[TWS] Chapter 278 – A Perfect Date For Everyone (Patreon)

It didn’t take them long before they reached the place that the fountain had put into Tina’s mind since they pretty much ran all the way there. From the outside, it looked like a respectable library of some sort. After walking inside, Ast’s guess was confirmed. At least partially.

The locum was actually a cozy, charming library, but it also served as a quiet cafe. They both marveled over the homey vibes produced by the honey-colored wooden interiors, supported by bright mahogany shelves and tall racks. Stylish chairs and sofas with royal red cushions filled the space between them, where multiple patrons relaxed with a book in hand, often enjoying a glass of wine, a cup of coffee or tea, and something light to snack on.

Asterios brought Tina to a free spot in one of the prepared corner booths and a person dressed like a butler approached them with a menu and an inquiry about what they would like to read if they wished to do so. After a short moment of thought, they decided to ask for anything he recommended about Lesser Dragons or beasts unique to the elven region. It was the most obvious choice as they were both Summoners extremely passionate about their chosen path. You didn’t often get a chance to study foreign textbooks even if plenty of information was shared between the nations.

With a snap of the man’s fingers, three old books raced through the air with a quiet swish and landed on their table. Before dismissing their steward, they ordered some wine and a piece of chocolate cake each. Their order arrived in the same fashion and the man left after bowing to them.

Tina couldn’t help but giggle at the unusual atmosphere and situation. Asterios pulled himself closer to her as they sat side by side and poured them both a glass. She leaned into him and opened the first book with a golden depiction of a Lesser Dragon on its cover. They clinked their glasses together, took a sip through their entwined elbows, and peered into the book with an excited chuckle.

Soon, they were sucked into their own, small world. Asterios had thankfully put some thought into their privacy and prepared a silencing barrier around them so that they could talk without any worries. With how heated their little discussion got, it definitely was the only thing preventing them from getting kicked out for causing a ruckus in the library. Their mutual passion showed in both their mannerism and their thrilled, raised voices.

They enjoyed feeding each other spoonfuls of cake while hunched over the manuscripts. Their surroundings seemed to melt into a blur as they had plenty of fun pointing out different interesting facts and discussing them amongst themselves. The lively expressions Tina made whenever they looked at each other captivated Asterios so much, forcing a wide smile onto his lips every single time. He felt like they could spend hours tucked into this tiny, cozy corner far away from the greater world.

But, their time wasn’t infinite and Umbra let them know that they had to get going if they wanted to be fair with everyone else, just as Asterios had asked him to do for exactly that reason. They finished their wine and Tina pulled Asterios down into a gentle, affectionate kiss. Their feelings for each other were clearly conveyed by the delicate brushing of their soft lips, so tender and cordial. The entire way back, Tina kept leaning into Asterios and resting her head on his shoulder with their fingers intertwined. The sweet moment seemed to last forever.

Reluctantly parting with Ast’s arm, she conceded her spot to Silvia next. Figuring out their own destination, the fiery princess guided Asterios through the town with an energetic bounce in her step. He could swear that her mesmerizing hair already sparkled like celebratory fireworks and they hadn’t even gotten to their destination. But, he felt as excited about it as she did. He was thrilled at the thought of taking the beautiful, somewhat sheltered princess on a date in another country, something she clearly hadn’t ever done before. And it showed.

Their spot for a date turned out to be some kind of a hedge maze. Its caretaker handed them a safety artifact that was supposed to call for help in case they got completely lost and pushed them onto an oval platform surrounded by four lush trees with autumn crowns. Leaves suddenly swirled around them, obscuring their vision, and in the next moment, they were inside a tall labyrinth.

To make their experience more enjoyable, they both limited their senses as much as possible. It would be no fun to instantly notice a way to get out. Taking each other’s hands, they strolled forward at a slow pace. As they moved ahead, beautiful flowers bloomed over the surface of the emerald hedges on their sides. They noticed that more of them sprouted behind them, creating colorful footsteps wherever their feet had previously landed.

Each turn brought a different kind of flower blooming around them. Asterios learned just how much Silvia knew about many of them. As they wandered through the maze, she shared with him numerous names and fun facts about a plethora of decorative plants. Camille was the one to care greatly for the royal gardens and had often chatted about their compositions with the princess. Considering the fact that Silvia had lived most of her life on its premises, it wasn’t that unexpected. Asterios made a mental note to thank the maid for filling Silvia’s life with lots of good memories and interesting hobbies.

They had become so entranced by the floral marvels that they didn’t notice walking into a dead end without any idea where they were and which turns they had taken. But, as they stopped in front of the tall wall blocking their path ahead, something unexpected happened.

Brown roses sprouted from each hedge, blossoming with a hypnotizing motion. After fully opening their pretty heads, they sparkled and burst in deep, amber flames. Asterios and Silvia gaped at the flaming roses with pure awe. They somehow filled them with comfort and he lovingly embraced her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

After a few short minutes of just staring at the unbelievable spectacle, Silvia turned around. They peered into each other’s eyes, flickering constantly from the magical fires, and pulled themselves closer, joining their lips in an unhurried kiss. The flames grew in intensity and surrounded them with a quiet whooshing noise. Warmth filled their bodies as they pursued each other’s delicate mouths. They basically melted into each other, forgetting about everything else.

