A short while later Balin and Rose sat at a table on a bench under the tree in the middle of the garden that Balin saw earlier. Bernhard excused himself, saying that this would be a personal discussion between the two and that he would find them later. Balin just finished giving a cliff notes version of his story, only taking a break for when Rose had something to say.

“F’’ck me! That sounds like an impossible story. But you are here… and your arm is weird. So, I guess I believe you. How does it feel, to not have human parts anymore?”

“Don’t feel a thing in the weird parts. Its used to be uncomfortable at first. But I never really had the time to be bothered by it, until now I just have gotten used to it.”

“You feel nothing?”

“Yes”

“Can I touch the arm?”

“Sure.”

Balin took of his many layered clothing to reveal the whole arm. It was chilly, but Balin wasn’t bothered by the cold yet. Rose took a second to look at Balins numerous earthly scars but didn’t mention them. Softly Rose poked the arm in the middle, then after getting familiar with it, she caressed and patted the whole arm down, all while openly saying her thoughts to a silent Balin.

“Fuuu. This feels like… You know when the earth is sticky and cold? Like fresh Clay but hard? And also, somehow dry… It’s f’’ing weird. And you don’t feel a thing?”

“I can tell that something is in contact with it, and that that something presses against me with little resistance, but not much else.”

“What about now?”

She stood up went around Balin over to his still human arm and slowly petted it.

“Its warm, soft… This feels good.”

Now more energetic Rose started to get into an experimental spirit.

“Ok, now close your eyes and describe me how this feels!”

“Fine.”

“How does that feel?”

“You are continuously trying to touch a certain spot on my forearm.”

“Ok, now I do the same thing on the other side. Tell me what you feel!”

“Sure. Ouch!”

Rose pinched Balin hard.

“That hurt. What was that for?”

“I wanted to know how elastic your arm was and how much pain you felt. It wouldn’t be science if I wouldn’t have a point of comparison.”

Balin was still rubbing the pinched part.

“And what did you find out? That pinching me hurts me? Because that was obvious.”

“Firstly, not wasn’t. Secondly that arm is really uneslastic I couldn’t even grab the”

She put her hands up to make quotation marks

“”Skin Part” separately. Does that arm even have skin or is it just a single connected piece of rock?”

“How would I know? I never opened it to look inside.”

“Well then maybe you should.”

They were interrupted by Bernhard who came into the area.

“I heard screaming. What is going on?”

He saw the half-naked Balin and Rose all over him.

“Seriously, I know you are happy to finally meet each other. But can’t you two at least wait until nighttime to do this.”

“Shut up… Beee… Ba…”

“Bernhard”

Helped Balin Rose.

“Bernhard! You are just jealous that you aren’t getting any.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Bernhard answered uncharacteristically gloomy.

“He is a widower, I just told you that.”

Rose immediately red of shame.

“I am sorry Sir. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Hm. So, you are both alright? I heard a scream earlier.”

“Yes, everything is fine. Rose just experimented with my weird parts.”

“… ok. But then why the scream?”

“She pinched me and surprised me.”

“Really, that was all?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Balin, I’ll return to the inn. Come back whenever! Take your time!”

“Yes Bernhard.”

“Again, I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“I am still annoyed, but I’ll let it slide.”

“Thank you, I am so sorry.”

“Enough of the apologizing. As I said, I am leaving. See you soon.”

Once Bernhard Balin asked Rose.

“Do, you still need me naked or can I put my shirt back on? It’s chilly.”

“Oh yea, sure. Do that! So… that was the Hero of three front?”

“Yep”

“I always imagined him to be bigger. Not as in taller, but more, you know to the side.”

“That so? Listen, I basically told you everything that has happened to me. How about you tell me how you spent your days!”