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"Speaking, or in-text quote"

'Thoughts'

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Year 16 AL, Mesmeric Effect

Alice's eyes kept on the sleeping form of Luka as he rested in the large bed of the Sutherland Inn's finest suite. She had brought him to the hotel just a couple of minutes ago, the presence of the two giving the Innkeeper considerable shock. After some negotiating, Alice had gotten them the room with the titular "Hero's Discount" for them.

'Outrageous that they would charge so much for regular guests, one would think Humans would be more considerate of each other considering how difficult they already have it otherwise.' Alice thought offhandedly.

Nonetheless, Alice had accepted it on their behalf to get somewhere for Luka to rest after his fight with Granberia. The Lamia frowned, memories of watching the boy battle the Heavenly Knight coming to her mind. She had expected the encounter to be one-sided; after all, the match-up was unforgivingly unfair for the boy who hadn't had much of any experience with swordplay outside of practice. Fighting someone like Granberia right out of the gate like that was akin to an adolescent blue jay leaving its nest for the first time, just to be caught in the awaiting talons of a starving hawk. Even when watching the fight from afar, she witnessed his struggle. The Dragonkin was stronger, faster, and smarter on the battlefield.

However, even with the skill difference, Alice could see the hints of something more under Luka's surface.

The first tell was the simple fact that Luka actually managed to evade a couple of Granberia's attacks. They were by no means very strong attacks, but they were ones that none of the soldiers Granberia had defeated earlier could've hoped to dodge, that much Alice knew. More interestingly, the attacks that he hadn't dodged, didn't take the boy out of the fight. Instead, he kept getting back up for more despite his obvious pain. The Lamia remembered in particular feeling impressed when Luka refused to back down, even after the Heavenly Knight had stopped only centimeters from his ribcage.

She also remembered how that particular close call almost caused her heart to jump into her throat.

Which was very peculiar, as the Monster Lord hadn't expected to actually care so much. Sure, he was a potential centerpiece to her plans but that was, in her mind, only if he could prove himself to be fit to be a Hero. So, logically, if he failed in doing this it should be disappointing but not upsetting. She simply wanted him to fit the role and play the part. That's why she taught him the basics of swordplay, and how to perform Demon Decapitation. Yup, just nudging him into place like the knight on the chessboard, to kill the Queen and save the day.

Why, then, was she so distressed when Granberia moved to kill him? She could just find someone else to take his place if he did die, after all. It didn't have to be Luka, anyone else would do.

Alice frowned, recalling her own bizarre behavior in the fallout of Luka's fight.

"Granberia, why are you being an idiot?" Alice nearly spat, trying to keep her unstable emotions in check. She stood a couple meters away from the The Heavenly Knight and Luka, even in her Human disguise tall and imposing. Granberia's face quickly went from grim determination to absolute horror at the sight of the glaring Monster Lord.'

"M-My Lord!" Quickly, she dropped Luka, the boy turned as he fell, landing headfirst on the ground. Alice bit her lip, a wave of anger coming over her that the Monster forced down before it could shatter her composure. Granberia stood frozen for a moment as the Monster Lord stared her down. Luka's body lay by her feet, limply lying on the steps of the fountain in an awkward position.

Finally, Granberia made the first move, falling to a single knee to bow with closed eyes in the Monster Lord's presence. Alice lifted her head regally to stare down at the kneeling Dragonkin, falling into her place. "Granberia, what are you doing here? Who ordered you to do this?"

The Heavenly Knight's move turned tight, "I... decided to by myself. I wanted to get rid of those who would call themselves Heros." The Dragonkin nearly spat the term out, venom in her tone.

"Go away, Granberia." The Monster Lord's own venom superseded Granberia's, causing the Dragonkin to flinch in her spot on the ground. She opened her eyes to look back at Alice with a bit of defiance. "I-If I do, then more Heroes will come! It will-"

"I told you to leave. I'm very busy here right now and you're getting in my way." Alice's cutoff cane quick, the Lamia becoming impatient as she noticed the cut above Luka's left eye refusing to stop it's bleeding. The stone his head lay under was beginning to become stained red.

Granberia pressed again, "If you're wanting something from here than just let me take the city! Then you can have whatever you'd want uninhibited." Alice hardened her glare, staring down the Heavenly Knight with barely restrained fury.

"How can I sightsee with hideous sights like these laying around!?" She cast a hand towards the fallen boy, feeling even more anger upon the Dragonkin's insistence to delay her. Normally, her dedication to furthering her cause would be admirable, but right now, it was pissing her off. Alice scoffed, "Forcing me to repeat myself three times over whilst acting out of order, is this the extent of your loyalty, Granberia? Now, for the fourth time, leave!"

The Dragonkin's face fell, shame painted on her as she muttered, "At once, my Lord. My apologies for my offense." The Monster quickly vanished, teleporting out of the city. Alice waited a moment after Granberia left to approach Luka, unable to figure out why she felt so unnerved by the sight of his unconscious, bleeding face.

Alice broke from the memory, hearing a soft knocking on the door behind her. Alice turned, still in Human form, and made to open the door.

