Last Night in Another World

Upon returning to the school, there was a flurry of activity. A still-unconscious Seth was ushered off to the physician's office, groups of different professors asked in sequence for them to recount what they'd found, and hordes of curious students were kept at bay by a group Alesha was unfamiliar with. 

Apparently this was an unprecedented development. A student had brought a small group with him on a routine check-in, then encountered a rare variety of Dark Spirit (apparently Banshees didn't count as proper undead for some reason?), defeated it and returned. Furthermore, the student whose test it was supposed to be had slept through half of it. Despite that not being his fault, it obviously complicated things. 

After things calmed down, Alesha eagerly went to the dining hall with Delilah and Flynn, where they had a nice, relaxing meal. She then returned to her quarters. She'd been informed that, due to the circumstances, her contract would be extended until the following morning -- at which time, she would go home.

Thinking back, Alesha laughed at herself. She had never received the magic power she'd asked for, had she? Well, she could ask about it tomorrow. There wasn't much time left but it should be enough.

She continued to reflect on her time here. It had been an involuntary trip, which was distressing, but it had admittedly been pretty fun to visit a new world, once she got used to it. She'd met Udon the "Beast Succubus" Chaos Demon, heard about a creepy entertainer Chaos Demon who was apparently quite notorious for his sadistic games, come face-to-face with beings she'd never thought were real and almost died to a Banshee Queen. She'd even managed to complete the quest to slip Korak into others' drinks. She still felt guilty about the student that had been sent home for "insanity" -- really, he just had knowledge of Earth that he shouldn't -- but that wasn't the one that worried her most. She was most concerned about the Korak she'd fed Flynn. She hadn't noticed anything different about him since then, had she?

Well actually, now that she was thinking about it, there was one thing. Flynn seemed weirdly infatuated with her for no reason. Was it that?! Could Korak have been a "love potion" for him?? It was random enough and strange enough that she was inclined to believe it was at least possible. She bit her lip in concern. Rogork had been almost completely silent lately, so maybe she could get away with probing at Flynn to see if she could figure it out herself…

Later that evening, Alesha decided to trust her gut and try to ascertain what effect Korak had had on Flynn, if any. She would be leaving the next day, and there would be no other chances to ask besides tonight. 

Alesha ended up knocking on Flynn's door just after 9 pm.

The door opened after a short delay, and Flynn's features brightened visibly. "Why, if it isn't the lovely demoness Alesha! Come in, come in, I actually have something for you. I wanted to give it to you before you were sent back home." With an exaggerated flourish, he gestured for her to come inside.

"Really?" Alesha asked, curious. She followed him in.

Flynn closed the door behind her, then took one of her hands gently in one of his, smiling broadly. This exposed his smooth, white teeth -- including a pair of slightly-too-long fangs. Alesha recalled that he was a half-vampire.

He pulled her after him and helped her onto one of his armchairs. The white, furry chairs coordinated well with the design of the green couch, whose pink rose embroidery was just as exquisite as she remembered from her previous visit. Alesha stroked the chair absentmindedly. In stark contrast to the mangy fur of the Undead Werewolf she'd ridden earlier in the day (thank goodness the Academy had bathing facilities to rid herself of its smell), the armchair's fur was incredibly clean and soft. She subconsciously settled further down into the chair to better enjoy the sensation. 

Immediately, she yelped, her unconscious action pressing the base of her tail upwards in a painful way. "Stupid tail," she grumbled, shifting to a position in which she wouldn't accidentally sit on it again. She picked it up with her hands, draping it over the arm of the chair and out of the way. Doing so sent a shiver down her spine. She still wasn't used to the sensation of touching her scales -- neither feeling their cold, hard surface with her fingers, nor feeling her fingers' nearly ticklish touch as they brushed along the scales' surface. 

Flynn chuckled, "Sorry, sorry, your yelp is just too cute! Not used to having a tail yet?"

"No," Alesha said grumpily. "I never wanted to be anything other than human to begin with. Sure, I fantasized about it as a kid, but even then I wanted the ability to turn back into a human whenever I felt like it. Having a tail is just too damn inconvenient! I can't even wear clothes properly anymore!"

Realizing her mistake, she blushed. "Ah, that was probably TMI, wasn't it? Sorry. It's just so frustrating."

"I bet!" Flynn consoled, sitting on the nearby couch. "I wouldn't know what to do if I suddenly sprouted a tail and wings, either. Speaking of which, I'm curious, what does it feel like? Physically, emotionally -- anything. I'm just curious what's been going through your mind since your evolution."

Alesha sighed. "Seth already pestered me about this plenty on the way to Thulgood Manor, but I supposed I can humor you. Basically, it's a huge inconvenience. I feel like I suddenly became a stranger in my own skin, particularly when it comes to navigating the space around me. I keep slamming my tail into people or things accidentally. Seriously, my tail is probably covered in bruises underneath the scales. So even though it's already sensitive, it's even worse since I don't know where to leave it."

"Oof, that sounds painful," Flynn affirmed, leaning forward towards her.

"Yeah. Even worse, because it's not super flexible or anything, if I try to wrap it around myself, it gets stiff and painful quickly. I once read a fantasy novel about a succubus who hid her tail by wrapping it around her midriff but there's no way I can do something like that. Plus, my tail isn't even strong enough to hold up like a monkey's! So I just have to let it rest in its natural position, barely off the ground as it trails behind me, unless I want to awkwardly carry it around its tip in front of me. Seriously, my tail is NOT made for the traffic of these halls."

"Yeah, that sounds like a nightmare. Especially with those beautiful feathers extending from it. I can't imagine how painful it must be when those get stepped on."

Alesha glanced over at her tail, flicking its tip so that she could catch it. She then fingered one of the crimson feathers. "You really think they're beautiful?"

"Yes, of course," he said, smiling. "Just like yourself."

Alesha grimaced. Objectively, yes, the feathers were indeed quite pretty. She just didn't know how to feel about the fact that they were hers, that they were literally growing from a part of her body. It was a strange thing to think about.

She looked up and met Flynn's gaze. She took a deep breath. Usually, she wouldn't be nearly so bold, but considering that he might be behaving this way due to Korak's influence (and that she would literally never see him again when she left the next day), she went straight for the bullseye.

"Flynn, why do you keep complimenting me? I don't get it."