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Sera was breathing hard as she carried the last box up the flight of stairs. Her new apartment was only on the first floor but that felt like a lot more after going up and down it what felt like a million times, carrying heavy boxes. It wasn't that hot but the physical exertion had the dragoness panting, and her outfit showed it. The black dragoness was wearing bike shorts and an old t-shirt, without a bra, the best that she could do to try and keep cool. She was slender and on the small side; 'strong' wasn't really a word associated with the dragoness very often at all. Luckily, she wasn't doing it alone.

'This is way too much physical exertion,' Astra grumbled, collapsed onto the couch in the living room. The last box that she'd been carrying was put on the floor beside her.

'Tell me about it,' Sera moaned, collapsing next to her sister after adding her box to another stack of identical ones. The two dragonesses were twins, and identical ones at that. They were both heterochromic too; their left eyes were bright gold, their rights a vivid purple, both slightly luminescent. 'You're the one that wanted to move into a place on the first floor!'

'And you're the one that wanted to move away from home for university!' Astra retorted, though they both knew that wasn't quite true. It had been a joint decision, as practically all of their decisions were. The twins had been inseparable since they were young and nothing about that had changed. There hadn't even really been a question on whether they would move away for uni.

Dragons were extremely magical creatures naturally, even if it wasn't a talent they pursued or developed. Perhaps because of that, combined with them being twins, had led to an unusual, though not unheard of, effect: Astra and Sera had formed a telepathic and empathic link from the moment they'd hatched, even before then, sharing thoughts and feelings without needing to speak a word. That had been of significant interest to a few doctors and professionals since they'd been young, though it had ended badly, and neither of them were comfortable around medical professionals.

'I'm never moving again,' Sera groaned, twisting her head to look at all of the boxes now stacked in the living room. The apartment was nothing special, just what they could afford on two student allowances, but it was the first time they'd been able to live alone, without their mother. Still, it was a decent size, with two bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a living room that also functioned as a dining room. There was a bathroom between the bedrooms, and enough space left over for a washing machine. All in all, it was a nice self-contained apartment, one that the nesses counted themselves lucky to have found.

Well I kinda want all of our stuff, Astra thought, also looking at all of the boxes containing the sisters' possessions.

'I know, I know,' Sera grumbled. We should at least get the bedding out... And the food things I guess.

What box are those in? Astra's eyes roved over the several dozen boxes that were stacked haphazardly on the floor. 'Would have been a good idea to label them,' the black dragoness remarked, before heaving herself up with a groan. Seracen grumbled something unintelligible but got up with an identical sound to help.

They might not have been labelled but it wasn't too hard to figure out which boxes held all of the sheets and stuff, and where the cutlery and plates were. Thus, they started unpacking right after lugging it all up the stairs, though only as much as they needed. Sera took the sheets and went into one of the bedrooms while Astra busied herself preparing a little food. It was nothing special, just some scrambled eggs on toast but at least it was easy to make and was done in a few minutes.

Both of the dragoness's arms were feeling heavy, Sera struggling to lift the mattress on her own. Both beds were queen sized, which was great, except when a ness with noodle arms was trying to make them. I'm not making two of these right now, I'm too tired, Sera thought to her sister.

I'll sleep in yours tonight then, Astra thought back, putting some eggs onto two plates. The response from Sera wasn't very coherent but Astra got the gist, taking both of the plates over to the couch as her sister came back.

'Thanks,' Sera murmured, yawning again as she took the plate. For a few minutes at least, the only sound was the television and forks clinking against plates, the black dragonesses watching whatever was on TV. They'd brought a media station with them, along with a hard drive full of shows, but both of those things were somewhere in the mass of boxes. Their minds were more focussed on their dinners anyway, though those were all too soon gone.

Sera volunteered to take the plates to the sink, though she had no intention of doing the washing up tonight. It can wait until the morning, she thought sleepily, setting them down with another series of clinks.

'Are you skimping on me for real right now?' Astra grumbled from the couch. 'I cooked; you clean up.'

'Tomorrow,' Seracen groaned. 'It's just eggs, it can wait until the morning! I'll do it I swear.'

'Heard that before,' Astra huffed. 'Do it now, while I have a shower. No way am I getting into bed this gross.' She closed the door of the bathroom before Sera could respond.

Just a short one! Sera huffed, sending the thought to her sister. I still need to have one too and I wanna go to bed.

The dishes didn't take that long to clean, though Sera's arms definitely felt like lead doing them. She hummed to herself, Astra echoing the same tune in the shower although the rushing water drowned it out somewhat. True to her word, Astra turned it off after less than five minutes, though that was still long enough that Sera pushed into the bathroom before Astra had even gotten dry, causing a cloud of steam to billow out. There wasn't any expectation of privacy between the two of them, especially since they basically shared every thought and experience, Astra standing there naked with the towel thrown over her shoulder.

'Really?' she grumbled, moving out of the way so that Sera could strip off as well. You could have waited a few more minutes!

I don't like being dirty and gross anymore than you do, Sera retorted, stepping into the shower and turning the water back on immediately. More clouds of steam filled the air. Ooh nice and warm already, thanks!

'You're welcome!' Astra said as she dried herself off, mostly, and walked out of the bathroom. Astra began yawning as well, the behaviour contagious. The ness had her eye on one of the boxes and she let out a small 'yesss' as she opened it to reveal a jumbled mess of clothing, mostly bras and underwear. Astra selected a couple of the comfiest pairs of underwear; unless it was really cold, neither her nor Sera were much for pyjamas so this was all they usually wore to bed anyway.

'You know, this was supposed to be the first night that we had separate bedrooms,' Sera said, poking her head out of the bathroom as she turned off the water in the shower. 'Guess that'll have to wait until tomorrow.'