On the other side was the face of a middle-aged woman. It was the Innkeeper of the place, coming to bring Alice her long-awaited Happiness-Honey Filled Ama Ama Dango. Her clothes were somewhat plain for someone running one of the oldest and most prestigious hotels in Iliasburg, and her obviously graying-black hair and crow's feet around her brown eyes didn't help to dissuade the image. The Innkeeper bowed, "Sorry, again, for the misunderstanding ma'am. The girl I have working at the front is fairly new, she didn't quite know about the Hero's discount you see." Alice waved her off, not caring about the small delay.

"That's fine, all is well now." The Lamia said, knowing at the back of her mind that she would've just hypnotized the girl into giving them the room if there had been any more issues.

Monster Lord or not, she was not paying over two-million gold for a room.

The Innkeeper presented a wide tray, six sticks of Dango lying on the silver plate. Each puff-ball of honey-filled goodness looked like pillows of cloud, perfectly prepped to become absolutely annihilated by Alice. The poor things wouldn't stand a chance. The Lamia grabbed the plate with vigor, smiling widely at the sight. The elder woman laughed at the display of giddiness, watching Alice walk over to the futon in the middle of the room to survey her sweets. The disguised Monster sat down with a bounce and placed the plate on the coffee table in front of her, removing her black gloves whilst doing so.

Honey could get quick messy, after all.

"Now make sure to savor that, young lady. I think your friend over there might like at least one himself, don't you agree?" Alice frowned at the comment, looking to the sleeping Luka once more. Seeing his bandaged face caused her to feel much less excited about the Dango she had in her hands. The Innkeeper noticed her mistake, quickly raising her hands up in an apologetic manner.

"Ah-Ah, I don't mean to upset you, ma'am. I have a horrible habit of teasing at the wrong moments." The aging woman's face turned sad once looking at the boy. "That was very brave of him, facing down that Monster like that. I heard of it from one of the merchants, a very impressive feat for someone so young." She shook her head slowly, "Although, I just wish that type of bravery didn't have to come from the youth. He shouldn't have to be doing such things, I don't think..."

The woman noticed Alice's somewhat forlorn stare and realized that she had perhaps rambled too long. "...It's good that he has someone like you, though! I also heard that you helped drive the Monster off without even lifting a finger! That's very impressive!"

Alice nodded a tad bit, her face still conflicted by the woman's words. The Innkeeper bit her lip, internally cursing at having just upset one of her customers. She clapped her hands together suddenly, gaining Alice's attention once more. "Y-Y know what? How about I give you another round of Dango, on the house!?" Without waiting for Alice to answer, the woman turned and left the two behind, closing the door a bit forcefully. Promptly, Alice returned to her natural form, the human skin and legs reverting back to normal.

The Lamia returned her gaze to the tray, picking up one of the sticks with a tense hand. The falling sun made the little dumplings shine nicely, the golden-brown skin almost glowing like the wonderful honey inside. With a small smile, she took a careful bite. She chewed for a second, her eyes widening.

"Oh, damn..." She put her hand up to her mouth, "...That's divine!" The rest of the dango stick disappeared quickly, the Monster then eying the rest of the plate with devious intent while her purple-haired Hero found himself dreaming of a day that occurred many years ago...

Luka's small hands held tightly onto one of his Father's, an iron grip holding onto the man's much larger hand. The six-year-old's pale blue eyes stayed locked to the ground as he stayed practically connected to his Father's hip. The reason for his shyness was due to the large crowd of people that the Father-Son duo found themselves in.

Marcellus ducked down, gently prodding at his son. "Say, Luka, you should lift those eyes of yours or else you'll miss all the sights!" Luka's worried gaze found his Father's kind one. Marcellus smiled down to his son, "Come on, show me a smile, son!"

The six-year-old shook his head, looking down to the stone ground. Unfazed by Luka's aversion, Marcellus continued to pull him along. "Here, this might help lift your spirits." The purple-haired duo cut through the crowd, or rather, Marcellus forced them to cut through as the man was somewhat forcefully going against the flow of traffic.

After some jockeying, the Father and Son pair arrived at the center of the plaza. The destination was a large circular fountain. Luka stared up at the basin, wonder in his eyes as he watched the water spray up in the air. The water reflected the sun's rays beautifully, eliciting a small smile on the boy's face. Luka rushed along with his Father as they came to the steps. The boy eagerly climbed the steps while Marcellus watched on. Luka closed his eyes as the thin mist of water from the fountain kissed his face, getting a giggle from the boy.

"Haha," Marcellus laughed, "There you go, much better!" Luka smiled widely back at his Father, who wore a teasing grin on his face. The man raised a hand to his mouth, calling out to his son once more. "Now don't forget how to do that, Luka. If we pass by any pretty girls, I better see you flash that smile again!" Luka promptly lost the smile, looking mortified at his Father's suggestion.

"D-D-Don't say that!" The boy exclaimed as his Father laughed at his son's dismay. Marcellus shook his head as he said, "Oh, I'm terrible." He looked up at his son, "I'm sorry, Luka. I didn't mean to upset you. Besides, you have a good amount of time left before you need to worry about that stuff..."

