Shards of Reminisce Ch.65 (Patreon)

I'm focused on my work, as I cannot mess this up or I will get a puncture in my fingers like the first days, the only sound being the rhythmic rumble of the sewing machine as I finish the last stitches. My hands are a bit sore from the constant work, knitting and sewing panel after panel of thread and fabric but it'll all be worth it. I'm sure of it.

And then I finish sewing the last part with a satisfying click, causing the machine to stop working as well.

YES.

I pull my creation free and let it unfold in front of me. It's a simple shirt with short sleeves, with a few reinforced shoulder pads made from hard leather; which I was lucky to find, and other simple but aesthetic designs worked into the fabric with extra thread I had. I got inspired partway through and just kept adding to it, making it look less like basic clothes and more like actual fashion.

A window pops up.

[Linen Shirt] STR +7 DEX +7 HP +160

[Journeyman Weaver job has increased by 1, 50/50]

[Congratulations! Journeyman Weaver advanced to Adept Weaver.]

I throw my head back in laughter, my cackle echoing through the apartment.

I'd spent days grinding the Weaver job non-stop after my sudden discovery. Spent a good chunk of money buying supplies and materials, even splurged on this sewing machine and a motorized weaving wheel that cost way more than I wanted to admit. (Although, I can always get more from beating the living shit out of gangsters and stealing their stuff.)

But after seeing these numbers? Totally fucking worth it.

Especially considering how much my stats will increase when I finally level up and cash in all this crafting EXP.

I can't resist. I quickly pull off my current shirt and slip on the new linen one.

It feels soft and nice against my skin. No itchiness like my first attempts, no tightness in the armpits or waist, no weird bunching around the collar. It's a good shirt. A really good shirt.

'Status'

Ma'iq Rak'han

Race – Feline Faunus Age – 18 Class: The Pugilist Level – 26 (21%)

Mentor – Neopolitan Apprentice – Jeanne d'Arc

HP – 1550/1550 [100 regen per minute] MP – 2740/2740 [350 regen per minute] SP – 4910/4910 [340 regen per minute]

STR – 122 END – 91 DEX – 104 INT – 63 WIS – 56 CHA – 58 LCK – 1

Status: [The Big One protects yes, yes!] [Clock Tower: Do you hear them yet?] BLOCKED [Ȳ̶̨̼ỏ̪͔͍ͯ͜͞ú̴̷͔̦̥͍̊͞ ̴̘̲̤̮̠ͦͣͣ̕̕͟c̷͍̩̭͚͔̯̩̓͒ͭ̈́̿̕a̢̡̛̻̭̝̗̗ͥ̉ͬ̀͗̌҉n̸̡̡̡͔͖̺͇̭̯̊̄ͧ͑̍́'̱̗̼̞̱͉̃̾ͬ͂́̃̈͟͜͟t̨̨̨̠͓̗̩̙̙͆̏̅̑̀̅ͮ ̬̙̳̬͖͎́͗ͧ͊̾͗͊͢͜ḛ̷̡̹̟͙̖͍̒̊̈́͌ͥ͞ŝ̴̸̶͍̺̹́̇̓̉͜c̺̀̆́̄ͩͪ͘ͅa̸͚̭̪̔̌̈́p͎͆̐e ▒] (PERMANENT)

Mentorship: 25% exp increase

Apprenticeship: 25% of exp gained from apprentice actions.

I smirk as I watch my stats increase the moment the shirt registers as equipped. My HP jumps up by 160 points, and both my STR and DEX get nice little boosts of +7 each.

Just as advertised.

Just to test something, I summon a sandwich I'd made earlier and take a bite.

'Status'

STR – 122 END – 91 (+4) DEX – 104 (+2) INT – 63 WIS – 56 CHA – 58 LCK – 1

And the effects stack too!

My grin widens so much it hurts my face. This is even better than I thought. Crafted gear plus consumables equals exponential power growth. This almost feels like cheating.

