A few days later, Ringo was lying in bed with Eva after they had been having fun. Eva seemed happy, but Ringo could sense that something was wrong with her emotions these past few days.
Guilt, anxiety, fear, confusion...
Ringo waited for her to speak, but she didn't, so he decided to get straight to the point. -Eva, you know I can feel emotions, don't you?
Eva froze slightly, but still took a deep breath and tried to act normally. - Yes, why?
-I don't know what you're hiding that's making you so mentally exhausted, but it's starting to worry me, so can you tell me what it is?- Ringo went straight to the point, holding the woman's naked body.
He didn't think it would be anything like betrayal or anything like that, so he was calm, he just wanted to know what was bothering Eva.
Eva shifted slightly, remaining silent for a few minutes before letting out a tired sigh. -You... you've seen your mother recently?
Ringo was a little surprised that she involved Melissa, but he still spoke. -No, I'm busy with other things, why? Did something happen to her?
-No... it's just... well, you know I train with Li and Melissa also started training with him, so I'm closer to both of them and...- Eva's voice grew fainter the longer she spoke and Ringo was starting to get frustrated.
-Eva, what happened to my mother and Li?- he asked, confused.
-Well... I think they're... flirting.- Eva finally said and Ringo froze.
He hadn't expected it, nor had he even considered it. It wasn't that it was very obvious, but Ringo really couldn't imagine the centenarian man and his mother together. Is this the kind of relationship like a sparkling vampire has with a sad teenage girl?
-What?- He blurted out a silly question, expressing his disbelief.
Eva buried her face in his chest and pretended not to exist. Ringo felt a pang of relief inside her, probably because she had finally spoken, but the guilt intensified. So the guilt wasn't about Ringo, but about Melissa?
Ringo took a deep breath to calm himself.
-So you mean my mother and Li are sleeping together?- Ringo asked, pursing his lips.
If it were the Li from when he first arrived there, he wouldn't believe it, after all, the old man was on his deathbed. But now, after months of training with evolutionary energy, Li was close to reaching the strength of a Grade B Super and his life expectancy had increased, in addition to regaining his youthful appearance.
Not at his peak, but he looked like a 40-50 year old man with a strong physique and gray hair, about the same age as his mother.
So it wouldn't be so strange, but still... Ringo wanted to punch Li in the face.
Unfortunately, Ringo wouldn't do that, because he wasn't the type of son who would throw a tantrum because his mother started dating, even if that boyfriend was his centenarian master.
-I don't think it's gotten to that point yet, but... the way they move, look at each other, even the way they fight, as if they're provoking each other...- Eva explained, still hiding her head.
-I understand...- Ringo nodded and gently pushed Eva away as he stood up. -I'll talk to my mother.
Eva covered herself with the sheet, surprised and the guilt inside her intensified. She bit her lip, wanting to say something, but not wanting to hurt Ringo.
-Don't worry, I'm not that narrow-minded. If they like each other, I won't stop them.- Ringo said, smiling gently at her.
Eva let out a long sigh of relief, then asked. -What are you going to do then?
-Understand.- Ringo said, using his energy to cleanse the remnants of what they were doing. Then, putting on his clothes, he transformed into purple mist and vanished from the room.
Eva looked at the place he had come from, hoping that the situation wouldn't get too complicated.
She felt obligated to tell Ringo, after all he was her boyfriend, but she also didn't want to hurt Melissa, since she was practically a mother to her.
So Eva spent several days trying to decide what to do, if Ringo hadn't asked for it today, she might have kept it to herself.
Eva could only let out a deep sigh as she pulled the sheets over her head. -Nightmares are a drag!
//--//
Ringo appeared in Melissa's dream and saw the woman reading a newspaper in her office. As soon as he entered the dream, he stabilized, enough for Melissa to notice that something was wrong.
She stopped, lowered the newspaper and looked at Ringo thoughtfully, then glanced around before saying. -Is this a dream?
-Yes.- Ringo agreed.
Melissa put the newspaper aside and looked thoughtfully at Ringo. -Did something happen?
-Yes.- Ringo continued.
Melissa frowned and asked. -What is it?
Ringo didn't speak directly, looking at the woman, but soon sighed, running a hand through his hair. - Mom... you and Li...
Melissa froze, she literally froze in a worried position and blinked, blinked again, then leaned back in her chair with a more closed posture. - What's wrong with him?
Ringo could already sense the woman's panicked emotions, he shook his head. -Never mind, I just wanted to confirm that. From your reaction, I see I was right.
Melissa opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing.
The pair stared at each other in a hard silence, a little embarrassed, a little scared, and above all, incredibly awkward.
-I don't care.- Ringo finally said.
Melissa froze for a moment, but Ringo felt his panic lessen considerably, though now there was doubt.
-You don't mind?- She asked, between curiosity and relief.
-You have the right to love, I'm not going to act like a spoiled child who sees his mother remarrying.- Ringo shrugged.
Melissa was quiet for a few moments and then asked. -So why did you come here?
-Just to be sure and so that I'm not the reason you can't be happy, if you like him, go ahead. If he hurts you, I'll kill him.- Ringo promised, patting his chest.
Melissa gave a little laugh that was more irritated and mocking than anything else. - I can handle this, thank you.
Ringo smiled, then spoke. -Well, I'll let you go back to your... newspaper.
Melissa blushed slightly, coughed lightly and watched Ringo disappear in a purple mist.
Ringo didn't stop, but visited Li's dream, the man was sitting in the middle of a grassy plain, meditating.
As soon as Ringo arrived, he opened his eyes. - So you found out.
Ringo raised an eyebrow. Li wasn't surprised that he appeared in his dream, nor did he ask why he came, but spoke directly, as if he had expected him.
He didn't even need to stabilize the dream, Li seemed to be having a lucid dream and since he was meditating in the dream, Ringo judged that he had honed his mind to the point where he could even control his dreams.
That surprised him, but that's not why he came here today.
-You were expecting me?- Ringo asked, surprised.
-Yes, your mother, like many other women, couldn't resist my heroic charm!- Li said with all the arrogance and pride in his being.
Ringo could feel the man's tremendous pride, it was so heavy that it was second only to the hatred the Germinal Leader had for him. For a moment, he wanted to punch that bastard.
Ringo took a deep breath and felt that talking to Li would only make him angry, so he said. -Take care of her. If you betray her, I'll kill you. If you make her cry, I'll kill you.
It wasn't a threat, it was a promise, a consequence, he would keep his word. Melissa was incredibly tough, if Melissa got to the point of crying, it was because Li had truly broken her. At that point, Ringo would kill him without a doubt.
Li became serious. -Don't worry, I'll take care of her. There aren't many women like your mother, boy. She's exactly my type. She reminds me of my first wife... ah, when...
Ringo's lips trembled and he quickly fled from the dream, he didn't want to hear Li recounting his romantic misfortunes.
Li smiled, watching the purple smoke Ringo left behind, shook his head, closed his eyes and went back to meditating. As for Ringo's "threat"? He hadn't taken it seriously, not out of indifference, but because he didn't intend to harm Melissa in the first place, he truly liked her.