Detailed below is a condensed/trimmed version of the full scene that was written for forthcoming Book 5 in my Legend of Ahya series. Some minor spoilers for some post book 4 world building, but nothing really of important note for the current plot of the book. Read at your own spoiler risk and enjoy!
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“What are you three up to?” Jake asked, approaching his wife and friend.
“Getting Ari laid.” Marle giggled, her hooves shaking with anticipation as she held onto the tree they were peeking around.
Jake sputtered a bit. “Excuse me, what?”
“We’re setting up Steven with Ari and hoping they hit it off.” Taylor explained, yanking him closer at his loud response.
“But getting laid?” Jake raised a brow. “You’re setting your brother up for some ass?” He jabbed a thumb towards Ari. “And with her no less? I thought you two were still kind of frosty?”
Taylor’s attention was distracted as she scowled at him. “It sounds horrible when you put it like that. Besides, we all know Ari’s always had a stick up her ass. Something like some fun could be just the thing she needs to lighten up!”
“So, you’re going to take that stick out of her ass and replace it with your brother’s?” Now he had Taylor’s undivided attention while Ahya continued to “keep watch.” “Can you please not ruin this for us? This has been something Steven has been wanting for a long time now.”
“I think we all knew that.” He thought about it a moment. “Well, maybe not Ari. She seems pretty dense on anything romantic, but is this was Steven truly wants? Are you okay with these two hooking up? You do recall all the things she’s done, right?”
“Of course I do.” Taylor sighed, rubbing a paw down her face in irritation. “I would rather it be anyone else, but I just want to see my brother’s happy, ok? If it makes Steven happy, then I’m going to at least give him a shot at finding it.”
“She’s a good sister.” Marle complimented, drawing a smile from the wolf and a naughty tongue movement from Ahya.
“How did you even set this all up anyway?”
Taylor seemed too focused to answer, so Marle turned her head to fill Jake in. “I heard it from Taylor who heard it from Sebastian who was told by Natalia that Ari was trying this new dating app service they just launched for reptiles only, now that the cell service has been launched in Talkar.”
“For reptiles only? Now we’re lying to Ari what Steven even is?” Jake gazed over with anxious concern for the skunk’s wellbeing.
Taylor shushed him. “No! For reptiles only seeking mammal partners. It’s a new thing now that mammals are coming into the country. It’s a… a…” She blushed a bit at the implications. “A kink dating app for two different types of people to find each other.”
“Oh… ¬oh...” Jake finally got it. Guess Ari still found mammals more appealing than her own kind since she grew up around them. “Who do you think fronted this up? This app, I mean.”
“The rabbits funded its entire foundation.” Marle divulged.
Jake rolled his eyes. “Of course we did…” A lot of new freedoms, a lot of new partners.
“We helped Steven link up with Ari on the app and they’ve been chatting for several weeks now. This is to be their meeting spot today!” Marle was giggling with glee.
“Linking up with her not as himself? You’re still ly-” Jake began.
“Now quiet. He’s making his move!” Taylor gripped Jake with Ahya and wrapped him around in front of her, placing her arms across his chest to ensure he wouldn’t move.
Steven shuffled nervously onto the bench and sat beside the still relaxed Ari. He was swinging his dangling legs beneath the seat nervously. They sat like this for a few minutes. Ari must have been truly sleeping if she did not hear or feel Steven clamber up onto that large bench.
“What are you doing?” Ari’s body posture did not move, but her face was turned down to the smaller skunk. He truly looked small by comparison.
“I’m just here enjoying the day in the park.” Jake could sense the groans from both Marle and Taylor. This apparently wasn’t the response rehearsed.
“That’s rich. There’s plenty of other places you could enjoy it at. Besides I know you…” She was snapping her fingers as if recalling. “You’re her brother…”
“Steven.” He offered helpfully.
“Right. Steven – the one who keeps getting in my way.”
“I’m glad you remembered my name at least!” He beamed. Taylor facepalmed.
“Well, I’m waiting on someone right now. I’d rather you not be here when he shows.” She attempted to calmly wave him off with her resting arm above him.
“I could help you wait for him.” Another collective groan from the ladies. Steven was bombing.
“Look, I’m trying to be nice here since you’re Taylor’s brother and I need to be on civil terms with her for the empire.” She almost spat out those last few words. This didn’t seem like an arrangement she was altogether happy with.
“Well, I can’t really leave just yet.” Steven could be seen visibly squirming from this distance. Why didn’t he just tell her already the truth?
