Jake Barry
patreon
Chapter 5
🕑 Added 2022-09-05 11:34:31 +0000 UTCIt was the least we could do.
Despite not fully trusting our new owner, some gratitude was due. It wasn't even my idea, but I went along with it. It took roughly fifteen minutes, but the ten of us were able to draw a message in the ground.
It was a whopping hundred meters long, like a football pitch. None of us could make it out from down here, but clearly, she could. The look on her face said it all. Apparently, she thought it was very cute.
And yet I hate that. That look on her face. It makes me feel like a pet doing tricks to please its owner. I know we aren't pets, but a gesture like this doesn't sit right with me. Despite what she said, I feel no less like a possession.
She insisted that she isn't our owner, but I don't know what else to call her. Refusing to take on a leading role, she's promising to provide for us and asks for virtually nothing in return. What kind of person does that? I can't think of a single word for it. The closest thing I can think of is 'friend', though even that also doesn't feel quite accurate.
"A Brobdingnagian friend? Hah. What has this world come to..."
I realize I'm talking to myself again. That's a habit I should really work on breaking. Now that I've recovered some of my strength it's almost like I've been given new life.With the promise of protection and a friendly community, I have no reason to retreat into myself anymore. It'll be in my best interest to get to know the others before people start to form groups. Things will only get more complicated when she brings in more of us later.
I scan the area taking note of where everyone is. Some are sitting together, chatting away. A few have gone over to one of the many material piles to assess our resources. I'm alone, still standing by the message we dug. The stubborn woman from earlier is sitting alone some distance away from us, staring into the sky.
I follow her gaze up to the giantess. She's still there, sitting cross-legged near the border. She's just watching us silently, her smile refusing to leave her face. It unsettles me, having a person that enormous loom over us like that. In any other situation I would be running for my life right now.
"That's going to take some getting used to."
After a short staring contest with the colossus, I become bored. Her eyes are scanning around, trying to inspect us one by one. She doesn't linger on any one person, simply observing peacefully from way up in the sky. I have so many questions about her. Assuming she wasn't lying earlier, I would love to speak with her one on one. That will have to wait until later, though.
For now, I decide to talk with someone a little more my size. Not really feeling like joining the group yet, I'm inclined to head over to the woman sitting alone. I approach her from the side, yet she doesn't even acknowledge my presence. She's too busy staring off into the sky to notice me, apparently. I audibly clear my throat to announce my presence and she finally looks my way.
"Hey. Mind if I join you?"
She nods, not yet speaking. I sit down next to her and try my best not to seem as shy as I am. I give her a moment, but she remains silent.
Strange.
"Umm, how are you feeling? The food was good, I think. I haven't had anything that good since...well, ever."
"Mhm."
She switches between looking at me and staring at the giantess occasionally. Maybe she's not the talkative type? I look over to the group across from us and consider joining them. I begin to stand up.
"Sorry I bothered you. I'm sure you have been through a lot. I'll leave you alone."
Just as I'm standing up, I feel her grip my arm. I look back and see her gesturing for me to sit, so I oblige. After another moment of silence, she lets go of me.
"D-Don't go. Please." She speaks softly. Her voice is plaintive. "I'm just... Processing a lot."
"Okay...sure. Uhm, is everything alright?"
"..."
"Miss?"
"What do you think of her?" Her tone shifts to a more soothing one. I suspect she's trying to take her mind off of whatever was bothering her. "Be honest with me."
"Her? Oh, you mean Jeannine. I'm not sure yet. She's different, but who knows what she's really thinking? I do want to trust her, but I can't decide after just one day."
"I see."
"Why do you ask?" I ask, curious about how she feels as well. "Are you scared?"
"No, not scared. I'm... I'm not exactly sure. I can't stop staring at her..."
I gaze at the woman intently. I have no clue what she's feeling, although I think I understand what she's trying to say. The giantess, or rather, Jeannine, is an enigma. I've never been this close to one of her kind for this long without doing so in secret. Usually, we're the ones watching them. Contact between our races is usually brief, followed by a swift death by crushing. And yet she just sits there, harmless as can be.
"I know, right?"
She turns to me and raises a brow. I cock my head, confused. It then dawns on me how my tone might have sent the wrong message.
"O-Oh not like that! I meant, like, in awe, I think? Not...um, that."
Her expression softens and she laughs softly. She finally looks at me for the first time followed by a half-grin.
"It's alright. She's very pretty, anyone can see that. You're lucky she can’t see you ogling her body down here.
"I mean, yeah, but... She's one of them. Hot or not, she's-"
"A monster?" She cuts me off, stealing the words right from my mouth.
"..."
