Judy huffed, breaking away from the hug. “If Lilith’s clean, why are we under house arrest?!” She protested. “That seems incredibly unfair!”
Tunem sighed. “Unfortunately, it’s only as far as we can tell that Lilith is clean. We’re not foolproof, especially when it comes to the eldritch, and it’s far too dangerous to release an unknown element into the world. So, we’re going to be keeping an incredibly close eye on her to make sure there are no personality changes she’s hiding. During this time there will be no outside contact, either, to reduce risks of Lilith influencing people that way.”
Kali walked over, grabbing Lilith’s hands. “We’re honestly really sorry about this. But we don’t expect you to just do this uncompensated, so we’ve gone ahead and taken a few liberties. The first is that you, Judy, and your parents will all receive sizeable financial compensation every month you’re in here. Judy’s businesses will be managed by some of the best we can find as well, so she doesn’t need to worry about them going under while she’s unable to manage them.
“We’re even going to give her some property in Saga, capital of the Protectorate. It’s pretty highly-valued stuff, so that should put her well on her way to having a place in the magical world. “
Kali smiled brightly as she continued. “And I’ll be personally staying here to monitor you. I’ll be taking the empty room in your dorm for now, and I’m also going to be in charge of teaching Judy magic during our free time.”
Tunem coughed, beginning to talk once more. “And that brings us to our last order of business. We need to talk about Alex. Elenoa, if you would?”
The angel woman from before shot Tunem an unhappy glance before stepping forward. “We’ve discussed the subject of Alex and her defection to the Society of the Light, and we have ruled that she is to be allowed to walk free provided she is under the direct control of Lilith, or is willing to be subjected to tests to prove beyond any doubt that she no longer wishes to have any affiliation with the Society. Furthermore, we will also give her the option to have Yamato restore her body to its previous state.”
“Denied.” Alex said flatly. “I mean, you can test me if you want, but I’m staying like this. Period.”
Elenoa frowned. “Lilith, return her to her original state of mind for this decision.” She commanded.
Lilith nodded. “Alex, please go back to your unmodified feelings on your body.”
Alex shuddered a bit as she received the order. “Alright, I’m back to my ‘normal’ state of mind.” She said, performing air quotes as she said normal. “But I’m going to level with you all, I want to stay. I know the feelings I feel towards my new body aren’t necessarily legit, but I honestly think I’d miss the happy thrill I occasionally get from everyday life like that.
“It’s not interfering with my daily life and it’s a really nice feeling, so I see no reason to stop. To be honest, as far as I’m concerned, the state of mind I was just in is my normal. Lilith, please put me back.”
Lilith shrugged. “Well…if you insist, you can return to how you felt about your body before.”
Alex gave a happy sigh, smiling contentedly. “Alright. I hope that finally settles the matter, please stop asking me that question. I want to put my time in the Society behind me and leaving my old body behind seems like a great way to punctuate that in a meaningful way.”
An idea hit Lilith then. “Alex, I think I might have a way to show that you don’t want to go back to the Society, may I give you a command?”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “If you think it would help, go ahead.”
“Please tell me what you would do if you were somehow freed this moment and the Society invited you to come back, no threatening or anything. You would be able to say no with no consequences whatsoever.”
“I’d reject them.” Alex replied instantly. “I’d opt instead to stay here and focus on protecting you. I know the Society better than anyone here, and that makes me best suited to guard you from them. Honestly, I might even ask to get back into this master-servant thing, it has several benefits when it comes to bodyguarding.”
The moment she finished talking Alex turned a bright red, turning away from Lilith. “Sorry, I know that’s kind of forward and weird for someone who was hunting you down a couple days ago. The order forced me to say what I’d do, and I couldn’t say any less.”
Lilith smiled. “It’s fine, I understand.” She looked back over to Elenoa. “Does this prove beyond doubt that she no longer wishes to have ties to the Society?”
Elenoa, expression somehow becoming even more sour than it already was, turned to Tunem. “How strong is this pact? Is there any way she could have exploited a loophole?”
