This Ascent to Divinity is Lewder Than Expected

7.04 – Shadow Progress

"Date's been decided," Delta announced, striding into Zoey's room without knocking. "It's happening tomorrow."

Not knocking was a bit rude, Delta knew, but she'd been hoping to catch Zoey doing something inappropriate. Unfortunately, she was just sitting there, nose in an alchemy book like was her default state when given downtime. How boring. Though she supposed when Sabina was rewarding her for being studious, she couldn't blame her too much.

The taller girl blinked as Delta strode in, then immediately smiled seeing who it was. That made Delta's stomach do some embarrassing warm-and-fuzzy things, which she ignored as she plopped down on Zoey's bed and started kicking her feet back and forth, waiting expectantly for a response.

"The date for what?" she asked.

"Next shard. With barbarian girl. What else?"

"It's been arranged that fast?"

"You can't actually be surprised. It's Rosalie we're talking about. And this new girl might be as much of a shard addict as her."

"Fair," Zoey said. "Still, I expected to be waiting at least a few days. Thought we'd practice more together first."

"Shards are the best practice," Delta said, half joking but half serious. Maybe it would be smarter to take things slower, but she doubted it was necessary. It was one hell of a party that she'd been thrown into, and not just because of Zoey, but the sheer talent of every member. It was weird knowing she might be the worst on the team: she was used to being the best.

"Practice only matters so much when there's no real stakes, I suppose," Zoey said. She tilted her head, closing her book and setting it aside. "It's not just team training we needed, though. You think you'll have your shadow under control by tomorrow?"

"Eh," Delta said. "It'll be a while before she's second nature. But she's basically all I've been working on since we got here, so yeah, I've made good progress."

"Enough you can use her in a fight?"

"Not as perfectly as I'd want, but yes. She'll be more asset than not. And in situations where I need her as a scout or can otherwise use her solo, I can control her nearly as well as myself."

"No kidding?"

Delta nodded, pleased with herself.

"That's a lot of progress in just a few days."

"It's all I've been doing, like I said." She shrugged. "Plus, it was one of those things that was hard to get started with, but is getting easier the more I learn. Once I wrapped my head around the simple movements, with managing two bodies at once, picking up speed and learning more complex motions became less and less of an issue. Not that I've perfected anything, though. It'll take some time for that."

"Still. I'm impressed. Wanna demonstrate?"

Delta paused, then grinned wickedly.

"I didn't even mean it like that," Zoey protested. She paused. "Not that I'd complain, if that's how you want to show off," she amended.

"My girlfriend has such appetites," Delta lamented loudly. "Every conversation turns to such lewd matters."

"You turned it into that, this time," Zoey pointed out.

"Thankfully, I am a kind and amenable girlfriend—" she continued, ignoring Zoey.

"You sure about that?"

"—and I'm willing to indulge her insatiable hungers, caring and doting woman that I am."

Zoey rolled her eyes, which Delta snickered at.

"This is random," Zoey said, "but you reminded me of something. You blushed that one time, when Rosie brought up you 'playing' with your clone, shortly after we got here. But when would you have had the time for that? I've been wondering."

Ah. This topic again. Despite her usual unabashedness, her cheeks colored. "Doesn't matter. Don't you wanna see all the cool tricks I learned?"

"I think I'd rather you answer the question."

"Than be blown by two copies of me?" Delta asked, somewhat offended. "Really?"

Thankfully, Zoey at least paused.

"I can have both," she said eventually.

"Can you?"

"Yes," Zoey said, raising an eyebrow.

Oh? In a more confident and assertive attitude than usual? Zoey did tend to take the lead, though it also depended on her mood. Basically anything this girl did could fluster her, though. And the self-assured way she'd just ignored Delta's attempt at a deflection was ... well. Heat kindled in her stomach. Dominant Zoey was fun.

But then the embarrassment returned. Ah, hell, what was there even to be embarrassed by, though? Delta was a girl who liked to own up to what she did.

"Right after I woke up, basically," Delta said with a casual shrug. "I mean, I found I could make a clone of myself. Who wouldn't experiment?"

