Chapter 277: Makai – Celebrating Part 2
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~~
Makai
~~
The thirteen of us sat in the private room with Mr. Gray. Ocean, Ben, Ryan and myself were the ones that sat closest to our benefactor for this night. Right beside him was actually Ocean, who kept checking to make sure that he wasn't making a fool of himself. I assured him time and time again that he was fine and that he had nothing to worry about.
"So, Mr. Gray, I hope this isn't an intrusive question, but may I ask, uhm..-" I trailed off, not truly wanting to ask the question since I didn't want to upset him at all, but I was so damn curious that I couldn't help it either.
"You're wondering what I am?" He whispered back so that only Ocean, Ben, Ryan and me could hear him.
"Well, yeah." He turned to look at Ben and Ryan before looking back at me.
"I will admit that I am reluctant to answer that question in the present company."
"Oh, yeah, I can understand that. But, well, these two are like family to Ocean and I. Th..they know about us." I lowered my voice more as I leaned forward, making sure that no one else heard us.
"Is that so? And you two are capable of keeping that secret, are you?" He looked at them with serious eyes.
"Yes, Sir. We will never betray them." Ben nodded and answered for them.
"Hmm. So, what are they?" He asked them the question outright with no preamble. I thought for sure they were going to blow the secret for us and prove to Mr. Gray that they weren't trustworthy, and he was right to worry.
"They are our friends. They are our brothers. They are our best friends. They are the people we have to thank for being able to be together." I have to admit that Ryan shocked me with that response. I thought for sure he was going to tell him what species we were. I thought we were going to be doomed for a moment. "And they are the best damn swimmers in the world."
"Good answer." Mr. Gray grinned at him. "You are a good friend."
"I may be an idiot sometimes, but I am not stupid. I know what I need to do, and I know how to protect the people that I love."
"I could use someone like you in my industry. You're loyal, but you make people think that they don't have to be wary of you. That is a good skill to have."
"Uhm, thank you, I guess." Ryan didn't know how to accept that compliment, but he knew that the man was not mad at him, so all was good.
"Now, instead of telling you what I am, how about you try to guess it instead. Think of my company. Think of any characteristics that I might have had. I don't know how familiar you are with the shadow world, but think about things a little bit for me. I don't hide it as well as I should, so if you gave it some thought, you should get it." He laughed just before he took a bite of the food that was sitting before him.
"Well, the company name is Alpha Corp." Ocean was the first to start hashing it out. "And I thought that you looked a little feral or animal/like back at the venue."
"Alpha. Like the wolves?" Ryan asked with his head tilted to the side.
"Wait a minute, are you a-?" Ben didn't finish the question but just looked at the man as he grinned. It did look a little wolfish now that I thought about it.
"Let's just say, I once thought that my wife's perfect costume for Halloween should have been red." He winked at us as he confirmed it. I really couldn't believe it. The man sitting right there, so close to me, was a werewolf. That was not what I thought he was going to say. I mean, I had known that he was not from the sea, but I didn't think that he was going to be a wolf. I had never met a wolf before. I had never known anyone who had met one. Well, Dr. Malachi might have met one, he knew a lot of different types of people. But this was a first for me for sure.
"That is so cool." Ryan smiled at him. "I had figured out that other, uhm, things had to exist, but I never thought I would meet one. This is so cool."
"And this is such a secret." Mr. Gray gave us all a stern look. "The only reason I told you all is because you all know of this world anyway. And if you are going to work for me in the future, then you need to know about this anyway."
"I so wish that I could be part of your world." Ryan sighed in defeat.
"Oh shut up, Ariel." I snapped at him and we all started to laugh. Even Ryan laughed when he realized what it was that he had just said.
"There are ways, Ryan. There are options. Come see me again in the future if you still feel that way." I didn't expect that. I never, not in a million years, expect to hear anything like this in my life. However, I was happy. If it was something that Ben or Ryan wanted, then I would support them in that endeavor.
