My Servant System

Heading back into the same hall that we had spent so many hours in yesterday, we were greeted with the sight of the five pups and two older Caninekin lounging around the various tables snacking on sliced fruits and small cups of what looked like yogurt, which had been topped with small clusters of nuts.

The Sultana was inspecting a hand of cards as she laid on her side, the black clothed futanari idly tossing one out and making Aisha growl in annoyance as she tossed her own card down in defeat, while Lady Kio was tossing peeled grapes into her mouth as she watched the twins play a game of chess against one another.

As we had come to expect, Batul was fast asleep, the small pup curled into a ball beside her Mom and soaking in the sun, her tail almost managing to cover her face with how compact she was making herself so that she wouldn't be a distraction.

Comparatively, Mariam was beaming as she launched herself at the Sultana, giggling as she said "Haha~! You won Mommy~! I knew you'd beat Aisha~!", which made the oldest pup snarl "Oh quiet Mariam! I coulda won!", though she shrunk slightly when Lady Kio glanced over at the sudden burst of anger that she heard.

"Blegh~! Maybe if you weren't such a meanie, you woulda realized how to win!"

Sticking her tongue out, Mariam turned back to her Mom and nuzzled into her chest, her grin widening even more as she was embraced and had her ears stroked, though when she heard us enter and take our own seats nearby, those same ears twitched as she pulled away and looked towards the sounds that caught her attention.

"Oh! Good morning!"

Smiling at us, Mariam waved her small hand and greeted us, but I noticed how she remained right where she was and kept herself close to the Sultana, who was still patting her idly.

Mariam's eyes were flitting between her oldest sister - whom she still had no idea how to feel about - and Jahi, who was... admittedly, quite intimidating for a child to see, especially one with no knowledge of Demons.

Someone who was almost as tall as the Sultana, rippling with muscle and had two gold capped horns on her head, paired with a sharp pair of amethyst eyes and a permanent smirk?

I can't really blame the girl for being wary of Jahi, which made me chuckle quietly as I glanced at the Demoness in question and wondered if our own children would be slightly intimidated by her stature; even now, I was sometimes wary of her simply because I was just reminded of how strong she was.

I knew she wouldn't hurt me, but seeing her so easily destroy a monster - not kill, not injure, not fight, but destroy - was a morbid reminder that those large blue hands that usually roamed my body could be used in some terrible, deadly ways... which was really more of my own mind being odd than anything that she could control.

Conversely, Mariam didn't seem to regard Leone and I in any sort of light at all; neither a negative nor a positive one, just a neutral light of healthy caution but also healthy intrigue, and I had to wonder if that was because we were both gentler in nature.

Well, Leone naturally, and me because it was the easier mask to wear when I was walking around in public, though most of the time it was a genuine smile I had; I had a lot to be happy with in life, especially after last night~!

Batul remained asleep, Samira and Safa were still quite shy and sitting beside Lady Kio, while Aisha was staring at Anput with a small frown as she noticed how casually the older Jackalkin had lifted a deck of cards and began to deal them, gesturing towards the Sultana as she asked "A game before breakfast?"

She just got a nod in return, but it made Aisha's frown deepen as she opened her mouth, only to remain quiet as a card landed in front of her and her sister said "You play too, Aisha.", the pup looking at the card for a few seconds before picking it up alongside the other that Anput dealt her.

"What did you want to play? Blackjack? Three card poker?"

The Sultana kept her cards face down, before accepting the third and nodding as that answered her question instead, though she glanced at Aisha and said "Don't look at them yet." before asking Anput "Are you wagering something, or are we just having fun?"

"Asking your own daughter if she wants to wager something~? How crass~!"

"Aye it's crass; deal me in. If I have a better hand, I want a massage from you, brat. You used to shirk that all the time..."

Lady Kio sauntered over before plopping down beside the Sultana, who was sitting up now as she tapped her fingers against the backs of her cards, the futanari still facing Anput even as her wife joined her.

"Fine, fine~! That'll be your wager, and if I have higher, I expect a massage Mother~!"

"One you're not ever going to get since I'll have the better hand."

The Sultana tapped her cards a few more times before saying "If I win, you spar against me ten times in a row, no holds barred. You win, I'll set reservations at the Damawi Kas for you four.", which made Anput perk up before she quickly narrowed her eyes and replied "Then I want a guarantee you didn't just read your cards."

