Immediately after we finished our conference by Lydia’s bedside, Zehra dragged us all back to her lab to explain in detail the workings of her newest invention, the miniaturized brain-scanning laser. The contraption would be mounted on Sveta Prime’s unit, but we were all getting a crash course in neurophysics regardless.

“So you see, at the moment of death, the human brain releases a blast of neural energy in the form of bioelectricity, gao~n. The exact properties of this energy are still unknown to me, but it retains a remarkable degree of complexity and self-cohesion, even lacking a biological shell to contain it. Shortly after release, this neural energy dissipates… or, to be more precise, it shifts to another phase-state of existence, gao~n. At the moment between the energy’s release and phase-shift, my brain laser can scan it and create computer data.”

Most of what Zehra just said went over my head, but I caught the broad strokes and the implications were profound. Without thinking, I raised my hand with a question.

Zehra responded to my raised hand. “Yes? Genevi?”

“Ah, s-sorry…” I realized what I had just done; I hadn’t meant to interrupt her. But since she had already called on me, I went ahead and asked my question. “D-Doctor… if I’m understanding you correctly... are you saying you’ve discovered scientific proof of the existence of the human soul?”

There was a sharp gasp from everyone as they looked at me in disbelief; my sister, however, was entirely unperturbed. She had apparently reached the same conclusion as me.

“I wonder about that, gao~n. I’m reluctant to ascribe any particular meaning to this discovery, as there’s still a lot about it I don’t understand. And attributing every unexplained phenomenon to magic or the divine is not good scientific practice, gao~n.”

“Still, Genevi has a point,” Sabina responded in my stead, perfectly in tune with my line of thought, “You described the phenomenon of the human mind leaving the body in the form of energy after death, and vanishing into… another dimension? Another reality? That sounds an awful lot like a soul entering the afterlife to me.”

Zehra shook her head. “Maybe, maybe not. For all we know, this strange neural energy might break down a few minutes after leaving the body, gao~n. Since I can’t observe it after the phase-shift, where it goes is still a mystery to me. In truth, I did try to study the phase-shift dimension while I was tearing holes into other realities, but I was blocked, gao~n.” Zehra’s expression had turned dark, and I swore I saw a hint of fear in her eyes.

“Blocked?” Miette asked. “Blocked by what?”

Zehra clenched her firsts and pressed her lips together in a firm line, as if trying to tap an internal well of courage, before responding. “Some THING is living in that other dimension. They made it clear I wasn’t to pry further, for my own well-being, gao~n.”

The air in the room seemed to turn to ice. Everyone was frozen in place, fearful even to breathe, while they considered the implications of what Zehra had just said. After a few moments, I was the first to speak up.

“Zehra… are you saying you made contact with God?”

Zehra shook her head vigorously, sending a few strands of hair whipping around. “I don’t believe in gods, gao~n. For all we know, it could be an interdimensional energy vampire that eats the minds of the dead.”

“That’s a ridiculous explanation.” Sabina objected.

“No more ridiculous than claiming it’s the Abrahamic God, Sabina. For all we know, it’s actually the Demiurge or Zeus or Odin, gao~n. You see how ridiculous it is to make assumptions based on such scant evidence?”

Sabina looked like she wanted to object further, as did I, but we decided to back down. Satisfied, Zehra continued her lecture.

“Anyway, whatever the case, the entity seemed to simply be protecting the secrets of life after death, gao~n. It didn’t object to me harvesting Sveta and Kometka’s neural energy before they phase-shifted. I haven’t been smited, so we’re in the clear, gao~n. Now, the laser has a firing interval of…”

As she continued to talk, I tuned her out and thought over the implications of what I had just learned.

This certainly is a day for shocking revelations, huh? I can’t keep up anymore…

*****

By the time Zehra’s lecture finished, it was already 1530 hours. The afternoon was half-over.

Noooo! My precious day off! It’s almost gone… I gotta hurry up or I won’t have much time for my date with Sveta! I flagged down Miette just as she was about to leave the lab, with Sveta Prime attached to her arm.

“Hmm? What is it, Genevi?”

I looked around warily. “Miette, can I talk to you… uh, privately?”

Miette tilted her head, puzzled. “Huh? Why?”

“Privately, please.” I urged.

“Fine, fine. Let’s go to my quarters. Sveta, if you’d excuse us for a few minutes.” Sveta looked a bit pouty as she uncoiled herself from Miette, but she didn’t say anything.

After we entered, Miette shut the door and turned to me. “Now, what’s this about?”

I grit my teeth and summoned my rehearsed line. My stomach was tying itself in knots, but I pushed through it. “Miette! CANYOUPLEASEHELPMEWOOSVETA?!”

“Huh? I didn’t understand that.” In my haste, I had mashed all my words together and said them far too quickly, and Miette hadn’t been able to parse them.

I took several deep breaths and tried again. My voice was two octaves too high.

“C-C-Can you p-p-please h-h-help me woo S-S-S-S-S-Sveta?” I got the words out, despite heavy stuttering, and followed up with a deep bow. Miette understood me this time around, but she was now even more confused.

“HUH?”

