“And you’re sure you don’t want us to tag along?”
“Yes.”
“Really really sure?”
“Yes.”
“Totes absolutely completely sure?”
“Yes.”
“Super-thorough double-extra down to the bottoms of your hooves sure?”
“Yes.”
“…well, I guess if you’re sure,” sighed Sonata, sitting back with a pout as she reached for another waffle.
Sitting across the dining table from her, Lex resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he picked at his porridge, still feeling slightly chagrinned about what had happened last night.
It wasn’t that he now needed to track down Sonata and Aria’s missing sister, Adagio Dazzle – still somewhere on Everglow, at least as far as they knew – in addition to his myriad other responsibilities that made him uncomfortable. It wasn’t even that he’d agreed to make her fall in love with him, a task that he had no idea how to accomplish, particularly since he wasn’t entirely clear how he’d managed to woo Sonata and Aria in the first place. Rather, it was that he’d assented to the pair’s request before they’d even properly told him what they wanted.
That the two of them had seduced him was, in hindsight, obvious. Committing to something before getting even the vaguest of details about what was being asked of him was such a lapse of prudence that there could be no other explanation. Especially since it wasn’t the first time they’d done something like that; whether it was Sonata’s amorous demand that he “convince” her that she was prettier than her sister back when they’d been bivouacking in the warehouse, or Aria’s lustfully taunting him into almost rutting her when they’d been sleeping in the train station, both sisters had proven that they knew how to use their sexuality to make his desire for them overpower his reason. For them to do so together, despite his having enjoyed their bodies many times now – both singly and in tandem – had been overwhelming.
Taken in conjunction with the poor judgment he’d exhibited at trying to start a relationship with Nosey – a subject that remained at the forefront of his nightmares – as well as how he’d felt no need to protest when Sonata and Aria had moved things to the bedroom last night to show their appreciation for his ill-considered agreement, the entire episode had left Lex feeling awkward and embarrassed when he’d woken up that morning, to the point where he found himself wanting to spend some time apart from the Sirens. But that had nothing to do with why he wasn’t bringing them with him to meet with the Las Pegasus delegation. Nothing at all.
Pathetic, came the voiceless words from his shadow. You can’t handle your own mares, and you still think you can run a kingdom?
Fighting down a rush of anger at the barb, Lex focused on keeping his voice steady. “Your skill set won’t be required,” he explained, keeping his eyes on the paperwork that he’d drawn up. The review was entirely pointless, of course; the fiscal outlines and corporate structures that he’d made were simple enough that he could have recited them backwards without the slightest bit of effort, but at least this way he didn’t have to look at Sonata while speaking to her. “I’m not going to be socializing with the ponies from Las Pegasus. This meeting is going to be entirely about the technical details of the loan I want them to give me.”
“You do know that you’re going to have to schmooze with them at least a little, right?” scoffed Aria, nibbling on her bagel. “You can’t just walk in and start making demands before those ponies so much as introduce themselves.”
“I’m aware,” murmured Lex, keeping his eyes resolutely downcast. “That’s why I’m bringing River Bank with me.”
The mare in question smiled as she looked up from where she was enjoying her tea and toast. “I already made the preliminary preparations last night,” she confirmed. “After a quick round of putting names to faces, we should be able to get started almost immediately.”
“Whatever,” snorted Aria. “It’s not like I wanted to sit there and help you figure out how to talk to a bunch of stuck-up rich jerks anyway.”
“For realsies?” blinked Sonata, giving her sister a surprised look. “I thought you wanted to help out more?”
He question brought a derisive sneer to Aria’s lips. “Are you kidding me? Why would I want to do that now that I don’t have to keep taking ponies into the city to empty bank vaults?”
“But last night, after Lex fell asleep, you said all that stuff about how you wanted to do everything you could to make-, OW!” Rubbing her head where Aria’s bagel had impacted it, Sonata glared at her sister. “Whadja do that for?!”
“What kind of a moron are you?!” snarled Aria, her cheeks bright red. “Don’t repeat the stuff I said when we’re alone in front of other people!”
“Lex!” whined Sonata. “Aria threw food at me!”
“You deserved it!” Aria looked toward Lex before her sister could reply. “Tell her she deserved it!”
“You two…” growled Lex, squeezing his eyes shut as he put a hoof to his brow.
“Your Highness, If I might interject,” offered Stuffed Shirt, stepping forward from where he’d been hugging the wall behind Lex. “I believe that there’s a way that all parties might be satisfied.”
“Speak,” ordered Lex.
“Since I’m given to understand that you’ll be taking your, er, personal assistant” – he shot a sidelong glance at Feather Duster, who had once again taken up the traditional position of a favored servant as Lex’s left – “with you to your meeting this morning, I’d like to propose that I take this opportunity to introduce Lady Dusk and Lady Blaze to the rest of your royal attaché. That way, they can brief you on my colleagues at your convenience, if that’s acceptable to you.”
