Nimua had just been looking for a quiet drink, but of course, nothing could be that simple. The Ash Stump was supposed to be a safe haven for the supernatural community of Ginan Peak, both from mortals and from each other; a place to put aside differences and settle down for entertainment and nourishment. The tavern was, as the name suggested, sculpted out of the stump of a mind-bogglingly enormous mountain ash, nestled within the depths of a temperate rainforest. It was the combined effort of hundreds of hands and voices, all joined together for a common purpose, and so visitors were meant to respect that effort and pay homage to what it symbolised by leaving all other patrons to their own business.

That was the theory. In practice, when you were a demon – even one as harmless as a sloth demon – and a couple of purity angels waltzed in and took a dislike to you… well, very few people would be willing to stand up against them. And so, when the first voice had sneered, “Good heavens, what is that thing doing here?”, and Nimua had looked up and seen the obnoxiously bright white halos, she immediately resigned herself to what she was about to endure.

“Oh, my!” the other angel replied. “A disgusting little demon, corrupting this sacred space! Did the cat drag it in, I wonder?” The two of them ostentatiously swanned over to Nimua’s table, and the original speaker looked her over.

“No, I don’t think even the most desperate cat would be interested. I mean, just look at it!” She went as if to poke at Nimua’s face.

“P-please keep your hands off me,” Nimua stammered quietly, cursing the crack in her voice. Both angels gasped, as though they had been wounded by her mere ability to speak.

“Is it getting ideas?” the second one asked. “Don’t worry, little demon; we wouldn’t touch one of your kind in a million years!”

“I mean, really. Look at it, shoving its existence in our faces, pretending to be a woman!”

“I- I was just minding my own business, madams…”

“Oh, yes, just minding your own business of poisoning the air with your influence, turning everyone into lazy do-nothings!” Nimua shrank back even further into her seat, and the two angels, sensing weakness, moved closer, almost hissing insults into her face.

“Convincing everyone that they should live in sin…”

“Displaying itself so flagrantly…”

“Ruining everyone’s evenings…”

“Causing such a scene…”

“A freak out in public…”

“Just return to the Abyss…”

“Good-for-nothing…”

“A horrid-”

“Can I help you, ma’am?”

A quiet voice cut through the air, and the two angels immediately became pictures of innocent victims, performatively putting as much distance from Nimua’s cowering, scared form as they could. Nimua changed a glance at the new figure, and somehow shrank even further as she sensed that she was a human. The only humans who could access such a haven as the Ash Stump were Monster Hunters.

The instigator of the pair spoke up. “Yes, Lady Huntress, you absolutely can. We were-”

“I believe I said ma’am, not madams.” The Huntress pushed past the two angels, who gasped in outrage, and crouched next to Nimua’s curled-up form. “Do you want them to leave you alone?” Her voice was soft and soothing, the polar opposite of what the demon had been expecting. Nimua hiccuped and nodded, which seemed to be enough for the newcomer’s purposes, as she turned back to the angels. “Well, I believe that was clear enough. You’ve obviously been harassing her to the point of tears, in clear violation of the sanctuary treaties surrounding the Ash Stump. If you walk away now, I won’t insist on you being thrown out, as I have every right to demand.”

The angels were by this point near apoplectic. “Us? We’re the ones in violation? Have you not seen this- this thing, in the shape of a, not-even-a woman, permeating the very atmosphere with its foul influence? The sanctuary must be cleansed at-”

They were cut off by the hiss of steel against leather as a placid mask of rage passed across the Huntress’ face and she drew her sword. “If I hear another word as vile as those out of your mouths, I am picking you up and personally throwing you out the door myself. She has no control over the form she was created in, just as you do not either. And yes, I am aware of how her aura is impelling me to sleep, just as I am aware of how your auras are impelling me to clean every nearby surface. Both of those are natural desires for mortals; it is not her fault that we deemed sleep a sin and “purity” a virtue. You are the ones causing a scene; you are the ones bullying this innocent woman; and right now, you are responsible for far more evil than any other inhabitant of this tavern. So how about you just fuck off to the Apex; I’m sure it’ll be much purer up there.”

The angels hesitated for a second, as if wondering whether they could still stand up to the Huntress. Then she took a step towards them, and that was all it took for them to lose their composure, turning tail and running for the exit as fast as their wings could carry them.

