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Freya leaned to one side in her seat, as she looked out over Orario. There was another young, beautiful soul present. The second most beautiful she'd ever seen. If she had not been captured by her Cassandra, the youth would surely have stolen her heart instead.

It was a tantalizing thing. Not for the chance to abandon her Cassandra, but the curiosity of it. Ten thousand years of watching souls, of observing their every movement, and she had found her first and second most beautiful souls within a year of one another. Orario was incredible, but was it that incredible?

She idly shifted her feet atop Kenet's back; the man no longer complained of such treatment. Understanding the balance of probabilities was important. Assume across the previous ten thousand years, she must see the two most beautiful people; the odds of them coming so close together were about one in five thousand. If it were merely to be because Orario gathered and spit-shined souls... but no. Her Cassandra and the new one were novelties, when she had seen them for the first time. Unforged youth.

She did not think it was a coincidence. She thumped one finger against her cheek in a thoughtful, repetitive motion.

Did one cause the other? Her Cassandra, so inspirational, drove the new youth to become better? Perhaps. Her Cassandra was certainly inspirational. The entire adorably silly act of dressing up in a bat costume to fight crime was motivated (in part) by a desire to inspire others, though she had yet to see the new one dress up like some type of flying squirrel to fight crime.

She would have to actually check on the new girl, she supposed. She removed her feet from Kenet's back, standing up and stretching - Kenet immediately got behind her, massaging her shoulders with all the skill he could bring to bear, which was a tad more than it once had been.

He was getting better. It was so tedious, though, working a person over like this. She couldn't imagine why people even bothered with men like this. Simply select a man who is excellent from the start; then, if you improve him, you have transformed the person from beautiful to gorgeous, rather than ugly into plain.

* * *

Bella was making her way up the staircase with the rest of her party; Naomi was pushing her tits into Drake's arm, panting into his ear as she rubbed at his butt. It was really, really... something, alright. Drake had saved Naomi from getting attacked by a kobold, and Naomi was apparently the kind of girl who really liked a strong, protective, guy, gauging by the way her hand was slipping into his pants to- o-okay, she really shouldn't be staring at this! Her cheeks heated up as she realized what she was doing, and for a moment she just moved up the staircase like a piece of clockwork.

"Bella," Setsuko said. "I'm sorry if you feel uncomfortable, but Naomi likes making that sort of expression of affection... you don't have to feel-"

What Bella didn't have to feel, she didn't find out, because the awkwardness of that conversation was too much! She darted up the steps, taking them two at a time, bounding along them with intensity and force, feeling the heat in her cheeks as she just ran up. By the time she was out of the tower, she'd gotten a decent amount of distance from the trio, and headed to the public showers to wash off the monster blood.

She didn't head straight home after that, instead starting to wander. She didn't want to stumble on Drake pounding Naomi into blissful oblivion in the middle of the living room. Her cheeks heated up at that thought, and not because she was embarrassed - though, after a second, she became embarrassed, smacking her face. Grandpa! This was all Grandpa's fault! He'd stuck all these dirty ideas in her head and now she was acting like a creepy voyeur! Drake, forgive me!

"You dropped this," a female voice said from behind her, and Bella turned on the voice in question. It was a gray-haired girl, not much older than her, though definitely taller, holding out a single monster gem.

"Oh, thanks," Bella replied, smiling. It must have fallen into her boot or something, and then fallen out. She took the stone from the other girl. "It's nice to know that people in Orario are so nice!"

The girl tittered at that, one hand going to her mouth. "Well, maybe some people," she said, tilting her head gingerly to one side, a warm smile on her lips. "You know, I work at that maid cafe, and I'm sure that Mama Mia is going to start yelling at me any second now-"

"SYR!" Came a booming female voice from the building in question.

"Right! Please come by! Now?" She suggested, eyes big and pleading.

"W-well, okay," Bella said, making Syr light up with a smile.

"You promised!" She said, poking Bella right on the nose, then half-skipping back to the building inq uestion. Bella swallowed as she watched the other girl go, then followed after her uncertainly.

* * *

Bella sat awkwardly in one of the booths, legs kicking back and forth beneath her like she was a little kid. This place was really expensive! Would she really be able to afford it? Even just a bowl of rice cost, like, 300 valis!

"Hello," Syr said, making Bella bolt up in surprise, and the older girl giggle. "You are too cute," she said, reaching out for Bella's cheek and just giving it a playful little pinch. "It makes me want to just eat you up," she said, grey eyes flashing. Bella's throat bobbed as they momentarily locked eyes, and then Syr continued. "Right! So, what will you be having?"

"I... I don't know if I can afford much," Bella said.

"Aren't you an adventurer?" Syr asked, tilting her head to one side - then she gave Bella's shoulder a pat. "Just pick something cheap, don't worry about it! I invited you in, you don't have to feel like you're imposing!"

"Th-then, I'll have a bowl of rice," Bella said.

"Great! To drink?"

"U-um..." She really didn't want to spend that much of her (very limited) money! Setsuko would probably help her out, but she didn't want to impose.

