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Regina slept in his room. They made love again in the morning, and then she went to change into fresh clothes and speak to Alchemy about her breakthrough. After he took his morning shower, Peter shouted in the air: "System, are you around?" but there was no answer.
"What the fuck is he doing?"
Automatic message: The System is momentarily unable to chat. It has been notified about your intention to speak with it and will contact you as soon as possible.
"Now that you have more people to fool around with, you play hard to get, huh?"
Tidying up his room, a boring chore, was now a joy. Peter was preparing a love nest for Regina to feel loved and welcomed. He dusted, swept the floor, moved the three pairs of old socks lost under the bed in the laundry basket, and made sure to display a few art movie posters he had in store but never nailed on the walls. He was a book guy, but what a boy doesn't do to impress the girl he loves?
Yet, lunch arrived and there was no sign from Regina or the System. His worries were dismissed when a text arrived: See you in the afternoon, have to be tested because of the Breakthrough. I heart you. He replied with kisses and many, many hearts.
The beauty of love and the summer inspired him to lie in the armchair next to the window and spend time leafing through a romance novel, to get inspiration for beautiful things to say to her. He ate but a sandwich for lunch.
At three in the afternoon, there were knocks on the door. He jumped to open it. "My lo— Ari? What are you doing here?"
Pushing him out of the way, Ariana entered, pulling Shredder by a leash. "He came to me last night. You forgot to walk him. He opened the door by himself and the doorman must've helped him downstairs. He already knows the drill."
Shoot, I forgot about Shredi… "But… he also closed the door after him?"
"Woof!"
"Shredder's the smartest pup ever," Ariana fluffed the pet's head. The warg was now his normal size—as big as a medium-sized dog—and color. Wagging his tail, he went and curled on his dog-bed, and went to sleep instantly. "Never mind. Neglecting him is problem number one. Problem number two: Regi wanted to get back with Jack."
"No!" Peter gasped, taking a step back.
"Problem number three, she has a System. Problem number four, your parents are on their way here, because Tuesday is your birthday and we leave for Floor three tomorrow. A surprise test, whatever it means, and we'll be out for all week. It's in the email, came in the morning, but I guess you didn't check it."
Everything she said hit his head like a hammer. Peter managed to blurt: "Must be in the spam—"
"No, you never check your mail. Now, can I sit? We have to talk."
"She wants to make up with Jack?" he asked, waving his hand to the armchair.
"Wanted. Thanks to me."
"How so?"
"I was hanging out with Jack, walking your dog… he's a dog person, and Regi bumps into us. 'Hey, bestie, I have a core!' she yells. 'And I see texts.' Before I had the time to intervene, Jack apologized for being a jerk. 'Losing you was the biggest error of my life,' he says, making puppy eyes."
Curiosity took over Peter. "What did he do to make her break up with him? Slept with Alchemy?"
"That was part of the equation, but Regina passed the sponge... It's hard to resist Cultivators, this kind of abuse is in their culture. I tried to tell Melinda, but she just shut me off. The problem was Alchemy made Jack ask Regina if she wanted to have a threesome together. Regina's hot, if you didn't notice."
"Goodness! Any girl would have dumped him. What was in his mind?"
"Not any girl. I wouldn't mind having a threesome if Melinda would ask."
"Really? Are you and Alchemy… serious?"
"I dunno… Melinda's troubled… family traumas. That's why she sleeps with everyone… insecurity, the need to feel accepted… I asked a shrink. Never mind. And Regi begins to cry, and says, 'We had a good thing, Jack, I will cherish the memory, but… I have to… move on.' Her hesitations. He says: Being around you hurts so much, and runs away, crying. Mushy stuff, almost made me vomit. Regina mumbles: Maybe I should give him a second chance…"
"A rebound," Peter hissed.
"What did you expect? They were together for a year."
"He almost got her killed!" Peter yelled. "The warg? The prank gone wrong? That's worse than proposing a threesome."
