He growled again.

"You know nothing about me!" he declared, actually physically slapping her across her cheek.

"I am the most useful person here!" he yelled.

"You are nothing more than a tool for Mistress to use!" he exclaimed. "A resource!" he went on.

"You will be used up and discarded!" he continued.

"All will be used up and discarded!" he then said, before pausing a moment, seeming to realise what he had just said.

"I..." he stammered.

"She won't!" he exclaimed.

"I am the most useful one in this damn complex!" he went on.

"I am Christopher Jenkins!" he declared.

"....." he then suddenly went silent.

"I mean... I..." he said quietly, before looking at his grey hands.

"I... used to be..."

Chris, again, was not happy to hear this.

Again, he stopped time inside her body, and only let it go again when the pain reached its peak.

He did that a few more times, but each time, she could tell there was less conviction in it.

Until, finally, he just slumped to his ass.

"....hmph." he mumbled.

"This is going nowhere." he said.

Chris was silent, before just punching the floor.

"....why?" he asked.

"Why won't you submit!?" he exclaimed.

"All this pain, and for what!?" he asked her.

"Just make it easy on yourself!" he continued.

"She wants you! You're useful to her! Isn't that enough!?" he asked further.

Again, Chris looked angry.

But also confused.

It was though her defiance was an outright alien concept to him, given the pain that she had been enduring.

"Why?" he asked.

"What the hell is so worth it out there, that you would defy Mistress?" he asked further.

"Hell doesn't even WANT you, so what purpose do you have?"

"....ah..." Chris stammered.

"No... no, it's... not..." he said.

"I mean... maybe...? I don't know." he muttered.

"Maybe it IS right, in this instance." he admitted, showing a more human side than she had ever seen from him before. But he quickly shook his head and slapped his cheeks after that.

"No!" he exclaimed.

"Damn it, no!" he repeated, before outright punching her in the cheek, some of his own 'elven' mana laced into his fist.

"Ngh!" Chris grunted.

"Fine!" he said.

About 10 minutes later, Chris just sighed heavily, slumping forward.

"Damn it." he cursed.

"This is STILL getting nowhere!" he yelled.

"YOU!" he yelled at Lilim.

"I'll be back!" he declared.

Chris responded by spitting at her.

"Why can't you be more like that other female?" he asked.

"She broke SO easily." he said.

"But no, you have to be SO difficult and stubborn." he mocked.

He then turned to storm off, aiming to get some... equipment... to help him.

Chris froze when she said that.

He seemed to stay where he was, before slightly turning his head and looking at her.

"....excuse me?" he asked.

"....'family'...?" he asked further.

"What on earth do you mean by THAT?" he then asked her.

"That... creature... is NOT my family."

Chris was silent for another moment.

"Ok, now I know you're doing this on purpose." he said.

"And if you think that making vague allusions to indicate some kind of connection between myself and her is going to pique my interest or get me wanting to know more info..." he went on, trailing off a bit and sounding authoritative and filled with conviction...

...before it quickly petered out.

"...you're right." he finished.

"What DO you know?" he asked her.