"Actually, I'll buy you something nice, Bella," she said, smiling. "Some hard lemonade, do you know what that is?" Bella just shook her head. "It's lemonade with a kick, just the thing to help you calm down a little."

Bella didn't really know how lemonade could help her calm down, but she nodded. A minute or so later, Syr was back, planting a bowl of rice in front of her, as well as a tall glass of lemonade. It definitely had a kick to it, almost making Bella choke in surprise when the flavor hit her tongue, which just prompted Syr to giggle at the show. Bella felt her cheeks heat up in response to that.

"Oh, don't worry! It's your first time drinking alcohol, right?"

W-wait, alcohol? Was that what hard lemonade meant? Bella felt her cheeks grow even hotter at that. She hadn't realized! She took another sip, though much more uncertainly this time. "U-um, yes," Bella said.

"Well, I'm glad to be the one to pop that cherry for you, Bella," Syr said, giving her a playful wink. She was so flirty! Crazy flirty! It was her job, but- "I'm on my break right now, by the way," she added. "I'm here just for you, not for work."

Bella's throat bobbed in response to that. Was - was she being flirted with?! She'd never been flirted with before! Plus, she liked Drake! "Thanks," Bella said, instead of anything she was thinking, which just made Syr giggle.

"Have you heard the news about the Bat of Daedalus?" Syr asked. Bella just shook her head - she didn't even know who the Bat of Daedalus was! "Every city has its bad neighborhoods," Syr explained, "and Daedalus Street is Orario's. The man who made it turned it into an above-ground labyrinth, so it's really hard for police to work there. Even the locals only barely know how to get around." Bella listened with rapt attention - Syr was basically describing it as a spooky story. "So it's natural that the criminal element moved there. There were protection rackets. Robberies. Rapes. Criminals hiding out from everybody else. And then came the Bat of Daedalus. A single, swift, armored adventurer, wearing a black cape, wearing a black wooden mask in the shape of a bat. She swept into the place and struck down villain after villain!"

Obviously Bella listened to every word! This was exactly the sort of story she liked to hear! She sucked on the straw in her lemonade.

"There was the Nyx familia. The big dogs, in the little pond. They went around and demanded money from the locals, what little they had, in exchange for safety. Safety from what? Them, of course. The Bat of Daedalus didn't like that. She stepped in. She fought them. Broke their leader's sword. I was even kidnapped by the gang, to try to use as a hostage against her! She saved my life!" Bella's eyes just grew wide as she slurped obliviously on her hard lemonade. "But in the end, she stopped them. Today, she sweeps through the air above Daedalus Street, striking down every would-be villain, teaching those who are tempted that there is no profit to their temptations. The Bat of Daedalus will find them."

"Wow," Bella breathed out, then belched, realizing she'd drunk the whole glass of lemonade while Syr had been speaking. "She sounds amazing."

Syr sighed wistfully. "She is..." She sounded like she liked that girl. "You've never heard of her before?" Bella just shook her head. "Hmm... so who have you heard of?"

"Oh! Lots of people in Orario! The Braver, Amazon and Jormungand, Nine Hells, Sword Princess, Dark Knight, Black Agony, Happy Ending, Human Rex, Titania, Vanargand, Antianeira..."

"Those are all members of the Loki familia," Syr said. "Are you a fan of Loki?"

Bella scratched her cheek. "I mean... not particularly. Grandpa had a grudge against Loki. He said, Why does she get away with groping so many beautiful women, while I-?! and things like that." Syr laughed a little at that. "I just know a lot about it because Drake knows a lot about it." Syr's expression froze at that. "He has all sorts of cool stories, kind of like you! Did you know he fought the Ishtar familia?"

"Yes, everyone in Orario knows that," Syr said, her voice suddenly sour. "How do you know Drake?"

"Well, he's married to Setsuko, who's the captain of my familia." She blushed a bit. "I was actually kind of wandering around when you saw me drop that magic stone, because I was pretty sure he wanted some alone time with her and Naomi," Bella admitted.

"Do you like him?" Syr's voice was serious. Sharp. Cold, even. All the flirtiness from earlier was gone.

"He's really nice, and thoughtful, and he's like, really good." And apparently amazing at sex, given the noises his wives make when he fucks them! "As in, a good person! Plus, he's strong! He just reached Level Five, he's pretty much only second to the Dark Knight in terms of records! And they're a couple, so... it's kind of like a storybook romance, except he's got, um... a lot of wives." How many was it?

"Twelve wives," Syr said. "Unless he's added a new one." She sounded sour. "Have you met Cass?"

"Cass- you mean the Dark Knight?" Syr nodded. "Oh, no. I wish I could! She's the most amazing female adventurer alive right now, pretty much! She's a Level Six now! After only a little over a year!"

"I know Cass. She comes here with Erza sometimes." Syr hummed thoughtfully for a moment, then reached over for Bella's hand, her fingers gently running along the bare skin, making Bella feel an intense blush run across her face, heating up brighter and brighter. "You're very cute, Bella," she said.

