Relicta

Mao groaned as she got up, a pounding pain in her forehead as she once again felt the familiar sensation of a bed with too many bodies stacked on top of it. Her voice came out hoarse, but she regret even making a noise as she realized why she was in the bed.

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She tried to go back to sleep.

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"We know you're awake, Meowy." Licia said crossly. "We can't keep calling Lena down here to heal you."

"Damn." Mao muttered.

"Do you have something to tell us?" A voice asked from her side.

"...No?"

"Meowy, please. Don't you think we deserve to know?"

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Mao bit her lip as she tilted her head to the side. She wished she could have had just a little more time having fun with the girls, before she was forced to confront… the truth.

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"Just a little longer…" She sighed.

"Meowy." Licia said, seriously. "Come on."

"No, I didn't mean…" Mao shook her head, regretting the action as it sent pain shooting through her head. "I'll tell you guys everything."

"We're listening."

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"Okay, okay... I'll... start... when I left all those years ago. I wandered the streets for a bit, begging for food... but eventually I got work dealing Nepenthe." Mao started.

"What!?"

"I worked under a man named Flowers." Mao continued, trying hard to ignore the shocked looks. "He said my looks sold better than the others."

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"Eventually, I worked my way up to being his direct subordinate. He trusted me more than his own family. And not soon after, I killed him and took his place as the administrator of that den. Under my administration, Alcinera grew ten times in size…" Mao clenched her fist. "But a week ago, a Judge Magister raided the branch. I escaped, but he wounded me badly. And that's when I came here. It was the… It was the only place I had left."

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Mao turned her head to the side in shame, bitterness welling up inside of her as she only saw shocked, betrayed faces.

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"I'm sorry…" She croaked. "I'm sorry, I'm an awful person, and I tricked all of you…"

"You were serious back then." Licia said quietly. "When you said that you wanted to rule the capital? Crush all the tops?"

"Yes." Mao whispered.

"Were you just using us?" A mature looking woman demanded.

"No!" Mao cried quickly. "Aeryka, I… I'm sorry, I don't want to go back, I just… I just want to be with you girls…"

"After you have nothing else left?" Aeryka said bitterly. "Meowy- or, whatever your name is. Should we call you Mao? That's the name on the wanted poster!"

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She shoved a piece of paper into Mao's face, a crude depiction of her with an incredibly high bounty attached. Mao couldn't muster up anything but a guilty look at Aeryka's betrayed expression.

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"Aeryka, wait!" Mao cried, reaching out a hand as she stormed out of the room, a few girls following her out. More and more followed, and with each one, Mao felt the sinking in her stomach grow larger and larger, as more and more of her family turned their backs on her.

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She closed her eyes, and an immensely bitter look showed on her expression. She really had lost everything, now.

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"Meowy." A voice called softly.

"Yeah?" Mao mumbled.

"Were you serious?" Licia asked. "When you said… you wanted to be with us?"

"Yes!" Mao cried softly. "I… I like being with you guys."

"What about taking over the capital?" Licia asked softly.

Mao bit her lip. "I… I won't lie to you… I… I still do."

"Then if you had to choose, which would you pick? Us, or your dream?"

"..."

"Why did you keep this from us?" Licia demanded.

"Isn't it obvious?" Mao mumbled.

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"What about the kiss? Did you do it just so we'd take care of you?"

'No!" Mao cried indignantly. "It was… it was… I… I don't… I don't know why. I just felt like doing it. I don't know why, but I feel weird when I'm around you."

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Licia was silent, but if she were a little more girly, she would definitely be blushing red right now. Mao… was clearly describing… a crush. Did she really not know what that was? Or was she just trying to coax a reaction out of Licia? Was anything about her real?

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"You're going to have to give us some time to talk this out." Licia mumbled, caressing Mao's hand, before getting off the bed and walking out of the room.

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"Mimi! I'm back!" Aless huffed, jogging up the path towards the estate.

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Mihyang smiled as she glanced at Aless, halting her painful tugging of Aisha's ears to get up and hug her girlfriend.

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"'Less…" Mimi laughed softly. "It's great to see you. Ooh… I like the new outfit. How was your first day?"

"Oh, Mimi…" Aless blushed.

"What the hell is that?" Aisha blurted, rubbing the base of her ears.

"Huh?"

