Succubi - Ch.10 - Wistful (Patreon)

That night we heated up a frozen pizza for dinner, but I still wasn't hungry so I passed on the food. I drank some water and sat with my girlfriends while they ate, and we all complained about having to get back into our normal routines again next week. After dinner Melissa and Susan decided to stream a movie, but I told them I needed to talk with Lily for a bit. 

I went into my bedroom and closed the door then lay down and got comfortable on my bed. I asked softly, "Lily may I come in and see you?"

"Of course Mara," she replied. "You don't normally ask permission, is something wrong?"

Before replying I closed my eyes and did the 'step back' thing so I was there with her in the swanky apartment. Lily was lounging on her big leather sofa, and rather than disturb her I just sat cross-legged on the floor where she could see me. My tail curled up on my lap and I started idly played with it as I spoke.

"I wasn't sure if you were awake," I explained. "I didn't want to barge in while you were trying to rest or if you didn't feel up to having some company."

She smiled, "Thank you for thinking of me Mara. I am feeling better now, so what was it you wanted to discuss?"

I sighed, "There's actually a bunch of stuff? Like since we beat Verothilas, a lot of things have come up that I've been thinking about."

"Go on," Lily nodded for me to start with the questions.

"Actually the first thing isn't even related to that. You fed last night, right? While we were flying? I didn't get that big energy mood boost thing this morning. Was that because you were in your own form when you fed, instead of looking like me?"

She shook her head, "It's because you're part demon now, Mara. That's also why you haven't been eating today. Your body is now able to utilize some of the energy I take in when I feed. I'm afraid you won't be experiencing those mood and energy boosts again. Instead you'll likely feel as you did today, normal but with no appetite."

"Aw," I frowned. That was actually the first bad thing that came up since I'd become part-demon. "That's kind of sad."

Lily didn't respond to that. Instead she asked, "You had questions about Verothilas?"

"What would have happened if we'd killed her?" I asked. "You said before we did it that killing her would have been really dangerous. Now that we know what capturing her was like, I was wondering if killing her would have been better? Or worse?"

"It would have been worse," she replied without any hesitation. "Hundreds of times worse."

After a sigh she continued, "I witnessed it once, sort of. It was not far from where I made my home, near the city of Naples. In the year seventy-nine, by your modern calendar. You might ask Melissa about that if the date isn't meaningful to you. A demon was killed there, and I was near enough to witness the aftermath. If we destroyed Verothilas the energy released would have been hundreds or thousands of times stronger than what we experienced by imprisoning her. Rather than just damaging Susan's house, it probably would have levelled half the city. And despite the protection of my demonic essence, it is likely that both of your girlfriends would have died. There's also a good chance you would have been lost as well Mara."

I frowned as all that sank in. I couldn't think of anything special about that year, but I wasn't really into history stuff. Instead I focused on what she was saying about the energy.

"Trapping Verothilas let you clear three of the runes. If killing her would have given you a hundred times more energy, you could have cleared them all right? You could have freed yourself two weeks ago, instead of having to wait another ninety years."

Lily looked a little awkward and her cheeks started to grow darker as she replied "We don't know that for certain. If the energy destroyed you before I was able to use it to free myself, then I would have wound up trapped in my amulet again. Imprisonment was the safer option."

There was a smile playing at my lips as I said "I don't know Lily, it sounds to me like you didn't want to risk me and Melissa and Susan getting hurt. I'm really touched about that you know? You gave up a chance at instant freedom for us."

She blushed a little darker and replied quietly "That is clearly nonsense Mara, you're projecting your human emotions onto me again. I'm a demon, we don't have friends or relations like you do."

My smile grew wider as I replied, "It's ok Lily. I won't tell the other demons, your secret is safe with me."

Her blush grew even darker, and rather than reply she just made a "Hmph" sound.

I decided to change the subject and asked, "So that demon that you said died back in the past, was that an enemy? Did you kill them?"

Lily's expression shifted quickly, from blushy embarrassment to sadness. "No Mara. She was..."

For a moment I thought she was going to say 'a friend', before she caught herself. 

After a pause she continued, "She was an ally. She was a young demon, only just past her sixteenth century when she was destroyed."

Despite her denials, I couldn't help thinking this demon Lily was talking about must have been a friend of hers. I asked, "What was her name? Do you know what happened to her?"

She shook her head, "I don't know what happened. She made her home in the Aegean, typically she wouldn't have been in my territory. I assume she was on her way to visit me when she encountered another of our kind, who for whatever reason chose to destroy her."

I could hear the sadness in her voice as she spoke. I got up off the floor and moved to her and gave her a hug.

"I can tell this upsets you Lily," I said quietly. "I'm sorry for bringing up painful memories. We can talk about something else instead."

She didn't complain as I hugged her. She put an arm around me and hugged me back, and the two of us were sort of quiet for a few minutes.

Finally she let go of me and said in a voice that was barely above a whisper, "Her name was Amaritalizoth."

I took a step back and looked at her in surprise, "You knew her true name? How?"

Her cheeks were dark again and her expression was a mix of sadness and maybe a bit of embarrassment as she replied, "I knew her true name, because I named her."

My eyes grew wider as the implications of that sank in. I moved closer and gave Lily another hug as I said "Lily I'm so sorry. Was she your daughter?"

