>>5306164>>HOUSE OF TENNO—HYBRIDIZED“Shu…are you okay?”
Rath’s words snap you out of your recollection, the swarmling on your shoulder flitting off to alight on the other girl’s head, instead.
“Yeah. Yeah, I think I am.” You admit with a smile.
…you think you mean it this time, too.
“Good. Good, I’m-HOLY SHIT!” She exclaims a half-second before you realize what’s happening. You feel it, before you hear anything—your hive cracks, hairline splinters running down your spine. It doesn’t stop, split chitin slashing down the backs of your legs and through supple flesh, your feet splitting apart at the toes as liquid surges forth to coat your leg up to your thigh, going from fluid to ferrous in the time it takes for you to draw in a gasp of surprise.
Rath’s about to lunge forward, her ignition on a hair-trigger before Gina grabs her arm, Jack spearing into Rath’s arm to communicate what you’re feeling at the speed of thought.
It doesn’t hurt.
It feels…
Right.
The same process quickly subsumes both your arms, matching gauntlets of blackened plates covering them, so light and flexible as to almost be a second skin—and as you flex your fingers, you realize; they are your skin, now. The process of flesh-to-chitin consumes your dress, and just as Julia’s concerned shout turns indignant, it’s re-assembled over your armor, cloth and armor weaving together in a stunning interplay of softness and steel. You blink, and that’s all it takes for your vision to suddenly go wide. Your new three-sixty view of your surroundings almost makes you queasy, but like the rest of the process you settle into it with immense comfort, your extra eyes granting you full awareness of the attention you’ve gathered.
Reaching up to feel them, you're stuck by two things; the first being that when your fingertips grace your chin, the armor’s as receptive to touch as your original skin ever was…maybe moreso, as you cup your face in both hands to realize the second point. Your mouth’s been split into three, as as you experimentally open and close your mouth, you realize you can move it just like before, plus a few new and fun configurations you look forward to figuring out later.
“I’m…I’m good, you guys.” You say, waving off your family’s worries now that they’ve gathered as one, around you. “I’m-”
You finally look at your hands, realizing the shell that covers them is such a deep green, it’s almost black—but when Rath steps forward with a smile, her radiant eyes and shining skin show your carapace for what it truly is. A thousand hues of dark bismuth swirl around every ray of light that dances across its surface, with all the glossy perfection of polished opal.
“...Beautiful.”
“...Sexy.”
Rath and Gina’s eyes lock, their involuntary admissions prompting at first surprise, then a laughter that spreads to the rest of your family.
(Continued)
