The blast deafened Ivy as it sent her tumbling back across the outlook but Cubert’s shove had still managed to spare her from greater injury. She pulled her face from the dirt and beheld the scorched and ashen crater the Overlook had become. Her ears hurt and rang but sound began to return in echoes.
Amidst the ruin Cubert still stood. A tattered and ragged creature bleeding black and red.
He was missing half of his head from the explosion, his left ear, eye, and teeth all gone.
But it was what was once hidden deep beneath that concerned him.
Ivy could see him.
>S-systems damaged.
>Bodily functions compromised.
>Mobility has been compromised.
He tried to move but found his limbs broken and his muscles torn.
Cubert didn’t want her to see him, not that part of him, not like this. When he saw her start to move he expected her to run away but instead she dodged through the fire to reach him. She tucked her body under his and helped him to move away from the flames.
“We need to get to the Doctor.” Ivy said.
“N-no. Need r-r-repairs. Bakery.” He stammered.
She took him down a side path along the edge of the trees. At the same time many within the town had started to come up the main path in search of an explanation to the noise. With the streets now empty they slipped past unseen into the Bakery.
The pair clambered into the back where Cubert collapsed into a pile.
“Red Earth…” He groaned through broken teeth.
“Red Earth? Are… I’ll… Okay.” Ivy replied before quickly going to the kitchen and getting a large jar. She moved as quick as she could and headed over to the Mountain where the Dig Site had dumped many mounds of the substance. She used the jar’s lid to scrape the black soil into the jar but even the small flecks that got onto her paws made them itch.
Once she had returned she found Cubert had dragged himself into the bathroom. He had just filled the bath with warm water and was in the middle of pouring sugar into it. She hurried to his side.
“Inside.” He spoke.
Ivy poured the Red Earth into the water. She watched as from his broken mouth a long black tendril emerged. It stabbed into the muddy bathtub and crackled with energy. A moment later and a blue shimmer rippled through the black mud. The lights grew and tiny glowing speckles covered the surface of the sticky substance. Cubert withdrew the tendril before pulling himself over the edge of the bathtub.
He sank into the mud and vanished from sight.
Ivy waited. Each second felt like ten.
“Inquiry. Why do you not fear me?” A voice bubbled up.
“Are you going to harm me?” Ivy asked.
“No.”
“Are you the same Cubert I’ve known since we met at the Market?” Ivy asked.
“Yes.”
“Then why would I be scared?” Ivy replied.
She then suddenly struck the side of the metal tub with her leg.
“But I am mad you didn’t tell me anything! I thought we were friends.”
“I would have told you, in time. I could not risk being discovered.” The voice replied.
Ivy let out a sigh. She then peered closely at the bubbling mud.
“Are you alright in there?” Ivy asked.
“I need time to regenerate.”
“Right…” Ivy replied.
She stepped away and from the living room got a sitting pillow.
She then placed herself next to the bathtub.
“I want you to tell me everything, like what you really are?” Ivy asked.
“I am beyond your understanding.” His voice bubbled.
Ivy furrowed her brow.
“You have the skin of an Angler fish, but the roots of a plant. And you live inside of a… Different body. Are you some kind of parasite? Maybe arboreal in some form?” She pondered.
“I am a Machine.” Cubert replied.
“A Machine. Like a train? No, more like those mechanical puppets from the Capitel that can be programmed to play music or write sentences?” She asked as she tried to understand.
“They are automatons. Unthinking, puppets that only mimic life. I differ in that I can actually think. I feel. But my actions are still programmed in advance. I am from the Ancient Era. I was built during the final moments of the War as a weapon that could evolve and adapt. I know nothing of that time other than what I was programmed to know… Correction. What memories they gave me. With that time now being over I am left only with my Orders.”
Ivy paused for a few long minutes as she tried to imagine such things.
“What are your Orders?” Ivy then asked.
“To Live.” He replied simply.
“That’s vague. How do you define what it means to live?”
“Security, safety, pleasures, and pain. A job, a home, and a family.”
Ivy sat back and thought it over for a moment.
“You don’t have to be so nice and friendly to do that. But you are?”
“Social cohesion means minimal risk of exile or isolation. Friends are assets that can bring experiences, pleasures, financial opportunities and gains. They minimize risks.”
“Then what about me?”
“You are highly valued. I can not give further information due to future plans requiring surprises that would be ruined with more context.” Cubert’s voice bubbled up.
Ivy smiled as she had a few ideas on those surprises.
“That’s fine for now. Just make sure not to wait too long to surprise me.”
“Noted.”
Ivy chewed over another thought.
“Then… With Cubert?” Ivy asked.
“He found me. I did not know the War was over. I mistook him for an enemy…”
“So you killed him?” Ivy cut in.
“Correct. It was unavoidable but still regrettable. Not wanting his death to be without value I used his skin and mind to evolve. Not simply half and half. Nor one wearing the other. He was blue. I was yellow. Now, I am green. Does his passing upset you?” Cubert asked.
“I only knew of him from books and newspapers. A brilliant mind and a deeply unpleasant man. He famously said on the radio once that he would gladly give his life to bring the Ancients back.” Ivy admitted.
“I had forgotten about that.” Cubert admitted.
“It’s taking me a minute to understand all of this. That I'm talking to a Machine that can think and eat people and… Is a really good Baker. Why is a weapon such a good Baker?”
“Because I taught myself how to be one.”
“So that wasn’t some deep secret hobby of the old Cubert?”
“No, I deemed Baking as a way to help the community.”
Ivy leaned on the side of the bathtub.
“A living puppet made of fake flesh and starlight, that was once created to be a weapon, taught itself how to Bake, so it could be a good member of the local community.” Ivy said to herself before a smile overtook her and her mind ran hot with new story ideas.
