"That big guy chopping veggies is Ox. He's kinda like our butler around here."
"Good afternoon." The man with the head of an ox wearing a full-set tuxedo bowed down; his deep voice resonated in me like a rumble of silent thunder.
"Ox is the one who handles the System." Man very subtly started straddling his hips on my waist as if I wouldn't notice it, but I allowed it. "He's pretty much the busiest guy here, so be thankful."
"Thanks, Ox."
Ox bowed again. "It's my pleasure, Praeceptor." Then, he proceeded to chop veggies with a menacing speed, which made me wince a bit. Wouldn't he cut his fingers that way?
"Don't mind him! He gets fidgety when he's doing nothing, so we told him to chop some random shit instead while he's not working. So don't worry about having unchopped veggies in your inventory!" Man spoke while moaning mid-sentence, fondling my chest as he looked at me with unblinking eyes. He then looked up and pointed at the ceiling. "That asshole on the swing is Eagle."
The bird nodded his head up. "Sup, pal!" He then cackles as he spreads his blood-stained wings.
"He's a lazy piece of shit who wouldn't even want to fly. He's supposed to be handling many things around here, but he keeps insisting on being useless." Man pouted a bit as he placed his hand on his waist while glaring at Eagle. "But for now, he's willing to use his eyes to aid you, so at least he has a bit of use."
Eagle just chuckled with a raspy voice. "Hah! Shut up, you glorified messenger! You're literally just a voice in the Praeceptor's head. And you're not even good at your damn job!"
"YOU WATCH YOUR DAMN MOUTH!"
"If it weren't for my ugly voice, I'd do your job for you! Heck, I would probably do a way better job than you." Eagle then rocked his swing while flapping his wings. "Why are you even here, you useless piece of shit, you!"
"Grrr! You..." Man's fist shook as he glared at Eagle.
"The bird kinda has a point, though."
"WHAT!?" Man gritted his teeth and glared at me with anger so strong that his body shook, making his chain lingerie rattle. "Who's side are you on here, Aleph!?"
"Right now?" I pointed my chin at Eagle and raised my hands at the back of my head. "The bird."
"Heh. There you go, you slut!" Eagle's wings flapped so hard at this point that some of his wings were beginning to fly off him. "Your new fuck buddy says 'bros before hoes!' Ain't that right, pal?"
"I dunno about that one." I then tapped my fingers on Man's chest, making him moan. He grabbed my hands as a few saliva spills at the corner of his lips. " I mean, you're beautiful and all. But with all due respect, you're not my type, and I think your voice is annoying, respectfully."
"And you like that bird's geezer voice better? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!?"
"I hate it too. But at least he's not the one straddling on my dick. Don't let me stop you, though."
"You're acting like such a turn off right now, Aleph..." Man sighed as he stopped his suggestive movements.
I shrugged. "I'm not here to please you, but it's not like you're turning me on either. I think this little sexy performance you're doing is kinda cringe."
Silence swept the room for a few seconds.
The woman with the head of a lion looked at me with the tip of her human hand placed over her open lion mouth. Meanwhile, Ox puffed a burst of laughter he managed to conceal in time. Man's prior smug smile literally turned upside down as he looked at me with tearful eyes. Eagle then cackled like a drunkard who already got his sixteenth pint. The bird then soared into the air and descended towards us in a downward spiral before landing on my shoulder.
"I like this one," Eagle whispered as he caressed my nape with his wings. "Can I keep him?"
"Haa..." Man got off my lap, took his glass of wine, and laid beside me. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about Eagle liking you anymore."
"You can count on this old bird, pal. I'll keep you alive." Eagled whispered directly into my ear before pecking my earlobe.
"Uhh... Thanks?"
"I think Eagle has already hoarded the spotlight enough." Man scoffed as he placed my arm around him and pointed on his left side. "Let me introduce you to our last member. That girl with a giant book is Lion."
The lady with a lion head stood up, bowed, and looked at me with a tiny smile and a pair of dead eyes. "Hi." And then she sat back in her chair again and continued reading her book.
"She's a bit shy, but I swear she's friendly. Lion manages the Archive, and she's also the machine you talk to during one of those Archive lessons, and she's also the one who compiles the information you see when you use the ANALYSIS command."
"Ah... Well... She's much more... feral than I expected."
Lion looked up at me with a stern but friendly gaze. "I've been told."
"Together, all four of us create the core parts of your divine abilities, and as avatars of Dominion, we all willingly gave you these abilities to aid you in your war against Firmament to help you properly rule over our empire." Man then moved my head so that I could face his gaze and leaned closer towards me until there were only mere centimeters between our lips. "All four of us are one and the same, different but similar. We are all Dominion, but we are not the same entity. It's a bit confusing, but I'm too lazy to explain, so just think of us as the sliced parts of the same god."
"I think I get the gist of it." I looked directly into Man's eyes; there, I saw a pair of eyes much, much more serious than the loves-truck one he had earlier.
"Great!" Man pushed me away from him and laid his head on my shoulders. "We may all have different names, but we appreciate it if you still call us Dominion if you're only talking to just one of us. If we're all grouped up like this again, you know our individual names."