Since their friendship fizzled throughout college, Penny had a lot of time to think. She had long since stopped wondering where her ability came from - if no answer presented itself then ti was simply wasted thought. What she could wrap her head around was her own moral compass. All her life, she had shunned her own power, convincing herself that anything she manipulated was therefore false. Still, every now and then she was tempted to push a B+ to an A- or compel the occasional dullard to close their mouth for a minute.
The result was Sean. When at last she chose to use her power to its extent, she was unable to restrain it to a safe capacity. I could have gone softer, she thought later. I could have gone easy and still gotten what I wanted.
The cost far outweighed the gain. But it felt so good, and Penny knew she had needs that she could not resist. If she was going to continue to break time and again, then she would need to learn to use her powers properly.
Her first year at college, Penny started taking a dance class. It was a decent place to meet men and women alike where it was okay to look at them for extended lengths. At first she just admired everyone's bodies, did her best to keep step, and made friends with anyone who was willing to walk her through things while the instructor was occupied.
It was only a beginner's class, but that just mean the show of natural talent was obvious from the start. The best dancer also happened to be the sweetest, a tall and thin sophomore named Erica. Her experience in track and field gave her a slim figure and a helpful knowledge of stretches. Better yet, when Penny asked for a hand, Erica would gladly guide her limbs into the proper position, unafraid to touch her wherever necessary. She was open, confident, and above all drop dead gorgeous.
Linking with her mind was like opening the door into someone's room. In there was privacy - albeit one-sided - and she could go undetected so long as she did not confess openly. The first time she linked with Erica, she felt a sense of confidence not unlike Miranda's. Her presence was joyful, and even a little eccentric. Erica sang to herself in her head from time to time, sometimes in her own voice, sometimes like Ella Fitzgerald.
Once she'd given Erica enough observation, Penny started to test her limits. Adjusting her emotions and desires felt like using a sound mixer. One channel was her motivation, another her arousal, and on and on down the gamut of simple and complex human emotions. If Penny slid up her silliness channel, Erica would make funny faces while she danced or laugh at herself when she missed a step. That made it easier to give simple commands like, "Clap your hands," or, "Stick out your tongue." It was a simple test, but more revealing of the nature of instruction than anything Penny had done before.
Perhaps that was why Sean was so jarred by his sudden irresistible desire that night. He had gone from a state of comfort to an extreme side of the spectrum in an instant, with no practice or build up. He could not justify to himself why it had happened.
So every time Penny saw Erica, she turned up the dial just a little bit from wherever it was. Now Erica would smile a little bigger, blush at the right compliment, and occasionally her nipples would show through her tight leotard as she danced. On days when she was already decently turned on walking into the studio, Penny would wait until they were talking to turn it up a few degrees. Then she would know where her arousal was directed.
After she grew comfortable playing with that channel, Penny started to step a little further into Erica's room, where she could really hear what was happening clearly. It was admittedly endless fun to listen to her thoughts progress from the simple to the lusty. As she walked into the room Erica would think, "Stop watching your feet, just trust it. You can do it." But near the end of the class, while they did their cool down stretches, she would practically moan in her own head. "This girl... fuck, look at those lips of hers. Even when she sweats she's fucking gorgeous."
Penny was accustomed to going home to masturbate whenever she was turned on. But now it was past time to take her pleasure. For her fear, she never made her move on Miranda. Erica, however was ripe for the taking. Penny never instructed Erica to want her, only set up the dominoes for a natural progression. This was real, albeit crafted.
"We should go out for drinks," Erica said to her one day. "Celebrate our progress."
And celebrate they did, though they had barely touched their rum and Cokes when their hands started to wander into each other's laps, playing carefully at showing interest without diving in. They did not waste time on a second drink. The walk back to the dorms was excruciating.
Penny had spent years wanting Miranda fiercely, but never actually explored her sexuality properly. When Erica's tongue made its way onto her nipples, she felt an explosive awakening jolt through her entire body. The sensation was different from Sean's instructed animal thrusting. Erica was just as hungry, but gentler. Her tongue circled around Penny's nipples but left room for the cool air to let them harden and freeze. It was a tease, leaving one nipple cold while the other was hot under her tongue. Penny couldn't help but play with whichever nipple Erica had left to the air. She did that on purpose, Penny realized.
It was no different when she started kissing her way down between Penny's legs. Her hair was long and straight, but she kept it out of her eyes so that she could look at Penny all the way down. With slow but pressured licks up the entire length of her vagina, Erica kept her eyes locked, always smiling as the tip of her tongue finally reached Penny's clit. It was intoxicating to watch her work, and Penny realized that she kept the eye contact not just for the kindness of it, but to drink in Penny's own desperation. I must look like a pathetic little slut, Penny thought.
Their sex became ritualistic after every dance class. Soon Penny stopped wandering Erica's mind for fear of over manipulation. While the romantic interest never flowered, she still held great respect for such a beautiful woman, so unafraid to express herself. She continued to have sex with her, to laugh and play and cum. But she needed a new test subject.
It began a cycle. For a brief period, Penny had forgotten to go to class while she bounced around campus fucking all her test subjects. Every time she felt she'd spent too long with one, she walked her way into someone else's head and started work. But she never dropped the old ones, only made new time to fit new tests. By the end of her sophomore year, she had a reputation. The count was twenty-two fuck buddies.
She learned from every single one of them. How to read their thoughts, how to find them from greater distances. How to ease their worries, lessen their inhibitions. Penny began to grow impressed with herself, wanting to reach new heights and push past what limits she thought there were. Although she went about it carefully, there were fewer and fewer lines for her to cross as time went on.
When she met Kylie, Penny had already decided to transform her.
"You're that bi slut who lives at Hayden Hall, right?" That was how Kylie chose to introduce herself. "How have you not dropped out by now?"
The opening line she could have dealt with, but the insult was too much. Penny held off from meddling for the moment. "You don't believe everything you hear, do you?"
