[DCI] Chapter 83 - The Struggles of a Healthy Relationship (Patreon)

We made our way back to the car and hopped inside in a similar arrangement. The girls fastened their seat belts and were ready to go. Resting my arm on the backrest, I glanced into the back of the vehicle.

“So, what plans have you girls made for this outing?” I asked with a faint smirk.

Aisha hummed thoughtfully while stroking her chin. “We had quite a nice meal with J, but you know what, I kind of crave a little dessert with how hot it is outside. And I know just the place—”

“Nope.” I raised my hands and dropped them onto the steering wheel, turning the ignition on. “Pick anything else.”

My draconic mate whimpered with a fairly overdone pout. “Luuuuuuuuuucas… I heard they have amazing chilled drinks…”

“At this pace, you’ll end up on the ban list and never get to try them,” I replied. “We can always order takeouts through the System. Any other ideas?”

She tried hitting me with the pleading doe eyes but that wasn’t something I would be willing to compromise on.

“What’s this about?” Shuri glanced at Levia.

“The female Lucas has been with before meeting us, and who left him for a wealthier male, works at a food place nearby, where I believe Aisha already took him to with the intention of making her realize how big of a mistake that was,” the calm Witch explained, then let out a tiny sigh. “She insists on stopping by at every occasion to ridicule further her ability to judge the character of men.”

“Are you stupid?” The oni’s brows rose in mild surprise as she gaped at the drakan. “That would obviously make him uncomfortable! Did you ever think about how he might feel? Or is all you think about yourself and how to boast to others just how much better you are?”

“Watch it, princess.” Aisha let out a quiet growl, glaring back at her. “She treated Lucas like a thing, like her own source of money. She deserves to regret her life choices forever.”

“She doesn’t matter!” The Armorer threw her arms into the air. “She’s a thing of the past so leave it in the past! Why do you care more about how she feels than how your… partner… does? His happiness should be the only thing on your mind!”

It seemed that Shuri was starting to connect and acknowledge the dots by this point. Judging by the peeks she took at me through the rearview mirrors, she understood that there was something deeper there but she was unsure how to properly name it without accidentally offending or hurting anyone.

What a thoughtful girl. Perhaps it should be expected from someone brought up by royalty.

My crimson-haired partner kept glowering at her for a while longer before directing her face ahead and crossing her arms under her breasts. “Obviously, I care about Lucas the most…”

“Do you?” The short lady continued to question her. “Then stop trying to take revenge in his name and do things that actually matter to him. Or do you think he is incapable of standing up for himself? Do drakan women get off to weaker men they can protect and coddle? Is he just a pet to you that you can drag around and make insignificant females jealous about?”

Aisha grumbled something under her breath, surprisingly choosing not to bite back openly, and looked out of the window.

“Selfish bitch…” Shuri cursed and gazed outside too, in the opposite direction.

I didn’t remember a day with a more charged atmosphere than right now. You could literally see sparks fly through the air as the heavy silence descended upon the car. They were at each other’s throats so hard it had been almost impossible to interject. 

I knew I had to say something to try and fix the ruined mood, but my head was empty. All I could do was reach out and gently squeeze Aisha’s thigh. She glanced at me briefly, and I expected her to glare at me angrily too, but in the second I got to stare into her fierce eyes before they escaped again, all I could find was a tinge of worry and uncertainty.

Thankfully, the smartest one of us saved me. “Since the weather is so nice today, perhaps we should start with a visit to one of the parks you have mentioned in the past?”

“Yeah.” I nodded and patted Aisha’s thigh some more. “We could grab some ice cream and go for a little stroll.”

Moving out of the parking spot, I took us on the road and turned the radio on to fill in the tense silence their brief argument had created. I couldn’t imagine how things would have looked if we chose the Crusader instead and they turned out to be as Aisha depicted them. But, conflicts were a natural part of relationships, including those between friends and nothing more. Hopefully, we would be able to find a common tongue before the next Assignment.

