The rest of your morning is spent preparing for departure — you don't need to grab a dress or anything, Stella insisted she'd provide one for you and any guests you bring along. You made sure to inform her that your anatomy has recently changed a bit, at the insistence of Kira. Apparently your recent shift could totally alter what dress looks best on you. Stella's return letter claimed it won't be an issue as long as you show up early enough.
And on that note…
"Everyone ready?" You ask Liane and your three shared daughters. They all confirm they are, so you turn a mock glare at the rest of the household. "And you'll all be good while I'm gone."
"No." The triplets speak up in unison with Soniel. You… think they're kidding? They better be kidding.
"Mama, don't forget to give Aunt Stella my designs!" Kira begs you. "You promised."
"Yes, yes." You laugh, giving the redhead a hug. She sinks into it happily, reminding you distinctly of her sire. They're both so easy to please when it comes to physical affection. "I'll give her your book."
Everyone else bids farewell, you pull out the Tome… and off you go.
--
"Oh?" Tamael smiles as your family appears in her office. "You're earlier than I… congratulations, Zaphi."
Your eldest smiles with pride and gratitude. "Thank you!" She pauses a moment. "Ava changed too."
"I'll be sure to extend the sentiment to her when next we meet." Tamael assures Zaphi. "Would you like a snack, Estelle?"
Your sister gestures to a small bowl with some sort of… glazed legume on her desk. Estelle glances at you and her mother in turn for permission, then grabs one and pops it into her mouth. She chews thoughtfully, then swallows.
"What is it?" She asks, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Some sort of seeds covered in bee honey. Your merchant friend has been selling them recently." Tamael directs that last statement to you. "It's my understanding the bees have been making inroads in Skask recently. Chalice loves them, as do many of the Priestesses' children, so I try to keep them on hand."
"Thank you, auntie." Estelle says dutifully, receiving a smile from your sister in return.
"You're welcome, dear."
"Will you be attending the party as well?" Liane asks. "It wouldn't surprise me if Stella invited you."
"She did." Tamael tells your lover, much as she told you recently. "I politely declined. I am… not good with crowds." She admits. "I find them stressful. Priestess Clarice will attend in my place."
The name isn't familiar to you, but you imagine it won't be hard to spot a priestess at the party. Not that you really have any need to speak with her, that is.
You bid your sister farewell and depart for the party destination. Viridia, the merchant who you once worked with to subdue Tamael before the latter gave up, has offered her own small estate for the venue. Much like her shop, it's placed near the border between the monster and human halves of the city — a distinction that is becoming less clear by the day, as you note with no small amount of satisfaction. The estate itself lies on the monster side of things, interestingly.
It's a modest place, as far as such things go. The grounds only really cover enough space to provide a decent gap between the house itself and the gates, which look like they're more for decoration than keeping anyone out. Hell, the gap between bars is thin enough for some goblins to slip through, and there aren't any spikes at the top or anything, just a lovely silvery ivy design that coils its way across the top of the fence.
The house itself is strange, being clearly human in design while also incorporating features added with monsters in mind — you note an honest-to-Goddess tower, albeit a short one, with several perches for harpies to grip onto. The double doors are larger than they need to be, but within its frame are nested a second and third set of doors, each smaller than the last — the end result is that they can accommodate any size visitor, from an ogre to a halfling.
"Why not just have one large doorway?" Zaphi ponders as you approach, having been waved past the gates by the dwarven and orcish guardswomen.
"Optics." Mary replies immediately. "It shows that she's willing to go the extra mile to make her guests comfortable, even if it would be easier to do it another way."
You and Zaphi both look at her in surprise. "We talked about it in one of the classes at the university." Mary shrugs, though you note she's more than a little smug to know something her twin doesn't. "The headmistress feels it's important for us to know in case we move into architecture."
Fair enough.
Liane seems… not at home in the ostentatious surroundings, but clearly familiar enough that it doesn't really throw her off. Estelle looks around the place in sheer wonder, having never seen anything remotely like this in her short life.
You're sent through the human-sized aspect of the door and into the main hall, which is designed much like the outer part of the estate is — clearly human, but with various alterations made to fit monstrous guests. Different table sizes, perches on the walls, sections for kobolds to tuck themselves into to simulate tunnels… the list goes on. The effect is a bit of an aesthetic mess, honestly, but an earnest sort of mess.
"Mademoiselle Ariel!"
A familiar voice distracts you from taking in the sight of the main hall, and you turn to see the younger Delaroux rushing towards you, a smile on her face.
"Magnifique! You are quite early, there will be plenty of time to try… hm?"
Stella's eyes glance over your companions, shifting from surprise to confusion to shock as she goes from Zaphi and Mary to Estelle to Liane.
"Il ne peut pas être… Liane? Sister?"
"Hello, Stella." Liane offers her sister a tentative smile, clearly not really knowing where to begin. "I like your dress."
That was the right thing to say, because Stella's confusion morphs to excitement in an instant as she looks down at her ensemble. It looks similar to what she wore when you first met, mostly puffy and frilly with plenty of pink to match her eyes and hair.
"You do? Every so often I consider changing my style, but then… on ne change pas une équipe qui gagne."
Liane nods, clearly understanding. "You always looked great in pink."
"I'm sorry, what does that mean?" Estelle asks her unknowing aunt.
"Ah, je m'excuse!" Stella begins. "That is to say, I apologize. I said: 'one does not change a winning team.'"
"In other words, why fix something that works?" Estelle asks, and her namesake smiles brightly.
"Exactly! I must remember to not use my mother tongue for the evening, however. Not many speak it here, sadly."
"It is a far, far western dialect." Liane comments. "Mother barely speaks it herself anymore."
"A tragedy." Stella brings a finger to her eye as if to wipe away a tear that isn't actually there. "Ah, but I've let myself get distracted! Why are you here, sister? Not that I wish you to leave, of course. If I had known you were here you would have received my first invitation."
Liane looks at you and you nod in encouragement, so she looks back at her sister. "Perhaps we can speak somewhere more private?"
"… and there you have it." Liane finishes telling the story of how you met. "Our parents will probably recognize Ariel for what she is anyways, so you deserve to know as well."
Stella looks shocked, as one might expect. "A Fallen? Ah, but Sister Harmony would weep to see you now."
"Please, you hated Harmony more than I did."
"This is true." Stella shrugs, her shock being replaced by a mischievous smile. "She may weep all she wishes."
"You're fine working with a Fallen, then?" You ask, a little surprised at how easily she's taking this.
"It does not matter to me. Beauty is beauty, fashion is fashion. You are a canvas like no other, mademoiselle."
"Isn't she?" Mary breathes.
"She is." Her aunt confirms. "Ah, but you have not introduced your companions yet, Liane! You have gotten so rude, Sister Harmony would weep twice as hard."
Liane rolls her eyes, but you can see the ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. "This is Maribelle, this is Zaphkiel, and this is Estelle."
"I see, Maribelle, Zaphkiel, and…" Her eyes glaze over for a moment as her mind catches up to the reality of the situation. "I… Maribelle? Estelle?"
"For grandma and you. Yes." Liane's smile is real now. "Zaphi is named for Ariel's side of the family, obviously."
Stella dramatically raises the back of her hand to her forehead and falls back onto the couch.
"We know you're faking." Liane prods her sister with a finger, making the younger Delaroux pop an eye open and glare severely. "Get up, you overdramatic peach."
"I didn't know, auntie." Estelle assures her, either sincerely or as an attempt to soothe her namesake's ego.
Stella flings herself from the couch with no less drama than she fell onto it with, falling to her knees and wrapping her arms around her youngest niece. "Ah, Estelle, you are too sweet to be my sister's daughter! It must be your name, you have inherited all my peachy sweetness instead of her sourness."
"I'm not sour!" Liane protests in the sort of way that makes you think this is a repeat of a sisterly battle that has taken place many times before.
"She is very sour." Stella 'whispers' to Estelle. "She gets it from our maman, of course. Sweet on the outside, but with the bite of a lemon."
Estelle giggles, earning her a rub on the cheek from her aunt.
Liane calms immediately. "Actually… are our parents here, right now?"
"Yes, they're currently… ah." Stella pauses, then stands, releasing Estelle. "Perhaps you should meet with them alone first?"
"I…" Liane looks unsure for a moment, then centers herself. "Yes, that sounds wise. It would be smarter to introduce things piece by piece instead of dropping everything in their laps at once."
"My thoughts exactly." Stella replies, looking equally serious for but a split second before clapping her hands together delightedly. "Well, while you do that, I shall see about getting dresses for my sister-in-law and nieces, yes?"
"Are you sure you want to go alone?" You ask Liane, making her reach out to squeeze your hand gratefully.
"I'm sure. Even aside from wanting to introduce things… relatively slowly, I think it would be best if we met just as parent and child first. I… well, if I were in their position, I'd want to just meet Zaphi or Mary or Estelle alone first."
"Fair enough." You give her a quick peck on the lips. "If you need me, scream really loudly."
"I will," She laughs, then leans in to whisper in your ear. "It would hardly be the first time I've screamed for you, after all."
Stella leads you to a large room with an even larger closet, both of which are filled to the brim with dresses.
"It is good I considered you may bring a halfling, hm? Otherwise poor Estelle would be left out. Speaking of… here we are!" Stella rifles through a set of blue dresses sized for either halflings or children, plucking one from it triumphantly before disappearing into the sea of fabrics. "Now, where did I leave the parasol…"
Estelle ducks behind a curtain to change into it, early adolescent hormones making her understandably embarrassed to be seen in her smallclothes, then emerges just as her aunt returns from the dress dimension with a parasol and little hat.
"Ah! She is the cutest! I cannot take it, someone catch me!" Stella fake-faints dramatically into your arms, and to be honest… you can't entirely blame her. Estelle is indeed the cutest.
"We still have three more people to pick for, Stella." You remind the woman in your arms, and her eyes snap open immediately.
"This is true!" She's on her feet once more and dragging you across the room in no time, inspecting dresses as she passes. She snatches one, then two, then three total from the clothes wall, displaying them for you to pick from.
"Here we are. Now, if you were an angel still I would not dare to suggest these two, but since you are a devil…" Her eyes light with something akin to lust, but more… aesthetically inclined. "It is your choice, however."
Looking over them, one is fairly elegant and reserved, one shows more skin than it hides, and the last is a middle ground between the two. All three possess some sort of sparkle or glitter pattern on them that goes well with your recent changes, as well.
You glance between your options, tempted to really cut loose for a moment… but no. It'd be a pain to have to field proposals of various kinds for the rest of the night. Best to play it safe… and besides, it'll be neat to wear something over where your wings used to be for once.
"Magnifique. A wonderful choice." Stella nods, waving you towards a changing area. "While you do that, I will find pieces for my remaining nieces, yes?"
It takes you a few minutes to wriggle your way into the dress. Luckily, the little exhibition you put on for Stella some time back taught you a bit about how to get into her various creations, so you manage it without too much trouble.
You almost leave the dressing area completely, but think better of it and just pop your head out. "Are the girls ready?"
Mary is, at least. Her dress is a bit more… revealing than you expected, but she looks comfortable in it. The fur thingy… it takes you a minute to remember what it's called. A boa? It's a nice touch, whatever is is.
Zaphi is still in her own dressing area.
"She was a pain, that one." Stella laments. "Like my sister. Breasts that large limit your options somewhat, sadly. Still, I did prepare many sizes, just in case. The bigger problem was getting her to accept it."
"Oh?" You frown. "She doesn't like it?"
Mary rolls her eyes. "I just wanted one with a boa, Zaphi wanted something to match yours."
So it is called a boa!
"I would not allow it, even if I had one that would fit." Stella sniffs. "You are each your own canvas — and besides, to have both of you in the similar dresses is unthinkable. You would overshadow her completely."
An… unfortunate truth, most likely. Zaphi is gorgeous, but you're a literal demigoddess, even if only a minor one. You'll have to praise her in whatever her aunt has put her in to set her mind at ease.
Eventually, Zaphi comes out, and you feel your breath catch. "Wow. She's perfect."
"Isn't she?" Both Mary and Stella breathe.
"You look gorgeous, girls." You smile at them, offering your sincerest compliments. "I'm going to have to chase off half a dozen suitors tonight, I think."
Forgetting yourself a moment, you step out of the curtain… and all three women get a good look at you. You learn a couple of things in the process.
First, when Stella faints for real there's no drama, she just goes to the ground.
Second, it must run in the blood, because Zaphi and Mary follow right after.
Estelle blinks up at you, then down at them, then back at you. "You look beautiful, mama."
You sigh, patting her head. "Thank you, sweetie. Come on, let's get them propped up…"
--
Liane, as it turns out, is already dressed when she joins your recently-recovered group.
"Maman… mother picked it out for me." She coughs, embarrassed. "She knows I hate the shoulders on these things, but she said it's what I get for not writing more."
"To be fair, I'd probably harass one of our kids like that if they didn't visit for a long time. Maybe I should get something for Lia, actually…"
"As if you need an excuse to harass your children. It's a wonder poor Tia isn't worse than she is." Liane scoffs before leaning in to give you a kiss on the cheek… and a peek down her cavernous cleavage. Whatever Liane's opinion of the dress, you personally feel that Maman Delaroux has impeccable taste for that alone.
Stella isn't satisfied with simply giving her nieces a single dress, and so spends the remainder of your time before the party doting on them — doing their hair, nails, makeup, everything. Which reminds you, partway through…
"Ah, another one of my daughters loved that dress you gave me when we met and… well, here. It's best if you look for yourself." You hand your soon-to-be in-law Kira's book of designs. "She's young, and I don't really have an eye for this sort of thing, but I think they're pretty good."
Stella takes it and flips through it at a fair pace, lingering longer on some designs than others. "She has done this alone? Without teaching?"
"Nothing more than a few dresses I've bought her for inspiration, along with the one you gave me."
Stella nods. "It is very good work, especially for an amateur. If she wants a teacher I would be happy to fill the role."
"She'll be delighted to hear it." You smile. "Thank you."
"Non, thank you! I have been wanting a student. One can only truly learn when they teach… or so my own mentor told me. We shall see the truth of her words soon, yes?"
With that, she goes back to attending your daughters.
--
"So your parents took it… well?" You ask tentatively.
"About as well as can be expected." Liane sighs, pouting at her poofy shoulders. "I think they were more upset to be left out of the loop so badly than anything else."
"Wouldn't you be?" You ask her.
"Well, yes, but…" Her pout is turned in your direction. "You're supposed to be on my side!"
"I am on your side." You softly shoulder check her, bouncing off the poof of her dress.
"It's just… I don't know. They seem different from how I remember. I'm not sure if they always cared so much and I just never noticed, or if something changed in my absence." Her eyes dim. "And honestly, I'm not sure which I'd prefer."
"Maybe they changed because of your absence." You comment. "Whatever the case, you don't have to make up your mind right away, you know? You just met back up with them. Give it time, then decide from there."
Her head rests on your shoulder, her long hair tickling your skin as it drapes over you. "You're right, of course. It's just hard."
"I know it is." You tell her. "At least remember, in the worst case you've always got us." You gesture towards the girls. "But either way, I hope you can work things out with your parents. You seem like you want to."
"I hate how perceptive you are sometimes." Liane lies, faking a glare. "Speaking of, they're aware of what you are. They want to meet you before they decide for sure how they feel about that."
"Should…" You frown, thinking back to Stella, Zaphi, and Mary's reactions to your dress. "Should I change first?"
"No." Liane gives you a wicked smirk. "You can be my payback for maman making me wear this stupid thing."
You leave Liane to catch up with her sister and daughters. A servant — either Stella or Viridia's, you're honestly not sure — guides you to a different room as much as she can without getting distracted by you. This one a guest suite, and you're announced to those inside.
"Send her in." A soft-spoken woman's voice reaches your ears, and the doors are opened.
Your first thought when you see the two of them is that, despite Liane's claim that she more resembles her grandmother, you can actually see a bit of resemblance to her in one of the pair, and the other may as well be another Stella.
The soft voice from earlier, as it turns out, came from the woman who looks like Stella. Her pink hair and white dress are, if anything, more elaborate and well-kept than her daughter's, and if you didn't know she was their mother you'd assume she was a third Delaroux sibling. She looks to be in her late twenties at most, a trait helped by her petite frame.
The other woman is more obviously a mother, though she still looks youthful in some ways. Her hair is a deep blue, not unlike Liane's. While she resembles your lover, it's more of a passing resemblance — you'd assume they were cousins, if pressed. Her much more modest chest in comparison to Liane doesn't help on that front. The wide-brim hat, at least, evokes an image of her daughter, even if it's more 'fashionable' than Liane's witch attire.
Her voice is a dead ringer for Liane, however — more mature, more world-wearied, but still close enough that you could almost mistake them if your eyes were closed. "Good afternoon. You must be…"
Her eyes widen in shock as she takes in the sight of you and she chokes on her words for a moment. Pink-hair's slight frame merely twitches a bit, and you think you might see her lips twinge up at her partner's reaction.
"… I'm Ariel, yes." You offer after a moment of stunned silence. "May I?" You gesture towards a seat a short distance apart from them.
To her credit, she recovers quickly.
"I am Reine Delaroux." She offers a hand, which you take. "This is my wife…"
"…Cosette Delaroux." The pink-haired woman finishes. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise." You reply. The three of you sit there for a moment, simply taking in one another. Cosette is very hard to read, simply sipping tea from a teacup as delicate-looking as she is. Reine appears uncomfortable, an odd trait for someone who's supposed to be a merchant… but you suppose you're quite different from her ordinary clientele.
"You are to be our daughter-in-law, Liane tells us." Cosette finally breaks the silence, setting her teacup aside.
"Yes."
Reine seems to find her stride now that her wife has taken the initiative. "You're also a devil. A Fallen Angel, in fact."
You nod. "I can show you my wings, but they aren't the same as they once were."
"No need." Cosette waves a hand dismissively. "You're clearly either a monster or a mage who has altered her body heavily. Considering our current locale and our daughter's personal prejudices, the former is all but certain."
Reine nods, continuing. "That, and you don't match any normal monster categorization. Too human to be a Brute, no animal features, no scales, no monstrous skin colors… I suppose you could be an amazon, but those are rare."
You blink in surprise at the mention of the corrupted Valkyries. "I'm surprised you know about them. They're not really something seen in the west."
"My mother knew quite a bit about monsters." Reine explains. "She shared what she knew with me."
"Maribelle?" You ask, taking a shot in the dark. If Liane looks like that grandmother she's always praising, and Reine looks more like Liane…
"Yes." She smiles a somber little smile. "Liane told you about her, I see."
"Just bits and pieces." You admit, and this time it's Cosette's turn to smile, which is the most emotion you've seen from her.
"She refused to so much as speak her name after she passed. It is good to know that has changed."
Silence dominates once more, until you frown, thinking back. "What did you mean by 'our daughter's personal prejudices' earlier?"
The two share a glance, then Reine explains. "She's never gotten along with 'normal' mages. It's a wonder she made it through university."
"What, really? She never mentioned that."
"Liane was taught by Maribelle, who was self-taught. Often, 'educated' mages look down on so-called hedge magicians." Cosette explains. "Liane did not appreciate the discrimination."
"Understandably, of course, which is why I never understood why she insisted on still going regardless." Reine huffs, in a way that distinctly reminds you of Liane herself.
"We have gotten off-topic, however." Cosette says after sipping her tea once more. "I must admit you come across as sincere, Ariel, but no westerner would be fool enough to take a devil at her word. Much less a Fallen Angel, forthright though she may be."
Reine nods. "Which brings us to why we wanted to speak with you. Why should we trust you? I admit I was not… the greatest mother to Liane, but I have only ever wanted what I felt was best for her. I won't let a devil enslave her without a fight."
"You could have a Priestess cast Castigate on me." You tell them. Cosette chokes on her tea, causing Reine to hurriedly care for her, patting her back.
"Or, wait… that is a Greater spell. You might have trouble finding someone who can cast it. I could cast it on myself, or I know another Priestess who could. We could also use Hand of Truth, if you prefer, though my sister always warned me it could be cheated if you know how."
Mikael never taught you how to do it, mind, but you do know it can be done.
The two of them watch you, eyes widening in either shock or horror at how easily you're apparently willing to put yourself at risk.
"I could also contact my sister, who is still an angel, and have her vouch for me. Oh, or she could vouch and cast Castigation. Kyna would probably find it fun, honestly. Or you could track down a Priestess of your own, though I'll have to ask to be able to ensure their silence if they do discover I'm Fallen. Nothing lethal or dangerous, of course, just—"
"Enough." Cosette cuts in, her voice still a little choked. "We get it. If… if you are willing and able to contact a true angel, and that angel can do as you say… we will accept your word. For now, we will assume you are sincere, unless you give us reason to think otherwise."
Reine sighs, noticeably looking like a burden has been lifted from her shoulders. "Thank the Goddesses. I don't know how we would have been able to deal with you anyways."
"Then why…?"
"Because what else am I supposed to do? Say nothing? Not when Liane's happiness is on the line. I screwed that up once, I won't do it again." Reine replies, a sudden fire in her eyes. Cosette pats her hand gently. "…sorry."
"It's fine. I get it." You tell her truthfully. "Speaking of, are you ready to meet your granddaughters?"
"Our what?!" They cry in unison.
Oh. Oops. Guess Liane didn't fill them in on everything.
"Three?!" Reine chastises Liane as she brushes Estelle's hair. "I have three granddaughters and you didn't tell me?!"
"You never asked, maman." Liane sniffs.
"Wait, you gave birth to her?" You ask Reine, surprised. "For some reason I thought it was Cosette."
"Me?" Cosette scoffs, gesturing at her petite torso. "Please, Liane was nearly eight pounds when she was born. I'd be dead."
"Seven point eight." Reine confirms. "I thought I was going to die. I was surprised when she turned out to be a skinny child, but then she grew up and it made sense." She cups her modest chest for emphasis.
Liane blushes furiously, covering her chest.
The urge to tease your children must just be a universal parental thing.
To your surprise, it turns out Cosette isn't where Stella gets her fashion sense — Reine is.
You discover this as the latter fusses over her wife's makeup and hair for what must be at least twenty minutes.
"I'm basically her dress-up doll." Cosette sighs after Reine finally releases her face to inspect her work. "She's so particular about it."
"You have a cute face and it'd be a shame to waste it. Now stop moving." Reine huffs in a very Liane-esque manner. Then she stops, slowly turns to you. "Actually, speaking of…"
If you thought Reine spent a long time on Cosette, it's nothing compared to the time you spend under her hand. You're starting to think maybe Maribelle's artistry is inherited. Cosette shoots you a look of understanding and pity, but also happily abuses the opportunity to escape before her wife can find something else to adjust on her own ensemble.
What's more frustrating than anything is that at the end of it all Reine settles on a few small flourishes to 'draw out your features a bit.' Why you needed to sit still for so long for a few strokes of a brush is beyond you.
The party is held throughout the estate, technically speaking, but primarily in the entrance hall from earlier, which is stuffed full of visitors at the moment to listen to a speech from Stella. What was originally a wide, open space now feels cramped. Several dozen bodies will have that effect on an area, you suppose.
