{"sf1_id":2194401,"sf2_id":"rn9O9x0e","title":"What We Deserve","author":"ronyo","words":6054,"posted_at":"2024-10-28T18:52:18.000Z","tags":["Multihead","Octopus","Tentacles","Transformation","hydra"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/2194401-what-we-deserve","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/rn9O9x0e","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/62/06/6206b2c7-1b3d-416e-b5f2-aa6840d780a0","description":"Skye betrayed her boyfriend, and now she's seeing the consequences. But some don't think she's seen enough.  \n  \n---  \n  \nA retelling of the Greek tale of Scylla. I've been fascinated with this story for a long time, long enough that it might have been a major factor in me getting into transformation in the first place. For warnings, there's not-kind people in this story doing not-kind things.","content":"\"So I'm with Nicholas,\" Skye started. \"He's... _okay_. We've known each other since high school, and sometimes it felt like he never really got to know who I was _now_, y'know? And Michael's also in our friend group, but he's... _hot_. Like, he says he's a finance guy, but you can't tell me he's not modeling on the side, y'know?\n\n \n\n\"And Nick and Mike have this rivalry thing going, usually petty stuff like the Bills versus the Giants, but sometimes it gets a little heated since Mike's in finance and Nick's in construction. Nick never takes the bait 'cause he's like that.\n\n \n\n\"So one day Mike comes to me and is all 'Hey, girl, I know you want this D. If you can get me Nick's bid for this... development in midtown, we can totally be together.'\"\n\n \n\nSkye tapped the side of a coaster on the table. \"So I did it,\" she said with a sigh. \"Pretty sure I cost Nick that project, because suddenly another company underbid him.\n\n \n\n\"I'm sure Nick knew,\" Skye scoffed. \"I didn't exactly cover my tracks, but he wasn't going to accuse me of it. Didn't need to, actually, since Mike bragged about it last weekend. I had already packed my stuff, so I just went to Mike's instead of Nick's that night—or at least, that was what I _thought_ was going to happen.\n\n \n\n\"I knock on Mike's door, and he doesn't answer. I knock again, and I hear him turn more locks—like, he's locking me out _harder._ And he texts me and says he can't be with the kind of person that will leak secrets like that.\"\n\n \n\nSkye took a sip from her gin and tonic. \"So here I am,\" she spat. \"One burned bridge behind me, one burned bridge in front of me, staying at an Airbnb until I can figure out what's next.\" She set her drink down with a thud. \"Went for the happy ending and lost everything.\"\n\n \n\nGlenn nodded and set his own drink down. \"If Mike hadn't locked you out,\" he said, \"would you think it was worth it?\"\n\n \n\n\"Depends on how good Mike is in bed,\" Skye said with a cheeky grin before her face fell. \"No,\" she said quietly, \"no, I saw the look on Nick's face. He didn't deserve that.\"\n\n \n\nGlenn nodded with a ghost of a smile. \"Did you apologize to Nick?\"\n\n \n\nSkye shook her head. \"What good would it do?\"\n\n \n\nGlenn shrugged. \"Sometimes,\" he said, \"it helps just to know that the people that wronged us know that it was wrong.\"\n\n \n\nBefore the conversation could continue, a tall blonde woman came and leaned against the table next to Glenn. \"Hey, Glenn,\" she said with a vibrant smile, \"didn't know you were here already.\" She motioned toward Skye with her head. \"Who's this?\"\n\n \n\nGlenn blinked slowly before motioning with his hand. \"Skye, meet Cecily; Cecily, this is Skye.\" He thought for a moment before adding, \"She needed someone to talk to, and I was willing to listen.\"\n\n \n\nSkye started to get up. \"I should probably—\"\n\n \n\n\"No, stay,\" Glenn said quickly with a forced smile. \"Cecily was just letting me know that I have some friends here—\" He turned to Cecily. \"And I'll go say 'hi' to them in a minute.\"\n\n \n\nCecily's smile strained, just a little bit. \"Okay,\" she said, and turned to walk away.\n\n \n\nSkye just looked from Glenn, who sighed and shook his head, to Cecily, who turned back to Skye with a poisonous glare.\n\n \n\nSkye flinched and looked down at her drink. \"That your girlfriend?\" she muttered.\n\n \n\n\"No,\" Glenn said firmly.\n\n \n\nSkye smirked and looked back at Glenn. \"Why not? She's pretty hot.\"\n\n \n\nGlenn gave a wry grin. \"Did she give you a _look_ behind my back?\"\n\n \n\nSkye nodded slightly.\n\n \n\nGlenn closed his eyes. \"That's why.