Leopoldine crossed her arms, her smirk returning with a vengeance. "And what problem would that be, dear? Is our little group having a difference of opinion?"

  Alice shook her head, her eyes hardening. "No. The problem is this." She gestured towards the Connexus. "That thing. It's dangerous. It shouldn't be used to manipulate people's feelings-"

  Leopoldine laughed, the sound jarring and almost mocking. "Oh, you're so naive, my dear. This device doesn't manipulate feelings. It enhances what's already there."

  Esato's voice was cold as steel. "That's not the point. It enhances things without the person's consent, without them fully understanding the implications. It's wrong."

  Leopoldine waved her hand dismissively. "Wrong? According to who? You? Morality is subjective, my dear.”

  Leopoldine rolled her eyes, the gesture almost theatrical. "Oh, spare me the moral lecture, dear. Free will is a construct, a comforting illusion. We're all just a product of our circumstances, our feelings just chemical reactions in our brains-”

  Esato interjected at that, her eyes hardening. "That's a very black-and-white view of life. We may be bound by circumstances, but we still have the ability to choose, to feel. Ignoring that is as good as admitting that we're nothing more than programmed automatons.”

  Leopoldine let out a mocking laugh. "Oh, how poetic. But ultimately, the universe doesn't care about our feelings, dear. It's all just physics, biology, chemistry. Every feeling, every emotion can be traced back to a chemical reaction in the brain.”

  Esato bared her teeth, her temper flaring once again. "You oversimplify things. Yes, emotions are chemical reactions, but they're more than just that. They're part of what makes us human. They shape who we are, how we interact with each other, how we connect-"

  Leopoldine interrupted her with a scoff. "Connection. How...touching. Speaking of connection, I sure know who I want to connect with right now~" she suggested, looking over at Alice.

  Alice's cheeks flushed at the insinuation. Esato bristled at that, her gaze flickering protectively to the younger girl. Leopoldine noticed this and giggled at Esato. "You see, my dear dragon girl, my little Alice here is already under my spell, and all it took was a little skin-to-skin contact for me to be able to bind her very soul with mine~”

  Esato's hackles rose, her eyes narrowing to slits. "You..you wouldn't dare-"

  Leopoldine smirked, her gaze locked on Esato. "Oh, but I would, and I shall. Alice is very...sensitive to the Connexus, isn't she? It could be because of her innocence...or just plain loneliness. She's so very touch-starved, so very...vulnerable~”

  Esato's fangs flashed, a low growl rumbling in her chest. "Don't you dare touch her again. I swear, if you so much as lay a finger-"

  "Or what? You'll tear me apart? That could be very...stimulating, don't you think?" Leopoldine suggested, her tone dripping with mockery and challenge.

  Esato was about to lunge at her, but before she could, Alice spoke up. Her voice was small, but firm.

  "Esato, stop."

  Esato halted, her body still tensed but her gaze shifting to Alice. There was a war in her eyes - anger, protectiveness, and something else - something more vulnerable.

  Seeing this, Leopoldine chuckled, her smirk growing. "Oh, look at that. Little Alice has already got the dragon wrapped around her little finger~”

  Esato bristled at that, but held her tongue. She knew a fight now wouldn't help their cause, even if every fiber of her being was screaming at her to tear Leopoldine limb from limb.

  In the meantime, Rachel, who had been quietly listening before, piped up. "Wait, if this...Connexus thing...can...force feelings on people-”

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  Leopoldine shot her a condescending look. "Not force, dear. Enhance. It doesn't create feelings out of thin air, it amplifies what's already there. It's still your emotions, only..."

  Her gaze drifted to Alice again. "...more intense. More...consuming.”

  Rachel paled at that, a shiver running down her spine. "And you can connect with anyone?" she asked.

  Leopoldine's smirk widened. "Anyone who comes into physical contact with my body, dear. It's that simple. But as I said, the effect is much more intense if the person is...touch-starved, shall we say.”

  Esato bristled at that, her eyes narrowing. "So you're just...preying on their vulnerability, their loneliness..."

  Leopoldine let out her wolfish laugh again. "Oh, I prefer to call it...providing a service. I offer connection, intimacy, things they crave and I provide~”

  Esato's hands clenched into fists, her eyes turning to slits. "You call it that, but it's manipulation! You're taking advantage of people at their weakest moments, twisting their feelings, making them dependent on you-”

  Leopoldine merely shrugged, unbothered by Esato's outrage. "If they get what they desire, what does it matter? Isn't that what life is all about, dear? Pleasure, fulfillment, connection?"

