Curt checked the heads-up display on their newest maid:
#443
Name: Monica McAlister
Species: Blue Jay
Busty/Adorable Toggle: Busty
Nude/Maid Uniform Toggle: Nude
Age: 31
Occupation: Singer at the “Foxy Dragon.”
"We’ve got our own personal song bird," Skyla said she took out her cellphone. "So now the estate has a few small condos on site for maids outside of the main mansion. With the estate now having a laundromat near the estate's pool and hot tub (which both now had a waiting list, which you, Anna, and me are free to ignore), and the estate's garden now included a few produce patches."
Curt couldn't deny it anymore, with the rate things were going, the estate would become a quasi-self-sustaining gated community eventually. It was going to BE the district if they kept zapping maids.
"How do you know that? Kitsune magic?" Curt asked.
"Actually, I've started sending emails to myself. Describing the current state of affairs of the estate. Listing all the buildings, properties we own, the size of the property, and of course who has what responsibility to keep our little commune running. They naturally retcon, so I can just keep looking them up."
"That's... very clever Skyla."
"Thank you Master. I tried describing my own childhood, my original childhood, but it seems the retcons considers those not part of THIS reality..."
"Sorry it didn't work."
"That's how it goes Master," Skyla sighed. "I have enough to worry about. I'm thinking of just asking mom about it. Wish I'd kept a diary!"
"You're still in all my childhood pictures, well, as a five-tailed brown fox... Did you disguise yourself as a child?"
"... Hopefully I just grew up again the old fashioned way like grandma did. The best way to assimilate into a culture is to grow up in it."
"That makes sense..."
Curt thought of Molly, the hippogriff in the wheel chair, she didn't seem to mind she was unable to move freely on land. He hoped he hadn't truly robbed that of her, if indirectly. But if she was aware of the changes, and didn't seem to be suffering for it, he wouldn't make himself suffer for it, the sad truth was that he had more things to think about.
-
"Hey girls! Look what I can do!" Molly called to her two friends, forming a sphere of water in her webbed hands, then growing it to a size large enough to climb on, letting her ride it like a ball with her newfound hydrokinesis.
-
"I wish Michie would stop sending me these," said a large chested skunk maid who was on her legally mandated break.
Curt looked up her profile.
#00043
Name: Rose Clark
Species: Skunk
Busty/Adorable Toggle: Busty
Nude/Maid Uniform Toggle: Maid
Age: 22
Other notes: Lives to serve.
#43. Rose. Skunk, maid. Busty. Lives to serve. One of Marceline’s “online” friend.
Curt wondered about the 'lives to serve' notice in her profile.
"Excuse me, Rose," Curt said sitting next to her and Skyla follow. "Would you say you, 'live to serve'?"
Rose stood up proudly, pushing out her chest as she hand her hands together in her lap, smiling.
"I exist only to serve my Master. I will be a loyal, perfect, skunk girl maid. I will do whatever I am asked. I am ready to serve forevermore."
"You're ... a fan of the Academy maids?"
"They're my idols," Rose said proudly. "Service to others is the ultimate virtue."
"You make me proud," Skyla said putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you Head Maid Skyla," she curtsied.
'Ayn Rand would be tearing her hair out hearing that one!' Curt thought.
By her number she was zapped BEFORE the academy maids... 'Maybe trying to figure out how things were in a previous timeline just aren't worth it. And I should focus on this one.'
Curt also subtly looked up who 'Michie' was.
#59
Name: Michie Flores
Species: Monkey
Busty/Adorable Toggle: Busty
Nude/Maid Uniform Toggle: Maid Uniform (white)
Age: 36
Occupation: Website coder/designer.
‘A code monkey? Well, if it fits…’ Curt thought. "So Rose, you were saying that Michie was sending you things you were tired of?" He asked.
"Oh! Sorry to bother you Master! If I have to look at one more 'ascended animal' or 'were-beast' transformation story I'll scream. I was polite and didn't say anything, and she thought I must like them too... I love her, she is my sister-maid after all, but our tastes for transformation are just too different."
"I understand completely," Skyla said. "That can be very awkward. But Rose, just tell her, she's our sister-maid after all. She'll understand. I don't want to hurt the feelings of my family either. But you shouldn't suffer in silence just to protect the status quo."
