-Philip K. Dick

"M-master, are you ever gonna say somethin'? You've been sittin' there for almost an hour."

As with every time she had tried to engage him before, Seras' words more or less washed over John. He continued staring at Mithra, who had long since dozed off again with her head in his lap while enjoying John's right hand resting gently upon the hardened curvature of her abs and his left running through her hair. The Neko gently nuzzled into the makeshift pillow, stirring only long enough to glare at John if his left hand ever ceased its motions for too long.

"I, uh," John began, stumbling over his words and being **** to swallow a few times to prepare his dry and uncertain throat, "I guess you're probably gonna break up with me now, huh?"

"Wait, an 'our'a silence, you find out you're gonna be a real 'Father', and that's the first thing outta your mouth?"

"I mean, I guess you kind of already knew - shit, I was trying to talk you into seducing them yourself," John admitted with a shrug, "but I didn't think anything like this would happen. I knew it could, but I was so caught up with all the Gamer stuff and trying not to die… you didn't sign on to take care of a bunch of half-kittens or deal with the consequences of my actions. I mean, if you wanted to break things off…"

"Quit lookin' for excuses to make yourself more miserable," Seras grunted. "What's the difference between now and when she pops? You were already bangin' 'er, ain't changed my perspective on that. You were already takin' care of 'er completely an' lettin' 'er live in the 'ouse you made for us all, not exactly any new surprises there except for a few new mouths to feed. Aside from worryin' a bit about whether or not I even 'ave a functional set of ovaries on me anymore, what's changed?"

"That's... that helps, actually," John noted, blinking a bit as the forceful and blunt nature of Seras' tone brought him out of his contemplative reverie. "Really, thanks. I- I was so busy thinking about how much this changed things, kind of lost myself."

"When I was at the orphanage," Seras began quietly, leaning in and lowering her voice as much as she could without becoming difficult to hear, "everyone wanted to treat me like a glass sculpture. They all said I was lucky to 'ave survived an' that I was strong and brave. An' I was, I guess, 'cause I never just broke down in a corner an' cried. I actually liked it when the other kids would try an' bully me, an' not just 'cause it was fun beatin' the daylight out of 'em. The ones 'oo picked on me, the ones 'oo tried to make my life hell… they were the only ones that didn't look at me like I'd 'ave been better off dead."

John stared, wide-eyed at Seras' sudden sharing of her personal life. Even Mithra stiffened a bit in his lap, though she dared not open her eyes. Seras looked contemplative for a moment until she realized that John was silently gaping at her.

"Er- what I mean is, somethin' really changed my life forever. Everyone tried makin' me feel better about it. They told me I was strong, or that I was lucky, or that I was brave. They told me a thousand things that I didn't feel, an' acted like that made it all better. Sometimes, even if it was for the wrong reasons, I just needed to be reminded that I was the same person. That not everythin' 'ad changed. It's hard enough gettin' over somethin' like that - it's damn near impossible if you lose 'oo you are."

"I wasn't… wasn't expecting that," John murmured.

"What? Wasn' in the stories, that one?"

"Not… not really, no." John's voice was a whisper of awe, but Seras continued acting completely nonchalant as ever. She threw an arm around him, even reaching over to lace her fingers with his on Mithra's belly as it rose and fell.

"Guess I still 'ave a few secrets, good to know. You just worry about 'avin a few more mouths to feed… everythin' else will come in time, alrigh'?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Seras, you're really something else."

"Everyone you create 'ere is sumthin' else," Seras responded in a tone that held only hints of seriousness. "I'm just the girl who stole some of your blood."

"Yeah… just the blood," John thought but couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. The moment was too perfect, the feeling of Seras pressing against him too enjoyable. John did something that was all too rare for him these days - he washed away the newest crisis from his mind and simply relaxed.

John waited for a good amount of time after his World Shift came off cooldown. The day was basically over as far as he was concerned - if he had ever bothered to actually build or bring in a bed, he would have just slept there that night. Unfortunately, even with all his cash, there was no way for him to buy a mattress - he had no vehicle to carry it home, and if someone saw him slip a mattress into his inventory, he wondered how their mind would process that after the forgetting happened.

So even though he wanted to spend time with the others - particularly Mithra, even though she seemed to act as if nothing had changed - John had to choose between a stiff, unyielding spine and being alone with the woman he'd recently pledged himself to. Given the added pressure provided by Moira's latest text and Seras' mounting libido, John chose the latter.

"Father, I cannot understand why you insist on leaving like this," Sophia asserted as soon as John made his intentions clear. "There is no need for me to remain here. I cannot be ready to defend you if a barrier exists I am incapable of crossing, and I can do little while I am here. Lunaya has the Nekos under close watch, and I cannot train myself any better here than any other location."

"I will be certain to bring you if I require assistance," John assured Sophia, "but for now I need you here. You are the second-strongest fighter we have. Furthermore, I am… considering testing a technique which will allow me to bring others to my side from this realm. If I decide to do so, I would rather have you here than have you by my side and attempt a technique on Lunaya or the Nekos; I have no desire to split the twins up, and if I were to have both you and Lunaya by my side, no one would be left to ensure they do not eat their entire stock of food or get into trouble alone."

"I still do not like this. It burdens me to be so distant from you…" Sophia complained, just a hint of whining entering her voice as she finished. All the same, she made no more mention of the decision, even as John and Seras readied themselves to depart.

"I know. I hope that eventually it is safe enough that all of you can dwell with me in the other world… or, barring that, perhaps I can lower the cooldown of my World Shift enough that it's not a burden to come here at all. If Tricia finds a way to communicate through this barrier, that would be a fantastic step. Until then, though, all I can do is try my best to lessen the impact."

Sophia wasn't thrilled, but she accepted her "Father's" desires. John was able to bid a final farewell to the rest of his Purified creations with no further delays, and according to his phone it was just past midnight when he finally felt the all-too-familiar transfer between worlds complete.

"Remind me in the morning to make at least some effort to bring Lunaya here with a variant on World Shift, Evellyn," John murmured as he stretched out to enjoy the privacy of his new home. "I doubt she will ask if I actually tried to summon her, but I don't want to be a liar if she does. Even if she doesn't, it's not a bad technique to have."

"So, exactly what kind of summoning technique is it that you possess? Strange for it to allow not only the conjuring of such beings but also for it to provide you with a private location which your summoned creatures returned to. I chose you because of what I could see in those eyes of yours… it seems your soul hides far more secrets than your gaze."

His mind struggling with how to react, John was unable to move as the voice from behind him startled every nerve in his being. It was familiar to him, but it was not until he fully turned around that he finally identified the Asian woman standing behind him with a flat expression on her face. Himiko Nakamura, a name Moira had firmly etched into his mind, were the only words that echoed in his consciousness for a few moments as the woman stared with obvious interest at both him and Seras.

"Your silence speaks volumes; it seems there is far more to you than the inner strength I chose you for. And now, John Newman… let us discuss that strength.”