However, that feeling of triumph stops as my left ear twitches as I catch the sound of footsteps, and I turn to see Neo walking in, eating from a bowl of ice cream with a long spoon. Her mismatched eyes flick to me, and she raises an eyebrow.

The usual pink text appears above her head. 'What's got you so happy?' 

Without a word, I summon a pink and white shawl I'd finished yesterday; spent hours on the damn thing to make sure the colors matched her aesthetic, and throw it at her. "Try this!"

Neo catches it effortlessly with one hand, then sets down her bowl on a nearby chair. She examines the shawl for a moment, running the fabric between her fingers with an appraising look, before easily draping it around her shoulders.

However, her expression immediately twists from a light frown to confusion.

"Well?"

Neo looks down at her hands, flexing them experimentally. Opening and closing her fists. Rolling her shoulders. Her eyes widen slightly, surprise flickering across her features.

'What is this?' She looks at me, confusion written all over her face. 'I feel... a lot lighter.'

I just grin like an idiot because she just confirmed that it works on others too. It's not just me. Anyone who wears the stuff I craft gets the stat boosts.

It truly is a game-changer. In so many ways.

"Maaaaaagic," I say, wiggling my fingers dramatically. “Woooooooo.”

Neo rolls her eyes at my dramatics but doesn't take off the shawl. Instead, she adjusts it thoughtfully, turning it into a sort of decorative belt around her waist which is very fitting to her style. She does a little experimental spin, and her eyebrows raise in approval. Then she strikes a funny pose.

I give her a thumbs up.

She blows me a kiss before retrieving her ice cream.

Now I want to test this in a real fight to see the improvements. And that reminds me; I’ve unlocked those dungeon duties after absorbing that glowing green shard that fixed my crafting, right? 

But how do I actually access them? Do I just think hard about it? Is there a menu option I'm missing? Or do I need to go back to the spot where I found that hole?

However, I'm broken from my thoughts as I'm poked hard in the stomach.

'Stop ignoring me, kitten.'

And she pinches me.

"Ow—okay, fine. What?" I rub the spot, scowling at her.

'We need to go to a new warehouse, by the way.'

"Hah? Why should I?" I cross my arms, my tail flicking in annoyance. I was planning on crafting more stuff, maybe moving on to blacksmithing next, not running errands for that coward.

Roman is a cowardly bastard who can’t and won’t do shit when push comes to shove.

Neo rolls her eyes again, setting her bowl down again without taking another scoop. 'Because we need to do at least SOME work. I don't want my dumdum to suffer too much.' She pokes me again for emphasis, right in the same spot. 'And he promised me a LOT of sweets if I brought you along. Like, a whole cake. So do this for me, pls?'

And to try to drive her point across she does exaggerated puppy eyes and quivering lips.

That alone won’t work but I think about it for a moment. On one hand, more crafting and experimenting so I get more power for myself. On the other hand, Neo is asking me for a favor nicely, and she doesn't do that often; usually just drags me or tricks me into things. 

It's a favor from her, though...

Suddenly, Neo pulls me down by the collar and captures my lips in a kiss. It's brief but effective, and when she pulls back, she moves to playfully bite the tip of my nose, her eyes glinting with mischief.

"Okay, fine," I sigh in defeat, my ears drooping slightly. "Let's go."

Neo's entire face lights up with a victorious smile. She blows me another kiss, clearly pleased with herself, and takes the lead toward the door, her hips swaying just a bit more than necessary because she knows I'm watching.

I follow behind her, my new shirt still feeling amazing against my skin, and I can't help but smirk as I think back on my discoveries. 

And that's when an idea pops up in my head.

"Hey, Neo."

She glances back at me, one eyebrow raised in question, her hand already on the doorknob.

I lunge at her, causing her to gasp in surprise as I easily scoop her up and carry her bridal style.

