31) Relations

I think I might be making my sister jealous.

Her girlfriend hates to leave the house, at least with Imogene. Unless it's somewhere Azara is already familiar with as a place where she can be accepted for her appearance.

Even though she can use her magic to fake looking like a slender girl with a nice tan, some abstract tattoos that match the black pattern of her scales, and dark blonde hair with streaks, she still hates going out in public.

Except when I ask her if she wants to head out with me, even though I refuse to take her anywhere with an illusion up. They still bug the hell out of me even when I know who is behind one. Instead, we just tell people she's Cosplaying.

It’s not like Imogene makes her girlfriend wear one with her, and Aza will go out when Imogene is going out with us. But not when it’s just her and my sister.

Which of course means Imo is mad at me. Because, for women reasons, I guess. Somehow it makes sense in her mind that I’m the one at fault.

So last night after my sister came home, I took her by the shoulders, lifted her up, and carried her into the living room.

For a moment she looked a little scared, and only after I had carried her along for a bit did she start to look pissed. I don’t think she ever really understood how much difference there is in the strength of a human male and one of her father’s race which from looking at her must be a bunch of little guys.

After setting her down, and turning around to find her staff looming over me as if it was trying to stare me down, I locked eyes with Azara who had come out of the basement when she heard Imo called out she was home and was now staring at me wide eyed.

I pointed at the couch I had set Imo down in front of. "Sit. All three of us are going to talk."

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She sat. Imogene glared and crossed her arms at me until her staff poked her behind her one knee and then spun around to shove her over onto the couch before she could catch her balance.

A win for the guy's team.

…of course, a staff is a guy. A staff? An upright solid shaft? You can't get much more of a symbol of masculinity than that.

I crossed my arms as well and I frowned at both of them.

"What the hell is going on? You two. Talk. Now. Or no tacos."

See Brother Jude. I’ve been learning about communication. And they both liked tacos.

So what it came down to, was that I was scarier them my sister. Or at least scarier looking.

Well, yeah. I’m a guy.

Azara explained it to Imo. “It’s not just that Jim is so big. He carries himself like a warrior, you hesitate because you want to fit in, and he always looks like he's ready to hurt someone. Other than when he looks at you or me. He's always on guard.”

“I know I’m safe with you, I know what you can do Imo. But I feel safer out around other humans with him because they suspect what he will do. They just see you as another girl, and a small, maybe not human one as that.”

She looked up at me shyly. “Besides, if he defends me, someone will only get hurt. If you decide to defend me, someone is going to suffer, or die.

I had to think that one over, and I think that’s fair. If someone tried something with Azara, I would defend her, she's my house guest and my sister's girlfriend. But if someone tried something with Imogne…

I’d do something to make sure they kept on regretting it long after they healed.

I realized they were both staring at me. Aza turned and pointed at Imo, “You see, you get that same slyly eager look when I talk about being scared to go out around humans.”

Imo protested, I laughed, then jumped back out of her reach as she leaned forward to try to swat at me.

“Good talk, group hug.’

Azara was a good hugger, I think maybe because she always felt a little cold, and Imo never passed up a chance to hug her girlfriend even if I was in there as well.

Little sister is also pretty huggy with her friends from work, at least the women she’s brought home with her for movie nights. Is she hesitant to hug me because I'm a guy? Did her dad never hug her?

Probably. From what I’ve picked up he sounded like a dick, and still somehow the best of his people’s impersonal prickly bunch that our mom was willing to hook up with.

I wonder if I’ll ever meet him. Even with the time ratio his race is pretty long lived.

So now I get to take Azara out and even introduce her to people, from what friends I kept in contact with, to the neighbors who’ve seen her through the windows and have been wondering what’s been going on, to even going to the library on the weekends where Azara has started reading stories from her world to the kids.

She wanted to be a teacher, which is why she trained as a generalist in magic, maybe she can do that here too.