Zoey's eyebrows crawled up to her hairline. "But this was right after being kidnapped."

"I knew I was safe," Delta defended herself, shifting on the bed. Trying to insert some of her own confidence back into her voice, she lifted her chin and joked: "Besides, have you seen me? Of course I wanted to fuck her."

Zoey said amusedly, "Yourself. Not 'her'."

"Of course I wanted to fuck myself," Delta corrected shamelessly. With a look, she dared Zoey to reply, but the girl just laughed.

"How far have you gone, then?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've already fucked her, but how?"

"Ah. Well." Heat rose on her cheeks, though she forced herself to hold Zoey's gaze. Nothing to be ashamed about, she reminded herself. "I used her mouth, pretty thoroughly. That's it."

"You had good enough control, even then?"

"Like I said, when I'm only worrying about one of us at a time, it's magnitudes easier."

"Mm." A devious look started pulling on Zoey's lips, which made Delta's heart beat faster. "Just had her eat you out? But you haven't done much more experimenting since then?"

"Not really," Delta said. She'd been busy with other stuff, and admittedly ... well. She had a beautiful girlfriend. Two of them, in fact. While she might have gotten carried away upon discovery of the skill, she'd also been saving more exciting experiments for group activities. Masturbation was great, don't get her wrong, and especially this sort of masturbation, but throwing in one or two of her girlfriends would make it an even more titillating event.

Which Zoey was clearly reading on her face, right now. She could be clueless at times, but also quite perceptive at others. Which was true for any person, Delta figured, but this girl especially.

"Well," Zoey said. "I think I know how I want you to prove your skills to me then."

"Really? You're gonna make your girlfriend and her clone fuck each other?"

"Yes," Zoey said.

And welp, there wasn't much arguing with that. The obvious interest on Zoey's face made her own stomach squeeze, too. As if the idea of playing with her clone in that lewd way wasn't potent enough on its own.

Sheesh. How embarrassing. She was probably the least reserved person on the team when it came to sex, but even she had her limits. Eating herself out had been a mortifying thing, both in the moment and admitting it to Zoey, so doing it in front of her?

And worse, Delta was doubting just some oral was all she had planned. But surely she wouldn't make her … do that much more?

Zoey clapped her hands. "Up," she ordered. "Summon her, and strip yourself."

"You're in a feisty mood," Delta said, though she found herself standing because of the sheer authority in her voice. "Something happen at that little temple outing you wanna tell me about?"

Zoey hesitated at the question, confirming her suspicion. Dryly, she said, "Long story short, if my high priestess wasn't pregnant before, she definitely is now."

Oh? It had been that sort of outing, had it? Now she was kinda mad she hadn't been invited.

"Out in public? Under the eyes of the gods? You naughty girl," Delta teased.

"Right on top of the altar, with Sabina and Adrienne watching," Zoey said, a stir of arousal clearly going through her just remembering. "Sabina and Aria thought it was important as a 'commemorative ritual,' to celebrate the temple's founding."

"Sounds like an excuse," Delta laughed.

"It definitely was," Zoey said, lips twitching. "It did work, though. Aria apparently got a ton of Holy Energy, not that we have many uses for it, yet."

"Gonna power Sabina up, right?"

"I think we'll set a date when we get back," she said. "Dunno, I wanna talk more with Sabina about it. Make sure she's totally comfortable, since there's outside incentives encouraging her right now, and I want her to be sure."

"Ugh. You're such a sweetheart," Delta said, rolling her eyes. "And how come you're worried about making her comfortable, but you wanna embarrass me by making me fuck myself? Double standards, much?"

"Because you're getting off on it," Zoey answered, with an amused look. "Pervert."

Delta flushed. She had her there.

"Whatever," Delta said. "Calling me a pervert is kind of rich, considering the goddess of perverts literally chose you as her champion."

"Touché," Zoey said. Raising her voice, she ordered Delta, "Now strip."

And, well, when a hot girl used that sort of tone on her, obviously she didn't have much choice in the matter.