Tunem shook his head. “Very strong. With an order that direct and an answer that emphatic, I don’t think there was a loophole to exploit.”
“I know she’s your child, but are you sure you’re not being too soft on her? She’s a known defector, and I don’t believe we can trust her.” Elenoa replied bitterly.
“No, she’s clear.” Kali said. “I was keeping a close eye on her mental state during that reply and she’s being completely truthful.”
Elenoa pursed her lips angrily. “I guess that’s that, then.” She said grumpily. “We’ll leave the rest to Tunem and Kali. All the rest of you on the Council, follow me, we need to get back to work, we’ve been away for too long already.” She stalked out of the room, and the rest of the Council followed.
Tunem approached Lilith, holding out a ring. “Here, take this.” He said. “It’s got the illusion spell I cast on you when you first came here embedded inside. As long as you’re wearing this, your wings and tail will be unnoticeable.”
Lilith nodded, putting on the ring. “So, what now?”
“You’re going to have the rest of the day off.” Tunem explained. “I’m going to lead you out of the vault and then you’ll be free to explore. Just try not to interfere with any classes that are in session.”
True to his word, he quickly led them out of the vault and then left them alone. Once he was gone, Kali shot Lilith a sly look. “Now, if you ask me, you were quite the good girl in there.” She said, grinning and walking two fingers up Lilith’s arm. “I believe I mentioned a kiss?”
Lilith jumped back, heart racing. “No, it’s fine!” She said quickly. “No need for that!”
Kali let out a peal of laughter, but Lilith caught the briefest flash of disappointment in her face. “You are way too much fun to tease. I’m looking forward to making friends with you.” She said, smiling.
Judy gave a weak smile in return. “If you don’t mind me saying this, you seem…different than the other Council members.”
Kali smirked. “Just because I’m ‘important’ doesn’t mean I have to be boring like them. Anyway, what’s the plan?”
Judy looked to Lilith, who shrugged. “I was going to relax in my room, but what about you? Don’t you have work to be doing?”
“This is my work, Silly. I got a real nice deal out of this, to tell you the truth. I was basically assigned to spend all day making friends! But if you mean my other work, the people I have in the field handle most of that. They give me daily reports, but I don’t need to spend all my attention on it all the time.”
Lilith scratched the back of her head. “Huh. Well…I guess you just do whatever, then. For the rest of you, does anyone mind if I take the TV? I’m curious to see if they have any sort of programming here that’s different from what’s on Earth.”
There were no objections, so they went back to the dorm and began the process of trying to take their minds off of what had just happened.
Later that night, after everyone had gone to their rooms, Lilith got a knock on her door. “Come in!” She said, looking up from her phone to see who it was.
Alex opened the door, already blushing. “Hey, do you have like…an hour to talk? I have something I need to get off my chest.”
Lilith nodded, putting her phone down. “Of course. What’s up?”
Alex was silent for a moment, seemingly working up the courage to speak. “I…want to talk with her. The, um, me that wants nothing more than to serve you, that is. After what I decided about the mental changes making me OK with my body, I got to wondering…well, what makes the other mental effect any different?”
Lilith frowned. “I’m not keeping you like that permanently.” She said flatly. “I want to be friends with you, not someone you put on a pedestal and worship.”
“That’s fine.” Alex said. “I just need to do this so I can stop thinking about it and clear my system, you know?”
Lilith sighed. “Alright, fine. From now until the end of this…session, when I snap my fingers, I want you to switch between the original mental conditioning and your current state. When we finish here, this command will be considered null and you won’t let me switch your state without both our consent.”
Alex nodded. “Got it. I’m ready.”
Lilith snapped her fingers, and instantly Alex’s face changed. Her uneasy expression gave way to one of embarrassment, and she took a step back. “Um…I gotta go.” She said.
“What? Why?”
“I gotta write down my thoughts for myself, and, as much as I love you and will do what you say, I would prefer it if you didn’t read what’s basically my diary. So, can I have some time to do this?”
“S-sure.” Lilith replied.
“Thanks. I’m going to be writing for a bit, so go play a game or something while you wait, alright?” And with that she exited the room, leaving Lilith alone with her thoughts.
