After a rather lengthy dressing down by Cecelia, we both apologized.

  “Ready to try the next?”

  Red smiles at me, “Still considering what the fire tail means to me.”

  “What about the blood tail?” Mags inquires.

  Red winces at that. I raise an eyebrow.

  “Let's not push her till she has a better idea. Hey Red, you saw my fight with the fox. It could enter my body with its spirit. It felt like it was trying to control me. Can you do that?”

  She looks up from her contemplation. She then looks to Cecelia and Mags. They both sigh. I was being rash again…

  Mags speaks up, “Only Violet for now, I fear your spirit is your soul and you will invariably infuse someone entering them.”

  She thinks about that. I go over to her wondering when she is going to do it when her ghost grabs me from behind. She smiles at me, with teeth. A rather tigerish grin…foxish? She falls over unconscious.

  My work dress disappears as I feel my body distort, my second set of arms pull in and I feel myself getting smaller. My multitude of vertebrae fuse until they are a human number. My fangs shrink and my spinnerettes disappear. A new work dress covers me. I look back and see both my white cat tail and my black cat tail. I can see that my hair is curly blood red. But only because Delores asked.

  “That was unexpected, you can force your form onto your sister then? Which of you is in control?” Magdeline asks.

  I consider that…singular. “Neither of us are, [Countess]. I am once again singular.”

  Cecelia is shocked by that while Magdeline looks concerned, “Would you separate please?”

  “I am on duty, [Countess].”

  Magdeline looks up in the air, counts to herself then looks back at me, “You are the personal attendant to two mistresses are you not? You would serve them better as your respective minds.”

  I nod at that and I am back to being Violet, my body quickly regaining its previous form…painfully. I hold my head with all four hands for a second while Red picks herself up.

  “Red, you really need to define your [Attendant] better.”

  Her ghost replies, “Sorry, we were one again. Do the memories from a moment ago feel like yours as well?”

  Actually all our memories felt like mine again. I can hear Red start to cry. I rushed over to her.

  It's alright Red. I'm still me and you're still you.

  “I can remember eating them all.” The ghost cries out, shrill, a banshee shriek. The very dungeon shudders.

  I grip her tighter as I too recall our psychosis. I did it and she did it. We cry together as we remember how we both hated ourselves and drove ourselves further to revel in blood and guts. Our mothers join our huddle. We stay that way for hours.

  -----

  This is a daily reminder: You have 48 unallocated stat points

  I open my eyes. Sleep hadn't chased away the nightmare. I ate so many of them. And it tasted better every time. I look up at the ceiling of my dungeon.

  Am I still Red or am I Violet? What were two strands have been woven together again. It's jarring in one way and comforting in another. I look at my sister, the no tail…that wasn't quite right. I guess I am Red then. She looks at me and flicks me in the forehead.

  “You were thinking something rude again.”

  I suppose I was. I see Cecelia and Mags huddled in a corner sleeping against the wall. My ghost hovers near Violet ready to speak for me…I stop.

  It's annoying to have her look at my ghost and not me. I do not wish to put on the airs of the mental mage though. I take a moment. I am my own attendant, not a Marie clone, not Delores personnel doll… not her slave. I am an attendant, that is me. I am currently under the employ of house Xavious. Should I be fired, or leave the house I would still be an attendant, still be me. My ghost enters into me.

  “Apologies Violet, it was rude.”

  I give her a small smile as she panics about me no longer being in grasping range. I shake my head.

  “Do not worry sister, I have done as you asked. I am my own person again.”

  She studies me, “You seem to still be prim and proper though.”

  “Naturally, I still am an [Attendant].”

  She sighs but hugs me, I return it. I rub her back.

  “Sorry for the bad memories.” I murmur.

  “You are me and I am me and you are you, I feel it's good that we can merge our memories. I think it will keep us sane.”

  I chuckle into her shoulder, “You call remembering our cannibalistic nature a way to stay sane.”

  “There was no Tibyder in those memories.”

  Heh, we really have owned each other's memories. She is recalling my time with Mags and Cecelia as her own. They are hers, just as much as hers is mine. Our soul warms at that. I just have one worry.

  “Are you afraid that we might not ever release the next time?”

  “No.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “‘Cause I can't stand to be alone, Sara.”

  I laugh, “Neither can I.”

  I look behind me and my one tail.

  “You know I am surprised you didn't end up as a Kitsune after we separated."

  “Aw, you wanted a sister fox, too bad I'm still a spider.” She says the last part in a sing-song voice.

  “I think my blood tail is one too, Violet.”

  She laughs, then tilts her neck.

