Final Fantasy Frontier 72 (Patreon)

After seeing Y'sthola safely to Limsa later that evening, Andrew returned to his penthouse and plopped onto his bed, an exasperated sigh escaping his throat as he stretched out his arms and stared blankly at the overhead canopy.

Though it was certainly a surprise, Andrew wasn't bothered by the fact Y'shtola and Nanamo were pregnant. If anything, he was happy, so much so that he wanted to teleport over to Ul'dah and toss his pint-sized lover into the air. What bothered him was that the girls felt it was 'necessary' to keep their pregnancies a secret...

Closing his eyes, Andrew muttered, "No need to beat yourself up, Andrew. They're all intelligent girls..they wouldn't have decided something like this arbitrarily..."

As he kept his fair share of secrets, Andrew decided he wouldn't make a fuss about being kept out of the loop. He suspected it would take a while to get over things completely, but it hadn't even been seven months since his reincarnation/transmigration. All he needed to do was slow down, get his thoughts in order, and spend time with the people he cared about. So long as he focused on those three things, everything would be sorted out with time...

Thinking of things that needed to be sorted out, Andrew stared at the canopy for several minutes before opening his Correspondence Menu to message Tifa. He had left her hanging when he went to save Minfilia, and though he had already apprised her of the situation, it wasn't difficult to imagine she was feeling frustrated or listless.

All but confirming Andrew's suspicions, Tifa responded to his message within seconds, assuring him she wasn't upset. However, as people who weren't upset would usually dismiss the notion outright, not feel the need to oppose the assertion, Andrew smiled wryly and asked, 'Want to grab a drink or something? I could also give you a massage.'

Figuratively slapping Andrew in the face, Tifa replied, 'If you want to have sex, you don't need to be so roundabout.'

Though he certainly wouldn't complain if things happened to develop in the direction of them having sex, Andrew asserted, 'You know, sex isn't the only thing I think about. I like relaxing, having fun, and spending time with the people I care about...'

Giving Andrew mixed feelings, Tifa appeared to hesitate for a while before responding, 'Sorry...I know you have a lot on your plate. I'm a little busy at the moment, but I can be ready within the next half hour if you want to go on a date or something similar.'

'I'd like that,' replied Andrew, adopting a smile and simultaneously feeling relieved as the delay presented him time to consider what they should do. It was embarrassing to admit, but among the sizeable group of women he mingled with, he had only gone on dates with Garnet, Yuna, and, if visiting her mom and sleeping over counted, Aerith. He and Tifa had 'hung out' on a few occasions, but that couldn't be called a date since it occurred at the penthouse and either led up to or directly followed having sex...

"Where can I even take her this late...?" Andrew asked himself. Most of the worlds he had linked were conveniently synchronized on a twenty-four-hour clock, so it was presently between 7-10 PM, depending on time zones. Places like the Gold Saucer were still open, but he didn't think Tifa would enjoy visiting a casino filled with bunny girls who fawned over and treated him like a super VIP...

Unable to help himself, Andrew imagined and made a mental note to get Tifa to wear a bunny leotard in the future. Afterward, he thought back to her request earlier that afternoon. He could empathize with her desire to become more powerful, so as strange as it sounded, the simplest option might be to take her somewhere she could grind something other than his dick...

Rising to a seated position and massaging his forehead in a self-soothing manner, Andrew did his best to come up with something he and Tifa could do, but he had few interests outside his relationships and knew very little about the buxom martial artist. Before meeting Garnet, he spent most of his time learning how to be a thief but was never particularly good at it as, according to Zidane and the rest of Tantalus, his face and intentions were too easily read. Outside of that, he had no hobbies save hunting monsters and philandering.

"I'm starting to understand how a lack of memories can be a detriment..." muttered Andrew, not especially concerned about his past but feeling like he had lost an integral part of his character and personality. Most of his memories revolved around playing video games, watching anime, reading manga, and perusing web novels. He vaguely recalled sculpting figurines and cosplay props using EVA foam, glued-together popsicle sticks, and a type of modeling clay known as Sculpey, but he couldn't remember many specifics, only that it seemed to be how he made a living.

As he didn't have the time to collect the materials and doubted Tifa would enjoy an arts and crafts date, Andrew got up and paced the room for a bit before leaving to look around the penthouse for inspiration. At least, that was his intention before he heard sounds emanating from the amusement parlor and decided to uncover their source, finding Yuna, Rikku, and Paine playing around on the polished, black, purposefully reflective stage. More accurately, Rikku was dangling upside down from the silver dancing pole, seemingly showing off for Yuna while Paine observed from the side with a glass of champagne.

Noticing Andrew the moment he entered the room, Rikku exclaimed, "It's about time you showed up~!" before flipping to her feet and stumbling a bit, evidently a little drunk.

Equipping the Cleaning Materia to his left wrist, Andrew used Poisona to alleviate Rikku's drunkenness as he questioned, "How long have the three of you been here...?"

Though her intoxication should have been cured, Rikku responded with a slurred "Boooooo~" while Yuna dutifully replied, "I got worried when you messaged me about the attack that transpired earlier today. We originally waited in the living room and spoke with Aerith, but then Rikku suggested we look around since you were...preoccupied."

"Well...this place is as much yours as mine..." replied Andrew, scratching the back of his head. He briefly considered apologizing, but as he hadn't done anything overtly wrong, he made himself comfortable on the semi-circular sofa surrounding the stage, smiling as Yuna naturally sat beside and nestled against him. Paine also sat to his right but crossed her arms and legs, making it clear she was willing to tolerate his antics but had no intentions of behaving lovey-dovey.

