Chapter 167

Riven’s stomach churned, and a seed of doubt had been planted. It was both unexpected, and unwanted, and he’d forced the helicopter to turn back around only half an hour into their trip after telling Allie that he’d be later than expected.

“Fuck I’m such an idiot!” He slammed an open palm into his forehead and grit his teeth, scouring the isles of the Brightsville herbalist’s market in search of a perfect set of flowers. “God damn it, the first time I do this and it’s on fucking drugs. She was just held hostage by some other guy and I’m too much of an idiot to even think about staying!? FUCK me!”

Azmoth patted his shoulder comfortingly, trying to calm him down while people nearby gave him gawking stares or wary glances. “It ok Riven. You’ll be fine, she like you.”

“Yeah well I probably made her feel like shit after just up and leaving like that, I was just in too much of a hung over haze to even think straight and now…” He threw up his hands and spun around on his large armored summon, shaking his head in wonder at his own stupidity. “Man, I’m not even sure if she would have done what she did if she wasn’t high on drugs herself. She might not even like me like that…”

Doubt overshadowed him. He glanced over at the bouquet of blue flowers positioned on a nearby stall, nervously fidgeting with his hands and looking like a schoolboy who’d made a huge mistake. “It might have just been the intoxication.”

Azmoth let out a loud snort at that remark. “Doubtful.”

“What if I fuck this up Azmoth?”

“You won’t.”

“I might. And I might look really fucking stupid when I walk in there with flowers only for her just laugh at me.”

“Riven.” Azmoth took ahold of both shoulders this time, then rapidly shook him back and forth like a rag doll. “Stop. This. Now. Get flowers, go ask her. Just because succubus does not mean she want only sex. Does not mean only drugs. Need ask, and assume the best.”

Dim daylight trickled through gray clouds overhead, a common phenomenon due to his transformation zone of unholy attunement. Glancing down at his fidgeting hands, Riven took in a deep breath and let it out to calm himself. “I’ve done far harder things than this. Get ahold of yourself man, grow a pair of balls.”

Turning around and stalking over to the cashier who wore a frightened, pale look - he picked up three differently colored bouquets: one blue, one white, and one purple. “How much for all of these?”

“M-my king…” the cashier stuttered with a bow, her portly frame nearly tipping over in the act. “No need to buy-”

He didn’t have time to waste. Slamming a sack full of coins onto the counter that spilled out with gold and platinum, he leaned over with a fierce look in his eye. “Tell me where the best date spot is for a first date. I'm talking an EPIC first date. Can you do that?”

The startled woman’s eyes went even wider, and she quickly nodded. “Y-yes, there’s a nice little restaurant on the river back near Baker’s Bend… Do you happen to know where that is?”

***

Fay was curled up in her own room, alone. She’d not wanted to talk to her brother at all after what’d happened, and Kathrine had walked back to the altar as right as rain with a skip in her step to leave Fay - unknowingly - to think rather depressed thoughts.

It wasn’t that the sex had been bad. It’d been beyond great, and it’d been fun to involve Katherine and Genua too. But Riven had just gotten up and left the next morning without saying a word, like it was no big deal… and to Fay, it was a very big deal. She’d only spent less than half a year with Riven, but during that time she was quickly starting to care for him on a much deeper level than she’d ever expected to before the contract had been signed. He was kind, he had a good heart, and he treated her like a person with real feelings. It was a first for her, and she’d never had this kind of connection with her previous summoner. To her previous summoner, she’d only been a sex toy.

Maybe that’s what she was to Riven too.

Tears welled up under her eyes. She vividly remembered the feeling she’d had upon realizing Riven had come to save her in that underground lair where she’d been abducted by Chalgathi cultists. Her heart had slammed in her chest so hard that she thought it’d pop out and burst. He hadn’t needed to come get her, he could have easily left her for another succubus or another demon, but he’d not only come - he’d also comforted her. He’d cared.

Yeah, he’d… He’d cared.

Or maybe she was just being stupid.

