We waved goodbye to a smiling Mirielle as we exited the restaurant, our stomachs full and ready to burst. I felt like I could eat more, but I was more than content. Even Martin's food didn't compare to what I just ate, not to that their food isn't good. That shit was just on another level.
We had eaten literally everything, down to the last small bites on our plates. I had shared even more of my food with Clarissa, and I had done it happily. Once we had finished, we called the incredibly nice woman over, and paid for our food. I had even offered her a nice tip, to which she actually began to jump up and down with joy.
She had even went and gotten her husband, who actually was already curious about the people who had ordered so much food. He had personally thanked me, as did his wife, and he shook my hand, and they both asked us to come back soon. Clarissa and I told them that we'd definitely be back, and that we'd even bring more people with us next time. I enjoyed everything, but most of all, the time I spent with Clarissa was what really mattered to me.
What she had told me had filled me with sorrow, but I was also incredibly happy and grateful that she trusted me, trusted Cici, enough to share that part about her. Something she's never shared with anyone before. The women I have met on this world were truly above and beyond any woman I had met on Earth. Far more interesting, loyal, stunningly beautiful, and just all around pleasant to be around.
"I think my stomach is gonna explode..." Clarissa said, and I put my hand on her back, and gently rubbed in a circle.
"You need me to carry you?" I asked, and she laughed softly, and shook her head.
"I think that would make it worse. No, just... let me lean against you, and I think I'll be okay." She said, doing just that, and I smiled as I put my arm around her.
The sun had began to set, light barely peaking above the horizon. I wondered if this place had clocks or something, or if they just judged the time of day by the rise and fall of the sun. We walked slowly back towards where we had came from, back towards the small stalls full of trinkets, knick-knacks, and the one I was going to check out, jewelry.
"Eli, whatever we do next, please make it a light activity. I don't even want to move right now." Clarissa said, and I chuckled.
"Oh damn. I was really hoping we could go out for a run." I joked, and she snorted softly.
"You can go and run wherever you want by yourself... just come back and get me when you're done." She retorted, making me laugh again, and pull her closer to me.
"I'm right there with you. It is getting late, but the day's not over yet. I want to make a quick detour, and I figured we could go somewhere relaxing for a little bit before we head back. Does that sound fine to you?" I asked, and she smiled up at me.
"As long as I'm with you, that sounds perfect." She said, and the sincerity in her voice set my heart on fire.
As we entered back into the little marketplace, I eyed the one selling the jewelry that I had seen earlier. Clarissa, noticing my gaze, looked at me with a question on her lips.
"You buying something?" She asked me, and I rubbed her shoulder.
"I am. There's a... special someone that I wanted to buy a gift for." I said, and Clarissa blushed, but she gave me a cute little smile.
"Oh. I see. This special someone... you must really like this person, huh?" She asked me, playing along with me.
"I do. A lot. In fact, I'd say it's past liking them at this point. I just... want this person to know how much they mean to me. I want them to know just how special they are to me." I said, my words sincere, and without any play behind them.
Clarissa's eyes shown with the onset of tears as she looked at me, and in that look, was a warmth that could melt even the coldest person's heart.
"I... I'm sure this person doesn't feel the need for you to buy them a gift to show them that." She replied, trying to keep it going.
I just smiled, and caressed her cheek.
"But I want to. No matter how small the gesture, I just want to keep doing nice things for this person." I said, leaning down to plant a small kiss on her lips, and then I smiled, "Now, the question is, do you think they would like to pick it out themselves, or do you think they'd want me to get it for them?"
"I want you to choose!" She said, then blushed, and said in a quieter voice, "I mean... I'm sure this person, would like you to buy them something that you thought would look good on them. In fact, I think they would want you to get it, and surprise them with it..."
I just grinned, and let out a small laugh.
"That's a good idea. I think I'll do that. Be right back. Just stand here and look pretty for a moment, okay?" I said, and left her and her flaming face off to the side for a moment while I went and perused what the older woman at her small shop had on display.
I wasn't particularly great with gifts in my opinion, but Cici really seemed to love the ring I had gotten her, so I must be doing something right. I decided to just go with my gut, because I found a necklace fairly early on while looking, and thought it looked perfect. I did make sure to check out everything else just to see if I found something better, but I couldn't. So, 5 gold and 15 silver later, as well as a small adorned case to put it in, and I was heading back to Clarissa, with my gift tucked safely away in my Abyssal Storage.
"What did you get?" She asked as soon as I came back, and I chuckled.
