Reborn as a Succubus: Time To Live My Best Life!-Chapter 41: The Prodigious Nim, Part Ten

{Melisa}

Melisa grinned.

"Well, I think we’ve got a pretty solid start here. Why don’t we go present this to the professor and see what he thinks?"

Armia hesitated, a thoughtful frown tugging at her lips.

She placed a hand on Melisa’s wrist, stopping her from getting up. Melisa froze.

[... Her hands are kinda big.]

"Actually... I think we should aim higher. This spell is nice, but imagine what we could create if we really put our minds to it. Something more powerful, more innovative."

Melisa tilted her head, considering Armia’s words.

"I mean, I could probably come up with something more advanced fairly quickly. It wouldn’t take too long to-"

"No," Armia interrupted. "I think we should take our time with this. Really delve into the intricacies of spell crafting, explore all the possibilities... What do you think?"

Suddenly, Melisa understood.

[Oh, she wants to work together on this,] Melisa held back a smirk.

Melisa smiled softly.

"You’re right. We shouldn’t rush this."

Armia visibly relaxed, the tension easing from her shoulders.

"Exactly. I’m glad you agree."

With that, Armia stood abruptly, gesturing for Melisa to follow.

"Come on, let’s get out of here."

Melisa blinked, surprised by the sudden change of topic.

"Oh, um... Can’t we just keep working here? Your room is very comfortable, and we have all our materials..."

Armia shook her head, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

"Trust me, if we stay cooped up in here much longer, my parents might start getting the wrong idea."

Melisa blinked.

"R-Right. Right, okay. Right."

Armia was already heading for the door.

Melisa hurried to keep up.

"We could go to the library," she suggested as they stepped out into the hallway. "It’s quiet, and there are plenty of resources we could use for research."

Armia paused, looking uncomfortable at the suggestion. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, her tail twitching behind her in agitation.

"Actually..." she began, her voice uncharacteristically hesitant. "I was wondering if... if maybe we could go to your place instead?"

Melisa’s eyes widened, taken aback by the request.

[She wants to go to my house???]

"My place? Are you sure?"

Armia nodded, meeting Melisa’s gaze with a determined look in her eyes.

"Yes. I think it would be good for us to work in a different environment. Somewhere more... neutral."

Melisa couldn’t help but feel that there was more to Armia’s decision than she was letting on.

But the fact that the proud darian was willing to step out of her comfort zone, to venture into Melisa’s tiny world...

She couldn’t be mad at that.

"Okay," Melisa agreed, a warm smile spreading across her face. "Let’s go to my house. I think you’ll like it there. It’s cozy, and my mom always has fresh cookies waiting."

"Later," Armia stated. "I... For now..." Armia cleared her throat. "I would like to do my own research on spell crafting for the night. Tomorrow," she finally stated. "Let’s head to your house tomorrow."

"Alright..." Melisa said slowly. "Tomorrow."

---

{Melistair}

Melistair wiped the sweat from his brow.

He wasn’t tired, he wasn’t shaken. In his mind, the only difference between the work he was doing now and the work he’d been doing 8 years ago was the damn sun.

That, and the fresh air.

The construction site buzzed endlessly. The rhythmic pounding of hammers against nails, the whirring of power tools, and the occasional shouts of workers communicating across the site made Melistair feel almost like he never left the caves.

Melistair moved through the organized chaos nimbly, his muscles straining as he carried heavy loads of lumber and steel from one location to another. He navigated the maze of scaffolding and half-constructed walls, dodging the occasional sparks from welding torches and the spray of concrete.

Around him, his coworkers chattered and laughed, their voices rising above the din. A few snippets of different conversations made their way to his ears.

"Did you see the game last night? The Sorcs really gave the Yetis a run for their money!"

"I told my wife I’d be home early tonight, but with the way this project is going, I’ll be lucky to make it back before midnight."

"Hey, watch where you’re swinging that beam! You nearly took my head off!"

Then, the booming voice of the site manager cut through the air.

"Alright, you lot! I want those foundation forms set by sundown, and no excuses! We’ve got a tight schedule to keep, and I won’t have any slackers on my site!"

