Acquisition #3
24-D laid there for a few moments, almost too mortified to move. His heart pounded at the thought that someone had listened to him moan and breath as he pushed out eggs. And very clearly enjoyed it. He waited a moment to see if they were gone, and started to get out when someone peeked in.
They were mostly human, shorter than 24-D in stature , with a body that had feminine curves and a stocky but adorably pudgy body. Dark hair fell down just above the shoulders slightly and a big blue-black fluffy tail came out from the tunic bottom. Their chest was flat-not developing, or even small, just flat. The collar band read "4-J-2"
"Are you done?" They asked. He twitched, seeing something thick dripping all over their leg.
"Were you listening to me?" he asked.
"...I love the sounds of egg laying " they said, looking dreamy and blushy.
"That's... weird..Don't you know how creepy that is?" 24-D asked. 4-J shook their head.
"Not really I mean I've watched egg laying... I've watched mating while I stood in line" They spoke matter of factly. "It's really a fact of life here, the handlers watch and help us breed all the time. "
"They help us?" 24-D asked , horrified.
"Yeah...sometimes you need a helping hand to get it in you" They moved slightly toward him.
24-D just shuddered and pulled himself up. "Urgh.. right.." he climbed out of the basin and used a hanging towel to clean himself off. "I need to clean all over." He felt dirty and freaked out with all this, disgusted by his body's reaction to it.
"Okay.. But remember if you take too long the water gets really cold or turns off. Other people have to clean too"
"Okay.." he mumbled. "Do you like watching those too?"
"Oh no.. not unless I can join one" They licked her lips.
"...I just laid eggs" They sighed.
"Yeah.. Have a nice shower.. Sorry about spying" They smiled and then walked off tail waving. 24-D blinked shaking his head slightly. He would have to get used to the lack of privacy. He didn't know why he thought it such a private thing... he just felt it ought to be.
He found an empty shower with a towel nearby and pulled off his tunic, sighing with relief. Keeping the warning in mind he managed to wash for a good... maybe 10 minutes and stood there feeling the water after until he started to notice the temperature lowering. He turned it off and dried himself off. This time he was relieved that there were no listeners outside his shower.
With a sigh and a shake of his head 24-D pulled the tunic back on and went back to his bed. It felt nice to have his body back to normal.
After the experience of laying eggs, his body was exhausted. He slept a good while and dreamt of being in some kind of dark underground room, with adults-humans all around. He and other small humans- children- busied themselves with toys while the adults crowded around a radio broadcasting -perhaps the news.
Faint talking could be heard in worried tones, sometimes arguing in times of tension. He could just barely recall the memory or at least awareness that he had arrived at this place somewhat recently with his parents. He didn't recall if he had siblings,
He heard storming outside. It was always storming aboveground.
He looked to the adults and he felt-no, recalled a desire to understand why they were tense and afraid so much. This place wasn't bad. He always had plenty of peers to play with and talk to. There were such nice toys here, and he loved the other children's company. He loved the meals that were served here. There were kindly ladies, grandmotherly, or like the fun kind of youthful aunt who spoiled you, and they often made such delicious things.
The adults seemed to do their best to make sure that he and other children were entertained, happy and too busy to notice their fear. Of course this meant he was coddled a bit with reassurance, food, and toys. But he did notice and feel anxious when the adults shouted. The things coming from the radio made them mutter and pace. No doubt whatever is going on out there drove them here.
But what? And why?
He would try to listen sometimes and their words were incomprehensible perhaps due to his youth. Or they were fighting.
In his dream he only heard them as an incoherent mumble he could never understand , much to his frustration. He knew what they were saying was important, and the key to figuring things out , and so naturally.....
He couldn't have it.
He woke up frustrated and dismayed.
A few others seemed notice him as he groggily got out of bed and looked at them all. "......" 24-D sighed.
"Hi!"
"Come on over, it's almost evening feeding!" They all waited around a table. He hadn't noticed that before. He got up , realising he was hungry. He walked over to the table and found a seat.
"You met 4-J yet?"
"Uh yeah. They spied on me.. Laying a clutch." 24-D said matter of factly
"I'm sorry.. He can be that way. We'll see to it that he leaves you alone"
"......thanks. I guess." Everyone looked up as someone came in, a furry partially-human being with a tail that had two prongs at the end, wearing only overalls came in with a couple platters full of food and set them on the table. A shorter being followed and set two barrels down and popped open spouts on them, setting some mugs under them.
24-D's eyes widened looking at the marvelous sight of the platters full of food with things he almost recognized, and things he'd never seen before. The two beings nodded at them all.
"Ring the bell if you need any more" They nodded to a bell that hung near the far entrance into the main room.
"Thank you!
"Thanks a bunch!"
The delivery workers nodded somewhat grudgingly. "Welcome! Have fun, sluts" The taller one spoke with a strong accent 24-D couldn't quite place. The two of them, with the shorter following, walked out.
24-D licked his lips looking at the food and reached out to grab some fruits he hadn't seen before as others dug in and grabbed mugs to drink the frothy liquid from the barrels.
He fumbled with a lumpy fruit he'd grabbed with a shell around it.
"Oh let me get that for you" A mostly human being with wild wavy hair and short antler like horns grabbed that , and using a spike that sprouted from their tail , sliced it right open down the middle like a baked potato. Bright pink-orange and yellow sunset flavored fluff and flesh dripped out. "You eat it like this-" They mimed eating it as one might eat a hot dog.
