Everyday Life with Bubbles Ch. 11

Author's Warning: Kaia's a little messed up, because of everything she's been through. She'll get there. But, she's hurting.

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Bubbles sniffled, staring up at her succubus.

Their usually coal black skin was tinged a sickly grey, enough that the twisted black wire of the stitches stretching from her left shoulder, down through where a breast used to be, and dipping beneath her navel, were plainly visible.

Kaia open her mouth to speak, and Bubbles crash-tackled the woman onto her back. Her arms went tight around her shoulders and she let out a painfully loud caterwaul as she sobbed into her neck. "N-n-never letting her go, again! Never, never!"

"I missed you as well, Kitten." Kaia said soothingly, and rubbed the base of Bubbles' back, "But, though I may have liked it, I think I've had enough punishment for a while. I'd prefer not to be locked in a box."

"Not. Fucking. Letting. Go!" Bubbles snarled angrily, her claws springing free and latching onto, and then into, the woman's shoulders.

A firm tail snaked around her waist and Kaia let out a long and contented sigh, "I really did miss you. My bright little ball of sunshine and adorable rage."

Her bottom lip trembled and she snuggled her face in tightly, "Bubbles is not sunshine. Not much rage, neither."

"Are you two done, yet?" Ninaein asked testily, "Road sucks, and we still got half an hour or so of walking to do. You can bed the freak when we get to the village, Bubbles."

"Nina... Her loving Nina..." Bubbles said lightly, "If her Nina doesn't want to be gutted from bellybutton to nose, she'll go fuck off. And find something less dangerous to play with. Like the dragon."

"Like Nina would let her Bubbles out of her eye line, after nearly dying, herself." The catgirl sneered.

"Go!" Bubbles screeched with a giant hiss, her ears pulling back. The thief's eyes boggled for a moment, and then she turned and started walking away.

Kaia resumed patting her, "She's not wrong. We'd be safer with the rest of the group."

"Kaia hates herself." Bubbles mumbled, "She can smell it on her. Makes her... Hurt. She needs to make it better, first. Oh. Also... Um... Bubbles kinda... Got laid? Again? And she thinks that person kinda not willing to let Bubbles get hurt. Well, not seriously."

Kaia laughed bitterly, tightening her tail around Bubbles' waist, "And who am I sharing you with now, Kitten?"

"Fucking Luna!" Ninaein yelled from further down the path.

Kaia leaned up on her elbows, "Luna? Guessing Ninaein hates her. Is she a neko, as well?"

"Well, yeah." Bubbles gave a tiny nod, "Um... Luna not named after goddess of moon. Luna... Is... Goddess of moon. Ask the others. Actual goddess kinda... Fucked Bubbles. She had a dick! Goddess had... Man bits!"

The succubus' face split into a grin and she burst out laughing, "Oh my precious thing. Oh, you always do find a way to destroy all my expectations. Here I was, thinking that this would be... Easy. Because it was to keep you safe."

"Suggest breaking up with her, and Bubbles gonna hurt her." She growled, throat shaking and chest heaving. "She's going to marry her Kaia and her Nina. When we get to village. She not taking no for an answer. She fucking marrying you."

"Worst. Proposal. Ever." Kaia snorted in laughter, and then brushed her cheek gently, "But... I accept. I will be your wife, Kitten. If you will be mine."

Bubbles squealed excitedly and kissed her nose, "Really? She's not mad that Bubbles is... Possessive and angry?"

"Someone tried to kill me, and I threw you into the street to save you." Kaia said grimly, her red eyes glittering, "If you were not angry, Kitten, then I would be angry at you. I... I wish I was stronger. Like Saia. I wish I could hunt them all down and make them pay for what they did. But... But all I can do is run away. It's all I am capable of. I am not a warrior. I'm barely even a maid."

"Sana's a whore. And she's Bubbles' favourite sister." The catgirl smiled and kissed the succubus' nose. "Maid seems a little step up. Oops. Bubbles forgot to ask dumb foxes if they had another outfit for Sana. She's still wearing her maid outfit, and it kinda nearly dissolved in the rain. Not made to last. Made for fucking."

The succubus chuckled, "You have a sister? Is she as... Cute... As you are, Kitten?"

"Sistren, technically." Bubbles shrugged, "She ran into Sana when running from city. She's cute. Nervous, but confident. Also... She gets why Bubbles had mood swings. She... They killed the others. Sana only one to escape. She needs lotta hugs."

"Do you expect me not to try and bed her? That was my actual question, Kitten." Kaia smiled at her, "I'm sad. That means that... My body is a little hormonal at the moment. I am a succubus. I live to eat the lust of others. Just call it comfort feeding."

