Taylor Series 2 Erin and Aaron

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Erin and Aaron

Author: Jetfire
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This story contains adult content.
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Taylor Series story universe


I gave the back shop area one last look and nodded to myself. It was adequately cleaned now and ready for whatever. Not that Boss had anything planned; it had been a quiet few weeks; prom season was behind us, and wedding season was winding down. And we were still far enough from Hallowe'en to need to do anything for that. Boss himself had been barely spending any time at the shop, barely putting in the hours, even closing it down a few days last week.

Pleased with the job, I set the broom in the small supplies closet and went back to my curtained off apartment corner, flicking on the TV to catch my judge shows.

The screen had barely come into into focus when the delivery door buzzer sounded. I jumped, a hoof kicking the table across the floor in surprise. The next delivery wasn't due until Monday as far as I knew.

Snorting and annoyed at the interruption, I flicked the TV off and made my way to the back door. A quick peek through the peephole showed the regular UPS guy waiting there, with a cartload of boxes. My ears twitched in puzzlement as I opened the door.

"Hey Rick, what'cha got today?"

Rick didn't even flinch at my appearance; he'd been delivering to the Boss long enough to know a lot of what was going on, and got enough of a tip to keep quiet about what he saw. Not that we were particularly secretive about what Boss did; we just didn't like too much attention all the time, especially since the shop was my home too.

"Special order for Taylor, rush order by the looks of it," Rick answered, his gaze only briefly going down to hip level. He was well used to me appearing naked, but he still usually couldn't resist at least one peek downward. I would worry if he didn't give at least one glance down.

I tilted my own head to the side and pondered it a moment. "Special order?" I answered and felt a shiver go down my spine. Boss rarely ordered special orders and by the looks of the amounts and contents, this was going to be a special order indeed.

Rick passed over a clipboard with the packing list for me to start checking and nodded. "Yeah; got about another two cart loads in the truck too. If I didn't know you guys and what you did for special clients, I'd wonder what he needed all these chemicals for."

I chuckled uncertainly and crouched down to check labels off on the first cart, wheeling it in and setting it to one side before returning the cart for Rick to get the rest. "I live here and this list has got me boggled. If I can, I'll tell yah what he needed it for on your next visit."

Rick rolled the cart out to get the next load of boxes and called back; "Sure you will. and maybe I'll tell you my pin number. We both know you and Taylor stay close lipped about your special projects. Maybe you're a one off and you're kidnapping people to try and make another you."

I shrugged my broad shoulders and continued the checking; I would've loved to tell Rick about our clients, but Boss enforced a strong privacy policy. No telling what happened to our clients unless the client cleared it first. It left Rick really yearning to know what else we did here, but my tongue was almost literally tied from telling him. "Nah, we aren't doing that, trust me."

We continued some neutral small talk while I finished checking the rest of the boxes before I signed off on the load. Most of it came from normal suppliers but a few of the boxes were from very special suppliers. I set those to one side and went back to the door. "Everything looks good Rick, thanks for the special trip. See yah Monday?"

"Tuesday next week; Monday's Labour day after all," Rick called back with a cheerful wave, hoping back in his truck and starting it up. I watched him drive out the alley and turn onto the main harbour street, going out of sight.

"Labour day already? Man where does the time go?" I mused to myself, locking the door back out and turning to the new piles. I spent the next little while sorting through the boxes and trying to anticipate what the boss would use each part for. Some made sense, using ingredients I was familiar with, but others I had no clue to their purpose.

I was puzzling over the chemical names on one jug when the store's front door opened. I heard the lock click back into place and someone moving towards the back room door. "Minos? Has Rick been here yet?"

"Half an hour ago or so, Boss. What's all this for?" I answered, turning towards the door and setting the jug on the workbench. I saw him in a light jacket, carrying an unlabeled bag in his hands. He seemed a bit distracted, as if trying to dredge up something on the tip of his tongue.

"I'm still not positive of it myself. I started getting a sense... or a premonition maybe of this a few days ago. Saw it clearly enough to make the orders, but I don't have the instructions yet. I do know we'll have to have it ready soon, probably tomorrow." He answered, even more distracted as he moved towards the office. I passed over the packing slip en route, but he barely looked at it. "We'll need the table I think... and I should have instructions for you shortly. We'll need everything ready soon... tomorrow I believe," he finished, talking more to himself than to me.