'There'll be plenty of time for that, if we want to do it,' Astra said, tossing one pair of underwear to Sera while sliding the other pair over her own hips with a little wiggle.

'"Plenty of time",' Sera said. 'I think that requires the intent to do it. If you stopped crawling into my bed so you can fall asleep with cuddles, we'd probably achieve it.'

Astra flushed hard, indignant outrage giving her cheeks a dull red tint. You want me to! You ask me to most of the time! Don't pin all that on me. Besides, it's not like Mum discouraged us...

'Pretty sure that was the opposite of "discouragement",' Sera grumbled, slipping into her own underwear with a motion that mirrored her sister's. 'I wanna face-plant though.' With that the black dragoness turned and went into the bedroom, doing just as she said and falling face-first into the bed.

Letting out a little giggle, Astra followed, slipping into the bed just a little more gracefully than Sera had. Squirming, Sera moved herself under the covers. It was a fairly cool evening, but both nesses enjoyed the weight of the blankets, something they practically required to sleep well. Sera made an unintelligible mumble of a sound, wriggling until she was properly placed on the bed and pillows, shrugging the covers over herself and her sister.

When their minds were this tightly meshed together, it was exceptionally difficult for one of them to stay conscious when the other wasn't. One mind pulled at the other until they both sunk into dreams, and that was happening now. 'Night, sis,' Sera purred sleepily, giving Astra a small kiss on the cheek as she hugged in close.

Astra was going to respond in kind but yawned instead. By the time that the ness's jaws closed, it was too late, both dragonesses slipping off to sleep.

---

Sera and Astra allocated the next few days to unpacking and getting their apartment set up, which was just as well because there was a lot to do. Between them, they'd brought a lot of things: books, electronics, and mage stuff. Sera was the one that was going to be studying magic; Astra was going to study computers at university. It wasn't so much that they had wildly different interests, quite the opposite. Sera might have gravitated slightly more towards arcane studies than Astra but only infinitesimally. The same was true in reverse. Rather, with their shared mind, the sisters knew how to prioritise. Since they were both interested in the same things, they could split the degree and effectively learn both fields at the same time. It was a technique that they'd used a lot in the past, mostly by reading books simultaneously. Two pairs of eyes were a lot faster than one after all.

'There are so many books,' Sera grumbled, stacking another few volumes onto the shelves. It was the third such bookshelf in the living room and it was nearly full. The other two were completely full.

'It'd be easier if you didn't try and catalogue them,' Astra chimed in, poking her head out of her bedroom. 'Just throw them on there!'

Sera stopped what she was doing, turning to glare at her sister. The disdain she felt at that suggestion was clearly communicated just by that, if not over their link. 'Like you would be able to leave them alone. You're worse than I am with this.'

'Was just a joke,' Astra huffed, ducking back into her room. She was busy assembling her computer setup, having taken it apart somewhat to transport. Sera's was still waiting but Astra wanted her own back. Being without it even for a few days had been irritating, not least from being disconnected from the internet. On that front though, the apartment came with an ultra-fast connection, unlimited data too. No more waiting for Netflix to buffer, she thought idly, before feeling a rush of satisfaction as the screen flickered on, the system booting up just fine.

'Yay,' Seracen murmured, concentrating hard enough on the books that her mouth was on autopilot. The black dragoness got the last armful of books on the shelf in the right order, standing back to survey her work. I really hope that we can keep it in order this time... As long as Astra doesn't just put things back randomly again.

There was a responding flush of indignation from her sister, Astra getting ready to respond but before she could, Sera was distracted by a rapping on the door. 'Eep!' she yelped, jumping.

Go on, answer it, Astra communicated. You're closer!

I don't like talking to strangers, Sera thought, nevertheless heading for the door.

And I do? We have the same social anxiety, just do it; I'll get the next one.

The rapping sound happened again as Sera hung back from the door, pushing herself to reach for the knob. Expecting perhaps a salesman or someone from building maintenance, it was a surprise to see a vixen standing on the doorstep. She was young, about the same age as Astra and Sera, and smiling warmly. 'Hi!' the vixen said brightly, giving Sera a little wave. 'I'm Amy; I live one floor up! Saw you moving in and I didn't wanna ambush you while you were still getting settled, so I thought I'd wait a few days. Really wanted to meet some other students.'

The building they were in wasn't explicitly or exclusively for students but they were close to the buses that went straight to the university so it wasn't that remarkable for another student to live here. 'Oh, yeah,' Sera mumbled, feeling a little caught off guard but smiling at Amy. 'I'm Sera, and Astra is here as well.' Get out here! she thought to Astra, who promptly poked her head back out of the bedroom and came to the door.

'Hi there,' Astra said, flushing a little. 'Um...heard my name. Didn't catch yours, sorry.' That was a lie, but the nature of exactly how close they were wasn't something they liked to share right off the bat with new people. It could be a little much for others and could change the way they were looked at and treated. If it happened, it was something that the sisters liked to be on their own terms.

'Oh, Amy,' the vixen said, waving again. Her eyes flicked from Sera to Astra and back again. 'I'd guess that you're sisters?'

'You'd be right,' Sera said, using her tail to try and pull Astra a little closer to the door instead of standing back. 'Twins, actually. Identical twins from one egg.'

Grudgingly coming a little closer so that they were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, Astra nodded. 'Yup,' she said. 'That's us. Pretty much everyone has trouble telling us apart.'

'Ooh,' the vixen said, leaning forwards a little. 'That's really interesting. Dragons are pretty rare to begin with but twins must be really uncommon.' She paused and then gave a laugh. 'Oh, I'm sorry! I'm going to study genetics, this is my first year too. This stuff really interests me.'

That made Sera pull back a little bit, and some of it must have shown on the sisters' faces because Amy hastily added, 'Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to... Sorry.'

