Chapter 52: Assassin Arc : Chapter 20 : Early Evening

Chapter 20 : Early Evening

“...Stop fidgeting, Mica.” mumbled Anton as he slowly shifted the tiny dental mirror back and forth as he looked over the backsides of Mica's teeth in her top jaw.

Holding her mouth open for him, Mica had a miserable looking expression on her face as she tightly closed her eyes and went rigid in an attempt to remain motionless.

Having already been introduced to the Whitehead gag and subsequently saved from having to experience it due to Kianna's intervention, the grateful kiochi had resolved to be as compliant as she could in order to both avoid having to wear the sinister looking item, and to make sure that the dark elf's efforts weren't in vain.

Although she was making an effort to remain as still as possible, her discomfort was made obvious by her tail, which continued to coil aimlessly in the open space behind her body, and her wings, which kept faintly quivering in unease.

“Much better...” soothed Anton as he used the metallic depressor to gently shift Mica's long, thin tongue to the side so that he could then go over the teeth on her bottom jaw.

Though he was loath to admit it, Anton had the misfortune of being intimately more familiar with the teeth of Infernals, and the damage they could do, than he'd ever like to have been. And as such he was surprised to find that unlike the teeth of every other Infernal he had seen so far, the shinoccubi actually had a set that was nearly identical to a humans. In fact, the only obvious differences that he could see were that Mica's fangs were both longer and sharper looking than what a humans would normally be, but only just slightly so. Funnily enough, the dark elves actually possessed fangs that were even longer, and Anton couldn't help but find it comical to think that both Kianna and Fiona had teeth that would give them a bite that was far more formidable than this actual Infernals.

“Hm, alright then, you're done.” said Anton as he stepped back and turned around towards the counter “You can close your mouth now.”

Mica sighed in relief as she immediately closed her mouth and began to run her tongue between her teeth as she re-moistened her lips. Keeping her eyes on Anton she made a conscious effort to try and ignore the watching dark elf that was standing just to her left.

“...You know. ...It's so weird that you actually have a tail.” mused Fiona as she lounged against the vanities counter-top and followed the length of Mica's tail back to where it sprouted out from the base of her spine “...It literally just pops right out above your ass.”

“Wha? Excuse me!? It's not weird!” declared Mica as she turned to the dark elf in affront and coiled her tail in close around her body “Shut up!”

Standing with his back to them, Anton chuckled at the exchange as he set about cleaning his dental instruments with alcohol and laying them out to dry.

“All Infernals have tails, though shinoccubi are the only one of the cubi that have a sharp spade and barbs.” he explained as he glanced back at Mica “So I suppose that does make them a little weird.”

Mica grimaced and hunched her shoulders in irritation.

“...Cubi. ...Cube-bye. ...That's such a weird name.” mumbled Fiona as she gazed at Mica's small but sharply pointed horns that although covered in a fine layer of dust were still shining as they reflected the glow from the bathroom lights “Where does that even come from?”

“It actually started out as a derogatory slang term for concubines.” explained Anton “And when the demons created the original cubi, they named them that in an effort to degrade them.”

“Really? Damn!” laughed Fiona “Well that sucks for you!”

“Shut up!” cried Mica as she glared at the dark elf and then turned to Anton “That's not true!”

“...I'm sorry tell you this, Mica. But I'm afraid it is.” said Anton as he grinned and shook his head.

“So how did the demons even create them anyway?” asked Fiona “I thought only Gods could make new races?”

“They didn't create us!” exclaimed Mica as she spread her wings out wide over her head “Nobody created us!”

“Well, technically they didn't create them so much as they bred them into existence.” explained Anton as he ignored Mica's outburst and glanced to his side to check on the small swirling mana vortex that was sitting on the counter-top to his left “What they did was breed imps and cambions to enslaved demons to make hybrids. They then cultivated those hybrids into a race of sex slaves they named conccubi, which is a bastardization of the word concubine. You'd probably know the conccubi better as the incubus and succubus. It's from them that through selective breeding, the demons went and created other varieties, including the shinoccubi. To make things easier they then gave these new races the collective name of cubi. And now at this point there is at least a half a dozen distinctly different kinds of cubi. And honestly, I really wouldn't be surprised if the demons weren't still working on creating new ones.”

“Huh, wild... So wait, they just bred them until they existed?” questioned Fiona as she gave Mica a sideways look “How does that work?”

“It's not that difficult really. You just breed for certain traits.” explained Anton “It's essentially the exact same process that was used to create different domesticated animals, like the various dog breeds. Only in this case it was done with people.”

“Oh, okay... So is that why you hate being called a dog?” asked Fiona as she tilted her head to get a better look at Mica's face “Because you were basically bred like one?”

“Shut the fuck up!” cried Mica as she arched her tail up and over her head “I wasn't bred like anything, dammit! Don't talk about me like that!”

“What's going on in here!?” asked Kianna as she came into the room while carrying a set of towels and bathrobes in her arms.

“Mica's in denial.” explained Fiona as she smirked at the fuming kiochi “She doesn't like the fact that her ancestors were little demon pet projects!”

