…Shit. Now that we’re nearing Aspen Town, we realize we hadn’t thought of how we’re going to reintroduce ourselves. Why not together? I step out of Violet, connected via the shadow trailing behind my feet, feeling physically and magically weaker when we’re apart but just as strong in resolve. The two of us make way for home, townspeople already noticing us as we get closer, staring wide eyed, calling for others to come see. Jeez, to be honest, I wasn’t really expecting much of an entrance, but…it’s nice knowing people missed me. Even nicer to be back.

Honestly, everything kind of becomes a blur from there, folks surprised both at my return and the appearance of Violet. I’ve never been one for crowds, so thankfully the eventual appearance of Bunny coming in for a big ol’ hug helps to disperse people once hellos are said, our mom-in-law ordering folks to let us through, even though it’s clear she’s got a lot of questions herself. We thank her for letting us go, making our way through the all too familiar woods as we become one once again, no more introductions needed with home awaiting us.

Once again, I find myself needing to crawl in through the front door of this tiny house, needing Fox’s hand once again to open the door and reveal an occupied couch, Niamh once again sprawled out over the sofa. First the alien and the rat, then Sue-Zee, and now the snake, it seems like everybody is in need of some well earned rest. Stomping over to the bedroom, I tuck the duo in, or at least…try to. They seem awfully reluctant to detach from my arm hammock, clinging to it even as I lay them on the bed.

Sigh. It seems I have no choice but to look after these two.

You seem to be enjoying doing so, though.

…All I ever wanted to do is protect and care for those most dear to me. These two…mean a great deal to me. Perhaps their harmony with one another instilled this dream into me, of us being as we are now. They have also…been through so much. I can feel it, or perhaps I am simply projecting. But they deserve someone who will look after them.

…I’m happy for you.

Hmm?

You know, in the way that you can express yourself now. Your true self. Not defined by darkness or pain.

Even if those are still parts of me. Of us.

Maybe. But that just means it’s all the more important to make those parts of us work with the rest. Speaking of which, we should get some rest…especially considering we’re a bit stuck here at the moment. Plus, it gives us an excuse to cuddle up with the navigators here, which I’m sure you’re not opposed to.

…There’s truth to that. Okay. Using the arm that is not currently occupied, I pull the covers up and over us, holding Sue and Zee close to me, both arms wrapped around them…drifting into a dream…

 

…But not our own dream. No, this dream presents a world wholly unfamiliar to us both, yet eerily similar to our own. A red sky undulates over a ruined city, the sun blotted out by pulsating distortions woven above the clouds, rendering this world reddened, unchanging. The silence of the empty city is punctuated by harsh whirring and buzzing moving to and fro, mechanical things roaming the streets in search of something, without a trace of good intentions behind their code.

This is Monorise…but not the Monorise we know. The air burns and the shadows curdle, a sickening symphony of sensations that scurries over our body like insects claiming a corpse. There is but one reprieve from this hellscape…

“...Sue-Zee,” I mutter, the four of us stationed atop this rooftop, overlooking the stagnant madness below. 

They are just as I remember from our foray as Fox-Zee, a large, short haired demi-woman, and a small, long haired demi-boy, Sue and Zee, fingers clung to the metal fencing as they turn and spot us.

“...Violet?” Sue murmurs, eyes wide and gazing.

“Fox?!” Zee echoes Sue’s sentiment, unsure of what to make of us.

“I am as in the dark as you are,” I say, stomping over and sitting on the ground next to the bench by the edge of the roof. “This had been happening with Cat as well, entering into Fox and I’s head space.”

“Though…” Fox begins, taking a seat on the bench I neglect. “This looks a lot different from what we remember last time we visited. Is everything alright…?”

The two of them look to one another, sighing and sitting themselves next to Fox, Zee’s hands latched onto the back of the bench, while Sue’s find a place in her lap.

“Sorry,” Sue starts, “the last few days have taken a serious toll on us. We keep remembering and coming back to this place…”

I tilt my head at the duo, frowning as my ears flop one way.