An hour later Lilith once again received a knock on her door.
“Hel~lo?” Alex called out in a sing-song voice.
Lilith quickly opened the door. “Hey, you done?”
“Yup! Can I come in?”
Lilith nodded and Alex sauntered inside, sitting down on the bed and kicking her legs back and forth contentedly. Lilith shut the door and walked over so she was facing Alex. “So, finish your writing?”
Alex beamed. “Yup! I win!”
“What?”
“You heard me! I win!” Alex replied, looking incredibly smug.
Lilith frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m sorta surprised you didn’t see it.” Alex giggled. “You left a preeeeettty big loophole there.”
Lilith’s heart sank. “Explain.”
“Sure thing! You said that as soon as this session ended, you wouldn’t be able to switch my state with a snap and you’d need both our permissions to change me back. And when I first came in, I said I needed an hour to talk. So, by some definitions, you could say that the session was only an hour long, and in this case it’s my definition that matters, so I choose to interpret it that way! I’m staying like this forever!”
Lilith groaned, putting her head in her hands. “I’m so sorry, Alex. I swear I didn’t mean for this.”
Alex stood up and walked over to Lilith, patting her head. “Don’t worry, about it too much. You’re still new to all the ins and outs of magics, so you really didn’t stand a chance. It took me about thirty minutes after I changed back to fully make a plan, and by that time it was half done.”
Her headpat turned into a full on hug. “On the bright side, you have an adorable little servant ready and waiting, so chin up!”
“Tunem’s not going to be pleased about this.” Lilith sighed.
Alex released the hug and waved a hand. “Let me handle dad. If I explain everything, he can hardly blame you. Well, he might be able to blame you for being negligent, but seeing as how it was totally my doing, he shouldn’t be justified in treating you any differently. So, what do you want me to do for you?”
Lilith started, an idea striking her. “Alex, from now on I need you to interpret things how I wish them, got it?”
Alex laughed. “Of course, but that’s not retroactive. You’re not changing me back that easy!”
Lilith grinned. “When I said both our permission, I didn’t specify you and I, did I?”
Alex hesitated, uncertainty flashing across her face. “No, but why would you need to? Our only refers to people present so…”
She trailed off. Lilith had focused, and a copy of Lilith had appeared on the bed, looking slightly annoyed. She was, in all regards, including clothing, identical to the original, and were it not for the dramatically different way she carried herself, not even Judy would be able to tell them apart.
“W-what’s that?” Alex said, distressed. “When did you become able to…the book! No, don’t do this, please! I’m really happy like this and I don’t want to go back!”
“Honestly, do we really need to put her back?” Carmen asked. “I rather like her like this.”
“Y-yeah, that’s right!” Alex said. “Everything’s under control, there’s no need to change me back!”
Lilith kept smiling. “Well, let’s negotiate. I have full control over how much you can be out, and I’m willing to keep you out semi-permanently if you agree to put her back to normal.”
Carmen smiled, motioning for Alex to come to her. Once she had, Carmen began to rub Alex’s ears gently. “Look, Lilith, it really does please me to be able to talk to you like this, but you’re mistaken if you think that you can threaten me. I know you well enough that I know that statement doesn’t have any teeth. You desperately want Alex back to normal, and if I go back then you have no way of getting that.”
Lilith’s smile slipped. “What do you suggest, then? You’re not in control of whether or not you stay out either, so we seem to be at something of an impasse.”
“You misunderstand.” Carmen said. “I honestly don’t care how much I stay out. I’m perfectly content to just stay inside of you and come out when needed. But this is a rather unfair negotiation, and that bothers me, so I’m going to come out and completely lay out my motivation.
“And before you ask why I’d tell you up front like this, call it a mix of keeping things fair and being honest with myself. If you were anyone but me, I’d never offer this.” She said, winking. “I want only to keep us safe and to grow our power as fast as possible. And I see keeping Alex like this as a great way to ensure she never betrays us and does everything in her power to help us. So, you’re going to have to provide me of something with equal value to get me to put her back.”
