Chapter 89: Date Night, Part 5

"Are you going to keep sulking all the way there?"

"Yes. In fact, I feel like sulking even more than I currently am. I shall become the sul-king,"

"Haha, shut up mongrel."

Despite Ares not being even remotely keen about the current predicament, he wasn't going to be difficult and ruin the date or anything. Just because he disagreed with Enyo's train of thought, that didn't mean he needed to be a petty jerk and bring the whole date to a standstill. When it came down to it, either Enyo would convince him, or he would convince Enyo. They weren't going to argue, they were going to debate cordially. This would be a battle held in the marketplace of ideas and the winner would be whoever managed to do a better job of going for the hard sell. Unfortunately for Ares, he was already on the back foot. Enyo had known about this topic in advance for however long and came prepared, probably with an entire God damn thesis to present. Hell she'd already somewhat cornered him via the fortune teller. Enyo was out doing market research while Ares studied the blade! What a blunder! Outwardly, Ares was his usual self, but inwardly he was sweating buckets because he kept losing the hypothetical argument every time. The problem wasn't him, it wasn't that he couldn't come up with rational arguments, it was Enyo. Any of the usual talking points like 'you know there's a chance you won't be the favourite' meant absolutely nothing to her and, besides, it wasn't even true. 'You don't mind me sleeping with other people?' Nope, she wouldn't. 'What about Appa?' It wanted parents so it would probably think the more the merrier... 'I'll spend less time with you' would just be met with 'why would you? I don't mind sharing at the same time.' If Enyo were even a remotely normal person, these arguments would hold some weight. Unfortunately, she was a nymphomaniac down to her very core so that line of thinking was redundant. Ares only really had one pathetic last line of defence and he was going to have to cling to it, that being that he just really didn't want to.

Ares held Enyo's hand as he led her to Scratch's noodle house. "This is nice. It's a real shame we won't be able to do this anymore in the future because I'll be too busy with my other wives. They'll probably be better than you in every way."

"Very funny. You're such a shmuck, you know that?" Enyo paid Ares' jabs no mind. Her lie detector was going off anyway so who did this moron think he was fooling?

In this way, with the occasional verbal spar, Enyo and Ares made their way to the restaurant. Their playful bickering garnered a lot of attention from passer-by who nosily listened in on the conversation. When they realised the man was raving on about having multiple partners, some of them started frothing at the mouth, ready to kill the bastard in a fit of jealous rage. In many ways, today had been disastrous for Ares. He'd been slandered all across town as some wicked perv taking advantage of a beautiful woman. Ares had, at one point, truly believed his reputation couldn't get any lower. Oh how wrong and naive he was. Of course some people also recognised him either as a member of the Red Sun squad, or as the caped weirdo from the ads they'd seen around town, so his infamy was rising rapidly thanks to this excursion. By the end of the day, the number of people who knew his name and utterly despised him would increase drastically. It didn't help considering the stunt he pulled earlier today in the coliseum either... Ares was going to wind up being the most despised citizen in Red Sun history at this rate. Thankfully there were enough people who'd interacted with him prior such that some parts of town would still be safe for him to show his face in. If everyone knew he was responsible for the tree and pressure incidents a while ago on top of everything else, they would have formed a mob and run him out of town with pitchforks poking him in the ass as he fled.

Ares stopped outside Scratch's place and opened the door for Enyo. "Go in and take a seat. Make sure it's a big enough booth for all ten of us. Me and my nine wives. I'll go and get the others while you wait here on your own."

