"I can't believe you lied."
Jessica said as soon as they were out of the dance. It was still early in the evening. The sun was down, but there were still pedestrians on the street.
"I didn't lie, I was just creative in how I interpreted the situation."
Explained Mei a little frustrated herself.
Tessa turned around once she made it too the bus stop.
"Don't worry Jessica, I am not out of my mind. His statement about college and some 996 tech job is too weird. But, I have had enough for one night. Let's drop him at the awakening center, get something to eat at that coffee shop across from the center, and then go home. Tomorrow morning we can catch up with him again and find out the truth."
I unbuckled my belt and untucked and unfolded my skirt so that it wasn't so much a mini skirt any more, but came down to just below my knees. Then I did the same for my halter top covering my chest and most of my waist. This already felt like a long night and it was still only a few minutes past midnight. In the middle of winter with no jacket, I was cold. And I could tell we were all cold, but none of us showed it. Instead we stood at the bus stop and waited for the bus silently. Each one of us thinking their own thoughts.
Me, I was thinking about how different Russell was right now compared to when our eyes first met. Then he was exciting and passion was flowing. But now with drool falling down his cheek I couldn't even look at him. Slowly it was dawning on me that he wasn't the man I thought he was. To fall to completely to one of Mei's spells was intolerable.
Still I would keep my word. Just drop him at the awakening center and then we could all go home have a hot bath and get some sleep. Tomorrow was soon enough to deal with him.
A few buses past. There were a lot of buses going to all points of the city here in downtown, but the good thing was that we didn't have to wait long.
When we got on even when Mei used compulsion to force Russell to pay for his own ride Russell didn't come up with any cash or cards. A very bad sign. Another bad sign. Definitely for all of them, but for Mei especially there needed to be a bit more of a challenge to be able to respect a man.
Definitely, I like a bit more of a challenge. The thrill I was feeling from inside the dance was cooling. Still though, I held to my decision. A leader doesn't waffle.
It took fifteen minutes to get to the nearest Awakening Center and that was only because they stopped and either dropped someone off or picked someone up at every stop. When they arrived there was a line at the door. Evidently the eighteen year old awakeners were queuing up early waiting to awaken. Here in the downtown area this Awakening Center was famous. Everyone wanted to awaken here. So basically it was a revolving space open 24/7. Not just to accomodate all the newly turned eighteen year olds, but because awakeners operated around the clock. Whether it was exploring the wilderness, challenging instances, or training the awakening centers around the world generally operated continuously.
Rolling my eyes I turned to Mei.
"Release him."
"Finally."
Mei was only too happy to have her job done. It took a few minutes, but Russell's eyes cleared.
Wiping his chin he had the decency to look a little ashamed to be drooling. He looked around, but before he could bolt away I put my hand put palm out fingers together, thumb at the side in the universal symbol for 'wait'.
"Russell, do you need my help?"
I asked quietly.
Relief flooded his body as some of the tension in his shoulders relaxed. It was a visible effect.
"Yes, right now I will take any help I can get."
Said Russell just as quietly.
"I am happy to help, really I am. But I need to be able to trust you. Go in there and have the Awakening Staff print out your awakening data. I will meet you tomorrow morning to review your awakening data right over there at that coffee shop. 7 am. Got that?"
I commanded, I was starting to feel just icky about all of this. Russell was just too weak, I could already tell that I was going to write him off. He didn't even reply he just stood there in line where we had delivered him and stared off into space for a while.
"Sure. See you tomorrow."
Finally he answered, weirdly this time he seemed to be a lot more confidant as if whatever he was staring off into space at was like a life line. I gave him one silver piece, the fee for printing out your awakening data, since it was obvious that he wasn't going to be able to pay for it himself.
"Come on guys. Let's go over to that coffee shop while we wait."
Turning and speaking to Priya, Jessica, and Mei I motioned for them to come with me to the coffee shop. I was more than happy to get out of the cold.
Once inside the coffee shop I ordered for myself and my posse, knowing their orders by heart, which was normal. These were my ladies nothing impressive.
After paying for the food, instead of going to the table that the others picked out I waited for our order. I was practically salivating for the meat stick and when it came out a moment later I ate it as soon as the coffee shop barista passed it over the counter. On the spot even before receiving our other orders I moaned little at the hot and spicy taste.
When I got to the table I politely called out my sister's orders as I set the black coffee in front of Mei, a cream and four sugars in front of Priya, and a bagel sandwich for Jessica.
They all said polite thanks or acknowledgement.
"That was so weird. I have to say."
