Ember sighed and looked at the necklace that was in her hands. She didn’t know what to do. To either accept the gift or not accept it. I don’t wanna offend or make Kami pissed at me. . I guess it’ll be better that I accept the gift. She sighed and looked up at Kami. “I’ll accept the gift, but partially because I’m scared that you’ll do something to me if I don’t.”
Kami let out a loud laugh. "Haha, I would never hurt you on purpose." They made it to the shower. "You need to wash every last piece of goo off your body - if it hasn't touched the lava for too long it will harden and then it's near impossible to remove. I'll go and get a change of clothes for you."
(since her clothes became a swimsuit she no longer really has those clothes)
(Ah.)
Ember smiled and nodded. “Thank you Kami.” She waited until Kami left before going inside of the shower and then proceeded to wash every single bit of goo of her body. It was proving to be difficult, because the goo was already starting to harden, but she managed she do it. All she needed was the clothes and then she would be ready to leave Lava Lake Beach.
Kami walked to her bedroom in the Lava Lake Lucitor Cabin, taking deep breaths. She needed to calm down, there had been a little bit too much stimulation already. She got dressed, actually putting effort into her clothing this time. She then grabbed some clothes she knew would fit Ember and walked back to the shower.
Ember sat on the hard and solid ground of the shower, with the water falling down on her, making her feel quite refreshed. Her hair was in a position where it was covering her whole entire face, making it hard to see her eyes, lips, scars, or anything on her face. The necklace that Kami had gave her a couple of moments ago were in the palms of her outstretched hands. She just stared at the necklace as drops of water fell onto the ruby.
Kami reached the shower. She placed the clothes down on the ground, knocking on the door. "Hey, Ember. I've got some clothes for you and I have a towel as well. I'll leave them outside and I'm gonna go into my room."
Ember sighed and got up to turn off the water. “Thank you, Kami.” She heard the footsteps of Kami farther away from the shower and quickly opened the door to grab the clothes and towel. She dried herself with the towel, and then put on the clothes. She opened the door once again and stepped out of the shower, looking at the beach.
Kami turned around and walked to her room, the door staying open a little. She grabbed her guitar - it stayed here because she didn't like singing at home. She began to play a song and started to sing softly.
If you see the girl I used to be
Could you tell her that I'd like to find her?
And if you see the shell that's left of me
Could you spare her a little kindness?
'Cause I've been high and I've been low
I've spent a thousand nights alone, tryna hold on tight
Feelings come but they won't go
Please, won't someone take me home before I lose my mind?
Ember recalled that Kami would be in her room, so Ember walked to the Lava Lake Lucitor Cabin in search of Kami. Every single room was checked by Ember, well all expect one. As she reached the last room, she could hear singing. Ember stayed by the door, not knowing is she should go in, or if she should stay outside.
Am I broken? Am I flawed?
Do I deserve a shred of worth or am I just another fake, fucked up lost cause?
And am I human? Or am I something else?
'Cause I'm so scared and there's no one there
To save me from the nightmare that I call myself
Kami sighed and placed her guitar beside her on the bed, rubbing her temples. She was tired.
Ember knocked on the slightly opened door, waiting for Kami’s response. She was not going to barge in into the room without permission. No, she would never do that, unless some sort of monster that she couldn’t handle was coming after her and she had to find refuge inside a random room.
Kami sighed, knowing that Ember was the one knocking. The fire arm that had grown to play the guitar disappeared. She stood up and opened the door, smiling thinly. "I see you got it all off."
“Yeah, I did.” She said as she smiled slightly. She paused for a bit, as she didn’t know what to say next. She rubbed her eyes and looked around the room, a bit surprised on how big the room was. “This is a nice room you got, and I never knew you played guitar and that you sing.”
"Oh, you heard me. Yeah, I don't do it often. It is kinda hard to play when you have one arm, but I make do with my fire arm. And the room? It's a getaway room, really. Dad let me have the bigger room so that I had a place to go if I got too stressed or anxious: sometimes my room at home isn't good enough."
“Yeah, it’s hard to play an instrument with only one hand, but people find a way to play the instruments. It’s what I admire so much about people disabilities, that they never give up and find a way to do something they want to do. Ah, a getaway room. Yeah, it’s always good to have a getaway room.”
"Especially as a kid with PTSD and social anxiety, it's a necessity. The public aren't allowed to access this part of the lodge, and both my parents understand that if I'm here I need space. It's really helpful."
Ember nodded and smiled. She sighed, rubbed her temples, and looked at Kami. “Uh, I just want to thank you for giving me this necklace, even though you really didn’t have to give me anything. Your friendship is the best gift in the universe.”
"You don't have to thank me," Kami replied as she layed down on her bed. "I did it because you're my friend. I don't need gratitude bestowed upon me."
She sighed and sat on the ground, fidgeting with her fingers as she did so. “Now I feel like I should give you something in return.” She took her somewhat wet hair and separated it into two parts. Then she braided one part and then braided the other part.
"Now that you don't need to do. I don't need anything in exchange." Kami stared at the sun diagram on the top of her ceiling. "You know, I've always hated that thing. Never fit the room or the environment."
Ember looked up at the sun diagram and narrowed her eyes at. She sweared that’s she had seen that same diagram somewhere, but she didn’t know where. “Maybe it means something?”
"It does, in a way. But the story is a millennium old, and no one remembers it. It's just a dumb remnant of an old forgotten Underworld folk tale."
“Could you possibly tell me it? Well, that is if you do know it. I would love to hear this old and forgotten underworld folk tale.” She said as she made a figure with her finger on the ground.
Kami sighed, making space on the bed for Ember. "Well, it's really boring. It's the tale of my many greats great-grandparents. It's also a little long…are you sure you want to here?"
Ember stood up and made her way to the bed, and then sat down. She looked at Kami and straight into her eyes and nodded. Ember was giving vibes of a young child getting excited over nothing in particularly.
"OK, well. Like 200000 years ago, my many greats great-grandparents fell in love. Princess Kami of Ruelle - yes, I was named after her - and Prince Lucitor. We don't know his name, yet we remember hers. It was a bit of a forbidden love. Neither parents wanted the marriage or even the pairing."
“Do go on, Kami. Do not leave me waiting, because lords be it, If I don’t find out how this story ends, I’ll burn multiple buildings down to ash, and no one wants to see that happen again.”
"Well, fire doesn't like sun. At least, not in our kingdom. And Ruelle was the Kingdom of the Sun, obviously before it became ruins. Kami of Ruelle could harness the sun's light. Prince Lucitor's parents didn't like that. Lucitor could harness the earth's fire. Kami of Ruelle's parents didn't like that."
Ah, yes. Both kingdoms were opposites, and it does kinda make sense that Kami of Ruelle’s parents didn’t like that Prince Lucitor could harness the earth’s fire and vice versa. And at times, opposites do attract. It’s merely a fact proven by many people of the multi-universe and on earth, but do continue.”
"Anyway, Kami of Ruelle and Prince Lucitor were deeply in love. They were planning on eloping and ditching their royal heritage, but Prince Lucior's parents died. Prince Lucitor became King, and the couple was then able to marry freely. Kami of Ruelle was cast out of her family but she was accepted by the Underworld. So this sun is a reminder of her. It's dumb."