The man walked up to the fountain, squinting down at his reflection. He lifted up a hand to his left eye, pulling back the eyelid a bit with a frown. "...I didn't have my first girlfriend until I was fourteen myself, you know..." Luka watched his Father sigh as he gazed into the water. "...And then I had my second, and my third..." Marcellus chuckled, a nostalgic gleam in his gaze. "Ha, that was a crazy summer." The boy peered at his Father in curiosity.

"You had three separate girlfriends in one summer?" Luka innocently asked.

Marcellus crossed his arms over his chest, "Well, not separate, no. You see, I..." He peered over to Luka before freezing, realizing that he probably shouldn't elaborate on that. "...I-I mean yeah! Three SEPERATE girlfriends, one after the other, with appropriate time between each!" The man laughed nervously, striding towards his son with a smile. "And then, many years later I met your Mother, and we've been happily together ever since."

The boy walked to the edge of the fountain's top step, drawing closer to his Father with a question on his mind. "How did you meet Mother?" The simple question gave his Father pause, the purple-haired man gazing up into the sky in thought. "Well, that's an awfully long story, too long to tell right now. But I'll tell you this, when I first saw your Mother, I just knew she was special." Luka nodded, dropping a small hand into the water to feel the crystal-clear liquid.

The boy opened his mouth once more, "How do you know if someone's special?" His Father sat on the second-to-top step, looking out into the bustling crowd. Nobody seemed to pay attention to them as the Father-Son pair claimed the large fountain of Iliasburg as their own at that moment.

"It's hard to say," Marcellus said honestly. "Your Mother is beautiful to me, yes. But that wasn't all I love about her. There's more beyond that. It's hard to put in words..." He leaned over some, really putting thought into his words as he cupped his chin in one hand. "...I think it was her heart. The kindness she had, the gentleness. She had my love from the moment we met, really."

Luka's little steps brought him to his Father, the boy sitting next to him. "So you knew she was different from the others at the beginning, and then you got married?" Marcellus shook his head, an oddly melancholy look in his eyes as he reminisced.

"No, it didn't happen that quick. We were attracted to each other, yes. But love doesn't come that quick..." The man sat up straight, rolling his shoulders a bit. "...There were things that needed to be worked out before taking that big step together." He smiled, looking over at his son with happiness radiating off of him. "But once we figured it all out, we did get married, and I've never looked back since."

The six-year-old nodded at his Father, only really understanding bits and pieces of what the man had meant. The boy asked, "Why did Mother not come with us today? Is she going to stay at the Inn the rest of the trip? I wanted to go with her today, too."

Marcellus's smile faded, a troubled look replacing it. He reached out with an arm, pulling Luka close into a half-hug. "I'm sorry if it doesn't make much sense right now, just know that your Mother did want to come explore the city with today, too. But it seemed to both me and her that after all the trouble she had the day before, that the best thing to do is let her stay behind for today to rest." Luka glanced up in frustration, not satisfied with the answer.

"Why?" he asked bluntly. Marcellus's mouth stretched into a thin line before answering, "Your Mother hasn't been feeling quite good lately, Luka. It takes a lot of effort for her just to move around. Please try to understand that she's doing all that she can right now..." The man released the boy from the one-armed hug. He shuffled a bit, lowering his head down so that Luka could see right into his Father's eyes. The boy idly noted that his left one was paler than the right.

"...Luka, can I ask you a favor?" Marcellus paused as the boy met his gaze with curious eyes, not used to the serious edge in his Father's tone. "When I'm not around, can you help your Mother with the house? She won't admit it to me, but when I'm home I see that she has a lot of trouble doing things by herself."

Luka nodded quietly, spurring his Father to continue. "I know you can't do much yet, but I want you to help in any way possible. If she's cooking, help her set the table. If she's cleaning, help her with picking things up off the floor. Nothing crazy, just whatever you can manage."

Luka nodded with more vigor, "O-Okay, I will!" Marcellus smiled, but there was a sadness in his gaze. "Thank you, Luka. I appreciate it..." His smile turned into a crooked smirk, the mischievous light coming back to his eyes. "...Now let's go find something to eat, huh?"

The man stood from the steps spurring Luka to follow likewise. He took his Father's hand and followed him as they entered the crowd once more. "Hey, if we find a place that says kids under five eat for free, don't say a word about being six. I kind of blew the budget on that honey dango stuff for your Mother. Jeez, those things are sweet, but waaaay too pricey."

The two walked deeper into the crowd, and the boy heard his Father give a sinister chuckle before he leaned down to whisper to Luka. "Hey, remember to use that smile if we get a cute waitress! We both might be able to eat for free if you give it your all! I used to be able to do something like that myself..." The mischievous gleam returned to his eyes, "...That's actually how I got my fourth girlfriend, you know..." The man raised to full height, laughing loudly as his son looked on in confusion.

The first thing Luka felt upon waking up was the dull throb on the left side of his forehead. The aching caused him to groan, reaching up to feel the affliction. He went to massage the spot, stopping once he felt a small wrapping of bandages on the wounded area.