I snorted again in surprise and wrote off the rest of today and tomorrow... not that I had any big plans anyways, but Boss usually gave me more warning than this. "I'll be ready, Sir."

He started to close the door then remembered something. "Oh yeah, there should be some paint from our supplier in that order, specially mixed. I need you to use it to add some runes around the room. Make sure you get them exact, in shape and position." He pushed a thick folder into my hands and closed the door.

The rest of the afternoon, I found myself scrambling all over the backroom. The special paint was easy enough to find, but the runes themselves were complicated and many were in awkward places. I found myself pulling boxes and tables away from the walls, balancing on the shelves to reach the ceiling, and removing bottom shelves to paint the floor with the semitranslucent paint. I had just finished the last mark, a squiggly eye beside the Boss's door, when Boss came out to inspect my work.

"Are you finished yet?"

"Aye sir, just finished now, and ready for a check."

Boss didn't even spare another glance my way as he moved to his usual spot in the room. I pulled the office door shut after him and felt a slight building of anticipation. It wasn't the normal feeling I got when we had clients, just a low buzz I could feel in my hooves and horns. I flicked off the rest of the lights and waited as Boss started mumbling softly.

Power built briefly in the room, flaring as it circled and reached each of the new runes. After a few minutes of quiet mumbling, the last rune lit up and Boss stopped. He turned around slowly, eyes going to each glow, studying the soft-blue glowing runes. By the time he reached the last one, he nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent work as usual, Minos. Not even an extra drip."

With a wave of his hands he dismissed the power and the room returned to normal. I flicked the lights back up and saw Boss now had a folder in his hands. "This project's a bit different from our normal ones, but it should be fun. I've got your instructions here, though not much client information yet. I think she'll show up tomorrow though."

The folder was thick, filled with fresh printouts full of instructions and ingrediant lists. Boss disappeared back in his office as I set to work, puzzling over the lists. It was definitely going to be an interesting project; the mix ratios were completely different from what I was used to, a lot more fluid to the rubber sheets we normally made. And a lot more molds than usual too.

My instructions in hand, I set to work. The chemicals were easy enough to mix together, forming a thick semi-translucent navy blue liquid. The liquid itself had to set overnight before the last ingrediants were needed, so I moved the buckets to the side and set to work on the hard part.

The vast bulk of the order Rick delivered, was blocks of stiff foam. Following Boss's special instructions, I spent the rest of the night cutting and shaping and gluing the form into two 7ft tall blocks, designed to close over eachother and encase the man-sized form within. Special runes were painted on the outside, along with poles set to line them up. Once the carving was done, I laid down a covering of special plastic over each foam form, being careful not to leave any wrinkles.

It was nearing dawn by the time I finished all I could do now, but I could still see Boss's office lights on, and got a faint scent of various unidentifiable scents wafting out from under the door. There was no telling when he may need me next. Not wanting to be too far away, I unfolded a chair and set it near his door and dozed off.

A gentle shaking woke me up, chasing my dreams off into forgetfulness. Seeing my eyes open up, Boss finally spoke. He knew if he had spoken to me directly, I would have jolted awake with my nose ring burning, but he was too nice to do something like that. So now when we did these all nighters, he made sure to wake me gently first before giving any orders.

"It's time, Minos. I've got the last of the instructions for the spell itself and what you need to do here. She'll be here in a few hours," Boss whispered quietly, his eyes bloodshot from his own all nighter. He sipped from a coffee from the shop down the street, near the docks and nodded to my own coffee on the workbench next to the instructions folder. Though I was a rubber minotaur, there was something about caffeine, and coffee in particular, that seemed universal among all sentient creatures we had encountered or made.

