Chapter 8: Who's Date is it Anyway?
Minor warning: This chapter contains slight adult themes, alcohol, mentions of abuse. Please read with caution! (Ari is 24, and is legal enough to drink.)
After snack time was over, Ari grabbed the plates; taking them to wash them in the sink. Equius noticed a wet rag, and decided to wipe down the table. To his utter surprise; the table didn't break from his strength. It stayed the same, no matter what. "Hmm…" He looked at the table intently, wondering why said table wasn't breaking as it should've. "You alright over there Equius?" Ari asked, while drying off a cleaned plate.
"...Ari… Your table isn't breaking when I touch it… Even with my maximum strength." Equius answered, while looking almost puzzled. When did she have the time to fix this table? She was in his sight the entire time; so there was no way she could've done it recently. "Oh! I made that table demon-proof because last time I had Innot over for game night; she got mad and broke the table when she lost." Ari answered.
Equius smirked. "What game was it, might I ask?" Equius asked, while setting the now used rag onto the sink. "It was a role playing game called, Castle Cat Trifecta." Ari answered, while turning to face Equius. He looked a bit confused, but thought about how silly the game must be if it included cats. "Hm… Maybe Nepeta would like it." Equius said, while looking thoughtful.
"Yeah, she might. If I can recall, she's into roleplay right?" Ari asked, while leaning back into the counter. "VERY into it." Equius answered. "Well then she'll love it. It might be a bit weird at first; but once she gets into it she'll get the hang of it." Ari replied, while looking up at Equius. Equius thought she looked rather graceful, and kind of beautiful in the kitchen's lighting.
Things were a bit silent between them for a moment until Ari spoke up. "Hey… I kinda finished my work early… And there's still QUITE a lot of sunlight out… Wanna go around the town?" Ari asked shyly, while looking down at the floor. "Sure Ari. I would be glad to learn some more, and see what you do for fun." Equius answered. Ari gave a quick smile, before looking a bit panicked.
Before Equius took note; Ari briskly walked to her room. "I'll be back! I need to get dressed! I'm still in my night attire." Ari said, while closing the door. She slowly slunk to the ground in front of her door. "Oooooh my gosh… D-did I just… Ask him out? Is this a date? Craaaaaaaaap! Okay okay calm down Ari… Calm down… It's not a date…We are just hanging out." Ari told herself, taking deep breaths.
She got herself together, unknowingly making herself look a bit prettier than normal. "There. Not too much." Ari muttered, while gently applying some lipstick to her lips. It wasn't MUCH of a difference, but she did look a bit more pretty. She left her bedroom, seeing Equius out in her hallway. "O-oh! Equius! You startled me there!" Ari said, while gently covering her chest in surprise.
"My apologies. I was simply waiting out here for you. And I wanted to be sure you weren't alone for too long either." Equius responded. Ari gave a small sigh. "I wasn't doing anything wrong." Ari said with a pout on her now pretty pink lips. Equius looked her up and down, taking in her new attire. It was much different than the other ones, it was a tank dress with jeans, while her lashes looked a bit fuller, and her lips were pinker than before.
She honestly looked really pretty; and he stared for a bit longer than he meant to. "Uh… Equius? You okay?" Ari asked, while stepping towards him. Equius snapped out, and went back to his stoic behavior. "...Yes. I am fine. Are you ready?" He asked her. She gave him a nod, and the pair headed out on the town. They walked around the nearby park for an hour, and fed the local ducklings.
At some point, a bird had landed on Equius' head; Ari giggled at the adorable sight. "Awww! This is ADORABLE. I HAVE to get a pic! Hold still!" Ari said, while pulling out her cell phone to capture the sweet scene. "A-alright Ari…" He said, while holding perfectly still. Ari captures the perfect moment, saving it on her phone. Once it was saved, the bird left his makeshift perch.
They walked more along the trail walkways, taking in the scenery. "Y-you know… When I was younger, I used to walk through here a lot." Ari said, while looking around at the trees. "...Why did you stop?" Equius asked, while looking down at her. "...Had a bad run down these parts. I'm not supposed to travel in this area by myself anymore." Ari answered, while looking down the road in a pensive manner.
Equius could tell she was nervous, by how she was shuddering at some of the trees. He looked at her open hand, and he grabbed it softly; catching her attention. She looked up at him, while they were both walking together. "...I wanted you to feel safer around here. Thats all." He said. Ari blushed softly, but smiled at his gesture. "Thank you." She said softly. "Do not mention it." He replied.
