The humble home dimension of Salstead had seen less use over the years since Salamando had taken to the life of a Wayfarer, but he’d become attached to the place enough that he couldn’t imagine never returning. Even when Kat and Cyl had offered for him to move fulltime into one their Worlds, he just liked having a place that was uniquely his own across the entire Omnyverse.
Aside from the relative privacy it afforded him (in as much as he had any privacy from the Omnys), there was the practical effect that it was, strictly speaking, the single safest place in the Omnyverse, by way of only being accessible to Sal and the Omnys. In recent years, however, he had finally decided that maybe the unused guest cabins lining the short road of his village could actually see some use besides giving him rotating beds to sleep in.
To this end, he had given an extremely select few people a special portal key that worked only for them, giving them direct teleport access to Salstead. So far, a grand total of two (technically three) had such access.
***
Ben glanced around, taking in the sight of the place. A little mountain hamlet, a dozen buildings lining a single road, leading to a small, shallow lake. He’d arrived about halfway down the road, where a couple “business” buildings transitioned to several guest-cabins. The weather was perfect; sunny with a few clouds, just above jacket weather, low humidity with an occasional light breeze. Beyond the ring of trees that formed the “forest” around the village, short but steep mountains defined the border of this small reality. The whole thing couldn’t have been more than three miles across.
Ben had been here a couple times before at Sal’s invitation and with Kat’s assistance. This was the first time he’d come by himself, and unannounced at that. It was a little strange to feel just how actually empty the place was. Sal really did have a whole pocket dimension all to himself. No wonder the man had taken hard to the traveler’s life. Being able to truly isolate completely by hermitting in your own little reality indefinitely sure sounded nice, but allowing yourself to do it too much had to take its toll. Perhaps that was why Sal had, with clearly mixed feelings, finally allowed a few of his fellow Playthings key access to the place, to come and go just as he could.
Ben had no intention of abusing the position and mooching off his “uncle”, though. He had his own home and life back on Thrae. But for a little vacation retreat, he figured Sal wouldn’t mind him swinging by for a week.
He walked down the path, towards a larger cottage on a small hill, overlooking the lake. This was Salamando’s main house here, separated from the guest houses by the library, and a small bend in the path. He went up the short hill and knocked on the front door.
“Sal?” he called out. None of the doors in Salstead were locked, so he opened the main entrance and took a step inside. “Sal? You here?” No answer. Well, that wasn’t too surprising.
Stepping back out and closing the door, he looked around. He could claim any of the guest-cabins, but for convenience, he picked the one just on the other side of the library to drop his duffle bag off. The portal key enabled him to transport back to the place he’d come from, so if he needed anything else, he’d just zip back home and return. Although, he could also just borrow stuff from the store across the street.
Ben let out a breath as he looked around again. Sal had given him a very short tour of the place, and the truth was, there wasn’t much to do here. Ben was planning on just chilling out for a little while, but without anyone else here to talk to, he might just end up getting bored enough to call it off early. Oh, well. He could leave at any time if it really got to be too much.
Walking back down the path, he entered the tavern that served as the little World’s sole eatery, figuring he’d have to make himself a drink. He was surprised to see there was a young woman tending bar. Tall and fit, with brunette hair tied back in a ponytail, dressed in casual clothes with a green smock, she had a slight matronly air about her, despite appearing barely older than twenty-one.
She’d been here before, when he, Kat, and Sal had a meal here on his last short visit, but he’d assumed Kat had summoned her on the spot. He realized she must be a permanent fixture of the place, a Created servant for Sal’s convenience.
“Howdy!” she said. “What can I do ya for?”
Ben smirked at the obvious entendre. “Whatcha got?”
“Whatever you want!”
“Root beer me.”
With a little twirl of her finger, a frosted glass mug of root beer popped onto the counter. Ben’s eyebrows raised. “Neat trick.” He took a seat at the stool in front of the drink, and took a sip. It was a perfectly mixed beverage. “Thanks!”
“Sure thing,” she said, smiling. She motioned to the drink. “That’ll stay cool and won’t go flat, so drink at your own pace.” She motioned to the television mounted to the side. “You want to watch anything?”
“Nah, I’m good. Trying to avoid screens while I’m here.” He smirked. “Except, you know, the tablet I brought for reading.”
She nodded. “Gotcha, gotcha.” Another twiddle of her finger, and a stool popped into being behind her. She took a seat. “So, what brings you to our humble homestead?”
“Little vacation,” said Ben, after another sip.
“Cool.”
He glanced her over. She sat casually, leaning on the bar. She made no effort to busy herself or pretend to engage in something else to excuse the silence. Just sat and relaxed, her gaze off to the side so as to not stare at him awkwardly.
“I’m Ben, by the way,” he said. “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name last time.”
She smiled. “Yes, I remember from your last visit. As for me, I don’t have a name. You can just call me Tavern.”
Ben cocked an eyebrow at her. “Really? Like the building?”
“I technically am the building.” She smirked and winked. “Which would mean you’re inside me right now.”
Ben made a short laugh. “And there it is!”
Tavern laughed with him. “I suppose it’d be more accurate to say I’m the spirit of the building. Each of the buildings here has one, so you’ll see some of the others if you enter their places.”
“Even the houses?”
“Well, the house spirits don’t tend to show themselves. They just clean up after you leave.”
“I’ll try not to make too big a mess,” said Ben wryly.
“Oh, go ahead. They don’t care. It’s their literal reason for existing.”
“Still. Would be rude to Sal, at least.”
“Considering how much of a mess he and the Omnys make of them, I doubt you could do worse.” Tavern motioned around. “He, Demi and Wyllow practically painted the walls with their fluids when they fucked in here one time.”
Ben smirked. He could only imagine. He took another drink, then said, “Forgive me for prying, but I guess I have to ask. Do you enjoy being here? Just being assigned as a live-in servant?”
“Oh, I don’t live here, really. I only exist in the context of this bar. I pop into existence only when someone else is here, or if basic maintenance is needed. You can think of me as a sort of gynoid, if that helps, programmed to operate as the bartender.”
Ben sat back a bit in his seat and frowned slightly in thought. “So, you’re not really sapient?”
“Nope!” Tavern smiled with imitation humor. “I’m a mimic. I don’t really have internal thoughts or feelings or drives, but I can react and adapt to any given situation.”
“Does that bother you?”
She laughed, giving him a charming smile. “I just said, I don’t have feelings! Even this reaction I’m giving you, it’s part of my personality programing. I’m not happy or amused right now. I’m not sad. I’m not angry. I don’t care about anything. I’m just here to satisfy the needs of the patrons. You have no need to feel morally dubious over it.”
“So, you’re not even satisfied with your duties, you’re just doing them because it’s what you’ve been built to do?”