"Close enough," she replied with another sigh. She added, "I don't really wish to discuss demonic biology or reproduction."

I just nodded, I didn't want a science lesson anyways. I was sad for her and for making her think about this stuff. I continued hugging her as I said, "Sorry Lily, I didn't mean to make you remember painful stuff."

We were both quiet for a few more minutes, then she asked "Was there anything else Mara?"

I slowly let go of her and stepped back again, then just sat down on the floor like before. "Yeah. I was wondering, if we could find and capture another demon, then could you use the energy to get even more free? And if we did that like two or three more times, maybe you'd be able to get fully free?"

She frowned, "Just over a week ago you were fretting that my freedom would lead to your demise. Now you want to accelerate the process?"

I shrugged, "You said maybe we could figure out some new arrangement so I wouldn't have to die. And yeah, I want you to be free. Especially after last night..."

I had to force myself not to get too excited or enthusiastic as I continued, "That was so amazing Lily! Flying with you over the city and the lake! Soaring through the air, and jumping off the CN Tower and everything! And like, I realized if that was how you normally lived, then it must really, really suck for you being trapped in here. Like in this apartment, and in my body."

Lily watched as I tried not to be too enthusiastic. Her expression shifted to a slight smile though as I spoke. When I was done she replied, "First Mara, things aren't all that bad for me in here. So don't worry about me suffering or feeling trapped or unhappy. Yes, that brief taste of freedom was fun. I enjoyed it as much as you did, but it was very draining so we aren't going to repeat it. At least, not very often."

Her tone and expression became more serious as she continued, "As for your suggestion of repeating our success with Verothilas, I don't think that would be a good idea. Remember, she revealed herself to us, we didn't seek her out. She was playing games, but those games could have cost your mother's life. Yours too. And we were only able to defeat her because you and Melissa were able to use the information I provided to figure out her true name."

"Assuming we could find another demon, would you risk the lives of your family and your friends in order to challenge them? While knowing we are much weaker and more vulnerable by comparison? And without having any special knowledge or personal information about them, no clues to help discover their true names? I think that would be a recipe for disaster."

My mood dropped with each point she made, and when she was finished I sighed. "Ok, you're right. I didn't think of any of those things. I guess it's way safer if we don't get involved with any other demons at all."

Lily nodded, "That is my feeling as well."

She added, "If by some miracle we were able to successfully enact your plan, you realize how that would affect you? And your girlfriends too, if they were present? You might find yourself becoming more and more demonic, Mara. While Melissa and Susan could end up being fully transformed into succubi."

I sighed again, "Yeah. I guess that would be a problem too."

She watched me for a few more moments, then asked "Did you have any other questions Mara?"

"Just one more," I replied. "If I became part-demon because of the energy from Verothilas and because I had some of your essence in me, how come my horns and tail look exactly like they did when they were just a costume? Like why are they dark red, why are my horns shaped like they are? Why aren't they blue like yours? Or why isn't my tail white and feathery like Verothilas, since it was her energy?"

She smiled slightly, "All demons are unique. And despite being one, I'm not an expert on the subject Mara. Any more than you're an expert on human anatomy or biology. Having said that, I believe our bodies are shaped by our personalities and our desires. You enjoyed your horns and tail when they were cosmetic, you liked their colour and appearance. So when you became part-demon, your body adapted to what suited you best."

"Oh..." I was trying not to let anything else slip but Lily was watching me closely.

Her eyes narrowed, "You're holding back a smile Mara. What are you thinking?"

I blushed but grinned, "Just that if I became even more demon, maybe next I'll get wings."

She rolled her eyes, "In the unlikely event that should happen, I will leave it up to you to explain the situation to your mother. And your friends. And you can figure out what to do about your wardrobe."

"Now why don't you leave me be," she added with a smile of her own. "Go see what your girlfriends are up to, or get some rest."

"Ok Lily," I got up again and gave her another hug, then moved back to the window and out into our body. 

I didn't get up right away, I could hear Melissa and Susan were still watching something on TV. Instead I just stayed in bed for now as I thought about all the stuff I just learned from Lily.

On the one hand I was glad she wasn't upset or sad being trapped inside our body and all that. But on the other hand I was really sad about learning she had a child who was killed. That extremely sucked. Then there was the realization that Lily maybe could have freed herself but chose not to, because it might have killed me and Melissa and Susan. No matter how much she protested and said otherwise, I was positive she decided not to risk our lives because we were her friends. 

Eventually I got up and opened my door, then joined my girlfriends on the sofa. Whatever they were watching was just coming to an end, and as the credits started to roll I asked "You two are smart and good at trivia and stuff. Did anything important happen around Naples in Italy, in the year seventy-nine?"

Melissa and Sue exchanged a glance, then Sue replied "A.D. seventy-nine is when Mount Vesuvius erupted, and buried Pompeii and Herculaneum. It's one of the most famous volcanic eruptions ever."

My eyes widened as that sank in, "Oh. That's serious."

"It was a pretty big deal," Melissa agreed. "Why?"

I sighed, "I asked Lily what would have happened if we killed Verothilas instead of imprisoning her. She said a demon was killed near Naples back then. She told me you two would know what the date meant. If we killed Verothilas, maybe something like that would have happened here."

"Holy shit," Melissa stated. "I'm glad we went for plan B."