[@PaulHaynek] [@Enkryption]

[color=fff79a]"Hmph. Sounds like the locals are finally starting to believe."[/color], Kerry commented as she soaked in the warm springs, hand caressing her stomach. [color=fff79a]"There's light on the horizon, Gywn. It's starting to look up for us..."[/color]

Still....as time passed, her hopeful smile withered into a concerned frown as Revuel's words of caution haunted her mind.

[quote]"Staying? Madam Kerry, you do realize this whole island is a warzone, right? Places like this Terauchi Temple are safe most of the time, but it is hardly a home for you and your family."[/quote]

[quote]"Not to mention that you, yourself, the bearer of the child, will also be in danger. A hit to your stomach can do irreparable damage to your unborn."[/quote]

[color=fff79a]"You don't think I know that, dude?[/color], said the hornet out loud, leaning her head back with a hand over her eyes as she vented out the fear and anxiety she's been holding on to since finding out she was pregnant. [color=fff79a]"It was so much easier when all I had to worry about was myself. But now? With this war raging and, if liberating Komatsu Bay is successful, battles are going to get harder and more dangerous. I know the risks, dammit. I know that every time I step onto the battlefield, if I'm not on the ball......If I don't bring my A-game....If I make one errant step or slip-up, it won't just be my life that's lost. I'll lose.....I-I'll lose....."[/color]

Kerry stifled a sob as she took a deep, shuddering breath. She couldn't finish that sentence. Didn't want to. And for a few silent seconds, wondered if it wasn't so bad to just go find Alice and convince her to just leave right now.

Then she shook head, clearing away those fear-driven thoughts.

[color=fff79a]"Just.....relax, Kerry. You're stressing yourself. It's bad for the egg."[/color], she said to herself with chuckle. [color=fff79a]"Take it one step at a time, one day at a time."[/color]

Removing her hand from her eyes, the hornet into the clear sky.

[color=fff79a]"Besides, if Alice can find hope here, then surely I can."[/color]

With that, Kerry closed her eyes, enjoying her time in the springs as she imagined greener days.

[hr]

[hider=A Proposal To Be Unlike Mamono Before (Collab w/ Enkryption) {Warning: Little Spicy}][color=fff79a]”Phew! Seriously, they should start a business with these springs. They’d make a killing.”[/color], commented Kerry, feeling rejuvenated as she made her way back toward the temple. Though coming days may bring tougher battles to come, Kerry had a lot to look forward to, the growing life within her being the primary reason.

[color=fff79a][i]So much to prepare. So much to do. Obviously, driving the Varjans off the island remains top priority, but for right now…..I should go find Alice. She should be involved in this too.[/i][/color]

As she approached the temple grounds, she noticed a rather sizable influx of refugees entering the grounds. Their rough and brutish appearance suggested they are not normal peasants.

[color=fff79a][i]They must be the prisoners that Kikyo was talking about recruiting. Looks like the jailbreak was a success.[/i][/color], thought the hornet as she watched. It was during this watching that she noticed Carroll….dragging a knocked out Alice.

[color=fff79a]”What the-...Carroll!?”[/color], Kerry called out as she quickly made her way toward the duo. [color=fff79a]”What happened? Why is Alice zonked out?”[/color]

[color=808080][i]Hrm? Oh, you,[/i][/color]" Carroll says, as she noticed Kerry's approach, [color=808080][i]I knocked her out, because she was wasting time. We have more important things to do than her obeying her unending libido...[/i][/color]"

[color=fff79a]”.....Uh-huh. I can very much believe that- whoa, wait a second.”[/color]

Kerry moved in closer to Alice and, sure enough, there was a scent coming off of her that wasn’t her usual floral aroma. No, this scent was….fresh out of the ground and…..decaying?

[color=fff79a]”Carroll, who exactly did you pull Alice off of?”[/color]

Carroll just jerked her thumb back to the procession; Hinami, Atsuha, and Takeshi were easy to pull out of a lineup. The rest was up to her own process of elimination.

[color=808080][i]I was taking her to Revuel, just because, but Alice doesn't really need it. My Queen's head is too hard for me to damage,[/i][/color]" Carroll pushed Alice towards Kerry, since, in spite of Revuel being within spitting distance, now, it was easier to shunt Alice off to Kerry's care, "[color=808080][i]I leave this mess to you.[/i][/color]"

Kerry could only sigh as she heaved the mad hatter onto her shoulder.

