I twisted and turned, studying myself in the full length mirror I'd put in Devilla’s room. I looked pretty damn good! The backless red dress Chloe had picked out for me clung to my curves, showing off my chest. The twins may have been smaller than Devilla’s titantic tits, but they were still a perfectly fine size! The skirt, meanwhile, flared out from around my upper thighs. I’d have to be careful not to flash anyone today. I wouldn’t want anyone thinking I was trying to proposition them in the middle of a date.

“You look pretty!” came a voice from behind me, almost making me jump. I just barely managed to maintain my composure, though, turning around and forcing myself to smile at the newcomer as she continued speaking. “I love your dress!”

“Thanks,” I said, plucking at the skirt. I couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious all of a sudden, as ridiculous as that was. It wasn’t like I actuallycared what Lucy thought… Did I? I hadn’t even wanted to go on a date with her in the first place! “Chloe picked it out. She said it would make you go gaga over me or something.”

“It does do a very good job of showing off how attractive you are!” she told me. “I think you’d look even better without it, though!”

“That’s… Kinda sweet? A bit too early in the date, though. Like, way too early. That was the sort of thing you said after a really nice dinner or something.” What sort of idiot would try and start the date with it?

“Oh… Sorry! Eena said it would be impolite if I didn’t mention how pretty I found you. And that you’d probably get upset if I didn’t mention your body…”

“Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure Devilla learned everything she ‘knows’ about romance from a combination of maid gossip and bad romance novels… Take whatever she tells you with a mountain of salt, alright?”

“So I probably shouldn’t expect sex on the first date, then?” Lucy asked.

“I mean, I don’t see why we wouldn’t sleep together if everything goes well, but… Maybe don’t bring that up until after we know we click well enough?”

Lucy nodded happily. “That’s fine! Where are we going on our date first?”

“To a play,” I told her. “Chloe got me tickets. But before that, I think there’s something else we need to worry about…”

“What’s that?” Lucy asked.

The sheer innocence with which she asked it, the sheer obliviousness to obvious problems… I couldn’t help pressing a palm against my face and sighing as I wondered just what I’d done to deserve a life like this. 

“You’re wearing a fortune in metal, Lucy. Not to mention the fact that it’s armor.”

“Oh!” Lucy said, her mouth a perfect little ‘o’ of surprise. “...I didn’t bring any extra clothes with me, though!”

“Yeah, Chloe figured that would happen, so she picked some dresses out for you too,” I told her, pointing towards the bed where several outfits had been laid out. “The girl is so thorough it’s kinda scary.”

“She does seem to have put a lot of thought into our date,” Lucy agreed. “But I think it’s nice of her! I mean, I don’t really know about you, but I’m actually really nervous about this date! I’ve never tried going out with more than one person before. Or with anyone at all except Eena, for that matter! I don’t know a lot about polyamory, either, so I’m not really sure what to expect in the future if things go well. Not to mention all my worries about what might happen if things go bad… I try not to think about it too much, but it’s hard not to worry!”

“Regretting this whole thing then?” I asked. “If you’d just left it with me pining after her then you’d never have been in this mess.”

“Maybe,” Lucy agreed. “But I’d rather follow my heart and be hurt than go against what I’m meant to stand for!”

Death and destruction? I wanted to ask. I didn’t say anything, though. I wasn’t going to lash out at Devilla’s girlfriend… and potentially my future girlfriend… just because she’d figured out her feelings for Devilla before I could. “Should I ask what that is? Or are you going to spill it on your own?”

“A better future! A world where everyone, both humans and demons, can feel safe and happy! To make that happen it’s not enough to just chase my own happiness! I have to help other people, too!”

“Even if it could cost you everything?” I questioned her, unable to help myself.

“I don’t think it will!” she replied with a smile. “But even if it does, I don’t think I’ll regret it. I’ll always know I did my best!”

Yep, there’s another stab of guilt for thinking ill of her. She really was too pure. “Ugh… I don’t even know why I’m bothering to rehash this. You already said everything last time we talked about this, right? So just… just pick a dress so that we can get going, alright?”

“Alright!” Lucy agreed, turning her attention to the outfits Chloe had laid out.

I didn’t really bother paying much attention to Lucy as she hopped from outfit to outfit, picking up articles of clothing and holding them up against herself so she could study the results in the mirror. I didn’t want to think about how her excitement was sort of cute. Or how she really was just a girl trying her best to do right by everyone, while I grumbled and groaned about being dragged along for the ride. 

There was one thought I couldn’t block out, though, no matter how hard I tried. The fact that the Heroine - the enemy of all demon-kind, slayer of queens and heroes, the real life boogeyman most parents wouldn’t even dare to terrorize their children with, out of a deep rooted fear of her appearance? She was kind of a dork.

“You must really like playing dress up,” I remarked. More for something to say than anything, honestly. 

Lucy shook her head in response for a bit before pausing and tilting her head in thought.. “It’s not that. Well, not just that at least! It is really nice to do something so normal, but I’m also just really happy that you went through all the trouble of picking things out for me! That’s why I want to make sure I put proper thought into the outfit I wear!”