"... Thank you for your words Head Maid Skyla, I'll tell Michie the truth!" And Rose sat down with her phone and began to do exactly that.
"I thought you were now all about the status quo," Curt whispered.
"That doesn't mean I'm about to see a fellow transformation lover be upset." Skyla's eyes widened. "Uh-oh!" She looked at her phone again. "Master! I need to borrow the heirloom! I think it would make a great good-luck charm for the charity date auction they're holding in a few minutes! I'm sure it'll really increase the size of the donations!"
Curt knew he should have argued her point, since she was clearly just looking for another reason to zap people... but if these were already women, who were already single, and were willing to go on a date with someone for charity... maybe it would help things? And maybe... maybe he just didn't feel like arguing with her about it.
"Fine. Just don't go 'showing it off' to everyone you see."
"I promise Master," Skyla said as she was given the ray-gun.
Skyla made a bee line for the room that had been set aside for the date auction, keeping a laser like focus as she passed by people in furry suits and not transforming them despite how she knew how much she'd be doing them a favor. These were her own kind after all.
She checked the ray gun, #443 of 500 to go towards the next upgrade. Skyla sincerely wondered what that was going to be. What else could it be?
She came to the entrance to the room. Besides the double doors was a plump woman wearing a pair of fluffy gray dog ears sitting behind a desk with a clipboard and bowl of mints.
"Hello Miss, do you have an invite, or are you a sit in?"
"I'm just here to observe," Skyla said casually as she zapped the woman.
The fuzzy wolf ears became flesh and blood and part of her head as her other ears vanished, her hair remaining surprisingly mostly the same. Gray and white fur began to cover her body. Her shoes and socks vanished, as her feet gained pads and became digigrated. (Skyla began to wonder how much the fine for not cleaning up after your dog had increased with the many more bare foot anthros around). Tiny claws replaced her fingernails and toes as her hands gained pads as well. A fluffy tail grew out of the base of her spine that curled upwards. Her face pushed into a muzzle as her nose become distinct and black, her mouth filling with fangs. Her body mass shifted to her hips and chest. Her pants and long sleeve blouse shifted into a black and white maid uniform. However, the uniform had a surprisingly low cut, making her heavy hanging breasts look like they were about to pop out. And there was a diamond shaped cut in her uniform that made her belly button visible, while the opening in the side of her skirt made a lot of her hip visible. She wasn't wearing gloves and her sleeves were very short.
"Go right in Head Maid Skyla," the husky girl nodded.
Skyla took two steps, then turned around looked at the husky maid's uniform, and then at her name tag, then looked her in the eyes.
"Penny... you're overselling it. If you're not ashamed of your body, go around naked like the rest of Lady Anna's school of thought. If you want to dress up nice, dress up nice. I can make you a uniform myself if nothing Terri has suits you. There's a reason that human nudists are annoyed at people who go around in their underwear rather than going fully clothes if they don't want to go naked. You're not one of the bachelorettes remember!"
Skyla felt a little surprised at herself, as Scott, how many picture of humans and furries alike dressed up slutty had she seen? Maybe it was the maid in her wanting a sense of order and decorum.
"As you wish Head Maid Skyla, this maid obeys. I'll visit Terri's outfitters tomorrow for a more appropriate uniform," Penny bowed obediently. "I only wore this tonight to help with the event."
"I admire your good intentions. But you're trying a little too hard. Remember the attention is meant to be on the bachelorettes."
"Of course Head Maid Skyla."
A chirpy voice that could have belonged to a pixie said behind Skyla, "Don't worry Penny! You can look nice and eye-catching even if you don't want to show off your fur pattern! Not that I don't mind doing that! But clothes are nice too!"
Skyla turned to see the wolf convert from earlier that day, the 'Sparklewolf.' Her fur was a mix of bright neon colors, and her uniform was a mass of sparkling rainbow glitter.
Skyla again took a glance at the ray-gun's heads up screen.
#433
Name: Neon Star
Species: Wolf
Busty/Adorable Toggle: Adorable
Nude/Maid Uniform Toggle: Maid uniform
Age: 16
Occupation: High school student
'Her legal name is 'Neon Star?' Someone was sure in love with their OC persona.'
"I'm gonna watch too Head Maid Skyla! Nothing's better than seeing true love bloom!"
