The Lamia Daughter Quest

[The Saint of Ravens]

You take the bottle from your friend, giving it a dubious inspection.
"Kaerine, this bottle has no label."
"Nope."
"Kaerine, we got this bottle from a demon."
"Yup."
"Kaerine, I think the liquid is moving on its own in there."
"Looks like it."
You stare at each other for a long moment, then each glance at the bottle and its pale purple liquid.
"Kaerine, we've drank worse."
"You know it~"
You tug the cork out with your teeth and spit it to the side, sitting up a bit as you give the contents of Monica's gift an experimental sniff. The wine smells of spice and mint, powerful and cloying, feeling as if it is trying to creep into your nostrils to take up residence there.
"That smells amazing," Kaerine says dreamily, leaning down against you to inhale the fragrant air.
"It smells like witchcraft," you say mildly.
You drink a mouthful of the wine and immediately feel a tingle run through you. It tastes wonderful, spicy and fragrant, the taste of mint and what might be cinnamon rest on your tongue. The bite of alcohol is potent, but blends nicely with the spicy taste. You swallow it and take another few sips, then pass the bottle back to Kaerine and lay back down.
"Be careful with that," you warn her. "It's..."
The cow girl tips the bottle back and chugs several long pulls from it, before suddenly coughing and shaking her head violently.
"Ahh-*hack* ggghhh!" she wheezes as you take the bottle from her, shaking your head.
"Dumbass, you knew it was going to be strong," you scold, taking a mild sip of it. You don't want to
over do it tonight, otherwise you might get a slow start tomorrow with Mia.
"Yeah... but it tastes and smells so amazing..." your friend gushes, waggling her rump against you as she takes a swipe for the bottle. You hold it back, out of her reach.
"No, give it a bit befo-mmph!" You are suddenly cut off by twin mountains of cow mammary avalanching down over your head as she dives forward for the bottle, your vision going dark as you try to keep the bottle away from her. Her soft, pillowy boob fat wraps around your face, jiggling and smushing as she strains.
Finally, she gets ahold of the wine, which you somehow manage to avoid spilling in the struggle, and wrests it from your grasp. You are allowed to breathe when she pulls herself back off of you, happily suckling on the bottle again. You narrow your eyes at it, having a sneaking suspicion.
"Kaerine, you're about to finish it off, let me see that," you say firmly, using a tone you normally don't take with her. She pauses, looking at you moodily, before handing the bottle back to you.
"You just want to finish it yourself, don't you?" she grumps, crossing her legs and grinding her hip bone against your thigh. You look into the bottle pensively for a moment.
"That might be for the best..." you mutter. You have a feeling that this hooch has some spook properties to it... not surprising really, a lot of the higher end stuff does. The concerning this is that Kae is a demi, and demi's are particularly weak to suggestive effects. The deep red blush that has come to her cheeks means that you are probably right. Before she gets any more ideas, you tilt the bottle back and drain the last few swallows of the wine. Kaerine demolished most of the bottle, but you feel a calm warmth spreading through you from the amount that you drank.
"You jerk..." she sighs, twisting her body to the side and lying out across you. "Now how are we supposed ta get drunk?"
'We're already there dummy..." you groan, feeling your friend's weight pressing down against you. "We went through that bottle in under five minutes..."
She cocks her head to the side, then giggles suddenly.
"Oh my gawd... you're right Alec!" she twitters, her hooves kicking in the air as she laughs. "For once~" A wide smile crosses her face and she smirks, poking your cheek with a finger. You puff your cheek out against the prod, rolling your eyes.
"Yeah yeah, says the one who tried eating me this morning because she thought I kidnapped a little girl," you quip. The blush on her face darkens and spreads.
"That's! I..." she stutters, before suddenly burying her face against the side of your neck. Her blond hair falls across half of your face, and you feel her warm breath spread across your skin, the hotness of her blushing cheek as well. "...that's not fair..."
You sigh softly, patting her back. Her arms wrap around you, hugging your body to hers.
"Yeah, I know..." you say. "It's true though."
She doesn't say anything for a long time, so long that you wonder if the alcohol has made her pass out already. You know it is making your body feel pleasantly warm, your mind blissfully numb. But, eventually she lifts her face away from your neck, the moisture from her breath making her hair stick to her cheek. Her blue eyes stare into your dark ones for a long moment before she silently leans forward and plants a kiss on your lips.
"I'm sorry..." she says. Her pink tongue pokes out though, licking your taste from her lips. "But it's hard... you know?" She brings her face down and runs her tongue along the side of your cheek bone. "Having someone who tastes so... damn... good... as my best friend..."
She licks you again, her tongue hot and slick with drool, a small coo of happiness escaping her throat as she hugs you a bit tighter.
"Kaerine..." you mutter, pushing back against her. This was... different from how the two of you normally got drunk. Most times it was out in bars or taverns, out on the rooftops, in alleyways, or any number of other places. She gets bombastically drunk and you get snarky drunk, the two of you causing all sorts of disturbances throughout the night. Drinking at home was for drinking alone and being depressed. But tonight...
"Hehe... it's alright Alec, I'll be a good girl..." she murmurs, lapping at you gently. "All I want is a taste..."
Her tongue traces across your skin, coating it in saliva. Her breath plays across the drool, feeling cool as it makes it evaporate. She pauses when she gets to your lips, a mischievous smile coming to her own as she kisses you again. Harder this time, using her lips to open yours. You return the kiss this time, your hands pressing against her shoulder blades, and for a long moment the two of you share an intoxicated make out session. You can still taste the spiciness of the wine in her mouth, and you know she can in yours as well.
"Gawd fucking damnitall Alec..." she slurs, pulling away and sitting up, shifting her legs forward so that she is straddling your abdomen, her tail lashing side to side behind her. "Stop being so tasty... is no good..."