His blue eyes peeked open, a subdued light coming across his face from the mostly curtain-covered windows. The purple-haired boy pushed himself up cautiously, his forehead still throbbing from his battle with the Heavenly Knight. Luka glanced around, taking in his surroundings with a curious glance. 'This must be a room of the Sutherlands Inn. How did I get here, though?'

The bed he was in was certainly lavish. The mattress he was on had a magnificent throw of dark red satin sheets, with the bed itself having a canopy of similarly colored curtains that were currently pulled back. Moving his gaze from the bed to the rest of the place revealed that he was currently in a very high-end room. Red seemed to be a mainstay of the decor, as the window curtains, wall-hung tapestries, and rugs all had the fiery color associated in some way, whilst any of the uncovered white walls and checkerboard floors offset the bright colors with their lesser tones. Nice bits of plush furnishing were scattered around, almost as if a whole family of people were meant to stay inside the room.

'Family...'

Luka frowned, the thought unintentionally bringing him to remember the last and only time he had been to Iliasburg. It had occurred two whole years before his Father's death, and he had just turned six not long before the trip. It was a birthday present of sorts, though more like a birthday trip. It was a somewhat bittersweet memory, as it was the last time all three members of his family had been able to go anywhere together. This was due to the fact of his Mother's very apparent degrading health, which had taken a big hit after the first few days of the vacation. He was glad to have spent more alone time with his Father, but seeing both his parents having fun together made him happier.

After their short trip to Iliasburg, his Mother could only ever find the strength to go get groceries or do other errands. He was able to do other stuff with his Father, but those instances became rare in the last two years his father was alive. The next eight years after his Father's death were even more isolated, with Luka having to do most of the running around while his Mother tried to manage the household the best she could.

The purple-haired boy swung himself around some, his legs coming out from the sheets as he sat on the edge of the bed. He pressed down with both hands to push himself up to stand but immediately hissed as a jolt of pain ran through his right shoulder. Luka grabbed at the injured area, the memory of being flung into the fountain by Granberia coming to him just a tad bit too late.

'Darn, that Dragon really messed me up back there...' The thought made him pause, '...Wait, how am I even alive right now? Wasn't she about to kill me?' Confused at how he had escaped certain death, the boy made to stand, but his body tensed once more at the pain in his shoulder and head.

"Yeah, you should probably not do that too much just yet." Luka snapped his eyes over to the far side of the room, having to lean over some to look past the large curtains hanging from the canopy. Leisurely lying across a particularly luxurious-looking futon was the Lamia he had been thinking about. Questions about what had happened after his fight with Granberia got caught on his tongue, his mind now fixated on the sight before him.

Alice's form was reclined sideways, her body curving slightly and facing towards him as her head rested on one armrest while her long red tail hung off of the other. The dim evening sunlight spilled onto her lavender skin, bringing him to really take notice of the striking tattoos that ran along the left side of her body from her waist all the way up to her face. One hand was leaning elbow-first on the soft pillows underneath him, while the other currently held a half-eaten piece of dango. The Lamia's golden eyes practically shone with a happy light, evidently taking much pleasure in the honey-filled treat she was devouring. He noticed as well that her gloves were off, something he had never seen her do before until then.

"Oh, h-hello Alice..." He said, for once being unable to look away from her. The way she seemed to almost be presenting herself to him made the boy feel an odd warmth. "...What happened to me? I remember fighting Granberia, but then everything's fuzzy after that." Alice shrugged, causing some of her hair to fall down off her shoulder.

"Well, you got thrashed pretty bad by her, that's for sure." The boy cringed some at the wording. Remembering how awfully one-sided the encounter had been for him. "Yeah, I guessed as much..." Then, as he sat there, he remembered the very end of the fight. Granberia had him at her mercy, but something had happened to stop that. But, what was it? For some reason, he was having trouble recalling that detail.

"Alice, you saw our fight. Why did Granberia let me live? I can't quite recall what happened..." The Lamia paused, an odd look coming to her face. She seemed a bit strained as she twisted her body around to stand up from the seat, having finished the Ama Ama Dango. The Monster crossed her arms under her chest, looking away from him with an unreadable expression.

"You fainted, so she let you go." She said stiffly. "Probably felt bad for you, it was quite sad to see, I'll be honest."

Luka looked at Alice, a very doubtful tone in his voice. "Is that so?" He asked, knowing that something about the statement was off. It sounded as if she was forcing herself to be icy to him, but there was a distinct lack of bite behind the tease. 'That doesn't sound right, something else happened. But what was it?' He turned his gaze down to the ground, following the trim of the carpeted ground with his eyes as he searched his mind for an answer.

Then, it hit him.

"Granberia, why are you being an idiot?"

That voice, it was Alice who had called out to Granberia. She had... referred to the Knight as an idiot, and then the Dragonkin had dropped him. He knew that much, at least. 'So, Alice saved me. She somehow stopped Granberia from killing me. Wow...' He looked back up to the Lamia, who had begun to stuffly gnaw on another dango ball. 'If she isn't a Heavenly Knight herself, than she must be close to or at their level. But if that's so, why the heck does she care about me so much?'