“I’m a pretty complicated piece of work, admittedly,” she said. “If something completely outside my normal routines were to happen, I could respond accordingly. But until that happens, I’m going to keep tending bar.” She motioned towards the window, indicating the building next door. “It’s the same for all of us building spirits.”
“Hmmm,” said Ben, looking her over. She was quite pretty. If he wasn’t already dedicated to Kat, he was sure he might be a little crushed to find out her charming personality was a complete façade.
“If you would like, service does include sex,” she said. “No strings attached, and we can only act like we’re into it, but we are built to serve, and we’ve been built very well.” She winked. “We also all have the standard Sex Mage package, too, if you’re into that.”
“Ah, no thank you,” he said, looking slightly sheepish. Kat would probably be fine with it, but he hadn’t intended to come here for a booty call with a sexbot.
“Just thought I’d offer,” she said, smiling very convincingly. “This is still an Omny World, after all.”
“Aren’t they all?” said Ben with a chuckle.
* * *
Ben wasn’t the only one who’d decided to pay a spontaneous visit to the little World. At the other end of the road, a larger building capped the path off. Here, a demihuman adventuress and her living dress emerged into what now served as a local office and supply storage Outpost specifically for the Merry Men Wayfarer’s Guild. Didsy Dolopia was the one Sal had given key access to, but given that Rai was her literal outfit, she was along for the ride wherever Didsy went.
While she didn’t wish to bring anything dangerous to her fellow Wayfarer’s personal abode, Salstead was the perfect place to store sensitive information. Didsy took a few minutes to file away some papers, then checked a couple other documents for cross reference. With that wrapped up, she decided she’d linger for a bit, maybe stay a couple nights at one of the cabins. It was nice to relax in a truly quiet place once in a while.
“Hey, if Wander’s not here, you wanna leave a little string trap in his house again?” said Rai, swiveling her hat in an unnecessary “glance around” gesture.
Didsy smiled slightly. “I think he’ll lock us out of here if we do that again.”
“Aw,” said Rai. “Well, you might like this place, but I find it boring. I’m gunna go walk around for a bit.” She unraveled herself off her companion, leaving Didsy completely bare except for her glasses. Didsy allowed it; the only person to potentially see her were the building spirits and maybe Wander himself.
“Don’t cause too much mischief!” she said as Rai floated off. As she got closer to the lake, however, she paused and twitched one of her long rabbit ears. She thought for a second, she heard a faint laugh coming from the tavern. “Rai?”
Rai came floating back. “Yeah?”
“I think we’re not alone after all.” She motioned to the tavern.
“Oh, well, let’s go say hi!”
“Get back on me please,” said Didsy.
Rai paused, turned, and shrugged. “He’s seen you naked before, Dids.”
“It might not be him,” she said.
“Then it’ll be even funnier!”
Didsy gave her a flat look.
Rai made a sighing sound. “Oh fine, killjoy.” She raveled herself back onto her partner. “What’s wrong with casual nudity? Technically, I’m nude all the time, you know!”
“I’m just not really in the mood to tempt anyone,” she said. “Who knows who else might be visiting?” Who knew indeed, but all things considered, there was at least a 99% chance it was going to be an Omny, and a 95% chance Wander was getting railed by said Omny.
She headed to the tavern, checking with her String Magic to make sure Rai wasn’t about to whip off of her the moment she stepped through the door. She paused, listening closely. All she heard was muffled talking, as opposed to cries of sexual passion. Deciding it was safe, she entered. The redheaded man at the bar turned and raised an eyebrow at them.
Didsy gave him a small smile. “Ah. Wander. You are home.”
Rai spoke up, sounding slightly aghast. “You cut your hair!”
The redhead with short hair smiled with bemusement. “Right idea, wrong guy, I’m afraid.”
Rai flinched slightly on Didsy’s head. “Oh my god, he’s smiling. Willingly.” She flared up her shawl and strings began to weave around her in a defensive stance. “Careful! It’s some kind of changeling!”
Ben laughed. “I’m not Wander. I’m a friend of his.”
Didsy gave him a studious look, but she wasn’t worried. “You could practically be his twin.”
“Well, you’re kinda not wrong, but I don’t think it’s my place to give the details. Can I plead the ‘Omny shenanigans’ excuse?”
Didsy gave a bemused smile back. “Well, it does pretty much explain everything around these parts, doesn’t it?” She patted her arm. “It’s alright, Rai. He couldn’t be here if he wasn’t invited.”
Rai quirked her hat in what could be interpreted as a pout. “Aw. Well, if you say so.” She relaxed her threads and shawl.
Ben motioned to the seat next to him. “Join me if you like.”
Didsy nodded and slipped onto the stool. “My name is Didsy.”
“And I’m Rai!”
“Ben.” He held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Didsy held her hand up, but Rai beat her to it, slipping off her glove, floating it into Ben’s grip and giving him a shake. She pulled back to let Didsy shake his hand barehanded, before slipping back onto her. He blinked at the animation of the glove, but didn’t say anything about it. He either already knew about Cloth Landers, Wander had told him about them already, or he was as used to the strangeness of the Omnyverse as any other well-traveled Plaything might be.
“Sa—Wander’s mentioned you two, I think. Rabbit-girl sorceress and her talking dress. What brings you here?”
“He lets me use this place for sensitive data storage.” Didsy ordered a sparkling water with an orange slice from Tavern, who dutifully presented it without interrupting the conversation. “Wander did say he gave others key access to this place, but I’m afraid he didn’t mention you in specific.”
Ben shrugged. “If it’s any consolation, he didn’t say much about you two.”
“Aw, and here I thought we’d get to find out how he really feels about us!” said Rai. She popped off Didsy’s head, floated over, and plopped down onto Ben’s. “Hmmm. Wow. Exact same skull shape. Same hair type. You his clone or something?”
Ben grinned. “By the strictest of definitions, I suppose you could interpret it that way.”
“Wow. It’s weird seeing that face smile so casually.” She hopped off his head, and back on Didsy’s. “Like a real smile, not sarcastic.”
Ben laughed. “He’s a dour one, even after all this time, huh?”
Didsy smiled softly. “Dealing with the Omnys can be a bit existentially harrowing, and it seems he deals with many of them.”
Ben gave a sly smirk. “Yes. Yes, it can be. And yes, he does.”
“So, who’s yours?” said Rai. “No way you’re connected to Wander and not wrapped up in their hijinks!”
“My Omny is Kat. You?”
“Lettie,” said Didsy. “Although she’s mostly an absentee goddess for me. I also served under Devi for a time, but Lettie’s the one who brought me to life.”
“Ah.” Ben nodded. “You’re a Created, then?”
“We’re all Created, after a fashion,” said Didsy primly.
“Sure,” said Ben. “I didn’t mean anything by that, just…” He made a lost-for-words gesture.