  “Time to rebalance ourselves, Sara.”

  I separate and give her a grin.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “Oh you have a lot more teeth now…”

  I clamp onto her neck, pulling back into myself what I had given her before. My body sings but I release her when we are equal. I look at her neck and see multiple punctures. They close as I watch. She goes for the blood skin but I stop her.

  I feel your spare blood store is getting dangerously high, Violet.

  Her eyes widen, then glaze over as she consumes it. It takes her a moment to ride out the bliss.

  -I had forgotten that was a thing, thank you sister.

  -----

  “Violet.”

  “Yes, Kal.”

  I answer her even as I weave her hair into braids.

  “Can you change me, to be more like you…”

  I sigh, “You've only seen a small portion of what I am Kal. You're only eleven, why not wait till you're older?”

  She turns to me annoyed, “Twelve, I am not a child, Violet.”

  “I'm still a child though, I can't stop changing myself. Can you at least wait till I am in Mage college before asking for this.”

  She looks annoyed at me, “Fine, I will go to mage college as well so I can track you down.”

  I laugh at that which only annoys her further, “Sorry, it just seems as if I am destined to annoy house Sdrae.”

  She gains a wry smile, “There is nothing wrong with that, frankly I welcome it.”

  I smile at that and cup her face. A bit of my blood pulls through my hands and enters her eyes. She squints and pulls back, but it's too late. She blinks a few times and smiles as she touches my flower.

  “Your nickname makes sense now. Thank you.”

  I giggle, unlike Delores I have no restrictions on changing Kalidia appearance.

  -----

  “Why does my sister have cat eyes!”

  I watch as Jeremy grabs a handful of Violet's dress.

  “I only responded to her wishes. I suggest you let go, sir.”

  He looks to his sister, “Did you truly want this?”

  “I did ask her, I can see a myriad of new colors, brother. Do not be jealous, nor proud. You can always ask her for your own set.”

  He lets go of Violet, looking rather annoyed at his sister. He takes a breath and looks at Violet.

  “Sorry, I have acted rashly again. I apologize, Lady Magdeline.”

  She gives a nod to him as they separate.

  He walks to me. “I would like to spar again, if you are willing after my shameful behavior.”

  I smile, “Of course, mister Sdrae.”

  Delores looks confused at me, I flash her a wry smile.

  I thought you needed my permission for such.

  Do you rescind it, Delores?

  No, just with yesterday and all…

  I have better defined what it means to an attendant. I am fundamentally only your employee Delores, I will not replace my own judgment for yours. Nor will I surrender my autonomy.

  Oh… of course. Why does your form still match what I set yesterday then?

  I still am your personal attendant, Delores.

  I can see her smile at that. I reach the center of the field. He takes his position.

  He swings his wooden sword at me, I deflect it. He backs away wary of the reprisal. Seeing none he is unnerved even more. He wishes to say something but controls himself. Likely remembering the abuse from yesterday. I continue deflecting till he grows tired. It's harder to keep ahead of him but I manage. He is breathing hard when he yields.

  “I don't understand, what happened to no mercy?”

  A new wry smile, “It can't be called sparring if I end it immediately, mister Sdrae. Thank you for the opportunity to grow.”

  And I had. My sword arm had leveled as did my grip. Seems being at a ninth of my stats made this challenging enough.

  -----

  I sit in my couture feeling a bit adrift. My sister has changed greatly while I sit here wondering what to make. Before we had split our crafting between us but I saw what she was thinking for the fire tail. I think about what made me me. After merging, I'm not sure anymore.

  I am starting to feel like I am a beta test for my sister. First the spider and then she made a more monstrous one, then I made a fairy to talk for me but now she has a ghost that is her talking. My body shifts and the dryad feels foreign. I have gained too much distance from it. I resolve to stay as such for the night.

  “Test.”

  Ah, is it because a voice is intrinsic to this form or because it is not my true self. Red couldn't speak as her monster birthing self. Actually can she become the birthing self?

  I am next to her as she contemplates her fire tail. I think she already knows but wishes to spare my feelings. Her ghost is flashing around, I tap her on her shoulder.

  -Hi sister.

  “Hey, are you actually able to become your manifestation anymore?”

  She thinks about that. Her body starts to shift before she has to let it go. She looks up at me with a wry smile. She grows more morose.

  -I couldn't even pop out another leg before the change became too much.

  I hugged her.

  “It is alright, I have been feeling a bit adrift on what my role is. I think I like to be our dungeon populating monster.”

  She becomes sadder.

  -Your not saying that because of…

  “Even if you start making clothes, it doesn't stop me from doing the same.”

