Davy woke up and hopped out of bed but some felt off. He looked around and noticed all the color of his room looked desaturated. Then he noticed sitting in a chair that was by his desk but now sat in the center of the room was a woman. She was well endowed and curvy, wearing a low colored dress that left most of her top body assets exposed while the dress fit her lower body tightly. Her skin was a dark pink to purple color and her eyes were pink with black sclera. On her head grew a friend of horns. Behind her back and arrowhead tipped tail swished back and forth. This was a succubus, but not just any succubus. This was Asmodaus the lustful Lord of depravity. Ruler of the second circle of the Nine Hells, Tempest.

  Davy was about to shout when Asmodaus put her hand up. “Don't bother, I'm not actually here. This is a psionic projection. Your brain and soul is moving at the speed of my realm but your body…” she pointed to the bed. Davy looked and saw his body still laying there. Then he looked back at the demon lord. “What do you want, Asmodaus?” The demon lord wiggled sensually in the wooden chair as she added some honey to her voice. “Ah, I don't have to introduce myself. Good. I'm here to offer you a deal of a lifetime.” Davy sighed. “Whatever it is, I'm not interested. I know better than to make a deal with a demon.”

  Asmodaus made an exaggerated pouting face. “You could at least hear the deal first before declining. I promise it'll be worth your while. I only want to help with your little dilemma of being torn between two potential lovers~” Davy grumbled and groaned. “Make your pitch then.” He moved his hand in her direction dismissively. Asmodaus licked her lips. “Well you have on one hand a sexual partner who wouldn't be an emotional partner but would let have others, although you doubt you'd land another who'd be okay with your situation. On the other an emotional partner who wouldn't be into the sexual parts. I can help with that.”

  Davy narrowed his eyes. “Elaborate.” She shifted in the chair again and crossed her legs the other way. “She has now sexual desires and I as a demon of lust can fix-” Davy put up his hand and interrupted her. “They. Krys'tal identifies as non-binary. Also, saying you're going to fix them implies there's something wrong with them for being asexual. I may be a pervert, but I'm not an idiot and I'm not a bigot. Whatever you want in exchange doesn't matter at this point. I want you gone.” Asmodeus does another exaggerated pout. “If you insist. Though, if you asked you could have a shot at this~” She gestured to herself. Davy shook his head. “You may be sexy on the outside, but on the inside you're one of the ugliest people I've met in a while.”

  Asmodeus vanished with a huff and the room returned to normal as Davy found himself still laying in the bed. He let out a big sigh before getting up for real this time. He got dressed and left his room to go to the kitchen and get himself some food. Krys'tal and Ivory were both already there with Ivory getting some food. Davy blinked a few times. “Hey you two.” They both looked up and greeted Davy. Ivory went back to making food while Krys'tal took a moment to observe Davy. “Is everything ok?” Davy hesitated to answer, but after a moment he did. “I think I've finally decided… If I can't have it both ways, I'd rather have emotional support.”

  Ivory looked up and the two both observed him for a moment. “You sure?” Krys'tal asked. Davy nodded. “Yeah, I'm sure. Sorry Ivory.” Ivory shrugged. “I'm not mad.” She took her food to the dining room. Davy got his food and sat down together with Krys'tal. Davy reached out and ran his hand on Krys'tal’s. “I know it took me like… a year or so…” Krys'tal’s inner glow changed to have a small amount of yellow. “It's fine Davy, I wasn't going to rush you. As long as you're sure and you're happy with your choice.” Davy nodded. “I'm sticking with my decision.”

  Elizabeth checked every area of the castle looking for Racknar. She stopped to do a double take when she saw Davy eating while holding Krys'tal's hand. She shrugged and continued walking throughout the castle till she ran into Marionette. “Hey Mari, have you seen Racknar?” Marionette hesitated to respond for a moment. “He's… probably in the garden if not in his room. He's avoiding bumping into either myself or Charity until his mind is more awake. He can't speed up the process with caffeine either because apparently it's like drinking beer to him.”

  Elizabeth blinked a few times, she had so many questions. She decided to stick to one. “Why is he avoiding people? Is he in one of his moods again?” Marionette sighed. “You could say that. We're starting to enter the latter half of fall so he makes sure to avoid contact with any females or females adjacent individuals.” Elizabeth was even more confused. “Why?” Marionette started at Elizabeth for a moment. “Black iron spider mating season.” Elizabeth was still confused. “How is that relevant to- oh. Oh! … Oh. Damn, I guess the timing of this was kinda bad. I was hoping we could sort things out.”

