Chapter 191 - Love and Comradery
The early morning sun shone brightly in the skies above, bathing Nico's red hair in heat as the male sat atop a bench in one of the town's many streets, holding his Omnibracer out in front of him like he was using a shield to block a strike from the front. His gaze focused on its screen which showcased a webpage belonging to a trusted news source, his Omnibracer connected to the town's internet, his eyes subtly shifting from side to side as he read through the article.
'Considering the situation, it's surprising that we can even use the internet or technology at all.' The male couldn't help but muse internally, he'd seen in many horror movies where supernatural powers that be would alter reality to stop people (AKA helpless victims) from contacting the outside world by removing their connection to the internet and making them unable to call for help. He suspected that Tzeenth didn't see technology as much of a threat and rather saw it as a way to research and glean more knowledge, something which fell into his domain just like sorcery and tactical brilliance.
'Not only that, but it may also be to do with the other Nations itching in. There have been an increasing number of people from Lastation wandering the city, mostly.'
Biko's words got exonerated when the redhead looked up once he felt some eyes on him, noticing a bunch of people in formal-looking suits which distinguished them from the rest of the Loweean populace who wore more winter-appropriate clothing, They didn't look too affected by the cold either which made him wonder if Lastation people were just built different especially since a normal person would be showing a LOT of discomfort regarding the Lowee weather.
Maybe it was due to their extreme love for high work ethics or something…
Speaking of Noire, he couldn't help but imagine what it would have been like had she taken part in the truth or dare game they'd held 2 days ago, only for him to shudder and mentally thank the Goddess that she hadn't. He could so imagine her being the target of relentless teasing from Neptune and the girls due to her tsundere nature which would unknowingly (for her) make things worse. She probably wouldn't have lasted even a couple of rounds with the stuff that had gone on during that game heck even he had nearly fainted at some of the things the girls had made him do on multiple occasions.
They say that all men were perverts, those people haven't been to an all-girl or mostly girl hangout before… or maybe it was just the ones Nico hung with daily. Perhaps it was also due to them being better at hiding it otherwise they'd get their share of the blame for some of the sex-related crimes out in the world.
But on a lighter note, it had been a couple of days since that truth or dare game and while Nico may have had some complaints about the thing she'd been forced to say and do to preserve his pride, the whole thing had been pretty fun and he'd gotten a few good laughs out of it. It had turned out to be more fun than he had anticipated, especially when he considered how Neptune had ensured that they played for the entire day.
On another note, he had been right in suspecting Neptune since she had done exactly what he'd expected her to: keep things steered mostly on a sexual theme throughout the game. What he hadn't predicted as much but wasn't surprised by was how Vert became a willing accomplice in promoting such topics to get a rise out of everyone, especially him and IF who were the prideful members of the group.
Nico honestly couldn't recall the number of sex jokes that had been made at his and IF's expense by those two, nor the number of embarrassing scenarios and events they had to do like play a game of twister together which had resulted in him unwillingly burying his face close to IF's neither region during the game (something that IF did NOT ignore giving the redness behind her expression). Another example would be how Vert dared Nico to make out with each of them in the game itself which Neptune had nearly turned into one mass kissing session had he not used the dare's wording to prevent that.
Though to him, very little that happened in the game was more embarrassing than admitting his preferences in a female's body. It had been a goddamn war to gather the effort needed to push those words out of his mouth, more so because they had been his honest feelings about the issue. He wasn't someone who liked boobs too much, the fact being easier to come to terms with post the game he came to realize, with the legs being much more appealing to him both in looks and in a practical sense. Nicer legs meant that they took care of them which would serve fighters well when in intense combat scenarios. He also heard that girls who ran a lot got improvements to their rear ends from the work their lower bodies were put through. (maybe that was why he found Lucy, Noire and Raven's legs to be so attractive if he thought about it).
'Perhaps, although there's also the fact that bigger boobs have their appeals and problems, Nico. Like how bigger boobs are rarer than smaller ones without breast enlargement surgeries like plastic ones, which damage the breasts and take away their ability to function like nature intended, breastfeeding their young.'
'Yeah, though I'm glad Vert never had that problem…' Nico thought, images of Vert's melons appearing in his mind. He had known this but never admitted it in front of her during the game out of consideration for her feelings, Nico remained aware of how much Vert prided herself on her large breasts which he had confirmed were indeed natural. So to mock them by saying they were the result of artificial practices which could damage them was NOT something he saw as a good boyfriend move.
Though, she wasn't the one who had the largest breasts in the world (something else he wisely didn't mention). Nico had once heard of a woman who had boobs weighing over 50 kg each (one measured at 109,22cm and the other at 177.8cm) which sounded ABSURD to him had he, not fact-checked and discovered that it had been true when he'd first learned of it. Understandably she was quite famous and often got teased by other people… though there were problems with daily life that came with those two huge tanks for boobs. The teasing for one, but then there was how people would treat family members and loved ones aside from clothing choice being limited and stuff.
In the days that followed, things calmed down as more and more support arrived on Lowee's snow-covered soil from other Nations, Lastation and Planeptune being the most prevalent compared to Leanbox understandably. Thanks to the barrier isolating Lowee being destroyed, an increased amount of support could be sent to the nation or more specifically the resistance fighting to retake their homeland from foreign invaders.
Politically, this had been a fascinating move since, thanks to factors like Demons, cults in other Nations damaging them severely and Demon Worlds becoming a thing, officials had analyzed Lowee's situation and decided it was best to declare several levels of national emergencies instead of leaving the people to fend for themselves, seeing that such problems could just as easily happen to their nations as well. Heck, Planeptune had done something that previously was politically unheard of to demonstrate support for Lowee's citizens:
Issued a guarantee of protection.
What this meant was that according to the Planeptune officials, the Lowee situation meant that their military would be immediately mobilized to help the nation purge its invaders from its lands and restore what remained of the rightful government.
What drew Nico's attention, however, was the interesting update he had learned during this morning's reading session he'd been doing since he'd got here. There had been very few attacks on transports containing the supplies and manpower other nations had sent which Nico naturally found suspicious, and he bet that the military representatives of the four nations would probably agree with him on that one. He knew they did due to various political websites which were used by these officials having released articles about these said suspicions, which tied into his current reading session.
Ever since this morning, he had been reading articles from these websites and was currently reading one released on a Lowee political one called 'serene justice', although unlike what this monologue had been leading up to this one focused more on Rimuto's trial. The article stated that most of the jury believed he was guilty of war crimes and it wasn't long before his sentence was to be handed out.
'If Lowee had its normal system I bet this trial would have been longer and harder. The Nation's fall also purged it of the corrupted elements to its society, leaving what we've seen as the remnants. In a twisted sense, the fall proved to be an effective cleaner.'
As morbid as that sounded, Nico agreed with his Demon Persona. There had been more than a few times when the redhead had considered nations to be beyond saving and thus needed a good ol' fashioned purging to reset things back to square one, however every other piece of logical sense pushed those thoughts out of existence with various sound arguments. One of which is that the corrupted elements would somehow find a way to keep themselves safe from the purging such as bribing people to look the other way or something like a time in Planeptune's past when a whole thing called prohibition had been causing massive problems for the people.
Nevertheless, it was still apparent that worse was in store for Lowee and to weather those storms the remnants needed to get a grip and FAST.
Just then, the redhead's ears twitched when he sensed some familiar presence approaching which caused him to pause his reading and look up from his Omnibracer. This allowed him to see two of his subordinates: Gimli the Dwarf and Legolas the Ice Elf approaching him, looking rather roughed up.
The sight of them initially caused Nico to growl under his breath with his first thought being that someone had beaten them up. If that happened then he would be having words with the ones who did this to them.
Fortunately, before the redhead could pull a megalomaniac on some poor sods Legolas promptly greeted the man who was his leader. "Greetings, leader. We just came from a recent sparring session with some fellow Tekkadan members. It got a little more heated than anticipated though." he explained simply, and direct to the point something he knew was what their leader preferred when listening to reports.
Initially, Nico didn't know whether that was true or not but upon sensing no deceit in their words thanks to his NE senses, the redhead decided to put his faith in them on this one. It WAS quite common for their ranks to blow off steam in the ring where controlled sparring was quite popular amongst them. Not only did it keep their skills sharp but it also helped people resolve their differences through an exchange of fists. It was a method he'd seen various military instructors employ when breaking in recruits or getting veterans to get along with one another.
Though, briefly, a pang of guilt sprung through him at how once again Nico had assumed the worst-case scenario concerning those he presided over. Heck, his loved ones drew this out of him the most but his bad habit didn't do him any favours. From Neptune, the girls to his bros… well, mostly Ivan since Aiden didn't seem into the whole romance department though in all fairness he usually kept to himself anyways. Still, he needed to get to grips with this habit of his before it did any lasting damage.
"... I see. Anyways, what are you guys doing here then? Shouldn't you be back with the others?" the redhead questioned in a bid to shift the subject away from his embarrassing moment.
This time it was Gimli who answered, the man hefting his signature shotgun over his shoulder with an easy-going grin forming on his lips which remained covered mostly by his large beard and moustache. "Aye, figured we could take a wee break from all that shit. Got some of the lads to stand in for us, give me something to keep me occupied before the next big hunt," he explained, the redhead chuckling in amusement at how the Dwarf described the members of their group that were more on the administrative end.
Nico then made the following observation after gesturing for them to sit on the bench with him, something which the two readily accepted. "That must mean the Tekkadan's doing ok so far in my absence, then."
After getting comfortable on the bench, Legolas nodded his head as he proceeded to give the following explanation. "You would be wise to assume that. Although many still seem reluctant to mingle with the townsfolk some are gradually accommodating to the idea. Most of those consist of the ones who fought with the RABONA guards on the frontlines, bonds forged through blood and sweat often lead to the strongest bridges."
Now THAT was something Nico appreciated if the large smirk he formed was any indication. He could readily agree with that sentiment since it brought back memories of his comrades and how far they had come thanks to travelling and fighting alongside one another. They'd experienced so much together, facing the manifestation of death in Mundus, countless Demons and Abnormals, the whole shebang to the point where they even all came to regard one another as irreplaceable. It made sense for this to be the case since one HAS to be able to trust his comrades with his back on the battlefield where one could be eviscerated at any moment.
Still, this whole conversation did bring one thing into focus for him and it was something that gave Nico a brief pause. So far, he could hardly recall many times when he had asked how specific subordinates were doing after each battle they had survived. Keyword being 'survived' due to knowing that they would only be smashed by another enemy further down the line and the ONLY victory that had any true meaning would be when the enemy was kicked off Loweean soil.
This kind of irked and worried him at the same time, as Nico had read how constant fighting especially among those who weren't used to it would experience things like PTSD or other mental health issues. His situation was a bit of a unique one though, so he didn't count himself in this monologue.
Deciding to change that, Nico brought the question up with his subordinates. "Then how are the two of YOU fairing from all of this? What's your opinion on the state of things? Feedback from the ground is a goddamn treasure trove for those on the top if you ask me." He queried, frowning as he glanced at the two who sat on opposite sides of him. This kind of felt like a war on two fronts if he were to think like a military general, and a war on two fronts was only something to be attempted when possessing as many advantages as possible, something which very few could boast.
Briefly, he thought about a man who kept being seen as 'average height for the time' who led a bunch of skirmishes for Lastation gains.
