Causation and Correlation

“Alright, alright, hold still,” John said, trying to wrangle the happily dancing kittens.

Their victorious cries and happy bounds made it rather difficult to even stay in range for his Heal spell; if John had needed to physically touch them, it would’ve been nearly impossible. They’d only taken a few minor scrapes and bruises but he still didn’t want to take any chances.

“We did it, Papa, we did iiittt!” Miriam cried out as she bounced happily between both ends of the couch, a cut across her cheek that she had already forgotten about now vanishing entirely with a soft glow and a tiny dent in John’s mana.

“Yes, yes, you all did it and I’m very proud of you, but you could make this a lot easier on me,” John grumbled as he got within reach of Magnus long enough to finally seal the tiny half-inch deep bite marks on him that were still bleeding. Eyeing the drops that had already soaked into some of the wood and carpet around the exuberant kitten, John made a mental note to work on some kind of cleaning magic as his first project.

Once John had them healed, he wasn’t too worried about the energy of the kittens. They were excited from their first ever victory, but it was only a few minutes before they burned through their adrenaline rush and the long day started to show on their faces. Within ten minutes of the last Heal being cast, all six kittens had spread out across the house. Mika and Miya were napping on the floor in front of a window, while the other four had ventured off to various rooms. They had a habit of sleeping in the oddest of places – more than once John had nearly tripped over an unseen kitten in the dead of night on his way to the bathroom, or to the kitchen for a midnight snack.

“Myaster had fun?”

“Myaster had too much fun.”

John looked over and saw Maera and Mithra giggling at the corner of the room, walking in with their ebony and ivory tails swishing happily behind them. John shook his head and gave a soft, tired smile. Physically, Gamer’s Body kept him from getting exhausted, but mental fatigue was a slightly different story. Wrangling the kittens to keep them both entertained and safe somehow managed to tax John’s mind almost as much as his normal training, if not a fair bit more!

John collapsed onto the couch with a long sigh, settling in comfortably as the two Nekos cuddled up to him. They expertly buried their heads in his lap for ear scritches he was more than happy to give.

“How did it go?” Maera asked idly while nuzzling her cheek against his thigh.

“Pretty well, I’d say. Nothing worse than a few scratches, they were never in any real danger. They have pretty good instincts, just like you two. All I had to do was to hold back a few of the hounds until the kittens were ready for them. Well, that and keep Magnus and Midoriya from getting into a fight.”

“They always fight,” Mithra said frustratedly, sighing. “What this time?”

“Midoriya just got excited and wanted to try out one of the spells Vallya taught him,” John said, offering a half-shrug while continuing to affectionately stroke the Nekos’ ears. “Nothing fancy, just a little light trick to distract it. But it ended up drawing its attention away from Magnus, and before he could catch up to it, Moira came in and finished it off. He blamed Midoriya for stealing ‘his kill’, and I had to step in.”

“Nyaaaaah, such a hothead,” Maera complained, rolling her eyes. “Mithra, they’re you’re kittens, they’re supposed to be more like you than me!”

“We’re twins, dummy,” Mithra said playfully, laughing as Maera whined in annoyance. “At least that was all that happened. Sounds like they really wore you out today, though. And not just in the dungeon.”

"Oh, absolutely. I have no idea how you manage to keep them so under control," John said with a laugh. “They were going insane all day today – they have even more energy than you two do!”

"They're just extra excited because you're home and wanted to play with them," Mithra said, mewling softly as John ran his fingers gently along her scalp.

"They'll be calmed down in a couple days," Maera assured him.

"I hope so. Can't have them running each other ragged. Maybe I could find some way to help them stay entertained. I have plenty of time left today and tonight, I could probably-"

"Actually, if you're done with the kittens, I was hoping you could... help me?"

John turned at the sound of Lerianna speaking. The rabbit-girl was leaning out from the hallway, looking unusually timid. As John met her gaze, she turned away with a noticeable flush on her cheeks.

"Alright girls, I've got to go for a bit," John said, giving his Neko lovers one last rub along their jaws before he gently lifted them so that he could stand.

“Aww, but we were comfy!” Maera whined. Mithra just made a soft mewl, both of them pressing their heads together and widening their eyes in a way so adorable John had to fight the urge to pick them up and cuddle them for the rest of the night.

“Don’t worry, you two get the next personal day,” John said, grinning as he tousled the Nekos’ hair one last time before turning toward the hallway, doing his best to ignore their pleading mewls. He made his way out of the common room and through the building to Lerianna’s room. Her door was cracked ever so slightly, as open of an invitation as he had ever seen her give.

John gave the softest knock, but otherwise didn’t hesitate to let himself inside her bedroom. John was more than familiar with the look that Lerianna had given him, the tone in her voice, the way she…

“Oh.”

