“Vale! Something’s wrong with Lelu! I think she’s sick or dying or- I don’t know, I have no idea! What should we do?”
“Impossible,” Vale breathed out while slowly hovering closer. She eyed over Lelu then shook her head in shock. “She’s snoring? A monster is snoring? That can’t be.”
“Snoring?” Bermuda asked. “What’s that?”
Vale blinked then quickly looked between the two before smiling nervously and shaking her head.
“Oh, nothing! It’s… um, just something that some people do in their sleep. Nothing to be concerned about.”
“How do you know that? What is she doing? Why is she making those loud noises with her mouth? Is she hurt? Sick? Should we go tell Silly? Maybe she can make her something to help with the pain.”
“No, she’s not in pain, Bermuda. She’s just… sleeping in her own way. This is something some humans do when they’re sleeping. And… I guess Lelu does it as well. There’s nothing to be worried about though. She’s perfectly fine.”
“Are you sure?” Bermuda worried with a frown at the centaur. “Are you sure this isn’t something we should be concerned about?”
“Very sure,” Vale said with a disturbed look at Lelu.
‘It can’t be. Monsters can’t snore. They’re not supposed to snore. They’re never supposed to snore. They’re not supposed to be able to. Why is she doing that? It’s impossible, how could she… this isn’t right. I’m going to have to tell the others about this.’
“Um, anyway, she’s fine, Bermuda,” Vale continued looking around quickly to make sure nobody else was seeing this. “There’s no need to freak out or tell Silly or VelRyan about any of this. Nothing out of the ordinary here. It’s all-… hey, where’s Grace?”
Bermuda looked around and finally realized that the elf was nowhere to be seen. The larger bed where Lelu was supposed to be sleeping had its covers draped down onto the floor towards where the centaur had crawled out and was now lying beside Max. Grace’s sheets were also dragged off where she was supposed to be sleeping, and were also leading towards Max’s bed in the same fashion. Bermuda and Vale exchanged glances before the arachne slowly reached over and pulled down Max’s covers. As she did the two girls went wide-eyed at seeing Grace sleeping in his bed with her head resting against his hip and her arms holding onto his legs. The elf murmured quietly in her dream while cuddling closer to Max, the two children having only white shorts and shirts on for the night while the elf had her legs curled close to her and hugging one of Max’s.
“Oh my,” Bermuda mused with a coy smile forming. “Someone wanted to cuddle with her servant last night.”
“She looks so peaceful now,” Vale commented as they saw the elf sleeping with a gentle expression and hair lying behind her in smooth waves. “Not at all like the horrible demon I still believe her to truly be.”
“Vale, she’s not a demon.”
“I know. She just acts like one. I can tell the difference, Bermuda.”
“Still, this is quite the opposite of what I was expecting from her,” Bermuda said looking to Lelu with a puzzled grimace. “Didn’t think she could sound more abrasive than Grace does. So that’s snoring? I’ve never heard of it before. I hope it’s not contagious.”
“Me too,” Vale slowly replied with a cautious look at Lelu. “I really hope it’s not. Though I’m sure it’s not. Probably.”
“So… how should we wake them?” Bermuda asked glancing to her friend.
“We should do so from a safe distance,” Vale snickered. “I have a feeling things are about to get louder in here.”
Bermuda smirked and slowly skittered around to Max’s side while Vale hovered back with a giddy smile. The arachne gently shook Max’s shoulder, getting a grumble out of the boy who then rolled onto his side towards her. In doing so Bermuda and Vale’s eyes nearly bulged out at seeing Grace’s face now buried in his lap, the two looking to each other in nervous silence before cringing at the sight.
“Oh dear,” Bermuda worried. “This… just got worse.”
“This can’t get any more awkward for them,” Vale said.
Upon uttering those words Grace seemed to snuggle closer to Max while climbing up him, the elf murmuring in her sleep as she lightly clawed her way up to his chest and cuddled closer to it. Bermuda opened her mouth to speak before freezing as she watched Max’s arm moving to then hold the elf around her back.
