"So... Why do you have crayons and a coloring book?" Polina asked after the Princess left, speaking softly to not wake Jal- who was even then curled up at Oliver's side, the crayons and coloring book clutched to her chest.

"I picked up a bunch of them for Mrs. Mary to donate- kids in bad situations don't always get stuff like that..." He answered softly, staring blankly at the wall. After a second, his eyes refocused on her, a small smirk flashing across his face. "I kept a couple to give to Ed and Gary- to 'keep them entertained'- and forgot about it. Coloring Cryptids was my favorite of the lot..."

"Though that reminds me..."

"Reminds you of what?" Poli asked, seeing his brow furrowed in thought.

"I'm still not making full use of my capabilities- hell, I'm not even sure if I can." Seeing Poli's confusion, Oliver sighed softly. "I notice something while fighting Oakheart: while the Elf is incredibly skilled with his swords, he didn't use anything else- no other weapons, no magic, just his swords and skill."

"What about that projectile barrier then?"

"I think it was an item." His head titled in thought. "I mean, I'm having to make some jumps in logic, but it makes sense to me. Both him and Eve had access to something that granted them rewards for doing jobs like this. It's kinda like the System, just... limited. I think... I think that there may be something like sub-systems, or maybe just different systems, that don't offer as many options."

"For Eve, its an app on her phone. I have no idea what it is for Oakheart, exactly... The point is, they can both take jobs and earn rewards... But I'm pretty sure they don't have access to the Auction House- or something similar. And I don't think they have a spatial storage either, considering Oakheart wore his swords openly..."

"So..." Poli mused. "There are people that can access the auctions, people that can do Bounties... and people that can post Bounties..."

"And you can do all of that, and have some other options..."

"Exactly." Oliver nodded. "I mean, I bet there are other people with similar stuff- the Multiverse is infinite, after all... But, yeah. And that bring me to how I'm under utilizing some things."

"That's why we got the guys together to work on the Bounty ideas, right?"

"Yeah, and we have clear goals for that. Plus, I can work some auction deals in there as well." Oliver agreed. "But the part I'm thinking of is the sheer variety of options available... and the number of tricks I can instantly pull out of the Warehouse."

"Like when I was fighting the elf." Oliver's excitement began to bubble up, and he paused for a second to forcibly calm himself- he didn't want to wake his sleeping daughter. "It just kind of occurred to me mid fight that I can rapidly switch between weapons mid fight- and how can an opponent anticipate my attacks if they don't know what weapon it will actually be with? They can dodge a heavy hammer, but if it instantly turns into a thrusting rapier? A thrown knife? A net? Or any number of things?"

"I have a good bit of space, and I can easily get more. I could easily walk around with a literally armory and literally change things mid attack... And that's just one way I can shake things up."

"I need to practice my magic and psi abilities enough to be able to blend them into an unpredictable fighting style... And increase my attributes more so I'm not so outclassed by someone like Oakheart..."

"I literally have the potential to be the most well rounded- and unpredictable- opponent for anyone I face... But I'm not using everything I have properly, I'm not-"

Polina's finger over his lips silenced him instantly. "Oli, my love... I want you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to say." Seeing she had his complete attention, she smiled gently. "You can't expect to get everything right instantly, ok? Yes, you have an infinite number of options, and that is an advantage... But infinite options is also a weakness."

"If you could just snap your fingers and make it happen, then it would be an absolute advantage- practically god like power, really." She said softly. "But while everything is available to you, you still have to find whatever it is you need- and work to get it. So don't blame yourself for not having all the answers immediately, ok? The fact that you see the potential there means that we can work towards it."

"You can practice your abilities, and train with swapping weapons for an unpredictable fighting style. We can collect more useful stuff, and raise your attributes... But it takes time, ok?"

"You're right." Oliver sighed, hugging her to his side and closing his eyes. "I just... see the potential, and I feel like I'm not doing enough... And yes, I realize I'm beating myself up unnecessarily..."

"Good." Poli replied, managing to sound only slightly smug- she would never say 'I told you so', but sometimes her pointing out the obvious was necessary to keep Oliver on track.

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"So, what did you think of Lily?"

"She seemed... nice?" Oliver said hesitantly, the sudden shift in topic catching him off guard. "I mean, I didn't really expect a Princess to be so down to earth... and her enthusiasm for learning about stuff from Earth was certainly a surprise..."

"Is it really?" Poli snickered. "Isn't it a common trope in science fiction for the people of less advanced worlds to be awed by, and curious of, the things brought around by intrepid explorers?"

"Well... Yeah, it is..."

"And that's not the only reason she is so curious."

