Any - and Everything Pt. 01 Ch. 02

Hi everyone,

This chapter is coming a little sooner than expected, but I really can't get this story out of my head (and I'm sure you folks don't mind) so let's get on with it.

Before we dive in, I would like to offer a little reminder of the previous event. So, if you allow me to go full TV show on this :

Previously on Any- and Everything :

While Riley Miller was somewhat bullied at his school, he did have more important things on his mind. one night he manages to stand up to his main bully (Bradley) and somehow earn Eleanor's respect (a former bully of his), though. Later, when Bradley decides to attack him with a knife things go awfully wrong. While he's about to die and see the incarnation of Death themselves, a necklace that seems to belong to Eleanor saves his life. What was this necklace? Who or what is Eleanor exactly? Was Death a mere hallucination or truly reel? There are two questions you're about to have answers for, in...

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Chapter 2: A Genie!?

Dear Eleanor,

My sweet little girl! I'm sorry to leave you with just this letter, and I know by the time you can read this, you would have had to endure my disappearance. I asked your father to give you this along with what's inside this box on your eighteenth birthday, and I trust him to take good care of you while I'm gone. What you have to understand is that this world is much more dangerous than you think. You have to trust me when I say to you that magic exists, along with all the bestiary of creatures that usually accompany it. I am one of them, and so you are. We are both genies, which means that our soul is bound to a physical object which determines who our master is. As soon as you reach human adulthood, you're genie nature will awake and attract unwanted attention. The necklace inside this box is your vessel. You have to hide it where no one can find it because the one who wields it will become your master and will be able to ask anything from you. I can't tell you why I had to leave you, in case this letter falls into the wrong hands, but I sincerely hope you can forgive me for this.

Please, my sweet baby, please, be safe.

Upon reading this letter, Riley felt intensely emotional. First, from the amount of love and concern that were tied to this letter. Second, at the thought that Eleanor trusted him enough to let him read it. Again, he needed to understand why her feelings for him have made a so drastic U-turn. "Why do you trust me so suddenly?"

Eleanor seemed to think about it for a few moments then answered, "For two reasons, the first I can't quite comprehend. The second is my nature of genie itself."

She waited, then felt like she ought to continue with the explanations to fully answer the question. "As a genie, I must provide a complete and satisfying answer to my master."

Upon hearing this, Riley blushed slightly. "That means I'm your... your master?" he asked. He didn't know why this thought left him so flustered.

"Yes, you are, as long as you hold, or wear this necklace, or more generally that it stays in direct contact with your skin." She answered, due to the bond of her magic. She noticed that each time he asked a question, the answer magically appeared in her head. Aside from one exception earlier.

Riley was a little left agape by the news, and as always with him: each answer led to more questions. "What being your master means exactly?" he asked for the most obvious question.

Again the complete and detailed answer appeared in her head. "First, I am bound to fully and honestly answer every single one of your questions. Each time you ask one, the answer magically appears for me, and there's no room for lying or hiding information. No loophole allowed. There is one exception to that, though. It's one of the genies' rules." She started.

Riely stayed silent and tried and assimilate what she was explaining. For now, it made sense, in an unnatural and magical kind of logic, but it made sense.

"Second," she continued, "I have to follow every direct order that you give me, as long as it doesn't involve magical intervention. That would be a wish and I'll come to that in a few seconds. Again, it's the intention behind the words I have to follow, not the words themselves, no loopholes are left for genies."

The idea that he could ask anything from his genie gave Riley a weird sensation in his groin, and he couldn't help himself but have hot fantasies pop into his head. He quickly shook them off: He didn't want to be this kind of master. 'Never would I force myself upon her.' He swore.

"Third and last, I can grant you three wishes per day. There is an exception to the limitation, though. As the same as the orders you give, I can't use any play on words nor any loophole. I have to follow the intentions behind the words."

When she finished, Riley thought about everything she had said and did his best to memorize it all. Then again, the answer she provided brought him more questions. "You talked about Genies' Rules. What are they?"