“Pet projects?” questioned Kianna.

“Shut, up!” growled Mica “Stop talking about shit you don't even know about!”

“We do know about it though, Mica.” said Anton as he packed away his stethoscope “There are still plenty of people alive today that are old enough to remember when the cubi were first created. And even without their testimony it would still be possible to follow your ancestry through DNA. You're an established race now, but your ancestors were intentionally bred from hybrids. You may not like that idea, but your opinion isn't going to change reality, so you might as well just accept it.”

Mica went to argue but stopped short and hung her head as she sighed in frustration.

“Why are you guys still bullying her!?” exclaimed Kianna as she dropped the stack of towels and bathrobes on the counter-top “Just leave her alone!”

“Nobodies “bullying” anybody!” declared Fiona “I was just asking questions and she didn't like the answers.”

“You wouldn't like them either!” seethed Mica as she glared at the dark elf “How would you like it if people were saying that your kind was nothing but somebodies fucking breeding project!? Huh!?”

Taken aback, Fiona said nothing as the enraged kiochi turned to fully face her.

“I am not some product that was designed! Okay! I'm a person! A real person! And nobody made me! You hear me!” exclaimed Mica as she started to tremble with anger “Nobody made me! Okay! ...Nobody bred me! ...Okay! ...Not me!”

The two dark elves said nothing as they watched frustrated tears begin to form in Mica's eyes.

The kiochi went to speak further but instead merely sighed as her exhaustion suddenly resurfaced and caused her shoulders to slump in fatigue.

“Not me...” she mumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest and wrapped her wings around her head and shoulders in an attempt to hide her face from view.

The dark elves both gazed at her for a moment before glancing at each other and then looking over at Anton.

Still standing with his back to them, Anton remained silent as he stared down at a silver disc that was surrounded by a pulsating light.

Sitting on the counter-top in front of him was a square shaped plate made of polished black-colored granite. And mounted to the center of this plate was a broad mouthed bowl made of the same material.

In each of the plates corners were a set of etched in runes. A series of seals connected these runes to each other, as well as to the bowl in the middle. And sitting in the bowl was a very small silver disc with a hole in its center.

Having been powered up by Anton, the runes and seals were all aglow with the bluish light of raw mana. And as this mana flowed through the seals and reached the bowl, it would continue to flow and create a swirling, glowing vortex that was confined within the bowl.

As he watched, Anton would absently lay two fingers down on one of the runes and add a bit more mana to the device.

Taking his phone from his pocket, he went over the details of the charm he was trying to make and creased his brow as he realized that he wasn't sure if the curse applied to Mica's collar was even compatible with this particular charm.

“Girls, come here for a moment.” he called as he turned around and stepped up behind Mica “I want to show you something.”

Both Fiona and Kianna's ears stood straight upwards as they moved to stand next to him and the now uncertain looking kiochi.

“Just relax, Mica. This isn't going to hurt.” said Anton “I just need to check your collar real quick.”

“For what?” asked Mica as she looked back at him.

“I need to make sure that the curse in your collar will work with the charm I'm making.” explained Anton “This will just take a moment.”

Though clearly unhappy, Mica said nothing as she let her wings droop down until they were out of the way, shifted her ponytail over her shoulder and then tilted her head down so Anton would have a clear view of the back of her neck and the collar that was wrapped around it.

“Alright girls, this is going to be a little different from how your own collars work. But it's still similar enough for you to get an idea of the basics.” said Anton as he pressed his thumb against the silver plate that acted as the collar's latch.

Mica stiffened as a series of blue X's lit up along the length of her collar and her body was suddenly forced to remain as still as possible.

The two dark elves both made small sounds of intrigue as a set of holographic-like glowing circles winked into existence and floated just above the collar's silver plate.

“This is your main panel. It's here that you can alter the level of freedom and sapience that your slave can experience.” explained Anton as he placed his finger along the edge of the topmost circle and began to slowly spin it back and forth “By turning this dial here, you can control how much of your slaves mind is locked back. This is of course just the simple method. And it is possible to open this up and have more in depth control, that's rarely necessary or worth the effort though. Since if you simply raise this high enough, you'll seal away their memories and eventually even their self awareness.”

“Are the memories gone forever?” asked Fiona.

“No, they're just locked away. They still exist and can be pulled from whenever the slave is given a command. But while sealed they can't be accessed at will anymore.” said Anton “We're going to leave Mica at the lowest setting, so that all her memories and her entire personality is completely free.”

“Hmph, you sure that's a good idea? It might be better to cut her back a little...” mumbled Fiona “She is a bit of a bitch after all...”

“Yeah, and so are you!” snapped Kianna “But we still deal with you anyways.”

Anton chuckled as the two dark elves glared at each other.

Tapping on one of the smaller circles, Anton caused it to become larger and rise to the forefront as the previous dial-like one shrunk down. He quickly cycled through the half dozen circles until finally stopping at one that displayed the information for the collar's specific curse as well as listed the various other minor hexes and charms that were mounted to it and helped it to keep functioning correctly.

