One would think that Iphis and Ianthe would have a hard time fitting into Animalia. It was bad enough that that they were the only conjoined twins in Animalia, but they were also currently the only hermaphrodite. Some people would say they'd be a freak among freaks and would be shunned even by their own kind. Of course, those people would be wrong. The term 'normal' has very low standards in a community where animals can become humanoid, humans can become half-animal, and age could be reset for both young and old. Having two heads on the same body made Iphis and Ianthe a novelty rather than a pariah. As for being a hermaphrodite, well, that made things a bit awkward, but nothing to make them shunned. Their condition was a little bit of an open secret. While their double-sexed nature was known in Animalia, to most of the outside world, they were merely bisexual. The media could do a lot of damage if that information was released too soon.
==========
The two-headed anaconda's day started out as normally as it did for most serpent Animalians. A nice hot shower to warm up the blood, a healthy breakfast which mainly consisted of sausages, and some planning for the day ahead.
"So, what's on the agenda?" asked Iphis.
"Well, we're gonna be talking with Clara about our exhibit," said Ianthe.
"We'll be training for the games later, right?" asked Iphis.
"Yes, we'll be doing bodybuilding today," said Ianthe.
"Good, maybe we can bulk up your side," said Iphis.
"It's not my fault I don't have as much testosterone as you," said Ianthe.
"You could still be bigger than what you are now," said Iphis.
"If we get any bigger, we won't be able to fit in this apartment," said Ianthe.
"Good point," said Iphis, "So, training first or exhibit?"
"Exhibit first. The mayor doesn't have as much free time as us," said Ianthe.
Soon after that, Iphis and Ianthe left their apartment. There were many reptilians living in this apartment building besides them. In a way, it was sort of odd that these reptiles, whose mundane versions were solitary by nature, would end up living so close to each other. Perhaps it was mainly the accommodations made for the slightly cold-blooded species, but it was nice living next to someone you could relate to.
The only problem Iphis and Ianthe had with living there was that their flat was too small. The apartments weren't puny but they were titanic even for an uplifted anaconda. It became clear that they required more room than the 'average' serpent. Thankfully, Nutra Pharma Corporation was able and willing to provide. The twins could have had a penthouse suite for themselves, but the uplifted anaconda was not used to such ideas of luxury. What they wanted was a house that was large enough and custom-built for them. Of course, construction of their own house would take some time, but Iphis and Ianthe were willing to wait, even if their apartment was relatively small for them.
==========
Their meeting with Mayor Clara didn't go quite as planned. Mainly because the mayor was not in today. Clara was busy with some family affairs, namely from Richard's family. She was also showing some signs that her cubs will be coming earlier than expected. There was a bit of concern, so Rick had her pull away from her mayoral duties until the litter was born. The current projection was that Richard will be a father by Father's Day.
But in the meantime, Robby was capable of filling in for Clara. He had been at her side since they were uplifted. They have a very close bond that might have even bordered on romantic, but had become more platonic once they had acquired their respective mates.
"So what all are you planning to display with your exhibit?" asked Robby, who was also looking at some papers.
"Mainly how the Animalia Virus is capable of fixing...birth defects," said Ianthe.
"Or in our case, improving them," said Iphis, flexing hir arm.
"So, your exhibit will showcase the improvements the virus makes to Siamese twins," said Robby.
"No, to conjoined twins," said Ianthe.
"What do those cat sisters from the beauty parlor have to do with this?" asked Iphis.
Robby sighed and said, "Sorry, 'Siamese twins' is an old term for conjoined twins. Apparently, the most famous set of twins were a pair from Thailand that traveled in P.T. Barnum's circus and the term 'Siamese twins' became synonymous with twins such as yourself."
"Oh, so it has nothing to do with Ping and Ming," said Iphis.
"No," said Robby before pausing, "Though I think they might have a nephew or niece who was born with that condition. I haven't heard much from them about it. But at least they're healthy enough that they're not desperately trying them here from treatment."
"Anyways, our exhibit will show how much benefit the virus can do for someone who was born with a less optimal body," said Ianthe.
"It did a lot of wonders for us," said Iphis, "We are practically the ultimate lifeform now."
"Yes, but you do realize that your exhibit will probably have to showcase your hermaphroditic nature as well," said Robby.
The twins exchanged looks of concern before Ianthe said, "I think we would be ok with revealing to the world who we are if we did it on our own terms."
"It's not like we're going to wave our genitals in public," said Iphis.
"You have the support of our community," said Robby, "And Nutra Pharma won't let you be ostracized by the world. But is there something else that worries you?"
"We might be able to feel better with ourselves..." started Ianthe.
"If we had a mate," finished Iphis.
"I take it finding one among the anacondas here is not so easy," said Robby.
"They're all straight and I think we unnerve them by having an extra set," said Ianthe.
"I think we scare them by being so large," said Iphis.
