4.6: Yes… I researched betta fish for this chapter

“So, you mentioned something about the blue glow and the sound of water being from fish tank filters in your room?”

Hana let out a small shiver as Allie’s claws ran down the length of her arm. She let out a small happy sigh and snuggled into her love’s embrace even tighter.

“Yes. I have four ten-gallon tanks in my room.”

Allie drummed her fingers gently on Hana’s arm, seemingly urging the woman in her arms to continue. Hana took the hint with a small laugh.

“I also have 6 larger tanks in my living room. I actually own my own fish store. I uhh… also breed… betta fish.”

Her love’s body began to shake as she started laughing. Hana turned slightly to get a better look at Allie’s face, an annoyed and confused expression on her face. Before she could voice her complaint, however, the red-headed demon woman pressed a finger to her lover’s lips and kissed her forehead to forestall whatever she was about to say.

“I’m not laughing at you, Hana. I’m laughing because you… owning a fish store and breeding betta fish… that just fits you so well. I knew you had to be a manager of some kind from the way you run everything so efficiently, and given the way you dedicate yourself to something so fully, I had a feeling it would be some kind of specialty store, but I was honestly leaning towards a book store. But… a fish store. That’s awesome! What’s the name it?”

“Swish and Swim Aquatics.”

Allie’s grin grew wider and she nodded her head a few times.

“I like that. It’s both fun and professional. So… betta fish. Those are the really pretty ones that are always fighting, right?”

Hana hummed her agreement and got a look in her eye that Allie recognized all too well from when someone brought up a topic she was intimately familiar with.

“Yes. They’re known as Siamese fighting fish. The males are highly territorial… some even going so far as to try and fight their reflection.”

“Sounds like a drunk dude I saw at a party once. Tried to square up to this full length mirror before he passed out.”

“Well, unlike the occasional drunk frat bro, this is a common occurrence. Normally you have to find non-reflective backdrops and fill the tank with a variety of plants to break up sight lines to prevent them from focusing on their reflection. Unless you’re special like my fish…”

Allie waited for a moment in silence before letting out an exasperated laugh.

“You can’t just say something like that and not explain.”

“I have a fish who… isn’t the brightest. I got him from a friend who’s daughter won him in some sort of contest. I think there must have been a lot of inbreeding. He’s got gorgeous coloring… but sadly its incredibly rare outside of ‘breeders’ who only go for specific colors. Anyways… Originally his name was Hiccup cause of his dragon coloring, but I renamed him Narcissus after I noticed him attempting to court his own reflection instead of trying to fight it. For male betta fish, courting females looks incredibly similar to trying to intimidate other males, but there are some distinct differences that eventually made it obvious what Narci was doing. Him building a bubble nest above where his ‘boyfriend’ lives was the final confirmation. He’s a very active, happy fish otherwise… so I don’t see any reason to discourage the behavior since I have no intention of breeding him.”

“That is both weird as fuck and super fucking adorable at the same time. I love that! And the way you talk about him… and betta fish in general… I can tell just how passionate about them you are. It’s neurodivergent as hell, and cute as fuck.”

“Ever since I was a little, I’ve always had this fascination with fish. Once when my family was visiting my great-grandparents in South Korea, I remember getting to see the fishing business and market stall run by my cousins. I loved playing with all the fish they kept alive in a tank. I even managed to talk one of them into letting me keep a small fish they typically used as bait. Even though I knew I wasn’t allowed to take it on the plane, I still spent hours with that tiny fish every single day until it was time for us to leave. Since then I’ve always had an aquarium of some sort.”

Allie leaned forward and pressed her lips against Hana’s, letting the other woman feel her love and passion as they held each other. After a moment, the two pulled away slightly and rested against one another.

“Hearing about your life makes me so happy, Hana. I want to know everything about you!”

“Only if you tell me everything about you in return, Allie. I want to–”

Hana stopped speaking for a moment and her eyes took on a slightly distant look like her attention was focused elsewhere. When she met Allie’s eyes again, her expression was one of irritation.

“I turned on basic notifications just to see what was happening in the castle and if there was anything that needed my immediate attention. Apparently someone managed to find their way up to the top of the tall spire in the center of the castle. Not only is that supposed to be completely inaccessible to non-clan members, but it’s also supposed to block external teleporting. Given that that’s the only way this person was able to access that tower, I need to figure out how.”

Allie started to move off the bed when Hana placed on arm on her love’s bicep.

“Let me handle it. I can lockdown the tower to prevent them from using whatever teleporting method got them there. You gave me this form for a reason, my love. Remember… while within the bounds of the castle, I am essentially a god.”

With a gentle nod and soft smile, Allie laid back on the bed, but not before grabbing Hana’s hand and squeezing it lightly.

“I’ll be here if you need me. And… I love you, Hana.”

