[If Jay were genderbent, I bet he'd be adorable, and while teasing a guy would be fun, teasing an adorable girl seems like it would be funner.]

Jay stops reading after that point. In his mind, he thinks, ‘The things those weirdos talk about on our Discord are usually disturbing, but this is actually right. Well, other than the teasing part, I'm not that easy to bully!’ He smirks to himself, envisioning what it would be like if he were to be genderbent.

‘If I were a girl, I would absolutely be adorable. Heh, I wonder what “Bu” would think if I ended up being cuter than him.’ Jay can't help but grin at the thought. While Niku is the worst by constantly calling him a Dwarf A.I, Seeing "Bu" defeated like that would be a treat.

[Bu is typing…]

'I don't like that; if "Bu" says 'just kidding', I will cry offensively at him!'

[Bu: Why don't we find out?]

As Jay finishes reading the message, he suddenly notices the room beginning to brighten. The change is initially subtle, but the room soon starts to turn blue, and strange symbols start rising from the floor, spinning faster and faster. "What the hell is this?!" Jay exclaims.

With a final blinding flash, the room returns to normal. The same chair, the same desk, the same computer, the same everything… Except for one glaring absence- Jay has vanished without a trace.

…

Jay opens his eyes to see a pair of yellow eyes staring down at him. "Sigh! I finally got someone to talk to, and it turns out she's braindead!" The strange eyes pull back, and Jay stares at the odd girl sitting on top of him. With long blue hair and two pointed ears twitching at the top of her head, the only word other than odd to describe her would be cute.

Jay shouts, "I'm not braindead, I'm Jay!" The girl’s eyes widen for a moment in surprise, and as Jay glares angrily at her, the corners of her lips curl into a smug grin. "Oh, so you're even stupider than braindead." she teases.

Jay struggles to get up, and the annoying girl steps to the side. It takes him a moment to stand, and as he rises, he gets a clear view of the room surrounding him. The ground is compacted soil, the walls are made out of bricks, and in the corner is an unusually tall bed. Jay looks for the door and finds a huge slab of iron embedded into the wall. It looks like a door, but it's far bigger than any door should be.

"If I'm stupid, it's because I caught it from you. You. Who even are you?"

Her smile widens, and she brings her hand up to her chin to ponder. It'd look intelligent if she actually had facial hair.

"I'd tell you, but I don't think an Artificial Unintelligence could understand." she replies, sending a new wave of anger coursing through Jay's veins.

'Artificial Unintelligence... A.U.I. Wait, no, that's not quite right... Shouldn't it be A.I.? Who the hell refers to someone they just met as an A.I.? Stupid… Rude… Calling me A.i….' Jay's anger dissipates, and a grin spreads across his face.

"Hahahahahaha, Niku; you got turned into a cat girl, didn't you?" Niku's smile begins to twitch, and Jay feels oddly threatened. "You're a cat girl too, you stupid tsun!"

After hearing that, Jay hurriedly brushes her now light blue hair away from her face and looks down at her body. The first thing she notices are two prominent bulges on her chest that definitely don't belong there. She stares at them for a moment before becoming aware of a cold sensation around her neck. She reaches her hands up to feel smooth, icy iron encircling her skin. She tugs at it, but it only constricts her breathing. Jay releases her grip before catching a glimpse of her hands. Under the thick layer of dirt and grime, they appear delicate and refined. Her nails are unusually long and sharp. Realizing something, she pats the top of her head, only to feel two strange, warm, soft, and slightly squishy objects attached to it.

'Oh, no. Nonononono.'

"BUUUUUUUU" Jay's knees give out, and she collapses to the ground in tears. "Hehehehehe. Before you ask, you are DEFINITELY a girl." Niku said with a wicked grin. Through a blurry film of tears, Jay could see the disgusting look on Niku's face, causing a shiver to run down his spine. Niku started to laugh harder and harder before suddenly stopping and grabbing her side.

"Ow, those bastards really didn't take things easy," Niku groaned, wincing in pain. "Are you... Are you okay?" Jay asked hesitantly, immediately regretting her words as they left her mouth. "Showing concern? That's a little out of character for you," Niku said, her face twisting into a slight grimace as she tried to maintain her composure.

"Shut it, you ugly gremlin; I'd rather you die quickly so I don't have to put up with your nonsense!" Jay retorted, trying to mask her concern with anger. A thud reverberates from the door, and a deep voice echoes through the room. "Keep it down in there, you stupid cats; you're going to frighten off the customers!" Niku glares at the door before turning around and heading for the bed. Jay can't help but notice that beneath her rags, a long tail swishes.

"You should probably get up off the floor. They don't like it when their "merchandise" gets dirty. Well... Dirtier." Niku leaps onto the bed and sits, swinging her legs over the edge. All that remains is a piece of cloth draped over the metallic frame.

Jay pushes herself up off the ground. She tries her best to ignore the fact that she was sitting with her legs beside her rather than under her. She brushes some dirt off of the loose rags hanging off of her.

"So, am I at least cute?" Niku looks down slightly and snickers. "Other than having more weight in your chest than in your head, I'd say you're quite adorable."

Jay smirks, dismissing the first part of Niku's insult. Then a thought crosses his mind, 'I knew it! Heh, I can just imagine Bu's face when he compares his appearance to mine.’

The knocking resumes, even more persistent and louder this time. An authoritative voice shouts from the other side of the door, "I said keep it down! We have a reputation to uphold!"

