//------------------------------// // Privacy // Story: Welcome to Batstralia // by Damaged //------------------------------// Language check. All in English. Rosetta knocked on Joyce and Candela's front door. Dressed in some loose clothing—an old pair of tracksuit pants, a big shirt and jumper—she waited patiently for someone to open the door. The morning wasn't too cold; the seasons were turning, winter was giving way to spring. Mike opened the door and smiled to see Rose standing there. "Hi Rose, come on in. Mum has been expecting you." Backing away from the open door, he gave Rose plenty of room to step inside. "Mum! It's Rose!" Stepping through the door, Rose couldn't help but have a flash of memory, seeing all the soft fur that covered Mike's body when his shirt had been off the previous day. "Thanks." She hoped she didn't blush too much, but when she thought of rubbing her hand through the fur it finally snapped her back to the present. Mike was wearing his usual attire: a long sleeved shirt, skinny jeans, and the silly beanie with ear holes cut in it. Rose looked again, and noticed something she had been missing about the jeans Mike wore; they weren't skinny jeans at all, they were girls jeans. She almost locked up completely, her brain fizzing and sputtering at the information. Now she had identified them she could see the shape the tight, unforgiving fabric was pulling Mike's legs into. "Are you alright?" Mike's words caused Rose's head to snap up. "Earth to Rose… What's up?" "Sorry." Being caught staring at a guy's arse wasn't too bad, except that it was the guy who caught her. "Uh, where is your mum?" She followed Mike into the house, closing the door behind herself. "I'm in the kitchen, Rose." Joyce's voice came from the kitchen, of course. "Just finishing up with breakfast. Have you eaten?" Reaching the kitchen, Rose looked in to find the whole "family" having breakfast. "I haven't…" At the mere thought of food, however, Rose's stomach expressed its hunger. She walked into the kitchen and tried to loiter by the doorway, but the smell of freshly cooked porridge had her looking wistfully at the bowls of food on the table. "I know that look. Park your butt." Joyce climbed out of her own seat, patting it as invitation to Rose. "No one goes hungry in my house." Dealing with her own bowl, Joyce got a fresh one from the cupboard and started ladling porridge into it. "Thanks Mrs. Robertson." Rose was already reaching for the pitcher of honey when the bowl was set before her. The hot, rolled oats smelled great, but Rosetta's tastes had drifted more towards sweet things lately. Dolloping honey on her porridge, Rose mixed it through with a spoon. "Not a problem." Joyce collected a few more finished bowls and plates from the table and carried them to the sink. "Dave didn't make it?" The taste of the sweet oats struck a chord in Rose's head and she gave a happy sigh. Gulping down the first mouthful, she shook her head. "Nope. It was funny, the moment I mentioned your name he seemed to have something else to do." Another spoonful of the porridge found its way to her mouth and Rose luxuriated in the warm, delicious food. "Sounds about right." Joyce started working on cleaning the dishes, leaving the table of diners to their own conversations. "What are you doing later?" Mike's words pulled Rose from her food induced trance. "Uh, nothing I guess." Rose had spent most of the previous day at the mine, working. "Did you want to go see a movie or something?" "Sure. What's on?" Mike, settled back in his own seat, was eating his porridge liberally dosed with sugar. Rose had no clue, but before she could state that Robin jumped in on their conversation. "Oh boy, a movie! Can I come too?" Mike and Rose looked at each other, and though it hadn't been said their outing was technically a date. Rose opened her mouth, though she wasn't sure what she was going to say to Mike's enthusiastic little sister. "Robin, I need you for chores today." Joyce saved the day as far as Rose and Mike were concerned. "Remember, you need to clean up your room, and sort out your laundry." "Aww… but Mum…?" Robin turned all her attention to Joyce, leaving Mike and Rose to grin at each other behind her back. "I want to go to the movies with Mike and Rose!" "Why don't we go next week." Candela seemed poised to solve the dilemma. "We can let Michael and Rosetta have their date in peace." The words hit Robin like a thunderbolt. She turned her attention back to Mike and Rose, eyes widening as she saw something in the pair that she had missed moments ago. "Shhh." Joyce clamped a hand over her daughter's mouth, holding her squirming child and keeping her from blurting out something that would have Mike and Rose blushing more. "You are done at the table, why don't you make a start on your bedroom?" Robin slumped back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. "But Mum! I wanna—" "No 'buts.' I am going to see a patient, Mike has to feed Tufts—" As if on cue, the bat in question gave a questioning kee. Joyce spared a smile to Tufts. "And your bedroom is not getting any cleaner while you sit here." "But next weekend?" Robin slid from her seat and started for the door. She waited for her mother's reply at the doorway. "If you get your room cleaned up today then I think we could manage that." Joyce smiled as her youngest bounced off to her bedroom, squealing in excitement. Stirred up, Tufts spread his wings and gave a few quick flaps to launch himself at Joyce. Deft in her reaction, Joyce held out an arm for Tufts to catch with his legs. "Woke you up, did we?" Mike was done with his