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Initially, Teiya seemed just as mystified by the message, but Caure's penchant for capriciousness and randomness had preceded her - as soon as Dain mentioned her name, Teiya just sighed, nodded, and seemed to accept it without further question. "I'm sure, whatever it is, if it's important to her, then it probably ought to be important to me, too," he'd commented, although the enthusiasm on his face didn't quite seem to match his statement. Of course, being a guy, staying in the good graces of the girls he knew, even the difficult ones, was of paramount importance. For Dain, of course, it was a little different - but then again, Caure was Caure, and Dain knew she'd never hear the end of it unless she went over and heard what Caure had to say.

As they began walking, though, Teiya's expression began to look more genuinely happy, although it took Dain a few moments to realize why. However Teiya felt about Caure - and Caure was one of those people you couldn't help but feel something about - Dain realized that Teiya was probably happy not so much about going to see her, so much as to be walking alongside Dain in the first place. The way that she was dressed, in the fashion that let her more easily blend in with the girls, also meant that, breasts or not, it was easy enough to see that she was in her female form. That, in and of itself, was apparently enough to make the first few blocks go by mostly in silence, with a few halting attempts at conversation from Teiya that his nervousness apparently choked off after one or two syllables. Awkwardness aside, though, whenever she glanced over he was looking back, grinning - not in that strange, obviously aroused expression that some of the boys tended to wear whenever they were around girls, but a warm, genuine smile.

It was obvious enough that Teiya liked her - although, that could probably be said for most of the guys in her class. Which made sense, of course: Dain had been a guy for long enough to understand that particular pressure, that desperate hope that a girl might actually find you worthy, and if one actually did, you couldn't help but like them for that. With Teiya, she knew, it was a little more than that, considering they'd actually known each other a little beforehand. That, and considering his background, he wasn't exactly on the short list for most girls' heats - in fact, he might have even been resigning himself to a life based entirely around something else, as Dain had himself anticipated in the months before the first episode of shifting, and to have suddenly been invited to her heat had probably boosted his hopes a thousandfold. Certainly, in the intervening weeks, he'd seemed ecstatic any time she'd shown him the slightest bit of attention, and being able to walk with her, like that, his expression looked like he was appreciating every step.

The strange thing was, as they walked along, Dain realized that as far as feelings went, she felt a certain... something for him as well. True, he was the first guy she'd ever been with as a girl, and maybe that had to do with some of it, but at the same time, she knew that it wasn't just some reverberations of that memory that drove her interest. In a sea of changes, he was one of the people, along with Caure and her other, mostly female friends, that had provided some level of similarity, of stability. Even the relationship with Eloa, her own mother, had gone from cool but predictable to an almost surreal closeness that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, but Teiya was still the same boy he'd always been, quiet, simply-spoken, skilled at building and shaping the things that his imagination could conjure.

And yet, looking at him, she realized that even though his personality was largely the same, certain other things about him had changed. If Dain's particular situation had led to certain aspects of her combined form becoming more noticeably feminine overall, in the same intervening time Teiya had stepped more comfortably into a quickly developing masculinity. It was still, perhaps, subtler than in some of the other boys, but even beneath his fur there was a sense of more bulk, more definition. His posture reflected it too, standing him up a little straighter, making each stride forward seem possessed of a little more confidence. His face, too, was clearly trending more in that direction, his muzzle held a little more squarely, his cheekbones and brow a little more pronounced in a traditionally masculine way. True, none of it was as dramatic as some of his peers, but in a way that was a good thing; while seeing a display of excessive masculine confidence in her female form still produced feelings in Dain that she wasn't exactly sure she was comfortable with or wanted to have, Teiya had just enough to be interesting in that inexplicable way without it feeling weird or intimidating. Even with the way he was developing, he'd probably never win any awards for attractiveness, but at the moment, being able to feel comfortable around him, in either of her forms, seemed like a much better reason to be attracted. Maybe, outside of heat, she wasn't exactly ready to jump into his arms or anything quite like that, but she was more than happy to walk beside him - even, for a moment, entertaining the idea of reaching out and walking along hand in hand.

It was a good thing, she supposed, that they were comfortable enough like that, as it was a long enough walk that otherwise would have become more than awkward. Caure, like Dain, lived on the other side of town from where the school was, and so they'd need to walk all the way back. Considering that she'd never grown all that comfortable with it, she'd considered detouring the long way around the perimeter, closer to the factories than to the interior, but she'd been distracted enough that they'd both walked, more automatically then not, through one of the uncomfortable spots in the middle.

It was the silence that finally shook her out of her thoughts and brought her back to where they were: no chatter, no diaspora of students, no footfalls around to run in counterpoint to their own, none of the sights or sounds of a populated world. Nothing but their own steps, accumulated leaves that were only occasionally, robotically cleared crunching underfoot, the sound of their own breath, and the slight rustle of the trees planted along the sidewalk, as the wind teased through the branches of those sole, stoic survivors.

She could sense Teiya realizing it too, as his pace slowed, his head turning slowly from side to side as the eerie quiet flared out the tuft of fur that trailed down along his neck. Strangely enough, it was that quiet that spurred the first complete sentence from his mouth since they'd begun walking.

"Um... how far in are we, do you think? M-maybe it'd make more sense just cut down that street we just passed, head back out and listen to the factories rumble the rest of the way..."

"Well, it's gonna take a while to backtrack, so it's probably faster to just go through... I know what you mean about this place, though. At least it's not like the very dead center, all the way in, where everything's breaking down and coming apart. It still looks kind of normal, I mean, just... empty..."

As much as it made sense to talk about the center of town, the city really had two: the actual center, still built up and bustling, the place where everyone wanted to go - and the dead center, where no one did. It was off to the southeast, and the only part of the city that really looked like a cataclysm had hit, broken into ruins beyond the best efforts of the automated machines to resurrect it. A place she, and most other people, were forbidden to go - and yet, in a way, it was actually less creepy of a sight than the empty streets, still pristinely maintained but devoid of any real hints of life. Something about the nature of its destruction felt more... honest, more direct, in acknowledging the weight of what had happened. Here, the only real acknowledgement was the chilling silence, and the perfectly-preserved remnants of a population long gone.

"Yeah, I guess we can just keep going... really, we're almost adults now, it's probably something that makes sense to get over, it's just so... I don't even have words for it, just that feeling that makes the fur creep up and down along my spine. I know it's long over but..."

He paused, seeming to think of something as they walked along. "You know, Lotoe said that he doesn't think the people around here actually died."

Dain looked over, a little surprised at that. "Really?"

"Well, that's what he thinks, anyway. I know what the official story is, what they told us in class about it - that the robots just came along and made sure everything was tidied up, taking all those disturbing aspects and taking them away, leaving everything else in its place. But the way Lotoe said it, things are just too undisturbed, you know? Not a thing bumped out of place, and surely the robots wouldn't have put everything exactly back to the way it was before cleaning up. He thinks that whatever the cataclysm actually was, at least some part of it - maybe some of it destroyed things, like in dead center, but the people that were here, they just... vanished. Vaporized, maybe, but he thinks that they just went somewhere else, or into some weird plane that can only be described by math and probabilities far beyond what I can make sense of. I dunno... all that weird plane stuff made it seem like they turned into... ghosts or something, although that's even creepier than them just being gone."

Dain looked over to see him shiver for a moment, despite the reasonably warm fall air, before continuing. "I... sorry about rambling like that. I don't know the truth of it either way, but being around here, it just sets me on edge. I mean... I don't want to make you more upset about it or anything! When I'm in a place like this, though, I just need to start talking, about something, anything, so that the quiet doesn't linger, you know?"

"Yeah, but... maybe there's something else to talk about than how creepy it is..."

"No kidding. Who knows, maybe one day there'll be enough people to occupy all these places again, and then it'll be alive again, not this hollow, empty shell, but until then... er, that's not to say that I'm insinuating anything, though! I mean, I'm not trying to talk about babies or heat or, um, anything like that! I, uh... sometimes I'm not sure how to talk to you, especially when you're a girl..."

"Like... you would anyone else?"

"Except that you're not like anyone else... no, wait, I didn't mean it like that! I just meant... you're in your girl form right now, and people are starting to go into heat again, and I'm getting all nervous because I'm still not sure who's heat I'm getting invited to, I mean besides yours, and I don't want you to rescind your invitation because I said something stupid without thinking, and these creepy, empty streets are making me feel even more unsure of myself..."

"Well, um... I think it's like this, okay? We've been around each other since we were little kids, in the same place nearly every day, for years and years. Maybe we weren't ever really close or anything, but I know who you are, and I know that sometimes you say stuff that comes out in a way other than what you really meant. That happens with everyone sometimes, I guess, but with you maybe it's a little more. So, I'm just kind of used to it. And if you're worried about my heat... I really don't even want to think about it yet, but you're one of the few people in it that I'm actually familiar with, so I kind of need you there. You don't have to be nervous about that, so... maybe just try and talk to me normally?"

"Yeah... thanks. It's just... it's a little bit of a strange situation for me, but I know it's nowhere near as strange as it is for you. I'll try to calm down, but... we are going to meet Caure after all, and she is a little..."

"Unpredictable?"

"That's one way to put it, for sure, and on top of that..." He looked around, uneasily, at the empty street, at the snapshots of interrupted tableaus visible through front-facing windows, seeming to linger on a kitchen table with one chair pulled conspicuously out as Dain followed his gaze. "Er, how many more blocks of this do you think there are?"

"Just a few more until we're back in a real neighborhood, I'm pretty sure, and since we'll hit one fairly close to Caure's own, it won't be far from there. In the meantime, maybe we could talk about... stuff that doesn't matter so much. Like classes, or the weather, or..."

"Yeah, maybe that's for the best..." Teiya glanced around once more, shivering a little, before intentionally picking up the pace. "So, have you been getting the same kind of math problems that I have? Because there's this one, about logical operators or something, that's driving me crazy..."

They talked for a few minutes about the thankfully abstract subject, leaving the empty streets behind in favor of ones with more obvious signs of life. From there, it was only a few more streets over until Caure's house appeared, a little bit bigger than those around it, painted a light, cheerful shade of yellow. They went up to the door, and Dain reached over to knock, but the door swung open before she could, her gesture passing only through air as the portal revealed a very intent-looking Caure on the other side of the transom. Since Dain's extended hand was the closest part of her, Caure gripped onto it, pulling her quickly inside even as Dain noticed the obviously incongruous thing about her.