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Aisha pointed to Aless's clothes, a white-button up with a purple blazer and a matching skirt, with long socks and brown shoes. Her usually tied-back hair was now let down, a cute ribbon keeping the hair out of her face.

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"It's a school uniform, Aisha." Aless said. "It's actually pretty nice. Except for this skirt…" She mumbled.

"I think it looks easy to take off." Mihyang said mischievously.

"Oh, Jeez, Mimi…." Aless mumbled, blushing… well, like a schoolgirl.

"Why'd you decide to go to school?" Aisha asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, um…" Aless looked down at her feet. "Judge Raxas has always been encouraging me to go. I just… I just, well… I realized he's probably right. This is… what Falo wanted for us. It's really weird being Kro's junior, though."

"He doesn't have any jobs?" Aisha raised an eyebrow.

"He hasn't really… done anything." Aless mumbled. "I was outside his door for a few hours yesterday, and… he didn't come out a single time. He's still… grieving."

"But didn't he go out with us to celebrate Aisha's sapphire?" Mihyang asked.

"I guess he just needs more time." Aless shrugged.

"Mmm." Aisha mumbled. "I don't know…"

"Don't know what?" Mihyang chirped.

"If that's the best course of action for him." Aisha said cryptically.

"Huh?"

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Raxas groaned as he heard a firm knocking on his office door.

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"Go away." He muttered. "Aless, I swear."

"I'm not Aless." A deep voice said.

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Raxas squinted, not recognizing the muffled voice. Not a lot of people just knocked on his door like that. Aisha, Falo, Kro, Aless… Tylich, Havel, Vayne…

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"Who is it?" He asked slowly.

"It's Bariss."

"Judge Bariss?" Raxas said incredulously.

"Yes."

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Raxas narrowed his eyes, hands slowly curling into fists, drawing his legs underneath his chair. He and Bariss had never had a history. They had never spoken alone, and the most they had even said to each other were in the debates at the summits. Raxas wondered why he would come knocking.

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His body tensed. Bariss was an enemy. An ambush?

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"I'm coming in." Bariss said, and Raxas's gaze smoldered, as the pencil in his hand turned into ash-"

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Bariss furrowed his eyebrows as Raxas fired a beam of pure heat in front of his head, going straight through the walls and into the break room next to him, where one of the lights fell out of the ceiling.

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"You're far too paranoid." Bariss grunted, bracing his hands in front of him, a brown, solid looking shield blocking the white-hot flames in front of him. "Stop that."

"Hmph." Raxas scoffed. "Why are you here, then?"

"I simply came to offer my condolences. For your loss." The large man said, expression stoic as always.

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"Hah." Raxas crossed his arms. "You think I would believe that?"

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Bariss took a deep breath as he took a seat in the chair across from Raxas, the legs and back sloppily welded together.

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"I can separate myself from the politics." He said, closing his eyes. "You are an associate who has suffered a great loss. I am offering you my condolences, simply as a man."

"Separate yourself from the politics, huh?" Raxas snorted. "What, the others can't?"

"No." He said simply. "If I was to be honest… I am the only person who deserves to govern the capital. Everybody else are just children. Playing with their toys."

"How arrogant." Raxas spat. "You really think-"

"It's not arrogance to think you are right." Bariss said calmly. "I simply do not think you should rule over others if you have issues that will cloud your judgment. Don't you agree?"

"Everyone has issues." Raxas muttered. "I have no doubt that you have your own share."

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"Sure I do." Bariss said. "Perhaps I don't have enough sympathy for others. Maybe I should spend more time with my family. But these are small things."

"You have a family..?" Raxas muttered.

"I do." Bariss nodded. "The other judges do not. This is one of the reasons I think they should not be in power."

"You think that having a family should be a prerequisite to become a judge?"

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"Having a family is evidence that you can support other people." Bariss sighed. "I respect the choice to not have one, but in a way, don't you think being a parent is similar to being an official? Your decisions decide the futures of other people. That's quite the heavy responsibility. I do not think you, or the others are ready for it."

"Hmph. You would even say that about your own teammates?"

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Bariss shook his head. "It's not about sides, James. And yes. Havel and Idra are still both children. Alune is clearly out of her mind."

"They are all well into their 30's."

"It's not about age." Bariss corrected. "Their districts are falling apart from crime. For different reasons, I suppose, but the outcome is still the same."

"At least they give their people freedom." Raxas said bitterly. "You have a district of slaves. Curfews? Jailed for speaking out against the government? Ridiculous."

