Hug Your Destiny [NSFW] - Explicit / Kink (Trans Protag)

[The_Letter_K]

I didn't pull myself together until the morning, and I was still kind of dazed after that. Amy excused herself to go on her morning run, and let me get my bearings. She'd claimed I'd been very cuddly sleeper last night, and I believed it. I got a nice, warm feeling just looking at her. Collapsing into a puddle wasn't that different from sleeping, it was very restful, and I found the latter much easier if I'd done the former first.

I had other things to focus on this morning, though.

"There," Charlotte said, "My name, your saddle."

Blackberry danced back and forth on her hooves, turning in a circle as she did. She spent a lot of her time here in the main room, and I felt a little guilty that it was difficult for her to enter the other rooms in the house. Her earnest glee at the signature seemed to only serve to unnerve Charlotte more.

"Lyle, Lyle, look!" I looked. "She signed my saddle! A real Hero!" She had. "This is the best day ever!"

…I felt irrationally jealous. "Really? The best one? You can't think of anything better?"

Her eyes widened. "No no no, I mean, it's a best day ever, not the best day ever, sorry Lyle."

I let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Good, I was worried I'd lost the first and second spots. Our marriage is really important to me, and I put a lot of work into that date to make it absolutely perfect."

She blushed and squeed, and I realized I was watching Charlotte for a reaction, waiting for her to realize I was still Blackberry's best day ever, that she was mine, not hers, and then I realized how dumb that was.

"So what are we waiting on now?" Charlotte was being a bit crabby.

Well, a bit crabbier than I wanted to excuse, even considering her situation. I'd told her I'd take her out to get some supplies, whatever she wanted within reason. I'd mostly intended to help her get comfortable while she stayed with us, but she'd asked to buy a spear and shield, and I'd agreed, to her surprise. She'd asked for camping supplies; we'd be getting those too. I hoped she wouldn't use them in the end, but I'd rather she got home safely than getting caught by an Amazon or something on the way to the border, winding up part of some insular tribe, and then we never heard from her again.

But that wouldn't happen. We'd convince her. I'd convince her. I needed to get a chance to talk to Samael. She's the one who knows the most about Charlotte these days, and she'd probably be a lot more honest.

"Faust asked us to wait. She has something that's going to help keep things calm out there, even with you walking around, and I think that's worth waiting for."

She looked irritated, crossing her arms and leaning back against the wall. Kind of petulant for a big Hero, but I did need to remember that this was basically the only outlet she had in what must be a very frightening situation, from her perspective.

"I'm supposed to protect you, right?" She looked at me, frowning, and I continued, "Shouldn't you be more pleased I'm taking that seriously?"

She nodded, slowly. "I'm not sure I trust her to follow through on your behalf, though."

That wasn't unfair. Faust comes on pretty strongly.

"Sally wouldn't hurt us, Charlotte, she loves us." Blackberry had accepted Charlotte into our 'herd' rather quickly, and seemed to be taking a liking to Samael as well. I'd have to work hard to make sure she didn't suffer for that.

"I'll ask Faust when she comes out." I said, "She wouldn't lie to me."

It didn't look like Charlotte shared the faith I had, but it was a moot point, Faust was walking out of her room now. I'd asked her for her help, much like I had with Blackberry's date. I was confident in my ability to convince the others here at home not to mistreat Charlotte, but walking unguarded through the bustling streets? I didn't want to know what would happen if I failed to uphold my end of the bargain, and it only took one desperate Mamono to cross that line.

If Charlotte were a man, I'm not sure it would have even been possible, frankly. Most monsters are only passingly interested in adding human women into their ranks, but an unattached man, even escorted by another Mamono? Well, I wasn't sure there wouldn't be at least one in the crowd who'd consider that an invitation to try to seduce him 'properly'.

Faust hadn't let me down with Blackberry, and as I'd just explained to Charlotte, I was confident she had a solution for this, too.

…That is, I had been.

"Behold!" she said, "I present to you the ingenious solution to all of your problems."

It didn't look ingenious.

"Sally, that's just a bundle of dirty cloth." I said.

Faust glared at me. "This is no mere 'dirty cloth', Lyle. Think you me a simple seamstress?"

I opened my mouth, but she held up her finger, her tail swaying menacingly behind her, sharp spines on display. I let her finish.

"Indeed, though this may seem useless at first, it is in fact the same type of magical cloth many Mummies make use of to hide their sensitive skin from casual touch." She seemed quite smug. "I intend to inflict myself with the Mummy's pleasure curse quite soon, and these same strips of cloth will serve me well when I do. Until then, however, they make for a stunningly simple disguise."

"Will that work?" I asked, "I… really can't risk breaching the contract."

I didn't want to know what would happen if I did. Just the idea of it was somehow incredibly foreboding, setting my body at high alert.

She moved up closer to me, placing her hand on my shoulder. "Lyle, my love, you must know I would never risk your safety? I assure you, this will succeed."

"If you say so, Faust." I tried not to make it obvious how much even this simple touch made me want her. Poor Charlotte didn't need to see that.

Yet.

She smiled up at me. "It is true that this would be unlikely to work with any regular human woman, but Charlotte, while wearing that collar, quite by design does not set off the 'purity' instincts that Mamono possess, even if her human energies are not hidden, per se. Surrounded by yourself, Beepatrice, and Blackberry, and disguised as a Mamono famous for disliking casual touch from strangers, this will work. The most important thing is confidence. Believe she is Mamono, and they will too."

I turned to Charlotte, "Well? Does that satisfy you? I think I'm convinced."

"I'll need to remove my clothes for this?" Charlotte asked, her tone flat.

Faust's smile turned devilish. "Indeed, and entirely so. Mummies do not bother with even the skimpiest of underthings. The touch of mundane fabric on such naturally sensitive areas would be akin to torture."

"Absolutely not." Charlotte said, crossing her arms.

Faust huffed, like a child who'd been denied a new toy. "Come now Charlotte, where is your vaunted bravery? It is no cursed gift, as agreed. Truthfully, I think you shall find no better armor than this against Mamono, after all, their sole magical property is the reduction of pleasure. You would be wise to take these with you, should you escape. There is no more effective countermeasure against Eromancy than these. Or… is it that you prefer your dignity to your virginity? I can certainly oblige you in that case."

"Faust…" I said, warningly.

She looked at me, eyes aflutter. "Lyle dear, I am merely offering. If she accepts of her own free will, there is hardly a need to protect her."

My eyes narrowed. "Sally."

She hung her head. "Oh very well. Go then, and have your prude parade you… you… you killjoy. Gallivant across town with nary a sensual sway to your step. What foolishness. I will remain here. I have an appointment with an Owl Mage to see about gathering her lost feathers for my projects."

She looked back up. "Before I forget, Lyle, how do you feel about mono-eyed Mamono?"

Non-sequitur, but okay. "I've never really thought about it. Why?"

"I've been considering perhaps, the eye of a Gazer, to replace my own. A large amount of real estate, yes, but they're quite powerf-"

"Faust, your eyes are gorgeous. Please don't remove them. I love them." I said, hardly even pausing to think.

"You love-?" She began to blush. "Such a bother you are. Whatever am I to do? Very well, Lyle, to satisfy your silliness, I will acquiesce. Perhaps there is another ocular typing that I can mimic with arcane means instead…?"

The last part was said as she wandered off into her room, the Mummy wrappings still in her hands.

"Beeps, can you…?" I gestured vaguely, and she nodded, following after Faust. If I went into her room while she was in a 'Science Mood', one thing would lead to another and it'd be a few hours before I'd remember I'd wanted to leave.

"Do you need any help getting changed?" Blackberry asked, "I used to help my sisters all the time, and-"

"No, thank you." Charlotte replied curtly, stalking towards her room, catching the wrappings as Beeps tossed them her way. "I'll be out shortly."

"Oh." Blackberry said, forlornly. "Okay."

I put my hand on her back.

"Don't take it personally, Blackberry." I said. "She's just scared."

"I know, that's why I want to be there for her." She said, in response. "…I don't know what to do, Lyle."

"She'll come around, heart of my heart."

Blackberry perked up a little, she loved the cute nicknames.

But I was less certain, inside.

 

[The_Letter_K]

Charlotte seemed largely uncomfortable in her tightly wound 'clothes', but she'd wrapped them mostly the way I might have expected a Mamono to do so, rather than a human, so credit where it's due. Being extraordinarily well-muscled, she didn't have traditional curves per se, but the tight, thin wrapping definitely accentuated both what little she did have, as well as those same muscles, and rather fetchingly so. It wasn't showy exactly, although there was a little effort to show off her chest to the open air, but since it was practically skin tight, it didn't need to be any more revealing than it already was.

She likely could have gotten away with looser wraps, but I noted her joints seemed largely exposed, maybe one layer each at most, and I thought that maybe she knew more about how to move her body than I did, so I really had no complaints.

Charlotte, for her part, while I doubted she trusted us exactly, seemed to be much more focused on the crowd than Beeps, Blackberry, or myself, so she at least seemed to have accepted we weren't actively out to get her, if only because of the contract. On that note, the disguise largely seemed to be working, with Beeps staying within arm's reach of her for safety's sake, but most of the rest of the crowd being polite enough to give the 'Mummy' some space, as Faust had suggested they would.

…Or maybe it was because of whatever the heck was happening with Blackberry.

The market was Blackberry's element; in a way I'd never seen anyone in their element before. Maybe Faust, when she was doing her thing, but that hardly counted. Her frankly ludicrously large body effortlessly flowed around pedestrians, and even riding in her saddle, my feet never clipped anyone once. More than that though, was the sheer ease with which she seemed to have garnered a relationship with the street vendors and shopkeeps. Not only did they all know her by name, but she seemed to know them all as well, and even recognized and greeted some of their regulars as we passed their shops by.

It was when one of them apprised her of a sale on the other end of the street, one that one of their competitors was running, that I knew I was out of my league.

"Hey, Jemima! How's your Husband?" she asked one, a Harpy, who seemed to have painted or dyed her feathers an assortment of colors.

Jemima just grinned. "He's still asleep, poor thing. Wore him out last night."

Blackberry squealed, the noise startling Charlotte as she watched the interplay. Watching someone be afraid of Blackberry in any context was a little comical, but I tried to be sympathetic.

"You two are just so cute together!" Blackberry said, "Oh! Jemmie! This is my Husband, Lyle. He turned into a lady, but we're still in love, so it's okay!"

Jemima, to her credit, took that in stride, as my heart fluttered and I blushed a little, waving. Blackberry still loved me. I knew that, but hearing it said, and so proudly, so casually, was a balm on so many little worries.

"Hi, Lyle, I've heard a lot about you. Is it true you were a sheriff?" 'Jemmie' asked, almost at a whisper, and hand hiding her mouth, as though the answer was deeply fascinating, and sharing it later would win her points.

Um… How many of my personal details are the talk of the town, exactly?

"Uh, yeah. For a few years. Gave it up for love."

That answer only brightened her smile. "I'm glad to hear that! Love is a crazy thing, huh?"

"Too right," I said, without thinking. Or perhaps, thinking of Faust?

