Anton silently rummaged through the small boxes of coloured feathers for the blue Rainbow Bird feathers. Verona waited patiently for him to find it, smiling softly as she watched him aimlessly search through the boxes.

“You’re enjoying this.” Anton muttered. “Aren’t you?”

Verona, sitting on the floor, with the almost completed cloak before her, laughed. “Maybe? Maybe I am. Watching you bend over is quite the sight.”

Kal sighed. She sat against the far wall, knees close to her chest so she could rest a book against them, but she too watched Anton with a faint smile.

“Finally.” Anton retrieved a half empty box. “There aren’t too many of these things left. Any luck at getting more?”

Verona stretched out her hand for the box as Anton moved between them. His dragonoid claws clicked loudly on the floor. Though he didn’t like them he needed to let them stretch out every so often, and it felt great knowing he wasn’t going to stab himself in his soft underside scales when he walked.

“Thanks.” Verona took the box and placed it beside her. As she leant forward she let out a tiny squeak and held her stomach. “My stomach’s starting to get pretty big. Bigger than Kal’s.”

“You’ve put at least three in her.” Kal’s eyes flicked up from her book. “At least three. I’m lucky, since I’ve managed to get away with one. Somehow.”

“I thought you wanted a child with me.” Anton sat between them, nestled in the corner of the room. He pulled his tail free and allowed it to coil behind him. “I’m happy…”

Kal waited until he was seated. She snapped her book shut and shuffled next to him. Unlike Verona’s stomach Kal’s was far more modest, though he doubted she could use a bow anymore. She said nothing as she wrapped her arm around his and placed a leg over his, scratching his scales with her claws.

“Of course I am.” Kal brought her other knee up and opened her book. It wasn’t a book on Glyph or Principle Magic, rather a collection of nursery rhymes and simple stories. “It’s only that you don’t have to carry it for so long.”

Anton pulled up Kal’s thick shirt and gently massaged her swollen stomach.

“Though…” Kal nestled her head closer to Anton’s. “This is thoroughly enjoyable.”

Kal’s eyes slowly closed as Anton continued to gently stroke her stomach. Her head began to drop and her book slide off of her leg. Anton used his free arm to take it from her. Kal opened an eye but did not protest. She shifted her body so it lay between Anton’s legs and rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. A few breaths later and her body relaxed. Anton gently played with the tip of her ear but received no reaction.

“Unbelievable girl.” Verona chuckled. She placed one of her legs onto his, just shy of Kal’s. “And she calls me bad.”

“You are both getting enough sleep, right?” Anton placed a kiss on Kal’s forehead. She did not stir in any way. “It’s incredibly important, especially now.”

“We are.” Verona looked at Kal, smiled and shook her head. “She goes to bed earlier than me, and still ends up like this.”

“I remember when she barely slept.” Anton rested his hand on top of Kal’s stomach. “She acted like she was, her eyes closed, but I knew she wasn’t sleeping. Must just be catching up on all those years.”

“Yeah.” Verona smiled and continued sewing.

Anton began to doze off himself. Every so often Kal would move, not awaken but shift herself into a more comfortable position. Eventually she held his hand, the slightly rough pads enveloped his own, and placed the other on his chest.

“Anton?” Verona lent closer. “Are you still awake?”

“Yes.” Anton forced his eyes open. He was only a few moments from letting sleep overtake him.

“I’ve been thinking…” Verona gently placed her work down and shuffled closer. She wiggled her legs through Kal’s and took his hand to place on her stomach. “Have you thought of any names yet?”

“I...I have. Actually.” Anton pulled Kal closer, who still refused to wake. “I was thinking if it was a boy, maybe Edward or Mitchel? Or Catherine or Heather or if it’s a girl.”

“…We’ll keep thinking about it.”

“What? You don’t like mine?” Anton scoffed and slapped her leg with his tail. She glared at him and began to lightly poke it. “I thought it they were good.”

“They are.” Verona gave one of the faintly glowing ends a gentle kiss. “But we just need some more, that’s all. There’s more than just one in here.”

Anton leant back, his head made a light thud as he hit the wood. Verona lent forward but quickly returned to her sewing.

“Would those names be normal on Earth?” Verona idly asked.

“I think so. But, at least before I came here, there were starting to be some really strange names cropping up. Ones that just sounded like gibberish to me.”

“What would we be doing if we had come to Earth?” Verona patted the feather coat. “I know that I wouldn’t be making this. No Rainbow Birds on Earth. Right?”

“No. But you could certainly make something similar. And it would look just as beautiful.”

Kal stirred in his arms. She shifted to his other side, careful to not scratch Verona’s leg in the process.

“My job was pretty mundane, for Earth. Answering phone calls.”

Verona stopped and held his hand. “You don’t have to talk about your past if you don’t want to. I don’t want to see you having one of those panic attacks. I don’t like seeing you like that.”

“It’s fine.” Anton smiled. “It’s only when I think back further than that…”

The first shiver travelled down Anton’s back. He gripped Kal’s shoulder and they stopped.

“I think that we would have lived...Well, mundane lives compared to what we have here.” Anton smiled. “Though I wouldn’t say it would be bad. I think I’d have still lost my job, but all of you wouldn’t have had much of a problem.”

“I have absolutely no idea what I would be doing in your world.” Verona laughed. “Maybe something alongside you.”

She ran a hand through her silver hair. “Though I’m sure that my looks would become very useful. Probably selling something. Lean forward, act innocent, make sure my shirt’s just a bit too tight and then men would buy anything I have. Right?”

Anton chuckled. “That is a little too close to reality. Some people…” He shook his head. “They take advantage of others. Anyway, I think Kal...Hmm. What would Kal be?”

Kal’s ear pricked up slightly. She was no longer asleep, not that he was about to disrupt her dozing.

“I don’t know. But she’d definitely have a motor cycle.”

“What?” Verona laughed. “Those drawings of yours...Are you serious?”

“Of course I am. Cetina would definitely be a personal trainer, Mezot a teacher or a researcher, since it’s the closest thing to magic in my world, and Rasha a boxer.”

“I would not want to go against her.” Verona winced. “She hasn’t had to fight a normal person yet. I don’t think they’re going to last more than a single hit.”

Kal cutely yawned and pulled herself up. “Certainly not. But she’s still been exercising. She’s even bigger than she when we first met.”

“You mean other than just her chest?” Anton gave Kal a gentle kiss. “They have grown. But, in all seriousness, she’s been so excited to go anywhere with us. I do want to show her cities, but I really don’t want to have her in a box that she can look out. And unlike you it’s really hard to disguise her. No wonder she was so upset.”

The front door opened. Kal’s ear pricked up as they heard two footsteps approaching, one human while the other was much harsher and louder, the sound of hooves.

“Where are you?” Rasha’s voice echoed throughout the hallway. “Are you in the bedroom?”

