Against my better judgement I spent the day outside my room, it wasn't that my little private stall carried bad memories, it was distinctly bitter-sweet… I just felt like I'd made a lot ress on being a more social creature, and hiding away in the dark pyroom at my first opportunity would defeat the purpose.

  I lifted the b and pulled at the colr of my tshirt to che the extractors, chewing my lip as I fought to be objective about how my progress was. I turned up the vacuum throttle another clid fixed my brying not to make mental associations about how it felt. Why did it have to pulse? It was like it was like the whole setup was spiring to remind me of how Carolyn--

  I coughed and stood up. I was getting side tracked. I o occupy my mind some other way, ideally with something to chew. Grazing was literally what cows did right? I could get a snack. Right?

  I unplugged from the vacuum line and maneuvered my arms in and out of the snuggie sleeves until I was wearing it more like a bathrobe. It dragged like a cape, but it still kept my arms warm and was less likely to trip me up. I returo the kit area, eyeing the miniature taco bar alongside the dumpling soup.

  I stepped off to the side automatically as I heard footsteps approach, thinking I'd watch to see what the irls were mung on.

  "Hey Maddie." Xander, one of the other milk producers, greeted me warmly. "Carolyn tells me your milk just came in, how are you feeling?" Xander erhaps the most heavily modded besides me, having the ears, horns, and tail like me without the hooves or fur. She had vitiligo though, so the patterns on her skin only added to the aesthetic.

  "Good, good." I answered automatically, deg to set aside the truth in favor of small talk.

  "What's good today?"

  I gnced around the kit. "The tacos are pretty solid, and soup is surprisingly savory."

  "But… that's not all you've had, right?"

  "I… never really liked spinach all that much." I side-eyed the sad bar. I had worked a scoop of the shredded carrots into my tacos, but it certainly did not spark joy.

  Xander looked like she was trying desperately not to crack up. "Maddie--" she took my hand and led me toward one of the gigantic refrigerators at the back of the room. "This is what I meant."

  Burp sacks lihe shelves where little pstic tags hung. There was a shelf for bluegrass, rye, clover, alfalfa, and oats.

  Xaugged on one of the alfalfa bags. "Variety is always the safest bet for these but you'll want to feel out a bance of what tastes best and what feels the best, ya know?"

  "I didn't… I don't know." I wondered if I just hadn't paid attention, or if everyone had been waiting to ease me into my new diet.

  "Here," Xander reached to grab a couple mixing bowls and handed oo me. "The bluegrass and rye are probably the best for you, but the bluegrass is out of season--" she held up her hand oher side of her mouth and stage whispered, "and it's getting a little stale." she reached into the bags, grabbing handfuls of the different greens, "So I'd reend the rye to start as a little adventure, with the no-doubt more familiar oats for the main bulk."

  "I think… I'll try some clover too."

  "Good choice, good choice. I'm sorry that nobody told you about this, I suppose it looks like it's for Jake and Thad, but I promise these are here for us."

  "No, I believe you. I really appreciate you helpi."

  I started to step back to take my bowl bay couch, but Xander gently caught my hand.

  "O thing", she led me toward the kit door and backed through, "you don't have to do this, aainly don't o do it all the time, but giving it a good blend will really help-- trust me, the mix you have there should taste just fine."

  "Like… into a smoothie?"

  "It ends up as more of a paste unless you add water, but I like to chu a few ice cubes to make it kinda like an ice cream." She dumped her bowl into a blender and blitzed it a few times until it had the sistency of oatmeal cookie dough. "It is really important to chew the ever living hell out of your food, so a little pre-process goes a long way to save your teeth."

  She grabbed a spatu and scraped the sides of the blender before setting the whole thing ba its pce. "Now this is the misbehaving part." She stepped over to the pantry aurned with a bag of potato chips, p a generous serving in before mixing it all together, whistling and looking around in an exaggerated act of 'nothing to see here, everything is super normal'.

  "So." she leaned on the ter. "You want to give it a shot?"

  I poured my bowl into the blender.

  "Yeaaaah Maddie." patted my shoulder. "Do you want to try the ice cubes?"

  "Let's do it."

  Xander's enthusiasm was iious and she practically skipped to collect a handful and dump them in.

  "And I'm thinking…" I grabbed the potato chips and tipped them in, doing about as much as she had.

  "Iing, iing, I dig it."