***BAD END ROUTE 2***
"Kaerine..." you say groggily, the wine making it hard for you to focus.
"Shhh..." she says, leaning down to kiss you again. Her kiss grows more forceful, until you feel her mouth starting to widen. You push her back, getting large handfuls of her breasts and using them as leverage to get her back. As she is above you, you see that her eyes are actually... glowing. Your friend is looking down at you with a distant, hungry expression.
"Alec... it's awright..." she says, a strand of drool dangling from her mouth and landing on your cheek. "Imma good girl... all I want is a taste..."
She grabs your arms and forces them to bend at the elbows, using her weight to lever herself back down towards you. Her mouth hangs open, a faint smile on her lips and her eyes unfocused.
"Just a taste..." she murmurs, her lips touching yours for a moment, then spreading as she forces herself down on you, her jaw widening to accept your head. You find yourself looking down the cow's throat, and before you can struggle, she lets out a pleased moan and you find your head thrust into the grasp of her esophagus.
As if in a frenzy, your friend tears at your clothes, half ripping them off, half shucking them as she works your shoulders into the grasp of her maw. She swallows, rising up off of you so that she can start forcing you into her gullet. In your inebriated state and the compromised position, you can't do much to fight back, even your voice muffled by the tight throat muscles as they drag you downward.
With several ravenous gulps, she drags your torso into her mouth and down her throat, your face squashing down into the first of her four stomachs. You try to angle your legs against the sides of her mouth, but her esophagus has too strong of a grip on you and drags you in anyways.
"Kaerine!" you shout against her stomach lining as she lifts your lower section up, stuffing it into her mouth and licking it greedily. The large amount of drool being produced from her enjoying your flavor makes it so that you easily slide the rest of the way into the embrace of her insides, winding up balled tightly in the first of her stomachs.
She sinks down on to the couch in a state of hazy bliss.
"See Alec? Jus a taste..." she giggles happily, rubbing her stomach and hugging it. "Imma good girl..."
Inside, you try to struggle, try to push your way back up and out, but her laying on you like she is makes it impossible to get the right leverage. You try to call out to her, to get her to realize what is going on, but whatever was in the wine has her in an utter stupor. Worse, the wine is starting to get to you as well, making it difficult for you to fight back effectively.
You feel the walls of Kaerine's first stomach starting to knead against you, excreting a viscous, sticky goo that soon coats your body.
"Fuck fuck fuck," you mutter, squirming and straining. You struggle to remember... wasn't the first stomach mostly harmless? Just coating food with an enzyme that cleaned and lubricated them or something? "Kaerine! Let me out! Come on, hurry!"
"Alec?" she asks groggily. "Alec... where'd you go? Uuurrrppp..." She burps softly, sitting up and looking around. "Are you hiding from me?"
"No you idiot, I'm--!!!" You are cut off when the opening at the bottom of her stomach widens, and you are sucked downward with a surprised yelp. The stomach below is already full of digestive juices, and the enzyme from the one above reacts to begin rapidly digesting you. Luckily, the pain is brief because you pass out quickly. You perish in the gut of your friend as she looks around in confusion.
"Alec? Where are you? Stop picking on me... I think I'm really drunk right no-BBBBUURRRRRRRAAAAAPPPPPPHHHHHHHH!!!!" Kaerine belches mightily, the gasses released from your digestion forcing their way up her throat. "Oooof... I must have eaten more at dinenr than I thought..." She lays back down on the couch, her belly slouching to the side wetly. "Mmm... well, when you wanna stop being a jerk, get over here... I wanna cuddle..."

The next morning, Kaerine awakes to Mia proding her tentatively. The cow groans, feeling massively hung over, a mighty pressure in her bowels.
"Mia...? Uhg..." she murmurs groggily, shifting to sit up. "What is it sweety?"
"K-Kaerine..." your daughter asks, a worried expression on her face. "Where's father? I can't find him..."
Kaerine picks the girl up, Mia flinching at first, but she doesn't try to get away as Kaerine hugs her close.
"I don't know," your friend says, looking around the appartment. "I think he was trying to hide from me last night, we were playing some adult games... maybe he fell asleep- *glorp *" Kaerine freezes when she feels something shift in her bowels under Mia's weight. She looks down to see that she has a familiar looking bulge to her abdomen. Her wides go wide.
"What is it Kaerine?"
The cow shifts the lamia to the side, standing up quickly and patting her stomach in desperation. A disgusting gurgle echoes from within, followed by a painful pressure.
"Oh... oh... oh..." she gasps, clapping her hand over her eyes and dancing place, hoping that what she thinks happened did not. "Fu-fu-fu-fu-fu-FIDDLESTICKS!!" She cries, making a dash for the bathroom.

Spoiler: show

The cow girl closes the door behind her tightly and spins her butt towards the toilet, dropping her shorts and ploping her furry ass down on the seat.
"Don't be Alec don't be Alec don't be Alec..." she mutters, loosening her pucker and spreading her cheeks.
~fffffffttttttppppttttt~ *splatter splash *
She lets out a long groan as loose cow muck begins to flow from her ass hole, splattering the insides of the toilet bowl as she voids her bowels of their contents. Her concern grows when she smells the distinct smell of digested person and feels the sensation of bones pushing their way out of her, hears them clattering agaisnt the insides of the toilet.
"No no no no no no no... please let it be someone else..." she prays, a large blast of gas breaking the stream of cow shit, filling the small room with the stench of rot and death. Her belly shrinks back down to normal as she release the last of it, standing up quickly and turning around to look down.
The toilet is full almost to the brim with a bubbling, loose cow pie. She sinks to her knees infront of it when she sees the skull and the dark hair, covering her face with her hands. A few tears leak from the corners of her eyes, but she forces herself to not cry, slowly standing up and cleaning herself off. She doesn't flush, she'll.... she'll think of something to do with your remains.

The cow enters the living room quietly. Mia looks at her in concern.
"Kaerine?"
The cow kneels down in front of her and gives her a tight hug.
"Mia sweety, let's go out and get some breakfast, we need to have a talk..."


***Continue Route***

You see the internal debate happening behind her eyes. So, you twist your body to the side and dump her off of the couch.
"Fuggity?!" she yelps.
You roll off and land on her, pinning her to the floor and leaning down to kiss her.
'Bad cow," you scold. "Friends are like potatoes."
She looks up at you in confusion.
"If you eat them, they die," you say matter-of-factly.
Kaerine stares at you for a moment, then breaks out laughing.
"Haahaahaahaa!" she cackles, flopping out across the floor. "Hehe... heh~ Yeah... that's right..."
You flick one of her horns, getting up to sit back on the couch.
"You good now?" you ask. She shakily rises to her knees, then slumps forward to rest on your lap.
"Yeah, I'm good..." she says, wrapping her arms around your waist. "Yeesh Monica... giving us wine like that..."
"Yeesh Kaerine, guzzling demon wine like that..."
"Shaddap manure boy," she growls, pulling herself up and sitting on your lap. You smile and kiss her, and soon she's too busy to be mad...

