Once again, shout out to Tony from reviews, who pre-read the chapter for you and gave me opinion about it.
"That's it for today," Demeter said, as they finished another lesson. "I have to admit, there is almost nothing left I can teach you at this point. It's remarkable how fast you progressed, Six."
"Thanks for the compliment, but it was born of necessity. You don't survive the Mojave without being either smart or strong, preferably both of them, if I have to be honest," He admitted with a shrug. "So, today's the day of our outing, huh?"
"It is, there is still good two hours left though, before we have to leave for the Hostess of Fertility," She replied, as she stood up and stretched herself a little. "I need to prepare for the evening, but it shouldn't take longer than an hour."
"Works for me, I will just wait here alone. By myself. In this empty room devoid of your warmth," He said with as much drama he could muster, making Demeter giggle.
"With acting like this, I am surprised you haven't joined any acting Familia or something along those lines," She admitted.
"What can I say? I am not much of a people person," He replied with a shrug.
"Is that so? I find it hard to believe," She teased, while the man rolled his eyes behind the helmet. "In either event, please wait for me, while I get myself ready."
"Sure thing," He replied, while the woman nodded, before standing up from her chair and leaving the room. "A date, huh?"
Truth to be told, he really didn't consider it as one, in fact, he didn't want to consider it as one. He liked Demeter thus far, she had proven herself to be reliable individual to say the least. He wasn't stabbed in the back or anything, but he felt no attraction towards the woman, her and the rest of them, not anymore. The Courier sighed, as he recalled two of his companions from the Mojave.
First was Veronica Santangelo, a Brotherhood of Steel scribe, whom he came across at the 188 trading post. She was a fine woman, a brave one too, sadly she swung the other way and was not interested in a relationship. Then, there was Rose of Sharon Cassidy, or Cass to friends. A former merchant with a grudge and alcohol problem. Still smoking hot at the age of 37, if Fiends and the Kings had a say about it. He missed those two, even if they didn't miss him, same with the rest of his companions.
"I guess I need to get ready myself," He realized.
As much as he hated to dress up for any events, preferring his armour instead, he was forced to blend in on an occasion. So, without further ado, the Courier brought up the pip-boy to his arm and began searching for something suitable. He needed something snazzy for his alien charm, no? Still, he didn't have that many outfits that could be taken on an outing like this, did he?
"Okay, let's see, there has to be something that doesn't look like it has been run over by a pack of Brahmin," He said, as he browsed through his entire inventory. "Dean's tuxedo? No. Benny's suit? No, that's a crime against fashion. Maybe… huh, this one might work, dapper gambler suit."
With a press of a few buttons, the Courier's armour was replaced by a brown suit with an open jacket, beige sweater vest and a long bow-tie. However, he still kept a pair of plain white gloves from one of the Ultra Luxe outfits, thus hiding his hands from sight. That only left his ugly mug, which he needed to consider as well. As much as he wanted to simply keep the helmet on, it really didn't fit with the suit, at all.
He began by atomizing the helmet and snipping out a pair of authority glasses. He then broke the frames, leaving only the glass intact, which he saved for later. Next was the hat, he needed something that covered as much of his head as possible, making him settle for explorer's hood. Last, but not least was the White Glove Society's mask, which was similar to a mannequin. He combined it with lenses of the authority glasses he broke using a bit of a wonderglue and hiding his glowing green eyes from sight.
It wasn't a perfect disguise and he would be forced to take off his mask in order to eat or at least move it a little, but a clever placement of the table would probably do the trick. All he had to was freshen up a little and he was good to go. Though, a boost to his charisma wouldn't hurt either now that he thought of it.
Now, what should he use for an outing like this? Alcohol? Scotch was his liquor of choice, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to down a whole bottle just for it. Then again, the only other thing that came close was Party Time Mentats and he was sick of all types of mentats after the last few weeks of taking them. Therefore, Scotch it was. He swiftly de-atomized the bottle, raised his mask with his left hand and downed the whole bottle in one go. Almost immediately he could feel the buzz, as he felt his body relax, the world not seeming so bad all of a sudden.
After that, it didn't take too long, before there was a knock on door. "Six, I am ready, may I come in?"
"Go ahead," He said and stood up. At the same time, the woman opened the room, revealing a brand new dress with darker edges and a pair of white gloves. "Well, I will be, that's quite a pretty dress on a pretty woman if you ask me."
