FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Waystation X7-352-Gacrux was not special. It was interchangeable with any number of other galactic waystations. It being an X7 waystation meant that it was the largest type of waystation, containing not just the usual assortment of refueling depots, fast food restaurants, convenience stores, and pod motels. At an X7, you could find, in addition to all of the above, some rather more upscale establishments, including motels with actual amenities (such as private bathrooms), eateries where you could find some food that had qualities other than a good price-to-caloric-density ratio, entertainment facilities, and even some number of permanent residences.

This last one often surprised people. After all, a waystation was a place between other destinations, a temporary stopover on the intergalactic highway, to be used when needed and promptly forgotten. But waystations needed staff, especially X7s, and it was always more convenient to house them on-site. And if you needed someplace to stay that was a little more permanent than motel but not cozy enough to settle down in, the apartment complexes deep in the underbelly were typically very inexpensive, and many a wayward drifter with nowhere else to go found themselves shacking up in such places while they figured out what the next step in their life needed to be.

And that was precisely the situation that Saba had found himself in for the past five months.

It hadn't been what he'd intended to do, mind. It just kind of ended up that way.

Saba was a Ryvos, a smallish vulpine sophont, and he was a fairly typical example thereof; anthropoid form, large teal eyes, tall fluffy ears, long and equally fluffy tail, deep burgundy fur, slender build. Ryvos weren't terribly common among the core worlds of the Pan-Galactic Alliance. They were a member species, but they weren't major players, nor were they a frequent sight beyond their home. They simply existed, content to do their own thing. And that was exactly what Saba had been trying to do. All his life, he'd been plagued by a persistent sense of restlessness, of never quite fitting in, of not being comfortable in his own hide no matter what he did. It was all of these things that drove him to take an uncommon path for a Ryvos, and set out to the stars to look for work.

It wasn't a hard choice to make; he wasn't leaving much behind, after all. He was an only child, he didn't have many acquaintances, and his only real commitment had been to the produce store where he had been assistant manager. He'd decided one day that he needed a change of scenery, and so that was that. So he'd started looking for off-world places that were hiring, and it didn't take him long to find one with a little asteroid mining operation in the Capella system. Nothing glamorous, but it'd pay the bills until he found something better. So Saba put in his two weeks' notice, cashed out his savings, and hopped on the local FTL transport line.

And that, unfortunately, was when things had started to go sideways.

He landed on 352 for what was supposed to be a temporary stopover until a representative of the Skysplitter Mining Company came to pick him up. A little over a week later, he found out via a news holo that had been playing in one of the local bars that Skysplitter had gone completely bankrupt after its CEO had been caught in the middle of a massive embezzlement scheme.

The only good thing that had happened to him that day was that the bartender let him have a nice strong drink on the house.

So here was Saba, hundreds of light years from home, having just spent most of his savings on clothes, gear, and a one-way ticket out here, and having to put most of what was left on the cheapest long-term living arrangement that he could afford on the station. And that was where he was now. It had been a little over five months since then. He'd managed to get a job washing dishes at that same bar, and supplemented his income with little odd jobs that always needed doing around a waystation, but he was making just enough to keep himself fed and housed. Which would be just fine if he wanted to spend the rest of his days living in a dingy waystation apartment, but while Saba's aspirations for life weren't especially lofty, he did have aspirations, and they were for something slightly better than this.

If he was going to get out of here, he needed to replenish his savings, at least enough to get an FTL ticket elsewhere. Maybe home, though he wasn't quite sure he was desperate enough to just slink back home with his tail between his legs. Maybe that would change in another few months, but for the time being, he had left for a reason and that reason hadn't changed. However unfortunate his situation was, it was very definitely a change of scenery, and it was enough to confirm that his old home was not where he was meant to be.

Ideally, he'd be able to get a job aboard some sort of long-haul ship, if only temporarily, but that had been more difficult than he had assumed. Most of the ships that stopped at 352 did so on the way to another destination, and very few long-haulers would want to spend the fuel to go pick up a crewmate with such a limited skill set.

So that meant his best prospect was finding some better-paying work aboard the waystation itself, which meant that his first task when he woke up every morning was logging on to the local intranet and checking the job listings. Most of them, unfortunately, required skills or training that Saba did not have.

Maybe if he pinched his pennies for a little while, he'd be able to afford an online training course. It would mean subsisting on nutrient paste for a month or two, but it might be worth it.

Saba sighed to himself as he swiped a finger across his third-hand refurbished tablet as he went down the listings. Most of them were things he wasn't qualified for. He could always try his luck, of course, but judging by how his luck had been so far, he didn't want to try and push it any further.

One or two listings were looking for "adventurous individuals to help advance a good cause", which was probably code for "we need someone to test our grey market experimental medicine". He wasn't going to fall for that again.

He started to skim past the service jobs again, as he usually did. Those usually didn't pay much more than his current occupation. But something caught his eye as he prepared to skip ahead. Something colorful.

There was an ad that he had never noticed before. Was it new, or had he just never bothered looking too closely at it? The focal point was a golden hexagon surrounded with brightly-colored flowers.

Curiosity got the better of Saba, and he opened up the advert.

"The Honeycomb Lounge," he read aloud. "We are now hiring new entertainers. Are you looking for a change in life? Learn new skills, meet new people, discover yourself, and have fun doing it. "

Saba still wasn't sure what the job actually entailed. But he opened up the details tab anyway. It didn't seem to require any special qualifications, which was a good start. But there was something more pressing that he had to check.

His eyes nearly bugged out when he saw what the starting pay was. Blood and sand, that had to be a typo, right? What kind of work was this?

The answer that Saba quickly arrived at was "the kind he wasn't to ask too many questions about". There was a contact button at the bottom of the page. Saba's fingers were trembling as he tapped it. The tablet chimed as it started to patch him in, and then dinged.

"Hello!" said a cheerful voice. "Thank you for calling the Honeycomb Lounge! Our normal hours of operation begin at 1600 Centaurian Standard Time and end at 3200. If you would like to come with a party of five or more, you will need to make a reservation."

"Um, actually?" said Saba. "I'm calling because I'm interested in the job?"

"Oh!" the voice replied. "One moment, please!" Upbeat music began to play as Saba was put on hold, and he started to nervously drum his fingers. A moment later, there was a beep, and a new voice answered.

"I'm told you're interested in the job?" said the new voice. This one was low, smooth, and velvety, like... well, like honey.

