Ambient Mage

"You're going to cut here."

I grabbed the peeled potato and began cutting it into small cubes.

"You look as if you already know where I'm going with this."

"I might."

"Well that's no fun."

"This is curry right?"

"Oho, you know the name, but do you know what type, or it's origins?"

"Well, this one in particular is not the Naritan, but the Karikan one yes?"

"You are very well informed. Umu, very good for my daughter indeed."

"You seem like a lovely mother to have."

I feel like she's one of those overly doting moms from -huh?

Why can't I remember where I got that notion from?

Overly doting mom from where?

That's odd.

Whatever, she is quite excitable for no odd reason.

She found a suitable son in law, who happens to be me.

But why does the mother seem to be more ready for the marriage, than the supposed bride to be?

"I am, do you think I am not?"

Her face turned into a pout.

"No, I believe you are, just it seems like a far cry from a Karikan mother."

Her face dropped all pretense of smiles and her eyes narrowed into slits.

Her arm raised up as a sword appeared in her hands.

The cold steel brushed up against my ear.

"Would you prefer this instead?"

Her tone nothing short of hostile.

Maybe I did.

I leaned in close to her.

"And if I said I did?"

"Lucas!"

"Step away from my mother, there is no sentence on this world that requires you stand so close to her."

Huh?

Oh, Armoria, well I guess she was right.

I stepped back as Yraham opened her mouth.

"Sorry, sweety, but the boy is just too good with his tongue, I can't help it."

"Hah?"

Armoria cracked her head to the side.

"My, my, I'm just showing him how to cook, but he's already had this recipe under his belt."

"So what was that?"

"I merely challenged him, and he responded in kind."

"A sword is a challenge for the arena not the kitchen."

"Look at you so ready to protect your husband."

I was staying focused on keeping quiet and out of the crossfire here, but without my knowing or Armoria's we were backed into a corner.

"He's not my husband."

"I'm not her husband."

"Umu."

She placed her hand on her cheek and tilted her head to show her disappointment.

"My own daughter doesn't want the boy her mother chose, and the boy doesn't like the mother. What am I to do?"

"Lucas, did you actually tell my mother you didn't like her?"

"I did nothing I'm innocent here."

"Oh my, another bickering married couple."

Armoria and I turned to Yraham.

"We are not a married couple."

"We are not a married couple."

We turned back to each other.

"See you two you are the perfect match."

"No."

"Nope."

"Fine if you two are so insistent on denying me, then help me with the cooking."

"Lucas finish the vegetables, Mia get the pot ready for the onions and coconut."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Okay, mom."

"Umu, yes, you children are so good."

She pinched both of our cheeks.

"Mooooooom stoooooooop."

"Yara, I think that's enough."

She turned around with enough ferocity I could've sworn a demon possessed her.

"Where are the children?"

"Uh, washing?"

"Then help them finish."

Her tone left no place for objection.

With that Kieru left for the bath.

"By the way is it okay for me to call you both by your first name?"

"It's okay, it makes me feel young again, although you can call me Ms. Yraham too~"

What is this atmosphere.

"Here. Mom. I. Have. The. Other. Food. Prepared."

"Oh dear, I'm not finished with the chicken yet."

"Then less talking mom."

"Well, how is Lucas going to get his answers?"

Armoria looked at me and relented.

"Fine, he gets his answers but if the kids don't get their food, it's your head."

"Yeesh, I didn't know my daughter could be so brash when she brought home a boy."

"For the record, he's not just a boy, he's both my and Ria's mentor, and I wanted him to meet my family, not get nearly maimed."

"But family is brash when I have any fun, huh?"

Wow, she was angry.

Not unnecessarily so, but I could understand.

She wasn't prepared for everything to go to hell, and then when things got resolved, she couldn't enjoy that either.

"There, the rest is prepared, let me know when you're done."

She set the bowl and pot down with the most force possible without cracking either one.

Then she stepped out of the room.

"Mm... Lucas, would you mind comforting her?"

"Huh?"

"I don't think she's very happy with the quality of the time you've spent together, so you should join her for some time."

"But what about you?"

"I'll be fine here on my own, I'm much faster than you."

She flashed me a smile.

"Third door on your right up the stairs."

I nodded and began walking out of the kitchen.

The stairs.

The stairs were long, a deep wooden brown.

I dragged my hands along the guardrail.

Hm, yes the stairs were made out of stairs.

3rd door on the right.

3rd door on the right.

3rd door and.... this is the one.

Wow it is quite minimalistic.

Just a crescent moon and 3 hills.

*Knock knock*

"Go away mom, Lucas needs help downstairs anyways."

I heard bedcovers rustle.

"Hey, it's me."

"Lucas?"

"Yeah."

I stood in front of the door listening for movement.

I didn't hear much, before the door opened.

Armoria stood in front of me, dressed for sleep, with her blanket pulled up with one hand, and the other on the door knob.

"Can I come in?"

She opened the door and I walked in taking in the decor and personality of the room.

I found a chair near her bed as she sat crisscross on her bed.

"Were you just going to skip dinner?"

"No."

