You felt pleasantly exhausted, the soft warmth at your side snuggling closer. The sensation of the body was soft and pleasant, plump, in comfortable ways that made your hand just ease its way down the slope of the woman's back and towards her hips. A sigh accompanied your caress, and lips kissed you, spicy apple.

You groaned slightly as you realized your morning wood was up and standing at attention, a hand slowly approaching it. Opening your eyes in full, you met Kiara's golden ones, her kiss slow and relaxing.

Wordlessly, you drew breath, glancing around as you quietly moved her hand out of the way. "No initiating," you declared hoarsely. What time was it? Where were the others? You had to blink, ignoring the wordless grumble of the infernal while taking in the room.

It was simple enough to spot the other three. Diane, Monica, Raven- they laid on the floor, sprawled haphazardly. Each of them looking supremely exhausted, drenched head to toe; you could almost taste the sex and sweat in the air. A little relief trickled through you when you realized they were breathing. They were only unconscious.

"Do you really think I'd kill them?" Kiara asked with a tone that felt amused.

"I know the last time I passed out fucking I woke up with an extra corpse," you replied, not pushing her off and laying back on the bed. "I'm guessing after the thing..."

"I took a little break, and then used the rest of the night's worth of 'right to initiate' with the others," she replied smugly, eyes flashing with a promising glint. It moved to a pretended moment of shock as she made a gesture at the bed. "Ah, I didn't sleep on the bed, Master, I've yet to sleep, in fact."

That word, that tone, that little quiet irony. With a sharp intake of breath, you closed your eyes and laid back on the bed. "Do you want to sleep?"

"Not really." Her finger traced a line down your naked chest, twirling circles around your nipples. "Why do you ask, Master?"

"You're my monstergirl," you replied flatly. The day was starting and already this. You needed coffee.

The tracing of her finger stopped, and you opened your eyes to watch her as she was, in turn, looking at you. Her expression had lost the smugness; it was serious. "And what does that mean?" Her words felt precisely measured. It seemed she was testing the waters.

"That I can't have you going around starving or exhausted." A little unamused shrug accompanied your words. "What use would you be then?"

The roving finger resumed its movement through your chest, and a thoughtful frown crossed her face before she shrugged again. "I want my tail returned to normal."

"Is that why you're playing nice?"

"Could be."

So she had a problem and wanted it solved, and she knew she couldn't force you... "Hm..." Opening your eyes again, you looked over her shoulder, at her tail. It was a little surprising to realize the redness had spread. The irritated colouration appeared to be all over it this time, especially on the tip. "Did you piss Diane off or something?"

"She did this while I was... resting, that first time," Kiara spoke with a scowl. "I went through a healing cycle, it didn't go away."

You idly chewed on that statement. Kiara had exhausted everyone in the room, taken the dex, left the room, gotten herself healed, and then returned. Her breed needed only two hours of sleep. There were a lot of things the Succubus could do if everyone was out like a light. It'd clearly been a mistake not to put her into the fireproof metal restraints last night.

"No more leaving the room without permission," you sighed, rubbing the bridge of your nose. The Succubus didn't even react to that- would she comply? Did you have a way to check? Hm... The dex had a recording function, so you'd put that to use next time. A pause- were you seriously considering using a security camera feature to check whether Kiara opted to do anything while you were asleep?

That coffee couldn't come any sooner.

"My tail? Are you going to fix it?" The infernal pushed with a frown.

That made you switch tracks. You thought back on the Rapha and how she'd used her powers on you, changed you without asking. Even if it'd been out of something that felt convenient... You glanced at her tail, your fingers tracing down her spine and caressing the reddened base. The reaction was immediate- Kiara became tense as a shudder ran through her, quickly followed by goosebumps.

"You managed to get them all even with your tail like this?"

"They get tired. I don't," the infernal hissed through clenched teeth.

"Does it hurt?"

"It's... sensitive. Not exactly comfortable." The words came through grit teeth and little gasps.

You quirked a brow. "Want me to stop?"