“Want to bet?” Bermuda asked glancing to Vale.
Lelu snorted then started coughing loudly, getting Bermuda and Vale’s attention as the centaur hacked a few times while flailing her hands to knock away her hair.
“Dammit,” she coughed sitting up and spitting a few times. “Stupid hair. Ack!”
“Here we go,” Vale warned as she and Bermuda quickly backed away from the bed and kept close to each other. Lelu coughed out the strands of hair caught in her throat and wiped her face before looking around in a daze, her eyes focusing slowly before seeing the arachne and pixie watching her with nervous frowns.
“Bermuda? Vale?” she asked rubbing an eye.
“Good morning,” Bermuda slowly said.
“We’ll see about that,” Vale added as they both turned their attention back to something in particular. Lelu blinked then noticed Max was lying on his side near her, the girl smiling lovingly at him before closing her eyes and moving closer to hug him from behind.
“Good morning, Max,” she gently said while nuzzling her head against his. Lifting herself up she opened her mouth to speak before halting with a faint whine as she noticed Max holding Grace in his bed. Bermuda and Vale slowly made their way back further to the other side of Grace’s bed before ducking low behind it. Lelu twitched a bit then shut her eyes tightly with a stern smile forming on her face.
“I’m not seeing this. I’m not seeing this. I’m not seeing this.”
Opening her eye a peek she saw Max rolling onto his back again, with Grace still holding onto his chest and rolling on top of him in the process. The elf straddled Max while burying her face in his shirt under her hair, all while Lelu stared in shock with an open mouth and a twitching eye.
“I should have taken your bet,” Vale whispered. “Things got more awkward for them.”
Max softly murmured something as he slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times then noticed Grace lying on his chest, followed by seeing Lelu staring at him with an absolutely furious look and aura that made him turn pale, then looked back to Grace as he locked up in shock of what he was seeing.
“What the heck?” he managed to get out. “What’s going on?”
“Good morning,” Bermuda called out from behind Grace’s bed.
“Too bad it’s your last one, kid,” Vale morbidly added.
Grace twitched then slowly sat up with a groan, the elf brushing her hair back over her ears and yawning before just sitting there with her head lowered and eyes closed. After a pause she opened them slightly and looked at Max with what he believed to be the gentlest expression she could have possibly had, the elf’s eyes having no malice or anger in them at all while a faint blush adorned her cheeks. She slowly looked down to see she was sitting on his lap, back to his face to see the very bewildered look he had, then to his further surprise shifted her hips slightly with a timid murmur and a deeper blush forming. The elf blinked then jumped with a shocked expression quickly taking over before her face turned bright red, her eyes darting around to seeing Lelu trembling with rage at her, Bermuda and Vale peeking over her bed, and Max opening his mouth and failing to form any words in it. Grace shook slightly as she realized where she woke up before she promptly screamed at the top of her lungs.
“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?”
“What do you mean?” Max cried out. “I just woke up to this!”
“Why are you sleeping with her?” Lelu demanded grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. “You already have me! I’m the only girl you need!”
“What’s the big idea?” Grace shouted
grabbing and shaking the boy’s head. “Just because I’m your mistress doesn’t mean you can sleep with me! You got a death wish?”
“Leave him alone, you harlot!” Lelu barked as she used one hand to try pushing Grace off while using the other to still shake Max about.
“Shut up, cow!” Grace shot back while using one hand to try to push Lelu away and her other to shake Max still. Bermuda and Vale just slowly shook their heads as the two girls were shouting at each other and Max while everyone was being shaken around.
“You fucking asshole!” Grace yelled. “I’m not your personal toy!”
“I never said you were!” Max pleaded.
“I’m the only toy you need, Max!” Lelu wailed. “How could you push me aside like this?”
“What the heck are you talking about? I don’t want anyone for a toy!”
“Nobody is allowed to touch me like that!” Grace roared. “Especially a lowly bitch like yourself!”
