Hey guys, M4 here and welcome to another chapter to Second Chance. Sorry for the long wait but I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.
All Beta credit goes to Captain Price. I do not own RWBY. All credit goes to roosterteeth and Monty Oum. (R.I.P)
I'm thankful for many things. Things like food, clothes, and a roof over my head because not everyone has that luxury. Right now though, what I am thankful for is one thing. Beanbag chairs. I'm sure the chair had molded to my body after sitting in it for so long nursing a headache that was probably triggered from all the cleaning fumes.
Yesterday was interesting to say the least.
Tukson actually believed what I said to him. Too be honest, I thought he would have kicked me out in a heartbeat after hearing the first sentence that came out of my mouth.
Thankfully, he took my word for it and put me to work. After that, I met up with the three people that Tukson said were going to train me. In a way, they remind me of the assassins from Assassin's Creed. They're mysterious in their own way and, well, kind of intimidating at first sight. Especially Jade. The guy was a giant and there was no way anyone screwed with him unless they wanted to wear their ass for a hat.
After that, I had to clean all the books in the library, and I mean ALL of them. That itself was a pain in the ass. But, dinner after was totally worth the back breaking cleaning. Rice and roasted chicken with beans.
I swear, Tukson is a god with food. Hell, he can even make a dead rat taste good if need be.
There I go getting off track again. My head gave another throb and my mind drifted back to the biggest thing on it. I'm going to be training with these guys and I am kinda excited, but I'm scared as well.
I have no idea what these guys are training me in. Sure, I trained in Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but these martial arts in Remnant are on some other type of level, at least from the looks of it in the show. Part of that may be because these guys would be considered superhuman with their Aura and what not.
Maybe they'd train me in a crawl, walk and run way? Or is it going to be a drink from the firehose way? Either way, it had me jittery.
Whatever they do, I just hope they don't kill me. If my hunch was right, everyone in Remnant had Aura, but it had to be awakened, which I still needed. I mean, apart from that and a semblance, those are two critical pieces to staying alive in a place that could easily get you killed for fuck sake!
Not only that, but I need to find another job. One of Tukson's rules was to get another job and I needed to find one soon. That was the deal. He let me stay at his place and took payment by making me work part time in his store. This was also a precaution to keep me out of trouble by keeping busy. I really don't want to get kicked out, especially when I have something good going for me here. The least I could do was honor his request and find another job to start saving money and eventually move out when I have enough.
Maybe I should become a waiter or something? I did have some working experience. I worked as an intern at a law firm for a while, but I moved and had to quit.
Might as well get a job that I like. No point in fixing something that isn't broken, right?
Yeah, there aren't a whole lot of options. Especially when I don't go out that much.
I like to write, but I don't think anybody in Vale is going to hire an amateur author. I played baseball, but I think the only sport that people tune in to here are fighting tournaments, anyway. Besides, they probably didn't have any sports from Earth here.
I could go to some underground fights in Vale. They shouldn't be that uncommon... but I'd probably get wrecked in the first round.
My hands slid down my face and I stared at the ceiling. What am I going to do?
This is really not going to go well for me. But, let's focus on one problem at a time. The training with the "Musketeers". That's what I'm going to call them until I find out what they do or what they are.
To be honest, I really hope they train me in a really good martial art. Something similar to Muay Thai, or even Kung Fu. Definitely not karate. When the topic of martial arts comes up, I'm always the one who has something to say.
I'm a nut about Martial arts. When I find a really good one, I sink my teeth in and I try to find all the information I can about that martial art.
Hell, I admit I have my favorites as well, most notably Muay Thai and Capoeira. Both of them were awesome in their own way.
Muay Thai, in my opinion, the most brutal fighting style ever created. Originating from Thailand, Muay Thai is known as "Thai boxing". But it's not actual western boxing. Muay Thai is known as "The art of 8 limbs" and they emphasize this greatly. Muay Thai uses the whole body as a weapon, arms and legs for defense, knees and elbows for attacks. It also focuses on grappling, and bone breaking. One famous practitioner that uses this art is Tony Jaa, who starred in movies such as Kill Zone 2 and The Protector, and they were fantastic action movies.