"You want me to ruin the surprise all ready? I don't think that's how it works, my dear." I said, my amusement rising as she actually pouted a bit, before a tiny smile graced her lips.
"That's... fair." She said, before her smile brightened, and she asked, "So, where to now?"
I took her hand, her small delicate fingers interlacing with mine, and began to lead her forward towards the place I was actually curious to see.
"I'm gonna make that a surprise too, since you love them so much." I said, and her pout came back, making me laugh in earnest.
"You're mean sometimes." She said, although her heart wasn't in it, judging by the slight upturn of her lips.
I just smiled as I led her down the now less packed streets towards the northeast of the city. If memory served me right, where I wanted to go was only about 10 minutes away from where we were, and I hoped it was as nice, quiet, and serene as Sera had told me it was. She definitely recommended it as a beautiful place to relax as the sun went down, which it was now doing much faster.
Sure enough, it was only another 10 or so minutes until we arrived at our destination.
"Oh wow. This city has a park??" Clarissa asked, her excitement rising once again.
"It does. I've heard it's nice. I've always liked going to the park every now and then. A nice place to just relax, and clear your head." I said as we walked under a stone archway and began to walk into the park proper.
The Arbigold City Park was the place that Sera heavily insisted that we go to towards the end of our time out, and I had to admit, it was a beautiful sight. It had stone walkways to indicate foot travel, as well as lanturns set up that used mana lights that allowed people to see as it got darker. I'd definitely have to bring Cici here too. Hell, her mom would really love this place.
The thing that really stood out to me though was echoed by Clarissa a moment later.
"The colors are beautiful." She said, and I had to agree.
Lush plants and flowers lined the walkways, as well as the surrounding grassy areas. There were too many types to count, and of various colors as well. There was rows of yellow, blue, and violet colored flowers to my left, and stalks of pretty green and red grass to my right. The trees around us were high, lush beauties of similar colors, and these weren't even the main reason I wanted to come here, but they were impressive in their own right.
"I could get lost in a place like this." Clarissa said, and I just nodded, fully agreeing with her.
"Come on, Sera told me about the main attraction here. I wanna go see it." I said, squeezing her hand gently as I pulled her along, making her giggle.
"Okay, settle down. I'm coming." She said through her giggles.
We made our way through the park gardens, the sun now having fully set, making the park shine under the moonlight. It was a breathtaking sight, and reminded me that this world can be incredibly beautiful. It didn't take us long at all to reach the center of the park, which was where I wanted to go, and once we breached the trees into a circular clearing in the middle, I was left momentarily breathless.
"Oh my gods... it's gorgeous." Clarissa said, her voice low and full of wonder.
That was a very accurate description of what we were seeing. In the middle of the park, was a tree a bit larger than the rest, reaching dozens of feet into the air, just barely clearing the others. What made this one special was that, the leaves that covered its branches were all multitudes of different colors. Reds, blues, greens, purples, oranges, and more. However, the really eye catching part was that the leaves seemed to glow and have their own luminescense to them.
"It's incredible." I said as we approached closer to the tree.
"How does it do that?" Clarissa asked, and I smirked as I kinda knew the answer, or at least what Sera had said.
"Sera mentioned that high ranked Florists, as well as others with classes like it, can imbue their mana into plants, and things like this tree, to enhance them, and make them more than they are. Apparently, this one was actually hand grown by someone a long time ago, and has been taken care of and maintained by others, and been a major attraction for a long time." I said as I recalled the Elven woman's words.
She didn't tell me the explicit details, which I was fine with. This thing was just a beautiful sight, and currently, that's all it needed to be. As I looked around, I saw that there were a few people here with us, with most of them being couples just like us. Most of them were off sitting together at many of the various wooden benches around the tree, and I looked around for a good spot for Clarissa and I to sit.
I found a bench far off to the left side of the tree, and there were small patches of multicolored flowers in front of and behind the bench. I led her over by the hand as she just gazed around with wide, fascinated eyes. I held her hand as she slowly sat down, with me joining her a moment later.
"Surprised?" I asked, and she let out a cute little snort laugh, then flushed a light pink a moment later.
"I've never seen anything like this in real life. In storybooks, yeah, but that doesn't even compare to seeing it with your own eyes." She said, gazing back at the tree.
"I've seen some weird and interesting things since coming to this world, but nothing like this. I've seen stuff like this in stories too. Whether watching TV, or reading about it in books, but yeah. The real thing definitely hits different." I said, and Clarissa gazed at me with a question in her eyes.
