“Good evening Sir, welcome to the Clover Club~♥! Can I get you anything to drink~♥?” I hummed with my lips pursed into a sugary smile. “We have an exotic selection of beverages imported from as far as the Moon Titan, ah-…”

Hidden behind layers of concealer, and lip-gloss, this tone I assumed, it isn’t me.

Well, it is, but you know what I mean when I say it isn’t. This is me maybe a month before I was enrolled in School. I was a cocktail waitress on the sub-orbital ‘sky’ satellite infamously known as the Clover Club.

Soaring just above the edge of the atmosphere, the secular Elite considered this terrestrial Space Station to be more than just a Tavern for the privileged. Outside Global Regulations, and just below the boundary of Interplanetary Authority, the Clover Club became known as a haven for all walks of life- so long as the weight of their wallet was proportionate to the weight of their egos.

The Clover Club meant a lot of things to me as it was the product of my Owner’s endless ambition. I wish I had learned earlier to not express my opinions as they would often lead to a swift hand, and a night in the Virtual Suite Hell known as ‘Valhalla’, but even when the loudest of my ‘Sisters’ scolded and nudged me to stay in line, I didn’t listen…

I never listened…

Speaking of never listening... or rather, never needing to listen.

Vivian “Silky” Sylvia Escher Clover.

Even the mouthful that is her full name pales in comparison to how large of a woman she is. I’m not talking about her bust, age or stature, I mean ‘LARGE’ which coincides with being ‘LOUD’ and ‘OVERBEARING.’ Bundled in a package far more exotic than the Bar’s Lunar Spirits, Silky was of an unusual breed of Beastkin, more than most of my other ‘Brothers’ and ‘Sisters’ living out their Service aboard our castle of glass hidden above the clouds just short of the stars.

Most of Earth’s tourists, explicitly the ones from Mars, often jump to the conclusion that all Beastkin are more Beast than Human, often referring to us as Furries when it is quite the opposite. I’ve run in with this misconception so often that I explain the differences of the lowest working Caste ‘Human Flavored Beasts,’ and the vast majority ‘Beast Flavored Humans’ the group in which both Silky and I reside.

At first glance, Silky did not appear to fit anything found in nature; with two grey knife like ears, beautifully freckled skin and dagger-like teeth… Oh, and let’s not forget the long slender shark-like tail. With every strut, she was sure to show off its mesmerizing patterns, bewitching all the patrons before they could even admire the rare liquid swirling around their chalices.

“Yeah I’ll have a Jack n Coke, could you make that boneless, please! Teehee~!”

Rolling my eyes through a blink, I took a sharp breath in an attempt to regain my bearings.

Oh…

That’s right.

It’s my turn to tend the counter. Tonight’s the big investment meeting Mr. Clover… My Master had been on about for a while now.

“Ello? El… EL! Little Frill? ELSE!? Hey-?” As the voice continued to drone and raise in pitch from behind me, I felt two hands slip through the opening in the back of my dress uniform, finger-walking their way to their intended targets; my breasts.

“Silky!” I yipped, pulling away before she could trigger her infamous ‘Quick Charge,’ which is exactly how it sounds since her body comes with a built-in taser.

“Dang! I couldn’t contain myself! I bet my hands were tingling before I even got close to your nipples, huh Lil Frill!”

“D-Don’t you have somewhere to be?” I winced, setting down the empty glass I had absentmindedly prepared to fill. “If Mr. Clover-.”

“PFFT! Mr. Clover~?!” The fanged maid snorted sarcastically as she propped her rear on the countertop. “Master is Master! He even gave you super special perms to call em’ by his first name, yet yer’ all formal! Loosen up a little~! It’s not good for your health to be so~ tight~!”

“Uptight…” I corrected as Silky corrected the portion of my bangs that had fallen below my brow. “Mr.Clo-… Alistar… will punish you for being so careless, p-please Silky…”

“Fine~fine~, but I will need that order of Jack n Coke times eight!! A bunch of Cadets from the Royal Martian Space Corp were just dropped off by their Instructor for some on the house R&R!”

