Chapter 60 – A Dream of Flowers

Kuria and Isha got comfortable in Kuria’s quarters. They spent most of the night reading but eventually, Isha spoke up.

“So, Kuria… you don’t have a home in Hell yet, right?”

“I don’t but I will have one soon enough. Just a few more years.”

“It might be a strange question, but… do you sometimes feel like curling up on your bed, far away from everyone else, just to be comfortable and alone a bit?”

“Sometimes people get too much and I just lock my door and enjoy the silence of the noise blocking enchantment. I only let in Tiny and some other cats when they come around.”

Isha slowly nodded. “I’m glad everything resolved peacefully here, but now I feel like curling up in my bed and I don’t understand why.”

“I think it’s normal to feel that way after big things resolve. Everything was so important and now you just want some time that isn’t important. Well, still important to you but not in the grand scheme of things. Just Isha time, you know?”

“I suppose I just never had a space to call my own and the need to retreat there is new to me.”

“But it is normal and I understand if you were to return to your home now. I will remain here, in case Chrissi needs someone.”

Isha shook her head. “No, I think I will stay here with you. I will get some nap time after we made sure our new friend is well tomorrow.”

“A good idea. I have to admit that I almost miss being able to easily retreat into the back of Melody’s mind when I was tired. Just letting her live our life.”

“Right, you shared her body for several years. How was that?”

“In hindsight, very strange. But at the time I knew nothing else. I’m so glad we can still share from time to time. It’s a good way to cheat a little. I can pilot her body while she needs time away from the world or I can hide in her.”

“What a fascinating thing to imagine.”

“I can inhabit pretty much everyone, even you if you want.”

“I want to try that one day.”

“Just tell me when.”

Isha smiled. “Once I have relaxed a bit after all this.”

“Of course.”

Chrissi and Famine had found a lovely bench, a little out of the way, on the edge of the city of Tehom. They had just finished lunch together and were now snacking away at some cookies for dessert.

“Inquisitor… what do I do now?”

“Enjoy your cookies?”

Chrissi chuckled. “No, in general I mean. If it hadn’t been for Nemesis and Anne, I would have been killed by my own people. The people I am supposed to trust. I don’t think I can go back to the navy.”

“You don’t have to.”

“But where will go then? I can’t just stay here.”

“It would be too hasty to offer you a home here, but there are other places we can protect you and allow you to be among humans.”

“Okay?”

Famine smiled warmly. “Superintendent Clementine Muller and archivist Wilhelmina Harker both work for an agency that cooperates with us and has an office in a city we control. We can offer you a position with them and make sure you have a comfortable life on earth.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, so, your plan is to move to me your city in wherever and get a job with this institute.”

“A city in England and a job with a government institute, yes.”

“Okay, with the specifics that doesn’t sound too bad.”

“If you wish to pursue other opportunities or an education, we will support that. You asked for safety, we will provide that.”

Chrissi leaned back on the bench. “There is a price for that, isn’t there?”

“Not one we set, but yes. You are already paying it.”

The young human looked at the bag of cookies in her hand. “The slow alienation of everything human, just by the virtue of you being nice and having good food.”

“Yes.”

“What a dire thought about humanity, that your kindness is enough to pull me away from it. I will have to talk to the superintendent, but I am inclined to accept your offer.”

“Good.”

“May I ask something a bit weird?”

“Of course.”

“I have only seen demon women, are there no demon men?”

Famine smiled in amusement. “We all appear like women and identify as such when faced with human ideas. On our own, we have no concept of gender. If you see us as women, we won’t complain.”

“What a wonderful world you live in…”

“You don’t approve of human men?”

“I feel like no matter what I say, it’s wrong. You know how people deserve happiness and equality even if you disapprove of them?”

“Yes.”

“Yea, like that. Men have done some stupid shit, some vile shit, even to me personally. Not having to worry about them would be nice.”

“We can make that happen.”

Chrissi looked shocked. “I don’t want you to wipe them out!”

“Oh no, we would provide you with the means to protect yourself against any man.”

“Okay, that’s a relief and a generous offer.”

“A necessary one, apparently.”

“Sadly, yea. To get back to something a little less horrid, I also haven’t seen old people or kids around.”

“We don’t age and we cannot reproduce like you do, we can also alter our bodies to certain degrees. You will only see demons the way they want to be.”

“As a variety of hot women.”

“Generally, yes.”

“I do worry about that reproduction part, you will die out eventually.”

“We won’t, we are perfectly immortal. We cannot die, we cannot be killed. We will exist eternally. As will your new friends. Melody and Anne are still human but will become demons soon.”

“Wait a minute, humans can become demons?”

“Yes.”

“Were you…?”

“No, I was born as a demon a hundred thirty seven thousand and twelve years ago.”

“You’re ancient!”

“I am.” Famine chuckled. “Most of us are, but we have recently begun to turn our human friends into demons, so there are young demons around again. Only if they want to be demons, of course. We do not force immortality on those who do not want it.”

“And those who can’t be, I assume. I doubt most human could live that long.”

“You’re right, most can’t.”

“And that might be for the best.”

Famine nodded solemnly.

Chrissi sighed. “What have I even done to deserve this kindness and the honour of being here?”

“You were at the right place, at the right time, saying the right things to the right people. The same way anyone gets anything.”

“What a simple explanation.”

“The truth can often be simple. It is the people who make it complex.”

“Complexity that makes truth worthwhile. No idea where that thought came from, but it feels like the right thing to respond.”

“You would make an excellent demon one day.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

“What is years for you, decades even, I plan for like you plan for the next weekend. You live your human life and when it is time, we might offer you eternity. I can’t guarantee that you will be able to withstand eternity but if you are, I would be happy to offer it to you.”

“And I would be happy to accept, when it’s time.”

“Yes, you should walk a human path first.”

“A lot more poetic than I would have phrased it, but yea, that’s the idea. If you don’t mind me asking, what does one do for these thousands of years you have lived?”

“Whatever fulfils you. That might change over time, but I feel fulfilled by protecting this world and helping those in yours that humanity cannot help, even if our laws limit what we can do. Others pursue art, research, cooking. The restaurant we ate at has been run by the same demons for the past seventy thousand years. The chariot Nemesis was built by engineers who spent lifetimes perfecting their craft because it fulfils them. No one here is forced to perform the duties they chose, but we all pick a task to make this world a better place on our own.”

“So, if I wanted, I could make jam for other people for a few thousand years?”

“However long making jam fulfils you, yes.”

“Fascinating and wonderful, honestly.”

“The best way to live.”

Chrissi looked out onto the endless horizon. “Not sure if making jam is my… jam, but doing something worthwhile, especially something unceremonious, for others feels right. Maybe I could take care of plants for someone, if there is a demand for gardeners.”

“You could care for public plants in many places, enhancing the public places we live in.”

“Maybe there could be berry bushes along the paths, so anyone can just pick some on the go and have a little snack. Or nice flowers around the fountains. What a dream.”

Famine smiled. “One that may just come true. Shall we see to your other new friends?”

“Melody and company? I almost forgot that we were supposed to meet them, I’m so sorry.”

“We are still early, but we should be where they expect us.”

“Oh, thank goodness. Yea, we should head back to the Nemesis.”