And making sure a hand is firmly grabbing her butt.

'Bad kitty!' 

She gently pinches my cheek in mock punishment, but there's no real force behind it.

"What? You said we need to go, right? This is faster," I say with a grin, adjusting my grip on her.

Neo's eyes narrow playfully, and she wraps her arms around my neck, getting comfortable. 

'Show off.'

"Maybe," I admit, kicking the door open with my foot.

She shakes her head in amusement, then leans in to press a quick kiss to my jaw before settling against my chest. 

Yeah. Today's turning out pretty damn good.

-------------------------------------------------

I'm happily laying on a cushy lap, watching a movie as soft hands caress my ears and occasionally tickle them, which only gets them to be swatted away by them.

And those hands belong to none other than Levi.

Why am I in her apartment?

Well, the whole warehouse thing was pretty fast; just helping move more crates and load them onto some trucks. Dust crates, which was weird since Roman was supposedly trying to lie low with electronics and other miscellaneous things, but I didn't care enough to ask questions. Not like he would respond to them, anyway. That idiot was pretty silent the whole time, just directing his goons around with hand gestures and the occasional barking. Made the job go by quickly.

Didn't even look in my direction once.

Neo was happy since she got what was promised to her and went off to pester Roman about something else, leaving me with the rest of the day free.

Or so I thought.

I got a message from Levi asking me to come over. So naturally, I accepted.

I have spent little time with her after all. Although, we did hang out. Been too caught up in my own shit.

Turns out it was about her passing her midterms and wanting to celebrate with a movie and some snacks. She'd already set everything up by the time I arrived; popcorn, candy, soda, the whole works. Even had the lights dimmed and everything. Although, I don’t exactly remember the television last time I visited her… Maybe I didn’t notice it.

The movie was something weird. Some sappy comedy called Love in the Crossfire, about two Huntsmen from rival academies who keep getting partnered together on missions and eventually fall in love despite constantly bickering and fighting. Pretty cheesy stuff, honestly. Lots of dramatic declarations and over-the-top action scenes mixed with awkward romance.

But I was more focused on how nice my ears felt under Levi's gentle touch. Her fingers knew exactly where to scratch, where to rub, working out tension I didn't even know was there. My tail had curled contentedly around my leg. I guess it takes one to know another after all.

After a while, the movie ended with the predictable happy ending; the protagonists deciding to transfer to the same academy and live happily ever after or whatever.

I finally sit up, stretching my arms above my head and feeling my spine pop. "That was a strange movie."

Levi laughs softly, her long lynx ears flicking a few times. "Strange good or strange bad?"

"Strange... cheesy," I settle on, rolling my shoulders. "But entertaining enough, I guess. Better than that Juno movie, still mad about it."

"Hey, that one had great reviews!" she protests playfully, poking my side. “True tragedy is the best!”

"Great of hate, the director even got arrested." I counter with a smirk.

She laughs again, shaking her head. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it, even if you won't admit it." Her expression softens, and she fidgets slightly with the hem of her shirt. Her long ears twitch again, and she seems to be working herself up to say something. "I, um... I really appreciate you coming over. It means a lot that you'd spend your free time with me."

"Yeah, well. You asked nicely," I shrug, not thinking much of it. "And you did pass your midterms. That's worth celebrating."

Levi bites her lip, her fingers still playing with her shirt. "Ma'iq, I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"Do you... I mean, have you thought about..." She trails off, her cheeks flushing slightly pink. Her ears flatten just a bit against her hair. "About what I said before? About us spending more time together?"

I tilt my head, genuinely confused. "We are spending time together, though?"

"No, I mean..." She lets out a frustrated sigh, her ears drooping. "More time. Like, regularly. Just the two of us. Maybe... maybe more often than just when I happen to ask?"

"We could do that," I say easily. "Since you passed your midterms, you should be free more often, right? Just hit me up when you wanna hang out. I told you before—I can always make some time for you."