breakfast too now, but apparently was waiting around to talk. "Well, I guess it is settled now. So is this a date?" "Maybe. I guess so." Rose scooped up more of the porridge, now somewhat impatient to finish eating. "I'll have to ask Mum to borrow the car, but I am sure that won't be a problem." Only, she realized, it just might be. "Cool. You get done with the measuring, and we can both go and ask together." Leaning back in his chair, Mike reached an arm out and around Rose's back. The arm move was an old one, but Rose certainly didn't mind it. Shifting her shoulders, she made sure she could feel Mike's arm there, and that he would know she felt it. "What exactly is going to be measured? Misty said something about a dock, and then showed me her…" "A dock is the flesh and bone part of your tail, and the skirt is the hair part. Apart from that, Mum needs to see how much fur you have, needs to write down details of your cutie mark, ears, mane." Mike stopped talking and went beet red. "That's it?" Knowing that there was something really embarrassing missing, but not wanting to push it too hard and possibly ruin the day, Rose leaned a little closer to Mike. His arm moved, hand gripping her shoulder and giving her a bit of a squeeze. "It's not it, but just relax. I am sure things will be different for a girl." Rose wasn't sure what she said, exactly, that caused Mike to stiffen, but she had no more room to travel to lean into the hug without climbing onto his lap. Remembering the sight of him the previous day, she reached up and gently rubbed one of his ears. "I…" Being put at ease by the ear rub, Mike gave a sigh. "I'll tell you later… maybe. This is getting pretty strange." "Are you done with that?" Joyce's question cut through Mike and Rose's awkward conversation. "I could take that and we could get started on your checkup?" It was both a terrifying and perfect break in the awkward moment, but Rose decided that as terrifying as it might be, she would go with it anyway. A life ring was a life ring. "Sure can. That was delicious, Mrs. Robertson." She passed her bowl up despite her mouth watering for a second helping. "Just head through to the living room when you are ready. I made a sign for the door now." Taking the bowl and spoon, Joyce set about quickly washing them. "Maybe I should bribe all my patients with food?" "It would work for me." Mike wore a goofy grin and pushed himself up from the table. "I'll go get changed then. Don't keep her too long, Mum." Rose saw the sign on the door, just a simple laminated piece of paper. Peeking behind it, she saw that the other side said "The Doctor is In." She chuckled at it and stepped into the comfortable room. "What have you gotten yourself into, Rosetta…?" A few minutes passed before Joyce came in. Flipping the sign around on the door handle, she closed the door behind her and took a seat. "If any more of you start changing I will have to make pamphlets or something. I have some catchy titles already: 'So, You Have a Tail' and 'You Are Turning Into a Pony.' " The silliness cracked any apprehension Rose had managed to cobble together. "What about, 'Sitting Down: A Guide For People With a Tail'?" It was just about impossible not to grin. "Hold a moment…" Joyce pulled out a notebook and began scribbling furiously. "...with a tail… Okay, got that. Now, where did you want to start?" The question had Rose confused. "Shouldn't I ask that?" "I could take all the measurements in the world, but you know your own body better than anyone. What has been different lately?" Joyce's pen was poised over her book. "Huh… okay." Rose took a deep breath and prepared to bear herself, at least only figuratively at first. "Well, apart from a tail and ears, my back has been really itchy. Cutie mark is a check, and fur around it is growing." "Since you mention them first, why don't we start with your tail and then ears?" Joyce's pen was working a million miles an hour to keep up, but she finally got to the end of the burst of information. Apparently noticing Rose's interest in the writing, Joyce flipped the book around. "Just writing down what you said, setting up little headings for each point you mentioned. I am not doing any experiments, so I don't need to keep you in the dark about any of this." The openness was refreshing, and got Rose to relax further. She looked at the notes, and sure enough they literally just were what she had said. "O-Okay. Tail. Woke up one day and it had started to form. I freaked right out and panicked. Mum… I haven't told her anything… You won't tell her will you?" Joyce suddenly had a serious look on her face. "I am performing no medical procedures. This is pure research. I am not required by law to obtain anyone but your own permission for this." The ultra-serious look faded a little. "That said, do you want me to tell her?" "No!" Rose couldn't stop the word blurting out. "It's complicated. She can't see any of this." She reached up and brushed her own ears. "She is living in her own little world, mooching off Dave without paying for anything. She does it everywhere…" Serious-Joyce was back. "By law, if I suspect you are not being cared for I must—" "It's not that. And honestly, Dave is too nice to kick her… us… out. I like Dave, probably more than Mum does. But when she decides to skip town again…" Rose's voice dipped low, she didn't say "if" but "when" because she knew it was a matter of time before Dave was too boring to her mother. She knew they weren't sleeping together, so there wasn't even the usual bond of sex that would keep her around a guy. "She is only here for Dave's money." "That is a very adult observation, Rosetta." The tone Joyce employed still had seriousness in it, but softness as well. "Have you spoken to Dave about any of this? I think he deserves the truth." "Not exactly the easiest topic to bring up. 