"Thanks Boss, I'll be ready for my cues," I answered with a huge yawn and stretch. Getting up, I tucked the chair away and rolled out the table, setting the bottom half of the foam form on top. I then sipped my coffee while reading over the rest of the instructions. They were as puzzling as last nights batch,, but I trusted the Boss. It didn't take long to get a variety of brushes, the thick liquid and other items out and set up on the workbench. I took what seemed like metallic sparkles and dropped them into the bucket of liquid, stirring them in slowly to not break the liquid up too much but to make sure the sparkles were evenly spread. A few more powders added while mixing and it was done and just waiting for our client.

As the day wore on, the air tingled with anticipation as it always did when Boss was prepared for a special client. His notes told me what to do but I still didn't know much of the client other than her sex. I waited with the door to the front of the store cracked open, watching the few customers come and go, but none were our next client. When the store was empty, I opened the door a bit wider and peeked out at Boss, who seemed as tense and anxious as I felt, not to mention wired on too many cups of coffee.

The door bell jangled and I quickly ducked back out of sight. In walked a young woman, in her late 20's maybe, dressed in a bulky coat and shuffling her feet. She wandered around some of the denim samples just inside the door and seemed extra nervous, as if building up to ask something. The tension in the air pulsed, and I knew she was the one.

Boss also knew it. He sat up and became more alert. He pressed a button beneath the counter, locking the front doors and automatically lowering the blinds. The girl didn't notice the dimming light. He made his way out from behind the counter. "Can I help you missus?" he asked quietly.

She jumped as if he had shouted and whirled around to face him. "Oh uhmmmm I was... I was just browsing... that's all...."

They were just on the edge of my view from the doorway. I moved around a bit to watch more easily. Boss stayed a few steps away, hands clasped behind his back. "Is there anything in particular you are browsing for?"

She hesitated, looking at the fabric on the shelves, then at the door, then at Boss, as if debating with herself. She finally firmed up her resolve and faced Boss directly. "There are stories... in the grapevine and message boards and such... that you can change people, right?"

Boss waited a moment, considering his own response to her question. "Some have asked that of me...." he trailed off, waiting to see her reaction.

She seemed to break down, sobbing. "Please... I need to be changed... to anything else. I can't stay like this any more, it's just too much...."

Boss took her gently and guided her to the counter. Normally he would discourage her to go elsewhere, but this time he was guided by the premonitions he was having the past few days. I felt a bit uneasy, but watched as he moved on to the next stage. "Take it easy my dear; I can do some things, but there are two things I need first." I dared to open the door wider to watch, knowing my cue would be given soon. "In order to be changed, it does cost quite a bit of money... and you need to have someone who is willing to devote themselves to caring for you."

Her posture changed as he outlined the conditions, shoulders slumping down. Clearly she met neither of those conditions.

"Well, there is another option we could do... I already have one assistant but business is picking up. You could work off your debt with me as your watcher. I'm sure Minos wouldn't mind, right Minos?"

That was my cue. I moved out into clear view from the back room. She looked over and gasped in surprise, clearly having second thoughts.

"I wouldn't mind, Boss. Be nice to have someone else around during the quiet times."

"I suspected as much. If you are ready, please come this way, Miss...?"

"O'Connell, Erin O'Connell," she supplied, fallowing Boss over to the counter and dismissing her second thoughts. She looked back at me more than a few times.

"Excellent, Miss O'Connell. Please place your hand in this circle and answer truthfully." Boss shoved today's mail against the register, clearing the markings on the counter. I felt the tension building in the room as they put both of their hands into the circle.

"Do you, Erin O'Connell, agree to submit to this change, to place yourself in my care for the duration of your debt to me?" Taylor intoned clearly, his eyes focused on her.

She flinched under his gaze at first, then nodded. "I agree to the conditions."

Boss stared in deeper, the room darkened as if the clouds were gathering over the sun, jostling to listen closer. "Do you, Erin O'Connell, submit to these changes and to place yourself in my care for the duration of your debt?"

She frowned a moment at the repetition, but answered as before. "I said I agreed to the conditions."

Boss ignored the hint of anger in her voice and prepared for the final asking. The room darkened further, though neither of them appeared to notice it. The pressure reached its peak in the room in anticipation. "I ask a third time, do you, Erin O'Connell, submit to the changes and to place yourself in my care for the duration of your debt?"

