Art Blog

(You strike with a ferocity you didn't know you had. It wasn’t like you didn’t know what you were doing. You just gave into a rage-filled impulse to kill it as soon as possible.)

Cutting through that sadness is easier than usual, it's like cutting through paper.

That's funny, isn't its craft type scissors?

(When it's over you glance back, blankly staring at your friends for a moment before realizing.)

(You need to get back to the stage. You put on your best smile.)

"I got it!" You cheerily say, with your eye closed.

There's a silence that's longer than what you'd like.

(You stare back at your friends uneasily. Oh, stars, they're scared, you scared them.)

Odile stands in front of everyone, trying to remain stoic.

"Siffrin…" She speaks slowly and carefully, as if talking to a cornered animal.

You take a step back, her voice feels grating, you've made her mad at you.

"Why… Did you do that?"

("What's wrong with you?" She doesn't ask, but you know that's what she's asking.)

You open your mouth, you can't make words come out. You're still fixed on their horrified stares.

Odile's brow furrows, she can't work with silence.

(That won't be the end of it, you're sure. She'll figure out an attack angle.)

"You did not need to be so brutal, especially not in front of Boniface."

(You need to say something to them, and quickly, some excuse, some reason you just lost it.)

"... I just figured I'd stop holding back. Since… it's the end of our journey, isn't it?"

The lie slips off your tongue as easily a snake could move through the grass.

You avoid eye contact to make it more convincing. "I just got carried away, that's all."

"Siffrin…" Mirabelle says into her hands. "That's still really scary…! I didn't know you could do that!"

Bonnie peeks out further from Odile's arm, but does not stop clinging onto her. "Yeah, Frin! That was spooky! You went all quiet and!"

Bonnie starts mimicking your movements.

"Sif… you've never reacted to a sadness like that. Are you okay?" Isabeau gently asks.

(Isa and Odile aren't going to let this go so easily. You know that, they can see right through you if they try, even if they look at the wrong part of the portrait that is you as a person. After all, there's a reason you aim for the shadow when spearing a fish.)

(Odile still has her gaze fixed on you… Trying to put together an impossible puzzle.)

"Yeah." You breathlessly say. Were you holding your breath? You didn't notice, there were more pressing matters. "That's what taking this super seriously will do!"

(Odile takes a step closer, it makes you nervous.)

"Then, I suppose I should do the same, and keep a closer eye on you. Siffrin, I'll be the one behind you from now on." Odile says.

"WHAT."

"HUH!?"

Confused cries ring out from Isabeau and Mirabelle.

(The shock on your face is probably just as evident as theirs.)

"OH CRAB!" Yells Bonnie. "You know Dile's serious when she's messing with the order…"

Odile looks almost amused despite the situation. "Do you seriously want to be behind him after seeing that? Gems alive, even the sadnesses will be happy to see me put them on a leash."

“Seriously, I’m fine.” You insist.

“Siffrin.”

(What now?)

“What?”

“You haven’t even put away your dagger yet. You’re obviously still tense from the battle. And considering what you just did, I’m not sure if I can trust you to not do that again.”

(You look down. You’re practically holding the dagger with a death grip.)

You put your dagger away.

(You blinding idiot, why are you even fighting her on this. All you have to do is forget the switch or touch a tear and it's all over, and you can do it right next time…!)

With a sigh you give in, "Fine. Let's get moving."

(You have a country to save, after all.)

The order shifts, and you get moving. First, into the tonics room. No one says a word as you swipe them up, but you don't get to pass them off to Bonnie, Odile does.

"I'll take those off your hands, thanks." She says.

It feels like Odile scrutinizes every move you make. Every step, every breath.

You try to move on to the door with the key, to ignore her gaze both casting judgment and burrowing into the back of your head.

Picking up a key, a simple action you'd think. Yet she's still glaring at you, yet everyone eyes you warily as you pass them on the way out.

You have something to do in this loop. You could just do it anyway and just ignore it. It's not like they'll remember when you need to go back anyway.

(You breathe in, and out. You consider this, it wouldn't waste time. Does it matter though, if you have infinite time?)

(You suppose it doesn't.)

You unlock the door. Walking through the room confidently, hoping no one stops you.

(It would take too long to get to a tear, you'd rather be done with this. It might even be cathartic for them to see you crushed by the falling rock for the brief moment they have before you loop back.)

You step forward and…

It was difficult for Cici to not feel like a mess.

She was laying in her dorm room bed, wide awake. Thinking about who else but Tycho.

Still hung up on if it could have been different or if Tycho will finally see that Bass doesn't care about him and never will.

She stopped processing her tears a while ago.

Of course, she knew she was overreacting, of course she was overreacting. She was acting like a child that couldn't have something. But she couldn't help it, bass was so much worse than her as an option, she still couldn't fathom why he was so obsessed with him.

Then again… other people probably wouldn't fathom what she sees in Tycho. But Tycho wasn't nearly as bad as Bass, as her, even. All he really did wrong was love a man so unabashedly undeserving of it with an unwipeable jovial attitude. Maybe that helped it sting less, but Cici couldn't copy that. Tycho is not nearly as oblivious as Bass, she couldn't admit that to him. It would crush her, she knew that well.

He would reject her, and she needed to be okay with that, but she wasn't. The very thought of it would bring her to tears. He would not tell her he loved her, he would always be seeking Bass's attention instead.

This job was a mistake, and she can't even fix it by at least saving someone on her way out. He encouraged her to go, but can she really leave without him? Could she work another shit job that's only barely better than this without him? She wasn't sure.

She wished she could say anything about how she feels. But she can only imagine what he'd say, she could only make him up in her head instead of talking to him. She felt pathetic, what did he even see in her to become friends if she was this childish about him?

Would he even miss her if she left? He would likely double down on his affection for Bass. She couldn't be a hint of common sense to him anymore. What reason would he have to think of her? She would be far from here, and she would not be coming back. She didn't know what his limit was, what would he put up with before quitting?

Then what would she do? She'd ditch free housing and a job to get something slightly better? When it wouldn't be a guarantee she'd even get hired? Running back to her parents with her tail between her legs because she didn't even get fired, she quit? How pathetic that would be. They'd open their arms wide because they had to love her, not because they did.

Would it even be better? Either way it's misery. The only solace quitting might give is that Tycho would never find out she thought about him this way in any way. But she wouldn't just tell him, so that's not true. She would always be a tar pit, stuck to him, instead of the other way around. He didn't have to keep being around her, he had other friends, replacing her would be simple. He only had them to pass the time anyway.

She didn't know whether or not it would be for the better if he ditched her. "Do I even deserve him?" She thought bitterly. It was difficult to discern. She was certainly being childish about him, and demanding something that was probably unreasonable. He wouldn't ever love her if he didn't like girls in the first place. She could barely tell why he had wanted to be friends in the first place, she was so boring. It wasn't like she had anything going on in her life, she was stuck here.

The worst part was that she didn't even know if having him would actually make her happy. Maybe she loved the idea of him more than the real thing, just like Tycho sees Bass. He would always be chasing the dragon of the idea of Bass, maybe she was the same way. Maybe she would be happy, Tycho's positive attitude would rub off and they'd be happily ever after until Bass fires them. Maybe she'd be just as miserable, doubting he even loves her.

Maybe she was unlovable and she had to get used to it. She would always crave it, but never have it. Always wanting more and more, she wouldn't ever be satisfied. No matter how much love he'd feed her. She was a tar pit, made of her broken dreams, any hope she had, and a constant desire to be loved.

But she couldn't even say she wasn't loved enough, she had no excuse to be the way she was. She was just a pathetic person all the way down to her core. She couldn't even call herself a monster, she'd never be malicious about it. She at least had the grace to have her breakdown in private, so no one could see and would never know.

The happily ever after she wanted so badly with him would never happen, and she had to be okay with that.

She wasn't.

It would never be okay, how could it be? Tycho was in love with a man who didn't even know his name, who didn't even think of him as human. When she was right there appreciating him.

She knew she would end up lying wide awake in her dorm thinking all of this again, even if she lied to herself and said she was okay with this. That root stubbornness was why she kept being so pathetic, she couldn't let him go.

The only light in the absolutely miserable place that is EOX, and she had to cast him aside, throw him away like he's nothing.

It made her sick to her stomach, she couldn't do that. No matter how much this hurts and how many tears she sheds over him.

It would only be a matter of time until she cried herself to sleep, and even that wouldn't free her. She would dream of him no matter what.

She resigned herself to an eternity of this, it wasn't like she was going to lose this job anytime soon. It wasn't like Tycho would lose it either.

"Goodnight Tycho…" She mumbled aloud to herself. She choked back a sob as she received no response, like it always would be.

She was too tired to do much else but cry, eventually drifting off into sleep.

She had work the next day, so she wouldn't get any sort of relief when she woke up.

Even though not many people at ZPA actually celebrate the holiday, Doc decided it would be fun to set up an Easter display. What she didn't plan on, however, is a certain someone stealing the eggs.

That someone who she just caught in the act, a plastic egg held gently in their mouth for only a moment before she surprised them and made them accidentally pop it open.

"Maldwyn…." Doc sternly says.

Monsterwyn drops the two halves of the bright green egg from their mouth before speaking. "Doc…" they meekly reply, they expect to be in trouble, after all they just ruined something Doc made.

"What are you doing?" Doc asks, softening her voice when she hears how wary they are of her.

"... I don't know… I'm just following my instincts, they've been making me want to take these to my room." Monsterwyn replies. "I don't really get it, but I don't have any reason not to, all of my other instincts make me feel safe. So why not this one?"

Doc doesn't know what to say for a moment, watching them avoid looking at her and gently nudge the two halves of the plastic egg on the ground. Looking inside of them and whining. "It's empty…" They say, with a hint of odd sadness. What were they expecting?

"I guess that makes sense, I do find a lot of the things you do because of your instincts cute but… this was an important display. You can have them when I don't need it here anymore." Doc says. "Now, let's go to your room and grab them so we can put them back, okay?"

Monsterwyn doesn't look up at her, they're still fixed on the egg halves. "Are they all empty…?" They hesitantly ask.

"Um… yes they're all decorative. So uh, yeah." Doc replies.

"..... Okay." Monsterwyn says in return. They immediately pad off towards their room, quickly transitioning into a walk.

Doc follows along, "What were you expecting to be inside of them?" She couldn't help but ask, they seemed so sad.

"I… don't know. Eggs usually have things in them so… whatever's usually in eggs?" Monsterwyn says. "They're not bad to eat, so maybe I was saving them for that."

"I think easter eggs are usually supposed to have little treats inside of them… I didn't think you would care about a display of a holiday barely anyone celebrates here… so i didn't bother grabbing candy." Doc admits.

Monsterwyn gets excited, "They could've had candy in them????? I would've had so much fun popping them open and feasting… Can you do that pleaseeeee?" They plead with her.

"Okay, okay I'll let you do an egg hunt. Tomorrow though, I want to keep the holiday display up, remember?" Doc says, reminding them.

"Okay…" Monsterwyn says, disappointed.

The two of them then finally get into their room. Monsterwyn bounds over to their bed, where all the plastic eggs are nestled into the nest-like blanket structure they made a long time ago to feel more comfortable curling up.

"Are you sure you wanted them just to eat them?" Doc asks.

Monsterwyn carefully climbs onto the bed, padding carefully towards the nest. "Well, it was just a guess. I don't know how to judge my instincts, I usually just do them without thinking about it." They reply.

"Um… I'm sure you'll be able to figure something out. I mean you know yourself better than anyone." Doc says, reassuringly, even though she can kind of tell. "Are your instincts making you want to do anything now?"

"I wanna curl up… but that's about it… I can't do that anyway. I gotta give these back to you." Monsterwyn says. "Anyway how do you want to bring these back, you carry half and I carry half?"

Doc hums in approval, "You'll have to be careful not to drop them." She says.

"Okay!" Monsterwyn says enthusiasm evident in their voice. They pick up half and wait for Doc to take the other half before getting off the bed.

The two of them get back to Doc's holiday display, and decorate it together this time. Even though it won't be appreciated by many people. The two of them had fun.

"What's Easter anyway? I've never heard of it." Monsterwyn asks.

"Oh um… it's a pretty unpopular holiday… I think people mostly celebrate it by doing little egg hunts. Kids love it because it's an excuse to have candy." Doc says.

"The kids are right. That sounds like so much fun!" Monsterwyn exclaims.

Doc ruffles their hair, making them purr. "Yeah, of course you'd say that. Let's go bother Annie while we still can, she's got an appointment with me."

"Yayyyy!" Monsterwyn says, chirping in delight as they follow Doc to go bother Annie.

They both bother Annie for a while, then eventually have to go back to hanging out at Doc's desk. When the work day is over, Monsterwyn heads along with Doc to go shopping for the candy to put in the plastic eggs for the hunt.

The two of them enter the store, heading straight for where the candy is located.

"Do you want dark chocolate?" Doc asks.

"No, dark chocolate is too bitter! I like it sweet and normal!" Monsterwyn protests.

Doc snickers, "And peppermint?"

"That's worse! It made my mouth feel funny even back home!" Monsterwyn says, "Get something sweet, you know me, Sweet Tooth."

"Fine, fine." Doc replies, grabbing standard milk chocolate from the store shelves. "You're getting some white chocolate mixed in for variety though."

Monsterwyn huffs, "Well that one's actually okay. You wanted to get a bunch of the not sweet ones." They say.

Doc goes to check out all the chocolate she's put in her cart, while Monsterwyn resists eating a random item off of the shelves. "If there's not a mix you're barely hunting for anything interesting. But I guess I underestimated your sweet tooth…" She says.

"I will devour any and everything sweet… excluding you of course. Nothing could make me stop!" Monsterwyn declares.

"I know that, silly." Doc says, ruffling their hair as they wait for the cashier to scan their items. "You're my best unstoppable sweet hunting monster. Yes you are, yes you are!" She starts petting them, hoping to distract them from getting aggressive towards strangers.

It seems to work, Monsterwyn loudly purrs, rubbing their face on Doc and paying no mind to anyone else. "I am, I am your most loyal friend. I'll have so much fun with the egg hunt and make you so proud." They say.

"Yes you will…" Doc quickly pays for the sweets while they're distracted. "Now, let's head home, alright?" She says taking a bag and leaving the checkout area.

Of course, Monsterwyn follows her, meowing needily for her to pet them again. "Yayyy, back home we go!" Monsterwyn says enthusiastically.

When the two of them get back into her car, Doc glances at Monsterwyn out of the corner of her eye. She doesn't say anything for a moment, taking in a deep breath and exhaling as she turns on the car and begins driving.

"I still can't shake Wyn having the eggs in a nest, they have to know how that looks. But I guess I can see them as sort of a caretaker if not a little bit incompetent. They're always bringing small animals to me, but don't know how to care for them…" Doc thinks. "But they… maybe it was a coincidence, they like to curl up with normal treasures in their hoard, so maybe… Oh! Maybe they look too much like weird gems! They know they're eggs but their hoarding instincts are just off."

"So… Wyn…" Doc starts, "What was up exactly with you taking those plastic eggs anyway? Do you know?" She asks.

"I don't know…. It's like… they felt… important. I needed to keep them close to feel satisfied. I just think it's my hoarding feelings acting up… I’m like a cat and they take stuff for no reason, yeah?"

Doc hums a confirmation, "That's true. I almost thought it was bird instincts acting up, since you made yourself a nest in your room when you first got here. Realistically though, it's just because the eggs are getting mistaken, in your instinct's eyes, as gems and jewels." She says.

Monsterwyn's face flushes red and they make an attempt to hide their face in the fluff of their cape. "Don't just imply that I have nesting instincts… even if you thought about it for only a second. That's weird I wouldn't think about that-- it's impossible y'know for that to happen, with y'know…! It was definitely just hoarding instincts though, I agree with that." They exclaim.

"Hey, hey no need to get so defensive! I'm not judging you for that…" Doc says reassuringly. "It's just an interesting quirk of you to me. It would've lined up with how you pick up baby animals and take them to me."

