"Did you know that crows hold funerals for the dead?"
"No, I didn't."
"When one of their kin dies, they let out a specific alarm to every crow in the facility. Then, they gather around their fallen kin and scold for around thirty minutes. They examine the cause of death, scan for harmful threats, and even memorize the location for years on end. It's not as sentimental as a real funeral, but isn't that quite interesting?"
"I suppose so…"
The mysterious woman and I retreated to a nearby apartment following my battle with the amphibious creature.
The apartment was an industry grey. It gave the impression of a first-time rental that hadn't been decorated at all. No signs, no photos, no anything outside of the bare-basics. Was this even her home...?
Despite the house's non-existent decoration, it was a surprisingly comfortable apartment overall, with two bedrooms, a walk-in shower, a bath, and a nice little coffee table in the middle of the living room. I wonder how much money this would cost if I were human…there's no way a part-time summer job could pay this off.
Wait, why was I thinking about rent just now? Living costs and housing aesthetics were the least of my concerns!
"Hey…" I said meekly, attempting to gain the woman's attention.
"Not only that, but they're also opportunistic scavengers. They eat just about anything, you know? insects, seeds, nuts, carrion, and even human food waste aren't out of the question."
I don't think she heard what I said. Talking to women has always been a difficult thing for me, so being alone in a room with one must be seriously messing with my nerves. Maybe I should up my assertiveness.
"That's great and all, but—"
"They are creatures that dwell among the 'dead,' despite being members of the 'living.' Consuming a corpse can't exactly be called living, but it isn't dying either. Perhaps it would be most appropriate to say that they are killing the state of death?"
…She completely ignored me just now, didn't she? There's no way that was an accident!
"I wonder, what world do they see?"
That's it...
"The park down the stre-"
"WOULD YOU STOP TALKING FOR A MINUTE?!"
I jumped from my seat and slammed my hands on the coffee table. Normally I'd consider myself a pretty patient guy, but enough was enough. I couldn't take anymore of this one-sided rambling.
"Is something wrong?" she said with a poised expression. "Have I perhaps offended you?"
"Of course there is! And yes, you have offended me! Who the hell told you its okay to ramble on endlessly and speak over anyone who wants to contribute to the conversation?! Can't you tell I'm trying to ask you something? If you have the time to speak, then you have the time to listen! And why did you assume I'd be interested in whatever nonsense you've been on about for the past hour? I don't give a damn about crow funerals or dietary facts! Just let me finish a single sentence at least! It's humiliating having to sit here and contribute nothing!"
"..."
"..."
An awkward silence filled the room for what seemed like an eternity. The facial expression of the dark skinned woman with piercing eyes hadn't change, despite my outburst. Was she a robot or something? No, she was probably upset with me.
"I..."
Yeah, definitely upset.
"I'm sorry."
"...Eh?"
To be honest, I wasn't expecting such a forward apology, given her tendency to speak in esoteric idioms and philosophical jargon.
"It seems my conduct was quite inappropriate for this conversation. Leading with a relentless barrage of comments was wrong. I am quite inexperienced with talking to humans, or at least, recently deceased ones."
"No no...I-It's my bad..."
Oh come on, don't puss out! Why am I the one apologizing here?
"It's just frustrating, you know?"
Damn, I just didn't have it in me to scold her anymore. It was like yelling at a puppy or swearing at a junior of yours — it'll leave a bitter taste in your mouth, no matter how justified the reaction.
She bowed her head politely and said, "Yes...I understand. As recompense, please share any question, comment, or concern you have in mind. I will not deny you an answer."
Seriously...this lady was like a machine. I would really appreciate it if she talked to me like a normal person, but I suppose everyone is a little awkward when talking to strangers.
"Well, if you want to get along better with people, then you should probably start with introductions."
"Intro...ductions?"
"Yeah, like a name or whatever."
"A name..."
"I'll start first — my name is Cassius, a senior —or rather, a former senior— at Baroque City High School. My hobbies are reading novels and bike-riding. What's your name?"
"I..."
She placed her hand on her chin, as though the thought of a name was foreign to her.
"AuspiciousPretender — my name is Auspicious Pretender, and I eat apples."
Who the hell names their kid something like that? Well, at least we have the same preference in fruit.
"...Are you sure that's not a title?"
"No. Everyone calls me that."
"And who exactly is everyone?"
"Everyone, of course."
"..."
"Is there an issue?"
"No, not at all...it's just a tad long, don't you think. Would you mind if I called you Aussie from now on? It's short for Auspicious — a good nickname that everyone will love."
The woman blushed upon hearing my suggestion, turning her gaze downward. "No...I would not mind at all."
Honestly, I just can't get a read on this woman, no, Aussie at all.
———
Having resolved our argument, we moved onto the questions portion of the conversation — the portion I had most desperately anticipated.
"First off, am I dead?"
"No, you are not, or perhaps you are? I don't really know."
"No cryptic explanations, when possible. Give me your best answer even if it isn't entirely accurate."
"I see…in that case, it would be best to describe this place as an intermediary between life and death. You are neither living nor deceased, but a separate existence altogether."
"Okay, good. Now what was that thing that killed me? And what was that amphibious creature as well?"
"Those were Aberrations."
"Aberrations…?"
Now this was getting interesting
"In this world between life and death, one and zero, the gap between the physical body and intangible mind between loosened and break down. Aberrations are one such example of this 'loosening.' They are the amalgamation of possibilities."
Aussie placed an apple and an orange on the table.
"For instance, what are the potential possibilities when it comes to eating these fruit?"
"Four," I replied. "You can eat one or the other, both, or neither."
"That is correct. The amalgamation of those for possibilities, no matter how small or insignificant, will eventually come to form an Aberration."
"I see...so not all aberrations are necessarily hostile or born from negativity?"
"Indeed, just take a look out the window. Those are my neighbors."
Following her instructions, I looked down at the sidewalk below, witnessing various creatures, coming in all sorts of shapes and sizes, casually wandering the city.
"You have interesting neighbors."
"Thank you, I do try to give them spare fruit when I can. Do you have any other question?"
"Yeah, I do. If we are not human, then what are we?"
"We are also Aberrations, of course. Our human skin is merely a familiar vessel of times once passed. We have long since lost out humanity.
I see...does that explain why I don't feel that sense of revulsion when I see her? Because she maintains her human form? No, that's just too gross to think about. She can't be one of them.
"Why did you save me back then?"
Her expression changed ever-so-slightly. "...What?"
"I'm asking you, why did you save me when I died?"
"Save...?"
She avoided by gaze, her mind lost in deep contemplation.
"Perhaps...I placed a bet on the future?"
"...?"
"No. It was nothing like that. What I did was the result of my own actions, not some grander plot. Needlessly dragging you into something like this was a sin far worse than death."
"That doesn't make things any clearer for me."
"I'm sorry, Cassius, but I don't think I'm ready to tell you my reasons. Or rather, the reasons behind my actions allude me still."
"Well, if you don't want to answer, then I won't force you to."
"Thank you...Cassius."
Hearing her refer to me by my name took me a bit off guard. It was almost cute, in a way.
"Well, those are all of my questions, so how about you, Aussie? Do you want to ask me anything."
"Anything?"
Her eyes were filled with a strange longing that seemed almost out of character for her. What did that word, anything, mean to her?
"Yeah, I guess. Anything at all."
"I see...if that is the case, then allow me one humble request."
"Sure, what is it?"
"Save me, Cassius."