'It's okay,' Astra said. 'We had a lot of interested doctors and stuff when we were young, and it got really...old.'

'Mmm, I can see how it would,' the vixen said, holding up her hands. 'Won't bring it up again. Let me make it up to you though! I'm making tacos for dinner tonight and you're more than welcome to come and have some if you'd like. I make way too much for just me.'

'Oh...um...' Sera and Astra exchanged a stream of quick thoughts before Astra gave a nod. 'Sure, we'd love to,' she said, giving Amy a smile.

'Great!' the vixen said, clapping her hands together, as if in celebration. 'Does six work for you?'

Astra nodded again and the plans were set. Bidding the vixen farewell, the sisters closed the door. 'Well...that was nice,' Sera said. 'We've got a social thing! In the first week too.'

And someone approached us for it, that's nice, Astra responded. God knows we wouldn't be able to talk to anyone on our own. Maybe she can introduce us to some other people; Mum said we'd need to try to make friends here at uni.

Not sure if that's what she meant but it is pretty nice, Sera admitted, going back over to the books. I don't really want her studying us though, at least until we know her better.

Agreed, I don't want a repeat of when we were young. The doctors really had left a rather traumatic impression on them, especially the ones that had tried to convince them to separate themselves, either for a short time or much longer. Both of them had been extremely reluctant to do that, not least because of the awful silence and feeling of being alone in their heads. Since there were almost no documented cases of such a link happening naturally, the medical professionals involved hadn't been sure of the effects if they remained connected. Their mother, wanting what was best for them, had grudgingly allowed some study to make sure it wasn't detrimental, but some of the doctors had gone further. The tests towards the end had revolved around them trying to sever that link, or at least convince the sisters to dial it back.

It had culminated in one 'experiment' when they were six or seven where the doctor involved had coaxed them into separate rooms and then activated a rune array that forcibly severed the psychic connection between them. It had not gone well. Not expecting the presence of her sister to suddenly disappear, the effect was severe. Both youngling dragonesses had screamed in pain and collapsed on the spot, falling unconscious. It was as if they'd been knocked unconscious via a steel bar to the head. Both Astra and Sera had woken up curled in the foetal position next to each other, with the doctor apologising profusely to their enraged mother. That was the last experiment she allowed, or indeed the last contact she'd allowed with those professionals. The sisters were relieved not to have to deal with the doctors ever again but that last experience had been very traumatic, giving them nightmares for years. They still had them every now and then.

If pressed, Astra and Sera could reduce the amount their minds meshed together, or even disconnect them entirely. When done intentionally, it didn't have the same debilitating shock effect that it could, although they hated doing it. When Astra had needed to get her appendix out and gone under the anaesthesia, Sera had chosen to stay meshed, and they'd both been under the effects for the entire operation. Which had to be done again anyway, when Seracen spontaneously and inexplicably turned out to also need her appendix removed. What happened to one twin's body was mirror in the other's, down to their illnesses and injuries.

Sudden injuries had the same effect. It had happened once when Sera had taken a tumble down some stairs and gone out like a light. Since they were still connected, Astra had dropped too, falling unconscious at the same moment, much to their mother's considerable panic. When they both woke up a few minutes later, both sisters had the same headache and lump on their heads.

'She doesn't need to know anything about all that,' Astra said, heading back into the bedroom to continue working. 'This is a chance for us to see what it's like when people don't know that

'Really hope she doesn't read up on dragon twins,' Sera grumbled. 'There's a good chance she might literally read something about us specifically...'

---

'We love game nights!' Astra said, just a few days after the sisters' first meeting with Amy. 'Come on, a neighbour has invited us to something.'

'I know, I know,' Sera said. 'I'm just saying, not too late. I want to go.' The heterochromic dragoness was over near one of the bookcases, where she'd placed all of the games that they'd brought from home. Board game nights had been a fun family tradition with their mother, and what they'd brought was only a selection. Still, they had some fun ones. 'Think Amy has "Settlers of Catan",' she wondered aloud, pulling that game off of the shelf.

'Can't hurt to take it,' Astra said, mentally running through a list of their favourite games. Sera nodded absently, eyes unfocusing as she moved down the mental list with Astra.

Didn't bring that one with us, Sera thought, as her hands pulled a few more games off of the shelves. Think this one will be fun with three people?

'Maybe another time,' said Astra, heading back over to the kitchen counter. 'It's a bit long. I know we like the long games but it might be a bit much.' Astra was utilising what little cooking skills the twins had to make some dip and nibbles for the night. Their mother had always said that it was polite to make food for guests and bring some as a guest. The sisters weren't the best cooks but they knew enough to make tasty snacks.

'This is all ready,' she said, carefully arranging everything on a platter. 'You got the games?'

Sera was equally carefully arranging the games into a stack she could carry. 'Yeah, I've got them,' the black dragoness said, using her chin as a third point of contact so the stack stayed steady. This might be too many games...

We'll have lots of choice, Astra replied, balancing the platter against her hip as she opened the front door to their apartment, shooing Sera out. Just remember, we need to be...coy? Careful?

Yeah, it can't be like with Mum. With their mother, game nights had always turned into two-against-one, with the sisters teaming up. Games such as poker or anything relying on secrecy was rather difficult when they knew everything that the other did. The twins were also intensely adverse to competing against one another, even in a game. They refused to 'fight' against each other; that was another thing that tended to cause immediate distress. That kind of mental friction had been another part of the 'experimentation' they'd endured when young, and their mother hadn't required them to do it ever again. That was more than fine with Sera and Astra; the lack of mental harmony was only marginally less painful than full disconnection.

We need to at least act like we can't see the other's cards or whatever, Astra thought, nodding. And maybe not be totally cooperative with each other. And no Battleship. The disdain they both had for that particular game was palpable. As a joke, their mother had given them the game once, knowing full well how pointless it was when the twins were playing. Can see every fucking piece, Astra grumbled, stomping up the stairs towards Amy's apartment.

