FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

A week passed without much note: Sin and Selena finally dragged Zerrex and Lily into the same room together, and they both stubbornly ignored one-another until Lily finally apologized and Zerrex stopped pretending she didn't exist. The Drakkaren then went on to be pissed off at Selena and Sin for treating them like children, but that thankfully lasted only a few hours, during which he stormed around the Vault looking for something to do until he finally got tired of being angry and hesitantly decided to find something to snack on.

Cherry's belly began to curve outwards, even if her abs were still visible, and Sin ran the first of many scans on her to test the baby's development and check what progress it had made so far. The demoness herself was going on to full motherhood mode, and was grouchy, irritable, and gleeful almost all at once, making her difficult for anyone to be around, and Zerrex knew he'd have a hard time restraining his temper over the coming months.

He also knew she would probably cause him a lot of frustration when it came to designing the room: while Cherry normally cared very little about what gender a person was and what they liked or disliked, for Priest she had become very strict about making it all a boy's room, demanding this and that and shunning anything that could be defined as girly. Zerrex hadn't really cared... but admittedly, once they'd gotten past the planning stage, it had been fun enough to sit back and watch Cherry go ballistic on the builders every now and then when they dared use an improper shade of blue here and there.

They also finished closing down the smuggling sites they had attacked during this time, and an inventory had been completed: in total, there were some hundred Combat Armors, thousands of mortal weapons, and all manner of odds and ends, from random knickknacks to high-tech computer equipment. Nothing so serious as what they'd discovered in the abandoned mine, but nothing Zerrex felt was used for any good purpose, either.

Now Zerrex sat in some far-flung corner of Hell under a shady tree that was grumbling every now and then, across from a pair of old stone benches. Behind him, there was a deep gorge, and he could vaguely hear running water somewhere within if he listened hard enough... but at the moment, the reptile was engaged in playing his portable game player, mumbling to himself about 'stupid ninjas.'

Sammy was chasing bugs back and forth through the grass, and Zerrex was waiting for him to finally catch one, since it would probably come as a nasty surprise for the little bugger. He thought some things were better learned on one's own, though... and then Sammy chomped on a particularly-large grasshopper-like bug, and it squealed before it exploded into flames, and Sammy yelped and spat it out, spitting a few more times as the little bug turned quickly to ash.

"Told you so." Zerrex said mildly, not looking up from his game. Sammy squawked at him irritably, but then the pseudodragon straightened, craning his neck through the tall grasses as something rustled in them. The Drakkaren sighed, recognizing it was too big to be a bug, and he saved his game before turning the player off, standing up and putting it into a pocket before he clacked his scuffed boots together absently. "I need me some magic boots or something. You ever hear that story, Sammy?"

Sammy was growling now, though, and Zerrex frowned a bit, standing up: the only person Sammy ever growled at was Ixin, and by now Ixin would shown up in a flash of magical colors, if he wanted to bother his 'only real friend in Hell,' as he sometimes called him companionably... and then he made a face as a Plasmid skulked out of the bushes, hissing and snarling. The lowest of low-demons, the Plasmid was a creature of the Damned: a monstrosity that had been cursed by its own sins and warped by Hell's terrible energies until it became only a shadow of its former self. This one had once been a wolf of some sort... but now it was more insect, with an upper chest that had patches of leathery skin visible through shaggy, unkempt fur, bug-eyes and instead of hands, huge blades like that of the Praying Mantis... and its waist connected into a bug's thorax, and its lower body possessed six segmented, scythe-like legs and a rounded, elongated abdomen.

They rarely travelled alone and usually attacked with much greater vigor... and then Zerrex noted the wounds, as he stayed by the tree and smiled at his pseudodragon, who was hissing but backing away, his tail raised and his wings spread as he tried to make himself look big to this monster, as drool dripped from its jaws. "You can take this bug no problem, Sammy... what, you scared of an overgrown insect?"

Sammy growled uncertainly, wincing a bit as he looked over his shoulder at Zerrex... and then he scampered backwards quickly as the low-level demon leaned forwards and slashed a claw awkwardly at him, almost falling over. It was missing a front leg on one side and a middle leg on the other, making it unstable with its strange, amalgamated body... and then the Drakkaren leaned down as Sammy ran over to him, the Plasmid looking at Zerrex for a moment and hissing again. They were stupid demons, and ninety percent of what they saw they considered food... but ten percent were predators, and he knew that in its current state even the bug wasn't dumb enough to pick a fight with anything too big. "Go ahead. If things look like they're getting real bad, I promise I'll step in and take care of things, okay?"

Sammy looked at him with a whimper... but then he finally nodded and turned around, scampering over towards the little beast. Zerrex crossed his arms as he leaned back against the tree, watching with a frown and rubbing at his scarred face lightly. Of course he was worried for the little guy, but well... he also knew that he couldn't protect and spoil Sammy all the time. Most of the time, sure... but Sammy had shown some incredible potential during their battle with Celestial, and Zerrex knew that if he wanted the pseudodragon to be able to stay alive and stay with him, then he'd have to learn how to fight. Still, though... it worries me.

The little dragon bared its fangs at the Plasmid, and the thing chittered: whatever else, it had lost any mortal intellect it may have once had. Zerrex didn't think this one had been bred in Hell like many of the bugs, however - they bred almost uncontrollably, making them a huge nuisance in cities and settlements - and so he figured that it might be a bit stronger than the Plasmids born in the hives these beasts set up... Plasmids that had once been mortal, after all, usually had some faint memories of their mortal life.

Then it lunged forwards, swinging both claws outwards and staggering drunkenly, knocking itself off balance... but Sammy only dodged, he didn't lunge forwards when it left itself wide open, both claws going down to catch itself before it could fall. Instead, the little dragon hesitated... and then when it did move forwards, the thing easily swept it backwards, knocking Sammy on his ass but not injuring him. It scared him, though, and the pseudodragon immediately bolted towards Zerrex... but the reptile sighed and shook his head, saying quietly: "Don't let panic take over. Then you freeze up, move too slow, and run away too quickly. You can do this, Sammy. Go back in there, try again."

Sammy dropped his head, looking pitiable as he whined loudly, trembling... but Zerrex shook his head again, and finally it turned around, looking over its shoulder as if betrayed and making the reptile wince internally. But dammit, if his training was ever going to work out... Sammy needed real battle experience, not just practice at jumping hoops.

Now the little dragon bared his fangs, looking miserable instead of convicted, and the reptile knew it would greatly degrade his battle performance. Sure, he could yell something, but even encouragement would piss the little guy off at the moment... and Zerrex knew that Sammy was still, for all intents and purposes, little more than a child, even if he was a full adult in body. Quick development was not always a bonus... and Sammy still couldn't fly and often got too cocky when it came to training... and now that he was faced with a challenge that offered real danger instead of the false danger of some of the target-dodge spells which were the most he'd been faced with up to this point, his entire ego had just imploded.

But Zerrex kept thinking back to the fight with Celestial: his first battle, and Sammy had fought wonderfully against an enemy that was fearsomely powerful, even channeling her spell back at her with minimal damage to himself... and he watched as the Plasmid threw both claws forwards and leaned down to try and bite the dragon, and he avoided it, skittering backwards before he lunged and slapped it in the cheek with his flail-like tail. Zerrex smiled a bit as the bug screeched in surprise, a bit of disgusting blood bursting from its face as its cheek tore, and this time it quickly backtracked, shoving itself along and leaning heavily forwards on its arm-claws as Sammy looked surprised. The reptile knew there was a lot of strength in the long tail, though... and then the pseudodragon turned to look at him stupidly, and the reptile shrugged. "Told you so. Again."

Sammy looked at him flatly, then he turned his eyes back to the Plasmid... but Zerrex knew he was feeling more confident in himself now. The Drakkaren himself was smiling slightly, but he didn't let himself erupt into cheering like he wanted to: he had to make sure that Sammy's ego was bolstered a little bit at a time, and that it didn't rise to the top all at once, all-of-a-sudden, and make him arrogant. Everything required a bit of patience and hard work to do it properly, after all... and the reptile needed to make sure he stopped, took a deep breath, and gave Sammy all the time he needed.

The pseudodragon watched as the Plasmid came forwards again, hissing and chittering, its greenish body glinting in the pale light of Hell... before it lunged suddenly, and Sammy ran forwards, getting underneath its body. It bucked immediately, staggering back and forth as it looked beneath itself for the little dragon... and then it released another growl when the little dragon leapt up onto its back, looking wildly back and forth as it began to try and shake him off, the little beast clinging on to its abdomen for dear life as his claws dug through the plating over its form.

Then Sammy leapt forwards suddenly and landed on the somewhat-furred back of the creature, biting into its neck as his claws sank into its body... and the Plasmid let out a keening wail, staggering back and forth as the pseudodragon bit over and over again into its throat, blood splattering down and Zerrex somewhat surprised by the fierceness of his pet. He frowned a bit, watching as the Plasmid fell forwards, its claws settling into the ground as its head hung low, drooling stupidly as blood flowed from the wound... and Sammy leapt proudly off its back. He stood erect, his head high and an overconfident look in his eyes... and then he squeaked when the Plasmid behind him gave a death rattle even as it lunged forwards with its jaws open-

Zerrex was past Sammy in a moment, foot up under its chin before he gracefully twisted his body and slammed the same combat boot into its cheek, shattering most of its face as the bug-creature was knocked flying through the air, flipping awkwardly once before it hit the ground and rapidly rotted away to nothing. He made a face as he let his leg slowly fall, and Sammy shivered as he stared up at him in shock, curling his tail downwards and hanging his head in shame as the Drakkaren said quietly: "Until you're sure the enemy's down... never let down your guard."

Sammy nodded glumly, and then Zerrex knelt in front of it, quietly lifting his maw with two fingers as he met his eyes. "And I know that you don't have much choice other than to use your teeth, Sammy, but... what separates us from animals and beasts, and even worse, filth like Tank... is discipline. The discipline to control ourselves in battle, even when we fuel ourselves by emotion, and the discipline to control ourselves through our lives, to avoid hurting others emotionally or physically. You and I are not animals, Sammy... we are people. And I include you in that category because you're intelligent and a very fast learner." He smiled a bit, and Sammy hesitantly smiled back with a quiet chirp. "That's right, I think a lot of you. That's why I want to teach you and why I'll be hard on you when I have to."