From there, we all talked to Mr. Gray, who had asked us to call him Reece. He told us about some places that he owned in California that Ocean and I might be interested in. We talked about plans and options for the future and what it was that we wanted to accomplish as time went on. Reece was a really nice guy and he didn't look down on us at all, even though he was nine years older than us, he treated us as equals. That was definitely refreshing and calming while we spent that time discussing things with him.
"Well, now that the meal is over, how about some celebratory dessert." Reece stood up and announced to the table. "You all may order whatever you like. And as much as you like. This is my treat to you as the winners of the tournament."
"Oh, wow."
"You're so awesome."
"Thank you so much."
"I was so looking forward to dessert."
"Yes! I am going to eat sweets until I burst."
"Time to get my sugar on."
"YUM! Give me that menu."
"Cakes! Cakes! Cakes!" Everyone, aside from me, Ocean, Ryan and Ben, were all celebrating. They were happy just to be treated this special. I was happy too, but I had been talking to the man for the last forty minutes, some of the excitement was settling already.
When the waiters came back, they basically had to bring about four of every type of dessert that they had. That was more than enough for the fourteen of us, but it was the way the ordering had happened. And for the next forty-five minutes, we all stuffed our faces with sweets. Even Reece was eating them. That was nice to see.
It was interesting, but a man like him, rich and successful as he was, was just a normal guy when you got to the heart of it all. I hoped that as I got older, no matter what I did in life, I was able to stay a normal man that just loved my mate. I wanted to be like Reece. I wanted to have his future. Well, part of it.
"Thank you, Mr. Gray." Coach thanked him after the food was all gone. "I couldn't have asked for a more exciting end to this experience. Thank you so much for being such a kind man and treating all of these kids."
"They deserved it. And you know what, Mr. Dickson, you deserve something as well. You have gotten these kids to train hard, you have put in that extra work, you are dedicated. I will be sending you a little something extra as well. So, be on the lookout for that soon." Reece grinned at him as he shook his hand.
"I couldn't possibly. That would be too much." Coach tried to refuse him but Reece wasn't having it.
"Your boys over here told me how you refused to take any of the credit for them getting this far. You're way too humble, Mr. Dickson. I think you need to just accept this. I am sending it regardless. Have a good night, all of you. And good luck with your future endeavors."
With that, he left us there in front of the restaurant. Coach was at a loss for words and had to be dragged back to the bus in a stupor. I was glad that we had met this man and that we had the chance to talk to him more, but I was even more glad that it was over and I was going to be alone with my Ocean soon. I wanted to celebrate alone with him.
The thirteen of us piled onto the bus and went back to the hotel. We were advised to just stay in for the night since it was so late and we had already had more than enough to eat. However, if anyone wanted anything else, they were allowed to order it in, I made sure of that.
We said our good nights, gave final congratulations to each other, and then went to our separate rooms.. It was time for me to have this special moment with my man.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
~~
Makai
~~
The thirteen of us sat in the private room with Mr. Gray. Ocean, Ben, Ryan and myself were the ones that sat closest to our benefactor for this night. Right beside him was actually Ocean, who kept checking to make sure that he wasn't making a fool of himself. I assured him time and time again that he was fine and that he had nothing to worry about.
"So, Mr. Gray, I hope this isn't an intrusive question, but may I ask, uhm..-" I trailed off, not truly wanting to ask the question since I didn't want to upset him at all, but I was so damn curious that I couldn't help it either.
"You're wondering what I am?" He whispered back so that only Ocean, Ben, Ryan and me could hear him.
"Well, yeah." He turned to look at Ben and Ryan before looking back at me.
"I will admit that I am reluctant to answer that question in the present company."
"Oh, yeah, I can understand that. But, well, these two are like family to Ocean and I. Th..they know about us." I lowered my voice more as I leaned forward, making sure that no one else heard us.
"Is that so? And you two are capable of keeping that secret, are you?" He looked at them with serious eyes.
"Yes, Sir. We will never betray them." Ben nodded and answered for them.
"Hmm. So, what are they?" He asked them the question outright with no preamble. I thought for sure they were going to blow the secret for us and prove to Mr. Gray that they weren't trustworthy, and he was right to worry.
