“Are you sure you got enough to eat?” fussed Steve as they returned to Bernice’s townhouse.  “You barely touched your food.”

Maggie hugged him as tight as she could, squishing her malleable body against his.  “I’m fine!  Honest.  I was full after two bites.  I don’t feel hungry at all.”

“I wonder if you could eat your way back to being normal,” mused Bernice.  “It’s as likely as anything we’ve tried.”

“While that sounds like fun, at the rate I’m eating it’d take forever.  We’ll see what tomorrow brings.  Should I sleep deflated?” asked Maggie.  “You said not being able to breathe was a factor in which forms reverted on their own.”

“It’s worth a shot,” said Bernice doubtfully.  “If you’re going to do that, someone should be around to help you.”

“I guess I should move in here, then,” said Maggie cheerfully.  “Steve and I have separate apartments.  Our parents weren’t keen on us living together ‘out of wedlock’.”

“Wow.  And here I thought I had strict parents.  Turns out they’re cool with Tanya,” said Bernice, leaning in and giving her temporarily human sweetie a squeeze.  “Though part of them being okay with it is that we can use the trunk’s magic to provide them with grandchildren.”

Marco looked stricken.  “We didn’t use condoms.  Am I pregnant?”

“After just one night?  Nah.  Most of the time it takes a couple of days in a new form to be fertile.”

“Oh.  Phew.  Wait… ‘Most’ of the time?”

“Fertility magic exists too,” noted Rob.  “We’ve been careful not to trunk any maternity dresses or nursing bras.  Still, if you’re planning to spend much time female, you’d best take precautions.  I’d go on the pill, but I’m only female some of the time and I have no idea what it’d do to me.”

“And I have no interest in spending time as a guy,” added Kim.  “You’re safe unless Robin’s eyes wander.”  She gave Rob a poke.  “I saw you eyeing the Lynnetopus.”

Lynne blushed.  “Can we please forget I was ever that… Thing.”

Marco grinned broadly.  “Oh, chica, I will never forget last night.  Nor will Connie.  Maybe we should let her have a turn in the octopus dress, mmm?”

“And add a charged condom so I can make better use of the tentacles,” urged Connie with a leer.  “Then I can screw both of you at once.”

Lynne pointed out she needed to spend some time with her folks to keep up appearances.  “You think you have strict parents?  The conditions on my trust fund run thirty pages.”

“At least it’s over once you hit twenty-one, right?” asked Bernice.

Lynne shook her head.  “Thirty, and I have to be married and have at least one kid.  But even at that, my brother has it worse.  Tom has to also be CEO of a company worth at least half of his share.”

Bernice shook her head.  “Harsh.  My mom just wants me to be an engineer.  I think she’d be happy with any professional degree, really.”

“Mine just wants me to get my ‘Mrs’ degree.  Talk about old fashioned.  Not going to happen unless they make polygamy legal.”

“I had no idea,” said Connie.  “Maybe you two could marry and I’ll just play at being your maid.  Or pool boy.”

Bernice held up the octopus dress.  “Or pool monster?”

Connie accepted the dress, but hesitated.  “We should go.  Can I borrow this and a restoration kit?  Um, and some panties for Marco?”

Marco grinned.  “Sounds like a fun night.  We’ll leave room in the bed for you, Lynne.”

Once they were gone with their treasures, Bernice suggested that Maggie move in to her place.  “Rent’s super cheap, and you get access to Bob.  For repairs, alterations… Or a recharge.  You two looked cute as twins.”

“Sold,” cheered Maggie.  “I’d be closer to campus and to Steve’s place.  Um, can I bring my pet?  Kaa is really quiet and doesn’t make messes.”

Bernice agreed, then Steve suggested she ask what Kaa was.  Bernice looked to Maggie curiously.

“Kaa is a snake,” she admitted.  “A four foot long ball python I’ve had since I was twelve.  He’s really friendly, and mostly lives in his terrarium.  He never gets out, he likes the warmth too much.”

Bernice shrugged.  “Sound like the perfect pet.”

“He eats live mice,” said Steve.  “Maggie made me watch.  Once.”

“You big baby.  It’s really not that bad.”

“We should probably keep Kim away from Kaa when she’s tiny, though.”

Maggie shrugged.  “Kaa’s super picky.  He only eats thawed mice, won’t touch live ones.  So as long as you don’t turn her into a dead mouse, she’ll be fine.  Can I stay?”

Bernice smiled.  “You can stay.  We’ll help you move in, even.  Tomorrow?”

