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"Are you... almost...?"

Carbon flipped a lock of Zoë's hair over another and tugged the overlap tightly. "Just about, hon. Pass me that other clip?"

Iolvin shook his head with a smile as he placed the requested twist barrette into Carbon's awaiting paw. "I thought you were joking about the whole braiding thing."

"I'd never joke about that. Zoë's pretty damn amazing at it." Carbon looped and clipped the attachment and let go of the human's long rope of tightly-wound hair. "There you go, Zoë. There's a mirror in the hall there if you want to check it."

"Over..."

Yoyo sighed as the girl looked at the doorway, then waved a paw to the hall. "Go ahead, Zoë. It's only for a second." She smiled and ran around the door frame, leaving only silly looks of disbelief on the three left in the room. "Well she's silly, but the change fits her. Pigtails just seem to work in this situation."

Adrian reached a paw up to his own short hair. "You like that? Think maybe I should grow mine out and all too?"

"Nope." Yoyo threw an arm around Dee's neck and pulled him into a hug. "You're pretty like you are, babe. Brings an interesting image to mind though."

"Well aren't you two just adorable?" Carbon checked if her own clip was secure on her large, single braid and then stood to thank Zoë in the hallway--only the girl bumped into her on the way back inside. "Ah, sorry. How's it look?"

"It feels a bit weird, but it looks great."

"You'll get used to it. They do make you look cute though. Finally having clean hair helps too." Carbon let his friend slip back into the room and sit next to her patron. "Thanks for bringing her up, Iolvin. And awesome thanks for fixing me up, Zoë. I needed some time to relax."

"It's nothing, Fibre. Anything else you need or...?"

Carbon shook her head, but took a moment to look down the hall towards Fleur's room. "You don't need to go yet... I mean, I can try to fix up something for breakfast or something..."

"Oh, no need for that!" Dee stood up as well and followed the Major as she went for the kitchen. "We can just find something to do downstairs. There's lots of things to check on that ship for the girls."

"But... maybe you guys could--?" Carbon perked up as the doorbell chimed, her relief visible even through the old military gas mask she was wearing as a backup. "Perfect timing. Just hold tight guys. I might have something we can do."

As she opened the door Carbon's smile only grew larger, the hybrid looking up to a familiar, well-dressed meerkat smiling right back down at her. "What's up, shorty?"

"Cid!" Carbon threw out a paw for a shake and pulled the meerkat into her penthouse with it. "I thought you couldn't make it? You didn't blow off a client just to see me, did you?"

"You know I couldn't be that unprofessional if I tried, Carbon. Just had a scheduling error is all." Cid walked around like he owned the place, waving a paw to call a slew of furs behind him into the suite. "Pile in, guys. This ferret likes to say things just once."

"I've got more otter in me than anything else, you know." Carbon led Cid back to the others and introduced the meerket. "Guys, this here is Cid. I hired him and his goons to watch over Ilaria and Robyn for a while. Cid, these are Iolvin, Adrian, and Zoë. Fun people."

"Nice to meet you folks." Cid was tapped on the back and had someone whisper in his ear a moment. "No, don't worry about this place. The VIPs aren't here yet, anyway. Just take a seat or something."

"Bodyguards?" Yoyo stood and peeked into the rest of the penthouse, spying no less than ten furs in black suits. "What's so important we need the extra help? The attack the other day?"

"Sort of. That oxydium we brought back is a high value resource and I didn't want to risk a security breach." Carbon turned to Cid and gave him a nudge so he'd listen up. "Speaking of, the upper decks pretty much rely on sea level security checkpoints for safety. The baddies can potentially sneak aboard higher up and blend in. Keep your eyes open."

"So we're going topside? Sounds fun. The view's great up there."

Carbon was about to clarify when one of the guardsmen moved for the door. "Sir, two contacts at the main entrance!"

"Carbon?" The hybrid relaxed at Robyn's voice, which in turn calmed down Cid and his men a bit. "What's going on here?"

"It's okay. She's one of the VIPs, guys." Carbon popped her head out into the main hall and grinned a hidden smile. "Morning, Robyn" She took a second to admire Ilaria's choice of attire with a low whistle. "That sirat looks amazing as ever, Ilaria."

Robby tugged another fur into view with a wide smile herself. "Mornin', mate. Brought Ellie with us, an' the Ichors tagged along too."

"Full house. Nice." Carbon slapped her paws together as she figured out her plan on tackling the day's orders. "Okay, now that everyone's here I'll tell you what you're doing today. Sound good?"

"Wait a moment... Lilly?" Cid grinned even wider as he left the suite, immediately giving the drake a hug upon eye contact. "Lilly! Always nice to see you again. Oh, and hey there Vorak."

Vorak nudged his chin and walked right by the meerkat. "Cid."

"He's still the same as always." Lilith gave Cid a final pat on the back and hinted that they should enter the penthouse. "You're a welcome sight. Here for a job?"

Cid nodded and took the hint, heading back to the group with an apologetic wave. "Yeah, we're doing some tailing today. The Major got you joining us? It'd be just like old times."

"Not sure. He called us up a bit ago."

Carbon rasped her claws on a table as she waited for the others to huddle around. "Lilly, I wanted to leave that up to you. I didn't know if any of your old friends were assigned or not."

"Ooh, you're on a first name basis now?" commented the meerkat.

"Sort of a new thing." Lilith shrugged and leaned against a wall. "He just changed our rankings too. Even playing field."

Cid quirked his eyebrow at Carbon. "You'll have to tell me how that works out. I'm always open to improving teamwork."

"Can we focus?" Fibre popped open a laptop and waved her paw over the keyboard, a few screens rapidly flickering as hundreds of actions spooled through the system. "Okay, your team is cleared for security work now. So about that." She pointed to Ari and Robyn with a pause to think about tasking. "Those two need to buy some things topside. I want at least one set of eyes on each at all times in public, plus area coverage and secure exit paths."

Cid walked over to the hybrid and sat on the edge of her table. "Got it. Pretty standard for a tail job. Anything else?"

"Not sure yet. I was gonna go myself until I saw you came personally. One sec." Carbon pointed to the girls as well as Iolvin and Adrian, then gestured to one of the bedrooms for them to follow. "Ilaria, take this card."

The otter received a small credit card and looked it over briefly. "Right, you said we'd get some cash. Guess this works."

"It's my personal card. You shouldn't need all of it, but you've got a thousand bucks to spend. Lots of shops use universal credits though so keep in mind they're worth a bit more." Carbon then presented a slew of small data cards to each of the group. "Pop those into your ID cards in the data slots. They should give you access to the full Lambda Tower facilities. Figure you'll need to open a few doors in case of an emergency, let alone shopping."

"Oh, cool. Thanks."

"They also give you special rights." Carbon tapped the recurve bow hanging around Ilaria's back. "Like those light weapons. You don't have firearms licenses yet, but that bow and Zoë's sword technically fit into the defensive weapons category. You'll be able to carry more 'oomph' in a few days."

Dee helped Yoyo pop his chip into place and then worked on his own. "So why are you giving these to ~us~? The girls are the ones shopping."

"Well you'll need them either way, but actually..." Carbon pulled another ID card from her rear pocket and traded it for Yoyo's own. "Here's Zoë's ID. I already set it up with full access, but she's listed with diplomatic immunity. If anyone asks, the two of you are ambassadors for the human camp." She gave back Yoyo's card after reprogramming it with her paw. "There, you're an ambassador now too. Try not to make anyone look bad."

"Wait, why do we need that special treatment?"

Carbon shook her head in disbelief and looked towards Zoë's bare body. "Can't believe you're used to it already. She'd cause an uproar wearing nothing but those dainty panties. Diplomatic immunity lets her claim it as a cultural requirement, so she can't be arrested for indecency. Same goes for the rapier."

Yoyo took a look at the nude girl and then nodded in agreement. "Alright, that's a good call. We going with the girls too, then?"

Carbon pulled Yoyo aside and lowered her voice. "I'm not telling you to change her or whatever, since it's your right to tell her what she should do... I'm just thinking that if you expose Zoë to real clothing she might take a liking to it, in case you do want her wearing something."

