Cassandra was getting back home from her shopping, she stopped by the market and bought fresh produce for supper. She also went to the book store and got Alex a notebook, language book and she was planning on letting him borrow her encyclopedia.

They were going to go too the headquarter tomorrow to sell of all their loot and deliver the requested materials for the mission. It was the furthest they ever went into the endless forest, and the compensation for it would be a good pay day. It wasn’t everyday you could find a reaver core and crystal bloom.

Good thing reavers tended to congregate towards any type of crystals since the energy from them was their best nourishment. It was pure luck that this particular specimen was guarding the rare flower while basking in its aura.

To top it off they found Alex shortly after, it seemed like there luck had turned in this couple of months. The crew was more lively and happier than she had ever seen them.

Lyria was becoming more confident. Inara was getting cracks in her mask. While Nyla was her usual boisterous self, she wasn’t obsessed with using her giant strength technique for cosmetics anymore.

Yet she couldn’t help but worry, with so many good things happening at the same time. It almost felt like something was bound to screw them over.

Life was never this kind.

She shook her head, clearing her groundless worries.

When she got back inside she called for everyone. They only had four rooms and it was clear they wanted Alex to stay.

“Okay, we need to figure out where Alex is going to sleep.”

Inara sprung up immediately.

“He can sleep in my room.”

Lyria glanced at Alex, and it looked like she wanted to say something as well.

“Lyria?”

If Cassandra didn’t encourage her she would stay completely quiet during group decisions.

“No, I was going to suggest letting him sleep in my room as well.”

Lyria talked softer for each word while her face grew increasingly red and she slowly lowered her head while barely muttering out the last part.

Cassandra could only sigh, wasn’t she getting more confident? Why is she so meek now.

“Okay so where are you going sleep Inara?”

“In my room?”

Inara shamelessly answered.

“Do you honestly think he would be okay with that?”

Cassandra could only shake her head by Inaras brazenness.

“We could ask him.”

Inara smiled before going to Alex who was trying to follow the conversation.

She pointed at him than herself before saying.

“Sleep with me?”

He looked confused for a second before his eyes shot up and he opened and closed his mouth a few time without saying anything.

“See you are taking this to far...”

Before she could finish her sentence she saw Alex meekly nod his head with a slight blush.

Inara got a relieved look on her face before a blissful smile took over.

‘Wait this is going to fast, no guy are so brazen and forward… Is he a incubus in disguise?

How else would everyone get infatuated so fast, they were already emotional about him after a single day.’

Cassandra felt like this had to be it. There wasn’t any other logical explanation for his peculiar behavior.

‘He probably found us and pretended to be hurt while in danger, so he could more easily infiltrate our group before draining us of our lifeforce.’

“Wouldn’t it be better to wait until he learns Valerian? You can sleep with me in my room while he stays in yours.”

Cassandra tried to delay the situation while she figured out the truth and her next step.

‘But the demons are supposedly stuck on the lost continent, and I barely feel any mana or power coming from him. The text back at home said that demons were extremely powerful and insidious creatures that live for pain and destruction of all life.’

“Don’t worry so much Cassandra, you saw that he agreed. I'm not going to force myself on him if he doesn't want to.”

Inara huffed at her.

‘I don’t know how to stop this. I should warn them later when he isn’t in the room.’

“It seems kinda improper, he might have misunderstood what you meant...”

She looked around the room for help with a small glimmer of hope. But it was quickly crushed when the rest of the party agreed. Nyla was looking at Inara with admiration while Lyria was glancing longingly towards Alex.

‘Damn it he even has his hooks in Lyria. What should I do? Well first I got to get him out of this room.’

Cassandra stood up from the chair and pulled out the books she bought, giving them to Alex. She looked at Nyla.

“Nyla can you show him his room. By the way this are the books I bought to help him learn Valerian. It would be nice if you could help him with them as well.”

Inara also stood up.

