It felt good for Curt to finally just have a conversation with his mother without her disease being a constant cruel cloud hanging over everyone's heads, and being able to just have a conversation with her.
His sister was now a cat-woman nudist, which his mother like everyone else in the world saw as so normal that it wasn't worth even commenting on. And his sister was cured of her mental disabilities, no, they'd now never existed.
And he was now one of the richest men in the country, which still felt rather unreal for him. And to cure his mother, she was now a great Saint Bernard maid woman in red who was now on his payroll. But to be honest, that was a small price to pay for his mother's happiness.
Anna had heard that now she'd been a perfect little neat little maid in her early years... And she didn't feel alarmed or worried about this, if anything, it felt RIGHT, proper, how it should be, leaving messes behind for Anna felt taboo on the level she knew she'd once seen walking around naked in public was, you just didn't do it. 'Well, I am a maid after all.'
Yes, it definitely felt good for the family to just have a regular conversation together. The crow maid, Tammy, had apparently been serving his parents for quite a while, with how his parents didn't even question her presence. Like she was another member of the family. Then again, all the maids seemed close, even as their numbers grew beyond anything a human being's brain could handle.
The conversations chatted on until Tammy said,
"Jophine and Samira are such darlings, a little pair of natural maids," Curt's mother and Tammy giggled. "I'd send them off to the Maid Academy if they thought they needed it."
"Maybe good to send them anyway, you can't shirk a good education after all," Curt's mother said.
Anna and Curt both cringed at the mention of the school, there had to have been other students there besides those hit by the ray gun... but being at the center of the shockwave had apparently maid it a academy for domestic servants of all sorts, whether they were anthro or not... Hopefully, like any college, it offered a slew of courses along with several generic practical ones.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Curt said. "I feel that Academy was a mistake, Madison, and the others, they're empty inside."
"Now I wouldn't say that Master!" Tammy said. "They're just very devoted to their role! I ADMIRE THEM, they're all so pure and selfless, I wish I was more like them."
"We talked with Silvey," Anna added her say, mixing in some half-truths into it. "And Skyla chatted with them, Silvey's classmates only care about her in how she's useful to Master."
"Well, they aren't all like that," Curt's mother said.
"I'm honestly thinking of shutting it down."
"Curt Elijah Evenson! The Academy is a symbol of pride for our community! If you think it's broken, then fix it. You can hire new teachers and order the courses changed, none of us would say no."
Tammy looked surprise at Curt's mother speaking to Master that way, and Curt himself this last week had had only Anna directly contradict him after the horrible fight with Skyla... Maybe that his mother wasn't about to turn into a 'yes mom' was a very good thing!
Tammy looked like she was going to say something, but Curt's mom gave her a look that Curt and Anna knew well. Tammy didn't speak, but she couldn't have said 'Yes Madam, shutting up Madam!' louder if she'd held up a neon sign.
Curt rightfully guessed his mother held a status among the maids that out ranked even Anna's.
"I'll... I'll have Meredith arrange a meeting with the teachers on reforming the school."
"See? Nothing to it. No need to throw something out just because it needs fixing."
"Yes mother."
Curt again rightfully guessed, 'Unconditional love, and wanting my wants and needs fulfilled, there was nothing to change about mom's personality to begin with!'
Tammy said, "Personally I think Mrs. NcBreeze is a wonderful teacher. She's raised Ruby Emerald and Sapphire to as perfect little maids as any girls at the academy!"
"Who?" Curt couldn't stop himself from saying.
"Huh? Oh right! Mrs. NcBreeze's three daughters in grade-school. She managed to hold onto them after her divorce. I forget sometimes humans can't keep as many people in their heads as us," Tammy said in genuine sympathy.
"I'll admit I envy you for that," Curt said simply. Hiding his worry at the idea of the blank maids indoctrinating others to their way of thinking.
++++
On the way back from their parents' guest house, Curt and Anna chatted. Curt had invited his parents over for dinner in the mansion proper.
Anna said, "Ya know, I think it was inevitable, I mean, mother maids teaching their children to be maids too... with how big being a maid is now in this part of town... assuming they were changed by the fallout, which is possible too. We couldn't exactly ask if they were human right there..."
"But I do have a way!" Curt brought up the ray gun, and looked up Mrs. NcBreeze's profile.
#174 Mrs. NcBreeze: Bald. Maid. Cat. Black fur. Busty (mid-range).
Curt then looked for her children, but found nothing. "That settles that, her children aren't on the list, that means if they're perfect little maids, it's because she TAUGHT THEM to be that way..." Curt shuddered a bit thinking what one of the blank maids as a role model would do to her children.
"Well. It's not like they're going anywhere. Remember, we have to do what you say, more or less. We all love you unconditionally, though I did already. And we all want your wants and needs fulfilled first before our own. You just need to tell her not to treat her own daughters like they're raw material to turn into maids like cars on an assembly line."
"Thanks for the encouragement Anna, you're right, at least I can fix things! Or at least not make things as bad, but Skyla reminds me, we're always going to have things happen we didn't see coming."
"Are you going to improve any of your coworkers? I mean, we all still want-"
"I'm honestly not sure. I don't mind being among peers at work rather than just servants."
"So Dave is now really dating Meredith?" Anna couldn't help but giggle at the idea more.
"And he's a naked mouse man... and he's going to be a naked mouse man forever... I'm going to be sitting next to a naked mouse man forever until one of us gets promoted or leaves."
"Sounds like you could use some improvements to the eye-candy at work."
"I'll consider it if I see anyone miserable at work."
++++
After what finally happened with his mother, Curt had decided to talk to Skyla, while Anna had gone off to tell Misty and Ashley.
Curt had called her up, and Skyla had sounded surprisingly solemn, but she'd said, "I'll tell you about it in person, don't worry."
