Gardenia’s Heart

Although she was in a relatively comfortable bed compared to the cave, the metamorph couldn't sleep.

(She kissed me, what? Why?) Her body didn't necessarily need sleep, so she spent the rest of the night trying to study what had happened.

Before completely succumbing to sleep, she was gently embraced and kissed by Lily. All the experiences up to now were new, and each one of them created another feeling within her.

(I feel warmer) She had never felt hot or cold, but somehow she felt her gelatinous surface warm up when she remembered the situation she was in. (But... a name, I got a name!)

Gardenia, or to shorten it, Nia, was so happy that she could hardly contain her excitement to avoid waking Lily.

For the first time since leaving the cave, she considered hell, she was happy, somehow, this was the happiest moment in her entire life.

(Gardenia… Gardenia… Gardenia!) She repeated the name endlessly in her mind as she timidly rolled around.

From what Lily said, it meant purity and sincerity. Although the words were new, she understood their meaning in her mind, and that made her even happier.

(She thought of sincerity, Lily also hid me from that man and took me out of the river...) The meaning behind Lily's actions still didn't make sense in her mind, but at this point, she didn't think much more about the reasons.

Since the moment she began to question orders, Nia had decided to live her life by her own decisions. Therefore, she decided she would be honest with Lily and never betray her. That was her decision.

"Hm...?"

Perhaps she had moved too much in the past few minutes, but she heard Lily's gentle voice resonating in the small bed. Nia wasn't quite sure what beauty meant, but she was absolutely convinced that Lily was beautiful.

White hair like snow and a stunning face. Furthermore, her breasts were soft but somehow firm. They were large enough to comfortably accommodate her 30-centimeter-diameter body and still leave plenty of space.

(I feel warm again...)

Refusing to dwell on it further, Nia's mind wandered to the left side of Lily's body, more specifically, her left arm and eye that she didn't possess.

(What happened?)

Her mind provided her with information about people who were born without some limbs, but upon observing the gap in Lily's clothing, a clear-cut mark spread near her shoulder. Her arm had been severed.

The metamorph didn't have arms, therefore, she couldn't fully understand the pain of living her life without limbs.

(If she had the regeneration of my species, she could heal herself...)

Nia thought she would have to deal with another wave of confusing thoughts, but to her delight, the beautiful girl slowly opened her right eye.

Her vision was somewhat blurred by fatigue, but her gaze soon adjusted, and she noticed Nia on her arm.

"Nia, good morning." Approaching her, she touched her lips to Nia again, making her whole body tremble.

(G-Good morning!) Trying to ignore the sensation, she responded with her mind. However, since Lily obviously couldn't hear, Nia rubbed against her arm while nodding.

The sunlight began to penetrate the room through the crack in the door, but due to the fog, it was very dim as always.

Getting up, Lily lit a small candle and wrapped Nia in the blanket.

"I'm not sure if you feel cold, but it's good to stay warm."

Nia didn't feel cold or heat due to the characteristics of her species, but looking at Lily's warm gaze made her wish she could feel cold just to be warmed by her.

The silver-haired girl headed to a basket in the wardrobe to get some bread to eat. However, upon touching the empty container, she soon remembered they had eaten the last bread the night before.

"I guess I'll have to buy more..."

She then headed to the chest where she kept her clothes and undressed.

(W-Wait... what?)

Nia didn't understand the ease that led Lily to undress completely in front of her. Her species didn't wear clothes or have the concept of them, but for some reason, the idea of watching Lily naked seemed like a forbidden sight.

Even from on top of the bed and at a distance, the room was small, so she had a beautiful view of Lily's ample buttocks. The girl removed the pants that still had some straw from the bed and looked for something to replace them with.

After long minutes of dressing with only one arm, she tidied herself up and returned to Nia's side. Upon touching the gelatinous metamorph, she could swear she felt a bit warm, but she judged it to be just an impression. Lily then held Nia close to her and spoke timidly.

"I'm going out to buy food, can you stay alone for a while?"

The idea of ​​being separated from Lily was uncomfortable, but Nia knew the girl needed food, so she nodded.

