"Pull him out in a minute." Snu said while wearing nothing but Alex's t-shirt.

"Again?" He stretched his body in her luxurious, black silk bed before sitting up. "Didn't you have a date planned? It's got to be too late now."

"Please," she snorted, sitting next to him. "You do realize that was ten minutes, right? We have plenty of time. Not done with all my surprises just yet. I said I'm taking you on a date and you're going to like it."

Placing one hand on his bare, scratched chest, she extended the other towards the bar in her Dungeon Lair and snapped her fingers. A crisp, cold soda floated over. She cracked it for him before handing it over.

"Ten minutes?" He accepted the can and took a long draw. Raspberry ginger beer wasn't a flavour he expected to like, and the cold drink quenched his thirst. "Had to be longer, no? I mean…it was great, right? For you too?"

She smiled, freckles crinkling, back in her human form with little horns poking slightly above her blonde curls. Kissing him lightly, she took one finger and booped him on the nose. Naked, and without Snu's protective underwear in his pocket to protect him from her inherent Skills, Alex found himself blushing again.

"There's nothing more fun to me than making you remember that you're marked by me. No tall mediterranean women are going to get in that head of yours. Course it was good. And yes, I do have more surprises." She slid in beside him to cuddle up.

Oh, she had made him remember, or more accurately, forget his own name for those ten glorious minutes. The scratches and the red butt cheeks would remind him for days to come.

He had made it to the Leather Spires in seven minutes. Running through the city, weaving around Adventurers and corpos and civilians while vaulting traffic jammed cars was a good way to clear his head.

After a short hello to the gargoyle guards, Vrshkeuc, overwhelmed with a mountain of business paperwork for the Safety Spires at the reception desk, had waved him in through the secret tunnel that took him on a shortcut through the Leather Spires without a quip. The screams of Adventurers on both Dungeon Boss sister's sides told him that things were chugging along nicely. Giat's side had more intense house music blaring and horrifying howls than before, and the Glimps and Ass Monster cackled evilly against the current occupants. Alex was happy to see the Silver Grade upgrade was offering them both more protection.

"More surprises?" Alex asked with raised eyebrows. "That…maneuver you pulled on me wasn't one of them?"

"Don't be silly," Snu pulled away, but only to sit up and grin at him. Her tone got more serious in that way that made him melt. "If you're going to be my boyfriend you're going to experiment, right? And trust me."

"Yeup!" Alex said cheerfully, playing along. "Whatever the Dungeon Boss of the Leather Spires wants. Can't say I expected to like it so much though."

"You'll get used to it," She laughed and kissed him on the cheek before pulling back and looking more sheepishly nervous. "I actually have another surprise…something I made you."

Snu looked away from him, turning back into the nervous girl she could sometimes be. She pressed her lips together off to the side of her mouth and picked at her hands. Alex's heart warmed. To him, she could be the cutest, and the hottest girl at the same time. The fact that he was sitting in her Lair, and there was a paddling bench and floating candelabras didn't bother him in the slightest. She was just a woman to him.

"Oh yeah?" He teased. "A gift for me? Going to shower me in jewels and cars? Part of the perks? I know you're technically older than me, and I guess having a sugar mo--,"

Her finger shot up. "Nope. You are not calling me that. Not ever."

"Ahhh, fair enough," he chuckled, throwing his hands up. "So, what did you make me?"

Snu glanced at the far dresser and, with a snap, popped a drawer open. Something thin shot across the room, too fast to track, before it landed in her outstretched hand. She caught it and frowned at herself, suddenly nervous again.

"Wow," Alex raised his eyebrows. "Now you're making me think it's an official collar. Honestly? If you're into it."

"Shut up." she laughed, cheeks pinking as she turned over her hand. With a deep breath, she revealed her second surprise of the night.

A silver chain bracelet lay in her hand. A charm bracelet, and every link gave off that indistinguishable scent of Essence. Tiny charms were studded into the chain. There was an evil eye that blinked, a miniature grinning skull, a bright red chili pepper carved from ruby, a small pair of pink lips, and a…

"Is that a whip?!" Alex leaned in, grinning and already loving it. "You put a whip on it!?"

Snu's cheeks went pink as she turned the bracelet between her fingers. "Well…umm…" She looked up at him, then back down at her handiwork. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." He reached out and she clasped the bracelet carefully over his left wrist. As soon as she clicked the bracelet on, he felt something settle over him. "A Relic? What? From the charm bracelet store?"

"At first yeah," Snu said bashfully. "I went the other day to make you this. And then I…uh…enhanced it," She caught the look on his face, smiling with his boy brain, as she blushed. "Check it out with your Skill already."

[Scary Girlfriend Clasp]

[Hi it's me. Cool that I can add notes because I'm a Succubus and all that. I made this bracelet to…]

[+ Effect when anyone is sizing you up, scrying on you, checking you out, or is attempting to cause you permanent bodily harm.]

