Lerianna's Day

“So much to work on… I wonder if I can- Oh! Good morning, my Lord!”

Yvara gave a deep bow with her hands clasped in front of her, brown hair sweeping against her scales as she moved into what she considered a properly respectful position. John didn’t move – he knew that Yvara would only apologize for disturbing him if he did, and Aclysia was leaning against him in a way that would’ve required him to disturb her if he moved to greet Yvara.

“Good morning, Yvara. Sleep well?”

“Oh, wonderfully! I dreamt of all manner of improvements I could make,” Yvara said, sounding as if it were the coziest sleep of her life. “Nothing too extravagant, though, I promise. Anything larger than a single piece of furniture will have your explicit approval before I begin. I believe I already mentioned my ideas for a storage shed and a sink?”

“Sure, go ahead. Actually, if you want, you can get pretty creative with the workshop building,” John added, figuring it was a harmless place for Yvara to work her magic. “You’re the only one besides me to do much with raw material crafting. Orria does most of her work outdoors, which you’re quite familiar with.”

“Oh, intimately!” Yvara said. From anyone else, John might have read a bit more meaning into that particular word choice, but from the dragoness he let it slide. “I have already constructed most of a workshop on the Temple grounds, but I may add a specialized toolset or workbench here, if I need it for my purposes. Thank you, Lord John, you are generous as always.”

“Glad to help… anyway, I should really get going now,” John said, standing up from the lounge couch, reluctantly sliding out from under Aclysia. The Artificial Spirit leaned away and straightened herself up, nodding with just a bit of hesitation at John’s absence. “I told- err, I have to take care of something before everyone is up and around. Will you be alright on your own, Aclysia?”

“Oh, I won’t be on my own now, Creator John. Yvara has been very appreciative of my assistance with her works, though I fear it is difficult to teach me much when I cannot communicate with her as easily as I can with you,” Aclysia noted. “But she finds talking about you endlessly fascinating. I believe you will not need to worry about me experiencing further boredom.”

“That’s good. I should be back before too long, but feel free to spend as much time as you want with Yvara. I’m not sure what exactly will be going on this afternoon. Is that alright with you, Yvara?” John asked, before remembering that she couldn’t hear half the conversation. “Aclysia says you’ve been a good teacher.”

“Ah, did she say she wishes to accompany me? She is more than welcome to!” Yvara replied eagerly. “I will mostly be doing small bits and pieces of prep work today, perhaps some further brainstorming, but I always appreciate having company.”

“Thank you for assisting in communication, Creator John.”

“Yeah, no problem,” John said, then blinked as a thought occurred to him. “Oh, I know what I can do this afternoon! I can figure out the recipe for an alternate version of our rings. The enchantment on these things already handles mental communication, I bet I can tweak it and Craft one that just outputs what you want to say from your head to the world outside.”

“If you believe that is wise, Creator John. I think that I would… like being able to talk to Yvara directly,” Aclysia said through their bond, nodding slightly. “Writing messages down is not a great burden, but it does make it difficult to keep up with the others.”

“Well, I can definitely work on it… though we might need to get some enchanting materials first. I already fed you most of what we had.”

“If it requires a significant amount, perhaps it would be better for me to consume it instead? I think I am learning to control my body in new ways. Perhaps I can learn to speak as you do?”

“Hm…”

John thought back to when Aclysia had first been brought to life. When he had asked her to speak out loud so that others could hear her, she seemed to have made a genuine effort – and he saw something in her throat moving.

“Put a pin in that thought. I think I might have a few ideas that don’t involve jewelry,” John said, starting once more toward the staircase. “But right now, I need to get going. I’ll talk to you about this again soon, alright, Aclysia?”

“Of course, Creator John.”

“Go with grace, Lord John!”

John hurriedly made his way up the stairs, knowing that if the others weren’t already up in their rooms, they would be soon. He still didn’t know why Lerianna wanted him there so early in the morning, but she’d seemed so excited that he didn’t want to be late – whenever exactly “late” was.

