Chapter 81

The Diva Takes The Reins

Xander was in the backyard helping Pip get the firepit cleaned up from another cook out they had for lunch when they both heard something echoing from the woods. That something being the sound of a six string guitar being played with marginal skill, a twelve string guitar being played far more smoothly, and Mercedes singing, heralding the Queen's return from her spiritual retreat that lasted two nights and into this second day.

"...make you nervous,
And I'm going to extremes,
Tomorrow I will change
And today won't mean a thing..."

Pip couldn't contain his chuckle as he recognized the song as Meredith Brooks' "Bitch". He had last heard it just a month before he had been shipped off with his grandfather. He had been at the local ice skating rink, trying to teach his equally gangly, and decidedly less coordinated, date how to keep her balance.

Pip shook his head as he muttered in French, "Merde, that's an unexpected flashback... What was her name again?"

Xander looked over to his cousin and asked with a confused smile, "I dunno what you're saying, but mama sounds and feels happier?"

Pip nodded as he switched back to speaking mostly English. "Oui. It does sound like your mother's meditations helped."

Vlad walked out onto the back terrace. He had been mentally tracking Mercedes' approach since she left the campsite because she had spent the entire time singing/playing other similarly toned songs and the sound of her voice had roused him from his mid-day nap.

"...Just when you think you've got me figured out,
The season's already changin'.
I think it's cool you do what you do,
And don't try to save me..."

Walter and Jan were coming from around the front of the villa, where they had been having their sparring session, because the latter requested a brief break to greet the returning Queen.

"...I'm a bitch.
I'm a lover.
I'm a child.
I'm a mother.
I'm a sinner.
I'm a saint..."

Mercedes was finally coming into range of normal sight, shimmying through the trees as she strummed on the smaller bodied six string. Cerberus walked next to her, long stride easily keeping pace with her and obligingly jamming out on the accompanying twelve string.

"...And I do not feel ashamed.
I'm your hell.
I'm your dream..."

Xander started to jog over to his mom, eager to get reunion hugs.

"...I'm nothing in between.
You know you wouldn't want it any other way..."

Cerberus gave an agreeing shake of his head and huff of a laugh as Mercedes sang those lyrics and glanced in his direction, indicating he absolutely wouldn't have her any other way. They were nearly to where woods met the back end of the yard.

"...I'm a bitch
I'm a tease
I'm a goddess on my knees..."

Jan gave an approving catcall to those lyrics.

Mercedes had a Cheshire cat grin on her face, but it was aimed in Vlad's direction, while she gave a couple hip shimmies to move down to a partially crouched stance, teasing at potentially being in said kneeling position. Both Kings' appreciative gazes were following the movements from ahead and behind the belly dancer, though Vlad's expression and aura also held a great deal of exasperated reproof for such a choice of song and behavior in front of their son. Pip gave an extremely uncomfortable cough and turned back to cleaning the firepit out.

The Fenrir's hands continued deftly moving over his guitar's strings as the Underworld Queen gracefully swayed her way back up, likewise still singing and strumming away as best as her stiff fingers of one hand allowed; the musical duo blithely ignoring the silent reprimands from the King of Death and Pip's fraternal awkwardness as they walked across the back yard.

"...When you hurt,
When you suffer,
I'm your angel undercover.
I've been numb.
I'm revived.
Can't say I'm not alive..."

Mercedes broke off singing as her son drew close and released the guitar, letting it hang from its strap, to scoop him up with her good arm.

"Hey, mon petit cher," Mercedes said with a smile, injured arm also going around him to give him a big squishy hug and kiss on the cheek. "You been a good boy for your dad while I was gone?"

Xander nodded and said with a bounce in her arms, "Yup. Just like I promised."

Mercedes flinched with the strain caused by the bounce from a child who weighed decidedly more than the guitar, but said cheerfully, "Bon. Guess who's getting some of my double fudge mint brownies for a reward dessert just as soon as I can get them made up?"

"Really?!" Xander asked with widening grin.

Mercedes nodded. "Really really."

"Yes!" Xander said with another excited bounce.

Mercedes gave a small groan to that and moved to set him down.

"Sorry, mama!" Xander with belated remembrance that she wasn't fully healed up yet.

"No worries, mon petit cher," Mercedes said with smile remaining. "No new harms done." She glanced Jan over, as he was walking around shirtless, and asked with mild surprise, "You're not smoking in the daylight already, so it seems someone got a boost while I was gone?"

Jan lifted his wiry arms in a flex and then he did a little happy dance as he struck different poses. "Got the full sun protection courtesy of Big King D, and I'm on Day 2 of the new training regimen with Pops. Big Daddy Pan is back in business full time and he is feeling so damn fine!" Jan took up a distinct fight pose as he said, "Dunno if Cerb's mentioned it yet, but the conspiracy squad kicked around the idea of a reunion FF8 cosplay when things have cooled off. Who'd make a kickass Raijin showing up around a Con all day and night?"

"You'd make an awesome Raijin," Mercedes agreed. "Eros likewise buffed and gunning for Laguna this time?"

Jan left off the poses to roll his eyes and say moodily, "No to the first 'cause his innate powers are less compatible and he doesn't want the vamp durability boost hitting the reset on what he's managed to pull through, but big yes to the second and he'll just have to be more selective with events he shows for."

"Fair enough, and that's still something to seriously consider for later."

"Hell yeah!" Jan did another happy dance.

A dry British voice interjected into the conversation. "If you want leave granted for a Con, you're going to have to get back to training and consistently step it up several notches."

Without breaking from his groove, Jan did a full body flex that sent him into a triple flip over Walter's head. He called over his shoulder as he landed and traipsed back towards the front of the house, "You hoping I'll tap out for the day so you have an excuse to go take a nap, old man warden? Let's get ba..."

The younger daimon's words were cut off because the Angel of Death was suddenly twenty meters ahead of him and wires were around his ankles, sending him tumbling down. As Jan failed to be able to catch his balance because the wires gave an extra tug and sent him to the ground with an audible thud, Walter said with a faint smirk, "New lesson, sonny- Pride goeth before the fall. Let's teach you to watch your steps better."

Jan grunted in frustration as his attempts to disentangle seemed to only make matters worse. "Ugh, fine. At least let go once I'm down so I can get back up and have another chance to dodge."

"Hm..." Walter hummed in seeming thought. "Lets get you back to the designated training space and then I'll outline the rules for this lesson."

Before Jan could try firing off a snappy comeback, he was launched into a rapidly spinning arc not only over Walter's head, but clear over the roof of the villa. "Shiiiii..." A deft succession of pulls at wires cut off his swear, slowed his momentum, and ensured he would land in the grass so the impact wouldn't damage the front terrace's tilework.

