In a rather ordinary office in an impossible place, a doll sits behind a desk too large for her, with a tablet in her lap. There was something new; something unexpected on the screen. She read it again, just as confused as the last ten times: “New update available. With brand new features! Please update the app to continue.”
The app updates? Who updates it? Wait does that mean new features? Drystia had thought she would just open the magic app that suddenly appeared on her tablet when she had agreed to help. She had never expected it to even be capable of updating. Actually, it had never even occurred to her not really giving it any thought other than what it could do. Without any other option, she clicked yes on the update, which took a full second before the app opened with new options.
Change setting? Curious she clicked the new button. The screen was filled with options, separated into thousands of different categories. One at the top read custom. Ok. But what does it mean? She clicked the first furniture category. A picture of the chair she was sitting in appeared with a green check in the top right corner. She slid the picture to the right and a new more ostentatious throne appeared, with a big blue button saying apply at the bottom. Without even a second thought she found her finger clicking the button. The chair shifted and suddenly she sat on a throne more fit for her larger self.
Drystia froze eyes going back and forth between the throne and her tablet, she shifted it back to a normal chair just to be sure. The implications hit her, and she didn’t even try to hold back an excited squeal. She had so many plans before and hadn’t gotten to try any of her costumes but with this. Oh, the fun she’d have; all the while helping them.
Drystia was turning the office into a mishmash of dessert jungle swamp, throne room, and bathhouse testing the new limits when she wondered. What else can it do? Remembering the other new options she ignored.
Navigating back she clicked: Equip Hero. A new page opened with just as many categories as before except these seemed to be organized by story type, and at the top a custom section. There was also a budget option that wasn’t there for the office. I guess I can’t make them too strong. But with this, she could more easily customize for the Heroes’ needs and even let them choose if she wanted.
What else? She swiped through the options. Tutorial. Reading more closely she realized it would send them right to it instead of her needing to lead them there. Except it showed as occupied. Klar must still be in there. I wonder if we can get more tutorial rooms?
Searching through the new options she found the placement tests and began reading wondering if it placed them for her. There were thousands of questions and so many that made no sense. If your friend has a pet beehive and they are forced to move. Would you move the hive for them or take it over?
Then there was the section about an honest self-assessment. If it does automatically place them, that’s stupid. People are never honest with themselves. She had seen it over and over with her decades sitting above a door. Only being able to watch her boy and his family. One day the kid would want one thing then not five minutes later something else, claiming the other thing was dumb, or they’d think they knew what they wanted only to learn it wasn’t what they thought or only to realize they didn’t want it. Like when Kyle wanted glasses because Sarah had them. He loved them at first then quickly hated them by how much they got in the way.
She continued reviewing the new features when she caught one more feature at the bottom.
“Skins?”
#
"In a classroom high in the trees where students study and teachers teach. A young girl lays across a smooth wooden desk eyes closed basking in the sun. She let out an involuntary purr. Not caring who heard. It was just too nice of a spot to soak in the sun in their cool classroom. There was just something about the sunbeams in class that was just the best. She stretched out her long furry body as she laid back rolling perfectly to keep her fur at the perfect temperature even through her clothing weave.
“Murrrrr.” Escaped her lips.
“Wake up!!!” A man shouted right next to her.
“Wraaahhhhhhhh!!!!” She scrambled as she fell over her desk, her hair standing straight up, as the rest of her class snickered.
Now on the hard floor, Gigi was disoriented as she looked up at her Teacher tower over her his dark fur speckled with gray and glasses sitting just above his whiskers, his eyes relaxed holding back mirth. Mr. Moriety as he shook his head. “Young lady you can’t just curl up on your desk and sleep. Not to mention in the middle of class.”
“But the sun was in the perfect spot.” She wined looking at the little spot of sun sitting perfectly on her desk
Mr. Moriety turned his head at the spot she was looking, before narrowing his eyes at her. “Not in the middle of class.”
“Aw.” She wined as she sulked crawling back into her seat, slumping onto the desk. Class was torture as she felt her desk, warm, smooth, perfect under her chin and the light on her head. It was torture that she couldn't hop back on it, feel it on the rest of her fur.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
The bell rang for lunch and Gigi jumped out of her seat, excitedly running to her other perfect spot. Running down the tree out to a little clearing on a hill just outside the courtyard was her second favorite spot.
The day was clear and sunny and the tree itself shone a lovely green. She ran extending her claws as she swiftly scrambled up to the third limb from the bottom. The one just past a large knot where she liked to set her stuff in. The exact right spot where the canopy opens up swaying back the leaves shadowing the branch cooling her just enough under the noonday sun.