"Oh, Kaia can fuck her, if she wants. Neko sisters always fuck their boys." Bubbles replied, sitting up and straddling the woman's hips, "Bubbles has been trying to convince Erin to, because Erin still really, really, wants in Bubbles' pants. Or up her skirt. But Bubbles only wants her wives, right now. She's hurting. Wants them all to herself. Like Nina, who hiding behind tree so badly that Bubbles wondering how the fuck she ever stole a single purse in market!"

"No, I'm not."

Kaia sighed, "Kitten... I was... I'm not up for that. Us. I love you. I will gladly marry you. I might look to bedding your sister, one day. But... It's easy to get distracted. You make me feel like things are normal. But I wanted to talk to you, because they aren't. I'm not. I... I'm not okay. So I need you to... Give me the space so that my hormones don't make me end up doing things that will make me hate myself even more."

"Kaia not want sex. Got it." Bubbles nodded strongly, "So... Allowed kisses? Cuddles? Fireplace snuggles? Handholding? Tailsnatching? Or... Or is Bubbles... Not allowed to touch?"

The succubus cupped her cheek, and Bubbles purred into it, watching her anxiously. The woman sighed, "You make the world so much brighter. More than it has any right to be, right now. I don't know. I have no answers for you, Kitten. I don't even want to be alive, at all. I just fear that in death I would be forced to relive these nightmares that only plague me most of the time, but not all of it. I need time, but I don't know what else. Until I saw you, again... I didn't even really exist. I was as hollow as any cursed beast. You make me live. And that... Hurts."

A tear slipped down the frightened neko's cheek, as she stared into those red eyes. She had felt nothing when Kaia had all but vanished from her life. Hearing that the woman had felt the same, it...

"Hold out her hand."

Kaia cocked her head and lifted up a hand, "What?"

Bubbles bit her.

"Ow! The fuck!?" Kaia yanked it back, glaring at her, "I am not in the mood to be punished! Especially like that! What the fuck, Bubbles!?"

The neko stared down at her own hand, "Well, fuck. She wasn't expecting that. Didn't want that."

"Tell me why you just bit me, before I slap you."

Bubbles looked at her tiredly, "If the Kaia wants to slap Bubbles, then she can go ahead and slap herself. She'd never heard of it happening with not-neko, before. Never heard of it happening except for blood relatives, like sisters, actually. But sometimes... Nekos have magic. It's in our blood. Sometimes we connect. Feel what others feel."

"What?"

The neko lifted up the palm of her hand to show a red mark. It was just a general impression, it wasn't like you could see any teethmarks or other patterning. However, when Bubbles had bitten her girlfriend, she'd felt it. The two of them were connected by the bond. What one felt, the other also felt.

The empty void that Kaia was lost in, with her depression, was hovering right on the edge of Bubbles' consciousness. She could feel the nothing, and trying to hide inside it, she could also feel the festering and rabid self-loathing.

Kaia's eyes widened, "What? That's... What? I don't understand."

"I don't, neither!" Ninaein stormed over, giving up on the pretence of hiding, "I'm actually neko! And you fucking bond with a fucking succubus!?"

Bubbles gave a tired shrug, "Nina. I am not in the mood for your shit. This is the last time I'm telling you. Go. Away."

"No."

Kaia grabbed Bubbles' wrist quickly, "Oh, leave her, Kitten. I don't mind. I don't even mind if she does hate me. It'll help her. Give her less reason to remember Sharhalla's field hospital. Let her hate me. It'll help free her."

"Bubbles loves you both!" She snapped, bursting into hot and angry tears, "Why the fuck do both of you have to... Choose the worst way to do things!? We were having fun. Not thinking about war and shit and shit and shit, shit, shit!"

"She found mangoes." Sana said, appearing suddenly, "And she also thinks all three of you need a timeout. So, you going to eat mangoes and walk with her. If not say nice things, then not talking at all. Get up."

Kaia laughed, and a tear slipped down her cheek, "Oh, I like your sister, Kitten."

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"Mangoes are stupid food!" Bubbles moaned, "They trick you! All juicy and yummy and sweet! But juicy! Her hands are so fucking sticky! Can't lick clean! Need actual bath or something."

Ninaein instantly grabbed one of her hands and blepped her rough tongue and started eagerly licking and tickling at her palm. Bubbles yanked her hand back, "No."

The thief rolled her eyes, "Suit yourself."

"You appear to have no such problems, somehow." Erientyara addressed Kaia, "I needed my flames. How is it that the succubus escapes? Or is it simply that you do not mind feeling... Sticky?"

"Racist." Kaia scoffed, and then smiled, "Though, you are partially correct. It is not that I don't mind the feeling, but rather that sticking to my skin is something that few things are capable of doing. We are a rather... Slippery... Breed."

