I wonder what she means by that, I thought as I tried to read the girl's face for any emotion other than bemusement. She giggled again.
"Don't be silly, we don't make the guys pay for anything unless they really want to," she said quite mirthfully.
I walked over to where the payment machines were and noticed that they had indeed been engineered for female use only, unless the male was interested in anal insertion. I blanched slightly at this. "Okay, maybe if I have one of the physical body healers turn me into a female, I suppose that would make more sense," I observed, my words sounding almost robotic as they left my mouth. Both girls and the pony expressed some surprise at my statement, but Vanessa was the first to respond.
"Um, you don't really wanna do that," she said, her tone almost icy. "You might think it's cool, but trust me, you're much better off being male. The mayor can tell you more about it than I can, but -- um, trust me on this one," she added. "Besides, no one would know who you are if you went and got your gender changed. We wouldn't know who you are at that point. You'd be just another girl on the street, having to fend for herself, and hoping that some guy might take an interest in you. That rarely ever happens!"
"That's why we're so happy you chose us, Michael," Makwela added. "I think we got lucky when you and your pony girl showed up when you did."
I turned my attention to said pony. "Um, Nanaimo, are you okay with this particular relationship? I don't know how well you ponies adjust to being in polyamorous relationships," I said, my tone wavering with uncertainty. I silently hoped she would agree to the living situation we had been thrust into.
"Well, I don't have anywhere else to stay, so I guess it's okay," she replied. "But I want you to sleep with me tonight," she added, a hopeful tone to her words. She smiled at me and sidled next to me.
"I'm curious to meet the mayor," I mused aloud, absentmindedly scratching the mare behind her ears. She cooed happily in response to my touch.
"Sure, follow us," Vanessa instructed, her tone having softened considerably. Makwela walked next to Vanessa and grabbed one of her hands.
"Um, you two hold each other's hands while walking?" I asked, my curiosity piqued. The two turned their heads to glance at us and giggled, nodding their heads in confirmation of my suspicions. That's very cute, I inwardly mused. Nanaimo turned her attention to me at this point.
"Um, Michael, I'd like you to hold my hoof," she stated hopefully.
"Nanaimo, I don't know how well you can walk while on your hind hooves," I replied, lightly chuckling after the words left my mouth. "Don't worry, I'm content to let you trot beside me," I added warmly, smiling at the mare. She returned my smile, content to trot beside me, occasionally glancing up at me, smiling warmly as she did so. Occasionally I would steal glances at the girls, noticing the way Vanessa almost seemed to waddle, owing to the size and width of her hips and backside. Makwela was thinner, but not by much, but her hips also sashayed somewhat as she walked. I took note of what looked like a contrast of lighter blue near the waist of her shorts, but much darker near the bottom. I could have almost sworn that the crotch area of her shorts was wet, but I kept my suspicions to myself. It also appeared that her shorts seemed to be more of a skirt, as the center flap would occasionally rest behind her thighs, the light glinting from time to time from the lowest part of it. I was unaware of this, but my observations had been noticed by the girls.
"Mmmh, am I that attractive to you?" Makwela asked as she caught me off guard, my staring having gotten the better of me. Nanaimo turned her attention to me, as did Vanessa.
"Um, how close are we to the mayor's office?" I asked, trying to change the subject. My attempt at deflection fell flat.
"Come on, Mike, I know you were looking at me," Makwela chortled, turning her back to me and lifting the rear flap of her shorts/skirt, showing off her butt. Light glistened on her wet skin. I was dumbstruck by this display. She wiggled her butt in front of me, giggling profusely. She stopped and turned around to face me. "I know you think I'm sexy, I saw it in your eyes! I know you want to do stuff with me -- and we can do that tonight when we're back at home," she added playfully.
"Um, can I feel the material?" I asked, glancing at the bottom of her shorts/skirt. She blushed a bit.
"I guess," she replied somewhat hesitantly. I approached her and grasped the lowest part of her shorts in my right hand. My fingers felt something damp, as though some liquid had wetted up her shorts. A look of surprise crossed my face, eliciting a giggle from the girl. "Yeah, that happens when I pay for stuff," she stated as an answer to an unasked question.
"How much liquid can you produce?" I asked, my curiosity piqued. She blushed a little harder in response.
"Um, I never bothered to measure it," she replied almost meekly. I glanced a little lower to notice that the skin of her thighs also glistened a little in the light.
"Muh, we're wasting time here, the mayor's office doesn't stay open for very long," Vanessa interjected. "Mike, we can talk about this stuff later on," she added, motioning us to continue our trek to the mayor's office.
We continued our trek, passing various shops and greeting various people, the sizeable gender disparity making itself quite evident to me. Nanaimo seemed unfazed by this, and the two girls ahead of us actually greeted some of the girls, who was return the greeting and wave at me and the pony. I lost track of how much distance we covered, as our pace was relatively relaxed. Ultimately, we stopped in front of a rather unassuming one story building, looking like little more than any other of the shops and restaurants we passed on our way here. The only thing to indicate its difference was the sign above the door.
"I would never have thought the mayor would reside in such a small building," I commented, eliciting laughter from the two girls. Above the small white building was a small placard, looking like the coat of arms of a family of renown. I hesitated for a moment, apprehensive of what lay behind the front door, which was also white.
"Come on, Michael, we don't have much time," Vanessa noted, a hint of urgency to her tone. As if to indicate just how short our time was, she opened the door and motioned Makwela to push me inside. The pony reluctantly followed us in, and upon our entrance I was greeted with an astonishing sight.
"Shades of the TARDIS," I uttered, just barely above a whisper. We were standing in a grand entryway, but gawking wasn't going to bring us any closer to the mayor's office.
"Come on, Michael, this way," Vanessa instructed, pushing me in the direction of the staircase. "Make a left at the top of the stairs, the office is the second door on the right," she added. Nanaimo ascended the staircase and stood beside me, a look of fear on her face.
"It's gonna be okay, Nanaimo, I'm here for you," I offered softly, scratching the mare behind her ears. The two girls stood at the top of the stairs but ventured no further toward us. I silently wondered what it was they were up to, but dismissed it as a stray thought before proceeding to the aforementioned door, the pony trotting beside me for the short distance. I pondered the lack of sound, wondering why everything had been so silent for so long. I knocked on the door to the mayor's office.
"It's open, come in," replied a female voice from the other side.
I opened the door to see what looked like another young girl, similar in appearance to Makwela, but a little thicker and heavier in her build. Her skin was a very dark brown. She also appeared to be wearing very little clothing.
"So, you're Michael, huh?" she asked, smiling warmly at me. "And your pony companion must be Nanaimo," she added.
"How -- how -- how do you -- know -- our names?" I stuttered, dumbstruck by the fact that I had never seen the mayor before.
The girl picked up a black plastic object and pointed it at the wall to her left. A holographic display lit up, then revealed in three-dimensional LEDs where we had arrived the previous day, our meeting with the two girls, and our subsequent trek to their apartment building. Everything we did and said was replayed for us, leaving me gobsmacked.
"You've been watching us the whole time?" I asked incredulously.