I squirmed. “Ok. Awkward interlude there aside…”

Soriya looked away, and sighed. “Ok, no, we need to do this. I don’t really want to do this, but we need to address the elephant. Ok? Ok.” She was fell silent, fidgeting with her spellbook.

Lilyanna’s inner voice bugged me. She’s worried because she doesn’t know how to handle your gender. You should reassure her. I blinked in startlement, my mouth opening a few times.

No way. Really!? “Hey… is this about my gender?”

Soriya turned to me with a look of surprise and embarrassment on her face. “Well, yeah. I mean. Look. You’re a girl right now.”

“Yeah, I noticed, thanks.”

She pressed her lips together. “Less of the snark, please, I’m trying to help.”

I ducked my head, that hadn’t been very nice of me. “Sorry.”

Soriya took another deep breath. It’s really such a nice view when she does that.

Rude! Otherme chipped in. Stop staring! She doesn’t like us like that anyway!

Wait, what?! We know this?!

Really, are we dense?! How are you missing this, it’s obvious!

I coughed to cover my confusion. “Ok! So, yeah! I do appear to be a girl for the foreseeable future. I’m… not exactly happy about that fact, but apparently pretending otherwise makes the world mad at me?”

Soriya nodded, a look of relief on her face. I felt a comingled mix of frustration and pleasure. It felt really good to ease her concerns, but mine weren’t helped at all!

“Got it. And I’m guessing you’d… you said you wanted to help.”

Soriya’s twisting of her book got even more intense, and I suddenly ‘got’ what the problem was. I wasn’t sure if it was otherme, or me or if there was a difference but…

“Oh! Hey!” I reached out and took her hand. “Look. I’ll admit, I’m not exactly the best at understanding ‘how girls think’, but I’m not going to take it wrong if you decide to give me a hug for support. It’s… kind of nice actually. But I’m not one of those…” I bit my lip, almost having called myself a boy again. “I don’t think you mean you want to pull me into bed just because of a hug or because we talked about emotional stuff. That’s… that’s just what friends do, right? So… so it’s ok. We’re friends. Weird friends, to be sure, but friends.” I shook my head. “So it’s ok to treat me like what I am. A very confused girl. If either of us decide that’s…. that we’d like…. more… that’s a very long way in the future.” My lips twisted in a wry smile. “Is that enough confused earnest healer girl for you?”

Soriya’s expression through my wandering monologue had been a look of exasperated amusement, appalled embarrassment, and sympathetic cringing but at the end she gave a genuine laugh, then reached over and hugged me.

I hugged back, thinking It’s a pity she’s not interested, this really is very nice.

No means no! otherme informed me in quite a severe tone of voice.

Hey, I can enjoy the scenery. Soriya said so herself. Otherme didn’t respond to that, though I could feel a thoughtful confusion in her/me.

“Right.” I released the hug and pulled back the covers. It was weirdly embarrassing to be wearing my nightgown in front of Soriya like this, my legs were completely bare but… But for now, we’re both girls and that’s… it’s just anatomy! “So… Let me get dressed and we’ll figure out where to start looking for that break. Right?”

Soriya looked down at my legs and then up at my face again and I caught the faintest hint of a blush in her cheeks. She nodded. “Right. So. I’ll just…”

I smiled at her. “Yes, please examine my wallpaper for a bit while I get dressed.”

“Hm, right!” She strode purposefully over to a wall and pretended to examine the floral patterns.

I hurriedly shucked off my nightgown, and threw it onto my bed. Hm, I’ll need to get rid of those bloody bandages too. I thought as I hurried over to my dressers. It was easier this time, otherme felt closer and easier to understand, much easier to pick out underwear, and a suitable dress that wasn’t too out of fashion.

“So, speaking of clothes!” Soriya announced to the wall. “We should get you starter gear. One of the travelling peddlers at the fair sells very nice sage robes, and since we’re going to fight the pixies again-”

I shuddered all over, feeling a heat of anger filling me. “Yes. We are.” I ground out.

