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S3: Chapter 3 – Equal Deals (John)

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius

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Not gonna lie, being pulled into a serious conversation while I was in the middle of doing something important sure feels frustrating.

It was supposed to be a workday, and the kids were at school. Della was with Donald while he had his car checked out by a 'trustworthy' mechanic of the family- no, it wasn't Launchpad. The guy was currently checking on Drake Mallard in regard to a 'full-on Darkwing Duck Marathon' which felt comical, considering there was a single episode and a movie out on the show.

No, I quickly realized these two wanted to test themselves out as buddies.

Still, the current situation I was facing came out of nowhere, but I was able to figure out that Penumbra wasn't asking to talk to me out of interest to distract me, and she didn't sound like she was in a joking mood. I dropped my business back at my little workshop, thinking of returning to it after a tiny break after that conversation, and we walked up to the office room right beside it.

It was just her and I in the room as we took a seat by the table. For some unexplainable but quite perplexing reasons, we were both tense- the air was tense actually.

"So, what's going on?" I asked, "What's made you angry?"

I felt I may appear a bit pushy on this issue, but quickly realized that the 'girl from the moon' was up to no good. Well, not depraved but... yeah, still not good.

"I'm not angry," She remarked forcefully, trying to really 'smile' at this point in an effort to appear 'fine'. "I'm just... curious."

"Aren't we all?" I asked sarcastically, yet sobered up as I saw her smile 'flinch'. "But seriously, drop it. I can tell it's hurting your jaw."

Penumbra picked up what I meant, and her smile turned into a small scowl. "Fine. I am here to make a deal with you."

"...Okay?"

"I suppose Della already told you of the mistaken understanding we had a few days ago."

I leaned back, thinking of anything Della told me about Penumbra. I have to admit that she had been trying to 'force' Penumbra through some conversations, almost like she was trying to imply something, but I had thought she was giddy that her 'moon friend' was opening up to Earth.

"I don't think I do. Trust me, Della has been getting giggly and complimenting you a lot but... yeah, that's all."

Surprise flashed across her face, a 'blush' appearing on her cheeks too. "S-She did?"

"Yes. But I think that's not what you're referring to... right?"

Okay, now I'm lost on what Penumbra was up to. She had been quite distant towards me. Asking questions, but making them sound vague- as if she was really trying to 'study and beat me' or something along those lines. It reminded me of a classic 'love rivalry' anime situation. After seeing so many shows with that premise, one tends to build a 'sixth sense' to this sort of situation.

"N-No, but I am glad she..." Shaking her head, Penumbra appeared serious once more. "What I meant to say is if she told you that she wants us to be close, since she thinks I have a crush on you."

"But you have not," I guessed, her nod confirmed this. "So, what was the main point of that effort to make her understand? What was the truth of what you were telling her?"

Silence fell upon the office, which left me feeling that the answer was quite on the nose. I could have hurled a guess, just like I have already done before in this conversation, but it seemed that Penumbra needed a moment. I could almost see the many thoughts clashing against one another in an effort to conjure something coherent that could adequately explain the situations.

"I like Della."

Three words that mattered, but the weight behind each of them individually and then the elevated value within the combination truly felt like a monumental change within the pace of the talk. I was surprised, not much on the revelation itself but by Penumbra's look as she said that. Drained, tired, and... defeated.

"I really like her. She is such a tough individual and, compared to many individuals I had the chance to meet, she has this... gift in being infuriatingly pleasant. I had so many people back home trying to be friend with me, but none ever went as far as Della did," The Moonlander expanded on her response, providing a lot of feeling to it. "At first it felt unpleasant, then I started to really feel like she was trying to be nice without being too much. And I... I kind of like that. She is tedious, chaotic, and childish in a way that one can help but be-"

"Endeared?"

My interjection was met with a nod and a smile. "She is so unique. And... fragile."

"Not as fragile as you would make her to be, or she used to be like that early on but she is standing on her feet just fine now," I assured, gaining her full attention. "I think I get what you are referring to. You are angry as you can't get those words to her, and, at the same time, you are angry because you know those words, if delivered at the wrong time, can ruin what you two have now."

Surprise flashed on her face once more. "How?"

"I have been in similar relationships before," I replied with a tiny smile. "So... what about the deal? You mentioned one."

Nodding, Penumbra appeared utterly nervous. "I wanted to ask if... you would be fine if I was close to Della... in return of... intimate favors."

...

I closed my eyes, rubbed my chin and shook my head. "Do you think it would work now that we had this conversation?"

"No," She admitted curtly.

"Can you tell me why?"

"Because you are not..." The woman paused, appearing thoughtful for a moment. "You aren't upset about me telling you about my affection, but because of what I am willing to give to have it."

"... I think we can make a deal, since it's clear you could be helpful to Della's mental wellbeing."

Perking at my suggestion, Penumbra tensed up a bit. "How so?"

"Well, we can try and work on this misunderstanding you caused," I explained calmly. "We can say we talked about something I was actually planning to ask you in the future, but I may as well do now: I am trying to find someone that can coach me in doing more physical exercises. Stuff that normally are not common for civilians and, since you are a former soldier, maybe you can help me with that."

She tilted her head to the side. "Why?"

"I am trying to be in top shape when handling someone that had been a foe to the family for years now. He is quite strong and I don't want to be manhandled again."

A slow nod, yet she had more to say.

"And from there, what do we do?"

"Well, I will inform Della that you and I talked as you wanted to clarify the misunderstanding without being a burden to her. And that in truth was about exercising. From there, we can work on a few efforts to see what Della is really up to."

"...What?"

"I don't think she fully missed your original intent," I pointed out, stunning Penumbra with this genuine admission. "Della may be silly at times, but that's a shade of stupidity she is poor at manifesting naturally. Denial is also a thing she is keen to push for when it comes to something or someone she feels worthy about- so, when you're trying to tell her something that would entitle her to love and affection, she-"

"Will see it otherwise because she doesn't feel worthy of it," Penumbra finished for me, piecing all the clues together with ease and... frowning at it. "It would explain why she can be so dense and yet so smart all the time."

I nodded. "It's not a 100% guarantee. I am confident there's more to it. Maybe she's just that dense romantically, but Donald told me that she was quite 'active' during her young adulthood years before she met the triplets' dad."

"I'll… keep that in mind. It's best to not rush things into another misunderstanding."

I beamed at that response. "That's right. Which is why we need to plan this carefully to not put ourselves in a bad spot. I think... you can be a good addition to Della's health. I know this may sound like I am trying to use you, but I think we can both understand and see that it will be a win for all."

"It does feel like you are pushing me into this," Penumbra confessed, yet smiled. "But I can see your point, John. I... I find this refreshing."

"I am glad. I think you can be quite the pleasant listener and talker when you are at ease."

She flashed a small smirk, and then we agreed to talk more through the phone about this to flesh out more of what general points this plan will have to get. And as she left, depriving me of company within my office for a solid four minutes, I was soon grimacing over a notification from the phone from Della.

The message was meant to be happy, but the content left me slightly nervous. Della had been trying to reach out for her parents for a while, and Scrooge had told me that both had gone 'silent' after so long and... that they were now open to speak with their daughter. And me.

This felt like a trap but... I couldn't leave Della alone to deal with it. I just couldn't.

AN

Next time, Quackmore and Hortense appear!