The two looked at each other, and then Sammy leaned forwards and nudged Zerrex with his muzzle, and the reptile laughed faintly, bringing a hand down to quietly pet his head. "You did conquer it, though... but don't get too cocky, it was wounded and weak. Next we'll have to find a living Plasmid, or something similar..." The Drakkaren paused, then he sighed as he absently held an arm down to the little beast, and the tiny dragon gladly leapt up and ran along it to curl around Zerrex's shoulders, nibbling at his hair quietly. "There's a lot of Damned in Hell these days, though, and plenty of half-demons too... it makes me nervous."

Sammy chirped, and Zerrex shook his head a bit. "No, that thing you fought was once a mortal... probably guilty of some nasty sins, and he was thrown somewhere in Hell where he... was left in a bad condition. Either all alone, or in one of the Lost Settlements where people just don't give a rat's ass about each other, and even the Inquisitors try to avoid... and after so long, being alone or having no one around you can do strange things in Hell not just to your mind, but your body, too. There's also a rumor that somewhere in Hell, there's a pocket dimension called the Realm of the Damned... a place where any demon can be warped and twisted until it reverts to nothing more than a Plasmid or a similar creature. My guess is that it's probably a place where a lot of corruption settled and got sucked into somehow way back when Hell was first created..." He paused, then looked at Sammy amusedly. "We could go take a look around for it, if you want."

Sammy chirped thoughtfully at him, and Zerrex smiled a bit before he created a portal, and the Drakkaren gladly stepped through, and they emerged somewhere in the Western Province at the edge of a vast desert. The reptile had trekked around in it before, but it was no use portalling in to his last remembered location... mostly because he had no idea where that location was in the desert. "This is the Huge Sigh, and probably the only reverse-desert like, anywhere. Since there's no sun in Hell, the temperature is pretty much the same all the time... which I'd call 'room temperature.' It only gets colder when you go deeper in the ground, and hotter when you get near one of the many volcanic veins throughout Hell.

"Where we are, however, is in Geryon's Crater... a place where an ancient demon of formidable power accidentally killed himself and countless other demons in a failed attempt at ripping a hole in the fabric of space-time to escape Hell." Zerrex said quietly, smiling a bit. "Geryon was a Naganatine who wanted to follow Mephistopheles out of Hell... but he couldn't quite manage it. He figured that a powerful enough blast would literally destroy the fabric of Hell, however... and while the corruption was still strong, he put together a spell that dug this crater."

Zerrex rose his arms, and when the pseudodragon looked around, he chirped quietly. Far, far in the distance, there were humongous stone cliffs, many of them covered in crystal... and then the reptile shook his head slowly, murmuring quietly: "You see, it might have worked... but he miscalculated the force, and instead of causing a space-time breech in a small area, it spread the explosion out over a massive area. Apparently all of Hell was lit up by a pillar of fire for two days... and then when it died down, this Crater was left behind. Geryon was annihilated... but just like on the mortal plane, there's a little tourist village around here somewhere with a statue of him and a museum and all sorts of other trivial nonsense, and they rake in more gold than some of the actual cities around Hell."

Sammy chirped and half-motioned towards the desert with a claw, and Zerrex smiled a bit, patting the pseudodragon lightly. "Okay, okay. So we're actually quite deep in Hell's crust: almost as deep as the eighth circle, I'd say, but it could be as shallow as the sixth. The desert itself, however, is cold instead of hot... and the further you journey inside, the colder it gets. There's no ice, no snow... just a lot of sand, for miles and miles. It gets confusing very quickly... because the deeper you go, the harder the sand gets, until it's like walking on glass."

The pseudodragon tilted his head at this, and Zerrex shrugged as Sammy looked forwards again, putting his hands in his pockets. "I dunno what's in there. I'd say that's likely where the Realm of the Damned is, though... especially because there's a very high concentration of Damned in this area. That little village I was talking about is protected from them by a powerful runic circle... they certainly know their stuff, I have to give them that." He paused, then shook his head and sighed, mentally estimating the time... something he'd never gotten too good at. "I think we're probably running late, though, and Cherry's going to get bitchy. Come on, we have a room to help design. And yes, I include you because you're part of this family and you know that the baby's going to pull your tail a lot."

Sammy growled at this, and it sounded almost like Zerrex's muttering, making him roll his eyes and smile a bit as he created another portal. They stepped out a moment later in his room... and Zerrex stared at Cherry, who was knitting on the bed. She looked back at him, horror in her eyes... and then she slowly cleared her throat and put the yarn down, saying dumbly: "I was making... um... drugs."

"I wish. When the hell did you learn to knit?" Zerrex tilted his head, and Cherry turned beet-red, looking away before he asked: "How long has this gone on without me knowing?"

"Only a month or so... Sin thought she should teach me something to get my mind off things." Cherry mumbled, and the Drakkaren rolled his eyes, looking amused despite himself. Then she held up a pair of malformed booties, looking horribly vulnerable as she asked: "They aren't too bad, are they? Like. Seriously. Be honest."

Zerrex looked at her, then at the booties... before he finally said carefully: "I think... with a bit more practice, they'll be perfect."

Cherry looked at him for a moment, and the reptile wondered if he was about to get a large needle in the eye... and then she smiled and said softly: "You know, Boss, you got some real good tact when you need it."

Zerrex smiled back, looking relieved... and then Sammy leapt off his shoulder and bit into one of the booties, shaking it violently back and forth and causing it to unravel as Cherry squawked and slapped at him. He ducked quickly away, then yelped when she scooped him up and threw him hard at the Drakkaren, the reptile wincing and stumbling backwards as he caught him before the ball of yarn flew through the air and knocked Sammy hard upside the head, the little dragon squawking loudly before he scrambled over Zerrex and jumped over his shoulder just in time to avoid a sewing needle from hitting him in the ass.

The Drakkaren ducked away, covering his head... and then Cherry looked despondently at what had once been her bootie, but was now only a pile of loose, abused yarn. She looked at the other one and shook it a few times... and then it popped apart, and she sighed, looking morbid as Zerrex sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her, saying mildly: "You know, you can't be good at everything."

"Oh fuck you." Cherry half-shoved him, but then she dropped her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes and adding flatly: "By the way, I totally should be good at everything. I have super precognition powers that let me know when I'm doing shit right. But I guess that. You know. Sometimes even superheroes like me get fucked over by the simpler things in life."

Zerrex grunted, and they were quiet for a little while as Sammy looked out suspiciously from under the dresser, and then he settled himself to the ground as Zerrex said mildly: "You know, Sammy made a kill today all by himself. A wounded Plasmid."

"Gee, good for him. When I was seven I choked a boy to death." Cherry replied mildly, and Zerrex sighed and rolled his eyes as she blushed and cleared her throat. "Sorry, sorry. Bad memories are not needed on top of bitchiness, I know. Anyway, like. Good for him, though... 'cept by the look on his face, sounds like he got an assist."

"He made a little mistake and I just kicked it in the face, but the thing was dead and making a final lunge." Zerrex admitted, and Sammy mumbled and dropped his head to the floor in embarrassment, before the reptile changed the subject quickly, before Cherry could open her big mouth again. "So I think we should go with a floral pattern for the girl."

"It's gonna be a boy." Cherry responded flatly, and Zerrex rolled his eyes before she added: "And that's way too... gender-bias. I don't like it at all, Boss, it sounds fuckin' prissy. But don't you dare suggest no cars or shit either, that's for boys."

"Dude, even if it is a girl, it's probably going to end up looking and acting exactly like Priest." Zerrex said flatly, and Cherry gave him a horrible glare, the reptile leaning backwards and paling as he rose his hands. "Hey, that's... that's a good thing, because he's a great kid and you're a really good parent and stuff and... yeah!"

Cherry looked a bit mollified by this, but she still glared at Zerrex distrustfully every now and then. "Fine. But okay then, smartass. What other bright ideas do you have? And I don't want plain wallpaper, the baby will get bored looking at it all day."

"I don't think babies can get bored. Everything's new to them and you'll be carrying it around night and day anyway." Zerrex pointed out, and the female didn't even respond this time as she reached down and rubbed her belly slowly, looking moody. "What about horses? Animal patterns?"

The female leaned back and forth, making a face. "Kinda clichéd... I dunno." A long, awkward pause. "Okay, but if it's a girl, it should be ponies, kittens, and puppies, in that order, repeating patterns both vertically and horizontally, you dig what I'm saying? As in, I want them going in that order downwards, and goin' in that order sideways, too. And oh, it has to be multicolored wallpaper, as well. I wanna go with sky blue, navy blue, and mauve, those specific colors in that specific order." She paused, then frowned. "No wait, that's for a boy. And make it violet, not mauve, violet is a better boyish color. And his wallpaper has to be horses, wolves, and lions, all adults, all unevolved, do you understand me?"

Cherry looked at him pointedly, pressing a finger into his nose... and Zerrex reached up and tapped her 'II' collar twice, looking back into her eyes mildly. And in a moment, Cherry turned bright red, slumping meekly and grabbing her skull as she muttered: "Holy fucking shit. I've gone from the crazy fun slut everybody loves to the mommy from hell. Er. Well. I guess I am, but I mean... in the bad way. Shit, Zer, sorry."

"You're better than most." Zerrex hugged her lightly around the waist with one arm, smiling at her as he added with soft entertainment: "Besides. Most monster-moms wouldn't go back to being your friendly neighborhood bitch with just the tap of the right button on them."

"They would with a punch to the clitoris, though." Cherry muttered, looking darkly back and forth before she pointed at Sammy, adding: "And don't you go telling anyone I get like this either! I gotta preserve my goddamn reputation." She paused, then sighed, looking at him morbidly. "Who am I kidding, they all know the way I get when I'm preggers from when I had Priest. Shit shit shit. Just do me a favor, Boss, and don't let me get too outta control, huh?"

"You always come back to your sane mind eventually." Zerrex replied with quiet amusement, kissing her forehead, and Cherry rested against him, crossing her arms over stomach and closing her eyes as she bowed her head forwards. "But I'll do my best to remember your orders, mistress."

"Fuckin' better." Cherry grumbled, and she smiled a bit before she continued mildly: "So like. I wanna go with a soft carpet on the floor, too. To keep his little feet warm... and we'll probably put down an additional rug or two, too. And I want a soft color, too, but not blue, because if we put too much blue in his room it'll make him sad."

