Dia popped out of Donna the instant that the Moon cleared the horizon, chiming happily to be free once more. A touch fixed the damage they’d done to the Donna body, and another gave her a throat that could handle Dia’s voice properly.
Duncan patted Sidney’s leg softly. “Time for me to go play waitress. Did you want to tweak the style of the couch, or maybe add the ability to see while you’re wearing it?”
Sidney considered that, then shook her head. “It’d be creepy for there to be a face in the couch. If I want to watch TV, I’ll use the couch the normal way.” She sprawled out further to make her point, putting her feet in Duncan’s lap. “And now you’re trapped.”
Duncan laughed. “This body wasn’t going anywhere anyway.”
“Good. Have fun waitressing!”
Dia blinked out of the house, becoming a collection of firefly specks dancing through the sky. They arrived at the Crimson Kitten moments later, and turned into shining points of light next to Beth in the break room. “We are here for our shift. What do you need?”
“The Moon’s up?” asked Beth. “Sweet. Can we put out some of the special dessert menus?”
“Special menus?” asked Dia.
“After the ‘Donna Special’ last night we decided that we should have something to give to special customers. See?” She held up a dessert menu with a circular logo at the top. At the bottom there was one additional entry: “A Dream Come True - Priceless”
Dia giggled to see it. “Cute! We would love to help with that. Do you have anyone in mind?”
“There are a couple of especially nice couples on the floor tonight. I’ll tell Kara and Tracy that they’re clear to give out the special menus.”
Dia bobbed something akin to a nod. “Which waitress should we be?”
“Why don’t you take the fennec? We could use someone to bus the tables. If that’s not too demeaning... I don’t want to insult you or anything, but I’d have to see you in action before giving you some tables to handle.”
The fennec-eared body blinked and stepped forward. “No, no, that’s fine,” Dia said. “Anything that gets us around people is good.”
Beth found that curious, so Dia spent a few moments explaining their prescription from Arwen, to “take two humans and see me in the morning”. Beth found it amusing, and promised to keep Dia busy.
Dia found that keeping everything in order took more of their attention than expected. The restaurant wasn’t especially busy given that it was late on a Tuesday night, but cleaning each table without magic took time, especially to get it to Beth’s exacting standards. Then there were drinks to refill, condiments to fetch, and one toddler that kept ‘accidentally’ dropping her spoon.
In anyone older, Dia might have found the spoon stunt annoying. But the kid in question was so obviously enamoured of the sight of Dia’s furry form and long floppy ears that they couldn’t help but smile back.
It was somewhat less amusing when they had to clean up under the table after the toddler and her parents had left.
Once Dia was done with that, Beth pulled them aside. “We’ve got a couple asking about the special. Want to show off and explain it?”
“Of course!”
Beth led Dia over to one of the private booths, where two women were sitting. One was dressed casually, as if ready for clubbing. The other was wearing a long blue dress with a high collar. Beth introduced Dia as their resident dream expert, and left them with the couple.
The casually dressed woman tapped the menu, eyes bright. “What does this mean?”
Dia studied her, and then the fennec body’s muzzle cracked in a wide grin. “Ooh. You will be interesting. Cup your hands, so just the three of us can see into them.”
Puzzled, the woman did so, then gasped to see a small wiggling thing appear there. A pink tentacle, no longer or wider than her little finger now sat in her hands, squirming about. “How did... What is this?”
“Magic. Pick it up and push the base against your wrist.”
The woman did so, then her eyes went even wider. “I can feel it! And move it... This is so cool!”
The conservatively-dressed woman chuckled softly. “You think everything to do with tentacles is cool.”
“And that is what we are offering,” said Dia. “A dream, made real. Not just a little one like that, but a basket full of them. They’ll stick wherever you put them, but there is a restriction... they’re a little more magic than our usual creations, so they’ll only work when the Moon is above the horizon, and at least half full.”
“They won’t get stuck if they’re still on when the moon sets, will they?”
“Yes, unfortunately. So do be careful.” Dia smiled to herself at the expression on the woman’s face. The prospect of being ‘stuck’ with tentacles for a day was at least as enticing as it was worrying.
