Parturitions, page 3
“Ava, Mia, I want to love both of you and part of me thinks that I do already, but another part worries that you two are just latching on like Jessica would have.”
“Who says that we aren’t?” asked Ava.
“And who says that we can’t do that and still love you?” added Mia.
“Is it really love if you are latching on? I mean, to me that just feels like you are looking for security and will put up with what you need to, to get it.”
“Alex, you’re right we came at you to gain security,” answered Ava.
“But we found so much more than that,” added Mia.
“We get it, you have been guarded with us and Kate.”
“At least until about a week ago.”
“Yeah, we can tell you have admitted to loving her.”
“It’s not hard to tell from the subtle changes that happen.”
“We’re just happy that you instantly turned your focus to us after.”
“Yep. Means that you don’t want to leave us out.”
“Yah, I am still worried that Kate is going to break my heart, but let’s keep our focus on you two for now as it is your time, not hers right now,” replied Alex.
“See, that is the issue we think.”
“You are unable to separate us and fall in love with us as individuals.”
“You need to stop trying to do that.”
“We are who we are and that means you need to fall in love with us.”
“When you kiss Mia, it makes me happy.”
“And when you kiss Ava, it makes me happy.”
“You are obsessed with making sure that both of us are treated equally.”
“That makes you lose the ability to act naturally in the moment.”
“I’m not going to be upset if Mia gets a few more seconds of kissing in.”
“And I’m not going to be upset if you hug Ava slightly tighter, or longer.”
“The only thing that will make us upset is.”
“If only one of us gets pregnant.”
“I guess when we get to that point I will need to spend every night for a month making sure that it won’t be my fault if that happens,” commented Alex with a smile. “And I can see what you mean. I have been so obsessed with making sure that if I kissed one of you first one morning, that I switch the order the next and other such things. As for trying to fall in love with each of you as an individual, I don’t think that I have been trying to do that as I can’t picture one of you without the other.”
“We know,” stated Ava as she giggled.
“But you need to stop trying to fall for me,” added Mia with her own giggle.
“Or me.”
“And try and fall for us.”
“We know, it can be scary to always be outnumbered.”
“But we promise not to take advantage of it too often.”
“I still worry that you two are becoming too dependent on me,” responded Alex with a frown.
“Alex, we love you, we really do.”
“And of course we are letting ourselves become dependent on you.”
“But we are also becoming dependent on Sam and Nicole.”
“And even Kate to a point.”
“The point is that for the first time in our lives.”
“We are letting others into the world that has always just been us and Nana.”
“And it seems that I am the only one resisting it still,” responded Alex with a sigh.
At this Ava and Mia both twisted as they rolled so that they were each halfway on top of Alex as they smiled before responding.
“Resistance is futile.”
“But feel free to try.”
“It will only make the day we get you all the sweeter.”
“After all, it is a when not if, as we believe that you already love us.”
The next thing Alex knew he was being peppered with kisses as they let their body weight press against him. He responded by tickling them as they started laughing and shrieking as the snuggling turned into a bit of horse play between them. When they calmed down, Alex found himself beneath the pair of them once more as he worked to catch his breath after all the laughing. Ava and Mia, however, had a different idea as they started switching off giving him deep and loving kisses until it was time for them to return to ED once more. Needless to say that Alex hadn’t fought too hard to escape the predicament of being smothered by their kisses before that point, much to the twins’ joy.
Xeal’s time in ED had quickly become full in the days leading up to his first child being born and this started with him on day 229 sitting in a meeting. Each of the five major tribes had a representative, with Noriko being present for the tiger-men, Adolphus for the wolf-men, Sceca for the eagle-men, Ianira for the snake-men, Yahisa for the fox-men and Aziz the anzu-man fulfilling the role of representing all of the minor tribes. Xeal had just been explaining how he didn’t want any celebrations directly after each birth when he was interrupted.
“What do you mean that you want to deny any of the tribes the ability to honor your children?” asked Adolphus, sounding shocked. “You’re the head of all of us and any child of yours should be looked at as a possible future leader and unifier of our people.”
“I just said that it will be inconvenient for any of them to do so,” corrected Xeal. “I am expecting four children in a 19-day span. All of my wives will be retreating from society for a while after that and many of the events that they wish to have would need their participation.”
“Xeal, you are going to have a lot of issues if you deny the tribes the right to celebrate,” interjected Noriko. “Even we have our traditions, even if it is only rubbing some mud on their forehead and displaying them to the others in the maternity village.”
“I am not saying that no celebrations will occur,” answered Xeal. “Just that they will be delayed.”
“What did you have in mind?” asked Sceca.
“A single celebration at the start of each year that honors any children that have been born to my house that year. There will also be a few smaller ones that match with the traditions of my wives, but those will be more private affairs that occur in my home.”
“Sso, what, each tribe ssendss a repressentative to your palacce to ccelebrate?” asked Ianira.