"Why, thank you, Six. You look charming yourself, I almost didn't recognize you," She admitted, as she took in the new look.
"What can I say, outing or not, gotta put at least some effort into my appearance. Now then, shall we go, Miss Demeter?" He asked with a bit of theatrical bow.
"Follow me, Six," Demeter ordered, while the Courier followed behind her.
As the duo began walking, the Courier made sure to stick by Demeter's right side, if slightly behind, allowing her to lead him through the maze that was the city itself. Even during the night, it was still beautiful, the traffic far less cumbersome than during the day. Every now and then, he would see some people glancing towards them, mostly Demeter, but neither of them seemed to be interested in a simple robbery.
At the same time Demeter, could feel herself feel a bit giddy, she was going out with mortal man on an 'outing'. It was a shame, he didn't consider it a date, but what could you do. Besides, just these few weeks she had experienced more than she had for the past century or so. Finally, after what seemed like a fifteen minute walk, they arrived at their destination. The structure itself was a two-story building made of stone. The front entrance was guarded by a set of double doors with wood carvings decorating the frame. Overall, the structure was impressive, but it paled in comparison to the Tops or even Ultra-Luxe.
As he walked inside he could see dozens of adventurers drinking away their worries, enjoying their meals and talking among each other. The waitresses of different races were attending to the guests, making everyone seem welcome. Their outfits were simple, yet elegant, as each one consisted of a simple white blouse and a leaf-coloured knee-length long skirt. Said skirts waved around, as each waitress moved around delivering food and drinks to their patrons. Their cute half approns only added to the charm, giving them a sence of innocence one couldn't find often in the Mojave. As they walked among the guests, their brown shoes deftly avoided hitting any obstacle, their black leggings providing another layer of eye candy for the patrons.
Among the waitresses, one of them seemed to be quite cheerful, if her demeanour had anything to say about her. As she walked to one of the tables and took order, holding a wooden tray to her chest, her bluish, grey hair tied into a small knot in a ponytail style. He watched as her eyes of the same colour looked right at the customers, a certain type of warmth visible in them.
He even noticed as some of the customers took glances at the light peachy coloured smooth skin that their modest uniforms would allow to show, but none of them tried anything funny for some reason. Oddly enough, it seemed like she was one of the only two humans currently employed by the inn. The only other human person currently attending one of the tables was the one he recognized, Lunoire Faust, if he recalled correctly. She glanced in their direction, smiled, nodded and returned to the other customers.
Another member of the group was similar to the elves he had seen thus far, as she also had a pair of pointy ears, just like some of her kind he had seen so far. However, that was where similarities ended. The girl had green hair, reaching down to her shoulders, which did little to cover a pair of beautiful sky blue eyes. As she took the order from one of the tables, the customers could not help but look at the fair skinned maiden, gawking visibly at her unblemished beauty.
In fact, the girl was so beautiful, the Courier would struggle to find anyone comparable back in his world. Not even the beautiful Joanna could hold a candle to the elf, something he found rather amusing all things considered. He glanced at Demeter, who seemed to be pouting, probably due to his gaze staying at the elf for a bit longer than she wanted.
"Jealous much?" He whispered to the woman.
"As if," She protested, as she straightened her posture, making her chest bounce in the process.
"Sure, sure, let's just get a table," Courier said, as he looked up once again.
The two remaining waitresses were both cat girls, as evidenced by a pair of fluffy ears and a tail coming from an area where humans possessed the tail bone. One of the girls was slightly taller than the other, her black hair reaching to her shoulders, while the second one had brown hair of the same length. However, the two girls looked completely different, as the taller girl had vibrant green eyes, while the shorter of the two had eyes of a chestnut brown colour.
His entrance did not go unnoticed, as the adventurers looked at him with curiosity, before returning to their tables. At least, when it came to him, that is. More than a few men kept their gaze on Demeter a bit longer than average, before they returned back to their meals.
"Come, Six," Demeter said, as she led him to the main counter.
Walking up to it, he noticed what he presumed was the owner of the establishment, judging by her general physique, which would make a bodybuilder proud. Just like he expected, she seemed like an experienced and poweful individual, her sharp eyes scanning the guests all the time.
In fact, now that he thought of it, all the waitresses moved differently from the ones in the Mojave. The ones in the Mojave tended to move their hips, give you a smile, fix their hair to make them seem more attractive. However, the women working here seemed more focused on their work. They also were more graceful than an average waitress he was familiar with. A Falna perhaps? He could not tell for certain.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here, Demeter and her new boyfriend?" The owner asked.
