“What?” Khoth’s forehead furrowed. “I did not--”
“It’s Gehenna, she… Gehenna, aren’t there any speakers on that thing that you can speak out loud so Khoth can hear?” Jace asked.
He felt Gehenna blush. He couldn’t exactly explain how his mind received a physical action as a mental one but it did.
I could rig something up, but… she hesitated.
But what? He prodded.
But it wouldn’t sound like me!
I’m not really following. You--
I’ve rather gotten used to sounding like I do to you, she hastily explained and her tentacles quivered with anxiety. There was a rustling sound as they brushed against one another. I’d rather wait and talk out loud after I fix something up properly!
Jace found himself smiling fondly at her. I guess I do understand. Though I would have thought for an AI that since you can have any voice you want that it wouldn’t matter what you sound like. Are you attached to the cleaner bot body? Is that going to be what you inhabit from now on?
She raised some of the tentacles and the tips had different tools on them that whizzed and buzzed. I admit that this form is rather useful. But it’s not… cute.
No, not cute. Well, Jace cocked his head, I don’t know. It could be cute. But in an evil sort of way.
She showed him some wicked looking little buzz saws, some pincers and other pointy things he couldn’t imagine what they were for on the tips of other tentacles. I know, right? But it was all I could get a hold of. And, thankfully, it doesn’t require that much power to operate. I had to conserve energy.
Jace knew there was a story there, but he wanted her to tell it when others could hear. It suits you for now. We can find you something cute later, right?
Oh, yes! I’m really interested in inhabiting the Storm Spike! For us to go flying together and--
The Storm Spike is definitely real? Like really real? Jace felt his heart beat a little quicker.
Of course! She told him and spun around. Her tentacles flew up rather like a dress. I had a good look at the Osiris’ manifest. I needed to see what material I had to work with.
I can’t wait to see what you inhabit next then, Jace said. Will it be cute? Sleek? Cuddly? Deadly? Or a combination of all of those?
Oh, all of them if I can help it! She paused and then said with a tentative gesture of her tentacles towards him. Uhm, Jace, speaking about inhabiting cute forms… you should check out your own. Khoth was while you were transforming, Gehenna chuckled.
Jace frowned. What was she talking about? Then he noticed he was naked. Where had his clothes gone?! They’d been on him when he went into the liquid! He was sure of it. He then blushed because he realized that yes, he was naked in Khoth’s arms and still sitting in the pool.
He didn’t believe Gehenna’s words about Khoth checking him out. Khoth was… well, whatever else the Thaf’ell had going for them, big, muscular physiques and strong jaws with attractive features were on the top of that list. He was sort of scrawny and had no muscle tone and--he stopped himself. He was fine as he was. He was happy with who he was. Considering his illness that he was alive was… awesome.
But still…
He was naked.
With Khoth.
In Khoth’s arms.
Jace immediately moved to cover himself when he saw the back of his right hand and forearm. There were electric blue lines running along his veins and arteries. As he stared, they faded and then disappeared altogether, but he had a sense that the blue, almost indigo color was just hidden, not gone forever. He blinked. But that wasn’t the weirdest thing about his body. And that had been weird. No, it was the fact that he had muscular forearms.
He closed his hand into a fist and watched as the muscles flexed and moved beneath his skin. He’d always been attracted to guys with muscular forearms. His had never been anything like this.
Gehenna… What happened to me? Am I this big all over?
He didn’t dare look down at his body. He shifted his legs and they felt different. Bigger. More muscular.
Yes! Gehenna explained. You’ve been optimized! Not only are you a peak physical condition, but the Osiris added a bunch of new things to you. Fast healing. Super strength, well, for a human. Slowed aging. I’m not sure if you age. Uhm, let’s see, there’s so much here--
I mean… I mean… Do I still look like me? Jace asked, even as he was stunned by her words. He lifted his right hand to his face, but quickly dropped it. What if he had tentacles too?