Well, not Caure exactly, but the way she was dressed: in a female style of T-shirt, the kind with the abbreviated sleeves, in a vivid shade of purple that contrasted with the lighter shade that adorned the panties she was wearing below. Aside from a pair of of similarly-colored socks, it was all she was wearing below the waist, and while there didn't seem to be anyone else in the main areas of the house right now to notice, to Dain it was a little disconcerting - although hard to focus on, what with Caure dragging her rapidly down the hallway and into her room. Once there, she mercifully let go, before jumping onto her bed and sitting there in a cross-legged position that only emphasized her current state of dress. She seemed unfazed by it, though, motioning for Dain and Teiya to join her. Dain, though, just kind of goggled at her a bit incredulously, while Teiya, at least what she could see of him in her peripheral vision, was rooted to the spot, almost sure to be blushing beneath his fur.

"Great, you guys got my message! Come on, don't just stand there, get up here! We've got, like, a ton of stuff to discuss, and I-"

"Um, Caure?" Dain interjected, trying hard not to look at Caure's crotch. She suspected her male form would react to that sight, and wondered if it was going to somehow manifest itself in a way that was incompatible with her current clothing. Dain remained a girl, though, and in that form, seeing Caure like that felt... not arousing, not offensive, but something else, one of those still not-quite-comprehensible female feelings that she'd experienced, from time to time, but still couldn't fully parse what they meant.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"You're, ah, not wearing anything down there..."

"Huh? Sure I am! I mean, yeah, the colors don't really match, but I a didn't think you were one to care about that any- oh." She looked over at Teiya, seeming to notice his reaction for the first time. "Okay... really, though? C'mon, don't tell me you guys don't hang out in your underwear sometimes, too! And really, both of you were actually inside me not all that long ago, so seeing me in my undies shouldn't exactly be shocking..."

Teiya, though, seemed strangely more shocked by what Caure had said, turning towards Dain with a clear look of surprise. "Wait... you were inside her? How does that even make..."

He trailed off quickly, his surprise quickly overtaken by embarrassment. "Dain, I... I'm sorry! I don't know why I said that, I mean of course I know you're a guy, too! Sometimes I just... you're a girl a lot now, you even dress like one a lot too, and since I got the invitation, I've just been thinking about it all the time, about heat, and you, and... I know about your shifting and all, but it's just when I try to think about what we're gonna be doing, and then try to think about you being with Caure as a guy, I just feel really confused..."

Dain wasn't quite sure why, but instead of holding her first answer in as she normally did, she found herself blurting it out. "Teiya, we just talked about this on the walk over! Just... I know it sounds silly, but can you just stop being confused about it for a moment? I'm confused enough about being me sometimes that I don't need to hear someone else going on about it!"

Teiya actually shrank back from her for a moment. "I get it, I get it! Seriously, I'm not trying to make you pissed off or anything, I'm not trying to... sometimes I can't help being a little confused about it, okay? I... know you're right, though. I don't- I wouldn't even begin to know how to handle that if it was happening to me. It's just... I still don't know what to say to you sometimes, or if I should say it like you're a boy, or like you're a girl... I know what you said, but..."

"And I meant it. Really, just... say it not like it's boy-me or girl me, but like it's just me. I mean, obviously sometimes things are one way, and sometimes they're another, but... really, I'm just me, okay? I don't want to be confused about it either, but that's the only way I can think about it. If I'm doing my own heat, or if I'm at someone else's, I guess then it really matters, but outside of that, I just want to be me..."

"Well, duh! Of course you're you! Who else would you be?" Caure looked between the two of them, glaring for a moment, before her expression softened. "Look... Dain, I get it. The way I feel about you, I kinda have to, right? And Teiya'll learn it too, and if he doesn't, I'll make him learn it. Problem is, he's a guy, and a guy only, so there's probably only one part of him that he's really thinking with right now..."

"Hey! I'm not-" Teiya started, but Caure just smiled, shifting her legs around and spreading them further apart to give him an even better view of her panties, and he quickly returned to his state of mute blushing.

"Yeah, that's what I thought!" Caure said, laughing a little, although she cut it out when she caught Dain looking at her askance. "Oh, c'mon, I was just having a little fun! All right, all right, I'll give it a rest, though..." She crossed her legs back tighter, but didn't otherwise move to put on anything else.

"You could, y'know, put some pants on," Dain replied, glancing meaningfully over at Teiya's particular state. "I think it would make things more... comfortable..."

"More comfortable? Hah! If you really wanted that, you oughta both take your pants off! I mean, my mom and dads know better than to butt in now that I'm more grown up, so it's not like anyone else is gonna see. And like I said, we've all seen way more of each other than that, so there's no reason not to, but hey, I'm not gonna force you or anything..."

Dain, of course, was more than happy to remain clothed, although when she turned back after clambering up onto the bed, she noticed that Teiya had managed to shed his loose pants. Not that it mattered too much, though - unlike the kind of supposedly sexy, tighter stuff guys tended to wear when at a girl's heat, he was wearing a pair of looser shorts that stretched most of the way down to his knees, and had apparently managed to calm down enough that nothing else was attempting to give them a different sort of form, at least for the moment. Still, Dain couldn't help but feel a little weird about it, even if Caure seemed to be looking at him appreciatively. She didn't linger on it, though, and her face shifted back to at least some semblance of seriousness as she looked between the two of them.

"All right, enough messing around - you know I'm not the kind of person who'd send a message like that just to get you guys to come over and hang out. And... well, I've been thinking about some stuff. A lot of stuff. And the more I thought about it, the more I thought about what I had to do, I knew I just needed to talk to you. To both of you."

She turned to Dain, looking right into her eyes, reaching over to where Dain's hands were crossed in her lap and covering them with her own. "So, I talked with Ekka. At first, I wanted to say so many things to her, but the more I thought about what you said, how you felt, the more it started to sink in, and when I cornered her, I didn't blow up, or lord it over her. I just... talked, and listened, let her say what she had to say and tried to really hear it. And I, I..."

Caure's eyes flashed for a moment, and Dain could feel her hands being squeezed as Caure ground her teeth for a moment. "Grrr... RRRR... I, I was... ngrrr... Gah! I was wrong, okay? You have no idea how hard it is for me to say that, but I was wrong! I don't know how, but I didn't see it, and I totally jumped to conclusions about everything that happened. It was... it was really freakin' Ekka of me, is what it was, doing the same stupid stuff that she was sitting there apologizing to me for. She actually cried, do you know that? Right in front of me, sobbing, saying how sorry she was for everything that happened, but I was the one who was feeling so guilty about it. And not even guilty about her, at least for the most part! Okay, yeah, I was a little, but what it really was is that I felt guilty about how I treated you. How you were a part of all that too, and the way I got on you, the way I pushed you, the things I said to get you to do stuff just so I could get what I wanted... I didn't even see it. I didn't even see just how shitty of a friend I was being to you, and that's the worst part. I mean... I love you. I want to be your lover, want to be part of your family, want you to care about me as much as I care about you, but how can I do all that if I can't even be a good friend? So that's the most important reason for you to be here. So that I can sit right here, look you in the eye, and tell you how sorry I am that I screwed all that up. I mean... I'm me, I can't change that, can't change who I am, but I can change the part of it that I show to others, and Dain, especially to you... I want to show you the best part of me, or at least the best part I can manage. But before I can do that... I am really, truly sorry about getting out of hand like that. And I really, really need you to forgive me, to say that I haven't really messed things up between us..."

"It's..." Dain had to admit that she was a little taken aback - Caure had a reputation for wearing her emotions on her sleeve in a certain way, sure, but those weren't the emotions she usually displayed. And yet, for all that... somehow, it actually felt like the most genuine feelings that she'd expressed to Dain in a while.

"Caure... I kind of know how you are by now, right? I decided years ago that I just needed to let that roll off me, because... you're my friend, and friends learn to overlook that stuff because it doesn't matter that much. The stuff with Ekka... maybe it was too much, but she did do the stuff that she did too, so... maybe it's for the best, this way? Now that it's all out in the open, now that everyone's said what they had to say, and we can just put it all behind us. Maybe that's the best way to do it, not look at all the bad stuff that happened, not make it about blame or guilt or forgiveness, but just decide that it's done, and it doesn't matter now because we're past it. Because that's the thing - I really just want to be done with all that. Since I talked to her, I know why she did what she did, and I know why you reacted, too. Sometimes I don't know how to really... feel about it, but I know how much you care about me, how much you want to protect me, and while I'm not sure about why you got so weird about it after a while, the way you stood up for me... sometimes it's more adventurous than what I'm used to, but no matter what, I'm glad to have you as a friend..."

Caure seemed... relieved by her response, at least. "Well, that's... not really what I expected you to say, but I guess that's fair. It's been a weird time for all of us, I think, and we all are handling it differently. I know I'm probably handling it the worst, which is even weirder, since I'm probably the most prepared for it all. I mean, I still remember when we were back in the workshop, and Dain still thought he was just a boy, and the two of you didn't think you were going to be involved in any of this, sitting there and talking about how you were going to focus on your careers and being the best at them instead. None of you even thinking that it mattered, and I thought that the most I might ever be with either one of you is a friend... and now here we are, with each one of us attending the heats of the other two. I don't know if anyone else can say something quite like that." She turned slightly to look at Teiya. "That's kind of why you're here, too. Er, that is, I don't really have anything to apologize to you about. But... because of heat, because of that, you're more connected now to both of us than anyone else, and that's why I want you to be part of this."

"Okay, but... part of what?" Even though he'd been on the periphery of the conversation, and should have had a chance to at least regain some of his composure, Teiya still looked a little flustered.

"Well... that brings me back to all that stuff I was thinking about. Some of it was about apologizing to Dain, but the other stuff... although I guess since you're a boy all the time, you probably don't know all that much about it."

"That... still doesn't really explain anything?"

"Oh yeah, I guess that wasn't very specific, but what I meant was, the stuff that girls go through, not heat, but... deciding who's going to be a part of it. You know, matching, scheduling, all that sort of stuff. I thought it was gonna be simple - well, probably actually complicated in terms of figuring out who it's supposed to be, but once that's done, you just pick who you want, makes sure things don't conflict with other girls, and then it's all set. And that's how it was the first time, before Dain was added to the system as a girl. You choose who you want, and that's what you get if they're available. Except with Dain, well... they picked some of the boys for her, told her that's who she was gonna be with for her heat. Now, mind you, it wasn't like it was bad, and the other girls were pissed because some of those guys were the ones who were most in demand. That's not why I was pissed, though."

