A break from the castle was just what I needed. And hey, besides, being out of the castle for a while gave me an excuse to learn more about [Alchemy].

The conversation I shared with Keke was brief and a bit awkward initially, but I couldn’t hide anything from her. Despite my poor attempts to hide the truth, Keke was no less wise than Melly concerning my situation. In the middle of helping Melly, Keke sought me out, gave me a peck on the cheek, and offered to be a shoulder if I needed her.

For the next three days, I worked as Nurse Matt. The first day was the busiest. I’ll admit, I could never do what Melly does. Seemed to me that caring for the patient’s emotional state was just as important as tending to the wound. 

Thinking back on it, Ceres was invaluable when she hung around my bedside. She didn’t even have to do much. Just knowing that she cared and kept a watchful eye over me was good enough. I couldn’t imagine it was much different for the people in the Third Shell.

Most Third Shell residents had taken notice that the wall was still in disarray and that the Ejderha were not returning. So many of them looked so scared to walk into the Second Shell, and my heart went out to them.

I had to hope our Parties weren’t partially responsible for their fear. But I wasn’t about to walk up to them and ask what their opinion was on us. Best to leave well enough alone.

“Keep stirring, Matt,” Melly cautioned with a gentle hand over mine. “Just not too fast, okay? It can easily fizz over if you’re too aggressive with it.” 

We continued the stirring motion together for a few more seconds until she steadily drew away from me. I continued to stir the concoction until it turned the baby-blue color Melly was looking for. Reminded me of how a parent would guide their kid on a bike, then let go. Luckily, unlike my unfortunate bike crashes as a child, this came naturally.

“Hey, I got it!” With the stir stick still held between two fingers, I drew back, impressed with my work. I was getting better with this each and every time. Part of me wondered if my affinity for video games had anything to do with my dexterous motions. Probably not. “Heck yeah!”

“Good job, Matt!” said Melly. “Now, take it off the heat just like I showed you.”

“Right.” I grabbed the tongs beside me and used them to set the container on the table. “Sorry, could you remind me when we cork it?”

“Three minutes.” Melly had returned to her side of the table with a beaker and flame of her own. I had to admire her dedication to her craft. Not once while she worked did she ever look at me. Her attention remained glued to the bottle at all times. “You’re a quick learner. Has anyone ever told you that?”

Uhh, I don’t think so. If anything, I hear the opposite.

“No, not really.” The mist bubbling from my concoction was beginning to disappear.

“Well, you are. [Alchemy] isn’t a very popular craft, but it’s a necessary one.” Melly plucked a few nettles from a bowl beside her and set them on a chopping board. Retrieving one of the sharpest-looking cooking knives I’d ever seen, she chopped them into fine pieces. Her movements mirrored those I’d seen of professional chefs. “Many aren’t willing to put in the proper time required to see it bear fruit.”

“Why do you think that is?” I asked, crossing my arms. “It’s practical as hell.”

“It can feel like nothing but diminishing returns sometimes. Especially if you’re trying to learn it on your own.” She smiled. “It’s good to have a teacher.” A stain where Melly had diced the nettles had appeared on her cutting board. I wasn’t super great at it yet, but thinking back to what Shizen taught me regarding different plants, I wondered if there was something more to the style of slicing the herbs that helped in the potion’s edibility.

“Why do you cut them like that?” Melly looked at me briefly, then glanced at the bottle heating under the flame. 

“Why not?”

She mouthed something to herself, then said, “Uhm, so there are two reasons. One is that it makes the potion easier to swallow.”

Ha! Nailed it!

“The other,” Melly continued, “is that the thorn has these tiny buds inside. I… well, dang it. I’d show you, but—”

“They’re all cut up now,” I chuckled.

“Eheheh. Yeah, and I don’t want to waste any. Desert opals are rare enough as is.” Melly flushed when my face fell. “N-not that you wasted it! You’re learning. Anyway, tiny buds lie within the nettle. The tough outer shell protects the pods, so you need a very sharp knife to puncture it without it splattering everywhere.”

Melly raised the blade and retrieved a sheet of paper off to the side. “Watch.” With the blade’s edge held upward, she guided the sheet over it, and the knife effortlessly cut through the paper until the two pieces floated away from her onto the floor. “This is my best knife.”

Hot damn, I would hate to be on the receiving end of that thing.

“Wow.” It seemed to me [Alchemy] was a craft someone could spend years practicing if they put their mind to it. “Having the proper tools must be expensive though, right?”

“Yes,” Melly nodded. “Thankfully, I never wanted for such things.” Her lips formed a thin, pensive line. “If I’m being honest, it’s nice to be needed again.”

“Again?” I frowned. “What do you mean?”

Please don’t tell me another tragic Ichi Island story.

“My mother passed away a couple of years ago.”

Oh, god damn it.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said as I glanced back at my beaker.

“Don’t be,” Melly said, her smile returning. “She lived a full life. One she could be proud of. She passed away peacefully in her sleep.”

