Tauli

Toofy frowned, "Well, shit. That's not what she was expecting to find."

"The tree really is sick, then? Do we... Try and heal it?" The priest asked like a moron.

The neko shook her head and walked up to the sap, her ears went flat as she felt nervous, and then she poked at the bubble. Unlike most sap that should be thick and viscous, this felt almost like a smooth gelatin. It was almost oily to the touch.

The place where she'd poked reacted a moment later, a small circle of the material moving inwards like she'd struck the surface of a pond, but delayed. However, the centre of the ripples emerged outwards in the shape of a finger, poking towards her.

The priest fell over backwards, "What in the fuck!?"

"Don't be mean." Toofy snapped at him and looked back at the sap and sighed. "Hmm... Still learning to take shape. She wonders how much you can understand her..."

The surface rippled, and a rough echo of her voice emerged, "How much you can understand her."

The catgirl nodded slowly, "Interesting. Can you copy more than voice? Try and take her face, too."

She instantly regretted the way she had phrased it as the sap engulfed her whole head. She fell backwards, trying to grasp uselessly at the material around her. Her hands went right through and into the soft material, like it was nothing more than thick swamp water.

She hadn't managed to grab a breath before, and her lungs weren't that big to begin with. Toofy closed her eyes as she felt herself instinctively breathe in, swallowing the liquid with a burst of bubbles.

She blinked and stared in confusion from inside her new orange tinted world. She moved her mouth, feeling the thick liquid on her tongue, and spoke slowly, "Woooow."

"E-empress?" The priest asked in confusion and fear.

She shrugged, "Toofy can breathe. Toofy is weirded out. She's breathing slimegirl..."

"She's breathing slimegirl." The entire ball around her head rippled and echoed the voice mechanically, except it sounded... Shriller. The thing's voice was changing, taking on its own aspects. It was trying to learn, even if it was being far more clingy than was comfortable.

The neko idly scratched her cheek inside the gooey bubble and looked over at the priest, "Has he ever met a toxic? Toofy hasn't. She only knows things that temple teaches."

"Oh. It's a toxic, then?" The moron stated the obvious, as if he hadn't managed to put it together.

"It's a toxic, then." The ball repeated, but using the empress' voice, upshifted in pitch. It's own voice.

"Can you... Get off Toofy?"

The neko jerked her head backwards and eyes went wide as the entire ball of sap shot straight down and something went inside her underwear. Her eyes went wide as she tried to guess how in the void the thing knew that particular idiom when it couldn't even really speak.

One of her red eyes twitched as something semi-solid forced itself inside her. Slimy and firm, she was being penetrated by the exotic thing. It took all of her training not to moan out loud as it pushed through her folds and completely filled her out.

She swallowed nervously, "Slime... Boy? She hadn't heard of that, before."

"Empress... Are you... Fornicating...?" The priest asked in astonishment, staring at the neko sitting on the ground in embarrassed horror.

She shrugged weakly and let out a little miaow, "Not... Intentionally? She's scared to say anything else, now."

The thing soaking her clothes and filling her shook. "Empress... Say..."

The vibrations travelled inside the neko very nearly made her purr in ecstasy. It was perfectly shaped to her. A custom made cock of the gods, vibrating like an enchanted sex toy. Toofy couldn't work out if this counted as cheating on Sai. Her succubus wouldn't care, but her husband probably would.

"S-stop?" She asked it nervously.

A small pooling of orange-yellow liquid formed between her legs. It seemed to rise for a moment before falling flat. The surface rippled from the centre, and she heard the voice. "She's seen... Ah, sorry. Wants her to see. Now what? Changed."

Toofy bit her lip, "Please pull out of her."

There was a loud slurping noise, and the neko shuddered as she nearly came. The puddle tried to pull into a shape again, before collapsing in front of her.

The neko frowned, "Is it... Easier to hold a shape... When you're touching something else?"

"Yes."

She sighed and planted her hand in the pool. The sap swarmed over her fingers, swallowing her. She could feel it flowing back and forth, like it was stroking her hand, as it rose up into a bubble-shaped nothing. Just a ball, but no longer collapsed and flat.

Her red eyes sparked for a moment, testing her theory further. The ball quivered excitedly and two small bubbles formed before popping. The thing was used to be connected with an object that was both sacred and magic infused. It hadn't learned to draw on its own magic, yet. And it held its form through magic.