John was quite familiar with Lerianna’s needs, but he had never seen them quite this strongly. Rather than waiting in her chair as usual, or even pacing around the room as he had become somewhat used to, Lerianna was lying on her bed. The rabbit-girl’s face was flushed, her eyes were clenched tightly shut, her ears were pressed low to her scalp, and her right hand was playing dangerously close to her nethers, with her body-tight workout clothes pressed against every crevice of her body in a way that made John’s jaw fall slack even as his lower body tightened noticeably.

John stood there in a rather stunned silence until Lerianna’s eyes finally cracked enough to notice him standing in the doorway. Her face held little surprise - with her exceptional hearing he was sure that she had already heard his knock, however light it was. She looked more **** than anything as she beckoned wildly for John to approach.

“Please, John. It’s so bad this time.”

“Alright, alright. Calm down, Lerianna. I’m here now.”

John did his best to tear his eyes away from Lerianna’s hand, which was still pressing firmly on her abdomen, at best an inch or two away from crossing into groin territory. No matter how abrasive she could be or the distance she always intentionally placed between herself and John, it was hard to deny just how attractive the rabbit-eared athlete was when she was sprawled out before him, mere centimeters away from masturbating furiously in front of him. Instead of focusing on her body – or the look of **** need on her face – John kept his gaze focused entirely on the hand not dangerously close to perversion. Her left hand – the one that was clenched into a fist.

All of the leporine woman’s fury and frustrations and willpower that couldn’t reach the more **** parts of her body were evident in that hand – in the way her skin wrinkled as she clenched it, in the white tones of her knuckles that stood stark against her chocolate skin, and especially in the slight trickle of blood running down the side of her palm as her frustrations overpowered even her impressively durable body. Her lip was getting a similar treatment, one he couldn’t help but notice despite his best attempts not to. The flat edges of her front teeth sank into the ruby-red flesh of her lower lip so fiercely that it both aroused and concerned John.

“Seems like it’s particularly bad today. Any reason, or just a rough day?”

As John spoke, still approaching Lerianna’s side, he activated his Siphon ability and began draining off the absurdly horny rabbit’s Libido stat. Thirty-four points drained from her and into John’s body, sending a noticeable heat across his own skin while Lerianna actually gasped with relief. While John’s body was tensing up slightly, hers very noticeably relaxed, her body sinking down into the plush mattress while her hand almost immediately leapt away from her groin, as if suddenly afraid of it.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about that,” Lerianna said raggedly, her breath still coming in heaving gasps as her body recovered. “I think it’s a combination of my level going up, and yours going down.”

“Ah… you think your heightened Libido stat might be causing you to get hornier, and when I reset my levels, I’m not giving you enough relief?” John asked. Unlike his normal visits he refrained from touching Lerianna in any way, given her state.

“Not just that,” Lerianna groaned. “We don’t know exactly how your abilities cause normal bodies to function when outside of your immediate proximity, or if their effects are equal. What if my Libido increasing is having a bigger effect than whatever resilience to natural urges my Wisdom and Intelligence stats are giving me? Even then, I was used to my old levels of arousal and hormones. It wasn’t easy, but I could deal with it. If my body is reacting more strongly now, I don’t have the tolerance I should.”

“You’ve been thinking about this a lot,” John commented, not immediately sure what else to say.

“Of course, it’s all I can ever think about…” Lerianna said, groaning with frustration. “This feeling doesn’t just go away, you know?”

“If you think that’s the reason, you could stay home from the training sessions for a while until we figure something out,” John mused, offering a light shrug. “I don’t want to cause you this kind of distress, and I’m sure one of the others would-”

“N-no, I don’t want that. First of all, you know you’d be toast without me,” Lerianna said, avoiding John’s eyes as she said the words. A faint flush covered her chocolate skin, one brought on by more than mere raw lust. “Secondly, that would defeat the whole point of me trying to control myself. I wanted to prove that my species are more than just lust-addled fools who will fuck from birth to **** without giving a shit about actually making something of themselves. As annoying as you are, training and fighting by your side has been fulfilling, and I’ve never poured myself into anything half-assed.”

“Yeah, I don’t think you get that many degrees half-assing it,” John said, chuckling. “But what other options do we have? I suppose, if you wanted… if you really, really wanted… we could try using Purify to change just that part of you. It worked for Mithra to restore memories I think had been lost entirely, and…”

John trailed off, thinking of his promise to Lunaya - Purify seemed like the only way to restore her voice too. One way or another he was going to have to take the leap. But before he could consider things further, Lerianna had already begun shaking her head.

“That’s the thing… I can’t do that, John,” Lerianna murmured, sighing.

“Yeah, I know, I wouldn’t trust me either. The technique is kind of crazy, and-”

“No, not that, you’re great. Y-you’re fine,” Lerianna corrected herself. “I can’t lose these hormones, not fully. If I do, I’ll be weak, or worse, I might be fully vegetative.”

“W-what?!” John said, unable to hide his surprise at the strong wording. “You need them that badly?”