She turned back to Blackberry. "So, what are you looking for today?"

"We need camping supplies," Blackberry replied.

Wait a minute…

She continued, "They have to be really tough, but…" she glanced at Charlotte, "cute too? They should keep you safe and warm, but make you feel warm and safe. Like… a nice hug that pulls you away from a scary fall."

I'm not out shopping with Blackberry… she's out shopping with me! I was admittedly used to this sort of thing from Beeps, but even she seemed content to take a backseat here, mostly focusing on Charlotte, and the distance between her and the crowd. She had a small smile on her face whenever she glanced Blackberry's way, though. She seemed to be taking this whole 'adoption' thing pretty seriously.

"A nice hug, huh…?" Jemima said, "I have something like that, I think." She went down what looked like a trapdoor in a frame, just laid down on the ground, and she called back up through the opening. "Yep! Hold on!"

She emerged from the trapdoor holding a collapsed tent. It was neon pink. "It's waterproof, thermal, and snaps up in three easy steps. That's what I call a tent."

"I love it!" Blackberry said.

Charlotte and I shared a look, before she looked away, somewhat grumpily. Neon pink wasn't exactly known for its stealth capabilities.

…Still, it was kinda cute. "Is it lined with fur inside?" I asked, "That's really cool."

"Yes it is! It keeps you all warm and snuggly, while you get… warm and snuggly~" she said, sing-song, as her eyebrows bounced up and down.

I felt Blackberry shiver and I suddenly knew what our next date-night would be like. I'd have to remember where this stall was.

We thanked Jemima, and were on our way with the new tent, having forked over some vouchers to cover the cost.

"We'll get you something to hide yourself from prying eyes, too, Charlotte. I know the color isn't ideal for that, but worst come to worst, Faust can give you a deployable stealth magic thingy." Or maybe one of those trapdoors. If they worked like the doors in my home, and it looked like they did, I didn't know why anyone sold tents at all. You could carry your house on your back if you wanted.

I guess that's not very romantic, though. There's a point where having everything as conveniently as possible starts to actually get in the way, which is something I'd have said was impossible only a few weeks ago.

Things progressed along that vein for a while, as we mopped up the various things one might need on a camping trip, from silverware to veggies, to bedding and firewood. It was quicker than I'd have managed even despite the delays to talk to everyone, because Blackberry knew exactly where she was going.

However, as we crossed into a section of the city I was reasonably certain I'd never seen before, Beepatrice came to a sudden halt, her robotic frame suddenly indistinguishable from a statue, due to her unnatural stillness.

"Beeps?" I asked, "What is it?"

Her eyes were narrowed, her head slightly tilted, and her gears began spinning at speed without warning. She looked confused, and almost angry. Given how little her face usually expressed, that made me… quite nervous. Charlotte too, was watching her carefully, and Blackberry was shuffling on her hooves as Beeps stayed silent for a moment more.

"…Signal." She finally said, pointing out into the see of shops, stalls, and stores.

"SOS." She said. I didn't know what an 'essohess' was, but it had her agitated, so I didn't like it.

"Do you want to go look?" She nodded.

"Please. …Familiar."

Alright then.

"Charlotte, hop up." I said, patting Blackberry's saddle as I slid down.

She gave me a look like she couldn't believe I was ordering her around, but I didn't have time for this.

"Let's go." Blackberry shuffled over to Charlotte and nudged her. "Beeps?"

She took off running.

So did I.​

 

[The_Letter_K]

Beeps' pace was something to behold, but more novel to me was that it was something I could behold. I was sure she was holding back for my sake, and for Blackberry's, but Blackberry was probably going all out, at least as much as she could in a town like this, and I had to work not to outpace her, and I was never in danger of losing sight of Beeps.

Of course, she had a very showy way of running, making her easy to spot, leaping and flipping over obstacles with only a casual touch or brush against them, never slowing down, whereas I had to dodge a cart or pedestrian here or there, but even though I threw myself off balance a few times, and splattered myself flat against the ground in a puddle, I never really lost momentum either, and simply sprung right back up going basically exactly as fast. It was weird, but handy.

By the time Blackberry came galloping through, everyone had already cleared her a path. It's difficult to miss that much woman moving that fast, making that much noise, especially when that noise includes things like; "Oh no, sorry!", "Please excuse me!" and "Hi Caroline, I'm in a hurry, bye!"

Either way, Morningwood, being laid out like a wagon wheel, wasn't hard to traverse from one end to the other, even if it could take a while to do. We'd been roughly two-thirds of the way down to the edge of the town, and so it wasn't long before Beeps came to a stop at a door set into a wall, much like many of the others, with a simple sign over top.

It read; 'Don't pass, buy!'

Several people ran out as I approached, and I heard crashing sounds coming from inside. I cautiously entered the doorway, taking care in case something or someone came flying out of it at me, but I seemed to have gotten lucky there, at least.

The store looked like it had been a curio shop, and probably technically still was, although it was more of a curious mess, at this point. Beeps had torn through it at a record pace, upending everything in a frantic search for something.

"Ma'am?" A Cyclops with short black hair, and a cute nose piercing, was standing behind Beeps, trying to get her attention. Presumably, she was the owner, and she was using a tone I'd had to use myself before. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"No."

Always straight to the heart of it, eh, Beeps?

"I'm sorry to bother you," I said, and the woman noticed me for the first time.

She seemed… upset.

"Is this thing yours?" She gestured to Beeps, who was currently face-first in a pile of detritus with her legs in the air. She was all but swimming through the haphazard pile of… stuff.

"She is, yes." I didn't like her tone.

"She's tearing up my store!" Oh.

"…She is, yes." There wasn't much else I could really say to that.

"I'm here!" Blackberry said, as she slowed to a stop, bracing herself against the doorframe to bleed off the last bit of speed with a soft 'thud', and peeking through the doorway. I could very barely see Charlotte over her shoulder.

Beeps, meanwhile, hopped over the counter, and started climbing the stairs back behind them up out of view.

"Hey, that's my house, you can't-!" the Cyclops started to say, and she moved towards the counter.

However, I heard from above a muffled; "Success," and a few moments later, Beeps was coming back down the steps, holding a large, custom-made hammer, with an odd, cube-shaped striking surface made from something like brass. It looked like the hammer had been built around it, bizarrely.

"Hey, that's mine! My mother gave it to me! Who do you think you-" The Cyclops took a step forward, and Beeps shot her without even looking at her, the poor woman hitting the floor and falling into a deep sleep, while Beeps' stride continued unabated back towards me.

Uh…

She held it out to me, expectantly.

"Um… good job?" I said, more than a little confused.

"Friend," she said, pushing the hammer towards me a little more.

"You're friends with a hammer?" I asked, still a little stunned.

She cocked her head to the side. "…Essentially."

Maybe she liked her tools a little too much?

Charlotte piped in; "What's happening in there? I can't see anything but this stupid pun on this stupid sign!"

"Oops, sorry." Blackberry backed up a little so Charlotte could shove her head in.

She spent a moment taking everything in. It was a huge mess. "Is that monster alright?" She finally asked, solemnly, as she slid out of the saddle, and walked in through the door.

"I don't know. She did seem a little distraught," I said. It was sweet that she was worried.

As she crossed towards the sleeping Cyclops, I took the hammer from Beeps, and gestured to the store.

"You made a mess." I said.

She hung her head, in lieu of an answer.

"Clean up and fix what you can, I'll get the rest before we go." If I was looking forward to the chance to eat all these different kinds of wood chips a little too much, well, who would know?

I turned back to Charlotte as Beeps got to work at speed.

She was crouched over the woman, looking down with an intense expression on her face. Her hand was hovering over the body, indecisively.

I walked over and crouched with her.

"The whole one-eye thing is kinda cool up close, huh?" I might be able to do that myself, probably. I could make eyes basically everywhere else.

She looked at me with disgust. "She looks like she's still breathing. How hard did Beeps hit her?"

What? "She didn't?" I said, confused, "She shot her with one of her energy bullets. Sends you right to sleep. She might have got a little knocked around when she hit the floor, I guess, but she ought to be hardier than that."

Charlotte's eyes widened, and she stood, blushing. "O-oh. I thought… well, it doesn't matter. Everything seems to be fine, then." She walked back out of the building and climbed back up on Blackberry, making an effort to look every which way but back in here.

Which left me in charge of Beeps' 'friend'.

I walked over towards the doorway, getting out of the way of the reconstruction going on, leaning against the wall next to Blackberry.

"Is Momma really friends with that hammer, Lyle?" She asked, as I settled in.

I shrugged. "She seems to think so. The Cyclops disagreed, and look where that got her." I'd have to do something about all of that later, but now wasn't the time. She'd be asleep for a few hours, at least.

"Can I see it?" I didn't see why not. I lifted the hammer up to closer to Blackberry's eye-level.

"Hmm…" She said, and she made her imitation of Faust's 'thinking' face, complete with the signature Blackberry twist, the tongue stuck slightly out, to the side.

"Hello!" she said, briefly startling me. "Beeps is my Momma! If you're really friends with her, do you want to be friends with me too?"

I had just enough time to start chuckling to myself about how cute and earnest that was, when the bronze part of the hammer flashed blue, several times, revealing intricate grids of light running all across the cube like veins, invisible when they weren't shining.

I nearly dropped it in shock, awkwardly lifting it as I was.

Even Charlotte was back to looking at us, and she looked as surprised as I felt.

"Lyle, do you think that's a yes? I don't know a lot about talking hammers."

I didn't know for sure, either, but I did know one thing.

Blue lights on bronze was awfully familiar.

I replied, "I'm not sure this is a hammer at all."

 

[The_Letter_K]

The one thing about Beeps, if I had to complain, is that when she needs to explain something complicated that only she understands, she… struggles. When she presents me with a weird-looking hammer, says "friend", and leaves me to puzzle everything else out, that leaves a lot to infer. I don't think it's her fault, she does a lot with what she can do, but it can be frustrating in situations like this, especially since I've gotten so used to relying on her.

Akubra wasn't really helping to clear things up.

She'd been waiting in the living room when we returned. Beeps had left quickly, going into her closet, and metallic tinkering sounds could be heard echoing from within. Blackberry had gone back to her room as well, she'd had a pretty big day, and I didn't begrudge her that, but that left me with Charlotte and Akubra by myself.

"Mmm," Akubra said, staring intently at the hammer, "Mhmmm…"

I'd set the odd instrument down on the center table, inside our circle of couches and comfy chairs, and I was seated across from Akubra at the moment, as she slowly circled the table.

Charlotte, who was seated in a chair she'd pulled back some distance away from the low coffee table, was watching Akubra with a sort of alarm. It's one thing to sign up for Mamono roommates, but Wonderlanders are something else entirely.

"What is she…" Charlotte started to say.

I interrupted, "No idea."

Akubra had a variety of metallic tools and magnifying glasses all arranged around the hammer, and she would prod it for a time before switching to a new tool.

She made odd sounds as she moved around the table in a slow circle, forcing me to pull my legs up now and then to let her pass.

