Megan Skye Makes a Friend (Part 1)

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Of all the stores that dotted the town of Crossroads, none of them elicited more horror, confusion, and raised eyebrows than Bed Bugs n’ Beyond. What started as a modest shop containing only basic wooden furnishings soon grew into one of the most well-known stores in the entire town. This newly minted enterprise owed its popularity to two factors; the first was that its furniture was of the highest quality available, and the second was that the store owners constantly had to remind people that no actual bed bugs had made their way into any of the house fittings whatsoever. It didn’t help that the store owners were gigantic bed bugs themselves, yet the only difference between them and smaller bed bugs was that they would much rather drain someone’s wallet rather than their blood.

This strange moniker did not stop Kamika Malagic, the self-proclaimed best succubus in the world, from completing her shopping duties for the day. She was currently in the mattress section, both the section with the cheapest prices and the section that most people tried to stay as far away from as possible. Kamika was not concerned with all the rumor mongering, however; she had other fish to fry.

In front of her was her faithful ninja servant, Double-Double. Compared to the average store patron, he had a more keen eye for quality, and thought it best to lead the way in their shopping duties. It wasn’t as though he was going to get help from his fellow gargoyles, as both the large, bull-like Toil and the smaller, bat-like Trouble had their hands tied at present. Tied by chains, that is.

It took a bit of searching, but eventually, Double-Double presented his Mistress with a fine, queen sized bed. It certainly looked acceptable, with a sturdy frame and soft material complemented by a set of lavender pillows and bed sheets.

But Kamika’s eyes were even sharper than Double-Double’s. She reached a hand onto the mattress and pushed down a couple times. With every press, it made a gentle creaking noise. Kamika scowled at the mattress. 

“Too squeaky!” she concluded, prompting a crestfallen Double-Double to soldier on.

Their next target was a little more avant-garde. Not only was this new mattress smaller than the last one, but the entire bed was composed of a spongy, foam-like material. Double-Double had heard this kind of bed was popular all throughout town, but only Kamika would decide if this bed was right for her.

She pushed down on the mattress, but she found that the harder she pushed, the deeper her hand sank into the mattress, almost like it was a lifeform devouring her arm. This alien feeling caused Kamika’s hair to stand on end, and she immediately retracted her arm.

“Too weird!” she decided, urging Double-Double to get a move on once again.

Toil leaned over to Trouble. 

“Do ya see now why I didn’t wanna go furniture shoppin’ with the Mistress?” he whispered.

“Don’t go gettin’ on my case now,” Trouble hissed back. “You’re just as guilty as I am, bub.”

An irritated Kamika quickly turned around to glare at the two gargoyles. 

“Oh! I’m sorry! Do the HOMEWRECKERS have something they wanna SAY?!” she snapped.

Toil and Trouble went wide-eyed with fear, shutting their mouths as soon as Kamika started speaking. Then, against Toil’s better judgement, he spoke up.

“Wwwwwhy are we here again?” he asked.

“Oh that’s easy. I can’t have you two causing even MORE property damage while I’m gone, now can I?! You should be grateful I’m even TAKING you troublemakers anywhere!” Kamika explained with great impatience.

Trouble lifted his arms, the chains binding them rattling but not coming undone.

“Couldja at least take of the-”

Trouble, having been shot down as soon as he started, merely looked at Toil and shrugged.

“Well, I tried,” he stated.

Fed up with dealing with her two worthless minions, Kamika turned back around and stomped away with Double-Double.

“God, if those two say one more word I’m gonna-”

“Hi, Kamika! Whatcha shoppin’ for?”

And who should arrive on the scene but Kamika’s next-door neighbor, Megan Skye. While not one to especially stand out in a crowd, she more than made up for it with both her bright smile and her white hair that actually did make her stand out in a crowd. But she wasn’t too worried about that; at present, her only concern was wondering what her neighbor was doing furniture shopping.

Kamika always felt like retching every time she witnessed Megan’s infectious optimism, and this time was no different. She put her palm to her disgruntled face and turned away.

“I don’t wanna deal with this right now...” she mumbled to herself, then she nudged Double-Double on the shoulder and marched away with Toil and Trouble in tow. “You handle this.”

Double-Double wasn’t left with much say in the matter. Disregarding his Mistress’ orders in the first place was one thing, but disobedience while she was in a foul mood was sure to bring a swift end to everything. He cleared his throat.

“We have had a most... unfortunate incident with a prior mattress,” Double-Double divulged to Megan. “Mistress Kamika is searching for a new one as we speak.”

“A new mattress?” Megan asked. She looked over to Kamika, who by now was dangerously close to ripping off a poor defenseless bed’s tag. “What’s wrong with your old one?”

“Well for starters, it’s got a big, idiot-sized hole in it!” Kamika squawked, glaring daggers at Toil.

“I said I was sorry, alright?!” Toil argued back before pointing his arms at Trouble. “You should be yellin’ at him, he was bouncin’ on your bed first!”