“Chloe prepared them, not me,” I replied, rolling my eyes. Not that she’d be able to tell. “Honestly, you can go in anything for all I care. I’m sure you can pull any of them off.”

“I’m pretty sure pulling them off is what you do at the end of the date,” Lucy said with a giggle. “And even if you’re not the one who picked out the dresses, I still want to look pretty for you!”

“Yeah, well… you’d look pretty good in anything, if I’m being honest, alright? Just pick something that goes with your eyes or whatever and let’s get going or we’re going to be late to the theater!”

“Alright,” Lucy agreed, putting the black dress she was holding down. She picked up a red crop top and a small black skirt. “Is it okay if I wear something less formal, then? I almost never get to wear casual clothes!”

“What? You’re not going to tell me you’re in that armor twenty four seven or anything, are you?” I asked, arching an eyebrow. “Because that’s some serious commitment to the job.”

“I mean, I am pretty committed,” Lucy said, “but I don’t always wear it. Sometimes I wear formal dresses and stuff, too! That’s mostly just when I’m meeting with nobles and such, though.”

“What about when you just want to relax?” I asked, curious despite myself. “You’ve gotta take some ‘you’ time sometimes, right?”

“I mean, it’s not like being me and being the Heroine are two different things to me,” Lucy replied. “I like helping people! And I get a lot of ‘me’ time when I’m traveling, too - or I did before I joined with Eena, I guess? Not to mention Feyra, Grell, and Dyona…”

“But you can’t be like this all the time, can you?” I pressed. “So… happy and upbeat. It’s gotta get tiring, right?”

“I wouldn’t say tiring,” Lucy replied, reaching for her hair so that she could wind a few strands around her finger. “It can be hard sometimes when things aren’t going well, or when I mess something up… It’s really lonely, too, since most people treat me like I’m just the Heroine and not a living, breathing person. …It’s part of why getting to play dress up and pick out pretty outfits for our date is so fun for me.”

“That sounds pretty tiring to me.”

“It’s also really rewarding, though! Knowing I’m making a difference, and that just my presence can bring people hope makes me feel good! Plus, it hasn’t been lonely anymore since Eena joined me!”

“That just makes it worth it, not… not tiring.”

“Tiring implies I get tired of it, though!” Lucy protested.

“No, it means that it’s hard. You think I don’t find it tiring to help Devilla? I still do it. It still makes me happy to know that I’m helping her. That doesn’t stop me from moaning, groaning, and just generally bemoaning what a mess she is or all the trouble she leaves in her wake. I’ll never tire of it, but I can sure as hell be tired out by it.”

“I don’t like complaining about it, though,” Lucy protested. “What if I make people feel like they’re putting something on me? I want them to know that I’m here for them because I want to be!”

“Then don’t complain to people. Complain to Devilla - hell, complain to me. We’re dating now, aren’t we? I’m pretty sure listening to each other’s petty complaints is part of the deal.”

Lucy didn’t say anything for a moment. I almost thought I’d upset her or something. “...You know, I think I can see why Eena values you so much… You’re really good at cutting to the heart of things, aren’t you?”

“I’m just speaking my mind,” I told her, rolling my eyes again. “Not like I’m dropping ancient wisdom here or anything. Now go on and get dressed! I wasn’t kidding about us running late if you don’t hurry.”

“Right!” Lucy declared, immediately starting to strip herself of her armor.

So much for getting undressed at the end of the date. Not that I was complaining… If anything, I was just grateful for the fact that no one could tell where I was looking, because I was staring at Lucy hard while she was changing into the new clothes.

Not that she couldn’t guess as much, in all likelihood - nobody took that long to change without an audience - but… well, it did seem like I suddenly had a new reason to be looking forward to the end of the date.

Watching the play with Abigail was really fun and we even made it on time! It was about two women, a goblin and catgirl, fighting to win the heart of an orc. They did all sorts of things to sabotage each other, but the more they fought with each other the more they got to know each other, and eventually they fell for one another too! It was kind of funny to watch them both complain to their friends about how they were in love with their rival and panicking about how to approach each other. It ended up working out fine, though, since all three of them got together in the end!

I couldn’t help but think Chloe had chosen this play on purpose. It wasn’t an exact match for my situation with Abigail - it’s not like we were fighting over Eena or anything! - but it was nice to see polyamory in action, even if it was only as part of a play. Abigail didn’t seem to appreciate it as much as I did from the way she scowled as we left, though.

“Is everything okay?” I asked her, hoping she’d be honest and admit that something was wrong. I didn’t want to push her, and I wouldn’t say anything if she lied, but it was definitely better to get things like this out in the open!

“It’s fine,” she lied instead. I think she must have seen my expression though, because a moment later she let out a sigh. “Ok, fine. I just can’t refuse that cute sad expression… I’m annoyed that Chloe thinks I need a lesson on polyamory shoved down my throat, alright? I already know going through you is the only way I’m ever going to be with Devilla.”