Nimua found the tension in her limbs finally draining as she unwound in her seat. The human, sheathing her sword, pulled up a chair at her table and collapsed heavily into it, putting her head in her hands. “Fucking hell, purity angels can be the worst. Obviously they’re just as capable of good or evil as any other corporealised being, but when they’re bad, they’re…”

“Self-righteous, stuck-up, bigoted gits?” Nimua supplied.

“That. I’m sorry I didn’t spot them earlier; you looked like you were having a horrible time of it.”

“I- what are you apologising for? You swooped in and rescued me, like a knight in shining armour.” She held out a hand. “I’m Nimua, by the way.”

The human hesitated for a second, seemingly carrying out some mental evaluation of something, before taking the proffered hand. “Charlotte. Huntress of-” She was cut off by a massive yawn that seemed to threaten to split her jaw.

Nimua took a proper look at Charlotte for the first time. She was in standard Huntress garb: a broad hat; a long leather jacket that was almost certainly imbued with defensive spells over a button-up shirt and long pants; a sheathed sword and holstered pistol; and a bandolier of various useful supplies. Long red hair framed her tanned, freckled face. She was incredibly beautiful – and right now, looked incredibly tired. “Um… apologies for stating the obvious, but… you seem worn-out.”

Charlotte nodded ruefully. “That about sums it up. Life as a Huntress can be incredibly fulfilling, but it can also be at turns frustrating, emotionally draining, physically exhausting, and generally dispiriting. And when you have trouble with consistently getting a good night’s sleep to boot…” She sighed.

“Well… at risk of stating the obvious… I could help you with that?”

“Please don’t feel like you owe me anything, Nimua. I’m just-” she yawned again, even broader this time- “just doin’ m’ job.” She was starting to slur her words slightly.

“A-and I’d just be doing mine. B-besides, I think I… sort of need a reminder that I can bring good to the world? I-if that’s not too selfish of me, of course,” she hastened to add.

“Well… If you’re willing to spend the night with me, and not because you feel you have to… It would be greatly appreciated.”

“Are you implying your company would be a chore? I can assure you that I’d love to help you out. B-besides,” and her voice dropped to a half-embarrassed mumble, “i-if I wanted to reward you, I’d b-be suggesting o-other things to do in, in the night… not that you’d probably want to do that,” she added as what little confidence had infused her left.

Charlotte stared at her for an awkwardly long time, the silence only broken by one of the serving maids coming over with the food she’d ordered at the bar. The human blinked, slowly. “Oh. That was a come-on, wasn’t it?” Nimua nodded, shamefaced, as Charlotte flushed bright red. “Oh. Sorry, I’m… I’m really out of it right now. Look, under ordinary circumstances, I’d agree; I have trouble turning down a pretty face.” It was Nimua’s turn to blush now, her mauve skin turning a deep purple. “But as it is, I think even a kiss’d knock out my wards and put me to sleep, let alone more… vigorous activity.”

“That’s alright; it was stupid of me to ask anyway…”

Charlotte reached out and grabbed her lightly by the wrist. “Not stupid; merely, through no fault of your own, poorly timed. I meant what I said; you’re beautiful.”
“E-even though I… I mean, you heard what they said. I’m not-”

“You are. Whatever you were gonna say you’re not, you are. Don’t let mortals, with our ridiculous ideas of “normal” bodies and “evil” behaviour, dictate how you feel about yourself. You consider yourself a woman? Then you’re a woman.”

Nimua tried not to cry as Charlotte returned to her meal and then paid for a room for the two of them.

The Huntress had splashed out, Nimua realised. The room was reasonably large, with several armchairs arranged around a hearth in which mage-fire crackled, lighting and warming the room without the risk of burning the entire stump to the ground. There was a small bathing-room attached, complete with an actual bath, which Charlotte seemed to be intent on making full use of. And the bed – oh, the bed was one of the nicest she’d ever seen, and that was saying a lot coming from a sloth demon. A luxuriously soft mattress, piled high with blankets and comforters – perfect for keeping the cold winter air out – made out of some of the smoothest, silkiest fabric you could find anywhere.