"Ah, we've been havin' a jolly ol' time, boss." Gimli cheerfully proclaimed with a hearty chuckle. The Dwarf plopped his Shotgun down so it leaned diagonally against the bench before proceeding to crack his gloved knuckles. "Nothin' beats bonkin' em pointy elves in the noggin' when they get a bit too big for their britches. The looks on 'eir faces are priceless." he explained, ignoring the pointed stare that he got in return for his words from the said Ice Elf.
Said Ice Elf then proceeded to expand on his point while trying to keep a level tone. "What my comrade here was trying to say is that we've been competing against one another in all sorts of activities other than battle since there has not been a hunt launched in some time. It's more like a general competition, but this oaf and I tend to be the competitors for most of them."
'Ah, right the good ol' blood feud between the dwarves and elves that happens in like every fucking fantasy series out there…' Nico noted internally, making sure to keep an inquisitive face on to dissuade them from comprehending his true thoughts on that matter. Turned out that some things never changed even when under threat of extinction, he mused internally as he watched the two passively banter with one another.
It hadn't been long since he'd been nominated as Tekkadan's leader when Nico had learned of the history between the Ice Elves and the Dwarves and boy, the numbers of skirmishes between these two races and their variants would rival every war humanity had conducted over its many millennia of existence.
According to the older members, the Dwarves and Ice Elves had simply been variants of the Elf and Dwarf races which once populated areas not touched by man and they did not like one another due to ideological and political differences. Initially, they had been unaware of one another's existence for at least a couple of decades since they arrived on Gamindustri 500 years ago, but about 20 or so years later their first encounters had happened… coincidentally between a small detachment of Dwarven merchants and a small pack of Ice Elf hunters.
The encounter had gone as bad as one might have anticipated.
This started a long chain of skirmishes and conflicts between the two races, with sub-variants of their species soon joining in because of patriotic and political reasons. There had been way MORE Elves and Dwarves on Lowee than there were now but the years of warfare they'd engaged in had wiped a lot of them out and as for why humans weren't aware of this secret feud on their doorstep had been due to every race deciding to keep as far away from them as possible after witnessing the Spec Ops Agents slaughtering Abnormals left and right. To them, it seemed like the natives of this world had started to fight back against them and were currently winning so they didn't want to be found and hunted to extinction. In current times, the grudge between them had become second nature almost with both sides no longer recalling what it was that drove them to this point in the first place.
Then the fall of Lowee and humanity's civilisation to Chaos had happened, and EVERYTHING fell apart soon after.
Post the fall, the forces of chaos took the rest of the island by storm with Tzeentch Demon's slaughtering masses of intelligent Abnormals previously hidden from the human eye. None of their previous tactics to hide from the world had made even a DENT in their efforts, it felt so much like they always knew wherever they tried to hide and would be waiting for them. Before long, the Ice Elves fell first when a massive number of Tzeentch Demons slaughtered the majority of their race, reducing them to small scale packs of hunters desperately struggling to survive in the warped landscape full of things trying to kill them. Some had taken to this lifestyle better than others, but it was still a downgrade compared to their previous quality of life.
The Dwarves, however… Well, that was history.
Thinking about this got him to thinking about what he knew of Gimli and Legolas personally, titbits of information he'd been told and learned about them from his many battles alongside them.
Gimli, the son of a Dwarven lord called Gloin, descended from a royal bloodline in Dwarven customs. Though Gimli wasn't a member of their royal family himself, he and his father were still highly respected individuals amongst their ranks which added more credibility to his popularity with the remaining Dwarves.
Pre Lowee's fall, he and his people resided within one of the larger mountains of which they had built an underground city for themselves to reside, one reminiscent of ancient Loweean culture of which its natural defences hid them from the rest of the word. It was a good place to hide, and as long as they had been careful (of which they were, naturally) they'd not be found by other beasts and Spec Ops Agents.
Things were quite decent for Gimli, even though he had less of a Blacksmith's heart and more of a warrior's one which the redhead could see, thinking of their many battles and Gimli's almost notorious stubbornness to fight near the frontlines, and that had caused a lot of issues between him and his relatives due to his strong desire for adventure, combat and glory especially against the 'long ears' as he referred to the Ice Elves.
Nico once heard that the Dwarf had kissed his Skimmer after their first battle together and gave it a pet nickname, but that rumour wasn't confirmed and he had yet to ask.
Post-Lowee's fall, however, things took a drastic turn for the worse. His people fought long and hard to maintain their home within the mountain, both against the Youma and the Chaos forces who appeared out of nowhere and peppered their forces with various magics they had never heard of, used tactics they hadn't been prepared for, and struck at places which they hadn't been able to reinforce in time. As a result, their home which the Dwarves had long since held its defensive capabilities with pride… got smashed open by the enemy who then poured in and started a mass killing spree.
During the chaos, Gimli had done his best to protect his people alongside his father, but since the Dwarves weren't that great fighters due to their physique that was more for forging things than outright destruction, it had only taken a single night for their kind to be reduced to the slaves that Nico had found them as. From what he'd heard, many Dwarven strongholds scattered throughout mountainous terrain fell to similar fates, their homes being forcibly dug out from under them by Tzeentch which painted a strange picture in the redhead's mind. Nevertheless, the Dwarves fell first, being drastically reduced in number before being sent to work in places where they were most suited.
During those times Gimli, after losing his father during the battle for his homeland, had done his best to take as much of the workload off his fellows as he could, keeping the injuries he'd receive either on duty or from beatings he got from his new 'owners'. From a high ranking respected Dwarf to a lowly slave… it's safe to say he did not have a good time. The fact that Gimli could still joke and be jovial about things may as well have been a miracle. He wouldn't be surprised if the dude had some lingering issues from that experience though…
As for Legolas, he was as previously stated the son of his Tribe's chieftain although it hadn't always been this way.
Before Lowee's fall, the Ice Elves lived in their forest close to the edge of the landmass, isolated from the rest of it thanks to some magic that only their kind knew though now it was lost to the annals of history. The forest itself was large enough to rival Planeptune's capital SEGA, with dense wilderness, varied wildlife, and overall an ice elf's ideal home. Legolas had been a prince back then, his father being Thranduil, King of the Elves of Northern Mirkwood, so he could be seen as similar to Gimli in that both had royal bloodlines… regardless, Nico remained aware that mentioning this wouldn't be a good idea. More than enough equipment had been damaged in some of their spats.
Post the fall, Legolas's home fell under the same circumstances as that of the Dwarves and other species of Elves that remained after the centuries of skirmishing they'd partaken in. The tribe that had been formed consisted of those who had managed to escape with their lives whilst the rest had been either taken as forced labour, breeding slaves or just outright killed. Their home had been taken just as easily as the Dwarves, perhaps even sooner since Elves lacked their adversary's forging abilities so they couldn't build proper defences. Still, they at least managed to keep what remained of their tribe alive since the fall, staving off the chaos taint with their magic's so they wouldn't lose more members.
Both Legolas and Gimli had similar backgrounds and tragedies linking them together, just like the Dwarves and Elvish now. Perhaps that would serve as the bridge connecting them.
Unaware of his thoughts, Gimli looked towards Legolas and his leader, a faint twinkle sparkling in his eye which stated that an idea had formed inside his noggin. Judging by the way Legolas looked at him, he was familiar with that look by now and thus prepared himself for what would be following. "Say, we haven't tried drinking any beer here yet, 'ave we? Why don't you long ears, I and the boss have ourselves a little match?"
"Huh?!" Blinking owlishly, Nico jogged out of his thoughts when he heard this proposal, mentally replaying it to make sure he had heard it correctly. That only enhanced his confusion about his sudden induction into this though. "Why me? This is between you two, right?" he queried, not understanding the point of his involvement. He'd been intending to spend the day chillaxing while reading articles to familiarize himself with the nations' politics, drinking with his subordinates was NOT something he'd considered doing.
Nevertheless, instead of Gimli answering him it was Legolas, and he seemed all for the idea judging from that small tilt of his head he did alongside that smug ass grin. "My, that seems like a great idea, Dwarf. I look forward to your foamy defeat under the beer glass." he sneered, chortling at the sarcastic glare Gimli aimed his way.
No small amount of frustration swelled inside his torso at this development, even as he tried to keep it from forming on his face so he wouldn't seem rude to his subordinates. 'Ugh… goddamnit…!' As much as he wanted to, Nico couldn't find it in him to refuse such an offer. Not only did he not want to be rude to his comrades, but he also had a sneaking suspicion that there was more to this than meets the eye. One thing he knew about royals in general, especially those with significant influence, was that they were like politicians where everything they say and do has multiple meanings. They do this simply because it's part of their job to outsmart one another in battles of wills, but here even someone as observant as him couldn't make out the motive behind him coming.
Meanwhile, with the Ice Elf…
'So far seems unwilling, but isn't refusing…' Legolas noted inside his mind as he observed his superior's reaction to the offer, making sure to note everything down to his minuscule movements to ascertain his thought process. His face remained its usual mirthful one while watching his superior's conflicted expression, but he kept it to himself for fear of being found out.
Though the Ice Elf had no personal interest in Gimli's offer he'd have to hand it to the Dwarf, he knew how to assist him albeit unknowingly.
With the offer accepted by the reluctant Nico, the trio soon left the area to go visit the nearest tavern.
Though it wasn't long before they found one, and much to the redhead's surprise he found it to be the same one which Theta had invited him to previously. THAT had smothered Nico's nerves a little since it meant they'd be drinking at a place he was familiar and comfortable with.
The Tavern's atmosphere hadn't changed all that much since his last visit either from what Nico could recall, the activity seemed rather chill and melancholic with people just sitting around talking to one another over some drinks, having a decent ol' time during this age of corruption and chaos.
This WHERE went alongside WHO gave him this comfortable feeling, with the girls and his bros coming to mind. Thinking about them as he sat and drank while bantering with his two subordinates (well, he pleasantly bantered whereas Gimli and Legolas kept throwing insults to one another while drinking) made a pang of loneliness sprout within his chest as his thoughts wandered over to Team RAIL.
Ever since he had returned from destroying the barrier, Nico had been keeping an ear out for any news of their movements in case their paths would cross shortly. He worried about them and hoped they were ok, the last time they'd met had been during the siege of RABONA and his bros hadn't been doing so hot. He hoped that when they met again they would be doing much better, though he remained ever confident that they would pull through.
Additionally, Nico didn't have any plans that spanned travelling across the continent as he did during his leadership of the Tekkadan, but he had few hopes that they would be stopping by this town for much…
Wait, wasn't there that promise he made with Raven?
'Indeed there was, there's also the fact that these two probably are not going to be aware of the fact you can't get drunk for multiple reasons.'
Biko soon interrupted his thoughts with that statement which nearly made Nico visibly react, though he stopped himself at the last moment in favour of mentally chortling. Yeah, turns out that getting drunk was just about impossible for him due to varying factors like his regeneration abilities with his Demonic Power also playing a part in this by enhancing his body's defences against such things. This meant that he'd probably win just about any kind of drinking contest he'd ever get into like some kind of OP protagonist with cheat abilities in an Isekai.
'HAH, THOSE MORONS ARE DUMBER THAN BRICKS IF THEY THINK WE'D LOSE TO SOME PETTY WIMP LIKE ALCOHOL! WE'RE NOT THE SUPERIOR PREDATOR OF THE HILL FOR NOTHING, HAHAHAHA!'
Ignoring his Ghoul Persona, Nico looked out and around at the table that he currently occupied with Legolas and Gimli. Speaking of those two, the latter looked to have already conked out with head slumped against the table. One could see several empty tankards littered around him as evidence of the amount he had since entering the tavern, each one big enough to rival 2-pint glasses on top of one another.