"I am, yes, but I have to admit, I'm not sure what you mean by entertainer?"

"It's fairly straightforward, really," said the voice. "We're an escort club. We provide paying customers with company and such."

Ah. So it was one of those. "By 'company' do you mean, like..."

The voice laughed. "Yes, I mean sexual services. We don't play coy around here. That is a service we offer, but not the only service. If you're not comfortable with that, there's other ways to entertain people."

Saba swallowed heavily. He wasn't repressed or anything, but he knew that Ryvos modesty standards were a bit more uptight than the galaxy at large. But then again, if that number was to be believed, he'd try just about anything.

"I've never done anything like that before," he said, figuring that honesty might just be the best policy here.

"That's perfectly okay, sweetie," said the voice. "We can certainly start you off slowly, but you're welcome to try whatever you like. Are you interested in a position?"

Saba felt a shiver down his spine. There was something about the way this woman called him 'sweetie' that put him strangely at ease. And he wanted to know more. He wasn't sure why, but the feeling was undeniable. He hadn't felt like this since he'd first left home.

"Yes, I'm interested in a position," said Saba. "Is there still one open?"

"Can you come down to the Lounge at, say, 1400 today for an interview? There's no need to dress up or anything, you can just come as you are."

Saba felt his heart leap with excitement. "Oh, yeah, thank you, I'll be there!"

"Excellent. I'll send you our location. Might I ask for your name and preferred forms of address?"

"Um, Saba, just Saba. No surname, no honorifics, and he/him pronouns."

"Well, Just Saba, I look forward to meeting you." And with that, the call disconnected.

Saba let out a heavy sigh and flopped back on his bed. This was all too good to be true. There had to be a catch somewhere, there just had to be. But unless somebody planned on harvesting his organs, he was more than prepared to deal with whatever was in the fine print, no matter what it turned out to be.

~*~

The Honeycomb Lounge was on the lowest level of 352 that was open to the public, in what might have been called the Red Light District in another time and place. It was mostly recreational facilities of a decidedly mature sort. There were brothels, yes, but also immersive VR suites, specialty cafes, and other things of that nature.

The Honeycomb Lounge was a bit difficult to find. It was a bit off the beaten path, tucked into the end of a little cul de sac. The sign on the door was simple and unassuming, proclaiming the name of the establishment and not much else. The illuminated sign on the door currently proclaimed it to be closed, but Saba had gotten a message telling him that he would be expected.

He didn't know why he felt so nervous. Yes, the money would be nice if he got the job, but there was something more than that, something he couldn't quite place. Something about the Honeycomb Lounge made him feel... not apprehensive, as such, but on edge all the same.

He took several deep breaths, and then tapped on the door. After a moment, it opened up.

"Oh, hello there. You must be Saba!"

Saba's response came out as a brief wheeze as he took in the features of the girl before him.

The fact that she was quite tall wasn't off-putting. He was used to most sophonts being taller than him; Ryvos were a rather slightly-built species, and he was on the shorter side of average for one. But as far as everything else about her, he needed a moment for that.

Life across the universe came from all sorts of origins. Most known sapient races evolved from mammalian ancestors. Reptiles, avians, and amphibians were less common, but still common enough not to turn any heads.

Sophonts of insectile origin, on the other hand, were the rarest of the rare. Out of the hundreds of sapient races known to the PGA, only about 4% were insects. Saba had certainly never met one before, though admittedly, most of the non-Ryvos people he'd met had come into his life in the past five months.

The girl before him had morphology largely reminiscent of a bee, with wide black compound eyes and short antennae. Her body was covered with soft-looking fuzz, mostly yellow around her face and torso and black around her limbs. She was quite shapely, with wide hips, a slim waist, and a considerable bust, the latter of which struck Saba as unusual. It wasn't a feature typically associated with insects, but then again, Saba had only barely gotten a passing grade in biology, so it wasn't his place to question that. She also was wearing a tight black bustier, and not much else.

Saba took in all of this within the space of about ten seconds, after which he realized he had been spending that time standing there and gawking. He cleared his throat and tried to find his voice.

"Yes! I'm me! I mean, Saba is me! I'm Saba. That's me."

The bee-girl let out a trilling giggle. "You're cute," she said. "Hi there, it's nice to meet you! My name's Melba. Come on in, please."

Melba stepped aside, allowing Saba to make his way into the Honeycomb lounge. Saba didn't frequent this sort of establishment, but he had to assume that this kind of setup was typical. There were tables, booths, sofas, and a well-stocked bar. There were more bee people milling about doing various odd jobs, like taking inventory or sweeping up, and most of them were broadly similar to Melba. but as he saw them milling about, he noticed one more feature that he had missed when he sized Melba up. Protruding from their backside, right at the base of their spine, was a small black-and-yellow-striped abdomen.

"You can enjoy the sights later," said Melba, patting Saba on the shoulder. "It's time for your interview."

Saba nodded, following behind Melba as he was led to a door behind the bar with an "EMPLOYEES ONLY" sign on it, which led to a cushy break room, with one person in it, who was currently lounging on a sofa.

She, too, was a bee-person, but where the others had been on the slim side, she was much more full-figured, with a thick midsection, a full bosom, and a much larger abdomen. She was dressed in a fluffy pink robe, and was humming to herself as she looked over a tablet.

"You must be Saba," she said, without looking up, and that low, smooth voice sounded familiar. This must have been who he had spoken to earlier. "Thank you, Melba. Go ahead and pull up a chair, I'll be with you in a moment."

Melba nodded and quit the room. Saba did as instructed, hopping into a plush chair and waiting as the manager finished reading something.

"Sorry, just going over some numbers," she said, putting the tablet aside. "It's nice to meet you, Saba. You can call me Queen. I'm the proprietor of the Honeycomb Lounge."

"Is that your name or your title?" said Saba, giving a nervous little laugh.

"A little bit of both," said Queen, smiling at him. "So, Saba, what makes you think you would be a good fit here?"

Saba had spent the walk over trying to rehearse a whole spiel about why he wanted to work here, but there was something about the way Queen looked him over that just brought to light how fake it would have sounded. Those big black eyes of hers were remarkably kind and soft, and it made him want to tell the truth.

"At the moment?" said Saba. 'Absolutely nothing. I called you up because I really need the job and this one pays really well. I didn't even know what I would be doing, and honestly, I didn't really care either. But at the moment, I'm not sure why you'd want me for the job."