*****

Miette sat me down on her cot and calmed me down. After a few minutes, I was able to talk with her somewhat normally… at least without excessive stuttering.

“So she agreed to a date and I really want to impress her but I’m not sure how to do it or how to dress or act or what she likes and I was hoping you could help me out with that if it’s okay with you I mean please don’t feel obligated or anything oh god this was a bad idea!” My words came out in a single run-on sentence, and I didn’t stop to breathe throughout, so my face was turning red as I spoke. Out of breath, I took several short, sharp gasps of air.

Miette pressed her fingers to her temples and shook her head slowly. “I get what you mean, but… isn’t it a bit weird asking ME for advice, of all people?”

“Not in the least! You’re like her head wife!” I responded.

Miette’s eyes widened. “Her head WHAT?!”

“You know, like how in a harem there’s a head wife who gives all the other wives orders, right?” I responded, unsure what Miette was so confused about.

Miette shook her head slowly. “Did Sveta put that idea in your head?”

“Huh? No. Polygamy is normal in a lot of cultures, isn’t it? And the world’s been a cultural melting pot since the Unification Wars, so a lot of different things are accepted now!” Since humanity had been united under the USSE in the latter half of the 20^th century, there had been many cultural conflicts between people of differing beliefs who had suddenly been thrust together under the same flag… but there had also been lots of intercultural exchange and fusion, and by the time the Sarcophage attacked humans tended to view themselves as citizens of the species as a whole, not just their nation or planet of birth. The USSE strived to avoid cultural imperialism and accepted a wide range of beliefs; consequently, things like harems, polyamory, gay marriage and so on were widely accepted at this point. The existence of legal harems still might seem strange to someone who grew up in Western Europe, like Miette or myself, but such things were openly accepted by society anyway. Those who objected were at least polite enough to do so in private, hushed whispers.

Well, I considered myself a tolerant person as well. For example, I had never once in my life been attracted to men, but I didn’t go around talking down to straight people. Respect is a two-way street, you know?

Miette was looking at me with skepticism. “You might try to provide a cultural explanation for Sveta dating multiple people, but you’re truthfully speaking from a place of self-interest, aren’t you?”

“Uh… erm…” She hit the nail on the head, and I looked down shamefully.

Miette sighed. “Well, whatever. I’ll play along. I’m Sveta’s head wife and you have my blessing to court her. The audaciousness of coming to me for romantic advice, though…” She suddenly burst into a huge grin. “I respect the courage it must have taken. So yeah, I’ll help you. We’ll start with your clothes.” She wriggled her fingers menacingly as she approached me, and I shrank back a bit.

Oh no! what have I gotten myself into?!

*****

I was now disrobed, in nothing but my underwear, while Miette held up a variety of outfits for me to try on. I was blushing from ear to ear, and Miette pretended not to notice. But more importantly…

“Miette… why am I trying on YOUR clothes?!”

“Hmm?” Miette looked at me with a sly smile. “The only casual outfit you have is that sundress, right? The yellow one?”

“Ah, yes…” Casual clothes were very hard to come by with supply shortages and such, so I considered myself fortunate to even have that one dress. Miette, on the other hand, had at least five or six outfits, which seemed unconscionably luxurious to me.

Of course, I also had the maid outfit in my closet, but the less said about that, the better.

Miette shook her head. “No, that old dress won’t do. Sveta prefers the soft butch look most of all.”

“Soft… butch?” That term was unfamiliar to me.

“Remember what Katya was wearing at the Christmas Eve festival? Oh, I suppose you weren’t there.” Miette smiled as she remembered. Her words thrust a stake into my heart; I had originally been scheduled to have Christmas Day off and attend the festival then, but Moby’s attack had resulted in the cancellation of festivities. I’m sure Miette didn’t mean to brag about the fact that she got to experience that winter magic and delicious food, but my expression turned sour anyway.

Miette quickly caught on to my discontent. “Sorry, sorry, I wasn’t trying to boast or anything. Anyway, soft butch is… like, a style that leans more masculine, with feminine traits? Katya was dressed up in jean shorts, a t-shirt and a flannel shirt on top of that. She was quite the stunner.”

“A-And Sveta likes that kind of thing?”

“Absolutely.” Miette found a pair of jean shorts, which were a light shade of blue, and quickly started searching for a matching shirt. “Trust me, this outfit will drive her crazy.”

*****

A few minutes later, as I looked at myself in the mirror, I was in awe of my sudden transformation.

The jean shorts were easily the most skimpy thing I had ever worn; most of my leg was exposed, all the way up to my mid-thigh. Miette had paired them with a light purple t-shirt that matched my hair color, and a green checkered flannel shirt on top of that, unbuttoned and with the sleeves rolled up to my elbows. On my hands, she had placed a pair of fingerless leather gloves, and on my feet, I wore a pair of black combat boots that reached up to my mid-calf. Tying the whole outfit together was a thick chain that hung at my right thigh, attached to the jean short’s belt loops on the front and back of my waist. I wasn’t sure what purpose this chain served, but it was a nice accent.

