Be Defensive

"I'm not planning to turn them into mindless sex slaves," you cautiously reply, "If that's what you're implying."

"It is not," Zizana says, though there is a very small shift in her demeanor you cannot fully read, "No matter how loosely a master holds the leash, their pet is still tethered to them. And thus, they are the master's responsibility to ensure they... behave in public."

You resist the urge to squirm under the Professor's pointed gaze. Poorly.

"And I can see you have not realized how tight your grip to those two has been so far," she continues, "If you do not establish firm and inarguable order over them first, then when the emotions of the others you have ensnared begin to reach the same point, the disruptions will grow more numerous and escalate in scale. I may not be there to prevent damage next time."

"'Establish order'?" you ask.

"Firm, inarguable order," Zizana repeats, "Like making them 'mindless sex slaves' as you put it."

Your jaw drops for a moment as you boggle at the Professor and whatever soundproofing the runes provides must be enough that she is unmoved as you shout, "I thought you said that WASN'T what you were implying!"

"It was not," she replies, "But it IS one solution to the problem. Centering their thoughts so completely on you that questions such as 'who is superior' are meaningless. Your superiority to them is all that would matter, after all."

The dark skinned elven stands and leans forward, placing her hands on the desk. "There would be other problems with that solution, of course."

"Of course," you grumble before deciding to let her know at least a little bit about what is going on, "And they have already agreed to something to settle things between them already, so this should be the only time something like what happened today... well... happens."

It is not like you could just tell her that it was going to be via a sex duel, but that was still the truth of the matter. She strokes her chin a few times in thought before she nods. "I will hold you to that," she says, "But that goes for any other you will inevitably pull into your influence."

You chew on your lower lip as you wrestle with your own thoughts. "Inevitably," you repeat, "You say that like everyone I ever meet is going to be hit with these things in the end. And there's nothing I can do about that?"

A snort comes out of the teacher's mouth. "First eye contact or a simple 'hello' does not start the process. But any meaningful connection, and the more time you spend building upon it, will."

A small, nervous smirk comes to your lips. "Then aren't you in danger of having it happen too."

"Perhaps," she bluntly replies, catching you by surprise, "But I cannot see how someone like you would want a scarred old thing like me."

Wait. Did the zipper on her tracksuit come partway down at some point? You could have sworn she was fully covered before when she first leaned forward but now you can clearly see a fair amount of her dark cleavage with visibly lighter scar lines crossing it. In curiosity, you let your eyes go unfocused but while you can see her clearly glowing Lifelines, you see no sign of a magical link between her and you. At least not yet.

As a further test, you ask, "But what if I did?"

Her one visible eye widens for a brief moment in surprise and, in that same short moment, you almost see the first sign of a Soul Rein forming. However, that surprise fades quickly, and much like Susan did the first time it appeared a Soul Rein would bind her, Professor Zizana banishes it away with a hand wave.

"That would be dangerous for you," she finally replies, "As it would be if any teacher came under your sway."

"Then I guess I'd better avoid ensnaring any teachers, huh? If that's even possible from what you and Mrs Harker have said."

"There is one way. Run."

Once again, you are caught by surprise by the response as she clarifies her point. "Take what girls you have bonded to you already and run with them to somewhere you will never interact with any other being ever again. That means both the elder and younger Harkers, Ashcroft, Lune, Belmond, and whoever else you already have on those other Reins coming off of you."

That... seems very unfeasible. You doubt Harmony's or Selena's families would be willing to lend you money to buy a house somewhere big enough for you and your harem anyw-- no, you should not even be CONSIDERING something like that! And why are you thinking of them as a "harem"? Are things really at that stage yet? Or have they been there all along and you have not been able to admit it to yourself?

Professor Zizana's emotional mask briefly slips again, this time showing just a quantum of sympathy as she notices that you seemingly are actually thinking about that option. "That is obviously not an option for you, is it?"

You shake your head. "No. I realize it's selfish and maybe a little dangerous. But there's things I need to do and maybe there IS a way to control this power and free those who don't want to be a part of it. And also... also..."

Another slip of emotion, a brief smirk, forms on the dark skinned elven's lips as you try to articulate what you are feeling. "You have as much a right to live your life as anyone else."

"Yeah."

"You sound very much like someone I knew and respected a long time ago," she says and you notice her right arm twitch lightly, as if she were considering moving her hand towards you... and in that moment, you see a new thread starting to connect from her to you.

Professor Zizana seems unaware of this one and that may leave her ****. Someone who may have answers to a lot of questions about what has been going on here and what this mysterious group may actually want from you could be in the palm of your hand if you wait just another second and then magically PULL with all your might.