I left the sibling's room once Serena had actually let me go, although I really didn't mind her body against mine one bit. They said they'd get ready and meet us downstairs in the dining room for breakfast since they were hungry, and that's most likely where Martin would be right now. I exited their room, and made my way back to Clarissa's room. I chuckled to myself as I entered and went back into the bedroom, as my girls were still asleep, but they stirred once I walked into the room and spoke.
"Morning, my lovelies. It's time to get up. We have a big day today." I said as approached them.
They both blinked a few times, and Clarissa actually blushed a bit with how close her face was with Cici's. Cici smiled at her, and kissed her nose, which made Clarissa turn more red. Cici giggled as she slowly wiggled her way out of bed.
"Morning, darling." Cici yawned, stepping out of bed, walked over to me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and gave me a soft kiss.
"Good morning, kitten." I said warmly, and she nuzzled my cheek, making me chuckle.
Clarissa had finally composed herself, and also slid out of the bed. She looked at me and had a smile that made my heart skip a beat.
"Good morning." She said tiredly.
I let go of Cici, and walked over to her. I put my hands on her waist and leaned down to her for a slow kiss.
"And good morning to you too, cutie." I said, and she flushed again, but smiled at me.
"I take it you went to see Serena and Benji?" Cici asked me, and I nodded as I let go of Clarissa.
"I did. They are getting ready right now, and we are going to leave for their village very soon." I said, and Clarissa looked a little surprised, but also a little excited at the news. She had fallen asleep before Cici had told me about what happened.
I quickly ran through the conversation I had with the siblings, and they both nodded along, fully agreeing with the plan, and that they were fully on board.
"You see darling? You may not see it, but you do have a way with words, and you usually know what to say to people. I know it's not a skill on your Framework screens, but it sure seems like it sometimes." Cici said, and I just rubbed the back of my neck as I smiled at her.
"You really do say the right things, whether you are being helpful, supportive, or just incredibly sweet. It's one of the many things I love about you." Clarissa added, and I just smiled.
"You two are gonna make me blush." I said, and both of them giggled at me.
"Eli, we'll try to be ready as soon as possible. Go and tell the others, and then we can all go to breakfast together." Cici said, and I smiled and nodded at her.
"Martin and Seraphina should be having breakfast too, so that'll make it easier for Serena and Benji to tell him the situation." Clarissa added, and I nodded.
"Yeah. Those two said the same thing, and I'd rather them tell their own story. Not mine to tell." I said, and they both smiled at me, and both gave me quick hugs, and then Cici grabbed Clarissa's hand.
"Come on, you. We need to clean up. I still feel a little... sticky." Cici said with a purr, making Clarissa blush, and making me chuckle softly.
I pulled out my black armored set of clothes, as well as a set for Cici that she asked for. I handed her clothes over to her while Clarissa summoned some from her ring, they both kissed me again, and went into the bathroom. I quickly threw on my outfit, tied up my hair, and made my way out of the room.
I actually ran into a stroke of luck as I saw Sheila exiting her room just down the hall, and I called out to her. She smiled and waved at me, and we began walking towards each other.
"Hey, you. Good morning. I was just about to go and get some breakfast. You hungry?" She asked me.
"I am. I'll be heading down there soon. The girls, and Serena and Benji will be downstairs soon too." I said, and Sheila actually gave me a little grin at my words.
"Ah, good. They've been keeping to themselves and I've been a bit worrried about them." She said with a bit of concern, before she smiled at me, and said, "Speaking of the girls... how was your date last night?" She asked, and I smiled at that as the memories of last night came to me.
"It was amazing. I'm happy to say that Clarissa is a part of our family now." I said, and Sheila smiled, and it was genuine, yet there was a small look of longing in her yellow eyes.
"That's wonderful to hear. Congratulations to you both." She said, her smile still in place, but the longing in her eyes was as well.
I didn't like seeing that look on her. There was a lot to do right now, but I would make good on my growing feelings for her in time. I reached over, and she didn't even protest as I put my hand on her head, and began to rub it. She sighed happily, her eyes closing.
"Thank you, Sheila. I'm hopeful that we can get some time to ourselves soon too." I said, which made her smile as a low happy rumble escaped her throat.
"Yes. That sounds... nice" She said with a happy sigh, which made me smile.
I removed my hand after a moment, which actually made her protest a bit, and I had to hold back a chuckle. These women, I swear.
"Right now though, I need to tell you something. It's important, and I need to talk to Terroth as well." I said, which made her raise her eyebrows.