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"And yet, people continue to come." Bariss countered. "This concept of freedom is, quite frankly, a farce. It is the coward's way to say that people should govern themselves. If you think you are right, then you should try your hardest to enforce the right thing."

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"It's arrogance!" Raxas slammed his hand on his desk, splinters falling off.

"It's confidence." Bariss countered calmly, a resolute look in his eyes. "My district flourishes, while the rest of the capital rots. This is what your "freedoms" have brought."

"I would rather rot a free man, than live a slave!"

"That is naive."

Raxas smoldered. "It is-"

"Didn't you exterminate a nepenthe den, just a few days ago?" Bariss asked, raising an eyebrow. "Would you not call that an exercise of authority? To barge into someone's property, and burn their homes to the ground? Exterminate them like ants? Do they not have the right to life?"

"That was different!" Raxas yelled. "They were-"

"Scum." Bariss finished. "Criminals. Exactly. And you were right to get rid of them! Nobody can say that Alcinera is not the better for it. You made a good decision. If you continue to make good decisions, then who can argue against your judgment?"

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"Not every decision I make can be argued like that." Raxas argued. "Some people might say that killing those dealers was a bad decision!"

"And those people are foolish."

"People are allowed to have their own opinions!"

"Of course they are." Bariss said, rising out of his chair calmly. "But they are fools, nonetheless. And it's in the best interests of everyone if such a thing doesn't spread."

"You're speaking like those damn Fey in Sakura." Raxas said angrily. "Like a dictator. A tyrant."

"They're winning, are they not?"

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Raxas opened and closed his mouth angrily, but no words came out. He hadn't prepared a response for that.

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"I admire your intelligence and strength." Bariss said as he walked slowly to the door, back turned to Raxas. "Honestly. I have always respected you a great deal. Without you as commander, we would certainly have lost the war a long time ago. But you are troubled, and young. And I cannot blame you for that. But Arcadia needs strong leadership right now. The world needs strong leadership. That is why I made the contract with Ifrit."

"Tch." Raxas took a deep breath out of his nose. "You're a puppet. You just don't know it yet."

"I will admit, I find that I do not enjoy golf as I did once." Bariss said, flat voice distorting the joking nature of his sentence. "But I assure you, I am no puppet."

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And with that, Bariss shut the door behind him.

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Aisha sighed as she laid across Hana's lap, the succubus's thighs sinfully soft, and yet, still a little firm, just the way Aisha liked it. But despite this, Aisha still felt… antsy. And evidently, it showed, by the way that she squirmed on Hana's lap, unintentionally tickling the big woman.

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"Hey, stop that!" Hana pouted. "I'm kind of ticklish there."

"Really?"

"Haha!" Hana giggled as Aisha put her fluffy ears on her thighs. "St-oop!"

"I feel like that's not normal."

"W-well, I mean, I do have a really sensitive body." Hana mumbled. "H-hey!"

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Hana laughed as Aisha buried the top of her head right into Hana's exposed stomach, her silky hairs and fluffy ears tormenting the poor woman, as she laughed uncontrollably, trying desperately to pry the girl off her. However, her efforts were fruitless, the light sensation draining the strength from her arms. She was trapped, with no option but to try and endure the tickle attack from the little fey.

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Aisha eventually grew tired, though, but Hana frowned. She stopped remarkably quickly for such a playful girl, and the way that she slumped her chest, arms wrapped around Hana's stomach…

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"What's wrong…" Hana sighed good-naturedly, smiling lopsidedly. "What is it this time?"

"You're alllll I have left, Hanaaaa….." Aisha moaned. "Nobody will talk to me…"

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The smile slowly disappeared off Hana's expression, and she sighed, patting Aisha on the head.

"I'm sorry about Celeste, okay?" She mumbled. "I don't know why she's so… close-minded about these things."

"Am I really a monster?" Aisha asked desperately. "Like she said?"

"Well, at first, she called me a monster too." Hana said softly. "Do you think I'm a monster?"

"No?"

"Well then, clearly you aren't either." Hana smiled. "You don't even have horns."

"I wish I had horns." Aisha pursed her lips. "They look fun to play with."

Hana rolled her eyes, smiling. "They're less fun when they're actually on you."

