[February 9th TST/October 2nd DBT]
'This is a lot of people...' noted Vahn, looking over the list of those who had expressed an interest in the five-year training mission scheduled for that weekend. Wendy, Carla, and Fran had agreed to accompany Bonney, and through them, word had naturally spread to Fairy Tail, the Kingdom of Fiore, the youth troupe, and many others.
With the Dragon's Pavilion having become fairly well-known throughout Earthland, the Kingdom of Fiore and the Magic Council had been vying to expand and, more importantly, compete with Fairy Tail's influence abroad. As such, twenty-seven Guild-affiliated Mages, two representatives of the Magic Council, ten Holy Knights, and, most notably, the Crown Princess of the Fiore Kingdom, Hisui E. Fiore, were among those who had volunteered for the five-year training mission.
'Reason for volunteering...to become stronger and strengthen ties with the Dragon's Pavilion...' read Vahn, pulling up Hisui's file to find a young woman with light green hair fixed into a spiky ponytail, intelligent green eyes, and a petite build with modest but well-shaped breasts, a slender waist, tight hips, and soft-looking thighs.
'I certainly wouldn't mind strengthening ties with her...' thought Vahn, prompting Sis to hum (I'm certain the thought has crossed her mind...) in a playful, amused tone.
'Mmn...maybe if I weren't already involved with so many other women from her world...' responded Vahn, contending, 'Her status as Crown Princess and future Queen of Fiore would complicate things even more than they already are...'
(On that note, Lucy and Carla will have five years to spend with Natsu and Happy, respectively) noted Sis. (*If things had continued along their current course, I estimated the odds of Lucy sleeping with you before the next Tower cycle to be 74.29%. Being one of the few girls in her circle who hasn't slept with you isn't easy.*)
'That would be ideal...' affirmed Vahn, the image of Carla's human form appearing in his mind as he added, 'Though, considering Carla shunned Happy's affections to the end of the series, I'm not sure how things will work between them. In my memories, I recall him entering a relationship with a separate Exceed named Touka.'
(Five years is nearly as long as Happy and Carla have been alive,) noted Sis. (And with several boys near their age entering the Room of Spirit and Time, even Bonney and Wendy could return with boyfriends. Girls are very fickle at their age.)
'One can hope...' sighed Vahn, closing his eyes and exhaling audibly from his nose. He wouldn't stop Bonney, Wendy, Rico, and others from setting him as their goal, but as much as he relished having a harem, he believed monogamy was the healthiest form of a relationship. He would do his best to provide for and make them happy, but if they found someone willing to dedicate their everything to them, he believed they would be happier and freer in the long run.
(That isn't necessarily the case, Vahn) said Sis, catching Vahn a little off guard before she explained (From what I've observed across more than a thousand worlds, romance isn't nearly as important to people as a sense of community. Passion is a flame that requires persistent care to maintain, so while people may feel that their partner is their entire world when they first fall in love, such sentiments inevitably fade, replaced by comfort and, ultimately, monotony. What keeps people together past that is usually the life they've built together and the expectations of their family, friends, and community.)
"Passion wanes but purpose endures..." muttered Vahn, recalling a quote from a text written by a seven-million-year-old cultivator. He occasionally read such texts and memoirs to prepare himself for the functional eternity ahead of him, so while it was more clinical than he liked to view the world, he could understand Sis's perspective.
(Well said) affirmed Sis. (*That's why, while it's okay to hope for other people's happiness, you shouldn't assume someone would be happier in a monogamous relationship. You might not feel you dedicate sufficient time and energy to your relationships, but your relationships work because the members of your harem are either self-sufficient or regard themselves as part of something far greater than their individual wants or desires. That's why women like Xenovia, Erza, and others can volunteer for this five-year training mission without hesitation. They don't simply wish to be loved by you—they wish to be useful.*)
'Yeah, I know...' responded Vahn, his expression listless as he exhaled another sigh. He also harbored a strong desire to be useful to those he cared about, so he could empathize with what Sis was saying. However, when others wanted to be useful to him, he couldn't help but feel he was taking advantage of them. And since they likewise became flustered if he rewarded more than they believed they deserved, it seemed to be one of life's many idiosyncrasies...
