The Innkeeper

Chapter 1431  We should avoid getting involved

Lex had long been disillusioned to his own reality. He knew he wasn't exactly a good guy based on the traditional definition of things. Although he tried to avoid killing people, the number of beings who had died by his hand was so immense that he actually had no idea what the number was.

At the same time, he usually took a bit of pleasure in making his enemies feel hopeless. In watching them build up hope after almost peeling away defenses, only to realize that his body was, in every metric, much stronger than the actual armor that he wore.

But such things were reserved only for his enemies. Lex did his best to stay polite and amicable towards people on an ordinary basis, and though he had goaded the panther a bit into revealing details about the glass containers they arrived in, the way that Lex saw it, the bank owed him that much after getting him involved in some random confrontation.

So, in essence, Lex was usually a good guy, and if he ever needed to be bad or mean, he tried to reserve it for his enemies. But what was happening in front of him was a level of torture Lex could neither have imagined being orchestrated by one of his companions.

He looked over to Velma, and saw her smirking.

"Why would you do that?" he asked in a whisper, his mind racing back to the scene he had just witnessed.

Bagheera had come running in, relieved to see that his date was alone. He wore a relieved smile, but that froze quick enough when the Sunset Tiger asked him a question.

"Why do you have the scent of another woman on you, Baghee? And why… is that woman upstairs, with your scent on her?"

Lex felt his literal hair standup on his body as he realized that the poor panther had fallen into a trap. Unfortunately, the rest of the conversation was blocked by the sound isolation formation that suddenly turned on.

"It's for his own good," Velma explained. "He really likes her, but he is too shy and conservative. She also likes him, but is proud and bold. If he cannot publicly acknowledge their relationship, it will be doomed. Or if he does not do some grand gesture to show her he really cares, she will eventually let him go.

"Compared to that, this is a simple misunderstanding that can be cleared up with a simple explanation. But making her think that other women want her man will make her feel proud of her choice, and more protective of him. On the other hand, clearly explaining the situation and handling it well will force Bagheera to acknowledge his feelings for her. Their relationship will only be stronger after this."

Lex looked at her oddly.

"I'm sure there was a better way of doing this. Poor fellow, he had to go through so much suffering."

Velma shrugged.

"You're probably right. But sometimes, it's easier to push people along than convince them logically of those very same things that will benefit them. Anyway, I'll try not to do this again. I was just testing out the limits of my powers this time."

"You know, there's a famous saying back on my planet. With great power, comes great opportunities to do some mischief. But just don't get carried away - sometimes, when you're having too much fun, it's easy to get pushed in over your head."

Velma looked at Lex oddly, but didn't say anything.

"Nothing, I just have a feeling that your version of the saying is incorrect."

Lex shook his head, and then turned to look back down.

"They're about to open the isolation formation," he said, just as the tiger stepped out, looking extremely proud. Behind her, Bagheera was using his tail to dab his forehead with a magical handkerchief that could endlessly absorb sweat.

"I wonder what they said," Lex mused. "I can see why you find this interesting. I take back what I said. You should do this more often."

Velma looked at him, and after a few moments, asked him a simple question.

"Hey Lex, who's Giselle?"

Lex coughed, almost spilling the drink in his hand, and turned back to Velma.

"On second thought, I think it's best you don't interfere with people anymore."

"It seems there's another development," Gerard said, interrupting the two.

When they looked down, they saw that the pair was about to exit, when another Sunset Tiger walked into the cafe, and seemed to recognize Bagheera's paramour.

"Was this a part of your calculations too?" Lex asked, but Velma only shook her head.

"I'm not omniscient. How could I have guessed that they'll run into a situation like this?"

The trio looked on with great interest as the new tiger heavily flirted with Bagheera's love interest, right in front of him.

Oddly enough, she did not shun his advances, though she did not accept them either. She just stood there silently, observing how Bagheera reacted.

"Oh dear, it looks like there's going to be a scene," Gerard said, as he stood up and fixed his tie.

"We should really avoid getting involved in unnecessary problems," Lex lamented, even though he also stood up and began to stretch.

The reason those two stood up was because Velma had already made her way downstairs.

"Oh Bagheera, is this the charming lady for whom you ordered the Ambrosia Sunrise?" she said, pulling out the bottle of fermented elixir and showing it to the group.

Bagheera looked panicked, while the tigress seemed surprised at the fact that Bagheera had actually prepared a surprise for her! A Sunrise elixir for a Sunset Tiger? How romantic!

"Buddy, you better step up soon or you're going to lose your lady," Lex covertly sent a spiritual sense message to Bagheera, prompting him to realize that the situation was getting out of hand.

"Lady Vivian, you brought out the elixir too early," Bagheera said. "My surprise is not complete. But since the surprise has already been revealed, we might as well enjoy it."

Bagheera took the bottle, giving Velma a grateful look, and then walked up to her, ignoring the fuming tiger standing right beside him.

Yet before he could say anything, the angry tiger lunged forward.

"You perverted panther! How dare you turn your lascivious eyes towards the Sunset Tigers!"