“Huh? We’re entertaining a bunch of spoiled blow-hards during the Master’s absence? Do they even know House Rules not to touch Staff unless they’re paying customers? – card holding, paying customers.”

“Probs not, some of them are… whatchamacallits~ ‘Human Flavored Beasts’ as you once put it. Seems the Martian people realized a Tiger-man behind a rifle was better than a man sportin’ just some stripes, tiger ears, and a tail.”

“Great…” I puffed, articulating the Tap levers until a pool of dark rum sloshed around each vacant lowball. “Don’t encourage them out of curiosity like you always do, Silky. Steer them away from the hard liquors if they put in a request for more.”

“Maou~?” She raised her hands defensively. “I got a customer in the Valhalla V.R. Suite waiting for me! It’s the Atlantis Scenario, I’m going to be right at home!”

Abruptly shoving the tray of drinks into her sternum, I brought Silky’s head out of the clouds were it only for a moment.

“I can’t very well leave my post, Silky, get one of the others to do it!”

“Shade, the new Chameleon girl is on Billboard Duty, and I gotta run by the Lady’s Room before I Jack-in to V.R. I can’t be plugged in when I already need to pee, ya know? Please, El, pretty peas-peas?”

“Billboard Duty? Is that even a real position or are you just trying to get out of dealing with the rowdy shit-heads?”

“Foreals!” She exclaimed, shoving the tray back into my possession. “They got Shade all dressed up in a bikini covered head to toe in all sorts of edibles. She’s been planking on a table for like, almost an hour now doing that pattern thing with her skin. No one’s eating anythin cause they think the little blushy scales on her face makes her a dragon or somethin…”

“Okay, I can see that, but why are they afraid of her? Ugh, forget it. What about Q and Sora? I haven’t seen those slackers all fucking day!”

“Sora’s a little tongue-tied at the moment in one of the Private Suites and Q… Uhh… remember the reason why I said I hate doing it with Full-Beasts?”

“I’m sure if I shrug my shoulders, you’ll tell me anyway…” I rolled my eyes, nudging the tray back in her direction only to have her golden eyes drip with expectation. “Something about bestial stamina?”

“Eh, that’s not a con in my book! I can’t believe you weren’t listenin’ to all the times I’ve told you about my encounters with strange dicks! Q got wrecked by this Mythos-Class, a Werewolf! They’ve been stuck together since-!”

Under normal circumstances, a hard glare would cut Silky off before she would divulge such explicit detail, but today, her frenzied excitement could not be contained. To nearly all of us except for Silky and a few others of questionable morals, performing favors in Virtual was no different than having intercourse in the real. Regrettably, this form of ‘faux’ Service is widespread and legal, though it would be under heavy scrutiny for any side dealings in the real, and the Virtual Machine’s settings would be heavily monitored and regulated to mitigate mental side-effects inflicted through dying inside of a simulation.

In short; Silky is happy because minutes from now, she’s going to be biting a pillow in the underwater equivalent of Cloud 9, a place she identifies as home, though she has never been near a body of water more substantial than the Clover Club’s executive Onsen.

“I’ll do whatever you want, peas-peas Elsee~! Don’t make me use the Suite’s built-in catheter, pwease!”

Forcing myself to swallow my reluctance, I accepted defeat. “Fine…”

“You’re the best Lil Frill! I’ll see you at moon-rise, ciao~!”

Idiot.

You complete and utter Idiot.

Now, where did those jack-off Cadets wander off to?

After twenty minutes in pacing around the bustling grounds of the Cantina embellished with gold and ivory, the rowdy bunch was nowhere to be found.

“Ha… Haha… All that hassle for nothingggg-waaah!?!”

Out of nowhere, a sizeable blur bowled me over onto my backside sending the tray and its contents clattering across the black marble floor, creating a slick of rum that made it impossible for me to upright myself.

“Ughu… I’m freaking soaked, and m-my eyes, o-ouch!” And then I looked up, my chest pinging with dread only to get about halfway up a pair of inverted knees, those of a lumbering Full-Beast.

