Power Punch

Black Harbor is a large town. Not only in the way of being large in size, but there are many things there that you typically find in cities. Putting aside the less savory places there is something like half-developed noble district we decided to skip, even with a small casino from what I've heard, there is a large central square with a lot of merchants doing their things and there is something I would probably call crafter's district.

The market is something we visited briefly, and it was an... intersting place. About the only matter in which it was similar to supermarkets on Gaia is that everything that's not very expensive you can think of is most likely sold somewhere there. From the obvious things like food, spices, jewelry, weaponry, trinkets, alchemical and magical products, toys and other things you would expect less. There were even drugs, toys of the other kind, people, both as in people themselves and people offering their services and much more in the darker corners of the market, some of which I spotted thanks to my magic sense.

Interesting that no one really regulates what's sold there, but, if I had to guess, they have tried and didn't succeed. It is, of course, not a particaularly large market - the one in the capital is definitely much larger - but it still offers a large assortment of products, and it's impossible to control it all. Though we didn't buy anything particular with Levia.

The most interesting for me in the town are the inns, bars and pubs either closer to central square or more like downtown. They completely don't give off the feeling of a filthy pub for those who want to get drunk and enjoy their time with someone, at least most of them don't. Instead they very much remind of those places on Gaia that try to recreate the old feeling of a place where young people would go to chill out and have fun with friends. And they just give this city vibe. Dunno how to say it another way.

They are of course not the same as those on Gaia, and such isn't Black Swan, but it has its own charms. The ground floor is a normal inn, but below that you have a somewhat dimly lit area with someone playing music in the corner, something I completely didn't expect of this world, and generally loud and relaxing atmosphere. Relaxing more in the way how alcohol can make you relax, but still. It's nice.

"A pity there's no dance floor." I say, taking a sip of my drink, and lean on Levia's shoulder as I watch the people inside talking loudly and having fun. There are at least thirty of them packed between fifteen or so small tables and more than ten seem to be Wayfarers, though I don't see Catherine and the others anywhere. Also, the only thing that allows me to tell them apart are theirs looks, because I wouldn't be able to guess based on behavior. How fast people adapt, huh?

"Um, yeah." Levia says quietly on my side. "Did you want to dance?"

I give her a side glance and raise an eyebrow, which should convey the meaning properly, but still explain. "Yeah. I'd like to dance with you sometime. Something wild." I smirk, seeing her face flushing a bit. "Catherine told me once that you're not a real lesbian if you haven't danced with another girl in a pub, likely with something after that. I personally think it's an exaggeration, but the meaning remains."

"Oh."

"She also said that dance is a kind of... kind of courtship, let's say. A guy would often try to impress a girl he likes or give her some gifts, but between two girls it rarely works like that. Dancing takes a bit of that role."

"Um, so we kinda missed that?" Levia asks uncertainly, but not without a bit of amusement. "Not like it's a bad thing."

"Not really." I reply with a small smile. "Dance can have various forms. There are formal dances that are no more than expression of politeness, there are some that are meant to show your abilities and some performed with certain meaning, like rituals. And then there's battle." I smile, looking at Levia, whose eyes widen a bit as she gets the meaning of my words. "Battle, for me at least, is a dance in its own right, merely it's a deadly, fast and brutal one. And on this." I lean towards her and whisper in her ear. "We haven't missed out at all."

I see Levia getting another bit redder and she looks at me with a barely contained smile. "You mean... from the very beginning..."

"Nope, not from the very beginning." I giggle. "I was too focused on you at first to appreciate the battle. The real thing was in Riverside."

"R-right." She nods and leans on me. "That was... fantastic. Like a whole play choreographed by us. It only ended badly."

"Yeah, it did end badly." I nod and take a sip of my drink. "It was supposed to be a hard fight. There was supposed to be a dire situation there where one of us would get wounded and another would rush to the rescue. Then would be a hug and a kiss in the heat of the fight, the monster would be defeated, and the rest is history." I say and glance with a grin at already giggling Levia.

She leans on me, shaking a bit, and buries her face in my shoulder not to burst out laughing. "You just told a classical drama, you dumbass. Hehe. You're not satisfied?" She asks a while later with bubbly happiness in her voice.

"Oh, no, I'm very much satisfied with what I have." I say without hesitation, then raise her head by her chin and give her a kiss on her lips, eliciting a small groan in surprise. "Though I absolutely wouldn't mind more than three days a week of this perfection."

Levia puffs out in response and hides her face in my shoulder again. Giggling. "You're so... different now." She says.

"Hm?"

"Yeah. You're like... everything you say and do is so casual and so... so sensual? I don't know how to say it." She mumbles. "You're just... so much more attractive now."