“It'll be fine...” he said as he read over the curses information and then double checked it against the charm on his phone “At this point I don't think Mica is going to give us anymore problems... Or at least I hope she doesn't...”

“She won't...” said Kianna as she nonchalantly took hold of Mica's ponytail and started to gently remove the bands that held it together “She'll be fine...”

Fiona went to speak but stopped short as Anton tapped on the very center of the glowing circle and caused it to disappear by shrinking back down into the silver plate.

“Well, this looks like it should work out just fine.” he said as he pressed his thumb to the silver plate and fully deactivated the collar's panel “There's already a charm mounted on this collar that's nearly identical to this masking one I'm making... so...”

Anton trailed off as Mica's tail silently rose into the air in front of him while on its way to arching up over her head.

Having fully dismantled the kiochi's ponytail, Kianna had gathered the ends of Mica's hair in her hand and was holding it outstretched while absently running her fingers through its soft, silky length.

Noticing movement taking place above her, she paused her activity and glanced up to find the tip of Mica's newly resharpened spade mere inches away from her face and pointed straight down at her. The dark elf gazed at the ominously black and menacing blade for a second before looking down and finding that Mica had tilted her head back just enough that both of her piercing, emerald eyes could be seen clearly.

Standing motionless and unblinking, Kianna couldn't help but to find the kiochi's slitted, snake-like pupils striking as they silently stared back at her.

Although Mica's face was devoid of any expression, the thick tension in the air made it abundantly clear that at the moment, the little demonoid was not happy.

Keeping her eyes locked to the kiochi's, Kianna released Mica's hair by letting her arms slowly fall to her sides.

The moment she was no longer being held in anyway, Mica vanished from in front of Kianna and reappeared on the other side of the room.

Taking refuge in the corner made by the shower and the bathroom wall, she let out an exasperated breath as she gripped her collar and began to tremble. Glancing upwards, her face hardened at finding that Anton and the dark elves were all intently staring at her.

“Yeah... No problems at all...” mumbled Fiona as she crossed her arms over her chest and pointed her ears straight back “Should probably do something about that tail though...”

Blinking as she realized what she had just done, Mica's eyes became nervous as she quickly curled her tail in behind herself and leaned away from the watching trio.

Anton went to say something but stopped short as Kianna spoke before him.

“No. It's fine.” she said softly “It's not her fault...”

Anton said nothing as he gazed at the solemn dark elf.

“This is our fault.” said Kianna as she shook her head “She just... doesn't...”

Turning to Anton, she tightened her eyes in remorse.

“We really fucked this up...” she said in the same soft tone.

“We didn't know, Kianna.” said Anton “There was no way that we could have ever predicted things would take this path.”

“...Yeah. ...Still though.” whispered Kianna as her eyes shifted back to Mica.

Finding herself under their scrutiny, Mica looked back and forth between the three faces before dropping her eyes to the floor.

The room remained quiet and still for a long moment before without a word, Kianna stepped forward.

Seeing that the dark elf was approaching, Mica reacted by instinctively backing herself all the way into the corner. Steeling her shoulders in an effort to keep her nervousness from showing, she couldn't help but to gulp quietly as Kianna came to a stop just in front of her. Now finding herself in the shadow being cast by the imposing dark elf, Mica held her breath and remained silent as she looked up at the taller female.

The two women gazed at each other for what felt to Mica like a gruelingly long eternity, before Kianna finally spoke.

“...I'm not sorry for anything that I've done to you, Mica. I didn't make us enemies, you did.” declared Kianna as she stared down into Mica's eyes “You tried to take my Master from me. And you deserved to be punished for that.”

Grimacing, Mica made a tiny sound in the back of her throat as she fought the urge to look away.

“I'm not sorry that my Master has enslaved you.” said Kianna as she tightened her eyes “You attacked him, and tried to kill him... You would have killed him. So you deserve to be punished for that.”

Mica clenched her jaw as she swallowed another lump in her throat.

“I'm not sorry that your family wants to kill you.” continued Kianna “Your stupid, reckless actions have put their lives in danger, and forced them to take a stand against a friend. ...You made this happen, and you deserve to be punished for that.”

Despite her best efforts Mica couldn't help but to clamp her eyes shut as she held back a sob.

“...I'm not sorry for any of the pain that you've already been put through.” said Kianna softly as she stared down at the quivering kiochi “And I won't feel sorry for any suffering that you're still going to go through. You have made some very poor decisions. And you're going to pay for them. All of them.”

Hunching down into her shoulders, Mica kept her eyes closed and cringed down low as she felt the dark elf lean in and loom over her.

“...I'm not sorry for any of it, Mica. None of it, at all.” whispered Kianna.

Mica's breath became trapped in her throat as she felt the air around her become thick and heavy, but her eyes shot open wide with surprise as that heaviness was suddenly filled with a warm and comforting essence. Tentatively bringing her gaze upwards, she blinked in disbelief as she took in the pained expression on Kianna's face.