“Oh, I know. But it’s that whole existential dilemma thing. The Omnys created the Omnyverse, so anyone born into it was Created by them. Mine’s an odder case than normal, but, yes, I suppose you’d say I’m a Directly Created, as opposed to a Native. A Story Girl, I believe was the old phrase.”
Ben gave a nod. “I see.”
The two redheads took sips of their drinks.
“So,” said Rai. “What brings you here, if Wander is absent?”
“Thought I’d come here for a little quiet getaway for a bit,” he said. “What about yourselves?”
“Dropping off some files,” said Didsy. “But I was thinking of spending a couple nights here. We’ve been running a little ragged lately, and our adventuring guild is taking a short sabbatical. I’ve settled down in Willowatt, which is a lovely World, but I suppose I get restless staying too long in one place. This is a nice little away spot where I know I’m not going to be bothered by anybody.”
“Give it three days, she’ll be bouncing off the walls with cabin fever!” said Rai.
“Ha. Sounds like Wander himself. From what I understand, he was quite the homebody prior to getting his powers. Now he doesn’t stay longer than a week in most places. He does still live here half the time, though.”
“Must be nice to have a whole little pocket dimension all to himself,” said Rai. “I can’t even imagine the labors he must have done for the Omnys to earn this little slice of personal Heaven.”
Ben seemed about to say something, but shifted to a coy smirk. “I can only imagine, myself,” he said, before taking another swig.
***
They chatted for a while longer, long enough they decided to order a meal from Tavern. Afterwards, Didsy went to the library, mostly out of habit, to see if Sal had refreshed his catalogue, while Ben went to the tiny beach for a swim in the lake.
He hadn’t expected anyone other than Sal or an Omny to be here, but he’d still brought some swim trunks out of habit. Setting down a towel, he did a quick glance to make sure the other guests weren’t in view, and did a quick change. He turned to enter the water, then hesitated for a second.
“I don’t suppose you got a spirit woman in you, too, huh?” he said.
He was unsurprised when a new woman just appeared, sitting cross-legged on the surface of the water. She was clearly tall, with a lanky build, totally naked, with long black hair and pale skin, and brilliant blue eyes. She was thoroughly wet, her skin glistening with beads of lake water, her hair soaked and a little frazzled. She gave him a bored look, her chin resting on one palm, as she gave him a little wave.
“Don’t mind me,” she said with a deep voice. “My job is just to keep the water fresh and make sure you don’t drown.”
Ben squatted down at the water’s edge. The woman was several feet away, making it clear she was actually sitting on the surface, not on a rock or stump just under it. He made a little “hmmm” as he glanced her back over.
“Does that bother you? Life guarding is an important duty.”
“Sal really does just live on a private island with gorgeous robot women waiting on him hand and foot, huh?”
“He doesn’t fuck any of us, if you’re wondering that,” Lake said. “Although we are certainly available for that. If that makes you uncomfortable swimming in me, I don’t really have any particularly persuading arguments to convince you to indulge.” She motioned towards the forests. “There are a few forest spirits as well, if you were thinking of hiking.”
“I guess it’s not so lonely here after all,” said Ben.
“Robots, as you said,” said Lake, shrugging. “He barely acknowledges our existence, as it should be. I am not going to grope or assault you if you swim. I am primarily a safety feature.”
“Alright then,” he said. He stepped into the water.
“Enjoy,” said Lake, vanishing from sight.
The water was an ideal temperature, cool, but not hinderingly so. He spent a good thirty minutes doing laps, then using a bit of his own power of telekinesis to fashion an invisible cushion under himself to float on the water’s surface.
***
“Hmm. Same body as Wander, too,” said Rai. She had stripped off Didsy once more, leaving the rabbit woman naked again while she sat at one of the desks next to a window, gazing out of it towards the lake. Her vision wasn’t any better than a human’s, but as she’d touched Ben’s body, she had snuck a sliver of her own String Magic into his clothes, and had been slowly “feeling” him through the threads of his own materials, at least until he changed out of them.
Didsy paused as she perused the graphic novel section of the library, glancing towards her Living Cloth companion. “You shouldn’t spy on him.”
“Aw, you know I can’t help but be curious!” said Rai. “He’s gotta be a Created Clone or something!” She looked back to Didsy and brought her hand up in a cock-holding motion, wagging it towards the empty space where Didsy’s face was usually located. “You think the two of them ever suck each other off?”
Didsy sighed. “I couldn’t guess,” she said curtly.
Rai giggled. “Aw, I’m just fuckin’ with ya.”
“The answer is no,” came a prim voice from the library’s front desk. A young blonde in a tight blouse and skirt, with silver-rimmed glasses, was sitting properly at the desk, pretending to read something. She was the spirit of the library, whom Rai had come to call Books, because “Library” didn’t roll off the tongue as easily. Much like Tavern and General, the spirit of the “general store” across the road, Books popped into being any time someone entered the building, ready to assist as needed.
Rai floated right over to the desk, then “sat” in the air in front of it, floating as if sitting on a chair. She leaned forward onto the desk, propping her “head” in her gloves, while her hat folded to give the impression of a bemused expression. “What about other stuff?” she said. “Handjobs? Kissing?”
“They have kissed.”
“Ooh! Give me every lurid detail! Including sound effects!”
“You can skip the sound effects, please,” said Didsy.
“There is little to go over,” said Books placidly. “Kat asked it of them as part of a dare, and they tried it. They did not find it particularly appealing.”
“Aw, how boring!”
“I can only report what happened,” said Books, unphased.
“You coulda made something up! Come on, tell me a story where Wander and his clone get all hot and heavy for each other, and hose each other down!”
“Very well,” said Books, taking a moment to calculate the lurid tale. Her tone shifted to a sultry audiobook tenor. “One lonesome night, as Wander tossed restlessly in his sheets—”
Didsy sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose, and stoically ignored Books’ improvisational slash-fic of their guild mate and his identical friend. She knew Rai was doing it just to mess with her at least as much as she was doing it for her own fun. Despite not having an actual sex drive, the Living Cloth Entity was fascinated by the pleasure potential of flesh, and never seemed to tire of hearing about it or observing it.
She was also a little scamp who liked to get a rise out of her partner now and then, and while Didsy herself certainly had a pulse, she was probably one of the least horny Playthings she knew about. More curious about magic than mating, her acceptance of the hyper-sexuality of the Omnyverse was mostly just out of resignation that this was simply her life now. She didn’t hate it, but there were times it could get a bit exasperating.