The other woman licked her lips. “Is... I mean, can you make other parts... attachable?”
Dia set a wooden box the size of a shoebox in front of her. “Of course.”
Opening it revealed a pair of breasts, and the woman looked up with tears in her eyes. “Thank you. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but...”
“It’s not enough. I understand. But Doctor Sakurai gets annoyed if we change someone’s sex permanently without her signing off on it.”
The woman dug eagerly into her purse and brought out a piece of paper. “Would a diagnosis signed by a different doctor count? Doctor Tanner also handles transgender patients.”
Dia read it, a smile growing across their face. “Do you always carry this with you?”
“Just in case something like this happens? I can’t say I imagined this specific circumstance, but I do like to be prepared.”
Dia grinned as they started a familiar set of changes. “We like that. So it is done. We have arranged for your breasts to grow in over the next few months, so you will not have to explain magic to others.”
The couple thanked Dia effusively, even more so when they saw the basket full of coiled up tentacles that they’d be taking home.
“Ooooh. So many tentacles...”
“Have fun, you two.”
“We will!”
Dia rode the high from that exchange through to closing.
Once the last customers had been seen out, the doors were locked. Over the past hour, most of the other waitresses employed by the Crimson Kitten had trickled in, and they pitched in with the final cleanup.
Beth lined them up outside the break room, as there were more than could easily fit inside. “Okay everyone. All of you have seen the headbands in action, and most of you have been unsatisfied with the explanation as to why they don’t work for you. Dia?”
Dia left the fennec body, appearing before them as a crystalline copy of it. “They are, in a word, magic. Their function is mundane, essentially a neural interface that communicates through the headbands to the bodies in question. If you are willing to have a crystal magically installed, we will do so, and you will then be able to use the headbands.”
The waitresses who already had crystals helped explain matters to the newbies, and before long all of them agreed to have crystals installed. Some insisted on crystals they had full control over, others liked the idea of the headband switching them off. Soon they all were testing out headbands, trying out the various waitress bodies. While they were figuring out what kind of animal features they’d like on ‘their’ body, Dia crafted a half dozen more catgirl waitresses, in various reddish colours from royal purple through to bright pink. The latter also got heart-shaped rosettes in black, each enclosing a hot pink spot.
Once the others spotted what she’d done, there was a general clamour to be the one to try it out. In the process, many fur patterns got discussed, leading to another half dozen cat-styled bodies appearing. Rainbow spots, butterflies, rainbow stripes, even one with question marks for spots.
The last request was for a kitsune-shaped body. Dia looked at the requester more closely and grinned when they recognized someone from Arwen’s group sessions. “Helena! What are you doing here?”
“A little birdie told me I might very much like the perks of working here. And Robin was right, this is incredible.” Helena brushed a hand over the shoulder of her new kitsune-styled waitress body. “No fur?”
Dia chuckled softly. “We can make another for you to take home.”
“I can’t carry a full sized kitsune home. Maybe a little one?” asked Helena, cupping her hands to indicate a size. A moment later a doll-sized kitsune appeared, clothed in a kimono and kneeling in her hands. Helena’s eyes went wide with wonder. “Oh. Wow.”
“Are you sure you want to be that small when you wear her headband?”
Helena shrugged. “Exploring my apartment at this scale will be fun.”
“For a while. Here.” Dia placed a butterfly pendant on a simple leather thong around Helena’s neck.
“And this is?”
“A remote control. It’ll only work when the Moon is up, and run out of charge at the third quarter. But until then it’ll let you change that body’s size and foxiness. So if you wanted to feel yourself go from human to kitsune to fox, you can.”
“How does it work?” Helena asked, starry-eyed with wonder.
“Magic,” said Dia with a grin, giggling at Helena’s reaction. “You can figure the rest out yourself.”
“Eeee, this is so amazing!” Helena hugged Dia exuberantly. “Thank you thank you thank you!”
Before long the restaurant was empty once more, all the new bodies flattened and racked in the break room. Beth tugged on Dia’s crystalline arm. “Come on. The Vixen is still hopping.”
Dia looked around for a moment longer. “This was nice. Thanks for letting us help.”
