Daphne Date 2, Part 4: Out on the Roof

Harper

The town has been quickly throwing together an impromptu party for everyone, celebrating not being murdered and enslaved by a kraken. Seems like a good reason to throw a party. So, Harper is taking it easy in a lounge of the alma mater of her elven life, Daphne, Aelene, and Honey by her side, waiting for the party to begin. Several students of the academy are pestering Harper and Daphne for tips on casting. The bladesong disciples surrounding Harper are enthusiastic, even if Harper had to act like a “normal” wizard in that kraken fight. She watches their footwork as they got through some basic dance steps, offering little suggestions here and there. Most of them have chosen to work on a different blade (usually a scimitar or a rapier), so she doesn’t have much to offer as far as their strikes are concerned. Vix, having been let out, plays with the other familiars, which is kind of cute. At least Vix plays when she’s not mooching for snacks; several students giggle as they hand feed her. The students surrounding Daphne are more traditional wizard apprentices. Daphne has such a big smile as she offers those little pointers on the nuances of casting in combat. She bonks one of them on the head when he tells her about how he keeps forgetting about putting on Mage Armor, saying, “<Don’t be a Tina!>”

“<Says someone that forgot Mage Armor before going up against a kraken,>” you tease in Aquan.

Daphne turns beet red. “<Oh, no! I’ve become the Tina!>”

Harper beckons Daphne to lean over. The two kiss and Daphne smiles again. I love that smile. That toothy, toothy smile.

Aelene looks like she feels out of place. Harper drags her into the sea elf’s lap, whispering in Common, “Hey, wanna help me teach these scrubs how to not die in melee combat?” That helps Aelene settle in and watch. She has opinions on their weapon strikes. Harper squeezes Aelene as she sits. Glad that Aelene is feeling better.

Honey seems content to sit and drink a mesquite sap smoothie. Harper is going to want to spend some one-on-one time with her, now that the pressure of writing her transformations is done. She is going to want a full explanation of why she wanted to be a part of this.

A few minutes later, and Jappa (who is apparently the Headmistress of the academy) shoos the students out. “<The party will begin in a few minutes. I hope our students weren’t too much of a hassle. I’ll let you relax here until I send a student to fetch you. You are the guests of honor. Please don’t burn down the school. You adventurers tend to burn down things at a party.>”

“<Jappa, we did not save everyone just to kill them all,>” Harper sardonically replies.

The turtle-girl nods her head and closes the door. Daphne sits on Harper’s other leg and cuddles into her breast. “So, my Beloved, I want to make sure you get some one-on-one snuggle time with each of us. This party will hopefully accommodate that. I am definitely going last. My date, my rules. Aelene, Honey who wants to go first?”

“Honey. I want Honey to go first,” Harper replies before either can answer, “We need to talk.”

“That is agreeable, Ms. O’Connor. I always enjoy our conversations.”

Tina

Everyone is leaving the recovery room at their own pace. Scarlet left pretty quickly to go dance at the tavern. Skye left to go do some forging. Josie to go soak in the bathhouse. Oooh, soaking in the bathhouse sounds pretty good.

Then Mattie had to speak up, “Hey, Tina, thanks for all the help back there. We did find some stuff in the library about magic colleges at our future home, if you’re interested. Wanna hang out?”

“Ah, Mattie, one question. Why are you masturbating right now?”

Mattie blushes. Her blush is kind of cute and definitely unexpected. “Sorry. Scarlet treatment. I know none of us got hurt that badly, but the memories I try to press down always pop back up after a mission. I could use a... distraction. Helping you out seems like a good one?”

“You know what, cutie? I’m game. Let’s go be nerds in the library!”

Mattie is surprisingly good at multi-tasking. She is jilling off, walking, and talking to Tina all at once. Mattie pulls up a seat at the library and then really goes to town on herself. Her O-face is so hot. I kind of want to see it again.

Then, Mattie acts as if she didn’t just climax in front of the bonny bunny. “So, magic colleges do exist in our future world. Sarge’s implanted memories have her graduate from a mildly respected one on a hardship scholarship, what with her elf-self being orphaned. As far as practical application, you are more than overqualified to enroll. You’ll be able to have your pick of them, provided the post game bond rules allow you to be that far away from Sarge. Seems only the most elite of the elite actually hit Level 5. I checked a religious text on our future world’s version of Ioun, you know, that goddess of experience Aelene often bitches about? Well, between a ‘last hit gets the experience’ rule and the sheer amount of experience it takes to get a level, we are like, silly overpowered. You know spells that would be considered legendary among civilized people; monsters can still know crazy magic, but civilized people simply can’t get enough experience to unlock that potential. Same thing with the punchy-punchy girls. Josie and Aelene being able to deal 3 solid hits in the span of 6 seconds is unheard of. Monsters can, not people.”

Tina thinks about it. “Sooo, if I go to magic college, I’m not going to learn any cool new spells, because I outpace the teachers?”