"Quite a bold interview strategy," said Queen, sounding very amused. "Do go on."

"I mean, pardon me for saying so, but all of the employees seem to have something in common."

"Something, yes," said Queen. "But they're not all exactly the same. Have you taken a closer look at any of them?"

When Saba shook his head, Queen picked her tablet back up and tapped it.

"Bring up security feed, main lounge," she spoke into it. She held up the tablet, projecting a full-size hologram between the two of them, showing the room he had just left. "Take a look at a few of my workers and tell me what you see."

Saba looked closely at the person cleaning the bar. Now that he looked closer, while she did have some bee-like features, her form wasn't as fully insectile as Melba's or Queen's was, Her chest was much flatter and her antennae appeared to be attached to a headband.

He turned his attention to the one sweeping the floors. They were much more androgynous, and their body was covered with a softer fur rather than fuzz. Now that he was looking for it, he could see that all of the employee's bee features were more superficial than a casual glance had indicated.

"So the employees are not all bee people?" said Saba, confused. "It's like... a uniform?"

"Functionally, yes," said Queen. "But that description is not entirely accurate. If you look closer at Vivian's features - she's the bartender - you'll see that her real antennae are starting to come in."

Saba wasn't the most educated person in the galaxy, but he wasn't slow. "They were changed somehow? You... had their genes spliced?"

Queen gave a refined little chuckle. "Nothing so crude," she said, standing herself up. This took a little doing, owing to the bulk of her frame. Once she had gotten upright and had a good stretch, she made her way over to a locked cabinet. She pressed her thumb against the lock, and with a little beep, it popped open. Inside it were three shelves full of rectangular bottles. The top two rows were full of a semi-translucent amber-colored liquid, and the one of the bottom was full of a pale blue one. She withdrew one of the amber bottles that was already half empty and placed it on the coffee table.

"It's a concoction of my own devising," she said, turning the bottle over. "I call it royal nectar. It's an extremely potent mutagen. Take a dose, and then..."

She gestured at the hologram again. Saba swallowed audibly.

"So... what exactly would you have me doing as a... "

"The term we prefer is 'hostess'," said Queen. "We would start you off as what we call a 'front-room' hostess. You would act as a server, taking people's orders and bringing them snacks and drinks. But occasionally, they might want to buy you a drink, and you would keep them company, make conversation, that sort of thing. If they really like you, they might ask you to dance with them. Or for them, depending on the sort of person it is."

That explained the stage in the main room. "I'm really not the best dancer," said Saba.

"Oh, trust me, you wouldn't need to be," said Queen, flashing him a wink. "And don't worry, the other hosts will help you learn. We're like a big family here."

"And it would... just be dancing and stuff?" said Saba, looking into the bottle. "I wouldn't need to do sex stuff?

"Not if you don't want to," said Queen, with a shake of her head. "The hostesses who do the 'sex stuff', as you call it, are the 'back room' hosts. You're certainly not required to do so, but if you're willing to give it a try, the pay and benefits are much better."

Saba felt himself blush. He certainly liked sex, but he'd never considered the possibility of doing it professionally. He decided to table that for the moment.

"And assuming I take the job," said Saba, "I would need to... drink the nectar?"

"That's a big part of it, yes." Queen smirked at him. "I assure you, the process is entirely reversible, and should your employment ever be terminated, you would be provided the counter-agent." She gestured at the bottom shelf, with its bottles of blue liquid. "We're all fully licensed and accredited, and I'll show you the paperwork and seals of approval whenever you'd like. If you experience any adverse effects as a result of our mutagens, the Honeycomb Lounge is completely liable and would cover any treatment that would arise. I give you my word that my entire operation is aboveboard, and my people are well taken care of. There's only one question that remains. Do you want the job?"

Saba looked back up at her, stammering a little. "What do you mean?" he asked. "What about my interview?"

"You just finished it," said Queen, offering him a hand. "The job is yours if you want it."

As strange as all of this sounded to him, Saba knew what his answer was. He needed the money, after all, and that's what he would be telling himself over and over again. But that wasn't the only reason. In truth, something about the idea of... all of this sounded oddly appealing. He'd left home in order to expand his horizons, and he couldn't imagine anyone back home doing anything like this.

"I'll do it," he said, giving her a wide smile as he took her hand.

Queen smiled. Then she picked up the bottle of nectar and, from a nearby shelf, grabbed a smaller bottle and carefully poured a measure of the liquid into it.

"Can you start tomorrow?" said Queen, offering the small bottle to him. Saba nodded. "Excellent. Go home and drink this right before you go to sleep tonight. Make sure you drink all of it."

Saba looked the fluid over. There couldn't have been more than a few ounces in the little bottle. He didn't know anything about chemistry or genetics, but it seemed like seriously potent stuff.

"Then there's just the matter of some paperwork," said Queen. "Standard employee agreements, of course. I'll draft you up a contract for... let's say a two-year stint of employment, with early voluntary termination on the table after six months."

"That sounds good," said Saba, nodding. Six months or so should be all he needed to take care of his expenses, but it was nice to have a safety net, if need be."

"I'm sure you'll find it to be very agreeable, but feel free to take as much time as you need to read over it. I'll have it sent to you momentarily."

~*~

Saba went straight home after that, stopping only to politely but firmly resign from his dishwashing position, and spent most of the evening reading over his employee agreement. Most of it was fairly standard, if a lot more generous than he had been used to seeing.

Really, he couldn't believe how well things were working out for him. Maybe he was being overeager, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He would finally be able to move on with his life, and all it would take would be a few months of... of...

Saba regarded the little bottle carefully. He contemplated the idea of completely changing his body, the physical form he had been inhabiting for the entirety of his life. Was he really sure that this was worth it? Was this really something he could take so lightly?

"Oh, you bet your sweet tail fluff it is," said Saba, grinning to himself. He signed off on the employee agreement, and without further ado, he uncapped the bottle and downed it in a single gulp. It had some floral notes, but for the most part, it tasted overwhelmingly sweet, so much so that he almost gagged. But he managed to swallow every drop of it down, feeling a little light-headed as it settled in the pit of his stomach.

At the moment, his only regret was neglecting to ask Queen how it would feel when he took it. Would it hurt or anything like that? He certainly didn't feel any sort of pain, or any discomfort at all. He just felt pleasantly sleepy.

Nothing for it now except to tuck in and see what the morning would bring.