“Shouldn’t I bring him up to my room?”

“No, there was something else I wanted to say to you.”

Cassandra calmly stopped Inara.

Alex nodded towards her and thanked her. She felt a sliver of doubt.

‘No he is trying to get into my head as well.’

When he and Nyla left she looked seriously at Inara and Lyria.

“I think he is a incubus and is trying to drain us of our lifeforce.”

Inara gaped at her.

“Are you crazy, those are just bed time stories. Besides he doesn't have a lick of power compared to those heaven defying demons we heard about.”

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Lyria was staring at her with utter shock.

“And if he was a so called incubus, how would you know?”

Inara wasn’t taking her seriously at all.

“Well incubus drain power from sexual intercourse, they always take the guise of good looking frivolous men. So you would be greatly drained while he would be empowered if the books I read are true.”

Cassandra answered hesitantly.

Inara got her mischievous grin on her face.

“So you are saying you can detect it after he sleeps with one of us?”

“Well yes, but I wouldn’t recommend it. You would be on the brink of death if he chooses to completely drain you. And you would be helpless during the incident.”

Cassandra tried to dissuade her companion before she started laughing.

“Hahahaha. Hey Lyria, she wouldn’t recommend sleeping with Alex. Would you agree with her?”

She couldn’t understand Inaras outburst, was she that badly affected by him? Cassandra looked hopefully at Lyria, she would surely take her side.

Lyria was looking incredulously at Cassandra while her face got a deep crimson shade.

“Uhhhm, me and Alex already did it back in the dancing pig….”

She hesitantly answered after a few seconds of silence while Inara was holding her stomach from laughing.

Cassandra could only look at Lyria in muted shock, it took her a few seconds before she ran up to her and started to touch her face and feel her energies.

She was completely fine. Actually she was slightly stronger than the last time they practiced together before the mission.

“But why is he so forth coming, frivolous and eager if he isn’t a incubus?”

Inara stopped laughing while Cassandra was incapable of understanding the enigma of Alex.

“Yeah, he's different but that's the best part about him.”

Inara warmly replied.

Lyria was nodding along with Inaras statement.

“Don’t worry Cassy, good things can happen to us. We are allowed to be happy.”

Lyria said while hugging Cassandra who was still right in front of her.

“Yeah you should have seen them going at it. Never seen Lyria so happy before.”

Inara had to break the moment with her crass humor, putting extra emphasis on happy while grinning and giggling to herself.

Cassandra looked horrified at Lyria, but Lyria just shyly smiled while blissfully closing her eyes.

“Yeah, it really was a happy moment.”

***

Inara couldn’t believe how much of a worrywart Cassandra was. She actually believed that he was a mythical demon because she couldn’t wrap her head around his behavior and origin. She had a tendency to always assume the worst case scenario, but this one took the cake.

Chuckling to herself she went upstairs to her room. When she entered she saw Alex slowly reading through a picture book with Nyla sitting next to him while helping him pronounce the words.

“Hey Inara, what did Cassandra want to talk about?

Nyla asked, turning towards her curiously.

“Nothing, she was just needlessly worried about stuff again. Ill tell you later, you are going to laugh so hard when you find out. Anyway ill take it from here.”

Inara shooed her friend out of the room while sitting next to Alex on the bed. She saw that he had scribbled in his notebook with both Valerian and in text that she never saw before, probably his own original language.

There was still a few hours left of the evening before it got late, so she took over for Nyla and continued the lesson.

They ate supper that Lyria made, Nyla was laughing so much that tears were coming from her eyes when she heard about what happened. It was the first time Inara could remember Cassandra actually blushing and lowering her head down in shame. She was always so stoic, Alex managed to even crack her facade.

After they ate they went back up to her room.

There was still a couple of hours until nighttime, so they continued their language sesion. He had progressed considerably far with the language, relative with how little time he had studied it.

“Are you sure about sleeping with me?”

