The Simulacrum
~Chapter 161~ Part 3

My day at the base was drawing to its end, and it was a… Ugh. As much as I would've liked to say 'a remarkably hectic one', it really wasn't. It was pretty average, all things considered, which once again made me wonder just when my life would ever be normal again. I mean, as normal as it used to be before all the magic and prophecies and shounen battle harem shenanigans.

"Can I do it? Pretty please?"

I was just about to head to the teleport closet of the base (I kept using it out of habit) when I was intercepted by my girlfriend, literally latching onto me by holding my arm in a grip and giving me the upturned, puppy-dog gaze treatment.

"No, you can't." I tried to slip out of her grip, but her hands were firm like a pair of vices. "Princess? Please let go. You know I have places to be."

"But it worked! And he didn't explode!" she argued with an adorable (if currently slightly peevish) pout.

"Yet," I pointed out and gestured towards the door leading into the main hall. "It's why he's going to stay here under surveillance for the next couple of days."

My princess continued to pout with the intensity of a thousand exploding stars, but I remained steadfast and didn't budge at all. As I just said, Grand Elder Xinji didn't show any adverse reactions to the bloodline revivification procedure yet, but I wasn't going to gamble Elly's health (or worse) on it until we were one hundred thousand percent sure it was safe in the long term.

"But there shouldn't be any problems," she insisted. "Since we're related, doing it with gramps would be even safer, and if something goes wrong, you can just retcon it, right?"

"No." I stated sternly, drawing my proverbial line in the sand, "We're not going to rely on that. Ever."

That was something I couldn't compromise on. Not just because altering the Simulacrum like that was bloody dangerous, but because I wasn't supposed to draw the attention of the Emergents, and it was the one sure-fire way I knew would get them breathing down my neck. Not to mention, technically were already in the middle of a retcon, done by future-me-as-Bel, so how would that even work? A retcon in a retcon? Retconception?

"Uuu… But I really want to try it," Elly whined, and since she still wasn't letting go of me, and I was already running late, I decided to be a bit cheeky. I bent down with practised movements and reached under her knees. "Eeep!"

Before she could react, I lifted her up into a princess carry and she automatically grabbed onto the back of my neck. I flashed a smirk at her, and then walked into the teleport closet (again, just out of habit) and then Phased right home.

"Welcome back, Chief," Judy greeted me from the living room. She was wearing an apron and bunny slippers, and when she noticed the girl in my hands, she cocked her head to the side. "Hi, Elly. I didn't expect you."

"I-I didn't expect myself either!" Flustered, my draconic girlfriend kicked the air. "I wasn't planning to come over today!"

"Those who hold onto the Leonard must bear the unforeseen consequences," I stated sagely and let her down, at which point she poked my side with her pinkie finger. That probably sounded cute, but it was the princess we were talking about, and so it stung quite a bit.

"Ah! I have to call the chauffeur! I told him to pick me up at the base!" She fished out her phone from one of her pockets and started furiously swiping at it. "I also have to message Melinda and tell her that I'll be late!"

While she was busy with that, and I was still rubbing my side, Judy sidled over and automatically attached herself to my free arm like we were magnetically coupled.

"You have plans with Melinda?" she inquired with a hint of mischief in her voice (it was hard to pinpoint, but I swear, it was there), and Elly responded off the cuff without turning our way.

"Yes. We couldn't even message during our stay in Elysium, so I promised her that we would spend some time together today." She finally looked up and flashed a guileless smile. "I told her about this comedy we watched in the cinema the other week, and we're going to watch it together. I wonder if it's going to be as funny the second time around…"

"U-huh." Judy hummed along, and then innocently asked, "So it's a movie date?"

"Yes, it's a—" Elly caught herself at the last second and frowned at my other girlfriend. "No, it's not!"

"Good. Anti-harem countermeasures are in effect, so make sure it stays an outing."

"Yes, it's obviously a…" The princess's words trailed into silence, followed by a soft grunt. "Actually, we called dates that weren't explicitly 'dates' that, right? But then everyone who went on 'outings' ended up dating, so maybe we shouldn't use that term either."

"That only applies to people who have UST."

"Right! And we don't have that… trope thing with Melinda, so it's completely fine," Elly insisted, but my dear assistant was relentless.

