The wind picked up quite a bit by night, and dark clouds gathered on the horizon to the west, obscuring the setting sun. Wearing her pink dress, Chio walked towards the aftercastle to pick up their dinner, her shoulder-length hair flying in the strong air current. A bunch of sailors were adjusting the sails, pulling on ropes in coordination, while one of the more experienced ones was yelling commands (the captain was nowhere to be seen). As the angel walked past them, her eyes briefly met with Terry's, who was at the back of a row of four crew members pulling on one of the ropes to turn a sail. Chio smiled at him encouragingly, and he smiled back with a slight blush before turning his head. After dinner, once the passengers retreated to their room, the two of them would have their second secret meeting, assuming Terry will be free of duties. They were both looking forward to it: the boy with an eager, intense anticipation, the girl with more of a relaxed, endearing feeling. She also wanted to ask him how exactly he got here, how come he knew that she was going to be on this ship. Last night, she didn't quite get the chance to talk that through with him.

As Chio continued on her way, she noticed the balding man in the white robe, Victor Goldman. The Cesanitian noble was standing by the door of the forecastle, looking straight at her, making her feel uneasy. When she reached him, he held the door open for her, silently ushering her inside.

“Thanks,” Chio muttered, and she hurried down the corridor.

A nice smell greeted her in the spacious lounge. Most of the passengers were present and already eating; the room was filled with their chatter, and the clattering of their cutlery. Tonight's menu was mashed potatoes with steamed vegetables and gravy. Chio found it impressive that the crew of a ship could cook something different every day for this many people. She walked to the counter, looking at the pots of food curiously. Now that she no longer had to worry about how she could obtain sperm for Arabella, and her heart was more at ease, her appetite for regular food seemed to grow, even if she didn't technically need to eat.

The ship's chef liked to serve his cooking to the cruisers personally. He was clearly proud of his work, the type of person who took great pleasure in others enjoying his food. He already knew that Chio will take two ratios, so he handed her two full plates with a smile. “Hold them by the brim, the food's still pipin' hot!”

“Uuuh, thank you very much!” the girl took them over, secretly promising to herself that this time, she will be sure to actually taste the meal.

Meanwhile, Porco was eating his dinner in the company of Madam Birch, Sir Clearland, and his wife. The couple's kids already finished their portions and ran outside to spectate the sailors doing their thing in the growing wind.

“Warren Crown? Of course I have heard of him!” said Mrs. Clearland, a woman in her thirties who looked older than her age, even through her mascara. “He was perhaps the most dreaded pirate of the century, at least on the Souther Seas. He is supposedly dead now.”

“Dead?” Porco did not expect to hear that.

“Do we have to talk about such a grim topic?” the elderly Madam Birch shivered.

“Hang on, dear!” Mrs. Clearland raised her palm and turned to Porco. She kind of enjoyed the attention of the young man, and thrilling tales were her forte, so she would not have her moment taken away from her. “Yes, he was defeated. It happened a few years ago, they say his own men betrayed him in the end, when they had enough of his cruelty. But his ship is still out there, it's quite the recognizable vessel. I have a girlfriend who owns a painting of it, she actually has it hung up in her living room, the silly thing. I told her it's a bad omen. Anyway, it's an old, grey ship with a red heart pierced by an arrow on each of its black sails. It's called the Heartbreaker.”

“Heartbreaker,” Porco repeated. “So it has a different captain now.”

“That's what they say,” Mrs. Clearland nodded.

Then what did Kraus mean by 'now they have my son'? I thought he was still talking about Warren Crown.

Porco put down his fork, wiped his mouth, and picked up his shot-glass. He could still feel the alcohol he drank with the cat-man earlier, but if he was gonna confront Chio too this evening, he would rather maintain that state. It could help. He already had a couple more shots during dinner. As for Kraus, unfortunately, he was pretty sure that the captain won't tell him more about the matter of him “having no choice” in regards of his captured son, or whatever that meant. It was clearly a one time slip-up that he immediately regretted. Could it be that he...

Madam Birch tapped the young man's shoulder. “Here she is!” she whispered.

“All right then.” Porco drank up and excused himself.

As Chio began to walk towards the room's entrance while balancing her two plates, she suddenly heard two voices calling her name simultaneously, approaching her from two sides. One was the high-pitched voice of Friska, the other was a suave male voice, which of course belonged to Porco.

