-Jerome K. Jerome

"So, what exactly did you need help with?"

"I've dealt with the Brightons… for now, at least. Since there's enough food in the other world for now and we've already squeezed in plenty of training, there's something I've been putting off dealing with: it's my mother."

"Righ', didn' you tell 'er somethin' about a Brighton boot camp? You mentioned it when you told me we'd be stayin' 'ere."

"Yeah, something like that. But I already had to use Deception to get that by her, and how am I going to explain this apartment? If anyone asks before I can get the proper documentation, I can't even prove I have an income, and I really don't need some kind of investigation for money laundering piled on top of all the actual magical shit I have to deal with."

"Maybe you shouldn't'a dropped outta school just 'cause you make a few bucks killin monstahs?"

"No, I'd be even more **** to attack there… and accomplishing half as much. But I need a way to explain things - verbally, if legally is still a bit out of reach. But this goes beyond making someone believe a lie, this goes way beyond just lying about an intensive after-school studying program, and I think she barely believed me then. That's why, even though I can't stand it, I need to up my lying game here."

Without elaborating further, John placed a single red solo cup on the table between them. Given the limited supplies and furniture John had to work with in the Brighton safehouse, all he could do was seat himself across from Seras with a foldable table between them, but he hoped that was all he needed. Seras quirked her head at the disposable cup, glancing between it and John for a few moments.

"What, you gonna 'ave a drinkin' contest with me? You didn't even like the whiskey Lord Brighton gave you!"

"Seras, I need you to listen very closely. Understand what I'm about to say. This cup… is blue."

Deception Failed!

Seras blinked, her eyes flickering once again. "Are you… are you alrigh', Master?"

"Seras, this cup is blue."

Deception Failed!

"Seriously, you're startin' to-"

"This is a blue cup."

Deception Failed!

"Alrigh', what's- oh. You're-"

"This is a blue solo cup."

Deception Failed!

Seras had finally seemed to catch onto what John was doing, but that didn't aid in his successes at all. John continued for several minutes, eventually running out of mana and having to drain what he could from Seras. Her advanced level had given her a substantial mana pool, thankfully, yet John still couldn't succeed in a simple but obvious lie. Eventually, they decided to break for dinner, having eaten little themselves since the incident with Sophia and Moira.

"Maybe you need to try doin' it differen'ly?" Seras suggested over a plate of what John could only described as the most freezer burnt meat he'd experienced in some time. "Etriyya taught you a few things, right? Go offa what she told you."

"I mean, that was a bit different," John explained, grimacing. "She was teaching me how to shoot a bolt of lightning out of my fingers - I don't know how applicable that really is to lying…"

"'s worth a shot, innit? No sense in just beatin' your 'ead into a wall until it breaks."

"…My head or the wall?"

John didn't get an answer. All he got was a headache as he found himself facing the wall again, sitting across from Seras with a partially restored mana pool. He didn't have as many tries as before, but John needed this. His mother would expect him home either tomorrow or Saturday - he hadn't been explicit about the return day, only that it was a "week long" extracurricular training.

"Seras…" John breathed, focusing on her intently. He stared into her eyes, those endless ruby depths, and spoke as calmly and convincingly as he could manage.

"This is a blue solo cup."

Deception… failed?

"Was it? I uh- n-no, it was red, they don' even call 'em blue solos," Seras said, shaking her head. All the same, she glanced down as if to confirm her suspicions. John pressed her while he could, envisioning the connection between them. Mana flowed and whirled between their minds, unifying thoughts for a brief moment.

"This cup is the color blue. Nothing else."

Deception… succeeded?

"Yeah, I mean- of course it's… not? No, that's not what blue is, is it? Master, what are-"

Mana wasn't his conduit. Words were - words controlled thought, emotions, and reality itself when applied correctly. John spoke, and Seras obeyed. So it was spoken, so it was. John's voice filled the world, and Seras' world reshaped itself to fit those words.

?????? ???????? Succeeded!

"I… yeah, of course it is, what else would it be?"

Seras never looked down. She gazed into John's eyes, no longer hesitating after her first stumble. There was trust in those eyes, a trust John no longer deserved. It burned like hellfire, and John recoiled from the open honesty he faced.