She was wearing her usual bizarre style of formal wear, something that stuck out amongst Mamono, and rather strikingly so. It was a sort of suit, like a nobleman might wear, a pale blueish green with large, darker green diamond patterns sewn in here and there. However, the suitcoat was long, far longer than seemed practical, and the shoulders were rather boxy, almost like they were stuffed. A small wooden tabletop was set atop each one, and whatever was set on them, often a cup of tea, seemed to stick, ignoring gravity. She also wore a white, puffy shirt with a deep green neckerchief, a dark green vest, and matching slacks that were well fitted, but not beyond decency.

The buttons across her outfit were mushroom-like, red and white, generally, but a few other varieties as well. Notably, golden ones appeared to serve as cuff-links. Her hat was widely brimmed, and with a sort of upward curl to it, and it had a leathery looking braided strap around the base that made it seem oddly almost rugged in comparison to her clothing, although the color matched precisely. It seemed almost too large for her head, but that was likely because it was actually a mushroom of some kind, or at least, the cap of one. I wasn't clear exactly if Akubra herself was made of mushroom, merely hosted them, or what exactly that was all about. It seemed rude to ask, and the answer would likely hurt my head in any case. I knew they infrequently dotted her skin underneath her clothes, but she didn't seem bothered by them, if anything she liked when they were touched.

All in all, there was nothing especially sexual about her appearance at all. Her clothes were well-fitted, but merely accented her form, which was sort of willowy, but otherwise average, at least by Mamono standards. Her appeal lay more in her laissez-faire outlook and casually refined grace, rather than flaunting her body, and getting in your face. She let you get comfortable with her 'perfectly reasonable' atmosphere, but her seemingly blatant madness seeped into your world more and more the longer you went along with her flow.

I'd initially felt confused by her, even a little hostile towards her, but my opinion had changed pretty drastically after she essentially saved my life. Whatever she was about, she clearly cared for us. Faust had looked into it, speaking with Twinkle Star, and apparently Akubra had been living here since the day the home was built in Sally's honor, in preparation to host her when she finally gave up on humanity and took on her role as a Founder. That had been damn near when Morningwood was first… well, founded, and Akubra, who'd earned a boon through some small service, asked to be allowed to upkeep the place, though it had only just been completed. She'd built her hat shop where it still stood today only shortly after, though at the time it had been far outside the city. She was in a prime spot on a main avenue now, though, and somehow I thought it wasn't coincidence.

In her own way, she was pretty well respected around town. While she wasn't a founder, she was one of the second-wave artists, some of the earliest citizens of Morningwood, and apparently she had a larger role in the community, though people seemed to enjoy playing coy about it. It had something to do with a second store that she ran, besides her hat shop, but that was all I'd been able to pin down so far, while on my walks with Amy, or when browsing the market. I hadn't had a chance to make a concerted effort yet.

It felt weird, having to run an investigation on a housemate, and on top of that, a woman I'd slept with, but investigations were familiar ground, leaning back on my life as a Sheriff, and well… I wouldn't get anywhere just asking her, even if she gave me her most straightforward answer, I'd only wind up with a headache. …Plus, I used to investigate Sally all the time, and while we were neither living together nor sleeping together at the time, that was all basically formality. Those two things were literally all that our marriage had changed between us, so this was basically kinda romantic, I guess?

"Who is she?" Charlotte asked, shaking me out of my musings.

"Uh, Akubra." I said, awkwardly. "She's kind of hard to explain, but she means well. She lives here with us, and I think we're married, by Mamono standards anyway, but she's sort of a free spirit. I'm working on figuring it out."

"Uh huh. How many women is that, anyway, Lyle?" Charlotte asked, somewhat derisively.

"Sh-shut up. It was Faust's idea." I said, crossing my arms, and looking away from her. I didn't mean to become a depraved harem sex wife. It just worked out that way.

Akubra's pacing had brought her in front of me again, but she bent at the waist, placing her hands on the coffee table at an odd angle, probably lining her face up with one of the magnifying glasses. I put my legs back down, one on either side, since she didn't seem like she was moving, and tried not to stare at her butt too much. I had to behave for Charlotte.

"Did we get everything you wanted?" I asked Charlotte, to distract myself, "We kinda got caught up in something at the end there."

"I still need a spear and a shield," she said, grumpily.

Oops. Probably the most important items, from her view.

"Ah… Sorry," I said. "I'll have Faust get a weapon smith over here, we'll get you some custom made, as an apology."

She looked briefly surprised by that, and opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted.

"Finished," Akubra said, and she sat down, forcing her hips right between my legs. She leaned back, squirming her back against my chest, and her butt right into my… um.

"Comfy?" I asked, wryly, and a little embarrassed.

"Yes." She replied, "You make for exquisitely pleasurable furniture, Lyle."

It took me a second to parse that, but as soon as I did I blushed so hard I was afraid my face was going to catch fire. I instinctively wrapped myself around her a little, doing my best to support her.

Somebody was finally sitting on me!

My voice cracked, filled with emotion, surprisingly watery, as I said; "R-really? You mean it?"

"Of course," she said, tenderly. "I've never felt so ergonomically satisfied."

That was both the weirdest thing I'd ever heard someone say, as well as possibly the most emotionally fulfilling.

I let out an embarrassingly throaty moan.

"U-use me m-m-m-more, p-please…" I said, involuntarily.

"Oookay, that's enough for me." Charlotte said, and I whipped my head towards her, mortified that I'd gotten so swept up in front of her, as she stalked away towards her room.

"I'm sorry!" I cried after her, "I didn't mean to!"

She waved me off as she closed the door with a thud. I heard the lock slide closed shortly after.

"Shit." I said. "I'd been doing so well."

"Something wrong, Lyle?" Akubra asked. I wasn't sure whether she'd done that on purpose or not.

"Well, it's just…" I fumbled, increasingly aware of her again.

"I was hoping you'd be willing to let me take a bath in you, but if you aren't up for it, we can delay?" Akubra said, her tone as airy as ever.

"W-what?"

"I'm more of a shower person generally, it's been some time since I last had a chance to sink into a tub and get absolutely soaking wet."

Gulp.

 

[The_Letter_K]

It was with some surprise and a little discomfort I realized I'd never actually seen the inside of our bathroom. That sounded bad, but by the time we'd arrived in Morningwood, I'd already changed enough that I didn't really digest anymore, so I actually wasn't sure where our toilets were, or if we had them at all. The first night in our new home, I was too tired to do much but head straight to sleep, and I woke up the next morning in Faust's body. Immediately after that, I lost Beeps to Faust, which had been really distracting, and I wound up telling stories to Amy and Blackberry into the night to keep my mind off of it. That was the same night when my clothes arrived, so I never needed to bathe again after that following morning.

That I had good reason to have missed out didn't remove that weirdly grungy feeling, but it was completely imaginary. If I got any dirt on me, I just sort of ate it. I was probably the cleanest surface for miles. Did I need water, maybe? Or maybe something else… Something to worry about later.

As I stepped into the bathroom, rather than whatever I might have expected, I was greeted by something more like a lake, captured and put inside a house. Maybe 'pond' was a better word? 'Bath' definitely wasn't, not in my view, anyway. It was cut into the floor, with what looked like large rocks, or small boulders, shaved, carved, and set into the floor itself, making a sort of rough lake bottom, as well as providing a sort of natural feeling edge to lean against while you were in the water. The shape of the pond was a kind of triangle, sort of like a bisected diamond, with the largest edge back flush against the wall. The floor was covered in a sort of pleasantly squishy moss. No need to wash it, I guess.

The water was crystal clear, but steam danced across the surface, and briefly I wondered about the temperature of my own body. When I touched other people, we seemed to be roughly the same, heat-wise. …Was this something I'd not be able to replicate? The best part of bathing, in my mind, was sinking into nearly boiling water. If I couldn't even do that much, what use was I as a bath? I felt my body burble angrily. I didn't want to be inferior to bathwater! My fists clenched, and I turned my head away.

There was an enormous mirror along that entire wall, and it showed the opposite wall within, revealing several enclosed alcoves walled with dark, ornate wood, one for a few toilets, another for a group shower, what looked like two or three private rooms with much smaller tubs, and a few sinks on the wall right next to me, where the door was.

I couldn't avoid seeing that enormous body of water in the reflection, though.

Ugh. It wasn't worth worrying about, I probably wouldn't be able to fill something like that up, anyway. …That was actually worse! Now I'd not only lost to simple bathwater once, but doubly so! I couldn't stand it!

I stormed back out of the bathroom, heading to Faust's room. Akubra was getting ready, whatever that might entail, so I had some time.

I slammed the door open, sort of aware, in an out-of-body way, that I was getting worked up over something that was very silly, but damn it, this was my first time! I wanted it to be perfect!

Faust spun in place, levitating as she usually did, and wearing her cloak, her hat, and a few bandages, but nothing else. The bandages were new, but having spoken to her earlier, I knew what that was all about, and besides, I was here for something else.

"Lyle, what is it? I'm at a critical spot in my testing and-" She said, somewhat sternly.

"I need your help." I said, teeth clenched. "You have to make me hotter!"

Her eyes lit up, and she set her work down immediately. She floated across the room, and began circling me. I spun to face her, but she put her hand on my shoulder, lightly, and held me there. I stayed as she resumed her circuit.

"Hotter, hmm? I see… A worthy goal indeed, though difficult, to be sure. Quite difficult." She said, sumptously.

"But you can do it?" I all but demanded, "I need it to be fast."

She gave me a level look. "Lyle, I am Faust von Frankenstein. I can do anything." She floated back towards her table, slowly.

I followed, her, after a moment, moving closer to the center of the room.

"No, no, stay there, my love. This will be faster if you strip yourself while I prepare."

'Strip' wasn't exactly the right word for it, but I understood the sentiment, and now wasn't the time to poke fun at her for semantics. She was doing me a huge favor.

I'd taken to wearing loose sort of heavy brown robes, although admittedly they were technically just more of myself. But… the illusion sort of cut down on the heavily sexualized nature of my body, which I wasn't really ready to deal with yet, even if the texture of the robes were kinda damp and clingy in a way that undermined that intent some. It wasn't like they were soaked through, just… Ugh. I also tried to ignore how it felt less like I was being monastic, and more like I was playing up the mystery, as well as how the robes tended to move with an imaginary wind now and then to highlight my curves even further. The effect made the whole thing feel very mischievous and flirtatious, rather than modest, but the baseline was still better than nothing.

I focused a little, and the clothes slid off, splashing down to the floor with a sort of gloppy noise of thick mud slapping against dry ground, and they pooled around my feet, once more nothing but my purplish blue slime, which still smelled vaguely like boysenberry. I pulled at it in a way that I can only describe as 'inward', and it gradually disappeared into my away-place, which honestly desperately needed a better name. I'd ask Faust for suggestions, but I'd wind up under study for at least a few hours, only to be saddled with a name that was scientifically accurate, but which was also even more of a mouthful. And she'd be grumpy if I didn't use it, too.

"Ready," I said. She was still messing with stuff at her table, but she started speaking anyway, though she was still looking away from me.