An hour later, the two of you are sprawled out, Kaerine fast asleep with a smile on her face, you approaching the dark slumber, but managing to stay awake long enough to reflect on the day wistfully. Your way of life has been completely and irrevocably shattered. But... that might not be a bad thing... you drift off to sleep holding yoru friend, and dreaming of an old love for the first time in years...


End Day One

[The Saint of Ravens]

---* Begin Day Two *---
You smile as the two of you laze on the edge of the canal, your feet and the tip of her tail in the water. The late summer breeze teases her hair, the sun glinting off of her sapphire scales.
"So, what are we going to do today?" she asks, laying her head against your shoulder and tracing a delicate nail in a circle on your chest.
"We're doing it right now," you say lazily, putting an arm over her shoulder. "Why, do you want to do something more complicated than this?"
"Not at all~"

You jerk awake, aware of a presence near you, eliciting a startled noise and the rustling of scales. You are confused and have a mild hang over. What the hell was that? Why can't you move? Did some of your debtors sneak in and tie you up? Why does your face feel wet?
Your eyes snap open to see half of Kaerine's sleeping face. She's currently laying on top of you, limp and sleeping like a rock. The hidden half of her mouth must be drooling on you, which would explain it. Why the hell is Kaerine here? She hasn't been this clingy for a long ti-
The events of yesterday fall into place like a rock-slide. The lawyers, the job, Melbourne, and...
"Mia?" you call softly.
After a long, quiet moment, you hear the shifting of cloth from the armchair nearby, and a few seconds later, Mia peers over the arm of the couch at you, her eyes wide.
"Good morning little one," you greet her.
"...morning father..." she mumbles. "I was watching you sleep."
"For how long?"
"I... I don't know... awhile..."
You grunt slightly as you shift under Kaerine, angling yourself and flipping her off of you and back against the couch. She makes a sleepy noise, her eyes fluttering a bit, before rolling towards the back of the couch and making a pleased noise as she wiggles her tush a bit. You get up, raising your arms over your head and stretching. During your activities with Kaerine last night you must have lost your shirt.
You realize that Mia is staring at your torso. You have several prominent scars stretching across your chest and torso, as well as a few tattoos.
"What are those?" she asks, reaching up to trace a scar that runs from your bellybutton diagonally down to your right hip.
"The story of my life," you say, rooting through the laundry pile for a clean pair of pants and something else to wear. Your tank top should do. You duck behind the couch to change, motioning for Mia to stay put. "Each of those scars is from a different time in daddy's life, same with my tattoos."
When you stand back up, you're dressed in a simple black tank top and a pair of jeans. You grab a pair of socks to pull on and give Mia another look. She's not dressed in the outfit from yesterday, now she has a teal skirt and white blouse on. The blouse isn't buttoned at the top, but...
"Did you dress yourself?" you ask. She looks at you with wide eyes, then nods hesitantly. "You did great this time, good job Mia."
You see your daughter's cheeks tinge pink moments before she swishes around behind the recliner, only the top of her head visible. You can't help but laugh as you go over and ruffle her hair lightly. She really doesn't know what to do when praised...
You look around the apartment absently. It's... morning. Probably about 7 by the looks of things outside. You and Kaerine passed out pretty early last night, and the dogs didn't wake you up throughout the night, so you actually feel well rested at this ungodly early hour. This is a new an unheard of concept for you...
"How did you sleep, little one?" you ask, looking towards the kitchen. You could make breakfast, you suppose. Or you could go out and get something to eat in one of the local eateries. Or hell, you could make the trek up to the concourse and eat at Monica's. Kaerine is still passed the fuck out, it's doubtful there is much you could do to rouse her at the moment.
"It was dark..." she says quietly, slithering over to stand at your side. "But when heard you and Kaerine come back... it was alright..."
You nod, rubbing her shoulder. How should you go about the start of your day?

( ) Stay in and cook breakfast, you did just restock your kitchen.
( ) Go out to eat at one of the local places, show Mia around the neighborhood.
( ) Go up to the Doughnut Demon, get a good meal and a jump start on shopping.
( ) Go next door and have breakfast with the dog family.

[The Saint of Ravens]

( X ) Go out to eat at one of the local places, show Mia around the neighborhood.