"But it's still embarrassing! I'm not like-- I'm not ready for that kind of thing! I just… maybe think about it sometimes…" Monsterwyn says, shifting awkwardly in their seat.

"What? Wyn… c'mon I wouldn't make fun of you for that. I don't really think about that much… It'll be a long time before I consider it honestly. But you're immortal so you can kind of do it whenever?" Doc says. "Honestly I'm not sure, there's some things I'm going to have trouble giving you a better view on. I don't have infinite time to consider things."

Monsterwyn shifted awkwardly in their seat. "Yeah… I guess so…" They reply.

"Anyway I hope you're excited to hunt easter eggs. I really think you'll like it." Doc replies.

"I do like hunting stuff…" Monsterwyn says, trailing off.

"See you're cheering up!" Doc says reassuringly.

Soon enough they made it to Doc's home.

Doc carries a bag of chocolate candy out of the car, closing the door behind her. Monsterwyn had their own bag but was eating a chocolate bar already, much to Doc's chagrin. They followed her inside as she unlocked the door, tail wagging.

"So when are we starting the hunt?" Monsterwyn asks.

Doc places a bag on her countertop, then ruffles their hair. "I have to put treats inside the eggs then hide them first, silly!" Doc answered, amused by their impatience.

"Fiiiine…" Monsterwyn says. "Can I help?"

"Of course. Wyn. Just don't eat them before I hide them." Doc says.

"Yayyyy!" Monsterwyn exclaims.

Doc started opening the eggs up and putting the candy inside, explaining to Monsterwyn how to do it as well.

Soon enough they were helping her. They seemed to not mind the repetitive task. But they did want to eat the chocolate inside more than once.

Soon enough they were done.

"And that's the last one. Now I gotta hide them for you." Doc says proudly.

Monsterwyn looked thoughtful, "So what do I do now?"

"Oh… um just wait in the living room while I hide them. You can watch some cartoons, you love those." Doc says.

"Oh… okay! Cartoon time!" Monsterwyn happily chirped as they padded to the living room and jumped up onto the couch.

Doc chuckled as she saw this, turning on the tv for them.

Then her next mission was simple: hide these eggs in her house and in her yard. Monsterwyn wouldn't like only hunting inside, they loved playing outside and catching random wildlife that happened to be in her yard.

She made the first ones simple to start them off. They'd feel confident about their hunting skills. She placed an egg under her fridge, that would be one. She then went into her room and hid one under the bed, that would be two.

She glanced at Monsterwyn on the couch, they seemed pretty distracted. She tried to sneak an egg behind the couch. Hopefully that was successfully done stealthily. Either way that was three.

She made her way outside, her yard wasn't too big, but she could hide eggs out here fine. She hid an egg beneath a bush near her house. That was four. The grass wasn't too long, but could probably make a green egg blend in. So she hid two among the grass, that was five and six.

Then she was a little stumped. Sure she could hide more in the grass just using distance, but she wasn't sure of many exact spots. She hid another in her garden, making for seven. She glanced at a tree in her yard, Monsterwyn would climb it sometimes for fun. But how would she keep the egg from falling? Maybe there would be a leftover nest she could use. She walked over to see for herself.

Sure enough there wasn't a nest, but there was a little hole in the tree. She just had to climb up. She tried to bring herself up quickly, though honestly she was out of practice for climbing trees and the like, but eventually that made eight.

She opted to space nine and ten out in her backyard. They would probably appreciate the distance they would have to go, they certainly wouldn't be done immediately. So they'd stay occupied and all she had to do was watch them have their fun.

Eleven was placed behind her house at the corner. She took a moment to think about twelve.

"Should this be a distance one? It should be fun, it's the last one… maybe I'll put it along the fence and make them dig." Doc thought.

So that's what she did with twelve. She took her gardening shovel and scooped up some dirt and partly buried the egg.

She let out a sigh and wiped her hands on each other. "A lot harder to hide these than I remember. Then again Wyn's a maniac when it comes to games. Let's finally get them looking." She thought.

Doc headed inside. "Hey Wyn! Easter hunt's ready!"

"Really!?" Monsterwyn replies, practically jumping up from the couch. "Right now???"

"Yes, right now." Doc says, stifling a laugh. "Have fun, Wyn."

Monsterwyn immediately went on the hunt, looking around from their vantage point of the couch. They quickly jumped down, flicking their tongue out trying to taste the scent of the chocolate.

Padding around the living room carefully, they left no stone unturned. Searching every area possible. Which quickly led to them discovering an egg. One down.

Doc amusedly observed them, turning off the tv. She smiled as they beamed with happiness and pride for having found one.

"How many are there again…? We had six each right?" Monsterwyn asks, padding over to another part of the house.

"That's right!" Doc replies.

Monsterwyn flicked their tongue out, heading towards the kitchen. They nosed around, quickly popping out the egg beneath the fridge and pouncing on it.

"Victory! I got two now!" Monsterwyn exclaims. They eat the treat inside happily and search the rest of the kitchen.

"No other ones in here then…" They said, They headed towards Doc's room. Quickly going inside and beginning a new search. They curiously opened the closet, getting a good look inside, then underneath her nightstand. They jumped onto her bed, digging through her plushies then checking under the pillows and the blankets. Then they climbed down and checked under it, finding the third.

"I think this is fun! Even if it seems like two eggs can't be in the same place… but maybe that's because most of the fun is outside…" Monsterwyn wonders aloud.

Doc chuckles, "Sorry I can't give you any hints. You'll have to find out on your own."

Soon they finished their search of the bedroom. And went out to the bathroom. Standing in the doorway and flicking their tongue out. Immediately they turn around to search elsewhere.

"Didn't really take into account Wyn's sense of smell did I? Guess that's a lesson for next year." Doc thinks.

Soon enough Monsterwyn is hunting outside. Stalking their way through the grass. Suddenly they rushed forward as the wind blew their way, lunging towards the egg. They stumble and fall into the dirt comically, having grabbed the egg in their teeth somewhere along the way.

"I got it!" Monsterwyn says with the egg still in their mouth. They shake themself like a dog when they stand up. The fourth had been conquered.

Monsterwyn noticed some birds in the yard, they instinctively crouched low. Slowly padding towards them, while keeping an eye out for the other eggs. When they were next to one of the bushes though, they noticed the egg under it. They rushed over and scared off the birds. They fished it out with their claw and consumed the treat inside. That was five now.

Monsterwyn approached the garden, nosing around her various plants and letting out a sneeze after sticking their face in a flower. Then they spotted the egg, carefully nestled to look like a growing plant in the ground that had simply bloomed early. They picked it carefully, and proceeded to crack open the fruit of their labor. They were halfway there, just six more.

Monsterwyn padded along behind her house, finding another in the corner. Their victory tasted sweeter since they were so close to completing the hunt.

"They're having so much fun, I've gotta do something like this with them more often. It's a little like a tiger who needs enrichment." Doc thinks.

Monsterwyn stalks through the grass, moving quickly, looking around. Their tail held high excitedly. They spot another egg in the grass, meowing excitedly as they rush over to grab it. They had eight, they purred with delight.

Suddenly to Doc's surprise, Monsterwyn starts running around her yard. They had gotten really excited, she supposed it was because they were so close to having them all. They snatched another two in quick succession in the backyard.

"Look, look! I've almost got them all!" Monsterwyn says with some chirping. "Only need two more!"

"You're doing great, wyn!" Doc says encouragingly.

Monsterwyn prowled around, trying to find where the last ones could be. They carefully checked the base of the tree they frequently climb onto. Then they climbed up, their claws hooking in to assist.

They looked around from their vantage point, then poked their face into the hole in the tree, and fished out the 11th egg. Next was the question of getting down, which was trivial, they positioned themself carefully using one of the branches and jumped off, sprouting wings to slow their descent, but they still hit the ground pretty hard.

Still, they quickly got up, shaking themself like a dog to continue their egg hunt. They searched the backyard thoroughly, flicking their tongue out and trying to determine where the last one could be.

Doc's scent eventually led them to check along the fence, where they sniffed a suspicious patch of disturbed dirt. It seemed like something could be there, so they started to dig. They then quickly grabbed the final egg and held it up proudly.

Doc began clapping at the sight of this. "You did it!".

Monsterwyn beamed with praise as they ate the treat inside.

"I did it, I did it!" Monsterwyn cheered. "This was fun! Can we do it again?"

"You only do Easter hunts once a year, wyn." Doc tells them, "But… we could do this again after Halloween, since candy gets cheaper then."

"Yayyyy! Halloween hunt!" Monsterwyn says happily. "Maybe you could put blood in one of those eggs!"

Doc laughs at this. "Only if Annie gets me some. Now let's get back inside after we clean up out here."

Doc and Monsterwyn cleaned up the yard, but it was mostly Wyn picking up the eggshells and absorbing them. Doc's task was to fill the hole Monsterwyn dug up.

Eventually the two of them headed back inside. With Doc sitting on the couch watching tv while Monsterwyn laid in her lap, purring with satisfaction.

"Can I keep the eggs now?" Monsterwyn asked.

"Until Halloween, then we can do this again. Unless you want to crack open little pumpkins instead." Doc says.

"New stuff for my hoard!" Monsterwyn exclaims, wagging their tail.

Doc found it amusing, and started petting them. Monsterwyn was certainly a handful, but their whimsy was delightful, and hard to avoid having it rub off on her.

She hoped it would stay like this forever.

Another smaller part of her knew she'd have to rush to stop them from eating something they shouldn't the next day.

It had been a while since Monsterwyn had gotten a good look at themself in the mirror. Although today it wasn't hatred or disgust they felt looking at themself… but confusion. It seems like they had put on some weight since they last had a look.

"What…? When did I start gaining weight? I'm dead, yet I can still gain weight and grow hair." They think, pinching a bit of their newly acquired fat to gauge how much is there. "I must be getting too comfortable… but it won't be hard to fix. Though it's only a little bit of fat… maybe it's not a big deal. Ugh but if I leave it it'll get worse! If it took me this long to notice then I won't realize until I'm unfit for combat."

They get closer to their reflection, shaking their head. Doc starts to come to mind, as does Hale. "Doc isn't unhealthy though, and Hale still fights… so is Malcer wrong about this whole staying in shape thing? No… it still makes sense, I keep myself in good condition to be a weapon, and Annie wants me to be her weapon! So I've got to get back to training and stuff… which means I probably should stop hanging out with Doc so much for a bit. I could probably have breaks with her though, since I don't sleep most of the time I could practically have break days with her." They think, already making their way to the ZPA's indoor gym.

"If I'm quick it'll go back to normal and no one will notice and I won't have to be embarrassed that I let it get this far in the first place. What kind of weapon isn't kept in good shape? Not me, I'll be sure of it. Hopefully this stuff still works on me, otherwise what else could have caused this? It can't be Doc's food, normal food doesn't fill my hunger so why would it make me gain weight? Or maybe that's the catch? I don't know…" Monsterwyn mumbles to themself as they start exercising. "As long as Doc doesn't stumble into me doing this, it'll be fine. Because she's not unfit, I'm the one who's unfit, I need to fix it because it's wrong for me, not her. But she'll feel bad if she thinks it was her food or if she thinks I don't like her being fat. Probably have to deal with it on my own then, but that's fine, because Malcer already taught me how to deal with it. I'll be in peak condition in no time, and Doc won't notice a thing!"

---

It had been the middle of her shift, Maldwyn hasn't been back from the bathroom in almost 20 minutes. But she tried not to worry, they usually got easily distracted by other people. It was normal for them to bother someone else for a little bit then come back.

Doc sighed, "They're probably fine, unless they punched the mirror again I guess. Maybe I'll check up on them in another 20 minutes."

It wasn't that she was jealous or anything of other people hanging out with them. But she was so used to their presence that it was honestly a bit jarring when they weren't around. They usually came back relatively quickly enough so, she's never had reason to worry.

Eventually those 20 minutes passed and she checked the bathroom. They weren't there, and the mirrors were still intact. So they were likely off having fun elsewhere.

Then 40 minutes became an hour and that hour became two hours, then 3 hours. It was starting to get close to the end of her shift and she was getting worried, where was Monsterwyn? She decided to go on break to search for them, asking around and looking in their favorite spots. She got increasingly worried when she couldn't find them in any of those. But eventually she started looking in more unconventional places, she would've heard about a sparring match if it was planned so maybe they had an impromptu one? So she decided to check the gym.

---

They felt exhausted and their muscles felt like they were in agony. Maybe they should've eased into it more over the course of a few days. But that wasn't their priority, they were imperfect, it had to be fix no matter the cost. The pain would be temporary, and so what if they pulled a muscle or something? They could put it back.

Their thoughts get interrupted by Doc coming into the gym, so they try to look busy, and not stressed at her arrival. But their exhausted muscles aren't doing them any favors as she comes over.

"Wyn! There you are!" Doc exclaims. "I was getting worried, I thought you would be coming back to hang out. But you're here exercising, I never see you do that. Have you been here the whole time?"

Monsterwyn does their best to collect themself, if they slip up they might make her upset. "Yeah, yeah. It's just… something I wanted to do." They start panting, doing their best to continue.

"You seem pretty tired, are you stressed about something and that's why you're here doing this?" Doc asks.

"What? No, it's fine! I'm fine! Don't worry!" They practically blurt out desperately. Their blood would have run cold if it could be any other temperature than cold in the first place.

"She noticed, didn't she? Shit, I should have been more careful. Maybe this was a bad idea, but it's how I've always been. Why wouldn't I want to go back once it's different. She can't blame me for that… and maybe Malcer will actually respond when I try to do our usual chat one day…" Monsterwyn thinks, panicking.

"Just try not to overexert yourself, I don't need a reason to give you a checkup early." Doc replies, giving them a smile. "Anyway, I'm going to clock out soon. So you're free to hang out at my place."

This eases them, but not by much. "Does she know? She might… but even if she doesn't, she's not stupid, she'll figure it out. Maybe I'm going too fast right now anyway…"

"Yeah, of course I'll hang out with you, Sweet Tooth!" Monsterwyn says, bounding after her as she walks to the parking lot.

When she unlocks the doors and they sit inside, they unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

"Tired huh?" Doc says teasingly. "That's what that much exercise will do to you!"

Monsterwyn laughs along as she starts to drive.

---

Doc's worry about Monsterwyn had mostly melted away, though now that she's gotten a closer look since they're right next to her… haven't they gained weight? Maybe they had always been like that and she never paid it much mind. Though the thought made her concerned.

"They trust me a lot, so maybe they'll talk to me about it. Hopefully it's not too serious." Doc thinks.

---

Later during the night, it's all they can think about. Lying in Doc's bed, Monsterwyn is conflicted.

"God this was an awful idea, why did I do that? I'm so stupid she totally knows. Maybe I should just… let it happen and maybe no one will notice and it won't affect anything… cause she didn't say anything about it… and it's obvious. But maybe it won't be bad, and I can probably fix it if I don't like it, right…?" Monsterwyn thinks. "Yeah, that sounds better. I probably shouldn't worry about getting rid of it all at once, Doc will probably notice if I pull that again."

"Wyn! Dinners ready!" Doc calls from the kitchen. For a moment they hesitate but opt to go eat.

"It's not Doc's food, it can't be, it doesn't fill me at all. But I could maybe figure out if it does affect my weight if I keep at it… but I should lay low for a bit… Doc is probably suspicious of me." Monsterwyn thinks.

Doc is serving the food and putting them on the table. She smiles warmly when they arrive. "Since you're less of a messy eater now we could probably watch tv while we eat if you want. I don't mind either way." She suggests.

"Tv is nice… but it's still a little overwhelming… I'd like to stay in here… maybe if it was just the popcorn stuff… it's like crunching bones!" Monsterwyn replies.

"I'll keep that in mind." Doc says, starting to sit down to eat.

Monsterwyn does the same, eating with the same ravenous attitude they usually have.

"Is the problem my normal eating habits? But they're still pretty much the same… I only sometimes eat a meal early. So maybe it's the extra blood I get for bedtime? But that isn't all that much is it?" Monsterwyn thinks, starting to get frustrated when…

Doc cuts through their thoughts like butter. "You seem really tense… is something wrong?" She asks.