This response caused Ari to shift her entire body towards him now, her entire posture more threatening. Wasn’t Taylor or Marle concerned for Steven’s safety? “What? What is it? Spit it out! Did Taylor send you to ask something of me? You can tell her I don’t-”
“I-I c-came here for you!” Steven finally managed to stutter out.
“What?”
“I came here to meet someone I met online… on my phone.”
Ari stared at him. “Bullshit… no way. ScaleLover231?”
“FlameLizard69?” He sheepishly responded.
“You’re the one I best matched with?” Ari was dumbfounded. If there was ever a time she seemed truly at a loss for words.
“I told him all the things she was into.” Taylor whispered into Jake’s ear.
“How the hell would you know any of that?” He asked.
“Through Natalia. She told me everything back before… well… I found out then. It seems during their time spent together in Talkar, they spoke of a lot of things together, not just Talkar politics.”
“Unbelievable.” Jake shook his head.
“I was hoping it was you. I didn’t know for sure, but I took a chance on the fact ‘flame’ was in your name.” Steven obviously lied, knowing what Jake knew now. This was a set-up of which Ari was the oblivious target.
“Is that why you’ve been creepily following and fawning over me whenever I happen to visit Natalia, your sister or anyone else in your family?” Ari seemed perturbed and disappointed at who the actual mammal was on the other end of that username.
“Oh… I guess that means you’re not interested in any of the things we wanted to do together on our date today?” Steven was crestfallen.
“I didn’t say that.” Ari was now looking around, surveying the park. “I just feel this will only complicate things further. Besides, I’m not the type of girl you want.”
“But you are!” Steven sprawled himself across her lap, gazing up lovingly into her roguish face. This broke off her search for spying eyes. “You are as beautiful as the day I first saw you. You took my breath away and I’ve not cared for another female since.”
“Despite everything my own family has done to yours, what my own father has done, you are willing to even pursue me?” She was incredulous. Her body language was now stiff and uncertain. This was a situation she was not trained or prepared for, and Taylor beside Jake seemed to be loving every second of this. She was suppressing a squeal. He could tell.
“I do not hold people accountable for what their other family members have done. I also believe people can change for the better, so I know you can too.” Steven was already much more comfortable snuggling up on her lap now that she had not violently reacted to his action.
“I don’t get you, Steven. You’re freakishly weird.” Ari finally lowered her hands to attempt to get Steven off her lap.
“Perhaps, but I’m as freakishly weird on the inside as you are on the outside!” He laughed at his joke.
There was an awkward moment of tension. Maybe they would have to surge in there to save Steven from his self-imposed death. Suddenly Ari began laughing, a clear unadulterated cry of jovial abandon. She couldn’t stop herself and continued to let it overtake her entire frame, shaking and crying from the outburst. Even Steven was uneasily chuckling with her after it had continued to drag on for a little too long.
“So, we doing weird stuff together or what?” He grinned at her.
“You’re short.”
“Lame excuse and you know it.”
“You’re a skunk.”
“You like musky guys and I know it.”
Ari’s laughter died as she picked him up off of her. She stood up abruptly as everyone behind the tree tensed. With one balled fist holding Steven up by the shirt, his nose inches from hers, she eyed him down. Steven’s tail was raised straight into the air, trembling madly. The situation could explode violently and not in any way that would smell nice.
“Not a word of this to Taylor or anyone else, got it?” Ari showcased all her crooked teeth to him in a threatening gesture.
Jake noted something sprang hard in Steven’s pants, but the skunk nodded vigorously in response. “Of course. Anything you want to do to me stays between us, FlameLizard69.”
“Shut up. You will call me Ariana when we’re alone. If you lay off your puns, we’re going to have a good time.” Ari hitched him unceremoniously over her shell as she marched down off the hill with purpose, her blossoming need dispelling any consideration for how odd it looked to others.
Steven did his best amidst the jostling to raise his head to look back at the three of them on the hill by the tree, giving a tentative thumbs up and a goofy smile. Jake was sure Steven was feeling a mix of both excitement and pure terror, but perhaps that was the way he liked it? Shaking off his thoughts of foreboding for those two, he turned to his mischievous wife and her co-conspirator.
“I hope you three are happy with yourselves.”
Taylor was hopping lightly on her feet in joy. “Yes, we are! That went better than expected!”
“Of course! Now Steven’s stick can be shoved up her ass instead!” Marle whooped, causing the rest to groan.