On the other hand, Legolas looked rather fine, not even mildly flushed and was currently… on his 25th tankard if he counted the amount around him correctly. He even kept up his prime and proper posture as expected from a member of a royal family. Judging from what his senses were telling him, Nico could tell the elf was in a good mood as he gave a slightly gloating glance towards the unconscious dwarf, who Nico SWORE had somehow had his hand shaped like he was giving Legolas the middle finger.
Nico wouldn't be surprised if that was true, last he heard Ice Elves have a hard time getting drunk because their bodies have evolved to be as cold as the lowee climate which freezes the toxic chemicals they ingest like alcohol in their stomachs that they then dispose of as excrement. It doesn't help that their beverages were much more potent in alcohol than human and dwarven beverages, giving Legolas a great advantage here.
Judging from his internal clock it seemed to be about mid to late afternoon currently and it had been about lunchtime when they had arrived at the Tavern, so this drinking contest they had seemed to have been going on for at least 5 hours at this point. These Abnormals must be built differently since they handle liquor on an insane scale the redhead male felt to himself… conveniently classifying himself as Abnormal when he glanced at the 50 tankards that he had built up.
'Glad I can afford this, but if the girls saw this I bet they'd grill me for the whole week…' Nico thought, mentally shuddering at what it would be like if they caught him doing something like this with his finances. He wasn't poor by any means, but they'd probably act like mother hens with him, especially Compa.
Still, he couldn't say that nothing had happened here since throughout this entire drinking contest the trio had talked and joked with one another like old war buddies, laughing at jokes and playfully jabbing at one another. Legolas and Gimli even seemed to strangely put aside their quarrels to grill him about his… sexual exploits, much to Nico's embarrassment. He'd gotten even more embarrassed when they teased him for still being a virgin despite having a whole ass harem of girls wanting him, as well as being unable to refute them about being strong on the field, weak with the ladies.
"Looks like Gimli's at his limits for the night." Ignoring his subtle spike in indignation at that last mental remark, Nico looked towards his unconscious subordinate and decided that this was enough, that they needed to head out back to their embassy. It helped that the Tavern wasn't as packed as before, and last he checked it wouldn't be long before it closed for the day either.
Legolas nodded his head in agreement as he signalled a waitress over to come to collect their stuff. The Waitress that did answer, a woman in her late 20's he and Nico guessed, initially looked pale at the number of tankards they'd used and called for someone else to help her. "Agreed. I know the shortest route back to the embassy, we'll be able to get there in time to recover for future missions." The ice elf reported, getting up as several waitresses came to their table.
Standing up alongside him, Nico promptly strolled towards Gimli and lifted him by wrapping an arm around his neck and wrapping one of his own around his waist. Lifting the Dwarf so that his feet slightly dangled may have looked rather weird, and would probably hurt his pride when he found out, but right now the redhead had more pressing concerns in mind. "I'll carry him then, would you be able to lead the way?" he asked his companion.
Said ice elf arched a brow at that, slowly nodding his head. "Of course, but why would you not be able to find the embassy yourself, sir? You'd be able to get there much quicker if you were to use your Warping," he questioned, and it wasn't a bad one to ask either.
From what he had heard and seen of it, Nico's Warping ability worked as some kind of teleportation which meant that he could have brought Gimli immediately to the Embassy without the hassle he was currently going through right now. Doing so would have saved him a lot of time and energy, and from their many battles Legolas knew that Nico valued efficiency quite highly as any good leader did, it was why they usually stole the enemy's supplies when possible to both bolster their defences and to review them so they knew more about how they operated. Therefore he didn't get what the redhead was trying to do here.
"Warping is best utilised as a short-ranged teleporting asset, as it lacks sufficient range and I can only take a small group with me instead of a whole army," Nico answered, making sure he had a strong grip on his companion. "Additionally, I can only teleport to places I see which means I can't use it like some kind of fast travelling tool. Also the last time I warped with a squad of Tekkadan members some of them had reactions akin to motion sickness, so I'd rather not risk it when not necessary."
Yeah, Nico had been rather surprised when he had learned that one as well, the male thought when he noticed Legolas's facial response to
There were other ways for him to travel quickly like forming wings or letting Soul Edge carry him, but he had his reasons for not using those. One of them was that Byakko would have a fit if he used his inner Ghoul like some kind of chore boy and right now Nico did NOT want to have to deal with that which meant that Biko likely would fare worse. Plus Gimli still felt a little squeamish about his Kagune after one time they'd had to Warp together, so he'd wait till the guy was more comfortable around them which could only come from controlled exposure.
He didn't mind the cold either since he had trained himself to withstand such conditions, plus the fact that it was still this cold reminded him of what the Nation had once been, which was a relieving thought indeed.
Legolas eventually nodded his head in acceptance after a couple of moments of consideration. "Fair enough. Let us be off, the Embassy is located in the southern part of town."
After paying the slightly bulging tab, Nico and Legolas strolled out and onto the street with Gimli being carried by the former.
Immediately afterwards, the male's breath got caught in his throat when the cold chilling air slammed into his face. Its sting resembled that of an angry girlfriend catching her partner doing something immoral, something the redhead hoped to never have to experience.
Quickly, the male glanced about and sharply took notice of the snowy streets that dominated his vision. "Looks like there aren't as many people out as before…" he muttered under his breath. That made sense, it was around that time after all since he recalled that the Lowee citizens had a strict curfew imposed on them by Lady White Heart not long after Lowee fell.
Part of him did worry that he would get in trouble for not adhering to that curfew himself, but his men took priority for him at the moment so he quashed such emotions.
"That just makes things easier for us…" Legolas started, before pausing as his ears twitched, picking up the sounds of footsteps heading towards them.
Nico heard them too and sharply turned in the direction they came from… before his eyes lit up like Christmas lights upon seeing two familiar faces emerging from down the street. "Heh, guess even THINKING about the Devil makes him appear…" the redhead mused with a small grin forming on his features.
"Hey, pot's calling the kettle back over here, man!"
"Well, we were just talking about him too so this is pretty coincidental."
"C'mon bro, don't betray the bro code!"
The serenity which had dominated the previously quiet Loweean town streets got blown away by the loud voices belonging to a certain pair of males, ones which erupted into loud, boisterous bickering that contrasted with the small smirks on their lips alongside the glee in the eyes.
Approaching them from the side, the boys known as Ivan and Aiden leisurely walked on up to the redhead with the said male holding a hand up in a two-finger salute. "Howdy you two, been a while." he greeted casually, something which Legolas noticed.
After noticing this, the Ice Elf got the hidden message and promptly lowered his guard a bit, still not trusting these unknown arrivals… at least initially until he got a better look at them. At that point, his eyes widened and he quickly realized who these two were. 'These two were part of the defence at RABONA… looks like they are familiar with our leader as well.' Legolas thought to himself, humming as he watched the three males greet each other. It honestly surprised him that they would be seeing more Spec Ops Agents out here, something which Legolas didn't react as visibly to compared with meeting those other four but he still felt some of the previous caution towards them. 'Thinking back, there were two people whom the leader visited specifically shortly after our arrival there, these two must be who he went to see. A leader also mentioned that these two were part of a team he was close to…'
"Meh, same old, same old. Going around, fighting baddies, ruining their day, travelling, you know the usual..." Ivan cheerily replied after the trio stepped back so they stood at conversation distance. The male then ran his eyes across the Abnormal Nico was carrying and then across the Ice Elf, something which caused him to widen briefly before a flash of understanding crossed his mind. "Ah, guess you were hanging with some of your subordinates or something?" he queried, surprised. "Thought you'd be trying to get closer with the girls by now ya damn womanizer."
Nico rolled his eyes at that, already having an idea as to what his bro had intended to say. "Nothing like that happened, dude. Though we did play some fun truth or dare recently," he remarked with a small chuckle at the end, something that got a few smirks from his male brethren. Nevertheless, Nico glanced at the unconscious Gimli who briefly stirred from his slumber before settling back down, noting that he hadn't vomited yet which was a good sign.
'When we get to the embassy, it would be best to look after him for a bit since he'll likely be a very grumpy dwarf with that hangover.'
'You and I both agree on that one.' Nico replied to his Demon Persona before he frowned and adjusted his grip on Gimli slightly. "I'd like to stay and chat, but right now my subordinate here needs my attention. Been on a bit of a drinking spree for a while, he needs to get his rest." the redhead explained.
Fortunately, his friends understood the situation judging by the nods that they gave him. "No worries. Glad to see you're here, though if you want we can talk later cause we gotta catch up on some things." Ivan declared, grinning while patting Nico's free shoulder, something which got him an agreeing nod from the said redhead DPU.
"How about we go together?" Just then, Aiden interjected into the situation which also made Legolas tense. Even so, he regarded the stoic male with an arched brow, his caution against their presence quite evident while waiting to hear what he had to say. Thus, the usually silent Aiden elaborated on his words upon seeing the curious looks directed at him by Ivan and Nico. "I am honestly intrigued to meet those who fight alongside my comrades and show competency. They must have competent fighters to fight alongside him."
At this, the redhead's eyes lit up in understanding whilst the rest of them looked a little confused. "Ah, you mean you want to meet my subordinates in the Tekkadan, then, see who's been helping me in past battles," he remarked, earning a nod from Aiden. To them, it sounded more like a parent wanting to meet their child's friends to see if they were worthwhile or not, or a daughter bringing her partner along to meet her family. "Well, they're not exactly warriors, but I'd take them over an army from all four Nations any day of the week," Nico admitted.
"?!"
This claim caused Legolas to briefly widen his eyes in shock, the ice elf stifling a gasp at the unexpected words. Even Aiden and Ivan nearly got taken aback by them but composed themselves at the last minute. "Really? What makes you say that, boss?" The former prince questioned, wondering what caused Nico to say that. He felt sure that humans would not take too kindly to being found wanting compared to creatures like himself. It would be a politically divisive statement to make too, and would probably have far-reaching consequences as someone who descended from a royal family who once led an entire force would know.
"Indeed, I'd take Tekkadan over such an army. For when I call on you guys, you answer without fuss. Loyalty, willing hearts, strong desires, I can't ask for more when it comes to good subordinates. Makes me wish to be as best a leader I can be, though given my general pessimism that's probably not a high bar to surpass in the future." The redhead explained, rubbing the back of his head as a wave of nervousness overcame him upon explaining these things to his subordinate.
By no means did he think that the Tekkadan functioned as well as they did because everyone got along with all sunshine and rainbows. He knew for a fact that they only came together due to necessity and a common adversary, that had been the greatest way to unite opposing forces since the dawn of civilization. When a third party tries to eliminate two opposing forces who had been weakened from conflict with one another, it is generally accepted that they would eventually put aside their differences temporarily to deal with this new threat.
The keyword is 'temporary'.
Heck, he wouldn't be surprised if there were already plans being discussed to resume hostilities between one another once the enemy was driven out of Lowee and Gamindustri by extension. He expected it, especially when he looked at the Dwarves and Ice Elves as a whole… seeing very few differences between them and normal humans with the ways they interacted. For better and for worse, he'd say. Monsters being like humans and humans being like monsters, that was all there was to it.
Meanwhile, Legolas didn't respond to these words and instead took the time to pull himself together after his superior's confession. Honestly, his brain still struggled to process what he had just heard, so shocking that it was and yet also just so much like his leader that it made way too much sense to him. It made him want to burst out laughing for even THINKING that he would have differing opinions to what he'd just been told.
What a fool he had been…
As well as the others.