Needing no further encouragement, Melistair pressed his "just work harder" button.

Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t help but notice the occasional dirty look thrown his way, and the "accidental" bumps from some of his human coworkers.

But Melistair refused to let it get to him. He had worked hard to earn his place here, and he knew his skills spoke for themselves. There was a reason he hadn’t been fired yet.

Plus, he had managed to make a couple of friends along the way, and that counted for something.

As the midday break whistled sounded, Melistair made his way to the designated rest area. One of his friends, another nim called Rax, was already there, lounging against a stack of lumber with a grin on his face.

"Hey, Mel!" he called out, waving Melistair over. "Quite the scorcher today, eh? My horns are sizzling!"

Melistair chuckled, settling down beside him.

"You can say that again. I feel like I’m melting out here."

"Don’t become a puddle just yet. You’re good for taking the weight off people’s backs... Literally."

"Glad to be of service, I guess," he smirked.

Rax nodded, taking a swig from his water canteen.

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"Listen, a few of us were thinking of grabbing a beer after work. You know, to cool off and unwind a bit. You in?"

Melistair hesitated for a moment.

He knew Margaret would be expecting him home for dinner, and he hated to disappoint her. But the thought of a cold drink and some friendly company was too tempting to pass up.

"Sure, why not?" he agreed, a smile spreading across his face. "I could definitely use a little relaxation after today. Feels like my arms are gonna fall off.

Rax clapped him on the shoulder, his grin widening.

"Great! Trust me, you’re going to love this place. It’s a nim-only spot. Run by some folks who freed themselves like a decade ago. Damn nice joint if I do say so myself."

Melistair’s curiosity was piqued. He had heard whispers of such establishments, hidden away from the prying eyes of the human authorities.

He was kind of looking forward to it.

The rest of the workday seemed to drag on, but finally, the final whistle blew.

Melistair and Rax made their way through the winding streets of Syux, the sun beginning to dip below the horizon.

They arrived at a nondescript door, set into the side of a weathered brick building.

Rax knocked three times, paused, and then knocked twice more. A small slot opened at eye level, and a pair of red eyes peered out.

"Password?" a gruff voice demanded.

"Embrace," Rax replied without hesitation.

The slot slid shut, and a moment later, the door swung open. Melistair stepped inside, his eyes widening at the sight before him.

The bar was dimly lit, with a warm, inviting atmosphere.

Nim of all shapes and sizes mingled together, laughing and chatting over frosty mugs of ale. The air hummed with the strongest sense of actual camaraderie Melistair had experienced in a while.

Rax led Melistair to the bar, where a burly nim with an impressive set of horns greeted them warmly.

"Rax, my man!" he boomed. "Good to see you. And who’s this you’ve brought with you?"

"This is Melistair," Rax introduced, clapping Melistair on the back. "Hard worker. Loyal friend. You’d sooner get a noble to suck your cock than you would squeeze a joke out of this stoic fool, but yeah, he’s cool."

Krom eyed Melistair appraisingly, then broke into a wide grin.

"Well, any friend of Rax is a friend of mine. Welcome to the Red Horn, Melistair. First round’s on the house!"

Krom slid two frothy mugs across the bar.

Melistair tried to lower his guard, something he usually only ever did at the end of the day, at Javir’s house.

Here, among his fellow nim, he wasn’t an outsider, he told himself.

He was just Melistair, a man trying to make his way in the world.

But as he took a sip of his ale, Melistair’s eyes caught a flicker of movement in one of the back rooms.

The door was slightly ajar, and he could have sworn he saw something odd-looking inside.

It looked...

[Was that a human?]

Curiosity tugged at him, but Melistair pushed it aside.

[Probably one of those abolitionists. One of the, like, 5 in the whole city.]

He was here to relax and enjoy himself, not go poking his nose where it didn’t belong.

For now, he turned back to Rax and Krom, losing himself in the flow of conversation and the warmth of the ale in his belly. For the first time in a long while, Melistair felt truly at ease.

And as the night wore on, he wondered if maybe he should come back every now and then.