“Look what you’ve done, you clumsy slut! Do you see this Suit!?”

Built like a column of muscle, a large reptilian Full-Beast grabbed me by the wrist before hoisting me into the air. Its breath smelled of damp and meat, and its yellow eyes threatened to turn me to stone.

“This is Twylvian Silk imported from Eden, and it’s worth more than your damn hide!” The hulk then paused as if to discern my features. “Or not… those markings, and are those… horns? You’re an Oni!? Ha… Hahaha! Well, well, well, it does seem you have a little worth left in you, give your card to me! “

Typically, when a belligerent Patron makes unwanted advances, the Clover Club’s specialized security team moves in to quickly remedy the situation, but in this case, the absence of my Master meant that security had been spread thin, quartered off to the Private and V.R. Suites.

To make matters worse, my Clover I.D Card state I am only to perform my nightly services in Virtual, as decreed by my Master.

“Virtual Service only!?” The reptilian man opened his jowls, revealing rows upon rows of finely pointed teeth. “What’s to stop me from taking you here and now? Do you understand that none of you concubines are out of the reach of General Braddock!?

“P-Please… We have a professional tailoring service, if I could just-.”

*Ripppppppp----!*

Using its kitchen-knife sized fingernail, the Full-Beast sliced open the side of my dress just as footsteps approached from behind.

“That’s enough, Cadet Gorz.” A young man dressed in a similar uniform gestured, hinting towards the rank stitched into his shoulder. “We wouldn’t want to trouble Mr. Clover while he undergoes his meeting with the General.”

With a blast of air from his nostrils directly into my face, Cadet Gorz released me abruptly with a tooth bearing sneer.

To my bewilderment, the Full-Beast submissively retorted, “Lieutenant…” as if the man were some sort of Lion Tamer.

“Gotcha!” The man exclaimed, but I had fallen just an inch out of reach with enough leverage to send the two of us into the puddle of rum that had been smeared to double its original size. “Oof!”

“I-I’m sorry!” I apologized in a half-shriek only to find myself staring at my own Clover Card dripping with dark liquid. “The Tailors are on the third floor, if we just-!”

“Oh, this old thing?” The young man laughed, tugging at the breast pocket of his uniform. “This thing is purely ceremonial, don’t worry about it, ah Miss--…” As the man turned my Card around, he read my name aloud. “El-see? Eelse?”

It’s Else you blithering idiot…

“How about I just call you El, hmm?” The man smiled, thumbing his dark hair away from his face.

W-What the in the fresh hell?!

This man, he’s an…!?

“Oh, I didn’t expect to meet another Oni in my lifetime!” He smirked, revealing the iconic pointed incisors. “I have so many questions for you, Miss El- *PFFT* I just called you a missile, I’m sorry, bwahaha~!”

“P-Pardon, but c-could I ask you to get off of me, S-Sir?”

After a slow double blink, the Man removed himself before offering a rum-stained glove.

“Here, let’s get ourselves cleaned up, yeah? I heard this fine establishment has an Onsen hidden away somewhere. Would you happen to know where it is?”

“Y-Yes, b-but…”

“Oh, I don’t mean to actually use the Onsen. They normally have bathrooms to wash up before entering and when you leave, right? I know, I know; me, a Japanese exclusive Beastkin has never been to an Onsen before! That must be criminal, huh?”

All I could do was fall back on my training; a polite bow with whatever dignity I had left, but that just caused the threads of my dress to further unravel. “Ah…?”

The man slid his jacket over my shoulders, medals and all leaving me dumbfounded.

“My name is Free, err, I hope you don’t take Cadet Gorz’s outburst personally. We’re all one big family when you’re in the Martian Interstellar Navy. Full-Beasts have it rough as they are subject to intense training and scrutiny, he just needs to let off a little steam... and a couple of liters of testosterone...”

As we walked towards a large panel of shimmering rose quartz, I pulled the large jacket together around my neck as a small group of Cadets conversing with one another passed us by.

