Onyx's First Summoning Pt. 01

At the front desk a white-haired catgirl slept, slumped over a stack of papers. Beside her head was a small sign that read 'please ring bell for assistance' and the aforementioned bell. Seeing her, ve smiled wickedly, like a cat staring at a mouse, or more accurately a dragon staring at a cat. Ve sauntered up, clinked the bell once, and waited. The girl opened up her eyes immediately, slowly raising her head as she surveyed the pair.

"Hello and welcome to the office of non-human welfare, my name is Renée. How can I assist you today?" Her welcome was pleasant but distant, unsure. Ve leaned onto the counter, still smiling and said, "Hello Darlin, I need a pet license. Can you direct us?"

"Of course. I can get the paperwork started here if you wish," her tone unphased.

"Please." Ve sat down in a chair in front of the desk, and Astarte joined ver, waiting until she was needed.

"Alright then, to start, I'll need your name and age, as well as your caregivers ID, if you have one." Nodding to her, Renée continued, "Then I will need your classification, date of transformation, and consent to a magical assessment and physical examination." She pushed the consent form forwards, while waiting for the information.

"Onyx Noon, 28, she is my owner, dragon, Forest night X13," ver smile only slipped when ve said the date, but recovered after a moment while ve signed the form. For her part, Astarte handed over her license but otherwise stayed quiet, feeling her input would be inappropriate.

"Dragon?" Renée repeated, her slightly incredulous tone making it a question. Dragon. That didn't seem possible. After all, there were no dragon Therianthropes or jūjin, and if there were, it's unimaginable that one would consent to a collar.

Ve jumped to vis feet snarling aggressively and beginning to lunge before Astarte finally spoke.

"Sit, Onyx," her voice incredibly firm, she expected to be obeyed without question, and she was.

Ve returned to vis seat as fast as ve left it, still furious, but unmoving.

Renée began to cry softly, whimpering in startlement. She wasn't sure why Onyx had reacted that way and was too uncertain to move.

"Onyx, she was surprised, she wasn't insulting you. You are obviously wound up, and we will talk about this later. Right now, you have a choice, behave and we get the license, or we leave and come back when it's convenient for me." Astarte spoke in calm, even tones, hating that she had to compel ver, even if ve had wanted it. Instinct. Dragon. She should have clued in earlier. Of course there would be aggression issues.

Ve pushed down the rage, visibly stepping back from the edge and spoke, "My apologies. If you require proof I can shift into my normal form, and I've already signed the consent forms."

"Yes please." She sounded meeker, but still sure of herself.

Onyx breathed out, a long rasping sound, then sucked in air slowly, vis form sliding as ve did, features returning to the more bestial and draconic that ve was comfortable with. Pulling off the eyepatch that no longer fit with one of vis long claws, ve asked, "Is this sufficient?"

"Thank you, I appreciate your compliance. If you two will follow me, I'll take you to the examination room," she could barely conceal her excitement, fear and shock completely forgotten.

The three walked down a long hallway, past an open door labeled daycare beyond which twenty catgirls were cuddling in a large heap, and turned a corner to walk down a second hall. The examination room at the end of the hall was a strange mix of divination and medical tech, with the exam table set in the middle of a large circle below a huge floating crystal. Beside the circle, a human-presenting woman sat at a desk. She wore a hybrid lab coat, covered in protection runes and sigils of isolation, perfect for working with transformative magics. The only visible sign that she too was non-human was the yellow eyes, out of place on her elegant face. Therianthrope. Shifter, to the mundane, feral to the crude. Their instability of form was considered a weakness, and their animal form a sign of inferiority. Astarte found elegance in their forms. Truth.

"Hello, I'm Guen. If you lie down, we can start the assessment and exam. Onyx, Right?" she spoke in a perfunctory manner, her voice at odds with the intensity of her stare. A dragon. A Fucking Dragon. This could add an absurd amount of knowledge to the database. They hadn't had a new subtype of Jūjin or Therianthrope in years.

"Yes, I'm Onyx," ve laid onto the table, uncomfortable on the paper cover, and adjusted ver tail until ve could lay flat.

The crystal lowered with a wave from Guen, emanating a red glow that enveloped ver. A readout appeared on the screen. The assessment was a very rough computation of physical and magical strength, as well as a mental health overview. The tech could be used in more detail, but privacy and disability advocates fought hard to restrict the usage as is to consenting non-humans in only a limited capacity. Too easy to weave compulsion when you had the full psyche available to peruse. Too easy to assign guilt based on desire.

"Proficiency in time, summoning and nature magic, complete lack of shielding, enhancement, and defensive magic. Odd," her tone finally betraying her interest, she stopped for a moment to print the assessment before continuing. "Physically, He's healthy, despite the severe damage to his human form. Mentally unstable, likely: DID, C-PTSD, Gender and Species Dysphoria, Codependency, and BPD. Sounds like a fun ride," ending her explanation with a smirk.

