Some cold water had done Jolene wonders, though it still took a while for her legs to get back in order. I didn't say anything to her, instead just letting her get her things and leave, though not before she promised to see me again.
Letting out a sigh, I idly waved to some other students leaving the building, turning a corner and heading to Daria's classroom. Things have gotten way too complicated way too quickly for my liking. Emery expects me to help her woo Ben, I still loathe the snake with my entire being, and now I'm stuck in an adulterous relationship with Jolene. Well, I have two outs for the last one, but they're definitely not very appealing.
One, I could just refuse to see her again. The issues with that being I'm not sure if I can. If she manages to flip that mental switch of mine again, I don't think I can stop myself. The second option isn't too appealing either, though for different reasons. If I told her boyfriend what was up, well I'd be doing a good thing, right? She's lying to him, using his trust and taking advantage of it. But at the same time, she's kind of a friend or whatever. I mean, we get along decently enough and idle chat isn't too awkward. I don't really want to put her in that situation.
Ugh, my head hurt. On the one hand, I really want to tell her boyfriend the truth, on the other, I'd be a liar if I said that I wanted to instigate that kind of drama. It was hard to tell what was me and what was my obsession with truth, since the two options appealed to both sides of me. I'm all for honest expressions of oneself, but I also hate lying.
Shaking my head, I opened Daria's door and closed it behind me, spotting the woman at her desk going through some papers. "Hey Daria, can we talk? About the uh, Aspect stuff?"
She looked up, playful amusement fading as she nodded seriously. "Of course. Lock the door behind you."
Following her instruction, I locked the door and walked over to her desk, pulling up a chair and sitting down in front of her. Seeing her wait for me to continue, I decided to start with the setup. "So, Jolene visited me in the shower during combat class."
Her eyebrow quirked upwards, slightly confused. "I know that much. What I don't know is how this relates to our peculiar existence."
Right right, I should get to the point then. "To make a long story short, she has a boyfriend, I didn't know that, but now I do, and I tried to deny her, she said something about being possessive and prodded, and I kind of… snapped, I think. I'm not really sure to be honest."
She leaned back, letting out a breath of air as she sighed. "This soon? Right, well this is going to be a little strange then."
Sitting up straight, Daria reached into her desk and pulled out a piece of paper. Putting it on the desk, she turned it around and showed it to me. It was just a picture of a wolf and a picture of a person next to one another, nothing else. "What does this have to do with anything?"
Her head shook, a finger pressed to her lips. "Just shut up and listen, only talk when I ask you a question. Speaking of, what's the difference between how these two creatures behave?"
Uh, was this a trick question? I stared down at the paper intensely, trying to pick apart a meaning for it before shrugging. "I dunno, one is an animal and as such acts like it, while the other is a person and as such usually acts like a person. Why do you even have this just lying around?"
Her eyes narrowed, lips twisting into a light scowl. "Don't ask questions until I ask. But you're technically right, if I were to accept that broad answer. The better answer is that the wolf is a creature that acts mostly based on instinct, while the human is a creature that acts mostly based on its own logic and reasoning. Sure, they both can dabble in the other, but generally they stick to their lanes. Sapience against sentience, if you will."
Ah, that sounds a lot better than what I said. "I forget you're smart sometimes."
"If this desk didn't have a barrier between us, I'd kick you."
I chuckled, sitting a bit straighter as I backtracked a bit. "Right right. So, what does this "sapience against sentience" thing have to do with us?"
She tapped the desk with her finger, her nail clicking against the wood. "Quite a bit actually. You see, while normal humans are generally unaffected by animal instinct, we're a bit different. As Aspects of Destruction, we hold the more extreme side of emotions and what we represent. Rather than create truth or lust, we tear away deceit and self control. Perhaps if we were Aspects of Creation, we'd go the opposite way, but those have long since faded."
Oh. Well, that was definitely mildly concerning. "What do you mean by that? Holding the extreme side of emotions?"
