"You're insatiable." You had to chuckle at Diane as you woke up, feeling her cuddling against you.

"I can't have enough of my Master." She replied so openly and earnestly it caught you by surprise, you had to look slightly away with an awkward chuckle.

The blush on your face was a little too real. The way she looked at you almost felt like the nurse's eyes were sparkling.

Your dex beeped with an alarm, you had to take a moment to recall why it was doing that. "I've got... Oh shit, I've got stuff to do." You gasped, recovering your breath and reaching for your dex, stopping the alarm and checking it.

It was seven in the morning. Diane giggled. "I changed the alarm so we'd wake up earlier, a force of habit." You feel like you ought to shoot her a playful glare, but you also felt slightly uncomfortable at having had your dex fiddled with without your permission. "You still have time, three or four hours, the town moves slowly this early." There's teasing in her tone. "Quick nap?"

"First things first." You reach for your clothes and dig through them. The nurse shoots you an inquisitive look but never gets the chance for more as you pull out her original sphere and, with some effort, attempt to break it.

It didn't break, you frowned. "These things look at lot more fragile than they actually are, huh." You then leave the bed, putting a shoe on and trying to stomp on it.

Not a scratch.

Diane broke into giggles. "The capture sphere's casing is made out a special resin, you need to remove it to be able to break it." She fished the device from the floor. "Here, let me show you... Master." Another giggle escaped her, her hands grasping the device and with a twist...

The red and black halves popped off.

Your eyes widened slightly at the contents underneath, they looked akin to a circuit board of some sort. "There, step on it now." The nurse dropped the device back where she'd picked it from.

It crunched under the weight of your shoe.

"What's that casing made out of?" You had to wonder.

"It's resin but I don't really know anything past that." The nurse commented, passing the two halves on to you. "There are many aficionados who like modding the spheres and the casing, I'm sure they could tell you more."

"Modding?"

"Well, the capture sphere's standard capabilities aren't well suited for certain environments and jobs." She replied. "For example, were you a sailor, you would definitely want to add something to the device so that, if a monstergirl is carrying it, it would recall her if she happened to fall overboard."

"Oh." You nodded, scratching your chin, then tilt your head. "Are there such a thing as illegal modifications?"

"Plenty." The nurse nodded. "The loveball would be one such modification."

"I... think I heard that word before." You mumbled.

"It is a modified capture sphere that, upon contact with a target, triggers their inactive monstergirl DNA, turning the target into a monstergirl before capturing them." The nurse spoke with a grim tone. "It is highly illegal, possession of such an item or even the knowledge of how to make one will result in immediate execution."

Your eyes bulged. "Humans can be turned into..."

"Only if their monstergirl ancestry is high enough." She replied with a grimace, then smiled. "Fortunately my Master has no such thing, so there is no reason for concern in that regard."

Sighing a little, you rubbed your chin as you thought of the words she spoke.

"Master~" Diane sang out with a little voice, pouting. "You destroyed my sphere for a reason I take it?"

"Ah, right." You were brought back to reality. "Sorry, you just sort of dropped some heavy stuff on me. Yeah, let's get you registered properly." You took one of the empty capture spheres you personally owned and tossed it at her.

She vanished into red light, the sphere didn't wobble, merely dinged a successful catch within the following moment. Your dex dinged a second later to show Diane had been captured and re-registered as yours. You fiddled with it to make sure she was placed as your non-combatant. There was a mild surprise that the restraints she'd been half-wearing had been sucked into the device with her. Maybe they were considered clothes too?

With a heavy chuckle, you look around the room for a bit, noting that though there were a handful of pictures, there didn't seem to be much that was truly considered a personal belonging past that. The images themselves were of the pink-haired nurse in various events of importance.

You frowned as you looked at the one that seemed to be 'first day at the centre'. Diane barely looked like a teenager. She was beaming and smiling from ear to ear. You took a moment to move on to see the rest. The books were all labelled as property of town's library (and you were somewhat surprised to realize a very small portion of them were about medicine, the vast majority being romance in one shape or another). And the nicknacks were more akin to small hand made objects like a little bird origami.

It felt personal but... expendable.

As if everything was there under the intention of being easily tossed away at a moment's notice.

Calmly, you walked around the house, going for the bathroom, the other rooms you glanced into showed the same kind of minimum decorations that hinted at the lives of Diane's housemates. You realized that there was likely either a rule or a mindset of wanting to be ready to drop everything and leave.

With a new Master or Mistress no doubt.

Thinking about it, this felt somewhat saddening. Were all non-owned monstergirls just mulling around counting the days until someone came to swoop them away? You had to ask yourself how much of this was cultural and how much biological. It was clear monstergirl psychology wasn't exactly human, and yet you also doubted their bodies went around craving for someone to own them, so...

