Ready Set
A quick peek through the lab window— which to my chagrin now required a little hop— revealed Carolyn, Deyha, Ellen, and Mazer clustered at the computer talking about something.
“There you are.” Ellen noticed my arrival immediately as I eased the door open and I gave up my attempt at sneaking.
“Here I am. What’s up?”
Carolyn spun in her chair to face me and immediately re-crossed one knee over the other. “Mazer has been helping me improve my process. He’s given invaluable context to the runic dictionary I’ve already assembled as well as suggesting a few new glyphs that I’m excited to try.”
“Invaluable huh?” I joined the little assembly. “How are you paying for this favor?”
“Perpetual crystal subscription of course.” Carolyn smirked but Mazer was rolling his eyes and shaking his head.
“We made no such arrangement. First of all, not everything is a transaction, and second I would argue that this exchange has been quite mutually beneficial.”
“Nice, nice.” I struggled to read into their phrasing and expressions. I had to assume the concept of him joining the clinic in some capacity had come up, but I also couldn’t risk blowing the delivery if it hadn’t.
“Congrats on filling the first crystal, by the way.” He held up a familiar quartz point. “That was in fact remarkably fast.”
My face reddened and I squinted at Carolyn now. “It was a group effort.”
“Were there any difficulties? Did you have any requests on modifications for the next?”
I avoided everyone’s gaze now, electing to inspect the tile floor. I had in fact been taking note of my thoughts on the whole arrangement but I hadn’t prepared for a presentation to a group.
“Uh…” I cleared my throat and cursed under my breath. “Yeah, I was hoping the next one could grow to a more full size and include more… limbs?”
“That can be arranged.” Mazer nodded.
“I am… so confused.” Ellen spoke up. “Like, I can’t even begin to speculate what you’re talking about.”
“That’s intentional.” I spoke more to the floor than her as Mazer chuckled amicably.
“Can we have multiple crystals at once?” Carolyn spoke up. “It might be handy to have spares.”
“It would be unwise to have more than one active at any given time, so I’d have to insist that they be kept together.”
“What, like a battery pack?” I chuckled, but Mazer seemed to give this serious consideration.
“I could try to amalgamate several crystals…”
I was already shaking my head. “The down time between crystal exchanges is important to me.”
“Is anyone going to clue me into what we are talking about here?” Ellen had her hands on her hips now.
“It’s just the payment plan for my… fertility treatment?” I gestured at the crystal that Mazer was holding. “I need to charge a few crystals and he is giving me some options on customizing.”
“Speaking of fertility, I noticed you haven’t conceived yet.”
“You can tell?—what am I saying? Of course you can tell.” Irritation slipped into my tone as the conversation continued to drift. “Do you do virility treatments too?”
Mazer followed my gaze to Deyha who looked suddenly uncomfortable with the subject.
“I… do.” Mazer spoke deliberately.
“We may be calling on your services again soon then. Deyha? Can I borrow you for a moment?”
“Uh, sure.”
I took her hand and led the way out of the clinic to the same bench we had all sat on after Carolyn deleted her genemap.
“What’s up babe?” Deyha straddled the bench and folded her hands in her lap.
“I— Ellen brought it to my attention that I’ve been making some assumptions… and it seemed prudent to uh… Check in.”
She chuckled and brought a paw up to rest on the bench between us. “Something tells me you’re making this a little more serious than it actually is. I was already planning on working with Mazer for virility.”
“No, it’s not that. I mean that’s great but what I wanted to ask is… Is it okay if I’m intimate with Ellen?”
Deyha shrugged, “sure.”
“But like, really. You’re sure you’re okay with that?”
She pursed her lips and frowned now. “What’s this really about?”
“It just doesn’t seem fair to you, like… I show up on the farm and seduce your wife—“
“I think she did the seducing, but sure.”
“Yeah, fine. Technicalities. But like… you didn’t really react to that like I’d expect. And you’re kinda reacting the same way about Ellen.”
Deyha looked past me and then to the horizon.
Silence dragged as she stared off into space and my dread only grew as she turned to sit on the bench properly.
“Do you think it’s going to become a recurring thing?”
“What?”