“I don’t think that was the point,” I replied, wanting to defend Chloe. She’d put a lot of thought into this date from what I could tell! “I think she just wanted us, or maybe even just me, to learn more about polyamory? Or maybe she wanted us to see a positive relationship? It was really educational and encouraging for me! Plus, I think it helped me understand demon culture a bit better… I mean, there were so many different types of demons in the play all getting along together! I always imagined there being little enclaves of each species…”

“Yeah, well, it used to be like that according to my old history lessons,” Abigail told me. “Villages of mostly one type of monster girl or another, but when humans started lumping us all together we had to band together. We do still have some ‘enclaves’ - I mean, almost all the harpies live in Mipha’s territory, for example - but it’s… different. If a harpy falls in love with a lizard girl, or if a cat girl wants to date a mouse girl, there’s no prejudice or anything.”

“What if a demon wants to marry a human?” I asked, unable to help myself.

“Yeah, like that would ever happen…” Abigail muttered before glancing up at my sunhat. She’d insisted I wear it - said that people would probably assume I had non-human features under it if I did. “Humans aren’t exactly popular around here, you know? Even if most of us have never actually even seen one before...”

“Not every human is involved in the war effort… A lot of them just assume the worst about demons because it’s all they’ve ever been told. I think Eena’s journey so far is proof that people can overcome that, though!”

“Maybe,” Abigail agreed with a shrug. “But still. You’re sort of the stuff of nightmares for most of us. We all know, deep down, that it’s only a matter of time before you, or someone like you, wipes us all out… Even if it’s just an abstract concept for most of us, it’s still pretty damn hard to see humans in a potential romantic light.”

“Do you think that could change?” I asked curious. It wasn’t like I needed Abigail to fall in love with me for things to work out. As long as we could get along well enough to not cause any trouble for Eena, I was sure everything would be fine! That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to put my best effort into getting to know Abigail, though! If we could all end up together, I was sure it would be even better!

I don’t think Abigail shared my optimism, though. She just sort of shrugged and then started looking around.

“Chloe told me I’d know where to go after the play somehow, but-”

At that moment something ran by us, so fast its form seemed to blur. Which was weird, since it didn’t seem to actually be moving that fast. Just… fast enough that I didn’t quite react in time when it bumped into Abigail and then kept going.

“What the…” Abigail muttered before suddenly paling and patting her waist. “My purse!”

My eyes widened and I was instantly on alert. “They went that way!” I declared, pointed toward the figure. They must have been using magic or something, because even now that I was focusing on them they were still nothing more than a blur of red and black to me. Unless it was just a feature for some sort of monster girl I didn’t know about?

Either way, it was pretty obvious what I had to do. Grabbing hold of Abigail’s hand, I ran after the blurred being.

“Wait!” Abigail called out, trailing behind me. “I’m not that great at the whole running thing!”

“Really?” I asked. “Even though you’re… you know?” A demon. I might have been the Heroine, but I was still just starting out - I shouldn’t be that much stronger than the average demon. I could even be called weaker than some of them as Chloe had proven.

“Yeah, well, athletics have never been my strong suit…” Abigail muttered. “Something about my Mom not getting enough lust when she was pregnant with me? I don’t know.”

It sounded like there was a story there, but I didn’t think Abigail wanted to share it right now. Instead I did what I thought Eena would do in this situation - I scooped Abigail up into a bridal carry and kept running!

“Hey!” she protested, her wings flexing a little as she settled into my arms. They made carrying her a bit awkward, but with Abigail shifting herself into the right position - despite her protests - I was still able to keep hold of her and continue pursuing the shadowy figure.

“Sorry!” I told Abigail as we neared some trees. “I think they’re going into the forest!”

“It’s a park,” Abigail replied. I could tell she was a little disgruntled, but I didn’t have time to pay attention to that right then. Just like I didn’t have time to ask how a forest (or a park?) could possibly grow inside a tower. Maybe some sort of holy magic or magic from another demon I didn’t know of?

Either way, I kept running after the blurred figure while still carrying Abigail. She, because this had to be some kind of monster girl, weaved her way through trees with ease, often leaving me to force my way through paths she could just slip through. I could feel twigs and branches breaking against my skin, but it didn’t bother me. I just did my best to make sure I’d take the brunt of the impact instead of Abigail and kept going.

Eventually my chase led me to a clearing. In the center of it was a large red and white blanket with a wicker basket in the center. At the edge closest to us was Abigail’s purse with a piece of paper tucked beneath. The blurred figure was nowhere in sight.

“...Dammit Chloe!” Abigail shouted from my arms, wiggling around a little. “Let me down!”

“You think Chloe did this?” I asked while gently lowering Abigail to the floor.

She didn’t respond right away, but instead stomped her way over to her purse and the paper underneath. “...It says that we’re free to talk here. She’ll make sure nobody overhears us… Fuck. There was probably someone following us, wasn’t there?”

“Do you think they know who I am?” I asked. I was a little worried. I knew I’d taken a risk coming here, after all, even if I was pretty sure that Devilla’s friends and family could sort anything out for us if necessary. It would probably look really bad for Devilla if people knew she’d brought a human into the tower, though - let alone the Heroine!

Abigail shook her head, though. “It’s not you they’re after. Nivera warned me I was becoming a ‘person of interest’ by hanging around with Devilla so much… I didn’t think anyone would be following me, though.”

“Are you in danger?” I asked, looking around.

