Blessed by Night

Malachi folded his arms and leaned back into the couch next to Aubrey.

It didn't work.

"Helpers? Sightseers??" Aubrey questioned.

"W-Well their father is a friend of mine, and they wanted to stretch their legs from their lands a bit, so he entrusted them to my care.

A-And since they were here I asked if they would not mind working only as stationary security for the base and they accepted!"

Behind Nyx, the trio of Tathamet siblings nodded in confirmation.

"Who is their father? I didn't know you had friends." Aubrey asked.

Nyx felt like she had somehow just been made fun of. story by m|v_l,e,m,p,y,r

"Y-You'll meet him later if the fates are kind. He can't really move around as freely as these three."

"?" Aubrey and Malachi tilted their heads in unison.

"A-Anyway, just know that they are only here to help…" Nyx said as she stared at Malachi. "…Are you upset with me for meddling?"

Mal recalled he and Aubrey's earlier conversation in painful detail, and the answer to her question came easily to him.

"No… I'm grateful to you for trying to help, Ma. Thank you… but are you absolutely sure that these three can be trusted?"

The eyes of the brothers narrowed, meanwhile the sister continued to glance about the room in wonder.

'This is a cool place… I should decorate my own inner world a little better.' She thought.

Meanwhile, Nyx easily waived away his concerns.

"Yes, they are a trustworthy sort who understand the meaning of integrity. Dragons so rarely have the appetite for treachery."

"…"

"…"

"""""…Dragons?!"""""

Malachi glanced over his shoulder where Aisha, Serana, and Melanie were all peeping around the corner like small rodents.

Evidently, they were as shocked by the news as anyone.

Though Nyx sighed in disappointment. "Honestly, you didn't know? Two of them have horns on their heads."

"I thought they were demons.."

"Sex demons…"

"Oh… well they are that as well, but you should really learn the difference between dragons and demons' horns. It might save you a lot of hassle in the future."

Aubrey let her eyes wander to the top of Thea's head, and she noticed her obvious lack of bony appendages.

"Umm… I don't mean to be rude but, .. how come you don't have horns, Thea?"

The golden haired girl seemed to be positively delighted by the sound of her name coming out of Aubrey's mouth and she lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Unlike the rest of my siblings I was born human, and to better deepen relations between my people and humanity, my father lets me stay this way. Though I still would not say that I'm exactly 'normal'…"

'You certainly are not…' Everyone in the room who could see Thea was either jealous of her or wanted to sleep with her.

Aisha was both.

"Ah, your people…? Does that mean you are some kind of royalty?" Aubrey asked.

"…" All three siblings turned their heads away and began whistling inconspicuously.

Now more than ever, the Saint siblings were monumentally concerned about exactly why these three were here in the first place.

"I… don't get it. Why would the children of some kind of king come to earth to sightsee when the entire place is in ruins?"

"I don't know about ruins…" Thea began. "The parts that I have seen so far are incomparably beautiful."

Everyone in the room could see Thea staring at Aubrey without an ounce of hidden interest or appreciation.

Causing the young woman's ears to get hot and forcing her to look away out of reflex.

Aisha suddenly leapt over the couch to Aubrey's defense and tried to stave off Thea's advances.

"H-Hey, I don't know what kind of princess you are but you can't flirt with my girlfriend right in front of me like that!"

Thea took a moment to blink away her surprise before her smile became as wide as a Cheshire cat's.

"I'm sorry… I had no idea that you two were already in a relationship… Do you think you could have any room in your hearts for me?"

Complete, and utter, silence.

Mal's mouth fell open.

Nyx felt jealous.

Belloc and Apophis rolled their eyes.

And Aisha tried to stop her entire face from turning red.

"I… we…"

"I'm sorry." Aubrey suddenly stood up and lowered her head respectfully.

"Truthfully, I don't really think Aisha and I are in the place to be starting things with someone else right now. I hope you can understand."

With Thea left stunned, Aubrey grabbed Aisha by the hand and the two of them left Mal's quarters rather quickly.

Nyx glanced at Thea to see how she would be taking such a firm rejection and maybe capitalize on an opportunity to play 'shoulder to cry on'.

However, upon inspection she found that Thea's smile was just as blindingly radiant as before.

No, in fact it was even brighter.

Nyx even waived her hand in front of Thea's face to snap her out of her giddy state, but it was to no avail.

"Boys?"

""Hm?""

"Is your sister the kind of woman who enjoys women who play hard to get?"

""Uh-huh.""

"Interesting… Does your father also share this dispo-"

""No.""

"Damnit… On an unrelated note, care to tell me about this baby situation back home?"

Belloc's face lit up and he started to pull out his phone, but stopped at the last second. "Wait a minute… are you going to try to take advantage of him?"

"Probabl- I mean, no."

Belloc slipped his phone back onto his pocket and ignored Nyx as if she weren't even there.

"Well, since the introductions are out of the way…" Apophis walked over to Serana who was still wearing his jacket and boldly took her hand.

"Would you mind giving me a tour? I'm interested in seeing all that this place has to offer."

Serana's eyes became glossy all over again and the words in her brain became all jumbled and messy.

"I-I-I-I think do that I can..!"

Apophis laughed melodically as he gently led the somewhat ditzy girl towards the elevator.

Melanie followed behind them, expecting to head to bed for the night when suddenly Belloc slipped into the elevator with them and took her completely by surprise.

Finally beginning to catch on, Mal turned back towards his mother with an exhausted look on his face.

"So when you said that they came here to sightsee you meant…"

"Uh-huh."

"…Is every dragon like that?"

"Only the best ones!"

Malachi sighed as he stood up to handle tonight's lingering business.

For now, he would get the rescued into the medical ward and the prisoners into the makeshift jail downstairs.

Though these weren't enviable tasks, he was almost certain they would be the last moments of quiet he received for the foreseeable future.