A Brief Accounting

John sighed more with irritation than the relief of his latest batch of seed. That familiar throat took him in, ignoring the taste of pussy almost burned into his cock by now, or the stink of John after so much time spent spunking up his slaves. Looking back, I took so much time with Alysha... so I guess, inevitably...

Ju's cheeks slowly un-puffed as she swallowed his semen, served straight into her mouth for the seventh time in the last half-hour. Angrily, she stared up at him, finding a strange balance between looking absolutely cross while also licking a small trail of jizz from the corner of her mouth. "This means nothing, Master Newman."

"I know, I know," he sighed. He had finished Alysha off with an enhanced aphrodisiac, which returned her more or less to normal... and, oddly to John's relief, back to her cold, distant demeanor. He had barely passed the Sanctuary doors when he heard Ju making a racket inside... and, after a brief period of staring at him while tearing up the bed, followed by a series of familiar attacks, they had come to this more familiar position.

He looked past her, and to the nova of white strands around her slowly turning back to black. "Still... we need to find a better way to keep you... human." He pulled her sheet up, and watched as her mana seemed to refuse to rise back up. "But you keep regaining mana just barely slower than you lose stability... I guess that keeps you from being a satisfied zombie by design, but... Hmm..."

"You would... cure me of this?" She lowered her eyes, and stared sadly at his bare feet.

"I really would... if I could." A deepening of her frown. "B-But until then, we can at least get you self-sustaining while I'm away."

The motorcycle roared between Moira's thighs, and made her feel ever more daring than she already was in ignoring her father's "recommended" curfew for Friday nights (that is, straight home for training after school). She needed this drive, she had told herself; she needed it to take her nice and far from the Brighton estate, perhaps driving through the suburbs... perhaps even to the address the Order recorded as being the home of John Newman- ... because it's such a good, remote destination! Of course, it would be problematic for the Warden of the Golden Rose to be seen stalking or even visiting a mage's personal quarters... and mages are such a paranoid bunch, haha, I might even be catching him in-! She didn't complete the thought. With irritation, she re-established the facade she maintained for herself: she was not going to go visit the mage who, if not for the Seer's mysterious help, might well be dead by now. She was just going for a pleasant drive... and if she happened to spot him, then perhaps she'd address him individually... let him know how grateful he should be to the Order... how grateful he should be to her...

Moira gritted her teeth as she once again demanded, of herself, that John's house was not the end-goal of this pleasant drive.

Of course, this is merely sensible protocol.

A nondescript, three-year-old Toysubishi Corollancer, a plain beige in color, a sedan with no special characteristics whatsoever, propelled the young Gorbachev towards her goal.

I did not suffer an emotional attack based solely on embarrassment. The mage, John Newman, would naturally be perplexed after receiving so... strange... a text message. The memory of the "Read 7:02AM" tag made her squint at the road. Of course, I texted my clear and concise explanation.

Tricia/Danielle: "Report: The last message you received was an error."

Tricia/Danielle: "Clarification: I did not type the last message you received."

Tricia/Danielle: "Correction: I did create the last message, but it was erroneous."

Tricia/Danielle: "Correction: It was not erroneous. But it was not meant to be seen by you."

Tricia/Danielle: "Addendum: Unless it influences you to come and speak with me."

Tricia/Danielle: "Correction: Unless you are perhaps persuaded to possibly humor my first, sincere requests therein."

Tricia/Danielle: "Clarification: The ones about laboratory aid. Not the ones about sexual attractions or anything resulting therefrom."

Tricia/Danielle: "Correction: Unless you want to."

Tricia/Danielle: "Clarification: Unless you want to help me with the laboratory aid."

Tricia/Danielle: "Addendum: Or explore any other notions you may have involving my body."

Tricia/Danielle: "Clarification: You know what I mean."

Tricia/Danielle: "Report: The last ten messages you received were errors."

... Obviously, John will know what I meant. But to make sure, I should visit him in person and explain, rather than leave it ambiguous for the entire duration of the weekend. Tricia found no ulterior motive in her plan. It was an essential thing to do... especially since he had responded to exactly none of her texts, and yet showed a report of reading a least the first, and most damning one. ... And once clarity has been established, then I can proceed to delete all the other messages before he can read them... because they'll be superfluous. Obviously. Tricia found the number on the house corresponding to her reverse address search... and just barely hit the brakes in time to avoid crashing into a rude motorcycle driver, who then swerved onto John's driveway.