Xander blinked in surprise as Walter completely disappeared from sight. He called over as he ran as fast as he could, which was sadly not at super speeds, back to the house, "Hey, dad?"

Jet black eyebrow raised slightly as Vlad's currently green gaze turned his way. "Yes, Xander?"

"Am I gonna be as fast as Walter when I'm a grown up dragon?"

"If you choose to fully wake up your powers and train them, you'll come close to his speed, but I honestly don't know if you'll be able to match him in that particular skill. The sort of demon line he comes from is innately swifter than most and he's been training for decades to pull through that trait as much as possible."

"But I'll at least be able to move so quick it looks like I teleported out?"

Vlad nodded. "To all but the quickest of supernatural eyes or high tech cameras, yes. To them, you'll be a barely traceable blur."

The five and a half year old anxiously grumbled, "Why can't I grow up faster and zoom around like Flash? Grown ups get to do all the cool superhero stuff."

Vlad chuckled and said reassuringly, "How many adults, out of the billions walking this planet that aren't part of our family in some way, are capable of anything supernatural? How many do you think are capable of legitimately sensing other's emotions or summoning a gigantic snake familiar?"

Xander paused at the bottom of the stairs to catch his breath from his dash, then said in grudging agreement, "Yeah. I guess ya got a point. I do got Shadowsnake and he's super cool. Just wish I didn't have to ask Shadowsnake to do stuff for me. It stinks not being able to move fast and float and go all ghosty through walls and all the other cool stuff you guys can do."

"Even dragon princes need time to grow. You're just going to have to be patient, study so your mind is growing with your body, and work with the powers you currently have. And at least you can currently enjoy eating things like the brownies your mother said she'll be cooking for you."

Xander frowned. "That's true... But I got a question about that. Why can't dragons like you and vampires eat real food? Why does it gotta be blood drinking?"

As Vlad debated how to potentially try answering that subject, especially because he wasn't entirely sure how much was from his transformation being incomplete and what his original self was capable of consuming, Cerberus's hound zipped over to the boy so the wolf daimon could assist with an honest answer. "Standard vamps don't have a choice in blood drinking because they reflect your dad's state when he turned their sires. Going straight from human to first Vamp was a rough transition for him to make and he had to stick with the diet that sustains his kind of powers. But as your dad gets more dragony, he's been able to expand to drinking other liquids if he wants to drink something just for the taste. If he wanted to make the effort, he might be able to regain the ability to eat, and then pass that on, even if food tastes different to dragons or daimons than it does to humans."

Xander's sky blue gaze turned to the approaching wolf daimon and his mama. "What does food taste like to dragons and daimons?"

"Depends on the food and the daimon eating it."

"What do mint fudgy brownies taste like to you?"

"Sweet chocolatey and mint flavored grain biscuits. The coarser texture of wheat flour is more noticeable for me, no matter how finely milled or what smoother ingredients it gets mixed with, but it's still a tasty dessert."

"What do dinner biscuits taste like?"

"The flaky kind that come in a can taste like sheets of grain and salt. Not a fan of them. The homemade kind are chewy grainy dough bricks, but they can be tasty if seasoned right. Bread products in general are low on a wolf's preferred diet."

"What's your favorite dessert?"

"That's still possible to have? Cherries."

Xander's nose wrinkled and he asked disbelievingly, "Cherries? Like, just the fruit cherries? Not on a sundae or something?"

Cerberus shrugged. "I like them on sundaes too, but I'll munch an entire bucket of cherries on their own."

"That's weird."

The wolf gave a huff of a laugh. "Ancient daimon, Xander. We didn't have nearly as wide of a variety of desserts when I was your age. Fruit bearing cherry trees weren't a native plant where I grew up, but my family had several of them maintained around the grounds. Having handfuls of juicy fruit would hit the spot better on a hot day than waiting hours for some baked treat to be offered after dinner. There's also sentimental value whenever I eat them. Comparing modern flavors to different ones my twin and I would wolf down on. Remembering getting into contests with her for who could spit the pits at different targets the best. Or when our older brother walked into range, we made the stones on his crown or a spot of design on his clothes the designated moving target, with the winner being who got the most hits before he could snatch our cherry bucket and haul us off to be scolded by our nursemaid or parents."

Xander laughed at that. "Okay. That part sounds like fun."

Mercedes nodded in agreement. "Cerberus would have an unfair advantage, but it's still fresh cherry season and I'm suddenly thinking maybe you, me, and Pip could have a cherry pit contest. Cerberus and your dad can rate us human-ish people's aim."

"You grown ups would win," Xander said.

"I don't know about that. I've never been in a spitting contest in this life, and can't remember doing it in others. Pip might have us beat, depending on habits he's picked up as a mercenary, but you and I would be on pretty equal grounds for that one."

Pip chimed in from the firepit, "I've picked up a number of habits, but precision spitting at a distance is not a skill I can claim expertise in. Count me in for the amateur contest."

Xander considered that and then nodded with a grin forming. "And Walter can't get all stuffy pants about the pits everywhere 'cause Mama is doing it too."

Pip gave a conspiratorial grin back. "Exactly, mon petit cousin. Besides, if we do it outside, it's just compost for the soil. No harm and no clean up required."

"Hey, mama. Can I draw targets for us?"

"That would make it extra fun, so of course you can."

"Then I'm gonna get started right now!" Xander headed up the stairs, asking his dad, "You'll be one of the judges, right?"

Vlad said wryly as the child passed, "There's a first time for everything, apparently."

"Awesome! First target is gonna be just Red Skull's head for hitting him the most times! And then I'm doing Doc Oc to see if we can hit all his mech arms! And then I'll figure out another!"

"You could color and then fold paper into a box, like the ones Seras showed you how to make yesterday, to make a tesseract. The challenge is getting the pits to land on top without them bouncing back off."

Xander yelled back, exiting line of sight as he darted down the hall that led to his room, "Awesome idea! Thanks, dad!"

Mercedes gave a curious glance over at Cerberus and asked, "You said cherries are your favorite still possible dessert, and I know you like most anything with honey or chocolate as a main flavor, but what would your favorite be if you could include ancient options that are no longer available?"

Cerberus's aura started flickering with impish amusement. "A type of persimmon that was native to Atlantis and had already been one of my preferred fruits, then my mother gifted a trio of trees for one of your gardens and you cultivated a different subspecies. I was disappointed, but not surprised, to discover it didn't hold up nearly as well as your mint when left unattended for millennia. I'm hoping someday you might regain certain abilities and get one of the surviving Atlantean specimens evolved into a replica of your variant so it's no longer an extinct treat. I'll explain in text all the things that made it taste better and what non flavor related things sealed its spot as my all time favorite."

