Chapter 65: An Ordinary Day Where Nothing Bad Happens (Girl)
An Ordinary Day Where Nothing Bad Happens (Girl)
Content Warnings:
The day started so great! I got to wake up with my Mistress curled around me and touching my horns which are very sensitive. We had a shower together and then she braided my hair and I got to put her hair into a lovely half braid before painting her nails red and then Primrose showed up with like the bestest gifts ever! She made me and Verbess new Beppys and one is red that I claimed and one is blue that Verbess claimed and they're so perfect, just like the Beppy we had as a child.
Adaline shows up afterwards needing to talk to Mistress about sex and how they're both really bad with saying their feelings so I get sent on a super important task. I get to take our new guest on a tour!
Walk Walk Walk I make my way to his temporary accommodations, only a few rooms down, and rap rap rap on his door politely. He takes way long to answer, dozens of heartbeats, but finally comes to the door wearing Labourers coveralls?
One of his furry grey ears flick in confusion at my expression, which is very adorable. "Hello? Sorry, I... don't remember your name. I've picked the name Rufus myself, and that... Augusta said I should take Chain as a family name to... remind myself.”
"I'm Schatzi! And you're kinda like one of them screakers! Do you have a tail? Why are you wearing ugly coveralls, do you not have comfy robes?”
"Uhhhhhhhh, Yes. I found myself with a tail after exiting the... mud. I'm wearing the coveralls because none of my clothes fit anymore, and there's a distinct lack of... men's wear in anything approaching my size.”
"Oh! I can get you some trousers and modify one of Xafra's tunics to fit you for now. You uhhhm… Probably don't need the extra arm holes?" I offer, showing so much consideration.
"No, just the two arms, two legs, head, and... a tail." He scowls at me in a very silly way and I giggle as I lead him over to Sister Xafra's Spire for some new clothes.
We arrive just as Sister Xafra is leaving, she scritches my head, which is the best, and I get permission to take some clothes, dashing up to Primrose's studio and thunka thunking on the door.
Primrose answers with a giggle and says Hi, hopping backwards and I hop forwards to hug her again and let her know that Beppy and Beppy are wumberful and that Rufus has furry ears that do the cute flick thing when he's confused but Krahe says you shouldn't scritch a boy behind the ears unless you wanna smooch them and I don't want to smooch him even a little bit.
She hugs me back so tight then nods in agreement. "This one thinks that having ears that tattle on one's confusion would be cute on Nettle because she always acts so calm and collected even though she promises she's just as confused about most things as this one. And... furry ears would be fun to bite and nibble at. Especially if they are sensitive."
Nettle comes from a back part of the studio and says that Primrose would look cute with them as well, but would also probably get annoyed when they wiggle about all the time. Primrose goes quiet for a second. Pursing her lips in serious considerations. "But... then Nettle could scrutch this one behind those ears and smooch it. What... would it feel like to have fuzzy ears?"
Then Nettle scrutches her behind the ears and smooches her anyway, getting more giggles.
I mention to them that they could probably get fuzzy ears if they used the special mud on them but then Calix walks in being all cute and I have to run to the door and shoosh him away because we gotta get good clothing for Rufus before we can do the tour.
Primrose pushes Nettle forward to help me, gushing endlessly about all the pretty things she's made when asked and how she taught her needle things for the plushies. Nettle asks if I know the kind of clothes Rufus wants made. Not just the body things but general style and make, and I shake my head looking at him where he stands near the door, ear twitching frantically.
Nettle asks him "Easy comfy now, stylish comfy later?" and he nods in desperate relief like a real silly billy.
Nettle and Primrose herd him into the studio proper and get him to answer questions then sort through different colours and fabrics into "yessums" and "nomaams", before making a real quick outfit for the tour! Primrose and Nettle say they're gonna get the other outfits done before the tour is even over and that's amazing!
Now that he's properly dressed I march Rufus over to Calix's room so he can join us and he gets all silly, asking Rufus about the Ousia collar he was wearing previously.
"What? I'm... You're allowing me to spellweave again?" Rufus responds in confusion, his ear still doing that adorable flick that Calix hones in on with fascination, "What if I act against you all?”
I giggle at him, no longer needing to worry about angry serious stuff and remind him that I can do the same thing that Adaline did if needed but he should just behave because we don't want to make Calix sad and I want him to turn around so I can look at his tail!
[Mmmm... No.] Verbess murmurs to an unspoken question from Krahe.
[No no no. hear this one out.] Krahe presses. [Its Function would be more than just... fluffy balance things. Remember those like... weird sea things? With the front legs of a Grakler and the butt of a fish that could split into three tendrils or merge into a single tail?]
[You need your legs.] Verbess replies.
[Of course, But what this one's thinking of is a big long twisting mess of a tail like those sea-things had. Can curl tight and latch together to be one big tail, OR split into like... half a dozen smaller ones with the underside of Fangs that interlock them now basically able to bite. And it's not replacing this one's legs. It would be like this Rufus person's. But... with more Functions than just wiggling about and messing up his balance. Hope he gets used to stairs right quick else he's gonna take a tumble.]
Verbess thinks on that before considering me. [What do you think, Schatzi?]
I giggle and send them a Scandalous image of Verbess entwined around Krahe's new Frame with Verbess' chompers nibbling on Krahe's hecking big tail.
