Kaleidoscope III

The Binds That Tie

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Guest Suites, Third Level, Grand Palace of the Gods

Luxor, Neo Egypt

Yangu-Grurra, Vasily (YG-4)

04:48, 35/2/2, 15 XP

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"Bloody hell, Eira..." Vydr groaned as the human in question rolled her thumbs up the back of his neck, loosening his muscles. "You sure you're not for hire, lass? I never knew I needed a skilled masseuse in my crew 'till now."

"You flatter me, Vydr. I only do what my god asks of me." Eira finished her focus on the otter's neck and idly slid her hands down the missing half of his body. "I suppose I would have helped you anyway, you poor man. I couldn't imagine living as only half a person."

Void curled and rolled onto his side, smiling for the human. "Well I appreciate your help, and in return perhaps I should talk to your English teacher about his manners. Other people might not like being call half a bloke."

"M-My apologies!"

"No offense taken, Eira. Don't fret over it." Void relaxed on his bed, shutting his eyes for a moment until he heard the rustling of clothing. "Eira, wh-what--?"

"You are a nice man, and my god has given me the choice of... delivering full service." Eira straddled Void's leg and rubbed his half-mast manhood through his shorts. "You find me attractive, yes?"

"I... I do, but..." Void lifted the girl's hand from his groin, only for her to guide his fingers into her moist slit. "Eira, stop. I can't do this."

"I'm not your--?"

"No, love. You'redrop-dead sexy." Void reeled his paw back and pulled the girl's sheer dress over her crotch. "There's someone close to me. If I didn't care about betraying her, you wouldn't hear a single complaint. She's... special to me though. I think I love her."

"I... understand, Vydr. In that case..." Eira slowly eased back onto her feet, tying down the waist of her dress in the process. "Perhaps we should end here for now. My offer still stands though, should you have a change of heart."

"I doubt so, but thank you." Void struggled to roll across the large bed, allowing himself to realign with Mime so he could regain their shared mobility. "I feel wonderful now, love. Thank you for the massage. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I hear Ria's back in her room."

"Ah, I see." Eira giggled as she watched Void head for the balcony of his room, his erection pointing the way with renewed energy. "This Ria is a very lucky woman. I'll leave the two of you alone." She reached the door and smiled again as she exited. "May you sow seed on fertile soil, Vydr."

"What? Oh... If only that were the case. We haven't even properly kissed yet." The large door finally shut, leaving Void hanging his head at that last comment. "Why am I so bad at this relationship thing?"

«Well it might have something to do with questioning yourself.» Mime took liberties and started the process of moving onto the balcony proper, more for his own curiosity that to aid his partner. «I'm unfamiliar with your biology though. Are you indeed properly equipped?»

«Never cared to test that, actually. I've always wrapped up tight since my flavor of intimacy tends to include red lighting and exchanging coin.» Void went along with Mime for a bit, but took back control and reeled behind a curtain upon spotting Ria was also enjoying the view. «Shit. How does she do this to me? I should just act normal, right?»

«Considering your pulse just skyrocketed, I'm not entirely sure if you enjoy or fear seeing her.»

«Both, oddly.» Vydr slipped the side of his head out to spy on the cabbit a moment, then soon followed with the other eye just to verify a suspicion. «This isn't right. We should go.»

Again Mime took liberties, holding back the otter with purpose as a gasp barely spritzed from Ria's lips. «A little look won't hurt anyone.» His false paw moved down and rubbed the tent in Void's shorts. «It actually might relieve some of that stress. I sure as hell know I wouldn't want to stay around you all tense as you are.»

«Well I wouldn't want to betray Ria's trust, and I'm--» Void froze both in body and mind as the cabbit leaned forward with a more guttural groan, Void's suspicions vividly confirmed when she hurriedly yanked down her panties below her Egyptian dress' loincloth. «Yeah, I'm not doing this. It'd just be awkward now.»

«Really? I happen to greatly enjoy this 'sex' activity of yours.» Mime started seriously fondling his host's groin, mentally sharing in the faint pleasure. «Maybe I should just do you a favor and end this awkwardness. I'm sure Ria wants someone to ravage her right now anyway.»

