Frying pan, meet fire.

Tryn’s response was so unexpected that everyone at the table just stared at her, causing a real blush to rise to her cheeks. She looked at John with puppy-dog eyes and started to mutter, “It feels better…” Panic surged through his nerves.

“Mom, can you not talk about my sex life in front of my friends!”

Brenda was not listening, her casual expression turning serious as she stared him down, “John. You have been using protection, right? I know I taught you how important it is!”

“Yes! Of course I have!” John glared at Tryn, who seemed genuinely confused. “Every single time that we haven’t had sex yet! Come on, Mom. We started dating yesterday, it’s a bit too early for that sort of thing, isn’t it? You don’t jump straight to home base on the first date!”

“But…” the goblin shook her head.

“When we’re at that point, I promise that we’ll be extra safe. Right, Moira?” he snapped at Tryn, who was starting to pout.

“Whoa, whoa, dudes. Let’s just cool the jets a bit, okay?” They all looked at the berserker, who had calmed down and was making placating gestures, “It was just a joke. No harm done. I’m sure that John will do fine. He’s good under pressure.” She glanced at her phone, and though it looked like she might’ve been checking a message from another angle, John could see that she was just tapping on the lock screen. “Oh man, it’s late. Sorry, we should probably get going soon. I’ve got some homework piled up that I need to take care of before it gets worse.”

Brenda took a second to recover, but she was able to put the awkwardness of the situation behind her, “You can’t stay for dinner?” When Erica shook her head and Tryn followed suit, she offered an alternative, “Do either of you need a ride home, it would be no trouble.”

John waited for Erica to politely decline, but instead the berserker smiled, “Thanks, that’d be awesome.”

Yeah, that sounds like a terrible… what the fuck?

Before he could stop her, Tryn took it as a cue and chimed in with her assent and thanks as well. John stared at his partner in utter disbelief as she met his look with a calm and collected one. He tried to signal ‘why would you do that?’ with his eyes. It got him no answers. While his mom searched around for her keys, John gestured frantically at Erica. She just raised an eyebrow at him.

“What the hell do you think-” he tried to whisper.

“Alright! Now, where am I taking you girls? ”

Erica awkwardly picked up the cup she’d been holding onto and slipped it under the table as she replied, “Moira’s place. I’m staying with them until I move.” John could swear he heard muffled swearing as his partner rattled off Moira’s address and she put the cup back on the table. It was conspicuously empty.

“It’s a shame that you won’t be staying here in Springfield.” His mother turned to him, and John stared past her as Erica tried to wrangle a struggling Adorabelle into one of the pockets of her uniform’s jacket. Brenda gave him a grumpy look, “Next time, introduce me to your friends before the last minute.”

I would’ve if I… know what? It’s not worth being upset over. I have much bigger problems right now.

“Yeah, will do. Sorry.”

Adorabelle stuck her head out of Erica’s pocket and looked up at him with glazed-over eyes. She rubbed them and then turned her attention to the other two in the room. Her expression froze as she saw Brenda, as though someone had dumped a thimble of ice water over her, and her body flickered, blurred and then vanished. Even the pocket itself looked flattened out.

Satisfied with scolding him, his mother turned her attention back to their guests, “Well, if you’re ever back in town and need a place to stay, you’d be more than welcome here!”

“I’ll definitely take you up on that,” Erica smiled, but there was something off about it. It felt too cheerful, **** even. She was clearly uncomfortable. He sighed. His mom was great but could… overparent.

John looked at the fifth person in the room, who had said almost nothing. Tryn stared back with a cute little smile on her face. She was clearly clueless to what was going on and looking for a cue. At least that made two of them. The goblin shifted her stance, leaning forward a bit to give him a good look at her cleavage. A little smile spread across her lips as she pulled on the bottom of it, pulling it tight against two pinpoints in the fabric that-

“John?” his mother snapped him out of it, gesturing towards the front door with her keys. Erica was already in the hallway, pulling on her shoes. Brenda smiled at Moira, “Don’t forget anything now. You might have to come back for dinner!”

Tryn’s eyes sparkled and she winked at him before scampering off towards the stairs, heading for his room. John started after her but was blocked by his mom… and she looked serious.