~*~

Saba couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so heavily. A bleary glance at his wall clock told him that it was 1030. He normally woke up at around 0700. His limbs felt heavy, his head was swimming, and the sweet aftertaste of the royal nectar still lingered on his tongue.

As his brain remembered about the royal nectar, he woke with a start. He stumbled out of bed, nearly tripping over his own feet as he scrambled to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. And when he looked at the face in the mirror, he felt his jaw drop.

His fur had changed from its normal shade to a deep golden color with black accents, and had begun to thin out a bit, except for a thicker ruff around his neck. His eyes had darkened, the whites fading into more of a black. His ears had remained the same shape, but between them was a pair of short antennae. He gave one of them a little flick, then winced. Yep, definitely part of him. Judging by the fact that his face now slightly cut into the area of the mirror that he bothered to keep clean, he had grown a few inches taller, and his limbs had lengthened a bit, as well. He took a few steps back and looked his whole self over. His body had gotten a bit curvier, with his hips widening out, and a quick patdown of his chest indicated that he had developed a bit of a bustline. He turned around and saw that, while he didn't have an insectile abdomen, his tail had shortened somewhat.

But most alarmingly of all was that he looked good.

Though he couldn't speak of the attractiveness standards of other species, by Ryvos standards, Saba had always been kind of plain-looking. He wasn't sure what it was about the new shape of his features, but he felt good about the way he looked in a way that he'd never felt before.

He had been more than a little bit apprehensive about this new job, but now? Now he felt like he could handle anything.

~*~

Maybe anything had been a bit of an understatement. Melba had been put in charge of his training. While, for the most part, he'd just be fetching drinks and snacks for his first few days, cozying up to the customers would be part of the job too, and he needed to be able to step up to their demands.

"Easy now," she said, picking him back up from where he'd fallen for the third time. "Your center of gravity's going to shift a bit! You need to account for that."

"I don't think that has anything to do with this," said Saba, brushing himself off. "I think maybe I'm just a terrible dancer."

"Everybody's a good dancer," said Melba, smiling and giving him a pat. "Nobody who comes here is going to criticize your form, and the other girls certainly won't. You just need to have fun doing it. And if you're having fun, people will have fun with you! Just relax and move to the music in whatever way feels right to you."

Melba tapped a button, and the smooth dance music began to start up again. Saba took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to, as instructed, move to the music.

He certainly wasn't the most graceful thing to ever hit the dance floor, but as he flailed his limbs and shuffled his feet, he began to hit something resembling a rhythm.

"Yeah, there you go!" said Melba, clapping her hands. "You're starting to get it now!"

"And people will want to see this?" said Saba, looking up at Melba as he started to wiggle his hips.

"Oh, definitely," said Melba, nodding. "This should do you just fine for dancing with customers, but if you want to refine your technique a bit and get up on the stage, Madelina gives lessons on the weekends. You should see her on the pole, it's magical."

Saba saw an image in his mind's eye of his new form twisting and gyrating around one of the poles set on the stage, and the thought made him blush. "...I'll think about it," he said.

"Well, we'll be opening soon," said Melba. "You'll do great, don't worry! If you need any help, you can ask anyone you want, and if you need a few minutes to yourself, the break room is always open for you. I think that should just about... oh, wait, you need a name!"

Saba blinked in puzzlement. "I'm pretty sure I have one of those," he said.

Melba laughed and gave him a playful sock on the arm. "I mean a name for when you're here! You're going to be playing a character here, so she should have a name of her own!"

That made sense. Saba thought about it for a moment, but it didn't take long before he came up with something.

"How about Aroya?"

"Ooh, that's pretty!" said Melba.

Saba smiled. Aroya had been the stage name of a pop star he'd liked back home. He'd always thought it was a pretty name.

"Alright then, Aroya, go ahead and get changed. We'll finish setting up in here, so you can take a minute to get used to it."

Saba looked down at himself. He was currently still wearing one of the steel-grey jumpsuits that comprised most of his wardrobe since he'd arrived at the station, and it was a little bit tighter on him than it had been the day before. "Wait, do you even have something in my size?" he asked. "Especially since it's, um, different than it was yesterday."

"Oh, I think so," said Melba, winking at him. "Queenie has her ways!"

Sure enough, the locker room in the back already had a locker with his name on it, and within it was a black synth-leather bustier with a matching black leotard.

Whatever 'ways' that Queen had were pretty effective, it would seem, because both of them fit perfectly. He had been expecting some level of discomfort, from looking at the other entertainers in similar garb, but it was, in fact, the best-feeling thing he'd put on his body since arriving at the station. He turned to look at himself in one of the full-length mirrors in the locker room.

"Blood and sand, I look good," said Saba, doing a quick turn. The royal nectar had done his body good. It would almost be a shame to turn back when he was ready to move on.

"We're opening up! It's showtime, girls!"

The call startled Saba out of his trance. Showtime indeed, then.

~*~

Saba had never really been a regular patron of this sort of establishment, so he wasn't sure what sort of crowds to expect. The answer turned out to be more than he'd anticipated, but less than he'd dreaded.

352 was at the center of a lot of intergalactic trade routes, especially for long hauls. A lot of people stopped there, and a lot of them needed to unwind. And the Honeycomb Lounge was for people that wanted to treat themselves to something special while they did it.

Not long after opening, a few tables were occupied. As he had been told, Saba spent the first few hours of his shift just taking orders, flitting from table to table like, well, a bee. Appropriately enough, the seating arrangements all had a floral motif.

"Welcome to the Honeycomb Lounge," said Saba, as he stood before a booth which had a trio of thickly-built blue-skinned men with four arms apiece seated at it. "What can I get for you today?"

"That depends," said one of them, tipping up the thick cap and winking at her. "Are you on the menu?"

"Oh, lay off, Gorgan," said one of the others, nudging him in the ribs. "The girl's trying to work here."

"I might be, if you tip really well," said Saba with a wink. Gorgan blushed, and his two friends started to laugh. To Saba's surprise, he laughed too. Customers had been flirting with him all night, and this was the first time he'd had the courage to flirt back. Since when was he this bold?

And that was just it, wasn't it? He wasn't this bold. But Aroya certainly was. Aroya could say the sort of things that Saba was always too timid for.

"We'll think about it," said Gorgan's friend. "We'll have two spiced nectars, one bitter mead, and an order of pollen fries, thanks."

