“The third dock from the east, a large ship with purple sails... this should be it,” Arabella said as they approached the wooden wharf.

“Wow, it's huge!” Chio marvelled. “I never travelled on such a big ship.”

“Neither have I.”

It was a windy morning. The low sun painted the stone buildings of the city in a shade of orange, seagulls were struggling against the air current up in the clear sky, and the port was busy with sailors and loaders. Many ships set sail at such an early hour to maximize the amount of daytime during their travel.

On the dock that the succubus and the angel faced, a bunch of people were standing around with their luggages, about fifty in total, all waiting for the crew of the ship to let them on. Most of them were quite well-dressed, posh folks; some of them alone, some chatting in small groups, there was even a family with a couple of children.

Chio and Arabella were in brand new outfits themselves: the redhead wore a dark-green dress with black leaf-patterns on its sides, and a big black ribbon on its chest area; the eastern girl was in a pink dress with a white corset, and a wide brim straw hat with a pink string. They both had semi-high healed shoes, ones that weren't too difficult to walk in, but were still quite feminine and fancy. Arabella also had a backpack with her, it was mostly filled with spare clothes, but they had a bit of money for the journey too – Hollard, who ended up getting kind of fond of Chio, gave them a handful of silver coins at the last minute before they left his place.

They took a few steps on the wharf a little hesitantly, just to show that they belong there while still keeping a safe distance from the other passengers.

“Look at them being all proud and special... don't you feel out of place amongst rich people?” asked the succubus.

“I feel a bit out of place amongst all people,” Chio replied while she sat down on a lone wooden chest that was left on the pier by someone.

“Right... we are pair of weirdos after all.”

“Annabelle!” the girl pointed at the golden letters painted on the side of the vessel.

“Huh?” Arabella perked her head up.

The angel giggled. “It's the ship's name, isn't it?”

“Oh. Yea.”

“It's quite similar to your name. Must be a good sign.”

“If you say so.”

“Why, what's her name?” they heard a high-pitched voice all of a sudden from behind themselves. Chio jumped to her feet, turned around, and for a second she thought that the words materialised out of thin air. But then she noticed the fast, rhythmical sound of bug-like wings, and the small being they belonged to: a fairy was now hovering in place in the air, right above the wooden chest. She was a female, and like most fairies, she had blue skin, and her size was about 20 cm. She wore an elegant, frilly black dress, her ruffled black hair reached down to her butt, and her iris-less eyes were quite large for her size – but again, that was normal for a fairy.

“Oh, I didn't see you there,” Chio said.

“I was resting behind the shade of my luggage,” the fairy nodded towards the chest. “What's your name, redhead?”

The succubus looked at the little flying woman kind of suspiciously. “Arabella,” she answered.

“Hmm, that is similar to Annabelle. I don't believe it's a good sign though, I'm not a superstitious person.”

“Okay?” the redhead shrugged.

“Are you going to travel on Annabelle too?” asked Chio in a friendly manner. She found fairies cute and interesting, but she never had the chance to talk to one yet, despite having a couple of them as her colleges in the Rainbow House. Then again, she only worked there for a few days before it got burnt down.

“Of course I'm gonna travel on it. I wanna visit this Newchance place, see what all the fuss is about, and it's not like I can just fly all the way over there, you know. Sure, I have wings, but that would be madness.”

“I suppose so,” Chio smiled at Arabella knowingly.

Newchance was a newly built town on the Scorched Lands, and the destination of the ship Annabelle. The construction of the town was in big part funded by a man named Ike Lazarus, one of the five ministers of Midridge, and the last one who Hollard was still in friendly terms with. Lazarus invited a bunch of wealthy people on this voyage to show off his new settlement, hoping his project would gain a good reputation, and perhaps some new supporters.

As its name suggested, Newchance was built on the premise of the natural gold that was discovered there in a river. Such claims of treasures being found on that wild continent weren't unusual, but actually setting out there to make a fortune was considered to be a fool's errand by many, and therefore the creation of Newchance was quite controversial. It was said that bigger settlements on the Scorched Lands are doomed to fail, one way or another. Murky Bay was an exception, but it was a rather unorganized pirate town, so some would have said it doesn't count as a proper settlement. On the other hand, such a large-scale project like Newchance, funded by this wealthy of a person was rather unusual. An attempt like this wasn't made in a century, and so some people were excited about it too. The first batch of settlers and builders moved there four months ago, and so far, everything was going all right, allegedly.

“Anyway, I overheard you two talking,” said the fairy. “I like a couple of maidens who feel out of place amongst people. Sounds less boring than spending my time with some stuck up nobles and the like.”

“Maidens, huh?” Arabella mumbled.

“So what is your name?” asked the angel.

