He was kicked from the kitchen.

  Not for his comment about the obvious fact he is mortal and therefore subject to meeting his end, mind you, but for having “molested” their cook too much... Their cook being a flustered, cute, boyish half-elf who he recently managed to advance with.

  Well, he didn’t know he wanted to advance with her, but it happened nonetheless, and now they all have to handle this new reality accordingly.

  What, him pushing his erection against her as she tries to cook and grabbing her boobs while biting her ear?

  That’s his way of handling the situation, when Eleanor decided to dance naked in front of him yet again... Oh, he didn’t miss her look of jealousy through the window as it happened, which is the reason they’re now ducking it out (sparring) while the girls finish with dinner.

  “I didn’t know you had more of these stupid bandages... Should I search through your room and burn them all ter?!”

  Stepping back as Eleanor swings her wooden sword at him, then ducking under her kick, rolling away, rising, and striking his own sword against her bare ass as hard as he can, Sincir ughs.

  This is her third ass pummel of their spar, and she has yet to raise her voice... At this rate, he’ll be the one who’ll give in to his boner first, and tackle her like st time...

  “Or maybe I should just burn all of your clothes, since you seem to hate actually wearing them so much!”

  Furious-looking, yet maintaining her focus as she chases after him (if her cold blue eyes are anything to go by), Eleanor spins her sword, striking with it from below, then front kicks him once he moves his head back to dodge her swing, aiming at his stomach... Since he is still out of bance, Sincir has no choice other than to take the kick with his sword, which still sends him stumbling back with his breath taken away.

  Damn it, if she wasn’t so much stronger and faster than him, or so calcuting a fighter, he wouldn’t struggle like this...

  Needless to mention, Eleanor gives him no time to rest, immediately following it up her kick... But she steps in too fast, falling into his trap, and earning herself another ass pounding for her efforts.

  “Today is finally the day, huh?! Are you excited?!”

  A roll and a head swing ter, Sincir chuckles.

  “I’ll take that as a yes! Say, do you have a preference?! I think we still have some candles around, but should I go out to buy more?! Pick up some roses, maybe?!”

  “Creator, could shut your mouth for one damn second?!”

  Sincir smiles, having finally managed to break her focus, and suddenly steps forward, ducking under her sword swing as he punches her stomach.

  Eleanor doubles over, and attempts to hit him with her sword still, but he sees it coming, hooking her foot as he dodges her blow yet again, then pushes her to fall.

  Since she immediately rolls away, escaping his range, he doesn’t bother trying to follow up, taking his time to enjoy the view while chuckling and rotating his sword pyfully.

  “C’mon, I know you can do better than this... Are you this upset about having Ena beat you to it? You know you pyed a big part in what happened, so you can’t exactly bme me.”

  Panting, blue eyes gleaming with rage, Eleanor stares daggers at him. “One of these days, I’ll cut off that fucking tongue of yours...”

  Sincir raises an eyebrow at her. “Are you sure? Have you already forgotten what I can do with it?”

  Cheeks blushing slightly, she presses her lips together.

  “...What, you won’t threaten to cut my cock off next...? Or my hands?”

  Eleanor throws her sword at him, and Sincir reflexively dodges, preparing himself for an attack which nerve comes.

  A moment ter, seeing that she is shaking slightly, with her gaze lowered and fists clenches, he groans, throwing his own sword aside while walking up to her.

  “Love...? Eleanor?”

  “Shut up... I’m not talking to you right now,” she murmurs through clenches teeth.

  “...You know I wouldn’t actually burn all of your clothes, right?”

  Her gaze snaps in his direction. “You can’t possibly think that’s what I’m upset about!”

  Having managed to successfully grab her attention, Sincir gives one st step forward, standing on the tip of his toes and locking his lips against hers... They’re both covered in sweat and panting, but Eleanor doesn’t push him away, meeting his kiss with a groan of frustration while grabbing his nape and shoving her tongue into his mouth...

  After a moment of kissing, Sincir hooks his foot behind hers, leaning forward, and steals her bance, which sends the both of them down; Still, even as they fall, Eleanor continues to hold him, and they continue to kiss for a long while more on the ground...