Ninaein slurped, sucking at the core of her mango, "She always wondered about that. She thought it might be... Um... Fun... To one day hire succugirl to give oil massage? Happy kind of massage?"

"Ew." Bubbles turned up her nose, "Nina is into that kind of play?"

"Just wanted to try it!" The thief protested.

Sana yawned, "In her experience, it doesn't matter how much oil you have. You get dirty and the succubus doesn't. Though, cum is a whole 'nother thing. Succugirl's seem to get covered in it, even when no one else does."

"Whore." Ninaein sneered, but undercut the insult by saying it through a slurp.

Kaia shrugged, "I quite enjoy all kinds of food. If I had not seen that Bubbles' stomach was already bloated with food, then I would have tried to feed her every piece of my mango."

"Oh. Foxes fed us. Lots." Bubbles shrugged, "Um... Kitsune took over a nekan temple, and then Luna managed to convince them that Bubbles was hers? Though Bubbles not really get how they got convinced. But she had koi! Saltwater koi! Fuuuck! That was good."

"Koi and coy fingers." Ninaein grinned at her.

Bubbles glared at her, "Not forgiven her for that. Still planning her revenge."

"Looking forward to it." The thief laughed.

Erientyara made an annoyed sound and tossed the hard core of the mango into her mouth. A couple of grinding protests later, and she was swallowing the food with a puff of white smoke. Which made Bubbles feel a little disturbed and frightened.

The village that Kaia had been dropped at by Sharhalla, wasn't exactly a village.

Bubbles looked at the exactly three huts as they approached the area. She could see a few farmers, looking hopeless and trying to salvage a harvest from a plague-ravaged field. Even the mice were dying.

It was just like the doctor to drop Kaia off, and then head back to the capital without even leaving a note or anything for Bubbles. She knew that they weren't really lovers or anything, but she had ridden him, so she'd expected her doctor to at least want to talk to her or something. Especially as he'd basically dumped his ferocious mate on her.

His other mate, the elf, was sitting outside one of the huts, folding some laundry. Rali waved as she saw them, "Erientyara! Come here, and give me some sugar!"

"Fuck off." The salamander puffed black smoke from her jaws.

The elf's ears waggled for a moment and she burst out laughing. She put aside the quilt she had been folding, and skipped over to them all. Hugging Erientyara and kissing her cheek lovingly first, before turning and doing the same to Bubbles.

"Now, let me see if I've got this straight." The elf said, "I always forget the names, there's too many darlings in the world. You're Kaia? And half a day isn't like enough to forget you, Ninaein. Bubbles, of course, but I'm afraid I don't know you, honey."

"Sana." The catmaid giggled, "And she knows her. You especially liked her fresh baked pies."

Rali's ear tips went red, and she coughed, "Ah. I remember you now, honey. Sorry about that."

"Rali went to see whore?" Bubbles raised an eyebrow in amusement, "Was Shin in bad mood?"

"Oh, blue salamander was there, too." Sana smirked at Bubbles, "She didn't realise that he was Bubbles' Shin. Now we proper sisters. Screwed the same guy."

Erientyara rattled her scales in irritation, "Sha'r'halla bedded a whore? And you let him, Ra'li?"

"He was looking for a new mate, wife." Rali said smoothly, touching the dragon's arm gently, "Nothing to get uptight about. He decided none of them were interesting enough."

"A. Whore." Erientyara growled, sparks beginning to pop from her skin, "Not even a temple companion. An actual whore."

Sana rolled her golden eyes, "She's standing right here, her bitchiness. Where are her manners?"

"I didn't eat you. That's manners." The draconid snapped.

"Wish you would." Sana muttered.

Bubbles tossed up her hands, "Oh! Look at the sun. Already starting to set. Well, if we staying in village, then we should help. Rali has been doing laundry, but Bubbles has a bigger idea. Shin told her she isn't allowed to do claker-well for little while, until her bones heal, but we all have lots of magic, so could share the load, that village could use. Big plague."

Ninaein laughed callously, "Does Bubbles know healing magic, suddenly? This is new."

"No." She scowled, "But Erin does. She doctor-wife. Not just wife-of-doctor."

The red salamander blinked slowly, "Sha'r'halla... Told you that?"

"Nope." Bubbles smiled broadly, "But Erin run off on her own, all the time. And she... Burns everything. No one would like the Erin if she couldn't deal with a few burns. And apparently plague spell simple, just need lotta magic."

Ninaein crossed her arms, "She's not being a claker-well. Not for dragonbitch."

Sana rubbed her face tiredly, "Gods! You just never give it a rest, do you!? We get it! You hate all of us except for Bubbles!"