“No,” Abigail said hurriedly. “I don’t think anyone’s dumb enough to actually try to kill Devilla’s only known friend. Or at least nobody has said anything about it being a possibility… I’m just under observation for now, whatever that means.”

“It means spies, I think,” I told her. “I’m used to being under lots of eyes, though, so I know what I can and can’t say in public! I don’t think we really discussed anything that would cause trouble.”

“Yeah, well, I guess that’s why Chloe decided to put us somewhere she could guard us. I’m pretty damn sure she could have pulled this off without stealing my purse!” Abigail raised her voice towards the end, yelling at the trees around us.

“At least she gave it back?” 

“Yeah. Small favors,” Abigail grumbled, looking into her purse. I was pretty sure she rolled her eyes while she said that. “At least there’s nothing missing. Hell, I think she might have added a couple coins while she was at it.”

A soft giggling sound, carried on the wind, made me and Abigail tense for a moment before we realized who it must have come from.

“You think she’s listening?” Abigail asked me.

“That, or she’s just sending giggles at random!” I replied.

Another giggle followed my words. It sounded exactly the same as the first.

“...I can’t tell if that’s confirmation of your theory or mine,” Abigail muttered after a few seconds of silence. “Maybe she’s just trying to fuck with us?”

“Why would she do that?” I asked, curious. “She seemed pretty nice when we met!”

“Yeah, well she’s a self-proclaimed trickster extraordinaire,” Abigail told me with a weary sigh. “So whether she’s nice or not doesn’t really factor into it…”

“Well, if you don’t want her to overhear us I could use my privacy spell?” I suggested. “Then nobody will even notice us!”

“Is that the one that requires hand holding?” Abigail asked me, arching an eyebrow. “Because it might be kinda awkward to eat our dinner like that.”

“I’m pretty sure we could manage if you wanted to!” I told her. “But we don’t have to, either. I’m sure Chloe’s doing a great job of keeping everyone else away!”

“Yeah, well, she sure did a good enough job of luring us here,” Abigail agreed, reaching for the basket. It was covered by a lid, which she flipped up to reveal a pair of sandwiches and two flasks, as well as a small pile of cookies.

“At least there’s nothing with potatoes in it,” Abigail said after looking everything over for a bit. “Pretty sure the sandwiches are chicken.”

“What about the flasks?” I asked. “They aren’t alcohol are they?” I didn’t drink much. I mean, alcohol didn’t do much to me to begin with, and I really didn’t like the taste!

Abigail took out a flask, unscrewed its cap, and took a sniff. Then she tilted it back and took a small sip. “Grape juice. Guess she didn’t want anyone making mistakes they might regret…”

“She really put a lot of thought into this, didn’t she?” I remarked.

“I think she just gets some sort of sick amusement out of making me squirm,” Abigail complained. “She knew I wasn’t looking forward to this…”

“Because of who I am?” I asked. I tried to keep the hurt from my voice. This was different then when humans feared me. I must have let a little slip, though,  from how Abigail winced.

“...Sorta,” she admitted. “Also what you are, species wise. I mean, I know you’re different, you’re Lucy, but… I don’t know. It feels… weird. Like I’m betraying everyone somehow, doing something anathema to being a demon… I’m not sure how Devilla does it. Maybe the human memories?”

“Why did you agree if you didn’t want to date me?”

“You didn’t give me much of a choice,” she pointed out. “You basically just declared it was going to happen, and by the time I wrapped my brain around the fact that you were actually serious it was already too late. Not that I would have said no, anyways, I guess… I want to get closer to Devilla, after all, and that sort of means going through you.”

“I don’t think you have to go through me,” I protested. “I mean, I already gave Eena my blessing to date other people! And you’re not just other people, but someone really important to her! I’d never stand in your way even if you didn’t want to go on a date with me!”

“Yeah, well… it doesn’t really feel that way. Even if it’s true. You’re just… I mean, you’re you. Powerful, dangerous, kinda hot if I’m being honest… Not to mention you’re strong enough to at least sorta kinda keep up with Devilla.”

“I don’t think anyone can keep up with Devilla if she doesn’t let them,” I replied. “And I don’t think anyone could stop her from coming to your side if you needed her! Not even me. You’re really important to her, you know?”

“But she’s dating you!”

“Just because I asked her out first doesn’t mean I have a bigger claim on her heart than you! In fact, there’s a part of me that thinks she might like you even more than me! I worry that maybe I just pushed her into dating me, but I know better than to give into the part of me that thinks that! The way to Devilla’s heart isn’t through me or you, it’s just a matter of being ourselves! The only opinion that matters in this is Devilla’s!”

“...Yeah, no. I’m pretty sure that’s not true. I mean, you’re in a relationship. You do realize that means you get to have your own thoughts about who she dates, too, right? If her dating me makes you uncomfortable you don’t have to accept it just because she wants it. Hell, you could even demand her to be monogamous if she wants to stay with you. She’d probably agree, too.”

“I wouldn’t want to push her into that!” I protested. “I mean, I’m not sure I really want to be monogamous, either, for one thing… but even if I did, I think telling Devilla she could only have me in her life would be really selfish! I don’t want to tell her who she can and can’t date, either!”