"There are several avenues we can pursue, and I will leave the particulars to you, my love." She said, starting in. "The easiest place to look for inspiration would be other Slime-type monsters."

"What, like a Lava Golem?" I asked.

"Hmmm…" she said, "Technically not slimes, but I take your point. However, I'm not certain that's wise, or even practical. They are weak to water, and prefer volcanic climates, as well as being quite aggressive. If we were to somehow find one here, infusing you with their properties might change your personality significantly, or if not, you might become even more placid and submissive than you are already whenever it rains, or if you were splashed. The change between their frantic, aggressive heat, and their easy-going water-logged selves is quite drastic, and the same passivity increase applied to you as you are… I'm not certain you could bring yourself to hold together in that case."

Hey. That's not nice.

"Bubble Slimes are addictive, and Sea Slimes possess paralytic poison, however neither are tremendously useful to someone like you, already capable of completely surrounding another and pleasuring them so completely that the difference between their awakened desire for you and true addiction may well be academic, if it indeed exists at all, at least if your own experiences with the Shoggoth are anything to go by."

She tapped her fingers.

"Humpty Eggs, the Slimes of Wonderland, have useful benefits for a husband when their slime is eaten, which might be something to pursue, enhancing the beneficial effect of ingesting you, but that is not especially helpful on its own. Dark Slimes possess a core, not unlike my phylactery, but there's no clear research on what advantages other Slimes gain from integrating them, if any. It may be as simple as more magical ability, something like more intelligence, or even the ability to change their color or texture more effectively."

"And their temperature?"

"I don't see why not." She dug through papers on her desk, her tail peeking out from under her cloak, swaying back and forth and making a tempting target. However, I couldn't really get caught up in anything at the moment. "Taking your inspiration for the Slime-like, rather than merely Slimes themselves, Dark Matter hold some potential, nearly infinite potential, in fact, but frankly we do not have the energy required, and likely will not until some time after we acquire a husband. More of an end goal for you, I think, although anti-gravity and mastery of Dark Energy makes it such a bother to wait."

I let her keep going. Whatever alchemical thoughts were going on in her head, I wasn't exactly following, but she wouldn't let me down, I knew that.

"That leaves three options, by my rough estimation, at least without more research. Dorome, with their terrakinesis and ability to essentially become entire landmasses, represent a significant upgrade, if it's possible to fuse their might to yours, and their mud is said to be warm and soft."

Warm and soft is better than nothing, but not ideal. Although mudbaths are a thing people seem to enjoy, so I shouldn't discount it, even if the part of me that still had maidly instincts was incensed at the idea of essentially becoming dirt, when dirt should obviously be cleaned and eaten, not spread about.

I piped up, "That sounds promising."

She made a noise of agreement. "Unfortunately, if you need it 'fast', as you say, I'm afraid I cannot in good conscience recommend that option. Not only would it close off the Dark Matter option, which would be unfortunate, but much more importantly, binding you to elemental earth would be dangerous and hard-fought. Not something I can safely rush. I will not risk failure when it is your soul I would be playing with. You are too precious to me."

That's… intensely heart-warming, but still a little disappointing.

"That leaves two, right?"

"Indeed." She was still digging around over there. "I'd been struck by the idea you might be easier to convert to pure ectoplasm, to make you into a Ghost, but ultimately I dismissed it. I am too attached to the idea of you as a Wight, I will not surrender that dream."

Her tail whipped back and forth aggressively.

"That led me to thinking, however, you may be compatible with a Kitsune-Bi."

"Huh. I've never heard of them. What are they?"

"Proto-Youko and Proto-Inari, essentially. Spirit beings made of Foxfire."

Fire. Now we're talking.

"They're known to bind to human women, and those women are technically considered Mamono. Aside from ghostly ears and a tail, there's no visible change, and those details are generally invisible themselves. However, they gain quite a bit of sexual skill and ability, and may, as I said before, develop into either Youko or Inari in time, both powerful Fox Demons with opposite dispositions. It's something I've been considering for myself, but we might be able to take that journey together."

"Huh. Not sure how I feel about it. Those are both pretty tied up in religion right?"

"The Inari and the Youko? They tend to be, yes, although it isn't absolute."

"Hmm… What's the last option?"

She turned to look at me, eyebrow raised.

"Why, Wighthood, of course. I've already discussed why that is more difficult now that you are both Demon and Shoggoth. You are vexingly difficult to kill, my darling. The sad truth is, by my estimation, there are very few ways to make you any hotter, and each is the work of months for what amounts to admittedly incremental improvement."

Uh. What? "Wighthood? How does that make me hotter, though?" I asked. "I can't bathe Akubra in a hot pool of Wight ectoplasm."

"Bathe Akubra…? You…" Her eyes widened, and she brought the palm of her hand to her face. "Hotter like warmer, not… not hotter like more attractive. My apologies, I got excited by the prospective challenge of an incredibly difficult problem, and so managed to miss the obvious."

Oh. That's… that's a pretty easy mistake, I guess. Should've been clearer. I thought some of those options were a little weird, but enough of them made at least a little sense that…

Wait… 'An incredibly difficult problem'?

"You really think I'm that pretty? It'd take you months of work? You, Faust von Frankenstein, sorceress supreme? All that effort, and you'd only manage to make me a little prettier at most?"

She'd already started blushing, from realizing her mistake, but laying her words back out like that only deepened the blush to supernova levels.

"Well… It is only… Lyle, it's just that… You are…" She got real quiet, and let out a breath, hanging her head. "…You are my dreams come alive, Lyle. Ever have you been so."

I didn't know what to say. She did, though. "I prefer women, that much is true, but you are one yourself now, and so… I find there is little I can yet imagine that you do not already fulfill as you are, and all that I can truly do is give you more power to express yourself with, more options to allow your heart to shine brighter, rather than actually add anything of value to you."

I walked over, wrapping her in the biggest hug I could manage without engulfing her.

"I love you, you know that, Sally?" I asked.

"Mhmm..." She muttered into my neck. "I want you dead, Lyle, but it is a selfish, meaningless desire. I have been thwarted by circumstance, and I do not appreciate it. I will have my vengeance on reality, and allow you to be the woman I foresaw in my imagination, but in truth, you are as close to perfect as I could dare demand even now. I am lucky, and I love you too."

I held Faust closer, tighter, just showing her I appreciated her.

Akubra could wait a little longer.​

 

[The_Letter_K]

After a few moments more, Faust finally broke the hug. "Much as I would like to continue, my dear, I believe you have a date."

Ah… crap.

"Yeah, I do. Any chance you have anything to make me… warmer?" I asked, chagrinned.

She 'tut tut'ed. "This is something you really ought to be able to manage on your own, Lyle. As a Demon, you have no small amount of magical ability yourself, and a Slime should have some semblance of sway over this anyway. However, I know that as an Alp, you lack instinctual control, and I do appreciate your reliance on me, even for these simple matters…"

I hadn't really thought about that. I'd been pretty wrapped up in the significant physical aspects of my monsterizaton, but other things had changed too. I'd never had much magical potential before. It was a lot to handle at once.

"Do you maybe have something like what you did for Blackberry?" I asked her.

"I do, rather, I will momentarily. It is a simple thing to create, however…" she paused, looking me in the eye, "I would request you pay attention to the way it feels to use. It will not last long, and while once or twice to help you out is no trouble, I cannot set aside my own projects to micromanage your temperature indefinitely, my love."

"I understand," I said. And really, I did. Faust was pushing the bounds of possibility, and somehow I doubted 'warm something up' was anything more than a cantrip, for her.

She turned slightly, and held out a hand behind her towards the table she'd been working at. A small glass ball shot out of the detritus on one of her workstations, coming to a quick stop in her hand. By the time she brought it around to me, it was already slightly glowing, lit from inside by a yellowish red light. Not orange, somehow. It registered to me as yellow and red. The warmth of summer, the flash of fire. Magic, I guess.

"Thanks, Sally."

"It is no trouble, dear heart," She turned away, but then turned back, and eyebrow raised, "However, a question?"

"Yeah?"

"I believe I instructed you to strip. Why keep your panties on? Are you truly so embarrassed by your body?"

I looked down.

"Ugh. These damn things again. What is their problem?" It was her pink frilly underthings again, back to haunt me. I started to take them off, manually. "They keep showing up. I think they're stuck in my head. I used to picture you in them all the time, they're the ones I caught you in by accident, remember?"

"I recognize them, yes. You can't simply dissolve them?" She asked, curious.

"No. They have a mind of their own, somehow."

She took in a sharp breath, but didn't say anything.

I tossed them aside, Faust's eyes following them closely as I did.

"They're still there," she said, and she sounded nervous.

"They'll disappear in a minute or two. It helps if I put something else on." I called up my flesh tone panties, as well as the wrapping I'd been using to tame my chest somewhat. As an Alp, I wasn't that big, though there was a chance that'd change as I got used to things. Either way, feeling my chest shaking all the time was distracting, especially with the sensitivity they had. Once they were secure, I called my robes up, and watched as the pink panties finally deigned to boil away.

"You said you 'used to' picture me in them?" Faust asked.

"…Yeah, back before all this. Hard not to. I always liked you." She beamed at me. "It's a fantasy that's been coming back lately, though. Not sure why, when you're right here, available, and naked to boot."

Her smile faded some, and that nervous look was back.

"Maybe it'd go away if you tried them on?" I mused. "Like singing a song to get it unstuck from your head. I'm sure you'd look great."

"Ah… I'm not certain I still have them; I will have to see."

Oh. Yeah, I don't know why that didn't occur to me.

I nodded. "If not, maybe we can find a replica somewhere? I really like them on you. Fond memories." Her eyes darted down to my hands, then back to my face.

"Sally, are you okay? You're acting kinda odd."

She nodded curtly, turning back towards her table, and floating away.

"I will see you later, Lyle," she said, over her shoulder.

Huh. Alright then. I guess she did say she was busy. Not only with the Mummy's curse, but I guess she wants to be a Foxfire ghost thing too? I forget what they were called. Kitsune-something.

There were some things for me to consider, too, as I left the room, closing the door. Just because her ideas had stemmed from misunderstanding didn't make them useless. For one, I liked the idea of being able to float effortlessly, like Faust could, and mastering Dark Energy sounded really helpful. I don't know what I'd do with it myself, but Faust would definitely benefit. That we'd need a husband first was… unfortunate, but that, or something similar, was coming eventually, like it or not. Either way, incorporating Dark Matter traits would be something to do after she'd killed me, since I doubted becoming vaguely elemental would make it any easier.

It was entirely possible I could fly already, though, if I managed to work out how to use my wings. For now, they mostly stayed folded up around my legs, a little like a skirt. As for getting a Slime core from a Dark Slime… it might help me control my form better, if nothing else. The rest…? About the only other thing I agreed with was becoming better to eat. Something about that was so appealing I didn't even care that Humpty Egg jelly, at least, would mostly benefit my future… husband. I should be the most delicious food anyone's ever had. I should be all they want to eat! I should be-!

…I should be getting to the bath house.