And they would have remained in their small world for much longer if not for the appearance of the caretaker who had noticed tall flames in the middle of one of the mazes and transported himself to their location. Thankfully, their influence over the burning roses hadn’t changed the immaterial nature of the illusory fire so nothing really happened to the hedge or anything else. The man didn’t even blame them for it, assuming that there must have been some fault with his formation of mystical flowers.

They quietly escaped without correcting him in case he would get angry and banned them from entering his garden ever again. Asterios truly wanted to bring the other girls here someday later. They deserved to experience the beauty of the ever-changing flower maze too.

Miria was third in order. She bounced and skipped around Asterios while pushing, pulling, yanking him towards their destination. He always loved seeing her so happy and energetic. Her cheerful aura captured people’s attention and he didn’t mind it in the slightest. The spot for their date looked like some kind of a tower with a weird platform at the top.

After climbing all the way up, they learned that it was the starting point of an airborne ferry ride all around the capital. They could now spot more of those towers on the horizon and realized their purpose as concurrent stops for the unusual ride. Naturally, Miria instantly dragged Asterios into the fancy floating boat made of a mix of black and white wood and he paid the fare. The person managing the station turned some kind of an artifact on and pushed them off the pier.

They had the entire small boat for themselves so Miria obviously took the best possible seat for herself, which was in Ast’s lap. He held her tightly as she leaned from side to side and gasped excitedly at the sights below them. They sailed through the air high above the town at moderate speed. The route of their little love ship was clearly plotted to give them the best view of the most memorable parts of the capital.

Miria couldn’t stop wriggling in Ast’s lap and rubbing the top of her head into his chin. He chuckled now and then whenever she swatted him with her fluffy ears as her eyes snapped around. A romantic ride through the sky in a floating boat wasn’t something Asterios had ever thought he would get to experience but he was extremely glad to have the chance. And it was all thanks to his sweet, feline mate.

About halfway through their airborne journey, Miria twisted herself with so much strength that she yanked them both off the bench Asterios was sitting on. They fell onto the bottom of the boat in a fit of chuckles and giggles. But, rather than getting up right away, they looked each other in the eyes with bright smiles and decided to stay down.

Miria snuggled into Asterios and Asterios snuggled into Miria, both basking together in each other’s embrace under the warm sun. She purred sweetly for so long that he didn’t even notice when they both dozed off. The supervisor grew anxious after spotting an empty boat coming back to him, but it quickly turned into amusement after he found the passengers entangled together on the floor while napping peacefully. Miria’s face didn’t stop glowing red to the very moment they rejoined everyone at the fountain, making the girls chuckle and immediately begin raining questions about their date at her.

It was Grea’s turn next and she wound Ast’s arm around her waist, guiding his hand to her pelvis at the front. With an impish, seductive grin, she led them through the town with a sensual sway of not just her hips but her entire body. Numerous men paused to stare at them, to the bewilderment of their partners. She wanted to make a statement by intimately rubbing herself all over Asterios, and she definitely succeeded in doing that. He only hoped that they wouldn’t get locked up for public indecency by some random guard.

That would have been a story.

Their date spot turned out to be an entertainment club, one Asterios completely didn’t expect to find in the land of elves. They entered a chamber filled with half-moon sofas around which snaked long, raised platforms. After they got settled on one of the couches with a basket full of various alcohols on the small table in front of them, female elven dancers walked onto the stage.

Asterios could only smile wryly at how scantily clothed they were. The dancing beauties wore lots of see-through sashes, robes, dresses, and stripes of material. While their intimate parts were more or less fully hidden, or at least obscured in a way that didn’t disrupt their seductive creations, the rest didn’t leave much to the imagination. Somehow, Asterios felt like only Grea would have been able to find herself in such an establishment.

And his date made sure that he enjoyed himself to the fullest. With a knowing grin, she helped Asterios find the most relaxing position on the couch, half-lying on his side over the comfy cushion. She leaned into him for the front and kept nibbling on his ear and neck while roaming her fingers all over his chest, often dipping low below his belt.

It was clear that she intended for him to enjoy the show while showering him in teasing caresses, but having his own dazzling beauty all over him made it impossible to focus on the other women. One of the dancers even seemed to notice Grea’s actions and took them as a challenge.

But, no matter how sensually she moved right in front of Asterios, his eyes kept jumping back to the demon lady in his arms, who was dressed in nothing other than the regular robes he had seen on her so many times already. After a few minutes, the woman huffed in frustration and left them alone, which made Grea giggle victoriously. She practically shone with pride and joy.

Grea’s advances then grew even more heated as she fed both Asterios and herself more and more wine. Soon, she was starting to push his hands under her clothes while at the same time tugging at his own garments with her teeth, panting amorously. Straddling his lap, she rained passionate kisses all over his face, pushing her breasts into his chest strong enough to clearly announce their springy presence.

