“Let me know when your caravan heads out, and keep me updated, okay?” a text read.
“I will Promise” read the next text. Erika frowned as her gaze fixated on the phone screen, her mind consumed with images of Vivi being talked down to by the soldiers escorting her. She took a deep breath as she brought it to her chest.
“She’ll be okay,” Leah assured her. “My sister is tough. You know that.”
“I know, but… I’m still worried. I mean, so many people get hurt because of the army. And you’ve seen some of the guys at school who talk about wanting to join so they can fulfill their sick fantasies of killing people,” Erika sighed. “I just… I can’t think about Vivi going out there without worrying people like that might try to exploit her.”
Leah frowned. “I wish I could say something that could make it seem easier, but… I’m sorry…”
The two sat in silence for a few minutes until they heard the jostling of the front door, the knob turning, Mary, Cleo, and man with a dark skin tone entering the room.
“Welcome back Mom, Cleo, and… Mr. Kressler?” Leah looked at the man confusedly. “What’s he…”
“Your Mom dragged me here for lunch,” Mr. Kressler laughed. “Sweet lady she is, wanted to apologize for getting Carmen involved. Not that she should have to.”
“It was Mom and Cheryl’s idea to-” Mary began.
Mr. Kressler waved his hand. “Please, Carmen’s a real sparkler. She was eager to join in. If I remember it was Vivi who argued that she’d just go off and fight solo if they didn’t make the Prism Girls. Better to have her with them than not.”
“Wait, how do you know that?” Erika asked.
“Carmen gave up trying to lie to me ages ago. Sorry again Mary. Maybe I could’ve warned you about Vivi being trans, but…”
“It wasn’t your story to tell,” Mary lamented. “If anything, I’m glad you respected her boundaries. Not that I should expect any less from a doctor.”
“Confidentiality is pretty critical to us.” He grinned joyfully.
“Anyway, we should probably get started on lunch,” Cleo said. Mary tried to speak only for her stomach to growl, prompting her immediate surrender of the subject. “By the way, where’s Palu and Tommy?”
“Palu is playing with Tommy in his room,” Leah stated, Cleo nodding in confirmation before heading to the kitchen with Mary.
Mr. Kressler sat in the empty chair beside the couch Leah and Erika were sitting. “So, what’s going on with you two? You don’t look particularly happy.”
“I’m worried about Vivi,” Erika whimpered. “Mr. Kressler, aren’t you worried about Carmen?”
Mr. Kressler crossed his arms and sighed, his jovial visage falling a bit. “Course I’m worried. But she’s found something she wants to fight for. I’m sure some people would think lesser of my wife and I for letting her do what she wants. But we trust her to do what she believes in. We’re definitely scared of what can happen. And we can’t bring ourselves to stop her when she’s so resolved.” He smiled lightly. “I imagine it’s similar for you two and Vivi. I know Mary was on the verge of forcing herself on the team to be with them, but we all know that it’s something they’ve chosen.”
Erika held herself tight, rubbing her arms as she considered the man’s words. Eventually she began to speak. “Vivi’s the most amazing person I know. She’s so kind and passionate. And I’ve experienced how strong she is myself. But even so, I just can’t stop feeling anxious and worried about her.”
“And that’s okay,” Mr. Kressler said. “It’s important to moderate yourself. Let yourself calm down and take a deep breath. But being worried is okay. It means you care. Keep her in your thoughts and stay with people who care about you to make sure you keep taking care of yourself. She wouldn’t want you hurting yourself, would she?”
Erika took a deep breath. “Yeah. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Kressler.”
“Now then. I think a change in topic would be healthy for us. Any ideas?”
“Actually, I had a question for you,” Leah spoke up. “How’ve things been at the hospital with all the… what did Mama call them? Hybra?”
“Well, it’s been complicated the past several months, that’s for sure,” Mr. Kressler grumbled. “We’re doing our best to figure out peoples’ needs. We’re still flying blind with so little research, but we’ve been getting on with all the new magic users.”
“I imagine the appearance of healing magic fixes a bunch of problems, huh?”
“Well, it’s not that simple. A lot of peoples’ magic is still rather unclear. For instance, some of our angels with healing magic have been hesitant to use magic on demon patients, and vice versa due to concerns of accidentally harming the patient. And it’s not unfounded. Some water based healing magic was thought to be universally effective for a bit, and it is potent for humans and dryads like Erika and many others, but for some like those with lots of fire and earthy characteristics, it seems to be sometimes harmful. We’re learning as we go, but it’s pretty dicey with how risky it can be. And that’s not even getting into the politics end.”
“Wait, politics?” Erika repeated.
