Trust Machines - Party Time
by Tal Greywolf

---

The cafe was called "Howlin' Wolf", in honor of the university's mascot.  It was
a fairly active spot, located along Williams St. across from the campus itself,
along with clothing shops, a bookstore, a used record shop, and a corner pub and
restaurant.  Students and faculty would come over to get coffee, a decent lunch,
or just sit under the various umbrellas to study or gather together and talk
classes.

Also close by was a Venn Machine, having appeared in a formerly empty lot one
day.  The town, having been warned about previous efforts to remove machines
elsewhere, merely let it sit there, providing a cover over the machine itself to
protect it from the weather.  People would come and go from the machine, the
majority being students from the university but a small number of local
residents would avail themselves to the device as well.

Sitting in one corner of the cafe was one of the students, a 23 year old senior
who was making notes on a tablet.  He had his lunch in front of him on the
table, but paid scant attention to it at the moment.  Instead, he watched a
couple walk up to the Venn Machine, using it to become a pair of identical
twins.  The fact that one of the pair had been male previously didn't seem to
bother them at all.

Paul Gibbons made a note on the screen of his tablet, then reached over to take
a bite from his sandwich.  He was a regular in the cafe at this time of day, the
staff familiar with him as he sat in the same general location every day.  And
every day he'd watch folks using the Venn Machine, making notes as to what sort
of changes they were undertaking.

"Hi, is this seat taken?"

Paul blinked, and looked up at a face framed with light blond hair.  "Hi, Beth.
No, it's not taken, feel free."

"Thanks."  Elizabeth Shetley sat down across from Paul, smiling a bit.  "How's
life been treating you lately?  Haven't seen you at the comics shop of late."

Paul shrugged.  "Just didn't want to show up when the games were going on.
Especially since folks started taking the shapes of their characters."  He made
a sound that was a cross of exasperation and defeat.  "It's like cosplay, only a
bit worse than before."

"Well, a few of them have been getting out of hand with that," she admitted.
"Management had to put their foot down and make them go out onto the back patio
if they were going to be an orc or goblin."  She gave a warm smile.  "And how's
your classes been going?"

"I finish up next semester, graduate in May.  Then I'll probably work on my
Masters in Systems Administration."  Paul took a bite from his sandwich, then
made a face at it.  "Ah hell, they changed the mayonnaise again."

Beth giggled at his expression.  "Can't expect them to always have what you
want."  She smiled again, then went back to what she asked before.  "Glad to
hear that you're doing well.  As for me, I'll be finished next year.  Haven't
decided if I'll go on to get an advanced degree yet."  She paused a moment, then
tilted her head.  "So, are you going to the party at Maria's this weekend?"

"I've been invited, but I doubt it.  Not unless I'd be allowed to go without
first being Venned."  Paul sighed, shaking his head slowly.

"Why would that be a problem?  Maria's parties can be a lot of fun."

"Yeah, but she requires folks to be Venned to attend.  And I won't do it, not
just to go in and sit by myself for most of the evening."  He took a deep
breath, his frustration evident on his face.  "Besides, I don't like the idea of
the Venn machines, anyway."

"What??"  Beth was surprised at that statement.  "What's wrong with the Venn
machines?  Everyone I know has used them."

Paul's expression was hard to describe.  "Look, I just don't like them.  I've
never used one, and really don't want to."  He picked up his tablet and stood up
from the table.  "I don't want to talk about it in public, ok?  Let's just...
drop it for now.  Please."

Beth caught Paul's hand.  "Paul, hold on a moment."  She paused then went on.
"I want to understand why you don't like them.  Can we talk about it  later?
Maybe back in your dorm room?  I don't want to inflict my room at the moment on
you, the roommate's in one of her 'redecorating' moods."

She said it more as a joke, but Paul hesitated.  He closed his eyes for a
moment, then looked at Beth.  "Ok, come on.  If you want to really know the
sordid details, we'll talk about it in private."

---

Haverson Hall was one of four dormitories on the campus.  For years, it was one
of the better known ones, with a staff and management that rarely tolerated the
kind of behavior that students were wont to do.  It also was originally a men's
only dorm, but due to the appearance of Venn machines, the campus was forced to
'modify' some of its rules.  So now the dormitory was co-ed, but sufficiently
segregated so that the true females had their own two floors while the male
population filled the rest of the building.

Beth had never been in Paul's room, so she had no idea what to expect.  Most
college rooms she had been in were usually examples of explosions in a laundry
hamper, with posters plastering the walls, a stereo playing something
unintelligible and the occupants sometimes lacking in hygiene.  Seeing Paul's
room was a rather interesting shock as it was immaculately clean, the bed made
with clean sheets, no sign of trash or old laundry in sight.  His desk was neat,
class books sitting on a shelf along with a book rack holding what appeared to be
personal reading material.

"This... is nice," she said, taking a chair as Paul settled down in his usual
spot.  "I don't think I've ever seen a dorm room so... neat before."

