Chapter 64: Chapter 57: The Birdcage

Ravyn and I knelt beside the girls in our underwear, having already swapped Lara’s clothes for Ravyn’s. The nervous twists in my stomach forced my focus on the task at hand over Ravyn’s lacy lingerie. She draped Lara’s arm over her shoulders and unfurled one of the scrolls, lying across the unconscious girl’s stomach. 

“Hope this works,” Ravyn grumbled. Holding another scroll in her free hand, she touched Lara’s shoulder. “[Impersonate Souls]!”

The gamble paid off—her and Lara’s bodies shifted and realigned themselves to the shapes of one another. Lara’s chest filled in Ravyn’s dark dress while Ravyn shrank to Lara’s petite size. I held my scroll in one sweaty palm, staring at Destiny’s sleeping face. Let’s go, Matt. Ravyn survived an hour. You can, too.

I touched Destiny’s forearm and closed my eyes. “[Impersonate Soul],” I murmured.

The effect was immediate and bizarre. It didn’t hurt, but I could feel my skin and bones morphing to recreate the image of Destiny. My muscles dissolved into lithe lines and soft flesh. Thick curls of hair jutted from my head and fell around my shoulders in teal waves. My chest filled out and I realized that I was sitting topless as a woman.

“Whoops,” I whispered, heat rushing to my face. The soft, feminine voice that escaped me was Destiny’s, and my mouth went dry. I idly covered my chest with one thin arm and turned away from Ravyn’s gaze, then wondered why I’d done it. Because I’d seen girls do it before? But this reaction just seemed so quick and natural.

“Matt, don’t overthink things. Stick to the plan,” Ravyn cautioned in Lara’s voice. Meanwhile, Lara—now Ravyn—was still asleep on the floor. “I told you before, you’re going to feel weird as hell. Do not get stuck in your head.”

“R-right.” Well, at least the stammer sounded like Destiny’s. Another set of entirely foreign sensations tingled on my scalp and at my tailbone. As if I’d gained feeling in three areas. My tail wrapped around my waist and I squeaked in surprise. I ran my fingers over the soft cat ears sprouting from my head, and immediately groped at the empty sections where mine had been.

“Matt!”

“Sorry!” I picked her clothes off the floor and redressed myself in the dark maid uniform of Shi island. I strapped my [Cat Pack] to my side and stepped carefully into the black heels. Just don’t think about it. Stick to the plan. Christ, boobs are heavy. And this dress is itchy. Hey! The plan, Kelmer! 

“Don’t forget to move the sigil,” Ravyn prompted.

I touched the side of my neck and felt a warm sensation in the palm of my hand. I transferred it to my lower back, figuring that someone would have to lift the damn dress to find it. “What about hers?” I pointed to the glowing symbol still on Lara-now-Ravyn’s throat. 

“Hm.” Ravyn puppeted Lara’s limp hand around the sigil, but it didn’t move. “I guess it has to be a conscious effort.” She situated the Mandarin collar of her dress higher, pulling the knot at the throat taut to cover it entirely. “This will have to do.”

I frowned, but there was nothing else for it. 

“Help me carry her,” Ravyn commanded once she’d redressed as Lara.

I carefully stepped over Destiny, landing awkwardly on the other side. I had to steady myself on Ravyn’s shoulder. “I, er, have never worn high heels before,” I admitted sheepishly.

“Mou ii. Men really do have it easy.” Ravyn shook her head. “You’ll have time on the walk to the school to figure it out. Come on.”

I grabbed Lara-now-Ravyn by the opposite shoulder and heaved her over mine. In my body, it would have been easy to lift her on my own. But Destiny didn’t have my physical build, even if my [Strength] had carried over.

“I don’t know if I can do it,” I admitted. The sudden, crushing weight of inadequacy washed over me. I couldn’t lift Lara. I couldn’t help Ravyn. I couldn’t save anyone. Hot tears threatened behind my eyes, and I sniffed. “I don’t know if I can do anything.”

“Matt! Those aren’t your feelings, remember?” Ravyn snapped her fingers to snatch my attention. “Those are Destiny’s thoughts compounded. We can do this. Stay. Focused.”

I shook my head to clear it, shoving down the tears and fighting off the looming shadow of doubt. “School. We’re going to the school.” I took a deep breath and shifted Lara’s arm more evenly across my shoulders. “Okay, up!”

Once we both found a comfortable position to hoist Lara up, it wasn’t too bad. We shuffled out of the kitchen and through the front door, finding a rhythm in our steps as we walked. The walkways were vacant as usual, and Felsi’s ice cream shop was blessedly empty—though I did feel a heavy sentimental pull as we passed. It seemed Destiny had many important memories tied to it. 

