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Chapter 25: Of Parents and Mentors (1)

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius

I wasn't sure how I was supposed to react to mom as she did her odd things.

On one hand, the cheerful woman was being a masterful diplomat at calming down matters with Vixy's father. To be fair, the escalation was due to a mix of multiple misunderstandings unfolding at the same time. First, there was the big problem with how both Vixy's mom and Hope's father were enemies or something similar to that, thus depriving the guy of a good portion of his attention span as he tried keeping his wife from initiating any attacks against the fellow parent. When his daughter brought up the news that she had a boyfriend and he noticed how close we were when she said that, well… his overprotectiveness decided to come out and say hi with the most soul-piercing stare I could have imagined.

While for many the stare could seem normal, almost a 'bored neutral' one, I realized that it was meant to appear as such so that the real substance, the pressure, was all focused at where the glare was aimed at. In this case, I felt it… and so did Vixy. The girl seemed surprised at this reaction, but it didn't take long for the two of us to realize what was really behind this harsher-than-planned response to our official bond. I was genuinely frightened by his glare as it just brought back up the whole concept of the abyss staring back at you after staring at it for too long. I saw the dark, cold abyss of despair… and saw it growing wider the more I stared back.

With the intervention of my mother and the sudden introduction of Tiggs' mom, the entire ordeal seemed to end peacefully as hostilities seemed to be squashed, or at least delayed, for the time being. We were soon brought up to the others and there I finally felt the weight of the big day. I was glad to find people I had already met like Bengala, Kate, Hikari, and Lady Ambar- heck, I was so amused when Geecku delivered a quick tight hug as soon as I was in her range of action- but I soon found out a few 'minuscule' issues with what I was set before.

Tobias joined us a few minutes later, but I had the chance to speak with his mother, the one he was a little worried to disappoint with his grades and… I could kind of understand his plight a little better. Tila Sunrise wasn't exactly a stern mother, in fact she really seemed to give off a genuine sense of concern regarding her son compared to her interests in his current studies. Sure, she cared about those too, but the real focus was her children rather at what pace they were progressing. The real trouble was the fact the woman was… famous. Same for her husband, Richard Wainwright, which was known as a particularly famous writer.

It wasn't like the Lion Prime feared to disappoint his parents… he failed to disappoint the expectations many have put on him due to his parentage. He was the one of the youngest children of the couple, and so many had staked big 'bets' over his future and his pace in college.

Nonetheless, the two seemed to be doing fine… leaving me to handle two big obstacles. Three if I took into account my mother's own remarks and perception of things. While she was more than happy about my grades, how I felt here, the friends and the girlfriend I got after the first few months, I could feel her gaze more than once focus on me… in a way I was too familiar with as this wasn't the first time she used it on me.

It was clear that the woman had realized something was up and she was trying to get something out of me by keeping the pressure up. Something that, after so long, I had learned to stave off with careful topics being brought up to the conversation to steer her attention away from the problematic bit that could have left me with some issues on the home front. It was easier than usual due to the big news I had to give out to my parents, like the job situation, the fact I was training to fight Narakhans and the fact I had some magical power to aid in that previous situation.

Then there were all situations regarding friends, which brought the woman to focus on the other individuals. Shin was polite, but he clearly was a little embarrassed as my mother saw it fit to just coddle him in front of his own mom. Kate looked fine with it since it wasn't too much, and she even looked amused when Hikari too joined this little exchange as her daughter just loved meeting nice people.

Miles was another case. He appeared annoyed at the attention, but I could tell that he really enjoyed the worrying he was being subjected to since it wasn't too pushy and it made him feel that his efforts at school were more than just a few cheers from his friends. Which reminded me that I really had to get him to finally tell me why he didn't see his parents that well.

Mom also seemed to find it easy to speak with Naerie and… Ambar. If the calm Bear Prime had a cordial first impression with the blonde, the Wisdom Crest seemed to hit it off quite nicely with my mother. Just as foreseen and feared. The two were instantly sticking to each other like glue, pulling into that black hole of possible future blackmail even the more than happy Jenny Biggs. In a single moment, I believe I found myself sharing a prayer of hope with Traci and Naerie that this unholy union didn't end up ruining us all.

