"Um Natsuki-san?"
"Please just call me Pleiades, my cute pet apprentice!"
"Awha! Sorry, I'm still getting used to your new name... apprentice... wait, pet? "What exactly do you mean?"
Crusch was perplexed by Pleiades' use of two phrases that caught her off guard. Of course, Pleiades began to respond since he could smell a misunderstanding from a mile away and decided to clear it up now.
"Again, before your amnesic brain causes unnecessary misconceptions, let me explain. To begin, the reason I call you my pet is rather simple: I call anyone I consider to be relevant to my eternal life my close pet. I don't mean it negatively; for example, I have exactly 20 people with whom I have a connection with in this world; eight of them are my pets, which implies that they are creatures that I cannot get rid of due to particular circumstances. As such, I am stuck with them, whether I want them or not. The other twelve are strays, which are folks I meet but have no real significance; it's a hello and farewell kind of friendship. But close enough to be worth remembering to some extent."
Pleiades stated those words casually, as if that were the most natural thing to say. Well, in a way, it was—for him at least, seeing that his concept of camaraderie has been sadistically distorted in more ways than one over the past ten millennia.
After all, what can one expect from a witch—or, in his case, a warlock? Nonetheless, he finished his explanation, concluding with:
"For example, Ms. Karsten, you are my 9th pet; take honor in that; I do care for you in my own way; from a human point of view, a pet to me means you are my friend, possibly family; or something in between, like how I view my pet Blue Ring Octopus Pandora; she is silent but fucking deadly." One like her can only be found in the lowest depths of the sea that is life itself; metaphorically, she is beautiful, very beautiful and soft, and tight... and lethal, did I mention tiny as well, and tight... extremely tight."
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Crusch flushed profusely as she understood the message a little too well but tried to ignore it out of embarrassment. She can also comprehend his peculiar way of viewing people, although it was kind of messed up. A pet is anything that is close to its owner; nevertheless, this does not mean that the pet may not bite you from time to time; nonetheless, not all animals can be tame either. Then and again, what on earth is an octopus? She wonders. She had never heard of such an animal before.
But as she pondered the subject further, she began to wonder what kind of pet animal she was to him. Strange?! Why does she find pleasure in the prospect of Pleiades labeling her as a pet animal? It was an odd feeling; the thought of becoming someone else's pet animal was not a healthy idea to adapt to. And yet she felt solace in the fact that Pleiades had made her one of his pets; was this some kind of horrible sorcery or trick he performed on her, the lioness wondered?
Natsuki, on the other hand, was always in her head, given that he heard her thoughts and responded to her.
"Basically, you answer yourself; you're my pet lioness." Keep in mind that I also use animals to reflect a person's personality, and even if your memories are gone, you are still powerful and confident; you don't need pride to survive; you were born free, but liberation from others does not fit you. The Crusch I knew was a leader with a steely resolve, and compared to my former self, you possessed a mentality that took me several lifetimes to develop. I'm also going to make you my apprentice because of your strong will and natural ability to act independently on your own. To me, you are a dull sword in need of a proper master to wield and sharpen it. But with me on your side, I will turn you into a true weapon, one so powerful that it does not require a master to wield it when it has been properly sharpened."
Crusch's eyes widened in stupor as she heard these remarks. His comments were delivered in a cold, emotionless monotone, but you could sense the wisdom and emotion underlying every syllable. For a brief moment, she felt as if her heart had been carried away, yet this might all be because of the fact, that in this reality, Natsuki could be the only thing she had left, but he was so different.
No! A better way to describe him would be his waning interest in things around him that he didn't find interesting. She figured out on her own that Natsuki, or Pleiades, was gradually losing touch with his feelings as a human being. Then and again, it might be too late, and his feelings are far gone. But she was in no position to judge either; after all, what made her human had died along with her original memories, leaving her imprisoned within the ice she was submerged in.
But when her mind wandered further, Pleiades began to speak again, as he said.
"Well, in any case, you are now one of my pets, and as a pet lover and your caregiver, I will not let anything happen to you." Animal cruelty is not tolerated in my domain, and I dislike it when humans disrupt my ecosystem. Although my ecology is a little risky, the monarch butterfly, which is far too smart for her own good, is the least threatening but the most dangerous in her own way. And the most dangerous is the koala, which is constantly sleeping yet can crush you even in her dreams. The most concerning, however, is the hyena, which is hazardous even while on a leash. Apart from that, I'm confident you'll fit right in."
"No, I'm confident you can. Physical violence is nearly impossible with that blonde chihuahua breathing down everyone's throat. But I must say, she is sometimes entertaining to watch."
"You seem to have an interesting collection of pets, ha?" So, what animal do you represent in your ecosystem?"
Crusch inquired of Pleiades, as she was amused by the entire pet conversation. Pleiades, on the other hand, already knew what animal he was; he came to this world as that animal and remains thus to this day.
"I am the raven, confident, spiteful, frightening, and bipolar when the time comes... I am as unpredictable as I am manipulative, and I am not easily broken. I am a social bird who soars over everyone else. I have one experience and then act on it twice; I am a bird of prey disguised as a passerine. I keep an eye on my pets from above and afar, but I don't make it my business to get too involved in their affairs. I will just observe from the highest point, and I will only act when my presence is required; otherwise, no one is permitted to approach my sky carelessly."
Crusch, on the other hand, was taken aback by the philosophical response, as she said.
"Wow, that's kind of deep. I think I'm slowly understanding your strange character now, not by much, but I'm learning more and more about you, and I think that's al...
"Haaaa....
The conversation had been going so well up until this point that Crusch let her guard down for a little while. Despite the fact that the two of them were surrounded by so many people, the pleasant moment they enjoyed was soon cut short when Crusch noticed that the entire world around her had turned orange. Her eyes immediately shot up into the sky, and that's when she noticed the twelve gigantic meteors traveling straight for them.
"w-w-Wha-What the HELLLLLLL!?...
Her gaze is immediately drawn to Pleiades, who has a contented but equally insane expression on his face. Pleiades, on the other hand, simply stated as such.
"So it has finally arrived."