“Sure!”

Steven helped change the sheets in the third bedroom, and mulled over the option of moving in with Maggie.  She pointed out that his parents were quite capable of paying for his apartment, even if he wasn’t using it much.  They’d been doing much the same already, with Maggie spending more nights in Steve’s apartment than her own.

Bernice chuckled.  “And you said you had no dark secrets.”

“Bah,” said Maggie dismissively.  “I’m pretty sure all our parents know.  Steve’s just want us to keep up appearances.  I’m okay with being one thing in public and another at home.”  She laughed. “But I suppose you’re familiar with that around here.”

Bernice and Tanya giggled along.  Then Bernice got a serious look.  “Except I’m keeping the tentacles on campus.  I’ll deal with whatever happens.”

Maggie nodded.  “Good attitude.  If I’m stuck like this, I’ll make the best of it, too.  C’mon Steve.  Time to use your girlfriend as a blanket.”  Maggie tugged down her zipper and crumpled into Steve’s arms.

Steve gathered up her flattened form with as much dignity as he could muster.  “I suppose I can do no less.”  He petted the soft material gently.  “She’d be easy to transport like this…”

“There’s the spirit,” encouraged Bernice.  “Have a nice night.”

In the morning Rob made pancakes for everyone, except Maggie.  Steve blushed when asked how his night had been, and changed the subject by asking how much longer Maggie had to stay flat.

Bernice checked the time.  “Two more hours, to be safe.”

Three hours later, Maggie was still flat.  Bernice offered to zip her up, but Steve insisted it was his responsibility.  Maggie hugged him tight once she filled out.  “It’ll be okay.  We’ll sort something out.  That, or I’ll just stay home and play housekeeper for all of you.”

“It would keep you safe,” mused Steve.  “But it seems unfair.  You should finish your degree, too.”

Maggie shrugged.  “It’s not like I’m doing anything important.  The world is awash in arts majors.  I’d save my parents a bundle to quit while I’m ahead.”

“Maggie, stop talking like that,” huffed Steve.  “We’ll find a way.  Maybe someone can wear you to classes?  You’d at least be able to attend all the lectures.”

“And if I get asked a question?”

“How often does that happen, really?”

Maggie snorted.  “Rarely.  If ever.  Hah.  Saved by the anonymity of enormous classes run by TAs instead of professors.  As long as I get all the notes and show up for exams, I could probably get by without even attending.  I’d still rather be there.”

They spent some time discussing how to keep Maggie safe.  Even inside, the risk of a snag or tear turning her into a deflated doll was ever-present.  And if someone was going to hang around with her all day, they might as well be wearing her.

“The problem is, we all have classes too.  And trying to swap off all day is a comedy of errors waiting to occur.  Pass.”

“Aww.  It could be fun!”  Maggie giggled.  “Think of who you might end up kissing when you think you’re kissing me.”

Steve rolled his eyes.  “Yeah, that’s just what I want.  To be kissing you, and then realize it’s Lynne pulling the strings.  Or Marco.”

Maggie sighed.  “So what are we going to do?”

“There’s my History of Magic prof,” said Bernice.  “I’ve got that Monday afternoon.  We could try to talk to him after class...”

“Sure,” said Maggie.  “Do you think he’ll be able to fix it?”

Bernice shrugged.  “Probably not.  But I’m sure he’ll know how to find someone who can.”

“Sounds like a plan.  So.  I’m a skinsuit for another day at least.  Who’s going to wear me?  Aw, c’mon, don’t all of you speak up at once...”

“Last day of freedom before classes start,” said Bernice.  “I’d like to spend some of it with Tanya.  Plus we were going to help you move, right?”

“Right!  C’mon, let’s get going!”

Maggie’s apartment was small, and sparsely furnished.  She blushingly admitted that she didn’t spend very much time there at all, and half her stuff was already at Steve’s place.  If it wasn’t for Kaa, she’d have moved in more or less completely.  Steve had worried about what his parents would think, and Kaa’s terrarium was big enough that it wouldn’t be easy to hide.  It was, in fact, the only problematic item to transport.  Maggie tried to help Steve lift it, but found that even if she did get her hands under it the weight of it would crush them flat.

“Wait, wait,” said Steve.  “What about your pet?  Do we just leave it in the cage while we carry it?  What if we drop it?”

Maggie growled at him.  “Kaa is male.  Not an ‘it’.”  

“Can we meet him?” asked Bernice.