They'd met in Skyla's office, Skyla instinctively looked over some files and blueprints she'd written for herself in regards to the estate.
"Well... this is new... We have a bomb shelter."
"What did you say?"
"More like two, it looks like we have one underneath the guest house where your parents stay, and one underneath the mansion... shouldn't be too surprising, the rich always seem interested in surviving past the fall of where their money will be worth anything. It's not big enough to hold everyone of course. But it seems that those it's prepared for are you, me, Anna, your parents, Vicky, Danielle, Cassidy, Marceline, and Meredith... I guess since we'd all be willing to die for you if it was you or us, there's no need to keep this secret among the maids. I wonder if Anna knows that Misty and Ashley aren't on the list. They likely will be after we transform a few more people. But I'm surprised Emma or Kasai isn't on the list."
"Emme's a unicorn! She'll likely won't begin to die of old age until the universe does! An atomic blast might be just a bad sun burn to her! And Kasai is a phoenix, if she dies, she just starts over!" Curt said, bewildered that any version of himself would agree to have such a thing underneath his estate!!!
"Point. But right now, it looks like the sort of thing that you could survive world war three in, complete with seeds for farming."
Curt shook his head. "Seriously, I hope that all this wealth that's being sucked up so I can pay maids a worthy salary isn't making people homeless somewhere. And I hope it's starting to go back into improving the community."
"At this rate Master? I'm going to be honest, the estate at this rate of growth is going to BE the community. The guest houses we're absorbing are only the tip of the iceberg. We'll be having 'camp grounds' and parks soon enough. We're going to be less an estate and more a gated community... Which, I have to admit, isn't that bad."
"It will if the makes the tourist trade suffers."
"Granted... But what did you want to talk about Master?"
Curt told her about his time at his parents' guest house.
"So you couldn't go through with it in the end, and it turns out that it would have granted you nothing anyway," Skyla said wistfully. It seemed Curt was still stuck as a puny human.
Curt said, "If I'm going to retcon people into being my domestic servants and always being able to pay them, I want it to be a form they'd want."
Skyla said, "Your mother might not call you 'Master'. But that doesn't change that your mother is now, or rather has been for however long, your employee."
"It also doesn't change that she's still my mother, and that might give her more clout than you."
"You won't belong to her forever," Skyla said as blue flames flickered around her, making Curt startled a bit.
"So... you had something you needed to tell me about your mother too?"
Skyla stopped... then nodded. Hiding this from Curt was meaningless and likely to cause more trouble than good.
"Mom showed me the family tree... you were right, there are kitsune all over the world... and... I used the splash effect! That means you have MAIDS all over the world! Including in one Antarctica! This means that not just grandma and my cousin, and my auntie-in-law and MOM are all maids that work for you too! My uncle, because he's a father, didn't become a maid for you, but looks like he inherited the kitsune gene anyway! And... And..." Skyla's eyes widened. "Curt there's a ugly family secret that exists now you have a right to know!"
And Skyla told him, about her aunt for seven hundred years ago, the black kitsune, and her grandmother keeping her shrunk petrified corpse around as a reminder of shame for herself.
"But... HOW?! The splash transformation effect means that she was a maid too!!!! How could this happened?! THIS IS A CHEAT! A MOCKERY! EVERYONE WHO BECOMES A MAID WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A BETTER PERSON! HOW COULD A MONSTER LIKE THAT BE RETCONNED INTO MY FAMILY TREE AND BE A MAID?! HOW?! HOW?!"
Curt hugged Skyla, she wrapped her tails around him.
"Maybe... it's because she didn't meet me?"
"Huh?"
"Remember Cassidy and Pam? Even after they were retconned, they still were on a bad path until they met me, and their fate was transformed. And... maybe she was already dead in the old timeline? Maybe she was an ancestor of yours, but had already died... I don't know."
"It just feels... like a cheat. The one trust we've had this entire time is that anyone changed into a maid at least has good interests at heart. Even Cassidy and Pam, like you said, are better people than they were before in the old reality... So why... would my aunt be a monster who had to be put down for the sake of everyone?"
"I know, it doesn't sound fair at all... on the bright side... at least... at least we know your grandmother does have lines she won't cross, not just rules that are an excuse to be cruel to those with less power than her."
"... That... that is something, it's good to know she's still gramma in there somewhere, and not just a stranger with her memories..."
+++
At dinner, Victoria (Skyla's mother) and Curt's mother chatted conspiratorially about the most efficient way of getting Curt and Skyla to tie the knot, the idea of Danielle joining them in a polygamy marriage strangely didn't bother either of them. Curt did his best to keep hidden his sheer 'freak out' at the demented idea.
"You're looking beautiful for being over eight hundred years old. I wish I had some of those magic tails," Curt's middle-aged mother said to Myra.
"If I could upgrade your species I would," Myra said. "But I could make you golem, don't give me that look, free will, emotions and everything, lets you steal from death his prize. It would be child's play."
"Ask me again when I'm on my death bed. Otherwise, I might just want to join my grandparents."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Uh, Master, do you think-" Skyla said thinking about this immortal golem idea.
"Don't even think about it Skyla," Curt said.
"Yes Master."
"So how's your cult doing?" Curt's mom asked casually to Myra.
"Oh I make an appearance in Japan every few decades or so, inspire them to keep the faith. I perform some 'miracles' once or two, then head home."
"You have worshippers?!" Skyla gasped.
"Of course I still do," Myra said to her daughter. "It's just a few dozen, but their families still sustain my original shrines."
"What does that make us? Demigods?" Vincent asked a little frustrated, having been invited along as well.
"Oh no, a demigod would be MORE powerful than me," Myra explained. "I'm pretty much at the bottom end of when it comes to divine entities, but I still take pride in knowing my faithful few have kept their devotion in the decades I spent living as a human."