Began Jessica before taking a bite of her sandwich. I knew she was referring to the way Russell had acted all the way through.
"I know, right. Maybe he is just a weird guy, doesn't mean we shouldn't give him a chance."
I had to say something. I was thinking the same thing as Jessica.
"All well and good, but we should also be very careful. What if he is some kind of alien or something?"
Nodded Jessica and then she said something that made the other three of us look up. But Jessica wasn't saying it to scare them, she had said it more out of a cautionary tale.
"Look, Tessa, look at who lined up behind Russell."
Just then Priya pointed out that there were three women behind Russell in the line now.
"Yeah, so? Who are they?"
Shrugging I didn't care in the least.
"Who are they? You don't recognize them?"
Astonished Priya couldn't believe that Tessa was clueless.
The four of us all looked out the window. Even though it was night the entire street was lit up with enough light that it was almost like the noon day sun out there it was so bright. Easy to see the three women that were now talking to Russell. Suddenly Mei seemed to recognize them, but instead in the next moment Mei said something to me.
"Come on guys, Tessa has other things on her mind, don't you fearless leader..."
Teased Mei.
I hadn't been thinking about Russell, but as soon as Mei teased I blushed unconsciously and then became a little frustrated at my own reaction. Obviously Russell was not the man I had thought he was. The dude was too complacent, too easily controlled.
"Just tell me. I am not in the mood for games."
I said impatient now.
"Fine, fine, I was just having some fun. That is the fourth princess and her two cousins, the duchess, Tina and Amber the traitor's daughter."
Slowly Mei drew out the tension.
But when Mei was finished explaining Tessa looked over to the line and confirmed with her own eyes who it was.
"The princess Elaine for sure. Here with Amber? This is interesting."
Tessa wondered.
"It is interesting. Amber's Dad was banished, seeing his daughter back in the country and with the princess, no less, is crazy. Shouldn't she be way past eighteen? She should be nineteen at least if not twenty."
Jessica joined in.
"Look they are talking."
Priya huddled closer to the window as if she could hear what was being said from this distance.
"Come on now. Don't worry. That boy is never going to pass our recruitment criteria anyway. Let him go. Let's talk about what we do next."
Shaking my head I brought their attention back to the moment. Suddenly Russell and the princess left their minds.
"What is there to talk about. Don't we just go home from here. It isn't like we could find another potential boy friend now. By the time we get back to the dance most people will either too drunk or already paired up."
Asked Mei bored suddenly.
"That is what I wanted to talk to you about. This isn't working. Combing through these dances is like looking for a diamond in the ruff. Only the sleeziest men are looking for women at these things. I am tired of doing this when we could be out there in the wilderness hunting beasts and selling hides and parts in the market."
I vented a little. I didn't mind going to these dances and I didn't even mind talking to all these men. But there was so little results. It was time to change our strategy.
"Give up? No way! I am not giving up Vivian is out there, I know she is!"
Immediately Jessica jumped to a conclusion.
"Oh! No, no, I am not giving up. I am just saying that going to these dances is not working. We have to find other ways to meet potential men!"
Exasperated that Jessica would think that I wanted to give I firmly cut off any talk of quitting.
"Yeah, because I am not a quitter. We are going to find Vivian. She would have never left us like that!"
Mei voiced her opinion as well.
"Hey, I came into this sisterhood after Vivian was kidnapped, but I am with you guys one hundred percent as well."
Priya said to tag along. She wasn't as passionate about Vivian as I was, but Priya was very indebted to us for saving her and I believed she would stay strong as long as the three of us stayed strong.
"Okay, you scared me a little, but I agree. We are wasting time at these dances."
Jessica picked up on my feelings and validated me.
"Don't look at me. I wanted to be done with this a long time ago!"
Laughed Mei. She received the most attention from men and was the most frustrated with how this was going.
"I don't know maybe we can advertise for a fifth to join our party and challenge some instances. That way we can carefully select a man from any who apply to join us. What do you guys think?"
I said tell them an idea that I had had.
It was true, I had been thinking more and more about the fact that the odds of finding someone to dual cultivate with was extremely low. They had gone through 12 men in the last three months.
"But, what about Drew? We were so close with him!"
Priya said protesting a little even though she stayed standing by the wall through most of these dances she really like to go to them. Even dancing in the pit whenever she had the chance. Of them all Priya was the one who was the most captured by the idea of Destiny cultivating. To her there was something romantic about the idea of dual cultivating with the goal of becoming a slave to fate. For Priya the idea was more than a little inspiring.