"Huh? No, no it's fine! I said it before too, Don't worry!" Monsterwyn says. "It's no big deal, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You can trust me with anything, Wyn. I won't get weirded out… I promise." Doc insists.

"... But if I can deal with something on my own, why should I bother you about it?" Monsterwyn asks.

"Don't be silly, Wyn you'd never bother me!" Doc says reassuringly.

Monsterwyn shifts nervously, "But what if it's stupid…"

"Your problems are never stupid sweetheart." Doc replies.

"Still though, it's nothing to worry about. I can handle it on my own, and you can relax and keep doing your job." Monsterwyn says.

"Whaaaat? C'mon wyn." Doc insists. "You can trust me. C'monnnnn."

"It's not that interesting…" Monsterwyn replies, getting confused.

"So? Mundane stuff is a part of life. It's ideal for me. So c'mon, you can be casual with me!" Doc says.

"The mundane stuff I'm supposed to do is help you with the dishes after we eat. Not talk about problems I'll solve on my own." Monsterwyn says.

Doc finishes up her food, then takes her plate to the sink. "Y'know I don't usually finish before you. I wonder what's the matter, you're always ravenous… C'mon Wyn, we're so close… I tell you all about the problems I have."

"You usually have less serious problems than this….." Monsterwyn replies, "It's like… other than the brief break up… you usually don't have problems…. I never see you mad…"

"C'mon wyn, you say it's not a big deal and now it's serious?" Doc says, approaching them, she very carefully nuzzled them, as to not make them mess up eating. She wasn't quite used to doing it to them, but they liked to do it affectionately so she had taken to doing it back to them. "C'mon… Nothing is too little of a problem. Bitching about problems is very important to the general social sphere."

"... Doc… If I tell you this, I feel like you'll feel… insulted…" Monsterwyn says, looking away guiltily.

"What? Wyn, trust me, there's very little things you could have a problem with that would hurt me. I'd understand…" Doc replies.

"Well… I um…" Monsterwyn nervously said, hesitating. 

"Should I tell her? She keeps saying she won't feel insulted but… I'm still basically going to say to her face that I think being fat is unhealthy! So what do I do? Should I go with it? Maybe if I insulted her I'd stop relaxing and being soft and do what I'm usually supposed to do, be a weapon." Their thoughts race through their mind.

Yet Doc still patiently awaits their response.

Monsterwyn sighs, their face flushing red with embarrassment. "Doc I'm… gaining weight and… I think that's bad. Not that I like… think it's bad for you to be fat I just… I'm supposed to be a weapon, I'm supposed to stay in shape so I can efficiently destroy anything I need to. Yet I'm failing! I'm losing my fine edge and I don't know how to feel… it's obviously bad on my part but then why am I so conflicted…. I don't know… Is it bad that I'm thinking this way? That I want to get rid of it?"

"Wyn… it's okay… sometimes your body will change and you won't like it. It doesn't make you bad for it. I'll support you as long as you're happy and going about it in a healthy way. I just want you to remember, being fat isn't bad, it's not a moral failing on your part that you're gaining weight. I mean you don't need to be efficient as long as the job gets done, right?" Doc says reassuringly. "I mean, maybe give it a little time? Maybe it'll be nice to not worry about it and you can get used to it. It's not like Annie is making you stay 'in shape' y'know?"

"... I guess so…" Monsterwyn replies. "Do you ever worry about this stuff…? That you'd like… would get to people faster?"

Doc softly chuckles. "Oh heavens no, it's not like Annie is deploying me on DCT missions where that would matter. Plus, I'm not sure if my healing is fast enough for those to make a difference, nevermind that I don't have combat experience. Do you know when the last time I weighed myself was? Well you can tell me, because I don't remember! I'm pretty happy as is."

Monsterwyn is silent for a good long moment, contemplating this. "That makes sense… because they can always come to you as well… Sorry for not telling you… I thought maybe it'd feel insulting because y'know… you're fat and I'd basically say I didn't want to be like you to your face." They say apologetically, letting out a whine.

"Oh, sweetheart… it's okay… you can come talk to me about any problem you're having, I promise." Doc replies, getting closer to give them a kiss on the head.

"Thanks Doc…" Monsterwyn says, purring. They then pull her into a hug, holding her tightly. "I trust you… I'll give it some time and try to take it easy… I don't know if I can but… I have you, and you're my best friend. You're always kind to me."

Doc smiled, it was rare for Monsterwyn to initiate hugs first, so they must really mean it. "I'll help in any way I can, just remember, you're not a failure for gaining a little, okay?" She says.

"Okay, okay… I'll try…" Monsterwyn replied.

---

Over the course of the next few weeks, Monsterwyn continued to gain weight. This seemed to have an added side effect of making them sleepy outside of drinking blood. So they often napped at their mini desk besides Doc's, when this happens she always makes sure to grab their heated blanket and tuck them in.

They also seemed to have a little less hangups about bellyrubs after being reassured that she wouldn't make fun of them for liking it.

"Are you sure it's not weird…?" Monsterwyn asked.

"Of course not, you have a ton of animalistic behaviors, this falls into that. It's not weird, even though you're fat now." Doc said in return. "Just because you like it more now doesn't make it weird."

It still embarrassed Monsterwyn a bit when their new weight was pointed out. But everyone was slowly getting used to it as normal. To the point where they didn't think about it nearly as much as when they started gaining weight.

It wasn't really an issue for missions either, they still got kills in, and earned their meal. Their boosting around was still at the same speed, and they didn't need it to get any kills.

They seemed happy, and that was enough for Doc. Who only thought it was strange when seeing them both in the mirror next to each other. Monsterwyn was kind of starting to look a lot like her, but maybe she was imagining it. They also looked at themself in the mirror and for the first time, didn't seem to react violently towards their reflection. They looked at themself with a more curious gaze, as if surprised by their progress.

"How do you feel about it now?" Doc would later ask them as they laid in bed together.

Monsterwyn let out a hum as they thought about it. "Well, I don't feel bad about it… I think. I'm still not sure, but I can stay like this I guess. It's fine, I think I kinda like it." They replied.

"That's nice. I'm glad you're happy with it. Being patient is helpful with these kinds of things, since you might just need to get used to it." Doc says.

"I just didn't realize I'd change so much. Even my claws are different… even if it's just a bit. I'm just lucky my clothes aren't completely real I guess… they would've ripped more if they weren't. It's nice, even if I'm still getting sleepy for some reason? I'm still not sure why that's happening…." Monsterwyn says. "Maybe Annie will finally figure it out soon!"

"Maybe she will, until then I'll keep you nice and cozy whenever you fall asleep." Doc says.

Doc watches the tv in her room, when she hears a knock on her door… it's softer than usual.

She goes to open it, finding a familiar face and sight. Monsterwyn is sleepily standing there, covered in blood.

"Oh! Hello dear." She greets, giving them a warm smile. "You’re back early. I’ll run you a bath and we can get you cleaned up in a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay…." Monsterwyn mumbles, coming inside. Most of the blood is dried and a majority of the viscera is cleaned off of them, but they still leave blood stains on the floor as they head in.

The two of them head into the bathroom, Doc drawing the curtain open for them. "Alright Wyn, you can wait here and hop into the tub while I grab your towel and the bubble soap."

"Yayyy bubble bath… and the fluffy towel…" Monsterwyn sleepily yet cheerily says.

Doc laughs at this, and heads out of the room to grab their towel. She opens her closet to grab it, it's an extra soft light purple towel, folded neatly after its last use.

When she returns, she hears the water running, and she opens a cabinet inside the bathroom and grabs their bubble soap. For now she places the towel on the toilet and the bubble soap on the rim of the tub.

"Do you want me to help or are you…" Doc pauses as she leans over to view them past the curtain, they had drawn it in back to be half closed. "Why are you still wearing your clothes in here again, I thought we talked about this."

Monsterwyn groans, "They're not even reeeeal it doesn't matter… it's a part of me now like how my bones… Are technically made out of my skin… and aren't all there. Maybe it's that my skin is made out of my bones…? I don't know." They say, letting out a yawn as they settle more into the warm water. "You can help though, I'm so sleepy… and get me my bubble bath."

"Alright, alright." Doc says, complying with their demands but not before taking her pinstriped shirt off and placing it next to their towel. Putting the bubbles in their bath and turning the water off when there's a sufficient amount. "You could at least take your boots off, tons of dirt on those I'm sure."

At her request they kick one of their boots at her. Causing her to protest. "Hey, don't throw them at me!"

"Then don't ask me to waste my time when I'm tired." Monsterwyn says, sticking their tongue out and blowing a raspberry at her. They gently toss the other boot over the rim of the tub with another kick. "Happy now?"

Doc briefly sighs, "Yeah, sure… now let's get to cleaning you up."

She helps them clean themself, which goes faster due to them sprouting tendrils to help. Even washing their hair, which makes them purr as she does.

"You were absolutely covered in the stuff, must be nice to get all nice and clean, huh?" Doc asks.

Monsterwyn hums a confirmation. "Stuck my head into a corpse like a vulture does for fun. And then Ace and Spike accidentally broke the water in the combat place again…" They explain.

"How do those too manage to do that so often… it's almost impressive." Doc says.

"No clue, it's different every time. I'm usually too busy mauling someone to notice it." Monsterwyn says, stretching out a bit in the warm water of the tub. "Plus I just focus on getting the job done so I can eat safely, fighting while sleepy is a lot harder… I'd have to resort to just choking em with tendrils, or absorbing them, but that'd make me sleep longer. Plus absorbing them alive is a pain, they don't stop squirming for hours, that hurts y'know."

"Um… yeah… I'll bet." Doc awkwardly replies.

"Yeah… it's kind of awful." Monsterwyn says, leaning their head back, purring. "I'm pretty sadistic and I love causing torturous deaths but sheesh… that takes way too long for so little payoff. I mean for it to really be torture I'd have to end up not falling asleep… I know I snore and stuff but the air flow usually gets cut off since I don't need the air to go anywhere because my lungs aren't really functional."

"Uh huh…" Doc says. 

"Why are they telling me this?" Doc thinks.

"Yeah, so that's why I'm not eating people like a snake…." Monsterwyn says, yawning. "And whatever Spike and Ace are doing… I never pay attention to it… I'm just in that rush of slashing, biting, killing… blood…" Their voice slowly quiets down to a mumble as they close their eye.

In response, Doc splashes their face with water. "Hey! Don't fall asleep in my bathtub." Doc exclaims.

Monsterwyn yelps and jolts upright again. Letting out a wail, they start to complain, "But it's cozy, comfy and warm… can't you make it warm forever?"

"Maldwyn, you say this everytime you take a bath in my house. I can't just let you sleep in here, the water will just get cold. I don't know what's so appealing about the tub, don't you like the bed better for being softer?" Doc asks. "Plus I'm not going to boil you in water."

"I know they have low standards for places to sleep but this is ridiculous. They've got to be fucking with me or something." Doc thinks.

"Boil me in a teapot pleeeeease…" Monsterwyn wails dramatically. "It's silly but...  it's nice to feel warm all over… y'know? It's so different from a heated blanket…"

Doc makes a mental note. "I should take Wyn to a hot tub or perhaps a sauna… they would love it."

"That's really interesting, Wyn. But you've got to get dry, you're all clean." Doc says, letting the soapy water drain out.

"But Doooooc I was cozyyyy…" Monsterwyn whines, "You're so cruel…"

As the tub empties, Monsterwyn stands up, causing Doc to grab their towel. "Remember, let me give you the towel before you--"

She doesn't get to finish her instruction before Monsterwyn shakes themself off like a dog when it's wet, getting water everywhere.

"I thought I told you to quit that until I give you the towel… there's water everywhere…" Doc says, wiping her glasses clean of a soapy water droplet.

Monsterwyn whines, "I can't help it, it's my instincts giving me that impulse."

"I know…" Doc replies, she can't really get mad at them for it. "Here, dry up." She tosses them the towel.

Monsterwyn wraps themself in the towel, purring and rubbing their face on the soft material. They then step out of the tub, an unmistakable sound of claws against the hard surface of the tub. "Thanks, Doc…" They say. they almost immediately put their boots back on but they remember what Doc said about them being dirty.

Doc laughs at this sight, "You're welcome, Wyn. Now, I'll let you dry up. Remember, don't destroy anything in herr, I need all of this. No mirror punching, okay?" She gently reminds them. Before she turns to leave she grabs her pinstriped shirt and takes it with her.

Monsterwyn stares at her until the door closes behind her. Then they continue to dry themself off, delighting at the softness of the towel. After a few moments, they're mostly dried up. They absentmindedly stretch their feet, then recoil, removing one foot from the ground and the bathroom rug on top of it.

"Ugh… that's still weird… textures on the ground are so weird." Monsterwyn thinks, slowly putting their foot back on the rug. "This rug isn't awful though, just wet. Only have to worry about not accidentally clawing it. No idea why Doc tries to make me take my boots off all the time… they're not real… Well… kind of real. But I make sure there isn't dirt or anything sticking to it when I get inside."

Monsterwyn looks down at their feet, they're similar in appearance to their hands in that they're purple and clawed. The only differences being that the purple coloration isn't spread as far and their toeclaws are shorter and stubbier. "I don't get it, it's not like these are cute. I don't have paws or anything. Plus they just make snuggling more dangerous since I can accidentally cut her. But whatever."

They quickly dry off their feet then pick up their boots to take out of the bathroom. "Still don't know what's up with these honestly… my clothes are a part of me and I can absorb stuff through them… but yet I can just take all of it off. My body is weird under all of it but… it can still be separated. I'm tangibly real but… I know my original body has been eaten away at this point, it has to have been… there's no reason why it's so weirdly… Ugh but then how are the colors right? I remember it, my body was paling right before my eyes… and then how does my good eye still look right and the scars…." Monsterwyn thinks, huffing in frustration.

"It's all confusing! I don't get it! I break down living stuff within a day yet somehow I'm supposed to believe that my body hasn't been eaten and this is reversible… ha… It's definitely way too late now. Not that it'd do much good, they're almost all gone… the rest of my kind. I could turn someone but… why would I want to make someone else suffer this fate, I hate it and I'm probably the thing best suited for it." Monsterwyn thinks. "I wish I could meet other people like me… the red king, well… he doesn't like me I think… he pities me more than he likes me. He refused to tell me where the rest of them are… if they're even still alive… and the only other way to meet more is… for them to be born cursed, right? That's an issue too, how am I gonna manage that? Hm, maybe it's best to not think about the logistics of that… I know how that works with people… but how would that work now? We're all goo and stuff…"

Monsterwyn drops their boots on a welcome mat. "Should worry about my constant hunger more, though, even if I'm full now." They think, absentmindedly rubbing their stomach as it aches from how full it is. "Maybe too full, but I guess that's what happens when a wild animal gets to indulge in too many fresh kills. Kinda refreshing to actually have the time to finish, though."

"Should probably start limiting myself, I know I only need one corpse but with that many to spare… It gets tempting." Monsterwyn thinks, yawning as they make their way to Doc's room. "Doing without the pain would be nice though. And Doc isn't gonna skimp out on breakfast… even if it doesn't affect much. Well, if I can even wake up after this…"

Doc looks up from what she's doing, was she reading? ... Whatever they don't pay it much mind. Monsterwyn's first priority was laying in bed and getting comfortable so they could sleep. "Hey Wyn, ready for bed?" She asks them.

"Mmm… pretty much, I think." Monsterwyn replies. "Unless you're planning on surprising me by feeding me more blood… Ha! You'd never give me a taste…"

"And I'd be too afraid of accidentally messing up and biting the wrong place and killing her…" Monsterwyn thinks, as they get on the bed, immediately laying on their back beside her and letting out a sigh of relief.

"C'mon you know I don't have any of your sleep rations on mission days anymore. Annie sends me your schedule ahead of time so you don't get a stomachache." Doc says.

Monsterwyn stretches out a bit, getting comfortable until their stomach groans as it begins to ache again. "Like that stopped me." They say, jokingly letting out a laugh.

