“W-Where are we going?” Mia asked, walking at my side as I led her and Zoe for our date.

  “Somewhere peaceful where we can talk and eat something I prepared,” I replied.

  “You can cook?” Mia asked, sounding surprised.

  “Don’t expect anything amazing,” I replied, chuckling. “A few simple things I prepared with what I found in the kitchen.”

  After leaving Ortas, I directed us toward the forest where I had been training my mana skills. While I had been looking for a pce, I had spotted a small meadow, and I hoped it would be a good spot for a date.

  The walk there was short, and fortunately, I managed to find it. Surrounded by trees, it was just a patch of grass and scarce flowers.

  “Here,” I said, letting go of Zoe’s hand and opening my bag. “We will have a picnic.” I pulled out a bnket I had taken from Sage’s house, and with both women’s help, we set up everything. Not that there was a lot to prepare, as I put the bag in the middle and we sat around it in a small triangle.

  I was really gd that Zoe was wearing underwear, because as she sat cross-legged next to me, I could see her crotch very clearly. If not for her underwear, it would be really hard to focus on anything else.

  I unpacked food from the bag - sandwiches, sliced fruits, and something to drink. It wasn't much, but there weren’t many things in the kitchen.

  “I was wondering,” I said to start a conversation when we were settled. “Why do you have your bunny ears even in your human form? I mean, Mari has her ears and tail, Zoe has her tail, you have your ears, but Azura doesn’t have a tail, for example. Why?”

  “Oh… I don't know,” Mia replied, her ears twitching slightly when she thought about them.

  “Can you hide them?” I asked.

  “No,” she replied. “They are just part of me.”

  “I don't know either,” Zoe replied when I looked at her. “We are just born this way.”

  “It makes you special,” I said, causing both of them to blush, which was amusing. “I don't really know a lot about you,” I continued, looking at Mia. “Do you have any pns for your future? Who do you want to become?”

  “I don't know,” Mia murmured. “I didn't have any pns, and it doesn't matter anymore.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m a sve now,” Mia shrugged.

  “Only for some time,” I replied. “Until we pay back the loan.”

  “Are you really going to free us?”

  “Yes. But you don't need to wait till you are free if you want to do something.”

  “I don't know what I want to do,” Mia replied.

  “You don't need to know. You are young and have a lot of time. You can test things out and see what you like.”

  Mia nodded with a thoughtful expression, but I could see a little bit of worry there too.

  “You will figure it out,” I added. “Terra will help you. I will help you if you want. At your age, I was completely lost, without any idea what to do.”

  “And what did you do?” Mia asked.

  “I found a job that fit what I was good at. It didn't pay really well at first, but it was enough to live. And I started from that. I learned new things, and somehow everything was moving forward. A step at a time.”

  “I’m not good at anything,” Mia murmured.

  “I’m sure you are good at something. But even if not, you just need to like doing something, and then get good at it,” I said. “What were you doing before you turned eighteen?”

  “Mostly just cleaning and cooking when our… when the people who adopted me and Terra were working.”

  “Do you like cooking?”

  “I guess.”

  “You can look for a job as a cook,” I replied. “Or there’s always an option to fall in love, marry that man, and raise little bunnies with him. Maybe you will find it fulfilling, and you’re cute enough to not have a problem finding someone interested,” I said with a smile, watching as she turned more red with every next word.

  “H-How did you two meet?” Mia asked after a moment of silence, clearly wanting to change the topic from herself.

  “I lived far away. Very far away. I made a deal with someone from around here, and… then I just woke up in a forest at the border of Liraveth. Naked, without anything. But fortunately, Zoe was there.”

  “Without anything?” Mia repeated. “W-What did you do?”

  “Zoe gave me food and clothes. I… We took care of each other’s needs…”

  “You… You drink his blood?” Mia muttered, looking with her big brown eyes at Zoe.

  “No!” Zoe protested. “I mean, not anymore. And it was only a few times at the beginning, when I had trouble controlling my urges around him.”

  “You still have,” I added with a smirk.

  “Tobias,” Zoe murmured, with her cheeks blushing.