"Hey Mia, let's go out and get something to eat," you say to your daughter, grabbing a blanket from the laundry pile and covering Kaerine's passed out form with it. The cow girl makes a happy noise in her sleep, wrapping it around herself and snuggling down against the back of the couch.
"You aren't going to make pancakes?" Mia asks hesitantly.
"No sweetheart, you don't want to get sick of them, do you?" She looks at you poutly.
"I won't get sick of them!"
You grin down at her, nodding towards the door.
"Well, I will make them for you plenty of times, today I'm going to go show you around the neighborhood, and you can try something new to eat."
The prospect of learning perks her up, the very tip of her tail twitching back and forth slightly even though her expression doesn't change. However, a small rumbling noise echoes up from your daughter, and her face turns cherry red in embarrassment. You look at her curiously.
"Mia... are you hungry?"
She looks down and nods slightly. You frown slightly. She gorged herself yesterday pretty well, easily enough to have filled even the stomach of her snake half, which should take at least a few days to process. Normally lamias eat large meals, then wait for them to digest while eating sparringly in the intervening periods, at least as far as you know from Kora-Kora...
"Well, let's go get you something then," you say, taking her hand and heading for the door. You grab your umbrella on the way out, in case any of the rats get a dumb idea, or some of your other debtors show up.
As you step out into the hall, the door to the right of your apartment opens as well. You look over curiously, unaware that someone had been living there. A youngish cat girl backs out into the hall, probably not even in her twenties yet. She's hearing a simple blue dress with a wave pattern, a pair of sandals, and a curious hood shaped like an ornate orange carp. Strapped to her back is a tackle box and fishing pole.
"Alright you two, be good while I'm out," she calls into the apartment."Mishi, no going out and trying to bend the local kids to your will. Kali, keep an eye on Mishi, and make sure to do your studies."
"Foolish land dweller! I will- mmph!!" A shrill, melodramatic voice calls out for a moment before being muffled.
"Righty-right mom! Have a nice day and catch lotsa stuff and watch out for harpies and- ooof!" A second voice, loud and excited, speaks before it sounds like she's cut off by a blow.
The cat girl sighs, shaking her head and closing the door as the sound of bickering breaks out, turning around and almost walking into you.
"Oh!" she exclaims, prancing back lightly. "I'm sorry! I didn't hear you!" She looks at you curiously for a moment, tilting her head to the side. "And you are...?"
"Your neighbor," you say, jerking your thumb towards your door. Her face lights with recognizition.
"Oooh! The mystery man from next door!" she says, face lighting up into a smile. "Hey, it's nice to finally run into you! I moved in a few weeks ago, but I guess our schedules have never crossed til now."
"Yeah," you say, scratching the back of your head. "Me and this morning thing normally don't see eye to eye." You feel Mia cling to the back of your pants, looking out around you at the cat demi.
"What a little cutie!" your neighbor cooes, kneeling down to look at Mia, who ducks back behind you. "She looks like a little doll!" She suddenly stands up, looking embarrassed. "Ah... sorry... I haven't even introduced myself and I'm already creeping out your kid..." She extends a delicately clawed hand and smiles. "My name is Catherine."
"Alec," you say, taking her hand and shaking it. "And this is my daughter Mia."
"Oh? You are an adoptive parent too?" she asks. You shake your head.
"No, she's my actual daughter," you answer. She looks at you curiously, then peers around you to look at Mia a bit closer.
"Oooooh... I see that now," Catherine says, nodding to herself. "She looks a bit more... humanish than normal lamias." She pauses, then shakes her head. "Not that I'm trying to say anything racial!"
"It's alright," you chuckle, reaching back to pat Mia. "I'm not one of those racial sensitive types."
"Heh, thank the Gods," the cat girl sighs. "A couple of my guild mates are very... touchy about that subject."
"I'm guessing you're a member of the angler's guild?" you ask. She nods and grins, tilting down her carp hood.
"Yup! Ever since I was a kid! I've been fishing the canals, marshes, and beaches of the island ever since I could throw a reel~" she giggles. "That's sorta how I ran across my daughters."
"You've adopted? How many kids do you have?"
"Two, Mishi and Kali," she says with a warm smile. "They can be a handful, but they are a blessing in my life." She crouches down until she's on Mia's face level. "If you want to come play with them, you're welcome to any time cutie~"
A loud, low rumbling comes from behind you, and you feel Mia's grasp on the back of your pants tighten. Catherine blinks in surprise a few times.
"Oops, you guys were going out to eat, huh?" she says in embarassment. "Well, I should let you two go do that then! It was good to finally meet you, Alec!" She takes your hand again, giving it a warm shake before skipping down the hall. She pauses, turning to call out. "Hey! Want to come over for dinner later? It'll be a fresh catch!"
"I'll think about it," you respond, waving good bye. "Thanks for the offer regardless."
The cat gives you a grin, then disappears down the stairwell. You take Mia's hand and follow, leading your daughter down and out of the building to the streets below. Catherine has already vanished.
"Father... I'm hungry..." Mia says as you start down the street, tugging on your sleeve.
"I know little one, let's find someplace to eat," you say, looking around. The early morning crowds are all flowing mostly the same direction, towards the industrial and commercial districts. You lead Mia against the flow, towards the residential areas of the neighborhood, where most of the eateries were in this part of town.
When you get down to Berry Way, the smell of food coming from Home Avenue wafts through the air. The sounds of your daughter's hungry stomach pick up from below. As the two of you walk down Berry, you start telling her a bit about the neighborhood, trying to distract her from her hunger.
"This part of the city is where a lot of the workers live," you tell her, nodding to the apartments and tenements around. "That's why there aren't too many houses. The district is made to house a lot of people, not to give them much room."
"Why do you live here father?" she asks, looking around. "You're not a worker, right?"
"No, but the rates are cheap," you say, leading her down an alleyway and on to Home Avenue. There are a number of place you could take her. There are numerous stalls and stands selling food to the working crowds. They are quick, cheap, and accessible. A bit down the street is one of the taverns you frequent. You think they have a breakfast menu... and even if they don't you know the staff well enough to have them make you something. And down on the corner is the Commique Bistro, which has good food in large portions. It's a pet project of Old Man Donovan of the rat pack, since the old rat was always fond of you, the staff might still give you a discount.

Where to take your daughter to eat, father figure?

( ) Get something from a stall, the girl is hungry.
( ) Go to the tavern, the Languace is probably awake by now anyways.
( ) Go to the bistro and order the menu, let's see how much Mia can eat.
( ) Other options?

[The Saint of Ravens]