Sniffling and drawing up the covers to cover her face, she let out a sound akin to a dying cat amidst a stifled sob. “I’m so fucking stupid! Fucking, fucking, FUCKING stupid!”

She sobbed again and punched the pillow with an angry, balled up fist, and then slapped herself three times as self punishment for believing something that obviously was a falsehood. If Riven wanted to use her like that, it was his right. He was her summoner and she was a succubus, she should expect this. Emotions weren’t involved, she just had to swallow that fact and accept-

A loud knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and she sniffled again with red-rimmed eyes to glare over her shoulder under small black horns. Her voice quivered angrily as she spoke, but despite her attempt to hide the hurt she felt - it was still obvious she was very distraught. “I s-said get lost Tupper! I’m trying to sleep, ok!?”

To her mounting rage, the door creaked open. With the fires of anger lit under her soul, she ripped herself off the bed and stormed over to the doorway to fling it open the rest of the way. Then she began to screech. “TUPPER! I SAID-”

Fay came to an abrupt halt mid sentence, her snarl leaving her lips while tears clung to her face. In the doorway, Riven stood holding three bouquets of very pretty flowers to his chest. He looked at her with shame, face turning a shade darker as he held his breath, and his crimson eyes slunk to the floor.

“Uhm… Fay… I need to talk to you. Can I come in?”

She remained speechless, still not fully dressed and only in undergarments. “Aren’t… aren’t you supposed to be seeing your sister?”

Her words came out as a whisper, and she searched his face for a time before her eyes landed on the flowers again.

Shamefaced and guilty, Riven avoided her stare until he mustered up the courage to speak again. “I was supposed to, yes… but I think this is more important. What happened last night… I wanted to talk to you about it. But, if I’m being stupid and you don’t feel the same way-”

“Feel what way?” Fay cut in, her voice cracking with pent up emotions as one hand clutched at her stomach.

Hesitantly he looked back up. “I…Well, these are for you.”

He pushed the flowers over to her and stepped back, unsure of how she’d react.

Even she was unsure of how to react, and she took them in both arms while continuing to stare out at him - tears beginning to dry on her light blue skin.

“For me?” She repeated in a whisper, lips pursing together as her face scrunched up in an attempt not to cry again.

Riven nodded, nervously clenching and unclenching his hands as he stood in the hallway. Taking in a deep breath, he settled his nerves and cleared his throat. “Uhm, can I be blunt?”

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Fay slowly nodded, lips quivering.

He let out another breath. “I’m not sure if what happened last night was anything important to you, but I wasn’t thinking straight when I left this morning. I was still hung over and the drugs were still somewhat in my system, and I was tired so my mind was hazy anyways. But on the chopper ride over I began to realize that I really care about you. And… I mean if you don’t feel that way too I can back off and pretend like this never happened, but…”

He met her eyes again, losing his momentum when she didn’t react. She hadn’t reacted at all.

She only stared. He paled beyond what was normal even for him, and his shoulders sagged. “Sorry. This was a really, really stupid idea.”

Giving Fay a half-hearted smile, he nodded once and stepped back. Clearing his throat one more time, he turned to go.

And she let him go.

Fay watched him wordlessly while he slowly meandered down the hall to where the spiral staircase was located. She watched without action as he muttered about how stupid he was under his breath, and watched as he slammed a palm into his face to drag it down his cheek before exiting the hall into the stairway.

***

Riven was utterly defeated. His heart hurt, and the rejection had been so utterly brutal that he couldn't even believe it.

Jesus. He’d really fucked this one up. Sighing and leaning against the outer wall of his manor, he lightly banged a fist against the wall and shook his head in silence. He’d even made her cry because he’d overstepped so badly. To think that she’d had such a terrible reaction as one to fucking cry because he’d wanted to ask her on a date was just devastating, and he turned his back to slide down the wall with a thud next under the shade of a nearby tree.