"Woof!" Shredder barked. If he agreed with Peter or protested to be disturbed from his sleep, there was no way to know.
"Hey, don't yell at me!" Ariana shouted back.
"Woof!"
"Sorry, boy. That's exactly what I said: Jack has no brains, he almost got you killed. And what about Peter? He put his life on the line for you. Her eyes light up and moans: Oh, Peter's so… intense'. I think she had an orgasm just there… The System does you good, Petey. You were not so intense with me."
"Maybe because you patronized me every second. Normie, fetch this, normie, fetch that... make me a sandwich, and spread the butter evenly, and I expect my coffee at eight AM sharp, one sugar no milk," Peter said through his clenched teeth.
“Was it so hard to make a coffee and a sandwich for your princess?” Ariana hissed. “You forget how you called me?”
“I don’t understand why you...” Peter shook his head, swallowing a lump.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Made a move on you?” Ariana sighed. “You are cute, Petey... and I thought: why not make a couple like in the fairytales... you know... knight, squire, wizard, apprentice, princess, page... Then...”
“You thought a normie was beneath you,” Peter said, his eyes staring at her intensely.
"No!” she protested. “But you never showed any interest in dogs… and… I was seeing Alchemy, It was not fair, for both."
“Then why did you treat me so badly, after—”
“Because you didn’t suffer...” Ariana growled. “One must suffer when a princess leaves him. You insulted my pride.”
“Oh. My. God!” Peter exclaimed. “That’s so... childish...”
“Yeah... Then why... Never mind,” she insisted on the words. “I’m here to talk about Regina!”
“Goodness, I forgot,” Peter facepalmed. “What happened next?”
"I say: See? Peter loves you. She says: No, it's just physical attraction. We barely know each other. I say: You wanna bet? I know his email password. Check this out. Then, I show her the mail written to your parents about her."
"What are you talking about?" Peter raised his voice, making Shredder bark again. "You're spying on me? And what mail? I never wrote my—"
"Hey! Let me talk. I don't give a damn about your emails or your password. It was the System. It told me what to say and wrote that mail on the spot."
"So that's why it's avoiding me! Just you wait!" Peter pumped his fist, looking in the air.
"Woof!"
"Yeah, the System was a bit… concerned about your reaction and asked me to deliver the news. Anyway… The mail said you're seeing a wonderful girl. She's THE ONE, but you're taking it slowly because you want to build a true relationship… And how you liked her for months, a beautiful star, close yet so far away, blah blah blah, soppy shit. I truly wanted to barf… And the System sent them a picture of you two at the restaurant, last week. Used some patron's phone to take it. Regi starts to cry and says: I never realized he liked me so much. I say: Didn't you notice how he looked at you all these months? He adores the ground you step on. Ugh…" Ariana retched. "I don't know how I managed to say something like that."
"Yeah…" Peter scratched his head. "You're not the sentimental type."
"She cried a bucket and said she thinks she's in love with you for real… And voila, my job is done. I'm having an ongoing fundraising for the shelter, by the way."
"I owe you big," Peter said. "I pledge five grands."
"Good. Now, remember she said she saw texts?"
"Goodness! She has the System?" Peter swallowed a lump, remembering her previous words.
"Can I have some water? My throat is dry from so much talking."
I need to buy some orange juice and good wine, girls like that stuff, Peter thought while pouring a glass of sparkling water and offering it to Ariana.
The girl emptied the glass in one go, then exhaled deeply. "She doesn't have our System, she has another one."
"What?"
Ariana snapped her fingers in the air, twice.
"You wrote to my parents without my permission, you motherfucker!" Peter yelled.