Still, she knew Rai didn’t mean any harm, and as her companion listened to the story, she seemed to get more into it from her own honest enjoyment, half-forgetting she was trying to get a rise out of her wearer. Didsy pulled a couple of the graphic novels off the shelf, noting a few new titles she hadn’t seen before. One looked like a book about a catman detective in a world of demihumans, with gorgeous watercoloring. That looked interesting. She took the book to the far corner of the library and sat down to read a while, as Books wrapped up her story, then proceeded to tell another at Rai’s request.
***
After the swim, Ben cleaned himself off simply by stripping, hovering in the air and converting into living flame to burn off all grime and impurities, then returning to human form and dressing. He headed to the library just as Didsy was finishing up. She and her partner both sensed him coming, but Rai waited until the last possible second to ravel back around Didsy. The Living Cloth giggled as she barely managed to cover her wearer’s body right as Ben was opening the door!
“Oh! Fancy meeting you here.”
Didsy smirked, quickly tamping down her annoyance at her partner. “Well, I am a librarian.”
“Working vacation then?”
“I read for fun, too,” she said primly. She gestured to Books, who was still present. “Besides, this place seems fully staffed already.”
“Fair.” Ben stepped over to the peruse the shelves.
“Was that Fire Magic you used out there?”
Ben grinned a little sheepishly. “Saw that, did you?”
“Sensed it. I’m a Fire Mage, myself.” She held up a finger and little candle-flame danced off the tip for a moment.
“Oh, cool! No, I’m more of a… well, it’s an Omny Blessing, but I basically have fire elemental abilities. And a couple others.”
“Oh? The Omnys usually don’t directly Empower boys. Or if they do, it’s not with much.”
Ben chuckled. “Kat was my lover before she Ascended, so I guess she’s a little doting on me.”
“Oh, really?” said Rai. “Huh. You know, I never really considered some of the Omnys might have actually been in relationships before they Ascended. Jeez, that’d be a hell of a way to spice up a marriage, huh?”
“No kidding!” Ben laughed. “Hopefully it was a good marriage.”
“So what all can you do?” asked Rai.
“Telekinesis. The Fire Elemental thing. Super speed. Accelerated language learning.”
“Wow. Damn. That is good for a boy!”
“That’s what Kat tells me! Although in some Worlds, it’s not that impressive.”
“Hey, all I got is String Magic, so it’s impressive to me!”
“I’d say you’re impressive for a String Magician,” said Didsy.
“Aw, thanks, hunny-bunny!” said Rai. “But String Magic’s innate to us Living Cloths, so it’s not like your Blessings.”
Ben cocked an eyebrow at Didsy. “You’re a Story Girl and Empowered?”
Didsy smiled slightly. “In my original World, I wasn’t able to use magic at all, despite thoroughly studying it. I lacked the inner spark necessary, as most people in my World did. When I was brought to life and allowed to persist, Lettie was kind enough to grant me the Blessing of being a Multi-Magus. I have access to many magical talents now, though admittedly I’ve spread my interests rather thin, so I’m mostly a beginner-of-all-trades. Still, even being able to do the basics has been a wonderful gift.”
“Sounds like you got a doting Omny, too.”
Didsy’s smile faltered a bit. “Doting is not the word I would use to describe Lettie.”
“Ah. I haven’t met her. I haven’t met any of the other Omnys yet. Kat’s just told me about some of the others. Is Lettie one of the trouble maker types?”
“Well, she doesn’t exactly treat us badly, but she’s a wild child. When she shows up, you don’t know what you’re in for.”
“Usually you’re getting fucked!” Rai added helpfully.
Didsy pursed her lips. “Well, yes, there’s usually that in some capacity. But she also doesn’t really drop in on us much, so I suppose that’s a minor Blessing in itself.”
Ben winced. “Is she really that bad?”
Didsy opened her mouth, closed it to think on it for a moment, then said, “I am led to believe she takes it easier on me than most of her other Playthings. Usually, she’ll set me up for some kind of sex game rather than outright jump me herself.” She gave a slight shrug. “Although, as I said, she mostly leaves us alone. I’ve encountered multiple other Omnys as I’ve traveled, however, and she’ll allow them to mess with me while I’m in their Worlds, at least up to a point.”
“Sounds like you’ve led as interesting a life as Wander,” said Ben.
Didsy gave a nod. “My job as a Wayfarer takes me to many Omny Worlds, so running into them seems inevitable. I don’t believe I’ve encountered as many as he has, however.”
“He’s under special circumstances, as I understand it,” said Ben.
“It would seem so,” said Didsy. She glanced him over again. “Strange to me that you’re clearly connected to him, but you’ve only met Kat.”
“Well, who can really say? You know the Omnys can just be anyone. I could have met them and not known it.”
“We have encountered, and even worked with, a few of their Avatars,” said Didsy. “I suspect we’ve probably met more than we’re aware of.”
“Really puts that whole Plaything label into perspective, huh?”
Didsy pursed her lips. “Indeed. But, I suppose, there could be worse gods to be watched over by.”
“Hey, you wanna maybe join our Guild?” said Rai. “Powerful as you are, you could be a big asset! Plus, the language thing might come in handy.”
“Thanks, but I got a job and a life back on Thrae.” He paused to consider for a moment. “Although I wouldn’t mind keeping in touch. Who knows, we might need each other’s services down the road.”
“Certainly,” said Didsy. “A friend of Wander is a friend of ours.” With a bemused look, she added, “Unless you turn out to be his evil clone, then I’m afraid we might not be compatible.”
Ben laughed. “Have you met Wander? If anything, he’s the evil clone!”
“I’d believe it!” laughed Rai.
“Alright, well, I don’t want to keep you if you got something else to do,” said Ben.
“It’s fine,” said Didsy. “We’re in no rush.”
“Yeah,” said Rai. “We can still hang out a bit. Or at least I can!” And suddenly, she whipped herself right off Didsy, exposing her partner to Ben completely!
“Eep!” Didsy flushed and snapped her arms in place to cover her chest and groin.
Ben blinked, unable to help but look, catching a glimpse of everything before Didsy managed to cover herself. Still, even having already gotten used to hypersexualized situations by now, Ben noticed how Didsy reacted to her exposure, and he dutifully turned to look away, cupping a hand to the side of his head to cover his vision.
“RAI!” Didsy hissed. “Get back here!”
Rai cackled and flew up until her hat touched the ceiling, folding up her skirt so Didsy couldn’t grab it. She had also yanked the extra bundles of strings and yarn she kept under her folds so the rabbit woman couldn’t immediately weave an impromptu cover for herself. Didsy reached out with her String Magic and tried to pull the bundle to her, but it was no use. Didsy might have multiple magical powers, but Rai was her equal in String Magic on top of being a natural born Cloth Entity, which gave her innate resistance to being manipulated by other’s String Magic, even that of her partner. So all she had to do was resist Didsy’s pull on the extra bundle, and exert just a little effort on keeping herself from getting pulled in.