Paul gave a bit of a wry smile.  "My parents required that I make up my room
every day," he said.  "Especially in the summertime, I wouldn't be allowed
outside until the room passed my mother's inspection.  Since then, I've kept up
keeping my place neat and presentable."  He shrugged, but managed a smile.
"Some habits are hard to break after a while."

"Well, it's a good habit.  I get a little lax at times, and having a roommate
makes it even harder at times."

"One reason I requested a single room," Paul explained.  "That way, I don't have
to deal with someone who is a bit of a slob, like some of the folks down the
hall.  About the only time they clean their room is when the health inspector
comes around."

Beth giggled.  "I can imagine."

Paul sighed a bit.  "I know, I shouldn't complain.  I have enough to worry about
as it is, like finishing up my classes and trying to keep peer pressure from
bothering me."

"Like Maria and her party?" Beth asked.

"Yeah, like Maria and her party."  Paul sighed a bit.  "Look, it's not like I
don't dislike her, she's a very nice young lady.  I mean, she's always smiling
and friendly with me, much as she is with a lot of other folks.  It's just her
tastes don't always overlap mine, much as she and some others have tried to do."

"It's the Venning, isn't it?"  Beth decided to go the direct route, going
straight to the heart of the issue.  "You've said you don't like the idea of
being changed."

Paul didn't respond immediately.  When he did, he waved a hand to his books.
"Look at those books, see if you can see what's common about them."

Beth went over to the bookshelf and looked over Paul's books.  There were quite
a few of them, from different companies.  Ace, Del Ray, DAW, nearly all the
major science fiction and fantasy publishers.  She blinked, pulling one off the
shelf entitled "Changing Fate", then another titled "Polymorph."  There were
works by Charles de Lint, Sheri Tepper, Patricia McKillips and others she
recognized.

"Wait a minute, these all are books with shapeshifting or transformation as the
themes," Beth said, realizing the common thread.  "Nearly every one of these has
a shapeshifter as the main character."  She looked back at Paul, who merely
nodded.

"Yes.  They're all about shapeshifting."

"But... if you have all these books, then you have to like the idea of
shapeshifting."  She paused for a moment.  "Don't you?"

Paul let out a long sigh.  "I did, for the longest time.  When it was a fantasy,
a dream, just my imagination.  I'd read those books, imagining myself as those
characters, wondering what it'd feel like, what it'd be like."

Beth went back to her chair and stared at Paul.  "Then why do you hate the idea
of using the Venn machines?"

"Because they can make the fantasy real, and that scares me shitless."  Paul's
voice took a tone Beth had never heard from him before.  "Because I could see
myself going in and coming out as a werewolf, or a centaur, or who knows what,
and that absolutely frightens the living hell out of me.  Because once I had a
taste of it, I'd want it more and more, like a drug, like a drink, like an
addiction that I know I wouldn't be able to kick."

Beth was at a loss for words, the sheer amount of emotion that came from Paul.
"But... you like the idea, and now you have the chance to experience it.  Why?
Why won't you do it?"

"Because I've seen the other side of it," Paul said.  "Look, when you use the
machine, you have to have someone else do the changes on you, right?"  At Beth's
nod, Paul continued on.  "But what if they don't want to transform you into what
you want to be?  What if they decide to do something different?  What if they've
been looking for a chance to extract a little revenge, get even with you?  I've
seen that happen.  Folks online who have written about Venning that went wrong,
were an excuse to get even with someone.  Hell, I've even seen it happen online,
some months back in a video feed."  Paul shook his head in frustration.  "That's
not something I care to risk, even if it means I never get the chance to live my
fantasies, even for a few hours."

Beth really had no answer to Paul's questions, or his viewpoint.  Every time she
used the Venn machine, she enjoyed it.  But his statement brought up an
uncomfortable thought, one she hadn't ever considered.

"It's about trust, isn't it?" she finally said.  "You're worried because you
can't trust that you'll do the right thing, much less that the other person
would do the same for you."

"Yes."  Paul's response was simple, even though his face wore an expression of
frustration.

"Paul, how long have you known me?"  Beth leaned forward, meeting Paul's eyes
and holding them with her gaze.

"What, about three years now?"  Paul tried to break Beth's gaze but found him
unable to.  "You know it's been at least that long."

"And how often have I trusted you, telling you things I wouldn't tell anyone
else?"  She held her gaze, her eyes glittering slightly.  "And how often have
you been there for me when I've had problems in the past, either with my
roommates or with some guy who wanted to treat me as nothing more than another
blond gal to use and then throw away?"

Paul thought a moment, then his shoulders slumped a bit.  "A few times," he
admitted.

"Exactly."  Beth kept her gaze level.  "You're the only one I've trusted with
some of the things I've told you, and not once have you ever lost that trust I
have in you.  Paul, you're a great friend, you've always known how far you can
go with me, and I respect you for that."

Paul flushed a bit at that.  "There was that time we ended up in bed in your
room," he pointed out.

