105 Desert:e Softly
111.
"I wanted to bring them back with me in my inventory, but my inventory is already full of other things."
Kara tactically stepped back half a step to help Aria share some of the weight, so that the wobbly behemoth would not "collapse" directly on the farmer's head and bury her completely.
Despite this, the Kryptonian girl's worries did not diminish, but instead grew stronger: "Aria... I think this might not be a good idea."
She looked down at the pile of items that was about to overwhelm the farmer and couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Is this really okay? These things don't look like they'd be thrown away carelessly... To make matters worse, Aria actually came back with these spoils in her arms, as if she was afraid others wouldn't know she'd just completed an archaeological excavation.
"We'd better get these things back before those people find out..." Kara felt a headache when she thought about someone coming to cause trouble. She even started to think about how to find a reasonable excuse for the farmer to get away so as not to be caught on the spot.
"It's really no problem, Kara." Aria held the things in her arms tightly with both hands, as if she were defending her treasure to the death. Her eyes were firm and almost pious. "I promise you, these are things they don't want. I took them all out of the trash can or dug them out of the ground!"
"Can you imagine?" she said, her eyes sparkling, her tone brimming with excitement. "They have a whole room dedicated to their garbage disposal!"
Kara: ...It doesn't sound right.
Kara wanted to persuade them again, but after seeing Aria's determined look, she finally sighed helplessly and reluctantly accepted the fact. She didn't realize that her acceptance of the "farmer rummaging through the trash can" had reached a point of near acquiescence - even the thought of trying to dissuade her disappeared.
Is it really okay? Since the farmer says it's okay, then let's just assume it's okay.
"By the way, do you want to come with me to deliver the gifts later, Kara?" Aria asked suddenly.
After finally removing half of the gift, her entire face was finally revealed, her dark pupils sparkling with anticipation.
Kara wavered a bit. Although she knew she should remain rational, she still spoke subconsciously, unconsciously repeating the farmer's previous words: "Um...you mean, give these things to others?"
"Yeah." Aria nodded with a smile, "Don't you think they'll be happy?"
"Uh... I think, I think..." Kara was speechless for a moment, thinking seriously about how to express her doubts tactfully, "They might be... a little surprised?" Even if it was something that someone else really didn't want, it would sound strange to give it back as a gift.
"Doesn't that just prove that our gifts can be a surprise?" Aria nodded as a matter of course.
Kara: "..." There seems to be nothing wrong with this logic, but something seems to be wrong.
…
"So you want to come with me to deliver the presents, Kara?"
"I think you'd be a little lonely if I were your only friend." She nodded at the pile of unloaded items. "Before we start the challenge, we're all pretty free. Why don't we practice making friends here? That way, when we return to Smallville, you'll be able to take the first step bravely."
The bed provided by Mr. Qi was soft and bouncy. Seeing Kara unexpectedly silent while sitting on the bed, the farmer lay down on it and rolled around like a baguette, finally arching himself in front of her.
She rested her head on her arms and looked up at her, her dark eyes as deep as a pool of water that could absorb any negative emotion.
"Actually, I've wanted to ask you this before...but I just never found the right opportunity," the farmer said, sticking out his tongue out of embarrassment.
"To be honest, I'm not sure if now is a good time, so...if it makes you unhappy, please tell me."
Aria carefully put in a lot of words as a buffer, like a person preparing to jump from a tall building, laying out countless safety cushions for himself beforehand, for fear of falling too hard - or hurting the other person's wound.
"Because Kara is very important to me." Aria said softly, "So I don't want you to have any negative feelings about our relationship."
The farmer blinked, and a few tufts of slightly curled hair swayed slightly as she spoke, like the red and blue leaves growing outside the window of her residence on Krypton, swaying gently in the wind, revealing vitality.
She paused, her tone becoming softer. "When we were on the farm, I noticed that you seemed reluctant to communicate with others, including some of the townspeople."
Blinking, her eyelashes gently brushed across her sight, there was a hint of confusion and a little worry in Aria's eyes.
