Aeric put on his suit, it was time to wear some nice clothing. He would be wandering the city and visiting the redlight district with Xii today. He pulled his tie tight and then loosened it, giving it some room to breathe and giving the outfit overall a looser feel to it. He looked in the mirror and checked his clothing, they were properly ironed and fit him just right. He smiled and pulled his door open and headed towards the kitchen, Xii as usual was the first one awake and had already started making breakfast. She was making something with egg and bread today, the heavenly aroma of the spices she used filled the room and drifted down the hallway.

Aeric smiled and walked up next to her. He leaned over her shoulder and looked at what she was cooking. Her gaze flicked to him as he watched the food, “You know if you lean over so close I almost expect a kiss.”

“Well I could always arrange that, not like I’d complain about kissing a wonderful woman.”

Xii remained silent for a bit as she flipped the pan. Aeric frowned and looked over at her, stepping back and then moving to stand beside her, leaning against the counter so he could look at her face. “What’s wrong? That seemed… different from usual.”

Xii looked at him and grinned, showing off her teeth. It looked forced, she opened her mouth to speak but Aeric raised a hand stopping her. “Don't throw the comment off, something is wrong. Like actually bothering you, nothing ever bothers you. So tell me.”

Her grin faltered as she pursed her lips, she flipped the eggs in the pan. Shaking it a little to let them settle as she took a moment to think of what to say next. “Just feeling a little lonely. Happens sometimes.”

Aeric opened his mouth, then shut it as he thought twice about what to say. He tapped the counter and examined her face, he looked at her cheekbones and down at her chin. Her features were as sharp as ever, her gaze still one of an apex predator. Yet today there was the slightest slump in her shoulders. She shook herself and forced another grin on her face, “But today is the day we visit the red light, I’ll be drunk and happy soon enough.”

Aeric sighed, “I don’t actually know what to say, I mean I get the feeling. You like fun but you want something a bit more right?”

“Well it’s hard to find someone who can date an Aerminean, few people can keep up. Then there’s the fact that even for an Aerminean I’m really strong. I’m not even sure what kind of guy I’d like in a more permanent thing. So moping doesn’t help me.”

Aeric’s heart leaped up in his throat, he felt his stomach roil before turning into that fluttering feeling. He felt blood rush up to his face, he cleared his throat and glanced over at her. “Well with all the uuhhhh, comments and stuff I make. The attraction is there. I mean… uhhh. We aren’t actually siblings and uhhhh.”

Xii froze and turned to look at him, eyebrows slightly raised, “Are you… actually, coming on to me? You’re… serious?”

Aeric coughed and scratched at the back of his head, turning it to avoid her gaze. “Well I did mean it when I said you were the most attractive.” Silence greeted his comment and he flicked his gaze back to Xii, seeing her focus on the food with a pensive look on her face. She flipped the eggs again before opening her mouth, “Aren’t you seeing Celina?”

“That was more a sex thing, Celina made it perfectly clear it was just for fun. Honestly, I had a good bit of stress I needed to get rid of, so I let myself get dragged along. Not to make light of it or anything. But yea.”

“Are you actually offering to date me? That comes with its baggage you know, I leave often. I need regular fights or I get restless. I’ll probably never be able to completely settle, I’m not even sure if humans and Aermineans can have kids. Despite how human I look, my biology is a lot different than yours.”

Aeric put his hands in his pockets and leaned back and looked at the ceiling. “We could see how it goes, take today as our first date and just… try it out. I think both of us are the types that could continue to be friends if it doesn’t work out. Although it might take a while to get over the awkwardness.”

“Seriously dating me and usual me are very different people Aeric.”

“Yea well so is boyfriend Aeric. I haven’t had a relationship in a while, even before I came here. I get… too invested too fast. I already start thinking up life plans at the second date, not too seriously or anything. But anyone I date I can’t help but wonder if it could be permanent, what life with them at my side would be like.”

“So you’re a romantic.”

“I suppose I am.”

Xii turned to him and put the pan to the side, letting it cool off. She stepped closer until she was very much within his personal space. “I’m still not sure if this is a good idea.” She told him as she looked up at him, she was only an inch smaller than he was but she more than made up for that with sheer force of presence.

“Neither am I, it’s also kind of sudden? Well not that sudden we’ve been flirting on and off for two months but. Well, I never took that seriously till today, it just happened. My hands are so clammy right now though.” He swallowed and wiped his hands on his pants, “Which means the tension is there? The chemistry. But…”

“You’re also kind of worried what the others would think?”

“We do live and work together. It could make things very weird and you know, clunky.”

She nodded, put a hand on his chest and ran a fingernail over his vest. “It could… It could also be great.”

“I’m really hoping for great, but ruining comfortable is still scary.” He breathed out and looked down at her, putting a hand on her cheek. “With you all up in my personal space like this it’s sounding like a better idea though. You should feel my heartbeat.”

She looked up to him with a surprisingly soft smile, “I can hear it remember? It sped up ever since I stepped closer. It’s very cute.”