Astra had the freest hands so she knocked on the vixen's front door. It was barely a few seconds before Amy opened it, beaming. 'Oh hi!' she said, standing aside and holding open the door so that the dragonesses could file through. 'Ooh you brought food and games,' she said, still smiling widely. 'You're great guests, I'll need to have you over more often!'

There was a spot cleared on the table for all their platters and games, Sera setting down the latter with a thump. 'It's the least we can do,' she said, somewhat awkwardly. 'You've been really nice, inviting us over and making us feel welcome and all. We moved out so it was all a bit overwhelming; it's nice to have someone, um, nice here.' The dragoness trailed off, blushing a little.

'Aww you're too sweet,' Amy beamed. 'Both of you. It's no trouble, I moved here too and it's great to have some friends in the same building! Feel like it's a sitcom or something.' The vixen brought over a bowl of chips as well, putting it right next to Astra's platter. 'Got some soft drink and juice too if you'd like, else there's some cold water in the fridge.'

'Ooh sugar,' Astra said, immediately moving for the soft drink. She poured three glasses as Amy indicated that she wanted some too, not having to ask her sister of course.

'Right,' Amy said, clapping her hands together a couple of times as they all sat down at the table again. 'What game should we start with...? Ooh "Settlers of Catan"! I love that game, should we start with that?'

'Oh yeah, that's one of our favourites too,' Sera said, smiling, with Astra nodding along. The decision made, the three of them were quick to setup the board, which was a lot easier and simpler since they all knew how to play. 'Settlers of Catan' was a strategic game, based on building towns and roads and collecting resources. There wasn't any combat in the game, but players could--and were encouraged to--trade resources with one another. It was a competitive but also cooperative game, which was one of the reasons that the dragoness sisters liked it so much. The players weren't adversarial, just trying to achieve the goal first.

Remember, let's not be too over the top, Sera thought, Astra giving a mental Affirmative in return. Let's not telegraph that we're psychically linked on like the third time we meet this girl.

Definitely not, we really like her, thought Astra. New friends, fresh start, no baggage or anything. Plus, games!

'We do love board games,' Sera murmured, mostly under her breath, then looked up hurriedly. 'Oh uhhh, we both do. Played them all the time with our mum.'

'Oh cool!' Amy said, taking a sip of her drink. 'Yeah we had a game night regularly at my home. My siblings and I loved them. You two got any brothers or sisters? Besides each other I mean.'

Astra took a few seconds to make a move on the board, tossing a few of the resource counters into the pile, before answering. 'Nope, just the two of us. Twins, like we said, which is pretty rare. Usually dragons only have one child at a time, for decades even, so it was just the two of us and Mum growing up. How many siblings have you got?'

'I'm one of six,' Amy said, sounding exasperated. 'I'm the third oldest, so right in the middle. It was a very noisy house. Some of my siblings were absolutely insufferable, but it was a nice home. Missing them a bit now that I'm out, but the quiet is nice too.'

'Can imagine,' Sera murmured, taking her own turn. 'Well, not the "insufferable sibling" part; Astra and I have always been...inseparable.' She trailed off a bit, not wanting to go into it any further. The black dragoness was amassing quite a collection of resources already, after just a few turns. Even when they weren't trying, it was hard for her and Astra not to work together, subconsciously. Amy seemed not to mind though, engaging in more conversation with the sisters as the game became almost secondary.

'That's really sweet!' the vixen said, letting out a triumphant sound as she placed another town on the board, getting her closer to a victory. 'You two definitely seem close...though it helps that you're, like, identical. Especially since it's so hard to tell you apart. But that's good, I was pretty close with some of my sisters. Maybe not close enough to move out with them, but still close.

'So, you said you were studying magic, Sera? And...um...computer-something right, Astra?'

'Mhm', Astra said, making a few moves on the board that got her closer to winning herself, getting a port on the side that made Amy curse a bit; the vixen had been going for the same thing, but had been a fraction too late.. 'I'm doing computer science, Sera's doing arcane studies. We're both interested in both, I guess, but this is a good way to learn about two such different areas.'

'We'll be able to tell each other all about it,' Sera chimed in, a little faster than was perhaps natural. 'But yes, I want to learn sigilic systems first, and see where it goes from there.'

'Those are very different interests, technology and magic,' Amy said. 'Though I suppose that they have some similarities. Especially with the current push to try and merge them together.'

Astra nodded, smiling. 'We've always thought so. It's really just two different systems, but they both have rules and internal logic. Programming a computer and a sigil circle aren't that different conceptively. That's what Sera and I are interested in learning. Plus we'll be able to make a lot of cool stuff!'

'That does sound great!' Amy giggled, before turning aside to Sera for a moment. There was a brief aside as she convinced Sera to part with some of her excess resources, Sera handing them over with a little cajoling. 'I'd love to learn how people, or all animals down on the cellular level, really work. Plus I'd really like to be able to help people, research genetic illnesses and cures.'

'Ooh, definitely an important career,' Sera said. She herself turned to Astra and they forced themselves to speak verbally as they negotiated a trade of their own. It was just for show, since the sisters knew quite well what the deal would be as soon as the idea had flashed through their minds, but they needed to play it out for Amy's benefit anyway.

They kept on chatting as they played, talking about some of the orientation week events that they'd already been to, what upcoming ones they really should attend, that sort of thing. The game was done in about forty-five minutes of play, and it was a pretty close, with Sera and Amy coming right up to the finish line together. In the end, Amy just eeked out a victory, though the black dragonesses hadn't been trying their hardest, in case something made the vixen suspicious. In truth, their usual tactic for games like this, at least when they played separately, was to use their combined turns to make one of them the winner, funneling resources to whoever was more advantageous. It made it difficult to lose most cooperative games when playing like that, and it'd tired their mother out enough that she eventually decreed that the twins would play the same team, rather than two allied ones, for all such games. That had been fine with them, of course, but it would have looked weird to do it here.