She bit her lip, looking to the side before she sighed and leaned forward on her arms. "Destruction is an inherently extreme concept, one that evokes emotion when witnessed. But to embody it? To have it be your very being? Well, it has an effect on us."
Her fingers tugged at her lips, revealing her teeth. Her eyes glowed for a moment, the pupils turning into slits as suddenly her canines elongated and sharpened.
I jolted back, surprised and confused at the sudden development. "What the hell?"
The teeth returned to normal, and Daria let go of her lips as she explained what happened. "Something that I had wanted to explain at a later date. We may look like humans, act like humans, and can even breed with humans, but never forget that we are not human. We are beings of instinct and passion, whether it be carnal or otherwise. With time, you'll be able to better control yourself, but you're young. Not only that, but your powers are developing at a record pace. Not to mention how your powers affect you."
I grimaced, the memory of the headache from earlier still fresh in my mind. "Unbound Truth, as you said."
Another sigh escaped her as she slapped her thigh. "Got it in one. Let me guess about your whole predicament with Jolene here. On one hand, you hate that she's lying to her boyfriend and how morally incorrigible that is. On the other hand, you can't lie to yourself and say that you want it to end, and you don't want to be the cause of her emotional pain?"
Huh, that was really good actually. "You uh, you got it on the first try. How'd you even do that?"
She smirked, crossing one leg over the other. "Experience. Now, you're lucky you're in a situation where you won't be lying in either scenario. Holding information back, sure, but that's not lying. My advice? Don't tell anyone about it. If you keep it a good enough secret, no one will find out and no one will be hurt. On the other hand, telling that secret of yours will immediately lead to drama and problems. Besides, only one of them involves getting down and dirty with a big tiddy bad girl like Jolene."
That wasn't… it wasn't the answer I had hoped to hear. It was the one that I craved, but not the one I needed. Damn it, why can't this be a black and white scenario?
Maybe I'm thinking about this the wrong way. Let's look at things objectively. Who is Jolene's boyfriend to me? Nobody, I don't even know his name. Now, who is Jolene to me? A friend, or something close to it, who might let me put it in her butt one day.
Okay, so now with that out of the way, should I tell a stranger that my friend is cheating on him? Obviously, the answer is no. After all, you should be loyal to your friends.
Right?
I shook my head, pushing the matter aside in favor of giving my thanks to Daria. "Right, gotcha. Thanks for this. I uh, I'm still trying to get used to everything."
She cooed, getting up from her chair and walking over to me. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she laid her breasts on my head and gave me a hug. "Aw, don't worry about it. Big sis Daria is here to take care of you."
"Saying that while you're groping my dick makes it weird."
Her hand let go of my crotch, though not before giving it one final squeeze. "You say that, but you like it, don't you? Feeling my soft hand rubbing over your nice big- "
I cleared my throat, pulling away from Daria and standing up from my chair. "Let's not do that right now! Instead, why don't we go home and do nothing."
She laughed, covering her mouth as she leaned against a student desk. "Ah, as much as I would love to, I'm afraid I have papers to go through. Though that does remind me of something. I told Emery to wait for you outside the building so that you two can walk home together. Poor thing, I wonder if she's still out there?"
My eyes widened as I tilted my head, giving Daria an exasperated look. "What the hell, Daria? Why didn't you- ah screw it. I'll see you later."
Grabbing my bag, I slung it over my shoulder and made my way over to the door. Unlocking it, I threw the door open and waved later to Daria as I left.
I really hope Emery isn't upset.
…
The school entrance was mostly empty, only a few students loitering around on those weird scouter phone thingies. Squinting my eyes, I swept my gaze across the well-maintained trees and grass, trying to find Emery but failing to even catch a glimpse of her. Maybe she wasn't-
"I'm right 'Arius."
I jumped, whipping around as my eyes landed on the top of Emery's cute ahoge thing. Looking down, I met her gaze with my own, scratching the back of my head as I recomposed myself. "E-Emery! I uh, I didn't notice you there. How did you even do that?"
She shrugged, looking down and playing with the end of her oversized sweater. "I'm 'ood at 'eing ignored."