Mattie shrugs, “Kinda? I mean, there are plenty of 1st level spells you don’t know that could be cool. Still, as far as magic college goes, you’d be broadening the base levels of spells, not so much getting stronger spells.”

Tina’s ears droop as she starts to pout, “Well, that’s lame. What’s the point in going then?”

Mattie shrugs again, “If the piece of paper matters, there is that. Being certified as ‘very good at magic’ might be helpful. The other part of the equation would be the theoretical applications. Learning about how magic works, beyond the basic bits shoved in your head when you got the arcana proficiency, could be very useful. I’m pretty sure Sarge and Teeth both have arcana expertise. You wonder what they could do with that if they applied themselves?”

It’s Tina’s turn to shrug. “I don’t know.”

Mattie smirks and moves to sit in Tina’s lap. Tina is about to complain about Mattie being so presumptuous, but then the astral elf starts to whisper in the bonny bunny’s ear, “Well, cutie, we know Teeth designed a spell for Sarge. The penis one? Why learn spells from someone when you could learn how to make spells in the first place?”

The implications of that idea are amazing. I could make my own spells? I could make my own spells! Tina’s ears bounce up, as does Tina. Mattie wraps her arms around Tina’s neck to avoid being completely bucked off. “Whoa, nelly!”

Tina sits back down, a little embarrassed, to ask, “Okay, so which school should I go to to learn how to make new spells best?”

Mattie leans in and whispers again, “Like I said, we don’t have all the info, but I do have a priority list ready for you. Here you go.” Mattie pulls out a piece of paper from her inventory and hands it to Tina. Tina’s grinning from one bunny ear to the other.

“Thanks, cutie!”

“Sooooo, can we be sex buds now?”

Honey

The party is too much for Honey and she immediately knows it. The noise of the orphanage was one thing, several dozen children at play did little to bother her, outside of the pheromones she picked up from Ms. Copse-Wood. The noise of the entire town, raucous with the joys of a life not snuffed out too soon? It’s just too much. She flees to the relative quiet of a balcony radiating off of the academy’s banquet hall, contemplating seeking refuge on the large, flat roof.

Then there stands Ms. O’Connor, a nervous smile plastered on her face, “I get it. The party is too much for me too. And I can understand wanting to avoid this talk. You’re a smart woman and you have seen that I haven’t exactly done well with Glitter. So, I get it.”

“You do not do well with Ms. Glitterdust because she sees you as she desires, not as you actually are. I am under no such illusions, Ms. O’Connor. I do best when I can hear the droning of my wings. I get... is anxious the right word?”

“It’ll do, I suppose. I’m guessing it’s more of an instinctual thing. Too loud means you can’t hear a predator approaching. Are there predators for your species? I need to understand you better, given what happened this morning.”

“No predators in the traditional sense. Things that wish my kind dead at every opportunity? Yes. Yes those exist.”

Ms. O’Connor nods as she draws closer. She seems to like physical contact. Honey places a hand on her shoulder; Ms. O’Connor nuzzles into it. Honey detects wariness wafting off her mistress (a familiar enough concept), but also something indescribable. A sense that things may turn out better than Ms. O’Connor expects? Strange.

The mistress finally speaks again, “So, roof? Or are you comfortable enough down here?”

With what sounds like permission, Honey buzzes to the rooftop. The pheromones from her mistress wanes with distance. Honey feels a little less with their lack already. Ms. O’Connor pursues, easily scaling a rain gutter and pulling herself up. The pheromones return, plus a faint hint of exertion. Ms. O’Connor looks up at the night sky, the moon a sliver of silver, the stars aglow. A new pheromone, one equally confusing. A sense that the world is bigger than one imagines.

“So, how should we begin this?” Ms. O’Connor asks, a scotch bottle and 2 glasses in hand, “You drink?”

“Just saps and nectar, Ms. O’Connor. Though you are welcome to consume ****. From my experience at the firm, it often helps my superiors understand me.”

With a snort, the scotch and glasses disappear. “I need to understand you without it, I think. I cut you off this morning, and I apologize for that. Let’s go back to that question now. Why?”

“As I explained this morning, I have months to live and do not wish to expire. Joining your harem seemed a reasonable solution to the problem, given how well I believe we get along. You have shown me much kindness. I am beginning to understand that feeling, though the pheromones I have detected today often confuse me. Perhaps you can help me understand them in time.”

Ms. O’Connor nods, then leans onto Honey’s shoulder, still mostly looking at the stars. She offers Honey little glances. The mistress seems especially drawn to Honey’s eyes. More pheromones radiate. Fascination, Honey conceptually gets, as does arousal. The sense of appreciating aesthetics is more elusive to Honey’s understanding. She speaks again, “And why do you think you are going to die? I’m sure it’s valid, but help me understand. Why choose to live with me as one of mine instead of dying free?”

Ah. That is the source of confusion. Honey tells the tale, her life story and the story of her people’s life cycle. How she spent her childhood eating the flesh of a spider monster, how she pupated through a very brief adolescence, how she emerged from the corpse a full adult, how she found herself disinterested in the breeding hills, how she was drawn to remnants of her Earth before it became a giant desert, how an inter-dimensional traveler found her and brought her home, how she studied law, how she joined a firm, only for her first big case to arrive a few months before the natural end of her people’s life cycle. The pheromones that her mistress emits through her tale are expected. Honey thinks the feeling is called sadness.