"Holy shit, no it isn't! It's red, by Gaia, look!"

Seras blinked a few times and glanced down to the cup, at first rather unsure. When it became obvious that her eyes were not matching up to her newly accepted reality, the fear and unsettling doubt began to creep in.

"Y-you're right, it's not. I knew it wasn't, but I believed you, didn't think you could- Master, did you… did it work?"

Skill Innovation! New Skill learned!

Mental Override Level 1 - Fully convince a target of a falsehood, regardless of the feasibility of the new fact or the target's knowledge to the contrary. This skill casts a low-level illusion spell over the target which attempts to dissuade it from visually, verbally, or physically disproving the lie and which attempts to prevent outside sources (including memories) from revealing the lie. If enough evidence is produced or a powerful enough figure influences the target, the illusion may be broken. The skill's success - as well as its resilience to outside influence - is based on the user's Charisma, the target's Wisdom score, the absurdity of the lie, the Relationship score between user and target, the importance of the original truth to the target, and the Charisma, Relationship score, and feasibility of any outside influences or persons attempting to break the illusion on the target. Any disruption of the illusion spell will allow the target to free themselves upon recalling the original truth or being presented with evidence to the contrary, but will not in itself restore the target to their original state. Mana Cost: 50

"Yeah, seems like it. No other way you'd be tricked like that, even for a moment. What did it feel like?"

"Like… I dunno, like I just sort of forgot what we were doin'. I didn' even wanna look at the table, I just figured you were tellin' the truth, cause why wouldn't you? You're my Master, and…"

Seras eyes narrowed a bit, obviously conflicted. Based on the ability's description, John assumed the biggest reason it worked on her was their relationship score… clearly by her expression, her reliance on that to believe him had hurt her when the lie was revealed. John was reminded of the pangs of guilt that struck him every time he saw a Deception message pop up.

"Seras, I'm sorry. That must have really hurt. I learned a new ability, a magical ability to lie instead of the one I already had that just increased the chances. I promise you, I will never use it on you again. I don't even want to use it the way I have to, I just… I need some way to keep my mother out of danger and to make sure she doesn't come looking for me or think I've run away from home. I swear on my life that I will not deceive you with this again."

"I um… I believe you, I do, just… that's a new feelin'," Seras murmured, glancing at the cup again.

"I know… sorry. I honestly can never be sure what's going to happen when I practice these. To be honest, without your help I might have broken something against that wall you were talking about, so I actually owe you a lot more than just the end result. I meant what I said, though - this is a last-resort thing. I already don't like lying, and it hurt enough to lead you along when I first Purified you. I won't use this on you. I couldn't live with myself if I did."

"Thanks. I hope that's you sayin' it an' not just the ability," Seras said. John's eyes had just enough time to gape before Seras stuck out her tongue, giving him a full raspberry before smiling again. "I'm just yankin' you around. If my faith was that easily shaken, you wouldn't really be Master, would you?'

"That's… comforting and terrifying," John admitted, laughing. "I'll try to be worthy of these constantly rising standards."

"Alrigh' then, your turn to 'elp me," Seras interjected, pointing seriously at John.

"'elp - I mean, help you? How?"

"Well…" Seras trailed off, reaching forward and gingerly moving the table between them to the side. "You ain’t the only one wantin' to practice. My skills are a bit less bleedin' edge, a'course, but I 'ope you'll get just as much satisfaction out of them."

John was still trying to figure out just what Seras meant when it became almost painfully obvious. Seras reached forward and pulled at John's pants with inhuman strength. He was grateful for the frailty of mortal materials, if only because of how much pressure was already exerted on his crotch before the button and zipper of his jeans finally gave way. Seras pried free the denim from his legs, and by the time John's freed member was at half-mast, the blonde vampiress already had a free hand wrapped around his cock.

"Waited twenty-odd years to do this," Seras explained, smirking up as her hand began slow, long strokes along John's length, "and I ain't lettin' a bit of angst an' a few self-righteous religious nuts stand in the way of a real nut."