A flash of anger went through her followed by a shiver of fear as she realized what she was getting into and felt some of the pressure of the universe watching her. She considered a moment seeming to think back to something else in her past before finally speaking. "And for the third time, I agree!"

There was a crackle of energy as she completed her side of the spell. Boss moved his hand within the glowing ring and gripped her hand to hold it steady. He mumbled softly, the words too faint to hear, but the intent clear to me. He was confirming his own willingness to go through with this, to take another into his care. This cycle went much quicker, and with another crackle of energy, the ring dimmed back down and the lighting returned to the room.

Boss released her hand and stepped back. "Everything is prepared. I had... visions about you, but you must trust me in what we will do. You will not be harmed my dear, but once we start it will be unstoppable. Please go into the back with Minos, he can prepare you."

"I understand... and I trust you," she replied, her gaze going from Boss to me and back. I held up my hand offering it to her to guide her towards the back. She took it and gave it a curious squeeze like most do when they touch me, curious about my own rubbery body and differences from the norm. She stroked it curiously a moment then let go, following me into the back.

I lead her into the back towards the table and turned my back to her to give her a bit of privacy, not that it really mattered. "We will need you to strip. There can be nothing unnatural on you besides what we will be applying," I explained.

"Ev-Everything?"

Without turning, I nodded my head, facing the workbench and stirring the liquid. "I'm afraid so."

I focused on my own preparations a bit, listening to her movements. She was hesitant at first, then let out a long sigh followed by the rustle of clothing and the sounds of her taking everything off. I heard the last pieces dropped on the floor, but I waited for her to give me permission to turn around.

"I'm ready," she finally said, a stammer in her voice.

Turning around, I had my first clear look at her. She stood there, an arm over her breasts and one over her groin, shivering a bit despite the warmth of the room. She was about 5 foot 5 or so, and had tanned but it was fading, like she had spent much of the summer covered up, or inside. Her hair was cut short, almost a buzz-cut, and red as her name hinted it would be. She was clearly in good shape; with nice sized breasts and a firm figure. I turned away again to keep from focusing too much on her, and pulled the liquids I was preparing to the work area, hoping she didn't notice. "We're all set Boss!" I called out, crouching beside her to move the clothes out of the main spell areas and activating the lights over the table.

Boss swept into the room and closed the door behind him. He barely looked her over, to her clear relief, and moved to his normal casting position, facing the base of the table. I gently tugged her arm and guided her to stand a few feet in front of the table and nodded to boss. Her arm was shaking in my light, guiding grip, and she was covered in goosebumps.

"Are you ready, Erin?" Boss asked one final time. He waited for her to nod and clapped his hand, turning on the spot lights over his own casting spot. He closed his eyes and started into his usual spell casting trance, the start the same as I was used to, but the underlying rhythm greatly different.

All around the darkened back room, the new runes glowed brightly and started pulsing softly. "This may feel weird at first, but trust us, you will be OK afterwards. I will need you to spread your arms and legs however," I whispered to her.

She hesitated again, then focused on the rune pulsing over Boss's head and her eyes glazed over a bit. She lowered her arms and held them out a bit, spreading her legs as well. I waited one more moment and began.

I picked up a brush and dipped it in the thick blue liquid and lifted it up to her head. I started at her temples and began to paint down the back of her head, coating her hair in a thick coating of blue. The goo darkened her red hair to black and matted it down quickly. The touch of the liquid sent a shiver through her body, but she quickly relaxed again, accepting it and falling into the spell trance from the rune she faced.

I stayed behind her and worked quickly, reloading and swapping brushes as needed and painting her neck and down her shoulders and back.

The liquid was thick and stuck to her as it should have, the sparkles within it glittering in the light. I crouched down and carefully painted her butt and the sides of her hips and the outsides of her legs, stopping just below her knees.

"It's tingling... like it's in my head... " she mumbled softly, rising partly out of the trance and one hand going towards her scalp. I stopped her hand with my own hand, pulling it back down gently.

"Don't touch yet; it's supposed to do that," I cautioned her and moved around to her front. Her gaze was still focused on the rune, barely noticing me there. I made sure I didn't interrupt her view as I moved.