"What makes you think she'll want to?"

"She hasn't seen how nice the good stuff can look. Trust me, it's a girl thing. She'll be hooked." The hybrid pointed to the payment card in Ari's paw. "If she takes the bait, same goes for you. A thousand should get her more than enough to test the waters. Also... I could use some underwear myself. I don't normally let myself go full female, so I could use something. I'm... a small for most brands. And think stretchy for the tops, please I'm a bit flat so..."

Yoyo flushed magenta through his face as he considered what such a daunting task entailed. "S-Sure... I'll try my best. No promises though, Fibre."

"Thanks, Iolvin." Carbon was about to break away to the rest of the room but held off for a moment. "Hey, you're bi, right? Oh wait, you need to go with Zoë. Forget I said--"

"Hmm? What's up?"

"It's stupid of me; I didn't get much sleep last night. I forgot you're with Adrian for a moment anyway. Besides, that cock of yours would break the poor girl."

Iolvin only pressed the point further, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Well what were you gonna ask? I might know a different solution."

"Well..." Carbon herself started blushing herself as she thought about her admission. "You know how you haven't seen Fleur today? She's... in her first mature heat. I'm basically her father so I can't help her--not that I'd want to anyway--but I have an obligation to ease her torment. You know?"

"And you thought I'd fuck her. Well if I can't, don't worry." Yoyo smiled as he looked to his mate. "I'm sure Dee can take care of things."

"Wait, you two aren't exclusive?" Carbon glanced at the fair-furred otter and then shrugged her shoulders. "Well I guess he doesn't mind you and your sister, after all. But you think he'll do this?"

"I'll talk to him about it, but I think he'll be alright with it." Yoyo broke the little huddle and strode over to his mate. "Sounds good to me, Fibre. Hey Dee, can we talk?..."

Carbon huffed a sigh of relief and left the room, waving the others out with her. "Okay, that's done. Cid, got a minute?"

"Sure." The meerkat walked over and followed Carbon to one of the windows. "What's up?"

"You grab those things I requested?"

"Oh, yeah. Bit of a strange request, but you were right about those Rivets letting my guys snoop around."

Carbon pointed to the twins as they left the bedroom. "That's their parents, so it's nothing. You have your guys drop off the package at that repair shop and then we'll find somewhere nice to set it all up. It's a gift for the girls, so I'm still thinking of what to do."

"Oh... Well I'm one step ahead of you, buddy. Package is delivered already; I'll send the bill later." Cid peered out the window at the water far below and an idea came to him. "Well there's always the transfer deck. That's the best view if you'd like to start there."

The mustelid smiled and pulled out a small communications device, her paws glowing as something was sent to an unknown recipient. "Sure. I'll set up a little picnic for lunch if you'll have your guys lend a paw. Perfect idea, Cid."

Cid perked up as he remembered the other request. "Oh, right. Since I was coming I grabbed this from my own inventory." He pulled a plastic-wrapped tactical gas mask from his briefcase and gave it to the Major. "The one you requested was pretty good, but I figured you'd want the newest and best. Besides, it's got a full-face window. Figured you'd like to breathe without blocking your face for once. There's even a quick release for eating and stuff."

"You're a lifesaver, Cid." The hybrid opened the package and yanked out the new mask, checking the air feed connection and sealing the filter hole in preparation for integrating the unit into her system. "This'll work great. Nice choice, bud. I owe you one."

"Well, then..." A mischievous smile spread over the meerkat's muzzle, visibly unsettling Carbon. "Maybe you can help partake in tradition for once...?"

"You know I don't support your games, Cid." The hybrid stared down her friend to no avail, giving in to his request. "Fine. Nothing too harsh though. What do you have in mind?"

"You act like I want to hurt the guy. He just wasn't very pleasant to work with is all." Cid glanced over to the Ichor twins and sighed as he pondered a plan. "Vorak just needs a kick in the ass. I mean, the only reason I kept him on the team after taking over Paladin was because Lilly would have to leave with him. She's the real gem of the two if you ask me."

"With news of some recent events... I'm inclined to agree." Carbon rolled her eyes and took a breath. "Okay. I think I've got a good one that's harmless. Should piss him off enough though. Watch this." The Major stepped back to the rest of the room, swapping to her better mask on the slow walk over. "Right. You lot have your orders. Keep in touch with Cid for details, and relay even small details back just to be safe. Vorak, you've got a special task."

"Sir." The drake stepped forward, blatantly stuck in his old ways as he gave Carbon a salute. "What are your orders, sir?"

"Robyn here is pretty damn pregnant, as you can see. Ilaria only has one good leg." Carbon had to fight her natural impulse to chuckle as she gave the order. "I need someone to take care of moving their purchases. We need to keep the unit mobile, and a strong guy like yourself should have no problems making that happen."

"Sir?" Vorak grunted as he considered the menial task he'd been given, but due to his genetic programming he couldn't easily blow off an order. "Sir. I'll take care of it, sir."

Carbon nodded and the drake stood at ease. "Well get to it then, guys. I don't care where you guys go, but try to head back by the afternoon. There's a large ship scheduled to dock then and it'll get a bit chaotic. Have fun now, ladies." The security team waited for Cid to confirm with a nod of his own, then cleared out to secure the elevator. "Lilly, I'll let you join if you'd like. Oh, and did you have something for me, Elliot? The results from yesterday?"

Ellie stepped forward wearing a lab coat but without anything else to show for his work. "Not exactly. The tests are still baking in the machine. DNA isn't something you can push too hard without ruining. I just wanted to give you an update. Looks like it'll be finished around noon."

"Oh, this your new doc?" Cid checked a taser gun in his briefcase and put it in a hidden coat holster. "He's younger than the last. Better on the eyes too, if you ask me."

"She, actually." Carbon waved a paw to Ellie and then the other to Dee. "This is Doctor Elliot Lontra, and she's Adrian's sister. We got lucky finding a competent doctor when we recruited Adrian."

"Nice to meet you." Ellie threw out a paw enthusiastically, which Cid morphed from a shake into a light kiss on her paw. "Ooh. Quite the gentleman, yes yes."

"Always nice to meet a beautiful lady, doc. Now if you'll excuse me..."

Carbon threw out an arm and held Cid back. "Not so fast. I'm thinking I need a ~personal bodyguard~ today, Cid." The hybrid smiled to her friend and then walked over to a small bar on the wall, uncorking a bottle of whisky. "Thanks for the update, Elliot. I'll call the lab later."

"Sure. Later, Carbon."

Cid waited for everyone else to clear out before loosening up and slanking over to the bar. "Scotch in the morning? I mean, the stuff doesn't put a dent in you... but that's still not your style."

Carbon looked to her side and addressed her internal friend. "You're still pulling your punches, right?"

"As much as I hate to do so," Evelyn shrank down and sat on the edge of the bar top before continuing, "yeah I'm letting you drink. I'm still drawing the line when you lose the power of speech though. And please drink some water too, for both of us."

"I know, Eve. Dehydration sucks for us." Carbon took a sip of his drink and turned back to Cid. "Don't worry. I've got a designated driver."

"I'd love to have a friend like that."

"What? I'm not good enough?" Carbon took her drink over to the couch and sat down, gesturing for Cid to do the same. "Come on. Let your hair down a little."

"Well..."

Evelyn nudged her nose to the only remaining fur in the room aside from Cid as Adrian patiently stood in the corner. "Sure we aren't forgetting something first?"

Carbon huffed again as she remembered the fur. "Right, don't remind me." She fumbled around in a drawer of the coffee table and produced a strip of mylar foil, presenting it to the otter. "I'm glad you're willing to help."

Dee checked the strip and quickly tucked it into his pants. "Condoms, huh? Better than the alternative at least."

"Well it's not exactly a safe time for her, now is it?" Fibre pointed to the elk's room and sniffed at the strong scent permeating from beneath the door. "She's got it pretty bad, hence the whole string of rubbers. It might take a while, but try to ease her ~suffering~ for her. And if you run out of those, you run out here for more. No chances."

