It was happening alright, although not in the way John anticipated. Like last time, he had thought they would be what was essentially a late-night show set. A crowd to laugh at the jokes, bright lights shining down on them, a co-host, all of that jazz.

Apparently, they hadn’t been able to drum together all the necessary people to fill such a room in such a short amount of time. The live crowd was the biggest problem, but from the typical co-host to much of the technical crew, they didn’t really have anyone willing to work the extra Sunday. Nevertheless, management had wanted the event to happen. John understood, he was becoming a pretty big deal and since it was essentially confirmed they would get the worlds first porn tape of him, with his agreement, there was a lot of money in it for them.

A bit of overpay here and there and they apparently had gotten together at least a small team of people sacrificing their Sunday. Still no crowd or co-host, however. Which meant that the usual studio wouldn’t have been the greatest place to get things done. In turn, that caused them to arrive were they currently were.

John sat across from a currently empty chair in a room. It was adequately sized and quite charming. Beige painted walls, two comfortable seats, a moderately sized coffee table, a soft padded floor and a decorative closet that was, in fact, a draw-out bed. Stationary cameras and microphones were installed all over the walls, picking up sound and audio and relaying it accurately to the crowd at home, once they went live.

Most fascinating, for John at least, was that this entire thing was new. Which was doubly helpful because they had bought the studio within the Hudson Barrier. Way less travel time for him. Apparently, Abyssal news organizations were doing this recently. Smart move, just one that John hadn’t noticed.

“I guess you won’t need a lot of technicians to keep this going, huh?” the Gamer asked as he got settled; they still hadn’t gone live. Approaching the table with swinging hips, Cindy placed the glass of water on the table, right next to John’s folded sunglasses, in a most suggestive way, keeping her legs straight and bowing all the way down.

She was wearing a purple top, low cut, and only a tiny bra that John could see most of when her breasts hung down visibly, making him almost physically salivate. The colour worked nice with her strawberry blonde hair, a strand of which she brushed behind her ear as she got back up. An unmistakable sound echoed, when the tight leather pants she wore were stretched with every motion. She hadn’t put them on to move well, just so her long legs and firm ass looked great. That mission was definitely accomplished.

Cindy let out a sexy little giggle as she strutted over to her own seat across the table. “No, we only need two to keep this set-up going. I hope you don’t mind the more intimate setting?”

“I much prefer it to be perfectly honest,” the Gamer told her. “No blinding lights, no invisible crowd, no co-commentator who I barely understand… nothing against him.”

“Mhm, I have some stuff to say about him once we go live,” she hummed, scrolling over the notes on her pad on the table, as well as dropping a cube of sugar into her otherwise black and steaming hot coffee. Evidently, they weren’t going to start with the fucking and John was perfectly fine with that. He had promised an interview after all.

John adjusted the vest of his suit one more time. It was a new one, much more durable than the mundane replacement he had worn until the environment alone had destroyed it on his path to the Hidden Tradition’s sacred gravesite. Still not as good as his old one though. He would have to invest time to get a proper replacement.

Above the single entrance, a glass door that connected to a dressing room, to the otherwise windowless room was a red timer that showed how much longer until the show began and then how much more official runtime they had. As they weren’t part of any actual program right now, they were allowed to continue for as long as they wanted or the technical crew tolerated. Cindy would get her updates through a small button in her left human ear.

John played with the armrest of his chair while he waited for the last minute to tick down. Sunday had been truly boring aside from this event, and now it was technically Monday. Indeed, the most interesting memory he had was excitedly telling his girlfriend that this was happening and how much the location surprised him (once he had told her exactly where, she had also shown mild surprise). Rave had wished him, to quote ‘A lot of fun in the interview’ and that ‘I’ll look up the recordings when they come out’.

A soft buzzing alarmed everyone that there were only five more seconds before they went live. Another nice thing about the setting that John realized was that he didn’t have to speak to any camera or barely present crowd, only to Cindy, her teasing red eyes and her very pronounced cleavage.

The red numbers hit zero and the blonde catgirl began speaking. “Heeeelloooo everyone,” she greeted enthusiastically, glancing at the pad to make sure the live chat had started. “Welcome to the first CPDI Podcast, name still pending.”

‘So, I didn’t just imagine the setting was like that,’ John thought, folding his hands in his lap to seem relaxed. It was much easier than previously. Not only had he gotten way more comfortable with public talking by now, the actual lack of anyone visible around was reducing his innate anxiousness to very much manageable levels.