While that madness unfolded, I took the chance to better study Vixy's parents and see what I could do right now to avoid making things more awkward with them. I figured out that his dad was still a good guy despite the first impression he gave, especially with how soft-spoke and polite he was due to his threatening appearance. I think he tried to apologize one moment, but he decided to keep quiet when he was given a serious look from Vixy as she hadn't forgiven him for what had happened a while ago.

The man, which I believe was the Dark Crest, was mostly… chill. He was really calm and it was clear that he really loved his daughter. Cue his overprotectiveness and his ill-planned reaction when he was told about the news.

Then it was the turn of her mother and… and I really can't bring up anything about her without making things too awkward. The woman was what I would have imagined from what Vixy had told me about her and… what I would have imagined being the Fire Crest. Fierce, particularly arrogant, and short-tempered when it came to things or people she didn't like much. In this case, Hope's family became quite the catalyst for a bad mood for her. Something that made approaching her even through conversation close to jumping off a bridge and into the flames of hell. While the comparison might sound harsh… well, it was the best summary I had to describe how easy to frustrate the woman was.

Her mood seemed to perk up after two interesting circumstances. The first being when she sneered towards Kayin, but was matched with a similar one from the youngest of the Ravenhurst family. Glancing a little below, her eyes narrowed in annoyance at the glare that Joy was giving her, the girl proving to be a troublemaker just like her sister had told us about whenever there was a chance for her to retaliate against someone or something infuriating. While the scene that ensued was far from peaceful, it still didn't go further than just the two glaring at each other until the Fox Prime got tired of it and looked away.

The second, and perhaps what set her attention on me beyond the fact I was dating her daughter, was when the whole training situation was brought up. She showed some interest in the matter and inquired to Ambar if she was the one training me.

"Nope. But let's just say his style is similar to yours in some aspects."

...In what regard?

Should I have been worried at that point as it was clear the Fire Crest was one of those arrogant warriors that trained people to the bone… since Ambar confirmed that Professor Aken had a training style 'similar' to Carmesi?

Despite that little parenthesis, nothing much came out of it except for other elements that helped me dodge the worst of the circumstance I was in. Dad was more interested over the training bit since it was the more important considering the circumstances, but he showed similar fascination when it came to discussing my current job. And in that moment, the second to last 'small' problem started to become a little more evident.

Jennifer 'Jenny' Biggs was what many could easily define as a proper Tiger Mom. And this wasn't a joke based on the fact she was a Tiger Prime, but by the fact of how protective she was over her daughter and how close and personal she tended to get while talking with Traci and other trustworthy individuals she knew about. While Tiggs' mom was nice and quite friendly, I still had my own reservations about her 'suspicions' regarding my relationship with her daughter. She mentioned how it was just so odd that we would be this close and tight but not in an intimate relationship beyond friendship.

The answer was pretty much the same as the past times we had to deal with this question and it almost felt like it was becoming a standard thing to say to everyone that got the chance to meet both Tiggs and I and had the chance to notice how close we were with each other. It was really getting frustrating, but I really didn't want to ruin this for Traci, so I held back from sounding too harsh about it. She was meaning well, and I was actually relieved when she eventually settled with our strong rebuttal about possible romance in the air. Something that Vixy didn't mind discussing much to my surprise even though it quickly gained quite the confused looks from her parents, and thus demanded an answer on that front too.

"Traci is my closest friend and I'm quite certain I know Frankie well enough to know if both would lie about that. Plus there was a time where they got pushed to be as honest as possible, and this entire gig has been running even before I started being in a relationship with Frankie," The young woman commented, leaning her head on my shoulder as we were standing close to each other. "So yeah, it's not something bad being kept a secret."

A giggle from one of the parents seemed to show some interest on the matter. "I can't help but bring up that they are being quite honest about that specific circumstance."

And there she was, the final but possibly the worst problem I ended up facing during this entire conversation. If I could easily sway my mother's interest on any suspicious circumstance away from any genuine investigation, the same couldn't be applied for Grace Ravenhurst, Hope's mother. The Love Crest wasn't someone I would have imagined trying to lie to, and yet here I was trying to succeed in a doomed task judging from the looks of it.

Hope herself didn't seem to notice this, but it was becoming clear to me how the love specialist just knew when something was off about things connected to her area of expertise. Especially when her older daughter was somehow tied to it all and… and I was panicking. Like, what were the chances of the Gazelle Prime blurting out something, even a clue, for others to pick up from and then start an unflattering and destructive chain of events for me to handle. Luckily for me, none of that happened and I was allowed to 'survive'. But those pink eyes? They were a haunting experience as she kept staring at me as she gave off a sense of knowing more than she was letting on.