\"\n\n \n\nSkye winced and nodded.\n\n \n\nThey sat in an easy silence for a moment before Skye broke it.\n\n \n\n\"What if I apologize and it makes things worse?\" she said quietly.\n\n \n\nGlenn thought for a moment. \"Do you want to apologize?\"\n\n \n\n\"Yeah,\" Skye said. \"He didn't deserve what I did to him.\"\n\n \n\n\"Then just tell him that,\" Glenn said. \"No expectations, no demands. You're not asking him to forgive you.\"\n\n \n\n\"He shouldn't forgive me.\"\n\n \n\n\"Eh,\" Glenn said, \"Forgiveness isn't necessarily reconciliation. At least, not how I understand it.\"\n\n \n\n\"But like,\" Skye shook her head. \"What if he doesn't even want to see me?\"\n\n \n\nGlenn opened his mouth, said nothing, and closed it. \"That's a good point,\" he said. \"Probably just text, email...\" He shrugged. \"Send him a letter. The point is he can read it when he's ready.\n\n \n\n\"What I want to know is,\" he continued, \"what are _you_ going to do next?\"\n\n \n\nSkye shrugged. \"I've got this Airbnb for another week, and then...\" She looked down at the table. \"Probably going to move out of town.\"\n\n \n\nGlenn furrowed his brow. \"What about your job?\"\n\n \n\n\"It's remote,\" Skye said. \"I just like it in the big city. Or, I _did_...\" She laughed to herself. \"Not saying I'm going to go full 'Hallmark Movie' and move to some small town somewhere so some handsome lumberjack can sweep me off my feet.\" She took a drink. \"But I've got some old college friends up on the coast of Maine; probably give them a call.\"\n\n \n\nGlenn nodded. \"Give yourself a reset?\"\n\n \n\nSkye sighed and smiled, and it actually reached her eyes. \"I hope so,\" she said.\n\n \n* * *\n\nSkye was a block away from the bar when she heard someone running up behind her. She turned around to see Cecily jogging up, her blonde hair unfurled behind her as she ran.\n\n \n\n\"Hey,\" she said, not out of breath in the slightest, \"I think we got off on the wrong foot.\"\n\n \n\nSkye smiled uneasily. \"Maybe,\" she demurred.\n\n \n\nCecily just smiled and handed Skye a small bottle. \"Glenn said you were having a hard time; this is the stuff I use to relax.\"\n\n \n\nSkye took the bottle and looked over it. \"'Wild Ocean Foam Bath'?\"\n\n \n\n\"It's like a bath bomb that won't clog your drain,\" Cecily said. \"Just... give it a shot. I always feel _so_ much better after I use it.\"\n\n \n\nSkye smiled widely. \"Thanks, Cecily,\" she said. \"I...\" She trailed off and just kept smiling. \"Thanks.\"\n\n \n\nCecily smiled and started walking away. \"Just wanted to help take care of you!\"\n\n \n* * *\n\nSkye unceremoniously dropped her purse on the couch and took another look at the bottle. A handwritten note was attached to the neck with a pale blue ribbon:\n\n \n\n\u003e Stay positive! —Cecily\n\n \n\n\"Honestly,\" she muttered to herself, \"a bath sounds good right about now.\"\n\n \n\nIt helped that the Airbnb had a claw-foot tub. Skye double-checked the instructions and poured the contents in as the water started filling the tub. She left to change out of her clothes, and by the time she came back the bubbles were reaching the lip of the tub. With a smile, she turned off the water, stripped out of her underwear, and gingerly stepped in.\n\n \n\nIt was as she was almost done lowering herself—one hand on each side of the tub—that she slipped. At least, that was what it felt like.\n\n \n\nThankfully her instincts had her grip harder. She felt her butt against the inclined back of the tub, but it wasn't supporting any weight. She was about to chalk it up to the bubble bath making things slippery when the burning started.\n\n \n\n\"The hell?\" she breathed as she doubled the tension in her arms to keep more of her out of the water. She felt the water just above her hips and below her naval, and everything under the water was starting to burn. Not quite painfully, but on the level of a really bad rash.\n\n \n\nSkye tried to climb back out of the tub, but her legs weren't responding. She felt... strange sensations coming from them, with attempts to move them causing them to bend in impossible ways.\n\n \n\nShe felt her arms ache. She refused to let any more of her touch the water.\n\n \n\nThe bath bubbles still completely obscured the water. She tried to move her legs back and forth, or even brush them against each other, but she still couldn't understand the sensations, and it just made the water more turbulent. Finally, in frustration, she tried to lift a leg out of the water. She felt it move, felt it breach the surface—\n\n \n\nAnd a slimy, dark-purple tentacle rose out of the bubbles.