The Gamer Chapter 1381 – Paw-Pawrental Reluctance (Patreon)

John, on his lonesome, walked towards the car. It stood on its own, covered in soft morning dew. The two Beatrice-made nutrition bars he had wolfed down for breakfast filled his stomach. His eyes instinctively moved over to the spot where the bus had been repeatedly. It was the only spot of his property he had not seen continuously this past month.

During the night, Aclysia had taken the bus and started the long drive back to NYC. Everyone could take the teleporter, but someone had to move the car. The maids were the obvious choice and Aclysia was the one that made it through the selection process. Beatrice was his treasurer, Momo his chancellor, Claire did not have a driver’s license, and Delicia was too small. While that last problem could be bridged, John feared that she would get bored during her drive. Aclysia was the safe and reasonable choice.

It laid in the air, the silence of a place that would soon be left behind. A feeling difficult to compare to anything else. John savoured it. Movement came with as much uncertainty as possibility. Would he truly be fine in his job? If he had burned out once, would he do so again if he wasn’t careful?

Heavy thoughts for the morning, but appropriate for the difficult situation he was heading to. He yawned, as he climbed into the car. Against what Hailey had said, 6:30 was not his regular time to get up, at least not during his vacation here. Yes, back home he started his morning orgy at around that time, but he also needed to be in the office by 9 at the latest. A gracious starting time for an office job.

Animals were not going to wait the extra three hours for the farmer to check on them. Once hungry, they would get unruly. Once unruly, they would attempt to break out of their designated areas. At best, that only caused minor property damage. At worst, they managed to escape and run right into the maws of a predator or a treacherous part of the landscape.

The drive was incredibly short. A blessing as much as a curse. Even though John had faced monsters and even protective fathers before, he did not feel fully prepared for today. To deal with parents when it came to their daughters joining his harem could only have been a simple situation if this was the Middle Ages and he was an Arabian prince.

‘Would life not be easier, had I been born at a different time- No internet, we can end that thought experiment right there,’ John thought and left the car.

Hailey was already hurrying in his direction. The difference to how she dressed on his property was stark. A long sleeved shirt, thick pants that could easily resist wood splinters, and a cute bit of grime on her face. Although he wished she would throw herself at him, she did not have that kind of pace to her gait. “Mornin’,” she greeted him and stretched.

The buttons of her shirt stretched dangerously and she stopped when she noticed. “Did not think the side effects of hangin’ around y’all would include throwin’ out all my bras,” she joked. They both failed to muster more than a weak chuckle. That her boobs had been growing was a fact they had noticed a while ago. It was not the first time that dabbling in martial arts had that effect and John doubted it would be the last time.

Interested as he was to get his hands on those big melons, his mind was locked in on the matter at hand. “I think we should just rip off the band-aid.”

Hailey nodded, her smile collapsing into a serious expression. “Yeah. Come alon’, darlin’…” In the tenseness of the situation, that new title still made his skin prickle pleasantly. “…Paw-paw been feelin’ well enough to take on some chores.”

The country gal led her lover-to-be to a back area of the farm. It had improved notably since he last visited, with many of the previous issues patched up with materials that stood out with their fresh colour. Even with these patches made, many problems remained. “You really are a busy bee, between visiting us and doing all of this.”

“Y’all were my downtime,” Hailey responded simply.

Even their short exchange did not grab the attention of old Cid Brooks. Hailey’s father was bowed over a large plastic barrel, struggling to keep the sack of animal feed steady that he was emptying into it. The sack must have weighed about twenty kilos. For a man that had been barely capable of walking a couple of weeks ago, even lifting that was a success.

When the sack was empty, Cid tossed the empty plastic aside and stretched. John could hear the bones pop from several metres away. It was at that moment that the old farmer noticed his daughter and her recent acquaintance. That was how John would categorize himself in the eyes of the elderly man.

Who had a few years shaved off his gruff face. The sixty-year-old, who previously had appeared more like eighty, was now hovering around 70. A health potion was several times faster working than any mundane medicine. Even in small doses, to avoid suspicion, it did much to alleviate the signs of a difficult life. Cid’s hunchback was nearly gone, his hands no longer jittered as much, and he breathed freely. The colour in his face was stronger, the wrinkles not quite as deep. However, as much vitality had returned to him, a health potion only provided that: vitality. It did give his body the energy to fix accumulated damage, but not to repair what was fully broken. For that reason, his hair remained thin, the skin loose, and his voice rough when he spoke.

