Chapter Twenty-Four
They searched for several minutes before concluding that Non was no longer in the area. Vester tried to power up the ritual again, but it failed to materialize his divine girlfriend, so eventually they all agreed to settle in for sleep.
Vester had made it clear he wasn’t going to be discussing his love life with Rachel and Kimmy; he’d also set up the illusion of a radio next to Kimmy and found it took almost no mana to make it produce music for the felid.
He’d asked the catgirl for a few of her favorite bands, since his knowledge of Taylor Swift was rather limited, and he was fortunate to know a few of the ones she’d listed.
Well, she was fortunate; he could enjoy his own music just fine.
He had taken the time the see if his ability to program illusions still worked, and to his delight he found he was able to create a sort of playlist. The radio would rotate through the twenty or so songs he knew.
Emma, Davis, and Krysta were still monitoring Denny.
Krysta wasn’t willing to ignore the Hero so long as Vester’s twin was recuperating, and the shift from unconsciousness to sleeping didn’t automatically mean he was out of the woods.
Vester didn’t need to change the iron cage he’d formed around them—Krysta went straight through the bars in her red panda form.
While Li Ra stood guard over the camp on a pillar, and Kora assisted Skylar in the golem crafting, Reve and Vester had time to sleep.
The problem, for Vester, at least, was that he was finding it impossible to drift off.
His head rested on one of the pillows Krysta had formed from a rock, and he’d used illusions to turn the inside of the stalagmite tent they’d created into a comfortable space…
yet he couldn’t shake his intense awareness that Denny was outside.
With Jack buried under all the stones they could stack, Vester finally had time for his emotions to hit him. He’d revealed himself to his twin and thrown his identity in Denny’s face… and then Jack had stabbed Denny though the lungs.
Vester had no idea if Denny had recognized him. He also didn’t know what kind of mood Denny would be in when he woke, nor if he’d be able to retain the awareness of Vester’s identity. The idea that Denny might wake up thinking Vester was just an Adventurer made Vester’s stomach churn.
The Trickster draped a forearm across his eyes and let out a groan.
“There’s no way that conversation isn’t going to be awkward and awful,” Vester complained to himself.
He knew it would just get worse if he tried to confront Denny again while exhausted.
“Alright, let’s put this new intelligence to work and will myself to sleep.”
He didn’t want to think about the talk ahead; truthfully, Vester was tempted to take his Party and sneak away. They had a city to find, a few Quests to complete, and a prize to claim. But he knew that he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he abandoned his twin without talking to him.
Nearly twenty minutes passed while Vester tried every trick he could think of to lull himself to slumber.
Ugh, so much for mental fortitude, he thought.
I’m not falling asleep. I might as well see if I can accomplish something useful.
He grunted, rolled to his feet in a smooth movement, then exited the tent—and found Reve standing directly outside it, staring into the entrance like she’d been about to barge in.
“Oh! Reve… I thought you’d be sleeping. Is there a problem?”
Vester asked. She’d scared him. He’d had no idea she was out there, so he’d almost run into her.
His head tilted back to regard her, and he cocked it slightly to one side while studying her face.
“You look like you’ve got something on your mind. Is everything alright?”
“Can we… talk?” she asked. The tall woman looked anxious, so Vester stepped back into his tent and motioned for her to join him.
Once she was inside, he conjured an illusion of a door to seal them off from the outside world.
He sat down and made space for her. She came down to sit next to him and leaned into him slightly.
“What’s going on?” he asked, deciding to treat her like one of his lovers for the moment. Vester put his arm around her waist, letting himself rest against her. Reve seemed to relax, her wing shifting faintly under him before settling once more.
“I wanted to confess that I have felt a great temptation to kill your brother,” she said.
The slow, hesitant way she spoke made him feel like she didn’t enjoy what she was sharing.
“I believe it makes me a bad person, and I have to apologize. I know I am not human and that my ways are different, but it is hard for me to forgive the man who repeatedly tried to kill me and also maimed my body.”
Wow, well, at least she’s honest, Vester thought.