\n\n \n\nSkye screamed and tried to back away, and the tentacle fell back beneath the surface.\n\n \n\nShe _felt_ it fall back beneath the surface.\n\n \n\n\"The fuck?\" she yelled. In a mix of panic and morbid curiosity, she tried it again, this time with both legs.\n\n \n\nThree tentacles rose from the water, and she could feel more beneath the surface.\n\n \n\n\"Okay,\" she breathed, \"so I'm an octopus-mermaid now?\" She shook her head and fought the burning ache in her arms. \"I have got to get out.\"\n\n \n\nWith a better idea of her lower anatomy, she tried to get enough grip to push herself out of the tub, but nothing worked. She could attach to the bottom and sides of the tub, but her tentacles were made for pulling, not pushing.\n\n \n\n\"Well, fuck you too!\" she snarled. \"Plan F, then!\"\n\n \n\nShe reached and felt as far to the other side as she could, blindly groping for the drain stopper. She felt the burning beneath the water intensify, but she chalked that up to her exertion—\n\n \n\nUntil the burning went past pain and into agony, focused around her hips. Like something was incinerating the inside of her body and forcing its way out. Skye closed her eyes, grit her teeth, and screamed, doing everything she could to just keep the rest of her above the water.\n\n \n\nThe pain shot up her spine, making her arms finally give out and sending her completely under the water. Tainted water shot up her nose and leaked into her mouth around her scream. In panic she wrenched her torso upright and lunged for the drain, finally pulling the plug out.\n\n \n\n\"Mother... fucking... fuckers,\" she coughed, her voice hoarse. The pain was still there, but she could feel the water draining. Still fumbling blindly, she managed to turn the shower on in the hopes of rinsing off whatever would be left of the bubble bath.\n\n \n\nWhatever was inside of her was coming out. She gingerly worked herself back into position at the far end of the tub so she could lean against the back. She flung her arms out over the sides, no longer worried about being submerged; the worst had already happened.\n\n \n\nThe white-hot pain seared against her hips and threatened to split her head open. She tried to scream, but there was still enough water in her sinuses that she could only squeeze her eyes shut and cough fruitlessly instead.\n\n \n\nUntil finally, with one final snap of tension and pain, she felt something emerge. It came out in a rush; she felt the new limbs as they snaked out of her, along the sides of the tub and out into the bathroom where they curled around the toilet, the vanity, against the walls and door. One found its way across the top of the towel rack.\n\n \n\nAnd with that, the burning stopped, and Skye felt her body settle into place.\n\n \n\nFor several minutes, she didn't do anything but let the shower continue to rinse her off. She leaned forward slightly to get her hair and face. She made a few token efforts at figuring out what the new limbs were, but they made even less sense than the tentacles.\n\n \n\nWith a sigh, she opened her eyes.\n\n \n\nAnd saw everything.\n\n \n\nAt first she wasn't sure what to make of it. She saw over her chest to the rest of the tub and the new scaled appendages extending from her hips like a horrific skirt.\n\n \n\nShe also saw herself from above. And the side. And a slightly different side. And from the towel rack and the door.\n\n \n\nAnd she saw the back of the toilet from below.\n\n \n\nShe looked scared. Pitiful. Part of her didn't identify with that black-haired figure staring into space.\n\n \n\nShe flicked her right hand and saw it move. It was on the opposite side she was used to. A blink, and she realized it was because she wasn't looking in the mirror.\n\n \n\nWith a sigh, she looked up.\n\n \n\nHanging limply over the shower curtain rod was a... neck? It was covered in green iridescent scales like a fish and ended with a head somewhere between an eel and a dog: it had a black nose (or at least black scales on its muzzle) and no ears, though there were a pair of frills that pointed back.\n\n \n\nAnd she made eye contact with it. With herself.\n\n \n\nShe blinked. And everything blinked.\n\n \n\nShe stared back at the head and started shifting her new appendages. On the third try she saw the head's neck shift.\n\n \n\nShe blinked again, and this time consciously kept it to her original head.\n\n \n\nAnd she watched herself blink from five different angles.