CHAPTER 25: A CRUCIAL PART OF ME

Tiss and I are both shown to our own rooms to stay while we’re here. Other than Elyssia’s own room, there are five spare rooms inside her home, and each of them are arranged the same way. A king-sized bed in the back right corner. A dresser on the on the back left side. There’s a writing desk near the door when you enter. A simple rug in the middle of the room. Not much decoration at all, but it seems about right for a guest room.

[Elyssia] "Now, please make yourselves at home. These rooms are yours as long as you’d like. But if either of you get lonely, I wouldn’t complain if you joined me."

Elyssia gives a playful wink to me and a giggle. Normally, I would be able to catch a glimpse of Tiss getting red over a comment like that, but instead she leans in closer to Elyssia and then rests her head on Elyssia’s shoulder.

[Tiss] "Actually, I’d rather stay with you tonight. I don’t think I could sleep alone right now after everything that’s happened."

Elyssia wraps her best friend in her arms and pets her head.

[Elyssia] "Of course. Let’s go get you tucked in, okay?"

The two starts walking down the hall towards Elyssia’s room. Elyssia turns her head as they walk away.

[Elyssia] "Come visit another night, Wade dearie."

She shoots me a wink and coy smile before the duo enters her room. The door closes behind them and I’m left in the hallway. Jiji comes walking through the hall and stops beside me. She’s a good girl. I pet her back and watch her ruffle her feathers. It’s pretty cute.

But that Elyssia. What a dangerous woman...

I find my self-control dwindling by the minute as long as she’s around. Honestly, I had zero experience with women in my past life. Nothing but H-games and dating sims. VR graphics got so good that I was satisfied just with the sight of a well-crafted character in game.

But now things are different. Not only have I been getting closer with Tiss, but now Elyssia is talking so suggestively... I don’t even know how to act! I feel like I might have a chance if I go for Tiss at some point. As a virgin with no game at all, I feel like it’s still pretty possible she’d be open to it.

But then there’s Elyssia. Oh fuck, I want to visit her one of these nights. She’s tall, gorgeous, and something tells me that she could show me everything that I need to know. Being a long-lived elf, I’m sure she’d had plenty of experience. I would have so much to learn from her.

But what about Tiss? I think I have some feelings for her and I don’t want to betray how she feels either. But I also don’t know for certain how she feels. And maybe there’s some different way that relationships like that are supposed to work in this world.

[Wade?] "What do you think, Jiji? Should I shoot my shot at some point?"

[Jiji] "Bawk bawk?"

[Wade?] "Yeah, I figured that you wouldn’t really know."

I pick up Jiji and carry her into my bedroom. I sit down on the bed and stroke Jiji’s feathers while I hold her on my lap. There’s a lot of things going through my head. I haven’t really been in this world very long. I almost feel like it isn’t right of me to be lustful towards a woman, let alone the two wonderful girls currently a couple rooms away. Maybe my inexperience is showing. I don’t know any restraint.

[Wade?] "Jiji, I think I’ve decided what I’m going to do."

[Jiji] "Bkaw?"

[Wade?] "I’m going to do nothing. I should get to know Tiss and Elyssia better before thinking about what to do, even. For now, I just want to live my life. And for now, it looks like I’m stuck with these two. So I should just take it slow, right?"

[Jiji] "Bawk bawk!"

[Wade?] "Glad you agree. Well, you ready to turn in for the night, Jiji?"

[Jiji] "Bkaw!"

[Wade?] "Good. Let’s get some rest."

Jiji stands and walks off my lap so I can lie down and put the covers over me. Jiji sits on a pillow next to me, sinking herself down onto the cushion and fluffing up before tucking in her head. Jiji seems to drift off to sleep very quickly. I’m left awake. I want to sleep, but there’s things still weighing on my mind.

And it’s not just my problems with women. I’m thinking about how things are going to be from now on. Tiss’ home is gone. Elyssia is a criminal and is hiding out in a place like this. Neither of them have anywhere else to go, at least not that they’ve told me about. Are the three of us just going to live here together and figure things out? Will we ever be on the run because of the bounty?

Maybe I’m just overthinking things right now. I have so many questions and no answers, but stressing out over it isn’t going to do any good. I’ll just have to get some answers tomorrow. Tonight, I need sleep.

I close my eyes and try to calm my mind. It takes me a bit, but eventually I feel the pull of sleep. My body grows heavy. My thinking slows. And then I’m drifting away to sleep.

------

There’s a weight on me. Something on my chest. Not heavy. It’s light. And there’s a softness against my side. It’s pleasant, but it does stir me from my slumber.

My eyes open slowly. It’s not bright outside yet. Still dark, but there’s a faint glow of moonlight in the room. There are no windows since it’s a pocket dimension, but perhaps the magic used lets light filet in naturally.

Once my eyes adjust, I turn my head to see a beauty snuggled up beside me. At some point, Tiss had crawled into bed beside me. And she’s wearing only a pink, sheer negligee.

Heh? Is this? A sign? That she feels something too? Maybe? Or...

I look closer at her face. There’s a tear streaming down from Tiss’ eye and running across her cheek. I reach over with my free arm and wipe the tear away. I stroke her cheek once more, affectionately. I stare at her sleeping face. She really is beautiful. A treasure, really. But she’s going through so much right now. I should respect that and let her have the space to handle things at her own pace.

I turn my body to wrap Tiss in my arms and hold her against my chest as she sleeps. And so, I decide to close my eyes as Tiss naturally snuggles in closer to me. It’s a nice feeling to hold someone. I could get used to this.

[Tiss] "...Wade?"