“Over here.” Verona shouted.

Cetina arrived first. Her running gear was stained with sweat, her face flushed red from exhaustion and her chest heaved with deep breaths.

“Seems like you’ve run a dozen times around Atros.” Verona sniggered. “Normally you wouldn’t have done a third of that by this time.”

Cetina shrugged as she sat next to Verona. Her hands shook slightly from exhaustion.

“Well, it’s the first time that we’ve done it without Anton. So we weren’t slowed down too much.”

Anton scoffed, Cetina stuck out her tongue and ran her hands through her hair. The snowflakes had melted and made her hair slick with water.

“It was just this one time.” Rasha poked her head around the corner. Like Cetina she was breathing very heavily, while her skin had turned a faint purple as extra blood rushed underneath her blue skin. She flexed her arms, taught against her skin and filled with blood as she settled down against the far side of the room. “It just doesn’t feel the same without Anton.”

“I bet it doesn’t.” Verona smirked. “No little detour halfway through?”

Rasha shrugged and began to clean her hooves. “It’s just once a day. Besides, when Anton’s away on his adventures I don’t get to see him. So there’s no problem with what I do. Surely.” She pointed to Verona’s stomach with her free hand. “That happened because you didn’t take enough detours.”

Verona’s mouth hanged open, though he could see her smiling. Rasha looked at each of them in turn before shrugging and resuming her cleaning.

“So what is the plan?” Cetina asked. A shiver ran over her body. She quickly retrieved a coat from the next room for herself and Rasha. “You said the next few days would be calm...Where’s Mezot?”

“She’s with Axia at the moment.” Kal shuffled so she sat in his lap. “I think they’re practising their magic. Even though they are incredibly strong.”

Ka looked towards the closed wooden slat window. “But we were just discussing what we would be if we went to Anton’s world, rather than the other way around.”

“Good that we’re at a time where we can discuss such things.” Cetina smiled warmly.

“True…” Verona laughed as she placed her sewing down. “I just had another thought, since we’re wondering what life would be like the other way around.”

“And that is?” Anton began to stroke Kal’s ears. She remained calm but the base of her tail gently swayed back and forth.

“Well, if we were men and you were a woman.”

Kal scoffed and patted his leg. “I think that half of Atros would be pregnant with Verona’s kids.”

“No they wouldn’t.” Verona smiled.

“I think I would have already have had children.” Anton laughed. “But I don’t think much would change. Except that I would be the one exhausted every morning.”

“Five at once?” Kal clicked her tongue. “I think you would be a bit crowded. Though I’m sure things would work themselves out...Somehow.”

“I’m more worried about Rasha.”

“Why?” Rasha looked up.

“Because you’re a Minotaur.”

“And?” Rasha's lips trembled, she knew but didn’t wish to say it.

“Because Anton’s worried that, unlike us,” Verona rubbed the inside of her legs. “You’d have this absolute monster-”

Someone knocked loudly on the door.

“Thank the Gods.” Rasha bolted from the room, a hand covering her reddening face.

“Too far?” Verona teasingly asked Anton.

Anton gave her hand a squeeze as Rasha and another set of footsteps came to their room. Rasha was still a little embarrassed when she sat, her cloak pulled tight around her. Zuhura’s blue headscarf peered around the door, a slight frown graced her face.

“Good morning.” Zuhura spoke softly. “How is everyone?”

“Fine.” Rasha bitterly smiled and shook her head. “Perfectly fine.”

“Should…”

“She’s fine.” Anton said. “Just a bit too heavy on the teasing this morning.”

“A bit?” Rasha scoffed but her smile quickly warmed.

“Well…” Zuhura cleared her throat and stepped forward. “Does anyone need any food? I see that two of you have just come back from a morning run.”

“Do you wish to join us?” Cetina asked. “I know that you get up pretty early but we do run, even in the snow.”

Kal frowned at Anton.

Does she think that Zuhura would ‘stand guard’, while Cetina and Rasha have their ‘detour’ with me?

Zuhura shook her head. “I am fine. Physical exercise isn’t my forte.” She managed a smile. “And I’m sure that I would simply slow you down.”

Verona’s eyes narrowed on Zuhura.

“I don’t know about that. But,” Verona gave her stomach a gentle pat. “Once we’ve had our children I know we’ll start. While they’re getting fit we’re just getting flabby-”

“You are.” Kal muttered.

Verona stuck out her tongue as Zuhura looked on slightly worried. A gentle wave from Anton told him it was fine.

“Regardless,” Zuhura ran a hand over the shawl of her sleeve, brushing away a few errant snowflakes. “The other day I expressed the desire to take proper account of Atros’s finances, your finances.”

“You don’t need to speak so formally.” Anton said, Zuhura’s face remained stoic. “But that is a good idea. I don’t think we’ve had a real idea how much we’ve got in a while. Normally I just take out a bag and that’s that.”

Anton saw Zuhura’s eye twitch almost imperceptibly. He had not said it that way to irritate her but it was a cute reaction, of a rather serious matter.

“Most of the money’s still in the Main Hall.” Kal stretched out her legs. Her clawed toes fought with his, a rather pleasant sensation. “Along with the bars of silver.”

“Bars?” Zuhura blinked in disbelief. “Kal, did you just say bars of silver?”

Kal nodded. “Yep. The Dwarves have been mining silver and Chelium ore...We didn’t see any of that last time.”

Zuhura scrunched her eyes tight. “After travelling through Frindal together...No one should be talking so casually about bars of silver, if they’re not some sort of nobility.”

“I guess Anton is.” Rasha mused. “Everyone listens to what he has to say.”

“That was to be my next question.” Zuhura gave Rasha a curt nod. “That I also wish to review your cities overall structure.” Zuhura grew nervous as her blue gloved fingers picked at one another. “If your other administrative structures are as...Loose, as your finances appear to be-”

“We have a decent system.” Anton replied, Zuhura held her metaphorical ground. “But I do agree with what you said. Things just sort of run themselves. The builders do their thing...But I don’t know what you could do to change it to something better. Especially since literacy in Atros is very poor. Right now it’s all just sort of functioning.”

Kal slowly nodded. “As most of the citizens are former slaves or Human...Slaves. By another name. The Dark Elves and Dwarves have some literacy, the Dwarves more than the Dark Elves, but being able to read doesn’t help them with running a basic forge in terrible conditions in the Dwarven Isles.”

Zuhura’s eyes narrowed.

“I’ll explain on the way.” Anton said. “But having someone that knows a bit more than what we’re currently doing can’t be a bad thing. Basically it’s just an extension from how we were handling things when I arrived. But, Zuhura, I don’t know how much you’re going to accomplish.” Anton raised his hand. “Not that I doubt your abilities, only that there might not be too much you can actually do.”