\n\n \n\n\"Holy fuck,\" she muttered. She shifted herself and noted that her tentacles—_her_ tentacles?!—were feeling dry. In a daze, she turned off the shower and started filling the tub again.\n\n \n\nThe water was clear, thankfully, and she tried to ignore just how _good_ it felt as it rose.\n\n \n\nA couple of the other necks started to cramp. She looked through one of them and, with no grace at all, managed to get it to open the door. With a stretch that felt better than it had any right to, she got three of her heads out into the bedroom, one looking out the window into the night.\n\n \n\nThe head above her was starting to cramp as well, and she brought it down and hugged it to her chest.\n\n \n\nShe reached up with a tentacle and fumbled enough to turn the water off.\n\n \n\nThe head under the toilet caught a glimpse of the bottle, though the note didn't look quite right. Skye shifted each neck until she found the right nerves and moved the head closer. The note was at the wrong angle to read, and it looked like the ink was starting to run. After two more attempts at looking, Skye finally just grabbed the bottle in her mouth and brought it back to the human part of her body.\n\n \n\nThe label hadn't changed, but the note was definitely different:\n\n \n\n\u003e Stay away from Glenn! —Cecily\n\n \n\nSkye angrily flung the bottle away from her; it clattered somewhere in the corner of the bathroom. \"Fucking bitch,\" she snarled, her voice cracking.\n\n \n\nThe head she had been holding had pulled away slightly, and she took the opportunity to really look at herself. From the waist up she looked... normal. Same tummy, same shoulders, but her boobs had switched side—wait, no, that's the mirror again. Even her face and ears were untouched, apart from just how ragged she looked.\n\n \n\nBecause she'd just been put through hell. And emerged a monster.\n\n \n\nShe saw her face scrunch up, and she pulled the head back into a hug so she wouldn't have to watch herself cry.\n\n \n* * *\n\nSkye was woken from her fitful sleep by a strong gust of wind rattling the old building. She opened her eyes just enough to see that it was light out, threw an arm over her eyes and settled back down.\n\n \n\nThere was a tap on a window.\n\n \n\nShe focused on her breathing, now with seven heads to breathe with.\n\n \n\nThere were two taps on the window.\n\n \n\nShe shifted her human neck, her torso, and on down each elongated neck.\n\n \n\nSomeone tapped \"Shave And a Haircut\" on the window.\n\n \n\nShe opened her eyes. All seven pairs. The bathroom hadn't changed. Most of her bedroom hadn't. But she saw, with the head closest to the window, a grey fox with three tails and a brown messenger bag floating outside.\n\n \n\nIt made eye contact with her and waved.\n\n \n\nShe cocked the head.\n\n \n\nThe fox smiled sheepishly. \"Do you need help?\" it said, its voice muffled by the window.\n\n \n* * *\n\n\"...so that's the story,\" Skye finished with a shrug as she slumped back into the now-drained bathtub. She shifted a bit and adjusted her shirt down so it covered her naval.\n\n \n\nThe fox—who had introduced themself as Ronyo—took a closer look at the almost-empty bottle, the note still attached. \"So,\" they said, \"in an effort to 'protect' a man that isn't hers from a 'betrayer,' a woman turns said 'betrayer'—can you hear the scare quotes?—into a sea monster.\" They sighed. \"History rhymes, even when it isn't history.\"\n\n \n\nThey turned to look Skye in the eye. \"First question,\" they said, \"do you want to go back to being human? Be honest,\" they added, holding up a paw-hand and wiggling their claws, \"I'm definitely not going to judge.\"\n\n \n\nSkye forced herself to consider her answer. \"Yes,\" she said finally, \"at least for a little while. Long enough to get out of here at least!\"\n\n \n\n\"Getting you out of here is easy,\" Ronyo said with a wave of their hand. \"If it's a matter of circumstances, I can find you options. The world is a lot more wild than most people realize. What I'm asking is...\" They closed their eyes and searched for the right words. \"What do you want to _be_? Do you want to be a human? Do you want to stay as this? Do you want something in-between?\"\n\n \n\nSkye bit her lip. She looked at the head that was curled up in the bathroom and looked back herself through it. Felt the edges of the bathtub with her tentacles, ran her hand past the bottom of her shirt to feel her scales.\n\n \n\n\"I don't want to give up everything about being human,\" she said. \"But there's something about this...