“Well, I’m exaggerating… slightly. We think,” Lerianna said, giving a shrug. “My people were never that interested in scientific advancements, so most of what we know comes from my own limited work alongside the studies that other races did on us. It’s all theories, but at a minimum, I wouldn’t be able to help you in battles as much. Pretty much every hormone in our body causes an arousal reaction, and is also triggered by one. There’s a good chance suppressing my libido would also alter or suppress my adrenaline, noradrenaline, cortisol… and those are just for basic fight-or-flight. No telling what else it could mess with, like my metabolism or my testosterone and estrogen balances.”

“Oh, wow… combat prowess is one thing, but that could mess up your whole life,” John noted, grimacing.

“No kidding. How do you think I got this toned?” Lerianna said, flexing one of her arms. “I basically had to work out every day until my body completely gave up. Working out and being in shape kept my energy levels low enough to suppress libido, but they also short- and long-term boosted my overall hormone production. Hell, I’m actually stronger the more aroused I am. Back when we were fighting the Albidians, I almost lost until I kissed that sexy red-”

Lerianna froze in mid-sentence, her face blushing furiously as she realized what she’d just said. John squinted down at her.

“You kissed… Moira?” John asked, though it was more of a statement than a question. The memories of his own encounter with the Warden just the day before played around in his mind. “I can’t imagine that going too well for you.”

“I think she was a little too shocked to react very strongly… but even in the middle of a life-or-**** situation, all it took was one kiss to get me so riled up I- never mind. Ugh, this is frustrating. I feel so much more relaxed when we’re like this, I just can’t stop talking.”

“I don’t mind; it’s nice getting to see you be a little more open. You’re always so closed off most of the time, though I can understand why now,” John said, pausing for a moment. “I think I might know someone who can help you with this problem, though.”

“In a way that won’t interfere with my combat abilities?” Lerianna asked, quirking an eyebrow up as she tilted her head to meet John’s eyes. Trying not to focus on how much that pushed out her breasts, John nodded.

“Tricia has a lot of experience with developing magical ways to suppress her own emotions. She might be able to develop a way to suppress only your arousal, if that’s possible. If not, she can probably give you something like her suit that you can turn up and down at will. That way, when you need to be strong, you can. And when you want to relax…”

John emphasized his words by sliding his hands down to Lerianna’s shoulders, gently massaging the tensed muscles there. He felt Lerianna’s entire body tightening up when his fingers slid lower, but as he began to apply firm pressure to her coiled muscles, she loosened up almost immediately, practically melting into his semi-practiced hands.

“...you can really let yourself go, without worrying about losing yourself forever,” John finished, smiling happily at Lerianna. She gazed up at him with half-lidded eyes, somewhere between pleasure and annoyance.

“S-stop thinking you know me,” Lerianna murmured, turning her eyes away from him a moment before she closed them entirely, leaning into his massage. John didn’t bother to address her bratty dismissal; he just put more effort into his fingertips as he massaged away the rabbit-woman’s cares and hostility. For a long while, that was enough… then came the subtle knock at the door, long after John and Lerianna had both lost track of time. Three subtle raps at the door to Lerianna’s room, quiet but insistent.

“Were you expecting any visitors?” John asked, turning his eyes toward the door. Shadows danced under the door’s frame, subtly twitching in the light of the hall.

“No. Must be for you,” Lerianna said, letting a frustrated sigh escape. “I can’t steal you forever, so you might as well go now. Just… I’ve never really talked to that Tricia girl seriously, even though her drones are all over the place. Would you mind-”

“I’ll take care of things for you,” John promised, nodding affirmatively even as he pulled his fingers away from Lerianna’s shoulders and silken hair. “I’ll make it a priority.”

“...Thank you,” Lerianna said after a long pause, averting her eyes. Redness returned to her cheeks as John slowly undid the effects of his Siphon ability, hoping to soften the blow of her returned libido. He wasn’t sure how much it mattered; Lerianna’s entire body tensed up the moment he started to end the effect, and his erection was refusing to abate. John had learned through his repeated sessions with Lerianna that even his Gamer abilities didn’t always translate to immediate change for mental effects; arousal was not so easily altered as raw physical prowess.

All the same, Lerianna voiced no complaints and made no effort to dissuade him from leaving. John exited her room unopposed, having just enough time to shut her door behind him as he stepped free before he was assailed by four hands, twin sets of arms pinning him to the closed door. Despite the unexpected ****, John only grinned as he was pressed against the door to Lerianna’s room, smirking at the ivory- and ebony-haired Nekos that eagerly clawed at his figure.

“Just what are you two up to this time?” John asked.

“Kittens got their day with you, now we get ours,” Mithra said, her voice husky and low.

“It’s nearly sunset. The day is already over; if you want yours, we can start early tomorrow.”

“We don’t need a whole day,” Maera teased, as her claws found their way under John’s waistband.