"We'll go with green. Earthy color, natural to see it on the ground even in Hell." Zerrex said, and Cherry opened her mouth, before closing it and finally nodding grudgingly, making the Drakkaren grin a bit. "What, now you're pissed off you've got nothing bad to say to me?"

"Fuck off and die, I got that to say to you." Cherry retorted, then she grunted and rubbed her belly, adding in a miserable voice: "I'm gonna get so goddamn fat. Look at me stretching already, shit. My abs are gonna go whoosh, too."

"Then keep doing ab workouts or something and you can look like a mega-musclegut freak or something." Zerrex said absently, and Cherry grinned stupidly at this idea, making the reptile sigh in exasperation.

"Hey, you know it would be kinda hot." she accused, and Zerrex kept his mouth shut, not wanting to admit that it probably would, in a weird, exotic way. Then he made a face when she elbowed him lightly. "Anyway, enough of this bullshit for now. Come on, let's go shoot some guns."

The reptile had no objection to that, so he nodded and stood, offering her a hand... and she glared at him before she half-rolled backwards and sprung off the bed on her hands, almost brushing the ceiling as she landed neatly on her feet and created a portal, bowing to him almost mockingly: "After you, cripple-butt."

"I'm just dead, not crippled." Zerrex replied pompously, and then he strode through the portal regally, Cherry bouncing quickly behind him, and the two laughed as they emerged onto a shooting range in the enormous "backyard" of the Estate. Since it encompassed more acres than Zerrex cared to think about, he preferred to try and forget it was there and left it for other people to use.

The shooting range, for example, was his to use as he willed... but it had actually been built by an old friend of his, a contractor named Feldstone who had given Zerrex his first job in Hell and continued to be an acquaintance. He ran the business, but was rarely there... but his staff consisted of gun fanatics and a meathead named Targin Bloodstone, who was currently on-duty and looking miserable.

The male was a massive, black minotaur, with a nosering - and a scar on his nose Zerrex knew well, since he'd been the one to give it to him by ripping the ring out - and a few ugly scars over his body. He had worked for a long time under Feldstone as a heavy lifter and a security guard of sorts, but then he'd eventually been shifted to watching the shooting range because of his sheer unpleasantness and his bad habit of kicking around the rookies and anyone else smaller than him. It was probably ironic that here at the shooting range he could do less damage... but he was clumsy when it came to guns and much preferred to beat on enemies with his fists.

He didn't really look up as they approached, continuing to lean on the counter on his hand, the booth built much like a shop in a plaza square: open at the front, the wide counter with a few registration papers laid out over it and piles of flyers he never bothered to hand out, and enough room for a second person and a door leading out the side... but there was no one else on duty. Zerrex cleared his throat, and Targin only muttered under his breath before he stood up, crossing his muscular arms and glaring down at Zerrex as the reptile looked at the tattoo on the sixteen foot behemoth's left arm, saying mildly: "You know, if you behaved yourself better, I might try and get you your old job back."

"Don't want it." Targin said moodily, rubbing at his arm and betraying that he probably did: he was just too damned prideful to admit it. Once upon a time, he'd been a Royal Guard at the Southern Palace, long before Zerrex had come to Hell... but he'd been kicked out for selling gossip to Hell's newspapers, which is why the giant wasn't doing the military work he was obviously better-suited to. "Anyway, what do you want, Zerrex? I see you brought your bitch bodyguard with you... I forget, are you a guy or a girl?"

"Look at my tits and tell me!" Cherry grabbed her exercise top and bra, jerking both up, and Targin gaped as Zerrex sighed and dropped his head back, slapping his forehead. Then she tried to pull both down, grinning... before muttering as her breasts refused to cooperate, the bra not sliding as smoothly down as it did up. "Gimme a second."

She turned away, adjusting herself for a few moments, then turned back, Targin rubbing awkwardly at his chest before she leaned on the counter and winked up at him, saying pleasantly: "So you got an open spot for us to shoot some shit?"

"Lane six is open." Targin said finally, then he turned around, picking up two rifles that were hanging off the hooks at the back and slamming them down on the table. He paused for a moment, then looked at Zerrex pointedly as he said slyly: "But I don't want you guys laying any bribery charges on my good friend Feldstone, and I know how he lets you use this shit all for free... I think you better pay for your bullets."

"Targin, baby, come here and let me give you a good reason why you should." Cherry said in a sweet voice, beckoning with one finger as she gazed up at him with half-lidded eyes... and Targin leaned in close with a stupid grin before Cherry seized him by the neck and jerked him over the counter, twisting him over her body and slamming him flat on his back before she grabbed his nosering with her other hand, glaring down at him and shouting: "I am pregnant and very angry, now gimme my bullets, you little bitch!"

Targin squeaked loudly and nodded rapidly, and Zerrex rolled his eyes as he walked around the side of the shack, letting himself in and gathering some clips from under the wide counter, while Cherry pretended not to hear the minotaur as she yelled at him and jerked threateningly on the ring. The reptile watched her for a few moments, and then he finally hopped the counter again and tapped Cherry on the shoulder, and she looked up at him in mid-shout, pouting a bit: "I was having fun."

"Well, let's go have fun in a different way now." A pause, and a leer from Cherry that quickly turned into sulking when he added dryly: "Not that way."

"Loser." She straightened, letting go of Targin and kicking him lightly in the side, and he grunted before she pointed and ordered: "Return to your post, soldier, and serve them customers good and righteous, or I'm gonna beat the fucktarts out of you!"

Targin mumbled as he rolled over, slowly crawling to his feet with a wince: huge or not, he was probably used to this abuse by now, since he almost always tended to piss off someone bigger than him. The two reptiles gathered their rifles and the clips from the counter as he pushed through, and then Zerrex dug in his pocket and put two gold coins down on the counter, saying mildly: "For old times' sake."

"You've always been an asshole." Targin shook his head, looking at him sourly, but he pocketed the coins nonetheless: in Hell, a few coins could go a long way, after all. Then he sat back down on his stool and resumed his former position, looking even grouchier than before and ignoring the dribble of blood coming from his nose.

They walked away, going past the shack and towards a row of ten lanes, three of them occupied; the borders of each were marked by flags and chalk, and at the end of each was a skeet launcher. The machine had been modified by Hell's mages, however, like most mortal technologies, and the plates inside the machine regenerated after a few moments, making the supply, for all intents and purposes, endless.

The guns, too, were modified: instead of an echoing boom, they only gave a small puff when fired. The shooting done here was rarely competitive, after all, and there was another range a fair distance away where people brought their own guns, also built and operated by Feldstone... but that was an indoor range, and this outdoor one had a friendlier atmosphere to it. Plus I think even Cherry enjoys a simple aim-and-shoot every now and then...

"This place blows." Cherry said immediately, but Zerrex ignored her as they continued forwards: he knew by now when she was just trying to get his attention or tick him off, after all, and this was likely a combination of both. She pouted at him after a moment, as the Drakkaren pulled a clip out and slapped it into place, and then she said mildly: "Those could totally be empty, you know."

"Do you want to shoot something or not?" Zerrex asked mildly, and Cherry huffed and grumbled, but then nodded after a moment as she sat down in the grass, tossing her rifle down beside her as she meticulously began to check her own clip and ensure it had all seven bullets present. The rifles weren't exactly all that big or pretty, and the ammo capacity sucked... but they were at least accurate.

Cherry finally slapped her own clip into place, and then she sat and watched as Zerrex walked down to the end of the lane, the reptile kneeling by the machine and mumbling as he turned it on and adjusted it. It began to hum lightly, thrumming a bit, and the reptile set the time interval for the plates to launch every thirty seconds or so: more than enough time. The height was automatic, at around fifty or sixty feet, depending on the machine... but Zerrex didn't want to get too competitive, especially with the female, since invariably she'd win... through either her abilities or cheating, whichever came first.

Then he set the program to start, and he jogged quickly back down the lane, Cherry standing with her rifle resting on her shoulder as she asked mildly: "So like. Have you come up with any girl names yet?"

"How about Rebecca?" Zerrex asked, and then he watched as a plate launched itself into the air... and Cherry glanced casually up at it before she rose her rifle and blew it apart. Then she gave Zerrex a disapproving look, and he rolled his eyes. "What?"

"I killed a Rebecca once. We're not supposed to name our kids after anyone we've killed." Cherry said sternly, before she paused and added: "Your shot."

Zerrex sighed, inwardly keeping time as he checked his rifle over, then he turned down the lane, raising his rifle and waiting patiently as he replied: "That kinda limits the choices then, Cherry. If you stop and think about it, we've killed a lot of people."

"Yeah, well. People suck. I was thinking more along the lines of... Dixie." A pause, and Zerrex shot her a look before the plate launched into the air, and he turned his attention quickly to it, pausing a moment to get a better angle before Cherry coughed loudly behind him and the reptile winced, his shot only winging the plate and causing it to spin wildly through the air before it crashed to the ground and shattered. "Bad luck there, Boss."

Zerrex only muttered under his breath, then he jerked his head for her to take the shot, Cherry grinning a bit. There was silence for a little while, and then the reptile said mildly: "We could always name her after one of your dead sisters."

Cherry cocked her head at this, refusing to be put off her game... and then she said thoughtfully, as a plate fired into the air and she blew it up before it could even reach full height: "That's not bad, Boss, not bad at all. And here I thought that I was the brains of the operation."

"Gods know why you'd ever think that." Zerrex replied mildly, and Cherry glared at him as he rose his rifle, waiting. As expected, Cherry coughed again loudly, but this time the reptile hit the plate dead-center at the top of its arc, blowing it into pieces as he grinned at her... then he made a face when she continued to fake-cough loudly, before beating on her chest with one hand and looking at him innocently. "Got something in your throat?"

"Ain't a dick, unfortunately." Cherry replied amiably, then she grinned over her shoulder at some other shooters, who were awkwardly looking at them every now and then a few lanes over. "Hey, wanna make a bet?"

One of them, a goat demon, looked up in surprise: from his plaid outfit and sweater-vest, he either just come from golfing... or he'd somehow mixed the two up, since he was having trouble reloading his rifle using the bolt. "I... sorry, miss?"

"A bet." Cherry said slowly, sounding out the second word like a preschooler. Then she grinned brightly, Zerrex rubbing at his forehead slowly as it began to ache a bit, wondering if he was going to manage to keep his sanity over the next coming days. "You know, like. Whoever can hit the most targets."

