𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘳

Chapter 30. To Build a Home

it's really nothing, but only partial reason why the mature headline is on.
*
[Gambler]

They stitched up Revy's leg, but left her back alone. She wouldn't let anyone near her back. No one was even allowed to touch, or come remotely near it. The closest anyone got was when she refused to let go of Vash in her half-sleep state.

She sucks in air through her teeth before holding out a hand in front of me. "I'll take the drug, I can keep it down," she says. "I just want everyone to leave me alone."

"You are in crutches, it's a little concerning," I admit. Still, I pull the vial out.

She scowls, grabbing it and drinking it all. "You guys make this from plants? No wonder it messes with me. Drinking your own modified DNA is weird, your cells treat it almost like cancer. Especially when you started human."

The plant behind us glows bright, suddenly.

Revy turns around with a kind and nearly fake smile, one she met me with when I was a boy. The giant orb seems to glow back. "Hi, Julia. Are all of your sisters well? I hope you didn't exert too much energy— you didn't have to volunteer, after all."

"We're okay. We're glad you're safe," she says.

This, I think, this is one of the plants.

The girl looks pensive, but her eyes were whites and featured barely humanoid, it was hard to tell. This girl knew Revy as more than a new face. She respected her, like she knew her life.

A plant had a will, but no experience such as the real world. My best guess is she shared her memories, and didn't stop to leave the bad things out.

"Could we heal you?" the girl finally asks.

Revy looks startled. It was clear she didn't imprint her will or ideas on these plants, only her truth regarding her entire life, and what lead to this point of war.

"No," she says firmly, startling Julia. "You'll use your power, you'll die faster."

"Not if it's all of us! We all want to help you!"

"No," Revy says again. "I'm already healing. Thanks, Julia. You should go rest."

Solemnly, Julia morphed back into a glowing piece of energy. Like that's not the creepiest thing i've ever experienced.

Well, it's not.

Revy turns back, embracing me. "Welcome back, dumb priest."

I am sitting outside later, beside my gun in the sand for a smoke. I scavenged Revy's room and found them tucked into pockets and drawers. To annoy her, I took every one.

Marlon, a man I didn't expect to see here, stands in front of me. "I could fix that for you," he says.

"Really?!"

"Are you kidding me? Give me two days and it'll be done," he says.

In a day, Revy's body didn't attempt to purge her of the excess regeneration, a.k.a her own cells.

All this time she'd been avoiding Vash, yet subconsciously she obviously hadn't wanted to let him go when we arrived. She was so nervous when we went to rescue him, yet so overjoyed when he was freed. I wondered if that had anything to do with it.

Because of her absence, Vash has been trying to breakthrough for the few days. Today, I see him corner her just as she's coming out of her small room. He's memorized the times, I talked with him and he wrote down what time she wakes each morning. Everytime she goes in to get changed, and comes out to get a snack. Like it wasn't creepy at all.