  Marinette shifted back and forth. “We could talk among ourselves. I mean the final decision may be up to him but we should still have some communication.” Elizabeth sighed. “I mean… I do have several questions. I mean… doesn't your body come with some barriers to physical intimacy?” Marinette shrugged. “I was designed to be able to feel touch and I have adjusted myself to be able to receive a partner. So I imagine as far as physical feeling it wouldn't be too far off from normal for either me or whoever I am with. The only limitation I have is the inability to ever be a mother in the traditional sense.”

  Elizabeth hadn't considered that. She put her hand on her chin. “Well my case isn't much better. Davy said we could bridge the gap with magic but I have no idea how to do that. Also like… what would that look like?” Marionette shrugged. “I mean you both have a lot going on. He's a man spider with divine heritage and demonic powers and you have angelic and draconic bloodlines.” Elizabeth put her hand to her mouth. “I really wasn't thinking ahead that far. I mean I've had feelings for Racknar since our previous life. He may say that my feelings aren't real because of… well it's an entire thing actually. I'm not getting into that.”

  Marionette crossed her arms. “Well… I've got some baggage with him too because I made some dumb mistakes. Deal with a succubus, a whole thing. Ended up backfiring but we've moved past that.” Elizabeth blinked a few times. “I won't be asking. So… what now? I mean I was hoping to have some time with him but if he's compromised…” Marionette did a wave. “We just have to let him wake up first. Once he's fully awake he's probably the best at controlling himself out of everyone I've met. He's got a full handle on his emotions.” Elizabeth nodded. “He always was. Has he had any close calls before?”

  Marionette rocked back and forth on her feet. “He and Charity shared a room once a while back and she made the mistake of wearing a nightgown to bed. He ended up sleeping on the floor if I remember correctly. They've had a bit of a back and forth but it wouldn't go anywhere for a number of reasons. Her oath being the main reason.” Elizabeth blinked a few times. “I'm just going to not think about the possibility a chaste nun could have been a competitor.” Marionette sighed. “You uhh… maybe you shouldn't think of it as a competition. This isn't a game with his love as the prize.”

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Elizabeth tilted her head. “Right. I guess that's just how things were worded in my old life to the point I didn't question it. Like Racknar always says, people aren't property.” Marionette looked out a window. “Racknar should be good now, let's go.” She started walking and waved Elizabeth to follow. Elizabeth walked with Marionette to the garden that was doing extremely well thanks to the work of the nymphs and kobolds that tended to it. Racknar was found in an isolated area tending to flowers and interacting with the giant bees that had migrated with the floral dragon.

  The two ladies waved at him and he waved back, setting down the gardening equipment. “Did something come up that needs my attention?” Elizabeth shook her head. “No, we just wanted to hang out with you a bit. Make sure you're actually relaxing during your vacation.” Racknar grumbled lightly. “I'm trying to. I really am. Sitting still has never been my strong suit Eli, you know that.” Elizabeth nodded as Marionette moved to look over the flowers. “It looks nice. Very good.” Racknar crossed his arms. “To be honest I haven't done much. My help isn't needed. All I've done is add a few new plants. Berry bushes and whatnot. A few more fruit trees. The vespon love those things.”

  Elizabeth looked at the large bee that Racknar was petting. “Right, the giant bees. I still have misgivings about them.” Racknar chuckles. “Give them a chance. They're basically cats with wings. They enjoy pets and are fluffy. What's not to like.” Elizabeth looked at a giant bees from the corner of her eyes. “I've owned cats, that statement does nothing to soothe my worries. Just the opposite in fact.” Racknar gave one of the vespon chin scratches. The creature seemed to enjoy the gesture and even leaned into it.

  There was an awkward pause before Elizabeth spoke again. “So I was hoping to have a date night, just the two of us. Make use of the free time to at least try to make something work. Then Mari had to butt in and there's also the issue of you being… potentially compromised.” Racknar tilted his head. “I have a full handle on myself. We can do a date night if you want. Not sure what exactly we would do though. I mean movie dates are completely out of the question and coffee is something I have to be careful with.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “Right, because coffee gets sliders drunk. Must suck as you were practically addicted to the stuff in your past life. You were more caffeine than blood most of the time.” Racknar sighed. “Yeah, and getting drunk in my current state is definitely not a great idea.” Elizabeth put her hand on her chin. Marionette spoke up. “We could have a picnic, although I don't eat so that might not work.” Elizabeth looked at Marionette. “The way you worded that made it almost sound like all three of us would be on the date.”