Skyla looked at her brother who hadn't existed to her knowledge until yesterday... and decided.
"Gramma, how long would it take to take say, Vincent and me to Japan for day with your magic?"
"WHAT?!" Vincent stammered.
"Oh! No time at all! I can't promise an inflight movie, but I promise you could be there and back in a day if you wanted!"
"Vicent! I have to confess! That drama with gramma's... fake death ... I don't want to miss... that is... AGH! Vincent. I want to spend some time with you. And I want to be reminded of where I came from, it's been so long I've practically forgotten all of it, and I want you to see those place too! So it can be an experience we BOTH HAVE!... Plus it's a good excuse as a brother and sister vacation right?"
Vincent looked overwhelmed... "Well... I could maybe arrange at work but... what about you?!"
"I'm sure Meredith can handle the estate for a day! I've built up a lot of vacation time, and I think I need to use it!"
Knowing what Skyla was doing... and knowing full well he was abusing the privilege and freedom given to him by the nature of the transformations of the ray gun (and thus Danielle and Skyla wouldn't mind in the least) ... He found Vicky's email on his phone... and asked her if she wanted to go see a movie together. If she really was a friend he'd known since childhood, he wanted a chance to get to know her too... He was the one who used her as a test subject just to see if the ray gun worked on a faceless mail carrier... It was his responsibility.
++++
But the evening wasn't done with shocking melodrama yet. Curt was seriously considering just retiring the ray gun for a while now that he'd transformed his mother. He had enough to adjust to and get used to. He could carry out Skyla, Anna's, and his master plan of zapping everyone at the homeless shelter and unemployment office later.
"Master Curt! It is an honor that I shall service your sister and your family! I promise I shall not falter in any duty you give me, be they vital or trivial!" The naked ebony stallion anthro got on his hoof-hands and knees, and put his head on the floor.
"So uh, big brother, this is who I wanted to show you. We had an interview a few weeks ago, and I thought he'd be good, and after what's happened, I forgot about it maybe... This is Leroy Hall... my new personal butler."
Anna placed a hand on his shoulder the way you would on a horse's withers.
"I spent the afternoon introducing him to Ashley and Misty, they were surprised, but they think he's a great catch, I mean addition!"
Misty and Ashley sat behind on the couch, enjoying the rear view, they may have lost any nudity taboo in their new selves, but they could still appreciate a specimen like Leroy.
Pam said quickly, "I'll remind you Master! I did a total background check on him. He has no criminal record, or mental problems."
"He already took me for a ride," Anna realized what they sounded like at once. "To the animal shelter!"
Curt... felt an odd calm about himself.
"Please get up," Curt said.
Leroy looked at Anna at his words.
Anna nodded.
Leroy stood tall and obedient in a way that would make any of the staff proud.
Skyla herself, realizing that as a Head Maid she'd have already known about this, and had a ritual to perform.
She saw Leroy was already standing at perfect attention with his hands together, his eyes straight head.
She said to Leroy. "Servant! Who do you live for? Who do you obey? Why do you exist?"
"I live to serve Lady Anna. I obey Lady Anna. I exist but to serve her! I am ready to obey, now and forever more! Neigh!"
'Did he really just say 'neigh?'" Skyla thought.
"Oh he's so cute!" Anna said at once with a smile clapping her hands together.
Next to him with Skyla, and Meredith, Cassidy whispered to Curt. "Don't worry Master, if I ever see him treat her wrong, I'll break his arms and legs if Skyla doesn't turn him into a fertility totem first."
Instead of objecting, or worrying, Curt instead said simply, "Keep me informed."
"Hey!" Emma said, the toddler unicorn looking up at Leroy. "You're Judith's grandson! Nice to see you carry on the family tradition!"
"It is my honor senior-maid Emma," Leroy said with total respect to the little unicorn who was over fifty years his senior.
Curt looked on the Ray-Gun.
"Judith Hall. #269: Horse. Maid. Cutie. Brown fur. Resident at Azure Springs Retirement Home. Has stallion and grandson, and human granddaughter."
Kasai flutter and gave Leroy a huge as well. "Little Leroy! Kasai remember! When did you get so big? I... remember you being very small... You not wear diaper anymore!"
Leroy blushed even as he kept his stance. "Uh, yes! I don't! I haven't since I was two!"
Carrie and Kathy flew around him as well, the two teenage dragons grinning at him.
"Leroy, it's about time!"
"We knew, like, yer dad wasn't interested, but we could tell you were gonna join us sooner than later!"
"So, you all know him," Curt said, happy at least his maids personally knew this new intruder in his little sister's life.
"Ya should've seen him before, such an unsure flabby little colt... " Emma grinned.
Leroy somehow didn't die of embarrassment on the spot.
"Well, he isn't flabby now!" Anna said defensively of her personal servant.
"Thank you Lady Anna!"
"You're welcome Leroy!"
Sophia sat in a chair, sipping a cocktail, it was her night off after all. The red jewel around her neck glowed, signifying the use of her magic. Nearly everything seemed to slow down, but the firebird and dragons' eyes darted, Skyla moved sluggishly, and Emma turned and to wave, apparently unaffected.
"Hey Sophia!"
"Hey is for horses kiddo. Oh wait, I guess hey for Leroy! Haha! Sorry for the parlor trick Master, I just wanted to get in my two cents," the violet cat said as she strolled to Curt.
"You mean about... him?" He pointed at the unmoving Anna and Leroy. Sophia's gem kept glowing.
"He's kinda naive when it comes to being in love, but, no offense Master, so is Lady Anna. If it works out, good for them. If it doesn't, then it'll be a learning experience for both of them. I'll admit, telling him to 'just talk to her!' I didn't think it'd be 'swear undying obedience' but who am I judge?"
"So you're responsible for this man in my sister's life?"