\" She groaned. \"I don't know,\" she said with a huff, crossed her arms over her chest, and sunk down.\n\n \n\n\"That's okay,\" Ronyo said gently. \"I'll run some tests on this—\" They shook the potion bottle. \"—and see what options I can get you. Can I borrow your kitchen counter?\"\n\n \n\nSkye watched them leave, then turned her attention back to herself. Now, in the light of day and after a... sleep, she wasn't as monstrous as she had felt. She looked at one of the eel-dog heads and...\n\n \n\nOn a whim, she opened its eyes wide and looked at herself. \"Yeah,\" she muttered, \"those are puppy-dog eyes, alright.\" She scratched the head under the chin; it felt better than she wanted to admit.\n\n \n\nThe scales flowed from the head back to her. She felt where the neck met her hips and confirmed it. The skin around it was more slimy, continuing up to just under her naval. She lifted a tentacle closer; it felt the same. And it felt dry.\n\n \n\n\"Sheesh,\" Skye said. \"Can't stay out of water for more than five minutes, can I?\" Without thinking she moved two tentacles to the water controls and started the bath again.\n\n \n\nShe stared at the running bath with two sets of eyes. \"I'm getting good at this,\" she said with a smile.\n\n \n\nThat smile fell when she caught a glimpse of her torso... and the t-shirt that was on it.\n\n \n\n\"Knew I should have gotten the bikini when it was on sale,\" Skye grumbled as she peeled off the shirt and tossed it behind her. She felt where her skin transitioned from human to... sea-creature? It was an almost perfect ring around her: slightly lower in front and slightly higher behind, coming to the small of her back.\n\n \n\nShe reached lower, feeling two of her tentacles between her fingers. She wrapped them around her arm, felt the suckers gently attach, tickled the sensitive skin between them. Feeling morbidly curious, she felt underneath the webbing between her tentacles and closer to her core. It was sensitive, that was for sure, but nothing—\n\n \n\nShe brushed a _particularly_ sensitive area and pulled her hand back. She glanced around the bathroom; it was still empty. Still, she could feel her blush, despite the cool water that was still rising.\n\n \n\nShe saw that the fox was still in the kitchen—they had pulled out a microscope and some sort of retro-futurist scanner. With a naughty grin, she leaned back in the tub, pulled back her upper tentacles, and brought another head down to look at her underside.\n\n \n\n\"Well,\" she said to herself, \"that doesn't look very octopus-y.\" She giggled. \"Octopus—\" A snort. That turned into a laugh. That turned into a bigger laugh.\n\n \n\nThat turned into sobs.\n\n \n\nThis just wasn't _fair_! She struck the water, splashing the walls and getting even more water on the floor. She gripped the sides of her head with her hands and just sobbed. The water was still running and was starting to reach the overflow drain, but she didn't care. It didn't matter.\n\n \n\nShe was a monster. A real fucking monster. One that ate sailors and spit fire and betrayed her best friend for some guy that only used her, and not even in a fun way.\n\n \n\n\"I deserve this, don't I,\" Skye said as she calmed down.\n\n \n\nShe heard a tap on the bathroom door. \"I've got som—woah!\" Ronyo said before quickly turning their head to the side. \"I, uh...\" they stammered. \"I can get you a shirt if you want?\"\n\n \n\n\"What?\" Skye said before a glance at herself reminded her that she was still naked _with someone else in her apartment!_ \"Oh, yeah,\" she said, \"if it's going to bother you.\"\n\n \n\nThey were a fox, so Skye wasn't completely sure she was reading it right, but she was sure she saw them bite their lip and blush. \"Define 'bother,'\" they squeaked.\n\n \n\n\"Oh my god,\" Skye said with a laugh, \"you _like_ this?\"\n\n \n\n\"Ma'am,\" Ronyo said, their voice a little more under control but still facing the side, \"I am here on a strictly professional basis—\"\n\n \n\n\"Are you a monsterfucker? Are you turned on right now?\" She cocked her head. \"Wait, do you even have anything under that fur?\"\n\n \n\nRonyo let themself smile. \"In this body, no. No I do not.\" They sighed. \"Honestly, whatever's going to be comfortable for you. Do you want me to get you a shirt?\"\n\n \n\nSkye looked back at herself and at the very full bathtub. \"I kinda need the water,\" she said. Before she could get distracted again she reached up and turned the water back off. \"Is it okay with you if I don't?