Of course, the various body sizes between monsters and Beloved makes it even more of a mess than usual where crowds are concerned — fortunately, the goblins, halflings, and other shorter species realize rather quickly that they'll be safer grouped with one another than dispersed among the tallfolk, who might end up tripping over what they thought was an open area.
Both Liane and Zaphi abuse this chance to get as close to you as possible, of course, and you hug Estelle close to your front to keep her from getting shuffled about as people squeeze through here and there. You can feel her hair brush against your belly as her head turns to and fro, curiosity guiding her gaze over a dozen new sights.
You can't blame her, honestly — the guests are dressed in attire that ranges from similar to yours to outright exotic. You spot a couple of elves wearing what appears to grass that they grew around them, which sprouts into other flora here and there. Up on the harpy perches you notice that they put a lot of emphasis on talon-wear. Bangles, nail-tips, and more decorate their birdlike feet, while their tops are more wrapped around their torsos, leaving their shoulders and cleavage bare.
Brute attire is a mishmash — some wear Beloved clothing, others wear stylized tribal attire, others wear something skinned from some great monster, and others still literally mix and match them. You can't help but wonder if Stella is watching and taking notes at this very moment even as she prepares for her grand speech…
The crowd doesn't have long to wait before the woman in question shows up, side-by-side with Viridia, the estate's owner.
"Guests!" Stella begins, her voice amplified by magic placed upon her by Liane just a dozen minutes prior. "It is my honor and pleasure to host you today, alongside your actual host." She smiles, gesturing towards Viridia, who nods politely.
"I have been many places in my short life." Stella continues. "I have seen the frozen lands of Sullundr. I have visited the elven forests. I have traveled to the Great Continent. In my pursuit of fashion and all things related to it, I have been almost everywhere you'd care to name and mastered styles uncountable…"
She pauses for a moment. "… and yet, I have been blind. My eyes clung to the forms I know best — those of the Beloved, and our own tastes. It was not until my dear cousin was wed to a harpy and I found myself woefully unprepared to design for her that I realized I had let myself be shackled by presumption."
The fashionista stops once more, casting her eyes over the crowd.
"I see today many wonderful styles I have never seen before." She says. "No, that I never dreamed of before. And I know that I will see many, many more before my time with you all is finished. I have no doubt many of these arose from the unique culture of your city, and the people within it."
"I am no spokeswoman, and I may be preaching to the choir, but if you take nothing else from tonight, take this: If fashion can be so enriched by cooperation between Beloved and monster, then why can't everything else?"
She bows lightly at the waist. "Enjoy the party, my friends. I know I will."
And with that, the evening begins.
You're pretty sure you spot bee chitin in the crowd, the distinct oscillation between yellow and black catching your eye even amidst the flurry of color that is the party. Carefully, you guide your family through the throng.
To your delight, you emerge from the crowd facing exactly who you hoped to see — Potnia the bee queen, flanked by a pair of lesser bees and currently chatting with a wasp you… sort-of recognize?
"Ah!" Potnia jumps as you all-but appear out of thin air before her. "Who… Ariel?" Her eyes widen as she takes in your features. "You've, ah… changed." The wasp next to her looks torn between being awestruck and panicking.
"It's probably just the makeup." You joke, giving the bee a wink that makes her burn crimson. "I'm surprised to see you so far from home."
"We…" Her voice is shrill, but she clears her throat and repeats herself. "… we've been trading with the city. Apparently we are considered quite influential for it, though I believe that is more an attempt to stroke our egos."
"Ah, right! My sister has some of your honeyed seeds." You think back to this morning. "Estelle here quite liked them."
"Oh?" Potnia's eyes move downwards towards your daughter. To her credit, they only linger for a moment on your cleavage. "We have similar goods, if they were to your liking. Vezhana carries some with her."
The wasp nods, wordless, reaching into a pouch around her waist to retrieve some sweets, which she passes to your daughter. The name tugs at your memory even harder than her features, and…
"Vezhana…" You stare at the girl for a moment. She's young, probably not older than a few months. It clicks then — you didn't look at her face much because it was typically buried in your neck or chest, and she's clearly grown, but this is the little wasp girl you saved. "My, you've grown."
Her jaw works wordlessly for a moment before she manages to squeak out a reply. "Thank you. Um, for everything."
You give her a light smile and reach out to pat her head. She leans into your motherly touch instinctively. "Of course, dear. I'm happy to see you doing well."
Your gaze turns back to the bee as you pamper the wasp. "Are you working together with the wasps now?"
Potnia nods. "They came to us. Apparently almost losing their Vezhana to bandits made them want to make inroads with us, in the event something similar happened."
"We wander around a lot." Vezhana says as you pet her, apparently forgetting how nervous she is under your touch. "So we can keep an eye on places the bees don't go as much."
"Makes sense." You nod.
"It is an unusual alliance, but it works." Potnia admits. "Our flower is behaving, incidentally."
She'd better be.
You blink as Saoirse's voice rings in your ears, but nobody else reacts. How long has she been able to do that?
Forever. The dress suits you, by the way.
Brat. Can faeries read minds?
I'm just good at guessing what you're thinking.
That… isn't reassuring.
Leona spots you coming, her honed adventurer senses picking up on the approach of a powerful monster almost immediately. That's what you tell yourself at first, anyways. She unwittingly corrects that assumption.
"Wow. I thought I saw a beauty wandering my way. Who'd have thought it was one I already know?" She smiles at you. "It's been a while, Ariel."
"Leona." You return her smile. "How's the estate?" You checked on it recently yourself, of course, but it's nice to hear it from the perspective of someone more directly involved with it.
"No more horrid monster incursions since the one you took care of." She replies cheerfully. "Though the Well does act up from time to time. I've had my people watching it since you left us that last warning, but it's been quiet for the past week or two."
"That's good. And your friend is…?"
"Ah! How rude of me. My cousin, Lucille Fiora."
The woman you recognize as Camilla's mother bows her head lightly. "Distant cousin." She corrects Leona. "I believe you've met my daughter?"
"What, really? Goddess you get around, Ariel… actually, it's funny you should show up now. Lucy was just asking about the Well." Leona says cheerfully. You notice a wine glass on the table behind her, all but empty, and realize she's already had a drink or two.
"Specifically the monster that guarded it." Lucille adds, her eyes meeting yours. "Leona has been uncharacteristically tight-lipped, beyond it having tendrils."
"That's what happens when inquisitors threaten you about revealing information to those not in the know." The retired adventurer sighs. "Woops, not supposed to mention that… whatever. Ariel's an angel, it's fine."
You cough, thankful she either hasn't noticed or considered your lack of wings. "What, specifically, did you want to know?"
"Many things." Lucille replies, but her eyes soften after a moment and she turns away. "But they can wait. You've met my daughter, yes? You're certain she's safe with her… friend?"
"Yes." You reply instantly. "Tindalos… has her issues, and has done things she now regrets, but I don't doubt she'd tear down mountains if it meant Camilla would be safe."
"Then that will have to do, for now." Lucille replies, her eyes once more turning towards yours. "I have been rude. I apologize."
Leona wraps an arm around her 'distant' cousin's shoulder and pulls her close. "Goddess, Lucy. You're such a tightass. Let's dance for a bit, huh? Take your mind off Millie for a bit — don't give me that look, you know she's fine."
Lucille looks recalcitrant at first, but Leona gradually wears her down…
You almost miss it, but your recent revelations regarding your own incestuous leanings help you spot Leona's own.
She's enamored with Lucille, completely and utterly. It's not a new thing, either — the way her gaze always lingers on 'Lucy,' the almost childish insistence on using that pet name despite it annoying Lucille, how Leona gazes at her cousin when she thinks Lucille can't see her…
Hell, now that you realize it, some other things make a bit more sense. Leona laid it on a bit thick about a beauty wandering her way earlier. She was probably nervous and trying to distract from that. That would also explain why she's already several glasses of wine deep when the night is so young, too.
It's honestly kind of cute.
The question is whether you help her along or not…
You're really tempted to play the love demigoddess here… but then you stop yourself. If you force something, is it really love? Especially considering your effect on people, it could lead to some unwanted consequences.
Maybe you're overthinking it… but at the end of the day, people have been succeeding at romance for millennia without your involvement. If Leona really wants help, she can always ask someone for it, even if it won't necessarily end up being you.
So you opt to simply watch as the former adventurer continues to stumble her way through the steps of courtship with Lucille, finally succeeding at convincing her to dance.
"One dance, Leona." Lucille says as she leads your friend away by the hand. "But I expect you to visit Camilla as soon as this party is over in exchange."
"Of course! I'll even bring her some new books!" Leona replies, desperately trying not to show her excitement and relief. "Sorry, Ariel, if you don't mind…?"
You wink at her and nod. "Have fun, you two."
Rosie looks as troubled as you've ever seen her, which giving her usual carefree attitude is concerning… until you learn why she's concerned.
"Ari!" The pink harpy cries as you approach her, flinging her arms around you in a surprise hug. "Like, there's totes a ton of awesome snacks here, and I can't decide which ones I want!"
"Do… do you have to pick?" You ask, trying to ignore how her breasts press into you. Goddess, you've thought this before, but how in the world does she walk with these things, much less fly?
"Well…" She steps back from the hug and alternates which leg she stands on in a cute little nervous gesture. "Like, I don't wanna be a glutton, y'know?"
"I keep telling her it's fine." The other woman she's with chimes in, licking a bit of something creamy from her finger. She's short but not petite, with slightly darker skin and long blonde hair. Her ears are pointed, marking her as an elf, though she doesn't wear the purely floral ensemble some of the other elves have, instead opting for what looks more like a harem outfit. Something about her seems vaguely familiar, but not in the same way Vezhana did. You… just can't place it, honestly. "It's all complementary or whatever."
"I know that!" Rosie mumbles. "But like… what do you think, Ari? Is it okay? You won't think I'm, like… a little piggy bird?"
You almost snort with laughter, holding back only to avoid hurting her feelings. "Piggy bird?"
"I used to eat a lot as a chick." She blushes in embarrassment. "And I'm all pink, like a pig. So like, some of the other girls back home called me that sometimes."
You wince inwardly in sympathy. She's pretty blasé about it, but from personal experience you can say that doesn't mean much. Chances are the bullying didn't stop there and left some pretty deep scars, considering she's bringing it up at all.
"I promise I won't ever think of you as a piggy bird or anything like it. C'mon, if it makes you feel better I'll eat them with you. Here, Estelle will help taste test for us so we know which ones to start with."
Rosie hugs you tightly once more, chirping her gratitude for all the world to hear. Her friend watches amusedly, snacking on a cupcake. Her eyes never seem to leave you for long, for some reason.
"… this one's good." Estelle says, holding up a pastry dough studded with glazed pecans. You take it, then hold it for Rosie to eat — she has difficulty without hands, for obvious reasons, though most of the treats do try to accommodate the handless in one way or another.
"Oh, it's awesome!" Rosie chews the pastry with relish. "Like, you know your stuff, Ellie!"
Estelle blushes and smiles as she receives a nickname from the harpy. "Thank you."
"No, thank you!" Rosie replies. "Ama just likes the cupcakes, she's no help… ohmygosh!" She blanches. "I'm like, so rude! Ama, this is Ari, Ari this is Ama."
"Pfft." 'Ama' rolls her eyes. "You don't even use my full name when introducing me? Oh well, close enough."
"It's a harpy thing, from what I understand." You say, trying to pull at the thread of where you might know Ama from.
"Kinda!" Rosie confirms. "It's not like, all harpies? But most of us born outside of the cities still do it. It's like… your name is part of who you are, and so you save it for the most important people in your life?"
"So your wife and kids?" Ama asks.
"Yeah!" Rosie nods. "Or like, all your close family. I know my niece's names."
"Huh. So Izzie and Millie aren't their full names, but when Soniel marries them we'll learn them?"
"Yep, you got it!" Rosie nods again. "Also, I just like giving out cute nicknames."
Somehow you think that's the more prominent reason for her tendency.
"I see." You begin, the start of a devious plot taking root in your mind. "So if I want to learn a harpy's name, I need to either marry them or have my kids marry them."
"Yep." Rosie says again, missing your implication. "Well, not like, all harpies. Only most of us."
It's Liane who realizes what you're up to first, raising her eyebrows before scuttling Estelle away. "Come on, sweetie. How about a dance with mommy?"
"I don't know how to dance, though?" Estelle frowns.
"Well, now's as good a time to learn as any, isn't it?"
A dance, huh?
"Hey, Rosie." You snatch a chocolate ball from the table (Goddess, Stella really didn't spare any expense) and pop it into the harpy's mouth. She chirps delightedly, reflexively accepting you feeding her. "Speaking of harpy culture, can you show me how harpies dance?"
She brightens. "Can I? Like, I love dancing!"
--
Harpy dancing is rather more skillful than you initially assumed it would be. You assumed their unique limb situation would be a hindrance, but in practice Rosie can use them almost as self-grown veils or long sleeves, adding a surprising degree of elegance to her performance.
For your part, you make up for a lack of dance knowledge with sheer dexterity, keeping up with Rosie and the general dance floor with relative ease. You even go so far as to spin her and tug her back in to your arms, making more than one watcher clap with admiration.
"Ahahaha!" Rosie laughs, carefree as ever, and you feel your heart skip a beat at the sheer joy on her face. This suits her far more than the uncertainty she showed before, that's for certain. "This is like, so fun! I haven't gotten to dance like this in forever."
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." You smile warmly at her, making her blush and avert her eyes.
"Ahaha… yeah. Thanks, Ari. For being my friend." She says that last bit almost forlornly, and you're pretty sure you can guess why. You'll be fixing that soon, though.
"Speaking of friends, have you and Ama known one another for long?" You ask, deciding to save your surprise for an opportune moment. Namely, one where not so many people can see you. You don't want to explain to Viridia why her floor is drenched later.
"Nope! We met, like… a week ago? A little longer, maybe?" Rosie says as you slowly lead her to an ideal spot. "She's neat. Really, um… inquisitive, like she's from far away and doesn't know how stuff works around here? Honestly, like… I wasn't expecting her to be here tonight. We sorta just met up. Not that, like, I'm upset to see her, though! She's fun."
You continue leading her along, slowly guiding Rosie to a more private area of the mansion. "You know, Rosie…" You begin, starting to speak to her from the heart. "After I Fell, yours was the first voice I heard."
Well, first voice that didn't belong to a monstrous sadist.
"O-oh." She almost stumbles, but you catch her. "I um, hope it wasn't a bad one?"
"It wasn't." You smile at her. "In fact, at the time? Your voice was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard."
Her cheeks burn. "At the time?"
"Well, I've had children since, and I'd be lying if I said their voices don't take the top spot… but I'll still never forget that moment, Rosie. You saved me."
"Heh… I mean, like, what are friends for, right?"
"Mmhmm…" You intone, leaning in. Goddess, she's cute. "How did things go with Stella, by the way?"
"Oh? Um, we're kinda just too different. She's fun, but like…"
"You have your heart set on someone else?" You ask, not having missed the way she looks at you.
"Yeah, but like, she's already got lots of girlfriends, and I don't want to assume—"
She lets out a little shocked chirp when your lips touch hers, which quickly morphs into a desperate, needy, loving moan when you wrap your arms around her and pull her tightly against you.
Rosie kisses you back as if her very life depends on it, her tongue desperately probing into your mouth so that it can wrestle wetly with your own. She returns your embrace, squeezing as hard as she can, as if trying to fuse the two of you into a single being, and you swear you can feel her heartbeat even through the copious blockage of both of your chests.
The kiss lasts for an age and yet doesn't feel nearly long enough. When you split, there are tears in the corner of her unfocused eyes.
"I'm not like, dreaming again, am I?" She whispers. "I usually wake up around now…"
"You're not dreaming, Rosie." You lean in and give her another little peck. Her tongue flits out, tasting your lips again, and she shivers as you part once more. "Wait, you dream about me?"
"Like, all the time." She sighs, half-happy and half-relieved. "Chimera, Ari. You're like, the best. I already thought you were super cute and sweet before… um, before you became available, but now you're like, all I can dream about."
"I see. Well, sorry to leave you waiting so long." You say, bringing her in for a hug. "I wasn't sure what I wanted, to be honest, and it seemed like you might have something going with Stella for a bit, and…"
"Yeah, I get it." She places her head on your breasts, nuzzling them slightly. "It's fine. So, um, like… are we a thing now?"
"I want that. Do you?"
"Duh." She giggles. "Can I move in right away?"
"Yeah, we've got room." You smile, kissing her forehead as she chirps delightedly. "Do you need help getting your stuff together?"
"Nah, like, I don't have a ton of stuff." She shrugs. "Nothing I can't carry on my own, at least. Oh yeah! My name is Rosiaven. Now you're stuck with me."
She looks up at you and sticks out her tongue mischievously, which she almost regrets when you snatch it back up into another kiss.
And like that, you've got yourself another wife-to-be.
(For those interested in pronunciation, it's Ro-sigh-uh-ven. Emphasis on the second syllable.)
As much as you'd love to breed yourself a whole new nest right here and now, you do have other people to visit with, as does Rosie… Rosiaven, rather.
You didn't know harpies could skip, but Rosie manages it. Her wings flap a little with each jaunty step too, though it's a miracle you notice that, what with the jiggle of her other assets.
Later. By every Goddess who may or may not have a hand in your existence, you are going to breed that bird. You're going to breed her so hard.
Multiple times.
You desperately need to settle down, but unfortunately you end up wandering into another woman you would like to fuck so hard the bed breaks.
"Ariel." Eona greets you, nodding over her wine glass. "Enjoying the evening, I hope."
"Very much." You say, thinking back to the taste of Rosie's lips. Chocolate, as it happens, though that was probably from what she'd been eating.
"I don't doubt it." She snorts. "You know Mrs. Khalnad, of course."
She inclines her head towards Khazi, who waves. "Lost yer wings, eh?"
"I can make them again." You reply. "They're a bit… spectacular, in the original sense of the word. I don't want to make a scene."
"Mm. Probably won't be too bad. Most folk have probably figured ye for what ye are by now." The dwarf shrugs, then explains when you look at her questioningly. "Skask's a backwater, but we've seen monsters change often enough. That and ye have kids. I'm no Justician, but I know me angels."
"Ah." It… is kind of obvious, isn't it? "I'm sorry for lying to you."
She shakes her head. "I understand. Ye've been good ta me an' mine, Ariel, and ye're hardly the first monster I've bargained with."
A grin snakes across her face though. "Might wanna watch out for me girl, though. Khel's likely ta jump yer bones sooner rather than later."
You cough. You'd noticed the kobold's obvious infatuation with you, but always treated it as a crush. "Is she here?"
"Aye, she's wanderin' 'round on this one's orders." Khazi hooks a thumb towards Eona.
"She's my assistant." Eona informs you. "And a very good one, at that. You taught her well, Khalnad."
"'course I did. Girl learned her numbers the second I got her home." Khazi sniffs. "If ye hadn't snatched her up I'd be giving her me business."
"I hardly 'snatched her up,' as you put it." Eona replies coolly. "She came to me, as I recall."
"Aye, lookin' fer help baggin' herself a pretty black-winged dream." Khazi glares up at you. "Ye're lucky I like ye, angel. Me grandbabies better learn their numbers quick."
This conversation is rapidly growing beyond your control.
--
"I am surprised you brought one of the younger girls." Eona comments after Khazi wanders off in search of 'harder drink than this elvish fairy swill.' "Estelle, isn't it? She is quite cute in that outfit."
"Isn't she?" You smile as you watch the girl in question dancing with a goblin child her own age as Liane and an orcish watch the duo happily. "I brought her because she's Stella's niece and I thought she deserved a chance to go to her aunt's party."
"Understandable." Eona replies. "I suppose it's not as though it makes much difference. As Khazi said, that felinid is effectively out of the bag now regardless. You weren't as secretive as you thought you were with the harpy, by the by."
You blush. "Oh."
"Yes, oh." She laughs suddenly. "Ah, business is going to be booming after tonight. You really are a treasure, Ari."
"You make it sound like I'm just a payday to you."
"Well, not just a payday." She grins, leaning close. "You don't fuck too badly, either."
The wine has clearly gotten to her more than you realized.
"Speaking of… has my sister talked to you?"
"Tamael?" Eona perks up, her eyes suddenly glowing. "She has. Her idea is… fascinating. We're working on the specifics now."
"Good. She… well, I think she needed the confidence boost."
"Mm." Eona agrees. "I can sympathize."
"Really? You radiate confidence, Eona."
"How kind of you to notice." She smiles. "But I was not always the Mistress of the Menagerie. When both your mothers and sister are warriors nearly without peer and you are a but a scrawny slip of a girl… well, it does not do wonders for the ego."
Before you can question her more about that particular past trauma, her eyes narrow. "That one again."
"Huh?" You follow her gaze to Ama, Rosie's friend, who waves at you happily as she eats another cupcake. "Oh, Ama. She's… familiar. I can't put my finger on it."
"She's suspicious." Eona corrects you. "And her name isn't Ama. It's Naamah."
"Oh. Rosie only told me her nickname."
"Harpies." The brothel mistress sighs. "Regardless. Naamah asked me about you. She seemed… quite interested in you. In ways more than most women, I mean."
"I'll keep an eye out. Thanks, Eona."
"What kind of lover would I be if I did not keep an eye out for you?" Eona asks before finishing off her glass of wine. "I need to remember to ask Stella where she got this 'elvish swill,' it's delightful…"
Despite Eona's warning you find yourself all but cornered by Naamah before the night is done.
"Heya." She grins, splaying her fingers in greeting. "Can we talk? In private, I mean."
"Will you force me somehow if I say no?"
She laughs aloud, almost straight-up guffawing. "Ha! No way. I couldn't even if I wanted to, and grandma said I shouldn't be pushy."
"Grandma?" You ask her.
"Not here. Too many ears and eyes. Or eyes and ears? I'm not sure which way it's supposed to go here." Naamah frowns. "Either way. C'mon. I promise I don't wanna mess with you or anything. We can even make a Contract on it, if you want."
"… that won't be necessary." You say, gesturing for her to lead on.
"Cool! I hate being under Contract. Feels like someone's got a noose around your neck, you know?" She takes the lead, directing you to a guest room. "Now that we're in private…"
There's a ripple in the air around her, and moments later her true nature is revealed. While she looks the same as before as far as body shape and facial features go, she also gets a pair of bat-like black wings and curling horns.
"Disguise items are such a pain, you know?"
"Talk." You tell her. "Now."
"Relax, auntie. Or… great auntie. Great-great auntie?" She frowns, counting on her fingers. "Let's see… me, then mom, then grandma, then great-grandma… yep, great-great auntie."
You blink. "What?"
"One sec." The devil produces what appears to be an obsidian earring, then taps it. You feel a powerful law assert itself in the room. "There. Anti-eavesdropping enchantment." She says by way of explanation. "Anyways. My mom's Lailah, her mom's Sidon. Sidon's mom is the great Goddess Asmodeus herself."
Naamah holds up for fingers. "So me, mom, grandma, great-grandma. You're an angel, so you're great-grandma's sister, so you're my great-great aunt. See?"
Mother, your family tree is a fucking mess.
Now you get it. The familiarity wasn't a specific one, you were just subconsciously picking up on family facial features. Some of which might be your own, considering how Asmodeus apparently looks just like you.