Tricia blinked as she realized who the rude driver was, and said rude driver blinked back at her in equal disbelief.

You spend 600XP to teach Ju Meditation. Ju has learned Meditation level 1! Ju's Dojo level is now 2.

Achievement unlocked! "Teach a new dog old tricks"!
Train a summon in a skill, spell, or style in which you have at least three levels!
+2,600XP
+2,000TP for the summon trained
+1 level in a skill (the one trained, if non-style) for both summoner and summon

Meditation is now level 6!
Meditation: increase your health and mana regen by [skill level x 100]%. You may now maintain meditation as long as you're not taking actions in combat.

Ju's Meditation is now level 2!

Hell, if I knew all that was coming...! Contemplating his original intention to teach Woofroot first, John looked oddly bitter... which worried Ju until he offered her an embarrassed grin. "Sorry, just... seems I can hardly get ahead on min-maxing these days... I-In any case, do you now know how to... meditate?"

The two were sitting in the circle of sapphire paint, and John marveled at how comfortable the padded floor felt now that he had actually sat upon it. Ju did not share his notion of comfort, however; even now she gave scared, side-long glances at one of the rabbit men (the runt, Greenpaw, if John remembered correctly) who stalked along the edge of the Dojo's mouth. "The... the monster is..."

"He's probably more scared of you than you are of him," John offered.

"Oh..."

Her mood darkened, and he hastened his explanation. "The point is, now you'll be able to regenerate mana on your own!"

"Ma-na? I am not familiar..."

One hour later...

"And... it is acceptable for me to stay here?" Ju looked to the massive bed of the Sanctuary again, now restored after the tireless spirits of the temple repaired it following yet another monstergirl's ravaging of the sheets.

"At least until I can figure out something more private." John gave the bedroom, his bedroom until now, another once over. It was bare, but it was better than leaving her to try and meditate with characters like Kazex or the oddly-curious rabbitfolk. With a bit more cajoling and urging from John, Ju eventually accepted her new quarters, and went right to meditating on the bed, slowly restoring her stability manually, as he had guided her.

When at last the wooden doors closed, John finally let himself enjoy a sigh of relief. He still had a fair amount of accounting to do with the rest of the temple... Man... but I'm almost level 21... and something tells me I really need to get over that hill before I start spending XP all over again... Resolving to attend only those matters that didn't cost him any experience, John went to his Forge and reviewed the recent loot.

John exploded back into reality, and was once again standing in his bedroom, left exactly as he remembered it. The sheets of his bed, of course, still reeked of the after-stink of Lily's love juices, but she had opened his window and let much of the built-up fumes waft out. His brief chastising of her, while congratulating her managing to escape his mother's notice, had left the secretary conflicted, but a gentle kiss on her forehead had perked her right back up. Still, I shouldn't be treating a succubus like a kid... Moreover, thinking of (and smelling) her reminded him of that other responsibility... one that he could never admit to the Order, given the bounties on Lord Brighton's head. Well... it's not like they'll find out... though I should probably be more careful, from now on. Moira's anger, and then sadness, at the school came rushing back, along with the crying faces of his indirect victims.

I wonder what Moira even thinks of me, now...

John put on a dirty t-shirt and walked towards the stairs, eager to take it easy in real-time for a minute, check on his mother, and finally strategize with his Extinction Kings contact. The chaos of the day was slowly shrinking in the rear view mirror of his mind, and he was grateful for the extra hours spent in his own head. The chance to make up for it all, somehow, and to learn from his terrible mistake, put a bit of positivity in his step as he walked towards the kitchen. From here on out, I'll step carefully, avoid any more trouble with the Order, avoid any more trouble with other mages... Hell, without that? Things can only look up, right? He thought to walk past the living room, and slowed as he came into view of it-

"John!" his mother greeted. from the loveseat.

"J-John..." Lily nervously muttered from where she stood near John's path.

"John," came the calm greeting from the Gorbachev who nearly dominated his mind, now occupying the long sofa next to a certain Warden.

"John." The last, a blunt, furious rage of a paladin in a demon's presence, came from none other than the only paladin John had ever met. Moira's eyes demanded explanation in the presence of Lily, her body demanded action... and his mother, drunk on libido and possibly, actually, drunk, merrily continued to drink her evening "coffee" as if nothing was the matter.