At night, Sophia woke up from a bad dream. “Mh…”
She sat up and rubbed her eyes.
Ever since her accident, her dreams had been strange. Weird shapes and colors, loud screams from an unknown voice. If only the image was clear. It could give her an idea of what her past life was like. But alas, there was nothing she could make of it.
She turned around to Strapholynne’s bed.
To her surprise, it was empty. “Ah…” She stood up. “Straph…”
Of course, this wasn’t the first time that Strapholynne was gone. But in recent weeks, she hadn’t left at all. Would it start again?
Sophia grabbed a jacket, some shoes and her phone, then went outside.
They lived in a quiet area with minimal criminal activity. She didn’t need to worry about being alone outside in the dark, especially since she’d been trained in self-defense at the Defenders HQ.
“Straph?” she called in a quiet voice, not wanting to wake her neighbors. “Straph, are you here?”
Suddenly, a rustling was heard in a nearby bush.
“Ah-!” Sophia used her phone’s flash to light up the area. “Straph?”
“SKREE!” A fox jumped out of the bush, brushing past Sophia and tripping her.
“AAH–!” Sophia fell backwards and caught herself haphazardly with her hands, scratching her palms on the pavement. “Ow- Ow ow–” She shook her head, processing what just had happened.
Working with Morpho Mons for many months kind of made her forget that actual planet earth animals also exist.
She stood back up and dusted off her nightgown. A tingling pain in her palms made her notice the abrasions on her hands from her fall. “Muh… that’s bad…”
“What is bad?”
Sophia’s eyes widened, and she quickly looked around, trying to find who was speaking to her. “Wh-Who’s there?!”
A humanoid figure jumped from a tree and walked in front of her. The darkness of the night made them hard to make out, but Sophia noticed dark, wild hair and a scarf that covered their face, they had broad shoulders but a slim waist.
“Did you fall?” The person looked down on her with a piercing gaze.
“Ah–” Sophia swallowed nervously. The person before her was much taller than her, and it made her visibly nervous.
“... You’re injured.”
“I-It’s okay- I’m leaving-” Sophia turned around to leave, but the stranger caught up to her and grabbed her by the shoulder. “AAHH–!” Sophia let out a shrill, fearful scream before her mouth was covered by the stranger’s hand.
“Shh… Be quiet.” The stranger let go of her again, and finally Sophia could make out a bit more of their features.
This person seemed familiar.
“Ah-” Sophia gasped. “I- I know you- I’ve heard from you- you- you are-”
“Hmmm…?”
“Y-You’re Basu!! You’re an evil Morpho Mon that works against the Defenders!!”
“... evil, huh? That’s what the Defenders think I am?”
“Y-You have attacked a friend of mine… That is not what a nice Morpho Mon would do…”
“...” Basu narrowed their eyes. “Give me your hands.”
“What?”
“Please. I promise I won’t hurt you.”
“...” Sophia reluctantly held both her hands up.
“Stupid girl.” Basu grasped her left hand and turned her palm upwards, gently stroking it with their fingers.
Sophia’s hand was now engulfed in a thin layer of shimmering water. It was a strange sensation with Basu’s hands being very warm, but the water feeling cold. Sophia stared curiously, but also nervously at what Basu was doing to her. A few seconds passed until the water dropped down to the ground with a splashing sound, and Sophia’s eyes widened at the sight. Her hand was no longer hurting, and the wounds were gone. Basu now proceeded to her other hand.
“Y-You-” Sophia stuttered. “You have healing powers?!”
Basu didn’t react as they focused on the water.
“Y-You could help so many people with that power, you know?!”
Now Basu looked her directly in the eye as the water splashed down one more time, having healed the other palm. “I’m sorry. I can’t do that.” Basu took a step backwards. “In fact, I need you to keep my powers a secret. It’s for the best, for me and for you.”
“B-But- there are so many people out there who can’t afford medical treatment - you could change the world with your gift!”
“I SAID I CAN’T!” Basu shouted, making Sophia flinch. “Ghr. Forget about me. And don’t you dare tell the Defenders about what happened. I will kill you if you do.” Basu went off again, but came to a halt after Sophia called them again.
“Basu! Wait!” She folded her wet hands. “B-Before you go… H-Have you seen a bunny Morpho Mon around here somewhere? She is beige and green and has big ears, and her name is Strapholynne…”
“... No, I have not. But I will inform her that you’re looking for her if I see her. Now get lost.” Basu jumped up in the air, soon vanishing from Sophia’s sight.
“Ah…” Sophia brought her hands to her chest.
What an odd encounter with the most dangerous Morpho Mon in the entire town, who was said to fight any human on sight.
Something about them was off. Sophia couldn’t pinpoint what it was. It hardly mattered, though - she was far too scared to tell anyone about this encounter anyway.
She had no other choice but to be on the lookout for Strapholynne once again.
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