“It is.” Lex’s reply came without hesitation, glad to have some task that would keep troublesome pair busy for a while. Finishing his porridge, he gathered his papers as he stood up and made for the door, River and Feather Duster scrambling to keep up. “The two of you meet with the other royal servants and give me your impressions of them at the end of the day. Until then, don’t disturb me unless it’s an emergency.”
“That does sound kinda fun,” admitted Sonata, a smiling growing on her lips at the thought.
“Just so long as they all know to call me Lady Blaze,” smirked Aria, giving her pigtails a toss.
Lex grunted in acknowledgment as he left the room, forcing himself to stop thinking about the mares in his life as he marched toward the conference room where the meeting would be held. What was about to happen was too important to allow personal problems to distract him. Just because this wasn’t a battle didn’t mean that the stakes were any less high, or that he could afford to approach it with anything less than his full concentration.
The loan that Vanhoover needed was finally within reach, which meant that nothing – and nopony – could be allowed to interfere with his acquiring it.
It was all Tryout could do to hold back a groan as he slowly flew down the hallway.
Even after twenty-four hours of barely moving, the pain in his groin hadn’t fully receded. His boys still ached so much that just walking shook them enough – even if he kept his back legs in a wide stance so that his thighs didn’t brush up against them – to leave him feeling ill. Fortunately, he had wings; so long as he kept a slow and even pace, he could still get around without too much trouble.
Let’s just hope there’s something cold in the kitchen that nopony will miss. Ideally there’d be ice, but if not then anything chilled would do. As much as Tryout didn’t relish the thought of freezing the family jewels, there wasn’t much alternative for numbing the pain. It wasn’t like he could tell one of the doctors around here what had happened; if anypony knew that he’d been kicked in the stones so hard that they still hurt a day later – and by his wife, no less – he’d be laughed at! Luckily, his daughter had spent all of yesterday playing with her friends, so she hadn’t noticed that anything was wrong.
Now if I just knew what got into Feather, since I sure didn’t. Despite the soreness raiding outward from between his back legs, Tryout couldn’t help but snicker a little at his own joke. Still, he knew it was no laughing matter. His wife had always been the giving type, and certainly never violent; for her to be so incredibly selfish about tending to his needs, to the point of lashing out, was unlike her in the extreme. So what was the deal?
It was a mystery that needed to be unraveled with all possible speed, since the fate of his marriage might very well depend-
“Oh, hey ladies.” Flashing a winning grin at a pair of maids that turned a corner ahead of him, Tryout did his best to look natural as they walked by, smiling and nodding at him in return. Despite needing to take it easy, he couldn’t help but turn to watch them head down the hallway, eyes on the hemlines of their dresses as they entered a nearby room, cleaning implements at the ready. Sixes, both of them, he decided as he started to resume his journey toward the kitchen. Maybe sevens if those outfits were more flattering. After all, maid uniforms weren’t exactly the sexiest outfits around, not unless they were dolled up like Feather’s had been when he’d finally gotten back to Vanhoover. Now that had been a hot little number!
Maybe when I figure out what’s wrong with her and how to fix it, she’ll wear that for me again, he chuckled to himself, before shaking his head. But first thing’s first, gotta uncover why-
“Was that him?” came a voice from behind him, emanating from the room the maids had vanished into.
“Shh! He might still be nearby.”
Recognizing that the pair were talking about him, Tryout ducked around the corner that the maids had emerged from. The motion set his boys to shaking, and he had to stifle a pained whimper as he landed. Still, it’d be worth it; listening to the admiration of his female fans was a treat he got to enjoy all too rarely. Bet it’ll be about my Iron Wing award, he grinned, remembering the medal he’d gotten for flying from Vanhoover to Tall Tale and back in a twenty-four hour period. Thing’s a chick magnet. Not that he’d ever cheat on his wife – even if she was acting like the world’s biggest nag at the moment – but if some ladies wanted to fantasize about getting together with a star athlete, that wasn’t something he could help now was it?
“It’s clear,” came the voice of one of the maids. “Poor guy. I feel so bad for him.”
…huh?
“I know,” sighed the other. “Just imagine: being separated from your wife and daughter while fleeing the city, spending weeks worried sick and not knowing what happened to them, only to come back and finding out that they both survived, but found someone to replace you.”
WHAT?!
Oblivious to Tryout’s panic, the pair kept conversing. “So you think it’s true? That Feather’s having an affair with Master Legis?”
“Prince, remember? He’s Prince Legis now.”
“I forgot! Oh, I really wish I’d gotten to see the duel yesterday! I still can’t believe he actually fought Twilight Sparkle and won!”
Tryout could feel himself starting to hyperventilate. That ridiculous-looking sourpuss his wife worked for was a prince now?! He’d fought a duel with Twilight Sparkle, the pony who’d led the team that overcame numerous monsters and threats to Equestria, and actually beaten her?! And he was…he and Feather were…
“I know, right? And I’ll tell you what, if Feather’s not angling to get a piece of that action, then she must be crazy! I mean, he’s already so good with her daughter, he’s got all of Miss Bank’s money, he’s royalty, and…” A stifled giggle broke the flow of the conversation, but only for a moment. “…the way he makes Sonata and Aria carry on, he must be a tiger in bed!”