[color=fff79a]”I’ll deal with her. If Gringor, the sisters and Takeshi are done with their quest, then the others should be wrapping theirs up soon. Would probably be best to break the news to Shizuka then.”[/color]

With that, Kerry strode toward the temple, with Alice in tow, a discussion on her mind.

Upon arriving in her room, Kerry laid Alice upon her bed and looked down on her form, arms crossed and a frown on her face.

[color=fff79a]”What am I going to do with you?”[/color], she commented as she pulled out Dusk, flipping it to the blunt end and began poking her lover’s cheek with it. [color=fff79a]”Up and at it, you horndog queen. We need to talk.”[/color]

For a few minutes, Alice would be unresponsive - her chest did not raise nor fall with a slumbering rhythm, so Kerry would have to take leave of her well-tempered senses to believe she was sleeping, much less unconscious. It was clear she was avoiding the confrontation, and hoping that Kerry might tire of her efforts to awaken her.

However, she felt she'd get no such mercy from the mercenary, pun intended, and opened her eyes.

"[color=976f29]Alternatively, we could just have sex again,[/color]" Alice offered, "[color=976f29]A fair shake more amusing than a fussy old conversation that requires such extensive efforts to wake me, no?[/color]"

A raised eyebrow was the only response Alice got from Kerry as the hornet proceeded to discard her weapons, leaning them against a wall before returning to Alice’s side……..only to then crawl onto the bed herself, straddling the mad hatter.

[color=fff79a]”Oh, I bet you’d just absolutely love it if we did that, huh?”[/color], purred Kerry, complete with her gyrating her hips, grounding her bubbly rear against Alice’s lower region. [color=fff79a]”Why fight when we can make love, right?”[/color]

"[color=976f29]More than you think,[/color]" Alice says, as she bucked her hips, catching Kerry's lowered guard, "[color=976f29]However, I am grown, and I can multitask,[/color]" she smirked, as she looked up, and the vine bangle brought Kerry's hand to hers, to clasp and to hold, "[color=976f29][i]I'm listening.[/i][/color]"

Kerry had to bite her lip to stifle the moan that nearly erupted when Alice bucked against her. It almost threw off course.

[i]Almost.[/i]

[color=fff79a]”Good. There are things we have to discuss. After all, Gwyn will be here before we know it.”[/color], the hornet continued, her other hand clasping Alice’s as she leaned forward, their foreheads touching as they stared deeply into each other’s eyes. [color=fff79a]”Firstly…”[/color]

That’s when Alice felt it.

Something pointy and sharp prodding against her stomach.

Were she to look down, she would see Kerry’s stinger fully out and threatening to puncture her midsection. 

[color=fff79a]”Why do I smell Hinami on you?”[/color]

From that tone, one would think the room got a bit chilly.

"[color=976f29][i]My, my, my Queen, such a menacing tone to match such beauty, indeed,[/i][/color]" Alice says, "[color=976f29][i]To be honest, I don't fully understand. Hinami seems to fancy certain types of Mana, and turns into quite the monster to feast on it,[/i][/color]" she stuck out her tongue, "[color=976f29][i]I let her bite my tongue, and got her calm with a bit of spores. Alas, I did get a little more than excited, and started to... well, my frustrations aren't relieved. Carroll probably hit me.[/i][/color]"

Alice rolled her eyes, as she shook her head. "[color=976f29][i]I'm not going to run away, so no need to threaten me with that,[/i][/color]" she stated, "[color=976f29][i]I can uphold my word to listen.[/i][/color]"

A tense few seconds of silence passed, Kerry’s narrowed eyes gazed into Alice’s, searching for any sign of a lie or lack of commitment. Upon not finding any, her features softened and the mad hatter no longer felt the sharp end of a stinger on her stomach.

[color=fff79a]”You idiot….””[/color], spoke the mercenary before closing in for a deep kiss. Before both parties could really get into it, Kerry pulled back, now blushing. [color=fff79a]”Ali, if we want this family to survive, there’s something you need to know. I am not one of “the help” in your castle. I’m not some random woman that you have on and off fancies with like a coat rack. I am Kerry Maros, globe-trotting badass and, currently, future mother of your child. And that means, you better treat me right. I realize that, given your nature, I can’t possibly keep you to myself. But as long as you love me and Gywn, I couldn’t care less if another woman catches your eye. Just be a part of this life we now have together. That’s all I ask…”[/color]

Kerry’s hand, the one with the bangle, left Alice’s hand to caress the queen’s cheek.