Ohhh~. I feel my heart leaping in my chest and giddy happiness blooming in my chest. Happiness from the fact that she considers me attractive. And it's stupid, because there would be nothing between us if she didn't, but I guess that's the point of love. To find hapiness in ordinary and silly things.

And that's unfair~. Though, thinking about it, since I confessed my love I really have been much more casual and free near Levia. Hm.

"Well, that's probably because I'm much less nervous near you." I reply.

We stay silent after that, just enjoying each other's company and leaning against each other with smiles plastered on our faces. Good times.

...

After getting tired of all the noise and all the people, which was by the evening by the way, we went back to the ground floor to the... receptionist? I'm not sure if I can call her a receptionist since she also takes orders from the guests of the inn, but bartender would be... even worse.

"Hello." I say as I approach the small lady with short silver hair and somewhat revealing, but very much decent, formal attire.

She turns to me and nods politely, though I notice her eyes widen till she collects herself and her eyebrows tighten ever so slightly as she looks at us. I can't tell if it's nervousness, hostility, or yet something else. "Hello. What can I do for you?"

"We'd like a room for the night." I reply, glancing at Levia at my side and seeing her blinking, but not opposing. One room, I mean, not getting them at all.

The lady nods again. "Right. We still have the low quality and high quality rooms available, but the average are unfortunately all occupied." She leaves the question unsaid.

"How much would be for the high end?" I ask.

"It would be five silver." She replies and wiggle my eyebrows, looking at Levia questioningly. Five silver is quite... I wouldn't say a lot, since it's not a lot, but it's still much more than the room I had in Riverside.

"We'll take one night for now." Levia says from beside me and places five silver on the counter. Yep, she has a lot of money. She got whole three large silver for the cores she sold, including that one from Beisvart, and we agreed there is no point in dividing our earnings particularly. Not quite like a married couple, we're not so far and I don't want to think about it yet, but, if we can earn a few gold coins a day if we go deeper into the forest, we won't fight for a large silver coin, will we now?

Huh, not yet like like married couple. For now... for now girlfriend is more than enough. Mhm~.

Levia looks at me with a small smile as the receptionist nods and takes the coins, then to my mild surprise gives out and actual key and explains a few things to Levia. I'm not listening though. Guess why.

I notice that Levia walks off while dragging my hand and I stop staring at her and follow her. We quickly go to the second floor where Levia opens one of the doors and we go in quickly. Especially I.

I give in just after Levia locks the door behind her. I take her in my arms and turn her around, locking her small in a hot, needy kiss, pressing her against the door, propping her butt with my arms and she whimpers under me, only fueling my growing feelings. I feel her lips, a bit cold, agreeing with me and sharing my sentiments, and I notice Levia wrapping her arms and legs around me in a tight embrace.

When I pull my head back, I don't ler her rest at all and instead trail a series of kisses down her neck to her collarbone.

"Helia." She gasps for air a bit. "Not now."

I trail my tongue on her collarbone and kiss her there twice. Thrice.

"Helia, I love it, but not now." She whimpers pleadingly with a small shiver.

"Mmmh." I answer into her neck, lifting her up, and carry her to the bed. I give her a few kisses on the way and sit down, placing Levia on my lap so that she has her back to me. I fumble a bit with the metal plates on my hips and on my chest and take them off, then hug Levia once again, feeling her tense for a moment as she realizes she has my boobs on her back.

"What do you want to do?" I ask and bury my head in her neck, kissing her lightly.

"How do you have this much energy..." She jolts lightly as I kiss her and groans before responding, shfting to a more comfortable position on my lap and rubbing her ass on my thighs in the process. "I wanna rest. Mentally. It's been... a crazy day."

"Yeah." I reply. First everything in Riverside and then the flight to Black Harbor along with everything that happened on the way, incuding our confessions. And then Black Harbor in itself, though there wasn't anything very important happening here. "Feels like yesterday was at least a week ago."

"Mhm."

"Say, what do you want to do from now on? With us?" I ask.

"Hm? I think..." She pauses uncertainly. "I would like to take things... a bit slower. Just... spend time with each other for now." She mumbles.

"Okay." I'm wild, but not so much as to take things quick if she doesn't want. I mean, my kisses... aren't innocent, but I'm not taking them anywhere further. Not like I don't want, because I absolutely wouldn't mind it, but I think we will both be more comfortable if we don't rush things. "I would like to go deeper into the forest tomorrow. Are you fine with that?"

"Um, sure." Levia agrees readily and then she hesitates. "Um, what about... later?"

"I'd like to finally go shopping." I reply and realize she likely meant something else. "Or do you mean out of VOW?" I ask.

"Um, yeah." I can hear the nervousness in her voice.

That's a... hard question. "You know I'm trans?"