"They are our friends. They are our brothers. They are our best friends. They are the people we have to thank for being able to be together." I have to admit that Ryan shocked me with that response. I thought for sure he was going to tell him what species we were. I thought we were going to be doomed for a moment. "And they are the best damn swimmers in the world."
"Good answer." Mr. Gray grinned at him. "You are a good friend."
"I may be an idiot sometimes, but I am not stupid. I know what I need to do, and I know how to protect the people that I love."
"I could use someone like you in my industry. You're loyal, but you make people think that they don't have to be wary of you. That is a good skill to have."
"Uhm, thank you, I guess." Ryan didn't know how to accept that compliment, but he knew that the man was not mad at him, so all was good.
"Now, instead of telling you what I am, how about you try to guess it instead. Think of my company. Think of any characteristics that I might have had. I don't know how familiar you are with the shadow world, but think about things a little bit for me. I don't hide it as well as I should, so if you gave it some thought, you should get it." He laughed just before he took a bite of the food that was sitting before him.
"Well, the company name is Alpha Corp." Ocean was the first to start hashing it out. "And I thought that you looked a little feral or animal/like back at the venue."
"Alpha. Like the wolves?" Ryan asked with his head tilted to the side.
"Wait a minute, are you a-?" Ben didn't finish the question but just looked at the man as he grinned. It did look a little wolfish now that I thought about it.
"Let's just say, I once thought that my wife's perfect costume for Halloween should have been red." He winked at us as he confirmed it. I really couldn't believe it. The man sitting right there, so close to me, was a werewolf. That was not what I thought he was going to say. I mean, I had known that he was not from the sea, but I didn't think that he was going to be a wolf. I had never met a wolf before. I had never known anyone who had met one. Well, Dr. Malachi might have met one, he knew a lot of different types of people. But this was a first for me for sure.
"That is so cool." Ryan smiled at him. "I had figured out that other, uhm, things had to exist, but I never thought I would meet one. This is so cool."
"And this is such a secret." Mr. Gray gave us all a stern look. "The only reason I told you all is because you all know of this world anyway. And if you are going to work for me in the future, then you need to know about this anyway."
"I so wish that I could be part of your world." Ryan sighed in defeat.
"Oh shut up, Ariel." I snapped at him and we all started to laugh. Even Ryan laughed when he realized what it was that he had just said.
"There are ways, Ryan. There are options. Come see me again in the future if you still feel that way." I didn't expect that. I never, not in a million years, expect to hear anything like this in my life. However, I was happy. If it was something that Ben or Ryan wanted, then I would support them in that endeavor.
From there, we all talked to Mr. Gray, who had asked us to call him Reece. He told us about some places that he owned in California that Ocean and I might be interested in. We talked about plans and options for the future and what it was that we wanted to accomplish as time went on. Reece was a really nice guy and he didn't look down on us at all, even though he was nine years older than us, he treated us as equals. That was definitely refreshing and calming while we spent that time discussing things with him.
"Well, now that the meal is over, how about some celebratory dessert." Reece stood up and announced to the table. "You all may order whatever you like. And as much as you like. This is my treat to you as the winners of the tournament."
"Oh, wow."
"You're so awesome."
"Thank you so much."
"I was so looking forward to dessert."
"Yes! I am going to eat sweets until I burst."
"Time to get my sugar on."
"YUM! Give me that menu."
"Cakes! Cakes! Cakes!" Everyone, aside from me, Ocean, Ryan and Ben, were all celebrating. They were happy just to be treated this special. I was happy too, but I had been talking to the man for the last forty minutes, some of the excitement was settling already.
When the waiters came back, they basically had to bring about four of every type of dessert that they had. That was more than enough for the fourteen of us, but it was the way the ordering had happened. And for the next forty-five minutes, we all stuffed our faces with sweets. Even Reece was eating them. That was nice to see.
It was interesting, but a man like him, rich and successful as he was, was just a normal guy when you got to the heart of it all. I hoped that as I got older, no matter what I did in life, I was able to stay a normal man that just loved my mate. I wanted to be like Reece. I wanted to have his future. Well, part of it.