"Well, perhaps there's someone in the human world who could be a match for you two," said Robby, "We could put you two into the dating service, if you have an idea of who you'd like to date." Iphis and Ianthe paused at that. Neither of them seemed to have thought that far ahead. "Well, think it over," said Robby, "I'm sure you'll have time enough for that. The important thing is never to be ashamed of yourself, yourselves. Sorry, pronouns can be...tricky around you."
"We understand," said Iphis and Ianthe at the same time.
"Well, if that's everything you need to discuss..." said Robby, turning back to his papers.
Iphis was ready to leave, but then shi saw the word 'Brazil' on the papers. "What's that?" shi asked.
"Well, if you must know, there's discussion about buying this hotel that has been abandoned in the Amazon," said Robby.
"The Amazon, as in where we're from?" asked Ianthe.
"Yes, but this hotel will need some inspection before we can consider the expansion," said Robby, "Clara would go down to see it, but she's in too delicate a state right now."
"Can we go too?" asked Iphis and Ianthe together.
Robby thought it over. Ran went with them when they went to inspect Mieni Atoll and he had done VERY well for that trip. "I don't think there's a reason why you shouldn't go," said Robby, "Just don't expect to find your mate there."
==========
Next was the anaconda twins' workout session. Not that exercise was strictly necessary for their incredibly fit body, but they did need to practice for the Animalian games. Today, they were focusing on the bodybuilding portion. and their trainers for this will be Anton and Marlysa Williams. Considering the twins were a mix of male and female anatomies, they were working on both aspects.
Marlysa was showing Iphis and Ianthe how to pose properly since their upper body was mostly feminine. "Now curl your arms like this," said Marlysa, She tightened her right arm and flexed while her left arm grasped her right bicep. Doing so also pushed up her breasts, which were thinly covered by the 'posing pasties' she was wearing. The nipple-covering fabrics were hardly modest, but it was the closest that female bodybuilders could be to being bare-chested.
Ianthe flexed hir arm while Iphis crossed hir arm under their chest to grasp Ianthe's bicep. Iphis's larger arm did very well to push up their mammoth breasts. But it was more than just the anaconda showing off their muscles and curves. As each head had independent control over the arm on their side, they had to learn coordination. While using their arms together wasn't a big task with ordinary things, they had to work together to make the proper poses for the competition. In a way, they were thankful they didn't have legs that would require extra posing. They weren't sure if they would even be able to walk if they did have legs.
Anton then helped them work on their strength-building. Showing off muscles was fine, but they had to show the audience that they weren't just for show. Their strength was already very impressive, but it was obviously a lot more concentrated on Iphis's side. So Anton was helping Ianthe bulk up her side. "97...98...99. You almost got it. 100, Good job," said Anton as Ianthe raised hir huge dumbbell for the last time before shi let it drop down. Shi was able to keep it from crashing to the floor, but just barely.
"Ugh, I'm going to be sore all day," groaned Ianthe.
"No pain, no gain, sis," said Iphis, "You want to get as strong as me, right?" Shi flexed hir larger arm in demonstration.
Ianthe glared at Iphis. "Easy for you to say," shi said, "You've got more testosterone than me. I'll never be able to catch up with you."
"That is not true," said Anton, causing both heads to stare at him. "While it may be true that Iphis got more testosterone than Ianthe, it only gave hir a headstart, not an insurmountable advantage," explained Anton, "Testosterone is not the only deciding factor in muscle-building. Your DNA is the same on both sides and Iphis's testosterone courses over to Ianthe's side as well. Shi might not get as bulky as quickly, but shi isn't limited to her current size."
"You see?" said Iphis, "You'll get in big as me in time for the competition."
"I wouldn't set my expectations as high as that," said Anton, "It takes months of work to build up muscles. And don't even think about taking steroids, that would be an instant disqualification."
"I guess we'll have to wait until next year to get that asymmetry penalty knocked off," said Iphis with a shrug.
"I don't think we'll be too far behind this year anyways," said Ianthe.
"Good attitude," said Anton, "Let's do one more set of reps before we hit the showers."
==========
The showers weren't directly after the workout session. While a nice hot shower helped dull the ache of exercised muscles, the saunas were irresistible to reptiles. Usually the only time where a reptilian passed up the chance to sit in the sauna was because they were too busy with other appointments. The Williams and the twins had no such reason to rush.
Soon, the three (technically four) of them were relaxing in the sauna. By now, Anton had gotten accustomed to the relaxed standard of nudity that Animalians had. It wasn't like he had anything to hide. From the outside, Anton's body lacked any sexual features except for a pair of nipples. His penis was kept well-hidden inside of him until the need arises. His wife felt little need to cover herself, seeing as she was born an iguana and felt no impulse to cover her breasts all the time. Iphis and Ianthe were also relaxing a lot in the steam. At this moment, there was nothing to suggest shi was anything but an ordinary, if oversized and two-headed, anaconda Animalian. It was only when they were aroused enough to let their hemipenis out that the illusion was broken.
"So, how are the hatchlings?" asked Ianthe. Anton and Marlysa often talked about their children and had to pictures to show anyone of them.