"So, great-great auntie—"
"Just… call me Ariel."
"Auntie."
"Fine."
"Cool. So, auntie. I'm sure you're wondering why you've been stalked by the super-cute me."
You sigh. "That thought has crossed my mind, yes."
"Well, mom would have come herself but she's a bit too tough to be summoned normally, and if she's too tough then obviously so is grandma."
"A daughter of Asmodeus would require multiple master mages working together to summon, yes."
"Exactly! So, since I'm just strong enough to take care of myself and still make it through to Gaea easily, you got to meet me!" She clearly considers this an immense boon on your end.
"…and why, exactly, did anyone need to meet with me at all?"
"Dunno. Grandma told me to give you this." She hands you a letter, sealed with wax that… did she kiss it? "Awww, lucky. Grandma gives the best kisses."
"Anyways, that's all I'm supposed to do. I'm gonna go enjoy the rest of my… what did Rosie call it? Vacay? I'm gonna go do that. Don't worry, grandma made me promise to be good."
Before you can stop her she winks, reapplies her disguise, and darts off. Nothing for it, for the moment. In the worst case you can track her down later. For now…
You open the seal, your fingers brushing the lip mark for but a moment. An electric thrill tingles up your spine and you feel your cheeks flush. You feel like a young woman falling in love for the first time, and picture yourself pressing your lips against—
You shake yourself free of the sensation. It's a minor effect, but that you felt it at all is telling — especially since, as far as you can tell, it wasn't a spell or anything. It's just something this 'Sidon' did by kissing the wax.
It's a rather stark reminder that you're not the only powerful woman running around, even if it does feel like it sometimes. 'Grandma gives the best kisses' indeed.
Sidon's penmanship is impeccable, though it reminds you slightly of Sial's in that she peppers in hearts and other such details here and there. It's an interesting contract, professionalism mixed with playfulness.
Ariel,
You do not know me, but I know (and love!!!) [The word love is 'circled' with a heart] you. I know you have little reason to trust me, given the usual way my kin's interactions with Fallen tend to go, but I swear on the name of my mother Goddess herself that I want only what is best for you.
Helel grows impatient, especially after your recent growth and her inability to observe you directly while you're at home.
A shiver runs down your spine at the thought of the First to Fall spying on your home. You'll have to remember to send a few hundred prayers of thanks to your Mother later.
At this rate, I fear it will not be long before she attempts to retrieve you.
Personally.
I do not believe it necessary to spell out the consequences of that course of action.
You picture Mika, raining down holy death in a bid to kill her most hated foe.
Helel is powerful, and here in Pandaemonium she is effectively in her element… but so am I, on both counts. I wish to offer you sanctuary in my home, that we might together quell Helel's madness.
This was an offer I planned to extend before her worsening mental state, and I wished to take things more slowly… but we are running out of time. On the back of this letter you will find a Contract, as straightforward as they come. It guarantees your safety and that of any others you designate to the best of my ability while in my care, as well as the ability to leave my care whenever you or they wish.
Simply sign it, and my power will see it take hold.
I cannot force this course upon you, but I hope that you see its necessity.
Love,
Sidon
P.S.
Naamah is under strict rules during her visit. While I can't stop you from banishing her back home, I ask that you let her enjoy the sights of Gaea while she can.
You take a seat on the foot of the bed in the guest room, taking in the fullness of what you just read.
Helel is willing to risk coming in person to get you if you don't go. That's… bad. Very bad. You like to think Mika wouldn't risk hurting your family to get at her, but… well, the few times she's spoken of the First-to-Fall are the only times your sister has ever genuinely scared you. The hate radiating off her somehow managed to dwarf even the hate you saw in Samael's eyes when she looked at you.
So… while you love and trust Mika, you're not sure you're willing to put your family on the line for that trust. Not to mention the obvious fact that Helel being anywhere near your children is a non-starter as far as you're concerned. Goddess knows what will happen if she realizes how closely Adalinda resembles you and extends her obsession to the crossbreed as well.
The problem is that entering Helel's domain is a level of unwise that you don't even really have a measurement for, but if Sidon is willing to back you up… it might be worth taking her up on her offer. A quick glance over the Contract on the back of the page confirms that it's every bit as straightforward as she implied — blanket protection to the best of her ability as long as you're under her care, no strings attached. And she's an archdevil, so she should theoretically be about or almost on-par with Helel…
Her offer is almost suspiciously generous, but you don't know enough about her to really say for sure how sincere she is. Sial at least proved that devils aren't incapable of being nice to their distant cousins, though her case was a bit extreme. Actually… if nothing else, you can probably pull a favor from the young devil. Especially if you bring her a letter from Kyna or something.
And, at the end of the day, if Sidon is right? You don't really have a ton of choice in going or not.
Eventually you tuck the letter under the pillow, Contract unsigned, and request that the servants don't allow anyone else in for the night, as you have some 'personal effects' within. Normally you'd feel a little guilty about exercising your appeal to get extra favors from people, but in this case it seems only prudent.
Satisfied, you set off to the party, determined to enjoy the rest of the night before you have to contemplate a difficult decision.
Some lucky girl gets a face-full of your generous cleavage as soon as you turn the corner into the main hall once more. The surprised young woman yelps and jerks back, nearly stumbling over her own feet, before you reach out to steady her.
"Ach! Sorry miss, shoulda been watchin' me front an' not me…" The woman blinks as she meets your gaze, and you smile down at her.
"Good evening, Khel. Enjoying the party?"
Her jaw opens, but no sound comes out. Her eyes flit to your chest, then her cheeks burn crimson as she realizes where she just had her face.
She really is very smitten with you, isn't she?
"… would you like to dance?" You ask her, deciding to throw her a bone. She nods so quickly you honestly worry she'll hurt her neck.
--
"Eona tells me you're her assistant now." You prompt the kobold as you guide her on the dance floor. It's not quite the full-fledged affair you had with Rosie, but she's clearly been taught enough steps to get by.
"Hm… ah, yeah!" Khel goes from a daze to sudden alertness as you address her. "I, uh… didn't do so good at the trainin' fer the other stuff."
"Oh?" You ask, interested. Other stuff would probably be…
"Er, ye know. Brothel work." She blushes, making her tanned cheeks darken. "Thought it'd be good practice, ye know, an' with me bein' a monster an' all… didn't work out that way, though. Couldn't really get into it."
"Not one for casual sex, then?" You ask, making her cheeks darken even further.
"… aye. Just feels off, ye know? Maybe it's 'cause mam and ma are all I've ever had to go on. I know they got a start in more monster-y ways, but they're pretty lovey at home." She sighs. "Felt bad fer the girl the boss got me started with, though. Poor lass thought somethin' was wrong with her."
"Nobody does perfectly their first time, Khel. She'll be alright," You assure her with a smile. "And for what it's worth, I share your opinion."
"Ye do?" She returns the smile. "That's… good. Makes me feel less like there's someaught off with me."
"I'm sure you're fine as you are, Khel." You reply. "So Eona decided to switch your job description, then?"
"Aye." She nods. "Once she saw how good I am with numbers, she offered ta let me work on that instead. It annoys mam a bit that I'm not just workin' at home if that's the case, but I like it. Wasn't ever much fer the customer-facin' side o' things at the shop. Khii's better at that sorta thing."
"Your little sister?" You ask, remembering the little kobold you bumped into what feels like ages ago. "She's all grown now too, I imagine."
"Aye. Grown an' a right terror, but only ta me." Khel groans. "'round mam and ma she's as upright as they come."
"Sounds like my own sister." You sigh. "Except for the 'upright' part. Kyna has never been upright in her life."
"Yeah?" Khel asks, clearly interested. "I didn't realize ye had siblings."
"I'm an angel, Khel. I have more siblings than most people have family members. Kyna's more like my daughter, though. I raised her from about when she could walk."
"So… yer good with kids, then?"
You grin, amused at her fishing for information. "I like to think I'm quite good with children, yes."
"Hmm…" You drone, then decide to just be upfront with Khel. "Are you interested in me, Khel?"
She once more wordlessly opens and closes her mouth, and you laugh.
"I'll take that as a yes." You kind of knew already anyways. "I… you're cute, dear, but we barely know each other."
She looks crestfallen, so you quickly amend yourself. "That's not to say I'm not interested, Khel. Just that we should probably learn more about one another first."
"Oh!" She sighs in relief. "Don' scare a girl like that, by Tiamat. Thought me heart was about to stop."
You laugh again. "Sorry. So… I'll try to visit you from time to time, okay? We can get to know each other more. For now, how about we enjoy the rest of our dance, hm?"
"Aye. That sounds… nice. On both counts." She smiles back at you.
Now that her goal and desire is realistically in-reach, she's able to focus on the dance a bit more. She's still no Rosie, but you have to admit Eona taught her well. Interestingly, she uses her tail to counterbalance herself every so often, allowing her to make dips and dives normal women would struggle with at her level.
It's… fun. You look forward to more outings with the young kobold.
You separate from Khel after a while, spotting your daughters surrounded by a small crowd. The kobold, for her part, is dragged away by her 'mam,' so you don't feel too bad about leaving her behind.
As you approach, you notice your daughters look… flustered. Well, Zaphi looks flustered. Mary is harder to read in general, but she seems pleased?
You kind of want to hide and see what's got your eldest so riled up before jumping in yourself…
It's a tough choice, but at the end of the day you were born to be a stealthy woman, so you opt for that. You can always hop in if you need to bully relieve your daughter.
"—best grasp of magical theory our school has seen in a new student." You pick up the tail end of Verit's conversation with Sesha. "Never seen a girl cast Magic Missile without even looking at the target before."
"It wasn't moving, so—" Zaphi tries to interject, face red.
"Please, Zaphkiel. It was across the entire practice field, I can't even make that shot without looking." Verit interrupts her.
"That is impressive." Sesha nods. "Are you interested in a guardswoman position, Zaphkiel? We can always use more fliers."
"Bah, you're all fliers. Stop trying to poach my best students." Verit snaps at the bird.
"I'm not trying to poach her, I'm just offering her an option." Sesha sniffs. "And you, miss?"
Mary blinks. "Me? I'm not a fighter."
"Ah, Maribelle." Verit smiles. "Viridia knows her well."
"I do." Viridia nods, gesturing towards a wall. A painting sits there, depicting a host of angels flitting around a cottage. "I've been selling her paintings for a month now."
"That's your work?" Sesha follows Viridia's gesture. "My sister was cooing over that painting just an hour ago. Are you taking commissions currently?"
"I'm always taking commissions." Mary replies, clearly more adept at accepting praise than Zaphi. "But you'll have to wait a while, I'm a bit backed up at the moment."
Your heart swells with pride. Mary really has excelled at her chosen profession. Who would have thought seeing her mother's scribbles would lead to one of the best painters in the world? Not that you have anyone to compare her to objectively, mind, but she's your daughter and therefore obviously the best.
Zaphi tries to take the opportunity to slip away, but before she can a young woman who can only be described as the perkiest little dwarf you ever did see pokes her head into the crowd. Curiously, she's clearly a mage of some sort — her dress is a stylized version of a caster's robes.
She looks more… girlish than most dwarves you've met. Sort of like if the cutesy farmgirl type was squished down to dwarven dimensions.
"Zaphi's here?" The dwarf squeals excitedly. "Oh, there you are!"
Zaphi freezes, turning to meet the girl's gaze. "Ahrana?"
"That's me!" The dwarf grins delightedly at her own joke. "I didn't know you'd be here!"
"Likewise." Zaphi replies, looking somehow both more and less comfortable than before. "Why…?"
"There's monsters all over the place, of course I'd be here." 'Ahrana' answers.
"Right." Zaphi sighs. "You didn't bug anyone?"
"Nope! But while you're here, maybe you could answer a few more questions I had about angels…?"
Hmm… Zaphi isn't an angel, and you'd hate for her to give herself away to someone she's friends(?) with…
You sneak up on your daughter and grab her shoulders from behind.
"Who's your friend, Zaphi?"
"Ma—!" Zaphi shrieks before catching herself. "Er, this is Ahrana. She's a researcher at the university."
"A monster researcher!" Ahrana adds, holding out her hand. "And Zaphi's best friend."
"That's… technically true." Zaphi admits.
"The best kind of true." Ahrana winks.
"Ariel." You take her hand for a quick shake. "You wanted to know about angels? I happen to be quite the expert."
"Really?!" The dwarf scrambles for a notebook which is produced from… somewhere in her dress. "If you could answer just a few questions…"
--
Ahrana's questions are all fairly easy to answer, as it turns out. Zaphi probably would have done fine on her own, but there were a few about angelic lifestyles and hierarchy that she might have struggled a bit with.
"…so there is an angel in charge of agriculture!" Ahrana hums. "I know the Justician church claims as much, but it always seemed that it might reach too much into Fera's purview."
"Agriculture is the application of order and law to nature," You explain. "So technically either variety of spirit can contribute or even cooperate. You'd have to ask Demiel herself about the specifics, though."
You never really talked much with her, personally.
"Fascinating." Ahrana mumbles. "I wonder, do the Fallen Angels retain any of their former role? Could an angel of agriculture become a Fallen of famine?"
Before you can answer, she seems to spot something in the crowd. "Ah! Is that an arachne? ItwasnicemeetingyouArielbyeZaphihavefun—"
—and she's gone.
"She's… quite the character." You tell your daughter, and Zaphi sighs in response.
"She's a menace. Like Green Signali, if she were only interested in monster research."
"Mm… well, it's nice to know you have an interesting best friend, sweetie." You kiss her forehead.
"Mmmnnn…" Zaphi wriggles a little. "She's the best because she's my only friend."
"Still." A thought occurs to you. "Why would the university have a monster researcher in the first place?"
"The headmistress says it's so that we can better understand how each of us is both similar and different. A sort of… understanding one another better kind of thing." Zaphi shrugs. "As for why Rana likes it so much… I think she's just weird, personally."
"I see. Now, what's this I hear about you hitting a dummy without even looking at it?"
Zaphi seems to curl into herself in surprise and embarrassment. "It wasn't moving!"
When you drag Zaphi back to the crowd, intent on throwing her back to the metaphorical wolves, you instead walk into Mary giving a demonstration of her artistic skill. She's only got a journal to practice with, so the group crowds behind her to get a glimpse of what she's working on.
"Do a dragon next!" A voice calls. Mary pauses, then gets to work, her hand flowing across the page with an ease that would make artists anywhere envious. After what feels like only a few short minutes she produces a sketch, lifting and turning it so that everyone can see.
Technically speaking, she didn't quite fulfill the request… but you have to admit her portrait of Ilyen is pretty spot-on, even if it does lack her signature maid headdress.
"Incredible! You'd think she'd met one herself!" A voice calls.
Mary catches your eye and winks.
The party is slowly winding down, guests finding reasons to politely excuse themselves. As the crowd thins, you spot someone you didn't at all expect to see today, speaking animatedly with someone you just met.
"Ranger." You greet the former Inquisitor.
"Ah!" She jumps nearly a foot from her seat. "Damn it, angel! Don't scare me like that."
"Sorry. I see you've met Naamah."
"Yeah, we've met." Ranger replies cautiously. "She comes on pretty strong though."
"I can't help it! You're hot, I'm hot, I don't have much time… just a quick kiss, come ooonnn!" Naamah replies.
"Your grandmother left a note saying you're supposed to behave." You note warningly.
"I am behaving!" Naamah pouts. "I haven't kissed anyone without permission, or groped them without permission, or—"
"Alright, alright." You hold up a hand. "Just making sure."
"You know each other?" Ranger asks.
"… somewhat."
You could tell Ranger the truth. Even if you just say 'she's family,' she knows enough to realize what that means.
"She's my… what did you say? Great-great-niece?" You tell Ranger.
"That's right!" Naamah puffs out her chest.
"Which makes her… ah, hell." Ranger sighs, laying her head on the table. "I was thinkin' about taking her up on it too."
"You were? You're not anymore?" Naamah goes from excited to brokenhearted in the span of a second. "I'm never gonna lose my second virginity…"
"Aye, I know enough about Ariel to know you'd have to be a pretty strong devil." Ranger sighs. "But if she's letting you run around untouched, I'm sure you're… mostly harmless."
"Her grandmother assured me she's supposed to be on her best behavior and asked me not to banish her." You inform Ranger. "For what that's worth."
"Depends on the grandma in question." Ranger shrugs.
You look to Naamah, who's pouting. "Well, since you already gave me away… it's fine. Sidon. My grandma is Sidon."
Ranger's eyes actually widen a bit at that. "What, seriously?"
"You know the name?" You ask, surprised. "I didn't recognize her."
"Aye, but only just. She's the only archdevil the others refuse to acknowledge as an archdevil. Dunno why."
"Because they're bitches." Naamah sniff resentfully. "All high-and-mighty just because they don't give a fuck about anyone but themselves. At least grandma can see the bigger picture."
"Oh?" You ask.
"Yeah. She's… well, she's kind of like a peacekeeper." Naamah explains. "She makes sure no house gets too big or too strong, which is the real reason they refuse to acknowledge her. They're mad that she keeps undercutting them."
"That's… good to know."
At the very least, it makes you feel a bit more comfortable about accepting her offer.
"That's more than I've heard." Ranger shrugs. "… ah, to hell with it. Come on, you. I'd rather fuck you myself, knowing the risks, than let you seduce someone who doesn't."
"Really?!" Naamah squeals, delighted, then looks at you. "Auntie, I did it! I seduced someone!"
"…that's… congratulations, dear." You reply, unsure of what else to say. "Ranger are you…"
"Sure? Yeah, it'll be fine. I'm tougher than I look… and I know I look pretty tough." She grins at you. "It's been a while anyways, and it's not every day I can sleep with a devil with no strings attached. I trust you'll save me if something goes wrong."
That's a simultaneously heartwarming and heavy amount of trust she has for you, and at the end of the day she's a grown woman and former inquisitor. She knows the risks… and you're fairly certain Naamah is harmless anyways.
Either that, or she's absurdly good at hiding her true nature.
With Ranger off having fun, you're left to sit by yourself for a moment. It's been a hell of a night, all things considered. You lay your head on the table as Ranger did, shutting your eyes…
Then someone runs a finger down your upper spine.
"Eep!" You squeal, jerking upright. You turn, affronted… and see a mischievously-smirking Liane.
"It's dangerous for a pretty woman to sleep alone at a party, didn't you know?"
You stick your tongue out at her as she laughs and sits down with her arm around you. "Tired?"
"It's been a long night." You admit.
"Long in a bad way?"
"Yes and no." You reply. "It's mostly been great, but I did get some news about my family that's pretty concerning."
"Ah." She leans against you, your relative positions making her breasts swing into yours. "Would you like to talk about it?"
"Not here." You tell her. "But thank you."
"Mmm." She intones.
"Where's—"
You were about to ask where Estelle is, but then the little imp sneak-crawls into your lap. "You've been hanging out with Tia too much, clearly."
"She gives me sweets if I help with her stealth enchantments." Estelle admits to betraying you to the stealthy menace without missing a beat. "It's good practice, too."
"I'll give you twice the sweets to make those enchantments light her up like a lighthouse when she tries to sneak around me."
Estelle shakes her head. "Nuh-uh. I've got a good thing going. If I do that, I lose credibility with everyone else."
"…you'd better not be giving the entire household enchantments that make my life harder, little girl."
Her eyes refuse to meet yours. "… not the entire household."
This brat. What is it with your kids being brats, almost universally? It must be inherited, which means clearly Kynael is at fault.
"It's all you, you know." Liane giggles, but you ignore her completely. After all, that can't be true. You're simply the least bratty person there ever was.
She sighs. "You're incorrigible. Come on, get up. I won't be the only person you don't dance with tonight."
Liane enjoys a slow dance with you, her head on your shoulder the entire time.
"You know, it's funny." She says after a while. "Now that I look back at my relationship with my parents… I can't really say it's as bad as I made it out to be."
"Maybe you just needed time to not stew on it so much." You reply. "I know that being away from home has helped me resent my sisters less."
Not forgive them, mind you, but you don't go to sleep hating some of them anymore.
"Maybe." She agrees. "Whatever the case, I doubt I'd have willingly sought them out if it weren't for our daughters, so… thank you. For everything, Ari."
"…no, thank you, Liane. For everything."
She pulls back and huffs her cheeks in a little fake pout. "You can't just repeat what I say back to me, that's cheating at romance."
"I'm allowed to cheat at romance because I'm super attractive." You reply.
"Hmph." She turns her face in mock anger. "Well now I'm mad that you're too pretty and everyone else is looking at you."
"Is… is that something that actually happens?" You ask, confused.
She drops the act, snickering. "Stella lost a girlfriend like that once. Apparently all that fashion and makeup was just her 'trying to show off for other girls.'"
"Ouch."
"It hurt her feelings a lot at the time, but she's a lot better off."
"It sounds like it."
"…wait a second. I'm pretending to be mad at you and you distracted me from it. That makes me twice as pretend mad at you!"
Liane continues having fun in her own, weird way.
Estelle and Mary both get a dance with you too, though in the former's case it's more just an exciting game. She's not a baby anymore, but she's still thrilled by the simple chance to dress up and dance with her mama. Honestly, if nothing else… you're glad she had fun tonight.
--
Mary is clearly sizing you up for a painting. "See something you like?" You joke, but she nods, dead serious.
"If I make a painting of this view of your cleavage then my sisters will literally give me whatever I want for it." She replies. "I'm trying to decide whether that's worth trading it away, though…"
"… can't you just make two?"
"That would devalue it."
Art is confusing.
Zaphi obviously gets a dance of her own, and it proves to be as lewd as you can reasonably dance with your own daughter in public… or as lewd as you can get without making whoever has to clean the floor really angry. She clearly wants something more, but that will have to wait until later.
She also clearly inherited her mom's fake pout, which she tries to use against you for allowing her teacher to embarrass her earlier, but all it does is make her twice as cute in your eyes. You're gonna have to bully Zaphi more in the future.
Maybe… bedroom bully her? You picture Zaphi pouting beneath you, trying to pretend she's upset even as she cums…
Oh, hell. Now you're going to ruin the floor.
--
Eona's asked to dance next. "Oh? An angel, asking a whore to dance? This sounds like the beginning of a smutty novel read by lonely nobles."
She pauses. "Actually, that probably will sell well. I should look into that."
"Our whole relationship is basically a smutty novel." You comment.
"True. But a good one. Something I'd curl up with on a lonely night." Eona replies.
"Is smut really that popular?"
"Oh, it depends." She shrugs. "Right now reverse harems are quite lucrative."
"Reverse harems?" You ask, confused.
"Where a Beloved woman is the center of a harem of monsters." She explains. "It's taken off recently, enough so that we get specialized requests at the Menagerie based on the concept. I'm fond of the variation where the protagonist is a monster herself, personally."
Huh. You learn something new every day, you guess.
Vezhana wants to dance, and you can't help but oblige the cute little wasp. This leads Potnia to asking for one right after, and honestly your feet are starting to hurt.
If Stella didn't insist it was her duty to dance with you as the host, you'd have turned her down. As-is, you're starting to resent whoever designs Beloved shoes. They are dumb and they hurt.
