Chapter 10

The walk towards the tavern was lighthearted, as my three companions for the evening exchanged pleasantries. Amenthia and Entivala had taken their chosen positions on either side of me and Cassandra had decided to walk ahead of us. She knew of the tavern we were going to be dining at, so there was no need to follow behind us, which gave her the ability to engage all three of us easily with a glance over the shoulder. The choice also had the added effect of giving me an uninterrupted, and unfettered view of the back of her dress as we walked. I could see the soft, yet defined, muscles of her back that were exposed by the open back of the dress. Along with that, I could see the movement of her well sculpted legs with each step she took, as well as the almost hypnotic movement of her hips and ass as we went. I tried not to stare, to be actively part of the conversation, but my yes drifted and, on more than one occasion, I was caught by Cassandra staring. She would just give a knowing smile and continue the conversation as if nothing were amiss.

It didn’t take us long to get to The Dark Chamber Restaurant and it didn’t seem to be remarkably busy.

“Welcome back to the The Dark Chamber,” said Gar’tial, the young server from our last visit. “There is a nice sized table over in the corner there, which should be private enough for you to enjoy your meal.”

She guided us to our table and handed out the menus before turning to check on the other guests nearby. It didn’t take long for us to figure out our meals and call the server back to take our order. While we waited for our food, we decided to fill the time with questions.

“So Cassandra, what is it you hope to get out of tonight?” I asked expectantly. “I don’t want any assumptions from any side. They cause misunderstanding and false expectations which could not only ruin an evening, but a friendship, as well.”

She blushed slightly and answered, “I honestly don’t really know. We have become good, close friends since we met, and I feel comfortable around you. Apparently, the others noticed that I had been sneaking glances at you and decided to approach me during the week we had off. They figured I had a crush on you, given the various things I have seen you do for our party. I begrudgingly admitted it, but said I knew that it wouldn’t happen. I also explained that I had never really had an opportunity to date anyone and they decided on doing this.”

Amenthia nodded, “We wanted to see how she really felt and figured by the end of the night, Cassandra would have a better understanding of what she felt and what she wanted. Knowing the kind of guy you are, we knew you would have thought the same thing. However, by us doing it, your reactions to her and the situation have been made more authentic. This will allow her to better figure out her feelings. She knows nothing is expected of her and that this is just a fun night out. Though I must admit the idea of you completing the set gets me a little hot.”

I glanced over at her with a raised eyebrow, causing her to giggle in reply. Entivala and Cassandra so joined her, though Cassandra was blushing.

“Well, I am a beautiful blonde, Entivala is a delicious redhead. If you were to have Cassandra join us, she would be the brunette, finishing the blonde, brunette, redhead trifecta.”

I groaned in response, causing the trio to begin once again to laugh at my expense. A few minutes later, our food arrived at the table and we shared stories of ourselves while we ate. While Enti and Amenthia had told me all of these things already, Cassandra sat enraptured by their backstories. She was much the same when I told her about my life before Eden. We had to talk more quietly when it was my turn to speak, but it didn’t seem as if anyone had overheard anything. When it was Cassandra’s turn, we all sat enraptured as we learned of our new friend.

Cassandra sighed and said, “There isn’t much to tell. I grew up in Faltoran, a city north of the Dungeon city of Quarent. I have two siblings who are older and both boys. My father worked as a smith, providing general tools and materials to the townspeople, though his sons seemed not to share that interest. I became his helper at a young age, and it has been one of the great joys in my life. He smiled a lot and told me he was proud of me. I would be praised for the work I did well and reminded of the proper technique when I hadn’t done a task correctly.

“I was only ten when my oldest brother, Edmond, decided to become an adventurer. He went to Quarent to undergo the choosing and had been picked to join the Pact House of Neptune. Once he joined, he rarely, if ever, came home and seemed to like his new life better than his old one. Our mother was distraught at Edmond’s lack of care for his family and vowed to not let it happen with me or my remaining brother. I felt bad for my mother but was content with the attention I garnered from my father through my work in the smithy.

“When it came time for Evan’s turn to choose the next phase of his life, he decided to become a guardsman for our town. This made our mother happy, especially when he made sure to visit often. As a gift, I made an intricate belt buckle for Evan. Evan smiled when I gifted it to him and promised to wear it. The promise proved fruitful when a pack of dire wolves attacked. His regiment was tasked with dealing with the wolves. There were twelve of our men to five of the oversized beasts. It was a fierce battle and we had lost four guards, but they were down to the last wolf. It dodged Evan’s attack and went for his throat when it was blasted back by an unseen force.