“And I love you, Allexus… Allie.”

Without another word, Hana let her consciousness drift outside of the form she was inhabiting and return to her ethereal body that encompassed the entire castle. She focused her attention on this intruder and saw in her mind a tall willowy demon woman with short blonde hair so light it was almost white. She wore a long white trench coat with a black bustier overtop a simple white shirt and tight leather pants. She had the typical pointed ears that were common amongst demons, and faintly shimmering gray eyes. With a mental command, Hana activated a plethora of defensive wards and enchantments designed to lock down the intruder.

As soon as the magic activated, Hana watched the woman attempt to teleport several times before she realized that she was stuck. The woman began to frantically search the stone rooftop, likely looking for the inscriptions that were keeping her locked in. Hana materialized a body in the middle of the circular roof and transferred a portion of her consciousness into it so she could both speak with the woman, and keep an eye out for signs of more intruders. The blonde-haired woman immediately started back up towards the edge of the roof, away from where Hana was now standing.

“Given that you're still attempting to teleport away, you obviously know you're not supposed to be up here. This tower is completely off limits for non-clan members. You shouldn't even be able to get near the tower, let alone teleport on top of it… You must have some powerful spacial magic.”

The woman didn't reply, instead studying Hana closely. Hana simply remained where she was, a blank expression on her face. After a few moments in silence, the woman spoke in a soft, shy voice.

“I… I'm sorry. When I saw the tower in the middle of the castle I just had to see what the view was like from up here. I really wasn't trying to intrude on you guys.”

Hana narrowed her eyes slightly before giving a small shrug. An “almost-smile” tugged at her lips as she teleported her body next to the woman so that she was resting her arms atop the parapet overlooking the vast expanse of hellscape surrounding the castle. The other woman gave a startled jump, but otherwise remained where she was, turning only slightly to face Hana.

“Honestly, I don't really mind so much about you intruding. I'm more impressed that you managed to bypass the tier-7 enchantments we have set up that are supposed to prevent anyone from teleporting into the castle. Even Gehenna wasn't able to get past them, and her magic is so far beyond anything I can imagine that I just assumed it was impossible.”

A slight blush crept up the woman's cheeks and she looked down at her feet for a moment before looking back up.

“Technically I didn't teleport into the castle. I teleported above the tower and just let gravity do its thing. Landing wasn't gentle, but my slow fall spell didn't seem to work. I'm guessing there's also some kind of enchantment to prevent people from flying down from above?”

Hana simply nodded her head as she studied the arcane signature of the woman's spatial magic more closely. After a moment she turned and gave the blonde an inquisitive glance.

“So…your name is Belial, you have powerful spatial magic, and your class is displayed as level 82 Wayfarer?”

Despite being phrased like a question, the other woman, Belial, knew that Hana had to have some skill that gave her access to information about those inside the castle. She nodded in confirmation and looked awkwardly at her feet again.

“I also see that you don't have a clan tag. Rare to see a moderately high-leveled player who managed to go full demon not in a clan. Not judging, by the way, simply remarking that so far in my experience players who are good enough to get as high leveled as you and find some sort of transformation magic are in high demand.”

Belial appeared a little crestfallen at Hana's words and her shoulders slumped a bit. After letting out a deep sigh she leaned back against the stone parapet and spoke in an almost resigned voice.

“Probably has something to do with the fact that when I tell people about my refusal to attack anyone directly they see me as a liability and not an asset. I can use simple buffing spells to help my allies, but that's as involved in combat as I'm willing to be. I'm actually trying to specialize in exploring and finding rare resources and other cool shit. But that's been pretty slow-going since all my current skills are based on my spatial magic. It's hard to level up harvesting and gathering abilities when all I can do is run when enemies show up.”

A smile peeked out from under Hana's expressionless mask before she reigned it in and gave the taller woman an appraising look.

“So, let me see if I have this right. You have high-leveled spatial magic, the ability to provide allies buffs in combat, and you're working on specializing in gathering skills? Belial, the other clans are completely brain dead or stupid for not seeing the immense value your specific skillset has to offer.”

The slight redness on Belial's cheeks returned with a vengeance, even managing to go to the tips of her ears.

“R-really? You th-think so?”

Hana used a mental command to send Belial a clan invite, and the other woman's eyes opened in surprise.

“If the clan invite wasn't confirmation enough, I'll say it like this: Belial, you are exactly the type of person we have been looking for. I would be honored if you would join our clan.”

Belial's eyes grew even wider and she struggled to speak for a moment. As her redness began to fade slightly, she managed to speak in an extremely quiet voice.

“B-before I accept… can y-you tell me your name?”

Hana was unable to hide the smile as she spoke without even thinking.

“Hana. I'm one of Overlord Allexus's wives.”