Chapter Nine - ...It's Worse

As Ava slowly came to, she could hear worried voices nearby.

"Ava! Ava, my baby, wake up!"

"Pumpkin?! Devon, this isn't good! She's been passed out longer than ever before!"

"I'm gonna call 911!"

Ava coughed, forcing her eyes open. "W-wait... I don't... need - "

"Pumpkin! Are you alright?!"

Devon stopped dialing, putting his phone away. "Oh God, we were so worried about you! You weren't coming to as fast as usual!"

"I am here to help!" the waiter announced, tossing a bucket full of water at the young woman with a cry.

Ava sat up, shivering. "Ahh! Cold..."

"Oh!" he laughed nervously. "She's awake..."

"Thank you for your assistance, Marco." Andrew gave him a short nod. "Uh, we can take it from here."

"Sure, sure. Pizza's on the house for this one. Just make sure Ava's alright. Are you positive you don't want me to call you an ambulance or anything?"

Devon shook his head. "No, this is common for Ava, but thank you though."

"Alright. What should I tell her boyfriend?"

"W-wait... N-Noi?!" Ava gasped. "Where is... oh no. Where are they?!"

"Emerald took them to wait outside. Also, Ava?" Andrew leveled a serious look at her. "You've got some explaining to do."

* * * * *

Asch glared angrily at his assembled Knights. "What is wrong with all of you? What possessed you to get in my way?!"

"Oh, I don't know... maybe it's the fact that Ava is a sorcerer princess of humans!" Leif refused to back off.

"I have to admit, I was a bit caught off guard hearing that." Rhys was calm as always. "Why do you think she would hide it from us?"

"Pressure, perhaps." Asch looked thoughtful, as if he understood her situation more than he was willing to let on.

"WHY ARE YOU GUYS INTRUDING ON MY MISSION?!" Noi screamed angrily.

Asch laughed. "Your mission? You don't even - " He stuttered, suddenly flustered. "Wha - W-why do you care?"

"Because she's mine! This was my courting, and now you wanna take over?!"

"Noi, don't tell me you actually thought this was going to go far for you." Rhys managed to sound both mocking and sympathetic at the same time.

"I WAS GONNA MAKE IT GO FAR!"Leif barked out a mocking laugh. "Yeah, right."

"Do you think Princess Ava is okay?" Despite the protests of all the other Daemos, Pierce seemed to be the only one actually curious how the human was doing.

"I'm not sure. Her parents looked angry with us when they asked us to leave." Rhys paused, looking back towards the restaurant. Emerald was staring back at them, arms crossed over her chest. "Emerald does not appear too pleased either."

"I could've just used my magic to wake her," Leif bragged. "It worked last time."

"NO! Do you not remember - " Rhys scoffed. "Of course you don't remember." He sighed. "Ava and Emerald have constantly told us we cannot do our magic in front of the humans, or else we'll be taken to the Area 51. Remember Ava's father was about to call nine hundred and eleven warriors on us. Even Emerald panicked when she heard that order, and she is a warrior in her own right."

"They must have a powerful kingdom in order to summon that many warriors with their slabs." Asch was still lost in thought.

"Then it should be obvious why we all chimed in."

"Huh?"

"We aren't on Daemos anymore, Prince Asch." Leif's voice dripped with challenge. "It's fair to say that Ava is fair game for any of us."

"What?!"

"Prince Asch, just because Leif switches between loyalties does not mean he speaks for all of us." Rhys settled in for yet another explanation. "Allow me to explain: determined as you may be to obtain magic from Ee-urth, it may be possible Ava's parents won't allow you to marry her, which means it's better to have many options opposed to one."

Leif chuckled. "Exactly what Rhys said."

"SILENCE!"

"Our goal is to study human courtship and comply with it. Ava must marry one of us, and if possible, it needs to happen soon." Rhys paused, lost in thought. "I do not know if Emerald is a viable option for courtship."

Asch looked at him curiously. "What makes you say that?"

"If Ava is a princess, then that means Emerald serves her much as we do you, your Majesty. Ava's parents might be offended if we pursue both at the same time. It would also spread our own resources too thin: if we are to court a human, we should focus on Ava."

"Emerald has no magic," Pierce reminded them. "She told us she transferred it to Ava in order to better protect her."

"If one of us courts her, would Ava come to Daemos with us?" Noi gave Rhys a worried look.

He looked equally concerned, but didn't answer.

Noi blushed. "Wait... can humans and Daemos even - ?!"

The smallest Daemos was cut off as the doors of the restaurant flew open, Andrew leading the way. Emerald came over and spoke quietly to Ava, then gave her a quick hug before all four humans approached the group.