“Not to mention that we don’t have much paper.” Kal said softly. “We can get more...But it’s most used by the Dwarves when they’re trying to understand Anton’s designs.”

“True.”

Zuhura took a slow breath. “I believe that I should still try. At the very least the finances. You need to know exactly how much money you have access too. The Hamtaro’s were very expensive-”

“Those gemstones were just lying about.” Verona idly shrugged.

Zuhura almost baulked at her words.

“We’ve teased her enough.” Anton gave Kal’s shoulder a pat. She did not move, instead staring blankly into his eyes. Instead of moving she ground her rear into his lap and nestled deeper. “I doubt that they’re just going to let her into where the money is.”

“Go on then.” Verona gave Kal’s legs a gentle kick. “Shouldn’t take too long. Just be back before lunch.”

“I can help prepare it, if you wish.” Zuhura’s voice had calmed slightly. “After all, I am not capable of combat but I can perform domestic duties.”

“I actually like cooking.” Anton finally pulled Kal off of his lap. She pouted until he gave her another kiss. “But we won’t be too long.”

“Do you want us to come?” Cetina asked. She frowned as she pulled her eye-patch away and dabbed at the sweat that had built around her ruined eye. Zuhura looked slightly disquieted at what she saw. “It wouldn’t take us long to get dressed.”

“We’ll be fine.” Anton stood up. He flexed his dragonoid toes. “Though I may need some help to get these back into my boots. You don’t mind waiting a few moments, do you?”

“O-Of course not.”

Zuhura continued to stare in silence as Kal and Rasha helped his boots back on.

---[]---

“It is remarkable what you have managed to build here.” Zuhura said as they walked through the snow covered streets of Atros. “Verona told me that there were barely a thousand people, Humans, when you arrived.”

“Did she tell you that when she took you away to discuss Frindal cuisine?” Anton chuckled. “That’s all she did, didn’t she? You didn’t actually tell us what she asked you.”

“Just that.” Zuhura managed a small smile. “She was very interested in what types of foods we cooked in Frindal. She didn’t know about the differences between the Coastal and Nomad Frindal’s, but it only made her more excited. Somehow.”

“She can be like that. But if she ever seems like she’s becoming overbearing, or too much, just tell her to back down a little. I know you’re never meant to say that to a woman but it works for her.”

Zuhura chuckled as she saw a group of Human and Beast-kin children running towards them. They were playing with a small ball, one made from animal hide, kicking it along the street seemingly without any rules. She moved behind Anton as the children passed. One of the Beast-kin children, a Shark Beast-kin judging by his rough grey skin, large serrated teeth and long covered tail with a fin along the back, stopped and gawked at Zuhura. She smiled back, the child blushed and ran to join the others.

“I think you just made his day.” Anton said softly.

“Really?”

“Some new, pretty lady just smiled at him. All of the boys will be jealous of what’s just happened to him.”

Zuhura shrugged and smiled faintly. “If you say so, Anton.”

The street ended and opened into the Central Plaza. As the snow continued to rain down very few people were present, only those heading somewhere far warmer. Anton caught some soldiers, recruits judging by their armour and that many were Beast-kin, being loudly reprimanded by an officer for sleeping in. Their punishment was to completely clean the Central Plaza of snow.

“Poor buggers.” Anton said. “Zuhura? If we do get any more people from Frindal-”

“I do not know how they would react to the Beast-kin.” Zuhura immediately cut him off. “While not openly as hostile as those from your continent they will not see them much better.”

“No. No, I don’t think they would.” Anton sighed. “An impossible task, don’t you think?”

“An admirable one.” Zuhura played with a golden earring. “Even if it is likely doomed to fall the moment Seocuria, or one of the other major powers in the world notice you.”

“Exactly why we need to make sure we do it right. And I’m sure that having a good administration is a part of that. Right?”

Zuhura returned a single curt nod. Two guards stood outside the Main Hall, both huddled around a small burning brazier and on the verge of falling asleep. Anton loudly stepped onto the wood, immediately waking both. He said nothing as they quickly returned to their post.

“Bertram or Sybil in?”

“Yes, my lord.” The less sleepy guard replied.

Another one from Qaiviel…

“Both, actually.”

“Excellent. I think it’s about time I removed some of the burden from them.”

Both gave Zuhura a thorough look. They couldn’t quite make a decision about her, other than that she was clearly new. Anton caught them winking at each other, Zuhura did not.

Anton stepped inside and felt a wave of heat wash over him. Compared to the outside it was like an oven.

“That is so much nicer.” Zuhura gently pulled the shawl away from her chest. “It may be cold in Frindal, but it’s never that cold.”

“We can still get you some better clothes if you want.” The thought that Zuhura was only wearing her shawl crept back into his mind. “Even if it’s just something on top. That underlay seems pretty warm as it is.”

“I...Yes.” Zuhura quickly forced herself to smile. “Perhaps something like that would very nice.”

Perhaps…No. Keep focused.

“Bertram? Sybil? Are you there?”

“Anton?” Bertram called out.

“Yes, it’s me.” Anton followed the voice to the second room on the right. “You two definitely seem like you’re keeping warm.”

Bertram and Sybil sat before a small but roaring fire. The two had large and high padded chairs, so they didn’t have to fall down to sit.

“It’s wonderful now.” Sybil raised her hands towards the flickering flame. “First winter in a long time where we haven’t been cold.”

“I’m hearing that a lot. And it’s only a good thing.”

“And who’s this?” Bertram put down an old book, one of nursery rhymes that Anton had used to learn this world’s language. “Who have you managed to pick up this time.”

Anton understood the implications, as did Zuhura, but he simply took it in his stride. “This is Zuhura. From Frindal. She was an effective guide through the land and she will be staying with us for the immediate future.”

“Have you told her about that house?” Sybil chuckled. “The one you’ve put her in?”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Zuhura’s black brows furrowed.

“Nothing to worry about.” Anton chuckled nervously. “But Zuhura helped to manage finances of one of the Frindal leaders, and I was hoping that she could do that here.”

“Umm…” Bertram looked somewhat sheepish. “I don’t think you’re going to find much here. We still don’t have any need for money, though the Dark Elves and the Dwarves keep pushing for it. Not to mention that you just come and take whatever you need.”

Zuhura’s eyes narrowed slightly on Anton.

“Still in the back? And the Dwarves are dropping off the silver bars as well?”

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing.” Zuhura muttered. “Bars of silver, like bundles of sticks…”

“Yes,” Bertram groaned as he stood up and slowly walked towards them. “They do love a good chat. They’re always interested in stories from the old Kar Kingdom. And since Sybil and I are really the only ones old enough to remember such times…”

“I hope that you’re taking your newfound popularity in your stride.” Anton replied.

Bertram chuckled and followed.

