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[b][u][center]Smoothing Things Out

Part 4

For Harute11 and Libra-11

By Draconicon[/center][/u][/b]

Packing up a lifetime of belongings should have been harder than it was, at least in Blake’s opinion. He thought that they would have been at it for a good portion of a week, if not a full week. Instead, they were packed up and ready for the moving truck within two days. Forty-eight hours. Less, since they still had to sleep during that.

[i]Two days to get everything of our past lives put together...two days to get it all ready to go somewhere else.[/i]

It was beyond strange to stand in the middle of the empty apartment. The various appliances were staying, of course - that was part of the lease - but he could hardly believe that he was actually getting ready to go...well, basically across the country to go and live with someone else. Someone that he had only just met, for that matter, someone that had come to see him, learned about him…

About them…

That was the hardest part. Libra had learned about him, about Ptolemy, about Aries, about everyone in his head, and the rabbit hybrid was still interested in having him around. Usually, anyone that found out about the others - usually by accident - were quick to turn the other way and run off, ghosting him and giving him nothing in return. This was the first time that someone had been...had been kind about it…

And even wanted them to stick around.

He leaned back against the wall, and he felt his arms moving on their own. Aries, he imagined, the wolf-fox taking control of their limbs and using it to hug him. He accepted it, leaning into his own arms.

“Thanks,” he muttered, shaking his head at the pile of boxes. “Guess this is goodbye to the apartment.”

[i]And hello to a whole new life,[/i] Aries said, grinning like mad.

[b]A whole new potential life,[/b] Ptolemy corrected. [b]There are many things that may yet go wrong.[/b]

“Please don’t remind me of that,” Blake muttered, shaking his head. “I’m already shaking like a leaf here…”

And he was, too. His fingers were twitching, his hands were shaking, and it was only the fact that Aries was controlling his arms that he was keeping from losing his mind and shaking worse. He took a few deep breaths, putting down the little worries that were coming up.

To his credit, Ptolemy apologized. The rabbit shook his head in the back of their head.

[b]I apologize. I did not mean to add to the stress.[/b]

“Mmmph...I know.”

[b]But I will continue to consider the bad possibilities.[/b]

“Just...do it quietly.”

[b]That, I can do.[/b]

The rabbit went silent after that, and he leaned his head back against the wall. According to Libra, the moving truck would be here in an hour, and they would start loading everything up. After that, it would be a short taxi trip down to the train station, and from there, it would be a ride down to Chicago, and from there, to Libra’s place.

It was all simple, all figured out already, so he didn’t know why he was this stressed.

[i]Yes, you do.[/i]

Cancer. The red wolf guardian poked his head out of the blanket that had covered the back of their thoughts, shaking his head.

[i]You know this is going fast.[/i]

“I know, I know.”

[i]And that’s why you’re scared.[/i]

“I [i]know.[/i]”

[i]...It should be okay.[/i]

He would have been far more comfortable if the red wolf had just said that it would, but he knew that Cancer wasn’t the sort to lie like that. If the other headmate wasn’t completely sure about something, then he wouldn’t state it as a definitive. It was an annoying personality trait, but at this point, he knew that it wasn’t something that was going to change. Cancer was himself, and there no shifting that.

He would have liked it if Ryder had at least come out to have some happy. Considering that Aries was too busy hugging him - and them - there was no way for him to draw on the happiness and the eagerness of the wolf-fox. He just had to hold on until -

Ring ring.

Ring ring.

The phone was almost bouncing off the hook by the time that he reached it. The last thing that he had left behind, a landline. Not that he had a lot of choice in that; the whole apartment complex had to have one. He picked up.

“Hello?”

“[i]Hello again. I didn’t catch you in the middle of packing again, did I?[/i]”

“No, you didn’t. Didn’t you just call me five minutes ago, Libra?” he asked.

“[i]Perhaps. But I thought I’d call again.[/i]”

“Why?”

“[i]Because I’m here?[/i]”

“What?!”

Blake almost jumped out of his skin, wishing that his window overlooked the parking lot so that he could run over to it and check. He was halfway to doing that to try and see if he could before Cancer stopped that in its tracks. He shook his head, instead, leaning against the wall with one hand on his forehead.

“What are you doing out here?”

“[i]I thought that you might like some company on the train.[/i]”

“And...that’s all?”

