-Erich Maria Remarque

When Tricia eventually recovered herself, she finished her scan, administered what must have been a monumental amount of sedatives, and thanked John for his attentiveness. Every fiber of his being screamed out for him to tell her not to go, but John couldn't do anything more for the Gorbachev until he had his own situation under control.

The silence he received over the following day was infuriating. Moira's silence was almost as unbearable. After having her plans postponed again, Moira withdrew into herself and avoided most contact with John. The best response he could get to his inquiries was a reassurance that things were in motion which could not be undone… needless to say, John slept quite restlessly after that one.

Fortunately, the break from madness provided John with a variety of outlets for the part of him just under the surface that had no desire more powerful than to simply turn to the heavens and scream until his lungs gave out. First came his personal training the following morning, after Tricia and the Order had departed and his World Shift finished its cooldown while they all slept. John had grown tired of his primary options for confrontation being total domination or retreating to a pocket world; surprisingly, it took only a few hours of practice before he was finally able to retrieve Sophia from the other realm. Shortly after a break for lunch, John conjured a particularly startled harpy into his lap.

Literally.

Sophia's body was so tense that John thought at first she had actually fallen into their world, but it was simply her instincts kicking in as she rapidly swayed from side to side, fighting for a balance she'd never truly lost and examining her new surroundings. When she realized she was no longer in the same place she had been moments ago, Sophia focused her gaze on John. The annoyance and exasperation on her face only faded by half when she realized whose legs were underneath her own.

"I was hoping that there might be some kind of warning before I was called," Sophia noted, glancing over the room. "So then this is your home in this world?"

"Indeed…" John said, only half paying attention as a pop-up came into view.

Skill Innovation! New Skill learned!

Summoner's Warp Level 1 - Transfer a Purified Creation with a positive relationship value between the old world and the new world.
Mana Cost: 50
Cooldown: Shared cooldown with World Shift.

"Well, now that I am here… what would you have me do, Father?"

"Err… honestly, I don't have anything that really needs to be done right now. How about you pick a bed or a room and make yourself at home? I know this place is new, but we spend quite a bit of time here too, and until I get the cooldown on World Shift to a lower time frame, you're going to be stuck in one place or the other a lot."

"I suppose this is acceptable… I could do my best to make myself at home. May I sleep with you, Father?"

"I mean, I don't think so… we already had to push two beds together, I don't really think there'd be much room with a third person. These are kind of made for solo sleeping arrangements."

"I could certainly move a third over without complaint - the effort is not even worth mentioning. Surely it would be worth the nights we could share and the pleasures that I could show you. I am certain that the blonde and I together could give you many nights to remember, if you were so interested in my humble form…"

John blinked rapidly at the sudden and unexpected change in Sophia, a desire entering her eyes that he didn't even know she could feel. She never left his lap, grinding against John slightly as she spoke, just the corner of her teasing smile visible to John.

"Wh- I thought you called me Father!" John exclaimed, surprised not only by her terminology but by her attitude. Sophia shrugged innocently, her face unmoved as if the statement meant nothing to her.

"Of course. And as my Father, you are entitled to my body. Be that in labor, in combat, or in the bedroom. You gave me life - I must give you my everything."

"That is unhealthy in so many ways, but for starters-"

"For starters, 'e's off limits!" Seras emphasized, striding forward and grabbing Sophia by the shoulders to move her off. Instead of acquiescing, the harpy woman flared out her wings, nearly knocking John in the chin, and stood to face Seras with a fury in her eyes.

"I am tired of you hoarding our Father to yourself!" Sophia shouted, feathers menacingly flexing as her wingspan spread nearly wall-to-wall. "You may be the greatest warrior of our flock, but you cannot bully the others into submission!"

"What? I ain't bullyin' anybody! 'e loves me, an' I love 'im! Just because you've got some weird daddy kinks doesn't mean that I'm gonna let you get in between us!"

"In between you? I wasn't aware that-" Now Sophia took her turn to appear surprised, glancing between John and Seras with a new perspective. "I'm so sorry, Mother!"

"Glad you figured out tha- WHA'?"

Seras voice was an echo in the void that John's mind had become. Torn between treating the title of Father as one of respect, authority, or simply paternal instinct, John was presented with a new perspective on it - that of Seras as a "Mother". Something she was in no way ready for, mentally or physically.

"I knew that you two had shared moments of intimacy - the tension and body language between the two of you was undeniable from the moment I met you, but I did not imagine that you had already chosen your mate!" Sophia's words were reverent, but John was only capable of further confusion.

"I'm… pretty sure we've expressed our love in front of you before," John noted, gently placing his hands between the two women that were no longer aggressively posturing toward each other but were simply at a stalemate. "Even if we hadn't, I'm damn sure we have made out in front of you."

"Of course," Sophia said with a smile, "and Father is entitled to as many of his children as he wishes. Mother is, as well, should Father permit it - and I believe that would be a most appropriate way to repay you for my insolence, would it not? I can tell you are in need of release. Your smell permeates the air. Why Father has not already torn asunder your garments and left his mark upon you, I can only begin to wonder…"

Seras' aggression had turned to a certain shyness now, as the vampiress took in what Sophia was saying in full. She backed away, only a step, just enough for Sophia to pounce. The harpy leapt forward, and though Seras' level was higher and her stats undoubtedly superior, the vampiress did not muster the strength to stop her quickly enough to prevent herself from being thrown onto one of the unoccupied beds they hadn't cleared out of the barracks room yet.

"W-what are you-"

"Mother… let me show you how sorry I am, truly."

Sophia's words were spoken somewhat seriously, remorse evident even in her tone. It would have been a touching moment, one that might have brought the two closer together, if it weren't for the fact that, as she spoke, Sophia was kneeling between Seras' now spread legs and inching her face ever closer to the vampiress' covered nethers.

"This ain't no apology I ever 'eard of! An' this is not 'ow you treat a mum! I ain't even ready to be a mum, and I ain't ready for this!"

Seras seemed so caught off guard by the sudden change of tone and action that she could scarcely muster enough strength to clench her thighs - Sophia proceeded unabated, her hands beginning to wrap around the waist of Seras' long pants while her face hovered less than an inch away from contact with the covered bits. John was torn; on the one hand, Seras was very clearly freaking out too much to muster her full strength so she could properly put an end to the harpy's unwanted(?) advances.

On the other hand, between the rapid shift in conversation and Sophia's insistence on the use of parental terms every time she spoke to them… John had broken his own record for strangest boner. He was quite tempted to just let things proceed and see if Seras was fighting Sophia or her own desires.