“John Newman. Don’t even think about lying to me. You did use protection with that girl, right?”

Uh….

John swallowed, “But we didn’t… ”

“She’s wearing your clothes, John. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?” Brenda scowled at him, crossing her arms. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, but this is important. You do not want to be having a kid at your age… and I’m certain her father doesn’t want that either.”

Her father? Lord Brighton would kill me if I even touched Moira…

“Tell me the truth. Did you use protection or do we need to make a stop at the pharmacy?”

“I… we…” he stumbled over the words. Brenda loomed closer, and John tried to stand his ground. The mental image of his cum running down Tryn’s leg didn’t help the growing anxiety.

“Yes! Fine! We had sex and used condoms! See?” He pretended to reach into his back pocket while he pulled one of the ones he’d earned from the achievement out of his inventory and handed it to his mom, cheeks burning. Erica looked back from the hallway and gave him a concerned look. Adorabelle hovered beside her, clearly stifling laughter.

At least he wasn’t the only one with pink cheeks. For all her seriousness and sternness, being given a condom by her son as he admitted he’d fucked his girlfriend was too much. She took it, looked it over and handed it back. “Oh. Good,” was all that she could say.

They were both speechless for a long second, but his mother recovered first. She cleared her throat and put one hand on his head, ruffling his hair, “Good. That’s what I wanted to hear. Thank you.”

Someone, please just kill me.

The car ride to the Brighton estate was far less awkward. Adorabelle had stayed behind, and Brenda was focused on the road, which kept her from sticking her nose any further into his sex life. She spent most of the trip talking to Erica about her plans in Canada and asking for directions. John had been pulled into the back seat by Tryn, who was happily snuggled up against him. Her hands were thankfully not stuck down his pants… they were just occasionally teasing the bulge in them.

John had given up on trying to stop her.

So... what do I do? Vanessa’s out there somewhere, who knows what Mrs. Wentworth wants with me, there’s a drunken fae somewhere at home doing who knows what, I’ve got a goblin who is pretending to be Moira attached to me at the hip… I’m sure this could get worse, but I’m honestly not sure how. At least Erica seems to have a plan. God, I hope she has a plan.

He looked down at Tryn. At some point in the ride, she’d fallen asleep. She was still wearing the clothes from his closet, and he’d glamored her shoes so they matched the more mundane attire. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and stared at her with conflict boiling in his heart. Like this, he could almost convince himself that she was human… normal.

Except that’s fiction, isn’t it. What am I going to do with you?

John was attracted to Tryn. She was cute, sexy, eager for him… it would be impossible not to have some interest in the small, green girl… but that wasn’t the same thing as being in love with her. He hardly knew the goblin. She’d fallen into his lap, almost literally, and the benefits were nice… but could he really be what she wanted? Her ‘Master’. Did he want to be that?

There were so many things he didn’t understand. What did being her master mean? How would it work? Most of all… why him? Anxiety bloomed in the fertile soil of his doubt.

Beside him, Tryn murmured something and nestled in closer, clinging to his shirt. John looked away. He was just a guy. Okay, sure, a guy with magic, for what that was worth. It was sort of a requirement for the situation. As for Tryn, she was a prostitute. That didn’t bother him, but… her job was literally to have sex with people, and somehow, out of everyone, she wanted him? Why?

There was nothing special about him.

Rays of late-afternoon sunlight filtered through the rows of trees along the street that led to Brighton Manor. The house looked far less intimidating than his last visit, but the structure still loomed over them as they pulled into the roundabout in front. The door opened and Reginald walked down the steps at an even pace, making it to the car just as his mom stopped the engine. Tryn sat up, rubbing at her eyes.

“Lady Carpenter,” he addressed Erica as he opened her door. He did the same for John and Brenda, greeting them formally, “Madam Newman, Mr. Newman.” Then, to John’s surprise, Reginald extended a hand to the goblin, “Welcome home, Lady Brighton.”

What.

Tryn took it, stepping out of the car with as much grace as she could muster… which was considerable. She smiled at the butler and returned the greeting, careful not to mention his name.

“May I invite the two of you in to join us for dinner?” Reginald asked.