"You got it, Carbon. I'm not too used to women but I'll make it work."

"Thanks, Adrian. I'll owe you one for this."

Cid stared as Carbon walked back over for her drink. "Were those condoms? The hell kind of day do you have planned, exactly?"

"Oh, no plans. I didn't get any sleep so it's all seat-ofMyPants today."

"I noticed. So... You put Vorak on bag bitch duty?" Cid checked a small monitor mounted to the inside lid of his briefcase and smiled when the cameras attached to his team leaders' suits cycled on screen. "As evil as that is, at least now I've got something fun to watch later."

"Thought you'd appreciate that. Just don't let him see that footage; I'm not stopping him from getting payback." Carbon took a sip of her drink and then perked back up. "Hey, I know what to do. Let's go drop targets. I just got my range fixed and I'd love some company."

"If you're hosting the ammo I can't say no to that." Cid headed over towards the elevator but chose a different door next to it, waiting for Carbon to open the lock. "So I've offered to come by at least four times these last few months and only ~now~ we get some time together? Way to treat a girl, Carbon."

The hybrid waved her paw over the door's control panel and it clicked the bolt open. "Like you're the best one to speak on behalf of womankind, Sydney." She tapped a fist into the meerkat's shoulder playfully as she walked through and into a dark concrete room. "I'm sorry about that, hon. I know I hired Paladin a bunch lately, but it's all been guard duty while we were off station. If I'd have been here I'd have invited that sexy ass of yours in the blink of an eye."

"I take it back. You're a charmer, handsome." Sydney did the honors of flicking on the heavy-duty light switch with a rewarding clack, the room flushing with brilliance until just shy of a dozen exotic cars came into view. "Ooh, did you change the Shelby? She looks different."

"Nah, just gave her a fresh clear coat. I got her all grimed up and figured it was a good excuse to touch her up." Carbon walked over to the sixty-seven Cobra in question and gave her a quick inspection. "Never could keep her from the dirt. She's meant to do what she loves."

"You and your cars. Never got why guys got into them so much."

"Maybe you should buy a fancy one. Might help with that public image."

Sydney took off her overcoat and put it on a coat rack neat the door. "Maybe if I had the kind of bank you did." She stretched her arms out, pausing to pick up a camera that was sitting on a nearby workbench. "Really? You even take pictures of these things with a ridiculously old camera? How much money do you--?"

"Cid, put it down."

"What? I'm not gonna break i--"

"Sydney! Put it fucking down!"

Cid jumped at Carbon's sudden concern, meeting it with a heavy dose of caution of her own as she set the camera back on the table. "Alright... Sorry, Carbon. I was just joking around."

Carbon forced herself to calm down halfway through an angry stomp over to the workbench. "No... You didn't know." She took the camera and placed it in a cabinet so it was out of sight. "It's one of a kind. Belonged to someone special to me a long, long time ago."

"Oh... I just thought it was another vintage relic like you always collect." Sydney carefully went up behind Carbon and rubbed her shoulders. "Sorry about that, Carbon. Come on. Let's just forget about it and fire some guns."

"Yeah... Let's do that." The hybrid took one of Cid's paws and led her to the firing range further back. "So, you plan on ~shooting~ like a girl today, too?"

"Low blow, Carbon." Sydney chuckled as she pulled out her personal handgun, only to have Carbon's own paw force it back. "What? There some sort of hint I'm supposed to get? Or are you just too drunk?"

"I'm not drunk." Carbon reached into a gun cage and pulled out two Five-seveN pistols as well as some matching ammunition cases. "I wanted to try out something Ilaria brought to my attention and figured you'd like a try too. Just figured you'd like to be yourself when you relax is all I meant."

"It's not ~that~ tough acting like a guy. And you're not usually this awkward."

"I'm usually a guy myself. One that isn't being humped on the leg all night." Carbon pulled a loaded magazine from one of the cases and slapped it into the handgun, then repeated with the second. "Sorry if I'm a bit annoying today. I just really need to unwind after the night I just had."

"Those condoms..."

"Not what you're probably thinking. You know I'd never lay a paw on Fleur."

"Well that's for sure if you're not a guy right now." Sydney paused as she was given one of the pistols, then gawked as Carbon raised hers as well as her glass of whisky. "Wait... You're not going to drink scotch and shoot, are you?"

"Eh, I'm barely buzzed. Eve's lying about letting me get drunk anyway."

The plant girl stood in the firing lane with her hands on her hips. "You know I can't let you do that to yourself."

"I know, Eve. Thanks for watching out for me, as always." Carbon took a last sip of her drink and readied to fire, the flower girl jumping in surprise and vanishing from her sight. "I must look like a crazy woman talking to thin air like that, though."

"Just a bit." Sydney found a pair of ear guards and threw them on before raising her own weapon, Carbon simply using her self-corking ears as a substitute. "So you can't use them, but you walk over to that Adrian guy with a million condoms? What's the deal?"

"It's Fleur." Carbon primed her gun and fired two paced rounds into her lane, a holographic trajectory lighting up the path of each shot to the hard target. "She's finally hit her heavy heats."

"Oh, well that explains a lot. The joys of parenthood, huh? You'll survive." Cid armed her own weapon and took a single aimed shot, hitting her target in the neck. "Nifty range, by the way."

"You like it? Worth every penny." The hybrid studied the firing lines and adjusted after realizing the small rounds had a surprisingly flat trajectory, taking another two shots in quick succession. "Damn. Maybe there's some genius in that girl's choice of guns."

"That Ilaria girl, or the squirrel... Robyn? I'd never take the giant one as an expert the way she carried that bow around." Sydney took another few shots, correcting her own aim so she hit the heart and head. "I mean, she looks like something out of an anthropology magazine."

"Don't let the tribal getup fool you. She could probably pick you off with that bow without you knowing she was there." Carbon grunted as her aim was still off, forcing herself to hold the pistol in a lower grip to account for the moderate lack of recoil. She fired a shot, then dropped the weapon on the lane's table and held her paw in pain. "Fucking hell! Damn, that was stupid."

"Woah. You alright?" Sydney clicked her safety, placed her own gun down, and pulled Carbon's paw into open view. "Let me take a look at it."

Fibre chewed on her lower lip as the pain reached its peak, letting Cid inspect the small cut in the webbing of her thumb and forefinger. "Shit. Of course I have to pinch myself on the slide. Just what I needed today."

Sydney gave Carbon's paw back, holding her thumb tightly against her paw to stop the slight trickle of indigo leaking from the wound. "It's nothing. Stop being a ~pussy~ and I'll grab a bandage."

"You_bitch_." Carbon giggled as the meerkat walked to a first aid kit on the wall. "You really ~do~ like to play the badass, don't you?"

"~There's~ that smile." Sydney found an adhesive bandage and walked back, flaunting the item with a smile of her own. "You're seriously wound up, Carbon. I'm not sure this little thing is gonna fix that."

"Well it's a start." Carbon reached out to grab the bandage, but was denied when it went skyward. "Not funny. Give it, Cid."

"Oh, no. You need to loosen up or it'll never heal." Cid grinned as she lowered the bandage teasingly. "How about you show 'em for once."

"What?" Carbon took a step back as she realized what Sydney was talking about. "Wait, ~those~? Cid, you know I don't like to show people those."

"You want this thing or not?" Sydney grinned even wider as she pressed her point. "Besides, it's not like I haven't seen them before. It's no big deal."

"Except it ~is~. They're embarrassing."

Cid gave up the bandage with a sigh of disappointment as her friend strongly objected. "There's no need to be embarrassed around me, Carbon. Besides, I don't see what the big deal is."

"Well you don't have any so you wouldn't know." Carbon took the bandage and carefully applied it to her cut, using the silent moment to calm down a bit. "I know you're just trying to be fun or whatever, but my tendrils aren't some kind of toys. They're a part of me. A very ~personal~ part of me."

