Chapter 27: Differences in Opinion

Iro was humming a cheerful tune, comfortably sprawled on top of the voluptuous dryad, Alethria. She seemed more than content to have him there, having suggested a post-coital cuddle to let them both recover before rejoining the world.

Iro squirmed a bit and rolled over, resting his chin between her breasts to look up at her. Alethria looked down at her smaller canine lover, her eyes filled with affection.

“What is it, dear pup? Do you need something?”

Iro shook his head slowly, his eyes wide with admiration. After a few more shared orgasms, Alethria was literally glowing. Her skin had taken on a slightly translucent glow, turning her pale green skin into a soft golden hue. Whatever her body had done with all of Iro’s seed, it had made her radiant, and Iro was completely captivated.

“I just…wanted to see you,” he mumbled. Alethria laid a hand on his head, gently stroking between his ears. The touch sent a delightful shiver through Iro, making him wiggle deeper into her body. She was soft like a bed of moss, yet firm enough to support his weight without him worrying about hurting her.

Alethria giggled, a delighted sigh escaping her lips. “Thank you, dearest Iro.” They fell into a comfortable silence, just breathing and gasping quietly as they recovered from their intimate “communion.”

After a while, Alethria broke the silence. “Iro…”

Iro’s ears perked up, pointing upward in an attentive gesture. “Yes, Alethria?”

She seemed to be pondering something, something she didn’t want to think about but felt it was necessary to bring up. “Are you…planning on staying with your ~master~, the Succubus Zeltaria, for long?”

She avoided Iro’s gaze as he stared at her, trying to understand why she would ask such a question. “I…haven’t really thought about it. Zeltaria treats me and the others well. I’m paid enough, I have a roof over my head…”

Alethria nodded softly. “All good qualities of a…~complex~ individual.”

Iro perked up a bit more, lifting his head. “What do you mean by that?” he asked, sounding oddly defensive of Zeltaria.

Alethria shook her head. “I didn’t mean to offend, truly. Zeltaria, like me, represents a large group of their people. Today has just made me think about the nature of the unification between our world and the human world.

“Zeltaria was…one of the last to vote in ~favor~ of unification. Many see them as the deciding vote, though there’s no way to know for sure.”

She wrapped her arms a little tighter around Iro, hugging him for comfort. “There are also stories about Zeltaria’s time…~before~ becoming an ambassador, a representative.

“And now…well, there are rumors that the Succubus has made more enemies than friends.” Alethria finally looked Iro in the eye. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of them.”

Iro shook his head slowly and once again rested his head on Alethria’s voluptuous chest. “I’ll be okay. I have a good nose for danger.”

Alethria giggled and gave him one final squeeze of affection. “And for a lot of ~other things~,” she said, smirking at him.

Iro’s fur ruffled in a blush when there was a gust of wind against the door, like a spring breeze. Alethria grumbled. “That’s for me…Come in!” she called.

The door creaked open, and a whirlwind of pink petals swept into the room, slowly forming into a roughly humanoid shape. It was a mesmerizing sight.

“Mistress Alethria,” said a soft, soothing voice, “the other delegates have started to arrive. They’re asking for you.”

Alethria nodded and turned to Iro. “I have to go. Duty calls.” She slid Iro up her body to plant a soft kiss on his wet canine nose. “We’ll do this again soon, little pup.”

Iro shivered as Alethria reluctantly let him go and stood up. She grew new clothes around her body to maintain some semblance of modesty before following the cherry blossom-petal dryad out of the room.

She threw one last glance back at Iro before disappearing.

Iro let out a sigh and stood up, locating his discarded clothes and, more importantly, his phone. He sent a quick text to Beck and Mika.

Iro

I’m done here for now, where can I meet you two?

After getting dressed, he slipped his phone back into his pocket and left the banquet hall.

He snuck out through the courtyard, trying not to draw attention to himself or suggest what he and Alethria had been up to.

Just as he was about to leave the square, he looked back to see her watching him through the crowd.

Iro gave a small wave to the dryad and slipped out of the square, heading toward the meeting point Beck had told him about.

He arrived shortly to find Mika and Beck with their backs to him, the cat clinging to Beck’s arm as they scanned the crowd.

He snuck up from behind and pressed his wet nose into Beck’s neck, a small prank he’d perfected during their college years.

Beck yelped at the sudden press of something wet and cold on the back of her neck, and she spun around to find Iro standing there with a playful smile on his face.