[Does not work on Succubi, of course. You will take your spanks, scratches, and anything I want to do like a good boy.]

"Woah!" Alex examined it up close. The charms looked expensive, not the cheap variety. "This is awesome," he leaned forward to kiss her on her smiling lips. "Thank you! What's the effect when someone is--,"

The pink lips charm began to warm on his wrist. Not hot, but enough to make him glance down. It vibrated against his skin before the tiny charm pecked him once, then again, soft little kisses that tickled like a feather.

Alex yelped, half laughing. "Cool! It kisses me on the wrist when any of that happens?" He waggled his eyebrows at her. "It's because you're checking me out, right? Right? Nice. Niiiiiice."

He flexed his noodle arm that wasn't so noodley any longer, striking a body-builder pose. The charm responded with another gentle peck.

Snu's blush deepened. "Maybe," she said, trying to act unimpressed but biting back a smile. "Or maybe it's because each charm warns you about a different kind of way someone is checking in on you…," she reached over and tracked her finger on his forearm. "But in this case, it's because I want you to pull him out."

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The lips charm pecked another dozen smooches on his wrist.

"Pretty good date so far. Who needs to go do fun things outside when we have all the fun in here?" He went in to kiss her, eyes closed, only to receive her palm to his face.

He opened his eyes, lips pushed out and met her eyes through the spaces in her fingers.

"I mean him," she explained. "Brody. Pull him out in here so we can confirm what we're thinking about Mr. Mystical. Then I'm taking you somewhere special."

"Oh," Alex blinked. "Yeah. Yeah! Core's not killing me anymore, either."

Round two pushed aside, Alex reached with his Essence and activated [Illusory Copy].

From the unspace, Brody, who was still stuck in the cage and currently being watched by a bored Harold, felt a little ping of something. He had just enough time to feel relief at being pulled into Alex's reality before he disappeared from the cage.

The perfect copy that did not look to perfect any longer popped into existence at the foot of Snu's silk bed. Brody was still more handsome than Alex, with better bone structure and a symmetrical face. He wore a perfectly fitting black t-shirt over his athletic frame. But when the clone looked at both of them sitting on the bed, Alex could see Brody's eyes had bags under them and were bloodshot. And had his hair ever been greasy?

"Brody!" Alex sat up, moving to stand up and rush over to him, before remembering he was naked as the day he was born. "Man…are you OK?"

The clone looked at Alex and Snu, then looked around the Lair. He sniffed, found one of Snu's couches. Brody dragged his feet towards it and slumped himself down. A long sigh escaped his lips as he grinded the bridge of his nose with his fingers. The guy looked exhausted. Gorgeous, like a Greek statue, but a Greek statue that had just finished several marathons on an empty stomach.

Alex looked at Snu, and she tossed his discarded pair of underwear at him. Quickly putting them on, he stepped out of bed and walked over to his clone.

"I got your note," Alex said to Brody, who just kept on taking deep sighs. "It's written strangely, but I'm not going to blame you for that. Are you…trapped in the unspace?"

Brody stopped his sighing just long enough to meet Alex's eyes. "Mmmmm." The Illusory Copy groaned in affirmation.

"Ok. Ok, that's not good. But it's good that we know," Alex looked towards Snu and she nodded, getting him to continue. "It's like, random clouds and feels like a dream? Do you dream? There's a bunch of weird shit everywhere and it's not really a place like any others. Feels infinite?"

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm." Brody groaned in affirmation again. He pulled his hand away from his face and looked at Alex. There wasn't a reaction from his Snu bracelet, letting him know that for once, Brody wasn't sizing him up.

Then Brody started to sign. He pointed at himself in the chest.

"You, yes," Alex said. "That's you."

Brody thought for a moment before clasping his cupped hands together in the sign of catching something.

"You've been caught, yeah." Alex translated and Brody nodded before continuing.

The clone scrunched his face up to show his two front teeth and clacked his finger against them. Then he made a finger motion to show something that was small before repeating the scrunched rat face motion again.

"A rat?" Alex nodded along in his undies while Snu watched two boys try to communicate. It was fascinating. "You're trapped by a rat, right? Mr. Mystical. He's a ghost that's possessed a taxidermized rat with three eyes. Right?"

Brody snapped his finger and waved it to confirm, looking more excited. Then he made a book opening motion with his hands, placing them together to unfold them.

"A book? There's a book there too?" Alex thought for a moment. "Harold! Hard his book ghost buddy is there too?"

Brody gave a thumbs up before thinking. He looked around the room, looking for something, before spotting the bracelet that Snu had just given Alex.

He shot up from his chair and practically leapt over to Alex. Despite being inflicted with the Cursed Bracelet and fed rotten fruit, Brody got still move with the best of them. Brody walked right up to Alex and pointed at his wrist again and again, getting Alex to pull up his arm.