“Oh!” the approachers both said as they noticed each other, stopping in their tracks for a moment (the blue fairy hovering in place, mostly.)

“Uhm... hey, guys!” Chio smiled.

Friska lunged forward and landed on her shoulder, but she almost fell off so she had to hold onto the girl's ear.

“Ouch!”

“Oops, sorry, Chio! You are hard to catch, hehe. Wanna hang out tonight?”

“Hold on, I wanna talk to her too!” said Porco. He was a bit sweaty, and he seemed somewhat disoriented as he stood there next to them in the middle of the lounge.

Chio gulped. She haven't interacted with the young man since their little innuendo during that card game on the first night. What could he want to talk about?

Friska rolled her eyes. “Oh, just when I could finally... Hick! approach her. What a coincidence...”

“As you said, she is hard to catch,” Porco retorted.

“Uhm, may I just put these down in my room?” the angel asked, raising her plates.

“Fine, have her for yourself!” Friska grimaced at Porco annoyedly as she took wings again.

“Fine, I'll talk to her later,” Porco conceded at the same time, about to walk back to his table. Then both of them realised what the other said, so they turned back towards the girl real quick.

“Oh, come on!” the fairy complained. “Are you drunk?”

“Maybe. And you?”

“Hick!”

Chio stepped to the closest table, from where some of the passengers just got up. She put down the two plates and licked off the bit of gravy that spilled on her fingers without thought. She then realised that the intoxicated Porco is watching her rather unashamedly, so she blushed and put her hands behind her back.

“Horndog...” Friska fumed, glaring at the young man.

“What? I was just...”

“Okay, Chio, why don't you decide?” the fairy stood on the table and faced the girl. “Who would you rather... Hick! hang out with? Me? Or him?”

“Well... I wouldn't mind hanging out with both of you.”

“Of course she would say something like that!” Friska shook her head, chuckling.

“We should settle it between ourselves, then,” said Porco.

“What? Settle it?”

The man pulled out a silver coin from his pocket. “Heads or tails?”

Friska stared at him suspiciously for a moment, then she shrugged. “Heads.”

Porco flipped the coin, but he failed to catch it, it landed on the wooden floor. He stepped on it to stop it from rolling away.

“It still counts!” Friska yelled, taking wings and descending close to the ground. “Whatever it is, it still counts!”

“Sure.” Porco pulled back his boot from the coin and crouched down, so did Chio. The three of them stared at the silver with great anticipation. It was tails.

“Goddam! You did that on purpose, didn't... Hick!”

“Did what? Don't be a sore loser, you agreed to it!” Porco stated, straightening his back proudly.

“Fine! Just... don't be an asshole to her, kay?”

“What kind of presumptions you have of me?”

“Chio, if he does anything to you...”

“It's okay, Friska,” the girl smiled, trying to hide her nervousness. “Porco is a good guy. Don't worry!”

And so the matter was settled. Chio first walked back to their room to put down their ratios. She mechanically ate a bit while Arabella emptied her own plate into the ocean, then she told the succubus she will be back soon, and that in case Terry comes around in the meanwhile, tell him to wait, or to come back later.

“Another card game?” the redhead asked.

“I'm... not quite sure.”

“Heh?” Arabella looked at Chio curiously, noticing her anxiety.

“Someone wants to talk to me,” the angel explained. “A boy.”

“Another boy? Look at you growing into a total nympho angel!”

”It's not like that! Or rather, I'm not sure. You think he wants to... have sex?”

“Nooo, what kind of man would think about such things? I'm sure he just wants to discuss the weather, or something.”

“Oh my...”

The succubus grinned, patting the girl's back. “Have fun for the both of us!”

The angel met up with Porco in the lounge again, who then led her to his cabin. As he locked the door behind themselves from the inside, Chio gasped. She did find him attractive, but she really didn't know him, and she sort of expected Terry to be her only partner now for the rest of the voyage. She was still worrying about how all of this will affect the villager boy, but at least he was safe to be with. This development was quite sudden. Scary, but kind of thrilling too. Calm down, girl! She said to herself. You still can't be sure what he wants!

They sat on the two beds, facing each other. Porco didn't say a word, just stared at her with a drunk, but penetrative gaze. He had green eyes, just like Arabella in her human form...

“So, how are you doing today?” asked the angel while shyly avoiding eye-contact.