Caure leaned back, releasing Dain's hands to rub at the fur on her muzzle. Dain was sort of halfway glad to be released, although after what Caure had said, she hadn't really minded the contact any more. She wasn't exactly enthusiastic about Caure going into the weirdness that was her heat assignment, but it wasn't like it was embarrassing or anything, so she let Caure continue.

"In fact, I wasn't really pissed about it, since if it helped Dain, why would I be? She'd get to be happy with some really nice guys during her heat, and also become a man and be happy again at my heat, but... they screwed up on predicting the timing, and our heats are gonna overlap instead, and I got all angry that I wouldn't get to be with Dain this time around since it's the only time we can be really, truly close like that. It was no one's fault, though, just a quirk of timing, so there wasn't anyone to be pissed at, and being pissed with no purpose is boring. But then I started thinking about that, and I started to wonder. What if it's not just Dain that they assign guys to? What if they decide we're not making good decisions, and so our heats get scheduled for us? What if they decide we're not supposed to be together, but with other people? And if we are, and because that closeness goes away we start to drift apart, and then... well, that's about the point I really started to get pissed off, but it's not like I can change the schedule if they do that, right? Especially not if that's what we need, when it's time to be fertile, if that's what we have to do just to make sure that there are lots of kids and everyone survives... but I don't just want to be with some strangers. I want to be with my friends, and I don't want to lose any of them. And you two, especially, I just couldn't bear to let that happen... and that's why we're here.

"Because, you know... I get it. That's the thing I really got from talking stuff over with Ekka. This stuff really matters to her, to a lot of people, and I guess it should, but still... I know things got resolved with her, Dain, I know that by the time you two were together she really did like you, although I can't honestly think of anyone who doesn't. But even if things hadn't gotten resolved, even if it turned out that she'd absolutely hated you, I'm certain that she would have invited you anyway. Getting this right is all that matters to her, and to a lot of other people, too, and maybe it should to us as well, but... that's just not how I work, and I don't think it's how you guys work, either. Being with other people is... fine, but that connection between us, not just in heat but in everything else, that's the thing I most want to get right. And maybe I'm not there yet, maybe I'm still trying, but before things really get going, before we get assigned to things and who knows what tries to pull us apart, I think we should make a pact."

"A pact?" Teiya looked a little puzzled by that.

"Yeah, a pact! Okay, I know it sounds kinda weird and formal, but it doesn't have to be, really. All it means is that, no matter what, we always strive to be together. We make a pact that, as long as we're allowed any leeway at all, we invite each other to our heats at every opportunity. And even if we're not, even if we can't always be together in that way, we agree that when the official stuff is over for the day, we all still get together, and even if we can't do the same kinds of things between us, we still find a way to be close, to wind down and share in those feelings together. And most of all, no matter who else we're with or what feelings they stir up in us, we always remember and cherish our connection to each other. There are probably gonna be other people in our lives as things go forward, and kids too at some point, lots of them if things go well, but if we make a pact and keep it alive, I don't think there will be anyone or anything that can keep us apart. I know it's a little crazy, trying to decide that when we haven't even had our first real heats yet, but... I know how I feel. Dain, I love you in every way that you are, and that's never gonna stop, so this pact's pretty easy for me. And Teiya, while I'll always be close to Dain for... different reasons, you're the guy I most want beside me at my heats, and the way you were with me, I just know that you're just as perfect with Dain, and I know that you care for both of us. So I'm in, and I'd bet that Teiya is too, which leaves..."

Caure turned back to Dain, looking her in the eyes - but with an expression Dain hadn't seen on her in a while. It wasn't aggressive or pressuring, like Dain had thought it might be, considering the situation. In fact, the closest thing it resembled was the look Caure had had on her face once they'd started to calm down from being together the first time: calm, happy... and, for Caure, almost perversely kind.

"Dain... I know things have been weird between us off and on lately, and considering that, I know I'm asking a lot. So when it comes to a decision like this, I'm not gonna push anything on you at all. If you want to smack me in the face and walk out of here right now, or if you want to tell me to go screw myself, I won't hold it against you whatsoever. I've already told you what I want, how I feel, how I want to love you if you'll let me. I just want you to know that you can answer any way you want. Just do me one favor, okay? I know that sometimes you have a habit of going along to get along, but... this is too important for that. Even if it's harsh, I want you to say how you truly feel about this, honestly, without holding anything back. No matter what that is, I'll respect it. Okay?"

Dain looked between the two of them, her thoughts swirling again as the implications of everything Caure had said began to sink in. What she was asking wasn't a surprise, as apart from the fact that Teiya was now part of it, she'd said nearly as much the first time they'd been together. And yet... all of a sudden, right here, it really was different. It was true that in certain ways their friendship had been a little one-sided: Caure had done mostly whatever she wanted, assuming Dain would go along with her, and for the most part she had. Some of those things, actually a lot of those things, were impulsive and headstrong, and hadn't always respected Dain's feelings particularly. At the same time, though, Dain couldn't help but remember what had happened that night at the workshop, the figurine she'd created, and the fact that came along with it. Guys liked her because she could invite them to her heat, and girls liked her because Dain both knew what a woman's heat was like and could also be with them as a guy, but Caure... as weird as it was sometimes, she knew that Caure really was different in how she felt about that. With Caure, it wasn't about being a girl, or being a guy - Caure just loved her as Dain. Even now, when their heats overlapped and she'd been denied, she wasn't off by herself angry or sulking, but sitting right there in front of her, proclaiming her love. Yes, Caure was unpredictable, stubborn, sometimes even insensitive, but through whatever happened her commitment to Dain had been unquestionable - and everything she'd done, misguided or not, had been in some way about helping or protecting her.

But that did leave one major question, and one that Dain still wasn't sure how to answer. Caure loved her, no question about that. Teiya did too, in his way, and for him, there wasn't much controversy - she would have continued to invite him anyway, pact or not. And being with Caure at her heat... well, there was no question that Dain looked forward to that too, as however strange their conversation afterward had been, while it was happening they'd been perfect together. So maybe the pact itself would be just fine. Expressing how Dain actually felt about Caure, though, with all of its nuances, would be much harder to do - especially if she was going to be true to Caure's request and be completely emotionally honest with her.

Dain glanced over at Teiya again, wondering if there was a way for her to be honest without being, well, too honest about feelings even she wasn't sure she had sorted out.

"Caure... there are a lot of things we have to sort out between us, a lot of things I need to say, but this isn't just about us. There are some things I need to say only to you, and if we're gonna talk about a pact, all three of us, it can't just be about things between you and me. We all have to be in this together equally, like you said. And when it comes to feelings, our feelings are our own, but that being said... I want to be part of this, too. I can't think of two other people I'd rather be with. You both really like me, and I really like you too. If things are going to change, if there are going to be all these new people, being together, always being able to turn to each other no matter what happens... it's a good idea. And if we stay together, if we get closer in that way... I think we'll be truly able to know how we feel, and I think it'll be good. Because you're right - we're the only three people who've been all together with each other, and so we already know each other in a way that few other people do. That's something special, and it's something I want to keep sharing with both of you. But the way I feel, about everything... I have to express it on my own time. And I think the only way I'll be able to express how I feel, all the way, has to come from getting to know you even more than I do now..."

Caure cocked her head. "Really? You don't think we know each other well enough to... heh, I guess you do have a point, though. That stuff in the workshop, from before, that doesn't really count, does it? Just kids, messing around, and wasn't really until that time in the..." She glanced over at Teiya and trailed off for a moment. "Yeah, that's when it all started, kinda, between the three of us, you and me back then, and Teiya soon after. Crazy to think that it's only been a couple months since then, considering everything we've gone through in between, but... all right. I get your point. Although, in amongst everything you said... you did say yes to the pact, right?"

Dain nodded, and Caure grinned enthusiastically. "Awesome! And I guess I should ask Teiya, too, although I think we already know what his answer's gonna be..."

Teiya nodded, too. "Yeah, couldn't possibly say no to that... er, but not just because you can both be women! It's because it's you two, and maybe I don't know you a ton, but you're still the two that I know the best, and had the best time with, and I know it's not up to me to choose, but if it was I'd choose both of you in an instant, before anyone else, so... I agree completely!"

"Yay! Well, it's settled, then. And seriously... you guys, I can't tell you how much this means. With all this crazy stuff going on, to know that we're gonna have each other to help get through it all... I can't thank you enough for doing this." Caure reached out, gently holding one of their hands in each of hers. "You won't regret this, not ever, I absolutely promise..."

All of a sudden, though, her expression shifted back to one that was more traditionally and mercurially Caure, and she gave each of their hands a squeeze before pulling hers back and tucking her fingers against the sides of her shirt. "All right! Now that we're agreed, all we have to do is seal the pact with something fun!" She tucked her fingers into the fabric and pulled her arms up, and a moment later, she was pulling the shirt over her head. She wasn't wearing anything else underneath, either, and unlike Dain, for whom it didn't exactly matter, her sudden reveal was enough to get Dain to do a double-take, and Teiya to sound a startled but very enthusiastic bark.

"Um, C-caure, what do you think you're doing?" Dain, asked, suddenly feeling a little more wary about her choice.

"Taking my shirt off - kinda obvious, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but..." Dain glanced meaningfully over at Teiya.

"Huh? It's not like he hasn't seen them before, so... ohhhh. Er... don't get the wrong idea, really! Okay, I'll be honest, if everyone does agree they want to go further, I'd probably do the opposite of object, but... that's not the point of me doing this. The thing is, though, when I learned that Dain might not be able to be at my heat, it wasn't so much that I felt frustrated in that way, so much as... not loneliness, exactly, but the notion that I couldn't be with the person I loved at a time like that... the more I thought about that, the more I realized that I needed to be close to you guys, to remind me of what we have, that it's gonna be okay even if we're not together all the time. And not just in the pact, in that I... I really want to be close to you. It doesn't have to be in that particular way, we don't have to go farther, below the waist or anything like that, I just... really want to feel you with me, for a while, fur against fur with nothing coming in between us. I know I've got a reputation for being a little... precocious when it comes to stuff like this, and reasonably so, considering some of the stuff I've done, but that's not what I'm after here. I swear that I won't do anything beyond that, and we have the pact now, so you know I mean that, right? Just... cuddle with me for a few minutes, okay? All three of us, together... after that, we can talk, or decide to do something or nothing else, but right now, I need to feel you, need to know that you're with me... okay?"

Dain just looked back at her, not exactly surprised, but... she was still kind of stunned at the way Caure was acting. It wasn't a hundred percent out of character, but at the same time, the whole thing was just a little bit surreal. She'd almost been expecting what usually happened: for Caure to bounce back to her mischievous self, for her to be all but pouncing on Dain and putting her in an uncomfortable situation. Or, for that matter, trying some sort of emotional manipulation to get Dain to give in, and then try to push things from there.