Thwack

"Move it Mr Comedian." Enyo kicked Ares into the building and followed after him, looking around and taking in the sight of a restaurant that came personally recommended by Ares. This was a rarity. Most of the time Ares' high standards would have him stay clear from most food places so he could just cook his own meals. This was the first time he'd actually ever suggested eating someone else's food. According to what Ares had told her, the disgusting creep Prem had blackmailed the owner just so he could eat here for free daily. Enyo had high hopes for this place as she took a seat in a booth atop a comfortable leather seat in the corner of the restaraunt. She picked up a menu and began browsing as she felt a heated stare, coming from across the table, which she outright ignored. The dishes here looked good and she was more interested in picking her dinner than picking a fight. The menu was expansive and had a variety of noodle based dishes from different cultures and cuisines around the world. When Enyo heard 'noodle shop' she expected something more along the lines of a local specialty place, not a worldwide type diner. Still, it was all very appealing and Enyo was spoiled for choice. "Hmm, it's hard to choose when there are so many good options..."

"Then just pick the one you like the most and stick with it forever!"

"Hahahaha." Enyo started laughing at Ares' silliness. "But there's no reason not to try anything else that looks good. Variety is the spice of life."

"It's my favourite for a reason." Ares pouted. "What's the point of eating something that's just subjectively worse?"

"Eat both."

"That's expensive and I wouldn't even have room in my stomach for it all."

"Then share it with me and make more money."

"Money doesn't grow on trees."

"Your Shock Beads might as well considering how easy they are to make. Plus with your forging and runemancy talents your stardust reserves should one day be as vast as the ocean."

Ares threw his back on the bench and slumped down as he let out a long groan. "Ok, let's stop beating around the bush and talking in riddles. This indirect prancing around the topic is only going to do my head in."

"No, wait a minute, let me order first."

"... First lust, and now gluttony. You're really trying hard to rack up all the sins and you're doing an excellent job of it too."

"Yeah, well, I know envy won't ever be on that list."

"Ha, ha, what happened to ordering first before we started going at it?"

"Its hard to choose with a stray dog barking in my ear all the time. How about you make yourself useful and give me a suggestion, honey?"

"Alright fine, honey. I think you'd like the Pad Thai. As for whether you go with shrimp, chicken, or tofu, that's up to you."

"Good suggestion. In that case, I'll have the carbonara."

"I know you're messing with me, but that's a good one too. The carbonara I made on the way to the alchemy competition was based on the one that gets made here. I learnt it directly from Scratch and his is way better than mine. If you liked mine back then, you'll love his here. If you're in the mood for an alcoholic drink that pairs well with it, there are a few good red wines on the menu. Since I still have both high-grade stardust, you can pick whatever you want. I'd recommend Bhorashka red. I'm sure you can guess where it comes from." 

"You're encouraging me to get drunk? Are you sure about that? I'm going to run you ragged tonight if you aren't careful."

Ares smirked. "Maybe, but isn't that a good thing? Also, alcohol impairs judgement and I'll take whatever edge I can get in our little upcoming spar."

"There it is. I was wondering what kind of trick a sneaky wretch like you was going to pull. Still, alcohol or not, it doesn't matter. Ares, you're going to do what I tell you on this one. You don't have a say in the matter."

"We'll see about that." Ares twisted in his seat and waved at Scratch who came over with a small notebook and a pen. "Hey Scratch, you good?"

Scratch ruffled Ares hair and chuckled heartily which was as good an affirmative response as any. "With that weirdo finally gone I couldn't be any better. A real weight's been lifted off my shoulders. I was thinking about how to repay you and it seems like a brilliant opportunity has presented itself right on my doorstep. Today's my treat for you and your lovely lady friend. Speaking of, when did a troublesome tyke like you get into a relationship? I haven't seen you in ages and you show up with a real glamourous date? I see you've been putting my cooking skills I taught you to good use. I always told you any woman or man worth marrying loved good food. That's a universal truth."

"And how right you are. We are actually going to get married at some point, but just enjoying life and going on a date is good enough for now. Ah but where are my manners? This is Enyo. You might even know her already actually. She's the Legion clan member that lives in the sect and comes out in her armour from time to time to help people."