"That... isn't exactly how this works," Skyla said.
"You never know!" Neon Star said happily before skipping inside.
Skyla followed in after her. She saw a nice table of snacks set aside to help lure people in.
Skyla picked an open seat, making sure to be a few chairs AWAY from Neon Star. The wolf looked like she was ready to explode into fairy dust.
Skyla spotted more of her maids among the humans and bachelors with their bidding paddles.
There was Nutty along with her two friends... the way they moved could almost be described as 'boneless', like their whole bodies were made of rubber. But no one else gave them any mind.
Next came the green goat maid, carrying the two dragon toddlers in her arms. The two dragons were busying with their nap time, sucking on their tail tips. She sat down and gave both of them a kiss on the forehead.
Skyla checked her out on the raygun's profile.
#431
Name: Mary Sue
Species: Goat
Busty/Adorable Toggle: Adorable
Nude/Maid Uniform Toggle: Maid
Age: 16
Occupation: High school student
'Her name is actually Mary Sue? Okay Skyla, remember, Mary Sue was a name BEFORE it was ever used to describe a character that was 'too perfect.' Even if it surprised you when you first met someone with that name too!'
Skyla looked at some of the sponsors for the charity event... one of them happened to be the diner that Master and co would tend to go after church on Sunday with Vicky.
'Guess it's a good thing that the ray gun only says 'unconditional love' not 'greatest love', otherwise this would be CHEATING all these bidders,' Skyla thought.
Skyla was surprised to see a couple MALE adult anthros enter the audience.
One was a male Dalmatian that SKyla couldn't know was a member of the fire department.
The other was a blue monkey Sklya didn't know was Kurt, an intern at Curt's company who hadn't been born in the old timeline, much like Vincent.
'Seeing these male anthros... almost makes me wish the ray gun did butlers too... but ... that would ruin the sense of homogeneity... And... Curt isn't bi... it would feel like cheating.'
The host came out, a tanned skinned woman with curly black hair in a red sparkle cocktail dress. She wore a white pair of furry ears and a spring loaded white tail. Her face painted and her hands and feet having furry glove and shoe 'paws'.
Skyla didn't even hesitate, and zapped away.
In a matter of moments, the dress vanished. The woman's body wiggled almost like a snake's, her arms and legs moving along with her body and the long tail behind her, while her body was covered in smooth black fur. Her face became a pointed muzzle, her ears rounded and arched on the 'corners' of her head. Whiskers formed on her face. Tiny claws formed on her hands and feet. In spite of her liquid grace and the way her whole moved as one, her chest expanded quite a bit, making it a surprising all the more eye-catching contrast.
The black mink nudist maid, still holding her microphone called out, "Thank you all for coming. I'd like to take this time to reminds our bidders that this is a fun, innocent, charity event. You should understand that the dates have no obligation beyond the agreed upon appointment. It is expected that bachelors and bachelorettes will follow through on their dates. However, if they are made to feel uncomfortable or threatened at any time, they may end the date early."
With the disclaimer out of the way, it was time for the bidding to start. 'So I'm guessing this goes with each bachelorette talking across the stage while the bidding goes on... Skyla should have politely waited for the ladies to come on stage one at a time and zap them as they went... but She just didn't feel like it.
She remembered everything her grandmother had given her as a refresher course over her shape shifting... Her blue flames floated around her, giving her an aura of 'don't pay attention to me' and allowed her form to shift as best she could, becoming one with the darkness, a shadow slipping through the crowd to backstage along with the ray gun and her maid dress (Grandma had been very insistent on that one).
And there Skyla spotted them, eight lovely ladies, or she assumed they were all ladies, all wearing fur suits. But also wearing pretty dresses over them, with pretty hair and carefully done make up, all exceptionally high quality. They looked less like stuffed animals or cartoon characters and more like a true fusion between woman and animal. Even Skyla consider bidding on one. Skyla wondered if they were Silvey's work. She hated to do this in a way, but it was for the greater good after all.
'I know they wouldn't likely all agree to this if asked... but they did volunteer... and they wanted to help. I guess me and grandma are alike after all. We both look any excuse to 'work our magic' on making the world a bit more interesting. Well, it's not like they'll be turned into zombies like the blank maids or lose any significant other like Susan.'
Skyla adjusted the ray gun to wide field, and zapped away.
