The kitchen was alive with noise and warmth, laughter bouncing off the walls as the smell of sizzling monster meat filled the air. Pots clattered, knives chopped, and spices sizzled in pans all under the command of one pink-haired general sporting far too sinful feminine curves.
"Careful with that knife!" Nyx decreed while flicking her wrist and exerted just enough force through her [Telekinesis] to pause the next knife cut. All this while, she was stirring a bubbling sauce without missing a beat. "We want strips of drake flank, not mincemeat."
"... I am doing strips! Stop spouting nonsense!" Luna protested, then found herself in a staredown with the Space Valkyrie.
Nyx pointed at the cutting board. Lunaâs eyes followed.
And what she saw were truly sad excuses for strips.
"For someone who fights with a sword, I wonder how you can be so bad at this."
"..." Luna, instead of speaking back, squinted her eyes with her tongue poking out in concentration as she tried to even the slices. Though it didnât take long for the grumbling to continue. "Iâm a fighter, not a chef! Cutting bitches up with my Stormblade is entirely different!"
"Sure, sure..."
Meanwhile, Bastet hovered near the platter of raw cuts. She licked her lips hungrily, then snapped up a strip of crimson meat and chewed happily.
"Bastet!" Nyx caught her instantly and smacked her bottom with a flying spatula. "I told you to wait until the meal is cooked!"
The tanned feline began massaging her butt while her mouth was puffed out with half-chewed meat. She gave a pitiful little whimper. "But itâs so tasty raw..."
Aria giggled from her place at the counter. She was currently peeling vegetables. "Maybe sheâs more feline than we thought."
Bastet swallowed, huffed, and puffed her chest out proudly. "Of course I am feline! Iâm Ra-Blessed Felinid, not a human!"
Before Nyx could retort, a pair of strong arms circled Bastetâs waist from behind. Kaiden pressed his chest to her back. His voice was low in her ear. "Indeed. My sexy kitten is a one-of-a-kind exotic woman."
"Guh!" While Luna instantly cringed extremely hard, Bastet had an entirely different reaction. Her ears shot straight up as heat flooded her cheeks. The second his hands brushed across her toned stomach, her body melted against him, and she began massaging her butt against his crotch. A loud, unabashed purr rumbled in her throat, vibrating through her chest.
"Master~" Her body was squirming under his touch so much it looked as if she was a moment away from going into heat right there. Scratch that, she was already in heat. It didnât take much from Kaiden to get the girl going.
The others all exchanged one long, collective look at the horny feline clinging to Kaiden, then decided it was for the best if they just continued flirting. Bastet was a professional food thief, so it was best if her attention was occupied by grinding her ass against Kaiden, than taking even more raw ingredients.
As for Kaiden, well, he was fully useless at cooking, but they already had enough hands in the kitchen. He was more useful taking care of Bastet.
Coming to this conclusion, Nyx resumed stirring, Luna kept mangling the flank, and Aria sliced vegetables with elegant precision, though she sent many cold glances toward the shameless tanned woman.
It was then that Alexandra peeked over Lunaâs shoulder. "Um... Luna, would you like some pointers? The academy was a scam, but they did teach us some things... I partook in a monster butchering class once!"
Luna blinked at her. Her pride was still stinging from Nyxâs mocking. She narrowed her eyes at Alexandraâs shy little smile, looking ready to snap. But then she sighed and placed the knife into the girlâs hands. "...Yes, please."
Alexandraâs lips curved into a nervous smile as she set the drakeâs flank steady with one hand. "Itâs not about speed or force," she explained gently. "You just guide the knife, let the blade do the work. Like this."
The knife bit into the thick meat... then stopped halfway. Alexandraâs face scrunched adorably as she put her weight behind it with her arms trembling.