"A-ah?"

"You are just soooo cute..." Bella's throat bobbed. She'd never b-been hit on like this! That was what was happening, right? "You're just my type." Bella felt her cheeks get even brighter at that. Syr took a hold of Bella's hand, as if to keep her from running off, pulling the hand up to her lips, kissing at the knuckles, staring up at Bella. It was r-really something! Her lips felt nice, but Bella... Bella liked- "Mm, sorry," Syr said, letting go of Bella's hand. "Looks like I'm a little tipsy too!" She said, with a playful, flirty smile and wink. "I normally don't get nearly so aggressive, even when I like a girl! It took forever for me to ask Cass out properly."

"W-wait, the Cass?" Bella sputtered, her brain reorienting from the strangeness of being hit on by Syr. "But I thought- I thought she was married to Drake?"

"Well, yes," Syr agreed. "In order to date her, I have to fuck him, you see. He uses my love for Cass against me like that, and he can be such a bully." She said it lightly and in a friendly way, but Bella was pretty sure she was mad about it. Would Drake really bully somebody like that? She must be misunderstanding something! "After he gets done fucking Cass right in front of me, while all I can do is suck on her fingers-" Bella's cheeks were rapidly turning bright red again, her eyes widening, "-he makes me get down on my knees and suck him off. Makes me clean her juices off his dick. He even acts like he's doing me a favor."

"I-um, I," Bella sputtered out. This was way too much information! Way too much! "I should get going thank you for the drink!" She just dashed out of the Hostess of Fertility, hurriedly rushing into the street, her ears steaming from what she'd just heard. Would Drake really-? Things like that-?

No way, right?!

She... well... ahh! She couldn't just ask Drake! She couldn't just ask the guy she liked about his sex life like that! Ahhh!

* * *

So. The new soul, the runner up in beauty to her Cassandra, was not inspired by the girl in question. Yet, just like Cassandra, the girl was entranced by Drake Holt.

There were three main possibilities. The first was that love for Drake didn't just enhance one's falna, but polished their soul, at least a bit. That was... plausible, she supposed. It wasn't something she liked to imagine. If she handed Drake Mia, or Anya, or Heath - would their souls become so polished? But Ryu's didn't seem particularly better, since her love for him. Perhaps since he had helped her meet Alise again, but... hm.

The second possibility was that it was mere coincidence. Grave coincidences sometimes happened. One in a thousand chances happened one in a thousand times. But when you added in the quite beautiful souls of Koriand'r and Erza Scarlet, and the unusual appearances of the souls of Drake himself, the filthy maggot-soul, Rei Maxwell, and Ganko Kimura... that did not feel too compelling an answer.

The third possibility was something else. Something stranger. Drake had that ability to see the future of love matches, or at least so he claimed - the idea that she would not make a good wife for Cass obviously showed the lack of accuracy of his methods - so perhaps he was merely plucking the fruit before it could grow? Perhaps Fate itself was his co-conspirator? He sometimes referred to walking on, or plucking, a "strand of fate." Maybe that was what had happened.

It would explain why her Cassandra was so smitten with him, at least.

She idly shifted her feet on Kenet's back. He made a better footstool than he had ever made a husband; she knew that much, at least, from when he opened that stupid mouth of his to mention his wife.

* * *

Cass sat, perched on the edge of a rooftop, looking down over Daedalus Street. She still felt... so distant... from everything. She thought that she had died, and it had made her happy. She had been ready to die, to pass on. Now she was dragged back to the land of the living, to the reality that here were the living, and if the dead were anywhere, she didn't know where.

Far below her, a young man looked at a young woman with an untoward amount of lust in his heart, and she leapt from rooftop to rooftop, approaching rapidly; then she saw him look around for any sign of her, but missing her entirely. Despite that, he changed his mind. She smiled at that.

It was the one good thing in her life. The knowledge she had done that.

* * *

Cass yawned as she approached the Twilight Manor, arms stretching upwards - and then she noticed a petite, white-haired girl, kneeling next to the gate, her cheek pressed against her knees as she drooled in her sleep. Strange. She approached the gate, and the guard spoke up. "The girl's waiting for you. Another one of Drake's, I think." He didn't like that Drake had so many lovers. That was okay. Cass liked it, because she liked seeing people happy, and Drake made his lovers happy. Her opinion was the important one, since she was the one in the relationship.

Cass turned her attention to the girl. After a few seconds' consideration, she poked the girl's cheek. She just let out a blubbered noise in her slumber. "Wake up," Cass said, poking her cheek again.

"Mmm, Grandpa... it's too early, the sun's not up..." Cass poked her a couple more times, and then the girl suddenly jerked away, her head spinning around for a moment before she saw Cass herself, her eyes going wide. "Dark Knight!" She shouted, hurriedly getting to her feet, standing up stock straight then bowing deeply. "Sorry to bother you! And also sorry to fall asleep while waiting to bother you! I'm Bella Cranel!"