"It's good to see you too, Mia, but no, he is not my boyfriend, yet, Mia," Demeter said with a teasing smile.
"Hah, it's only a matter of time, knowing you," Mia said, as she turned towards him. "What about you? Did a cat get your tongue?"
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but we are just keeping it friendly," He replied with a smirk of his own, even if it couldn't be seen.
"Hah, I doubt it. Now, what can I get you?" She asked.
"A table for two, preferably in a corner," Demeter said.
"Coming right up, Lunoire lead them to the table for two in the corner," Mia ordered.
"Coming," Lunoire said, as she led them to the table and put two menus in front of them. "It's good to see you again here, Lady Demeter, Mister Six."
"It's good to see you too, Lunoire," Demeter said.
"Likewise, Miss Faust. So, what can you recommend to two hungry travellers?" Six asked, while Lunoire smiled.
"Let's see…," Lunoire said and began listing a few recommendations of her own. "That reminds me, Mr Six, Miss Mia heard of your cooking skills from me and wants to see you in action."
"I see, please let Miss Grand now, that I will come by and show her some of those cooking skills when I get a chance," He said.
"I will let her know. Now, what are your orders?" Lunoire asked.
"I will have a salad with salmon and a cup of tea," Demeter replied.
"As for me, I would like a bowl of spaghetti and water," Courier added.
"Coming right up," Lunoire said, as she went up to the bar to get the order.
While the Courier and Demeter waited for their food to arrive, the other human waitress, the one with short gray hair was going around taking order only to immediately pause. Her attention was fully focused on him for some reason. The Courier blinked, looked around, titled his head to the side, before waving at her. That got the girl out of her stupor, as she blushed, before running to the bar with a fresh set of orders. I wonder what that was all about?
"Something wrong, Six?" Demeter asked.
"Nah, nothing important," He said, as he turned towards his companions. "So, Miss Demeter, while we wait for the food to arrive, what can you tell me about this place and it's employees."
"Why, did one of the waitresses catch your eye, Six?" She teased, while the man snorted.
"Oh please, if any of them saw my ugly mug, they would probably run away screaming," He joked, while Demeter chuckled.
"Aren't you a bit harsh on yourself, Six? I know what you told me, but I find it hard to believe, such a charming individual would not be good looking," She asked with a teasing smile.
"Hardly at all. I am just being objective, not much of a looker nowadays, courtesy of all my wild adventurers," He replied.
"Well, that's a possibility, but you would be surprised. Mia and everyone else often deals with adventurers, so I am sure they would be more forgiving to your appearance than most," She admitted. "And you still haven't answered my question."
"Well, I won't deny there is a quite a lot of eye candy here," He admitted as he turned towards her. "I may enjoy the sight of pretty maids and such, but you won't find me asking any of them on date."
"Why not?" She asked, while the Courier hummed in response.
"Why? It's rather simple. I simply don't care anymore," He replied, being truthful for once. "Care for a little bit of a story from my past?"
"Always," She replied, her curiosity piqued.
"See, when I was a still a young buck, about twenty, give or take. I had this girl, I thought she was the sweetest thing in the whole world, that we could handle everything they could throw at us, as long as we had each other, or rather, that's what I thought," He began and let out a tired sigh.
"Don't tell me, something happened to her?" Demeter guessed, while the Courier chuckled and shook his head.
"I wish it was that simple. One day, I was staying at work longer than usual. When I was coming back, I noticed her standing in front of restaurant I was familiar with. At first, I wanted to come and say hi, but something stopped me and I am glad it did. Moments later, a guy came along and the smile she gave him… She has never smiled like this for me," He continued.
"Mr Six, I…," Demeter began, not sure what to say, but she already knew where this story was headed.
"I won't go into too much detail, but the long story short, she cheated on me. I did my best and she cheated on me. I couldn't understand why, what did I do wrong, why would she do that?" He continued. "Then, as things weren't bad enough, she said she was pregnant. I knew it wasn't mine, why? Because I spent most of my time prior to that at work and she always found an excuse to not become intimate with me."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Six, but… Wait, don't tell me, the reason you aren't interested in me or anyone else is…?" She realized.
"Because of her, mostly. Some other things also happened, which didn't help and me digging into this rabbit hole didn't help either," He replied.
