"Yes, I did become a dragon! I'll show you later what I can, but for now I need to rest." Clara awkwardly smiled, her exhaustion clearly showing on her face.
"Hmm Alright I can wait, but what cannot wait is Silver explaining how the hell it all went down." I snapped my head back to Silver as I still wanted to hear all the details. If I was going to accept Silver growing up I may as well embrace the girl in me and get all the gossip.
"Are you sure? I feel like you won't be able to handle it." Silver showed genuine concern, which was fair. I haven't been the most stable whenever I hear anything romantic involving him, but this can be training... I guess.
"Y-yeah! As a mother, I must do this for myself, so please don't hold back." Coming up with an excuse on the spot, I dragged Clara by the hand and sat back down on the bench.
"If you say so." Silver let out a sigh, definitely thinking it will not go down well.
"Can I have a nap while you guys talk? I pretty much know everything anyway." Clara sat right next to me and leant her head on my shoulder, almost poking me with her horns.
"You can, but please use my lap before you poke my eye out." I wasn't against Clara leaning on my shoulder, but she couldn't exactly hide her horns like I can with my tails.
"Oh yeah, sorry." Clara slid her head down to my lap as I started patting her head, hoping to provide a bit of comfort. She has never really taken headpats before so I was curious if she would let me continue.
'Her hair is so smooth. I need to find more excuses to pat her head just to feel it.' Unlike mine, which was softer and fluffy, Clara's felt elegant and nice to run my fingers through.
"Are you okay with me telling Shaman everything?" Silver looked at Elanor for confirmation, as this was about their personal lives. I may be Silver's mother, but if Elanor isn't comfortable with it then there isn't much I can do.
"Yeah, it's fine... But before we start, it just occurred to me that Shaman will technically be my mother-in-law now right?" Elanor raised a good point. I didn't know how I would feel if she started calling me mum.
"I guess so, but don't force yourself since you are older than her."
"..." I was petrified by what Silver had just said. I wish I had never heard it, but he was right. Elanor was approaching her mid-twenties while I hadn't even entered my twenties yet.
I honestly couldn't believe I hadn't realised this sooner, since it just made things 10 times weirder.Still, Silver himself is the strangest anomaly of all, so there's no point of delving into the ethics of it all to begin with.
If the system is right, he is classified as an adult and might even be mentally older than me now?! Oh god, this is a rabbit hole that I need to step out of before I drive myself crazy.
"I-I don't think you should have said that Silver." Elanor instantly noticed my reaction and realised the mental impact it had on me.
"Pfft."
"Clara!" Hearing Clara snicker at me, I grabbed her horn threateningly, warning of the consequences of uttering yet another sound.
"Come on, it won't be that bad, what's the worst Clara will say?" Surely there was no reason to be worried. It wasn't like I was texting Shaman, who would pass out upon reading my message.
Clara is much calmer and has been fine teasing me about this relationship for months now.
'Fuck it.' Hitting send, I quickly closed the window and smothered myself with my pillow. It was pretty late, so I doubted I'd get a response right away, but my impatience kept me hoping I'd get some something soon. I had no idea what Clara's schedule was like, so it might take until tomorrow night.
'I don't know if I can wait that long.'
*Ding*
Just then, the system alert rang, sending me jumping out of bed as I wasn't expecting a response that soon.
I was about to open it up again, but then anxiety decided to creep on me, thinking about what would happen if Clara took it badly.
'Stop! Clara sees me as her own son, so what is there to be worried about.' Although I had technically become an adult, I still could still experience social anxiety like anyone else. It was normal to ask family for help.
[Omg Silver, I can't believe you are finally admitting it. Of course, I will help you out dear. Did you want to meet-up or is keeping to text fine.]
Despite my anxieties, Clara was as supportive as I expected.
'I don't know about meeting up... Texting will be a lot easier and I only need simple advice so it should do just fine.' Sending my reply, I kept the chat open, waiting for Clara to respond.
[Too easy. I guess to start off, if you have any free time, you should take Elanor on a date. Your situation is rather peculiar, so if you take her out to hang around try to gauge if she is into you or not. It will be easier to confess once you know the feeling is mutual, and it is better to first dispell any worries she may have regardless your unusual burst of growth]
Reading over Clara's advice, it made sense that I should try to learn more first. I did go from teenager to adult very quickly, so Elanor might not even be able to see me as a man yet.
The only issue is... how am I meant to tell? I can't just ask her straight up, right? I texted Clara my concerns, mentioning I had no idea how to read body language in a romantic way and I didn't want to come off too strong.
It didn't help that Clara and Elysia's teasing made it harder for me to do anything as Elanor might already be on guard regarding my intentions.
[Of course you don't ask her bluntly, at least not yet. Now think about this, Silver. With how aware she probably is, won't it be a good sign if you invite her on a date? I recommend saying it's a date and if she accepts, be confident that she is interested.]
Clara made a very good point and it was subtle enough that I didn't feel like bashing my head against the wall.
'Alright it's decided then, I'll ask her out on a date.'