The goatling looked nervous... and then Cherry made a face when his machine spat a plate into the air at almost the same time as hers, and she rose her rifle, blasting apart plates in both lanes in one smooth strafing movement. "You're no fun, loser." She muttered something under her breath, then looked at Zerrex and whined loudly: "I'm bored!"

Zerrex looked at her flatly for a few long moments, and then she finally rolled her eyes and held her hands up, saying seriously: "Hey, you know you're gonna have to put up with that kinda shit once the kid's born. You spoil them goddamn rotten."

"And you don't." Zerrex said dryly, turning and aiming at the plate as it fired out of the machine... and again, Cherry shot it and blew it to pieces, and the reptile closed his eyes before he slowly turned towards her, opening them to glare at her sourly. "That was my shot."

"No way." Cherry paused, then rose the rifle and blew apart another plate in the first lane, making someone yell angrily. "That wasn't yours, either. Technically, they're the property of this magical shooting-place here. And now they be broke. Fucking dead. Shitcanned. Etcetera."

The Drakkaren rolled his eyes, and then he rose his rifle when Cherry grinned and rose her own... before she blinked stupidly as he gun refused to hire, and Zerrex let out a little 'ha!' of triumph as he blasted apart the next plate, the female making a face as she tried to work the bolt... and then she cursed, muttering: "Fucking gun is jammed. See? These weapons be shit." A pause as she tried to eject the clip... but it would only jiggle a bit in place, and she gave it a look of frustration as she shook the weapon wildly back and forth, several patrons yelping and hitting the ground and Zerrex wincing and ducking under a swing of the barrel before she finally snarled and snapped the rifle in half, breathing hard in and out.

Then she glared at Zerrex and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him close and shouting: "I wanna do something awesome and fun and shit! This is boring!" A pause, and then she turned a fine shade of puce before adding in a strained voice: "Wait just one minute."

With that, Cherry turned and bounded away... and then she fell over and vomited, and Zerrex sighed, rolling his eyes before he glanced up as a plate fired into the air, and he shrugged before bringing his rifle up and hitting it as it fell: not a clean hit, by any means, but a hit nonetheless. Then, just as he was about to head down the lane, Cherry trudged back, saying faintly: "You know, uh. Let's just shoot shit. 'Cept I'm gonna sit down."

They took turns with the rifle, Cherry indeed sitting down and less-talkative now but also less-moody, looking vaguely disoriented and exhausted as her stomach gave horrible gurgles every now and then. They spent at least half an hour like that, until Cherry's pallor began to return to normal... and then Zerrex walked down to the end of the lane to turn off the machine when she asked what else he had planned for the day.

When he turned around, Cherry was grinning and aiming the rifle at him... and Zerrex winced and rose his hands before she shot at him... and the reptile closed his eyes tightly before he blinked and gingerly felt over his body. There wasn't a mark on him, however... and then he reached up and touched his head as something felt amiss, and he realized a moment later she had shot a bullet right between his bangs as she winked and leaned on the rifle, saying mildly: "See, that time, I totally didn't shoot you."

"Good, because I was beginning to think it was going to turn into a tradition." Zerrex said flatly, and then Cherry gurgled and covered her mouth, the rifle falling... and when her eyes went wide, Zerrex frowned at her before the gun went off and a round blasted into his shin. He winced, then slowly looked down and sighed morbidly, muttering under his breath before he leaned carefully down and pried the small-caliber round free with a grunt, leaving an ugly, bleeding pockmark in his scales: the main reason Cherry had always used to shoot him was because these probably wouldn't've penetrated his body even when he was mortal. "Well, I guess your gut thought it should put a bullet in me anyway."

"You assholes done yet?" They looked up as Targin trudged towards them, jerking a thumb over his shoulder as he said in a flat voice: "I got numerous complaints. And oh fuck, you shot him again... much as I like that about you, I need to say for the umpteenth time you ain't supposed to shoot each other on the premises. Now get the hell gone." He paused, then looked at Cherry, who still had a hand over her mouth and was clutching her stomach, and he frowned, tilting his head. "What the hell's wrong with you, babe?"

Then Cherry leaned forwards and vomited all over the front of Targin's pants and his shoes, and the minotaur yelled something angrily as he stepped backwards before Cherry grinned stupidly up at him, and Zerrex winced as he ran quickly over to Cherry, grabbed her, and dragged her sideways as he created a portal, the two vanishing through it before it could even come completely into being.

As they stepped into the Estate, the first thing Cherry did was cast a cleansing spell over herself several times, and then she turned away as she made a horribly-disgusting noise... and then she turned back, saying flatly: "I totally could have taken him, sick or not."

"I know, Cherry, but... we're trying not to beat up Targin these days, remember? Besides, it's kinda comforting to have him around." Zerrex replied mildly, and then he sighed and rubbed at his head lightly, before looking at her dumbly: "So now what do you wanna do?"

Cherry shrugged and looked at him with dry amusement, crossing her muscular arms: "Not vomit, for one. But other than that, how the fuck should I know? What the hell do you wanna do, Boss? You're the boss, Boss, after all, Boss."

"You're in that repetitive mood again, huh?" Zerrex looked at her with mild amusement, and then he sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair, saying thoughtfully: "Lemme think. I need to mentally check my to-do list... Gods know I've sorta been ignoring it as of late."

"Yeah, but I like that about you." Cherry walked over and took one of his arms, grinning at him playfully. "Hey, we should totally like, crash some party somewhere or something. Or I dunno, go get into some trouble somewhere... hey, where's your pet, anyway?"

"He's at Kent's right now... that stablemaster I used to work for." Zerrex responded, smiling a bit. Zerrex didn't know anyone better in Hell to talk to about domestic animals, of any shape, size, and variety, and Kent had certainly been glad to help when it had come to the pseudodragon... although Zerrex thought that was mostly because he was bored. After all, ever since he'd given the stablemaster a big donation and shiny reward for all the help he'd provided over the years, Kent was able to spend a lot of time doing the things he loved... and better yet, he had his own stables now, instead of being forced to work out of a military base in Wrath.

When Sammy and Zerrex had first shown up - Kent in his suspenders and heavy gloves, the bear carrying several large bales of hay around the barn while his three helpers fed the wyrms and hydras he looked after - the male had been glad to see him... but had told him that training a pseudodragon was simply impossible, because they were notoriously known for being loners and unresponsive to most people. Then he'd noticed not just Zerrex, but Sammy had looked downcast... and when he'd asked to know more about the little guy, Zerrex had mentioned Sammy's near death and the spell Sin had used to save Sammy's life... and that had gotten Kent's attention immediately and caused him to brighten up, a rare thing indeed to see in the usually calm and stoic bear.

Kent had gone into great detail about pacts and how magical beasts like the pseudodragon could be tamed only by a person who they felt not only indebted, but kinship to... and it had all been very interesting, especially with Zerrex's former training from the stables, where he'd learned to train royal steeds for combat and special clients. And Sammy really was more of a friend than a pet now... and Kent finally said he'd be glad to look after the pseudodragon personally for a few hours every day, and even if he couldn't necessarily train the little bugger himself... he could still run him through some exercises to see what he was capable of learning.

So Zerrex had started sending Sammy to see Kent for about six hours every day, and the pseudodragon seemed happy enough with it. Today was his third day... and when Zerrex had stopped in yesterday - feeling too much like a doting parent - he had been glad to learn that Sammy was excelling the old bear's expectations. He hadn't said much else, though, wanting to wait until Sammy was ready to show Zerrex himself... and the bear added mildly, as he gestured to his stablehands, that the little dragon was probably smarter than they were.

Cherry peered at Zerrex, and finally the reptile shook himself out of his memories before she asked slowly: "So like... you're gonna what? Get him his own little armor gear or something and start using the little fucker in combat? Boss, you know how they say 'size matters?' Well it don't just apply to the dick. And don't start in on that bullshit about how you can beat up guys ten times your size, you're a freak of nature."

"Well, I can. Anyone can." Zerrex said blandly, as he and Cherry walked towards the main doors of the Estate and let themselves out, still arm-in-arm as they made their way down the path towards the main gates and the dusty road beyond. The Estate was well out of the way, in what Zerrex called the snobby part of Hell... well-spaced along this road were many a beautiful and enormous - and overpriced - mansion, with his as the largest. "Size might be important, as is strength... but ingenuity and determination win out every time, Cherry. Furthermore-"

"Blah blah blah." Cherry pantomimed talking with her other hand, and then she clung closer to Zerrex, warily eying a few demons that smiled and waved to the Drakkaren as they walked by, and the reptile rose a hand in return, feeling a bit embarrassed. "And dude, like. Poor people creep me out." She paused, then blanched when Zerrex glared at her. "Not poor, you know, like... not poverty, poverty's cool... not cool, I mean, not cool! You... I'll shut up now."

"These people are homeless and I have an Estate the size of a small moon. The least I can do is take them in for a few nights." Zerrex replied reasonably, gesturing at a small family: an old demon and a succubus, their little boy laughing as he ran by, kicking a ball. "There are good tents that can be pitched in the yard for some privacy, and a few enlarged rooms inside where they can sleep, and often my girls are ready to serve them a meal... not all of them are mean bitches like you, after all."

"You're just trying to make a better image of yourself." Cherry accused, and Zerrex shrugged before he smiled a bit, and she softened. "Oh fuck off, you know I didn't mean it. I see how much you give to charity, especially the ones for abused slaves... I know that as much as you try to hide it, you got a big heart."

"Shut up." Zerrex muttered embarrassedly, rubbing at his head as they walked through the gates to emerge onto the roadside. They walked along in quiet and peace for a few minutes... and then the reptile finally asked: "So when are we gonna have that 'union' or whatever it's called? That thing we throw in Hell when a monarch has a kid."

"I ain't no monarch." Cherry said stubbornly, and then she sighed, throwing her head back with a loud groan. "Can we please just do something quiet at the monastery? That was real nice of everyone. And I really don't want no big party."

Before Zerrex could respond, there was a poof of various-colored sparks in front of them as a column of smoke rose to the sky, and then Ixin skidded to a halt through the veil of smoke, grinning and pulling a top hat off his head, his hat in his other hand as he exclaimed: "Did someone say big party? Ladies and assholes, have we ever got a fine product you'll just love to hate and need to have!"

