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Chloe wakes up the next morning, and zie can't quite believe zie’s saying this; in zir house. ZIR house, the house zie owns, Chloe's house. Zie stretches out and splays all over zir floor-bed-thing, god the bedsheets feel so soft, when you're suuuuuuppper not paying rent. Tho zir splaying only comes as a result of zir solitude, zie hoist zir upper body up and surveys the bedroom. Chloe's shirt and trousers and unmentionables are thrown about all the place, Butters things however are conspicuously missing? Ah yes zie remembers, they mentioned something about checking out the area and sorting out breakfast and Chloe promptly replied: "mpphhrrrpph mururrmrme prrrr" and went back to sleep.
Chloe wanders downstairs and walks past the cats to check, but no luck. Oh! I guess they also have cats? A big black fluffy thing rubs themselves on Chloe's leg with a little "Mrrrp" of recognition.
―You, you yes yyooouuuurrr... Socrates!
The cat looks back with no more greater acknowledgement... But still Chloe knows zie got it right, WHATEVER! Chloe steps into the back garden and surveys the surroundings. This is the biggest garden zie's ever lived in, and it's not even that big. But look at it, grass is here, is that a pond!? There's even a shed for if any of them succumb to madness and go Dad Mode. Oh the cookouts, maaaaaaaaaaate, there's gonna be so many tinnies and vibes in this place, like forget about it. They are getting the urge to text round some mates as we speak.
At the far back there was also a greenhouse, though on second thought it looks a little long for a green house? It also lacks uuhhh any green! As Chloe walks a little closer zie starts to notice some kind of archway, followed by a pool of water. Is it another pond? Some kind of indoor river for pets? Then why is it so lean but long like a hallway? Chloe's questions are soon answered as something starts to emerge from the water, as if walking up a flight of stairs. The Axolotl stops in the middle of the arc as the sound of a hand dryer but: Lorge, rings out inside of the glass shed. Fae shake up a little before swinging the door open and shouting out:
―SINCE WHEN DID WE HAVE A HOUSE!?!?!?!? AND AN ON SUITE RIVER FOR LITTLE ELL!?!?!?
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Sleeping. Awake. Wet? That’s not normally how the combo of being wrest back into the conscious world against faer will typically goes. There’s a slight bit of panicked thrashing, perhaps fae is waking up after a particularly bad mission being thrown in the river or something? But faer nerves calm down when fae recognises faer own bed sheets. Bed… Also wet??? What is going on here!
Ell examines faer surroundings, it’s a bedroom of course, seeing how there is a bed and it IS a room (Ell is feeling like a savant with these big brain revelations). BUT, the room is weird. The walls are covered with tiles, like bathroom tiles, not-eye strain coloured tiles, with paintings of fruits and such covering the walls, and with carpet on the floor. Well actually hang on, is that moss? It’s moss carpet! Why tho? Why does Ell live in a weird giant bathroom right now? I mean IF fae does live here and isn’t a prisoner or owt. Fae begins to swim over to one of the two doors in the room and that’s when fae notices faerself. Aside from some swimming shorts fae was nakey and faer body was in complete view.
There’s no poetic way to say it: Fae is BIG. Lornge. Mahooosive if you will. Previously being a noodle limbed thing with a big head and shrimp shaped body, fae now looks like a lifeform you could believe in earnest has functioning organs. Fae even has something of a belly and little chesticles for the first time, woooooow, and fae thinks that fae is looking good! Fae feels so immensely powerful, could fae have been in hibernation and gathering their power levels? Is this why fae woke up without being able to do: Large Remember? Possibly! Oh fae’re an Albino Axolotl, Ell thinks that’s probably a good bit of self-actualising to exert at a time like this.