"See, there's that serious tone again. You really need to lighten up." Cid picked up her pistol again and aimed for another shot, giving Carbon a moment to wink her ears shut before unlocking the weapon and firing. "You don't need to show me if you don't want. I just thought we were good enough friends to share everything by now is all."

"That's not... fair." Carbon stood limply for a moment before snaking one of her tendrils out the bottom of her baggy shirt for a peek of fresh air. "It's not that I don't trust you or anything. It's just that they're... sensual for me."

Cid paused her firing and clicked her safety again. "Wait, so those things are like, erogenous?"

"Yeah, more or less. So you can understand why I wouldn't want to flaunt them about." The other two slipped free as well, flowing along the same path as Carbon's tail. "You wouldn't walk around with your tits out, would you?"

"Well not if I'm trying to look like a man, no." Cid put down her weapon and started unbuttoning her shirt, revealing just enough of her chest to get her point across. "But even then, we've shared that much. I mean, you always want to keep those things covered but that doesn't mean we haven't ~been intimate~ before."

"Well yeah, I'm not saying I don't want to sleep with you or anything. I mean, quite the opposite actually." The hybrid took the one straggler into her paws and rubbed along its length. "I'm just not used to sharing these with anyone. I'm normally hiding them because I don't want to be called a monster or whatever."

"Pfft, as if." The meerkat walked over and cautiously reached for the tendril, only touching it when Carbon allowed her access. "You're amazing. I don't care what others think, because you're great to me. That's all that matters."

Carbon shuddered as Cid's paw slid along the smooth skin of the tendril, tickling her slightly. "I appreciate that, hon. I'm sorry... for getting all defensive like that."

"Then ~show~ me how sorry you are." Sydney smiled as she gingerly pet along the vine in her paws. "You sound like you could use some serious relaxation and I'm about to burst here myself. We could both use a good fuck."

"Well I'd agree, but I don't usually like to screw when I'm sans dick."

"I've noticed."

Carbon reeled back her tendril and bound it into a spiral with the other two. "You sure you'd get what you need? I mean, I've got some toys in my room if you want me to--"

"I've got all the toys I need right here." Cid slid a paw down Carbon's back until she met the juncture where her tendrils erupted from above her tail. "If you're willing to share, that is."

"I, uh... I might not mind that if it's with you." Carbon unwound her thick tendrils and let them float about more confidently now. "I'm not used to using them that way, though. It's been a few... ~dozen~ years."

"You and your crazy life." Cid snickered as she slid her paw from the base to the tip of one of the surprisingly long appendages. "Just do what comes naturally. I mean, I'd love to give those things a try if I had some myself. It's like three huge dicks and I've always wondered about just having ~one~."

"Fantasy of yours, I take it?" One of the tendrils snaked its way behind Sydney and playfully shot out from between her legs, eliciting a chuckle from the mustelid. "Problem solved. You've got a dick."

Cid reached down and clasped her paws around the bulbous bud on the tip, causing Carbon to gasp. "Well that's different. Glad you're finally having some real fun, too. That's not too hard, is it?"

"Goddess, far from it." Carbon's head fell loose on her shoulders as she took in the strong sensations on her tip, eventually moving closer to hold Sydney's paws still. "That's amazing Cid, but..."

"But you want something more?" The meerkat finished unbuttoning her shirt, throwing it onto the ground behind her haphazardly. "Well I'd say we've both earned that much. Got somewhere we could get comfy, or...?"

The hybrid looked around, at first remembering a cheap couch she kept on the far wall but discarding that idea after seeing how much oil and dirt had collected in it's cushions over the years. "Hmm... Oh, I know." She took both of Sydney's paws and led her to the door of a classic BMW E30 run M3 sports car. "I've always wanted to put this one to good use."

"This thing? You don't 'break in' all your cars this way, do you?"

Carbon popped open the door and pushed the driver's seat forward, flopping long-wise into the rear with a giggle. "Nope. Just sort of happens to all of them at some point. Besides, this one's really comfy."

Sydney shook her head with a smile and climbed into the admittedly roomy rear seat. "I'd have gone with a bed, but this has its own advantages as well." She fell down atop Carbon and pinned the smaller fur to the seat, nudging up her mask in a quick kiss for emphasis. "Gives me a tactical advantage."

"Or did I ~want~ you to take the lead?" Carbon snaked a tendril into the back of Sydney's trousers and wormed it past her crotch so it bulged down the right leg. "Seems somebody's raring to go."

Cid couldn't help but choke on a laugh at the odd gesture. "Makes me wonder if you've ever even screwed yourself that way."

"Well... not really." Carbon reached out and unfastened Sydney's belt, quickly dropping her pants to her knees. "And I've definitely never used it like a strap-on before. I mean, if you even want to do that. If you just want to do it a more normal way I'm still--"

"Tentacle phalli don't scare me, hon. In fact, I'm sort of curious now." Cid pinched her thighs together as the vine curled upward to poke out like a true erection. "These are a bit thick for that sort of thing though, right? Squishy, but... thick."

Carbon stretched the tendril's tip, sacrificing girth for length. "One size fits all."

"You're just full of surprises today." Sydney reached down past her false appendage and worked Carbon's pants down to her ankles to level the playing field. "No panties? I didn't think you were the commando type."

"I actually ~was~ a commando once, thank you very much." Fibre pulled her shirt up and over her head, throwing it down into the foot trench of the rear cabin. "It's a long story. Let's just say I wasn't prepared to be a girl right now."

"Well I'm not complaining." Cid reached down and brushed the tips of her fingers over the hybrid's dewy petals, sneaking a single digit inside once she'd gathered enough of that oily wetness. "This thing's almost as rare for me as those tentacles of yours. And damn, if it isn't just as tight as the last time. You're really ageless ~all over~ aren't you?"

"You're one to talk." A webbed paw of Carbon's own reached beneath Cid's underwear to give her the same treatment. "I just hope you aren't so ~fine~ down there because I'm the only one that you have fun with."

"Hey, just because I put on that charade of mine doesn't mean I don't get any action." Sydney took hold of the flexible appendage she'd been granted and angled it so it poked gingerly against Carbon's delicate folds. "And just for that I'm not holding myself back."

"Wait." Fibre ducked her head down a moment as she withdrew that tendril, only to secure it in place better by wrapping it around Cid's thigh first. "I want you to have your fun and all, but... Try to take it easy at first? I haven't exactly given that part of me a real workout in... a while."

"Well to be honest I'd be intimidated to take one of these in me myself."

Carbon looked up into Sydney's eyes as she moved another tendril into place, the bud on the end slipping around Cid's new phallus and poking against her own flower. "You sure you don't want to try? I mean, it's not like there's a shortage of them here, and... I sort of want to see what it's like myself. I've never done that to anyone before."

Sydney pressed her hips back against the intruder and granted it a modicum of access to her hot passage. "Damn, that's big..." She realigned her own borrowed bud and pressed it into Carbon as well. "I'm game. Been a while since I've had something warm and soft in me anyway. This sort of tickles though."

"That's my nectar." Carbon huffed a deep breath as Cid sank both tendrils deeper, then produced the third bud for inspection. "They ooze a lot more of the stuff than the rest of me, and it's sort of... fizzy."

Cid reached out to wipe a dollop of the syrupy, clear, and cyan-glowing liquid and brought it to her mouth for a taste test. "Ooh, tastes like some kind of fruit soda. That's way more powerful than normal. Pretty nice."

"See? And it gets me in so much trouble with the other sex if they get it on them." Carbon forced the bud to bloom into a three-point, double-petaled flower and then scooped a generous amount that had collected inside into her own mouth. "It does taste good though."

"Woah, they can do ~that~?" Cid smiled devilishly as she eased the other tendrils as far as they would fit. "Just don't do that inside us. There's barely enough room as it stands."

Carbon managed a giggly groan as she flickered three thick, sticky pistils from the center of the flower, licking them in the air quickly like the tongue of a snake. "Oh, there's a few tricks I could try. That's a bit much for the first time, though."

Cid ground her clit against Carbon's before yanking her false cock back, a motion Carbon mimicked with the other tendril. "This is why I'm glad we're so close. Life's never boring with friends like you."