“Finding other people. Getting intimate.” Her voice sounded detached now.
“No? I mean probably not. I can make sure it—“
Deyha sighed and looked at me. “I’m used to it.”
“That’s… that’s super not okay, you realize that. Right?”
She shrugged and looked back to the horizon. “Carolyn and Mary… was a tough pill to swallow. Maybe you can even relate to that now. There’s this little nagging voice that says ‘I’m not enough’ and some days it’s louder than others. When Carolyn started pursuing you it was a little different. At the time I knew you as well, and lo and behold our own relationship flourished. But back when you sat in my lap and admitted that Ellen had played with you on the ride home from the airport… it felt familiar.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.” She folded her hands together.
“Do you think you and Ellen might get along some day?”
Deyha huffed a bitter laugh. “Maybe? I mean I have absolutely no problem with her but I can’t say there’s much drawing me in either.”
“How can I help you feel like you’re enough— because for the record, you are.”
Deyha chuckled. “Thanks. And I’m not sure.”
“Does it help that I’m never going to have anyone’s children but yours?”
“Really? You’re that certain?”
“It’s not much of a promise. Neither of them can get me pregnant.”
“I can’t either, for the record.”
“I know a guy who can help with that.”
“Mmhmm.” Deyha smirked and her tone slipped toward playful “Sounds risky though. I’d hate to add another ten crystals to your debt just because I’m not the best at articulating my desires.”
“First off, don’t even worry about the cost. I’d take the stupid fucking lifetime subscription option that Carolyn is so keen on if it meant you were happy.”
Deyha raised an eyebrow at me “Willingly accepting an incredible sex toy for life. I’m touched.” Her words were heavy with sarcasm now.
I shoved her shoulder. “It’s not all sunshine and rainbows you know! I can’t cum when that blasted thing is active.”
“I know. I know. You’re trying to be sweet and romantic.”
“Is it working?”
Deyha rolled her eyes and draped an arm around me. “It might be working a little.”
“You know you’re irreplaceable, right? Ellen doesn’t make you not enough.”
“Eh, agree to disagree.”
“What‽ no!”
“Kidding, Maddie. I’m kidding.”
“Not funny.” I grumbled and shrugged her arm off my shoulder. “Now come get your stupid virility treatment so that you can knock me up.”
“Don’t be so sure.” Deyha teased. “Deep down I might end up not being so much of a Penis-Haver.”
“I will find a way to have your babies. Mark my words.”
“Consider them marked, love.”
We found Carolyn, Ellen, and Mazer right where we left them, but it became immediately obvious that they had not been idle while Deyha and I chatted.
“Whoa…” I stopped in the doorway, causing Deyha to bump into me as I took in Ellen and Carolyn’s appearances.
Ellen’s was the most obvious. She was about the same height, if you didn’t count her ears, but otherwise I was only sure it was her because I knew what her plans for fur were and her clothes hadn’t changed. Said fur was black with white patches around her mouth and on her hands like gloves that went halfway up her forearms. I had to assume she had matching socks, but she’d put her sweat pants back on before coming to the lab.
Carolyn’s changes were far less obvious. Her lips and jaw formed more of a snout now and her emerald scales had more definition or texture or… Something. They had turned the corner from snake skin to dragon hide.
She twisted in place and lifted one clawed foot at a time, swinging her new tail experimentally as she did, but already the tail was shrinking.
“Nope, still not a fan of tails.” She murmured and dusted her backside. “Talons are sick though. I should have tried this years ago.”
“Carolyn!” I got her attention at last and she looked up, grinning broadly to show off enhanced teeth.
“Hello pet, did you have a good chat with Deyha?”
“I— yes but that’s beside the point. What happened?”
“Oh, just trying some things out. What do you think?” She turned in place and as I watched her scales changed color to red, then purple, then back to green.
“Carolyn!” I hissed through my teeth, “this is very wasteful!”
“Don’t worry.” Mazer spoke up at last. “These are simply illusions, a way to test drive and estimate cost so we don’t end up with another emergency sedation situation.”
“Oh. Yeah… that would have been nice.”
“Live and learn.” Mazer shrugged. “Though I apologize for the inconvenience and discomfort.”
