I walked down the street with Cici at my side, her arms wrapped around my left arm, and people stepping around us as we went. There were actually quite a few people walking around, and strangely enough, when we would come upon people walking in the opposite direction, they would take one look at me, and step aside.
"Am I really that scary?" I muttered as we made our way down the street.
"You have a domineering presence, my love. Your aura has been leaking in small amounts since earlier." She told me, making me pause and think about that.
I guess I was still a bit irritated from earlier. That and I was both nervous and worried about my mom. I really did miss her as it turns out. I breathed in and out slowly, and focused on calming my racing thoughts. I looked down at Cici, and that prompted her to look up at me in turn. The smile she gave me in that moment was like a soothing balm to every part of my body, and I felt all tension leave me.
"Better?" She asked me, and then squeezed my arm a bit tighter.
"Yeah... a lot better. I love you, you know that?" I told her, causing her to rub her face against my arm.
"And I love you." She said, making me smile as we continued walking.
We were a little over halfway there, and as we walked, we observed those around us. Men, women, and children all meandered around the town. Suddenly, Cici tugged on my arm.
"Honey, what is that?" She asked me, and then pointed towards a small family sitting on a bench.
I looked over at them, and when I saw what she was talking about, I couldn't help but give off a small smile. A man, a woman, and a little girl were all sittinf with each other. The woman was holding the man's hand while the little girl happily sat in the man's lap, and all of them were licking at ice cream cones. I looked around for a couple of seconds before I saw the open window ice cream shop, and my decision came easier than most things in my life.
"Come on. We have some time still." I said, leading her over to the shop.
We waited in line for a few minutes until the people ahead off us got their orders. Once we got to the front of the line, a younger woman on the other side of the window smiled at us.
"Welcome! What can I get you?" I asked, and I looked down at Cici.
"What kind of flavors do you like?" I asked, and she just looked perplexed as her eyes darted between me and the younger woman.
"I... uh... don't know..." She muttered.
I myself am pretty basic when it comes to ice cream, and I usually just get a vanilla cone. With that thought in mind, I decided just to get two vanillas, as you really couldn't go wrong with that flavor. I'd really have to show her more about Earth in terms of food, snacks, and desserts. Hell, I'd have to show her a lot more than that, but that would have to wait for a while. It probably wouldn't be soon, as once we got my mother and convinced her to leave with us, I'd be taking her back home immediately.
"Here you are. I hope you two have a lovely day." The woman said, handing us two soft serves.
We both thanked the woman as I paid her and took our cones. I gave one to Cici, which she took almost reverently from my hand. I grabbed her other hand and led her away, and brought her over to a small bench. I sat down, and she sat down next to me, her body pressing into mine. She looked at the ice cream cone for moment, and then took one experimental lick. Her eyes then widened like an anime character's would as her licks turned into her using her tongue to scoop globs of it into her mouth. That... reminded me of other lewd actions she had done for me, but I wasn't going to mention those right now.
"It's so good!" Cici gushed as she kept licking away.
I smiled as I began devouring mine as well. Not having ice cream for a while, I ate mine with gusto, as it was pretty damn good. The crunching noises next to me told me that she had gotten to the cone itself, and she ate it like it was going out of style. I got to my cone and finished it in only a few bites. She was still busy on hers, and when I looked down at her, I couldn't help but laugh at the small glob of ice cream stuck to her nose. I plucked it off with my thumb, and Cici's cheeks turned red as I brought it to my mouth, and licked it clean.
"Tastes even better that way. How was yours?" I asked, and she smiled, although her cheeks were still a cute pink.
"It's really good. I've never had anything like it before. My world doesn't have anything like this." She admitted, and I grinned as I thought about that.
I wondered what things, if anything, I could bring back to Nagalise and introduce to the village. There wasn't much they particularly needed, but in terms of nice things like foods and desserts, as well as other niceties, it was an interesting thought. I wondered if I could get a TV to work over there. I don't think I'd have access to Netflix or Crunchyroll or anything like that, but if I could watch DVDs, or play a video game or two, that would be kinda nice.
"I'm really glad you liked it." I said, watching with a smile as she took the last bite of her cone with a cute little crunch, her small pointed canines looking quite adorable as the chomped down.
Once she was done, she leaned against my side, and we watched the world around us for a little while. I felt bad, delaying my mother for even longer, but sometimes this kinda thing was needed. To just sit back, and enjoy time spent with those precious to you. We watched in amusement as a little boy cried to his parents that he wanted a toy from a toy shop on the street, only for his mother to sigh, grab his hand, and bring him inside.
"It does sound nice, you know," Cici said, and I turned to look at her as she watched the retreating mom and son with smile, "Having little ones to love, and dote on."
I brought my attention back to the crowds around us, seeing multiple families together. I saw a man with his daughter on his shoulders, laughing as she pulled on his hair, and pointed in different directions, laughing as he followed the girl's directions. Meanwhile, the woman with them, the mother I assume, was giggling the whole time as she took a video with her phone. Just that single interaction had my heart feeling all squishy, and I pulled Cici into my side.
"I think we should. Maybe not for a bit, but... I'd like to start a real family with you." I said, and my words caused Cici to sniffle.
I looked down at her, seeing a couple of small tears leaking from her eyes, but her smile was radiant. She pushed her face into my chest, and rubbed herself into me. I started running my hand through her hair, which caused small soft purrs to come from her throat.
"I'd like that to, darling." She said, before leaning up to kiss my lips.
We enjoyed each other's presence for a time, before we eventually stood. I took Cici's hand in mine, and she tightened her grip, intent on never letting me go.
"Are you ready?" I asked, and Cici nodded as she leaned into my arm.
"Yes. Lets go to your mother." She replied, her words making me smile.
So, with that being said, we headed off towards my old home. Determination was burning in my heart. Despite everything I felt, and everything that has happened, my mom needed me, and I once again felt like garbage for enjoying myself while she was most likely suffering in some way. It was almost like a drug, finally being happy, having a woman like Cici, and not being in constant agony. I got so used to it, and was so caught up in it, that I was neglecting the other things that mattered to me.
"And here I am enjoying ice cream while you're still stuck there." I chided myself as I hastened our stride, "I'm coming, mom."