He wasn’t sure how he felt about her statement, though he appreciated that she’d been upfront about it.
Reve didn’t push him for an answer, just waited at his side.
Her wing slipped out from between them, and she wrapped it around their bodies.
That meant he had to move his hand, and it ended up resting on her bare thigh.
“Thank you,” he finally said. “Not for wanting to kill my brother,” he added hastily, “but thank you for trusting me enough to tell me.”
He paused, his hand gently squeezing her leg.
She covered his hand with hers, and their eyes met.
“I can’t begin to imagine how complicated your feelings are regarding Denny. I know the two of you fought several times. The injuries you sustained were horrible, and you saw friends die. I don’t think that is something you can get over easily. It’ll probably be a long time, if ever,
before you can see Denny without feeling a desire for violence.”
“I know that makes me a mon—”
“Not a monster,” Vester corrected, interrupting her before she could finish putting herself down.
“Even a human who went through what you did would desire vengeance. They’d feel rage, guilt, frustration, other emotions I’m probably missing. Being intelligent and suffering trauma means messy, complicated feelings. I don’t think any sapient creature is different. Someone hurts you,
and on some level you want to hurt them back.”
“Then how do your societies function?” she asked. “Your shows are full of violence and conflict, and yet the people seem to get over it and move on. They work together even after being enemies. How do they do it?”
“One step at a time,” Vester replied gently.
“First, movies and shows often simplify the characters because people are looking to be entertained. The drama and ugly feelings are carefully curated to be just messy enough to spark empathy… then the characters finish the story. Real life is never that simple… or clean.”
Her wing tightened around his side and she heaved an unhappy sigh.
Vester felt like he was being hugged by a leathery, weighted blanket.
“You can’t judge yourself for having feelings,” he continued.
“Acknowledging them, working through the intensity, and refusing to let those feelings control is how people separate themselves from monsters. The fact that you refused to hurt Denny—that you saved him—is a sign you’re no monster.”
“I almost didn’t,” she admitted, looking ashamed. “I almost left him to die.”
“But you chose not to,” Vester pointed out. “Despite all your complicated, painful feelings, you still saved my brother. That tells me you’re a good person… and someone I value.”
“You do?” she asked. In that moment Reve looked incredibly shy—not blushing, just insecure. Her metal fingers went click-click-click-click in a rapid tattoo against her hip, the metallic sound sharp in the quiet tent.
“I do,” he confirmed. “As first dates go… saving my brother’s life and dropping a mountain on a complete asshole isn’t one I had on the radar… but I’m glad we did it.”
She stared at him, clearly confused. “But you said dates were movies and food and spending time together?”
she pointed out. “I do not see how armed combat counts as a—” Once again Vester interrupted her, this time by putting a finger over her lips.
She ceased talking while he traced his finger along her cheek to her jaw then ran it behind her neck to curl into her hair.
The kiss was soft, tender, and didn’t linger long enough. When they separated, Reve stared at him, baffled. “It’s okay,” Vester assured her. “A date can be anything we want it to be, so long as it brings us closer together.”
“Does that mean you wish to kill more people together?” she asked breathlessly. The question was so at odds with the husky, almost floating tone she’d used that Vester had to clamp his jaw to keep from snorting in laughter. He had no desire to ruin the moment by giggling.
“I’m good for now,” he said instead. “How about we watch some more Battlestar Galactica?” The question saw Reve nodding her head, so together they cuddled up on the boulder Krysta had turned into a mattress.
The part that threw Vester was that, being seven feet tall, Reve ended up the big spoon.
She curled her arms, legs, and wings around him and basically cocooned him against her chest.
She also had no issues with him wiggling down a bit and using her cleavage for a pillow, which he particularly enjoyed.
She seemed to enjoy it too, and they conversed quietly while they watched the illusion he’d created. Most of the conversation was light, focusing on the show, answering her questions, and explaining a couple of jokes she didn’t quite understand.
It was surprisingly relaxing, and Vester fell asleep without intending to.
The tent was dim when he awoke, but he was still wrapped in Reve’s embrace.