I’m proud to say that I only tripped twice on our way to the school, earning angry side-glances from Ravyn. We remained silent as a precaution that anyone was watching or listening to us. A thin sheen of sweat glistened from our brows and necks by the time we finally breached the door of Venicia’s School of Etiquette.

A handful of girls traversing the halls and grand staircase stopped in their tracks, staring daggers into the outcasts loitering in their doorway. You’ll never be good enough for this, a voice in the back of my head urged. None of them want you here. See the way they look at you?

“Madame Celestia!” I called. “Please fetch Madame Celestia!”

One of the girls with more sense than pride snapped to attention when she laid eyes on the motionless body between us. “I will summon her!”

Within moments, Celestia stood before us, assessing the situation with pursed lips and narrowed eyes. She adjusted her glasses, her frozen gaze flickering between our faces. “Destiny. Lara. What is the reason for your interruption?” 

I licked my lips—I was scared as hell. More terrified than I’d ever been of any Defiled or Roach. This woman was like fighting the boss of the goddamn island. “M-Madame Celestia, we found this traveler spying outside the school.” I gestured to our unconscious query.

“And just what were you doing outside the school?” Celestia raised one eyebrow high above the frames of her glasses.

I flushed. “Well, Lara and I were considering returning to our studies.”

“Is that so?” Celestia stepped forward and tipped Lara-now-Ravyn’s chin up to study her. “Ah, it is the filthy one, as expected. Where is her loathsome pet?”

“Ba– I mean, pardon me. The bird flew away, Madame,” Ravyn said. “We caught her by surprise, and rendering her unconscious was our only hope of taking her in.”

“Yes, a wise choice indeed.” A hint of a smile tugged at Celestia’s lips. “Perhaps now we may have some answers from these travelers.” She stepped forward and cupped Lara-now-Ravyn underneath the armpits, hauling her over one shoulder like a bag of flour.

Holy shit. She must be stacked beneath that dress. 

“I shall take it from here, ladies,” Celestia said. “You have done me a great service this day. Know that you would still be welcome back into the school at any time.”

“Thank you, Madame Celestia,” we said in unison, then curtsied. It was a foreign gesture but felt well-practiced in Destiny’s body.

Celestia hauled her prize away, snapping at the others to go back to their daily schedules. A few more curious glances and hushed words were exchanged between the ones witnessing the affair, but we were left alone.

Ravyn caught my eye and offered the slightest tilt of her head. I hummed a response and quietly followed behind her as she led us through the halls. My heart raced, and the small hairs on the back of my neck stood on end the further we traversed into the school. There were multiple rooms filled with girls in various areas of study: some at desks with books, some surrounding long dinner tables and measuring the settings; one room was dedicated to cleaning and polishing. Needlecraft, wine tasting, cooking, baking; it seemed endless.

You don’t belong here. You are nothing. I swallowed the thought.

The classrooms grew more sparse until we came to a hallway that didn’t seem to have any rooms at all, just two long expanses of walls with tapestries, paintings, and decor. We took a right, following one more lengthy corridor before finally coming to a halt at a door that looked just like the rest.

“He’s in here,” Ravyn whispered.

“It doesn’t look like anything special,” I remarked. And behind door number three, we have Shi Island’s best-kept secret!

“Why would it? They’re trying to hide him, remember?” Ravyn rolled her eyes. “Alright, I’ll go get the last piece. This part’s up to you.”

“Got it,” I said breathlessly. Before anxiety got the better of me, I knocked.

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“Come in,” came a distinctly male reply.

“Matt. Don’t fuck this up.”

I nodded and entered the room. Going from the dim hallway, I was assaulted by waves of light and had to blink the white clouds from my vision. A towering glass window that rose from the carpet to the ceiling spanned the entirety of one wall, and brilliant sunlight flowed in. Except the scene behind the glass wasn’t the manors and hedges of Venicia, it was an expansive beach with swaying palm trees and bright white sand. Far off the coast, I spotted a pier with a glittering Ferris wheel slowly making its rounds. Wait. Is that California? 

“Oh! Destiny!” From behind a towering bookcase, a pale young man with tousled blonde hair and bright blue eyes carefully picked his way through discarded books around the floor. When we were face to face, he barely stood a few inches taller. And Destiny was pretty short.

Oh my God. Is this legal? He was at least a couple years younger than me. A spattering of freckles painted his nose. “M-Master. You remembered my name,” I said. I felt a sharp tugging in my chest, like a sad, desperate yearning. Of course he remembers. You caused quite a scene last time, Destiny.

He laughed. A bright, musical sound that displayed two perfectly straight rows of white teeth. “I did say you could call me Tristan.”

My hands writhed behind my back on their own. My heart hammered against my chest. The overwhelming desire to leap into his embrace tugged at my nerves, and heat rushed between my legs. No. No fucking way. I cleared my throat. “Of course, Tristan. It is good to see you again.”