"They're growing fine," said Anton, "They're not going to grow faster than normal, which is a relief to me."
"It won't be long before they're on solid food," said Marlysa, "And yet, I think I might miss breastfeeding them." She rubbed her breasts and said, "When I first changed, I didn't really see the point of me first growing these things. But I did love how Anton paid attention to them. But when I'm feeding my children directly, it feels more natural than anything. Do all mothers feel this way?"
"You're asking the wrong guy about it," said Anton.
"I wonder if we'll feel that way someday," said Ianthe a little forlornly.
"Still not having luck with finding a mate?" asked Anton.
"Not among the anacondas," said Iphis, "But Robby suggested maybe we could find a human who would be open to us. But we don't really know what to look for."
"Well, I don't know about what you want in personality," said Marlysa, "But I think you should be looking for someone who is truly bisexual. To them, you'd have the best of both worlds."
"And perhaps you should be looking for a compatible pair of those people," said Anton. Marlysa gave him an odd look at that. One of the many Christian lessons she had given her was about adultery. "This is not something I recommend for everyone," said Anton firmly, "Not that I know many bisexuals. But with you two, you're two brains, two hearts, maybe two souls."
"How do you know we don't just share a soul?" asked Iphis.
"To be honest, I don't," said Anton, "I'm a spiritual man, but I'm not spiritual enough to see beyond the material. But I guess you can say one of the soul's defining traits is that it is undefinable."
"Are all religions this convoluted?" asked Ianthe.
"You would think so," said Anton, "But the point being, I think you truly count as two beings, not just one being that happens to have two heads. So I think in this case it would be acceptable for you to seek two mates."
"But what do we look for?" asked Iphis, "Two of the same sex or two of different sexes?"
"I don't claim to understand anything beyond male/female relationships," said Marlysa, "But I think that the only thing that matters is that they love you and can at least tolerate each other."
"It might not even matter what pairing they are at first because you could turn them both into hermaphrodites," said Anton.
"We could?" asked Iphis and Ianthe in surprise.
"They could?" asked Marlysa, equally surprised.
"If the Animalian virus can take the DNA from a hermaphroditic rat snake and use it to make a two-headed anaconda a herm as well, I don't see how it would be impossible for it to take that same herm gene from you and use it with a human," said Anton, "But I'm just speculating."
Iphis and Ianthe blinked at that. They had never thought of that before. "I hope they could agree to that," said Ianthe.
"The important part is that they're willing to be in an open relationship with you and each other," said Marlysa.
"So, are you two in an open relationship?" asked Iphis suggestively.
"No," said both iguanas flatly.
"Iphis!" said Ianthe disapprovingly.
"I was joking," said Iphis, "Unless you-"
"No," repeated the iguanas with Ianthe chiming in.
"Ok, fine," said Iphis.
==========
By the time Iphis and Ianthe returned to their apartment, they had a lot to think about. Of course, there was the prospect of returning to Brazil to take a look at the hotel that Animalia might expand on. But mostly, it was about the idea of acquiring a human for a mate. Having two humans who could become herms as well did have a lot of appeal to both of them. Enough appeal to make them feel very flustered. There was a need that had been building inside them all day and as soon as they were home, they wanted to take care of it.
Coiling up in their bathroom, which was small relatively easy to clean, they got to work. Once all their clothes were off, Ianthe reached over and started fondling their left breast. Iphis gave a moan of satisfaction at that. They could both feel both sides of their body, but it sometimes felt like stimulating on one side affected the head there more.
It didn't take long for their herm nature to be revealed. Their cloaca bulged before their hemipenis emerged. Iphis smiled before reaching down with hir hand and grasping the right shaft. Ianthe moaned appreciatively as hir sister rubbed their male organ. There has been no real opportunity to compare hirself to other males, but shi was certain that hir shafts were as proportionally large as the rest of their body. It was certainly more than enough for both hands to grasp a shaft and still have more than they could hold.
It wasn't long before both sisters were moaning with growing arousal. The nipple that Ianthe was tweaking had started dribbling milk while pre started to leak from both shafts. Sensing their time was near, Ianthe pulled hir hand away from Iphis's breast and let it move down to under their hempenis. Once it found their scaly lower lips, shi plunged right in. Both of them let out a loud moan at that. Whether or not they felt more sensation from the breast or shaft on their side, they shared only one vagina and both of them definitely felt it when it was stimulated. Iphis widened hir grip so shi could clutch both shafts, but it was almost more than shi could hold. But that didn't matter because they were both so close, especially with Ianthe plunging hir fingers into their pussy. Then with a loud hiss of excitement, they came. Sperm spouted from both shafts while their pussy clenched and gushed.
Iphis and Ianthe panted a bit as they started to calm down. They can clean up their mess after their hearts slowed down. Whatever the downsides in society, being a hermaphrodite had several perks when it came to self-stimulation. And probably more if they had a partner or partners to share their body with. But whether they found one willing human or two or if they could pass on their double-sexed chromosomes at all, there was one thing that was most important: even if the whole world turned against them, they still had each other.