The main hall grows less and less crowded as people filter out for the night, having long since had their fill of festivities. Eona bids you good night with a kiss, while her new scaly assistant very nervously does the same — though Khel can only bring herself to kiss your cheek, and even that nearly causes the poor girl to faint. You'll have to remember to go easy on her in the future.
Ranger and your niece apparently got on without trouble, with Ranger simply shrugging and saying 'she wasn't bad' when you asked. You're not sure if she means 'not evil' or not a bad lover, to be honest, and you're not sure whether you want to press.
For her part, Naamah looks over the moon. She gives you a surprisingly tight hug before leaving, says she's looking forward to seeing you soon, then darts off to parts unknown.
Zaphi and Liane both eye you like starved beasts across the hall, which, while exciting, does make it a little hard to focus on saying goodbye to the various other attendees. One attendee in particular, actually…
"So." You begin, parting from a hug with Rosie. "What's the plan?"
"I'm gonna head home tonight." She replies cheerfully. "Like, as much as I wanna jump your bones right here? I kinda prefer doing it in a nest. It's more comfy and personal, you know?"
You nod. "It's intimate, yes."
"Exactly! And like, if I'm getting a new room and all that, I may as well break it in when I get there, right?" Her eyes meet yours and the raw lust in them could give a succubus a run for her money. "So… tomorrow. But first, I'm gonna spend a last night with the fam."
You smile, thinking that in her situation you'd probably want to do the same. If you'd had a choice… well, it would have been nice to give Mika a proper goodbye. "Tomorrow then. I'll pick you up, if that's alright?"
Soniel visits the harpy nest often enough that she can point the way to you.
"Yup!" Rosie chirps, standing on claw-tip to give you a quick peck. "See you then, Ari!"
Stella cries as you leave. Not because of you, of course, but because, in her own words, she can't bear to let her nieces go.
"Ah, you are too cute, Estelle! And Zaphi, your hair is so radiant! And Mary—" The seamstress weeps. "—ah, how am I to focus on my work knowing that my cute nieces are so far away?"
"Um, maybe Mary can make you a painting?" Estelle offers, being adorably sincere in the face of her aunt's dramatic persona. She casts a glance at her older sister, who simply nods.
"It is not the saaaaame!" Stella cries, squeezing Estelle tighter.
"That's enough, Stella." Cosette says, her soft voice carrying the unmistakable weight of maternal authority. "We'll be here for several months yet, at least. I'm certain my grandchildren will find it in their hearts to visit us during that time."
Liane blinks, surprised. "You're staying?"
"Of course." Cosette replies, looking to her wife.
Reine steps forward and pulls each of her newest family members into a hug along with their mother. "We aren't letting you go again, Liane. I don't make the same mistake twice."
Liane doesn't know what to say to that, so she simply returns her mother's embrace.
"They are so alike." Stella sighs from your shoulder, all signs of her tantrum having faded. "Too stubborn to admit they love each other… until now, I suppose?" She smiles up at you. "Thank you, Ariel. Ah!"
She reaches into a fashionable white bag and retrieves a notebook that you recognize — Kira's design notebook. "Your daughter's apprenticeship is accepted, assuming you approve?" You nod, so she continues, a clever little grin on her lips. "My nieces can bring her along next time they visit, hm?"
Devious. By putting the onus on her nieces, she's all but ensured that Kira will badger them to visit Stella soon and often. You're forced to reappraise the bombastic entrepreneur — she's clearly far more capable of manipulation than she lets on.
"We shouldn't have used the tome this morning." You grumble as you fly home for the evening. "We should have flown then and used it now."
"At least we aren't walking." Liane replies as she clings to you. "Stella always liked the least comfortable shoes…"
"Goddess, don't remind me." You wince as you feel your feet ache. Somehow taking weight off them made it worse.
Upon landing upon the homestead your feet reverberate with a level of soreness that you haven't felt in ages. You can't remember the last time you were on your feet for that long, let alone dancing with so many people, if ever. But given the look from the three people present (excluding Estelle, who innocently eats away at some leftover sweets she got as a gift from Stella) you already know you aren't finished just yet.
First though, you desperately need a bath. Along with a seriously deep-tissue foot massage. Sadly, you don't get to indulge too long before you're mobbed by family members.
Sending Estelle away to Ilyen is a simple affair given the child is also tuckered out as is, and the dragonling is more than happy to make room in her nest for the night. Some other daughters and some of your lovers come by to ask how the party was, but the clear looks Zaphi and Liane shoot them and you are enough to drive away most of them after a few words… save for Tia and Fiona. The former is just trying to get herself into trouble, while Fiona is just… being Fiona. It takes a promise that you'll spend a good chunk of tomorrow with her to send her on her way, humming happily.
At long last you finally enter your room, and it's scarcely a moment before your personal space is being violated by two pairs of massive breasts. Zaphi and Liane nibble their way up your collar and towards your lips, each vying for your affection. You actually expect to see Mary probably drawing this taking place as your eyes try to see past Liane and Zaphi, but to your surprise you don't spot her. When did she leave?
You can't ponder the issue too long as Zaphi starts vying for your attention more, all-but grinding her crotch against your leg as if to fuse herself with you and never again part. A simple gentle push of your hands is enough to part the two from you, gentle though you are.
"Hang on, hang on. I know both of you are eager but let's at least lie down for a second. My feet are still killing me." The two of them giggle a little, but they allow you to drag them down next to you on the bed. Your relief from their attentions is fleeting, however, as the two take the opportunity to cuddle against you as fervently as if it were below freezing outside.
Not satisfied with simply cuddling, however, the two slowly strip themselves of their post-bath clothes, exposing their heavy breasts and sodden pussies in record time. The scent of their arousal permeates the room. You already willed your cock into existence, anticipating the night's events, and the sights and smells cause it to rapidly swell within your pajama pants.
Now that they're naked, the two waste no time in divesting you of your own clothes, exposing your top and then your bottom in turn. In the latter case you cock catches against the fabric for a long moment, the two indulging in a little personal show as they slow their pulling. You wince as the fabric rubs against your sensitive head and precum begins to smear through it. Liane can't help but let out a small giggle at the sight, while Zaphi gingerly reaches down to help slide the rest off. Your cockhead flops free at last, sticky precum still trailing to the smear against the crotch of your pants even as it stands proud against your belly.
Zaphi stares, utterly transfixed. A simple cough is enough to get her attention. "So, you two. Any recommendations on what you'd like to have me do to make your night even more special?"
"As if the night hasn't been the most special it could be being with you." Liane responds with an eyeroll. "Though even if that's the case, and as much as I said I already knew about it for a while, I can't help being a little embarrassed at… you know…" Using both her arms to showcase the nude bodies of herself and her daughter, indicating the idea of getting fucked at the same time. Zaphi likely didn't hear any part of it, focusing more on the question.
"Yeah, I can understand. It was awkward enough for me when I realized it. At the very least I can just make sure to fuck you hard enough to have you forget who's present." You joke with a smile, which gets you a slap on the arm as you chuckle at it.
The sound of hurried footsteps catches your attention, and soon after Mary comes into the doorway wearing only her underwear and carrying… is that an entire canvas? And multiple spares?
"You guys didn't start, right? Oh good." She asks, breathing heavily as she just as quickly starts getting set up at the chair that was left in your room. At least now you know why she insisted you should have a chair in your room 'just in case.' At the time you thought it was because you'd been sick, but…
You and Liane share a look with each other as Mary completes her setup, Zaphi seemingly still in thought, before Mary finishes and sits herself down, drawing utensil in hand.
"If I may make one request, could I watch you two pleasure Mama with your breasts?" She says, cupping her own as emphasis that you honestly have a hard time looking away from. Her bra makes them press together just right…
"O…kay? Are you sure you don't want to join in yourself?" You ask, only to be met with her eagerly shaking her head. Your eyes meet Liane's and she shrugs. Well, you may as well get started then.
"Zaphi, honey." Your voice finally breaks her out of her thoughts with a slight jump as her eyes very quickly meet yours. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah, of course, always, anytime. …Uh, so what are we doing?" Smiling at her act, causing her blush to break out harder again, you move towards the bed to sit down as Liane takes up position to one side of you, wrapping her breasts around your cock but leaving enough room for Zaphi to take up the other half.
Getting the idea, Zaphi moves to your other side, lifting her heavy boobs in both hands and flopping them across from her mother so that your cock is utterly enveloped in titflesh. You gasp at both the ample weight on your lap and the heavenly sensation.
"Your nipples are so cute, Zaphi." Liane coos with admiration. "I'm a little jealous."
Zaphi's cheeks burn crimson. "T-thank you?" A moment later she lets out a surprised squeal as her mother begins her work, inadvertently brushing their nipples together. Zaphi begins moving as well, and you're left to endure the pleasure.
If clouds were something that you could tangibly hold this is probably what it would feel like. The absolute softness enveloping it would have otherwise been hard to resist if you already haven't gotten so accustomed to them on a daily basis. This is added to it by them interchangeably working together to lick at your tip whenever their breasts move down and expose your head. You could just make it bigger, but if you're being honest you just enjoy being mostly enveloped by their breasts for a little longer.
Mary is obviously drawing the sight if her hand quickly darting across the page is any indication, but her other hand is left constantly squeezing her own breasts as she practically pants in need. You're tempted to ask again if she's truly sure, but the determination and joy in her eyes as they flick between the canvas and the bed is enough to shoot down that train of thought.
Liane and Zaphi still continue meanwhile, and after a bit longer you feel it's time to reward their affection in a way that can be fitting. Without warning you have your dick increase in size so that there's enough room for them to go at it together. At least, that's what you initially thought of doing, as you had the idea to will in your second dick at the same time, leaving one for each of them. The action startles both of them, Zaphi from suddenly taking more of your dick in her mouth than she was prepared for while sucking the tip, and Liane from suddenly getting slapped in the face by the other as she shoots you a glare.
"You could have at least warned me…" She pretend-pouts, which doesn't match her actions as she just as quickly starts sucking on your dick much like Zaphi who had recovered from the shock.
"Hehe, sorry about that, O lover mine. I'll make sure to try and warn you next time." You say, not intentionally trying to rhyme. Neat. If Evara were here she'd probably give you a thumbs up while deepthroating you. While Soni deepthroated your other dick, and maybe…
After that you otherwise let them be as they set about pleasing you. Liane takes a more slow and languid approach, trying to coax you out with loving licks and kisses to show her affection while her breasts are massaged into your dick. Zaphi still seems to take the more opposite approach, being more eager to make sure your cock fills out every corner of her mouth that her breasts don't otherwise take space over as she quickly moves them. Not that it stops herself from practically smashing her face into her own breasts to get more.
Somehow, the two of them manage to brush your twin cockheads against one another mid-blowjob, making your hips buck a little as two incredibly sensitive areas rub together at once. "Oh?" Liane's eyes light with delight.
With little prompting, your lover manages to convey her idea to your daughter, and the two of them squeeze your cocks together with their breasts so that the frenulums rub against one another constantly. It's pleasurable torture, their earlier ministrations having already primed your sensitivity, but you're a strong woman. You can endure…
…until their mouths once more twirl around your heads. Mother and daughter twirl their tongues around you, rubbing you against yourself, run their tongues between your twin frenulums, and just as often their tongues meet one another, lingering longer and longer each time until they're all but making out with one another with your cocks between them.
Before too long you start feeling your climax approach, and as much as you warn them of it with a "I'm getting close" you feel like it might be a bit fun to not warn them of the second, new aspect.
Liane sucks one tip into her mouth, while Zaphi slows down and even stops just at the tip of the other to continue licking it. You think she'd otherwise do the same as Liane, but she uses one hand to grab yours and places it on top of her head. Getting the hint you ready yourself for your eventual climax.
Once it finally arrives you just as quickly slam Zaphi down as far as you can into her throat while your cum boils to the surface. Once it erupts, it does so just as it has since last time, which you can't deny is a fun sight to see has Zaphi's eyes bulge out of her sockets while you assume her stomach gets filled with more than she ever expected, and Liane is quickly trying to scramble on taking more in your mouth after your first shot, your seed rapidly overflowing to drip out of her mouth and onto her breasts.
After an amount of time you're far too blissed out to accurately measure, you finally start winding down. Looking down, Liane is not a total mess, but seems she wasn't able to completely get all of it. Her cheeks are bulged with your cum as she shoots you a glare while sliding her mouth off your dick. It takes her quite a number of gulps for her to get it all down, but once done it didn't stop the frown from taking shape.
"I told you to warn me!"
"And I did, just… not of the second aspect. Didn't seem that necessary." She tries to playfully slap your dick in retaliation, but she probably wasn't thinking of the rebound as it slaps her back, making you chuckle.
"Ugh, should've expected that. Where do you even store all of this?" She asks as she daintily scoops up some that landed on her breasts, inserting it into her mouth just after with a pleased hum. "Actually, you know what? Forget it, I shouldn't be surprised anyways, considering it's you we're talking about. You're so lucky I love you as much as I do."
"Oh yeah? Well you're lucky, that, uh..." Damn. You've got nothing. Instead, you lean down to plant a kiss on her forehead, knowing that she can't resist your incredible wiles. Looking over at Zaphi she's still deepthroating your cock as much as she can, practically blissed out. Gently cupping her head you slowly pull her off your dick, which honestly doesn't help the boner as she slides off it, 'til she's fully off. Her eyes are dazed, staring at nothing as a small smile adorns her face. Not even a second quick splash of white ropes across her face — the result of dragging yourself out of her silken throat — breaks her out of it.
"Ah! Ari!" Liane chastises, huffing. "You almost got it in her eyes!"
"I wasn't—" You begin to explain that you don't exactly have precision aim on these things so much as a general vicinity barrage (and besides, you only got it up to her cheekbone, that's not that close to her eye), but before you can Liane descends on her daughter, her tongue quickly lapping up your recent ejaculation. Zaphi shivers in delight even through her bliss, and you have to fight from whitening both of their faces all over again.
It takes Zaphi (and you, to be honest) a moment to recover.
"Enjoy yourself, did you?" You ask her, making her flush with embarrassment. Liane giggles a little at the sight.
"Oh come now, you're fine. It's nothing to be embarrassed over. I'm happy with what both you and your mother did, and I'm happy you enjoyed yourself too." While she does smile at that it doesn't really help the embarrassment written across her face at her recent state.
"Alright, I think I know a way to help you forget." You grab the two of them and flip the script, ending with them lying together and you looming over them.
Once you lay them side-by-side you can't help but notice just how similar Zaphi is to Liane. Breasts aside you can spot similar facial features on each of them. Even their hair has a similar shade to it despite being completely different colors. The main difference between the two lies in their hips — while Zaphi was absolutely made for you, Liane's given birth, granting her a motherly sway that Zaphi lacks… though that's about to change.
"Are you ready Zaphi? I think we both know what's going to happen right now." Zaphi eagerly nods in response, though she seems to hesitate for just a moment before asking for something as well.
"Actually, if I may ask Mama, could you… put the Crests on me? I-If that's alright?"
"Sure. Which one?"
"N-no, I mean… you know, the Crests. Like… all of them?" Your brief pause on not responding has her quickly trying to continue. "T-Tia told us about the Crest you put on her. Gloated, actually, the brat… a-anyways, I obviously want the one you put on her or some e-equivalent, but I really want to be as close to you as possible, even through magic. Which includes the other two. S-so… can you? Please?"
Well… it's no surprise she would ask about the Guarantee spell, and as much as putting the Possessiveness spell on her would be fine (and honestly not change anything), the third one does leave you a bit apprehensive. It shouldn't do anything to her since she's already your daughter, but… well. Fucking with Helel's toys isn't something you'd risk, especially where your daughter is involved.
"Sure honey. You can have every safe Crest." You lean down to kiss her on the lips as you apply the Seals on her. Once you break from her she looks down and smiles like the happiest woman on the planet, making you smile in return. To keep things fair you lean down to give Liane a kiss of her own, causing her to moan happily… though you could swear there was a spark of voyeuristic delight even before then at having seen you kiss Zaphi.
Once you're done you start to try and get each of them into position, though Zaphi stops you again with another request. Though less verbal and more action as she can't find the words.
"Could you actually…" is all she gets out before indicating your two dicks you still have and indicating herself. Getting the gist, you maneuver yourself to be between her legs and align yourself with both her entrances. Liane giggles again, sitting up and taking her daughter's head into her lap and preparing to watch Zaphi's first double penetration with more-than-maternal interest.
Mary's hands move across the canvas as though possessed, her eyes darting rapidly between her work and the place where your hips and her sister's meet. Liane gently runs her fingers through Zaphi's hair, cooing encouragement as you slowly double penetrate the redheaded Fallen.
Zaphi's mouth forms a wide O as you inch into her, the flush on her face spreading down to her pale breasts as the heat of lust surges through her. For your part, it's no small amount of work getting into her — Zaphi's virgin anus is as tight as anything you've ever been in, save maybe Fi, and you're doing your best to make sure you don't hurt her in the process.
Bit by bit you slip into her, making her shiver and whimper as her body is defiled by her own sire as her witch mother cradles her head, a scene right out of every whispered horror story about devils you've ever heard… save that in practice, it's far more beautiful and loving than such dogma could ever understand.
A bulge begins in Zaphi's belly, evident even through the small paunch of her stomach after her recent filling, and Liane reaches out with a hand to press against it, making you twitch as you feel her through the layer of separation. "Look, Zaphi."
Zaphi dazedly looks down at her mother's command, her eyes widening. "Your mama is already so far into you, but she still has so far to go." Liane teases. "Are you okay, sweetie?"
"I-I'm fine." Zaphi says breathily, her eyes dizzy with lust at her mother's words. "Keep going, mama. Please."
"You heard her, love." Liane leans forward to kiss you, then moves the hand that was just rubbing your tip to hold Zaphkiel's own. "And she did say please."
Well, it would just be bad parenting to not reward politeness, so you press further, faster, deeper, and Zaphi mewls in ecstasy as you fill her beyond what she even imagined could be possible. Your twin shafts buzz with pleasure as her holes squeeze as tightly as they can, your daughter's devilish body doing its utmost to please that which gave it life.
Before long you're hilted, and Zaphi's breathing so heavily and rapidly that for a moment you worry she's hyperventilating… but it appears she's simply so lost in pleasure that her body is already at its limit. With a long, low crying moan and a shudder she cums, hard, burying her face in her mother's breasts reflexively as she does so.
"You're gorgeous, sweetheart." Liane coos with admiration, gently rubbing Zaphi's body with a free hand while squeezing one of Zaphi's own with the other. "I love you."
Zaphi whimpers and cums again. The sensation is almost too much for you to bear, her desperate milking making you gasp and fall forward just a bit… where Liane waits to catch your lips in her own, making out with you so lovingly that your mind spins.
"Do it." She breaks the kiss for a moment to whisper to you before twining her tongue with yours once more. "Knock our Zaphi up."
The lusty, sultry tone, combined with the lewd kiss, is all you needed to push you well and truly over the edge. With a moan of your own you unleash a torrent of seed into your needy daughter, filling her bowels and womb alike with enough seed to guarantee pregnancy even without your magic forcing the issue.
Zaphi cries out in bliss, her body instinctively understanding that she's finally gotten what she wanted more than anything else as it swells to the point of looking already pregnant with twins. Her back arching and hips twisting as if to milk you just enough to really make sure, to be certain that those already-massive breasts will soon swell with milk just for you and the life you've newly sowed…
Zaphi is well and truly gone, physical strain and pure joy having overwhelmed her mind. Liane leans down to kiss the young woman's forehead, humming softly as she does so. "You did well, Zaphi. Mommy's proud of you."
"What… what brought this on?" You ask her, feeling more than a little out of it yourself.
Liane frowns and puts a finger on her lips. "I don't know. I suppose tonight just… flipped a switch."
Before you can respond, another voice catches both of your attention. Mary, breathing heavily, finishes her masterpiece. "This is the peak. I'll never create something this incredible again."
Her work is… well, very lewd, but even so… you have to admit it is beautiful. Even as embarrassing as it is to have your orgasming face so lovingly preserved for future generations, you can't help but admire how elegantly she captured the expression, along with everything else about the scene that just played out.
You open your mouth to commend her, but Liane beats you to it with considerably more disappointment. "Really, Mary? I won't have any daughter of mine giving up on improving so easily."
You turn to Liane, but she gives you a mischievous wink so you decide against gainsaying her here. Mary gestures to her canvas. "Look at it, mother. It's perfect."
"It is." Liane admits, gently setting Zaphi's head against a pillow and standing from the bed. Her inner thighs are absolutely drenched. "But perfection is only an ideal, Mary. I think you just need something that will inspire you to go further beyond this achievement."
Mary frowns, confused, and Liane waves her hands, expertly weaving an enchantment over the completed work to ensure it remains perfectly intact for centuries to come before setting it aside so that Mary faces a blank canvas.
"I… I don't think anything can inspire me like that did, momm… mother. It was amazing."
"Hmm… well, I'm no artist, but I think I have an idea." Liane's eyes spark with delight as she waves her hands once more, causing the canvas to shift so that it reflects the room. Liane gazes at you through the reflection even as Mary's evident confusion mounts, and after a moment you understand.
You're behind Mary and lifting her before she has a chance to so much as squeal in surprise. With a single motion you sit down and set her in your lap, your twin cocks standing rigid against her panties. You can already feel fluid soaking the fabric as you rub your cocks back and forth.
"Mama! Wait, I—"
"Hush, Mary." Liane places a finger on her daughter's lips. "Mama and I are going to show you that there's always room for improvement. Aren't we, love?"
You nod and Liane kneels down so that her face is level with your crotch. One hand reaches out to pump a shaft while the other gently tugs Mary's panties aside. "Alright, Mary. Keep an eye on your reflection, and make sure you remember it. I want you to capture this moment so I can cherish it forever, okay sweetie?"
Mary doesn't answer, though she does as her mother asks, watching her reflection as you lift her just high enough to place your cockheads at both entrances. Her breathing quickens and you look up to see her face in the 'mirror.' Her face burns crimson, her feelings torn between excitement and embarrassment as she's made to witness her own double deflowering.
Slowly, savoring the lusty expressing on Mary's face as she witnesses the approaching end of her maidenhood, you lower her on your cocks. She's no easier to penetrate than Zaphi was — harder, in fact, as she's still a virgin. You look down at Liane, recalling for a moment the day you took her for the first time, the way her hymen felt on your cockhead…
…so similar to the one that kisses your tip at this very moment. Mary's breasts rise and fall rapidly as her wide eyes stare at her reflection's pussy, the moment of her true ascent to womanhood at hand and laid bare before her very eyes. "M-mama, mama, mommy, I—"
"Shhh." Liane coos, gently reaching out to stroke the spot where you're both connected. Mary shivers, a note of concern entering her voice. "Are you okay, sweetie? We can stop if you really don't want to."
"No!" Mary says immediately. "No, I just… I'm a little scared. Can you…?"
Liane's hand reaches up to wrap around Mary's own, and you take the other with one of yours. You lean over her shoulder and gently nudge her into a kiss, one she returns with equal amounts of nervousness and anticipation as you feel the same sparks fly that you felt with the previous.
"Ready, Mary?" you ask, breaking the kiss and staring into her beautiful golden eyes. She nods, wordless, and you push up, finally claiming what has always been yours.