The man sat closer to his nightstand, and pulled out a drawer – he was looking for something. All of a sudden, the ship went over a large wave, making him slide down and fall to his knees. Chio instinctively reached out for him, grabbing his shoulder. To her surprise, her touch made Porco freeze up.

“Oh, sorry!” the girl muttered, and pulled her hands back.

Porco continued reaching inside the drawer like nothing happened, then at last he sat back up on the bed. He leaned his body forward towards Chio, opening his palm, revealing a little object to her.

“Do you know what this is?”

The angel carefully took it over and examined it. It was a metal badge, black and brown just like Porco's outfit, and it had the letters “V.W.” carved into it.

“Is this a thingy that shows your affiliation? An insignia, right?”

“Yea, an insignia. Have you seen this one before?”

“Uhm... I don't think so.” Chio handed it back to the young man.

“These letters stand for Vincent Wright. Does that name ring any bells?”

“Uhm... isn't he a minister of Midridge?”

“Do you really not know, or are you just playing dumb?”

“Dumb? Why? I'm sorry, I just...”

“He is dead, Chio Tanaka. Vincent Wright WAS a minister, but he is no longer.”

“Oh, I'm sorry!” Wait, have I told him my full name?

“He disappeared mysteriously a few months ago. They found his badge in the midst of some bloody scraps right outside Cornertown. Just what kind of sick force could do that to a person? What beast or evil sorcery? Either way, it was impossible to identify who those remains belonged to, so Vincent's fate is still officially unknown. But it's pretty obvious, isn't it? It was his badge!”

The girl felt her heart sunk. She had a very vague, but terrifying memory stored in the back of her mind, right next to the memory of what she did to Erleen, but it was even less clear than that. It was more so a feeling than anything. The feeling of morbid, maddened destruction, and the tearing of flesh. She knew that it happened, that she killed someone innocent, even if she never got to know who.

“He went there alone, in secret,” Porco continued. “Nobody knew, but I did. He was going to investigate some strange circumstances relating to Neia Silverlight, Frederick Dandenar, and the burning of the Rainbow House. Multiple succubi were involved in that affair too, and they all worked in that brothel, as well as a futanari, an eastern one. She was supposedly friends with Arabella, the rogue succubus. In the chaos at Cornertown, it turned out the futa had some quite powerful abilities. They say she could pick up and move things with her sheer will. She...”

“I get it! It was me, I was the eastern futa. But you have to understand, I didn't consciously do it. I would have never... I was forced into it, I was manipulated! By Lady Neia, she was the one who really did it.”

“You say that, but any murderer can make up excuses.”

“But it's true! What... what could I say? I'm so terribly sorry!” Chio was tearing up.

“And here comes the crying of an innocent girl... very convincing.”

The angel groaned, and frustratedly grabbed a pillow, wiping her teary face in it.

“Yea, I sleep with that, but never mind me,” Porco commented.

“Do you really think I'm some sort of... evil person?” Chio asked. “You... you don't know everything that happened in Cornertown, right? You can't know everything!”

“You are right. There is a lot that I don't know, I'm definitely missing some pieces of the puzzle. And no, I don't actually think you are fully evil. I'm banking on you being more of a complex character with some degree of integrity. I sure hope that's right, otherwise, I might not leave this room in one piece.”

“Don't say that! I wouldn't...”

“What if you had to? What if you were 'forced' to do it by your circumstances, like back then?”

“That won't ever happen again. I'm no longer like that, not anymore.”

“You are no longer like what? A futanari?”

Chio nodded, sniffing back her tears.

“Listen now, girl. I need you to tell me everything. Your whole life's story. Complete the puzzle for me, tell me about Lady Silverlight's scheme. I need to know. Give me your truth, and then I shall reconsider my impression of you.”

“Okay. Okay, my life's story.”

The angel wiped her eyes once more, this time in the sleeve of her dress. Watching her being so flustered and sad, Porco couldn't help but feel like kind of an asshole. But he had his own reasons, his own resentments and suspicions. Succubi are known for being treacherous and sneaky, and this girl is friends with one. She used to be a weird dick-girl herself, so she is surely no stranger to lying and pretending. On the other hand, Vincent did believe that even beings like these can be integrated into society as sex-workers, and Porco thought that's a noble notion. They surely aren't innately evil. But Chio is not even denying that she had that power, that she was the one who technically killed the minister. Of course he had to be vary of her. He even had a small knife hidden in the back of his boot, which he was constantly aware of. If it comes down to it, he won't go out without a fight. He had to be ready. Then again, the poor girl looked so innocent...

