Chapter 31.1: Blackthorne Enterprises

The sound of an overly ambitious yawn echoed through the room not long after Scott awoke. Darkness and the empty silence of the room were the only things that greeted him. Sonja had gone to sleep in the dream world, and he’d call for her in a few hours since she would be able to get a full night’s rest there in much less time than she would on Earth.

He got up and headed toward the roof to see who was on duty. Theoretically, it should be Ashton, but he would not have been surprised to see Shara there instead. The girl he remembered from his childhood would often sit outside in the middle of the night, she seemed at home in the quiet and the dark.

Up on the roof, he received the answer to his unvoiced question. Ashton was the one on duty.

“Hey.” Called out Scott lightly. The fox girl turned to him and presented a tired smile. She had been up all night on first watch.

“Hey.” She said softly before she tried to hide a delicate yawn of her own.

Scott walked over and sat down next to her. They sat in silence for a few minutes and enjoyed the quiet and the darkness.

Ashton was the one who broke that comfortable silence. “So, how did things go?”

He nodded once then turned his head toward her. “Well, I think. I managed to secure a deal with a merchant in Argent for access to his workshop.”

“Really? What are you planning?” she asked.

“I have the ability to fuse items together to make superior versions of a similar or lesser item. It’s a complicated process even though the actual method of doing it is simple.”

“Item fusion? That’s neat! What sorts of things can you make?” asked Ashton.

“Right now I can only combine simple things, but sometimes I get unique items. My armor in the dream world is such a thing. I combined a creature’s shell with some armor pieces and made living armor that can heal itself.” he replied.

“Sounds like you can make enchanted items then?” she asked.

Scott smiled at her then reached out and gently put his hand on her shoulder. “Yes, I can do that too. I don’t have as much raw ability with directly making things after I became what I am, but my other abilities synergy andenchanting grow much faster now… or should.”

“Should?” asked Ashton before she placed her hand atop his. It was nice to receive such simple comfort.

“You’ve been to the dream world since we died, right?” asked Scott.

“Yes?” she asked lightly.

He nodded to her. “You know about the limitations on our leveling don’t you? Something like a week at incredibly reduced capacity.”

“Oh that, yeah…” her ears flattened against her head. “That’s one reason why I intend to head toward your location instead of leveling.”

“I’d love to have you with the rest of us.” he said.

Ashton’s ears rose a little and her tail began to swish slightly. “You really mean that?”

Scott blinked at her. “Yes, of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know… It just feels like I’m sort of a tag-along, you know.”

“Tag-along? Ah, I see… Shara’s a childhood friend and Sonja and I are whatever we are… Where’s that leave you?” he asked softly.

“Yeah… yeah that, exactly.” She said even as her ears flattened once more. She looked down toward the roof of the building, a gentle sigh escaping her lips.

Scott thought carefully about what he should do, what he should say. He had never been good with socialization, or cheering people up. Most of the time he was a fairly morose fellow. However, he had spent a lot of time simply watching people. Sometimes he even did so in a manner that most would not consider to be creepy. He had little actual experience interacting in society, but he could tell when something truly bothered someone.

He took in the sight of the girl and noticed that she had started to fidget a little. She looked down at her hands, then to the left, anywhere but at him.

It became obvious what he had to do. Scott lowered his hand from her shoulder then slid it around her waist. Ashton stiffened slightly in surprise, but when he gently tugged at her she scooted a little closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Scott said, “What would you like to be?”

“Hmm?” she asked, in a sleepy tone of voice.

“You’re about as lost as the rest of us, but you feel left out, right?” he asked.

“Yeah, I guess.” she said.

“So, what role would you like to play? Where would you like to fit in?” he asked her softly.

Ashton leaned her head to the side and gently sniffed at his neck. “You really want to know?”

“Would whatever you tell me make you happy?” he asked her.

“I’m not sure…” said Ashton.

“Why not?” asked Scott.

“Well… I don’t really know if it’s what I want or just what certain parts of me want.” she admitted.

Scott leaned his cheek against the top of her head then reached up and gently stroked her ears. “Isn’t that supposed to be something the guy says?”

Ashton snorted cutely then started to laugh a little. “I’m allowed to have parts that want a man.”

“Sure, sure. I give you lady wood, it’s OK to admit that.” replied Scott lightly.

Ashton snorted again then laughed a little as she nuzzled his neck. “Funny guy…”

Scott stroked her hair gently and allowed her to do what made her happy. She seemed quite content just to nuzzle his neck and cuddle close to him. He saw no reason to deny her such simple comfort, even if he was mildly concerned that it could be considered inappropriate. Wasn’t the entire situation with these girls inappropriate? While Ashton cuddled him in the remainder of the dark hours, Scott thought keenly about the situation.

First there was Sonja, a literal slave girl who would do anything he asked. It was almost frightening to think that he could ask her to basically sacrifice herself, yet she would probably do it. Hell, he had no doubt that she would.

Second, there was Shara. Who the hell knew what she was thinking? She had been odd even when they were spending time together as kids. One of the strangest things about her was how she kept trying to find random little girls to come play with them. She invariably introduced them to him and chatted freely about his many good qualities. Yet, any time a little boy wanted to make friends she would chase him off and make a weird proclamation about improper character archetypes.

Shara was a sweet goofy girl, who had turned out to be almost supernaturally beautiful. At least Sonja had an excuse for that. She actually was part divine.