The two gaped stupidly, and then Ixin somehow grasped the still-sparkling cloud of smog and jerked it aside, smoke and sparks vanishing completely to reveal a Combat Armor... except Ixin had modified it so that the cockpit had become an aquarium. The limbs had been similarly modified, in Ixin's insane fashion: one arm had an industrial coffeemaker visible inside it, and ended in a tap, and the other arm ended in a blender. Zerrex stared, watching as a few fish swam peacefully around inside it, and then Ixin leapt on top of the combat armor and balanced on one foot, the other leg sticking out to the side as he put the top hat back on and pointed at Zerrex with the flute. "Tired of always wanting coffee but never having it in reach? Tired of the same old, same old surroundings every day here in bleak and boring Hell? Well, then, sir, what you need is my patented Nanny Bot, and all for the low-low price of two-ninety-nine! Wait, but there's more!"

And then Ixin hopped down from the top of the machine... and Cherry booted him in the gut, the mage falling over with a wheeze and clutching his gut even as a baritone voice narrated from... seemingly everywhere around them: "For a limited time, get not one, but two Nanny Bots when you order from our trusted service. And, if you call within the next fifteen minutes, we'll halve the cost! That's right, not one, but two Nanny Boys for a quarter of the price! This offer is not available in stores. Order today!"

Ixin was still spasming on the ground even as the voice finished, and then he finally sat up with a groan, resting back against the Combat Armor and looking sour as he said: "I hate you. You're lucky I hate these goddamn infernal machines more. Technology is for losers."

"Hey." Zerrex glowered at him, and Ixin puffed his cheeks out, pouting. The Drakkaren decided after a moment he wasn't worth arguing with, and even Cherry didn't look like she was up for fighting with him... so instead, the reptile asked mildly: "How the hell did you steal one of those, anyway?"

"Oh, easy as cake. Transmutation and phasing, that's all." Ixin waved a hand absently, hopping to his feet as he slid his flute back into the holster at his side, before he crossed his arms over a chest that was powerfully-built but hid the frailty of the mage as he grinned and leaned forwards, winking. "I figured I'd visit you for a while, oh mighty Lord Zerrex, since no one else seems to like my company very much. Come on, I heard you two were bored! And I'm like the fucking djinni that shows up when peeps be bored!"

"Djinni are not something to be taken lightly." Zerrex said flatly, and Ixin scoffed, waving a hand again as Cherry muttered something irritably. "I thought you were busy conducting magical experiments, anyway. Sin put you back to work in the Spire or something, didn't she?"

"Yeah, well, I got bored." Ixin said pompously, and then he fidgeted for a few moments before slumping and admitting: "I got kicked out by the other mages. They'll let me back in later when they got a problem they can't solve, but seriously, they have no sense of humor. Even worse, they're big dumb wimps... they don't like my proposal for the Lucifer's Eye project." Ixin paused, then snapped his fingers, becoming serious for a moment. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about! But then I got so wrapped up in the gag I totally forgot for a minute."

Zerrex frowned, tilting his head, and even Cherry looked curious despite herself, as the mage sat down cross-legged, looking back and forth before he said quietly: "I think I've discovered the flaws in the Lucifer's Eye that originally transformed you... the reason why you not only went out of control, but why you're still an incomplete demon. I need some funds to complete my research though, 'cause even in Hell nothing comes free or cheap... but what I can tell you so far is that my analysis of the 'ooze' Feldspar used in her program was not properly prepared. There's a lot of stuff wrong with it... but like I said, I got no funds and you know I can't get the mage council to agree with anything I say."

"Could be because your sense of humor gets a little homicidal every now and then." Zerrex said mildly, and Ixin coughed, carefully looking away as he adjusted the three belts around his waist. "The fact that you massacred a good number of former members way back some billions of years ago in Hell probably also doesn't look good on your part... but I'll trust you, Ixin. I'll allocate forty-thousand to you out of the treasury and provide what... 'donations' I can. I'll also clear your access to the Experiment Holding Cells... a lot of the demons that were created by the Lucifer's Eyes way back during the war with the physical plane have gone mutant."

"I heard." Ixin looked grim, shaking his head slowly. "They started turning all... blotchy first, some of 'em, right? And the others got big and ugly... well, that's the kinda shit that happens when you fuck up complicated alchemical processes. Demons aren't meant to be like, manufactured, anyway... especially not like that."

Zerrex nodded, then Cherry grunted and pulled on his arm, looking at him flatly, and the reptile smiled a bit before he glanced down at Ixin. "Apparently I have to go, though... but come see me later tonight. I'll give you the money and the access pass, and we can talk some more."

"Good." Ixin tilted his head up arrogantly, then he pushed one hand against the ground and grunted as he straightened his legs, going easily into a single-handed handstand, other arm out for balance as he said pleasantly: "I totally knew that you would. Ninja skills, activate!"

And in a puff of smoke, Ixin and the Combat Armor both vanished completely... and Cherry looked at Zerrex sourly, saying: "He's a liar, a showboat, and a bit of a prick... and yeah, sure, he's fun at parties and shit... but I still don't trust the bastard."

"I do. I sorta have to, if I ever wanna know what's happened to me... he was the one who developed the Lucifer's Eye projects originally, after all." Zerrex said quietly, and Cherry grunted, looking unnerved nonetheless. Then he smiled and squeezed her quietly around the waist, saying softly: "Sometimes people surprise you, Cherry. You certainly did, after all."

She snorted in amusement at this, then she grinned up at him and nudged him lightly as she pulled him along, saying mildly: "I am just full of surprises though, Boss, so you better watch your pretty ass. But come on, motherfucker, Momma Cherry wants to walk some more and see the sights of Hell, so get your ass moving."

Weeks passed... and as they did, Cherry's belly bulged up more and more, as her mood swings became more frequent and her body reverted to its demonic form instead of her mortal one. Nonetheless, Cherry was still Cherry... and she completely took over Zerrex's room, piling her clothes up in it and forcing either Priest or Zerrex to be with her at all times, if not both... and the reptile was almost glad when, every now and then, he was dragged off to a council meeting or some royal gathering: it was a break from Cherry's constant bitching and complaining, much as that quality in her amused him.

Cherry also kept a gun with her at all times... and only two months into the pregnancy, she already looked as swollen-up as your average mother at the breaking-point. Her breasts, furthermore, were huge to begin with... but now swollen up with milk, they were simply enormous, and the female could no longer fit into her usual clothes... which made her bawl uncontrollably when she tried to get on an exercise top for about twenty minutes, until she'd finally snuffled to a stop, then frowned and suddenly returned to normal, asking what the hell was going on and why her cheeks were wet.

So they'd substituted in the plain, traditional cloth wraps of Hez'Ranna, which were easy on her breasts... except without a bra on, her lactating bosom sometimes ended up leaking enough to make a visible see-through stain on the white material, which Cherry for whatever reason found atrocious. And so, all at once, Cherry wanted to go maternity shopping, with Priest and Zerrex in tow... and Lily came along to offer advice and try to help the demoness out with more private things; of course, that meant in reality, dealing with things that Cherry would otherwise drag Zerrex along to do and attempt to scar him for life with.

So now they wandered through Hell's version of a big box store, Cherry holding her rotund-yet-solid belly, her womb still protected not just by fat but by muscle... and she had a moody look on her features, her toned arms kept tightly at her sides as she refused the help of either her enormous Dragokkaren son or Zerrex, her lover, master, and father-figure. A loincloth hung around her waist, but it didn't do much good... her thighs and rear had both thickened up slightly, and Sin had said mildly after an examination it was another carried-over trait from mortal pregnancies she sometimes saw... and that it also meant the baby inside Cherry had gone into rapid development and could be born anywhere from six to ten months.

Zerrex had seen things he'd never wanted to see with Cherry's pregnancy: unlike most females, Cherry did not want other motherly figures and females 'interfering' with her. Instead, she wanted Zerrex around to help her out, order her to do things, and keep her from overexerting herself... but to be present for every step of the way, whether he liked it or not. And of course, with Cherry's trust issues further magnified by whatever the psychotic hormones were doing to her demonic nature... well... getting her to even listen to Sin was a bit difficult at times.

As they walked down the sterile aisle of the large store, a few demons ducked out of their way, likely at the look on Cherry's face... and then Lily quickly ran ahead, squeezing by Zerrex - who was very glad they had made up their differences - to pick up a cute little maternity blouse, saying warmly: "Look, this would look good on you!"

Cherry turned her hawkish eyes on the female, and Lily flinched before Cherry snatched the blouse, peering at it for a few moments. Then she grumbled something and tossed it away, and Lily winced, picking it up to put it back on the rack as Cherry said flatly: "I want something plain. And fuck, I need me a good bra. These tits are hurting like a motherfucker."

She reached up and squeezed them lightly, her grasp ginger and delicate: if she squeezed too hard, after all, they might end up squirting milk out. Whatever else, her breasts had gone into overdrive on the lactation... and Zerrex winced a bit before he grabbed a large, black-cupped bra off a discount table, inadvertently snatching a pair of maternity panties with them. "What about this?"

Cherry frowned, taking them both... and she examined the cups slowly and carefully. With breasts large even by the standards of the Lust Circle, Zerrex knew they should be looking at specialty stores, not... wannabe-commercial shops that were pretty much renovated painted medical-lab white. But thankfully, Cherry nodded after a moment as she felt the panties, saying blatantly: "These look like they'll help with my dribbling issue, too. Not sure if it's piss or something else, but it keeps coming out of me before I know it."

"Mom, please..." Priest winced and covered his face with a hand: Zerrex felt for the poor kid, since he'd had to endure quite a lot of Cherry over the last while.

"What, it's true." Cherry replied flatly, looking oblivious to everyone else before she finally grabbed Zerrex around the arm, the reptile wincing as she dragged him off and called over her shoulder: "You asses go and pick me up some more shit like this and meet me in a few minutes, Zerrex and I are going to go and see how they look!"

"Oh Gods help me." Zerrex mumbled, and then Cherry dragged him rudely past a couple of milling shoppers before she opened the door to a change room on one wall, glaring at an employee in a semi-uniform who rose a hand with a wince. Immediately, the demon paled and ran away, and Zerrex was flung inside before Cherry followed him in and shut the door.

It was cramped, especially with the small shelf on one side of the little stall... and then Cherry sighed, losing much of her bossiness as she turned around and asked in much softer tones: "You mind undoing me, Boss?"

"Not at all." Zerrex untied the knot that held the cloth wrap around her breast, before he reached down and did the same for the loincloth: in a few moments, both were off, and Cherry smiled a bit as she turned around, stroking over Zerrex's chest, pressing her fingers through the t-shirt she wore as her belly rubbed against his abdominals, whispering softly as it ground against the fabric.

