Miria pulled over a fresh sheet of paper and began writing a simple outline on it. *Let's see. Faction... Spiders... Warriors... Workers... Population... Oh, fuck me. There's so much we don't know here...* She groaned, looking down at her notes.

Faction: Spiders
Warriors: At least 20, including a large spider. Probably much, much more.
Workers: Unknown. Probably at least 20, likely much, much more.
Total Population: At least 20, probably 40, likely much, much more.
Settlements: Unknown.
Fortifications: Unknown. Webs?
Offense: Unarmed spiders, lassos, nets.
Future Projections:
- Will scout forest.
- May fight nazis?
- May attack Home?
- May develop more dangerous offensive capabilities?

*Yeah, that's awful. Any strategy is going to have to center around political maneuvering. See if we can do diplomacy with the spiders, or if we can incentivize them to fight someone else instead of us... Or maybe control how much of a threat we present as, so they attack someone else? Could try and do diplomacy with the nazis... Oh, fuck, I hate that idea though. And I was never as good at political maneuvering as I was strategy... Well. I guess I'll just have to get better. Fuck it, maybe bust out that copy of Diplomacy I have in my closet somewhere. See if anyone else is any good at it...* She sighed. *One thing at a time.*

Would you like to learn the Skill [Careful Strategy]?

She raised her eyebrows. *Oh, that does make things easier though. Yes please.*

Careful Strategy
- Uncommon Skill (2 Star)
- +5% strategic ability per level.
- +2% mental coherence when performing strategy per level.
- +1 CP per level.
- +1 CP Regen per day per level.

*Perfect. Just what I needed.*

Sarah sipped at her drink and looked over at Claire. "So. Where do you think we are? The moon and the stars look the same, so far as I can tell - you think we're still on earth somehow?"

Claire shrugged. "I dunno. I don't think we have enough information to tell."

Sarah nodded. "Okay, fair enough. You think anyone is going to show up? Like, the military, or whatever?"

Claire sighed and shook her head. "No, probably not. Somehow, I don't think whatever is behind all this wants things to be that easy. At best, they're probably in the same boat we are, split up and surrounded by monsters. At worst, they may have been screwed over specifically, or perhaps we've been abducted to another dimension or whatever and they're not here at all." She shrugs. "Either way, they aren't likely to help us."

Sarah groans. "Yeah, fuck, you're right. That makes too much sense." She takes another sip. "...What do you think things will look like in the long run, then?"

Claire shrugs. "Probably lots of smaller communities, loosely connected. Maybe the occasional city state, league, or small kingdom... I dunno. Maybe we'll be able to progress beyond that? Or maybe not... It's hard to say." She pauses. "In part, it depends on how many people survived - so far, we haven't seen many. If this is consistent worldwide, then there may not *be* enough people for anything larger than kingdoms for a few generations..."

"Hey Zach. So I liked what I saw from your magic earlier - you think you can teach me?" Janet said, taking a seat across from him.

"Sure! You might be best off starting with learning to meditate, that's how I did it? I'm not certain. I don't have a teaching skill, either, so we might want to bring Sarah or Claire in... or I could try and pick the skill up? Regardless, I'd love to have you learn - it would be great to have someone to share spells with. I'm super jealous of Sarah in that regards, she makes tons of progress picking up all our spells..." Zach said.

Janet smiled. "Mmm, makes sense. Lets maybe bring one of them in to teach me meditation, and then help you get the teaching skill while you teach me the magic?"

Zach nodded. "Perfect. Sounds like a plan."

Maxim growled as he looked at his dwindling supply of poker chips and compared them to Sasha's much larger pile and Alice's and Joey's passable ones. "Vy are you doing so vell? I do not understand." he said, throwing his cards down and watching glumly as Sasha took the pot again.

Joey sighed, looking at his own cards and his own meager supply of poker chips. "She's perceptive. Knows when to hold em and when to fold em. Good thing we aren't playing for real money, eh?"

Alice blew a raspberry at him. "Yeah, you'd both end up broke!"