"Well, I can get that… so what do you say? Want some company? We can talk on the way back about how the others are doing." Ivan suggested, sheepishly grinning while mentally he thanked their fortunes that nobody had heard Nico say that. He could imagine such things being taken out of context and then be used against him by those wishing harm upon him, of which Ivan knew were many.
In the end, Legolas had the final say since those questions were aimed at him rather than the Tekkadan leader. Of which the Ice Elf looked at the two males for a moment in an assessing manner before he decided to just accept it since his past experiences with Spec Ops Agents had told him that their looks didn't mean they would be weak on the battlefield. He'd seen the aftermaths from the battles Rory and the other upper-tier Agents had left in their wakes, and it had NOT been pretty. "Do as you will. But be warned, some in the Tekkadan may not take kindly to your kind near their territory." Nonetheless, the Ice Elf decided to give a warning to them just in case.
It wouldn't do well for them politically or in their future endeavours to anger their allies.
Both boys nodded their heads in acceptance before the one with the cybernetic arm grabbed that of the unconscious Dwarf and swung it over his shoulder. That done, the group strode down the street away from the closing Tavern, their destination being the embassy for the Tekkadan forces.
It didn't take them long to locate the embassy building thanks to Aiden and Nico's tracking abilities, and soon enough the group stood before their destination.
The Embassy building resembled a mushroom-shaped hotel that was both a staple for Loweean architecture as well as one reserved alongside the surrounding lands for the Tekkadan's private use. Thanks to it being close to the town's outskirts, there wasn't a high chance for them to encounter many humans here thus limiting the risks of any deadly incidents occurring. Though, the fact that the majority of the merc group stuck to their camps outside the city for mobility purposes further mitigated this.
With that, the group entered the building and approached the receptionist on the opposite side of a large desk. The receptionist, as well as the rest of the building staff, consisted of Tekkadan troops as a condition for handling the Hotel themselves; they had to manage it as if they were the town's governors. Not something that they were particularly bothered by, especially the administrative types in their ranks since it allowed them to display their talents much to Nico's approval.
Approaching the receptionist, a rather tall ice elf male in his 40's, Nico took point and stood in front of their group. "Um, we'd like to have a room for my two comrades here." he requested, gesturing to the unconscious Gimli and Legolas at his opposite side.
Fortunately, there weren't too many members inside here, so there weren't many risks for encounters between them and the Team RAIL members.
After briefly lifting a brow from the logbook he had been working on, the receptionist took one look at the group with his gaze beelining on the Dwarf, before he gave an exasperated sigh. The phrase 'this is a daily thing now' got muttered under his breath though the boys could hear it still before he wordlessly gestured to a nearby door after handing the redhead a key with a number on it.
With the knowledge that this key opened a door to a spare room, having guessed it by process of elimination, Nico nodded his head as he, Ivan, Legolas and Aiden guided themselves through the door. They proceeded down a corridor till they reached a door on the left wall close to the opposite end before they proceeded through the said door into a small bedroom-like room.
Soon enough, they placed Gimli onto one of the couches in the room, with Ivan humming in thought. "You know, this reminds me of the Celebration Team RAIL had," he remarked, which prompted Aiden to give him the stink eye for some reason.
Something which the redhead caught and, combined with the words that were said, got intrigued enough to query about it. "Celebration? You guys celebrated something?" he questioned.
"Yeah," Ivan replied, smirking as he ignored the glare from Aiden while proceeding to elaborate. "Back in RABONA, we went drinking once we were recovered enough to leave the Church. It was on Lucy's tab since it had been her idea and she had 'connections' somehow." Both males shuddered while trying not to think about WHAT those connections were. Considering who they were talking about, that was probably a good idea. Nevertheless, Ivan continued. "It was to celebrate our successful defence of RABONA as well as, in Lucy's words, 'Ravey getting closer to becoming a woman'." by the end of it, Ivan made some quotation marks in the air with his fingers through the grin on his face betrayed the amusement he felt inside.
Nico arched a brow at this information whereas even Legolas looked on in interest. "Huh, that does sound like her…" he admitted, perfectly imagining the celebration in question. Lucy WAS someone who would do something like that, being the 'social' person that she was, though Nico had a few ideas as to what it meant by Raven getting 'closer to becoming a woman'. Most of them were likely to do with him, though he didn't want to assume anything. He was about 80% sure regardless though. It was then, however, that he went and asked another question that had popped into his mind which turned Aiden's glare onto HIM. "Now why is Aiden giving us the stink eye? Something bad happened?"
"Aw Nah…" Ivan replied, now grinning similarly to Neptune when she was about to pull a prank. Nico soon understood why with the following sentence that left his friend's lips. "It's nothing much, just that Aiden got hit on by a couple of female guards and civvies, got a bunch of phone numbers too, the dirty dog," he remarked teasingly, almost losing the battle against the urge to cackle like a madman. Just the memory of the usually stoic Spec Ops Agent (and for once he wasn't referring to Nico with that description) being surrounded by hot chicks catcalling him. The guy's reaction had been hilarious.
As for the redhead, he looked over towards the fuming red Aiden who looked like he wanted to commit mass murder right now. Holy hell, that was the first he'd seen THAT look on him in a long time, usually, the guy kept himself composed through a strong discipline like the animal he was codenamed after, but perhaps even he had limits.
'BAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH, LOOK AT THAT PUNK'S FACE! HE LOOKS LIKE A DISCOUNT KING ON SALE AT A CHARITY! AHAHAHAHAHA!'
…His Ghoul Persona DID know he also dissed himself and Biko with that comparison, right?
Ignoring his howling Ghoul Persona and leaving him to his Demon one to sort out, Nico aimed a look of understanding at him knowing EXACTLY how his friend felt. After all, he'd been in the same boat more times than he'd care to mention. "It must have been embarrassing," he stated knowingly, nodding his head. "Here's some advice: project bloodlust out at them, enough to kill an elephant and it'll send them into shock. That can help you get away from those hyenas."
Aiden looked back at him after hearing that, not having expected that reaction which resulted in him pausing his fantasies of ripping Ivan a new one. He should have thought since Nico had long since been aware of his love of being in the background to stay out of the limelight.
'Yeah, Aiden must have HATED that experience with a passion. He'd probably get along swimmingly with Legolas as a fellow loner in social gatherings…' Nico internally mused to himself, picturing the two just standing together sipping some drinks whilst everyone around them was mixing and mingling with one another. 'I guess it's a side effect of his battle style, he's always better at seeing from a distance and thus being in the limelight would hinder him in battle.'
"If we're going to talk about women, why don't we talk about you and YOUR spouse? That is FAR more interesting…"
In a bid to throw the heat off himself, Aiden brought something back that Nico hadn't considered. He wasn't wrong either, it had been a while since the last update on Ivan's girl situation, so there may have been some developments like him learning her side of the story.
The moment that both boys directed their attention to him, Ivan… just chuckled awkwardly, glancing to the side with an unsure look in his eyes. "Well, um… I did manage to get back to her for one…" he admitted, looking rather flustered like someone in love for the first time.
Deciding that some seating arrangements were in order, Nico summoned two cloaked Rinkaku Tentacles and placed them together like a spring, then lumped them against the ground behind him to use them as a makeshift sofa. Crossing his arms over his chest while placing one leg over the other, the redhead made a flicking gesture with his right hand with his gaze sharpening sternly. "Go on…"
"Well, she claims that she didn't know what she was doing and wasn't in her right mind. She said something was in here during that time, and she didn't know what it was… after repeatedly apologizing to me about the whole thing." Ivan explained, and before the guys could respond to that he held a hand up. He could tell they did NOT buy that shit one bit. "Yeah, I questioned that too. Turned out she expected that and she showed me that she's booked an appointment with a doctor back in Leanbox. She was set to appear a day before we left for Lowee, so I don't know the results, but she said she wanted to have proof that she didn't do what she did willingly.
'Well… at least she apologized, but whether or not she was sincere may decide her fate should we meet in person…' the redhead DPU thought to himself. In honesty, he hadn't been expecting much to come from this since he had experience with how people tended to keep secrets out of a notion of preservation. Either for themselves or their loved ones. He was MASSIVELY guilty of this, and while he doubted the whole thing about her not being in her right mind, he would rather wait and see if there was any evidence to back up that statement.
If she had been lying to cover her tracks, though…
"I see…"
"Huh?". Ivan blinked, confusion forming on his features when he heard Nico's response. He had anticipated more… more of a violent reaction to the news like he'd done before, but this seemed rather tame for the guy who usually went on about butchering those who harmed his comrades in vivid, gory manners. For a moment he wondered if this Nico before him had been an imposter until he noticed the way he had been sitting and concluded this was the genuine article. 'Has Neptune and the girls influenced him this much?' he wondered while questioning him. "A bit of a damper of a response there, pal…"
At this, Nico arched a brow at him. "Well, it'd probably be bigger if she hadn't gone to that doctor's appointment for proof of her claims. It shows me she is at least willing to prove her claims instead of just making them. Can't say the same for a lot of people these days." he mused, thinking about the politicians and many in positions of power who were experts at deceiving people. Perhaps Honesty should be considered a lost art or something cause few people practised it.
"You didn't mention anything about the apology…"
"Apologizing won't fix the fact that it happened, I'm more focused on how she plans to make up for this atrocity."
Ivan could only sweatdrop at the blunt yet completely expected response his redhead companion gave, as well as the supportive nod that Aiden added showing his agreement with it. "Well, that's an improvement… I think…" he mused, before sighing moments later and wondering where he'd be without these two in his life.
He'd rather not find out.
After a while, the trio fell into silence and just simply enjoyed one another's presence, letting the natural ambience take hold. They began thinking back to how hectic things had been, how chaotic their lives had become ever since arriving on Lowee. One would have thought Leanbox would have had it the worst as the nation at the doorstep of a Khornite invasion, but life always had ways of surprising them.
Nevertheless, none of them regretted facing the troubles that they had nor did they wish they would have changed things if given a second chance. They didn't believe in such weak ass shit like that, they'd fought so long together against a plethora of enemies.
Eventually, the trio decided to head back to their respective homes since it was getting late and unlike Nico, Ivan and Aiden were not a part of the Tekkadan and this was their territory. They may not be enemies, but they were a bunch of Abnormals which meant they wouldn't be too comfortable with some Spec Ops Agents in their turf.
Something which Legolas agreed with.
According to the boys, Nico had learned that they had decided to take up residence in this town although they didn't tell him why. Instead, they had told him that it was in an inn on the opposite end of town, meaning it'd be a pretty long way to walk for a normal person which meant it was a good thing he WASN'T. Nevertheless, Nico did remark that he'd drop by to visit them shortly, wanting to spend some guy time with them when he got the chance.
Once they had left the room, the door clicking shut behind them, the room itself regained its previous silence. This silence didn't last long though (poor silence, being dunked on all the time), for Legolas strode over to the bed that the Dwarf lay upon, his boots creaking against the wooden floorboards beneath him.
Arriving at his destination, the elf prodded the Dwarf on the side of his head with a neutral look on his features. "You have awoken already, have you not?" he questioned, although his tone betrayed the fact that he already knew the answer.
An answer which promptly arrived in the form of Gimli moaning in annoyance, trying to swat away the elf's hand by thwacking at it with his larger, callous one. Nevertheless, he slowly opened his eyes with a look of irritation in them, as he slowly sat up and stretched his muscles. "Argh, that's the last time I agree to anything an Elf says…" he muttered under his breath, not caring if Legolas heard him. "But aye, I woke up shortly during your little stroll through the streets. You seemed to have a merry old time for someone with an agenda," he remarked, looking back at Legolas.