Fibre squinted from the sheer overload of sensation as Sydney started moving her hips in a rhythm. It was admittedly a bit awkward, though that was expected since Cid normally wasn't the one doing the dicking. Carbon tried to match her movements as best she could, but a certain lag developed as she found herself fighting three different points of pleasure versus her partner's singular one. She bit her lip and fought through it however, trying her best to hold out until they both had a fighting shot at hitting their peaks.

Cid flopped forward, ceasing her thrusting in favor of a light grinding of their clits as a micro-orgasm washed over her. "Fuck... I didn't even do that much..."

Carbon reached down to prod at Cid's stuffed entrance, feeling quite a large flow of goop pushing its way out into her paw. "That's my nectar, dear. Bit of an aphrodisiac when it's that concentrated." She let that paw glide further, using it to leverage the meerkat's ass back into motion. "Don't stop now, hon. I'm gonna pop soon."

"That so?" Sydney mustered up a bit of willpower and forced herself to keep moving even as her body still shook in bliss. "Can't keep this up much longer myself, Carbon."

"Mmm... Just keep trying..." Carbon lifted her mask, threw her free arm around Cid's back, and pulled her down for a sloppy kiss. "Please, harder..."

"You like... being on bottom... don't you?" Sydney did as requested, bucking her hips with all her might only to have the tendril inside her meet those motions in kind. "Damn... I think this... might be the big finale, hon!"

Carbon groaned out a bellowing grunt followed by a never-ending series of squeaks and chirps as she reached her peak first. Her eyes rolled back in her head for a moment as pure passion flooded every nerve in her body. Squirming and writhing about in bliss, she held Sydney close through the whole of her heavy orgasm. Then at some point during her climax, her tendrils as well as her sex started drooling massive amounts of her thick nectar. The extra slickness and feeling of fullness culminated with the ticklish fizziness, blasting Cid through her own roof. The meerkat seized up for a second, then slumped into a quivering mess atop the her hybrid partner.

"Wow." Cid huffed out of breath, struggling to find the will to speak as she rode her highest high into the ground. "Damn... That was better than I thought it'd be."

"Well you got... ah... got the hang of that thing... damn quick." Carbon tensed up a bit as she tried to pull her tendril free of Sydney's twitching snatch, the appendage still too overstimulated to budge an inch. "I think I like... the you with a dick..."

Cid smiled and gave the otter a final kiss before replacing her mask for some much-needed air. "I'll take you however you are."

"I'm glad you ~like~ me however I am." After a few more seconds Carbon finally managed to slide her tendril loose of its heated confines, a generous flow of her plant cum still drooling from the bud. "Fuck, I needed that."

"So did I." Cid eased her own tendril free, though with enough force that it caused Carbon to shudder in pleasured pain. "Not quite the real deal, but it does feel good being the one on top for once. That was a fun experience, Carbon. Thanks."

"Don't mention it, sexy." Carbon groped Sydney's ass tightly and even threw in a playful slap for fun. "It's not like I didn't have a blast myself."

"Bit of an understatement." Cid ran her paw over her soaked thigh fur and giggled. "I'm guessing you can't do that too often with that much of a payload. Still, I'd love to give it another go sometime."

"Anytime you feel like trying that again, all you gotta do is ask." Fibre smirked as the third tendril hovered between the pair of lovers. "Besides, there's still one with a bit of life in her."

"Well in that case, I can't refuse such a generous host." Cid slid into the crack of the car seat and forced Carbon to roll on top. "So, miss host... Plan to make your guest do all the work or you gonna show me a good time?"

Carbon smiled as she snaked her tendril between both furs' legs. "It'd be my pleasure, Sydney."

"Gah! Wait up, Lulu!"

Ilaria turned back to her twin brother and threw her paws up in apology. "I can't help it. She's gone rabid for clothes."

Iolvin hobbled over to a nearby bench and carefully sat down to rest his injured back. "I know she's having fun, but we need to stick together. I'm sorry I'm slowing you guys down and all--"

"Yoyo, don't worry about it. She's just floating on a big ol' cloud of hormones or something." Ari waved to her wife when she looked back at the group impatiently, the squirrel taking the hint and walking closer. "She's got a crazy glowing space baby in her. I give her a free pass for that."

"Yeah, ~your~ space baby." Yoyo braced for a soft punch to his shoulder, but held back his sibling's return hit for once. "Sorry, sis. I'm really happy you're giving me a nephew."

"Love you too, lil' bro." Ari gave Robyn a kiss when she came into reach, holding her paw to both pace the woman as well as comfort her. "So you've gotten more clothes than you've bought all year. What's next?"

"Lunch. Baby's pleading after all this trotting about."

"Oh, you're done then? Thank the gods." Yoyo suddenly found himself on the receiving end of another two playful punches this time. "What? You weren't the only ones shopping. Besides, I've never had to help a girl buy things before."

"She seems to be having fun though." Ari nudged her snout to the subject of her words as she awkwardly walked up to the bench. "She looks cute too."

"You really think so?" Zoë twisted and shifted the skirt of her dress, never seeming to find a position that felt right. "It just seems so constricting or something. These clothes may look nice but I don't think I can get used to them."

"You'll forget about all that given some time." Yoyo pulled the human up in front of him and played with the tightness of a sash around her waist. "You probably need to break them in a bit too. Just wear them a bit looser until you're okay with them."

"Thank you, m'lord."

"My name, Zoë."

"Ah... Yes, Iolvin. Thank you, Iolvin."

Ari guffawed and gave her brother a slap on his back, forgetting that was the very last place she should have touched until he winced in pain. "Shit, she's so damn adorable. Where can I get one of my own?"

"She's not a pet, Lulu." Yoyo looked down as the human shuffled on a pair of cork sandals and gave her a tap on the shoulder. "You don't have to wear those if you don't want to, Zoë. If you're fine with bare feet so am I, even if it looks a bit weird with the dress."

Zoë rolled her eyes back and sighed in relief, immediately kicking the footwear off her feet. "I like them, I really do... but if I don't need the protection I just..."

"You're used to going bare. I can see that." Iolvin snatched the shoes and sat them neatly next to him on the bench before spotting Vorak and waving him over. "You should do what's most comfortable whenever you can. Hey, Vorak? Sorry, but could you find a spot for these too?"

The drake grumbled something beneath his breath as he searched armfuls of large bags for the shoe box the sandals originally came within. "I've got it, pal. Anything else I should grab or are we done here?"

Lilith jogged over and used the drop in her brother's guard to snatch one of the bags. "Looks like we've hit all the big shops. You guys want to get moving? Major's set up lunch for you upstairs."

"Lilly, I can handle that--"

"You're not letting ~me~ help you now?" Lilly took another bag and hopped a few steps back with a smile. "I won't hear of it, bro."

Everyone waited for the drake to calmly accept the offer before Robyn headed for the nearest elevator. "So we've got food waiting? Carbon's got damn perfect timing then."

"Yeah, Barry over there was saying to go to Auxiliary Twelve on Fifteen-Thirty. That's an old security transfer checkpoint, right? Can't say I've been that high before."

"And you won't now, either." Vorak nudged to one of the other security team members and explained himself. "They're saying it's too tight up there to handle the lot of us. Something like that. We're to go back and drop off these bags."

"Aww." Lilly raised up her arm and placed a concealed microphone to her mouth. "Guys, you serious? We can't tag along for the ride up?"

Two of the team shook their heads back as Lilly listened to a return message. "See? Not looking good for you, sis. What's the word?"

"You're right. Too many bodies." The drake lowered her arm and nodded back to one of her former co-workers. "Roger says his team's gone up alone first and the rest of us are regrouping on the main platform."

Ilaria reached over and rested a paw on Lilly's shoulder. "Sorry, hon. We'll make time and explore all you want later, right?"

"Yeah. Sounds like it could make a good girls' night out or something." Lilly went for the elevator first, slipping her ID card in for proper access. "You're buying the booze though."

