Reborn as a Succubus: Time To Live My Best Life!

Melisa's boots clicked against the cobblestones as she made her way back to the academy, her mind replaying the fight over and over.

[Traitor,] she thought, the word echoing in her head like a bad hangover. [They actually called me a traitor. Me. The one who's been trying to help them this whole time!]

Her fists clenched at her sides.

[I mean, what the actual fuck!? Do they have any idea how many times I've nearly DIED just for existing? What the hell!?!?]

She kicked a small rock, watching it skitter across the street. Yes, she was literally kicking rocks.

[Oh, I'm sorry, would you prefer if I just hung out with random nim slaves instead of getting an education and improving my magic? Is that what you want? For me to just sit there and do nothing while humans look down on us? Because that's really helping the cause, right?]

The sun was setting now, painting the academy buildings in warm orange light as Melisa stomped her way up to her dorm. Her dress was still singed from the fight, and she probably had cobblestone dust all over her ass from when that asshole knocked her down.

[At least Isabella's not here to see me like this,] she thought, running a hand through her messy hair. [She'd probably say something like 'oh no, my poor baby got all dirty, let me clean you up~' and then somehow that would lead to sex.]

Not that Melisa would complain, normally, but right now she wasn't in the mood. Indeed, she, Melisa Blackflame, nim mage extraordinaire to whom sex was about as normal as coffee, was not in the mood.

She pushed open the door to her room, ready to just collapse and maybe scream into her pillow for a bit. Instead, she found Raven lounging on her bed, a book propped up against her knees.

[Oh thank god.]

Without warning, Melisa face-planted directly onto Raven's stomach.

"Oof!" Raven grunted, her book falling to the side. She raised a brow. "Melisa, what-"

"Some nim want me dead now," Melisa mumbled into Raven's shirt. "Can you believe that? Nim. Want me. Dead."

As her surprise faded, Melisa soon felt Raven's hand start stroking her hair. Though, her face didn't change much.

"I mean, really, who doesn't want me dead, at this point? A bunch of them jumped me in an alley. Called me a traitor and everything."

"Did you eliminate them?"

"I beat them up a little, yeah," Melisa snorted.

"You should have finished them," Raven said, gently. "They'll likely just come back someday."

"But that's not the point! They were using magic, Raven. Really badly, but still. And they were so angry... at me! For what? I... I don't get it."

She rolled onto her back, her head still in Raven's lap as she stared at the ceiling.

"You know what the worst part is? They were absolutely shit at fighting, so I almost just felt sorry for them."

"I suppose I should be happy, then," Raven said, her lips twitching into a small smile. "Would have been unfortunate if they'd done a better job than I had trying to kill you."

Melisa reached up to poke her girlfriend's nose.

"At least you were cute while failing to murder me. These guys? Just sad. But... Fuck! Now I have to worry about random nim trying to jump me. As if I don't have enough to deal with!"

Raven's fingers continued their gentle stroking, working through the tangles in Melisa's hair.

"Would you like me to start following you around again? For old times' sake?"

"Don't tempt me," Melisa groaned. "I might actually take you up on that offer. Gods, what is wrong with people? I save the king, help expose centuries of lies about nim magic, and this is the thanks I get? Attacked in a dark alley by my own people?"

She sat up suddenly, turning to face Raven with wild eyes.

"You know what the really frustrating part is? I get it! I understand why they're angry! But they're directing all that anger at the wrong person and I just... ugh!"

She flopped back down dramatically, this time sprawling across Raven's legs.

"Can we bring back the Shadow Mages? That was so much simpler."

Raven nodded.

"You're heavy," Raven commented, though she made no move to push Melisa off.

"Deal with it. I've earned my dramatic collapse."

[At least,] Melisa thought as she felt Raven's fingers return to her hair, [some things never change. Even if my own people want me dead now.]

"... Want to go make out until I feel better?"

"I'm reading."

"That wasn't a no~"

---

The afternoon sun was starting to dip when Melisa made her way to Javir's office, her mind still churning with thoughts of yesterday's attack.

[Time to see what my favorite teacher slash woman-I-almost-kissed-that-one-time thinks about all this,] she thought, adjusting her slightly wrinkled uniform. She hadn't bothered fixing it after Isabella had pulled her into a storage closet between classes. [At least someone still appreciates me.]

She found Javir at her desk, surrounded by the usual mountain of paperwork. The sunlight streaming through the window made her hair look almost molten.