Akubra was already there when I walked in, over by one of the private baths. So much the better, I didn't like the big one anyway. I tossed the glass sphere up into the air, catching it again in the other hand. That was when I noticed I was holding those stupid panties again. How long had I been doing that? Ugh. I dropped them to the ground, and focused on pulling the glass sphere inside myself. I ought to be able to use it just as well in there as out here.

"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting." I said.

She turned and looked my way, smiling, though to say she looked at me would be to ignore the way she always had that far-off look in her eye. She was still willowy as always, but having stripped bare, it was easy to see she was actually a little too thin. She didn't look like she ate very often. Almost sickly. She was also freckled, like Amy was, and not just with her tiny mushrooms. It was odd seeing her without her hat on, though she had it in her hands instead. She was using it like a basket, and it looked like it was full of things like soaps and oils. Her hair, much more visible with hat in hand, was greenish brown.

"Are you okay?" I asked, "You look… have you eaten?"

She seemed to ignore my question, responding instead to what I'd said first. "One waits as long as one must for her family to arrive, and is happy when they do. Your first time is very important, you know. Doing everything you can to make it perfect, make it mean something can be difficult, but it's worthwhile. Whatever sacrifices you make in the meantime are worth it."

"I'm excited too, but I didn't leave you waiting that long, did I? I tried to be quick."

"You arrived as fast as you could, and in the best way, but… I must admit the wait felt like years. Although, I know for certain you had good reason, truly, I nearly came to hunt you down myself."

"I'm really sorry, Akubra, I was talking to Faust about our bath. I promise it'll be worth the wait. …But you have eaten, right? At least, I fed you recently. I… know I can't do that anymore, but you must have something worked out in town, right?"

She smiled at me. "It warms my heart to hear you so concerned for me, so very worth the wait. There are services in town for feeding those without husband at hand, it's true. I know of one I am eager to show you. But… I could hardly use them myself while I knew I was waiting for you, could I?"

"I… guess not?" It would've been kinda odd if she ran off for a quick meal right before our bath. "But if you were really that hungry, I'd've understood."

Her smile widened, a little. "So kindhearted. But I have my tea. Sustenance enough for the wait. Though… perhaps we can see that restaurant together soon?"

I grimaced. "That's something I'm going to need to think about, yeah. If… If you know a good place, that's better than running around blindly."

"Splendid. It's a date."

Despite myself, I couldn't help but smile at that.

It was when I opened the door to the private room, though, that the grin slid off my face.

"Oh right. These things."

The tub in the room was something like cast iron, although given I thought that was bad for fairies, I doubted that was what it actually was. It was well made, all one piece, artisanal work, intricately carved, sized for two, and smooth as butter inside.

It was also ugly and dumb.

"Akubra, give me a hand, would you?" I leaned down against the tub and shoved. It was heavy, but with her help I pushed it against the wall, getting the stupid thing out of the way.

"You deserve much better." I said, grumpily. At least this one I could move. Although… the other one didn't bother me as much, for whatever reason, except for how much it could hold.

She stepped back, and I closed my eyes, focusing. I pictured a tub much like the one we'd moved just now, actually, but it was better, I was better. I felt my clothing begin to shift and slide, slowly oozing down into shape. It was hard work, making the curve of the bowl, the intricate little carvings, the little feet that kept it at a nice height, and off of the ground.

I managed it though, and when I opened my eyes, proud as could be, I was sitting on my knees in a real tub, not that shitty imitator. Akubra clapped excitedly, and I beamed at her.

She set her hat down on a small table in the room, and reached into it, pulling out a bottle of translucent, oily, red-brown liquid.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Jasmine tea oil," She replied, "I'm afraid I never bathe without it. You don't mind? The smell is divine once it's steeped into the water. Very relaxing."

That made a startling amount of sense. Of course she bathed in tea, why wouldn't she?

I started to nod, but that reminded me. "Right, the water."

This part should be easy. I change how liquid I am all the time.

I closed my eyes again, picturing the tub filling up with a slick, purple liquid, bubbling, warm, and soupy.

The tub started to fill, but then wobbled, only to collapse in on itself, and I fell flat on my ass, splashing all over the room.

"Shit." I said, pulling myself back together. "I'm… not sure I can do this. Me, the tub, the water, the temperature… it's too much. I can't hold it."

Akubra knelt down, cupping my chin in her hand. That was nice. Nice enough to cut through the pout I was developing. "You'll succeed sooner or later, Lyle, I know it."

"Yeah... I… Maybe. But… I've made you wait long enough." I took in a deep breath, bracing myself. "Let's… Fuck. Let's move the tub back. I'd rather be the water, if I have to choose."

"We should fuck, yes, although… we can leave the tub there, I think. I have my own I prefer to use, if you're sure."

Heh.

I got up, following her to one of the other private rooms. At least I wouldn't be submitting to that tub. It was dumb and ugly.

She opened the door, and inside, well…

I don't know what I was expecting her tub to look like, but a giant tea cup wasn't it. Which was silly, because of course that's what it would be. It looked like a tight fit for two, but I didn't mind that at all.

I stepped up into the teacup, trying not to hate it too much for having been her favorite bath, since I still needed it for now. I closed my eyes again, focusing once more on that slick, purple liquid, bubbling, warm, and soupy. This time, it came easily, and I sunk down in to a full cup of boiling hot tea up to my 'hips'.

The whole room smelled like jasmine, deeply floral, and I soon found out why, because rather than the little oil bottle she'd brought, Akubra took a pot off a small stove burner, and poured the contents into me. The feeling was hard to describe. Sort of like how, when you'd eaten something extremely hot and filling, like a large bowl of fresh pasta, you could feel it filling your stomach through the heat radiating out, and coursing through your body.

"Did you brew this?" I asked. "The taste is incredible~"

She let out a pleased hum, but that was all. She emptied her hat of its contents, putting it back on her head. She grabbed something off the small table, where she'd store all the bits and bobs, and she stepped up into the cup. Having her legs inside me was just as entrancing as I'd expected, it was everything I wanted. I'd done this a little with Amy, in the heat of the moment, but Akubra was asking for it.

I immediately went to work, cleaning sweat and grime, scrubbing away at the dead skin between her toes, and as much as I sort of wanted it to feel weird, alien, and unsettling, it was instead so, so right. Parts of me that were entirely liquid licked at the souls of her feet, eliciting a pleased, surprised gasp, before she controlled herself.

"It's been some time since I shaved my legs, Lyle."

I didn't to hear any more than that. Her desires were obvious to me, I could taste them nearly as clearly as the salt of her sweat, the oddly umami flavors of her mushrooms as I polished them too, and the warm, safe feeling of her skin. I went to work, diving into her pores with a mind I hadn't realized was able to distinguish each and every one, lovingly clearing away any dirt before it could blemish her skin, and relishing the permission to clear the hair away as well, because it had a taste I doubt anyone else would have caught, so sugary and light, airy and fluffy like a spider's web.

"Mmmm… Good girl, Lyle."

I shuddered uncontrollably, my body briefly c o m i n g a p a r t. She was pleased with me. That was everything.

I barely pulled myself together again, breathing deeply, feeling so amazing I wanted to scream, but this wasn't about me, I was here for her to use.

Baths.

Didn't.

Scream.

She grabbed me by my halo-like circular horn, which circled my head just above my hair like a crown, and she gently pulled me up, higher and higher till I was level with her. As she lifted her hand, I saw what she'd grabbed from the table, a tall, thick mushroom, bigger than any I'd ever seen, and I had an idea of what it was for.

"No, no…" I couldn't help but murmur from my mouths, as I kissed her everywhere I could reach, "Let me, let me, use me me me!"

"Oh I will, sweetie, I promise. But first… I grew this just for you, plucked from my own body and nurtured with care, and you simply must be hungry by now~, so… open wide, Lyle."

My mouth hung open thoughtlessly, disobedience a foreign concept to me now. I would serve her however she wanted me, it was so fulfilling.

She hummed happily, moving the mushroom out of view. "Good girl, Lyle."

I burbled and shook, but managed to stay standing, probably only because she still held me by my horn with her other hand.

"But no self-respecting Mamono eats with their mouth~"

My eyes widened, and I came back to myself just in time to feel the mushroom, unnaturally rigid, press its way inside me in a way I was horrified to find absolutely delightful.

The horror, though, faded as fast as it rose, while the delight only swelled as it pressed further and further, shoving and pressing outward against every inch of my slimy, dripping vagina, while Akubra's hand teased at my outer folds so, so gently. I wanted to die. I wanted to live. I wanted this, whatever it was, forever and ever.

And that was only the first thrust.

They continued, and with each slow, torturous journey, the pleasure only increased, gradually as it slid in and out, and then by leaps and bounds, as Akubra's fingers came in reach of me again. Finally, after several glacial circuits, I'd had enough. I couldn't keep this wretched pace, and my hips started to rock of their own accord, slowly at first, pausing for Akubra's touch, but each time she pulled away, I came back faster and faster, just as hungry for her touch as I was for this indescribable fullness, until I was crashing into her fingers, moaning helplessly and incoherently.

Then, just when I felt like I was finally ready for release, she pulled her hand away, leaving the mushroom deep inside me. I let out an absolutely piteous sound.

She chuckled, but I only kept whining. She grabbed my hand leading it down to my crotch, and making me grasp the rod myself.

"I want this to special for the both of us, Lyle," she whispered, "so don't stop, or I'll get out of the bath."

Out? Get out!? But! But! I hadn't finished cleaning her yet!

"Oh? Then you'll have to make sure you take care of yourself, too. You can do that for me, can't you?"

I made a sound more like a squeal than an affirmation, but as I did my best to slowly, clumsily fuck myself with the odd… dildo, she let go of my horn, patting my head again. She lifted her toes so that her heels were all that touched the base of the tub, and with a slight backwards lean, gracefully slid down into the tub, submerging herself entirely.

I made sure to keep rhythm, though it was hard. Mmm… so incredibly hard~. Hah hah hah…

But there was something else to focus on, and I rallied myself. I was needed. I flowed across her body, scrubbing away hair, and grime, and little particles of random things, trees, fruits, buildings, and even strangers. I flowed into her ears, taking the wax, so bitter, but complex, her nose, which was clear, Mamono were rarely sick, her mouth, cleaning in between her every tooth and sealing every tiny wound, clearing away the blood as well. I took the time to caress her tongue, lovingly, gently, with several of my own, before flowing down her throat.

I kept thrusting. It was entrancing. It was so, so good. Wooow…

I wanted her everything. Her eyes, I cleared of crust, her nails, buffed and cleaned, Her belly button, even. I left nothing out. I flowed across her head, gently scouring her scalp, and coating each hair individually, consuming the dead ones, trimming the split ends, and clearing the way for new hairs to grow.

I was still humping the mushroom. I wasn't sure I could stop.

With nothing left to clean, I finally focused on pleasuring her, caressing her tits, teasing her nipples, and piecing her pussy and ass both, vibrating all the while. She thrashed and churned, but I could somehow tell it was ecstasy, not fear, and I redoubled my efforts, kissing and licking her everywhere I could fit a mouth. I met myself inside her at her stomach, and I finally filled her completely, spilling into her lungs, taking care to make sure she got the air she needed all the while.