  ...Once it’s finally over, him being the one to pull away first, Sincir meets her incensed blue eyes and smiles.

  “You know, it doesn't need to be tonight... We could wait.”

  Eleanor tightens her jaw, the answer clear in her eyes, and he sighs.

  “Fine... But at least, think some more about wanting to have Ena in the room with us. We could do it in your room tonight, just you and me, and it could be something special... It doesn’t need to involve any of the others. I’d do whatever you want...”

  Eleanor turns her face, averting her gaze from him, but not fast enough to hide the fsh of desire passing through her eyes over his suggestion...

  Still, he knows she’ll do things the petty way tonight, so she can prove her point about her ownership over him.

  Sincir groans; Lords, she is impossible.

  “Idiot... Fine then, have it your way.”

  “...I was always pnning to,” she murmurs, still not looking at him.

  Feeling his anger growing out of control already, Sincir chuckles coldly. “You know, I have half a mind to force you to wear nothing through dinner as punishment for having teased me, again, with this shit. But since that wouldn’t be very fair to poor No, you’ll keep those red marks on your ass, hidden beneath whatever outfit I’m going to tear away from you ter. Is that clear?”

  Eleanor throws him a sidelong gnce. “Or what?”

  Fucking hell... Does she want him to lose it, right here, right now?

  “...Do whatever you want, love, but know that if I don’t see them on your ass ter, I’m not responsible for what I might do. Are you sure you want Ena to witness whatever comes from that?”

  Eleanor smiles, her eyes glowing daringly. “Sincir... You better not use that erection for anything else until it has shot all it has inside my fucking womb tonight, or I’m not responsible for what I might do... The bruises? Sure, I’ll keep them for you, all throughout the week, if that’s what you really want. I’ll even parade down the street naked with them on my ass.”

  Seeing the light in her eyes, Sincir doesn’t doubt she might actually burn down the house with heavenly fire if he fucks anybody else before her today... Lords.

  “...I love that look of fear in your face, little demon. You know you bit more than you can chew, and now it’s driving you insane... You think you can keep us from killing each other before the month is over? You think you can keep from having to choose one, until the very end?”

  Sincir tightens his jaw. “Yes; I’ll fuck both of your brains out if I have to.”

  Eleanor chuckles. “I’ll be waiting... Make us yours, if you can.”

  With that, she pushes him away, causing him to fall beside her, then rises, heading back into the house... She doesn't bother to grab her clothes from the ground.

  A few moments ter, now with his back against the ground, and staring at a clouded sky, Sincir sighs.

  Ever since Ena almost died, and he was supposed to choose in between one of them to save, it’s like he has been cheating fate... Well, fate can go fuck itself, because he is not choosing one over the other.

  He’ll make it work somehow, and he’ll start by fucking Eleanor so hard tonight she’ll learn to not call him little demon ever again...

  “Sin?! Get the fuck over here, now!”

  ...Ugh, what is it this time?

  Almost afraid of what his is going to find, Sincir sighs again while rising and heading toward Ena’s outraged scream... Even before entering the kitchen, however, he can spot Eleanor sitting at their dinner table, still with no clothes on, which gives him a good idea as to what might’ve caused Ena’s rage.

  And sure enough, the moment he enters, the half-elf turns toward him with fire in her leaf-green eyes as she points a finger toward the smiling nephilim.

  “Ena...” he tries, but she is already shaking her head.

  “She is dirty, and naked, at our dinner table!”

  Grabbing the bridge of his nose while forcing himself to remain calm, Sincir sighs. “Look, she still has her underwear on-”

  “By the love of everything, Sin, do something, or so will I,” Ena grunts at him through clenched teeth.

  Eleanor chuckles. “Sorry to break it to you, pipsqueak, but it was his suggestion...”

  “I said I was considering it! And that you shouldn’t do it!”

  Once Ena stares daggers at him with her eyes, Sincir throws his hands up, then casts a cleaning spell over Eleanor, followed by one over himself.

  “There! She is clean now! And in her underwear, not naked. Ena, I’m begging you... If we let her get to us this easily, there will be no end to this, and the house won’t survive the night.”