After a little bit of adjusting to faer new body, fae begins to swim before the door once again and fae’re surprised to find a key already in the lock, it twists and it opens! Outside is; yet more wet and what almost resembles a street, with presumably other house-rooms like faers on the other side, with Monsters swimming in the ‘road’ forwards and back. Imagine that, but like it’s a bunker and the ceiling is like your front room level low. It’s an odd thing! An Alraune emerging from a clump of moss can be seen across the road, and they even give a wave to Ell with familiarity. This isn’t a prison at all, Ell deffo just lives here? In an submerged neighbourhood. This is when Ell takes the time to note fae is not choking to death on salt poison, so it’s a river water street. Ell returns to faer house and decides to give the other door a try, as while some of faer possessions are present, least the ones that can be Very Wet and not ruined, faer other stuff was not! Time to find Faer Stuff!
The door leads to pretty much a dead end, with only a staircase directly to the left, leading to what Ell can see is The Dryness. Fae heads up the stairs which leads into the inside of what looks like a very long and thin greenhouse, looking mainly to contain the staircase Ell had just came from. In front of them was a big metal arch-way, like an airport beep beep, but instead of beeping it just blows hot air! But the sheer velocity ment Ell came out practically dry on the other end, even if decimating faer bobcut, well more than the water did anyhow. In front of fear was the clothes fae last can remember wearing, but weirdly despite remembering owning these clothes with their old body, they all fit perfectly! The sorcery! Fae must’ve gotten them edited at some point? After returning their bob to normal Ell steps outside, only to see their metamour: Chloe, hanging outside a house, holding a cup of tea, in their shirt and leather trousers. A thankful fond and familiar sight, with back to back uncertainty.
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Aside from a blow-dryer related mishap ruining faer bobcut, Ell stands just as Chloe remembers faer: An albino Axolotl in a Big green parka, target shirt tucked into a loose vinyl skirt. Ell puts on what fae refers to as "The brown clip clops" as fae goes out of faer way to make the loudest footsteps possible on every stone of the footpath. Still The Axolotl swings faer head back marvelling at faer house, mouth agape.
―Wooooow, look at it Chloe. Ell observes. A big 'ol cube where our stuff lives, we can go in there and sleep AND eat a sandwich. It's like we're millionaires!
―Right? Look at us; homeowners! Chloe says, grinning ear to ear. Like, check this out, look what we can do without calling a landlord or nothin'.
Chloe produces a blob of blue putty adhesive and sticks it to the bricks of the house. Ell gasps in shock, as if The Cat has committed a war crime, before taking a blob for faerself from Chloe's pocket and pressing it against the wall.
―My god, we're gonna be on a watch list. Ell contemplates. I always thought it would be for explosives or something.
―Say Ell where uh... Did you just come out from? Chloe asks.
―Oh! Yes, yes, that's my room. It's a whole block underneath our uh... Live-area. Very wet, cos y'know I'm a pink river thing. But it's my room, well not my room as in the sleep room that's also the stuff room, it's the stare at the wall room. But it's my room so you can't come in, well you can't come in you'd die, but even if you could: Please don't.
―Okay well now you've said it, I guess I'll consider drowning myself solely to invade you're privacy. But did it like come with this house, can you remember?
―Yeah! It must've. I think every one of these houses has one? I have down neighbours! Neighbours from the down, not like the up neighbours, those ones. Ell explains as fae points to the fence to faer side. I guess the shed-dryer thing is just for me though.
―That's so... excessive like who did that?
Ell runs over to the glasshouse entrance and points at a logo near the ground. There's a few from manufacture companies, Monster owned ones for Monsters assuringly, but the logo for the MCP also lies among them. It's... An odd feeling, to see their Monstrous aspects being legitimately accommodated for by an organisation with the funds, ability and most importantly the want to do so. Cos yeah, why shouldn't a River Monster like Ell not have a place to submerge, right?
Just then the two Monsters hear the back gate open behind them as Butters, carrying two carrier bags pushes their way through the gate.
―Well we still have grocers somewhat! Explains Butters. Vastly eerrr, revamped stock, though you'd be surprised what brands are just kind off trying to brute force their way through this period of history. Kind of hoping capitalism will crawl it's way back eventually and that.