"Yes. I don't really mind it. I know a few trans people, and to me you're just Helia." She replies and I push down the anxiety trying to worm its way to my thoughts.

"I don't know." I say with a shrug, but I feel Levia tensing a bit. "If you are asking about meeting in real life, I have nothing particualrly against it. My parents might, but I don't care about them nearly as much as about you. But I'm... afraid of that. A bit. There weren't two cases of VR relationships breaking because of real life, and I can't help but worry a bit. We can just chat... or something for now, see how it goes."

"Um... yeah... let's go with that... for now." She replies.

"Well, alright." I stretch my arms a bit and wrap them back around Levia, then unceremoniusly flop on the bed, surprising Levia and making her squirm around not to lie on my boob. Around two seconds later her mind catches up to the fact I'm her girlfriend and she is allowed to touch my body and she lies down peacefully on my chest.

"Wow, your boobs are strange." She blurts out and instantly shrinks in embarrassment.

I giggle seeing her reaction and place my hand on her head. "Yeah, I've noticed. I think it's something more or less unique for Star Demoness. Do you like it?" I smile teasingly as I start running my hand through her smooth, strong and heavy hair.

She blushes in response. "It's... nice." She squeaks out. "Kinda like jelly cushion, but better."

"Good to know. They're all yours."

"Um. Okay." She replies a bit uncertainly and we stop talking, enjoying each other's closeness.

...

"I did it!" I hear a joyous shout from behind me as I'm a bit lost in thoughts and someone tackles me from behind. Only my quick reflex saves me from planting face first into the floor not even half a second later.

"What? Nihility?" I ask, standing up as Levia, having regained a bit of her sanity, unwraps her arms from around my wings and backs away to a stable position on the bed.

"Yup! I can control it!" I turn to her and see her eyes almost sparkling, then rise my eyebrows at a pair of black horns similar to mine protruding from her temples. Wow, how... shit.

I grin as I'm trying to make sense of the fuzzy feeling in my stomach. "Fantastic. What was the trigger?" I ask absentmindedly as I reach out to her head and wrap my hand around the sleek horn, making Levia glance at it anxiously as if fearing I would do something inappropriate. I start caressing it gently and blink rapidly as I realize what I am doing. Whuuut? Why the fuck are her horns making me feel things?

"Um, I... can't really describe it. It's like... It's not a command, I don't want it to move exactly, but it's a sort of... knowledge of movement?" She grimaces a bit, struggling for right words and watching in confusion as I admire her horns. "It's like I don't want it to move, but I state that it moves. No want, no reason, no purpose, just... nothing. I think that it moves, so it moves." I she raises her hand and a swirling ball of black than darkness energy appears, then disappears the next moment as if it wasn't there to begin with.

"So it's not like command to move, but report that it moves? Like there is no interference from you?" I ask.

"I... guess so. Yeah." Levia nods with some hesitation.

Hmm, interesting. "That's suspiciously close to quantum mechanics." I comment and she looks at me with questions in her eyes. "I mean, like, when you observe it and try to give it some... meaning, it doesn't listen, stays the same. But when you stop any kind of interference, when you stop observing it with the purpose of moving it, it does something." I explain and Levia blinks with unfocused eyes, thinking about something.

"That's... quite correct." She nods finally. "But it's not exactly it." She looks up at me. "It's more like lack of process, just the result itself, and it follows the result in its own way. But it's also not completely correct. Because the result is... something you want. Not the... fact. And it's the fact of action that matters. Does that make sense?" She frowns.

"Well." I step forward, abandoning her horns for a moment with a small sense of loss, plop on the bed next to her, and wrap my arm around her. "Maybe it doesn't have to. It's Nihility, after all. How do you define lack of something, hm?"

"...Yeah." Levia nods slowly and squeaks as I pull her back on the bed up to the pillows. She looks at me with a kind of scared, anxious approval on her reddening face and cutely connects her hands above her neck, covering her chest, as she notices I have pulled the bedsheets down and I'm now covering her with them. "Um..." She bites her lip kinda nervously.

I slide under the covers directly after that and lie down next to her with a silly grin plastered on my face, turned to her because of my wings I can't really lie on. "You probably didn't notice, but it's night already." Her somewhat meek expression scrunches and then lights up in realization and shock. "Do you have something else to talk about?" I ask.

"Uh..." She begins and doesn't continue, so I rise up a bit and plant a small kiss on her cheek with a deep smile, making her freeze for a tiny moment.

"Goodnight then." I plop back on the bed and place my head just above her shoulder, my arm wrapped over her waist and my tail draped over her legs.

"...Goognight." She says softly after a moment and places her hand on mine. I notice a small smile on her lips before I close my eyes and the most peaceful, pleasant sleep I ever had takes me away.