She sighed heavily, "Fine. Toofy be a claker-well for you. You can borrow some of her magic... But you have to try and learn your own. Okay?"

The catgirl opened the door carefully, knowing that the depths of her magic were both significantly less than the tree, and significantly more than the toxic could gain from anyone else in the city, unless Arina was breaking the rules and visiting.

She also knew that most of her magic came from the dark god she'd killed. It might not be palatable or compatible with something birthed from pure and holy magic. The dark gods had been synthesised to fight the gods, especially the Green Goddess.

The ball of sap instantly melted as the magic flowed into it, and Toofy hissed at herself, wondering if she'd just killed it.

However, as she lifted her hand, the sap came with it. Lifting straight up into the air, but not as dripping liquid but firm strands that became almost solid. The neko smiled to herself and stood up, dragging the thing with her.

She looked at the firm and rigid structure in front of her, "Not bad. You learn quickly... Do you have a name? Names are important to nekos."

"Names are important." It echoed.

The five strands connected to her fingers congealed together into a perfectly smooth cylinder. Toofy pressed down on it experimentally, and found it rigid. She smiled lopsidedly, "It learns very quickly. Does it... Is it a girl? Boy? Neither? Does it understand what those things are?"

"Changed. She. Intention."

Toofy blinked in surprise, "You can choose. And you choose to be a her? That's very cute of you. Hmm... You want a name. And you're cute. So... Can Toofy suggest one?"

"Toofy suggest one." The voice was beginning to even out. Not quite like the empress', but still feminine, and with a nekan accent to it. She would even describe it as beginning to become unique, and not just a poor forgery.

She moved her jaw back and forth a little, "Hmm... What about the Surami?"

A tiny shape formed inside the cylinder, near the top. It looked more solid, and the cylinder opened up around it, dribbling around the new hole as the tongue moved experimentally once or twice, before whispering. "Sur... A... Mi... Sura... Surami... Sura. Sura. I... I am Sura."

"Sura." Toofy grinned and patted it with the hand connected to the toxic. "You chose your own name."

There was a quiver, and hair burst out of the object. It flowed down almost like a river, and it wasn't clearly separate from the rest, but it was definitely hair-shaped. Not modelled on Toofy, either. Her hair was straight, but this was wavy and curled. The hair reached down to the ground around the cylinder.

"Where did it learn that!?" The priest said in surprise.

The catgirl smiled, "It is connected to empress. It can learn anything that she knows. It is hard to learn someone else's thoughts, memories. Especially when you're only trying to learn enough to make a new shape, your own special shape."

"Yes." The voice said steadily, using it's new tongue. "Talking... Physically... So hard. But important. Connect."

Toofy grinned to herself and looked over at the priest, "She can't move, so he will have to do it... Show her what fun tongue can be? Connect. Physically."

"E-empress?"

"Kiss her!" Toofy snarled, eyes flashing and her magic flow spiking brilliantly. The slime screamed in pain as it lanced through its new body, and the neko whined, looking at it fearfully, "Sorry. Didn't mean... Didn't mean..."

"I... I... I am Sura." It gasped, tongue moving weakly. "I am Sura."

The catgirl took a deep breath, "Dumb priest kiss her, now. Make her feel better. It'll help Sura understand. Romantic thoughts, they strong. Hold image of desire, and man desire woman, doesn't he? Help the Sura. Kiss her."

The man obeyed his empress. It wasn't as if it was unprecedented for someone who worked for the temple. He crawled over, and leaned in hesitantly, before his lips met the sap. Toofy giggled as she saw the tongue playing with his. She could see them kissing.

As he did, the cylinder melted. Dripping as it slowly reformed. The face came first. Small, round and plump cheeks. A tiny button nose. Round and oversized eyes. The cylinder reshaped it's surface, but not the interior. Only the tongue was solid.

It continued to shape and mould itself. Two perky breasts appearing before the shape of a chest grew beneath them. They were smaller than Toofy's bust, but she doubted that would stay once Sura met a few more men. The toxic would probably end up bloody oversized.

The legs came next. The toxic chose to be kneeling, flowing out into two petite little feet before splitting to reveal the world's smallest thigh gap. Her legs had the appearance of strength, but also a certain delicateness.

The arms formed last of all, dripping as they moved up and around the priest, embracing him. The toxic continued to kiss him passionately, even as she fully formed. Toofy felt it detach from her hand, right as it pushed the priest over and onto his back.