“...But I am, sorry.” croaked Kianna as her eyes filled with anguished tears “For why you did it!”

Too stunned to react, Mica's eyes widened to their fullest as she was suddenly pulled into such a tight embrace that her chin ended up resting on Kianna's shoulder. Staring forwards at nothing, she offered no resistance against the soothing warmth that had begun to flood into her from the clinging dark elf, and as the growing sense of comfort began to permeate throughout her being, she couldn't help but to let loose a tentative breath as the tension was immediately forced from her body.

“Oh, Mica... I'm so sorry...” soothed Kianna as she hugged the unresponsive kiochi “I know you don't get it. I know you just don't understand. I know it's... confusing... and it hurts... More than anything, it hurts... so badly...”

“Wha, what?” mumbled Mica as her pupils widened to match the rest of her eyes.

“I know, that you're not supposed to be like this. That you're not supposed to be... alone, like this... Not like this. It's not what you are...” said Kianna “And I get it! I do! I understand how you feel... All you really wanted, was just to be with them... You just wanted to belong...”

“...Wha, w-what!? What!? Wha!? Why!? Why, why, why, why wouldn't they let me go too!?” cried Mica as she gave up on the last of her apprehension and pressed herself into the dark elf's embrace “Why!? Why can't I go!? Why can't I be with them!? Why!? Why won't they let me be with them!? Why, why!?”

Unable to give her an answer, Kianna said nothing as she merely held the quivering kiochi.

“Why can't I go too!? Why is it only Nokko!? Why!? Why is she the only one!?” cried Mica as she huddled herself in against Kianna “She goes with them all the time! She's always the special one! ...But I'm just as good as her! I can do anything she can do! ...So why!? ...Why won't they ever give me a chance!? Why!? ...Why!? ...What's? ...Kianna, what's wrong with me!?”

“No! No, Mica, no!” cried Kianna as she frantically shook her head.

Easing back, Kianna tucked her arms in and gently cupped her hands on each side of Mica's face.

“Listen to me, Mica! Okay! Just listen!” exclaimed Kianna as she gazed down into the large black discs that were Mica's dilated eyes “It's not your fault. Okay! It's not! It's not that you weren't good enough! You were! It's, just... It's not your fault! Okay! ...There is absolutely nothing wrong with you Mica! Nothing at all!”

Mica was completely still for several heartbeats before all the weight of the last twenty four hours landed on her all at once. A loud clanging sound suddenly rang out through the room as her tail went limp and her spade fell to clatter against the tiled floor.

“I... I tried...” she wailed as heavy tears welled in her eyes “I did... I really did... I tried...”

“I know, I know you did...” soothed Kianna as she wrapped her arms back around the trembling kiochi and held her as tightly as she could “I know you did... You did your best...”

Gibbering incomprehensibly, Mica kept her face hidden against Kianna's chest as she all but collapsed in her arms.

“It's okay, Mica... It's okay, you're gonna be okay...” breathed Kianna “Everything is gonna be okay...”

As she stood there, cooing softly and working to calm the sobbing kiochi, Kianna was surprised by a sudden, odd sensation at her ankle, and glancing downwards, she found that Mica was slowly wrapping a coil of her tail around her leg.

Holding her spade off to the side and gripping softly but earnestly with the length of her tail itself, it was abundantly clear that Mica was not trying to be hostile or insidious with this action, but was instead seeking comfort and reassurance.

The kiochi's whimpers grew in pitch when Kianna answered her by giving her another tight hug. The dark elf's ears drooped in sorrowful sympathy as Mica's grip around her leg quickly tightened and became desperate.

In a bid to give them a moment, both Anton and Fiona let their eyes drop to the floor and away from the hugging duo.

While maintaining her firm but gentle hold on the shivering kiochi, Kianna was surprised to see Mica's wings suddenly extending out behind her. Keeping still, she watched as the bat-like, membranous wings spread themselves open, stretched themselves straight upwards into the air and then dropped down to wrap themselves tightly around both her and Mica. The oddly cozy sensation of having the wings warm, soft, velvet-like skin and long, thin fingers both wrapped around and gripping onto her shoulders was certainly unexpected, but not quite unpleasant, and so with a thin grin on her face, she re-closed her eyes and continued in her efforts to comfort the mewling shinoccubus.

The room remained still for some time as the two standing bodies stood right where they were.

Holding Mica until her quivering lessened down to almost nothing, Kianna's ears pointed themselves straight upwards in surprise when they picked up a tiny almost inaudible whisper as it rose out from where the kiochi was hiding her face against her.

“...Thank you.” breathed Mica between her soft sobbing breaths.

Without a word, Kianna smiled, sighed gently through her nose and loosened her hold on the kiochi.

Taking a half step back, she left her hands resting on Mica's shoulders as she looked down at the poor, miserable looking creature.

Still confused and too nervous to even speak, Mica kept her gaze lowered as she worked to blink the moisture away from her tear stricken eyes. Exhausted from her ordeal, she let her wings slip down from around Kianna's shoulders and fall to hang limply at her sides.

