Skyla had really wanted to talk to Meredith, but Master just wanted to go home and be done for the day, and after what happened, Skyla didn't blame him one bit. Skyla had never been in any kind of situation like that, and technically she never had still. But she still remembered it clear as crystal. Eva being shot, and Anna almost being shot if reality had continued down that road.
It made Skyla think those who were oblivious to the changes were the lucky ones. Technically Master could now make her obvious to the changes like the others. But Skyla had claimed the spot of Head Maid while it was not even yet really a position, and she wasn't going to chicken out now. And she'd be more able to serve AS head maid IF she was aware of the changes. And it would help Anna too in recruiting more maids for Master. And it would likely be good for Master to have more than just his sister to talk about this with.
Skyla admitted, she may have declared herself default Head Maid because it put her in the Alpha Female position of the many women with unconditional love for Master who'd be entering his life soon. She did hope after things had settled down that Master would find her desirable now that they were 'compatible.'
Skyla looked at her own small home interior in disgust. Sure, she intended to move in with Master eventually, but her home was a mess. Inexcusable. She knew it was the new maid in her speaking, but she didn't care. She was master's Head Maid now, and she couldn't stand looking at this disaster she'd let her home become.
She had work in the morning, but she could still do some basic clean up in the meantime. She was surprised when she picked up her discarded pajamas, and they turned into a black night gown with white lace. She picked up some swim trunks, and they transformed into a revealing two piece dark gray swim suit with a white bow. Picking up her socks and underwear resulted in a collection of panties and silk stockings. Many of her her undershirts turned into bras at her touch.
"Well, at least I don't have to worry about shopping for new clothes," Skyla said to herself. "Will I get bored with this? No. Anything else would just -feel- wrong."
She hated the idea of having to go into work tomorrow, but her bills weren't going to pay themselves. Skyla's greatest desire right now was to tell her boss she quite, and was now working full time of Master's house staff... but right now Curt didn't have the finances to PAY her and Meredith, and Cassidy, let alone a full staff. She and Anna would have to do something about that eventually.
Skyla found a never used duster in her closet, she was surprised when it got a little heavier at her touch. Switching a mechanism she didn't even think about how she knew, she found that the feather duster now contained a kodachi.
"I guess Cassidy isn't the only one ready to protect Master," Skyla distantly observed, she slipped the weapon back into place, locking it, it was made so it couldn't be opened by accident, that was a relief, she didn't want to loan her things to Meredith and have the little mouse woman accidentally stab herself.
Skyla did have big dreams for Master. While the built-in restrictions on the ray gun were annoying, Skyla almost saw them as a challenge, even a sand box was meaningless without some rules.
She wondered if she was now Master's personal ninja or something... she certainly didn't look anything LIKE a ninja... but a ninja who looked like a ninja was a very poor ninja. Skyla shook her head. "I'm getting ridiculous, having a concealed weapon in my cleaning supplies in case someone breaks into master's house doesn't make me a ninja."
She wondered, was she a real kitsune, or was she just some kind of mutant fox woman? Kitsune were supposed to get an extra tail for every 100 years they were alive, and Skyla had five, and she knew she wasn't 400 plus years old. Or at least in the old reality she wasn't. But since the reality distortion field hadn't been used, didn't that mean the changes to reality for her were minimum?
If Curt had had the reality warp setting on, WOULD SHE have become 400-something years old? Did she have magic powers now as a kitsune had, and just not know how to use them? Or was she again, just a fox woman who happened to be 'born' with a lot of extra tails?
When she dusted a photo of herself, she noticed Scott vanished, replaced by Skyla each time. She giggled at a 'guy's night out' picture changed, instead of Curt and Scott and well, Mark was already Marceline as far as reality was concerned so it was some co workers. But Skyla was still there, except Curt looked VERY surprised, to see her and Skyla wearing a 'Happy New Year' sash over a swim suit, the coworkers laughing and clapping. She blushed and smirked at the same time. It almost made her wish that she was oblivious like the other so she could have that memory.
As Skyla adjusted a cheap reprint that hung on her wall, she was surprised to see it turn into a beautiful original Japanese ink drawing.
Skyla thought about how much house staff, and off-grounds supporting staff Master would eventually need if he was to have the easier life she and her fellow maids wanted him to have... Though Master had been right about fiancees being an issue. Skyla realized they'd was soon have to keep a written list of those zapped, even if not all of them would eventually be working directly with Master.
The Mail-vixen, Anna, herself, Meredith, Danielle, Eva, Cassidy, and Marceline.