That really only left a second answer. Society had built itself around incentivising monstergirls to be owned. And Diane looked more and more like the poster-child.

With a shake of your head as you entered the bathroom, the questions were pushed away. You were a part of this now, and it was likely the better option for you to survive to at least go with it to a degree. What were your alternatives here otherwise?

Changing the focus, you thought of Diane, still balled, and had a little grin.

You turned on the warm water, waiting for it to be at a comfortable temperature. Then, you clicked the release mechanism while aiming into the shower.

Diane popped out, becoming drenched right away before she shrieked.

"Master!" She complained at the shock more than anything else, you could only laugh as she pouted, now drenched head to toe.

"Let's get cleaned up." You told her with a little grin.

Clean, unbound, and looking positively radiant, Diane helped you dry up before pausing and looking at the clothes. "I will get these washed up, Master." A little pause as she licked her lips. "Would you like breakfast as well? I already had mine."

With a chuckle you let her scamper off, watching her as she went for a moment. "Do you have something I could wear?"

"Not unless you'd rather wear panties, Master?" Diane giggled from the bedroom, stepping out naked with a pile of sheets and clothes. "I'll be right back." She sauntered off, making sure to add a bit more swing to her steps when she noticed you were looking.

Vanishing deeper into the house, you wrapped a towel around your waist and went about glancing at the dex. Your eyes moved through the Rapha breed entry, Diane was one after all. Better familiarize yourself at least a little with it.

They were great at healing, and as you read through the entry, your eye was caught by the little note regarding how their powers were often categorised as body-modification. The term surprised you somewhat, apparently, the breed was known to often avoid using the healing magic but rather tweaked the body in certain ways so that conventional medicine could do the rest. The usage of healing magic being kept for more dire situations as...

"So what will you be needing to do, Master?" Diane's voice distraught you from the dex entry as she was currently in the kitchen, setting down two mugs of coffee on the table and standing next to the chair that looked like she was just about ready to write your name on it.

"Go to the precinct, answer some questions, get Monica back." You explained, looking at her as her eyes flickered to the seat as she stood next to it. You chuckled. "You don't need to do that, I'm pretty able to handle sitting down on my own."

A deep pout and a nod, moving to the stove. "Is she your alpha, Master? Monica, I mean." You noticed a hint of caution in her words.

"Alpha?" You wondered. "You mean as in the second in charge of things?"

"Yup." She spoke, stirring the pan, something delicious was being cooked, eggs? And something else, something fruity. "Alphas are meant to represent their tamers when the Master isn't around, as well as keep the other girls in line. Not to mention that they are the last authority with only the tamer being above them." Your brain took a moment to register she was currently wearing a rather cute pink apron. "Or well, it always comes down to the tamer, how many duties are given to the alpha is always for the Master to determine."

The seat she'd 'marked' for you gave you some great view of the kitchen as she moved around. "Monica... doesn't have the temperament to be an Alpha, at least not yet." You muttered.

The thought of having the feline in charge of... anything, felt weird and alien. No, if you had a choice in the matter, you were definitely not going to make Monica alpha.

"Huuuummmm." Diane appeared thoughtful at your words. "Do you have any other girls?"

"No." You shrugged, missing the lilt in her words.

Turning around, she took the plate of fried super-sized egg, and fruit... apples. "Then why not make me your alpha, Master?" She wondered in an attempt to sound the question innocently, batting her eyelashes at you prettily as she set your plate and sat down beside you.

That made you consider her question more seriously than what she likely had intended. "From what I've read, alphas are supposed to be able to dominate the others in the harem and enforce order. Do you think you would be capable of doing that?" You glance at her.

"Hm..." Diane seemed to consider things for a moment, then tilted her head slightly. "Monica is feral born, so all I'd need would be to teach her she's not above me, yes?" She nodded at her own statement. "Then all I'd need to do is to approach her after she's been hunting all day and she's hurt, tired, and expecting me to heal her. One good incision on her lower back would leave her paralyzed and at my mercy until I decide to heal her back up."

As you took the piece of fruit, you were just starting to chew on it when the content of the words she'd spoken so sweetly reached you. You balk at her words, completely forgetting to chew for a second. You gulped, hard, and almost choke.

"I don't think ambushing her like that would instil any long-term respect. Just resentment." A pause. "She would eventually challenge you, and probably kill you."

No, not probably.

You shuddered.

The memory came unbidden, how Monica had been very clearly about to go for Mr Gabriel merely because he had called her out on what she'd been doing to Kat. Diane actually hurting her would, without a doubt, lead to real violence. And you couldn't imagine the nurse being able to survive that.