Once the game was over, they took a break for some nibbles. Amy took a few minutes to exclaim through mouthfuls how good Astra's cooking was, and the nibbles that the nesses had brought were gone before long. They turned to munching on the chips, looking over the games and trying to decide what to play next. 'Hey,' Amy said suddenly, 'I just remembered, I've got a couple packs of cruisers in the fridge. Do the two of you drink at all? One of my old friends gave them to me as a moving-out present. It's way too much for me, so if you'd like... Don't feel any pressure though! I don't want to be "that girl" peer pressuring people into alcohol. Am I babbling? I feel like I'm babbling.'

'Oh no!' Astra said, smiling. 'Sera and I drink, or we're not against it. Haven't had much before but we wouldn't mind.'

'Definitely not,' Sera added, giggling a little at how flustered Amy seemed to be. 'Love to try some.'

Still blushing a little, Amy got up and took three glass bottles out of the fridge, handing two of them over to the dragonesses. 'Enjoy,' she said, the vixen hurriedly taking a sip. The drink was sweet, the alcohol giving it a little bit of a bite as well. They weren't the strongest drinks ever but they would give them all a nice buzz before too long.

The board games continued, with some shorter ones after Catan. They were still fun though, excited laughs and chatter filling Amy's apartment. As they each put away another couple of drinks from the vixen's fridge, the games suddenly drifted into the background, the conversation becoming the focus of their attention. Before long, they abandoned the games altogether, moving onto the couches facing the TV to keep on talking.

'Ever do much magic stuff before, Sera?' the vixen asked, taking another sip from her bottle.

'Um, some,' the dragoness said. She was sitting on the couch next to Astra. 'The reagents and tools are pretty expensive though, and it's really easy to get the runes wrong. But yeah, I've managed some, small things mostly. Kinda cheating a bit since I'm a dragoness, you can skip a lot of work if you draw on your own natural magic.'

'Oh yeah, I've heard that dragons are really magical,' Amy said, leaning forwards a little. 'I know good quality magic is really expensive though. Like medical stuff.'

'I know the biological stuff is really complicated,' Astra chimed in.

'It's really unforgiving, it's not something that you want to get wrong,' Sera said wisely, nodding. 'Still, when you get it right...can do some pretty amazing things.'

Taking another swig, Amy said, 'Definitely can! I'm saving up for a magical procedure... Want a proper sex change, surgical ones are actually way, way cheaper, if you can believe that.'

'Sounds about right,' Astra said. 'You're trans? I think there are some subsidies and things for that kind of thing.'

'Yup, I am,' the vixen said, giving a deep dramatic sigh. 'Sadly they're not enough to make it affordable. I'm happy enough with hormones and things in the meantime but it's a dream, y'know?'

'Well I could always practice on you while I study,' Sera said with a grin. 'You might get a couple extra limbs and lose all your fur, but we'll get there in the end. Probably.'

That made all three of them laugh. 'A vagina would be nice, but I like my fur too,' the vixen giggled. 'Lemme get back to you when you've at least finished the degree.'

'Done,' Sera said, taking another long swig from her cruiser. 'My rates will be higher then, just warning you!'

That made them all giggle into their drinks. 'I'll be sure to keep that in mind,' Amy said, handing out another round of cruisers to the twins.

It was quite a bit later into the night that Amy walked the black dragonesses down to their front door, the three of them well and truly tipsy. 'We'll need to do this again sometime,' Astra said, hiccuping slightly. Sera was too busy trying to keep all of their boardgames balanced on the pile as she held them, something that seemed far more difficult compared to when she'd done it sober a few hours earlier.

'Definitely!' Amy smiled, giving the twins a little wave. She had to wait the better part of twenty seconds for Astra to fit her key into the lock for the front door, the dragonesses bidding the vixen farewell for the night.

Now that she was safely inside, Sera put the games down on the table near the door, giving a relieved 'phew'. Well, that was fun, she thought to Astra, who had gone straight onto the couch, face down. Their thoughts weren't running that clearly and it felt kinda weird, their psychic link no less strong when they were drunk, but the way that their thoughts mixed and swirled together was slightly different

Definitely was, Astra thought back, yawning. It was nice to play games, and we didn't...wassit?

Sera, feeling a little lightheaded, moved over to the couch as well, giving Astra's tail a prod. When her sister didn't move it, she just sat on it instead, making Astra hiss muffledly into the cushions. Hey, you knew what was going to happen. And the link, we didn't tell her that. I think. Hopefully she doesn't catch on from all the...stuff.

Astra, moving grudgingly and yanking her tail out as she sat up, snorted. Oh yeah, because that's gonna be her first thought. 'Oh, these two sisters are acting kinda weird, maybe they're sharing minds!' How accurate do you think that is going to be?

'You might have a point there,' Sera muttered. Her thoughts seemed to be slowing down further and she leant in to her sister, snuggling against the dragoness with a yawn. I feel really cuddly at the moment...and sleepy.

'Fuck, and here I was hoping alcohol would make us feel slutty,' Astra said with an exaggerated sigh. 'Guess it is quite late.' She yawned as well, the action infectious. I'm not sleeping out here though, move to the bed.

Your bed or mine? Mine is nicer...

You know the deal: we alternate! Yours was last night, now it's mine. Astra gave Sera's side another prod to get her moving, then stood up herself. The dragoness had to steady herself a bit on the arm of the couch but she headed into her bedroom, stripping down to her underwear as she made her way through the apartment.