If there was anything he learned from Esther Vilar and her book 'The Manipulated Man' was that the men were 'trained and conditioned by women, not unlike the way Pavlov conditioned his dogs, into becoming their slaves'. The book he was referring to was an old one, made over two hundred years before the Great War and yet, it still remained accurate to this day.
"Anyway, I confronted her, told her I knew she was cheating. She shifted all the blame onto me, wanted to avoid all accountability. When that didn't work, she called the law and guess what? I was forced to run. I knew that if I stayed, I would be jailed, so I ran. She then took everything from me. The money I had saved up? Gone. My house? Gone. And she still wanted more, so I ran, until I came across a courier job and the rest is history," He finished his tale, while Demeter tried to process it.
She had seen plenty of romance in her life, she had seen both sexes cheat on each other from heavens, but to simply use someone and then discard them like this? It hurt more than it should. The worst part of it all? The Courier was brutally honest for once, he didn't tell her all the details, but he didn't lie either. As a goddess, she had seen this story happen more than once and she really wished, they didn't happen, but there was nothing she could about it.
"… Do you hate women, Six?" Demeter asked.
"No, I don't, why would I?" He replied, while Demeter blinked at him. "Make no mistake, I refuse to be locked in a law binding agreement of marriage or be suckered in by a pretty face, but I don't hate women. In fact, I still love women, physically at least. But… I just can't bring myself to fall in love ever again, regardless of who they may be."
"I… words may not mean much to you, but… For what it is worth, I am sorry you had to go through this," She said.
"Thanks for the kind words. Now, I hope you will understand, why I kept things professional between us, even if I joked a little here and there," He replied. "And besides, you are alright in my book, Miss Demeter."
Demeter smiled in response. "Thank you, Six. I appreciate it."
"You're welcome," He replied, just in time for their food to arrive.
"Here you go," Lunoire said, as she glanced between them, a bit of frown forming on her face. "Did something happen while I was away?"
"Nothing serious, Lunoire. Six here just shared a bit of a story with me and I got touched by it," Demeter replied. "Don't worry, he didn't do anything unsavoury, I assure you."
"I see, in that case, enjoy your meal," Lunoire said, as she went towards other customers.
"Bon Apetit," Six said, as the duo began eating their own meals.
"Bon Apetit," Demeter added, as she picked up her utensils.
There was only one small problem, his ugly mug, which he had to work around. He did it by scooping up some spaghetti onto the fork, lifting his mask with his left hand, while keeping his mouth obscured from the view. This allowed him to guide a fork full of spaghetti to it's destination, a bite of some of the most savoury spaghetti he had ever ate making itself known to his taste buds.
"Well, I have to admit, this place definitely deserves it's reputation, best food I hav eaten in a long while," He commended the food.
"Glad to hear it," She replied, as she took a bite of her own from the fish. "Have a nice meal."
"Have a nice meal as well," He added, as the duo dug into their respective dishes.
Every now and then, Demeter glanced at the Courier's face to see what hid beneath the mask, but the man was good and ate in such a way, he prevented her from seeing anything. A shame really, but she could deal with that. Still, as much as she wanted to focus on the meal, she found herself distracted by the story the Courier shared with her, making her pause in the middle of the meal.
"Six, I know it may not count for much, but… Orario is different. The things you went through… they don't happen here," Demeter began.
"Maybe you are right, maybe you aren't. But do you truly expect me to believe you just like that? That I can simply entrust my feelings, my dignity, my 'heart' to another, only to have it broken again and discarded without a thought?" He pointed out.
"No, I don't. I understand that you will have a hard time believing me. However, I hope, no, pray that one day, you will somebody that will love for who you are, not for what you provide," She said earnestly, like a dotting mother caring for her child. "I want you to be happy, Six, I want all my children to be happy as well."
"… You're a good person, Miss Demeter, you know that?" He admitted with a smile. "I wish I had met you earlier."
"Me too, Six, me too…," She admitted, the two falling into silence.
"Hey, Mia, we are back!" A newcomer said, as she entered the restaurant.
"Who is that?" Courier asked, his attention switched to a group of individuals arriving at the restaurant.
"Loki and her Familia, they are one of the best exploration class Familias in the whole city, with some exceptional individuals of levels 5 and above, such as Finn and Riveria," She explained.
"So, they are big shots in the city, huh?" Courier asked, while Demeter nodded.
"Pretty much, they are not as powerful as Freya Familia, but they are close second," She explained, while the group of the newcomers made themselves comfortable.