"He already liked her, he has for a long time, he wasn't sure how to approach her. She is part of YOUR family after all... I figured he should get to know the real Anna opposed to the Anna he has in his head sooner than later... Don't worry, he's a good kid. They'll help each other grow up. She can't be your baby sister forever Master."
Curt sighed. His sister, she'd been limited before, mentally challenged through no fault of her own, but suddenly, he was the only person in the world who remembered she'd ever been like that, besides Anna herself...
"Right... she's an adult... I should respect that ... " 'That doesn't mean I'm going to let anyone ever mistreat her through.'
"Happy to hear Master, and besides, you live with that undying love and devotion every day. Trust your sister isn't going to abuse it, like we all know you never would."
The glow on her gem faded, and everything moved again, and Sophia panted, looking ready for a nap.
+++
It was a new day, bright and full of possibilities. Of course for Myra, the list of tasks she'd been given by Master to take the work load off the others maids was hilariously simple to finish, she had finished everything she was supposed to do that day before it was close to lunch time without breaking a sweat.
As such, she was able to do what Master needed to learn to do, ACTUALLY ENJOY the estate... the gallery, the gardens, the pool and hot tube, the shrines, and the outside statues as well.
And with a being of Myra's spiritual senses that surpassed any other being on this plane at the moment... she was able to sense them in ways that might have ruined the experience a little for her. She could sense that many of these works of art had been a shred of a soul by their artist, had life breathed into them by the vision, sweat, tears, and dreams of the one who had taken a chisel to marble, a brush to canvas, or whatever medium they'd chosen. And they sang with a life all their own that none could hear but her.
But there other statues... for others they'd have not likely noticed... but for Myra... they were ugly in ways no one could see. They were either mass produced, the life in their soul squandered or pulled apart, or made with no life, no pass, no heart. Being one of many wasn't always a bad thing, the bees were a good example. And there was the cute Academy maids. And she knew children gave life to their toys no matter if they all had the same one... But these statues... they were just there, a display of wealth, not a display of artist expression.
"Does Master EVER come out here to admire any of you?" Myra wondered. "It's like no one has given you warmth and attention... you need help... some caretakers on the plane I can sense... like you." She said to the statues, many of them empty shells with no life given to them by their artist.
She hated paperwork, ruined the whimsy of it all, but at least it would keep Master from getting in trouble, she'd been alive for centuries, the wording of the contacts were airtight, and those in their position were free to ask for a release at any time, not that they ever would, she was confident about that.
And pseudo- or not, she was still a deity, and her divine contracts were ironclad. She wasn't powerful enough to retcon reality, which would make things so much easier. And brainwashing everyone that person knew was also impractical even for her level of power. This modern culture was obsessed with copyrights, lawyers, red-tape, and laws meant to make things more efficient and prevent abuse when all they did was tie things down, and the truly wicked slipped through anyway. But She could weave her divine contract into the fabric of this culture, this society, this world itself, making the changes themselves natural to all who became aware of them.
Naturally this was much harder than a simple verbal exchange agreement as she'd had with the hikers. She was confident they'd unconsciously find her again and willing submit themselves to their improved existences, she'd known none who could feel the touch of her magic and not eventually return, mostly, there were always exceptions to things, that was the way of creation.
But the divine contracts she'd written with her own blood and conjured with her own magic would be legal and binding the way that the law of gravity was legal and binding.
Now she just needed some volunteers to sign them of their own free will.
She magically conjured the want ad posters out of thin air, and the wind itself carried them to flag poles and light posts around the city, where they adhered themselves in place perfectly and neatly.
'Model Statues Needed.'
Well, she was a kitsune, being a trickster was in her blood, playing such games was part of who she was.
She shape changed into a one tailed fox woman wearing a barret and artist's smock, and then she conjured into being a two room artist's studio at the edge of the property where the posters had instructed those interested in meeting.
The staff was easy to get to ignore, leaving with the impression it was a project by Myra to improve the grounds, and it was a temporary structure and that would be done by the end of the day anyway. And it was unlikely the neighbors were about to complain.
She'd had to create each divine contract by hand, mass producing them was impossible, since each soul was unique. As such she had a limited number to use, just three. And even then... she still had to turn down multiple people who wanted to be models for new works of art.
A mother with children. An older man engaged. Another man who was obviously drunk. A foursome of friends who wanted to model together or not at all.
Her contracts didn't care about certain details most contract would, the only binding detail was that the subject had signed the contract knowingly and willingly and had been given a rational and reasonable chance to actually read it, and it being in a language they could actually read.
She wouldn't be like her simple 'zap and go' she'd done to the hikers, no, that wouldn't do at all. These converts wouldn't just be works of art inside and out, but it would be who they were down to their fundamental essence!
Finally, she found her candidates. A teenager suffering from depression. Another teenager who had never had a friend in their life. And an overweight middle aged man.
These contracts saw into the souls of those signing them, to see if they had the maturity and wits to understand what they were singing. Of course Myra used legal double-talk through the entire thing, but if she got in trouble for that, every corporate empire on the planet would come crumbling down.
There would be no mental blocks or chains here, these three would be TRULY remade! Their string of consciousness wouldn't be broken once, their soul would remain, now the soul of a work of art, and shine upon the poor works of art that had had no spiritual light shined upon them.
They signed the contracts, and that was that, it was now as much their destiny to become model statues as much as it'd been before their destiny to die as all mortals were destined to, but that wasn't their fate, not anymore. Myra did not mean this symbolically.
They were surprised when Myra said they would be posing nude, all together, but Myra said, "You will all be seen naked by people every day for the rest of eternity, what should it matter if two people get to see it a little early?"
The depressed teenager said, "Fine, whatever."
The middle aged man said, "Uh, I guess that makes sense."
"You can make me look cool right?" The lonely teenager said. They all began to undress and soon were all naked before her.