Except... the more Dain looked at her, the more she was convinced that Caure's emotions were genuine. Caure, after all, was the kind of person who usually took charge, usually just put herself forward, but for her to sit there, to admit to feeling vulnerable, to admit how much she needed them and to be obviously holding herself back from how she probably wanted to act... maybe she actually meant it, maybe it would actually be okay to, to...

While Dain hesitated, though, Teiya definitely was not - he lifted his shirt over his head in one smooth motion, stripped all the way down to his underwear. He leaned back and relaxed against the wall, spreading his arms open wide - and, with a certain look of relief, Caure scooted over, sidling up and leaning back against him, snuggling in against his chest and nuzzling her head back along his neck, even as he tilted it slightly so that he could rest his muzzle against her shoulder, his arms wrapping around to circle her abdomen in a light hug. And there they were, both of them looking over at Dain, comfortably intimate. Even Dain had to admit that they looked kind of perfect together, loving and totally at ease in their embrace, but at the same time, they way they were looking at her made it absolutely clear: that the picture wouldn't be complete without her right there with them.

Dain still felt a little... conflicted, somehow, still not quite comfortable, but at the same time... that kind, peaceful look in Caure's eyes was hard to ignore. If she'd been her usual, cocky, take-no-prisoners self, maybe it would be different, maybe Dain would be angry, or confused, or overwhelmed, but seeing her like that, seeing her being patient, waiting for Dain to be ready, not even showing a hint of frustration as she regarded her with love... somehow, even Dain started to feel relaxed, and when she reached down and drew her shirt up and off, it was without trepidation or embarrassment. True, unlike Caure, she didn't really have anything much to reveal by doing so in either of her forms, but it was more than that - somehow, the situation actually felt... right with her, for once. Maybe it was the fact that Teiya was there, maybe it was the pact, but for the first time since they'd arrived, Dain actually felt comfortable. Not frustrated, or embarrassed, or aroused, just comfortable.

There wasn't enough room to maneuver around from the side wth both of them there like that, so she got up for a moment, moving to stand in front of them, positioning herself so she could climb back onto the bed with just enough space to join them without risking falling back over the edge. As she did, though, she looked down, remembering that she was still wearing the leggings that were currently in fashion, which were more than a little revealing in certain ways without the long shirt to cover part of them. She felt a little twinge of self-consciousness from that, and when she glanced back up she almost expected to see Teiya's eyes wandering, the way that her male form might have in a similar circumstance. To her surprise, though, both of them were still looking straight at her, and somehow Dain's reciprocal gaze wasn't distracted either - maybe it was the fact that she was still a girl at the moment, but despite the fact the Caure's breasts were right there in front of her face, all she wanted to do was look back at her, and smile, and step forward to climb back onto the bed...

As she did so, she could see Caure reach her own arms out, and Teiya was doing the same thing, his arms outstretched to either side of Caure, both of them beckoning her in. In return, Dain leaned forward, feeling their arms wrapping around her, and letting them draw her in, while reaching her own arms to curl back around Teiya's shoulders.

And just like that, they were all together, the side of Caure's muzzle snuggling in against her own, the feel of her breasts resting gently on Dain's chest, the smooth fur on her abdomen close enough that Dain could sense her warmth suffusing through it. She could feel Caure's hands against her back, and Teiya's against her sides, holding her close, but with a combined gentleness that set her instantly at ease. It was so perfect, in fact, that without even the slightest reticence, she felt her own arms tightening their embrace, felt her body naturally snuggling in closer, feeling her fur intermingling with Caure's, close enough to feel the soft, gentle, almost inaudible purr thrumming within her chest.

The embrace was intensely intimate, to be sure, but there was no question that it was dramatically different than what she was used to. Caure's embraces, in either form, were usually spontaneous, enthusiastic, and vaguely groping in one way or another, leading to any number of awkward responses and emotions. And the intimacy with her, while Dain was attending her heat, was... something else entirely.

It was actually kind of strange in a way, feeling that closeness, but without the other things that went along with it. As she'd drawn close, Dain had half-wondered if she would spontaneously find herself being a guy again, with a guy's unconscious excitement at being so close with a girl - and yet, somehow, she was still resolutely female, and without the squirmy and still halfway-alien feeling of arousal that Caure's more effusive hugs tended to generate. In fact, in a way, it almost felt more feminine somehow for it to be that way - while guys weren't exactly known for it so much, Dain had seen plenty of times in the workshop when Caure and Shaie and Loen had taken a break and just casually snuggled together. Usually, they'd been talking about some random girly things, so Dain at the time hadn't really taken notice - it had just seemed like a normal sort of thing that girls did. Of course, they'd all been fully clothed at the time, but somehow, being with Caure like she was, even with her shirt off, it was pleasant, calm, and just warm enough to get Dain to settle in comfortably against her, hearing Caure's delighted purring become audible as the embrace of her two friends completely surrounded her.

"Mmmm... you guys have no idea... this is absolutely perfect. Really, I know I told you I needed this, but that doesn't even do it justice..."

Dain felt Caure's muzzle shifting against her face as she pulled back, just enough... and then leaned forward to nuzzle her forehead against Dain's, looking back at her with wide, happy eyes, close enough now that her face filled up nearly the whole of Dain's vision.

"Hmm... you know, I think this is the first time all three of us have been together like this... or in any way, I suppose. And I can... I can feel how much you care about me, feel how willing you are to hold me like this, to give me what I need. I guess... maybe the way I've been hectoring you guys now and again, maybe when I've been kinda forcing some attention on you, it's because I wanted to make sure, because I thought that if I didn't take action no one else would, no matter how they felt. And maybe that was still wrong, but now that I know, now that I know that it's not just me trying to make you love me, now that I can feel you here, that I can feel your love... I think you're right. Once we start to know each other like this, to know our feelings, then all of those games won't have to matter, that we can just... be ourselves, and not worry about it. That we can all be our best selves to each other, and make this work, because... because this pact is serious, and I'm not gonna risk screwing it up. Because this is how I want to be, all of us together, and I don't want to put that in danger. I know I'm not perfect, but I'm gonna try, okay? I mean... if I do something stupid, just tell me and I'll deal with it. This is going to work, and I'm going to give you the love that you deserve, in the best way that I can. But for now... Maybe just a few more minutes like this? Please?"

"Hey, you know I don't mind," Teiya said from behind them, with Dain nodding as well, feeling the fur on her forehead rubbing gently against Caure's.

"Good. Because no matter what happens... this, right here, between us, is something I'm not ever gonna forget..."

They held the embrace for a while longer, and Caure, to her credit, kept her promise: a little more nuzzling against Dain's face, perhaps, but no roving hands or uncomfortable movements, just a steady, warm embrace, close enough to feel the rise and fall of their chests. Teiya, in fact, was the only one who was really moving at all, shifting his hands between Dain and Caure as he gently stroked his fingers through the fur on their sides. Even with that, though, his touch was light and careful, never even pushing through to the skin beneath, a soft stimulation that was more calming than arousing. In fact, as the closeness continued, Dain was almost tempted to snuggle in a little closer, dip her muzzle down to rest against the top of Caure's breasts, and doze off amidst the warmth and comfort. It was Caure, in fact, who finally got a little squirmy and impatient in their shared embrace, and soon after that they pulled apart, shifting back over to sit side by side on the bed.

Caure stretched languidly between them, purring happily, her breasts bouncing enthusiastically as she did so, and drawing Teiya's focus back to them immediately. Caure's focus, though, seemed to be moving back and forth between them, looking at something far lower. Teiya, unsurprisingly, had reacted the way a boy would be expected to after being that close with a girl, his underwear tented outward about as far as the fabric could manage, leaving him obviously straining a little against it. Caure seemed... enthusiastic about that, but genuinely surprised when she looked over at Dain. Considering the conforming leggings she was wearing, if Dain had shifted to her male form it would have been more than obvious, but through it all, she'd somehow stayed a girl. In fact, Dain had to admit that even she was a little puzzled by that - despite what she'd felt, and despite the effects of the device she often wore at night, when Dain had been at school and a girl had acted at all provocatively in front of her, Dain usually found himself switched back to a boy, and an interested one at that, in next to no time at all. Here, though, she'd been about as intimate as it was possible to be with Caure from the waist up, and yet...

"Wow, that's... interesting..." Caure said, somehow giving voice to Dain's puzzlement. "I mean, I know I said it wasn't gonna be sexual or anything, and I was true to that, but somehow I just figured you'd, y'know, be a guy by the time we were done..."

"Yeah, me too... I dunno. Although you said, earlier, about my heat coming up, how I wasn't supposed to be a guy before it, so maybe... my body just wants to be a girl, right now? To prepare for it somehow?"

"Maybe, although it's still several days off, so I don't know how much sense that makes..." Caure glanced back over at Teiya again, her gaze still lingering low. "Hmm... maybe because Teiya's here? I mean, we're here because of how we're attracted to each other, and since it's your girl form that's really attracted to him, that could have something to do with it. I mean, not that I'm trying to pry or anything, and like I promised I didn't, ah, find out for myself earlier, but... are you feeling something for him right now, in that, um, feminine way?"

Dain felt herself flush a little at that, but shook her head. "No... I mean, it's not that I'm not attracted to you, Teiya, and when heat comes again you're the first person I want to see there, but right now, hug or not, I feel like I'm with a couple of my friends, and that's a good feeling, but not... getting me going in that way right now."

"Huh... well, I guess it just works out differently from person to person. I mean, now that I know about what Ekka really goes through, I get that point more than I ever did before. I mean... I'm not gonna lie about how I'm feeling right now. After that, feeling you close, feeling Teiya close in a particular way... I do know what that was poking at the base of my tail, after all." That was enough to get Teiya looking momentarily frazzled, but not enough to get him to interject. "So, there's no reason to be vague about it - I'm pretty aroused right now, and even if I didn't say it, considering all I'm wearing are panties right now, it was gonna get really obvious in another minute or two, anyway. And Teiya... well, I don't even need to guess there. Really, I'd be down for some fun of a different sort, but... Ngrr, I'm trying to be restrained, okay? Dain, I promised you that I wouldn't put you in an awkward position again, and I'm not going to. If you just want to sit for a while and talk, then we'll just talk, okay?"

"Well, I don't want to stop you if you want to do something else-"

"Dain. Remember what I said before, about being yourself? You don't have to just give in to me, not on something like this. Just tell me what you want - I can handle it."

