“Morgana,” I ask, putting my left hand on my hip.

“What is it Lociqo?” she sighs, turning away from me. All that leaves me is her pale white neck, not even covered by her short jet black hair. It’s a large contrast to my long curly brown hair, with skin only a shade lighter. “You’re not even my lover, so-”

“Screw that,” I object, stomping forward. “Yes, our marriage is just for show, but you’re still my friend.” My tail again peeks out from under my dress, slowly creeping towards her before I yank it back, bits of drool dripping to the ground.

I wipe my mouth, ashamed of how I keep feeling towards her, how much I just want to wrap around her, feel her taste on my lips. “Princess?” she calls out, interrupting my hunger-filled daze as the tail mischievously slinks back into my shirt.

“It’s nothing,” I reply hastily, stomach giving off a mild grumble of frustration.

“Alright,” she answers, as if she hadn’t heard anything. “I’ll simply be in my chambers, and-”

“I think it would be better if you met me in mine,” I ask, covering my mouth as I bite my tongue in place.

Yet, Morgana swivels her head, baring her fangs as she demands, “Open your mouth.”

I approach cautiously, opening as I look at her crimson red eyes, complementing the cape and cloak she always wears, along with a deep navy blue coat. “You’re bleeding,” she says, the ting of iron staining my mouth. “Idiot, don’t bite your tongue that hard. Just what were you repressing anyhow?”

“You,” I absentmindedly reply, covering my mouth as she looks back at me, agape. Morgana doesn’t blush, instead freezing in place at the mere comment I made. “I mean, uh-”

“It’s ok,” she laughs off. “I know, I’m not even a ‘real woman’, so-”

I slam her against the wall, pinning her body against it. I see my eyes turn to yellow slits in the reflection of her own, seeming to break her iron concentration and unveil something more… fearful. Or emotional.

“Lociqo?” she asks with a stutter.

“My room,” I command.

“Understood,” she says without complaint, us holding hands as I open the doors. I grab her by the waist and throw her onto the bed casually, her body as light as paper tossed to the wind. I lock the door shut and smile to myself, before remembering what I should do.

“Do you know why I brought you here?” I ask, still keeping my face turned away.

“We’re simply going to negotiate the deal between our kingdoms,” she answers back, the velvet on the bed slowly creaking. “Just nail the details down despite the fact that we’re nearly at war.”

“No,” I answer. “Over that careless remark about you not being a ‘real woman.’”

“But I’m not!”

“So, do you care to repeat the lies of your father? From the same one who lies about the prosperity of his and our society?”

I feel my tail twitch again, unfurling from my dress and playfully peaking out, tilting towards Morgana still lying on the bed.

“You… you’re not human too?”

I turn around, my teeth showing in a wide grin. “No,” I admit, crawling towards her and climbing near her. “And much like how you like to drink blood, I have my own special diet,” I continue, curling my tail around her leg.

“And what would that be?” she asks, looking at my lips before staring into my eyes.

“Cute women,” I reply, my tail beginning to open wide and hover above her head. “Women who love me. So. Are you a woman?”

“No?”

“Wrong answer.”

“Yes…?”

“Are you cute?”

“I think?”

“And do you love me?”

“Should I?”

“Well I do.” She stammers and blushes, pink finally entering her face as she loses her own composure. When she regains it? It’s when she again looks into my eyes.

“I love you,” she answers, pecking me on the lips.

“Good woman,” I add as my tail engulfs her head, wrapping around and tightening near her neck. She briefly puts her hands atop the tail, only to stop resisting within seconds as she’s pulled further in, dragging her body further in. I relax as the coldness of her body feels like an ice cube, taking in the heat of my own love as she involuntarily wriggles around. The taste buds (or so Lavender says) feel as if an iced treat is making its way down, a living popsicle descending as her own feet are pulled and tucked inside, sealing her inside for the rest of the night. 

“Will I join you? Permanently?”

“No,” I answer, pulling her in and hugging her now bound body, feeling her shift around to ‘face’ me. The flesh around her body tightens, continuing to embrace her and leaving a small smile. On the outside, I wrap my own limbs, hugging her as if she was still outside. “You’re my woman,” I continue, kissing the wall of flesh in between us both.

“I am?”

“You being a woman isn’t what made me love you. It was your dedication, your honestly; your drive to do the right thing.”

“...But you’d have never fallen in love if I remained as I was.”

“True, but that was when you were unsure of what you wanted. I love confident women. And I love women who want nothing more than to embraced in their entirety.” I stroke the back of her head as best as I can, feeling her purr and shift her shoulders. “And I like women who are willing to do anything… even leave their own bite marks.”

Taking the invitation, I feel a small prick on the inside, followed by the tingle of blood leaving me and entering her system. Just as I feed on her happiness, she’s feeding off of my own blood, off of my body. It’s funny how easy it is for the roles to be reversed.

“Also, will that mage you consort with; will she be jealous?”

“Not extensively,” I reply. “She always knew I was into you. Though Aaloa might be a concern. Be warned, a dragon may come into your recent future and devour you.”

“If that’s the price I must pay to be with you, then so be it.”

