The Wax Pools

Chapter 17

Bit of a gap between updates but I am working on it <3 hope you are enjoying if you've made it this far

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Lillian sniffled, her tears drying as she calmed down gradually. She asked herself, is this who she wants to be? The fragile cowering love interest? Hades no. Besides it's not like she can ignore this whole problem forever. So really what are the options here, one, she can get off the train at the next stop, then buy a ticket home and go back to living her everyday life... fully aware that her soulmates are out there somewhere while suffering from probably even more suffocating loneliness. Not a fantastic option. Okay, option two, get off the train and get on a different train, travelling around until her money runs out or making money along the way by means of peddling her skills. It would be fun for a while, but eventually, she would run into one of her current or undiscovered soulmates, and what would even happen then? Not a great option either. Option three, give her whole, blind trust to Bear and Adam, ditching Ambrose and continuing on to the capitol, to do whatever they have to do there. Not totally in love with that, Ambrose seems so sweet, not to mention good-looking. Knowing he was pining for her would break her heart. Okay, last option, pull Ambrose into their little travelling party, if he even wants to that is, go to the capitol so the boys can conduct their business and then figure it out from there. Maybe they could all go back to her cozy little attic apartment, it would be a bit crowded with four people but they could make it work. Or the boys would get sent out on another job by their employer, they hadn't had a chance to discuss it yet, it seemed a new problem popped up every twenty minutes.

Deep breath.

A soft knock on the door.

Time to have a deep and honest discussion about the future.

Hooray.

Lillian pulls herself off of the floor, and with another deep breath, opens the door.

"Right, all of you get in here and sit down" Lillian gives them the sternest look a woman shorter than all of them can muster.

"I don't want him in there" Adam manages to grumble out. Lillian's gaze focuses on him and hardens even further.

"Too bad" Bear side-eyes Adam, watching for his reaction, Ambrose turns towards him as well, waiting to see if he will be allowed into the beasts' den so to speak. So territorial men, over spaces, over people. Adam relents, deposing to Lillian, his expression makes it abundantly clear he is not exactly thrilled about the situation.

So they file in past her, Bear and Adam taking opposite ends of the couch, and Ambrose standing awkwardly, trying to ignore Adam's attempt to burn a hole through his skull.

"Sit"

"But I-"

"Sit"

"Right, I'll just..." Ambrose awkwardly scootches past Bear and tries to squeeze himself on the couch so as to not touch either man, given the size of, what could more accurately be called a loveseat, he ends up tightly sandwiched between them.

"Well, this is.. intimate" Bear remarks, eliciting a snort from Adam, who has switched from starring daggers at Ambrose to pretending he isn't here.

"Alright, that's enough, clearly we have to talk about this"

"What is there to talk about? Kick him out and everything goes back to how it was and we can forget he exists" That remark earns Adam a glare and a weary sigh from Lillian,

"You even said as we were leaving that we could come back after you had finished your mission to try again, I was under the impression that you harboured no ill will towards the fact that I apparently have a gods-damned menagerie of soulmates out there in the world. But you are really starting to act as if it does, the way we met wasn't exactly a fairetale introduction either..." Lillian's face heated a bit remembering exactly when they had first laid eyes on each other, which in turn reminded her of the positively lewd position she had been in last night in this very room, her face turning red as the berries that grew around the temple in the summer. Regaining her composure she continued,

"If he is interested in his soulmate, he deserves a chance. The Gods made me for all of you for some reason. Now, if he will allow it, I am going to spend some time with Ambrose in his carriage so you can make up your mind, Bear honey I'll see you later."

"Lilly-"

"No argument"

"...If that is what you want we will leave you alone, but," Bear turns to Ambrose, "If I see a single hair on her head out of place I will throw you off of this train, literally." Adam doesn't say a word whilst Lily gives Bear a quick kiss and follows a nervous-looking Ambrose out of the car.