"Okay, then I'd... rather just talk, right now..."

"Then that's what we'll do." And just like that, Caure sat back up, crossed her legs, and switched the topic back to some random thing about school. It was still a little strange, all of them sitting there topless, with Teiya occasionally looking uncomfortable as he strained against his underwear, and Caure wasn't lying about her panties showing signs of her own interest quickly enough. It was awkward enough, in fact, that Dain hastily tracked down her shirt and pulled it back on, although the others didn't bother with it for reasons that were rather obvious.

Somehow, though, they just talked, and while Teiya occasionally looked pointedly at Caure, he still seemed happy enough just to be sitting there next to both of them, looking fascinated enough by the conversation - and raptly so, when it somehow turned to discussing Dain and Caure's upcoming heats, and their assessments of the boys they knew would be involved. Dain doubted that Teiya was interested in hearing about other guys, but as they were also talking enough about the things that did and didn't work for them, he certainly seemed interested in that...

They talked for a while, but eventually the conversation trailed off, with Caure and Teiya glancing over at each other more and more. For a moment, Dain almost considered... giving in, somehow, but for whatever reason she still wasn't feeling like it - in fact, she couldn't really recall ever actually wanting to do it with a guy outside of heat, not even that one intense encounter she'd had during her first day of school. Maybe it was something that would be intriguing eventually, but in the meantime, she knew what arousal meant in both of her forms, and knew what the impatience probably signified. It was kind of hard to speak up about it, but if she was going to try and be true to herself...

"Um... you know, this has been nice and all, and I really appreciate you two being so... not aggressive with me, but I do kinda know what you two probably want to do, so I'm thinking... maybe I'll head back home, and leave you to it?"

"Hmm? Well, you're not wrong, but I don't want to seem like we're chasing you away, not anything like that! It's true, I don't know how long I really can hold back when I'm feeling like this, and I don't want to make you uncomfortable... I know you said you weren't interested, but maybe that's changed? Or maybe if you just want to watch, that's fine too - I'd be happy to put on a show for you, and I bet Teiya would as well..."

"N-no, that's fine, I just... I know it sounds weird, but, thank you for showing me... this, I guess. Maybe we'll all be together sometime in that way, but right now, I think I need to... just be by myself for a while, kinda process it all, you know? My heat's still coming up, really quickly, and I've got to get my head wrapped around it somehow. I know you guys are gonna have fun, but that's just a little bit too much for me right now..."

"All right... I can respect that. But you know, when we get into school tomorrow, I'm gonna let you know about all the details of what happened. That's part of the pact after all, right? Even if we can't be together, we still get to hear about everything that we get up to separately, so we can share that intimacy, keep that connection going. So that even if you don't experience it directly, you can still know it. And this love... I know it's not directly a part of the pact, or anything, but seriously... if you want me, any time of the day or night, in any form, doing anything... all you have to do is ask, and I'll be with you. I'm not saying you have to make the same commitment, but I'm saying that for me... that's what I'm offering. I'm here for you, no matter what, okay?"

"Okay..."

"Er, and you know... me too?" Teiya said, still looking a little flustered, but sounding genuine. "I mean, no surprise with me being a guy, but Caure, and Dain any time you want to be a girl, if either of you need me for whatever..."

"Heh..." Caure said, looking over at him with a far more typical grin for her. "Don't you worry - when we're interested, you're not gonna have to wonder about it. Like right now, for instance..." She turned back, though, fixing Dain with an appreciative gaze. "Seriously, thanks for being here, thanks for humoring me through all this. I won't try to keep you if you want to head home, but if you do want to stay and watch... I really couldn't think of anything that would turn me on more..."

She paused, running her tongue sensually along her muzzle, which seemed to be a good enough cue as any for Dain to leave. As she turned to close the door, though, she caught a glimpse of Caure turning with a hungry look in her eyes, then suddenly pouncing forward to send Teiya splaying flat on his back underneath her eager form. That, finally, was enough to send a certain twinge of... something through Dain's suddenly tensing chest, but not enough to keep her from closing the door and walking away before the sounds of the two of them really started getting to her.

The walk back home, at least, was short and uneventful, which was something of a relief - while everything had basically gone okay, there had still been more than a little drama to it all. For once, though, she'd gotten through a situation like that without feeling completely flummoxed or unprepared, actually spoken her mind, and hadn't been subjected to anything she was uncomfortable with. And Caure... well, Dain was sure that Caure probably wouldn't change overnight, but even so, Dain had liked her well enough even when she was boisterous and a little imposing. And after seeing her at least making an attempt to control that part of her a little, for Dain's sake, it was definitely an improvement. Just thinking about her, Dain felt more comfortable, although it would still probably be... interesting to see how she decided to interpret the pact that they'd made once both their heats set in.

Ever since Dain had manifested as a shifter, Eloa had certainly been more involved in her life, but it wasn't often to see her sitting on the top step of the entryway, waiting for Dain to get in. Then again, it was a bit later than she usually got back, but Eloa hadn't even been there when the people from the government had come calling...

"Hey, mom... is something up?" Dain asked as she approached.

"Oh, not really... just a little worried about you, is all. I know you're supposed to be growing more independent, but now that you're on people's radar, sometimes if you're not back when I expect I can't help but wonder a little. I do appreciate you finally being willing to call me mom again, though."

"Er, you're welcome?" Honestly, Dain hadn't really given any thought to it - for some reason, though, it was beginning to seem natural to say it.

"Just... maybe keep doing it, all right? Anyway, if you don't want to talk about where you were, I won't pry, it's just that looking at you, you seem... not troubled, exactly, but..."

"Well, that's because... I was over at Caure's and..." Dain trailed off, still not sure how much she wanted to talk about it.

"Oh? I'd ask if something happened, but if it had you'd probably be in your other form, and seeing as how you're not, I'm guessing it was something else..."

"Um, well, it was just a little complicated, and Teiya was there..."

"Ohhh... I think I see. You know, if a guy makes you uncomfortable..."

"Huh? Wait, do you think that we-"

"It's not a problem if you did, if you wanted to, and I'm not gonna pry-"

"N-no, it wasn't anything like that, really! Er, I mean, not with me, anyway. All I did was hug people a little. Caure and Teiya... um, I guess at this point they're probably everything but knotted, but I took off when they started to get into that..."

"Hmm... so, you're saying they sent you off when they wanted to have sex? And you're feeling snubbed, or jealous, and that's why you're a little out of sorts?"

"No, actually... they invited me to stay, to join in, and they both really wanted me to, but it was just a little too much, and then I needed to not be there, but... it was just an odd thing all around, I guess."

"Well, Caure is certainly a... different sort of girl, for sure. I do think she generally has her heart in the right place, though, if she puts you in an uncomfortable position... I know it's not always easy for you, but sometimes part of being an adult is speaking up when you need to."

"And I did, and that's why everyone was okay with me doing what I wanted to do."

"Well, that's good then, right?"

"Yeah, it's just, some of the stuff that Caure says, I mean... what do you do if someone really, really loves you? And you think that you probably love them back, some at least, but they love you a whole lot more? It's just confusing, and sometimes she's so intense about it, and she got us all to promise..."

"Promise what?"

"I mean, nothing crazy, just promise that the three of us would always be friends and stuff, and I was fine with that, because of course I want to keep being her friend. But she feels this other thing, this thing that's so much more, and she's so intense about it that even when she's being really nice to me, I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about her..."

"Well... it's true that there's no easy answer to that. You have to remember, though, that this period of time can be a confusing one in general, especially for girls, with everything that they have to go through. And not just the trial heats, and the whole process of selecting boys for them. The hormones, the chemicals that make the trial heats happen, it's not like they just disappear when you're not in heat. They can fluctuate a lot, even in between - it's something that varies from girl to girl, and even from heat to heat. Because of how you are, those hormones may not be very present while heat isn't there, and so you may not have felt, the way a lot of other girls do, the way that they can subtly, and sometimes not-so-subtly, tug at your emotions in one way or another.

"It's probably not all of it, but some of what Caure is feeling, and what she's professing to you, might be spurred on by that. Once she's been through a few trial heats, though, that's when things usually start to even out, and once that happens you'll get a better sense of how she sees you. Although, it is Caure we're talking about, so it's hard to know - I don't know her all that well, but I know enough about her general personality by now. I'd say... continue to be her friend, let her work through what she needs to, be with her a couple more times during her heat, and I do think it'll all get sorted out between you. Once you're fully an adult, and getting into your careers and your lives, everything usually has a way of stabilizing. The way our family turned out isn't the way it's supposed to work - that was a particularly unusual situation, caused largely by outside forces. Just by being together through time, your relationships will naturally shape themselves in a certain way, and once that shape is revealed to you, you'll know how the both of you truly feel.

"Right now, though, it sounds like she's busy enough. If you're fine with that, and it sounds like you are, then how about we leave sorting all of that other stuff for another day, and get some dinner?"

Dain nodded in agreement, and the rest of the night passed uneventfully, save for some homework - and a reminder that popped up on her tablet from the program that ostensibly controlled the device she wore at night, stating that in just a couple of nights, wearing the device would be mandatory in preparation for her next trial heat. Apparently, it would start beeping insistently at bedtime and wouldn't stop until she put it on, which she'd have to do if she wanted to sleep. Not that she minded - she knew why it was important, now, and it made sense to be in the routine of being a girl for a few days before she had to go through the craziness of heat in that form. It did mean, though, that she intended to skip the thing entirely until it became mandatory, as it seemed like it would probably be her last chance to be a guy for a good while - especially since the note also mentioned that the device would increase something about its overnight routine, in a way that would encourage her to stay in her female form for the entire day, without any chance of randomly reverting back.

The next day, at least, started out pretty much normal, with Dain's male form, and matching clothes, making a return. Considering what was coming up, it felt good to get back to them, and he wasn't the only person that seemed happy about it - Teiya seemed downright relieved to see him in that form when he came up after clearing his tray. While it was true that guys and girls didn't usually eat lunch together, especially with another round of heat coming up, because of his status Dain usually hung out with Caure and the other girls from the workshop no matter what form he was in. Teiya, though, had remained scarce even in class, and apparently had been waiting for Caure to head off first before coming up to him.

"Hey, mind if I talk to you for a second? It's about yesterday..."

"Sure... what's up?"