Butters chucks Ell and Chloe an odd branded milkshake and a can of beer respectively. The milkshake, which Butters also produced a banana flavoured one for themselves, is morbidly branded with cartoon beetles and named "Car Mine: The SaCarlegious treats that's mine! (Yours)." Which is better then the beer "Salty Carls: We do beer, so we did." It seems to be an arms race to fill the void of traditional brands, with the level of thought that coincides with that timeline. There was an excuse during conflict time, but come on... They have time now.
―Soooooo another thing. Butters continues. I was hoping we could all go out for a meal together, the three of us to adjust to this new world while we're uh, temporally challenged as it were. But people down the grocers were explaining stuff to me and aaahhhhhhh how do I explain this? Maybe it'll be faster to show you both.
The three Monsters lock up the gate behind them and start to head towards Wollaton Park, specifically at the arse of the great big fuck off hill. The weather was 'grey' in that the skies are full of clouds and everything was soggy. It's that kind of in-between shite and okay weather which is the sweet spot for activating Butters’ serotonin. The huddled up to a cup of tea in a plastic cup at the local footie game vibes. Not just that, they were between the two Monsters they probably cared about the most in the entire world, and there's no barrier between them and Butters. No distance barriers, no ideological ones, no fighting, no conflict, no war, no working on themselves that they needed to do first. And hey, they know all the above is typically 99% of their own doing, but that's beside the point, Or is it? The biggest obstacle to their own eternal happiness: Themselves, has been defeated and now they can just... Live. Butters takes both Chloe's paw and Ell's hand into each of their own paws as they all stroll down the street. Butters swinging both their arms like an excited little kid, keeping their head down to avoid showing their huge grin. Yeah, finally, life gets to just... Be this. Everything they've been for was for this drop of idle, and oh lord is the succour fucking sweet.
The three arrive and to Chloe and Ell's surprise the place is kind of packed! But at around the entrance as opposed to any of the parts of Wollaton you'd actually go there for. Butters goes on to explain to the two Monsters how greater agency in employment has essentially transformed, or eviscerated specific sectors. No motherfucker is voluntarily working as a waiter for a UBI, so outside of small and some big family ran joints that are running on the fumes of passion, restaurants have haemorrhage not just from the city, but from Monster culture at large. What has been filling the gap are the carts, oh the carts, beautiful food carts? Popping up in the droves during conflict to help feed the Monster populace as Food Corporations flooded from Monster occupied cities. Ran by Monsters for Monsters, it turns out you can circumvent most of the unethical aspects of eateries if you cook stuff in a cart, have people collect it themselves and the seating is god's problem. Eating outside with your fellow Monsters in these spaces or taking it back home has become the dominant food culture in Monster Society. And they are everywhere, from public streets, car parks, fields and outside of public services. In the middle of round-a-bouts isn't uncommon, they passed a few of them on the way here.
―Canne believe that Oboroguruma was right. Butters grunts to themselves.
Butters leads the other two with purpose, it took more willpower than they knew they had not to swing by the place on their first journey home. Oh, yes it's the halloumi cart, heaven knows when any current food they're affectionate for is just going to disappear in the blink of an eye, whether due to the reserves running out, being unable to make it sustainably in the UK itself, or any trade route to get it being blocked by other nations that would very much prefer a Monster society gets starved out, not to give Monsters in their own territory any ideas. Somehow, despite this, halloumi is here? Yes, yes, the halloumi is here, praise it, praise it.
Chloe and Ell sit by a plastic garden table, sitting in matching chairs. Butters has elected to sit between them, securing one of the big camping chairs that are dotted about the area, seemingly brought here as communal chairs for accessibility, as chairs as fragile as the plastic ones always feel like a gamble for The Squirrel. They bring over a wrap each for their companions, the house special for the cart. Halloumi of course, with strips of chicken, with chilli sauce and mayo, with lettuce, but good mouthfeel lettuce, thin, moist and sparingly applied just like Butters and Ell like it. (Chloe could not care less, but it's more work for the cook to not make all three the same) Oh, with a builders' tea each in a little foam cup for the three of them of course. When ordering Butters even gives a little self-indulgent:
―This is for us, that table over there. That's my polycule, my theyfriends hehe.
―And your fiancé, surely? The cook replies.