“Do you agree with what Anton’s doing?” Zuhura asked softly as they reached the door. It had been heavily reinforced with metal, as had the surrounding wall.

“Regarding?” Bertram shuffled closer. “I’m sorry, but I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

Anton unlocked the door. Zuhura immediately forgot about what she had asked Bertram, her brown eyes bulged out of their sockets at the wealth on display.

“I...I...What?” Zuhura stammered. A leg began to shake, Anton held her arm by the elbow until she steadied herself. At least her gloves extended that far, as they had for Mezot. “Th...Thank you.”

“We need that Sovereign Palace thing of yours finished as soon as we can.” Bertram entered the room and opened one of the chests. Light struck the piles of gemstones, covering Bertram in green and reds. “It’ll be a lot safer there...She’s about to fall again.”

Anton had not relinquished his hold. Zuhura held the door frame for support.

“I never thought that I would see so much!” Zuhura almost sounded angry. “So much...Just flippantly...At least you’re planning to move it somewhere more secure. Because having this much in here is extremely dangerous. Especially for them.”

“We don’t have much need for gold or jewels.” Bertram opened the next chest. Zuhura let out a faint groan upon seeing it half filled with gold coins. “And no one can use it to buy anything. So...It’s rather worthless, when you think about it.”

“Perhaps.” Zuhura shook her head. “But it’s still a bad habit to get into.”

Bertram opened the final two chests. In it lay hundreds of silver ingots, roughly forged but of extremely high purity. Zuhura had already come to accept what she was seeing.

“I see.” Was all that she said.

“I think funnelling these through our new friends in Seocuria is a good start.” Anton picked up one of the silver ingots. It was much heavier than he expected. “It would explain where they’re getting their newfound wealth and we could exchange them for gold, silver and copper coins. No more stall owners losing their minds when we try to buy some food with a gold coin.”

“You’ve done that before?” Zuhura approached the chest of ruby and emerald gemstones.

“In Graterious. Thankfully they thought it was some sort of joke. And we had some silver coins. Now that I think about it we probably got ripped off.” Anton shrugged as he placed the ingot back. “Not that it really matters. So, Zuhura, what do you think?”

“I think this is ridiculous.”

Bertram laughed. “Everyone thinks that, at least in the beginning. I didn’t know if Anton’s idea to free the Beast-kin and bring them here was the right one. Not that I have any problem with them. But...I think it was the right decision.”

“Kal would have been lonely if we didn’t.” Anton smiled. “And I wouldn’t have met so many of them too.”

Zuhura turned away from the gemstones. “I will require paper and something to write with. I will do my best to catalogue exactly how much wealth you have. Do you not have any gold plates or rings? Just coins?”

“Just coins.” Anton frowned at Bertram. “Strange that the Yellow Goblins only found gold coins, isn’t it?”

Bertram shrugged. “I still think that they managed to catch the dregs of the royal treasury. So the rest is probably still out there somewhere. If it did make it to Qaiviel or Graterious they would have had more than enough money to retake this land. Or at least buy themselves a truly impressive castle.”

“I…” Zuhura shook her head and smiled. “I really don’t have anything more to say.”

---[]---

Anton assisted Zuhura with counting exactly how much wealth they had. At first Anton thought she was going for a rough approximation but Zuhura was very thorough. Bertram offered to help but his age prevented him from doing much. Sybil called him away before he could hurt himself. Zuhura rested on her knees as she counted the piles of gold coins and gemstones. From the way she sat Anton was becoming more and more convinced that she wasn’t wearing underneath, especially the way it folded around a rather generous rear.

Even after bedding five different women my eyes are still being drawn to a large rear…I guess some things never change. I suppose that women are no better, though Verona’s definitely the same as me.

“Finally.” Zuhura muttered, breaking Anton’s thoughts. “I have a complete list.”

Zuhura stood up and passed Anton the sheet of paper. She brushed away the few flecks of dirt from her knees and the very end of her shawl, just above her boots. Zuhura did not like any dirt staining the black material, despite coming from a land of howling winds and endless sand.

“You…” Anton flicked his eyes down to the paper. Zuhura tilted her head as he touched the writing. “You have very beautiful writing.”

“Do I?” Zuhura tried to sound uninterested but the nervous glance gave away her delight. “I…Was taught how to write clearly and quickly. Do you normally have to read…Messy writing?”

“Usually my own.” Anton smiled. “Sometimes I'm surprised that the Dwarves can even understand my drawings. That they’re not just random scrawls of a madman. But now we have a good idea of how much wealth Atros has.”

“I still can’t believe how much money you have lying around. But I have a decent idea.” Zuhura gently took back the paper. “Given my knowledge of purchasing goods in Frindal I have an estimate of how long your funds would last. I presume that Qaiviel and Graterious have cheaper wood than Frindal.”

“Almost certainly. I imagine that most of it’s imported anyway. Not many trees…”

“Is something the matter?” Zuhura asked as she began to place the remaining pieces of coins and gemstones. “I’m certain that I counted everything correctly. We can check it again if you’d like.”

“No. No, these numbers seem right.” Anton took a deep breath. “I don’t know...How much do you think we could spend on raw materials anyway?”

“You are able to get wood and stone relatively easily. I’ve walked along the outer wall and seen there’s a forest to the west. Stone comes from the north. The most important thing would be tools and the finer materials. I’m certain that even a fraction of this would cover it.”

Zuhura motioned to the piles of silver bars. “One of these a day would be more than sufficient to import all of your construction and tool needs.”

“This...Has been very useful.” Anton said. “Now we know roughly how much we can spend. We’ll have someone go through the portals to Bebbezzar or Graterious to buy the materials we need.”

“It was my pleasure to help.”

Anton did not know if Zuhura had worked out that he would already have had a decent idea but he was not about to say anything.

Sometimes it’s best to say nothing.

“Now, with a decent handle on how much we can spend daily-”

“How are you going?” Sybil asked. She yawned slightly and covered her mouth. “Sorry. Bertram and I are getting on in the years and need our rest. Did you find everything you need?”

“We did.”

“How often do the Dwarves come here to deliver a silver ingot?”

“Usually only once. But sometimes they have two or three ingots. Sometimes one. Other times more. It’s very hard to say.”

Zuhura took back the paper and made a small adjustment.

“If you want a better understanding of where it’s being spent you’ll have to ask Anton. Since he’s the one that’s actually spending it.”

“I hope that Anton will be far more efficient and thoughtful with his spending in the future.” Zuhura said calmly as she returned the paper.

“If I didn’t spend liberally we wouldn’t have the Hamtaro’s, Beast-kin, most of the Dwarves and Dark Elves.”

“Perhaps.” Zuhura’s eyes narrowed slightly. “But I still think that it could have been better spent-”

“Nor would I have been able to free Wilford from his crushing debt, which meant that I wouldn’t have eventually reached Frindal and freed you from Sultan Hazm’s service. Not that it seemed like you had a bad life there.”