"Gonna let that one slide on the grounds that… I actually can't move right now," John admitted, groaning as Seras' gloved palm worked along his shaft. Seras proclaimed innocence and a fair heart, but her hands were filled with a desire and a rapid learning that John couldn't even attribute to his Gamer skills. What roughness and unsteady pace she managed was offset by the desire in her eyes and the eagerness behind her grip.

"Guess that means you're all mine… not that I mind. You've been takin' care of us for so long, maybe we can all take care of you for a change."

"We?" John asked, only half-jokingly. Seras wrapped her hand just a little bit tighter, sticking her tongue out at him. The joking face rapidly morphed into a sexy tease as she danced the very tip of her soft tongue against his shaft, all the way up to the head of John's cock where she pulled away with the slightest swirl along the giving flesh.

"Well… y'know," Seras began, avoiding his eyes as she kept working his rapidly-hardening dick, "all of us owe you a lot, an' Maera seems to really like you. Pretty sure if you spent a bit more time around the black-'aired one, she'd warm up to you too. She already acts like she wants to curl up at your feet, Master."

"Really? I mean-" John fought to maintain his attention on Seras' words, not sure what she wanted - conversation or stimulation. He did his best to find a happy middle ground. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, whenever you ain't lookin' at 'er, she starts sneakin' glances between you an' 'er sister. I think that time you plowed 'er while the white-'aired one tweaked 'er nips really stuck in 'er mind."

"You… you know about that?" John asked. Seras' grip shifted, almost dangerously, but her grin remained unmoved. She simply tightened up her fingers, stroked a little faster, and dared to let her tongue flick out for the briefest instant. Despite the motions being unpracticed and a bit overly-forceful, Seras' lewd expressions alone made John's cock throb with pleasure.

"Vampire, remembah? I can see about twice as far as I'd need to catch you anywhere around that lake… yeah, I saw it. Bit inconsiderate, don't you think?"

"I mean… I didn't really… didn't know what we were back then," John groaned, emotions almost - almost - powerful enough to overwhelm the rising pleasure in him and bring him down. Instead Seras seemed to redouble her efforts, even as she lightly chided him.

"You really should be, ya know. Seriously, a young virgin vampire, 'oos been cravin' your blood for days at that point, an' you have the gall to go off and bang a sexy little Neko while she's sittin' right on the other side of a couple 'ills? I was practically swimmin' in me britches that night. Lucky you bought me plenty when we went shoppin', but still…"

"That is so fucking sexy. I think you could say anything with that accent… and did you just call Mithra sexy?"

The last part was almost an afterthought, John's mind too distracted by the feeling of Seras' palms gliding along his cock, now more confidently than ever. Seras seemed to take it as something more, blushing furiously, her face trying as ferociously as it could to match the glistening crimson of her eyes.

"W-well, I mean…" the vampiress' confidence broke down for a few moments, revealing the uncertain and sexually frustrated woman beneath, "…are you disagreein'?"

"N-no, I just didn't expect it. Wait, were you watching because you were jealous of her or me?"

"I-I mean…"

Seras halted her actions, her eyes meeting John's in a moment of vulnerability. She flickered between fighting to look away and fighting to hold his gaze, fingers still wrapped tightly around his member.

"Both, maybe? I-I wasn't a virgin by choice, not exactly. I was as randy an' ready as anyone, just… a bit more shy than everyone else. Think I was straight, or maybe I just thought I was. Always figured I'd end up with some guy 'oo could 'andle my drive, keep up with my career, 'an really throw me a good one now an' then. In the Academy I… I stole a couple glances at the other women in the showers, caught a few of 'em between the sheets, an' I guess I'd seen enough of 'em sweaty and bothered to start imaginin' it. Couple lonely nights an' I started imagining a pair of smooth thighs between mine, workin' me over with a touch a little more familia' with a woman's bits and bobs… I knew what you were doin' with the ladies. I wasn't really mad, more envious really."

John wasn't sure when Seras had resumed her stroking, too focused on her words to notice. He finally became aware when his body started to twitch of its own volition, driven by the rapidly accelerating stroking from the voluptuous vampire.

"A-are you seriously telling me that you're bi? The Nekos would've had a field day with you if they knew that!"