“With me is our very first guest, president of Fusion, head of a large harem with some rather prominent members, the Gamer and lover often caught in the act, John Newman,” Cindy finished.

John laughed at that introduction. “I don’t know if I support all of the things you just said about me,” he joked, “but it’s a pleasure to be here.”

“Oh, it will be a pleasure to have you,” Cindy purred, biting her lip with all the elegance of a cat. If she had been sexual before, now that the cameras were on, she was just oozing lust. Nevertheless, she cleared her throat, by taking a sip of her coffee. The advantage of the wall-mounted microphones was that quiet things couldn’t be heard, such as gulping and very quiet whispering. “But before we get to the evening program, we should do the actual talking.”

“That’s pretty wise, because you won’t be able to do that interview once we’re through,” John stated with absolute earnest. A first time with him and his bullshit pleasure modifications gave him that amount of confidence.

“That’s a promise,” Cindy smiled broadly, then continued the show fluidly. “For our viewers, this particular program came together on a short-notice and the format itself isn’t hammered out quite yet. This is more of a proto-podcast than a proper first one. We have a number of topics we want to get to, but as we do have a lot of time, we will drift here and there every now and again. Long-time subscribers to CPDI can send in their questions via a button next to the live chat only visible for them.” She took a moment to breathe. “Alright, do you remember the last time we appeared together?”

“Do you mean the last time on CPDI or the last time in the news?” John asked. To clarify, he added, “Because last time in public was when there was the attack on the airport…”

“Actually, last time would be the interview you gave recently.”

“Wow, tabloids work fast.”

“I do mean the last appearance on CPDI, however,” Cindy crossed her legs in a painfully slow motion. The light from overhead reflected in the polished black leather. It reminded John of the fetish gear he had back home.

“Yes, I do remember,” he answered, shifting a bit to sit more comfortably with a dick at half-mast. “Hard to forget.”

“Yeah, the situation was pretty different. To start with, I was assigned the day program because the colleague was on vacation.”

“Poor girl didn’t get to know me,” John couldn’t resist cracking another joke; the atmosphere was just made for sexually charged banter.

“I can bring her another time,” Cindy winked; to no surprise, she was already trying to goad him into coming on another time. “She was rather sad about it. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, isn’t it?”

“Don’t know if that still applies to me,” John gestured at himself. “Last time I was on your program, it ended with a pretty harmless public brawl during the elections. Really wish the hostilities between me and Abraham had ceased there.”

“Do you think you could have beaten Sigmund at the White House had you worked together?”

“Maybe,” John couldn’t give a definitive answer, but at least this was pumping the blood back into his brain. “Sigmund himself isn’t someone I would describe as particularly smart, but he has an ally who fits the bill, and she wouldn’t have let him run in like he did, had Abraham and me not exhausted each other’s forces.”

“Do you have any grudge towards the former president of the Little Maryland because of this?”

“…No,” John answered, surprisingly firm even to himself. “No, I can see why he acted that way, and what I said at the funeral were my true thoughts on the matter. Everyone makes mistakes in their lives, people with more power make more influential mistakes. I find it important to honour people for the principles they died for. Abraham sacrificed himself to protect me and the White House when he could have just stood aside and let Sigmund take care of me. I have nothing but respect for him and hope the history books will remember him, faults and all, but overall fondly.”

So far, this interview was a lot more serious than the Gamer had anticipated. He didn’t exactly dislike it though, especially not in this format. Cindy gave him all the time he needed to answer, unlike other interviews he had been in where everything had limits.

“That sacrifice still meant you went blind, right?” she asked while John was taking a sip of water. “I barely notice it right now. You bridge it by possessing things, wasn’t that what you said?”

“Yeah,” John answered as he let out the air he held during drinking. “I made it easy to see today, see, I got a contact lens in this eye,” he tapped on his left, looking the normal brown, “but none in this one,” the milky shimmer over the blind eye was visible to everyone who zoomed even the slightest bit. “I am still getting used to all of it, but one field of view works well enough for daily life. I prefer to do it with the glasses though, since one contact lens causes a shifted field of view.”

“Alright… seems like you are putting a lot of work into getting that fixed,” Cindy sounded actually worried about him there. “Is it hard?”

