{Raven}
The first Shadow Mage barely had time to stand before Javir’s sword took his spell focus - and three of his fingers - clean off.
[Well,] Raven thought as she flipped over the bar, [guess we’re not being subtle anymore.]
"Sanguis, ferrum-" a mage in merchant’s clothes began, but Raven’s knife found his throat before he could finish the incantation.
Before the guy even fell back, Raven was moving to the next target.
Briefly, out of the corner of her eye, she caught her master (it still felt odd thinking of her that way) as she fought.
Javir was a whirlwind of steel and magic, her blade trailing arcs of silver as she carved through the transformed tavern. Three Shadow Mages tried to circle her, their hands weaving dark spells.
Javir thrust her blade forward.
"Aera, surgia, frontia!" Javir canted, channeling a blast of pure force that sent them flying into the wall hard enough to crack the wooden panels.
"Behind you!" Javir called out.
Raven dropped and rolled as a bolt of dark energy sizzled through the space where her head had been. The window-washer had finally joined the party, his cleaning cloth discarded for a staff crackling with shadow magic.
"Ventus, spirare, defendere!" Raven’s wind shield deflected his next attack.
[This is Isabella’s spell, isn’t it? Hate to say it, but works like a charm.]
She threw her knife. As he moved to deflect it, Javir’s sword burst through his chest from behind.
"You’re learning," Javir commented, yanking her blade free. "Though your form could use work."
"Really?" Raven, irritated, raised an eyebrow as she retrieved her knife. "We’re doing combat critiques NOW?"
A crash from behind made them both spin. The old "pigeon lady" had shed her disguise, dark energy crawling over her skin as she advanced.
"Traitors," she hissed, "both of you!"
Javir rolled her eyes. Raven, though, almost paused at that.
All those lessons she’d endured throughout the years. Could the lady be right? Was Raven betraying her own kind? Was that even wrong if she was?
She had no clue, but she didn’t care much right now.
The Shadow Mage’s response was a barrage of dark bolts that forced both women to dive for cover behind an overturned table.
They shared a look. Already, even though it had relatively been a short amount of time since they started working together, they knew what each other wanted to do. Still, Javir vocalized it.
"Split and flank?"
Raven nodded.
They burst from cover in opposite directions, forcing the woman to divide her attention. The Shadow Mage was good - better than the others - but she couldn’t track both targets at once.
When she turned to blast Raven, Javir’s sword took her arm off at the elbow. When she spun to curse at Javir, Raven’s knife found her heart.
... And that was it.
Finally, silence fell over the devastated bar.
"Well," Javir said, surveying the carnage, "did you get any information before all this happened?"
"No," Raven shook her head. "They knew what I was up to. Or, at least, they weren’t exactly willing to forgive me for walking out on them. I didn’t hear anything."
"Well, shit." Javir sighed. "In that case, I guess we should check these people. One of them might have some useful info on them."
"Sure."
---
{Melisa}
Melisa sat on Javir’s plush couch, trying her best to focus despite Isabella doing her absolute best to make that impossible.
The kitsune straddled her lap peppering kisses along her neck.
[Is it kitsune mating season or what? This is particularly affectionate, even for Izzy.]
Her pink tail swished back and forth, occasionally brushing against Melisa’s thighs.
[... I wanna pick her up and take her to my bedroom. But, one, I don’t know if I’m even physically strong enough to carry Izzy, and two, Raven and Javir should be back soon,] Melisa thought, though her hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they squeezed Isabella’s plump butt.
From the kitchen came the sounds and smells of Margaret preparing dinner, humming as she worked. The older nim had insisted on cooking for absolutely everyone tonight, saying something about "building family bonds" that Melisa suspected was just an excuse to show off her jiggling tits while she cooked.
For some reason, Margaret too had been getting a lot bolder lately.
[Is there something in the air or...???]
What was really weird, though, was Jaylin’s presence.
The usually antisocial girl sat in an armchair across from them, pretending to read a spellbook while actually stealing glances at Margaret every few minutes.
[Honestly, kinda crazy. Though, I guess all this time around us has probably desensitized her to an extent. Or maybe she’s just-]
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Isabella leaned down to capture Melisa’s lips.
