Raven stood by Alara, carefully toweling off the water, still clinging to her skin. Despite the surreal nature of what just happened, Raven kept her focus, helping Alara into a fresh set of clothes. A white blouse and blue jeans lay folded on the counter, the soft cotton warm from the heated bathroom air.
Alara's blonde hair now glowed faintly with a new luster, and her eyes, once dull and lifeless, shined with a gentle glow like sapphires lit up by starlight. Raven stared for a long moment, unsettled in the best way possible. "You're starting to look even more beautiful than me," Raven said under her breath. "That's... kind of terrifying. But expected. You are my girlfriend, after all."
Alara blinked slowly, meeting Raven's gaze with something between curiosity and serenity. Raven helped her ease the blouse over her arms, adjusting the fabric with gentle hands. Once the jeans were buttoned and smoothed out, Raven handed her the thin black-rimmed glasses. "Put these on. They make you look even more attractive," she said, her voice a little too casual.
Alara took the glasses and slid them onto her face with a delicate grace that was not present before. She turned her head slightly, letting her blonde hair fall across her shoulders as she adjusted the fit. Then she looked at Raven and said softly, "Okay, Raven."
A faint blush climbed up Raven's neck. Her ears burning red as she turned on her feet and stormed out of the bathroom in embarrassment.
Alara followed Raven without question, her bare feet making slight pattering noises against the hardwood floors of Rose Manor. Raven stopped in the living room and turned, arms crossed tightly over her chest as Raven asked.
"Do you remember anything about your past Alara?"
Alara shook her head, gently saying. "I only remember that my precious Raven is the one who saved me from those bad men in the mall." Her tone was calm, but undeniably happy. "But at the time, it felt like my mind was locked inside of a cage. I couldn't express my feelings of thanks to you. But I was always watching you. Trying to follow your orders the best that my body would allow."
Raven frowned, absorbing these words. "So your Level One evolution didn't come with any combat powers," she said. "Instead, it gave you cognition. Full awareness. That usually doesn't happen until at least Level Three. Most zombies get an ability at Level One... not self-awareness."
Alara nodded, her expression unreadable.
Raven paced in a circle."Then maybe... maybe your awakening was tailor made for you to fix your biggest flaw. You could not think or speak before, and now you can. It's almost like your evolution filled in the gap that matters most to you at the time of your awakening."
Alara stepped closer and said quietly, "I don't know about that, Raven. All I remember is my time with you. And the movies we watched together at night."
Raven's face flushed bright red. As she looked away shyly. "T-That's not my fault," she mumbled. "You follow me around the house like a lost puppy, and I need background noise while I work. Sci-fi and action movies keep me focused. And I like them."
Raven took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "The Apocalypse Ascendancy System takes care of most of the work around here for me. So I have time to build and plan and, yeah, sometimes goof off. But... now that you're thinking and talking on your own, I need to make you some gear of your own. Weapons. Armor. Hell, I might build an automated clothing printer. Like a 3D printer, but for fabric. You shouldn't have to wear none original clothing, Alara. You are an ethereal beauty. I want the world to see that and then be afraid because I'm your girlfriend, and I'll crush anyone who tries anything on you."
Alara frowned thoughtfully. "When are we going to get married? Like in those romance movies we watched together?"
Raven froze. As her eyes went wide. The flush that had barely begun to fade came back. "Wha—?"
"The weddings with the big dresses and rings and a happy ending." Alara continued, smiling faintly. "I like those weddings."
Raven backed away one step, then another. "N-No, nope. I'm not having this conversation. It's too early. This is too much do handel."
Alara stepped forward with quiet determination. "But Raven—"
"System! Emergency distraction! Deploy my robots! Zap me out of here!" Raven called over her shoulder as she bolted for the hallway, fleeing Alara in embarrassment.
Alara chased her through the halls of Rose Manor, her bare feet making soft taps as she laughed quietly behind her. "You didn't say no!"
"I didn't say yes either!" Raven shouted back, slamming a door between them.
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