Chapter 182 – A fluffy Monday 2 – Cut from his cloth

Chapter 182 – A fluffy Monday 2 – Cut from his cloth

John was walking down the street, alone in the act. He was heading for the clothes store he had been in with Rave yesterday. Not that it had to be that specific clothes store, it was just the only one John knew in this city.

Of course, he wasn’t actually alone. ‘I hope you are comfortable down there,’ John spoke to Aclysia, hiding in the inner pocket of his jacket. ‘It is satisfactory, master,’ Aclysia answered; her tone didn’t betray it, but John could feel her happiness. Now where that happiness came from, whether it was because she was this close to him, because she finally had him to herself or a whole different reason, that remained a mystery.

The reason for this unorthodox way of transportation was quite simple: in her dress, Aclysia was a weird sight. Now, that had already been true back in Springfield, but since then summer had passed, and a cosplayer in a flimsy goth-maid styled dress raised enough eyebrows in the warm seasons already. Having her run around like usual was, therefore, going to be a bit troublesome, either because of people being weirded out and therefore Gaia being angry or because of kind strangers wondering if she wasn’t suffering from the cold.

John wasn’t willing to deal with either, so Aclysia shrunk and hid in his jacket. There had been the alternative solution of ordering some clothes from the auction. That would have meant they just bought clothes without her trying them on first, though, and that was half the fun of it.

‘That you thought I would get angry because you wanted a new outfit is adorable,’ John teased Aclysia while he was walking along. ‘I mean, I love that cosplay, but I have made concessions before.’

There were a lot of things great about the dress that 2B wore in Nier:Automata: it was stylish and sexy, from the leathery stockings ending in high heels, over the gloves, the decorative frays just below the elbow, to the white embroidery on the black cloth, and it gave John an almost unobstructed view of Aclysia’s bubble butt. For the same reasons it was slightly problematic, though; functionality was not one of those great things. The flimsy extensions below the elbow got in the way, so John allowed her to shorten those; the high-heels were not exactly great to run or fight with, therefore Aclysia changed those to solid boots instead, and even though it hurt his fragile heart, he had allowed her to increase the skirt-length... in public. All of that made it a workable combat outfit.

‘I am sorry, Master, but you always seem to be so happy when you see me in these clothes,’ Aclysia said.

‘That’s true, but mainly I am happy to see you,’ John answered instinctively and got a wave of that fluttery feeling, that indescribable and hard to grasp concept of love, from Aclysia.

‘Is that true?’ Aclysia probed, her mental voice beaming.

Of course, it was, they both knew, but if she wanted to hear it again, John was happy to oblige. ‘I am always happy to see you, doesn’t matter what you wear or what you are doing,’ John expanded on his earlier statement. ‘I love you, Aclysia.’

‘I love you too, Master,’ came the cotton-candy-sweet answer. She entangled her thoughts with his. For a moment, they were as one, connected by the unison of their feelings, a warm, wonderful moment. In that mere second, her presence was enough to relax him through and through, his heart and thoughts brimming with happiness. Even the cold air he was striding through was forgotten, only the heat of their love existed, entirely distanced from any worldly aches or desires.VịSit no(v)3lb/!n(.)com for new novels

Then the fact that they were not the same set in again. Differences in thoughts made them drift apart, breaking the moment of complete synchronicity. They fell back into their usual thought patterns, connected, but not the same.

John wondered if what he just experienced had been real or just an illusion. He had experienced similar moments in the past, but those had been with his elementals, who were an actual part and extension of his soul.

Aclysia was made by him and directly connected to his mind, but not part of it. Did that mean he was so accustomed to Aclysia that she had overcome that hurdle and their bond resembled the one between him and his elementals more than between him and Momo? That idea didn’t seem far-fetched in the slightest.

‘That was wonderful,’ Aclysia whispered.

‘It was indeed,’ John agreed; their thoughts touched again, but didn’t reach even near that level of unison. It reminded him a lot of the wisdoms of the elemental girls. Each time he had learnt a bit about the elements they embodied, and each time he had a moment of enlightenment, only to ‘forget’ most of it. He still learnt a lot, kept parts of the understanding he achieved, but he had never reached that same initial height.

Aclysia tugged on his jacket once she had reached her designated ‘normal’ size. “I am shopping ready, John,” she said. He smiled. “What is it?” Aclysia tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

“Nothing, just not used to you using my name,” he elaborated.

“Is it uncomfortable? In...”

“No, no, it’s fine,” John hastily informed her.

“...this setting I can keep calling you Master, but I thought we were in public so I went with your name. Understood,” Aclysia finished her sentence without a care before bowing her head in affirmation. “I’ll consider this a normal public situation and keep calling you by your name then, John,” she said with a cheeky smile.

“Is your social understanding still bad or are you being funny with me?” John probed, putting his arms around the artificial guardian, pulling her back against his chest.

“Both?” Aclysia answered with a question, the side of her face resting on his shoulder. John breathed the aroma of her hair, it reminded him of the smell of a freshly unwrapped book or videogame, something new, clean and something he desperately wanted to play with.

“I fear you might be unable to concentrate on shopping, John,” Aclysia said, feeling her creators growing lust against her back.

“What about you, though; your feelings are pretty obvious,” John countered; he wasn’t the only one growing more heated by this contact. “I would be satisfied with a kiss, John,” she proposed.

John hugged her more tightly and pressed his lips on the top of her head. “Like this?” he asked, with a teasing grin.

“No,” Aclysia turned her head, her green eyes coming into view. She too was smiling, although the curve of her lips was faint, compared to his toothy grin. “Like this,” she whispered, gently placing a hand on his cheek and guiding him to her lips.

Unbothered by the eyes of potential onlookers, they kissed. Barely held back passion, to be spent away from the public eye, and overwhelming love was conveyed in this simple motion. John’s arms wrapped around her waist; Aclysia snuggled up to him. They spent a solid minute just entertaining their hearts’ desire.

“Okay, if we don’t stop now, I will have to have you, in the restroom if nowhere else is available,” John threatened in a quiet tone.

“If that is your desire,” Aclysia bit her lip, unwilling to deny that possibility. “Oh no, you are not putting this decision on me,” John denied her that easy out. “Today is your day.”

Aclysia stared up at him; he looked back. Her face was blank; he was still wearing a grin. Aclysia opened her mouth, to answer. He was ready for whatever she wanted to say.

A quickie in a public restroom followed.