“Evan apparently stood stunned as the wolf was sent flying back ten feet and he quickly dispatched as it tried to get up. Evan relayed the story to his family, and everyone looked puzzled, however my father had seen the look on my face. That night before bedtime, he approached me and asked what I had done. I explained that as I was making the buckle, a thought kept creeping up in my mind. I knew the dwarven rune for barrier and told him I had engraved it on the back of the buckle and had said a little prayer. The next morning, our father asked Evan for the buckle and turned it around to see the rune I had drawn for him on the back. It had a light green glow to it and my father recognized the magic right away.

“He began to focus on my skills as much as time would allow. I absorbed the lessons like a sponge, and he took me to the nearby library to begin learning the various symbols, glyphs and runes that would become part of my daily life. By the time I was old enough to choose, I was trained and ready. I hoped to be stationed in Quarent, so I could be near my family. I was chosen for Hekate Pact House and was elated to be part of such a renowned smithing house. That joy turned sour as I was tasked with various jobs within the house. My Patron had dismissed my ability as a runesmith and felt that it was too much of a niche to bring money and prestige to the house.

“I toiled away in service to my Pact House but felt underutilized. I participated in the Dungeon, collecting materials and ore. I found joy in Dungeon diving and was allowed to craft my own armor, as long as I didn’t engrave it. My heart sank with this restriction, but I enjoyed making my own armor and weapons, hoping one day I could use my true craft on them. My Patron could tell I was disgruntled and began to wonder if I was practicing my art in secret. When I was found to have a runed bracer, I was pulled from the smithy and sent to toil in one of their shops until I stopped my ‘foolish’ endeavors.

“It was not long afterward that I got the news I was being traded off to another house. When I learned that it wasn’t a smithing house, I became livid. Hekate had become even colder and confiscated all the tools, equipment, and items I had gained while in the house. All the armor and weapons I had made, save for my own personal items, were melted down or tossed for scrap. I felt pain and despair as I wondered if I was ever going to forge another item again. Then you walked into my store and the rest is history.

“I have never felt such freedom since I was at home working with my father. You have treated me as a friend and companion. You have encouraged me to be a better runesmith and adventurer through your kind words and support. I have seen how you treat Amenthia and Entivala, growing envious of their joy and happiness. I found myself growing fonder of you and approached them, wanting to get their input. They devised a plan for if you chose to take me out to dinner. This has been amazing so far, though I know I won’t be getting the full experience, but so far it has been real fun.”

She blushed slightly when she mentioned the ‘full experience’, telling me that my companions may have been more open than I realized. A quick glance their way and I saw their eyes meet mine for a second before looking away as a blush colored their exposed skin. I glanced back towards Cassandra, but while she was blushing, she kept her eyes locked with mine.

“I am glad that you have enjoyed your time with us, so far,” I replied softly, placing a hand on top of hers. “I won’t lie and say I am not tempted, but I don’t think this would be something that should be rushed. I rushed with them and, while it has worked out rather well, it could have been disastrous. They have also had time to get used to my being from another world before we met. I think we should have a few more of these nights out and see where things take us. No pressure or expectations and we can talk about what we liked and didn’t so we can learn more about one another.”

Cassandra’s smile widened and she said, “I would like that very much. I haven’t really had time to date, so this is a first for me. Slower would make me feel a bit more comfortable ... not that Amenthia and Entivala have been pushing me.”

We continued to enjoy the evening, talking about our endeavors and it was great to hear the different perspectives. With our meal concluded, we thanked our server and made our way out to the street.

“What the hell is this?” came a voice from behind us. I turned to find the same man who had been taking issue with my time with Cassandra. “Really? Him? Why would you want to waste your time with him? He is nothing!”

I glanced at my companions and said, “Amenthia, Enti and Cassandra, please head back to the Pact House. I will be with you three shortly. I have something that needs to be dealt with now!”

They glanced at me warily, knowing how I get when someone acts this way towards people I care for. They nodded and hesitantly made their way towards home, glancing back occasionally until they were out of sight.

“You didn’t already have enough with those two, you had to take her, too?” He yelled, drawing the eyes of some of the people around us.