  Ena closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. “Solve this,” she says, eyes still closed, “Before the night is over.”

  Once she goes back to finishing dinner while pointedly ignoring Eleanor, Sincir groans, gring at the nephilim.

  Eleanor shrugs, making a show of inspecting her nails.

  He knows what she is doing... And he knows why, but he can’t stop her at the moment. He is doing his best, damn it... Why do they all insist on making it as hard as possible for him at every opportunity?!

  To say it was an awkward start to their dinner would be an understatement, but Sincir forces himself not lose his cool while sitting at the table next to Eleanor, who is clearly not pnning to go put something on anytime soon.

  As usual, Rez takes things in stride, telling Ena in an advice-like voice that she shouldn’t allow such obvious provocation tactics to affect her, which causes the half-elf to grimace... Their cute little goblin must be used to her tribe-mates fighting, having grown up where she did, and thank Creator for that.

  To think she is actually the most well behaved member of their household other than No makes Sincir wonder where he did wrong with these two idiots... He taught them to be good girls, didn’t he? He kept things non-sexual between the three of them, didn’t he?

  Then how in hell did things end up this way...?

  Sincir has his face buried in his hands when Esme enters the kitchen a couple of minutes ter, having been upstairs consoling No, and throws the four of them an exasperated look.

  “El... Should I asked why you’re naked at the dinner table?”

  “...She is in her underwear, not naked,” Sincir crifies without raising his gaze.

  Esme must’ve heard something in his voice, because she doesn’t push it.

  “Ooookay, then... No said she’ll come down in a minute. Maybe you guys want to clean your act before that happens? She just found out her father is being tortured by fear demons, slowly eaten alive; I don’t think she deserves this... Maybe?”

  Eleanor ughs, happy sounding. “I watched my mother being sacrificed by cultists, then my father, or someone close enough to it, anyway, being tortured and killed by one those same cultists in front of me... Do you see me wining, Esme? Crying around the corners of the house at every damn opportunity?”

  Esme opens her mouth, then closes it again, frowning.

  “And what do you call what you’re doing right now?” Ena asks as she sms a pte of food in front of Eleanor, spilling a good portion of its contents.

  “I pay a third of the rent... I can wear whatever the fuck I want inside,” Eleanor retorts nonchantly.

  “In your room, sure! But this is bitch behavior, and you know it! I’m not even sure who you’re trying to fight right now, or why!”

  Eleanor rolls her eyes, before pointing a finger in his direction. “Once you’ve spent more than a couple of hours being his girlfriend, pipsqueak, you’ll understand why.”

  Feeling as though he is about to pop a vein, Sincir takes several deep breaths. All of them... All of them are so fucking retarded...!

  No... He needs to keep his cool, and he needs to think about why Eleanor is acting this way; At this point, he is convinced it isn’t just because of Ena having entered their retionship...

  Unfortunately, No chooses this moment to enter the kitchen, and the vision of Eleanor sitting at the table in her underwear stops the noble dy dead in her tracks.

  Eleanor smiles at her. “Ah, just the person I was wanting to have a talk with...”

  As No’s expression darkens (understandably), Esme facepalms.

  “Okay, Eleanor, let’s-”

  But Sincir doesn’t get to finish his sentence before Eleanor rises from her seat, walking toward No no differently than a cat approaching a mouse.

  In spite of the obvious anger on her face, the noble dy tries to step back, only to have Eleanor smming her palm against the wall next to her head, effectively pinning No in between her body and it.

  “...Hi,” Eleanor starts after a pause, smiling as she sustains No’s incensed brown eyes and whispers toward the shorter girl, “Barnett, was it? Is there something you wish to tell me, little noble girl? Maybe a couple of compins about my behaviour? The clothes I wear in my own damn house?”

  No swallows, clearly making an active effort to maintain her cool. “No...” she whispers back, “I expect animals to act the part, so I have no compints, really.”

  Eleanor ughs, slowly and from deep within her throat. “Oh, somebody has a backbone... I like that. Animal, huh? Perhaps you’re not so far from the truth... That’s just what he brings out of me, isn’t it?”