“Yeah well I wasn’t the one who made that big, gapin’ hole, now was I?” Trouble quarreled with Toil.

Kamika would have screamed at the two idiotic gargoyles some more, but she would have preferred not to get thrown out again. Instead, she bonked the two on their noggins, which now left them writhing in pain over their Mistress’ punishment. Having disciplined her cronies, the succubus refocused her attention on the mattresses.

“Anyway, I’m far too busy to entertain you of all people, unless you actually like watching me suffer,” she spoke with disdain.

For all the vitriol Kamika spat out, Megan never seemed to take any of it personally. Even the most noble of spirits would have gotten a kick out of seeing an imp like Kamika flounder, but Megan was just too good at heart for that.

“Actually, I was hoping to get a new decoration or two,” Megan revealed. “I thought the old pad was getting a little drab, so I wanted to get something new and snazzy! Somethin’ to really spice up the place, y’know?”

Double-Double nodded in earnest. He was the only one of Kamika and her entourage who could hold a decent conversation with Megan; with his knowledge in mundane tasks like interior decorating, he could spend minutes if not hours talking with Megan about whatever came to mind. Of course, that stood at odds with his duties to Kamika, but that was neither here nor there.

“A commendable effort,” he lauded. “Perhaps I can be of assistance? I can pinpoint which fittings compliment your aesthetic to the best of my ability.”

“You would do all that? That sounds wonderful~!” Megan praised with a cheery grin.

“DOUBLE-DOUBLE!” said the shrill voice of Kamika. “We need to run some tests!”

Kamika’s screeching had put a halt to the good vibes between Megan and Double-Double. The tiny ninja could only grumble, while Megan did her best to shrug it off.

“...M-maybe some other time, yeah?” she asked weakly. “Thanks for the offer, though!”

“That only depends on if there is another time,” Double-Double mumbled morosely as he trod back to Kamika.

Megan couldn’t help but briefly worry about Double-Double, wondering if he was going to be alright. But, she just as quickly forgot about the whole thing; her main task for the day had yet to be completed.

“Alright, let’s see what I can find!” she said with renewed vigor.

---

The aisles of Bed Bugs n’ Beyond were kept startlingly clean, to the point where one could almost see their own reflection. All manner of sturdy fixtures and other accessories flanked the walkways, separated by categories to make it as easy as possible for customers to get what they needed. There was such a breadth of detail and orderliness on display, it made it easy to forget that the store was run by two massive bed bugs.

Megan walked briskly down the aisles, pondering her options. She could just as easily get a new rug or some new appliances for the kitchen, but she wasn’t feeling especially practical. She wanted something really nice to look at, something that’d get a good reaction out of her fellow neighbors...

Fortunately, she found her target after a bit more searching. A large, green vase sat atop a small wooden desk. Its sturdy, clay-like surface shined against the store lights, and its patterns of dark green blobs made it seem oddly relaxing, in a way.

Megan lit up as soon as she saw the vase.

“There we go!” she exclaimed, examining it from every angle. “This would go great in my living room!”

She tipped the jar over ever so slightly to take a peek inside. Normally, people would be weirded out upon seeing a murky darkness within, but Megan was thinking more of the vase’s possibilities. The phrase “ignorance is bliss” was particularly apt in this scenario.

“Wow, I bet I could fit all kinds of things in here!” she said with excitement, right before she saw something most unusual.

In the darkness of the vase, two round spheres of light phased into existence. These newly discovered circles were accompanied by another pair of circles, only they were much smaller, and their color matched the rest of the darkness. The spheres focused their attention on Megan, occasionally disappearing and reappearing before her eyes, yet never doing anything of their own volition. But their presence within the jar was unsettling, like it was watching her every move.

That was the eloquent way of saying that a pair of eyes appeared inside the vase. Megan stared at the eyes in confusion, only letting out a quiet “Huh?”

If the eyes weren’t already unsettling, the large, slimy red appendages that burst out of the vase didn’t help matters. Megan, now thoroughly startled, let go of the vase. It would have fallen over and shattered by this point, but the tentacles cushioned the fall. Whatever was inside the vase was in a panic, as it used its eight wobbly arms to scramble off the desk and run away.

“H-hey, wait!” Megan called out after the creature, chasing after it while trying her best not to make a scene. Eventually, she found herself on one of the edges of the store; the creature in the vase was huddled into the corner, trembling.

Megan could hardly even believe what she was looking at. Most animals didn’t find shelter among human civilization, least of all one that had both humans and demihumans. For that matter, no aquatic animal would even try to embark on land on its own. So how did what looked like an octopus manage to scuttle its way into a furniture store of all places? It was a mystery that would need some solving... but first, she resolved to make sure the creature could talk first.

“Um... excuse me? Are you alright?” she asked politely. The octopus briefly turned around, but once it saw Megan, it quickly buried its face back in the corner. Its tremors caused the vase to rattle, a noise that the creature felt no desire to stop at present.