“...C'mon, let's get you cleaned up.” soothed Kianna as she reached down and went to lift up the thin athletic top Mica wore.

Making a small sound of protest, Mica took hold of the tops hem in an effort to stop its removal.

“Hey, now.” chastised Kianna in a gentle tone “You're dirty, Mica. You're literally covered in dirt.”

Still holding the hem of her top, Mica made no effort to resist as Kianna took her chin in her hand and had her look up into her eyes.

“I know you're tired, but you need a shower.” stated Kianna in the same gentle tone “After that we'll get you something to eat, and then you can rest. Okay?”

Sighing softly in defeat, Mica tentatively nodded her head as a thin grimace spread across her face.

“Okay, good girl...” soothed Kianna as she proceeded to help her undress.

Through she had accepted her fate, Mica's face still shifted to a deep red as her clothes were removed. In an effort to maintain her modesty, she wrapped her wings around her chest, used both hands to cover her sex and curled in her tail in such a way as to shield her bottom from view.

Despite her compassion, Kianna still couldn't help but to chuckle at the sight of the embarrassed cubi. Not looking to prolong Mica's suffering, she quickly undressed herself and lead the kiochi to the shower. Stepping in behind her, she pushed a button next to the door handle and in an instant the glass panels that made up the shower walls frosted over to give the two women a bit of privacy.

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Grumbling at being denied a show, Fiona slumped back against the vanities counter-top and huffed in annoyance.

“Humph... Well that little bitch is gonna be really confused now...” she mumbled in a dismissive tone.

“...What do you two even mean by that?” asked Anton as he turned to her and arched an eyebrow.

“Hm? What?” questioned Fiona “What do we mean by what?”

“That Mica's confused? You and Kianna have both said that more than once now.” said Anton “What makes you think she's confused?”

“...Uh, because she is?” stated Fiona “That poor dumb bitch is super confused!”

“What is she confused about?” asked Anton.

“Couple things, really. For one she doesn't get why she's not part of her families killing club.” said Fiona.

“But she knows why she's not part of that? That's been explained to her. She knows that her parents didn't want her to be locked into the clan with them. That they wanted her to be free.” said Anton “Why would she still be confused about that?”

“Wha? No, you don't get it. I'm not talking about the clan.” said Fiona as she shook her head “She does know all that. But you gotta understand, she's like a bug. And I don't mean that like an insult. I mean she's literally like a bug. She's like an ant or a bee, or, maybe more like a wasp? You see, she's supposed to be part of something like a big group, with others. Like a hive, or a swarm, or, something... Whatever! She's just not supposed to be alone. That's not how she works. It's not how her head works. To her being alone feels wrong, but she doesn't even really know why, it just does. It makes her... not really scared, or even nervous... It's more like, she has no confidence? Like, she's vulnerable? There's a word for what I mean, but I can't think of it...”

“Anxious?” offered Anton.

“Yes! Exactly! It makes her anxious!” exclaimed Fiona “And that fucks with her head, a lot, and it makes her do stupid shit. Like this whole deal. She knows, damn well, that everything she's done was stupid. Like she's not really dumb enough not to think she wasn't breaking laws and shit. She knew she was, but it didn't matter, she still had to do it. Because becoming part of the group was more important to her, it's all she thought about. And in her mind, once she became part of the group, no matter what it took, everything else would be okay...”

Fiona went quiet for a moment as she watched the two silhouettes moving about on the other side of the frosted glass.

“It wasn't though...” she continued in a soft, sympathetic tone “I don't think anything she's ever done has worked out in the way that she thought it was going to. Like all the efforts she's made, like in her gymnastics and stuff. She thought if she succeeded it would matter... But it never did... And she doesn't know why... You know what it's like, for her? It's like she's a little fish, one who has always been trying to swim with the other fish but they keep swimming away from her and she doesn't understand why... So she's always been confused, and anxious... It's actually kinda really sad...”

“...And she told you all this?” questioned Anton after a moment of silence.

“No, not really.” mumbled Fiona “She didn't actually say any of this. I don't think she even realizes half of it herself. And if she does, she hides it really well... It was more that me and Kianna could... Kinda feel it? It's a little hard to explain. But we looked into her eyes, and we felt her with our auras, and it's like we could just tell. Like all of a sudden we knew a bunch of stuff about her. Like we knew who she really was, and why she is the way she is... I don't know how real any of that was though... It might have all been a trick, or something... I don't know...”

“...You, then you! ...Unbelievable.” sighed Anton as he shook his head in annoyance “I step away for a single moment, and I miss it! ...Of all the rotten luck. ...Well, that explains a lot at least.”

“What are you talking about? What did you miss?” asked Fiona.

“I missed you guys using that ability.” said Anton “The one I was telling you about. The one that allows you to read people and understand them.”

“...Oh. Oh, so that's what that was!” exclaimed Fiona as her eyes went wide in realization “Huh. So it was all real then... Okay, that makes sense then, I guess. That's a pretty trippy ability! Useful though...”