“Yeah, that’s great and all, but… seriously… you do realize that being in a relationship means your own thoughts are important too, right? That you don’t just have to go with what Devilla wants? Like… seriously?” I was definitely sure Abigail was looking right at me at this point, maybe in disbelief at what I’d been saying?

“I know!” I promised. “It’s not like I’m ignoring my own needs to meet hers! It’s just… I don’t think it would be very good to push her into anything…”

“There’s pushing, and then there’s compromising. Something tells me you give way more than you get in life, don’t you?”

“I get plenty! I mean, Eena makes me really happy! And it doesn’t make me sad at all that she wants to date other people, or I’d have told her so!”

“But what if it did? Would you have dumped her if she insisted?” Abigail pressed.

“I…” I hesitated. The answer probably should have been yes. I mean, she was asking about what I’d do if Eena didn’t respect my boundaries, so the answer was pretty obvious, right? But… for some reason, the thought of breaking up with Devilla like that… I mean, it was only a hypothetical to begin with, but… “...I guess it would depend on how much it meant to me?”

“Uh-huh.” Abigail didn’t look that impressed. “You’re lucky Devilla actually does value your opinion so much. I mean, most people would probably just take advantage of you in cases like this, and it sounds a whole lot like you’d let them… Then again, it’s not like it would be hard for you to return the favor with how broken Devilla is, huh?”

“Maybe…” I confessed with a frown. I didn’t like to think about it that way, but… “Maybe we’re both broken, a little. I mean, I’ve been isolated for so long just being treated like a regular personby Devilla makes me so happy…”

“Really?” Abigail asked. “I’m more happy when she treats me like I’m special.”

“I mean, I guess she makes me feel special, too,” I amended. “It’s just… a different sort of special? Like I’m special because I’m Lucy, and not just because I’m the Heroine. Even though I’m pretty sure the Goddess only picked me to be the Heroine because she knew I’d grow up to be me to begin with. Most people don’t seem to realize that, though. They call me special because the Goddess picked me, when really - in my mind - the Goddess must have picked me because she saw something special to begin with… That’s part of why I always try my best to live up to whatever she saw in me! To be my best self, and to inspire everyone else to be their best selves, too!”

“Yeah, I’m not touching that,” Abigail replied while shaking her head a bit to reorient herself. “Look, my original point was that somehow Devilla and your broken, jagged, and wrecked brains fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. I mean, normally you’d think shoving two broken people together like this would be a recipe for disaster, but somehow you two manage to actually make each other better… Which is great for you, but I don’t see where I fit in. I’m just some random nobody who happened to fall in love with one of you.”

“I don’t think you need to fit in! You just need to be you, someone Eena cares about! We can figure out the rest as we go!”

“That’s… very optimistic of you, I guess,” Abigail agreed before letting out another sigh. “Come on. Enough big serious talk, alright? Let’s just eat.”

“If you want,” I agreed, reaching out to take a sandwich, a flask, and a cookie. I started with the treat first, just to see what it was like. It was delicious! Sweet, crumbly, and kinda buttery!

The sandwich was pretty good, too, actually! So was the drink. The whole meal was great, really, and it wasn’t long before I was back at the cookies to chomp my way through dessert. The only problem was that, despite all the happy noises we’d been making while eating, Abigail and I had sort of stopped talking…

“Why don’t you tell me about yourself?” I asked before biting into another cookie.

“...What do you want to know?” Abigail asked. Her voice sounded sort of wary, which hurt a little, but I wasn’t going to let that get me down!

“Well, what sort of monster did you come from?” A lot of demons were obvious. Kitsune were a lot like Fox Demons, for example - tricky creatures that could disguise themselves as normal foxes and which made heavy use of illusions to conceal their true intentions. Others were a little harder to figure out, like werewolves - there were all sorts of wolf monsters, which meant there were actually a lot of different subtypes for werewolves. I’d been taught to recognize them all, too!

Succubi were like werewolves, in that it was hard to identify their background, but sort of on the opposite side of the spectrum. I had no idea where they came from! I’d thought bat monsters at one point, but there were actual bat girls and they didn’t look anything like Abigail. I mean, for one thing their wings usually were their arms, not completely separate limbs! They didn’t have pitch black eyes, either! Oddly vampires, which could turn into bats, did though…

“Succubi don’t come from monsters,” Abigail replied, taking me out of my mental wandering. Shetook a sip of her juice before continuing. “We’re demons.”

“Aren’t you all demons?”

“Most ‘demons’ are technically monster girls. You know, what with them coming from monsters and all that? True demons come from Hell like my ancestors did. Your stupid church started teaching that monsters came from Hell, too, and suddenly every monster girl out there was being labeled a demon by humans who can’t tell the difference.”

“But what about the Demon Queen?” I asked, curling a strand of hair around my fingers. “Why is she called that if most of you aren’t even demons and why would demons or monster girls care what humans or our church called you?

“You mean the fallen angel that leads us?” Abigail asked, arching an eyebrow. “Luci, the angel that fell and became the first demon queen, had the idea of bringing us all together under one banner. I guess she figured if we were all going to be treated the same anyways, we might as well lean into it and work together… Calling us all demons was part of that.”