Aeric swallowed looking from her eyes down to her lips before looking back up. He felt himself sinking into the silver shimmer of her eyes. He gathered his courage and leaned down, brushing her lips with his own. He shivered at the feeling as he pulled back a little, a hot breath tickling over his neck as she breathed out, he leaned down again. This time when his lips brushed against hers he lingered, he closed the space between them and pulled her closer. His tongue playfully darted against her lips before he separated again.

He felt the heat in his cheeks, the press of her body against his own, the warmth of her skin. The sharp nails on her hands digging slightly into his back. His breath came to him in shortened spurts, blood rushing through his body and heading lower. His inhibitions failing and his excitement rising in turn. He kissed her again, foregoing all hesitance and letting the passion take over. Her nails scratched at his clothing as his own hand grabbed her lower back, keeping her pressed up against him. Her body felt more solid than he had expected with how little flesh she had on her.

A loud cough made the pair of them almost jump apart, they looked to the side and stared at Hurma who was eying the pair of them with obvious amusement. The corners of her mouth were twitching as she fought to restrain a smile. “Getting a little carried away there with the morning greetings aren’t you.”

“I uhhh, we were just…”

Xii grinned, slinging an arm around Aeric’s shoulder, “I was taste testing, you have to do that thoroughly you know.”

Hurma raised an eyebrow, “Sure you were, so are you two a thing? Took you long enough.”

Aeric blinked and looked at her, “What do you mean took us long enough! We didn’t even know this could be a thing till today.”

Hurma snorted, “That’s because the pair of you are pretty oblivious. You can do lust well, I’ll admit that. I don’t think you know how to actually handle romance though. You’ve been flirting since the start, even when done jokingly we noticed it was at least half-serious.”

Xii coughed, “Well to be fair I’ve always been like that, just maybe not as much.”

Hurma rolled her eyes, “We all noticed how much you were beaming when Aeric called you the most attractive a few days ago.”

Aeric was absolutely positive Xii was blushing but her skin prevented him from being able to see even the slightest hint. “Well, we didn’t wanna ruin the already good thing we had going. Bringing feelings into the workplace is trouble.”

“About that, I could always just find another part-time job, I could just go out hunting or something. I did it more for the company than for any other reason anyway, sewing never really interested me. Would give me more time to practice, I also wanted to start painting again. I miss it.”

Aeric looked over at her and folded his arms, “Are you quitting just because of the feelings in the workplace thing? We’re kind of jumping into this and we don’t know how compatible we actually are. I don’t wanna rush this.”

Xii grinned and her tongue darted over her lips, her own flair and confidence back in full power. “That tasted pretty compatible.”

“That… I mean, the lust is there, as is the attraction for sure. But we don’t know how close we can get.”

“After today we will find out, spending the day in the redlight district will no doubt be a date to remember. I know all the good people for some extra excitement!”

Aeric felt his face flush, “I’d prefer our first few uuuh excitements to be just the two of us.”

“Why Aeric, whoever said I was talking about sex.”

“You’re always talking about sex!”

“Fine, fine, no prostitutes for our first four times.”

“Maybe not afterward either, I’m not that big on sharing! I’m the jealous type, even if I hate to admit it.”

Xii grabbed his hand and pulled him close, “You’re possessive? That’s really cute, I can already see you fighting battles in my name.”

“Pretty sure it’s going to end up being the other way around, I can’t fight for shit.”

“I could teach you.”

“I’m not that interested, I’ll leave all the fighting to you thank you very much.”

She shrugged, “You don’t know what you're missing.”

“I’m missing pain, and I’m completely fine with that.”

“A little pain just makes things interesting!”

“That’s only in the bedroom, and only under certain circumstances!”

A groan answered the comment as Yisillia stared at them with her sleep-crusted eyes, “Are you guys already talking about sex this early in the morning. Can you not?”

Hurma grinned and looked over at Yisillia, “They finally started dating so you might need to get used to it. Might also need to soundproof your room.”

Yisillia groaned and sat down with her head in her arms, “I don’t want to hear about anything like that this early in the morning. I just want a nice breakfast, and some juice. Please tell me we still have some juice.”

Xii smiled at her, “Sure we still have juice, it’s in the fridge, pour me some as well while you’re at it.”

The sleepy elf stood up and shambled towards the magical refrigerator. She opened the door and grabbed one of the pitchers filled with a thick reddish liquid. Hurma stood up and grabbed several glasses and cups and set them down as they sat down for dinner. Xii grabbed the pans and gave them a few more shakes, before setting them on the table. Aeric had put down some plates and the disks to keep the pan and the food in it warm. Which simultaneously protected the wood from the warm pans.

Yisillia put some eggs on her plate and filled her glass with juice and took a sip, then she froze and blinked the sleep away before staring at Xii and Aeric. Who had sat down next to each other. Closer than they usually did, Yisillia’s eyebrows furrowed, “Something is different. What did I miss?”

Xii grinned, showcasing her full dentistry, “Well me and Aeric decided to try out dating each other. Probably more sex comments to come in the future, sorry! Not sorry! You’ll have to get used to them.”