“Do you know how you did it?” asked Anton “And could you do it again?”

“Eh... Kinda?” drawled Fiona “It was really weird. We used our auras to do it, but it wasn't like the normal way we use them. At first it was like we could taste her aura, with our auras, and that told us a lot about her... But then... It was like, our auras were inside her, like we were in her head... And I don't know if we could just do that again, in the same way at least. Really, I honestly think it was more that Mica actually wanted to tell us about herself. Like, she wanted us to know more about her, so she let us in... She let us do it, she was willing, even if she didn't realize it. If that makes any sense?”

Anton sighed softly as he nodded his head.

“That's pretty much exactly what I've heard in the past.” he said as he took on a solemn expression “Hopefully, at some point, I'll actually get the chance to see this ability in action...”

Following his gaze, Fiona stared at the shadowed figures in the shower for a few moments before speaking again.

“...You know. When we were in there. ...We found something.” she began as her eyes focused on the shorter figure and went distant “Something that we could use to... We found out we could break her... We really could. It would be easy. She wouldn't even fight it. She wouldn't be able to... She wouldn't even want to...”

Turning back to her, Anton remained silent for a moment as he took in her serious demeanor.

“...Is that really something you would want to do though?” he asked softly.

“...It's-” started Fiona.

“Will you quit that! I can wash my own tail!” cried Mica as her irate voice rose over the sound of the shower water.

“Well you're not going to!” exclaimed Kianna in a firm but patient tone “Now hold still!”

Fiona began to chuckle as the end of Mica's tail could be seen whipping back and forth in obvious irritation while Kianna stretched it out near its base and began to give it a light scrub.

“Nah! It would be a loss.” said Fiona as she smiled deviously “She'll be more fun like this, with some fight in her.”

Anton shook his head as a thin grin spread across his face.

“I agree.” he chuckled as he turned back to the forming charm “You still haven't answered the question though. About why Mica is going to be even more confused now?”

“Oh, yeah... Right...” nodded Fiona “Well, you know that Mica thinks she's supposed to be part of something. That she thinks she's supposed to be part of a group of others like her, her own kind... But that's not... She doesn't know, that it doesn't really have to be like that...”

Anton remained quiet as he looked over at her and waited.

“She's confused...” said Fiona as she looked at the floor and grinned softly “Because, all of a sudden, she doesn't really feel as alone, as she did, anymore... And this is new for her, so she doesn't really get it yet... She's still figuring things out...”

Blinking, Anton looked over at Mica's silhouette before turning back to the charm and nodding slowly.

“Ah, I see...” he said in a soft tone “Right, I can see how that might be confusing for her...”

“Yep...” nodded Fiona as they both went quiet.

Some time later, Kianna shut off the water in the shower and, leaning out of the door, beckoned for the towels. After drying themselves off, and wrapping their towels around their torsos, she and Mica both left the privacy of the shower.

“Aw, it really is so cute how bashful you are!” teased Fiona as she sneered at a clearly uncomfortable looking Mica.

Clutching her towel to herself and following right behind Kianna, Mica grumbled under her breath as her face and ears turned a bright red.

“Quit it.” snapped Kianna as she gave her sister a quick glare and headed to the vanity.

Placing Mica in front of herself, Kianna pulled a hairdryer out of a drawer and began to dry the kiochi's hair. When she was finished, she used both hands to fluff out the long, silky mass.

“...It's nice to see I can touch your hair now, without you getting mad.” smiled Kianna as she gazed at Mica in the mirror and watched as her exhausted looking eyes tightened and then closed completely as she resigned herself to the pleasant treatment “I'm guessing this feels too good to fight against? ...Or are you just too tired to care anymore?”

“Mmph...” hummed Mica as her tail slowly coiled in around her body.

“Oh, poor Mica... She's so sleepy...” cooed Kianna as she took up a brush and began to gently comb out the kiochi's hair “It's okay, you'll get to rest as soon as I'm done...”

As she spoke, Kianna was surprised to see Mica's expression shift as her face scrunched up in worry.

“Hm? Mica? Are you okay?” she asked as she placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.

“...Yeah. ...I'm fine.” mumbled the kiochi as she laid her cheek down on the dark elf's hand “I'm just not ready to go to bed yet...”

“You're not?” questioned Kianna as she raised an eyebrow “Are you sure? Cause sweety, you look like you're ready to fall over...”

“No, I'm fine...” said Mica.

“...Well, okay? I guess you don't have to go to sleep if you don't want to?” reasoned Kianna as she continued to brush out Mica's hair “You shouldn't push yourself though, Mica. You've had a long day...”

“If you're worried that it's not safe enough for you to sleep, then you can be at ease, Mica.” said Anton “We do have a ward set over the house. So we'll know if anyone invades. And besides, nothing is likely to happen with your family this soon. They'll still need some time to recover before they try anything again.”

“...That's not the problem.” admitted Mica as she became sorrowful “I'm just not excited about where I'm gonna sleep, that's all...”