[SEE‽ Exactly. Or... Also...] Krahe giggles with me, then sends back her own perceptions of the wribblie new tail yanking me off my feet and pulling my Frame into a big messy embrace as her Fangs chomp on my neck.
Verbess cackles along and is nuzzling close to both of us, mind tilting easily from uncertain considerations to hungry and excited acceptance of the ideas.
"SCANDALOUS" I shout, causing Rufus to look at me in more delightful confusion, at least until Calix tells him that I'm talking with the Pack and Rufus gives an old man nod like he knows so much. That stinker!
I smile bigly and point out all the rooms in Xafra's Spire and who uses them, telling him that he should avoid Xafra's spookums room because she'd get upset if he caused problems with it, then lead the way to the Library Spire! One down, 14 to goooooo!
At the library Spire, Valthirii refuses to open the door for some reason, so I just kick it down then set it politely against the inside wall. I remind the boys to wipe their feet off on the doormat because none of us are wearing shoes or boots on the Estate except for the Mistress... Oh! Is it a person thing?
"Hey Rufus, Do you need shoes?" I ask as I finish wiping my feet off with the rag and bucket by the door.
"Yes? My feet are a fair bit larger than they were, so my old boots won't fit anymore." He answers in that puzzled voice again.
"No, No, this one means like, Is it a people thing to need shoes? We never wore any even before we became a Doll.”
He gives me this sad look that makes me grumpy and takes forever before speaking, "Typically, unaltered humans wear shoes to protect their feet from the elements and harmful surfaces.”
[Huh. Feet were tough before I even remember trying on a pair. Always thought that was kinda wasteful and really uncomfortable.] Krahe murmurs, doing the equivalent of a mental shrug. [Also... I always liked to feel the weird textures beneath and such.]
"But you're not unaltered. You've got feetsies like Sister Xafra's Warlord form, just smaller, though you're walking on them all silly. That's why you tripped down the basement stairs, you know." I tell him matter-of-factly, as Calix gives him a reassuring pat and scritches behind his ears. [WAIT, DOES THAT MEAN CALIX WANTS TO KISS HIM?] I immediately ask the Pack.
[Yeah. Absolutely. And Rufus TOTALLY wants him to.] Krahe answers, and Verbess hums agreement. [So... who do we think will ask the other or lean in first?]
[Hmm... Rufus.] Verbess answers. [His budding affections will rise up and devour him. Perhaps before even before his tour is done.]
[Naw naw naw. Definitely Calix. He's bolder, more willing to take risks and adjust.] Krahe disagrees. [Thinks in loops and hoops that'll swing him into blurting it out.]
[Please be gentle with the two of them] Sister Xafra answers after a while, [They're both rather fragile, and dealing with men is a lot more work.]
I turn to stare at Rufus who's doing some foot wiggles and finally walking properly to the excited clapping of Calix.
"Alright, I... would probably need radically different shoes now, if I want to wear some. Probably should, if only so I don't embarrass... Elevar.” He gets a super serious face and continues talking, "I'm going to need to speak to her once she's available.”
[Ain't that the truth.] Krahe chuckles back to Sister Xafra. [I promise to not cause a stir at either of them till I get a Frame, Pack Lead.]
Verbess purrs amusement but... also Cants ::Assurance/Agreement:: to Xafra.
Xafra Cants ::Gratitude:: to us all and goes back to being all cute happy awed with little Sikkina
"Okay Rufus, I'll let Mistress Elevar know once she's back above ground." I tell him as Valthirii finally makes her way up the stairs from the basement with Adaline.
"Schatzi... Did you kick the door down instead of just opening it?" Adaline asks while Valthirii starts making chitters about how rude we are.
"Uh-huh, no one answered so I broke in to give Rufus a tour of the Library Spire.”
While Valthirii gets even angrier, Mistress contacts me, asking for Adaline to go see her and for me to take Krahe's Frame parts to the Doll Wiggler. I ask if I should bring Rufus and she says no and to do the parts thing after the tour. I bzzt the information to Adaline so I don't have to interrupt Valthirii, and she offers to take Krahe's parts to the Doll Wiggler herself so I agree. Once Adaline leaves Valthirii calms down and I tell her that she could probably just give Adaline a book if she wants to date her but then she gets all blushy and grumbles which is no good for a tour guide. I point out the shelves section by section and show Rufus the memorial room in progress and he gets all solemn and serious again until Calix takes his hand and gives it a little pat pat with his other hand.
Next we head downstairs and see Augusta just as she finishes talking to the Mistress which is suuuuper weird cause she's like just saying things out loud instead of in the head, but I knock on the door and wait this time because I can hear her and she opens the door and gives me a hug and asks that Calix come for an appointment in a few days and for Rufus to do so but not at the same time, then she does the wonky mirror thing with her eyes and I get to see what I look like from Krahe's perspective and gosh gosh wow! Two Spires Done!
The rest of the tour goes by real quick because Verbess has the tingles and we don't need to go in most of them so I point out where all the Dolls live, make sure he knows not to bug Lynette's Doll, refuse to answer questions about Lynette with a stern boop to his nose that Calix giggles at, show him which Storage Spire stores what, tell him to not go into the Undercroft, and return to Mistress Elevar and Miss Lynette's Spire.
I let him know that Calix can take over the rest of the tour once we get back to his room and giggle as Calix starts explaining how the lights work as I zoop away to my Mistress and Pack.
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