( X ) Go to the bistro and order the menu, let's see how much Mia can eat.
You know what, you might as well go to the bistro and test the limits of your daughter's apatite. Also, it's been a long time since you've shown your face down there, because of your debts. It'll be nice to see the old crew again, unless the new generation has chased them out.
"Father... why do people work?" Mia asks as you start guiding her down towards the bistro. You raise an eyebrow, looking first at her, then the crowds migrating out of the area.
"People work so that they can get money to afford the things they need to live," you answer her, pausing to let a heavily laden spider-man trudge past.
"But why do they have to work to get those?" she presses. "Shouldn't everyone just get the things they need to live? That way no one would be hungry, right?" You don't respond for a moment, your gaze zoning out a bit. "Father?"
"Because people find purpose through their work, little one," you reply. "Just being given what you need to survive leaves you feeling... empty."
She looks up at you curiously, pondering your words.
"But getting food would make you feel full, right?"
"Ha, a different kind of empty, honey." You stroke her hair as the two of you work your way through a large crowd of lops being tended by an alert pooka. "Not having a purpose is unhealthy for people. Most people find that through their work."
"...because not having a purpose makes you feel empty?"
"Yes little one," you say as the two of you approach the doors of the bistro.
"Then what is my purpose?"
You almost say "To be my purpose." But, you stop yourself. With how serious Mia is, you don't think she will be happy with that answer.
"You need to find that out for yourself, little one," you respond after a moment of thought. "It's no fun if I tell you, right?"
Mia nods solemnly.
You push open the ornate glass front door of the bistro to find that it is about half full of customers, members of multiple races sitting on green stone topped tall-chairs at wrought iron tables, the mahogany bar in the back, or the plush booths along the walls. The decor is simple, but refined. The old man had a mantra for the management: "Just food, no gimmick." And, when you pass a centaur at one of the standing booths eating a salad from a plate that could hold a curled up Mia, you see that his philosophy maintains.
Amongst the regulars and new faces getting their morning meal, you see a familiar figure from behind sitting in one of the booths, reading a newspaper and drinking some coffee, a plate of peeled oranges sitting untouched nearby. A smile crawls sideways across your face and you go over to the opposite side of the booth and slide in, quietly helping Mia slither up on to the cushion. An irritated sigh rattles from the other side of the paper.
"This booth is taken fuckhead," Melbourne snaps, letting the newspaper fall forward, the coffee mug coming up to her face.
"Hey'a Melbourne!" you say cheerfully.
She chokes on her coffee when she realizes its you, jerking forward to avoid splattering it on to her suit.
"F-f-fcukshit!" she rasps, droplets of coffee speckling her newspaper as she sets the mug down and grabs a napkin to clamp over her narrow face. "What the *cough hack * fuck are you!"
"I just came in to grab something to eat," you say, all smiles and sunshine. "And I happened to see you, so I decided to come over and say hi!"
The rat gangster levels an angry glare at you. She knows you're fucking with her, and on top of that, you're doing it in a place where she can't lose her temper. The Bistro Communique is a tranquil ground. The old man had the place built because he wanted somewhere peaceful to eat his meals, and from a quick glance around at the staff, you see enough familiar faces to know that they hold more loyalty to him than to his son and granddaughter. They wouldn't hesitate a moment to literally through Mel out on her face.
"Alec, you piece of shit," she says slowly, trying to contain her temper. "I'm giving you three seconds to..." Her gaze shifts over to Mia and she pauses. "What the fuck is that? You steal a kid?"
"Why does everyone think that?" you grumble. "No Mel, this is my daughter."
She pauses for a long moment, looking between you and Mia.
"Fuck you," she snaps, taking an angry sip of her coffee as she smooths out her rumpled paper. "Like hell some snake kid is yours, especially one as pretty as her."
"She got that from her mother," you respond calmly, flagging down one of the waitresses. Mylie, a middle aged elf, comes over and gives you a slow wink. "I'll take the dark roast My, and the little one here will take a glass of milk."
"Yeah, she sure as hell didn't get it from you," Mel retorts, glaring. "And what the hell do you think you're doing? Go get your own fucking booth!"
"You curse a lot miss," Mia suddenly says, her dark eyes watching Melbourne. She flinches slightly when Mel's face snaps over to look at her, but the rat-girl hesitates.
"That's... that's because people like your dad piss me off," she answers, surprisingly calmly.
"People in general piss you off Mel," you interject.
"If I wanted any shit out of you Alec I'd squeeze your damn head!" she snaps. "God fucking damn it, everything that comes out of your mouth makes me want to strangle you!"
Mia turns and looks at you seriously.
"Daddy, leave Miss Melbourne alone," she scolds. Both you and Mel look at her in surprise. "Be nice to her."
"Ha! Hahahaha!!" the rat cackles, pointing at you. "You just got told off by your fucking kid!"
"Ha! Hahahaha!!" you laugh back. "You need a kid to stand up for you!"
"Daddy!" Mia says crossly, folding her arms. You think this is the first time you've heard her raise her voice other than when Kaerine was attacking you. You hold up a hand to her.
"Alright, alright," you say. "I'll leave Mel alone."
Mylie comes back with your coffee and some milk for Mia. You take a sip of the hot, strong liquid and can't help but smile. As My pass you a menu, Melbourne holds her cup out for a refill.
"So. What's up with you showing your face around here again after almost a year?" she asks, glancing down at her newspaper. "The place was actually seeming a bit classier for awhile."
"Like I told you Mel-" you start, then pause and turn towards the waiting elf. "I'll take a normal sized breakfast risotto and a salad. Let's start the little lady off with a large waffle with strawberries." You turn back to Mel. "I'm trying to get myself turned around."
"So you're going to stop being a chickenshit and come around more often?" Melbourne asks, raising an eyebrow.
"That's the plan," you say. Mia's belly rumbles loudly next to you, attracting both yours and Melbourne's attentions. Your daughter seems to wilt under the attention, as well as be embarrassed by the loud sound.
"God damn it Alec," Melbourne growls. "What the fuck are you doing, starving her?" She slides her plate of oranges over to Mia. "Here you go princess, snack on these while you wait."
"But... I didn't pay for this, it's not nice to take it..." Mia says hesitantly, looking up at you questioningly. You smile.
"It's alright, it's not stealing if someone gives you a gift Mia," you explain. Melbourne nods. "And it's alright anyways, stealing from bad people isn't wrong, and Mel is a bad people."
"Yeah, that's- hey!" the rat exclaims, catching on.
"Father..." Mia start warningly. You hold up your hands in defeat.
"Alright alright, I'll be nice," you say as you take one of the oranges and start splitting it into sections, handing each one to Mia. She eats them one by one, her eyes focused on the dwindling orange with fixated intensity. Thankfully, by the time you give her the last one, your food shows up. Your risoto smells delicious, and Mia's waffle is half the size of a manhole cover, thick and piled with freshly chopped strawberries. As she digs in with a delighted noise, Melbourne starts reading her paper again, low enough to gaze at you over the top of it.
"So. Bullshitting aside, what the hell is going on with you Alec?" she asks. You take a bite of your risotto, tapping your fork against the front of your teeth thoughtfully.

Discussion over breakfast, what to talk about? Pick three:

( ) Talk about being a fixer.
( ) Talk about Mia.
( ) Talk about the city.
( ) Talk about the job.
( ) Talk about the rats.
( ) Talk about debts.