Her huge bosom moved a bit with her breaths, resting atop her gargantuan belly as she gazed at him quietly... and then she leaned forwards, bumping against him a bit harder as her hands rubbed up to his shoulders, wrapping slowly around his neck as she said quietly, a bit of a smile on her face and mischief in her eyes: "You know, there's more than one reason I wanted you in here with me... room might be cramped, but I think there's more than enough for you to satisfy one of my needs... fuck, I feel so needy right goddamn now, and I know that if you scratch my itch... I'll do the same for you..."

"Cherry..." Zerrex said warningly... but then her hands slid up under his shirt, rubbing over rock-hard muscle, and he made a bit of a face, looking at her awkwardly as she rubbed along his chest, her hands feeling wonderful against his tense form, emerald and sapphire eyes locked as he said finally: "This is so not going to end well, you know..."

"I think it'll end great." Cherry grinned widely, her eyes alight as she licked her muzzle slowly... and then she leaned forwards, grinding her belly against him as she kissed into his neck, and Zerrex reached up to grasp her sides... but her hands suddenly pulled out from under his shirt to grasp his wrists and guide them instead to her bosom, and he fidgeted a bit, his hands settling on them and feeling the wetness as well as the hardness of her nipples, as she whispered: "Maybe, at least... help with my tits... they're so swollen, so full, and that milk needs to go somewhere..."

She guided his hands slowly around her huge swells, grinning into his eyes as he began to fondle them slowly... and then he squeezed one, and a bit of milk squirted out, dribbling down her swell and over his hand as she moaned softly, closing her eyes in delight. Zerrex released her bosom to guide his hand to his mouth, and he licked the liquid slowly off his scales... and it was both warm and good, leaving a pleasant tingle on his tongue.

Cherry's hands grasped his shoulders, and Zerrex leaned in, abandoning his reserve as he settled his mouth around one breast... and one of the female's hands immediately moved up to tangle in his hair and grasp the back of his skull with a moan, his jaws settling tight around a swollen and sensitive bosom and suckling greedily on it, and her milk spilled into his jaws as his tongue teased and flicked against her hard nipple, her body half-convulsing against his as her legs trembled, as if about to go weak. The pleasure was intense for her as Zerrex swallowed her milk, and it was delicious... and his other hand squeezed firmly on the swell, and the dribble became a flow down his hand and over his wrist, falling to her belly to slide slowly over the ridge in all directions... some dripping to the floor, some absorbed by the fabric of the male's shirt as her bulging front pressed against his muscular one.

It was delightful: he growled hungrily as he nursed at her breast, and then he drew suddenly back, a bit of her milk dripping from his jaws as it dribbled from her nipple... and Zerrex rubbed a hand slowly over her belly as his mouth settled on her other breast, his eyes closing as he worked his jaws teasingly against it for a few moments this time, before his mouth settled over her nipple and his hand squeezed into the enormous swell like it was a bottle, and Cherry grunted, pulling at his hair as her fingers threatened to rip a hole in his shirt, her body grinding forwards against his with enough force to make his back hit the other side of the small stall as her legs almost gave her, and the whole structure rattled before Zerrex pushed back, grunting quietly as her milk leaked out of his muzzle. Cherry groaned, and she didn't bother to conceal it as her eyes rolled up in her head in pleasure... and then finally, she gasped: "Enough, enough, no... ooh fuck... shit, it's too much..."

Zerrex grinned as he drew away, half-lidding his eyes as he licked at his muzzle, before his tongue dragged up one leaky breast with a loud slurp, making her shiver in delight. "What, is the magnificent Cherry already that close?" He reached down a hand boldly, grasping her firmly between her thighs... and she moaned loudly as he felt a hot wetness, her groin pulsing against his palm. "You really are..."

"Fuck you, it's been so goddamn long and I so fucking badly need some sex, any kind of sex..." Cherry responded in a half-rasp, then she pushed him back against the wall, the reptile grunting before she felt down to her knees, closing her eyes in relief as she sat back on her haunches. "Oh, that's better..." A pause, and then her hands reached up and tore Zerrex's fly open, the male looking down at her in shock as she grasped his waistband to jerk down his pants and boxers, his huge, flaccid member falling free of its restraints to lightly smack her muzzle, and she licked her lips slowly as she grinned up at him, adding hungrily: "But that's even better."

She shoved her face forwards, burying her muzzle first into his testicles, inhaling the male's scent with a groan, his heavy, thick penis falling over the slope of her muzzle as Zerrex's claws scratched lightly against the wall of the stall, the reptile grunting as he looked down at her with lust and surprise... and then it turned to pleasure, the male groaning quietly as her tongue slid out and stroked teasingly along his testicles, her mouth suckling playfully at one before she pushed forwards further, breathing his smell in and out as she whispered hungrily: "God damn, I need you..."

Her hands slid up his body, one grasping into a hip as the other began to lightly stroke his thick shaft against her own features, her eyes seductively as she gazed up at him even as her tongue slithered out to lap up between his testicles and against the base of his obsidian malehood... and the Drakkaren arched his back a bit against the wall, looking down at her with a half-grin as he said lustfully: "Well, it looks like you're going to get it whether I like it or not... but that means you're gonna get it too, Cherry..."

"Yeah, I know I am." Cherry replied, and she closed her eyes in bliss at the feeling of the huge shaft hardening against her features, as it went from thick and elastic in her hands to bulging and solid as steel, bit-by-bit... and she drew her head back slightly, rubbing the hardening cock against her face with a look of delight as her hand worked up and down the solid length, her tongue twisting and dragging here and there against the black meat as it slowly reached its full size of thirty-two solid inches.

She grinned a bit, her eyes flashing as she took it in both hands and began to stroke it slowly, leaning back and timing her movements so she could lick along the underside of the shaft at the same time, her breath hot even against his burning-hot member as she stared up at him blissfully. Zerrex looked back down, his own hands still grasping into the back wall as if for dear life, his eyes alive with hunger... and then, slowly, she pulled down on his member until the huge shaft was horizontal to the floor, and she grasped the base in one hand as she stroked gently along it with the other: yet her hand couldn't wrap all the way around the girthy member, and so the other side she teased by rubbing her muzzle slowly up and down it for a few moments before her tongue slid out to lick along the black cock inch-by-delicious-inch.

She knew it was something that got the Drakkaren off... and he groaned softly as he watched, his eyes half-closing as a growl of delight and hunger rose in his chest, a tremble of pleasure going through his strong body... and then Cherry finally stopped near the tip of his cock, before she closed her eyes and opened her jaws wide as she grasped the base of his tremendous length with both hands... and she brought the bulging, thick head between her jaws before the first several inches of his length sank into her throat, and her muzzle sealed closed around the enormous shaft as she began to bob her head hungrily up and down the great length, Zerrex grunting softly as his muscles flexed powerfully, spreading his legs out a bit further as he reached his hands forwards to grasp lightly into her antler-like horns.

She grinned around the huge shaft buried down her jaws, as she began to bob with a bit more fervor, one hand rubbing up his muscular chest beneath his shirt as the other stroked teasingly along the base of his shaft, and Zerrex grunted in pleasure, his hips thrusting a bit despite his best efforts not to as her tongue teased him in ways he could barely believe inside her muzzle, his head pounding with his heartbeat and his whole body feeling alive with pleasure from the sensations running through him... before suddenly, Cherry drew back and released his shaft, and the Drakkaren's cock swung upwards and slapped lightly against his shirt-covered chest, the reptile looking down in surprise as his shaft stood throbbing, painfully-erect and dripping saliva, some of it running even down over his huge, pulsing testicles as Cherry slowly stood up... and then she turned around and rose her tail, flicking it playfully back and forth as she put her hands against the other wall, saying hungrily: "You might be too big to shove into my cunt and not hurt the baby... but my ass is still fair game. Show me what a bitch I am and pound me ragged, you big bastard... fuck me, I need it..." Her voice went from sultry but commanding to almost pleading, taking on a ragged edge. "Fuck me... fuck me... oh, come on, please... fuck me!"

Zerrex growled amusedly... and then he licked his muzzle as he walked up behind her, grinding his hard shaft against her rear and then up the middle of her back past the thick base of her tail, Cherry wincing and grunting in quiet pleasure as his hands reached down to grasp her buttocks... and then she moaned and gladly leaned back against him, wrapping an arm around his neck when his whole body flexed and he lifted her easily, her legs raising in the air as he half-guided her with his movements until her feet were resting up on the shelf opposite, Zerrex looking over her shoulder and supporting her by the rear and his slightly-arched body, his breathing hot on her neck as he whispered: "This position should work for both of us, while I rip that ass of yours apart..." His fingers squeezed firmly into her huge, round buttocks, and she groaned, flushing a bit as she felt her hot sex dribbling some of her fluids down to the floor below, her labia swollen and sensitive, blossomed and leaking like a loose faucet. "Get ready for it..."

"Yeah... yeah..." Cherry moaned softly as she felt him lift her, his biceps and forearms flexing powerfully, scale rippling with his muscle as she felt his huge shaft grinding against her again, this time going down until his fat cockhead was pressed against her anus, settling against it between her spread buttocks as her thick tail rested against Zerrex, the muscular, well-built female and her large, pregnant belly trembling a bit... before one of the Drakkaren's hands slid up to grasp her hip instead of her rear, and he pulled down as he pushed upwards, grunting as she threw her weight back against him and stepping a foot backwards to anchor himself firmly as Cherry shrieked in not pain, but pleasure, her eyes rolling up in her head at the feeling of her rear being penetrated, sending a spark of sexual delight through her enough to almost instantly ignite the fires of orgasm in her loins as her legs bucked once, twice... and then she howled in bliss, her eyes half-closed and jaws gaping open in either intense pleasure or pain as her breasts bounced on her chest, her hips thrusted again, and a spray of her sweet fluids burst out of her vagina, splattering over the wall and floor beneath her.

Her teeth grit as she bucked again and again, and Zerrex grunted, grinning widely, her rear passage contracting with each hard contraction of her vagina and her hard bucks working herself further and further down his huge, solid length of cock. She finally moaned as her movements slowed and her fluids stalled to a leak from her blossomed, bloated sex, then grunted as she rolled his hips... before she cried out again as Zerrex thrusted upwards hard, and seized her hips in both hands, and she flushed deeply as a last spray came forth from her sex, the female panting hard as she threw her head back with a groan of pleasure and a grin, her fins pressing against Zerrex's shoulder and head lightly, bending a bit before she whispered raggedly: "Fuck, if only I had a cock... I would've shot hard enough to blow a hole in the wall..."