With the positions at Andrew's sides taken, Rikku sat on the edge of the stage, purposely sitting in a way that provided a clear view of the yellow bikini bottoms beneath her short skirt as she asked, "So, what happened earlier today?"

Shaking his head, Andrew replied, "Nothing too major. The incident only lasted a few minutes, but the subsequent investigation will probably take several weeks. I did manage to get my hands on an airship, though. Once it's been stripped of surveillance equipment and the self-destruct module has been disengaged, I'll let you and your people take a look."

Blinking in surprise, Rikku became genuinely excited as she exclaimed, "Yna oui vun naym(Are you for real)!?"

"Oayr, cu pa y kuut kenm yht lmuca ouin makc. Ed'c hud kuut vun so raynd ev oui gaab dasbdehk sa(Yeah, so be a good girl and close your legs. It's not good for my heart if you keep tempting me)..." replied Andrew, causing Rikku to close her legs and sit appropriately. The Al Bhed had a borderline instinctual drive to tinker and develop new technologies, so the possibility of examining and potentially disassembling an alien airship was enough to make even Rikku behave, at least for a short while.

Preempting Rikku's response, Andrew asserted, "But that will have to wait for another day. Right now, there's something I wanted to ask the three of you..."

Meeting Yuna's gaze, Andrew's smile gained a wry undertone as he said, "This might sound a little insensitive, but do you think you could give me advice on where to take someone and what to do on a date...?"

Pulling a steamed potato from her Item Box, Rikku tossed it at Andrew's head and shouted, "Oh, come on! How can you ask Yunie something like that when she's literally fawning over you!?"

"Rikku...!" exclaimed Yuna, far more shocked by her cousin's actions than Andrew's request. As for the latter, his expression hardly changed despite his face, hair, and clothes bearing potato mash.

Wiping a bit of mash from his face with his right index finger, Andrew put it into his mouth before plainly stating, "I've been fairly transparent about my relationships from the beginning. As amazing as Yuna is, I won't leave my wife or sever my ties in other worlds to be with her. Even if all four of you deserve someone that loves and cherishes you individually..."

Though Lenne was currently in 'power saving mode' due to the absence of Pyreflies within the penthouse, Andrew could feel her presence within Yuna. She was likely seeing and hearing everything that was transpiring, so he made sure to include her, especially after the 'breakthrough' in their relationship a few days prior.

Leaving Rikku feeling significantly more frustrated, Yuna appeared to take Andrew's side, placing her hand on his chest as she stared intently at her cousin and asserted, "I love Andrew, Rikku. And I wish to support him just as much as he has supported me...supported 'us'..."

Cradling her forehead with her right hand, Rikku openly groaned, "Kuut kneav(Good grief)...". She was well aware of Yuna's feelings for Andrew, but she didn't think it was right or fair of him to petition them for advice on how to deal with other women. It was the kind of thing he should be able to figure out on his own. If he couldn't, he should give up on forming any 'meaningful' relationships with his Proxies. All he would end up doing is hurting people...

"I need a drink..." muttered Rikku, rising from her perch on the edge of the stage and making her way over to the nearby bar. Andrew was tempted to stop her, as the drinking age in the world they were in was seventeen, but as the standard in Spira was only fourteen due to the very real possibility of Sin appearing and snuffing out their lives at any moment, he decided to let her do as she pleased.

Catching Andrew a little off guard, Paine, potentially due to the alcohol she had ingested, asked, "What kind of girl is it? Do you know what she likes...?"

"Her name is Tifa," replied Andrew, leaning his head back to organize his thoughts before appending, "She's kind, reserved, and loves kids but isn't opposed to beating the shit out of people if the situation requires. I'm not sure about her hobbies or interests, but before she became my Proxy, her primary commitments were looking after a bar, cooking, and babysitting a girl named Marlene. Beyond that, she's also a member of an eco-terrorist organization called Avalanche..."

"Well, if she likes nature, you should take her someplace with lots of trees or flowers," suggested Paine, unsure what other advice she could provide. Her appearance might suggest that she played for both teams, but before she became a Proxy candidate, she had no 'experience' with other women and had never even kissed a man...

"I have a few places in mind..." replied Andrew, scratching his right cheek as he added, "The problem is, what should I do once we arrive? Pull out a picnic basket and a blanket...?"

Raising her right brow, Paine questioned, "Aren't you just going to end up having sex, one way or another? Ask her what she wants to do, and if she can't come up with anything, make out. Forcing yourself to be romantic is a waste of time. More importantly, it's not really 'you,' so you'll only make things awkward for the both of you if you try..."

"..."

Though there was certainly some truth to Paine's words, at least based on his past actions, Andrew felt 'exposed' hearing her lay it out so plainly. It was even worse when Yuna nestled her head against his shoulder and expressed, "You should just be yourself. If that's not enough, she should reevaluate her desire to be your Proxy..."

Closing his eyes and exhaling through his nose, Andrew felt obligated to defend himself but quickly decided against it. He had certainly mellowed out after his heart-to-heart with Garnet, but he was still the type of man who consorted with many women. He could play the part of a gentleman if the situation called for it, but that ship had sailed long ago. Thus, after several seconds of deliberation, he snaked his hand behind Paine's back, causing the ashen-haired to roll her carmine eyes as he pulled her close and reimbursed her with an impromptu makeout session...

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