“I missed you, Destiny.” Tristan traced a thumb across my jaw, and I shivered. “But, surely you didn’t come back for me?”

“What if I did?” I tried to sound coy, but it sounded more nervous than anything. I quickly disengaged from his touch and wandered the enormous room. 

I’d had apartments smaller than this place. A king-size, four-post bed stood in one far corner, its sheets disheveled and splayed across the surface. A clothed table was set for two in the center of the room and two bookcases stacked to the brim with thick tomes and scripts opposite the bed. Another corner held a desk and an easel surrounded by a mind-numbing amount of paints, pencils, sketchbooks, and clay.

Tristan smiled and approached the window. “I seem to recall you enjoyed the city.” He placed his hand against the glass and closed his eyes. The beach scene changed, and the sun disappeared, replaced by a night filled with a sparkling New York skyline. 

I didn’t bother hiding the gasp. This was some next-level Enchantment shit. “I, um, I’d forgotten how pretty it is,” I said. The draw to him was getting worse. Echos of fingers on my skin pulsed beneath the surface, and goosebumps danced along my arms. I had to figure this out and fast.

“I’m really glad you came,” Tristan said, looking over the skyline. “How’s Lara?”

“She doesn’t know I’m here,” I said quickly. “Y-you know how she gets.”

His brow wrinkled with concern. “Have you been fighting lately? I thought you told each other everything.”

Shit. “She wouldn’t approve of this, I think.”

He nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”

An idea struck me. It wasn’t my finest work, but if I knew one thing about dudes, this was going to do the job.

“Um, Tristan? Don’t peek for just a second, okay?” I stepped over the books behind one of the bookcases.

“You’re in a weird mood today. You alright?” he asked.

“I-I’m fine.” I reached into the [Cat Pack] and grabbed another [Trance] potion before unhooking it and setting it on the floor. Next came the dress, which I ruffled copiously as I stripped it away to give the very clear impression that clothes were coming off. “Just wait.”

“Mm. Alright.” His hum of understanding solidified that he knew what was happening. 

Good. 

I popped the cork on the potion and threw as much in my mouth as I could. Don’t swallow. Just hold it. I stepped away from the bookcase and approached Tristan in nothing but underwear and stockings. I slid my hands up his shoulders and entwined my fingers around his neck. Before I could have second thoughts, he leaned in and kissed me.

My back arched and pushed my chest into his. His hands slid down my spine, tracing the curves, while his tongue danced across my lips. I twisted my hands into his hair and tilted his head back, parting my lips and allowing the potion to dribble into his mouth. 

He moaned and swallowed, pulling back to look at me with a mischievous grin. “And what was that?”  

I guess he has no reason to distrust Destiny.  “It’s supposed to, um, how did she put it, ‘enhance your experience,’” I said, having no clue if something like that actually existed in Nyarlea.

He chuckled. “Last time I tried one of those, it took the whole bottle.”

It does exist?? “Oh! Um, I have the rest if you’d like.”

He toyed with my tail, and I suppressed a groan. “Shouldn’t you drink some, too?”

“I-I already drank mine,” I panted. Jesus Christ. Please let me out of this body before it’s too late.

“Then, please. I’ll take my share.”

I backed away, careful to keep the sigil out of his sight. I shuffled and retrieved the bottle near the discarded dress, my hands quivering, and returned to him. I don’t want to call this easy, but really?

“I prefer how you gave it to me,” Tristan said while dexterously stroking the length of my tail. The sensation sent chills from the tips of my ears to my toes. Note to self: do this to every catgirl. 

I fed the rest to him mouth to mouth until the bottle was empty. His tongue slid down mine, eager to steal every last drop, while his hands wandered my body. I kept my hands on his shoulders, but he kept busy kneading my breasts and hips before reaching for the bra clasp on my back. Yes…No! Wait! The air between us was cloying, and my thoughts were suffocating inside of it.

His embrace lost its tension, his kiss its desperation. He gave up on the clasp, paused, and stepped back. “Destiny? Are you sure that was the right–” he yawned, “–potion?”

The door burst open, yielding to Ravyn’s shoulder as she dragged a sleeping Lynn over the threshold. “Great news! I found a window close by,” she hissed, kicking the door closed behind her.

“Lara?” Tristan asked, backing into the Enchanted glass before slumping to the floor. “What is…what’s happening?”

Ravyn looked between Tristan and me and frowned. “You okay?”

I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair. Every inch of my body was trembling, throbbing, or pulsing. My underwear was embarrassingly damp. I wanted to curl up in a corner and die of inadequacy and confused frustration. “I-I’m okay.”

“Good. Get dressed. We don’t have much time left.” Ravyn ferreted the last of the [Impersonate Soul] scrolls and a [Dispel] scroll from her [Cat Pack].

“Des…tin…” Tristan mumbled, then lost consciousness.