Levi looks away, adjusting a strand of loose hair. "That's not exactly what I—" She cuts herself off, shaking her head. "Never mind. It's fine."

Girls are weird. Neo, Jeanne, and now Levi—all three differ completely from each other. How the hell am I supposed to figure this out?

After a moment of awkward silence, I decided to change the subject. "So about your midterms. What'd you get?"

Her ears perk back up immediately, and she gives me a smile.. "Yeah! I was so nervous, but I managed to pull it off. Stayed up for three nights straight studying."

"Three nights? Damn." I whistle low. "No wonder you look tired."

"Gee, thanks," she says dryly, but keeping that smile. "You really know how to compliment a girl."

"What? I'm just being honest," I defend myself. "You do look tired. But like, in a 'you worked hard' kind of way, not a bad way."

She snorts. "Nice save."

An idea strikes me. "You know what? I should reward you for your hard work."

I could make her another plushie. She loved that last one I gave her. Or maybe bake her a cake? Something chocolate, probably.

Levi's eyes widen slightly, her ears standing straight up. "R-reward?"

"Yeah. How about a massage? Help you relax after all that studying." I crack my knuckles. "I've gotten pretty good at them."

Levi's face immediately turns bright red. Her hands fly up to cover her chest, and she turns away with a blushing glare. "I-I'm not that kind of girl, Ma'iq!"

I blink, completely confused.

"What?"

"What?"

We stare at each other for a moment.

Levi's ears have gone completely flat against her head now, her face burning. "Y-you can't just offer to-to give a girl a massage like that! It's too forward! Even as friends!"

I'm even more confused now. "Levi, it's just a massage. Why did it get you all worked up?" I tilt my head. "I thought it would help you relax after all that stress. You said you've been tense for days." I pause. "Unless you'd prefer I cook something instead? I can do that too. Whatever you want."

Levi blinks at me. Then she blinks again.

And then she bursts out laughing.

She covers her face with both hands, laughing so hard her whole body shakes. Then she falls face-first onto the couch pillow and screams into it, her long ears twitching wildly.

I just sit there, waiting in silence.

[Affection with Levi Fang increased by 7, 35/100]

Right, this thing.

After a moment, Levi recovers, sitting back up with her face still flushed. She pulls off her sweater, leaving her in just a simple tank top, and shakes her head at me with an exasperated but fond smile. "You're really dumb sometimes, you know that?"

"Yeah, yeah. Been told that already," I mutter, summoning a bottle of coconut oil with a flick of my wrist.

Levi's eyes widen at the sight, and she gulps visibly. Her ears twitch nervously. But then she takes a deep breath and pulls off her tank top, leaving her in just a bra. 

Huh, it's blue. 

"Okay. Fine. Just... be gentle, okay?"

"Always am," I say, gesturing for her to lie down on the couch.

She does, settling face-down on the cushions with her arms folded under her head. Her ears are moving a lot now, betraying her nervousness.

I warm the oil between my hands before placing them on her upper back. She tenses immediately, her whole body going rigid.

"Relax," I murmur, starting with gentle pressure, working out the knots I can already feel in her shoulders. "This won't work if you're all stiff."

"Easy for you to say," she mumbles into the cushion, her voice muffled. But slowly, gradually, her muscles start to unwind under my touch.

I work methodically, using my thumbs to press into the tight spots along her shoulder blades, then moving down her spine with slow, firm strokes. The oil makes my hands glide smoothly over her skin.

"Oh..." Levi lets out a soft sigh, her ears relaxing and lying flat against her head in a completely different way. The good way. "That's... that's really goooood."

"Told you." I say, a hint of smugness in my voice.

I continue working, moving to her lower back where I can feel even more knots, then back up to her shoulders. Her breathing evens out, becoming deeper and slower. Every so often, she lets out a little sound of contentment that makes my tail swish with satisfaction.