Lilith frowned, thinking on that. “Well, if I let you stay out, you can multitask and help me learn things. It’d double our rate of growth.”
Carmen nodded. “A tempting offer, but you’re going to need to let me do a bit more than that. Here’s a counteroffer. I stay out on a semi-permanent basis, only going back in if I misbehave. In addition, I get to request reading all the spellbooks I can get my hand on, so we learn spells as fast as possible. In return, we put Alex back to normal and give her the ability to change her mental state back to this at any time she so chooses. She can even specify a duration to be in this mental state if she wants. Oh, and once she’s back, she has to tell us what she really thinks about all this.”
Lilith mulled that over. It was a tempting offer, for sure, but she wasn’t sure she could really trust Carmen all that much. “What’s the catch?”
Carmen laughed. “None. It’s exactly as it says on the tin. At the end of the day, you and I are the same person, so I’m not going to try and scam you. Do you accept or not?”
Lilith sighed. “Fine, so long as you don’t manipulate Alex’s mental state again.”
“Deal.” Carmen said. “Now, Alex, you’ve heard the terms of our agreement, so you go ahead and follow them, alright?”
Alex pouted for a brief moment, then her face returned to a more neutral expression and she scampered away from Carmen. “Alright, I’m back. Thanks.”
“Don’t forget, tell us what you think about this whole thing.” Carmen said, smiling.
Alex frowned. “I kinda like it, but at the same time I also kinda hate it. I don’t like how manipulative it makes me, since I’d do anything to stay like that while I’m like that, so I’m glad that I can control it. That good enough for you?”
Carmen smiled. “One more thing. Would you ever consider going back into that mental state?”
Alex stopped for a long moment, then blushed. “Maybe for brief periods of time. Not permanently.”
Carmen nodded in satisfaction, then stood up. “Alright, well I’m off to see the wizard, I won’t keep you any longer.”
“Wait, now?” Lilith asked, surprised. “You just barely like…came into existence.”
Carmen snorted. “Please. I’ve always been a part of you. I just have a body now. And I intend to keep our autonomy, so I would like to get us as strong as possible as quick as possible, and that means going now.”
She left the room, and Alex let out a sigh. “Thanks.” She said. “I didn’t expect to get so…crafty. I’m really sorry for all the trouble.”
“Does it really feel that good?” Lilith asked. “I didn’t force you to resist changing back or anything.”
“It does.” Alex said. “It just feels…nice, better than I would ever be able to feel otherwise. But…it’s like a drug, and I’m afraid of being completely intoxicated by it, to the point where I’d prefer to stay that way forever, even in this state of mind.”
Lilith frowned. “Anything I can do to help you?”
Alex blushed fiercely. “Um, if you wouldn’t mind, could you…rub my ears, like Carmen did? I think it’ll help me calm down.”
Lilith raised an eyebrow but sat down on the bed and motioned for Alex to sit down in front of her. After Alex had, Lilith began to rub her ears, and she could feel Alex loosen up under her. “You know, if two months ago someone had told me that I would be rubbing the ears of a really cute catgirl, I would have called them crazy.” She said.
“And if two months ago someone had told me that I would be that really cute catgirl, getting my ears rubbed by an equally pretty woman, I would’ve called them crazy too.” Realizing what she said, Alex clamped her hands over her mouth.
“S-sorry! It just sorta slipped out! I know you’re still dealing with all this stuff and probably aren’t used to being called pretty, it just…happened.”
“I-it’s all good. It was…kinda nice.” Lilith replied, now just as red as Alex.
The two sat there in silence for a moment longer before Alex ducked out of reach. “Hey, um…thanks for that. Anyway, I’m getting tired so I’m going to go to sleep. Let me know if you need anything, alright?” She stood up and left the room, leaving Lilith alone once again.
Fighterman481 This chapter...well, this one I had a tiny bit of trouble working things so I could keep this scene in. I ended up figuring something out, though, so all's well that ends well. I'm debating on whether or not I want to try something more with this plot beat, so we'll see how that ends up, I suppose.
That's all I have to say though, so, as always, thanks for reading!