I told her about my talk with Serena and Benji, and about how we would be leaving today, and soon. Her eyes grew wide and excited as I spoke, and once I was done, she looked at me with approval.
"I knew you would help them just like you said you would. Didn't expect it to be so soon, but I'm glad it is." Sheila said, and I saw her eyes shimmer as her gaze fully locked with mine, transfixing me, "They are like family to me. Terroth and I have wanted to help them so badly... but they made us promise to stay away, that this man who took over their village was far too strong. I still wanted to try, but Terroth always talked me out of it. Said it was foolish to rush into a situation we knew nothing about. Someone who can hide from Inspect... he must be dangerous... but with you, it doesn't matter. I know you can help, and I know you will."
I smiled at her, and nodded. She must have seen the conviction burning in my eyes, because she gave me a feral grin.
"I will help them, I will save their people, and I will make this Raizen pay. Serena and Benji want you and Terroth there, as well as Valerie. We're not sure how long we'll be gone, so Serena and Benji are gonna tell Martin what's going on. I really just hope we're not too late." l said, not wanting to finish my thoughts.
Sheila reached out and ran her hand down my arm soothingly.
"Don't think about that. No use in wondering about what we don't know." She said softly, and I smiled at her, and she gave me a pretty fanged smile right back.
She let go out my arm, but I quickly caught her hand in mine, and gave it a squeeze.
"Thank you, Sheila. Really." I said earnestly, and the strong woman turned pink, but smiled.
"Of course, Eli. Now, why don't you go and fetch Valerie, and I'll get these two up and tell them what's going on. I know they didn't sleep much because I could barely sleep with all of the noise they made, and I'm feeling particularly petty right about now." She said with a evil little smile, and I laughed.
"I appreciate it. I'll be downstairs soon then. Don't wait up for me." I said, and she smiled at me, before marching over to the door next to hers.
I couldn't help but chuckle at the sound of her pounding on the door next to hers.
"WAKEY WAKEY!" I heard her yell, my chuckle turning into a full laugh.
I walked back towards mine and Cici's room, and once I got to the door, I decided to just knock just in case. I didn't want to catch Valerie in an embarrassing situation or anything. I only waited a few seconds before I heard the light footsteps on the other side before the door was opened.
Valerie stood there in the door and it looked like she was in the process of getting ready already. She had on her black undershirt, which was spectacularly tight, and obviously drew my eyes to her very nice chest. She wore her black leather pants, and boots, and her light armor, and hooded cape were sitting on a chair in the living room. She smiled as she stood out of the way, allowing me inside. She closed the door behind me, and began making her way towards the rest of her armor.
"Good morning, Eli. I had a feeling you'd be here." She said with a small smile.
"Well, here I am. You knew I was coming?" I asked, and her smile bloomed, and it made appreciate life even more than I already was.
"When Cici and I ate with Serena and her brother yesterday, I saw many different things on their minds at once, and they weren't good things. Fear, and helplessness... things I know all too well." She said softly, her smile disappearing briefly, but then she looked at me, and her smile returned, "When Cici told me you'd talk to them about leaving as early as possible, I knew we'd be leaving today."
I chuckled briefly, returning her smile.
"Have that much confidence in me?" I asked, and she nodded without hesitation.
"I do, because it's you, Eli. I have never once believed in someone the way I do you. You said you would free me and give me my life back, and you did. You said you would take care of me, and you are. You said I could stay with you all, and you let me. So, when you said you would help Serena and her brother, I knew you would It's that simple. Everything you say you will do, you do it. So yes, I do have that much confidence in you."
Her words struck me in many different ways at once. They were from the heart, and filled with so much passion that I knew she meant them with every fiber of her being. There was also a confidence in her voice that had been missing until now, and it filled me with pride at seeing her already making strides like this in such a short time.
It also just served as a reminder that I had so many people around me now that actually cared about me, and right now, two of those people were relying on me. I would not let them down, and I would never betray their belief in me.
I walked over, and put my arms around Valerie. I don't think she expected it, but she returned my actions after a heartbeat, and brought her head my chest.
"Thank you, Valerie. I appreciate your words, but more than that, I appreciate you, and I'm so proud of you. I'll do my best to keep being the man you believe in so much." I said in a soft voice.
She hugged me tighter, and I heard her sniffle a few times, but she held herself together very well. She rubbed her head against my chest a few times, before releasing me. Her eyes were red rimmed, but her smile was one that could end wars. I never wanted to see her frown ever again.