«If she wanted that she would have asked for it. Don't you dare, Mime.» Ria's panties kicked off her hindpaw out of annoyance, the girl hunching over the railing of her balcony just enough to showcase her fingers plunging into herself. The garment in question landed close to Void, forcing him to snatch it out of caution reactionarily. «Okay, maybe that's not entirely correct. I didn't know she had such a... showy side to her. She's always so very shy in public.»

«And weren't you the one that told me the quiet ones are screamers in bed?» Mime slowly released his shared cock and sent a very noticeable wave of disappointment to his partner. «Fine. This is a sensitive moment and I'd rather not get into an argument. You owe me sex though, Vydr. If you're not balls deep in Ria by tonight you'd better consider other options, lest I make them for you.»

«Yeah, yeah. I get your point. We'll see what happens.»

Ria tensed suddenly, almost looking like she would fall over the railing for a moment. "...Vydr!"

«See? She wanted you, not her paw.»

«Maybe. I'm just not sure I want to risk losing her. It's alien to me, but I'm drawn to Ria.» Void used the break in action to sneak away for the safety of his room. «Well I apparently only know as much as you do about relationships, no offense. Let's just leave her alone for a bit--»

«I know more than you think.» At the last moment Mime reached out his leg and kicked a sunbathing chair, causing a ruckus as it screeched across the stone balcony. «You can thank me later.»

"H-Huh!?" Ilaria shot upright, her eyes critically scanning for both movement and her lost panties. "V-V-Void? Gods, uh... Void, is that... you...?"

Vydr cursed Mime beneath his breath then casually walked onto the balcony. "Ria? Oh, you're back. I... was just about to find you."

"How... long have you been there? You're not spying on me, are you?" Ria looked to Void for a brief moment, then grounded her eyes upon noticing he was clad in nothing but his shorts. "Why aren't you dressed!?

"Oh, sorry. I was having a massage." «Well it's not a lie, just an omission...» Void quickly jogged to a robe by his bed and donned it before returning. "Now that I'm loosened up though, I believe I'm ready for a little outing. Are you still up for a little exploration like we planned? You're... dressed charmingly in any case."

«Also an omission, on both your parts.» Mime tucked the panties into the waist of Void's shorts, taking pleasure in the satisfying heat and moisture radiating from them. «New rule: these stay on you. Clock"s ticking, lover boy.»

"N-Now? I, uh..." Ria's thighs rubbed against each other idly, her paws flattening her dress' drapes flush against her fur. "Are you sure? I'm not wear-- I mean, I thought I'd try wearing a local dress but it's so... revealing. Wouldn't you rather I change?"

"Not a chance. You look captivating." Void smiled as he admired the semi-sheer dress adorning his lady. "Give me a few seconds to throw together some clothes. I'll be over in a minute so we can show you off at breakfast. Sound palatable, love?"

"B-But..." Ria slowly noticed her paws drawing attention to her crotch, pulling them to her sides with a visible mental struggle. "You really th-think I look good in this? It's not too... uh...?"

Void forced his eyes upward, the thin material hinting at bare pussy while Ria's sports bra provided a safer viewpoint. "You're perfect. Stay just as you are and I'll be ready in a minute."

"Just like I am..." Ilaria considered retrieving a fresh set of panties in the interim as Vydr left, but flushed brilliant red upon visibly confirming her translucent dress left very little to the imagination with the light behind her. "Did he notice...?" A more thorough scan of the area confirmed a distinct lack of stray undergarments. "No... It can't be. He's being such a gentleman..."

Royal Garage, Grand Palace

Luxor, Neo Egypt

Yangu-Grurra, Vasily (YG-4)

15:32, 35/2/2, 15 XP

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"Interesting shits, those kids." Iolvin chortled and gave Salt's heavily armored exoskeleton a loud slap of his metal paw. "By all means, it looks like they've surpassed their mothers. That's a dangerous knife's edge."

"Like you would know. You've got maybe a tenth the experience with kids as Aunt Ari." Artemis rolled his eyes as he heard his own words. "Sorry. I know you tried your best in my case, and I think I'm starting to appreciate that now."

"Well look who's growing up, out on his own in the world." Yoyo turned his paw on his son's shoulder, grabbing him and yanking him closer for a whisper. "Maybe even thinking of having whelps of his own?"

Arty followed his father's gaze over to Vixellyn and Quill just outside the garage. "I told you, she's... not my girlfriend, dad."