Mika quickly let go of Beck once she realized Iro was there and put some distance between her and the human.

“Iro! I told you not to do that anymore!” Beck yelled, rubbing the wet spot on her neck.

Iro giggled and shrugged. “And I told you to stop stealing my sweaters and hiding my underwear. We’re even. You know this.”

Beck grumbled but didn’t have a comeback. Mika giggled softly to herself as the two friends bickered.

“Ready to go home?” the feline asked.

Both Iro and Beck nodded, and the trio made their way to the nearest canal. They hired a gondola to take them home. They climbed in, Beck sitting across from Iro and Mika sitting next to Beck, unusually close to the human.

As they made their way back, Iro found himself mulling over Alethria’s words about Zeltaria. He didn’t want to drag Beck into this, but Mika had been around longer than he had. She might know something.

“M-Mika…” Iro began, leaning in closer. Mika tried to keep her cool, but the allure of a secret conversation was too much to resist.

“What’s up, pup?”

“Does Zeltaria have any…~enemies~?”

Mika paused, giving Iro a strange look. She straightened up and took a moment to think. “Kind of. Zeltaria has friends in high places, and some of those friends have enemies.

“Some folks don’t like the idea of unification and see Zeltaria as a symbol of that unity. They’re wrong, of course, but you can’t argue with fools, right?”

Iro nodded, somewhat satisfied with Mika’s answer. Beck glanced between the two non-humans, curiosity piqued. When Iro’s attention shifted away from Mika, she leaned back against Beck.

“Something happen, Iro? You were gone for a bit, and now you’re asking about ~that~,” Beck said, her worry evident.

Iro shook his head, his ears flopping with the motion. “Nah, don’t sweat it. Just something someone said. I’ll ask Zel or Cerys about it later.”

The group fell silent as their merman guide continued to navigate the gondola through the canal, taking them home. After about half an hour, they arrived, paid the boatman, thanked him, and made their way to the estate.

Iro trailed behind Beck and Mika, watching Mika’s tail flick and wave with what seemed like suspicious excitement. But he couldn’t shake the feeling of being ~watched~.

A quick scan of the mansion’s perimeter revealed nothing. Annoyed, Iro shook his head. ~Save it for later, Iro~, he thought, following Beck and Mika up the brick driveway.

As they entered, Iro and Mika’s keen hearing picked up the faint sound of flesh slapping against flesh—like a hand smacking a butt.

They exchanged a quick glance before trying to ignore it. Cerys emerged from the library, her expression neutral.

“How were the festivities, Miss Mika, Miss Beck, and Mister Iro?” The centaur maintained her professional demeanor. Beck straightened up, looking important.

“Vibrant and ~thrilling~, Cerys,” Mika replied, shooting a knowing glance at Iro. “Beck and Iro ~really~ had a good time.”

Cerys nodded, seemingly oblivious to Mika’s insinuation. “I’m glad to hear that. Unfortunately, Master Zeltaria is busy with disciplinary matters. If you need to speak with him, you’ll have to wait.

“Mika, you have the night off. Miss Beck, Mister Iro, you may continue your downtime.” With a slight nod, the centaur turned to leave. “That will be all.”

After bidding Cerys a quick goodbye, Mika stretched and yawned dramatically. “I’m off for a cat nap. Thanks for the day out, you two,” she said, lazily waving over her shoulder as she walked away.

Beck and Iro wished her a good night and watched her leave before turning to each other. Beck was the first to break the silence.

“So…did you have fun?”

Iro blushed, feeling guilty for leaving Beck alone with Mika. “Y-yeah. Sorry for ditching you.”

Beck waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. I had a great time. Mika’s really friendly and showed me a lot.”

Beck glanced up the stairs where Mika had disappeared. “I think I might take a nap too. I’m pretty tired.”

Iro nodded and looked around. The smell of food wafted from the kitchen, making his stomach growl. “I might go find something to eat. Dinner should be ready soon. See you then?”

Beck nodded. “I’ll see you there. Later, puppy,” she teased, skipping up the stairs.

Iro watched her go, standing at the foot of the stairs until he heard a door open and close somewhere on the second floor.

~Huh~, Iro thought. His stomach growled, interrupting his thoughts, and he made a beeline for the kitchen. “Okay, okay…~food~,” he muttered to his stomach. He could think later. Right now, he needed a snack.