"Thank you, Eli. It's because of you that I can learn to find and discover the things I never had the chance to before, and that I am learning how to express myself. It makes me... happy. I hope I can keep experiencing all of these things with you, and with the others." She said.
I could not help myself with this incredibly sweet woman. I took her right hand in mine, and brought it to my lips, kissing the back of it. I heard her inhale a sharp breath as her hand trembled. She definitely didn't expect that, but I had to make my feelings clear. I didn't want her going anywhere.
"I don't think I've really said it this way, but I will now. I don't ever want you to leave. You mean too much to me now. I would never stop you from leaving... but that's just how I feel." I said, looking into her beautiful red eyes.
She held herself together quite well, even when the twin tear trails fell, but she looked positively radiant with how happy she looked.
"I told you before. I want to stay, so I will stay. You all... mean everything to me." She said, her words making my eyes water a bit.
We stared at each other for a moment, words left unspoken but conveyed through our eye contact, and body language. I wasn't unsure, and I sure as well wasn't now. I was more sure than ever before. If and when Valerie decided she wanted more, I would gladly accept her into my life fully. It just felt right, and it's what I wanted, but she had to want it too.
"We both agree with what you are feeling, darling." I heard Cici say in my thoughts.
"We do. She's kind, compassionate, and strong. We also don't want her going anywhere." Clarissa echoed, and that made me smile.
Having both of my women in my head now was a bit different, but far from unpleasant. I sent them my love, as well as my thanks. They also informed me that they were ready, and were actually going to come to us so we could all go downstairs together. Valerie, who had still been staring at me, blinked as I kissed her hand again, and she blushed furiously.
"You mean everything to us, too. We're happy to have you with us." I said, and she smiled warmly at me, before I added, "Everyone should be heading downstairs now. I just talked to Cici and Clarissa."
Valerie blinked rapidly a few more times as I gently released her hand, and then she quickly turned away, and finished putting on the rest of her outfit in record time, blushing the whole time.
"Right. Well, we better not keep them waiting." She said, quickly hurrying towards the door, and making me laugh, "Truly though, Eli. Thank you all so much."
I smiled as I followed her out into the hallway. Cici and Clarissa were already walking towards us, speeding up their strides towards us.
"Morning Val!" Cici exclaimed, wrapping Valerie in a hug, and making the poor Dhampir grunt as she returned the embrace as best she could.
"Cici... good morning." Valerie said through heavy breaths, and Cici lessened her grip, making the woman sigh in relief.
"You feel much stronger today." Valerie said, and Cici nodded as she released Valerie from her grip.
"I am. I'll tell you about it later. For now, we better get downstairs. We saw Sheila, Terroth, and Marina heading down just as we were coming this way." Cici said, and Clarissa laughed softly.
"Terroth looked grumpy, while Marina's face was as red as her hair. Sheila looked pleased with herself, though." Clarissa added, and I chuckled.
"Revenge is nice." I said, and my girls laughed, while Valerie just looked confused, "Anyways, come on ladies. Let's go eat and get this day started."
Clarissa gave Valerie a quick hug as well before she and Cici took their places on either side of my arms. It put a dumb grin on my face, of course. Valerie showed no signs of that bothering her as she followed closely behind us, down the stairs, and into the large dining room shortly thereafter.
The smell was goddamn amazing. Eggs, bacon, sausage, and more things I couldn't even name were on platters in the middle of the table, and I currently saw Sheila and Terroth stuffing their faces, while Marina sat next to Terroth, eating at a more sedate pace, and glowering at Sheila. I couldn't help but snicker. I really liked how bold and mischievous the beautiful wolf woman was.
Near the front of the table, I saw Serena sitting in the chair closest to Sera, while Benji was closest to Martin, and they both seemed to be speaking to him while they listened intently, nodding and showing looks of horror and disgust. I walked on the side over to Benji, as did Cici and Clarissa, while Valerie moved towards Serena.
I sat down next to Benji, who was currently explaining about how they had asked me to help them regarding the problem they were having, which must mean they were at the end of the story. Perfect timing indeed. I grabbed a plate, and made a mountain of the various foods at the table, while my girls did the same, only grabbing much, much less than I did. Valerie also grabbed a small plate and sat down next to Serena, and they both gave each other a little side hug. I really liked seeing how close those two had become. I was very thankful for Serena being so kind, and everyone treating Valerie how she should have been treated all along.