Seeing how the other girl responded with an affirmation, Lily continued.

"Make sure to stay hidden and not leave for absolutely any reason." She held Nia and placed her under the bed. "I'll be back soon." Giving one more kiss, she stepped away and walked towards the door.

With a final glance made to ensure that Nia understood,  she left after locking the door.

---

As she left the room, the faint expression of joy on her face froze, and her usual expressionless demeanor was once again appearing.

Once again, the mist touched her body directly and enveloped her. Observing her surroundings, Lily realized she was leaving a bit earlier than usual, as the women who usually returned after fetching water or washing clothes had not yet begun to return.

With quick steps, she headed towards the village center, towards the few shops that should already be open at this time. Upon arriving there, Lily noticed that in addition to the usual shops, some merchants were setting up their products on the street, next to carts.

"Excuse me... who are they?" While receiving a portion of bread from a shop she often visited, she pointed to the men on the street.

"Oh, haven't you heard, Lily? A caravan arrived in the village today, they will be selling their products." He smiled as he arranged some expensive sweets on the shop's facade. "You should go check out their products, take advantage of arriving early, they'll soon fly off the shelves."

A caravan of merchants arriving in the village every month was not an uncommon occurrence, but unlike the usual caravans that appeared almost regularly, Lily didn't know any of the more than ten men who were setting up the products.

In a village with just over 100 residents, although she didn't know the names of all of them, hardly any actually, Lily was confident in her ability to recognize faces. The girl didn't like to engage in conversations, but she needed to clarify doubts about the situation.

"I heard that passing through the forest was discouraged due to monster activity, how did they pass?" Remembering yesterday's situation didn't leave her happy at all. She truly wished to forget everything, but it was not advisable to forget the warning from that bastard.

"Perhaps they have mages as escorts, it shouldn't be so rare."

After saying that, the man went to the back of the shop, leaving Lily alone. With no more answers, she decided to approach the caravan. Although she could get basic food, hygiene products, and clothes in the village, the caravan could always have something new or useful like potions. Since Lily had used her last potion to heal Nia, she needed a new one for emergencies.

As she approached the carriage, the gaze of one of the men landed on her, extending his hand for her to come closer. Lily didn't want to have yesterday's experience repeated, so she was wearing two layers of clothing to cover her body, trying not to let anything be visible. Thus, she managed to reduce the amount of looks she usually received.

"Hello, my beautiful lady, is there anything you're interested in?"

The man was of medium height and had red hair tied up in a ponytail. Although he didn't appear to be strong, one could see slight muscles with scars on his broad, uncovered shoulders.

Lily's gaze danced across the products on tables beside the carriage, and she frowned.

"Do you have any lower-grade healing potions?"

Healing potions were usually divided into three levels: Lower, Intermediate, and Advanced. The more advanced the potion, the better its quality, and likewise, the higher its price.

Facing her were only significantly expensive products, and among the potions, only intermediate ones were visible no matter where she looked.

"I believe we wouldn't have many products of that quality, madam." The man's voice was calm as if stating the obvious, but this only made Lily more confused.

Any merchant would know that not only Lily's village, but the others in the region wouldn't be able to afford these products. Intermediate quality items or luxury goods were things that should be sold in large cities like the capital, not in forgotten villages.

Lily's mind drifted to the few bronze coins in her pocket. Her month's profit would barely be enough to pay for the vial in which one of those potions was.

"Despite that, I liked you." His gaze wandered to the girl and slid over her body as if penetrating her clothes and touching her directly. "Perhaps I can offer a friendly discount just for you." With a strange smile on his face, he leaned forward and rested his chin on his hands; what he was insinuating was obvious at this point.

Without even bothering to respond, the girl quickly left the place and ran back along the path. After a few minutes, although she had distanced herself, she couldn't help but feel a growing discomfort within her and decided to take a slightly longer and busier route back as a precaution.

Finally arriving home, she unlocked the door and entered. After locking the door again and placing the bread on the table, she crouched down beside the bed and greeted her companion with a smile.

"Nia, I'm back."