(Rose)
I don’t think I’ll be able to reach countries where it never snows before winter reaches . So I might as well choose sothing unrelated to the season as a goal and set ourselves ready for the cold anyway.
We reached a city that is half blown away. As if enormous bombs exploded in the city, levelling large parts now missing. Buildings were cut clean, halves remaining there or collapsed around the ruined areas.
An odd city.
One of the craters turned into a lake as a river flows through the city. One building at its edge lost a wall to the presud explosions, but still is standing, above a lake now.
Since that one looks sturdy enough and able to offer an interesting sight of the city, I climb out there to set up our camp.
I spent two days rummaging through the empty city, looking for anything useful.
I found in a chest in a parking lot a map of Europe. We can choose where to go more easily, or rather how to go, assuming the map isn’t too outdated.
There are many countries on the map I don’t recognise from my ti. And a Union that is no more oddly. At least there are no new nor missing lands or islands on this map. I almost expected so!
Blu detects interesting things in the east, still rather far away however.
In Poland. There is ‘’Sothing weird I cannot fathom out from this far away.’’
Others are further, north east and south east.
, I’d like to visit Italy maybe. And Constantinople? It’s called Istanbul on this map, as my father called it too.
I rember what my father told in his tales of his journey to Istanbul.
However I know nearly nothing about the countries Blu is curious about. So where shall we start?
B - Venezia sounds interesting.
R - Klar. Toward Italy it is then.
We’re happy. I’ve been using a word or two of German lately for so reason I just noticed.
R - Do I?
B - I didn’t notice before but now that you ntion it, it’s true. You do.
R - Warum?
B - I believe it may co from my mory. We’re quite fused to each other and our brains exchange a few things and signals from ti to ti. I guess we’re getting closer and you accessed little bits of my knowledge unconsciously.
R - That’s odd... Will we entirely rge in ti?
B - I doubt it. But your brain and mine are evolving to behave in a concerted manner it seems. So... We’re kind of rging, but I believe we’ll keep our individual thoughts and brains nonetheless. They’ll just exchange more and better with each-other over ti.
R - Wow... Schön. Ah ah ah. It’s funny that words I never really learnt co to so naturally.
B - We’re bound to each other rather strongly now.
R - Indeed. It feels rather good.
B - It does... Which reminds , I had another clue that our bond is stronger now. The last ti I died, it was much easier for to return to you...
I had glimpses at what her world looks like when her physical manifestations die. It’s like being lost undersea in the middle of the ocean. And reality is miles away in the sky, unreachable.
One more ti, she ascended to find ...
R - I’m... really glad you did. And it’s good to know that you can find your way back to more easily now.
B - I’m evolving into, well myself, but in a form that is essentially growing closer and closer to you. Maybe one day, I will lose my essence as a being from below reality perhaps?
R - What do you an?
B - In ti, I may beco fully alive in this world and only this world, just like you. Though, as you evolved a little toward , we may find a balance between the two.
R - Haven’t we already?
She kisses in delight. I can feel it. She’s blissful. I’m happy too.
R - So, our brains are now exchanging signals more directly... Though your brain is not made with real matter?
B - True. My brain was linked to you through the flowers in the very beginning if you recall.
R - I honestly don’t.
B - Well, since you accepted , I placed my brain inside you since then? Now my brain is similar to yours, with very similar size and structure. It was my choice to resemble your kin and grow closer to you.
R - And they’re linked like you are to my body?
B - Yes. My brain isn’t made with matter so I’ve set it above your own over ti. It was a better choice for various reasons, naly studying it and making my own similarly.
R - Then our brains are superimposed?
B - That’s correct. And they’ve grown accustod to it, I guess so kind of quantum entanglent appeared in them.
R - So our brains are now linked to each other, in my head.
B - And the rest of is still below reality, and with you here in this body.
Her ribbons move a little around my skin.
I stretch a little. She swirls around. It’s been a while now since I truly looked at my body, or our body.
I undress and look at myself. There are pieces of mirrors in so of the rooms of this tall building.