And if that didn’t happen, I guess I would need to finally channel my inner Overlord and mediate everything with a strong arm. Everyone’s safety was my priority. I couldn’t have the girls harboring grudges in the Dungeon.

We drove without exchanging any more words, which wasn’t surprising. My eyes kept jumping to the upset girls, and I was fairly sure I caught Shuri checking on me too, but she turned to her window each time our gazes almost met, looking slightly uncomfortable. The only solace I could find was Levia, who offered me a delicate, reassuring smile that seemed to gently tell me that everything would be okay.

Well, not the best start to our first triple date as Aisha would call it, but it wasn’t unsalvageable.

The park I had in mind wasn’t far so it took us only half an hour to get there. No surprise, the parking lot was packed. As the observant elf lady had said, the weather was perfect for some outdoor activity and the early evening atmosphere added a little charm to it.

Getting out of the car, we grouped up and crossed the fancy metal gate. I always liked the gothic fence surrounding the park grounds. At night, it looked so mysterious and out of this world, especially with the rest of the park matching its design. Though, now that I could visit actual other worlds, it wasn’t as impressive as before.

The ladies, even if still a bit miffed, clearly found it at least a tad interesting. We walked a cobbled path wide enough for about three people to explore the park side by side. Bushes and shrubs of various sizes and shapes adorned its sides, along with black gothic lanterns. As for trees, they were plenty, placed in a rather chaotic web, with the majority sporting leaves instead of needles. It wasn’t prohibited to step on the grass so plenty of visitors brought picnic sheets with them or wandered around the greenery.

I spotted the food truck corner and led the girls to the nearest ice cream seller. “What flavors would you like?”

“Strawberry,” Levia answered immediately. “With cranberry sauce, please.”

Aisha threw a quick glance at the menu. “Any citrus will do.”

Glancing at Shuri, I found the crimson girl scrunching her nose cutely. “I don’t know most of them… Chocolate sounds okay?”

“Accompany me then and we’ll pick something you might like,” I said.

The two of us joined the queue while the others sat down on the nearby bench. I noticed my short companion sneaking glances at me so I turned her way with a raised brow.

“Sorry...” the nervous princess whispered.

“Pardon?” I blinked at her with some confusion.

“I’m sorry for my earlier outburst…” she explained, looking at the ground. “I didn’t mean to get so angry… I just… I’ve never had anyone, only watched everyone pair up, so my head is full of those silly thoughts about how I would treat them right, always be there for them, support them, listen to all their troubles, and such… I got way more heated than I should have and raised my voice at your… mate?”

I smiled warmly and patted her black hair, careful not to touch her horns in case they were considered intimate parts. “Don’t feel bad. It can’t always be sunshine and rainbows. We all come from different backgrounds and communities so arguments like these are bound to happen. While I don’t fault you for voicing out your beliefs, I’m more than happy to accept your apology, and to see you willing to reconcile.”

“Thanks…” She mustered a small grin in response. “The thing is, I'm the absolute worst at… people… I know how to navigate social encounters with individuals who need or want something from me or my family, but when I’m about to interact with normal people, or even worse, people around my age, I just… I don’t know what to say or do… There’s no script to follow… And I often fuck it up…”

Chuckling softly, I put some more force into my fingers. “There are many who struggle with such things. It’s nothing easy. But, let me give you a piece of advice since I have a feeling you are trying to look at it a bit incorrectly, through the perspective of your experience in business encounters.”

“Yeah?” Shuri looked up to meet my eyes, eagerly holding onto my words.

“Amongst friends or strangers you think might become your friends, don’t try to act, just be yourself. Follow your heart and your beliefs. If that offends people, let them leave, they are not worth your time and nerves. If they stay and show signs of wanting to confront what you are saying, they might be willing to look at things from your angle. These discussions won’t always be easy and nice, like the brief argument you shared with Aisha, but if both sides prevail until the end, they often end up as best friends. Sure, with differences, but able to accept those and form their friendship on the things that connect them.” I took my hand away to prepare my wallet.