Even with deferring on the full explanation, both empaths could sense flickers of reactive displeasure from the Void Dragon.

Mercedes looked in his direction and saw that foresty eyes had little flames sparking in the center near the pupils. She sighed and said, "Vlad?"

"Yes, draga mea?" Vlad replied neutrally.

"As Xander is going to be busy for at least an hour with his drawings for targets- if you're willing, I'd like the three of us to use the free time to sit down for a preliminary discussion on how to get various family matters sorted out in what peaceful fashions may be possible."

The flickers of fire grew a shade brighter and wider as Vlad briefly glanced at The Wolf and then back to her. "You've just returned and, instead of having a private discussion between us, you wish for a sit down between all three of us?"

Mercedes couldn't stop the frustration from creeping into her voice as she said, "If we're to get matters sorted out in ways we can all live with, wouldn't it make sense for all of us to be involved in that discussion?"

"At a later point, yes," the Dragon King replied. "I don't think it too much to request that after days of nearly nonexistent private communications with you since you annulled our marriage, while Cerberus has had extensive time for such communications, that we have a private discussion before moving forward with triad talks."

Cerberus's ember eyes narrowed. "You really want to go there alre..." His irritated response cut off mid-word when his Queen held up a hand, pointing a finger in his direction warningly.

Mercedes said to the other King, "Vlad, I can make reasonable guesses as to what you may wish to speak about, and I'm more than willing to have a one on one discussion with you, but I really think a three-way conversation first would be best. I am also going to strongly request that you not keep score on how precisely my time is being split, especially not as a thing to be constantly balancing out for the rest of eternity. I may in truth be the Persephone to your Hades in the literal sense of what our past incarnations were, but this Diva of the Damned is not anyone's property. And I will not hesitate to tell the Dragon King to fuck off and go rethink your behavior if you're intending to treat me as though I'm a vacation house with time shares to be evenly handed out and strictly enforced."

That rebuke caused his jaw to clench, muscles beneath ivory skin briefly twitching with agitation.

Pip's eyebrow above his remaining eye hiked way up. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lighter as he turned on a heel and swiftly headed towards the front of the house, deciding his baby cousin- or, sister, as it was- seemed to have this covered just fine on her own and it was best to give her some semblance of privacy to work marital matters out with her lovers.

"...The Oracle Queen will also point out to His Majesty that even if Cerberus and I have been in contact in this life of mine for a longer period of time online, you have had more in person time with me in this incarnation alone, never mind the two previous incarnations that Cerberus wasn't in any contact with. Furthermore, you have indisputably had far more time for in person romantic interactions the last three incarnations than Cerberus has had; and I'm pretty sure that even if Cerberus got a couple more years with me as Daciana, given that most of those were us as children, you got more of the specific varieties of wife-husband time for that one as well. So, if we were keeping tabs, you're still in the lead, even if you and I haven't had sex in this life yet, only teasing foreplay stuff. Which, I will add, is a direct result of you suggesting the permanency of our most recent vows be conditioned upon whether or not our marriage was consummated or not. Even though I've had the curiosity in recent weeks to see what things might be like on that front with you, you took the option for casual sex off the table and I wasn't ready to leap past the point of no return with my head so messed up. Cerberus didn't all but weaponize sex during our second meet up and that was part of why I was comfortable having the night of distraction fucking with him. Funny how that worked out, Your Majesty. At least with first Triad vows and all vows the three of us have made to one another since getting nullified, there's now a fresh slate for everyone on that front.

"Lastly, me spending a couple days out in the woods meditating and performing manteíaskopeîn of different kinds, and Cerberus being there for aiding my efforts and watching over my physical welfare, hardly counts as us spending personal time together. That was predominantly professional interactions and my attention was on what I was doing so as to get it done as swiftly as I could and then return home to you and our son. I'm back. My mind is no longer under the effects of a bunch of vows and I've sorted out many thoughts. Xander is currently keeping himself entertained. I would like to use the available free time for all three of us to have a discussion to start working matters out. One on one conversations between any combination of the three of us can be easily arranged after preliminary matters are discussed and baseline understandings are had, with us taking turns to spend time with Xander while the other two talk or doing so after he goes to bed."

Vlad was silent for several seconds after being given that dress down, trying to let the sting of it pass without his temper flaring up and making matters more strained between them. Finally, he gave a stiff nod and said with a perfectly stoic tone, "As you say, Regină mea. Shall we move this discussion to the living room and have Cerberus put up a ward to keep further discussions a private matter?"

"That would probably be for the best," Mercedes agreed.

When the three of them were settled in the living room, sitting on separate chairs or the couch arranged around the coffee table, the Fenrir tossed up a simple ward to keep their conversation from being overheard by those with vamp-enhanced hearing.

Mercedes looked between her two co-monarchs and broke the silence by saying, "Before we get started on heavier subjects, and even if there's been some obvious stressed moments, I would still like to thank you both for respecting that I needed time to think and doing what you could in your own ways to help that directly, or indirectly by keeping everyone else, including Xander, from bombarding me for my attention."

Vlad said, "Of course, draga mea."

Cerberus gave a nod and smile.

"That said," Mercedes stated, "I first want to address something not directly tied to the three of us, but still of importance and being affected by our personal matters. And that is the matter of you two's decision that when Tukiko san resurrects again, you're going to kill him. I'm telling you both right now that, as things currently stand for what I know of the situation, I am not going to allow you to do so. If either of you try to do so behind my back, you're going to be in very big trouble..."

"Draga mea," Vlad interrupted, tone just as serious. "I know you're personally attached to Poseidon, but as we explained, he's done things that warrant being taught a more serious lesson, but it won't cause permanent harm."

"Is that so?" Mercedes asked. "Because from where I'm looking at things from, that's bullshit on a few levels..."

"She-Wolf," Cerberus interjected through his namesake. "Schwarze Sonne is right on this one. My father caused quite a bit of trouble during his last life, and he did it willfully out of bullheaded Kingly pride. Even outside things broadly covered regarding matters with you and that he lied to Hades about details of Kingdom restoration to try cutting me out of those matters entirely, if he hadn't intercepted me while my memories were so scattered and mindfucked me into agreeing to hold off on rejoining with you in your Anasztázia life, I could've..."