“You can call me Friska.”

“I'm Chio, nice to meet you!”

“Likewise.”

“Uhm...” the girl hesitantly extended a hand.

“You haven't really been around a lot of fairies, have you?” Friska lifted her head proudly. “We don't usually shake hands with big people, it's considered rude. Due to the size difference.”

“Sorry.”

“However, I feel like making an exception. You seem trustworthy enough.” Now the fairy too extended a hand, and Chio awkwardly and very gently held her palm between her fingers.

“Speaking of size difference, is this your luggage?” the succubus looked at the wooden chest.

“Yea.”

“Really? This whole thing? You brought more stuff with you than the two of us!”

“Well, I needed to.”

“What do you have in there, if you don't mind me asking?” Chio inquired.

“My bed, my wardrobe, some instruments and devices. I'm a scientist, but also a musician, you know.”

“Is this chest like your house?” Arabella laughed.

“It is of course not,” Friska said while looking a bit offended. “But they don't have fairy-sized stuff on a ship, do they? I need my things. Besides, I might even stay on the Scorched Lands for good, if I like it there. We will see.”

“How did you carry your luggage here, anyway?”

“I asked someone to do it, obviously. Some guys from the inn. But now... would you two help bringing it on the ship for me?”

“Oh, of course!” Chio obliged.

Meanwhile, two sailors walked down on the gangway from the vessel, announcing that its ready to be boarded. The passengers organised themselves in a line, showing their tickets to the seamen to let them on. Chio and Arabella too joined the queue, holding the fairy's chest from two sides, who was hovering next to them. They were the last ones to get on aside from the two crew members, who, after checking their tickets, insisted on taking the chest on board themselves. Chio didn't think much of it, but Arabella tried to decline their offer – she was quick to realise that passing them the chest could be kind of awkward. It was a little heavy, just about as much as it looked like, but that was potentially enough for these men to get suspicious of the two fair ladies who were just carrying it around without breaking a sweat. Dammit, Chio, get a clue! the succubus though, but the girl remained obliviously friendly, and so the fairy's luggage still ended up in the sailors' hands. As they took it over, the redhead was watching their reactions carefully, and she could swear they expected somewhat of a lighter weight. Perhaps it was their male pride, them not wanting to appear weak, but they didn't make a comment. The succubus sighed and followed the girl dressed in pink up the plank.

Annabelle both had a forecastle and an aftercastle, buildings on the front and the back of the ship, respectively. The passengers' and the captain's cabins were in these constructs, the aftercastle even had a lounge room, while the crew slept underneath the deck. There were three masts on the vessel – Chio watched as a sailor climbed up one towards the crow's nest. Even though the angel was now capable of flying, imagining having to clamber up there still made her shiver instinctively. It was so tall!

On the main deck, alongside a small group of additional sailors, the ship's captain was greeting the passengers personally: he was an older, hunchback grey cat-man wearing the same blue uniform as his crew, smoking a pipe.

“Welcome aboard Annabelle, ladies and gents!” he said in a loud, hoarse voice. “I'm Captain Kraus. Ship's nice and clean, cabins all set for you to move in, weather's looking good. We are all stocked up, the chef's already cooking up something tasty for lunch. Crew's ready to rumble. One thing I shall note is that we don't often have this many women with us, so if someone gets touched by any of my boys, let me know, and I'll make them swim back home.”

“No need,” the succubus said quietly to Chio with a cheeky smile.

“We'll now distribute the cabin keys, don't make a fuss of who gets which. Cabin's numbers are carved into them. Most of my boys won't be able to help you read them, but I suppose a lot of ya won't have a problem with that. Odd numbers are at the front, evens at the back, so keep that in mind. We will set sail once you all are settled. That's all. Oh, and enjoy the voyage!”

With that, the captain turned his back on them and walked towards the aftercastle, and the crew began to give out the keys to the guests. It was a process that was quite unheard of – baggages getting mysteriously lost on ships wasn't, though. Even when it came to vessels carrying nobility, passengers didn't normally have a means to lock their own rooms. The common wisdom was that one should keep their belongings close to them at all times during a voyage.

“This Ike Lazarus is trying so hard to put our minds at ease. I would say it's a bit comical... if it didn't actually make sense,” said Friska, who was now sitting on her chest. Those two sailors who offered to carry it to her room put it down for now, but they were still standing around.

“Is Lazarus not traveling with us?” the angel asked.

“He is already in Newchance, they say. He will great us there,” the fairy replied. “I met him before, he is such a show-off. I mean, look at these purple sails! He just has to stand out, you know. Well, that tendency of his might have lead him to do something interesting for once, so there is that. Anyway, I already like this Captain Kraus. Seems like a fellow to have a drink with. Do you drink, Chio?”