"Bracelet?" Alex asked, confused. "What do you—"

"The Cursed Bracelet!" Snu concluded, yelping from her bed. Both Alex and Brody snapped their heads around to look at her. For a moment, Brody was confused how such a beautiful and powerful creature would allow someone like Alex in her company, but he shook the thought from his head. That wasn't him talking, it was the evil Mr. Mystical was pushing into him. Jealousy is not becoming of perfection.

Snu sat up straighter. "Mr. Mystical is using the Cursed Bracelet on you within the unspace, right? I don't know how he's doing it, but he's likely trying to fill you or change you?"

Brody pointed sharply at her again and again and nodded his head.

She looked at Alex. "See! I knew I didn't misplace it. That stupid rat stole it from me!"

"Shit," Alex ran his hand through his hair as he started pacing. "Shit, shit, shit."

Brody felt his energy draining, and went back to slump into the comfortable chair. He sighed deep again and closed his eyes.

Alex turned to Brody and walked up to him, placing his hand on Brody's shoulder. It was strange to touch someone that looked identical to you but better. It felt like an extension of his own body, though distinct. He was used to dissociative feelings with all of his Skills, and he also realized it was the first time that he had touched Brody.

"We're going to figure out a way to get you out of there," He said to his alternate version. "We have the Gnomes, Beepy and Zippy, and Snu and I working on how we're going to get in there and find you."

Brody rolled his eyes, but gave a thumbs up as he yawned deeply. Alex felt terribly for him. Brody could be a real shit, but he was his shit, and no one messed with his people and got away with it.

"I promise, OK?" Alex said in a dark tone that even surprised Snu. She had never seen him look righteous and angry. It sent butterflies in her stomach.

Oh no…, she thought as the first wiggles of love speckled her heart.

Brody sighed and opened his eyes, looking at Alex. Without measuring him, or judging him, or making fun of him, Brody just gave a sad smile and nodded. He just wanted Alex to be the best version of himself. Alex could never match the raw perfection of Brody's form, but he saw such potential in his link to reality. Brody's eyes then saw the scratches Snu had left on his chest and tilted his head, smiling.

"Mmmmmm?" Brody groaned while tilting his head towards Snu.

"Huh?" Alex asked and looked down at his own chest. "Oh? These? Yeah…"

"Are you hungry?" Snu perked up, trying to change to subject. Both the boys looked over at her, and she caught the sly look Brody was giving her. "Do you want food? Or maybe even to stay here while we go out? You can relax and--,"

"Mmmmmmmmm!" Brody grunted, nodding quickly and rubbing his stomach.

She looked at Alex. "Can you just…keep him summoned? Have you ever tested that? How far can you two be apart? How long can Brody exist here?"

"You know now that you say that I feel like an idiot for not trying that out."

"Mmmmmmmmmm."

"This is why you have smart women in your life, of course." Snu slid off the bed and walked over to both.

"Turn away, Brody. I'm getting changed, and then Alex and me are going on a date. You stay here and relax, sleep if you want. I'll have Vrshkeuc bring you some food? You said you were hungry."

Brody had already turned away. He was a gentleman, of course.

Snu changed, and Alex got his shirt back. It smelled like her. Brody lounged and enjoyed the company of both of them, but he wanted some alone time.

After a fist bump and confirmation that they were going to figure out a way to get him, both Alex and Snu left her Lair, leaving Brody alone in the space. It had been the first time in a long while that he had just existed in solitude, not being harassed by an annoying rat or running around dodging and kicking Monster ass. Actually, it was the first time every in his existence he had not either been running, living in that sweet nothingness, or being peppered by an annoying rat with a cursed bracelet.

He found it was quite nice to just relax. To exist and be alone with his thoughts. Alex's emotions crashed against that linked part of his brain, but he could ignore his Link's chaotic thoughts if he tried a little bit. For now, it was nice to just sit.

Alex and Snu left for the outside portion of the date, and Brody rested.

After a short while, there was a knock at the door, and a head poked in. From Alex's thoughts, he expected a cranky Gremlin to come waltzing in with his food. He was surprised to see another face, and thankfully, she was gorgeous.

"Oh?" Giat's gorgeous full lips said from the door. "All alone in here? Need some company?"

She walked in holding a bag of takeout food, wearing a latex corset and chunky combat boots. Her hair had changed from a perfect afro to long braids weaved with bright colours. Black lipstick, metallic eyeshadow, and dangerously sharp black fingernails were the other things his brain could process. Brody's mouth dropped at the sight of her.

Giat walked towards him with swaying hips. "Figured you might need some relaxation. Plus, Snu hates when I use her room."

Alex and Snu were on their way to their date destination as Brody and Giat enjoyed each other in the privacy of Snu's room.

Four hours. That was how long Brody could last before disappearing back into the waiting trap of Mr. Mystical's Soul Prison within the unspace. And Giat made sure that Brody enjoyed every second. If she Marked him…well, that was just the price of her company.

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