The result was four maids in the nude, and four maids in dress, but the choice of dress for some of them... actually made Skyla balk a little.
She wasn't sure if three of the nudists were poetic or ironic. All of them had black and white fur.
A Dalmatian with a figure that you'd never see in any Disney movie, her hair actually remained, now white with spots like her (never mind how that worked).
A surprisingly slim Panda woman who was a contrast to the heavy set or muscular stereotype that Skyla was used to imagining.
A BLOND haired skunk who look like an adult anthro Shirley Temple in her prime! She practically had sparkles in her eyes.
The last anthro nude, her skin turned gray, then heavy and thick with a heavy pattern of wrinkles. Her feet merging together into round tree trunk like feet with flat toes around the sides. A long skinny tail whipped behind her massive thighs, with only a single tuff of fur on the end. Her breasts became large even as she herself grew taller. A stuff of fur remained on top of her head in style of her old self's hair. Her ears grew till they reminded Skyla of sails. And... there was her nose of course, growing longer and longer like a snake, ending in a flat end, and functioning as another limb as her arms become almost as thick as powerful as her legs. Her hands became heavy and armored. While naked, a set of beautiful jewelry formed around her body, arms, legs, head, neck, giving all but the beauty of a Hindu goddess.
The four dressed maids had some surprised to them as well.
A light gray almost white wolf, her back covered with scars, which took Skyla by surprise. ‘Wasn’t the Ray Gun was supposed to repair all injuries on the target?’ The scars had what Skyla could best describe as 'fur tattoos' actually done up to draw attention to them and accent them! Her maid dress was a pale violet of two slightly different shades. She had an alluring figure, but not exaggerated as Skyla realized was becoming more the norm, and that classic 'ferocious grace'.
The bear’s maid uniform was a powder blue with a white apron, her fur was a brownish orange and curly all over. She could be best described as 'cute and round.' She had all the adorable appeal you'd expect from a teddy bear!
The tiger and the raccoon anthros however that were created though... made Skyla do a double take.
The raccoon had an adorable face, and a rounded, but ultimately modest figure.
The figure wasn't a powerhouse amazon like Cassidy, but she moved like she was the one in charge, and her body was was the opposite of the raccoon's, slim in most places, but sumptuous along her hips and chest. She looked like a magazine model, but actually somehow looked HEALTHY.
But what they were both wearing... maid uniforms made of black and white latex or similar material with a short frilly latex skirt. The tigress had long gloves and 'boots' with their fingers, heels, and toes exposed, with a 'v' shape opening that went down the middle past her belly button with 'arcs' above her hips that exposed more of her fur. With of course a rubber collar around her neck and similar material for her head piece.
The raccoon wore a similar outfit, both with the addition of a leash connected to her collar, and a rubber exposed corset with nothing underneath and a very large white bow.
Skyla's face turned red and she huffed. But before she could drop her aura of 'please ignore me'.
But reality blurred and shifted, and to Skyla surprise, SUSAN was now standing in front of them.
"Theodora!" Susan said to the tiger, beautiful hands on her epic hips, "Aspasia!" She said to the raccoon. "What did I tell you?! Don't try so hard. If you come off as easy we won't get any big bets. People want what they can't have. You'll find out most of those guys out there are just looking to have a good time with an evening with a girl who's just willing to listen. The kind of men who'd bid more for you wearing THAT outfit aren't the kinda guys you want to spend an evening with! I know you like latex and I'm not about to judge! But those outfits aren't up to Master's standards! Either strip, put on a standard uniform, or find a latex dress that doesn't scream fetish!"
Skyla could appreciate the irony of a naked fox woman with teenage fantasy proportions giving a lecture about over doing it on the fetish appeal.
Theodora and Aspasia bowed their heads.
"Sorry," Theodora said.
"I just thought it would be fun," Aspasia defended.
Susan sighed. "And I get it. But remember your pepper-spray and taser just in case. And REMEMBER you are free to leave a date early if you feel threatened or uncomfortable. But otherwise you are expected to follow through on the date beginning to end. Cassidy and a couple of the lioness squad are outside providing security, so don't worry. Just go out there and do your best. And just be nice."
Cassidy and some of the lionesses were here? That hadn't been true before. But with the addition of nine maids to reality, she guessed it wasn't that bad.