"So you keep saying. I'm not a believer yet." A quick slap and Yoyo started moving to check out the rest of the garage. "Honestly you could nail birdy over there and I wouldn't care. I'm just saying that even if you don't realize it now, starting a family is the greatest thing you could ever do in this life."

"Or your second life." Robyn hung upside down from Paprika's mech, an oily wrench waving from a paw. "But don't take your pop's word as gold, love. You do you. Be cheery, however that may be."

"Is that where you've been hiding out, mecha-munchkin?" Yoyo gained a large, purposeful grin as he sauntered over to the squirrel. "I thought your girls said these toys were off limits. What gives, Robby?"

"Oy, I'm not changing a tidbit. Jus' noticed they needed some lube here and there. Maintenance isn't high on those three's priorities." Robyn held out her wrench and pressed it to Yoyo's bulging groin as he approached, forcing some distance. "And before you say it, I'd rather not get lubed up myself all messy an' such. Keep your toolbox shut a moment, Yoyo."

"We'll see about that. I seem to remember spotting a shower nearby." Yoyo backed a bit away with his paws raised defensively. "I just don't get to see you much with the job and all. At least come catch up over some coffee with me."

"I suppose that's not quite a bad proposition. Give me a tick to finish up, love."

"You're leaving me? Rude. I take back everything I said before about you being a good dad." Arty gave his father a firm punch to his real shoulder and backed away slowly. "Have fun. I've been hogging you for a while anyway."

"Thanks, son. We'll play Bark of Valor later or something. Cool?"

"Yeah, cool. Maybe something a little newer though. BoV is pretty ancient."

"I know what you're thinking. You want to play something on Sense and kick my tail across the floor." Yoyo sighed as he chuckled. "Fine. I could use the practice with those things. Take it easy, Art."

"You too, dad. See you later, Aunt Robyn."

"Later, handsome." Robby bobbed her head side to side with her words as she mumbled a retort under her breath. "If I can even walk straight, that is..."

"Hm? Oh, meant for dad? Cool. Later!" Arty spun around and walked straight for Vix. "I'm back. So, you getting anywhere with Quill here? You've been messing around together all day, Vix."

Vix quirked her head to her close friend. "Getting anywhere? Is there somewhere I'm supposed to be aiming?"

"Well... yeah. Nobody can understand that Quillic stuff, and Quill probably has a few concerns of her own..."

"Oh, well I was in the middle of that until I got distracted. It seems Quill left something behind in that other world, though I can't make out what it was. She wants to go back and retrieve it."

Arty quirked his head and knelt beside the two. "Wait... You understood all of that? How?"

"It's all English." Vixellyn tapped a few solid characters left over from the alien's previous message. "Re-tu-r-n. See? It's a phonetic system, but it's in English."

"How in God's name...?" Arty checked the gorgeously written text and sighed in misunderstanding. "You'll have to teach me later. For now though, maybe we should call it a day. It'll get dark soon enough. The suns are setting right now, actually."

"Suns... setting?"

"Oh, right. You've got to see this. It's really cool when you have a dual sunset." Arty stood, offering paws to each of the other two. "We should have a good view from just outside. Come on."

"Oh... Alright." Vix helped Quill rise as the bird-like mammal mystically retracted her ink back into a small pouch. "Want to see this too?"

Quill raised her head in acknowledgement, then slowly started to train herself to nod as her companions did.

"Great. Let's see..." Arty led the two out a large door and into the open, then quickly found the one and a half balls of light drooping over the horizon. "Ah, we're a bit late. Yangu is almost gone."

"This is... amazing."

"Yeah, it's unique. I love how everything turns blue when only Grurra is left, but the swirls in the atmosphere right now are usually magical. Shame there's clouds today." Arty noticed Vix shaking and clasped his arms around her for warmth. "Let's try again tomorrow. Maybe we'll get lucky and we'll see the aurora bands."

"It's so beautiful. How could I have never seen something like this before?"

"Well binary stars with habitable planets aren't common, so--" Artemis noticed a tear drop from Vixellyn's eye and questioned her shaking anew. "Wait, what are we talking about exactly? Have you never seen any sunsets?"

Vix shook her head side to side slowly. "I've never been on a planet before now."

"Oh God. If I'd have known that I'd have given you the tour of your life. Now we only have one more day of vacation left! Damn, we need a plan for tomorrow, Vix. We'll make it special for you."