Judy huffed, breaking away from the hug. “If Lilith’s clean, why are we under house arrest?!” She protested. “That seems incredibly unfair!”
Tunem sighed. “Unfortunately, it’s only as far as we can tell that Lilith is clean. We’re not foolproof, especially when it comes to the eldritch, and it’s far too dangerous to release an unknown element into the world. So, we’re going to be keeping an incredibly close eye on her to make sure there are no personality changes she’s hiding. During this time there will be no outside contact, either, to reduce risks of Lilith influencing people that way.”
Kali walked over, grabbing Lilith’s hands. “We’re honestly really sorry about this. But we don’t expect you to just do this uncompensated, so we’ve gone ahead and taken a few liberties. The first is that you, Judy, and your parents will all receive sizeable financial compensation every month you’re in here. Judy’s businesses will be managed by some of the best we can find as well, so she doesn’t need to worry about them going under while she’s unable to manage them.
“We’re even going to give her some property in Saga, capital of the Protectorate. It’s pretty highly-valued stuff, so that should put her well on her way to having a place in the magical world. “
Kali smiled brightly as she continued. “And I’ll be personally staying here to monitor you. I’ll be taking the empty room in your dorm for now, and I’m also going to be in charge of teaching Judy magic during our free time.”
Tunem coughed, beginning to talk once more. “And that brings us to our last order of business. We need to talk about Alex. Elenoa, if you would?”
The angel woman from before shot Tunem an unhappy glance before stepping forward. “We’ve discussed the subject of Alex and her defection to the Society of the Light, and we have ruled that she is to be allowed to walk free provided she is under the direct control of Lilith, or is willing to be subjected to tests to prove beyond any doubt that she no longer wishes to have any affiliation with the Society. Furthermore, we will also give her the option to have Yamato restore her body to its previous state.”
“Denied.” Alex said flatly. “I mean, you can test me if you want, but I’m staying like this. Period.”
Elenoa frowned. “Lilith, return her to her original state of mind for this decision.” She commanded.
Lilith nodded. “Alex, please go back to your unmodified feelings on your body.”
Alex shuddered a bit as she received the order. “Alright, I’m back to my ‘normal’ state of mind.” She said, performing air quotes as she said normal. “But I’m going to level with you all, I want to stay. I know the feelings I feel towards my new body aren’t necessarily legit, but I honestly think I’d miss the happy thrill I occasionally get from everyday life like that.
“It’s not interfering with my daily life and it’s a really nice feeling, so I see no reason to stop. To be honest, as far as I’m concerned, the state of mind I was just in is my normal. Lilith, please put me back.”
Lilith shrugged. “Well…if you insist, you can return to how you felt about your body before.”
Alex gave a happy sigh, smiling contentedly. “Alright. I hope that finally settles the matter, please stop asking me that question. I want to put my time in the Society behind me and leaving my old body behind seems like a great way to punctuate that in a meaningful way.”
An idea hit Lilith then. “Alex, I think I might have a way to show that you don’t want to go back to the Society, may I give you a command?”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “If you think it would help, go ahead.”
“Please tell me what you would do if you were somehow freed this moment and the Society invited you to come back, no threatening or anything. You would be able to say no with no consequences whatsoever.”
“I’d reject them.” Alex replied instantly. “I’d opt instead to stay here and focus on protecting you. I know the Society better than anyone here, and that makes me best suited to guard you from them. Honestly, I might even ask to get back into this master-servant thing, it has several benefits when it comes to bodyguarding.”
The moment she finished talking Alex turned a bright red, turning away from Lilith. “Sorry, I know that’s kind of forward and weird for someone who was hunting you down a couple days ago. The order forced me to say what I’d do, and I couldn’t say any less.”
Lilith smiled. “It’s fine, I understand.” She looked back over to Elenoa. “Does this prove beyond doubt that she no longer wishes to have ties to the Society?”
Elenoa, expression somehow becoming even more sour than it already was, turned to Tunem. “How strong is this pact? Is there any way she could have exploited a loophole?”