I didn't want to stop. I wanted to fuck this thing. I loved it. It was the best thing I'd ever felt.

Her every inch conquered, I started in with the oil, massaging her everywhere with it. Inexpertly at first, but I could feel her every twitch, inside and out, and it didn't take me long to work out exactly how she wanted it, which motions to use where, how fast, and when to switch. I pampered her and it was the most spectacular privilege I'd ever been allowed, to worship her like this, to ruin every other definition of bathtime for the rest of her life, to make her need me to feel this again. She'd wanted this, and I would deliver it for her so completely that she'd never want anything else ever again.

Mine. I thrusted. Mine. And again. Mine. Again. Mine. Again. MINE.

She came freely, still writhing and twirling completely submerged, and I lapped it up, the sudden realization that I'd satisfied pushing me over the edge as well, coating the mushroom in slick goo-like cum, which it seemed eager to consume, while my screams of joy and loyalty echoed loudly in the tiny, enclosed room.

I sank down into the tub up to my shoulders, somehow still fucking myself with the mushroom, although I could only tell where my vagina was because it was being fucked, the rest of me, below my tits, was nothing but bathwater.

I brought Akubra up, resting her head on my chest.

She just made contented noises, as I lightly stroked at her across her body.

We laid like that a while, just enjoying the heat of the bath and our shared closeness, as well as a little masturbation, but eventually, she looked up at me, bleary-eyed. She opened her mouth, and I spilled out as she tried to speak. It was really, really cute. She was stuffed so full.

I took pity on her and cleared out a little, not knowing how to help her speak while never leaving, though I resolved to figure it out.

"Mmm… Lyle~ My hair? Brush? Please…" That seemed to be all she had the energy for, sinking back against my chest, but that was more than enough.

She needed me to brush her hair, so I did.

It was very simple to form something so small, and even easier to time the strokes of the brush with the strokes of the cock. She nuzzled into me, so helpless without me, but luckily, I was here to care for her.

Slowly, slowly, I drained the water back inside myself, coaxing her body across mine as it was revealed, and setting a bit of my slime from inside her against the end of the mushroom. Hardening it into more of a tentacle, as I thrust in, she felt it pull back, and the reverse as well, thrusting into her as the mushroom left my body. We stayed close enough to grind against each other too, and it was miraculous that I could somehow discover even deeper depths of pleasure like that, although the thrusts were lazy and cozy now, rather than frantic.

She bucked her hips slowly in rhythm with my own, still nuzzling my chest, as I spent a little time to form a towel from myself, and patted her dry, removing the excess jasmine tea oil, and finally getting to eat that too. It was exactly as good as I'd hoped, only nibbling at the edges of it, and when the last of it was gone, I let out a contented sigh.

I think that went pretty well.

 

[The_Letter_K]

AN: As promised, today is a double update. I will try and put together a reply in the coming days, I've kinda slid into a bad routine lately.






I carried Akubra past the book case and into her room, navigating hat racks, plush brown couches that gave me a few ideas, and more book cases, finally arriving at her bed, which was squirreled away in the back corner. I thought that maybe the book cases had been rearranged since I last was here. Was this place developing into a maze? What would my room look like, after I'd been in it for years?

I had questions for her, but they could wait for now. There were a lot of burning questions, though. Hugely important. I guess… just one couldn't hurt.

"Akubra?" I asked, at a whisper.

"Mmm?" Her tired, distant eyes blink owlishly at me.

"I… forgot to ask you. How… how do you like your hat washed? So I know for next time. I didn't want to hurt it by treating it wrong, or interrupt things to ask."

She lifted her head up, and kissed me on the nose, then giggled.

"You're cute. Good night, Lyle."

I let out a small sigh. No answers here.

"Goodnight, Akubra." I laid her down on her bed, a few tentacles navigating her blankets, pulling them back. Rather than a mattress, she had soft, loamy soil inside her bed frame. She sunk down into it a little, rolling onto her side. I pulled the covers over her, and bent down, kissing her forehead.

It was getting late, but I was still kinda feeling energetic from earlier. I felt clear-headed, better and more optimistic than I had in a while. I left Akubra's room, a tinge of regret that I wasn't still in there with her, keeping her warm and snug. However, at least for now, I could only do so much, and there were other women in my life.

Charlotte had been out in the main room when I'd walked through, and she was still there now. Samael, who'd grabbed one of the other rooms in the house, was sitting in the circle of couches opposite her, just watching her eat. It looked like one of Beeps' spicy veggie stews, one of my personal favorites. Samael I was happy to see, I'd been meaning to talk to her, and Charlotte, well…

"Is there any more of that?" I asked, gesturing at the bowl.

"Yes." Beeps called, from her room. She sounded slightly satisfied.

She walked out into the living room, carrying a still-steaming bowl, and set it down on the table, at a right angle to Charlotte and Samael both.

"Thanks, Beeps. I love this stuff." It was so chunky and salty, a cavalcade of competing textures. I sat down as she nodded, heading back to her room.

"Oh," I added, "I moved your 'friend' into my room, earlier." Couldn't leave it out an about while I was away with Akubra.

"Appreciated." She shut her door, and the muffled tinkering sounds resumed.

I took another bite of that excellent stew, just savoring the taste and sensations. Every one of my senses had been enhanced by my transformation, and the nuances of Beeps' spicework was much more apparent. The depth of flavor was incredible, hitting in waves.

I cleared my throat.

Charlotte ignored me, but Samael looked my way, at least.

"So…" This was kinda awkward. "I wanted to apologize."

Charlotte grunted.

"I was… trying not to be like that so blatantly, but… it is a part of who I am now. I know you're probably not comfortable with it. I'm not always either. But… I hope it's clear that's not all I am, at least?"

She didn't react.

"She's being difficult." Samael said. "She gets like this sometimes. She's stubborn and spiteful. We train that into them, you know, helps them survive. When you're willing to do anything to hurt your enemy, and you never give up… sometimes you pull out a win in an impossible situation."

I turned to her, interested.

"Of course, it sorta makes them sticks-in-the-mud, too, but… that's also by design, really. She's very sweet when she's on your side, I promise." Samael looked at her like Beeps looked at me, and I hurt for her. This couldn't be easy. I tried to imagine having Beeps or Sally against me like this, surly, angry, and unwilling to even acknowledge me as myself.

Then I decided I didn't want to imagine that at all, thanks.

Charlotte merely kept eating. I did as well, it was good food.

"Why are you even doing that?" She asked, finally, glaring at my stew.

"Eating, you mean?" I asked, "Beeps made it for me, and it tastes good. It's one of my favorites, actually. Do I need another reason?"

She scoffed, "I know what your favorite food is, Lyle, that's not it."

My breath hitched, and she smiled a little.

"I… I haven't… I'm not ready."

She looked at me, incredulous. "Really?"

"Yeah." I set the bowl down. "It's a little scary, you know? To know there's something that… that's so good everyone like you who's ever tried it never went back. I can eat other stuff, but… I get hungry faster than I can reasonably eat. Slowly, sure, but… everything else? It's only a stopgap."

Charlotte's gaze softened a bit.

"It's coming eventually. I know it is. I know you won't believe me, but… I've seen Faust, Beeps, and Blackberry all have their first… meal. I was a part of it. It really didn't change them, but… they all still want more. That's sort of reassuring, having seen them on both sides of it, but I still…"

I looked down at the stew.

"I've starved before. I know you have, too. I don't know about you, but I don't ever want to feel that again. But I'm still scared. It's been a lot to deal with at once."

"I should have been there." She said. "To protect you both. This is my fault."

I smiled at her, sadly. "I don't blame you."

"I'm sorry, Lyle, I appreciate the sentiment, but you're compromised."

"Yeah… But I'm still Lyle, you know?"

She looked away.

"I mean, look at Blackberry, if you don't believe me. Does she really strike you as some kind of master manipulator, feigning innocence to trick you into bed? I know your instincts must be better than that, they'd have to be, to get you as far as you've come. You're a professional. You have to know that she really is just… like that."

Charlotte stood, suddenly. "I'm going to bed."

Before she could, though, the front door burst in.

…Oh great. This is terrible timing.

Abstinence Obscenity Fuck-Parade Magenta was a powerful Demon of some renown, mostly for her role as a member of the Dream Team, a group of Mamono that created and distributed artisanal wet dreams to the general public. You could even hire them to make something bespoke, if you had the clout.

She came from a long line of Demon's Demons, real exemplars of the species. In fact, one of her Aunts was actually THE Demon who'd posed for THE picture of a Demon in the Wandering Traveler's Monster Girl Encyclopedia II, if rumors could be believed. Her family was old, widespread, and very influential.

As for Magenta herself, she was no less attractive than her Aunt, at least, if the rumors were true. Her eyes were black, with electric blue irises, and her hair was dyed acid green at the moment, though it had been neon purple when we'd met. She had the light blue skin common to Demons (who weren't also part Shoggoth), and her horns, a deep black leading into red tips, were scythe-like semi-circles, wickedly curved, which grew from just above her long, pointed ears. She was wearing dark, reddish-black lipstick today, and she generally kept her large black wings flared out, aggressively taking up space, while her long, thick, spade-like tail moved expressively when she spoke; sometimes beckoning, sometimes pointing, and sometimes leading your eyes dangerous places.

Her tail was covered in jeweled metal bangles near the end that clinked and clanged as she moved, though they never fell too far up her tail. I had a suspicion that when she got excited, and blood flooded to her tail, engorging it slightly, that they were held in place, and all the complicated little bejeweled textures probably had another use. I'd probably find out first hand, eventually. She also wore long fabric sleeves, and socks that came up nearly to her hips. These she changed often, depending on her mood. Today, it was floating pink hearts on a white background, each covered in what I could only assume was meant to be cum, dripping off as they floated up and down the socks and sleeves.

However, besides that, she wore very little, only scraps and straps of cloth and black leather designed to fall off with the barest whim, and placed to tantalize, rather than preserve her modesty. With so much of her skin exposed, it was clear she was covered essentially everywhere in purple tattoos, or more accurately, pleasure runes, which enhanced every sensation to sexually exciting levels. She had several bruises that looked vaguely like the ones aggressive kissing could cause, although these were larger, and ring-like in shape. Lastly, there was a chain link collar was around her neck, with dog-tags hanging off. I couldn't read the inscription, even this close, which was odd, given how my eyesight had improved.

"Lyle, Lyle, Lyle~," Magenta sang, as she swaggered in, "Not a week passed since your rebirth, and you've already caught yourself a capital 'h' Hero? I came as soon as I heard."

"It's not-" I said, but she cut me off.

"Once I'd cleaned myself up, though, I just knew I had to head over and congratulate you myself, you little minx. You're even better at this than I could have hoped!"

"It's not like that, Magenta." I said, firmly. She smiled at me, indulgently, and I tried to hide how attractive I found her, how I felt naturally inclined to listen to her, as the Demon who'd… essentially indoctrinated me. It was a strong, magical, spiritual connection. In Demonic terms, we were something like family, though the exact nature of the bond was still unformed.