Luka couldn't wrap his mind around the idea, but it did make him feel a tad bit happier to know she would do that much. He looked down at the plate in front of Alice, noticing that five out of six of the dango sticks were empty. He smirked, glancing back up the Lamia's ravenous display. "Pretty good, huh?" Cheeks stuffed, Alice nodded and hummed a quick "Mmmm-Hmmm!" The boy laughed, finding great amusement in the shift in Alice's behavior.

'When we stock up on supplies, I have to remember to pick up more sugar. Something tells me that I'll need it...' The thoughts of food caused the boy's stomach to growl, the low rumbling causing him some discomfort as he realized that he hadn't eaten since that morning. He looked to Alice, hoping that the Lamia hadn't heard the noise. His gaze found a frozen Alice, her mouth opened wide to take in the last couple rolls of dango. Her golden eyes were fixated on him as well, something he desperately had hoped wouldn't be the case. The Monster closed her mouth, a curious look on her face.

"Haha," He chuckled, looking away from the Lamia. "I-I suppose that I'm a bit overdue for a meal..." He glanced around, searching for a catering menu. "...I think it should be, Aha!" He opened up the bedside table drawer, finding a menu of food the Sutherland Inn serves for its guests. "Let's see... uh..." Luka's eyes widened in alarm. "... H-Huh? Wh-What!? Two-Thousand gold for a single steak!?"

He brought the paper closer, squinting at the fine print. "Not including sides!? Ohhhh..." He groaned, slapping the paper up against his face in despair and falling backward onto the bed. Alice watched on, feeling somewhat bad for the boy as he lamented the outrageous prices of the place. She heard him mumble, "My entire savings could only get me a quarter of a steak, or half a Ceasar Salad." He lifted the menu up off his face, tossing it aside.

His blue eyes turning up to the window on the other side of the bed. He sighed, noticing that the sun had all but fallen over the horizon by then. "Well, I can wait to get something in town tomorrow morning. I'm... not that hungry, I suppose."

Alice frowned, looking at her remaining dango. 'Ugh, this would be the second time I do this now, and it isn't even a trade now, unlike with the salmon.' She thought as she started to stand. Slithering over to the boy, Alice plucked the menu from his hands, startling him in the process. "Here." She said, holding out the dango stick to him. Luka stared in shock at the gesture, not having expected Alice to offer her food.

"Are you sure?" He asked, "Really, I'll be fi-" Alice grabbed a hold of Luka's hand, forcing him to firmly grasp the dango in his hand. "Take it now before I force it down myself." Alice said, reluctantly letting go of the dango. "To die of self-afflicted starvation is not very Heroic, so this is better than nothing."

The purple-haired Hero gulped, nervously sitting up as Alice watched him from the side with strangely excited eyes. He inspected the multi-colored dumplings earnestly, before popping one into his mouth. It was very soft, almost melting away the moment the dumpling met his tongue. The outer casing itself was almost good enough by itself, but then he got to the Happiness Honey.

He paused, the sweetness of the substance hitting him like a brick wall. In the back of his head, he felt the taste nudge at his memories. 'Have I had this before? I feel as thought I have...' Alice smirked upon seeing his expression, knowing all too well how her first time trying Happiness Honey felt. "Well, what do you think?" The Lamia asked enthusiastically. Luka stared up at Alice, a bright smile face. "This is very good, thank you for sharing with me." He said, a sparkle in his eyes.

"Well, cherish it while you can..." The lavender-skinned Monster crossed her arms under her chest, the action giving her breasts a very noticeable bounce. Luka averted his eyes, their proximity giving him an eye-full of the unintentional display. "...For the next round will be going to me!" She declared, not noticing the heavy blush growing on the boy's face as she smirked with closed eyes.

"Y-Yeah, that sounds fair." Luka stammered, trying to shove the image of the Monster's generous assets out of his mind. 'I shouldn't be thinking that, especially when she's right here!' He munched on the second dango absentmindedly, accidentally dripping some of the honey on his thumb. "Aww," he groaned in frustration, looking around the room as he passed the dango stick into his non-honey-covered hand. "Are there some napkins around here?"

Alice opened her eyes, aghast at the perturbed boy's words. "What? You can't just wipe away something that precious! It needs to be dealt with properly." Without thinking, the Lamia reached out to him, taking Luka's hand and pulling it towards her face. The boy looked in alarm, as Alice engulfed his honey-covered thumb in her mouth. He froze, watching with wide eyes as he felt her suck the sticky substance off of his thumb.

POP

The loud, wet sound of Luka's thumb being pulled away from her lips echoed especially loud in the large and otherwise silent room. Alice held his hand in her own for a belated moment, her mind taking a moment to catch up with what she had just done. The Lamia looked down at the boy's face, which had become absolutely flushed with color to the point that he looked like a purple-haired tomato. Alice felt her face growing hot, which spurred the Monster Lord to release his hand quickly. Alice turned away from the boy as he continued to stare, mouth parted in silent shock.