"She's all right, Noi," Andrew assured him, gesturing to Ava. "And friends...?"

"Ava, do you care to tell us what's going on?" Devon glanced at Emerald. "Or maybe you'd like to chime in."

"Um... well, you see..." Ava stalled, hoping the older woman would swoop in and take over.

Pierce was faster. "I would like for Ava's hand in marriage."

Andrew stared at him incredulously. "Who are you even supposed to be?!"

"No, I'm marrying her!"

"That's right, Noi! You fight for your girl!"

"Pop!" Ava blushed furiously, mortified.

"Devon, what are you doing?!"

Asch interrupted, vying for attention. "Silence, I'm marrying the princess!"

Devon gasped in delight. "Oh... 'Princess'?!"

Leif teleported near Ava, somehow unseen by the two older men. "If you want strong offspring, I suggest - "

Pierce cut him off. "Me. I am suited."

"No, I was gonna say me!"

"What does 'offspring' mean?" Ava asked, turning to Emerald.

"I'll tell you later," she answered, covering Ava's ears with her hands. The taller woman's expression was a cross between amusement and complete mortification as she shifted her focus between everyone gathered.

"I've always wanted to be a grandpa!" Devon drifted off into his own little world, no doubt imagining mini-Avas running around.

"Devon, stop encouraging this! This isn't a movie to - " Andrew cut himself off, frustrated. "Wha - Noi, what's going on?!"

"I am Ava's boyfriend!"

Rhys sighed tiredly. "Please forgive us. We've given you no clear explanation of the situation at hand. Allow me to explain: we are all the boyfriends of Ava."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Andrew and Devon stared in shock.

"Please... kill me..." Ava whispered to Emerald, whose hands had dropped off the former's ears.

"Oh no you don't. I'm not letting you take the easy way out and stick me with this mess."

"ENOUGH!" Andrew shouted. "I'm getting frustrated at this whole situation." He took a deep breath. "What do you mean when you say you're all Ava's boyfriends?"

"Darling... our baby has... a HAREM!"

"That doesn't make it sound any better!"

"Okay, hear me out: I used to watch a ton of anime - "

"YOU STILL DO!"

"Look, what I think these gentlemen are trying to say is... is that they're all hopelessly in love with our baby because we've raised such a strong and beautiful young lady."

"Exactly!" Rhys cut in. "Her magic is - "

"Rhys, quiet!" Emerald warned. She looked over her shoulder. "Oh no..."

"Hey Andrew!" Mr. Green called from the sidewalk. He and Mr. Dracula appeared to be taking an evening stroll together.

"Oh, uh, hi Mr. Green, Mr. Dracula."

"I'm votin' for ya'!"

"Oh, ah, haha, thank you!"

Emerald stepped closer. "If we're going to talk about this, we need to go somewhere private," she said quietly under her breath. "I'm sure you wouldn't want rumors spreading about Ava if someone were to overhear us."

Devon glared at her. "Are you suggesting - "

"God, no!" Emerald sighed in frustration. "You know how... older people are: they like to talk and if they can't, they start making up their own theories about what they think is happening. I just think it'd be better for everyone involved if we go back to the apartment and talk this out like civilized adults."

"Agreed," Andrew nodded. "Let's just get out of here."

As they all began to walk back home, Ava leaned over to Emerald. "Thanks for the save."

"Don't thank me yet. You still have to talk to your parents when we get there."

* * * * *

Once at the apartment, the two men herded their daughter into her room, leaving Emerald to wait outside with the Daemos. Ava promptly flopped down on her bed, Johnny Cat sleeping peacefully nearby. Devon looked on in concern while Andrew sat next to her on the edge.

The latter cleared his throat nervously. "Uh... A-Ava. Pu-pumpkin? Your father and I, uh... feel you're not telling us the truth about something."

"Ya think?" she shot back sulkily.

"Don't take that tone with your father, young lady," Devon admonished. "We - "

"Sweetie, I got this. Ava, tell us what's going on. Maybe we can help you with - "

"I told you something was happening! When we got knocked out, I had a dream that Ava was surrounded on the couch by demons, and those demons symbolize these boys! What's worse, Emerald was standing there taking pictures of them together! I - "

"Devon! Please allow me to handle this." Andrew sighed tiredly. "Ava... is Noi your boyfriend? Why are these guys taking an interest in you? If you want, we can ask them to leave you alone."

Ava closed her eyes, remembering Steve's words from the other day. 'Let me guess: she doesn't have any friends still, right?' Ava sat up, her earlier blush finally fading. "Okay... you guys want to know the truth?"