As lunchtime was slowly coming by, I excused myself to reach the dormroom as I remembered that I had to retrieve something before running back to work with Tiggs. The girl mentioned she was waiting for me, so I rushed through to get what I needed and get back at her. But as I finished with that little recovery operation, I ended up finding someone tending an ambush right for me.

I stopped, I tensed up and I knew I couldn't just dodge it.

"Frankie," Hope's mother hummed calmly as she greeted me by the corner of the hall I had just turned to. "Can we please talk? I believe there is much you are keeping to yourself."

...Dangit.

~Vixy's POV~

"Are you sure he is a good one?"

Vixy wanted to be annoyed, but she knew she just couldn't keep mad at her father for long. Despite the fact he had overstepped when it came to that reaction, he seemed to be embarrassed by the circumstance.

The two sat under a few trees near the central spot of the courtyard. Her mother was busy trying to get a 'more than rightful' fight with Kate since it wasn't a big secret of hers that she would have wanted that 'legendary rematch' she always lamented about. One where she would be able to best the one that for long had stood as the 'strongest' of the Crests. That mindset was going to fail her chances, of course, with Vixy knowing from a brief past exchange with the Light Crest that the woman wasn't really up to fighting until it was needed. Kate trained, but that didn't mean she was up to fight anyone that was strong enough to spar with.

Something that made her stand out just nicely away from Carmesi in this regard.

"I… I think he is. Can I be wrong?"

"You're young," The man muttered with a nod. "You just need to take a moment and ask yourself if you are ready to be wrong about it."

And that wasn't exactly something she wanted to discuss when she literally asked Frankie to be her boyfriend so recently. It had felt so wrong and stupid… shouldn't that be a big enough step that required lots of thinking? Didn't she think enough already before making that choice?

Vixy felt confident she did. But that wasn't the question her dad just asked her. In fact, it wasn't even about being right or wrong about it, but being able to react well if she ended up being wrong about it. Would she make it? Would she live with it? Possibly. No, definitely.

As much as she loved Frankie, it was also true that she couldn't find herself completely invested in it. Maybe it was because she was overthinking it, imagining this relationship would escalate to a point where it will become the cornerstone of what happens after college. It was too early to assume anything, but her imagination was incredibly cruel when it came to these big steps. It brought to her multiple troublesome scenarios when she decided to come here and study at Prism Uni, and now it was giving her 'visions' of a future with someone to share a family with.

It felt so big right now and so abrupt to think about, and that left her unsure if this was the right decision.

"I didn't mean to make you this nervous," Her father commented, having watched her face while she unconsciously let out her discomfort at the topic. "I just wanted a simple question. Would you be able to handle being wrong?"

"I think I would."

A blink. "And why do you think so?"

This time Vixy spared a faux glare at her dad, the Dark Crest sighing sheepishly as he knew where he had messed up.

"I mean, how did you come to that conclusion?"

Less blunt, but still packing the same weight much to her chagrin.

"I would say… I just think it can happen. Not because I think it's either of us just… it can be the pressure alone," The girl admitted with a tired sigh. "I guess I can imagine something silly actually preventing things from going too far like work opportunities, or even different interests driving us apart-"

"Do you imagine your relationship to be so fragile?"

"Not… really."

"Then why do you feel those could be the causes of… you being wrong?"

She scoffed. "Dad, you're literally trying to ask me if I'm sure this early on about a relationship. H-How do you expect me to just know everything?"

"I expect you to know who you are in love with," Howl remarked and Vixy hummed.

"Well, I know Frankie enough that I know he would not… hurt me. Even if there is a mistake he isn't the individual to hide it away without leaving some signs or feeling guilty enough for me to pick it up."

"That doesn't mean he is that honest," The Dark Crest pointed out.

"And who is nowadays? I can be glad that he is good enough that he isn't even happy about something stupid happening. He would definitely talk it out with me if something odd happened," Vixy lamented. "I know you're worried about this but… I thought about it for months. Can I trust him for the extra step? Can he make me happy? Can I make him happy?"

"Then you come to this conclusion," Her father guessed and she nodded.