I’m still a woman. I still have teeth, nails, hair on all places where there’s supposed to be.
My belly has a weird look, as instead of a belly button, I have a much larger scar across it.
On my chest, between my breasts, there’s a set of flying ribbons that replace the usual rosebush now.
They are of various colours all over, from cinnabar to olive and sepia. They are soft like peach skin, a few millitres thick and about two centitres wide at roots. Their length seems to vary at will.
R - How long are your ribbons?
B - About five tres each, I hide most of it within your body unless needed.
R - Where?
B - Everywhere. Mostly along your back, your spine, your chest and abdon, between other organs. If needed, a few can co out from your back or your arms as usual.
R - Could you pull everything out? I’d like to have a full look at ourselves.
B - Of course.
I feel the ribbons slithering inside of like snakes underneath my skin. It tingles more than it hurts.
The ribbons co out from my arms, from my chest, from my back and the trunk of the rosebush cos out too though it looks nothing like it currently. It’s a pound of flesh with sleeping buds buried inside.
I feel colder suddenly, and see myself surrounded by a web of flying ribbons. They seem weightless.
R - Ey! You’re making them fly!
B - Well, I keep them mostly weightless to avoid shifting your balance.
R - Make fly too as I keep inspecting how we are.
B - Hm. Alright. If it’s just a little floating, I can do.
The ribbons all fall lifeless to the ground, while my feet slowly lose contact from the ground.
I float. The ribbons are like a cobweb on the ground I’m bound to. A weird sculpture I am now.
I have this horn of flesh erected between my breasts that really looks weird. It’s her too. She shivers when I touch it. It has no bark anymore, its skin is gone.
My skin is rather clean from my old scars. My hair on my body hasn’t changed. On my head, the tips are still white.
My face looks like I grew a few more years older than I should. I’m not even thirty but I look way older than that.
My eyes look okay, far less sunken than in my teenage years. My whole body does look healthy as I turn around in mid-air to inspect myself. My head and blood start to feel fuzzy, but I’m still alright. It’s easier on than the first ti.
I notice I’m slling a little strong though. Alright. Ti for a bath. The ribbons rise from the ground to follow as I begin to float away.
I float away through the room, sowhat lazily, then through the next room. It’s quite pleasant to float like that. I swim through the air silently, without brushing the floor.
I get more dizzy for a mont as I couldn’t tell anymore where the ground was and I felt like I saw the sky being below . It gave a strong vertigo.
Blu felt it and helped put feet on the ground again, near the edge above the lake.
The ribbons still float behind like a surreal scarf of thorns and brambles, joined together into this oversized ribbon.
R - I want to dive... Can we do that?
B - Sure thing, let’s have a little fun.
I step on the edge of the broken floor above the lake. The sky is leaden grey still. I stand there naked as if I couldn’t care less for anyone to see .
It’s kind of true because I know there isn’t anyone for miles, if not hundreds of miles, and I want to dive. Even if the water is freezing cold, Blu will warm up afterward.
Let’s go clean myself. I jump ahead.
And I’m not falling?
R - Blu!
She’s laughing greatly, as I stand there in mid-air beyond the edge, not falling.
Her flesh and ribbons return inside of . It feels rather strange, but it’s not too bothering.
She makes float a little higher and further above the lake.
I look at the empty but beautiful city. The buildings broken in half with spots of shades for every window. The streets turned into forest, the craters and wide voids. The lake below where the heavy clouds are reflected.
I live in the middle of it all.
B - Ready?
And before I reply, she drops !
I have a rush of adrenalin as I free fall into the lake, yelling from the slight fear and amusing emotions.
A long fall and amused yell later, I’m diving into the icy water.
It’s all freezing cold on my skin, dark all around, full of bubbles rising up and shining.
I swim up. The water flows nicely around . I surface and breathe.
R - Blu! You an little...
She’s laughing so much. So much, I end up laughing with her.
I swim then slowly to the broken building as it starts raining slightly.
I feel good. I’m happy.
~
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