“Oh? Well you don't need to worry about that either.” said Anton “We're not going to make you sleep on the floor or anything. For now, until we get you your own bed, we'll set up one of the couches for you. Which of course we'll still try to make that as comfortable for you as possible.”

“What? No!” exclaimed Kianna “She can just sleep in my bed for now. It's not like I'm using it.”

“Oh, well that's even better then.” said Anton “That's very kind of you, Kianna.”

“Wait, hold on?” questioned Mica as she used the mirror to look from Anton to Kianna and back “...You're not going to make me sleep in a cage again?”

“...What!? No!” chuckled Anton “Is that what you were worried about?”

“You stupid little thing!” sang Kianna as she wrapped her arms around Mica and gave her a squeeze “We're not gonna put you back in a cage! Why would you even think that?”

“...I just, did.” mumbled Mica “I figured it was either that or... I'd end up in his bed...”

Kianna followed Mica's gesture as she nodded towards Anton.

“Which, how is that even gonna work?” continued the kiochi “Are we all just at his beck and call? Or is it gonna be a take turns kind of thing?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?” questioned Kianna as she cocked one of her ears in a curious manner.

“Ah, yes! I supposed we still haven't addressed that!” laughed Anton “You don't have to worry about that either, Mica. I have no intention of ever taking advantage of you like that. Slave or not, your choice is still your own in that regard. I won't touch you if you don't want me to.”

“...Wait, seriously!?” cried Mica “You're not going to make me fuck you!?”

“No. Of course not.” said Anton as he absently added a bit more mana to the vortex “For one, you are still the daughter of people I consider friends. So obviously I'm not going to sully that friendship by forcing myself on you. And even if that wasn't a factor, I still wouldn't throw away what little trust we might have built by making you do something that you didn't want to do. So again, this isn't something that you need to worry about.”

Clearly surprised, Mica stared at him for a moment before looking to the dark elves for confirmation.

“Yeah. He's serious. He really won't touch you if you don't want him too.” said Fiona with a shrug “I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. He's a fucking sadist, and a jerk, but he's really not much of a horn dog, surprisingly.”

“Oh no! He definitely is!” giggled Kianna as she wiggled her bottom and playfully lowered her ears so as to point their tips back and away from her head “And actually! This is great! You're a cubi! You're like born to fuck! Which is perfect! You can help me run the wild out of our Master!”

“I, wait, wha?” grumbled Mica as she was given another squeeze “Help you what!?”

Anton threw his head back and began to laugh.

“Are you really trying to gather reinforcements over there?” he chuckled

“Yes! Now stop listening to our conversation!” said Kianna as she put her back to him and pulled Mica in to hold her close “This doesn't concern you!”

“Oh, I think it definitely does!” chuckled Anton “But alright. I'll just stay out of this, I guess!”

“You do that!” exclaimed Kianna as Fiona shook her head in annoyance.

Still unsure of what was happening, Mica grimaced in unease as Kianna began to whisper in her ear.

“Okay, listen. So, our Master has this potion that can make him go crazy in bed. And I mean like really crazy. It's, intense...” explained Kianna around a slight shudder “Last time he used it I ended up passing out or something. I don't even know what happened, but I can't remember when he fully finished. So clearly, I lost. And I do not want to lose like that again, but I don't think I can beat that potion on my own. If we team up though, we could totally do this. It'll still be tough, but if we work together, I know we could fuck that potion right out of him. And burn those blue lights right out of his eyes! So what do you say? Are you in?”

“...Uh, um. I, I don't know?” mumbled Mica as she frantically shook her head.

“Ah, c'mon! Seriously, I could really use your help with this!” whined Kianna “You have no idea! I got completely rocked last time, and I don't think my poor pussy could handle another battle like that all alone!”

“Kianna! Will you quit trying to freak her out!” exclaimed Fiona “The last thing the poor girl needs right now is you trying to draft her into your fuck war. Just leave her alone!”

“I, No! That's, not... Um... Okay, maybe you're right...” said Kianna as she loosened her hold on the kiochi “Let's just talk about this again later...”

Mica had a nervous looking grimace on her face as Kianna tentatively repositioned her back in front of the vanity.

In an effort to shift things to a new subject, Kianna turned her attention back to Mica's hair.

“You know, it's really nice having someone with long hair around again.” she said as she again began to gently run the brush down through the hair's length “I really missed combing hair like this...”

“Hm, did you used to have long hair, Fiona?” asked Anton as he watched the swirling vortex begin to slow its movements.

“Yeah. A long time ago.” answered Fiona.

“We both did...” said Kianna as a small, almost remorseful smile spread across her face “I really loved having long hair... I miss it...”

“Why did you decide to cut it?” asked Anton.

Kianna went quiet for a moment as Fiona's face darkened in anger.

“I didn't, really decide to. I kinda had to cut it...” admitted Kianna as Fiona pointed her ears straight back “Because Sierra mashed up a bunch of gum in it...”

“...Oh. I see. ...I'm sorry to hear that.” said Anton as his eyes tightened “That's unfortunate.”