"Mmm!"
Melisa melted into it but, again, very affectionate. Even for Isabella.
"Gross," Jaylin muttered as Isabella’s tail swished side-to-side happily.
But, Melisa noticed she didn’t leave.
No, not just that. In fact, she hadn’t moved since Margaret had started cooking, except to shift in her seat whenever the older nim bent over to check the oven.
[Oh my god,] Melisa thought, fighting back a grin as Isabella’s tongue explored her mouth. [Someone’s got a crush on my mom! Not that I blame her, but, I mean, damn!]
"Dinner’s almost ready!" Margaret called from the kitchen, her voice light and playful. "Try not to make too big a mess on the couch, girls!"
Jaylin’s face went scarlet.
Glaring, she directed her eyes at the two making out just a few feet away.
"Can you two NOT do that right now?" she snapped, gripping her book tighter. "Some of us are trying to study!"
Isabella broke the kiss long enough to grin over her shoulder.
Then, putting on a level of flexibility that had Melisa’s brows shooting up, she bent over backward, sticking her tongue out at Jaylin.
"Aww, is someone jealous? You could always join in~"
"As if I’d ever-"
The front door swung open, cutting off Jaylin’s retort.
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The girl’s aunt strode in, looking like she’d just walked through a slaughterhouse. Raven followed, in similarly bloody condition.
[I... I’m gonna take a guess and say a fight happened.]
Melisa would have jumped up to check on them, but Isabella showed no signs of moving from her very comfortable position.
"So," Melisa said instead, giving Isabella’s ass a squeeze, "I’m guessing it didn’t go well?"
Javir sighed, running a hand through her blood-spattered hair.
"That would be an understatement. Turns out the Shadow Mages aren’t particularly forgiving of traitors." She shot a pointed look at Raven. "Especially ones who don’t wait for backup before starting fights."
Raven had the grace to look slightly embarrassed.
"In my defense, that guy started it. Technically."
"What happened?" Margaret asked, emerging from the kitchen. Melisa didn’t miss how Jaylin’s eyes immediately locked onto her mother’s swaying hips.
"They saw through my attempted redemption," Raven explained, dropping into an empty chair. "I’ve been seen with you a few too many times."
"We had to fight our way out before reinforcements arrived," Javir added. "Or before the city guard decided to actually do their jobs for once."
"Did you at least learn anything useful?" Melisa asked, absently playing with Isabella’s tail while the kitsune licked her face.
"Other than confirming that they really, really want us all dead?" Javir shrugged. "Not much. They’re being extra careful after what happened at the gala."
Isabella’s ears perked up.
"Well then," she purred, grinding her cock against Melisa’s stomach, "looks like my plan is our best option!"
[She might be right,] Melisa thought, remembering their earlier conversation about using Isabella’s wand business to gather information.
"Yeah, right," Jaylin scoffed, briefly tearing her eyes away from Margaret’s fat tits. "What are you gonna do? Suck the information out of their faces?"
"No, silly," Isabella grinned. "I’m going to use my incredible business acumen and natural charm to infiltrate their organization through legitimate means!"
"But you don’t have a business acumen," Melisa said.
"Hey!" Isabella pouted. "Haven’t you heard of ’fake it tale you make it’?"
"You guys have that here too?"
"What? In Syux?" Isabella tilted her head. "Yeah!"
Margaret’s laugh rang out from the kitchen.
"Well, whatever we call it, dinner’s ready! Everyone wash up - especially you two," she pointed at Javir and Raven. "I don’t want blood in my stew."
As everyone moved toward the dining room, Isabella finally slid off Melisa’s lap, but not before giving her one last peck.
"Don’t worry," she whispered against Melisa’s lips. "My plan will work. And if it doesn’t..." she grabbed Melisa’s hand and pressed it against her hard cock, "we can always fuck the stress away~"
"Is that your solution to everything?" Melisa asked, though she didn’t remove her hand.
"It’s never not worked for me!"
Watching Jaylin blush furiously as Margaret "accidentally" brushed against her while serving food, Melisa couldn’t help but wonder if maybe their family was about to get even more complicated.
If that was even a thing that could happen at this point.