Tunem shook his head. “Very strong. With an order that direct and an answer that emphatic, I don’t think there was a loophole to exploit.”
“I know she’s your child, but are you sure you’re not being too soft on her? She’s a known defector, and I don’t believe we can trust her.” Elenoa replied bitterly.
“No, she’s clear.” Kali said. “I was keeping a close eye on her mental state during that reply and she’s being completely truthful.”
Elenoa pursed her lips angrily. “I guess that’s that, then.” She said grumpily. “We’ll leave the rest to Tunem and Kali. All the rest of you on the Council, follow me, we need to get back to work, we’ve been away for too long already.” She stalked out of the room, and the rest of the Council followed.
Tunem approached Lilith, holding out a ring. “Here, take this.” He said. “It’s got the illusion spell I cast on you when you first came here embedded inside. As long as you’re wearing this, your wings and tail will be unnoticeable.”
Lilith nodded, putting on the ring. “So, what now?”
“You’re going to have the rest of the day off.” Tunem explained. “I’m going to lead you out of the vault and then you’ll be free to explore. Just try not to interfere with any classes that are in session.”
True to his word, he quickly led them out of the vault and then left them alone. Once he was gone, Kali shot Lilith a sly look. “Now, if you ask me, you were quite the good girl in there.” She said, grinning and walking two fingers up Lilith’s arm. “I believe I mentioned a kiss?”
Lilith jumped back, heart racing. “No, it’s fine!” She said quickly. “No need for that!”
Kali let out a peal of laughter, but Lilith caught the briefest flash of disappointment in her face. “You are way too much fun to tease. I’m looking forward to making friends with you.” She said, smiling.
Judy gave a weak smile in return. “If you don’t mind me saying this, you seem…different than the other Council members.”
Kali smirked. “Just because I’m ‘important’ doesn’t mean I have to be boring like them. Anyway, what’s the plan?”
Judy looked to Lilith, who shrugged. “I was going to relax in my room, but what about you? Don’t you have work to be doing?”
“This is my work, Silly. I got a real nice deal out of this, to tell you the truth. I was basically assigned to spend all day making friends! But if you mean my other work, the people I have in the field handle most of that. They give me daily reports, but I don’t need to spend all my attention on it all the time.”
Lilith scratched the back of her head. “Huh. Well…I guess you just do whatever, then. For the rest of you, does anyone mind if I take the TV? I’m curious to see if they have any sort of programming here that’s different from what’s on Earth.”
There were no objections, so they went back to the dorm and began the process of trying to take their minds off of what had just happened.
Later that night, after everyone had gone to their rooms, Lilith got a knock on her door. “Come in!” She said, looking up from her phone to see who it was.
Alex opened the door, already blushing. “Hey, do you have like…an hour to talk? I have something I need to get off my chest.”
Lilith nodded, putting her phone down. “Of course. What’s up?”
Alex was silent for a moment, seemingly working up the courage to speak. “I…want to talk with her. The, um, me that wants nothing more than to serve you, that is. After what I decided about the mental changes making me OK with my body, I got to wondering…well, what makes the other mental effect any different?”
Lilith frowned. “I’m not keeping you like that permanently.” She said flatly. “I want to be friends with you, not someone you put on a pedestal and worship.”
“That’s fine.” Alex said. “I just need to do this so I can stop thinking about it and clear my system, you know?”
Lilith sighed. “Alright, fine. From now until the end of this…session, when I snap my fingers, I want you to switch between the original mental conditioning and your current state. When we finish here, this command will be considered null and you won’t let me switch your state without both our consent.”
Alex nodded. “Got it. I’m ready.”
Lilith snapped her fingers, and instantly Alex’s face changed. Her uneasy expression gave way to one of embarrassment, and she took a step back. “Um…I gotta go.” She said.
“What? Why?”
“I gotta write down my thoughts for myself, and, as much as I love you and will do what you say, I would prefer it if you didn’t read what’s basically my diary. So, can I have some time to do this?”
“S-sure.” Lilith replied.
“Thanks. I’m going to be writing for a bit, so go play a game or something while you wait, alright?” And with that she exited the room, leaving Lilith alone with her thoughts.