In the front now, I continued my painting, spreading a layer of the liquid over her face, covering one eye at a time to not block her vision too much. I used a smaller brush to make sure her ears, nostrils and mouths received a dose of blue as well. "It's easier if you breath through your mouth," I hinted, holding her mouth open as I painted under her chin and the rest of her neck. When I let go she left her mouth open, her chest steadily breathing in and out.

Going back to the big brush, I painted over the top of her shoulders and down her arms. I coated her fingers and made her hold pairs of fingers together as I coated them. The liquid was thick enough to hold them in place. I painted under her arms and partway down her sides, and then started on her breasts. I tried to be as clinical as I could as I painted over the orbs, separating them to make sure I got in between them; but the bull in me had some reactions I was glad she was too entranced to notice.

I worked quickly with the brush, lifting her breasts to add a coating under them then moved down to her belly, trying not to think of the firm nipples I had briefly touched and coated, and the faint shudder I had felt go through her body. A glance up showed a smile on her face I hadn't noticed before, a smile with a hint of sadness that I didn't understand.

I shook my head to try and clear it and worked down lower. Crouching to start the front of her legs and her groin, I caught a scent of arousal I hadn't smelled in a long time. The bull in me reacted even more than it had at the breasts, forcing me to stamp down on it harder, but causing me to hesitate. I felt my nose ring burn suddenly as my attention wandered, refocusing me back to the task at hand. I added the liquid over her groin and down the inside of her thighs and over her legs. Stopping on her lower legs, I stepped away and snorted, trying to clear the scent and calm my mind.

A moment or two later, my ring gave another twinge to tell me to get on with it. I was glad the next little bit had nothing to do with her at all.

I left her standing there a moment and made my way to the foam-form on the table. Most of the remaining liquid would be added later, but one part had to be added now. I dipped a cup into the pail and poured some of the liquid into a hole at the bottom of the form, near the hips. I filled it to the top and a bit beyond, then dipped a stick in to make sure there weren't any air pockets. Finally I used the brush to coat the insides of both the top and bottom forms, setting them flat so they wouldn't pool too much before they were to be used.

Forms prepared, I turned back to look at the blue coated female, examining her to make sure I hadn't missed any spots. I could no longer see any separation in her paired fingers, nor any of the dark mass of hair under the liquid as it did its work, guided by the Boss's spells. I moved over to stand at her side and lifted my hands, one hand near the small of her back the other over her belly.

The next stage was new for me; Boss had never had me activate a spell before, so it was a new experience for me. As I focused my mind on the word in the instructions, I felt my own rubber body pulse a bit in time with the runes, power building. I called out the first keyword from the instructions, "Leviosa!".

The word triggered an extra strong pulse from the runes. Power arched out from some of them and struck my horns. I shuddered and felt the power flow through my body, down to my hands and arched into her body joining us together with bands of power. The sparkles in the liquid flared up as the power entered her. When the connection was strong enough, I lifted my hands and felt her body lift with them. With a slow, cautious turn, I tilted her onto her back and guided her to float over the table and lower half of the form.

"Stationmant!" I called the second keyword out and felt the power shift. My hands were released from her body, and the anchoring pins in the lower form flared and stabilized her in the air. I made sure she was stable, suspended there, and reclaimed the brush to finish the job.

Her lower legs and feet were easy enough to coat, and I was able to angle my body so I was only looking at the feet, helping control the bull within me. I tilted her feet downward at the ankles and made sure I got between her toes drawing out the work to try and put off the next stage. I knew it was not going to be easy.

On the workbench was one additional item. It was rubbery, and C-shaped, coloured the same tint as the liquid. I picked it up and dipped the smaller end in the liquid, making sure it was well coated. I then looked at her floating there and sighed softly, feeling a sense of loss even as my inner bull roared softly in frustration. Neither of us particularly wanted to do this, but it was the Boss's instructions; he knew best in these matters, and his word was final. I gave her body one last look over, spreading her legs a little with my free hand. I grunted softly at the scents I smelled, female and rubber mixing in ways that made my inner bull even more eager, and forced myself not to rush. I rubbed her coated sex momentarily with one hand, then slipped the coated end of the item into her. A louder moan escaped from her tranced lips as I pushed it in as far as it could go. When it was in all the way, the other part rested snuggly on her belly.