You bury your face in Mary's neck as her sinfully pleasurable insides welcome your full length and girth like any good daughter should. You kiss and nibble and lick as she mewls and moans and jerks, her every intonation and movement causing vibrations and spasms that you can feel deep, deep in her newly deflowered holes.
Liane whispers love and encouragement to both of you as you fuck her daughter, only stopping to kiss and nibble around your thighs and suckle your balls, apparently unconcerned that her own child's sexual fluids are dripping into her hair and down onto her breasts. When you chance a look down the sight fills you with a lust greater than that which already surges through you.
Wrapping both arms around her midsection, you tug your daughter down so that you're completely hilted. She yelps and jerks, leaning back against you. The two of you are as close as mother and daughter can be, and you notice her eyes take in the sight with awe, lingering on the bulge she can see in her belly.
"Mama." Mary whispers, her voice quavering as, despite being full, she's no longer actively being fucked. "Mama."
"Don't tease her, Ari." Liane chastises with a giggle.
"I'm not." You assure them both, and then you begin to work your magic. Literally.
Memory of Defilement causes your cocks to expand and twist and alter within her, making the bulge of her belly look more like a tentacle writhing within her than a cock. Mary howls with ecstasy as your magicked shaft explores every nook and cranny of both holes, lovingly probing her for her most sensitive spots… which you naturally focus all your attention on, of course.
"Mamamamamamamamamamamamama—!!!" Mary's voice rises in pitch and fervor, devolving from saying her affectionate name for you to a single, incoherent wail of bliss. You bring her to the edge of climax, the edge of a cliff of a pleasure she never realized was even possible… then Liane sends her screaming off of it. With a long, loving moan, Liane locks her lips over her own daughter's clit, her tongue adoringly flicking the recent virgin's love button.
Tears and saliva streak down Mary's face, but to her credit she still watches her reflection as she cums harder than she ever knew she could. Her legs scrabble for purchase wildly while her hands grasp and squeeze at your arms as if she's scared you'll let her fall.
All this movement and debauchery proves to be enough to bring you to your own orgasm, your cocks gleefully spraying the selfsame seed that gave her life into Mary, her own body just as eagerly writhing in welcome as her belly swells to the point you don't see Liane anymore without the mirror. The three of you continue this little incestuous embrace through the orgasms and beyond, riding the high of familial love for all its worth.
You gently lay Mary on the opposite side of the bed as her sister as you and Liane sink into the spot between them.
"Look at them." Liane sighs happily. "Goddess, I never knew I could love someone this much before I met you."
"Are you talking about me or them?" You ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Both, clearly." Liane smiles. "Still, I'm rather surprised at myself."
"For the, uh…"
"For actively helping you fuck our daughter? Yes." She laughs. "I couldn't help it. Her clit was just so..." She struggles to find the words. "Ugh, Goddess. Have you seen it?"
You look at the little nub in question and have to admit she's right — not too large, not too small, and just hidden enough by Mary's clitoral hood to seem almost shy. You'd have done the same in Liane's place.
"I can't say I regret it, though," Liane comments as she gently strokes Mary's hair. "It didn't feel bad. I don't think I could ever be with them the way I am with you, mind you, but… this was nice."
Well, there's nothing you can say to that. It's not like it feels wrong for you either.
"I just realized. My parents just found out they're grandparents… and soon they'll be great-grandparents." She snickers. "I can't wait to see the look on mom's face."
Her body leans into yours. "You know what else I just realized?"
"Hm?" You intone, not exactly failing to catch the sultry note in her voice.
"You absolutely knocked up both of them, Ari." She whispers, crawling her way up so that her lips hover near your ear. "Between the two of them, I wouldn't be surprised if I get more grandchildren than I have children soon. That is unacceptable."
You allow her to shove you onto your back between your daughters as she straddles you. "Zaphi might be your firstborn, but I was your first. I think it's time mommy reminded them of that, don't you?"
Liane rides you harder than you ever expected the witch would be capable of, physically speaking. If you didn't know any better you'd assume she's actively trying to shatter your bedframe.
You still have both cocks, but Liane doesn't take one in her ass. Instead, she placed both cockheads against her pussy and plunged down, spreading her motherhood over both shafts with a delighted groan. "Give it to me, Ari. All of it. You're not getting rest until I'm pregnant."
Not one to turn a lady down, you use every spell you know to prime your cocks — Memory of Defilement to perfect their shape for her, Nelaria's Handy Lubricant to make your double penetration smoother, Hell's Endurance to flood your copious semen with pleasurable drugs, even a little Elemental Spurt to add a slightly lust venom to your fluids to amplify her excitement. Heck, you even add on Aromatic Allure even if the effect won't be that prevalent for her. But it'll be there.
Liane can feel the magic working, feel your cocks changing, and the extent to which you're willing to go to knock her up drives her to new heights of lust. She latches onto you like a drowning woman to driftwood, her massive breasts pressing against your own and her tongue wrestling with yours in a dance of frenzied debauchery.
You close your eyes as you thrust into each other, enjoying the smells, the sounds, the sensations, thinking back once more to that very first encounter and the shy, demure young woman who was your first true lover. So much has changed, but somehow she feels the same as she did then — Liane is Liane, and no matter how many children she has, no matter how much she's come out of her shell, that will never change.
Though what has probably changed is her breasts, along with her hips. They were still big before, but after giving birth you're pretty sure she's gone up a few cup sizes since then as they constantly rub against your own. Once Liane comes back up for a moaning breath you take the moment to properly appreciate her orbs. Lifting one of them and bringing one of her nipples to your mouth you begin to suck on it, delighting in the additional pleasure it brings to your lover. What did catch you by surprise was the stream of milk that began to seep into your mouth, though it seems Liane expected as much.
"Sorry, d-didn't see the need to warn youuuuuu~" Liane tries to say with mock smugness, though that smugness is hard when she's so busy riding your cock that leaves her with a really dopey smile as moans instead. "My milk has neverrrr gone down again since I had EsteaaAAHHlle. It's always such a — oh FUCK — a hassle when they start leaking. I don't think it'll ever go down again. But… oh goddess Ariel keep going… I can't say I dislike it. Not when you do this to meEEE. So come ON, knock me up like I know you want to! I want it, and my body wants it more than you can believe! P-please!"
Not one to deny her request, you let go of her breast and you grab hold of her hips and begin to slam her down with increased fever, accompanied with just as pleased sounds coming from Liane. "YES! B-But don't just knock me up, really knock me up! Put that Seal you put on Merin on me. Do it! Give me more daughters!" You do as she asks and put it on her, the Seal you made shining pleasantly over her womb in a way like it's about to make sure to fulfill both of your requests, as Liane cums just from the action, eyes rolling into her head.
Fluid pools where her hips slam against yours, splattering with each fleshy collision and landing on your daughters' midriffs… not that they notice, still drifting in their pleasurable dreamlands. You do, however, and that's all that matters — the little bit of incest serving to heighten your arousal further and causing the telltale tingling buildup to begin.
Liane can tell, too, having fucked you often enough to pick up on the signs.
"Do it." She says urgently, as if scared she'll lose her chance. Cutely, without even realizing it, she reaches out to hold her daughter's hands. "Cum in me. Get me pregnant. Get me—!"
You practically explode within her, unleashing a cocktail of magical seed that would probably break a lesser woman as it balloons her stomach further than any previous instance due to the twin dicks that rest within the same tunnel. As it is Liane's eyes roll up into her head as the drugged seed and knowledge that she's been knocked up drives her to orgasm. Her body shivers against your own, exhaustion and delight rocking through her as she joins her daughters in nirvana.
You sigh with both relief and happiness as you form your wings to tug the whole family closer. You've only got one last thought as you drift off to dreamland, everything catching up to you all at once.
What a day.
Goddess damn, you are tired. It's all you can do to drag yourself off the side of the bed without disturbing Liane or either of your daughters only to flop onto the floor like a half-dead fish. All of them are sleeping just as soundly as you left them last night and you don't want to bother them with your worn out musings. Your evidence inside of them as well has since seeped out of them over the course of the night. Or, at least, for most of them. Liane's stomach is still moderately swollen, and if you didn't know better you'd assume your children you've surely put inside of her grew that much already. That, or you just knocked her up with more than you have ever before. But you know the chance of that is very slim. It would be hot if it was the case, at least.
Once your body has thoroughly hit the floor you glare at the eyes staring at you beneath your bed.
"What, only three times and you're worn out even after rest? I'm disappointed, mama."
If you weren't so tired you'd bend her over your knee and — no. That's what she wants. You close your eyes, re-center yourself, then open them and smile at Tia.
"I'll tell Ivule and Kali you touched their hoards."
She pales, genuine terror flashing across her features. "You wouldn't."
"It kind of looks like your foot is brushing against Kali's right now, actually…"
Tia bolts, knowing full well that neither scalekin particularly appreciates their sisters messing with their stuff. Ivule might let it slide in exchange for a bribe or ten, but Kali? Suffice to say the black-scaled monster definitely inherited more of the typical draconic attitude towards would-be hoard thieves.
Oh, she wouldn't hurt anyone, but she's clever enough that she can do worse. Like trapping someone in a room with Green Signali for a few hours, as the triplets once discovered. You're pretty sure they still refuse to mess with Kali to this day, putting her on a tier of beings equal only to Ju and Meimei in the triplets' minds.
With a groan you stand, whimpering as your still-sore feet hold up your weight. Great start to the morning, this.
Breakfast is nice, mostly because Mei can see that you're sore and dotes on you accordingly, along with Fiona, who reminds you that you promised to spend a lot of time with her today.
"After I go get your new aunt, sweetie." You assure her.
"Told you she wouldn't be able to resist picking up a new girl at the party." Fi tells Evara. "Pay up."
Eva shakes her head and holds up a finger for Fi to wait. "Who is it, Ari?"
"Rosie. You know her, the Dungeon Watcher?"
"Not someone new, then. She's had a thing for you for a while now." Eva grins at Fi, delighting in catching the halfling out on a technicality. "That's twenty silver, Fifi."
"Dammit." Fi hisses under her breath, grumbling as she fetches her purse. "Fucking elves, why do I keep letting her trick me into these bets?"
"Soni, you know the way to Rosie's place, don't you? Could you fly me there?"
Soni nods cheerfully. "Sure. I was going to hang out with Izzie and Millie anyways."
"We should be back… soon. I'll use the Tome for that." You decide, not wanting to move any more than you have to today.
You hear noise coming from your bedroom and the tell-tale noise of feet that are both of mix between pure excitement with exhaustion that you yourself can attest to feeling rush in the direction you'd assume to be where Sybil is. Looks like your daughters and probably Liane went to see what the results are, and as much as you'd like to be there with them it's better you go grab Rosie in the meantime. You'll surely hear what the results are anyways soon after you get back.
The Nest, as you recall Rosie called her home, is situated high in the trees of a forest not far from the mountains. It is, too your surprise, basically a large collection of treehouses of various sizes. Part of you is surprised that the harpies could manage to make actual homes without hands, but then you see the various rope bridges that interconnect the buildings and trees, along with the wingless women walking along them.
Of course. The harpies are pretty notorious for aggressively (in varying senses of the word, depending on the brood) seeking mates from other species, and this must partly be why. By gathering lovers with the assets they lack they account for their own shortcomings as a species.
"Huh." You comment. "Are those enchantments near the base of the trees?"
"Yup!" Soni replies, happy to get to explain something to her mama for once. "The harpies have guardrails and stuff to keep people from falling if they don't have wings, but they're still pretty high up, right? So they commissioned someone a long time ago to make an enchantment that slows your fall if you do end up going off the edge."
"Oh." You blink, surprised. It makes sense.
"It's actually super fun to just jump off the side and float down." Soni tells you. For a moment you want to chastise her for that, safe though the harpy's trick may be… but then you remember that the both of you our currently flying through the air, and she'd be fine even if the magic did fail.
You're barely fifty yards from the… village? You're going to call it a village. You're fifty yards from the village when a familiar pair of harpies lifts off and meets Soni mid-air, flitting around her excitedly as the three chatter between themselves.
Smiling, you descend the rest of the way and alight in what is clearly a landing area, glancing around the Nest for any sign of Rosie.
"Heya," A white-feathered young woman waves a wing at you. "You Ari?"
"That's me." You reply, knowing full well that Rosie has probably never used your actual name with her fellows.
"Figured. Rosie's in that house over there." She gestures with a talon. "Sayin' goodbye to the chicklings."
You thank the woman and head towards where she indicated, poking your head in.
Rosie is nestled in the middle of an actual nest of what appears to be clothes, blankets, and other assorted soft things, her wings spread wide in front of her as if she were holding something…
… or several someones, actually.
"You'll visit lots, though?" A teary-eyed little blue harpy chick asks Rosie.
"Lots n' lots." Rosie promises.
"An' you'll bring presents?" Another, this one black and grey, asks.
"Like, so many presents." She assures them.
"And you'll be here to see me fly, right?"
You watch, a small, slightly sad smile on your face as you watch your newest love bid the children farewell.
"Thanks for waiting." Rosie nuzzles your cheek with her own, having to stand on talon-tip to do so.
"No problem." You nuzzle her in return, earning a giggle from the pink-feathered harpy. "Anything else before we take off?"
"Lemme just grab my stuff."
Rosie, as it turns out, doesn't have a personal room so much as an area she shares with a few other harpies. She quickly bundles her nest up into a comically-large travel bag. "Like, I could have gotten one, but I wanted to save my money and get a bigger place for me and a mate eventually."
You don't have the heart to tell her she needn't have bothered. Hindsight is perfect sight, after all.
"Do you need help carrying anything?"
"Well, since you offered…" She passes your the travel bundle. Fortunately, you're pretty strong, and it's not really all that heavy besides.
--
Soniel, Izzy, and Millie are all still frolicking around in the air as you take off, but they rapidly fall into formation beside you when you call for your daughter.
"Alright, gather 'round. I'm tired and my feet hurt, we're cheating our way back."
After jotting down an entry on the harpy nest, you begin reading aloud from the entry on the Homestead, watching as your surroundings morph into swirling starlight…
--
Somehow, landing on the ground at your home via teleportation still irritates your already-sore feet. You have to hand it to Beloved footwear designers, they'd make excellent torturers.
"Back already?" Liane asks, poking her head out of the library.
"How'd you know—"
"Tianshi was in here." She laughs. "The way her head whips around when she feels you coming is pretty unmistakable at this point."
The witch makes her way to your group. "Good morning, Rosie."
"Heya!" The harpy waves with one wing.
"Right, I guess introductions are in order…" You mutter. "Come on, it should only take a minute."
--
Rosie's introduction to the parts of your family she has yet to meet goes smoothly. She especially adores Bryn and Sigrun, who get swept into a feathery hug almost as soon as she spots them.
You also get a not-too-surprising update on your eldest.
"I have to say, I didn't know if I was quite ready to be a mom, but now that I know I'm going to be one I'm excited. I've already got a new sketchbook set aside to chronicle their growth." Mary states with a kiss on your cheek while her arms are wrapped around one of yours.
Turns out you managed to knock her up with twins just like her mom. Zaphi only got one daughter but knowing she also is giving birth to your first… granddaughter (what a strange way to think of your own child) means she's placated on that front. In fact, she's cuddled up with you so tightly at the moment that makes it seem like she's trying to fuse together with you, absolutely refusing to let your other hand go anywhere else other than rubbing her stomach.
Liane stands off to the side with a smile on her face as she watches both her daughters cuddle up with you. Sybil herself is also present, currently preparing to cast the child detection spell on Liane.
"I figured I might as well hold out 'til you got back to see how many I had. Let our daughters have their own special moment with you before finding out myself." Liane states with a shrug. That's got to be hell on her shoulders, honestly. "I think Zaphi might have had a fit if I'd upstaged her right away."
Zaphi sticks her tongue out at her mom.
"Plus, you actually get to be here during this. That, and… oh?" She pauses in the middle of her sentence and looks down, shocked. Every other eye in the room joins hers, all staring at the seven little lights in her belly. There's a pregnant silence from everyone involved as everyone takes in this new information, before Liane's face breaks into a mix between a heartfelt smile and smugness.
If this was you from a few months ago you might've passed out upon knowing how many of your children she's pregnant with. You initially worried Ju might've been too much. Now, when you have the means to support your desires and growing family? If Zaphi wasn't clinging onto you you would've swooped Liane up in a bridal carry and made out with her till all her energy was sapped just from that.
Instead Liane does the job for you, striding over to you with the confidence of a mother who knows it'll be hard for anyone to beat her record as she wraps her arms around your neck to make out with you. The passion and love is overwhelming, but one that doesn't last too long as a slight cough breaks you both out of the act.
"You… uh… might need to put more care into how many of us you knock up Ariel. You already have eight daughters on the way, a-and now you already almost doubled that with just one of us." Sybil says, though has a hard time meeting your eyes with how embarrassed she is.
Before you even have a chance to respond, Liane actually does the job for you. "Of course she puts care into it, it's why she does it. She knows she can support and care for it, and you know as much as I do that it's one of the many proofs of her love for us. She's bound to do it to Rosie soon too if I had to wager." Her eyes meet yours and like Sybil you can't help but look away which all but directly confirms the thought. "And I must say, I'm feeling plenty loved." She pats her stomach for emphasis.
"Still…" Sybil starts, but can't seem to find any proper wording to counteract.
It seems something came to Liane's mind soon after though, her face shifting into a supposed knowing smirk as she crosses her arms. "I know what it is though. You want the same. For Ariel to give you another daughter again. Or maybe you want the same as me, where I'll have a large belly in a couple weeks filled with the fruits of our love. Or… maybe, perhaps even more than the amount I have?"
Liane's teasing might've been a bit much as Sybil quickly scurries out of the room with a quick "Gotta go, love you Ariel" as the door quickly closes behind her.
"You don't think that might've been a bit much for her?" You ask as you wonder if you should follow her, but you figure she's fine.
"Perhaps. But with Sera being all grown up and likely getting out of the house soon she'll eventually want another one with you. It's been… what, almost four months since she had Sera? And the rest of us either have had more than one pregnancy or kid by now? With how very prolific and obvious your desire to breed all of us is she might be feeling left out by now."
You can see where she's coming from. If Liane is right then you feel bad for leaving Sybil out for as long as you have.
The laxness on the grip for one of your arms has you looking in the direction in question. Zaphi looks just the tiniest bit down, but upon you looking at her she perks right back up again. If what happened with Sybil is anything to go off of you can think of a good response at least to ease Zaphi's worries as well.
"Don't worry honey, once you've gotten used to taking care of our first I'll make sure to breed you enough again and again that you'll surpass even your mom." You promise with a kiss on her lips. Seems that was the trick, as Zaphi happily snuggles up against you like before, all worries completely gone now.
"You better not, I'm their birth mother. If any of them come close to beating me in the number of grandchildren with you than I have children I'm taking you right to bed and we're doing this again." Liane warns.
"That sounds less like a warning and more a promise I should do." You tease back, causing her to roll her eyes but not hiding the small smile on her face.
"Still, I'm not sure whether it's weirder to think about being a grandmother, or about how I'll be their mom and their grandma." You comment, rubbing Zaphi and Mary's bellies like you own them, which… you kinda do. You'd be lying if you didn't feel a sense of pride knowing that you knocked both of your girls up.
Liane continues to look smug at having a staggering seven babies in her at the moment, which is indeed impressive, even if you think she'll be less pleased when it comes time to birth them.
You know she's still definitely going to gloat to the others about this. Who knows how they'll take it.
After parting from everyone after hearing the recent news you and Rosie make your way to your bedroom. Rosie tries to lead you along in eagerness, which is cute, 'til she remembers that she doesn't quite know where your bedroom is. Not that it's any issue to let her lead you along as you give her directions, it just lets you ogle her body even more. Something she's happy to let you do as she adds an extra emphasis in her hip sway and an added bounce that would be entirely unnecessary otherwise. Goddess, you want to breed the hell out of her.
Once your short trip is finally over (something that felt like it went on forever) you finally enter your room as Rosie begins to spin around in wonder on a talon. "Whoa, this is your room? This is, like, totally the most spacious and comfortable room I've seen! And look at your bed! Like, you could fit so many people in it! Though with how many people I saw I can totally see you having this big of a bed. Ooo, can I set my roost to be near you? I can totally help keep an eye out for you, and if you ever need a snuggle pillow I'm, like, the best there is!" She says, cupping her breasts with her wings for emphasis and then spinning around to bounce her ass in the most innocent lewd way possible. You honestly don't know if she intentionally knows what she's doing… She has to, right?
"Sure thing, I'll make sure you're situated in whichever way you'd be happy with." She gives a little bounce in happiness at that. While she does that you quickly close the distance to her, wrapping her up in a hug with one hand (resulting in a surprised chirp from her) as you gently tilt her head up to meet your eyes with the other, her eyes already wide like saucers. "Though I remember we left off on something back at the party. Care to pick back up on where we left off?"
A wordless nod from her is all the permission you need to resume your courtship from last night with twice the fervor. The kiss carries with it more than just your love, it carries the unspoken promise that this harpy isn't coming out of this room without getting knocked up. Something Rosie eagerly reciprocates.
You aren't one to not explore a new lover's body, so as you make out your hands slowly trail across her to learn each and every inch of her. From gently caressing her face to familiarize yourself with her soft cheeks, to her mountainous breasts that you have no idea how she can properly fly with, to her ass and thighs — which, if you didn't have other people in the Homestead like Fi and Zaphi, you'd say she'd have the best set hands-down. Or… wings-down, in this case. Even then, she's pretty damn close. Your new lover lets out soft coos as you go about it, clearly enjoying your ministrations and wanting more.
Popping your lips off hers (causing her to pout and peck forward a little to at least claim a last second before parting completely), you remind her of why you're both here. "So, I take it you already know what's going to happen today? Are you ready to be a mom?"
"Yes! I-I mean, like, yes, totally. Though don't you have, like… ten on the way already?"
"Yes. And besides the other two I also have five others on the way between three more women. That, and the twenty-nine we've already got running around." Her eyes just widen ever further at that statement, and you capitalize on the moment by leaning further so she sees nothing but your face. "I'm very capable at providing for however big my family gets. Which is great, because my favorite thing in the world is breeding gorgeous women, and since I've got one right in front of me…"
If someone could have hearts in their eyes from words alone Rosie's would be glowing with the things. It complements the absolute river of fluid that's running down her leg that you feel against your own.
"Here, let me help get you into bed…" You try and say as you pick her up to carry her to bed. Or, at least, that was your intention. Unfortunately, you are forcibly reminded of a key detail of your day — you are utterly spent, which causes what was once a surprised loving chirp into a squawk as you both end up falling into the bed together.
"Oof, sorry about that Rosie. I… kinda wore myself out over the past couple days, and my last change was a pretty drastic one too. Here, lemme—"
Rosie giggles. "I thought you were gonna breed me, Ari?"
"I am!" You reply defensively. "Just… gotta…" Your limbs refuse to completely obey you, and the exertion only really makes you more tired. "I mean it. So many babies, Rosie."
Rosie quiets you by putting a wingtip on your lips. "Shh, it's ok Ari. Like, I get it. You can do it again later. Just relax. I've got this."
With that said she lays you on your back and swings one leg over your head, so that her — Goddess that ass is something else this close — and her head hovers above your crotch.