"Are you sure? They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder, so be ever vigilant. Make sure that when you watch the movie in the dark theater, side by side, your kokoro won't suddenly go doki-doki."

Elly blinked repeatedly and ultimately let out a desperate whine.

"Leooo! Judy is bullying me with tropes I don't know about again!"

In response, I put my hand on Judy's noggin and forcefully rubbed it.

"Easy there, Dormouse. Don't tease her like that."

"Ah. I'm feeling conflicted," she said without her expression changing at all. "I'm being scolded, but getting a head pat is still making my kokoro go doki-doki."

"Translation! I still don't understand!"

I retracted my hand with a sigh and offered it to Elly.

"How about we just ignore all that, and I'll Phase you over so you can get there on time?"

"Oh, that would be nice." My ever-sunny draconic girlfriend turned on a dime and picked up her phone again. "In that case, I'll tell Melinda we should meet back home and then have a drink on the way there. There was this café we tried out once, you know the one, and I wanted to take Melinda there one of these days."

Judy tugged on my sleeve, gesturing me to lean over, and when I did, she whispered directly into my ear.

"I still think that sounds like a date."

"Cut it out, Dormouse." I poked her forehead for emphasis, but she was undeterred, so I switched tactics. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you also watch a movie with the princess a while ago?"

"That didn't count." For a few seconds, she tried her best to coyly bat her eyelids at me, but when it didn't work, she added, "My kokoro only goes doki-doki for you, so it's fine."

"The same goes for Elly, so it should be fine too," I countered, and she immediately clicked her tongue.

"Hoisted by my own petard. How humiliating."

Blissfully aware of our conversation, the princess finished texting and turned back to us.

"I told Melinda that I'll be home by eight. Is that fine?"

"Yeah, that works with our timetable," Judy responded in my stead and then glanced at the clock on the wall. "Actually, we're running a bit late. I need to get ready. Chief, can you check Neige and Tajana?"

"Sure."

With that, she let go of my arm and, after rising to her tiptoes and giving me a peck on my cheek, went upstairs, leaving me along with the princess.

"They're going with you too?"

"Snowy insisted," I told her with a verbal shrug. "It's Abyssal business, so she wanted to be a part of it, and Tajana's coming along as her new vassal."

"I'm still not entirely clear on the political structure of the Abyss," Elly admitted, sounding just a touch sheepish. "Does that mean that she's no longer working for that bastard?"

It was easy to figure out that she was talking about Crowy, but the answer was a bit more complicated.

"It's more like she's still the official spymaster of House Inanna, but she now backs Snowy as the legitimate head of the house. From Crowy's perspective, she's rebelling against him, but from Tajana's perspective, she's still loyal to the House, and opposing an illegitimate usurper. Or something. Honestly, this whole self-justification business is gobbledygook to me, but as long as Snowy vouches for her, she should be good."

"I hope so."

I waited a bit longer, to see if she had anything else to add, but then her phone buzzed (probably got a response from the chamber-maid), so used the opportunity to slip away and knock on the guest room's door.

"It's open!" came Snowy's surprisingly energetic response from inside, and when I poked my head in, I found her and the hapless spymaster, sitting cross-legged on the bed facing each other.

There were a whole lot of hand-written notes spread out between the two of them. I didn't have to guess their contents; I knew for a fact that they had been planning for today's meeting ever since we came back from Elysium, using Tajana's insider information, the Celestial Hub's intel, and the snippets I provided to analyse the currently ongoing Abyssal civil war and to try and predict the motivations and arrangements of the Ashur envoy we were about to meet.

"We should be heading out in a few minutes. Are you two ready?" I inquired out of a sense of formality, as the answer was clear as day.

Tajana was already wearing her gothic dress (which made her look really weird, sitting on the bed like that), and my sister was also dressed up, though in the other direction, so to speak. She opted for a pantsuit similar to Mountain Girl's usual attire, except in bright red, complete with a black shirt and a red business tie. Her usual twin tails were also gone, replaced by a low ponytail tied off just behind her neck, and while she was way too cute to pass for an effeminate boy, the whole ensemble was probably meant to do just that.