“No, each holds a festival in their section of the city and creates a path through their lands for other tribes to walk, as my family spends the whole day walking and stopping for a few minutes at each one. Any that require precise times will need to use a stand-in representation of us, but we will still pay them a visit.”
“And what about those of us who don’t wish for the other tribes to come onto our lands?” asked Yahisa.
“Yahisa, I am not going to force any tribe to open their lands to the other tribes,” answered Xeal. “It is why there are so many gates on the external wall. That said, you and the rest of your tribe really need to get over this. Once a noble is appointed over any of your lands, they will need to be given access for inspections and development.”
“Yes, but they will need to attract a fox-woman as a bride first and no fox-woman is going to agree without assuring that they will keep the tribe’s secrets,” countered Yahisa, looking confident.
“I don’t remember such a clause,” interjected Adolphus. “All I saw was that each noble must marry a beast-man, or beast-woman, to receive a holding. So if enough of our women find mates, then we will gain lands.”
“Preposterous. Xeal knows better than to do such a thing,” countered Yahisa.
“Yahisa, while I will try to make sure that it happens the way you understand, if none of your tribe finds a match, the other tribes will start to encroach on your tribe’s lands.”
At Xeal’s words Yahisa looked mortified and was about to respond when Sceca cut in.
“Drop it, Yahisa. You don’t see any of us worrying about it and if you want to try to convince Chief Taro to go against it, none of us will stop you. Just don’t be surprised when the fox-men are reduced to a minor tribe through what will follow.”
“Is that a threat!?” exclaimed Yahisa.
“No,” interjected Aziz, looking annoyed. “She is simply stating the facts of the matter. For better or worse we all have entered into an agreement that will see our tribes slowly merge over the course of the next few centuries. Part of that is the introduction of nobles into our society and that means surrendering our autonomy outside the districts in this city. If the fox-men wish to move all of their secrets into the area where only Xeal and his family may walk unbidden they can, but if they wish to keep everyone out of the lands they hold now, they will find themselves alone.”
Xeal could see Yahisa fighting a losing battle as he tried to hold his tongue, so he decided to throw him a lifeline.
“Yahisa, you need to speak with Chief Taro about this as it will be his decision ultimately and if he finds that he needs to speak with me I will make time. Now, do any of you see an issue with my proposed solution to the celebrations of my children?”
At that, the only concern would be if a future child was born too close to the new year for it to safely spend the whole day out like that. To solve this, it was agreed that in such years the festival would turn into a parade of a sort, with each tribe coming to the palace and walking through parts of the city that would be determined beforehand. Xeal was just glad when it was over and he was able to return to handling the other tasks on his to-do list, as every third day had become his administrative day.
Days 230 and 231 were both spent in the kobold mines for the most part, with short breaks that he spent with his wives in between. Day 232, however, saw Xeal sitting across from an annoyed Chief Taro as he spoke.
“Xeal, please explain to me why Yahisa came to me with a claim that you tricked us?”
“That is simple. He failed to realize that if no fox-women find mates, that other races will marry nobles who will be given holdings that were once your tribe’s territory.”
“Ah, I see. That would be why he is saying that our secrets will be exposed if we don’t find a way around the deal. Now you do intend on taking Hinagiku and Sumire as wives once they reach tier-6, correct?”
“No, Daisy and Violet will need to find their own husbands as my bed is full. Besides, both are still a bit too young for me to look their way, even if I was considering it.”
“What? They had me believing that they were well on their way to securing your hand. Xeal, I have been operating under the assumption that you would accept them and your children with them would be given the holdings surrounding our main village. Now I will need to speak with them to clear this up.”
“I agree. It is best that we set the story straight and I believe now is as good of a time as any.”
With that, Xeal had one of his servants that was always on standby just outside the room he was working in, fetch the two fox-girls from wherever they had gotten off to on their day off. In the meanwhile, Xeal continued to catch up with Chief Taro as he learned that besides Daisy and Violet, only five fox-women had been selected to participate in the gathering that would take place shortly after the new year. Unlike a few of the other tribes, the fox-men had intended to be very selective in this process and as such, a discussion about Xeal needing to approve any lady who was seeking a noble husband ensued. They had just finished building a framework that would need to be discussed with King Victor and the other tribes, when the two fox-girls arrived looking confused. Once the door had closed, Chief Taro wasted no time in speaking to them.
“Hinagiku and Sumire-”
“Daisy and Violet, Dad. We are not in the village!” cut in Daisy, looking annoyed.
“Regardless,” responded Taro in annoyance. “Why is Xeal saying that he has no intention of taking either of you as a wife when you both promised me that you were well on your way there?”
“Father,” started Daisy, looking frustrated. “I wish you would learn to stay quiet as you just made our job much harder. Violet, will you please explain to both of them what we mean?”
“Why do I have to?” complained Violet while looking a tad bashful.
