Next in Rome.

By the time they were done they had wrecked another room. Not nearly as badly as the other one, there were no further **** involved after all, but the clawmarks were still all over the place. They had changed from the whirlpool (which was, together with the fridge, on of the two objects that had survived the debauchery unscathed), to the bed of pillows, now a mass of spilled cotton filling, and basically just fucked everywhere.

The reason they had to stop was that Nathalia ran out of food. As long as they had food, Nathalia had been able to bridge the pauses between John hardening up again with eating and Aclysia. It had also served John, who had to battle those debuffs as unknown hardships were burdened upon his body.

“This is it then,” Nathalia stated and slammed the refrigerator so hard it toppled over backwards and reduced the whirlpool to the sole survivor of this sex session. “I have no more food, I am quitting this job.” John raised his eyebrows in wonder, “That seems like a rather drastic conclusion to make.”

“I have not been exactly subtle when I got here and now that I have fucked you again, I have no more reason to stay,” Nathalia dived into the flakey mess that had been her pillows and brought some clothes up. “I had a craving for oiled up male bodies, I doubt I will get better than your form after your newest improvement.” Her draconic features vanished as she put on these clothes. “So I will leave before I get into trouble with the authorities of the empire.”

“Afraid?” he asked. Nathalia scornful glance told him just how laughable she found that idea. “It is just not worth the trouble,” she stated. John got his clothes in order as well, simply pulling them from his inventory into the correct slots. Following the mood, Aclysia formed out her winter get-up.

When they were done Nathalia stood close to the doorframe. Wearing a crimson red coat, open at the front to reveal a black pullover that stretched over her tits, and black jeans with brown shoes, the dragoness made an unpleased grimace. “Clothes annoy me,” she said and John had to agree that clothes, that aimed to hide her curves rather than complimenting them, looked alien on the dragoness.

They walked through the messed-up massage-room. The stench of cum and sweat was as strong as before, held fresh by the rooms temperature. That it didn’t waft over into the neighbouring room had been nothing close to a miracle. “Don’t you have to clean this up?” John asked. “Who is going to make me?” Nathalia challenged him, kicking the remains of the lounger. A series of rattling sounds as it crashed against the wooden walls. John ignored the uncomfortable feeling radiating from Aclysia at the sight of that unwarranted destruction. “Point taken,” he said instead.

They left the Illusion Barrier and walked to the front desk. Unsurprisingly, the shift of the initial girl had ended. Now there was some guy sitting there and he greeted Nathalia with a wide smile. “Hi, how are y-“ “I quit, I found a more satisfactory partner,” Nathalia threw a key into his direction. The man looked shocked. With a bit more respect, John placed his key on the counter. “Thanks for the stay,” he said and felt a bit sorry for the guy as he counted 1 and 1 together, looking after the trio.

“So, you had sex with the guy?” John asked and tried to make the question sound as nonchalant as possible. “With him and like ten others that ended up in my room,” Nathalia asked without a care. “And you were in that room for…?” “3 or 4 days, it honestly blends together,” Nathalia opened the door and they stepped into the pitch black of winter night.

He pulled out his smartphone to check the time. Night at winter came early, so it could have been relatively early. It wasn’t, it was 10 PM. ‘I just spent about 10 hours literally fucking around,’ he realized. Now that his phone connected to the network again, no receiver on this planet was strong enough to connect to the internet from his inventory, he also got notifications for seven missed calls. Six of them, exactly 1 hour apart, were from Lydia, the last one, merely ten minutes ago, from Rave. The explanation he would give them would be rather simple, justifying it as such a bit harder.

“So, you like me, right?” John carefully asked. Nathalia’s brown colouration hid it rather well, but John could see her blush ever so slightly at the sudden question, “I would say that I am rather interested in you indeed.” “And yet you sleep around like that?” John was aware of hypocrisy here, he was just curious if he could get her to quit other man and fulfil his selfish desire to have her to herself.

“John, unless you dedicate your life to it, you have no chance of satisfying me on your own,” Nathalia spelled out for him. “The idea that I would quit other men for you just because I have taken a,” she made a confused gesture, apparently she wasn’t completely aware of the feelings he knew she had for him yet, “well-founded interest in you, is preposterous. I remember you yourself being involved with a pink-haired annoyance.” “Her name is Jane and she happens to be my girlfriend, who also controls who I get to sleep with,” John informed her, “don’t you remember?”

In a way that spelled out that she very much did remember, Nathalia growled, “Can’t pay attention to every speak of dust…that later part however is knew to me.” She narrowed her eyes, “How much control are we talking here?” “Well, if she doesn’t like a girl in my harem, she can tell me not to fuck her anymore,” John answered, he had an inkling that this would lead to trouble. “Complete, I understand…” Nathalia was lost in thought for a moment. “It doesn’t matter, not right now,” she ultimately decided, and John felt a bit of relief, despite the ominous wording.

