Chapter 1354: Atmosphere
Contrary to how usual confident and outgoing demeanor, Aoko was quite weak when it came to others taking the lead. She was better at making decisions and acting upon them, not being pulled along in the pace of other people. As a result, Vahn's act of pulling her closer to him caused Aoko to momentarily fluster before; realizing what he was doing, she swatted away his hand, giving him a less-than-intimidating glare in the process.
Since he already expected her to be more strong-willed than most women, Vahn simply gave Aoko a knowing smile before guiding Arcueid to sit next to him on the sofa. Even if things didn't develop to them ultimately having sex, he wasn't particularly bothered since, after the summoning; he wasn't in a hurry to exert himself. He even defaulted to taking a nap upon reaching the Menagerie, using his daughter as a 'barrier' against the other girls as they all cuddled together on the plush, pillow-laden bed...
Still, despite having swat his hand away moments prior, Aoko took the seat opposite to Arcueid, her leg and shoulder pressed against him due to the sofa's small size. It just barely accommodated two people comfortable so, with three people sitting side-by-side, there was bound to be some overlap. Vahn had noticed this upon seeing the two sitting together earlier so, accounting for Aoko's nature, he basically had Arcueid sitting on his lap to make room.
When all was said and done, a rather awkward atmosphere permeated throughout the room due to Aoko not knowing quite what to say. Truthfully, she virtually no experience dealing with the opposite sex as, during the springtime of her youth, she had been enthralled in constant conflict. By the time she began desiring the companionship of others, her preferences had become somewhat twisted as the time she ever associated with males was during her middle and high school days.
Aoko had always been rebellious by nature so she was never fond of adults, especially those who always purported to know best. Thus, even though she was in her twenties at the time, Aoko only really knew how to interact with boys much younger than her; earning her a few less than pleasant nicknames from her enemies. It didn't help that she had been rather fond of the Tale of Genji, as it was very popular amongst women of her time, so there was a small inclination within her mind to simply 'raise' a suitable partner for herself...
With all of these factors lining up, Aoko had passed well into her thirties with her only meaningful interactions with boys being hand-holding and, in parting, a few kisses. Though this didn't really matter all that much, due to her ability to freely alter her age, Aoko had never been able to bite the bullet and pretend she was younger in order to poach a boy in her 'preferred range'. They seemed so vulnerable and, after dealing with corrupt and vile Magi most of her life, she didn't want to follow a similarly depraved path just because there wasn't anyone that could stop her...
Realizing Aoko was having difficulties, Vahn leaned a bit of his weight against her, breaking the spell of reflection she had put herself under. This caused her to blink back into awareness, only to find his face much closer than anticipated; all while Arcueid stared at her with a curious expression on her face. They had already discussed their intentions prior to Vahn's arrival so, seeing Aoko behave in this manner, Arcued was both confused and intrigued at the same time.
Refusing to fall into the pace of others, Aoko nudged Vahn with her shoulder before asking, "Don't you have like a movie or something to put on? Just sitting in silence like this is awkward. Come on, I want to see one of your memories. Make it something cool and action-packed."
As she was also keen on learning more about Vahn, Arcueid found Aoko's suggestion agreeable so, in support of the idea, she adopted an excited smile and added, "Please, Vahn, I would also like to see your memories...I have heard a lot of interesting things from the others. I would like to see for myself: the world you came from, the people you lived alongside...everything..."
Though he knew Aoko was just fishing for an excuse to buy time for herself, Vahn also knew using the [Projection Sphere]s was a good way to set the mood. Even in the outside world, at least prior to the changes he had implemented, it was common for men and women, who were dating, to go and see movies together. The low light and larger-than-life screen inspired a unique atmosphere, one which emboldened both men and women to feel emboldened.
Playing to the mood, Vahn pulled out a [Projection Sphere] before snapping his fingers, reducing the lighting in the room until on the glowing of the crystal ball illuminated them. Then, after starting the feed, Vahn leaned back into the sofa, holding Arcueid's waist with his right hand before, once again, snaking his left hand around Aoko's. She gave him another 'glare', her blue eyes glimmering slightly in the low-light but; unlike before, she didn't make him remove it. Instead, she leaned into him a bit, an indiscernible blush coloring her cheeks as she focused on the images being projected in the air...
---
Vahn hadn't actually known Aoko all that long but, in the time they had known each other, he came to understand much about her character. It was with this understanding that he decided to reach far back into his memories, pulling a scene near the very start of his foray through the massive Dungeon beneath Orario, a place he ultimately conquered with his own hands...
Since it was one of the direst situations he had ever been in, Vahn focused on his first true dive into the Dungeon's depths, a moment that had been immortalized as one of the most important in his entire life. His encroaching death, and his unwillingness to remain a weak and helpless child, allowed him to awaken one of his most powerful Innates, the one that served as the veritable lynchpin of his current power: [Will of the Emperor]...
When they first saw the youthful Vahn depicted in the projection, Arcueid and Aoko had mixed reactions. Arcueid could see the tell-tale signs of a lonely and detached person within Vahn's eyes while Aoko, owing to her peculiar preferences, got a little excited upon seeing the handsome yet roguish-looking youth. She could also feel the air of loneliness and caution around him but, despite his obvious fear, the resolution in Vahn's eyes was enough to send shivers through her body.