She laid right down letting out a satisfied purr. She lay there for a long time before a loud bell rang letting her know she needed to get back to class. She didn’t want to and it wouldn’t be the first time she decided to just lay there. Last time they had nearly found her perfect spot, when they came for her. Her mom had also warned she wouldn’t be allowed any snacks if she skipped class to nap again. That thought was almost enough for her to get up and head back. Almost. She gave into temptation and just lay there basking in warmth.
A warmth that seemed to only grow stronger, and more comfortable. Not to mention brighter. Gigi only smiled as she fell deeper into the light, as it grew and consumed her.
#
It was a dream it had to be. Gigi opened her eyes to find she was no longer in her favorite tree. No, she was below it on the soft green grass. Yet the warm light was still hitting her just right, as a cool breeze gently blew across her fur. Did I fall? She didn’t feel any pain but that was her only thought how she had ended up on the ground. Gigi should have been confused. She should have been concerned, if only for her health. Instead, she simply closed her eyes once more and slept. Or, tried to only to hear someone giggling. Aww. They found me.
Forlorn, at the thought of losing her perfect spot. She opened her eyes and sat up. Only for them to widen at the sight. A creature covered in beautiful golden light sat in front of her towering over her. Gigi was by no means small for a Cat-sith but this creature stood heads above her.
The light said one word. “Hello.” In a deep sultry feminine voice.
Gigi could only stare at the light she was beyond beautiful. A light that seemed to pierce into her very soul warming it like the sun cresting through the clouds. “He-Hello.” She stuttered out, terrified yet completely at ease.
“Let’s find you your new home.” She reached out her hand grabbing Gigi’s paw.
She put up no resistance to the light. Letting her take her. Wondering what wonderful place she would take her. Only later she would regret that thought when she was filling out a giant pile of paperwork, as the woman sat tortuously in front of her forcing her to fill it out.
#
Nicholas walks into his apartment, organizing his notes as he falls onto the couch. The closet door opens to reveal a giant woman made of light. Nicki stared confused as the creature stepped past the threshold the light disappearing revealing the human form of Drystia.
“You’re looking bright.” He laughed to himself, “Figure things out?”
“Yeah I might just be getting the hang of this.”. She said bouncing excitedly. Before looking down at Nicki. “What about you? Find anything so far?”
Nicki let out a long drawn-out raspberry.
“That bad?”
It wasn’t that it had been that bad. It was more of how much time he had wasted before he realized, “Karmic threads are a bust.” He had run across what felt like the entire city and part of a suburb following thick and thin strands. He had seen people he knew from high school, ran by his parent’s place, there tread one of the stronger ones. He had even passed by his old schools, seeing multiple threads connecting him to them. Surprisingly some were quite thick. I do not understand karma at all. What really drove the point home was when he witnessed a karmic thread form when he asked for directions from a random guy.
“Really? You were excited about that one. What happened?” She asked shifting into a doll and plopping on the couch next to him.
“Lead me to a bunch of people. A few friends from high school, my parents, a few cats, neighbors, there are so many threads intersecting with almost anyone. Even new threads form from simple interactions. I don’t even know how long they last.” When he originally had that thought he checked the library and it was no help. Depending on the connection they could last a few hours to forever.
Drystia for her part didn’t answer right away looking deep in thought. “Then what’s the point of the spell.”
Pulling out the binder he opened to the spells page. “According to this. It’s mainly used to track or prove someone is using you as there will be “Malice” connected in the thread.” Nicki wasn’t sure what that meant. He had only been able to feel emotions on a couple of the threads which were mainly confusion, impatience, or curiosity. A few far off he couldn’t quite put his finger on but thought it might be something like anticipation. But malice was the only emotion listed on the page. “At least that’s what the purpose says. Honestly, I think the real purpose is just to see a person’s karmic threads. Don’t know why they worded it like that though. It’s like they’re purposefully not stating what it could be used for.” The more he talked about it the more it made sense. If the book was from a world that hoarded its knowledge or just plain didn’t understand then that would make sense.
“So a tangled thread of fate in a tapestry? Like the world’s fate lines, you showed me in the between?”
“A simplified version maybe.” It was close but not nearly as complicated. He let out a long sigh. “I wish I could simply look at the world tapestry.”
“You can’t?”
“Not here.” Shaking his head. “I’m just a bit too close to it. So it’s like a blind spot, besides, even in other worlds I really can only see the knots and their effects. The rest is more like an overview. Like I can see the shirt but I need to zoom in to see the stitching. So I could easily miss things.”
“Huh. That sucks.”
“Yeah.”
The two sat in companionable silence for a while, watching a show or two when Drystia finally asked.
“Where do the updates come from?” Drystia asked.
Nicki looked down at her. How do I explain? He had learned a lot about his power despite his short time doing the job. A lot was instinct as he grew so did the office. He could feel it like a part of his body. Drystia was a lot like him now. Without getting into the weeds of it all he answered simply, “The more Heroes you help the more you can do?”
* * *