I was no mind reader, but if I had to guess, she most likely chose this attire on purpose, to distance herself from the usual Seducer imagery and look a bit more mature and businesslike. It was a valiant effort, but then again, she was still cute, and I was pretty sure there were a whole lot of people who were specifically attracted to this kind of not-quite-androgynous appearance, but I wasn't going to rain on her parade by pointing that out.

"Almost! Give us ten minutes!"

Snowy sounded unusually fired up, so I told them, "Okay. Come to the living room when you're ready."

My little sister clenched her fists, while Tajana only nodded, looking way more nervous than the younger girl. Since I delivered the message, I figured it was time for me to get ready as well, so I also headed upstairs. Judy was occupying the bathroom, so I walked into my bedroom and considered my options.

"Actually…" I whispered under my breath the moment I opened my wardrobe and beheld the black long coats lined up therein. "It's been a while since I last wore one of these, hasn't it?"

It was a rhetorical question if there ever was one. Feeling just a tad nostalgic, I picked up one, along with a pair of matching black jeans and a grey turtleneck sweater. Once I was done changing, I took a look at myself in the mirror and found my reflection satisfactory.

"Oooh?"

The princess let out a surprised gasp as soon as I walked down the stairs, and hopped around me to take a better look.

"This feels so nostalgic!"

"I know, right?" I blurted out, feeling vindicated.

"Right! It's just that…" She looked me over, and then suddenly snapped her finger. "I've got an idea! Don't go anywhere!"

I wasn't planning to, so I obediently waited for her as she skipped over to the entranceway and returned with a long grey scarf matching my sweater, with big fluffy fringe tassels. She wound it around my neck and then let out an impressed whistle.

"You're looking good!"

"Thanks."

I wanted to make a joke about how it was only fair I get to look nice every once in a while, with her and Judy being pretty all the time, but before I could figure out how to say it in a way that didn't sound too cheesy, another impressed hum drew my attention away.

"I'm suddenly feeling sentimental," Judy noted with just a hint of pink colouring her cheeks (though it could've been just the makeup) as she walked down the stairs.

"I just said that too!" Elly agreed wholeheartedly, but my attention was already fully grabbed by my dear assistant.

I presumed that she would dress up a bit for the occasion, but I didn't expect her to assemble a classic secretary outfit, complete with a knee-length black skirt, a white shirt, stockings, and she even put on high heels. Not stiletto heels (thank god; those are a danger to everyone involved), but they were still noticeable compared to her usual footwear choices.

"You're looking fine yourself," I noted with a hand on my chin. "Going for a no-nonsense female boss vibe?"

"That's the plan," she admitted and came to a stop next to me.

"Ah! Now I'm the only one who sticks out like a sore thumb…" Elly groused, clearly fishing for a compliment, and who was I to deny her one?

"Don't worry, princess. You're looking fine all the time, no matter the circumstances."

That put a goofy smile on her face, but then Judy unsubtly gestured at the clock, and so I stepped up to my draconic girlfriend and wrapped her up in my Phantom limbs. After some curt goodbyes, I Phased her home, where the usual limo was already waiting for her. Presumably with Melinda inside.

"Have fun," I told her and planted a peck on her forehead.

"Hehe. You… too?" she responded automatically, only realizing it wasn't quite the right thing to say under the circumstances. I didn't really mind though, and just gave her another kiss.

"I'll try."

With a smirk and a wink, I Phased back home, where Snowy and Tajana were also ready to move out. I stepped out of the teleport closet (yes, still a habit) and looked over everyone present.

"Ready to go?" I didn't do it on purpose, yet the honk of a car horn sounded outside just as I said that, so I added, "Our ride's here."

"Timing," Judy exclaimed(?) with fake enthusiasm, drawing a giggle out of Snowy and a confused look from Tajana.

Seeing that there were no objections, we all left the house and piled into the usual Constable LLC minivan, driven by by our Sir Minotaur in his slacks, like he was a college fratboy giving his friends a ride in his own car. Of course, I could've just Phased everyone over, but our destination was in the downtown area of Timaeus, without any convenient marks in the neighbourhood, so I decided to go with the mundane option for once.