“You didn’t do too bad for a newbie. Keep this up, and I’ll let you wait tables soon.”
Dia laughed a delighted chime. “Is it weird that we’re actually looking forward to that?”
“Nah. Especially in a waitress body, they don’t get tired the same way. Do they need to recharge or something?”
“Or something,” agreed Dia, without elaborating.
The Blue Vixen wasn’t much busier than the Crimson Kitten had been. Dia shook her head. “Is it always this quiet on off nights?”
“Pretty much, yeah,” agreed Beth. “Though if we let on that fantasies are an option, I bet it’ll pick up. Despite not being able to talk about magic, word seems to get out.”
“We banked plenty of power, so pretty much anything is possible. Do you want to try out something wild?”
Beth shrugged. “Honestly, I’m really happy with what I have now. I don’t even dance here unless they’re short on bodies. I’ve been known to pick up the odd server shift, though.”
“Clarence dances. With all the new bodies, he’s probably having a blast.”
“He couldn’t stop talking about it last night. Would you mind if we borrowed a few for... uh, personal use? There’s this girl with tentacle-ears that looks awfully cute.”
Dia giggled. “You could do that. Or you could ask for a few more of your own. You could have a closet full, starting with the squidhead girl. We’ve taken the liberty of creating one in your closet.”
“Oooh! Sweet. I...”
“And the six inch tall bunnygirl you’re thinking about. And a rubber carrot? Do I want to know what that’s for?” Dia giggled. “Sure, why not.”
Beth hugged Dia tight. “You’re amazing. Thank you.”
Rowan was pleased to hear that fantasies were going to be available the next few nights, until the Moon started rising too late. They’d been doing some fantasies already, using the various celebrity lookalike bodies Donna had crafted the night before. Rowan had a list of the top 50 requests over the past year, so Dia added a bunch more to the rack.
“Is that it?” Dia asked when they were done. “Just movie stars and porn stars?”
“Pretty much. Midweek nights are pretty quiet. We could always use another dancer, though, just to let the few girls here have a bit of a break.”
Dia vanished, and the Donna body wiggled itself free of the rack. “Sounds good to me.”
Donna took the lead for the first few dances, then called on Dia to give it a try. Dia crafted a new body, one that wasn’t obviously Donna, and asked to be introduced as ‘Diamond’. Later, the two of them danced a duet. Donna and Dia both had fun, but there wasn’t much of an audience left by then.
Once the club closed, Dia reappeared back home, and decided to call it a night. Dia settled around Donna’s neck as a crystal necklace, and let sleep claim them.
*** *** ***
The next day, Donna called ahead so that she wouldn’t disrupt Arwen’s schedule. Arwen said she could cancel on some of her patients, but if Donna was doing okay, she had an open slot in the afternoon.
When they arrived at Arwen’s, Donna held up the crystal pendant she was wearing. “This as much for Dia’s sake as mine.”
Arwen nodded, and waved them into her office. “How are you doing?”
“Fine,” said Donna.
“Just ‘fine’?” Arwen inquired as she took her usual seat.
Donna chuckled wryly. “My anger management group was run by a guy who said that fine stood for ‘f-ed up, insecure, neurotic and emotional’. Most of that feels right.”
Arwen nodded. “I don’t like being that confrontational. In the right context, it can work. Not here. However, now that you’ve brought it up… Which parts fit?”
Donna dangled Dia’s pendant from her fingers, swinging it back and forth. “All but emotional. I feel… not calm, exactly. Removed? Like all of this is happening to someone else.”
Arwen studied Donna. “That feels like something Duncan might say. How is he doing?”
“Busy with work. Helps keep his mind from spinning in circles.”
“A productive coping mechanism. Getting something done.”
Donna nodded. “We’ve used it in the past.”
“There’s the plural again. Where is Dia in all this?”
Donna swung the pendant by the chain and lowered into the palm of her left hand. “I don’t know. They had fun last night. We had fun, being at the club was good for us. But they’ve been quiet all day. That’s normal when the Moon isn’t up, but it feels different today. Like they’re struggling with something.”
“Hm. Dia, can you hear me?”