Onyx twitched hard at each misgendering, each diagnosis, visibly holding back rage and tears.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Astarte demanded, raising her voice protectively.

"Hm? I mean, he's obviously a trans masc designer pet." Guen's smirk slipped as she was yelled at, confusion evident in her tone, "The imbalance in magical skills, combined with that mind cocktail gives that away."

"Ve is mine, and I haven't pried into vis past, as it's none of my business. My understanding however, is that ve chose vis form verself, if not vis mental state. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you would watch your tongue, before I let ver tear it out," she spoke in an icy tone, brooking no debate or refusal, glacial in her strength.

"Oh... Understood. I apologize, Onyx. I drew an incorrect conclusion from the assessment. The examination won't take long, just need to check for signs of compulsion, and take a blood sample." Seeming suitably subdued, Guen waited for confirmation before continuing.

"Go ahead," vis voice rough and wavering, ve sat up on the table. The exam progress was just as quick as she said, involving ve standing and being looked over by Guen wearing a set of spring green lensed glasses that she pulled out of a pocket. Fragments of compulsion littered vis frame, more than she had seen on one person before. And none so messily broken, all clearly torn outwards by ver.

"Astarte, can I talk to you in private for a moment?" She opened a second door to a small office adjacent to the exam room.

The ladies left the room, closing the door behind them, leaving Onyx to wonder what ve had done wrong this time.

"Ok, Doc, what's up. Your manners were subpar in there, so clearly it must be serious," her tone worried but determined, Astarte interrogated Guen.

"He... Ve had so many broken compulsions on ver, that if ve was human, someone would be looking at a death sentence. Ve still has one remaining, not counting your consensual bond." she spoke hesitantly, the words slow to form.

"I need to know," Astarte was concerned for ver, but unsurprised. The signs kept adding up to a really awful conclusion.

"To live. Just that. I haven't seen or read about a compulsion like that, and it's rather troubling." Guen seemed Ill at ease, no longer intrigued, but instead wanting answers to the confusing sight she witnessed.

Astarte spoke in a distant voice, one that seemed to come from far beyond her, eyes gone black as night, "Loki's Fetters. It is designed to strip away a slave's last means of of freedom. To force them to live through torture and agony." The presence of divinity filled the room, a subtle scent of earth and rot, a cool breeze that pierced through bone, sounds diminished but echoing. Just as quickly as Hela had come upon her, the goddess left. She wasn't one to linger or welcome discussion and debate.

"Okaaay. I'm going to pretend that didn't happen, and accept the answer given." Guen wasn't paid enough for this. Before the Return, she was just a lab tech, and her pay still reflected that thirty years later, despite the added responsibilities of working with other non-humans.

"Probably for the best. Is there any other paperwork that we need to do or just the blood sample?" Astarte was a bit abashed, but also wanting to get Onyx home. It had been a long day, and they both deserved some rest.

"Just the sample and photographs, then you will be good to go," Guen replied, leading the way back into the exam room.

"I'm sorry," ve said the moment they re-entered, certain ve was at fault in some way. Ve still sat on the exam table, unmoved from where ve was set, looking despondent.

"Don't worry. There is no issue. She'll take the samples, then we'll get the pictures taken and we are good to go." her firm voice calmed ver, settling the nerves that had begun to tense and coil. Inside she felt as tense as ve had looked. She would not ask about the compulsion, but the knowledge weighed heavily on her mind.

The samples were quick, scarlet blood flowing into the vials like a geyser releasing it's fury. Guen casted a minor healing to seal the wounds over, then grabbed the camera, motioning at the wall for ver to stand at. She took one picture, then asked Onyx to shift back to human-presenting. As a Therianthrope, she was very aware that looking human was not the same as being human. It's how the government got away with not giving her a raise in years. The two tier citizenship system implemented in the years after the Return was designed to protect real humans first and foremost.

"Okay. Everything is great. If you head back up front, your License will be at the desk." One of the first magics developed in X0, before the dust even settled or the Syrum was created, delivery magic made data transfer instantaneous, regardless of network or signal strength. With this, the government prioritized the registration of non-humans, it was dealt with in a matter of minutes once the application was filed.

Stopping at the desk to wake Renée up once again to grab the license cards out of the printer, they headed home, the days trials now complete.

"Owner mine?", Onyx asked, breaking the silence carefully. Astarte has asked for quiet on the drive to give her time to think, and ve wasn't quite sure if she was ready for ver to speak. The silence stretched between them for a long moment, filling the space between them on the couch.

She seemed to start, eyes blinking slowly as she returned from her contemplation, "Yes, Wyrmling?" She answered with as much warmth and love she could muster.

