"We need to talk," I said firmly, pressing my hands on the table. "But obviously, not now."
The Altai Wapiti let out a moan that I couldn’t quite decipher, while the jet-black wolf seemed oblivious to my words. They both leaned on the table, heads in their hands, faces twisted in almost identical expressions—a dissonance or oddly harmonious—who can tell.
"But after all the drama, I think some things need to be clarified, to make sure we're on the same page." I glanced at the Altai Wapiti and the wolf in turn, patiently waiting for their gaze to meet mine. "Can you both agree to continue with the current arrangement for now?"
I kept my statement intentionally vague—there’s a reason strategic ambiguity is called "ambiguity," and I was confident they understood my point.
"Of course," Kotetsu replied first, attempting to straighten up before quickly retreating into a slouched posture, seemingly still sensitive to the light. "I don’t see a problem."
"Fine," Aether sighed, lowering his hands out of my view after a glance at the Altai Wapiti. "Nothing has changed; I won’t interfere with your friendships."
"Ah, so the beach party events were just social activities then?" I tried not to push too hard, but I truly couldn’t handle a repeat of that scene.
"Just party games to lighten the mood—very common," Kotetsu replied nonchalantly, waving a hand.
"When in Rome," Aether added with a shrug, making me want to roll my eyes.
Well, since they put it that way, let’s let the weirdness pass and start anew.
"Kotetsu, Aether is a Nyx faction wolf. Besides his exceptional logic and memory, he’s incredibly intelligent!" I reintroduced them, salvaging the speech I had prepared before the bizarre turn of events. "Librarians of the Library of Alexandria hold a highly respected status, granting access to all the world’s knowledge!" I emphasized the last part, drawing a raised eyebrow from the Altai Wapiti toward the wolf.
"Still in training," Aether muttered.
"And very modest too!" I noticed his right ear twitch but chalked it up to shyness. "Kotetsu, as you know, is my senior mentor. He’s an Altai Wapiti from the Federation, the highest-ranked psychic herbivore alive, and one of the leaders of the Utilitarian faction."
"'Leader' sounds odd," Kotetsu grumbled, scratching his ear.
"Exitus acta probat?" Aether tilted his head, scrutinizing the wapiti for a few seconds. "Interesting."
"See? I knew you’d get along!" I said in my most optimistic tone, though their mutual side-eyes made me quickly add, "No pressure if you don’t!"
Come on, I worked so hard to lighten the mood. Play along!
"I have a lot of important evaluations coming up these days—not much bandwidth to spare." I stated plainly, immediately noticing Aether’s ear twitch again. "Not that clarifying our relationship isn’t important, but the unexpected chaos of the party threw everything off balance. Things were much smoother in my imagination." I hastily added, trying to bury the sinking feeling that I was digging myself deeper.
Looking between the Altai Wapiti and the black wolf, I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty while also relieved that their probably sluggish minds worked to my advantage.
"Anyway," I concluded with my trusty fallback line, "let’s maintain the status quo for now until we’re all ready for a proper discussion." After confirming their eyes still had some focus, I asked for their agreement. "Alright?"
"Sounds good," Kotetsu said with a shrug, slumping further into his chair.
I locked eyes with Aether's golden gaze, hoping to glean some clarity. Before I could draw any conclusions, he lowered his gaze and gave a small nod.
"Since we’re all on the same page, let’s leave it at that for now!" I got up, preparing for my Dreamwalking License exam. "And you two can... um, talk things out." I gestured toward the cafeteria terminal. "It’s on me—order whatever you like."
The Altai Wapiti and the black wolf exchanged glances before signaling their agreement with subtle gestures.
Taking that as a positive sign, I left the cafeteria, content to focus on the upcoming test.
Kotetsu " He squeals when you tweek his nipples.."
Aether "Have you tried tickling his feet.."