Thinking about it, Master was right about one thing, they HAD to check Cassidy's new life. Even if she was unconditionally loving towards Master, like all of them, her former self had been a criminal. Unless criminal impulses counted as an 'illness' for the ray gun t automatically cure, and Skyla was pretty sure they didn't.
+++
When Curt went to the bathroom, he hadn't expected a naked tiger amazon to step out, having finished drying herself off, and immediately knelt before him. "Hey Master, I made sure the bathroom was in good shape after I used it. Shall I accompany you to work today?"
Curt had forgotten that Cassidy was apparently living here in her former guest bedroom, and that she'd been his bodyguard for quite a long time. In the bright morning light, Curt found it incredible just how muscular Cassidy was, she was a towering eight feet tall at least, and even kneeling she was huge, in more ways than one.
"Uh, thanks Cassidy. And no, I'd like you to stay home today and look after Anna, do whatever she asks, assuming it's not illegal of course."
"Of course Master. Don't worry, I remember how important Anna is to you," Cassidy said like a protective big sister. "She's in safe paws."
Anna addressed him as 'Master' like she'd seen too many episodes of 'I Dream of Jeanie.' Skyla and called him Master like they had in some of their role plays (though she was no longer play acting). Cassidy, called him Master the way some might call someone 'Boss-Man!' Meredith had addressed him the way a loyal and true servant would, not an automaton. Marceline had more casual than Skyla, but Curt could tell all of them had completely MEANT it when they called him the 'M' word.
Each showing him unconditional love and undying loyalty, and all seemed to be showing it in a slightly different way.
The possibility that Anna might have obliterated the person Cassidy used to be, or rather, had now never been, had disturbed Curt. But there was another thought at the back of his head. He wasn't sure what unseen variable decided to age regress Eva, but it did make him wonder, how many friends had she now never met? Had she had a boyfriend before? Would they have had children? How much education? All those experiences, just erased from the clock being rewound.
And like Cassidy, there was no way in Hell he was telling Anna any of this. She'd acted fast, and Eva's life would have ended there anyway, and she'd have never had family anyway. And Eva was clearly still smart enough to be trusted, did that make her a faster learner? Maybe she'd finished collage before she was eighteen. It was hardly the least impossible thing that had happened in the last 24 hours.
This applied for Meredith too and all those changed, if they had a woman they loved, but had simply not popped the question yet, she'd never start a family now, and Curt had erased that family from existence. Or maybe he was simply driving himself insane with what-if scenarios. In for a penny, in for a pound. He had a feeling that if he buried the ray gun in the backyard or tossed it in a trash compactor, it would just appear on someone else's front porch in an unmarked brown paper bag. And Curt WAS still intrigued at what this ray gun could do, and what he could do WITH it. He just hoped he could keep Anna and Skyla from going door to door, zapping everyone they met.
+
Meredith had gone to Master's bedroom, blech, she'd have to give this place a cleaning to when she had the time. How did she let it get this bad? Skyla would never let her hear the end of it. She'd found some good clothes for Master's potential afternoon jog, comfortable, but not too hot. She also laid out something good for Master to wear to work. But she looked high and low, and couldn't find Master's water bottle!
She twisted her own tail in worry. The idea of failing Master frightened her terribly, she'd be failing herself, and her responsibilities to him. She knew Master was wonderful and understanding, but she didn't want to have to go through the shame of having to ask where something he clearly expected her to know where it was!
After searching the house top to bottom, and panting for breath, and getting more worried about having to face failure by the minute, Meredith gained some resolve. Hopefully Master would be forgiving as long she brought back -a- water bottle for him. As quite as, well, a mouse, she snuck out of the house, and ran past a woman feeding her baby a bottle of water, and a jogger with a large bottle of water in his hand. She made her way to the corner store.
"Excuse me," she asked.
The man behind the counter looked at the mouse woman in the maid outfit casually and asked, "Yeah miss?"
"Water bottles please?"
"Just behind that aisle miss."
"Thank you!" Meredith curtsied as a proper maid should, and selected one she knew was Master's favorite color. She paid for her purchase with her own money, and ran back as fast as she could to the house, panting, and filled the water bottle. And placed it next to his other set of clothes.
She found Master speaking with Cassidy, and bowed, doing her best to breath through her nose.
"Master, your water bottle and clothes are ready for you."
"Oh!... Thank you Meredith."
"It was, my pleasure Master."
"Oh, before I forget." Master reached into his pocket and gave Meredith some loose change. "I still owe you for yesterday."
"Master, you really don't-"
"I said I insist." And what Master said, was what Master said.
"Yes Master, thank you." Meredith took the money for the toll road without further protest. "I'll make sure to be ready by the time you leave. I'll be sure to prepare lunch for you. Unless you'd rather eat out today."
