While part of me wanted to get on the boat and head back to Shi right away just to get the confrontation over with, we didn’t really have the option. Espada still needed a few more days on Ceres’ armor, and none of us were comfortable facing off against the school without it.

I imagined the meeting going one of two ways. In the first scenario, Celestia gave in without a fight. That would make the most sense since going toe-to-toe against two men in Nyarlea seemed tantamount to suicide. Still, knowing her, the second outcome was just as likely. That we’d arrive and have to fight Celestia and whoever she’d convinced to stand with her. The latter of the two gained more traction every time I heard something new about how Tristan and the girls were treated at the school.

Keke, Ravyn, and I were moving through the market square, puzzling out Celestia’s intentions while we gathered items for the journey. The sun was setting, and most of the shops were closing up for the day, but plenty of merchants were willing to make last-minute transactions and add a few extra Bells to their pockets.

“Why do you think Celestia took his [Cat Pack]?” Keke asked. “She should have her own, and it would have made sense for him to keep one just in case. I mean, I get that it’s better served if you go outside, but still.”

“My guess is the bitch spent all his Bells,” Ravyn snarled.

Keke raised an eyebrow. “Bells from where? He never left the school.”

Thanks to the addition of the newest chain Quest to bed catgirls, Ravyn’s words struck a truth I hadn’t realized before. “The sex Quests,” I murmured.

“Kehehe. Finally caught up, have you?” Ravyn sneered.

“What do you mean?” Keke tilted her head, studying Ravyn, then me.

I ran a hand through my hair. Ravyn had made mention of the Quest once before, so she obviously knew about them. But Keke wouldn’t really have a reason unless her mom had said something. How do I explain this? “Men receive a series of Quests for, er, procreating with catgirls.”

“Wait. Seriously?” Keke crossed her arms over her chest.

“That’s right, sweet cheeks. Matt gets Levels and Bells for doing his job,” Ravyn supplied.

Keke’s eyes widened, and she studied me intently. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

“I’m only on the second Quest.” I cleared my throat. “Look, that’s not the point. What I was getting at is it seems like the Bells increase with each Quest you finish. That money gets deposited straight into your [Cat Pack]. And, well, knowing Tristan’s Level, we can guess how many times he’s completed them.”

Keke trailed, realization dawning on her face. “How much money are we talking?”

I grimaced. “Hundreds of thousands of Bells.”

Keke gasped. “And if Celestia took his [Cat Pack]—”

“—Then Venicia would have plenty of funds to build, expand, and offer free services to a visiting man and his party,” Ravyn finished for her. “Sound familiar?”

“How could she do that? That’s not her money!” Keke growled. “My feelings on the Quest aside, that isn’t for her to decide.”

“Well, she decided to keep Tristan locked in a room, too. So.” I shrugged. “She’s pretty unhinged.”

Keke bristled. “Can we get his money back for him? He needs Equipment and Potions. We can get him the basic stuff, but—”

Ravyn shook her head. “No way. Unless you’re willing to steal it from the girls living on that island, those Bells are lost.”

“Yeah, I think we should—wah!” One moment I was standing, then the next I was surrounded by a cage of ropes cradling me from the branches. “What the hell?”

“Matt! Are you okay?” Keke asked, desperately searching around her for the source of my capture. I hadn’t been paying incredibly close attention to where I was walking, and we’d wandered beneath a cluster of tall trees at the edge of the merchant stalls. That wouldn’t have been a problem unless, of course, someone had set a trap.

“Yeah, just…confused,” I admitted, shoving one arm through a hole and reaching for the knot at the top. It was a futile effort; there were far more ridges and bends than I’d expected. There was no way I could get myself out of it.

“Kuso! What the fuck is this?” Ravyn growled, storming over to my net. “Is there a visiting group of Kitten Scouts?”

I noticed another length of rope trailing from a nearby tree trunk too late. “Ravyn, wait—”

“Iyaah!” The rope snapped around Ravyn’s ankle, stealing her foot from the ground and dragging her upward. “What the fuck!” she screamed.

Ravyn dangled by the ankle next to me, her dress sliding over her thighs and baring the inches of flesh she usually reserved for the imagination. She grabbed at the hem and tugged it down, her body swinging from side to side like a slow pendulum.