"Including the skin?"
"Oh yes, the skin is delicious. It's got that lovely salty-nut flavor"
24-D blinked remembering suddenly what 'salty' was. The taste he had been trying to find the other day when eating the meal left for him while he was carrying.
"You'll see" They handed it back to him. He looked down it smelling the pleasant tangy sweet aroma from the middle. He took a deep breath and took a bite out of the end.
It was.. Wow..
Full of flavor. Sweet and tangy with the nutty salty skin with a hint of something tasty... damn what was the word. It was a wonderfully savory sort of taste. He ate it all and moved on to some pastry looking things , resembling little pies.
"What are the pies made of."
"Meat and nut"
"Or vegetable and meat"
24-D grabbed things and tried them with varying enthusiasm or cautiousness. Some of the meat had the tasty savory flavor while some of the vegetables had taste and texture he couldn't get used to. He was shocked and a little disturbed that some of them seemed to eat the food he bit out of and didn't finish.
Ew.
Other things were surprisingly tasty or just plain foreign. There was oddly sweet but. Hot, spiced meat, savory smelling things that didn't taste quite as good as they smelled..
Once he was finally convinced to try some drink he found it like a spiced fruit taste with odd frothy stuff at the top. After a whole mug he felt lightheaded and full of dizzy euphoria. Others guzzled the drink down eating and laughing merrily.
"So... what do we do here" 24-D nibbled on a meat pie.
"Oh well...we really sort of just keep busy..." one of them said swallowing a mouthful of a beancake. "We eat and talk.. Do needlework and weaving or etch on tablets. Sometimes read, though not all of us know how. For others we make up tales to share....."
"And we fuck!" 4-J cried out merrily, and gulped more of his (? he seemed feminine but they all called him "he") drink.
"Oh yes, we mate." another said with a chuckle.
24-D idly nibbled on the edge of a meat pie. "Are we....expected to?"
"Sometimes" The horned one, 78-A said. "And other times.. It's merely for fun."
"O-oh" he nodded.
"We will not force anything upon you, for it's not our place... the handlers may...it is their business to breed us" 78-A explained.
"Have you tried the beancake?" One who sat near 24-D asked. He wrinkled his nose remembering in his youth , finding the taste and feeling of it unpleasant.
"I don't care for beans" he said.
"Oh...." another shook their head and the one who spoke- 52-B-merely clicked their tongue. "Pity. Ah well" he continued eating his own.
He looked around and asked something on his mind. "Were.. are all of you from Earth? Or... are your tails.. And.. horns," He paused trying to read their reactions. Some seemed offput or frowned and 24-D hurriedly spoke. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend"
"Oh no. Don't worry"
"We don't all remember details..."
"From what we gather, we were collected from earth long ago, or crossbred with other beings. And some of us are from somewhere else entirely."
"...oh. Well you know, I don't remember either"
"But.. don't you ..want to?" 24-D asked confused. "To know where you came from?"
"Why? Almost all of us are told our worlds were in such messes that other beings had to come in and fix things. It's most certainly unpleasant to hear and will probably drive one mad or to sadness.. Why suffer?"
".....but I mean..isn't it... strange to not know?"
"At first.. You will get used to it. Here we are well cared for, and entertained. For the small price of being bred. Which comes with some kind of enjoyment, once you're used to it."
"..."24-D just sighed deeply. It seemed only he was at all curious about whatever happened. Many of the others fidgeted awkwardly , and 89-A slid over another mug to 24-D and said instantly. "Drink more. We can have all we like." She had a deep low voice.
"...." He had more questions about it but.. They seemed eager to avoid it.
"Don't mull on things past." He sipped more of the cider thinking about that. He probably wouldn't get very far trying to work out his memories with these people.
"So..." 24-D gulped down more. ".......what do I call some of you. He .. she.. They? I mean.."
"A lot of us like 'they' 4-J is a he. 89- A is a she"
24-D blinked. "Well, I'm a he"
"Ah.. good to know" 24-D casually sipped more and chattering began as others chatted amongst each other. 24-D simply watched them interact. As they got more drinks, things got more steamy. Pairs and sometimes groups of three took to the floor or to beds and couches doing things like licking privates, kissing, and writhing in a tangle on the floor. 4-J was an eager participant in the activity, but seemed to avoid even glancing at 24-D himself.
24-D didn't dislike 4-J , he just didn't want him to listen in on him.
He looked around, unable to look away, and blushing. He bit his lip and forced himself to look away chastising himself for watching them when he didn't want to be watched. 11-Ef slid next to him. "You seem to be having a nice time"
"....I .. guess.. I just..." he stammered. "I dunno any of you. It feels.. Weird."
"Hm well. I can show you where to find tablets? And how to do the weaving?"
"Oh.. I wouldn't mind learning that. What books do you have.."
"Fiction mostly..." 11-Ef showed him to a room with a table with beads and looms, art and etching supplies, paintings on some walls, and book-lined shelves. It seemed like the room was filled with hobby activities and games to busy them. There was a chart translating Earth languages to alien. Most of the books seemed to be in alien languages. "If you want someone can teach you to read alien"
"I'd like that" 24-D said looking at all the activities and thinking how to busy himself in the cellar.