Capoeira, my second favorite martial art, is a Brazilian martial art that focuses on dancing, acrobatics, and kicks. Capoeira dates back to slavery in 16th century Brazil, where even though the slaves outnumbered their slave owners, their slave owners had better weapons. Capoeira was made to fight against the slave owners but made into a dance so the ignorant owners would think the slaves were dancing, not practicing. Not only that, when the slaves would attack the owners, the owners didn't know how to defend themselves because the capoeira fighters were always moving around. MMA fighter Marcus Aurelio uses Capoeira in his fights and he knocks out ALL of his opponents! I want to be like that guy!
Getting up, I sighed. Even if I wanted to learn these martial arts, there is no way they have them in Remnant. Besides, a lot of martial arts here seem fictional, but I know I've seen some of them implemented in the show with the way some of the characters fight.
Maybe there are some here from my world, but under a different name? Or they are here but have more moves in the style?
Not too sure, but I guess I'll find out.
"Alex, come on. Time to go." Tukson called out. I sighed and got up from my comfortable state. Tukson was taking me to train with the Three Musketeers.
I wonder if they have a killer dojo they train in? Nah, that'd be too cliché. Maybe a monastery? Wait, that's just as predictable. Guess I'll see when I get there.
Getting up, I stretched before following him out of the bookstore. He locked the door, turned the sign to show it was closed, and started to walk up the block. I followed close behind until he stopped in front of an old truck.
The truck itself looked nice. Looked like a regular Toyota pick-up, but it needed some new parts. The right front light of the truck was cracked, and so was its rear-view mirror. The rear bumper was literally duct taped together.
"Talk about ten miles of bad road," I silently mused.
"Get in, kid," said Tukson. I opened the passenger side door and got it. Imagine my surprise to find the inside of the truck in better condition. The leather was clean and had a sheen to it as if sterilized with high quality cleaner. The console was free of dust and the carpet had no dirt or stains embedded in it. Pretty solid save for the smell of old pizza.
Tukson climbed in and started the engine, but also noticed my face of discomfort.
"What's the matter, kid?" Me being me, there is no way in hell I was going to be honest with him about the smell.
"I'm fine. Just a headache." I dismissed his concern with a wave of my hand. My head continued to throb, but the pain was not as sharp as earlier.
"Roll down the window. It helps," he said with a knowing chuckle as he put the truck in drive. The truck gave a groan as he revved it up and crept tot he road. He looked both ways and once he deemed he had time to move, pulled into the road and sped off.
"Where are we going?" I looked at him.
He chuckled as we drove by an intersection and got on a road leading towards the highway. In the distance I could see treetops of the woods miles away.
"Someplace to train, Alex. These guys keep their training private," he said as we kept driving north.
During our drive, there was absolute silence. It was really awkward, but I had nothing to say to him. I mean, what should I say? What should I ask? The only thing worth taking in was the view of the passing trees. The sun emitting a warm embrace through the window onto me. I enjoyed watching the trees pass by as we kept driving. It gave me a sense of peace. Everything felt so fucking peaceful.
Man, I could live like this forever. I was so close to falling asleep if it wasn't for Tukson breaking the long silence.
"Hey kid, tell me about yourself." My eyes shot open from his sudden voice.
"W-what?" I stretched my back and yawned.
"Tell me about yourself. You only told me about how you ended up here. Like, what do you do for fun? What are your favorite sports? What was your family like? Shit like that."
I shrugged. "Not much to say, really. I played baseball and I started martial arts when I was around four years old. I did karate for two years, but I quit it because I wasn't really feeling it."
"Baseball? Karate?"
"Baseball is a sport that's my country's favorite pastime. It involves nine guys playing on a diamond shaped field and trying to put a white leather ball in play with the use of a bat. And Karate, well, it's just a lame form of marital art. Nothing special or cool about it, but it's highly publicized on TV as being cool."
"Huh. I can't really say much about either since I've never heard of them, but baseball sounds interesting. Was there a specific role or position you played?"
I gave a lighthearted shrug. Whenever I played I just gave my all in the position I was assigned. Could have been outfield or infield. Anything but catching or pitching. Too much stress and pressure.
