Her voice felt like a warm embrace. If Alphonse thought it was impossible to have a perfect being in this world, then she was pretty close to convincing him otherwise. Her lips formed a sweet smile as she waited patiently for his response.
"I-uh..." He felt a slight nudge from behind and saw Asa urging him forward with her staff. When they reached the center of the room, Alphonse bowed low enough that his head almost hit the floor. "Thank you for saving me. My name is Alphonse."
He felt the heat rise in his face when he realized that his voice echoed slightly in the large room. He kept himself leaning forward and swallowed hard to compose himself.
The woman placed a hand over her mouth and giggled. "Please, be at ease. You are among friends here."
"Friends?" Alphonse looked around and noticed the other catgirl, Kirie, was off further to the side leaning against one of the statues. Dangling from her fingers was a ceramic jug. She crossed her arms with the deepest scowl her face could muster as his eyes lingered.
He looked to Asa for some guidance, but she just stared at him with distracted indifference as she messed with a few strands of her hair.
Alphonse slumped forward. 'Friends...right...' he thought.
He straightened himself as Kirie started moving towards him with careful steps. She stopped at arm's length and offered him the jug. "You must be thirsty," she said simply.
Alphonse was only able to muster a quick nod of thanks and accepted the water from her.
Kirie was now close enough for him to notice the light and shadows shifting on her face. He looked up curiously to see what caused the phenomenon and took a startled step back when he saw the ceiling. It was no wonder why the place was called the Submerged Oasis. Above was a rippling body of water that hid the ceiling, if there even was one. He thought it was a trick of the light, but the fluctuating image of a sun seemed partially obscured by the water. There didn't seem to be anything physical holding the water in place, since it flowed much like in the open air and crawled down sections of the walls to feed the ponds below.
Alphonse felt the saliva building in his mouth as he observed the water. He took a few swigs from the jug, but stopped himself when he remembered his nausea back in the dungeon.
Kirie raised an eyebrow at this and nodded approvingly before she turned to join her sister.
The woman's voice seized Alphonse's attention, "My apologies. I have yet to introduce myself." She bowed again with even more grace. "My name is Rinka. As you may have guessed, I am a demihuman, and an intermediary for the Construct Contract. You have already been acquainted with my daughters, Kirie and Asa. I hope they were gracious company."
"Yes, they were. I'm sorry, but this is all..." Alphonse trailed off. 'Overwhelming' was the word he was looking for, but that seemed an understatement. He continued to stare at the magnificent spectacle of the oasis. It seemed a short time ago he had been at Death's door. The doors to this place suddenly felt like the gates of Heaven with Rinka as the benevolent angel to guide him.
He froze as a specific part of her introduction registered. "Wait, Construct Contract?" His eyes were drawn to the book resting on the pedestal.
Rinka nodded in understanding as she followed his gaze. "I apologize. You only recently escaped the jaws of death, and yet here you are being told of something beyond your understanding." She leaned forward expectantly. "Surviving alone in the dungeon was no small feat. Something must have driven you forward. I wonder, Alphonse, what kind of man are you?"
He didn't even have time to consider the question as Kirie spoke up from behind him, "He's too trusting."
Asa added her own observations, "He's stubborn."
Alphonse whirled on them. 'What the hell?'
A scowl marred Rinka's beautiful face. "I don't recall the question being directed at you two." Her thin pupils narrowed, and the cat ears on her head twitched with irritation.
Kirie and Asa clamped their mouths shut in unison. Alphonse found himself mirroring them, even though the anger wasn't directed at him.
"'Trusting,'" Rinka whispered. She rested a contemplative hand under her chin. "Yes, I do sympathize. Truly. Kirie apprised me of your situation. Tell me, Alphonse, how has this affected your perspective for adventuring in the future?"
Alphonse clenched his fists as he recalled the past few days. Someone he considered a friend had left him behind. Then the other man, who his friend recruited in the first place, enacted the betrayal. He wasn't sure about the girl, but she'd done nothing to help as well. They could have tried something. Anything. Just an attempt would have been enough. He didn't expect them to stick their necks out and join him at the guillotine. An attempt, no matter how small, and he would have understood. That's all he asked.
They'd done nothing.