[The Saint of Ravens]

( X ) Talk about Mia.
( X ) Talk about the job.
( X ) Talk about debts.
"I got a kid," you say simply, eating another bite of risotto. The rat gives you a scathing look over the top of her newspaper as she takes a sip of coffee.
"No shit, fuck-widget," she says, before closing her eyes and sucking in a deep, calming breath. "...the little princess there isn't just a kid though." The rat glances at Mia as she uses her fork and knife to dissect the massive waffle, devouring it piece by piece, smiling and humming happily as the strawberry soaked chunks touch her tongue. "There aren't many snakes down this part of town, and the ones that are don't look like THAT." She nods at your daughters beautiful, gleaming scales, particularly the heart-shaped patterns.
"...that's right, I did my thing with her mother before I met you guys, before I moved down to this part of town," you say, eating some more of your rice dish. It is full of fluffy egg and sausage chunks, seasoned with wine and paprika. You see that while Mia is enjoying her waffle, already having gone through a quarter of the huge thing, she has an ear cocked in your direction.
"I remember when you moved into this area Alec," Melbourne says. "You were moving UP town, not down. You aren't telling me that you found this cutie's mother down in the Fringe."
"Fuck no," you say, shaking your head. "No, it was before I ended up down there. When I was dating Mia's mom, I was living out in Coast View still."
Melbourne raises an eye brow, setting down her coffee.
"You're from Coast View? Bull shit. That's a nice neighborhood, it couldn't have produced a piece of garbage like you."
"Easy with the name calling, Melbourne," you say mildly. "You can't judge a book by its cover. Then again, rats do know a lot about garbage."
"Yeah, and we are known to eat it too," she says pointedly, her eyes narrowing.
"Mmmpghopit!" Mia says through a mouthful of waffle.
"Don't talk with your mouthful, little one," you say, noticing her waffle is almost gone. She nods, slightly embarrassed, but swallows and looks at you and Melbourne scoldingly.
"Be nice," she says, folding her arms.
"Alright, alright," you say. "Are you still hungry little one?" She hesitates, then nods. "What would you like to eat next?"
"...pancakes?"
Mylie was passing by at that moment and nods to you, prompting you to give her a thumbs up as she heads back to the kitchen.
"Alright, so her mom is from Coast View," Melbourne says, quirking her lips to the side. "At least that bit makes more sense."
"No," you say, shaking your head. "She lived in the Gardens."
Melbourne freezes, her eyes flickering over your face, looking for any sign that you are joking. A smile, smirk, or barely contained laugh. She she doesn't find any, she leans a bit closer to you.
"The Gardens," the rat says flatly. "Alec... you knocked up a Lamia. Like, with a capital L. Not just some snake, but one that belonged to a household?" You finish chewing your bite of breakfast, then nod slowly. "Why the fuck are you still breathing?"
"To give their enforcers credit, they gave it a REALLY damn good try," you sigh. You notice Mia staring at your half eaten risotto, so you push it over to her. Your daughter lets out a happy noise and digs in while her pancakes are being prepared. Melbourne shakes her head.
"So what, you date her, her family finds out and tries to off you, you slink off down to the Fringe to lick your wounds, work your way up a bit, then she comes and dumps the kid off on you randomly?"
"She died," you say emotionlessly. "She left me custody in her will."
The rat demi doesn't say anything for awhile after that. Mia finishes your risotto just in time for the elf waitress to bring a heaping stack of pancakes covered in butter and syrup on a platter. You accept a cup of coffee from Mylie and watch some of the other patrons eating their meals. A nearby fox is giving you a hungry look, like she'd enjoy a bit of meat with her biscotti, but the look you give her in return changes her mind.
"Is that why you're finally manning up?" Melbourne finally asks.
"Yup."
"...how deep in the hole are you?"
"Deep. Deeper than I want to think about most of the time. Deeper than even Kaerine knows, I think."
Melbourne gives you a long look, her face remaining fairly expressionless.
"And you're going to try fixing it?"
"There is no try in this Mel," you say tiredly. "I've got to."
She nods slowly, then raises a finger.
"You owe us a grand," she says.
"I also owe the Marcell Family somewhere close to that," you say. She rolls her eyes, lifting up a second finger. "I owe the local bill collectors seven hundred-ish." A third finger. "The government ones twenty-two hundred." Mel raises an eyebrow and a fourth finger. "Damn it, that's right... I owe the Syndicate eight hundred still, and the Smugglers six hundred..." Two more fingers go up, Melbourne adding another hand. "Various businesses and restaurant tabs are about three hundred..."
"Is that all?" Mel asks, holding up seven fingers. You pause, suddenly feeling a prickling of ice at the base of your spine, then shake your head.
"There's one more..." you say, steepling your fingers in front of your face and sighing. Mia is utterly demolishing the pancakes, half of the platter already gone.
"Yeah, and who is it?" Melbourne asks impatiently. "I'm not holding my hands up for fun, shit-head."
"Drago... thirty-seven hundred."
Melbourne slowly lowers her hands, and you see them trembling slightly. Probably from the strain she is going through trying to not throttle you. Her eyes are closed, but one of them is twitching.
"Drago."
"Yeah... Drago."
Melbourne flags Mylie down and get up out of the booth.
"Get the princess anything she wants to eat and keep an eye on her, alright?" she tells the elf. Mylie nods, and Melbourne grabs you by the arm and drags you up out of the booth. You let her.