It'd been the wrong question, and her eyes narrowed. "Is this a-"

"I'm not going to make everything a challenge, Kiara," you replied, pulling your hand away, irritation climbing. "I've got better things to do." A scoff followed. "Just tell me if the tail thing feels like something that'll make you less effective in a fight or not."

"As is? Yes." She didn't try to stop you as you shuffled off the bed and towards the shower.

"Then I'll have Diane reduce it," came the answer.

You'd really wanted to ask her if she just wanted it gone or not, but whatever, this was as good as having asked that anyway. You left the bed with more effort than you thought it ought to take you. Your body felt drained. But the worst part was that you couldn't really know if it was just feeling older, if it was that you'd over-exerted yourself, that it'd been Kiara's draining...

...or if this was some strange side-effect of halting whatever Diane had been doing to your body.

A flash of anger coursed through you as you scowled, stopping on your steps as you noticed the Succubus had been moving to leave the bed in the same direction you had. Your thoughts moved away from the more irritating things and you tried to shift gears. The half-dejected look on Kiara's face felt entirely out of place.

"What is it?"

The question caught her by surprise. Her eyes flashed towards the shower and then at you, clearly not expecting this reaction.

Though she didn't say anything, you connected the dots and rolled your eyes. "It's a shower, I think I can handle it without risking breaking a leg." Your annoyance caught her further by surprise, but the infernal remained entirely quiet, flopping back onto the bed and looking at you with a strange look.

Was she expecting some different behaviour? Treatment? Whatever, you were not in the mood to handle this, you entered and turned on the hot water, as hot as you could handle it. Closing your eyes, you pretended like you were alone, no Kiara, no Diane, no nothing. Just you, just the shower, its warmth seeping into and through you. Normally you'd use the time to think about what you'd have to do during the day but not this time. You just closed your eyes.

And cleared your head.

The sensation of relaxation ended with the realization a pair of eyes were looking intently at you.

Just like that, the effect of the shower was undone. You sighed, didn't turn around to look at the Succubus, and shifted the water to as cold as it went. The blast struck you like a hammer, chest tightening as you sucked in air sharply. Focusing yourself on not jumping out instantly was a rather effective way to wipe out the starting niggling feelings at the back of your head.

Cooled off, you stepped outside and paused when you saw Kiara as she laid on the bed, still looking at you. There was that calculating edge to her gaze, and something else as well. The smirk certainly appeared very entertained.

With an inward scoff, you dried, dressed up and turned towards the trio on the floor. Diane and Monica were cuddled against one another, Raven not too far away. Not even the shower had woken them up; they must be completely spent then. How long ago had the orgy come to an end? Saying things were messy would be an understatement. You checked the dex- no messages, but it was well after ten in the morning.

As much as you wished you could throw all your troubles down the drain, you couldn't. Time to get moving.

"You want to earn some points?" You glanced at the infernal, recalling the three on the ground. You'd put them through healing and cleaning, and let them rest inside their sphere.

"What did you have in mind, Master?" Kiara purred with an even broader smirk.

"Cut the crap," you said without amusement. "Call me whatever you want, but drop the sarcasm. I don't expect my girls to call me 'Master' if they don't mean it." The tongue-lashing sobered her up fast, and there was somewhat of a scowl that followed. "And you can cut on the whole bimbo act, I only really expect you not to do things that'll start fights."

This time the scowl deepened. That had annoyed her? Good. "And what else?"

"That's it for now," you answered, moving towards the door but pausing. "I'll ask again, do you feel like you want to earn a couple of points? I'm going to do this gym challenge and as far as I've been told just Monica could mop it up."

"Asking, Rick?" She said, snorting loudly. "I thought you owned me."

"And I'm feeling generous," you replied through clenched teeth. "Do you want to do a gym fight or not?"

"What's your rank?"

"Never did a ranking test before, this is my first go." You turned to leave, no more patience left. "If you're not interested then just stay put, I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Wait, wait!" Kiara flew off of the bed and towards you before you could open the door. "This I need to see."

"Great, I'll put you through a clean cycle first." She hadn't noticed you'd been holding onto her capture device, and her expression turned into a startled one as she vanished into the red light.

A bit of a smile came to your lips- it was the little things.