Soriya paused at the tone I my voice, then continued “Since we’re fighting them, and they use magic attacks, the sage’s robes would be a good equip for you. And since I know you’re going to freak out, I’ll mention it now. I’m wearing sage robes now. They ah… they seem to shift to suit the wearer’s disposition and class preference.”

I stopped pulling on my stockings and looked up at her. She was still staring at the wall. “So… stereotypical healer girl outfit?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

I finished pulling on my stockings and wiggled my feet into my boots. The heel didn’t even bother me anymore.

I stamped my feet firmly and stood up, brushing my skirts free.

“Then that’s no problem. Because that’s what I am right now.” The room didn’t grow noticeably brighter, and I didn’t get a sudden feeling of lessening gloom, but I did feel like I wasn’t fighting against something that I hadn’t realized I’d been pushing against.

“Huh. Ok, you can look now.” I sat down again to braid my hair. Soriya turned around with a small sigh of relief.

“For now at least-” I continued, weaving my long strands of pink hair into a thick braid. “-we’re both girls on the internet. The rarest of rare unicorns.”

Soriya barked a startled laugh. “We’re definitely not on the internet. I’m pretty sure this isn’t Ready Player 1.”

“No” I replied thoughtfully, carefully tying a pink bow around the tail of my braid “But this world does act very strangely, with it’s System and isekai, and bending feels a bit like a computer glitching, don’t you think?”

“I suppose.” She replied thoughtfully. “When you arrived. Do you know how you came here?”

I shrugged. “I haven’t the faintest. The last thing I remember was falling asleep on a beach.” My lips twitched into a bitter smile. “I was on vacation. Now I’m on the ultimate getaway, huh?” My laugh threatened to become a sob again, and Soriya leaned over and hugged me.

“Hey. Less of that. You might not think we’re real friends, but I like what I’ve seen of you so far. Both of you. So I declare that we are hereby real friends.”

I choked on a giggle and my lips quirked into a smile. She really was irrepressible. Both halves of me felt that she was right too. Somehow, despite this insanity, we really were friends, and of course otherme insisted she’d been “best friends” with Soriya forever.

“So what about you?” I asked.

Soriya shrugged. “I wasn’t hit by truck-kun if that’s what you mean, but I’m pretty sure I did die. The last thing I really remember is taking a bad tumble down a flight of stairs. And then I was waking up as Soriya.”

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“So… no goddess? No visions or dreams or great destiny?”

“After I died, you mean? Not exactly.” She put her finger on her chin thoughtfully. “I mean, sort of? Like, we’re in a jrpg arc, right? And that means that we’re totally going to save the world from something terrible! That’s pretty obvious.”

“I don’t see how you can be so cavalier about this. You’re acting like you want to follow the storyline! Do you… you know that there’s at least a solid chance we’ll be betrayed, likely killed, and almost certainly a massive downer ending where the exotic beauty has to die tragically!” I pointed to her and then at myself. “That’s us, you know! And that’s if we don’t actually legit die from random combats! I don’t think we can take our survival for granted after the pixie’s, do you?”

Soriya frowned at that. “I hadn’t thought about that. I guess we can’t take it for granted there will always be a farmer Wither to drag us out. And you’re the tragic healer girl too… But, but I just can’t let whatever terrible thing is going to happen, just happen! That’s not right at all!” she nodded firmly. “You can’t actually be willing to just let the world get taken over by a psychopath, or turned into a deathworld or something can you!?”

I swallowed, and within me Lilyanna announced loudly We will never let that happen! We would die to stop that!

Hey, woah, otherme, chill! The idea is that nobody dies! Dead girls don’t stop apocalypses! I thought angrily.

I was uncomfortably aware, however, that while I very much did not want to die, the thought of something terrible happening to everyone around me made me deeply uncomfortable. This world felt undeniably real, no matter how much like a game it presented as. And… I felt really sad too, honestly, the idea that these people….