“Got a lot of nerve showing up here unannounced, boy,” Cid said.

John’s expression darkened. He would be patient with this man, of course he would be. Just as important as being understanding was to show that he was someone that could protect what he was entrusted with. “I’m not a boy,” he growled back and stomped over. He grabbed the lid of the feed barrel and slammed the container shut. Effortlessly, he grabbed the hinges and raised the entire thing up. “Where to?”

Cid pressed his lips together, face reflecting begrudging respect for the strength of youth. What John needed to shatter most of all was any illusion that he was a soft-handed city youth with only money to his name. “The chickens.”

“This way,” Hailey guided, the empty packaging of the feed in hand.

Without a single noise of complaint, John carried the barrel all the way to its destination and then put it down. The chickens hurried over. A scoop that had been left lying in the dirt was picked up by Cid and then used to shovel a few loads of the feed into a trough. The chickens were immediately all over it.

“I hear you’re rich,” Cid finally addressed John again. “Come from money?”

“Worked my way into it,” the Gamer responded. Technically the truth, he had even risked his life for it repeatedly. If only soldiers could be as handsomely rewarded for their service as he was by his system. Alas, the economy would not be able to sustain such impacts. “I have enough that it won’t be a problem. Both to assure she has a good life and that you’ll have any help or resources you need to keep this place running.”

“We ain’t in need of charity.” The old man slammed the lid back down on the container.

“Pa, he-“ Hailey started but John raised his hand to stop her. “What?” she asked, obviously annoyed.

John considered asking her to leave, to have a heart to heart with her father. A consideration he tossed aside. Hailey was not the kind of girl that could be made to stand idly by while her future was discussed. “I just want to be the one saying it,” he clarified and then turned back to Cid. “It wouldn’t be charity, it would be family. You let me take care of your daughter. It’s only right that I also take care of you – in the bounds of what is necessary. I’m not welfare.”

“I told ya he would say that,” Hailey backed him and grabbed John’s arm. The chickens loudly picked at the wooden through.

“…Let’s go inside,” Cid grumbled.

____________________________________________________________________________

The coffee John was presented with was watery. It tasted like the mastercraft of someone who really got every last drop of caffeine out of the beans. Hailey poured a bit of fresh milk into the cups of her parents. “Ya want a rejuvenatin’ sip?” she asked.

“I prefer my coffee black,” the Gamer said, chuckling at the inside joke.

Across the table, Cid and Melina sat right next to each other. The dinner table was as worn down as the rest of the house and their clothes. Everything was scratched or frayed or repaired several times over. The wallpaper had a yellow tinge and still stunk of tobacco, even years after Cid had put the last cigarette out.

“Do you believe in the Lord?” Cid asked, his voice firmer than ever after drinking his coffee.

“Complicated question… let’s say effectively yes,” John answered.

“This is serious, give the long answer,” barked the old man.

“No, I do not, but in adhering to principles greater than myself, I emulate his existence without binding myself to any specific theological representation of an almighty, all-knowing being,” John elaborated. “Whether I believe in his existence or not is irrelevant. I live as if he does, because I know it is beneficial if we all behave as if stealing, murdering, raping, or oath breaking lands us a spot in hell.”

Cid furrowed his eyebrows and digested that answer for a bit. He nodded, a bit hesitantly. He was not stupid, but he was not a religious scholar either, so absorbing the answer given took a bit. “You think Jesus would approve if he heard that you had twenty women – not even wives, just women?”

“I’ll make wives of them all in the ways that matter,” John straightened that out first. “And your daughter had a similar question when we first met and I will have the same answer: None of my loves are with me for any reason besides love. I have nothing I would be ashamed of if Jesus revealed himself before me and questioned me for my life. I am committed to making all of them happy. I’d like to add Hailey to that commitment.”

John put his hand on the table and the country gal demonstrably put hers on top. Soon, their fingers locked into a binding stronger than any alloy, mundane or magical. “If ya throw me out now, I’ll just be stuck with him anyway,” she told her father.

Who blew air out of his nose in a semi-amused grunt. “They seem serious,” Melina whispered to her husband.

“I’m not doubting that they’re serious,” Cid said to his wife, gaze still lingering on John. “I’m doubting if this is good for her.”