  I ble into a paste as she returhe chips to the pantry. Mine ended up a little bit more firm than Xander's had and it certainly had less texture but it also somehow seemed okay. I licked the spatu and found it had a pleasantly sweet and salty oatmeal vibe that wasn't remotely offensive o the green bean and rye fvors from the clover and grass.

  Xander wiped her finger on the inside of the blender. "Not bad, not bad at all. I think you might be onto something here.-- though I should warn you, our tolerance for sodium isn't just the best so this 't be an all-the-time thing."

  "Sure, sure." I carried the blender pitcher to the sink and ri out. "Is there anything else I should know about my diet?"

  "Well… I don't know how much you've googled but unless Carolyn did something different for you, your diet isn't actually as restrained as a typical cow would be. Normally, onions, tomatoes, chocote, and avocados could be pretty toxic depending on the dose but the worst you might experience is a bit of a bloated feeling from some of them. They aren't good for you but they won't kill you. Has Carolyn started you on any probiotics?"

  "Mhmm I had some this m."

  "Good, good. Well, yestive system has been rebao be mostly stomastead of mostly iines, so moving around is really good festion. The big deal is that you ow process cellulose waaaay better than before and all that digestive super power is what eventually gives your milk a higher protein tent than the average human. For now, that mostly means we make milk essentially identical to cows, but if you help me pester Carolyn we might be able to vince her to i strawberry and ilk genes."

  I burst out ughing. "That's so ridiculous! There's no way--"

  "Why isn't it possible?"

  "It's just not!"

  "You won't crush my hopes!"

  "I'm sorry, you're right. Maybe something could be done, hopefully without requiring an unending chocote covered strawberry diet."

  "I fug love strawberries, I'd do it."

  I ughed and shook my head. "Then I hope your dream es true." I put the blender back as it was and found a spot for the spatu in the dishwasher. "Thanks again for helpi, I'm not sure what would have happened if I'd tried to subsist on tacos."

  "As if yirlfriends wouldn't swoop in to nurse you back to health."

  I ughed. "Haha, yeah. They're the best."

  "The bell is super cute by the way, It kinda makes me want ooo, but I wouldn't want you to feel like yours is any less special."

  "No worries there, this one is definitely one of a kind."

  "For sure, for sure. Whatever I'd get would leave off the 'property of Carolyn and Deyha' bit."

  "What? It says that? Where?" my whole body flushed as I touched the bell.

  Xander nearly bent double with ughter, "Oh Maddie, I'm sorry. I'm pulling your tail. I just know a colr when I see one."

  "Terrorizing my pet? For shame Xahat's my job." Carolyn had evidently been waiting outside the kit.

  "I would never" Xaook a step baot-so-subtly tilting her bowl to hide the tents.

  "Whatcha got there?" Carolyn already had her finger on the edge of the bowl and she ughed and swiped a chip. "A criminal waste of potatoes. I 't believe you are already being such a bad influenaddie."

  "She's not a bad influence!" I spoke up. "She's the first person to help me with my diet!"

  "The first huh? I suppose now I know that you're the kind of cow that only drinks when led all the way to the water."

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "I asked you to experiment with the greens today, clearly I had too much faith in your reading ability."

  I frowned. "How was I supposed to--"

  "She's fug with you" Xander chimed in. "There's nothing beling the fridges from the outside."

  "Details." Carolyn waved her off. "What did you go for anyways?"

  "Oats, Rye, and clover." I held my high.

  "And potato chips, no doubt."

  "There may or may not be potato chips." I added, much to their amusement.

  "That's good, very good, Maddie."

  "So when are you going to give Xarawberry milk genes?"

  Carolyn groaned. "It's worse than I feared. She's turned you pletely."

  "It's a perfectly reasonable request."

  "Is this going to be for both of you? Or just for Xan?"

  "Really?" Xander perked up.

  "Have you tried saying no to Maddie? It's criminal." Carolyn rubbed her eyes. "I'll take a sed look, I still make no promises."

  "Thanks! And Just for Xander, Obviously my milk should taste like cotton dy and smiles."

  "What do smiles even taste like?" Carolyn grabbed a spoon from the silverware holder and stuck it in my bowl. "Anyways, thank you Xander, I o borrow Maddie now for a brief examination."

  She said it with a pletely straight fao hint of ulterior motive whatsoever, but just as she had predicted the association was immediate and potent. I chewed my lip hard as Xander said her goodbyes and Carolyn led me off.

  As anticipated she led me directly to my room, uess 'stall' if the name was going to stick. I shrugged off the snuggie and bu in my p as I tucked myself into the er of the couch. The vinyl was cold on my back but I put that out of my mind as I dug into my froze.