"She likes Rali, too." Ninaein blinked innocently. "She makes brownies."

"Wot be all o' dis bickerin', den?" One of the farmers approached, tipping back his straw hat with a wiry old knuckle. "Ah. Dees dem guests ya be talkin' o', youngun?"

Rali curtsied smoothly, "Yes, these are my friends. This is my wife, who I adore, Erientyara. And this is Bubbles, and her friends. Bubbles was just suggesting that we may just have the right magic to help a little with your plague problem, Scotte."

The man looked at her in surprise, "Really, now? Dat would be o' a mighty fine help, if ya could. But don't feel no obligin'. We're happy to help, anyways we can. Nekos have always been friends o' ours, and we be hatin' on da empire 'n shit, for what they be choosin'."

"Erin? Know spell?" Bubbles asked timidly.

The salamander sighed and nodded, "It has been nearly fifty years since I last cast it, but it is a simple enough thing. It just requires inordinate amounts of magic. I will need to channel the reserves of all three of you, to cleanse just this small field."

"No." Ninaein snarled.

Bubbles stomped on her foot, making Ninaein's tail go bolt upright and her eyes water. She grabbed her by the chin, "Either Nina stops being a bitch, or Bubbles is really, really, not going to ask for help from village for her. She'll marry her Kaia, but promise bracelet from Nina? She'll toss the fucking thing in a fire. No more braid of hair."

The thief grabbed at her bra where she was holding the stolen locks, and gave a silent and appreciative nod, making it clear that this time she had heard Bubbles.

"Settles it." Bubbles said tiredly, and sat down beside the laundry, leaning against the shack and closing her eyes. She held out her hand and opened her channel, "She does first claker-well. She not meant to do it, so go easy on her, Erin. Lord Vanfuckingmurderprickface stole too much from her. Before he decided to be Vanfuckingmurderprickface instead of just Vanfuckface."

Erientyara took her hand gently. The woman's palms were soft, but her scales felt like sharp stones. There was a moment of disorienting nausea and vertigo, and then Bubbles could feel her magic slowly leaking out of her body. Almost like having a head cold.

The dragon groaned and stretched, "I shall begin. Which part of your field is most sorely in need of attention? The worst parts are those where the corruption is strongest, and where I should start my efforts."

"Ya be mighty kind, str'nger."

Rali sat down to resume the laundry, and patted Bubbles gently on the knee, "If you need a shoulder to cry on, I'm right here, sugar."

"Too much crying. Now she just has snarls." Bubbles mumbled tiredly, eyes still closed. "Mmm... She was expecting rattata. They near their wastes, aren't they?"

"River crossing to get to the wastes, first, sugar." Rali replied, "I would listen if you wanted to rant, as well, precious."

"Bubbles... Wanna sleep." She said with an exhausted sigh.

Ninaein sat in the soil in front of the two of them. She could practically hear the grinding of teeth as the Coiner resisted criticising the elf for calling Bubbles precious.

Her ears twitched back and forth and cracked open one pale yellow eye. She could see Ninaein idly carving their symbol into the rough and rocky dirt. The little heart, knife and bubbles popping around them. The thief looked glum and guilty, and from this angle Bubbles could see some of the scars and stitches holding her girlfriend's skull together.

"Nina..." She whispered.

The neko's ears twitched, but she gave no acknowledgement that she'd heard anything. Which only really served to confirm to Bubbles that something weird was happening, and might have to do with Luna marking her as her own.

"Not just Kaia, jealous." She whispered again, "Does Nina always feel like she has knife in her heart? Sharp and strong."

The catgirl stopped drawing, and turned her head slowly, glaring, "What is she prattling on about?"

"The fact that Nina can't hide her feelings anymore. Like the fact she really wants to cry, because she feels happy that Bubbles is talking to her and concerned about her." She said innocently and gave a small smile, "And now Nina having panic attack. Chest tight. Nina is thinking that Bubbles is guessing, even though her ears and tail aren't giving anything away. And now she can feel it dawning, and she's... Sorta surprised."

The thief smiled lopsidedly, "Ah, fuck. You really can feel what Ninaein is feeling, can't you?"

"Mmm." She gave a little shrug, "Not enough to tell thoughts. Like... Little auras of light inside her head. Sensations that she can tell belong to someone else. Desires that not hers, like wanting to holding a knife. Nina really find a knife handle comforting?"

Nina twirled her fingers, a small throwing knife suddenly between them, "Mmm. She always been around sharp things. They make her feel like she's in control. When she's really not. Nina... Is sorry. She shouldn't have been jealous of Kaia. She doesn't like Bubbles inside her head."