Oliver's head tilted in confusion for a second before he nodded, seemingly understanding. "Yeah, I shouldn't be surprised that they would want to trade for some stuff. They are probably looking for any advantage they can get with the war."

"I'm sure that is part of it..." Poli chuckled, causing Oliver to crack an eye open to look at her- and the amused glint in her eyes instantly made him wary. "Oliver... do you remember the rewards for this Bounty?"

A small frown marred his features as he thought back there discussion. "Yeah... it's something like a hundred thousand credits and a magical treasure..." His frown deepened as another thought occurred to him. "But... They don't have magic... Maybe we were wrong about it being a magic item, and it's really a Relic? That would be good; those things are valuable."

The sudden trembling of Polina's shoulders made him turn to her with a hint of worry- until he saw the suppressed laughter in her face. A small sigh slipped from him, and he sagged in place. "Ok, stop laughing at me and tell me what I missed, please."

"Sorry, sorry." Poli muttered between chuckles as she quickly contained her laughter. "You're right, I shouldn't be teasing you. We're a team, right? That means we cover for each when we miss something... But, seriously, you are going to face-palm so hard when I point it out..."

Knowing he was about to be incredibly embarrassed by his oversight, Oliver just waved his hand in a 'hurry up' motion.

"Ok... So, the reward was 'the Hand of Lilina'vix'Strus', right?"

"...Yeah."

"Oli, love... What is the Princess's full name?"

Oliver's hand twitched, clearly wanting to smack himself for missing that- but, with his daughter sleeping right beside him, he didn't want to risk waking the girl. Suppressing his embarrassment, he simply let out an annoyed huff. "I already have a wife- well, close enough, anyway..."

"You sure you don't want another?" Poli asked with a teasing smile- though her heart swelled at being called his wife. "Maybe start yourself a good old fashioned harem?"

Oliver snorted in amusement- even he could see the humor in the situation. "One, I already have you. Two, I would never do anything to hurt you. And three, I never even thought I could handle one relationship until I met you... and sometimes I'm still not sure I can handle you."

"I know you would never hurt me, Oli." Poli said softly, snuggling closer to him. "But... what if it wouldn't hurt me?" Seeing his puzzled look, she pushed forward- being upfront was best with Oliver; otherwise he could miss the obvious... again. "Oli... you know that I'm bisexual; I told you about my ex-girlfriend... And, come on! A hot Demon princess that has already agreed to the arrangement, and even acknowledges me as the first wife? It's tempting as hell- but, like you said, we're a team. This is the kind of decision we would have to make together- after we get to know her better."

When Oliver started trembling, Polina worried for a moment- was he angry at the very thought? Or did her asking upset him so much that he started to cry?

The snort of laughter escaping him surprised her more.

"Poli..." He spoke slowly, choking back laughter. "Are you... asking... for a poly relationship?"

Leaning away from him slowly, shock and embarrassment warred in his eyes. "Really? A bad pun?"

"... You're taking this a lot better than I expected." She finally huffed, leaning into him again- and trying to ignore her blush at his joke. "I kind of expected you to freak out or something..."

It took a few minutes for Oliver's laughter to finally run down- every time he thought he had it under control, Poli's blushing and look of annoyance just set him off again.

Wiping laughter tears from his eyes, he half shrugged. "Blame Ed for that."

"How is he to blame?"

A small smile flitted across his face a he replayed the memory. "Not long after me and the guys became friends, we discovered that we all liked anime..."

"So, we were hanging out, watching this isekai- that's where the main character gets transported to another world- and, of course, there were all the usual anime tropes: the MC was overpowered, a harem full of attractive women... all the classic stuff... Including the usual scenes where, just before the MC is about to get laid, they get interrupted- and the guy never actually gets to enjoy having a harem..."

"And, at one point... Ed paused the anime, turned to look at all of us with the most serious expression I've seen on the guy... and said to us 'All of you better promise me that, if you ever end up as some bullshit anime protagonist, you absolutely will NOT get caught in the tropes! None of this not getting laid bullshit, none of the agonizing over whether or not having a harem is ok- none of it! You get offered awesome powers and a harem, you fucking take it and run!'"

"Bro wouldn't let us off the hook and restart the show until we all promised..."

"I'm not sure he would forgive you if you said no..." Poli snickered. "And can you imagine his reaction? I bet he starts banging his head against a wall, cursing you for bringing back not just a hot demon woman, but a hot demon princess!"

Oliver chuckled, but slowly shook his head. "Yeah, he would lose it. Probably Marty would too... But..." He sighed softly and shrugged. "I mean, I'm not saying 'no', but... I don't feel like I know Lily well enough to really make a decision like that..."

"And since when have women been tripping all over themselves for me? First Eve, and now Lily? Before I met you, I didn't think any woman was interested in me..."

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