Saba winked at them as he took the order, then turned around and sashayed over to the bar, where he relayed the order to Vivian.

"Nicely done over there," she said, as she got to work dispensing drinks and firing up the food printer.

"I don't know what came over me," said Saba, feeling himself blush.

"Whatever it was, let it come over you more," said Vivian, shooting Saba a thumbs up. "That's how you get the good tips. Just remember, you can say no to anything they ask you to do, and if one of them lays a hand on you without permission, Queen'll have them blacklisted before you can say 'buzz off'."

Saba was about to say that he wouldn't have minded so much if one of them did, but before he could finish the thought, the order was up with a ding, and he quickly got to work bringing it over. As he placed it on the table, the one called Gorgan leaned over to peer at Saba's name tag. "So, Aroya, how 'bout a dance for Gardo here?" he said, patting his other friend, the one who hadn't spoken up before, on the shoulder. "He thinks you're super cute."

"Zorf-dammit, Gorg!" said Gardo, his cheeks flushing a deep violet.

"I'd love to," said Saba, offering Gardo a hand. Still blushing, he accepted it. As he stood up, he positively towered over Saba, even with his newly-gained inches. He had ordinarily felt a degree of discomfort, being surrounded by sophonts so much bigger and stronger than he was, but things were different here.

Saba could be as nervous as he wanted. Aroya did what she pleased. And right now, Aroya was leading her new friend to the dance floor, just as an upbeat song started to play.

And Saba just... let the music flow through him, wiggling his body to the beat. Gardo smiled wide, following Saba's lead. He didn't seem to be a much better dancer than Saba was, and he certainly wasn't complaining.

Emboldened, Saba closed the gap between them, pressing his body against Gardo's.

"You're here to have fun, right?" said Saba. "So enjoy yourself." And with that, Saba took the man's lower-right hand and placed it on his rear. Gardo blushed again, but the man knew an invitation when he saw one, and gave Saba's butt a playful squeeze.

Saba giggled, pressing himself closer to Gardo. His body felt firm and strong and very warm. If this was the sort of attention that would get him some good tips, then this job was going to be more fun than he'd thought.

The two continued to dance until the song wound down. Saba tapped on Gardo's chest, beckoning for him to lean down, and gave him a peck on the cheek as he did so. Then he went back to his table with a bit of a wobble in his step.

Saba was a bit taken aback. All that from just a kiss and some light petting? He'd never had that sort of effect on another person before! But then again, he hadn't. Aroya had. But as much as he was surprised that he'd found the courage to do something like this, he was even more surprised that he'd liked it.

The rest of the evening went on in a similar fashion. More and more people filed in, and Saba continued to take orders and provide the occasional dance. As the hour grew later, a couple of the girls got up on stage to perform. One patron, a slender woman with lavender skin, long limbs, and subtle tusks, asked Saba to sit in her lap while she watched the show, and he was all too happy to oblige.

The biggest surprise of all came at the end of the evening. Queen had come out to look over the days' figures and check their supplies while the entertainers all tallied up their tips.

"Wow, and look who the winner of the day is," said Melba. "Congrats, Saba. You're a natural at this!"

"I am?" he said, looking down at his tablet. He'd made that much in tips? In one night?

It all didn't seem real. He'd signed on to this job with a certain deal of uncertainty, and ended up having the time of his life. Nobody ever told him that flirting could be this much fun. Or this profitable, for that matter.

"Blood and sand, I am never eating nutrient paste again," he said, grinning to himself.

"That's the spirit," said Vivian. "Want to grab dinner with us? We usually hit the Seven Stars Tavern after our shifts."

"Thanks, but I think I'm just going to go straight home and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow, though."

Saba did, indeed, head straight home as soon as he changed out of his work clothes, but not before stopping at one of the better takeout restaurants on his way back. As soon as he finished eating, he collapsed into his bed and took stock of the events of the day.

It all seemed like an especially vivid dream. As much as he hated to keep repeating himself, one thought kept playing itself back, over and over again: He'd never before imagined himself doing the sort of things he'd done tonight. But as soon as he stepped into the persona of Aroya, his inhibitions just went straight out the airlock. He thought about all of those patrons he'd served. Sophonts of every shape and gender wanted his attention, to dance and party and put their hands all over him. The highlight of the night had been when an entire Avali flock wanted to dance with him. There had been six of them, and they had all formed a circle around him as they'd torn up the dance floor, and at the end of it, each of them had gotten a kiss. He felt desired, and that was a sensation he was still trying to figure out how to deal with.

He felt a flash of heat through his body, and looked down, seeing the stiff bulge rising beneath the sheets. Had he really gotten himself that worked up, just thinking about what he had done today?

Well, the answer to that was clear enough. His body wanted something, and he wasn't so austere that he would deny it. He lay back and let his hand slip between his legs, letting out a gasp as he started to lazily stroke himself, thinking about all of those different hands on him, and how part of him wanted them to use a lot more than their hands...

Saba moaned sharply as his body began to shudder, a swift but intense orgasm overtaking him. He wasn't sure if this was a side effect of his bodily transformation, or if he was just that turned on. Either way, he rode the wave of good vibes as long as he could before flopping back.

He smiled to himself. It had been a pretty good day, overall. Saba certainly never thought he would have had the guts to go through with it all. But then again, Saba didn't have to go through with it. Aroya could. Where Saba had spent the past months struggling, Aroya could seize the day with style and gusto and get him through this mess before he knew it, and then he'd finally be able to move on with life.

His last thought, as he drifted off to an exceptionally peaceful sleep, was that it would be nice if he could carry that sort of confidence into every other part of his life.

~*~

The weeks that went by were going exceedingly well for Saba. It didn't take long for him to find his groove, and he was regularly one of the top earners among the front room entertainers. At this rate, he'd be able to book a ticket to anywhere in the galaxy in another three months.

But he wasn't in a hurry. Not only was he making good money, he was having the time of his life doing it. It wasn't like he had anywhere in particular to be. He could just as easily stay at the Lounge for the rest of the year - maybe even two - to build up some savings, so that when he set off on his own, he'd never have to worry about getting into this sort of mess ever again.

Having resolved to do that, this brought something else to the forefront of his mind. Namely, the fact that, over the course of a typical work day, he got so worked up that he diddled himself to sleep nearly every night. And he remembered what Queen had told him.

Which was why he went to speak with her one night, after his shift had ended.

"I think I want to try the back room."