"Huh, good to know," He said, while one of the members of the new group, suddenly stood up and began yelling out loud.
"Hey, Ais, remember what happened in the Dungeon? You know the one! About those Minotaurs that ran away on the way back! Remember, ye finished off the last one on the fifth floor? And then, ya know, the Tomato Boy!" The guy with wolf features said. "Got himself cornered like a Lil' bunny! Shakin' like one too! I almost couldn't bear to watch! He took the full blast of that stinky cow's blood, and got soaked. Looked like a bright-red tomato! So, Tomato Boy! Gya-ha-ha-ha – Ow, my ribs…!"
"Bete…," The small guy with blonde hair said.
"And get this! Tomato Boy, he ran away screaming his head off! Geeh! Our princess rescues an idiot and he buggers off!" He continued, the crowd laughing, while the Courier snorted at the vision of that. "Can someone be more pathetic?"
"I think it was natural under those circumstances," The blonde girl said.
"Cut it out, Bete," The elf woman with green hair chided the werewolf. "It was our mistake in the first place that those minotaurs escaped from the 17th floor. Learn your place."
"What's wrong with calling trash what it is? Ais, what do you think? For example, if you had to choose between me and that tomato brat, who would you pick?" Bete asked.
"Bete, you're wasted," The tiny guy said.
"I asked you a question! If he confessed to you, would you accept it? No way in hell, right? He's just some lousy little peon much weaker than you! He's got no right to even stand next to you. You should acknowledge that yourself! Some peon wouldn't match you, Aiz Wallenstein!" Bete basically yelled out.
However, not everyone seemed to be sharing the werewolf's joy of laughing at somebody, as a boy with a mop of white hair and red eyes suddenly stood up and ran away from the restaurant. The Courier's eyes snapped to the figure, as he trailed the boy as he ran. White hair, red eyes… oh yeah, he met that guy a while back, when he first arrived. He ran away screaming too. Seemed like the boy was a bit of a coward, if he got scared easily, definitely would not last long in the Mojave, that much he could tell.
"Bell!" The human waitress with silver hair said, as she ran after the boy.
"You know what you get if you cause trouble in Mama Mia's pub!" The woman with red hair and flat chest said.
"Oh my, that's a bad idea," Demeter said, making the Courier turn towards her.
"What do you mean by that?" He asked.
"The boy is going to wash dishes until he pays off his debt AFTER Mia makes him understand why it was a bad idea to 'Dine and Dash' at her establishment," She explained with a sigh.
"Eh, as long as she doesn't kill him or cripple him for life, he should be fine," Courier replied with a shrug.
"Speaking from experience?" Demeter asked.
"More or less," He admitted, while the duo resumed eating their respective meals.
The duo was enjoying their meals, about to finish them, when the Courier noticed a certain red haired woman glancing at them. If he recalled correctly, her name was Loki and she was the leader of the rowdy group that entered not so long ago. However, she didn't seem satisfied with just looking, as a rather mischievous grin was formed on her face. She stood up from her seat and with confidence walked up to them.
"Ho, what do we have here, it's been a long time, Demeter," The red haired woman said, as she walked up to the duo. "And who's that, your new member or perhaps a boyfriend?"
"Loki, it's good to see you too," Demeter said, as she stood up and greeted the other woman. "What, are you perhaps jealous?"
"Me? Nah, I got my eyes set on my precious Ais," Loki said, while wiggling her eyebrows.
"Try anything and I will cut you down," The blonde warned.
"Gah, still as unreachable as ever. So, Demeter, care to introduce me?" Loki asked, while Courier stood up in the meantime.
"Six, Courier Six, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Loki," He replied and extended his hand towards her.
"The pleasure is mine, big guy!" Loki replied and returned the handshake. "Say, you look quite strong, care to join my Familia?"
"Loki!" Demeter protested with a pout.
"What, you can't expect me not to do that, can you?" Loki pointed out. "So, what do you say?"
"Unfortunately, Miss Loki, I have made a deal with Miss Demeter and I am not allowed to join yours or any other Familia," He replied, which caused Loki to click her tongue.
"She already caught you, didn't she? Damn, just my luck," Loki complained.
"It seems so. For what it is worth, if you need some work done, I am available," He replied, which caused the goddess' eyes to glint.
"Oh, you allow members of your Familia to help others, just like that, Demeter?" Loki asked.
"No, I don't, don't get your hopes up too much, Loki. It's a part of an agreement between just the two of us," She replied.