“Because you’re the one who came up with the idea.”
“Fine. Xeal, who decides if a woman even has a remote chance of marrying you now?”
“My wives,” responded Xeal with a groan. “How many are in favor of you two?”
“Nope, until we have all of them it is zero,” cut in Daisy before Violet could answer.
“My wives all know that I am against taking either of you as a bride, or any others,” stated Xeal before he paused and sighed. “Which is where you reaching tier-6 comes into play and it would allow you to live up to 300 years and thus not require any artificial means to extend your life. Why are you two set on me? I have no way to bring you any closer to the true Kitsune and I have repeatedly ignored your advances while we train together.”
At Xeal’s question both fox-girls impishly blushed before shaking their heads as they refused to give him a straight answer so he continued.
“I don’t think you realize what you would be signing up for as I already have six wives, with another four all but guaranteed once the war is over. Then I have another one that will likely happen if I can reach the peak of this world by reaching tier-8 as I won’t embrace them fully until then, especially with the other complications that exist.”
“We know that we will just be another pair of flowers in your colorful bouquet and we are fine with that,” answered Violet. “In fact, we have decided that we would prefer it to the alternative of marrying an unknown man.”
“Ah, there is the problem,” responded Xeal with a smile. “You feel that you would be safe joining my wives and your father would be satisfied so long as you each had a few children to receive land to rule when they come of age. All because you don’t like the options you know of in your village and fear that a nobleman would mistreat you.”
“That is not why,” retorted Violet, looking hurt. “Is it so terrible, or hard to accept, that we like you for who you are and find ourselves attracted to you?”
“It is terrible when you can’t move past it,” answered Xeal. “Violet, I care about what happens to you and Daisy, but that doesn't mean that I will simply accept your affections because you have a crush on me. You aren’t in love with me. You may be smitten with the idea of me, but I would much rather you pair up with Gideon Beckett, or one of the other over-performers from the noble teens my guild is training.”
“You would ask that we marry a man that we will outlive by centuries,” stated Daisy, looking hurt. “I for one don’t see that being an environment where we would know love. With you we could have you for at least half our lives, even if we get our fifth tails like we dream of.”
“Xeal, please just let us try to change your mind for the next few years,” pleaded Violet. “We know that you won’t look at us until our 18th year from talking to your other ladies. If we fail to win you over by the end of the war by fighting by your side, we will accept that you are beyond our reach and look for a mate elsewhere.”
“Who said that you two would be anywhere near the fighting when the war comes?” asked Xeal in a stern tone.
“We did,” stated Daisy resolutely. “We know that if we hide away at that point we will have no chance to secure your love. That is unless you give in before then and you wish for us to guard our little ones with your other wives who will be kept away from battle.”
“And what if I decide to keep you both in the village when the war starts?” interjected Taro, looking annoyed at his daughters.
“Do you think that we won’t escape once you and most of the others with true strength are called to the front?” retorted Daisy.
“I could always put you there,” stated Taro ominously.
“Father, you are welcome to try,” answered Violet confidently. “But you may find that only helps ensure that we are next to Xeal as we wish.”
Xeal knew that they were talking about a secretive location that, if he had to guess, was the home of one of the few tier-8 fox-men. Xeal knew fox-men were the type to be mischievous in their advanced years when active, though they would spend most of their time in meditation. However, the few stories about encounters players had had with them in his last life had all painted them as the type to toy with any they interacted with. More than once this had ended in said players finding themselves marrying an NPC before they knew what had happened, as they also seemed to love to play matchmaker.
“Alright,” cut in Xeal. “I get it, you two are determined to chase me. However, unlike with Eira, I have no intent to allow you to catch me. So, just know that you are setting yourselves up for disappointment and don’t be mad at me when it happens and I expect you both to earn the right to stand next to me in battle. That means that you will need to reach the same standards as Eira, Bula, Alea and Rina in every aspect and you will never return to training with Enye, Dyllis, Mari and Lingxin like was originally intended.”
Xeal could see Chief Taro giving him a concerned look as Daisy and Violet exchanged looks while they held a conversation using only their eyes. Finally the pair returned their looks to Xeal as Violet responded to Xeal’s words.
“We look forward to working with them moving forward and hope they will treat us with the same kindness that your other ladies have.”
“You know that only Eira has my eye that way of the four of them, right?”
“Yes,” answered Daisy. “But as of this time they are all in your care and until they return to their people they will be seen as your ladies. Just as we will, even if we will have no relations with you beyond acting as your kitsune priestesses as we support your battles.”
“They are my companions, not my ladies,” corrected Xeal. “Just as both of you will be companions. Becoming one of my ladies implies that something romantic will occur and I fully intend to return you home after the war to be married to another.”
Xeal could tell that both of them wanted to refute him, but decided better of it as they were dismissed and Xeal returned to speaking with only Chief Taro.