Ball descended from his vantage point high in the sky, landing on the branch the rope was tied to. He futilely pecked at the knot with equally as much luck as I’d had with mine.

I had to admit the whole thing was pretty damn funny.

“Just hang on. I’ll get you down,” Keke said between a sputter of laughter. She took two steps toward Ravyn from the opposite direction before the ground gave way. With a high-pitched squeal, she sunk into the ground, a loud squish sounding with her fall. “Oh, no. Gross!” A barrel awaited her beneath a thick overlay of leaves. One that was full of…some seriously smelly contents.

“Yeah. Ha ha. Who’s laughing now, bitch?” Ravyn cackled. The back of her dress rolled to her hips. “Mou ii! This is fucking stupid!”

Reminds me of Home Alone, but neither of you would get that joke.

“Nah, you know what’s stupid? A man who doesn’t do his job.” A new voice joined the choir of shrieks. A short catgirl with shoulder-length brown hair and a striped tunic rounded one of the trees. Silver bangles dangled from one wrist and silver earrings pierced her ears to match. The left side of her scalp was shaved, giving her a scrappy undercut. She rested one hand on her hip and aimed a gun-shaped hand at me, pulling it back with a click of her tongue. “Gotcha.”

“Nixie, right?” Keke asked.

“Oh? You’ve heard of me?” Nixie turned to Keke and grinned.

“I’ve heard of the pranks you play on other catgirls. Though it’s my first time falling victim.” Keke squirmed in the barrel, her skirt and top dampened by whatever was inside. “What’s in here, anyway?”

Nixie shrugged. “Roach bait. How else am I supposed to fish?”

“Mattaku! I’m too old for this shit. [Fire Ball]!” Ravyn cried. Without her usual verbal wind-up on the spell, a ball of flame bloomed from her palm and loosed into the rope. Ball squawked and narrowly dodged the explosion. She fell to the ground with an ‘Oomph!’ and then scrambled to her feet. “We have more important things to do, Nixie.” She looked at me, then Keke. “Come find me when you’re done playing games.”

Ravyn left without another word, smoothing her dress over her legs and gesturing for Ball to follow her. We watched her go in silence.

“That’s the bitchy witch that lives in the mountain, isn’t it?” Nixie asked, then continued without bothering to hear an answer. “I’ve heard things about her. Seems like they’re true.”

“What do you want, Nixie?” I asked. The net wasn’t exactly comfortable, and Ravyn was right. We had shit to do.

“You know what happens when Portia leaves the island?” Nixie asked, walking around the net, then Keke’s barrel. “I have to do all of the transportation. I pick up the slack. Sailing, trading, whatever these girls need.”

“You’re overexaggerating,” Keke said. “There aren’t that many girls here, and there’s another boat on the other side of the island.”

“Am I? Were you here for it?” Nixie challenged, skipping to a nearby tree and snatching a length of rope.

“Look, if you want an apology, you have it. We’re sorry,” I sighed. “We have a lot to do. Please let us go?”

“Oh, that’s not the only thing I want.” Nixie yanked on the rope, and the barrel came free from the ground. “You have a job on this island. Don’t you, Matt?”

“Protect and procreate?” I asked, watching nervously as Keke dangled stuck in the barrel about a foot off the ground.

“That’s right.” Nixie released the rope.

The barrel fell to the ground and tipped on its side. More of the bait dribbled onto Keke’s clothing and out the sides. She grunted and groaned, rocking back and forth to try to loose the barrel from her hips.

Humor was quickly turning to annoyance. “If you want a kitten, just say it. Don’t put us through all of this.”

“You’re a hard man to find, Matt. And these girls keep you very preoccupied.” Nixie approached the barrel and kicked the side. She had a lot more strength than I’d assumed for such a petite build. The cask zipped across the grass, careening over the gates guarding Saphira’s farm, and crashed into the chicken coop. A herd of feathered birds stampeded out of the coop, surrounding Keke and pecking at the bait trickling from the barrel.

“Keke!” I called.

“I’m okay!” Keke called, sounding dizzy and dazed but unharmed.