“Just... was he your father?” Chio asked.

“Vincent? I worked in his household. He was a good friend.”

“I never knew that it was him, I had no idea. And I heard great things about him, he was a good minister, wasn't he? I...”

“Yea, yea. Start at the beginning, would you?”

“Okay. I... I was a regular girl living with my parents in my home village.” Chio spoke with a shaky voice, still on the verge of crying. “And then it happened one day. It was right after my birthday. I just... woke up with a penis. It was so confusing and scary. I never could have imagined, I was just a regular girl, and then suddenly... I became a horndog. As a futanari, I could easily cum ten times a day, every day. It was a huge shock, so of course my mother found out in no time. But honestly, that was lucky. Because Sister Mary was in my village, so my mom could run to her for help. And Mary took me with her. She is from Chestnut Island.”

“Right, the Chestnutians had a futanari nun in the past,” Porco nodded.

“Yes. And so she wanted me to become a nun too. She could look at a miserable creature like me with... with love. She wanted to save me.”

Chio proceeded to tell her whole story to the young man. From being noticed and kidnapped by Arabella when they stopped on Midridge, to the day of chaos at Cornertown. She talked about how she ran away from the sex-demon as they didn't exactly get along very well at first, how she met Erleen who almost executed her, then Ron and Lad, who helped her out. Being captured by guards in Plankwelle, rescued by the succubus, then Mary again. Becoming a nun, then a prostitute. Having to hide her horniness, constantly wrestling with shame and fear, but also, having mind-blowing sexual experiences. Learning more about succubi, who's existence really sucks, who are doomed to be hated and persecuted, who have no choice but to survive in any way they can. Seeing the good in Arabella, wanting to help her, to spend her life with her. Learning Frederick Dandenar's plan to hunt Arabella down, then experiencing the fire at the Rainbow House, and everyone's desire for justice and retribution for that horrible night. Mia and Lola's betrayal, how Chio ended up being Neia's prisoner. The story of her chastity cage, which the elf woman used to mindfuck the hell out of her, to control her and use her as her living tool. Neia's plan to join the Dandenar family through her daughter's wedding, which would have allowed her to use that artifact, Ariel's Gratitude, probably to gain immense power. And lastly, the chaotic conflict in Cornertown, which ended with Mary using the artifact to turn the futa into an angel.

As Chio talked, Porco slowly seemed to ease up. He was more and more invested in the story, which made Chio somewhat less anxious too. By the time she was about halfway through her tale, she felt like things will most likely be okay between the two of them.

“So Lady Silverlight found Ariel's Gratitude, huh?” Porco muttered. “That actually explains everything. But what happened to it, after all?”

“Sister Mary still has it, as far as I know. I'm sure she is keeping it hidden.”

“And she literally turned you into an angel? For real?”

“I can show you, but... I would have to take my clothes off.”

“Go on, then!” the man stood up and turned his back to the girl.

Chio gulped. Victor Goldman knows that Arabella is a succubus. Terry knows I'm an angel. And now, Porco knows both. Their hidden status felt less and less hidden by the day. Oh well. She began to undress. Doing so in the presence of a fully clothed man who was avoiding looking at her was strangely embarrassing, it made her feel like she was doing something truly inappropriate, but it had to be done. Once naked, she focused, and transformed. White wings, white toga.

“You can look,” she said.

Porco faced her again. In his alcohol-influenced, passionate eyes, a pinch of surprise was visible, but he didn't say anything, just looked the angel up and down quietly.

“What's your impression of me now?” Chio had to ask. “Do you believe me?”

“Your story is believable. I don't think you are lying. You seem to be a well-meaning person, I'm just not sure if that's enough.”

“Enough?”

“Enough for me to just forget about you. And your succubus lover. She might not be evil, but a succubus is still a succubus. And you, you straight up ran away from heaven for her. I'm not convinced that the two of you should be allowed to roam the world freely.”

“But... we don't want to hurt anyone!”

“I get that. But you have. Say, how exactly is your girlfriend eating on this ship? Who is she having sex with?”

“No one! I mean... we agreed that she shouldn't touch a man while we are on this voyage. Only I do. And then I transfer the... the seeds to her.”