That was actually kind of sad to hear, not gonna lie. "You need a hug?"
A blink, before her cheeks went red, and she shook her head vehemently. "N-No! I'm 'ood!"
Damn it, she's fucking adorable. "Oh well, maybe another time. So, we're you waiting here the whole time? I wouldn't have minded if you went home, you know?"
Looking down again, she shuffled in place as she mumbled out a response. "W-Well I 'ought you be a while. You know, since uh… 'at lady in the showers."
Lady in the- how does she even know that happened!? "That happened not even an hour ago! How do you know about that so soon!?"
Her head tilted, eyebrows furrowed as she gave me a confused look. "Uh, you know wha' PO'ram, um, POGram is, right?"
My blank stare was a good enough answer for her, as she bit her lip and tried to explain it to me. "It's 'is 'ing, I mean, this thing where you 'an make mini vi'eos to share, and chat with others."
Frowning slightly, I wracked my brain for a bit, trying to figure out if I could remember it before something hit me. "Oh, it's one of those social medias. Like blogs and online chat rooms."
She seemed even more bewildered at my comparison than she was with my lack of knowledge on POGram. "You 'on't, 'ang it, don't use 'echnology a lot, do you?"
I paused, thinking back on it before conceding to her point. "Well, technically I've barely ever actually used it. I know how some of it works, I think."
A giggle escaped her lips, cute and sweet as she waved a hand in my direction. "It's okay, I'll help you. We can go 'ack to our 'uil'ing, building, and work it out from 'ere. There."
It sounded like a good idea on paper, though the memory of Daria's hentai on the television in the living room made me hesitate. "Uh, can we go to your apartment? Daria's is a bit… unsuited to hang out in."
Her cheeks went red again, her hands wringing the bottom of her sweater. "U-Uh, s-sure, I 'uess. N-Not 'at I'm hesi'ant or any'ing! Oh, gods I'm rambling, aren't I? I just didn't expect company is all! And then there's the whole shower thing and- waaahhh!"
My eyes widened slightly at the sudden switch to Halorian, though I gave her an easy smile to try and calm her nerves. "Don't worry about it. If it helps, we can do this somewhere else. I don't know where though."
She bit her lip, hands clenched into fists as she took a deep breath in, before slowly exhaling. "It is fine. If I wanna be more confi'ent, I nee' to take risks! N-Not 'at you're a risk or any'ing!"
God, she's just so damn shy. I'm going to miss this once she gets better with people and more confident with herself. "Well then, lead the way."
Nodding resolutely, she took charge and marched down the sidewalk. Adjusting my bag, I followed after her, keeping to her side as we began to idly chat as we walked.
…
"S-Sorry if it's a 'it of a mess. I'on't get 'isitors of'en."
I gave Emery a pat on the shoulder as she jiggled her apartment key in the lock. "Don't worry about it. Seriously, your accent gets a lot thicker when you're nervous, and it can be hard to understand sometimes."
Her head hit the door with a quiet thud, a sigh escaping her as she turned around slightly and stared at me from the corner of her eyes. "If that's the case, can we talk like this? I-I feel more confident using Halorian."
Right, the whole language barrier thing must make it a lot harder than normal. Giving her a wink, I reached forward and helped her out with the key. "No problem. If it helps, then we'll do it."
The door clicked open, a relieved smile on her face as she pushed forward and revealed her apartment. "Thanks. So uh, here we are! Home sweet home."
Honestly, for someone as clumsy and seemingly unorganized as Emery, it wasn't that bad at all. Sure, there were a few clothes on the floor and the blanket over the couch, but it wasn't as bad as she hyped it up to be. Though the apartment was definitely way smaller than Daria's, which might've been because it was on a lower floor. But that also begged the question of why Emery went to the top floor to meet with Daria rather than just going to the garage and waiting.
Walking into the room proper, I dropped my bag off by the door and rolled my shoulders. "It's really not that bad. A bit messy, but better than what you were peddling. May I sit on the couch?"