He was so absorbed in his boiling anger and frustration that he nearly forgot Rinka initially posed the question.
Apparently, his silence seemed a sufficient response. "'Stubborn,'" Rinka continued. "I would prefer the word 'resilient.' It is a fine quality, but one must understand limitations. Still, this is a promising start to our discussion." She regarded her catgirls, and they went rigid. "You may have spoken out of turn, but it did spur some fruitful questions."
Kirie and Asa remained silent with only the slight nod of their heads.
'Wow, they really respect her,' Alphonse thought. 'Or fear her. Or both.'
"Trust is such a fickle thing," Rinka said. "One must have your quality of resilience to understand it is sometimes a necessity that changes much like the weather."
Alphonse stifled a frown as he considered her words. Her prodding questions didn't sit right with him. They were too abrupt despite her conversational tone, and something seemed to shift in her voice that he couldn't quite place. He stared at the strange book on the pedestal and wondered how it fit into all of this. Dancing around the main topics didn't seem wise in his worn mental state. He feared what might happen if fatigue fully took over his senses.
"I'm guessing this string of questions leads to this weird book," Alphonse said. He added almost as an afterthought, "And why you saved me."
The catgirl mother stared at him with an unreadable expression, and Alphonse forced himself to hold her gaze.
A genuine smile formed on her face, and she let out a relieved sigh. "I do appreciate your candid nature. It is as you say -- our reason for saving you is not limited to simple generosity. And so, I would like to make an offer that will hopefully be the start of some trust between us."
Alphonse shifted uneasily as she took a deliberate pause.
"What lies in front of you is an opportunity, a gift for when you find yourself backed into a corner," she explained. "If you accept this contract, I will also bestow upon you the assistance of my trustworthy daughters."
"Daughters, huh." Alphonse glanced over his shoulder at the two catgirls. He didn't think it was possible, but the frown on Kirie's face appeared even more demeaning than usual. Asa showed no change in expression, but he did notice her hands twirling faster through her hair.
His muddled thoughts finally caught up with what Rinka was saying. She was getting straight to the point, but she was also neglecting the most important details. However, there didn't seem to be any ill-willed intent. In fact, she seemed to be deliberately leaving her words open to questions.
"I'm sorry," Alphonse said. "But this is a lot to take in all of a sudden, and my brain is still a little fuzzy, but are you saying these two will join my party?"
"In a sense," Rinka said. "You see, I am bound to this place as the contract's intermediary. In turn, my daughters are bound to me and are unable to travel beyond a set distance from this place. But I have made a deal that allows me to transfer this bond to another who holds a contract."
'I get it. That's why they saved me. They're basically trapped in this place,' Alphonse thought. 'I'm their way out.'
"Have you ever heard of alchemy?" Rinka asked.
Alphonse nodded. "I know a bit. Equivalent exchange, right?"
"Correct," Rinka said. "This will make my explanation that much easier." She gestured to the book on the pedestal. "The Construct Contract is an ancient tome, said to be created by a powerful alchemist, that makes deals of equivalence with its user. If the contract deems an exchange equal, then it will be carried out. However, you could offer something greater than the request and it will still approve.
Unfortunately, there is always a bit of a caveat to something that seems so boundlessly generous and beneficial. The contract does not hold the same values as sentient beings, especially in regards to what is physical. I have paid my own price that allows Kirie and Asa to join you if you accept."
Rinka shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she pondered the next bit. "I did mention it was a gift, but it can also be a curse. I don't wish to deceive you. Over time, it is inevitable that more will be lost than gained if the user is reckless. And the only way to possess the contract is to offer something it deems equivalent to itself. What I ask of you is certainly a hefty price."
Alphonse blanched at her lengthy explanation. The whole situation was fantastical to the point of complete absurdity.
He lowered his gaze to the floor and stared at the immaculate, white surface. She had him hook and line so far, but not sinker just yet. She wanted him to offer something equivalent to this so-called contract so he could become its owner, which would then free the two catgirls. He felt that he owed them a great debt, and they seemed decently capable. It was enticing without a doubt, but now it came down to what he needed to offer to obtain the contract in the first place. It was a choice that could drastically alter his outlook on the future.