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nI walked up the next flight of stairs with Nushi in my arms, and she pointed me over to a door that had her name on it. I walked over to the room and entered, closing the door behind me, but I was amazed at how much like her other room this was.

nI walked into the room with Nushi, around the table that we had all sat and eaten the first time I had given the girls eggs and cooked for them. Just a couple days felt like months with the speed that everything had been happening at.

nI walked around to the side of Nushi's four-poster bed and laid her down on it, but gave her a hand up to sit back up with me. As much as I wanted to tear the little bit of clothing she had on, I wanted to get some more information about the Nauticus.

nWhatever force was surrounding the mermaid girls, it must be something essential and maybe something I might use in the future.

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"So, can you tell me a bit about the Nauticus and why you got so worried when I mentioned their names?

" I asked, but Nushi had gotten quite a bit more than worried when I had brought it up.

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"You don't want to mess with them; they are the oldest things in this world and some of the worst things. They offer deals to people, but they always come with huge penalties. If Mary's father has something to do with the Nauticus, you want to stay as far away from him as possible. The Gods of the Deep are not something that you want to deal with,

" Nushi explained, but she was giving me a worried look.

nThat was probably because she knew that all of her warnings were going through one ear and out the other, and I felt terrible about that. Still, the Nauticus couldn't be all bad, right?

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"What about the forces that surround the girls and prevent them from getting in danger or hurt? That isn't what I would call a malicious action, in my opinion, so I think that we need to keep an open mind when judging them. Have you ever met one, or met someone that has legitimately met one, or is this all just hearsay?

" I asked Nushi, probing to get all the information I could.

nWhile I was sure that whatever these things were, the Nauticus would not be all good if they were handing out gifts. Creatures like that were far more likely to be the type to offer the gift and then add a but after, yet the gift was given to the girls.

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"No, I have never talked to one or met someone that has, but I have heard stories of Demons going down and never returning. There are more stories of others coming back changed, and almost like shells; nothing left inside,

" Nushi explained, and I nodded.

nThat was a bit of a worry, but without any confirmation, these were all just old wives' tales and held no value other than to worry me. It might be about time to shelve work talk for now and switch to a more personal conversation.

nI had been periodically checking up on the girls and their charts and stats, and Nushi had got to level four already. I had noticed that she had also gotten a new skill that allowed her to control the flow of a conversation, and her abilities to predict by reading ahead were getting stronger.

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"Okay, thanks for telling me what you know. How are things going with the book?

" I asked Nushi, switching subjects.

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"Oh yes! I have been working with Kieta, and she has been making some progress with her creations with my help! I am able to see where she makes mistakes now! I can target the item she is working on and learn about what it is, and also what it could be if it isn't complete!

" Nushi said with excitement, grabbing my hands in her's and all but jumping on the bed.

nI smiled warmly at her and leaned in to kiss Nushi, startling her, but she didn't resist. Her blue lips were soft, and I felt myself being pulled into her like a gravitational force.

nI moved to press her back onto the bed, but Nushi stopped me and pushed me back with a smile. I was confused at first, but then I could see that she had something she wanted to say, so I pulled all the way back and waited.

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"Umm, do you think that you could be angry at me like before? Maybe treat me like I have been bad, and you are punishing me? I, umm, like to be tied up, but I have never tried it with anyone but Mary before, and she isn't very good at tying the knots,

" Nushi explained, and the hairs all over my body started to stand on end in my body's carnal response to her words.

nI could feel the blood and or Magic that was pumping harder through my body as the excitement started to well up. I kept a relaxed and calm expression that I let slip into a warm smile on the outside, and I began to concentrate.

nNushi eye's started to get a distant look, and then she had hands on her breast, and she was rubbing thighs together as she started to squeeze them. Small moans escaped her mouth as I stood up from the bed and looked around, finding what I was looking for.

nRope, or something of the sorts, but what I found was a pile of pink silk two-inch wide ribbons. Maybe not the best thing for the job, but they would work and not leave the same kinds of marks that rope or cord would.

nNushi was moving one of her hands down to go between her legs as I grabbed the ribbons. I reached up and grabbed the hand and pulled it away, dropping the pile of ribbons beside her.

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