“Oh, don’t mind me, Dids!” said Rai giggling. “Go off and do your whatever you were gunna do next, I’ll stay here and flirt with our fellow guest!”
“Damn it, Rai!” hissed Didsy. “This prank is getting really old!”
“Not to me!”
Didsy glanced to Ben, who was making a gallant effort to not look. She sighed, then suddenly transformed into a jaguar.
“Ah, crap, I forgot you could do that,” muttered Rai. She lowered back to the floor, but stayed clear of Didsy’s grasp. “You can look now. Unless you’re a real pervert!”
Ben brought his hand down and glanced over, jumping slightly to see a big wildcat where Didsy had been standing. The cat shook its head in a very human manner. “She’s a little imp sometimes,” she said, speaking through a form of mystic voice-projection.
Ben smiled apologetically. “I can sympathize.”
Didsy composed herself, sitting on her haunches, and looking to her wily partner. “Rai,” she said firmly.
“I’ll go back on you only if you turn back first!” she said. Didsy gave her a little growl and Rai laughed. “Come on, Dids! Our whole guild has seen each other naked before! Just imagine he’s Wander with a haircut.”
Didsy started to shift, her body morphing back to her regular demihuman form. Ben turned away again.
“Nah, you gotta take a gander!” said Rai.
“I saw enough, thanks,” said Ben.
“Well, aren’t you a gentleman! But I won’t cover her up until you take a good, hard look!” Rai animated a thread off his shirt to rise up next to his ear and project her voice in a close whisper. “(She’s secretly into it! I promise!)”
“You can… look,” said Didsy softly.
“You sure?” said Ben.
“Yes.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
Ben turned and took her in. She had her hands at her sides, palms pressed to her outer thighs to bare herself, and was looking to the side, blushing hotly. As Ben watched, he saw her fingers flex a bit against her thighs, and he noticed a bit of wetness start to glisten between her legs.
He felt his cock start to swell a bit, and looked away again before the situation could get more intense. “You’re very beautiful.”
Didsy cleared her throat. “Thank you,” she said. She looked to Rai, her irritation now laced with some lust. “Rai. Come on.”
Rai laughed and finally slipped herself back over her partner, who took a breath to compose herself.
“Sorry about that,” Didsy said. Ben didn’t see her fingers flex against her outer thighs again.
“Hey, no harm, no foul,” said Ben, glancing back. “But Rai? Try to respect your friend a little more.”
“Oh, my girl knows exactly who she’s wearing!” said Rai, fluttering her shawl suggestively. “But alright, I’ll play nice. Let’s go do whatever you gotta do, Dids!”
“We’ll talk more later,” said Didsy. She left the building a little more hastily than necessary.
And as soon as she was out the door, Rai bodily squeezed her firmly and flew her off to one of the farther cabins, whipping open the door, and tearing herself off Didsy in the same motion with which she threw her onto the bed!
Didsy was openly wet, her body flushed, even as she glared at her partner. “Rai!” she said. “That was uncalled for!”
Rai took control of the bedsheets and ensnared Didsy’s limbs in them. She unfurled the mass of extra yarn and strings to rapidly coil around Didsy’s body, netting her snuggly, but gently. Rai let out a happy chuckle as she felt the thrumming of Didsy’s pulse, every twitch of her muscles, as she reached down and used another set of threads as tendrils to caress and tickle Didsy’s skin.
The rabbit-woman let out a loud gasp, bucking against her restraints. She could have tried to use her own String Magic to undo Rai’s hold, but she didn’t. Instead, she fought against the threads and the sheets with just her raw strength. But not quite all the strength she could have! Rai giggled as she lowered herself to settle next to her bound partner, maintaining her form as if Didsy was still wearing her. She lightly traced one of her glove-fingers along Didsy’s netherlips, moving upwards to drag gently across her throbbing clit, causing the rabbit woman to give a high-pitched moan. Rai pulled away, and already, the cloth was stained with Didsy’s wetness.
“After all you’ve been through, being unexpectedly seen by a cute stranger still hits you like an aphrodisiac booster shot!”
“Nnnh! You could have… gotten his permission… first…!” Didsy gasped, squirming her hips to try and chase Rai’s maddeningly light touch, only to be frustrated as the Living Cloth moved to keep her strokes feather-light!
“It’s more fun when it’s a surprise for both parties!” giggled Rai, floating her other glove up to flick and tickle at Didsy’s hard nipples. Didsy moaned as Rai used the soft tips of yarn tendrils to caress her inner thighs and trace around her breasts. Rai then separated out some cloth straps from her shawl, and clasped them around Didsy’s eyes and mouth, blindfolding and gagging her. Rai felt Didsy’s pulse race faster, felt her body squirm harder!
Though Rai herself didn’t have the nerves to feel pleasure the way her organic partner could, being able to sense her body writhe beneath her strings, reading her every pulse and spasm, gave the Living Cloth a unique thrill of her own! Rai reveled in the excitement she could feel with surgical precision from Didsy’s body! Didsy let out a long, lustful moan into the gag-strap as Rai began to rhythmically rub her clit in a steady, slightly circular motion. Rai let out a satisfied coo in Didsy’s ear as her threads rode the waves of Didsy’s squirming flesh!
Rai had no breath to tease her with, so instead she lightly traced Didsy’s ear and neck to simulate the sensation as she whispered. “If Ben belongs to Kat, I figured he’d be used to the occasional sexy prank!”
Didsy whimpered as Rai’s fingers worked a bit faster. “Anyway, I know you’ve been waiting for me to make a move! We haven’t had sufficient privacy to fool around in a while. I just didn’t expect we’d have help to kickstart you so fast!”
Didsy let out the cutest little mew of submission as her partner played her every sensitive, sensual nerve like a master fiddler! And, blindfolded as she was, she didn’t see Rai’s hat and two extra gloves slip out the cabin door.
***
Meanwhile, Didsy wasn’t the only one Rai had her clutches on! As Ben tried not to dwell too hard on the beautiful display he’d just witnessed, he felt his shorts constrict against his cock, like the feeling of a feminine hand suddenly clutching him. He glanced down with a start. “Hey!” he said, seeing what looked like the impression of an invisible hand massaging his organ through his shorts. Still a bit worked up, he couldn’t help but get harder!
He looked around, but the only one present was Books, who quirked an inquisitive eyebrow at him. The library spirit didn’t have pants-controlling powers, or at least she shouldn’t have, and with the passive look she gave him, she didn’t seem to be the one doing it.
The answer was obvious, though. Rai was doing this! “Hey!” he said, looking down as the cloth of his shorts coiled around tent he was making in them. He slapped the side of his thigh. “Cut it out!”
And then his clothing suddenly unraveled itself off his body! “HEY!” he repeated, only to pause as he saw his clothes re-thread themselves together in a matter of seconds, now hovering in the air front of him, conforming to a body shape as if being worn by an invisible woman.