While wrestling with the cut, she began saying with a warm voice, "Youâre a swordswoman, you fight with lightning and speed. Thereâs nothing to be ashamed of if you havenât been taught how to prepare monster slices; itâs an entirely different field." She leaned harder into the cut until it finally gave way. "Just because you use a sword doesnât mean you should expect to be a master at monster meat preparation."
Alexandra finally wrestled her way through the flank, panting as the knife slid free with a wet sound. Her cheeks flushed as she offered the blade back to Luna. "See? Try to imitate that."
Luna accepted it and rolled her shoulders with a huff. She then mimicked Alexandraâs movements, this time focusing on guiding the blade instead of forcing it. To her surprise, the knife cut smoothly, biting through with a clean slice. The strip that fell onto the board was the best sheâd managed all night.
"... Hah." Luna raised her brows in pleasant shock, then glanced sideways at Alexandra. "Youâre great."
Alexandra blinked before her lips spread into a radiant smile.
Luna wasnât done just yet. "When Nyx introduced you as her best friend, I thought youâd be another nasty woman like her. But youâre nothing like the pink bimbo. Despite having a similarly sinful body, I officially announce that I will not be calling you a blonde bimbo, or other similar names."
Alexandra was glowing. "Thanks! As for the Nyx things... Others have said something similar before! They said that Iâm like an angel, while Nyx is like a demon!"
Nyx spun around with a spatula in hand. "Hey, no one said that!"
"Yeah, a slutty succubus born to extract the seed of her prey," Luna giggled, eyes sparkling with mischief as she ignored Nyxâs protests.
Before the pink-haired girl could launch her spatula, the door creaked open and Rae strolled in with a cardboard box tucked under her arm. "Yo. Delivery. Already checked, itâs safe." She tossed the package onto the counter and then winked at Kaiden. "Gotta hand it to you, boss. Youâve got great taste."
Kaiden blinked with his hands already under Bastetâs attire. "...What?"
The moment the box hit the counter, Alexandraâs eyes went wide. Her face turned crimson. "Hey!" she squeaked and rushed over. "I asked Riven to keep it a secret!"
Rae raised her brows innocently. "Yeah, you shouldnât have trusted her with that. Sheâs autistic AF, she only keeps things in mind if theyâre about tech or blueprints."
Alexandra puffed her cheeks, stamping a foot with a little huff. "You should be nicer to your sister! Sheâs not autistic, just... a bit eccentric!" she declared, then scooped up the box and bolted out of the room like a startled rabbit.
The kitchen fell into bemused silence, broken only by the sound of Bastetâs loud purring.
A few minutes later, Alexandra reappeared.
Every head turned.
She now stood in the doorway, clad in a frilly black-and-white French maid outfit that hugged her curves in ways that were modest but still very clearly feminine. It was nothing slutty or indecent but a proper maid uniform with all the belts and whistles. Alexandra didnât want it to be a sex thing. She fidgeted nervously, holding the hem of her skirt while her cheeks burned like fire.
The room froze.
Kaiden was so surprised he even stopped kneading Bastetâs breasts for a moment. Aria dropped her knife. Luna had a more measured reaction; she merely raised an amused eyebrow at the blonde woman. Nyx was the first to find her voice.
"... What the hell is going on?"
Alexandraâs eyes darted down to her feet, and she twisted her fingers together. "I-I... I know Iâm freeloading right now."
All the girls were about to speak up and tell her it was more than okay, but she spoke up before they could. "I know you donât mind it because youâre amazing people, but I canât accept it. I wouldnât be able to look in the mirror if I accepted your generosity without doing at least something in return..."
She rocked slightly in place with her blush only deepening. "I donât have the education or skills to help with most things... so I thought, maybe... I could help keep the place clean. If... if youâll have me."
She peeked up through her lashes. "I-I just want to be of use, even if itâs such a small and insignificant thing. I know you guys have government-assigned cleaners, but I thought you might be more comfortable if it were me doing it... Especially knowing how possessive of his lovers someone here is."