“I never wanted to! And stop calling me a bitch!”
“Why couldn’t you touch me instead?” Lelu bawled with tears dropping from her cheeks. “Why would you go to her over me?”
“I didn’t go to anyone, I never went anywhere all night!”
“There’s no way out for him, is there?” Vale asked.
“Nope. He’s doomed,” Bermuda plainly answered shaking her head.
“Stop!” Max begged. “Stop, just stop for a minute! Both of you!”
“You think you can get all handsy with me just because you’re my servant?” Grace yelled with a bright red face. “I’m going to fucking kill you! How dare you cross that line with me! What excuse could you possibly have for thinking you can get away with this?”
“I just woke up to you being in my bed with me!” Max shouted, with the girls stopping while his face was being smothered by both their hands. “I just woke up to both of you on top of me like this! What the heck is going on here anyway, why are both of you all over me instead of in your own beds?”
“I was going to ask the same thing,” Syliandanchevas said from the door. Everyone turned to see the fey carefully adjusting her glasses while having a shocked expression on her face and a blush on her cheeks. Lelu blinked then glanced down to see her left breast had at some point popped out of her shirt, Grace looked down to see her shorts were pulled up between her cheeks and giving the appearance from behind that she wasn’t wearing anything below her shirt at all, Max was keeping his eyes straight up to avoid seeing anyone in any situation that could end up costing him his life, Bermuda was covering her face with both hands and peeking over them with her two top eyes, and Vale was smiling nervously at the fey with a small giggle.
“What in Eden is going on in here?” Syliandanchevas asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I came to wake them up this morning,” Bermuda answered. “And… they’re up now.”
“They’re very much awake,” Vale agreed with a nod.
“Good morning, Syliandanchevas,” VelRyan spoke from the hall. “Tell me, how are our newest guests doing on this lovely day?”
The man walked in from behind the fey and stopped, calmly looking around at the scene in the room in front of him before resting his eyes on Max as the boy was perfectly still with Lelu and Grace atop him in the midst of their wrestling with their clothing disheveled. After a pause he smiled amusedly while crossing his arms and shook his head while Syliandanchevas was nervously mumbling something to herself and holding her cheeks.
“Ah, looks like Max is doing just fine.”
*****
“Hahaha!” VelRyan heartily laughed while standing outside the room with Max, the boy leaning back against the door with a stunned expression on his face still while the man stood beside him. “So it sounds like your day is off to another interesting start. I have to say, I’m a bit envious of you.”
“Why?” Max bewilderedly asked him. “I don’t even understand what the heck happened in there. I just woke up to all hell breaking loose right on top of me.”
“Be that as it may,” VelRyan mused glancing to the door behind them. “I never had cute girls crawling into my bed at night when I was young. The nearly being torn limb from limb part, I’m not a big fan of that myself. But still you have to admit there are worse ways of waking up than what just happened. You have a real talent for attracting the ladies, Max.”
“I really don’t think it’s anything like that,” Max groaned covering his face.
“Well at any rate you’re safe now,” VelRyan chuckled with a pat on the boy’s shoulder. “Go ahead and catch your breath while Syliandanchevas speaks with those girls about being a little less forward with boys.”
“Thanks again for saving me,” Max sighed. “I wasn’t sure how that was going to end, but I was getting worried it may have ended badly for me.”
“Was that all you worried about though?” VelRyan asked with a raised eyebrow. “Two young monsters were apparently sleeping with you last night. You haven’t seemed concerned at all that they might have…”
“They didn’t rape me,” Max replied shaking his head. “I know they didn’t.”
“Most humans would be fearful they did. How come you’re not?”
“I trust them,” Max sighed. “That’s why I didn’t mind them sleeping in the same room as me last night. Though I thought they would at least be sleeping in different beds.”
“You trust them,” VelRyan repeated, with Max looking up to him curiously. “Tell me, why is that? You come from a family of monster hunters. You know the dangers monsters pose to humans in this world, yes? So what made you not only fine with sleeping in a room with two but also so sure that neither of those young girls did anything lecherous with you last night when you were asleep? How come you’re not showing any signs of fear for your situation right now?”