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After approving most of the training mission applications, Vahn, partially spurred by Sis's calculation, reached out to Erza, inviting her and anyone willing to accompany her to a lounge party. This was similar to the parties hosted by Venalana at least once between Tower cycles, but participation was typically limited to those in the original invitee's social circle, keeping things comparably manageable.
While waiting for the Fairy Tail girls' arrival in a darkened lounge adorned with velvet lounge beds in place of sofas, thick purple carpets, yellow rim lighting, and a large aquarium taking up an entire wall, Vahn, relaxing in a pair of form-fitting black briefs and modeling large, dark brown and very real rabbit ears, decided to check on how things were developing in the world of One Piece. The Revolutionary Army had made contact with Vegapunk through Kuma, so the apple-headed man's recently completed satellites were among those participating in the five-year training mission alongside the liberated Seraphim.
Unsurprisingly, the inexplicable disappearance of their greatest scientific mind and a series of biomechanical superweapons meant to replace their reliance on the Shichibukai had the World Government and the Marines in a frenzy. In response, they dispatched God's Knights and a fleet of thirty warships to Egghead Island, but all they discovered upon their arrival was empty sea as the entire island had been relocated at Vegapunk's request.
vwoom
Interrupting Vahn's prying, a pair of elaborate silver doors with a distinct, many-winged fairy motif appeared at the room's center before opening to allow warm light to stream out. The theme of the lounge party was bunny boys and girls, so Vahn's brows immediately shot up, a smile adorning his face as the first to emerge from the door was Levy, sheepishly modeling a a pale orange bunny girl costume with long coat tails, white cuffs, a white collar with a pale orange ribbon, similar orange and white bunny ears, and a fluffy white tail.
"This day just became burned into my memory..." remarked Vahn, causing the already blushing Levy to glow to the tips of her ears as she reached up to massage her cheeks and made way for those behind her. Emerging after her were the functionally identical Mira and Jane, modeling matching black bunny girl outfits with fluffy white trim, cuffs, and collars with black fishnet leggings and heels. Their bunny ears were the same white as their hair, and though it wasn't necessary, their collars were adorned with black letters, MM and JJ, to prevent people from confusing them.
"We have arrived at Goshujin-sama's request~" hummed Mira and Jane, striking a pose with their breasts and lower abdomen pressed together, one hand holding each other's waist and the other extended to Vahn as they adopted identical smiles.
"I'm pretty close to arriving myself..." hummed Vahn, prompting the two beauties to giggle in concert before separating to reveal Lisanna behind them, standing with her chest puffed out, face flushed, and hands on her hips. Like him, the bunny ears atop her head and the tail protruding from her lower back were real, but in place of the tight shorts and sweater-like top she typically wore while transformed into a rabbit via her Animal Soul Magic, she wore a pale pink, nearly white bikini bottoms and a form-fitting crop top that left her abdomen and shoulders exposed. At a glance, she also appeared to be wearing pink-padded, pale pink boots and gloves, but those were her actual hands and feet while transformed.
"I'm here...!" exclaimed Lisanna, a bead of sweat adorning the left side of her face. It wasn't her first time partaking in such an event, but since she would be participating in the training for at least a year or two, she wasn't there merely to observe.
"This day just keeps getting better..." hummed Vahn, unabashedly eyeing Lisanna's body as her sisters approached and naturally flanked him on the velvety lounge. Their forwardness caused Levy to startle, but only briefly before she hastily made her way over to secure his lap, prompting Vahn to snake his hands around to the front of her body and whisper, "You're cute when you're flustered..." directly into her left ear.
"T-Today isn't about me..." muttered Levy, her body already covered in a thin layer of sweat, and the muscles in her abdomen tightening as Vahn cupped it with his palms and gently undulated his fingers.