  Carolyn meanwhile draped her coat over the other arm of the coud sat o me. I lifted my elbow so she could ihe bag and throttle.

  "You did a really good job setting up the harness, is there any particur reason you chose this throttle?"

  I shrugged. "Not really, I just grabbed what was closest."

  "I expect the pulsing was making it very difficult out there."

  "They don't all do that?"

  Carolyn chuckled, "No, they certainly don't. Though, it must not be too bad given how high you have it set."

  "I only tur up a little." I mumbled and turned bay snabsp;

  "Of course, of course, you only maxed out the dial to use the full, ued, rail pressure."

  "That's as high as it goes?"

  "I didn't say that, the vacuum ports in here are much strohan in the on room.-- ued question, would you like me to hook you up?"

  "Uh… sure… just, maybe lower the throttle?"

  "Of course, Babygirl, of course."

  I held the cups ihrough my over-shirt as she fiddled with the hose and after a moment there was a faint hiss as the su started up again. I hummed and tried to py it cool as the pulsing kicked in.

  I shivered, suddenly sed guessing my decision to include the ice cubes as I fought for posure.

  Carolyn for her part atient, resting her head on my shoulder and lending wele warmth as I finished eating. I'd eate of the solid ks so I lifted the bowl to drink the green oat-milk-adjat dregs before setting it aside.

  "Was that good?" Carolyn toyed with the bundled b in my p.

  "Better than I expected, yeah. I wonder if my taste buds are already adjusting to some sort of cellulose craving."

  She shrugged. "It's possible. Your body is pretty smart after all." she pced her hand on my knee, "It excels at reizing inputs and adjusting to help."

  "Mhmm."

  There was a dull clid a distinct jump up iensity of the milking su.

  I chewed my lip and took a shuddering breath in through my nose, but my efforts to py it cool only rewarded me with another clid a firmer pulliion.

  "Ah~ Carolyn--"

  "Yes, Dear?" she clicked it back down a level. "Are you experieng any disfort?"

  I whimpered and shook my head. I expected her to turn it up again but she merely pulled closer, humming as she embraced me.

  With a bit of effort I got trol of my breathing. My heart tio pound in my chest but I felt like I was rec some of my faculties. I eased the tension in my back, the cuddling was nice, sort of therapeutid I let the sensatioextualize into a rexing sort of massage. It was almost restful.

  "How are you feeling?" Carolyn broke the sileer a minute.

  "Mmm warm."

  "Good, good." She pulled the b from my p aed her hand on the inside of my thigh. "How would you like to feel?"

  "Maybe a little warmer?"

  "Well the me just adjust the heat." There was a clid she pulled me toward her p. "You were sp quite the look out there by the way."

  "Was I?" I pyed dumb, arg my bad pying it off as a stretch as she worked an arm behind me.

  "Very iic. Regal flowing robes and a shirt that literally says 'mega milk'--." her hand slid up under my shirt. "--And evidently nothing else. I wish I believed in something as much as you believed this bit of cotton could keep you det."

  Just as I was about to respond she clicked the vacuum throttle again.

  "Decy is a lie perpetuated by ah~"

  Carolyn had worked her haween my legs. "I'm not familiar with this 'ah' you speak of."

  "I won't be ashamed of how I dress in my own home."

  "Won't you? Then pray tell, what will you be ashamed of?"

  "Wouldn't you like to know."

  My sass earned me another cli the throttle, I felt sure that I had to be approag the maximum setting now.

  "Now where did you tuck the battery pack…" Carolyn mused.

  I debated making her search for it but on a whim I pulled it up through the colr of my shirt a hang there.

  "Oh, thank you, dear." she cooed and flicked the swit low.

  The bullet vibrators kicked in and I gasped, deathgripping the cushion as the sensations mixed.

  "I think now's a good time to che oaste." Carolyn mused. The cups loosened as she dialed down the su and unplugged the throttle.

  "Oh? Are you a oisseur?"

  "For you, I io be."

  I lifted my shirt so that she could check the bag, but she slipped off the coud k, pullioward the edge of the cushion before coaxing my knees apart.

  "I thought you meant--"

  "Never let them know your move." she buried her face deep, sug hard on my clit as if she had to make up for turning off the harness.

  I gasped and squirmed. Arg my baly made the vibrators press that little bit harder.

  "Carolyn! I-- ah~!"