“Wow, this place is beautiful- no - it's more than that! It’s absolutely breathtaking!” Free hummed enthusiastically. “Your Master has impeccable tastes! Is this entire walkway geodesic? I feel like I’ve been transported into a mystical land! There couldn’t possibly be an Onsen--!”

Well, he wasn’t kidding; the Myriad Tunnel as it is aptly named took his breath away just as it did the laborers who harvested the rare crystals.

On all sides save for the black marble flooring, we were surrounded by beautiful crystals shimmering beneath a string of lights woven throughout the ceiling. Every ten seconds, the clean white light would invert to ultraviolet, shifting the colors to their polar opposites. Deep purples became incandescent yellows, and coincidentally, my Naku-Chi markings, my heritage, would radiate proudly.

“This way… Sir…” I gestured towards the partitioned washroom that opened towards the end of the tunnel.

“I'd assume you’ve been told how to act and what to say, but seriously, there’s no need for formality… or does my name upset you? Err… I dunno how I should put it.”

“Free…” I murmured, further gesturing for the Men’s Only section with a lean. “If you are permitting me to speak my mind; then no. How exactly are you ‘Free’ when you are in Service to the Military?”

Thumbing his hair out of his face, I noticed the Naku-Chi formed in the shape of a crescent moon just below his left eye.

“I should have figured as much from another Oni. You’re sharp, Elsee!”

“-It’s Else.” I snapped.

“Ah, I s-see.”

And then, the worst possible thing could have happened.

“IS THAT LITTLE FRILL I HEAR!?!” A shrill voice called from the other side of the adjacent door.

No…

Fuck no…

You’ve got to be shitting me…

Wait- why didn’t Silky go to the restrooms closest to the Bar!?

“Lit~tle Frill~!” Her voice called again, much nearer this time, and in a singsong rhythm.

That conniving little shit! When she comes through that door, I’m going to-!

“Oh… Hello there,” Silky paused as she looked over Free whose markings shone the same as mine.

“Wow! Aren’t you a funny looking Beastkin!” Free cheered, completely ignoring the ‘Women’s Only’ signage as he pressed his way inside the washroom. “So, you’re one of Else’s friends I take it- WHOAH!?”

Taken back by the holographic forest projected over the washroom, Free took a step back in disbelief.

“The heck happened to you, Else!? I-Is that your uniform!?” Silky pawed at the remains of my dress, her voice becoming manic. “Did those ruffians do this to you!? Is this one of them!?”

Silky had always been overly protective of me, probably because our Mastered ordered her to do so. As a Beastkin developed using the genetics of a Torpedo Ray, she possessed an inherent ability to become a living lightning bolt on command, a rather useful quirk for a would-be bodyguard.

With Free still struggling to absorb the surreal, yet entirely artificial ponds of swirling mist and towering foliage bound with creepers, Silky’s version of ‘Shock and Awe’ started with a crackling blue spark trailing along her fingertips.

“Wait- Sil!!” I choked, but it was too late…

A sharp pop and a flash of light flickered from where Silky had grabbed onto Free’s wrist, and as a result; his entire body contracted before crumpling on the floor like a ragdoll.

“Silkeeeyyy!!!” I seethed, gnashing her name between my teeth. “That guy didn’t have anything to do with my dress! Ya dun goofed now! This guy is like an executive among Cadets- a Lieutenant!!”

“What’s a Leuuu-tenan?” Silky bit the tip of her finger as if to play coy. “Ahn! I’m sure he’ll be fine~! I can always give him a Quick Recharge to get him back and up on his feet!”

“Y-You stay away from his nipples! Silk, you’ve already done enough damage! Now, help me pick him up! We’re going to splash some cold water on his face! If Mr. Clover-!”

“Yah-yah, if Alistar hears about this my ass is grass. I get it…” She huffed as we each braced our shoulders beneath the man’s armpits. “Ya know, this may be the only chance we get to see another Oni…”

“Sil- do not even think to tell me what you’re suggesting!” I grumbled, setting Free down next to a decaying stump reaching up from the digital forest floor.

