The Return | Cricky [C]

Chapter XVIII: Need

Tell me, is there any sex better than "I haven't seen you in awhile, reunited and it feels so good" sex? The answer is no. Yeah, it may have only been a week, but it was a long and stressful week for both of us. We were quieter than normal, as to not disrupt our guest. Once Ricky had his craving's satisfied and a full night's rest, he was prepared to tend to pressing matters.

Kuza patrolled the forest surrounding the castle, Ryan walking the castle grounds itself. Yuu spent his time entertaining Henrik, while Ezra was assigned their guard. Ricky informed me that while Avatar Country didn't have any vengeful enemies, he wasn't taking any chances with our guest's safety. Besides, their little demon lord summit coming to an end doesn't mean we're out of the woods ourselves.

I brought a cup of his favorite tea to his study. When I initially arrived here, I didn't see this room for weeks. Later, I discovered it was because he wanted to ensure he could trust me first. This is a safe space to him. It resides in one of the highest points of the castle. In front of a large series of windows—tall stained glass with nightmarish designs—there was an elevated wood floor. It was only a few inches up from the ground. His desk was low down and he sat on the ground, legs crossed. It was very similar to traditional Japanese room design.

As for the tea, well, it seems to be the only thing I've seen him consume that isn't souls. I wish he ate normal food. It's one of the few ways I know to show a person I care for them. He glanced up at me with those beautiful blue eyes as I set the teacup down on his desk.

"Thank you." Ricky gestured across the table, signalling me to sit down. "I trust Henrik is enjoying his time here?"

I knelt down, getting as comfortable as I could. How he stays like this for hours on end is beyond my comprehension. "Very much so. Yuu is taking good care of him. Better him than me. Henrik doesn't come across as a man of many words, so I don't know how Yuu is managing."

Ricky chuckled, "They take after their king, Kungen. He is one of the most altruistic leaders this world has ever seen, but often stoic to prevent others from taking advantage of his kind nature. Henrik really enjoyed the meal you made him tonight, though. He gave me a proposal put together by his king and their demon lord."

"You seem bothered." I replied.

He stayed silent for a moment as he thought. Then he said, "Their demon lord, his name is Johannes. He and Kungen, they're very smart men and I trust them. Anytime I have to send my servants into their country for something, I never worry. It's just... You know how I feel about people." He sighed, "The Forest of Mayotta isn't owned by any country, in a large part because of me. I've driven off invading forces countless times because I don't want any nation having claim to my property, and to be honest, this is one of the only places left where monsters are free. I don't want them enslaved.

"Johannes and the King don't want that either. They'd like to take the forest as their territory, but instead of moving humans in, they'd help the monsters to build cities, become civilized. In order to do that, they want two things from me. One; My permission, obviously. And two; They'd like me to open my doors to their honorary guests. We'd entertain the likes of demon lords, royals, ambassadors, so on. Which, I get it. It'd be a lot more appealing to outsiders if the guy in charge here was the lord of a lively, friendly palace instead of a loner demon in a creepy castle."

"I know you don't like people, but I worry that's what's brought on our recent issues. If a hunter has the choice between shooting a lone wolf or a wolf walking in a pack, they're going to shoot the lone wolf." I responded.

Ricky groaned, "I know. I'll admit, I have problems with change, but I've known for awhile that sooner or later, I'd have to bear someone's coat of arms. It's just the way our world is. If it were just me, I'd stay locked away here, until eventually someone stronger thank me delivered my death. But, I'm not the lonely misery stricken kid I once was. I'm a man now, with a family to protect. If we agree to this, though, I'd need everyone on board. With you in the kitchen, Yuu acting as host, and the others on security, we could actually really kick ass at this. The more happy guests we have, the better Avatar Country's relations become, and the stronger they are, the safer we are."