Thankfully, there was no need to have worried. As the door swung open, Lerianna was already on her feet, bounding off her bed and hopping across the room to usher John inside and shut the door behind him. Her face was tense, perhaps a bit anxious, but she was smiling as she turned toward John after locking the door.

“Okay, so this is my day, right? You’ve just been letting us ask for whatever we want?”

“I mean, within reason?” John said, though it came out almost as a question. Lerianna was fidgeting a bit as she spoke, to the point that John looked up to the device on her ear to make sure that it was properly secured around the base of her long white ears and still functioning properly.

“Well, you… you have to promise not to laugh. In fact, it’s best if you just don’t comment at all,” Lerianna said, scowling just for a moment. “I’m serious. This is… I’m gonna trust you not to make fun of me for this, but it’s something really important to me, and you’re the only one around here who can make it happen.”

“Okay, you’ve really got my attention now. I won’t laugh, go ahead,” John said, waving for her to go on. Lerianna bit her lip for a second, then reached out and grabbed John’s wrist, then started pulling him toward the bed.

“Wait, what exactly are we doing? You still haven’t explained anything,” John said, unable to avoid drawing conclusions in his mind as Lerianna practically dragged him across the room.

“Look, get any perverted thoughts out of your head, and… remember that you said you wouldn’t laugh!” Lerianna huffed, pointing at the bed. “Get on and lay down.”

“Alright, alright,” John replied defensively, holding his hands up in mock surrender as he crawled onto the mattress and laid down over the top sheets, resting his head gently on Lerianna’s pillow. The bunny-girl didn’t seem particularly thrilled as he did so, tapping her foot in annoyance.

“Not like that, on your side! And scoot over a little.”

“Okay, you don’t have to shout, just specify,” John said quickly, holding back a soft chuckle as he flipped onto his left side, facing Lerianna. He was expecting another command to get barked at him, but instead, Lerianna hesitated for a moment and refused to meet his gaze.

John waited in silence, not wanting to give her any reason to back out of whatever she was planning, and eventually Lerianna found whatever courage she was seeking. Hesitantly, almost as if climbing into his bed rather than her own, Lerianna laid down in the bed just a few inches away from John, then slowly turned to face away from him. She laid there for several seconds unmoving, not even speaking a word, leaving John to simply stare and let his eyes wander across her muscular form and the tight uniform that hugged her every curve.

“Okay, now… just scoot closer,” Lerianna finally said, so quietly John would’ve missed it if the room weren’t absolutely still. John paused for a moment, considering briefly if this was some kind of a trick, then began inching across the bedsheets. “Yeah, closer… closer…”

By Lerianna’s posture and the way the muscles on her back clearly tensed, she was just as nervous as he was, but she didn’t flinch away. She didn’t even chastise John for taking so long, like she was being as cautious as he was. But there was only so much bed between them, and after just a matter of seconds, the two of them were pressed together. Even if John needed to breathe, the novelty of the situation would’ve had him holding his breath now. Barring the “testing” in the lab, this was the closest he’d ever come to Lerianna, and that had been under duress. The most she’d ever asked or allowed him to do was braid her hair and give her a very safe massage when he was Siphoning off her Libido.

“Okay, now just put your hand over my waist… then shut up for a while.”

Somewhat confused, John did as he was asked. He wrapped his right arm around Lerianna in the same way that he would cuddle up to any of his lovers, resting it on her hip while keeping his hand safely above her more intimate regions. John had to admit, that didn’t make things much less appealing – Sophia may have had a warrior’s body, but Lerianna’s was that of a bodybuilder, tight and toned in all the most glorious of ways. Her abs felt like steel under his palm, and he couldn’t stop himself from pressing his palm softly against them.