“[i]...And I thought we might...you know, talk a bit more. Me and the others. More openly this time.[/i]”

That figured. That just figured. He groaned, rubbing one hand against his forehead as he tried to sort through the whole problem that presented. Any of the others coming forward was always a little disorienting. It was a bit like getting manhandled whenever he wasn’t in front, feeling like the body was doing what it wanted rather than what he wanted. Usually, he was able to deal with that by thinking about how the others must feel when he was front, but he was never able to deal with it for very long. It always felt wrong by the time that the others were done, and he was always happy to take front position once more.

“I...I don’t know what to say,” Blake said.

“[i]Then what do the others want to say?[/i]” Libra asked.

“...”

“[i]I’ll hold, if that helps.[/i]”

“Please.”

He let the phone hang from its cord, rubbing his forehead. It was a mess inside his head, and it took both him and Cancer to round everyone up to speak plainly.

Unsurprisingly, Ryder, Toy, and Aries were all more than willing to have this happen. They wanted to enjoy the company of someone that seemed to have their best interests at heart, and they were more than eager to get more time with him that they’d remember.

Cancer and Ptolemy, however, were a little less keen. They were still adjusting to the fact that their life was being uprooted as much as it was, and the idea of having someone else know about them - particularly someone that had apparently pulled them out through hypnosis and made them forget about it - was leaving them nervous. Suspicious, even. And now, he was here without any warning.

Truthfully, Blake was far more of the opinion of Cancer and Ptolemy now that they were at the point of actually going through with the plan. He had been a bit more on the side of the others at first, considering that he had been rather curious about spending time with someone that seemed to actually want him, but...well, now that the time was upon them, it was like he was looking into the unknown. If he went through with this, then he’d be in a place without any real way of getting home. He’d lose all the independence that he’d gained, and he didn’t know if he’d ever get all that much of it back.

[i]It is a job, though,[/i] Aries pointed out.

“...Yeah.”

[i]And he’s going to make sure that we get paid.[/i]

“...I know.”

[i]That’s independence, right?[/i]

It really depended on the contract that they were offered, but it was a fair point. He rubbed the back of his head, trying to think it through, but the more that he thought about it, the better of a deal it seemed to be. He shook his head a few times, sighing.

The phone continued to hang there, waiting for him to pick it up again. From the sound, Libra hadn’t hung up yet, either. The rabbit hybrid was clearly someone determined to get what he wanted, it seemed.

Taking a deep breath, he picked it up. He half-expected it to go to a dial tone and he wasn’t sure if he would have been sad or relieved if it had.

“Hello?”

“[i]I’m here.[/i]”

“I’d...like to take you up on the offer of company.”

“[i]Oh, wonderful. I’m really glad.[/i]”

“I mean, first time traveling solo this far...Well, kinda.”

“[i]I understand. You alright with me coming up?[/i]”

“Yes, please.”

“[i]Be right here. Looks like the moving van’s about to pull in, too.[/i]”

#

The act of packing everything up happened concurrently with Libra’s arrival. They were able to talk while they did it, and the whole act of reconnecting in person was a great way to sooth his nerves. Ptolemy’s and Cancer’s too, considering that they were all trying to be okay with this and be ready for a good, new life for each other.

Of course, Aries was always pushing for the chance to come out and say hi, to give the rabbit hybrid a hug, but Blake cut down on that for the moment. He wanted to get everything done first, and then they would move on.

They were just about packed up when Libra walked up behind him, patting him on the shoulder. They paused, and Blake allowed himself to be turned back to the apartment building.

“I don’t know if you liked this place, but do you want to say goodbye to it?” Libra asked.

“That’s an odd question.”

“I don’t think so. Different places have different feels to them. Kinda feels like, if this place meant something, then it means something now. No shame in that.”

“...”

“Just offering. I’ll be in the car.”

“Rental?”

“Yep. So don’t take too long.”

Blake laughed despite himself, shaking his head and looking up at the building again. It was true. He had been here for some time, and had a number of memories of the place. Mostly of the different walls, the empty places, the way that he had lived here in silence and emptiness for so long. It wasn’t necessarily bad memories, but they were crowded ones, things that made it feel like it was stifling, oppressive.

It wasn’t, but it had started feeling that way. He shook his head, waiting, allowing space for the others.

Only Cancer had something to say, and he was quick about it.

[i]This place is done. May the next be as safe.[/i]

They all agreed with that.

Shutting the back of the moving truck and confirming the end address with the driver, they watched their possessions be carted away with more sadness than they had leaving the apartment, and then made their way to Libra’s car. It was a long, black thing, and it shimmered, reflecting the light as they approached. It almost gave the appearance of latex as they looked at it, which was rather odd.

Pleasing, though.

