The steam of the shower still clung to their skin as the girls settled around the common room table, with hair that was damp and fragrant.
Kaiden sat at the head. His posture was straighter than usual, his expression carrying a weight they all picked up on instantly.
The air was quiet, too quiet, until the sound of milk being poured into a bowl cut through it. Luna, perched sideways on her chair with her legs swinging lazily, filled her cereal and glanced around with exaggerated suspicion.
"So, what’s with the mood? Is the baby anxious again? Should Luna Mommy whisper nice things into his ear like yesterday?" she asked while parting her arms, inviting Kaiden, even sending him kisses through the air.
Seeing the little reaction her actions received, the Storm Valkyrie lifted the spoon to her delicate lips. But before she could take a bite, her eyes flashed with mischief as she began scrutinizing Kaiden.
Then, as if she’d found something, the girl gasped. "Don’t tell me, you finally gathered the conviction to come out?"
Aria, across the table, narrowed her eyes, wholly unimpressed by the purple-haired gremlin’s newest joke. "You’re mistaken."
Nyx leaned back in her chair with a chuckle. "Please. What gay man do you know who can spend entire hours satisfying a group of horny women like us? It’s one thing to pretend to be straight and even have a romantic relationship with a woman, but what he did last night went above and beyond that..."
"[Telekinesis]." Nyx followed her statement up by peeling a banana using her spatial powers, bringing it to her lips, and happily chomping down on it afterward.
Unbothered, Luna scooped up a second spoonful of cereal and shrugged. "You never know. With today’s medicine and awakened elixirs, impotency isn’t even a problem anymore. Unless..." She swallowed, tapping her spoon against the rim of her bowl before adding wryly, "Unless it comes from a nasty curse."
"Thank you, Luna, for your thoughtful observation, but I suffer from no curses, nor do I harbor any plans of coming out."
"You’re welcome," Luna responded without missing a beat, then turned her attention toward Nyx, "Stop sucking on that banana so loudly, you’re ruining my appetite."
"I’m eating completely normally!" Nyx protested, slamming her fists against the table. Then, she followed it up by going for a second bite of the fruit, hovering comfortably close to her mouth.
"Yeah, right. Then why do I hear your throat working even from here? Slut."
"... Bestie, it seems the severe pummeling you received from Kai last night made you even ruder than before."
Then the Space Valkyrie’s attention turned to the sole man in the house. A giant grin materialized on her face, smug as all hell. "I suggest we have the gremlin undergo a serious detox, or she’ll become a real goblin at this rate."
As Luna and Nyx bickered, the fourth female voice entered the fray. Smooth, rich, and threaded with amusement.
Bastet.
Nyx’s head whipped toward her, murder already in her eyes, lips parting to deliver a retort that would’ve sent the gremlin flying straight into outrage...
But Kaiden’s voice cut in first, firm and steady.
"Enough, girls. Before the real catfight breaks out, I want us to talk about something important."
The room quieted immediately.
"I know that deep down we’re all worried about dungeons and monsters, and for a very good reason. The Hollow of Endless Hunger was a truly traumatic experience. But life must go on. We either have to become full-time content creators and give up on becoming mighty awakened, or we face our troubles head-on, as a family that supports each other. I am asking to hear your thoughts."
The girls exchanged a look between one another, and a collective, knowing smile emerged on their delicate faces.
They didn’t need to think long and hard.
"Let’s kill some monsters, Kai."
Little did the group know that dungeons, as they knew them, would undergo a drastic change.

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