“H-hey, don’t… no, it’s fine,” Lerianna said, anger dying as quickly as it had come. “Just… don’t get too handsy.”

“Alright, sorry.”

This time there was no response. At first, as the seconds stretched into minutes, John felt a bit uncomfortable, but after a while he started to relax. Having realized he wasn’t in imminent danger of getting donkey-kicked out of the bed, John’s mind became quiet enough to enjoy what his body was telling him. And what it was telling him was that a very attractive bunny-girl was currently pressed up against him in a very pleasant way.

“Geez, you really are completely hopeless. Has it even been five minutes yet, you pervert?” Lerianna said, sounding a bit more like her old self.

“Ah, sorry. Pressed up against you like this, I guess it was a little too much for my body to ignore,” John said, finally letting free the awkward chuckle he’d been biting back the whole time. “You want me to leave?”

“No. It can’t be helped,” Lerianna said, though she sighed a little as she did so. “Just, um, just stay for a little while longer. This is harder than I thought.”

“Alright, Lerianna. Whatever you want.”

That seemed to make her even more tense, though only for a moment before she started to relax into him again. John considered moving his hips back slightly, but figured that at this point it was best to just leave things be unless Lerianna told him to move. Besides, it was hard enough not exploding with the curiosity now bubbling over inside of him.

“Was this… did she just want to cuddle? Is this another test, something to make sure that the device is working? Or is she just fucking with me at this point?”

“Okay. Okay, I think I’m good now. Listen, I’m gonna…” Lerianna trailed off, voice fading into murmurs, and then nothing at all. A beat passed, then she took a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m gonna turn the device down. Just a little, but I need you to promise me something. If I start to lose control, if I’m… if I start to act like I did back in the lab, you have to stop me again. Promise?”

“Of course, you don’t even have to ask,” John replied without hesitation. “I know how important being in control is to you, Lerianna. I know how hard you have to work for it. As long as I’m around, I promise I won’t let you do anything you’d regret.”

“...Yeah, you wouldn’t, would you?”

Lerianna whispered that part more to herself, but John heard it all the same. The bodybuilder’s hands found their way to the small ring around her ear and twisted it, powering the device down ever so slightly. All the same, the reaction was noticeable. A wave of tension passed through Lerianna’s body, a shudder of motion that rippled through her form and into John’s own. As it passed, John was shocked to notice that he could actually feel her body heating up; even if it was only slightly, such a rapid increase seemed like it couldn’t be healthy.

But Lerianna said nothing of the reaction. She only continued to sit there, pressing a little more firmly against John in spite of his erection, and her breaths coming just a bit more ragged than they had before. Somehow, she still seemed a bit more at ease after a few moments had passed, her body reluctantly loosening up a bit and sinking into the soft mattress just a little bit more. John did his best to keep his questions to himself for as long as he could, trying to enjoy the moment, but even he had his limits.

“Well, is it working? Whatever it is?” John asked eventually, voice as quiet as it could be to avoid disturbing her. Lerianna didn’t respond, or even acknowledge his words with a grunt or gesture. John let a few more minutes pass uninterrupted, allowing Lerianna whatever silence and contemplation she seemed to be seeking.

If it weren’t for the occasional twitch or slight shift she made to get more comfortable, John might have thought she’d drifted off to sleep entirely. That changed a short time after his question, when the twitches and shifting turned a bit more erratic, and John heard her breathing become quick and irregular. John gave it a few more moments, but eventually the need to speak grew greater than the desire to let her have whatever this moment was to her, if only to make sure she was okay. John propped himself up slightly with one arm, leaning over to check on her as he spoke.

“Lerianna, are you- Oh.”

