“So you’re an Oni Demon?”

“An Ogre. You know… grab your torches and pitchforks?”

We chuckled at the movie reference as we walked back towards the clan hall. Bray had thankfully covered up using strips of leather taken from the other Ogre Demon’s loin cloth, and the dick jokes stopped shortly afterwards. Bray’s new form stood well over 15 feet tall and even standing next to Nialla in her giant tiger form he towered over everyone. After I reset my Power Limiter, I flapped upwards weakly and landed on Bray’s huge shoulder. I yawned loudly and leaned my head against him as we walked.

“You doin’ good up there, boss?”

I yawned again and nodded.

“Yeah. That fight at the end took a lot out of me, and resetting the Limiter always makes me feel super weak for a bit.”

“The fact that you were able to block that thing’s attack and still not go flying like I did even with your limiter in place is just crazy to me. I may be the size of a small building, but compared to you I’m still the same weak warrior you beat in a duel without attacking.”

“Nah… you have a massive red dick now. That has to count for something.”

He snorted and laughed loudly.

“In all seriousness, Bray, you’re not weak. You were a badass even before you gained that form. I mean… I didn’t call you wrecking ball Bray for nothing… remember?”

He looked pensive for a moment and smirked at me.

“I’m not sure we can pull off a Super Fag Attack again now that I’m like three times your size. And wipe that grin off your face you know I’m not talking about my dick. God, you’re getting as bad as Blaine.”

I chuckled and sighed softly before looking down at the rest of my clan. Emelia caught my eye and she winked and blew me a kiss. Bray watched our interaction and he gave me a huge smile.

“You two really are adorable, you know. She really is a different person with you, Allie. Did she already tell you her story about Amber and Jessica?”

I pursed my lips and nodded.

“Yeah, what she didn’t tell you was how badly it affected her. She withdrew into herself and started to hide the bubbly fun-loving person she really was. Amber made her scared to be who she really is and made her convinced being gay was bad. Jessica got her twisted up with what she really wanted and made her doubt she was good enough to accomplish anything. She always managed to push forward, but each little thing seemed to chip away at her. Until you. The last time I saw her smile like she has been smiling lately was back in high school before all the Amber bullshit. You really do bring out the best in her, Allie. Take it from someone who has seen her lows and been the shoulder she cried on. She really is happy with you and she really does love you with her whole heart.”

My demon body stifled the tears welling up in my eyes but I still felt my heart swell as Bray told me how much he saw that Emily loved me.

“And I love her with everything I am. She means the world to me, Bray. So much so that I quit my job to move up here to be with her.”

“Whoa, seriously? Are you going to move into the dorms until she graduates?”

I really didn’t want to have the conversation about my wealth, especially considering that the majority of our group was demons who could almost certainly hear everything being said.

“No, I’m looking for a place up here in Boulder.”

“I’m sure everyone else has told you that you’re crazy for getting engaged in the short time you’ve known each other, but I will be the first to disagree. When you find a love like what you and her share, you grab hold of it and never let go.”

“What about you and Spencer? Are you two going to get married?”

“Right now he and I are focused on finishing school and getting a job. See, unlike the others, I still have another year to go until I earn my Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine.”

“Wait… so you’re gonna be Doctor Bray?”

“Fuck yeah I am. And I’m definitely gonna be the type that corrects people when they call me Mister.”

“Ugh… that’s the worst. I could see you doing that.”

“Yeah…Anyways… Right now he and I are focused on our dream jobs. And I love him for that. He knows that I have wanted this for so long, and I know how much his degree means to him. But that’s what’s right for us. You and Emily have to find what’s right for you. And if getting married in less than 2 weeks of knowing each other is right for you, then I’m all for it.”

“Underneath all that snark is a very wise man, Braylon.”

“Shhhhh… don’t tell anyone. I do have a reputation to uphold.”

We both laughed softly before Bray’s face took on a serious look.

“Can I ask you a really personal question, Allie?”

“Of course. You’re basically my future brother-in-law, so you’re entitled to one or two personal questions.”

“What’s your dream job?”

Oh shit. That was way out of left field and caught me way off guard. I pursed my lips and shook my head.

“I honestly don’t know. While working at the hardware store has its perks, it never felt like something I actually dreamed about doing. I sorta just fell into it and stuck with it. If I had to pick something… it’d be something like working in an LGBT+ owned and operated business.”

“What kind of business?”

I thought for a moment and then recalled something me and Zoe had talked about a few years ago.

“It wouldn’t actually be a single business, actually. I would love to be a part of something like a group of businesses that were all LGBT+ owned. Like, if you need an electrician, or a plumber, or a hairdresser, or… I don’t know…”

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“A veterinarian?”

“Yeah. I think having a resource like that would be amazing for people who are struggling to find help.”

“Would you want to run something like that?”

My first response would have been a resounding no, but the more I considered it, the more I realized it didn’t sound like a terrible idea. I already had management experience, and I wasn’t one to shy away from the responsibility that being in charge brought. I certainly had the resources to at least start something, unlike most who start their own business. The more I thought about being in charge of something like that, the more the idea stuck with me.

“Yeah. Yeah, I think I would. I’m not really sure where to start though. And it’s one thing to talk about wanting to do something and a whole other beast to actually do it.”

“True. Have you told Emily about this?”

I laughed softly through my nose and Bray cocked his eyebrow in confusion.

“You don’t realize how sensitive demon hearing is, do you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Anyone over there care to demonstrate?”

After a few seconds I heard several laughs from the group walking to the far left of us.

“Awww… I was wondering how much you guys were going to let us eavesdrop on. It was cute listening to you two going on about stuff.”

Bray’s eyes went wide and he pressed his hand to his head in a classic facepalm.