“Wait… Does that mean you’re, like, an actual demon from Hell?”

“Like one, maybe. Am one? No way. According to legend, my ancestors had to give up a lot of power before the Goddess allowed them to migrate to Solla. Why the hell Devilla’s ancestor got to skip out on that I’ve got no idea. I mean, Devilla is supposedly weaker than her aunts in heaven, but if that’s the case I don’t even want to know how much stronger angels are than demons…”

I nodded, tugging at my hair a little as I tried to process everything. I didn’t know why, but sometimes doing so helped me calm down and think a bit better. Maybe because I’d been doing it as a habit for so long?

“If you’re a true demon,” I said eventually, “does that make you any different from the monster girls?”

“Not really,” Abigail replied, chomping down on the final corner of her sandwich. “The only real difference is life span. I can keep going forever if I don’t get too badly injured, or violently killed. Other than that it’s just a matter of looks, I guess. Monster girls come in so many different shapes and sizes that it’s not like anyone cares about that, though…”

I nodded, then frowned as an idea came to me. “Do you think… maybe you could teach me more about demons and monster girls? And life in the tower in general? I really want to know more - I mean, I already know that we’re basically the same, deep down, but the more I see and hear for myself the more I can share with other people to convince them!”

“...Maybe,” Abigail said noncommittally before grabbing her flask and swiftly chugging the last of it. “Later. Right now? I just want to get back to Devilla’s bedroom.”

“Right! I guess it’s going to be a pretty long walk, huh?” I remarked, thinking back to how we’d gotten down to begin with.

Abigail shook her head though. “Nah. We can take a basket most of the way up. Walking up and down stairs is for when I haven’t just eaten. Now come on!”

Saying so, she grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet before turning around. I followed after, staring at our clasped hands as I did so. It… didn’t feel quite the same as when I was holding Eena’s. It didn’t fill my heart with warmth, happiness, and a wish for even more. But… it didn’t feel bad, either!

The trip back to Devilla’s bedroom went swiftly enough. Lucy almost went crazy when she found out what I meant about taking a basket, or rather having a couple harpies carry us and a bunch of other people up floors in a massive basket. It was a pretty normal way of getting around for the flightless in the tower, so we drew a lot of looks - though some of those were my fault, seeing as how people with wings didn’t exactly take baskets that often. Regardless, though, we made it up to the hundred and first floor without issue and from there made our way to Devilla’s bedroom. Which meant there was only one thing left to do before the date could officially end…

“So… Wanna have sex?”

“Sex?” Lucy asked with wide eyes. “Right now?”

“I mean, it is the end of the date. Or did you think I was joking when I said that’s when the clothes usually come off?”

“No!” Lucy replied hurriedly. “It’s just… I’ve never had sex with anyone but Devilla before. I mean, Grell sort of offered, but I was pretty sure she’d change her mind and start panicking if I actually said yes and I’m not sure I would have wanted to sleep with her anyways… Plus, Devilla’s been keeping me really satisfied.”

“So that’s a no?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. It was fine if it was. I had zero intention of pressuring anyone - let alone the human Heroine - into bed with me. It was a bit of a shame, though. Sex was a great way to get to know someone a bit better. How they acted during it could tell you a lot!

Plus, Lucy was hot.

“I didn’t say no! It’s just… are you sure you want to have sex with me? I know you didn’t really want to go on this date in the first place…”

“That is that, and this is this,” I replied, rolling my eyes. Not that Lucy had any way of telling. “Dating someone is a way bigger commitment than sleeping with them. If anything, having sex is really more of a getting to know you thing.”

“Really?” Lucy asked. “I don’t think humans usually see it that way…”

“So again, is that a no?” I asked, getting a little impatient now. I tried not to show it on my face, though. When I said I didn’t want to pressure her, I meant it.

“No… I… Think it might be nice? I mean, yes! It sounds very nice!” Lucy said, hesitantly at first but with certainty by the end. “I mean, I’ve never even slept with anyone but Eena before! It would probably be good to sleep with others, too!”

“It’ll tell us a thing or two about whether we’re compatible, anyways,” I agreed before reaching for the hem of my dress. One swift tug and it was off my body and onto the floor. Not exactly the best place for it, but considering I was the maid I figured I could get around to cleaning it later. 

Lucy just stared at me for a moment before hurrying to take off her own clothes. Pretty soon she was just wearing a pair of panties and a band around her breast, the latter of which was already coming off.

Her chest was… kinda… divine, if I was being honest. Boobs on par with Devilla’s, if I had to say. Perfectly formed. I just wanted to get my hands on them immediately, but I kept my calm and instead reached to take off my own top, before bending down to grab my panties.

Taking my eyes off Lucy might have been a mistake, though - when I lifted my gaze, she was suddenly right there. It was almost kinda frightening - would have been frightening, if not for the goofy grin on her face.

“You look really nice!” she told me, only to hesitate right after, curling a strand of hair around her fingers. Something she did when she was nervous, from what I could tell. “Do I… pick you up, now? I’m not really sure how I’m supposed to do things…”

“Why would you lift me?” I asked. “Pretty sure we both know who the top in this situation is.”

“Me?” Lucy asked, pointing to her chest. It was… honestly kinda adorable, how clueless she looked.