Yisillia groaned. “Congratulations, but just…” She groaned again and stuffed her mouth with eggs.

The other three chuckled, Aeric looked over at Xii. “Honestly the date sounds fun but we really do need Yi to loosen up a bit. She’s young for an elf and sex may not be normal for them. But she’s missing out, she’s surprisingly shy about these things and she may just need a bit of a kick in the ass to get going.”

Xii looked at him and then at the elf. “Just so you know I’m not inviting her into our bed, that would seriously be weird.”

Aeric rolled his eyes, “I’m not suggesting we sleep with her, I’m saying we find someone who can ease her into it. Without any of the dangers, a proper courtesan could make her feel at ease and make sex something that’s not just scary and embarrassing.”

Yisillia folded her arms and glared at them, “Maybe I don’t want to have sex, maybe I just want to take my time and do things my own way.”

Aeric looked over at Xii, “Yi is what in our terms, a little more than a teenager?”

“Sounds about right, to be fair that is pretty early for a lot of people.”

“True I didn’t have sex till I was an early tween, but I was rather late to the party in all honesty.”

Xii looked over at Hurma, “How old were you at your first time?”

Hurma raised an eyebrow and looked at the pair, before shrugging her shoulders, “In comparison, I was probably around mid-teen. Pretty early still, hadn’t even finished puberty.”

Yisillia looked over at Hurma in betrayal, “I thought you were still a virgin, like me!”

“Hhhhmmmm, no. I lost it nearly a decade ago.”

“But you get all shy around Gorguvund, even when just dancing.”

Hurma blinked and looked over at the elf with her big brown eyes, she cocked her head. “Well that’s because I love him. We have been taking things slow because golems take things very slow. I don’t mind adjusting myself to the pace he feels comfortable with.”

Aeric scratched at his beard, “Not to be crude or anything but how do golems… Do they even have a penis?”

Hurma shook her head, “They do not, their children are created like a mason creates a statue. It’s quite the involved process, they have special classes that actually make the children. The body-crafters, then you have mind-creators who give the body sentience. It’s a really involved process and all of it is very ceremonial. Golems live for a long time so making a new one of their kind is a rare thing to witness.”

“Then how do golem cross-species relationships work?”

“Mostly through body-change potions. Gorguvand would take something that would turn him into an ogre or another compatible species and then we’d do the act. Would take some getting used to on his part. But there are many ways to make an otherwise impossible relationship work.”

“There are potions that can actually change your body shape?!”

The ogre nodded, “They're pretty pricey but the recipes were made public by someone who made the potion to be with their loved one. She wanted to share her invention so other people could realize their true love. Where race would no longer be a boundary.” She smiled at them, “Pretty romantic of her, also really usefull for people like me.”

Aeric’s eyebrows raised, “That is a very impressive invention.” He glanced over at Xii, “It also opens up some very interesting options.”

Xii grinned at him, “It really does, I know just where to find the good stuff.”

Yisillia groaned, “Can we just stop with the sex talk. I’m not in a rush.” Xii looked over at her and folded her arms.

“Have you even masturbated?”

The elf flushed a dark red as her eyes flicked to Aeric and she began stuttering. “T-t-thats none of your business!”

Aeric nodded and turned to his date, “That’s a bit much to ask in front of a guy, that’s the kind of thing you can only get out of people when doing girl talk. Or an intimate or private one-on-one.”

“Well I got my answer anyway, I just feel like we need to help her get out of her shell. She doesn’t do much for enjoyment. She works and she helps out at the hospital but she rarely does anything for fun.”

The elf folded her arms and sulked, turning away from them, “I hang out with you guys, that’s more than enough.”

Aeric coughed and scratched at the back of his neck, glancing over at Yisillia, “You do know that makes you even worse at going out than me, right?”

“No it doesn’t! I take walks outside and stuff. The animals in the woods make for good company and it’s really peaceful and restful. I just don’t like the same things as most city dwellers!”

“Well, maybe we can introduce you to some other people who like the outdoors. You might like painting! Or maybe something softer, something musical?”

Aeric perked up and smiled, “I could teach you how to play the violin, it’s something you could do outside. Enjoy the peace, plenty of animals enjoy instruments. Maybe the flute or something, I bet you could get the whole harmonizing of the music with nature thing down without much trouble.”

“Making music actually doesn’t sound so bad, are you good at playing the violin.”

Aeric smirked, “Enough so that I won a couple competitions in my earlier days, I didn’t have the passion to practise enough to truly be world-class though. But I’m still a far sight better than any casual players if I do say so myself.”

Xii bumped her shoulder into his, “And we never even heard you play, if we’d have known we could have gotten you a violin much sooner!”

“Well, there have been plenty of other things on our mind so I wasn’t in much of a rush. I was kind of worried it might make me homesick. My roommate and my dog loved hearing me play the violin. My father came to every single one of my recitals and competitions. It has a lot of memories attached. I do want to hear how a proper orchestra sounds when they have skills and magic and stuff. I bet normal music can’t compare.”