My body nearly rebelled against my mind and the ring. I fought back the urge to pull it out, mentally knowing it was already too late. I saw her wiggle a little in the air over the mold and grunted out the next command while I could hold off the bull. I'd never felt it so riled up; not since I first changed. "DESCENDIO!"

The energy shifted its feel and her body began to descend into the form. I spread her arms and legs a bit to make sure they got into the right areas. The form itself was shaped differently enough that a normal human would not normally have fit in there, but she was no longer normal. The liquid had seeped into her body enough to soften her outer layers, letting her body flow into the shape carved in the form as it settled into place.

Thankful that my part was almost done, I worked quickly. I poured the remains of the liquid over her chest and began spreading it out, her breasts already flattening more than natural. I filled some areas at the top of her head, and mounded it over her mouth and nose area, her chest no longer lifting with breathing, but her body twitching with its own life. A last bit of liquid went down around her hands and feet to bulk those up and I was done.

I tore my gaze away from her and went to the top half of the mold. I lifted it easily and pressed it on top, latching it in place and hiding her completely in a runed foam cocoon. The moment the last latch went into place, the room runes flared brightly, igniting the runes on top of the cocoon. I stumbled back against the workbench and let out a long sigh, the rest of the job in Boss's hands. I could feel the bull struggling against my mental controls, but I held it firm, wanting to see the end of this. I had some ideas of what the Boss was doing, but it was a new form for all of us.

Luckily, I didn't have long to wait. A few heartbeats after the cocoon runes flared up, Boss stood up suddenly and lifted his hands. For the first time I saw he carried what looked like rubbery straps. He called out loudly, and I felt the air pulse, sucking in something from outside. Though I couldn't see it, I could sense a new spirit entering the room, its presence silent but forceful. My ears twitched and strained to hear the noise of the spirit moving, but its noises were just beyond my ear's capabilities. The spirit began racing around the edge of the room, the runes pulsing brighter and brighter as it approached, preventing its escape. The concrete block walls of the room quivered with its attempts but the runes were more than strong enough. Soon, it was apparent that the runes were guiding the spirit in two directions at once. The bulk of the spirit's energy was directed towards the foam cocoon around Erin, while one aspect of it was tugged towards Boss.

The runes flared blindingly bright at the last moment and the spirit let loose a screech of rebellion I could almost really hear. It separated, part being sucked into the strands in Boss's hands, most of it being sucked into the cocoon. My ears rang with the felt silence that filled the room as the runes dimmed back down to quasi-normal.

"Phew, got a strong one this time... I hope she can keep it in check," I heard Boss mumble, partly coming out of his spell trance. He carefully made his way to the table and watched the runes on the cocoon, waiting. I could see now that he held a set of dark blue, rubbery reigns that twitched occasionally in his grasp, in sync with some thumps from the cocoon.

Finally the runes around the head of the cocoon flared brightly and the foam began to melt away. A thick neck and an equine face was revealed, glistening and sparkling in the lights. I realized I could almost see through the shiny flesh of the head; the eyes already opened wide, wild and confused with no trace of intelligence. Boss wasted no time slipping the reigns over the head, tightening them over the nose and the back of the head. The ears were already twitching wildly and the head was just beginning to turn when he pressed his hand over the nose and called out a word that slipped out of my mind as soon as I heard it. The cocoon bucked once on the table, but the wildness and most of the confusion faded from the eyes of the equine as awareness returned.

"Easy now, Easy... everything is all right, " Boss calmed the new creature, rubbing the muzzle and stroking the equine head. I saw it wiggle slightly at his touch, not quite like jello, but definitly less solid than I was.

"Issss.... Isss it done?" the equine head asked, struggling to get used to the reshaped mouth. The voice was pitched deeper, further confirming what I knew had happened.

"Almost Aaron, the rest of your body still needs to set up before we can let you loose. Another half hour or so," Boss comforted her. His gaze lifted to me, pausing a moment on the way up to my face. "Minos, we have some time, why don't you go clean yourself up a bit," he said with the barest hint of a wink.

