Amaranthine

The sights, sounds and smells of a new city could be overwhelming to the well-trodden five senses of a human. Take some of those away, add new ones the mind wasn’t properly prepared for, and you had a recipe for absolute overload. Zebrowski hadn’t been kidding, the difference between this evening and yesterday was stark; the streets weren’t exactly full, but people were out going about their business, occasionally stepping over piles of rubble or gore that cleanup crews hadn’t gotten around to yet.

It didn’t help that the entire city was bathed in the pulsing blue glow of PlazLoad’s Powerlines. Even without the rainbow dance of Splice’s ability lacing other powers into his own, the glow was omnipresent, coloring everything else in the city. Even his friends’ auras were changed, all but Cait’s, who’s golden glare was as unflinching as ever.

Somehow, Willow noticed before his growing stimulation blossomed into distress, taking a tentacle in her hand and pulsing calm, much in the same way Kennedy did. She gave him a kind smile, much less aloof than her usual expression, and it grounded him enough to focus on his friends rather than every aspect of the city around him.

Ahead of him, Lira and Cait whispered excitedly, his vibration sense picking up every word. He tried not to listen too closely, as it quickly became clear Lira had noticed Kennedy follow Cait into the shower, they all had to be honest, but Lira was the only one bold and interested enough to ask for details. The heat coming off of Kennedy’s ears told Nick that the goth was hearing every word as well, even as she debated where they were actually heading with Qi.

It had been quickly and unequivocally decided they were heading out in search of deep-dish, but after walking out the door, a quick search had left them paralyzed by choice. Qi advocated for Lou Malnati’s a pre-Wave chain that was universally highly regarded online. Ever the contrarian indie girl, Kennedy insisted that a chain couldn’t be the best option. Qi countered that practice made perfect and quantity had a quality all its own, and by that point Nick was fucking hungry.

He spared a second to wonder how the hell Qi was hungry, given that he was absolutely certain he’d seen her eat a dude or two during the fight, but decided such things were better not dwelled upon. His senses picked up a glowing sign in the shape of a pizza above the sidewalk just ahead, and he made an executive decision.

As the girls passed the entryway, he wrapped a tentacle around each, removing their indecisive feet from the sidewalk and pushing them through the door. The host at the entry desk boggled at the sight of 5 beautiful superheroines being presented like action figures by a tentacle monster, but after Nick put them down and Cait hit him with a ‘dazzle ‘em’, he collected himself quickly.

“W-welcome to Lou Malnati’s!” he stammered, hands shaking a bit as he collected menus. “5, uh, 6 of you?”

“A five top is fine,” Cait chuckled, yoinking Nick up by a tentacle to hold him against her abdomen. “This little guy is a bit of a lap cat.”

A minute later, they were seated, and conversation in the restaurant was juuuust beginning to resume after falling silent at their appearance, now almost entirely focused on them.

Despite being the most recognizable out of costume, Nick was also far and away the worst with public attention. It made him nervous. He suspected that was more to do with the fact that he hadn’t been a beautiful woman before being Altered. A pretty face and a killer body would get you more stares than Pete’s glowing eyes, Altered or not. He suspected that was why Cait had sat him on her lap. It was easier for him to convince his nerves that people were staring at the bodacious beautiful blonde rather than him.

“My impression of deep dish is that it’s really just an excuse to fit even more meat on a pie,” Cait insisted, finger tapping against a menu entry Nick couldn’t read. “Gotta get peproonys and the saus.”

“Then do it, Cait,” Kennedy said, rolling her eyes. “God knows you’ll down one of these things yourself. I don’t know where you fucking put it!”

“Ah, c’mon, you helped her work it off didn’t you?” Lira prodded, poking Kennedy in the side wearing a fully shit-eating grin. “Don’t worry though babe, I’ll split with you.”

“I’m with Cait, tbh,” Qi said, patting her stomach with a clink of talon on scale. “I’m fucking ravenous after that fight.”

The moment of nervous eye contact that passed between Cait and Kennedy didn’t escape Nick’s notice, telling him they were also keenly aware of Draconic’s dietary choices. They let it pass without comment however, combat pseudo-cannibalism not seeming like polite dinner conversation unless the sausage on these pies was made of man.