An hour later Lilith once again received a knock on her door.
“Hel~lo?” Alex called out in a sing-song voice.
Lilith quickly opened the door. “Hey, you done?”
“Yup! Can I come in?”
Lilith nodded and Alex sauntered inside, sitting down on the bed and kicking her legs back and forth contentedly. Lilith shut the door and walked over so she was facing Alex. “So, finish your writing?”
Alex beamed. “Yup! I win!”
“What?”
“You heard me! I win!” Alex replied, looking incredibly smug.
Lilith frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m sorta surprised you didn’t see it.” Alex giggled. “You left a preeeeettty big loophole there.”
Lilith’s heart sank. “Explain.”
“Sure thing! You said that as soon as this session ended, you wouldn’t be able to switch my state with a snap and you’d need both our permissions to change me back. And when I first came in, I said I needed an hour to talk. So, by some definitions, you could say that the session was only an hour long, and in this case it’s my definition that matters, so I choose to interpret it that way! I’m staying like this forever!”
Lilith groaned, putting her head in her hands. “I’m so sorry, Alex. I swear I didn’t mean for this.”
Alex stood up and walked over to Lilith, patting her head. “Don’t worry, about it too much. You’re still new to all the ins and outs of magics, so you really didn’t stand a chance. It took me about thirty minutes after I changed back to fully make a plan, and by that time it was half done.”
Her headpat turned into a full on hug. “On the bright side, you have an adorable little servant ready and waiting, so chin up!”
“Tunem’s not going to be pleased about this.” Lilith sighed.
Alex released the hug and waved a hand. “Let me handle dad. If I explain everything, he can hardly blame you. Well, he might be able to blame you for being negligent, but seeing as how it was totally my doing, he shouldn’t be justified in treating you any differently. So, what do you want me to do for you?”
Lilith started, an idea striking her. “Alex, from now on I need you to interpret things how I wish them, got it?”
Alex laughed. “Of course, but that’s not retroactive. You’re not changing me back that easy!”
Lilith grinned. “When I said both our permission, I didn’t specify you and I, did I?”
Alex hesitated, uncertainty flashing across her face. “No, but why would you need to? Our only refers to people present so…”
She trailed off. Lilith had focused, and a copy of Lilith had appeared on the bed, looking slightly annoyed. She was, in all regards, including clothing, identical to the original, and were it not for the dramatically different way she carried herself, not even Judy would be able to tell them apart.
“W-what’s that?” Alex said, distressed. “When did you become able to…the book! No, don’t do this, please! I’m really happy like this and I don’t want to go back!”
“Honestly, do we really need to put her back?” Carmen asked. “I rather like her like this.”
“Y-yeah, that’s right!” Alex said. “Everything’s under control, there’s no need to change me back!”
Lilith kept smiling. “Well, let’s negotiate. I have full control over how much you can be out, and I’m willing to keep you out semi-permanently if you agree to put her back to normal.”
Carmen smiled, motioning for Alex to come to her. Once she had, Carmen began to rub Alex’s ears gently. “Look, Lilith, it really does please me to be able to talk to you like this, but you’re mistaken if you think that you can threaten me. I know you well enough that I know that statement doesn’t have any teeth. You desperately want Alex back to normal, and if I go back then you have no way of getting that.”
Lilith’s smile slipped. “What do you suggest, then? You’re not in control of whether or not you stay out either, so we seem to be at something of an impasse.”
“You misunderstand.” Carmen said. “I honestly don’t care how much I stay out. I’m perfectly content to just stay inside of you and come out when needed. But this is a rather unfair negotiation, and that bothers me, so I’m going to come out and completely lay out my motivation.
“And before you ask why I’d tell you up front like this, call it a mix of keeping things fair and being honest with myself. If you were anyone but me, I’d never offer this.” She said, winking. “I want only to keep us safe and to grow our power as fast as possible. And I see keeping Alex like this as a great way to ensure she never betrays us and does everything in her power to help us. So, you’re going to have to provide me of something with equal value to get me to put her back.”