"It's... okay..." Cass said. "What... is it?"

"Um..." Bella pushed her fingers against one another in an awkward way. "Haha, sorry," she said, scratching the back of her head, while Cass just quietly waited for her to talk. "Um... do you... I mean, Syr said... that you, and her, and Drake..." Her cheeks were starting to burn as she mumbled her way to the question.

Cass didn't need to hear the question, though. She knew it already. "Yes... Syr... loves me, and... not Drake... we do... some things... together," she explained.

"Oh. Does Drake... b-b-b-b-" her cheeks grew hot as she considered asking the full question, then she started to dart off. Cass just snapped a hand out, grabbing her by the wrist, and for a moment the sudden snap-stop sent Bella careening towards the ground, but Cass set her upright again. "Ah! Sorry! Sorry sorry, it's a really inappropriate question."

"Do you want... to do things with Drake?" Cass asked, making Bella's eyes get enormous and her cheeks turn scarlet. She did. "You can... if you want..." Drake was very accepting of love, and it was the main thing that he wanted in a sexual partner: for them to care for him. It was clear that Bella had romantic feelings for Drake. "He'd be... happy..." she told the girl, who was still panicky and anxious as she held her wrist.

"H-h-happy?" Bella squeaked out, her original question forgotten in that moment. "He l-likes me?"

Cass knew he had mentioned Bella, and he had moved like he liked her. He found her... cute. He had not realized she was romantically interested in him, so he hadn't thought of her that way... but he would, if he knew she was interested in him like that. "Yes," Cass said.

"I, um, I," she sputtered out. She pulled a bit at Cass's hand, but Cass maintained her grip - the girl was just anxious, and needed somebody to stop her from doing anything crazy. "B-b-but, he's, does he- does he bully Syr?" She got out, at last, the question she'd meant to ask right from the beginning.

"Yes," Cass said, and Bella's cheeks burned, "but... Syr..." She tried to find the right words for it, which she wasn't good at. "Is happy... being bullied," she explained. "He doesn't... smack her... or anything... just teases... a little... she's the one who..." She trailed off, again, struggling with the words. "Who... does things... to him... because she doesn't want him... to do things... to me," she finished. If Syr was really upset, then she wouldn't do the things she did.

"O-oh," Bella said, her entire face looking red as a tomato by this point. She was definitely finding that dynamic strange. "Th-thank you, Dark Knight, can I, um, go?" She asked, nervously. Cass let her go. There was a brief moment of silence, the pair staring at one another. "Thank you! Sorry to bother you!" She dashed off a moment later, leaving Cass alone; Cass went back into the Twilight Manor.

The Twilight Manor was... a home. Her home. She had gotten used to it. It was full of people. The ones who felt like they were second string, the ones who felt like they were first. It was late at night, so most people were asleep, but the Dungeon had a way of messing with your sense of time, when you spent a long time in it. Bete was up, legs kicked up on a table, chomping down angrily on a hunk of meat. "Heard you hit Level Six," he half-growled at her, obviously feeling insecure. "Your hubby hit Five?"

Cass nodded. He growled at that, taking an even deeper bite of the meat. He felt jealous of Drake. Not because he was interested in her, but because he was interested in Ais, and Ais was having sex with Drake now. "There are... people who like you..." she said.

"Fuck off," he told her, hurling the bone of the meat at her head. She caught it out of the air easily. "Only pipsqueaks and small fries. I don't want one of those," he explained. "I want a real woman."

She felt bad for him. He was... wallowing, in his pain.

Was she wallowing in her pain? The pain of the death she'd caused?

No. It was different. She was guilty. It was what she had done. He was upset because of his past. She tossed the bone into a small bin, hitting the rim and then falling inside. "Good luck," she said, which didn't make him feel better, but she didn't know what could.

She headed back up to the bedrooms, hearing the sounds coming from inside each. She could identify their contents by their breathing. In that one, Drake was having sex with Julia and two Reis; in that one, Drake was quietly holding Haruhime in his arms, while Kori hugged him in turn from behind; and in that one, Drake was cuddling with Noriko, Erza, Lena, and Jahanara, in a giant cuddle pile.

Cass contemplated which one, if any, to use... Drake had six bodies, but she only knew where three of them were. Probably one was with Setsuko and Naomi at Setsuko's house. That still left... she counted on her fingers... two.

Ais's footsteps interrupted her thoughts. She was wearing dog ears on her head, a collar on her neck, and a tail fell out from under her skirt, like it was attached to her panties, and was walking towards the bedrooms. "Hello," Ais said.

"Hi," Cass replied. "Drake is... busy right now," she explained.

"He can still have sex with me," was Ais's simple response. "That body is not having sex," she explained, pointing to the one where he was cuddling with Haruhime and Kori, "nor is that one."

Drake liked just cuddling with his wives. Cass didn't really want to interrupt that. "Maybe... we could practice... instead?"

"I am dressed for sex, though." Ais reached down for the tail, tugging on it; by the way her body moved, it was attached to her panties, not something else.

