James had been a medical student with a bright future, but sadly he had also been one of the first victims of The Land Effect. To the government, he’d been just one of millions of lost souls. To Remy, it had been like losing a son. James had even followed in his footsteps, pursuing a career in medicine, but all of that had been lost when the boy slipped into a coma.
The only comforting thought was that his nephew’s condition had kept him from experiencing the monster-infested hell that Earth had become after the Forsaking. The boy was probably dead now, but at least he’d been spared the horrors the rest of the human race had lived through. Remy shook himself free of such dark thoughts and examined the rest of his body.
He didn’t look any different. He had the same dark brown skin bedecked with an unhealthy number of scars thanks to his years of military service. His eyes were what many women had thought to be a distracting shade of hazel, something he’d taken advantage of as often as he humanly could. He was only lacking the eyeglasses that he’d gained from years of studying in med school and residency.
His eyes sat above a crooked nose, broken and reset one too many times, full lips, and a strong jaw. His hair was in the simple fade style he had always sported, short cut, thick and black. He had the same six feet of height he’d had back on Earth, and even the osteochondroma in his left knee was still there.
Seeing that everything essential was where it should be, he thought about some clothes. Just like with the stool, they immediately phased into existence. Without having to move, he was suddenly wearing a perfectly snug pair of boxer briefs, some perfectly broken-in jeans and a two-hundred-wash-softened t-shirt.
The clothes weren’t random. They were exactly what he’d been imagining. His favorite outfit. The shirt had originally been black, but long ago it had faded to its current dark mist-grey. A faded three-stripe Atari symbol could barely be made out on the chest. It even had the same stains and small rips. There was something comforting about being in these clothes, and another faint smile graced his face.
Clothing and shelter were taken care of and he didn’t have any hunger or thirst, so he decided to sit back down in the recliner chair. The shiatsu turned back on. Oh god, he thought, shutting his eyes in bliss. This feels like heaven.
That thought made his eyes pop back open. Is this heaven? A white room where you could summon anything you thought about? Could be worse, he realized. Closing his eyes again, his fingers wandered over to the control console. Using his imagination, he created a “young Betty White” option. The sensation of the massage changed in a wonderful way. Oh god, he thought, just how I always imagined it.
He didn’t know how long that went on, but after a time he heard a distinctly feminine voice greet him.
“Hello.”
He opened his eyes, but didn’t see anyone. A lesser man might have looked around wildly and shouted, ‘Who said that?’ but he was Zero. Besides, he’d always prided himself on being a bit less on the nose. He’d already been reborn in a weird white room, been given the power of transmogrification (thank you D&D vocabulary) and in the past hour had felt the wonderfully dry fingers of all four Golden Girls on his body at once. Compared to all of that, a disembodied voice was some JV stuff. A sexy voice wanted to talk to him? Sure, why not?
That was why instead of freaking out he stood up, dismissed the recliner, and summoned a table and a pair of comfy high-backed chairs. A pitcher of sweet tea and two glasses appeared as well. There were even beads of cool condensation slowly creeping down the outside of the glass jug. That done, he pulled out one of the chairs and asked, “Will you join me, please?” in a respectful tone. As his granny had always told him, ‘Manners cost nothing.’
There was a pause, then a shimmer appeared in the air. It solidified into a woman garbed in diaphanous blue silk. It was so sheer that it hid nothing, but this was not what immediately captured Remy’s attention. It was that her skin was the pale blue of a spring morning. That, and she was about eight feet tall.
Her body was thin with no curves to speak of and her arms and legs were overly long. Despite that, she possessed an inhuman grace as she walked. The supple giant met his gaze with her own sea-green pupils. With a smooth wave of her hand, the chair grew to accommodate her tall frame. She settled effortlessly into it, even that simple action looking like a dance.
Remy helped move her chair in and sat across from her. She looked at him and the tea inquisitively, so he poured a glass for them both. With a delicate hand, she picked it up and brought it to her mouth. Rather than drink though, a long white tongue extended past her lips, and she lapped some of the tea from the top of the glass. A look of surprised delight crossed her face. She finally raised it to her mouth and took a full drink.
A strange sound emanated from her chest, half purr and half the trill of a bird. “Thank you,” her voice chimed. Her words had the faintest of echoes even though she sat right across from him. “Few Beings of Power show respect and consideration for any creature other than themselves. Such efforts do not go unnoticed. You may call me Sariel. I am an Ethereal.”
Your polite invitation and welcome has impressed Sariel and distinguished you from other “Beings of Power.” You have gained +300 Relationship Points. Total Relationship Points with Sariel: +300
Congratulations! Your relationship with Sariel has improved from Neutral (0) to Pleased (+250). “I am pleased to see you.”
Despite his decision to just “roll with it,” the appearance of an eight-foot-tall alien supermodel had definitely thrown Remy off his game. He just stared back for a few seconds before shaking himself slightly and coming back to the moment. He collected himself enough to say, “Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He leaned forward and extended his hand.
Sariel smiled faintly, amused at the quaintness of his human custom, but still extended her hand as well. As he took it in his own, he marveled at the smooth coolness of her skin, like whipped cream fresh out of the fridge. After they had both settled back into their chairs, he started to introduce himself, but she held up a hand.
“I am-”
“You should never speak your True Name again. Those with enough power and the proper magics could use that information to cause you great harm. You will need to choose a new name to be called by.” She paused a moment and took another sip of tea.
She made the same trill-purr noise and closed her anime-large eyes in pleasure before speaking again, “You should know that I was not required to tell you to guard your True Name, but you, and this marvelous drink from your memory, have pleased me.
You have been provided extra knowledge due to having reached Relationship Rank 1, Pleased, with Sariel.
Remy thought over what she had said. The whole “True Name” thing sounded strange, but only when you didn’t take into account that you’d just been reborn and were talking to the opera singer from the 5th Element. He decided to take her advice about keeping his name close to his chest.
He also sent a silent thank you to Granny for teaching him the secret of true sweet tea. Anyone that thought you just added sugar was failing an intelligence test as far as he was concerned. He was also grateful that he’d taken the time to greet Sariel properly. In any world, knowledge was power.