\"\n\n \n\n\"Of course.\" Ronyo turned and floated up to the vanity. They sat on the edge and set the empty bottle down next to them. \"Let me get a quick scan,\" they said and held up the retro-futurist thing which made a very retro-futurist sound.\n\n \n\nRonyo looked at the readout and got very still. Slowly, they put the scanner back in their bag and folded their paw-hands in front of them. \"Do you want details, or just the bottom line?\" they said, making careful eye contact.\n\n \n\nSkye considered it for a moment. \"Did Cecily do this to me?\" she asked.\n\n \n\n\"Beyond a reasonable doubt,\" Ronyo said. \"The potion she gave you was distilled from something I have in my shop and modified to affect the body from the outside in. That takes skill, skill she demonstrated with the changing note.\" They motioned to the bottle. \"Means, motive, and opportunity.\"\n\n \n\nSkye nodded. \"Is it permanent?\"\n\n \n\nRonyo sighed. \"Short answer, yes.\" They put a hand on their bag. \"Sometimes I have tricks that can restore someone's 'true' form. Sometimes I can just do the thing in reverse. What Cecily did to the potion was... powerful.\"\n\n \n\n\"So...\" Skye gripped the side of the tub with her tentacles and turned every head to look at Ronyo. \"This is 'me' now?\"\n\n \n\n\"I wish I had better news,\" Ronyo said. \"Yes,\" they added with a nod.\n\n \n\nSkye stared forward. Her breathing got heavier, more frantic. She curled her hands into fists so hard she dug her fingernails into her palms. She blinked back a couple of tears.\n\n \n\nPermanent.\n\n \n\nThe word echoed and amplified in her head. Unchanging. Static. Forever.\n\n \n\nShe took a deep breath, threw her head back, and screamed with all seven mouths.\n\n \n\nThe discordant wail reverberated through the bathroom and bounced out into the apartment. The windows rattled, and a couple of dogs in the building added their howls. Ronyo flattened their ears, closed their eyes, and bowed their head slightly.\n\n \n\nSkye trailed off and just lay still, catching her breath, the movement from her lungs causing ripples in the tub. Her breath hitched a bit, but most of her sobs were already used. This was just acceptance.\n\n \n\n\"No less than I deserve,\" Skye said quietly.\n\n \n\n\"Wrong,\" Ronyo said instantly.\n\n \n\nSkye glared at them. \"How?\" she yelled. \"You know what I did to Nick! What kind of monster does that? Oh, look!\" She flung her arms out. \"Monster!\"\n\n \n\n\"Did you regret what you did?\"\n\n \n\nSkye folded her arms over her chest and looked away.\n\n \n\n\"The only reason you'd _deserve_ this is if you didn't want to change. And from what you told me, you saw who you were, what you'd done, and you wanted to be _better._ This?\" They held up the empty bottle. \"This is someone trying to tell you that you can't change.\" They slammed the bottle back onto the vanity counter. \"Fuck. That.\"\n\n \n\nSkye felt a little of the tension leave. Just a little. \"Did you practice that?\" she said.\n\n \n\nRonyo scratched the back of their head. \"A little, yeah,\" they mumbled.\n\n \n\nSkye sighed. \"It's a very lovely thought,\" she said, \"but I'm still... _this._\"\n\n \n\n\"About that,\" Ronyo dug into their bag and pulled out a necklace. \"Shape not withstanding, I call this a 'mask.' It'll make you look human for up to 24 hours at a time.\"\n\n \n\n\"That's great,\" Skye said, shocked. \"What's the catch?\"\n\n \n\nRonyo grimaced. \"Then you can't use it for 48 hours. It's a little more complicated than that, but that's the gist.\"\n\n \n\nSkye frowned. \"So I couldn't use it for work,\" she said.\n\n \n\n\"But your webcam only sees you from the chest up, right?\" Ronyo said with a grin.\n\n \n\nSkye blinked. \"Why the fuck didn't I think of that?\"\n\n \n\n\"Because you're going through a trauma?\"\n\n \n\nSkye turned to Ronyo who smiled weakly.\n\n \n\n\"Go easy on yourself,\" they said.\n\n \n\nSkye nodded distantly. That single reminder had seemingly un-blocked her brain. \"Can you get me my phone?\" she said. \"I've got some people to call...\"\n\n \n* * *\n\nSkye allowed herself a giggle as she brushed his nose with hers. \"I'm glad you stayed, Andy.\"\n\n \n\n\"Are you?\" Andy said, his face showing a hint of concern. \"I know we said we weren't serious, but your hot tub is just so comfortable and I could barely keep my eyes open and—\"\n\n \n\nSkye pulled him close, wrapped his torso in her arms, and kissed him. When he kissed back, she ran a hand up to cradle the back of his head and wrapped his lower body in her tentacles. “I'm sure,\" she whispered into his ear.