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The following is a fan-based

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Chapter 10: Family Affairs 1/2

I don't have anything against being a passenger in a bike ride. Especially when Hope was driving the vehicle. She was good, I had no reason to doubt her skills due to the times she took me around with her Vespa...

But that doesn't mean I was fine with going on a 'quest' to reach her family's home through the 'long way' as I dubbed it. She said no about taking a plane, admitting that the prices were a bit too unfair when it comes to shipping something like her bike from one continent to another. Also, 'this was an adventure', as she put it. I could tell that the real reason why she decided to try my patience by carrying me around for a couple- no, several kilometers wasn't just to have fun. Chatting was the main focus of the trip, but the topic that came up the most was her family and how to handle each of them specifically.

Like, it was fine and I could relate. I too would have trouble introducing people to my family due to some of their quirks but... I could see why Hope had really asked for the 'long march' option that took us a few stops by land and a lengthy boat trip across the pond. From the way she described her parents and sister, it was clear I was going to have an unique experience, while also 'helping' her in not causing a mess with her younger sibling.

I had already heard of Joy a few times, but in this particular case Hope was quick to ask one thing from me: if the Gazelle Prime tried any flirting towards her sister's boyfriend, I would have to bonk her. Really hard. Yes, I know, I was as shocked as anyone would be at hearing this request. Hope the pervert wants me to stop her from being naughty around this guy. From the way she made it seem, the situation was that they were having issues of 'trust' and 'loyalty'. It was clear Joy wanted a stable relationship with someone that focused on her primarily, while her boyfriend and trip buddy was... quite open for debauchery with others.

There was nothing wrong within this world's context, but I could tell that if Hope forgot the 'no flirt' rule during this delicate circumstance, things would really go south between her and her sister. So yes, that was another thing to keep in mind while also preparing for the 'check up' for my supposed 'magic powers' and the fact that Hope needed help to prevent her parents from asking the 'fun questions' about her current life situation. So yes, this was going to be a fun experience- even though I could say I had already done something down that list when we finally ended that day-long trip to get to her lovely hometown in Maine, New Boothbay. And it was freaking cold. Hope could move around with ease with her usual outfit. I had to wear two more layers of clothing to actually be 'fine' with the temperature. Another reminder of how BS fur could be at times.

Still, we were finally there and... not truly. As the young woman was quick to confess, her house wasn't exactly within the city, but slightly off to the side where some of the cliffs near the sea were. I was confused by that description, but I soon realized that her house was near a lighthouse that she mentioned was owned by her family too. Her father was a rich businessman with his fish-based company and so he could afford this, that and a few more things in the 'what I would like for my family to enjoy' list. The last ride was perhaps the most cumbersome of them all: the entire path to destination was filled with big curves, and it came down to Hope having to genuinely drive 'slow' to not cause any accident.

Relief would wash over me only as soon as the engine was turned off and we were stopping for good. I refrained from kissing the ground once I was off the bike, mostly because Hope's driving wasn't bad. It was just the path itself that was horribly unpleasant to go through on a bike. I bet it would have been finer to just go through it with a car or something. Humming happily, Hope's eagerness seemed to double as she grasped my arm with hers and yanked me towards the house. Yep, she was excited alright. But that wasn't a mood that lasted for long as the one we came to greet by the entrance was not her mother as she expected.

Kayin Ravenhurst was a towering guy. The Coyote Prime had dark hair with his fur being a shade lighter of black, with his green eyes gleaming and showing that these had been inherited by Hope. He was wearing a half-sleeved white shirt, a sleeveless orange jacket over it and a pair of light black pants with gray boots.

"Princess, welcome home," He lovingly greeted, a smile adorning his face as the father-daughter duo exchanged a quick hug. "Look at you, I can tell you've been recovering from the 'boredom' you were going through."

'Boredom'?

She chuckled nervously. "I'm fine now, yes. Also, that's John- don't chew him too hard."

I frowned, almost groaning at being 'sparta-kicked' into the spotlight. Kayin's glance turned at me, his smile deflating a bit.

"So, John Bukharin... I think it's the first time Hope brought a human as her boyfriend, but I can assure you we're all friendly here and you will find no issue while visiting."

It sounded like a nice way to greet a guy that his daughter had been keeping close a lot, but...

"We're not dating," I flatly replied, my comment actually shocking Kayin to the point he spared a serious look to Hope, the girl having a sheepish look on her face.

"I-I thought you two were-"

"We're close friend, but not in that way, both romantically and sexually," Hope elaborated awkwardly. "I guess that misunderstanding happened because I kind of forgot to tell you why I brought him here."

"Yes. Wait, he is not here as just a guest?" The Coyote Prime inquired in surprise, frowning as his daughter shook her head at that.

"I wanted to have mom check him in case he had some Love magic. Recent circumstances left me to believe he might have something in him," The young woman replied. "So yes, when I meant 'don't chew him up', I meant 'don't squeeze too many details out of him on why that happened'."

Goddammit Hope, why are you telling him that much? Actually no, I already knew why. The girl wanted an excuse to ditch me with her father as she was quickly off to go and check for his mother. She was somewhere with her sister, a recent outburst having caused most of the people around them to leave before things got a bit too 'intense'. I could tell it was a messy situation. I had no right to be pulled in, so I was 'fine' staying with her dad and...

"So," Kayin hummed, the scenario leaving us by the couch in the living room as we waited for something to happen. "You two aren't dating and yet she behaves tight around you."

"It's quite odd from how Hope mentioned her social life being. I... I don't wish to be too blunt about it."

"Please, don't mind the fact it's my daughter. I know what she's up to in her life with so many men and women, but... I can tell it's nothing really sexual."

