Foreword
: This is a sequel to
A Different Kind of Sex Toy
(series page)
.
Harem Scarum
Chapter 8: "That August Time It Was Delight..."
Tuesday Morning (August 1)
Cassie wriggled with excitement and anticipation, her tail wagging furiously, as she knelt on her balcony and awaited Tara's arrival. For bookkeeping purposes, her landlord wanted the girl to wait until the first of the month, and although it really wouldn't have mattered to anyone else if she'd moved in the previous weekend, her parents insisted on waiting. According to Tara, they were getting clingy and maudlin at how 'grown up' she was getting, and had demanded one last weekend as a family before allowing her to leave. They'd finally helped her pack up on Monday and then driven about halfway, spending the night in a hotel, ostensibly so they wouldn't bother the neighbors by unloading in the evening. And now, they were minutes away, according to her new roommate's last message, and Cassie was too excited to sit still.
The redheaded dog-girl suspected part of it was just her canine instincts boiling over; she had noticed a marked tendency to act more doggish when she was excited. She was also self-aware enough to admit that she had a bit of a crush on the younger girl, although she didn't really understand why she found her so attractive. Still, matters of the heart didn't always make sense, and if it insisted on thumping so hard she thought her ears were twitching from the blood pressure, so be it. And, even with her frequent harem hook-ups, being by herself in the apartment was simply making her lonely and a little depressed.
Perhaps most importantly of all, however, Cassie finally had the device back in her possession. Maddie had demanded its return the day after Dana and Miguel had received their fourth traits, and she'd been very vague and mysterious about why, although it apparently had something to do with an emergency related to one of the new people Allie or someone had brought into their fold. Now, almost two weeks later, she could resume finishing off the harem, starting with her new roommate, who still only had her first level gift. Or she could, whenever the girl actually arrived.
Although it seemed like a long time, in truth Cassie only had a short wait before she saw Tara and two people who presumably were her parents starting to unload a small trailer down by the street. She called out a cheery greeting, waving when the trio looked up, and yelled, "I'll be right down to help!" She bounded downstairs, tail still wagging, and gave Tara a strong hug when she got there, trying to not be alarmingly effusive. She then held out a hand to the Quinns, saying, "Nice to meet you! I'm Cassie Ryan, the roommate, which you probably guessed!"
The two strangers shook her hand in turn, looking confused for a few moments, and then just slightly uncomfortable. "Tara didn't mention you were a hybrid!" said Mrs. Quinn, sounding a little accusative as she glanced at her daughter. "But I guess now I know why she thinks it's okay to be naked all the time."
"I hope that's not going to be a problem," Cassie said, trying to seem more formal, getting the impression that Mrs. Quinn, at least, was a stickler for rules and order.
"Well, you have your own set of rules and rights, I suppose," the older woman said, shrugging. "I just hope Tara doesn't offend anyone by thinking they apply to her as well."
"Of course no one will be offended!" Cassie said. "Personally, I find it flattering when 'regular people' adopt our customs, even if just temporarily." She grinned and aimed a wink at Tara, getting a naughty idea. "Now that you're here, roomie, feel free to dress down if you like!" She knew that the younger woman was presumably still only an at-home nudist, but she concentrated hard on her fourth-level trait, trying to will the entire Quinn family into accepting her so-called customary nakedness for as long as they were there.
Tara hesitated for a few moments, looking at her parents as if waiting for an objection. When the elder Quinns failed to speak out, though, she got a nervous grin on her face and whispered, "Okay!" She was wearing a black dress, which was actually kind of shapeless and not especially flattering, plus some kind of buckled boots. As she cautiously raised the garment and removed it, she revealed that she'd not bothered with underwear, putting her tiny nipples and neatly trimmed landing strip on display for the entire street, although there were few other people nearby just then, and none really paying attention to what was happening. Cassie's tail almost quivered with delight, and she tore her admiring gaze away from her friend's nudity to stare expectantly at the parents.
Mr. Quinn cleared his throat and spoke for the first time since exchanging greetings. "Well... I suppose... if you and Tara insist..." he said slowly, looking at his wife, who was simply standing there blinking owlishly.