"Seriously? That is your reason? Your entire motivation for choosing your spirit element ? A decision that takes people days decide, since they can get stuck with it forever." Aqua hovered in mid-air, her tiny jaw practically unhinged.
"Yes," I replied, my voice as flat as a tabletop.
"Are you serious ? really serious ?" She asked to confirm.
"Yes, Dead Serious"
"Really ?"
"Yep, As real as your existence"
Silence reclaimed the room, but it wasn't the heavy, mystical silence like our first meet. It was the awkward, static silence of someone realizing they've over-intellectualized a very simple, very stupid situation.
She stayed still like a floating statue, trying to comprehend what her little ears had just heard.
An expected reaction, i would say.
Then suddenly she backed off in lightning speed, putting a good three meters between us.
How can a water spirit move in lightning speed ? Can spirits also have adrenalin rush ?
She crossed her tiny arms over her chest, hugging herself as if I were some kind of Big bad wolfish predator.
"W-what! W-why ? Were you trying to find a spirit partner or a L-life partner ?!" her voice cracked, the bell-like chime turning into a panicked squeak.
Calm down, woman!
"D-do you have some special preference for spirits or something ? Don't tell me ...you also have some weird fetishes!"
Woman! Those are not the kind of things that are supposed to be said in front of a kid! Control your damn mouth!
"Calm down, Aqua," I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "You're overreacting. Dramatically."
"How am I supposed to calm down?!" she shrieked, her azure hair glowing "You're just as weird as your soul! Who thinks like that?!"
We stared at each other for a long beat—my tired amethyst eyes and her oceanic ones, wide with feigned horror.
"Alright," I said, my voice dropping back into its calm tone. "I think you've had enough fun for this one night, wouldn't you say ?"
Aqua paused, then slowly loosened her tense spirit muscles.
She let out a soft, melodious giggle "Yeah, maybe I have. But my surprise wasn't acting, just so you know."
I know. I can tell.
Although I am not the best when it comes to understanding people and their psychology or feelings, I am not an amateur in it either.
Yes, it was all just a ruse for aqua to have fun.
"But still, it surprises me that you would choose the water element for a stupid reason like that." she said, drifting back toward the bed, her laughter fading into a thoughtful hum "As the queen, I even feel a little insulted"
"You should not be," I countered, resuming my bucket training. "It might seem stupid to you but it's important for me."
Yes, Back on Earth, Nick seemed to have read an article, or maybe it was just a coping mechanism he'd found online, where it said that hearing a calm, feminine voice could significantly lower cortisol levels and reduce anxiety.
Given how much of an chronic overthinker Nick was and how easily he would get anxiety and sometimes even depression, it wouldn't be weird if those traits were passed on to me.
So, truth to be told, I am just taking necessary precautions.
Yes, I wasn't looking for a 'waifu'. I was just looking for a stabilizer.
It's all for me, for my health.
"Okay.... I won't even pry how it's important to you. even if your motivation is relying on me being pretty and sounding nice, I suppose I can manage that burden." She said while laughing.
To be honest, I am surprised how easy it has gotten to talk to her in just one day.
She does not any guard up against me anymore, Surprisingly.
In fact, This might be the fastest I have ever built a relationship with a woman, even if she's a spirit.
On that note, i guess it's about time, I ask her that.
"Aqua," I said, my voice dropping into a register of genuine seriousness. "There is something I need to ask you."
"What is it ? I might answer you, As long as it's not about the Mark or about my three sizes," she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
I won't ask you for that, woman!
But, wait... Was that also an option ?
Gotta find out.
"...let's say I do ask you about your sizes, would you not answer me ?" I asked cautiously.
Not that i actually want to know.
It's just curiosity, you know ?
It was purely for the sake of science. Academic curiosity.
I needed to understand the physical manifestation of spirit entities in the material plane. Yes, strictly research purposes.
No personal interest involved whatsoever. none at all.
"I shall not. At least ..Not Now" she said with mischief in her eyes.
Not now ? You mean it's ok when I'm older ?
Why do I feel like a donkey who is being manipulated with the greed of a carrot ? And the worst part ? I am the Donkey here.
Are you showing me Hope, woman ? Hmph! You're too young to manipulate me.
"Well, then," I said, finally pushing the 'research' aside. "It's not about that. It's about something else entirely."
Setting my jokes aside, I am really having a hard time dealing with this version of her.
She is like a completely different person compared to her very first entry, The High and Mighty Water spirit Queen.
Did she decide to let herself be free, letting her guard down around me because we are in contract.
If that's the case, then It truly does make me happy. A contractor and his spirit should have a trusting harmonious relation like comrades who have been in the battlefield for years.
I looked at the water I had spent hours manifesting. The buckets were full, my mana pool was almost empty, and the moon was at its peak.