"Huh, didn't expect that to be the case. How did you even pull that off?" Loki asked.
"What can I say? I can be quite persuasive individual, when push comes to shove," He replied.
"Really? Then, can you convince Ais to sleep with me?" Loki asked, only for a fist of the blonde she mentioned to strike her down. "That hurt! Ais!"
"… You deserved it," She replied, as she sat back at the table.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me, care to introduce yourself to my Familia, Six?" Loki asked, while the Courier glanced at Demeter, who simply sighed and nodded.
"Sure, why not?" He replied, while the goddess grinned and led him to her table.
"Everyone, Courier Six, Six, everyone," Loki announced, while everyone turned towards him. "You have already met Ais, Six. That's the beauty over there, she is mine though, so don't get any ideas."
"… Welcome," The girl said.
"I am Finn, the captain of Loki Familia. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Six," The small guy introduced himself, as he stood up and offered his hand.
"The pleasure is mine," He replied and returned the handshake.
"Riviera Ljos Alf," The elf woman with green hair introduced herself with slight bow, while the Courier tipped his hood at her.
"I am Tiona and this is my sister Tione!" The Amazon with a smaller chest exclaimed.
"It's nice to meet your, Mister Six," The other woman added.
"The pleasure is mine," Courier replied, as he turned towards the asshole from before.
"Bete, you worthless sack of flesh," The guy with wolf features said.
"Says an overgrown pup with anger issues," Courier countered.
"HUH?! What did you say to me, you dipshit?" Bete growled, as he got straight into the Courier's face.
"You heard me, mutt," Courier replied, their forehead touching, while lighting zapped between their eyes.
"Bete, that's enough," Finn said, while werewolf tsked, before sitting down, while glaring daggers at the Courier. "I apologize for Bete's behaviour, he can be too direct for his own good."
"That's one way of putting it," Courier agreed, when the elf with long orange hair stood up.
"Lefiya Viridis," She said, if a bit too quiet.
"Nice to meet you, kid," Six said.
"Kid?" She protested, before the dwarf stood up.
"Gareth, Gareth Landrock," He introduced himself and extended his hands towards Six.
"Six, Courier Six," Courier replied and returned the handshake, only to feel the pressure increasing, as if testing him. Not wanting to be left behind, he began applying more strength to his grip, while dwarf raised his eyebrow, before they both stopped at the same time.
"Now that's what I call handshake. Not bad, definitely above level one, if you ask me," Gareth admitted. "You seem like a strong fellow, Six."
"That's my line. You have got one hell of grip, Gareth," Courier said, while the dwarf laughed jovially.
"Hah! I like you already," Gareth said, before sitting down. "Say, would be interested in an arm-wrestling contest?"
"Only if the next rounds of drinks is on you," Courier said, while the dwarf laughed once again.
"Sure, I won't even charge you if you lose, it wouldn't be fair otherwise," He said.
"Works for me," Courier said, as he sat down opposite of the dwarf and placed his hand on the table. "Shall we?"
"With pleasure," He replied and placed his own arm at the table, before the two locked them in place.
"Oi! You there, if you break the table, I am charging you extra!" The owner of the establishment said, while Loki sweat dropped.
"You know, as much as I want to see Gareth demolish Six, I would rather not have Mia be angry at me," Loki said, the two males nodding in agreement, before they let go.
"Next time?" Courier suggested.
"Next time," Gareth agreed.
"That reminds me, it's rude to not show your face of, Six, you know?" Loki pointed out.
"I look like shit," He countered.
"Come on, it can't be that bad," She asked, as she tried to reach for his mask, while the Courier kept her away with his one arm.
"Okay then, I am really fucking ugly nowadays," He added.
"Pretty please?" Loki begged.
"No, the mask stays on. The mask stays on during sex," He said, making goddess blink.
"… Sex?" Ais asked innocently, while Riveria placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder and shook her head.
"Ignore it, it's not important," Riveria said, Lefiya blushed and the two Amazons laughed weakly.
"Really? Buuu, you are no fun, Six," Loki protested with a pout, her eyes opening for once, as she measured the man up and down. "Or… maybe, it's just an excuse."
"What do you mean by that?" He probed, not really sure what the woman was getting at.
"I bet you just want to keep that air of mystery and be seen like that brooding loner, who doesn't trust anyone!" She exclaimed, while the Courier blinked in confusion.
"Brooding… loner?" He asked.