They sat in the passenger seat, pulling their seatbelt on as Libra started the car. The rabbit hybrid glanced down at them, smiled, and shook his head. Blake chuckled.

“What?”

“Just...happy that you’re here.”

“Just that?”

“Just that,” Libra said. “I missed you.”

“...That’s nice of you to say.”

“True, too.”

He blushed, rubbing the back of his head. It was still weird to hear something like that, and weirder still to enjoy it. He put it out of his mind, however, focusing on some new topic. Something that would -

[b]Latex. Talk. About. Latex.[/b]

Considering that the rabbit hybrid was still hiding himself inside of a human-suit of ultimate latex, that was probably the best topic that they could work with. Thanking Ptolemy with a quiet thought, he turned back to his new friend and got into it.

#

“So, you’re saying that the color makes a difference with transmission?” Blake asked. “I mean, I guess it would have to, what with the chemical make-up and all, but it really does?”

“Pretty much. There’s some theories on the idea that different color patches create networks, almost like neurons in the brain,” Libra said. “It’s almost like having the different colors, and the right organization of them, allows for someone to transmit different movements, different positions, even different commands through the suits.”

“That sounds almost like remote control.”

“Theoretically, it could be.”

“...Wow.”

“Yeah. It’s awesome, and scary.”

“Almost more scary…”

“Heh...but only almost. Right?”

“Heh. Right.”

“Anyway, we’re here.”

He blinked, hardly believing that the long trip from his apartment to the train station was already over, but so it was. Libra was already pulling them into the parking lot of the car rental company just across the street, and the station was already packed, probably with a ton of people waiting for their train.

[i]Wow.[/i]

It had been surprisingly fascinating talking with the hybrid about the differences that could be found in latex and the construction of it, fascinating enough that the rest of his headmates had been all but silent during the conversation. He imagined that Ptolemy would deny that he had been that quiet later, but if that was the case, he would be able to counter that. Everyone had been keen to hear what would come up next, what kind of thing would be discussed, what ideas…

Well, what ideas that they could put together for their own gear.

After they returned the car, they walked across the street to the station. They were quiet on the platform, something that Blake and the others were thankful for after such a long conversation. Fascinating as it had been, they were sorting out how they felt about the conversation on the train, and what was likely to happen.

Most important, however, was a single question.

[i]Who goes first?[/i]

Cancer wanted to be the first, but was vetoed almost immediately. They knew that the red wolf wanted to run a full interview and interrogation of the rabbit hybrid, and that wasn’t what they wanted to do on the long trip. They wanted something lighter, something fun. That also, however, cut Aries out of the running, because they needed someone with his head on straight, and there was too much chance that Aries would be completely charmed.

They needed someone that could be nice, but also pay attention. Someone that could listen, but also speak.

And that meant that they were going with Ryder. The kangaroo was chuffed about it, to put it mildly; the tulpa didn’t get much time at the front, and certainly not nearly the amount of ‘screen time’ as the rest of them.

[i]Just don’t go overboard,[/i] Cancer warned.

[i]Oh, mate, I don’t plan to do anything but enjoy myself.[/i]

[i]That’s what I’m worried about.[/i]

[i]Look, boys, I’ll take care of things. And Blake’ll be right there to take over if he’s really gotta, okay?[/i]

That was all that they could ask for, though they all wished for something a little more robust than that. The train arrived, and they boarded, following Libra to a cabin that the rabbit hybrid had reserved for the two of them. One more sign of his generosity, and one more moment that they would remember when it came for a final accounting.

They were still sorting things out when the train began chugging away. Libra sat down, and Blake sat down beside him. To all others, they would look like two ordinary travelers, two humans. Nobody would guess that there was a rabbit hybrid under the suit that Libra wore, or that there were so many minds behind the human face that Blake had.

[i]Alright. Ready?[/i] Ryder asked.

[i]Yeah...yeah, I think so.[/i]

[i]And switch.[/i]

Blake pulled back into the rear of the head, and he felt the kangaroo hopping forward. There was a starting feeling, a jerking sensation as he was no longer in charge of the physical sensations, and he felt adrift, lost in his own mind for a few seconds.

The others helped him get situated while the tulpa turned their head towards Libra. He grinned.

“So, big guy. Whatcha wanna talk about?” ‘Blake’ asked, his voice turning painfully Australian.

“Heh...let’s talk about you. You like to talk about yourself, if I remember right.”

“Heh, I do, at least.”

“Then tell me about you...tell me all about you…” Libra smiled, and there was a strange warmth that went through all of them. “I want to know as much about you as I can, so I can make your lives that much better.”