"Could've, would've, should've, but didn't," Mercedes interrupted back. "Fact of the matter is things happened as they did and the past can't be changed. I'm going to get to why your and Vlad's reasons for Tukiko san are short sighted bullshit soon enough, but now the Queen has to address some of the personal matters she wanted to hold off on, including having some things to say to the Mad Hatter. I truly appreciate everything you've been doing to help spark awareness of who I really am beneath all the superficial human bullshit that's been piled on. I obviously still have a long way to go mentally, emotionally, and manifesting that physically and magically. Alice in Wonderland also has a lot of convenient parallels or metaphors that drew both of our attentions and was a very helpful framing for you to take advantage of. But Lewis Carroll clearly didn't know shit about tarot and got the suit cards all wrong, and I am all too painfully aware that our real lives sure as fuck aren't the cute and cartoony Disney adaptation.

"I want you to understand that the Oracle Alice has always come up in her favorite tarot deck as the High Priestess, Queen Persephone, to indicate when I needed to trust my seer powers and/or my magic to solve a problem in the supernatural ways. As I told Pan, I may not have known it, but I've apparently been my own best source of clarity at times. However, my secondary card is not the Queen of Hearts, AKA the Queen of Cups, when it comes to solving problems in more mundane ways, especially for making judgments on pending matters. Your mother sounds like she'd be rightfully represented by the Queen of Cups. The Matron Dragon sounds most like the Queen of Pentacles. Any of us enchantresses could easily tap into the Queen of Wands depending on the situation, or even be influenced by other Queenly aspects because we're living beings and not locked into archetypes. Even still, my secondary personal card that always turns up when the mundane methods are needed has been the Queen of Swords. Despite my deck having it attached to a water astrological sign and represented by "Atlanta", it is nonetheless on point for this Queen who is willing to set aside gentler inclinations and personal emotions as best as possible for an empath, and then make decisions most others around me would deem ruthless or controversial.

"I was losing sight of that, but you helped remind me that the true Queen Bitch has always known who I am, even if my vision of that truth has been clouded by the weird storm in my head. I appreciate the reassurances that no matter what's happened over the ages and incarnations, no matter if I've been struggling to put the pieces together and express all those aspects in a balanced way, that basic truth hasn't been stolen from me. And while some situations might have potentially had happier outcomes if you had been there in person at all times, other things could have gone much worse as a result. So I'm going to return the reassurance you gave, by telling you that I know you made the best calls you could at those times and it ended up being enough. You ultimately trusted that I was strong enough to survive while you were in the Void, or while you were restoring yourself so you could have the power needed to step back in and do your jobs properly, or all the times you were otherwise doing what was needed to get matters back on track. Thank you to the Great White Wolf for having that consistent faith in the She-Wolf, even when I've been repeatedly scrambled by reincarnation and making some bad choices that made things harder for you. I can't make myself form the words to definitively call myself Persephone right now because my memories are MIA and I therefore don't have the full spectrum of old me's perspectives, and that's as important to who a person is as their raw soul energy itself; nor do I feel like I could rightfully reclaim that specific name by virtue of merit quite yet, regardless of your general willingness to obey my commands for the rest of eternity, because I'm not at full Dragon Queen capabilities and able to independently reinforce my own authorities. Even with feeling so strongly on that as I do, I know that I'll be able to eventually get that name back, especially because of your explanations and reassurances on the matter, and I've at least been able to reclaim what I have thus far."

The Queen's voice became as sharp as one of her well kept blades. "Gratitude for his many aids to the Oracle Alice aside, the Mad Hatter is nonetheless being put on notice. While the Queen of Swords is not willing to order off with her soulmate's head, if you again interrupt me during this conversation without an extenuating cause to do so, especially when I'm so obviously in the middle of trying to finally express some of the thoughts that it took me this much effort to get in proper order, the misbehaving white haired doggy youkai will find out the High Priestess is absolutely willing to pull a Kagome by sending a pseudo-telekinetic barrier your way to knock your ass off that chair and to the ground, and you will stay there until your apologies through the hound convinces me that you've learned a lesson. The Queen is giving her Head of Guard an order that he is not allowed to take advantage of his superior magic or physical skills to try avoiding that consequence to his actions happening. Disobey that order in some loophole way or commit too many infractions for the sake of getting your masochistic rocks off, Fenrir will be demonstrating that one of the High Priestess's magic projects in the near future may need to be working out wards like the ones I currently have for vamps, as well as contemplating other means to curb your moods, because apparently free roaming the earth for some three hundred years without supervision has made you almost as disobedient and ill mannered as some of our doggos after their void time."

Golden gaze turned to the other member of their Triad as Cerberus blinked twice and his previously stoic aura briefly cracked with flickers of intrigued surprise to that order and threat following on the heels of the kinder words.

Mercedes said with tone remaining sharp, "And you can get that smug smirk off your face right now, King Bastard. The Diva of the Damned wants to be just as clear with The Vampire King that he needs to get digging deeper into himself and consistently behave like the true King of Death you've repeatedly claimed to still be."

That order and followup statement caused the smirk to evaporate and now Vlad was the one to blink a couple times as affronted shock flared. As the Dragon Queen continued speaking, shock swiftly morphed into his brand of Kingly bad mood storm starting to brew again.

"You need to get it through your head that you and Cerberus are not at war with each other, particularly where I am concerned. The wolfy currently has no desire to be any sort of threat to you, including where I am concerned. The wolfy will not be any sort of threat to you unless you do something that forces him to be a threat, at which point you would only have yourself to blame. And I need to make something very clear to you, more so than what we've already touched on. I can feel that I've loved you very deeply in past lives, but that is not a switch I can flick on or off whenever I want. At this point in time, I can't simply say the words 'I love you' to you. The seer can't definitively declare that sentiment, whatever language it's said in, unless I feel certain it'll be understood in the proper context by the person hearing the words..."

Vlad said with stoic tone in place, at odds with his increasing displeasure for this line of conversation, "Mercedes, I'm well aware of that restriction to your speech from discussions we've had during previous lives of yours about how abstract concepts or emotions need be verbally expressed."

"Really?" the seer asked rhetorically, tone not changing. "Well then, hopefully you will properly understand the rest of what I have to say and let me say it without further interruptions that could hold greater potential to derail my train of thought and force me to take actions similar to those I threatened Cerberus with to stop the disruptions. We both know I have the wards needed. My favorite blades that you so thoughtfully had packed up for me when we escaped Philly are also just down the hall and, while they might not be useful to deal with Cerberus misbehaving, they are perfectly capable of making a sharper point to the Vamp King that he's officially pressed my patience too far and I won't be inclined to pull swings if I need go fetch them to conduct this conversation."