She blinked, before bobbing her head as she closed the door behind us. "S-Sure thing Darius. I-I'm going to go get changed in the bathroom. Make yourself at home and stuff."
Not even a second after she finished, Emery zipped to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her with a soft click. Strange.
Making my way past the kitchenette by the door, I plopped down on the couch. Adjusting my position, I frowned as I felt something small underneath the blanket poke at me. Getting up, I grabbed the edge of the blanket and began to lift it up, revealing the object just as Emery rushed out of the bathroom.
"Wait a second I left something on the- "
Huh.
I took the thing from the couch, lifting it to my face as I tried to figure out what the hell it was. It kind of looked like a weirdly shaped dreidel, though with a more rounded bottom and flared top. It wasn't anything that I really knew of, and I was kind of relieved. I half expected to find one of those fake penis things, what are they called? Whatever. What I did not expect to find was a weird looking dreidel or spinning top thing.
Turning around, I looked Emery in the eye. "What's wrong Em- holy fuck."
Whatever it was I was holding, it must've been important enough for her to leave the bathroom half dressed. She had a pair of sweatpants on, and a bra. That was it. That wasn't the surprising part though. A little partial nudity isn't enough to startle me.
It was the fact that she was fucking stacked.
Seriously, one of the biggest pairs I've seen other than Daria and Citrine. Though they still held surprising perkiness to them that made them look that much bigger. Sure, there was a slight amount of chub to her, though considering her curves it made sense. Her hips were flared, and while I couldn't fully make out what her lower body was like, I could definitely make assumptions.
"-ius? Darius? A-Are you alright?"
I blinked, shaking myself out of my stupor as I tried to recompose myself. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Just coming to terms with the fact that your adorableness was masking the fact that you're hot as hell. Also, nice spinning top."
Her entire body froze, the sudden realization that she had stormed out of her bathroom only half dressed, finally hitting her properly. She eeped, struggling between running up and grabbing the spinning top on my hand and shutting herself off in the bathroom. It did very wonderful things to her chest.
Eventually she gave up and retreated back to the bathroom, slamming the door shut. Weird, but I can occupy my time by myself no problem.
Sitting back down on the couch, I pulled the coffee table closer and placed the spinning top bottom down. Getting used to the strange flared end of the top, I spun it on the table, and then watched as it immediately fell over.
Well, this is kind of garbage.
The bathroom door opened, and Emery shuffled out wearing an oversized sweatshirt. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was shy about being overweight. Well, she's overweight in the sense that her tits might weigh more than my head. I really shouldn't be this shocked. I mean, the smallest pair of breasts I've seen today were from Rana, and even then, she's still got a decent pair. Big tiddies are a common thing here, apparently.
Her eyes landed on the spinning top I was playing with, a soft whine escaping her as she slowly shuffled over. "C-Can you please not play with… that?"
Damn, now I feel bad. Tossing the spinning top into the air, I caught it by the rounded end. Ignoring the quiet whimper from Emery, I presented the flat end of it to her. "Sure thing. Though I think you got scammed. This thing doesn't spin all too well."
Confusion sparked in her eyes, brow furrowed as she snatched it from my hand. "Spin?"
Oh, shit. Is this not a spinning top? I mean, that would explain a few things, but what the hell was it then? "It's not a spinning top? Damn it, I could've sworn that's what that was. Uh, you mind demonstrating how you use it? I feel like it's on the tip of my tongue..."
Her eyes widened, face red as she suddenly threw it to the side of the room. "No! Uh, I mean, that's not, I'm not, no."
Damn it, I'm gonna kick myself in the ass when I figure out what that thing actually is. It feels so obvious.
Shaking my head, I got up and took a seat at the end of the couch, leaving space for Emery to sit. Gingerly, she took a seat at the opposite end of the couch, refusing to meet my gaze.
It took me a second to realize what was going on. She was still embarrassed over the whole bathroom thing, wasn't she? Chuckling slightly, I slapped a hand on my thigh and leaned forward. "I get it, and you don't have to worry. I'm not one to make a big deal out of being exposed to someone. In fact, why don't I make it even? Tit for tat and all that?"
