NOVPUBMost of the day following Roka's suggestion that Cero come to Jin without Lith was spent arguing with the latter.
Though calling it arguing was a stretch.
No matter how much Cero said it, rephrased it, and explained it, Lith seemed to have absolutely no issue with it.
It would be a lie to say that Cero wasn't the tiniest bit hurt by the lack of resistance.
Still, Lith had grown used to not being with her mate 24/7. He needed space and time to spend with his other wives, as well as time to wander and fight in the wilderness, something that he seemed to enjoy a lot.
If spending some time away from him meant allowing him to go where he wanted to go, then Lith was all for it.
Plus, she did ship him and Roka quite a bit, so the two spending some time together couldn't hurt.
It was, however, only later on that Lith came to realize how long a "Month" was.
After being convinced that Lith didn't mind, Cero talked to his other wives, who all gave the thumbs up. Rea was rather reluctant, but she ended up accepting, arguing that a month apart would only make the reunion more fiery.
'Jin and Repina.' Cero smiled. 'Here I come.'
Repina was a Planet that he was especially excited to visit.
Unlike Wor, Repina isn't completely civilized.
Unlike Tyl, Repina isn't complete uncivilized wilderness.
'A Planet where similar Species live. Some civilized, and some wild beasts… That's a trip. The best I can compare it to is Humans and Gorillas, if Gorillas looked exactly like Humans. Well, apparently there are some physical differences between the Species, but they're pretty much the same physically!'
Of course, that fun and interesting fact alone wasn't enough of a reason to go there.
'Plus that ability of theirs… It's gross and sick, but it could resonate with some of my other Skills and get me something incredible. I just hope I don't develop that exact same ability…' 𝘯𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
Many more abilities were to be gained on Repina, but the main one was enough to make Cero's heart pound every time he thought about it.
After calling Roka, it was decided.
They were leaving Wor in five days, right after the Banquet.
Cero came to learn that this Banquet was particularly special. It was an opportunity for the Heroes of Wor, namely Roka, Liz, Rea, Raya, Kris, Bak, Jay, and Al to meet countless authority figures that ruled over different industries and parts of Wor.
The Heroes were going on a world tour, and Cero was coming with them… As a foreign security guard hired by the Prime Minister.
The latter had decided to spin the story that way so that Cero's existence could remain a secret, or at least make it murky and unclear. Cero agreed with the logic of it completely.
During the Banquet, Roka, Cero, and the crewmates assigned by the Prime Minister would stealthily leave, board their ship, and head to Jin… Or Repina, depending on Cero's wishes. Cero appreciated the thought.
With the vision of what was to come, Cero was able to focus more on the "Now".
His wives would be extremely busy during the weeks following the Banquet, so it worked out well.
The night was spent thinking about the next five days. Cero decided against spending some time with each of his wives every day. Instead, he decided to dedicate one day to each of them. A full twenty-four hours, spent day and night, with each of his wives before leaving.
Due to plans made earlier, the first day couldn't be totally dedicated to one of his wives.
"Hey." Liz smiled, noticing him approach. "You said we wouldn't be alone, right?"
"That's right." He nodded.
"But we're still spending a day completely alone before you leave, right?"
"Of course."
"Good." Liz sighed. "I'm really going to miss you."
"I know." Cero smiled as he took her in his arms for a hug and deposited a kiss on his forehead. "Lucky you, you get extra time."
"I am lucky." Liz smirked cheekily. "Why do I get the honours though?"
"Does it matter?" He asked after tenderly caressing her cheek with the back of his hand.
"No…" Liz whispered after a moment, looking away as she blushed. "I'm sorry you had to come to the Red Dragon's Estate to pick me up." She pressed her lips together. "It's actually nice, being picked up by a guy."
"I know, right?" Cero said it with such a tone that Liz couldn't help but blush again.
She had obviously meant that his coming to find her before the date was the 'pick-up' part. The picking up he was referring to was… The spicier kind. The kind of picking up that ends with her sweaty back against a wall while-
Liz shook her head before her thoughts wandered too far.
She didn't know where they were going, or who they were meeting after all. Getting into that kind of headspace now would be no good!
"So…" Liz muttered, tilting her head. "Who are we meeting-"
"Ceroooooo!"
Liz stared with narrow eyes, and he jumped into Cero's arms.
'I should've known.' She thought, sighing internally. 'It's fine though, it's fine.' Liz repeated to herself, but seeing someone in Cero's arms with their legs wrapped around him like that was too much! 'What the fuck, Kris?!'
"Madam Elizabeth Vinacci."
"Madam Elizabeth Vinacci."
"Madam Elizabeth Vinacci."
Seven members of the Red Dragon gang bowed at once.
"We will be escorting you to the premises."
Liz frowned.
Just what had they planned together?
'The premises? We're not about to rob something, are we? I train the Red Dragon's gals because I have issues saying no to people, but I don't condone their activities!'
"Yes, to the premises!" Kris shouted as he pointed in the distance.
He started walking with long strides in the direction he was pointing towards. The defensive gangsters followed.
"So, um…" Liz shily pulled on Cero's sleeve. "Where are we going?"
He smiled as if the answer was the funniest thing in the world.
"Karaoke."