“Yeah, no. No offense, but I’m not exactly feeling the whole ‘vulnerable positioning’ thing right now. Having the Heroine pinning me down naked is the stuff of sexually confusing nightmares, not sexual fantasies. The Heroine pinned under me on the other hand… Unless that’s too much for you?”

 My tail coiled around Lucy’s ankle, giving it a little tug. Not enough to send her tumbling, or anything - not by a longshot - but enough to symbolically capture her.

Lucy, for her part, seemed nervous for a moment, but then she closed her eyes and nodded. “Alright! I’ll try being on the bottom again! Just make sure you take care of yourself, too, okay? Eena really just focused on me, last time I did this…”

“Trust me, I can look after myself,” I promised, smirking at her. “Now onto the bed with you, alright?”

Lucy nodded quickly, if nervously, and made her way towards the mattress. I watched her crawl onto it, her naked rear on display for me. It wasn’t as fat as Devilla’s, but it was rather well defined. It might not be as fun to slap, but I was willing to bet it’d be at least as good to squeeze.

Putting that thought aside for later, I waited until Lucy had lain herself back down on the bed before slowly making my way towards her. My tail whipped back and forth me as I walked, slashing through the air in what I hoped was a rather suggestive matter. From the slight blush on Lucy’s cheeks, and the way her eyes couldn’t seem to help but follow along with my tail’s spade tip, it seemed like I was succeeding. 

“Do you know why you’re here?” I whispered, my voice dropping down to something lower, almost menacing.

“Because… I wanted to date you?” Lucy suggested, obviously a bit confused.

“Because I want to play with you,” I replied, my tone now shifting higher, teasing. “Because I want to hear you squeal.”

“...Is this some sort of bed play thing?” Lucy asked, confusion written across her brow.

I let out a sigh. More aimed at myself than her. To be honest, watching her crawl into bed like that… I’d momentarily forgotten that this wasn’t the brothel and that Lucy wasn’t a customer who knew what I was doing, but a girl who’d only recently started to have sex herself.

“Yes, Lucy. It’s roleplay. It’s something I used to do for my clients, back at the brothel. Powerful people sometimes like being pushed around and played with in private…”

“Really?” Lucy asked skeptically.

“Really,” I promised. “I can show you if you want? It’s… a bit different than the plain vanilla sex you were probably expecting, but I promise I’ll make you feel good.”

“Have you done this with Eena?” Lucy asked, her voice laden with curiosity. I was pretty sure she was actually thinking about my offer, which made me pretty happy. As reluctant as I’d been to go on this date, originally… Well, I had gone on it, so I might as well reap the after-date rewards, right? Finding out if your partner and you were compatible in bed was important! I mean, if you weren’t, that was a major activity suddenly crossed out when it came to your future lives together.

“I’ve done some stuff with Devilla. No whips or chains or anything like that, but I’ve teased her a little and ordered her around. Figured I’d go light on you though - the heavy stuff was always more for my clients than me, anyways.”

“Well… I don’t mind,” she said after a moment’s pause. “But I think we should work out a roleplay scenario together if we’re going to go that far…”

“Really? I was mostly just going to tease about being naughty, or something, but I guess if you really want we can go with the captured Heroine route. You know, with me trying to ‘break’ the helpless Heroine and turn her into a demonic tool, or something?”

“That sounds kinda fun!” Lucy said, grinning at me. “Do you have handcuffs or anything?”

“Not on me,” I admitted. “Maybe next time? I’m probably getting a bit too advanced for our first time, anyways. This time’s meant to be about checking out our base compatibility…”

“Next time, then!” Lucy agreed happily.

Which was about the moment I realized I’d basically just promised a ‘next time’ to begin with, but… Well, whatever. Honestly, I was starting to see how Devilla hadn’t been able to leave her alone, even back when she was planning to run away from everything. It was way too easy to get caught up in her rhythm and she was sort of hard to say no to, besides.

For now, I decided to crawl into bed, sliding my body over Lucy’s until my breasts were hovering over hers. Which was maybe a bit of a mistake, seeing as how now I couldn’t help but notice how much smaller mine were than hers, but… Whatever. 

“So. Lucy. I guess this is where I teach you what sex with a professional is like.”

“A professional?” Lucy asked before her eyes widened. “Right! You said you worked in a brothel, didn’t you?”

“And I was very good at it,” I promised her before sliding down her body a little. This time I stopped when my mouth reached her chest, lowering myself so that I could seal my lips around one of her nipples.

She let out a little gasp of surprise. “Can… Can I touch you back?” she asked. 

“I mean, I’m the one who forgot the handcuffs,” I teased back, before placing another kiss on Lucy’s nipple. Her chest was so warm and soft, I couldn’t help planting kiss after kiss first on and then around the areola.

Lucy retaliated, of course, her fingers finding my chest and cupping my breasts. Mine weren’t exactly massive - though I was happy to see they still provided a good handful for the Heroine to grab onto. As she pressed the flesh, I felt warmth filling my center, little shocks of pleasure running through my system whenever her fingers found my nipple in particular. She was observant enough to pick up on that, too, and soon enough she was playing with my nipples more than anything. I had to bite down on my lip to keep from crying out.

