BXBX NOVEL Chapter 765
On top of it was a plate of jelly, two plates stacked high with pancakes, all covered in what was looked to be glass. It wasn’t, the material was simply too clear. There were no imperfections at all and only the edges of the structure provided any hint there was something there at all. Other than the food for the demons, there was also a bowl filled with some kind of purple meat also covered by the not-glass.
It was a very shiny cat bowl, and Kat wasn’t sure how to feel about its existence. Chances were, Nira knew what to food Lily and this would be good for her. It was also a pet bowl. The fact that Kat could make out the fingerprints pressed into the mostly smooth surface complicated the matter further, as it seemed that someone had managed to shape the bowl with their hands. Likely recently. Despite the potentially deeming way of serving the food, it was clear it took a good amount of care and special attention just for Lily.
Kat decided to be flattered on Lily’s behalf until she was told otherwise. Taking a look away from the table, Kat saw Sue and Kamiko and wondered if Sue’s efforts to not be impaled really meant anything at all. Kamiko was still wrapped up, but Sue had wrapped herself around Kamiko, pushing the smaller demons face straight into her chest. Kamiko’s horns were awkwardly close to Sue’s throat. Only the fact Kamiko had been pushed over slightly meant they were sitting just above Sue’s skin but there wasn’t much of it.
*What is the etiquette here? Sue said Succubi know fairly well what their horns are doing but does Sue know how close she is to being impaled in her sleep? Wait. That was lewd. Clearly Sue is rubbing off on me more than I thought. Wait! Nope. Never mind. Not thinking about it. Back to the real issue at hand.
Currently Sue isn’t in any real danger. It looks scary but demon skin is tougher than a human’s. Not sure if Kamiko could break Sue’s skin without a bit of effort. Effort I’m not sure she can actually put forth while sleeping, or wrapped up as she is. I’m also not sure how early they like to get up. I don’t mind waking someone up a bit early to avoid a dangerous situation, but if it’s still a few hours... especially when jolting them awake could risk a problem I think I’ll wait a bit first.*
Kat started meditating to pass the time. Instead of her normal practice she tried moving her internal energy in something other than a circle around her body. She spent some time messing around with it but found her energy really did not like doing anything other than what it chose to do automatically. It seemed that unlike human mages, a demon’s demonic energy moved through the best route it could find and attempts to alter that were not met favourably.
.....
When she opened her eyes next, it was to a very red Kamiko very unsure of what to do. She was forced to look over at Kat because of her position and her eyes were screaming ‘I don’t know what to do’, but truthfully Kat didn’t really have an answer on hand for this situation either. Kamiko’s face was being smooshed by Sue, and while it may or may not have been comfortable, it certainly wasn’t what Kamiko expected to wake up to.
Seeing Kat was no help, she tried to wiggle out of Sue’s hold without waking the other demon, but that didn’t work if the yawning coming from behind her was any indication. Sue unwrapped herself from Kamiko rolling over and sitting up before taking a glance around. Sue looked completely alert less than a second after waking and Kat was a little impressed at that. She’d cultivated the skill, Sue seemed to come about it naturally.
“Well hello my darlings. Seems I’m the last one up... no wait,” Sue craned her neck over Kamiko’s blanketed form, “think Lily’s still out of it. So second last one to wake. I see we were even provided food. Man Kami, your parents are great hosts. I mean, my parents are nice enough to guests but not ‘leave breakfast in bed for whenever the kids wake up’ nice. Wanna trade?”
Kamiko just scowled a bit before asking to be freed. Something Sue debated over, even going so far ask to ask Kat if it was possible to just move Kamiko to the table as she was. In the end though, Kamiko was free, Lily managed to wake, and everyone was eating breakfast. Due to some magic, either from the table or the plates, everything was still a nice temperature and Lily had nothing but positive things to say about the meat... whatever it was.
That was actually something Kat struggled to pass as it happened in the moment. Lily’s part of the mental link practically exploded with sensation when she took a bite of it. Lily tried explaining things to Kat but it was such a mess the demon only got bits and pieces.
What Kat could puzzle out was that whatever the meat was, it screamed at all Lily’s newfound instincts. Taste, smell texture. Her instincts all indicated she MUST eat it and enjoy the process. It was actually a little overwhelming for Kat. She’d tried a small bite of the pancakes but with Lily’s sensory overload Kat herself found she was actually incapable of tasting anything. So she let Lily get it all out of her system.
[Sorry about that. I... I don’t really know what that was. I’d say it was my one and only prey item if I didn’t know Memphis were genetically engineered. I suppose the food could be as well but I doubt it. The meat was unlike anything I’ve tasted before, human or Memphis and while I’m not certain... I wouldn’t recommend letting me near whatever that was often.]
*Why is that?*
[Few reasons really. The first is that while I don’t think Nira would give me something addictive, especially not in a meaningful dose, that doesn’t mean it isn’t addictive in the long term. Even if it’s not though... or not inherently at least. The taste is... it is so far past what I’ve eaten on Earth that I’m not totally sure it would need to be addictive. If I ate something like that too long I’m not sure I could stomach normal food afterwards.]
[That’s not even touching on the issue of hopefully never finding this thing while it’s alive. I... I don’t like to think I’d be so behold to my instincts but honestly... if I knew whatever this was, wasn’t in any way capable of higher thought I’m not sure I could stop myself from killing it and feasting on the remains. The intellectual and emotional parts of me both really want to know what it is for different reasons but I don’t think you should tell me if you ever find out.]
*Well I can confirm that taste may be an issue. Just give me a second.* Kat tried her pancake again and found it acceptable. Not amazing, but acceptable. She didn’t use any of the provided condiments though. Kamiko was eating what was basically a jelly sandwich of pancakes and jelly, while Sue had put so much honey or maple syrup or whatever sugary substance it actually was a mixture of on her stack of pancakes it was basically drowning. So while not amazing, it probably wasn’t anything to do with what just happened lowering the quality of the taste.
*Ok so everything seems to be back in place now but while you were eating whatever that was I couldn’t taste anything. Like nothing at all. So you might be right that it could have long term consequences.*
[Ok now magic meat for me thanks. Or at least, not too much. Actually... could that be it? The mana in whatever this was activating my tastebuds in unique ways? That... hmm... something to look into maybe. Callisto is an excellent chef but she cannot use mana. I could see that, or demonic energy being the cause.]
*Guess we could ask?*
“Hey guys, do you know if higher energy improves cooking at all?” asked Kat.
Kamiko and Sue share a look and then a shrug. “I’ve never thought about it honestly,” said Sue, “I would assume it’d have to. I’m not sure if you’d need it to be part of the ingredients or if you could add it in... but it’d make sense?”
“Yup, I’m with Sue. I never thought about it either... demonic energy is just part of everything here. I don’t know if this food is good or bad or what really. Well, no I really like my parents cooking but I don’t know if higher energy is the reason for that,” added Kamiko.