Ugh, now I have to move! Sera thought from the couch, her thoughts swirling with fake indignation. There's nothing here for me now, how could you do this to me? All the same, she got up and followed Astra, both of them yawning again as they clambered into bed. Was nice that Amy trusted us enough to come out tonight. Or felt comfortable enough, whatever, that thing.

Feel a little bit guilty, Astra admitted. Feel like we weren't exactly forthcoming either.

Yeah but that's different. I don't think she needs to know our relationship to that detail. Besides, maybe we can tell her eventually but we did only just meet and we don't have to spill all of our own secrets. We want to try not being the two freaky nesses in school this time around, so we need to go more than one week before telling someone, even if it is a friend.

Astra gave a short purr as she and her twin settled into the bed, cuddling up in the comforting, familiar way. That's true... We did only just get here. It's tiring having to hide it all the time too, so once we know that she won't tell everyone, we can let down our guard a bit around her.

The way that their minds worked meant that she knew Sera already agreed with every thought. It was rare that they couldn't form thoughts with 'we' instead of 'I'. Still, there was a vague sense of affirmation from Sera, but the black dragoness's thoughts were already getting slower and more indistinct. Astra's thoughts joined Sera's in their dreams as they drifted off to sleep.

---

'Ugh, I need a different degree,' Sera moaned, gently banging her forehead onto the kitchen table. It was covered in thick, heavy textbooks, alongside her laptop. They were only four weeks into the semester but her magical degree had already decided to dump a whole lot of work on her. It was very different to high-school, on top of learning how to live away from home.

Astra was in the same boat, on her PC in her bedroom, working on her own first assignment. 'You're telling me,' she muttered, relying more on the psychic link than the sound to convey her words. 'A full course-load really is full... At least it's Friday though.' She hit save on the file that she'd been working on before wandering out into the living room, taking the chair next to her sister.

'Well, we have tonight and stuff to relax, there's the weekend in front of us,' Astra said, stacking a couple of Seracen's textbooks so that there was room to put her elbows on the table.

'Another weekend full of work to catch up, most likely,' Sera said, sitting herself up straight and stretching with a yawn. 'But we should take a break... Want a movie night? I made sure to get some chocolate and popcorn and stuff when we got groceries earlier.'

Astra nodded tiredly. 'Sounds good to me, some snacks, movie. Can watch it in bed too, for maximum comfort and laziness.' Sera nodded and got up, moving to help Astra put the rest of the things away.

They didn't need to speak to decide where to go from there. There were some leftovers in the fridge so dinner was taken care of, Sera heating them up to serve them. The prospect of a nice evening with sweet snacks and a good movie was energising, giving both twins a little bit extra energy to get prepared. It was getting on into the evening when they finally got everything cleaned and settled into bed, though not so late that they were tired enough to sleep. 'I think that we can get a couple of films in, if we want,' Astra said. They were in her bedroom this time around, Astra sitting at her desk. All of the other lights were turned off so that the black dragoness was framed in the glow of the large monitor she'd angled towards the bed. In the small room, it performed the role of a television more than adequately.

Pulling up Netflix, Astra scrolled for a bit until she found a film that they both liked. Neither of them had much issue with watching a good movie multiple times and this one was a fun, action-packed one that never got old. Sera went to get the popcorn while Astra got the movie set up, both of them jumping into the bed and snuggling up close to one another. The familiar scenes and score were quite relaxing, both of the dragonesses grabbing handfuls of buttery popcorn every couple of minutes.

The season was still kinda cool but they didn't have to worry about it, cuddling up close on the bed. Both sisters were wearing comfortable shirts and just underwear down below, perfect bed clothing. The movie went by quickly, almost too quickly, the screen fading into credits before long. 'I really do like that one,' Sera sighed, before poking Astra in the side. 'Wanna watch one more?'

Astra gave a groan before hauling herself up. 'Sure, what kind of movie this time?' she said, sitting back down at the desk. 'Another action movie or...?'

'Um...' Sera hummed, lazily turning over on the bed and hugging a pillow in her sister's absence. 'How about something like...' She didn't finish the sentence with words, instead sending a stream of vague thoughts at Astra. Something kinda sweet and personal...maybe a little hot too.

Astra made a little 'hm' to herself as she scrolled. 'How about this one?' she said, leaning back so that Sera could see what was on the monitor. It was a romance film that they both liked but hadn't seen in a while, just long enough for all of the specifics to fade. 'Does that fit all of your requirements?'

Taking a few moments to respond, Sera splayed herself out on the bed before making an affirmative noise. Sounds good to me.

Nodding, Astra set the movie to play and then slipped back into the bed, snuggling up close to her sister. This movie was slower than the first one and a bit longer too, focussed on a love triangle between two women and a guy. It wasn't much of a thinker but it was managing to enthrall the two dragonesses, the sisters giggling at the funny bits and awing at the sad ones. There was even a few hot and heavy scenes of varying degrees! Those ones in particular struck a chord with them.

'Mmph... Wouldn't that be nice?' Sera said, motioning to the screen where one of the women was getting kissed and nibbled. 'Have someone come and do that?'

'Mmm you mean a guy come and do that?' Astra said, still snuggling in close. 'I guess both of us are still virgins if we're going off of that... Though not by some other measures, right?'

Sera had the presence of mind to blush. 'That...that doesn't count.'

'Yes well...' Astra said, getting even closer and giving a sly little smile. The sisters' attention was shifting from the movie towards each other more and more by the second. 'After all, like Mum said, that's only half sex...half masturbation too, right?'

'Right,' Sera murmured, twisting so that she was turned more towards her sister. 'After all, we do share literally everything. What's a little help here and there?' She nuzzled in close, giving Astra's throat a little nibble.