“I…” Zuhura ran a nervous finger along the edge of the sheet of paper. “I suppose that may be true.”

“I will do better in the future. It’s not limitless, and continuing to do so may warp my perception of money in the future.”

Sybil shook her head. “That first part sounded like you were apologising to your wife after you’ve messed up.”

Zuhura raised a black brow at Anton.

“I haven’t had to do it much.” Anton smiled. “So...That’s good. I certainly hope it is.”

Someone knocked loudly on the front door. Bertram groaned as he slowly made for the door.

“How are you both doing? Health wise. I haven’t been checking too much, with so much else going on.”

“I suppose that we’ve got a few extra aches and pains.” Sybil rubbed her wrists. “Nothing that’s unexpected with getting old.”

“Let me help.”

Anton touched her shoulder and chanted a healing prayer. Sybil breathed a little easier, her skin looked more youthful and her face a little less strained.

“Thank you.” Sybil chuckled. “It’s still a strange ability that you have.”

“It’s still strange for me.” Anton looked over to the door. “Dwarves? For me or to deliver silver?”

“Silver.” Bertram stood to the side. “Quite a large delivery today.”

The Dwarves stepped in, carrying a small chest. Their stocky arms tensed under the weight. Zuhura watched them deposit four silver ingots, give her a curt nod, and quickly leave.

“You aren’t concerned that the Dwarves could be stealing some?” Zuhura raised a brow.

Anton folded his arms. “If I really wanted to I could chase them back to The Dwarven Isles. And there isn’t another place they could possibly flee to. Besides, they don’t have time. The other Dwarven Clans are already suspecting something. They simply won’t. And by the time that they’re in a position to do something we’ll have a much more secure vault and system.”

Zuhura did not look particularly enthusiastic or impressed.

“This one you’re just going to have to trust me on. So…What’s the next thing?”

Zuhura blinked and quickly refocused herself. “Since your limited finances have been taken care of…I would like to see your construction and planning…”

Zuhura sighed. “I doubt that you have much of a civil construction authority. I had to sometimes liaison between them and Sultan Hazm.”

“They allowed women to be involved?”

“Sending message primarily. But I overheard most of what they said.”

“Zac is currently in the southern construction yard.”

“You have a designated area for your construction teams?” Zuhura faintly smiled. “Perhaps there is something that I can do.”

---[]---

“Anton!” Zac said loudly. “Good to see you.”

The large bear man waved Anton away from the busy construction yard into his small open office. The sound of scraping wood, axes chopping wood and the shouting of disgruntled workers nearly drowned him out. Despite the cold and snow work continued unabated, perhaps in spite of it since the heavy work kept them warm. As did the small fire braziers, loaded with coal.

“You too, Zac.” Anton shook the bear man’s hands, ever thankful he did not try and crush his in return. “Everything still going well?”

“As well as it can be considering the snow.” Zac nodded at Zuhura. “Another...And with a very strange choice in clothing too.”

“Hello.” Zuhura bowed her head. “My name is Zuhura, and I wish to know how Atros’s construction and expansion is being handled and directed.”

“Um...Are you replacing me?” Zac raised a bushy brow. Anton knew that he did not consider it for a single moment.

“No. But Zuhura’s the first person we’ve got that knows about this stuff...From teachings rather than doing it for years.”

“Ah. I see.” Zac began to search through wooden drawers. “Well, Zuhura, I don’t think there’s much to say. We follow our plans, mark out what we’re going to build and then...Build it. That’s about it.”

“What sort of designs do you have for the larger buildings?” Zuhura pointed towards the multi-story buildings. “Surely you have a plan for those.”

“Beyond reinforcing the main supports? Not too much.” Zac continued rifling through large sheets of rough paper. “Now where is that damned drawing? I know it’s here somewhere.”

Anton heard the workers behind them stop. It was not lunchtime, not that they had a whistle or a bell to tell the time, but it still felt unusual. When he looked back he saw Irso approaching, with a small cloth wrapped box held tight against her chest. Shockingly she almost had a smile on her ferocious face, which disappeared when she saw him.

“Ah...Hello, Anton.” Irso clicked her tongue. “I didn’t think you’d be back so soon.”

“Hello Irso.” Anton gently shook his head. “I didn’t think you’d be so happy to see me.”

“Piss off.” Irso gnashed her teeth together. “I haven’t seen Zac for a few days, thanks to my work, and I was hoping that I’d get some time to see him. By. Myself.”

Zuhura tapped Anton’s arm. “Who is she? And why is she so angry? Is she a former-”

Irso angrily snapped her sharp teeth at Zuhura. Zuhura nearly jumped back and hid behind Anton.

“I don’t know who you are, but don’t you dare suggest that I’d be with this greedy asshole!”

“There!” Zac retrieved a large sheet of paper. “It was at the bottom.” He laid it on the table and immediately grabbed Irso and brought her in for a kiss.

Irso bared her teeth but Zac did not care. She sighed, placed the small box onto the table and jumped into his arms.

“They’re partners.” Anton spoke softly to Zuhura. “Though Irso can be a little prickly at the best of times.”

“Prickly?” Zuhura stared at him in disbelief. “I thought she was about to attack me.”

“Well...I suppose that’s not entirely untrue.”

While Zac did not seem to care that people were watching Irso certainly did. After a quick kiss she tried to pull away.

“Zac.” Irso growled at he kissed her ear. “There are people here.”

“Do you think I care?”

“I do!” Irso gently slapped his chest. “So let me down. Please.”

Never thought I’d hear her say please.

Zac gave her another quick kiss before releasing his hold. As he did Anton saw many fading bite marks at the base of his neck.

I don’t need to ask how he got those. Anyone seeing my back would have the same question.

“Thanks.” Irso glanced at Anton before giving Zac’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Sorry about that, Anton. I’ve just been so pissed off at everything lately. Everything sets me off...Except Zac. I don’t know. Hopefully I’ll grow out of it.”

Anton knew it would be unbelievably rude to say but her chest looked slightly larger. That, and her mood swings, noticeable even to someone as angry as her, could be a sign of pregnancy.

“I’ll heal you.” Anton said. “If something’s wrong it should fix it right away.”

“Right…”

“Zuhura.” Zac raised the large piece of paper. “If you wish to have a look at our plans? It’s been a while since I’ve looked at it too, so it’ll be good to get another look at it.”

“Let’s have a look.”

Zuhura moved next to Zac as he laid the paper on the table. The two began to mutter amongst themselves, pointing to markers. Anton did not try and interfere, as he didn’t really know much about civil engineering beyond the superficial, and turned his attention back towards the open construction yard. Before he could see anything Irso stood before him.

“You know, Irso, that I haven’t met anyone like you before.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I’ve never met a woman like you.”