"Oh, you know, guys that are like: "I grew up in the streets, no valis to my name, I was forced to survive, to adapt." And then he tells everyone all about his tragic past, acts like he doesn't care, but still works with a group of friends that randomly picked him up in a tavern," She explained.
"… I have got no idea what the hell are you talking about," He admitted.
"Huh, so, you aren't acting all dark and mysterious, hiding your face, because you want be seen as cool and such?" She asked.
"Why the hell would I do that? That sounds stupid," He replied, not able to follow the train of thought of the woman.
"Depends on who you ask, so, why do you even keep that mask on?" She asked.
"Didn't I tell you? I am really not that much of a looker," He said.
"Well yeah, but what's the real reason, you can't expect me to believe that?" She pointed out, while the Courier groaned in exasperation.
"Okay, fine, I will prove it to you, just a little bit. Hey, Demeter, back me up on this one. When I met that elf lady at the entrance, she was freaked out by how bad I looked and that's without seeing my face," He said.
"Really?" Loki asked, while Demeter nodded.
"It's true, though I won't give any details to you, Loki," Demeter said, as she walked up to Mia to pay for their meals in the meantime.
"Prove it," Loki said, as she pointed a finger at him.
"… Alright, fine, take a look at my hand," He said, as he took off the glove on his right hand.
"Your haaa…. EEEEKK!" Loki exclaimed, making everyone turned towards them, as the Courier wiggled his fingers, which looked almost like beef jerky, same as the rest of his body.
"Not a pleasant sight, no?" He pointed out and put the glove back on.
"What happened to you hand?" Loki asked, only to pause. "Wait, don't tell me…"
"Have you ever seen a beef jerky? Yeah? Then imagine a human made of one, but covered in scars," He explained, while Loki suddenly turned green, some of the adventurers also looking a bit sick, including the owner and the waitresses.
"Hey! You are making my customers feel bad with that," Mia pointed out.
"Sorry, my bad, but that one is on her," He protested.
"Loki, I am charging you extra for being a nuisance to me and my customers," Mia decided.
"Gah, don't be like that, Mia!" Loki protested, but a simple glare from the other woman, made her nod in dejection. "Fine, my bad. But, still, I have to know. How did that happen?"
"Loki…," Finn began.
"Wouldn't you like to know? Anyway, as much as I want to stay here and chat, there are things I would rather do instead. So, Loki Familia, have a nice day. Let's go, Demeter," He said, the duo exiting the premise of the restaurant.
"Was it really necessary to be so nosy, Loki?" Riveria asked.
"Don't be like that, Riveria. That Courier Six fellow is way too interesting for me to ignore, strong too. After all, he caught the attention of Demeter and I couldn't let go of an opportunity like this. How do you rate him, Gareth?" Loki asked.
"Hmm… hard to say. Definitely above level 1, seems experienced too and has got a good grip," He replied.
"That asshole? I doubt he is strong at all, just acts all high and mighty," Bete added.
"Aren't you talking about yourself now, Bete?" Tiona pointed out with a grin, while the boy glared at her in response.
"If he was a level two or above, wouldn't we have at least heard about him?" Finn pointed out.
"Maybe it recently happened, for instance, after the last Denatus. That or he was level two already and Demeter merely got her grubby hands on him. At least, Freya didn't get her dibs on him," Loki replied, with a grumble. "Oh well, I am sure he will change his mind sooner rather than later. Fellows like him, don't strike me as those, who love to plough fields their entire lives."
"You sound confident about that, Goddess," Finn pointed out.
"Well, I did gather you all, so maybe I have got talent for finding talented people, don't?" She said with a laugh, as she tried to grope Ais again, only to be kicked in shin again. "Owie! Ais!"
"… I will strike you down," The blonde said, while everyone laughed at their goddess expanse.
"Dear lord, you weren't kidding when you mentioned all those Familia leaders," Six said, the duo slowly heading back towards the manor.
"I told you so. Still, you did great job back then, making Loki work for that tiny bit of information about you," Demeter said.
"I won't deny that, so, don't you have any questions of your own, Demeter?" He asked.
"Of course I do, it's obvious at this point, isn't it?" She pointed out.
"That it is, so, what can I tell you?" He asked.
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to you, Mister Six?" She asked.
"Life happened, Mojave happened, plenty of it too. Basically, I have got a bit of a knack, when it comes to getting into trouble, which hasn't killed me thus far," He admitted.