"Thank you, Art. I... I'm really happy you showed me this." Vix spurred into a fit a shakes as something tapped her head, then another, followed by a series of cold, wet taps on her crown and shoulders. "Wh-What...?"

"Ah, crap. The rain's here early." Arty tried his best to cover Vix, guiding her back to the garage with Quill nonchalantly following behind under the cover of a heavy cloak she wore. "Well that's a bummer. I wanted to see the rest of that."

"Why can't we? Is rain harmful?"

"Oh, no. Jeez, this really is your first planet. Well it's just water, but it gets cold enough to get you sick on Vasily." Arty flicked the chilled water off Vix's fur and then shook his own pelt. "Plus I remember the forecast mentioning thunderstorms, so we wouldn't want to get hit by lightning."

"Lightning? Thunderstorm?"

A bright flash filtered into the garage, soon followed by a resounding crackle. "That right there. Don't be scared. It's--"

"No... Not again!" Vix jumped out of Arty's grasp and darted deeper into the dim garage. "Gods, no! I don't--Ahguh!"

"Vix!?" Arty shot into action, his hindpaws pounding over the stone floor as he rushed to the startled vixen's rescue. He found Vix standing strangely behind Ex, then upon coming closer used his natural blue glow to see the situation better. "What the hell? Vix, what--?"

"Not like this! God, not like this!" Vixellyn floated forward inexplicably mid-stride, several unusually rainbow, voxelated gloves and boots restraining her as she desperately struggled. "I don't want to die like this!"

"V... Vix, no! It's okay!" Arty reached for the restraints without concern for his own safety, but no matter what he tried he couldn't remove them. "What the fuck are these? Shit... Calm down and we'll get you free. Quill? Can you help?"

The bird shook her head, receding it into the well of her neck in defeat.

Another crack of thunder shook the building, forcing Vix into quivers as she started sobbing in her own surrender. "I don't... wanna die... Please, mom..."

"Nobody's dying here." Arty noticed another set of blocks ran along Vix's spine terminating into a collar, so he focused on supporting his friend with his back so she wouldn't choke under her own weight. "Shush... Quiet... It's okay, Vix. I've got you. I'm here for you."

"Art... Please..." The vixen slowly found her breath, her confidence refusing to return but giving her just enough relief to regain her bearings. "What are these? I... I don't want to be stuck here... in the dark..."

"Vix... Dear God, Vix..." Arty watched as Quill walked over and wrote something in a brilliant white color of ink. "What's Quill saying, Vix? Does she know how to fix this?"

"I don't... want to die here..." Vixellyn stared ahead into nothingness, her mind elsewhere right up until a large paw slapped her cheek. "Wh-What?"

"Vix, snap out of it! You're safe now. Quill is trying to help."

"O-Oh... Right, she..." Vix took a moment to decipher the message and relayed it to Arty. "She says this is the object she wanted to retrieve, but it's... useless now?" Quill erased a section and rewrote it. "Oh, no... We used it, and it can only be used... once..."

"So these things are some kind of tool? For what?"

Quill tapped her writing feather to her forehead a moment, then spelled out a response. <I was gifted a tool to capture my main enemy, before she managed to do any more damage. Unfortunately this tool wasn't supposed to trigger on anyone except her, yet Vixellyn sprang the trap.>

Arty groaned as he adjusted his stance, allowing himself to better hold Vix up longer term. "It's a restraint device? Well just undo it and we'll see about fixing it for you to use again. Our family's pretty handy with strange stuff like this."

<That's impossible. I was only the bait, not the one designing the trap.> Quill pouted as she inspected the small cubes outlining her friend's paws. <The gauntlets were designed to restrict my enemy's movements and... The best way to explain it is... She has a unique power that would need to be funneled into the gauntlets rather than destruction if she desired freedom. She would disarm herself willingly or suffer... for eternity...>

"And if Vix doesn't have the same power--"

"I'll never be able to get free...?" Vix drooped upon her restraints, placing her full weight upon Arty unintentionally. "I really am going to die like this. No... I can't escape fate..."

"Vix?" Arty tried to turn around and face the vixen, but freaked out and gave up when he realized his paws needed to rest on her chest to do so. "Vix, there's more to this than you're letting on. Are you hiding something in Quill's description? What--?"

"I don't... want to think about it." Vix lifted herself away from Arty and struggled to keep herself from choking by her own strength. "Just... leave me like this. I don't want anyone else to suffer for my sake."