“I would have mentioned it sooner, but I forgot it’s all new to you.”

“Here I was thinking you and I were having a private conversation…”

“If it’s any consolation, everything they heard was super sweet and nothing to be embarrassed about.”

He sighed loudly and gave me the side-eye. We walked in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again.

“Any word from Jade or Tifa?”

I checked my messages and shook my head.

“Not yet. But I’m hoping that the reason they both went offline is a good thing… especially how things ended back in the clan hall.”

“My system is telling me I have to log out soon to eat. Maybe we’ll catch them out of the game.”

Part of me hoped he was right, while the other part of me wanted to leave them be. While I wanted to know what the two were doing, I was also concerned about Tiffany’s fragile state after having just come out to everyone. I tried to ignore the sinking feeling in my chest and instead focused on what to do later.

“Hey Em, what are we gonna do for dinner tonight?”

I heard her ask the others who couldn’t hear us and Spencer suggested driving to a sandwich shop and then coming back to the dorms to play a bit more. Bray nodded his head in agreement, and as we figured out the ride situation the clan castle came into view. As the entrance came within sight, I could see two people sitting on the steps that led in. When we were close enough, I saw it was Tesrif and Judas talking quietly. The pair saw our group and rose to their feet. Even from this distance I could see the look of intense guilt and shame written all over Tesrif’s face. Once we were within earshot I told everyone to head on in and I motioned for Tesrif to join me. She walked over slowly, dragging her feet and casting her eyes downwards. She stopped a few feet in front of me but stood silent, waiting for me to say something.

“Tesrif. I’m glad to see you.”

She nodded but didn’t make eye contact.

“Look at me.”

I spoke the words in a demanding tone but didn’t put the force behind them to make her compelled to obey. She raised her head slightly and barely managed to meet my eye before looking downwards again. I sighed loudly and moved closer to her.

“Please don’t make me order you to do it. Cause I will.”

Slowly, her eyes drifted upwards and she looked at me. I took another step forward and realized that even on my tiptoes I couldn’t reach her face. Instead of making her stoop so I could touch her, I shifted to my Avatar of Corruption form and reached my arm up and gently stroked her face. She flinched from my touch, but didn’t pull away.

“Tesrif. I’m going to tell you something, and I need you to hear it and accept it. Do you understand?”

I did use a little bit of whatever allowed me to compel her to get her to accept what I was saying and she nodded her head once.

“I am not mad at you. I am not upset at you. I do not blame you. And finally, I am absolutely not holding you responsible for any of it.”

She stood silently, processing what I had just said.

“Furthermore, other than dropping me on the floor I actually enjoyed having sex with you.”

Her eyebrows rose in shock and then fell as she tried her best to hide her emotion.

“Let me ask you a question. While you were an angel, did you enjoy fucking me?”

She blinked rapidly, and I could tell she wanted to answer but was afraid to do so.

“Please tell me, I don’t want to have to order you to do it. And don’t just nod or shake your head. Use your words.”

“Yes. I did. A lot. In that moment I felt a small piece of what it was like to be close to someone. I felt… good. But that wasn’t really me. That was-”

I placed a finger on her lips and shook my head.

“I know. I know you never would have done that had that evil bitch not done what she did. But the fact remains she did, and you did. The only way to move forward is to accept that regardless of the circumstances, it happened. And given how things turned out, I’m glad it did.”

“But what if it-”

“Dwelling on what could have happened is pointless. It could have gone a million different ways. You could have ‘purified’ me. All of us could have been converted to angels and we’d be forced to either convert or kill our clan mates. All of us could have died when my temper took over and I started blowing everything up. So many different things could have happened all with different outcomes. But… at the end of the day… it doesn’t matter. What matters is what did happen. Understand?”

She nodded and I saw the corners of her lips start to pull upwards into a smile. She looked on the verge of tears, but I could tell just how relieved she was feeling by the way she was holding herself.

“Tesrif, can I ask you for something?”

“Anything, My Lady. My life is-”

“I don’t want you to do this out of any sense of duty or because you think you owe me. I want you to do it because you want to.”

She thought for a moment and then nodded.

“I do want to. Whatever it is.”

I laughed softly and shook my head.

“That’s not really how it works, but I guess it’ll do. I want you to give me a hug.”

Her eyes went wide and she looked taken aback for a couple of seconds before a huge grin spread across her face.

“I’d like that. A lot.”

She reached down and pulled me into her stiffly and I wrapped my arms around the tall warrior woman and held her against me. After a moment I pulled away and could see the look of immense happiness on the blue haired woman's face. As her smile faded softly into a more stoic one she stood back and held her arm against her chest in a salute. She suddenly dropped to one knee as she drew the huge sword on her back and then rested the hilt and flat of the blade in her hands and held it up to me with her head bowed.

"Lady Allexus, I am rededicating myself to you now and forever more. I am honored to have you as my Overlord and only hope that I can continue to serve and protect you in a way that brings glory to your name."

While the outward expression of loyalty through servitude made me personally uncomfortable, I knew how much this meant to Tesrif. I took hold of the Two-Handed grip on her sword and lifted it into the air. I held it aloft for a few seconds before adopting a more authoritative pose and placed my other hand on Tesrif's shoulder.

"Tesrif, I accept you into my service and am honored to have you as my general once again. In recognition of this moment, I hereby grant you the title of Maiden of Iron. Rise Maiden of Iron, General of the armies of the Lost and the Damned."

As she rose to her feet I held the sword out to her in the same way she had. She took the sword, bowed her head, and sheathed it on her back. I could see an immense pride on her face as she looked down at me and when I smiled at her she beamed back at me. I pulled her into another tight hug and she happily accepted it.

"Thank you, Lady Allexus."

"The pleasure is all mine, Tesrif."