He had not been able to summon the wisp since she had gone on her singing fit. But something about her made it seem like she counted on him for more than what a summoned spirit should.

Then there was Ashton. She had been his boss for months, and had always seemed like the sort of woman who used her great beauty to cause people to bend to her will. Yet, it turned out that she was much more fragile than he had thought. Instead of the heartless corporate slut that he had originally considered her to be, she was actually a very nice girl.

Was it really his scent that caused her to act this way toward him? Would such a thing make it unfair to allow her to get any closer? He decided to ask her directly.

“Ashton, be honest with me about something? OK?” he asked her.

“Hmm? Sure?” she said softly.

“If not for how I smell, or whatever, would you want to sit here with me like this?”

“Now? Yes. Before the dream and all that? I don’t know. Probably not…” she said.

“Why?” he asked her gently, his voice calm and without a hint of emotion in it.

“I was engaged for one thing, though there were other reasons.” she said.

“Such as?” he asked her, more curious than hurt.

“Well, does it make me a horrible person to admit that you were kind of fat? I work out like it’s a religion…” she said.

Scott laughed loudly. “No, it doesn’t make you horrible. It just means you aren’t into fat guys when you work your pretty little ass off.”

“Is it pretty?” she asked, before swishing her tail a little

“Absolutely. Why, it’s the second prettiest ass on this roof top.” replied Scott with a smile.

She bit him on the shoulder then pulled away and crossed her arms over her chest. “Second prettiest? My ass?”

“Don’t hate me just because I have a pretty ass, Ashton.” said Scott cheerfully.

She snorted then tilted her nose upward in a feminine huff. “You were never this focused on my ass before.”

“I don’t think there was anyone who worked at the store who didn’t notice your ass, boss lady.” replied Scott with a smile.

“Really? They weren’t as focused on my tits or my pouts?” she asked in an even tone of voice.

Scott blinked. “Ashton…”

“Tits McPouts, was it?”

Scott had the good manners to cough once and look away. “Well…”

Ashton turned back toward him then gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“What for?”

She shook her head. “One of the other reasons that I was not as interested in you was that nickname, but admittedly you were the only one who actually did your job without trying to belittle me to my face.”

“So, you’re thanking me for being nice enough to make up a perverted nickname for you behind your back?” he asked.

Ashton smiled. “Do you remember the last time I asked for people to stay late to help me on the closing shift?”

“Yes, I think so?” asked Scott.

“You were the only one who volunteered when I asked. Everyone else had a minor tantrum. You merely said one thing…”

“Damn, you caught me.” replied Scott without missing a beat.

Ashton laughed merrily then snuggled up to him once more. “Yes, you didn’t try to come up with some lame excuse, or try and get out of it. You simply accepted your fate when I caught you climbing over the wall near the time clock.”

“You’re the only one who ever caught on to that trick.” said Scott.

Ashton chuckled softly then leaned her head against his shoulder. “You made work fun. Catching you before you clocked out was sort of a game, wasn’t it?”

“I was like a fat retail ninja who was bad at climbing.”

The fox girl laughed again then reached down and clasped his hand. They were quiet for a few minutes as the sun began to rise. “Scott…”

“Yeah?”

Ashton squeezed his hand gently. “I don’t know about anything else, but I really like spending time with you.”

“I like spending time with you, too.”

She took a deep breath then sighed out softly. “You didn’t like me very much, did you?”

“No.” said Scott simply. It was harsh, but it was the truth.

Ashton sighed loudly. “I knew it, and it kind of annoyed me.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Well… I’m used to people not taking me seriously because…” She pointed at her hair and then at her breasts. “I just was not used to well... a guy like you not liking me.”

“I should be offended by that.” said Scott lightly.

“Yes, you should. It was horrible of me… All I saw was a fat goofy guy, but everyone loved you, and you didn’t like me very much.” said Ashton.

“What changed? Or was it just my special man-stank?” he asked.

Ashton shook her head. “I don’t know that it has really… Everyone still loves you, and I don’t think you like me very much.”

“Do you really want me to like you, Ashton?” he asked her.

“I... yes. Can you at least give me that much?”

Scott laughed loudly, obnoxiously. Ashton’s ears flicked back and she looked to be on the verge of tears.

Scott said, “That’s easy. If I didn’t like you, would I be sitting on this roof cuddling with you?”

Ashton winced. “Well... That’s…”

“Or is it that you think that since a lot of guys have done similar, but didn’t give a damn about you, that I would be the same?” he asked her seriously.

Her eyebrows pressed together softly and she nodded her head. “I’ve only had a few boyfriends, but I’ve dated a lot. Guys… they…”

Scott pulled her closer then kissed her on the ear. “I’m not guys Ashton. I’m here right now because you’re actually someone I’d like to know more about. So, yes. I like you.”

The bridge of her nose took on a slightly pink tinge. “Do you really?”

“Yes. I can’t guarantee we will be anything more than friends, but I can guarantee that I would kill anyone who tries to hurt you again.” he said in a serious tone.

She laughed slightly then pulled away from him a little. “You said that so seriously.”

Scott gazed into her eyes with such intensity that his eyes began to glow softly. “You did not deserve what happened to you, none of you girls did. We’ll have to protect each other in the future, and that means I’ll do my best to keep you safe. I don’t do things like that for someone I don’t care about.”

Ashton’s eyes widened and her lips parted gently. Her lungs demanded more air and her breathing became rapid. A moment later her tail swished over to curl around the prettiest ass on the rooftop. Scott had made his position clear.