My mother and all my friends! otherme added.

It was true. I couldn’t just do nothing if there really was some world-ending supervillain out there! And also, if I’m being even a little honest with myself… it really would be amazingly cool to be a real honest-to-gosh heroine, without any messy moral gray areas.

The Lilyanna part of me announced Then it’s settled. We are going to save the world. I swallowed again.

I guess I’d better get cracking on the ‘not dying’ part then. And also the not carrying the idiot ball constantly would be good.

The what?

Nevermind, hopefully you’ll never find out.

“You’re right.” I was surprised at the strength in my voice. I was so used to this new voice of mine being sweet and soft, but this doubled determination came out with quiet iron in it. “You’re right, I can’t!” I felt a gush of pleasure, both halves of myself in such deep agreement.

“So, where do we start?” Asked Soriya, after a bit of a pause.

“I believe the traditional answer is ‘at the beginning’” I smiled at her. “How about we start by letting my mother know I’m alright.”

“Oh! Yeah, let’s do that.”

I grabbed my staff, and we headed downstairs, our heels clunking on the wooden boards. Sure enough, the sound of our footsteps was answered by similar rushing feet downstairs, and my mother appeared on the landing, hands clutched to her bosom.

“Lilyanna! Are you alright?!” she rushed up the stairs to give me a fierce hug, almost knocking me off my feet. I patted her back awkwardly. “Yes, mother, I’m fine, thanks to your healing potions.”

“Oh thank goodness!” She pulled back, hands on my shoulders. “Do you know how worried I was!?” She started to shake me; her expression fierce. “Don’t you ever do something like that again?!”

Ok… I thought, as I wobbled back and forth on the stairs. Definitely still a girl to mom. No sign of a break here. Lil help, lily?

My otherself came to my rescue, slipping out of my mother’s grasp, folding my hands in front of me and bowing repeatedly in apology. “I’m so sorry, mother, I’m so very sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you!”

Bowing? What are we, Japanese?

Puzzled emotion from my other half. This is how one does a proper apology?

Followed by another hug. Mother wiped her eyes, and led us downstairs. “Well, now that you’re here! Soriya told me that Ms Buxby gave you those apples for your help with her garden. Since you’re here, you can help me distill them into potions!”

“Oh… uh…” I really should help, I caused her so much trouble, I owe her this much at least? But we needed to find out what the break did! I glanced over at Soriya helplessly.

Soriya jumped into the breach with her usual energy. “That sounds great, Miss Holly! I was responsible for getting her into this mess, so I should help out too!”

My mother’s name is Holly?

Of course it is? What else would it be?

Right. And… our last name?

Last name? … Holly’s… daughter? Why would we have two names?

I felt a little bubble of laughter float up and emerge as a giggle, that I stifled with a hand over my mouth turned into a clasping of hands in front of my chest. “Yes, please mother, do let Soriya help?!” Sweetness and milk and now my hands in front of my chest. Yes, I think I might be a healer girl.

Mother smiled at us in exasperation, and then I could see her give in. “Alright Soriya, you can stay.” Soriya actually bounced on the balls of her feet with excitement. That can’t be easy in heels… I was starting to get the feeling that nothing really kept her down for long… well that and she was always excited to use magic of any sort. I sighed mentally. Our best friend is a magical psychopath. What a pair we are.

Mother continued. “With your {Ritualism} skill as an {Elementalist} and an {Entropist} we should get done much more quickly than normal.”

She was right, the work was surprisingly easy and quickly done. Or perhaps not that surprising, with three magic users (yes, I counted now as well) helping out. The apples were thrown into a bubbling cauldron, and rendered down while the elemental aspects of them were brought to the surface. Glowing magical effects and spinning magic circles played a large part in this, and it was actually fascinating to learn… well relearn, since otherme knew all about how this worked… the process.