The Dragon King was still for a few seconds, then made a small sweeping motion with one hand to indicate she could continue speaking.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Mercedes said with a passing bit of sarcasm before heaving a sigh of frustration and shaking her head. She wasn't sure how he'd react after having a series of dynamics shifts happen without forewarning, and more to come by the time she was done speaking, she was half expecting this conversation to go from reconciliation efforts to The Dragon wanting to discuss full divorce and custody terms for their son, but those unknowns for his side of things didn't change that certain things needed saying and she knew she couldn't be a mouse about doing so.

"Skipping over the details of those restrictions as you say you're aware of them, you should know that there are only ten people that I know I'm currently capable of definitively saying 'I love you' to, and three are crossed off the list if I don't count people currently in the Void and unavailable to hear it. The full list is Xander, Pip, Val, Tukiko san, Fumiko, Davin, Sasha, Denissa, Denissa's daughter, and Cerberus. After all the bullshit that's been revealed with the Knights and mes grandparents, I know I couldn't say just those words to either of them if they were here right now; but if we had a chance to sit down and talk and depending on what they had to say, especially my grandfather because my grandmother isn't exactly in her right mind these days, I might have the ability returned.

"I respect and trust you in many ways. I know I have other feelings for you. I've sensed various feelings you have for me. But I can't say those three words to you right now. And that inability confirms to me that despite whatever we may have shared in the past, things have changed for both of us a great deal since then and we have critical understandings needing to be rebuilt or made for new matters if a romantic relationship is to succeed.

"As is obvious from him being on the aforementioned list, I know what my feelings for Cerberus are. I know just as clearly what his feelings for me are. Our emotions for the other have different nuances because we're different people having them, but the seer can happily say none of those emotions on either of our parts are of the toxic variety. And as I had already briefly confirmed to you, Cerberus was telling the truth, if being a vindictive ass in how he did so because you've repeatedly provoked him, when he relayed to you that he and I finished coming to understandings with one another. We locked ourselves into being a package deal by becoming soulmates, something I can feel as truth despite not having had explanations for the impressions before recent talks, and then we doubled down on that with my original oaths to hold him to his guard oaths. I still want and need my Head of Guard and soulmate to do his various jobs, and he's still determined to do them until one of us ceases to exist. So we came to a broad framework of mutually understood ideas to help us move forward that is non-binding and therefore free to evolve or have parts entirely discarded as needed. I appreciate more than words can describe that instead of trying to trap and cage me, Cerberus has done everything he possibly could to facilitate us coming to such understandings that still leave us both as free as complicated circumstances will allow.

"I do not know if the three of us can come to similarly flexible new agreements on how to make a poly arrangement work and then actually uphold to that. It's not for me to make unilateral decisions on something so personal for all of us. It's also not Cerberus's place to do so, or yours. I will say that I would like to try to do so. I do not want to be backed into a corner of needing to pick one of you over the other. You would not like what my decision would have to be if I'm forced to make it. That is not a threat, it is simply a statement of fact because circumstances are what they are. I also don't want to spend the rest of eternity refereeing petty exchanges between you and Cerberus on a regular basis. It's only going to be hurting ourselves if there's juvenile fighting with one another. So if we do agree to make an attempt at poly arrangements, it needs to be with sincere intents and subsequent efforts from all parties to make it work.

"And I'm not going to be a hypocrite and ask you to accept whatever unfolds with Cerberus and I as we continue working things out, yet not be willing to accept you having the same allowances. As people have been doing the full disclosure thing to try moving forward in situations, I will further say that in addition to the male partners you are aware I've had in this life, I have also had sex with another woman. It was a human girlfriend of a friend of Denissa's. The couple had flown in from South Korea for Denissa and Jacob's ten year anniversary party. It was a one night thing between the two of us that our partners were willing to green light because she was very attractive, I was very curious, and the mildly psychic and magical lady thought the other supernatural lady was adorably awkward in my unfamiliarity with being attracted to a woman and she was game to give me a crash course on doing the lady things. It was an enjoyable experience and I'm open to it happening again if another woman struck my interest, it's just that none have thus far. I have an educated assumption, though, that the Erinyes have plenty of endearing qualities for them to have been your dedicated concubines for several millennia before I was born, and then for the six of us to have remained close for as many millennia as we were. If and when they reincarnate, they will probably still be the best bet to get more women into the mix, and bypass a ton of trial and error and drama that screening new partners could potentially incite. Just a thought, but it's your decision for who you sleep with, if it's a casual one nighter or a steady arrangement because they're particularly fun or there's deeper attachments formed, and if they're strictly a solo partner for yourself or you might want some variety of a group party or longer term poly arrangements with other participants who are willing. I will be fine with whatever you decide because I know it is separate from what's between us, our history proves I can trust you to make those decisions and be respectful about how you proceed, and you did promise me you'd handle things if a common lover were to ever show signs of being a threat to our son and I'd hope that would extend to protecting me as well if we were in an open marriage instead of divorced.

"Outside of matters related to partners, the Queen of Swords is going to give the warning to His Majesty that I do not appreciate that not only have you interrupted me in this conversation, but that you were even more willing to bulldoze the blindsided Oracle than Cerberus was for matters on Tukiko san when they first came up- dropping on him who was in mention, sharing details that were my personal business and I clearly wanted to keep private, going along with the 'majority rules' sentiment, providing the supposed legal and political covers to kill Poseidon, and adding to the reasons why Cerberus should be the one to carry it out. You intentionally provoked him on a matter that you damn well knew was deeply personal to him on multiple fronts because of the parties involved, and you did it to use him as your backup vote and executioner pawn to attempt to keep your hands clean of Tukiko's death and divert my resulting wrath onto Cerberus..."

Cerberus's expression briefly shifted to mild surprise as that observation was made, and then he gave a fleeting glare over at the Dragon King as his aura flickered with aggravated understanding, before finally suppressing the reactions and returning to stoicism. Vlad's bad mood storm was steadily increasing as his jaw tightened a fraction, but his expression otherwise remained impassive as the Queen made it clear she had busted him for that maneuver.

"...Even if you initially caught me off guard and I've had a lot to sort out in my head, manipulative stunts like that do not fly by without me noticing and eventually consciously acknowledging it for what it is. It's one thing for there to be a few poorly considered phrases being said in the heat of the moment or a subconscious reaction momentarily flaring due to something triggering it. It is an entirely different thing to be actively plotting and then acting to derail my chances to engage in discussions and line up getting whatever you want because you know I won't agree with it. That shit is not okay. The King of Death needs to treat this Dragon Queen with the consistency of respect I absolutely deserve; not just when it's easy or expedient or you're putting on airs in front of others to show what a deferential King you can be. I'm not expecting you to adjust the solo King habits overnight, especially because I understand you have been under as much stress as everyone else in this room and that may affect your judgment; but I will not tolerate having to confront you on a regular basis. And if any more underhanded schemes like that pop into your head, they better stay there and not be acted on.