Before I had even finished talking, I had already shrugged off my jacket and began to unbutton my vest. By the time Emery managed to piece together my plan to make her feel better, I was already on the last few buttons of my white shirt.
"Y-You don't need to go that far!"
She leapt across the couch, reaching for my shirt just as I pulled it off. Her hands ended up grabbing the sides of my bare chest, and I leaned back to avoid her face crashing against my chest.
What ended up happening was that I was now on my back, Emery on top of me as her hands rested on my chest. Her eyes were wide, mouth agape as she stood there frozen.
And then something began vibrating beneath us.
"Huh. I thought you brought your phone to school with you Em- "
She squeaked, getting up and throwing me to the floor. Landing face first, I blinked as the blanket to the couch was lifted and the vibrating stopped.
Climbing up to my knees, I leaned on the couch and tilted my head at Emery. "So, who was- "
"Put a shirt on!"
Ah, that. Looking down at the discarded clothes hanging off her couch, I couldn't help but sigh. "Do I have to? It's kind of a hassle to- "
"Just do it already!"
Damn. Taking the discarded dress shirt, I fixed it up and buttoned it back up. Leaving the top few buttons undone, I crossed my legs and leaned against the coffee table, looking up towards Emery's bright red face. "There, happy?"
Her face still red, she slowly sat up and carefully nodded. "B-Better."
Laying my elbow on the coffee table behind me, I rested my head on my fist. "So, what do you want to do first?"
She put a finger to her chin, grimacing as she began to seriously think about it. "I guess I'll have to do homework first. M-Maybe I shouldn't have asked if we could hang out. I'll probably take a few hours, and then I have to go to work."
Right, this academy is a buzzard mix of high school and college. Hell, I also have a few things that need doing before tomorrow, though I'm probably just gonna wing it and call it a day.
Getting up to my feet, I plopped myself down right next to Emery, bringing the coffee table closer. "Well, why don't we do it together then? I've got a good grip on classical subjects, like math, English, and science. Though I'm complete garbage at this place's history. Who knows, maybe doing it together will make it less annoying?"
Surprisingly enough, she bobbed her head in agreement. "Sure thing! Can you grab our bags though? We kind of left them at the front door."
Ah, shit. Oh well, I'm just glad she agreed. I thought I'd have to fight for that a lot more, or just leave. Whichever made her more comfortable. "You got it. Why don't you tell me about this job of yours while I get them?"
I shimmied my way off the couch, hoping to not knock the coffee table over as I listened to Emery talk. "O-Okay then. Well, I work at an arts and crafts store where I do embroideries and stuff. Anything where I could do some sewing. My grandma was a seamstress, so I learned a lot from her."
Humming loudly, I grabbed both bags with a hand and hefted them over my shoulder. "She sounds awesome. What's the rest of your family like? If you don't mind me asking of course."
A beat passed as I walked back to the couch, gently laying our bags on the coffee table and sitting next to her. She looked away for a moment, before I could hear her soft voice whisper. "My dad passed away a few years ago, but he always supported my dream of coming here. My mother… not so much."
I bit my lip, unsure of what to say. For once, my desire to seek the truth seemed so much lesser than my desire to comfort her. Placing a hand on her shoulder, I did what I do best, and told the truth. "You're at the academy. You've done it, you've accomplished your dream. And if you've done that, I suppose there isn't much else you can't do."
Despite the confidence in my words, I wasn't sure what to expect. Denials, a quiet acceptance, hell even stuttering thanks. I didn't quite expect her to wrap her arms around me and give me a hug, her head on my chest. "You're so weird."
Hesitantly rubbing her head, I wrapped my other arm around her and returned the hug. "How so?"
I could feel her shoulders shrug, the small movement feeling so much more significant than it should. "Everyone else makes me feel anxious, uncomfortable, or even scared. Even Lustcraft-Sensei makes me anxious sometimes. We just met today and yet… I dunno. I trust you, for some reason. So… thank you, for dealing with me today."