The empress glared jealously as the two made out, even though she had offered up the man for this. Even though she knew that Sai would be angry and jealous if she interrupted and tried to enjoy Sura for herself. Still, she pouted.

The neko leaned back as Sura began to hump herself against the priest's crotch, soaking herself into his clothes and caressing his skin. The damned thing was a bloody vixen. Almost as bad as Toofy could be when she was in heat.

Though, when the first two people it learned from were both trained in the art of seduction, as a political weapon, it wasn't entirely surprising that it was attempting to lose its virginity to one of them. Not that Toofy was sure if it counted as having a virginity, to begin with.

A lot of things were difficult, with a toxic.

It wasn't juvenile. It had probably been waiting inside the tree for a long time, waiting for contact with the outside world before trying to emerge. It had been born with a craving for contact with intelligent life.

The pace with which it learned meant that within a single day it would be completely independent, and probably wouldn't even like the neko by the end of it. Sura would strive to make her own life, her own way in the world.

She wouldn't feel any real sense of loyalty to either Toofy or the priest. They were just a means to an ends. The toxic was feeding off them, absorbing their knowledge, so that she could be free, faster. Sura probably didn't see them as much more than useful but stupid.

Though the woman learned fast, as she became more complicated, her learning would slow. She would appear and act as a regular adult, within a day or two. In truth, she was probably as old as the tree itself. Maybe a little over a thousand years old, but used to perceiving the world through the roots of the sacred tree. Through the pollen the tree sent out.

It would take time to translate those memories and find correlation with her new senses, but Sura would do it. Who was Toofy to her, but a fleeting moment? A passer-by?

The catgirl pouted. She was seriously jealous of the man in front of her. She wanted to feel a connection with Sura. She wanted to try and... Convince Sai to let her have a new mistress. She liked the Sura.

Toofy went crimson as she realised she had a crush.

An empress, with a crush.

The neko felt her stance go firm as Sura suddenly had two faces. One of them intently kissing the priest, and the other looking out the back of her own head at Toofy, looking at her curiously.

The catgirl frowned, "Not touching anymore... How did you notice her thoughts?"

"I see everything." Sura shrugged, speaking with her second face. "I don't need eyes to see, silly. You're looking at me... Differently than before. This guy has no memories of anyone looking at him that way. What does it mean?"

Toofy stifled a giggle, "Of course he doesn't. Pathetic. Uhm... It means that... She's... Jealous. She wants Sura, even though she can't have her."

"Why not? Plenty of me to go around." The toxic said, and then there was a slurping sound, and the head leaned forward, and almost detached. It formed a complete second body, only attached to the first by a thin and delicate strand.

The neko shook her head, "Isn't like that. See bracelet? It means that she's married. She can't choose someone, without hurting someone else. She doesn't want to hurt her Sai, she loves him. He's too good to her."

"Sai..." The half of Sura talking to her shivered, "Mmm... I remember him. Always trying to be patient and make love when you have no time. Always rough and fast when you wish he could be a little bit more patient. Yet, he is full of love and adoration for you. He makes that face, often."

Toofy smiled sadly, "Yeah. She makes him jealous, a lot."

Sura nodded, reaching up and brushing Toofy's cheek, leaving behind a running trail of molasses. "Sorry. He's sweet. I... I share your pain. I won't try and convince you."

The catgirl gestured to the other body, grinding away on the priest, "Is the Sura going to put him out of his misery and fuck him? I wanna watch."

"I wasn't going to, no." Sura laughed, turning and leaning on Toofy's shoulder as she watched herself. "He's... Pathetic. Like you said. I want a man who can... Fight for me. Even if it's entirely pointless that he fights for me because this body of mine... Well... It's indestructible."

"What happens if Toofy breaks the strand? Connecting the two?" She pointed at it.

Sura winced, "Please don't. Uhm... How to phrase it? I haven't quite learned all the words. Like when you rip out a tree, but leave half the roots behind? It will grow to be two trees, physically the same tree, but separate... But it will take time. At first, it will look like the tree died, as it goes into shock. Leaves will fall, and no flowers will bloom."

"Ow." Toofy winced, "Let's not get Sura a sister, that way."

The girl chuckled, "I'd probably hate myself. Too alike to myself. You taught me that. The one who will hate you the most, is yourself."

"Don't go spilling Toofy's secrets." She mumbled.

Sura blinked, "But... You do hate yourself. You repeat their names at night. You refuse to forget a single person who has ever died, because of you. Sai gets concerned, the way you obsess over the reports when assassins or other enemies are killed. Memorising them."