Queen looked him over, a smile on her face. She didn't look especially surprised.

"Come with me to the break room, would you?" she said, beckoning for him to follow. "I had a feeling about you, though of course, this is something you had to come by at your own pace. So what made you want to do it? The better pay?"

"I mean, I'm not going to say no to that," said Saba, suddenly feeling very put on the spot. "But honestly, there's not a lot to it. I just think that I'd be good at it."

Queen turned, stroking her chin thoughtfully as she considered Saba. "You have to understand that the Honeycomb Lounge is not an ordinary club," she said. "There's other places on the station where people can unwind, and certainly no shortage of them where one can employ someone for sex. If you want to work the back room, you'll need to be properly equipped for it."

"Properly equipped?" said Saba. "Like, with harnesses and vibrators and stuff?"

Queen covered her mouth with a hand as she sharply trilled with laughter. It was the first time Saba had seen her lose that refined composure of hers.

"Not quite," she said. After taking a short breath and composing herself, she made her way back over to the locked cabinet and pulled out a bottle of royal nectar. Once again, she dispensed it into another bottle, this one much bigger than the one Saba had initially been given.

"In order to properly provide for the back room patrons," said Queen, "your form will need some further adaptations. The procedure will be quite similar to what happened before, though I'm going to give you tomorrow evening off. You'll be out of it for a bit longer. Make sure you have a big meal first, and if you habitually wear anything to bed, I recommend that you not do so tonight."

Saba accepted the bottle and looked into it. He could see his features reflected in the substance.

"It will still be reversible, right?"

"Absolutely."

That settled it, then. Saba knew what he was going to spend his evening doing.

~*~

As Queen had recommended, Saba had treated himself to a filling dinner that evening, and wasted no time before climbing into bed and downing the bottle of royal nectar.

The last thing he remembered was feeling a euphoria wash over him before he passed out, his consciousness dissolving away into a blissful haze.

When he woke up the next day, the first thing he did was fumble about for his tablet. He checked the time. 0800. He hadn't slept in as much as he had done last time.

Then he checked the date, and nearly dropped his tablet in surprise. It was not the next day; it was, in fact, the next next day. No wonder Queen had given him the night off. Groaning, he pulled himself to his feet, wobbling drunkenly with every step as he made his way to the bathroom in order to see what the nectar had wrought.

One of the things he'd invested in with his newfound earnings was a better mirror for his bathroom, since he'd had cause to care a bit more about his appearance. And it was big enough to give him a good look at the changes his body had undergone.

It wasn't quite as dramatic overall as the first time. The feminine shape and new coloration had remained the same, except moreso. His waist was a little narrower, his hips a little wider, his bosom a little more pronounced. His features had softened out a bit, as well; his snout was a bit less pronounced and his ears a bit less fluffy, which were generally considered feminine traits among Ryvos. His antennae had grown, as well. A quick look behind his back showed that his tail had completely receded, and his insectoid abdomen had fully grown in. Curiously, he ran a hand over it, and... yep, it definitely felt like part of him. Very strange.

And on top of all of that, he was hornier than he'd been in the past few weeks, and that was saying something. His cock was fully hard already, and something else felt weird, too. Why did he feel... wet?

He dipped a hand between his legs, right beneath his cock, and nearly fell flat on his back as an electric sensation overtook him.

"Blood and sand," he gasped. He quickly sat down on the toilet and hiked his legs up, spreading them as wide as he could as he looked back in the mirror.

His genitalia had changed shape, as well. His cock now grew out from the hood of a very pronounced vulva, and it was, at the moment, steadily leaking a slick fluid.

Curiously, he reached down once again, slowly trailing a finger across his newly-formed nether lips. They were soft and wet and extremely sensitive.

He knew right then and there that this was going to require some further exploration. Grabbing a towel off the wall, he made his way back into bed and plopped down, plunging two fingers into his pussy, gasping and moaning as unheard-of sensations flooded his mind. With his other hand, still slick from his initial probings, he gripped his cock, and even that seemed to feel better than it had before. Everything was so sensitive and he never wanted to stop!

Several hours later, Saba was splayed out on his bed, gasping for breath as he came down from what had to have been multiple simultaneous orgasms.

While he tried his best to remember how his legs worked, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the unread message light on his tablet. Picking it up, he saw a text message from Melba.

'Hey, how are you doing? Think you'll be good to come in tonight?'

Saba looked down between his legs. His cock was already starting to harden again. Then he looked back at his tablet and tapped out a reply with one hand.

'think im gonna need 1 more day'

'Understandable. Drink some water and remember to pace yourself~'

~*~

The back room resembled the front room very closely. The difference that stood out to Saba was that the room was lined with doors to private rooms, including one in the back that was labeled 'VIP'.

"Don't worry about that one," said Melba, giving Saba a pat. "That's for customers who want some special services. You'll need some more training before you're ready for that."

Saba nodded. He was told that the dress code was a bit relaxed for the back room entertainers. After considering a number of options carefully, he opted to wear absolutely nothing. After getting very well acquainted with his new body, he wanted to show it off. Or at least, Aroya did.

More and more, Saba was finding the courage to try new things by asking himself what Aroya would do. Saba had lived his whole life playing it safe, and while he was never exactly unhappy, there was a sense of listlessness in his mundane existence that never completely went away. But Aroya could do anything she wanted. Aroya could stride into a room full of complete strangers wearing nothing but a smile.

"So what do I do?" asked Saba.

"Mostly you just hang around and look sexy," said Melba. "And if you catch someone's eye, they'll ask for your company. If you're not comfortable with them for any reason, you're free to turn them down. But if you've got no objectives, take them to a vacant room, and, well... we charge by the hour down here, so do whatever you'd like with them!"

Saba nodded, making his way over to a central table, where a number of other bee girls were relaxing. Some of them were dressed in skimpier versions of the cocktail outfits that the front room hostesses wore, but most of them opted to just let it all hang out, just as Saba had done.

"Hey there," said one of them, a full-bodied girl with perky breasts and a soft tummy. "Aroya, right? Welcome to the back room! This is where the real fun happens."

"I'm looking forward to it," said Saba, and to his surprise, he meant it. On some level, he was nervous about the prospect of having sex with a complete stranger. But Aroya could barely wait for someone to call on her. And maybe, on some level, so did Saba. Sometimes it was increasingly difficult to tell whose thoughts were whose.

Neither of them would have very long to wait, in any case. About thirty minutes later, Melba got Saba's attention.