\n\n \n\nAndy just purred and flicked his orange cat-ears in response.\n\n \n\nA sudden thought seized Skye. “Hey, Siri?\" she called out, “What time is it?\"\n\n \n\nA moment later her phone answered, “It's 8:52 AM.\"\n\n \n\n“Shit!\" Skye swore. She pulled away and quickly detangled her tentacles from Andy's legs—maybe too quickly if the yowl from him was any indication.\n\n \n\n“Sorry!\" she said with a wince. “But I have to get to work!\"\n\n \n\n“No worries,\" Andy said with a wince as he pulled himself out of the hot tub. “I'm just surprised you put so much work into keeping your old job.\"\n\n \n\n“I happen to be damn good at it,\" Skye said with a smirk as she pulled her bikini top on. “And I didn't take a pay cut when I moved out here.\"\n\n \n\nAndy fastened the button above his cat tail before fastening the one in front of his pants. “Money isn't everything…\" he said with a dramatic whine.\n\n \n\n“Oh, sorry, you're totally right,\" Skye said with equal drama. “I'll just cancel the fiber internet for the commune that my job's paying for.\"\n\n \n\n“Money's fine!\" Andy said quickly. “Do you know where my shirt is?\"\n\n \n\nOne of her eel-dog heads floated over with said shirt in her mouth. Andy gently took it and yanked it over his torso.\n\n \n\nSkye slipped her phone into a case on her bicep and climbed out of the hot tub. “I'll see you at dinner?\"\n\n \n\n“You better,\" Andy said as he opened the human-sized door on the land side. “Hey, Skye?\" he added.\n\n \n\nSkye had climbed onto her flatbed trolly and unlatched the French doors leading out to the pier. “Yeah?\" she said.\n\n \n\nAndy smiled gently. “I'm really glad you're here.\"\n\n \n\nSkye smiled back. “Me too,\" she said. With a huff she turned back to the doors. “Okay, time to go to work.\"\n\n \n\nShe flung open the doors and slid out onto the pier, the wheels on her trolly clattering across the wooden planks, her tentacles pulling her along in a very speedy fashion. It was the farthest thing from a smooth ride, but it got her over land quicker than anything else. She only had to make sure not to run over her tentacles!\n\n \n\nShe came to a corner and wrapped the two closest eel-dog necks around it and pulled herself around. She coasted for a little longer until she got to her \"office,\" a shed floating on the water. With a deliberate thought she used all six of her eel-dog heads to bring herself to a stop; the memory of getting splinters in her tentacles was still too fresh.\n\n \n\nWith a heave, Skye jumped off the pier, tentacles splayed out in the opposite of a dive, and hit the water with a resounding slap.\n\n \n\n\"The things I do,\" she muttered as she swam forward, keeping everything above her naval above the water. She pushed past the heavy curtain and into the shed.\n\n \n\nA second to let her eyes adjust, and she was in motion. There was a chair that was partially submerged that she quickly swam onto and secured herself to. As she sat, she pulled a dark blouse off of a nearby hanger and onto her torso. Now facing forward, she pushed aside a shower curtain to expose a desk complete with notepad, laptop, and desk lamp. She opened the laptop, switched on the lamp, and joined her morning meeting right as the clock hit 9:00.\n\n \n\n\"Good morning, everyone!\" Skye said with a smile. Discretely, she fixed a couple of out-of-place hairs and straightened her blouse. \"I hope everyone had a good weekend?\"\n\n \n\nThe rest of her team nodded, and the meeting started, each person giving a quick update. Skye took notes on everyone's progress and tried to subtly settle onto her perch. They were on the second to last person when her stomach growled audibly.\n\n \n\n\"Sorry about that,\" she said with a blush and a smile.\n\n \n\n\"I can take a hint,\" her coworker said. \"That's everything important from me.\"\n\n \n\nThe last person shrugged. \"I'm still blocked.\"\n\n \n\n\"Thanks, everyone,\" Skye said. \"I'll be in touch!\" And she ended the meeting.\n\n \n\nShe took a breath and let it out slowly. Sometimes being \"all human\" took more effort than usual, especially when she was hungry. Time to take care of that.\n\n \n\nShe closed her eyes and focused on her eel-dog heads, currently all submerged in the ocean waters and unconstrained by the floating shack. There had been a school of fish nearby a couple of minutes ago, and she could swear she could still seem them through the murky—there!