Once more, it was the wording. Blake and Ptolemy, even Cancer, noticed it, but the rest were already relaxing.

For that matter, so were they.

#

The train trip across the country was filled with moments of awareness and moments of sleep. There were times when he was well aware of the fact that he wasn’t entirely awake, that he wasn’t seeing what was going on, and he knew that it was because that his eyes were closed. There were times when he was aware that he wasn’t getting the whole picture of what was happening with the other headmates, and that was because they were being private. Not something that they usually did, but not entirely unusual.

And then there were times when he was completely blacked out. It always happened when he was pulled forward, when he had a chance to talk to Libra, and when a few words were said. Always a few words, no more, but it was enough to put him into some sort of haze, something that made it easier, more comfortable for him to talk. It was never enough to be a full trance, but it was like being…

Well, kinda like being buzzed, the one time that they had indulged in that of late, testing to see whether the body’s reactions was something that they could filter out between them. The answer to that had been a no.

But this was something almost like that, just as strange, just as interesting, just as...just as engaging, and it left him feeling more than a little strange as a result. He wasn’t sure how he liked it, but it made him comfortable while they talked, and that was the important thing.

However, he didn’t come out of it, not completely, until well after the train reached its terminus, and they were in another car. He groaned as he sat up in the passenger seat, rubbing his head.

“Mmmph…”

“Welcome back, sleepyhead,” Libra said.

“How long were we out?”

“Individually, or collectively?”

“Um, collectively.”

“I’d say probably about two hours, all told. You [i]were[/i] tired.”

“Apparently,” Blake muttered, still rubbing his eyes. “Mmmph…”

A quick go-round with the other headmates confirmed that they were still able to remember everything that happened. There was no amnesia this time, just as Libra had promised; they had just spent time talking, enjoying or enduring one another’s company by turns, and Libra had been just as hands-off as they had hoped when they were alone with him. He let them talk, and that was all he did. Talk, and listen.

Of course, they had all talked about different things, and Blake remembered talking about more of the color-stuff that went with the latex work. Ptolemy had talked about the company and job that they were meant to get, which they were going to get into more later. Cancer had been pushy about exact expectations, where Libra had been a little bit more dodgy. It was all about seeing how things fit, how they worked together, and then they would come up with something.

It was a little bit bullshit in the red wolf’s view, but it was acceptable bullshit, for the moment. Provided that it was answered sooner than later, they could accept it.

Everything else had been light and airy, almost flirty, particularly with Aries and Ryder. The pair of them had kept popping forward, looking for more, and -

“Oh god…”

Blake covered his eyes, blushing hard as he realized that they had gone further than anyone else. Aries even had a memory of pulling Libra’s zipper down, and while the memory had a big censor bar over Libra’s dick, the fact that they had gone far enough to see it was enough of an embarrassment for him.

“I can’t believe...I’m so sorry.”

“No worries. It was consensual.”

“I mean - but in public…”

“Trust me. It’s not the worst thing that’s happened.”

He groaned, still hardly believing that they had done that. The very idea, the very idea that they had gone so far as - oh, and the angle. They had been on their knees. They had been on their knees, in a train car, staring up at a dick as if they were going to start giving a blowjob.

What.

The.

Fuck?!

[i]Okay, okay, in my defense...it’s a really nice dick,[/i] Aries said.

Everyone erupted with either groans or laughter at that, except for Blake, who was more embarrassed than anything else. He could not believe that they were starting this friendship off on this foot, and more, that they were…

That they were…

There was a distraction, putting it mildly, coming up out the window. They had been driving through open plains and scant forests for a while, but now...now their destination was in sight, and it was, to put it mildly, amazing.

Rather than a house or a mansion, it looked like a giant farm-house, or a barn, something that had been expanded on and grown upwards. It looked almost more like the wood that made it up was almost living, or at least, imitated something living. The dome at the top of the four-story structure glimmered, looking like an eye pointed towards the heavens, while the rest of the building was just…

Well, huge was the only word that came to mind, as inadequate as it was. Blake stared at it, and so did all the rest of his headmates through his eyes. Libra chuckled.

“Quite a place, isn’t it?”

“Mmm-hmm…”

“You okay?”

“You...you live here?”

“And work here. That’s part of the reason it’s so big. The basement’s where most of the stuff happens, but there’s some work that goes on at the top floor, too.”

“Wow…”

“Heh, you can say that again,” the hybrid said.

