After thinking about it for ten minutes, Ben was sure which way he would take. It would be the least embarrassing for him, at least as long as Mark kept other´s unaware of the changes he went through.
Getting Mark´s attention, Ben shared his decision: “Okay, if I have to choose one of these three options, I will stay with the first one. I can´t see myself as a baby like Aidan, and I´m definitively not anyone´s pet. I will life like this, but please give me the knowledge how to life like this, Mark.”
Mark nodded at that: “Good, give me a minute to program it for you, and then you will feel more “normal” in your current form.” And with that being said, Mark started to write in the wanted changes. Ben would know how his changed body worked as if he had been like this for years, as if it was normal to him. What Mark didn´t set was a timer, as to when Ben´s punishment would be over would be set by him alone. Therefore, he made sure Ben didn´t remember any given time limit, and also made him think of all this as being somewhat normal, so he wouldn´t beg to be turned back to early. Maybe he would remain like this forever, and Mark could still make Ben his wormy pet later on.
Ben felt a sudden clearness run through his head. Why had he such problems today? He was affected by these predicaments, making him more of a worm with a human mind than an actual human being. A light smile crossed his face, recalling Mark´s suggestion of getting arms and hands at least, but right now it wasn´t possible with Mark´s abilities, and he had declined it for now. Maybe if it was possible later, he would take the offer, but not right now. Somewhere in the back of his mind something was screaming at him, but he had no idea what for.
Deep down, however, Ben´s unchanged mind saw the difference in his body, knew it wasn´t normal and tried to get out of it, but whatever Mark had done to him now had effectively cut him off any control, trapped as a passenger in his own body.
“Thanks for the offer. Maybe I will accept it another time, but right now, as you said you couldn´t help me right now, I´m okay. Thank you, Mark. I will go down to the others.” Ben said before getting up from his position and slowly slithered out. It was already faster than what Ben could do before the adjusted mind, not that he knew of it.
Mark grinned as Ben left, that had worked better than expected. Now, he had to make Aidan stay here, living in his “new” rooms rather than in his own flat. So, after a few minutes of thinking about random things, Mark went down to collect Aidan.
His brother and the others were still watching something on the tv, and now Ben had joined them, relaxing with his back against the couch. Aidan sat next to him on the couch, a bit enthralled by the program as well. “Hey Aidan, you can come up now.” Mark called to him, but only when Ben head-butted him on his knee, Aidan turned around to Mark. After repeating his sentence, Mark helped Aidan up the stairs and to his new living quarters.
“Huh? I didn´t notice that door before” Aidan said. He had been over a few times, but maybe it hadn´t registered that there were more rooms.
Mark pushed the door open and went in with Aidan. Much to Aidan´s shock, he found himself in a copy of his flat, making him speechless. After a bit, Mark asked him: “And, how do you find it?”
Aidan didn´t know if he should be laughing and happy or angry at Mark. “Why do you have a copy of my flat in here, Mark?” he asked in a neutral voice.
Mark laughed lightly. “Well, I used the chronivac to make a copy of your flat here, simple as that is. As to why… Well, Aidan, what do you think could be the reason?”
Aidan, forced to answer truthfully, stated: “Maybe you want me to feel home here. But Mark, I´m not moving in here, I have my own fla…”
Mark stomped, erasing Aidan´s flat out of his mind. Grinning, he said: “No Aidan, you don´t have your own flat. But this rooms resemble a whole flat, maybe that´s why you think of them like that. This are your rooms, as you live here, right? You couldn´t life all alone in a flat, that´s why you live with me and my family, right? It makes everything easier for you.”
Aidan nodded slowly, throwing anything about his old flat that was still there into the new one. “Yeah, I live with your family, and my rooms resemble a flat, so that´s why I call it that.” Within moments, Aidan relaxed completely, feeling at home.
Soon, Mark left Aidan´s new rooms, leaving Aidan alone in his “flat”, and Aidan acted like he was home in his old flat he had completely forgotten. Mark returned to his room, and tried to decide if he wanted to do more changes to anyone now, after dinner, or if he would wait another day for doing so.