Astra's words where a little delayed as she let out a soft purr. 'Mmm kinda feel like this is the mood where we both need "help",' she purred gently, bringing both of her hands up close to her chest and to Sera's.

'Definitely feels like it,' Seracen murmured, rather breathlessly, breathing out against Astra's throat as the dragoness closed her eyes.

Angling her head up a little more, Astra bared her throat a little more, a soft whine mixing in with the light purring sounds that she was making. She closed her eyes too before pressing her hand against her sister's chest, just lightly. Sera wasn't wearing a bra, of course, so the only thing between her breasts and Astra's hand was the thin layer of cotton that made up her shirt. It was still only the barest of touches, though Astra made sure that one of her fingers brushed against the outline of a nipple. Sera shivered at once as her nipple stiffened, Astra making a little squirm as her own nipples got hard; what Sera felt was relayed right across their mental link.

She didn't stop there though, sliding her hand down Sera's front slowly, down her belly until the tips of the dragoness's fingers just reached the waistband of her sister's panties. They didn't pause for a moment before slipping beneath the fabric this time. From there it was only a couple of inches until she found what she was looking for, Sera's sex already damn and warm to the touch. Sera gasped the moment Astra touched her there, reflexively squeezing her thighs together with a small moan. Astra's hand was sandwiched between them, stuck in place, but she just left it there for the moment, shivering herself as Sera let out a few soft sounds, squeezing her thighs together tightly every few seconds.

It was having its own effect on Astra too. Her thighs were making the same clenching motions, though it wasn't as satisfying given there was no hand between her legs. Still, the sensations were making her own pussy just as damp as her sister's. After a minute, Sera relaxed her legs enough to allow Astra's fingers to move, even if only a little, Astra ever so slightly spreading Sera's folds with them. That just made Sera's thighs squeeze down again, the dragoness moving her hips in an attempt to grind against her sister's hand.

Sera gave herself a few minutes to enjoy that; after all, there was no reason to rush any of this. Still, she couldn't let it be completely one sided, even if they were sharing every feeling. Somewhat distractedly, she still nibbled at Astra's throat, letting her hot breath play out over the sensitive hide there. Not wanting her own hands to stay idle, she put on of them at Astra's hip before moving in the opposite direction, under her sister's shirt and trailing up her belly. Given the rather large bust size that they both shared, it didn't take long to find Astra's tits. Sera cupped one of them with her hand, Astra giving a soft moan in response. A moment later, she brushed the pad of her thumb against Astra's nipple, the black dragoness giving a shudder in response.

Feeling sensitive, Sera noted, smiling a little, only to give a shudder of her own as Astra moved the fingers currently in her slit.

So are you! Astra thought back. God it's been too long since we had some relief...

No kidding, Sera thought, only to give a much more verbal moan as Astra managed to graze her clit, just a little. Even so, it was enough to send a jolt of sensation up Sera's spine, tucking her legs up close and pressing against her sister's hand. She was suddenly much more aware of the warmth in her sex, and how Astra was feeling the exact same. She was squirming her hips around on the bed, not having anything to grind against, but still very much enjoying the sensations streaming to her from Sera.

The impatience through their shared minds was growing by the moment, enough so that Astra suddenly pulled her hand out of Sera's panties. Sera gave a whine immediately, Astra pulling away as she squirmed, pulling her shirt off and throwing it on the floor. The black dragoness's panties joined them a moment later, leaving Astra nude. Sera was only a moment behind her until they were both naked, the sisters immediately moving back to cuddling except this time with a lot more skin touching one another. Astra had no trouble slipping her hand back between Sera's thighs, just pressing against the folds and barely rubbing back and forth.

Now that Astra's chest was bared though, her sister had much better access to her tits. Sera ducked her head a little, curling her spine a little so that her tongue could lap against her sister's nipple, before taking the hard nib between her lips and suckling softly. Astra was the one to give a loud moan this time, arching her back and pushing her breast into her sister's muzzle. Her hand, the one that wasn't currently stuck between Seracen's thighs, moved to the back of Sera's head, gently pushing her a little more firmly against the dragoness's breast. Sera obliged the unspoken desire, suckling harder, running her long, slender tongue against the hard nub of Astra's nipple. After a minute, she switched to the other nipple, suckling that one instead.

Meanwhile, Sera was still very much enjoying her grinding against the hand between her legs, but they both knew that it was just foreplay, teasing, for as long as they could tolerate it. That time was rapidly disappearing though, as their need and arousal grew higher and higher. Sera was the first to break, jerking her head back from Astra's tits and giving a soft whine. There wasn't even a pause before she and Astra sunk into a deep kiss, the dragonesses' muzzle parting and then locking together as their tongues intertwined. Both sisters each let out a moan that was muffled by the kiss, letting it drag on and on, just relaxing and enjoying the other's presence.

When they did split apart, it was again because of the ache that was rapidly forming in both of their pussies, one that was demanding their immediate attention. What do you want to do? Sera thought, panting a little as she nuzzled against her sister's cheek.

What happens to one of us, happens to both, Astra responded, even the thoughts sounding breathless and tinged with her arousal. Keep it equal?

Sera gave a purr of assent, giving Astra one last nuzzle before twisting around so that she was on top of Astra who lay herself flat on the bed. Giving her one last peck on the end of her muzzle, Sera then spun herself around one hundred and eighty degrees so that her muzzle was right over Astra's sex and, not coincidentally, her own pussy was right over Astra's muzzle. It was a familiar position for the two nesses, one of their favourites in fact. Another soft purr vibrated Sera's throat as she smelled the familiar scent of her sister's arousal. Astra's pussy was already red and swollen, her folds exposing her clit with the hood pulled back off the little nub. Sera knew that beneath her own tail, Astra could see the same sight.