“Aw, come on, don’t you wanna fool around?” The floating clothes hovered right up to him, hugging him with the soft firmness of a female body, such as his shorts and tee-shirt could manage. He had the distinct notion that the body shape he was feeling was Didsy’s!
“If you’re really Wander’s twin, then I can guess what you like,” said Rai in a sultry whisper. Lacking sufficient hands, she moved one leg of the shorts to press against, and fold around, his cock, squeezing it playfully. “You like your girls aggressive.”
Ben knew that in the Omnyverse, horny women with supernatural powers called the shots, and when they took a fancy to you, then as a man, or a non-powered woman, you served at their pleasure. If you didn’t want it, you had to pray they respected consent, or you had to rely on another supernatural woman to get them to back off.
Rai might have been right in that Ben, just like Sal, had a powerful fetish for superhuman femdom. But unlike Sal, Ben had enough self-respect to not just allow himself to get raped on whim by a stranger. A little groping was one thing, but he’d known Rai for all of a couple hours. Just because she was a friend of Sal wasn’t an automatic pass for her to push the full distance on him!
He pushed against his clothes with his telekinesis, and to Rai’s surprise, she was actually shoved back, his mental force overpowering her String Magic. She could have fought against it more, but the pushback gave her pause as she realized Ben wasn’t just going along with her advances.
“Rai,” he said, holding his hands up. “I’m flattered, but I don’t know you well enough yet to just go on a roll with you. Also, I belong to Kat.”
The door to the library swung open as Rai’s original hat and gloves flew in, aligning themselves with Ben’s floating clothes to better simulate the effect of an invisible woman wearing his outfit. The hat shifted to give the impressions of facial expressions again, while the gloves came to rest as fists on Rai’s hips.
“Well, this is one way to get to know me!” she said. She pointed at his still-hard cock. “You sure seem interested!”
“I guess no one told you erection doesn’t automatically mean consent?” he said.
Rai paused. “Oh.” Her hat made a frowning impression, and her gloves went up in an acquiescing gesture. “Okay. I thought… Huh. Okay, then. Whoops! Sorry about that.”
Ben paused, a little surprised at her immediate back down. “You thought…?”
“I really thought you were, like, some kind of clone or whatever of Wander, so you’d have his predilections. He’s always getting jumped, and despite his protests with some of it, I know part of him usually likes it. So, I guess you really aren’t another him, huh?”
“Despite how it might seem, no, I’m not.” He cleared his throat. “Look, if I knew this was a roleplay scenario set-up by Kat, I’d go along with it, but I’m assuming you two weren’t spontaneously created by her to fuck with me.”
“Nope, we’re real people!” said Rai. She tilted her hat to the side as she very blatantly looked at his organ, which was slowly softening. “Darn it! I was lookin’ forward to this!”
“Sorry, but I belong to Kat.”
Rai shrugged. “I mean, Playthings hooking up doesn’t violate Omny claim rules, as I understand it.”
“I’m devoted to Kat,” he clarified.
“Oh. Oh! Right! Lover beforehand! Got it.” Rai made an inquisitive gesture. “Just curious, though, like, hypothetically, if you weren’t stuck on her, would you be, like, open to the idea?”
Ben paused and looked her over. “Uh… I mean… maybe? I don’t really know you, and I don’t tend to just shack up with strangers.”
“Ah. Okay.” Rai shook her head. “Well, I think you’re missing out! But I can respect your standards. Sorry I groped you.”
“No harm done. So can I get my clothes back?” He paused. “Wait. Are my clothes, like, part of you now?”
Rai laughed. “Oh, I’m just controlling the strings remotely. I haven’t integrated them. That would take me reweaving the threads into my main body, or continuously possessing your garments over time.”
“Okay. Good. So, can I have them back?”
Rai dipped her hat playfully to mimic giving him a once-over, tapping the space where a chin would be in thought. “Hmm… I dunno… you look pretty good naked!”
Ben pursed his lips. “If you’re friends with Wander, I can forgive you for the prank, but I am serious about not being available to just get jumped or messed around with by any random person. I can tolerate being naked if I have to, so if I have to burn my clothes to get you out of them, then I will.”
Rai laughed a bit nervously and held up her gloves in a defensive gesture. “Alright, jeez! Take ‘em!” She floated the shirt and shorts to slip back onto him, and released them from her control. “Man, you’ve got way more spine than most male Playthings I’ve met, that’s for sure!”
“Sorry to disappoint,” said Ben with a smirk.
“No, you are correct, consent is important. Sorry. Us Living Cloths are usually a lot more upfront and delicate about that, but… look, being around Omnys and their Playthings, the scenarios we end up in with them, there’s a lot of… layers of nuance to how they interact. It’s a little hard to know where the line is. Sure, some of the Omnys are just outright rapists, but for most of them, lot of their Playthings like to be bullied, or they like the whole bodice ripper pursuit thing.”
“The Omnys have the benefit of knowing at a glance exactly what a person is willing to do,” said Ben. “Or, depending on the situation, the people they are playing with were Created for the purpose of fulfilling a role for them.”
“Yeah,” she said nodding her hat. “Sorry again. I made assumptions about you based on Wander.”
“Your forgiven, as long as you understand the error,” said Ben. “I can see what you’re saying, though. Kat’s done some pretty crazy things to me. And it’s overwhelming at times, for sure. But I trust her, and she’s never done something I’ve never been willing to do. From the outside, I’m sure some of the situations we’ve been in look absolutely insane, even horrible to some people. But just because I have that relationship with her doesn’t mean I’m going to just let myself be walked over by any hot woman with a super power.”
The gloves clasped together and floated back, while the hat tilted forward, as if an invisible woman were leaning cleavage-flauntingly forward, while the hat gave him the impression that said girl would be giving him a cheeky grin.
“So, you think I’m hot?” Rai said in a coy voice.
Ben blinked, then let out a half-amused exhalation. “You look, uh, very fashionable, but to be honest, I don’t really get the Living Clothes thing. Like, I’m sure you’re fun in the sack, but I’m not turned on by clothing.”
The hat tilted with the impression of a pout. “Aw! Well, I think you flesh-folk are absolutely fascinating!”
Ben tapped his chin. “So, are you attracted to us, or is it just a curiosity thing?”
“I suppose you could say it’s my fetish,” one of the gloves mimicked the chin-rub gesture as the hat “stood” back up straight. “I like feeling a person, all the subtle little ways your bodies twitch and swing and flow. Even the various ways you pass fluids is so interesting. Us Living Cloths don’t have anything like your physiology. We’re raw magic imbued into textiles. We don’t even really feel things like pleasure or pain, we don’t have taste or smell. Mostly we can just sort of feel pressure, vibration, and textures. So, being worn by one of you, it lets me sort of vicariously experience what it’s like.”