  She smiles a bit at that.

  “I'm more annoyed that you plan to have multiple arms, I didn't get to have my four for very long before you decided on six.”

  My stern reproachful look breaks down into giggles. She joins me in my mirth. I step back from her. I start to shift my body. My legs’ flesh became white chitin. What once was generous thickness begins to thin. My sister gets up and holds me.

  “Thank y…o…”

  I smile at the proof that I am becoming more true. My first set of legs finish becoming what they need to be. They end at point, there are no claws to manipulate threads. I slowly grow three more sets. All bone white. I stand on my own, precarious yet stable. Stiletto spider feet. I laugh, my abdomen comes in larger in ratio than our previous incarnations. It will need to be. It has no silk glands. It is also bone white aside from a slitted cat eye that is black and ultraviolet on its underside. I look behind myself and nod. The internal area is devoted to making eggs.

  I look at my hands and the thread weaving claws fall off as the multiple finger joints become a more normal count. My hips are so large that pulling my waist in creates a truly exaggerated form. I think on that and shrug, it's not so much an hourglass now that simply tapering to a more slender form above. My skin is pale, almost bone white itself, no scales. Vulnerable. I am modest up top, I will let my sister be absurd. Green leaves with black veins begin to cover my torso. My vine hair is ultra violet. It has various flowers threaded throughout it in various colors.

  -You look magnificent Violet, though everyone is going to think I am copying you again when they see the blood tail…

  I boop her on the nose and laugh. I may have cribbed from her upcoming designs. Only fair.

  Something still feels off about this though. I have lost my dryad voice but it was my voice. I had gained nothing from our spectral fox…I take that one trait. A flicker happens next to my head. It grows more steady until she is there. My fairy companion is here to speak for her silent protagonist. My soul etches a bit. I smile at her. She boops my nose. I hadn't willed her to do that…

  “Of course you didn't, my Lady, I can't be a mischievous little scamp if you controlled me.”

  -Sister…

  “Oh don't get too much of a tussle, Lady Crafter. Lady Dungeon just gave birth to her first independent piece of both of your souls. I'm still her, for I speak with her voice but I am also a bit myself, to annoy her with my whimsy.”

  I just laugh, already a mother. I look at her and use [Identify], nothing returns. Sister?

  -Its just your info, 47 Chimera Attendant.

  I look closer at my herald and she is a tiny little woman with two sets of dragon fly wings and two sets of arms. Seeing it causes a second set of arms to erupt from my own body. I look annoyed at it, they are directly under the arm pit of the top set. I shrug, still me. I go back to looking at the sprite. Curiously her bottom is more akin to a lamia serpent body, no legs just a tail. She has our cat ears and a tangled mess of pink hair.

  -----

  I step out to check on Gregory. I figure since he wishes to consider me a noble I will use my mental tail. I step quietly to Qorth and the knight in training.

  “Telling ya, riddles the whole lot got more boring after you two left. They had to stop doing dungeon runs for a bit. Then we had to be more careful ‘cause she wasn't around to heal anyone.”

  “‘Realize only after lost’ it is good to know we were missed. My Lady, you deign to join us.”

  “I have, Qorth. How is our guest?”

  Said guest turns and does a double take. I can smell the various smells and look down on him. He feels my displeasure and squirms…good.

  “Systems, did Cecelia Maxwell's sister arrive?”

  “I am quite certain her sister is still in school, knight in training. I am your spider [Priestess] in a lovely new form. I can see you appreciating the view.” The last part came out cold.

  His eyes widened, “Okay, this is not helping me get over you giving me courtship items as a ten year old. Your ladyship, is there a form you have that is not soooo…magnificent.”

  “You wish me to diminish myself for your comfort. I suggest mastering yourself instead, Gregory.”

  My eyes narrow on him. He pales but nods.

  “I spoke out of turn.”

  I hear a chortle from Qorth, “‘Empress without empire’ you certainly made ‘weak worm’ uncomfortable.”

  He balks at Qorth, “That is not even a riddle, that's just name calling.”

  She shrugs, much to his chagrin.

  “Any ill effects so far?”

  He turns to me and shakes his head, “Nothing so far, [Countess] Magdeline examined me earlier and said my organs are all still intact.”

  “Excellent, I am sorry you had to be sequestered here, but it is for the best.”

  He looks annoyed, “How is it for the best?”

  “Should you survive, it means I am poised to earn a great deal of money.”

  “Is that before or after Isabella convinces the higher ups to confiscate the keys?”

  “I am sure being a sole supplier of healing mana potions will provide me a great deal of leverage, Gregory.”