After a few moments, the silence is broken. I open my eyes and tilt my head down to see Tiss staring back at me. Our eyes are locked.

[Wade?] "What’s wrong, Tiss? I thought you were staying with Elyssia tonight?"

[Tiss] "Yeah, but... I couldn’t stop thinking about some stuff. I slipped out and came here."

[Wade?] "Not that I mind your company, but I don’t know if I’m a better sleeping companion that your best friend."

[Tiss] "Well... I was thinking about you and... what you’re going to do from here. I don’t want us to be separated yet..."

Oh so that’s it. She’s having similar worries to me.

[Wade?] "You know, I was struggling with the same thoughts earlier."

[Tiss] "You were?"

[Wade?] "Yeah. Truth is, I’m lost. So much has happened since I came to this world, but I don’t know what to do or where to go. But I do know that I don’t want to just up an leave. I want you to be a part of my life. Whatever my life ends up being."

[Tiss] "...You know, I’ve never known how to act around people outside of nobility."

[Wade?] "Hm?"

[Tiss] "Everyone is always flattering each other and trying to twist words right after to make someone look worse. There was always so many games being played at the expense of others. And then I was just a pawn in own of those games."

I stay silent, but start to stroke Tiss’ back. The tension in her face seems to be alleviated just a bit while I do this.

[Tiss] "But then there’s Elyssia. She’s my best friend. I met her when I was a young girl and she fascinated me. I know that she’s an elf and has had such a long life before I was ever born, but she came back to see me often as I grew older. She’s like a doting older sister to me. More than just my best friend."

It’s true that Elyssia cares deeply for Tiss. It’s obvious. And it makes me happy knowing that Tiss has such a wonderful friend in her life.

[Tiss] "Rick was just my guard, but he was still a friend. He was assigned guard me at birth, but he was only a young boy just learning the job. So he grew up while watching over me. He had his own family, too. He kind of acted like my dad a lot of the time."

It’s a shame I never got to know Rick. He was kind. The way I met the three of them was a bit strange and perhaps shocking, but I’m glad that it happened.

[Tiss] "And then there’s you, Wade."

[Wade?] "Me?"

[Tiss] "You come out of the forest naked, tell crazy stories, and you’re just a Nobody. You scared me to death and I hated protecting you."

[Wade?] "We definitely started off on the wrong foot, I think."

[Tiss] "But after you jumped to save me, even if you failed in the moment, you continued to pull through for me. STRING THEORY sent us to that weird place. And, to tell you the truth, I was terrified every second. It took so much out of me just keep myself together. I knew I had to protect you."

[Wade?] "You seemed really adjusted to dangerous stuff. You were so confident the whole time."

[Tiss] "I was shaking almost the whole time... Except when we held hands and walked. That’s when I felt myself get calm."

Tiss presses herself against me even closer. I can feel her chest firmly pushed against mine. She scoots herself up and rests her head on the pillow beside mine. She pries one of my arms off of her and then grabs my hand. She brings my arm down between us and then just holds my hand in hers.

[Tiss] "I don’t know what moment it happened, but I think at some point you became irreplaceable to me. A crucial part of me."

[Wade?] "Uh... Tiss. That’s..."

[Tiss] "Wade... Whatever you choose to do, I want to be part of your plans."

[Wade?] "But I know nothing about this world. I don’t even have any plans yet."

[Tiss] "Then let’s think of something together. Something for the both of us."

[Wade?] "Are you sure you want to throw your lot in with me? Things get pretty crazy around me."

[Tiss] "I... think that I would rather be with you, no matter where you go."

My heart is thumping heavy and loud. The last time I felt a sensation like this in my chest, I ended up in the hospital. And I died there.

But this time there’s no pain in my chest. Instead I feel two pillows pressed against me. I feel a smaller and more delicate hand holding mine. I see the face of a beauty before me. I smile and really focus my gaze into hers.

[Wade?] "Then wherever I go, whatever I do, let’s do it together, okay?"

[Tiss] "You sure you want me to come with you? You’re not sick of me, yet?"

[Wade?] "I don’t think I’d mind you staying with me for the rest of our lives, actually."

Tiss’ face get unimaginably red. I swear I could a puff of steam blast out from her ears. Her eyes shoot wide open. Her mouth is agape, but she’s not saying anything. She’s choking on her words again, a bad trait of her being embarrassed.

Well... here goes nothing. If I miss this shot, I may regret it forever. And you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. I let go of her hand and reach around to the back of Tiss’ head. I rest my hand along the back of her neck and run my fingers into her hair. Tiss isn’t resisting so far. She’s actually closed her eyes now. She’s tilted her head to give me a better angle. She’s not doing that silly lip pucker like in the movies, but I still recognize a sign when I see one.

I kiss her.

Out lips meet and immediately, she reciprocates. Tiss’s arms wrap around my chest. Our lips bruise from the desperation we quickly find ourselves in. Both of us had this feeling building for a little while, it seems. An intense, burning need for the other. I also never realized it, but this woman became a crucial part of me, too.

My hand runs down her back, resting on her hip and just barely above the curve of her perfect rear. We take only a second at a time, maybe, to breathe in between kisses. Our tongues slip into each others’ mouths. We wrestle inside our mouths, fighting for dominance. I can barely keep up with her. This is my first kiss in both lives and it’s already getting so intense. I barely know what to do. I’m just going on instinct.

Then I feel Tiss touch me. Just a bit below my waist. Where my god-given soldier stands at attention. It’s actually quite obvious how much it had grown now that she’s touching me there. I hadn’t realized it because I was so focused on the kiss.

But if this is where things are leading, I suppose I’m going to get a lot less sleep tonight than I had hoped.