They continued on their journey, Ari explaining some of Ashtons major historical events, while including some fun facts. They stopped around a cafe about an hour later. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?" Ari asked him, while adjusting her top slightly. Equius' eyes gently lowered to her chest; looking at her freckle sparkled chest. He wondered if their Earthly rumble spheres were any different than Alternian ones.
He snapped his brain out of such a lewd thought when he heard his stomach grumble. He looked at Ari, who was stifling a laugh. "I guess I have my answer. Hehe, come on. Let's go in." Ari said warmly, while opening up the door for him. He gives her a small grin while entering the establishment. Ari followed behind him, heading up to the counter; where there was a canid creature behind the counter.
"Hi! Welcome to Cafe De Ashe! May I take your order?" The friendly woman asked. Ari looked up at Equius. "What would you like, Equius?" Ari asked him. "Just milk if you'd please." He answered. The woman gave a nod, while writing down his order. "And for you Ms. Zen-Zell?" She asked, while looking at Ari. "Just a… Banana, yogurt, and some granola. And a bottle of water please." Ari answered, while digging around in her purse.
The total was rung up; and it was at least $8.49. Ari took out a $10 bill, and paid. "Here you go. Keep the change." She mumbled softly. The clerk had swiftly given them their items with a big smile; before waving them off. "Here, let's sit here. That way we're not in the heat." She gestures, while walking over to a shaded section of the establishment. Before Ari could even get to the chair; Equius pulled it out for her.
"Here you go Ari." He said politely. "Well thank you Equius. Thats very kind of you." She said warmly, while taking her seat. He gently, and carefully pushed her in. Luckily these chairs were reinforced after a few incidents that happened in the past with a few other patrons. Equius took his seat, sitting down carefully, while Ari gave him his milk. "There." She said softly, while opening up her yogurt.
Equius stared at his carton, and softly picked it up to the BEST of his ability; before giving his milk a sip. He watched her combine the yogurt, banana, and oats together in the small cup. She takes a spoonful, and feeds it to Equius with a grin on her face. Equius takes a bite of the mixture, it goes over quite well with him. "Ari… What is this… Exquisite mixture you made?" He asks.
She takes a spoonful herself. "Mm, greek yogurt, a banana with some granola. I'm gonna guess that you like it huh?" She says while looking up at him with her ocean blue eyes. "...It's… Decent. I've never had anything like it before." Equius adds. "I can get more of this for you if you want. I don't mind." Ari said. "I mean, your stomach did growl earlier." Ari adds. "...If you are offering, I will take you up on your offer Ari." Equius says.
Ari nods her head, and gets up to go to the front again. "Oh hello again Ms. ZenZell! Did you forget something?" The clerk asks politely. "Oh I'm just here to get more yogurt, granola, and another banana please." Ari respectfully says. "Sure thing, Ms. ZenZell!" The clerk says, while grabbing the requested items. The items were then rung up, and the total was a simple $4.50. "Here you go." Ari said, while paying her due.
"Keep the change." She adds in respectfully, before making her way back over to her spot. She takes notice that her yogurt bowl was seemingly empty, and her eyes glances up at Equius. "...You wanna explain why this is empty sir?" She asks calmly, holding back a laugh. "...It simply wasn't me." Equius says sternly. Ari still held back her snickers. "...Then why are there bits of granola on your mouth?" She asks, while crossing her arms.
He was silent for a moment, realizing what she asked. "Fine… Your mixture was delicious enough that I wanted more." He admitted, while crossing his arms. Ari finally let out her laughter, sitting back down in her seat. "Its alright Equius. I'm not mad. I'm glad you liked it at least." She said, while giving him a smile. His frown turned into a small flustered grin at Ari.
Ari whipped up another mixture of it, and split it between her and him; which he seemed pleased by. "Here, we can both split this." Ari said warmly, while handing him the other cup full. They both happily ate the yogurt mix, while sipping their drinks. Equius' face nearly flushed at Ari; the way she laughed, the way she looked at him now, it was almost breathtaking to him.
By the time they were done, they cleaned the place where they sat, and took their leave. There was still quite a lot of daylight, so they went out to Ashton Plaza. They of course passed by the area where Equius had found out about Ari's illness. Ari's eyes went over to the skevy bathroom, but felt Equius' strong arm being draped onto her shoulder, almost as if to keep her with him.
