Chapter narrated by: Lira
Date: 20/14/95
Genies were a very rare kind of creature, mostly found in the desertic domains of Aethon's Expanse.
They were huge monsters with four arms, huge paws with giant claws, but from what they have told me, what made them dangerous was their capacity to imitate mortals' voices and use magic.
Once I said I wanted to be an adventurer. Mayreel told me a story. She once met an adventurer who came from the east of Carath's Forge, in a city near the border with Aethon's Expanse.
The said man invited Mayreel for a drink and told her about a contract. He and his party needed to hunt down and bring a Genie alive for a zoo.
It was supposed to be easy. The party was formed of four good adventurers, and the Genie was trapped in a cave without being able to get out.
Not that it had no way to get out, but genies are very particular monsters. Once you trap one in a space, they are simply unable to get out unless someone allows it.
So every condition was in favor of the adventurers, but once they got into the cave, they were the ones feeling hunted. The creature moved in the walls, imitating their voices and making the party separate.
At the end, they managed to catch the creature in a cage and close it, successfully capturing and transporting the Genie.
Mayreel said that she found it sad how creatures that originated from the land of freedom became powerless once their freedom got taken away. I found that contradiction a bit funny.
I think the reason I'm remembering all of this is because of the current situation with Ali.
There was no strange nature about her that prevented her from leaving a place—at least none that I knew of—it was simply that she herself did not want to leave the cage, in this case, our shared room.
A few days ago, when I found her in the market, her warmth was not as bright as before. It looked sad, no, not sad, scared.
The light that shined so brightly yesterday seemed like a tiny candle now, one that barely could light up a dark room in the night.
I didn't have to wonder much. The first thing she did was run towards me and hug me tightly. She cried for a while, a very long while.
I wanted to say something, try to calm her down, ask her what had happened, but I didn't know how to. I think part of me forgot how to formulate a sentence that made sense or felt appropriate in that moment.
What do you say when someone you care about is crying on your chest and you have no idea what happened?
Frustrated, that is how I felt holding Ali. I felt frustrated at myself for not being able to say something to her.
And that frustration only grew.
It grew when she calmed down and refused to tell me what had happened, saying it was nothing.
It grew each time she refused to leave our room at the inn for the past few days, putting every excuse she could.
And it grew even more when I realized nothing I said to her seemed to work.
Now it was just the two of us. Sera had left this morning, and I decided enough was enough.
And once again, she seemed to refuse to leave. It was morning, light shined through the window, and I went for my attempt.
"Ali," I said softly, stepping closer. "They're decorating the central district for the New Year festival today. The whole street is going to be covered in lights and ribbons. Come outside with me."
A sudden rustle of sheets broke the air, followed by her voice.
"Oh Lira, what are you talking about? Why spend such a beautiful day surrounded by a bunch of mortals when we can stay here and cuddle all day? Don't be silly."
There she comes once again, the same energy of usual Ali, acting as if she was completely fine even if I could feel the fear in her.
"What is so bad about spending time with mortals? I'm a mortal, Ali. You have never had a problem being with me."
She shifted a bit, and with her, the warmth in the room.
"THAT IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT!"
"No, it isn't—"
"It is!"
The air shifted violently as she crossed the space between us, stopping just in front of my chest.
"I have known you for as long as I have had memories to keep," Ali whispered, the fake cheer entirely stripped from her tone, leaving only a raw, bleeding honesty. "Being with you isn't like being around them. Being with you feels... natural. Like breathing. When I am away from you, the world is just deafening, hollow noise, and I spend every second just waiting to get back to you. When I'm with you, I feel complete."
She paused, her fingers hovering near my sleeve.
"So don't you ever compare yourself to other mortals, Lira. Because to me, you aren't like them at all. You are the only place where I feel safe."
Every word she said made the air in the room change. I couldn't explain how. It was… warmer? But somehow, at the same time, it wasn't. I still don't know what emotion that was.
And I could feel the same warmth of hers in my face…
No!
Concentrate, Lira. You must not allow your goddess to become a shut-in that only wants to hug all day!
After some time thinking about what to say, I finally found the right words.
"Then don't go out to see the lights or the ribbons," I whispered, closing the small gap between us until I could feel the heat radiating off her face. "Go out for me. If I am your safe place, Ali, then let's go together. Just hold my hand, step past that door, and let me keep you safe. Could you do that for me, Ali? Could you accompany me outside?"
I offered my hand, and after a moment of hesitation, she took it.
"...fine…but I don't get why you are so excited for some New Year decorations. It is not like we are going to see a few of them…" She said with her grumpy tone, but the warmth had stayed the same as before.
I just laughed and led her to the door of the room, our hands never leaving each other.
The sound in the streets outside got to us the very moment we opened the door of the inn. The sound of footsteps against the rock floor and carts moving came to us.
After three days, hearing the sound of everyday life in Vareth from a place that was not my window felt nostalgic.
Ali also seemed to react to them, but not in the same way. She just got closer to me, our elbows almost touching, and didn't say a word.