“Uhm... not often.”

“Oh, I'll show you how it's done! How about...”

But it was now the lovers' turn to get their cabin-keys, and while their room turned out to be in the forecastle, Friska's was at the back, so they got separated from the fairy for now.

Their cabin consisted of two comfortable looking beds with a nightstand between them, and a round window near the ceiling. Arabella considered reorganizing the small room, but the beds were fixed to the floor, meaning they had to sleep separately.

“Oh, well,” Chio said.

The succubus flung her backpack underneath her bed, and sat down on the other one next to the angel. “Are you really gonna hang out with her?” she asked.

“Friska? I might. We will be on this ship for about two weeks, so yea, why not spend some time with her?”

The redhead shrugged, and put her hand on Chio's skirt-covered thighs. “So how are you gonna feed me?”

“Well... you know.”

“I'm listening.”

“I... I will make some men cum, and carry their seed to you.”

“In your mouth?” Arabella leaned close to the girl and kissed her, sliding her tongue between her lips, then pulling back.

The girl blushed slightly. “Uhm... probably in my mouth, I suppose.”

“When are you gonna do it?”

“When? Well... when should I?”

“I mean, last time I ate was yesterday morning,” (that's when Hollard had a second round with the angel), “so how about right now?”

“Right now?!” Chio gulped.

“Or... when?”

“I... I just... but how? How should I do it, and with who?”

“A sailor? Or two.”

“But...”

“You act like you haven't done it before. You can do it!”

“But it's different! When we were with that family, you were truly in a bad shape. I was worried about you, and that really pushed me. Then with that human and halfling, you were the one to initiate, and with Hollard, things were out in the open, and you were there with me too. But now...”

“Yea yea, I get it. It's gonna be tricky for you now. Still, one of us has to do it.”

Chio stood up and began to nervously walk back and forth in the small room. “You say I should try my luck with a sailor. Should I just go up to one and ask them? Wouldn't they think that's strange? What if they are like... too forceful? Or if they get too attached? What if someone sees us? If their crew mates find out and get jealous? How is a woman supposed to invite a man to sex? I... I just don't know.”

“Welcome to the club, girl,” Arabella laughed. “The dilemmas of my life.”

“So how did you usually do it?”

“In the past? Sneakily. And without giving too much of a fuck, to be honest. About how I affect men, I just... took what I needed. And I was constantly moving around too, trying to lay low. Obviously, we can't really do that while we are stuck on this ship. On the other hand, you are not actually a succubus, so what's the worst that can happen?”

Chio stopped walking back and forth, and looked at her love with an expression of frustration, she even teared up a bit. She then jumped on the bed and snuggled up to her.

“Aw! It's okay, you don't have to hurry. I can go without food for a few days,” Arabella hugged her gently, and stroked her hair.

“But eventually, I will have to figure this out.”

“You are the one who said you should be feeding me on the ship. If you really feel like you can't, then I can do it too.”

“No!” the angel sat up straight and looked into the redhead's green eyes. “You shouldn't, it's too risky.”

“All right, if you say so.”

Chio now lay down on the bed, resting her head on Arabella thighs, which was a position she found quite calming. “You know, I'm not a futanari anymore, I'm a proper girl now, and it's like... I get it. Women are kind of more sensitive, vulnerable, stuff like that. Even though I'm a strong fallen angel, it still feels different. On some instinctual level, it just feels dangerous to mess with men, like I'm not supposed to be careless about it.”

“Can't say I can relate much.”

“You are a powerful sex-demon, after all.”

“Anyway, you said perversion is kind of fun. I know you can be quite slutty still, so just try to focus on that. Spend some time on the deck, look around, try to chose a guy you like. I would recommend doing it subtly, just drop some hints. Even if you just wink at a man, often that's enough for them to then push for it on their own, to make it happen.”

“That makes sense. I remember when you winked at me in that inn a while ago... as a futa, that was just mind-blowing.”

“Oh, when we first met? I did that.”

“You did indeed. Of curse I can still very much remember being a futa. Having a penis, the maddening desire, I get that too. Even most men can't imagine how horny I was. And I can still kind of put myself in that headspace. If I just think back on it... focus on their penis and recall having my own... I can still make myself quite excited that way, probably with just about anyone. But it's harder now, in a way. It's like... it just doesn't filter out everything else so easily, it's not nearly that overwhelming, it's more of a concentration thing. I need to be at ease, kind of.”

“I see. Well, that's your task, then. As for me, I would rather not interact with other people that much, that's probably for the better, right? You should go out there and figure out a plan, or whatever. I'll be here to comfort you whenever you need me.”

“Yea... I promise I will do my best!”

“Good girl!”