"Kara, are you afraid of making friends?"
For a moment, the expression on Kara's face became a little complicated.
She had blonde hair that seemed to be the color of the sunset; the most brilliant sunset and the most gentle blue sea blended together in her in an unprecedented harmony. But her expression was sad, as if clouds had quietly obscured the light of the sky.
Aria had always been aware of these emotions—they flashed by like shooting stars, but fortunately, she never missed them—Aria was also quite talented at stargazing, after all.
"If you're worried that people won't like you, I can assure you that won't happen," Aria said softly. "Because you're truly amazing, everyone who knows you will want to be your friend."
“…” The Kryptonian girl remained silent for a long time, and the farmer just stayed quietly beside her - when she was not making noise, there was still some calmness in her.
"It's not because of this." Kara thought that perhaps all the scars would slowly heal with time, and when she looked back again, it would become a story or an experience that she could tell calmly.
She had never imagined that the protective layer forged from her heart would one day be destroyed just like the lead plates that once covered the surface of Krypton to isolate it from radiation*.
No, it was still different from the lead sheet. The lead sheet would only face the solar storm and the intense heat that would melt it. But when she tried to peel off the protective layer, she wouldn't face the explosive heat that would penetrate it.
Just see.
But perhaps it wasn't long enough, Kara still felt a bitter taste rising in her throat when talking about things related to Krypton.
She could choose not to say anything, because her friends had the right to refuse to answer, but she was, after all, just a child who had not yet reached adulthood in the culture of her own planet. Even though the farmer sometimes did not behave very reliably, she still saw her as an adult who had experienced many things.
"...You told me I wouldn't die, didn't you?"
"Yes, I won't die." Aria gently let her touch her head. Her curled hair leaked out from Kara's fingertips like grass leaves emerging from under cement bricks.
"So you can tell me about yourself, anytime, anywhere, anything," she smiled. "A person who will never die can bear that kind of weight."
Kara's throat tightened slightly.
She experienced three major mass deaths during Krypton's slow demise*.
"I'm tired of always being friends with the dying," she whispered.
"I'm tired of seeing them off, digging graves for them, and carving tombstones for them."
"...If possible," Kara whispered, more like making a wish than confessing, "I hope to be surrounded by people like you who will never die and will never leave."
If I continue this topic, it will go beyond what can be discussed in the game. I might get a lot of warnings, but...
As she said, a person who cannot die can withstand any force.
"Then you might have to find my hometown."
Aria propped up her head, as if she had thought of something particularly interesting, and smiled brightly. "But the situation there isn't very good, and it's not a suitable place to live long-term, so I generally don't recommend people working there."
"...How about you be friends with Mr. Qi?" The farmer tickled his fingers as he enumerated Mr. Qi's virtues. "After all, he's not human. You two can be friends for a very long time... Ouch!"
Aria touched her forehead and instantly regained her serious expression: "After all, this wish is indeed a bit difficult to realize..."
After a pause, she smiled and moved closer: "But it's not impossible to try. I can do this for you-"
The farmer drawled, "Steal, pull, scatter, road, pond, and revive your friend."
Kara sighed and nodded helplessly. Under Aria's jokes, all the past experiences that were spoken out seemed to be covered with a solemn farewell, and sank into the safest place from then on, as if they would never surface again to disturb her new life.
The farmer who was being pointed at was arrogant and spoiled, holding his chin, like an otter floating on the water and basking lazily in the sun.
"So, Kara, would you like to consider making a new friend?"
Although it was a question, the farmer's face was almost filled with the words "Promise me a surprise!"
So the Kryptonian girl nodded slightly in agreement.
Aria immediately opened the palm that was supporting her chin, and as if by magic, a sapphire shining with a warm luster was revealed.
"Look," she said, smiling and changing the subject, "you used to have nightmares, but not anymore."
"So everything's going to be alright, right?"
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Still, some of the plot mentioned comes from Tomorrow's Beauty
I will separate this chapter with warmer tones and post it first. There will be another chapter later.
Song "e Softly" - Grouper
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