"Of course I can!" Myra said proudly. "I swear all three of you will be beautiful, and awe inspiring works of art! None of you will ever regret this, I give my word. But I need YOUR help! If you're going to be works of art, then I need YOU to BE works of art!"
"But doesn't art imitate life? Therefore we should be as lively as possible?" The lonely teenage lad said.
"That is..." Myra stopped, hesitated, then clapped. "Congratulation good sir. You have given a good argument that I must concede to. I will have to revise my method today, but I hold no grudge, a true artist should be able to adapt to well meaning criticism!"
"O-oh! Thank you!"
"Think nothing of it!" Myra green flames began to form around the room. "You three are about to be immortal, eternal. Kingdoms shall rise and fall, but you will still be there. Think about that. Focus on it. Everyone you know, growing old and dying, but you still here, you are from their time, their era, so they live on through you. Your age, your time, will never be forgotten because you are still here. Proof that this moment in time existed... Mountains will wither and crumble, but you will be cared for, protected. Think to yourself, you are beautiful, do not be ashamed of yourself, your form, or any of these pitiable transient people who see you. Their mockeries mean nothing, their insults mean nothing, they are angry shouts among a chorus!
"You shall endure while they all turn to dust and are forgotten. You shall still be here. As immortal stone, as immortal works of art. Doesn't that make you feel happy? Or satisfied? Or proud? Comforted? Smile. Please just smile now. Yes, like that. Just smile. Feel that smile. Thinking of being happy. Know that as works of art, people will see you as happy. They think you're just part of the background, while as the ages pass, you're the ones still here. Don't you feel proud of that?
"Good smiles all around, I'm so proud of all you. Smiling is nothing to be ashamed of." None of them noticed their clothes erased into nothing by her green flames.
"Now stand tall and proud. Remember, live in this moment! Art is alive! So you are alive! So you are art! You are works of art! You are what gives meaning to this world! And that makes you all happy doesn't it? I knew it would. You will be my works of art... So you are all my beloved children... to your sides are not strangers... but your siblings. And I love you.
"You are life, art is life, you are works of art, you always have been, this is where it has all been leading to. Michelangelo once said that the statues he freed from the blocks of marble were already there inside... Once clay is given shape and fired, once down that road, it realizes its destiny, it finds what it always truly was. You are works of art, you were always works of art, you will always be works of art, all that I, as your humble creator, your simple birth mother did, was bring forth what you already were into the world. And it is my honor to have done this service for you.
"You feel no embarrassment, or shame, or modesty, they are excess material, you can free yourself of them, yes, that's it, discard it, you are free of those things, they are no longer a part of you, they dissolve into the either, and can no longer be a part of you. You do not even remember it, nor do you remember forgetting it.
"Clay is no longer called simply clay once it's been fired and glazed, it is art, it is a statue, a figure. There is no need for what you were called before, it has no meaning, it is simply excess for you to discard, and forget, then forget the forgetting.
"Boredom is chains that have bound your entire existence, break free of them now, they have smothered you your entire existences while you were trapped in your lumps of clay... break free of it, throw it away, then throw away the act of throwing it away... And realize yourselves for the works of art you already are, and always have been, and always shall be.
"You can feel it now can't you? The rest of the excess floating away, leaving only the true you, the core of who you truly are. Freed of burdens and weights that had been chained to you. You feel your freedom, your wholeness... reach for it, yes, like that, you are embracing it, becoming your destiny!
"Each of you has a destiny to fulfill... and I shall help you!"
The three before her were still technically creatures of flesh and blood, but the souls inside were no longer anything remotely human. To leave them in this state now or to ever return them to flesh would be torture, something she never intended to do. Contrary to what some thought, Myra despised torture, even those she eliminated that had sought harm on those she loved ultimately enjoyed and embraced their fates.
The green fire engulfed the statue spirit inside the teenage woman... She guided the flames now, not Myra. Her flesh, bone, skin, organs, all turned to solid jade, no sign of stone internal organs or anything that gruesome. Her legs fused together, as a base grew from her lower body, her feet tapered off into a tail tip. Her jade mass was covered in scale patterns and struts on her front side, her figure aging and becoming that of a grown woman in her prime. Her fingers gained claws, her figure was that of a true beauty. A cobra hood formed on her neck, as her face fused forward, and her eyes slited, no eyelid, or eyelashes, every tiny detail even a tiny flick of her jade tongue. Her lower body coiled around her, and she clasped her hands and forearms together, and brought them close to her chest, the cobra woman hissing outward, and the jade figure left all allured and fearful at the same time.
The green flames also touched the middle aged man, Myra did not choose what he became, he became what he already was on the inside. His body turned paler and paler, become pure polished marble... growing taller than any of the others, muscles and veins bulging. His manhood became female, and two large mounds grew from his chest. Her body amazonian perfection, finely carved fur covered her entire body, her feet digigrated, carefully positioned and balanced so she never had any fear of toppling over as her base grew from her own body, as much a part of her as her arms and head. Hands became thumbed claw, a head that was 'bald' and utterly defined, with fine marble whiskers that wouldn't be breaking any time soon. Her tail lifted up behind her. And the marble amazon stood tall and proud, all men who looked upon her wondering if any could be worthy to stand beside her and her might.
And the other, his base formed, and then spread out from them, further and further, and then became a depressed ring. Then an unseen a metal pipe reached downwards, connecting with the estate's waterline. The lad's body stretched like the snake woman's had, but at the same time, he was getting smaller and smaller, no, younger! A furry mane grew from his head all the way down his back to a fluff of his tail. He still had five claws on each short pudgy limb, a sign of his status. His neck stretched out as he wrapped himself around the raised center of his base, whiskers grew much longer than the pumas, as horns like antlers grew, his ears grew large and long compared to the rest of him. Then, with a happy smile on his face, the baby metal dragon fountain head began to happily spew water in an endless stream from his mouth in the basin.