Again, she answered truthfully, "They are three and very stereotypîcal. First, no wish for more wishes." This one seemed logical, not having it would open every way for cheating. "Though, again there is one exception to that." Again, this sentence brought a new question, but he kept it for later, eager to let her finish. "Second, our magic can't reach any sentient being's emotions".

This time, always the smart mouth, Riley couldn't help himself but interrupt. "Sounds a complicated way to say 'no making fall in love'" he commented.

She chuckled slightly. "That's because it's more complicated than that. Think about your first question and how I was only able to give you half an answer. That's because it was tied to my emotions, and my magic can't connect to this level and therefore can't make me know the answer.

She took a quick break to let that information sink in, then continued to, again give him a detailed answer. Her magic told her what he wanted, and compelled her to fulfill his will. "To a further extent, I am not even bound to answer this kind of question if by any other means I had the answer."

"For example, if you would ask me if Jessica, down in the living room, was in love with you, even if I knew the answer from her or anyone else directly, I wouldn't be bound to give it to you. I still couldn't be able to lie, but this time, loopholes are allowed since I'm not directly tied by my magic."

She made another pause to let Riley breathe, then summarized, "To make it short, yes, it's a form of 'No falling in love' but with many further extents.

After another quick pause, Eleanor concluded her explanations with the last rule. "Third, no resurrect the dead. That's a classic, but even necromancy can't bring a soul that crossed the threshold back into a physical body."

She stopped again and while thinking about all this, Riley realized it lacked one of the cliché rules. "What about the 'Can't kill anyone rule'?" He asked. "I didn't hear you mention it."

"That's because it doesn't exist," Eleanor explained. "We totally are able to kill, as long as the target has a body and a soul that can be separated from one another."

He thought about the implication. 'Genies can actually kill. That's freaky!' The thought of ending someone's life with just a wish gave him a shudder.

He stayed silent for a bit then thought back on her explanation about how killing worked. "What do you mean by, as long as we can separate their body and soul?"

"For example, our kind can't be killed by a wish. Since our soul is our body, they can't be separated from one another. This is also impossible if the soul is magically tied to the body, like a lich for example." she explained.

Riley was lost in his thoughts again. All of this was hard to assimilate. Yet, it felt almost natural for him, now that he had experienced it firsthand. After another while of thinking, Eleanor broke the silence. "Could you set me free... Please?"

Riley crossed her gaze and saw that she was genuinely pleading. "You don't like the idea of having a master." He said it as a statement, not a question. "Especially me, I suppose."

"It's not that." She interrupted. "I don't despise you anymore. It's just like you said, I don't like the idea of having a master."

Riley thought about it for a few seconds. "What should I do if I wanted to set you free?"

Eleanor felt the beat of her heart going up. 'Is he truly planning on giving me my freedom?' "You just need to willingly hand me back the necklace. Basically, nobody can take it away from you, as long as you keep it on you."

Riley stared at the necklace while pending his decision. He sincerely wanted to hand it back to her, but again, a stir in his guts told him otherwise. "I... I can't. I'm sorry." He declared. "Trust me when I say that I would gladly give it back to you, if not for that thing I've always craved for..."

Eleanor felt a chill run down her spine. What was he talking about? Was he about to take revenge for what he endured from her? Although she felt sincerely guilty for her behavior, she hoped he would have the strength to forgive her. She was relieved when he finished his sentence.

"Knowledge," he explained. "Did you ever wonder why I always happen to have a book in my hands? When you weren't occupied with taunting me for it, that is," he said with a wink.

She was sincerely impressed at how lightly he took the way she had treated him. The more she learned about him, the more curious he made her. 'Hell, was this craving-for-knowledge thing contagious.' she playfully thought. "It's because I have this need to understand."

She frowned at that sentence. "Understand what?" she asked.

"Any- and everything." He casually answered. Again, she frowned at this mystery man facade he was showing.

"And what does that even mean?" she said, eager to see, just a little, through this facade he was hiding behind.