“Huh,” said Ben. “That’s pretty interesting, putting it like that.”
“I know, right?” said Rai. “Lots of Living Cloths find flesh fascinating, but I guess compared to most others, you might consider me a bit of a pervert. I don’t have a libido, but it’s just so fun, seeing how pleasure works with your bodies! I love feeling how a person writhes, how their pulse quickens, how their breathing gets all erratic, how their muscles spasm, when they’re in the throes of passion!” She tilted the hat down a bit to indicate she was looking at Wander’s shorts. “So, with all that said… can I ask you for a kinky favor?”
Ben frowned slightly in thought. “I’m really not available to do anything. But I suppose it depends on what it is.”
She held up one glove and gripped the air. “Can I feel you masturbate?”
Ben glanced at her glove. “No.”
“You can just wear my glove while you do it. I won’t stroke you myself, I promise.”
Ben put a hand up. “Even if I was up for fooling around with other women, I actually can’t.”
Rai tilted her hat to the side. “Can’t…?” Before he could answer, she said. “Oh! You have one of those Chastity Spell things, too?” She laughed, especially as she noticed his cock swell a bit just talking about it. “Gosh, Kat sounds like a real ball-buster!”
“She’s, uh, intense sometimes.”
“Hmm. I could give you a handjob, if you needed some relief!” She made a jack-off motion with her glove. “I’m very good at them!”
“No, thank you.”
Rai sighed. “Alright, fine. If you’re sure.”
“Kat really is enough for me, just by herself. I know she sleeps with a couple other people, not just Wander, but I know that’s just how being an Omny is. I love her, and I know I’m her number one. Frankly, with what she puts me through, I’m completely sexed out between sessions with her. So, I don’t go around looking for other action, unless it’s part of one of her scenarios.”
Rai shook her hat. “Aw, you romantic types are the worst!” She turned to leave, but right as she reached the door, she turned her hat back to him. “You want to watch me work over Didsy?”
Ben felt his cock want to swell some more, suddenly realizing what the rest of Rai’s body was presently up to! He valiantly kept himself under control. “Another time, maybe.”
Rai huffed. “Fine! But I’m holding you to that!” Then she slipped out the door.
Ben let out a breath he hadn’t known he was half-holding. Then he jumped as Books, who’d been passively watching the whole exchange, spoke up. He’d almost completely forgotten she was there!
“Such a loyal Plaything,” she said.
Ben smirked. “Yeah, well. Some of us ought to be.”
Books’ expression turned surprisingly sultry, and she flicked her finger at him. Ben jumped again as this time, his clothes were teleported right off his body! Another finger flick, and he was floated off the ground by the impression of a ghostly hand clasping his cock, which rapidly swelled in her grip. She was using Sex Magic!
“Hey!” he said. “Were you not listening just now? I don’t know you, either!”
Books beckoned him forward, and Ben was pulled to her desk, and sat down on it right in front her with his legs pushed open, his hands locked behind his back, his cock standing at full attention! She leaned forward, eyeing his organ. He tried to use his telekinesis to push her back, but to his surprise, it didn’t work!
Books looked up at him with a coy smile. “Relax. Most of the spirits here were Created by Cyl, but I’m one of Kat’s. She loves you very much, and is pleased with your devotion. She would like me to express her appreciation.”
“Oh,” said Ben softly, then gasped as Books kissed the tip of his cock, and he suddenly felt the impression of two mouths lovingly licking and kissing down his length. While the two Phantom Lips and Tongues teased his cock, Books took his organ fully into her mouth, sucking him with a steady, loving pace.
And then suddenly, Lake was there, hugging him from behind. “I’m one of Kat’s, too,” she whispered in his ear. She nibbled his earlobe gently, before trailing kisses down his neck. Every press of her lips sent a pulse of pure pleasure racing down his spine, curving off his tailbone to strike the root of his cock, vibrating his organ from the inside, timed perfectly with Books’ suction!
Ben let out a gasp and struggled against the Sex Magical bondage holding him in place as his body squirmed under their ministrations. He could feel Kat’s impish will in their touches! He cried out and bucked his hips as Books sucked him fiercely, her Phantom Tongues whirling around his organ madly, right as Lake sent a steady, oscillation pulse through his cock! He shuddered through a strong edging, his climax held back by Kat’s unbreakable Orgasm Block!
The two released him from their mouths for a moment, but kept him in their grip. Books’ Phantom Tongues slowed to a teasing tracing. “Shall we let one of Cyl’s spirits join us? Remember, we’re just robots, built to serve, so it won’t be cheating, just borrowing a friends’ toy.”
Ben shivered as he considered, wincing a little at the casual reminder that they were just mimics, but also knowing it meant this situation really couldn’t be happening unless Kat was wishing it to. “Okay,” he whispered.
And then Tavern was there, giving him a sultry smile. “Hi, there,” she said huskily as she leaned in close. “Pleased to be of service.” She kissed him deeply, her tongue probing as she reached up and toyed with his nipples. More pleasure pulses radiated from her touch, running down his sides and stomach like tickling fingers, to coil around his throbbing cock like wicked feathers. Lake and Books resumed their oral attentions, and Ben melted into the pleasure! The three edged him again and again with loving precision, until Kat’s Orgasm Block spontaneously unlocked, and Ben exploded into each of their eager mouths!
Meanwhile, from the little pile of his discarded clothes, Rai secretly watched the whole thing with rapt amusement, even while she continued her own tease-and-delay play with Didsy! She brought her partner to her own thunderous, screaming multi-climax right as Ben was allowed his volcanic releases!
***
A few hours later, Didsy and Ben, both feeling very relaxed, meandered their way back to Tavern’s tavern to get dinner. Didsy was wearing a bedsheet wrapped around her body like a toga, and no part of Rai was to be seen. The two glanced each other over, and exchanged a knowing look as they sat together at one of the tables. Tavern acted perfectly nonchalant, as if she hadn’t just helped work over Ben into a sweaty, spunking mess earlier.
“Where’s your friend?” Ben said.
“Taking a walk,” said Didsy. With a prim smile, she said, “Probably planting some snare traps for Wander to stumble into later.”
Ben smirked. “She’s a little imp, alright.”
Didsy let out an amused exhalation. “She doesn’t mean any real harm. If it was seriously going to upset him, she wouldn’t do it.” She glanced to Ben. “Did she try to proposition you?”
“Yeah. I said no.”
“She wasn’t too pushy, I hope?”
“Not really. We talked it out, she backed off.”
“Good.”
Ben glanced her over. “So, is she really your outfit? Like you’re usually wearing her?”
“Almost constantly, yes.”
