Aka Amy

"Hello Ada," I greeted her with a friendly smile. "You're looking good."

The cute pinkette catgirl replied with a nervous smile of her own as she slipped into the booth across from me, "Hi Amy."

"Or is it Amethyst?" she added in a quiet uncertain tone as she got her tail sorted out.

"Just Amy. For now at least," I grimaced.

I was trying to maintain the fiction that me and Amethyst were two separate entities, that I was merely a vessel through which the goddess could operate. There were times I questioned whether anybody actually believed that, but then I just had to remind myself of one thing.

My own girlfriend and cleric seemed to be convinced that Amethyst and I really were two different people, and Tess was in on the conversation when we came up with the lie in the first place.

Once she was all sorted out and comfortable sitting across from me, Ada blushed as she admitted "This feels a little awkward, to be honest? I only just met your girlfriend for coffee the other day, I really didn't expect to hear from you, let alone have you invite me out for lunch. And uh, I probably wouldn't have agreed to meet except I kind of... I think Amethyst told me to be here? in a dream, I mean."

I gave her a sympathetic smile, "I get it. It's weird for me too, if that's any consolation? I'm sure this is more Tess's thing, but she's got a full-time job and I don't. Plus I'm Amethyst's vessel and all. Anyways I know she wants to help you, and I get the impression she wanted me to meet with you, to discuss the practical aspects of how she can help?"

"She might make an appearance in person if necessary," I added.

Ada started to reply but the waitress chose that moment to come over to our table. She froze for a few seconds as she stared at the cute pink-haired catgirl sitting across from me, before snapping out of it to take our orders. Neither of us had looked at the menu yet though, so we ordered our drinks then quickly figured out what we wanted while the waitress went to get our beverages.

The restaurant wasn't anything that special, it was a typical chain that served fairly standard North American style food. When the waitress came back Ada ordered a BBQ chicken sandwich with onion rings, I got a steak sandwich with fries.

After the waitress headed away again the pinkette catgirl looked at me and grimaced, "I appreciate the offer to help, but I really feel bad about asking in the first place?"

"I get that," I told her. "Amethyst's made it clear though she wants to help, and she's sent me here to get the ball rolling. So please don't hold back? What can we do for you?"

Ada sighed, "I guess the main thing is I need somewhere to stay? And I need a job. Actually I guess the bottom line is money. It always comes down to money, but that's capitalism, right?"

She sounded bitter, and I couldn't blame her for that.

Meanwhile she continued, "That's why I feel bad about asking, too? I know my problems aren't unique, lots of people are struggling for cash and stuck in difficult living arrangements. And if I hadn't got my miracle dream body then I wouldn't even have those problems in the first place."

"In fact," she sighed and her voice took on a sad tone, "Maybe if she just took away the miracle then all the other problems would go away too. My parents wouldn't hate me, April wouldn't hate me, I could go back to university without anyone there freaking out..."

It turned my stomach to hear that. I leaned closer and said, "You don't really want that though, do you?"

"No," she sighed as her ears drooped to either side. "I'd rather die than lose this body. But it's messed up every other aspect of my life."

"I know what it's like Ada," I responded quietly. "I told you when we met that I got a surprise instant transition too, right? I didn't even realize I was trans at the time, I was still in egg mode. But even when I thought I was still a guy, the idea of going back to my original form seemed horrifying to me."

She continued looking sad with her ears down and shoulders slumped, "How did you get through it? I mean family stuff, friend stuff, regular life stuff?"

"I've only seen my parents twice since then," I told her. "First when I came out to them, and they freaked out. Then about eight months later I gave them a second chance, and that ended badly. I have no idea if I'll ever patch things up with them, but I'm not going to lose sleep over it. If they can't handle knowing I'm a girl, if they can't cope with the magical goddess stuff, that's on them."

Ada sighed again, "I get that. I know other trans folks who've been disowned, or who've had to cut off contact with their parents or siblings. It sucks. Especially when you're financially dependent on them."

"I know," I agreed quietly. "It hurts, it's unfair, and it really does suck."

After a pause I asked, "Have you had any contact with your folks since you moved out?"

The catgirl shrugged, "Some. Nothing good though. Before I blocked their number and their emails they sent me some threats and stuff. They were talking about arranging an exorcism, to purge the demons from my body and get their son back or some bullshit nonsense like that. As if I'm some kind of imposter, or a sickness that they can pray away to get back the mask I used to wear. They like the lie better than the real me."

"I'm sorry Ada," I frowned as I shook my head. "For what it's worth I think you've done the right thing by blocking them and cutting off contact."

She just nodded quietly, but she still looked sad. After a sip of her iced tea she asked, "How'd you handle the other stuff? Friends, work or school, living arrangements, all that stuff?"

I shrugged, "I wasn't very social or outgoing when I was an egg. My friends were online, people I met through games? It was scary and there were some rough spots, but I came out to them and we're still friends now."

"As for my girlfriend," I continued, "I met her after it happened so she never knew the AMAB version of me. And for everything else, I needed Amethyst's help. She knows that your situation is partially due to the miracle she gave you through Tess, so let's get back to the topic of how we can help you."

With the worst timing ever that's when our lunch was ready, and the conversation paused there while the waitress delivered our food. The food wasn't even that great. It was ok, like there was nothing wrong with it, but it wasn't anything special or unique.