“So… glamours that function the same as my transformation did? Based on subconscious and whatnot?”
“Precisely.”
Movement caught my eye and I turned back toward the ongoing spectacle.
“Ellen.” I hissed through my teeth as she pulled at the collar of her shirt to look down the front.
“What?” She only spared me a glance before pulling it out further. “I don’t have a mirror, so I’m doing my best with what I have.”
“I’ll take a picture for you.” I pulled out my phone and Ellen smirked.
“Perv.”
“Not of your chest! Jesus Christ!”
Deyha was cracking up now, apparently finding this all just as unbearably funny as Carolyn did.
“Mmm… I think I’ll have to pass.” Carolyn shook her head and her features returned to normal. “I’m not keen on relearning how to walk. I simply don’t have the time… but Ellen is welcome to put it on Maddie’s tab if you have the mana handy.”
Carolyn ignored my balking as she addressed Mazer.
“That’s not fair!” My voice turned shrill as everyone but me seemed to catch the giggles over this whole scenario.
“Relax Maddie.” Ellen’s appearance returned to normal as well. “I’m not going to run up your magic debt. I’ll pay my own way.”
“I…” I stammered and hesitated “I mean I’ll help chip in if you want, I just… never mind. Forget I said anything.”
“Oh Maddie.” Carolyn sighed wistfully. “Never change.”
“I have changed. A whole lot in fact.”
“Details, details.” Carolyn waved dismissively. “How about it Dee? Wanna try out a glamour?”
Mazer spoke up now, “it’s no trouble. I also understand that you intend to sire Madeline’s child, and I’m happy to help with that as well as part of her fertility treatment.”
“That’s… very kind.” Deyha seemed to be choosing her words carefully, and I couldn’t tell if it was because she hadn’t made up her mind or if she was just figuring out polite wording to say ‘no’. After a moment she sighed. “I suppose it would be wise to temper expectations.”
“Another benefit of my collaboration with Carolyn is that once we see what your desired shape is, we can develop a serum therapy to get there without incurring the mana cost that Maddie’s transformation required.”
I folded my arms. “You really did just figure it all out after doing my treatment. Was I your first client?”
“Maddie!” Carolyn sounded scandalized, but Mazer just chuckled.
“You were a first of a sort. Ordinarily I maintain strict control of how the mana is put to work, but I felt that your unique physiology warranted a similarly unique approach.”
I tried to slip behind Deyha as Carolyn approached but Deyha elected not to shield me from her wife’s wrath. Suddenly Carolyn was very close and she pulled on the loop on my collar as she looked me in the eyes.
“We don’t talk like that to our guests.”
Her tone was calm, and her omission of any pet names was all it took to communicate this wasn’t playful for her.
“Sorry.”
Even this didn’t amuse her.
“Something must be done about that mouth of yours.” She grumbled under her breath and eased her grip on my collar. “For now, please let the adults work, okay? I’ll come find you when we’re done here.”
“Am I in trouble?”
She rolled her eyes and looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “No more than usual. Just see to it that we don’t have any repeat incidents. Understand?”
I nodded and took a step back but she caught my shoulders.
“You’re going to spiral over this aren’t you?”
“I’ll try not to.” I lied. It seemed like a harmless fib anyways, it shouldn’t be her job to maintain my emotional state after all.
“Do you want a task?”
I shrugged. “I’m not busy at the moment. How can I help?”
“Why don’t you put together some refreshments and snacks in our bedroom? I have a feeling it’s going to be a late night.”
“Do you have a lot of work to do?” I tilted my head to the side to peer past her at the computer.
“In a manner of speaking. I’m sure we’ll wrap up here before long but after that I think we’ll finally get to that last little detail in your five-part request. Remember what it was? Cute, happy, tagged, milked…”
“I remember.”
“Good girl. Now go get things ready and try not to mouth off to any of our other guests, okay?”
I rolled my eyes and before I could react she flicked my ear.
“Brat.” She gripped my shoulders and turned me around. “Now shoo!”
I skipped out of range as she made a move to pat me on the bottom and waved goodbye to Ellen and Deyha before leaving the lab.