- Shari -

  I'm not sure if Nia currently has the capability to be grateful about this fact, but the perk that slimes don't need to sleep is currently coming in very handy for her. She was up all night, and even though the sun is starting to rise, I doubt that she has any intention of going to rest at all.

  To everyone's relief, when the first rays of the sun start illuminating the room, Okin begins to stir and eventually wakes up in a somewhat coherent state.

  "Uh. What happened?" (Okin)

  After he speaks, Nia positions herself directly in front of him.

  "You almost got yourself killed! That happened, you idiot!" (Nia)

  "Wh-what? Nia!?" (Okin)

  "Nia, I'm not sure if this is the best approach." (Shari)

  "Who cares, Okin almost died!" (Nia)

  "Wh-what? Died? The robbers! They came and, and, they... hurt me... and Nia... Sniff." (Okin)

  What about Nia?She's obviously unharmed, so I don't quite see what he's so concerned about.He seems kinda intimidated by his sister though, the way he pulls back from her.Perhaps I ought to expin a little here, as Nia seems quite worked up currently.

  "You were in a pretty bad shape, Okin. Fortunately, Nia was able to treat you." (Shari)

  Although at the cost of my healing potion inventory. Yet I won't put that on their tab.

  "Just why did you let them catch you?! It's not the first time you ran away from adults, and they wouldn't have hunted you!" (Nia)

  "I-it wasn’t on purpose. I would've gotten away, but they had someone watching outside. A-and I had to hide the book first, to keep it safe, j-just like you said." (Okin)

  The book? My book?!

  "Uh, you hid it?" (Shari)

  He turns to me with a start.

  "I-it's in a barrel in the next alley." (Okin)

  "Who cares about that! You could've died!" (Nia)

  Nia shouts so hard that slime droplets hit her brother, distinctly visible in their violet color. Something that makes the poor boy visibly flinch.

  "Okay, that’s enough. Cut him some sck, Nia. He's not really in a state to have a fight with you." (Shari)

  Who knows, already the stress from a quarrel could be too much. Since the thing with Nia happened, I became very aware that my knowledge about the body's inner workings is shallow at best. Liqu might be far more proficient in this regard, but I certainly won't start dissolving people, only to understand how they work on the inside. And while we're at it, no, I have no intention to slimyfy another person if again something goes awry. So yes, I'm very cautious at the moment if it concerns someone's health.

  "I, I do feel really tired, Nia." (Okin)

  Nia looks rather embarrassed thinking about why he’s exhausted.

  "Yeah, that's an aftereffect of the treatment your sister applied to you. It was very effective, but your body is now quite strained. Let me bring you something to eat. Right after I get my book back." (Shari)

  Fortunately, it's truly there. Well, apparently, none of the thieves survived and it's been only a few hours, but in this town nothing is safe.

  Anyway, the next point on my list is preparing a meal with what's left of our provisions.The best thing I can do now is to stuff him with food. This is especially necessary for the next step. Because no matter what, I need to drag him to the next healer. As I mentioned before, I don't know if healing potions alone did the trick, and there might be aftereffects.

  "So, eat up and get ready. I'll take you to a healer." (Shari)

  "I'll come with you!" (Nia)

  I can't really prevent Nia from accompanying us. Despite her questionable state and her still ckluster ability to move convincingly, it would be wrong to deny her.

  "Fine. Get dressed. We'll be heading out soon enough." (Shari)

  Next, there's someone else to take care of.

  "Liqu, I need to go out for a little bit. Can you please watch the store while I'm gone?" (Shari)

  "Awh, do I have to?" (Liqu)

  "We got intruders just tonight. This tells me we should be a little bit more careful." (Shari)

  "Can I dissolve them if they come?" (Liqu)

  I actually need to think about this for a moment. The issue is that Liqu can't really fight very well in a not messy manner. As being exposed would still be bad, there's only one way to go about this.

  "Not while you might be seen, and certainly not with our customers!" (Shari)

  "Glrrlbl. Fine." (Liqu)

  Great! That worked out surprisingly well. Now I only need to wait till the kids are ready, so we can head out.It's actually not that easy to find an affordable healer anywhere close. We need to walk till we're in the vicinity of the guild to find a shop.

  In there, we meet a nice dy willing to do an examination, as well as a bit of aftercare, to "even out" any sting effects of the potions.Sadly, the treatment costs us a big chunk of my earnings. I got a bit of income through the shop that Liqu so diligently manned, but nonetheless, three-hundred small copper for a simple magical checkup hurt quite a lot.The healer almost couldn't believe that I, acting as their employer and otherwise unreted as I am, would actually pay for something like that. She also gave some advice on what to look out for afterwards.

  Apparently, it's not all that rare that certain blows to the head can show aftereffects even after enough time has passed to make you feel safe. In some way, it's soothing that I don't need to worry anymore about this so-called "concussion".Anyway, I'm mostly gd that we could take care of everything.

  "So you heard the dy. Try not to move too quickly, or it could end badly for you." (Shari)

  "I know. You don't have to tell me again and again." (Okin)

  "Okin, be nice! She again paid so much for us." (Nia)

  Yet the moment Nia approaches, Okin reflexively dodges away.I can't see her face, but it doesn't take a genius to presume what's now going on inside her.