"What's a... TV?" She asked, and I chuckled.
"Sorry. Kinda slipped my mind for second there. A TV is like... hmm... how do I describe it? Do you have plays, or shows you can go and watch here?" I asked, and she nodded, prompting me to continue, "So, a TV is like... it's a screen, kinda like a Framework screen, but bigger, and in a physical form. There's a lot of electronics that go into making them work, but on these screens, you can watch just about anything. Plays, sports, cartoons, fantasy stories, romance stories, world news, you name it, but you can do it all from the comfort of your own home." I said, although I was probably not doing the best job of explaining it to her.
That prompted even more questions from her, and that had me spending the next 20 to 30 minutes trying to explain things like electricity, cell phones, cars, video games, and more. Oh, and something I was growing to miss a great deal. Indoor plumbing, most notably, showers. Most of the others I found myself not missing that much the longer I was on this world, although some things would still be nice. It would be cool to watch anime or play some games with the girls, after all.
"This place sounds fascinating." Clarissa said, scooting closer to me, and leaning her head against my shoulder, "Eli... what about you? You've told me all of this, but you didn't really talk about yourself... or rather, what your life was like on your world. Cici mentioned it to me, but she told me I should ask you if I wanted to know."
My prior conversation with Clarissa at dinner went through my mind at her words, and about everything she had told me. She deserved no less than to know everything about me at this point, just as she did for me. I wouldn't have minded if Cici told her about me, but I also appreciated that she left that up to me to decide. Right now, the decision was simple.
"Well, I guess I'll start at the beginning." I said, and then I just began talking.
I didn't skip anything. I told her of my life as a child, about being an orphan, how I was sick and weak, and how I never went a day without agony. I told her about my mom, and how important she was to me, then I told her about my dad, and the person he became as I got older. About Keith and Rachel, and their betrayal that broke what little I had left to live for.
Clarissa kept my gaze as I spoke, various emotions playing across her features as I told her my story. There were smiles and smalls bouts of laughter, but there was also pain, horror, and even tears. I think it was more so her, crying for me, that caused my own tears to fall as well, but I wanted to tell her everything, so I pressed on.
I told her the real story of how Cici and I met, of how, just as a cat, she had began to mend my heart, to now, where she had put it back together, better than it ever had been before, as my wife. Relieving the memory of her being taken from me while I layed on the ground in a pool of my own blood will always be one of the worst memories I had.
I saved my story with my return trip to Earth for last, which had helped explain some things for her. At first, she said she found it odd that there were a few humans living at the Beastkin village, but just assumed that they lived there because Cici and I did, and they were my family. She had also always wondered just how exactly I came to be there in the first place up until earlier today, when she found out I came from another world through a portal.
She wasn't completely wrong about some things, but not right in many either, which I blamed myself for. She had been living with so many questions about me for so long that had never gotten explained to her, yet she was respectful of me this entire time, and didn't want to pry into something that wasn't her business at the time. However, if she was going to become a part of our family, and in all likelihood, my next wife in the near future, then it was her business. I would tell her anything she wanted to know, and knowing me, a bit more.
I finally got to the very end of the story, with my confrontation with my dad, my subsequent ending his life, and then the chaos that ensued with those trafficking assholes afterwards. That was hard for me, as I had to retell exactly how I had found my mother, and the state she was in. How seeing my dad again brought about the cruel, uncaring part of me that just wanted him to hurt. Weirdly enough, the horror on Clarissa's face as I spoke actually made me appreciate her even more. Her heart was much bigger than her smaller body would suggest.
That horror stayed as I talked about finding all of those women being treated worse than animals, but she did smile when I told her that it was actually Cici that did the majority of the work, and said that Cici was just the coolest, and I fully supported those words. I truly decided to tell her everything, as just liks this world, Earth could be a nice place, but there were always untold evils hiding around a random corner that you'd never know about just at a glance.
"And that's about everything. Sorry if it was too much, but I didn't want to hold anything back from you." I said, staring into her gorgeous, currently wet eyes.
"Eli..." Clarissa said with a shakey voice, before she just wrapped her arms around me, and rested her head against my chest.
The move was warm, and gentle. I put my arms around her, and held her to me, a smile appearing on my face as her small, soft body pressed further into mine. We remained like that for a few comfortable moments, before she spoke again.