"But, what about your skin condition?" She pointed out.
"It's just a side effect of certain condition of mine. Don't worry, it's not contagious, you are not going to lose any of your pretty hair, by simply sitting next to me or lose your looks for that matter," He said, while Demeter's hand reached for her hair, glad she wasn't going to become bald. "So, yeah, that's why I tend to keep my ugly mug hidden. No need to scare everybody, eh?"
"That's… reasonable. For what it is worth, I am sorry you had to go through so many difficulties, which led to this point," She said, while the Courier smiled a little.
"Why, thank you for sympathy, but since I am the only one responsible for the horrible life choices I have made, there is no need to apologize," He said.
While the duo were walking, Demeter couldn't help but wonder what kind of life did the Courier live to end looking so horribly scared. Her first thought was that the man was set on fire, which resulted in the horrible look of his skin. However, the type of damage sustained by fire was different from the condition of the man's skin.
"Cap for your thoughts?" Courier asked, making Demeter blink.
"I am sorry, I got lost in my own thoughts," She admitted. "What was the question?"
"You seem to be thinking about something, quite intensely too, does it have something to do with my ugly mug?" Courier asked.
"… It does. Does it hurt?" She asked, her attention focused on the man's glasses, which now that she took a closer look, seemed to be glowing just a tiny bit.
"Nah, not really, got used to it over the years, I guess. It's not as bad as it makes me look," He replied. "So, a question of my own, was it really that bad? I mean, haven't you seen any burn victims in your life or something similar?"
"I won't deny that, but even then, your current state is different from any of the injuries I have seen in my entire life," She admitted.
"As someone with medical training, I can see why," He admitted.
"You have got medical training? You can treat wounds?" She grabbed onto that topic like her life depended on it. She didn't want Six to think lowly of her, simply because she found his injuries disturbing.
"Well yeah, I mean, I have got plenty of scars, had to mend my wounds more than once. It comes with the job description," He replied.
"Being a courier involves life-threatening injuries?" She pointed out.
"Where I come from? Definitely. It's a harsh job, a dangerous one, but it pays well. Though, plenty of couriers lost their lives delivering wrong packages, getting tangled up with wrong people or just being eaten by the wildlife," He admitted with a shrug. "You could say, the average life expectancy is quite low because of that, but apparently I am one of the lucky ones."
"Was it really necessary to work such a job? Couldn't you have picked up something less dangerous?" She pointed out, only to pause. "Wait, is it all because…?"
"Of that girl? My ex? Sort of. She didn't cause any of it, but she set me on this path of mine. Funny thing is, if I had been Courier five or any other number besides Six, I probably would have been just a random nobody in the Mojave, one of many," He replied.
"Would you? Really? With your 'knack for trouble', I doubt you would have stayed as a random nobody for long," She said, while the Courier chuckled.
"Guess I wouldn't," He agreed for once, before they ended up in front of the manor. "This is it. Thank you for today, Miss Demeter. I enjoyed our little outing quite a bit."
"The feeling is mutual, Six," She said with smile and then spread her arms wide open. "Hug?"
"… Just this once and only because you asked, okay?" He replied.
In response, Demeter smiled, before she went for the hug, embracing the man with her entire mortal strength, while the Courier returned the hug, if more cordially, settling for more of a pat. The two stayed like this for a moment, before Demeter split away from him.
"There, that makes it up for meeting Loki today," Demeter said with a giggle.
"Glad to hear it. However, don't expect me to give you hugs all the time. I am not your little teddy bear, that title goes to Dala," He replied.
"Dala? A friend of yours?" She asked, both curiosity and jealousy flaring up a bit inside the goddess.
"More of a… colleague in best case scenario," He admitted.
"Now you are just making me more curious, Six," Demeter said.
"Well, that's my speciality. But not today, Demeter," He said.
"Alright then, I will see you tomorrow, Six. Have a good night," She said.
"You too, Demeter," He replied, as the woman smiled, turned around and left. Just in time, as he could feel the buzz leaving his body. "Well, not bad for an outing."
He wouldn't be surprised, if Demeter decided to cash in her chips and make him work for all the kindness she had shown him thus far. Good thing too, he was getting bored already from all the studying, his body craved action and adrenaline, which hopefully would be provided sooner rather than later.
Bit of a bad news, I will be busy, so don't expect a new chapter anytime soon. Maybe 1 before the end of this year. Other than that, I hope you are enjoying this rework of mine.