“Aaaaand, we’re open!”
The line of ribbon fell rather awkwardly to the ground as Kinisis greeted absolutely no one. The only other beings present, aside from herself, were the three Decay Lords and one Decayling she had hired for protection.
“Were there… supposed to be vok here, aside from us?” Galyn asked as he picked up the ribbon. “this all seems somewhat… silly.”
Kinisis smiled, shoving the massive pair of scissors she had used to cut the ribbon into her pocket. “Oh no this is normal. I was just getting the message out. We’ll probably start seeing people in a few days, a week at most. After all, the space between universes IS very large!”
Galyn shrugged, then turned to his students. “Alright, you three know what you are supposed to be doing?”
Retvik stepped forward a bit. “Yes, ser. I am taking first shift in the watch tower, Litvir is on patrol and Kuta will be here by the entrance.”
“You have all agreed on shift changes?”
“Yes.”
The Elder Decay Lord waved his hand dismissively. “Good. Get to work now…” Galyn paused, noticing that Kinisis had made her way to the bar. “I will… be with you in a bit to check on you.”
Once the Decaylings had headed off, Galyn glanced around the Oasis, wondering where Kinisis had gone. However, as the place was rather open and empty, it wasn’t hard to spot the star-cloaked Life Goddess. She was standing behind the bar, getting herself a drink.
Something in the back of Galyn’s mind told him to go over there. Normally, he wouldn’t listen to those gut feelings, but, for the first time in a while, Galyn decided to listen for once. Straightening himself up, Galyn approached the bar, just following his ancient instincts.
“Hey Galyn!” Kinisis beamed as she finished her drink. Whatever it was, it was dark brown and very fizzy. “You want a drink?”
Galyn nodded. “Yes please.”
“What sort of drink? I got, well, pretty much anything you want.”
The Decay Lord thought for a moment, then shook his head, realising that he had briefly been staring at Kinisis. Sure, she was a busty demoness, wearing nothing but a pair of knickers and a long cape over one shoulder, but Galyn… couldn’t help it.
“I don’t mind.”
“You do not mind…” Galyn shook his head again. “Oh no. You are… doing that thing.”
“What thing?” Kinisis asked. She downed her drink and poured a second one, then picked a kettle up from nowhere and made a mug of warm cocoa for Galyn. “You want marshmallows or anything?”
Galyn finally managed to snap himself out of his haze. “Uh… Yes please. Can you… also put some frothy cream on it too?”
Kinisis smiled as she grabbed a canister of spray-cream and swirled it on. “Of course. Now, tell me, what’s bothering you?”
“You. You are bothering me…” Galyn finally managed to find the right words. “You are using your strange aura to lure me in, that damned Life Goddess tether.”
“Huh…” Kinisis tutted. “That’s rather weird, because I’m not using any of my auric powers. And I am wise enough to keep my love tether aura turned off unless I really like it.”
Galyn grunted, taking a sip of his drink, then putting it back down. “This is just hot chocolate, yes?”
“Yeah, what else would it be?” Kinisis seemed somewhat uneasy. “Is something wrong with you, Galyn?”
The Elder Decay Lord held his tongue for a moment, contemplating his next few thoughts. “To put it politely, I may… have fallen for you. I was wondering whether this was all some elaborate trap to get into my head and make me your servant or something.”
“Why would I do that?” Kinisis blurted. “I’m multi-billions of years old, I don’t need to use dumb auras to ensnare people to be my servants, I just give them job offers. At least, I do now.” The Allmaker paused for a moment. “Do you… genuinely have a crush on me?”
Galyn sighed, then nodded. “Yes. Annoyingly, I do.”
Kinisis looked up and down at the Decay Lord, then shrugged. “Well… There’s no harm in having a trial run. Not like I have a partner any more. Plus, you seem like a nice guy, might be worth having a date.”
“I understand if-” Galyn stopped mid-sentence. “Did you just… ask me out?”
“Yep.”
“Oh…” Galyn trailed off again. “I am… not sure if I am… Do you mind if I think about it?”
Kinisis shrugged some more. “Sure! Take your time, no rush. You know where I live.”
The Decay Lord grunted, then got up, taking his hot chocolate with him. “Thank you. I will consider it…”