"Father...?" Mia asks, looking up from the decimated pancakes in concern.
"It's okay Mia, we'll be right back," you promise her. "Be a good girl for Miss Mylie, okay?"
Your daughter looks at you for a moment, then nods solemnly. You let Mel drag you out back through the kitchen and into the alleyway behind the bistro. She closes the door firmly behind her, waits a moment, then whirls around to face you, her expression furious.
"DRAGO?! YOU GOT INTO DEBT WITH THAT FLAMING FAGGOT DRAGON?!?!" she screams at you. "WHAT THE FUCK WHERE YOU THINKING?!?!?!"
"I wasn't!" you shout back, your own anger raising. The rat girl grabs your shoulders and pushes you back against the brick of the alley, a surprising amount of strength in the motion.
"No fucking shit you weren't!" she snarls, her teeth bared. "Of all the god damned people... that fucker..." She pushes you against the wall harder, her eyes narrowed. "You know what her does to people who don't pay up! How far past due with him are you?"
"...going on a year."
She lets you go, taking a step back, her eyes widening.
"The fuck? I know people he's turned into fucking furniture for being a week late!"
"He's been giving me extensions..."
"What the fuck? Have you been sucking his cock or something?"
"I've done some jobs for him."
"...what sort of jobs?"
"..."
You look away from her. Neither of you say anything for awhile.
"...when is your extension up?" she asks finally.
"I don't know," you say with a long, heavy sigh. "Eventually? Soon? A week ago? I don't know..."
Melbourne glances up at you, her expression a mixture of anger and... concern? That wasn't what you were expecting to see.
"Alright, boy wonder," she says. "How the hell are you going to get out of this?"
You lean back against the bricks, crossing your arms over your chest and sighing.
"By putting my ass close to the fire and working the high paying jobs," you say.
"High pay means difficult or dangerous. You can't pay those debts if you're dead."
"I'm aware," you say. "But for a lot of these debts, I don't have the convenience of paying them off gradually."
"True," Mel concedes. "What's the first thing?"
You briefly outline the job Kaerine found. The rat gangster looks at you pensively for a while after.
"That actually doesn't sound too bad," she finally says. It's your turn to give her a raised eyebrow. "What? All you have to do is be there. Fuck. On one side, you have Hocus Pocus and whatever they send. On the other you have the fucking Praetorians. As far as jobs go, that's good pay for just watching two groups of monsters do their thing on whatever ate that expedition."
"Still Hocus Pocus gives me bad feelings..." you say.
The Hocus Pocus Merc Works is an international mercenary force made up of a motely variety of magic users who are based out of the city. They have a long, storied past and a reputation for collateral damage, war crimes, and varying degrees of depravity. As well as for being incredibly effective and almost always worth the exorbitant fees and hassle. However, for anyone not looking to purchase their services, Hocus Pocus is the stuff of nightmares. It's members held no qualms about 'playing' with the average populace. It was a bit of a political blind spot, since the Merc Works did so much work directly for the state.
That causes a lot of friction with the other group, the Praetorians. They are the personal combat force of the Lord Protector, hand-picked by him for their abilities. Most of them are combat gods who can maul small armies. Which is good, because part of their duties are to defend the city from outside threats, up to and including foreign invasions.
"Suck it up, cup cake," Melbourne snaps, opening the door and nodding back in. The two of you go through the kitchens. "What are you doing with the little princess while you're on the job?"
"I'm not sure yet," you say with a sigh. "If you think its so safe, should I take her?"
"Hmph. Taking a little girl down into a possible den of ancient evils," Mel drawls sarcastically. "What could go wrong?"
You come back to the table to find that Mia is surrounded by Mylie and the other three waitresses, and that the table is piled up with several more plates than had been there when Mel drug you off. Mia lays back against the corner of the booth as the Waitresses fuss over her, her eyes half close in contentment. She's a lot less skittish than yesterday, then again, it might just be because she's almost in a food coma. As you survey the wounded soldiers on the table, you realize that she's easily eaten over 50 talts worth of food. You waves Mylie out of your way and sit down next to Mia.
"Are you finally full, little one?" you ask tentatively.
"Mhm~" she hums with a nod, bobbing side to side sleepily. "The food was good..."
"Hey My,' Mel says, catching the elf's attention. "Put her food on my tab."
You turn to the rat, blinking in surprise. She gives you a dead pan look.
"Not his though. He can pay for it himself." The rat scoops up her news paper and finishes off the last of her coffee, grimacing at it being cold. "Alec. If you need a place for her to stay, bring her over sometime." She doesn't look at you as she says that, already heading for the door. "I bet the old bastard would dote-the-fuck out of her."
You watch Melbourne leave, shaking your head as you throw down five talts for your risotto and another five in tip, prompting a peck on the cheek from Mylie. Maybe she was the old man's granddaughter after all...
You scoop up Mia and situate her against your back. She sleepily wraps her tail around your waist, and hugs her arms over your shoulders. You wave bye to Mylie and the other staff and hit the street while Mia half dozes, half crowd-watches from your back. What to do next...