\n\n \n\nShe stayed fixed on them with one head and brought two others nearby. It just took a little patience...\n\n \n\nThe school swam by, and in an instant she struck, taking one fish in each mouth. The scent from the fish guts hit her noses, and it was all she could do to deliberately swallow the fish in each mouth rather than let herself frenzy and potentially lose them.\n\n \n\nSkye opened her human eyes and focused back on her laptop to see a coworker asking for a chat. With a smirk, she joined the call. \"Hey, Casey,\" she said.\n\n \n\n\"Hey,\" Casey said with a weary smile, \"thanks for answering. Is this a bad time?\"\n\n \n\n\"Not if you don't mind me trying to catch breakfast,\" Skye said with a wry grin.\n\n \n\n\"Not at all. Really, I just wanted to check up on you.\" Casey leaned forward a bit. \"How're you holding up, girl?\"\n\n \n\n\"You know,\" Skye said, not losing her grin, \"not bad. I've got a good place to stay, good waters to fish in, and I get to keep my city job.\"\n\n \n\n\"Right, you said it was a commune?\"\n\n \n\n\"Yeah, a couple friends from college were involved...\" Skye shrugged. \"Turns out there's more people like me than I thought.\"\n\n \n\n\"Speaking of...\" Casey dropped her voice. \"How's the catboy?\"\n\n \n\nSkye nodded slightly. \"He's good,\" she said with a fond smile.\n\n \n\nCasey narrowed her eyes. \"How good?\"\n\n \n\nSkye blushed. \"Really good,\" she said, rolling the R.\n\n \n\nCasey leaned back and cackled. Skye just rolled her eyes.\n\n \n\nAny comeback Skye was building died when she saw her phone light up with a text from Nicholas. Hesitantly, she reached for her phone.\n\n \n\nHer hesitation must have read on her face because Casey instantly sobered up. \"Everything all right?\"\n\n \n\n\"My ex texted,\" Skye said, her voice small. She tapped into the message before she could lose her nerve.\n\n \n\n\"The one you...?\"\n\n \n\n\"Yeah.\" Skye barely registered the other conversation, her blood roaring in her ears as she read over the text:\n\n \n\n\u003e **Nick:** I need you to know that you could have bankrupted me. You could have cost me my entire livelihood and the jobs of everyone that works for me. You said you just wanted to hurt me, but there are ways you could have dumped me that wouldn't have endangered other people. Nothing like that happened, but it could have.\n\u003e \n\u003e  \n\u003e \n\u003e That being said, apology accepted. We're good, though you'll understand if it takes a while for us to be friends again. But I don't hate you.\n\u003e \n\u003e  \n\u003e \n\u003e Also I heard what happened to you before you left town. Skye, even if you had completely ruined my life, you wouldn't have deserved what happened to you. I hear you're doing well, and I truly hope you are.\n\n \n\n\"You good?\" Casey said.\n\n \n\nSkye breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the tension she didn't even know she was carrying fall away. \"Yeah,\" she said, \"it's good.\" She quickly sent a response:\n\n \n\n\u003e **Skye:** I am, and I hope you are too. If I can ever do anything to help you, just ask.\n\n \n\n\"So,\" Casey said with a cheeky grin, \"can I have his number now?\"\n\n \n\nSkye gave Casey a flat look. \"And how do you plan on introducing yourself? 'Hey, I got your number from the bitch that screwed you over'?\"\n\n \n\nCasey just cackled again. \"You know I'm just playing.\"\n\n \n\nSkye's phone buzzed again. She braced herself for another text from Nick, but it was someone else:\n\n \n\n\u003e **Ronyo:** Do you want to tell her, or should I?  \n\u003e **Ronyo:** [link to Twitter]\n\n \n\nSkye clicked through to see a selfie from Cecily of her in sharp sunglasses sipping a coffee:\n\n \n\n\u003e **dontmesswiththiswitch** TFW the bitch you caught sniffing around your man left town a month ago and won't show her face for \"reasons\"\n\n \n\nSkye grinned malevolently. \"Hey Casey,\" she said as she pulled her two rearmost heads into the shack, \"Have I shown you the puppers?\"\n\n \n\nCasey leaned foward. \"Not enough.\"\n\n \n\nSkye pulled up her selfie camera and aimed it to get the two heads in frame next to her. There was a bit more space, so she pulled in two more. Framed by her eel-dog heads, she flashed a peace sign to the camera.\n\n \n\nShe thought for a second, then changed the peace sign to a middle finger and took the picture, much to Casey's delight. Two seconds later and the post was on its way out:\n\n \n\n\u003e **blueskyebird** @dontmesswiththiswitch I lived, bitch."}