Doc laughs with them, but watches out of the corner of her eye as she reads. Hearing them whine and then seeing them put their claws on their stomach and rub it gently, trying to soothe the pain. It makes her think about her temptation ever since they started getting friendly with her, to pet their tummy. Though the first time she tried it they bit her, she'd love to gain their trust to be able to do that.

"Too much to eat huh?" Doc comments, giving them a pet on the head.

"Sometimes we kill so many people… and I can't help it… There's this need inside me to eat and eat. To be fair, my meals before the ZPA were… let's say overly generous scavenging in terms of fill." Monsterwyn replies, letting out a purr. "I only ate two extra this time! It's not worse than the other time."

"I know, I remember. You were out for a few days that time. I didn't know it could go on for that long… you could probably hibernate through the winter like a bear if you had enough food." Doc says. "How do you fit all of that though? It's a ton of meat and organs… and bones? I don't remember if you eat those…"

"Oh I crushed it up inside me, the benefit of being able to do anything with my body is that I can crush my guts up to fit more stuff in there. I should probably stop doing that though… I think I'm eating way too much…" Monsterwyn says, guilt in their tone. "And I eat anything organic, it's just gotta come from a person. Doesn't matter if it's an elf or whatever, humanish stuff. I mean animal stuff digests fine, it just doesn't give me much energy. It just goes poof after at least a day."

Doc hums in thought. "Well, if it only gives you a bellyache then what's the harm? Especially when we know medicine works on you, I could probably find something that could work for you."

"It's only a little embarrassing I guess… I'm like one of those big snakes I'm helpless after I eat… And it makes me look like I've got a big weak bubble on me…" Monsterwyn says, poking a claw at their distended belly. "I guess that's not too bad though since it usually lasts only a day. And you'll be nice about it, because you're my friend, you're not gonna attack me while I'm asleep. One time that happened, sucked tor everyone involved honestly. Burst open, the meal I just ate everywhere and then I had to deal with the new problems and eat new food. Worst thing you would do is like… consider it cute maybe? Maybe play attack my belly but… I guess that wouldn't be too bad right now."

"... Would it, now?" Doc says.

"I suppose it would help with their bellyache, but would they really let me do that now?" Doc thinks.

Monsterwyn hums a confirmation, getting up to climb onto her lap and lay across it on their back. "It could be way worse, trust me. I'd take you fussing over me annoyingly and coddling me over every horrible thing that's happened to me after I ate. I'll take a little embarrassment over that stuff. Plus being with you… I could probably process the way I feel better. Being able to and stuffing my stomach full of meat all the time has been making me feel… strange, but not in a bad way." They say, purring in her lap.

"I mean, worrying about you and caring for you when you can't is just part of being a good friend, and we're best friends aren't we?" Doc asks.

"We're… you consider me your best friend?" Monsterwyn asks in return, blinking in confusion. "... I didn't really do much for you though, I didn't even leave you many gifts yet! I need to do more for you, I've gotta do um… do your work for you…? Wait, that wouldn't work uh… give you lots of gold, and guard you and take you places you need to go faster than your car and do chores for you and serve you forever!"

Doc stares at them for a moment, a little dumbfounded on how to approach… this. "I err… Wyn that's all a bit… extreme. I'm happy with how you are now and how our relationship is. You don't need to do anything for me, if you want to help, you can but… I'm not forcing you to." She says, petting them.

"But I can't just sit around doing nothing! I'm not that lazy, you deserve every shred of my service. Look, I can still do work while I'm full I'm just--" Monsterwyn cuts themself off as they lean back up as their stomach aches once more. They place a claw on it and gently rub it, growling in frustration. "C'mon work with me… look it's fine, it just hurts a little and I'm getting tired but as long as I'm awake I can be of service to you, Sweet Tooth."

"Wyn… you should really rest up. You need it after such a big meal. I know how much one person in you hurts with all the bones poking your guts, two will be just as painful, even if you crushed them up in there." Doc insists, gently pushing them back down with one hand on their chest. Surprisingly, they let her, simply blinking in confusion as she does it. Perhaps not expecting her to do that…

"But… I…" Monsterwyn starts but is forced to stifle a yawn. "I can still do stuff, I just gotta hurry now. Before I get too sleepy."

Doc hushes them, petting them a bit more. "Just rest up, Wyn. You can worry about all this later, you're too full right now. For right now focus on sleeping so you can start digesting this." Doc says, gently patting their distended belly.

"Am not… It's wasting time and it'll digest regardless. I can do something for you right now." Monsterwyn says, crossing their arms and puffing out their cheeks.

"So you don't want to stay cozy in my lap and get pets?" Doc asks, putting a hand on her chest as she feigns shock. "Unheard of! Who are you and what have you done with Maldwyn!"

"That's cheating of course I want pets and to be in your lap!" Monsterwyn whines.

Doc laughs at this response. "Well, All I'm hearing from you when you say you want to do stuff for me is that you don't want pets and to be cozy and warm in my lap."

Monsterwyn wails desperately. "No!! I want pets and coziness!" They shout, while reaching a claw out and gently hitting her cheek, like a cat pawing at something.

"That's what I thought." Doc says, giving them pets on the head. "Now if you want to stay cozy, warm and keep getting pets you're going to stay right here. You're not going to go off and try to do something for me, alright?"

"... Okay." Monsterwyn replies, a bit meekly.

Doc sighs, "I hope I'm not coming off as too harsh to them. I really want to be a good friend but… how am I supposed to deal with this?" She thinks and tries to take her hand back so she can comfortably read, but finds that action met with pleading mewls and a clawed grasp on her arm.

"Don't stop…" Monsterwyn pleads, looking up at her with a desperate look in their eyes. "It hurts…"

"It's okay… I won't." Doc reassures them with a soothing tone in her voice. "Not until it stops hurting, alright?"

Monsterwyn slowly lets go of her arm as she continues petting them. "Alright… Heal it right up…" They say, purring.

"Shh… shh… rest up, now… I'll take care of it. Relax, Wyn it's okay." Doc says reassuringly.

Once more Monsterwyn's stomach aches from being full, causing them to start gently rubbing it again while letting out a groan. "Least it's not as bad as when I ate like 6 people or however many it was… I felt like I was going to burst constantly…" They say.

Doc carefully considers her next words, if she offers to do this, would they bite her for even daring to ask? She knows they don't particularly like belly pets right now, but she isn't sure if it's a trust thing or generally just not liking it at all. She opens her mouth, hesitantly starting to ask. "Y'know it um… it might make you feel better a bit faster if I attacked at the source. It'll still be fine as is but, do you want me to give you some belly rubs?"

"Mmm… I guess it'll be nice to have a soothing feeling at the source…" Monsterwyn says, giving a hum of approval. "Go ahead, I won't bite this time, since you're just helping me sleep."

"Alright, if I'm doing something wrong and you want me to stop, tell me right away, okay?" Doc says, and with that approval gently places her hand on their belly. She decides to start slowly, gently moving her hand around in a circle. The purrs that start because of this being taken as a sign to keep it up.

Monsterwyn's purrs slowly grow louder as they lean their head back and close their eye. "That's perfect, keep it up. Shouldn't be an issue unless you start stabbing me with your nails." They say.

"Got it, don't you worry." Doc replies, slowly going a little faster. Even though she knows the contents inside them don't have too much room to get sloshed around, she's still careful due to Monsterwyn's tendency to also eat bones. Though their body not always having bones in their chest area doesn't help that worry.

"Maybe next time I'll fill myself up with blood so you can shake me around like a soda can…" Monsterwyn says, laughing at their own joke. "Can't fit as much blood without using my whole body as the storage instead though… wouldn't be satisfying like this anymore would it…"

Doc laughs along with them. "That sounds kind of strange though… is your whole body like a big stomach? " She asks.

"Pretty much! If you get stuck inside anywhere in any way I'm technically eating you. One time a long time ago I was doing this big siege on this castle as a giant beast and I was picking people up left and right and absorbing them. It was like… a big feast for me, and I mean I was killing them anyway, might as well eat them, y'know. That was part of how I learned eating live prey whole was super annoying." Monsterwyn explains enthusiastically. "There were so many that I just slept as a big beast instead of turning back and figuring out how to deal with it. There was way too much material in there and crushing it wouldn't help that much. So falling asleep on a destroyed castle as a huge monster was just the only option."

"You can do that?" Doc asks them in awe. She tried to imagine Wyn as a giant monster attacking a castle, and thought about them doing that now. "If you can do that… then why don't you do it again for your missions."

Monsterwyn shrugs, "Takes a lot of energy, It'd need to be worth it. Plus my attention would be split between tendrils to grab people and destroying whatever I need to destroy. If Annie needs that kind of power she'll need to make it damn well worth it. Plus I like being myself… and hunting my prey as an equal is satisfying. Being a giant monster is cheating basically."

"Why join the ZPA if you can just do that though? You could destroy and eat whatever you wanted." Doc asks.

"Probably wouldn't have ever worked out for me honestly." Monsterwyn says with a yawn. "This place is absurdly advanced, and electricity is everywhere, I'd stun myself into submission before destroying that much."

"You amaze me with how much you can just do on a whim, Wyn. Yet you're here getting bellyrubs because you ate one too many guys." Doc says.

Monsterwyn yawns again, "Not much of a monster if I'm not threatening… and super dangerous…" They mumble, starting to seem half asleep.

"I guess so… how do you keep making so much goo anyway?" Doc asks.

"Got a ton of reserves I think…? I don't know what happens to things when I eat them… either way… got a ton of it… makes it taste sweet." Monsterwyn says.

Although she's sworn they're talked about it before, she gets curious. "How sweet? I can't imagine it being sweet… you're very… bitter to me. That's what I think at least."

"I don't really know… I can't taste it… that's just what people tell me…" Monsterwyn says, voice growing soft as they get sleepier. "I guess you could taste it but… but that's a bad idea… It's poisonous. Annie would get mad if she found out I poisoned you…"

"Yeah… uh….. yeah." Doc agrees. "I guess Annie's gonna have fun experimenting with that."

"Not even mentioning the... mind control thing… gets complicated…" Monsterwyn mumbles.

"The huh? Wyn, stay with me, the what?" Doc says.

"I can take control of people with the goo… I don't know what to tell you… I'm tired… I'll explain it later." Monsterwyn says.

"Later is in a day." Doc says.

Monsterwyn yawns again, "Well too bad, you gotta wait. It's not that bad of a wait anyway." They say.

Doc sighs, "I guess that's true. Don't forget or I'll surprise attack you forever!" She says, suddenly giving their swollen belly a slap, causing them to yelp in surprise.

"Okay! Okay I won't! I promise, now I'm gonna head to sleep. If anything happens and you need me just wake me up, okay?" Monsterwyn says, getting more comfortable in her lap and turning on their side to curl in on themself.

Seeing no reason to keep them awake, Doc gets back to reading, keeping a hand on their belly to give them more rubs as they fall asleep.

"They have so much weird stuff going on with them… one day they'll finally tell me all of it." Doc thinks. "I guess for now I don't really have to worry about it… but I'm becoming something of an unofficial handler of them more and more lately…"

That would have to be a problem for future Doc, as she's rewarded currently with Monsterwyn starting to snore, they've finally fallen asleep. One of the most dangerous people she's met, simply curled up in her lap, having been lulled to sleep by her touch soothing a bellyache. It was oddly touching in a way, they had become friends so quickly after all.

But she shouldn't get too hung up on it, she still has a lot of time to relax until she has to go through an ordeal to get in bed in a way that won't disturb them. Again, though, a problem for future Doc. For now, all is peaceful, only the subtle sounds of a page turning and their constant snoring break the silence. 

"Y'know, Wyn, I don't ever hear you laugh that often… I mean you do do it but… I dunno it's pretty uncommon to hear." Doc says. 

Monsterwyn hums in confusion, now leaning up from laying on her. "Yeah? What's the point of saying that? I mean I haven't really had fun for a while until I came here." They reply. "Everything's boring back home, but here? It's a whole new experience everywhere I go! And there's delicious new ways I can kill."

"What's boring about your home?" Doc asks, she can't help it, she's curious about their home universe, since they don't seem keen on taking her there very much. "Other than the ruined town, I imagine that place was lovely before… y'know."

"It's boring because I've seen it all already! It doesn't take long to explore everywhere if you're immortal!" Monsterwyn exclaims, frustrated. "Especially since I can go places mortals can't. You just gotta set aside I dunno maybe a few hundred years depending on how you go about it. Probably a bit more than that… I was doing some fun looting on the way." 

Monsterwyn pauses for a moment, as if considering whether or not to say this. "Plus… there's nothing for me back there… I've done it all so… all that's left is the bitter memories I keep picking over like a vulture! Everytime I go into my old room, I just… get reminded of him… I carry around his skull for crying out loud just so that maybe I can be seen as more like a monster. But no one even understands! So I'm doing it all for nothing!"

The look on Doc's face softens, she carefully puts her hand on their cheek, "It's okay, it's not all for nothing, you cared about him didn't you? You carried that skull to the ends of your world, just because you loved him so much."

"I guess so…. I don't really feel love though, I think… I mean I like some people and things but… I don't know…" Monsterwyn says.

"Don't be silly, of course you do. Lighten up a bit Wyn! You must've cared a lot to do it either way. Love's very… broad, I can't imagine that you wouldn't feel something close at least. I mean you can love your friends, your job, practically anything." Doc says, patting them on the head, hoping to be encouraging.

Monsterwyn purrs, "Guess that makes sense… people always say it to mean a bunch of stuff…." 

"... Why don't we play a little to lighten up? You could probably use it, you usually have plenty of energy." Doc suggests.

Monsterwyn looks at her curiously, tail wagging. "Play? Play what?" They ask, padding closer, as if she'll tell them faster if they're right next to her. "Hide and seek? But your home is so small…."

"Welll…. Let me think…" Doc says, trailing off thoughtfully.

"They are right, my place is pretty small and Maldwyn's really good at hide and seek in enclosed spaces… a little tag would probably rile them up too much… they'd be running around like crazy… if only I had that laser pointer, it'd make things a bit less weird than straight up getting a cat toy without asking them." Doc thinks, Weighing her options until she sees how close they are to her. "Hmm… would they maim me like a cat if I pet their belly? I think it can be a playful thing with them… Though while I'm at it, might as well take a shot and see… maybe I could ease them into it so they don't bite. Distracting them? It's possible, but… I don't know what would even work. Would acting more like them and like… surprise attacking them be enough? Or are they like, ticklish or something? I don't know… you'd think they'd have gone on a weird tangent if it was notable though… They wouldn't bite me that hard so… I guess it'd be harmless… I could try both." 

"How about a surprise game?" Doc finally answers. "Starting… now."

"What? But how am I supposed to figure out how to play if I don't know what game we're playing?" Monsterwyn exclaims, getting right up in her face.

"Oh, don't worry I think it'd be easy to figure out, Wyn. You're a fast learner." Doc reassures them.

Monsterwyn's tail impatiently lashes behind them, "Then what is it????" They ask, whining.

In a quick motion, Doc quickly takes advantage of how close they are to her and strikes, quickly managing to pin them flat on their back. "Surprise attack!" Doc laughs, "Maybe I picked up a thing or two from you."

Monsterwyn lets out a surprised mewl as they land. "Hey! That's not fair! You used my tricks against me! My pouncing!" They exclaim, squirming underneath her hold.

"Sounds like something a sore loser would say if they lost surprise attack." Doc says, chuckling as she takes a hand off of them to lightly poke their nose.

"I'm not a sore loser! You just didn't tell me we were playing it!" Monsterwyn says and then, in another quick moment. The tables are suddenly turned, and now Doc is pinned down. "See, see I'm good at it."

"Woah, hey! You're cheating!" Doc exclaims, laughing. "Honestly I forget how strong you are sometimes…"

"So what you do is ok, but I'm cheating. I see how it is." Monsterwyn says, looking away from her, and holding their tail up.

Doc bursts into laughter, "No, no it's fine, it's fine Wyn! You're so silly. It's just that there's a rule for when you lose in the game I made up for us."