"Y-you didn' really leave me alone in that place for long. They seemed really eager, but every time I though' about tryin' it, you would show up and say we were goin' 'ome or say tha' we 'ad to start trainin'. Every time you'd sneak off with 'em, I wanted to follow, I was just too shy. Couldn' 'elp myself, sometimes… sometimes when I knew you'd be a while, I'd run off into the woods an' 'ave a quick wank while you were faffin' about. I'd always fantasized about you, but there were a few times I thought about, you know, leadin' one of the Nekos out there with me. Lettin' em do what they did to the ginger, really go to town, show me what they could do."

John groaned, his physical stimulation amplified by his oversexualized visions of Seras trying to seduce the always-eager Nekos, grinding up against them and putting those massive mammaries of hers to the test. The sexiest image had to be of the British police girl trying to quietly run off into the woods, finding the most secluded place she could to polish one off, and to the thought of John giving his all to one of the sexy catgirls…

"You are the best thing I will ever create and the sexiest thing I've ever even imagined," John groaned, running his fingers through Seras’ hair and gripping it tightly. The blonde smirked a bit, seeing his distant gaze and reading the thoughts on his mind.

"Quit thinkin' about the past, Master. I'm 'ere, right now."

Once she was finished speaking, Seras leaned forward into John's crotch fully, opening her mouth even wider and engulfing him from head to halfway down his shaft. John was worried about her for a moment, thinking she was pushing herself to hard, but her undead biology showed no signs of even recognizing a gag reflex, as she slowly slid herself toward his base. Before she had reached the two-thirds mark, John could feel her throat begin to open for him, a monstrously tight wall of textured and rippling flesh enclosing the head of his cock.

"By fucking Gaia," John wheezed, "who needs experience? You've got talent."

Seras hummed in a satisfied manner while repeatedly impaling herself, picking up the pace as she quickly realized how little of an obstacle lack of air and a clogged throat were for a creature of the night. Before long John was fighting to hold himself back, wanting to enjoy the feeling of the beauty before him doing her absolute best to pleasure him for just a little while longer.

"You spent so long fantasizing about things like this," John breathed, trying to distract both himself and Seras from the throat-fucking, "it'd be a crime to deny you. You even lusted after the Nekos, you dirty girl. Well, maybe next time they have a Caturday worth remembering, I'll let you handle them instead. You're strong and fierce, and even though you're shy you sure as hell seem to know what you want. I bet you can pin them down, ravish their bodies, and the whole time they'd moan your name as you mount them and spread your lips across their - holy fucking shit!"

John's filthy fantasies were cut short as Seras let out a long and violent moan, her whole body quivering - particularly her throat, which sent John into spasms of his own. He hadn't seen the point at which her hand crept down between her legs and into the waistband of her dress pants, but crept it had, and Seras' entire body showed the results of her own idle toying and John's sharing of his lewd fantasy. Her responses and involuntary reactions drove him past the point of no return, the perfect O-face of his blonde partner too succulent an image to resist for even a moment longer. John's cock throbbed with a violent orgasm, spending himself deep within her throat as Seras mindlessly thrust herself upon him, eyes unfocused, throat clenching uncontrollably.

As the last of his essence was deposited and John's member began to slowly soften, he found the mental fortitude required to withdraw himself from the cavern of pleasure that he had turned his beautiful companion's mouth into. Seras found herself more quickly than he had, blinking rapidly the moment that he pulled himself free of her, eyes meeting his almost immediately.

"That… that was amazing," Seras breathed, two fingers raising to unconsciously brush along her tongue. "It tastes like you."

"Like… me?"

"Yeah, I know it's totally differen', but when I feel that stuff on my tongue, it's like when I drank from your neck. All I can think about is you an' you bein' a part of me, an' it's all so wonderful."

"Ever wonder what other people taste like? Maybe a horny catgirl, or a lonely Canid?"

"I… maybe," Seras whispered, blushing a bit. The act now finished, her shyness appeared to have bloomed where her arousal had faltered. "This is all new to me, you know? Can't 'elp a bit of curiosity."

"We're going to have a long discussion about our relationship and its boundaries," John admitted, shrugging as he rested his hands on Seras' heaving shoulders, "but I can only hope it's going to end with me watching you and the Nekos show each other real sisterly bonding!"

"I… I think I might like that, actually."