The Fox Prime took a moment to channel her bravery now that she needed to nail the point before this resurfaced for another trip into an unsettling amount of upsetting thoughts about this particular argument.

"I want to date him and then, if things get good or bad, we will still work things out."

"But you would absolutely love-"

"For it to go well, yes," She interrupted, now feeling annoyed at this exchange. "I know you're concerned but-"

"He is a good kid. I spoke with his parents and his mother seems to be rather nice when it comes to this kind of serious thing. Still… I'm your dad-"

"And you have all the rights to worry about your daughter. I know that, dad," Vixy interrupted with a huff. "Still, I love him. A lot."

"Which is why I hope most of my concerns are wrong all the time when something like this happens. I want you to be happy."

"But I'm no longer a child. I know it… it's bad to be wrong about this kind of stuff."

Howl didn't comment about it and left his daughter to her own thoughts as he rested and enjoyed the pleasantness of the shade. Vixy held back another snort, knowing better than just poke at the sleeping dragon as she needed to think about a couple of things after this conversation.

Her father had raised a fair, but bitter point. What if things didn't go well for that relationship?

She didn't need to answer that question just yet. It was just best for her to wait and see, and then, if things show some hints of instability, consider that eventuality. But until that point, she understood as she pondered about it, going through that line of thoughts was self-destructive and silly. She made her research, she asked herself the big questions needed to make that big step, and now she was there to see if reality either validated her point or not.

Despite that, Vixy still felt like she was missing something but… maybe it was just the result of that conversation. Or maybe she spotted something that made her this doubtful right now.

~Grace's POV~

"How about you start from the beginning?"

Grace noticed the brief scowl appear on the human's face as they both began discussing the main topic of that unplanned situation. Sure, the woman had made steps to establish a situation like this, but she hadn't exactly hoped for this to happen this soon… and with a hurry. The young man had to prepare and go to work. They were going to follow for the sake of entertaining the amusing idea of 'teasing the two workers' as Ambar put it out to be. It was interesting to know both students had taken the steps needed to get money on their own, and it made her curious on a personal level to try out the kind of quality their food tasted like.

Despite these funny thoughts, Grace still kept her features schooled in a serious look as she knew the situation demanded it. It wasn't even something that could just be shrugged off as a simple case of love- no, this had turned into quite the complex predicament for them all to handle on their own. Inexperienced youths and complex love cases weren't a fun combo to handle by the aftermath, especially when her daughter was in the middle of it.

"The beginning as in-"

"I want to know when you started to believe and feel that you are in love with Hope. And no, I'm not asking you this as her mother, but as someone that wishes to avoid issues in the future."

He adopted a frown at the mention of 'issues', but she doubted he knew what she was referring to. So, instead of educating him, she merely went through with this.

"Right now you are stuck in a situation where one mistake can break hearts. Multiple hearts at that."

His frown deepened, and his posture tensed up in response to that continuation. It wasn't like she could blame him for being incredibly confused about this, mostly because he wasn't fully aware of his understanding of the whole situation he was in.

"I don't think I-"

"You love my daughter. And you've been harboring these feelings for a long time now," Grace interrupted calmly. "I don't wish to embarrass you and I understand that the topic can be… particularly private. But I feel particularly invested since you are stuck in a predicament that will eventually turn against you if you don't know what you are up to."

"I'm… I will not go for Hope if that's what you're saying-"

"None of that," She huffed in minor annoyance. Once more, her fault for being this cryptic about it all. Spending time around Ambar was bringing up the upsetting quirk of her to be rather hermetic of this kind of discussion. "The problem right now is the fact you are leading on a girl that will possibly end up damaged by the time you tell her the truth."

…

"I'm aware of-"

"Are you?"

He tensed up at her interjection, and at this point the Love Crest actually stopped herself from going further. She knew she was allowing herself to go too far with it and… she huffed.

"I'm… sorry. It's just that the way I see the entire situation, I can't help but feel… nervous about what can happen if you don't have full knowledge of what you are dealing with."

He nodded slowly, still looking nervous himself. "I didn't mean to… I didn't take this path to cause a problem."

"Then tell me, Frankie, why did you accept going out with Vixy if you don't love her?"

…

"Vixy has been making her interest known for a while now. She just didn't come out of nowhere with that request and… and I admit that I might have allowed her to get through with these 'pushes' just because I wanted someone else to act on those."