The ride there was mostly uneventful, and it was almost dark by the time we arrived at the upscale restaurant in the heart of the city. We had sampled most of the establishments around these parts during our early dating spree with the girls, but this restaurant was one of the few that we never tried. Not because we missed it, but because it was one of those fancy-pants high-class restaurants, with dress codes, tiny portions, and a wine list that was longer than the rest of the menu.

Of course, I wasn't the one who chose this location. It was our 'envoy' who decided on the time and place, and from what I had gathered, conducting meetings like this in public was a common thing in the World of Mystics. It was probably just the trope being enforced; this was technically a clandestine meeting at a neutral location, and that was a staple of all kinds of political thrillers and spy stories. We had diplomatic figures and spymasters here, so I figured what we were doing was at least nominally adjacent to one or both of those genres.

"We have a table under 'Leonard S. Dunning'," I announced the moment we reached the counter, and the snooty-looking middle-aged placeholder, wearing a formal suit complete with white gloves and a bow tie, looked it up in a large book.

"Ah, yes. I see that you indeed have a reservation," he spoke in a nasal voice with a vaguely French accent, and he picked up a small silver bell. After ringing it twice, a young waitress came over and did a curtsy, which would've probably had more of an impact if I wasn't already used to such things. "The rest of your coterie arrived nine minutes ago. Please, follow the staff to your table."

"Got it."

My casual response earned me a sideways look from the man at the counter, but I didn't mind, and we followed the waitress to the back of the restaurant. The place was about as posh as expected; round tables standing on red a marble floor, with impeccably white tablecloths and silver tableware illuminated by giant hanging crystal chandeliers. It also had live music in the form of a flute quartet performing on the small stage in the corner, and again, I was made a bit uncomfortable by the realization that I was so used to this kind of opulence, party due to my various political positions and mainly because of my in-laws, that I found all of this borderline dull.

Or maybe these things were always boring, I mused as we reached our destination. There was no room for idle thoughts now, so I took a deep breath to focus my attention and levelled my gaze upon the people sitting at the table.

There were three of them in total, though I could quickly write off two of them. One was clearly just a bodyguard; he had the same kind of placeholder appearance and muscular build as one of our Squires, meaning he almost certainly wasn't our envoy.

I also knew that said envoy was a man, so the woman wearing a low-cut red dress, her shiny blonde hair arranged into an updo that wasn't quite a beehive yet was puffier than just a simple hair bun. She was busy refilling her wine glass, and combined with her somewhat vacant expression, I imagined she was also a placeholder.

Now, as for the thin man in the middle… Where do I even begin? By eye, I would've said he was in his late forties. His medium-length black hair was slicked back with gel, with a prominent hairless streak on the left side of his head. The result of an old scar, I reckoned. His face was neatly shaved, except for the pencil moustache over his upper lip, and he was wearing a dark grey striped suit with a matching fedora hat perched on the standing coat hanger behind him. His outfit was impeccable, and his dark eyes scanned each one of us one by one as we walked over.

Yep. Whoever this man was, he was definitely at least side character grade, which filled me with a mild sense of apprehension.

When our gazes met, his lips automatically bent into a thin-lipped smile that didn't touch his eyes and he gestured towards the empty chairs.

"Ah, the great Leonard Dunning. In the flesh." He had a sonorous baritone, with just a hint of an Italian accent, which was… odd, to say the least. Did Abyssals have accents? And if they did, why Italian?

Oh, wait. Stupid question. This guy was pretty much screaming 'I'm a fan of the prohibition-era mafia'. Whether that was by choice, or by the Simulacrum's arrangement, was an academic question I wasn't going to solve right now.

Meanwhile, his eyes landed on Snowy, and his lips parted even further.

"And the young heiress of House Inanna! It's been so long; I could hardly recognize you!"

Snowy remained stoic, but I could see that she was a bit uncomfortable, so to break up the situation I wordlessly pulled out a chair and sat down, drawing the man's attention back to me.

"Let's leave the pleasantries for later. I'm a busy man, and I imagine so are you." I linked my fingers on the table and continued in a low voice. "Let's talk business."

The man was taken aback for a moment, but then he smiled at me. This time, it was genuine and more than a little wolfish.

"A man after my own heart!" He let out a chuckle, followed by a long breath and considerably more serious, "Yes. Let's do just that."