Lilith frowned, thinking on that. “Well, if I let you stay out, you can multitask and help me learn things. It’d double our rate of growth.”
Carmen nodded. “A tempting offer, but you’re going to need to let me do a bit more than that. Here’s a counteroffer. I stay out on a semi-permanent basis, only going back in if I misbehave. In addition, I get to request reading all the spellbooks I can get my hand on, so we learn spells as fast as possible. In return, we put Alex back to normal and give her the ability to change her mental state back to this at any time she so chooses. She can even specify a duration to be in this mental state if she wants. Oh, and once she’s back, she has to tell us what she really thinks about all this.”
Lilith mulled that over. It was a tempting offer, for sure, but she wasn’t sure she could really trust Carmen all that much. “What’s the catch?”
Carmen laughed. “None. It’s exactly as it says on the tin. At the end of the day, you and I are the same person, so I’m not going to try and scam you. Do you accept or not?”
Lilith sighed. “Fine, so long as you don’t manipulate Alex’s mental state again.”
“Deal.” Carmen said. “Now, Alex, you’ve heard the terms of our agreement, so you go ahead and follow them, alright?”
Alex pouted for a brief moment, then her face returned to a more neutral expression and she scampered away from Carmen. “Alright, I’m back. Thanks.”
“Don’t forget, tell us what you think about this whole thing.” Carmen said, smiling.
Alex frowned. “I kinda like it, but at the same time I also kinda hate it. I don’t like how manipulative it makes me, since I’d do anything to stay like that while I’m like that, so I’m glad that I can control it. That good enough for you?”
Carmen smiled. “One more thing. Would you ever consider going back into that mental state?”
Alex stopped for a long moment, then blushed. “Maybe for brief periods of time. Not permanently.”
Carmen nodded in satisfaction, then stood up. “Alright, well I’m off to see the wizard, I won’t keep you any longer.”
“Wait, now?” Lilith asked, surprised. “You just barely like…came into existence.”
Carmen snorted. “Please. I’ve always been a part of you. I just have a body now. And I intend to keep our autonomy, so I would like to get us as strong as possible as quick as possible, and that means going now.”
She left the room, and Alex let out a sigh. “Thanks.” She said. “I didn’t expect to get so…crafty. I’m really sorry for all the trouble.”
“Does it really feel that good?” Lilith asked. “I didn’t force you to resist changing back or anything.”
“It does.” Alex said. “It just feels…nice, better than I would ever be able to feel otherwise. But…it’s like a drug, and I’m afraid of being completely intoxicated by it, to the point where I’d prefer to stay that way forever, even in this state of mind.”
Lilith frowned. “Anything I can do to help you?”
Alex blushed fiercely. “Um, if you wouldn’t mind, could you…rub my ears, like Carmen did? I think it’ll help me calm down.”
Lilith raised an eyebrow but sat down on the bed and motioned for Alex to sit down in front of her. After Alex had, Lilith began to rub her ears, and she could feel Alex loosen up under her. “You know, if two months ago someone had told me that I would be rubbing the ears of a really cute catgirl, I would have called them crazy.” She said.
“And if two months ago someone had told me that I would be that really cute catgirl, getting my ears rubbed by an equally pretty woman, I would’ve called them crazy too.” Realizing what she said, Alex clamped her hands over her mouth.
“S-sorry! It just sorta slipped out! I know you’re still dealing with all this stuff and probably aren’t used to being called pretty, it just…happened.”
“I-it’s all good. It was…kinda nice.” Lilith replied, now just as red as Alex.
The two sat there in silence for a moment longer before Alex ducked out of reach. “Hey, um…thanks for that. Anyway, I’m getting tired so I’m going to go to sleep. Let me know if you need anything, alright?” She stood up and left the room, leaving Lilith alone once again.
Fighterman481 This chapter...well, this one I had a tiny bit of trouble working things so I could keep this scene in. I ended up figuring something out, though, so all's well that ends well. I'm debating on whether or not I want to try something more with this plot beat, so we'll see how that ends up, I suppose.
That's all I have to say though, so, as always, thanks for reading!