"Outside of that I was a part of the chess club at school and ended up having a small knack for it. It's a good game to test your mind and build your strategies and critical thinking,"
Tukson nodded silently, agreeing with what I had said. "Sounds like you had a life. Doesn't sound boring to me," he said.
I playfully punched him on the arm and he chuckled in return.
"But I became an inside kid. Played video games and trained in different martial arts when I was thirteen. I'm fourteen now and after ten months of training, I feel more alive than I used too."
Tukson nodded and lightly scratched the side of his face as he kept driving. "Did you have a girlfriend?" He glanced back at me.
"Yeah, I did," I answered him with a small smile.
"Did she give you the cookie, or do you still have your v-card?" I laughed and shook my head, trying to ignore the small burning sensation in my face.
"I've had two girlfriends in my life. One moved away, and the other was too dramatic for my taste," I said as I reflected on the two of them.
"Good deal. I figured you still had the v-card with the way you were ogling Sapphire," said Tukson. I said nothing as he laughed at my red face. Was I really that obvious around Sapphire when I first met her? I mean, it's natural for guys to stare at good looking girls and I know I did when I first saw her, but was it really that bad?
"I have no idea what you're talking about," I retorted as simply as I could.
"Uh huh, sure you don't." Tukson rolled his eyes.
That quickly ended the talk about the girls, but it was in no way bad. The light banter we shared was fun and something I was enjoying. I'm not sure why, but for some reason Tukson had been very easy to open up to and relate to. Part of it may have been the fact he took me in and was looking after me, but another part of me felt that there was something else there. Like he shared some of those experiences.
"Do you have any friends?" He asked. I frowned and looked back at him.
"Yeah. Why do you ask?" I leaned against the door. He shrugged. "What you told me yesterday made it sound like you're a lone wolf."
"No, I did have friends. Good people that lent me their shoulder from time to time when I would be angry or if I got in trouble." I stared at the trees as they would pass by us.
My eyes drifted over to Tukson and I could see a change in him. The smile was gone from his face and replaced with a more thoughtful look. I had seen that look in dozens of adults before, and it usually came in the form of solid advice to help someone they were talking to.
"Well, let me tell you something, Alex. Always keep your eyes and ears open. Don't trust that many people, and if you do end up trusting somebody, stay close but not too close. I learned that the hard way," said Tukson.
Raising an eyebrow I looked at him. "What do you mean?"
He sighed before turning left at another intersection. "Let's just say I trusted somebody's judgment, but once I saw what he was actually doing, I left him and his followers."
I only nodded as I already knew who and what he was talking about with the White Fang. In regards to who in particular I could only wager a guess. The only two options could be Adam Taurus or Sienna Kahn, but my gut told me it was the former.
"Since we're almost there, let me tell you something about those three you met yesterday. They train hard, man. Very hard. Are you sure you want to go through this?" Tukson looked back at me.
Man, if you put it like that, then NO! But, I really need this. I only gave him a firm nod in return and he nodded back accepting my choice. No turning back now. Might as well try to bring out my inner marine and not doubt myself.
Soon we came to a stop at a large valley. It was covered...hidden in all the trees. As we got out, I saw the same three Faunus from yesterday. But this time they were wearing gym clothes.
Gem and Jade opted to go with a t-shirt and cargo pants combination for their training attire. And Sapphire… well, was a little less conservative with her choice of wear.
She wore a blaze red sports bra, gray sports shorts and red shoes. Her hair was pulled into a neat ponytail as well.
The girl would easily turn the heads of anyone she walked by. Hell, I was immediately drawn to her the second I saw her. Her clothes did very little to hide her curves. The bra itself looked way too small for her and her shorts just hugged her hips. While her abs weren't as defined, her stomach was toned. No shred of body fat.
Hot damn, man… Holy shit.
"Alex, close your mouth. You're drooling," Tukson whispered.
Sure enough I could feel my jaw hanging open and promptly closed it and wiped whatever spit had trickled down the side of my chin. I silently cursed Tukson and did everything I could to regain my cool.
"Come on, kid. We don't have all day." Jade said with a firm look.