She mulled it over while I ordered the first batch.

“What if I went too far and she hates me now? If we will always just bicker, cursing at each other?” Shuri asked hesitantly.

I snorted and shook my head. “Both of you have much thicker hides than that. Besides, how did your argument go? Were both of you fiercely defending your points till the end, stopping at nothing but attacking each other directly instead of your views?”

“No…” The scarlet princess recalled their short quarrel. “I was the one who kept going…”

“Sure, but you were fairly riled up, so don’t beat yourself over it too much.” I offered her a gentle smile once more. “Focus on the part where she didn’t respond in kind, instead retreating out of the conversation. And you know she can bite back if she wants to. Aisha might not have admitted that you were right, but she clearly saw something in what you were saying that made her rethink her approach instead of stubbornly defending her point. I bet she feels as awkward about all of that right now as you do.”

“What’s the last one going to be?” the shopkeeper asked with a tired expression.

“Oh. Ummm…” Shuri hastily scanned all the pictures and lists plastered over the truck with a slightly panicked look.

“Do you like sweets?” I rested a hand on the small of her back.

“I love sweet things,” she admitted, her cheeks darkening a tiny bit.

“One toffee-caramel mix with lots of glaze, please.” I nodded at the clerk. “Ring it up, thanks.”

A few seconds later, all four cones stood on the display tray and I paid up. I handed two of them to Shuri and picked up the remaining two. Coincidentally, she ended up carrying hers and Aisha’s portions. She gave me a reluctant glance, but I lightly pushed her forward with my knee. As I offered Levia her strawberry flavor, Aisha received hers without making a fuss, even throwing an honest thanks at the much shorter girl.

We started walking through the park, enjoying the breeze and the pleasant smell of nature. At first, Shuri and Aisha led the charge, but the petite princess quickly fell behind. I let her take my place next to Levia so she could spend some time with the person she found much easier to talk with and caught up with my drakan mate. Aisha kept staring into the distance as she nibbled on her ice cream daintily.

However, she was keeping herself quite further away from me than usual so it was obvious she was still distressed. I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into my side.

“I know you are always looking out for me in your own peculiar way,” I said quietly. “I also know quite a bit about the customs and ways of your people. So, no, I’m not angry at you for wanting to show me off as your mate to other females as it’s part of who you are. Don’t forget that I fell for you while being aware of all of that. That’s not going to change now.”

She sighed heavily. “What if she was right, though? What if I’m just a hypocrite? What kind of a mate I am, then?”

Lowering my hand a bit, I snuck a little squeeze to her tender rump. “A damn sexy one.”

Aisha snorted and rolled her eyes, but a smile appeared on her lips nonetheless. “I’m serious here.”

“Well, the answer is simple.” I shrugged, still feeling her ass out. “We are not faultless. Sometimes it takes someone else to spot those. You feel bad about one of yours? Start working on getting rid of it. As I said, I love every bit of you and I accept all your good and bad qualities. Which, to be honest, are subjective. You don’t have to completely change your personality. I don’t mind you draping yourself over me to stake a claim and make a statement. Just, maybe tone it down with that one specific person and it will make me much happier. I have to agree with Shuri on one part, Julia is a thing of the past. I would prefer to think about you girls rather than worry about her.”

Just like Shuri earlier, Aisha thought about it deeply. It didn’t take her long to nod lightly in agreement. I spotted her ice cream melting quite a bit due to all that talking and leaned forward to lick it all over, returning to my previous position with a victorious smirk. She stared at her violated cone with wide eyes before squinting at me sharply.

I was expecting her to chomp off half of mine in retaliation, but instead, Aisha grabbed my collar and pulled my lips against hers. She wasn’t gentle with it and our tongues fought for dominance as I felt her mouth curl up into a giddy grin. Making out for what felt like an entire minute, we finally parted ways with slightly deeper breaths.

“You had a spot.” She licked her lips sensually. “It’s gone now. No need to thank me.”

This horny minx.