"Vix, shut up. I told you I'm staying right by your side and I'm a man of my fucking word." Arty forcibly lifted upward and bridged the gap. "What's going on with you? I'd never have imagined you hiding from lightning, but to give up so quickly over this? You're stronger than that, Vix. What's driving you?"

"Art... You don't want to--"

"The fuck I don't! Tell me, or I can't help you!"

"Fine! Fuck, just... fine." Vixellyn once again started sobbing, her head resting upon her close friend's own. "It made me think of the Quaresh... of the accident. I was stuck in a dark container for weeks... with my mom..."

"Yeah. I remember you saying that, but I didn't know you were with your mom. Damn."

"We were trying to slingshot to colonize another planet. My dad shut us inside a seed vault when we hit the space elevator... so we were safe, with plenty of water..." Vix whimpered as she remembered the details vividly. "But there were only a few seeds and sprouts in storage..."

"Wait, I don't understand. You said you were stuck for weeks before the slavers found you."

"They only found me." Vix outright poured tears down upon Arty, driving him to break his own composure at the realization of the hard truth. "Art... I don't want anyone else to sacrifice anything for me. Not after... my mom gave herself up for..."

"That's horrible. Beautiful, but... horrible..." Artemis snuffled a few times and fought to stay strong for the both of them. "I'm never questioning your odd appetite again. No, I'm making sure you get whatever the hell you need from now onward."

"...Thank you, Art."

"Now don't worry about me. You're going to be stuck here for a while until we find you some help. I'm not letting you deal with this alone, not until you're safe again. Save your strength and let me do the heavy lifting for a while." Arty looked up to Quill and chose his words wisely. "I need you to find my family, Quill. Get someone to come here and find help, however you can. Can you do this for us, please?"

Quill slowly nodded, then erased her text and adjusted her cloak's hood for a short run through the rain.

"Thank you. I owe you one, Quill." Arty reached one paw upward and scritched Vix's neck to calm her shaking soul. "Just hold out a little longer. We'll get you fixed up in time to see the suns rise, Vix. You have my--"

A tall figure emerged from a tool shed in the back corner of the garage, followed closely by a small, curvy frame. "Gods, that was fun. We need to 'catch up' more often, Robby."

"You've got that right, lover boy."

"Dad!" Arty shifted a bit do he could grab a large bolt and smack it into the ground to generate noise. "Dad, over here! Help!"

"Arty? Where's that coming from?" Iolvin crossed near Ex's lane and found his son struggling in the shadows. "Sorry, didn't see you with the one eye. What's up, Arty? You break--"

"Dad! Thank God." Arty beckoned his father over, right up until the moment he noticed a lack of clothing and a smattering of bodily fluids. "Uh... Hey. Vix is stuck in some kind of trap and she'll choke if we don't figure something out. We need some brain power, fast."

"Ah... Robby?" Yoyo led a paw to his son, then sighed as the nude squirrel refused to show herself, even as cum drooled from between her legs behind her light cover. "Don't be like that, Robby. Family in need here."

Skittering back to the sex shed for her clothes Robyn forced herself to calm down. "Just... give me a minute. We'll get a plasma torch and fix you up right quick, love."

"I don't think that'll work." Arty tapped the prismatic, glass-like structures around his friend's paws. "This isn't going to be simple. Quill said it was a very special design."

"Oh yeah... Where is that little lady?" Yoyo looked around, finding little more than hints of mud tracked into and out of the area. "No sign of her? What about your genie friend, ah... Cherry?"

"Shit, I forgot about her. Good thinking, dad." Art shifted his weight and pointed to the djinn's lamp near the door. "Open that up, would you? Maybe she knows something about this."

"Oh... Like this?"

The lamp slid out of it's protective tubing, lighting up the area for a moment until said light flushed out the vent on top to form Cherenkov. "You beckon, my... Oh, you."

"Well that's a hell of a greeting."

"Ignore him. Cher, come take a look at this."

"Ah, Master. Sure." Cheren skipped her way toward Arty, slowing with a grimace once she realized what was happening. "Either you're into something far too kinky, or you've gotten into trouble. What did you do to poor Miss Trotter?"

"She stumbled into this trap on her own. We just want her out of it." Arty shifted his stance again for a longer term plan of action. "Have you seen anything like this before? Can you fix it?"