Inside the hologram, Silky retrieved a standard hose-faucet, turning the warm and cold water dials until they creaked open.

“Yeah, buttt~ I wanna know if he has a funny lookin' dick!” She gestured towards Free’s groin absentmindedly waving the water-wand.

“H-He’s not a Full-Beast, why would he have a s-strange… dick…?”

“I dunno, I’m more curious if the markings go all the way below the belt! How can you not be curious!? This could very well be your once in a lifetime chance! It’s gotta be fate! How can you possibly be so sure-!?”

“Because I don’t have anything out of the ordinary!” I blurted, deflecting the water-wand only to be misted by the spray. “It makes sense he wouldn’t either!” And then, with an intent to pilfer the miniature rain-maker from my awkward kneeling position, I toppled over Silky’s lap in the most unfortunate manner.

“Moh~! You’re always so bashful around me! It’s not like I would know since you’re a Virtual Doll!”

“Don’t freaking remind me!” I hissed.

That title made me an outcast even among my peers. Their spite and jealousy bred rumors of my special treatment that somehow all my woe and misery didn’t matter. Hearing it from Silky of all people made it feel as if salt entered my wounds.

“Why did you always have to hide these markings, even in Virtual? Did Alistar make you do it?”

“N-No! It’s simply because it’s embarrassing!” *CRACK!* “EEP!”

In my attempt to break free from Silky’s elbows pinning down my backside, I received yet another swat to the rear.

*CRACK-CRACK!*

“Don’t you lie to me Lil Frill!”

“I-I’m not! Let me go already- stop fooling around! Someone’s going to notice Mr. Free is missing!”

The ambiance noise from hidden speakers drowned out the precise moment when Free began to stir, and Silky, for whatever reason, was completely unaware that he had opened his eyes.

“Missing?” He grumbled, sending a massive shiver that seemed to travel between Silky and my exposed backside.

“I’d do anything to get away from the rest of my Platoon…” Free continued, setting himself upright while Silky and I continued to stare in disbelief. “It’s refreshing to see two genuine souls interacting with one another, you both must have been siblings in another life.” And then he began to laugh, leaving Silky and me to give a beady-eyed blink towards one another.

“H-How much did you overhear?” I puffed.

“Oh, just everything. I just wanted to see where this was going, I apologize for the deception. The first ten-twelve seconds were real convulsions. You, Miss, pack quite the punch in those little fingers of yours. None of the other Cadets have been able to bring me to the floor in our C.Q.C Wargames.”

Blushing, Silky hummed bashfully to the praise.

“Well, I am assigned to nanny my little Frill! I guess I owe you big time for watchin’ out for her in my absence heheh~!”

“It’s no big deal. Cadet Gorz comes from a troubled background, so I hope you’ll be able to forgive him, Ms. Else. He’s a big cry-baby! Alligator tears never applied more in any other circumstance when nobody is looking!”

With a hand to my throat, I recalled distinctly looking down into the maws of a predator and the fear that gripped me.

“Well if we’re all good and dandy, would you let me up already Silk!?! This position is rather embarrassing!”

*CRACK!*

“SILK!!!”

“Wha? One last spank for good measure!” She smirked and then turned to Free with a sly twinkle in her eyes. “Whadaya say, Mr. Free, this fine rump roast is on the Virtual Market if ya got a double-wide wallet!”

Suddenly, it felt as if a physical weight had pressed the air out of my lungs.

“Vivian…” As I muttered Silky’s surname, the tension set me on pins and needles.

“Okay, Little Frill, okay…” She conceded, releasing me to the bed of digital leaves tumbling along the floor like tiny fairies. “Let’s get you both washed up. If you want to take a private stall and hose off, the tree-trunk over in the corner is available, Frill. I already wrung up a Tailor to replace your outfit. Would you like me to service you, Mr. Free? The Tailor will be here any minute to retrieve your uniform.”

“I suppose I have some time to kill. I can’t very well walk out of here without my clothes, haha!”