My powers were probably at fault here, though I couldn't help but frown slightly at the thought of that being the case. Regardless, I decided to look on the bright side. "I don't get how you could see today as me "dealing with you". I've already claimed you as my friend. No escaping that now. So, no feeling down on yourself."
She didn't say anything, instead just leaning on me for a while. Idly, I played with her hair as we rocked back and forth on the couch. I wasn't really sure what was going on, but she seemed to be happy with it so there was no way I was going to question it.
Eventually, with one final squeeze, she let go. Clearing her throat, she reached into her bag. "Can we start with English? It's the one I have the most trouble with."
Nodding slowly, I pulled out my own English work and began to work with Emery.
…
Opening the door to Daria's apartment, I was greeted with silence as I locked the door behind me and stepped inside. Turning on the lights, I opened the living room sliding door and stopped for a moment, noting the absence of the center table. "Well, that's new."
I dropped my bag off at the side, walking over to the television, I didn't have the time to block or dodge as something hit me.
Hitting the ground, I quickly rolled to the side and got to my feet. Looking up, I stared into familiar navy eyes, though not the ones I expected to see. "Darian? What are you doing here? And why are you hitting me?"
He laughed, scratching the back of his head as he began to explain. "Well, I realized that you might be a little overpowered for combat class and wouldn't learn anything. So, I'm here to fix that. Besides, should you need to fight someone, it'll be a good idea to help you learn how to pull your punches."
His hand left his head, and he suddenly gave me a disappointed frown. "Also, I heard about what happened in the showers during combat class. I can't say I'm surprised, but I was hoping that you wouldn't inherit the… extreme sexual desire part of our template's personality. Guess I'm the only one."
I winced at that, reaching up to the back of my head before stopping. "To be fair, she came onto me. I just reciprocated."
That didn't seem to help things whatsoever. "Just… just try to focus on your studies as well. As long as you're on top of that, I won't judge you for what or who you do in your free time. Too much."
Huh. I'm not sure how to feel about the fact that he basically just gave me the okay to get down with whoever I want, but I'll take it. "Sure thing. Anything else while you're here? You know, before you proceed to kick my ass."
He paused for a moment, before sticking his hand in his pants pocket and awkwardly holding it out. I could see the very top of what he was holding and figured that they were some kind of tickets to something.
Clearing his throat, he explained what they were for. "So, I decided that we should try and get to know one another. You know, since we're basically family. And it's only been Daria and me for all these years, so I'm not sure what sons find fun to do with their dads. I was torn between baseball and football, so I just got some champion fighting tickets. You uh, you like watching people fight, right?"
Ignoring how fucked up my "family" situation is, I clapped my hands together eagerly. "That sounds badass. When are we going?"
He grinned, pocketing the tickets and excitedly gesturing with his hands. "Well, it's scheduled for this Saturday at two in the afternoon. However, I got us the extra premium tickets. I think it's called the gladiator pass? That doesn't matter. What does matter, is that we get to go to an all you can eat buffet inside the stadium, and have front row seats to the action and even get to go backstage and meet the fighters. Pretty cool, right?"
Damn right it was cool. "Hell yeah! Huh, this must be what anticipation feels like."
"Glad you enjoyed it. Now dodge."
Wait wha-
A palm hit my chest, sending me flying into the living room wall behind me. Bouncing off of it, I landed on the floor face first, groaning.
"You didn't dodge."
…
No, I didn't plan to finish this so quickly, but I did so no fucking words from you lot. My schedule is my own concern and I work on my own time.
Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed this admittedly lighter chapter. Not quite as long as the previous one, but I think it's a good one. Hopefully it'll help be a segue between the last few chapters and what's next.
Usually this is where I do Review of the Chapter, but to be honest I'm not really feeling it this time. Instead, I'll just say that these characters are a fucking blast to write for. Even if not conventionally.
This has been A Decent Hoonter, and goodness Emery's accent is killer on my autocorrect and spellcheck.