Now if only you could get your hands on some quality coffee that didn't cost an arm and a leg...

Healing and cleaning for everyone, a mention at the desk that the room was going to be in use another day, and you stepped outside. You picked up some food from the rations. Mostly tasteless and bland, some water to push it down. Maybe it wasn't satisfying, but at least it helped with the sense of hunger that had been clawing at you.

It let you turn your attention towards everything else more easily.

The sun was bright, the skies were clear, and only a couple of clouds were hanging about. There was a gentle breeze that smelled of spring. The people mulled through their life with different faces. Some were happy, others tired, most were neutral and just focused on getting someplace or another. If it weren't because almost all of them were monstergirls, you would've thought this to be no different to some random street in some random picturesque town.

Enjoying the peace and quiet for a minute or four as you walked, soaking in the sun, you pushed yourself to face the music again. Time to release Kiara. The Succubus appeared and looked around quickly before locking back on you, her wings spread wide and... She paused as your eyes narrowed. A huff followed.

"No flying, right." She proceeded to roll her eyes, walking towards you as you'd not stopped your own steps. "Were you serious about the gym fight?"

"First time." You tossed her your dex, but kept a close eye.

This time she scowled, looking at the screen before you snatched it back out of her hands. "You're shitting me, how have you been a tamer for less than a month? I thought you were going around with the kids because the geezer was paying you or something."

A shrug of your shoulders. "Stick around long enough and I just might tell you."

Kiara's eyes narrowed. "And if I guess it?"

"Knock yourself out, it's not really going to change anything." You proceeded to ignore her, walking towards the gym's general direction and keeping an eye around for the crowd. The little voice in the back of your head kept gnawing with that low level concern that had never quite left you.

They were monstergirls, they could kill you.

It was like walking down the street when everyone was carrying bazookas while each and every one of them kept their finger on the trigger.

It was hard to ignore; you focused on your other thoughts. A little part of you hoped to maybe catch sight of any of the others, but no luck. Combined with the lack of messages, you guessed they'd either opted to leave without you or had yet to fully reopen to the idea of talking. If it was the second, you'd just send a message later today, but if it was the first, you'd have to reconsider some things.

The main reason you were going towards Ebony was that Mr. Gabriel sought to settle down there with some ranch-related job. Without the need for you to escort him there... You had to wonder where you'd rather go. Being a tamer was definitely not something you wanted to keep doing indefinitely.

You'd have to-

"Hey, Rick," Kiara's voice interrupted your thoughts, and you glanced over your shoulder to look her way as she walked behind you. Her hand was pointed at her own back. "Do you plan for me to fight with my tail like this?" She waved the red appendage behind her.

A heartbeat. She'd downed your whole harem. You scoffed. "You think you couldn't win even with it?" You asked back plainly, rolling your eyes. "I said I'll deal with it, you'll just have to put up with it for the time being."

Returning to your steps, you cut off potential replies from her part. The gym building was the one you'd visited before the farmer mission came into sight. The last time you'd been here, Kiara had bothered you on the way. My how things have turned around now. The interior was cool and fresh, both receptionist desks were devoid of much activity, and the number of people mulling about was practically nil. Perhaps everyone was having real breakfast. On the plus side, there was not much of a wait before it was your own turn.

A simple exchange; your match was scheduled for the following hour.

With nothing better to do, you moved to sit on the waiting benches.

It was then that you opted to acknowledge Kiara again. She was standing in front of you and looking annoyed. "What?" You wondered, her gaze looked at the seat, then your lap. You frowned. "What?"

"Where do you want me to sit?"

"Why should I tell you?" You frowned, gesturing next to you. "Just take a seat, we'll be here for an hour before the match."

Her eyes turned to the side, and you glanced at the other tamers that were waiting. It was only then that you paid attention to their monstergirls. They were standing or kneeling in front of them, and the sight caught you somewhat by surprise. And just as you were about to hide that emotion, you realized Kiara had caught it, eyes sharply looking at you as she moved to sit next to you.

