Chapter 608 Avoidance
Long after the exam was over and all of the applicants had been sent home, the higher ups of the military were still hard at work burning the midnight oil in a meeting.
Contrary to what his somewhat lazy and laid-back personality would suggest, Abaddon was a pretty hard worker when it came to his people.
He was notoriously hands-on in his endeavors, and such a work ethic was currently on display right now.
Abaddon sat at the head of a table in a large meeting hall.
Sitting around a large table were his generals, youngest sister, and a few of their aides.
Ayaana was nestled comfortably in the large lap of their husband; paying close attention to the meeting and sharing their input whenever prompted for it, or whenever they deemed it necessary.
But for all of these hours, Abaddon and Kanami had been doing 60% of the talking.
The input of the others was appreciated and urged strongly, but at the end of the day Abaddon, Ayaana, and Kanami had the most say.
Because Kanami was going to have to raise them, and the royal family would need to be able to trust them.
Right now, the group was in the midst of a debate that was causing a fair bit of contention.
Abaddon shook his head dismissively at the latest application to appear on the tablet in his hand.
"No... Xev might be capable enough to be allowed admittance, but his brothers are far too immature. I don't want my sister to have to waste time correcting the behavior of adults."
As they had been doing for several hours, Darius did not hesitate to voice his objection to a decision he felt was unwarranted.
"I don't mean to challenge you, my friend, but I seem to recall that your daughter was quite the childish individual too when she first joined.
Being surrounded by Tehom's very best has a way of incentivizing one to grow up faster. It may very well do the same for them."
"Mira had respect for the position before joining."
"There is no one who went into this exam without having respect for the position, lad. Or else we never would have sent them to you in the first place."
"... A fair point, old man." Abaddon sighed solemnly.
There were very few things that Abaddon actively tried to avoid in day-to-day life, but one of them was most certainly blind favoritism.
In his eyes, the greatest failure of one who holds a throne was filling his ears with the chatter of spineless yes-men, and begetting undeserved positions to those who hold his favor.
The easiest way to get him to take a pause look at himself in the midst of a decision was to caution him against being overly biased.
While Abaddon was in the midst of a momentary reflection, Kanami grabbed her brother by the hand and offered him an affectionate smile.
"I can have Dumas watch the two of them closely, brother. You need not worry about them compromising the integrity of our outfit."
Ever since they were children, Abaddon had never seen his sister falter on a promised assurance.
He smiled helplessly and squeezed her hand gently. "If you have no problem with it, sister, then neither do I. They pass."
Abaddon pressed the green check mark above the applicants photo and another one was pulled up immediately.
"Applicant #289, Isa Ajani-"
*Audible groaning ensues*
Abaddon smiled unkindly. "I'm sorry... Is there a problem here?"
Asmodeus: "Son... What time do you think it is?"
"...Noon-ish?"
Belphegor: "It is thirty minutes to midnight, my tyrannical Uma-Sarru."
"Eh?"
Darius: "I enjoy looking at your pretty face as much as the next sentient creature, but I demand to retire for the night so that I might eat and fuck!"
"Darius..."
Absalom: 'I just wanted to return home so that I might watch 'Modern Family'...'
The dwarven Nevi'im raised his fist high. "My belly is empty and my balls are full, these issues demand addressing!"
"Go shoot one into the sink then come back and order a pizza or something."
"I want to ask you all something..."
Sif emerged from the bathroom looking quite breathtaking.
Judging by the traces of water still lingering on her body, she had just recently gotten out of the bath.
Gradually, her usual disguise had started to lift just a bit.
She was a couple of inches taller, her bust was larger, and her hair wilder.
A single horn protruded from her forehead and two sharpened fangs lurked just behind her plump lips.
And just like her daughter's hair; her eyes had changed into a bright red.
The only covering she wore over her body was a blue silk robe that she hadn't even bothered to tie closed.
Leaving almost everything underneath on full display.
"I keep getting this feeling like the way that I am treated by you all has changed for some reason.
And as I thought about that, I realized that... You all were taking longer to arrive than normal.
I may not be graceful, or particularly wise... but I know when someone is avoiding me."
She confidently walked up to the couple with her arms still folded across her chest.
"If you take issue with my joining you then just say it and I will leave. Irregardless of the situation... I won't linger where I'm not wanted."
Abaddon and Ayaana were nervous at first, but now they looked almost looked amused.
Despite the fact that Sif had grown... she was still shorter than them by an entire foot.
They almost felt like they were being confronted by a little old woman.
And their faces betrayed their humor.
"I'm sorry... did I ask something funny?!" Sif cracked her knuckles prematurely.
"Calm down, Sif." Abaddon snickered. "There's no need for violence."
"Unless you want it to be the sole physical act of the evening." Ayaana offered.
This minor but effective threat served to disarm Sif completely, and she went back to looking relatively meek and shy even though she was standing about naked.
"So... you're both still going to continue with this arrangement then? No changed minds?"
Abaddon and Ayaana glanced at each other instinctively out of the corner of their eyes.
Lying wasn't an option, but they didn't quite know how to answer the question either.
"That depends on many things if we're honest."
"Let's just say... we'll see how the night goes and discuss it in the morning."
Sif seemed to take no issue with this stipulation.
After all, in her eyes all that she needed was a single opportunity to provide a pleasurable, and comfortable experience devoid of awkwardness.
However daunting that task may be.
'Alright, don't be nervous... I only have to give pleasure to sex itself and his wife who happen to be three different sex goddesses blended together by magic... N-No big deal at all.'
Swallowing her nerves, Sif let the robe hanging off her shoulders fall to the floor.
She gave the couple little time to think before she grabbed both of them by the hand and began pulling them towards the bed.
Abaddon and Ayaana's eyes met once again, but this time there was less anxiety in their gaze.
Bekka: 'I think that maybe we should have eaten before this.'
'Is that honestly the full sum of what you have on your mind at this moment, my love?'
'Should there be more?'
'...Nope, not at all.'