"We'll make due with what we got... just hope I don't shoot hard enough to blow a hole in you..." Zerrex replied in a roughened voice, and Cherry murred loudly, before she groaned softly as one of the reptile's hands slid over her leg and began to rub teasing up and down her vagina, making her tremble a bit, her eyes closing in delight as the reptile revolved his hips slowly to grind his huge, throbbing shaft along the insides of her passage at the same time. "So goddamn tight... I need to remember how great your ass is more often..."

"Fuck me..." Cherry whispered... and Zerrex was more than glad to comply, as he started a solid but slow thrusting, his body flexing and his muscles bulging as he held her easily in air, emerald eyes burning with pleasure as the fingers of his other hand slid slowly into her vagina, making her moan in ecstasy. They moved in and out, thrusting in time with the reptile's drawn-out but strong movements, Cherry rolling her hips with every deep penetration and moaning when he lifted her and dragged his shaft more than halfway out, taking his time thrusting all sixteen inches back and forth as he breathed hungrily over her features. At the same time, Cherry groaned, her eyes clenched shut, moving eagerly back against him as she felt shivers rolling through her body, one arm wrapped around the reptile's neck and the other clutching her own, huge belly as her swollen, leaky breasts bounced atop her pregnant front.

The reptile began to thrust faster and harder after only a little while, feeling pre leaking into her as Cherry cried out quietly, her sex releasing a steady stream of her own liquid around his fingers as he began to move three in and out of her vagina, stretching her sex and rubbing at her sensitive inner walls. His testicles bounced a bit, as every time he hilted into her the female's huge buttocks pressed against his abdominals with her thick tail-base, and Zerrex growled softly, grinning at the feeling and loving the sound of his muscular body thudding into that wall of meat and the jiggle to her rear and her thick thighs, as her toeclaws twisted and her feet kicked lightly on top of the shelf in bliss, her stomach bouncing a bit more with every movement: but even though they moved powerfully together, they both knew their current limits... and neither one of them wanted to hurt the child as they fulfilled their lusts.

Countless wonderful minutes passed: usually when he and Cherry fulfilled their lusts, it was hard and fast, over and over again... but knowing they had to be careful made them go slower, made it draw out all the longer as the demoness all-but-drooled in delight, a long stream of her own breastmilk down her body from one of her swells as her belly continued to bounce with every movement, and Zerrex thrusted harder and faster into her ass while still supporting her carefully, his fingers continuing to move in and out of her sex... and finally, after what felt like hours, he felt his orgasm rising as Cherry moaned again and again, her breathing hard and fast pants between sounds of bliss that were almost mewls, her eyes closed tightly as her hips bucked against Zerrex's fingers.

His huge obsidian member slammed in and out of her rear, his testicles swinging hard with every movement as his muscular body flexed, sweat staining his black shirt and running down his naked scales as he grunted, his testicles pulsing as they begged for release... and finally, the Drakkaren slid his fingers free from the female's vagina with a slick popping sound, some more of juices spilling out as she cried out loudly with pleasure before Zerrex rubbed a hand over her solid, somehow-muscular stomach as Cherry flushed in ecstasy, and then he leaned forwards, their bodies fitting together like spoons as her feet braced the wall as best she could, her eyes bulging as he slammed into her hard enough to shake her body, and she grabbed his hand - wet with the juices of her sex - as he felt his shaft stiffening up inside of her, his testicles throbbing powerfully and eagerly as he began to ram his solid shaft in and out of her, beyond the point of no return.

Cherry let out stuttering moans, her hips helplessly swinging back against the reptile's movements as her eyes rolled in her head in bliss, her large rear smacking into him with a sound like music as his huge cock penetrated to her depths over and over and over, until finally, she screamed in bliss as Zerrex groaned loudly before he grit his teeth, snorting like a bull as his seed blasted up into her with tremendous force. Over and over and over again, his load flooded up into her, and the demoness's legs kicked as her body bounced uselessly, her jaws agape with pleasure as she cried out again and again. Volley after volley of his seed blasted up into her, and Cherry could only react, as her own hot, throbbing sex soon became overloaded with pleasure, and another orgasm squirted out of her as she shook her head back and forth with primal cries of bliss.

Her hips bucked and rocked, and Zerrex thrusted and thrusted, his seed leaking and dribbling back down around his hips as his muscles flexed and bulged, his body full of raw pleasure and animal lust... and when someone kicked open the door as the two were in mid-orgasm, they both simply glared, snarling like monsters, and who-or-what had dared to disturb them quickly fled and slammed the door of the stall, before they both roared their pleasure to the skies as Zerrex slammed to the hilt in her, and Cherry's yawning jaws twisted back to meet Zerrex's and kiss him hungrily as their fingers intertwined on her belly, her other arm staying tightly locked around his neck as his own fingers squeezed firmly into her hip. Their tongues danced, their bodies traded sweat and seed as they ground together, their forms moved in time and well-practiced rhythm... and then slowly, their mouths parted, and they both panted hard, smelling and tasting each other's breath as they looked with half-lidded eyes at one another.

Then Cherry grinned weakly, laying herself back against the male as he reached both hands down to gently grasp her buttocks, supporting her as his muscles flexed against clothes that he'd accidentally torn with the sheer power of his form... and of course, the rest of everything else in the stall was splattered and juicy. They both breathed hard, Zerrex feeling not only pleasure, but protective and dominating, his muscles feeling strong and bulging with raw power, his eyes burning instead of bored... and Cherry looked peaceful and relaxed for the first time in forever, both her arms falling to rest over her belly and grasp lightly into her crotch, as if she had become an entirely different person... and then she murmured softly: "Holy fuck we have to do this again sometime."

Five minutes later, the two emerged from the stall, looking disheveled: Zerrex's clothes were ragged, and Cherry hadn't put her cloth wrap back on properly, so it tied off at one side rather than at her back. They looked around at the crowd that had gathered, and Lily and Priest both glared at them as Zerrex stood with his arm around Cherry, before she said cheerfully: "I got dicked in the ass. And now I feel good."

And with that, she cheerfully brushed past the two as Zerrex groaned and slapped his forehead, a blush rising in his cheeks as all the glares turned to him for some reason, and he wondered morbidly just how the hell it was Cherry always managed the upper hand on him, one way or the other.

Thankfully, the store manager was too terrified of them both to ask them to leave: instead, he tried to spy on them, looking unnerved from whatever he'd seen in their eyes. Zerrex had to admit, once his testosterone calmed down, that during sex he always got... excited in more than one way... and when he got excited, his darker nature tended to come out and want to play with anyone who screwed with him. Cherry, at least, was pleasant for the rest of the trip, even thanking Lily for her suggestions and not embarrassing Priest... so the two eventually started treating them normally again, if only because whatever they'd done in the closet had calmed Cherry the hell down and made her act a bit less like a complete bitch.

They finished their shopping with a good amount of stuff for Cherry to wear, and paid at the front desk - they didn't have checkout lanes, just the desk, which Zerrex reflected probably impeded them from being treated seriously as a major corporate store-type thing - before leaving and heading back to the Estate. The Estate itself, thankfully, was quiet: no Ixin, no Selena, and surprisingly, no Sin... it made Zerrex wonder if an emergency council meeting had been called. They brought Cherry back to her room, and then Lily attempted to leave... but then Cherry shouted at her to wait, and she turned around hesitantly.

"Lily, wanna help me design my kid's room?" Cherry asked cheerfully from the bed... and Lily winced before looking at Zerrex, who gave her a pleading look. It made her sigh after a moment, but when she nodded grudgingly, Cherry looked at her son and said mildly: "You can get outta here if you want, Priest. Zerrex and Lily can take care of my fat ass." A pause and a morbid look at a mirror she'd insisted on having set up in the room, despite Zerrex's loathing of them. "I am such a fat ass."

"You are not, Mom. You're pregnant, not a glutton." Priest said quietly, patting her belly gently, and then he smiled. "If you keep talking like that, you're gonna make my baby brother be born fat."

"Sister." Zerrex said absently, and then he ducked when Cherry picked up her gun and threw it at him instead of shooting, Lily and Priest both staring at her with surprise but the Drakkaren only sighing and looking at her mildly as it hit the floor and bounced once, the revolver popping open to spill cartridges all over the floor, as she gave him one of her best scowls. "Remember what happened last time you dropped a gun?"

"Yeah, but that gun I dropped, exactly." Cherry said brightly, as if she'd only thrown a pillow at the reptile's head. Then she turned back to Priest... but he'd already slipped away through a portal, and she huffed and crossed her arms on top of her bulging belly, asking sourly: "Am I really that bad company?"

Zerrex shrugged amiably, then he turned around and began to gather up the loose bullets and the revolver, as Lily asked her carefully: "Do you really think it's a good idea for you to have all... this... in this environment? You're an expectant mother, Cherry... and that overrides warrior queen and slave whore both."

Cherry made a face at Lily, then looked around at the room, which she'd turned into a half-maze of waist-high furniture, most of them smooth-topped and piled high with bullets, a few guns, and knickknacks. In the corner sat her rifle, and her whip hung from a hat-rack... while her clothes were simply piled here and there. "What's wrong with my room?"

"You mean, other than the fact it's my room? Cherry, you even have a room here." Zerrex pointed out, and Cherry picked up a clip this time and threw it... but Zerrex caught it, then threw it back. Then both Lily and the male stared when Cherry angled her body and sat up quickly, and she cackled when she caught it between her swollen breasts. "That..."

"Was awesome." Cherry finished, and she fished the clip out from between her huge bosom before she put it aside, and then she added in a sulky voice: "Besides. My room is way down the goddamn hall, on the other side of the mansion. The fuck's going to happen if I need something all of a sudden and you ain't nearby? At least if I stay here, I know that you'll show up sooner or later. And this bed is more than big enough for two, or three..." She grinned and leered at Lily. "You know. If you ever get lonely."

"I'll keep that in mind." Lily said slowly, leaning away from Cherry a bit as the female rubbed her large belly slowly, before she asked dumbly: "So what about this kid's room?"

