Caramel was still sprawled across the table when Shadowpaw returned.
I was in one of the uncomfortable little vinyl dining chairs, my finger making small circles around her belly button as her chest rose and fell in gentle rhythm with her purrs.
I looked up. "I think she's broken."
"Seems like it," Shadowpaw said with a snort. "Is everything going to be okay?"
"Everything is fine," I told her. "Why wouldn't it be?"
"I don't know." She frowned, looking down at her hands. "When I left the truck, I saw a cop car. Thing is, I'm sure the cop saw me."
"Were you stealthed?"
'I thought I was. That's why I was surprised."
"Then maybe he was just looking in your direction."
"Maybe. He drove past okay enough, I guess. Just felt strange. Like I knew the guy. He looked familiar."
"Maybe you knew him."
"I think I'd remember if I knew a cop."
"You were a cop, though, weren't you? You would've known a lot of cops, right?"
"I was?" She put a hand to her head. "That must've been ages ago. I don't remember any cops. Maybe you're right. Maybe it was nothing."
I hoped it wasn't important. I couldn't see anyone being able to see through her stealth. It would take someone with the System to be able to see her. And, as far as I could tell from the Internet, no one had it yet or there'd be articles about people doing the kinds of things you only read about in comics.
"Well," I said at last. "Just keep your eyes open. If you see him again, maybe it's something. If not, put it out of your mind."
"I will." She looked through the cupboards until she found some paper towels. "I need to clean up the blood. And, I guess the mess in the office?"
"If you don't mind," I said. "Get Skye to come help."
"Okay." She found some detergent under the sink and lifted it. "It won't take long."
I remembered something else, from when we'd raided the Adventurer's Guild.
"Oh. Ask Skye to clean up the vomit. You do the blood."
"That'll make her happy." She showed a small smirk before cocking her head at me. "Any particular reason why?"
"Because if you're lucky, you'll get a spell to help hide bodies and evidence."
"Really?" Her eyes lit up. It looked like she was getting addicted to getting more skills and spells. A lot of Nekos did.
"Yeah." I gave her a wry grin. "It'll save you having to do it by hand next time."
"That'd be nice."
She left quickly, shutting the door behind her.
Alone, I found my mind strangely unsettled. As though my thoughts were tuned to static. Every time I reached for something, it felt like the static raced in front of me to block any progress I might make.
Now and then the static would pop and everything would be silent for a few seconds. I'd get a few chances to grab a thought, but then the static would return. There were memories passing in my head in those quiet moments.
At least, I think they were memories.
Jade, a shield in hand, blocking as I cast Furball at her. The spell triggered and a small ethereal cat sprang from my palm to slash and bite. Her shield held, but it was badly damaged.
She shouted at me. Tried to kill me.
Then she was on her back. She had ears and a tail. She was smiling. Her smile so bright it was like a sun. My heart nearly burst as I saw her.
She was so cute!
"I miss you, Jade," I whispered, feeling an ache in my heart.
I knew she was missing me, too.
Then there were other scenes. I was on my knees, screaming. I don't know who I was screaming at. There was no one there, but blood was streaming from my nose.
I was using a knife to scratch words into the ground.
Remember!
What did I need to remember? I couldn't remember. It would've made me laugh, but I had a feeling it was important. Very important.
In another, a girl was gazing up at me. She was on her knees, held down by two Nekos. Behind her, a line of others were in similar positions. Her eyes wide and tears raking her cheeks.
"Why? Why are you doing this?"
"Because," I said, my voice distorted as static slashed through my words. "I need to get the experience points."
Something about these memories seemed important. I thought about why the girl was on her knees. What was happening there?
Why had she been so afraid?
I told myself the System was trying to tell me something. I don't know what, though. And, before I could grasp it, static bulldozed my thoughts again.
So annoying. Maybe I needed more Intelligence points to remember it.
Sighing, I got to my feet and stared down at the catatonic Neko on the table. I was still hard, but I needed something else first. I buttoned my pants.
"Caramel?" I called to her, smoothing out her hair. "Are you with me, Caramel?"
"Yes, Bexley?" Her voice was barely more than a dry whisper.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"S-so good, Master."