“It’s a pretty hard hit to my pride, not going to lie,” John returned, willing to have some fun at his own expense. “I threw a tantrum when I stumbled and fell, the first time I tried being fancier with it. Caused some structural damage to a hospital. By now, I am making steady improvements though.”

“That’s good to hear. Plus, you brought the scumbag who did it to justice, right?”

“Sigmund is currently somewhere, trying to lick his wounds, but probably failing,” John stated with some grim satisfaction. “I normally don’t wish for my enemies to be tortured or anything, as a matter of fact I would prefer it if he just died, but with him I can’t quite feel bad. Not with all the people he killed for nothing but his own selfish advancement and my personal injuries.”

“But you are certain he won’t be a problem anymore?”

“Barring some absolute miracle, he is worse off than dead right now, I have seen to that.”

“Any details you could give us on the how?”

“I am afraid that is a secret,” the Gamer shrugged apologetically. “Can’t get any more into it.”

“Alright-y,” Cindy dismissed the topic with a smile. “Rulers and their secrets. Well, here is a bit more pleasant topic by one of our watchers. Omnius asks: yo, with how massive of a harem you have, I hope you aren’t sharing it with any other men? Do you manage to keep all of them satisfied?”

“That name seems familiar…” John thought out loud. “Think I once read a comment by the guy on reddit. To answer though, Omnius, the only time a second biological dick came close to one of my girls was when another man was fucking his own wife in the same room. There was a lot of making out between the girls, but that was as far as the swinging went and as far as I am comfortable with. For the second one, do you think I could entertain a harem this big if I couldn’t satisfy them all?”

“Well, that was quick and to the point,” Cindy laughed. “Your harem really is a topic of its own though. There are some pretty usual members for Abyssals, although the sheer number of female Artificial Spirits and elementals you have is rather unusual. How many exactly, if I might ask?”

“I have four Artificial Spirits and five elementals, discounting this little guy,” John answered and extended his hand, on which Stirwin appeared, “since you asked only for the female ones.”

“Oh Gaia, he is ADORABLE!” Cindy rose partly out of her seat. “Can I pat him?”

“Yaasssss,” Stirwin answered before John could, his squeaky voice causing the blonde girl to squeal herself. Scratching him between the silver eyes, she got more excited noises from the golden crocodile hatchling.

John realized he had been naïve. How had he never thought of using the tiny, on-demand available crocodile to try and pick up chicks? That was like running around with a cute dog and never using it to make himself look more charming.

“He is way softer than he looks,” Cindy commented, “and warm, is he a fire elemental?”

“Light, actually,” John stated, thought for a moment, then decided against bragging with Stirwin’s title of Celestial Devourer. “We call him Chompy.”

“I chomp,” Stirwin actually managed to string two words together, very playfully snapping at Cindy’s finger. “Nap!” then the crocodile suddenly laid down on John’s palm and went incorporeal again.

“Aww… well…” Cindy sat back down, disappointed that the cute little thing was gone. Large boobs bounced when she hit the cushions again. “Aside from those… nine familiars, your harem includes, but is not limited to: the current empress of Germany, the Maiden of Null and the Flame of Destruction. That’s a pretty impressive line-up.”

“And they’re all pretty impressive girls,” John returned with a happy expression on his face. “I feel like the luckiest guy alive that they let me be such an important part of their lives, you know? Some of them decide to attach to my path more than others, but they all still stick with me and that’s just something I love them all for.”

“Do you have favourites in your harem?”

The Gamer had to think about that for a moment. “Yes and no,” he then said. “I do care for some of them more than others, but I truly love them all. I once made an actual list in a fit, one of my worst decisions ever.”

“How so?”

“Because trying to quantify these feelings as some sort of pecking order is just wrong,” John told her. “Sure, for a healthy harem you need a core of girls that call the shots and keep things harmonious, but saying ‘you are my least favourite’? That’s just a recipe for disaster and its not even true a minute later. They’re all too dear to me that I will ever make a list again where somebody has to be at the bottom end.”

“Seems like you had your fair run in with troubles.”

John let out a dry wheeze that was somewhat amused. “I would have no idea where to even start on commenting on that. Since entering the Abyss, it has been a year of ups and downs. Between people, between guilds, between factions, there were a lot of conflicts I was drawn into or started.”

“Speaking of conflicts,” Cindy segued, “you remember us talking about my co-host before the show started?”