"I don't know. I just like how it sounds." He answered truthfully. This sentence drew one of the more genuine laughs she had since her life started to go sideways. Apparently, that was his intention, because he let out a chuckle himself.

"What I mean is: I need to understand how everything in this world works together in order to make it as it is," he detailed.

"Until now, books seemed like the best way to do so, but tonight I just learned that magic actually existed, and the power of your nature seems just the right way to learn everything I can about it. I don't know what I have to expect if I go to try and understand all of this. I need the wishes in case of emergency like what happened a few minutes ago." He concluded.

After saying this, he went silent. He just noticed that they both needed something that would make the other suffer.

Unless...

Yes, it could work. After all, besides the three rules, he could wish or order her anything, right? "I just had an idea: Maybe, we can come to a compromise."

Eleanor didn't know what to think at the moment. If he needed her to have his precious knowledge, and she needed her freedom to be happy, what could he do to satisfy them both?

"First, I need you to answer a question. " He declared. "Do you trust me? I know it's about your feelings, so you are not obligated to answer, but if you do I need you to be honest."

When she heard the words, she felt the answer so clearly, that she couldn't even be able to tell the difference from when her magic worked.

"Yes." She answered directly. She couldn't explain why, but something about his genuinely curious and resentless personality put her at ease.

He simply nodded but did show a slight grin. He then put the necklace around his own neck. "First, I want to make you the promise of never letting this necklace falls into the wrong hands, and never mistreat you in any way during all the time I will wear this necklace."He already had made this promise to himself, but he wanted to make it official.

"Now, I have a few other questions to ask before we can move on to what I have in mind." He said and took a few seconds of silence before continuing. "Do I have to stay near you to make a wish?"

"No," she answered following what her magic told her. "Whenever you begin a sentence with 'I wish...' I can hear it in my head and grant you the wish exactly as you pictured it in your mind."

He thought about this for a moment then resumed the questioning. "You mentioned an exception about the 'three wishes only' rule. What is it?"

When the answer came to her mind, she blushed slightly. "Direct physical contact." She didn't know why the idea of him touching her made her so flustered. After all, it didn't have to be anything intimate. A little hand-holding or pat on the back could do the trick.

"So to summarize it, I get three wishes per day. If I ever run out of wishes and need an extra one for an emergency, I have to touch you directly while formulating my wish, correct?" He summed up.

"That's the idea." She confirmed.

"To an extent, that would mean that wherever I go, I would have to keep you by my side and that would be a hindrance to your freedom, and we don't want that, do we?" He continued.

"Don't get me wrong," she added when he finished. "It's not the idea of following you that bothers me, more the fact of being forced to do so."

"I get what you mean, and I understand your feelings" he assured, "You still have your own life to live." She nodded at his statement.

"Another question, if I may. Could you, by any means, hear me when I call out your name out loud? Like for the wish thing."

"No, I can't." She answered not knowing where he was getting at with this question.

"I think I have enough information to begin. Now," He slowly extended his hand toward her. "Could you, please hold my hand? I would like an extra wish."

He made sure to make it a question, and not an order, clearly asking for her consent for it. This simple fact, coupled with her rising interest in Riley during their conversation managed to slightly raise her heartbeat when she chose to accept his offer, and take his hand in hers.

Upon the moment they made contact, Riley asked for his free wish. "I wish you would be able to hear whenever I call your name out loud and teleport to me right away." He said, then felt a little arc of electricity run between their skin, followed by a little humming sound from Eleanor.

"Wish granted." She confirmed with a small smile before taking her hand back. Riley noticed how quickly she did it, and that she seemed to feel somewhat embarrassed. He quickly shrugged it off and went back to his plan to grant her the freedom she wanted.

"Now, for the final act, I will give you a set of rules that will act as permanent orders, which you ought to follow at every moment. Unless exceptional circumstances, they will be the only orders I ever give you. Are you ready?" He declared, proud of his grand final.