  "Sigh. We should talk this out ter on." (Shari)

  Yet here on the street might be the wrong pce. This kind of talk should happen when the other party can at least openly show their face.

  So, with a slightly sullen mood, we head back.When we arrive, I find that Liqu is doing customer service. I'm not quite sure if I should be proud or terrified of her ability to adapt. That's at least the case until she spots me.

  "Uh, I'd like the small cup of the healing salve..." (customer)

  "Heello! Shari!" (Liqu)

  The poor woman is quite at a loss now about her order.

  "Hi, Liqu. I see, you're doing well." (Shari)

  "Talking to humans is still so difficult!" (Liqu)

  "Eh, humans?" (customer)

  "Ahem, she means people. She has a slightly weird way of expressing herself." (Shari)

  "Ah..." (customer)

  "Anyway, we'll be in the backroom." (Shari)

  We enter that room, which has the advantage that we're not in public anymore. Yet we're still too close to the front room to speak openly. For that, the celr would fit better. Otherwise, we'd risk that something of the very delicate nature of this situation might "leak".

  Yet once he merely gnces at the door to the celr, Okin freezes and subsequently starts to shiver. This could be a bit more than a slight issue. I can't really expect them to work here if the boy is in mortal fear of the celr. However, the whole thing is rather complicated. So I should try to make it less so.

  "Nia, stay here. Look for the potions or so. I'll be the first to go down there with Okin." (Shari)

  "What?! But you said we'd talk together about this!" (Okin)

  "I changed my mind. I'll be the first to hear what you have to say and after this decide if you're an idiot." (Shari)

  My reason is that I can somewhat guess what's going on inside of him. The issue is that the unfiltered version could very easily come about as hurtful. Therefore, I think having a first rehearsal might be better. One easily forgets that the little monster girl isn’t as stable as she lets on.

  "I, I don't..." (Okin)

  "You're not going to say anything like 'there's no reason to talk', or 'I won't go there'. Cause if you do, I'm gonna ask Liqu to carry you down there." (Shari)

  "I heard my name! Am I needed?" (Liqu)

  And there already peeks her head inside.

  "P-p-pl-please not." (Okin)

  "Apparently not." (Shari)

  "Okay!" (Liqu)

  "Then get down there!" (Shari)

  A moment ter, we stand with our feet in slime. Liqu did a really good job destroying all the not quite dissolved remains. Might be part of the reason why she's in such a good mood and therefore so compliant today.

  Since the boy is still a bit in a daze, I address him first.

  "So, why are you afraid of your sister?" (Shari)

  "I-I'm not!" (Okin)

  "You pulled back when she was about to touch you. Also, you seemed slightly apprehensive of her after you woke up. That's an issue I'd like to address." (Shari)

  "But..." (Oki)

  "Okin! Can you please at least try to humor me here? People who have no problem don't behave like you!" (Shari)

  He flinches back at this.

  "Look, if you can't even bring it up, there's no way for you to resolve this with your sister. It's going to fester and poison everything like her arm did back then. And you know what that lead to." (Shari)

  I hope nobody's thinking right now "to a cute little slime girl".Okin seems to at least think hard about my words before he answers.

  "Wh-when it happened, I saw Nia. How she did it, how she didn't leave them any chance. And then, when she was done, she stood there completely still over them. She had this cold look about her." (Okin)

  "Yeah, I get it." (Shari)

  "You, you do?" (Okin)

  "Yep. Slimes can be pretty terrifying while they're at it. It's part of the ingrained instincts." (Shari)

  His sister might be even more affected than I was. Maybe due to her younger age.

  "Instincts?" (Okin)

  "It's part of the whole transformation thing. You as a human have your own. Like not liking certain smells and recoiling from them. Having to eat when you're hungry. Pulling away from possible injuries. Nia's got a bit swapped out. One is some kind of survival mode. Like when she starts dissolving when she's emotional. But this one is a bit more purpose-oriented. It quells all emotions while doing the deed. Makes you focused but less empathetic. But it's not like it's defining Nia. It's more of a temporary thing." (Shari)

  "But what can I do now?" (Okin)

  "Well, you're aware that she did it to protect you, right? You were never her target. Even in this state, she wouldn't have harmed you." (Shari)

  Heck, she kept him for hours inside her. If that's not proof of her restraint, I don't know what is.

  "I know, but still." (Okin)

  "Try to understand that Nia is going through a lot. She may not show it in your presence, but she's struggling a lot with her situation. She's trying the best she can, but I can tell you, it's difficult to endure. And the hardest are the reactions of other people. Especially, those of the ones who are closest to you. It's on you to give her that bit of stability in her life. God knows she needs it." (Shari)

  "Pfft." (Okin)

  Seems like I got something right here. I was never much of a talker, but if it helps now, I'll give it my all.

  We continue a bit longer, and I try to alleviate all of his worries. After this, I send Nia in and leave these two to themselves. When they exit again, it doesn't look like a full catastrophe transpired in there. Therefore, we can get back to daily business. It's nice when things just align and I don't need to worry for the moment.

  ...

  Oh damn.