'What the hell, why did I do that of all things!?' Alice mentally berated, furious at herself as her heart hammered away in her chest. Luka, the rest of his dango still in hand, could barely keep his mind together as he continued to gawk at the Monster. Shakily, he brought the afflicted thumb down, as he had still had it raised to where Alice had last had it. He peered at the opposable appendage, feeling the leftover warmth of the Lamia's mouth still on it. Strangely enough, the boy didn't think it an altogether unpleasant feeling, though it was a much more intimate gesture than he had expected.

In the back of his mind, he actually thought it felt somewhat nice.

A quick rapping on the wooden door brought the two out of their flash of embarrassment. Alice quickly shifted, taking a couple steps towards the door to put distance between the two. "C-C-Come in!" The disguised Monster choked out, another harsh blush coming to her face as the door opened to reveal the Sutherland Innkeeper. She seemed to be very upset about something, bowing deeply at Alice.

"I... have to apologize to you for a second time, ma'am. I went down to the kitchen to bring back your second round of dango, but it seems that we can not make anymore. We are all out of Happiness Honey." Alice's golden eyes grew large, her face aghast at the woman's words.

"All out!? H-How!?" The Innkeeper cringed at Alice's dismay, causing the already nervous Innkeeper to nervously chuckle. "Hahaha, well, unfortunately, we've been having trouble getting more product from Happiness Village. They've had a major drop in manpower as of late, so nothing much can be done, I'm afraid..."

Luka raised an eyebrow at the remark, lightly wiping the thin layer of saliva off of his thumb with a bed sheet before sitting up a bit straighter as the remnants of his blushing began to fade. "Why would that be? Did something happen there?"

The Innkeeper glanced over to the boy, only now realizing that he was awake. "Oh, good! I was afraid you'd be out the rest of the night, boy. I'm glad that you're up and awake!" She looked him and Alice over for a moment, a realization hitting her. "Huh, you know, if you two could drive off that swordswoman, then you might actually be able to help Happiness Village with their problem!"

Luka scratched at the back of his head thoughtfully. Sure, he technically hadn't "driven off" Granberia, but he certainly couldn't ignore a village in need of help. It was the duty of a Hero to help, after all. "Sure, yeah. I think we could help out." He proclaimed, earning a bow from the Innkeeper.

"Oh, thank you," the older woman said, "It would be greatly appreciated!" She perked up, raising a finger. "In fact, how about this: Because of your bravery today, how about two servings of one of our finest dinners on the house? It would be our pleasure, as thanks for your service." Luka lit up at the timely suggestion, "We'd like that very much, ma'am!" The aging Innkeeper gave a final bow, leaving the room with vigor.

"Hmm," Alice hummed, "I suppose Hero work has its perks." Luka turned to the Lamia as she continued, now reverted back to her normal form once again. Although her blush had not fully faded away yet. "Free food certainly is appealing, at least." Luka found himself nodding in agreement with her statement. The two fell into a calm silence, the room becoming even dimmer now that only the sun's fading rays could be seen.

Luka sighed, breaking the brief reprieve. "Well, I suppose I should take my shower now." He walked over to the coffee table, placing it on the silver table that held the other empty dango sticks. "If you want the rest, you can take it. The food probably won't be back for a while, but I can wait for that..." He glanced about the room, seeming to be missing something important.

His traveling bag.

"...Oh no." He said bluntly to himself, garnering the attention of Alice. He scanned the room with his blue eyes again and again; yet, the object, unfortunately, did not materialize out of thin air into his awaiting arms, nor did it just happen to appear in one of the corners of the room. Alice noticed his distress with a raised eyebrow. She asked, "Something wrong?"

"My bag!" He said, hopping off of the bed to get to his feet. The boy stumbled some, before falling to his knees and lifting the blanket up at the foot of the bed, seeing if the item had perhaps been put there even though there was no way it could be there. "My bag, wh-where's my bag!?" He said, letting go of the blanket to let it fall.

Alice's tail reached around to the backside of one of the futons, pulling the object from behind the furniture. "It's right here." She said matter-of-factly.

"I-I need that bag! I can't take a shower without it..." He mumbled, missing the Monster's comment. Alice's eyes flashed with annoyance. "It's right here." She said more strongly, holding out the bag towards him. Somehow still missing this, the boy walked around the Monster to look behind the futon she had just pulled the bag from.

"... I can't change my clothes, or-or brush my hair, or-" He stopped, realizing something horrible. "My sword! My sword is gone too!"

Alice huffed, presenting the holstered sword and bag in both of her hands. "Luka!" The boy whipped around with violent speed to look at Alice, who held out his stuff with exhaustion. Quickly, the purple-haired Hero's anxious face melted into relief.

"Oh, you're a lifesaver, Alice!" He items off her hands, holding them close. However, Luka looked between the bag and the sword, finding that something was still missing. "Hey..." He trailed off, looking at both items again before looking up to Alice. "...Where's my walking stick?"

Remembering back to when she tossed the stick up into a tree in the plaza, Alice smirked mischievously before shrugging. "Not sure, couldn't find that one."