  Her arms ed around my thighs, resisting my bug aing her apply more pressure.

  My cries rose in pitch, breathy and weak as I was pletely overe. I hadn't ever been one for endurance really, but I had the distinct feeling I was currently the victim of a speedrun attempt.

  Iional squirming was mixed with involuntary spasms as the waves of dopamine crashed and and rippled through me like a ool. After a few seds a sed, smaller crash rocked me but by then I was already desperately fumbling for the battery pack.

  "Carolyn!" I gasped but she seemed to get the wrong idea, redoubling her efforts. I had to push my palm into her forehead to finally calm down enough to unch my uscles. I melted bato the couch, colpsing to the side to spare my tail.

  There was a wet sensation on my chest now and it took me a few seds to realize I was ying on the milk bag, causing it to backwash onto my chest. I begrudgingly sat back up and peeled off my shirt.

  "Messy messy" Carolyn teased.

  "Yeah, it feels a little gross."

  Carolyn helped me out of the harness and I made a half-hearted attempt to wipe myself off with my tshirt befiving up and ying down across the couch. "I had no idea being a pillow princess was so strenuous."

  Carolyn scoffed. "Where did you hear that? And what gave you the idea that you fit the bill?"

  I let an arm hang off the couch. "Do I not?" I looked over to see Carolyn uncapping the milk bag. "Hey!"

  "What? It's your first day, It was never going to be sold. I'm doing quality trol!"

  "More like quantity trol." I took a zy swipe at her pants leg but she was just out of reach.

  Carolyn shrugged and took a drink. Seeming to pte the fvor. "You know? I do think it tastes like smiles."

  "Uh huh."

  "I've always wondered if it loses something going from the source to the bag."

  "This is how it starts." I sighed. "Samples and tastes and then before I know it you're requesting creamer for your coffee in the ms, and hot chocote at night."

  "Oh, if I could have you all to myself."

  My face warmed. "I was… you don't actually… do you?"

  Carolyn shrugged again. "Do I look like I have any qualms about dev you?"

  "Fair enough. I guess the fan club is already in full swing then."

  "So it's just me bringing that up that's not allowed."

  "Yep!" I chirped. "You are officially the only person in the world permitted to partake and talk about it."

  "I feel like you're turning this into a game of chi to see which of us gets weirded out first. You won't win."

  "I'm probably y if you want to check your hypothesis now. I don't know if you will get a better offer from any of the irls."

  "As if you have any idea how many tits have been in my mouth. Besides, something tells me you would bust if you saw me sample anyone else."

  "How does it feel to always be right?" I scowled.

  "Oh, is the game of chi already over?"

  I only squinted in reply.

  "I'm sorry for being a bitch." she k o me and took my hand in hers.

  I pulled her hand up to my mouth and bit gently on the fleshy part near her pinky. "I still love you."

  "Since when did the sorry rule go both ways?"

  I nibbled her little fihis time. "Si suited my is."

  "You're lucky you're cute."

  "And whose fault is that, Hmmm?"

  "You were cute before I so much as touched you."

  I squinted again. "My low self esteem pels me to discard that ent but it was a empt."

  "I had my sights on you the moment you asked about mods at the job fair."

  "As your victim?"

  "Precisely, pet." she leaned forward to kiss my brow. "And how lucky you are to suffer me."

  "I am lucky. I'm sor- I apologize foading you into a game of chi."

  "You know, I think in the spirit of the w that does warrant a bite."

  "How so?"

  "Se one part one: unnecessary apologies shall be met with bites regardless of spectators."

  "OooOooh official." I drawled sarcastically. "You certainly won't have to chase me down."

  "Suddenly low on energy?"

  "You could say I'm feeling a little drained."

  "pletely?"

  "I will always have a little more for you, love" I held out my arms. "her return unto my my snuggie or suppnt it with thine own warmth."

  "You get a little loopy after milking."

  "And you get loopy after staying up too te, what's your point?"

  "We could really test Deyha with some midnight milking shenanigans." Carolyn finally started moving, colleg my b and draping it over the back of the couch so that it could be pulled down easily.

  I scooted bad rested my head on the arm rest, letting her sit on the edge to take off her shoes. She moved as if she was going to y down but I put out a hand. "Ah ah ah, this is a no-clothes snuggle party. Please uo my fort level."

  "I'm not sure how I feel about post-coital assertiveness."

  "Do you want back rubs or not?"

  "Fair point."

  I waited patiently, or as patiently as I could manage as she shed her yers. She wasn't making a show out of it, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it.