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Aisha just mumbled something unintelligible and dragged Hana down the bed towards her, so that she could wrap her arms around the succubus's midsection, and lay her head on her shoulder, exactly like she used to with her mistress. Hana smiled, as Aisha pulled the covers over her. She was kind of flattered that Aisha compared her so much with her ideal lover - the so called "perfect woman," that she was always describing.

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When she talked about it with Celeste, the woman was offended by it. Hana supposed it was just a difference between demons and humans - Hana didn't feel jealous. She was just glad Aisha liked her.

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"I wish we had more blankets." Aisha mumbled.

"Really?" Hana said incredulously. "It's really warm, though!"

"Not warm enough." Aisha said.

"Why?"

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Aisha suddenly… fell silent. She liked to feel warm because it made her lightheaded, made her pant. She loved to be smothered, and for her senses to be overwhelmed with fluffy feelings. But it was really embarrassing to say.

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For a while, Aisha didn't say anything, and neither did Hana. It wasn't after long that Aisha started to feel chilly. It was inevitable. There wasn't a heat source in the world that could match her mistress's loving warmth.

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But something was wrong. Suddenly, she felt like she was freezing, and the room started to dim, as even the sky looked as if the light was being drained out of it. Aisha fearfully pulled down the covers to look at Hana, but her face was frozen, stuck in a smile, that usually looked sexy and playful, but now felt chillingly uncanny, the way it was unmoving.

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"Where's my book." A voice whispered in her ear. Aisha screamed.

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"Shut up, idiot!" Feng said, annoyed, forcing a hand over Aisha's mouth. "You're so loud, you know that? And fat."

"Y-you!" Aisha said fearfully. "I-I-"

"Who's the demon?" Feng asked, motioning towards Hana's frozen smile. "Is she the person from your memories? Hrnnn… no. The proportions are off. And you don't have that dumb smile."

"What did you do to her?" Aisha asked.

"I put her in stasis." Feng explained. "I 'paused' the brainwaves in her head, so to speak. What do you know? You clearly don't understand any of this."

"Why are you here?"

"For my book." Feng said darkly. "Where is it?"

"I-I don't know! Honest!"

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Feng's bright red, mechanical-looking eyes gazed into Aisha's, unmoving, and yet, intensely calculating. For 30 seconds she stared, but for Aisha, it felt like 30 minutes.

"Hmph." Feng shifted her gaze to Hana. "Fine. It's not as if I don't have time."

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Feng all of a sudden dropped her attention from Aisha, and flitted about the room aimlessly, picking up random objects and looking at them absentmindedly. The reaper picked up a long, black pantyhose and scowled at the dirty state of the room.

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"W-what are you doing?" Aisha asked, clutching Hana's still form like a teddy bear.

"Ah, that's right." Feng muttered. "You can see me."

"H-huh?…"

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Feng rolled her eyes. "When you are immortal, you really don't have a lot to do other than watch. Don't worry, fatty. I have much better things to watch than your 'wholesome' relationship going on over there..."

"Wholesome?"

Feng furrowed her eyebrows. "You don't know that word? It means… nevermind. I'm already talking to you much more than I should."

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At the casual way that the reaper spoke, Aisha felt a small amount of relief, and her fear began to lessen. Feng was… she was human. She had… emotions. Unlike her brother, who barely spoke, and never let anything show. Ever.

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Aisha let out a deep breath she had been holding in, feeling some warmth return to her limbs, her fingers twitching under the covers.

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And with her relief, came… annoyance. She was just like that damn god - she wanted something out of Aisha, and now she had another being that she had to appease, interfering with her purpose. Every second she had to spend fighting Ifrit, cowering in fear of this damn reaper - it was a second she wasn't devoting to her mistress.

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She clenched her fists, and she bit her lip angrily. She would get rid of both of them. Somehow. She knew-

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"Don't get any ideas." Feng warned, not even facing Aisha, but somehow… she knew. "I'm not like my brother. I do not like you."

"What?"

"You may not realize this." Feng muttered. "But you are extremely lucky. You bear a striking resemblance to one of my brother's kids. That's probably why he trained you."

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A dark blade materialized in the reaper's hand, and she pointed it at Aisha's neck, letting her see Feng's mechanical, burning eyes.

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"But I assure you, I'm not as soft as he was."

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Aisha would have nodded, but she could literally see her reflection in Feng's razor sharp blade, the edge so sharp, it was see-through. She didn't even dare breathe, afraid that the motion would cut her throat.