Once the elemental aspects were brought to the surface, my healing magic was added to the cauldron, turning the bubbling soup a brilliant mingled swirl of blue and red and gold. The cauldron was decanted into a kind of magical centrifuge where the Health, Wholeness, and Stamina aspects were fractioned out in a complex series of interlinked glass tubes and beakers, while more magical effects were added to further purify the components. The three elementally purified aspects slowly dripped into separate potion bottles, glowing gold, red, and blue. It was rather amusing to realize that yes, my mother really was a witch! A {Tinkerer(Alchemy):6} and {Wayfarer:4} apparently. I made me giggle to realize that my mother was a higher-level adventurer than me. Which spurred a thought.

“Mother, did you ever go adventuring?”

When my mother ducked her head and blushed, I knew the answer was yes, and both halves of me were savvy enough to realize this was a sore point.

“Just because I was headstrong and foolish when I was younger is no reason why you should be!” she replied heatedly.

Soriya’s lips quirked into a smile as she said “Actually, I’d say that’s very much a reason! Like mother like daughter!”

Holly wiped her hands on her apron and faced Soriya putting her hands on her hips. “You are in no position to lecture me, Miss Soriya!”

Now is when we should jump in. My otherself whispered into our mind.

“Mother, please don’t be too hard on her. You’ve raised me as your daughter, it’s no surprise that I’m more like you than not.”

Holly’s eyes got misty and she wrung her hands in her apron. “Yes, but you were supposed to only get the good bits, not the dangerous ones!” she cried.

I knew better than to reply, but apparently Soriya didn’t. I elbowed her to be silent just as she opened her mouth. We finished distilling the potions in relative silenced, the clink of glass on stone a gentle rhythm. When we were done, a batch of 25 bottles of blue and red and gold was laid out in front of us, which was indeed a very good yield. As Miss Buxby had promised the apples were very good potion making material, and I could tell that With Soriya and I helping, the process was even better.

I stepped back, wiping my hands on my own apron as we finished up, then bowed to mother again. “I really am sorry mother. I’ll be much more careful from now on. I wouldn’t want to worry you.”

This was apparently the right thing to say, as mother pulled me into a hug and sniffled into my shoulder for a bit, then held me by the shoulders, looking into my eyes. “You must promise me not to do dangerous things like this, Lilyanna!”

I had been bad at lying before, and I just knew Lilyanna had to be atrocious. So I didn’t try. “I can’t promise that mother, you know I can’t. What about the time I fell down in the pig pen, and got bit by a mudpuppy? Or the time that a wind sylph almost blew me out of the tree I was climbing? I’m not made of glass mother; you can’t keep me in the potion cabinet.”

Well well. Hint of determination? I guess we’re not a doormat after all?

We were never a doormat. We just don’t have to be rude about it!

“I promise that I won’t take foolish risks. I was careless, and didn’t take the danger seriously. I won’t make that mistake again.”

“Oh, Lilyanna!” And mother hugged me again, her eyes misting. “You really are just like me!”

“That’s not a bad thing then.” I returned the hug, feeling a strange mushy warmth in my heart. This woman might not really be my mother-

She most certainly is!

-but she felt like one. And really, in this strange mixed-up world, it was good to have a place that felt like a safe harbor.

We took our leave, taking several bottles from the brewing with us. As we walked towards town, Soriya gave me a glance. “I could ask if you were really a boy, that was very healer mage of you. But I suspect you have a rider like me.” She tapped her temple meaningfully.

“Oh!” My hand seemed to naturally float to my chest in surprise. “Do you have a little Soriya giving you advice too?!”

She nodded. “I do. Though, admittedly, as time has gone on, it’s more like… we’re the same person, with slightly different memories.” She shrugged. “But I like her. I like being Soriya.” She danced a few steps ahead of me and spun in a circle. “I get to be a cool sexy magic heroine in a jrpg!”

I choked a laugh, and shook my head, then finally said “Well. I think I would have preferred to finish my vacation in a normal way rather than… this. But I am glad for you. I’m glad one of us has had something undeniably good happen.”

She nodded happily as we continued back to Breezewood.