The Love Crest paused. "Someone else? I don't think I follow."

"Didn't you… say you knew everything about this situation, Mrs. Ravenhurst?"

The Gazelle Prime could tell he wasn't trying to twist a mistake of hers back at her so suddenly and so mercilessly, but she couldn't help but feel embarrassed and upset about it nonetheless.

"Just… tell me."

He sighed, mustering up his seriousness as he started to bring up the truth on this matter and… and Grace was left shocked.

"The only reason why I'm not being too forceful in telling Vixy to stop is because I want Traci to get a chance to do something about it."

…

"What?"

"Traci- Tiggs, she is… in love with Vixy."

…

What?!

That was way bigger than expected. Sure, she had picked up some stray form of love within the group of students and parents, but Grace didn't connect this to another love-seeker within this growing web of romance that centered around her daughter and… Frankie. It was absurd to believe it but it would seem like her daughter picked the one individual that had that very particular luck when it came to love. Her love to be more specific.

And the Love Crest wasn't sure if she should be amused by the irony, or worried by the luck they both were having now that they were in college. It was still entertaining, but it made thinking serious things particularly difficult. Mostly at the chances of Frankie doing something to escalate this love group beyond the current limits.

"So you have accepted Vixy's courting because you wanted to push Traci to do something about it?"

"It's… more about her wanting me to be there and help her from the 'inside'."

Grace's mouth formed an 'o' as she tried to imagine the logic behind that plan and… she could actually see a fair point to it. While the idea was silly through a couple of scenarios, it had some good merits when it came to actually arching and planning their way into Vixy's heart by having her grow more interested in Traci with some well-plotted situations.

It was risky but highly-rewarded if they managed to pull this off without any mistake. And that's where her doubts played a big role in not supporting such a plan. The two girls could be close but… she didn't feel anything romantic from Vixy towards the Tiger Prime and that was a big element to take into account within this kind of planning.

"What if Vixy doesn't like Traci?"

"She likes her," He commented with a mirthful smile on his face. "In fact, she indirectly told me this two months ago when she learned about the fact Tiggs and I hug a lot."

Surprise filled her pink eyes, and Grace decided to inquire. "How so?"

"Vixy and I talked about hugging with Traci, and how there were few instances where they did that in the showers."

…

"Oh?" That was fascinating.

"And the conversation then turned to the fact that Vixy actually likes this occurrence and she asked me if this was normal between two friends that were girls."

To do this kind of skinship? Probably. To mention that they both liked it and that it was something that sparked some blushes out of the Fox Prime? That was a good point, but not a determining one.

"Wouldn't that still be..."

"Too little?"

A nod, and the woman now knew that the human had expected this development and so she allowed him to bring up what was the next evidence.

"I also saw her stare quite intensely at Tiggs during cheerleaders' practices. And I can say she was interested in her a little more than just a friend. It was the stare she gives me when we go training by the gym section."

And that actually sold it to Grace. While she could argue that sexual tension was different from loving, it was also true that one can create the other depending on the circumstances and the tie one person has towards another. In this case, the Love Crest could tell that there was a chance in it.

She nodded and… sighed. She would have liked to ask him some more about the situation with Geecku and Naerie, but she decided to allow the young man to go since he had.

"I suppose that helps me with these worries. Still, I've held you long enough. I think you have places to go, right?"

Frankie nodded and… then froze in pure dread. Panic exploded instantly as he bolted away after a quick 'thank you' and a 'see you later'. The young man was serious, there was no doubt in her mind that he would make any of the girls interested in him happy. Even Vixy and… Traci at the same time. It wasn't unheard for polygamous couple to emerge once in a while, especially with how easy it was to handle a proper and healthy relationship nowadays.

Still… Grace knew she had to be vigilant. If not for her daughter's sake, for the hearts of those invested in the young man and his personality.

But for now, she will have to drop this matter as it was time to see what Frankie and Traci were capable of doing with cooking. Her stomach grumbled hungrily and she happily knew it was about time she got back to Joy before her baby girl started to get too cranky due to her own hunger.

AN

This is shoooort! Bukharin, we need a part 3!

Aye, aye, m'lady!

Hehe, don't you dare use that nickname without inviting me out for dinner first. And then more.

Okay then, Ambar.

Goddammit!