“Lilith and Gloria mentioned it,” Cleo stated as she approached them, setting a couple plates with homemade meatball subs and chips on them. “Apparently a bunch of congressmen are trying to form a bill to put a bunch of restrictions on magic based medicine.”
“Ooh, are these some of those chips Lilith mentioned from Pennsylvania?” Mr. Kressler asked.
“Yeah, they’re really good. Nice and crispy,” Leah chuckled. “Wait, I’m getting sidetracked. Why are they trying to ban healing magic?”
“They’re citing the incidents I mentioned, but really it's just the same fear mongering you see with vaccines. A bunch of religious and far right types trying to build ill will for profit. And especially since healing magic doesn’t profit pharmaceuticals…”
“That’s ridiculous!” Erika argued. “Magic is the only way to treat some people right now, right? That could get them killed.”
“I agree.” Mr. Kressler nodded. “We should research it, and I believe in a cautious approach with magic until we fully know what we’re dealing with. We don’t know the risks if there are any. But at the same time, denying us tools that have proven to be effective given our current knowledge because of unproven concerns only puts more people at risk. Fortunately, it sounds like Senator Gloria is working with Amaterasu and… is it Sue?” Erika and Leah nodded in confirmation. “She’s working with them to bring a bunch of their research over to help catch us up to speed. But…”
“It’s an uphill battle unfortunately,” Cleo grumbled as she brought a couple more plates, Mary following her with a fifth one and a bottle of soda in an ice filled glass. “Gloria has been rejected by her party, and despite her attempts to build rapport with the democrats, they’ve been antsy.”
“Because of her track record?” Leah asked.
“Because she’s trans,” Mary lamented as the pair brought the last bunch of cups and drinks. “Her being a lesbian isn’t helping matters either given the party has been bad on both issues. They coast by on sentiment for gay rights, but they’ve been rather terrible with active support.”
“Same old story,” Cleo said bitterly.
“That’s awful,” Erika whimpered.
“We’ve also been dealing with an uptick of late hybradizations, which has been a challenge,” Mr. Kressler added.
“Hybradizations?” Leah repeated. “Any idea what’s been causing it?”
“Not a one. One of the goddesses that was here for the conference mentioned something about it maybe being related to all the magic in the area due to all of the gods being present. We’re still learning about how it works, but some preliminary hypotheses are assuming that high concentrations of mana triggers hybradization, but we’re uncertain.”
“That makes me wonder. Does that mean one day those of us who are still human might change into hybra with enough magic exposure?” Leah considered. “I wonder… what would I turn into?”
“Palu!” Mary called out. “Tommy! Lunch is ready!” Very quickly Tommy ran through the hallway, only to be stopped and picked up by a long furry tail.
“Tommy, no,” Palu scolded as she approached the boy. “No running in doors.”
“But, big sis Palu…” Tommy pouted.
“No buts,” Palu tapped him on the head before setting him down. “Here you go Tommy.” She handed him a plate with food and a drink before grabbing her own and sitting at the table beside the young boy.
“So, is Palu like your daughter now?” Mr. Kressler asked. “From what Carmen was saying, she’s basically Lilith’s kid, but…”
Mary chuckled awkwardly. “Well, technically, yes, she’s basically my sister, but the kids have been treating her like their sister.”
“I’m okay with both,” Palu giggled. “I had to hide my connection with Mom for so long that it would feel weird not to just treat Mary’s kids like my siblings.”
“That must be weird,” Mr. Kressler laughed.
“Heh, my life has been rather interesting lately, I’ll say that much,” Mary stated. “Mom looks my age. My wife and daughter magically transitioned, and I have a new sister. And on top of all that, I’m the succubus daughter of a succubus goddess.”
“Speaking of, Palu, I’m curious, why are you a fox and not a succubus?”
“It was a weird situation to be honest,” Palu giggled. “When Mom awakened to her powers, I was nearby. I was just a little fox at the time, and her magic turned me into her familiar. Then, after we met up again, all of the magic that built up from our contract permanently changed me into this form. Mom already thought of me as her daughter, but this form kind of made it more real. That said, I am actually part succubus. I might manifest wings one day, but I have a bunch of succubus magic. I’m not as good with it as Vivi or Mary though.”
“Fascinating,” Mr. Kressler chuckled as he returned to eating.
A short while later, as the others gathered in the Living Room, Leah and Palu gathered the dishes to bring to the kitchen.
“Hey… um… sis…” Leah piped up as Palu scrubbed the plates free of any remaining solid bits of food. The fox girl looked at her innocently, her long white tail swishing behind her. “Ever since Vivi changed, I’ve been starting to wonder about some stuff that I’ve been a bit embarrassed to ask.”
“About what?” Palu asked.
“What’s it like, y’know, being a succubus?”