"Well... gee, I know how bad it sounds to say something like this, especially after what you guys have made me a part of, but... I just had this feeling, yesterday, while I was with you. This... pact and stuff, that was all Caure's idea, right? And I mean, there's no fault with you at all - I could see you were interested in both of us, and I know you enough to know that's not an act or something. Caure, though... I barely got a word in the whole time I was there, and it was good and all, but... whatever she says, I just keep getting this feeling that she only has eyes for you. When we started cuddling and stuff, she didn't even face me, only wanted to look at you, and afterwards... I don't know if she said anything to you, like she said she was going to, but it was really weird. We... did it a couple times, but with her on all fours and then on her stomach, and she barely looked at me the entire time. And she kept talking, occasionally to me, but sometimes like I wasn't there, and it was about stuff like how much she wanted you to be there watching her as we did it, or how much she really wanted to watch me being with you. I mean, afterwards she said I was great and that she couldn't wait to be with me during her heat, but still... I dunno. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, and I really do like you both a ton, but... I wanted to talk to her about it, but I guess I'm kind of afraid to. I guess what I wanted to ask was... do you think I'm being weird about this, or do you think I'm just there because... I don't even know why..."

Dain wasn't particularly surprised to hear any of it - as much as she'd hoped that the pact, and the reconciliation with Ekka, had been at least an indication of Caure slightly widening her obsession, it was beginning to seem like she'd only managed to change her tone for the course of a single afternoon, if that. Then again, if what Eloa had said was right, maybe Dain's own words had been correct the first time.

"You know... maybe it's too soon to judge it either way. Caure just is that way sometimes. If she keeps doing stuff like that, then you ought to talk to her about it, like she said we all should. The other things is, though... it's like she said before. Her heat's coming up in just a few days, and she was counting on me being there with her, and since I'm not gonna be able to, I think she'd just disappointed, and maybe that's why she's obsessing over me a little right now. Maybe... just let her be Caure for a couple of days, and then be with her during her heat. If she's still that way, then we deal with it, and if she's fine, then..."

"Yeah. I see your point. And I'll try it, for sure. Even just getting to be with her, that's really something, but if I could get her to look at me the way she looks at you... Er, not that I'm trying to get in your way or something! It's just that not a ton of girls are inviting me, or even liking me a whole lot, so I want to do a good job with the ones I can be with, to be so good to them that they'll like me like that. And I... I really want to live up to that pact. I really want to be close to both of you. I just want to make sure that both of you at least maybe want to feel like that for me too, someday..."

Dain wanted to say something more, but Teiya was already heading off, still looking a bit unsettled. He thought about saying something about it to Caure later, but for some reason she seemed a little reticent, maybe even guilty, about it as well - contrary to her earlier promise, she didn't say a word about what had happened between her and Teiya that afternoon, and had even deflected it when Dain had asked. She wasn't particularly ignoring either one of them, though - in fact, she seemed to almost be clinging to Dain a little, finding any excuse she could to snuggle up to his side or give him a hug. There was a main difference to how it had been, though: instead of being aggressive, her embraces were considerably more measured, and out of all the contacts, her hands wandered down to his inner thigh only once. True, there was one instance when he'd been walking past the girls bathroom, and heard what sounded like Caure's voice yelling his name repeatedly in an especially throaty tone of voice, but she hadn't, at least, been particularly more aggressive afterwards.

After a couple of days as a guy, while taking a shower, Dain reached down only to discover that her body had decided to revert back to being a girl again. That part of her, obviously enough, was attuned to what was going on, and as predicted, that night the device started beeping insistently just before bedtime. As strange as it had been at first to tuck something in against her nether regions at night, by that point it had basically become routine, and whatever modifications had been made to its settings, it felt basically the same as before: nice and snug and warm against her, instantly making her feel drowsy and comfortable, and she drifted off to sleep easily.

The only real difference came when she awoke the next morning, and went to take it back off: it came off as easily as it normally did, but the peculiar warmth it had generated overnight continued to permeate through her belly as she got ready for school. It was wholly different from heat, though, not so much anxious and exciting as just relaxing, somehow making all of the various feminine parts, even the ones somewhere deep in her abdomen, feel even more... right, more normal somehow, than what she'd grown accustomed to. In fact, it felt so thoroughly normal that she didn't even think twice about pulling on panties or her now-usual leggings, and neither one even caused that moment she usually had where they felt ever so slightly alien and out of place before settling comfortably into place. It was obvious enough that the device was doing what it needed to prepare her for what was coming, and even as she walked out the door towards school, there was a confident sense of certainty that her form would remain in place.

Everything, again, was pretty much normal, and even Caure seemed to be calming down, at least as far as Dain was concerned - although that probably had something to do with the fact that Caure was fast approaching her heat, along with Dain currently being a girl and nowhere near as interesting to Caure in that state. Suddenly, she wasn't just looking at Teiya, but finding opportunities to actively hang off of him, and beyond that she seemed to be distracted every time a guy walked by, and doubly so if he was one of the ones invited to her heat.

At least, though, it took the pressure off of Dain, who knew that her own heat wasn't far off - and with it some encounters with boys she didn't really even know. With all of her classes, though, there wasn't a lot of time to track them down and get to know them. If Reo and Laeva were right, then there was nothing to worry about, but even so... she still ended up wondering about them, loading up the scheduling program and flipping through their pictures. They all looked like... boys, she guessed, different faces and fur patterns, but they all looked fine enough, and they all seemed to have kind faces. And when she brought up their names with the other girls, they all still seemed enthusiastic, so... hopefully it would all go fine, but it seemed like it was going to be impossible to be sure...

Another day passed, and then her tablet pinged with a couple of interesting messages: One stated that she was due to be at school early the next day, and that the day after that her heat was set to begin, so she should make sure and have her keycard on her at all times. The other one was from Laeva, a missive requesting that Dain have a video conference with them that evening after dinner - although it was hard to really consider it a request, as there was a note at the bottom of the message stating that the meeting was mandatory, and that her tablet would automatically open and connect at the specified time.

Sure enough, that evening, she was browsing around through some classwork on the tablet when the window suddenly minimized, replaced by a videoconference screen that quickly resolved to a familiar-looking office. Reo and Laeva were there in the foreground, with their brown fur and bureaucratic clothes, but they were joined by someone else standing behind them. Unlike their suits, he was actually wearing a uniform of a sort, the kind of jumpsuit-style thing that those in the higher ranks of the civil service tended to wear, a result of the first-response corps and the civilian government being merged together out of necessity after the cataclysm.

Judging by the insignia on it, he was some sort of middle rank, most likely their immediate superior. He looked a good few years older than them as well, with the sort of multicolored, patchy fur seen on those with ancestry from the Far West, dark brown and light grey fur mixed with a color that was tawny, almost golden when the light caught it right. He was built about the same as Reo, but with a wide, round muzzle that made him look naturally jovial, and the sort of bright, kind eyes that made someone feel at ease just looking at him. In short, he seemed exactly like the kind of guy who would naturally have been chosen for a career in social service, and his personality seemed to match - he was the first to speak, greeting Dain warmly.

"Hi there, Dain! Somehow I doubt my two proteges have mentioned me yet, so allow me to introduce myself. My name is Rhal, and I'm in the assistant director of this regional office's outreach into unique cases like yours. I was temporarily assigned to cover for a colleague in another region, though, and as I only got back recently, I regret not being able to meet with you in person - I have a feeling that, had I been there, perhaps your first encounter with our office would have gone a slight bit more smoothly." He didn't change his tone, not even the expression on his face, but Dain could see both Reo and Laeva gulp nervously at that mention.

"Anyway," he continued, "I know the message might have sounded a little ominous, what with the note about it being mandatory and all, but that's just an automated thing - in cases like yours where you weren't introduced to heat in the normal fashion, it's procedure to have one of these calls before your next time, just to make sure you're doing okay, and to answer any questions you might have about how things are going to go. Normally, Reo and Laeva would be able to handle all that on their own, but as I hadn't had a chance to meet you, I wanted to personally be on this call, and let you know that you have my support as well as you adapt to your new situation.

"So, with that said... how are you feeling? Has the device been behaving itself? Is everything feeling comfortable leading up to your next trial heat?"

"Yeah, it's all been fine... the device worked perfectly, and somehow I'm feeling totally comfortable as a girl right now..."

"Well... I think you can officially consider yourself, in that respect, a young woman at this point... or a young man, as the case may be. However, considering the report I read of how things went the last time, it's good to hear that your preparation this time seems to be going smoothly. Although... Reo mentioned that you're a little bit reticent about having certain people assigned directly to you?"

"It was a little weird, yeah, but I guess I'm starting to get comfortable with the idea, if they work out, at least..."

"True. Admittedly, when I heard, I looked into the issue, and I don't think they were as clear as they perhaps should have been about the nature of that assignment. Truth be told, it's not something that's mandatory during any trial heats, and even if it happens during a regular heat, it's not set in stone - genetics or not, no one's going to force you to be with someone you hate, or that's been abusive to you. I understand what they were trying to do, and why they thought having you get used to it would help, but I think they did jump the gun a bit with that. Admittedly, it's a little late in the game to revert anything this time around, as your heat is rapidly approaching and schedules are basically set. However... for your next heat, I can assure you that we will make sure you are comfortable with everything, every step of the way, before any non-choice assignment is even considered. Fair enough?"

Dain nodded, and Rhal smiled. "Good! As a means of... not exactly recompense, but something similar, I have at least arranged for a certain greater degree of flexibility during your upcoming heat. Usually, there are a number of set encounters per day, but in your case, I'm going to send a special application to your tablet that will let you change that up. Things that are scheduled can't really be cancelled unless you're not up to it for some reason, but if you feel that what you have scheduled for the day isn't quite enough, this program will allow you to call in anyone who isn't scheduled to someone else at that time, and you can be with as many people as you need to be satisfied. Hopefully, it will give you a little extra help if you end up needing it.

"As for anything else... are there other questions that we can answer for you? I know that you've technically been through all this before, and plenty of classes besides, but if there's anything else you need to know, or are curious about, we're here to help."

Dain paused, thinking about it for a second. "I dunno... I mean, it's pretty straightforward, isn't it? Everything pretty much happens naturally, and as long as they guy isn't too aggressive, it just... works. At least, it did last time, and while I guess it's a little different with each guy, they all did what they needed to do, and I got what I needed. Is there anything else I really need beyond that?"

"Well... not really, I suppose. It's more that I'm asking if there's any part of it that worries you or makes you feel apprehensive, anything where we can help to put your mind at ease. I know that coming from a position such as yours, growing up entirely in the role of a boy, things were certainly... confusing for you when it first happened, and I want to make sure that the upcoming trial heat isn't causing you any undue concern."