“Wow…”

#

Thankfully, getting settled in was a lot more mundane than getting there. There were five bedrooms, four bathrooms spread throughout the house, with one of them in the basement and one at the top, and the rest at the ground and second floor. Libra took them to one, helping them get settled in. It was a simple thing, considering that, somehow, the shipped boxes had gotten there before they had.

[i]What kind of rush delivery is this, and how can I get it?[/i] they wondered jokingly as they started putting their clothes away.

“Normally, I’d be cooking you a dinner to welcome you, but considering that we’ve been traveling all day, I think you’ll forgive me going for take-out instead,” Libra said from the doorway.

“I wouldn’t say no to that.”

“I didn’t think you would.” The rabbit hybrid had taken off his suit as soon as they had gotten back, and seemed more comfortable walking around in his own fur rather than a suit that hid his identity and species. “Anything that you’d prefer?”

“Pizza, curry, or sushi, in that order.”

“Pizza it is.”

“And, um, veggie pizza, if you don’t mind.”

[i]NOOOOOOOO![/i] Aries howled.

[i]I swear, if you do not give me meat, you will be sorry,[/i] Cancer growled.

[b]If it must be vegetarian, remember the proper proteins,[/b] Ptolemy added.

Libra was already gone, of course. The hybrid had a way of coming and going that baffled him, but he was, at least, consistent in those comings and goings. He was there, not there, and there again whenever it was right for him.

Once they had their clothes put away, Blake sat down on the bed, leaning back to stare up at the ceiling. The room was surprisingly plain for being part of such a high-tech house. He had half-expected to find some sort of robot assistant built into the walls or something, or some latex tube that was attached to the closet that just liquified his clothes and poured them over him, reconstructed tightly to his body.

[i]...Wonder if that’s even possible?[/i] he thought, and felt that taken up by the others in his head.

Shaking his head, he leaned back and closed his eyes. Despite being in and out of his own head for so long - or perhaps because of it - he was rather tired. He let himself just rest -

Only to freeze as he felt...something. Nothing obvious, but something, like that feeling of being watched, except that it seemed to come from all directions rather than just from one. He slowly sat up again, looking left and right, trying to find out where the hell it might be coming from, but there were no clues on the walls. Nothing from the floor or ceiling. He supposed that there might be hidden cameras somewhere in the room, but that didn’t feel right with what Libra had done so far.

But still, he couldn’t deny that there was a weird feeling of being followed, stared at from some other place.

Blake didn’t like it, and neither did anyone else. Yet, as soon as he rolled his legs off the bed to go complain, it was gone. It was as if the feeling had never been, and he froze in place, half on, half off the bed.

[i]...What’s going on?[/i]

[b]Hmm…[/b]

Ptolemy seemed to be considering it, and Blake left it with the logic machine. If anyone was going to figure it out, it was the rabbit. He forced himself to sit down again, taking a few deep breaths. He didn’t let himself start rocking back and forth, much as the nervous reaction made him want to, and instead focused entirely on just being calm, breathing deeply. The others were less disconcerted than him, more focused on it just being the feeling of being somewhere new, and somewhere so huge, besides.

Except Toy.

The other, silent part of their mind was not speaking, but there was a different feeling to the not-speaking than usual. It was almost like Toy was staring off into the distance, staring at one particular part of the room. Blake turned to face it, half-hoping that he’d see something, even if it happened to be something terrifying.

But…

There was nothing. He shook his head, slumping down and rubbing his hands through his hair.

“I’m losing it here…”

That had to be it. The others had to be right. This was just him being all kinds of over-worried and over-stressed. There was nothing there, and there was nobody watching him. The only thing that he had to worry about right now was whether Libra was ordering dinner from a good pizza place.

[i]Traitor. Veggies nooooo.[/i]

And deal with the complaints that some of the headmates had against vegetarian pizza. They were trying to be healthy, after all, and some onions and roasted broccoli would counteract some of the other stuff on the pizza.

That only started up a whole new set of complaints, but at least they were funny ones. Blake smiled despite himself, shaking his head at the way that they were so eager to throw out the idea of free pizza just for the sake of a few veggies.

Getting to his feet with the hopes of finding Libra and maybe snagging a second, smaller pizza with meat as a peace offering, he left the room. As he did, the feeling of being watched faded, and he all but forgot that he had felt it in the first place.

This was the start of a new life, a new day for all of them. It had already started good, and it was only going to get better.

[b][u][center]The End[/center][/u][/b]

Summary: Blake and company finish packing up and join Libra on a trip across the country.

Tags: No Sex, Hypnosis, Multiple Personalities, Human, Rabbit, Hybrid, Anthro, Latex, Suit, Series, Creepy,