"Oh? I have heard great things about you indeed." Scratch addressed Enyo. "You once helped a good friend of mine out of tight pinch. Ah, you two are are a match made in heaven. The work you've both done for Red Sun is huge. I can't really do anymore than give you a free meal, but I speak on behalf of everyone when I say we're grateful for everything you've done for us. Don't worry, now that I've gotten all that mushy crap outta the way, I'll take your order and let you two have fun on your date. So, what'll it be?"

"I'll have the shrimp Pad Thai and we'll share a bottle of Bhorashka red, thank you." Enyo ordered before Ares could and left him twitching his eyebrow.

Ares sighed to himself before he ordered the obvious choice. "I'll have the carbonara, thanks Scratch."

The sound of Scratch's pen noting down their dishes echoed in their silent corner before he looked up, winked, and left to cook the meal.

"... I thought you wanted the carbonara?"

"I do? I still got it in the end, didn't I?"

"Enyo, you are an unbelievable woman sometimes."

"Aw, thank you, but those words of flattery aren't going to save you."

"Alright, let's get down to business. Enyo, I don't want multiple wives. I don't want to be in a romantic relationship with any woman in my life other than you. Your turn."

"'Turn' my ass. Also, why don't you? There are men who would kill to be in your shoes."

"And I would kill to be out of them. I don't want it because I'm not going to care about them as much as I do you. It's just disrespectful to 'love' someone while never paying them attention. Are you ok with that? You would do that someone else? You would put them in that position?"

"Am I ok with it? Yes. Am I putting them in that position? No, they're putting themself there. What does it matter if you can't love them as much? That's their problem, not yours or mine. I'm asking why you don't want it, not why anyone else wouldn't."

"I don't have time for anyone else. I'm going to be spending a lot of my time cultivating and exploring domains in order to get stronger. When I come back, if I have limited time I'm going to inevitably choose to spend it all with you. I never want to be in a situation where I have to ignore you to spend time with someone else."

"Says who? Why can't you spend time with multiple people at the same time? If there was another person here with us, would that make any difference?"

"It wouldn't be as special. This is our first ever date and you would seriously mar it by inviting someone else?"

"To our first date? No. To any other? Sure. You're the reason I'm here, not anyone else."

"And what about fun time in the bedroom? You want your time cut there into by someone else?"

"No, but, again, multiple people can do that at the same time."

"You.. Of course you would say that... Do you really not care? About me sleeping with other women?"

"Ares, I think I want more women around more than you do. What? You think I won't be enjoying their bodies more frequently than you will? Who cares if they sleep with you? As long as I get to watch and can get involved when I want to then no, I don't care. The thought turns me on actually. Pushing another woman down onto you while teasing her... Mmm."

"I regret asking... But seriously, you don't even know who's going to show up and be one of the nine. How can you be ok with that?"

"Because I have every intention of having the final say about who you can or cannot marry. I will not let you marry some fair-weather floozy. Why do you think all but one of the words Yulo listed were explicitly positive? That isn't luck of the draw, it will be the result of my guiding hand. I'm deeply concerned about 'ambivalence' but I'll sort that out when the time comes, you can be sure about that. Ares, I will not let you marry who you want without my say so. So no, I'm not concerned about who will show up. I would never let someone like Bea anywhere near you, for example. There's nothing wrong with her personality or anything, but I can tell that she doesn't love you so I wouldn't ever let it happen. You wouldn't know this because you weren't paying attention, but there were more than just a few hussies staring at you this whole trip too, it wasn't just me receiving looks. You aren't ugly, you have status and will have power. Rest assured I will swat away anyone who only wants you for one of those petty reasons. I will also not permit any more than the nine Yulo listed. That's just obscene at that point and someone like Dominus is a perfect example of why I won't allow it."

"I don't even want more than one..."

"Again, why?"

"..." Ares mulled on the thought as the food was placed on the table by Scratch. He poured himself and Enyo some wine and picked up his cutlery to start digging in while he considered the matter. 