“Good.” Irso folded her arms. “That way your little pet isn’t going to steal...Him.”

Anton returned her posture. “If you keep that attitude up you’re going to lose him. There’s only so much someone can put up with such a volatile personality.”

Irso’s eye twitched. Her shoulders dropped, so too did her tail. “I can’t help it. Honestly, I know that sounds like female bitching but I honestly can’t. It’s just...Inside. I get angry and it just gets away from me…”

“Just remember to take a deep breath, no matter what. Count to three before responding.”

Irso smiled. “You don’t need to teach me that, Anton. But I honestly think I’ve been getting better.”

“Didn’t you nearly kill someone because they grabbed your rear?”

Irso looked away but also smiled. “He deserved it. Besides, I wasn’t the only one.”

“I remember you, Kal rather, saying that the Drakeling’s kept and taught the Beast-kin, so they there might be a hint of resistance towards the Seocurian Masters.”

“Yes. But I was never good.” Irso ran a hand through her rough hair. “They thought I was too violent.” She smiled at Anton, exposing her jagged teeth. “Imagine that.”

“Can’t believe it. But how much do the Drakeling’s move about, since the Seocurian’s don’t consider your kind a threat so long as they keep their distance.”

Irso’s eyes narrowed to little more than slits. “What are you asking?”

“I’m asking if the Drakeling’s could help prepare a nation-wide rebellion. Or, at the very least, make things extremely difficult for them to operate in areas we are operating in?”

“I…” Irso looked towards the buildings beyond. Snow covered the rooves, even the rough scaffolding surrounding the rapidly rising buildings. “I don’t think Atros is ready to take in that many Beast-kin. There’d be...Far too many. I mean it’s an entire country. Right? That must be millions.”

Irso pointed towards a watch tower on the outermost wall. “And that’s it. That’s as far as Atros goes. We’re nowhere near ready.”

“No. Not now. But one day. So...What do you think?”

Irso scratched a patch of scales that grew on her face. “I...I don’t know. Not that I can’t, only that it might not be the right choice right now. If we start to act up then the Seocurian Empire might start to kill Drakelings and put more scrutiny on us...But I’ll see what I can do. Wait a moment. Do I need to go to Seocuria?”

Irso gripped her elbows tight. “I do not want to go back there...I don’t want to see another plantation as long as I live.”

“I can appreciate that.” Anton caught Zac and Zuhura waving them over. “But it is something that I’d like to get done.”

Irso chuckled. “Find another Drakeling and I’ll convince them.”

“Preferably without your normal calm demeanour.”

Irso smirked as they stood on the opposite side of the table. The piece of paper had several fresh alterations, the tips of Zuhura’s fingers were stained black with charcoal.

“Uh, your friend Zuhura knows quite a bit.” Zac began, pointing to the new markings. “Not towards the structure, she doesn’t mind the squares given that we’re living on a plain.”

“I was confused as to why you had two different shapes.” Zuhura pointed to the concentric rings at the centre of Atros. “But the reasoning made sense.”

“A few extra things. But she seems rather impressed by what we’ve got here.” Zac chuckled. “Guess we managed to luck out, right?”

“We did pretty well.” Anton said. “So, Zuhura, what do you think?”

“Without access to more books I have don e all I can.” A hand nervously tapped the table. “I’m beginning to understand what you were saying earlier. That there might not be much that I can actually help with.”

“Nonsense.” Zac almost slapped her on the back, an action that would have thrown Zuhura face first onto the table and probably a good scratching from Irso. “You’ve made me feel good about my choices and decisions. And since Anton’s always asking for something ridiculous…”

“It’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad.” Zac folded his arms and gave Zuhura a nudge. “You should see what Verona’s been allowed to commission with the Dwarves. That thing’s a monster. I’m glad I’ve got nothing to do with it.”

“Verona told me it was Anton’s decision.”

Both he and Zac scoffed.

“I said that I wanted a large building to house our administrative workers…” Anton shook his head. “I’m just glad the Dwarves are working for free. And they’re excited about being allowed to freely design it. That alone would have slashed the price.”

“What are you saying?” Zuhura lent closer. “They’re doing all this work for free?”

Zac nodded. “All of it. It’s not going to last forever, so we’re getting everything out of them that we can.”

“That…” Zuhura rubbed her temple and sighed. “I shouldn’t be surprised anymore.”

Zac smiled. “If you’re going to be anywhere near Anton you’d better get used to it.”

---[]---

“Frindal’s smithy’s are nothing like this.” Zuhura muttered. Her eyes darted over the exterior of the busy building. “They consider themselves more like artisans than smiths.”

“We need raw industrial output first.” Anton motioned for her to follow. “I’d prefer to have ten plain swords than one covered in gaudy trimming. That doesn’t win wars or keep us alive.”

“But it can earn…” Zuhura frowned as the noise of hammering metal sharply increased as she passed through the large doorway. “Not that Atros has much need of money as of yet!”

Anton moved her to a position away from the smiths and apprentices. While Anton had no experience in smithing himself no one was willing to tell him to leave.

“The forge has already undergone several revamps.” Anton said loudly, Zuhura tilted her head to hear him more clearly. “And it’s been optimised by the Dwarves.”

Zuhura shook her head. “Then I do not think there is much for me to do, other than tally what they expect to be able to produce.”

Anton motioned for her to follow him towards the back room. He caught Loretta’s eye, the tall Seocurian gave him a quick wave and smile as she ushered her children towards the back room. Seamus and Lili were covered in soot, somewhat hard to tell given their very dark skin, but still beamed with happiness.

“Hello!” Seamus waved as Anton passed into the room. Though there was no magic the rattling sound of metal dimmed dramatically, much to Zuhura’s relief. “We haven’t seen you in a long time. How…”

Seamus’s eyes fell on Zuhura and he completely stopped. Anton was not about to deny that Zuhura was rather beautiful but Seamus needed to control himself a little better. Lili was only marginally better, though her attention lay on the bright blue scarf hanging loosely around her neck.

“So long as you two are doing well.” Anton smiled. “I actually wanted to show Zuhura Luna. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that little white fuzz ball...I know Verona and Kal have but I don’t know if she’ll remember me.”

“A pet?” Zuhura asked softly.

“Kind of. We rescued her in Graterious...Her mother had been killed by a Griffon, so we took her with us. Seemed cruel to just let her die with her mother’s body, especially since she hadn’t actually been born yet.”

Zuhura quickly understood and her face softened. Lili went deeper into the room, behind a large row of completed shields and began to slap her knees. A small white creature began to emerge. Zuhura gasped at the sight of Luna, he doubted she’d seen a Peryton before, let alone heard of one. Luna had grown, now reaching his knees rather than able to curl up in his arms. She shakily followed Lili, from being disturbed from a deep sleep rather than injury, until her eyes ay on Anton. There was a moment where she did not entirely understand what she was seeing. The next moment her body lurched forward and she ran at Anton, jumping up and spreading her wings at the last moment. She still struck him hard with her head and hooves, thankfully he was ready and caught them before she could injure him.