"That would only happen if things needed to get that far, Master. Of course, I wouldn't freely hurt your property without your consent." Diane smiled, it was eerie how cheerful it was, a sense of apprehension went through you. "I'd certainly not do such a thing if she were reasonable and accepted your command were you to nominate me as your alpha." Pausing, she nibbled on an apple she'd brought over. "After all, were combat-capabilities the only measuring stick, then harems managed by smart breeds who specialize in strategy and tactics would be impossible."

"Uhm..." You chew again.

"And it would be even more problematic were a new powerful girl that could only be beaten by the combined force of everyone added to the harem." Diane continued. "Then what would happen? The new girl would beat the alpha in a one on one who was there by strength and take control of the others and there would be much disarray since she'd definitely start favouring some girls over others."

"Uhm..."

"But against the healer? What could they do? If they went against Master's word and killed me, then they would be as good as dead in the next feral attack." She continued. "Not to mention that just how she could 'accidentally' kill me, so could I 'accidentally' not be able to save her from her internal haemorrhaging while on the field."

"Uhm..."

A flare of determination crossed her face. "Far too many tamers end up hurt because the management of their harem fell on the hands of the one who was strongest in an individual fight." She shook her head. "That is a fate I'd be quite willing to get beat thrice half to death to avoid for you, Master. No matter the cost."

And there was the creepy happy smile from a second ago. It took you a moment to remember you'd been praising her smarts last night, you reached out and patted her head. "You've really thought about this Diane. Thank you."

She smiled. "I've seen many dead tamers, I don't want Master to end up on a slab." She added with a look of concern, nodding.

"Well, Monica is certainly not one I'd trust with the Alpha position... and you do make a lot of sense." You scratch the back of your head, pulling her into a slight peck on her cheek. "Look, you know I'm an outlander, so all of this is... a bit much."

"I know, Master." She nodded. "And I will absolutely help you however I can. Anything you wish, I will do my best."

"As long as we're clear on that..." You nodded wearily.

"Then would I be your alpha, Master?" Her eyes sparkled.

"Provisionally." You declared.

"Until I'm proven incapable or when someone else proves she's better." Diane nodded emphatically. "I won't disappoint you, Master."

"Thanks."

You turn to your meal, noting Diane stood up as soon as you were reaching the end and brought over some oatmeal and milk. "Would you like more coffee, Master?"

A nod, you just want to be able to finish breakfast without feeling like there was a dangerous knife aimed at you. Were all monstergirls this serious about status? You could swear there was a comment about that somewhere you'd read... probably a yes. After finishing your meal, Diane insisted on cleaning without letting you stand up.

It felt awkward.

Letting her get through her little mental scenario, you wait, watching as she cleaned the table before setting down and sitting on your lap, humming a little tune. She giggled, kissing you before she handed you your dex, the one you hadn't been aware she'd taken at some point of the meal, and you realized she'd marked herself as your alpha in the listing.

"What now, Master?" She asked. "You mentioned you had some things to do? But there should be at least an hour or two worth of time before people finished their morning coffee. Would you want to bind me and tame me again? Perhaps outside?" An empathic wiggle of her eyebrows and a smile.

You glanced at her. "You're a lot more forward than last night."

Pausing, she looked at you, frowning, then nodding. She took your hand, pressing it against her cheek. Her words were spoken solemnly but softly. "I want my Master to fuck me." She spoke firmly, looking into your eyes. "I want to please my Master, however, whenever, and wherever he desires me." She smiled bashfully. "It's a dream come true, one I just can't get enough of. It feels like I've wasted so much time, I want to catch up, I want Master to do everything and anything to me."

There was a deepening blush as she said this, you felt she'd been reading the words from a script.

"I'm glad you feel that way." You commented, not wanting to hurt her feelings, pulling your hand away and patting her head. "Though also a bit disconcerting, are you sure this isn't the bond being a bit too aggressive?"

"Maybe." She shrugged her shoulders dismissively, smiled, and leaned to kiss your neck, hugging you tightly, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Maybe it's just that I've always wanted a Master and now I have one. A wonderful, handsome, smart Master who cares about me."

You lightly hugged her back, feeling slightly awkward at the earnestness in her emotions. For you, this felt like it was going a mile a second, you could almost feel vertigo. Diane appeared the exact opposite, like she'd been waiting for this moment and wanting to only accelerate. "You're weird." You chuckled, kissing her forehead, trying to push down your unease.

"Not too much I hope." Diane pouted. "I've known a lot of monstergirls who're waiting for a Master just as much as I was." A split second of hesitation and a giggle. "I am not presenting them to you, Master." Then a second of hesitation before she coyly smiled. "Not unless you order me to."