"Uh, that would be nice Meredith."
"Thank you Master!" She curtsied and was off to the kitchen again.
-
"Cassidy-
"Don't sweat it Master, me and Anna aren't gonna eat Meredith while you're gone," said the big cat with a transparently joking grin.
"Actually, she's coming with me to work."
"Oh, okay. Gotcha Master."
It wasn't until Curt saw the brand new water bottle did he realize why Meredith had been panting... He was really going to have to watch what he said to his... servants. It was a little frightening to think what might happen if he told one of them to jump off a cliff. He had to remember not to send any of the girls on any snips hunts.
+++
"Hello, Head Maid Skyla speaking," the multi-tailed fox-woman/kitsune answered her phone.
"Hi Skyla!"
"Hi Anna."
"Big brother had a important job for us!"
"Oh really?" Skyla was eager to hear this.
"Master says this'll decide how involved he's gonna be with the other zappings from now on. He says that ahem," she made an adorably poor imitation of Curt's voice, "Zap enough people to upgrade the ray gun, but no more than that. And get it done before he's done with work today."
Did that upgrade mean it would upgrade for two more recruits for master, or seven more? They'd find out today.
"Master isn't going to just bring the ray gun to work? What a drag."
"He's bringing Meredith, it was her idea."
"At least he's learning."
"He says he wants to make sure ahem, we won't 'go zapping people we drive past in the street'."
"Well, I guess the parade in his honor will have to wait for a while then."
"And he wants us to convince him for WHY we chose to zap those people before we do zap them."
Skyla groaned. "Well, this is getting harder and harder. He wants us to call him on the cell phone when we find a recruit and then calmly explain to him why we're conscripting that person? Where's the spontaneousness? This is bad news Anna, I have work today. Maybe we can squeeze in the zappings on my lunch break if I'm lucky. Can you make it over to my office okay? Or shall I come to you?"
"Shouldn't people just accept that it's something for Master if the ray gun makes everyone think it's normal we're animal girls naked or wearing maid dresses who serve Master?"
"... Maybe. But I doubt the police will accept me running a red light if I just say, 'it's for Master!' I'm not delivering a baby."
"He also said, ahem, 'Emergencies don't count for the purposes of this exercise, but if it comes to that, I expect the reason to be worth at least three zaps'."
"Wait, does that mean if it's an emergency have three good reason, or if it's an emergency, be sure to zap at least three people?"
"I didn't ask."
Skyla chuckled.
"Mind if I ask a random question Skyla?"
ASKING if she could ask a random question? Anna really had been, well, 'helped.'
"What Anna?"
"Why are maids always wearing BLACK? Why not pink? Or blue? There's more colors in the world than black!"
"It's part of the uniform."
"I'm sure Curt, I mean Master would prefer you to be expressing your individuality."
"... Maybe." Skyla considered. Still she personally LIKED black now, being Head Maid had its perks too, since unless Master said something, she'd set the dress code for the other maids. "Still, it would've been simpler if Master had simply taken the ray gun to work."
"... You want to transform Master's boss don't you?"
"Yes," Skyla said naturally. She also enjoyed the VERY NATURAL fantasy that every officer worker drone in the history of humanity had had of zapping her own boss.
"Wouldn't that cause a feed back loop, since she's supposed to be subservient to him, yet he's an employ at HER business?"
"Well, remember Eva and the mail vixen, nothing says we HAVE TO 'work' for Master, only work towards his wants and needs to the best of our ability."
"Meredith sure seems determined to work for my brother."
Skyla grinned. "Well, all the better for me, I'll need all the help I can get."
Either way, Master did say to only zap enough that the next upgrade became available. And it seems the gun DID keep track of many it had zapped so far. If they went behind Master's back on this, he'd NEVER trust them to zap new recruits without his super vision.
Maybe after they convinced Master they could be trusted, maybe there would be a beauty or swimsuit contest at the beach they could 'upgrade.' (It wouldn't be fair to only zap one contestant and give them an unfair advantage).
"Maybe we can get recruits from the old folks home?" Anna offered.
Skyla had seen, in very traumatizing fashion, that those transformed could be given back years of their life, but the events of the fast food place ran through her mind again, making her heart race and her tails stiffen. The thrill replaced by icy clarity. How much would the world change if they hadn't lived those 40 or 50, years? Still... Skyla was living proof that the TF-Ray Gun could create animal girls who weren't species that weren't naturally occurring. Maybe if the chose long lived creatures from fantasy like dragons or something?
"Run it by Master. If you need any back-up to help you, be sure to call me. And, can you tell Master I love him when you see him?"
"Sure, we all love Master."
"Right. Call me back Anna." Skyla hung up.