“I missed you too.” Anton squeezed her hooves as Luna pulled herself closer to him. Her wings beat back and forth, trying to lift her body but she was not strong enough yet. “Have you been a good girl?”

Luna began to sneeze and dropped back to the ground. She accepted his scratches with an eager showing of her neck.

“She doesn’t do that for us.” Lili smiled. She glanced at her brother and sighed, still enamoured with Zuhura, who was pointedly ignoring his stares. “He…”

“He’ll get better.” Anton gave her shoulder a gentle pat. “I don’t think any woman likes being gawked at. Except for Luna. Right? You just love attention, don’t you?”

Luna began to prance and jump around Anton, nudging him with her small snout until she returned to the start. After several more scratches her attention moved to Zuhura, a newcomer and an unknown source of affection.

“Oh...Is she safe?” Zuhura held her collection of papers close to her chest and looked rather worryingly at Anton. “I...I don’t know about pets. She...She has some very large claws on her back legs. Why does she have those?”

“That’s a great question, but one I don’t have an answer for. But she’s very friendly.”

“Especially if you scratch her behind her ears.” Lili said.

Zuhura winced and offered a shaky hand towards Luna. She sniffed at the bright blue fabric and gave her exposed fingers a lick. Zuhura squeaked and stepped back.

“Ah. Hello.” She gave Luna a quick but rough pat.

Luna stared a Zuhura for a few more seconds and quickly lost interest. She was not going to be worth the trouble, better for her to go to someone she knew would shower her with affection. Which Anton did.

“I didn’t think you’d have a problem with pets.” Anton said as he continued to pat Luna. “Not a good comparison, but you don’t seem to have an issue with the Beast-kin.”

“Sultan Hazm had a pet dog. A large one. It liked to try and knock us over for fun, and Hazm wouldn’t discipline it. It died...By poisoning…”

“Luna’s not that bad.” Anton caught Jonathan and Shawn entering the small room. “Is she? I bet Luna just spends most of her time in here sleeping.”

“She does.” Jonathan smiled. “Where she sleeps is right next to the back of a forge, so it is really warm.” He offered his hand to Zuhura. “My name is Jonathan. I am in charge of the above ground smithy.”

“Zuhura.” She did not remove her hand, not that Jonathan appeared to mind. “And above ground?”

“The Dwarven hold has one...Perhaps another day. But Zuhura is here to see if there’s anything that we could improve, as she’s come from a city with actual planning, rather than just making things work.”

Jonathan scratched his head. “After the Dwarves moved into Atros we have never been more productive. Never. There is not much waste or inefficiency, and we’ve had some Dwarves nearly get into arguments about it, even the other day...But I do not think there is much that can be done.”

“I see…” Zuhura frowned and held the sheets tighter to her chest.

“Oh. But would you like to see the enchanted weapons that my children have continued to make?”

“What?” Zuhura’s eyes narrowed. “I thought Mezot and Axia...I don’t know anymore.”

Shawn laughed. “We aren’t Mages like them, but we do go to their lessons on how to read and write. Dad says it’s very important.”

Jonathan gave a stern nod. Anton gave Luna a final rough pat before following the two. She was not interested in going into the noisy forge and returned to her sleeping spot. Through the gaps in the racks he could see the bundle of sheets that acted as her bed.

The enchanted weapons had been locked away in another special room. When Anton entered he was almost gobsmacked by the number he saw. Before it had been less than a dozen, now the shelves were stacked with weapons and armour that rippled with lightning and fire.

“W...What?!” Zuhura’s eyes bulged. Her arms loosened and the papers nearly slipped away from her. “You are artefacts just lying around?! In some unlocked, unprotected room?! The damned piles of gold…”

Zuhura took a slow and steadying breath. “Okay. Why do you have so many?”

“Oh. That’s easy.” Shawn placed a fire enchanted knife on the table. “My sister and I made them.”

“You...And your sister?” Zuhura looked at Anton. She was not particularly surprised when he nodded. “Of course. But…” She rubbed the bridge of her nose hard. “It doesn't have much value outside of combat in a city without an economy. But...You should have traded some of these for the Hamtaro’s release.”

“Should I?”

“Yes. Sultan Hazm would have loved to have these as part of his collection. None of the Sultans would have anything close, I don’t even think the Padisha has anything more than a few. The gemstones would have had far more use elsewhere.”

“Huh...I didn’t even think of that.”

“What?”

“I…” Anton both winced and smiled at Zuhura’s expected reaction. “I kind of forgot that they were even being made.”

“How can you say that?” Shawn acted aghast. “We poured our very souls into these. Literally poured our souls into them.”

“I got carried away with my weapons.” Anton held his shoulder. “But it was wrong of me to forget that there are those who’s sweat and toil make weapons that are unrivalled. Our new soldiers, equipped with my project and these for melee, will be the envy of the world. And that can’t happen without your help.”

“I forgive you.” Shawn laughed. “So long as you promise to take Jocelyn and I to Graterious or Bebbezzar one day.”

“Of course.” Anton turned to Zuhura, who had remained silent during their exchange. “So what do you think?”

Zuhura’s blank expression slowly broke into a weak smile. “Honestly? I think you’re all beyond my help.” Her smile grew warmer as she ran a hand over her ear. “I think this whole city is beyond my help.”

---[]---

Zuhura held the small bundle of papers close to her chest as she stopped in front of her new home. She glanced up and allowed the few falling snowflakes to land on her face.

“I feel like I’ve only wasted your time.” Zuhura frowned at the papers, some of the snowflakes had stuck to her face. “Atros is unlike most cities of this size. Perhaps for the better...I feel like I can’t do much to improve it. Everything is sort of progressing at it’s own pace...Inefficiencies are slowly being weeded out and where production cannot meet demand, well, it’s being increased. There’s almost nothing for me to do...”

“You’d be surprised. Just telling them they’re doing a good job made their day, especially Zac. He doesn’t often smile like that.”

Zuhura smiled. “I suppose that I will be helping your household mostly then. How long before Verona and Kal’s babies are due?”

“I think it’ll be sometime around Summer? Maybe near the end I think. There’s still a bit of time before that.”

“Regardless, I shall be ready for the day.” Zuhura looked very confident. “Until then I shall assist with preparing meals and ensuring that your home remains clean and tidy.”

“Just be careful of rearranging my study. I’ve got a lot of important drawings there, and I’m not the tidiest of people.”

“That shall not be a problem.” Zuhura glanced behind him. Rasha’s looked at them, only her head stuck out, her bright orange horn and red hair was impossible to miss. “I believe that she...She is looking for you. How tall is she?”