Maggie smiled at her sweetly.  “Of course!”  She unlatched the lid of the terrarium with practiced ease, and scooped up what looked like a mottled black and brown ball made of scales.  “C’mon out, Kaa.  These are new friends.”

Kaa’s head peeked out from the sphere of his coils, then he slowly unwound into Maggie’s arms.  He didn’t squeeze hard enough to collapse her arm, and wasn’t so heavy that she couldn’t hold him.  Maggie skritched him on the back of his head happily, then lifted him up to go nose to nose with him.  She giggled when his tongue tickled her nose.

“Should we leave you two for some alone time?” asked Rob, grinning.

Maggie stuck her tongue out at Rob.  “Not funny.”

“Is from where I stand.  You get along better with Kaa than with Steve.”

“Yeah, well, Kaa doesn’t say stupid things about snakes.”

“Or about anything else,” said Bernice, but her mock-stern look at Maggie turned to grins.  “Can I hold him?”

Maggie carefully demonstrated proper python handling technique, and Kaa was happy enough to wrap around her arms.  “Aww, he likes you.”

“He’s strong!” said Bernice, running her free hand gently down Kaa’s back.  “And so smooth.”

“I take good care of his scales.  Plus he shed a couple weeks ago.  That always makes him extra glossy.”

On the trip back to the house, Maggie kept Kaa in her arms.  She and Bernice chattered about him happily, about his favourite food (thawed mice, just shy of room temperature), activities (cuddling, wrapping around people’s arms), and Maggie’s love of snakes in general.  The name, obviously, had come from the Jungle Book – Maggie had been a fan of Kaa ever since her father first read it to her.

“Why Kaa, though?” asked Bernice.  “He’s the bad guy.”

Maggie snorted.  “In the movies, sure.  In the stories, he’s one of Mowgli’s friends, and a wise ally.”  She mumbled and muttered on about the Disney hack-jobs until they’d arrived, and the bustle of unpacking distracted her.  Soon Kaa’s terrarium was set up in her new room, arranged to perfection.  Maggie kept Kaa draped over her shoulders as the group reconvened in the living room.  Bernice sat next to her, giving Kaa skritches.

Steve sat on the other side, and only touched Kaa when the others egged him into it.

“What do you have against snakes, anyway?” asked Bernice.  “Kaa’s a sweetie.”

“I had two older brothers growing up.  They loved catching snakes and torturing me with them.  Got a nasty bite from one that turned out to be poisonous, spent a week in hospital over it and...”  He shuddered.  “You have no idea how painful that was.”

“He’s got this huge scar on his...”

“Maggie!” cried Steve.  “That’s...  Fine, it’s on my butt.  That’s why my left butt-cheek is a size smaller than my right.”

Bernice craned her neck to look behind Maggie. “Huh.  I would never have noticed it if you didn’t say anything.”

Later, Tanya took a turn holding Kaa after she’d returned to a foreshortened boob-snake form.  She let him curl up on the corset that had changed her.  “I see you looking at us, Maggie.  Fess up.”

Maggie looked at her boyfriend apologetically, then turned back to Tanya with longing in her eyes.  “I want that.  A snake body, but with proper scales.  But Bernice said that the clothes leave your skin alone.”

Rob shook his head.  “That’s not always true, though.  You changed Steve’s skin tone when you made him your clone.  And there’s the mannequin.  I see a pattern.”

“So what, I should put Kaa in the trunk?  Not a chance.”

“Did you keep his last shed skin?” asked Rob.

Maggie’s eyes widened.  “I did!  It was a nice one, I’ve kept a few of the best ones.”

“So put the shed skin in Bob, see what comes out.  Might want one where the head didn’t stay attached, though.”

Maggie stuck her tongue out.  “I don’t want to have a snake head.  Just the tail.”

“Oh!  Well, that’s not as bad...” said Steve.  “I don’t think I could kiss you with a snake’s face.”

Maggie poked him.  “I wouldn’t bite you!”

“Tell that to the scared little eight-year-old inside me.  He’s not buying it.”

“Baby.  I’m going to get that shed right now.”

Before long, Bob was closed on Maggie’s third-best shed from Kaa.  It was older, and the head hadn’t fared well in the move, so she was happy enough to part with it.  As the lid closed, she murmured her hopes to Bob.

“Well,” said Bernice.  “Now we have to wait.  What shall we do?”

Tanya’s stomach rumbled.  “Dinner?  Maybe we can invite that kittygirl you talked about, and liven the place up.”