"So, that's what's been happening with us. That's why we asked Eli for help, and why we are telling you. My hopes are that our people are still as safe as they can be, and if they are, I won't just up and leave right after." Benji said, and Serena nodded.
"I agree. We miss our family, our friends... everyone we knew. So, if and you two don't mind, we'd like to stay for a while. We do have duties here, and we all need to get back to Adventuring, but I want to spend some time with them before leaving. We don't know how long. Maybe a few days, at least." She added, and Martin and Sera nodded at them.
"We still have our place in the city. I'd like to at least being Alina back with me... if she wants to." Benji said, leaving the worst possible scenario unsaid.
"Yes, I'd like that too." Serena said.
"I see. That should be no problem. I did have some things I wanted to discuss with Elias regarding... some work, but it can wait. We have plenty of time to work with, and this is very important.", Martin said, looking over at me with a knowing grin, "Plus, we all how Eli is. He'd go even if I had a problem with it."
I grinned back at him.
"Damn right I would." I said, and he chuckled.
Sera though, actually seemed to be the more serious looking one this time around.
"I have no doubt that Eli can handle this, but it is worrying to hear that. A strong Beastkin with the power to take over an entire village just comes along out of nowhere. And he is able to hide from Inspect. That doesn't always mean they are super strong, but it unfortunately doesn't mean that they aren't. More often than not, only the strong get skills to mask their identity." Sera said, looking at me thoughtfully.
Martin's face became serious almost immediately as he nodded.
"Yes. Elias, I know how you are. In fact, you doing what you do does not bother me, and it sounds like it needs to be done." He said, then looked at me with a question in his eyes, "If you are able to, and you don't instantly kill all of them, see if one of them will talk. This "Raizen" is obviously the best source of information, but it doesn't hurt to get it from multiple sources."
I nodded at him. It was a smart idea. Where were these beastkin from, and why did they come to the sibling's village? How strong were they actually, were there more of them, and have they ever done this before, and if so, how many times? Stuff I should honestly do more often. I was powerful, yes, but information was also very powerful to have.
"You got it, boss." I said, and Martin snorted, while Sera giggled.
"Please Elias, don't call me that again." He said, and I grinned at him.
"Sure thing, Marty." I replied back, and he sighed as he just shoved a piece of bacon into his mouth, while Sera laughed marrily.
"You know," Sera said once she calmed down, looking over and smiling warmly at Serena, "We have loved having you all here. It's nice having such good company for once. You're more than welcome here, and you can even bring a few people with you."
Serena held up her hands.
"No, no, we don't want to impose." Serena said hurriedly.
"Yeah, we'll be okay..." Benji said meekly.
"You aren't imposing. You've been wonderful and respectful guests. Sera really loves having all of you ladies around to talk to, and I am also quite enjoying having like minded guys around me too." Martin said, and I smiled at the older man.
"Right back at ya, chief." I said, and he groaned at me.
"Just, consider it at least, you two." Sera said to both Serena and Benji, completely ignoring us, and both siblings became a little misty eyed, but nodded gratefully. I couldn't believe either of these two were nobility given how incredibly kind they were.
Everyone began eating like it was going to disappear, and by everyone, I mainly meant me. Sure, everybody else got more food as time passed, but I got more, more food. Even Sheila and Terroth had wide eyes after while as they watched me clean house.
As everyone was finishing up, Sera leaned close to me and the girls, which prompted us to lean forward as well to hear what she had to say. She spoke quietly.
"Say, I've heard some things going around the manor as of this morning." She said, and looked at the girls, with her eyes settling on Clarissa, "If you'd like, we can have sound warding enchantments placed inside of your room. Both of yours, if you want."
I choked on my eggs, grabbing my water and taking several large gulps. Clarissa looked at Sera strangely for only a moment, but once her mind picked up on the implications, her face turned more red than I'd ever seen it. She buried her face in her hands, and whimpered quietly to herself, embarrassment pouring into the bond like a skill all on its own.
Cici and Sera just began to giggle softly to themselves, while Martin just smirked at me. I ran my hand through my hair.
"I guess I did expect this... The woman screams like a banshee. Not that I don't like that, but..." I thought, and then looked at Sera and just nodded at her.
She just smirked and nodded back at me. I could do it myself with my manipulation, but this sounded a lot simpler. Plus, it was nice to have a little levity like this before going on a killing spree. I clenched my right fist as I thought about what we were about to do.
"I'll show you fuckers what terrorizing my friends earns you."