Brenda glanced at her phone to check the time and smiled, “That’d be wonderful. What do you think, John?”

Reginald turned his attention to John, and both the butler and Erica stared into him with a tense expectation. The berserker nodded and he took it as a sign to say yes, “Uh, sure. Why not?”

“Excellent! Please, follow me.”

The butler led the way into the manor, giving Brenda a chance to stop and marvel at the entrance hall before continuing on towards the dining room. Contrary to the last time that John had wandered the halls, the room was only a couple doors down, past a nice view of the interior garden. They took their seats at the table and Reginald offered to bring Brenda a cup of tea.

While they waited for his return, John pulled out his phone and started texting Erica.

John N. (19:07): Okay, what is going on?

Erica C. (19:08): You saw the message. Vanessa’s back.

John N. (19:08): Yeah, but what does having dinner have to do with that? Why is everyone treating Tryn like Moira?

Erica C. (19:08): We have to go after her. This is the easy way to free things up, dude.

Erica C. (19:09): Dont worry, the tea will just ease your mom into letting you go and erase her memories of coming here. Nothing permanent. Better than sneaking out right?

The what will what?

Reginald re-entered the room with a piping hot cup of tea balanced on a tray. The butler hadn’t offered him or Tryn anything… He approached Brenda and lifted the cup off the tray, and John felt his fingers twitch. He could have the Thorn out in a second and smash it to pieces. Nobody was going to **** his mother with him around! Except…

Erica C. (19:10): Trust me. This is safer for her.

John N. (19:10): …okay.

He closed his eyes as the cup clinked against the saucer and tried not to listen to his mom as she thanked Reginald and commented on the wonderful smell of the tea. He heard her take a long sip, and only opened his eyes when he heard her set it back down.

“This is excellent! I may need to… buy… some…” she trailed off as her features slackened. Her eyes went dull and she seemed to be staring into space.

“Madam Newman, we’d appreciate it if you let your son stay over. He’s rather close with Lady Moira and they need the time together,” Reginald leaned over the back of Brenda’s chair, taking the teacup, but his eyes never left John. His expression was narrow, serious, almost hostile… and mildly amused. It was impossible to read anything from it. “A young man needs time with his… girlfriend. Wouldn’t you agree?”

John glanced to his mom, who was nodding along.

Am I really okay with this? It’s better than having to explain things, but… it still feels questionable. Maybe I should… but…

His eyes roamed to Erica, who returned his look with a steady one of her own. There wasn’t even a fraction of doubt in her expression. John let out a sigh, some of the discomfort leaving his body.

I need to get used to this. Things are different now. There are rules I need to follow. I have to hide what I can do. It’s like becoming a superhero. You can’t drag your family into it without risking their lives, or worse. I have to protect her.

“I’ll drive her home personally, Mr. Newman,” Reginald said, standing back up and pulling back Brenda’s chair. His mom stood robotically, following the butler as he headed out of the room, “The Warden will be with you shortly to discuss tonight’s mission.”

John slumped in his chair, unsure if he was feeling relief or resignation, “Great. Thanks.”

“Sorry, dude. You did the right thing,” Erica said, leaning back in her chair. “Doesn’t make it easy though.”

“Yeah…”

Things were quiet as John mulled over what he’d just let happen and both Erica and Tryn stared at him. The goblin slid her seat over and leaned against him, giving his thigh a little squeeze. She looked up at him and bit her lip, “So… what’s going on? Who’s Moira?”

“She’s… Well, she’s kind of like my boss? I don’t really kn-”

The doors slammed open as the Warden herself walked in, clad in her armor, with a determined look on her face that was almost as hard as the shining metal links against her chest. “Erica, give me something to work with. What are we up against?” she snapped, quickly surveying the room. When she saw him, her eyes widened, her expression softened and a hint of pink laced her cheeks… and then her eyes landed on the redhead beside John. Something flashed behind those eyes. Anger, maybe. Sadness? It was gone in an instant, and the flush with it. She pursed her soft lips, reminding him all too much of the last time he’d seen her, and spoke flatly, “J… Newman.”

Guess we’re not on a first name basis anymore.