บท 87: Reunion
While Roxy was busy getting changed into some dry clothes, Paul elected to helicopter around Xiangling in the kitchen. He knew better than to mess with her when she was cooking, but that didn't stop him from watching.
Unable to simply ignore Paul's presence, Xiangling flicked the end of a radish towards him, asking, "Don't you have anything better to do? What are Ei and Eula up to...?"
Catching the tail of radish out of the air, Paul tossed it into his mouth before answering, "Ei is upstairs in the nursery, and Eula is helping out by giving etiquette lessons at the school. As for everyone else, Lisa is at the Guild, Fischl is visiting Baba, Rosaria is off on a mission, Amalie is working the front counter, and Lynette only really shows up at night."
Giving Paul a sidelong glance, a playful pout developed across Xiangling's as she retorted, "Oh? I guess that means I was your last option..."
Instead of expressing concern at Xiangling's words, Paul offered a wink as he said, "Don't tempt me, woman."
Rolling her eyes, Xiangling shifted her focus back to the dishes she was preparing. She knew Paul did his best 'not' to prioritize any of the women he associated with. He just kind of went with the flow and did his best to make whoever was around him at the time happy.
Interpreting Xiangling's words and actions as a sign she might be feeling lonely, Paul waited for a few moments before asking, "Think you can take some time off tomorrow? We can go somewhere to hang out, just the two of us."
"Hmmm..."
Though she was tempted to agree immediately, Xiangling knew they both had other items on their plate. She was supposed to be giving cooking lessons around noon, and Paul had been spending the last few weeks assisting Roxy with her training. Making plans on the spur of the moment would inconvenience a lot of people.
Since it was pretty rare for Xiangling not to accept his invitation outright, Paul reasonably presumed she was busy the following day, appending, "If tomorrow's no good, just let me know when is. I can make time."
Adopting a faint smile, Xiangling answered, "I'll talk to Amalie and see if I can take the day after tomorrow off. That should give you time to consider where you want to take me. As much as I enjoy walking around, I'd prefer to go on more structured dates..."
Scratching the back of his head, Paul returned a wry smile as he said, "I'll see what I can do." just as Roxy poked her head into the kitchen. Paul had told her to rest and cover her Mana, but she evidently had something else in mind.
Noticing the petite blunette almost immediately, Paul called out, "Roxy? What's up...?"
"Ah..."
Stepping out from behind the door's threshold, Roxy revealed that she had substituted her usual Adventurer's garb for a comparably frilly blue and white dress. It made her look even more youthful than usual, but Paul knew better than say as such. He could tell when someone was fishing for compliments.
"Nice dress. Did you buy it recently...?"
Adopting a faint smile, Roxy made her way into the kitchen as she said, "It was a gift from my former mentor. She was also the one that gifted me my hat, wand, and cloak."
Taking the bait Roxy had thoughtfully dangled before him, Paul remarked, "Sounds like a pretty cool person. I'll have to thank her if the opportunity ever presents itself."
After briefly glancing toward Xiangling, Roxy turned her attention to Paul and asked, "For what...?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Paul adopted an easy-going smile as he replied, "I mean, she's the one that introduced you to Magic, right? If she hadn't, we wouldn't be talking right now."
Realizing what Paul was trying to say, a faint shade of red colored Roxy's cheeks as she hesitated to state the reason for her visit. There were some items she wanted to purchase at the city center, and she was hoping Paul would come with her.
Just as Paul was about to make things easier by asking if Roxy wanted to talk in private, Amalie stepped into the kitchen, revealing, "Paul, there is a group of girls here who claim to know you. Should I tell them you're here or send them away...?"
Though he smiled wryly due to the 'grim' expression that had developed across Roxy's face, Paul still asked, "What do they look like?" and "Did you manage to catch their names?"
Nodding her head, Amalie answered, "They are three human females. One of them introduced herself as Jean Gunnhildr."
As happy as he was to hear the answer he was expecting, Paul couldn't help muttering, "That timing..." as he cast a glance towards Roxy. When he did, she immediately looked away from him with a somewhat hurt look on her face.
Resisting the urge to pull Roxy up by her pigtails and ask why she was so quick to become depressed, Paul said, "That must be Barbara, Jean, and Razor. They've been training at the Sword Sanctum these past couple of months. Come on; I'll introduce you."
Without waiting for Roxy to protest, Paul reached down to grab her hand before looking back at Xiangling and asking, "You coming with, or are you okay with talking to them later?"
Waving her hand in a shooing gesture, Xiangling said, "Go on without me. I'll get started on something the celebrate their return."
"Sound's good."