"Aye…" Legolas replied, nodding in confirmation. Truth was, he indeed did have an agenda for this whole thing and had enlisted Gimli's help with it. Something which the Dwarf had not been too pleased about even if it meant he had one over the long-eared man due to the nature of it all.
It had all to do with what had been happening up top. Thanks to the decisions that their leader had made regarding them mingling with the humans, a storm had been kicked up in the Tekkadan's ranks. Well, a 'storm' was a bit much to describe it, but there had indeed been those who had grown restless and dissatisfied with the way Nico had been keeping them from getting their comrades out of slave camps, something they'd slowly stopped doing. It wasn't much now, but there was a threat that it would divide the Tekkadan into smaller sub-factions which was NOT something they wanted during a crisis.
Of course, their near-constant fighting kept this threat at bay but these decisions their leader had made had begun to grow like weeds and water.
This wasn't something unknown either, the various higher-ups also knew that something like this had been brewing within some of their rowdier members. They had all agreed with their leader's actions for multiple reasons such as the feasibility of expanding their area of operations being no longer possible, and there being a lack of camps to liberate. This meant that raiding those camps and liberating their slaves no longer proved itself a viable strategy in taking Lowee back from their oppressors. Not to mention those camps outside their range were likely already desolated anyways as they had discovered camps like that before, even almost got wiped out on multiple occasions when they had been used as bait to trap the Tekkadan forces.
Thing was, this didn't satisfy everyone who still clung to the hope of seeing their loved ones… despite the reality of being a cruel mistress.
Nevertheless, this issue shouldn't be allowed to fester. It could undermine Tekkadan's very purpose, after all, the organization is created similarly to the lowee resistance with the idea of taking Lowee back, by promoting division amongst its members and creating a decrease in combat efficiency. It could happen despite what Nico and the leaders had accomplished so far, none of them thought otherwise since the heart of any sentient being could be quite fickle it didn't matter whether they were human or not. Unfortunately, each of them had their hands full dealing with other issues
Hence, Legolas and his father had agreed to meet up to tackle this issue themselves. To do this, they had to devise a plan to understand their leader's intentions then spread it throughout their forces, before seeing what would happen. They would see if he still valued the Tekkadan as he did during their starter days before they became the fighting force they were currently.
There were several predicted outcomes, one being that the Tekkadan would fall into one of the Abnormals' hands after an emergency election. None of them wanted a leader who didn't give a crap about them and would gladly sacrifice them for no reason, leaders like that existed in the past and they didn't have good endings. This Likely wouldn't have happened if they hadn't gotten themselves into a safer position than previously, so there may be a bit of a sting if this scenario were to go down.
Outcome number two would be that they'd follow Nico until the time came to depose him or they would be reignited in their devotion to him. Leaders existed because they were able to rally others to their cause, becoming almost mythical throughout the world's history by going down in the records for their great deeds. Those deeds didn't necessarily have to be good, just noteworthy enough to be remembered as the founders of the Four Nations. Not the CPUs themselves but the first human leaders who witnessed them.
Judging from Nico's actions today, Legolas felt sure that they were seeing his genuine opinions. That just made what he had admitted to favouring them over an army from the four Nations all the more important, for it showed them that he always did things with the intent of preserving the Tekkadan in mind.
They truly DID have a leader who valued them and wouldn't do anything radical unless it was for a good enough cause like storming a Demon World to rescue captured comrades. Nico had pulled that off a couple of times since the Tekkadan was formed.
In that case, spreading this through the Tekkadan will most likely ease the worries brewing within their rowdier members, preventing a potential breakup of their ranks thus preventing their decline inefficiency. It would also likely have the effect of solidifying his leadership especially when they consider that the redhead was prioritising them over humans.
Part of Legolas did admittingly wonder why his father wouldn't just use this to his advantage and try to take over the Tekkadan, regaining his position as a King like back when they were the leaders of their tribe. He knew his father, and Legolas knew that he craved the power to rule over his people and keep them hidden from the rest of the world, letting the world's issues pass them by as long as they didn't interfere with his people's affairs. Perhaps he was just biding his time and waiting for when things will calm down before breaking from the Tekkadan and making for their old ancestral homeland.
Nevertheless, it may as well be a blessing that his father wasn't doing anything that would destabilise their mercenary group. Legolas shouldn't worry about him for the time being and instead start thinking about how to spread the word through their rank in the file.
Hopefully, this would help him with his plans for their race.
Walking back home after a long day hadn't felt as tiring as it had today for a while.
Nico trudged along the sidewalk, listening to the sounds made when his boots impacted the snow beneath them. His hands pocketed themselves inside his trench coat which fluttered lightly from the slight breeze that brushed past him, creating this slight flapping sound which he'd long since gotten used to as someone who saw trench coats (or any long coat really) as his favourite choice of attire. Part of him even wondered if there was something like clothing with magic enchantments, clothing which could do special actions. Trench Coats could have hidden attributes and gain more reasons to be worn.
They were just badass to him, one of the few things about him that hadn't changed.
'Phew, everything seems to be going in order…' The redhead thought to himself, heaving a sigh through his nostrils. Small puffs of vapour escaped those areas when this happened which briefly warmed his nose up before the cool chill belonging to the Loweean climate regained dominion over his features. Maybe he could find something to cover the lower portion of his face in the future, like perhaps an update for his Mask… maybe a new attire shift could be in order soon. Perhaps when he finally ascended to Chaos Class.
Nevertheless, none of these things detracted from his main topic of thought as he headed home, eagerly awaiting the chance to see the girls again. He honestly hadn't expected being a normal person to be so mentally taxing, in the past his days consisted of largely travelling from place to place to conduct his business. He'd often be quite weary when all had been said and done to which he'd make sure to get ample breaks when he got the chance… after securing the area he had decided to rest in.
Not much had changed if one asked him.
But just a DAY of acting like a normal functioning member of society could drain him just as much. As humiliating as that may seem, perhaps it was also a sign that having a social life had its challenges to overcome, its difficulties.
'So much has happened today that it feels somewhat like I've done a bunch of Spec Ops quests…'
'Like the way that Legolas and Gimli were testing us…'
'Yeah, though I get the feeling that isn't what people usually do when socializing…'
Biko's interjection brought a small frown onto the redhead's lips as he pulled his arms out his pockets to cross them over his chest, placing his gloved hands inside his coat's sleeves. His eyes glistened with a flurry of different emotions, like glistening crystals hanging atop a cave wall or ceiling when light reflected off their surfaces.
Yeah, it hadn't been long before Nico and his alternate persona's had clued in that there had been something at play during their time with their subordinates. For one, they each carried a level of unease and anxiety that they had tried to bury under a layer of likely merriment and amusement, it had been primarily prevalent during their drinking game of which Nico had suspected they had wanted to try and intoxicate him to loosen his tongue about something.
Initially, he had been worried that there may be signs of a betrayal coming, something that he worried about since there had been plenty of such cases happening throughout history where famous individuals were eventually betrayed by those who they had once called comrade and ending u[p dying horribly. He was in a similar position to a few of them, so it was a legit worry.
But then, he pushed that aside to consider what factors could have made such a thing prevalent in the first place and he didn't take long to reach a possible theory. That being that the whole thing he had going on with the Lowee CPU and working out a closer relationship with humans. The Tekkadan's founding purpose was liberation from slavery after all, and taking back their lands from the foreign invaders and what he was doing could be seen as the exact opposite of that. Thinking along those lines, Nico could well and truly understand where those people were coming from.
That didn't mean he felt nothing, it honestly infuriated him that these people ignored the bigger picture that was happening here for their ends. The harsh reality was that there were many hurdles that they needed to get rid of if they wanted to retake Lowee. Conversation and Mundus were still out there doing goddess knows what in their little pocket dimension, but he had no doubts that once they came out a lot of carnage was going to follow. His fury mixed with his understanding of the situation made it all the harder for him to handle this scenario.
And this was just the tip of the iceberg for someone like Noire or Lady White Heart.
Now, as for Legolas and Gimli, they likely were trying to do something about this. From what he knew about them the duo wasn't stupid so they had been able to realize the complexity of the current situation had, hence why they tried something like this in the first place. In all fairness, Nico had been tipped off the moment they had invited him to their usual challenges, which had never happened before since they'd always been about them being between the two of them individually.
Now, all there was left to do was to sort out a response, of which Nico felt the best one here was, to be honest about his opinions. He never lied one bit when he had said what he did, he had spoken from the heart and it rang true to the deepest depths of his being. After all, while he may not see himself as a proper leader Nico DID believe that honesty was something to be coveted. Not only that but in his eyes, anything other than that risked fanning the flames of hatred amongst those who were dissatisfied with him, and so far he had done little to suggest that he would be a lying asshole to the Tekkadan who also weren't too familiar with how politicians worked, meaning the chances that they would accuse him of such were minimal.
Nevertheless, he hoped that by the end of it his actions would speak louder than his words.
'As exhausting as today has been, I'm betting that the next few days will be similar if not more extreme by comparison…'
'Indeed, as long as those girls have their way with you… though not in that context, that's more for lover boy and Erebus in here.'
'HEY!'
Once again, Biko jabbed at Byakko about the frantic lust the dark Archdevil Arm had with him… a lust which was growing more and more reciprocated from the Ghoul Persona from what he had been seeing. Both himself and Biko knew this thanks to sometimes hearing the… sounds that came with such activities as embarrassing and humiliating as that was, but the thing was more and more it sounded like the Ghoul Persona was slowly coming around to enjoying it and they sometimes found him going off somewhere for long timeframes.
All this caused Nico to wonder if perhaps his feelings towards the girls were influencing Byakko in some manner since the persona WAS meant to represent his instincts.
After all, the relationship between emotion and instinct was heavily complex but it existed, with one viewpoint picturing them as far apart as the sky to the earth whereas from another viewpoint they were as dissimilar as the water was to an ocean. One represented an individual's inner self whilst the other represented their behaviour and whilst sometimes emotions can be ignored for whatever reason, one's instincts are much harder to do the same. Not only that but ignoring instincts was NEVER a good idea, something he had learned the hard way like say for example in a life or death situation one's instincts would tell them to flee the scene unless they have the means to defend themselves, which then proceeds to bring in the 'flight or fight option. But in that case, fear and rage could be seen on the emotional side, meaning that emotions and instincts were much closer connected than one might assume.
But as for why he would think that he would be having an eventful few days ahead… That was thanks to what his pals had told him.
According to Aiden and Ivan, Lucy had gone and sent them ahead of time to tell Nico that they would be having a girls night out (her and Raven) and would be taking Neptune alongside the rest of the party along for the ride. That meant that he wouldn't be able to see the girls at all tomorrow, but while that did sadden the male one fact remained solid in his mind.
That fact was that he'd get to spend the entire day with the boys, something which brought a wide smile onto his face. No way would he be dissatisfied about that, he'd be a goddamn simpy moron otherwise. He had a few things in mind for them to do too since they hadn't gotten a chance before now, what with them being out of it at RABONA and Nico himself invested in dealing with the Tekkadan's affairs.
Though what Lucy had in mind for the girls also worried him a little, considering how perverted she was and how she got along well with her fellow perverts Vert and Neptune. Perhaps Raven could keep things from escalating too much especially when he considered how her and Lucy's relationship was, but for some reason, he wasn't so sure. If she were to string them along with her usual antics… yeah. Goddess, help his heart in the days ahead.