…

…

"What if I just don't? What if I don't like the thought of it because it just feels wrong to me? What if all I want is to devote all of me to you. Does what I want not matter?"

"No."

"Eh?" Ares was startled as he swallowed some of his food. Enyo moved her plate to the middle of the table and did the same to Ares' dish so they could both be shared. Enyo tried both dishes and and a bright smile was brought about by the delectable taste.

"You weren't kidding, this food is astonishingly good. Definitely better than yours. Guess you're going to have to work harder to catch up to Scratch. And you said there were others who were also just as good? One of these days you're gonna have to take me on a foodie tour. I want to go on lots more dates with you, so start thinking about where you're gonna take me to eat next!"

"I... I'm glad, but can we rewind a moment?" Ares chewed on some shrimp before continuing. "Are you really not gonna let me have what I want on this matter? That's rare coming from you. Neither of us have ever really made any demands of each other like this... I didn't think you'd care about this to the point you'd disregard my feelings on the matter. Can you explain to me why? That should be the bare minimum in this situation."

"Because I'll be angry if you don't go through with this. This is the one thing I'm going to put my foot down on. Yours was when you wanted me to talk to Appa, this is mine. I understand I'm asking a lot more of you than you did of me in the past, but I don't care. I'm going to be selfish here because this matter is actually very important to me. If it weren't for one specific point I haven't mentioned yet, I'd let you have your way on this. I'd be disappointed, because I really do want to play around with other women, but I'd accept your reluctance and move on from it. The only problem is I can't tell you what that specific point is... I really shouldn't."

"... You'd really be angry if I didn't marry again after you?"

"Furious. This one part of the discussion makes it personal to me. I can't let you say no regardless of what I have to do or say to convince you. if I had to, although it would kill me inside, I would even refuse to marry you. You must promise to marry the second wife. We can talk about the others after whenever they become relevant, but the second wife is non-negotiable."

"You would go that far?... Look, Enyo, when it comes down to it, I've somewhat accepted it. I have no more reasons to defend myself with. Relying on my feelings on the matter and just saying 'I don't want it' was the only thing I had left and, even then, I wasn't really sure why. I still 'feel' like it's wrong, but I have no excuses left to give and if you're this dead set on it... Then fine. But what you've just said is seriously excessive, no? I'm not even annoyed, I promised myself I would never yell at you again after last time, but I am worried. Can you please tell me why this matter is so important? I don't want anything to come between us. If you're going to put our marriage on the line, although I don't appreciate you doing it, I'll capitulate. But you have to tell me why because two can absolutely play at that game. If you can use our marriage as a bargaining chip, you know I can just as easily do it too. I know even saying it must have been painful for you, just as it would be for me so please... Just come clean... Please." Ares was fairly confident Enyo would buckle if he asked her straight like this. She couldn't keep secrets from him and he knew it but, contrary to his expectations, Enyo just silently shook her head and a few tears appeared in her eyes. Ares immediately leant over the table and gave her a kiss to calm her down otherwise she probably would've started balling in public. That and Ares didn't want her to be sad in general. he acknowledged that whatever was happening was difficult for Enyo so he didn't push further.

Enyo wiped her face and muttered. "I'm sorry... I promised I wouldn't say anything..."

"It's ok." Ares stroked her hand on the table and thought for a brief moment before realising what he had to do next. "... But, you know, if I were to guess the problem correctly... That wouldn't be your fault, right?"

Enyo looked up at Ares who was smiling impishly at her and she cried a little more. "Mm." She felt atrocious for everything she'd done and said in the last few minutes and yet Ares was still being nice to her. That just made it worse. She knew Ares wouldn't bring up the marriage threat again; he wouldn't chide her for it or use it against her the way she had against him. He wouldn't force her to break the promise she'd made, he would just do as she demanded because he couldn't say no to her. She felt awful and the kinder he was the worse it made it all but, for Bellona's sake, this had to be done. Ares would understand. When all was said and done, he would forgive her even if she had trouble forgiving herself for acting like this. That was what mattered. Bellona owed her big time. For Enyo, manipulating and blackmailing Ares like this was a bigger problem than letting Bellona sleep with her husband. Enyo would rather Bellona bust into the restaurant and have Ares take her on the table right in front of her than have to do this. In a way, she really hoped Ares would guess correctly. It would take a weight off her shoulder and she wouldn't have to keep hiding a secret from him anymore. Of course they wouldn't be able to confront Bellona after as it was her problem more than anyone else's, but at least Ares and Enyo could be on the same page as each other.