"I never knew you had dealt with so much. I had heard your life was hard, but..." She said, her voice waivering as she thought of what to say, "We're more similar in some ways than I had ever realized. We both... had to watch someone turn into a monster. And both times... it was you that had to stop them."
I held her close, my own emotions turning inside of me. I felt I did the right thing. No, I knew I did the right thing. I wouldn't feel bad for them, and yet... for Clarissa? That was a much different story.
"Clarissa, I wouldn't take back what I've done. It had to be done, but even so... I'm sorry." I said, and she looked up at me, fresh tears in her gorgeous blue eyes.
"You have nothing to apologize for. My father and yours were evil men, Eli. Whatever people they were, or could have been, died long before you got them." Clarissa said, and then she reached up, and put her hand on my cheek, "Eli, you're so such a good man. A wonderful man. With everything you have been through, look at the man you have become. By all rights, you had every reason to become just as cruel, just as jaded, and just as uncaring as them, but you didn't."
My ears stung, twin tears leaking from my eyes as she spoke. She continued to speak, even as more moisture fell from her eyes.
"You've shown yourself to be gentle, caring, and a man with unbreakable ideals. It's just... Eli, you do so much to help everyone, and to protect all of us... but it sounds like no one was there for you... and someone should have been there... to protect you." She said, her last words barely a whisper, and filled with sadness not for herself, but for me.
That right there? That did it. My tears came fast and hot, streaming down my face. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her head into my chest as I cried more than I had expected to. The words had hit home, and her concern, and her feelings for me, only added to what I was feeling now.
I had been more alone than I had ever realized. With my mother not being able to be there for me, and my father being a complete asshole, I really only had Keith and Rachel, but everyone knows how well that turned out. Even then, they weren't there for me like they should have been. They never stood up for me, never talked to me about how I was doing, and certainly didn't seem to care about me enough to not break my heart.
The woman right here in my arms, even if I was only now getting to truly know her, meant so much more to me than I could articulate. I truly felt like Clarissa was a woman I'd known for my entire life, despite it not truly being that long, and with this moment right here? She had fully cemented herself into my heart, and I would destroy the world if it meant keeping her safe.
I leaned back, which caused her to look up at me with her face streaked with tears, before I leaned in and kissed her with passion. She gasped into my lips, before her kissing also became more aggressive, her mouth greedily trying to suck mine in. Our tongues began to roam, meeting halfway as they tangled together, neither one trying to overpower the other, but almost like they were trying to fuse together. She was inexperienced, but the passion in her kiss was just as raw, and just as welcoming than any kiss I'd ever gotten.
As we parted, we both breathed heavily, staring into each other's eyes. There was heat in her gaze, but also something else. Something that had been building slowly over time, and only now just began to fully solidify. My gaze no doubt held the same look, as I had been feeling the exact same way. Even so, something seemed to make her hesitate on saying what she wanted to say, and I think I understood better now what that was.
The only person who had ever loved her, and probably the only other person she had ever loved, had left her, without even a word. This thing between us was also still new, and she was probably still trying to sort out how she was feeling in her head. For me though, I knew how I felt, and her eyes told me what her mouth did not. That was enough for me, and I would hold my tongue until she was ready. Something told me that the words I wanted to hear would come soon though, so I wasn't worried.
"Eli... I..." She said, but seemed to struggle on exactly what she wanted to say, confirming my thoughts.
"It's okay." I said, gently kissing her forehead, making her blush, but she smiled nonetheless. I continued, "Clarissa... thank you for sitting here with me, and listening to me. I've only told a few people about myself, and my experiences. And... thank you for saying the things you did. They mean a lot to me. More than you could ever know. I truly... I'm just so grateful to have you in my life. And I hope you'll stick around with me, and with Cici"
Clarissa smiled a dazzling little thing as her eyes reddened again. I smiled right back, before opening a small portal to our side. Her eyes opened wide at it, like she hadn't seen it before, before I pulled out the small box containing the gift I had gotten her. She looked at it like it was a priceless artifact, making me chuckle under my breath. God, her eyes are enchanting.
I slowly brought the box forward, and held it between us.
"In case you didn't realize it earlier, you are my special someone." I said, and she snorted out a laugh as she wiped at her eyes.
"I guess I missed that part. You do seem to have a few of those these days." She joked back, making me laugh in earnest.
"Tonight is about no one else but you. I just... hope that doesn't actually bother you." I said, and she shook her head.