She hesitantly asked, her nerves where getting more frayed by the minute.

The closer they got nighttime the more she was getting cold feet and second guessing herself.

He looked at her trying to decipher what she said. He got a slight blush while nodding.

“Yes I like you, happy to sleep. Very sure.”

She felt giddy in her stomach from his reply. It was finally going to happen.

The next hour went like a blur for her, she was trying to hype herself up. Going over what to do and how to do it so the night could be perfect.

‘Don’t be nerves, this is it. You got this, just do it like you planned.’

She had gone absent minded and when Alex touched her while indicating a word he didn't understand. She yelped while jumping up.

“Sorry, that’s healthy. It means… Not sick, strong body.”

He looked slightly worried at her, but nodded.

“Healthy, okay I understand. We take break?”

"I’m fine just continue.”

Inara was completely stiff with nerves now.

Alex shook his head and closed the book looking directly at her.

She audibly gulped while trying to get her emotions under control.

He put his hand around her, he could feel that she was shaking.

She saw him look gently at her before letting go and giving her space.

‘No this isn’t how it was supposed to go. But what if he reacts like the gigolo .’

She remembered vividly how that haggard looking man had scoffed at her. When they finally undressed he looked at her in disgust before saying.

“I can’t get hard while looking at those ugly lumps, you don't even have any muscles to show off. Come over here, I'll give you a hand job. Same price.”

It was the most shameful memory of her life. It cut as deep as when she got thrown out of her tribe when she was a small kid, unwanted and weak.

She was visibly shaking now while getting tears in her eyes.

‘Why am I so pathetic? STOP CRYING THERE LIKE A BITCH AND GROW A SPINE!’

She was mentally yelling at herself, but it didn’t matter. Her body didn’t listen, she was paralyzed in fear of rejection.

She curled up on herself.

‘He is going to hate your guts now, who would want someone so pathetic. Weak, ugly useless bitch that no one could ever love. What would you think if you saw a grown woman acting like you in front of a guy?’

She was disparaging herself, going back to the self hating ways from her younger days. Falling deeper into the abyss for every second.

Suddenly she could feel him hugging her, he was stroking the back of her head with one hand while holding around her with the other.

“Shuush, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

He was holding her while talking gently, soothing her.

They stayed like that for an indefinite amount of time. She was crying on his shoulder for a long while, before she finally relaxed.

Her eyes were puffy and red from all the crying, she had snot running out of her nose. She was a mess and she knew it.

‘Oh my god! Why can’t you just act like a normal person? You are lucky Alex is such an angel, but would he still be interested in you after that?’

She couldn’t help herself. This was the most embarrassing moment of her life.

It was late at night and they were lying on the bed fully dressed. She tentatively let go of him, standing up from the bed she couldn’t face him and set for the door. She would sleep downstairs tonight.

He grabbed her arm and turned her around. Gently cleaning her face with the towel she had on her cupboard. He kissed her on her forehead, while pulling her back towards the bed.

He tapped the bed, gave her a gentle smile before heading for the door himself.

‘What? No! I'm supposed to be the women here. And he is letting me sleep in the bed while taking care of me. I can’t live with myself if I let him go like this.’

“No.”

She yelled out louder than intended. She cringed at her actions before grabbing his hand and pulling him back.

Lowering her head she took a deep breath and started to undress.

She didn’t dare look at him before climbing into the bed laying down under the cover. She tapped the bed next to her, hoping that he would at least be willing to share a bed with her.

When she looked at him he was staring wide eyed at her. It took him a moment before he hesitantly undressed himself.

She had the same reaction, no even bigger. Her mouth opened wide, he was pitching a tent when he got his pants off. He was trying to hide it, and when he saw her reaction he scratched his head before sliding under the cover on the other side of the bed.

‘He is hard for me? Even after all that?’

She glanced towards him, but Alex was laying on his back with his eyes closed and went to sleep.