“You remember this place? What even is all of this?”

Zee lets out a half-sigh/half-raspberry, leaning back and looking up at the pained sky.

“I uhh…I dunno if we’re ready to answer that,” he says, glancing over at the two of us. “We’re worried that if anyone knew, they wouldn’t be able to look at us the same, maybe not even be able to trust us.”

The two of us look at one another, then back at the other two.

“For what it’s worth…I don’t think there’s any revelation that could cause either of us to not trust you,” I say, a quiet anxiety washing over us, prompting me to add, “Nor would we trust you less for not telling us.”

This seems to catch their attention, at which point I stand up, walking behind Sue and embracing her gently, Fox following my lead by taking Zee’s hand in hers and leaning against him.

“You don’t have to say a thing if you’re not ready. You don’t even have to ever be ready, if that’s how things turn out!”

The buzzing and whirring from below seems to fizzle, not due to a lack of action, rather, feeling more like an air of tranquility as we all come together

“You are both incredibly dear to us.”

“We love you a whole lot,” Fox adds. “We don’t have to know everything, but we’d like to be more a part of your life. There’s been a serious Sue-Zee drought for the past while.”

The two of them chuckle, leaning into the affection, as blissfully unaware of the world around us as it is of us.

“I know where you can get a whole lot of that!” Zee says, pulling Fox into a hug while Sue moves over so I might join her on the bench, which thankfully does not break under my weight. “We’ll try to be less secretive about our business, promise.”

“We’re going to need to stick together,” Sue joins in. “There’s a whole lot more at stake than Monorise in this final fight…”

We all look out over the cityscape, Sue’s words sinking in as the truth of this broken Monorise awaits neath its crumbling surface. Whatever is at stake, whatever stands to threaten it…I won’t let a thing come between me and my future. Our future.

 

Time shifts and warps as the dream fades, however long we spend together being irrelevant in the face of a waking reality, all of us opening our eyes, even if I’d had hoped Sue-Zee would get more rest, the additional pair of strong arms wrapped around us beg for attention.

“...Cat?”

The feline gives a catty smile, having apparently joined us all under the covers between rest and rising.

“Sup?” she asks jovially, sitting up, making her changes all the more apparent. Her hair is MUCH shorter, having been trimmed and styled to the nape of her neck…Goddess, what a WOMAN…I can feel myself shedding out of Violet just staring at her, eyes wide and glistening in the rising moonlight.

“Kitty, you’re…you’re gorgeous…!”

With all of us sitting up now, Sue and Zee stare at Cat as well, just as smitten by her new look.

“W-wow…Long hair was good on you, but this is…this is something else…” Sue mumbles, our staring making Cat just a bit bashful, but only a bit, as the cocky smirk on her face would beg to differ.

“Jeez, ny’all, I know it’s a look and a half, but ain’tcha missing something?”

We blink, only just then realizing that…her arm! It’s…plush? The lot of us reach for the new soft limb as Cat offers it to us, and…yeup, it’s soft and stuffed alright, just as strong as it’s always felt, but with a more restrained edge to it, or lack thereof perhaps.

“How did she do it, though?” Sue asks, still squishing Cat’s beans as they look up at her. “The way Geppette talked about it, it didn’t sound like something that could easily be fixed…”

“Ah, that’s just the thing…”

The catgirl closes her eyes and grunts, brow furrowed as though bearing through pain, this discomfort becoming evident as the felt of her new arm unravels, the stuffing curling back to reveal the metal arm we were hoping would no longer be a problem, and yet…

“There’s…no real getting rid of it…” Cat explains sadly, taking a deep breath and allowing her arm to put itself back together, stretching her digits once it’s whole again. “This is just…something I’m gonna have to take care of from here on out. Thanks to Geppette, so long as I take care of myself, and don’t push myself too hard, it’ll function as it always has…even if it is a permanent reminder of what it once was.”