"So you say, but look at where you decided to perch," remarked Lisanna, crossing her arms and adopting a slightly pouty expression as she made way for the final participants in their get-together, Erza, Cana, and Lucy, modeling black, red, and pale blue bunny suits with color-coded ribbons and heels, white ears, white collars, white cuffs, sheer black leggings, and fluffy white tails.
As Vahn's gaze naturally shifted to Lucy, avoiding his gaze with a sweaty, flushed expression, Cana looked around and asked, "Where's the bar?" in her usual casual tone.
"Shouldn't you at least offer a greeting before asking such a question...?" asked Erza, her tone disapproving as she crossed her arms, intentionally accentuating her breasts for Vahn's benefit.
"It's to your left..." answered Vahn, gesturing with his chin at a series of low, fully stocked shelves with orange back lights, highlighting the many glass bottles on display. He understood where Erza was coming from, but as he wasn't particularly bothered by Cana's frank behavior, he wanted to preserve the tense but pleasant atmosphere.
Seeing the many varieties of alcohol on display, Cana's dark purple eyes gleamed before she naturally made her way over to them. Vahn followed her with his gaze, his eyes drawn to her fluffy tail and notably round and full bottom, but only briefly. Cana joining the fun was a coin flip that often landed on tails, and Levy's words, Lisanna's reaction, and Lucy's sheepish avoiding of his gaze filled him with anticipation.
"That woman...seriously..." sighed Erza, closing her eyes and shaking her head before opening them to meet Vahn's gaze with a beaming smile, her eyes glistening as she remarked, "That outfit...bunny ears suit you well..."
"I could say the same about each of you, but words alone could never express how captivating and beautiful each of you looks," hummed Vahn, grabbing Levy's sides and lifting her as if she weighed nothing to kiss her neck and shoulder.
"Hauuuuuuu~" cried Levy, closing her eyes tightly and trembling as she instinctively tucked in her arms and legs like a tiny animal. He was half-tempted to flip her over and dig his mouth and nose into her crotch, but since everyone had just arrived, he instead placed her on his shoulders, causing her to exhale a sigh of relief as he held her ankles and proposed, "Shall we make ourselves comfortable and put on a movie...?"
"Bzzt, wrong," answered Lisanna, crossing her arms to form an X as she asserted, "I at least came here for one reason, and one reason alone. Lie down, bunny boy. It's bouncing time."
"There's really no need to rush things," stated Vahn, his expression and tone gaining a smoldering quality as he appended, "On the other hand, it would be exceedingly foolish of me to refrain when a beautiful woman is telling me to lie on my back..."
Controlling his movements with machine-like precision, Vahn leaned back with Levy still on his shoulders. The petite, blue-haired Mage was initially surprised by this, but instead of separating from him once he was fully on his back, she touched his face with the tips of his fingers and resolved to play the part of his pillow, finding that she enjoyed the weight of his head and neck reclining against her most sensitive spot.
"Oh? Now that's an interesting position..." noted Lisanna, her expression playful as she crossed her left arm under her large, nearly 93cm breasts, cupped her chin with her right index finger and thumb, and offered, "How about we spice things up by having Levy cover your eyes with her hands? I've read that having your eyes and ears covered increases the sensitivity of erogenous zones, and to be honest, your current appearance looks like it was made to be bullied..."
"It is quite cute..." affirmed Jane, her blue eyes glistening as she ran her fingers through Vahn's thick but silky brown hair before tentatively tracing them along the sensitive, pale pink interior of his rabbit ears.
"Then, just for today, feel free to bully me as you please..." hummed Vahn, closing his eyes and smiling as, through his Domain, he saw Lisanna meet Lucy's gaze and gesture toward him with her head. The buxom, pig-tailed blonde initially shook her head intensely at this, but after seeing Erza give her a thumbs up and noticing everyone was staring at her with supportive smiles, she eventually bit her bottom lip, stole a glance at Vahn's towering bulge, and tentatively approached to straddle his shins and free it from its confines. Then, swallowing hard, she combed back the bangs framing the right side of her face, lowered her head, and closed her eyes...
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