My cheeks burned darkly in embarrassment, but I knew what he meant. "Thanks Boss. I'll be back real quick," I answered, turning my back to both of them and rushing to the bath area.

It didn't take much to release and partly satisfied my inner bull. He was still frustrated at the perceived loss, but was tamer after some private time and an embarrassingly loud release that echoed too much in the back room. I took my time cleaning up afterwards, hearing some faint mumbling from Boss and Erin-Aaron, and trying to recompose myself. I'd barely succeeded when Boss called out to me.

"Minos! Come give me a hand please."

Unable to resist for long, I gave myself another quick wipe down and trotted back out to the main area. The top of the cocoon was already softening and melting away. I saw it twitch a bit as the creature within tried to lift it up, only to lift a blue-gelled, thick fingered hand through the top.

I grabbed a hose from the sink and turned on the water and began spraying Aaron over, helping speed the melting process. Heedless of the water soaking him, Boss reached into the gooey mess and helped Aaron sit up, turn around and ease his feet over the side of the table. I saw large gel-hooves flex and quiver from the water spray as he got used to the sensation. A quick spray over his hips confirmed that he was very much a 'he'.

A signal from Boss made me stop the water spray. Boss crouched a little and helped Aaron stand up. His gel body glistened a bit, sparkles inside his body glittering in the lights from the workbench behind him. As his weight settled on his hooves for the first time, he slumped a lot and I worried that we had failed and he was going to collapse into a puddle of goo. My concerns were unfounded; some instinct or something quickly took hold and his body tightened up all over, the slump turning into a straight standing gelquine.

The bull in me let out a mournful moo and gave up the fight, mourning the lose of the pretty girl. The intellect in me admired the gelquine, noting the strong looking shoulders glistening. I had to admit, Aaron made a handsome humanoid horse, with a nice package; not that I was into that.

"Minos, I've told him the basics already while you were... occupied. Why don't you give him the nickel tour and fill him in on anything I forgot," Boss said, interrupting himself with a huge yawn. "When done, this place will need a thorough cleaning. If we're doing more of those we're gonna need better drainage in here," he mused to himself, stumbling a bit towards his office and handing Aaron off to me on the way.

Aaron didn't really need the support at that point, but I was curious about it. A touch to his arm showed he had a very slight dampness that was probably more from the spray down I had given him. His skin itself was rubbery with a lot of give to it, more than my own body had. A quick squeeze showed some of the sparkles near the squeeze-point move and got his attention refocused on me. "It doesn't hurt, in fact it feels rather neat," he assured me with a smile. It was clear he was adapting quickly, and beginning to enjoy the form already, though his eyes sparkled with a certain wildness I wasn't sure of.

I grinned back and let go, taking a step away and clapping my hands together. "Well, welcome to the team then. You've seen most there is to see, but I'll show you the rest. Our living areas are in behind the shelves, we can move things around and make up your own private room area."

Separator stars left.png One Week Later Separator stars right.png

The back door buzzer cut through the haze in my mind. I groaned and rolled over on my fouton and blinked at the clock on the cable box. Across the shelves I heard a groggy voice call out 'Five more minutes, Ma."

When the numbers wiggled their way through my eyes and into my brain, everything clicked into place. "Oh crap, delivery day!" I cursed to myself, sitting up suddenly. I felt a sharp tug of pain, followed by a throbbing in my temples as my horn briefly got caught on the futon, stretched and snapped free.

I stumbled out of the curtained alcove I was now using for a bedroom area and blinked around, noting various bottles and empty snack bags scattered around. I groaned and kicked a bag of packing peanuts away and stumbled to the door, shouting for Aaron. "Aaron! Git yer butt out of bed and clear the floor. Rick's here with the order!"

I fumbled with the locks, thankful the buzzing had stopped at my shout. My head was still pounding a bit, and the twanging ache from my horn certainly didn't help. Though neither of us needed to eat much, we still enjoyed snacking, and, like caffeine, alcohol had some effect on us especially when mixed with some special chemicals I'd discovered through the years that have a good kick of their own.