Luka frowned, "Drat, I liked that one, too..." He turned and placed his sheathed sword by the bed, shouldering his travel bag. "...Well, it was good while it lasted." He sauntered over to the bathroom to shower, calling out to Alice while he opened the door. "If the food comes by, let me know please!" With that, the boy disappeared into the bathroom.

The Lamia looked around over to the remaining dango, not being able to even pretend like she didn't need the rest. Slithering over to the table and grabbing the treats, Alice surveyed the last two balls of Honey-filled sweets with an excited giggle. Forgoing any theatrics, she slipped both of them into her mouth at the same time, thoroughly enjoying the smooth and rich honey along with the super-soft outer coating. However, a bizarre thought struck her as she swallowed the desserts.

'Huh, the Honey I got off of his thumb tasted sweeter...' Alice blushed furiously at the observation, tossing the now empty stick onto the silver plate with a tad bit more effort than needed.

Over half an hour had passed before the Monster Lord decided that she had become thoroughly bored. She had looked around the room some, opening cabinets and drawers just to find something to entertain herself with, but found that most of them were decorative only. In disgust, she had found that the only item on any of the bedside tables was a single book illustrating Ilias's Commandments and other literature, something that the Monster very quickly threw outside of the window.

Other than that, though, nothing much else took up her attention in a positive way. Eventually, though, something did grab her interest.

After a while, she noticed how the room started to get warmer. At first, Alice thought nothing much of it. That was until she noticed steam coming from the bathroom. Watching the condensation leak under the doorway, the Lamia couldn't help but wonder exactly how hot the boy's shower was. 'That seems a bit intense. Does he think we're at a sauna or something?' The Monster Lord snaked over to the bathroom door, hearing the still-running shower as she did. 'How long does this boy clean himself for?'

Just as she asked herself this, the water stopped, signifying that he was just now finished. Quickly, Alice snuck away from the door, returning to recline in one of the room's cushy futons. The Lamia waited, her tail twitching restlessly twitching as a couple minutes passed. Then, Luka rather, an entire cloud of steam appeared as it spilled into the room like a fog on a rocky shoreline, enshrouding the doorway with a heavy mist.

"Wha-" Alice began until she saw Luka walk through the doorway.

Naturally, as a part of his nightly routine, the boy had changed into his pure white nightwear before leaving the bathroom. It was a jarring sight; the Lamia was unfamiliar with the image of Luka in the nightwear, since the night before he had been wrapped up in blankets. The white silk helped to give him a pure, innocent appearance, something that was heightened by his already soft face and kind-heartedness. She noticed that the boy had taken off the bandages that had been on his forehead, showing a very small scar just above his left eye. She frowned somewhat at the imperfection, unhappy at the blemish his fight with Granberia had left behind.

Luka walked barefoot from the door towards the middle of the room, his travel bag in tow. He gave a small wave. "I hope I didn't take too long." He said, dropping his hand quickly after to reach down into the large bag for an unseen item inside. "I tried to be quick about it, but that water just felt so good, you know." He pulled out a hairbrush, not noticing how Alice seemed to be fascinated by his appearance. The lavender-skinned Monster watched him as he took the brush to his shoulder-length purple locks, pulling out the knots as he stood there in the middle of the room.

Alice lifted her hand up to her mouth, chewing at her thumb absentmindedly as he straightened his hair. For whatever reason, she felt herself unable to look away from him. Luka glanced at Alice mid-brushstroke, his blue eyes looking on in curiosity. "Are you alright? You're oddly quiet." The Lamia took a moment to answer, almost missing the question entirely.

"Eh? N-No, not all." She replied, mishearing his question. Luka tilted his head at her shaken tone, feeling that something was off. He took a couple steps closer to the Monster Lord, squinting at her, "What's wrong, then?" Alice found that she had trouble focusing, finding that the boy now had a different scent from when they first met.

'Why does he smell like vanilla now?' She wondered to herself before fixing her mistake, "I-I meant yes. I'm just getting tired myself, I suppose." Luka's lips parted some, nodding in understanding. He continued brushing his hair, before asking, "Hey, do you want to take the bed? I don't mind using one of the futons."

The question made Alice became acutely aware of the fact that there was only one bed for the two of them. Something that caused her tail to ever so slightly twitch.

As the odd pair of the Prophet and Monster Lord tried to retire for the night at the Sutherland Inn, an even stranger pair could be found in a currently abandoned Temple of Ilias in San Ilia, still wide awake.

The first was a Lamia by the name of Sophia, who was currently on her knees in prayer at the front of the hall of the Temple. The second, sitting with a bored expression on her face, was Black Alice. The former Monster Lord waited as the disguised Lamia continued to send up words of worship to a Goddess that was undoubtedly not listening to her.

This she knew, because Ilias now had Eden receive Monster prayers so that she could relay them to Black Alice. Much to the Seraph's displeasure. Which was something that gave the Eighth Monster Lord endless joy.

Black Alice's carmine eyes fluttered from the kneeling Sophia to the image of Ilias on the stained glass above. 'I still don't understand how you managed to get a following amongst my kind. Either Monsters as a whole have gotten softer, or you've gotten more persuasive.' The ancient Monster glanced back down, noticing that the Lamia was finally finishing up.