Megan frowned. This was definitely no magical creature that had the ability of speech; this was just a regular octopus, and a frightened one at that. The poor thing must have been all by itself, in a place it didn’t recognize, unsure of what was safe... She kneeled down to it and offered it a smile.

“It’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you,” she spoke in hushed tones. The octopus’ shaking subsided in tune with Megan’s soft words, and its alert tentacles grew more docile. This sounded like the voice of one who would treat it well... a theory that proved true when it slowly turned around and saw Megan’s outstretched hand.

“Here. Lemme get a look at you.” Megan inched forward, bit by bit, so as not to scare the octopus away again. The octopus’ eyes kept their gaze on Megan from underneath the jar, but its tentacles propelled it forward cautiously. Eventually, the octopus lifted one of its tentacles and placed it in Megan’s open palm. She could feel the greasy film on the tentacle and the potent grip of its suction cups almost immediately, and she found herself running her fingers along its slimy texture.

“Wow…” she mumbled in wonder. The tentacle slowly inched along her palm, gently making its way onto her wrist. Megan couldn’t help but be enamored by its striking colors and smooth, viscous form, while also admiring its gentle touch. “How did you even get here?”

She lowered her free hand to try and get a better look at the octopus from underneath its jar, but that was where she pushed her luck too far. The octopus immediately retracted its tentacle and used it in conjunction with another tentacle to lower the vase further, shielding its eyes from the light. It took Megan a bit before she realized her mistake. 

“Oh. I’m sorry, I guess I should have asked first,” she apologized with a sheepish grin. The octopus kept its eyes hidden, unsure if Megan would attempt something like that again. Regardless of how it got here or how socially anxious it was, Megan couldn’t very well leave a shy, anxious creature like this alone. 

“Don’t you have anywhere to stay?” she asked, prompting a sudden shake from the octopus. It was a little hard to make out what exactly that meant, but Megan was familiar enough with body language to take it as a “no.”

It was at this moment that Megan knew what to do. She offered the octopus another friendly smile.

“Wanna come to my place?” she offered.

The octopus slowly lifted the vase, letting Megan see its eyes once more. There was a faint glimmer in its eyes, almost as though they were brimming with hope.

“I’ve got a nice house, and I’ll take really good care of you!” Megan went on. “...Well, I’ve never raised an octopus before, but there’s a first time for everything, right?”

The octopus crawled slowly towards Megan. The words coming out of her mouth were exactly the things that got its attention the most, and once she had finished her pitch, it nodded enthusiastically. Megan’s smile grew wider, taking its rapid nodding as an assured “yes.”

“Then it’s settled!” With great effort, Megan picked the vase up off the floor. The combined weight of both the vase and a live octopus within made it a bit of a struggle, but Megan managed to make due. Meanwhile, the octopus made sure to conceal itself within the vase once more; no matter the kind of person Megan was, it was just a little too anxious to show itself all at once.

“Oh! I almost forgot; do you have a name?” she asked as she peered inside the vase once more. The octopus considered this question, but shook its head, or rather its eyes. This posed a bit of a problem for Megan; if she was going to bring a new pet home, she would have to give a name for it on the spot.

“Well, let’s see... we did happen to meet by coincidence... Maybe Chance? Wait, no, that doesn’t sound right... Destiny? Nahhh...”

If the octopus could make any sounds, it would have almost assuredly made a sigh right about now. But Megan was determined to think of something as she continually racked her brain.

“...Fortune? No, no... Lucky? ...Wait, Plucky!” She looked at the octopus with an elated grin. “‘Cause of your tentacles, they go ‘pluck pluck!’ What do you think??”

The octopus stared at Megan for a little bit, before it nodded in approval. That seemed to be a ‘yes’ to her.

“Hehe, I knew you’d love it!” Megan chirped, carrying the vase with her down the aisle. “C’mon, Plucky, let’s head home!”

The eyes of the octopus, who will hereafter be referred to as Plucky, began to water. He was fortunate indeed to not only run into a kind soul like Megan, but also be offered a place to stay as well. He could only imagine what lay in store for him as they made their way out of the store.

---

Back in the mattress section, Kamika had finally picked out a mattress of her liking. There were a lot of details about it that stood out to her liking, but for the sake of brevity, we’ll say that her decision to unshackle Toil and Trouble and have them help carry the mattress was not made in vain. Now the only thing she had to worry about was ensuring all three gargoyles managed to carry it out in one piece.

“Make sure you don’t get any scratches on it!” she demanded. “We don’t need this store bleeding us dry!”

“I... really wish you’d work on your phrasing!” Toil strained. He was carrying the bulk of the load, but the extra weight on his shoulders never managed to stop him from getting a word in edgewise.

“...and we’ll go on walks in the park, and we’ll watch movies together... Ooh, I could treat you to some of my cooking!”

At that moment, Megan Skye walked by with that same dumb smile on her face. Kamika was normally disgusted by the mere sight of her, but this time she was perplexed by Megan’s decision to talk to a seemingly empty vase. She almost had to wonder if the summer heat was finally starting to make her neighbor go crazy.