The only monstergirl seated on one of the wait benches. "Like this?" The tone wasn't mocking so much as... testing. She was clearly trying to gauge your reaction. It was a strange impression, the mockery, the sneers, the haughtiness, she wasn't showing any of it. The Succubus was looking at you with a scowl and that look of a student trying to guess if you were going to pass them or not.

"Good enough," you shrugged, leaning back and fishing out your dex.

With a sigh, you turned your attention towards the encyclopedia of entries that were present within the device. The thing listed at least a good seven hundred or so entries. Feeling like there wasn't anything better to do, you opted to start on the most common breeds. It might be something that could come in handy later down the line.

"Are you seriously reading entries?" Kiara had been looking over your shoulder.

"Yes." You didn't turn away from the screen, frowning.

The infernal pressed her cheek against your shoulder, and you could feel her horns tickling the back of your neck.

But she didn't add any comments.

So you just kept reading.

That is, until you felt a finger caress your thigh. You held back the roll of your eyes, focusing on the entry regarding the Doggirl. More than anything, you were keeping a close focus on the aspects regarding feral behaviour. You'd had suspicions about it with Monica as well as the spiders, but by the looks of it, even feral, monstergirls could prove far smarter than most wild animals.

The finger moved towards the edge of your trousers.

"Don't start anything," you stated flatly. "I'll make that an order if I need to."

"But I'm... peckish," Kiara purred.

"Then it's time to diet," you replied.

That killed that mood quite fast. You took to the next page of information- the canine monstergirl had an intense sense of smell, though not quite comparable to an actual dog. Strange. You checked the evolutions; it seemed the next forms had stronger senses. If the breeds were designed and mass-produced, why didn't the Doggirl have the stronger sense of smell right off the bat? Was it progressive design? Sukebe didn't have the know-how from the start of the war?

That posed-

The finger now trickled your neck. Your head turned towards Kiara, finding her pouting as she suckled on one finger, the other on your neck. "You seemed to like it when the cat did it, why not me?"

You blinked. Wait. She'd acted like an airhead with Tomas. This was an act too, wasn't it? She was trying to determine how to approach you. "You can drop the game of pretend, I'll have Diane undo the tail thing later." A roll of your eyes. "Besides, I happen to like 'the cat'. I still don't quite like you," you replied, raising the dex to read it and moving her hand away with the other one. "If you're bored take a nap."

"That's rather cruel of you, Rick, telling a monstergirl you own you don't like them." Her voice had that pout in it that was hard to tell whether it was real or not.

"I'm sure you'll get over it." You returned to reading, trying to regain your train of thought, if-

Her head laid on your lap, looking up at you with a smirk, eyes narrowed with barely disguised amusement.

Fine.

"Ok, Kiara, you want my attention. Bend over my lap."

"Spanking?" She appeared equal parts eager and entertained.

"Have you done anything to deserve it?" You asked.

"Does there need to be a reason for a good spank?" She raised her skirt, presenting her plump pale ass to the air as she laid atop your lap.

She was far lighter than you'd imagine her to be. You caught as she was looking at you again, gauging. Your eyes trailed through her body. She was yours. The thought intruded into you and wormed its way through your irritation. It made you feel a slight... something... stir inside of you. Only a moment later did you notice Kiara's grin was growing ever so slightly, her rear waving slightly in an attempt to draw your attention.

You made an effort to focus on your real objective.

Leaning over her, you put one elbow right between her small black wings so you could use it to lean forward slightly, and you then reached out for the spade of her tail. The leathery texture was warmer than you remembered it being. You squeezed, though not as much as your initial impulse had urged you to.

Kiara instantly shuddered, her face flustered, and just as she'd been about to attempt to struggle, you applied just enough pressure with your elbow. The infernal stopped struggling with a dejected sigh. "Now," you said. "How about we work a little communication? Tell me how you'd enjoy me touching your tail."

"W-why?" She harshly breathed out, scowling deeper, she was on the backfoot.

"I could claim it's an order, but eh." Shrugging your shoulders, you squeezed a bit more, watching her cringe, and you couldn't help but grin slightly. "I plan to stay like this until I get bored, or you force yourself off and lose. Might as well make it enjoyable, no?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Lose?" She was competitive.

