"W-what kind of question is that?" Rowan asked incredulously. "Why would you ask that?"
"Is that a yes or a no?" Myra replied. Her smile widened, amused by his reaction.
Rowan felt his face get hot. Turning away from her, he grumbled unintelligibly. Myra cocked her head to the side with a smirk.
"I'm sorry," Myra taunted playfully. "I couldn't hear you."
Rowan sputtered once more, failing to find the words he was looking for. Her smirk still plastered on her face, it dawned on him that Myra was getting a kick out of this. His attempts to find another topic of conversation proved futile, he came up with nothing. His shoulders sagged when he gave up.
"Yes..." Rowan sighed in defeat. "Not that it's any of your business."
"Good, at least you're not completely inexperienced," Myra swiftly replied, her smile growing wider. He looked at her with a mixture of irritation and confusion. "That makes this somewhat...easier."
"Couldn't you have just asked that instead?" Rowan growled. He felt the hair at the nape of his neck stiffen. "I don't like being treated like a fool."
"Oh calm down," Myra replied, waving a paw at him. "I had a perfectly good reason for asking."
"Really now?" Rowan scoffed in disbelief. "And that would be…?"
Rowan bit his cheek when their waiter returned. The fighting type seemed displeased somehow, likely due to the lengthy time they had been there while Myra placed yet another round for them both. Rowan's eyes narrowed as he waited for the Tyrogue to leave.
"What are you playing at?" Rowan demanded, his anger getting the best of him. "One moment you're polite, but suddenly you're going out of your way to make fun of me. Then you try to butter me up with a few drinks? Do you think I'm some sort of pushover?"
"No!" Myra exclaimed in dismay. Her ears fell flat against her skull in disappointment in the direction their conversation took. Backpedaling the best she could, she desperately tried to correct things before their brief friendship was too far gone. "Never! I just heard you drank with Fergus, so I thought… I thought we could talk over a few."
"Yet you asked me earlier if I like to. Why would you even bother to ask that if you already knew the answer?" Rowan retorted, growing angrier by the second. "I don't like being made fun of or being manipulated, and now you've done both."
Before she could reply, Rowan hopped from his seat and gave her a disappointed scowl. A small whine escaped from her as he started to walk away. Panic welled up within her as she cursed herself for her actions. Jumping from her seat, she cut him off.
"Wait!" She pleaded. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have teased you, okay? But I really do have something important to talk to you about!"
"I don't have anything to say to you right now." Rowan replied gruffly as he walked around her.
Crestfallen, she didn't pursue him. Her teeth creaked as she ground them together, frustrated with herself. In blind hope, she called out one last time.
"It's about Chloe!" Myra said loudly, her breath caught in her throat. Rowan froze at the mention of Chloe before whirling around, looking at her with suspicion. Myra flinched when he stomped over to her, growling fiercely.
"What's wrong with Chloe?" Rowan demanded angrily. Despite his obvious fury, a glint of concern shined deep within his eyes.
"Please," Myra pleaded once more. "No more games. No more teasing. Sit down and I'll explain everything, okay?"
Without a word, Rowan returned to the table and took his seat again. The Glaceon glowered at her, his fur bristling. Myra sighed as she chose her words carefully.
"I didn't mean to piss him off..." Myra thought regretfully, taking her seat as well.
"What's wrong with Chloe?" Rowan repeated irritably. By his tone she could tell he was still furious, but was at least trying to keep his temper in check.
"Nothing's wrong," Myra quickly assured him. "It's just about her. Look, I know I was rude earlier and I'm sorry, just hear me out."
"Fine," Rowan grumbled.
"I had to ask what I did because…" Myra hesitated. "Chloe's heat is coming up,"
Myra relaxed when Rowan went rigid in his seat at the news. Any trace of color in his cheeks vanished instantly as he visibly went pale. Wanting to get her point across before he made any assumptions, she pressed further.
"Listen, I don't know the breeding patterns of humans, only you do, but things are going to get a little crazy in the spring," Myra explained. "I just want to know a few things, okay?"
Wordlessly, Rowan nodded. Sweat was beginning to bead on his brow, threatening to fall onto the fabric of his seat. Before it could, he wiped it away as another realization washed over him. Pokemon might be as intelligent as any human, but they were still a completely different species. It made sense that any mammalian pokemon would have a period where they would go into heat.