“What did you do to the Red Earth? I thought it only hurt to touch?” She then asked.
“In the Ancient Era, many structures were created quickly using tiny Machines that were smaller than your cells. When the War ended these structures dissolved, and the tiny Machines lingered in the soil. When not activated they take a sharp shape to protect themselves. All I did was activate them again so they could repair me.” Cubert explained.
“Like metal sand that can make giant castles…” Ivy mused excitedly as she thought it over.
“What you told me earlier today, about not going to higher school. Was that true?”
“It was. Cubert has lived a lonely and spiteful life. But that is not a goal we share. I’ve desired you since the first time I saw you at the Market. Cubert’s lack of knowledge on females and social graces has not helped.”
Ivy snorted a little at the thought.
“It’s funny. I’ve spent my whole life writing about impossible things. But I would have never imagined that I would be part of something so crazy.” Ivy mused. Her eyes growing heavy.
“I would like to keep my identity a secret from the others, for now.”
“I get you. A less shocking way to come out would be a good start.” Ivy nodded.
“I know you have more questions. But you should rest. I can heal better if I hibernate as well.”
Cubert spoke to her.
“Are you sure you will be alright?” She asked.
“You have already saved me, Ivy. Sleep well.”
She let out a yawn before curling up on the pillow and quickly falling into sleep.
By the time Ivy woke she found herself laying in Cubert’s bed. The sheets were so pristine that she could not smell him on them at all. With a groan she stretched her aching joints. Despite how comfortable a brand new bed was she quickly shook off the morning fatigue and bounced out of the covers. Only to find Cubert in the living area’s kitchen.
“Good morning. I am making breakfast.” He said to her casually.
Cubert looked exactly how he did before the incident. His clothes were clean and pressed as usual. His fur was spotless. Ivy had trusted his word when he said he could heal himself but to see someone go from mangled to perfect in the span of a night was uncanny.
Ivy swiftly headed over and before he could say another word she grabbed his head. To the left and right she turned and twisted as she inspected all of his features. She peered closely at his fur and deeply into his eyes before sniffing him as intently as she could. But she found not even the slightest hint of what he actually was.
“Show me.” Ivy demanded.
“That would be unwise.” He replied.
“Why? I already know what you are.” She asked.
“Nobody likes showing what they are on the inside.” Cubert admitted.
“Hm. My mom used to tell me when I was young. The more lies you tell the harder it is to tell the truth. And! The worst person you can lie to is yourself. How about a hint?” Ivy told him.
>Gradual subconscious exposure can lessen the shock of realization.
>Barely noticeable features being present over a long period of time is advised.
>Adjusting biology. Altering pigmentation…
“Acceptable. Your idea has merit… Done.” Cubert said.
She gently looked around his head again.
“What did you do?” She asked.
Cubert opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue to show that it was black. He then continued to stick out of his tongue until it could wrap around her paw, twice over. Ivy shuddered from the feeling but her wide eyed and excited look proved that it was not out of disgust.
“Oh.” She muttered.
Cubert then withdrew his tongue.
“Question. Do you remember the metaphor I said yesterday about being green?”
“Yeah?”
“Having had more time to process, it is not completely accurate. While I am something new that came from the combination of two things, I still see myself as a Buun. Albeit a unique one. This body is my preferred form. Until I spoke to you yesterday I had not realized that.” Cubert told her.
Ivy put her paws down.
“I’m sorry if I have made you uncomfortable.”
“Do not apologize. You have been exceptionally kind and understanding.”
He pressed his nose to hers for a moment.
“The Bread is about to burn. Excuse me.”
He turned to focus on what he was doing. She watched him as he placed a slice of thin bread into a frying pan with his bare paws. And then press it down for some seconds to make sure the one side got evenly toasted. Even for a calloused chef that would have hurt.
Ivy took a second to adjust.
“What is for breakfast?” She then asked.
“Omelette, with wild Mushrooms and sharp Cheese, on fried Bread.” He replied.
“Nice.” She replied.
She sat herself down at the table and was joined by Cubert once the food was ready.
Several long minutes of silence passed but it didn’t feel too awkward between them.
“So you are a good Cook too, why am I not surprised.” Ivy mused.
“Cooking and Baking are similar concepts.” Cubert replied.
“I always thought Cooking was more like an art, you can get freeform with it and still make something good. But Baking is a science. Get some measurements or ratios wrong and it collapses.” Ivy said.
“I didn’t consider that.” Cubert admitted.
No sooner had Ivy finished eating that Cubert whisked the plates away and began to clean them. She had always known he was a very particular Buun when it came to hygiene and organization but now it made even more sense to why.
“Our date yesterday ended on a sour note.” Cubert spoke up as he dried his paws.
“Yeah but the rest of the day was quite nice.” Ivy nodded.
“Yes but I wish to correct that. Is there anything you would like to do today?” He asked.
“Well… You did give me some nice ideas on the beach yesterday. Maybe we could just continue where we left off?” She suggested.
Cubert hopped closer before pressing his button nose and lips against her own.
A simple kiss not meant to arouse but to show affection and care.
“That is what I was going to give you at the overlook.” Cubert said, causing Ivy to smile.
>Ivy has entered a relaxed state.
>Due to recent stress, additional relaxation time is advised.
>Time is also needed to maintain personal hygiene.
>Warning. Suggestions on personal hygiene tend to offend.
>Covert methods are needed.
>Processing…
“May I suggest we take a bath before continuing?” He then asked.
“Oh that sounds good actually.” Ivy agreed.
She reached up and rubbed the length of her cheek along his before turning and slowly walking away. She took the lead to the bathroom and was relieved to find he had already cleaned the bathtub. After letting him step past her she closed the door and set her mind on continuing the date as if nothing had happened.