+++
"I guess I better see this auction myself," Curt said, deciding to make his way. He trusted Skyla not to go on a rampage, now, but he still felt like he might as well enjoy the show.
"K1T2UN3 Mark 5 is sure to appreciate your company DR4G0N-01." Said the angelic skyscape lioness, Atarah, floating besides him.
"Uh, WHAT?!" The otherworldly Atarah had already made him a little uneasy, but the weird choice of names was just confusing.
The starscape lion blinked, then startled and quickly bowed.
"... OH! SORRY MASTER CURT! I was momentarily confused about which of the worldlines’ me is the me that serves this you due to a reshuffling of the causality of this worldline."
"... You got messed up which universe this is because reality changed?"
"... In so many words, yes."
He leaned in a little closer as he walked. “So… I guess you’re able to travel to parallel universes, or see multiple worlds at once?”
“It may be more accurate to say I am living in several worldlines at once.”
“I take it you already know about-”
“The transformations? Yes, I am aware of all of them, including my that of former self.” She smiled knowingly. “Do not worry, Master, I am thankful for the opportunities I have been granted in this reality.”
“Uh, you’re welcome…” Curt looked at her, and quickly looked away again. “I admit, it almost feels wrong letting you call me ‘Master’ like that. I mean, even just looking at you, I feel so… small...”
“I assure you Master, I have no objection to giving a lifetime of service in one worldline in exchange for understanding so many more.”
“If you say so.” He nodded. After a moment of quiet walking, he glanced back toward Atarah. “Was the other me you were talking to a robot, or something?”
“A saphiant clockwork dragon tank, to be precise.”
“Some universes get all the luck.”
+++
'Okay, I'm proud of you Susan... You're a good maid,' Skyla thought as she laid back and watched the bidding commence. The first match up she remarked, 'The Dalmatian won a date with the Dalmatian? Is that symmetrical or cliche? Well, let's hope they enjoy themselves.'
"EXCUSE ME! You're miss Skyla Winters aren't you?!" Said a woman in a white sun dress, large hat, tie-dyed framed sunglasses, and long curly blond hair.
"SHHH!" the other audience members hushed.
"Uh, yes that's me," Skyla said quietly, wondering this was another person who wanted to meet her grandmother.
"My name is Dove! I would love to join the Everson estate! I've seen how you treat each other! And what a peaceful community you are! I wish I could have been born a part of it!"
Skyla pointed the ray gun at her from her hip and pulled the trigger. Instead, an error message appeared.
'ERROR 404, Favorite Animal Not found.'
"Uh, do you have a favorite animal?" Skyla asked.
"Oh I love ALL animals, I could never pick just one!"
'Should I just pick one for her?... Master wouldn't approve. Maybe I should still hypnotize her to be undyingly loyal to Curt since she wants to join so bad... And I know zero about her...'
"I can't wait to work for a man as honorable and admirable as Mr. Everson! He uses his wealth and status to help his fellow living creatures!"
'She could be putting on a show... it would better to be safer than sorry, what Master doesn't know won't hurt him... I have nothing to prove with this one... Dammit.'
"... You'll be contractually obligated to refer to him as Master while on the clock whether present or not, Anna as LADY Anna, and myself as Head Maid Skyla."
"Okay," Dove shrugged.
Skyla held back a sigh. 'She'll fit right in.'
"... Show up at the state at 10 AM Monday, ask for Meredith to give you an interview. Then Pamela will do a background check. If everything works out you'll get an invite to move into one of the estate condos and either Terri or myself will provide you with a uniform. The major thing expected of you is to ALWAYS do the work that is expected of you and to do ALL of the work that is expected for you."
"I will not let you down Head Maid Skyla!"
"Now be quiet! This is an auction!"
"Yes Head Maid Skyla!"
Curt and Atarah entered a few minutes later, scooting over as quietly as possible to sit next to Skyla. Dove quietly waved at him, and he gave a small wave back, slowly getting used to everyone seeming to already know him.
“Well, you certainly got some nice results,” Curt whispered, looking up at the bright-eyed skunk woman on stage, “But I think I’ll stick with the lovely five-tailed fox.”
“Heh, you’re just saying that ‘cause you’re not up for spending that fortune of yours,” Skyla teasingly whispered back, then gave him a kiss.