  Finally, she id dowing her head on my chest. True to my word, I trailed my hands over her back, delighting in the subtle ways she sank into me as she rexed.

  "You caught me off guard with the ent about me always being cute."

  "Wasn't my iion." She murmured.

  "It's fi's just… Despite your tone you never are just all talk. I remember the way I felt when you first realized I was ied in modding. Immediately you were cm to recruit me, and you talked about Deyha fussing over me on the way to pick me up, but the whole trip was your idea in the first pce."

  "Don't go telling anyone I've gone soft."

  "Hah, your secret is safe with me. I just feel bad for telling you I was tossing out your pliment. You've always treated me like I'm cute, even when I didn't feel like it."

  "It's almost like… it was never about how you looked."

  "Almost, it's hard to dist the whole 'I still think jerseys are the cutest' thing."

  "God forbid women do anything." Carolyn grumbled and nuzzled into my chest. "Maybe I'm just the only one who saw the gigantic milky tits that were within you all along."

  "And maybe deep down you want to be the babygirl sometimes."

  Carolyn grumbled dismissively and pulled herself closer to me for a moment before rexing again. I amused myself trag random patterns on her back, earning a huff of amusement when I spelled out "Maddie ?? Carolyn" followed by drawing a few dicks on her back.

  "You know?" Carolyn mused "I think it would be weirder and kio feed on you now than it would be during sex."

  "Eh." I shrugged. "It'll probably work me up a bit and then it will be back to being a sex thing."

  "I'm not so sure."

  "If it ends up being the slippery slope to coffee creamer and hot chocote, so be it."

  "You better watch the sass, I still owe you a bite."

  "Don't bite the tit that feeds you."

  Instead of replying to the jab, she simply repositioned herself and began to feed. It caught me by surprise, but I did my best to roll with it.

  I resumed rubbing her back, stig to simple patterns as she ko squeeze out everything I had. I was only a little less surprised when she switched to the other breast.

  In no time at all she seemed to be done and she released me with a satisfied sigh. "So, did that press your buttons like you thought it would?"

  "Not really, It actually seems like a practical way to evehing out after a milking session."

  "Did it weird you out and trigger your 'humor to cope' response?"

  "Yeaaaaah maybe a little."

  "More importantly, does the coffee creamer offer still stand?"

  "Sure babe. I'll cream your coffee any time."

  "Nice. Wish i'd thought of that."

  We psed into silend on a whim I tugged the b over us. I wasn't the hugest fan of w around the b for backrubs, but the added warmth and softness more than made up for it.

  Carolyn hummed "Thanks. I may actually take a nap if that's okay with you." she yawned.

  "For sure, do you wao stop rubbing or…"

  "Either way is fine. Don't wear yourself out but I doubt I'll ever ask you to stop." she hummed tunelessly for another moment. "Maybe we should repce this with a hide-a-bed after all… why didn't you unpaything into your bedroom anyways?"

  "Oh…" I struggled to put my reasons into words. "Well at first it was because I assumed it was a guest room. I'm actually ashamed to admit it but I hadn't been pletely sure that it was supposed to be my room until you phrased it that way just now-- unless I misuood."

  "No." Carolyn huffed a ugh, "No, that's your room. Is that all that was stopping you?"

  "I--" I trailed off. I couldn't imagine how to word this so that it wouldn't sound lonely and needy, b on whiny, "I don't know. Maybe I would have gotten around to it eventually, but I also treated it like a guest room because I didn't want to put down roots and sprawl in there, never really getting out or socializing. Keeping it pin helped me not turn it into ahing room rather than just a pce to sleep. My puter breaking might have been the best thing in that regard. If I had set that up in there… I don't know how bad I would have been."

  "I think it would have been okay, we kept you busy at the id such. Do you think the puter here is going to be a problem?"

  "I hope not. I missed having one and I want to py some games with my online friends again, but I also don't want to lean on you and Deyha t me away from it and keep me engaged in the real world."

  "Maybe we recruit some of your online friends… just isekai them on out here to join you."

  "Hah, some of them might like that."

  "Well, we have space to grow, and I'm still keeping my ear to the ground for a possible honey producer."

  "I'll uh… let them know."

  Carolyn stretched and rexed into me again. "Well, I don't foresee you doing anything with your bedroom any time soon so if you'd like, I talk to Deyha about moving you in with us."

  "Yes.-- I mean, yeah. I'd be open to that."

  Carolyn chuckled. "I thought you might."