"Oh, of course it's not," she said, looking right at Charlotte, then winking at me. "Is this her, then? Quite the specimen." She looked from her back to me again, "I brought you a few things, maybe spark a few ideas~." She held up a bag, full to bursting. Full with what, exactly, I couldn't say, though I had my guesses, and at least one of the things in the bag was a dildo the size of a baseball bat. Easily identified, as it stuck out of the bag quite obnoxiously.

Charlotte, for her part, stomped swiftly over into her room, and slammed the door shut.

Magenta's grin, if anything, only grew wider. "Oh, don't be like that, babe, gimme a chance! I promise you we'll get along just fine."

The lock on the door slid loudly into place.

"Heh. Something I said, you think?" She sauntered on over to the couch, sitting where Charlotte had sat, and immediately started in on her food, still unfinished.

"This is good shit, Lyle." She said, seriously. "My compliments to the chef. Could be a little saltier, though. Luckily, I have just the thing."

She pulled out a small vial of- Nope.

Nope nope nope.

Not yet.

I closed my eyes and plugged my nose.

Ugh. I really was grateful to her for helping to save me, and I honestly kinda liked her, in a way, but this was really, really bad timing.

It was going to be…

Interesting.

 

[The_Letter_K]

Lyle's place was much like I'd left it only a few days before, and Lyle herself seemed much more stable. I'd have been disappointed if she weren't. Some shock was expected, but sometimes Alps could mope for what felt like weeks before they so much as looked at themselves naked.

Some of the Succubi I'd made had seen her around town, and were happy to report she seemed to be adjusting well. Their eagerness to please and cute, lascivious demeanors were almost enough to distract me from the bitterness of what they could have been, if they'd just held on a little longer.

Like Lyle had, to a point.

I didn't begrudge her too much for needing that final push. As an Alp, her circumstances were a little different from the girls I usually trained, and she'd had the bad luck to get drawn into a harem with a Shoggoth and a Lich, so it wasn't surprising her mind had been… strained.

Not that I'd trained Lyle as much as I'd have liked. She still came out Demon in the end, rather than Succubus, or something else, so clearly I'd made an impact, but… well, with circumstances what they were, I couldn't have done much better. If I'd sequestered her in my studio while I taught her the ropes, like I usually did with trainees, I'd have had several angry Mamono at my door in short order, including a surprisingly dangerous Lich.

No sense getting the studio blown up.

It had been a stroke of luck finding an Alp before her change at all, I couldn't really be picky about it. I'd been looking a long time, but it was harder than I'd thought. They had an annoying tendency to turn before I could get them home and properly set things up.

As I finished the fucking delicious soup, and set the bowl down, Lyle opened her eyes again.

Now that she could see, I made a point to look at her, smiling lazily, one eyebrow arched.

"Really?" I asked.

Lyle, curse her heart, pulled up what had to be her best assertive aura. Expression, posture, the works. She hardly managed 'grumpy', but at least she tried.

"I'm allowed to go at my own pace." She said.

"True, true. I know you'll get there." I replied, still smiling. "You made it this far, after all. You needed a little help, sure, but you had more to deal with, and I couldn't get you ready like I'd have liked to."

"Oh, did you turn Lyle?" Samael asked, and wasn't she interesting? Buck naked, with the black feathered wings of our fallen Dark sisters, she was matted and sticky all over. Her face was deeply flushed, and the nearby bottle would have explained why, if her breath hadn't given it away. She was completely drunk, though she hid it well. "Magenta, wasn't it?"

I nodded, "That's me. Lyle was… a group effort, though." That might be stretching things, but Demons don't fall out of the sky, and Lyle didn't have the temperament of a natural talent. "You're Samael, right? I heard about you. Dark Valkyries aren't rare, exactly, but they don't fall every day."

Samael looked down and to the side. "Yeah…" Was she seriously upset about it?

I frowned. "Really? Not you too! What is it with this house?"

Between the freakish Lich, the rare-as-shit Automaton, the Holstaur I'd eventually recognized as Fran Tastic, Blackberry, and Lyle herself, a self-conscious Dark Valkyrie would be a bridge too far.

That's not even considering Akubra.

"Oh, no, I'm quite happy about all this," Samael said, brightly. "It's been enlightening. The first time I tried fucking for myself, I knew I never wanted to go back."

I grinned, feeling that familiar rush of listening to the freshly fallen. "Finally, someone's speaking sense! What's with the mopey face, then?"

"It's… this rapture has kept me from someone I care about." She looked at the door, the one Charlotte had slammed shut, and then loudly locked. "I trained her too well, it seems."

I felt my eyes widen as I leaned in, "No!" I said, and it came out breathy and scandalized, "You're hot for the cranky one? That's a raw deal." Normally I'd offer my help, but she was swimming in options, and Lyle had already staked her claim on Charlotte.

Her first turning. I was so proud. I hadn't even had to push.

"She's not cranky," Samael said, "just… principled. I'll convince her yet. I must. She means… the heavens to me."

"Yeah?" Lyle asked, "You guys trained together for years, I guess that makes sense."

Samael turned to look at her. "I am, or rather was, an Angel of the Chief God. I have trained many heroes. Charlotte was the first to take it farther. She is my most cherished friend. There is often a distance between Angels and Heroes, and for good reason. Angels are technically Mamono, and can so sometimes fall unnoticed."

Hah. You're super gay, girl.

"But…" Lyle said, "Charlotte was used to training with Beeps."

Samael nodded. "That distance was cast aside from the start. She has a way of looking at the world… she sees the beauty in things I had never noticed. Little things. The grass, the insects, the leaves in the air, the majesty of creation. As an Angel, that appreciation drew me in. It was that same eye for detail that made her an unstoppable Heroine. Her mind never stops."

Super, super gay.

"How'd they get you, anyway?" I asked. "I saw that fight in the colosseum. I know they didn't get past her." 'That fight' had been quite the sight. When I heard the lady knight was spoken for, I was devastated. Woman like that's a rare treasure, and offering her as a treat for Lyle would have been delightful.

Of course, learning Lyle'd done the speaking for herself softened the blow considerably. I hadn't lied, the news had brought me to climax the moment I really understood what I'd heard. She'd come so far along the road to the truth.

I shook myself out of that as Samael started to answer.

She breathed out through her nose. "It's somewhat embarrassing. I… one of my joys as an Angel was to teach the children of the church. I am quite skilled at… puppet shows. I enjoy them."

Puppet shows? That's lame.

"Really? That's kinda cool." Lyle said.

I fought the urge to snort. She was a doofus, sure, but she had it, I knew she did. Simply put, she could be dumb, if she could make me cum.

Samael smiled at Lyle. It was earnest, no hint of lasciviousness at all. Turned my stomach. "You think so?" She said, "I'm glad. I was worried I'd be giving it up, moving here."

"I mean," Lyle replied, "this is a city of artists. You might find more support than you'd think."

"One can hope." She shook her head. "In any case, one day, a man of the cloth came to town, a fellow puppeteer. He was rather skilled, and we traded tips and tricks for crafting and presenting. Over time, through the course of weeks, I came to trust him, and he, in turn, opened up to me. Cautiously, he offered to show me his masterwork. A life-sized puppet."

"Oh." Lyle said.

It was pretty clear what came next. But that's how infiltration works. No one can keep their guard up literally all the time, all you have to do is take it slow. Mamono across the globe get their husbands that way, just walk into town, wait long enough suspicion fades, then make their move. It always works eventually, and we have all the time in the world.

"Obvious in retrospect, yes." Samael continued, "But… it was weeks of buildup. I let my fascination with the idea blind me."

She paused, and a slight smile spread across her face. I knew it pretty well, I'd seen it take hold in… what, hundreds of women by now? My fingers slid down to my cunt completely on instinct, stroking and teasing slowly. I was a Demon, we literally got off on this shit, this is what we were for, and I'd never seen the need to restrain that.

I kept the wet noises down, though, didn't want to miss the best part.

"A Living Doll." She said, "Generally, they are cloth-made children's toys, hardly up to your knee. This one was wooden, and the size of a large adult. It was intricate, with strings and levers, and seemingly attached to the stage. She was incredible. Genuinely worth of the title 'Masterwork'. I was fascinated, naturally, and I simply failed to notice when that fascination tipped over, as she slowly, delicately entranced me. I crawled across, examining every crevice. Every seam. I started in at the stage, to see the mechanisms inside, and then her face, so incredibly expressive. After marveling at her hands, I moved to her chest."

She was breathing heavier, and she took another swig of her alcohol. Strong stuff. I could smell it from over here. I was increasing my own pace, my breathing matching hers.

"By then, she'd filled me full enough I didn't think her nipples were strange at all, or notice the thrill that shot through me as I tested them through the dress. She was completely motionless. I never suspected. I pulled her dress up to get a better look at her internals, and that was when I felt the push from behind, and her legs locked around my head."

I looked over at Lyle. She was listening intently, licking her lips. Her eyes kept flicking to me, watching me enjoy myself. It looked like she thought she disapproved, but her breasts told a different story. Not super well endowed, but as an Alp, that could change. Either way, her 'robe' had unconsciously shifted to expose her wrapped chest, and I could clearly see her nipples, painfully erect. Her legs were wide open, aimed squarely at Samael. She wasn't dripping yet, but she was engrossed.

"I learned later, the priest actually had built her. She merely came to life shortly afterwards. At the time though, all I could think about was the smell. Overwhelming, yet like maple syrup. I fought to resist, but even Angels need to breathe, and slowly the taste seeped in, even past my tightly closed lips. The moment after it hit my tongue, my tongue hit her folds. I was utterly enraptured by it. She came into my mouth, and I was enslaved to it. I wanted pleasure. I craved it. I began to touch myself, and that was the end of my service to the Chief God. I serve the Fallen God now, in theory, though I have more pressing matters than her petty concerns."

I made no secret of the fact that I was masturbating. Climaxing, even. My moans and sultry growls tempted Lyle, I could tell, but she only rolled her eyes at me. Her face, however, was flushed.

Mmmmm~

I came loudly and freely. Lyle was watching me, now. I winked at her as I rode the last waves of pleasure, then I looked back to Samael.

"Thanks, sweetie. That was fucking hot."

She nodded to me.

"Now," I said, "Lyle… Tell me about the contract~"

"Th-the contract?" She stammered, confused and flustered.

"Yes, yes. I can see it floating around in your aura. You've bound your first terms. I hadn't even had the chance to teach you that yet. I'm fuckin impressed, honestly. I want to hear everything."

…Why does the look on her face make me so annoyed?

 

[The_Letter_K]

Her face had gotten less and less sensuously pleased, and more and more disbelieving and annoyed the further I got into the description of my first Contract.

"And that's about it," I finished, sheepishly. Her obvious disappointment was undermining how I'd felt about the whole situation. Sure, I'd been tricked quite thoroughly, and that was embarrassing, but it wasn't as though I was too displeased with the terms themselves.

Magenta's gaze, though, had me reevaluating, questioning whether there was some way I could have done better… even if it wasn't by her definition of 'better'.