We frown, pulling her plush paw up and kissing the back of it, Cat holding her cheek in her free palm and batting her eyelashes at me, the silly kitty.

“Then we’ll help to take care of you. Whatever accommodations you need, we’ll be the first to set them up as best we can!”

“Yeah!” Zee chirps, leaning in and looking excited. “We’ve got tons of friends we could ask for help with figuring out how to support you!”

Cat’s playful numbness melts for a moment, sitting there wide eyed and mouth slightly agape, her lip even trembling somewhat as she sniffles, throwing her arms around the both of us and reeling us in for a sudden powerful hug.

“You…you guys…!” she mutters, sniffling and squeezing us tight, both us and Sue-Zee returning the affection. “I was…so worried about how people might see or treat me after today, but…goddess, you idiots are all the support a catgirl could ever ask for, eh…?”

As if our support wasn’t evident enough, the each of us leave a peck on either of Cat’s cheeks, the girl stiffening up in surprise before mewling pathetically into our hugs.

“J-jeez…y’all are too much sometimes…”

“Sorry, Cat, but our team attacks…” Zee starts, cockiness so potent in their words that they may as well be physically revving me up to continue.

“Are unstoppable! Unblockable! Inscrutable!” I proclaim, both of us pulling back and posing with one another, Cat staring at us in disbelief before falling forward and crumpling into a puddle of laughter.

“I don’t think…! You get…! Just how funny it is you don’t know what that last word means…!”

“Eh?”

Sue-Zee snorts, falling back and bursting into a laughing fit along with Cat, leaving me sitting there unsure of what I said and confused as to what everybody finds so funny!

“Insufferable, more like.”

With Violet’s addition from the tip of my tail, the room overflows with laughter, so infectious I can’t help but get a rise out of how amused everyone else is, giggling and chuckling and falling into a pile with them.

 

“My my~ You all should be careful, people might assume you’re an item or two~”

It takes a few minutes before we’ve all recuperated from our giggle fit, wiping our eyes and sitting up to find a groggy smiling Niamh at our door.

“Well–”

“I mean–”

“You know–”

Everyone on the bed takes turns stuttering, looking at one another a bit lovelier now.

“Well well, it seems now that the subject has been brought up, you have much less noise to make, hmm~?”

Niamh yucks it up herself, sounding like a noble woman as she slithers off, leaving us all with one another, wondering who will be the first to say anything about the subject at hand.

“I would like to date Sue and Zee.”

Ah. Unexpectedly, Violet breaches the topic with an outright declaration of love, stunning us all into even further silence as we stare at the shadowy maw on my tail.

“I think we’re all in agreement there then,” Cat says, to which I nod, Sue-Zee blushing and squeezing a pillow in their lap.

“Cat and I have talked about this before, actually. Before we were even Ascended…”

“Really?!” Sue chirps, looking at me from over her pillow.

“Mhm, that was the first time I’d heard the word polycule,” I add, Sue-Zee even more surprised looking now.

“That’s far from the extent of how sheltered we were for the longest time.”

“Just means learning all of this will be new and fresh,” Cat coos, tail gently swishing back and forth. “More fun that way, yeah?”

“That’s true!” I beam, smiling and wagging my tail. “I don’t think there’s anyone I’d want to catch up on everything with more than you all!”

It just kind of hits me, how cozy this all is, talking about experiencing everything we’d missed with these three, sitting here in bed together…it’s the girls night I’d always felt I wanted. And our heart feels so full…

…I’m…I’m sorry…

Huh? What’re you sorry for, everything’s good now!

I just…had not realized all I was trying to keep you from until feeling it in you now. This is…very nice. I suppose it would be more appropriate to thank you, for sharing this feeling with me.

Though the others can’t see why, my smile widens, wrapping my tail around my waist and petting the maw at the end of it.

“Oh, that reminds me…” I say, taking Cat’s hand once more and smiling up at her as bright as I can. “Thank you for waiting for me. I would’ve been fine had you all started without me…but it means the world to me that we get to do all this together.”

