A tough meeting

The next morning, once again you’re entangled with a naked monster girl, this time Sadie. At some point her schoolgirl outfit got discarded, and the blue skinned beauty is curled up against you. Careful not to wake her, you slide out of bed. You would stay with her, but as usual of late, you have things to do.

You head down to grab a quick breakfast, only to find Kali waiting already, along with Anna and Elys. Kali looks nervous, which is unsurprising. No amount of reassurance could convince her that Rachel meant no harm. And if you’re honest, you aren’t completely convinced that Trevor means no harm.

After a quiet breakfast, you and Kali get ready to go. As you’re headed out, Anna stops you to give you a kiss, and surprises you by giving Kali a kiss as well.

“Master, Kali, please come back safe.” You give her a smile and head to the car. After some fiddling to arrange Kali’s wings, you’re on the road. Kali is quiet, and you are a bit lost in your thoughts as well. You wonder what Trevor will want to ask about, and how much you should tell them.

You arrive at the AWIO office, and Kali takes your hand as you head inside. It isn’t long before the two of you are across a table from Rachel and Trevor. Trevor is the first to speak.

“So, this is the new Kali. I understand that you’re turning over a new leaf.”

Kali nods, speaking quietly. “Josh saved me, and I owe him everything. I’m doing my best to make what amends I can.”

Trevor nods. “By rights, we should be taking you into custody.”

You interrupt immediately. “You will not. There will be no discussion about that. Kali is family now, and you will not intimidate her like that.”

Trevor gives you a hard look, and you return the stare, unflinching. “You’ve changed a lot lately, Josh. Fine, a different topic then. The other portal. You absorbed it?”

“I did. It’s in my head now, but I haven’t tried using it yet. If I understand correctly, I need a frame to cast it in.”

Trevor nods. “You’ve been researching the portals, I see.”

“I have, yes. I should know how to use it since I have it.”

Rachel speaks up. “To what end, Josh? Why did you take the portal?”

You sigh. Time to decide how much to say. “I initially just wanted to shut down the demon lord’s access to our world. But now, I want to see if I can do what he was attempting, but without hurting Lynn or myself.”

Rachel and Trevor look at you in surprise, and even Kali gasps. You smile, shrugging. “Obviously, I haven’t tried anything yet, but since I’m not being actively hunted anymore, I have time.”

Rachel shakes her head. “But why? I’ll refrain from trying to tell you not to, but I want to know what reason you have for wanting this.”

Again, you wonder how much of your ambition to share. You decide not to say too much. “Well, I’ve noticed that almost every girl from the old world was mistreated. Something is rotten over there, and I want to know why. A two way portal under my control would allow me to look into it without allowing someone to **** it.”

Trevor grunts, shaking his head. “Assuming you don’t end up abusing it yourself.”

You nod. “A fair point. One I could raise about you if I gave you the option. Facts are, the only ones I trust with this are myself and my girls.”

Trevor nods. “And you’re the one with the power. Speaking of which. You seem to be breaking the known rules of absorption mages. Your power is growing increasingly fast, and changing in ways we haven’t seen before.”

You smile, shrugging again. “As I understand it, absorption mages are incredibly rare, and ones of my power even more so. Is it possible that you just don’t know what a powerful absorption mage is capable of?”

Rachel nods. “It’s possible, yes. But you understand that it makes us nervous, especially when you’re following an agenda we don’t understand either, right?”

You smile and nod. “I get it. All I can do is assure you that I’m one of the good guys. The girls wouldn’t stand for it if I wasn’t. As long as you’re the good guys too, we have no problems. Rachel, I know you’re one of the good guys. Trevor, it’s you I don’t know about.”

Trevor frowns, but says nothing. You continue, “But that’s neither here nor there. For now, we just need to accept that my power continues to grow, and I will be using it to leave the world better off. As for Kali, she is one of us. One of my family. And we protect each other. If you want to talk to her further, you’re welcome to come to my house and chat.”

Both Trevor and Rachel nod, though only Rachel smiles.

Trevor speaks, a bit gruffly, “Well, I think we have covered everything we can today. Josh, please keep Rachel updated on your portal research. And don’t do anything rash without consulting us, we’re here to help.”

With a nod, you and Kali stand. Kali takes your hand and you walk with her out of the room. As you head out to the car, you sigh.