Beneath the night sky, Alexia looked utterly drained. Jenkins took her by the left hand and helped her onto the unicorn. The petite woman sat sidesaddle on its back, leaning against his chest. Together, surrounded by a swirl of dancing blue light, they gazed up at the exceptionally beautiful moon.
Suddenly, he froze. Jenkins glanced down at the Flesh and Blood Factory cradled in his right hand. As a purple shimr that only a cat could perceive flickered in his eyes, he saw the spectral form of Carl, his hand pressed against the model, laughing aloud.
"Williatte, who said I didn't have another living person to help resurrect? You're the one touching the Flesh and Blood Factory right now, aren't you?"
Flesh-colored tendrils slithered out from the cracks in the factory model and shot into Jenkins's palm. They devoured flesh and soul alike. The instant the tendrils touched Jenkins's soul, a crack appeared on the model's surface. Then, as Alexia watched in shock, it disintegrated into a ssy pile of gore and splintered wood.
"You picked a bad ti to interrupt."
A sword materialized from thin air and plunged into the chest of Carl's spirit. The ghost pointed a finger at Jenkins in astonishnt before the Holy Sword utterly crushed him into nothingness.
He casually tossed the sword aside. True to its nature as a Bestowal, it returned to his spirit the mont it left his hand. Jenkins tucked the fragnts of the factory into his coat pocket, then wrapped his arm around Alexia as she rested against him. They silently watched the vast, star-strewn sky and the two bewitching moons, enveloped by the dancing motes of light.
After a mont, he murmured,
"Tonight..."
Alexia blushed and lowered her head.
"Hathaway and Briny both invited over. What should I do?"
The petite woman jabbed him sharply with the top of her head. Jenkins chuckled and scratched his hair.
Three young won wanted to have a "night talk" with him, creating a scheduling conflict. But the night was long. If Jenkins were a master of "ti managent" and carefully planned his hours until dawn, he wouldn't have to worry—he would just have to face a rather strenuous night.
But he wouldn't dream of it; Jenkins considered that deeply disrespectful to the ladies. So, in a teasing tone, he'd been completely open with Alexia about his dilemma. Having just ascended to an eighth-level demigod, she understood him perfectly, but she wasn't about to let him off the hook so easily.
"It's alright, it's only nine o'clock. If you want to see them, you can go in a little while."
Though he couldn't see her expression, Jenkins could feel her tugging on his sleeve.
"Alright then..."
He did feel he'd been neglecting Alexia lately, and tonight was so important for her. It really wouldn't be right for him to just turn and leave.
"Let's go to my place, then. I have a house in Bel Diran, too."
For a fleeting mont, he was tempted to suggest they stay right there, on the unicorn's back, under the moonlight. But he imdiately realized he wasn't that kind of person—and that doing so would very likely cost him his beloved mount.
"Alright, then. In that case, let have a good look at your... new house."
Her right index finger drew a circle on his chest. Jenkins smiled shyly, then directed the unicorn to carry the two of them—and the cat—down toward the city below.
It was already ten-thirty by the ti he arrived at the Rosalia Inn, where Hathaway and Briny were temporarily staying. Jenkins, holding a bottle of red wine in his right hand, stood at the entrance and observed the building for a mont. He yawned before finally heading inside.
Hathaway's and Briny's rooms were adjacent to each other on the second floor. After climbing the stairs, Jenkins didn't knock on either door. Instead, he gently stroked the cat perched on his shoulder. The cat was already sulking from its "viewing experience" over the last hour and a half, and it didn't respond to his touch as it usually would.
"Chocolate, it's all up to you now."
He gestured for his cat to ow, but the small black-and-white feline just flicked its tail, making no sound.
Jenkins knew his cat was more than intelligent enough to understand his request, so it had to be throwing a tantrum for so reason unknown to him. Given the urgency of the situation, he repeatedly stroked Chocolate's little head, hoping for compliance, but the cat remained resolutely silent.
Seeing that ti was running out and noticing Jenkins's crestfallen expression, the angry cat's heart softened. It rubbed its little head against the side of his face and then let out a gentle cry:
"ow~"
In the quiet inn corridor, the sound was unmistakable. Anyone who wasn't fast asleep would have heard it, even from inside their room. Hathaway and Briny both noticed the ow and imdiately associated it with Jenkins.
In their adjacent rooms, the young won instantly got up, smoothed out their clothes, and waited for a knock. But after a long wait, all that ca was a second ow. Then, they understood.
"My room is right next to Hathaway's/Briny's. If he knocks, she's bound to hear it. That's why he's using Chocolate's ow to let know he's here."
They were both exceptionally sharp. Having pieced it together, they reached for their doors at almost the sa ti to let him in. But Jenkins wasn't standing before either of their doors. He was waiting at the head of the stairs, holding the bottle of red wine.
"I'm going to get a cup of hot tea. Would you like one?"
"Yes, I'd like one too."
The simultaneously opening doors created an awkward mont for them both. Then, they pretended to have just noticed Jenkins standing in the hallway.
Whatever Hathaway and Briny were thinking, the awkward situation was defused. Since they both knew he had arrived, there was no chance of Jenkins spending ti alone with either of them. So, for the rest of the evening, the three of them sat in one room, sipping tea and chatting, just like good friends enjoying a late-night get-together.
"What was that all about, Jenkins?"
When Briny rose to use the washroom, Hathaway finally had a mont to question him. Jenkins told her honestly about Briny's invitation. Hathaway thought for a mont, then decided that he had done the right thing.
"Why don't we just tell Briny about the three of us now?" he suggested gently. "Everything has beco quite clear. I don't think there's any reason to hide it from her anymore."
The whole reason for tonight's awkwardness was that he and Hathaway had never told Briny about their own relationship. Judging by the way things were, keeping it a secret had beco entirely pointless.
Reviews
All reviews (0)