Let's Not [Obliterate]

Chapter 78: Solitary Creature

“You’re always welcome here,” Balinth said on Theora’s last day in Hallmark. “If you ever decide to come back.”

Theora nodded. “Thank you very much. I hope we will.” She hugged Balinth and received a few pats on her back in turn.

Another few weeks had passed in the blink of an eye; and now, the Afterthought plague had finally been declared over. 

“Good luck with Dema!” Hell said, grinning.

Theora swallowed, and hugged her too. “I don’t know what you mean by that,” she murmured. “Dema and I are doing well. I’m planning to invite her on a date.”

“Oh!” Balinth let out. “Date, date! Where? What are you going to do?”

“Grand Observatory of Fiction,” she said. “I want us to visit Dema’s favourite book.”

Balinth and Hell stared at each other for a moment, then Hell broke the gaze and turned to Theora. “Well, that’s going to be… fun.”

Balinth giggled.

By now, Theora had found out a little more about the book.

At first, she expected it to be a story about travelling to hell together with an author. However, during her superficial re

Well, on the other hand, she couldn’t have done that, because then it would have been impossible to write a letter to Balinth and Hell about how it went.

Theora sighed, and her thoughts circled around letters, sleeplessness, and dates for a long while, until they met up with Bell and Iso.

The two were wearing large backpacks. They’d stored additional luggage inside Theora’s interdimensional coat, happy at the prospect of not having to bring a wagon for their belongings. 

Shortly after, they finally left through the gates of Hallmark. Looking back at the city, Theora couldn’t help but feel happy for its inhabitants — happy that the Roaming Blight finally decided to leave. 

“So!” Dema let out. “Where we gonna go next?” 

Isobel’s head shot up. “She hasn’t told you?”

“Told me what!” Dema’s gaze went over to Theora, and then her eyes widened a little. “Wait, this related to our date? Has it already started?”

Theora stared at the ground. Where was Dema getting this boundless confidence from? Hadn’t she been just as much of a flustered mess as Theora last time? Actually, no, Dema had been really aggressive with cornering Theora like the little rabbit she was. So, maybe Dema was only weak to being caught unguarded.

It was a nice thought, but Theora had no way to exploit it. 

“You’re going to kill her,” Bell murmured. “Leave the girl alone for one second!”

“What!” Dema laughed. “Was just a question! Also, what do you mean, leave her alone. Unlike jellyfish, rabbits ain’t solitary creatures!”

“That’s a poor argument!” Isobel chimed in. “Giant Isopods are solitary, and I still prefer to be with others. Comes down to the individual.”

“Huh,” Dema hummed, turning to Theora. “Well then, little rabbit,” she said, stepping very close to her. “You a solitary creature?”

Theora avoided Dema’s stare, letting her hair fall on her face as much as possible, to hide away from the never-ending onslaught of attention. Then, in an almost-whisper, she pressed out, “You can stay with me if you want.”

Dema perked up in surprise, and made a step sideways. She gulped, and shook her head. “Damn, making my heart flutter again…”

“You two are both absolutely hopeless,” Bell mumbled.

Iso clacked her mandibles. “I think they’re getting better!” 

“Oh, really? I’m not getting that feeling at all.”

“Hey!” Dema complained. “Totally rude to speak about people while they’re there!”

Oh, yes. Of course, of all the people to utter such a sentence, Dema would be the one to do it.

“We are going north,” Theora murmured, having finally calmed down enough to speak. She had consulted a few maps in preparation for their journey over the last few days, and spoken with travellers who knew the region. “There are two possible routes.”

“Let’s take the long one!” Dema chirped.

Theora nodded. “Alright. The longer one is safer, since it circumvents an active volcano.”

Dema jolted up. “Let’s take the short one!” 

Theora hummed. “I was worried about the volcanic route, because we have Bell with us. It would be dry and hot.”

“Oh, please,” Bell interjected. She was walking a few steps away from the others, her tendrils floating around in the air. She made sure not to have them touch anyone. “I’m a strong girl. I’m a [Barrier-Mage], in fact.”

“I wasn’t worried about you getting hurt,” Theora said, glancing at her. “Of course you are strong. Even if you weren’t, we would protect you. I just wondered if the climate might be uncomfortable for you.”

Bell’s tendrils gently sunk down. “Oh,” she said. “No, that’s alright. None has water with her, and if it gets too uncomfortable, I can wrap myself in a bubble.”

“What about you, Isobel?” Theora asked. “You are a water-creature too. Are you alright with it?”

“Alright with it?” Iso gushed out. “I’m voting for it! Let Dema have her volcano! There might be some nice rocks there for her to study too.”

“So, no reservations?”

“Nope!” Iso let out, clattering her carapace with a tiny jump. “What could possibly go wrong?”

She grinned wide, all back in one piece now, able to walk again after Dema had done her best to reassemble her from all those tiny chunks and shards after that misfortune in Sounddoom Valley.

“Volcano it is!” Dema cheered, throwing a fist in the air. 

Theora nodded. “Volcano it is.”