"Oh… it's not an established game? I thought it was because of how you acted…." Monsterwyn says awkwardly, their voice softening into an apologetic tone. "I guess I just ruined things for you because I'm stupid again… sorry"

Doc's expression turns to concern, "No, no, no it's okay! We're playing to lighten up, Wyn. I was trying to be silly, not serious!"

"... Oh… it's not all serious even when you're supposed to be relaxing? This place is always so weird…. How do people get anything done without any punishments anywhere…." Monsterwyn asks. "Like I know from Bobby the positive reinforcement thing but I still don't really get it…" 

"Of course not, silly, you're just supposed to relax!" Doc says. "And it's pretty simple, you encourage someone to do better with like, a treat or something? I don't know exactly how it goes but think of it like that."

"So…" Monsterwyn starts trailing off as they start to settle down and lay on top of her. "Do you do that with me?" 

"Oh god no, if I was I'd be bad at it. I give you treats all the time and I wouldn't be able to resist your cute face when you beg for more." Doc says, letting out a chuckle as she notices they've gotten back to laying on her. "Plus it's not really something I should do, I mean I'm not your parent or anything, and it might be a bit… awkward. I mean, I'm your coworker, I'm not really… equipped to do that."

".... You and Annie could be like my parents. You two sorta act like it in a weird way. Annie's kinda scary, and you give me treats sometimes. I think I'm too old to be in a family like that though, so it probably wouldn't work out like that. It's just hard to imagine you filling the same role Malcer did….." Monsterwyn says.

Doc hums, "Ummm…. I think I'd like us to stay friends still rather than that honestly. As much as I like hanging out I do like your mandatory break from breaking into my house."

"Honestly, they're enough of a handful as is… as much as I like them." Doc thinks.

"It's nice to know you think of me that way though. I don't mind being that sort of… comfort to you. Or, however you think of it in your head." Doc says, ruffling up their hair, making them purr. 

"What were you talking about before anyway, while we were still playing the surprise attack game? The extra rule or whatever?" Monsterwyn asks.

Doc laughs, "Oh, that well, we don't need to worry about it anymore. You've gotten comfortable again and it's all just for fun anyway. If we play it again I'll tell you."

"Oh… then…" Monsterwyn starts, quickly getting up to pin her again. "We're playing again, tell me now! I wanna know!"

"Wyn!" Doc exclaims, giggling, "I thought you liked being cozy more than playing."

"Not when you're keeping anything I wanna know, know tell me tell me!" Monsterwyn says, impatiently swishing their tail around.

"Alright, alright. It was just that for losing, you'd have to be 'attacked' again but like, in a silly way, y'know." Doc answers.

"Attacked again…? Like how? Do you have claws and I never noticed?" Monsterwyn asks, taking a glance at her hands.

"Nothing like that, Wyn. I was gonna subject you to a 'petting attack' where I pet you a bunch. Nothing bad, just a fun thing." Doc says.

"A petting attack… so… if I won would I have to petting attack you?" Monsterwyn asks.

"Oh, no, not if you don't want to. You can do whatever you want to 'attack' me. The point is to have fun, after all." Doc says.

"Oh… that makes sense…" Monsterwyn says.

"I guess it's kind of weird that Doc pets me all the time, and I don't really do it back or anything other than cozy up to her or rub my face on her…." Monsterwyn thinks. "But I don't think I know how to like… go about it… Plus with my claws I'll have to be careful. I can give it a shot though, Doc would be nice about it if she hated it." 

Monsterwyn slowly reaches one of their hands out, then hesitantly, slowly and awkwardly, gently pat Doc on the head.

Doc is puzzled but they give Maldwyn a smile. "They must be trying something out, no harm about it." She thinks.

"She's not saying anything about it… but she's smiling so… I guess that means it's probably alright to pet her? Or maybe I did it wrong and she'll hate it…" Monsterwyn thinks, their eye worriedly darting from making eye contact with her and avoiding it. 

They carefully transition the patting into petting her. Trying to both be gentle and mimic the same movements Doc makes when petting them. Though they stop in confusion when Doc seems to start laughing.

"What's so funny? I'm just petting her? Is this good…? I don't know…" Monsterwyn puzzledly thinks.

"I'm not really sure what they're trying… but hopefully this isn't making it awkward… I can't exactly help it though, curse of being ticklish…." Doc thinks, as she stops herself from laughing.

"Am I….? Doing something wrong…?" Monsterwyn asks hesitantly, almost afraid she'll react negatively.

"What? No, no it's fine! I promise, you can continue doing… whatever you're doing." Doc says reassuringly.

"Oh…. Okay." Monsterwyn says, resuming petting her. Though it still confuses them when Doc starts laughing again. 

They furrow their brow, "I still don't understand, what is so funny about this? Is she making fun of me…? It's just what she does to me… I don't get it." 

They start to get frustrated with Doc's seemingly odd response to this, their tail lashing behind them. Eventually after a few more moments of this, instead of stopping and asking her what's up, they just take their other claw and cover her mouth with it.

Doc takes their hand off of her mouth in confusion, "Wyn. what are you doing???"

"What am I doing? Well what's so funny, I don't get what's funny about this? It just feels like you're making fun of what I'm doing…" Monsterwyn growls, seeming annoyed but more confused than anything.

"Huh? Wyn, I'm just really ticklish, really! I don't mean to come off like that, I just can't help it." Doc says. 

"You're… ticklish…?" Monsterwyn asks, blinking in confusion and appearing to be thinking really hard, as if they're trying to recall something. "Oh… like… the thing you do with kids to entertain them? I thought that went away or something."

"No, no, it's just that y'know people don't really tickle each other that much when they get older, at least not on purpose. I think you keep the same amount of ticklishness also… but I don't know for sure" Doc answers.

Monsterwyn awkwardly avoids eye contact, "I well… um… forgot about that… sorry. Doesn't really come up much when all you do is murder people and steal stuff…" They say, awkwardly laughing. "I… I'm not really the smartest… sorry."

"What? No it's fine, just a harmless misunderstanding. It could happen to anyone. You're always a bit silly though, it's hard to be mad or anything." Doc says.

"Oh…." Monsterwyn says.

"So… are you ticklish?" Doc asks.

Monsterwyn looks back at her again, "I don't really know…" They reply.

"What? Were you never tickled when you were younger? Guess that would make sense… with the whole… being raised for violence thing." Doc says.

"Yeah, Malcer was too busy and stuff for that sort of thing…" Monsterwyn says, "But I played plenty with Fian. But I don't really remember being tickled at all…."

"Oh… then… Do you wanna find out if you're ticklish?" Doc asks.

"Well um… isn't that kind of thing a bit… childish? I don't really… it'll make me seem weak won't it?" Monsterwyn asks in return.

"What? Don't be silly, you're childish all the time. You can still brutally maim people fine, right? Plus, I won't say a peep to anyone else about this if you'd like." Doc says. "It's just for fun to satisfy your curiosity anyway."

"I guess it'd be fine if it was you anyway…" Monsterwyn says, petting her again. "I wouldn't mind finding out, I suppose."

"I'll be happy to oblige then, after you finish… whatever you're doing…?" Doc says.

"Huh? I'm petting you, like you do it all the time to me so i thought… maybe I should try it on you…" Monsterwyn says.

"Oh wait… that's so cute… Wyn you're adorable…" Doc says. "So are you… done?" 

"No! You're suffering my petting attack, forever!" Monsterwyn says defiantly, petting her a bit intensely.

"Ehehehe…. Noooooo… the petting attack is too powerful…" Doc says jokingly. 

"Well too bad, The monster has captured its victim." Monsterwyn says, nuzzling her. "You're stuck forever so I win the game for all of time, which means you're always getting attacked!"

"That's not fair, I still have to attack you too! I won first." Doc says.

"Doesn't matter, because I'm the winner now. You can't stop me." Monsterwyn gloats. 

While Monsterwyn is focused on petting her. Doc slowly reaches her arms out to their sides and then starts ticking them, causing them to mewl in surprise and fall backwards onto their back. squirming.

Doc takes advantage once more, pinning them as they squirm. "Now who's winning?" She asks, a little smug.

"You're cheatingggg! I wanted to be ready for that!" Monsterwyn says.

"The warfare of surprise attack never ends." Doc says, now putting her hands on their chest. "Now, ten thousand petting attack!"

Monsterwyn huffs, looking displeased until Doc shifts back a bit and after petting their belly, starts to tickle them. "Heh… hey! I thought you said you were gonna pet me not hehehe… this!"

"Weeeeell, I did want to hear you laugh more. And there's nothing in the rules that say I can't switch it up whenever I want." Doc says.

Monsterwyn helplessly squirms, while laughing more than enough to outnumber every other time Doc has heard them laugh. To them, it feels like Doc has found all of their weak points so easily. "Well- Ehehe…! You're cheating, you have all the advanced training or hehe… whatever." Monsterwyn says.

This reply makes Doc start laughing as well, "Advanced tickle training? Wyn, I'm really just getting you in common places people are ticklish… I'm not that good. I don't do this that often either…" Doc replies, amusedly. 

"What? But it feels so… Mmmm… Heheheheh!" Monsterwyn says, they can barely get their thoughts together because they're laughing so much.

As Doc starts to sprinkle in some tickles to their sides they seem to laugh harder and squirm more. She seems to have hit the jackpot of where Monsterwyn is the most ticklish. "It feels so… What now? Like I've hit your weak point? Tickle tickle tickle…" She says, a taunting hint in her voice.

"Doc…! I'm gonna cry, I can't… hahaha!" Monsterwyn says, already tearing up, "You're too good at this! I couldn't even get close to this with you…" 

"Well, I'm glad you're still enjoying it." Doc says, chuckling. "Ouhhh but who could've known such an adorable little killer was so ticklish... Who's my ticklish little adorable killer, you are! Yes you are!"

"Nooooooo… ehehehehe! I'm not adorable hehe… I'm vicious! I'm not that ticklish either it's just because it's the first time for meeee!" Monsterwyn says dramatically, still not being able to help laughing. 

"Is that so?" Doc asks, "So we can do this again and you'll be less ticklish?" 

"I don't know how it works… so um…. Maybe?" Monsterwyn replies. "Once I'm free you're going to suffer my petting attack for real! I wasn't done yet!"

"Well I just attack you forever, then. Since I'm the winner now." Doc smugly says.

"Hey! Ehehe… that's what I said! No fair!" Monsterwyn says.

"Well, if you're so tough and vicious… then… why are you still being tickled?" Doc asks. 

Monsterwyn lets out a defiant mewl, "I'm not letting you do this! You're just too good at it!" 

"Yeah, she's too good at this… that's why I can't just… get her off. Even though… it'd be easy…. It's not that I… it's only because of Doc! I don't enjoy this…! It's so… childish and silly! Yeah, it's only because of how nice it is when she touches me… though… I guess it's nicer when it's prolonged contact and not this…" Monsterwyn thinks, "She makes me so soft, of course this would happen… even though I both hate how soft I'm getting and kind of like it…" 

"Yeah, I know" Doc lets out a chuckle. "Who knew that just knowing how to tickle people is more than enough to take down the big bad monster. You're a lot softer than you think huh…"

In one moment Monsterwyn flips Doc over and pins her down, growling. "I'm NOT soft! It's not that easy to just make me go down." 

Doc is still in shock for a moment and after a long time, one that makes Monsterwyn question if they were too rough for a second she says, "... Yeah, whatever you say, Wyn. Though, if you could really do this the whole time… you must've liked that huh."

Monsterwyn hisses, "It's only because you're so nice that I put up with it. Plus we're playing, why wouldn't I go with it. It's not fun if I'm the only one winning."

"If you say so, Wyn." Doc says. "I'd just be happy if you had fun." 

"Well… yeah of course I had fun." Monsterwyn mumbles out. "You're always fun to play with."

"Awh, I'm glad." Doc says happily.

"Don't think you're getting outta my petting attack." Monsterwyn says, "I want payback for those tickles." They start to pet her, starting out gently.

"Ehehe… and payback is um… how much petting exactly?" Doc asks, knowing she'll get a non conclusive answer.

"....... how long were you attacking me? Ummm… that but more." Monsterwyn says as they carefully transition the petting into tickling.

"Noooo... not more than my attack… hehehe… you devious beast…" Doc says dramatically. "Y'know I… haha... didn't really think about how your claws would feel like this."

Monsterwyn stops for a moment, "Does it hurt…?" They ask.

"Oh, no! It's just… weird… you can keep going." Doc says reassuringly. "I'll tell you if I get hurt, okay? You don't have to worry."

"Okay, Doc. I trust you." Monsterwyn says, nuzzling her face before continuing to tickle her.

"Ehehe… I trust you too, Wyn." Doc says.

"Well, they're not tickling me that hard… maybe this'll be fine." Doc thinks, "They do have to be careful with their claws."

"Hmpft." Monsterwyn huffs, "You're lucky I have to get used to doing this before torturing you forever with my terrible attack."

"Ehehehe… well it's not my fault… can't you melt your claws away?" Doc asks. 

"No? Even if I try really hard to I can't melt only my claws… I can melt the whole hand only… it's like… whatever was under my claws isn't really there anymore… but I know it's there I've seen it. It's just… weird." Monsterwyn says, "Plus even when they do melt away completely… it hurts… and my hands are always bleeding and even though I don't have normal blood anymore it's all red…."

"Huh… maybe Annie could take a look? She could probably figure something out." Doc suggests.

"Maybe… but… I don't know… I don't think it'll be useful. I mean I can live everyday life fine without knowing." Monsterwyn says, "Then I'd have one less mystery to think about."

"I guess so… weird stuff happens all the time though, so I wouldn't count out anything as being useless to know." Doc says. 

"... Fine, I guess I'll ask Annie if she can figure it out." Monsterwyn grumbles. "Hopefully it'll be less painful this time."

"It'll be fine, I'll make sure of it. If she makes it hurt for no reason I will be punishing her with no kissies." Doc says.

Getting a little more comfortable with tickling her with their claws, Monsterwyn starts gradually doing it faster. "Well… maybe you should be focusing on my punishment, hm?" Monsterwyn says.

"Hey, ehehehe… you're cheating you distracted me!" Doc says.

"It's not a distraction if you brought it up." Monsterwyn says, tapping her nose with their clawtip. 

"Damn it… you got me there hehehe…" Doc says.

"Yayyy I got you again." Monsterwyn says, smiling at her. "Maybe you're right about me being smart." They chirp in delight.

"Haha… you're plenty smart Wyn. It's not that you- pffft ehehe! Hey I'm in the middle of talking, that's not fair!" Doc exclaims.

Monsterwyn looks at her a bit deviously, "Well it's not my fault I got uncomfortable with my torture method. Plus why do you get to complain? You're my victim." 

"Because surprise attack victims are unionized." Doc says.

"What! No we're not! How does that even make sense??" Monsterwyn exclaims, laughing.

"Well maybe you aren't, but I am Heheheheh." Doc says.

"You'll pay for that!" Monsterwyn says, tickling her sides.

Doc almost squeaks in surprise, starting to squirm underneath them. "Hey! I already did this one!" She says

"Nothing in the rules says you can't!" Monsterwyn muses, chuckling.

At this point, Doc has been laughing so hard she's started crying. It takes a few moments for Monsterwyn to notice, but when they do they stop immediately, a concerned coo escaping their mouth as they gently cup her cheek with one of their claws. "Are you alright?" Monsterwyn asks, their voice dripping with concern.

"Huh? I'm alright, wyn. I just hit the limit for how much I could take before crying." Doc says.

"Oh…" Monsterwyn says, awkwardly. "It's weird seeing you cry… I haven't seen you do it very much so I… sorry…" They whine apologetically, nuzzling her face insistently. "Forgive me for breaking our surprise game fun, ritual, whatever."

Doc lets out a laugh, "You're so silly Wyn, it's alright! It's understandable, you have a lot to worry about when it comes to playing with mortals. I think you've been handling it fine, I'm having fun."

"I better be." Monsterwyn growls, they release their pin on her and begin to check for any wounds. They nose around thoroughly, gently licking her like a cat would groom another.