“Heh. And who are you having sex with?”

“Ter... a sailor. Just one! And he is keeping it a secret.”

“Hmmm.”

Porco pulled out his silver coin again, and started fiddling with it while thinking.

“So... what now?” Chio asked.

“It can't be helped. I'll have to continue keeping an eye on you two. I need to make sure I can let you go. Even when we get to the Scorched Lands, I want to stick around you and see what your plan is.”

“Oh. Well, if you insist... I just don't really get it. A succubus is a succubus, you are right, but I love her, and I know that she cares about people. We will try our absolute best to get by without hurting anyone, that's my dream. It might not be easy, we might struggle, but there are plenty of evil-doers in this world who have done worse things. Why care so much about us?”

“You brutally killed my master, who was also basically my best friend, so it's kind of personal to me. I get that you were forced to do it. I even feel sorry for you. But it was your well-meaning self who was twisted into that state. I wanna know if you two can truly be safe.”

The girl nodded slowly. “May I transform back?”

“Sure.”

Once Chio was back in her pink dress, she hesitated for a moment. Porco was again standing with his back turned to her, not knowing that she is ready. The girl took a deep breath, and let him know he can look. Porco only glanced at her before he walked to the cabin's door to let her out.

“Wait,” said Chio. “There is something I want to ask you too. I want to hear your truth.”

“About what? I told you...”

“When we kept glancing at each other during that card game, when you stared at me licking the gravy off my finger... even now.” She stepped closer to the man. “How do you feel when you look at me like that?”

Porco was cornered, his back pressed against the closed door, and the angel's face was just inches away from his. He stared into her eyes – they were a little red from crying, but she seemed to be over that now. She seemed excited, curious, and a bit “otherworldly”. Or was he just imagining that after he saw her in her angel form?

“You are pretty as fuck,” the man blurted, putting his hands on the girl's hips, who did not object at all. He ran his hands up over her curves, feeling her warmth through her dress. He looked into her wide-open, anticipation-filled eyes again, and noticed that her breathing is slightly speeding up. She smelled so good... but Porco pulled back.

“Is this how you wish to win me over?”

Chio took a step back too. “That's not really it,” she shook her head. “Although I wouldn't mind if we could get along this way. But I'm just trying to understand too.”

“Understand what?”

“Lust. Say, do you like lust?”

“Uhm... sure.”

“Is it so wrong if I just... wish to connect with it? If I get the urge to turn to it with love when I see it? I have my own lust too, you know. I used to have sooo much of it. I understand that it's risky... it stirs things up, doesn't it? But surely, it's not all bad. I know it isn't.”

Porco lunged forward and grabbed the girl, laying her down on one of the beds and crawling on top of her. They kissed for a few minutes. At first, Chio had to try hard to divert her attention from the taste of alcohol in the man's mouth, and she even panicked for a second – she did not want to make Porco feel rejected, not now, when she wanted to let him embrace her freely. But she managed to focus on the young man's movements instead, his closeness, his touch. His being. He was intense, passionate and drunk, and there was a tension between them. She could tell that he has conflicting feelings about what he is doing, that he is frustrated and still somewhat distrustful, but regardless, he was letting his lust take charge. His instincts answered hers, and that was thrilling. Chio was able to get lost in that excitement, until she almost forgot about the alcohol-taste. In those moments, they were just a boy and a girl, a male and a female, a pair of animals who couldn't take their eyes off of each other, who just had to get close. Despite everything else, they were drawn to each other, and despite everything else, they both let it happen. The angel wasn't sure how exactly this will shape things between them, but she couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. Even now, after such a difficult and heated conversation, lust could be counted on. It was there to humble them, like the lovely, confused, cute creatures they both are. It was indeed not all bad, far from it... at least as far as Chio was concerned.

Porco suddenly stopped, held the girl's head with both hands, and stared into her eyes again, deeply. “Stupid girl!” he hissed.

“That's... not very nice of you.”

“I guess not.” He got off the angel and walked to the door, turning the key in the keyhole. “I'm drunk, and you are a weirdo. Let's call it a day, Chio.”

“All right.”

From the door, the girl turned back towards Porco once more, and extended an arm. “How about a handshake?”

The young man took her hand reluctantly, but firmly, shaking it twice.

“See you around!” Chio smiled, and skipped away.