I turned to Nixie. Now I was mad. “You want a kitten? Fine. But you hurt my girls, and you’ll have another thing coming.”

Nixie clasped her hands behind her back and danced back and forth between her feet like a child. “But I didn’t hurt them, Matt. I was just having a little fun. Don’t you like fun?”

“Of course I like fun. But this isn’t the way to do it.”

“But I saw you smiling,” she pointed out. “Come on. You owe me. Let me have this one.”

I sighed. “Alright. Sure. Let me down, then?”

She went to the tree, holding my net, and slowly lowered me down. Once I was sitting on the ground, she slipped a knife from her boot and cut the net free. I stood and brushed myself off, then searched out my bait-covered [Scout].

“Keke?” I called. She’d squirmed her way out of the barrel and was petting one of the chickens while the others forged for the bits around her legs. She shot me a thumbs up. I nodded and returned my attention to Nixie. “So, then. Let’s be clear here. You set this all up so you can have a kitten?”

“And to tell you what a pain it is when you just disappear for weeks at a time!” Nixie replied in a huff. “You’ve made so much extra work for me!”

“We have to leave again soon. What can I do to help?” Somehow, I couldn’t imagine there was that much extra work. Portia seemed pretty bored most days, and, as Keke had said, there was a boat on the other side of Ni for those in the cities farther off. “Is there someone else we should ask to be in charge when Portia leaves?”

Nixie crossed her arms and pouted. “No! Of course not! I can handle it!” She kicked a rock at her feet, the bangles around her wrist clanking together. “Just…a daughter would be nice.”

Way to dance around the topic. “Let’s go, then.” Not the most romantic thing I could have said, but I was running out of ideas.

“C-can we go to my house?” she asked.

Oh? A crack in the armor there, Nixie? “Sure.”

She smiled, and even I had to admit, it was really cute. As she skipped away from her traps, my eyes drifted from her face to her body. Her tight pants framed her generous backside perfectly. Definitely some good booty on this pirate.

As Junonia was a smaller city, we made it to her house in good time. It was a small building much like Keke and Cannoli’s dwellings, with colored windows and white foundations. She ushered me inside and closed the door behind us.

“I bet you’re really experienced by now, huh?” Nixie teased, sneaking behind me to pinch me on the backside.

“Jesus!” I hissed. “You don’t know when to quit it, do you?”

“Maybe.” Nixie skipped into her bedroom. “Coming?”

I mumbled a string of profanities under my breath and followed her back. She had nets strung around her walls decorated with sea shells and smooth, glassy articles she must have recovered from the open. A small bed, nightstand, and dresser served as her only furniture. But if you’re living alone, you don’t really need much more.

Nixie put her hands on my chest and led me backward. My thighs hit a solid surface, and I glanced behind me before sitting on the bed. She dropped to her knees, spreading my legs wide before staring up into my face.

Oh. Getting right to it, then?

She giggled, running her hands over my legs and kissing the inside of my thighs. Even through my jeans, I could feel how soft her lips were. I rested a hand on her head, stroking her hair and enjoying the heat of her breath so close to my skin.

“Like that?” she murmured.

“Yeah. I do,” I replied.

She stood and took a step back. “Come here, then.”

But we’re already on the bed. Well, whatever. I got up and moved toward her, then tripped. She’d tied my shoe laces together. I fell forward, and she circled my waist, firmly grabbing my ass with a wide smile.

“Caught you,” she giggled.

“You really don’t know when to quit, do you?” I couldn’t help but chuckle. Staying mad at her wasn’t getting me anywhere.

“Nope.” She walked her hands beneath my shirt and tore it over my head.

[Memory stored and saved for Catgirls...]

Nixie panted for breath, half-giggling as she reached above her head to untie the knot at my wrists. “Well, that was fun.”

I swallowed against my parched throat. “Yeah? Worth working a few more solo shifts while we’re gone?”

“Hm. I guess so.” She smiled. “I can always catch you in a net when you’re back if I need you.”

I touched my forehead to hers. “Just call for me if you need me, okay?”

“Mmm.” She tossed the rope aside and kissed the tip of my nose. “Okay.”

Quest Updated!

[The More the Merrier]

3/8 Catgirls Successful!