'Oh, by the way. Did you know my mum is totally bludging off you until she can find a guy hotter and with more money?' Yeah…" Slumping back in her chair, Rose sat in silence for a while. Joyce didn't reply, giving her a moment to just think. "He does deserve to know… Can you help me with that?" "I can talk to him. I can't promise he will enjoy hearing it, or that he will talk to me again, but I can help." Joyce's tone was warm, full of the support that Rose hadn't even realized she needed to hear. A deep sigh of relief tore from Rose's chest. She slumped down in her seat and felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "Thanks." "Okay, so let's measure you up." Joyce passed her calipers and tape measure across to Rose, who looked at them confused. "It is up to you if you want me to help, I am more than happy if you do the measuring." "You've been dealing with Dave too long." Rose rolled her eyes. "If I so much as mention you, he seems to withdraw a little. He is getting better at it, though." Standing up, she passed the measuring devices back to Joyce. "That is a real thing, right? Fear of doctors, that is." "It's a thing." Joyce took the tools and selected the tape first. "Okay, mane first. And don't for a second try to tell me that isn't a mane now." Rolling out the tape, she held one end to Rose's head and stretched it down past the girl's buttocks. "How hasn't your mum noticed this?" "I think it works like the ears and other stuff. She looks at me and sees only the short curls I have always had." Rose reached a hand over her shoulder to pull some of her long, reddish-brown hair forward. "I love it long, but Mum had short and curly, and…" A tightness in her chest was all could feel for her lack of a father figure. Joyce wrote down the measurements as she took them. "Do you have any fur?" Rose's head turned to make sure the door was closed. "Yeah. My hips are covered in it. It's so soft…" She couldn't help a little smile. "I have been making a point of shampooing it properly." "Don't use regular shampoo, and especially not body wash." Joyce stepped back a little. "I will get you some things, just make sure your mother doesn't see them. Or better yet, if you come here early enough before school you could just wash here." Biting the bullet, Rose hooked her thumbs into her pants and started to pull them down. A little embarrassment colored her cheeks with a blush, particularly since she knew Mike was up and around, and could open the door to the living room at any moment. "Diamonds and money?" Joyce chuckled at the symbol. "Well, it matches what you enjoy doing at the mine, so why not I guess." Using the tape, she measured the coverage and thickness of the fur. Rose blushed at the sensation of Joyce's fingers touching her hip. It wasn't sexual at all, but the skin and even fur of her cutie mark felt a lot more sensitive than the rest of her. "I… I uh…" Rose blushed further. "There is one thing…" Joyce moved around behind Rose and took a gentle grip on her tail. "What is it? The more you tell me the sooner we can understand all of this." "Mum is fairly… busty." Rose clamped her teeth together at the feel of someone "medically" handling another sensitive part of herself. "This is awkward." "I won't tell anyone your name, and even the data won't be shared if I can help it." Joyce's hands were quick, experienced at measuring pony tails on humans. Rose felt the touch stop after just a little more and gave a sigh. "My breasts shrank a cup." Silence met her words. Quickly, Rose sought to fill the quiet. "Mum is a big C, I was a largish B bordering on a small C. Now I fit a normal B easily. And I dropped an inch from my band. Ponies don't have breasts, and I figured if this was turning me into a pony it would do things like that but I like my breasts and I like how guys look at the—" Joyce's arms wrapped around Rose and she suddenly couldn't stop crying. "It's all happening so fast!" Rose struggled to get the words out between sobs. "I just want to be normal, work with Dave and… and…" Her tears came too thick, too fast, and Rose gave up on speaking and just clung to Joyce. "Mike is in his room playing guitar. Can I get you anything?" Candela's voice came through the door, startling Rose and Joyce. "Yes please, Candy. Tea with extra sugar, thanks." Joyce brushed Rose's hair back from her eyes, then turned to face the door. "Do you want something to calm you?" "Calm me? I don't want any drugs." The very thought of taking something repelled Rose. Memories of one of her mother's sugar daddies and his addiction to "oxy" was more than enough to make her reject anything similar. "Not drugs. I am a doctor, Rose. If you need help with anything, just tell me." Joyce gave Rose another squeeze before letting go. "Now, we just have those ears left to measure." After a moment she also added, "You can get dressed now." "Oh, right!" Quickly pulling up her pants, Rose blushed a bit less now that she had worked out some of her emotions. "So you don't need any blood or anything?" Sitting back down, Rose leaned forward for Joyce to measure her ears. The moment the doctor's fingers were on one of her ears, Rose realized why Robin had been rubbing Mike's. Her world narrowed down, and all the worries that had been circling in her head seemed to relax. None of her problems were gone, but Rose just couldn't bring herself to worry about them.