Doc begins to protest, "Hey! I said it's fine! You don't need to fuss over me this badly, I would've stopped you if I got hurt. I wouldn't hide it from you… I know that'd make you feel worse about it." She says, trying to reassure them. Though she would be lying if she said that it wasn't also because of their thorough checking often leaving her with a very long time to get refamiliar with how rough their tongue is despite how thin a snake's tongue is. Clearly with how they use it, when they got those cat behaviors they definitely were given the need for socializing like one.

"But sometimes you won't notice! And it'll cut you up inside and then it'll happen again and again and then you'll die! Or maybe I'll accidentally poison you and won't realize it until you're under my control!" Monsterwyn exclaims. They keep nosing around, trying to search every last inch of her. Yet once again they find not a scratch. They let out a sigh of relief and start making themself comfortable to lay on her again.

Doc also shares a relieved sigh, "Well you'd never let that happen, I trust you." She gives them a kiss on the head after saying this, silently hoping it'll calm them down. When she hears them purr after doing it, she figures it worked.

"Mmhmm… I'm extra careful with you. I'd never forgive myself for hurting you, even if I wasn't in control, because it's my fault for being out of control or possessed or mind controlled. I should just be able to resist it, it's my fault for hurting people, not anyone else's." Monsterwyn says, lowering their voice down to a mutter as they speak. Though they quiet down completely when Doc starts petting them.

"Shhh… shhhh… It's okay, you're okay… Relax Wyn, alright? It's not your fault… you're plenty capable of being careful." Doc soothingly says. "It's relaxing time… do you want to take a nap?"

Monsterwyn hums a confirmation, "That would be nice…" They murmur, moving to further cling onto her. When they get comfortable Doc pets them on the head. She tries to move towards a nearby table to grab their melatonin gummies, but they start to whine.

"I thought you wanted to take a nap?" Doc laughs, amused. She carefully moves back where she was, taking a purr as confirmation that she was in a satisfactory spot. Monsterwyn flicks their tail towards the table as they begin to reply, "I can grab it myself, how could you forget Sweet Tooth? No need to stop being comfortable." Doc watches as the tips of their crescent shaped tail picks up the container and moves to hand it to her. She lets out a soft laugh as she gently takes it and opens it. "Here you go, Wyn." She says, offering the open container back to them.

Monsterwyn squints at the label, "How much do I eat for a nap again?" They ask. Doc hums in thought before speaking, "I think it was half of one right? Pretty sure that was what worked for you…" On that confirmation, Monsterwyn grabs a gummy and carefully tears it in half with a claw and eats one half then drops the other back into the container. They put the cap back on and use their tail again to put it back where it was.

"Y'know you don't have to be so careful, right? I always have to say it to you, so what's wrong?" Doc asks, carefully petting their head. The beast carefully settles down, but lets out a low growl when she asks that. "You're Annie's greatest prize, of course I'd be careful! She'd… she'd…! Okay I don't know what she would do if anything happened to you but it would be bad! Of course… you're up there on my prize list too… I don't want any scratches or blemishes on your happy head." They say, huffing in frustration. "I don't know how you don't get it, you're important!" Doc pauses, staring at them for a moment. "Wyn, I don't think Annie would take it that seriously unless I was in real danger. You'll be fine, the rest of the DCT is pretty rough sometimes too, um… besides Mable of course." Monsterwyn practically jumps up in alarm, "They hurt you!? I'll teach em not to dare and even hurt a hair on your head! No one gets to hurt one of my prizes! I'll even… I'll… even…" They exclaim, but slowly trail off and quiet down. It seems the gummy finally started to kick in for their nap.

"I'll… get them… later… too comfy…" Monsterwyn mumbles, sleepily. Doc pets them as their grip on her tightens a bit. "Shh… shhh…" She hushes them, trying to calm them so they'll fall asleep.

Eventually, with a bit more coaxing to get comfortable, Monsterwyn falls asleep. Their snores filling the air after a few minutes. Doc breathes a sigh of relief, they always fall asleep eventually, but sometimes it's a struggle with them.

"Hey Annie…?" Doc asks.

"Yes, dear?" Annie answers. 

"Where's Maldwyn? I haven't seen them in a while… And they love to be around me." Doc questions, "I thought they'd be in their room but…" 

"Ah… I apologize… There was a… Miscalculation in their feeding schedule. According to the report… They had eaten… But apparently they were mistaken…." Annie says, "I thought they'd inform me that they're hungry but… It appears they go reclusive when they're hungry." 

Doc tilts her head, "Well, what's the big deal with their feeding schedule being wrong…? They eat my snacks all the time…"

"Did they not tell you about how they have to eat people or they'll lose control of themself?" Annie asks.

Doc's eyes widen, "THEY WHAT. HUH…." she thinks to herself. 

"Well they…. implied the cannibalism… not the other part." Doc tells her.

"Well, that happened… But we've gotten it under control. They're currently contained for now so they're not a danger to anyone." Annie says. 

"Would feeding them fix it?" Doc asks.

Annie hums in approval, "I believe so, but… while they're like that… And we know we can contain them… It wouldn't hurt to do a few tests." 

"Won't they get mad…? I don't think they like tests and experiments that much…" Doc says. 

"It'll be fine, they've stated that they don't remember anything that happens when they lose control." Annie says. 

".... Is this why they're so… Lonely?" Doc asks.  

"I believe it's one of the factors, yes." Annie says. 

"... I guess it makes sense… They are so… enthusiastic about eating and killing people." Doc says, her voice quieter, "Can I…. come see them? I know they won't remember but… they're always around me… There's probably a part of them that is upset that I'm not there… And if me being there helps… I want to be there…"

"It won't hurt to have you there. It would be nice to know if your powers still work while they're like that." Annie says. 

The two of them walk to where Monsterwyn is being held. As they enter, they both can hear snarling, and an unmistakable sound of chains. 

"Chains…? I thought they could escape those easily? They can melt, I've seen them…." Doc questions. 

Annie nods, "That's true, but… something is… Odd with them in this state… It's almost like… They don't know how anymore… Or at least prefers brute force."

"That's weird… They use that ability so often…" Doc says, "I wonder why they'd just seemingly forget…" 

"We have containing them under control, so regardless it should be fine." Annie says, "Now, shall we?" 

Annie heads to turn the corner, making the snarling even louder and the sound of chains more frequent. Doc following suit.

Monsterwyn struggles against the chains, their focus on Annie, trying desperately to get closer, snapping and snarling the whole time. 

"You…. have them in a little cell too? Why does the ZPA have this?" Doc asks.

"Ehh y'know, never know when you're going to need to take hostages to make bribes and such." Zangari chimes in, "Actually I don't even think we've used it that much." 

After Doc speaks, Monsterwyn takes notice of her. They're staring at her, quieting down. They make a sort of strangled noise at the back of their throat, flicking their tongue out. 

Annie starts writing this down on her clipboard, "You've got quite the way with them, honestly I'm a little surprised they didn't end up making me have to deal with your first formal complaint." 

"Well, it's just cuz, they're not that bad. I think they're just confused, that's all. Well… I dunno about right now." Doc says, looking back at Monsterwyn, slow blinking at them.

"They're like a cat right…. so this'll work?" Doc thinks to herself. 

Monsterwyn makes an odd noise at her, it's like a mix of a cat meowing and an unusual bird call. It almost sounds like a question. 

"Have they um… Ever made that sound before?" Doc asks, "Does it mean anything?"

"I don't believe so… It's the first time I'm hearing it." Annie says, "So I don't know if it has any meaning." 

Monsterwyn makes it again, tilting their head at her. 

"I swear it sounds like some kind of bird… Maybe I should…" Doc takes her phone out of her pocket, "Maybe someone else'll know what kind…" 

When Monsterwyn makes the sound again, she records it. Playing it aloud again as she thinks. 

"It's like… I think that's a cat and a bird mixed up… right? Like the sorta… Mrrrr…" Doc says, trying her best to mimic the sound. 

Even though it's not perfect, Monsterwyn seems to perk up, tail wagging. They repeat the noise again, followed by some chirping.

"Um…. Do you know if that's good or…? It sounds good but…" Doc says, "You never really know with wyn." 

"I can't make assumptions too early… especially not with them." Annie says. 

Monsterwyn struggles against the chains again now trying to get closer to Doc, now making sad meows at her. 

"Awhh Annie they're just a little guy…. can't I take them out for a walk…?" Doc asks. 

"Doc, they want to violently kill me." Annie says. 

"But they're sad… Listen to them…" Doc says, looking up at Annie with a pleading look in her eyes.

Monsterwyn exerts more force on the chains, until one of the links snap, allowing them to start freeing themself.

"They're breaking out of the chains as we speak, they're very likely too dangerous." Annie says.

"Can't we at least try…. please?" Doc asks,  somehow looking up at Annie even sadder.

Annie sighs, "I'll get Spike. Here's the key." She hands the key to Doc. 

"Hey! I can protect you fine, plus can't Zangari just possess them if anything's wrong?" Doc asks.

"I'd rather not risk anything, considering Maldwyn's request that he not… But… I suppose they did say "only if he needed to." Annie says.  

Doc smiles at her, going up to the door, carefully, as Monsterwyn bounds over towards her. They're reaching their claws out through the bars out towards her, making grabbing motions. 

"Hey, it's okay… Calm down wyn… I'll let you out." She carefully takes one of their claws in both of her hands, gently rubbing her thumb on their hand. 

Monsterwyn purrs, for a moment they close their eye. When she stops they open it again. 

"Just wait a second, and you can come out, alright?" Doc says, her voice gentle.

Doc unlocks the door, opening it a crack and then stopping and stepping away as Monsterwyn practically bolts out. 

Immediately they run up to and cling onto Doc, who smiles and embraces them as they repeat that odd noise from before but this time it doesn't sound like a question. 

"Awh, sweetheart, it's okay… I know… it's confusing to be all alone in there…" Doc says, trying to comfort them.

Monsterwyn purrs, rubbing their face on her. They seem content, but when Annie steps closer they begin to snarl at her. This causing Doc to pat them on the head a few times. 

"Shhh it's ok, she's a friend… Just get used to that… Okay? She won't hurt you… Right Annie?" Doc says. 

"Thank you dear, I only want to do a few little tests, nothing too drastic." Annie says, "Though… Just a friend now, hm?" 

"You know what I mean! Wyn, you get it right? She's an ally to you." Doc says, "Why did you get closer anyway?" 

"I was making sure they weren't biting you. They're pretty dangerous, and I already tested the properties. No need for you to be a subject." Annie says. 

"Their bite doesn't seem that dangerous though… I mean they drink blood from people perfectly fine." Doc says. 

"The issue is that they have plenty of options that we won't be able to deal with, well, while they're like this. If they poisoned you it would be difficult to remove, and them letting go too early would likely kill you." Annie says, "If I knew if it was infectious or just similar in scope to… Well, regardless, you understand my point."

"Sometimes it amazes me just how dangerous they are despite how much they don't seem that way around me." Doc says.

"Well, you've got quite the ways with people. I should know." Annie says.

Doc giggles, "Of course, now, you're not gonna bite me, right wyn?"

Monsterwyn looks at her and mewls.

"Awww… Of course you wouldn't… Now let's go on a little walk together, alright? I imagine you're real restless after being stuck in there…" Doc says, starting to move towards the exit. She moves a bit slowly so as to not disturb or startle them too much.

Monsterwyn follows her out, looking around and chirping curiously. 

"Alright Wyn, we're gonna walk over to my desk, if you behave maybe Annie'll let you roam around." Doc says, "Oh… But I'd have to introduce you to everyone… So you don't maul them…" She gets going, Monsterwyn following along, meowing, chirping and squeaking at things. 

Of course, Annie is following along as well. "Doc, what do you think this will…. accomplish, exactly?" She asks. 

"Well um… They hang out at my desk so much, maybe it'll… Make them feel calmer… Like… More at home… Since they can smell stuff and all that." Doc says. 

As they get closer towards Doc's office, Spike turns the corner. 

Oblivious to the current situation, they start to speak, "Oh hey Annie, Doc Doc, Wynnie. and I assume Z's here as well. What's up? Maldwyn chew up one of your papers again?" 

Monsterwyn's tail spikes up, they start running straight at spike, claws bared and snarling. 

When they lunge at Spike, they causally step to the side, grabbing the back of Monsterwyn's cape and holding them up like a kitten caught by the scruff of its neck. "Why are they more rabid than usual? I mean I haven't even had the chance to piss em off this week. They've vanished, who knows where this whole time and they get mad I wanna say hi?"

Annie clears her throat, "Apologies, Spike, Maldwyn's been… Out of control recently. I've had it handled but… Doc insisted she 'take them out on a walk' and has also managed to some degree to tame them."

"Hey, Wyn! Be nice! The people here are friendly! Sorry Spike they saw you so fast I couldn't even react… I didn't know their reaction speed was so quick…" Doc says. 

Monsterwyn hisses, trying to swat at Spike, in an attempt to get them to let them down.

"Whaddya mean by out of control, this is still pretty Maldwyn behavior… Just kinda unprovoked, I mean do they really hate me that much?" Spike asks.

"It means most of what prevented them from trying to violently kill everyone here is gone. Perhaps due to a split in memories between their two states." Annie says, "It seems this state has a lot more animalistic impulses and can't seem to speak." 

"Damn crazy…" Spike says. "Thought I'd get someone "new" to tease for a second." Spike puts monsterwyn down, and they immediately scamper behind Doc, hissing at Spike.

Doc pats them on the head, "It's okay Wyn… Remember… Everyone here's friendly… Yeah, they're not too different from how they usually are honestly… Just quieter. Errr… Well quieter in like… They don't talk, they still make noises."

"So they're still inseparable from you even like this, huh? Like it's a surprise at this point… you're just the Wynnie expert. Soooo… What's a walk supposed to do for them? Calm their bloodlust? I mean they still attacked me." Spike says.

"Well, I… Think they're confused. I mean you heard what Annie said. She thinks that their memories are split, so that must mean that they woke up in a weird new environment and… Reacted naturally." Doc says, "Since they seem to like me, I figure if we hang out where me and normal wyn hang out a lot… Maybe they'll relax a bit… I didn't think they were still so fight hungry though…" 

"Can they even understand you?" Spike says, "I mean… They're more animalistic right?" 

"I… Think they can… I'm still not sure… Um… Wyn, I'll handle unfamiliar people,  you can just get behind me if you're scared or feel threatened, okay?" Doc says. "Um… I guess we'll know by how much they listen to that." 

They all go over to Doc's office, Monsterwyn bounding ahead excitedly, curiously looking and smelling around. They go over to the desk, chirping curiously. 

Doc has a seat, waiting for Wyn to settle down. 

Monsterwyn picks up a pen from a pen holder on her desk with their teeth, trying to determine if it's tasty.

"Hey! Wyn, don't eat that. It's yucky… You already tried it, silly." Doc says, "Now make yourself comfortable, maybe hop in your cat tree?" Doc gestures over to it.

Monsterwyn bounds over to doc and climbs into her lap, curling up and letting out a loud purring sound. 

"Ohhh, sweetie…" Doc says, her voice gentle and soft as she pats them on the head, "I think we can give them a little bit to relax and then…. well what else are you going to do with them?"

"All I really need are some combat samples and to figure out why they won't use their abilities…" Annie says. 

"Maybe it's because Maldwyn doesn't use their's that often? I mean you said it yourself that you rarely got reports of them melting." Doc says. 

"Man, you two lovebirds find a lot to say about anything. I mean, I can't even poke fun at this, only you two would get it." Spike says, having apparently stuck around, "It's not like we have our hands on research done before they were here, how would we figure the powers part out." 

Doc looks thoughtful, "I think we might… but I've got no clue where wyn keeps it. They might've brought it back home with them already…."

"We… Do?" Annie expresses a hint of confusion, "They haven't shown me this supposed research."

"I guess they just trusted me enough to show me…." Doc says, "Though it is weird… I thought they liked you almost as much as me? I mean… They're so happy to go along with what you say to do."