“Well, anyhow, I’ll have to go home now,” John told her and extended his hand. Nathalia looked at it like she was facing the ultimate insult. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a passionate French kiss, that lasted for several minutes, their hands intertwining. Finally she broke the kiss and softly pushed him back. “Now run before I make the decision to abduct you right now, John,” Nathalia warned him. He laughed, but then he saw the serious look in her eyes, a mixture of greed, lust, jealousy and love.

She wasn’t kidding, if he didn’t get away right now, it was unlikely he would ever see his girlfriend again. “Okay, nice to see you, hope we get together again soon,” he spouted some hasty phrases before literally running away. “Next in Rome,” the dragoness shouted after him.

That was almost enough to have him stop and turn around to look at Nathalia in confused shock. If she had been banished by Romulus by crossing him on the day of Pompeii, jumping right into the centre of his power seemed plenty stupid.

However, when he had ran around a corner, waited for a moment, and peeked back onto the street he had come from, Nathalia was already gone. “Next in Rome,” John repeated silently and gleefully smiled like an idiot, looking at the two shards of obsidian in his hand.

Then he called back Rave. “Finally back alive?” his girlfriend asked from the other end. Her tone didn’t sound annoyed in the slightest and his gleeful smile only broadened as he remembered that his girlfriend was flexible as hell with his shenanigans.

“You will not believe the day I had…” he started.

“YOU DID WHAT?!” Rave, now evidently a bit mad, shouted. John was back in the mansion and had repeated everything in detail what he only quickly explained over the phone. The reaction was not to all the fucking, or even the partner, it was to his confession that he somehow, actually fell in love with the dragoness.

“Do ya just throw out’ya’feelings’like’christmas-cards?” she slurred in an even worse way than usual. John couldn’t help but feel fascinated by the fact that he, after months of tranquil relationship, managed to get his girlfriend seriously mad over something that was actually his fault.

“Well, no,” John said, “I mean, technically I have known Nathalia for months now.” “Technically ya have known Lydia for months, yet ya do not love her,” Rave commented. “Well, given time…” John carefully suggested, not being conflicted by social norms and after being starved for female attention (that wasn’t his mother’s) for 18 years, his feelings started blooming with pretty much every girl he found attractive. “Aside, we fell for each other after just a week,” John reminded her.

Rave jumped from the couch, this discussion was happening in the living room of all places, and started walking up and down in front of him. “Great, so what we have is a thing you could have with any girl or what?” she asked, taking the worst possible interpretation of what he said. “No, what I have with you is just…awesome through and through,” words failed him here, “but that doesn’t mean I can’t fall or swoon over other girls. I love you way more now than I did back then when I barely knew you and I continue to do so.”

That seemed to put Rave at a slight ease, she stopped but didn’t sit down. “I can easily accept swooning, but love…and that arrogant dragon of all people…You know what, as per our agreement you can’t sleep with Nathalia anymore.” John felt how his temper shot up at that statement and was about to say some things that would probably end up causing more harm than necessary, when fate intervened. “You can do that?” a hard voice asked.

John turned his head and Rave looked at the newcomer as well. “I came to see what the commotion was about,” Lydia, holding a pot, said, “and also to get more tea. Mostly to get more tea, now that Aclysia is back.” She placed the pot on the table, “I am however most intrigued by what you just said, mind informing me about the context and validity of that agreement?”

“The fact that John gets to sleep with other girls means that we had to come to terms with a few things,” Rave answered in a rush, “Like that he has to tell me who he sleeps with, that I get to tell him he has to stop seeing certain girls and that we go back to monogamy whenever I want.”

Lydia nodded repeatedly, but her eyes spelled out a certain worry. Sending his thanks to whatever **** may listen for the princess’ interruption, which allowed John to cool his head, he nodded. “That is indeed our agreement.”

“Well, legally talking, Rave is in the right then,” Lydia stated. “Sure, but…” John had a hard time arguing the case, so he dropped it and tried another angle. “Do you seriously think that I could stop Nathalia if I wanted too?” “No, but there is difference between consensual sex and ****, ya moron,” Rave shot him down.

“There is also a massive difference between my love for you and my love for her,” John explained again. “Stopping me from sleeping with her won’t change that.” “Oh great,” Rave threw her arms into the air, “what else am I supposed to do then?” “You could stop being such a scaredy-cat, I love Aclysia almost as much as I love you and yet I never felt the urge to leave you for her,” John half-shouted.

The room was filled with silence. “Aclysia? almost as much as me?” Rave blinked rapidly, she had of course known that the artificial guardian had been important to John, but THAT important? Lydia cleared her throat. “I think you could use a mediator here,” she stated and sat down to John’s right. She gestured Rave to take up the empty place to her own right, so that Lydia sat in the middle. With crossed arms, Rave fell into the couch.