The team quickly fell into the easy rapport they’d built over the months, made even easier by a newfound warmth between Kennedy and Qi. It had always been there, easily detected to Nick’s highly attuned senses, but the warmth of pheromonal attraction had been buried under a cold sort of distance. In his weird omni-vision, he noticed that Kennedy had gone as far as to slip a fishnet-clad foot out of one unlaced combat boot, placing it on one of Qi’s massive talons as they chatted. The fact that she also had a hand high up enough in Cait’s lap that it wasn’t even touching Nick where he sat made him glad he was monogamous. That all seemed very complicated.

Steaming hot pizza pies graced the table after a half hour or so, and conversation was quickly replaced with the almost lewd sounds of feasting. The groan of pleasure Cait let out after her first bite was definitely the same Nick had heard come out of the shower an hour ago, and as he brought the first slice to his maw, he couldn’t blame her. This shit was good.

As Kennedy predicted, Cait treated her large deep-dish like it was a personal pan, but when Nick and Qi did the same, the feat was barely worth commenting on. Kennedy and Lira didn’t even finish the one they split, the goth apparently not inheriting the appetite aspect of Cait’s aura.

After Kennedy settled the bill, the gang spilled back onto the streets, energized like they weren’t all multiple pounds heavier. They’d all had a couple drinks with their ‘za, but the alcohol had produced a much more profound effect on Kennedy and Lira than anyone else, almost certainly a function of biology and size; each of them weighed nearly a half-ton less than the rest of the team. This manifested as an absolutely unshakable insistence on karaoke being the team’s next activity.

A bit of confused googling later, Cait just went back in and asked a thoroughly charmed host where he’d recommend, and 5 minutes later they were ducking into a bar the next block over. It was immediately clear the tip had been good; an entire bachelorette party was doing a fantastically terrible Material Girl on a small stage facing the bar. Polite applause followed their performance, with a few more enthusiastic whoops from some very thirsty looking men.

Cait carried Nick over to a table, Qi in tow, while Kennedy and Lira went to bother the DJ and sign them up for some sets. Nick shifted around in Cait’s lap, facing her.

-FUCK ARE THEY GONNA SIGN ME UP FOR?-

-A YOUTUBE VIDEO OF AN UPSET SNAKE?-

Cait chuckled, shaking her had and patting the crown of his hat.

“Nah, Kennedy and I have talked about this before. I bet you 1 million dollars she signed the two of you up for Freak on a Leash,”

-….. WHAT?-

“Yeah buddy, hope you’re ready to do some Nu-Metal scat!” Cait announced as Kennedy and Lira found their table, giddy with excitement.

“B-Man!” Kennedy exclaimed, grabbing him off Cait’s lap, spinning him once and giving him a big kiss on the bill, “hope you’re ready to kick some fucking ass on stage! These motherfuckers aren’t gonna believe how horny they can get for Korn!”

Nick wiggled helplessly, unwilling to exercise the level of violence he suspected it would take to get him out of this situation.

Fortunately, he wasn’t up first. Cait and Lira took the stage, scream/singing an oddly emotional duet about being in love with a Fuckboi, to uproarious applause and more than a little arousal when they acted out some of the hornier bits on stage. After that, Willow stunned the crowd with an O, Death that was met with absolute silence, save one man’s soft weeping.

Kennedy headed up next, singing her goddamn heart out about The Emptiness Machine, before the DJ announced that BREAST MAN would be joining her on-stage for the next song.

Like every good mid-western boy who had spent any amount of time as a teenage edgelord, Nick was very familiar with Korn. So familiar, in fact, he was blown away by the entrancing, sultry edge Kennedy leant to the nonsense lyrics of Freak on a Leash. He did his best to back-up wiggle as she controlled the crowd, making the kind of eye contact with Cait usually reserved for fellatio. He almost missed his cue as the song devolved into the wordless scat for which he had been recruited.

It turned out, they’d been absolutely right. He nailed it. The inhuman shrieks and groans may as well have been the native language for whatever he was, and the aroused trance Kennedy had put the room in was quickly replaced with head banging along to his performance. He left the stage feeling exhilarated, and more than he had awhile, part of humanity. Until the overwhelming color and power of a Wave reminded him he was anything but, the second they stepped outside.