"I... No, Master. I'm sorry." Cheren examined one of the gauntlets closer and made an observation. "I've seen this form of phased matter somewhere before. However I can't remember what the context was. I think this was part of my lost memories."

"Damn. Well thank you for taking a look, in any case. If anything comes back to mind, make sure you tell me." Arty struggled for a moment, but Yoyo moved in closer and placed a few weighted sandbags beneath him for support. "Thanks, dad."

"Well I ain't seen shit like this before, so it's probably best to settle in for the long haul." Yoyo sighed as he surveyed the situation. "Cherry, stay here and keep an eye on my son. If he needs help come and find me."

"Dad, you're--?"

"I'm getting Lulu's twins. This seems right up their alley. Hold out for me, son." Yoyo noticed he was still bottomless and rolled his eyes, joining Robyn to get dressed. "Robby, clean up and then take a look with Cherry, please. I'll owe you some muzzle later or something."

"Well when you put it that way, how can a girl refuse?" Robyn finished donning her soiled clothes and headed for the rain outside. "I'll be back in a flash, love. A bit o' natural shower to make things right and I'll bring the cavalry, yeah?"

"Thanks, Aunt Robyn. I'll hold up my end here. Just..." Artemis slowly coiled his head to nuzzle the exhausted girl on his back. "Hurry, for Vix's sake."

"Roger, Art." Robyn tipped a ballcap as she hit the rain. "Back in a flash."

Royal Garage

Luxor

Yangu-Grurra, Vasily (YG-4)

07:02, 35/2/3, 15 XP

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"That poor girl." Ilaria sighed as she hoisted her sleeping wives up from being sprawled on the floor to a more comfortable recline against each other. "I hate to say it, but she may have to... well, end up more or less like us."

"Inappropriately fucking our siblings every chance we can get? Not sure that works when she's an only child." Iolvin snickered weakly, exhaustion kicking in hard after he alone stayed awake the whole night alongside his son. "I wouldn't give up so easily, Lulu. You used to be more fearless about the unknown."

"The stakes were a little higher back in those days, Yoyo."

"No, that's not it. You had passion. Regaining Robby dulled some of that, I think." Yoyo slowly stood with his twin sister's aid and dusted off his rear with ruffles of his thick rudder tail. "You had a family you desperately needed to protect, at all costs."

"And now our family is all here, trying our best as a whole. It doesn't seem like enough, Yoyo." Ari groaned as her eyes fixed to one of the mystical gauntlets pinning Vixellyn in place. "If we can't get her out of those soon, we'll have to remove them by force. She's going to suffocate at this rate."

"You aren't getting it yet, sis. Art here... My boy has his own little family of sorts now. He's doing all he can to protect it, just like a certain someone and her father before her."

"You're forgetting that certain someone's heroic brother." Again Ari sighed, this time to her twin's face. "I don't see you helping him out. That's some fucked up parenting, lil' bro."

"Maybe from where you're standing. Helping Art right now won't do him any good, though. He's grown up with only his mother close to him, and knowing she was sick..." Yoyo took a moment to just breathe, images of Cassandra fluttering through his mind's eye. "If you knew you'd be all alone, you'd avoid making lasting bonds too. No, Art needs to build new ones under his own power or it won't mean anything. This is his family and his fight. I wouldn't be a good father if I didn't let him find his limits like this."

"Shit... You just reminded me of dad, Yoyo. Damn." Ari stepped out a nearby door and looked upward at the moon of Yangurra, specifically near her father's final resting place. "Fine. I won't say anything if you think it's for the best. You seem to know what you're doing, and I think dad would approve."

"Well I never said I'd be mean to the kid." Yoyo slapped his sister's tail with his own as he passed her for the Palace proper. "Come on, Lulu. The least we can do is get some warm meals for everyone. It's been a long night and my son and future daughter won't be going anywhere."

"Future daughter? They're dating?"

"He refuses to acknowledge it, but Art has his heart set on Vix. I'm not sure if she thinks the same, but they have something special. He's just too scared to say it out loud... fittingly like I might have been with his mother."

Yoyo stared at the pavers ahead of him, his thoughts returning to Sandy and prompting a hard slap to the shoulder from his sister. "Don't you dare mope around. Arty might need you and you need to be ready for him."

"Y-Yeah, you're right."