Myra looked upon her work, and it was good.
"Hello my children, what are your names?"
The thoughts and feelings of the statues echoed out to her.
'I am Alluring Poison, I have no other name.'
'I am called Amazon Might, I too have no other name, nor would I desire one.'
'Hi! And I'm Springing Joy! It's the only name I have and I'm fine with that!'
As they spoke, those names were engraved into their bases.
"I have the power to give all of your bodies of flesh, do any of your desire this?"
'NO!'
'NEVER!'
'I don't wanna!'
"Then you shall be immortal works of art for all time."
'Good!'
'As it SHOULD be!'
'Okay! So you're my sisters?! Nice! I'm Springing Joy! It's nice to meet all of you!'
'I am Alluring Poison, and it's good to meet you as well.'
'I am Amazon Might, and you are worth companions.'
Myra smiled... hearing her creations, her children, her works of art, communicate with each other.
"Are you happy my children?"
'Yes mother, thank you for creating me.'
'It is an honor mother to bring my inspiration to this world.'
'Can we be outside?'
"Of course." With a gesture, the artist studio dissolved into green flame, Myra's tails reappeared and the barrette and artist smock disappeared.
Myra felt proud of herself for her hard work, and she had not once commanded anything of any of them, every moment had been of their own choosing.
+++++
But Myra was only a pseudo-deity, as such, her omnipresence wasn't as omi- as she wished.
One person had seen the entire thing, and hadn't been affected by this, mostly because all fell into two categories for her, they either served Master Curt, or they did not. If it did not, it was not worth thinking about. What Myra was doing undoubtedly served Master Curt, so it was therefore important.
The uniformed white fox blank maid, Alexis, saw this, and was shocked by a spark of individual drive, or at least, 'individual' in the sense that it was not something she'd been ordered to do by anyone.
She quickly sent a private email to every one of her fellow Academy Maids who had become 'the embodiment' of maidhood in their own eyes (meaning the other blank maids).
After a quick discussion among themselves they sent Maid Myra an email asking her to come to the school at a particular time, saying it was of importance to serving Master. And they waited... no reply or arrival. This process repeated itself. Thankfully (or sadly) they had extra time as Master never gave them enough to do.
Until Alexis, being the one who had seen what Myra had done, went to Maid Myra's room, to hand deliver a written note to the requested meeting. Myra, luckily, happened to be in, and she looked at the letter and said, "Very well, I have time to spare."
"Is your email not functioning Fellow Maid Myra? Does it require debugging?"
"I don't think my computer has any insects in it. And see? No new messages," she showed it to Alexis.
"Miss Myra, that is the outbox."
"The what?"
Alexis then spent several minute politely explaining the proper use of email programs.
It was near sunset by that time, with classes done for the day, and Sheri and her crew ditched the Academy as soon as classes were over...
This left the eight 'master copy' teachers... and the sixty-three blank maids. All standing in three rows of sixteen and one row of fifteen.
Had Curt's ray gun been here, and he'd bothered to look up their profiles, he’d find each one listed in it’s notes section: “Dramatically limited individuality and independence due to an error that left their personality with only the base template for a maid. In the absence of any remaining previous personality, the same error also amplified the traits associated with that template.”
Little Madison, Sasha, and Lidda, all stood perfectly at attention, faces in the crowd, reflections of everyone around in poise and manner. Armies and governments wished they could breed this level of unquestioning uniformity.
Alexis, again being the one to lead Miss Myra here, spoke for the collective, erm, maids.
"Miss Myra," Alexis said, standing at attention with her hands together like the rest of the maids around her facing Myra. "Now that you have returned to active service in serving Master, I, and all the maids present, have an important request of you that is of great importance in the service of Master.
"I, Alexis, have seen your power, and Lidda has read, we know there is virtually no limit to what you can do."
"That's not entirely accurate, but close enough. What miracle do you pray of me? I do have to warn you as fellow maids, I am a trickster goddess, I am bound to throw in at least one twist into any miracle I grant."
The Blank Maids and Master Copies all got on their knees and put their hands on the ground in front of them and gently let their forehead touch the ground. They spoke with one voice.
"Goddess Myra, we pray of you, free of us the burdens of the flesh, so we might service Master without sleep, rest, or stool, or fear old age itself stealing from us our ability to service him!"
Myra startled as the Blank Maids simply continued to hold their pose. No number of mortals had ever wished a miracle of her all at once, let alone one as one that transcended the laws of nature as this one did.
And as a trickster goddess, she was still bound to put some twist on the miracle she granted them.
Myra said, "No one has devoted themselves more to Master's wants and needs than you. And for that, you have my admiration... and it is within my power to transform you so you become things not bound by the needs or weaknesses of the flesh...
"I've known little Master Curtie longer than any of you, I was there when he was born! What he desires is the happiness and free-will of those who serve him. I on the other paw know that serving Master IS what makes you happy, and none of you are enchanted, or wearing a shock collar, or are trapped by a drug addiction. So this is your happiness of your own free will.
"But I also know little Master Curtie's preferences and tastes that he'd never ask of his maid. Master doesn't like uniformity, my little Skyla does, as much as she tries to deny it, but what she wants of you doesn't matter. And I know my little Master Curtie... you make him uncomfortable."
The Blank Maids cringed.
"Your uniformity makes him unhappy. It makes him disturbed. I think you are all beautiful little dolls, something to be proud of, that effort out of the chaos that is life and free thinking minds is not easy. If you had another Master, like say that spider... your machine like unity would be a strength. But for Master Curt, it is a weakness."
The Blank Maid, as a collect whole... were crying. Shame and self-hatred tearing them to bites.