“Huh. So, is she, like, your familiar or something? Some kind of living fetish? Fetish in the magic sense, I mean.”
“No, and she would be very annoyed if she heard you say that.”
Ben paused, looking a bit sheepish. “Ah. Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Didsy gave him a slight smile. “I know. It’s an easy assumption to make. Living Cloths are very rare outside of Cloth Land. They are entirely sustained by magic, String Magic specifically, though they can also subsist on more general mana if they need to. As such, almost any of them you’ll encounter outside of their World are either paired up with a Magician, or they rely on artifacts or locations that naturally generate mana. So, it can certainly look like a magical servitude, but Living Cloths are their own independent people.”
“Neat,” said Ben.
“Indeed. In our case, String Magic is one of my main specialties, so together, we power and bolster each other in a stable loop. Rai’s strong enough to last a while on her own, but by staying on me, she’s indefinitely topped off, and I’m basically carrying her everywhere, so she isn’t constantly burning her own reserves just to move around. In exchange, she functions as my armor as well as my clothes, and can act as extra limbs and eyes and ears for me.”
“Wow. Sounds like an interesting partnership.”
“Yes, it works out well for us. Her little pranks aside, I do love and cherish her.” She gestured to her bedsheet-clad form. “That said, it is nice, once in a while, to take a little break from each other. This World is a safe place to do that.” She gave a slight smile as she looked at Ben. “Usually. After today, I should probably leave a couple spare outfits here just in case.”
Ben chuckled. “As long as Rai wouldn’t consider it cheating.”
Didsy smirked primly. “If she gets to possess other people’s clothes, it’s only fair I get to wear other dresses.”
Tavern gave them a minute to decide what they wanted, and she manifested the food as they ordered. Right as they were finishing up their meals, Rai floated in. Rather than slip onto Didsy again, she sat next to her, once more appearing as if an invisible woman were wearing the outfit.
Didsy gave her an inquisitive glance. “How mad is going to be?”
“I didn’t booby trap his cabin this time, so he’ll probably forgive me,” said Rai. Both of the others could hear the shit-eating grin in her tone.
“So, what did you booby-trap?” said Didsy.
“It’s a secret!” said Rai. She pointed to Didsy. “And don’t you disable them at the last second before we leave, or I’ll wedgie you into the tree tops!”
“Can you tell me so I don’t trigger them?” said Ben.
“Nope!” said Rai. “I’ll just say, be careful on your nature walks!” She looked him over. “Unless… You spill all your beans!” She pointed a glove at him. “I have to know! What’s your deal? Are you his clone? Twin brother? Are you both Kat’s Created, and she just really has a type? Reveal your secrets!”
Ben chuckled at the last suggestion, then paused, trying to think of the best way to phrase this without revealing too much information, while not lying outright. “I’m not sure what Wander would want me to say. How much has he told you about himself?”
“Almost nothing, really,” said Didsy. “I know he’s the Plaything for both Kat and Cyl, but he started helping me travel to Worlds beyond my reach because Lettie asked him to. He seems to be familiar with most of the other Omnys. Possibly all of them. That might just be a natural result of his power letting him travel everywhere, but it seems like more than that. If Kat is so exclusive with you, why would she share Wander around so readily?”
“Is he the clone?” said Rai. “You’re the real deal, and he’s just the side-toy she lets her goddess friends borrow?”
Ben made a little grunt of amusement at that idea. He frowned slightly in thought. “I assume you know about Earth and Thrae?”
“Yes,” said Didsy. “We’ve been to Thrae several times. I’ve been to Earth once, when I was still traveling by myself.”
“Alright,” he said. “So, you’re aware they’re split timelines of the same World?”
“I was not, actually.”
“Ah. Well, they are. Earth is a planet where magic and the supernatural are hidden from public view. Thrae is Earth, if magic was openly known about.”
Didsy pondered that for a moment. “Hmmm. Interesting.”
Ben nodded. “The timeline split somewhere before recorded history, so the two Worlds have been distinct from one another for pretty much all of known civilization. Despite the differences, the course of human history largely panned out about the same. It’s in the smaller details where things are noticeably altered. Wholly different bloodlines of people being born, but a lot of the same societal development. Technologies developing differently, but arriving at the same results, around roughly the same time periods. Different countries forming at different times, with different borders, but ending up with similar languages and territories to their counterparts.”
He shrugged. “It could all be due to some kind of cross-dimensional subconscious influence, one world seeding ideas into the other, back and forth. Or it could just be that way because the Omnys like the contrast of the familiar juxtaposed to the fantastical, so even if things should have been way more different, the Omnys didn’t allow the two timelines to skew too far apart.”
“It does raise some fascinating questions about their Creation style,” said Didsy. “How exacting does each Omny shape their Worlds, versus how much they just allow things to organically extrapolate?”
“Yeah,” said Ben. “Especially in Earth and Thrae’s case. Despite the improbability, sometimes very specific things get repeated, even at the microscale. For example, a specific person being born in both realities, just through the sheer chance of genetic recombination lining up the same sequence at the same time.” He gestured to himself. “A person like us. I’m from Thrae. Wander is from Earth. We’re a convergent incarnation of the same guy in different timelines.”
“Huh,” said Rai. “That’s just bonkers enough for me to believe it!”
Didsy stared at him passively for a few moments. “I suspect there’s more to it than that. But I will respect that the rest is up to Wander to reveal.”
“Aw, that’s not fair!” said Rai.
“Sorry,” said Ben. “It really isn’t my place to say.” He looked between the two. “So, you still spending a couple nights here?”
“Yes,” said Didsy. “We’ll be heading back out the morning after tomorrow. There are other places I want to go before we get back to work.” She paused. “It would be mostly sight-seeing. Would you like to come with us?”
Ben thought it over. “Well, I was going to try to spend my whole time off here, but I can tell I’ll probably get bored pretty quick with no one else here.” He glanced to Tavern, who was sitting on her stool behind the bar. “No offense.”
“I can’t be offended!” Tavern reminded him with a grin.
“Right,” said Ben, turning back to Didsy. “Yes, I think I’d like that.”
“Ha!” said Rai. “We’ll make a Wayfarer out of you yet!”
Ben smirked. “I suppose it would be fitting. Different lives, same results.”
“Indeed,” said Didsy. She paused, then gave Ben a wry smile. “Although in that regard, maybe we shouldn’t encourage it. Some of our missions can end up getting pretty lascivious. If you’re dedicated to exclusivity with Kat, well, I wouldn’t want you to put that at risk.”
Ben considered that. “Fair point. Like I said before, I’m pretty set with things for now. But who knows what the future will hold.” He raised his glass. “To all our many dubious perversions.”
Didsy raised hers. “To mysterious allies.”
“Cheers!”
END
No comments:
Post a Comment