The crystal chimed once.
“Dia can speak like this, right?”
“Usually. Come on, Dia. Talk to Arwen if you won’t talk to me.”
“Can’t,” said the crystal, curtly.
“Why not?” asked Arwen.
“If we let go, Donna’s going to break down.”
“Can you think of a better place for that?”
Dia sighed. “Fine.”
A moment later, Donna started sobbing. Arwen rushed to her side, hugging her until the tears slowed enough for Donna to be coherent.
After talking her down from her fears of becoming a monster and her grief over Gwen, Arwen returned to her chair. “Better?”
“Yeah,” said Donna with a sniff. “Thanks, I needed that.”
“So now we are not even helping?” asked Dia plaintively.
“No,” reassured Donna. “You kept me together until I could fall apart somewhere with support. How are you feeling?”
Dia sighed softly. “We hate not having power.”
“Same here,” agreed Donna. “But that’s part of the package. Great cosmic powers... part time.”
Arwen chuckled, and Dia managed a weak giggle. “We suppose part time power is better than none. And we did bank huge amounts of power that will last until the quarter Moon.”
“Did you now?” asked Arwen. “Enough to help the group again?”
Donna nodded eagerly. “More than enough for a few permanent changes, yes. Gwen’s method is much more efficient.”
Arwen studied Donna. “And you can mention Gwen without crying? That is a step forward.”
Donna smiled, and patted Dia. “We can sense her, even from here, even without the Moon. She is healing.”
“And so are you. Will you be here for the group session tomorrow night?”
Donna agreed readily, as did Dia.
Dia showed up early for her shift that night, by taking over a dark red catgirl body nobody else was using. Beth put her to work bussing tables again, and toward the end of the night let her wait a single table, with Beth hovering nearby to make sure it went well.
“So. Think you’re ready to be a waitress?” Beth asked as they closed up.
“We would appreciate the opportunity, but we know your schedule is already established well in advance.”
Beth laughed. “Oh, how I wish. We get people bailing on shifts all the time. If you can fill in on short notice, you’d be doing us a huge favour.”
“We are glad to help.”
“Beth!” called one of the waitresses, “we need a hand in the break room.”
Dia followed on Beth’s heels. “What’s wrong?” asked Beth when they arrived.
“It’s Kara. She won’t give up the headband.”
Sitting in the corner of the breakroom was a pink catgirl, arms spread protectively in front of a resting human body. “I won’t let you take it!”
Dia approached them. “You can’t stay like this. Your body needs food.”
“I can’t go back,” she sobbed. “I can’t!”
“Can’t go back where?” asked Dia.
“My broken body.”
Dia checked on the body in question, then gasped in horror. “What the hell did those butchers do to you?”
Kara whimpered. “They botched the reassignment surgery. I don’t know how, it’s just constant pain. The doctors here can’t figure out what went wrong. I’m waitlisted in the Montreal clinic, but it’ll be months. Not like I can afford the trip, anyway.”
Dia grumbled and muttered. Donna took over the body and made soothing noises, all too familiar with the failings of a medical system asked to do too much with too little. “The Moon just rose. Let’s get you sorted out.”
Kara sat up a few moments later, and took off the headband. “What did you... I don’t care. Thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do,” said Donna. “Fixing scars and adhesions just frees you from pain. I could make you fully female, in all respects. And deal with those ridiculous breasts.”
Kara hiccuped, flipping from crying to giggling. “They do look stupid, don’t they? Double A on one side, A on the other. Worse, medical won’t pay to fix that either.”
“Fortunately for you, you’re on the Blue Vixen plan now.”
“Hey!” protested Kara. “I don’t want them porn star big. Just little handfuls is fine. Symmetric handfuls.”
“Everyone says that at first,” said Donna with a grin. “Most of ‘em come back later. Don’t feel ashamed to ask for more one day if you want it.”
“Okay. But for now...” Kara cupped her new breasts. “This is incredible. Thank you so much.”
Donna spun a new bra out of magic, and let it drift into Kara’s hands. “You will need some support. You could go shopping tomorrow with the money you saved toward the return trip.”