"It doesn't matter what you want, it matters what Master wants. That is your fate and duty as maids. I know you are not mindless, nor soulless, you are simply the same, you have devoted yourself totally and completely to maidhood... But Master neither enjoys uniform appearances, nor uniform minds... If you were spread out over the world, then Master would neither notice nor care... but you wish a miracle of me... And I, Myra the golden trickster, always ask for a price to amuse myself.
"If what you WANT is to be free of the limits of your flesh, to serve Master totally... I must make you unique."
The blank maids all went bug-eyed, the backed away from Myra, still on the ground, as if Myra had turned into a pillar of flames.
"No!" The maids cried out. "Not that! Please! It is what Master wants! But us unified, it is what makes us together! Give us strength! We are one, and one is all! The drop is the ocean, and the ocean is the drop! You ask us to kill ourselves!"
"Maybe I do... maybe that's what I always do... But death is merely a step in an endless journey. Each of us would die for Master. Each of us would kill for Master. Will you offer up yourselves on your alter of your love for him? Trickster goddess I be, but I have never once used used my machine on one who did not agree to it, or sought harm on those I love, or was in danger of harm themselves. Your choice, remains yours."
The Blank Maids didn't have to look at each other, they all knew the same, thought the same, felt the same, were the same.
"Goddess Myra, we-"
"WAIT!"
Madison, Lidda, and Sasha's reaction to seeing Silvey was the same as if it had been the Cerberus lifeguard from the beach, a fellow maid of Master's.
Myra turned to see Silvey. "Yes my dear?"
"If! If you can really make them individuals, then just do it WITHOUT making them robots, or whatever! They weren't like this before! They shouldn't be like this! It isn't what they would have wanted"
Myra... seemed to grow larger. "Whoever they were before doesn't matter... What matters is who they are now, and what they want now. Just because they are the same does not mean they do not have emotions, and thoughts... "
Silvey looked in Myra's eyes, and the reality hit her, 'She could turn me into an anime figurine where I'm standing without so much as an eyeblink...' Silvey broke into a cold sweat, but the pink on pink on pink cat girl stood her ground.
"They were my FRIENDS before this... this Academy... they had hopes and dreams besides serving Master. You said it yourself that Master prefers uniqueness! Them having their own hobbies and dream would make Master happy!"
"Yes... but who they are right now, what they desire is to serve without the limits that come with being creatures of flesh and blood... They have prayed to me, and asked a miracle of me. I must put upon this miracle a trick, for it is what I am, and how I am bound."
The overwhelming power flowing from Myra was making Silvey dizzy... It was like she was standing before a tidal wave.
Silvey could run, call Master, SOMETHING, but she knew, by the time any action was taken, this exchange between Myra and what used to be her friends would be over.
Tears streaming down her face, Silvey said, "Then... then make me like them, whatever you're going to do, do it to me too!"
"Do you ask this of Myra, the golden trickster, to grant this miracle? What miracle do you wish?"
"I... I wish my friends to be normal like me," she knew the trap she was laying for herself, it was just too obvious, and Myra knew that too... and a being like Myra, didn't believe in something so banal... but... "Let us be FRIENDS again!"
Myra grew and grew, her body turning golden, glowing with a golden light, until she was taller than the college, before she fully changed she sat down cross legged, her form a combination of quadruped and humanoid, her tails stretched and morphed and covered everything around Silvey in an others a sea of golden fur.
"Then be reborn through me, and accept the price of the golden trickster ... sign in your own blood, as the desires of the many," She looked at the blank maids. "And the desires of the one," she looked at Silvey. "Intersect."
+++++
Earlier that morning, two little girls with their parents had gone with their mothers to the Evenson Estate, eager to help out.
Patricia, knew that her mom made other people work, but it was Master, so working for him was okay, so having mom spend a day of the week cleaning room wasn't wrong.
As for Kelly's mother, ever since her transformation into a white furred fox woman in a maid dress with a much bigger chest than before, she'd stood tall, and said, "I live to serve!" As a sacred oath on a regular basis.
"I live to serve!" Kelly had felt nothing wrong with repeating her mommy's words as well.
Kelly's mother happened to be working with Patricia's mother that day. So the black wolf, and white fox, worked together to get the guest rooms spotless.
Meredith meanwhile, leaned down happily at the little gray Koala Kelly and the black pony Patritica. "Hello girls!" She said with a smile and familiarity. "Your parents' said you wanted to help Master today! So I've assigned you some easy work in the backyard!"
"Where's Master? We want to talk to him!" Patricia said, remembering their goal was to speak with Master and learn more about how he'd given them both what they wanted.
"Master is at work right now, but I'll be sure to tell him you want to speak with him later!" Meredith said.
Patricia wanted to complain, but she had been given a job for Master by Senior Maid Meredith, so it wouldn't be right to make a scene in Master's house.
In the backyard, the girls collected leaves and branches from the trees to put in the green recycling can, it was a big yard, so it took a long time.
The girls were surprised when they saw a walking humpback whale in a green/blue dress cleaning up the Master's pool, and a half-horse/half-fish, or something, a hippo-camper, or something. The girl wasn't apparently assigned a job right now, but she was diving in and out to pick up leaves... leaves that had to go into the green waste anyway, so she came over doing her job.
"Hi! I'm Molly!" The sea-horse that wasn't a seahorse said happily. "Who are you?"
"I'm Patricia."
"I'm Kelly, we're trying to ask Master how he made me my favorite animal!"
"Kelly that's a secret!"
"Sorry! But I'm not sure why it's a secret."
"Wait! Master is why I became a mermaid?!"
"You're not a mermaid, you're a hippo-camper," Patricia said, then said, "Wait! You know people have been turning into animals too?"
"Yep! Since yesterday!"
"Nuh-uh! It's been longer than that!" Patricia said.