"The Queen Bitch also wants it to be known that I don't give a fuck if other titanes created Monarchs, including you, agree with my perceptions related to the titanes. The Oracle doesn't give a fuck about there being an equal number of Kings and Queens or what the titanes planned for us. I really don't have a single fuck to give, I can sense I never have, and I'm not going to spend this incarnation pretending otherwise. Titanes get credit for realizing they were too unbalanced and destructive and making an attempt to solve that by paying the ultimate cost of themselves, but that is as much acknowledgment as they deserve to have in matters. They're not here anymore. They haven't been here for a great many millennia. We are here. We are the ones still dealing with all the ramifications of their messes because of how extensive they were. We are the ones who have to decide what we want for ourselves and for our family and for our kind as a whole.

"And I've come to some important realizations on that front. Given the broad aspects of what I know of our kind's earliest years, I feel certain that I would have been completely screwed over if I was there from the very beginning. No one knew the rules for what was going on and how our kind worked. Things were apparently chaotic and frequently violent while that was being sorted out. It very likely would have driven the Oracle insane trying to use her powers to help navigate and mediate all that while simultaneously getting herself ensnared in different oaths because she didn't know any better. Instead, Hera was stuck with sussing out what it meant to be a true seer while dealing with lesser versions of my gift impacting her, which probably sucked for her, but then she was relieved of those compulsions when I was born. And then Cerberus was able to use all the information Hera gathered to do his job of guiding and protecting me so I wouldn't make the same mistakes as I was maturing as a separate individual. When the High Priestess was out in the woods and reflecting on those matters, I ultimately felt deep gratitude that things turned out that way, despite all the other complications that ensued from that particular titanes fuck up. Maybe it's selfish to feel that way, but being spared from the permanent clusterfucks that would've ensued in that earliest age is my silver lining to the situation.

"And while The Dread Fenrir may not have started off as a King like you, Zeus, and Poseidon, and he doesn't independently have the super soul-annihilating powers you three apparently have, there is far more to being a King than birth or being those mega destructive forces. From what I understand of the people in question, King Cerberus was born a full fledged dragon prince of the highest tier with what was probably the best soul energy aspects of both his Atlantean Alpha parents. King Cerberus then worked to develop his powers and learn skills beyond his inherent privileges of birth to become the man he is today. King Cerberus created daimon hounds to overcome a disability inflicted on him while upholding to his responsibilities so he could continue to do his jobs as best as he could. King Cerberus received a permanent dragony boost of my Queenly energy that is now rightfully considered his and is the Father of Lycanthropes because of that. King Cerberus has spent over eight and a half millennia fulfilling his duties as an Underworld King. Since reincarnating, King Cerberus has indisputably tried his best to help piece things back together while you and I have been amnesiac and/or indisposed in different fashions. Not just for the sake of our immediate family, but wider issues as well, at different expenses to himself. The Dread Fenrir is not a fucking pet. The Dread Fenrir is not a lesser King or political tool for other Kings to use. Things all three of you original Kings have treated him as or called him at various points in time and to varying degrees. King Cerberus is in fact a King and has a right to be treated as such..."

Mercedes's fingers dipped into the front of her shirt and pulled out a folded up half sheet of college-ruled notebook paper from the built in bra. Both Kings were giving her questioning looks as she unfolded it. "...With those facts established by the Oracle, and reminding you Kings of my pointy warnings not to interrupt the Queen of Swords when I am speaking, I am now going to make my first official act as the Exalted Dragon Queen who is part of the Underworld Triad currently granted authorities over all daimon kind, with the other two Exalted members of the Triad present to bear witness to it."

Smoothing out the paper, she then read the proclamation out loud. "The Exalted Dragon Queen invokes Her right of domain as The Oracle of Universal Truth to declare that The Dread Fenrir, King Cerberus, has demonstrably proven that his inherent powers, trained skills, and history of sound and selfless judgment and action makes him an equal to the six titanes created Dragon Monarchs. The Dread Fenrir, King Cerberus, by those and any further names or titles he chooses to be known as or is otherwise awarded, is hereby acknowledged as a Dragon King. The Dread Fenrir is entitled to all due professional respect and Royal protections as the fourth Dragon King and the third member of the Exalted Underworld Triad. Even if the Exalted Underworld Triad should come to a permanent dissolution of Royal arrangements, or attempts to restore daimon society otherwise fail, Dragon King Cerberus will remain a rightfully acknowledged Dragon King entitled to equal privileges and protections granted to other Dragon Monarchs. The only means by which Dragon King Cerberus's status may be changed is if a circumstance arises in which all surviving members of those seven Dragon Monarchs come to a fully conscious and willing agreement to forfeit their respective titles and privileges as Dragon Monarchs, thereby maintaining a recalibrated balance of political power amongst themselves."

Stunned silence and auras met Mercedes' pronouncement. The seer calmly folded back up the paper, flicked it onto the coffee table, then glanced between her Kingly counterparts. "Now that the Oracle has better established an equalizer to those dynamics, the Dragon Queen is issuing a warning to both of you Dragon Kings that if this Triad is going to have any chance to work on the professional levels, especially long term, it needs to operate like an equally sided triangle for Royal matters. All facts get presented to the best of each other's understandings and in respectful fashions that allow each of us turns to speak, however many rounds that takes to get all the details and whatever orders to who speaks that requires. We review evidence if there is any by outside parties and again ask questions in turn and in respectful manners to each other. The Oracle gets proper chances to consider matters by calling for recesses to discussions if she feels like she needs the break to process all the details. If you two need breaks for your own reasons, you're likewise welcome to call them. Then the three of us discuss the possible solutions to whatever situation is at hand. And then we come to a unified ruling to be announced or privately acted on. Might be that we're all in unanimous agreement on a previously understood matter and a gesture or word or telepathic thought is all that's needed to confirm we still are. Depending on outside circumstances, what we're being asked to deliberate on may seem ridiculous and we may wish to crack jokes, whether publicly to ridicule the person to make a point to them or privately when diplomacy demands not showing what we really think, and that's perfectly fine because we're living beings with senses of humor and we're allowed to express that. Sometimes one of us may have a great deal more to say than the others, or someone may not be fully satisfied with the final results negotiated, but that's life when you're working as a team and value the perspectives other members. Unless there's some legitimate emergency situation where we don't have time for such a process, or one or more of us is incapacitated in some way and therefore obviously can't participate, I expect that very reasonable and civilized deliberation process I have requested to be respected and implemented in whatever ways seem most appropriate for situations. And even in such emergency or extenuating circumstances, we will be trying to factor what we know of the others to honor what their wishes on matters would be. We're not swearing any binding oaths of office or other such nonsense to try enforcing such proceedings; we are simply going to do our best from this point forward to operate in good faith and with respect for one another. Do both Dragon Kings understand what Her Majesty has had to say to you on such matters?"

