What is Love?
Over the next four days, I spend a lot of my time training to get back into shape. I’ve lost a lot of muscle over the last few weeks so it’s important to get back into it. Scarlet has been sleeping uninterrupted through those days and even though I’m still a little apprehensive around her I do often find myself resting next to her.
Even though I don’t want to admit it I do feel drawn to her… Maybe this is what it feels to have blood ties with someone.
On the morning of the fifth day during breakfast, I hear a loud yawn as Scarlet stretches her body and spreads her wings. They seem to have completely healed. Still in her draconic form, she walks over to me and rubs her face on me before licking my face, “Good morning, Rose.”
A bit apprehensive, I answer, “Good morning, did you sleep well? Also my name is not Rose.”
“I did sleep well, thanks to you keeping me company, Rose.”
Rayla firmly interjects, “He said he doesn't want to be addressed by the name Rose.”
Scarlet grins, “I’m aware, it will take time for her to get used to it. If she still doesn’t like it once three months have passed I’ll stop.”
She then transforms into her humanoid form and sits down next to me while petting my head. “So, you wanted to go down to the town for a vacation, correct?”
“Yep, because of what they did to Thoma we get to have a paid vacation, so we’re going to take full advantage of the fact that the doc didn’t put down a maximum price and take the most expensive room they have, kekeke.”
Scarlet's eyes narrow, “Who did what to my sister?”
“The Sheriff of a town about a week away tortured him.”
Jumping up from her seat, Scarlet runs over to Rayla, “What!? How dare they touch my kin!? Who was it? Where are they!?”
“Calm down, the Sheriff is already dead and we got compensation for it. Thoma is also doing better again.”
“Hmph, at least you took care of that cretin after," Calming down again she walks over to me and holds my hand between hers, "But to think that you were hurt like that Rose…It fills me with sadness.”
Looking at her face, it does look like she genuinely does care and her face is full of compassion.
“How can you look at me like that? We barely know each other. Why do you care how I feel?”
“Because you are my sister of course.”
“So the only reason you like me is because Ifrit changed me? Would you have even talked to me if I wasn’t turned into a dragon?”
“Who knows? Does it matter?”
“Of course it matters! You don’t like me, you just like what I became! If I suddenly lost Ifrit's gift and turned human again you would just leave me!”
“Nope, I don’t think I would. If she did that I’d try to find a different way to turn you back.”
“How do you know that? What if Ifrit is just brainwashing both of us to like each other!? This thing I feel for you is probably just some instinct she gave me!”
Thinking for a bit, Scarlet sits back down, crosses her legs and looks at me in a calm manner, “Hmm, for starters, Ifrit can’t brainwash us, that’s not her domain. What she can do is strengthen the feelings we already have but if we didn’t like each other it wouldn’t work, it would just increase our dislike for each other. Also what’s so wrong with instinct? Everyone has one, you’d have instincts too if you were human. Right now your instinct is telling you something is wrong, that means your instinct is not being manipulated because I can assure you, you can’t win against a Spirit King with just willpower.”
“B-but-”
“Let’s say for the sake of the argument she convinced both Nox and Lum to put all their power into making us think we love each other. So what? It doesn’t make what we feel any less real so why does it matter?”
“It matters because you’d stop loving me if that changed! We don’t have a relationship based on understanding each other and liking the person that’s inside!”
“Of course not, how could we? We just met.”
“Exactly, so-”
She smiles, “So, all we have to do is get to know each other more. Our instincts are already telling us we’re family so let’s get to know each other until you can say with full confidence that I am your big sister and you are my little sister.”
“But isn’t this the wrong way around?”
“Not at all. It happens every time a younger sibling is born. They don’t have a personality to like yet and we still love them and they love us. The personality develops after we already love each other. So I really truly do love you Rose and it’s okay for you to love me too, you’re just a baby after all. Don’t think about things like this too deeply. Just live in the moment and enjoy what you feel.”
Slightly embarrassed, I stomp my foot on the ground, “I-I’m not a baby! Sher Aka you’re a lot smarter than I am, what do you think of this?”
“Well, Scarlet did make some valid and sound arguments. She obviously thought this through and it’s a perfectly valid way to see things. Whether you agree with her view or not is your decision though. All I can tell you is that what she said makes sense and is logically consistent.”
“I…I…I feel really confused right now! I’m going to the wagon!”
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Rayla then tries to go after Thoma Ahad but Sher Aka stops her, “Let him try to figure this out by himself. This is not something we can help him with.”
“Are you sure? He gets frustrated so rarely it’s genuinely worrying.”
Raising her hand, Scarlet interjects, “I might have an idea why she’s acting differently, how long has it been since Rose met Ifrit?”
“About three weeks.”
“That means her body is only about three weeks old. Perhaps less. Even if her mind was a lot more developed before that, her new body will still affect her mind in some way or another. I would not be surprised if she fully returns to having the mind of an infant soon. I want to ask you to let her go with me if that happens. She needs a stable family to raise her, not a bunch of vagabonds that earn their money through adventuring.”
Thinking for a bit, Rayla answers, “Fine. You can take oki with you if that happens but only under the condition that you take me with him.”
“I can do that.”
John, visibly angry, interrupts, “No one has the right in this group to make decisions for others without talking to each other first. Isn’t that what you told me? I object to this deal. Sure, Thoma Ahad might be changing a bit but he was always a bit child-like and that never bothered you before. He has one internal conflict about feeling completely new things after his entire fucking race changed and you’re already talking behind his back about what to do when he completely loses his mind! Let the poor guy figure things out and don’t just instantly write him off! The amount of suffering he goes through on a daily basis is already large enough, he doesn’t need his family to lose faith in him on top of that. Also, he and us deserve a fucking vacation and if you dare make this all about yourself instead of letting Thoma Ahad relax and figure things out I swear to you I’ll rip you a new one. Now let’s go get a room before they are all booked out.”