'What do you think Lucy has in mind for the girls? Hopefully, it won't end up being too extreme…'
'If we were to examine the daily activities of the female species… I would suggest they will go on a massive shopping spree across the town's market, boosting its economy. Then there will probably be some snowball fights, sleepovers in likely scantily clad clothing with a bunch of pillow fighting…'
Nico sweatdropped as he heard the analytical tone that was used by his Demon Persona, of which he wouldn't be surprised if Biko were suddenly in a butler's outfit going through a list on a checkerboard with a pair of reading glasses. The image seemed quite fitting for him, electing a chortle out of the male's mouth. 'Really? I dunno… the girls don't seem like the types to engage in pillow fights…'
'Think, this is LUCY we are discussing here, she will likely pull it off. She is essentially like Neptune in human form but more unhinged, like a mix between her human and DT form. Also, I do NOT wear something as 'undignified' as reading glasses… try some monocles instead.'
'...Someone's been looking into old Leanbox fashion.'
Biko could tell what the main persona had been thinking because his next retort had been mixed with indignation alongside some interesting information about his thoughts regarding the Spring Goddess. Nico honestly wondered where this sudden craze for classy fashion had come from, the redhead had to admit to himself that perhaps HE had been the cause since he too had a bit of a fashion sense… one on the edgy side admittingly, but still. So one of his alters personas having some fashion sense wasn't that surprising, though it coming out now was a bit of a surprise to take in.
Though Nico could see the logic behind those thoughts, Lucy WAS someone who was pretty perverted and had her share of sexual encounters. Many would think of her as 'easy', 'slutty' etc and that was what she portrayed on the surface… Though if one managed to get close enough to dig deeper they'd see there was more to her than meets the eye.
'Whelp, there's not much I can do at this point…' Shaking his head, the male decided to place his trust in his female redhead companion. Of course, he could use the Tekkadan's resources or some of his more sensory-oriented abilities to discover what was going on, Nico knew that to be a narcissistic waste and he didn't find those ideas all too appealing.
Whatever would come, he'd deal with it.
Returning home with a slight spring to his step, Nico decided to turn in for the day since he'd need all the sleep he could get.
After entering his house and using his sensing abilities, Nico had found that he was the only one in the building, though he could still sense their presence throughout the town in question. The redhead figured that was due to them doing a lot of questing or other stuff to help keep the town secure, although in Noire's case she probably was pulling a late nighter trying to get some administrator work done for this Nation alongside her own. She WAS that much of a workaholic, it was sometimes unreal to think about.
Nevertheless, Nico strolled into his bedroom with a relieved sigh escaping his lips once his gaze laid itself upon the bed which he so craved. By this point, weariness had set in on top of his shoulders with the thought of the days ahead only adding to that weariness. Although he didn't feel any annoyance towards that as he stripped himself down to his boxers and slipped beneath the covers, humming pleasantly when he felt the softness enveloping his face upon contact with his bed's pillow.
'Ahhhh… this feels great…' the boy mused to himself, his smile reflecting his happiness at these sensations enveloping his being. Already he could feel his covers' softness soothing his body's nerves as pleasant sensations flowed through his body, giving him a sense of comfort he didn't even realize was possible. Perhaps he took sleeping in the bed for granted after all this carnage that changed his life forever.
Though even after all of this there was just something about sleeping, in his bed that he wasn't used to, that being sleeping alone. Perhaps this was a result of often sleeping next to a large source of warmth known as a fellow human being, mostly the opposite sex. There was just something about sleeping alongside someone that wasn't replicable with sleeping alone, maybe the ability to hold that source close to him and feel their body heat mingle with his own? Or maybe he had grown so used to having either one or two members of their little group sleeping with him (not in that way, that was not permitted at this time as one of his red lines till he got his mentality sorted out) that it felt weird sleeping alone whenever the opportunity arose.
Those thoughts brought a mirthful chuckle out of the male as a few rebellious ones entered his mind. 'Man, I sound like such a wimp…' he mused internally, thanking his lucky fortunes that his rather 'feminine' thoughts weren't being laid bare before the world. He didn't know how he'd escape that humiliation, Nico bet his image as the Black Reaper would have been destroyed beyond repair.
Nevertheless, all this thinking wasn't going to help him sleep so he decided to try and let his consciousness fade into slumber, the male's form slowing all motion to a halt as a heavy breath escaped his lips…
"Ufufufu…"
That is until he suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around him alongside the warmth of a body pressing against him from behind. The sudden surge of heat and physical contact stopped his descent into slumber, as well as sent him into a state of wide-awake alertness. Instinctively he could feel his Kagune and Kakugan get one step away from activating involuntarily to deal with the intruder who dared disturb him, all thoughts of how the heck he'd been caught unawares despite the previous probing of his surroundings not being focused on…
Until the sight of a pair of familiar red eyes and some matching coloured bangs gave away the intruder's identity, as well as cut off any thoughts of aggressive action from the male whose alternate personas had to remark about the expression 'speak of the devil and he shall appear'... or THINK and SHE in this scenario. Like that person's signature, sultry lipstick-covered smirk didn't already do that. "Lucy…"
"Yup, in the flesh." The recently revealed Lucy cooed softly, using one of her dainty-looking hands (which had nail polish that matched her hair and eyes) to draw a circle over one side of his cheek. Despite how her crimson hair fell down both sides of her head like a curtain, Nico still managed to glance down at their forms and notice a few things. For one, the said Spring Goddess looked to be under the covers with him, a neat pile of clothing next to the bed indicating that she was in her undergarments at the moment. Nico noted her boots, corset and skirt lay next to the bed which meant that she was likely wearing only her bra, suspender belt and stockings connected to some garters. "Like what you see, Nicky-dear?"
She had noticed the subtle but informative analysis he did, judging by how her smirk widened slightly and her eyes gained a glistening hue to them resembling someone who knew that one was being naughty but went along with it anyways. One could also call that gaze the 'bedroom eyes' a girl would give to their partner before she would rock his or her world all night long… it proved more effective now than it had ever been before, Nico internally swore as he tried to come up with something to say after regaining his mental faculties. "C-Can't say I don't, honestly… Though I'll definitely wanna know how you got in here without me knowing."
"Ufufufufu, I just followed you here, silly. You were so deep in thought that you ignored me several times beforehand, so I decided to just drop in anyways." Lucy explained, giggling beforehand which made the male redhead feel like a damn dumbass. He did have a habit of getting lost in his thoughts often, especially outside the battlefield, so something like that did seem possible. Plus he had spread his senses through the house ONLY, and only on the interior which meant that he hadn't checked his initial surroundings as much.
If it had been an assassin or something or if he didn't have his Kagune's automated defence, Nico could have been killed in his sleep. Ugh, the humiliation he felt inside was strong here.
"Argh, sorry 'bout that then." The male remarked with his gaze shifting sideways, the dark shadows of guilt starting to overtake them. Seeing this made Lucy think she would have to pull him out of that funk he tended to slip into, however that turned out to not be the case when Nico gazed back at her, his eyes having gained a steely resolution that flashed like sunlight on a reflective surface.
Before she knew it the male had shifted himself so that he lay properly on his back and had reached out, grasping her and pulling the sensual woman atop him. His arms coiled around her back, his left hand on her right hip and the right hand caressing her left shoulder blade.
These actions got rewarded with a happy giggle from Lucy who pecked him on the cheek to reward him for these gestures, a warm glow of affection burning in her eyes like a casual bonfire in the dark depths of the night. "My, someone's growing bolder these days…" she whispered sultrily, placing her hands atop his bare chest.
A small smile started to break out onto Nico's face at this, the male promptly responding to her light tease while mentally noting that her words weren't as teasing as they normally were. "Gotta grow up some time, although I'm taking baby steps at the moment. Perhaps it helps that the girls regularly sleep in my bed with me…" he mused, looking up at the ceiling before shaking his head. That may as well be a given, especially the more affectionate of the girls (IE Neptune and Compa) who had no qualms with showcasing their feelings without reservation. Then again, it prompted the more reserved members to follow suit sometimes so he figured it wasn't something to worry too much about.
"Ufufufu, well I better make sure to enjoy this pampering as much as I can then. To make up for some lost time."
Internally Nico chuckled at her words, a flame of warmth igniting within his chest as he watched the redhead woman get comfortable atop him. She placed her legs on either side of his waist so that if she wanted to she could sit up and straddle him in a cowgirl position, something which briefly caused him to flinch when he felt his Nico jr brush against her nether regions. Judging by the way she smirked at him at that moment, he could guess that was intentional which told the male that perhaps not all of Lucy's antics had calmed down just yet.
Whilst thinking about this, something about the woman's apparel caught Nico's attention with the redhead male's gaze trailing down her legs. Legs clad in her usual stockings although thanks to her being only in her underwear he could see the garter belt that they were attached to. "You know, I'm beginning to wonder if you have a stocking fetish since I haven't ever seen you without them," he remarked before blinking several times, fully comprehending the words that left his mouth.
Lucy beat him to it though, her red lipstick-covered lips curving into a similar grin to her usual ones whenever she talked about anything related to sex or sinful topics. "Of course I like them, they make me look sexy." she retorted playfully, placing her hands beneath her chin like a makeshift resting spot for her head. This allowed her to gaze seductively at the male beneath her and seeing that gaze made Nico start blushing since he could imagine the things going through her mind at the moment. "Plus, they're a staple for Leanbox fashion Nicky-Dear. They've been around for centuries, and are worn as a show of maturity for young women. While they may not be as prominent as they used to be thanks to the invention of the tights and pantyhoses, I can say for a fact some girls prefer stockings and not just for the bedroom." she explained, snickering slightly at the end when she saw how Nico was starting to look increasingly flustered.
"I-Is that so?" he remarked, getting an affirming nod from the older woman in turn. Thinking about it, the male did recall reading some Leanbox history books which detailed that stuff. Stockings had been a staple of the Nobility for over 700 years or something, existing as a sign of womanhood whereas today they're more of a fashion choice or a way to make things… in the bedroom more erotic. Still, this didn't placate the other urge that he felt when looking at her legs, something that Lucy had no doubt noticed already. "Th-That doesn't explain why you're here though. Or why nobody else is home right now."
At this, Lucy nodded her head in understanding before she proceeded to explain the situation to him. "Ah yes, thanks for reminding me, Nicky-Dear. Since tomorrow Ivy and Aidy managed to secure the morning to spend with you, I managed to get permission from Neppy and your little harem to spend this night with you myself," she explained, grinning excitedly with a grin that usually meant that she would fuck someone's brains out. Though right now, the grin had more happiness and joy than outright sexual desire.
What she didn't mention, however, was that she had to spar with a lot of them to secure this win, so it had NOT been an easy task for her. Especially since she wasn't on Leanbox right now so her Goddess Powers weren't at their full potential. She'd managed to take them down to a reasonable level though thanks to the difference in fighting experience between them and that Lucy's powers, while weakened, were still formidable to take on.
The whole sparring thing was just a precaution for the girls though since this harem-in-development did it to soothe the worries they felt about letting Lucy stay near him. After all, they knew Lucy's reputation and as much as each of them trusted her well enough since she had been with Nico for a long time, almost as long as Compa herself, there were still parts of them that worried she would accidentally go too far with their man in his current state. It was an unreasonable thing to worry about considering how despite her demeanour, antics and slutty tendencies Lucy still had a level of maturity when it counted. Something even RAVEN would admit and she spent the longest with Lucy, her being the second in command of Team RAIL.
Words wouldn't have been enough to placate those things either, Lucy knew and considering the subject matter being Nico's mental stability she could understand their plight. It did annoy her inside though despite her understanding of the situation but she had pushed those feelings aside. She had lived for several thousand years so she knew how to be patient, and the patient person she could be. "By the way, Ravey decided that tomorrow afternoon should be the optimal time for your date with her."