Her mithril hand had formed a fist in his hair, and he found she’d shifted them around until she was nearly on top of him.
At some point, she’d also slipped out of her armor.
At least judging by the nipple poking him in the eye.
Vester did a hand check, realizing that her flesh and blood hand was inside his shirt, cradling the small of his back.
His shirt also appeared to have come undone, which confused him a little.
He didn’t have much room to complain, however, since his right arm was over her hip and his fingers were trapped between her thighs, with his left arm ensnared between her breast and the cushion.
“I’m not sure if this is a delightful dream, or a very awkward situation,” Vester mumbled to himself. He shifted, but Reve just cuddled into him tighter. All he’d managed to do was change things, so her nipple was squished against his nose instead of his eye. “Reve, you awake?”
A tiny, contented snore escaped the Avatar of Life, and the fingers in his hair began to pet him. Her wings momentarily relaxed, but only so they could somehow scoop him closer and crush him tighter against her body.
“Vester?” she mumbled sleepily. “You are warm… I like it.”
“I am glad to help,” he replied, shifting his head slightly. “You feel nice too, though I have to wonder… why is my shirt open and where did your clothes go?” He didn’t want to complain, but he definitely wanted to know if he’d somehow missed something.
He also realized that the damned mask had vanished the moment Non disappeared, so he took a second to think a rude prayer in Non’s father’s general direction.
“Clothes?” she repeated, yawning. “Oh, they were not comfortable for snuggling, and Krysta, Skylar, Li Ra, and Kora all agreed that you would be happier spending time with me if I were naked.”
Reve paused, sleepily blinking her one eye.
“Non said I should take off your pants and wake you by using my lips upon your cock… but Krysta told me that would be too much.”
Thank you, Krysta, for choosing to be the voice of reason, Vester thought after a brief moment of bafflement.
I suppose I don’t have to wonder where the girls stand on the idea of Reve joining us.
I feel like I’ve been going a thousand miles an hour since I reached this world, but the company has made it worthwhile.
His silence must have made her anxious, because Reve opened her eye wide and tilted her head enough to stare down into his gaze. “Have I made you upset?” she asked. She started to uncurl her body from around his, so Vester instinctively tightened his hands where they were touching her.
“Oh!” Reve gasped and Vester didn’t need to ask why—his warm fingers were just barely parting her folds. He’d accidently pushed his hand farther than intended between Reve’s thighs when he’d gripped harder, and it was only the bad angle that had prevented him from truly making the situation awkward.
She actually looked disappointed when he quickly adjusted his hand back. “Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to grope you. I was thinking and you started to pull away, but I’m quite happy with this cuddle.”
“Oh,” she breathed, relaxing against him and snuggled back into the embrace. “I am glad,” she whispered, her voice going a little husky. “Would it be presumptuous to ask if you could take your clothes off so we might enjoy each other’s warmth even more?”
Vester took less than a microsecond to think about that, then dismissed his clothes into Chaos Thief. Being curled up with Reve and both of them being naked was far, far more enjoyable, and the situation was relaxed enough that he no longer felt awkward.
“I think that’s a marvelous idea,” he agreed. He watched her while she lowered her face, her arms moving around until she’d tugged him up against her, so their lips were almost touching. “Was there something else you were hoping for?” he teased.
“If I might… get a kiss?”
“Come here,” Vester said—not quite commanding, but more than a request. Reve agreed eagerly, her lips coming down on his. Their tongues twisted, lips parting to dance together while her hand ran up and down his back. Then he jumped when her fingers closed on his ass cheek.
“You are so slim, but so muscular,” she murmured approvingly. “I could run my hands over you all day, the sensation is amazing.” Before he could respond to that, she resumed kissing him, and Vester let himself get lost in the sensation.
He found that he couldn’t really get his arms around Reve, because the membranes on her wings prevented him from moving his arms across her back—at least while they were wrapped around the pair of them. That just meant he had to keep his hands in front of her.
When she arched her chest into his palms, Vester found himself quite happy.