Devon gave her a concerned look. "Ava, we just want to help you and - "

"Th-these guys are all... madly in love with me, but... they're my friends, so... "

"I mean, we can clearly see that they're madly in love with you."

Andrew patted her leg in understanding. "You don't want to hurt their feelings. We understand."

"Huh?"

Devon stared at her flatly. "We were young once too, Ava. We've been there before."

"It's... difficult to have a big heart like you do."

Ava flopped back down on the bed, lips firmly planted in a pout.

"Pumpkin?"

"Leave me alone, I wanna sleep."

"Ava, you can't - "

Devon grabbed his partner's shoulder. "Andrew, I think we should let her have her space."

He sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry, Ava. Just... just talk to us when you're ready, okay?" With that, the two men made a tactical retreat into Ava's closet to have a further discussion.

* * * * *

Emerald sat on the edge of the couch outside Ava's closed bedroom door, arms crossed over her chest as she watched the Daemos. "So... when did you guys decide you all suddenly had overwhelming crushes on Ava?"

"That's none of your concern, prisoner," Asch growled, glaring at her.

"Wrong. It is very much my concern when it's happening in my apartment, with my roommate." She met his glare evenly. "So you guys better start giving me some answers, or we are going to have a serious problem."

"I-it's simple, really," Rhys stuttered nervously. "We've been living in close proximity with the two of you for seven days now. It's only n-natural we would begin to become attracted to you."

"I could believe that... if it wasn't just Ava you guys were after." The veteran stood, coming closer. "In fact, it wasn't until her parents showed up and Noi went out on a 'date' with her that this behavior began. So that leads me to believe it has something to do with Andrew and Devon."

"Even if it did, it's none of your business." Asch stepped forward to meet her, holding his hand up like he was going to summon fire. "The affairs of royalty are not something to be questioned by lesser - "

Faster than anyone could see, Emerald slapped Asch's hand away. "Prince or not, this is my home." She stepped back, not breaking eye contact. "Is this because Ava's a sorceress? And you think her parents are, what? Powerful rulers of the city or something?"

"It would assist us in... relocating our people to this place if we had an established relationship with the ruling class," Rhys cut in. "I realize how abrupt this course of action appears, but I assure you, it has a purpose."

"'Ruling class,'" she repeated back, looking at each Daemos in turn. "So... you all basically see Ava as an equivalent to Asch? In terms of status, I mean."

"Correct."

Emerald sighed, closing her eyes as she rubbed her temples. "I suppose there's no way I can convince you all to not do this?"

"It's laughable you would even suggest something so foolish," Asch sneered at her.

"Oh, I know none of you will listen to me." She pointed at the closed door. "But the two men in there? Trust me... you're going to do what they say." Emerald looked at each Daemos in turn. "And if they tell you to back off, I'm going to make sure that happens."

* * * * *

"Andrew, I don't think we should push this anymore with Ava."

"Why not?"

Devon leveled him with a serious look. "We've always been protective of her, and you know she has her own issues with making friends. I think... we should just let her come to us with these things if she wants to."

"I f-fully agree... but..." Andrew broke down, sobbing. "I DON'T WANT THEM PUTTING THEIR HANDS ON OUR BABY!"

"I know, especially after that dream, but... look, I think we've done our best to help her with social interaction growing up. This time, I think we should leave it up to her."

"R-right. B-b-besides, she has Emerald here with her and, if we're being honest, she'd probably go to her first about any boy issues before approaching us. I know you're not necessarily comfortable with that, but it is part of the arrangement we made when we asked Emerald to stay here. You know it hasn't been easy for her since - " Andrew cut himself off, looking wistful. "We're lucky she agreed to stay."

"Are you sure Ava's safe with her, though?" Devon gave him a worried look. "I've heard stories about how veterans sometimes... go crazy."

"That's an unfair stereotype and you know it."

"And where do you think those stereotypes come from?!"

"Hollywood." Andrew sighed. "Like it or not, there's a lot of money to be made off the idea of the 'tortured, damaged veteran.' Emerald's responsible and takes care of herself. If anything, she's an excellent role model for Ava. But if it would make you feel better, we can have a little talk with her before we leave today."

"It would. I'm curious why she didn't tell us Ava was suddenly seeing all these boys..."

"Speaking of which... have you ever had that 'talk' with her?"

"What... talk?"

"You know, t-the one about t-the birds and the bees... "

"I thought you did!"