Quickly, the male felt his jaw slacken when he heard what he did. "Huh? Really?" Nico blinked, surprise etched across his face at the out-of-nowhere revelation that Lucy had dropped on him. That had been bluntly thrown his way, he hadn't even heard anything from Raven ever since their last conversation back in the RABONA church, and then all of a sudden he hears from her second in command that tomorrow afternoon of all times was going to be their date? That hardly gave him any time to prepare!
'Goddamnit, I'm too tired to think too much about it right now…' The male groaned to himself internally, his annoyance being sensed by his fellow occupant who snickered slightly at his plight. Nevertheless, he shouldn't have been surprised that this had happened, he knew Raven to be someone who accomplished whatever she set her mind to even if it was inconvenient for her comrades. To her, they should have the competence needed to adapt to the ever-changing field known as life in adherence to her philosophy of the strong surviving and the weak perishing. "I see… does she have anything in mind, or…?"
"Oh, don't worry, Nicky-Dear. Ravey said she would send you the plan for tomorrow in the morning on your new toy here." Lucy whispered in a soothing voice, caressing his head with her right hand and then training his arm till she reached his Omnibracer. She could sympathise with the male regarding Raven, having had to deal with some of her more whimsical moments herself, however, it still provided her with no small amount of amusement seeing others go through what she did on an almost daily basis.
Silently nodding his head, Nico felt an urge inside of him to pull the woman closer to him, so the redhead allowed such instincts to guide him. Feeling Nico's embrace of her tighten, Lucy giggled merrily as all thoughts of tomorrow vanished from their minds, the two locking gazes with one another. For a moment, a tranquil silence dominated the space between them as they gazed with affection into one another's eyes.
This didn't last long though, for Lucy decided she would move in and leaned forwards, pressing her lips against Nico's after closing her eyes and placing her hands on both his cheeks. She knew that this wasn't something that would be classed as going too far since this had happened multiple times now and unlike before from what IF had once mentioned to her a while back, Nico wasn't 'reinventing' the memories of these kisses between them anymore which WAS a sign that progress was being made if she were frank.
Her heart thumped wildly within her chest when she felt Nico kiss her back, the male moving the hand previously caressing her shoulder blade to the back of her head, fingers embracing her crimson tresses. What also turned her on and spread the heat throughout her body was the soft sounds of their lips locking together as Lucy quickly took control over the kiss with Nico allowing it.
Slowly, in comparison to the speeds they were kissing at anyways, Lucy's hands began trailing downwards from his cheeks to his shoulders and then down his chest, tracing every bit of his body as she could. The body which had gone through more trials and tribulations than one would want to count, coming out stronger for it as a result. The warmth felt beneath her hands warmed Lucy inside as well as fuelled her desires as the flames of passion lit themselves inside of her chest, being realised in the form of her kissing.
As for the redhead, Nico found himself moaning pleasantly at the things Lucy was doing to him, his arms keeping her close while he relished the close contact between them.
Part of him honestly still couldn't believe how he had become increasingly willing to do these kinds of things with Lucy right now, and by extension Neptune, IF and the more forward of the girls in this group of theirs. It seemed like only yesterday when the thought of simply touching a woman sent him into a flustered mess but now here he was, relishing the pleasure of holding one precious to him close. The hand previously on her hip had started caressing the woman's thigh after brushing past her backside making the woman moan sensually all the while.
After about 5 minutes Lucy decided to up the ante, doing so by grabbing his shoulders and sitting up, pulling him along for the ride till he sat completely upright. Doing this forced the two to break off briefly, but Lucy promptly resumed her assault on his lips once Nico sat as rigid as a 90-degree angle with both hands gripping her thighs. The woman had thus sensed her man's love for her legs (though she had honestly noticed this a long time ago, another reason for her love of stockings) so she wrapped them around his waist and made sure they rubbed against him. Her reward came in the form of more sensual moans escaping Nico's lips, his left hand leaving her backside to caress her back while she wrapped her arms around his neck to keep him close, one hand immersed within his crimson hair while the other hung over his shoulder.
The sounds of lips repeatedly smooching one another filled the room, alongside the sounds of skin caressing against the skin as the two slowed down slightly in this alternate position, the two of them holding each other close enough that they may as well be conjoined together. Occasionally they'd range their faces so they didn't hit one another during their lip battle, heck even while she had herself wrapped around him like some kind of serpent Lucy slightly rolled her hips to discreetly grind against his crotch area… although those actions seemed rather shaky like they weren't meant to happen.
Again, Lucy upped the ante by slowly opening their mouths and gently caressing them with her tongue, requesting entry. Briefly, Nico tensed at the action due to his unfamiliarity even as a dull lustful haze began to swallow his mind, starting from the back while his instincts howled in delight at this development. In that time, the redhead wondered what to do, before he decided to follow his instincts for once and opened his mouth, granting Lucy entry to which what followed was a battle of tongues for dominion. A battle in which the superiority of Lucy's experiences decided her as the victor resulting in her tongue invading his mouth, exploring the contents while the woman moaned delightfully when she felt both of Nico's hands rubbing up and down her thighs while occasionally caressing her backside.
Even as the session gradually increased and grew ever more passionate, so did the haze spewing forth from the back of his mind alongside the heat surging through his body. Instincts and desires long since suppressed after many years of intense combat, reprisal and refusal to acknowledge finally began to stir within the depths of his consciousness, reviving a primitive nature that should have manifested long ago.
As a result…
"?!"
A slight gasp of surprise escaped Lucy's lips that were soon snuffed out by the lips pressing against hers, the reasoning behind it being when out of nowhere Nico switched their positions in a more aggressive approach that caught her off guard due to the sheer unexpected element of it. The position he switched to was the vanilla missionary position with her on the bed and him on top of her, his left hand shifting to her right cheek while the right grasped her left leg behind the kneecap and hiked it upwards.
Lastly, Nico initiated his retaliation in their kissing match by gradually becoming more passionate on his side and taking the lead, something which floored the older woman as she felt his hand caressing her leg back and forth.
Though this was Lucy we were talking about here.
Such surprise didn't last very long with pleasant moans escaping her lips as she fought back with just as much passion, wanting to enjoy this newfound surge of dominance that had been awakened inside the male.
After all, in the past, it had usually been her to instigate these things with the redhead and usually, she got interrupted before things could get spicy. This change proved to be both a pleasant and a welcome one, the woman felt inside as delight fluttered inside her heart while she wrapped the leg around the male's waist. She even started grinding her crotch against his more aggressively out of a newfound desire to test the waters, see how far this could go which eventually caused her to wrap the other leg around his waist to keep Nico as close to her as possible.
This session lasted for a good few more minutes…
RING-RING-RING-RING!
… That is until a massive cockblocking happened when a loud ringing sound filled the room causing both Agents to snap out of their lust-crazed stupor, looks of stunned surprise on both of their faces as Nico pushed himself upwards by placing both hands on the bed beside her head.
The phrase 'holy shit' could best describe the looks on their faces right now.
After a couple of moments of heavy breathing, Nico glanced to the side and isolated the source of the ringing to be a phone located atop a pile of clothes next to his bed, those clothes likely being Lucy's due to the skirt, Corset and boots he saw. Summoning a single uncloaked Rinkaku Tentacle, the redhead used it to pluck the phone off the pile and bring it to him, the Tentacle holding it between him and Lucy in a manner that allowed him to look at the screen.
By this point, the ringing had stopped but there was a message icon on the phone's home screen of which the male arched a brow before letting his Rinkaku give the device to the panting woman beneath him.
The said woman grasped it in her hands, manipulating the screen to display the message… only for her face to contort to an annoyed/frustrated one as she let her head fall back, a groan escaping her lips. "Gosh darn it, Ravey… I get it, but did you have to just cockblock me like this…?" she whined, tossing the phone to the side and not caring where it landed.
Sheepishly, Nico chuckled as he retracted his Rinkaku back into him, already imagining the peeved expression the aforementioned woman must be having. He also shuddered at the thought of how she would likely be wanting to punish HIM for what he did. "Ah, guess she could sense what was happening here…" he remarked, remembering where they were and that they wouldn't be able to hide from Raven's eyes anywhere in Lowee. "Though, I honestly surprised myself. Didn't expect to lose control near the end there, so sorry about that…"
Even though Lucy may have started it Nico wasn't without fault in this case either. He remembered what had happened during that kissing session, even though it sent waves of heat through his cheeks when doing so, but more than that it slightly mortified him that he had lost control over his hormones like that. Heck, he enjoyed that moment even, as despite it being over he could still feel the remnants of instinctual pleasure at taking control and not being the one being led on during such matters.
"No need to worry, dear." Lucy warmly cooed, ignoring the fury she felt inside at Raven for cockblocking her like this as well as the guilt she felt at how she had almost lost herself to the lust as well. She could have taken things too far and ruined it for all of them, both the girls and her precious Nicky-Dear because she couldn't control herself. Perhaps even deities like her had limits to their endurance after all. Though soon enough she noticed something about the male that briefly surprised her. "Oh, that reminds me, your eye…"
Briefly confused, Nico looked to the side where the Phone was and saw his reflection on its screen, which showed his Kakugan gazing back at him. "Oh, that must have happened automatically when I summoned my Kagune earlier…" the male thought after a brief spike of panic erupted inside of him. Though looking through his memories told him something else: that when he began taking charge earlier he had practically unchained his inner beast, and because of that, his Kakugan had manifested out of instinct. Lucy and he likely wouldn't have noticed due to being caught up in the moment but it represented a bit of an issue of controlling himself.
Just when he went to deactivate his Kakugan however, Lucy cupped his cheeks with her hands and made him look down at her. "Now-now, I thought we all went over this Nicky-Dear," she stated both firmly and with an underlying sense of comfort in her tone. Her lips then curved into a supportive smile, warmth oozing from her eyes which gazed up affectionately at him. "No need to hide what you are here, not for me or anyone else." she cooed, her voice lowering in octaves to present a softness that resonated with the affection she held inside.
Nico on the other hand, gazed wide-eyed down at her while his Kakugan seemed to have paused mid-shift into a normal eye… that is, only for a few seconds before it fully manifested once again. This resulted in his mismatched eyes gazing down into the loving eyes of the woman beneath him, until Nico let out a small soft smile while shaking his head, a happy chuckle escaping his lips. "Sheesh, you're a freaking angel you know that?" He questioned rhetorically, knowing such a question didn't need an answer.
As much of a mass of lust that she was, it was easy to forget that underneath it Lucy held a warmth that belonged to a woman who had a significant other in mind. He'd momentarily forgotten that in his brief panic earlier, something which had been more instinctual and a force-of-habit than anything else.
"I'm a Goddess, not an Angel Nicky-Dear." The woman playfully cooed whilst removing her right hand and using its index finger to poke him in the forehead, a giggle escaping her lips. It was an easy mistake to make, but the way he affectionately gazed down at her made her cheeks heat up again.
"True that, but my point still stands."
Even as Nico said that however, Lucy soon felt her previous guilt resurface when she remembered what had happened before. "Maybe… but even angels can be guilty of sin unlike what humans try to romanticise them as," she remarked, frowning as she looked up at the ceiling above them. "Heck, case in point what just happened. It's just… really hard and frustrating sometimes, you know? Holding back all this time in fear of hurting you when you haven't recovered yet…"
In her opinion, if it weren't for those mental issues Lucy would have confined Nico to her bed and ridden his brains out for weeks on end by this point, such as the love and lust that had built itself inside of her for him. This also created strong care and desire for his safety, she often found herself worrying about him when she wasn't occupied with other matters and dreaming of more… domestic activities the two could partake in should things progress that far. Something she had… more than a few times yearned for.