That didn’t mean I was taking her attacks lying down, though. My own fingers found her free breast, allowing me to squeeze and tease her even as I kissed and sucked upon her flesh. My tail, meanwhile, provided an additional advantage - I set it curling around her thigh, the tip of the spade teasing at her thighs, coming perilously close to her folds but never quite touching.

“Please,” she whimpered. “Don’t tease me…”

“...Remind me to teach you what a safeword is for next time,” I replied. “I’m going to assume you’re being serious this time, though.”

Even as I spoke, my tail moved to actually rub against Lucy’s folds, the tip questing out after a moment to try and locate Lucy’s clit. Not that it was hard to find, exactly - I could find pretty much any bit of a girl’s anatomy blind, what with all my experience in the brothel.

Soon enough Lucy’s whimpers had turned into gasps and moans, the expert movements of my tail, lips, tongue, and fingers all working together to keep her perched on the edge of cumming. At the same time, she’d been doing everything in her power to return the favor - though there was a limit to what she could do with only her hands.

“Wait!” she called out, just as I was about to plunge my tail into her pussy. I’d figured it was time to wrap things up, but apparently Lucy had other ideas. “Let me… let me suck on your breasts while you’re doing it… I want to… return the favor!”

She was panting. Barely able to get the words out, thanks to everything I’d made her feel. Everything I was still making her feel. When I lifted my head up from her chest, though, I saw the determination in her eyes. So I shifted, putting my breasts above her mouth.

She lunged for my chest, her teeth digging slightly into the tender flesh, even as her tongue began to lash against my nipple. The movements were rough - too rough, at first, but when I told her that she eased up.

“That’s it,” I whispered when she’d eased up enough. “Now move a bit more slowly with your tongue, alright? No need to whip it back and forth like a weapon.”

Lucy didn’t respond - naturally, seeing as how she was still latched onto my breast - but her movements shifted to reflect my teachings. It was actually a pretty nice feeling, having her listen to me - and it came with an immediate reward, to boot, as I electric tingles running through me with every application of her tongue. It wasn’t going to be long before I came.

If I was going to come soon, though, Lucy needed to come now. There was no way I was losing out to a relative newbie in sex when it came to making my partner feel good!

With that in mind, I slid my tail inside of her, the sides of my spade curling up on themselves as the tip pressed itself against Lucy’s walls. Swiftly, but still carefully, I made my way through Lucy’s body, finding the sports that made her squirm and squeal. Finding the spot that made her gasp out in surprise, her body trembling with pleasure. Then I reached down with my hand, gently teasing her clit with a finger, even as my tail began to pump its way in and out of her, paying special attention to that spot.

Within seconds, I was rewarded with Lucy’s scream.

The fact that I followed pretty soon after is besides the point.

I stepped onto the teleportation circle, turning around right after to wave goodbye to Abigail.

She returned the gesture a little lazily, barely bothering to lift herself off the bed, but honestly I saw that as a compliment! I’d been the one who tired her out, after all!

Smiling happily - to myself as much as her - I focused on teleporting back to the inn room I’d rented with Eena. In less time than it took me to blink I was already there!

Except for some reason, Eena wasn’t there to greet me. I thought for a moment that maybe she was still exploring all the food stands, but then I realized that the night was eerily quiet. Looking out, I saw plenty of stands, but no people running them. Not only that, I could see a massive column of smoke in the distance.

It was at that moment that a knock came at the door.

“Heroine?” called Dyona. “Is that you moving around in there?”

“Yes?” I called back, hurrying towards the door. For once I didn’t even mind that she’d called me ‘Heroine,’ rather than my name! I just wanted to know what happened.

For a moment I thought I saw a flicker of relief in Dyona’s gaze when the door opened. If it was there it was gone an instant later.

“Come with me,” she said, gesturing for me to follow her as she turned around and headed towards the front of the inn. “I need to borrow your authority.”

“What for?” I asked, hurrying after her.

“To stop the messenger birds from flying. There’s a limit to what I can do as a maid, no matter who I’m serving…”

“The messenger birds?” I asked blankly.

“Of course. Unless you want to explain to the Grand Patriarch how, exactly, your companion is managing to fight a dragon?”

~~~

Author's Notes

I don't even remember the last time I wrote a chapter this long.... I promised all of Lucy and Abigail's date would be a single chapter, though, and I delivered! Figured I'd give a treat to those who liked long chapters while I'm at it, I guess...

I originally planned for all this to be from Lucy's PoV, but my brain wouldn't cooperate. For some reason, it felt like each of these different sections needed to be from their respective PoV...

Well, the end results were worth it, in my opinion, so all's well that ends well? Hope you enjoyed! And if you did... did you know you can read up to chapter 70 on my Patreon for as little as a dollar? Also up to chapter 17 of Naughty Magic, and chapter 7 of Hatching a Heroine (a series which totally, definitely isn't secretly written by me under a different name in order to make it accessible to all ages, but which is nevertheless found on my Patreon for some inexplicable reason.)

PS: Many, many thanks to FallingLeaf, who took on the job of editing all this. (Except for the sex scene - any errors there are mine alone.)