The Subtle Arts Pt. 01 Ch. 03

Interlude

Ally floated in the white nothingness of her dreams. She had been here before, she knew, she just didn't remember. In lieu of memories, she had a sense of déjà vu. Instinctively, she focused her attention to the horizon, and a scene rushed into existence. Hal was standing in the shower in his father's house, steaming water running down the sculpted body that she knew was his, and yet was not the reality of his flesh.

She felt a rush of warmth between her legs at the sight. Water cascaded down and funneled off his long, thick penis. He reached up and brushed the wet dirty blond hair out of his midnight blue eyes. Ally, ethereal and more refined than her natural self, stepped into the shower with him, her medium breasts and tight dancer's body pressing against him. Their kiss was searing fire, and her lips left blazing heat as she broke it to sink to her knees.

He hardened instantly as she swallowed him whole, too big for her and yet she made no sign of discomfort. Her big brown eyes drilled into his soul as she slowly, agonizingly, milked his length with her throat. Ally could only watch behind from above as the ethereal her coaxed him closer to release with her wet mouth. She knew his orgasm must be building, and yet he seemed to last years. Finally, after an eternity, his first shot of molten release sent her to white oblivion.

Ally woke with a start. She had slept more in the last few weeks of her spring semester but had begun having these strange dreams. She wasn't sure if they were caused by her unbearable horniness after Hal left for England, or her aching desire to see him again. Regardless, neither could shut out the dull anger she harbored for him for shutting her out of whatever was happening to him overseas. She had begun to suspect he wasn't in school at all, but she had no idea what he could be doing. She also couldn't shut out the hollow feeling of dread when she thought of her future with him.

Chapter Three: Changes

"Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself."

-Rumi

Hal lay in bed, thinking. It was the last Saturday of May. On Monday, he would travel to London, and on Tuesday he would fly back home to Texas. So much had changed since coming to the Academy, he had no idea what he would say to his friends about his term. He had no idea how he would even broach the topic of his abilities with Ally. He didn't even know if Ally would recognize him anymore. He looked down at his now unfamiliar body, lean but muscular, with a thick flaccid tool sprouting from his groin. He grinned, it's not that he was displeased by the changes, it's just that he hadn't been expecting them. Really, he hadn't even been sure they were occurring until one day last week, during one of his lessons with Master Kerrigan.

***

"Hal, do you have a mirror in your apartment?" Hal was caught completely unawares. Master Kerrigan usually started lessons with a quiz about the rules of magic or an esoteric monologue about the subtleties of the human mind, not queries about his apartment décor.

"I have a small mirror in the shower that I use for shaving, but its cracked and I can hardly see out of it anyway. That's all really" Hal answered him.

"I thought not...Hal maybe you've noticed, maybe not but there is no denying it, your physical body is changing." Hal's eyebrows shot up into his hair at this.

"M-master, its okay, I've already had this talk from my dad a few years ago." Hal had stammered back. Kerrigan just rolled his eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous Hal, that isn't what I mean." The look of relief on Hal's face must have been obvious because Kerrigan rolled his eyes again before continuing. "What I mean is that since we have started teaching you life magic, your body has responded. The phenomenon you are experiencing is not unheard of, but it is uncommon. I think that your body is changing itself to be more in line with your residual self-image."

"What does that mean?" Hal asked blankly.

"It means," Kerrigan replied evenly, "that you have an image in your subconscious that reflects how you imagine your ideal self looking. Since we have been exploring the connections between body mind and soul, your subconscious mind has been able to tap into your magic in order to mold your physical body to more closely resemble your ideal self-image. This ability identifies you as a polymorph, or 'one with many forms'."

***

That conversation had come as a relief, as it explained the many changes Hal was experiencing -increased muscle mass, a slight increase in height, and a much bigger dick. A little to his dismay, Hal learned that he could not change his appearance at will; but his body would continue to change over the years as his 'residual self-image' evolved. The changes would be difficult to explain to Ally and his friends back home though.