"...And bless the Prophet L-Luka, as he continues on his journey to save Your World." Black Alice snickered a bit at the final prayer, noticing the Monster's breath hitch. Ever since returning from her trip to Ilias Village, Sophia had shown great distress at Black Alice's mention of the boy. Which is why the ancient Monster went out of her way to mention him as much as she could.

Teasing the young and confused Lamia had become a fond pastime for Black Alice, as it was overtly easy to do so. Just saying his name seemed to throw the disguised Monster into a stuttering fit. Obviously, meeting the Angel Killer's descendent had captured a certain interest in the Lamia's heart. 'A shame, for more likely than not, your feelings will only betray you in the end. I'd know that better than anyone.' Black Alice stood from her seat to shout, "SOPHIA!"

The young Lamia squealed, hoping to her "feet" in response to the yelling, nearly tripping over the dark blue carpeting. Sophia whipped around with a look of fear, before realizing who it was. "Oh, Black Alice, it's you." The former Monster Lord smiled, giving a small curtsy before replying, "In the flesh!"

The Lamia glanced up nervously at the pale green-haired Monster, always having difficulty getting a read on her superior. "To what is it that I owe you such a visit, is there something the matter?" Black Alice folded her hands behind her baby-blue dress, moving to stand beneath the visage of Ilias.

"Oh, there is no problem. In fact, I bring great news!" Black Alice held out her hands in an attempt to seem excited. "Soon, very soon, the Temple of Ilias for Monsters will be finished, Sophia!" The Lamia's face broke into a wide smile, one that made the Eighth Monster Lord feel like vomiting.

"Is this true? That is wonderful! Where will it be at!? O thank Ilias above, I cannot wait for the day that it is finished, I want to be the first to pray there!" Black Alice gave a humorless chuckle. The former Monster Lord walked up to the Lamia, placing a hand on the shorter Monster's shoulder. "Oh, you will be for certain. For you will be running this Temple!"

Sophia felt her heart nearly stop, the news causing her to grip the collar of her blue dress. "M-Me!? Run a Temple of the Goddess herself? Bu-But I am not worthy of such an honor, surely you will be running the Temple, right?" Black Alice shook her head fiercely, not wanting to even be associated with the idea. She said, "Of course you are, who else to be in such a position but the one who meet the glorious Prophet Luka himself!?"

Sophia blushed in a mixture of embarrassment and pride from the older Monster's words, with a touch of fondness for the aforementioned boy causing her to squirm some. Meeting Luka had been a very moving experience that nearly led the Lamia to committing sin, but she had resisted temptation and reported back to Black Alice as soon as she could without trying to engage in any lewd actions with the boy.

Although, in the late hours of the night, the Lamia found that more and more her dreams would come back to that night to wonder how else things could have ended...

The Former Monster Lord shook Sophia's body a bit with her hand, pulling Sophia away from her thoughts with another bit of news. "And so, I'm going to have you travel to help me collect our congregation of Monster followers. Once you have finished doing so, the Temple should be finished and ready for our kind." The Lamia smiled, clapping her hands together with joy.

"This is a monumental occasion! Where do I begin, Black Alice? I want to get started right away!" The former Monster Lord smiled dangerously, reaching back into a side pocket on her dress. She lifted a folded piece of paper into the air, dramatically handing it over to the disguised Lamia. Sophia cupped the piece of paper in her hand. Before the Monster could even ask, Black Alice explained:

"That list is a record of your fellow soon-to-be Sisters, Sophia. They will be the ones that you take to our new Temple." The Lamia nodded, feeling a huge responsibility being put on her shoulders. Black Alice looked down at the Lamia with a teasing smile. "Go ahead and read that first name, Sophia. Memorize all of them."

"O-Of course" Sofia exclaimed, reading over the first name. Black Alice smirked, knowing the punchline already. The Lamia read off the first name with gusto. "Okay, first one is Christie. She is a newly converted Sister from the Noah region. She is a..." Sofia froze, causing Black Alice to cover her mouth, cackles nearly escaping the former Monster Lord's throat.

"... A-A-A Su-Succubus!?"

A much fluffier chapter this time, with a bit of movement in the background with Black Alice and Sophia. So, a bit more uneventful, but we get to see a bit more of Luka's and Alice's relationship here. I kind of wanted to instill a sense of underlying tension between them, in more ways than one. Not sure how successful I was, but I liked the idea of stretching out their stay at the Inn just a tad.

To make it clear if it isn't apparent yet, but this fanfic doesn't follow any video game rules/logic. So Alice will not be giving Luka any "training" to build resistance to pleasure, especially as I am not having things like "pleasure attacks" here in this fic. So expect their relationship to not get that level of intimacy for a while. I want to give them sort of a medium burn right now, which is why I'm going to be sprinkling hints of mutual attraction here and there.

Guest: I'm telling you, I am pretty excited for when we get to Luka and Lazarus interacting. That will make for an compelling situation, I believe.

Guest: I'm glad to hear that, I was somewhat worried that it wouldn't be easy to read/envision.