Kara hugged it tight to her chest, and it vanished through her blouse to cup her chest properly. “Oh, I’m looking forward to that. Thank you so much. You’ve saved my life.”
Donna hugged Kara. Muffled in between them Dia said, “It was our pleasure.”
*** *** ***
“Hello, our name is Dia. We prefer plural pronouns, because we are a fusion of Duncan, Donna, and the essence of magic itself.”
“Hello Dia,” responded the group, on cue.
“And we are a transformaholic,” Dia continued, chiming from her perch between Donna’s breasts. “We have changed two people’s sex since the Moon set.”
“Oooh, do me next!”
“Dia... we have talked about this,” warned Arwen.
“It’s okay, Arwen,” soothed Donna. “One was a patient of Doctor Tanner, and had her diagnosis with her. The other was post-op and in serious pain. So it was more a case of healing her than changing her gender.”
“Given that they were already diagnosed, I suppose it’s okay. I’ll talk with Doctor Tanner... except he doesn’t know about magic. Well. I don’t suppose...”
“Bring him to the Vixen... ugh moonrise is getting really late. How about you ask him to come here early on Monday? We can show off then.”
Going around the group, Gary admitted that he’d been having trouble adapting to his new body. Not to its masculinity, but to its height. He’d hit his head on cabinet doors at home more times than he could count, but wouldn’t give his new body up for anything.
Terry was sick and tired of being a little girl. She wanted very badly to grow up, and when she learned that Donna couldn’t help her until after midnight, started to wail. “That’s after my bedtime!”
“We’ll stop by and change you in your sleep,” offered Dia. “Nobody will notice us, but you’ll wake in the body of a twenty year old.”
Terry bounced over to Donna, climbed into her lap, and hugged Dia. “Yaay!”
Ciara smiled at Terry indulgently. “She has been a handful the last week. I’ve loved it, but being a single parent is so much work.” Ciara sighed.
Arwen studied her. “What are you unhappy about?”
“This body. It’s still not... I don’t know.”
“Do you want to try the same shape in male?” asked Donna. “We could change you while we’re changing Terry.”
Ciara shrugged. “Worth a shot. If I don’t like it it’ll go away, right?”
“We’ll make that part temporary, but the rest permanent.”
Arwen covered her face with her hands. “You’re doing it again...”
“Sorry,” said Dia unapologetically. “They want changes, and we love making people happy this way. We won’t do it if you say no.”
Between Ciara’s, Terry’s and Donna’s puppy eyes, Arwen could not find it in her to refuse.
Helena spoke up next, describing the kitsune bodies that Dia had given her. “I love them so much, being able to be human some of the time, and kitsune when I need it. I just... can I ask why they only have one tail?”
Donna grinned mischievously. “Because you’re a young kitsune, and haven’t earned more.”
Helena leaned forward eagerly. “How do I do that? Some kind of great deeds?”
“Sounds good. Come tell me the story when you think you’ve earned another tail. If I agree, you’ll get them.”
Helena curtsied low before Donna. “As you will it, Goddess.” She rose with a smile on her face, matched by Donna’s.
“Robin?” asked Arwen. “Do you have anything to share this week.”
Robin swallowed, then nodded. “I want to be a woman again.”
“Are you sure?” asked Donna.
“I have to face my fears. But...” Robin’s tone became wheedling, and she looked to Arwen. “If I was stronger and had some kind of defensive abilities, it’d be easier.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” mused Arwen. “Donna?”
“Sure. We can handle that tonight with the others. Defensive abilities, hmm? I could give you retractable teeth down there...”
Robin started to giggle madly. “That would be so wicked. Snap-snap!” She clacked her teeth together. Gary winced, making everyone else snicker.
Once the reactions had died down, Arwen sighed. “Are you sure this is a good idea, Robin? You can’t go maiming people.”
“Okay, boss. No maiming. Can I scare them a little?”
Arwen rolled her eyes. “If it will make you feel better, I suppose it’s... not the worst idea. Go ahead, Donna. Let’s see how well your way works this week.”
Donna and Dia sighed in unison. “The next few weeks will have to be your way. No Moon to draw on. Going to suck so bad...”