Miette hadn’t stopped at the outfit, though. She had pulled my hair back into a high ponytail, held together by a scrunchie. I usually wore my hair down in a simple bob, although recently I had let it grow to shoulder-length; this new hairstyle had completely changed the impression I gave off, making me seem a bit like my high-energy sister. Frankly, it made me look way more confident and sexy than I actually was.

“I’m glad everything fits so well,” Miette said, satisfied, “Even though you’re a head shorter than me, I was able to get away with only small adjustments.” She twirled a sewing needle and thread triumphantly; her prowess with it had surprised me.

“Y-Yes…” I responded. “Although the shirt is a bit tight around the chest…”

Miette’s eyes narrowed, and the corners of her mouth twisted down. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Care to repeat it?” The waves of sudden hostile jealousy rolling off her were overwhelming.

“AH, NOTHING! I DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING!”

“Hrm, must have been my imagination, then,” Miette said, suddenly smiling once again. The smile didn’t reach her eyes.

Ugh, I have to be careful! Look, it’s not my fault my chest is naturally big, okay?! Even though I was quite short, I made up for it in other areas.

“B-But anyway…” I said, trying to change the subject, “I don’t know if this look suits me. I’m not very, uh, butch…”

“You definitely aren’t. But this is something Sveta calls, uh… gap moe? Yes, that was it. Gap moe!” Miette said, nodding.

“W-What is that? Who is Moe?”

Miette shook her head. “Moe isn’t a person. Apparently, gap moe is when someone does something contradictory to their usual personality. Like a usually aloof girl suddenly becoming sweet, you know?”

Realization dawned on me. “Oh… and since I’m usually so femme, dressing butch is…”

“Gap moe, exactly!” Miette said, pointing at me triumphantly. “Now, let’s go introduce the new you to Spider-Sveta! Trust me, you’ll drive her crazy!” Before I could respond, Miette took my hand and pulled me back out into Zehra’s lab. My teeth chattered nervously.

*****

Back in Zehra’s lab, the other members of Maid Squadron complimented my new look. One reaction was more extreme than the rest, though: Spider-Sveta froze when she saw me, mouth agape. I briefly wondered if she was experiencing a software error. But then she let out a loud exclamation of joy.

“KYAAAAAAA! You look SO CUTE, Genevi! And that ponytail; I love ponytails! How did you know? My heart is going to explode!” Her spider-legs flailed around happily as she spoke.

“Uh… Miette helped me…” I said, fidgeting.

“Oh, that makes sense! I thought I recognized that shirt. Nicely done! You should dress like that ALL the time! Or at least wear your hair in a ponytail.”

“Sveta is a big ponytail enthusiast,” Miette explained. “She’s always complaining that I should grow my hair out so I can have a ponytail myself.”

“I th-think I look a bit too much like my sister though…” I replied; she always wore her hair in a ponytail. “How will people tell us apart if our hair isn’t different?”

“Don’t worry, I can tell you apart by your biosigns. And if Genevi is dressing butch… then Sabina should dress femme! Maximum twin sister gap moe! Just think of how perfect it would be, bwahahaha!” Spider-Sveta proclaimed.

“NO WAY IN HELL!” Sabina shouted from across the room, where she was currently tangled in her mech’s wiring and covered in grease. She waved a wrench at us menacingly. “You two lovebirds quit trying to drag me into your weird little world. Go on your date already!”

“I kinda wanna see Sabina in a dress, though. I feel like she’d blush and fidget adorably, gao~n.” Zehra added, smiling mischievously. Sabina threw the wrench at Zehra, who dodged fluidly. “Temper temper, Sabina! You’re a thousand years too early to hit ME, gao-“ Zehra was cut off as a piece of plastic conduit hit her smack in the face; Sabina’s second shot hadn’t missed. “OWW! THAT HURT!”

Sabina sighed. “Quit saying unnecessary things, Zehra, or next time I’ll throw a Strike Fin at you.”

“You wouldn’t DARE, gao~n!” Zehra stuck out her tongue.

Spider-Sveta and I turned to each other. “Ignoring the children, starting now,” she said curtly. “Honestly though Genevi, I’m surprised you wanted to go forward with our date today. We just heard some pretty heavy stuff from the Captain and Zehra.”

“Oh, you mean about the Third Great Surge? And the soul harvesting laser?”

Sveta nodded.

“It’s no big deal.” I shrugged. “I fought in the last Great Surge too, so maybe I’m not quite as scared of it as everyone else. And worrying about it won’t change things, so let’s just enjoy the time we have!”

Miette looked impressed by my positive attitude, whereas Sveta looked a bit disturbed for a moment before her face returned to her usual smile. “Well, alright then. In that case, I have something special planned. Let’s go!” She grabbed my hand, and we both kicked off and headed towards the turbolift that lead to Eros’ gravity centrifuge. Miette waved at us like a mother seeing her children off to school.

Oh my god, it’s actually happening! I’m actually on a date with Sveta! In that small moment, I was happier than I had been in weeks; I hoped this feeling would last for a long time.

pynkbites

Greetings, dear readers. Lyric here! Today's chapter was inspired by an idea from my muse, a certain mushroom girl. She also provided proofreading! Big ups to the multi-talented tenticular fungus.