And with that, I left Free’s jacket and retreated to the corner of the room with my chest clenched in a knot.

“Another Oni… Someone like me…” I longed for someone to understand me, and I potentially just shot that possibility down. In Virtual, I have heard time and time again about the way my body speaks; “I love you.” My patrons often would say, perhaps even with intent, but it never meant a thing to me. If anything, it reinforced the idea that I would never find 'true' love, that I was undeserving of it... or that it didn't even exist. With each tally mark, a blemish upon my worth and of my soul.

In allowing my torn rags to slide off my shoulder, I looked at myself in the mirror; the entity that is ‘me’ while the water sprouted to life from a nozzle overhead.

Tawny white hair that just grazed my shoulders, and dull eyes like rubies that had yet been cut or polished. This is how I used to be before I began accumulating my massive collection of scars. I could see my ribs, on the verge of being emaciated. That is what is required of me as it suits the tastes of most clients. Just how much more must I sacrifice? Just what is expected of me?

B: 83 W: 56 H: 83

Height: 151 cm

These details, they capture me in the form of my Clover I.D Card, but they are not who I am for I was crafted to be this way. There is no one to call Mama or Papa, just this stranger in the mirror staring back at me… and Vivian…

Through the crease in the hollowed tree-trunk serving as a stall, I peered between the door as the holographic simulation came to an end revealing the washroom beneath. There, I found Silky sat behind Free, attentively blotted a sponge along his muscular backside.

“So… What do you think of her?” Silky spoke softly, tamping the crease of his shoulder blade where his Naku-Chi lines intersected. “A handful, but hopefully more than you expected -hmm?”

“I don’t mean to sound disrespectful, she’s absolutely stunning, but all this pomp and circumstance is one big charade- a power play if you will for the Ares Family. I’m Martian Royalty by proxy.”

“You say it like you’ve been dealt a bad hand, mmh?”

“I am aware of what I have been dealt, but this is no game of cards. I am as much of a pawn as anyone else when it comes to the Royal Family. Even a king is a mere piece on a chessboard.”

“Don’t do that.” Silky stated bluntly, spinning the water gorged sponge in her palm.

“Do what?” Free was utterly confused, wincing as he turned over his shoulder.

“Be all philosophical. She hates when people try sounding smarter than they look.”

“Hey!” Free frowned, twisting himself to face Silky who couldn’t help but to chuckle as her eyes traveled downward.

“You can’t have both; brains or brawn, pick one Mister- otherwise, you may be too perfect for my Little Frill!”

“Now I can’t tell if you’re disowning me or flirting with me. You’re one strange girl, Vivian.”

“Please, you may only call me ‘Silky.’ My surname is reserved for my beloved Frill- oh, and Mr. Clover, but he caved after I called him Daddy for a month straight.”

“If you don’t mind me asking; why ‘Silky’ if you’re not a Silky Shark?”

Taking Free’s hand forcefully into her own, Silky stood on her knees, bring his palm beneath her dress with a devilish grin.

“Yup-okay-now-I-know-why-they-call-you-Silkeeeey!!”

*CRACK!!*

My vision tunneled as I buckled over, clutching my bloodied fist. I fought for each breath as I looked to the broken fragments of mirror caught in the floor drain.

A bargaining chip…

Did I overhear them correctly? Was that my purpose; a bride?

Has Mr. Clover grown tired of me? Did I do something wrong? Why me? Please, someone, anyone- I can’t breathe!

Although they were distant, I could hear voices rushing to my side as my head made contact with the floor.

“I don’t need a damn Tailor now, Demmi! Inform Mr. Clover- and fetch the nearest physician!”

“Use a portion of your dress to tie off the bleeding! She’s losing a lot of blood!”

“Damn it, Else- what happened!? Can you hear me?!”

Is this a dream, or a memory? How long have I been sleeping?

Izumi…

IZUMI!?!

I need to wake up!

I need to wake up god damn it!

Izumi is still waiting for me! Please! Someone, anyone, wake me up from this terrible nightmare!