“You’ll get through it,” reassured Arwen, and Ciara and Terry hugged Donna tight to reassure her as well.
*** *** ***
Once the Moon passed the third quarter, Dia considered giving up their visits to the Crimson Kitten. Beth begged them to at least stay on call, and they ended up frequently taking short shifts here and there in one body or another. The waitresses appreciated having someone who could step in for them when they needed a break. Beth herself begged off one night, and Dia found great amusement in taking over a bunnygirl body and pretending to be Beth. A few of the waitresses figured it out (and gave Dia pointers on better emulating Beth), but the diners didn’t notice a thing.
As the days passed, Dia’s visits to Arwen became less frequent. Doctor Sakurai felt they were making good progress at acquiring both balance and humility. Dia chuckled, and agreed that waitressing had proven excellent at teaching both.
The only thing that made the dark of the Moon tolerable was checking on Gwen, seeing her soul blossom and grow.
So it was that Donna found herself waiting impatiently in Gwen’s apartment for the first quarter Moon to finally arrive. She had not physically visited Gwen over the past three weeks, their bond was strong enough that it was not necessary to be there to know how she was doing.
Donna was pacing like a caged animal when Vanessa arrived. “Oh! I’m sorry, if I’m disturbing you...”
“Stay, it’s fine. We’re just... she’s so close now.”
“Do you mind if I sing?” asked Vanessa. “I’ve come up here most nights to do it, and she seems to appreciate it. I can feel her reacting.”
Donna nodded quickly. “Of course! You’ve done so much for her already. I don’t know how to thank you.”
Vanessa chuckled softly. “You have no idea... Any requests?”
Donna shrugged. “Whatever has been getting the best reactions, I guess.”
Vanessa explained that she’d tried all kinds of different songs, from gospel to rock, 50’s crooners to modern pop., singing little snippets of each as she talked about them.
“How many songs do you know?” asked Donna, amazed anew at Vanessa’s range.
“I don’t know any more. It seems like I can sing anything I’ve ever heard, even if it was only once, and years ago.”
“That’s incredible. Why are you here, instead of off pursuing some kind of career in... what?”
Vanessa was laughing, and shaking her head. “You really don’t know. Six months ago, I was just another girl who liked to sing along with the radio. Then I started doing impressions here, being turned into various pop stars. It was a dream come true, almost as much so as getting a mermaid body. I practiced, expanded my repertoire... and then two months ago everything changed.”
“When you sung my hymn,” breathed Donna.
“Do you remember how you flooded the room with power?” asked Vanessa, eyes bright with the memory. “The others got little gifts. I... I got a big one. It took a long time to realize just how big. So no. I’m not going anywhere, I am right where I belong, beside the Goddess who blessed me.”
Donna hugged her tight. “Thank you. I don’t know what I did to deserve someone like you, but you’ve been a godsend these past few weeks.”
“Deserve?” sputtered Vanessa. “You... You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met. You’ve gone through literal hell for us, and you don’t think you deserve... No. You deserve this, and what is about to happen. I held back one song especially for the right moment.”
Vanessa took a step back and started to sing. Katy Perry’s “Firework” filled the room, music swirling around Vanessa like a cloak to accompany her perfect voice. The crystal that contained Gwen and Ettie started to glow as she sung, softly at first, then filling the room with radiance at the first chorus.
Dia emerged from her crystal, holding Donna’s hand and staring in wonder at the glowing figure. Neither Dia nor Donna spoke, caught up in Vanessa’s performance and the spectacle it was creating. The radiance grew so bright that Vanessa was forced to close her eyes, and still she sang, note perfect.
On the first “Boom, boom, boom, brighter than the moon”... the crystal exploded. Vanessa stopped singing for a moment, but Donna urged her to finish. Dia dove into the maelstrom of swirling particles, gathering and sorting them slowly at first, then more quickly when she found that a critical mass of either type would attract more of its own.
As the song wound down two glimmering pillars of crystal motes stood where once a single crystal had been. On the last note each pillar fused into a single crystal, then stood there in the ensuing silence.
“Gwen?” asked Donna worriedly.
