James panicked. Here was his girlfriend, he finally solved her - no, solved the puzzle she was in, he corrected himself. She wasn’t the puzzle. She wasn’t Puzz.

But she also couldn’t be nearly naked at his work. He had been so concerned with liberating her from her trap that he hadn’t paid much attention to where she would reappear or how she would look. “Look, Cayla… Puzz.” He corrected himself with a sigh at the glare she gave him. “We will sort this out later… how about you get back into the puzzle, and I’ll solve it at home, ok?”

She eagerly nodded. “Ok, Owner!” She did a cutesy pose, tilting her head off to one side while cupping her hands into the shape of a heart in front of her chest. James gave the softest clap he could, making a simple puzzle he was surely going to be able to solve. He sighed, frowning at the fragments of the beautiful girl inside the frame, hoping no permanent damage had come from her trip into the puzzle, and that he wasn’t making things worse for her now.

===

Back home, the tiles slid effortlessly into place. James grumbled, noting how much easier it was than the last two weeks he spent trying to solve the nightmarishly difficult puzzle Cayla had made.

He sighed, softly clapping, and the sultry Puzz was kneeling before him again. She looked around and smiled. “So we're home, so now we can play!” Her tone sounded innocent, as though she had changed. She may have spent half a month as a toy, but why'd she sound so giddy about it?

“Cayla… No, I'm not calling you Puzz, ok? Cayla, what's going on, why are you acting like this?”

Puzz was frowning, her arms crossed. She had a more serious tone when speaking. “I was in there for a while, and things didn't make sense. At all. It… it breaks apart your mind, and you can't think straight when you don't have everything you need to think.” She lowered her head, her hands falling to her knees. “It made sense that I was in a puzzle, and girls don't just end up in a puzzle. Puzzles are made, so I must have been made. I figured all the memories were just… I don't know, made at the factory along with me. I couldn't remember how I got into the puzzle until the end.”

“But you remember now, don't you?” Puzz nodded, staying quiet. “Then why are you going by Puzz? And calling me Owner?”

She was quiet moments longer. “It just feels right. Yes, I was a girl, a normal human woman. But… I don't know how long I was in there, but it felt transformative. I don't feel like I'm the same person that went into the puzzle.” She straightened up, her hair bouncing around her face, her voice returning to a giddy pitch. “I AM Puzz, now, ok Owner? This is what I want, and if you don't want me to make an unsolvable puzzle so that I get to live in there forever, then you need to play along, ok?”

James sat silently, stunned. On the one hand, this is his girlfriend! He loved her, and you can't love a puzzle… can you? On the other hand, watching his very attractive girlfriend bounce around in skimpy clothes and being pocket portable wasn't a bad idea.

“Fine, Puzz. You win, for now. I don't like it, and I want you to spend some time out of the puzzle occasionally, ok? This isn't permanent, you have a human life to live.”

Puzz gleefully clapped her hands, getting sucked accidentally into the puzzle. James sighed. He’d have to get used to that, he supposed. He shuffled the pieces around for a few minutes before clapping her back out. He frown was quickly displaced by the giggling cuteness of Puzz.

They had a quiet dinner together, Puzz barely poking at her food. It seemed that despite being fully aware for the previous two weeks, her body hadn’t changed, and she still felt full from her birthday dinner. Besides, she was still in the mood and ready to enjoy her boyfriend-turned-owner in bed, so her thoughts were distracted.

James was planning how he’d solve this. He was off the next day, perhaps he'd go back to the shop he bought the puzzle at. Puzz wouldn't go willingly, unless…

“Hey, Puzz. We're going to the shop tomorrow where I bought your puzzle. See if he knows what's going on with you… and if you're a good…” He sighed, reluctant to continue. “If you're a good puzzle for your owner, we'll get you a new puzzle to play with.”

Puzz squeed, giggling and jumping up from her seat. She grabbed hold of James, hugging him close and kissing him. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I love you, James.”

James smiled back, whispering into her ear. “I love you too, both as Cayla and Puzz.” He returned Puzz's grin with his own smirk, before she nearly tugged him off his seat, leading him eagerly to their bedroom.