"You got it." Ari crouched as the carriage moved to their deck, taking a moment to rub her wife's tummy. "We'll get some good non-alcoholic shit for you too, Pillow."

"How_considerate_." Robyn sighed at the notion and lightly pat her wife on the ass. "You know, you could give up the liquor with me too. Not like it does anything for you anymore, so why not?"

"A girl can't get any breaks around here, can she?" The car stopped and opened its door for the group with a ding, into which Ilaria immediately started shooing her wife. "But enough of that. Little guy wants some grub, he gets some grub."

"And you say ~Zoë's~ adorable." Iolvin followed behind shortly, almost having to beg his human companion to follow just as quickly. "I know it feels strange, but you've got to get used to things like this. Elevators are safe, Zoë."

"Never could vouch for this one," commented Lilly as she stepped inside. "I mean, it's powered by magnets. Just freaks me out there's no physical contact with anything."

Once the girl floated within reach Yoyo snatched her by the hand and yanked her inside. "Not the best time for that opinion, Lilly. Don't want to scare the poor thing."

"Sorry. I didn't mean it that way. Frankness must be in my blood or something." Lilith gave the control panel a moment to flicker into view and tapped the appropriate location for the others. "That's the address. Since I'm heading back, need me to do anything back home?"

Ari spoke for the group, waving in thanks as the doors started closing. "Nah. Thanks, Lilly."

"Later, guys."

Zoë suddenly latched onto Yoyo for dear life when the safety clamps released and the lift rocketed upwards. "God, I hate this!"

Robyn chuckled as the acceleration eased off. "I didn't fancy it myself much at first, hon. You'll get used to it."

Yoyo gave the girl a rub on her back as the car started to rapidly slow itself. "And I don't mind if you get all defensive like this, Zoë. Take as long as you need to feel safe. I'll try not to force you into these things too much."

The carriage came to a stop, clacking itself into the new level's physical locks and causing Zoë to brace even harder from the sound. "Th-Thanks, Iolvin."

Ilaria hopped out the lift and took a good look around before offering her paw to guide her wife. "Bit dark up here."

"And quiet." Robyn took the offered paw and explored with her wife. "And moody. I don't believe there's anyone else up here."

"Well security should be at least." Yoyo eased Zoë out into the open but couldn't spot a single bodyguard to safe his life. "Huh. Maybe they just locked down the whole floor?"

"It would explain the vacancy." Ari walked around a divider wall and simply let go of Robyn's paw. "Okay, that's a 'Wow.'"

The very pregnant squirrel couldn't contain herself, running over to a large pane window like a kid that just found some candy. "Bloody ~amazing~!"

The others soon joined her, peering out into the dark of space with the whole vantage low Earth orbit could provide. "Looks like you lucked out today, Pillow. Free clothes and a trip to ~space~. That's like, everything you ever wanted."

"Shush. Let me enjoy this, yeah?" Robyn sat for a minute in relative silence save the occasional squeak or giggle, her wife kneeling to join her. "I've seen photos before but... they just don't do it justice."

"Remember why we're here, girls. We can stare out there while we eat. Pretty sure that was Fibre's point, anyway." Yoyo turned around and scanned the large room, spotting something set up near the another bank of windows. "See? He set up a table and everything."

"Hmm?" Ari turned around and squinted her eyes, eventually resorting to spawning her glasses to help peer through the dark. "I don't think that's a table. What is that?"

Yoyo shrugged and made his way over to the spot, a large grin forming across his muzzle as he suddenly couldn't help from chuckling. "Oh, you're gonna like this, Lulu. Come take a look."

Ari worked up to her hindpaws and held out a paw for Robyn. "C'mere, hon. Better view this way."

Robyn gladly took the assistance in getting up and slowly followed her wife until the picnic site became clearer. "Is that what I think it is? How in the blazes?"

Ilaria broke her grip and scurried forward alone, stopping in front of a guitar hanging from its stand. "A Les Paul? Wait..." She picked up the instrument and gave it a quick inspection, finding the shiny new Heritage Les Paul actually contained familiar imperfections. "Wait, this is ~my~ Les Paul. How the fuck...?"

"And my Yamahas too..." Robyn walked over to a Rick Marotta Signature Hipgig drum kit that was set up between the guitars and sat down on its stool. "Damn, they really are mine. Same dings on the rims."

Yoyo confirmed what everyone was thinking as he inspected his own Fender Jazz Bass. "I let it slip just the other day that we used to play. Damn she moves fast."

"She...?" Ari eagerly threw her guitar's strap over hear head and fumbled with her hair. "Wait, you knew about this?"

"Oh, uh... No." Yoyo put his bass down to rest on its new stand and instead focused on a basket and checkered cloth laid out nearby. "I mean, it was just chit-chat, Lulu. I didn't think Fibre would put it to any real use."

"Well shit..." Ari checked the neck of her guitar and found it wasn't a new one, but was somehow comprised of the mended pieces of her original where it had shattered apart. "I don't even want to know how he got this fixed so fast."

"You don't remember the way the shops were swooning over us? I think that card brings with it some power, Lulu." Yoyo opened the basket and pulled out a slew of gourmet sandwiches, followed by some freshly-packaged salads. "The Major seems to have some real pull here at least. Damn, this looks tasty."

"Yeah they do." Robyn reached a paw out for anything she could get, Iolvin passing her one of the sandwiches. "Ooh, fancy. There anything to drink, too? I'm parched."

"Uh... Oh, yeah." Yoyo found a bottle of red wine and a batch of smaller ones of iced tea as well. "Guess you're having tea, huh?"

"No, a glass of wine is alright every so often." Robby chomped heartily into her sandwich and almost forced it down too quickly before continuing. "Actually one of those articles said red wine's actually pretty good for her. Something about helping her not soak up too much radiation too early."

"So you ~have~ been reading those books I've gotten you." Yoyo poured a glass of wine and placed it next to the squirrel's hindpaws. "I'm glad they're helpful for you."

"Wait, so you're the one thats been sneaking my wife those? I thought is was Carbon." Ari knelt next to her brother and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for the help, bro."

"I said it before. I'm excited to be an uncle."

Yoyo offered Ari a sandwich but she shook her head, the item instead going to Zoë. "Oh, this is for me? Thank you, Iolvin."

"No prob." Yoyo turned back to his sis and nudged his head back to the basket. "You really should eat, sis. You've got less blood than the rest of us, remember. Don't need you anemic."

"I'll eat in a minute. First I just wanted to, uh..." Ari couldn't find a pick, but she made due with her dull claws. With a slowly-widening smirk she played a vaguely familiar, if old, riff on her guitar only to bring a smile to everyone else's faces with the lyrics. "Ground control to Major Tom..."

Robyn snickered and nearly spat out her sandwich, rushing her mouthful down her throat instead so she could join in with her drums. "Ground control to Major Tom. Take your protein pills and put your helmet on."

Yoyo laughed as he reached for his bass, the lack of an amp not bothering him enough to strum his own basic part of the melody. "Ten... Nine... Eight..."

Ari herself barely contained her giddiness to continue playing. "Ground control to Major Tom..."

"Seven... Six... Five... Four..."

Robyn added some flair to her drum play as she soaked in a good view of outer space from her vantage. "Commencing countdown, engines on."

"Check ignition..."

"Three... Two... One..."

"...and may god's love be with you."

Yoyo gained a cheesy smile as he shouted the end of his bit of the opening. "Launch!"

The three screamed at the top of their lungs in perhaps the most tone-deaf recreation of Space Oddity ever in the history of furkind. "This is ground control to Major Tom! You've really made the gra~a~ade!"

Ari sang out the next part alone as per practiced tradition. "And the papers want to know whose shirts you we~ear! Now it's time to leave the capsule, if you da~are!"

Now Robyn slapped out a bit of flair as she started her favorite part of the opening that she always commandeered for herself. "This is Major Tom to ground control! I'm stepping through the do~o~or, and I'm floating in the most peculiar wa~ay! And the stars look very different--"

All together they joined in for combined emphasis, causing Zoë to laugh and clap. " Toda~a~a~ay!"