We walked through the streets for hours. At first, I could feel the warmth around Ali shifting between various emotions constantly: fear, caution, sadness, worry, and accompanying those changes was Ali's head.
I could feel how it moved from side to side, looking everywhere.
Each time this happened, I gave her hand a gentle squish, reminding her I was here with her.
And it was working. After a few hours of us strolling, she seemed to calm down. Her head had stopped moving like a pendulum, and her warmth finally relaxed.
It made me happy. I could feel the frustration I had felt for days finally leaving.
That was, until we found the dog.
After some hours strolling through the streets, we found something lying in the road. From how it felt, it was an animal, not a very big one. Still, it seemed to undo all the progress Ali had made as she halted the moment we came close to it.
"STOP!!!!" Ali screamed. "There is a beast in front of us, Lira! Don't you see it?"
"Ali, I can't see…"
"You know I meant with your abilities, Lira!!!"
"It doesn't feel like a beast, Ali. I think it is just an animal…"
The resting 'beast' seemed to be interested in our conversation. It stood up from the floor and joined with a loud:
"Wauf"
…
"Ali, it is a dog…"
"Is it…?"
"Ali! You have seen dogs before! Sometimes people brought them to the church, how could you not know?"
I was trying not to laugh at her. I love her a lot, she is my best friend, but sometimes she really made it difficult.
"Oh… Emm… It looks completely different seeing one in a body like this, you know?"
What followed was a small silence made by me trying to hold my laugh, meanwhile Ali just stayed quiet while the warmth around her contorted and pulled closer to her.
This was an emotion I recognized. It was… let me remember. Pulling closer meant… depressed? No, that one was pulled closer and had less heat… embarrassment? Yes, that was it!
Was she embarrassed?
"Are you trying not to laugh at me, Lira?!"
Oh, right…
She also knew how to read me.
"Nooo! What makes you think that, Ali?"
"Because your cheeks are inflated like balloons, Lira!! You never learned how to control your facial expressions!"
I finally let the laugh out.
"Hey, it is not funny!! Your goddess was threatened by a beast and this is your reaction? What kind of oracle are you?" Ali said, which only made me laugh harder.
Our little show seemed to attract even more of the dog's attention as it stood up and walked towards us.
Ali immediately stepped backwards.
"Lira! Be careful, it is right beside you!"
I just kneeled down.
It was indeed right beside me.
I extended my hand and began petting the dog.
"Oh no… the great beast is going to eat me alive! Please save me, Ali!"
The dog suddenly went to the ground and rolled onto its back, exposing its stomach.
I let out a gasp.
"Oh my gods, it is preparing its final attack! Ali, I don't believe I will get out of here alive! Please tell Father that I love him!"
I continued teasing her while petting the dog. I could feel a bit of dirt on its fur, but overall it was incredibly fluffy.
Ali, on the other hand, just stayed there in her little bubble of embarrassment.
"It could have bitten you, Lira! I was trying to take care of you, ungrateful oracle!"
"I know, Ali. I'm just teasing you a little."
It was nice seeing her forget about whatever had happened for a while.
For a moment, it felt like we were back at the church, trying to come up with a plan to steal a cake and frame Brother Halven.
I continued petting the animal, and after a while, I noticed Ali's warmth changing again.
It expanded towards the dog, almost like a hand trying to reach for something.
Curiosity.
"Do you want to pet it?"
"Not at all! It is filthy, and besides, it could bite me…"
"Oh… yeah, it could bite you."
"Lira! You were supposed to tell me it won't!"
"I don't know that. But I know that if you don't try, you won't know what it feels like to pet a dog."
"It must not be that great either…"
Oh, for the love of…
Come on, Ali.
Beat your fear.
I can't have you returning to being Genie Ali.
"Well, if you don't want to… your loss, I guess. It is very fluffy and warm. Very relaxing, you know…"
I continued scratching the dog's head.
"Thinking about it, there is more dog to pet for me if you stay there, isn't there, Ali? So you know… I don't think I have a problem anymore with you staying—"
"Move, Lira!"
I barely had time to react before Ali stepped forward.
"I will pet this dog so well that it will spend the rest of its life trying to find the comfort of my hands again!"
I let out a little giggle and waited… and waited… and waited.
For someone who speaks with so much emotion, Ali sure was taking her time…
Her warmth was trembling once again, but she slowly extended her hand.
The dog reacted to this. It seemed to sniff her hand for a moment before pushing its head against it.
Ali let out a little squirm.
Cute.
"How is it?" I asked.
"It is very soft and fluffy."
"I think it likes you."
"Obviously! I'm the great Ali, after all. It is only a matter of time before anyone loves me."
Haha, yeah, sure…
"Did you just roll your eyes, Lira?"
"No!"
"Yes, you did! You still don't know how to control your face."
I felt happy. Happy because, for a little while, I had my old Ali back. For now, that was enough.
I just hoped that Genie Ali wouldn't come back.