spider tapped its back leg twice ‘Oh, what gave it away?’

Sui’s eyes narrowed “I suppose I walked right into that one didn’t I”

The spider nodded.

Sui swung herself around so she could sit on the couch. As she moved the spider quickly ducked into her skin for a moment so that it wouldn’t be flung off when she moved, but popped back out once she’d stopped.

“So, I really do need a name for you though. I can’t just call you ‘the spider’” said Sui

The spider shimmied left ‘I mean, you can do whatever you want I can’t stop you’

Sui felt her eye twitch. Is this what its like talking to me? Surely not. Is this spider just fucking with me? I don’t really know how this whole soulbinding thing works, what if I can just here its thoughts

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Then again, surely such a tiny spider can’t have a proper mind of its own… except of course now I know souls are real. And if souls are real it might have all of its mind in its soul. Wait, but if that’s true now that are souls are connected…

“Aha, I see what your doing you little shit. Your just playing along with my subconscious aren’t you” said Sui

The spider bowed ‘She finally gets it’

“So how much do you understand? How much is just going along with the act I seem to be subjected myself to”

The spider flattened its left side before sitting up and doing the same, repeating the action a few times but settling on the left ‘More than you’d like to admit, but probably still less then you’d think’

Sui’s pressed her lips together “I’m not sure if that is reassuring or horrifying if I’m honest. I don’t really understand how sentient you are, and I’m not sure I like the idea that I’m forcing you to do anything”

The spider mimed attacking her ‘It goes both ways’

“Well… shit” said Sui

Letting herself sink further into the chair Sui started to think, in her head this time because apparently speaking out loud was much to dangerous when around her new spider friend. So, I keep bringing it up then getting distracted, but the spider needs a name

The spider nodded

Shit… I’m not even free in my own thoughts. Aw well. So are you a girl spider or a boy spider.

The spider glared at her like she should already know the answer.

Hey asking is polite. But I guess it has to be girl then right? Otherwise are souls would be less compatible?

For once the spider actually seemed to be at a loss, but eventually nodded.

So that’s a yes for girl, but no for compatibility?

The spider bobbed in a shrug ‘How should I know’

“Fair enough” said Sui

“So we could go with some classics, like Charlotte, or Arachn-“ Sui felt a great sense of foreboding once she thought of the second name. Quirking an eyebrow she looked at the spider and saw clear rejection on its face

“Right so not that one… um, Spidy? I guess but that’s a bit too Marvel comics I think. I know Trina would want to name you Kumo, but too bad, I’m not her” said Sui

“Hmm, then again… what about Ito?” asked Sui

The spider gave her a strange look ‘I don’t follow’

“See Ito, that’s the thing. Neither do I. I can’t quite tell what it means but it feels right for some reason” said Sui

The spider- Ito – nodded confused ‘Yeah somehow I agree’

“Is it Japanse? Maybe Hindi like my own name?” said Sui

Ito looked confused ‘Your name is Hindi?’

Sui shrugged “I’m not sure really. I’m clearly not Hindi, and I doubt my parents were either but Grandma insists that it is for some reason”

Ito drummed there right legs on her arm ‘Is Ito Hindi then?’

“Hey, you already admitted I’m projecting, I don’t understand it any better than you do” said Sui

Ito shrugged.

“But we both like it don’t we” said Sui with resignation

Ito nodded.

Sui sighed the longest sigh she’d let out since this whole thing started. The conversation had been one mess after another and really, she wasn’t sure how talking to a spider that seemed to be a piece of her soul now or something could ever really have gone

“Enough about that its cutting into our weaving time. Let’s move on and just accept you are called Ito now. What exactly can you do? Can you spin webs?” asked Sui

Ito shook its head

“Wait what? You said you could weave!” Sui was particularly insulted. I didn’t just sell me soul for something that can’t help me

Ito made a placating gesture ‘You don’t quite understand’

“Oh yeah how so?” said Sui

Ito mimed generating thread, then sunk into her arm, waited a while, then popped back up ‘I USED to be able to but now I can’t’

“Well… that’s just unfair then isn’t it?” said Sui

Ito nodded vigorously ‘Utterly despicable’

“Ooh… if your connected to my soul you must be as annoyed as I am right?” Ito nodded “Well, at least there is that. So what can you do?” asked Sui

Ito sank into her flesh and ran along the white lines. Once she got to the end she started to spin out more ‘thread’. With the new substance she began to weave together a large rope before throwing it across her arm.

In complete defiance of gravity… which perhaps made more sense considering it was her arm. The line seemed to shoot straight off without deviating leaving a fresh line for Ito to move across.

“Right that’s cool and all but what good does that actually do?” asked Sui

Ito tapped the line twice and then suddenly, the spider and the lines crossing her arm disappeared. Sui could still feel Ito somehow, and tell where the spider was hidden, but she doubted anyone, or anything else would have that chance.

A wicked grin spread across Sui’s face. “Sneaky certainly. Do you need to make it visible for you to pop out?”

Ito paused for a moment before jumping out of her arm just after the tattoo? returned.

“I see, so you can leave pretty fast, but you do need to change it back a moment before. Ok I think I can work with this Ito. Do you think you will get your webs back at some point?” asked Sui

Ito nodded hesitantly ‘Probably but I can’t be sure’

Sui stroked her little spidery companion. That’s more than good enough Ito. Ooh the things we can do.

Sui’s grin already wide became even winder as she headed for her room determined to start some weaving… once she got out of these dirty clothes… and ate breakfast.