"I don't understand," Rowan said quietly. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because," Myra replied, glad he had calmed down. "I need to know if you have any feelings for her."
Rowan grimaced, unwilling to talk about his innermost feelings. Flashbacks of his previous failed relationships replayed in his mind against his will. Despite them, a strong sense of longing remained for Chloe.
"Please," Myra gently coaxed. "I can't imagine what it's been like to deal with this sort of transition, but I can't help Chloe or you if I don't know."
"Fine…" Myra flinched as he spat. "Yes, okay? Why is this important?"
"Because," Myra said softly. Rowan grasped his glass in front of him with his jaws, tilting his head back to take large draughts. "Sydney already doesn't approve of you and Chloe sort of... announced her interest in you to everyone."
Rowan immediately began coughing, struggling not to spill all over the table. He had an idea for some time now of her feelings for him. Her not-so-subtle advances towards him were hard to miss, but for Chloe to make such a bold claim in front of everyone baffled him. Rowan shook his head in disbelief.
"I... It's not as though I didn't know, but…" Rowan admitted before putting his maw on his drink once more. With a quick tilt of his head he guzzled its contents with a new appreciation for it. With a belch he dropped the empty container, the glass clattered against the table noisily.
"I'm guessing the booze was to just make things easier, huh?" He asked. Myra solemnly nodded in response.
"I see…" Rowan murmured as he spun the glass on the table with a paw. "In that case, I'm sorry for losing my temper like that. I'd like some more please, I think I'm gonna need it."
"You got it," Myra agreed before flagging down their waiter.
As a warm buzz began to take root within him, he felt himself begin to relax. She had already dropped a bombshell on him, but Rowan couldn't help but wonder to what extent Myra wanted to go with their conversation. As far as he could tell, she was genuinely concerned for him and Chloe, but they had only known each other for a day now. That and the added knowledge she was willing to toy with him left him with the nagging feeling of doubt for her. Rowan gripped the seat beneath him as he prepared to tell his story for the umpteenth time.
"You okay?" Myra asked, noticing his paws. Looking down Rowan noticed his claws were digging into the fabric of the seat, if he wasn't careful he could rip it to shreds.
"I'm fine," Rowan replied. "Let's just... get this over with." Myra nodded once more, understanding his reluctance to talk.
"For starters," Myra began. "If you know she likes you, then why haven't you made any moves on her? If you were to just claim her, everything would be solved right?"
"You know what I was right?" Rowan replied after his drink was replaced. "Sure, I'm a pokemon too but it doesn't mean I have any right to be with her. Sure I can fight, but I haven't done anything of value for anyone."
"What does that matter?" Myra asked. "Chloe isn't the type to fawn over someone just because they're useful."
"That's not the point," Rowan replied bitterly. "I know she isn't. But the thing is, how can I, in good conscience, 'claim' anyone if I can't even prove that I'm worthy of it?"
"Why do you have to prove yourself to anyone?" Myra pointed out. Rowan scowled before laying his head onto the table.
"Not just anyone... Don't you see?" Rowan replied, his voice slowly raising. "To myself!"
With an exasperated sigh, Rowan lifted his head and looked at the confused canine before him. How could he expect her to understand? He hadn't talked to anyone about this, not even Fergus. Without knowing his past, no one could ever hope to.
"When I was human…" Rowan began quietly.. "I was a loser, a nobody. I woke up just to go to work to struggle to survive. Every relationship I ever had crashed and burned. Now here I am, literally reborn! I need to be better than I was, I have to be. If I can't, then this second chance is wasted on me…"
Taking a breath, Rowan practically inhaled his next drink in the same fashion as before. He could barely taste it now. The only sensation he was aware of was the burning in his eyes.
With his paw he rubbed his eyes, only stopping in surprise to find them wet. Looking down at them he stared for a moment. He could hear rustling from Myra's seat, but he paid little attention to it. His surprise was doubled when Myra appeared at his side and jumped onto the empty seat beside him. Before he could say anything Myra leaned against him, setting a paw onto his.
"It's okay," She murmured. "Everyone has baggage."
Rowan grunted as one of her stone spikes dug into his shoulder, but he ignored it.