"Thank you, Mr. Gray." Coach thanked him after the food was all gone. "I couldn't have asked for a more exciting end to this experience. Thank you so much for being such a kind man and treating all of these kids."
"They deserved it. And you know what, Mr. Dickson, you deserve something as well. You have gotten these kids to train hard, you have put in that extra work, you are dedicated. I will be sending you a little something extra as well. So, be on the lookout for that soon." Reece grinned at him as he shook his hand.
"I couldn't possibly. That would be too much." Coach tried to refuse him but Reece wasn't having it.
"Your boys over here told me how you refused to take any of the credit for them getting this far. You're way too humble, Mr. Dickson. I think you need to just accept this. I am sending it regardless. Have a good night, all of you. And good luck with your future endeavors."
With that, he left us there in front of the restaurant. Coach was at a loss for words and had to be dragged back to the bus in a stupor. I was glad that we had met this man and that we had the chance to talk to him more, but I was even more glad that it was over and I was going to be alone with my Ocean soon. I wanted to celebrate alone with him.
The thirteen of us piled onto the bus and went back to the hotel. We were advised to just stay in for the night since it was so late and we had already had more than enough to eat. However, if anyone wanted anything else, they were allowed to order it in, I made sure of that.
We said our good nights, gave final congratulations to each other, and then went to our separate rooms.. It was time for me to have this special moment with my man.
~~Makai~~The thirteen of us sat in the private room with Mr. Gray. Ocean, Ben, Ryan and myself were the ones that sat closest to our benefactor for this night. Right beside him was actually Ocean, who kept checking to make sure that he wasn't making a fool of himself. I assured him time and time again that he was fine and that he had nothing to worry about."So, Mr. Gray, I hope this isn't an intrusive question, but may I ask, uhm..-" I trailed off, not truly wanting to ask the question since I didn't want to upset him at all, but I was so damn curious that I couldn't help it either."You're wondering what I am?" He whispered back so that only Ocean, Ben, Ryan and me could hear him."Well, yeah." He turned to look at Ben and Ryan before looking back at me."I will admit that I am reluctant to answer that question in the present company.""Oh, yeah, I can understand that. But, well, these two are like family to Ocean and I. Th..they know about us." I lowered my voice more as I leaned forward, making sure that no one else heard us."Is that so? And you two are capable of keeping that secret, are you?" He looked at them with serious eyes."Yes, Sir. We will never betray them." Ben nodded and answered for them."Hmm. So, what are they?" He asked them the question outright with no preamble. I thought for sure they were going to blow the secret for us and prove to Mr. Gray that they weren't trustworthy, and he was right to worry."They are our friends. They are our brothers. They are our best friends. They are the people we have to thank for being able to be together." I have to admit that Ryan shocked me with that response. I thought for sure he was going to tell him what species we were. I thought we were going to be doomed for a moment. "And they are the best damn swimmers in the world.""Good answer." Mr. Gray grinned at him. "You are a good friend.""I may be an idiot sometimes, but I am not stupid. I know what I need to do, and I know how to protect the people that I love.""I could use someone like you in my industry. You're loyal, but you make people think that they don't have to be wary of you. That is a good skill to have.""Uhm, thank you, I guess." Ryan didn't know how to accept that compliment, but he knew that the man was not mad at him, so all was good."Now, instead of telling you what I am, how about you try to guess it instead. Think of my company. Think of any characteristics that I might have had. I don't know how familiar you are with the shadow world, but think about things a little bit for me. I don't hide it as well as I should, so if you gave it some thought, you should get it." He laughed just before he took a bite of the food that was sitting before him."Well, the company name is Alpha Corp." Ocean was the first to start hashing it out. "And I thought that you looked a little feral or animal/like back at the venue.""Alpha. Like the wolves?" Ryan asked with his head tilted to the side."Wait a minute, are you a-?" Ben didn't finish the question but just looked at the man as he grinned. It did look a little wolfish now that I thought about it."Let's just say, I once thought that my wife's perfect costume for Halloween should have been red." He