Ari's cheeks flushed a dark pink, but she didn't say anything. She just kept close to Equius, and continued to talk more about Ashton. "And over here is the Rabies' Outbreak of 71 memorial wall. We had lost over 1.5 million people that tragic day… It was one of the darkest days there were…" Ari said, with a small frown on her lips. "How did such a tragedy happen?" Equius asked, while glancing down at Ari.
"It is unknown how it started… But we do know it spread like a wildfire, and people didn't show signs until it was too late. Over the years our doctors settled down and started working on a cure for all races. But the only problem was… Humans could get the shot. Every other race was stuck out of luck." Ari answered, while still looking at the golden plaque with thousands and thousands of names.
Equius' face showed a bit of remorse for all the lives lost, as Ari slowly walked away from the post. "I mean we've had quite a bit of bad stuff happen, but the Rabies' outbreak was the worst." Ari said. "...What do you do if someone contracts it on this day in age?" Equius asked. "Well… If it's a human, they get a shot, and are cleared. But any furry gets it… Has to be put to sleep." Ari answers, while looking away.
The thought of that didn't sit very well with Equius… He seemed a bit pensive, but calmed down once he felt Ari's soft hand in his strong one. "But there are many good things that outweigh the bad that have happened! For example; TJ, Samantha, and Innot have become the prime leaders here! Without them, there would've been quite a bit of chaos, or ya know… Unnecessary riots." Ari said factly.
Equius raises his eyebrow at her statement. "The Innot one… What is she a leader for? She doesn't seem like much of one from what you've described." Equius asked, while still following Ari. "Innot is the leader for Hellfiene, keeping the 'belowers' from attacking us above." Ari answered. "If Innot wasn't there, Hellfiene would take charge up here, and we would all basically burn to a crisp." Ari answered, while stopping to adjust her jeans.
Equius couldn't believe he was hearing such things, it was almost astonishing to him. "It does help that TJ does convince her to keep this town safe as well. TJ doesn't believe in violence, unless it's absolutely necessary." Ari adds on. Equius wished he could write all of this down, but he does have a STRONG memory. It would be no issue for him to remember all of this for later on.
It was now getting close to dusk, and the pair was getting quite hungry. "... I-i'm a bit hungry… W-wanna grab dinner if you're hungry?" Ari shyly asked, while looking up at the tall man. "That sounds like a good idea, Ari." Equius answered. With his answer, Ari took him to a fancy restaurant, walking him inside. The front staff welcomed them warmly. "M-ms. Zen Zell! What a pleasant surprise! Welcome!"
They lead them to a REALLY nice table, while setting down a couple of menus in front of the pair. Equius was careful enough not to rip said menu with his hands, and carefully read through it, as did Ari. The front staff had walked back to their station as a waiter came out to take drink orders from the pair. "Hello there! My name's Jayden, and I will be your waiter for this evening! Can I start you lovely people off with some drinks?" The male border collie asked the both of them.
Ari skimmed through, and she decided that why not have a more adult drink. "Can I get a glass of wine with water on the side please?" Ari asked, while looking up at her waiter. "You sure may, Miss Zen Zell! And for you, Handsome?" He asks, while looking at Equius with a big grin. Equius seemed to have gotten a bit flustered at his question, but didn't know how to answer.
Equius couldn't tell where the drink section was, as he squinted down at the words. "Your Earthly dialect may be vocally the same as Alternian, but it is NOT the same visually…" He said, while trying to make sense of the words. "Oh lemme see that." Ari said, while walking over to Equius. She bent over, taking a good look at the menu. Equius' eyes went to her facial features, looking at her cute nose twitching in curiosity.
He had noticed she was wearing a lovely floral fragrance today, and it almost made him smile. "Ah, here we are. They have juice, adult drinks, water, and they also have milk." Ari said, while turning her attention to him. "I will go with milk." Equius said in one breath. "Wonderful! I'll get these right out to you!" Jayden responded before heading back to grab the beverages.
"Do you need any more help with anything, Equius?" Ari asked, still standing next to Equius. "No, thank you Ari. You were quite helpful." Equius answered, while gently looking up to her. Ari goes to sit down in her seat, getting comfortable. Things were quiet between the two for now, but Equius decided to speak up. "...Ari… You are wearing a fragrance today…" Equius stated, catching Ari's attention.