I nodded and hurried over to the three of them, leaving Tukson to watch from afar. I tried to keep myself from not staring at Sapphire, but... it was very difficult. Her hips swayed with each step and naturally my eyes trailed after her.
Oh… why must you ruin me so, Monty Oum?
"Ok, first thing's first. Kid, we are gonna' train you. That's what we are here for, but make no mistake. You will not quit. No matter how tough and no matter how hard we train you. Unless you're bleeding internally or near death, you will not stop and you will obey everything we say. Understand?" Jade said as he looked at me.
His eyes pierced me like a bunch of sharp daggers, making me fear him more than anything. This would be the closest thing I got to a sadistic drill instructor. Hopefully I could hold up to his expectations.
Well, I don't have much of a choice, and if I needed to fight or be a plain badass, these guys were my only hope.
"Yeah, I'm ready," I said with as much confidence as I could. Jade grunted back before nodding at Gem who took out a pair of sticks.
"Before we start training, we have to numb the nerves in your legs."
Numb the nerves in my legs? How the hell would that help me? That would only cripple me, and to make matters worse I did not have my Aura unlocked. There was no way I would be able to go long without that!
I took a step back when Gem, Jade and Sapphire all took a step towards me. Jade's eyes sharpened at my defensive move and he crossed his arms with an expectant look.
"Are you being serious or are you wasting my fuckin' time?" Jade glared at me.
I vehemently shook my head in denial and looked back at Tukson for help. He tilted his head in mild confusion but made his way over to me after I beckoned him with another gesture with my hands.
"What's wrong?" Tukson asked me.
"My Aura!" I snapped back as I looked between him and Jade. "It's not unlocked. How can you expect me to do much of anything if you break my legs?"
"I'd say it builds character," Sapphire chipped in with a lighthearted shrug.
I sent her a brief glare, but she only gave me a sickeningly sweet smile in return. She may have been good looking, but she was a devil deep down.
"Huh, the kid's got a point," Gem said with a small nod. Jem let a sharp breath out of his nose and gave a curt nod to Sapphire. The girl complied with his message and walked up to me. She stopped just short of me and I had to look down just a bit to see her eyes.
"Quit lookin' down my bra and focus, you pervert," she said with a small smirk.
The corner of my mouth twitched at her little jab, but I let it go. No point in losing my cool over such a small poke of fun. Plus, girls find guys who can't take a joke lame.
I watched Sapphire's hand reach up to my face and stiffened when it rested on my cheek. The touch alone sent a shiver down my spine. Her lips curled up in a small smile when she sensed my surprise.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul and by my shoulder, I protect thee," said Sapphire.
A flood of warmth spread through my body. It did not hurt, but it took me by surprise. All the fatigue I was feeling from earlier was gone and replaced with newfound energy. I even felt lighter, stronger than before. Was this the same way Jaune felt when Pyrrha unlocked his Aura?
I opened my eyes and I could see a glow emitting from my hands. It was red. One of my favorite colors. It represented passion and strength. Something that embodied me perfectly.
I was broken from my thoughts courtesy of a light tap to the cheek from Sapphire.
"Okay, pervert. Time to get to work," said Sapphire. Before I could open my mouth to retort to the beauty, two heavy hits slammed into my legs and my knees immediately buckled. A cry of pain tore through my throat and I could feel the familiar tingling sensation surge through my legs, reminiscent of hitting the sweet spot on your shin or elbow.
My fists clenched tight and I slowly pushed myself back to my feet and looked back at the two who hit me. Gem had a smirk on his face while Jade's was stern. Both of them were twirling the sticks that they had been holding.
"Lesson number one, new guy." Gem held up a finger. "Always be ready for anything. Keep your eyes on your enemy and try to see how they move. The quicker you pick that up, the better chance you have at staying alive and not getting your ass beat and cryin' like a prepubescent little girl."
I glared at Gem and was about to give him a piece of my mind, but immediately found myself jumping out of the way from a blindsided attack from Sapphire. Her stick just narrowly missed my shin and I quickly put distance between myself and the three of them.
"Hey, timeout on the field for a second!" I held up my hands. "No such thing as timeouts in a real life or death situation, brat." Jade lunged at me.