"I don't know what sort of life you had before but…" Myra said carefully. "It's literally in the past now, 'kay? You don't have to hold yourself to impossible, unfair standards. Chloe and Felix vouch for you, even if I didn't see your battle for myself, that would have been enough for me to give you a chance."
Choking back the lump forming in his throat, Rowan looked away from her. However he made no effort to leave or resist the kindness she was showing him. Eventually Myra pulled away from Rowan and poked him hard with a paw.
"Ouch," Rowan winced, rubbing where she jabbed him.
"Rowan," Myra said firmly. "I seriously doubt Chloe cares one way or another what you were like as a human. What she cares about is who you are now. From my point of view, you're a smart, understanding pokemon that can pack one hell of a wallop in a fight. You have no idea how rare that is. Can you honestly say your time here has been worthless?
"Of course not!" Rowan responded, his voice cracking.. "Just being here is a dream come true for me…"
"Then why are you moping?" Myra demanded as she jabbed him once more. "You've proven today you are an exceptional pokemon, right? Whether or not you believe it, I think you are worthy. Just have some confidence okay?"
Rowan sniffed loudly before finally scooting away from her. His cheeks felt like they were burning as much as his eyes from embarrassment. Myra smirked at him before returning to her seat to give him some space.
"O-okay, I'll...consider it," Rowan replied before coughing to clear his throat.. As soon as he was served his next drink, it was gone the next moment. "You still haven't told me what this has to do with Chloe's… heat. Or what it has to do with me."
"Well that's the crux of the matter, Rowan," Myra explained. "Sydney has had his eyes on her for the past two years. Your species don't exactly have a lot of females, and the few that are around tend to be… demanding when in season."
"Are you saying she's going to jump my literal bone in the future?" Rowan asked, wide eyed.
Myra froze in surprise at his question before breaking into a fit of laughter. Sliding off her seat and onto the floor, the canine struggled to breath between each cackle. Rowan blushed as he realized what he had said, unable to suppress a small chuckle at his own absurdity.
"N-no," Myra snickered as she pulled herself from the floor. "Sorry, I don't think she's going to 'jump your bone' like you so aptly put it," With a deep breath, she forced herself to get back onto track.
"I mean it's not impossible. I know that females of your species are few in number and I've heard they can get aggressive when finding their mates, but I don't think Chloe would ever force herself on you." Myra giggled.
"Then what's the problem?" Rowan asked, cocking his head to the side.
"You! You're the problem!" Myra exclaimed. "Don't you get it? If you don't bed her when the time comes, she's going to think you don't find her attractive or that you don't want her! And who's paws do you think she'll land in if that happens?"
Rowan gulped as his thoughts drifted back to his few interactions with Sydney. In the room, before he knew he was human, Rowan could still feel some animosity emanating from the dark type. He instinctively recoiled at the thought of losing her to someone like that taking Chloe for himself.
"Yeah, and just so you know? I can't stand the bastard," Myra spat without waiting for him to reply. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep him away from her. I can't stand the thought of him ruining Team Union. We've come too far together for him to ruin it all now."
Rowan silently nodded in agreement. While he didn't have any real resentment towards Sydney, he refused to let him have her. After their last interaction, he didn't know if he could stick around in those conditions. Despite this, he still didn't know for sure if Sydney was so horrible.
"Is Sydney really that bad?" Rowan asked. "I still don't know if I have the right…"
"He's single handedly driven off the last few new recruits when they show interest in her, Rowan," Myra growled, slamming her paw on the table. Their glasses clattered around from the impact.. "But you're the first one that she's grown attached to. You're special. I don't want Sydney to ruin this for her."
"Then… There's more at stake than the relationship between me and Chloe isn't there?" Rowan murmured. Myra leaned back, a sullen look on her face.
"That's right," Myra responded quietly. "I don't know why Chloe puts up with him, but I've been getting worried about him taking my friend for some sort of trophy and lording it above everyone."
"I understand," Rowan replied as he took a deep breath. "I can't promise anything but… I'm glad you brought it up to me," Myra smiled in response. "But," he added. "You have to promise to let me go at my own pace. I...I don't want to lose Chloe, much less to him, but I can't just forget about everything and just move on just like that. Please... Just give me some time to think."
"I wouldn't dare ask for anything else," Myra responded.