The King of Death gave a stiff nod, saying stoically, "Understood, Regină mea."

The Fenrir said at the same time, "Understood, Your Majesty."

The empath turned her gaze directly to the latter, picking up flickers of arousal in his aura. She gave an exasperated groan. "Vraiment?! Now is not the time for that!"

Cerberus immediately gave her a contrite look, aura steadily returning back to neutrality and retreating inward to barely noticeable levels. "Apologies, She-Wolf. I truly wasn't trying to be disrepectful or undermine the tone of the conversation. It's just that with old draconic understandings and traditions being as deep set as they were, even though we're soulmates and you made sure everyone understood that you personally viewed me as an equal by employing whatever roundabout framings you could devise, you were never able to declare me a Dragon King by marriage to you or independently merited. It's also been a while since I've seen the sexy Damme side of Her Majesty come out in sustained force to take charge of a situation. Combine it with the unexpected declaration hitting me in the feels as hard as it did, it caused the reaction to build and flare up a bit before I could contain it again."

Mercedes sighed in defeat, shaking her head. A wistful smile formed, however, as she met his gaze. "I might not be able to release you of Guard oaths so you're free from wrestling with those compulsions when they're contradicting what your free will would be, nor do I have the power to rearrange reality and fix all the problems of the world with a few Queenly words, but I figured I can at least try to ensure that no matter what happens in the future, The Mad Hatter General is finally given every bit of the respect and security you have earned."

Cerberus gave a small nod with an encouraging smile. "Thank you, my Queen, for the generous pension plan, but your best boy wolfy isn't planning for there to ever be a need to make use of it."

A snort of rueful laughter escaped Mercedes. "Yeah, well, I think 'Hope for the best and plan for the worst' and other such sentiments apply here. I'm hoping the three of us can get things back on track enough that when plans inevitably go south in some way, we've got enough safeguards in place to not end up with another mass scale clusterfuck that takes several more millennia to sort out."

"Fair enough. Also, for the record, you have my sincerest apologies for the sustained complaining and misbehavior regarding my father. I should've been better about setting emotions on the back burner to handle things in impartial fashion."

Mercedes nodded to that. "I appreciate and accept the apology. I'm not pleased with Tukiko san for hiding things from me and I can understand why you've been upset that he behaved as he did, but I do think there's a better response that included leveling the playing field for Kingly power dynamics, and that equalizer also helps other matters."

Cerberus's smile grew a fraction and he gave a happy bob of his head as his aura flickered with bits of impish glee. "Ja. That was not the upgraded title asked for, but I am even more ecstatic to trumpet that Anadelia'theife bestowed me with that one. And while Dread Fenrir is not a pet, your best boy wolfy is indeed forever and gleefully on the love-leash I handed over to you and willing to make that manifest reality if my Queen finds herself in the mood to help me celebrate the occasion and wants to see a collar back around my neck." The kinky offer, reminding her of the outfit he wore to the rave, brought a bright blush rushing to her cheeks. "That aside for private time, Dragon King Cerberus is willing to hear the rest of what my She-Wolf has to say about how to deal with my father's bullshit and then help work out any potential refinements to the plan once I know where your thoughts are."

The Oracle rolled her eyes as she gave a prolonged sigh to cut off the exasperated laugh that wanted to form. "Glad to see Squall is back to having full confidence in Rinoa's ability to contribute to matters, even if my awareness isn't whole right now. Try not to let it slip again."

Cerberus gave a salute as golden gaze was turning to Vlad.

Mercedes said intently, "I could sense how upset certain things I said made you, Vlad, and I know you can't sense my emotions when I'm not projecting them or you're doing your special brand of dragon connection. So I want you to know that while I meant those things that upset you, I also very much meant the part about wanting to figure out how we're moving forward. Not just for professional reasons or our son. One of the many things I was trying to sort out while I was gone was my mixed up feelings where you're concerned. I realized a part of it had nothing to do with you in a direct sense, and I want to explain what it was so you have that understanding."

"I've told you before, I will always prefer you to speak what's on your mind and have those insights to work with because it is my desire for us to reconcile and continue our marriage. Today's events have not changed that." Vlad's tone of voice was remaining subdued for the time being. He made a small gesture with his right hand as he said, "Explain whatever you feel is necessary to aid us moving past current circumstances."

Mercedes sighed because she could still sense the bad mood storm raging behind his impassive front. "Alright. When we first met in the alley in Philly, my inner danger alarm went off as soon as I sensed your energy being raised. Flight or fight instincts kicked into overdrive as a result. After you showed up at the bar and introduced yourself, I thought the Vampire King was simply far more adept at manipulating void spaces and summoning hounds than I was. I thought my seer senses were warning that 'Alucard' was every bit the threat to people that most stories and the Elders had warned me of. Trying to weigh my danger instincts and the outside warnings against everything I've been steadily learning about you, all the ups and downs our interactions have gone through, and later instincts surfacing and saying I could trust you, has been so fucking confusing to try making sense of. I've been able to tell you're not what I originally perceived you to be, that there's many admirable qualities to you, including that you are truly an excellent father to our son, but the warning alarms have continued sporadically and I couldn't ignore that as possible red flag."

That blunt admission did not help the tempestuous emotions she was picking up, but she continued speaking because she hoped the rest of what she had to say might. "But I've also started to notice a pattern that the danger alarm seems to go off when you're in a bad mood and your energy has surfaced in response, and the strength of the alarm correlates to how much energy you're radiating. Then Cerberus made me aware that 'Hades', The Black Sun, had void energy intricately tied into your soul's construction, that it's not simply a force you can manipulate in more advanced ways than I do. I've been able to sense that I need to be careful about staying grounded when I'm summoning something from the Void or intentionally going some level of seer satellite. I'm not suicidal, I don't want to end up prematurely dead, so up until recent events where I pushed too hard in a short span of time, the worst I've dealt with is different levels of exhaustion or brief disorientation. Then those recent events happened. I can't remember more than a few fuzzy impressions of my latest involuntary trip to the Greater Void. However, I am no longer capable of saying I'm not afraid of death, even with Cerberus's reassurances about all the precautions we've all worked together to set up for the Void. What little I can remember about that place terrifies me in ways I can't find words to properly describe. I am all the more determined to be careful when I do my brands of things so I don't end up sending myself there.