John wasn’t sure what else to say as he looked down at the willful woman. Lerianna’s caramel skin was marred with streaks of tears, her eyes shut tightly as if trying to seal them off, yet her face was twisted into one of the most exuberant smiles he’d ever seen on her. She opened her eyes a moment after he spoke, meeting his gaze with a touch of surprise as she tried to stifle the sobs somewhat. Even as she finally managed a response, there was a waver to her voice, a quiver in the otherwise unshakeable woman’s tone that might have saddened John… if the manic smile didn’t grow even wider as she looked into his eyes.

“S-sorry, I’m… I know I should’ve just been clear, but I… I’m just so happy…” Lerianna managed to babble out, biting down on one of her gloved hands to stifle a giggle that threatened to become a wracking sob. “I… I didn’t think this would work. I was so scared that…”

As she cut off again to gasp for air, John gently patted the hand that was still resting gently on her stomach. He gave it a caress, more tender and less transfixed than his earlier explorations, and laid himself down behind her again.

“It’s alright. Take your time, I can wait.”

“T-Thank you.”

The curiosity in John had only grown stronger, but if something as simple as this was affecting Lerianna so strongly, what she was experiencing was more important than his own impatience. Lerianna took a short while to calm herself down, the sound of sobbing growing quiet again and the erratic pulses of her breathing slowly returning to a normal, if quickened, pace. Lerianna gave a few quick sniffles and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before she finally spoke again.

“Back in the lab, when Tricia had us test to make sure it was working effectively enough… when we kissed with this thing working at full capacity, it was like I was dead inside,” Lerianna finally worked out of herself, voice sounding almost hollow inside. “I didn’t feel anything but pressure, just a quick peck and then done. At first, I was so happy. Before, just being around you – or any guy we weren’t actively beating the hell out of – was enough to set my hormones off. But then I started thinking about what that really means. Is that gonna be my whole life? Just stuck between being a rampaging hormonal mess of raw lust or a totally numb woman who doesn’t even get a tiny bit of pleasure out of anything?”

“So that’s why you turned down the device? You wanted to figure out how far you could push yourself without losing control?”

“What? No, not quite like that; I’m not interested in pushing the limits and seeing what I can get away with,” Lerianna clarified. “I just wanted to know if there was a middle ground between numb and overstimulated. Even when you used that Siphon ability on me before, I was able to keep in control, but just barely… and even you playing with my hair had me on edge. I wanted to know if this thing would let me feel… normal sometimes. Maybe not even all the time – being able to focus completely, without any distractions? That feels amazing. But I don’t want to go through my whole life like a robot.”

“Kinda… yeah,” John admitted. It was the same thing Tricia had expressed multiple times, if in different words, and Lerianna had only experienced it for a few days now.

“Like this, even with the regulator turned down just a little, I’m terrified. I’m afraid because I’ve never been able to let my guard down. But… there’s a middle ground now. I can feel it, I can feel everything, and not lose myself. My hormones are still flowing, but they’re not overpowering. I can control it, I can rationalize, I’m still the one at the wheel. Even when it feels…”

Lerianna let her voice grow quiet, leaning slightly into the pillow. Her body tensed one more time and gave a long shiver, one filled with spasms that shook the bed gently as all the tension seemed to leech out of her body at once.

“Thank you, John. Now… I’d like to be alone for a little while, if you don’t mind?”

“Of course, I understand.”

John gently lifted his arm from Lerianna’s side and made his way out of the bed, doing his best to keep from jostling her too much as he headed for the door.

“Um, I… Look, don’t make a big deal out of this or anything, okay? Don’t… don’t tell the others?” Lerianna asked quietly.

“Of course. This stays between us,” John promised. Lerianna gave him a wide smile, her wet eyes glistening in the soft lighting of the bedroom.

“Thank you, again. Now… get the hell out of my room, pervert.”

John gave her one last grin and stuck his tongue out at the belligerent rabbit girl on his way out the door, glad to see a little of her old self returning. Just before he fully shut the door, a few whispered words slipped through the doorway, winding their way into John’s ears and bringing a smile to John’s lips that mirrored the one still plastered across Lerianna’s face.