The crystal on the left sang. “Here. And whole... but what am I?”
Donna scrabbled open the small silver-lined case she’d brought with her, spilling the tiny power-filled crystals all over the floor. She absorbed as much as she could hold and gently transferred it to Gwen. “First Quarter was a minute ago. Magic time.”
Gwen’s body went from a single crystal to a crystalline version of herself in an eyeblink. “Woah. That was easy.” She stared at Donna, then at Dia. “Too easy. Just like...”
Dia embraced her, crystal to crystal. “Welcome back. Sister.”
Gwen’s form flickered. First a fully human version of herself, then someone who could be Donna’s cousin, then back to crystal again. “Effortless changing? This is going to take some getting used to. Oh, does that mean my true form is crystal, like yours?”
“Yes, love,” said Donna and Dia as one. “You are like us in form, now, and nearly so in power. We are no longer alone.” Donna stepped into the hug with Gwen and Dia.
“What about Ettie?” asked Vanessa, gesturing to the other crystal. “She hasn’t said anything.”
Donna tried to feed power to Ettie, then frowned. “She’s not taking power. She... can’t? Gwen, if you’d do the honours.”
Gwen concentrated for a moment, and Ettie suddenly became human. She sucked in a deep gasp of air, then looked around wildly. “Gwen?”
“Here, love.” Gwen extended a hand, and pulled Ettie into the growing hug. Vanessa joined a moment later.
“We are so sorry,” said Dia, softly. “Separating you two... Ettie’s slight capacity for manipulating power went with the Gwen-stuff.”
“You mean, I won’t be able to change myself?” asked Ettie, a smile growing on her face. “But Gwen can?”
“Yes,” admitted Dia, abashedly.
Ettie sighed happily then kissed Dia. “It’s fine. Better than fine. It’s kind of a dream come true, to be honest. Being her helpless shifty toy is the best.”
Donna giggled. “I know. Truth be told, I might just be a tad jealous of that.”
Gwen turned all three of them into sparkling bangles of crystal, and laughed at the cheers she felt through the crystalline mind-links. “You’re all of you mad. And I want my own turn at it.”
Dia reformed to take her hand. “There’s six enormous silver chests full of crystals in the Blue Vixen. Rowan, the sweetie, had a rush order made just before the third quarter. Shall we go play?”
Gwen grinned as she transferred the Donna bangle to Dia, and spun the Ettie one about her own wrist. “And dance?”
“Please. We’ve missed you so.”
Gwen blinked them from her apartment to the stage of the Blue Vixen. The club hadn’t opened yet, but Leo was doing a gear check and when he saw them he grinned. “What would you like?”
Dia smiled, her gaze caught in Gwen’s eyes. “Something romantic.”
As the waltzing strains of Moon River drifted through the empty room, Dia and Gwen began to dance as gracefully as two figures spun of magic could. The stage lights glittered and shone, refracted by their bodies into a rainbow of colour.
As they danced, Dia whispered, “We love you.”
“I love all of you, and Ettie too,” replied Gwen, “but what of Sidney?”
“We love her as well. She has proven more adaptable than we believed.”
A blink later their dance continued, lit now by freshly created spotlights in Duncan and Sidney’s living room. The new hardwood floor proved a perfect dancing surface, and they finished their glittering dance in silence. Together, Gwen and Dia curtsied low before Sidney’s astonished eyes.
“We love you,” said Dia in her resonant crystal voice that sounded like a multitude was speaking at once. Donna and Duncan’s voices were clear in the mix. “And we also love Gwen with all our heart.”
“I know,” said Sidney softly, taking the hand of the Duncan-bot beside her on the couch. “You are beautiful together. I can’t separate you.”
Dia extended a hand to her. “Come with us.”
Sidney clutched Duncan’s hand more tightly. “My place is here.”
“As you wish,” resonated Dia. “Duncan will stay with you.”
Sidney smiled then. “Thank you. Go have your fun. And tell me all about it, afterward.”
Gwen and Dia vanished away, back to the club.
Duncan smiled at Sidney. “That was kind of you.”
Sidney leaned in to kiss him. “I have what I want.”
THE END