  I looked at her, a bit surprised she used my name. I wasn't sure if it was because we were on a date and it seemed more romantic and like being in a retionship to use my name, or if it was because Mia was with us.

  “W-Weren’t you scared?” Mia asked.

  “Of a cute girl like her?” I asked. “Not really.”

  “Do you miss the pce where you come from?” Zoe asked, this time she wanted to change the topic.

  “Some parts of it,” I replied. “Food and convenient aspects of living there. But I was alone there. Not long before I came here, I was betrayed by someone who I thought was my family.”

  “I’m sorry,” Mia muttered.

  “My life now is much better,” I said, smiling at both of them.

  “How long have you known each other?” Mia asked.

  “Eighteen days,” I replied.

  “So short?” Mia asked. “You seem really… close.”

  “Those were really special days,” I said, reaching to grab and squeeze Zoe’s hand.

  “That’s why you don't have money,” Mia said. “But you already have five sves and a house to live in.”

  “Yeah, somehow it just happened,” I said, and then proceeded to tell how we traveled from Zoe’s cave to our first city, how we met Tori and Azura, how I bought Mari, came to Ortas, and met with Amber. I summarized my eighteen days in this world, and it didn't take that long when I needed to skip all the sex and things that would reveal I have a css or that I work for Gemma. Mia was listening attentively the whole time, with Zoe only adding something from time to time.

  “You made more friends in three weeks than I have in my whole life,” Mia said when I reached the point of our meeting and finished the story.

  “Yeah, those were intense three weeks. And you are part of it,” I added. “You made new friends too.”

  Mia nodded, but before any of us could say anything else, Peri decided it was time for her feeding.

  “What’s that?” Mia asked, slightly moving away when she spotted the green goo sliding over my arm to the palm of my hand.

  “It’s Peri,” I replied. I hadn’t mentioned her at all during my story, and perhaps that was why she showed up - to remind me of her existence and that she was one more friend. If I could even call her a friend. “In the b where Azura’s mother was held, Peri was kept in a gss container. When they were escaping, they broke it, and Peri attached herself to Hannah before ter moving to me.”

  “What… is she?” Mia asked.

  “A slime. I don't know a lot about her. She doesn't know a lot about her species either. But she’s growing and tely became communicative. She can understand what we say.”

  The slime moved left and right as if waving hello. Or maybe she just wanted food. The problem was that I needed to summon mana, and I didn't even know what css Mia had and if she could sense mana.

  “It’s… like a pet?” Mia asked.

  “Ugh… I don't think so. I believe she will grow to be a person, so she’s like a baby right now.”

  Peri moved further away from me in the palm of my hand. I wasn't sure if she was trying to communicate that she doesn't know either or if she just wanted to get a better look at Mia. Could she even take a better look if she didn't have eyes? She was able to see in some way, but maybe she was just sensing mana around, and that was why she stuck to me, sensing I have the most.

  “C-Can I touch her?” Mia asked, leaning a bit closer to the slime.

  ‘Yes,’ Peri replied, moving to the left, but Mia didn't understand that.

  “We are communicating in a way. Moving to my left means yes, to the right means no. And away from me means I don't know. She agreed,” I added, reaching my hand closer to the bunny girl.

  She reached out one finger to tap the slime, which jiggled. Then she snapped her hand back as if she was burned.

  “It’s so weird,” Mia whispered.

  Peri moved in circles as Mia watched with interest on her face.

  “Do you want food?” Mia asked, waving her hand at the bag.

  ‘Yes.’

  “Ugh… Peri has a special diet,” I said. “I mean, you can try to give her something, maybe she will eat it,” I said, wondering if that would be the case myself.

  Mia took out a sliced apple from the bag and put a piece on my hand. Peri moved to it, her body surrounding the apple, but she didn't do anything with it before she slid off the fruit and began moving in circles again.

  “Yeah,” I said. “She doesn't eat normal food. I’ll feed her ter.” I tossed the slice of apple to the grass and looked at Mia. “I was intending to ask but forgot. What css do you have?”