"Ok, let's see shall we? I've gotten plenty of new information today to work with, so let's piece things together and sleuth it out." Ares clapped his hands together as Enyo went back to munching on the food to make herself feel better. "There are nine wives, but only the second one matters for this particular discussion because that was the one that you pointed out specifically. You said you would be angry if I didn't marry them, which means you have to know the person already otherwise that reaction would be over the top. You said you would have the final say and it seems like you've already given someone permission and don't want to go back on your word. As for why you'd be angry with me... That's either because you or I would be a real scumbag to have the heart to say no this person. You don't get angry often, so this person means a lot to you. You are the first wife, because you view me as 'everything'... Thank you by the way. I really love you and if it were inversed I assure you, you'd be my 'everything' too. The second wife, and the one you already know, is 'limerence'. So it has to be someone that sees us, or I guess me, regularly enough for those feelings to blossom and be felt repeatedly otherwise she would have been categorised as something more relevant." Ares ran through all the potential candidates in his head. It would have to be someone he knows and someone that Enyo knows better than he does. Obviously not Allie. Obviously not Charity. She said not Bea and she's only just gotten close to her so there'd be no need to be angry about it. Limerence, limerence, limerence. A thought struck Ares like a thunderbolt out of the blue. A thought that reminded him of a conversation he'd had earlier today, and that conversation then proceeded to remind him of other past conversations he'd had with the same person. Limerence, longing... 'I'm going to go and... Stare out of a window longingly or something...' No fucking way... 'Keep an eye out for a guy, good looking preferably but not necessary, who's magic works well with mine, and has a thing for flat chests.' No fucking way... 'I think I'll stick to relying on Enyo. She said she had an idea and that she would get back to me.' Oh fuck me, there is a fucking way. No wonder she kept beating the crap out of me, she was annoyed even seeing me! She fell in love with her sister's husband and tried to convince herself she hated me to try and get over her infatuation! That was why it started after the damn tournament, because she hadn't seen my magic before... And that was why Enyo told me not to bring up my magic directly to her. After she had the food I made for her while hiding in the bedroom with Enyo, she stopped punching me altogether. She even offered to practice magic because she'd made up her mind and her convictions were set in stone and Enyo promised not to tell me so she was feeling confident it would all work out. Plus, no wonder Appa was told to put Bellona as priority number two, she'll also be her mother down the line! Ah fuck, it all makes sense damnit. Ares nervously chuckled as he looked at Enyo who had recovered somewhat as she slurped on some noodles. "Enyo... You know... When I joked around and said 'I'm not against two sisters at once', I didn't actually mean it..."

"Tell Bellona that, not me." Enyo said as she sunk back into the food. She was seriously hoovering everything up.

"Ah shit. That was confirmation, right? I'm not crazy, that was confirmation? Ah hell, that was confirmation. Ok... Really?"

"Yes. She is in love with you and she will be your second wife."

"I have so many questions... First and foremost... This doesn't bother you? You should rightly be the person with the most issues here."

"I don't mind. My sisters, my mother, any and all are welcome aboard the Ares train."

"Ok, seriously, what is wrong with you? That's a bit much..."

"That's not for you to decide. Anyway, I'm not being serious, it's just Bellona."

"The number of sisters isn't the problem... Can you explain now why you'd be angry if I didn't agree? I get that you want to pamper your sister, but isn't this a step too far?"