"Then... get changed," Cass suggested.

Ais looked at her. "But I want to have sex."

"Later?" Cass offered. Ais pouted, stared at the doors, then nodded, and the pair made their way back towards Ais's bedroom.

"Ah, Ais-" Riveria started as she saw Ais, then processed what Ais was wearing. "What- what are you wearing?!"

"I am dressed like a fuckpu-"

"No!" Riveria said, slamming her hand over Ais's mouth as she rushed forward. "Stop saying that! Stop- stop dressing like that! You're acting completely obscene!"

Ais mumbled beneath Riveria's hand, and after a few moments' consideration, Riveria released her hand. "Sex with Drake is very good."

That made Riveria's cheeks heat up, but not out of embarrassment for Ais. Embarrassment of her own? She... wanted sex with Drake? "Do you want... sex with Drake?"

"N-no! Absolutely not! Do not go around saying such things!" Riveria said, huffing. She was lying, but Cass didn't think it would be helpful to point that out. "If you do, soon enough the whole city will think that this entire familia is nothing but- but Drake's harem!"

"Okay," Cass said. "Ais was... going to change... clothes," she said.

"Good! And stop wearing that sort of thing around the Manor! People will start talking!" Riveria pointed at Ais angrily. Ais stared at her finger, then simply nodded in agreement.

* * *

Cass sighed in pleasure as cool water washed over her sweat-slick skin, clearing away the consequences of her sparring practice with Ais. She stretched once she was out, feeling uninhibited, even cheery, after an intense workout, while Ais was a bit more sluggish, but similarly satisfied.

When she got dressed again - in a light shirt and loose pants, instead of any equipment - she was pleased to see Drake outside. "Hey, Cass," he said, reaching out to take hold of her hip, pulling her into a hug, leaning down to kiss her on the lips. She just sighed into his mouth, hands going to his back, gently running along it. He had been extra affectionate since she had almost died. He touched her a lot more, which she liked, and hugged her more, and just wanted to cuddle and spend time with her whenever she wasn't out watching over Daedalus Street. She did like it. She liked the way he... wanted her, now.

She felt a little guilty about that. He only wanted her that much because he was sad about her almost dying. When he broke off the kiss, she spoke up. "Ais... was looking for you."

"Mm." Drake said, glancing at the showers Cass had just emerged from. "I was looking for you."

"There was another girl... Bella Cranel... she was looking for you... too," Cass continued.

Drake seemed mildly surprised by that, but also didn't seem to want to hear Cass talk about other girls at the moment. He kissed her forehead, then her nose, making her giggle a little as he started to kiss all over her cheeks and ear.

Ais came out at that point. Cass heard as she stood there, still for a moment, just watching as Drake paused his kisses - then she spoke. "Arf arf. I'm your fuckpuppy," Ais said, and Cass felt Drake get hard, his cock rubbing at her where their bodies pressed into another. She could tell he felt embarrassed about getting hard to that, when he was kissing her. "Please have sex with me, arf arf."

"You... really could get better at dirty talk, Ais," he said. "I want to spend some time with Cass."

"I like it..." Cass said, her voice soft. Drake leaned back, meeting her gaze, cool grey eyes staring down into hers. "When you're with... other girls," she said. She didn't want... the way things were between her and Drake, to make it so that Ais didn't get to have sex.

Drake kissed her lips again. "Alright then. Come on, Ais," he said, taking Cass's hand, lacing his fingers together with hers. He held onto her like he was afraid that she would be taken away from him if he let go - because that's exactly what he was afraid of. Ais moved over to the other side of him, latching onto his arm greedily, a small pout on her lips. She was jealous of Drake paying more attention to Cass, but didn't want to say it... or didn't know it, to say it.

Soon enough, though, the trio were in an unoccupied bedroom, and Drake's attention was entirely on Cass, kissing at her neck hungrily, as his hands pulled down her pants and panties together, his fingers groping and squeezing her thighs and buttocks as she got him naked. Ais stared quietly from one side, her gaze more upset than anything else, while Drake only broke off sucking on Cass's neck for long enough to pull her shirt off; once it was gone, he refocused his attention on her bra, kissing his way around to her collar bone, her sternum, paying extra attention to every inch of bare flesh.

Of course, Cass wasn't enjoying herself. Drake was very good at sex, and trying very hard, but Ais was very much unhappy being left to just watch as another woman had sex. "Do Ais, first," Cass said, and Drake pulled back from her breasts, as if surprised, then looked over at the fidgeting Ais.

"Help her out," Drake said, after a moment's thought. "She, uhh, just kind of rides me like a maniac, hard for me to advise her what to do." Cass nodded, getting up from the bed and going over to Ais, while Drake got himself naked, showing off his body. It was flawless - not a single scar anywhere. She liked it. The way the muscles moved, the way he moved, was so distinctively him. Cass just watched (and so did Ais) as Drake stripped, her own hands quietly removing Ais's clothes, the slender girl soon exposed to open air.