Somehow you don't doubt she'd do exactly that. But you're definitely not ready to go there right now, too many things were going through your head. You sought a different line of thought, maybe something that didn't feel pulled out of your sleeve to change the subject. "Speaking of, what about your roommates? Do you have anything you have to take care of? I plan on staying around for a handful of days."

"Not really, this is a sponsored house." She shrugged. "Monstergirls owned by institutions or companies rather than individuals come to live in these, our owners pay the landowner a fee for our stay and when or if we have to leave then that's that. We get to walk out the door without any debt to give our new owner."

An instant of hesitation. "But... do you own anything?"

"Nothing of value." She replied, looking slightly concerned. "I'd never thought it'd be necessary to..."

"Don't... go down that rabbit hole." You flicked a finger against her nose. "I'm just concerned over the people you know, the friendships you've made. I don't want to just up and walk out the door and you vanished just like that without so much as a goodbye."

"You're very considerate and kind, Master." She nodded. "But the other girls that share this house with me? We don't know each other that well, each of us had our own schedules and rarely would we see one another past some basic interactions."

"Weekends?" You asked and she blinked at you as if you just grew a third eye. "You know, five days of work, two of rest?"

"Oh." Diane giggled. "That's cute." What? "Shouldn't we be going on our way, Master?" She prompted before you could ask about what she meant with 'cute', you shuddered at the thought of 7 workdays a week.

"Yeah, we probably should..." You nodded, sighing deeply and putting that thought away for later. It felt like there was so much to chew here. "I still need my clothes."

As she hopped off of your lap, you begin to stand up and see her squirm, fidgeting. "Yes?" You asked, curious.

"Could Master recall me? Just a bit before we leave?" She asked, her cheeks reddening slightly. "I want to feel owned a bit more... being inside the pokeball all the time isn't something I'd wish, but... as a little novelty..."

As you were nodding, you reached for the capture sphere on the table. "I don't plan to keep you balled long." You said, making her vanish in a flash of red. You glanced down at the thing, sitting back down, the towel still wrapped around your waist. You felt... you hesitated, thinking back on Diane's behaviour.

She was head over heels into this whole thing, and yet... a twinge ran through you. 'Ownership', the word stirred something in your gut.

A deep breath. You close your eyes, and breathe again. Calm. You were in this world for the foreseeable future. You had seen Alice's reaction to... everything. But you felt a twang inside of you at the thought of taking that line of thought. There were monsters out there, like Monica, worse, a world chock-full of them. What option did you have to protect yourself against them? To improve your chances to survive?

Another deep breath. When in Rome...

You released Diane. She appeared with a little smile, one that froze when she noticed the way you were looking at her, moving to stand and looking down at her a bit more closely. You organised your thoughts, about how a 'Master' would consider the situation. About what she expected out of this relationship, and why you couldn't act too outside those expectations without causing needless friction.

You'd have time to adjust things, but currently...

Time to make a test.

"Diane." Your tone was harsh enough to make her flinch, it was the same tone you used with rowdy students. "I'm your Master, right?"

"Yes Master." She agreed to instantly, tensing up.

"And do you take your Master's property without their permission?"

"No Master."

"Then why did you take my dex to fiddle with it earlier?" You asked.

Realization crossed her eyes and she flinched, shrinking. "I'm sorry, Master."

"No, you don't say 'sorry', you need to say why you're sorry." You nudge.

Now she seemed half her original size. "I'm sorry for having taken something that was yours without your permission, Master."

A nod. "Apology accepted." You said, letting that tension within you loosen up a bit. "Also, though I appreciate you being cute and sassy, if I ask you a question I expect an answer. Do you have weekends?"

"Yes, Master, I'm sorry for not having answered your question, Master." Her head bowed. "Monstergirls usually work every day, in extreme cases we are put through healing to get rid of our body's fatigue, allowing us to operate for longer. Good companies usually avoid these practices and give their monstergirls a free day. Most medical centres do not have this policy. However, because this is a very small town, there is plenty of free time for the staff."

A moment of hesitation, looking up at you, waiting for your response.

You have to fight not to hug her then and there. "Good girl." You intoned before moving to pull her into a kiss. "You're forgiven, and thank you for being honest." Your kiss is met with reciprocation, you completely relax.

Seeing how intensely she reacted for what, to you, had been the only two things you felt able to complain about... you could only hope part of it was the bond speaking and not how she'd been taught to react by this world she'd grown up in. If it was the first, you were at least certain you could help her adjust in time.

Smiling, she clung to you even as you pulled slightly back. "Master..." She spoke softly. "The clothes are still being dried..." She looked at you, coyly. "Is ther anything Master wishes to do while we wait?"

"Yes." You nodded solemnly. "Let's take a nap."

Diane could only pout.