"Come on, Yoyo. Let's get breakfast and see where things go from there." Ari tossed an arm around her brother and hugged him as they walked, loosening some when their shared son strolled past. "Morning, Voi. No bunny hiding behind you today?"

"After the news about Arty she's avoiding the Garage. She's feeling worried enough without being an empath." Vydr accepted a quick kiss from his mother and exchanged tail slaps with his father. "I'm checking on my brother for the both of us. How's he holding up?"

"Well somehow he's still at it, holding Vix up like Atlas and the world." Yoyo cracked his neck and stretched his shoulders. "Everyone else passed out after a long night. Probably a good thing you're heading over right now."

"Yeah. Think you can keep an eye on Arty for us until we return? He might need some relief for a bit of sleep soon." Ari hugged her twin again as they resumed their walk. "Yoyo is trying to hold off all he can, but I think he can hold up Vix with some of his air shields if need be. Just keep the girl safe while we get breakfast going, please."

"No worries, mom. Mime and I have got this." Void shared an appreciative set of nods and quietly entered the Garage, his eyes taking far too long to adjust to the dark of the unlit rooms. "I guess everyone's sleeping in the dark? Hey Arty, where you at in here?"

«How do you mammals survive with such specialized senses like vision?» Mime scanned the room with his own secretive senses and pointed to Artemis... whom was splayed unconscious on the floor. «This way. You might want to step to it before that girl dies, too.»

«Wait, what!?» Void jogged quite literally blindly as his eyes adjusted to the dark, letting the Mimic half of him reach out and lift Vixellyn's gagging neck from its ethereal choker. "Are you alright, Llyn? Say something, please."

«She's breathing, so there's that. Consider that a thank you for fucking that masseuse earlier.»

«Not now, Mime. She's not responding.» Vydr checked over the gasping vixen, his heart fluttering upon Vix's eyes rolling back into her head and starting to shake. "Fuck! What's wrong!?" Void reached down to force his exhausted brother awake, but without warning Vix's gauntlets slammed downward. In what looked like the blocks of the gauntlets cycling around each other like tank treads, they crashed into the stone floor hard enough to crack it and pinned the panthott in place. "What the bloody hell is happening...?"

"Vix!" Arty mustered what little strength he had left in his arms and embraced the fox tightly. "You moved! Are you--" Quite quickly the vixen's quivering forced him to reanalyze the situation. "What's wrong? Void, what did you do!?"

"Nothing, brother! You passed out and Mime saved the lass from choking to death!"

"Oh... Crap, then what is this?" Their bodies pressed to each other tightly, Arty noticed Vix's shaking had a rhythm to it... and carried with it an additional, specific scent. "No... That can't be right. Is she...?"

"Randy? I... won't question the poor lass' kinks if she isn't in control of them at the moment." Void rested a paw on Vix's back and fought back a chuckle. "I think you're correct though, brother. I hate asking, but is this a normal thing?"

"I'm not sure. We aren't close like that." Arty slowly rubbed his paws up and down the vixen's back, hoping she'd ride out her apparently very satisfying orgasm and become more responsive. "Shit. I did fall asleep on her, didn't I? I failed--"

"I've never seen anyone go so far for a lady, Arty. Don't you dare call that a failure." Void hooked a finger through the floating collar and noticed it was once again stuck immovably in place. "These are back to being stubborn again. I'm gonna wake the others so they can probe for changes, before whatever happened fades away. You look a bit snug though, brother."

"Good thinking. I'm stuck here, but I'm not in danger so don't worry about it. Just get help." Arty traced a paw up one of Vix's arms and sighed as he inspected the morphed gauntlet attached to the far end. "At least we know there's hope, Vix. Don't give up. I won't."

"Well that's strange. Cute though." Arty looked around for a very hard to place voice, finding nothing in the open areas of the Garage. "Ah, my feathery friend! I felt that surge of glamour tingling all over, it was so strong. I assume the plan worked?"

Quill slowly stood and stretched her wings, then looked behind Arty and spoke in what could only be described as a cooing, chirping melody.

"What do you mean, it captured the wrong person? That's impossible." Arty followed Quill's gaze, raising his view to cover the blind spot just above his head. Standing there was some form of unknown, feminine creature--human by first appearances but with a long tail, pointed ears, and tufts of fur dotting the ends of most appendages. "Oh, I see. This girl definitely isn't the one encroaching into my Nexus. Curious that she managed to trigger the my gauntlets and greaves."