Cass contemplated the pair for a second. She had never seen them have sex. "Lie down," she said to Drake, moving behind Ais to help the other girl position herself, straddling Drake. "Let me... guide you," she told Ais.

"Okay," Ais agreed, as Cass shifted behind Ais, taking hold of her hips in either hand. Drake's eyes wandered both their bodies freely, and he reached up to pluck the strand of Fate from in between Ais's breasts, before starting to softly play with them. He knew what he was doing, having clearly paid quite a bit of attention on the subject before with Ais. Cass watched for a few seconds, wondering if there was any changes that Drake could make, and then reached down to gently rotate his wrist just the right way, making Ais shiver softly in response to the touch.

Drake continued to play with her breasts just like that. Cass, for her part, returned both hands to Ais's hips, and started to slide her down Drake's cock. "Squeeze," she said, knowing that his cock would be at just the right point in her own pussy - and Drake squirmed, but not as strongly as he would have normally. She paused Ais's hips. "Harder," she repeated, and Ais squeezed again, but once again, not quite right. Maybe... her insides were a little different? She pulled Ais up, and pushed her down, ordering her to squeeze, watching how drake responded, and sure enough, she found the right point, an inch or so further down Drake's cock, that got him to groan the way he would when Cass squeezed just right.

Now that that was solved, she could focus on the right angle and pace, twisting Ais's body gently forward, sliding her up and down. She'd say squeeze at the right moments, starting to get Ais into the pace of it. Based on the way Drake was responding, Ais would often grip at the right time without Cass's direction. Ais didn't say much on her own, though - she just breathed heavily as she got bounced on Drake's cock. Cass didn't think that was really right, even if Drake was enjoying himself. She didn't do much dirty talk, because she was bad at talking, but he liked dirty talk with other girls.

"Say... things," Cass said.

"Arf arf, I'm a fuckpuppy," Ais said, raising her hands up in front of her, mimicking a begging dog pose. Drake definitely liked that, so Cass upped the pace a bit, to match his excitement. "Arf arf. I'm your fuckpuppy." Drake really liked that, playing with her breasts that little bit more enthusiastically, his attention at least temporarily utterly on Ais.

Then that thing that Drake did took effect, and Ais immediately started orgasming hard, her pussy squeezing and gripping at his dick wildly, her eyes unfocusing as her breathing grew ever more ragged. Cass started to change how she pumped Ais up and down Drake's cock, from frantic and forceful, to more considered and controlled, finding just the right way to use Ais's body to best please Drake. She also made a mental note of what to do, modeling how she'd make adjustments for the slight differences in height and build and the internal structure of their sexes.

Drake moved his hands away from Ais's breasts at that point, leaning up on the bed, staring at Ais's wild eyes. He leaned in, giving her a kiss on the lips, soft and first, then sucking on her lower lip, then on her tongue - but there was something workmanlike in his movements, forced rather than eager. His hands went forward, past Ais's body, groping Cass's butt - and after a few long seconds of kissing Ais, he broke off the kiss, leaving the girl to gasp and pant before leaning past her, pulling Cass into a kiss.

Cass felt her cheeks heat up a little, as he so obviously ignored Ais to instead focus on her, his hand running through her short hair, holding her against him as they sandwiched Ais between their naked bodies. For him, the position was more about getting close to Cass, though Ais was definitely enjoying it as well, every point of contact on her skin intensifying her pleasure that little bit. Cass let herself get lost in the kiss - Ais didn't mind, clearly - and soon enough, Ais was taking over pumping herself on Drake's cock, albeit with a limp, awkward pacing. She just quietly moaned in place, enjoying herself quite a lot, and wanting more at the same time.

Cass did her best to start pumping Ais on Drake's cock in that position, to try to find the pace that she'd liked best earlier, but given the way that she responded to every movement with spasming pleasure, it was hard to find it again. Plus, Drake was being very distracting, kissing her hungrily, desperately, slurping on her tongue and trying to worm his own tongue extra deep inside her, mashing her face into his. He really, really wanted to kiss her, wanted to just smother her in his attention, and that did make her feel very loved. She let herself get lost in that kiss, in the intense passion that Drake put into it.

Occasionally, Cass would glance over at Ais, wanting to make sure the other girl was okay, and she always was, just moaning against Drake, coming to rest her chin awkwardly against his shoulder, when she wasn't getting pumped on his cock too rapidly, which would make her head bob frantically. Her pussy spasmed continuously around his cock, her whole body shivering in place, as she enjoyed herself. She wrapped her arms around Drake in a bear hug, and started trying to mumble under her breath: "Arf, arf."

Eventually, Drake came inside of Ais, still kissing Cass at the same time, groaning into her mouth as he found release inside another woman. Cass broke off the kiss at that point, enjoying watching Drake's cute o-face, the way his eyes closed, his mouth half-open, smiling all the while. Then both he and Ais tumbled backwards onto the bed, Ais practically collapsing atop him, idly grinding her pussy against his pelvis as she panted into his ear.