“Yeah, it sucked...” said Kianna as she portioned out lengths of Mica's hair and began to braid it together “Shorter hair is easier to deal with, so I never grew it back out... And neither did Fiona...”

“Right...” nodded Anton as he glanced over to Fiona “So I'm guessing Sierra did the same to you?”

“Nah, I cut my own hair.” answered Fiona.

“...Why?” asked Anton.

“...Because.” sighed Fiona “We weren't the same anymore. And Kianna was crying about that... So I cut it, like her's...”

“And that was really sweet of you!” cooed Kianna as a bright smile spread across her face.

“Yes... It was.” nodded Anton as his expression became thoughtful “Very sweet...”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatsoever...” mumbled Fiona as she crossed her arms and sulked.

Relieved that her most current worries were not actually going to be an issue for her, Mica focused on the pleasant feeling of having her hair played with while ignoring the conversation taking place around her. She sighed softly as she gave in to her exhaustion a bit and began to lightly doze right where she stood. She was brought back to full consciousness when Anton began to move about at her side.

“Okay, this should be ready.” said Anton as he took the silver disc from the bowl and turned to Mica.

Seeing the nervous look on her face, he paused for a second and held the coin out for her to see.

“There are 2 different charms that have been mounted to this.” he explained as he turned the disc back and forth to showcase the sets of etchings on either of its two sides “The first charm is designed to mask your presence by forming a kind of overlay around your being that is made up of my essence. This means that while this charm is in place, most mundane locator spells won't be able to detect you because to them you will appear as me. This isn't perfect or foolproof though, as highly specialized spells will still be able to see past this charm. A powerful clairvoyant will also be able to detect you around this charm as well, though they will have to work their way past it. The essence this charm is utilizing will also have to be replaced as it's used up, but the link to me through your collar should work to keep it charged.”

Mica nodded softly as she kept her eyes on the silver disc.

“The second charm is there in case the first one does fail, or is bypassed. It essentially functions as an alarm system. It'll let us both know that not only have you been detected by someone, but it will also trace the spell back to its caster and, hopefully, show us who it is that's now tracking you.” continued Anton “Now, these charms are by no means the best examples of what they are. They are the best that I could put together myself in such a short amount of time and with what I have here though. They will work for now, but we'll still upgrade them as soon as we can find better versions. In the meantime though, let's go ahead and get them installed.”

Mica couldn't help but to grimace as Anton took Kianna's place behind her. Bowing her head a bit, she shivered involuntarily as she felt him once again activate her collar's control panel.

The two dark elves watched in silence as Anton cycled to a specific ring that appeared to be blank until he placed the silver disc in its center. Once the disc was in place, a series of interconnected sigils winked into existence across its surface. For a moment, both the ring and the etchings on either side of the disc began to glow brightly before the disc was sucked down to the collar itself, where it then instantly melted into the silver plate and disappeared.

“And there we go.” said Anton as he deactivated the collar and stepped back.

Mica shivered again, before squaring her shoulders and glancing up at the mirror to find that everyone was now staring at her.

“...W-what?” she stammered as she looked back down “Why are you all looking at me!?”

“Do you feel the new charms?” asked Kianna.

“No. I don't think so?” answered Mica.

“That's fine. They're not something that you should notice.” said Anton as he moved to collect his crafting supplies “At least not until they're actually functioning.”

Mica nodded softly before letting loose a long yawn.

“C'mon, let's go get you a sandwich or something.” said Kianna as she took the compliant kiochi by the shoulders and turned her towards the door “Then it's off to bed for you!”

Mica merely nodded and said nothing as she was led out of the room.

Fiona stretched her arms up over her head and went to follow them out but stopped short when Anton suddenly spoke.

“Fiona.” he called softly as he kept his eyes on the mana vortex generator “Could you wait just a moment, please. I'd like to ask you something.”

“Uh, sure. What's up?” said the dark elf as she twisted at the waist to face him.

Anton had a calm expression on his face as he glanced back at the open doorway to make sure that they were alone.

“...Do you happen to remember Sierra's last name?” he asked as he turned back to the counter-top and gathered up his items in his hands.

Fiona blinked in surprise and scrunched up her brow as her mind went back to her school days.

“Yeah, I think it was Winscott?” she said after a moment of thought “Pretty sure that was it. Why though? Why do you want to know?”

“Winscott...” repeated Anton with a nod “I see... Thank you.”

Fiona was still for a moment before a devilish smile spread across her face.

“...It makes you mad, doesn't it?” she teased as her smile grew wider “That bitch was so mean to your poor, precious little dark elf. She even made her cry, a lot. And that just makes you so very, very mad... Doesn't it!?”

Anton's expression showed nothing of his thoughts as he turned and gave her a pointed look. Without a word, he calmly made his way to the door.

Fiona began to laugh wickedly as she watched him leave the room.

“Oh, yes! Oh, Sierra you stupid bitch! You're so fucked now!” she said to herself as her irises began to glow in excitement “You have no idea what's coming for you!”

Still laughing to herself, Fiona had a twirling quality to her motions as she gleefully danced her way out of the room.

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