Butters is a little confused by this assertion, what do they mean? Why would they think that, it's not like they're wearing a... And there it is, on Butters right ring finger is a little something-close-to silver thing with an indent for a few rainbow beads. Any recollection of this was one of the memories they have lost access too. What the fffuuuccckkk..???
Butters brings back the food and drinks to their table, quickly sitting down and grabbing Ells wrists.
―Wha wha why are you checking me? Ell asks. My hands are empty, empty for squeaky cheese eating!
Empty, both hands, no rings.
―Oh, uhhh I was just looking for something was all. Butters replies.
Ell tilts faer head a little, before reaching down their shirt and pulling out a chain with a identical ring on it. Butters compares it to their own ring is surprise, before turning to Chloe, who was holding up zir arm to show a bracelet band with and identical pattern to the rings.
―Theydies... Did we get married!? Butters finally asks.
―If we did, that would explain this. Chloe elaborates.
Zie then digs out from their wallet an ID card of some kind, issues by the MCP... Well ID is very generous, the card even has the sentence "You can sell me drugs!" on it, implying it's possibly sole purpose. The point is the name: Chloe Ardha. Ardha being a sanskrit world roughly meaning "Half"(?). Butters and Ell produce some ID of their own, Butters a card certifying their disabled status and Ell's driving licence, both having the same surname in common: Ardha.
A recollection or something like it stirs in Chloe, Ardha Ardha Ardha, zie chose this. A feeling, that they didn't want to give up an Indian surname, well if this counts as one, really big "Sock" energy with "Ardha" but that was kind of the point: Something very gay sounding and cos zie had always felt like they lived their life as a half. They're half cat, half "were", half British, half Indian, half boy, half girl, half in-between, half neither, half sapphic, half achillean, half boydyke, half girlfaggot. An entire life of being half of a thing and that goes for the other two as well. It just felt fitting, yes zie choose this. A ployam marriage, in fact if zie recalls they were the first legally sanctioned one under Monster rule. A reward, for defeating... Something, they got to request it to the MCP. Sadly they can't remember the day, was there even a day? Maybe they haven't done the day itself yet? Chloe looks up to see Butters bawling their eyes out.
―Aaaaaahhh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Butters apologizes through the tears. But my little queer heart is a flutterin' this is like my dream life, eating Halloumi with my two wives.
Chloe bursts out laughing, such a simple little dream, yet the cruelly of the Human Society to deny them of it. But now it's over, this is the world they fought for.
―Alright let me stop being dramatic. Butters says. Let's dig in to our wraps!
Gaia wept, this is some fucking peng shit right here, the initial bite, the squeak of the cheese, the soft pallette of the halloumi, carried on the back of the chilli filling up their taste buds. Even just the heat of it, breaking through a cold miserable day, just raises your spirit to another plane.
―Gaia bless halloumi, we mortals are not worthy. Butters recites.
―I think I'm gonna get emoosh you know, Flavours I've not tasted in years. Says Chloe
―Squeaky Cheesey Always Withsemmeeee. Ell Sings.
The three Monsters dig in the rest of their wrap and just kind of… Chat! With each other, and even some other Monsters who didn't recognise them swing on by to introduce themselves. The seating bit of the food carts is truly a communal event, party mixing and that. Some from their neighbourhood and some from a little more away. After a couple of months, Butters knows they'll be skulking around here looking for chat and that. This is the platonic ideal of what you think would happen when skulking around pubs and that. You always hear the argument that cooking and food have been communal acts for longer than frozen food has existed, but sometimes it can be hard to quite envision what it can even feel like, but it's gotta be something like this innit?
It just presses the issue home again, doesn't it? As Monsters, they have fought, they have suffered, and it's naive to think that ends anywhere near now for them. But stumbling onto people eating their burgers and noodles from these food carts, in their takeaway containers, playing cards and shit, just joining in for a few rounds with your fellow Monsters. Such a simple thing and they did it, whatever they went through, it was worth it for this serenity.
And that was just the bloody morning mind! They still got a rest of a day off to enjoy!