“A little bit less than twice. And she could easily pick up both of us and throw us into the air.”

“And you’re...Together?”

“Yes. She might look fierce but she’s very sweet.”

“I shall not question your judgement.” Zuhura looked at her papers, but Anton knew she was imagining how the nights worked. “Thank you for showing me around Atros. I shall prepare better copies of these documents, and then I shall join you to prepare lunch.”

Zuhura gave a final bow of her head and briskly walked towards her new home. Anton mentally admonished himself for still wondering if she wore anything underneath her shawl.

“Don’t worry about it.” Anton said as he slowly trudged through the snow to a waiting Rasha. “It’s her choice...I’m sure that Verona would just ask.”

Rasha waved him closer.

“What’s up?”

“They’ve all gone out.” Rasha said. “Not out of Atros, something about getting more feathers. I think they’re going to talk to the Dark Elves about getting more.”

“Oh. I was hoping to talk to everyone. It’s been a while since it’s been all of us. Mezot still not here?”

“Not yet…” Rasha looked along the street. While there were several people none Anton recognised. “Actually, it’s been a while since it’s just been us. And you promised to help me every day-”

Rasha jumped, nearly launching herself outside. She glared back, Verona stuck her head through the gap, one hand clearly holding Rasha’s thigh.

“I thought you went with them.” Rasha frowned in annoyance. “Since it’s your feathers that they’re dealing with.”

“Not this time. I did offer to go, but Kal and Cetina wanted to go for a walk, so why not let them?” Verona dismissively waved her hand. “They don’t need someone like me interrupting their serious discussions. Probably serious. They can get...What were you saying, Rasha?”

“I…” Rasha glanced at Anton. “I suppose she already knows.”

“About having to milk you every few days?” Anton smiled. “She does now.”

Rasha shook her head, the blue skin turning purple, as Verona made room for Anton.

“Doing it myself doesn’t just feel the same.” Rasha licked her lips. “And it’s been a very long time.”

“So long as you don’t mind Verona watching.” Anton kicked the snow from his boots. “She’s definitely not going to leave us alone.”

Verona’s smile could not get any wider. “No way...I want to see this.”

Rasha shrugged and helped Anton out of his boots, held his hand and dragged him towards her bedroom. Verona followed, almost skipping with delight. Rasha’s room was very sparse, as was most of their rooms, consisting of her reinforced bed and a single cupboard. She sat on the bed and lifted Anton to sit on her leg. He was not given a choice as to where, simply lifted underneath his arms like he was a doll.

“You two just go ahead.” Verona lent against the cupboard, folding her arms and staring intently. “Pretend I’m not even here.”

Rasha was about to retort but thought better of it. She pulled her shirt free, revealing the powerful body beneath. The Arachnid silk bra strained to hold her milk engorged breasts up. The centre was slightly damp, thankfully it was normal milk.

“They’ve been like this for days…”

“Let me help you then.”

Anton removed pulled the thick straps to the sides and pulled down. Her breasts jumped free, droplets of milk slowly seeped out of her swollen nipples.

“Wow…” Verona murmured, biting her lower lip.

Anton began to roughly massage the swollen nubs beneath his hands, after a few seconds his hands were already drenched in thick and slightly sour milk.

“That’s insane…” Verona shook her head, never averting her eyes. “You’re never like this...Look at his little claws curling up.” Verona giggled. “Like he’s really enjoying this.”

“You honestly have no idea.” Anton slipped out of Rasha’s grasp and kissed her deeply. “The strongest person I know is like warm putty in my hands. How could I not enjoy her, especially when she’s so beautiful and kind as well?”

Rasha gripped the back of Anton’s head and began to pull him closer to her chest.

A loud knock on the door stopped everything. Verona’s eye twitched as her foot tapped incessantly.

“Can’t have anything, can we?” She stepped off the bed and rubbed her face. “It might be Kal and Cetina, but if it’s Mezot and Axia then we’re going to have to stop. It’s not right to do this in front of a child.”

Verona giggled as she slowly skipped towards the door. “Even if she’s more than mentally ready…”

Anton’s head tilted back and he met Rasha’s eyes staring down at him. She breathed heavily but he did not see a crazed lust, instead something far more tender. Anton pulled himself up and managed only to kiss her chin. Rasha smiled and returned a flurry of kisses over his forehead, slowly moving down.

“What are you like without a beard?” Rasha stopped after a final peck. She spun him around and rested her chin on his head, despite her hunching over her breasts pushed against his back. “I’ve never actually seen you without one.”

Anton rubbed his short beard. “I think the last time I had it completely shaved off was before heading to Seocuria. Though Verona and Kal do not like it when it gets longer than this. Especially Kal. Cetina...Not so much I think. I don’t think she’d recognise me without this.” Anton raised his arm and rubbed her warm cheek. “What about you?”

“I was just curious.” Rasha pulled him closer. “But whatever you want is fine by me.”

Anton heard the front door open.

“Hey Mezot, Axia.” Verona spoke louder than normal. “How are you both?”

“That’s going to be a halt on our fun.” Anton tried to pull away but he could not make Rasha’s arms budge even a little. He placed his hands on top of hers. “Verona was right.”

“About?”

“About if our genders were reversed.”

“Don’t make me remember that.” Rasha held her face with both hands. Anton took the opportunity to break free but did not leave the bed, instead standing to meet her reddening face. “That was one of the strangest things I’ve heard.”

“I’d still love you.” Anton cupped her cheeks and kissed the base of her horn. Rasha whimpered, biting her lower lip hard. “But we need to get you dressed. Right?”

“...What?” Rasha looked down. “Oh. Shit. Right...Hopefully Verona’s buying us a little time.”

Anton could hear their footsteps slowly coming towards them, far slower than normal.

“Tonight we’ll continue.” Anton picked up Rasha’s shirt as she adjusted her bra. “So try and remember where we stopped.”

Rasha quickly dressed herself and flattened her shirt, giving her body a quick check. She smirked as she wrapped her arm around Anton’s shoulder. “Since we’re not going to have much privacy once our kids are born we’d better get as much done as we can right now...Right?”

“This doesn’t have to stop just because of kids.” Anton kissed the back of her hand. “Far from it. But we’ll just need to make sure that we lock the doors. I don’t want to have to explain why Dad and Mum’s are wrestling.”

“That sounds like something from your world.”

Anton opened the door. Verona, Mezot and Axia stood on the other side, all waiting for them. While Mezot stared blankly, as usual, Axia held a barely restrained smirk. She had guessed what was happening.

“What’s for lunch?” Axia asked. “Or have you three already had your fill?”

Anton ruffled her hair, much to her delight. It was very difficult to keep anything from her, but it was just one of the many joys he had found after arriving in this world. Even if it was only for a few days he would enjoy the peace to the fullest.