You could work with that. "If you hold from hopping off until the time is over, and then win the fight, I'll let you fly around for the afternoon."

Another shudder went through her, her jaw tightened. "That's it? Only one afternoon?"

"I mean, this shouldn't be too hard for you," you replied offhandedly. "First ranking test for a Succubus? Pretty sure you should be able to win blindfolded." Well, you weren't sure about it, but she didn't need to know that.

A glare. "Fine," she growled, closing her eyes. "Be softer."

"Rude, but sure," you replied, releasing her tail and hearing the infernal sigh. Carefully, your fingers moved to lightly stroke the tail from the base to its tip, drawing another sigh. The goosebumps were traversing her body now. You slowly increased the pressure a little with each pass up and down the fleshy limb. Then a slight grunt escaped her; her shoulders relaxed. You reached the spade and squeezed ever so gently; the shudder ran through her and her body became warm. A moan escaped her lips, one she'd cared not to cover or hide. It surprised you slightly, watching her moan like that and not even blinking at it. It had made you stop for a split second before you continued.

How much of this was sexual? Actually, how much of this was normal? Your eyes glanced around, watching the others in the lobby- no one had readily paid attention in your direction. No one had so much as glanced twice at the Succubus as she squirmed on your lap.

Carefully your fingers kept stroking with that edge of pressure, making the Succubus blush harder, moaning louder. "Oh~, right there Rick!" She called out. You'd thought something like this, public, would maybe embarrass her. Much to your surprise, she didn't seem to care whatsoever. "Own this Succubus!"

Your eyes widened slightly. She'd read you earlier.

"Someone's rather loud," you said, controlling your voice and ignoring the little wiggling of desire at the back of your head.

"If you give me your cock to suck, I should be quieter," she replied with a pleased grin. You were quite sure she meant it unironically too. As far as you could tell, it wouldn't even be weird by the normal standards. What would be the Succubus' limits?

Focus. You squeezed the spade a little, and she closed her eyes, groaning, leaning down to lightly close her mouth against your thigh. You felt her body pulse with heat. "No," you stated.

"What?" She was broken from the spell a little.

"No powers," you said, firmly. "I'm not interested in causing a scene. Keep your voice down and your powers off."

Kiara rolled her eyes but she kept quiet, the strokes of her tail drawing moans, but the infernal now not uttering a word. The action was intentional enough it now brought up more questions you weren't sure you'd want to ask. You kept yourself to just stroking and squeezing her limb, making some mental notes on how the infernal appeared to enjoy the most when you applied a little more pressure than when you stroked Monica's tail. But forcing yourself not to escalate.

The moans and squirming only grew as the minutes ticked by, even if she did use your thigh to quieten her voice.

And from time to time, she'd bite your pants, closing her lips, shuddering as her body warmed up. Her eyes would flash at you with that little edge that reminded you of that feeling you'd had during that first date with Diane. Was Kiara now playing you? Were you playing her? You had to focus to avoid getting distracted.

"Rick A. Hill?" The voice called out before you could start wondering whether you should stop or not.

With a huff, Kiara shuddered and hopped off of your lap. "I won."

For a heartbeat, you thought she meant she'd found a way to sink her claws on you. But you quickly pushed that doubt away. "Eh? Ah, no, you still have the match," you nodded, pushing yourself to look absent-minded about the matter. "Well, let's get this over with."

Your response appeared to irk the infernal as she looked at you. "You weren't even trying to win were you?"

Inside, you were thankful Succubi weren't able to read minds. "I mean, now I know you can enjoy having your tail played with. So it's a possible future reward from here on out." And that it could also be used to punish her. You shrugged, walking ahead as she stumbled to catch up. "Now you just have to win the match and you get your afternoon of flying."

"I want my tail back to normal," you heard her growl under her breath. She said nothing else as you approached the double doors. They led further into the building. The one who'd called out for you had eyed the infernal warily and stepped out of the way as you approached. "Room number #2."

"Thanks," you nodded at her, entering a rather long looking corridor, and immediately taking a left as the numbered door cropped up.