Finally the last lock clattered open, and I was able to pull the door open. I shaded my eyes against the extra bright sun and blinked rapidly, seeing Rick and a big box on his cart.

"Hey Minos, partied the long weekend away?" he asked way too cheerfully.

My eyes blinked rapidly and finally could stand the light enough to not leave me feeling like I was melting. "Aye, we were celebrating. New addition to the team, a day off from a week or so of showing the ropes, and a peace on the matter of afternoon TV.... well more of a temporary truce on the last one until I can talk to the Boss. There's no way in hell I'm gonna give up my judge shows so he can watch his soaps."

Rick chuckled and tapped the cart. "Got your usual order here, and a special order Taylor had rushed for delivery today. He had it put in your name too... wait a sec, did you say a new teammate?"

I rubbed the base of my throbbing horn a bit and crouched down. Once the world stopped spinning, I tore the packing slips off the boxes and scanned them over. "Aye. Quite a looker too; he turned out great, and he's picking up the jobs real quick. He was what that rush order was about. You said there's a box for me specifically? Why don't you get that, and I'll get Aaron over here to help with these."

"Making me wait? What a tease... well sign off on Taylor's order here and I'll go get yours. Your slip is under his." Rick passed over the clipboard for me to sign and eased his cart out from the boxes. He wheeled it around to the back of the truck and grunted as he pulled another box down.

I grabbed the first box from the pile and carried it inside, finding Aaron in our shared living area/receiving area. He looked looking a very greenish shade of blue and was trying to sweep up the floor without making too much noise. His body seemed softer than usual, as if he couldn't quite pull himself to his normal hardness. "Hey Aaron, there's someone I want yah to meet. And a couple more boxes I want you to help bring in," I called to him, inwardly grinning at his wince. I dropped the box against the wall and together we went to the loading door.

Rick was just setting his cart down as we came into sight. He looked up and his jaw dropped in amazement. "Wow," he gasped out, looking Aaron up and down like he usually looked at me.

"Rick, this is eh-... brand new high def TV?" It was my turn for a jaw drop, my gaze looking over the box Rick had. It had a bow wrapped around it, and a card tucked in front of it with my name written on the front, in Boss's own hand writing.

I tugged the card free and flipped it open, hearing Aaron reach out and close Rick's jaw, then shake his hand, introducing himself. Opening the card, I glanced over the lame joke and read the Boss's scrawl.

'Just a quick thank you for all your help. And an offering to bring peace to the shop during the day. The hi-def's yours to watch your shows on, and your old tube is for Aaron. Now stop bickering over the shows. I'll be in this afternoon. -- The Boss'

I chuckled softly and tucked the card back in against the ribbon, and reached for the clipboard to sign. Rick handed it over and shook his head.

"Man, Taylor and you do excellent work. I thought you were just a one off Minos, in spite of everything I've delivered here, but Aaron here proves me wrong."

"Thanks Rick, maybe someday we'll be able to show you some of our other clients. Most are like me in many ways; so far Aaron is quite unique. And thanks for bringing this in; Boss is incredible," I answered, all but yanking the TV off the cart to bring it in. I twitched my tail and indicated to Aaron to grab the other box. His body rippled a bit as he concentrated, hardening enough to give him enough purchase and leverage on the box, then lifted it easily. During the previous week, we had experimented and discovered he could vary his solidness from being almost as solid as me with a similar strength to mine, to practically being a puddle of gel, week as a baby, but able to slip under door cracks. Together, we got the boxes into the shop and out of the way.

"Go talk to Rick some more if you want Aaron; he's used to chatting up a storm. I'm gonna check this out. But don't be too long, we have quite the mess to clean up," I said, already grabbing a blade to open the TV box.

He mock saluted me and returned to the doorway to chat, making the most of the first non-Boss, non-me contact he'd had since we changed. It was clear he had missed talking with other people. I made a mental note to make some calls later and arrange something later on, the thought slipping my mind as the shiny screen was revealed.

"Thanks Boss," I mumbled and fell on the manuals and cables in electronic bliss.


Preceded by:
Tom and Cat
Taylor Series Succeeded by:
Minos

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