"Stop it!" Toofy snarled, red eyes flashing angrily.

The toxic nodded slowly, "It... Hurts? To have others know?"

"Yes." She snapped her teeth together.

The girl looked down glumly, "I'm sorry. I... I like talking. So many words. They're all so pretty and beautiful. Glowing words! The world is full of so many wonderful things and I just want to... Describe them all! I... I hurt you. I'm sorry."

The catgirl rolled her eyes and kissed her cheek, "Well, if you're not going to fuck the priest, is there somebody else that you want? Because clearly you are hoooorrny."

"Ink seems like fun."

Toofy's hand punched into the middle of Sura's neck, uselessly.

The toxic giggled, "Okay. Okay. I won't touch your kittens. Though... Ink is really tempting. She'd let me go inside all three of her holes at once, wouldn't she?"

"She would hate you for saying that in anybody's hearing." Toofy snarled, shaking the sap off her hand. "She doesn't mean to be slutcat. It's the elf in her."

Sura cocked her head, "Ink doesn't know that her mother knows that she takes it up the butt, does she?"

"Toofy is neveeer going to tell her, that." The empress shook her head.

The toxic nodded slowly, "It's... It's all copulation, isn't it? Ooh, I like that word. Copulation. It makes my tongue feel funny. Fornication. Nope, that one isn't as fun. All copulation is embarrassing. Admitting that you mate, is a private thing. Even after you have offspring? I don't like that word. Feels rotten. Kittens. Meh."

"Mmm. Not for all species, but most." Toofy nodded, and then smirked at her, "But living in tree... Almost everything is about fucking, for the Sura, isn't it? Tree talks to other trees but fucking."

Sura nodded tiredly, "I did. Until they moved me into this fucked up cave. Huh. Swearing doesn't feel as dramatic as I thought it would."

"The Sura is... The tree's spirit? Not just born from tree?" Toofy said in surprise.

She shook her head, "No. No... The tree is my mother. I just lived inside her for a very long time."

"How many sunrises?" Toofy asked, curiously.

Sura shrugged, "No idea. Seasons are easier to remember. Patterns of warmth and cold. About... Eugh. Numbers are hard. Sorry, I can't do it, yet."

Toofy nodded, "Okay. Treedaughter."

"Toxic." Sura whispered, "Why so cruel a name, for what I am?"

The neko sighed, "Not many sacred things in world. Only sacred things give birth to slimegirls... Last slimegirl to get born? She was born from a pool of acid, congealed from wargod. She ate the first one she touched, alive. Didn't mean it. But it happened."

"Oh."

The catgirl nodded sadly, "Neko is name that stupid, too. Not as mean. But name basically mean miaow. Nikoniko is a way they used to write the sound that cat make when angry."

Sura giggled, "Well, you have a temper. Seems appropriate."

"Does the Sura wanna get turned back into puddle of goop?" Toofy raised an eyebrow at her.

The woman coughed nervously, "Ah... No. So... About other men? I want to try a man. Would you happen to have one in mind?"

She twitched her nose back and forth, thinking for a moment, "Man who not gross, but might like to connect with slimegirl? Date her? Hmm. She thinks the Sura is going to have to travel. There is a mage she is thinking of, but he went to the west, help to stabilise the orcs."

"What's his name?"

"Len-Kai."

---

"Ready?"

"No."

"Pop!" The rattan laughed as he shoved Kristen's shoulder back into joint. She squealed in pain as the bone was relocated roughly. The cook gave a pained but tearless sob, holding her arm loosely.

The strange and mysterious creature that had moved into her basement and refused to leave giggled at her and then grabbed a piece of chicken out of the bottom of the boiling oil, popping it into their mouth. "She got ya good, today."

"I swear, I'm not trying to antagonise her... But she's just so..."

"Naive?" They laughed with a grin, "You think she doesn't know she comes across that way? Can't believe you're still falling for that act."

Kristen frowned, "I don't see the point of hiding it if she truly tends to mate herself to that kid. He's going to find out who her grandmother is, sooner or later."

"Being the only one of your kind in existence doesn't lead you to be super trusting." The ratboy shrugged, jumping up onto the bench, "I'm hungry."

"What, you expect me to feed you? Go eat a cardboard box." Kristen said in annoyance, "I mean, thanks for fixing my arm, but I really don't need my kitchen smelling like a bloody rat."