"Ais," Drake said, gently taking hold of Ais's hips, hefting her up and off his cock. "Now Cass gets a turn, okay?" Ais nodded, half-aware, and he rolled her onto her back on the bed, where she was left to pant and heave and recover. Cass moved to straddle him, but he just grabbed her by the hips, twisting her around onto her back beneath him and attacking her lips quite forcefully, his whole weight trying to pin her down, as if trying to capture her that way, to keep her from ever leaving him as his fingers clasped her cheeks.

Drake's cock found its way into her slick sex with the sort of precision that only adventurers could pull off. His tongue flashed against her gums and tongue and palate, making her shiver beneath him. His cock pumped away, this grinding, impassioned movement, just wanting to drink in the feeling of her pussy around his cock, rubbing all over her insides, making her gasp and squeak. "I love you," he breathed out in her ear.

It was full of extra desperate energy, making her feel his affection, his need for her, and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him against her, legs gripping his hips and grinding him inside her, making him groan in pleasure. Her hard nipples scraped against his bare chest, and she spoke. "Me... too," she told him, and his cock throbbed desperately inside her. "I love... you too... sorry for..." she trailed off, not sure how best to put it - and Drake mushed his lips against hers.

She half-moaned into his mouth, as his tongue invaded extra deep, her own tongue batting back against his eagerly. They slurped on one another's mouths like that, and she twisted her back up, pressing her breasts into his bare chest, knowing he'd enjoy the contact.

He shifted his hands away from her face, grasping her from behind, tugging her against his own body, holding her against him, clinging to her desperately as he continued to kiss. Their lips wetly smacked against one another, and Drake broke off the kiss, leaning into her, breathing heavily in his ear as his hips wiggled around, rubbing his cock all over her insides as he clasped her close. "I love you," he breathed out. "I love you."

She twisted her head, finding his lips with hers, forceful and eager, and let out a lewd noise from her throat - but he understood it. "I love you," she told him right back.

"I love you, Cass. I love you so, so much," he told her, in the form of incoherent mumbles and slaps of his lips and tongue against hers, that she understood anyway. "I want you to never leave me. I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

"I will, Drake. I love you. I lo~ove you," Cass replied, feeling her pussy quietly twitch and spasm around his cock, enjoying this conversation, understanding every word that came out of Drake's mouth thanks to that new Skill of his. "I'll never leave you. I'll always love you, just like you love me. Don't worry. Don't worry." Her muffled noises were probably lies, promises she shouldn't have made, but they made Drake more excited, more impassioned, so she didn't take them back.

"You're mine, Cass, all mine," he told her, breaking off the kiss to suckle at her neck. "Mine, mine," he smacked against her neck as he slurped there. "I love you so much, Cass. Don't ever leave me."

"I... won't," she told him, gently patting the back of his head. "I... promise," she told him, gently running her fingers through his hair.

Then he bottomed out inside her and erupted, and she just let out a long, pleasant sigh, as he shuddered atop her. When he was spent, he panted atop her, the pair of them remaining plastered together like that - until Ais spoke up.

"Arf arf, I'm a fuckpuppy who needs to get bred. I'm in heat, arf arf," Ais said.

Drake's cock twitched, even if he felt embarrassed about it, and Cass gently patted the back of his head. "Go ahead," she told him, and he pulled out of her, leaving her to watch as he moved back to Ais.

She felt strange, watching him go at it. It wasn't because of the watching - it was the conversation they'd just had. If she died, then it would hurt Drake, a lot. She felt a few tears start to sting her eyes at that thought, and her hand went up, wiping them away.

For the first time in a long time, she was really, truly, glad she was alive.

* * *

Bella face-planted into the bed next to Hestia, making the goddess jolt awake. "Bella! I was so worried about you! Drake said you just ran off after you got out of the Dungeon!"

"I'm tired," she mumbled into the pillow. She'd barely managed to walk back from the Twilight Manor. She'd barely even processed the words about Drake being interested in her, if she was interested in him. Was that even really a thing?

Hestia seemed to hesitate for a second, then leaned down to give the back of Bella's head, before curling back up into bed with her. Bella pretty much immediately passed out.

* * *

I was in the kitchen with Setsuko, offering her a little help with this and that, when I heard Bella walk into the room, yawning and stretching as she entered. I turned my attention to her, immediately, and she turned tomato red as our eyes met. "Hey, Bella," I said.

"Hi," she said, her voice tiny and quiet, more a squeak than anything else.

"Do you want to do something later today?" I'd picked Julia and Rei's thoughts for ideas on what to do as a date with Bella, since she was a genderswapped version of the canon Bell. Unfortunately, Rei was the least romantic woman ever so her contributions were pretty much useless. Julia did make some useful suggestions, though. "I was thinking I could show you around Orario. Would you like that?" Bella looked just about to faint. Maybe I was pushing too hard. "We don't have to if you don't want to."

"No! No, I do!" Bella said in a rush. I smiled at that. She was really cute. I'd been thinking of her as a cute, young girl who stared at my dick because it was the first time she'd seen one; thanks to Cass, though, I was now thinking of her as a cute, petite teen who stared at my dick because she had a crush on me.