"And what I realized while out in the woods is that my seer senses weren't reacting to you personally when they blared that particular kind of danger alarm. It was that aspect of your energy triggering a primal understanding of Void equals Biggest Fucking Danger To The High Priestess There Is. And while the Vampire King might have that void energy inextricably tied to him, I know he is not the Greater Void itself. Vlad is a sentient being who is made up of a complex mix of many things in both his creation and his psyche. Vlad is a person I do trust in many ways, including not to turn that energy on me in an attempt to rend me out of existence.

"Once those instincts were separated and put into their proper places in my thoughts, a significant part of my lingering concerns regarding you were able to be laid to rest. I still have the aforementioned concerns regarding the solo King behaviors that need to stop creeping in so that a partnership can have the ability to fully develop. You need to come to a cease fire on hostilities with Cerberus if you and I are to successfully work our matters through. You two need to figure those details out for yourselves- that's your business, not mine. I am also still afraid of the potential for being trapped in a relationship and it taking a sudden turn into hell territory, but I know that particular concern is largely my personal baggage to deal with. I feel like it's possible to move forward with you if we take the time to figure things out properly. Even if being deeply in love like I've seen or sensed we once were isn't some switch I can flip on at will, I would like for that to be the state of things between us again. I want to be able to say the previously mentioned three words to you, and for us to have rebuilt things enough that I know you will understand what that means for the seer, as I currently am, to be able to say them to you specifically. I truly want us to reach the point where that can happen."

Vlad gave a strained smile to those assurances. "So would I. We all have things to work through. I concede I will need to be more diligent in further considerations I make to fulfill my share of those obligations. I'm certain there will be some spots of turbulence to weather out as we try to reach needed understandings, but I'm just as certain we will craft a sustainable way forward and have the fortitude to follow through with it."

"Thank you, Vlad, for being willing to make the effort."

"Of course, draga mea. I'm calling for a recess to discussions to think on matters and bring my mood back into a state that's not going to upset our son to sense when he's done drawing and wants to have that competition."

Mercedes gave a nod. "Fair enough."

Cerberus released the ward on the room and asked as their co-King silently exited, "Want me to run to the store and pick up the cherries?"

"Not if the White Wolfy is going to 'requisition' them as well," Mercedes said pointedly as they likewise stood to leave the room.

"Would you be less cranky about that if I drop the equivalent amount of cash in a donation jar posted at the doors for a local charity?"

"That's not the same as paying the store itself."

"Ms Business Major, we both know they have a budget and insurance worked out to cover a certain amount of losses, whether by theft or items needing to be tossed because they hit expiration dates. What I pick up is not by any means going to sink the company. So paying out to the charity is a double payment on the value of the goods in the long run."

"...Fine, Mad Hatter. Just round up when dropping the cash."

"Of course, She-Wolf. It'll be to the next fifty as those are the smallest notes I've got on me at the moment."

"Ah, that's right. You're a bougie who masquerades as a working class anarchist. Thanks for the not so subtle reminder."

That snarky comment was met by a wolfish grin forming as the Fenrir shrugged. "That's rich coming from the granddaughter of a Marquis who has been working in the hospitality careers since she hit 17, never having to truly worry about the lower pay or retirement because she had the safety net of a rich family to fall back on if she ever got tired of slumming it and the surety of inheriting before your kid hits college because of how old your grandparents are."

"Yeah, well, I've never deflected from what my birth status was if it became relevant to admit, even if I didn't volunteer the info with every introduction made. The double agent is the one who actively hid his roots for the last eight years. And I stuck to my resolves to live by my own means until inheritance might come my way so I wouldn't have to deal with strings being tied to the family money. Even when there were rough spots or I was seeing Liam, I stuck to hustling at my jobs and my own finances to support Xander and I."

Cerberus's shoulders shook with laughter to that ruffled reply. "As you say, She-Wolf. I can't argue that you passed on doing the adulting things, especially considering all the bullshit and curveballs you had coming your way on a regular basis."

"Thank you, Cerberus," she said, somewhat mollified.

"No problem, nightingale. But don't think I'm not going to enjoy being one of the Queen's two sugar daddies now that you're without a paying gig."

The Dragon Queen groaned in half-hearted protest to that teasing statement. "You can be quiet."

"I can, but I'm not thinking I want to."

"Argh! Brat!"

"Sometimes. You gonna do something about it, Your Majesty?"

Mercedes shook her head with a snort of laughter, flipping off the grinning wolf as she walked towards the door.

Immensely amused vibes, laced with a bit of arousal, followed her, as did the daimon's rhapsodic multi-tonal voice that was pitched to match. "You already know your personal Adonis is always game, my nightingale love. Just tell me when, where, and how you want it."

Another exasperated, flustered groan. "Sit boy," she snapped out as she sent a barrier of psuedo-telekinetic energy his way.

Cerberus let the ward hit and send him to the floor, entertainment increasing further with the reprimand. Laying on his back with hands behind his head, he said to the retreating Queen, "Verdammt, have I missed my She-Wolf getting all feisty Damme." As she gave a third groan and glanced his way, he asked, "Permission to rise and go grab the cherries, Your Majesty?"

"Granted," Mercedes said as she walked out the door, "but you're banned from talking until you return unless there's an emergency to alert me of."

The Fenrir sent a second, somewhat stronger, flare of aroused emotions to tease at his soulmate, and then was a silent flash out of the house before she could think up a reprimand for taking the loophole response and delay him from running the errand.

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A/N: Digital cookies to anyone who knows the prominent series of Hellsing related content that utilized "Bitch".

An update- the Paris trip chapter is currently being rewritten between finishing off chapters that were in progress and not lost. Not sure exactly when it will be done, but I am working on it.

Also, Aly from one of the Discord servers I'm on recently threw up a link to Voice Play's "The Mermaid Medley". If you folks want to pop over to your music site of choice and listen to the clip of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" you'll hear the voice I've dubbed as being the closest thing to what Cerberus sounds like in my head. Geoff Castellucci has a fantastic range with a rich voice that's damn near spellbinding. It's on full display for that song and kinda really perfect for the Atlantean who "fortunately knows a little magic" and loves teasing his nightingale into singing for him as one of his favorite forms of repayment for giving the aids she requests/needs. Which would make the Valentine Brothers his Flotsam and Jetsam; and that thought has been making me laugh my ass off because of an upcoming scene I've got waiting to roll out when some other scenes between are finished up. I'm not apologizing if the Disney song gets stuck in people's heads like it did mine. And Aly, if/when you get around to reading this particular fic, thanks again for sharing that.

Guest Reviewer (and others who might not have seen my alert posted for a couple days)- I am on AO3 as of March of this year! Same author name, and stories found here have been backed up to AO3 under the same names to make them easy for people to find.