“Yeah, his name is K’tik, right?” John didn’t want to seem too rude.

“Yes, his wife was not amused with her treatment at the press conference,” the catgirl laughed when John leaned back in genuine surprise.

“His wife? The mantis reporter that asked the first question?”

“The very same.”

“Wow, what a small world,” he scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit awkward. “Don’t know what to tell her. I had a procedure in effect and she had to abide by it like everyone else. Nothing against her, you or your profession, but as a leader and politician, journalists that are left to their own devices, especially groups of them, are just the worst.”

“That bad?”

“Feels like a swarm of locusts trying to suck all liquid out of your eyeballs,” the Gamer returned truthfully. “…I hope the insect metaphor isn’t racist or anything. My Abyssal manners practically don’t exist.”

“Well, I don’t think so, but I also don’t get offended by awful cat puns,” Cindy mused, her tail flopping in her lap. “Sticking with current events, you are leaving the city tomorrow, right?”

“Technically I am leaving today,” John was a smartass before he could stop himself. Even the pretty easy catgirl in front of him was giving him the ‘Really?’ glance when he said that, so he continued on pretty quickly. “Yes, I am going on a trip to assure some developments. Another thing I can’t say too much about, sadly.”

“Not even a bit of a tease?” Cindy moaned, pulling at the edge of her top until her boobs threatened to pop-out. John gulped, but shook his head. “That makes me a sad little kitty,” she pouted and checked her pad again. She giggled, “Another user question by someone called DevourerOfExhibits: are you going to show everyone your tiny cock or not?”

John’s left eyelid twitched. “I have no fucking idea where that rumour comes from,” he spat out, grabbing his pants. “But since this is already an 18 plus program,” he lowered the zipper, “and we all know where this is going anyways,” he pulled pants and underpants down in one swift movement. “Fuck you, whoever started that rumour!” In total silence, his pants hit the floor.

That recent exposure by the catgirl host had put his erection at half-mast again, so the world could now see about three quarters of John’s complete potential length, itself already as big as the average dick. “Holy mother Gaia,” Cindy gasped, hungrily licking her lips. “Uhm…” she tried to contain herself, glancing at the countdown. “There is a bit more to talk about.”

“I am perfectly fine talking without pants, don’t worry,” John answered off the cuff and Cindy snorted as if he had said something utterly hilarious. While he was already brazen from the bit of anger, he felt like pushing a little bit. “You might as well return the favour. Can’t imagine your, presumably mostly male, viewers enjoy looking at my dick for the entire time.”

“I mean, you aren’t wrong…” Cindy played a bit shy.

John leaned to the left and rested his head on his fist like a bored king. “Do it,” he wanted it to be an encouragement, but it was more of a command. His charismatic, deep voice reverberated with the authority he usually wielded in most bedroom activities. As if he was threatening her with a whip, Cindy grabbed the lower end of her top. “No,” John stopped her. “Lose the pants, all things equal.”

“That is… unusual,” she said, but stood up and turned around to show her butt as she wiggled out of the tight leather. Her ass was nice, round and spankable, all three things John was looking for in a woman. Her crotch was barren of all hair, something revealed after her sticky panties were removed, gooey strands connecting them to her pussy for a little bit. “I heard rumours you were an ass man, but men usually want to see my breasts first.”

To his pleasure, enough to solidify his erection at the maximum size of twenty centimetres, Cindy only sat down once he allowed her too. Nobody in their right mind could say he was small anymore. “Just the way I lean, although I would never say no to a juicy pair of tits.”

“I am kind of surprised you are completely hairless,” Cindy admitted. “Guys don’t usually go out of their way to shave everything.”

“Which I completely get for mundane people,” John told her. “The amount of body hair I would have to get rid of every day is completely unacceptable. However, since there are those nifty shampoos that suppress regrowth, I don’t see how anyone has any excuse. Most of my girls love being able to cuddle up to me without anything scratching or tickling.”

“Most?”

“One of them openly swears on body hair of most kinds being sexy.”

“Well, no unity when it comes to sex appeal, I guess,” Cindy gulped, adding more quietly, “Although nobody could deny you are being very sexy right now, John.”

“You better get the remaining topics out of the way so we can start with the next segment,” he advised jokingly, having calmed down again.

Cindy nodded and looked down on her pad, “So, what's the deal with…”