"Yes, I thought so as well… do you have any clue why they trust you more?" Annie asks.

"No clue!" Doc says, "I mean I don't do anything special with them really, I mean I'd bake with nearly anyone who asked, I'm nice to everyone, and I bring in sweets for everyone…"

"Hm, I suppose they do display a bit of a sweet tooth, and they claim blood is 'sweet'... perhaps that's why…" Annie speculates. 

"I guess that makes sense! They get so excited about them." Doc says, "You're so smart, love."

"Yes, Do you happen to remember the details of that research by the way?" Annie asks.

"Well, yes. It was an experiment log with a lot of em done on wyn. It was very… Brutal in parts. A lot of details on their wild side being really unpredictable and troublesome." Doc says.

"I see… It might make things easier if I take a quick scan of their belongings. I need to make sure they're not hoarding rotting items again away." Annie says, "Ah, and I suppose you can come along with Maldwyn if you'd like, Doc. Even though I know their heated blanket will probably calm them regardless of state, confirmation is always nice."

"Oh! Yeah sure, I guess if you find it and decide you wanna feed em, we'd have to move anyway… don't really wanna feed em in my office… They're probably a little vicious and messy eater." Doc says, petting them, "Alright Wyn we're gonna get moving again, alright?" 

She shifts as if about to get up, and Monsterwyn hops off of her lap. They get up again as they hop onto the ground, chirping. 

"Well as much as I'd like to stick around and snoop around Wynnie's belongings, I made plans with Mable so… Seeya two lovebirds and your new pet." Spike says, promptly leaving. 

Doc laughs, waving a goodbye at them, "Bye Spike! Now, let's get going." 

The three of them go to Monsterwyn's room. As they step inside Monsterwyn inspects the space carefully before hopping on the bed, feeling the material with their claws and starting to knead it.

Annie and Doc meanwhile search the room. "Hm… Maybe they listened to me, that's a bit better."

"Nothing under the bed… Which I guess makes sense… They love hiding under here." Doc says. 

"Hm… Other than this chest, nothing of note in the closet. Perhaps they keep a key nearby." Annie muses. 

"Uh…" Doc starts, "I don't think they use keys… At all. I mean, they get into my house fine, one time I caught them just unlocking the door without one."

"Which means… Other than brute force… We'll either need to pick the lock… Or get them to do it… I'll see if Bobby is free. If you figure out how to coax them into using their powers, text me." Annie says. 

"Alright! Bye Sweetheart!" Doc says, blowing a kiss goodbye as Annie leaves, "Soooooo, wyn, do you think you could do a little favor for me?"

Monsterwyn tilts their head, sitting upright. 

"Do you think you could open this? With your goo stuff and not breaking it open?" Doc asks.

Monsterwyn looks over at it, then back at Doc, tilting their head again in the other direction. 

"Do you think you could try? I mean… It won't hurt, right?" Doc says, dragging the chest closer.

Monsterwyn pokes at it from their spot on the bed. They hop down in front of it, flicking their tongue out. They poke at the keyhole on the lock but nothing seems to happen. They try opening it, and fail unceremoniously, growling at frustration. They decide to bite the chest instead of continuing to try and open it. 

"Hey, don't eat that Wyn!" Doc says, quickly pulling them away from the chest, "Why aren't you just using your powers… Usually it's not a problem for you…"

Monsterwyn whines in response to her.

"Do you just not know how…? But why wouldn't you know…?" Doc says, "Uhhh.. you know how to nod and stuff right? Maybe we can figure this out…" 

Monsterwyn blinks at her before nodding their head.

"Alright, Thank god… Okay I'll refresh you to make sure we're on the same page. That one you just did means yes. And the one I'm gonna do means no." Doc shakes her head, "Got it?"

Monsterwyn meows, nodding in response.

"Alright! So, Do you know how to use your powers?" 

No.

"Hm… Are you able to use them at all? Like do they just activate in certain situations? Um… Answer both by just pausing before giving the second answer."

Yes. Yes.

"Okay, we just might have a chance… So, do you know when they activate? Do they activate when things are good?" 

Yes. No. 

"Hm… Do they activate when you feel bad? Or maybe… Do they activate when you're hurt?" 

No. Yes.

"I guess that makes sense… More like self defense for you but… Why is that? Wyn normally doesn't have issues with this…" Doc wonders aloud, "And you're hungry,  so why would you have that for self defense rather than for hunting? … Unless you had someone hunting for you…"

Monsterwyn meows at her. 

"Oh?" Doc asks, "Does that mean I'm getting close?" 

Yes.

"Okay… So I've made sense of that… Can you control your powers when they activate? While I wouldn't want to hurt you… It would be nice to know." Doc asks. 

No.

"Um… That's not comforting but… Don't worry! If Annie lets you stick around more I know someone who might be able to help! Though, I don't know how much experience Garrett has with beasts… But you're young, right?" Doc says. "I dunno… Wyn normally doesn't consider themself a kid… But I guess it could make sense for you actually… If you come out so infrequently of course you won't have the time to learn and be normal… since you've been so confused and fighting all the time."

Monsterwyn blinks at her. 

"I… Um… Sorry I was rambling a bit." Doc says, laughing nervously. "While I am mostly asking these for Annie's sake, I do think you're interesting… It's like… Getting a lense into, well, Maldwyn. I still don't really know what they are really…"

Monsterwyn tilts their head at her. 

"Huh? What's confusing about that…? Well I guess there being two of you could be… so that's fair. I don't know how to make sense of that either…" Doc says. 

Monsterwyn shakes their head, then points at themself twice then at Doc.

Doc tilts her head at this in return, "Huh? You… You… Me…? I don't really understand… What's up with us so much that you're confused…? Unless you mean we're… Alike in some way?"

Monsterwyn opens their mouth and points at their fangs, and then gets up to grab her arm, lifting her hand up so they can see it. They tilt their head in confusion when they do though, poking at her palm with their other claw. 

She laughs softly at them, "What are you doing? I still don't understand…"

"Maybe they thought I was like them? But that's… silly. They saw me before… Right?" Doc thinks to herself. 

Monsterwyn whines, letting go over her hand. Pausing for a moment, perhaps thinking to themself before opening their mouth and making noises akin to a baby bird demanding food. 

Doc pauses herself, thinking to herself, "That sounds like a bird… Crying for food from it's parents… But that doesn't make sense… Wyn doesn't consider me their parent, so when did this one start to? I haven't fed them or anything!" 

"Oh! Ohhhhhh I get it. Sorry Wyn you gotta wait a lil longer for food!..." Doc says.

"Should I be honest about not being immortal like them…? Would they get mad if I did…? I don't want to take advantage of their memory but… They seem so happy with thinking I'm their parent though…" She thinks to herself.

"And um, Wyn… Don't worry about my hands I just…" Doc trails off for a moment, thinking. 

"What are you even here to do? Got some kind of illusion magic or something?" Monsterwyn's words echo in her mind.

"I'm just using some illusion magic, like my sparkes, see?" Doc says, and with that her sparkles intensify. 

This explanation seems to satisfy Monsterwyn, and they start chirping happily. 

Then, Annie returns, with Bobby following suit. Getting Monsterwyn's attention and making them back up towards Doc. 

"Hello again, dear. I assume you couldn't get them to open the chest?" Annie asks.

"Yeah… I learned some things though,  since they can understand us asking yes or no questions works!" Doc says.

"I see… Well you can tell me while Bobby picks the lock of that chest." Annie says.

"On it, boss." Bobby says, snickering to herself as she starts to pick the lock.

Monsterwyn looks at her curiously, slowly approaching, eventually they're right behind her, curiously peaking at her lock picking. Then, suddenly, they're lightly whacked in the face by her scarf. This causes them to jump back, hissing, and they quickly scamper over to Doc's side, whining.

Soon the chest clicks open, and Bobby turns to Annie. "All good." She's gives Annie a quick thumbs up before starting to leave

'Wait, how did you open it so fast?" Doc asks 

"It was a real old fashioned lock, I'm honestly surprised it gave you two trouble. Or three…? Was Maldwyn helping?" Bobby says.

"A little bit! Normally it'd be no problem for them but they're… Kind of in a different state right now. A sort of… More violence hungry state. And for some reason they don't know how to use their powera." Doc explains. 

"Huh. Well still better than them threatening to maul me I guess. Seems pretty not bloodthirsty right now…?" Bobby says. 

"Yeah, I've gotten them pacified! So there's little to worry about!" Doc says, "Unless something we haven't accounted for happens…"

"Damn, crazy. Well see you later Doc!" Bobby says, leaving with not a lot of fanfare.

"I suppose we can have a look inside now." Annie says, opening the chest up. 

"Oooh! What's inside?" Doc asks, peeking a look, Monsterwyn copying her.

"It appears to be… An experimentation log… Some scattered papers that appear to be from a diary, and this book without a title on its cover, nor an author…" Annie says picking up each except for the scattered papers. 

"Looks like the same one they showed me." Doc confirms. 

"Excellent. I'll have to cross reference this with my notes… But It shouldn't take too long. Annie skims through the notes, "Completely aggressive… Uncontrollable… Only pacified by warmth… Constantly stressed and wailing… Increased strength… Death wounds still cause a frenzy…?"

"Yeah I don't know what those are really… I think there's a diagram somewhere in there…" Doc says.

"Hm. I'll have to investigate with them sometime." Annie notes, opening up the unlabeled book, "This appears to be full "species" notes on what Maldwyn is. This'll be very useful." 

"Huh. Wonder why wyn has this…" Doc wonders. 

"Most likely to keep it from others. Having it here means they'll usually be close by." Annie theorizes. "I'll need to make copies  of these so we don't cause an ordeal with them. Then I suppose we can feed them."

Monsterwyn starts wagging their tail, chirping happily at the prospect of being fed.

"Just…. keep them occupied, I'll be back with Dave, let me know if there's any… Developments with their temperament" Annie says, "I'll make the copies as quickly as feasible without the risk of mistakes. As to not put you at risk." 

"Awh Dear, you don't have to worry about it! I'm sure they'll be fine, I mean look at them… They're just curious and will go right back to curling up in my lap once they're not." Doc says, reassuringly.

"Alright… I'll see you later." Annie says leaning forward to give her a kiss on the cheek before leaving. 

Monsterwyn chirps curiously as they watch. 

"Yeah Wyn, we're partners. She's your mama too, okay?" Doc says, with the cadence of someone talking to a dog that has no clue what they're saying, "Do you wanna curl up in my lap again? I'll get on the bed this time."

Monsterwyn nods, proceeding to hop onto the bed, tail wagging while they wait for her to follow along.

Doc gets on the bed, sitting down quickly so that they can curl up on her lap. 

Monsterwyn gets in her lap, circling in it before curling up, letting out a long purr when they do.

"Yeah… You're not so bad… Just look at you… Cutest little beast I know." Doc says, giving them some scritches.

Doc sits there with them for a long time, it almost seems like an eternity, a long peaceful eternity. With her giving them pets and scritches and them purring.

Eventually, Annie returns with Dave. Monsterwyn looking at them curiously but not wanting to get out of Doc's lap.

"Oh, Hi Dave! Alright Wyn, feeding time's coming right up! Just wait a sec, okay?" Doc says, petting them some more to keep them satisfied. 

"Just remember what I said, about as much as an average person, you can go a little extra and it won't matter. I'll get someone to clean this up if Maldwyn won't later." Annie says to Dave.

"Okay." Dave says, and with that, half of their body starts to slough off, leaving their skeleton exposed for a brief moment while their flesh regenerates. They wait a moment for their regeneration to complete, then the other half does the same. 

Monsterwyn stares at the flesh on the ground for a moment, looking up at Doc expectantly.

"Go on… get it, it's alright." Doc says. 

Monsterwyn hops down from her lap, and cautiously approaches the flesh.

"Ah Dave, you might want to take a step back, don't want to scare them right now." Annie says. 

Dave obliges, taking a few steps back. "It's funny, they're acting like it's a part of me and can lash out at any time. It's clearly dead flesh."

"Just add a little more to the pile and you're free to leave." Annie says, "I don't want to have an incident if they feel threatened by you." 

"I can do that." Dave replies, some more flesh sloughing off their body, which they then toss into the pile, making Monsterwyn jump back in surprise. They quickly approach and grab a chunk of meat with their jaws and jump back onto the bed and onto Doc's lap, their back arched like a cat, and some spikes appearing on their body.

Doc quickly moves to gently and slowly pet them, trying to make them calm down. "It's okay… Nothing to be scared of."

When they calm down they turn towards Doc, looking up at her with the flesh in their mouth before carefully getting off her lap and placing it on her lap. 

"U… Um.. wyn, what are you doing? There's nothing to wait for, dig in!" Doc says. 

Monsterwyn chirps at her, nudging her leg with their face. 

"Um… It's for me…?" Doc asks, "Uh… I… Wyn I'm flattered but um. I already… I already ate. So this is all for you, okay?"

Monsterwyn looks excited and immediately picks up and starts to dig into the flesh they placed on her lap. Though they get a bit of blood on Doc while doing so.

"They really enjoy this stuff huh… So excited at just being allowed to eat." Doc says. 

"Normally they enjoy it just as much. Whenever they'd start talking about it they'd go on and on about it." Annie says.

Monsterwyn hops back off the bed once again, cautiously approaching again, this time hissing at Dave. They look back at Doc expectantly, and start meowing at her.

"Oh? What's up Wyn?" Doc says, getting off of the bed and walking up next to them.

Monsterwyn takes a few glances at Dave then at Doc and sits on the ground starting to dig into the flesh.

"I suppose they just wanted you closer for safety." Annie says, "Having a lookout for any danger is typical for many animals."

Monsterwyn chows down on it, it's not that eventful besides Dave taking their leave while they eat. When they finish they let out a yawn before licking their lips clean of blood. They get up sleepily and get next to Doc, drowsily leaning on her. 

"Awh… Are you sleepy, Wyn?" Doc asks them, even though she knows they are, "It's okay… You can get cozy in your bed and go to sleep." 

Monsterwyn seems to respond by clinging onto her, grumbling. 

"I'll get you to bed, no need to be rude about it." Doc says, helping them get back over to the bed. 

When they climb into bed they look at her expectedly, letting out a whine.

"Alright, I'll let you curl up in my lap… Can't say no to that cute little face…" Doc says, getting onto the bed, allowing them to climb into her lap.

Monsterwyn circles around and curls up, purring. They slowly close their eye, and a small smile appears on their face.

Doc gently pets them, making sure to lower her voice, "Ohh… Annie look they're so happy…" 

"I'm looking." Annie says. 

"Then sit with us." Doc says.

"Doc, I have work to be doing." Annie says. 

"Well, you're not doing anything right now." Doc points out.

"...." Annie sighs and goes over and sits next to Doc.

"Y'know, it's kind of like we're a weird little family." Doc says as she leans against Annie, "Wyn's just kind of like a little baby right now… and we're their two moms."

"I wouldn't say that…" Annie says.

"What are you embarrassed of being a parent?" Doc says, laughing softly at her, "Oooo sleepy baby all for you."

Annie tries really hard not to laugh at that, but she can't help it. She lets out a brief snrk.

And this laughter is contagious, Doc laughs aloud after Annie does. Realizing after a moment that she's laughing a bit too loud and quiets down, starting to apologize to Monsterwyn, "Ohhh Sorry Wyn… Go back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake you Sweetie…"

Monsterwyn growls, slowly blinking awake, but quickly being pacified by Doc petting them. 

This makes Annie tense up, and Doc quickly takes notice, "Honey… What's wrong?" Doc asks, looking at her with a concerned look on her face. 

"It's nothing… Don't worry about it." Annie says. 

"C'mon dear, you can be honest with me… It's not like Wyn will remember if they do hear." Doc says. 

"It's just… I know how they can get when they're hungry… and I'm worried for you." Annie says.

"I already said there's no need to worry, I can handle them fine!" Doc says.

"It's not just that, you just don't know how dangerous they are. I mean, think about it, all the things you don't know about Maldwyn normally are so numerous. It's almost ridiculous that you can just be so calm when one of the most dangerous things is sleeping in your lap and at any time it could… do anything. When they get too mad they destroy whatever is in front of them." Annie says.