“You’re terrible!” squealed the other maid. “But I know what you mean! Did you hear the way they were going at it last night?!” Another round of giggling ensued. “If I was braver, I’d ask them exactly what he’s doing so my boyfriend can do it to me!”
“Well, you might be able to ask Feather pretty soon.” Her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper then, and Tryout had to strain to hear what she said next. “I heard that for the last two nights, she and her husband have slept apart. And now she’s the prince’s ‘personal assistant’ too!”
“I bet the offer he made her came with a really ‘big package’ of benefits!”
The voices dissolved into laughter again, and that was all Tryout could take, turning and rushing away as fast as his wings could carry him. This time, it wasn’t his aching stones that sent a sick sense of nausea flowing through him. Rather, it was a horrible mixture of outrage, betrayal, and humiliation.
Now he knew what had gotten into Feather: Lex Legis.
All of a sudden that joke didn’t seem nearly as funny.
He thinks he can fool around with my wife?! seethed Tryout as he flew through the halls. He thinks he can be a dad to my little girl?! He thinks he can take my family away from me and get away with it?!
It didn’t matter that Lex Legis was some kind of hotshot wizard.
It didn’t matter that he was the richest guy in town.
It didn’t even matter that he was royalty.
Anypony who came between Tryout and his family was going down!
…just as soon as he found some ice.
*Sigh* Guess Tryout really needs to learn things the hard way though after being kicked hard enough in the groin for it to still hurt(a day later)...I do wonder what Feather could do to top that.
What?You think that Lex would bother settling someone else's marital dispute when he has his own issues? Or rather, Would Feather even dare trouble her employer with her personal issues.
Though given Tryout's brash attitude and hardheadedness, he'll be in Lex's face before Feather gets a chance to dissuade him and any explanation given to the contrary will likely be misconstrued as lies. Lex just keeps getting stuff piled onto his plate even without him needing to do so himself...at least it isn't as dire as some of the previous issues. Though given the upcoming meeting, Lex will be out of mercy if the outcome is...unsatisfactory.
Anyways, i got a good chuckle from Lex letting his libido override his judgment. Reminding us that he was a virgin until he met Sonata...and of course, a certain goddess' blessings.
>>New blueblood
Stratosphere
Stratosphere
STRATOSPHERE
Well she hasn't gelded him quite yet, but she'll probably be looking for a spoon to do it with soon if events continue as they are.
I mean it's not like he is a hero or anything dear tryout... In any case he will get demolished by Lex in any open combat and I dare say even more demolished by him in a battle of wits, that being said he could try to look and see if the problem lays within himself but I guess self centered people just can't do such.
I wonder if Tryout has ever played Rugby?
10632750 Unfortunately for Tryout, he seems to be looking at what happened as his wife going crazy for some inexplicable reason, rather than anything he did. As it stands, I seriously doubt that she'll appreciate him accusing her of cheating on him with her boss, particularly since she tried to do just that and Lex wasn't having it (a bit of self-control that he quite clearly doesn't give himself credit for in this chapter, since he didn't mention it when he was lambasting himself for being swayed by the Siren sisters).
As for what Lex will do if Tryout is dumb enough to confront him directly instead of talking to Feather Duster first (and since they're together, that might not matter anyway), I suspect it'll be bad. For Tryout, I mean. At this point the only thing he's got going for him is that his wife and daughter are important ponies to Lex, who clearly values them enough to not want to upset them by reducing their husband/father to a curse-riddled wreck. Of course, that likely only goes so far, and if Tryout ruins the loan negotiations, then I suspect all bets will be off...
10632908 Well, Tryout has wings, so that won't be quite the same as it would be for a unicorn.
10632978 And why a spoon? Because it's dull, you twit; it'll hurt more.
10633190 Tryout is one of those people who are self-absorbed without being self-aware. It's sort of like if you have Rainbow Dash, minus most of her good qualities. That might be overstating it a little, since we know Tryout thinks the world of his daughter and is faithful to his wife...even if he seems to think that entitles him to conjugal privileges with her regardless of her wishes on the matter.
10633323 I doubt the ponies even have that game, but if they did I'm sure he would.
10633679
Ah right, a humble maid's advances, especially a reluctant one is nothing compared to those of the Sirens and their wealth of experience...something tells me that Kara's blessing is helping him more than he realizes, especially to survive their nightly activities though it's a double edged sword if Lex's bedroom prowess is one of the pillars of the rumors surrounding him.
10633913
Heh, you mean it seems odd that someone who was a virgin until a few weeks ago could somehow drive two ladies with over a thousand years of sexual experience (since there's no way to plausibly suggest that a group of self-absorbed, hedonistically-inclined girls with eternally-young bodies and the ability to control the emotions of those around them would stay virgins themselves) absolutely wild?
Why yes. Yes it does.