But, in the dimly lit chamber, her actions resembled something a bit more heated, and they were soon kicked out for attempting to partake in a banned activity in the public premises of the respectable entertainment establishment. They continued their fervent kissing session in the alley behind the building, which involved lots and lots of groping, and counted their date as more than a successful outing. Grea kept teasing Asterios about the pieces of eye candy they had managed to take a peek at before being forced out of the club while he playfully snapped back at her by tugging on her tail, pinching her thighs, slapping her butt, or cupping up her chin with a strong grip to shut her up with a rough kiss.

When they returned, it was already starting to get dark. Selene didn’t mind it in the slightest and led Asterios towards her own place without much hurry. She walked with poise and grace, just slightly swaying with each step while holding onto Ast’s elbow like a true lady. Her bushy tail accentuated the motions with its own lazy dance. Asterios felt like he wanted to treat Selene to the most exquisite restaurant in the world, and even that wouldn’t be enough to match her class.

Then, for some reason, they found themselves back in the palace. He was confused for a moment but it didn’t last for long. Selene knew exactly which path to take and they wandered through a few twisty hallways before coming out onto a magnificent terrace with an open roof. It was part of an elegant restaurant for the most important people and they immediately took a table by the very edge of the patio.

Sitting across each other, they relished in the fine dishes and alcohol in relative silence. Just their presence was enough to fill their evening with love and affection. Now and then, they exchanged a few words, talking about their past, the others, and plenty of other topics. Asterios adored making Selene smile dazzlingly or let out a dainty chuckle. She clearly made him work for those but he never gave up trying.

After their classy dinner was finished, they moved to a bench with a view over the entire southern part of the town and leaned into each other. Asterios kept running his fingers through Selene’s tail, caressing her soft fur all the way from the base to the very tip. She continued to sigh blissfully and rested her head on his shoulder. For some reason, he didn’t feel like he had to do more, like it was just not enough for their date.

It clearly wasn’t and they both knew that.

When their time was almost out, Selene sat up and met Ast’s gaze with a gentle, ladylike smile. She thanked him for just staying by her side in silence. But, before she could say anything else, he sealed her delicious lips with a tender kiss, stroking her fox ears with his free hand.

She didn’t need to explain. He understood that his sole presence was already enough for someone who had spent decades in forced isolation. He was ready to spend days doing nothing but existing for her. Because he loved her. And love could be expressed in an infinite number of ways.

Returning to the fountain in the middle of the night, they regrouped with everyone. Everyone except for Bryn. Asterios asked if she would like to partake in a short date with him, assuming she wasn’t busy taking care of Althea. A moment later, the Valkyrie stepped out of a crimson gate.

Asterios came closer and exchanged a brief peck with the winged lady. “Now, toss a coin and let’s see where we end up.”

She smiled at him warmly, a mischievous twinkle in her golden eyes. “I already know where I want to go.”

“Oh?” Asterios raised a curious brow at her.

Darkness enveloped them and he realized that they were being transported by Umbra. A second later, the shadows receded and revealed the location of their date. Its familiarity instantly struck Asterios. Even though the sky was now dark and the sun was replaced by an equally bright white moon shining mightily right from the very center of the firmament, the trees and the path they stood on could not be mistaken for anything else.

Bryn’s smile grew more radiant and she pushed herself off Asterios. She spun around, throwing him a glance over her shoulder, and walked towards the roofless bower in the middle of the grassy hill. He followed her alluring curves for a brief moment before glancing around.

“Bryn, this is—”

“Althea’s lair,” she finished for him. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

She spread her arms and directed her gaze to the imitation of the night sky. It was full of mesmerizing stars shining even more enchantingly than the real ones. The trees in the lush forest surrounding the small glade even swayed gently under a warm, magical breeze. Everything seemed so peaceful, so serene, so beautiful. Their figures were completely illuminated by the white glow from above, somehow causing their skin to be covered with a delicate glint.

“Why here?” Asterios asked curiously, slowly stepping towards Bryn.

“This place is just full of life energy, and there’s a massive source of it right above our heads. The very air in here is just brimming with it,” she replied with a dazzling smile as she rested her back against the fence surrounding the bower. “As you know, that’s exactly my element.”

Asterios caught up to her and pulled the winged lady into a hug as she peered deep into his eyes, her own gaze often skipping down to his lips. “Bryn, I can feel how incredible that is, but I think it would be extremely rude—”

“It’s alright,” she interrupted him by placing a finger over his mouth. “I’ve already received permission.”

Asterios was stunned. A deep blush continued to spread over his mate’s noble cheeks. She took another retreating step, right through the entrance into the bower, and they bumped into the table in the middle this time. Bryn let herself fall back and pulled Asterios down with her. He landed on top of her, their noses almost touching, his hands right at her sides.

“This space is vast. Althea is resting in a small cottage on the other side of this cavern. She won't be bothered by anything we do here,” she explained in a hushed whisper. “Would you please kindly show me how much you love this body of mine, Master?”

Noticing the desperate need for validation in Bryn’s shimmering, golden eyes, Asterios decided to answer with his lips instead of words and sealed her mouth with a kiss full of love and desire, letting his hands roam all over her amazing body.

Nothing held him back from reassuring his mate about her beauty anymore.