"Who the fuck...?"

The creature met Arty's gaze, then began inspecting her hands as if it was the first time she'd ever seen them. "You can see me? And this with this form..." She snapped her fingers and nodded to herself. "Of course. You're an artist in most realms. Why haven't I seen one of you with fur before, though?"

"I don't know and I honestly don't care." Arty reached desperately for the creature's ankle, but reality phased around him similar to how it did in the Nexus and prevented physical contact. "Wh-What are you?"

"Oh, you're saying something?" Vydr perked his head and settled his view over the odd motions Arty was making. "You okay, Arty? Need a paw?"

"I'm not sure. Probably. I can't touch this girl."

"What're you saying, man? You're as damn near close to Llyn as I am to Mime."

"What? No, I mean--" Arty understood a certain truth about this newcomer the moment she began smiling and shaking her head. "He can't see you, can he? Only Quill and I can?"

"Bingo. Artists have an easier time spotting my kind through their medium of choice at first." The odd girl flipped a hand and pulled up a digital interface just to appreciate the design. "An electronic canvas. Such an inventive species, you humans. All the better for me."

"Wait, you're inside my Sense? No... The Sense is just able to find you for me...?"

"Right on point. Rare to find a smart artist. Your glamour must be delicious." The girl placed her toes into Arty's paw and gave it a shake with a giggle. "I think we'll get along just fine, Artemis."

"You know my name. This Sense isn't registered to me, so... mind reading? Maybe." It took a moment for the panthott to realize he was physically touching this girl. "You're actually here. What the hell are you?"

"Maybe you already know, by your predecessors? Some call us imps, some færies, sprites, wisps. Spirits are too religious for my tastes. Angels and demons as well. Scientists favor inspiration. Romantics call us passion, for good reason." This creature crouched down, her nude form quivering in perfect mimicry of Vixellyn's still-fading orgasm. "The best of artists have coined us... Oh, but why spoil the introduction? Part of the fun is seeing a creative mind make its own determination."

"A muse. You're a muse, aren't you?"

"Well there's one area where too much schooling disappoints. I would have loved another name. Those taste so sweet..."

"Fae folk... Glamour..." Artemis nodded as he understood the being a bit better, his paw passing through her foot yet again with a surreal disturbance of the surrounding space. "Glitch."

"What was that?" The girl shuddered with renewed pleasure, this time much stronger than what Vix was somehow emitting. "Oh, I enjoy that. I've been labeled before, but never named. You're a fun one, Artemis."

"And just like I thought, you consume creativity in some manner and call it glamour." Arty touched one of the gauntlets with a smirk. "Which means these are controlled by the same glamour."

"And now he gets the point. See, I think this may work out... Quill? Another one named you...?" Glitch grinned widely as she surveyed the various people waking from their rough night. "I see. Quite an interesting family you have, Artemis. How have I never seen most of them before in other realms?"

"Other realms? Like what happened the other day?"

"What, now?" Glitch phased out of sight for a moment, then appropriately glitched back into existence. "I can't leave this realm. This... is not so good." The muse took a deep breath and sat down cross legged. "This must be a different Nexus--a lost one, at that."

"I really don't care right now. Can you help free Vix or not?"

"And ruin the creative process? Where's the fun in that?" Glitch smiled and giggled for Arty, then returned his serious gaze with a concession. "I cannot; the gauntlets and greaves were designed specifically for the wielder to control. However, I'd be willing to guide the both of you to such a goal if it might build enough glamour to return to my own Nexus."

"Then we have a deal, Glitch." Artemis brought his paws to rest around Vix's back again as she slowly opened her eyes directly facing his. "Welcome back."

Immediately Vixellyn flushed her face red with blood, her sensitive body noticing not only her contact with Artemis but a certain pair of growths prodding her loins as well. "A-Art, I--"

"Shush. Don't worry about it. It's just a... natural response to, uh..." Artemis gave the vixen a quick lick on the snout followed by a content smile. "More importantly, We're getting you out of these things."

"We?" Vixellyn looked upward, then loosened her strained neck so her head rested beside her friend's own. "You see her too. At least I'm not alone there."

"Never." The panthott held his vixen tightly and nuzzled her neck. "You're never alone, Vix."