  “Nothing useful,” Mia muttered. “Oh!” she gasped a little louder. “You don't know things because you are from far away.”

  “Yeah, why do you mention it now?”

  “Well… All shapeshifters have the same css. Everyone knows about it. It's a Shapeshifter,” Mia expined.

  “Right, but you could have more.”

  “It's rare to have more than one.”

  “So you have the Shapeshifter css only?” I asked, to which Mia nodded. “Level 1?” I asked, and again got a nod from her. “What skill do you have?”

  “It’s the same for all shapeshifters at Level 1. Shift,” Mia replied.

  “Right,” I replied. With new knowledge and confirmation that Mia couldn’t detect my mana, I summoned it in the palm of my hand next to Peri. She absorbed it immediately, and I realized that I should expin to her ter that I can’t feed her around people who don’t know I have mana.

  “What css do you have?” Mia asked.

  Panicking, I looked at her, worried she had somehow sensed it anyway, but obviously, she was asking Zoe.

  “Succubi are born with two csses. A Succubus, and the other one depends on the person. In my case, it’s Illusionist. And I have a Night Hunter because I’m a half-vampire.”

  “Wow…” Mia muttered. “Y-You must be like… super strong. And special.”

  “Others would say that I’m a freak of nature and a degeneration,” Zoe replied.

  “My lovely and cute freak,” I cut in, worried she was getting self-conscious about her origins again.

  “I know,” Zoe replied, cheerfully looking at me.

  All this talk about csses reminded me of another reason why I chose the meadow for the date.

  “Do you want to shift?” I asked Mia. “Into a bunny.”

  Mia hesitated, then shook her head slightly.

  “You don't like it? Azura loves to run around as a wolf. And Marcy likes to join her.”

  “I do, but… I would… my clothes,” Mia muttered so quietly I could only hear some of the words, but that and her blush were enough to understand.

  “I will turn around and won’t look. I promise.”

  “It’s… Ugh… I…”

  I waited, giving her time to say whatever was on her mind.

  “It was this one time that other kids wanted to see me in my bunny form.”

  “Yeah?” I asked, encouraging her to continue.

  “T-They turned around too, but… Then they took my clothes away. And they didn't let me return home before I turned into a human in front of them.”

  “Kids can be terrible,” I replied. “What happened?”

  “Terra came and, um… beat them. And got my clothes back.”

  “It's good to have someone to look out for each other.”

  “T-Terra always looked out for me. I didn't do anything.”

  “We wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t helped her too. She would still be on the sve market, or bought by someone else already.”

  “I had to do something,” Mia whispered.

  “And you did. You saved her.”

  Mia gave me a small nod again.

  “Do you really think I would steal your clothes?” I asked, smiling.

  “No,” Mia replied, averting her gaze.

  “You can hide them when we’re not looking,” I offered.

  “Oh…” Mia said, then looked around. “D-Do you think it's safe here?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, wondering if there was someone else around.

  “W-Wolves. Or snakes. Or bears. Or foxes.”

  “Oh, you mean animals. Zoe, can you take a look around to see if you can spot any tracks?” I asked.

  Zoe jumped to her feet immediately and ran around the edge of the meadow.

  “You don't need to worry, we are here to protect you in case something happens,” I said.

  “I-It would be nice to shift for a moment,” Mia replied.

  When Zoe made sure there weren’t any predators around, she returned to the bnket and sat next to me. I turned with my back toward Mia but then needed to pull Zoe into my p to keep her from looking too. I closed my eyes as she giggled in my embrace, and after a moment something soft brushed my back.

  When I turned around, there was a bunny sitting in front of us. She was really small. I could close her completely in both my hands. She was just a cute ball of brown fur, the same color as her hair. Even her ears had gotten much smaller when she transformed.

  She left her clothes on the bnket, in the end deciding to trust that I wouldn’t steal them.

  “Oh my god!” Zoe gasped. “You’re so cute!” She leapt toward Mia, lying on her stomach so she could take a close look at the bunny. But she jumped back, getting off the bnket and away from the succubus.