"Trust me, I've seen some real monsters. She's...not one of them. Jeannine is different, somehow."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Just a feeling."
"I hope you're right. For all our sakes."
We sit together for a time, only speaking up occasionally. Despite having spent so much time rotting away together in that locker, it feels as though everyone is just now meeting for the first time. I wonder if we ever crossed paths before now. It didn't seem like she recognized me earlier. None of us were in a talking mood until just a few hours ago.
The two of us listen to the other group. They've become rowdy and full of energy. It seems like everyone is quickly acclimating to our new home. The readiness with which some are accepting Jeannine's words is shocking. Though from what I hear, not everyone is convinced that Jeannine is totally benevolent. I think they've decided to enjoy this moment of peace while it lasts. They're leaving their problems for their tomorrow-selves, so to speak.
I look over to the woman beside me, pondering.I've been holding back a question out of fear of the answer.
"Do you think she'll hurt us?"
She looks at me with an annoyed expression. Leaning in close, she gets up in my face. I recoil, but she reclaims the small distance I put between us in an instant.
"There's a saying about not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Do you feel as though your life is at risk right now?"
"No, not really. It's just that-"
"Jeannine gave us food, water, our own space, shelter, and more resources than we can possibly use. We don't get that anywhere else."
"...You have a point."
"Exactly. Don't forget that if she wants to, she can end us in an instant. Beings that huge are all-powerful, and rarely hesitate with restraint in our presence. She's kept her voice down, been careful not to get too close, and even kept this area away from any drafts. There's no way someone would go that far if they weren't benevolent."
Hearing this stranger lecture me is irritating. I understand her points, really I do, and I firmly disagree. Normally I'm not an argumentative person, but I feel the need to fire back.
"Even so, I can't just trust her after half a day. She could wake up tomorrow and decide to stomp us out. One mood swing and she could act rashly. Do you trust her to refrain from using that power of hers to hurt us? What if we make her angry?"
"Just don't make her angry then. It's much simpler than you're making it out to be."
We glare at each other, both refusing to back down. I can tell by the look in her eyes that it's pointless to argue. The only thing that would convince her would be something neither of us want, nor Jeannine for that matter. I relent and decide to drop the topic altogether.
Just as I'm about to speak, a powerful tremor shakes the area. If I had not been sitting, I surely would have been knocked over. I look up and to the right of me at Jeannine. All of this shaking is merely standing back up! She must have had her fill of watching us for today. It's incredible to me just how much of a presence she has. She walks away without a word, going about her business around her room. The tremors cease once she gets a few kilometers away.
"I'll never get used to that." I shake my head.
"I know. It's quite an experience." She smirks.
I stand up and stretch my stiff body. I offer her a hand and pull her up. As soon as we're both upright I notice that we're the same height. I'd assumed I was taller. Huh.
"I heard the others talking about getting clean. I don't remember the last time I s-showered..." She admits.
"A shower sounds amazing." I run my fingers through the shaggy mess I call my hair. "Maybe a haircut too, if I can find someone to cut it for me."
"I'd be happy to." She points to it with her finger. "Just wash it first, or else I'm not coming anywhere near that mess."
We share a laugh. I'm relieved that our earlier discussion hasn't put either of us in a foul mood. She begins to walk away, giving me a wave as she heads to one of the lakes our 'caretaker' made for us.
"Sorry," I call out to her, "I never got your name?"
"You can call me Ori." She says with a smile. "Yours?"
"Nick. My name’s Nick."
We part ways, each heading to a separate lake. When Jeannine left us the water, she spilled a lot more than intended, creating several small lakes and ponds across the barren land. Without planning it, us seven men and the three women head to separate lakes each to clean ourselves up. It's funny how everyone remembers the concept of shame when there’s no immediate danger to worry about. As if we weren't barely clothed for months.
I strip down, diving into the shallow lake without a shred of hesitation.
It's only a few meters deep, so I manage not to hit my head as my body fully submerges. I relax my body under the water for a time, content that, at the very least, I won’t be dying of thirst any time soon. I resurface and shake the water out of my shaggy hair. Immediately I feel a million times better, especially since the lake is so warm. Central heating makes all the difference. We must be right above a heat-pipe or something similar.
"She thought of everything, huh? Impressive."
As I float there on my back, a memory of my old home creeps its way back into my mind. It's been so long since I've felt good. No, it's been a long time since I've felt anything at all. It's as if the water is washing the numbness away. I welcome it. For now, I'll put my worries aside. Pewaceful moments like these are rare. It would be a waste not to enjoy them. I turn over and sink back down up to my chin, blowing bubbles in the water.
"I could get used to this..."