"Yes, but you didn't start anything I didn't want from you to begin with," she
replied.  "And every time we've been in bed together since then, you've always
made sure that anything you did was what I wanted from you.  I trusted you then,
I know you could have simply treated me like some kind of conquest."

"Beth, you're not that at all," Paul sharply responded.  "I like you, I respect
your judgement, and I damn well know that when you say no, you mean no."

"And that's my point."  Beth smiled a bit at him.  "You trust me just as much as
I trust you.  And I trust you enough that I'd enjoy seeing what you'd turn me
into for your fantasies."

Paul lapsed into silence for a while, closing his eyes.  Beth held her breath,
hoping she hadn't pushed him too far, then saw him open his eyes again.

"Let me think about this," he finally said.  "I'll let you know tomorrow, ok?"

"That's all I ask," Beth said.

Paul nodded, and escorted her out of the dorm, then once she headed off, he went
back to his room.  Flopping across the bed, he stared up at the ceiling, letting
his mind debate what he and Beth had just discussed, trying to sort out the
conflicting emotions that now filled his thoughts.

It was a long time before he came to a decision, and a longer time before he
finally fell asleep.

---

"Hi, you've reached Beth's voice mail, which means I'm either busy or have the
phone turned off.  At the tone, just leave me a message and I'll get back to you
once I get a chance."

"Beth, it's Paul.  I... thought about what we talked about, and I... well, I
guess I trust you enough that I feel I can trust you with this as well.  Come
over to my room after 4pm, and we'll talk about the party."

---

Maria's party started around 8pm that night, and by 10pm was in full swing.
Folks were wandering out into the back yard, where someone had set up a sound
system, a wide range of dance music coming out of the speakers.  Given the
theme, nearly everyone was some kind of morphic animal species, covering the
entire spectrum of shapes.

In the main room there was a table set up with plenty of food and drinks, Maria
holding a strict no-alcohol policy.  She didn't want folks to be drunk, but she
definitely wanted all of the folks who attended have a good time.  She wandered
about herself, checking on the dancers outside, the food, and occasionally
chatting with some of the attendees.

One pair of folks caught her attention, the two sitting quietly on a couch.  The
female looked very sexy, a true vixen with a short muzzle, red and white fur and
a fox tail twitching behind her.  Her male companion was also a fox morph, his
fur more of a gray color who watched the other party attendees with amusement.
Neither of them had done anything other than sit together since arriving, a
drink close at hand.

"Hi!" Maria said, her lapine ears twitching a bit.  "Welcome to the party."

"Hi, Maria."

"Beth!"  Maria moved in close to give the vixen a hug.  "Glad you could make it.
Who's your handsome friend here?"

"You know Paul," Beth replied.  Maria's jaw dropped for a moment, then she
quickly recovered.

"Paul?  Damn, and here I thought you weren't going to attend."  She gave him a
good, hard hug, and Paul gently unwrapped her arms from around him.

"Neither was I, but Beth talked me into it."  His voice held a hint of
amusement, and he glanced over at Beth.  "She can be persuasive in her own
right."

Maria giggled.  "I can imagine," she said, earning herself a swatting from Beth.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Beth said with humor.

"Hey, is there any other place it should be?"  Maria winked, then turned.
"Gotta check on things outside, you two enjoy the party."  With that, she left
the two, leaving them to themselves.  Beth leaned against Paul, who
unconsciously placed his arm around her waist.

"You impressed Maria," Beth said gently.  Paul merely nodded, feeling more
relaxed than he could recall.

"I suppose I did," he finally replied.  Beth snuggled against him, then grinned
as her ears flicked at the sound of the music coming from outside.

"Come on, let's go dance."  She nearly bounced up from the couch and pulled Paul
to his feet.

"Hun, you know I have two left feet when it comes to dancing," he tried to
object, but she wasn't having none of that.

"Then you'll just have to learn."  She led him outside, where the music was
playing, and together they danced the rest of the night.

---

They lay on the bed, snuggled together, a tangle of limbs and tails.  Soft
sounds of pleasure came from both, enjoying the after-effects of their
lovemaking.  Paul found himself nuzzling Beth's ears, holding her gently in his
arms.  "Thank you," he softly said, making her snuggle closer.

"Thank you, love," Beth replied in return, turning to face him and kiss him
gently yet with passion.  "Thank you for making tonight wonderful."

Paul managed a gentle smile.  "You helped with that, don't forget."

She gave a warm wink.  "No fears now?"

"Well," he started off to say, but the nibbling she gave him made him forget
anything else.  But deep down, he knew the answer.  He trusted her, she trusted
him, and they loved each other.  And that's all that matters, really, he thought
to himself.

"Come here, you," he said with a soft growl, making her shiver in delight.

---

I told you of
A place that I had been
It was dark
And I was supremely alone

No matter now
If the compass fails again
Because in your love
I've built a home...
-- "We Are All We Need" by Above and Beyond