"I wanted to see if you had noticed anything different about yourself lately," said Cosyt.
Melona paused. "What do you mean? How lately?"
Cosyt shrugged as she looked down at Melona. "Last couple of days, I'd guess, but really just today would be fine as well."
Melona raised her hand to her mouth, as though to stroke her chin. "I mean, I've been depressed, anxious, and bad at magic--"
"I see," said Cosyt, "and--"
"--but that's pretty normal for me." Melona tried to smile, as though to turn that statement into a joke.
"I see," Cosyt repeated. "I suppose that's to be expected. It can't be easy being here."
Melona shook her head. "It isn't. But I don't think there's been anything really different going on. Why?"
Cosyt sighed and nodded. "Melona, when you're as--altered, I suppose--as I am, you get certain changes. Not just to your figure or your mind, but to your senses. Succubi are, at their core, predators, and every predator has tools to hunt down their prey."
Melona suddenly realized that being alone with Professor Cosyt could have its risks. She didn't really care, though, even if she was supposed to. Being this close--she shook her head again. "What do you mean?"
Cosyt pointed at the perfectly sculpted bridge of her nose. "There's some sources that call it Peccatosensation. You could say that it's a way for succubi, and a number of demons, to smell corruption. And, for better or for worse, when I was changed into what I am now, I gained some of that ability as well."
Melona cocked her head. Corruption? Her?
"Now, that corruption normally comes from guilt; if someone's lying, they smell like dishonesty," said Cosyt. "It's how I know you weren't lying about being waylaid by bullies the last time you were late to class. It's why I can afford to be a little more forgiving of students; I can tell if their screwups were horrible accidents, or intentional missteps that they don't regret." She shrugged.
"Professor, I swear, I--"
Cosyt nodded and patted Melona on the head. Melona sighed as she felt tingles run down her body. As soon as she did, however, Cosyt snatched her hand away, looking perturbed.
"I'm--I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that," she said.
"What? That was me relaxing, it wasn't--"
Cosyt flared her nostrils and took a deep breath. "Oh. Oh it was just you relaxing." She smiled. "See what I mean? Being able to smell sins comes in handy. Anyway." She cleared her throat. "I know that you haven't done anything all that wrong yet, Mel. That's not what I'm worried about."
"Worried?"
"You see, another form of corruption comes from magic. Infernal magic is the most common. After I got changed, I couldn't smell anything other than myself for a week straight. That intense, strawberry-sweet odor of a succubus is--" She shook herself. "Not important. You see, there are other corruptions, not all of them bad. Necromantic energy, like the kind that animates liches, registers as corruption to my senses. Elemental influences do the same; even people who have been charmed have their own scent." She shifted on her seat and stood up again, keeping her thick thighs squeezed together so as not to inadvertently flash Melona. She returned to the middle of the room and began to pace again.
Melona was starting to worry. Cosyt was acting strangely; where was the room-lighting smile and outgoing demeanor? All that Melona could see was nervous energy and, potentially, some confusion. "Professor, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I smell magical corruption on you," said Cosyt.
"What--what kind?" was the first question to cross Melona's lips.
Cosyt took a deep breath. "I don't quite know," she began,
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