winked at us as he confirmed it. I really couldn't believe it. The man sitting right there, so close to me, was a werewolf. That was not what I thought he was going to say. I mean, I had known that he was not from the sea, but I didn't think that he was going to be a wolf. I had never met a wolf before. I had never known anyone who had met one. Well, Dr. Malachi might have met one, he knew a lot of different types of people. But this was a first for me for sure. "That is so cool." Ryan smiled at him. "I had figured out that other, uhm, things had to exist, but I never thought I would meet one. This is so cool.""And this is such a secret." Mr. Gray gave us all a stern look. "The only reason I told you all is because you all know of this world anyway. And if you are going to work for me in the future, then you need to know about this anyway.""I so wish that I could be part of your world." Ryan sighed in defeat."Oh shut up, Ariel." I snapped at him and we all started to laugh. Even Ryan laughed when he realized what it was that he had just said."There are ways, Ryan. There are options. Come see me again in the future if you still feel that way." I didn't expect that. I never, not in a million years, expect to hear anything like this in my life. However, I was happy. If it was something that Ben or Ryan wanted, then I would support them in that endeavor.From there, we all talked to Mr. Gray, who had asked us to call him Reece. He told us about some places that he owned in California that Ocean and I might be interested in. We talked about plans and options for the future and what it was that we wanted to accomplish as time went on. Reece was a really nice guy and he didn't look down on us at all, even though he was nine years older than us, he treated us as equals. That was definitely refreshing and calming while we spent that time discussing things with him."Well, now that the meal is over, how about some celebratory dessert." Reece stood up and announced to the table. "You all may order whatever you like. And as much as you like. This is my treat to you as the winners of the tournament.""Oh, wow.""You're so awesome.""Thank you so much.""I was so looking forward to dessert.""Yes! I am going to eat sweets until I burst.""Time to get my sugar on.""YUM! Give me that menu.""Cakes! Cakes! Cakes!" Everyone, aside from me, Ocean, Ryan and Ben, were all celebrating. They were happy just to be treated this special. I was happy too, but I had been talking to the man for the last forty minutes, some of the excitement was settling already.When the waiters came back, they basically had to bring about four of every type of dessert that they had. That was more than enough for the fourteen of us, but it was the way the ordering had happened. And for the next forty-five minutes, we all stuffed our faces with sweets. Even Reece was eating them. That was nice to see.It was interesting, but a man like him, rich and successful as he was, was just a normal guy when you got to the heart of it all. I hoped that as I got older, no matter what I did in life, I was able to stay a normal man that just loved my mate. I wanted to be like Reece. I wanted to have his future. Well, part of it."Thank you, Mr. Gray." Coach thanked him after the food was all gone. "I couldn't have asked for a more exciting end to this experience. Thank you so much for being such a kind man and treating all of these kids.""They deserved it. And you know what, Mr. Dickson, you deserve something as well. You have gotten these kids to train hard, you have put in that extra work, you are dedicated. I will be sending you a little something extra as well. So, be on the lookout for that soon." Reece grinned at him as he shook his hand."I couldn't possibly. That would be too much." Coach tried to refuse him but Reece wasn't having it."Your boys over here told me how you refused to take any of the credit for them getting this far. You're way too humble, Mr. Dickson. I think you need to just accept this. I am sending it regardless. Have a good night, all of you. And good luck with your future endeavors."With that, he left us there in front of the restaurant. Coach was at a loss for words and had to be dragged back to the bus in a stupor. I was glad that we had met this man and that we had the chance to talk to him more, but I was even more glad that it was over and I was going to be alone with my Ocean soon. I wanted to celebrate alone with him.The thirteen of us piled onto the bus and went back to the hotel. We were advised to just stay in for the night since it was so late and we had already had more than enough to eat. However, if anyone wanted anything else, they were allowed to order it in, I made sure of that.We said our good nights, gave final congratulations to each other, and then went to our separate rooms.. It was time for me to have this special moment with my man.