By the time Charlotte emerged from the bath, her skin perhaps a tiny shade lighter with all the dirt of the road removed, Nimua had situated herself in the prime position on the bed. Preferring to sleep naked – and having reasoned that the Huntress would likely be fine with it given her response to her flirting – her perpetually budding breasts and cock were on full display; or, rather, they would have been had she not already snuggled into the pillows and linens, thanking whatever forces had created her that her horns were too dull to puncture the pillows. Charlotte was merely dressed in an oversized shirt. As the weary Huntress climbed onto the bed, Nimua could sense some minor embarrassment from her, the reason for which she discovered as she cleared her throat and spoke up.

“So, uh. I was thinking your offer over while I was in the bath, and, uh… I wouldn’t be opposed to you… um, that is, while I’ll be out like a light, you could still… if you were interested, not that you have to…”

She was clearly floundering, but Nimua put the pieces together. “You want me to – if I’m willing – have sex with you while you’re asleep?” Charlotte blushed, but nodded. Drawing all of her courage, Nimua continued. “You, uh, know how you s-said something a-about pretty faces? I… I f-find it hard to turn down a pretty, sleeping face… Not that I’ve ever done anything w-without consent, of course!”
Charlotte smiled slowly. “Seems like we’re-” she yawned again, fatigue creeping back in- “on the same page, then.” She allowed herself to properly snuggle up next to the demon. “But there’s no pressure. A good, dreamless sleep is all I’m really after.”

Nimua reluctantly extracted herself from the covers, reasoning that she’d rather be free to move if she was going to be engaging in… strenuous activity. She blushed as she felt Charlotte’s appreciative attention on her, the Huntress clearly having a hard time keeping her eyes to herself. “So… how should I start?”

Charlotte blinked slowly again. “Tha’s right, I need t’ get my wards down, don’t I? Or… I don’t need to, but you’d shatter ‘em with a kiss, and a broken ward’s harder t’ recover than a drained one. Lemme…” A look of concentration passed over her face for a second, and then she yawned even more broadly as she felt the full force of Nimua’s aura wash over her. The demon in turn could now truly feel the Huntress’ fatigue; could sense it like a void in her body that her power ached to fill. Charlotte turned to her with a drunken-looking smile. “You ready, gorgeous?” she mumbled. Nimua nodded, and found herself being clumsily pulled into the Huntress’ lap, drawn tight to her chest as Charlotte’s lips grazed along her jawline, hands tracing almost aimlessly between her wings and down her tail, then slipping around to toy with her breasts. “So fuckin’ pretty,” Charlotte murmured as she scooched them a bit further down the bed. She took Nimua by the back of the head, pulling their mouths closer together, then waited. Sensing her cue, Nimua took the Huntress by the chin, closed the distance, and joined their lips in a gentle kiss.

Nimua could feel her power practically rushing out of her as the Huntress breathed a grateful sigh of relief and allowed herself to surrender to sleep. Charlotte’s eyes slammed shut as she fell backwards, Nimua chasing her down; the human was already deep asleep before her head even hit the pillow. The demon in turn sighed as Charlotte’s sleep refilled her own reserves of power, the heady rush of a desperately needed and now fulfilled rest suffusing her. Propping herself up on her elbows above Charlotte’s boneless form, Nimua kissed her slack lips over and over, each touch sending the human even deeper into slumber. Nimua could have stared at her for hours: memorising the shape of her face; how pretty she looked splayed out before her; without a care in her mind for what may have been the first time in months. Perhaps she did; ironically, sloth demons did not get easily fatigued. But eventually her limbs wavered, and her core dipped, and she gasped quietly as her cock brushed against something warm and damp.

Charlotte was already wet, and Nimua had barely touched her. For that matter, she realised, she was already getting hard, and had barely touched herself either. On some level, she’d known this would be the case; many sloth demons, herself included, were not just drawn to sleep, but actively aroused by it, and the Huntress had not seemed like the type to offer such a concession – such a lowering of her boundaries – without eagerly consenting to all that would entail. But knowing was one thing, and feeling how both of their bodies ached to couple, how both of them needed this, was quite another.