  Esato's growl deepened, her face a mask of rage. "Not like this. Not by manipulating people's emotions, their very souls!”

  Leopoldine just smirked at that, leaning back nonchalantly. "Oh, spare me the moral grandstand, my dear. You think the world runs on pure, unadulterated affection? It's a cesspool of desires, needs, cravings-”

  Esato's nostrils flared, her entire being screaming at her to lunge at the woman, to make sure she never touched Alice again, or anyone else. But the rational part of her knew that wouldn't solve anything, not right now. "You twist those desires, you exploit them, you make them into something they're not! You steal people's free will and you call it 'providing a service'!”

  Leopoldine leaned forward again, her gaze fixed on Esato. "Oh, you're so...pure, my dear. So...naive. You have no experience of the real world, do you? All you know is this quaint little volcano, where everything is peaceful and nice and..."

  She paused, her gaze drifting to Alice, who was still watching their exchange. "...Boring.”

  Esato's temper flared at that, an angry snarl escaping her throat. "My life isn't boring! At least I'm not a manipulative creature, using and discarding people like toys-"

  Leopoldine interrupted her with a dismissive wave. "Oh, please. You're nothing but a sheltered dragon, hiding away in her mountain. You have no idea what the real world is like, what people really desire. You're...innocent, dear.”

  Esato's eyes widened at that, a mix of anger and disbelief in them. "Innocent?"

  Leopoldine chuckled. "Oh, sweet innocent dragon girl. You have no idea how...depraved people can be. How much they yearn for connection, for intimacy, for release-”

  Esato's body tensed, her body shaking from suppressed rage. "Don't call me that!"

  Leopoldine's smirk only widened at her reaction. "Why so embarrassed, dear? Don't like people knowing how innocent you are? Oh, I bet you're a… Virgin, aren't you?"

  Esato's face turned as red as her namesake. The rest of the group were stunned at this line of conversation, none of them expecting it to go in this direction.

  Leopoldine clearly noticed the stunned silence and took the opportunity to drive the knife in deeper. "Oh, you are, aren't you? You've never...indulged in the pleasures of the flesh, have you? You're a...virginal dragoness, hiding in her mountain, untouched and pure-"

  Esato was practically vibrating with suppressed anger by now, her fangs bared in a furious snarl.

  Leopoldine continued, her voice dripping with mockery. "Oh, you must be so...lonely, so isolated, so craving touch. And yet, you never indulge. You're so...prudish, so innocent, so-”

  Esato's control snapped at that, her anger boiling over. "Silence!"

  She lunged forward, her actions fueled purely by anger, by the need to shut Leopoldine up, to make sure she never touched Alice or any of the others again. Before anyone could do anything, Esato was on top of Leopoldine, pinning her to the floor with her full weight.

  Leopoldine let out a shocked 'oof' as she hit the ground, caught off guard by Esato's sudden action. But as she looked up, her expression was not fear or anger, but...amusement.

  "Well, look who finally lost her composure~" she said, her smirk returning, even while pinned to the floor.

  Esato's eyes were wild, her breathing heavy. She had Leopoldine pinned, her body trembling from the effort and anger, and from something else. "Shut up! Don't you dare-" She snapped, her face so close to Leopoldine's own face that their breaths mingled together.

  Leopoldine just chuckled, utterly unperturbed by Esato's aggressive display. "Oh, you're so...animalistic, so...primal when you're angry. It's...adorable~"

  Esato growled, the sound deep and animalistic. She could feel the heat of Leopoldine's body beneath her and it was...doing strange things to her.

  Leopoldine noticed this. She leaned up slightly, her gaze raking over Esato's face. "My dear, remember what I said about making physical contact with me, hmm~?”

  Esato's eyes widened, her whole body going taut. She was acutely aware of how close she was to Leopoldine, the woman's body pressed against hers. She tried to pull away, to get off of her, but found she couldn't. She was too angry, too overwhelmed by the woman's mocking gaze. Next thing Esato knew, Leopoldine's hands came up and grabbed Esato's waist, pulling her closer.

  “And now you, too, are mine~”