"Someone's requested a chat with you," said Melba, gesturing to a tall woman with a reptilian build, her jade green scales decorated with gold body paint. She was wearing a thin, toga-like garment and nothing else, and she was waving at Saba.

This was it, then. Once he crossed this threshold, this was officially going to be him. All of this was happening so fast. Was he really prepared to take that plunge?

But of course, Aroya was already propelling herself forward. As far as she was concerned, the plunge had already been taken, and there was nothing for it now but to enjoy the rush.

"Hey there, cutie," said the customer, her tongue flicking out a bit as she spoke. "My name is Silana. You are new around here, hmm?"

"Sure am," said Saba, offering her a hand. "You're looking for a good time, then?"

"I think I just found one," said Silana, taking the hand. Saba giggled (or maybe Aroya did) as he led Silana to the nearest room that had a little 'vacant' light above the door. The rooms were nothing special, just a small chamber with a big soft bed and some appropriate mood lighting.

"So how would you like to do this?" said Saba. His previous sexual encounters had been fairly vanila, and he still wasn't entirely sure what people would want from it.

"I would like to hold you down and fuck you silly," said Silana, as she undid the knot on her toga and let it slip to the ground. Between her legs were two thin, tapered cocks (or perhaps a single one with two distinct heads?), stiff and twitching.

Saba could feel his new pussy getting wetter by the second. Grinning, he plopped down on his back, spread his legs, and lifted his own cock out of the way.

"I'm all yours, hot stuff," said Saba. "Do whatever you'd like."

Grinning, Silana crawled onto the bed, pressing her mouth against Saba's and letting that long, sinuous tongue slip into his mouth.

"There is just something about you bee girls," said Silana, as they parted. "You all taste so sweet. Your name is Aroya, yes?"

"...Yeah," said Saba, smiling. "That's me."

Silana leaned forward and kissed him again. "That is a very pretty name," she said. "For a very pretty girl." She spread Saba's legs apart and began to press one of her cocks into his pussy. He gasped and moaned as she filled him. His fingers had felt good, and the vibrator he'd dipped out of the house to purchase had felt even better, but this? This felt amazing in a whole new way."

"Mmm, Aroya," moaned Silana, as she rooted herself inside of him. "You feel so good... but can you take any more?"

"There's only one way to find out," said Saba, spreading his legs even wider. Silana let out a long, low hiss as she reached down and guided her second cock into Saba's wet snatch, and despite his lack of experience, he took both of them without any difficulty. Being stretched out more only heightened the pleasurable sensations, and as Silana began to buck her hips, Saba had to grip the bed to keep from thrashing.

"You are so warm and tight," said Silana. "I could just keep fucking you for hours, Aroya..."

"Please..."

"Please, what?" said Silana, leaning in close.

"Please keep saying my name..."

Part of Saba stopped to consider the words he had just spoken. Where did that come from?

"Mmm? You like that, Aroya?"

"I love it," said Saba... no, not now. Saba was taking a backseat right now. This was Aroya's moment, and she intended to enjoy it.

"You love this, don't you, Aroya?"

"I do!" she moaned, now unable to stop her hips from bucking. "Fuck me harder, please!"

"I will, Aroya... oh, I will!"

And with that, Silana began to pound into her harder, and every time she said Aroya's name, she felt a fresh surge of euphoria. She wasn't quite sure how long the encounter lasted before Silhana threw her head back, screaming Aroya's name as she climaxed, and Aroya felt rush after rush of raw pleasure, trying to drag it out as long as possible, and despite having climaxed hard enough to positively soak both of their hips in her fluids, she didn't want it to end.

"That was amazing," said Silana, giving Aroya one last kiss. "I am sorry about the screaming. These rooms are soundproofed, right?"

"I don't care," said Aroya, grinning up at her. "We rent the rooms by the hour, and by my count, you've still got twenty minutes left. Do you think you can go again?"

And Silana grinned. "I think I can manage that..."

~*~

Twenty minutes later, Saba staggered out of the room, followed shortly by a very satisfied Silana. The two shared one last smooch before Silana went on her way, and Saba made his way over to the table where the other hostesses were waiting.

"So, your first back room client!" said one of them. "How was it?"

Saba grinned and gave a thumbs up. Several of them whooped and cheered and gave him a high five.

"Look alive, because she's not going to be the last one today," said another, pointing behind Saba. He looked over his shoulder and saw a stocky male with lupine features winking at him.

"...Get me some water and tell him to wait about thirty minutes?"

All in all, Saba serviced four more clients that day, which was a bit of a surprise. He was certainly less technically proficient at lovemaking than the others. But, as Melba explained to him as he was clocking out, word always got around when there was a new girl, and that had a certain appeal all its own. She assured him that the demand would probably level out within a week or two, but Saba would not have minded if it didn't.

~*~

Saba had settled into something resembling a comfortable routine. Working the back room was certainly a lot more hectic than working the front had been, but he found he liked the challenge. When he wasn't working, he chatted with the other workers, picking up tips and tricks that he could use to better please clients, and he always tried his best to do better.

As weeks turned into months, Saba found himself thinking less and less of what he would do once he moved on. It was much more enjoyable to live in the moment and enjoy what each new day brought him.

There were no longer any second thoughts about being Aroya when it came time to roll with a client. Aroya knew how to have a good time. It felt good to be Aroya in a way that little less did. Not just the physical sensations (which were great, of course), but just the idea of being Aroya felt good. It was almost a shame when he left work and had to stop being her.

It came to a head one night when Saba had come back from being part of the entertainment for a rather intense party. Most of the girls had been working overtime, and Saba wanted nothing more than a nice hot shower and a cup of tea.

As he undressed, he stopped to look at himself in the mirror, and... hesitated.

He put a hand on his face. No two of the bee girls looked exactly alike; most of them carried some vestiges of what they were before the transformation. And even though he was every inch a bee, Saba could still see the details of his old self clearly. He was still in there, after all. All it would take would be a shot of the counteragent and he'd be back to normal.

When he had first started working at the Honeycomb Lounge, that was something that he had been looking forward to. But now? Thinking about going back to his old life, his old self... it only made him feel sad.

That had been the plan, of course. That had always been the plan. But did it have to be?

~*~

"Saba? What are you doing here? I thought you took a personal day?"

