(Rose)
I don't think I'll be able to reach countries where it never snows before winter reaches me. So I might as well choose something 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 presumed 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 We can choose where to go more easily, or rather how to go, assuming the map isn't too outdated.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 time. 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!
Blume detects interesting things in the east, still rather far away however.
In Poland. There is ''Something weird I cannot fathom out from this far away.''
Others are further, north east and south east.
Me, I'd like to visit Italy maybe. And Constantinople? It's called Istanbul on this map, as my father called it too.
I remember what my father told me in his tales of his journey to Istanbul.
However I know nearly nothing about the countries Blume 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 some reason I just noticed.
R - Do I?
B - I didn't notice before but now that you mention it, it's true. You do.
R - Warum?
B - I believe it may come from my memory. We're quite fused to each other and our brains exchange a few things and signals from time to time. I guess we're getting closer and you accessed little bits of my knowledge unconsciously.
R - That's odd... Will we entirely merge in time?
B - I doubt it. But your brain and mine are evolving to behave in a concerted manner it seems. So... We're kind of merging, but I believe we'll keep our individual thoughts and brains nonetheless. They'll just exchange more and better with each-other over time.
R - Wow... Schön. Ah ah ah. It's funny that words I never really learnt come to me so naturally.
B - We're bound to each other rather strongly now.
R - Indeed. It feels rather good.
B - It does... Which reminds me, I had another clue that our bond is stronger now. The last time I died, it was much easier for me 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 time, she ascended to find me...
R - I'm... really glad you did. And it's good to know that you can find your way back to me 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 mean?
B - In time, I may become fully alive in this world and only this world, just like you. Though, as you evolved a little toward me, we may find a balance between the two.
R - Haven't we already?
She kisses me 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 me, 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 time. It was a better choice for various reasons, namely studying it and making my own similarly.
R - Then our brains are superimposed?
B - That's correct. And they've grown accustomed to it, I guess some kind of quantum entanglement appeared in them.
R - So our brains are now linked to each other, in my head.
B - And the rest of me 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 some 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 millimetres thick and about two centimetres wide at roots. Their length seems to vary at will.
R - How long are your ribbons?
B - About five metres each, I hide most of it within your body unless needed.
R - Where?
B - Everywhere. Mostly along your back, your spine, your chest and abdomen, between other organs. If needed, a few can come 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 me like snakes underneath my skin. It tingles more than it hurts.
The ribbons come out from my arms, from my chest, from my back and the trunk of the rosebush comes 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 me 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 me than the first time.
I notice I'm smelling a little strong though. Alright. Time for a bath. The ribbons rise from the ground to follow me as I begin to float away.
I float away through the room, somewhat 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 moment as I couldn't tell anymore where the ground was and I felt like I saw the sky being below me. It gave me a strong vertigo.
Blume felt it and helped me put feet on the ground again, near the edge above the lake.
The ribbons still float behind me 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 me.
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, Blume will warm me up afterward.
Let's go clean myself. I jump ahead.
And I'm not falling?
R - Blume!
She's laughing greatly, as I stand there in mid-air beyond the edge, not falling.
Her flesh and ribbons return inside of me. It feels rather strange, but it's not too bothering.
She makes me 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 me!
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 me. I surface and breathe.
R - Blume! You mean 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.
~