Suddenly everyone had to stop playing out of simply being unable to contain their own laughter, Ilaria herself even coming to tears from the thrill of the moment. "Fuck, I missed that."

Zoë started to catch her breath as she chomped down her sandwich. "Mmph... I've never heard music like that before. It's good."

"I'm glad Fibre did this now. I never thought you'd pick up another guitar again, Lulu."

"Well it feels great. Thanks for giving him the idea, lil' bro."

Robyn lightly tapped out the beat as if she'd never stopped playing, forgetting about her lunch for a moment. Then she spotted something taped to one of her cymbals and gave it a read. "I can't stand to see a group fall apart. This is for helping bring the band back together. Carbon."

"Guy's not as heartless as I once thought." Ari smiled and lightly strummed the rest of the song as well. "Pillow, we've got to get that reactor running. The little guy deserves something good for himself for a change."

"Hey, anything for a mate like him." As the melody cycled on itself Robyn lightly mumbled the chorus as if it held personal meaning to her. "Here am I sitting in a tin can... high above the world..."

Ari joined in as well, leading Yoyo to stand up and grab his and Zoë's portions from the basket. "I'll leave you two lovebirds here to enjoy yourselves."

"Aww, losing our bassist?"

Yoyo shook his head to his twin's words as he backed away towards the elevator, Zoë juggling munching a sandwich and carrying her sword right behind him. "It's not a bass heavy song anyway. Besides, I'm sure you two need some_extra practice time_ together."

Ari had a hiccup in her playing as she looked over her beautiful wife against a starry backdrop, the squirrel completely in the zone while she played. "Thanks, Yoyo. Give our appreciation to Carbon, would you?"

"Naturally." Yoyo slapped his paw on the call button and finally took a bite of sandwich. "Ready to put all those clothes away now? We aren't really using the closet too much, so that should do well with those dresses."

As they left, Ari sheepishly cut ahead in the song. "And I think my spaceship knows which way to go~o... Tell my wife I love her very much--"

Robyn gave a few harder beats on her drums before stopping altogether to lovingly finish the line. "She kno~o~ows..."

Yoyo chuckled as not only could he hear how much his sister was enjoying herself, but he could also feel her love for Robyn seeping through their mental connection. "Cute. Have fun, sis."

Zoë somehow had already crammed the whole of her sandwich down and was eying a bottle of tea. "Can I...?"

"Pfft. You don't need to ask if it's yours, kiddo." As the elevator arrived Yoyo stepped inside, tossing the tea over to his vassal as she joined him. "Just don't choke on it when the elevator starts moving."

"I wouldn't waste a drop." The human quirked her head as she took a moment to figure out how the cap worked on the bottle, then took a long swig of the beverage. "Wow! That's the best thing I've ever drank!"

"Guess your food back home was a little bland, eh?" Yoyo tapped the control panel to target the Major's penthouse deck, 'macking on some sandwich as he did so. "Well I can't blame you guys for trying. There's only so much that grows in heavy radiation like that, and none of it has to taste that great."

"Well not like this, but my mom makes a pretty awesome curry--"

Iolvin laughed as his exact warning wasn't heeded and Zoë spilled some tea on her new dress. "I told you. This thing moves faster than you'd think, and liquids don't play well with high speeds."

Suddenly Zoë panicked as she tried to blot out the tea with her hand pointlessly. "No! I can't ruin this! It's shameful to treat a gift from m'lord like this!"

Yoyo huffed in disbelief and firmly planted a paw on Zoë's head. "Cool it, kiddo. That'll wash out for sure. Nothing we can't fix later."

"But... I mean, how do you...?"

"Guess you don't have working washing machines in that town of yours either." The elevator started slowing down, and this time Zoë capped her drink so it wouldn't spill. "Trust me, a stain that light will definitely wash out with what we've got. It'll be better than new, though we'll have to get you changed into something else first."

"I was thinking..." The doors opened slowly, the subsequent disembarking of the pair giving Zoë enough time to find her words. "You bought me those night garments... So maybe I'd wear those."

"I'm surprised you went for that sexy stuff." Yoyo stood at the door to Carbon's penthouse and inspected a few bags some of the shops had sent down as requested. "Huh, that was fast. She really must have some crazy reputation in this place."

Suddenly Zoë had her hand groping Yoyo's groin, an erection beginning to bulge against his jeans. "I wanted those clothes because they did this to you, Iolvin. I want to please my patron..."

"That might have to wait until after Dee gets used to you. I mean, I won't complain if you're running around as eye candy; gods know Dee would like that just as much." Yoyo's snout twitched as he rang the doorbell, the scent of sex tickling his nose and driving his arousal further. "With any luck he'll be alright letting you be a closer part of our private lives. Just keep in mind he'd probably want a piece of your ass too, though."

"You mean... I'd have to make love to him too?"

"Well you have to treat my family like you treat me, right?" The girl gave a nod as Yoyo tried the doorbell again. "Then consider Dee like my husband. He's family, even if we haven't officially tied the knot quite yet."

"Yes, Iolvin." Zoë's hand started working Iolvin's zipper down, but the otter reversed that situation promptly and took her hand away. "Oh, was I wrong to...?"

"No, no. I'd normally let you at it, honestly. I just don't feel like getting spied on if any of those security guys are lurking around. Not the best time for a quickie is all." Yoyo stared at the inactive door screen a few more seconds before noticing a door to his side was cracked open and the lights were on. "Guess they went in here to leave Dee alone with Fleur."

Zoë tugged on Yoyo's arm as he took the bags and headed for the door. "Are we allowed to just go in?"

"Fibre's expecting us to bring her these. I'm sure she won't mind." Just as Iolvin walked through the doorway he regretted spouting those words so haphazardly, spying two very naked furs kissing against the firing range. "Well, shit."

"What Carbon?" Cid perked her head up and froze, her ass firmly planted on the counter of a firing lane as Carbon just kept kissing her neck. "Fuck! Oh fuck!"

At the exclamation Carbon turned her own head around, immediately hunching forward to brace her nude form against Cid's and kicking countless hundred used shell casings around by her hindpaws. "Shit. Your mother never taught you to knock, Iolvin?"

"Carbon! Fuck, do something!"

The hybrid sighed and just gave Sydney another kiss on the cheek. "It's okay. If I can trust Iolvin to keep me being a girl secret, you can trust him with that too." Again she sighed as she turned back to the otter. "No security? Good. Close the door."

Yoyo did as he was told and cautiously made his way closer to the pair. "Sorry about that. I just came to give you these..."

Carbon beckoned him closer, then used a tendril to reach surprisingly far and snatch a bag. "You managed to find everything okay?"

"Smalls aplenty. I didn't know what you liked so I got, uh... some fancy ones too."

Fibre opened up the bag, ignoring hushed shouts from Cid for a moment. "Well I'm guessing from that dress you got some nice stuff for Zoë as well." She pulled out a pair of lacy boyshorts and quirked an eyebrow. "Interesting taste. Oh, and thongs too?"

"You had him buy you underwear?"

Zoë stepped forward, her head turned to the side out of courtesy for the intrusion. "Actually, I picked them out. I thought you'd look nice in them."

Carbon grinned devilishly as she took a step back from Sydney, leaving her to fend for herself with just her arms for cover. "Well I happen to like them, even if they're not exactly combat-ready. Thank you."

Yoyo met Carbon halfway and gave her the other bag. "And I thought this might work better with your... ~figure~."

"Camisoles... Sheer ones at that. Figures." The hybrid smiled and nodded as she accepted the clothing. "It's actually a smart choice for a flat-chested girl like me though. Thanks for bearing a lingerie store for me. I don't like those places much myself."

" Carbon!!" Finally the meerkat couldn't be ignored any longer, taking a few tentative steps forward to hide behind Carbon. "What the fuck?! You need to do something about this!"

"Relax, Cid." Carbon took a look at the door and then explained things for Yoyo. "Cid here keeps the same secret, Iolvin. In her line of work, it's best not to spill this can of beans. Got me?"