[color=fff79a]”...okay?”[/color]

Alice chuckled, once all was said and done. "[color=976f29][i]How rare. I'm sure I've had dalliances with the help. A maid in the night. A cook in the kitchen. A daughter or two jockeying for favour. It sounds so pathetic, spoken aloud, to be a species like me, but...[/i][/color]" Alice shook her head, shaking her hat loose, and she reached into it with her right hand, "[color=976f29][i]A King always needs a Queen, a woman of the most import, and that's something I believe in...[/i][/color]" she seemed to secure something, and looked at Kerry, "[color=976f29][i]I'll ask you something, in return,[/i][/color]" Alice would produce a small, wooden box, and hold it with three fingers, "[color=976f29][i]Will you forsake the globe, if I offer you somewhere to settle?[/i][/color]"

Alice pulled the ring box back, [url=https://i.imgur.com/cketyNy.jpeg]revealing its contents.[/url]

Kerry was stunned. Well and truly. How can one not be? It’s every mamono’s goal, after all. She was no different.

It’s just….her goal ended up being far different than she could possibly imagine or even dream.

[color=fff79a]”A……A-Ali….Y-You……”[/color], the hornet mumbled, actually struggling to find the words as her hands, shaking as if they were in an earthquake, held the beautiful diamond ring. She never thought this would happen to her. Mamono don’t do this. They never do this. Humans do this. Humans. Full of contradictions, insecurities and always doing things that got in the way of what truly mattered. And yet….

….Alice was such a human, once upon a time…

[color=fff79a]”A-Alice…..what the hell!?”[/color], Kerry stammered, taking a good half minute to put the ring on. Jewelry glinting off her chitinous finger, she dove in and showered her lover with non-stop kisses, tears of joy streaming down her face as her love for the mad hatter surged rapidly throughout her being. [color=fff79a]”We were already joined at the hip when we had sex, you beautiful bitch! I already love you! You didn’t have to do this!”[/color]

"[color=976f29][i]That sounds like a yes, then,[/i][/color]" Alice giggled. "[color=976f29][i]It's a little faster than I planned, but you're likely gonna be showing soon, and no children of mine will go without their birthright,[/i][/color]" she smirked, "[color=976f29][i]Queen or Concubine, my daughters will be princesses all, and this temple will become their castle.[/i][/color]"

"[color=976f29][i]No need to go around the globe looking for a home, when I can build one here,[/i][/color]" Alice says. "[color=976f29][i]Starting with a ring and proposal. It's Human, but it's how I am.[/i][/color]"

[color=fff79a]”Yeah….[i]sniff[/i]....I figured. And I love you all the more for it.”[/color]

Kerry moved off of Alice, instead cuddling up to her side, still lovingly staring at the ring on her finger. She didn’t think she would ever find the love of her life here on a backwater island, fighting a war against the belligerent nation of Varjo.

[color=fff79a][i]I’m so glad I accepted Kyouko’s invitation.[/i][/color]

[color=fff79a]”Oh, I almost forgot.”[/color], chimed in Kerry, looking up at her….husband. She giggled at that thought. [color=fff79a]”We need to get started on Gywn’s nest. I was thinking of using the leaves and branches from the surrounding forest, but they don’t look comfortable enough.”[/color]

Alice hummed, as she looked at the ceiling; her thoughts not as busy as Kerry's, having none of her memories of the trials of combating Varjo or even her own memories of why she was here. The siege of Summerheld Castle far and gone ahead, a victim to the Curse Of Exile that kept her rooted in the Material Realm, as it was known in Wonderland.

Still, she had those memories - of laying with queens in times of war and peace alike; of siring children she would never meet; the emptiness of an occupied bed was one that she'd come to disdain for all its qualities. For what good was a Queen that couldn't keep, and how could she call herself a King, if the former remained true?

Here, and now, the Queen of Diamonds, self-styled King of Wonderland, would uphold her own proclamations, and her own narrative.