"No! I just - She always seemed off the idea of that, so I didn't - "

"Off the idea?! Where have you been, she had crushes in high school! I found notes about a boy named - " Devon cut himself off. "Look, now isn't the time to talk about that. Let's just... play it cool and do what any normal parent would do."

"Which is...?"

Devon gave him a confident smirk. "We lay down the law for those guys and let them know that if they hurt our baby, they are so dead! In short, we intimidate them."

"Intimidate?" Andrew burst out laughing. "You can't even scare off a fly."

"Watch me! You need to back me up." The blue-eyed man pushed past him, opening the door to Ava's bathroom and marching confidently out.

"Sweetie?" As he realized his partner wasn't stopping, Andrew rushed out after him. "Wait!"

Emerald looked over as the door to Ava's room opened, Andrew and Devon emerging. Before she could say a word, the two men turned to face the Daemos.

"Alright, listen up you, uh, punks! I'm not sure what's going on here, but we as Ava's parents are going to give you a fair warning." Devon looked to Andrew, encouraging him to join in.

"Uh, th-th-th-that's right! Uh, you guys better listen up, or else we'll, uh - "

" - unleash an unimaginable wrath upon you!"

Emerald barely managed to stifle a laugh as looks of shocked horror crossed the face of each Daemos.

"We've angered them," Noi whimpered.

"Should we fight them now?" Leif looked to Asch and Rhys for guidance.

"Don't be foolish," the latter admonished. "We need to listen to what they're about to say."

Asch scoffed. "What did you expect of us?"

"One: we better not find out you're making videos with Ava."

"That's right, or we'll call our lawyer." Andrew was getting his bearings in this exchange.

Pierce met their gazes evenly. "What's that?"

"A very powerful person you never want to meet."

Devon took over again. "Second, no selling the weed. Our daughter is not to be exposed to that kind of thing!"

"And third: please still be her friends, even if she picks one of you."

"That's right." Devon seemed less fired-up. "We don't know what's going on between you all on a personal level, but the fact that you're all standing here in her apartment: it's kind of nice to see."

"I agree. We've never spoken to a group of friends like this for Ava, so... this is new for us too. We just... want her to be all right."

"Forgive me for asking, but I'm confused." Rhys's eyes widened with realization. "Are you... giving us permission to - ?"

"We're gonna let this play out. Whoever Ava decides to be with is her choice, but we're just glad that she has people to interact with."

"Right!" Andrew nodded, laughing. "We were afraid she was alone."

"Uh, you two realize I'm standing right here, don't you?" Emerald fixed them both with a serious look. "And need I remind you, this is my apartment. Ava's a tenant, but my name is the one on the lease."

"What are you getting at, Emerald?" Devon mirrored her expression, as if readying himself for a fight.

"While I can... appreciate the concerns you have for Ava, you need to respect my privacy as well." She paused, thinking quickly. "How about this: I'll continue doing what I've been doing, which is accompanying them on any 'dates' they go on."

"Have... they been on many dates?" Andrew stared at her in concern.

"We all went to the park yesterday afternoon for a picnic." Catching their expressions, she kept going before they could interrupt. "I promise you, I'll act as a chaperone for any dates Ava takes with them, if you're sure that's what you want. However, it might be better if we give her a bit of space, let her figure out what she wants."

The two men exchanged a look before Devon answered. "No, you're right. It's better if we give Ava some space to make a decision on her own. But... we do appreciate the offer."

"That's right," Andrew agreed. "As long as you and Ava come to a mutual understanding, that's all we can really ask for."

Emerald smiled in relief. "Good. I'm glad we cleared that up."

At that moment, Ava emerged from her room. "Dad, Pop, Em! What's going on?"

"Oh nothing." Devon gave her a confident grin. "Just laying down the law."

"That's right!" Andrew chimed in. "Now that we have, I think we're gonna be heading out for now, Ava."

"That easy?" she muttered, starting when Emerald gave her a light poke in the ribs. "I mean, so soon?"

"Yes, it's been a long day. Besides, we just wanted to make sure you were all right."

"We'll be coming by every now and then to make sure that you're all right and not doing videos."

"Huh?" Ava cocked an eyebrow at Devon.

"He means YouTube videos!" Andrew interjected quickly, laughing nervously.

"He also means they'll be giving us a courtesy text before they just show up at our door," Emerald added, giving the two men a warning glance.

"Of course, of course," he agreed. "But really, we are going to be going." He turned back to face the gathered Daemos. "It was a pleasure to meet you all."

"Same," Devon practically purred.

* * * * *

Ava led her parents out to the common area in the hallway while Emerald stayed inside with the Daemos. "I... bet you're wondering about me and Noi, huh?"