There's no sentience there, only bits of an old code. I think the Tower's System was a core-based one. A powerful one, powerful enough, that under certain circumstances, like… err… strong emotions, people would Awaken and get a class. Regina got a class and she can see her Stats Menu, that's all.> "So she's the lucky one, and I draw the short straw." "Is she in danger?" Peter asked in a hurry. "We had to put Regi up to speed about the System, Peter. She's in the know now…" Ariana said. "She's even more smitten by knowing you're a superhero. Her superhero," she sneered. "You think Alchemy won't notice?" "What class did she get?" Peter asked. "About your parents," Ariana said. "They sent you an SMS just when I was on my way to you; they offered to take you and her to dinner, as a gift for your birthday. They live what, half an hour away? The System replied with a thumbs up. After asking Regina, of course." "Oh. My. God! Hey, jerk! If you're so good at hacking my phone, why didn't you hack Ariana's, when she pretended she was Shadow, huh?" "Thank you," Peter groaned, a third still angry, a third thankful, and a third still baffled by everything. "Your parents will be here any minute now," the girl checked the hour. "At least the room is tidy… Last bit of news. Melinda wants the dog for the evening. I'll take care of the delivery and leave him at the shelter when she's done playing with him." ### Peter's parents arrived at four. Peter took them on a tour of the Campus, for an hour, then left them alone to have a coffee in town, pretending he had to shower and dress in his best clothes. Picking them two hours later, they headed to Garcia. Regina arrived directly there, five minutes after they chose their table. "Hi… sw… dar… love," Peter struggled to find a proper word. "She's Regina, my… girlfriend?" he dared. "Regina, meet my parents." "Err… h…hello, Regina mumbled. Peter's mother hugged her, and his father offered a handshake which she accepted with a limp hand, staring at Peter's father. He had salt and pepper hair that descended to his shoulders, an impressive handlebar mustache, and a Van Dyke beard, all complimented with an embroidered silk jacket, and a pocket watch with a gold chain. "Sit, sweetie, sit. You must be tired… all those tests… They took a lot of blood, right?" Peter asked, to cover for her. Little by little, the vibe warmed up. Peter's mom, thin yet fit, in her mid-forties, was behaving like Shredder on his first day as a pet, almost rolling on the floor of joy. That was until Regina ordered a glass of wine. "You're of age, darling?" Peter's mother asked with a frown. "Yeah," she nodded. "I'm twenty." Nice, she's not a kid anymore, Peter thought. "In New Hampshire, the age for drinking is twenty-one, dear," Peter's mother insisted. "May I ask you to reconsider your order?" At that point, the wine arrived and Regina took a sip. "It's OK. For cultivators, the age it's eighteen. We process the alcohol faster and don't get affected much… But I don't drink, this is an exception to celebrate your visit. Cheers!" Why the heck did Jack order me to buy him drinks if he's of age? Peter sneered on the inside. Because he's lazy, that's why, he answered his own question. The mood improved considerably, getting lively and joyful. At some point, Peter's parents excused themselves and went to the cloakroom at the same time. "Sorry, I stared!" Regina exclaimed. "I try my best, but it's so hard! Your pa is—" "Embarrassing, I know," he sulked. "No! How can you say that? They're sweet, both of them. But he looks… Like Inigo Montoya and the Three Musketeers cloned together." "You think I don't know? He's into HEMA… Now I wish I had listened to him and taken rapier lessons, but it is what it is. He's a horse riding instructor too." "Impressive! And your ma?" "She won gold in javelin in the Nationals. She taught me for a while… but I chose another path…" "Wow…" When Peter's parents returned, Regina recounted with exaggerated and heroic details how he saved his life, due to the skills his mother taught him. The middle-aged and the young woman cried in each other arms for a bit, while Peter's dad patted his back, in an 'atta boy' gesture. They moved into Peter's studio and talked until almost midnight. Peter asked his dad for fencing tips and tried a few moves with a broomstick, then his parents said goodbye and left. After that, the two youngsters cuddled together in bed. "I'm happy," she said before falling asleep in his arms. He was too, but worded his feelings through a kiss on her hair.