You're pretty sure some monsters would pay for this kind of service. Rosie's enormous ass blocks most of your view, so all you really have to go off of right now is sensation.
And Goddess, what a sensation it is. Rosie darts down and lovingly swallows your tip for a moment, flicking her tongue across your urethra just as a dollop of precum emerges. She suckles you like that for a moment, then rises, then dips back down to take even more of you into her mouth.
Rosie clearly knows what she's doing — not only does her tongue dance around your cock, teasing you with the soft underside of her organ, she makes sure to use the rest of her mouth as well — sucking so that her inner cheeks also join the fun, all-but surrounding you in velvety insides before you've even made it into her throat.
Not to be outdone, you muster your flagging strength to grab her cushiony ass and drag it down so that your lips meet her lower ones. Rosie doesn't so much as pause, simply adjusting her hips on the fly to grant you better access, causing her nectar to flow more freely over your tongue as you eat her out.
The two of you work on one another like that for a while, working up a cozy rhythm of cooperative oral sex. It's not intense in the way your usual encounters are, but it's still just as pleasant. Slowly but surely you can feel her tease your climax closer, building and building, and then—
"Nope!" Rosie pops off your cock, humming happily as she hops off you entirely.
"Hey, that—!" You try to protest as you feel the unrealized orgasm fade, but a quick kiss cuts you off before you can really get going.
"Breeding. You. Me." The bird-girl replies, rapidly hopping astride you. "Like, I'm not wasting a drop, Ari."
Your ire vanishes as she hops up, spends nary a second positioning you with a wing, then, with a happy chirp, takes your entire length into her with one downward thrust of her hips. Immediately, the fading climax from before returns with a vengeance.
"Cum, Ari. Make me a mommy. Give me nestfull, and—ooo!"
Rosie coos and chirps delightedly as pleasurable waves crest through your cock and into her womb, filling her with the first of what you plan to be many, many feathered spawn as her belly swells moderately. The harpy leans herself onto you, nuzzling your cheek in what you now recognize as some sort of birdlike display of love and affection.
"Mmm…" She hums. "You're so warm, Ari. Outside and inside me. So much too."
You reach around to embrace her, earning yourself more nuzzles and an odd little chirping coo that reminds you of a cat's purr. Slowly, you work up the energy to begin thrusting, since you're still well-within her folds, making her chirrup in surprise.
"Oh! Still got more for me, huh?" Rosie giggles. In reply, you reach within yourself and dredge up your magic, emblazoning her womb with your Crests. "Ah! Like, ask a girl before you tattoo her, Ari!"
"Makes you pregnant easier." You reply, gripping her hips and grinding them into you, relishing the pulsating flesh that surrounds your cock. "And gives you more, too. The other just proves that you're mine, like the others."
"Like, seriously?" She asks, practically buzzing with excitement. Her own motion combines with your own, filling the room with wet slaps despite your relatively miniscule effort. Not satisfied with letting her do most of the work, you flip her over, feeling a surge of pride augmenting your energy.
"Eep!" She yelps as you swap places. Her breasts still quake with the motion, the sight helping to fill you with determination as you pour the last of your energy into making sure that Rosie's first time with you is a good one.
Giggles of delight give way to moans as you plunge into her welcoming pussy, the rhythmic clenching becoming more erratic in time with her breathing as you begin to bring her to her own climax. Even as you feel your consciousness slipping ever closer to the void, you can't help but focus on Rosie — her blush, evident even through her darker skin, her nipples, proudly erect atop mountains of breastflesh, her lips, soft enough that when you kiss her you think you'll drift to sleep based on that alone…
Once more your climax builds, and this time you fill it with as many magical tricks as you can manage, knowing full well that it will send your birdlike lover clear over the edge. Your first few spurts are relatively plain, to be honest, exhaustion dulling pleasure as her belly swells slightly more — but then Rosie cums.
Like a splash of cold water on a drunkard's face, the sudden tightness and frantic writhing of her inner walls is enough to wake you completely, eliciting a surprised shriek of pleasure from you that mingles in the air with her own. For a single, blissful moment, you feel like the harpy is sucking everything from you as your entire being focuses on that insane pleasure erupting around your cock. Your legs quake and give out, causing you to collapse with your head lying next to and just atop hers. She takes the opportunity to nibble and suckle your neck, a small secondary pleasure that surges down your spine to add to the overwhelming one below.
You twitch and moan together, your cock and her pussy reveling in the sensations they inflict upon one another… and slowly but surely, your last gasp of energy fades, giving way to a gentle, calming tiredness even as your hips buck softly against hers on nothing but pure instinct.
A feathery-soft sensation brushes the back of your head, and dimly you realize that Rosie is rubbing your head with the small energy she has left as you drift to sleep. When did your head end up on her boobs? Is that… is she singing a lullabye? She really does have… a pretty… voi….
You awaken to the second best pillows you've ever felt. Rosie still has your head laid gently against her cleavage, and as heavenly as it feels to sink into these beauties… you do have a promise to keep.
With a sigh of regret you rise, feeling… oddly refreshed, actually. You're not exactly fit to go fighting or anything, but you definitely feel more energized than you have all day.
"It's a trick I know." Rosie winks at you from beneath you. "It doesn't work unless you can sleep a little bit, though."
That explains why she didn't do it during, you suppose.
"Thanks, Rosie. I love you." You give her a peck on the lips, making her chirrup delightedly.
"Love you too, Ari. Does, um…" She pauses, thinking. "Sybil know that spell that tells you if you're pregnant? I kinda feel it, you know? Like, I wanna know how many."
"Yeah, c'mon." You laugh, lifting her out of bed without issue this time. "First though, let's grab Fiona. She made me promise to spend a chunk of today with her."
—
Fiona makes you princess carry her, much to several of her sisters' clear envy. If she were any of the first generation you'd expect her to lord her newfound status over her siblings for the day, but Fiona seems more content to simply rest her head on your shoulder, close her eyes, and allow you to carry her about.
"She looks kinda like you, Ari." Rosie comments. "Like, I think it's the hair."
You glance down at the happy little Fallen… well, perhaps not so little any longer. By human standards, she'd be roughly eleven now, hence why you're having to carry her like this instead of the way you used to be able to with her. Rosie's right, though — Fiona's hair is pretty much exactly like yours was pre-evolution, save that she styles it slightly differently to accommodate her elfin ears.
A quick visit with Sybil (who seems immensely amused to see Fiona glued to you like she is) proves that your seed is as strong as ever. To everyone's surprise (save perhaps her own), Rosie almost gives Liane a run for her money.
"Six chicks." Rosie coos, rubbing her belly happily. "Six. Like, I need to come up with names… Ohmigosh! I need to finish the nest!"
Before you can say anything she's off to monopolize an empty room.
"Mama."
"Fiona."
"I love you."
"I love you too, sweetie."
Fiona giggles happily, kicking her feet with delight. Seriously, where do your kids get their habits?
—
"Ah, that reminds me…" Sybil gestures for you to follow her to the newest building on your homestead. A miniature chapel, specifically made for Sybil. You asked Asteria to make it after Mother's gift last time. It seemed… fitting.
Sybil rustles around inside for a moment, insisting you should remain outside with Fiona, who continues to indulge in her situation.
"Close your eyes, Ariel." Sybil calls. You obey, listening to the soft click of her sandals against the wooden floor, then the softer thud as it hits grass. "Here, Fiona. Why don't you do it?"
You feel your daughter shuffle around, taking her arms off you for the first time, then… a sudden cold weight as it wraps around your neck.
You open your eyes in surprise, and look down to see a necklace, styled to match the other jewelry you've received over the months. "Oh?"
"The girls got together and had it made for you." Sybil explains as Fiona beams at you. "The older ones paid for it, of course — mostly Mary and Liangyu, from what I understand — but the little ones picked out the design."
"I love it." You lean down to give first Fiona, then Sybil a kiss. The latter blushes, waving her hands in front of her.
"I did nothing, Ariel, you should not—"
"Please, Sybil. I know you helped them out." You laugh as she mumbles 'only a little.'
"Zuri! No magic in the garden!"
Luna's voice reaches your ears and you decide to head that way. Fiona herself doesn't have any input on what you do, so long as she does it with you.
The garden has become much, much bigger, encompassing the house itself. It's not quite as big as Camilla's garden, but it's pretty darn respectable, and you're not just saying that because your daughters are the ones behind it.
Zuri has a good eye for color coordination, while Luna has a green thumb. Together they've made the place absolutely vibrant… though Zuriel still wages a two-woman war with rodents who trespass on the area alongside her mother, often with explosive results. Hence the 'no magic' rule Luna has recently begun to enforce.
"I saw a squirrel." Zuri defends.
"You always see squirrels, but when I look they aren't there." Luna challenges.
"That's because I got them already." Zuri replies, clearly proud of this fact.
"Seriously Zuri, I don't think squirrels even mess with our garden. I think you're just obsessed with them like mom."
"Squirrels are evil."
You watch the two squabble over the nature of evil, how deeply involved squirrels are with the subject, and whether or not that merits throwing magic missiles at anything smaller than a dog if it twitches near the garden.
Part of you wants to tell them what true evil is, but you don't have the heart. Also you're scared it might overhear you. You're pretty sure you saw it jiggling out of the corner of your eye earlier…
Your own ponderings of the insidiousness of evil are interrupted by an excited howl that echoes throughout the field, and soon after Fenri charges into the garden with a fresh… what the fuck even is that?
"Mom! No carcasses in the garden! You're getting blood all over the — gah, just stop moving!"
Fenri looks confused as her daughter stomps about, using magic to remove what you can now tell is some sort of Savage's blood from some lilies.
"I thought you said no magic in the garden?" Zuri asks, now as confused as her mother.
Luna's scream of frustration is impressive. You didn't know she had the lungs for it.
(You got a Simple Savage carcass. It's nothing particularly impressive at this point, but Fenri at least seems like she's having fun with it.)
Asteria has been working hard all week, clearly. Aside from Sybil's chapel, she also finished another, equally vital new building.
"Welcome to Empyrea Nursery!" Soniel greets you before you walk in with a bow, flanked by Izzy and Millie. The latter looks to be having fun, the former looks profoundly embarrassed.
"…really?"
"What? I thought it was cute." Soni pouts. "It's your name, you can't complain."
That's a fair enough argument, you suppose.
"It's not just her watching the place." Another voice, equally elfin, reaches your ears. Eva waves from inside. "Come on in."
It looks… well, like a nursery. Cradles and cribs fill one corner, little toys and games another. Everything appears to be rounded and padded, just in case. There's stuff for older kids too, basically up to the point they can reliably be left in a room by themselves for a night.
You almost ask if you really need these many cradles, but then you remember Liane and Rosie's current 'count' and keep your mouth shut.
"Hello, sweetie." Eva giggles, reaching up to tickle one of Fiona's ears. Your daughters leans outward, allowing her mother to plant a kiss on her cheek, before reclaiming her place at your shoulder.
"I blame you for this, by the way." You tell her, pointing to Fiona. "I was never this clingy."
"Oh really?" Eva's eyes sparkle with malicious fire. "You, who only had the one sister to show you affection growing up, weren't even a little clingy?"
Mika, up!
Mika, play hide and seek with me!
Mika, my wings hurt, carry me?
Mika, just one bedtime story?
Mika—
"I have no idea what you're talking about." You sniff.
Merin's on her game today, filling out and sending off adventurer requests with one hand while wrestling Bryn with the other. Even Ulfhild looks impressed as she teaches Sigrun how to hold a spear (toy spear, in this case) a short ways away.
You can't help but pause and take in the sight of your warrior lover. She's… changed, but also not? It's hard to put your finger on it. When you first met she felt a little burdened by her role as team leader, but now… well, she's confident, strong, motherly…
…very motherly, if you're just looking at her breasts. You try not to, and fail.
"Stop that, you'll teach the girls bad habits." She mock-chastises you. "Liangyu was already turning into a lecher by the time she left, you know. I'm surprised you never felt her staring."
"She was staring?" You ask, frowning. "Also look who's talking, we've got three kids in earshot."
"Please." Merin rolls her eyes then looks pointedly at Bryn, who is mostly concerned with trying to defeat her mother's arm in mortal combat. She then gestures towards Sigrun, who just threw her toy spear through — yes, through a target dummy and seems utterly delighted with herself.
Ulfhild winces. "… we will have to remember to throw towards the woods in the future."
"…and Fiona is asleep." Merin finishes.
"Wha—"
Sure enough, a glance at the girl reveals that she's drifted off into utterly blissful slumber, so comfortably in your arms that she couldn't help herself. Brat. All of them, brats.
You decide to just sit down with Fiona in your arms for a while. It gives you a chance to watch her sleep, which would sound creepy… but you're her mom, so it's not.
There's something about holding her, about looking at her happy little sleeping face, that's just… fulfilling. Knowing you contributed to her being here, that she's your daughter, that you'd give anything just to let that smile last forever…
…it's perfect.
After Eva's words earlier, you can't help but think back to all the times you fell asleep in Mika's lap (which were most certainly not due to you begging to be allowed to be in her lap in the first place). Did she watch you like this, when you fell asleep? Did she think these same thoughts?
…did Mother, when you were just a baby?
Without realizing it, you've brought your thumb up to caress her cheek, watching as her nose wrinkles a little at the sudden sensation piercing her slumber.
"Heh." You whisper. "Thanks, Fiona. For… well, for being here. You and all your sisters. I don't know where I'd be without you."
The little Fallen mumbles in her sleep, and some part of you thinks she might have heard you.
When Fiona finally wakes she actually gets out of your princess carry. Despite the relief on your arms, it feels a little bittersweet… but then she insists you have to hold her hand as you cart her around, which kind of makes up for it.
Fi and Vati are actually preparing to leave the homestead for the day as you come across them.
"Visiting your grandmas?" You ask Vati, reaching out to ruffle her hair. This, of course, annoys her, but she can't fight your overwhelming maternal authority and so she simply has to suffer your attention.
"Nna!" She roughly runs her hands through her hair to force it back into place. "Yeah, they said they have some new sweets for me to try."
"Carrying your mom, are you?" You ask. Vati is a full head taller than her mom now, and thanks to her Tier has enough strength to reliably fly her mom even with Fi being as bottom-heavy as she is. Getting her pregnant a second time seems to have just added to the halfling's maturity. You're pretty sure that pretty much all her body fat is in her thighs and ass now.
"If you say a word—" Fi warns.
"I already did say a word. Five, in fact." You reply smugly. "Telling them about the new grandkid too, I take it?"
"… yeah." Fi sighs, realizing she cannot win this battle as a hand gently caresses the small bump already forming. "Figured they'll wanna know before the birth this time."
"That's… probably, yes." You reply with a cough. "Give them my love, you two."
"Hell no." Fi replies. "I'm not letting you give me more sisters, Ariel. Ever."
"Fine. Then take my love before you go." You say, having successfully tricked the halfling into your trap. The two of them get a faceful of kisses (with Fi getting quite a few on the lips) before being sent on their way, faces crimson.
"Mama?"
"Fiona."
"Do I have grandparents?"
"I, uh… you mean from Eva? I don't actually know."
Something to ask about later, perhaps.
Remi dotes on Adalinda, trying makeup out on her little sister for the first time. She's not a bad hand at it, to be honest, though you're not exactly an expert yourself. Lin, for her part, just seems to like having her face touched — particularly around the feathered scales.
Akael has forced Ivule to carry her around princess style, apparently inspired by your similar act with Fiona. Strong as she is, Ivule is beginning to falter… but a conspicuously shiny rock her Fallen sister dangles before her causes her to redouble her efforts.
Kali watches as Kira weaves a doll-sized dress, one of the scalekin's stuffed animals (a red-and-blue phoenix) waiting patiently for her new attire.
Eluvi watches your shared daughters go about their day, an oddly thoughtful look in her eyes.
"Ari, I've been thinking."
"Oh?"
"Our kids are pretty great, aren't they?"
"…yes?"
Obviously they are, but you're not really sure where she's going with this.
"So I thought, they're basically my treasure. And if they're my treasure, then it's fine to give them some of my other treasures. And if I'm giving them my treasures anyways, I might as well just use those treasures to buy them presents that they like."
"…that would follow, yes." You say carefully, not wanting to trigger some sort of scalekin urge to the contrary.
Eluvi nods sagely, as if this is some great enlightenment she's stumbled upon.
"I'm gonna buy them presents, Ari."
"I'm proud of you, Eluvi."
A red-scaled tail slaps the ground happily.
(I'll come up with Eluvi's stuff later. It'll all be presents for the kiddoes though.)
Asteria is relaxing in the baths when you enter yourself, nothing but a towel to keep yourselves 'modest.' Not that you care if she sees you naked or vice versa, but when the girls can stumble into the area at any time you want to keep lewdness to a minimum.
Thankfully, Io, Cami, and Ophelia are busy with something they absolutely don't want you to see at the moment. Fiona got to peek, however, and whatever she saw actually got her to let you go for a while.
Which is… not exactly encouraging, to be honest.
Still, you're able to distract yourself from those thoughts in the bath for now.
"You've worked hard." You tell her with a smile, reaching up to massage the minotaur's shoulders.
"I try." She grunts, easing into your grip. "…and with the girls almost of age, they've been helping more."
"Cammie especially, I'll bet."
Asteria laughs. "Yes. You beating her so soundly only made her work harder. I'd claim responsibility for that trait, but I've seen how much your brood hates to lose."
"I don't know what you're talking about." You echo your response to Eva earlier. "Still. Thank you, Asteria. For everything. We wouldn't even be here if you hadn't been gracious enough to let us stay."
She waves a hand dismissively. "You were polite, and I will not lie to you — attractive. It helped."
Now it's your turn to laugh.
Ilyen and Echo are working together. You're not sure what that foretells, but you're also not sure you want to know.
"Incredible!" Ilyen gasps as Echo shows off how well different colors of her slime clean things off. "To think your base form would prove the most capable of cleanliness… what about—"
"Signali works too, yeah." Val sighs, watching her sister gleefully fling herself across the wooden floor belly-first. "She's taking all the fun parts for herself, though."
"I have an idea regarding that, actually…" Echo replies, and you watch, mouth wide open in shock, as she affixes a wooden handle to your daughter's back and turns her into a makeshift mop for her sister.
Before you can cut in, however, Val is off with her Signali-mop, and after hearing their utter excitement at this new game you don't really have the heart to take it from them.
Even if it is fucking weird.
"I'm almost finished with my enchantments." Liane pouts into your neck. "If someone hadn't knocked me up so hard I couldn't focus today, I would be finished."
"I recall you being a willing and eager participant." You comment. "'Get me pregnant Ariel, I want so many babies that our daughters will be jealous!'"
"I don't sound like that." Liane totally lies. Your impression was on-point. Still, you know better than to argue the point.
"You basically said those words, though."
"Not exactly." She counters.
"It was close enough."
"You embellished it."
"No I didn't."
Before she can counter your nuh-uh with a yuh-huh, you seal her lips with a kiss, making her moan with both anger and arousal. Goddess, she's hot. She was already stacked before, but now… with three kids and another seven on the way, Liane could be the Witch Goddess of Fertility as far as appearances go.
"…cheater." She mumbles. "I should make this enchantment a curse just for that."
"You won't."
"How do you know?"
A second kiss proves your point pretty well, you think.
"What are you making anyways?" You have to inquire.
"Mmm… nope, not gonna say. It's a surprise."
"Aww, are you sure?" You try to tempt her with a bit more kisses, which does please her, but seems to have no effect on her decision.
"Not gonna win me over that easily, you demonic temptress. What I'll at least hint, since I love you oh so much, is that it deals with something you like doing a lot." Liane at least gives you.
You… have a feeling you know what she's referring to, but you don't know for sure.
(Enchantment tbd and will be showcased later once she (us) finishes thinking up the specifics, again. It was 100, sue me.)
Your last stop for the night is with Rosie. You poke your head into her room, and are immediately greeted by the sight of… well, a bunch of stuff piled up into a nest.
"It's just like home, except bigger." Rosie notes proudly, rubbing her stomach. "Like, gotta have room for the girls, right?"
"You got that done quick."
"Nests are super easy. Like, I dunno why more of you don't use nests instead of beds, you don't even need any wood."
That's… you don't know enough about mattresses and bedframes to argue the point.
"Anyways… wanna break it in? It's not really your room until you've fucked in it, you know?" Rosie eyes you slyly as she presents herself for you.
… and honestly, who are you to turn down an invitation like that?
You've had a revelation as of exactly five minutes ago, when you awoke wrapped in heaven.
Harpies are dangerous.
Rosie gave almost as good as she got last night, and when both of you were spent she sang you to sleep all over again as you drooled into her cleavage. Your sleep was so deep it was practically a coma, and now that you've come out of it you could swear you've slept for three straight weeks instead of just a night.
Worse than that is how she's got you wrapped up in her decadently soft wings, and she's still sort-of singing even in her sleep. Frankly, you don't want to get up. Not ever.
Sadly, your mind is a treacherous thing, and despite your best efforts you are unable to force yourself back to sleep — your thoughts rapidly begin to buzz with the knowledge that you've got a hard decision to make soon. One you know the others might not agree with, at that.
So it is that you're forced to rise, doing your best to ignore her little whining chirps as her victim escapes her monstrous grasp. Damn it, she's almost worse than your kids — how in the world has she mastered seeming so pitiful in her sleep? Is it just natural, or what?
Thankfully, as a mother of what you realize is rapidly becoming a full-on swarm of monsters, you've got an entire host of little Fallen to pester you to full wakefulness… though during breakfast, you only really need one.
"Mama?" Little Bryn begins, her voice sweeter than usual.
"Bryn." You reply, looking her in her baby-blue eyes.
"Can I have a sword?" Her speech isn't quite that perfect, mind — she's still got a little toddler lisp, and the 'have' sounds more like 'hab.'
"No, you may not have a sword." You tell her, eliciting an immediate pout, complete with crossed arms and puffed cheeks.
"Why not?"
"Because you're too little."
"Meimei has a sword!"
"No, she has a knife so she can cook. Also, she's an adult."
Undeterred, the second-youngest of your brood continues to attempt to debate you on what does and does not qualify as a sword, and whether or not she should be allowed to have one either way. (No.)
Eventually you grow weary of her insolence and punish her in as brutal a fashion as you can — tickling her into submission. Having honed this art centuries ago on a young Kynael, the little fifteen-day-old monster stands no chance.
"…I had to hide all my blades when Merin was that age," Ulfhild reminisces. "When she couldn't find them she went outside and laid still in a snowpile for an hour, then cried when I dragged her back inside because she was 'having fun.' She didn't even remember why she was out there in the first place."
"I don't remember that." Merin mutters, sheltering her tormented daughter in her arms, who peeks out at you with a look of raw betrayal. You wiggle a finger in her direction and she squeaks, ducking back. "Don't bully our daughter, Ariel."
"I'm not bullying her, I'm disciplining her."
--
As fun as tickle torture is, you can only distract from what you need to talk about for so long before it becomes time to face the music, as it were.
"Girls, could you watch your sisters for a while?" You ask your older daughters as your family cleans the table. "I need to speak with your mothers."