But the fact was, Nico wasn't ready for such things and she knew this, but it nevertheless frustrated her inside that she had to wait. She'd been waiting for someone like him for centuries for goodness' sake! Couldn't fortune just give her ONE win or was that just too much to ask for despite everything that had been taken from her?
Even while she thought these things, a flustered Nico frowned when he saw the emotions pooling inside the woman's eyes. He could tell what she was probably thinking by this alone, and if that weren't enough he could sense some guilt and shame swelling inside of her which pissed him off. He didn't EVER want to make this woman feel this way especially not because of something he'd done, and this likely was to do with his problems. "You're… not the only one, honestly." Eventually, he admitted this while glancing to the opposite side, drawing the redhead woman's attention to him again. Turning back to look into her eyes, Nico continued with his speech. "I too am more than a little annoyed by my lack of progress. Part of it is to do with the issues surrounding Lowee taking my time, but even then I… the progress I'm making is slow as fuck and it's maddening," he admitted, gritting his teeth whilst his mismatched eyes briefly flashed with demonic energy.
It didn't help that his experience told him that there wasn't much he could do about this either. One's past always had an influence on their present lives, and likely would influence their future as well, that was something he had come to learn the hard way. His past aside, the legal system was a more broad example, alongside those who had tragic backstories which influenced the choices they made and who they turned out to be in the end. In Nico's case, as someone who had no idea who he was original, how was he supposed to live with himself if he didn't even know who he truly was in the first place? So far, he had managed to somewhat answer this question but the desire to learn of his origins and the gap in his memories still resonated deeply within him.
It wasn't just about learning the truth, there was something more to it, a need he couldn't quite grasp just yet.
"... Do you need them, though?"
"?"
Just then, Lucy asked him something that confused the male who gazed back down towards the female redhead. She gazed up at him with clear concern and worry, none of her previous demeanour remaining. "From what you've told me, me and the girls, you lost your memories as some sort of coping mechanism. It's more like you 'forgot' them on purpose if you ask me, and we know you're capable of reinventing memories of yourself, just ask IF." she explained, her reasoning cutting into the male's defences and leaving him unable to respond. "It's just… I know what your view on this is, but part of me is worried, Nicky-Dear, and I'm likely not the only one either… but recalling something you likely 'forgot' intentionally might have worse consequences than anything else we've dealt with."
Lucy and the others had heard the story from Nico himself back in the hot spring, but the redhead also remembered what he had told her about his mental issues back when they had finished clearing those mines in Leanbox. To her, it seemed more like instead of simple partial amnesia this 'trauma' had made Nico erase his memories of this major 'incident' in his life when he just simply couldn't take it anymore. Not only that, but he had spent many years without those memories and thus had carved a new identity, a new LIFE even, for himself with people who greatly loved him, more memories existed in his head than those that he had lost. Memories that WEREN'T damning to him, even.
So, it didn't make much sense for him to struggle to recall those which he had lost. Some things were better left in the dark annals of history and forgotten, something she had learned first hand in her many years of living.
"..."
Above her, Nico gazed down at the woman whose worried gaze pierced through every defence he had, coupled with the strong emotion within her crimson pools that was more genuine and heartfelt than the purest form of bloodlust he knew of. His gaze remained wide with shock and disbelief as her words replayed themselves in his mind, which struggled to comprehend them.
Initially, he felt appalled that she would even THINK that he didn't need to regain his lost memories and recover his amnesia. His mental issues were closely linked to those memories, the same being said for his dreams and hallucinations as evident by the familiarity to them and then there was that child version of himself, someone who he hadn't seen in a while. In his eyes, if he didn't recover those memories then he may never be rid of these issues and thus how could he be a proper boyfriend (perhaps even more than that at this point) to these wonderful women who have stuck by him for all this time?
Plus, he knew of Lucy's past and how she became the woman she was today. Her past wasn't sunshine and rainbows either, in fact, it was the exact opposite and not something he would wish for even some of his most hated adversaries to experience. Yet, even so, it still influenced who she was today such as her near-fanatical hate for the nobility in Leanbox or her love of dominating others in the bedroom. His past still haunted him like the monsters that growl in the night, and he bet that others felt similarly in that their past showed who they had become.
'But… I can't deny that her words don't make sense, either…;
Nevertheless, these thoughts soon vanished after a couple of minutes of pondering her words when a single rebellious train of thought overcame the rest. He began to consider what she was saying and her perspective, trying to ignore the influences of her past which were one of the most difficult things he had ever done. She was watching someone who she treasured dearly going through some harsh tribulations alone, mostly by will since he wanted to prove to her that he was boyfriend material, but if he thought about what Lucy looked like now and several times in the past, Nico realised that her worry for him had been there for a long time now. He just didn't realise it until just now when she bore it before him.
Even so, something in him stirred at those words, something dark, something primal which Nico internally shuddered at the presence of. It wasn't Byakko, it wasn't even Biko or anything related to his powers. It felt like… something else. Something different, yet oh so familiar to him.
"..."
At this point, Nico's silence told the redhead woman that he wasn't going to give a proper answer at this time. No, it was more accurate to say that she had popped a question that had thrown the male completely off his rocker and thus, caused a bunch of conflicting questions to fill his mind. Therefore, Lucy sighed as she decided to leave it at this, at least she had gotten him to think about this from a different perspective for once, so progress HAD been made there even if it wasn't visible on the surface.
As the Spring Goddess, she knew of plants that took longer to grow naturally than most yet still ended up stronger than many of their peers. This was similar to that, and as much as it frustrated her inside, she could understand the complexity of the situation involved.
A while of silence passed between the two, with the male redhead silently pondering on this situation from an alternate perspective and Lucy simply being content with just wrapping her arms around him to pull him into an embrace. An embrace which he instinctively returned which did bring a grin onto the redhead woman's lips as the male now lay beside her, his arms pulling her close so she could rest her head on his chest. Her stocking-clad legs mingled with his as well, filling her with a pleasant warmth that somewhat soothed her worries.
Eventually, the redhead male looked down at the woman who, arguably, had been the one who he'd trusted with his issues the most. More so than even Compa, much to his shame since she would be the only other person he could see himself talking about these things with. But this wasn't something he would be asking her about, instead, something else had become apparent in his head thanks to all of this that he wanted to question her on. "You know… recently, you've changed Lucy."
"Hm?"
"I mean before I couldn't see you helping other girls pursue their romantic affections. Especially when it comes to myself, as arrogant as that sounds." Nico elaborated when Lucy looked at him quizzically. In the past, Lucy had a strong rivalry with her team's leader whenever it came to him which often escalated into battles between them. Not only that but there had been times when Lucy had shown jealousy whenever he had been around female Spec Ops Agents, the ones who had braved the potential threat of wrath his mother could and would dish out. That hadn't happened as often due to him mostly sticking to himself and questing, but there had been a handful of incidents. He hadn't noticed this at first to his shame, but it had happened on occasion. "But… here you are, helping others spend time with me and are even trying to help form this… as much as I find it distasteful 'harem' we have going on here."
In response to this, Lucy hummed in thought as she tried to form an answer to this inquiry. She then placed her cheek back on his shoulder before giving her a reply. "At some point, I guess you could say I saw the writing on the wall. That it was only a matter of time before you attract other girls to you," she admitted. In her countless millennia of living, she had developed a sixth sense for finding males who had the potential to form such groups, males who could attract many members of the opposite sex to them.
Nico had been one of those males, and thus people like him tended to draw girls in for one reason or another, be it for status, wealth, politics or something about their personality.
"Plus…" an amused smirk made its way onto her face that had an underlying sense of genuine relief and happiness to it. She glanced up at him with this smirk which made him go a bit pink in the cheeks. "It's not like I'd be tossed aside either, nor would any of the girls. You seem to attract many of them, good and bad."
At this, Nico looked away as he tried to reason such an assumption… before deciding to be bluntly honest. "Yeah, you got that right. The girls who can handle me when I'm a dick or cringy are goddamn keepers in my eyes. I'd… wanna be better for them." he admitted, rubbing the back of his head before putting that hand back around Lucy's body.
Internally, the said Spring Goddess also added that many of those girls reminded her of herself back in the day, when she had her 'innocent' phase that every girl went through at some point. Each of them had a hopeful purity to them, even the more perverted of them like Neptune and Vert, and she didn't feel it right to deny them that hope in times like these when such things are scarcer than a gentleman in this day and age.
Using her experiences, Lucy could tell that losing such hope would devastate them, especially Compa who she had learned depended largely on Nico for a while and was still struggling to find her own two feet as a recently turned 'monster'. Hence why Lucy had become her mentor/confidant when Nico wasn't around, she could imagine him giving the Nurse-In-Training as many pep talks as he felt necessary since he was her senior in this world.
Just then, a small yawn left her lips which caused the redhead male to glance down at her before looking out the window at the full moon in the night. It looked like it was time for them to get some sleep, tomorrow was going to be a full day's worth of activity after all.
Yet, Lucy didn't want to leave the hold that Nico had kept her in, the redhead woman looking up at him with a teasing smile on her lipstick-covered lips. "You like holding me close, don't you…?" she whispered with her signature sultriness.
Though it soon turned into a mild sense of embarrassment and warmth when Nico firmly and resolutely nodded his head. "Indeed I do. Call me the hugging monster, because once I hold you like this I'm not letting go," he stated in a tone that declared there was to be no arguing this point.
As warm as that made her, Lucy didn't mind anyway since she loved being held by her man. It made her feel cosy and intimate, plus it helped that Nico was an affectionate man who loved hugging whenever he had the chance. Therefore, the Spring Goddess slowly fell into slumber whilst muttering something distinctly like "I love you, Nicky-Dear…" as her breath fell into a soothing rhythm, a content smile on her face.
It was a smile that brought a similar one out of her fellow redhead, who briefly pecked her softly on the cheek. Part of him wanted to say those three words back and yet he initially hesitated, not used to saying those words. Yet, he remembered that moment in the hot springs, and thus his hesitancy vanished. "Same here… I love you too, Lucy," he whispered before resting his head against the pillows and allowing sleep to claim him too.
Chapter end
Whew, this was a tough one. Odds are the rest till the next arc will be the same, more on that in a moment.
Hello, here's OEG chapter 191. This chapter mostly focuses on elements with the Tekkadan, showing bits of how they feel about the general situation. I think I might focus more on them in a couple of chapters when a certain CPU is encouraged to learn to overcome her prejudice against him. But here we can see that things aren't as simple as they may seem with the mercenary organisation's trust in their leader. Nevertheless, that trust should develop amongst the rank and file now that their prominent members know that their leader would rather fight with them than an army of the four nations. To be prioritized by your leader would make anyone feel proud to follow them, I feel. Correct me if you disagree here.
Then there was the romantic stuff at the end which was actually harder than the first half of the chapter. To be honest, part of me thinks Lucy is growing the closest to Nico more than even Compa. She's the one he's opened up to the most about his mental issues even before the rest of the girls found out. She's the one who's making all the advances on him and grinding down his defences, as well as showcases her worry for him when it counts. Far more than her slutty self when she was first introduced. Don't worry for all who want to see some more Raven action, I intend on giving her the spotlight soon.
Not much else to say cause I'm tired and am going to take some time to develop the next chapter. See you then.
PEACE OUT!