As Hal worked his way through his morning shower, shave, and other grooming activities, he thought about Brianna. He was confused about her actions since their kiss the other week. Basically, she was pretending like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. It was difficult for Hal to do the same, because he was having an internal war over her. On one hand, she was drop-dead gorgeous, and he enjoyed her company. He would have loved to go out with her. But of course, he had a girlfriend back home and he owed it to Ally to at least stay faithful until he explained things to her in person. Despite his conflict, he did his best to match her usual level of friendliness.

His ablutions finished, Hal left his apartment and started up the path to the Academy. He normally wouldn't go to the Academy on a Saturday, but he, John, and Brianna had agreed to have a 'goodbye picnic' in the courtyard. Since John would be leaving tomorrow for his home in France, today would be the last time they would all be together until the fall.

Brianna was hiding in a tree along the path and tried to get the jump on him, but Hal knew she was there and changed his pace at the last minute so that she crumpled on the dirt path. She grumbled at him. "Ugh why can't you let me get you every now and then! Now I've got dirt all over my back."

Feeling bold, Hal put on his most helpful voice and said, "Hang on, I'll brush it off for you?"

"It's the least you can do with your damned wildcat senses" she replied playfully.

"Okay hold on there's a lot..." he said as she turned around. Instead of brushing off the dirt, he reared back and gave her a hard smack right on her firm left ass cheek, and then took off running down the path. She shrieked and tore off after him.

He looked over his shoulder, smirking, to find she was already right on his heels. Damn she's fast he thought as he kicked his legs up a notch. It didn't matter, within a few seconds she had tackled him and pinned him to the ground. Hal was smiling past the grass stuck in his teeth when he felt lips brush his ear. "No one smacks my ass and gets away with it. You. Will. Pay."

He rolled over as she got off him. She stared daggers into him, but finally winked when she said, "Dinner, my place, 7 o'clock. Be there with dessert or I'll rip your dick off with magic." With that she turned and left him on the path.

***

The picnic in the Academy courtyard was nice. They lounged against the stone wall of the great hall and ate sandwiches and strawberries from town. As Hal had predicted, both John and Brianna had made excellent progress and advanced to new forms of magic in the past month. Hal realized with a pang that he would miss them both terribly. "Hey guys, do you have Facebook accounts? I want to keep in touch over the summer" He said. After they exchanged their contact information, talk turned to their summer plans. John would be spending the whole summer with his parents, but since he lived in Marseilles, his home was a perpetual paradise. Brianna would go home to Liverpool, but she always visited her ancestral family home in Ireland for the entire month of July.

"What about you Hal?" John rumbled.

"Oh me? Well I'll fly back to Dallas, try and explain all this," he gesticulated to indicate their surroundings, "to my disgruntled girlfriend, probably have her dump me anyway, and then try and explain this," now he gestured over his new body, indicating his changed physique, "to everyone. After all that, I'll probably drown myself in the lake and count the days until I fly back here."

"Oh, that and hunt down my psychopath mother to give her a piece of my mind." Despite himself, his words actually came out rather cheerfully, as if he didn't mind.

Brianna looked at him quizzically, "you don't seem too broken up about it."

Hal just shrugged. To be honest, he wasn't really sure how he felt about the whole situation. He'd probably end up flying by the seat of his pants anyway.

The trio was subdued as they said goodbye outside the Academy, and they promised to keep in touch over the summer. The afternoon sun was warm, but seemed to feel a little chill as he started back toward town.

***

It was already getting to be late afternoon by the time Hal bought a pie from the corner bakery and made his way into his apartment. As he closed the door to his little one-bedroom affair, he noticed a note sitting on the table in his kitchen/dining room/living room area. He picked it up and read:

Hal,

I would be most grateful if you could meet me for dinner Sunday night at 6:00 PM at Kira's Diner. I would like to give you one last lesson before the summer.

Best,

E. K.

Kerrigan's handwriting was barely legible, but he was able to decipher it after some squinted eyes and rotations of the paper. I wonder why the old man wants to meet at Kira's? Hal wondered. It was certainly unusual. They had never met anywhere other the solar of his tower apartment at the Academy. Oh well, it ought to keep me busy so I don't dwell on leaving he thought.

