Someone who lived with Nick should, logically speaking, also be a human, right?
"Before you decide, I should probably tell you it’s not anything you’ve ever seen before. They are not human, and their presence can be pretty scary. It didn’t bother Kai, the bear cub from the other day, but others have been pretty startled when meeting it."
However, contrary to Nick’s expectations, his words only made Nuir more curious. Unlike anything he had ever seen before. What could that possibly mean?
"I-I don’t mind," he said after a few moments.
Nick’s eyes widened.
"Alright." He turned to the basement door. "You can come out if you want," He said.
Nuir turned around curiously as the basement door slowly slid open.
The tentacle’s tip poked out around the corner of the door.
Nuir froze. He had underestimated Nick’s words. He could feel it as soon as he looked at the tentacle slowly stretching out of the basement’s darkness while the door continued opening. This wasn’t just something that wasn’t a human or a member of any of the tribes.
This was as far away from anything human a living being could possibly get.
To Nuir’s surprise, he found himself relieved.
Just because it wasn’t a human, it didn’t mean it was free from human traits such as malice and greed. If anything, the tentacle could be even worse.
But it was exactly because it wasn’t a human that it didn’t bother him.
The tentacle was a blank slate in Nuir’s mind. It hadn’t done him anything, nor had anyone with its appearance done him anything. He also hadn’t done the tentacle anything. He hadn’t angered it in any way. It had no reason to harm him. It wouldn’t harm him.
He was safe in its presence.
He bowed his head toward the tentacle with his hands clasped in front of him. He finally had an answer to the mystery about how his arrows had missed Nick when he tried to kill him. The light from behind Nick had made it difficult to discern the shadowy figure in the darkness of the night.
"My name is Nuir. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Tentacle," He introduced himself and greeted the tentacle politely, surprising both Nick and the tentacle. He also surprised Nick with how he called it.
Since it called itself his wife, he had been half-thinking it was female. But he wasn’t sure if basement-dwelling tentacle monsters had genders. Even if they did, how did Nuir know?
The tentacle warmly patted Nuir on the head and brushed against his cheek excitedly. Cute kid.
Nick was relieved that the introduction went so well. Now, Nuir didn’t have to spend his time here in fear, and the tentacle wouldn’t have to spend her time hiding. He looked on with a smile as the tentacle poked and prodded Nuir, who tried to defend himself with moves that looked very much like a child pretending to know kung fu.
’Are movies a good idea?’ He wasn’t sure what else he could do with the kid. He didn’t exactly have toys for him to play with. But a movie...
The movies he had all took place on Earth, a different world. He wasn’t even sure if Nuir would be able to understand what they said or what they were about since the environment would be so different. There would be high rises, smartphones, and advanced technology. Occasionally, there would be a forest or two, but not without a road going through it.
Nick decided to hold off on putting on a movie for Nuir to watch.
Besides, it looked like Nuir was about to fall asleep again now that his stomach was full of food. His body was tired. Taken a beating and almost dying had taken a toll on the young boy.
It wasn’t surprising.
Nuir yawned, and Nick could tell the boy’s eyelids were growing heavier by the second. The tentacle also noticed and, instead of teasing him, went behind him and scooped him up. Nuir didn’t protest. He just curled up and let his eyes close.
For the first time in a long while, he had a pleasant dream. It wasn’t the first time he dreamed of his mother since she passed, but it was one of the few times it wasn’t a nightmare where he went to look for her, only to find her corpse.
Instead, he dreamed that his kind, warm-hearted, and beautiful mother was tucking him in and giving him a kiss on the forehead. After that, she stood up and walked away.
Nuir didn’t want her to go. He would be all alone if she did. He reached after her. He tried to call out to her, but his voice didn’t come.
But she still turned around as if she had heard him. She looked at him and smiled as if to tell him it was going to be okay.
He wasn’t alone anymore.
Because of circumstances outside of their control, they would have to be apart. There was nothing either could do about it. But Nasam loved her son. That wouldn’t change just because she died.
Nuir would have to go through the rest of his life without her, but he was a strong boy. He could do it.
Nuir gritted his teeth.
He finally accepted it after all these years. His mother was dead. He had seen her for the last time, and now he had at least managed to say goodbye to her.
He would follow her wish and live on. But he wasn’t going to just live. He was going to take revenge.
The tentacle stroked Nuir’s head and gently wiped the scalding tears that trickled out after he fell asleep. Sometimes, letting go was necessary to take a step forward.
Nuir had to let go of his mother if he wanted to grow up, and he had to grow up if he ever wanted to take revenge. He had just needed a little push.
After patting Nuir some more to comfort him, the tentacle joined Nick in the kitchen and watched him do the dishes. She was happy. Nick had wasted almost no time introducing her to Nuir. He was prioritizing her. She leaned on his shoulder and pressed her bent tip against the side of his head.
She couldn’t wait until her body was finished.