I went to the fridge and opened a small bottle of water. It was important to stay hydrated. I took a long drink and then leaned down to offer her some, which she took with a strangled series of gulps. Like a fish gasping in the air.
"Do you think you can sit if I put you in the chair?"
"Nope."
"Well," I slid my arms under her and began to lift. "Let's try it anyway."
"Okay."
It felt like I was trying to scoop water into my arms, but I eventually managed to slide her onto a chair. She slumped into it, dropping her head onto the table with a moan.
Her sex was still leaking, and I found myself wondering what stat governed how much my balls could produce. Looking at the thick puddle on the ground and the smeared pool on the table, it was almost comical.
And a little frightening.
I mean, I'm sure I pissed less than this.
That made me pause. When was the last time I went to the bathroom?
"Master…" Caramel moaned, interrupting my train of thought. "My tummy is so sore. I've never done it that much before."
"Never?"
"Never ever."
"I thought you'd been married before."
"Was I?" She closed her eyes, a dreamy smile on her face. "I can't remember."
I gently massaged her shoulders, causing her to purr again. "Caramel, I need you to do something really important for me. Do you think you can?"
"Anything you want, Master," she said, wincing. "But can we do it tomorrow? I can't take any more."
"Not that, you perverted little Neko," I laughed, giving her ears a scritch. "I'm talking about this shop. I want you to start buying Aetherite."
"Aetherite?" Her eyes cracked open. "What's that?"
"You might know it as Labradorite."
"Oh?" She gave a weak shrug. "Sure. I can get that. It's real pretty."
"Not as pretty as you," I said, stroking her hair. "But I need it anyway."
"Master!" She giggled. "You're funny."
"Am I?"
She gently cupped her crotch, then looked at the sticky semen coating her fingers. Her voice quivered. "What did you do to me? I… What did you do?"
"Sorry," I told her. "You made me cum a lot. I couldn't stop."
"No!" She sat bolt upright, her eyes rolling as she grabbed her head and let out a hiss. "What did… I can't… I can't have kids… I can't…"
I pulled her into a hug, which she resisted for a moment before collapsing into my arms with a choked sob.
"It's okay…" I patted her back. "Nekos don't have children. Not yet. Maybe one day. But you don't have to worry about it right now."
"He wanted kids. I couldn't have them!"
"Who?"
She froze. Then looked up at me, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hands. A puzzled expression flitted across her face. "What?"
"Who wanted kids?"
"I don't know." She shrugged, then leaned up to kiss me. "Master, you made me feel so good. When can we do it again?"
"I'll let Licorice sort that out for you."
"Licorice?"
"She's my personal assistant. She'll be working with you a lot to get the Aetherite for me."
"Aetherite? Oh, yeah! The sparkly stone."
"That's the one! It'll give me some experience bonuses so I can level up. That's very important right now."
She gave me a dreamy smile, her eyes glazing over. I know she wasn't really listening to me. "Okay."
"How many others work here?"
She held up two fingers. "Two."
"That's not many."
"I can't afford more. The store doesn't make enough money."
"It will, soon." I patted her head. "What are they like? Do they have families who would notice if they went missing?"
"Why would they go missing?"
"I'm going to turn them into Nekos."
"Oh." She blinked. Then put a hand to her head and moaned. "My head hurts."
"Is there any aspirin around? I'll get it for you."
"Thank you. It's in the top drawer there."
As I got her the aspirin, she told me about the two workers, Alice and Kate.
"Kate is always talking about her family. But Alice is a student from England. She's here studying, so only works weekends. She's reliable, though. She never goes out partying. She studies even in her breaks."
"Can you fire Kate?"
"Sure. But someone will need to work her shifts…"
"We'll find someone else."
"Okay."
I patted her head as she swallowed the aspirin with a grimace. "Good girl."
"Thank you, Master."
"Bexley."
"Oh. Sorry. Bexley."
"Don't worry," I told her. "It'll work itself out soon."
"I hope so. I feel all muddled. It's like there's a fog in my head." She lowered her head onto the table again and let out a small giggle. "Maybe this is what it's like have someone fuck my brains out."