"Not really... I mean, I'm still wondering about it a little, just because of the new people I'm gonna be with, but as for the thing itself... aside from that one time where things got a little weird, and how strange and out of control it was at first, once I got settled in and was ready to be with people, everything just worked. I'm really more... curious about how it's going to be this time than anything else, now that I know what to expect, now that I'm not so confused about it all. Now, I know what to expect, and how it's going to feel, and I don't have to be afraid of it - I just have to be with a guy, and do what I naturally want to do with him when I'm in heat, and it's gonna feel really good to do it, as simple as that..."

"All right, then. It was very good to meet you, and while I'm sure I didn't let Reo and Laeva get a word in edgewise, they'll be available any time over the next couple of days if you need help with any of your preparations. Just remember to keep using the device the next few days - when your heat arrives, it will help to ease it in as smoothly and comfortably as possible, so it shouldn't spike up on you in quite the way that it did before. In any case, it's been a pleasure - you're a polite and obviously keen-minded young individual, and I'm sure that we all wish you the best as you embark on this new responsibility in your life. I look forward to talking with you again in the future - after your heat, we'll probably schedule a debrief, just to make sure everything went well. Until then... just take it easy, and your heat will be happily upon you before you know it."

Reo and Laeva quickly said their goodbyes, and the call wrapped up - not the most useful one, really, and one that seemed entirely spurred by Rhal wanting to introduce himself to her for some reason, but a moment later the application popped up on the tablet's taskbar. Dain wasn't sure that it would really come in handy - the last time she'd been in heat, she'd been more than satisfied by the couple of people that had been scheduled each day, and the new schedule showed that there would be three over the course of each school day she spent in the dedicated facility for heat, which should be even more than she needed. Still, just in case, it was probably a nice thing to have. It was still a little weird, maybe, to be reminded of the fact that the people from the government were so directly involved in something as deeply personal and intimate as her heat, but she knew the kind of responsibility that they had, to keep society growing back from the brink - a responsibility she'd probably have to consider herself, someday, but for now it was more than enough just to deal with what was directly in front of her.

Dain went to sleep early, the device helping her to easily drift off earlier than she normally would have been ready to do so, and the next day she woke up bright and early, or at least early enough to get to school by the time the message had specified. Overall, it was mostly deserted, except for a couple of people here and there - and the teacher, tablet in hand, waiting at the entrance for her. Interestingly enough, it was the same teacher that had checked her into the heat facility before, when she'd been a guy attending Ekka's heat. Even up close, he was still kind of nondescript, slight with vaguely mottled brown fur, and the sort of generic face that was nearly impossible to remember once the person in question was out of the line of sight. He seemed slightly more animated than he'd been behind the screen, at least, but still more than a little businesslike.

"Ah, right on time - always good to see. Anyway, I assume you have your card with you?" He looked on with approval as Dain retrieved it from her bag. "Good. Anyway, as you can probably guess, I am one who is tasked with the administration of the on-site area for the maintenance of trial heats. I assume that I can call you Dain - while it is true that I technically have a name, I don't much like it, so for the duration of this exercise, fell free to call me Teacher. As you can probably guess, the reason that you are here is that, as someone who will be experiencing their first trial heat here on campus, it is time to introduce you to the various functions of our facility, and make sure that any specialized needs are squared away before you arrive to begin your heat proper. I do know that it's a bit early, but as this is the only time the facility is not usually otherwise occupied, it is necessary."

"Um... isn't it available after school is closed too, though?"

The teacher looked down at her, his expression not exactly irked, but close to it. "No, no, not at all. While it is true that the beginning of the facility's use for heat begins in conjunction with the normal starting time for classes, the amount of attention each individual student needs varies greatly. For some, the experience is complete at lunchtime, and they are even able to attend their afternoon class. For most, much of the school day is taken up with it, and for some, whose heat is especially effusive, multiple encounters are often called for, sometimes extending late into the evening before satisfaction is achieved. Considering that you have been assigned such an extension program above and beyond your set schedule, I assumed you understood how the nature of such an extension could therefore also extend the time involved. Never mind, though - the question should now be answered, and time is already ticking as the opening of school approaches, so I must insist that our tour begin posthaste."

And with that, without waiting to see if Dain looked properly told off or not, he was off at a march, one hand grabbing onto one of Dain's and pulling her briskly up to his pace. They were quickly inside, at the door that Dain hadn't accessed yet, and when prompted to, she inserted her card into the slot. There were a series of beeps, rising in tone, the slot quickly returned the card to her, and the accompanying door slid smoothly open.

Inside, somehow there was even less to see than there had been on the boys' side: a small hallway, a set of double doors, and a touchscreen built into the side of one of the walls.

The teacher gestured over towards it, as it came to life, displaying some sort of profile of Dain on its surface.

"This is where you'll check in, and where a room will be assigned. Generally speaking, that room is where you will spend most of your time while in heat. There are certain classes of room, depending on the specific needs of each individual female that is undergoing their trial heats. All of them have a bed designed to be comfortable to use during heat, although I suppose you already know that; each of them also have a section of wall, and a specific area on the floor, which are specifically padded should you wish to use a different or more impromptu sexual position. Underneath each bed, there is a discreet storage unit where you can place the clothing you arrived in, and it can also be stocked with the items you feel comfortable wearing during your heat prior to your arrival." The teacher looked down, checking something on his tablet. "Yes... I see that your mother has already set something up for that, so everything you need in that category will be waiting for you once you arrive in your assigned room. Let's see... beyond that, each room also has a separate toilet and sink that can emerge from the wall, which you can use in privacy between encounters, and prevents the necessity of having to move very far to do so - something that can be an issue with certain individuals, who may have some issues with leg steadiness after their encounters."

He reached over and touched something on the wall-inset screen, and a three-dimensional rotating image of Dain's keycard appeared. "So... to those classes of room, specifically. Primarily, the difference is that some of the rooms have additional features to help facilitate your heat, everything from beds with multiple articulating adjustments, to purpose-built items of furniture designed to maintain your posture in complete comfort while in particular positions, most commonly being the traditional position, or as I call it, 'that four-legged one.' Because of the classification of your card, you will be assigned one of the rooms that provides for the widest variety of options, to make sure, I suppose, that your satisfaction is not in any way at all in doubt. Beyond that... well, I suppose you might as well take a look at it for yourself."

The teacher tapped something on the touchscreen, and the double doors in front of them slid open. They walked through them and turned a corner, opening out onto what looked like the same hall Dain had walked down when she was here for Ekka's heat.

"So, the navigation method is the same - you'll be given an arrow color just follow it to the room it indicates. You can mostly find your way there, though, if you know what you're doing. This hallway contains all of the Class 1 rooms, but midway down, there's a separate hallway that branches off. The Class 2 rooms branch off of that, but if you take it all the way to the end, there's another hallway running perpendicular to this one, and that's where the handful of Class 3 rooms, the ones you'll be using, are located."

Sure enough, a couple of quick turns and short walks down the interconnecting hallways, and they were soon standing in front of a room marked 3-A.

"Here, you'll just hold your keycard up to the door, and if it's your assigned room, it will recognize and open. While it's assigned to you, only your card, or a teacher's emergency card, will open it at will - otherwise, the manual activation panel will only open the door with approval from the central control room, when someone you've invited arrives. You can come and go, if you really want to, but we recommend remaining in the room for the duration of your heat - it should have most of what you need, as the sink has an integral water fountain, and while the trial heat is in progress, food is generally not a concern. If you do have a need, though, there is an intercom in the room you can use, and a staff member can get you what you need. In any case, we're here, so..."

"Right." Dain held her keycard back up, and the door slid open to reveal... a room that really wasn't a whole lot unlike the one that Ekka had been in, aside from the fact that it was twice again as big. It was largely unadorned, the walls blank grey with the exception of the white, padded parts that stretched along one wall and down to a section of the floor. Looking at it objectively, it seemed a bit spartan, but Dain could guess why - when she was in heat, there had only been a single thing in the entire room that she'd focused on, and it certainly wasn't the walls.

The bed seemed about the same as the one she'd seen before, not terribly different from her own aside from the glowing control unit attached to the side, and padded enough to be more than comfortable. It only took up one small corner of the room, though, near a pair of small cutout lines in the wall that probably indicated the positions of the recessed facilities the teacher had mentioned before. The rest of the room was occupied by several other pieces of furniture, including what looked like a long, padded bench contoured in a particular way, with an assortment of handles and armrests near the top, and one with a set of adjustable pillows and wedges. The last piece, though, over in the other corner, looked like something that belonged in a physical fitness center more than anything, with ropes, loops, pulleys, and some sort of harness.

"So, this is it - as you can see, with the various furniture provided, you should be able to achieve any position that you deem necessary for the satisfaction of your heat. I know that they like me to explain the use of each one, but quite frankly the thought of doing so embarrasses me greatly, and there is already a function on your tablet that can provide the details you need more comprehensively than I am capable of."

He did, though, quickly demonstrate where the small activators were to reveal the toilet and sink, and how to access the under-bed storage. Before Dain could really puzzle out the use of the devices other than the bed, though, the teacher was already ushering her back out the door and down the hallway. As they got to the entryway, Dain could see why - from the time on the touchscreen display, there were only a couple of minutes before people would begin arriving for class.

They left the way they came in, but only traveled one door down in the opposite direction - the door opened into a small office, likely the teacher's own, and he gestured for Dain to have a seat before he settled in behind his desk.

"So, I assume that everything was straightforward?" He didn't exactly wait for Dain to nod, though, before continuing. "Good - I am quite sure that everything will be trouble-free. In that vein, if you have any other specific requests, either for accommodations or for actions you would like your invitees to take before they arrive in your room, I am ready to record them." He continued blandly, the fingers of one hand moving through the air like he was ticking down a list. "For example, you can ask them to disrobe beforehand, use or refrain from wearing various scents, dress in a particular manner, and so on. You can even, if you want, ask for them to have stimulated themselves to complete readiness beforehand, if you wish to engage with them immediately after their arrival. These are only a few examples, though - you can ask for most anything, within reason. Is there anything that you would like?"

"Er... maybe just for them to be gentle, and not pounce on me or anything like that? I don't even know why I'm getting assigned that room with all the weird stuff in it - last time, just being on a bed was fine..."

"I don't know what the reason is either. Usually there's something specific in the file that calls for it, but in your case... you have that keycard, so you get that room. Same with the extension program, I imagine. Anyway, your requests have been recorded, so at least all that's done with."