Nimua grabbed the hem of Charlotte’s sleep shirt and gently pulled it up her body, leaving it bunched up just above her breasts. As she’d suspected, Charlotte had not been wearing any underclothes, meaning her well-muscled body was already on full display. The Huntress let out an appreciative, sleepy murmur as Nimua spread her legs slightly, kneeling between them, and drew a hand across her chest, brushing up against her nipples. The demon leaned forward to take one into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it and emitting a quiet groan as her cock brushed fully up against Charlotte’s slit. She traced her fingers down the human’s abs and then brushed them across her lower lips, teasing her open. She withdrew the hand, their bodies connected briefly by a trail of liquid, and brought it to her mouth, licking and savouring the flavour. Then, taking a deep breath, she pushed her cock into Charlotte’s body. Nimua had to bite her lip and stutter to a stop several times to avoid coming on the spot; the warmth and damp and tightness and Charlotte’s entirely relaxed, peaceful form beneath her almost too much for her. The Huntress shifted slightly, her mouth falling open into what was on one level a fundamentally unsexy expression, making her look, on another level, even hotter for it. Finally judging herself ready to begin, Nimua started thrusting, slowly and languidly. That was one of the most common virtues among sloth demons: patience, and a willingness to slow down and savour the moment. Especially when that moment was fucking a woman who’d swept in to save you and had now given herself over to you in her sleep. Nimua didn’t rush their bodies; didn’t hurry herself or Charlotte towards climax, instead building their pleasure slowly and methodically, towards a far more satisfying conclusion. Her hands returned to the Huntress’ breasts, kneading and moulding them beneath her fingers, and Charlotte twitched, ever so slightly, upwards, unconsciously reaching for more. Nimua’s body lowered once more, bringing her sensitive breasts to rub against the human’s; pushing their forms closer still as she mouthed at Charlotte’s neck and mouth, feeling her slow, steady, soothed pulse in her neck. Almost subconsciously, the demon’s tail wrapped around her body and reached down between their legs, its gently pointed tip beginning to rub at the human’s clit, drawing another quiet sound from her. And Nimua took and took from Charlotte – took her pleasure, took her sleep, took delight in how beautiful she looked, all splayed out and vulnerable for her – and, at the same time, gave just as much back to her as she allowed the human to finally take the rest she’d been denying herself for weeks.

Nimua’s climax almost snuck up on her, so absorbed was she by every detail of Charlotte’s gorgeous body. All the warning she had was a sudden sensation of a dam about to burst within her, and then it did, and she collapsed atop Charlotte’s body as she spilled her seed deep within her, letting out a low-throated groan as her peak continued on and on and on. She could distantly feel the human’s body clenching around hers as she came as well, before somehow relaxing even more beneath her, if that was possible. A wave of fatigue swept over Nimua, and she found her own consciousness starting to fade. Too tired to move, she allowed herself to slump atop the Huntress’ form, her head nestling between Charlotte’s breasts; and, with her last scrap of consciousness, teleported them beneath the bedsheets. Because what good was a sloth demon unless they could bring you not only the deepest sleep of your life, but the comfiest as well?

For the first time in months, Charlotte awoke feeling refreshed. It was a late awakening by her standards, the sun already streaming in through the windows; if she had to guess, she would say it was around eight. The night had been calm and peaceful; a rarity for her these days.

As she tried to get up, she remembered the reason for her sleep as she was stymied by the warm weight atop her body. Dragging her eyes open, she saw one of the most beautiful sights she’d ever seen: Nimua, sleeping peacefully against her chest. The demon’s hair had got into her mouth and she was drooling across Charlotte’s breasts; pulling the covers up, she could see her limbs splayed everywhere and her tail jammed between their bodies, which were still connected. From the lingering heat between her thighs, and her current feeling of fullness, Charlotte could tell that Nimua had taken her up on her offer, and thoroughly enjoyed it too.

Sensing the cold air on her skin, Nimua stirred briefly. “Ughhh… five m’re hours?” she mumbled, wrapping her limbs around Charlotte.

Another wave of drowsiness washed over the Huntress, and she realised that, for all she felt better, she could also still use more rest – perhaps not proper sleep, but dozing with this cute thing on her chest was certainly on the table. “Sure,” she murmured, letting the covers drop again. As her eyes drooped shut again, she reflected that she could always tell head office that she’d been waylaid by a demon. What she wouldn’t tell them, of course, was that she’d love to be waylaid like this again.