Vis cheeks flushed, the skin nearly matching the scales that coated them. Wyrmling? Ve had never been given a pet name before that reflected vis identity. It made ver feel safe, protected, at home.

Astarte watched the reaction with great interest, pleased that her assessment was correct. She reached out, and pulled ver close, vis wings opening to wrap around her as she embraced ver. They held each other like that, wrapped around in a jumble of arms and legs and wings and tail for a while before she spoke again, not releasing ver, "You did excellent today, despite your outburst. I am pleased with my decision to keep you."

The odd sound that came out of vis throat was something between a yip and a squeak. She really needed a word for the sound. She wanted ver to make it a lot more, afterall.

"Thank you Astarte. I'm sorry I caused a scene. It's just... I don't know how to react to those that are not my superiors or my inferiors. I default to asserting dominance however I can, as it feels safer," ve tried to explain while nuzzled into her breasts.

"It's alright. That makes sense. How about this. As my pet, you are dominant over everyone I am dominant to, and submissive to everyone I am. If there is an exception, I will let you know." She set the basis for vis interactions with others with a few short words, smoothing over a lot of potential drama before they could begin.

Onyx absorbed the rule easily, happy to accept her words as fact. Ve was her property. Ve would obey instructions. Vis appearance was hers to decide. Ve was dominant to all that she was, and submissive to all that she was. Such incredibly simple rules, ve could obey without effort. All it takes is absolute trust in her, and ve had that from the moment she collared ver. Perhaps it was odd for ver to have absolute trust in anyone, especially with vis history of abuse, but Astarte felt different. Like ve belonged with her, regardless of what happens in the future. Vis fate was to be with her, here, and it made everything that came before that much easier to cope with.

"Thank you, Owner mine. Thank you for being you."

"Honey, you make me happy, and I want to make you happy. That's how relationships work."

They continued cuddling for an hour before they both started feeling hungry, talking about the music they like, or more accurately, Astarte suggesting artists for them to listen to together. Ve hadn't heard much modern music, and the genres had only gotten more intense since the Return.

Dinner was delivery pizza, ham, jalapenos, feta, and pineapple, a flavor they decided on together. It wasn't much of a debate, as they both loved pineapple, Astarte insisted on the feta, and Onyx was craving spicy food. She considered getting two pizzas at first, but figured that it was worth seeing how their flavors would taste combined. They watched some TV while munching, avoiding the news and reality shows, settling instead on classic cartoons from her childhood.

"So, we need to decide on living arrangements. I have a guest bedroom that is your room now, but you can sleep in either room at your discretion each night unless I specify otherwise. The room is currently bare and I want you to personalize it. I think it's important for you to have a space that is explicitly yours, so I will not go into the room unless you request it of me. I make good money and you don't have to work, however you need to occupy your time in some manner while I'm at work. If you choose, you can work, to pay for whatever hobbies or things you want. I will be providing you an allowance as well, either way."

"Yes, Owner mine. I... I don't know how to decorate, but I want to do that. I, umm, would like to sleep in your room tonight, please." It seemed like every interaction with her made ver care more about pleasing her. She wanted ver to be happy, and ve wanted the same for her. "I don't understand why you would provide me an allowance, since I'm your property. Isn't it redundant to give me money?"

Astarte thought for a moment, searching for the best way to explain to ver. "Having you personalize a space allows me insight into you, as well as demonstrating your capacity for organization. This will allow me to enjoy you better. I want you to be more than a tool. I want you to be a companion that I can rely on in good times and bad. I want you to own things, as you are to be to me, as my left hand is to my body. I would not begrudge my hand the right to warmth, and I won't resent giving you the luxuries I can afford."

"I understand. I appreciate you explaining. I would like a few days to settle here before personalizing anything... if that's alright with you."

"Tomorrow, we need to buy cookware and ingredients, as I work the following five days. Once we are done that, you can have some time to acclimate. I want you to write a list of things you want, even if it's vague ideas, so we can go shopping again on my next days off. In the meantime, while I'm at work, the house is yours to roam wherever, I just require that you ask before rearranging anything."

"That sounds wonderful. Can... can I have paper and pens, so I can study your tomes? My access was rather limited previously, so my knowledge is narrow in focus."

"Definitely. I would also appreciate learning from you, Wyrmling. I haven't studied any time or nature magic, and clearly I could stand to brush up on my summoning," she laughed as she finished that thought. How much different her life was not even twenty four hours ago. How different it could have been if ve hadn't been the one to answer the summons.

"It would be my honour to instruct you, Owner mine." The thought of teaching pleased ver in a way ve couldn't quite describe. Better than most sex, perhaps, sex with Astarte was definitely the best ve had had, and Onyx planned on having a lot more if she was up for it.