“Who else am I gonna hitch myself to?” drawled Hailey, brows furrowed challengingly. “Ain’t no good boys around, ya know that. You two are doin’ better, but…” she gave John a side-eye, “…ain’t no way to assure that stays the case unless we can afford a doctor!”

“So he IS buying you!” Cid raised his voice.

Hailey tilted her head back and groaned at the ceiling. “No, I’m tellin’ ya the logical reason, ‘cause your thick head ain’t listenin’ when I tell ya the obvious! I want this!” Hailey squeezed his hand a little tighter. “Why ya gotta be so difficult, Pa?”

“You’re the only one we have, honey,” Melina weighed in, her voice soft and calming. “Your father is just concerned.”

“He’s been concerned for two weeks,” Hailey snapped back.

“With all due respect, sir,” John backed up his country gal, “we do need a decision. Yes, my lifestyle is unorthodox. Yes, it’s probably not what you or she had in mind. Yes, I will take her far away from here. Yes, it is all quite fast… but when love strikes, you can either do what is right or you can struggle to live with the questions of what if. I’m not here because I’ve shied away from what must be done. I ask for your blessing.”

Cid leaned against the wooden chair. His chin nearly touched his chest. He stared under the table. “You really sound sincere, gonna admit that,” he mumbled. A deep, heavy breath raised, then lowered his chest. “What choice do I even have? Can’t make my girl miserable by makin’ her choose.”

“You always have a choice,” John assured him. “Even if we leave today with an answer we don’t like, I won’t forget about you. I’ll earn your approval, even if it takes time.”

“…Mhm,” Cid grunted. “Fine, young man… you got spunk, I’ll respect that. Can’t say I’m convinced by any of this. If my girl comes back because you turned out to be a gigantic mistake, I’ll give her a stern talkin’ to and find you.”

Even though he was about as threatened by that as a bear was by a single ant, John gave that a respectful nod. When there was murder in a man’s eyes, one only ridiculed that when one wanted an enemy for life. “It won’t come to that,” he promised.

“Then get out of here already,” Cid said and gestured towards the door. “Do what young fools do. Mistakes, the greatest things ever, I don’t care, just do it!”

“Yeah, that’s our cue to leave,” Hailey whispered to John and dragged him up by the hand. It was an obvious one, so he followed.

Outside, he asked, “Is it really fine if we leave just like that?”

“It’s as good as it’s gonna get,” Hailey said and exhaled intensely. “That went well. Thank ya for havin’ a spine.”

“I’m a man worth my salt.” John chuckled and rolled his shoulders. They were still holding hands and he kept it that way as they walked towards the car. “Anything you still need doing?”

Hailey shook her head. “Left my car keys, kept the house keys, emptied the remainin’ health potion in the milk, should all be good. I can get here fast, right?”

“If all goes well, you should be able to use the teleporter on your own soon. Otherwise, one of the maids will always be happy to help, I’m sure,” he assured her one more time. “I’m just struck by how… quick that was.”

“I’ve been whittlin’ him down,” Hailey boasted. “He’s been a grumpy old numbskull about it, but I’m his favourite thing in the world, ain’t no way it’d not sink in. Now, I’m your greasy problem.”

“Oh, the horror,” John said drily, eyeing her up and down hungrily. The open desire in his gaze made her tremble and blush softly. Their hands separated when John opened the car door for her. “Let’s start by showing you where you will be staying. Then we’ll buy you some new clothes. I hear you need new bras.”

“Ain’t that right,” Hailey laughed and climbed into the car.

John circled around to the driver’s seat. Shortly, he stopped, crossing eyes with the old couple standing in the kitchen window of the old house. He gave them a reassuring nod. As alien as his lifestyle was to them, as much as they may have suspected him to be a charlatan, they trusted their daughter enough to give him this chance. He would give them every reason to look back at that decision with approval.

The car door opened with the soft sound of decompression, then he slammed it shut. Hailey’s gaze was pinned at her parents. The smile she wore moments ago was wiped away. “No way I’ll regret this, right, sugar?”

John reached over and turned her head with some gentle pressure. “If you do, it will be the shame of my life,” he promised her. They leaned towards each other, shared a swift and loving kiss. Then Hailey pulled her shoulders back and gave her parents one last smile and a wave.

The key turned in the ignition and John took Hailey to her new home.