Eyes closed, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose, head slightly hung, she looked like you might when you find your kid sister had spilled flour and yeast all across the kitchen, and had decided to use water to clean it up… on the hottest day of the year, turning your house's carpet into one giant breadloaf.

Not happy, but almost impressed despite herself.

Finally, she said; "Lemme see it."

"Uh?" I asked.

"The contract. It's floating around in your aura right now. Focus on that fiery feeling and fork it over." Her voice was dead and flat, like the end of a long shift at a busy festival, when the resident grouchy old lady was keeping you after to complain about how the roast had been cooked.

'Not like you can still taste anything anyway, you old bat' had been an unwise answer at the time, but it'd still felt good.

I could probably call Magenta an 'old bat' too, honestly, but just because the wings fit didn't mean she'd like it any better.

I did as she asked, holding out my hand, fingers spread, in a manner that felt vaguely 'magical'. I focused in on the feeling that had spread through me when the contract had first formed, and on that flash of fire as it had burned its way into reality.

My fumbling was rewarded as the terms of the contract began to etch themselves into the air with smoke, ash, and cinders. The elegant cursive was much cleaner than my own hand, but I still recognized it as mine, there were certain letters I made the same exact way, just less smoothly. Apparently magic was a better penhand in my own handwriting than I was myself.

…Yeah, that tracks.

I was transfixed as the paper began to smolder into existence, burning in reverse, and filling out the space behind the letters as they traced themselves onto it. It was kinda beautiful actua-

"Can you hurry it up, Lyle?" Magenta said, irritated. I jumped, surprised.

"Uh, sorry."

Chastened, I turned back to the paper as it suddenly lit ablaze, finishing a process that might have taken a minute or two more in an instant instead.

She stood, snatching the paper from the air before gravity could take it.

She stood there, looming over me, obnoxiously. Her wings spread wide, she glared at the paper as she poured over it.

Well… 'Obnoxiously' was a pretty strong word. Magenta really did mean well. I believed that. She had something that she loved and she wanted to share it with everyone. I could understand that.

Her tail 'fwap-fwaped' through the air, bangles jangling, and at the apex of each swing, they clattered loudly against each other. Not loudly enough, though. to hide the startling whipcrack on the more aggressive swings.

Then she stopped, and looked up at me.

"This is it? That's all there is?" she asked, her face inscrutable, her eyes narrowed.

Samael stood, looking over her shoulder. She too read it over once, and then nodded.

"Yes, that's the whole thing." She was smiling, smugly.

Why?

Then Magenta joined her, and I got the sense I'd missed something important.

She looked me in the eye, smiling threateningly, but also strangely warmly?

"All these terms, they're pretty restrictive, but… You never promised not to go after her yourself, Lyle."

…What?

A sudden thrill shot through me.

"What?" I asked, standing myself. I took the paper from her, looking it over myself.

Charlotte: "Let's make a deal."

Lyle: "Okay!"

Charlotte: "You let me out of here, keep the other monsters off of me, and give me a place to stay for a day or so, and I'll give your girls a chance. But… if one of them tries something, or you let someone else get by you, I go free, and you help me escape."

Lyle: "A day or two isn't much time. What if we agree not to push any demonic energy your way, and get you clean food, but you stay a week?"

Charlotte: "I'll want my own room. With a lock."

Lyle: "That's fine, but you can't hide out in it. You have to spend most of the time actually interacting with us, or there's no point."

Charlotte: "60/40. That's enough time to sleep and have some privacy. Even if I have to spend time with you that's better than I get here."

Lyle: "That sounds fair."

Charlotte: "Deal?"

Lyle: "Deal."

Click to shrink...

Pleasure raced through me in waves, pulsing rapidly. I was having trouble staying standing.

"Mmmmm~" I fell back down into my seat as the contract dismissed itself, shuddering. "Ooooh yeeaaaaaahhh…"

Magenta climbed onto me, and having her in my lap only made things hotter.

"You feel that, honey? That rush? You have her. You tricked her, and she's yours whenever you want her. You have to provide shelter, but she has to live there. You have her for a week, and she has to spend most of it in your clutches. You have to protect her from other monsters, but she has to let you. All the while, you're free to do whatever you wish. Sure, you can't throw demonic energy at her until she submits, but that's brutish and inelegant anyway."

"Aah, aah, aah~" It was sinking in how completely fucked Charlotte was, if I so much as wished it, and it felt so, so, so good.

Magenta kissed me on the lips, aggressively, pressing her tongue into my mouth, and I pulled her against me, and then started to slowly envelop her, before I realized what I was doing. Her tail snaked down, past my robes, past my underwear, and began to tease me mercilessly.

"All you have to do, Lyle, is slide across her, just like you're doing to me now. It's so natural, isn't it? She'll be safe from everything else that might want her there, and completely at your mercy."

Magenta shoved her tail deep inside me, the bangles trapped at the end by her arousal, and their intricacies tracing themselves across the most sensitive place in my body.

I came immediately.

Magenta slid off me, smirking, and I was too far out of it to protest, despite wanting more.

Slowly, though, I came back down, and realized what had happened with a clearer head.

I… that had really got me going? Really?

"I-I didn't know! I w-won't, I can't! I want to convince her, not break her!" I said.

Magenta had the audacity to wink at me.

"Sure, Lyle, sure." She walked towards the door, leaving me still helpless on the couch. "I don't know what I was so worried about, temperament aside, I knew you were a natural from the moment I first touched you. Enjoy the toys and dreams, darling. Stop by my studio in the next day or so, will you? I have something else for you~"

She left, and I was alone in the room with Samael.

"I uh…" I looked at her.

She was still smiling herself, but with a sort of refinement. Her hips shook a little, and, as she was naked, I could see she was clearly dripping wet, and her nipples were absolutely erect.

"I quite liked the look of that," she said, and she leaned down, putting her hand on my shoulder. "I want to try it."

I collected myself after a moment, and continued, "I'd wanted to talk to you, actually, and-"

Her other hand came up, and her finger rested on my lip.

"We can talk after."

"A-after?"

She laughed, warm and sweet, and the sound of it made me feel safe. She stood back up, and her hands slid away from my body.

"After. I'll be waiting~"

She walked away, toward her door, just left of Charlotte's, and slipped inside, sending one last heated look my way.

Oh.

After.

Heh. Okay.

 

[The_Letter_K]

Enemy Territory
Morningwood
Founder Faust von Frankenstein's Manor
Temporary Personal Quarters


Day 12 of Capture
Evening




It wasn't the noises that bothered me. Not the voices, either. Not the wall, nor how I could hear them through it, and not that I was trying to sleep.

It was the emotion, I think.

That's what it was.

"Mmmm~" Samael sounded happier than I'd ever heard her. It wasn't the depraved squeals of helpless rut, nor the raunchy calls of the corrupted as they praised their corruptors.

I'd seen Samael all but glow under the light of the Chief God, but she never sounded so…

Satisfied? Content?

Near as I could tell, Lyle was preening her wings for her, something even I'd never been allowed to do. She put it off as much as she could, and she'd always been embarrassed about the process. It would take her hours to do alone, but she referred to it as 'a trial from the Chief Herself' to clean her wings. She'd seemed grateful at the time, but also much more ashamed.

I hadn't exactly needed the confirmation, but a colleague of mine had mentioned that an Angel's wings were… sensitive. It was hard not to have gotten suspicious on my own, though. What other trial could She have given to her creatures, but to prove they could resist the temptations of their enemies?

Enemies…

That's what we are now. …I wonder how far she's fallen? It's supposed to be nearly instant. She certainly seems it, strutting about naked, openly aroused. But… well, I'd be remiss not to have noticed at the very least she's a dark reflection of her old self. They all seem to be, Sally possibly excluded, although others always had more trouble watching her than I had, for whatever reason.

It would be much simpler if something else had been shoved into her head. If I could convince myself she was dead already.

Ha.

That would be too easy.

What's a Hero without a fight against insurmountable odds, after all?

These rags… I wonder if I can trust them? There's no acceptable way to check, of course, but if they really reduce pleasure, they're invaluable. It's not like I can't wear real armor overtop, after all. There's still too many ways for them to win, but… even pruning away a few of their potential victories is frankly invaluable.

Of course…

It may not matter. I'd failed to be specific enough in my terms. Lyle was aware of that now, but so was I. Having to listen to the sounds from next door was well worth the information I overheard. There weren't many ways for a physical fighter to effectively counter a Slime type. Generally, mages or rangers handled them for that reason.

Some more supplies might help, but… she was incredibly dangerous, for an idiot. Beepatrice was as well, and I couldn't discount a Lich… Dark Valkyries are frightening enough on their own. I'd really stepped in it.

Still, even having gone feral, Beeps seemed to keep to non-lethality, which is something that could be used to pen her in, if I was quick. Her obsession with Lyle as well, although I'd need to poke that sore very carefully.

Sally seemed to have been caught up in the drama typical to powerful Undead, and it would be easy to turn that against her.

And Samael… well, if needbe, I could hurt her heart, at least.

Lyle really was the difficult one. Freezing her solid might be the only option, and that was no sure thing.

Most Mamono don't realize it, but they're incredibly vulnerable to magic that binds them. Their typical magical defense, the Succubize spell, turns incoming magical spells into sexual ones, but we'd discovered anything that could be construed that way already could still slip through.

There'd been work done to try and pin down exactly how to use that against them, but although there were those who fetishized violence and murder, they were much more a liability than an asset. No one had ever successfully produced a "Murder Mage" as the theory was called, without getting their operation burned to the ground by their subjects, and Mamono seemed to recognize even potential candidates as someone to be avoided, and shockingly, destroyed.

Mamono, as a rule, rarely killed, not even on accident, but they apparently didn't suffer psychopaths.

Binding spells, though… they were straightforwardly useful. Mamono were deeply vulnerable if a spell was cast while a bindings fetishist was nearby.

I didn't agree with exposing civilians to that kind of thing, but by getting involved with that sort of sexual deviancy, they were already essentially lost. The school of thought was that even if they turned via ambient exposure eventually, they could be used to exterminate dozens. It was a… net gain.

Heh.

Either way, Slimes were the exception to the rule. There were no bindings they couldn't slither out of, and I had no binding magic in any case.

Troublesome.

Relying on her goodwill simply wasn't an option.

I needed an edge.

Perhaps literally? A spear of Ice magic? Lyle had said they'd provide me with a custom work, and I'd be a fool to pass up a specially crafted monster weapon, when the contract would prevent them from trapping it. It pained me to admit, but their forge-masters were simply better, broadly. Some of our true Master level blacksmiths could compete, but they were generally unavailable even to Heroes, except for the best of the best.

If I did this right, I might be able to make it through this.

…I shouldn't count Blackberry out either. She's been… odd. She's faster than me, and seems fascinated with me. I'm… I could use anti-cavalry tactics but… Those sort of assume the horse won't… scream like a human. …I'm not sure I could handle hearing her squealing, even knowing she'd probably survive.

I'll do what I have to do, I won't waver, but…

I wish things were different.