Chapter 100: A better offer

Rosa looked practically like a different person since the last time Mason saw her. Her long hair was done and shining, her clothes tasteful but sexy as hell, showing off her many…assets. Her waist and ass remained just as obviously insane as he’d thought on first glance.

"Mason?"

Mason blinked and met her eyes. "Hmm? Sorry. I'm...very tired."

The girl smiled without any kind of obvious offence at being leered at, so that was something.

"Of course, I'm so sorry. Here, sit down. Do you want to eat a little before you sleep? I could cook you something."

"You don't need to.” Mason sagged onto the couch. “I can just eat whatever’s in the fridge."

Streak looked at Mason with betrayed eyes before flopping down beside him, emitting a rather pitiful whine. Sometimes Mason wondered how much he understood, too.

Rosa opened said fridge and crinkled her cute nose.

"No. This won’t do. But I’ve got some chicken, some beans, some rice, maybe some corn? I should have everything I need."

Mason leaned back and probably stared, vaguely wondering through a mind fog how she could have anything. Then spices and food started popping out of thin air into her hands like Haley. Or he was dreaming already.

Mostly he just blinked and watched her bounce around the kitchen like a pro. The couch was comfortable, the house was warm, and he felt his eyes drooping slowly but surely.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that in the kitchen, by the way,” she said as she worked. “Adele drives me insane."

"Sorry, like what?" Mason blinked, and Rosa glanced at him awkwardly.

“Oh. You probably don’t even remember. My life here is so boring compared to yours. Little hills get turned into mountains.”

“No. I remember,” Mason said, blinking himself back to reality. “The kitchen nazi. Didn’t want to feed Streak. Don't worry, you were our hero."

Rosa looked at him and smiled from eyes to chin, her beautiful face so damn inviting and radiant Mason knew he was staring. He cleared his throat.

"That, uh, Adele? Seems like a real piece of work."

"She really is.” Rosa bit her lip. “But I guess I can be a little...emotional, too. At least that's what my friend Lexi tells me."

Mason just nodded and tried to stay awake, then noticed Rosa was inspecting him.

“I don't remember those tattoos.” She gestured at his arms. “How did I miss those?”

“Oh.” He lifted one up for a look. “No, they're...new. From the dungeon. It’s…hard to explain.”

She was watching his face now.

“Was it very terrible? The worm…dungeon I mean.”

Mason blinked and saw the total darkness of being utterly buried. Of being trapped in the Devourer without air, feeling himself burn alive.

“It…wasn't great.”

Rosa left her chicken to cook on a pan, coming forward to sit on a chair by Mason.

“Will you tell me about it? I know you didn't do it for

us

, exactly. But you also sort of did. I'd…like to know what it was like. What you went through.”

Mason blinked, the type to just say ‘it was fine’ and not discuss it further. But he was so tired, and the request seemed so genuine, the girl so warm. He let his mind drift back to the fall.

“It was deep underground,” he said. “There were…insect men, and the worms. The ground was unsteady. I was buried once, my own stupid fault. But I never knew what that was like. So helpless. So…total. For a few moments I thought I’d suffocate.”

Rosa put her hands to her face.

“Dios mio.”

“Then...there was the Devourer. It was huge, with hide thick as my sword. Too hard to kill, I had to…” a flash of the acid’s pain made him rub his skin. “I let it swallow me, then dug my way out.” He shivered at the memory of the darkness, at the creature’s insides trying to crush him.

“It felt like being buried again, but this time in flesh and acid and blood. I couldn't breathe. I don’t know how long I couldn’t breathe. I heal, you see, but, it burned. God it burned. After awhile, all I could think was...I had to get out, I can’t do this, I have to get out.”

He stopped and looked at the girl, slightly embarrassed he’d spoken so much, not meaning to. He cleared his throat and smiled a little. “But I’m here now. We managed.”

Rosa came forward and practically rammed into him, wrapping her arms around him.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know…what it was like out there.”

He slowly put his arms around her back. Good God she smelled good. And felt good. He stopped thinking and just held on, taking a few slow, deep breaths.

“Oh the chicken!”

Rosa let go and ran back to the kitchen, muttering in such quick Spanglish it apparently confused both Mason and roboGod. She eventually seemed satisfied, then took out a bottle and two glasses from nothing and came back with both almost filled.

“It’s not tequila, but it’ll do.” She grinned. “I think we need this.”

Mason laughed but took the glass.

“I’m probably going to pass out in minutes.”

Rosa sat beside him and put her feet up, close enough she was touching his leg.

“Salud,” she said in Spanish, which meant ‘cheers’ but didn’t translate because Mason understood. They sipped in silence until Rosa looked at the wall and her eyes went far away.

“In our tutorial, we had to solve all these crazy problems. Logic stuff. Like an IQ test. But there was math, really hard, complex math. No one could do it but me. And the longer I took, the more of these…traps went off. I could hear people screaming.” She shivered slightly and Mason put a hand on her leg.