The scent enticing her in, Sera was the first to dip her muzzle down, pressing her nose against her sister's sex. There was a gasp and a shiver from Astra but that was nothing compared to the dragoness's reaction when Sera ran her tongue along the slick pussy. Astra gave a soft cry, her hips twitching up towards her sister's muzzle. Don't leave me all with all the work, Sera prodded with a huff, swaying her own hips from side to side in gentle movement.

Jolted into action, Astra moved her own muzzle up, mimicking the motions that Sera was making. It was all too easy for them to fall in step, making the same moves in unison, with their connection but that wasn't a bad thing. It was a good way to make the sensations build, bouncing from one to the other and then back again. Sera gave another lick, making sure to run her tongue over Astra's clit, the dragoness bucking every time that she did, before moving her tongue further down, closer to her entrance. Astra spread her legs a little more to give her sister more access.

Astra wasn't slacking on her own 'duties' either, a purr in her throat as she lapped at Sera's sex, the familiar taste of the dragoness's pussy filling her muzzle. She too was concentrating on her sister's clit, tongue running along the slick folds, taking advantage of her long tongue. She was the first one to run her hand up the back of Sera's thigh, up to her rump, before slipping a finger into her sister's sex. The dragoness immediately squeezed down on the digit, pushing back against it.

Sera responded in kind a moment later, pushing one of her own fingers into Astra before lapping at her clit again. She knew exactly what her sister liked, of course, and it was made even easier by the fact that she could feel every single thing her sister did. Sera added a second finger to Astra's tunnel, feeling the dragoness clench down hard as she was stretched further, before moaning herself as Astra mimicked the gesture.

Like Astra had said earlier, with the stress of moving out and the beginning of university, it felt like forever since they'd managed to catch some relief and both of the dragonesses were sensitive. Astra's tongue was circling her sister's clit, lapping over it directly every few seconds and feeling the corresponding squeeze on her fingers. Already they both were feeling the familiar pressure of a climax growing in their lower bellies, coming along quicker than usual, though considering the length of time that they'd been pent up, it wasn't all that surprising.

It was fun to finish like this sometimes, but it wasn't what the black dragonesses' favourite. So, very reluctantly, Astra pulled her muzzle away from Sera's sex. It was a couple of seconds before Sera caught on, her thoughts slowed and muddled with the hormones running through both of their heads. I'm close... Her indignation was overshadowed with a flood of eagerness and she spun herself back around. This time it was Astra's turn on top, she and her sister switching places. Their tits pressed together as Astra and Seracen sank into another deep kiss, their tails twisting and coiling behind them.

There was purpose to the movement this time though, besides arousal. The dragonesses' tails intertwined briefly before splitting back apart and curling back on themselves, the blunt tips moving towards a very specific destination. Sera's tail moved and found Astra's pussy while Astra's found Sera's. Both of their tails were much thicker than the fingers that had been inside them before, enough so that they were moving slowly. Still, an inch or two of each tail pushed inside the sisters, making them both moan into the kiss and push back with their hips. There wasn't much in the way of thoughts streaming between them, everything overridden with the intense need they were feeling.

In unison, they both pushed another inch of the tails into one another, grinding back against it. Once they were a little more used to the size of the tail-tips, Astra and Sera began thrusting them gently, still grinding their hips back with rolling, humping motions. With the tails filling them, that climax that they could both feel building was still doing so, just as quickly. The sisters sunk even deeper into the kiss, closing their eyes and moaning with practically every breath.

The thrusting of their tails got faster and slightly harder. Even without the clitoral stimulation, they were quickly getting closer to the climax they wanted, needed. Both of them were rocking their hips back into the thrusts, knowing that angling their mounds just so was enough to get them to touch, barely. Each and every sensation continued to rebound between them until it was impossible to tell what actually originated from them and them alone. Sera and Astra couldn't pull themselves out of the kiss either, tongues coiling and wrestling inside their maws.

All at once, the arousal and frustration that had been building all night suddenly burst out of them. The black dragonesses arched and each gave a short, sharp howl, finally breaking the kiss. Sera's and Astra's tails both thrust deep into them until they were spread almost achingly far. Sera shuddered, her pussy milking the Astra's tail as she felt her orgasm rush through her, the dragoness's body feeling weak and shaky. Astra was experiencing the same, not able to hold herself up on top of her sister anymore. For a brief moment, all of her weight rested on Sera before Astra let herself fall to the side, breasts heaving as she panted.

With both sisters cumming at the same time, the waves of pleasure rocked between them, wiping both nesses' minds blank. That had a tendency to make the orgasms last longer too, and it was almost a minute before it ended, the pleasure fading into an powerful afterglow that had them both purring deeply. Astra gave Sera another peck on the cheek, snuggling in close. Pointedly, neither sister removed their tails from the other's cunt, leaving them deeply embedded in their sister's soaked sex. The presence of the thick tail mixed with the afterglow, causing them to clench down every now and then, irregularly.

'Mmm,' Sera purred, hugging Astra in close. Over at the desk, the movie ended, the monitor turning off once it did. Now that their need had been dealt with, both Sera and Astra felt a wave of sleepiness, brought on by the afterglow. Astra reached down and pulled the covers up from the bottom of the bed, shivering as Sera's tail shifted beneath her own.

Sera's purrs deepened as the covers fell over them both, snuggling into her sister and feeling oh-so-warm beneath them. Her eyelids were already feeling heavy, Astra giving a yawn as she nestled her muzzle against her sisters. Definitely the best way to fall asleep, she thought with a purr, giving the end of her tail a little wiggle and feeling Sera shudder in response.

Definitely...but don't keep doing that all night or I'll never get to sleep...

The dragonesses only lasted a few more minutes before drifting off, their shared minds conjuring all sorts of lewd dreams as the feeling of being stuffed full of tail accompanied them into the night.