I got up in his face, “First things first; this shit stops now. I am going to explain it to you very fucking simply. Cassandra is not impressed by any of this shit. Not by you and definitely not by your attitude. You brag about how great you are, expecting her to be impressed. She isn’t and each attempt you make is decreasing any chances you have. You make no attempt to engage her in casual conversation and wonder why she shows no interest.

“Second, you need to smarten up. She belongs to no one but herself. She isn’t a prize to be won, taken, or stolen. The longer you think of her that way, the harder time you will have trying to get her attention. She has begun to gravitate towards me because I treat her like an equal. I have not sought out any of the women who find their way to me. In nearly every case they have been dropped into my lap in one way or another. If you genuinely want to have a chance with her, then you need to change your attitude and approach.”

As I spoke, I could see his anger flare as he fought back the urge to strike at me. As I continued to speak, I could see him begin to process what I was saying and could see the tension slowly leave him. By the time I was finished, his hands were unclenched and his face now neutral.

“If you want her, engage her properly,” I continued, with the edge gone from my voice. “Learn about her interests, her life and family. Don’t make it about you, make it about her. If she wants to know something, she will ask. Showing true interest will generate interest in return, but only if she is considering it. You may have lost the opportunity with your attitude, arrogance, and outbursts. I would suggest you give her a heartfelt apology, then over the next few days just say hello and ask what she is doing. Take your time, don’t rush, and don’t give up. That said, you pull this shit with me again, or hurt Cassandra in any way, and you will answer to me.”

He glared at me for a moment, his anger resurfacing for but a moment before he nodded silently. I turned and began to make my way to the Pact House where I had three incredibly nervous women waiting for me. Twenty minutes later, I found them sitting at the table in our room, stopping in mid conversation to turn and see me enter the room. I put my hand up to stop them before they bombarded me with questions.

“Nothing happened,” I said with a sigh, “and, no, I didn’t kick his ass. I think I set him straight but only time will tell. He is infatuated with Cassandra and tried the wrong means to get her attention. He saw me as a rival and was trying to threaten me off. I told him how he was fucking up and how to fix it. I would expect an apology from him tomorrow, Cassandra, for both his attitude and actions. He will hopefully change his approach and make things more about learning about you. I know he has pissed you off but give him a shot.”

I saw shocked looks on all three faces, and saw a particular look fall on Amenthia’s face. Cassandra had a worried look on hers and I realized the issue. I walked over to Cassandra and placed my finger under her chin to raise her eyes to focus on mine.

“Do not think of this as a rejection, Cassandra. You deserve a chance at a relationship where it is you and another person. You deserve to give it a try and see if it could work for you. You would hate yourself if you didn’t try and I would hate to cause any resentment between us because of that. If it does work out, we will be happy for you and, if it doesn’t, you know where we will be.”

I could see her expression change and she smiled before pulling me into a hug. I glanced over at Amenthia and saw her smile and nod, telling me I had done things correctly. When the hug broke, we said goodnight to our friend and went right to bed. We didn’t get up to our usual escapades, instead enjoying the closeness and intimacy of one another before surrendering to sleep.

I awoke to find myself alone in bed. Looking around I could tell that this was indeed my room, though I couldn’t tell if I was awake or still dreaming. I activated my bracer and saw that Amenthia and Entivala were down on the first floor, though I was uncertain as to where exactly. I took my time stretching before I got out of bed and got dressed. I greeted the guard outside our door and wondered when Tyr would feel we were safe enough to not need someone watching our room.

Following the map, I wove my way downstairs and through the corridors towards a room on the eastern side of the building. I rapped my knuckle on the door and heard some hushed voices before the door opened revealing Cassandra, with my ladies seated at a small table opposite the door.

“Hey, Pathios,” she said with a smile, gesturing for me to come in. “Amenthia and Entivala stopped by to talk about last night. I really want to thank you for all you did. The dinner was amazing, the attention you gave me was moving and talking to that guy about how he had been behaving was touching. I am not going to promise anything, but if he does change how he acts and does things, I may give it a shot.”

“I am more than happy to help, though, to be honest, I didn’t do much,” I replied with a smile and a shrug. “You are a friend and I merely tried to do my best to be just that. Besides, I can sometimes barely keep up with these two, a third added to the mix might kill me.”