With very different perspectives on the events taking place within the projection, the two watched on with unveiled intrigue as Vahn fought a few close battles against surprisingly weak enemies. It was difficult to imagine the man sitting between them was the same one depicted 'on-screen' but, based on how the youth continued pushing himself, it was easy to imagine the path walked by the once-weak boy...
What really caught the girls by surprise was Vahn's encounter with the Kobold as, rather than show his developing prowess, they watched in horror as he was nearly killed. It was a jarring and visceral scene to witness, something movies would never be able to emulate with special effects. They could feel the pain and anguish experienced by Vahn being transmitted in vivid detail...
When the memory reached the point where Vahn was on the verge of death, Arcueid couldn't hold herself back anymore, shouting, "No, you mustn't stop! Don't give in to the darkness...!" She seemed to momentarily forget she was viewing a memory from the past, clear concern visible in her gaze as her power began to distort reality around them.
Aoko, at least on the outside, appeared to be very calm but, deep within, she felt a sickly cold that caused her to squeeze her left hand tightly. Part of her wanted to punch Vahn for showing them this kind of memory but, with the feed still running, she couldn't tear her eyes away. She knew he would undoubtedly survive but, when witnessing a scene like this in such vivid detail, the mind struggled to reconcile such things...
Just as it seemed as though Vahn was going to give in to the pain and blood loss, causing both Aoko and Arcueid to hold their breaths, a sudden burst of fervor erupted from within. In a way, it was like witnessing the last moments of a dying youth but, instead of following the usual route, Vahn pulled out a tiny green bean, devouring it with the fervor of a starved dog. Miraculously, all of his wounds then began to heal and, as if the world had been covered by a monochromatic film previously, a vast array of color and intensity was breathed into the scene as it expanded to encompass a larger area of view.
A stark contrast to the frail and cautious boy from before, the younger Vahn suddenly seemed far more self-assured as, rather than struggling with enemies, he began to cut down swaths of Goblins and Kobolds like a farmer harvesting wheat. Once difficult enemies now became completely helpless against him, his sword slicing through them with considerable ease as their blood and viscera flowed around him; following along with his movements like debris in a tempest...
The memory in the projection continued to play all the way up until the moment Vahn reached the surface, his mental and physical energy completely drained. Since he wasn't completely aware of his surroundings during the earlier days of his 'awakening', the edges of the projection became hazy and, by the time Nicholas appeared, the Elven man that had been one of the first to show Vahn kindness; the memory had completely faded to black.
With the scene coming to an end, Vahn caused the lights in the room to gradually illuminate, finding both Aoko and Arcueid still staring into the projection; waiting for something to happen. This caused a smile to spread across his face and, never missing the opportunity to tease others, Vahn decided to take advantage of their intense focus. His hands slowly moved from their waists, caressing up their sides as a trickle of stimulating energy flowed into their bodies.
Arcueid's reaction was rather tame, as she obviously had high resistance due to her instantaneous regeneration, but Aoko's was anything but. She released a girlish yelp, practically jumping from her seat with a red blush spreading across her face in an instant. Then, realizing what had happened, she formed a fist with her right hand, unhesitantly striking the top of his head as she shouted, "You jerk!" in a high-pitched and embarrassed tone of voice...
Though Vahn was tempted to tease her even more, he was brought to stunned silence in the middle of theatrically rubbing the top of his head. This was due to the fact that Aoko was wearing a thin white blouse and, having never been fond of wearing bras, both of her nipples were clearly outlined as a result of his earlier prank. She didn't seem to notice it herself but, after following his line of sight, her face became even redder as she gripped her hands into fists and glared at him...
What surprised Vahn the most was that tears seemed to be building in the corner of Aoko's eyes, causing him to panic slightly since it was rare that he misread the situation. He hated making any woman cry, much less those who had chosen to be with him, so a pang of guilt spread through his heart; discernible from the expression on his face. His first instinct was to apologize but, before her tears could free themselves from their confines, Aoko was the one to seize the initiative, shouting, "Fine, then! It was always going to come to this so let's get on with it. Come on, take your clothes off and get ready; I'm going to teach you not to tease me, you baka-tennō!"
Following her outburst, Aoko went along with her own momentum and, without waiting for Vahn to remove his own clothes, she quickly pulled her blouse over her head and began to strip down. This had the effect of causing Vahn to momentarily blank, earning him another pointed glare from Aoko as she stopped mid-way between removing her pants to shout, "What are you waiting for!?" before looking to Arcueid and adding, "You can join in or help out if you want."
With these two polarizing comments, Aoko continued to hastily undress in spite of the growing flush spreading through her face and body. She wasn't the type to back down so, while it felt like she was on the verge of exploding due to embarrassment, she 'had' to teach Vahn a lesson. He couldn't just get away with teasing her whenever he felt like it so, even if she had to 'cheat', Aoko was determined to get at least one victory against him, even if it was a pyrrhic...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Setting the mood','Humble beginnings','The power of an airheaded heroine')
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