What a relief. The last thing I needed to hear right now was that Magni threw her into a cage, or she became an Ejderha, or something like that. “I’m glad you had a good relationship with her.”

“Thanks, Matt. Me too.”

I was honestly having a great time learning more [Alchemy], and it kept me out of my own head for a while. We worked quietly until we’d both finished cutting. 

“This… may sound like a silly question,” Melly stammered suddenly, “but do men have mothers?”

It took everything I had not to laugh. It reminded me of a meme I’d seen years ago about girls becoming pregnant from holding hands. The innocence of her question had me sucking in my lips.

“They do,” I replied.

“Ahh, that must’ve been nice.” 

“Where do you think we come from?” I asked, catching my breath.

“Saoirse’s gifts to Nyarlea. So, in a way, we believe Saoirse to be your mother.” Melly hesitated. “It’s a shame catgirls can’t give birth to men.”

“Any idea why that is?” The mist had cooled away from my container, so I grabbed two oven mitts I’d set aside from the kitchen. Carefully cradling the glass, I carried it to the table behind me. 

“That’s like asking me why I can’t fly,” Melly laughed. “If you read Saoirse’s Decrees, giving birth to a man is high above a catgirl’s station.”

“Hm. Where I came from, there was a fifty-fifty chance of a boy or a girl being born if a woman got pregnant.” I frowned as the words left my mouth. The bizarre nature of the conversation was not lost on me. But hey, at least I didn’t blush at the talk of sex anymore.

“That’s strange,” Melly mused. Glass clinked, and the cutting of herbs sounded from behind me. “That makes no sense to me why a boy… I’m assuming that’s a small man, yes?”

Small man. What a term. “Yeah, I guess so,” I said, half-laughing. “Boys are what men are before they’re, er, well, men. Like kittens into catgirls.”

A pause followed. “That other man following you. The—” she raised her hand equal to her eyes, “—petite one. He is a man, right? Not a boy?”

Ouch. Sorry, Tristan.

“Yeah, full-blooded man. As true as they come.” A series of small jars rested in a small alcove carved into the wall’s stone. I grabbed five of them and set them to the right of the beaker.

“Boy. Boy, boy, boy.” Melly repeated it as if it were a new word she was trying to add to her vocabulary. “Huh.”

I guess it’s been a while since I’ve had a talk like this. Kinda nice, actually.

“That’s so weird,” Melly hummed in a lower tone. “Men being born as children. I could never imagine such a thing.”

“Is it really so hard to picture?” I asked. “Just imagine me,” I turned around for effect, one of the empty jars in my hand, “and picture me about half this size. That’s a boy.” I returned to the containers and began to carefully fill each one with the substance I’d made only minutes earlier. The consistency and thickness reminded me a lot of milk. As long as I was slow, it wouldn’t splash, either. “This looks awful to drink,” I muttered.

“What was that?” Melly asked.

“Just wondering how this stuff tastes.”

“Not great.” Melly giggled. “I have to say, women giving birth to boys is such a strange concept to me. I always wondered if the death of one man meant that Saoirse simply births another.”

I don’t think that’s too far from the truth in this world.

“So, if men come from mothers like catgirls do, then does that mean that you had a mother?” Melly’s question froze me on the spot. 

“Yeah.” I’d nearly forgotten about her, and as my mother's grating voice returned to my mind, I shook it away. 

“What was she like?”

“We weren’t close.” Pulling open a drawer beneath the table, I procured a leather belt. Pouches lined the strap from one end to the other. They were the perfect size for small bottles like the ones I’d just filled. After corking the tiny jars, I filled five of the pouches. They were snug but not overly so. I imagined something like this being invaluable to combat [Alchemist]s.

I wonder if Destiny needs one?

“Sorry if that’s a sensitive subject,” Melly said when I didn’t add anything else. At some point, she’d completed her own batch of Chloro Potion. It looked mostly like mine, baby blue with a thick consistency. Though hers was a bit darker in color.

“It’s not your fault.” I twisted the belt between my fingers. “It sounds like you miss your mom quite a bit.”

“I do. Very much so,” she admitted.

“Is your grandmother still around?” I buttoned the tops over each bottle and began my way over to a counter in the corner of the room where we’d agreed to put the supplies.

“Granny Nauka moved away a long time ago. I don’t know where she is anymore. Sending and receiving letters on Ichi hasn’t been reliable for years. ”

I stopped dead in my tracks. The name drop had nearly caused me to drop the belt.

No. I misheard that. It’s a coincidence.

“Sorry. One more time,” I said, slowly turning to face her. “Who?”

“Oh, dear. I’m mumbling again.” She laughed nervously. “Granny Nauka—that is, my grandmother—she moved away a long time ago.” Melly shook her head. “She disagreed with where the island was heading. I haven’t heard from her since I was a kitten.”

It can’t be. Right?

Matt has gained: 2 Levels of [Alchemy]!

Matt has learned a new [Alchemy] recipe!