That earns you more than a few curious looks, but your daughters are nothing if not dutiful… in their own ways, on occasion, but still. The littler girls are shuffled out to play while your wives remain behind, concern on their faces. You feel bad about dropping this now, right after Rosie got here, but…
"This," you begin, retrieving Sidon's letter. "Is an invitation."
Fi's nimble fingers find it first, and she reads over it, her eyes widening in shock. "Holy shit."
"Stop hoarding it, Fi." Liane pouts, leaning in to peek over the halfling's shoulder. "Oh my."
The rest of the responses range between those two, and you're assailed by a torrent of words from every direction for a while. You wait it out calmly, having expected as much, and they gradually realize they'll have to take turns.
Merin, perhaps predictably, gets to go first. "You can't be thinking about going, Ari."
"I am." You reply firmly. "You read it. I'm not about to risk Helel coming here herself. We might be strong, but she's the Fallen. The first and worst of us. You saw how she operates with Kyna and Sial — and that was just her testing the waters and relatively sane."
You shiver, thinking back to that encounter. "I won't let her anywhere near my kids, Merin. Or you. I'd rather walk into Pandemonium naked and unarmed than allow that."
Merin holds your gaze for a long moment, then nods. "Alright."
"Alright?" You blink. "That's it?"
She shrugs. "You're not wrong, and I'm not dumb enough to think we could keep you locked up for long anyways."
"I am pretty strong." You preen, ever the archon of humility.
Merin rolls her eyes. "Not stronger than Asteria. No, I'm worried you'd seduce one of us into letting you out for a just a second, then you'd be gone. Probably Eluviendis. Hell, you'd just have to promise her some rare Pandemonium diamond or something and she'd take you there herself."
Eluvi perks up "Is that real? Are you getting me one? Do you need me to carry you there?"
You glare at Merin. She did that on purpose.
"When are we leaving?" Eva asks.
"Huh?"
"Well you're not going alone, obviously. My kids are old enough to handle themselves, and I don't have any more on the way. I'm going with you."
"I will be going as well." Sybil says, hesitant but firm. "Sera is an adult, and you will need someone with the Goddess's favor beside you."
That leads to a litany of follow-up offers, forcing you to hold up your hands for silence. "I can't take all of you, but I agree I should probably take a few of you with me. We'll… we'll figure it out when I know for sure when to leave. I'd like to stay a couple days longer, just so I don't miss the girls growing up any more than I have to."
"That is fair." Asteria shrugs. "Io would be heartbroken if you were absent tomorrow."
They all would be, which is part of what makes this so hard. You're pretty sure that you're going to end up missing someone's coming-of-age, and you might even miss a birth or two. It's… soul crushing, really, but there isn't anything for it.
"Alright. I'm gonna sign this then, if no-one disagrees?" You pause, and nobody does. With a deep, steady breath, you retrieve a quill — made from one of your old feathers, actually, there are several around the house — then sign your name…
You finally understand what Sial and Naamah meant when they told you how off Contracts feel. There's a distinct sense of something indescribable wrapping almost painfully tight around you, then loosening, then you can no longer feel it at all, though when you focus you can still feel it there, a silken cradle wrapped just tightly enough to keep you inside it.
There's an odd little tug, as if someone just noticed that they hooked something on a fishing line, but it abets immediately. Instinctively, you realize that Sidon is aware you signed.
"Hopefully I don't come to regret that." You sigh.
Liane reads over the Contract for the umpteenth time. "I don't see anything or detect any hidden magical text, so you should be fine. Does it feel bad?"
"Sort of? Not really? It's hard to describe." You reply, flexing your various muscles as if that would allow you to break free of the sensation that surrounds you. "If I ignore it I don't feel it at all."
"I'll look into it more, just in case." She replies, chewing her lip.
You don't think it will be necessary, but it can't hurt. "Alright. Now that's done… I guess I'll tell the girls."
—
There are more than a few tears when you tell your daughters you'll be going on a trip to a faraway place soon. A not-insignificant number of those are yours. Some take it better than others — Soni has become pretty independent, and you're pretty sure nothing phases Signali. Vati sticks a little closer to you than usual throughout the day, and Kali all but hangs off of you.
Your Morning is taken up by talks and cuddles, but your Afternoon is yours to use as you see fit.
"Ari." Eluvi tugs your sleeve. "I need your help."
"Oh?" You ask. "What's up?"
"You remember how I was going to buy presents for our girls?" You nod. "I need you to… to make sure I do it."
Well. You suppose it was a pretty big step for a scalekin to willingly trade away her stuff, seeing as when you met she had a full-on breakdown over leaving some of it behind. "Okay. Did you have something in mind already?"
She nods. "I sent a letter to Adai." You recognize the name of Khazi's wife… or Khel's sire, either or. "She's probably got the stuff. I just have to… to…"
She swallows, and you rub her back gently. "Come on, Eluvi. Just think about how happy they'll be that you got them something."
She nods shakily, a small smile on her face despite her hesitation, and you follow her to her hoard.
--
If you didn't love her so much, and if you didn't know this is genuinely hard for her, you'd be profoundly exhausted with your dragonling right now.
"Not that one!" She yelps as you lift a gold coin. "It has a pretty scratch on it, see?"
"They all have scratches on them, Eluvi."
"But this one has a special scratch." She insists. "It makes it look like she's smiling."
No it doesn't.
"Why don't we switch to silver instead?"
"Because then I'd have to trade more of it." The scalekin pouts, her tail thrashing and flinging coins and jewels about the room. "People are so stupid. Why do you have to give away more silver than gold?"
Somehow, you doubt this would be any easier even if silver had the same value as gold. Sighing, you point to a different coin. "Alright, what about that one?"
"No!" She shrieks, lifting it and holding it to her chest like a wounded baby animal. "It's new!"
If you ever meet Tiamat, you're going to have words with her about this inherited treasure fanaticism she's passed down to her descendants.
"Okay. How about this — I'll pick out the worst coins, and you just keep your eyes closed so it's easier."
"…but you don't know which ones are the worst."
"I promise I will do my absolute best. I'll even hold your hand so you know I'm not cheating."
That's a bit of a stretch — in truth, you think that holding your hand might at least keep her calm.
She goes silent for a long while, then nods. "Okay."
Eluvi clenches her eyes tightly and reaches out, grasping blindly. You wrap your fingers in hers, savoring the warmth of her scales, then turn to your task.
For a moment, you consider just grabbing whatever… but then you pause, feeling distinctly guilty. Sure, this seems dumb to you, but clearly it means a lot to her, and she is trying for her daughters — and what's more, she trusts you to pick for her. You should at least respect that, as her lover.
It takes longer than you hoped, but you think you've got a solid enough grasp of what she finds interesting to pick out a few of the less-unique coins from the seemingly endless pile — ones that she already has copies of, that are unblemished or simply duller than the rest, things like that.
"Alright, Eluvi. I've got them picked out. Let's go outside and you can check them to be sure, okay?"
The two of you head outside, and she finally opens her eyes. You offer her a small coinpurse, and she inspects each one critically. You hold your breath, thinking you may have made a mistake…
…but she simply nods. "Yeah, okay. These ones are the worst."
Oh, thank Mother.
It's a quick trip to Skask — you're faster than ever now, and Eluvi was always quite the aerial ace. Technically you could probably fly right over the walls, but you're well aware that your distinct wings might draw attention, so you and your dragonling walk the rest of the way. Your magic coinpouch holds the littler coinpurse within, preventing the coins from jingling and agitating her as you walk.
You make it into the city without issue, and by now have the way to Khalnad Emporium basically memorized. Khiila, Khel's little sister, waves as you approach.
"Oi." She utters, leaning on her tail beside a small pile of boxes out front. "These're yers, I think."
You look to Eluvi for confirmation, and she turns to Khiila. "I sent a letter to Adai with six special requests."
"Aye, this's the lot." Khiila grins. She reminds you more of Khazi than her sister does — she shares a distinctive dwarven irreverence with her mother that Khel lacks. "Had me runnin' all over town today, y'know that? Wish I had wings."
"Can't kobolds get them when they grow?" You ask.
"Eh, sometimes." She shrugs. "Some'f us end up more like snakes, like ah… whatsername. The titty snake."
You have to fight to keep from laughing at that, though if Khiila notices she doesn't care enough to stop.
"'Sides, I'd hafta pick fights and such to grow like that. Not sure I got it in me, y'know?"
You can sense Eluvi getting more antsy as she gets more conscious of how she's about to spend money, so you fish out the purse and prepare to hand it over. "Wait!"
You sigh, glancing at your dragonling, who looks close to crying. "Let me do it. They're mine, they deserve that much."
You're not sure if she's talking about your daughters or the coins.
Khiila whistles. "Yer spendin' from yer hoard for this? I'll be damned, auntie. Yer a better woman than I."
You're about to comment on their unique attitude towards their hoards, then you pause. "Auntie?"
"Aye. She's me ma's clutch-sister, ain't she?" Khiila shrugs as Eluvi slowly holds the coinpurse out. "Basically makes her me aunt."
An idea sparks in your head. "...which means this is basically being transferred to family, right?"
"I mean, I guess." Khiila frowns. "If'n ye wanna see it tha' way."
"So these coins are going to a good home. One we can trust?"
Khiila catches on. "Aye, sure. I'll add 'em to mine or ma's pay, make sure they stay in the family."
That calms Eluvi enough, somehow. She hands over the coinpurse and turns away, tears in her eyes.
"Alright then. Goods're yers now, auntie." The kobold nods solemnly to Eluvi. "See ya around…" The grin from before returns. "...'specially if ye do start datin' me sister."
You return home with a gently crying Eluvi, stopping here and there to comfort the silly scaly monster with a hug. "You did great, Eluvi. I'm proud of you."
"Do you think they'll like their gifts?" She sniffles. "I want it to be worth it."
"Well, I don't know what you got them yet…" You remind her. "…but I think they'll love that you got them something in the first place, especially Ivule and Kali."
After all, the other two scalekin would be well aware of the weight of Eluvi's sacrifice.
"Okay. Good." She squeezes you tightly, burying her face deeper in…
"Are you just taking advantage of this to put your face in my cleavage?"
"…I'm sad." She pouts, as if that justifies any possible action she takes from now on.
--
Your shared daughters are gathered, and presented with their boxes by Eluvi. Her sadness is gone, apparently left between your breasts, and now she looks eager more than anything. The girls open them one by one, marveling at their gifts in turn.
Kira gets a boxful of sewing supplies and materials. Even to your untrained eye, the spools of thread look expensive — spider silk at the very least, if not outright arachne silk.
Remi gets a pair of wing-tips that manage to be distinct from the pair she chose for your birthday gift, but which still evoke them. Where yours are silver, hers are gold, and they have sapphires instead of amethysts.
Akael gets a tiara, which is apparently styled after something princesses of some far western kingdom wore ages ago. She clearly recognizes it even if you don't, because her eyes light up at the sight.
Ivule gets an enormous red ruby — genuinely, that must be tough for Eluvi to get for someone else. You're pretty sure it's bigger than any rubies in her own hoard, and those are by far her favorite gemstone.
Kaliyah gets a new stuffed animal — a very big stuffed red-and-gold dragon, with little gemstones for eyes. You're pretty sure the fabric is the same as whatever material Kira got too.
Adalinda gets an elegant robe not too unlike your own in design, only with what is clearly a distinctive scale-like pattern woven into it in places, along with some ruffles that resemble the feather-like protrusions she possesses.
The girls coo over their gifts for a while, and you clear your throat. "Your mother paid for this from her hoard, just so you're aware."
They all freeze, shocked to their core. Eluvi looks embarrassed, shrinking into herself.
"You… you got me this, from your treasures…?" Ivule asks, absolutely dumbfounded.
"Well, you're my treasures, so I thought—"
It's kind of funny, watching someone else get tackle-hugged by a group of your daughters like that. Usually you're on the receiving end, so it's nice to get an outside perspective every so often.
Also, it lets you be the big outside-layer of the hug pile, which is fun.
Persuasion is now Rank 11!
"Mama." Vati flops across your lap belly-down, gazing up at you.
"Vati." You smile, reaching down to ruffle her hair. "Do you need something, sweetie?"
"Can you teach me thief stuff?
You blink. "Like… how to steal?"
"Nah. Just the sneaking around part. I asked mom first, but she said 'she didn't want me going down that path.'"
"And you think I should gainsay her?" You ask, brows raised.
"…yes?" She squeaks, realizing she's made an error.
Before you can chastise her, however, you're interrupted by three outright menaces.
"Poor sister." Ciel comments.
"Very sad, sister." Jeniel adds.
"Tragic, really." Astel concludes.
"Watch it." Vati growls, which she clearly gets from her mother.
"We're being serious. Mother won't teach you, but why would you want her to?" Astel asks.
"She is old and outdated." Ciel insults you.
"Tragically outclassed." Jeniel digs salt into the wound.
"Watch it." You growl warn.
"We'd be better teachers." Ciel says, placing her hand upon her breast. "And we can prove it."
"Oh?" You ask, tapping your fingers against your thigh.
"Yes! You will have an hour to teach Vati, then we will seek her!" Jeniel proposes.
"And find her!" Astel adds.
"And win!" Ciel finishes.
"Uh-huh." You reply. "And when you lose, what happens?"
"We won't." Ciel says.
"But if we did, we'd agree to do whatever you say for a day." Astel offers.
Jeniel grins. "But when we win, you will tell mother to tell sister to tell us her martial arts secrets!"
…what?
You look down at Vati. "It's up to you, kiddo. If you're up for their silly little game…"
"Yeah, sure." She smiles up at you. "I'll thrash 'em."
You would be lying if you said you weren't a little incensed by the triplets' provocation. Calling you old was rude, even if it is technically true. Claiming you're outclassed by a bunch of children, however…
…well, it's time for mama to remind them of their place.
"Alright, Vati." You begin, guiding the girl to a quiet glade a short ways away from the homestead. "The key aspect of stealth is noise. It takes real skill to move silently, to position yourself so that you can hear guards approaching, to create just the right sort of distraction to keep attention away from you."
She nods along, eagerly shifting her weight between her feet.
"Before that; however, you do need to get a sense for hiding yourself behind things. Our wings are the hardest part of that — you have to learn to keep them tucked in just the right way for any type of cover you come across. Here, lemme show you."
You show her how to tuck her body behind various bits of scenery — large rocks, trees, foliage, and the like. To your immense surprise (and joy) she picks it up basically immediately — she can mimic your movements more or less to a T, and even when you start pointing her towards new bits of cover without providing a position beforehand she intuits the appropriate pose.
"Very good." You praise her, ruffling her hair once more. She grins, clearly delighted at the praise. "You sure picked that up quick. Alright, moving silently…"
Once more you provide her a template, and once more she absolutely nails her first attempt. More than once you actually lose track of her briefly as she vanishes amidst the foliage, only to catch sight of her again when she dutifully returns to your side for praise.
"Goddess, Vati." If she had a tail, it'd be wagging. "I don't think even I picked it up this fast."
"You don't hafta lie to me…" She mutters, blushing.
"I'm not. If we ever meet Mika…" You cough. "Well, she could tell you stories."
"You never really talk about when you were a kid." She comments, clearly fishing. Normally you'd keep mum about your past, but… she's earned it.
"We've got time, I suppose." You sigh. "Sit down. So, when Mika started training me for real, she let me loose on Gaea for the first time and told me she'd look for me, because she knew I'd get distracted and it would trip me up."
"That seems… kinda mean." She frowns. "What if you got hurt?"
You shrug. "I was a great deal older than you are, and she didn't have time to coddle me. Besides, she sent me down somewhere she knew was safe."
"Anyways, she was right. I got so enamored with all the new sights and sounds that I forgot to hide, and she caught me in seconds." You laugh at the memory. "I was mortified."
"Did you… get punished or anything?"
"No, no." You wave a hand, dismissing the idea. "Mika never punished me unless I did something terribly out of line. I got a lecture about how I couldn't let myself get caught up in the moment like that, and that was it. Honestly, even if I hadn't gotten distracted she'd have found me in a snap."
You snap your finger for emphasis. "I know Sybil told you all stories about her from the church's records. They're… basically true. A bit flowery in some spots, but close enough."
Vati inhales sharply. "She really blew up a mountain?"
"A mountain-sized demon," you correct her. "But yes. I was there. Some idiot cultists got together to summon an archdevil, but they got the ritual wrong. Lucky for them it was as big as it was and not just ogre-sized, or…"
You cut yourself off, remembering your daughter is a bit young for that sort of talk. "…anyways, it was basically just a very large nuisance in the grand scheme of things."
The two of you chat a while longer, your daughter listening to tales of your early days with rapt interest.
"Well, well." Jeniel taunts.
"Prepared?" Ciel asks.
"To lose?" Astel finishes.
"Prepared to make you look like a trio of idiots." Their sister replies. "Not that that's an accomplishment."
"Ooo!"
"Good comeback."
"We'll enjoy this."
--
They did not, in fact, enjoy this.
"HOW?!" asks Jeniel.
"WHERE?!" adds Astel.
"WHEN?!" finishes Ciel, even though it doesn't make as much sense as the other two.
The other two look at Ciel, who blushes. "I just wanted to participate."
"That was an hour, girls." You hum. "Come on out, Vati."
Vati leaves her current hiding place about ten feet from the triplets, who fall to the ground in united despair.
"… you three are such dorks." A new voice catches your attention, one which you've missed dearly even though it's really only been a few weeks.
"LIA!" The triplets recover and latch onto their sister in unison. The youngest of Ju's original four looks… the same but different, to put it simply.
She's still your Lia — tan skin, black hair, white wings with a wingspan that dwarfs most other winged monsters — but even a few weeks of adventuring have hardened her up. When she left, she'd still been a bit on the lankier side, but now she's nicely filled-in with muscle, giving her a build more reminiscent of a courier or other athlete.
To your immense chagrin, she's even picked up a scar on her collar. She sees your stare, then reaches up to scratch at the scar. "Wagon kicked up a rock, if you can believe it. I coulda gotten rid of it, but it looks kinda cool, don't you think?"
…why are Ju's children all such a terrible, terrible pain?
Stealth is now Rank 9!
"…and so one of the savages got loose when we were clearing the caverns. I'm supposed to be looking for it, but then I realized how close I was to home, so I figured I'd drop by." Lia finishes reciting her tale to a host of her sisters. Vati sits in your lap, clearly still happy to have won so handily.
"Savage?" Luna frowns. "I think mom caught one yesterday. It's uh… in pieces."
"Really? Problem solved then." Lia grins before looking your way. "You mind if me an' the others swing by for dinner? I'd rather have her cooking than… well, anything, but especially another night of stew."
"Meimei always makes extra, so it should be fine. Check with her before you go get them, just to be sure."
"Cool. Thanks, mom." She leans in to kiss your cheek before darting off to find her sister. As she walks away, you notice that her wings have an odd swirling pattern on them now, but it's hard to make out when they're tucked in.
"Psst." Ciel leans towards Vati.
"We tricked mom into teaching you." Astel notes, making your jaw drop. They did, didn't they?
"That means you owe us." Jen finishes.
These little fuckers.
It's a testament to Asteria's tendency to build large that the addition of a party of adventurers to the dinner table doesn't crowd your already-large family at all.
"Don't let her have that, please." You sigh, snatching a wriggly little Bryn away from one of the elves. Four wings makes her surprisingly hard to hold onto when she doesn't want to be held. "I said no swords until you're older, little girl."
"I just wanna see it…!" She whines.
--
Vati makes the mistake of sneaking up on her mother, which ends up revealing that you taught her, and then you have to explain how a bunch of children tricked you into it. Fi is unsympathetic to your plight.
--
Lia is, unsurprisingly, the star of the night alongside her party. "…and that's how I found out there's different sorts of elves."
"There's different sorts of elves?" Soniel asks, glancing towards her mother. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Eva shrugs. "We're far away from any Sunkissed, and I've only ever met like… ten Darkdwell elves in my life."
"I don't know what any of that meeaans!" Soni pouts, making her mother laugh.
"Sunkissed elves live far, far from here, in the desert." One of Lia's elven companions explains. "Darkdwell elves are… isolationists, you could say. They live below ground, often deep within dungeons."
Fiona speaks up. "What sort of elves are you, then?"
"You can't just ask someone what sort of elf they are, little sister." Lia says with false condemnation.
The other elf in her party sighs. "She keeps forgetting, so she asks us often. Sylvansong."
Eva nods. "Most elves you meet will be Sylvansong. The others don't tend to travel far."
"Not that many of us do either…" The other two elves say in unison.
You tuck in for the night with Fenri and her two daughters — your scalekin kids are cuddling their sire in her hoard tonight, for obvious reasons. Fenri curls up against your belly, and your daughters sleep on either side of the two of you, their soft breathing lulling you into a gentle sleep…
The next morning is an exciting one for multiple reasons. Lia and her friends are up and training already, entertaining her sisters. Speaking of sisters, though…
"You picked a good time to pop back up." You tell Lia as she rests for a minute. "Cami, Ophelia, and Io are all of age today."
"…yeah? Shit, shoulda got them something."
"It's fine. I'll write your name on the gifts too." You joke, and she laughs.
--
Ophelia is up first. What does the most motherly of your daughters receive for her coming-of-age?
"Ophelia." You say, gently lifting the little cloth-stuffed box that contains her gift. "You've always been the sort who wants… needs to take care of someone else."
She blushes a little, her eyes darting away from yours and towards the box. You can't help but notice that she's inherited all of the softer parts of both you and Asteria — large bust, wide hips, squeezable thighs… she inherited your hair for certain, though she's let it grow far longer than you ever have. Her wings are stark white and seem almost more for decoration than function, the cherry on top of her beauty.
"Your mother and I agreed you'd do well with a chance to indulge in that responsibility, so…"
You pass the box to her and she opens it, revealing a pure white kitten. Its fur is short, and its tail is long, thin, and tipped with an extra tuft of fur. "I've been assured this little fellow will listen to whoever raises him, so I'm trusting you with that responsibility."
Ophelia's eyes sparkle as she lifts the little White Nemea kitten to her face. He yawns, letting out a little mewl, and she hugs him close to her cheek. "He's adorable, mama. I love him."
"Io." You can't help but giggle a little at how she's almost a full head taller than you now.
Io's particular mix of blood has led to her looking more like a devil than any of her siblings. Her goat-like eyes follow your every move almost religiously. Her skin is a shade or two darker than yours, not quite in-between you and her mother, but approaching that. A sinuous tail coils over her backside, tipped with a sharp spade. Finally, the horns that emerge from her skull point forward menacingly, belying the otherwise gentle monster's power. "I'll miss poking your little horns…"
You reach out to jab the full-grown ones, earning a scandalized "ma!"
"…but I guess I'll have to get used to these ones. Close your eyes, dear."
She does so, and you could swear her lips purse a little. As tempting as that is, you've got something else in mind. With a bit of effort you get a silken white eyepatch slipped over her right eye. "Alright, open them."
She does so, then blinks in surprise and confusion for a moment.
"I wasn't really sure what to put on it, so I asked Liane just to put everything she could fit. It lets you mark the magic of other people so you can track them for a bit if they're out of sight, see through thin walls, spot anything out of place…"
You list off the features one by one as she looks around in wonder… though her gaze always lingers a moment longer on you.
"T-thank you, honore… mama." She stammers. "I, um, I love you."