She didn't know what to expect but already made the decision to trust him, so she nodded, pressing him to continue and know how he will conclude all of this.

"First, you shall never do anything that would directly or indirectly put me in danger. That includes warning me when a wish or an order I give you, might tamper with my own safety." Now, that was unexpected and somewhat brilliant. Since he couldn't know all the extent of the wishes he could make, he set a safety line which he put in her hands.

"Second, never harm any innocent. That includes stopping the bullying." He said playfully. Again, she was impressed at how lightly he took the subject. "Truthfully, I don't think you would hurt anyone purposely, but I had to make sure this was an official no-no."

With everything he said until now, she was starting to guess where he was getting at, but she didn't want to get her hopes up for nothing. She couldn't help herself, though, when she saw the gentle smile he was showing, now. As if he was about to make her a birthday gift of his own.

"Third and last..." he announced while intentionally building up the pressure. "Be free." He concluded. "You are free to act or use your powers however you like, as long as it doesn't interfere with the two previous rules."

She couldn't believe it had happened. Even if she was still his genie, he managed to give her a taste of freedom, satisfying the both of them, as he promised. She couldn't believe her luck that from all the people that she could have had as a master, it was this resentless, sincere man who cared for her as much as for himself. She almost feared that there would be a catch. "What are you going to do now?" she asked.

Riley thought about it. While he had a hunch about what he wanted to do, he wasn't sure how to do it. He could at least picture what he was about to do within the next few hours. "First, I think I'm gonna head home. I will use the last wish I own tonight to summon some kind of a guide for all magical subjects, then I'm gonna explore what this world has to offer. No books, this time though, I want to experience everything first hand."

Suddenly, Eleanor felt another unusual feeling: worry. "You're not gonna put yourself in danger, are you?"

Her concern brought a smile to Riley's face. He couldn't believe how close they'd gotten in less than an hour. "Are you my caretaker, now?" He asked playfully and she chuckled.

After a silence, he went serious again. "I will do my best to stay safe, but that's also the reason I need your wishes. I don't know what to expect with magic."

She nodded, then thought about what his journey implied. "That means you won't be attending school anymore, or will you wait until the year is finished?"

"I feel like I couldn't wait." He confessed. "All those experiences that await me are nearly calling my name. I want to dive into this world as soon as possible."

After another time of silence, he stood up from his chair and walked toward the door. Then, he suddenly stopped, as if he just remembered a primordial detail. "Wait, I forgot a question that could be, in fact, of primary importance. At what time do my three wishes become available again?"

As the answer appeared in her head she explained, "It's at the exact time I became your genie. When you touched the necklace, you instantly unlocked your first three wishes. Tomorrow, at the same time, no matter how many wishes you would have made, your counter of wishes will be reset to three."

"I see. That's valuable information, thank you." He declared. He stayed silent for a while then hummed. "I think I don't feel like meeting anyone, tonight. You don't mind if I use your room's window to go out?"

"You're the master, do as you please." Upon saying that, she blushed not just slightly this time, and he felt a weird tingling sensation in his guts (more like his groin). She just made it official that she accepted him as a master, and that made quite the effect on both of them.

After another while of silence, he cleared his throat, then said. "Huh, yeah, well, goodnight then." He said with all the awkwardness that could come up in this kind of situation, before going out the window.

"Goodnight." She responded just as he jumped over the window and landed unharmed on the ground below.

***

Just as he left, Eleanor laid back on the bed, letting out a sigh. She was glad he didn't ask about her strange reaction each time he had made a wish. Although answering his questions, or following his orders triggered a mere feeling of satisfaction, granting a wish seemed to have the effect of giving a tingling sensation that tended to slightly raise her arousal.

To put it simply, granting wishes made her horny.

Feeling like she couldn't resist the urge, she quickly took her bright red dress over her head, and let it fall on the floor. Slowly, she started reaching for her breasts through her thin purple bra with her right hand, while her left slowly crawled down toward her crotch. She caressed herself through her matching purple panties while her right hand continued working on her breasts.