“Woo!” Chae-won cheers, raising a cup to the air, stamping her hooves down. I can’t help but ogle her body, how the deep rich brown of her horse-body merges with the pearl-white skin on her chest. Unfortunately for my hungry eyes, the rest of it is covered by a red shirt. Though perhaps that is fortunate, all things considered.

I laugh at myself, drinking a bit more beer tonight. We’ve all earned it, especially when all of us – Charon in particular – managed to take down that boss monster. Though, Chae-won was still our ace in the hold. She flourishes her bow around, managing to score three bullseyes in a row. The crowd cheers for her; in the fervor, she pumps up her arms into the air and cheers for herself. Her eyes dart around the room, landing on my own. We look at each other for a moment, my own darting to notice her tail flicking. Though, she quickly turns away and goes back to demonstrating, missing the next shot unfortunately.

Still, she had to miss eventually. Better for it to be now than later.

“Tae-eun?” Yusi asks, clutching her staff adorably.

“Yeah?” I ask, swivelling around my seat to turn towards her. “What is it?”

“Chae-won wanted to talk to you later tonight, but she didn’t find the right time. It was in that flower patch we saw. You remember, right?”

“Yes yes,” I answer, waving my hand. Even if there’s no map service here, my spatial memory doesn’t seem to have faded. “I’ll be there.”

“Cool!”

I leave the party, happy to be away from the noise again. It reminds of home in a sense; boring, all for show, and nothing more. It wasn’t as genuine as it is here, as messy. I’ve had times where I miss it, but honestly? I won’t pretend as if this life is worse. Plus, I don’t have family members nagging down my throat anymore. It was enough that they didn’t want me to date a woman so much that they nearly…

I reach at my throat, still aching a bit from previously forgotten memories. 

“Tae-eun!” Chae-won calls out, flicking her tail into my face. I just brush it aside, hoping I could just nestle against something as soft as that. “Happy to see you here!”

“Same as well,” I reply, resizing myself to be at her eyelevel. “Everyone’s still been treating you right?”

“For the most part,” she answers, shrugging. “Some people have been weird, but otherwise fine. Though can we talk about us?”

“Sure,” I reply, shrugging. “Sorry if I’ve done something wrong, or-”

“It’s the reverse, really, I…” she pauses again, looking away. I decide to place my hand against her head, gently tilting it towards me.

“You’ve got it.”

“This is probably easier to show than to tell. Just promise you won’t freak out, ok?”

“I won’t,” I assure. “Besides, the worst you could do is eat me,” I jest.

“I see…” She lifts me up by the armpits, opening her mouth wide. “Just relax,” she pleads, stuffing my head in her mouth.

I don’t struggle, letting her do her magic as she pulls me inside her meaty and fleshy bed of comfort. My legs flail as she gently guides me through, below the stomach on her human side and into the one on her horse side. Rather than forcibly curl, my whole body is able to stretch as a warm liquid fills the compact air, bubbling at the surface. 

Though, my in-world system is telling me it’s not acid; it’s full of a microbiome able to produce oxygen-producing bacteria. It’s not as filthy compared to the actual grime and dungeons we’ve been in.

Plus, it helps that I’m in the stomach of a beautiful woman.

My feet come to a rest, Chae-won letting out an involuntary burp from the outside. It’s quick and fleeting, but embarrassing enough to break the ice. “I hope this… this explains it?”

“Oh believe me, you’re not the weirdest one here,” I confess. “I’ve eaten the other people before, this is a bit new, but not that new. Though it is nice.” I yawn, stretching my own arms like a cat. “It’s nice being on the receiving end of this.”

“So, you understand I love you?” 

“You… you?” She loves me? Impossible, it-

Shut up, parents. I’m here now, away from you.

“Tae-eun, do you-”

“Bad memories,” I cut short. “I just… remembered something. I’ve talked about how I’m not from here, right?”

“Mhm.”

“I didn’t have the best life back home. So when I got a promise from some god to enter this world… I kinda just took it without question. I thought that maybe, just maybe, it would be better. It is, honestly, but…”

“But what?”

“I’m just worried that maybe, all of this is fictional. Maybe you, my party, you’re only like this because I’m the main character of some story I’m not even aware of.”

Chae-won huffs; before I get to ask her, her own body plops onto the ground, legs curled and pressing into my sides. “Can you not say such idiotic things?!”

“How is-”

“We are real! You are real too! You’re alive, we’re all alive! So don’t stop loving people for something as silly as ‘reality isn’t real!’ Who cares if you serve a god?! What did they want you to do, anyways?”

“I… actually don’t know.” I briefly open my menu, trying to see my quests. IT’s…

Oh.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

> Quest fulfilled! Be eaten by a centaur.

“I have been struck by Apollo’s dodgeball yet again.”

“Apollo?”

“Earth concept. I’ll explain some other day, but can I just sleep in here tonight!”

“Sure, my…”

“Butterfly,” I ask. “Just call me a butterfly.”

“Then I’ll be the cocoon for your growth, my butterfly. It’s what I can do after you saved my life, back when we met.”

“Surely you didn’t only fall in love with me because of that one event?”