  “Eleanor! That’s enough!” Ena shouts, but the nephilim ignores her as she continues to face No dead in the eyes.

  “...In any case, I just wanted to make something clear in between us, little Barnett... I don’t give a fuck about your sorry past. I don’t care that your little heart is bleeding... And you know why? Because you’re pathetic. You can’t do a single thing without the money you haven’t worked to earn, or without the pity of my boyfriend, but you walk around with this noble look on your face, like the universe should be grateful you exist... Do you think you’re above me, little Barnett? Do you think I should kneel whenever our eyes meet?”

  Ena seems is about to speak once more, the look in her face indicating she might just jump Eleanor if she is ignored again, but Sincir raises his hand at her.

  “...Nothing? No smart-ass answer this time?”

  “I know you’re looking for a fight, angeling, and I know the reason you came to me is because your housemates denied you one...” No retorts, her voice and expression even in spite of the lone tear to run down her cheek as she does so, “So I refuse to give you the satisfaction.”

  Eleanor’s expression darkens, and then she smiles again. “C’mon, I know I hurt you with what I said, and I know you’ve been bothered by us fucking in front of your pure little eyes...”

  “Yes, I’m upset because of what you said, and for a lot of other things... But it hasn’t escaped my attention your boyfriend might die because of my father, and I think it hasn’t escaped yours either.”

  Eleanor tightens her jaw.

  “If Sincir doesn’t come back...” No continues before the other girl can retort, “Then I’ll have little left to lose... And you’ll have a much bigger reason to hate me. So, why not save the fight for then, when we can both get what we want from it?”

  Suddenly, Eleanor punches the wall, cracking the wood by the noble girl’s head, then steps back, leaving the kitchen and disappearing upstairs.

  Releasing a irregur breath of relief, No slides down against the wall a little, before smiling weakly toward the rest of them.

  “I guess she didn’t want her dinner...?”

  Ena shakes her head, looking angry and upset, while Esme grabs No’s hand comfortingly and whispers something about Eleanor being just not very good with controlling her emotions...

  Meanwhile, Sincir meets the noble girl’s eyes, smiling apologetically at her. “That was pretty impressive of you... Standing up to her like that.”

  “I’ve seen what she can do with those muscles a couple too many times over these past few days not to be afraid,” No murmurs as Esme gently drags her toward the table and gestures for her to sit, beginning to fill a pte for her, “Is she always like this...?”

  “No,” Ena murmurs through clenched teeth as she begins to angrily wipe the mess she made of Eleanor’s pte of food earlier, “She used to be a hard-ass, but a logical one... I mean, she had a reason for everything she did, and she did things with a scary amount of precision - including hurting others - but she didn’t enjoy any of it, or looked for unnecessary fights when she didn’t need to... But now, she is like this barrel of boiling emotions ready to blow up at any second, and nothing she does ever makes sense... It’s like she lost herself at some point along the way, but she only knows how to run, and stopping to think for a second about what in the fuck she actually wants doesn’t cross her mind.”

  “I haven’t known her for long, but the second part seems accurate enough to me,” Esme comments while taking her own pce at the table, “I mean, I like her, but she does not make it easy, you know?”

  “What should I do with her food?” Ena asks, gncing at him, her leaf-green eyes making it clear they’ll have a long talk about this ter.

  Sincir sighs. “Just throw it... I’ll get her something ter, once she has calmed down.”

  “Sin...”

  “I know; I’ll do what I can. Let’s just eat for now, okay?”

  All things considered, it is a fine dinner, in spite of the slightly tense atmosphere. No asks him about demons, and if he is really one of them, to which Sincir smiles and shrugs, not bothering to deny it.

  He also tells her a little more about fear demons, because she insists on it, and what type of torture exactly her father might be going through... It isn’t all that complicated; They’ll enter his mind, find out about his greatest fears, and make him relive them, make him hallucinate about them, and all in all try to cause him to be as afraid as possible until they grow tired of it, he runs out of Life Force... Or his heart stops during one of their sessions.

  Once he is done talking, No simply nods.

