Erich did not know how to answer this question. Until now, he had always thought of Tia as an adorable sidekick, little more than a computer program that was incapable of feeling emotions. However, all of a sudden she dropped a bombshell on him, which revealed not only was she sentient, but she was also developing feelings for him. Because of this, Erich had to come up with a bullshit excuse, and thus, he responded to Tia's question with a deflection.
"Of course I love you Tia, you are like the little sister I never had..."
While Erich did, in fact, have several little sisters, he was never close with any of them, and never considered them to be family members. However, by obscuring the definition of love, to include family, he was successfully able to appease Tia, and while avoiding the question of romance. Or so he thought, but Tia appeared slightly glum when she heard this. As her expression turned downcast, and she began to look at her feet.
"Okay... Tia understands...."
Frankly, Erich did not know how to deal with this situation that was so suddenly sprung on him. After all, he was already dealing with a rollercoaster of emotions after what happened the night before, and hence, he could not handle another confession of love.
Even though Erich felt bad for Tia, he simply had too many women in his life already. Many of which he had only just recently begun to truly love and accept in his mended heart. With so many irons in the fire, he did not currently have the time to pursue a relationship with an artificial intelligence which had only recently developed Sentience.
Of course, Erich had no idea that his response had only further added to Tia's resolve, and had caused her to dedicate a certain amount of her processing power into developing a plan towards gaining Erich's love. But nothing would manifest of this scheme for quite some time. Thus, Erich returned his focus to the strategic meeting.
---
A total of three days passed, during which Erich spent his days contributing to the strategic conference. While at night he spent his time in Lunaria's bedchambers, within hers, and her daughter's loving arms.
By the time the fourth day arrived, Erich was well and truly rested. As a result, he and the Germanic Host returned to the borders of their Empire via the warp gate. Once they were safely secluded from prying eyes, Emrys took Erich aside and spoke to him with a stern tone in his voice.
"Erich, this war with the proxies of the Svartalfheim Federation will determine our place in the galaxy for many years to come. As the vanguard in this conflict, our role is more important than any of our allies. You are now a full-fledged WRAITH. And will be assigned to your previous unit. Where you will deploy in advance of our main forces.
I am giving you two weeks of leave to spend with your family, and then you and the other WRAITHs are being shipped off to the disputed worlds. Where you will perform reconnaissance, while securing the landing zones for our drop ships. If you perform admirably in this conflict, then a promotion will be in order. Good luck. I look forward to seeing your results."
With this said, Erich saluted Emrys before heading back to his home. Where he was once more greeted by his wife Erika, and his fiancee Ayumi. Both of which appeared to be in a good mood.
"Erich, you're back! How did the conference go?"
Naturally everything that Erich spoke about while on Alfheim was completely and utterly classified, thus all he could really say was that things went well. Which he did while wearing a gentle smile on his face.
"It was fine, a little boring, but nothing truly eventful happened while I was away. How are you and the baby?"
Erika smiled and nodded her head when she heard that nothing had happened to Erich while he was away. Though she did not know much about his adventures, she could tell that the universe had a way of putting the man in a difficult situation. Thus, she was especially cheerful when she heard that the conference was boring for her husband.
"That is good to hear! Well, Kurt is currently sleeping. And I prefer we keep it that way. How about we go get something to eat? Are you hungry? Ayumi and I found a wonderful restaurant, with some really exotic cuisine!"
Exotic cuisine? It wasn't every day that Erich had such a thing, and thus he smiled and nodded his head in agreement with his wife's suggestion. However, there were a few things he needed to do first, and thus, he made that clear.
"Alright? Just give me a chance to get changed. I really don't want to have to wear this freaking uniform any more than I already have. I will meet you girls in the garage when I am finished getting ready."
Ayumi and Erika looked at their husband as if he were an idiot. Obviously, they weren't prepared for such a lunch date. And if Erich was going to get ready, then they would do so with him. Thus, rather than voicing this, they grabbed hold of Erich's hand and dragged him into the master bathroom, where the trio showered together before grooming themselves. Once they were properly prepared, they dressed in some nice clothing before heading out the door.
---
Once inside the restaurant, Erich was surprised by the atmosphere. The interior of the building was similar in a way to the architecture and fashion that he had witnessed while in Oni Space, and yet it was distinctively different in some way.
Nor did he understand what any of the dishes were. Luckily for him, it was a buffet, and thus he was able to pick and choose a variety of food and taste test what he liked. After the trio arrived at their booth, with their food, Erich was quick to inquire about what kind of food this was, and where it originated.
"The food definitely appears to be exotic, but where is it from? Like what world? It is definitely similar to what I had while in the Great Oni Empire, but still very different."
Even Ayumi was interested in the origins of this food, and thus it was Erika who educated both her husband and her rival in love, just where this food came from.
"Believe it or not, this food has its origins on Earth. There was a civilization that existed prior to our exodus, which was called China. Evidently the family which runs this restaurant learned how to cook their cuisine and brought it over with them to the Empire.
I have no idea what happened to China after our ancestors left Earth behind. Perhaps they followed our lead and left the Earth behind, or maybe they were assimilated into the Confederacy. But at the very least, we have them to thank for this great food."
Erich was surprised to hear that a bit of Earth's history had survived in the Empire. Especially considering how the Germanic people treated their homeworld, and humanity as a whole. But then, again, Teutonia was a largely tourist world, and it was not too surprising that they had some exotic restaurants.
Nevertheless, Erich found himself enjoying the Chinese food very much and had ten plates of the stuff before he was fully satisfied. Eventually he paid the bill, and returned home with his wife and fiancee, where they would spend the next two weeks, enjoying themselves to the best of their ability.
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