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Levia showing me a thumbs-up with her free hand and Shuri paying very close attention to the nearby flowerbed with extremely dark cheeks.

Oops.

“Is that… a cat in a skirt?” The oni princess frowned, quickly forgetting the previous scene.

We all turned to follow her gaze and saw a girl walking her cat in one of those full-body harnesses. The white-furred feline was adorned with a pink t-shirt and a scarlet mini. They both paraded over the park’s lawn like they owned the place, holding their heads high.

“I could somehow imagine someone leashing a cat,” Levia said with a slightly impressed tone. “But I feel like seeing one in such attire is not something I would expect to ever witness in my long life.”

“Modern fashion is… something.” I snickered. “Better not stare at its butt too long or you’ll get charged with improper behavior.”

We all laughed and continued our trek. The atmosphere improved a tiny bit and the girls chatted now and then about random topics. Those often revolved around the things Shuri saw in the park, with the rest of us answering her questions and introducing her to Earth’s society.

Time flew when you were having fun, and soon our ice cream was gone. I started thinking of a new activity to suggest when I noticed Shuri placing her feet on the ground a bit weirdly. At first, I assumed that she might just be getting used to her shoes, but then, the actual reason became so obvious to me that I felt like shit not realizing it sooner.

“Are your feet hurting?” I asked out of the blue.

The short girl froze, attempting to make a normal step. “No…”

Sighing, I gestured at a nearby bench. “Take a seat, please.”

She looked at it hesitantly, then at the other ladies, who seemed to advise her to comply with their expressions. The peer pressure won and the scarlet-skinned princess hopped onto the boards, throwing me glances that knew exactly what was going to happen next.

I knelt in front of her and lifted one of her feet off the ground. “May I?”

Shuri gave me a faint nod and I gently slid her shoe off. She hadn’t picked up any socks with them, so nothing obstructed her pretty skin from our sight. And while it required a little bit more attention than usual, I could spot the chafed marks around her ankle, heel, and toes. Delicately running my finger over them, I evoked a slight wince from our new companion.

“You should have told us Levia’s shoes don’t fit well. I suggested you borrow one of her pairs because your figures are fairly similar.” I looked into her eyes from below.

“They are fine…” she insisted.

“Even I wouldn’t have expected someone shorter from our petite elf to be so much bigger down there, Bigfoot.” Aisha snickered, earning herself a light glare from Shuri. “But, since I might have learned something valuable from you today, let me teach you something in return. Listen well. Lesson number one. Never, and I really mean never, conceal things like this from Lucas. Trust me, it will end so much worse when he inevitably learns about them on his own. You talked about thinking how he would feel. Well, I can tell you he has to be feeling horrible right now for not noticing earlier. We don’t want it, do we?”

They continued to stare at each other fiercely until the smaller girl looked down at her legs and nodded slowly.

“You are right.” Our oni princess released a quiet sigh. “Cowtits.”

I swear I heard one of those ultra-rare Levia’s chuckles and couldn’t hold in a faint snort too. My draconic mate glowered at the lithe lady but chose not to respond. She had technically started it. Glancing around, I located the rosy stalker in one of the trees and whistled. Rose zoomed right to my side, revealing herself fully.

We needed to do something about her giving us more space during outings like these.

For now, though, I glanced between her and Shuri’s foot. Our dedicated medic caught on right away, hovering closer to the faint, irritated marks. The red princess jumped a bit when Rose’s ticklish current zapped her, but she continued to sit calmly through the treatment. In a few seconds, the rashes were gone and I tenderly slid Shuri’s shoe back on.

“Alright. Let’s hit a shopping mall. We can’t have you walking like this when you should be enjoying the tour.” I stood up and offered her a hand, which she took with darkened cheeks. “As much as I didn’t want this to devolve into a typical shopping trip again, it looks like fate has other plans in store for us.”

“Hell yeah!” Aisha cheered. “Nothing beats shopping dates!”

I wouldn’t really say that, but who was I to disagree?