Belle was pouting after being rejected by her kin, but was overall still in a good mood. Squeezing the living mousetoy I had gotten her with unrestrained joy.

"Mousey, your name is Mousey."

"Um... I have a name already." The doll-sized mousekin girl squeaked up hesitantly, timidly speaking its first words since the time we had gotten it.

"No, Belle says Mousey's name is Mousey." Pulling out her finger claws threateningly, and drawing a look of ire from me in the process.

"No threatening the poor thing. Take better care of it, Belle."

The shoddily dressed mousekin in turn looked at me with an earnest and thankful expression, staring with admiring eyes the whole trip.

"So Belle here is quite special," Cal hummed with half interest.

"It has to be that way, otherwise if all beastkin could do that how would we ever compete? They're already far more powerful than us physically, just imagine what would happen if they could marshal organized armies and supply fully fledged magicians... they reproduce and mature at ten times our rate, the world of humans would simply be overrun."

If I was to fulfill my original purpose, or rather the other Keaton's purpose, it wasn't just that I was afraid of going against the united power of the church, all of the chosen seeming far more powerful than myself, there was also the question of what would happen to the world if I ever did such a thing.

My thoughts taking us back to the present as we rolled up to the mansion, our carriage doors opening by themselves as if by magic, actually it was magic. I still found it surprising despite witnessing this earlier in the day, having borrowed a church vehicle.

The mouse-pet in Belle's lap saw the open door as its ticket to freedom, bolting out as soon as the opening was wide enough. Startling Belle and leading to a chase around the garden as she followed along quickly after.

"Bring those two back when they're done, would you?" I motioned to a small gaggle of maids waiting for us at the entrance, directing them to supervise Belle's chasing exercise.

Splitting ways with Cal as he reunited with Ashley and Kaya, I found Tammy waiting for me with similarly suggestive eyes.

"To the bedroom? Ah... where's Marcella? No, nevermind, let's just go." My mind's interest drifting before settling back to Tammy again, who was seemingly eager to have a spend a hot evening indoors.

Opening the doors to our bedroom while Tammy's hands held mine, fingers entwined, both of us looking forward to the love session we would have. We looked into each others eyes.

A foreign voice chiming up unexpectedly from within the room.

"Oh great, Keaton you brought... what was her name, Tammy was it? We can have a threesome!"

Looking for the source of the noise I turned my head to the bed, only to be greeted by an unusual sight.

Palantia was completely nude, exposed on the bed, turned so as to give anyone who entered a full view of her perky breasts and fit body, lifting one leg up suggestively.

"How'd you get in?" Speaking with a harsher tone than I had intended, but nothing seemed to phase this woman who was already this shameless.

"I know my way around," Tia replied flatly, "now come to bed dear, let Tia here take care of you." Patting the area beside her invitingly.

Rolling my eyes at her antics. I could admit she was beautiful, with her spotless pale skin, supple perky breasts, and cute butt, but knowing her connections to the church and to another chosen no less, I had no intention to make our relationship more complicated than it already was. Shaking my head to snap out of any wayward thoughts, halfway in the mood already it was somewhat hard to resist.

"You've had your fun, now leave. I won't take offense this time, but please learn to control yourself. I was told my living quarters would be private, your intrusions here are not welcome."

"But we haven't had fun at all... not yet anyway. Don't be such a killjoy Keaton, even Tammy there looks like she wants a piece of this, how could you resist?" Tracing a finger across her hips for emphasis.

Tammy shook her head uncomfortably as if to deny Tia's loaded accusation, relationships between women were extremely scandalous and yet Tia openly spoke of such things, wooing Tammy for a fling.

"That didn't seem like much of a denial to me, I know you both want it." She purred, leading the both of us on.

"Last I heard you're married. To a chosen no less. I don't want trouble with Selkerah, so leave. Before I make you leave."

"You wouldn't throw a girl out naked would you?" Biting her lip in a seductive pout.

...

"Keaton, I was being nice, but I don't have to be so nice. I came here in secret but that doesn't mean I have to leave in secret. Leaving your room naked, giving a good view for the maids, what rumors do you think they'll make? You wouldn't want those rumors making it back to my dear Selky now would you? Now we can do this the easy way... the enjoyable way... or we can do this the hard way."

"You're blackmailing me to have sex with you? And what exactly would your 'dear' Selky think about that?"

"She'd forgive me of course, but she'd never forgive you. But what she doesn't know won't hurt her, so what's it going to be?"

Letting out a sigh, and here I was trying so hard to resist.

"I don't really have a choice now do I?"

Letting the door shut behind me.