[Stop staring at her hair, you horny airhead,] Melisa chided herself. [You're here for actual serious business.]

"Professor?" Melisa called out, knocking on the already-open door. "Got a minute?"

Javir looked up, a small smile playing at her lips.

"For my favorite troublemaker? Always."

[God, why does she have to say it like that?]

Melisa flopped into the chair across from Javir's desk, trying to look casual and probably failing miserably.

"So," she started, picking at a loose thread on her sleeve. "Those nim attacks on human nobles. Pretty wild, huh?"

Javir sighed, her expression turning slightly more serious. She set down her quill, giving Melisa her full attention.

"Indeed. The nobility is in quite an uproar about it. Though I can't say I'm entirely surprised. Naturally, you can imagine that a lot of the local slave owners are sleeping with one eye open."

"Yeah, about that..." Melisa shifted in her chair. "Funny story. The funniest, really. You're going to laugh."

Javir's brows shot up to the ceiling. Then, she said:

"... Where's the body?"

"What?"

"It'll take some swift action to ensure no one can trace it back to you, but-"

"Javir!" Melisa shook her head emphatically. "What are you talking about?"

Javir looked confused again.

"Oh, you didn't kill anyone?"

"What- NO! No, no, no, no. No."

"Ohhhh, sorry, sorry, I... What seems to be the problem?" Javir asked and, shaking her head, Melisa continued.

"I may have gotten jumped by some of them yesterday?" She tried for a winning smile. "Surprise?"

Javir's chair scraped against the floor as she stood up abruptly.

"Are you hurt?"

"What? No! Please, they fought like drunk puppies. Very angry, magic-wielding drunk puppies." Melisa waved her hand dismissively. "But, look, the point is, they called me a traitor, Javir. Me!"

Javir ran a hand through her hair, looking thoroughly done with everything.

"Well, at least you didn't kill anyone. That would've been a mountain of paperwork."

"Why does everyone immediately jump to murder!?" Melisa threw her hands up. "Even Raven was like 'did you finish them?' I'm dating an enabler!"

"Speaking of Raven," Javir leaned forward, smiling. "How is my favorite former assassin doing with her rehabilitation?"

"Oh, you know," Melisa grinned. "Still pretending she doesn't enjoy cuddling. Yesterday she straight-up fell asleep in my arms. It was adorable."

"Lovely."

"Anyway, yeah. Angry nim. Murder attempts." She slumped further into her chair, the familiar weight of frustration settling on her shoulders. "I mean, I get it. The nim community has a lot of... everything to work through. Centuries of oppression, lies, general fuckery. But murder? Really?"

Javir drummed her fingers on the desk.

"Well, sometimes new power takes time to control. Both literally and figuratively. They have options, thanks to their magic and how you're changing the public's perception of them, that they didn't have prior. They don't know what to do with it."

"That's a fancy way of saying they're being idiots."

"Melisa."

"What? They are!" She threw her hands up. "And now I have to worry about random people trying to murder me in alleys. AGAIN!"

Melisa began pacing.

"Do you know how hard it is to get dressed up for a date when you're constantly wondering if some- some asshole's going to fireball your outfit?"

"I might have some experience with that."

"I... Oh, right," Melisa remembered that in the "Handling Shit" department, Javir was tenured. Melisa was not.

"Anyway, to be honest? I don't think this will be that big a problem," Javir said. "The queen's probably on it as we speak. She's already proven to be far more efficient than her predecessor, may he rest in peace. She'll handle it. So, do try to calm down, alright?"

Melisa looked away.

[... Maybe she's right. It'll probably end up being nothing.]

"Uh, alright then. See you, later, I guess."

"Tell the girls I said 'hi'."

"Will do."

Outside, she found her girlfriends waiting for her. Isabella was braiding a very grumpy Armia's hair while Raven stood nearby.

"So?" Isabella called out. "What'd our hot teacher say?"

"Nothing useful," Melisa sighed, walking over to collapse against Armia's substantial chest. "Apparently we just have to wait for people to stop being murderous idiots. Great." She sighed dramatically. "I guess we just... hope this all goes away on its own?"

"That's stupid," Raven commented, not looking up from her book. "We should set a trap. I still have some poisons that-"

"NO MURDER!"

[... At least, not yet.]

"... Well, alright," Raven muttered.

[Maybe if I just stay here, pressed against Armia's boobs, all my problems will solve themselves,] Melisa thought hopefully. [It hasn't worked yet, but there's always a first time, right?]