"Great," I told her, smiling at her, and she smiled back.

* * *

Bella sat on the edge of a building's rooftop, staring out over the center of Orario. Drake had helped her climb up here, offered her handmade food - he'd made it personally! - and now they were having a little picnic. They'd talked about her life growing up, her sharing stories of her Grandpa, Drake sometimes laughing, sometimes not. Now, though, they were just admiring the view. The Tower of Babel stretched up to the heavens, and adventurers came and went, the adventuring day coming to an end. It was an incredible view of all sorts of diverse people: big parties, little parties, tall, short, hume bunnies and bulls and elves and even pallums! Drake would occasionally point out somebody to her, who was a race she'd never seen before!

He was so cool, and knowledgeable, and mature. She smiled over at him, her heart pounding that little extra bit as he finished off his own sandwich. "You want another?" He asked, holding open the basket, and she shook her head. He licked his lips, then wiped his fingers off on his shirt, which, okay, was a little gross, but hey! He could be a little gross! "Alright. Now it's time for the grand finale," he told her.

"The grand finale?" She asked.

"Yep," Drake said, hopping to his feet, then grabbing her under the shoulders, hefting her up into the air. He was really strong. That was the power of a Level Five. She wasn't worried, though - she felt safe around him. He'd always protected her so far. He planted her on his shoulders, and she expected him to jump down to the ground level, maybe take her out dancing or something. Instead, he planted his foot on thin air, and started to walk out.

She knew he could do that - she'd seen him, hovering over them, in the Dungeon - but she'd sort of assumed there was some sort of height limit. Like, he could only go 20 feet up, or something. But he was just walking upward, corkscrewing his way up an invisible staircase, making a long, circuitous route around the Tower of Babel. Her heart pounded in her chest as she saw Orario more and more from above, more and more as the gods saw it, the thick masses of people transmuting into pinprick ants, busily going around their days.

Eventually, Drake stopped, and Bella just stared out in awe over the city. She had seen maps of the city, but this was - this was the city! If she sketched out what she saw right now, it would be a map! There was something incredible and new about that, and Bella just drank it all in.

Drake's hands rested on her thighs, holding her in place on his shoulders, and she felt serenely safe up there, no matter how high up she was, because she trusted that Drake would never let her fall. Her fingers clung to his hair, holding herself in place atop him, but her attention was on the city below. Should I ask him to go down there? Oh, what is that building?

Then she realized that Drake's hands were on her thighs.

Not in the nice sense that his hands were holding her up (which was nice).

But the sense that his hands were right there, and that meant his head was right there, and that meant her groin... and his head... and he was that close, and, and...

Her cheeks lit up, her whole body going still in embarrassment. She was practically being felt up! No, it wasn't like that, he wasn't doing it like that, he was just holding her, that was it! He was innocent! But that just made her more dirty for thinking about it! She was basically tricking the guy she liked into groping her, that was the kind of thing that Grandpa would do! He'd even brag about it, the old perv!

"C-can we go b-back down?" Bella asked, not wanting him to realize how unbelievably perverted she really was! This was all Grandpa's fault! If it hadn't been for him, she never would have thought about something like that!

"Sure, Bella," Drake said, slowly stepping back down around the Tower. "Don't worry. I've got you," he said, completely misinterpreting the reason she was so nervous! Which just made her more guilty, which made her cling to him tighter. "Really, I do," he told her, a soft smile audible in his voice.

"I know you do," she said, in a whispery, quiet voice.

He just gave her thigh a reassuring pat, which of course, didn't help at all!

* * *

Freya stared at the scene, as Drake walked right past the front of her window, Bella firmly on his shoulders. His sapphire blue soul entrancingly danced against Bella's own gorgeous, polished-clean soul, pure and inviting. It looked almost like some sensual sexual encounter - because that was how Bella was thinking of it, even if it wasn't how Drake was thinking of it.

They had walked up. Now they were walking back down.

He...

She...

This was precisely the opposite of what she meant to happen, when she had told Bella all about Drake's sadistic side!

"Kenet," she snapped out, and the filthy maggot-soul's father scrambled forward.

"Yes, my goddess?" He asked, a simpering, pitiful thing as ever. He fell to his knees when she gave him a stare.

She just kicked him in the face, which didn't make her feel any better. She planted her heel on his cheek and imagined he was Drake, and that didn't make her feel any better either. Then she sighed. She shouldn't take such things out on him. Even if he was an adventurer, strong and tough, such actions carried their own sort of psychological wounds, particularly when someone as beautiful as her did it. She removed her foot from his face.

"I'm sorry. I was cross about something that just happened. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You can make love to me, as compensation. Which position would you prefer?"

He swallowed at that, his throat bobbing, as he stared up at her body, that most beautiful of all bodies here in the lower world. "I... I think... missionary, so I can look at you?" He suggested.

He didn't make it an entire minute before ejaculating. Not that she expected any better.

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