"Well, Cherry has some big specifics... but she wants to know what furniture is childproof, who makes the best cribs, etcetera." Zerrex said mildly, and Lily nodded thoughtfully after a moment as she sat at the end of the bed. "She's uh. Very particular when it comes to stuff like this, too... safety is the top priority, but it should also match the child's room and it has to be the correct color."

Lily looked confused at this, then she rubbed at her muzzle slowly; she and Zerrex had already had plenty of children together - more than he'd had with Sin, even - and she tended to remember the small details that Zerrex didn't: for him, raising the children from babies had been almost a blur, and Lily had taken on most of the planning herself... except unlike Cherry, she'd been open and friendly about things, more a director than a taskmaster. "Uh... a lot of what we got were custom orders from an old friend of mine, he made us a beautiful black crib that I'd be happy to-"

"No black! Black is not a proper color for a baby's crib." Cherry snapped immediately, and Lily stared at her with shock as Cherry crossed her arms, looking petulant. "The only acceptable colors are classic white and a few of the soft, pleasant colors, but they have to pieced together properly. I want a crib with rounded corners, tall rails with no latch, low-slung to the ground and extra-soft matting inside."

"Why... don't you just hire someone to build it, then?" Lily asked mildly, and Cherry looked at her for a few moments like she was dumb. "What?"

"Ask a stranger to build my crib when they don't know what it is I exactly want? Ludicrous." Cherry huffed and shook her head, looking at Lily with something like disappointment. "I really expected better of you. Next you'll tell me that you let Selena babysit your children around here... this whole Estate is a possible deathtrap for a baby, without even considering how dangerous Selena can be and how much she exposed her own children to."

"Hey." Zerrex looked flatly at Cherry, and she coughed and pulled at her collar as she realized she'd crossed a line. "I can't punch you in the stomach but I can still punch you right in the face. Selena might not have been the best mother, but she kept her kids safe and protected, even Brez, and you know how she felt about him being born a Salamander."

Cherry nodded, looking uncomfortable before she finally said quietly: "Okay, okay, so maybe I'm getting a little psychotic again. Tell you what. You and Lily can show me that crib, and if it looks okay... we'll just paint it white." She paused at their looks, frowning from one to the other. "What? Black is totally not a suitable color for a baby. Black is death. Except in the case of your cock." A pause, then a wide grin and a leer at Zerrex. "Usually."

"I'm going to slap you so damn hard." Zerrex said morbidly, and Lily grunted something in consent, shaking her head a bit, before he glanced over at Lily, asking quietly: "You okay with that?"

"Yeah, sure. Even if she paints it, it's still a fine crib... in case we have any more kids one day ourselves." Lily reached out and took Zerrex's hand quietly, and they smiled at each other for a moment before Cherry cleared her throat loudly, holding out a hand of her own but unable to reach them from her current position. They looked at her... then turned back to each other, Lily saying softly: "You know... despite everything, Zer... I think this could all turn out pretty good. Cherry's a bitch, but she's a protective bitch... and as long as you're there to make sure the kid can breathe between her mommy-hugs, she should turn out okay."

"He, it's going to be a boy!" Cherry stormed, flailing her arms, before she glared from one to the other. "Next you'll tell me to use a dresser with corners on it for my child."

"We'll just use that special barrel-shaped one we had with Priest, it's in storage somewhere in one of the basements or the shed." Zerrex said mildly, squeezing Lily's hand once before dropping it, and Cherry huffed at this, but didn't argue. The golden-scaled demoness smiled a bit, covering her muzzle, and then the lizard looked over at her mildly, asking: "And before Cherry gets to this... do you know a tailor who can work with Heaven's Fleece? It's expensive stuff, I know... but Cherry insists that the baby's blanket be made of it."

"Maybe..." Lily made a bit of a face, looking at Cherry like she was crazy. "You do realize, though, that this is Hell, right? Most babies don't even get blankets, other than rags... and Heaven's Fleece is a very valuable, very-rare material."

Cherry looked at Lily for a moment... and then she sat up in bed, shouting: "Zerrex, I feel a cause coming on!" With that, she bounded out of bed, grunted and grasped her pregnant belly, then began storming around the room, looking for clothes as she tore her current ones off and making Lily slap her forehead as she averted her eyes from the female's pregnant ass and bosom. "Come on, get ready to go!"

Zerrex dropped his head in his hands with a groan... but ten minutes later, they were walking outside on the front yard, where a few large, green tents had been pitched. He could see several of his daughters - Blueberry and Sapphire among them - ladling out bowls of stew at long tables... and Cherry's eyes watered at the predicament of many of these demons. From the large hydras leashed nearby and the large wagon they were pulling, Zerrex guessed that it was probably a group of demons who'd been forced to move by either economics or politics: the wars might have ended long ago, but there were still battles now and then between nobles... personal vendettas, or simply arguments over political views that erupted into something far more.

Zerrex watched as Cherry rubbed awkwardly at her eyes, trading a look with Lily... and then Cherry held up a finger, looking ridiculous in her stretchy, blue maternity pants and the bikini top she'd thrown on, declaring: "To the warehouse!"

With that, she created a portal and walked through it, and Lily and Zerrex looked at each other again before they both followed. They stepped out in front of the store they'd been at earlier, and Cherry was already trundling towards it, moving at a quick pace and waddling in a way that was both endearing and amusing. The male shook his head, Lily already quickly jogging up to try and slow Cherry down... but immediately, Cherry began to argue with her about how she was doing something more important than watching her speed.

Zerrex let them argue for a little while, as they entered the store... but then, Cherry suddenly broke off the conflict... and the reptile stared as he realized she was heading straight for the 'Comforts' section of the store, where demons went to buy things they didn't need, but that reminded them of the mortal plane or simply helped them relax in a world where relaxing wasn't supposed to happen. Lily and Zerrex found her a few minutes later scooping up as many blankets as she could, and the puzzle pieces clicked together in Zerrex's mind as he said mildly: "You want to buy blankets for all the babies who don't have any."

"And the kids too!" Cherry added, huffing a bit as she fought to pull a large comforter down into her arms, and then she cursed when it fell over her head and covered her entirely, making her look like a portly ghost. She grumbled and flailed beneath the blanket, and Lily snorted laughter as Zerrex coughed and did his best to contain his own, then Cherry said blandly: "Okay. Maybe some of these we can cut smaller."

Zerrex burst out laughing at this, and then he walked away with a grin as he searched for an employee. He found one after a minute or two, a narrow-faced, low-class demon of some kind wearing a vest with a few old stickers on it, and the reptile said pleasantly: "Excuse me, but I'd like to purchase your entire stock of blankets."

"I'm sorry, come again?" The demon tilted his head, looking up at him with a dark expression that said he was in no mood for practical jokes.

"I said, I'd like to buy your entire stock of blankets. Did I stutter?" Zerrex paused, glancing down the aisle to where Cherry had fallen on her ass and was loudly complaining about it. "Better make it quick, too."

"You'll have to talk to the general manager about that." the demon said after a moment, still looking suspicious. Zerrex sighed but shrugged and nodded, and the narrow-faced male produced a small walkie-talkie: radio signals didn't exactly work in Hell like they did in the mortal plane, but demons were inventive... and a device meant for communication like a radio was very easy for an experienced mage to charm into working properly. "Yes, I need the top manager out here right away, there's a person here who apparently wants to buy all the blankets in the store..."

Zerrex waited a few moments, tapping his foot absently... and then the demon who had walked in on him and Cherry showed up, looking grouchy and finally letting Zerrex get a good look at him: a Swamp Spine of average build and a taxed look on his face, wearing the same vest all the other employees were wearing and looking tired... before he stared and covered his eyes, then stupidly peeked through them as he said dumbly: "Oh god, oh god, sir, I never meant to... I mean, you shouldn't've been but then I mean... I didn't-"

"This guy wants to buy all the blankets in the store." the narrow-faced demon said, apparently unbothered by his boss's behavior and still looking like he was waiting for the punchline. He looked back and forth, then repeated: "All the blankets."

"Forget about earlier. I want to buy every blanket you have in the store." Zerrex said mildly, and since he felt things always worked better on a bartering system, the Drakkaren dug in his pocket before he produced a platinum coin with an ancient royal seal on it, and instantly the jaws of both demons dropped: such coins were worth more than a thousand times that of the standard gold coin, not because of the precious metal they were made from, but because they bore the seal of Lucifer and there were very few in production. They weren't used as merely as money, because of their value... but as bartering chips and shows of good faith in trades. "I'll give you this to show you that I can easily afford whatever price you put together... just give me a good deal, huh?"

Zerrex flipped the coin into the air... and the Swamp Spine dumbly held out his hands and caught it, staring down at it with disbelief before he looked up at Zerrex, saying weakly: "I... sir... I only have maybe a thousand in stock, a few dozen on the shelves and the rest in the back..."

"I'll take what you've got." Zerrex said mildly, then he sighed when Cherry came stumbling out with Lily, both of them with their arms loaded down with blankets. "I'd appreciate some help lugging them back to my home, too. One of these ladies is pregnant."

"Of course sir, right away!" the manager babbled, and then he shoved the narrow-faced demon towards the aisle as he grabbed his radio from his belt, adjusting it and babbling: "All employees report to the warehouse to begin mass-loading of all blankets..."

"Zerrex and Cherry can help out front here... I'll go in the back and help there." Lily said pleasantly, and she gently led the manager away, as she asked: "Is there a portal alarm or blocking device in the warehouse?"

"We... have to carry the blankets outside and portal from there." the narrow faced demon said, but he still looked suspicious, despite the fact he was also visibly stunned. He also had only two blankets in his arms, while Cherry was carrying at least seven, and she was busy favoring him with an ugly glare he was doing his best to ignore. "There's a security alarm over the building that will go off if anyone attempts to portal out of here."

"Fair enough." Zerrex walked into the aisle... and over the next hour, the reptile and a group of demons emptied every blanket from the store and the connected warehouse at the back of the building, before the manager he'd spoken to earlier approached him with an estimate. The reptile felt it was a fair price, considering how nice some of the blankets were... and he not only produced a bag of gold coins, but tipped each of the workers and thanked them for their help, feeling a bit pompous.

They filtered back to the store, the manager looking stupidly cheerful as he vanished last through the portal, leaving Zerrex, Lily, and Cherry sitting in a pile of blankets... and then Cherry hugged Zerrex tightly, her belly pressing firmly into the reptile's front as he squawked and she said cheerfully: "You're the best Boss ever!"