Gambit

3

"Easy is the path to wisdom for those not blinded by ego."

          You blink open your eyes, woken up to the sound of nearby music. The clearing you fell asleep in remained covered, bits of sunlight leaking through the canopy above. Sitting up, you glance around the area, searching for that demon you met last night. Was that a dream? You think, standing up. Or did I hallucinate?

          Shrugging off the thought that you might be going insane, you leave the clearing, shielding your eyes from the sun.
"Ah- Slayer, over here!" Yuzuki calls to you and beckons you over. "You must've been tired, you slept for about... five days.? But do not fret, I ensured your safety throughout your rest. You must be starving, here-eat." Yuzuki hands you a plate with meat and berries.

          "So then what did you do while I was asleep?" you ask, taking a bite of the meat. "Like, I feel like living here as a nonviolent demon would get boring."

          "It does get quite boring, unfortunately. But from my time being here, I've learned that the spider lilies tend to blossom sometime soon. From the many years that it has sprouted, I have yet to find a use for it, so I boil the stamen and crush the rest of the flower to create an extract and a fine powder."

          Yuzuki sits down in front of you. "Would you like to see my story? It would be much easier than telling it verbally, and we'd finish in the late afternoon."

          "If you don't tell your story to me.. then how would it be shared?"

          "I understand your confusion, I apologize for not clarifying properly. Through physical contact, I am able to present my memories to you as how I saw them." Yuzuki holds her hands out. "Would you like to do a test run? I will show a shorter memory so as to not occupy too much time."

          You nod, making a choice. "Yeah, let's try this out." Placing your hands on Yuzuki's, you feel your sense of reality twisting, and you shut your eyes.

You open your eyes to see two people facing you, both donning proud smiles.

"Look at you, our little apothecary," one says, cupping your check. "Dear, it's only a title, she has yet to begin officially." the other states, nudging the first.

"Thanks dad, you too mom." You-no, Yuzuki says with a smile. These must be Yuzuk's parents when she was alive.. They look happy.

You feel your sense of reality warp again and you close your eyes, blinking them open to be returned to the clearing, Yuzuki facing you.

"That was right after I was accepted as a future apothecary for my village. Being an apothecary was important there; we were the only ones that had the knowledge to heal people and cure diseases."

Yuzuki sighs sadly. "I hope you were not too nauseous, I understand the feeling takes some getting used to."

"It was definitely.. Off-putting at first, but I wasn't sure what to expect," You nod. "Are we able to see your story now?"

Yuzuki nods and holds her hands out again. "I will begin after I've consumed the flower, and will skip over irrelevant memories to save time."

You place your hands on hers with your eyes closed, waiting for the twisting feeling to come.

It never did.