"[color=976f29][i]Use me, then,[/i][/color]" Alice says, "[color=976f29][i]Eat me. Drink me,[/i][/color]" she looked at Kerry with a smirk, "[color=976f29][i]I'm much better material than a meager tree.[/i][/color]"

[color=fff79a]”Wait, you want me to eat you again?”[/color], queried the merc, hearing those familiar words. [color=fff79a]”Last time I did that, I grew to the size of a small house and nearly blew out of my clothes. What’s the difference here?”[/color]

"[color=976f29][i]Have we done this before? Well, to answer, you swallowed, is the difference,[/i][/color]" Alice says, "[color=976f29][i]I just assume you need a material similar to, but softer than wood,[/i][/color]" she says, raising her arms, "[color=976f29][i]That’s all of me. So, you can take a bite out of anything, anywhere.[/i][/color]"

"[color=976f29][i]I assume you need to chew and make a paste, yeah?[/i][/color]"

[color=fff79a]”Well, yeah. That’s how we hornets do.”[/color], concurred Kerry, still skittish about the method but agreeing with Alice’s points. The mad hatter was basically a matango with class and higher intelligence. A walking fungi colony. She was all the nesting material Kerry could ever need.

Still, as she gingerly grabbed Alice’s arm…

[color=fff79a]”I swear, if I grow again….”[/color]

Taking a deep breath, she bit down on the limb.

"[color=976f29][i]Just don’t swallow,[/i][/color]" Alice snickered, before Kerry sank her fanged teeth into her mycelium flesh and the "meat" below - it was so, so similar to wood, yet lacked the fibrous coarseness and dryness of. As soon as she broke skin, Kerry was treated to a shocking, "[color=976f29][i]Ahn~![/i][/color]" and Alice biting her lower lip.

A being of Wonderland, even pain could be construed as pleasure with the right mindset, and a Mad Hatter was quite smart and right of mind.

[color=fff79a][i]It’s like wood…..only it’s not. Gods, this is so weird[/i][/color], thought Kerry as her teeth dug into Alice’s flesh, green blood-like liquid seeping out and staining her lips. Raising an eyebrow at the sudden moan from her lover, Kerry then reared her head back, taking a piece of Alice with her as looked to the queen, obviously worried but her mouth too full to give voice to her concern.

"[color=976f29][i]Fuck... me...[/i][/color]" Alice moaned. "[color=976f29][i]That feels good,[/i][/color]" she mewled, as her body bridged the stolen gap with “muscle” and “flesh”. "[color=976f29][i]Don’t swallow. You need to make a nest, after all.[/i][/color]"

Alice would bring herself to a half-sit, and lean into Kerry’s ear, "[color=976f29][i]Later, however, you can swallow, and we’ll see if I can please a giantess.[/i][/color]"

Kerry would send a glare in response……but the blush on her face suggested that she wasn’t opposed to such an idea. Shaking those thoughts away, she began chewing, making an effort to not swallow. After a full minute, Kerry felt she chewed long enough and, just to see the product, spat it out into her hands.

[color=fff79a]”Oh, wow….”[/color]

In her hands was a brownish-green wad. It felt pasty, yet soft to the touch

[color=fff79a]”Holy shit, I made this.”[/color]

"[color=976f29][i]Indeed, you did,[/i][/color]" Alice says, having capitalized on Kerry’s distracted state to doff her clothing, so she’d free access to the canvas that was her body. "[color=976f29][i]Now, allow me to do my fatherly duty,[/i][/color]" Alice purred out, "[color=976f29][i]Mommy~[/i][/color]"

An arousing shiver crawled up Kerry’s spine when Alice uttered that last word, noticing the mad hatter’s nude form so she would have more……[b]material[/b] to work with. Seeing where this was going….

[color=fff79a]”Well then….”[/color]

Setting the wad aside, Kerry quickly shedded her own clothes and began worshiping the mad hatter, kissing and licking her lover’s body before settling on her first destination: The neck.

[color=fff79a]”Then as the mother, I ask that you give all that you have.”[/color], Kerry whispered, kissing and licking. [color=fff79a]”Gonna need a lot of material for this nest, you know.”[/color]

"[color=976f29][i]A husband provides for house and home,[/i][/color]" Alice says. "[color=976f29][i]So, take all you need. We’ve plenty of time before I’m needed.[/i][/color]"

Alice would feel a smile form on Kerry’s lips on her neck.

[color=fff79a]”Let’s savor every second, then.”[/color]

She then opened her mouth and bit down hard at the base of Alice’s neck.

Alice squealed in delight; letting her eyes pop with colors of red, white, and inevitably black, as her senses faded to numbing pleasure...

Her last thought?

‘[color=976f29][i]Maybe, I might see this one to the end...[/i][/color]

...before Alice left herself to Kerry’s instinctual whims and wants. In a twisted way, providing as only a Mamono could, and as she needed.[/hider]