“I sat there looking at these stupid problems, like what train would arrive faster. And people were burning alive. Or drowning. I had to think so hard and all I could hear was ‘Please, please, help us!’ And I thought ‘I’m trying!’, and all I wanted was to tell them to shut up so I could think. What sort of person does that make me?”

Mason snorted.

“There were other people in my tutorial. I told myself I couldn’t help them, that all that mattered was my own survival and getting to my brother. I didn’t even try. Whatever you are, I’m worse. Much worse.”

Again they sat in silence until Rosa checked on her food and came back, sitting just as close as before.

“Where’d you get so good at math, anyway?” Mason tried. “Aren’t most of the girls here from college? You’d think they could have helped.”

Rosa smiled and shook her head. “Math is like another language when it gets complex. The others don’t speak it. I learned at the University of Guadalajara with a brilliant professor. A wonderful teacher. It’s really him who saved those people.”

“Brilliant. Beautiful. Humble,” Mason said, staring into Rosa’s eyes. When she quirked her lips and blushed a little Mason cleared his throat. “Sorry. I’m tired. There’s not much filter left.”

"I don't mind.” Rosa stood and walked back to the kitchen. “Why don't you go have a shower, and by the time you're out the food will be ready?"

Mason looked at the absolute state of himself and flinched. His clothes were mostly ragged and melted, and he almost certainly stunk like sweat and blood and death.

"Good idea."

Sanctuary’s houses were almost identical to Nassau’s, so he quickly navigated to the shower, disrobed and washed himself in scalding water. Thinking about Rosa was not helpful.

She really was amazing, but honestly how much good fortune and beautiful women could one man ask for? Especially in the apocalypse? He very purposefully turned off Blessing of Gaia, no intention of trying to seduce the girl. He dressed in the system’s plain white cotton pajamas and came out with a deep breath of Rosa’s cooking.

“That smells amazing.”

Rosa beamed as she set two plates on the table, and one on the floor. “Perfect timing. Sit, sit.” She gestured at the chair.

“My grandmother's recipe.” Rosa dished the corn and chicken but stopped smiling. “What do you think happened to them? The older people, I mean. Do you have any in your settlement?”

Mason shook his head. “Sixty three is the oldest. And he seems rare. I like to think it…put them all together somewhere, like a giant sci-fi senior home. Hopefully with the younger people.”

Rosa smiled bravely again. “My abuela would have liked that. To be with others her age and the kids. I hope you're right.”

Mason took a bite of the chicken and groaned, which made Rosa laugh.

“You like it?”

"I hope this doesn't offend, but is your grandmother single?"

"No,” Rosa wiggled her eyebrows. “But I have all her secrets, and

I'm

single."

Shit. What are you doing?

Mason was too tired and not clever enough to follow that up, so he mostly just chewed and felt awkward.

Rosa noticed. She stood and wandered back into the kitchen, dishing the whining Streak who immediately tore into his food. Mason had no idea what to say but Rosa beat him to it.

"Listen, you seem like a good man. Maybe a very good one, considering…everything you’ve been through. I want to tell you something."

As usual Mason had no idea what to say, so he just sat and listened.

"Silvie...the mayor I mean, I'm supposed to...she asked me to..." Rosa took a deep breath. "She's worried about you and your people."

Mason felt something click in his brain. Honestly it made him feel a little better.

"She asked you to get close to me," he said.

Rosa’s eyes went a little wide as she stared, and he shrugged and took another bite.

"When I was younger I liked spy novels. I think they call this a honeypot,” he grinned as he chewed.

"Oh God.” Rosa put a hand over her mouth. “I'm so embarrassed. Why would anyone be

expecting

that?"

"My brother would say I’m a bit…paranoid. And don't be embarrassed. I'm flattered, really. After this food, and just...you being you...I’m pretty sure I’d have played along."

Rosa came forward and smacked him with a dish towel. "You’re terrible! And…you don't think I'm a...two-faced, horrible..."

"No,” he said honestly. "You didn't last an hour before you told me. I think it's fair to say Silvie sent the absolute worst spy in the world."

Rosa sat and laughed with abandon, the sound infectious and sexy as hell. "She really did. I felt like it was going to burst out of me. So stupid. And I didn't want to lie to you. But…I didn't mind spending some time with you."

Mason raised a brow at that, and Rosa rolled her eyes.

"It’s the not-tequila. I can't hold my liquor."

He grinned. “Want another one?” Apparently he was forgetting he wasn’t supposed to be hitting on her.

Rosa leaned across the table, thick lips achingly close to his. "I thought you were tired, and needed to go pass out."

Mason tried not to stare. "I’m thinking I might have a better offer."

Her smile widened, and she picked up the bottle and re-filled their drinks.