"Oh~? Do you not trust your own Mom, Anput~?"

Snorting, Anput raised a brow and quickly answered "Not in a million years when it comes to cards. You used to cheat every other hand when I was a pup!", something that made Lady Kio chuckle and look away, hiding her smile behind her hand.

"Hey! Mom would never cheat!"

Aisha was the one to be indignant about this stinging accusation, and it only made Anput roll her eyes as she said "Yeah, she does. On a regular basis with every game that she can. All that honor that she preaches about is tossed aside like a dirty rag the moment she sits down at a card table. Don't know why, but she does."

"Just like I don't know why you seem to be barking more often now than you did when you were a pup. Did I make a mistake? Where did this come from?"

Tilting her head, the Sultana stared at Anput before turning her head slightly towards Lady Kio when Anput shrugged and answered "Mother. I come by it honestly, unlike your flawless record in poker."

"Hey!"

Lady Kio glared at Anput before letting out a huff as she growled "I can bite too! Just ask-!", only to be silenced as the Sultana placed a hand over her wife's mouth, preventing her from saying something like that in front of the children, who were all watching with bated breath.

"Mom..?"

"Hm? Don't listen to Anput; she rambles and seems to have forgotten a few things. Time away has blurred her memories. If you truly want me to have a new hand, then fine, I'll have a new hand."

The Sultana just waved away Aisha's concern, making the pup nod as her Mom remained pure and stalwart within her mind, despite this acceptance of a new hand proving Anput's concerns and causing Leone, Jahi and I to mentally note that we were NEVER going to play cards with the Sultana again.

Or... at least a game of cards that had wagers behind it... and any other game that had wagers on it too, just to be safe.

"So, what do you want to wager, Aisha? Got something you want~?"

With the cards from the Sultana back in the deck - after Anput looked at them and rolled her eyes at her Mom, since the hand she had was Ace King Queen - the Jackalkin turned towards the remaining player and smirked at her, baiting her into accepting.

"Yes! If I have a winning hand, I want you to apologize to Mom!"

Glaring at her sister, Aisha's tail swished behind her while she bared her small fangs, making her look rather adorable as she tried to intimidate Anput, who just nodded before asking the Sultana "Has she begun training yet?"

"The basics, yes."

That simple answer made Anput grin, and she turned back to Aisha and said "Then if I have the winning hand, I want you to run a full lap. Not your normal lap, not a lap around the training grounds, but a lap around the palace~!"

"Anput..."

Lady Kio narrowed her eyes at her eldest daughter's wager, only to sigh as Anput replied "Mother, you were the one who used to threaten me with that for not attending studies, so it's only fair."

"I accept!"

Before the Sultana could speak her mind on it, the pup agreed and nodded at Anput, who just chuckled as she added "I said the entire palace, Aisha. Think your little legs can carry you the entire~ way without issue, hm~? I won't carry you if you fall~!", which made Aisha growl in annoyance and nod once more.

"Alright, very well~! Don't curse me when I win~!"

Shuffling the deck once more, Anput dealt a hand to herself and to the Sultana, who picked the cards up and flipped them in a single motion, this game of luck making itself known as she revealed a rather mediocre Pair of Queens.

Not too bad, but when Lady Kio turned over a Flush of all hearts, it seemed like luck was siding with the Lady of the Sultanate instead of its Sultana, and it seemed like luck had abandoned little Aisha as she revealed an Eight High, which deflated the pup instantly.

"Not too bad~! Maybe you'll get that massage after all, Mother, and it seems like I might get that reservation~! And someone~ has to do a full~ lap of the palace~!"

Deciding to play into the theatrics and be the arrogant Jackalkin we all knew and loved, Anput flipped her own hand over one card at a time, revealing a Nine of Clubs, a Ten of Clubs, and...

A Ten of Diamonds, which meant that she had a Pair of Tens, something that made her deflate just as quickly as Aisha did, the consequences of her arrogance making itself known now that she would need to spar her Mom ten times... no holds barred.

Truly, her luck had not been with her tonight, and that made me chuckle silently behind her as I watched Anput dejectedly collect the twelve cards and put them back in the deck, which she shuffled again before quietly saying "How about a few games with no wagers..?"