“No, of course not! It was when you started eating your friends that I realized I wanted to do that with you.”

I nock my bow, aiming at the deer in the midst of the woods. My cloak drifts as I spend a second pulling back the arrow, focusing on the prey in front of me. The animal leans down to the ground to eat, which is when I let go of the string. Wind swishes past my curly brown hair silently, an arrow finding its mark within the animal within a second; specifically within its head. It collapses instantly, falling to the ground with little blood splattering on the ground.

“Whew,” I sigh, brushing the sweat off my head. I look over my quarry, placing the bow on my back once again. The leather armor I wear shifts against each other when I approach, the deer still unmoving as blood pools near its head. “Another successful day.” I pull out my knife and start cutting its antlers off.

Only, I’m shoved to the side, left rolling as clawed hands grip my shoulders. Whoever my attacker is, we roll around in the ground until I’m left with the back of my head against the ground. Looking up, I see the red wings of a bald pale-skinned dragon, equally red scales growing on her arms paired by the thick draconic tail extending from her back.

“And what do I find?” she teases, stroking a strand of my hair. “A lone princess out in the woods.”

“Yes Aaloa,” I sigh, not bothering to resist this time. “You found me hunting again, I know. Look, I’d rather not waste this deer, so can you just let me put it in my sack?”

“Fine,” she sighs, releasing her hold. I roll my eyes, tucking the quarry in the sack along my back, but not before opening its eyes quickly. As they don’t move, I reclose them and tuck the creature fully inside. “Now,” Aaloa interrupts, shoving me against a tree this time. “How much I’ve waited for this.” 

I close my eyes, bracing myself as a wave of heat courses over my face. My eyelids flutter open, met by a deep and large mouth, a tongue wrapping around my chest. With the might of a queen, I’m pulled inside, left a struggling mess as her throat easily widens to accommodate me.

Yet, it holds me together; it softens my descent down, letting me relax as I’m pulled inside, deeper as she outside savors me. Just as I was out finding my own quarry, she was enjoying the feelings of her prey.

Still, I understand; I’ve had my time devouring others. That lovely mage Lavender, for example; she’s been so… sweet, so delectable. I wonder how I taste to her. Do I taste sweet like the scent of a berry? Do the leaves my hunting garb scratch against leave a taste similar to spice? Does my own flesh taste like savory meat, or a cardboard box that absorbs its flavor from all else.

Yet, I don’t get an answer to these questions yet; her stomach forcibly curls up by body, smushed together by, once again, a potential tyrannical queen of the noble dragons.

Yes, she’s a tyrant; she’s someone who would burn down the world to protect her love. She might be selfish, but what does that make me? A princess who cares not for her kingdom, but the thrill of the hunt? I’m just as evil as her.

And if evil must be contained, then this is as acceptable a form as any other. 

A force presses into my stomach; a slender tail from the outside coils around her stomach, seeming to bind me in place. “Wow,” Aaloa gasps, again stroking her stomach with clawed arms, prodding at bits near and above my head. “So spicy, so elegant, so sweet… so many things, so little time,” she rasps, the heat rising as her flame sac burns. “I want to throw you up only to swallow you again and again, feeling all of you against my-”

“Yes,” I say, rolling my eyes and giggling. “You say this every time. Though, I’m guessing you’re not solely here for your own interests, right?” I respond, prodding against her own stomach.

“Of course, that Lavender really wants you back.” I hear the air roar as we begin flying, the wind swishing past as Aaloa glides through the air. Her own stomach shakes a bit, leaving me grumbling and aching as I shake around. “I don’t get it, and…”

She pauses.

For an uncomfortable amount of time, she goes silent, seeming to slow down.

“Aaloa?”

“Is that a bird-MMPH!” We stop in place as I careen towards her side, crashing against her spine.

“AALOA!” I complain, looking up only to see the most bizarre sight;

A goose honking and squeezing itself inside, crying out at the darkness my pale yellow eyes have already adjusted to. 

“Haah, sorry,” I apologize before pulling my own tail out from under my clothes. I twirl it around before throwing it around the bird of prey, quickly wrapping against it. Its beak shuts in place, leaving it open as the tip of my tail opens up. With one quick movement, the bird joins my tail, now bound and unable to twist and injure itself by crashing around. “Whew. Now, Aaloa?”

“It’s not my fault a flock of birds flew into me! Honestly, your kingdom needs to implement a birdwatch. Maybe that should be your next policy.”

“People are starving.” 

“So what does that have to do with me? I’m not starving!”

Oh my god, why is she like this again? “Aaloa, I-”

“Relax, I’m just kidding. I told you I’d work towards understanding your dreams, I meant it. Even if I’m not sure why you’d want to abolish this comfortable hierarchy.”

“...It’s a prison for all of us,” I answer. “And I’m at least going to help set up the kegs so we can burn it all to the ground.”

“Alright, not like I have anything against arson, but do you mean that metaphorically or literally?”

…

“Hey, I need an answer, my plans will change otherwise! Because I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a woman.”

“We’ll just have to see,” I sigh. “Depends on how that noble decides he wants to vote on wealth distribution.”

“Can we-”