My feelings for Clarissa were real, and I wanted her in my life, but I also had developed real feelings for Valerie, and ones for Sheila as well. Plus, with how nice and cute she was, Serena wasn't off the table either. I had to make sure that the women around me were comfortable with me having multiple of them, because with how wild my life was getting, I wasn't putting anything off the table. Not that I wanted to. The idea of more women to love, and to love me back was a captivating thought that was becoming my reality.
"No, oddly enough, it doesn't. You are a wonderful man, Eli. I'm just happy to have the chance to be a part of this." She replied, and now my smile was wide, conveying the affection I had for her.
With that, I slowly unlatched the small box, and opened it gingerly. Once she got a look of what was inside, I saw her eyes light up, and caught the quiver in her bottom lip.
"Eli..." She said, her voice small, and full of emotion.
The necklace was simple, but no less beautiful because of it. It was a simple silver chain with a gem attached to it where it would hang just under her neckline. However, the beautiful blue gem that shone under the light of the night sky was a perfect match to the blue eyes staring at me with unbridled affection.
"I saw this, and couldn't help but think it looked perfect. It matches with the most beautiful set of blue eyes I've ever seen. I hope you like it." I said, a couple more tears falling down her cheeks from my words.
"I... I love it." She said, but I couldn't help but notice how she did not break her gaze with my eyes as she spoke, or how the word "love" felt aimed at more than just the necklace.
I just smiled, before I stood up, and went behind her. I sat down behind her, and put the necklace around her neck, gently clasping it in place. I got back up and resumed my previous position in front of her. I was right. It looked like it was made for her.
"I'm glad it's up to your standards. Would've been a shame to have to return such a beautiful necklace." I said, and she looked at me with mock horror as she held the gem tighter to her chest.
"Don't you dare." She warned me, making me laugh.
That made her breakout into laughter as well, before she just smiled, and held the gem between two fingers as she raised it up and brought it closer to her eyes.
"Really though, Eli... thank you. I will cherish this." She said, and the smile on my face was mirrored by hers.
We fell into a comfortable silence as she leaned her head against my shoulder, my arm wrapping around her and pulling her close. We just gazed around us at the beautiful colors of the park. The tree in the middle was still such a beautiful sight, and it temporarily made me forget all of the evils and bullshit I had encountered since coming to this world.
My eyes then went to the night sky, which honestly didn't look much different from the ones I remembered back home. I had expected a fantasy world to have like, purple stars and 7 moons, but no, just the normal starry night and the one moon. The moon was fucking big though, so that was a little different. I wondered how big the solar system of this world was, and if it was seemingly endless, like the one of Earth was thought to be.
"I can't remember the last time I've had such a good day." Clarissa said, rubbing her cheek against my arm.
"I'm happy to hear it. I had an amazing day too." I said, and then corrected, "Well, it was kinda all over the place at first, but now... now it's good. Got to spend the day with the most beautiful Baroness this world has to offer."
She giggled softly for a moment, before her hand went to my cheek. I turned to her, only to get another mouthful of Clarissa, which was not a bad thing at all. As her lips met mine, and as her tongue invaded my mouth again, something began to feel different. Her body was warm before, but now it felt like her whole body would combust from the heat she was giving off. Soon, her hand wrapped around the back of my head, which was a move I didn't expect from her, as her other hand went to my chest.
I would say that I wasn't getting an erection, but I was not raised to be a liar. My penis was filling with blood rapidly, and I eventually felt the painful strain of it pushing against my pants. The way her body began to rub against mine was very telling of how she was feeling right now, and that was confirmed even more as she began to breathe heavily against my mouth. A soft little moan even escaped her lips, which made my cock lurch in my pants.
Cici's presence entered my mind, but she didn't say anything. Rather, I got the feeling of excitement, an image her giving me a cheeky grin, and even a healthy dose of arousal from her. That did not help matters one bit, but I don't think that's what she was going for. Clarissa broke the kiss after another few seconds miraculously, but the heat and lust in her eyes burned brighter than any skill I could use. She breathed heavily as she gazed into my eyes, and I found myself just as out of breath as she was.
"Eli..." She said, her gaze filled with heat, "It's getting late... but maybe... we could continue this back at the manor... in my room?"
She did not need to convince me. I stood, and she yelped a cute little noise as I picked her up in my arms. I summoned my wings on my back. I held her close to me, and she actually started giggling softly, before pushing her face into my chest. With no further words needed, I leapt into the air, wrapping us in Abyssal energy as I flew towards the manor at speeds that were completely unnecessary. Well, for some it might be, but for me and my painfully erect penis, it didn't seem fast enough.