  Going by her expression, what he told her wasn’t far from what she had imagined from the name fear demon.

  “Okay, I’m sorry, but I can’t take it anymore... What in the fuck happened this morning?” Esme asks while looking from Ena to him and back, “Are you guys also together now...? And why was everything so serious?! Sin looked like somebody might be about to die!”

  Sincir grimaces.

  “I was about to leave,” Ena supplies, her voice dry and her expression even as she takes a small bite from her pte, then nonchantly points her spoon at him, “So Sincir tied me to my bed and fucked me with Eleanor until I said I wasn’t going to anymore... It was quite the experience.”

  No blinks. “Isn’t that... Rape?”

  Ena hums, as though considering it. “I don’t know... I woke up with him cumming all over my pussy, but he hadn’t put it in... Then he said he was going to kick me out if I didn’t do what he said... And then he did that thing, where he pretends he is giving you a choice, but really, he knows you’d never chose second option, so there is no choice, actually... Did he ever do that to you?”

  No frowns. “Maybe...?”

  Ena snorts. “Rex, No, he didn’t rape me. As he put it; It was my choice at every step of the way, and I’m the one who chose his cock. Sometimes, a girl just wants to be fucked hard enough that she doesn’t feel her legs anymore...” Ena grimaces. “Well, don’t quote me on that.”

  Having received her expnation, Esme chuckles. “So, are you third girlfriend now?”

  Ena makes a face. “Could we not number it? In any case, I’m the one who met him first, and I’m the one whose virginity he took first, so shouldn’t I be first girlfriend?”

  Esme throws her a weird look. “I thought we weren’t numbering it?”

  “She is okay with the numbering if she gets to be first,” Sincir supplies, “But unfortunately, you’re still first, Esme, since we’re not categorizing anything other than who started dating me first.”

  “Well, I’d be fine with being-”

  “You’re first, Esme, forever, ” Sincir cuts in, looking at Esme in a way which makes it clear this is the end of it, unless she wants to fight him over the topic.

  Esme blinks. “...I guess I’m first, then?”

  Ena chuckles, rolling her eyes. “He doesn’t want me and Eleanor fighting over the first spot, Esme, so you’re stuck with it, probably for the best.”

  “Oh... Yeah, I can see how that might turn into a bloodbath.”

  No sighs. “You girls know he is not the only creature with a cock in the city, right?”

  “Esme has a spare boyfriend who she has a date with tomorrow, so she is quite aware of it,” Sincir points out, causing the librarian to blush slightly.

  “I know I’m the one who started it, but could you not, Sin?”

  Sincir smiles. “What I should I call him, then? I’m fine with considering him second boyfriend, which would make him the same as Eleanor on your side, but can you handle that, love? Can you make him happy, and manage his possessive feelings for you, in spite of my existence?”

  Esme rolls her eyes. “If the standard is how you’ve been handling things on your side, then sure, I can manage Collin just fine... And I guess I’ll tell him tomorrow he is to me the same as Eleanor is to you, since that’s a lot better than spare boyfriend.”

  “...Is he?”

  Esme averts her gaze toward her mostly finished pte. “No, not really... At least not yet. But he could be...”

  Sincir chuckles. “I think you want cute puppy Collin, Esme... But the real Collin is a lot more like a wolf, and some part of you realizes that. You also know he wants you, but that he is not really willing to share, like I am... He wants to sink his teeth into that pretty little neck of yours, and never remove them from it.”

  Esme frowns. “I... You know what? I don’t really care. If he is a wolf now, then I’ll domesticate him, and I’ll make him my cute puppy vampire regardless,” she says, brown eyes determined-looking as she meets his gaze once more, “Because I don’t think he is particurly happy as a wolf... And I don’t think having me to himself would change that.”

  Sincir smiles at her. “In that case, once you’ve put him on a colr, you’ll be one step closer to dog-walking the both of us... It’s good to have something to aim for, isn’t it?”

  No freezes, her spoon stopping half-way toward her mouth, then sighs. “...You know, if you guys were trying to hide the identity of your associates, you’re doing a really poor job of it.”

  ...Right; She also didn’t know about that, did she?