Since attending the Academy was free, his college fund had gone towards this apartment and his living expenses. Since his mom had contributed quite a bit to the fund in his early years, it held a substantial sum. As such, he would be keeping most of his belongings at the apartment over the summer and travel light on Monday. Still, there were a few items he wanted to bring with him, mainly conveniences like his cell phone charger, laptop, and camera. Honestly, he'd probably leave the laptop in Texas since there was nothing that even resembled wifi out here anyway. After throwing a few things into his travel duffel, Hal gave up and vowed to the rest tomorrow.

The guilty thoughts began to creep in during his shower. Was dinner with Brianna cheating on Ally? At face value he knew the answer was no. He and Brianna had shared many meals together over the past year...and yet...this one felt different. He couldn't deny the electric bolt that shot from his ear to his cock when she had whispered to him on the ground outside the Academy. Hal had always considered his fidelity to Ally a given, but he didn't know if he would be able to control himself around Brianna. He did know that he would never forgive himself if something did happen. In the end, he quashed his conscience into some dark corner of his mind and headed out the door, pie in hand.

Since there was only one apartment complex in town, the walk to Brianna's building was a short one. When Brianna opened the door after his knock, Hal almost gasped. Brianna was wearing a white lacy cocktail dress that barely made it to her thighs. The revealing neckline put her cleavage on full display. The dark red lipstick set off her pale skin perfectly. All in all, it was simple and breathtaking. Hal felt woefully underdressed in his dark jeans and polo.

"Brianna, wow, you look great. I didn't know it was formal night." Hal said as he followed her in. Her apartment was laid out exactly like his, only decorated much better. She had used a soft loveseat and medium sized flat screen TV to separate the living and dining spaces. There was no cable TV out here, but it looked like she had a Blu-Ray player and impressive collection of movies.

"That's alright Hal, I know you've been having trouble finding clothes that fit lately" she said, winking. It was true, if Hal's clothes hadn't been baggy when he arrived, his new physique would have made it impossible to wear any of it. As it was, he could just barely squeeze his arms into the shirt he had on. This whole situation is mom's fault, I'll make her buy me new clothes when I get back, he thought.

Just then, the smell from the galley kitchen about knocked him over. It was the best smelling home cooking he'd ever experienced. Not that that said a lot, neither he nor his dad would be winning any Michelin stars in the near future. Still, it smelled divine.

***

Brianna took the pie from Hal and gestured for him to sit down. As he did, she pulled a bottle of red wine from the kitchen. "Care for a glass? I've already started I'm afraid, but it is excellent" she attested.

"Sure," he said, "you have to be twenty-one to drink in the States so I'm no connoisseur, but I'd love to try it."

She poured him a glass and sashayed back into the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready soon, the lamb is finishing in the oven."

***

"Wow Brianna, you could be a chef, this is absolutely fantastic" Hal managed to get out between bites. The rack of lamb was a perfect medium-rare, and the spring salad and mashed potatoes were seasoned to perfection.

"Thanks Hal, I'm just happy you like it" she replied. "Maybe next year I can cook for you again."

Hal laughed, "I'd like that, if my girlfriend doesn't skewer me alive when I get back home." The rest of the meal passed in genial conversation, and Hal had just finished his wine when he noticed the pleasant buzzing in his head. Wow, this stuff is stronger than I thought it would be, he thought.

Brianna just managed to nudge his plate out of the way before his head hit the table.

***

Brianna stood at the foot of her queen bed, which barely fit in the tiny room, her hips cocked to one side. The naked man with a limb tied to each bedpost wasn't exactly an eyesore when she had first met him, but damn he had turned into a hottie the last few weeks. She didn't know if the weapon resting on his washboard stomach was new or old, but she was looking forward to giving it a taste. She raised her eyes to his face as he began to stir.

His grogginess didn't last long, but his confusion, understandably, remained after the rest of his faculties returned. "Either you're way stronger than you look, or I have some serious explaining to do to myself" he finally said.