"Well, I don't need to know everything about them or anyone to extend some kindness towards them. Plus I don't need to be afraid of them, even though Wyn likes to say threatening things… I don't think they really want me to be afraid." Doc says, "I just think they want some company… Maybe a few nice laughs and this state of them is no different. Because… They're both kind of the same if you think about it."

"I'm not sure I follow." Annie says, "Maldwyn is… Well they're animalistic but… They've never been on anywhere near the kind of rampage this state of them does. Plus reasoning with them is not nearly as difficult. Maldwyn does have desires and wants and things they enjoy but… This state of them only wants to destroy things and violently maim people. I just don't get what was different with you."

"I don't know either, I'm just… Me. I didn't do anything different with them, y'know, they just got curious about me. I think they're misunderstood… Maybe a bit confused too… The both of them." Doc says, "Thinking about it now, this state of them only comes out when they're hungry, yeah? Well they're gonna be hungry and confused and maybe a little bit desperate. Since they have to eat people every time they're awake, they get hurt by people who are afraid of them or defending themselves. While I don't know the whole story for Wyn's whole situation… I know that people must not treat them well most of the time… I mean just listening to the things they say about themself. It's sad that they think of themself that way. They seem to think everyone will hurt them… How am I supposed to see that and just… Not have some sympathy? They're hurt, they're confused, they're sad and the worst part is they don't think anyone understands."

"Maldwyn was…. Well, still is getting used to a lot of things being vastly different than before. I'm sure they'll ease up enough that you won't need to worry so much anymore… I still need to get them to attend those therapy appointments…" Annie says. 

"... But what about this Wyn…? Do you have any plans to help them?" Doc asks.

"Likely not… I'd rather prevent them from showing up again… Somehow they're even more unpredictable than Maldwyn is normally." Annie answers. 

"But I've got them under control fine… They're behaving well!" Doc says.

"They still attacked Spike, while I trust you dear, I don't trust them to stay well behaved." Annie says, "If there wasn't any possibility of others getting harmed or any needless destruction that wastes time, I might be more inclined to it."

"They won't do it again, I promise! They're getting better, I know I'm making some progress here!" Doc says.

"Doc… I don't think you see what I'm… What I'm getting at."

"Huh? I know what you're getting at, you're just a bit too worked up-" Doc tries to get out before Annie cuts in, her words sharp like broken glass.

"I'm not worked up, I just… Listen, Doc… I… You're very dear to me, I love you… and if anything happened to you because of my poor judgment I…" Annie says, her voice starting to shake. 

"... Oh, Oh love… It's alright… come here…" Doc says reassuringly, opening  up her arms for a hug, "I'm still going to be here, with poor judgment or perfect judgment…"

Annie comes in for the hug. Silence filling the air aside from the three of them breathing. They stay like that for a good couple of moments until a new sound cuts in. Annie almost mistakes it for growling before coming to the realization…

"Aww… Wyn's snoring… I didn't know they did that… They're basically never asleep around me…" Doc says. 

"Right… Um… How about you… Tuck then in and we can… Talk about this… Elsewhere." Annie suggests.

"I wouldn't mind staying in here… I mean they're asleep, pretty harmless now. So you can stop worrying a bit." Doc says. 

"I appreciate the reassurance but…" Annie trails off, avoiding her gaze with a light blush dusting her cheeks.

The realization hits Doc, "Ohhhhhhhh, why didn't you just say so, love?." Doc gives her a smirk, "I suppose we could make some time in your office for an appointment." 

Annie gives her some soft laughter, "Yes, I suppose we could."

"Nice! Now lemme figure out how to get Wyn off my lap without disturbing them too much…" Doc says, gently moving them off of her lap, pausing for a moment when she thinks she's disturbed them but eventually they're off. She slowly drapes their heated blanket over them and turns it on. "There we go! Baby is cozy!" 

"Yes… Baby is cozy…" Annie repeats, "Now… Shall we?" She offers her hand to Doc. 

"Of course." Doc takes her hand, softly laughing, "I hope that work you had to do can wait then."

"It can always wait, after all, my appointments with you are urgent." Annie says, giving her a small smile.

"Hehe… If you say so, dear." Doc says, the two of them starting to leave together. Doc making sure to carefully close the door behind them so that it barely makes a sound. 

They both begin chatting happily, leaving Maldwyn to their long nap. Until they arrive at Annie's office. Annie has a seat first, making some adjustments before nodding to Doc. Doc wraps her hands around her in a gentle hug and Annie slowly does the same.

"That's perfect, thanks dear." Annie says.

"Anything to spend a little more checkup time with you, sweetheart." Doc says.

"It all does feel better… Even if I didn't necessarily need it now…" Annie says, "I love you Doc." 

"I love you too Annie." Doc responds. 

Monsterwyn enters the bathroom, their claws and clothes caked in flour. They walk over to the sink, turning it on, washing their claws in it. They look up, and freeze up for a moment, their own face is looking back at them from a mirror. Did this bathroom always have a mirror? They would've noticed before but… 

That's right… I had just eaten… Monsterwyn thinks, I was coming back from having so much blood and gore on me… and I was sleepy… I didn't notice it… since I was trying to get clean… 

Monsterwyn stares for a good few minutes at their reflection, the only sound being the running water of the sink in front of them. 

I'm… Such a mess… What happened to me…. It feels like an eternity since I was that dumb stupid kid who got caught in that trap. And yet… These wounds still hurt me… And I still don't know if this is all just… My fault… For dying in that trap. 

They put a claw over their reflection's face, the water from their claw dripping down from their claw, making the reflection look like it's crying. 

I barely understand what I am… I know what I am called but… There's nothing else I can use… I can't read a thing! How am I supposed to learn it! And this-- This thing! This thing I am, it could've happened to anyone! I didn't ever have to be this! Being a gang leader would have been fine! It was what was supposed to happen! Every single damned night I have to dream about my so-called happy ending… One I never get to have! 

Monsterwyn is growling, their tail lashing bath and forth, very quickly. 

Why aren't I them!? Huh! Why is everything different for me! Why do I have to watch them squander what they have! They don't even know how lucky they are! I can barely make friends here, and they have so many! Why… Am I the monster and they the hero? … Maybe I should've just banished myself all those years ago… Being a cave beast would've meant never having to see my disgrace of a face ever again. 

They take their claw off of their reflection, reeling their claw back as they ball it into a fist. 

Fuck you! Their fist collides with where their face once was on the mirror. Why did you even go after him, he wasn't in that much trouble! You're weak! You're a weakling for showing that weakness in combat! You knew he would be fine but you still stepped in that trap trying to help! This wouldn't have happened if you weren't stupid! It's your fault-- it's my fault that I've become a monster! It's still the same face from all those years ago! I'm no different here! Annie will… She'll get sick of me… I'm nothing but a weapon… Surely she'll find something more useful. 

They're punching the mirror, again, and again, and again. Until all of the glass hits the floor. 

I could have been something else… I should've been… but I can't do anything about it now… I have to just play my part until the end of time.

The door opens, but they don't notice, they're snarling at what's left of the mirror. There's a scream, that's what they notice. They turn to look, it's doc, she's shocked but isn't scared, she just looks… Concerned.

"Oh my god, Maldwyn are you okay? There's so much glass in your claws." She rushes over, backing off a lil when they growl at her. 

"I'm fine, just a lil glass got stuck, not a big deal." They say, growling at her when she gets too close. She wants to heal them, they know that but they don't deserve it. They know they don't deserve it, so why should they let her?

"But there's blood all over the floor… Isn't there?" Doc says, glancing at all the purple liquid all over the floor and sink they were standing at.

They huff, "So what if there is? I don't care, the stuff dissipates on its own anyway. The mess will take care of itself." 

Doc crosses her arms, "So it means you're hurt! Let me heal you, you're one of my patients after all. I can't just let you stay hurt when I can help."

"I can fix it easily though… Why bother healing if I can do that?" Monsterwyn asks her. 

"It must still hurt though… And if you wanna keep helping me bake you should let me touch you up. You don't wanna drop anything because your hand hurts!" Doc insists.

".... I don't know if I still do. I kind of just want to curl up by myself." Monsterwyn says. 

"Awh hey! It's alright! I won't force you to keep helping. You should um… Get all that glass loose first though. Do you want a pair of tweezers or…?" Doc says. 

"No… I'm gonna keep them there. It's normally what I do. I don't usually get hurt like this, it's nice to finally feel something else for a change." Monsterwyn says.

"Maldwyn, stop being silly, come here." Doc says approaching to grab their shoulder and pull them into a hug. 

Monsterwyn starts hissing at her, but eventually quiets down, eventually starting to purr as they expel the glass from their claws. 

Doc gives them a kiss on the cheek when they calm down, "There we go! See it wasn't so bad." 

Monsterwyn's eye widens as she does so, "I… You…. um." They barely get out any words as their cheeks flush red, "I guess it wasn't…." 

"Oh my gosh… Am I embarrassing you? I'm sorry, you just seemed like you needed a kiss for like, comfort. Y'know?" Doc says.

"It's fine I just…. I didn't realize you felt that way about me…. it's been a long time…" Monsterwyn says, their tone pretty solemn as they rub the cheek she kissed. 

"Oh… Like, caring?" Doc hugs them tighter, trying to comfort them more. "Well, you'll have plenty of time to get used to it here! Alot of folks here are probably willing to be friends with you. You don't seem all that bad, you're rather pleasant!" 

"Caring… What an understatement… And I suppose I do… I'm still warming up a bit though…" Monsterwyn says. 

"Hey it's alright, people need all sorts of time to get used to stuff, especially if everything is new to them!" Doc says encouragingly, "Now let's get back to the sweets, they're probably done cooling off by now so we can put frosting on!"

"Oh! Okay!" Monsterwyn exclaims, cheerily following Doc along as they head back to the sweets. 

They both head over to the oven, on top there's two trays of cupcakes, Doc quickly checks them, then prepares to start putting frosting on. 

"Do you want to help put frosting on these? Or do you want to curl up? I'll be happy to show you how to squeeze the frosting onto them just right!" Doc says, smiling at them. 

"Oh… Sure… If you want me too. I guess I'm feeling better now…" Monsterwyn says. 

"Alright! Tell me if you want to stop, okay?" Doc says, handing them a frosting tube, "You sorta do it outside in and like… Snake around a lil in the small space of the cupcake… If that makes sense." She continues, looking a little nervous for a moment before collecting herself. 

"Oh… Okay." Monsterwyn says, starting to try and frost the cupcakes alongside Doc, they're struggling a bit, some frosting falls off, and they hesitate to wipe it off with their hand, taking nervous glances at it.

Doc notices this, and curiously asks, "Hey wyn, y'know you can wipe the frosting off and taste it? You'd just have to wash your hands again."

"I… I know that I just… It's dangerous…" Monsterwyn quietly remarks back. 

"It's dangerous?" Doc questions, well now she's intrigued. 

"Yeah… If I'm not careful I'll poison the frosting… Or the sweets…" Monsterwyn answers, "My claws are poisonous too y'know… Basically all of me is."

"Oh. Huh." Doc says, a little baffled but she collects herself, "Well, okay. I'm pretty sure I've got a pair of plastic gloves somewhere you could use." 

It feels like everyday I learn something new about them. Doc thinks to herself.

Doc digs through her nearby drawers, taking out a pair of plastic gloves and handing it to them. 

Monsterwyn puts them on, looking at the gloves puzzled, "Are you sure these will work? They seem kind of thin…"

"Well, they're better than nothing! It should be mostly fine unless you rip it…" Doc says starting to laugh playfully at them, "so be careful with your teeth if you want a taste of the frosting." 

Monsterwyn wipes off the fallen frosting onto their finger, which they carefully put in their mouth. The taste is sweet, it makes them smile as they take their gloved finger out of their mouth. 

Doc laughs, "You're enjoying yourself! It's tasty, yeah? Just rinse your finger real quick, guess you can dry it off on the towel"

Monsterwyn nods, "Yeah! It's nice… Um… Thank you… For the gloves…" They nervously do what she tells them to.

"Awh, you don't have to thank me, these were like, What? Five bucks for a bunch of em?" Doc says, she's flattered but she knows they'll want to "pay her back" for things she gives them.

"Oh… How much is that in gold…?" Monsterwyn asks, they're really thinking about it as they both get back to frosting cupcakes.

"Whuh!? How much of is that in what?" Doc asks, very obviously bewildered, "Maldwyn… Isn't? Isn't gold really valuable? There's no reasonable way to get me a piece small enough to be exactly 5 dollars! Plus you don't need to pay me back, working at the ZPA pays me plenty!"

Monsterwyn looks thoughtful still, "The ZPA pays you…? Me and Annie made a deal that I would get to eat people and take orders and stuff in return…." 

"What!? Are you… Are you sure that's alright? I can talk with Annie and let you get paid if you'd like." Doc says worryingly. 

Monsterwyn tilts their head like a confused dog, "Huh? But I have plenty of gold in my hoard back home… And lots of treasures and gems…"

"Huh… Well… Um… You should probably…" Doc's at a bit of a loss for words, They seem completely content. Though they should probably at least be getting paid… There's not much in their room besides a few basic furniture items and a whole lot of treasure after all. They surely could use some more… "Well.. if you're happy with it… I guess it's fine… We should at least get you like, an allowance or something, you're a kid, right?" 

Monsterwyn growls at her, "I'm not a kid! I just died when I was one! I'm old enough to do whatever I want!" Their tail lashes angrily behind them.

"Hey, hey shhhh… It's alright…" Doc says soothingly, she's gently cupping their face in her hands as she continues, "You're not a kid, I've got it, butttt, since you look like one… It might look bad for Annie and Zangari if people know you're not at least getting paid a little."

Please don't bite me please don't bite me please don't bite me. Doc thinks frantically to herself as she does this.

Monsterwyn purrs, leaning towards her, "... I guess that makes sense…. Just don't call me a kid again, got it?"

Doc breathes a sigh of relief, sometimes you never know with Maldwyn, "I've got it. we're friends, you don't need to keep threatening me y'know. Now, since there's only one left, let's frost this last cupcake and then we can start digging in, alright?" She slowly lets go of their face, letting them adjust and turn to the cupcakes. 

It's almost like no one ever respects their boundaries with how quickly they turn to growling, snarling and snapping at people when they do one little thing that makes them mad or uncomfortable. Doc thinks to herself, I wonder what made them like this…

Monsterwyn starts frosting the last one, slowly but steadily. Eventually they successfully complete it, and they look to Doc for approval. 

"Yeah! You did great! We did some nice work with these cupcakes! And now, we get the fruits of our labor." Doc says encouragingly, picking up a cupcake from the tray carefully and handing it to Monsterwyn. 

They slowly start to eat the cupcake, their tail starting to wag, smiling at Doc as they start to speak, "This is really good! Did I really help make this…? I can hardly believe it… Usually I taint everything I touch…" 

Doc pats them on the back, causing them to squeak, making her pause for a moment before speaking. 

Oh my god… That was adorable… I must have accidentally surprised them… She thinks, a little enamored with how cute Maldwyn can sometimes be. 

"Awh don't be so hard on yourself, you probably weren't following a proper recipe! And sometimes it's easy to mess something up even if you do!" Doc says to them, hoping to invoke some optimism. She, of course, takes a cupcake for herself and helps herself to it. It's great, they had hardly messed anything up. 

The two of them finish their first cupcakes, and it's Doc once again who breaks the silence, "You wanna watch some tv while we snack on the rest of these?" She asks, "I'm sure there's something interesting we could watch!" 

"Yeah sure!" Monsterwyn cheerily says, going along with her, and helping by picking up one of the cupcake trays. 

Doc picks up the other and they head to her living room to place them down, sit down on her soft couch, and relax. Doc grabs the remote, flicking through the channels until she finds one Maldwyn's interested in.

They casually chat, snacking on the cupcakes, Doc briefly taking a moment to get the two of them something to drink, then continuing to chat.