Further into the garden, he saw Jose’s tombstone. Giving it a thumbs up and a halfhearted laugh, he caught the lump in his throat and covered his face with one hand. “God damn it Jose. I’ve always been terrible with girls. I wish you were here man. I wish you were here to give me that dumbass advice you always used to give, and even though it never worked it always was such a fucking self esteem boost!”

He let out true laugh this time, still feeling the pit in his stomach like a thousand pounds of weight settling in to curl like a massive ball of anxiety. “Damn. She might not even want to be contracted to me after this. Fuck man I didn’t realize just how much I liked her… and Athela is going to kill me when she gets back and realizes her friend doesn’t want to be with us anymore because I’m a creep. God damn it.”

The sounds of birds continued to chirp overhead, just like they had earlier that morning. No doubt some sparrows had built a nest in the tree above, and from underneath the hand he was using to hide his face in shame - he felt bird shit land on his boot.

Looking down at the liquid white dung, he felt it an appropriate punishment for his stupidity. Fay was way too pretty to be with someone like him anyways. Wherever he went people lusted after her, so why the fuck would someone like that want to be with someone like him?

A light breeze rustled his hair, and a moment later he felt the light touch of soft fingers on his hand alongside a nearby heartbeat. “Riven?”

Startled slightly, he looked up - coming face to face with Fay.

“Oh! Hey…” Riven awkwardly, nervously grinned back up at her before avoiding her gaze. “I-I’m sorry, for bothering you like that. It was completely out of line. I shouldn’t have… I mean… I was going to ask you on a date after I gave you the flowers and… I…”

“Stop.” Fay held up one finger to his lips, shushing him when he began to protest, and she slid down the wall to sit next to him with a quivering, uncertain smile. Her wings retracted into her body, and her thin black tail flipped nervously from side to side. “Just… be quiet for a moment. Ok?”

Riven promptly shut up, and his gaze faltered again.

The two of them sat there, looking out over the garden in the shade of the trees and the manor under a slight breeze. He could still feel deep regret and shame flooding his mind, could still feel the bitter bite of that shocked look she had - and the utter lack of response on her part after he’d very stupidly confessed he’d had a crush. All those times she’d played around with him, they’d just been teasing. It’d all just been fun and games with the little comments she’d made here or there. She was a succubus, he should have expected as much, and now he’d made things very awkward between the two of them. She only wanted the sex, and nothing more.

“Riven, what do you see when you look at me?”

Riven's eyes narrowed, and he turned his gaze fully on the woman beside him who stared back at him with big, black, doe eyes. “What do I see when I look at you?”

He repeated the question again in a half whisper, uncertain of what she was getting at, but she stayed silent. “I see one of my good friends, and I see a girl way out of my league.”

He gave an apologetic smile, this one being genuine. “Fay… I truly am sorry about earlier. I didn’t ever mean to make things awkward. I had a stupid thought enter my head when we had sex last night and I just jumped the gun, but I promise it won’t happen again. Please don’t leave because of this… Athela would kill me if you did.”

Fay wordlessly continued to stare, mouth slightly opening - only to close again as she took in air and pushed her long white hair over one ear. Arms wrapped around her knees, she slowly turned to look at the ground in front of her feet, and tears began to trickle down her face again before she squinted her eyes shut hard.

The ball of anxiety quickly returned to Riven’s throat and gut. “Hey… I can go if you want me to. I can give you space, I just really-”

Fay’s hand whipped around and slapped him full across the face, leaving a hard red handprint laid out across his pale white skin. She was fuming, tears continuing to stream down while her hands shook at her sides. Getting up into a kneeling position, she glared daggers at him like he was something she had nothing but hate for - and her breathing became loud and ragged within seconds.

Shock, despair, and humiliation. Those were the three emotions that quickly crossed his mind, and all he could do was slowly nod without any words. Holding one hand to his bruised cheek, he began to climb to his feet - only to be yanked back down by the scruff of his shirt with one of Fay’s slender hands.

He let her pull him back, hitting the ground with his knees to stare in confusion back at her. No words were spoken while she fumed, continuing to shake and cry, only for her to gently reach up and touch his bruised face with a quivering hand.