Ms. O’Connor gently wraps an arm around Honey’s thorax, careful to weave her arm between the bases of her wings. Her hand ends up on what Ms. Wulf called her “wasp tit.” Honey blushes a little, the scent of Ms. O’Connor’s arousal increasing. “I get it, Honey. You spent your whole life pursuing something only to not have enough time to actually catch it. Like I said this morning, I’m happy to help you. Thank you for finally telling me what I helping with.”

More pheromones, the most confusing so far. It’s almost as if Ms. O’Connor values Honey more than she values herself. She detects similar pheromones from when she looked at the others today. This is a first for her. The whole concept is foreign.

“So, what happens now? Have you called the firm about this? I’m sure this is some kind of ethical violation, sleeping with your client. I presume you joined in on the wish deal. Are we addressing your issue with the wish or am I needing to get you something now? Why didn’t you tell me when we were writing your first transformations? I certainly could have eventually gotten over feeling terrified about fingering your cloaca.”

Honey kisses Ms O’Connor. As observed, it does make her stop for a moment. Honey responds, “Too many questions at once, Ms. O’Connor. I will inform the firm that I have been made part of your harem at our earliest convenience, which is likely tomorrow. Depending on how they wish to approach it, they may appoint me as your permanent primary legal representative or they may fire me and then I steal you away from them as an independent lawyer. I will continue to represent you, regardless. Harem Hotel is an innately unethical pursuit so the people that would care about us mating don’t. Or find it arousing. My desire to not expire will be reflected in the general issues section of the wish, which I am not at liberty to discuss with you, as the wish compact is amongst the contestants, and only the contestants. I accept that you found my cloaca intimidating and am perfectly satisfied that you find my new entrance attractive, even though I need more time to get used to it.”

Ms. O’Connor absorbs Honey’s answers, nodding along. “Okay, so is there anything else I need to be potentially panicking about?”

“I do not understand ‘panic’ yet. My emotional vocabulary is quite new.”

Ms. O’Connor sighs, “Ok, rephrasing. Anything else you would be advising me to be cautious about?”

Honey thinks back to her quest. Honey’s Orphanage Date Quest: #Get HoneyPreggers. Reward: A druidic focus. That quest could be problematic; we should address it. “I believe that my desire to have my spermatheca filled may be a source of conflict.”

Honey’s reply hits Ms. O’Connor in the gut, at least in the figurative sense. She grunts, “Less than you might think, but yeah, the idea does concern me. My issues with impregnating Dinah were all about how the kids would survive the pregnancy and what happens to them if she was eliminated. I was withholding my part of reproduction to keep those potential kids safe. Good thing I did, given what happened. I would hate having been separated from my kids across dimensions. Your reproduction method is such that you could make as many male children as you want right now and I can’t do anything to stop you. I also presume that the transformations we made doesn’t change how you would feel about our kids. I will note that I am going to have to get used to going all r-selection on our kids. I get that different kids are going to need different things, but the idea of just letting a couple month old just do their thing is so foreign to me. Maybe it’ll make sense with our first hive of wasp-kid larvae? Is that what we’re going to call a group of our kids? Anyways, filling your spermatheca gives you the last bit you’d need to repopulate your species in our new home. I will want to do that for you. I’m just worried about doing so before the game is over.”

“Ms. O’Connor, I will want every nehtaliante I lay to have the best chance it can to survive. Each needs food. I will not be laying eggs until we can secure a large enough supply of spider monsters to feed to our children. It is pointless for me to lay any eggs until we do so.”

Ms. O’Connor reacts to that statement in an interesting manner. “If you can promise me that, I am willing to fill your spermatheca. Do you want to do that now or...?”

Honey leans into Ms. O’Connor’s hug as she interrupts, “I can wait. I am sure Ms. Daphne will want to use me as a source of VP tonight. We can do it then.”

More of that valuing strangeness pheromones fill the air as Ms. O’Connor seems content to hold Honey and stare at the stars. Honey enjoys the quiet of the night and the warmth of the hug. This is the beginning of a fruitful relationship.

Josie

Josie is floating in the middle of the bathhouse pool, letting the warm, scented waters soothe away the beating she took in the dungeon. So, she’s annoyed when an eye-patch wearing mermaid starts to hover over her.

“Keep your panties on, I was going to go see Prudence after I finish relaxing here.”

“As I told you this morning, Josie, I’m not having another Dinah incident. What do you want to do for your destination date?”

“Fine.” Josie moans. She starts to describe what she wants. Calypso doesn’t look all that surprised by it.

“Very well. I’ll make arrangements. Though, you may not like what I can find that fits your preferences.”

With that, Calypso disappears into a waterspout, like a show-off. Josie goes back to soaking in peace. Tomorrow is going to be a blast.