Brianna flashed him a wide smile, she was happy to see how well he was taking this. "Well you were quite the gentleman and did all the heavy lifting Hal, but I think we both know I'm the guilty party here". She slipped a small glass vial from between her breasts and dangled it where he could see.

Hal's eyes were wide, "A drug that can knock me out cold and make me do all the work? I'm impressed. Where did you get it?"

Brianna was grinning in a decidedly predatory fashion. "The fruits of my potion lessons with Master Enoch." She swayed closer to the foot of the bed. "I told you that you would pay for smacking my ass like that. I've come to collect." With that, she grabbed the hem of her dress and disrobed with a flourish.

***

Hal gulped. Her large breasts were gravity defying, yet still had a sense of incredible mass in the way they moved in response to her motions. Her stomach was toned, with just a hint of abdominal definition, and her pussy was bald and drenched, her juices running down her long right leg. "Well, I always pay my debts, might as well grit my teeth and bear it."

Brianna didn't say a word, just crawled onto the bed and moved toward his now throbbing cock. She stopped with her mouth open, millimeters away from his engorged head, her hot breath causing him to groan in anticipation. Hal was surprised to hear her speak, "I want you to want it Hal. I'm not going to rape you, after all. You might be the one tied up, but you've got the control here Hal...tell me to stop and I'll untie you. Or..." As she let that last word hang in the air, she exhaled her warm breath onto his head again.

Hal shuddered, and tried to think, but her next words shattered what resolve he had left. "What'll it be big boy? What do you want?"

"Nnnn fuck, suck my fucking cock!" Hal groaned, and she was instantly in action. Brianna's little white hand gripped the base of his angry cock and her mouth suctioned around his head. As soon as her tongue contacted him, she went rigid, a bolt of hot energy ricocheting throughout her body.

Hal grinned evilly. "I haven't just been reading minds with the old man you know. I've learned how to stimulate the muscles and nerves in the body to create different kinds of responses. This wasn't exactly part of the lesson, but I think I can make do." She went wild at his words, sucking him until his head was peeking into her tight throat.

Brianna was on fire. Electric firebolts were coursing from every skin-to-skin contact she had with Hal. The sensations building, reverberating, resonating within her body threatened sensory overload, and it drove her to temporary insanity. The fire building within her made her suck on Hal's big cock faster and faster, which only intensified the inferno in her veins in what became a frenzied feedback loop. Brianna couldn't speak, couldn't think, could only swallow as much iron hard flesh as her throat permitted. She lost all sense of time until...wham...the first molten wave of Hal's release hit her throat. Like an unsuspecting hand closing on a live wire, she couldn't let go, she could only clamp down harder. When at last her muscles gave out, she rolled over, muscles spasming in a seizure of euphoria.

In the afterglow of his orgasm, Hal became concerned for Brianna. She was still only semi-conscious and twitching. While he had learned out to stimulate the nerves and muscles in the human body from Kerrigan, he had never tried to pleasure someone that way, and he might have overdone it. Just. A. Touch. He looked around for a way out of his predicament and noticed that while his wrists and ankles were bound expertly, the knots were only casually looped around the bedposts.

Tying him up had obviously been simply about the experience, not about seriously detaining him. Once he had extricated himself from the rope, he gathered Brianna up in his arms and carried her the short distance to her living area loveseat. He would have preferred to stay in bed...but...he had kind of soaked it through to the mattress with his cum.

He managed to get them both situated on the loveseat so that he was reclining back with her head in his lap, and he gently stroked her deep red hair until she came around, her emerald eyes fluttering open. Sha graced him with a dazzling smile, and then her memory seemed to rush in all at once. "What. The. Fuck. Was. That?" She asked haltingly.

"Uhh yeah, sorry about that. I've uh, never really used my power like that before and might've gotten a little carried away" Hal stammered out.

Brianna gaped at him a minute before she laughed and answered, "Don't apologize! I'm just not sure if I came or fell on a downed power line. You are definitely doing that to me again! ...After you practice a little...on someone else."

Hal beamed, relieved that she wasn't upset at him. "I've got all summer long to get ready for you."