Three days later, I knew something weird was going on. Xavier kept asking me weird questions while Ahi would keep disappearing for long periods of time. They were absolutely up to something.
The question was what exactly?
Placing my sleeping bag in my tent, I decided it was about time I asked them what was going on. The two were sitting by the campfire, whispering about who knows what.
Walking over to them, I stood in front of them, hands on my hips as I stared at them. "Alright you two, what gives?"
"Hmm?" Ahi turned to me and gave me an innocent look. "What's wrong, love?"
"You two and this weird behavior." I answered. "You keep disappearing and you, Xavier, keep asking me random questions. So, what's going on? What are you plotting?"
"We're plotting noth-" Xavier started.
But Ahi interrupted him. "Xavier likes you."
"What?!" I exclaimed in shock.
Xavier liked me? As in like like? When did this happen? Why did Ahi know this but not me? My mind whirled with questions as I tried to process the words.
"Ahi, that was meant to be a secret!" Xavier growled at Ahi, while I was in a half daze. "I thought you were going to help me… Didn't you say we were now brothers-in-arms?"
"I did." Ahi said nonchalantly. "However, there are some battles one should surrender to. I'm not losing favor just to help you. Besides, you work too slow. You're better off just confessing."
"But I want to do this the proper way!" Xavier huffed in annoyance, just as I snapped out of my daze.
"Well, learn to be more subtle with your questions there." Ahi retorted. "Who asks intimate questions and then wanders off? At least, have a conversation."
"Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on?" I asked, finally getting sick of both males.
The two glanced at each other for a moment before Xavier sighed, "I was trying to make you a courting gift based on things you liked… Ahi was helping me with it."
His foot dug into the dirt as he spoke, his head slightly turned away. I bit my lip, wondering what to do with this new knowledge.
Xavier didn't seem like a bad male and had actually helped us a lot. He was reliable, strong and easy on the eyes. Maybe a little socially awkward, but I wasn't exactly one to talk.
Becoming mates with him wasn't a totally horrible idea. Especially with how well he and Ahi got along. That would definitely make things easier for me.
"I see…" I finally said. "I take it you're still… um interested in courting me? Or…"
I didn't finish my sentence, unsure what to say, but clearly didn't need to. Xavier's head sprung up and he exclaimed, "No, no! I'm still interested in courting you… I just have to finish my courting gift first."
"You can finish your courting gift, but I'll… a-accept your courting intentions." I stated. "However, I do have some conditions you'll need to agree to before we can court."
"Conditions?" Xavier asked, looking a little confused.
"Um yeah…" I said. "They're agreements I make with any male interested in courting me, so things go smoothly. And to protect myself."
"I see…" Xavier was quiet for a moment. "What are they?"
"Well, the first is regarding other mates. You're going to have to respect the mates I choose as well as any males I wish to court. I'll give you a chance to voice your concerns, but otherwise you'll need to be respectful and promise not to cause any problems with my future mates or Ahi.
"I don't plan on taking many mates and will try to only take elemental beastmen as my mates, unless they're a priest or healer. However, if I like a striped male, I'll only take him as a mate once all my mates have approved of him." I added. "That was part of the agreement I had with Ahi, so if you'd like to add any input to that, I'm happy to listen. But otherwise, that's my first condition."
"Hmm…" Xavier was quiet for some time. "I don't have any issues with that. Being allowed input is more than what most males will ever receive, so I can't disagree with that. What's your other conditions?"
"The second condition is that we have a trial period." I explained. "If things don't work out, there'll be a clean break between us. The trial period is so we can get to know each other and see if we'll be good mates.
"If either one of us decides being mates won't work long term, we'll break things off with no consequences and vow to keep each other's secrets if any are shared. We can decide on a time period for this trial period, but that is my other condition."
"That's reasonable, I guess." Xavier mused. "I can agree to those terms."
"Cool." I smiled. "Do you want to add anything or make conditions of your own?"
"No, I'm happy with everything already." Xavier declared. "The only thing is, once we get to Grasslands City, I'll have some things to take care of first before we can move forward with becoming mates."
"Alright." I nodded in understanding. "So, shall we start our trial period now or would you like to wait until you've dealt with your affairs in Grasslands City?"
"We can start itt now." Xavier went slightly red. "We'll just have to wait on making things… more permanent for now."
"Alright then. Guess we're officially courting then." I smiled brightly.
[Courtship Unlocked]
[1500 Coins]
[22 Loyalty Points]
The system notifications suddenly popped up in front of me, but before I could think about it Ahi clapped his hands and said, "Now that that's settled, let's eat."