“Sorry.” She muttered under her breath with a croak, using a voice that sounded like it’d been crying too hard and too much for her to properly speak. “I just needed to get that out.”

Then she cupped his cheeks in both hands, drew herself into his embrace, and locked lips while softly pushing him into a sitting position.

The warm touch of her skin on his as she kissed him was like a tidal wave of mixed emotions. First there was shock again, then confusion, and then finally a deep-set warmth and happiness that spread up through his abdomen and into his chest. His arms wrapped around her scantily clad body, pulling her in more closely as she pushed herself towards him to straddle him.

Gasping for breath seconds later, she pulled back a few inches to stare into his eyes - searching for something in his returned gaze. “You were really going to take me on a date?”

Snapping himself out of his dumbstruck stance, he blinked a couple times and nodded. “Yeah… I was. Fay, please don’t do this if you’re just trying to appease me. Ok?”

He tilted his head and gave her the most sincere, but also hesitant look he’d ever given anybody. “You don’t have to do this just because I’m your contracted warlock. That’s… not what I’d want.”

*WHAM*

She hit him full across the face again, leaving a bruised handprint on the other side of his face to match the first.

“You’re a fucking idiot!” Fay said, voice quivering as she reached down to his shirt and yanked. The fabric ripped, then it ripped again and then it finally tore. Pushing Riven violently to the ground, fay’s tail whipped about her back and forth as she aggressively pressed her lips against his again - this time sticking her tongue into his mouth while her hands traveled across his toned chest and abdomen.

When her own clothes started to come off and the moaning started, that’s when the four onlookers from around the corner of the manor all started to snicker.

Well, at least they gave their own versions of a snicker. Jackal’s ears just flapped up and down in its shadowy dog form, Azmoth gave the childish ‘Tehehe’ laugh he used to do in earlier days back during his travels in Negrada, Luke just slowly clapped with a grin.

Jackal quickly followed, and Azmoth came next. But Azmoth had to come back and yank the old elf thrall away, before the sounds became even more passionate only ten seconds later.

***

Riven yet again lay naked with Fay on his chest, only this time he was outside and underneath the shade of the garden's largest tree. Running his fingers in and out of Fay's silky white hair, she hummed in contentment while her own fingers traced his left bicep.

“So… Are you still wanting to go?” Riven asked after a long time of relaxation, turning his head to kiss her as she snuggled up into his arms. “On the date I mean?”

“Of course I do silly! Just let me know when you’ve got it planned.” Fay grinned widely back at him, then furrowed her brows before jolting upright. “Wait, do you mean today!?”

He let out a loud laugh, nodding and sweeping the hair out of her face while tracing her cheek with one hand. “That’s what I meant, yes.”

“WELL OF COURSE I WANT TO GO! WHAT ARE WE STILL DOING HERE!?”

Shooting to her feet, Fay almost fell over as she attempted to put on her panties and bra again. Cursing to herself under her breath, she swatted at him with her tail and glared at him over her shoulder while he continued to laugh. “You OWE ME for making me cry! So where are we going!?”

Sighing with a smile, he let her pull him up and took her into a hug again while she jumped up repeatedly on her tiptoes like a little kid at a candy shop. “I’ve reserved a place… It’s waiting for us now. Perks of being a king, or a prince, I guess. I don’t want to ruin the surprise until we get there, and I’m kind of bad at this dating thing… but I think you’ll like it. If this works out… do I get to call you my girlfriend?”

Riven wiggled his eyebrows enticingly her way, and she snorted a laugh before pinching him and shoving him back. “First you have to get on something presentable, then you can try to woo me again afterwards. Go on! I expect only the fanciest outfits! And you BETTER NOT wear that ghastly armor of yours, it’s scary. Even for me.”

She lifted herself up on her tiptoes one more time, kissed him for the millionth time in the past hour, and winked. “HURRY UP! We’ve gotta go, and I'm super excited!!!”