“Aw, babe…”

Cat takes me by the cheeks and pulls me in, kissing me on the nose and sending me flying back as she lets go, only to look at Sue-Zee and see an awfully sad pleading look staring right at her.

“...Oh, fine. You too.”

The catgirl rolls her eyes, pulling an ecstatic Sue-Zee in for a smooch on the lips, looking as though their tail would be wagging a mile a minute if they had one. We all find ourselves a whole lot closer now, too…

“Mmmwah~ Alright, you all,” Cat starts, paws on her hips as she looks between us and Sue-Zee, “you guys wanna seal the deal then? Complete this lil’ trio of ours?”

Oh. Shit.

 

The duo and us turn to the other, becoming very aware of the imminent collision of our feelings, fidgeting around in our seats, struck with nerves.

“Soo…Would you…?” I mumble, heart thumping and pounding as I look up at Sue-Zee, a rush of all the feelings I’d been putting off for so long now whirling around our heart. Jeez…both our feelings at once, Violet’s love and mine, beating so strong for these two…

“I-I mean, if you’d…like to…?” Sue whispers back, clearly struck with the same nerves as us, probably not expecting to have to confront their feelings so soon after Cat’s.

“Like, go out, right?”

Cat snorts at me dancing around the obvious question with an even more obvious answer, looking to Sue-Zee who takes a deep breath before adding on to the rising tension.

“As in, go out-out, yeah?”

“Oh for the love of the Goddess–”

With Cat’s exasperation propelling my desires forward, I blurt it out, “Can I be your girlfriend…!”

“Girlfriends. Both of us. Multiple. Plural.”

“Oh yeah, we are plural now, huh–”

“WILL YOU GO OUT WITH THE BOTH OF US.”

Violet’s bluntness and volume seem to ease the tension somewhat, Sue-Zee chuckling, smiling cutely, blushing sweetly, wow I’m gay.

“Yes! Goodness, yes!” they cry out, the both of us lunging for one another, finding myself in their lap and arms as I cling to them, nuzzling up against their cheek, Violet’s tail claw wrapping all around them. “Wow. WOW, that feels good…”

“You’re telling us…!” I agree, ears perking up as Cat mews happily, sliding over and joining in the fun, pulling the both of us into her lap! Goddess…all of us together like this…I feel like our heart could just burst…!

“I believe that only leaves us with one loose end, nya?”

After a good bit of cuddling, we all disperse as Cat proposes one last score to settle, eyeing my tail…ohhh…

“What, you want to date me too, now?”

Cat snorts and sighs with a smirk, leaning against the back of the bed and crossing her legs.

“Do you wanna date me?” she asks, looking smug in a way I feel she only could be with Violet. It’s at this point I take over once again, growing taller than the smug feline, looming over her, watching her fragile attitude shudder, not breaking quite yet.

“Seduce me.”

“Nya?”

Sue-Zee covers their mouth with their hands as I grab onto the back of the bed, pulling myself up and over Cat, nose to nose.

“If you want this to work, you have to show you can make it work. I won’t be caught dead holding paws with a silly cat wearing a shit eating grin the whole time. Make. Us. Work.”

It would seem my point has gotten across clearly, Cat furrowing her brow and sitting up, chest to chest, paws on my shoulders and pushing me back and herself up until we’re on eye level.

“Fine. If that’s how you wanna do this, I can make it work,” she almost hisses, only to smile cockily. “Don’t be upset when I really make it work though.”

“Feh. I look forward to a challenge, if you can even muster one.”

“Girls. Girls. Please.”

We both look to the side, seeing Sue-Zee covering their completely flushed face with one hand and waving us away with the other.

“Pleeeease. Y’all have got to WARN us when you’re gonna get this steamy. Goddess above.”

The both of us chuckle at their flusteredness, pulling back and relaxing as we nod at one another.

“I think that settles that, then,” Cat asserts, crossing her arms and smiling. “How’s about we catch everyone up to speed over dinner, yeah?”