"Well, we are curious, but... " Devon trailed off.

"Let's put it this way: we can tell you like him a lot, but we can also tell you aren't sure of him yet."

"R-really?" Ava couldn't believe she was about to pull this off.

Devon hummed. "Let me put it this way: it seemed like we walked in on you and Noi, and in order to gain your love he introduced himself to us as your boyfriend so you had no choice but to go on a date with him and us."

"What he said," Andrew agreed.

"A sly move to get a date from a girl he likes, but I've seen it happen in movies, so trust me I know this kind of thing."

"Y-yeah, that's totally what happened." 'Just keep it together, Ava. You're almost in the clear.'

"No one can get past me with secrets!" Devon looked so proud of himself.

"In any case, we're glad you've got people to hang out with, pumpkin. I know you said Emerald's been pretty busy with work lately, so it's nice to have options for companionship. We're also glad you're safe."

Both men took turns giving Ava a kiss on the forehead, preparing to take their leave. But just as they were about to go...

"Oh, Andrew and Devon! It's wonderful to see you two!" Mrs. Oates smiled as she walked towards them from the elevator.

The two men turned to greet her. "Ah, Mrs. Oates. How have you been?" the former asked.

"Oh, I've been just fine. Emmy and Ava have been helping me out quite a bit this week."

"Ah. I take it you've met their new... friends?"

Ava gasped, trying to hide it. 'Oh no,' she thought. 'If Mrs. Oates goes off on one of her tangents, she's going to ruin everything we've spent the last two hours trying to fix!' She glanced over her shoulder to see if Emerald was nearby and could intervene.

No such luck: Ava was at the mercy of Mrs. Oates.

"Oh yes, I've seen them around quite a bit lately," the elderly woman nodded, smiling.

"Anything you can... tell us about them?" Devon asked nonchalantly.

"They've been treating both those young women very well, I must say. I can't remember the last time I saw them so content."

"Really?" The blue-eyed man sounded surprised.

"You must know it hasn't been easy for Emmy since what happened to her parents, especially when she still has to stay in this apartment." The woman gave them an oddly serious look. "She's given up quite a few things to look after Ava, you know."

"We're well aware of the situation, Mrs. Oates. I can assure you she is being properly compensated for her efforts." Andrew sounded like he'd heard this particular line from the elder woman before.

"Ah, I see. I was just curious, since I know Emmy has been doing a lot more chores for me lately."

"She has?" Andrew and Devon exchanged a look.

"Well, of course! Those boys have been coming over a lot, so she's been making dinner for all of them. That takes from her savings, and with Ava not having a job right now... well, you can see how it could be a bit stressful."

"Why didn't she tell us?"

"Oh, you know how stubborn Emmy can be sometimes. If she can take care of a problem on her own, she'll do it and not make a fuss." Mrs. Oates fixed them both with another look. "But, I believe you were asking me how those boys have been getting along with those young ladies." She broke off, giggling to herself.

Ava covered her face, silently wishing for an earthquake to strike and swallow her whole so she wouldn't have to face her parents after Mrs. Oates - 

"They've been getting along as friends. Yep, nothing more than that. Though I'm sure those boys have a thing for Ava. Some of them might like Emmy as well... although I don't think they realize it quite yet." She gave another giggle.

"They aren't doing anything crazy, are they?" Devon's eyebrow was raised.

"Oh no," the elder woman assured them. "Please, I live next to them, and I know they are doing nothing but good, wholesome fun. If Ava or Emmy was doing something bad, I'd tell you both."

Andrew sighed. "That's a relief to hear."

"Same here," Devon agreed. "We're glad they have a neighbor like you, Mrs. Oates."

"Oh please. I'll keep an eye out for them. Especially Ava."

"Thank you." Andrew turned to his partner. "All right then, let's get going home."

Devon hummed in agreement, following him to the stairway. Just before descending, he turned back. "Oh, and Ava: remember to keep looking for a job!" Satisfied he got the last word in, the blue-eyed man continued his exit.

As soon as she felt he was out of sight, Emerald poked her head out of the apartment. "Everything go okay?"

Ava sighed in relief, nodding. She was about to speak when she suddenly became aware of Mrs. Oates standing right next to her.

"You know, you two owe me big time for lying to those two about the fun you've been having with your boy toys!"

"Mrs. Oates!" Ava cried, breaking out into a bright blush.

Emerald laughed along with the older woman, although it wasn't as boisterous. Deep down, the veteran knew they were walking a dangerous line now... especially if Ava found out why the Daemos were really so interested in her.