  Racknar does a hand gesture. “There's actually no reason to do exclusive one-on-one dates this early on. Once we figure out what works then we move from there.” The two ladies looked back and forth from one another to Racknar a few times as they considered their options. Elizabeth spoke first. “But we would get some one-on-one time, right? I mean the occasional thing where it's both of us is fine because of how little downtime we get but I don't want people getting any weird ideas. At the end of the day you'll still have to pick just one of us.” Marionette nodded in agreement. “No silly poly nonsense.”

  Racknar sighed. “I get that your preference but outside relief there's actually no real reason to enforce monogamy. Though I've said this before. Then again I doubt I could juggle two people long term even if you let me.” Racknar than looks at the garden. “Want to just take a walk in the garden with me then?” Elizabeth smiled and nodded. “That sounds lovely.” Marionette also gives a nod. “Just walking and chatting. Sounds simple enough. Count me in.”

  Ariagoria was organizing a room in the castle that was set up as a little church inside the building. She swapped out all the Longinus imagery for Catholic imagery. “There. I know the others might find it silly, but I definitely feel better knowing this is here.” There was then a knock on the open door of the room. Ariagoria turned around to see Leonardo standing there. “Oh hey Leo, what's up?” The man sipped from a cup of coffee. “The church sent me a crap ton of paperwork. I was wondering if you could help me get them off my back. The last thing I need is an inquisition showing up and seeing our city. They'd freak out.”

  Ariagoria let out a sigh. “Yeah, the last thing we need is the church on our ass about “harboring monsters” because of all the goblins and kobolds and stuff. I'll help you out.” Ariagoria followed Leonardo and started showing him the best way to respond to the church to keep them at bay. “Is there anything else you need before I leave?” Leonardo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can you do something about my sister's obsession with the submersible boat? Ever since Racknar gave her those notes she's been able to make a lot of her pipe dream builds from her last life a reality and she's been diving into work harder than normal. That woman needs sleep.” Ariagoria sighed. “I'll try, but I can't promise anything.”

  Racknar waved at Morning Glory as he passed her by. Elizabeth and Marionette also waved. Racknar looked at the two. “Well… I'm bored of this already. We ran out of things to talk about a while ago so it's just been walking and looking around an area we've seen.” Elizabeth nodded. “There's a lot to do in this world compared to ours for dates. Despite that, this was nice. Just taking the time to slow down. I'm not being buried under royal duties or fighting for my life.” Marionette grabbed a flower and gave it a sniff. “The early stages are always the hardest when it comes to dating from what I read. Also in this age mostly guys just give a lady gifts and show off skills to win her or her parents over.”

  Racknar sighed. “Things are definitely different here. Giving flowers would feel silly when we have a garden and gifts are something I've given to help you with our adventures and combat.” Elizabeth did a hand gesture. “You could always try to give a more personal gift, as could we. Though there's more to a relationship than gifts and proving your worth. The traditional way of doing things here makes it feel more like a business exchange or a trade deal than actual romance. I want to sit with someone as the sun rises it sets, I want to hold hands and cuddle. I want to lovingly kiss someone on the lips.”

  Racknar pointed to his mouth. “I have no lips. Neither does Mari for that matter.” Elizabeth groaned. “You know what I mean, Racknar. We've had romantic moments, so I don't understand why you're being so difficult.” Marionette crossed her arms and huffed. “I've had interesting moments with Racknar too, you know.” Racknar stopped walking for a moment. “I… I'm sorry, both of you. I may not hate myself like I used to but I've still got a lot to work through. I just don't see myself as a good fit as a partner for either of you in any way that matters. I mean physically, mentally, emotionally… I really don't understand what either of you see in me.”

  Marionette tapped Racknar's back. “You're a good man. You've done bad things, but who hasn't. You're kind and caring… and strong.” Elizabeth rubbed her hands together. “You were the first person to see me as more than just the popular girl, you saw more than my good looks. You were the first to see the real me. Not just that but your sense of humor, and we got along well. We shared hobbies and spent time together. The only reason I never tried sooner was it felt like we were from two different worlds and it wouldn't work. It still feels like we're from different worlds. However I see now that that's okay. Even if you feel like an alien and look like a man spider, my feelings haven't changed.”

  Racknar turned to face the two before grabbing and lightly rubbing on each of their hands. “I'll try and open myself up more, break down the walls I've built. You both insist things become exclusive so I don't want things to be weird or difficult after I've chosen. Regardless of who I choose, if I choose one of you I'd like to remain friends through everything. No hard feelings regardless.” Marionette nodded. “Okay. Besides, we're all still young. If it doesn't work there's always time to find another person who is a better fit.” Elizabeth nodded. “Either way, I care about you.” Racknar then let go of their hands and looked to the castle. “Something feels off, let's go.”