[ ] Go out and do a bit more shopping, there are still some things you need to grab.
[ ] Go to the barber-surgeon, she's probably awake by now.
[ ] Walk around the neighborhood with Mia, show her the sights.
[ ] Take Mia to a park, find soemthing to do there.
[ ] Go home, get that bum Kaerine off yoru couch, and spend the day indoors.

[The Saint of Ravens]

[ X ] Go to the barber-surgeon, she's probably awake by now.

Yyalande is probably awake by now, she keeps very odd hours, something to do with moon cycles or spirits or something. She's a kook, but she was a kook that fished you out of the sewers after you talked the sewer naga out of eating you when the Evangalice enforcers dumped you there. The barber-surgeon patched you up and let you stay at her place until you were able to walk again. Ever since you have gone to her to get yourself put back together after getting your ass torn off.
Unfortunately, she lives down in the Fringe. It is... not a good neighborhood, and there are people who are not all that happy with the concept of you still being alive. Thankfully, most of those individuals do not walk the streets when the sun is up. So if you are going to go visit Yyalande, now is the time to.
Mia rests against you back, her body warm and soft on you. Her coils wrap around your waist, tight enough to keep her in place. You frown as you walk, realizing something. You place a hand against your daughter's reptilian half, Mia making a happy noise. Kora Kora's scales were cool to the touch, smooth and firm. Mia's are warm, soft and supple, yielding against your hand where her mother's resisted. Is Mia... warm blooded?
You go eastward, in towards the furthest side of the island. The Fringe is technically the largest section of the city, running along the whole eastern side of the island. It is the second most populated area. The only place more populated is the Warrens, which lie below it. You have not been down there in a long time, and you would like to avoid it for a lot longer.
As you go down through the narrowing streets of your part of town, you notice the condition of the buildings degrading rapidly. They change from the large, sturdy apartments and tenements of the worker quarters to worn and ramshackle husks that remain from when the government originally built the area up. Twenty years of neglect by the authorities and abuse by its inhabitants had led the area to corrode pretty badly into one of the worst slums of the worlds. One where you lived for a year, making a lot of bad choices and worse friends.
As you walk the faintly familiar alleyways and claustrophobic streets, you realize that you are glaringly out of place. You are clean... for the most part, and dressed in decent clothes. Mia even more so. To say the least, you attract stares. You wish you were wearing one of your hoodies so that you could pull up the hood. Especially when you notice that you are starting to develop a few tails. To discourage the more opportunistic ones, you give your umbrella a swift twirl and crack it into the weed choked cobblestones at your feet. The crowd decides to find other things to do.
The other residents that you pass are a mixture of various races, mostly demi races, some centaurs, elves, and a few lizard folk. Harpies roost on rooftops and perch on rusted lamp posts, surveying all below while the residents eye them warily. Children play in the alleyways under the watchful eyes of their mothers, showing that even here, children can have fun.
"Father?" Mia asks perking up a bit at the noise, looking around. "Where are we?"
"We're going to go see a doctor," you answer, squinting at some graffiti on a wall. You remember it vaguely, a crude centaur stabbing a harpy with a spear.
"Are you hurt?" she asks, her grip on you tightening a bit.
"No honey, we're going so you can have a check up." You feel her relax.
"Oh... okay..." She snuggles back against you and her breathing evens out.
After about ten more minutes of twists and turns, you come to a gap between two of the half falling down buildings that is filled with bright, sigil covered pieces of cloth hanging from strings run between the two tenements. Deep in the murk between the urban decay, the vague shape of a house can be seen. You casually step foot onto the path at the edge of the shade and walk its familiar length.
The home you walk up to looks completely out of place for its location, a well kept ranch house wedged neatly between the walls of the two buildings. Yylande never explained it, and you never asked. The front door stands open, revealing an inviting glow within. She always seem to know when you are coming.
Three corgi puppies sit on the front porch, panting at you with doggy smiles as you walk up the three wooden steps. You shake your head. It looks like she's still indulging that particular hobby.
"Halec."
You don't jump.
"Hello Yyla," you say calmly, looking around the porch. Out of the corner of your eye, you see her sourly raise up from a trap door to your right.
"Hyour no hfun," she sighs.
Yylande is a tall, wispy dark skinned elf, her skin covered in silvery lines that you have never determined if are scars or tattoos. Her eyes are a striking blue that calls to mind the summer sky, half hidden by drooping eyelids as if she were perpetually tired. Her outfit is a heavy red robe with a mantle and hood, bearing several eye motifs. She speaks with a thick accent that you've never heard from another, leading you to suspect that she made it up herself.
"Hyou appear to hbe hin one piece," she says, raising an eyebrow. "Hthough you happear to hhave a growth hon your hback."
"I grew a daughter," you say, going into the house with Yylande following you, peering closely at Mia. From how she seems to have frozen, Mia is probably aware of her attention.
"Hthis is hfrom the Hevangalice girl, eh?" the barber-surgeon says, skittering around to your side as you look around. The interior of the house hasn't changed much, still an wild jumble of normal looking furniture covered by bones, magical doodads, and things in jars. You hear Mia let out a frightened little squeak at one of the new additions: a full grown naga skeleton. You reach back and gently adjust her around so that you are holding her against your front, so she can bury her face against your chest.
"Yes," you sigh. "I just found out yesterday."
You follow her into her office, which, unlike the rest of the house, is surgically barren except for a desk and a simple, polished wooden table.
"You got a new table," you say, running a hand along it.
"Old hone hbroke," she replies, motioning towards it.
You carefully untangle Mia's coils from your waist and set her on the table, where the surgeon starts to circle, looking at her intently. Mia's head turns side to side, following her progress, her eyes wide. You lay a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch, until she realizes that it is you.
Over the course of the next hour, Yylande examines your daughter. Her methods are casual and professional, inter spaced with her odd behaviors. You understand her feeling Mia's stomach and examining her eyes. You don't understand her shaving off a few scales and powdering them up into a beaker. Towards the end, she tilts Mia's head back and gently opens her mouth, pressing a folded rag up against your daughter's canines.
Mia makes a noise of surprise and tries to jerk back, but Yylande follows the motion, keeping the rag pressed a moment longer before pulling it out. You see that it is now partially soaked with a pink fluid.
"Is that..." you start to ask, before a low hiss fills the air. You look down to see that Mia is the source of it, her eyes narrowed and her gaze full of anger. Yylande raises an eyebrow, taking a step back. Mia gathers her coils under her, gripping the edge of the table. It looks like she is about to spring at the barber-surgeon.

What do, parental figure?

[The Saint of Ravens]

Skill Check 1: Fast Reflexes
Threshold: 55 Rolled: 41
Success

You dart between Mia and Yylande, just as your daughter springs forward with alarming speed, her tail flexing like a whip to propel her through the air. Mia lets out a noise of alarm as you suddenly fill her field of vision, closing her mouth and tucking her head down. You half catch her, half are crashed into by the springing lamia, enfolding her in your arms and stumbling back a few steps. She hangs limp in your grasp, shocked and trembling in anger still.
"Mia..." you say as calmly as you can. "What are you doing?"
"S-she!" Mia half stutters, half hisses. "She made stuff come out of my teeth!" Your daughter looks up at you, tears forming in the corners of her enraged eyes. "I promised you I wouldn't have stuff come out of my teeth! She made me break my promise!"
You stare at her for a moment, blinking in surprise. You had not expected that to be the reason...
"Thank hyou," Yylande says casually, taking the pink-stained rag over to her work table. "I think hit whould hhave poorly himpacted our relationship hif I hhad killed hyour daughter." You see her casually flick a carved wand of bone and ivory back up into her sleeve, the patterns carved into it losing the glowing power they held.
"You would have killed a little girl?" you snap, hugging Mia a bit tighter. Yylande raises one narrow eyebrow, then lifts the stained rag up gingerly by an unsoaked corner.
"Hwhat do hyou think hthis his?" she rasps. "Could hbe paralysis hvenom. Could hbe neurotoxin. Could hbe acid. Could hbe strawberry hsyrup." She shakes her head. " I could hnot take hthat chance."
You force yourself to breathe calmer. Yylande is not right. Mia is still a child, the unknown variable of whatever is contained in her fangs regardless of that fact. If she had done something to harm your daughter, you would have killed her. There is an enraged part of you that wants to try anyways. However. In a similar situation, you can't completely say that you would be any different. You wouldn't try to kill a child, even a possibly lethal one, but you also would be damned sure to protect your own life.
"Fine," you say brusquely, setting Mia back on the examination table while Yylande tinkers and toys with the liquid from the rag, little puffs of smoke rising from above her turned back. You turn your gaze back to Mia. She is still glaring at Yylande, but after a few moments, she turns to look at you and sees your expression. The anger swiftly leaves her eyes and she wilts.
"D-d-dad..." she stutters, eyes wide.

How do you feel, fatherly figure?

[ ] Angry. Mia just tried to attack someone. That is not acceptable, and she is going to know it.
[ ] Uncertain. This is proof that while a child, your daughter IS a monster...
[ ] Disappointed. That is all.
[ ] Tired. It's just been one thing after another the past 24 hours...
[ ] Proud. To hell with it. Your daughter stood up for herself when someone did something that hurt her. Good girl.
[ ] Other?