After two or three minutes of eating in silence I asked, "So Ada we were talking about how Amethyst could help you. Living arrangements and money were the two things you've mentioned. She can help with both of those if you like?"

The pinkette catgirl frowned slightly as she munched on an onion ring. Then she asked quietly, "How would Amethyst help with something like money? She's not just going to give me a pile of cash or something, is she?"

I hesitated briefly, "Probably not? But she might arrange a transfer into your bank account. She could even arrange for that to happen on a monthly basis."

Ada stared at me for a few seconds as her eyes widened. She didn't seem to believe me as she asked, "Seriously?"

This time I hesitated for a couple seconds. In fact I tilted my head slightly to one side as though I was listening to Amethyst talk to me, although what I was actually doing was quickly thinking about the situation and what I was prepared to do for her.

In the end I decided the same deal I made with my sister ought to work ok for Ada. I knew if I did that for too many people there might eventually be trouble, like if I did it enough the economy might start to notice. But that had to be millions of dollars a month, this was just a few thousand for two people.

"All right," I finally responded, "Amethyst can help you every month like that, if you'll perform a small sacrifice in return."

"What sort of sacrifice?" the catgirl asked warily.

That made me smile, like she was obviously thinking about goats or some other kind of livestock.

"Cookies," I explained. "There's a specific kind of cookie, and a certain brand of ice wine. Set out a plate of the right kind of cookies and a glass of the right kind of ice wine every full moon night plus two other holy nights, and Amethyst will arrange a transfer of funds into your bank account every month."

Ada frowned, "Cookies and wine? Is this for real?"

I was still smiling as I nodded, "Very real. That's what she wants in sacrifice."

The catgirl had another bite of her lunch then pulled out her phone and looked something up while she was chewing, so I enjoyed a bit more of my sandwich as well.

"The next full moon isn't until August eleventh," she replied a minute or so later. "Does that mean I have to wait that long before I can start?"

I shook my head, "Actually July thirty-first is a holy day for Amethyst, so you can start on Sunday night. We don't even have to wait that long though, if you're going to commit to this I think Amethyst would be willing to help you right now."

Ada's ears both stood up tall as she looked interested and maybe excited, but also thoughtful. "How much money would she send me? Will it be enough for me to get my own place?"

"Enough to cover rent, tuition, and living expenses," I replied. "I'll be honest, she's not going to make you rich Ada, and you might still want to get a part-time job for some extra income? But Amethyst will at least make sure you're safe and comfortable and can finish your education."

She thought it over for another couple seconds then nodded, "Ok Amy. I really hate having to ask Amethyst for more help, especially because I keep thinking I don't really need it? It's not like April's kicking me out, she isn't even pressuring me to leave. But we're not a couple anymore, and me staying there just makes it really awkward for both of us. I don't have any options though, unless I turn to Amethyst for help? It's either April's sofa, the street, or back to my parents' house."

I grimaced, "I'm sorry Ada. Tess mentioned that things hadn't been going well. The two of us feel really bad about it, and I'm positive Amethyst does too."

"It's not your fault," she quickly responded. "Both April and me were in a big hurry for me to get my miracle, and I'm grateful for what the goddess did for me. It's just, April couldn't handle me being a catgirl. She tried to get over it, but..."

Ada's voice trailed off for a moment. Then she sighed and shook her head, "I don't know. You saw how the waitress here reacted when she first saw me? That happens everywhere, and April couldn't deal with it. She said it was like when she first started her transition, everyone stared at her because they knew she was trans? And that eventually stopped for her."

"I still got stared at," she continued. "You remember what I looked like when we first met, when I went out like that I got stared at. April thought I'd be like her, she figured I'd look normal and blend in. Instead I'm a non-human freak who's going to stand out and be stared at forever. And that's just one of a dozen little things, but little things add up."

I frowned, "You're not a freak. You're different, but please don't put yourself down like that, ok Ada? You're not the only catgirl, or the only demi-human out there. It's rare, but there's others like you and you're all amazing people."

"Anyways like I said we want to help," I continued. "Me and Tess and Amethyst. So where do you want to start? I can help you look for a place if you like? I've got the car today so if you like we can even go check out some places in person."

The cute catgirl took a deep breath, then nodded "Ok Amy. I guess that's the best place to start? Find a new place, and go from there."

"Thank you so much," she added with a weak smile. "I've been dreading all of this... Making decisions, asking for help, even just moving on with my life? I owe you all so much. Amethyst, Tess, and you. Please let your girlfriend and the goddess know how grateful I am?"

"I will," I promised.

She already had her phone out, and opened up one of the browser tabs where she had some apartment searches already saved. The waitress came by at one point to refill our drinks and clear away the dishes. And eventually we ordered some coffees as we continued to talk while she looked at apartments and things.

She was searching in the east end, near the York-U campus where she was attending school, and it wasn't too long before she had a short-list of places. There was a basement apartment, a room in a house with other students, and a one-bedroom unit in a typical apartment building that was walking distance from her campus.

"Want to head out there and have a look at them?" I offered. "Even if we can't get inside all three places, we can at least see the outside and get a feel for the places. But we might get lucky, maybe we can get inside for a tour."

Ada hesitated, "You really don't mind? I don't want to take up your whole afternoon, and we'll probably end up having to come back in rush hour..."

"It's fine," I promised.

"Ok Amy," she smiled. "Thank you so much."

I smiled back, then paid for lunch before the two of us headed out to the car together.