The teacher paused, still looking slightly aggravated as he leaned forward a little, bringing up a hand to rub at his temple. "Urgh... look, I know that I've been rather brusque with you, and I know that's not very... professional of me, really. But if I'm already being unprofessional... you know, I don't even know why I'm telling you this, anyway. Usually, I'm fine with it, but for some reason, every so often it's a little bit harder to do this. It's hardly a surprise, really, that I've never been invited to a heat, although it's got nothing to do with personality - my genetics were simply deemed not to be a priority. And I received this job because it requires a lot of organization and logistical administration, fields in which I excel. For some reason, I really didn't think it would be torture, to deal with the thing I was never a part of every single day, and like I said, most of the time it really isn't. However I feel about it, though, it was wrong of me to seem so cold with you. Certainly, none of it is your fault - in fact, for all I know it's people like you who'll save all of us, and I should be thankful that you're doing this, rather than allowing my own pathetic, petty resentment to sneak out. So, I'm going to shut up before I say anything more stupid than I already have, and leave you with my profound apologies. Rest assured, when you arrive for your heat proper, if interaction is necessary I will be nothing less than perfectly personable and professional."

Dain, feeling that things were complicated enough, didn't hesitate to take off before the conversation got any weirder. Still, though, she couldn't help but flash back on something as she sat in her first class in the large lecture hall, watching as people trickled in. It really hadn't been that long at all since, for all intents and purposes, she'd been in that same situation: perhaps not quite the same, without so many years of rejection tacked onto it, but Dain had certainly known the feeling. That's why, back then, he'd spent so much time in the workshop, trying to perfect his craft, trying to ignore all those other things as irrelevant and have something to be proud of when he almost certainly wasn't selected to be part of anyone's heat at all. That situation, though, was now completely flipped, and now the notion of being invited to someone else's heat actually seemed like a peripheral concern, considering what she would soon be going through. And yet... there was something to be said for that simplicity of ignorance from back then, that stability and certainty. Dain had known how it would go: that he would likely be a sculptor, perhaps with some other related responsibility, but the path had been set, known, with nothing to feel uncertain about. But now, despite the assurances she'd given the people from the government, there were all sorts of unknowns, from the strange room to the mystery people she was going to be with, and a future that was far more confused and complicated than she'd ever imagined. She knew, of course, why the teacher was resentful... but even at that point, on the day before her second trial heat, there was a part of her that yearned for the time when heat wasn't a word that had even entered her vocabulary.

Caure, though, was already in the midst of it, made obvious by her conspicuous absence. Teiya was gone for most of the morning as well, but he did wander over after the first class had finished, looking slightly unsteady on his feet and more than a little dazed.

"Dain, about before..." he'd begun, his voice still slightly breathless. "You should probably just forget everything I said about what happened. You were right, it's... all good, now." And then, before Dain could even reply, he went over to one of the benches that sporadically lined the hallway, curled up on his side along its length, and was out like a light.

Dain just kind of stared at him, a little puzzled and concerned, but a couple of teachers came by a couple of minutes later, hoisted him up between them, and carted him off, apparently to find a more comfortable place to rest. Apparently, he was fine, as Dain caught a glimpse of him around lunchtime, still looking dazed and inordinately happy - Caure's enthusiasm towards him over the past couple of days, then, probably hadn't been just for show.

Dain didn't see Caure as the day wore on, though, and she wasn't there at the end to walk home with, either. Dain ended up walking back home by herself, and when she got in, Eloa seemed more than happy to leave her to her own devices - "After all, you're the one who needs to figure out what you need to do to get ready," she said, letting Dain head up to her room without any further lingering conversation. When she checked her tablet, the school seemed to be of the same opinion - there was no homework assigned to her at all, other than a reminder stating that she wasn't to even check in with her morning teacher or class, but only to go straight to the heat center.

It was probably just as well, considering it wasn't long after she got home that... something started up within her. Not the strange fluttering in her stomach, or the heat, or the buzzing anticipation from before, but at the same time, she felt tense, antsy in some undefined way, flitting from one thing to another without being able to keep much focus on any of them. It seemed certain that her body was already preparing somehow, in anticipation of the more direct feelings that were sure to crop up the next morning, and Dain was content to essentially give into it, just take it easy and let her girl parts do whatever they needed to make sure that her heat would just work, without the sort of turmoil that had happened with the first one.

So it was that after having dinner and taking a shower, when her fur had started to become a little more sensitive to having things brushing against it, she'd done away with the idea of getting dressed again in much of anything at all. Instead, she'd just been lounging around on her bed in just her panties, listening to music on a pair of wraparound headphones, when the sound had been interrupted by her tablet switching away from the audio player, instead chiming with an incoming video call.

She'd brought it up, and in her current state, for some reason she just didn't feel like caring about the fact that her undressed form would be broadcast. Not that it was a problem, though - the person on the other end of the call was Caure, and she was hardly more dressed than Dain was, wearing a silky-looking set of subtle pastel-green lingerie. She grinned at Dain, but it wasn't the sort of smirk that might have been about her unclothed state - rather, it was the sort of languid, relaxed grin that indicated a complete and persistent state of satisfaction.

"Hey, Dain..." she said, yawning a little. "So... where were you?"

"Huh?"

"You know... the pact, right? How we're supposed to get together and everything?"

"Oh... er, I, I'm sorry-"

"Hey, I'm kidding, kidding! Yeah, I know what I said before, but I know your heat's starting up tomorrow, and you've gotta get ready for it and everything, so no worries. Seriously, though, once you're done for the day tomorrow, you can totally come over and we can come down from it together. Don't ask me how I know, but trust me when I say that once your heat's been taken care of like that, there's nothing nicer than having another girl to relax and snuggle with when you're in that sort of floating, perfectly satisfied state. And that way, we can have that pillow talk that we were supposed to, compare notes, share how it went. Although, I guess I can tell you about how today went right now, if you like..."

Dain wasn't entirely sure that she did, but for a certain part of her thinking about it was suddenly intriguing, and in any case Caure didn't bother waiting for a response before going ahead anyway.

"Oh man, it was amazing! Now that the guys have actually learned something about what they're supposed to be doing, not just fumbling about, every single time was sooo good, not a single moment of frustration, just closeness and that sense of bliss that just goes on and on... and that thing that Ekka told me about, the thing where you have the guys nudge the knot back and forth even after you're done with that initial stuff, it feels so awesome and makes the time go by that much faster. And everyone did everything just right, even Teiya... especially Teiya..."

Caure seemed to drift off for a moment, her eyes seeming to wander as her muzzle displayed a truly blissful smile. "You know, after we were done, when we were knotted together, we actually talked, I mean like really talked, about everything, about... us. And when I was there, with him, I realized... it wasn't just the heat. I mean, yeah, maybe I wasn't totally honest about why I had him join the pact with us. Maybe I invited him because I couldn't be with you when you were in heat, not in that way, and I wanted to make sure someone was there to really care about you during that time. But the more I'm around him, the more I see how good he really is, how even after I was kind of rude to him he was willing to be perfect with me anyway... I really do think I love him. And you, of course! And that's possible, right? If I love him, and you... there's room for both, isn't there?"

"Um... why shouldn't there be? It's not like there has to be just one. Just look at heat - over all of the days, we'll probably be with a dozen or two guys, all told. And I don't love them all just like that, but aside from a couple, once my heat was done I couldn't help but like a bunch of them - after some more heats together, maybe I'll find that I love them too. Really, I'm not sure I know exactly when you cross that line yet, from like into love, but the more we're together with people, the more it will probably happen, I think. But isn't love a good thing to feel, though? And if that's the case, isn't it better to find as many people as possible who you can love?"

"Hadn't thought of it that way, exactly, but I get what you mean. Heh... you really are an optimist, aren't you? Always wanting to see the best in people, no matter how they really are... but maybe you're right. When we made the pact, the idea was that we would all love each other, at least I said it was, and if that's what really comes to pass, then I guess I'll actually end up meaning it. Still... I did tell Teiya that I was sorry, and there's a bunch of other stuff that I said that I can kind of only half-remember because I was still feeling the aftereffects of everything, although I do think I said that I loved him too." For a moment, Dain almost swore that Caure was rather uncharacteristically blushing. "Actually... now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I screamed it several times at the top of my lungs, and then made him grind against me until he was panting so hard I thought he might actually faint on top of me..."

"Well... I guess that explains why he wandered out, said a couple of words to me, and then fell asleep on the spot..."

Caure, in spite of herself, actually giggled a little. "What, really? Oh, that's perfect, I can totally picture him doing that! Really, though... he was amazing, and did everything, absolutely everything, that I asked. The other guys were nice and all, but the enthusiasm he had, he was the best, no question. Mmm... just thinking about it, I kind of wish I could schedule him every day this week. I'm sure the other guys will be good, though... aaand now I can't stop thinking about them. I guess I'd better wrap this up before this gets me going again, or I'm going to end up in bed with both hands between my legs, not getting a wink of sleep..."

She signed off, the contented grin settling back onto Caure's face before the window closed and Dain's music was restored, leaving Dain feeling... relieved, in a certain way, at least. Whatever Caure's initial motives had been, it seemed like the pact was actually working somehow - Caure and Teiya, despite the earlier uncertainty, seemed to actually have something real between them now.

Dain had a sense, too, that her own feelings would come into line as well. Teiya, in fact, would be the third boy that she would see tomorrow - she'd scheduled in that way to make sure there was a familiar face at the end of the day to reassure her in case something unpredictable happened with the unknown boys that she would be with earlier.

Tomorrow... that was going to be interesting, for sure. All she had left to do, really, was set the device into place, and try to get a good night's sleep, somehow. Caure's descriptions, though, had set something going within her a little more, and while it still wasn't like heat, exactly, there was a palpable sense of anticipation tensing through her, making her shift restlessly back and forth along the bed, waiting, wondering. Her first heat had been somewhere between chaos and bliss, and while this one would certainly be more orderly, there was still plenty that she couldn't properly anticipate. At least, though, it seemed certain that by the end of the day, she would be in the state that Caure had been: relaxed, warm, and thoroughly satisfied.

Maybe holding onto that idea would be enough, but it would still be heat, and she knew that in some way she wouldn't quite be herself, and so far away from her male self that it might as well have been on another planet. Despite that, though, despite the strange twinge of... otherness when she tried for a moment to parse it all from her original male perspective, somehow she actually felt comfortable with it all. Maybe it would still be kind of alien, and given how crazy it had felt the last time that was probably all but certain... but it would also be what her body needed, and what it would make certain that she enjoyed. And for now, that would have to be enough... wouldn't it?