“Now,” Lydia said slowly, “I think the underlying problem here is not that actual physical contact but the fact that you dislike the girl he fell for this time, do I see this correctly?” “No, its just that he actually FELL for another girl,” Rave stated, “and now wants to act on that while still maintaining his relationship with me.”

“Jane, that already happened,” John said, “I went on a DATE with Aclysia yesterday and I have loved her ever since she saved me in that hellish week after I thought you were dead and I was nothing more but a man possessed with the goal of bringing you back at whatever cost necessary. I was alone with her for three weeks, yet, when I got you out, I didn’t want to break up with you. What I feel for her is the closest to what I feel for you, BUT ITS STILL NOT AS STRONG.” He would have said more but Lydia gestured him to shut up.

Rave became very silent. “Fine,” she admitted, “I don’t like Nathalia, so that’s why, ya happy?” “No, I am happy if you pull back that ridiculous taboo.” “So ya won’t obey it?” “I will!” John told her, “but every time I will think ‘I could if only it weren’t for my girlfriend’, what do you think will do more damage to our relationship, sex with a girl you don’t like or a constant grudge?”

Lydia cleared her throat. “John raises a solid point here,” she tried to calm the situation by using a tone unusually soft for her. “But I want to go back to an earlier point. John assured you that he wouldn’t leave you for another, don’t you believe him?” “I do, but, urgh, fuck it, I need this in visual,” Rave complained. “Need what in visual?” Lydia probed. “Like, just where he sees Nathalia in relation to everyone else…fuck it just tell me where you see everyone in relation to each other, if I can’t have monopoly on your dick or your feelings I at least want to see what ya think about everyone.” “A smart thought,” Lydia said with a smile that betrayed her ulterior motives, as she pulled out a stack of empty notes and a pen from her jacket. “Why don’t you write a list.”

John knew that what he was urged to do could do a lot of damage, but he took the utensils and started scribbling anyhow. Aside from Nathalia, every single one of the girls he wrote down were in the house and could see this list.

While he was doing that, the whole of the couch filled up. Aclysia hastened over, she had been doing the laundry, the elementals spawned, all at the same time. Only Momo, who had been reading a book in her usual place even before the fight started, hadn’t moved an inch.

“What are ya doing here?” Rave asked the elementals. “You are part of his thoughts, ya should know this already!” “John’s thoughts aren’t as easy as you may think,” Gnome answered and jumped from one feet on the other in anticipation, “we can only get a rough idea, no precise statements.” “Yeah, yeah,” Sylph nodded and flew over John’s head, trying to get an early peak. “HAH, you are last Sally!” “No I am not, fuck off,” Salamander said and pulled her sister back, her tone didn’t sound like she was absolutely certain of that however.

John slammed the note on the table. “THERE,” he shouted and crossed his arms. This day had taken a turn for the worse and now he was annoyed enough to just don’t care anymore. The girls bowed over the list.

In the first place was Rave, his girlfriend looked at the prophesized result with remaining conflict. Number two was Aclysia, who radiated pure happiness about being where she was. Then there was a decorative gap between the two of them and the rest of the list. Underneath that gap was Gnome. “M-m-me?” she stammered and raised her hands to her blushing face, holding her cheeks as her mouth stood slightly open and she squeaked in unsure happiness.

Up next was the reason for this whole fight, Nathalia. “Fine, you can continue sleeping with her,” Rave told him when she saw that, “sorry that I overreacted…” “No, I understand, I can only thank you for even putting up with my whole harem wish,” John answered and they sighed in unison. This had been stressful on both of them.

After that were Sylph and Salamander. “We fucking SHARE a row…but you know what, number 5 is nice, I can work with that,” the fire spirit said and presented her fist to Sylph. “I mean, it could be better, but albeit I am not his #1 Lover I am surely his numero uno Courtesan. So this works, I think? Yeah it works. But I kinda want to be higher. Ah, well, I will do it somehow!” Sylph flew back and forth blabbering, before completing the fist-bump.

The three on the bottom of the list started with Undine, who masked her feelings over being the last of the elementals perfectly. Whether she was annoyed, angry, or okay with it, John couldn’t know and he didn’t wish to probe to deeply, so he left it to her to come to him if she wanted to get closer. Second to last was Lydia, whose face was her usual iron mask. Last was Momo, who didn’t care whatsoever and instead turned another page.

John picked up the note and crumbled it. “I doubt that this will be largely accurate in two weeks from now,” he admitted, tossing the paper into the trash. “You can only be sure of three things: I love Rave the most, I love Aclysia the second most, and I love all of you enough to risk my life for you, so don’t be actually jealous if someone is higher than you. Okay?”

“”Okay”” everyone said with varying faces and levels of enthusiasm. Only Undine stayed silent, but that was just like her.