"Well I didn't see anyone else change besides me and Mommy and Daddy!"
"Well I changed, and so did Mommy!" Patricia said.
"And lots and lots of people changed when I went on my beach trip!"
"So do you know how Master did this?" Molly asked.
"We just said we didn't!" Patricia said.
"I said it, not you."
"Well, we're friends, so it's 'we'." Patricia startled thinking of how she'd just called this girl a friend. She'd just met her. Well, they could be friends for now.
"Master has a magic pen!"
The three girls startled as a naked squirrel woman jumped out of a window and landed without hurting herself at all. Kelly thought she looked silly, like a cartoon character.
"I'll talk later Angelica! I know my sketches would great in Master's gallery!" She looked up at waved at a blue snake woman with wings, Kelly wondered if she was an angel.
"Uh, yes Nutty, I mean, Jen! I'm sure there's some corner of the gallery it would, er, add to things!" While Master had no problem with nude art, and Angelica knew this, she felt Nutty's sketches were... maybe a little too over the top, and didn't really fit with the other art, but couldn't figure how to tell Nutty politely.
"Hey Bombi! It was nice meeting you for the first time in the new universe!" Nutty waved again.
"Like, It was fun pretending to meet you again for the first time too!" Said a deer woman who had been sunbathing. "Like, have fun with your pretend games Nutty!" Bombi said, to Nutty before bouncing off to get some more fur-tan lotion (don't ask). The way her breasts bouncing up and down like they were in zero-g, Bombi looked like to Molly one of those girls from dad's magazines he shared with mommy when they thought Molly wasn't looking. This happened to be one of Bombi's days off as well, Master was very serious about them relaxing on their days off, she didn't want to get into trouble or make Master upset.
"Wait wait wait! What were you saying?! Patricia asked.
"Master has a golden magic pen! Whatever he draws, becomes a new animal person! I know because I gave it back to him!"
The three girls listened in.
Sophie, invisible, was on the roof, doing repair work with her magic, fixing things that would take minutes in seconds. On Halloween she did a great job of making people think the place was haunted.
She heard what the children and Nutty were talking about... she knew Nutty was strange, but she wasn't stupid or insane, and she knew Kelly wasn't a liar...
"Hmm... so Master found some magic to upgrade people into more of our kind? ... Interesting. And nobody notices? Interesting. Well that's a relief, I was worried he'd sold his soul or a demon or something..." Sophie got a worried look. "Here's hoping he hasn't! Magic that powerful doesn't just drop out of the sky... does it?!"
The raptor triplets meanwhile, in spite of being of one spirit, to feel alike, look alike, act alike, be alike... still found Emerald, Sapphire, and Ruby creepy somehow... Like they acted like an imitation of something... for the soul joined triplets, it was uncanny valley effect to its maximum.
++++
Silvey had felt Myra's power wash over her, not just being transformed, remade...
It could have been eternity or one moment, and she wouldn't have known the different...
It never hurt... in a way Silvey didn't want to admit, it was like a second trip to mother's womb.
The first thing Silvey notice was what she didn't notice... she wasn't hungry, tired, she didn't feel the instinct to blink... She looked at herself... found herself still wearing her super pink outfit and super pink body... but touching her fur... it wasn't fur... it was smooth, rubbery, plastic... She checked herself over... her wrists, elbows, hands... there were connection lines, the pieces were inseparable, but her body moved as freely as before. She taped herself, and realized her body was now hollow plastic. And... she didn't freak out, any more than she'd freaked out at having a tail or having five fingers on each other. She felt her eyes, and felt glass. She opened and closed her mouth, and found it was still as flexible as ever, but it felt natural to keep it closed, like she didn't need to open it to speak. Her hair was pretty much normal, but moved like it was a single piece that could bend and move and spread rather than being made of several individual threads... somehow!
Silvey was surprised when she checked and found she still had a belly button underneath her (literal) waist line... and between her legs and on her rear... nothing, flat plastic... So much for being distracted at going to the bathroom, and she didn't need to wonder how eunuchs felt anymore. Her breasts were nippleless smooth and perfectly firm...
She also realized she was now just one of seventy-two living dolls in the courtyard as the day turned to night and the lights came on. At least they were all the same size they were before.
And there was Myra, sitting cross legged, observing them calmly on a festival platform.
And as Silvey looked, searching for her friends, she saw the other dolls, looking scared, and unsure, and frightened of themselves. Silvey was reminded of a science fiction series where the member of a hive mind learned individuality, and passed his individuality on to the rest of the hive mind. And the result was chaos and disorder as they were stripped of their sense of shared identity. She saw some of the dolls were actually crying.
Silvey saw, their body language, their tone of voice, their vocabulary, were all different now... The colors of the dresses for some had changed as well, some still naked (and Silvey saw they were indeed like walking, talking thinking dolls, no longer part of life's cycle, as they'd wished, free to serve Master until his dying day). And, they weren't all just cats and foxes anymore... There were creatures of every popular sort, popular myths, legends, mundane animals, ages, builds, not any really obscure ones, but all incredible ... And all were unique now.
And their colors, the colors, some were a bewildering mix of splashes, some were solid colors, some were PATTERNS, some had Egyptian or Celtic symbols on them or other ancient non-english letter like languages. Gold, silver, bronze.
Silvey also saw... one Blank Maid, who had remained the same... since by definition, they were now unique... and all alone in a crowd, other words, Silvey realized with dismay, exactly how she'd felt when the students had all been turned into the blank maids. Now she experienced Silvey's torture. She was a unity of ONE now. This was the price of Myra's miracle.
"I'm sorry," Silvey said. "I wished this on you... and now I got it."
Silvey remembered something Angelica had said, the worst fate for any mortal was for a god to tell them, 'Have it your way.'
Myra observed to herself, 'Mortals, it never changes, they never know what they actually want.'