I tried to get out of the way, but the older man was too fast. One minute I was on my feet, the next thing I know, I'm doubled over clutching my gut. Jade drilled me so hard with his knee that I was sure my intestines shot out of my ass. Just trying to breathe sent sharp stabbing pain throughout my body.
Another hard hit, this time to my ribs made me roll over. The adrenaline that shot through me was enough to make me forget about my pain long enough to roll out of the way and stagger to my feet. Jade and Gem were in front of me and were ready to come at me again, but that was when I noticed the problem. Sapphire was nowhere to be seen.
I've seen enough TV shows and movies like this to know what was coming next and ducked on instinct. A loud whoosh soared over my head and made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Sapphire just a little behind me, still within range of a hit. Thinking fast, I spun on my heel and out from under her arm with a kick.
The top of my foot made contact with her bicep, but I may as well have been a newborn infant. Sapphire turned her gaze to her arm and then to me with an amused look.
"That all you got, pervert?" She put her hand on her hip and cocked it. "Or was that takedown yesterday just a fluke?"
My teeth clenched together at the poke and my knuckles cracked upon forming a fist.
"One, I'm not a pervert. And two, that was not a fluke!" I glared back at her.
"Then prove it. I was kind of impressed with what you did yesterday, so show us you can do that again. Then maybe, just maybe I'll stop calling you a pervert."
I only nodded and got ready to fight with her, but heard a pair of footsteps to my right. Jade and Gem were soon upon me and before I could move, they had me restrained. Gem's arms had me wrapped in a full-nelson and Jade swung his stick at me like a baseball bat.
My eyes bugged out of my head and the air in my lungs was forced out as the solid wood buried into my stomach. I sputtered and coughed as I did everything I could to regain my composure and counter back. The hot, throbbing pain that filled my stomach made it very difficult for me to focus.
When Jade wound his arms back for another swing, I felt another wave of adrenaline hit me. I planted my feet firmly into the ground and shoved back hard, knocking Gem off balance just a bit. The moment I felt his feet shift on the floor, I pulled with all of my might and turned to pull Gem off the ground and with me.
Gem let out a surprised cry as Jade's stick slammed into the small of his back. His grip loosened on me and I spun out of his grip with my arm back. I stepped forward and drove my fist forward as hard as I could and smirked as my knuckles smashed into Gem's cheek making his face scrunch up. Gem stumbled away and I brought my guard up again to put my focus on Jade until Gem recuperated.
"Not bad, but it'll take more than that to take Gem out." Jade ran at me.
"I know, but I'm ready for both of you!" I answered back as I ducked under his swing and put space between us.
"And you need to pay attention!" Jade snapped back. He hurled the stick at me after he spun around. My reflexes kicked in and I narrowly dodged the heavy stick, but I had no time to bring my guard up. Jade was on me again and his massive hand closed around my throat.
My airway quickly closed and my eyes widened as I gasped for whatever air I could get. My hands tried to pry his vice grip off, but it was futile. He looked straight in my eyes as I continued to flail in his grip and reared his head back.
"Oh, this is gonna' hurt like shit!" I braced for the pain.
Bright golden stars filled my vision as the crown of Jade's head smashed directly on mine. Now, I've been hit in the head before in my fair share of fights and sometimes banged it on walls and furniture, but they had nothing on that Jade hit me with. The pain that came with it felt as though I got launched from a canon headfirst into a steel wall.
In my dazed state I barely registered being thrown by Jade somewhere to the center of the arena. Before I hit the ground, my body almost flipped after getting hit from behind. Sky filled my vision and then solid ground. I hit the floor hard and my body refused to move after the brutal assault.
"Remember what Gem said, pervert. Always keep an eye on your enemies," Sapphire's voice came a little above my head. I craned my neck and squinted in the light to see her staring down at me with a small frown. She lowered her gaze to mine and sighed.
"I'm still here, too. I stayed back to see if it clicked with you, but I guess this is the only way to make you learn," she finished with a shake of her head.
She grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and helped me to my feet. Her hands were not soft as she brushed off whatever dust was on my clothes. Each hard pat made me wince as she touched a developing bruise. Her last slap was a light one to my face to bring me back to reality.
