DING-DONG-DING-DONG-DING-DONG-DING-DONG!
You rush to the door, jerking it open mid-ring, only to find... nobody? Your eyes automatically go to normal height, but there's just empty hallway.
"Down here, fuckface."
You lower your gaze a full foot and find yourself staring at a tiny, furious Asian girl drowning in men's clothing. A black T-shirt that reads "RESPAWN OR DIE TRYING" hangs like a dress off one shoulder. Baggy jeans are rolled up multiple times at the ankles and cinched at the waist with an ethernet cable.
"Devon?" you gasp.
"No, it's the fucking tooth fairy," the girl snaps, voice a bizarre blend of Devon's familiar sarcastic cadence but in a high, melodic register. "Let me in before anyone sees me."
You step aside as Devon storms past, struggling to carry a backpack that now seems cartoonishly large, along with a Paradise Mall shopping bag and a Steam Deck case.
"There. Happy now?" Devon spins around, arms extended dramatically. "I'm a GIRL. I spent TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY OF MY HARD-EARNED DOLLARS to become a GIRL. So we can play FUCKING ELDEN RING."
You stare.
"WORST DEAL EVER," she continues. Her features are delicate--heart-shaped face, button nose, full lips--and despite the oversized clothes, she's even a bit stacked!
"Holy shit," you breathe. "You're... cute."
"I know, right?" Devon's angry facade cracks for a split second, replaced by a pleased expression before immediately switching back to outrage. "I mean, fuck you! This is YOUR FAULT! I'm FIVE FEET TALL. Five feet! I lost nearly a FOOT of height! And look at these!" She grabs her breasts through the baggy shirt."
You can't help but start laughing.
"Oh sure, laugh it up, Elvira," Devon snaps, but there's no real heat in it. "At least I don't look like I fell into Hot Topic's basement and emerged as their final boss."
Her eyes narrow suddenly, focusing on your face.
"Wait, are you wearing lipstick?" She marches closer, peering up at you. "You're wearing MAKEUP to sit around your own APARTMENT? The fuck?"
"No, I'm not! They're just like this now."
"Bullshit." Devon suddenly lunges, trying to rub your lips as if to wipe off lipstick.
"Get off me!" you laugh, holding her at arm's length, which is quite easy given her size. Devon's arms windmill ineffectually.
"SHOW ME YOUR LIPS, MERCER!"
"I SWEAR they came this way! The lipstick is baked in!"
Devon stops struggling. "That can't be right. Like, genetically? Is goth in your DNA now? Are you telling me lipstick is GENETIC?"
"I don't know how it works!"
"Because that has serious scientific implications." Devon starts pacing. "Like, if pills can give you specific aesthetic features, then is personal style actually biological? Is being a goth an actual subspecies? Are we just unearthing dormant genetic code that--"
She stops abruptly, staring at something on your inner arm where your sleeve has ridden up.
"Wait, is that a TATTOO?"
Your hand flies to cover it, but it's too late.
"Holy shit," Devon breathes, suddenly all up in your personal space. "Did Veronica choose a pre-inked body? Does your Goth Barbie form come with ACCESSORIES?"
"I--"
"What does it SAY?" Devon lunges for your arm again, this time successfully grabbing it and pushing up your sleeve before you can stop her. She reads aloud, "'Daddy's Little Disappointment'?! What the FUCK?"
You yank your arm back, face burning. "There are others too."
"SHOW ME." Devon's eyes are wide with delight. "This is the greatest thing I've ever seen."
"No way."
"Come on! I had to become an entirely different race! The least you can do is show me your factory-installed body art!"
Reluctantly, you lift the back of your shirt to reveal the "Property of Veronica Valentine" tattoo.
Devon falls silent for a full three seconds--the longest she's been quiet since arriving--before erupting into peals of laughter so violent she has to lean against the wall for support.
"SHE BRANDED YOU?" Devon wheezes, tears forming in her eyes. "Like ACTUAL CATTLE? Oh my GOD. This is too good."
"It's-"
"Dude, your girlfriend put a RETURN ADDRESS on your ASS!" Devon is doubled over now, shaking with evil giggles. "What does she think is gonna happen? Someone's gonna mail you home if you get lost?"
You cross your arms defensively, which only pushes up your substantial cleavage.
"Speaking of which, holy fucking TITS, Mercer!" Her laughter cuts off as she straightens up, eyes wide. "Veronica really went all out, huh? You're basically a sex doll with legs!"
You tug your hoodie tighter. "Yeah, well, at least I FIT in my CLOTHES."
"TouchΓ©," Devon concedes, looking down at herself. "I look like a kid playing dress-up in dad's closet." She kicks off her oversized shoes. "These were falling off every two steps."
You find yourself circling each other now, both curious and horrified by the other's transformation.
"So you're what, Japanese?" you ask.
"They didn't say." Devon shrugs.
"It's weird that the three of us all have black hair now," you observe. "Me, you, Veronica."
"RIGHT?" Devon explodes, clearly having thought the same thing. "Is this some big joke? Or do female friends usually coordinate hair colors? Is this like a science thing, like how women who live together sync up their periods?"
"I don't think that's actually scientifically proven--"
"BUT WHAT IF IT IS?" Devon is in full conspiracy mode now. Typical. "What if X-Change pills can actually sense the hair color of your social circle and adjust accordingly? What if there's a HIVEMIND aspect we don't know about?"
"What are you TALKING about? No!"
Devon shakes her head. "I'm just saying, it's suspicious. Veronica is clearly part of the alien hivemind, and now she's bringing us into the fold. First she takes our dicks, then our hair, then our thoughts."
You roll your eyes. "Veronica's not an alien."
"That's what she WANTS you to think," Devon insists. "She probably implanted a tracking device in those gigantic funbags." She gestures to your chest.
"Can we not call them funbags?"
"What would you prefer? Mommy milkers? Calcium cannons? State droopers? Squishers? Meal tickets? Honka-honka-bonk-bonkas? Baby feeders-"
"Devon?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut up."
"Make me, big tits."
You don't know what possesses you, but the next moment you've launched yourself at Devon, locking her in a headlock like you've done a thousand times before. Except this time, your breasts mash against her back and her much smaller body is far easier to overpower.
"Ack! No fair using your massive weight advantage!" Devon squirms, trying to escape.
"Are you calling me fat?" you demand.