"You know," she says after a while, her voice dreamy and relaxed, "if you keep this up, I might never let you leave."

"Is that a threat or a promise?" I ask, moving to her arms now, working down from her shoulders to her wrists.

She giggles. "Maybe both."

I snort, kneading the muscles in her forearms. "Well, good thing I cleared my schedule for today then."

"Mm, lucky me," she purrs.

I pause for just a second, processing that, but then I continue the massage. My hands move back up to her shoulders, working out one last stubborn knot near her neck.

"You're way too good at this," Levi murmurs, completely relaxed now, practically melting into the couch. "It's not fair. Where did you even learn?"

From a dumb book Neo gave me as a joke, but it turned out to be a nice addition since she loves my massages, especially when I reach deep inside her.

"Practice," I reply simply, finishing up with a few gentle strokes down her back, and easily unclasping her bra. "Lots of practice."

After about half an hour, I finally pulled my hands away, wiping them on a towel. "Alright, all done."

[Novice Masseur has increased by 8, 50/50]

[Congratulations! Novice Masseur advanced to Journeyman Masseur.]

YES!

It was a good thing that I'd been giving Neo so many quick massages.

With two breakthroughs my stats growth must be exponential now.

Meanwhile, Levi doesn't move for a moment, just lying there. I can even see her body shuddering and quivering legs, that’s a little exaggerated but well I got a lot better so maybe I did a much better job than the others? 

Then she slowly pushes herself up, turning to sit and face me. Her hair is slightly mussed, her face flushed but relaxed.

"That was amazing," she breathes, rolling her shoulders experimentally. "I feel like I've slept for a week. Like I could take on the world right now."

"Good." I dismiss the oil bottle back to my inventory. "The best I could think of to reward all that effort.."

Levi's expression softens, and she reaches out to gently touch my arm, her fingers warm against my skin. "Thank you, Ma'iq. Really. You have no idea how much I needed that."

"Yeah, no problem," I say, suddenly feeling a bit awkward under her intense green gaze. My tail swishing behind me

She leans in closer, her lynx ears perking up slightly, twitching forward. "You know, if can you do..."

"Just ask," I finish for her, my voice rougher than I intended. "I don't mind."

Her smile widens, and there's something in her eyes that makes my chest feel weird. "I will. Definitely will."

We sit there for a moment, just looking at each other, and I'm suddenly very aware of how close she is. How her eyes keep flicking down. How her hand is still resting on my arm, her thumb absently stroking my skin.

Kiss her.

The thought hits me out of nowhere, and my heart immediately kicks into overdrive.

Should I?

I mean, it's Levi. She's... she's different from Neo. Different from Jeanne. And I don't want to fuck this up like I seem to fuck everything else up.

Kiss her.

I want to, but... what if she doesn't want that? What if I'm reading this wrong?

But the way she's looking at me...

Slowly, almost without conscious thought, I reach up to hold her cheek, my thumb caressing her soft skin. My heart is pounding so hard I'm sure she can hear it.

Levi leans into my touch, her eyes fluttering half-closed, and she lets out a soft, contented sigh. Her own hand comes up to cover mine, pressing it more firmly against her cheek.

We lean toward each other slowly. Her eyes search mine, asking a silent question.

I answer by closing the distance.

Our lips meet softly; nothing like the aggressive, playful kisses Neo gives me or the sweet, flustered ones from Jeanne. 

This is different. Electrifying at first but then tender. Warm.. Like coming home after a long day.

Levi's hand slides to the back of my neck, her fingers threading through my hair just below my ears, and she deepens the kiss just slightly. I can feel her smiling against my lips.

When we finally pull apart, both of us are breathing a bit heavier. Levi's face is flushed, her eyes bright. Her ears are standing straight up.

"I've wanted to do that for a while," she admits quietly, her thumb stroking the back of my neck.

"Yeah? Me too. I think. Maybe. I don't know."