Joey laughed. "Oh, and you're doing so much better? Face it, we'd all end up in hock to Sasha."

She blushed, cow ears twitching. "...I'm not that good! I dunno, it's just kind of obvious how well other people are doing, ain't it?"

Maxim shook his head. "Not in ze slightest."

Miria smiled as Claire came up to her as the light faded. "Hey! How you doing? Ready to turn in for the night?"

Claire nods. "Yes Miss. You?"

Miria looks over her notes. "...Yeah fuck it, lets go. I'm just spinning my wheels at this point." She quickly organizes things and puts them away, then gets up and follows Claire up the stairs, both of them completing their evening ablutions by candlelight. "...We're gonna need to make more candles eventually. One more thing to deal with... How do you think you'd do at handling bees?"

Claire purses her lips. "...I have no idea. I'll give it a shot, though. But for the moment, I'm looking for a different kind of bug, yeah?" She teases, coming up and cuddling against Miria, who giggles and embraces her.

"Eager girl. How do you want it then? Or should I decide?"

"...For tonight, can we start off slow and cuddly? And like, put lots of weight on me while you fuck me. Make sure I get smooshed real nice." She says, pulling off her panties and slipping in to bed and waiting for Miria to follow her.

Miria grins, gently climbing on top of Claire and slipping between her legs, ovipositor already emerging. "Of course. That sounds perfect." She says, leaning down to kiss Claire as she starts gently grinding her member over her lovers sex, making sure Claire is good and wet and trembling a little before she slowly thrusts in, filling her, while laying down to place much of her body weight on the smaller girl. "There we are. This good?" She whispers, looking down at Claire's face in her cleavage while she slowly thrusts, feeling Claire quivering beneath her.

"Mnnn! Y-yeah. That's good. A-ah, fuck...!" Claire pants, legs wrapped around Miria waist as Miria fucks her.

The tyrvexi reaches her smaller hands down to gently stroke Claire's hair and tease her flowers, giggling as Claire squeaks beneath her. "Mmm. That's a good little broodmother, hmm? Just like that." She says, one of her larger hands reaching down to rub Claire's belly while Claire grinds her hips back up against Miria's slow thrusts.

Claire moans as the pleasure steadily mounts, wrapping her arms around Miria's chest and clinging to her as she slides into a helpless little orgasm, pussy clenching on Miria's cock - and Miria just keeps going, maintaining the same slow, steady pace. "A-aaahn! M-Miss. F-fuck, that feels good... G-gimme a few more, a-and then you can fuck me as h-hard and f-fast as you like u-until you're satisfied?" Claire says, flushed and panting from the pleasure while Miria grins down at her.

"Oh? That sounds nice... You sure you won't be tired and overstimulated by then?" She teases, while Claire moans and trembles, sliding into another little orgasm.

"I-I, I-I can take it. I-I'll be a good little fuckhole for you Miss, you can use me a-as hard as you like..." She whimpered, pussy lightly clenching around Miria as the hive princess worked her towards another orgasm...

Miria stirred as she felt Claire stretching in her arms. "Good morning. Sleep well?" She teased, and Claire giggled.

"Yeahhh. Lucky we have a bed large enough we can dodge the wet spot if we cuddle, eh?" She says, pressing her body back against Miria. "You horny? I kinda want to go down on you again..."

Miria growled. "Well I'm horny *now*. But if we do that, aren't you gonna end up dosed with sex slime? And we'll be delayed... We do have stuff to do."

Claire rolled over and pouted at her. "Please Miss? I handled it alright the other day..."

"Mm... No, I think it's my turn to be a tease and leave you horny in the morning. We can have fun again tonight. What do you say?" She says, smirking as she cups Claire's cheek with one of her larger hands, and the dryad whines and pouts at her.

"...You're so evil...! But okay, fine. I'll be good Miss. I-I promise." She says, lightly kissing at Miria's wrist, before Miria kisses her back on the forehead and throws off the blanket.

"Good girl. Alright, lets get to work, we have a lot to do today."