For science!

Tricia was puzzled; it seemed like this young mage who she had just met was very active. He often disappeared (if the tracking software following his phone was to be believed) and had just left the Academy in the middle of the day.

Initial investigations regarding his girlfriend gave no results using the normal channels. She didn't seem to be connected to the Abyss except through John and had a very small presence on social media.

Tricia had spent the last hour vaguely listening to a professor trying to teach her some advanced biology; nothing in this class was of any interest to her personal research, but would be necessary to obtain a mundane diploma to use as cover.

At least she was allowed to use a laptop for this class, and the very pricey one she had bought on the Abyss auction had an enchantment that allowed to only its owner to see what was really on the screen, while showing everyone else an illusion of her choice (in this case the biology curriculum).

She put this down time to use for writing a report on her progress in her newest research project.

This is a new research journal recording my interactions with the mage John Newman: Entry one.
This area of enquiry is different from my usual projects, so an approach that is less strict will help me adopt the mindset necessary to the success of the project.
Initial research has proven more difficult than expected, as my usual sources of informations, both academic and Abyssal, have given me nearly no usable data. It has pushed me towards other sources, young girls have been doing it for thousands of years and it is the age of information.
I created a bot to data mine any blog I could find related to this subject, as well as the archives of the most sold teen and women's magazines. The algorithm had trouble adapting to the lack of formatting but gave me some interesting results:
The offer from a boy to come study with him seems to be universally regarded as an excuse for creating a controlled environment where he can try to seduce the girl, this would indicate that the subject, no John, shows interest in me.
An impressively long list of tests and quizzes to find out if a boy likes you was found in this pile of data, but I currently lack sufficient knowledge of John to answer most of the questions.
As far as his tastes go, they seem to be rather eclectic. I share hair and skin color with his current girlfriend, but she has a body type that is a lot more curvaceous than mine. The three abyssals residing in his kingdom vary greatly in appearance, and he seems to be showing some interest towards the Warden, Moira, but I have learned no details about their level of interaction apart from the trust she has in him.
Common interests have been pointed to be very important. We seem to share a desire to learn more about his powers, his kingdom and how to optimize them, but it is not all. The fact that his powers have a video game theme made me look further, there are actually seven games that he has actively played that I had advanced experience in, this could create a link between the two of us.
Advice regarding approaching a boy who already has a girlfriend seem to focus on how to steal him from her, but no useful data has been found on how to integrate into a polygamous relationship. The only reference pages that were not based on fiction were in Arabic or from the state of Utah and showing little connection with the current situation.

Every protocol would assert that further contact should only be engaged with the full suite of limiters active, nevertheless it appears that while it would reduce the risks of an incident it would also greatly decrease the amount of progress that could be achieved and jeopardize the whole endeavor. In consideration of that I decided to proceed with an adaptation of the SF experimental protocol that I was using on my last visit.

Freed from her hour of boredom, Tricia took her phone out to call John. She had lost track of him at an electrical appliance store a few miles from the Academy. In a safe location, where she didn't risk being overheard, she dialed his number and started the recording of the call for future analysis.

"Hi..."

"Oh, Danielle, nice to hear from you. I had very little time to call you yesterday, how are you doing?"

Vocal stress analysis: genuine concern 87% probability.
Personal stress level: intermediate
Recommended activation of dormant limiters before engaging in stressful activities.
Manual override acknowledged

"I am doing fine, thank you for asking. Nothing has been lost, I was personally occupied yesterday and wouldn't have had time to visit or discuss our project. How are you feeling? Have you and your... subjects recovered from your injuries in a satisfactory manner?"

Social interaction protocol:
Reciprocation of greetings and inquiry regarding well-being are positive elements.
Language Analysis:
Warning, inappropriate language register.
Recommend using more familiar language.

Tricia realized her mistake at the same time she saw the message. If she wasn't careful, she would slip up and fall back to her usual attitude. It was not how teenagers should interact with each other.

"I can't thank you enough for what you did. Without you Sylvia, and I would surely be dead now. The hand is working perfectly fine and holds up even in strenuous conditions. Sylvia has left her tree at the end of the weekend, and she has recovered physically from what happened to her, thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done if she had died. I can't wait to be able to work with someone as talented as you are. Were you calling about our research partnership?"

Warning: 3 spikes in emotional activity.
Peak recorded at 12 on Mr Fluffy scale.
Recommend immediate activation of dormant limiters.
Manual override acknowledged.

Vocal stress analysis indicates traces of nongenuine speech on end of statement.
Analysis of probability: sexual innuendo 42%, humor 35%, duplicity 12%, unknown 11%.

Warning: 1 spike in emotional activity.
Peak recorded at 16 on Mr Fluffy scale.
Recommend immediate activation of dormant limiters.
Manual override acknowledged.

For an instant, Tricia stopped in horror. She could see her reflection in a metallic surface, and the synthetic skin of her suppression suit had flared red during the conversation and remained so afterwards. It took her some precious seconds to realize that it was not a disfunction of the chameleon membrane designed to make her look normal. When she had her limiters down, the suit mimicked her physiological reaction to emotional stimulus... She was blushing! She had never considered it a possibility so far, and she realized that she might have done it unknowingly the last time she met him.

It took a few seconds for Tricia to regain her calm. She reluctantly reactivated her seventh limiter and dialed down her experimental protocol by 10%.

"I... I noticed that you left school through my access to the Academy's security systems." She of course wouldn't tell him that she was following his movements in particular. "Will you return today, or are you done for the day? My schedule is very flexible, and maybe we could start looking at what you need to get a real research lab started, if you have some free time of course..."

Tricia was proud of her attempt at not looking creepy; it was often stated in the research material she had gathered that despite the fact that it provided useful information, stalking was a very negatively perceived activity.

"We had a lot of free time before the afternoon classes, but you could visit us now. We were about to eat, and I'd be happy to discuss these things with you over lunch. We could pick you up either at the Academy or at Everything and the kitchen sink on Morelo Street. Which one do you prefer?"

Tricia wondered what he was talking about, as far as she knew he should only be able to exit his kingdom where he entered it. She was curious about this unforseen development, but it offered an opportunity. Pooling resources with him would create a bond that would make him less likely to put an end to the relationship that they would have.

"If you have a way to quickly get back to school afterwards, I would rather meet you at the store. I can be there in 25 minutes. I have some equipment that I can charge in my van and bring to Arcadia in order to jump start our lab, you know, before we invest in something more permanent..."

"Of course, I'll wait for you on the east side of the parking lot. I hope you are hungry. See you soon!"

"I'll be there as soon as possible!"

It would be a close call to be there in 25 minutes actually, but Tricia had shown too much enthusiasm. Almost running to the schools parking lot, she made a mental note of all the mobile equipment that she could need for their project.

Only once behind the wheel and on her way to one of her storage safes did it hit her.

She had just been invited to lunch by a boy! This was beyond all expectations of her initial plans for the SL project. Now she only hoped that she would be able to enjoy the experience without having an incident ruining it...