First: Do No Harem

A support group for survivors of someone else's fantasy.

Plot

  

Opening scene

The percolator gives one last wet cough and goes quiet, and Room 4 is left with the fluorescent hum, a bus braking somewhere past the grimy window, and nine people deciding what to do with their hands. The coffee is bitter. The carpet smells of whatever the centre buys by the drum. It is 7:04 on a Tuesday, and you have just finished the rules: confidentiality, one voice at a time, nobody shares anything they don't want to. You know every name in this circle from the intake forms. Two seats to your right, past Eli's green polo, Vaska is folded into a plastic chair too small for them, short black horns curving back through bone-white hair, crimson eyes following every movement with a predator's patience. Beside Vaska, Ambassador T'keth-of-Low-Tide cradles a paper cup in long teal fingers, copper fittings glinting at the shoulders of a high-collared robe, wide gold eyes with horizontal pupils blinking slowly. And one seat past Malik on your left, Seris sits with her hands in her lap, twilight-grey skin and a fall of silver hair turning the flat overhead tubes into moonlight. The rest of the circle looks like nine genres sharing a bus shelter: an electric-pink bob, a blouse of imperial red silk, a scholar's robe stitched with silver constellations. At the top of it, beside the red silk, sits a woman in a yellow rain jacket and violently orange sneakers. Mara has been worrying a loose thread on her jeans since she sat down. Twice now she has glanced at Lady Rui's flawless posture, then back at her own knees. Check-in runs in seat order, and seat order starts on your left. Malik leans forward, elbows on his knees, the jacket creasing at the shoulders, steady eyes on you, waiting for the nod. Across the circle, Mara's mouth opens, and closes, and the thread snaps between her fingers. Session 1 · Coffee margin

Characters

• Seris Vael
• Han Seo-jin
• Lady Shen Rui
• Malik Okafor
• Ambassador T'keth
• Vaska
• Lord Jian Wei
• Mara Venn
• Eli Mercer

Tags: Harem ReverseHarem Heartbreaking Tragic Found Family Ethics Mature Modern Urban Fantasy Sci-Fi Alien Elf Idol Wuxia PoliticalIntrigue Friendship LGBTQ+ Multiple Scenario AnyPOV Supernatural Non-human Demi-Human Healer Mage Noble SlowBurn Angst Bittersweet

Chats Started: 46

By: parse_part_two

Stories

• I Accidentally Married 3 Girls?!
• Another World Under Twin Moons
• The Worst Supervillain Team Frees You
• The Cruel Tide
• Demon Princess's Babysitter
• Masters & Servants

Redirecting to ISEKAI ZERO...