She laughs, that beautiful genuine sound that makes my tail swish more. "You're such a mess."

"Yeah, well. You already knew that," I mutter, but I'm smiling too.

Levi leans in and rests her forehead against mine, her eyes closing contentedly. "I really like you, Ma'iq. A lot. I have for... well, for a while now. You were so dense sometimes."

My heart does something complicated in my chest. "I... I'm just... I'm not good at this stuff."

"I know," she says softly, pulling back just enough to look me in the eye. "And that's okay. We can figure it out together, right? No pressure. Just... us."

[Affection with Levi Fang increased by 15, 50/100]

Congratulations on gaining another lover!​

Fuck off.

"Us." I repeat. That word feels strange on my tongue, but not bad. Just... a different kind of new.

She kisses me again, quick and sweet, then pulls away with a mischievous smile that makes her ears flicker. "So does this mean I get priority access to you now?"

I snort. "You already had that, anyway."

"Good." She stretches languidly before reaching for her tank top and pulling it back on. "Because I'm definitely going to take advantage of that. Especially during finals."

"Finals aren't for months, right?" 

"I like to plan ahead," she says with a grin, then stands up and offers me her hand. "Come on, help me clean up all this mess."

I take her hand and let her pull me up. We spend the next few minutes cleaning up the popcorn bowls and candy wrappers in comfortable silence. Well, mostly comfortable. My mind keeps circling back to that kiss, to the electrifying feeling of her lips against mine, to the way she looked at me.

This is different from Neo. Different from Jeanne. Fuck, cannot even compare with Miltia. With Neo, everything is chaotic and unpredictable and intense. I can let go and just follow my instincts no matter how rough or brutal I can get and she will love it and encourage me. With Jeanne, it's sweet and awkward, the good kind of awkward that makes me happy and let go of time. 

With Levi... it feels easy. Natural. 

It always has been like that back in Menagerie and here is the same, a feeling of familiarity.

Levi doesn't seem to notice my wandering thoughts. She's humming to herself as she wipes down the coffee table, her ears twitching in time with whatever tune is in her head.

"So," she says casually, not looking at me, "what are your plans for the rest of the week? Any big adventures planned?"

"Work, mostly. Training. The usual." I shrug, tossing empty pepsi cans into the trash bag. "Although I'm currently more focused on crafting."

"Crafting?" Her ears perk up with interest, and she turns to look at me. "What kind of crafting?"

"Clothes, weapons, tools, stuff like that." Obviously I don't mention why. Levi will never know that part of my life. "Been picking up new skills over the months, you know?."

"That's really cool." She pauses, then adds with that mischievous tone again, "Maybe you could make me something sometime? Since I'm your... well, your girlfriend now."

I blink, tilting my head. "Girl-friend? I mean, you were already my girl friend before."

"No! No, I meant girlfriend, not girl friend." Levi's face flushes slightly, and she fidgets with the trash bag in her hands. "I mean, that's what we are now, right? After... after the kiss and everything? Boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Oh." I process that for a moment. Is that what this is called? I've never really thought about it in those terms before. Girl-friend, girlfriend—what's the difference? "Sure, yeah. If that's what you want to call it."

Her face lights up, a brilliant smile spreading across her features. "Really?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I'm confused by her excitement. She's mine now, right? That's how this works. "You're with me, I'm with you. That's all that matters."

"Yes! Exactly!" She practically bounces over to me and kisses my cheek. "This is going to be great. I promise I'll be a good girlfriend." She pulls back, her expression becoming more serious, though still warm. "And hey, if you're ever unsure about something or confused about relationship stuff, just ask me, okay? I know this is probably new for you."

"How'd you—"

"Ma'iq, you just looked completely lost when I said 'girlfriend.'" She says it gently, without judgment. "And well, knowing about your upbringing also doesn't help, but it's okay. We'll figure it out together."