"You ready?" She asked.
"Yeah." I nodded back.
"Good." I stumbled forward towards Gem and Jade after she shoved me forward.
"This is the best way for you to learn, brat. Some people need to learn by drinking from the hose, and that's what it looks like for you," said Jade.
He nodded at Gem and the two of them walked towards me from opposing sides to keep me guessing what would happen next. With Jade's last comment, I made a mental note of Sapphire behind me.
I took the chance and glanced over my shoulder to see Sapphire creeping towards me with her stick slung over her shoulder. A small smirk was on her face and her chest was puffed out, making her assets more pronounced.
"Hey pervert, stop staring at my boobs and focus!" Sapphire pointed in front of me.
Cursing my short attention span I turned around just in time to see Gem and Jade on top of me. Without thinking about it I dove forward and rolled to my feet and turned around to face them with my guard up. With all three of them in front of me, I could now try and fight with everything I had.
I watched Jade direct Gem and Sapphire to the flanks he wanted them to attack while he approached me head on. My heart pounded hard in my chest from the adrenaline racing through me and my eyes darted between the three of them as I waited in anticipation for the next move.
"Get ready, Alex!" Tukson called from the side of the arena. I could feel the color drain from my face when all three of them charged me at once.
These guys are dicks!
The longest eight hours of my life left me clinging to consciousness. I was thankful that Sapphire unlocked my Aura after I mentioned it, because if she hadn't, I would look like a crushed jelly donut.
I laid on the couch feeling like absolute shit. My whole body was covered in bruises, scratches, and blood. After training I passed out in the truck and woke up on the couch back in Tukson's apartment. He gave me some medicine, but the painkillers he had were not that effective, so I had to deal with the misery. I guess in hindsight it's not so bad since it would help build my pain tolerance.
In an attempt to find some humor in my current situation, I pictured Tukson wearing a butler's outfit as he prepared dinner. It really felt like quality service. First he gives me painkillers and then he cooks my dinner? If that's not five star service, then I don't know what it!
The training was tough, and I was going back for more soon enough. The thought alone sent a shiver down my spine. It even made me question myself for a second on what I signed up for, and then berating myself for being stupid enough to do it. I swear these guys are gonna' kill me before I even finished training.
"Hey kid, you okay?" Tukson asked from his spot by the stove.
"My body was crushed to bejesus and back. Do I look okay to you?" I dryly answered back.
"Ah, you'll be fine. Builds character." I only groaned back at the dad-like comeback. He chuckled before setting down dinner. With great difficulty and bearing through the tender pain my entire body was feeling, I trudged over to the table to see what Tukson finished making. It smelled delicious, and when I saw it, it looked delicious as well. Rice with pork and red beans.
I pulled out the chair from my side of the table and plopped down in it, immediately picking up my spoon. I shoveled in the first bite of the meal and the flavor exploded in my mouth.
That settles it. If I die… Check that, when I die again, I'm bringing Tukson with me because that man can cook!
The two of us continued to eat our meal in silence. I caught sight of Tukson's eyes as they flicked to me every now and then. There was a small smirk on his face
"Seems like you got the mad on for Sapphire," he said casuaully.
I immediately choked on my food and sputtered over my plate as I tried to recover. He laughed at my comical reaction and leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.
"W-What?" I asked, still coughing out bits of rice.
"It's all about subtlety, kid. Staring at a girl's breasts is not the way best way to break the ice. It sets you up for a nasty slap," said Tukson.
My cheeks burned slightly and I sighed. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Now, can I please eat?" I denied before returning to my plate.
He raised his hands up in acceptance and scooped up another spoonful of rice from his plate.
"Ok, but I got some advice for you regarding her if you do want to pursue a relationship in the long run," said Tukson.
I rolled my eyes, but held back my words and looked at him to show I was listening.
"As you know already, she's a Faunus like me. She had it rough growing up as a kid and had to do a lot to become who she is today, and that has left her with little trust in others. Hell, the only people she trusts her life with are me, Gem and Jade," he continued.
"What's your point?" I asked as I set down my spoon.