"We talk a lot. It started when she was visiting my boss since he is a friend from College-"

"Shin? I'm aware of that. She was quite descriptive of what happened and..." He paused, looking thoughtful. "Not gonna lie, John- May I call you John?"

I nodded and he continued.

"Well, another reason why I thought you two were dating was how she spoke of you," Kayin explained with a serious tone. "You see, Hope has a little way to tell when she is really close to someone, and how much that closeness really is. And the way she spoke of you was... well, it left me with that assumption."

I shrugged, thinking little of it as maybe he confused 'talking with boyfriend' with 'talking with whatever Hope and I were'. We weren't dating, but we weren't exactly engaged in a normal friendship. Not with how 'trusting' we feel towards each other.

"I can assure you we're not dating. She just needs someone to talk to from time to time and... someone to take the heat off when she is dealing with situations like this one."

He snorted in amusement at this, checking something on his phone and nodding. "That sounds about right in that regard. Hope just has a tendency to have 'backup' in case things get terribly wrong and... you are here for that too, I guess."

I nodded, but he wasn't done just yet.

"Also, we might get a visit soon. Just don't let her get in your head with her remarks. She is... a special case."

That last bit had me confused since I thought it was Joy, but the way he spoke of this individual made it feel like he had very little affection for her. No, it couldn't be his youngest daughter... so, who was I going to meet? The answer to that question could be summarized in five simple words: Chaotic Neutral in a Nutshell.

Cue the supposedly 'permanent guest' of the house, a 'former enemy' of Hope's sister that had been captured and kind of given shelter, at the expense of having her means to maim others suppressed as, just like I said, she was a chaotic neutral nutcase. Ayah, the Chaos Sorceress. A Fennec Fox Prime- wait no, Narakhan. The differences were cultural and semi-biological due to how Chaos worked on people's bodies. The young woman had long violet hair, which didn't really much with her light-brown fur and red scleras with white irises in her eyes. She was wearing a leotard, one that did little to hide away her figure as she seemed to enjoy walking in that.

Of that bit of description I just provided, I knew only that she was unpleasant and that she had that appearance as it was my first impression of her. I would learn most of that much later, but for now I was looking at a young woman with flashy hair and eyes, moaning and whining about her guards being a bunch of tools or something like that. Her muttering ceased as soon as she entered the room, her gaze first gracing Kayin with an annoyed and disdainful look and then... stopped to look at me. Any irritation seemed to vanish, her eyes widened and... amusement flared within her whole being. I felt a hint of unease wash over me at the stare I was subjected to. It didn't help that she just licked her lips as she approached.

"I didn't know we had a guest, traitor," She pointed out dully and Kayin grunted, annoyed by the nickname he got.

Traitor? About what?

"That's because it's not one of your concerns."

"Obviously it is," The girl rebuked strongly, walking up to me. "After all... you bear Chaos in your core."

...What?

"Huuuuuuman," She creepily hummed and I frowned.

"...Narakhan?"

Kayin blinked at the exchange, remaining quiet but watching this whole thing closely.

"Human," She repeated, less convinced and more annoyed.

I slowly nodded. "Narakhan."

"...Why are you repeating that?" She asked with some frustration and I shrugged.

"Same question."

"Well, I was asking for your name."

"...Then why didn't you ask?"

Her lips twitched. "What's your name?"

"John."

"Hmm, John. Interesting name-"

"What about yours?" I asked back.

Her words died in her throat at my interruption, but she nodded at my query.

"My name is Ayah, and I'm only but a subordinate of our truest nature."

I frowned. "Truest nature?"

"Chaos! Pure and disorderly."

"She is quite overzealous in that regard," Kayin affirmed, causing Ayah to grin.

"Of course! Chaos is the greatest power in this wretched world," The girl argued, glaring at the calm man. "But shunned and weakened by your traitorous bunch, Captain."

"So, it's like a religion or something?" I inquired, still not grasping the overall circumstance. "One where I suppose there's a deity or a pantheon behind it."

Her grin was back to a more amused touch. "Yes."

"Well, I'm not exactly sure how this all works so... how about you tell me a bit more about it? Of course, this isn't an imposition-"

"None of that!" She replied swiftly, her eagerness in full display as her demonic eyes glowed in delight. "I shall provide you with tales of Chaos and how it came to be, our Mistress and her will upon reality itself."

...Pucci much?

She was soon sitting by the small table in front of the couch, chatting and sprouting crap about how cool being a Chaotic prick really was instead of being 'peace-loving mongrels'. Then I was subjected to a bit of a summary of what Chaos is: What was its role in the universe, how it was the most amazing shit ever and how 'Order powers' sucked hard. Kayin growled the most at that last bit, but I had yet to understand why. The answer to that question came in the form of Ayah going suddenly quiet as a pair of hands grasped at my shoulders from behind the couch.

"Oh my~ Hope, my dear daughter... you didn't tell me that your friend was so handsome~."

Kayin chuckled, shaking his head at the husky compliment and I couldn't help but gulp nervously at the pressure exerted by two noticeable pillows on the back of my head. A giggle ensued as I looked up, my eyes meeting a pair of pink orbs shining in pure amusement, and I saw some resemblance with a certain Gazelle Prime huffing at her mother for her current behavior.

So, this was... Hope's mother. And I just could tell this was going to be an interesting exchange of words...

AN

Next time, Grace Ravenhurst makes a proper debut. Prepare for the 'Ara Ara' vibes, cuz the next chapter will be packed with those. Also, a 'heartfelt' discussion between two legitimate believers in proper romance.