"I love you too, sweetie."
"Camiel." You use her full name for emphasis. "Your mother and I considered a few strength-enhancing gifts, but…"
"We agreed you will do better without shortcuts." Asteria finishes, and you nod.
"So we thought about it, and realized that from the moment you could walk, you've been helping your mother out."
You lift the box containing her mother's creations and heft it before her. Cami's definitely more her mother's daughter. White hair, deep olive skin, and more muscle than fat by far. Her particular species is a bit different than what you're used to with your Fallen daughters — like Tianshi, she doesn't have actual wings, instead possessing lights that emerge from behind her along with her halo, which curiously floats behind her head instead of atop it.
You present Cami with her gifts — a set of lovingly crafted tools, made from a variety of materials ranging from wyvernbone to imported Labyrinth-stone. "I made them myself." Asteria grunts.
Cami picks them up one by one, testing their weight. "Huh. Feels… different from usual."
Her mom laughs. "They're made for your hand, not mine. They should feel better to use by far."
"…thanks, mom." She smiles, tugging both of you in for a hug. "Both of you."
Today is mostly taken up with the celebration, but there's always a little time for some self-improvement, if you know where to find it.
Camiel
It's weird, really. You don't feel more adult than yesterday.
Sure, you grew a little taller — but you've been doing that basically every day of your life. Your muscles aren't too much bigger, your hair isn't any longer… really, it doesn't feel like much has changed.
Not on your end, at least.
Mama's looks are a little more than motherly now, which is reassuring. You knew she liked strong girls because of mom and Merin, but part of you was still worried you were too big, or not big enough, or… not enough in general. You didn't really get mom's boobs, while both Io and Ophelia got basically everything in your eyes.
So… it's nice, knowing that whatever you've got, mama likes it.
That aside, you can't stop inspecting the tools your mom made you — you're pretty sure she's used her own horns for some of them, meaning she'd have to snap them off and heal them back. You're not sure how painful that would be. Io's horns are pretty sensitive, but she's not a real minotaur. Whatever the case, it's clear mom put a ton of care into this gift.
So… it's nice, being reminded that your mom loves you a ton too.
"Hey, kid." Liangyu flops down beside you, grinning. "Happy birthday."
"Thanks." You mumble, allowing her to pull you into a half hug. To your surprise, she sneaks something into your lap with her free hand. You lift it to your eyes, then raise a brow at her. "A waterskin?"
She rolls her eyes. "No, not a… I mean, I guess you can keep it, I've got extra. The gift's what's in the waterskin."
You pop the stopper off and take an experimental sniff. It's… sweet, yet stings your nose.
"Wine." Lia grins at you again. "From, uh… fuck. Whatever that dungeon Aunt Asteria is from is called."
"The Labyrinth?" You ask. "What, you went all the way there?"
"Nah, but I did find someone who had a stock of the stuff. She was willing to part with it in exchange for a favor."
"Wow. Thanks, Lia. You didn't have to do that, you know? Coulda just given me whatever."
"Eh, it's not like I went out of the way for—" An insistent chirping noise emits from under her sleeve and she frowns. "You shut up, Dumpling."
"…you named your bird Dumpling?" You laugh, and she blushes.
"…'sacute name. He's chubby."
You take a large gulp and cough, the sudden burn a little too much for your palate and sinuses. Lia laughs, slapping your back.
"Yeah, you're supposed to dilute it. Minotaurs drink hard stuff."
You glare at her, but for some reason you kinda find it funny too, and you go for another sip as the two of you catch up.
Then another.
And another.
Everything is pretty cool today, actually. It's warm… like, really warm, and you kinda just feel like hanging out. Maybe… maybe you can beat mom in a wrestling match now? You're older, and right now you kinda feel like even if you lose it's whatever, you know? Maybe she'll pull that whole conquering warlord thing on you after…
Ariel
You didn't expect to have to wrestle your very drunk daughter into submission today. You really didn't expect Cami would cry when she lost, apparently upset that you didn't immediately have your way with her as a conquering warlord should, or… whatever nonsense she's going on about.
You glare at Asteria, who is doubtless the source of these ideas, who shrugs. "That is how most relationships in the Labyrinth began."
Your glare turns to Liangyu, who does at least have the grace to look guilty. "I, uh… didn't think she'd had that much."
"You're lucky I can't ground you anymore, young lady." A series of tweets emit from her shoulder. "That's right, Dumpling. She is in big trouble."
"You don't understand him!" Lia says, though there's noticeable doubt on her face. The bird tweets at her once more. "Shut up, Dumpling."
"Don't be mean to your bird, Lia."
"Mama, d'you love me? Am I… are my boobsh too shmall?" Camiel slurs as she leans her head against your neck.
You sigh, rubbing her face gently. If angels could purr, she'd be doing so. "Your boobs are fine, Cami."
"Bad fine, or good fine?" She asks, her eyes watering. "Cuz I know Io n' Pheli got me beat, but—"
You silence her with a quick peck on the lips. "Good fine. Now come on, lets get you detoxified."
Your Athletics is now 9! Drunk Cami is pretty clumsy, but she's also a good workout.
The festivities, such as they are, wind down slowly over the remainder of the day. Cami was mortified at first, but she got over it quickly and took out her anger on her older sister, who dutifully obliged. It turns out, when she's not facing her mother? Cami is actually quite the wrestler.
You spy on Io making poses in the mirror midway through the day, her new eyepatch apparently stirring whatever fantasies swirl through her mind in new ways. Every so often she stops, writes something down in her notebook, then makes a new pose, this one slightly adjusted from the old one. This process repeats until she perfects whatever it is that she's after and departs with a satisfied nod.
Ophelia and her new kitten are, perhaps predictably, the main attraction for the rest of the day. Even Fenri likes the little guy — that had actually been a worry of yours, considering her two-woman war on squirrels. Lia's goblin party leader, Griveet, seems particularly taken with him.
"Gobs love critters." She explains as she scratches the lion cub behind the ears. "It's in our blood. When you're this little, you try and find whatever's bigger than you to back you up, and critters are pretty easy to tame, if you know how."
"Do you have a name yet?" Soniel asks. "You can't have Squishy, obviously."
"Or Dumpling." Lia adds.
"I'd never name my baby after food!" Ophelia huffs, lifting the cub to her face protectively. "How about… Maahes? There was a pretty strong lionspawn by that name in one of Sybil's stories."
--
Once night falls, you find yourself wondering who to spend the night with. The answer, as it happens, comes to you of her own volition.
"Hey, uh, mom?" Lia pokes her head into your room.
"Lia." You smile. "You're not still in trouble, you can come in."
She does, and you have to fight to keep your eyes on her face. She's gotten her hands on a more… lewd version of her mother's traditional dresses, and you can see she's not wearing panties beneath them.
"So… I'm about to head back out, and you're about to leave, so we won't see each other for a while." Lia begins. "And I've been really patient, but I think if I don't get laid soon I'm going to go crazy, and I want my first time to be with you, and—"
You give her a night to remember you by.
(Alright, this is basically just to get the rest of the first gen deflowered while not spending entire Lives on their lewd scenes. There's a possibility I come back to flesh this out later, but no promises.)
Honestly, part of the best thing about sex is waking up to your lover beside you. Lia's got curves and lean muscle in all the right places, so when you wake to see her back to you, you make sure to give her a quickie for the road.
Once you're sure your daughter won't soon find someone she likes spending the night with more than you, you accompany her and her party out of the homestead and into Latchky — you need to pick something up from the Sugarcanes anyways, and you'd like to spend as much time as you can with Lia before she leaves.
Sadly, the time to part comes all-too-soon, and you hold your little girl as tightly as you can, wishing you'd had more time.
"Write more, you brat." You whisper. "I gave you your pet for a reason."
"'kay." She mumbles. "Sorry, mama."
"Don't say sorry. Write. More."
She giggles. "Alright. I promise to write more. Happy?"
"No. But it'll have to do."
You bid your daughter farewell, feeling your heart break all over again, then—
"AAAAAAA!"
You nearly leap from your skin as an excited scream sounds in your head.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, sweetie! I've been trying to catch you outside of that dome for days, so I got a bit excited."
For a moment you think it might be Hecate, but the voice is far more mature than your aunts. Maternal, even, and the way she talks to you reminds you of how you talk to your own daughters.
"You're a pain in the butt, you know that?" She asks with mock severity. "Nobody has ever been able to lock me out like that before."
"That wasn't me." You inform her reflexively, feeling apologetic without entirely understanding why.
"I know, I know. I'm not really mad at you, Ariel." The voice assures you, as if there were any doubt in the first place. "Oh, but you don't know who I am, do you?"
You shake your head, realizing you must look pretty silly to any observers.
"My name is Sidon, dear. Your big sister. Naamah told you as much, I hope?"
Your blood freezes for a second, and the voice returns.
"Now, now. Don't be like that, Ariel. I don't bite… well, not without permission." Her giggle is surprisingly girlish, in contrast to the rest of her voice. "I can't do anything other than speak to you, before you worry your cute little head any further."
"How are you even… the Contract!" You realize. "I didn't see anything in it that would let you talk to me like this."
"It's a trick some of us older devils pick up." She informs you cheerfully. "You should be careful in the future, by the by — some devils can hook unseen clauses to their Contracts, as I'm sure you're well aware."
You grimace as you realize she's right. Your own Contract can force someone to commit a good deed without them realizing it. Why didn't you think of that?
"Mmm… I got so excited I forgot why I was calling you in the first place." The archdevil hums, sounding even more beautiful than the harps of Heaven. "You signed the Contract, which means you accept my patronage, yes? We need you down here as soon as possible."
"Hold on. Did you call me your sister earlier? Naamah said you're my niece. Or… that I'm her great aunt."
"…did I? Did she?" Sidon asks, clearly confused. "Wait, am I your niece? Our family tree is so tangled…"
You hear her muttering on the other end of the connection for a moment before you get the feeling of someone throwing their hands in the air in exasperation.
"Ugh, whatever! I'm older than you, so call me big sister!" Sidon shouts, though whatever magic this is keeps the volume from actually hurting your head. "I'm basically the mommy or sister of most devils anyways. One more sibling wouldn't hurt, would it?"
"… you're my niece." You affirm, and you hear a cry of pain from the other end of the connection.
"Nooooooooo!" Sidon wails, and you feel a distinct sense of pout from her. "…wait, you distracted me again, you brat."
"No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did."
"No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did! Don't talk back to your big sister, little lady."
"You're my niece."
"Big sist… wait, stop distracting me! Again!"
--
"Aaaanyways…" The archdevil begins after she's calmed herself down. She's surprisingly fun to bully, even knowing how she's probably head and shoulders above you power-wise. "I can requisition a gate that brings you straight to Pandemonium whenever you're ready. Ideally that would be within… oh, the next two or three days?"
"…that soon, huh?"
"I'm afraid so." She replies, sounding genuinely upset. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I wanted you to have more time to yourself, but ever since someone decided to make herself a little baby demigoddess, Helel has gotten much, much worse."
"You know? She knows?"
"Asmodeus knows." Sidon replies. "So yes, we know too. The Goddess of Sin has never been great at lying to her daughters, for better and worse."
There's an odd edge of… resentment in her tone, which strikes you as odd. "I'm surprised. Most devils I know of adore Asmodeus, but you sound…"
"Bitter? Do you know the saying 'familiarity breeds contempt,' dear?"
"Yes. But still, she's your sire, isn't she? How could you hate…" You trail off, feeling an instinctive devilish revulsion at the idea that anyone could hate their sire.
"Mm… ask my daughter Lailah how one might grow to hate their sire, Ariel. You'd be surprised. In my case… I do not hate Asmodeus, exactly. I'm just not blind to her faults as so many other devils are."
"…so I have three days at most, you said." You reply, wanting to change the subject.
"That's right." She confirms. "And before you get any ideas, I can't open this thing willy-nilly so that you can go back and forth. Heaven notices its use, and I'm sure you don't want your sisters poking their noses around your home any more than I do."
"So pick my companions wisely."
"And make sure your goodbyes are said. We can see about setting up some way to communicate when you get here, but… well. I'm sorry, Ariel. I know its not easy to miss your children growing up."
You clench your eyes shut, trying not to think about that part too much. "Do I just let you know when I'm ready?"
"I'll check in each day at… we'll say noon, so that you have time to get ready. Make sure you're outside of your mother's protection — I can't penetrate it."
With your departure time sort-of established, you conclude your chat with one of the most powerful devils in existence and continue your flight back home.
When you get back, you deposit the things you retrieved from the Sugarcanes by the cottage door — Luna and Zuri's gifts, with Lia's mixed in as well. You had to do it this way because, unlike the rest of your children, Zuriel is willing to try to sneak a peek at her gift, meaning you had to keep it off the homestead for the last few days.
Even now, as soon as she sees you placing the boxes by the cottage door, her eyes zero in on them in a way that reminds you of a predator spotting prey.
"Zuri…" You warn, and her eyes briefly flick towards your face. "If you open Luna's gift before her she might cry, you know."
That stops her, and she slowly skulks away, though you still spot her peeking around the corner every so often as you prepare.
"Alright, you." You sigh, waving her and her sister over along with the rest of the family. "Since you're being such a menace about it… Luna gets to go first."
Zuriel whimpers.
"Alright," You begin, ignoring Zuri's immaculately pathetic puppy-dog eyes. "Luna. Your garden is gorgeous, and frankly you take such good care of it I wasn't sure what to get you that could help."
You open her box and pass her a little potted flower with massive, swirling petals that pulse with a kaleidoscope of different colors. "This is a…"
"Fool's Lure." Saoirse reminds you. "Or so we call it. I believe Beloved academics instead call it faeriebloom."
"This is a faeriebloom." You tell Luna. "It can change the colors of flowers nearby if you pour just a little magic into it. The effect is only temporary, and doesn't hurt the other flowers either. I checked."
"You asked me." Saoirse corrects.
"And you can't lie to me, so I checked."
The fae sticks her tongue out at you as Luna takes the plant, cradling it as if it were her only child. You smile at the sight — while the two of them are near-identical, Luna definitely resembles your more thanks to her coloring. Black hair, black wings… with an odd pulsating blue glow between the feathers, now that she's older. A pair of wings actually emerge from her head like ears, which is a first as far as you've seen.
A plaintive, puppy-like whine reaches your ears and you roll your eyes. Zuri looks almost identical to her sister, save that her skin is darker, her hair and wings are golden, and the glow that emits from them is more like sunlight. "Honestly, Zuri. I'm starting to wonder if you're a crossbreed and we just never realized it."
You open another box, and this time a dozen little automata scurry out, faster than you can blink. A little deeper in the box is a magic transmitter, and you hold it aloft, prepared to explain… but Zuriel is gone, already dashing madly after the nearest of the toys.
"Luna." You sigh. "You can use this tool to call the automata back, should your sister lose track of them."
Luna giggles. "Okay. Thanks, mama. We love you."
"Uh-huh." You reply, watching as your daughter scrambles up a tree after one of her new toys. "Oh, for… you have wings, Zuri!"
The rest of the day is mainly spent making sure Zuriel doesn't break anything trying to get at her toys, or making sure Fenri doesn't break anything trying to get after her daughter's toys, but you have time to devote some attention to yourself…
"Hey, Vati." You poke your head around the corner, scaring the poor girl out of her wits.
"AH!" She shrieks, then glares at you. "Mama! What the hell?"
"Language." You chastise. "Wanna help me scare your mom?"
"…yeah, sure."
Fi Sugarcane
Something is off. You feel it in the air, like that time when your dumb bitch of a sister tattled to your parents that you'd been sneaking out to flirt with… what was her name? The human chick, long black hair, cute little smile, the best tits you'd seen in the slums…
Damn, you forgot it. Whatever, wasn't important, and you don't care either. What was important is that you got your ass spanked six different shades of red when you got back home that night, and if you'd just listened to your gut you'd have been able to hide out until the heat blew over. Ever since then, you've had a sixth sense for danger.
And right now, it was screaming at you.
It started with little things. You're pretty sure you saw something moving in the shadows of your room when you went to get changed after Ari spilled water all over you 'on accident,' but when you checked, nothing was there. Then, in the hallway, you could swear you felt someone watching you.
Then it ramped up. One second you'd have a cup or book or whatever, then you'd set it down and it'd be gone. You heard footsteps, then turned to see nothing there. Then came the touching.
A little poke on your shoulder or cheek, or a tickle in your side.
"This isn't funny, Ariel." You tell the air, knowing full well it won't dissuade her. What is this even for, anyways? You don't think you went out of your way to annoy her today…
"Huh?" Ariel asks, poking her head out of the kitchen. "Did you say something?"
"This game you're playing. It's not funny." You glare at her. "Don't pretend it's not you."
"...what are you talking about?" She asks, and for a moment you're almost convinced. Ari's a shit liar, but that pretty face makes you want to believe her.
"You know what you're doing." You huff, then seconds later you feel someone breathing on your neck… while Ari is still in plain sight.
You squeal and leap forward, then turn back to see your traitorous unfilial daughter laughing as if this were the funniest thing she'd ever seen in her life. Ari joins in, and you realize what must have happened.
The two of them take you in a hug from either side, kissing your cheeks and swearing their love for you. It… works, annoyingly. Not helped when Ariel sneaks a hand to rub against your growing stomach, which just causes you to relax more. Damn them both, they know you can't resist being loved on like this.
For now, you have to content yourself with the idea of getting back at Ari later. Maybe… yes, maybe Soniel could be convinced to lend you her pet for the night…
(Congrats, Stealth is Rank 10. Trying to be sneaky…)
Ariel
You feel an ominous shiver down your spine and instinctively realize you may have begun a fight you'd rather not have. Still, nothing for it now than to be ready for whatever she has planned.
As you lay down for the night, armed and ready, you're joined by two women you weren't expecting.
"Sybil? Sera?" You frown, noticing that both look dead-serious. "What's wrong?"
"Sera…" Sybil says, her voice cracking. "Sera has something she wants to tell you, dear."
You sit up and pull your daughter down beside you. "You can always tell me anything, Sera. You know that."
"I…" She begins, clearly dreading what she's about to say. "I'm leaving."
You feel as though someone just thrust a dagger made of ice into your heart.
"Sera, sweetie…" Sybil sighs.
"Not forever!" Your daughter corrects, lessening the pain a little. "Just… I need to go."
"I see." You lie. "And why is that?"
Sera takes a deep breath and continues, clearly having rehearsed a speech beforehand. "Zaphi, Ava, Lia, Tia, Soni, Mary, Meimei… all of my sisters know what they want, and they always have."
She pauses, takes another breath, and goes on. "But I… don't. I-I have nothing that really interests me, beyond just… being around you both. But I know that's not enough. I know there's something out there for me, something the world needs me to do. I just don't know what."
"So… you're leaving to find it?" You ask, slowly understanding.
"…yes." She nods. "I was going to wait a bit longer, but since you're both going to Pandemonium soon… well, that seems like the best time. I might get back before you, but if I don't… I wanted you to know."
"I have been thinking of it like a pilgrimage." Sybil says softly, sitting on the other side of your daughter. "Some priestesses take trips to find themselves. I did something similar myself, once."
"You knew?" You ask her, feeling vaguely left out.
"No." Sera denies, shaking her head. "I just told mom a few minutes ago."
"You're taking it pretty well," You joke, and Sybil smiles sadly.
"I am just better at hiding it than you, dear."
"So…" You begin, not really sure what to say.
Sera interrupts your empty thoughts. "I guess I just… want your blessing, and for you to know I love you... and to spend the night together, before I go?"
You can hardly say no, can you? Your night with Seraphiel is bitter and sweet, but you wouldn't trade it for the world.
Every morning that comes is now a curse, a reminder of the fact that you're about to leave behind everything you love to face a madwoman who may be beyond redemption.
You cling to Sera throughout the morning, praying to your mother to keep her safe on her pilgrimage. It's tough to pull yourself together, but you manage it — Vati's birthday is today, and you're not about to put a damper on it.
Fi sits on your lap, her daughter's gift wrapped and sitting atop her thighs.
"Shouldn't I be sitting there?" Vati asks.
"You'll have to fight me for it." Fi sniffs. "This is the best seat in the house."
You sigh and pinch the back of the halfling's neck, making her yelp in surprise. "Don't bully your daughter on her birthday."
Fi hands the twin gifts to Vati, who unwraps them, her eyes widening as she realizes what they are.
"You hate me having sharp things."
"Duh." Fi replies. "I can't stop picturing you cutting your fingers off with the damned things, but you're a grown woman now."
"I recognize these." Vati continues, inspecting them. "This one is from your room, and this one… mama kept it in her closet."
You nod, smiling. "Your mother dropped that one when her party was ambushed, and I found it when I was sent to look for them. It's entirely possible I never would have tracked them down without it."
"Goddess, there's a thought." Fi grimaces.
"…so, in a way, that dagger there might be part of the reason you're here at all, along with its twin. We thought it only fitting you should have them."
Vati stares at the knives with new appreciation. "I… don't know what to say."
"Thank you, mom. I love you. You're the best mom there ever was and scaring you was wrong." Fi lists each on her finger. "Any of those would work."
"You can just go with the first two." You wink, bringing the little Fallen in for a hug. She's shorter than her sisters but taller than her mother — and she's unmistakably yours and Fi's. Short black hair, small black wings, and an almost halfling-esque face atop a petite body. Much like Sera, she's basically the perfect blend of her parents.
Vati coos over her new toys while the rest of your household gives her their congratulations, leaving you just enough time for some self-growth…
"Oh yeah, Ariel?" Fi asks, her innocent tone immediately setting you on edge.
"What?"
"Don't think I forgot about yesterday." She pulls something from between her thighs and flings it at you. Terror courses through you as you recognize It, and the scream you let out as you flee could wake the dead themselves.
--
When you recover your wits, you realize two things. One, this provocation cannot go unpunished. Two, weapons dealers are just as guilty as those who wield their merchandise.
Fi is left thoroughly spanked, stuffed with a certain orb your sister let you keep, pricked with Alicante venom, then left suspended in her room with a number of spells keeping her on the edge for the remainder of the day.
Soniel, having realized that she was next, took off the moment you left the house post-Fi punishment, screaming at the top of her lungs. This makes it easier to follow her, and the chase, as they say, is on.
--
It isn't hard to overtake Soni — she simply isn't built for physical exertion. You swipe her from the sky and pin her down in the forest below, looking down triumphantly at… her equally triumphant face.
"No, don't stop. I've been bad. I deserve a good pounding… don't I, mama?"
…maybe it's time you taught the manipulative little minx a lesson in not biting off more than she can chew.
You return home with an unconscious Soniel. It was kind of annoying cleaning her up like this, but you didn't want the younger girls to see their sister leaking cum all over the place. You pass her off to Eva, who just sighs and prods the girl's cheek.
"I told you that you were pushing your luck, you silly brat." The elf grins up at you. "I wonder where she gets it from, don't you?"
You don't even dignify that with a response.
--
Fi is punished more that night, made all the more humiliating in that you threaten to let Vati watch — though you don't follow through quite yet. You're gonna work up to that, you think. Besides, this sort of thing is kind of extreme for her first sexual… anything, really.
You clean Fi up, then tuck in with both girls for the night, dreading the sun more than ever before…