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After a tense silence, Aisha saw the blade begin to dematerialize, and Feng's body went with it, the color beginning to return to her surroundings, and the warmth beginning to return. Soon, there was nothing left of Feng's body, save for the burned image of her eyes into Aisha's head.

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"A-Aisha?" Hana asked suddenly. "You're kind of… hugging me really tight."

"Sorry!" Aisha squeaked cutely.

"Your lip's bleeding…" Hana said, furrowing her eyebrows, as she took Aisha's lip in between her thumb and index finger. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing." Aisha said, rubbing her face furiously. "It's just… frustrating."

"What's frustrating?"

"I feel… I feel helpless again." Aisha said, her face upset. "I thought… I thought once I got this soul, I would be free to do whatever i want. But now I just have more people that want things from me… more things I have to do. It's just so frustrating! Why can't things just be good, for once!?"

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At Aisha's outburst, Hana didn't really know what to say, so she just wrapped her arms around Aisha's head, pressing the little fey into her chest.

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"You smell good." Aisha mumbled.

"Good enough to eat?" Hana teased.

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In response, Aisha opened her mouth wide and sucked on Hana's cheek, creating an incredibly loud, lewd, noise as Aisha pulled on her cheek mercilessly.

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"Aaah!" Hana laughed. "Shtop that!"

"Mmmm…" Aisha drooled, around a mouthful of succubus face. "You are delicious enough to eat…"

"AH!" Hana yelped, suddenly pulling herself away. "Ouch!"

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Hana felt the bite marks on her cheek, rubbing the drool-covered spots with her fingers, as she gave Aisha an annoyed look.

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"I didn't mean actually eat me!" She said incredulously.

"Sorry." Aisha mumbled. "I just… I feel… really hungry, for some reason."

"Well, go get some food." Hana pouted. "Other than me!"

"But… I'm hungry right now… really… hungry."

"Ah, ahhh!" Hana exclaimed, rolling Aisha out of the bed. "Go get something to eat and then come back! You can't eat me!"

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"OOf!" Aisha grunted, as she landed on the ground in a heap. "Okay, okay…"

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Hana shook her head as she watched Aisha get dressed, taking out a few coins from her stash under the bed. Hana actually kind of disliked Aisha's hiding place - she had almost stabbed herself in the foot when a crossbow bolt had rolled out from underneath the bed. She yawned as she leaned back, putting her hands behind her head. Whatever. She supposed Aisha had to put her stuff somewhere.

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Hana furrowed her brows as she saw Aisha freeze with her hand under the bed. "What's wrong?"

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The look on the little fey's face was deathly pale.

"Nothing." Aisha whispered, withdrawing her hand.

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"Huh?" Hana asked. "What's… oh… whatever. You can tell me if you want, but I'm not going to ask anymore." She said, exasperated.

"Okay." Aisha whispered.

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Aisha ran out of the apartment stiffly, and Hana couldn't help but look at her strangely.

"What's up with her?" She muttered.

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"She's no longer the Aisha we once knew." A voice spoke ominously.

"Serith!" Hana jumped, before glaring at Celeste, hiding in-between the bed and the nightstand. "What are you doing!?"

"I was hiding." Celeste said sheepishly, before the expression on her face turned dark again. "From that monster."

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Hana just gave the woman a look of extreme annoyance, before pulling at Celeste's chubby cheeks sideways.

"Ow, ow ow!" Celeste wailed. "Whyyyyy??"

"You humans are so annoying!" Hana said, lips curled into a frown. "Why are you so stubborn about these kinds of things?"

"B-but she's been touched by necromancy!" Celeste protested. "She's just like a…"

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"Like a monster!? Like the one you've been sleeping with?!"

"W-well…" Celeste averted her gaze sheepishly. "Uww… Oooooowww!"

"It's this attitude!" Hana said, irritated. "You just pick the exceptions to be whatever you want! Like when you wanted to try *******, and I went along with it even though I didn't like it that much, but when I asked you to *********** ******** ********** **** ******* *********** ****** ********, you wouldn't try it!"

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"I dou' wa' u ry some'ing wih tha mahy aheurishs!" Celeste wailed.

"We're doing it tonight!" Hana demanded. "After you apologize to Aisha, dummy!"

"Okay, okay! Juh sto' puiing, mihwess! Pueeaase!" Celeste begged.

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That night, many squeals and screams could be heard from the little apartment, much to the annoyance of Celeste's neighbors.