"My point is that if you want her, you have to show you are different from other humans that she has met. That and the fact that Gem and Jade are like her brother and father respectively, so if you hurt her, they'd probably kill you ten times over."
Another chill went down my spine and I shuddered at the thought alone. If what they came at me with today was beginner level, I'd hate to see them pissed.
"Same goes for Gem and Jade. They know you're a human, so they'll be watching you and making sure you don't do anything that rubs them the wrong way or risks exposing them to the wrong people," said Tukson.
"Okay. I got it," I said with a nod.
"Good. Now that that's out of the way, next time you try to flirt with Sapphire, don't look at her chest or wonder what she looks like naked."
My cheeks burned again and I flung a bean at him and he laughed as it bounced off his giant forearm and out of sight. "Okay, I'm done. Make yourself useful and clean up the kitchen before you go to bed," said Tukson as he got to his feet.
I raised my hand, acknowledging the chore he assigned me and watched as he trudged upstairs to his loft. It was nine, but whatever. I guess business owners liked getting a lot of sleep before starting a new day.
I kept eating in silence, but my mind began to drift back to Sapphire. Tukson's words still circled my head and I reflected on what he told me about her past. Not only that, but I also dwelled on my past experiences with my two former girlfriends. Each of them had been different in their own way, and Sapphire was much different from them. Not just physically, but she also had her own quirks and way of talking with me.
Did I have feelings for her, or was this just amped up lust? I mean, I just met her a day ago and I won't deny that she's easily one of the hottest girls I met in my life. Not only that, but the way she talked to me was not something I was not entirely used to. I mean, she was tough, funny, and teased me every time she caught me stealing a look at her. Back in New York, girls were not that receptive to me, so this was fresh water.
Was she like that with all guys that fawned over her, or did she only tease me because she liked me enough to go along with it?
Wait, time out!
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose to slow down. Now I was overthinking it, and that was never a good thing. It was easy to make mistakes when that happened, and it's no different when talking with girls and misinterpreting their view of you. That's not what I wanted with Sapphire.
If I did decide to pursue a relationship with her like Tukson said, I had to take it slow. Build up the friendship and see where it went from there. I mean, it's possible I might just want her as a friend at the end of the day, but I don't know. Either way, I wouldn't get the answers I wanted until I took that first step.
I finished eating, picked up Tukson's plate and limped to the sink. The water shot from the faucet a second later and I scrubbed the dishes clean, putting each clean one in the opposite sink to dry off.
Once I finished with the dishes, I shut off the light and made my way back to the couch. My body flopped down on it and I pulled the blanket over me.
I guess I'll find out more tomorrow. My eyelids were heavy with exhaustion and it did not take them long to close.
I stared up at my ceiling for what felt like hours now. Gem and Jade had long since gone to bed, leaving me the last one awake. God, I envied them for being able to sleep so easily. I guess it helped when one had an empty mind and a guilt free conscience.
The sole cause for my sleepless state was the boy that Tukson introduced us to. Alex Beretta.
When Tukson told the three of us we would be training him, I was skeptical. On a first glance the kid did not look like much. He looked very out of place, like he did not belong here, or anywhere on Remnant. He did not do himself much of a favor for a first impression, especially when he stared right at my chest. Little pervert.
I guess at the end of the day he held some promise. He did manage to counter my test strike on him when we first met, which was not something I expected. The punishment his body was able to take today during training was another bonus as well. Although he got his ass handed to him and then some, he kept getting back up until he collapsed from exhaustion. He did deserve some respect for that, but it would take a lot more to than that to stand out for me.
If Alex was as resilient as he proved to be today, maybe this wouldn't be such a waste of time. That would definitely be a plus for all of us. The only reason we took up the request from Tukson was because he got us out of a tight jam that would otherwise leave us in a worse state.
A sigh left my lips as I turned in my bed and stared out the window. The shattered moon glowed bright as it shone through, bringing a wave of calmness. My eyes started to droop shut and I nestled my head deeper into my pillow.
"Don't let us down, Alex. I don't want this being a lost cause by wasting our time when we could be doing something more meaningful."
Hey Guys M4 here. I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for the long wait, both my editor and I were buzy. Please leave a Like, Review, and a Subscription for more. Peace.