  Zoe’s skirt rose, showing me her ass completely, and I couldn't help myself as I spanked her. My hand remained on her ass cheek, groping it, as I watched Mia. She looked at us for a moment before she hopped back closer.

  “Sorry that I scared you,” Zoe whispered, as her tail wrapped around my wrist holding my hand at her ass.

  Mia moved even closer, twitching her small nose in the cute way bunnies do. She hesitated a few times, hopping forward until she was only inches from Zoe’s face. The succubus reached out a hand, and Mia slowly stepped closer, letting herself be petted.

  Zoe rubbed her body gently, her pale fingers brushing the brown fur. When Mia looked at me, I reached my hand toward her too. She moved until I was touching her. It felt a bit weird to pet Mia in her animal form, but she clearly wanted that.

  I rubbed her body and her long ears, and for some reason I had the impression she really liked it. She was turning her head, showing me where to rub, and at some point, her small bck eyes nded on my hand on Zoe’s ass.

  I petted her for a moment longer while groping Zoe’s ass, which Mia watched with interest. But then the bunny hopped out of my reach to the edge of the bnket. She sniffed the air, checking if there was anything dangerous around, before she began jumping in the grass.

  At first she seemed hesitant, making just one jump before she would stop and watch. But after a few hops, she rexed, exploring the meadow around as we watched her with Zoe.

  Mia didn’t move far from the bnket as she wandered around, sniffing the grass and flowers. But when something moved in the forest, like a bird suddenly taking off, the sound broke the silence, and Mia immediately rushed back to the bnket, jumping straight between me and Zoe and hiding between our legs.

  “All good,” I murmured, brushing her soft brown fur again.

  Zoe unwrapped her tail from my wrist and brought the tip to Mia, petting her with it.

  “Ough!” Zoe gasped, pulling her tail away suddenly. “She bit me.”

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah, she just surprised me,” Zoe said. “Didn't take her for a biting type,” she added with a smirk.

  I really hoped that Mia wasn’t going to bite me like Zoe had, but without vampire fangs, at least it shouldn't hurt as much.

  Mia lowered her ears along her body as she moved to Zoe’s neck, where she began rubbing her snout against the succubus’s skin.

  “Oh, okay, okay. I’m not mad,” Zoe giggled. “That tickles.”

  Mia hopped away again, looking around before she left the bnket. She took a few more minutes exploring the grass around, just moving in circles, before she returned to lie close to us.

  “You are really cute,” I said, reaching to brush her fur. It took a few more minutes of petting before she hopped out of my reach and stopped at her clothes.

  “Do you want to shift back?” I asked.

  She made a jump to the left, copying the way Peri was communicating with me.

  “And you want us to turn around?” I teased.

  She made two hops to the left, giving me her firm answer. Smiling, I turned around, pulling Zoe to do the same.

  “I’m done,” Mia said after changing and putting her clothes on. She was again in her shorts and shirt but was holding her red bows in her hands.

  “Let me,” Zoe said immediately, shifting closer and taking them from her hands before she tied them around Mia’s ears again.

  “S-S-Sorry,” Mia stammered. “That I bit you. I don't know what came over me.”

  “It’s okay,” Zoe replied. “I like to bite from time to time too,” she added, showing off her fangs in a wide smile.

  Mia’s eyes widened seeing that, before she realized that Zoe was teasing her, and she blushed, averting her eyes. She was amazingly adorable with her shy behavior.

  “Did you like it?” I asked.

  “I-I knew I would like it,” Mia muttered. “Back in Atranth, Terra and I sometimes went to the forest or the beach so I could change. It’s just… tely there hasn't been any occasion, and I… I’m very small and feel scared when I turn. But it was okay with you here. Thank you.”

  “No problem. We can repeat that if you want.”

  Mia nodded eagerly.

  “Do you want to head back?” I asked. Maybe it wasn’t the longest date ever and we didn't do anything amazing, but we spent some time together and got to know each other better.

  After both women agreed, we packed the bnket and headed together back toward Ortas.

  The date was pretty casual and rexing. Just slowing down for a moment, not fighting, training, or fucking. Just eating and talking. And watching Mia explore a small piece of meadow like it was a vast world.