Niku and Jay both smirk, thinking at the same time 'Not a very good one.' They both congratulate themselves for coming up with a clever and original observation before Jay walks over to the bed and climbs on it.

Niku scoots to the side, making room, and rests her head in her hands. Jay looks at her for a moment, sighing, "So, how long have you been here?" Niku stares at Jay with a neutral expression. "A few hours, give or take. Long enough to piss them off to the point where they left me with some nasty bruises."

"Heh, so you got GB'd before I did," Jay grins. "Shut it, you dwarf." Jay looks over and tries to compare their heights. It's hard to tell, but Jay seems to be just a tiny bit taller than Niku. "Yet I'm taller than you... If I'm a dwarf, aren't you a dwarf child?" Jay reaches out to poke Niku in the side with her elbow before pulling her arm back.

'If I rough her up too much, then the guards will turn their attention to me. I'm not worried about Niku... Not at all!' Niku is flustered for a moment. Her mouth opens, a biting reply mere nanoseconds away from coming out before the door swings open. A tall woman looms over both of them.

“My my, what do we have here?" She looks down, seeming almost disinterested in the two.

Niku sits straight and puts a pleasant expression on her face. "Just a cat girl and an idiot, ma’am." she says sweetly.

Jay, however, reacts quite differently. "You're the idiot, stupid!" she exclaims, her face flushing red with anger. "If I'm stupid, then I'm your teacher!" Niku bites back. Jay doesn't back down either, retorting, "If you're my teacher, and I'm stupid, then you must be a terrible teacher!”

The lady stares for a moment before lightly smiling. "These two will do nicely. I can work on their attitude, but their energy will certainly serve them well as maids."

Jay stares at the woman for a moment before breaking out into a cold sweat. 'Cat girl maids?' she thinks, her mind racing, 'With how cute I am, wouldn't some young master try to have his way with me? I... I don't know if I can take that.'

Niku silently turns her gaze to Jay. 'Jay has more in the way of “assets”, If I play my cards right, I can redirect all of the harassment towards her and live a peaceful life.' Niku smiles for a moment before frowning. 'I hope that we don't have to worry about something like that. Just out of convenience, I'm not worried about that idiot in the slightest.'

Before the two can say anything, the woman grabs them by the wrist and pulls them off the bed. "Come along now; I paid two silvers for the both of you, and I'd like to think that I made a good deal."

Jay considers struggling for a moment before a rumbling sound spreads from her stomach. She goes a little limp and is dragged along by the woman. Niku tries to struggle, but the woman's grip is like iron.

As the trio passes through the door, Jay and Niku finally have a chance to see the outside of their prison. The hallway is lined with a series of thick iron doors. A tall man, even wider than he is tall, glares at Jay and Niku, as if he was daring them to make a scene.

There are few torches and no windows, but Jay and Niku can see clearly as they are dragged to a large pair of wooden doors at the end. The man rushes to open the door for the woman, and Jay and Niku are dragged into a much brighter room. They try to cover their eyes, but being dragged along by the arm makes this somewhat difficult.

A voice softly asks, "Do you need any clothes for these two? One copper, and I can see what I can find in our box of “donations”. Last I checked, there were a few dresses their size."

"With how filthy they are, they'll just ruin it. Besides, we have no shortage of uniforms." The woman doesn't even turn her head as she walks towards an ornate pair of wooden doors.

Just as Jay and Niku begin to recover their vision, they are pulled outside, directly into the radiant brightness of daylight.

"Augh, my eyes! My beautiful eyes!" Jay yells. "They're… Not... That beautiful!” Niku manages to squeeze out under the sharp pain.

The rough cobbled stones abrade their feet, but the woman neither slows down nor looks back. After a brief moment, Jay's vision clears, and she gazes at the woman, noting that aside from her flowing red dress and long, curled locks, she appears quite ordinary. Niku scans the bustling crowd, observing that the well-dressed adults predominantly have black or brown hair, lacking the furry ears that adorn Niku and Jay's heads.

Suddenly, the crowd parts, and a small child, clad in ragged clothing, pushes through, appearing thin, dirty, and malnourished. Upon spotting Niku and Jay, he attempts to attract the attention of the woman dragging them along.

"Please, miss, a copper would do. My sister hasn't eaten in days, and her illness is getting worse." He begs.

The woman does not turn her head, but for a short moment, she loosens her grip on Jay's hand, and a single silver coin flies through the air. Before Niku can even think of escaping, the woman fiercely grabs her arm and continues to drag her away. Craning her neck to glance back, she spies the kid's pointed ears twitching in joy as he clutches something tightly to his chest. With a final swish of his tail, he effortlessly blends back into the crowd of people.

As Niku and Jay are forcefully dragged down the cobbled road, the once-bustling crowd gradually thins out. The road beneath their feet smoothens, and the surrounding buildings are now encased in low, ornate metal fences. After a long walk, enough to leave Jay utterly exhausted, the woman comes to a halt in front of an imposing, grand building. A sharply dressed man in a black and white suit bows deeply and swings the gate open.

"I am always at your service to handle such minor tasks, my lady. There is no need for you to exert yourself." The man says in a respectful and polite tone. The woman turns her head slightly, her eyes meeting his. "I simply desired some fresh air. A change of scenery does the heart good."

Without further ado, Niku and Jay are pulled through the grand doorway, to the beginning of their new lives.

CharliesRan

I suck at drawing and I'm too stingy to spend money on a cover so I'm using a picture of my cat as a placeholder. I hope you enjoy, as there will be more to come for these stupid cats

Chi helped to edit this, which I appreciate because I am bad at formatting.