Unconvincing rejection really.

"Maybe."

"I'm sorry today wasn't as fun as it could've been."

"No, it's my fault, my parents should've known better than to threaten you, especially after I'd told them about the whole demon thing."

"Wait, I thought you didn't tell anyone about it?"

"Well, coming home with the smell of demon core on your hands doesn't exactly scream innocent night out does it?"

"Are you saying you managed to get back here that night?"

"Magic of the Giants."

"I see."

Magic or blessings of the Giants.

"Homeward?"

"You know of it?"

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At least your mother cared enough to-

Huh?

Cared enough to what?

I feel like I'm forgetting someone.

"Lucas? Something wrong?"

"Sorry, I just feel like I'm forgetting things a lot recently."

"Me too."

"Anyways you want to get changed for dinner?"

"Not yet, besides I haven't decided if you're staying the night yet."

"What?"

"Come here."

"Okay?"

She patted the spot on the bed next to her.

She grabbed one of the stuffed animals on her bed and hugged it.

I sat next to her, staring out of the skylight in her room.

We sat side by side, shoulders touching watching the sky.

The sun was already setting.

"Lucas?"

She whispered.

I could see she hadn't moved her head to face me in my peripheries.

"Mm?"

She didn't respond, but leaned her body on mine and rested her head on my shoulder.

***

*Knock knock*

"??"

Armoria had fallen asleep on my shoulder.

I let out a little magic to let the person on the other side of the door know it was okay to open it.

Yraham opened up the door.

"Food is ready, so you should wash up Lucas."

"You're not going to ask what we did here?"

"I believe you're a good boy, so I trust that you didn't do anything with my daughter that was unsavory."

"More like you aren't brave or stupid enough to do something."

We both turned to the doorway to see Kieru leaned up against the doorframe.

"Shh, don't wake her."

Yraham gritted her teeth.

Too late.

I could feel Armoria waking up and pulling her head off of me.

She pulled her arm up to her eyes and rubbed them.

"Mom?"

"Umu, that's me."

Yraham had a big smile on her face.

I guess she was happy that she was no longer being glared at by Armoria.

"I'm here too."

Armoria jolted from me.

"Dad?"

She pulled up the blanket to her face as she jumped away to the edge of the bed furthest from the door.

"Are you going to change for dinner or do you really plan on sleeping in the same bed with this boy right now?"

"If so you're bolder than I thought Mia."

With that Kieru left the room.

"Don't forget to wash up Lucas."

With that Yraham followed suit.

Click.

The door closed.

A minute passed in silence.

"Lucas, I'm going to get changed."

I nodded slowly.

She started out the door about to close it completely when the door swung wide open once more.

"And don't go snif- I mean snooping through my things ya hear me?"

"I- you hea- I- you hear me, Lucas?"

She shut the door.

Well, that was something.

***

*Armoria's Pov*

Oh my gods.

That was so embarrassing.

As I closed the door I turned to the bathroom only to see mother and Ria hiding on the wall, probably- no most definitely listening to me and Lucas talk.

"Move, I need to bathe."

"Oh my, did anything happen?"

"What happened sis?"

"Nothing."

"If it was nothing why do you need to shower again?"

"Now that I think about it you're right, I'll just change."

"Mia is no fun~."

"Lucas needs to shower too, and nobody likes curry that's gone cold."

"So are you going to ambush him out of the shower?"

"Or maybe you'll attack him in it?"

At this point Ria began to pull mother away.

"Sorry, Mia, mom is getting carried away."

I moved to the bathroom and began changing.

I had comfortable clothes in mind for the dinner tonight, but instead I went with something closer to casual outfit.

I went back to the room thinking about what I had on and if I should change into something else.

Before I could open the door however, I heard talking.

"So, you're staying with them tonight?"

"Yes."

"And not with them, but in another room yes?"

"Yes."

"Are you planning on pursuing her?"

"...."

"I don't think I would be here to be honest..."

"And you're absolutely sure no one is around to hear our conversation?"

"I've already checked, but I can again."

"Please do, you never know if someone came up the stairs or anything."

Stairs?

Wait I'm about to be discovered.

I wouldn't make it.

The best I could do was try to hide my prescence with magic as well as I could.

I felt his magic wash over me, it was over, I knew it.

I saw his eyes turn and see my own through the door crack.

"No ones here, just me and you via orb."

"Good, well, when she does become part of your eventual harem I'm going to talk with her."

"Alright, alright."

"Alright, see you later, Lucas."

"See you, bye."

He cut the call.

"I wonder when she'll get back."

He pondered out loud.

With that I opened the door.

"Lucas I-"

"Hey, I don't have any clothes that I can change into do I?"

What?

Was he not going to bring up earlier?

"Um, no, no you don't, I guess you can borrow my brother's future clothing or some of my dad's old clothing too."

"You know what? It's alright, I think I have something packed away for this."

"Alright, but hurry with your shower, you don't want to eat the curry cold now do you?"

"Not at all."

I shooed him out the door but not before he whispered something to me.

"I don't think I'd be here to be honest, if I hadn't been somewhat interested already."