Taking advantage of the fact Roxy had become statuesque, Paul pulled her from the kitchen while guiding Amalie at the waist. She was more than technically one of his women right now, so he felt compelled to introduce her before Barbara could potentially throw a tantrum. He didn't need her even angrier after finding out about his 'mishap' with Reida...
Seeing Paul emerge from the closed-off kitchen, Barbara garnered the attention of the entire dining room by shouting, "Paul~!" in a cheerful and bubbly tone. She hadn't changed much since the last time he saw her, but that was far from a bad thing.
With Roxy having already pulled her hand free, Paul was free to raise it as he said, "Hey there, Pipit. I've missed you. All of you."
Since Jean and Razor were also present, Paul knew better than to neglect them. However, compared to Barbara, they were a lot more easy-going. At the very least, they knew better than to shout in public.
Without minding the gazes from the surrounding Beast People, Barbara practically skipped over to Paul in order to give him a hug, affectionately nuzzling her face against his chest as she said, "It's been way too long."
"You're telling me..."
With Barbara looking up at him in confusion, Paul seized the opportunity to plant a chaste but lasting kiss on her lips. She had to stand on the tips of her toes in order to kiss him properly, but she didn't seem to mind it in the slightest.
Upon separating from the impassioned blonde's lips, Paul kept his hand wrapped around Barbara's waist as he gestured the retreating Roxy over, saying, "Come on, let me introduce you."
Following the direction of Paul's gaze, Barbara immediately noticed a little girl with matching blue hair and eyes. She had noticed her when Paul first emerged from the kitchen but didn't pay much attention to her as she was far more concerned with greeting the former.
Without Paul needing to complete the introductions, Barbara remarked, "You must be Roxy." with a genial smile on her face. Paul had revealed as much information as he could recollect about the significant people in this world. Barbara didn't remember all the details, but she had committed to memory the names and physical characteristics of every woman Paul had expressed an interest in.
Having come to realize many things during her stay in the Sword Sanctum, Barbara surprised even Paul by extending her hand towards Roxy and saying, "Let's try to get along, okay? If there is ever anything you need help with, please don't hesitate to ask."
Though she was briefly confused about how Barbara knew her name, it didn't take long for Roxy to realize the former was probably one of Paul's retainers. He had told her quite a bit about his past, just not the specifics.
Accepting Barbara's handshake, Roxy remained a little standoffish as she replied, "It's nice to meet you...?" with a considerable amount of confusion in her tone. She wasn't sure where the misunderstanding lay, but she got the distinct impression that Barbara had misunderstood something.
Making things transparently clear, even though he knew it was a bit of a gamble, Paul calmly pointed out, "Roxy isn't one of my lovers, Barbara. At the very least, she isn't at this very moment."
So Roxy didn't think he was completely shutting down her burgeoning affection, Paul punctuated his statement with a playful wink and a smile. He was past the point of mentally preparing himself, so she just needed to give him the go-ahead before their relationship advanced to the next level and became physical. It was entirely up to her.
While Roxy's mental state was in complete disarray, Barbara covered her mouth with a shocked expression on her face as she said, "Oh my! I hope my words didn't offend you. It's just, you're so cute, and Paul was always talking about wanting to meet you. Seeing you all dressed up and holding hands, I just assumed..."
Though she felt an almost overwhelming urge to dig a hole in the snow and bury herself in it, Roxy couldn't help keying in on Barbara's words, muttering, "You make it sound like he was always talking about meeting me..."
Since she didn't want to reveal more sensitive information, Barbara shifted Roxy's attention to Paul by staring directly at him. When she did, he made a show of appearing embarrassed as he said, "It wasn't that often..."
Realizing what Paul was doing, Barbara covered her mouth to suppress a giggle before demonstrating her emotional growth by looking toward Roxy and assuring, "Well, if you ever need advice, feel free to ask. As someone important to Paul, you can expect our full support."
Hearing Barbara mention she was important to Paul, most of the anxiety that had been welling in Roxy's chest was spontaneously abated. She had the urge to blast him in the face with a Water Ball for failing to mention he was entangled with even more women, but it was oddly relieving to know she had been 'accepted' by those close to him.
Fortunately for Paul, Roxy knew better than to cast Magic indoors. She was also in the process of recuperating her Mana, so she didn't feel like wasting what little she had on something petty and childish. Instead, she looked towards Paul with her characteristically unblinking expression as she said, "Thank you, Barbara...I'll be sure to keep that in mind..."
Though he had the distinct impression he had just been marked for some sort of revenge, Paul managed a light-hearted chuckle before continuing with the introductions. Then, as Amalie returned to serving customers, he directed the group upstairs to retrieve Ei and host an impromptu welcome party. The actual celebration would come later that evening, but a party was an excellent way to break the ice and get everyone in a good mood before broaching more serious subjects...
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