"Maybe, but I don't care. you don't understand how much of an impression you've left on her. It's you or bust. If she can't have you, she will spend the rest of her life watching you from the side-lines. I said this to her, and I will say it now to you, I won't let my sister be some lonely old woman living in misery because what she wants was just barely out of reach her entire life and taunting her. If you still don't get it, think about it like this. Imagine you and I fell in love earlier than we did, before you ever met Appa. We decided to have a child and I got pregnant. When Appa finally became a part of our life, Appa wanted nothing more than to be our child, but kept it bottled up forever because it didn't want to get in the way of our happy family. Hundreds of years alone as the third wheel until it died never having experienced true love. Would you ever allow it, Ares?"

"..." The answer was obvious. Even just the thought of Appa living like that brought a few tears to Ares' eyes. He could understand why Enyo was demanding he marry her sister, it wasn't even really for his sake or even Bellona's. It was actually for Enyo's. Ares would never have known and could have lived a peaceful life. Bellona was dead set on her choice and wouldn't look back or regret it, long since having accepted it all. She would be miserable, but not as miserable as Enyo who would have knowingly condemned her sister to that life. Enyo kept talking about how Bellona would be on the outside looking in, but she never mentioned that she would be on the inside looking out at her downtrodden sister standing in the rain knowing she'd caused it all. If all Enyo had to do to fix things was to open the door and let her sister in... Enyo was tolerant of other women being around Ares to begin with, why would she have reservations about her own sister? She couldn't possibly have it in her to be that cruel to anyone, let alone her own flesh and blood. No wonder Ares didn't really have a choice, the marriage wasn't even for him. He would benefit the least of everyone involved. And why would he say no? He would devastate both sisters at once for what exactly? Never mind Bellona, funnily enough she was barely even relevant, he couldn't put Enyo in that position. Almost all of his questions vanished into thin air as he slowly pieced everything together and answered them on his own. "... I'm no longer opposed to it. I don't have any romantic feelings towards Bellona at the moment... But I will marry her. You've convinced me. I'll learn to love her as a wife and not as the good friend she currently is. Fortunately I do really quite like her personality, and our magic is definitely spectacular together, so it shouldn't be too hard to change the way I see her. Still, I'm telling you this now Enyo, I will never love her like I love you. I will not budge on this no matter how angry you threaten to be."

"Neither of us expect you to. She knows that and is ok with where she stands in this relationship. She doesn't want to be first, she just wants you. Even if you said you wouldn't love her, as long as you accepted her, that alone would have been enough. She's beyond desperate and she really needs you even if its not obvious at a glance."

"... Honestly... How ridiculous this all is..." Ares leant back into his seat and stared at the dim, flickering light on the ceiling deep in thought. It was a bit hard to concentrate though what with Enyo still slurping up all the damn noodles in the background as if none of this was important. Ares was coming to terms with things while his wife was greedily devouring his dinner!... Still, Ares couldn't deny how happy Enyo was right now. Although she was eating, she was, in an incredible show of multitasking, also crying. It must have been such a relief for her to hear Ares say he'd marry Bellona... If he hadn't figured it all out, Ares would have probably kept pushing against it and made life even harder for Enyo. To have the matter settled already was preferable for her even if it had been rocky in places. This date night has been all over the place... We have definitely not done this correctly. Or maybe I have? Enyo has had a fantastic time today and gotten countless things she wanted... I did swear to myself I would spoil her however possible, whenever possible, so maybe this is for the best? What a bizarre woman... And yet, I can't help but love her... Even if she is eating all of my damn food! I'm still hungry here damnit! Ares put his thoughts aside to make sure he could eat his fill before Enyo stole it all. This conversation wasn't quite finished yet, but at least the hard part had been taken care of. They were entering the last leg of date night and it looked to be smooth sailing ahead. Now all Ares had to do was stick the landing... Even if he had hit every single tree branch on the way down... All fucking nine of them...