Ari's ears perked up, Ari's eyes went over to him. "W-well yes. I-i am. Is it bothering you, Equius?" Ari asked softly. "It is not. In fact… It's… Quite nice on you." Equius answered. Ari's cheeks flushed a light pink at Equius' compliment. "O-oh! Why thank you Equius!" Ari said, giving him a shy smile. The corners of Equius' mouth turned upright, a small smile appearing on his face.
"You are most welcome, Ari." Equius responds respectfully. Soon the pair started making more conversation, laughing as they talked. "It took us THREE entire hours to find her! And guess where she was!" Ari said, while giggling. "Where was she, Ari?" Equius asked, chuckling. "In her own bedroom… IN HER BED." Ari answered, laughing softly. Equius gave a hearty laugh at her story.
The waiter came out with their drinks, and was ready to take their orders. "Here are your drinks guys!" Jayden said, while setting down both of their drinks. "Ah thank you so much!" Ari said with a smile on her face. "You're most welcome, Ms. Zen Zell!" The waiter replied with a sunny grin. "Are you both ready to order?" Jayden asked. Luckily Ari had read out some of the items on the menu to Equius, so that way he knew what he wanted.
"I believe so, right Equius?" Ari said, glancing at Equius. He gave a nod, showing he was ready to place his order. Ari was a bit hesitant, but said what she wanted; a chicken club sandwich and a side salad. Equius seemed a bit confused at her order, but didn't question it. He told Jayden his order next; Steak medium well with a side salad as well. "Great! I'll go put in your orders guys!" Jayden said warmly, before making his way back.
Ari and Equius continued their chatter, while sipping their drinks as their food cooked in the kitchen. "And so I had constructed Tavros' legs so that he may walk once more." Equius said with a smile. "You know, you might seem scary but you really seem like a nice guy. I mean really. I won't lie… I was pretty afraid of you." Ari said, finishing her glass of wine. "I suppose I am menacing." Equius replied.
At this point, Ari was a bit mixed in her brain from the drink. "Well I'm just afraid of men. I got used quite a lot by men, and abused. But… Something about you however Equius… I just find quite fascinating." Ari said, while staring intently at him. Equius wasn't sure how to react to her statement. The food had come out, and was plated in front of both Ari and Equius.
"Here you guys are! I hope everything is to your liking! Ms. Zen Zell, more wine?" Jayden asked, holding up a bottle. Before Equius could answer, Ari nodded her head 'yes'. "Yes please!" Ari said with a goofy smile on her face. "Alrighty!" Jayden said, while pouring more wine. "Sir, would you like more milk?" He asked. Equius nodded his head, still keeping his eye directly on Ari.
Once dinner was all over, Ari paid for the food before heading out with Equius. Equius looked at Ari, and she was giggling and stumbling around. "Okay Ari, you are clearly not well. I'm taking you home." Equius stated, while holding her close to him, keeping her out of danger. "You know Equius, you're so sweet. You are so good to me…" Ari said, while toting their leftovers.
Equius could tell it was going to be a long walk, but he was ready to keep an eye on her. Step by step, giggle fit after snort, they had finally made it to Ari's house. Equius managed to grab the leftovers, and set it on the counter, before he was drug back into Ari's bedroom. "A-ari what are you doing?" Equius asked, as he sat onto Ari's bed. "Equius, I want you. I want you alllll over my body." Ari said, nearly slurring her words.
Equius immediately blushed at her statement, sweat dripping down the sides of his face. "A-ari h-how lewd!" Equius said in surprise. "Hehe, I'll get as lewd as you want me to, cutie." Ari said, while sitting onto his lap. Equius had to think quickly, Ari wasn't in her right mind, and he didn't want things to go south. "A-ari! I-if we must… Do the… Lewd actions, you must rest first. It is very important!" Equius said.
Ari paused for a moment, and then giggled. "You naughty boyyy! Alright! I'll rest up for youuu." Ari said, while softly poking his nose. Equius chuckled wearily, while getting up and leaving her bedroom. He gave a small sigh of relief, while putting away the food. Once he was sure Ari was fully asleep, he put a water bottle on her nightstand before going to bed himself.
How thoughtful of Equius, such a gentletroll.~ I hope you guys liked this chapter, and if you did; fave, comment, or follow! 3 I'll see you lovelies in the next chapter!