Saba wasn't entirely sure how he ended up back at the Honeycomb Lounge, but here he was. No, that was a lie. He knew exactly how he ended up here, he had just been avoiding it.

"Is Queen busy?"

"I don't think so," said Melba. She pointed toward the Employees Only door. "She's in her personal room. Down the hall from the break room, look for the door with the crown on it. Make sure you knock first."

Just when Saba thought he'd gotten a handle on how big the Lounge was, a few new rooms seemed to pop up. Regardless, it didn't take him long to find the door that Melba had indicated, and he did, indeed, knock. Queen herself opened the door, dressed in her usual robe and looking a little sleepy but otherwise focused.

"Is something amiss, Saba?" she asked. "If this is about the incident with the Qarnozian, I said it wasn't your fault. They should have disclosed any allergies they had at the door."

Saba quickly shook his head. "Can I come in, please?"

Queen nodded, gesturing for him to come in. Saba had expected it to be an office, but what turned out to be behind the door was a rather cozy apartment.

"You know, I always wondered why I never saw you leave," said Saba.

Queen just laughed. She slouched down onto her sofa and gestured for Saba to take a seat.

"I'm guessing this is about your contract?" she said, giving him a nod as he plopped down onto a footstool.

Saba nodded, putting aside the question of how he knew. "It's been almost a year, yeah?"

"Almost," said Queen. "But I'm guessing you're not here to terminate it early."

This was it, then. This was what he had been losing sleep over. If he said it out loud, that would mean admitting it to himself. That would mean it would be real.

"...I want to stay," he said. "I want to keep on working for the Lounge. I don't want to leave. Not soon, anyway. I feel like I belong here. I like the girls, I like the work, and I... I..."

He hadn't noticed that Queen had stood up again until she put a hand under his chin and tipped it up.

"You can say it," she said. "It's okay."

"...I like being Aroya. I like it... a lot more than being me."

Queen smiled and shook her head. "I don't think that's quite right. I think you like being you just fine. Maybe you just need to be a better you."

Saba met her deep black eyes, unsure of what she met.

"As it happens, I'm willing to renegotiate your contract a bit," she said. "There is a catch, though. If you want a position that's a bit more permanent, then you're going to need to be properly equipped for it."

Saba looked back down at his body. "You mean... more nectar?" The prospect excited him, but Queen shook her head again.

"The royal nectar that I gave you was a diluted solution," said Queen. "If you want a more permanent post here, then you'll need something a bit stronger. And unlike what you've already done, there's no easy way to reverse it. If you have a taste of the pure stuff, then every trace of your old body will be overwritten by the mutagen. There will be no going back without multiple rounds of intensive gene therapy. It's not a decision that you should make lightly."

Saba took a deep breath as he considered all the implications of the word permanent. Maybe that should have worried him a little, but it didn't. He didn't want to think it over.

"I'll do it," he said. "I want this. This feels right."

Queen paced back over to the couch, lounging back on it and smiling. "Come here, then," she said. With that, she undid her robe, letting her thick, heavy breasts fall free. Saba gaped at her as she lifted one up and gave one plump nipple a little squeeze, expressing a pale fluid.

"If you want to do this," said Queen, "then you'll need to take it straight from the source, fresh and pure."

She gestured for Saba to come closer, patting her lap. After he took a moment to accept that she was serious, Saba slowly approached, making himself comfortable as she gently cradled his head. Carefully, she held his head up to her breast and prompted him to latch on.

He did so without hesitation. Her nectar began to flow almost immediately. It wasn't overpoweringly sweet like the bottled solution had been; it was light and floral and warming and he needed more of it. He pressed closer to her, drinking deeply, feeling it gently heat his body from within as it filled his belly.

"That's it," said Queen, running a hand along his back. "Drink deeply. Have as much as you want. And just relax. It's all going to be okay."

A familiar euphoria began to wash over Saba, and even as he kept drinking, he felt his eyelids flutter, saw the world around him begin to go soft.

And for the last time, Saba closed his eyes.

~*~

"Good morning, Aroya."

Slowly, the world came into focus. This wasn't a bed, this was a couch. And this wasn't... this wasn't her bedroom, this was...

Aroya sat straight up, her heart racing. She was still in Queen's apartment, and she...

"What... did you say?" she said, her voice light and musical.

"Hello, Aroya," said Queen, offering her a hand. "That's you, isn't it?"

She got up with a start, stumbling around in a frenzy. Queen, who seemed to know what she was looking for, gestured to the far wall, in which a full-length mirror had been set.

Aroya stood before it, and she was... perfect. Her features no longer held any trace of Ryvos ancestry. Her build was largely the same as it had been before. A bit curvier, perhaps, but largely the same. But her insectial features had grown much more prominent. Black eyes, long antennae, black and gold fuzz, thick abdomen. And it was perfect.

She couldn't stop herself from crying.

"That's me," she said, looking herself over in the mirror. "I'm Aroya. That's me."

"And you're beautiful," said Queen, putting a hand on her shoulder. Aroya collapsed into Queen's chest, tears flowing freely from her eyes even as she broke down into hysterical laughter.

~*~

"Welcome, Honeycomb VIPs! Thank you so much for joining us here tonight! Here on the big stage tonight is your favorite and mine! Let's all give it up for the sweet and sexy... Aroya!"

Aroya stepped out onto the VIP stage to an enthusiastic cheer from the assembled audience. No matter how many times she did this, it never got old. She was, of course, naked as always. Some of the girls liked to dress up, some in lingerie, some in elaborate costumes. But Aroya just loved her body, and wanted to feel every eye in the room on every inch of it. And if the night went well, she'd be feeling a lot more than eyes on it before the night was up.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and those of you who may be both or neither," she said, as she paced across the front of the stage. "Welcome to the show! I'll be your entertainment for the evening! And if you'd like a little meet and greet with me afterwards, feel free to use the sign-up sheet built into your tables' control console! In the meantime, though, I need to limber up a bit."

And then, with a flourish, she grabbed onto the pole in the middle of the stage and twirled around it, sending a silent prayer of thanks to Madelina for all of her lessons. The music kicked in, and as she began to dance, the room once again filled with cheers.

And as the dance went on, she shivered with delight at the thought of all of the fun she'd get to have with the VIPs at the end of the show (maybe all at once, if she was lucky), and in moments like this, she could hardly believe that there was ever a time when she wanted to be anywhere else. This was her, and this was where she belonged.

The music shifted into high gear, and Aroya gave it her all, as she always would.