"Yeah, for sure." The otter gave a mock salute to the meerkat. "Your secret's safe with me."

"And ~her~?"

"Zoë follows Iolvin's orders explicitly. She won't tell." Carbon walked over to a wall panel and checked the security monitor feed for her suite. "There's none of Cid's team here with you? Figures one of you would find a hole in their security. They don't know you came here?"

"Nah, we just managed to sneak out. I figured it wouldn't do any harm since we were just going here and then back to base. Lulu and Robyn are still up there though."

Carbon spun around and gave Cid a final kiss before replacing her mask. "See? Nothing to worry about. Let's get dressed before they come looking, though."

Cid finally loosened up now that she could allow her guard to drop. "Sure. Where's my coat?" The meerkat broke away from Carbon and awkwardly scurried to the back of the BMW to fetch her clothes, tossing Carbon's her way as well. "Right, it's by the door. Could you, uh...?"

Iolvin nodded and grabbed the coat, holding it low on his return to hide his raging boner from the already-embarrassed meerkat. "Here you go, Cid. Sorry about busting in on you like this."

"So you got a free show from it..." Cid noticed the bulge anyway and averted her eyes downward, focusing on her own pants instead. "Just don't let it go to your head, ya' damn voyeur."

Fibre slipped into her own pants as well, quickly fastening the buckle as she went for her shirt. "He's more into guys, I think. Besides, he's got Adrian."

Yoyo turned around to give Cid some extra privacy as well as some breathing room without his cock on her mind. "Speaking of which, how's Dee doing? You checked in with him at all?"

"Actually, we've been having such a blast out here I completely forgot." Carbon quickly threw on her shirt and latched a few buttons before returning to the wall panel and activating an intercom. "Adrian? You alive in there?"

The light-furred otter suddenly showed up on the screen huffing labored breaths into the microphone. "Y-Yeah? Carbon?"

"Still having fun, eh?"

Dee's eyes winced shut and then bulged wide as he pretty clearly had an orgasm, his tongue soon lolling out the side of his muzzle. "Oh shit... Fuck, Carbon. She's not giving me a chance to rest."

Carbon panned the camera down and to the side, then furled her eyebrows as she noticed copious amounts of cum blasting from her daughter's loins. "You're fucking her bareback?! I gave you ~one~ fucking condition! One!"

Dee squeaked out of sudden fear of the Major's tone but still managed to plead his case. "I couldn't reason with her! She hasn't spoken a lick of English since we started!"

Carbon finished buttoning her shirt and then placed her paw on her forehead out of disbelief. "Fine. I knew it'd be bad but I never thought she'd go that far." She panned the camera back up, not wanting to watch her daughter be sullied any further. "She's chipped, so it's fine. I just wanted to be extra cautious since those hormone chips don't work hundred percent of the time. You might as well just have your fun now that the damage is done."

"Sorry, Carbon. At least she's enjoying herself."

"And here I was finally feeling better about all this. Have fun, Adrian." Carbon shut off the display and straightened her clothes out. "And now my place has to smell like cum all day. Guess I'll just spend the day in the base too."

Cid straightened her tie and rejoined the group, tapping Iolvin on the back. "It's okay to turn around now. I'm proper again."

Yoyo did just that, reaching out to wipe some of Carbon's dewy resin from her cheek. "There you go. Scent aside, I think you're set to go now."

"Well don't you dare mention this again. And I'm blaming the smell on you, so you know."

Yoyo picked up Cid's briefcase and gave it to her, cementing the professional male look for which she was aiming. "That's fine. If it'll help you keep your cover I'm game."

Cid stood up straight and rolled her shoulders, checking with Carbon as she made for the exit. "Where'd you find this guy? I could use a good team player like him on my crew."

"He's just a good guy like his dad."

"Figures you'd know his dad too. War buddies?"

"Yeah, sort of. We--"

Iolvin quickly perked up as a wave of emotion flooded him courtesy of his mental link. "Woah... Fuck, that doesn't feel right..."

«Yoyo! Fuck, Yoyo!»

«Lulu? Calm down, sis.» Yoyo held up a paw for patience when Carbon suddenly spoke up out of concern. «What's the matter?»

«Something's wrong! Robyn started hurting and--»

"Shit, the baby." Yoyo stomped toward the door and threw it open, nearly breaking the pneumatic damper with the excessive force he applied. «Maybe Robby's going into labor? Where are you? I'll get Ellie.»

«We're already there. Just...»

«We're on our way. Stay put and keep calm, Lulu.» Iolvin slammed the call button hard, thanking the gods the car he'd just taken was still there behind closed doors. "Carbon, something's up with Lulu's baby. Hurry up. They're with Ellie."

Carbon picked up her pace and led everyone into the elevator. "She shouldn't be popping that kid out quite yet. Lead the way."

Once everyone was inside Yoyo tapped the controls and signaled the medical bay. "What do you mean? You know more about this weird pregnancy?"

"I think. If Eve's right, it's a lot like mine." The hybrid grumbled as she remembered her tendrils were still hanging out, but paused partway into hiding them out of indecision on the matter. "I don't know how close it'll be though. Maybe the little guy's supposed to mature faster after all."

"But it's only been like, two months or something."

Cid gawked at that statement. "Seriously? Fuck, I thought she was more like six or seven months."

Carbon shook her head at both of them. "You're both not wrong. That kid's going to come in like a fourth the time."

Evelyn popped her head into the elevator as if the doors weren't physically there. "I was guessing ten weeks. You were a bit late at fifteen."

"Yeah, three or four months then. That's why I'm hoping there's nothing wrong." The elevator quickly reached the proper deck, but the doors seemed to take ages to open. "I'd hate to see complications lead to a premature birth. I don't know what that would entail at all."

Yoyo slipped out the moment there was enough room to open the safety gate and he started running to the medical office. "I'm right there with you, Fibre. But fuck if I won't do what I can to help my nephew anyway."

"Yoyo! I don't know what's happening!"

Carbon finally decided to hide her tendrils after all, not wanting to further the confusion in the room. She jogged up to a monitor in the examination room and took a look at what Ellie had already run. "Just give me a minute and we'll have an idea."

Elliot poked his head out from the exam room as the compound scanner ran a pass of some kind. "Carbon? I've put her under on the scanner bed. She's glowing a lot but they didn't... uh, have sex."

"Really? That's unusual." The hybrid browsed through the scanner data and raised an eyebrow at the results. "There's alcohol in her blood?"

"We had some wine at lunch," Ilaria answered in a hurried frenzy of mashed syllables.

"Lulu, you're gonna pass out like that. You're hyperventilating..."

"She can't have an ounce of alcohol, guys. Dehydration is a serious issue if I'm right." Carbon whispered to Eve for confirmation and then poked her head around the corner for Ellie. "Do a visual scan of some kind. We need to see if the kid's in distress. She might be strangling on her own cord or something."

A moment later the scan started, leaving Ellie with just one question. "You just say 'she?' Where'd you... oh."

Carbon tapped her screen and backed her point, Eve's words spouting from her mouth directly to speed things up. "Yep. The DNA markers look like they're falsely reporting male, but tons are saying female."

"You hear that, Lulu? You're having a little girl."

Ilaria stood up and latched her paws to the monitor to confirm the results, even if she didn't understand a single word on screen. "We're having a girl? How...?"

Ellie went silent as the scan ended, studying the results twice just to make sure the scanner wasn't busted. "Ari, I think you'll want to see this." In a much more calm tone he tapped a few keys and sent the 3D images to their screen. "Nothing a saline drip won't fix. I think they're just a little excited is all, yes yes."

"They?" Ari gripped the screen until the hologram flickered from the stress, then fainted backward into her brother's arms. "...That's..."

Yoyo bounced his view between the screen and his sister, but his eyes quickly locked on one particular image. "Woah... What are the odds of that?"

Ilaria fluttered her eyes open, a massive smile beaming back up at her twin brother. "I can't believe it myself."

"Well it certainly explains the mixed sexing results." Carbon smiled at the screen and then to Ilaria as she shook her paw. "Congratulations. You're having twins."