“I… um…” Max unsurely replied before looking down in question.
“Do you see them as monsters?” VelRyan asked as Max took a few steps forward and held a hand to his head. “Lelu. Grace. Do you even consider them to be monsters? Yesterday you shielded them when you believed they were in danger. You provided them sanctuary in your home when they found their way there after their own hardships. You haven’t treated them at all like how your sisters surely would. Why is that?”
“Well…”
“Answer this, Max,” VelRyan dared stepping closer. “If you could go back home and everything went back to the way it was before, before your cottage was destroyed, before Ruhelia and Green Haven came under siege, before you even met those girls, would you be happier having never met them?”
Max remained silent as VelRyan walked around and knelt down in front of him with an inquisitive smile.
“Or, would you want to see them again? Would you be sad if they left your life, or would you be happy?”
“I… well…” Max said before falling silent. He ruffled his hair and looked down while VelRyan smirked at seeing his reaction. “Of course I’d like to go home, to see my sisters and our house still standing. That’s what I want right now.”
“And what of Lelu and Grace?”
“My sisters wouldn’t want them near me. They would probably try to kill them right away,” Max reasoned with a shrug. “And I’m sure they’d be happier back in their own homes if none of this crap happened to us.”
“So you would be happier if they weren’t around you anymore?” VelRyan wondered. “Is that what you’re saying?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because I’m looking at a young man who isn’t as afraid or angry towards monsters as he once believed himself to be,” VelRyan answered with a knowing smile. “You cared for them at your home like they were normal people to you. You stayed close to them and wanted to protect them when you arrived here. You were perfectly fine with sleeping in the same room as them because you trusted them. And now you’re avoiding saying something that you’re surprised to admit about yourself.”
“What’s that?”
&
nbsp; “You like them,” VelRyan said with a shrug. “They’re not monsters to you but instead normal girls. And I’d be willing to wager any amount of gold that if they were removed from your life you wouldn’t be happy about that. Am I right?”
Max fell quiet as VelRyan stood up and backed away a step, the man crossing his arms with a curious smile at him while waiting for a reply that never came.
“If I’m wrong then say so. If you don’t like them and I’ve got this whole thing mistaken for something else then by all means let me know. This is all just speculation on my part. Tell me, am I not seeing this correctly?”
Max remained silent while lowering his head, thinking very hard about that same question himself.
“Be honest with yourself, Max. Would you be happier if they were gone from your life?”
Max slowly looked up to him then shook his head, getting a chuckle out of VelRyan who held a hand to his chin.
“You do like them, don’t you?”
Max nodded while remaining silent.
“Why is that?”
“They’re not evil,” Max explained. “They’re not like monsters I’ve heard or read about. They’re not monsters to me at all. They’re just normal girls who had their lives taken away by real monsters in this world. They’re not bad girls.”
“Even Grace?” VelRyan mused. “She has been rather rough with you.”
“She’s just angry about what happened to her mom and home. That’s all.”
“And the reason you chose to give them sanctuary in your home even though they’re not human?”
“I felt sorry for them,” Max said looking down. “With Lelu, she lost everything. She was alone and scared. I just couldn’t hurt her or send her away. I felt so bad for her. I know what it’s like losing parents, especially to monsters. I had my sisters afterwards, but Lelu had nobody. She was just a lost and scared girl in a world that didn’t seem to care about her, who could have sent her away so coldly like that?”
“And Grace?”
“After letting Lelu stay with me what right did I have to turn her away?” Max lightly laughed. “When she appeared out of nowhere on top of me I could tell she had been through a lot. She was trembling, crying, so very sad about something… she went through hell before coming to me. The way she held onto me in her sleep, I could tell she needed someone to help her. I felt bad for her, and even worse after hearing about her mom and home being taken away. She didn’t deserve that pain.”
Chronicles of Eden_Act XI Page 42