I nod slowly, my tail curling around my leg. Sure, I don't really get what makes this different from just being with someone but Levi seems happy about it, and that's good enough for me.

She checks her scroll and sighs. "I should probably start on my homework for next week. Professor Mulberry assigned us this huge assignment, and I need to at least look at it before Monday."

"You just finished midterms and they're already piling more work on you?"

"Welcome to higher education," she says dryly, shaking her head. "The suffering never ends."

I smirk. "Sounds terrible."

"It is." She walks me to the door, her hand finding mine again, our fingers naturally intertwining. "But at least I have a cool boyfriend now to help me relax."

There's that word again. Boyfriend. Levi seems thrilled about it, so I guess that's what I am now. Her boyfriend.

When we reach the door, Levi pulls me down for one more kiss; longer this time, deeper, her fingers threading through my hair just below my ears in a way that makes my tail swish involuntarily. When we part, we're both breathing heavier.

"Text me later?" she asks, her voice slightly breathless.

"Yeah. I will."

"Good." She bites her lip, looking almost shy. "And Ma'iq? Thank you. For today. For everything."

"You already thanked me," I point out.

"I know. But I mean it." Her ears twitch, and she looks down at our joined hands. "You make me really happy, you know that?"

"Don’t get too sappy now."

She giggles in response and gives my hand one last squeeze before letting go. "Go on, get out of here before I decide to keep you hostage and make you watch another stupid movie."

I snort. "You say that like it's a threat."

"It is. The next one will be a musical."

"Okay, I'm leaving." I open the door quickly, and she laughs.

"Text me!" she calls after me as I step into the hallway.

"I will!" I call back, glancing over my shoulder to see her leaning against the doorframe, still smiling.

As I walk away from her apartment, my tail swishes contentedly behind me. 

That went well. Really well. Levi's happy, I'm happy. She's mine now, just like Neo and Jeanne.

Though I still don't really understand what this "boyfriend and girlfriend" thing means or why it needs a special name. I mean, why call it girlfriend and boyfriend when you could just say "my woman" or "she's mine"? 

Isn't it just being with someone you like? Someone you want to protect and make happy?

But whatever. Levi seems to know more about this stuff than I do, so I'll just follow her lead. She seemed really excited about the whole thing, so it must be important to her.

My scroll buzzes, and I check it to see a message.

Levi: Already miss you :)

I can't help the small smile that tugs at my lips once more. Yeah, she's definitely mine now.

I pocket my scroll and head back toward Neo's apartment. She wanted me to visit her there, said something about trying out a new dessert place. I wouldn't mind crashing there for the night either. Although, since I have some time, I could swing by Junior's for my shift first. Make some money, keep the boss happy since I’ve been skipping work for too long.

My ears twitch as a thought occurs to me.

The fact that I now have three women... Three. That sounds a little unusual when I think about it like that, but... why would it be? They're all different, they all make me feel different things, and I like being with all of them. 

That's just... how it is, right? I like them, they like me, so we're together.

Makes sense to me.

Oh, right. I have to tell Neo about Levi.

My steps slow as I consider that. Neo can be... intense. Crazy. She'd probably find it funny, honestly, but I should still let her know. It's only fair. And she already knows about Jeanne, so this shouldn't be that different.

Actually, now that I think about it, I need to make sure Neo doesn't try anything with Levi. At least Jeanne can defend herself. But Levi? She's just a regular faunus girl. No combat training, no aura, nothing. She'd be like a sheep to the slaughter if Neo decided to mess with her.

Yeah, I definitely need to have that conversation. Soon.

I pull out my scroll and send Neo a quick message.

I pocket my scroll again and pick up my pace. Hopefully, she doesn't decide Levi needs to be "tested" or whatever psychotic thing crosses her mind. 

If she does want to do something, then I will pin her down and mess her up until she can no longer walk…

Huh, where did that thought come from?

---------------------------------

AN: This won’t bite him in the ass… hopefully.