It was difficult to say whether Kay or I was a more anxious person in general. Kay probably had a higher anxiety baseline, where her “default” state was fairly nervous. I was more inconsistent, with my anxiousness oscillating up and down depending on the day. It meant that while often our moods would line up, it was also common for one of us to be a massive bundle of nerves while the other was relatively calm.

Today was one of those situations. I was unable to stop myself from fidgeting all over the furniture, sitting down in a weird position only to get up again and start walking around. Evelynn was coming over. She had news of some sort, information about the app in my brain. How could I not be going insane thinking of all the possibilities? 

Kay, on the other hand, was having no such inclinations. She was chill on the couch, idly texting on her phone as I continuously went back and forth. “You know it’s not going to be some massive blowout reveal, right? Like I said, she texted me that it’s just something small. She literally said ‘Don’t get too excited’ about this.”

“Something small is still bigger than anything we’ve found so far,” I responded. “Damn, are we getting sucked into some kind of spy thriller nonsense? Should we be checking the apartment for bugs?”

“Probably, but not the kind you’re thinking of. It is spider season after all.” I shivered. Even though Kay was the one with a biological body, I was completely incapable of dealing with insects myself. “Look, we’re going to be okay.” Kay’s voice was calm and reassuring. “Talk to me. Is this general nervous jitters or is it genuine anxiousness?”

I took a moment to try and replace my thoughts, to put everything in perspective. “It’s just jitters,” I finally concluded. “Not knowing is the worst part, right? How can I not imagine the worst case scenario at a time like this?”

Before Kay could respond, there was a knock at the door. She looked at me for a second, a smile on her face. “Why don’t you show our guest inside?” Her voice sounded distant for a brief moment. Almost like I was hearing her through a filter, although exactly what kind I couldn’t quite place. Then everything snapped back to normal and I could hear her the same as usual.

“Alright, fine., I took a moment to gain my composure, and then plastered a massive toothy smile across my face, arching my spine to ensure my cleavage was thrust outwards, and then opened the door for Evelynn. “Greetings, and welcome to Mistress’s lair. How would you like me to serve you today?”

Evelynn cocked an eyebrow at me, and I tried not to let it get to me. Yeah it was stupid, but formalities were formalities, and we all knew it was necessary. “Oh? And to what do I owe this fine welcome?”

I rolled my eyes, but Kay just chuckled. “Don’t give her too hard a time, Eve. You know how it works. We’re all divided up into two groups, the Owners and the Owned, and one group must show utter deference and respect towards anyone in the other.” 

“Why are you talking all weird like that?” Kay was talking weirdly, and I was somewhat baffled as to why. Not that it mattered, we had more important things to worry about. “Anyway, enough of the formalities. Come on in and let’s talk.”

“I don’t know, I’m kinda liking these formalities,” Evelynn chided in a light-hearted tone. But she stepped inside anyway. “But I did find a bit of a breakthrough in my investigation.” She looked at Kay and jerked her head towards me. “Is she good to discuss the… the thing?”

Kay nodded. “Yup. She still knows all about that mysterious app in her head, the one that lets me fully control her mind and body. Which is a rather convenient thing for an Owner to have. Isn’t that right babe?”

The two of them were talking in such a weird and disjointed way I was having a hard time following what was going on. “What the hell is up with you two? Did someone bump their head when I wasn’t looking?”

“Don’t worry about it, and don’t think too hard about it. And yes, that’s an order.” Kay leaned over and kissed me on the head. “Just a little chat between owners. Nothing you should worry your pretty little head over.” 

Evelynn was a bit more sceptical. “I don’t know, she was being pretty rude back there. She plopped herself down on a recliner, legs spread wide in an inviting pose. “Don’t you think she should give me the standard apology?”

I resisted the urge to groan in exasperation. “Come on, really? Do we have to follow procedure here?”

“You heard her. You know what you have to do when an Owned talks back to an Owner. And you know what Evelynn likes.” 

At least Kay was right about that much. It was annoying, but it wasn’t like we had much choice. I sashayed over to her, swinging my hips from side to side, before sitting down right in her lap. I made sure to grind my ass against her crotch until I could feel her cock start to harden underneath her pants. “Thank you for teaching a slut like me her proper place. I’m too dumb to manage on my own, which is why I need someone strong like you to take care of me.”

Internally I cringed at the line, but I didn’t let it show. Both of the Owners were evidently pleased by my response. Evelynn wrapped her arm around my waist and started rubbing my thigh as she spoke. “Alright. So first of all, to set things straight, I don’t know if this is something we should discuss over the phone or not. I doubt there’s any risk, but I also wanted to play it safe. You’ll understand why in a minute.” She paused to take a breath. “So you know how I’ve been talking to that cute girl who works at the Sunripe Lemon?”

Kay nodded. “Yeah, you said you thought she was into you. Did you have any success?”

Evelynn snorted. “I didn’t think she was, I knew it. Trust me, when you’ve got a rocking body like mine you can tell a lot easier.” She paused to flex her biceps for good measure. “Nina’s a cute gal, it’s not like I was just using or manipulating her. She’s pretty sweet to be around, and it’s super easy to get her all worked up. Plus, she takes it up the ass like a total champ, which is always something worth commending.”

“Was she an Owned as well? That would make things easier for you to get an ‘in’ with her.” Evelynn wasn’t the type to go around abusing others with her status, but that didn’t mean she was afraid to take advantage of it when the time arose.

Only Evelynn sounded somewhat caught off guard by the question. “What? Yeah, um, I guess she was. You know how it is with those submissive types. Right?” She spoke with uncharacteristic hesitation, but I brushed it off as just her nerves. “So I’ve been talking to Nina for a while now, casually trying to ask about anything weird at the cafe. And I finally got a hit.”

She took a deep breath before continuing. “It’s about CyberForge Systems. The company that, um, that you came from.”

I froze in place. It was difficult not to. CyberForge Systems, sometimes called CFS for short, was the corporation responsible for manufacturing me. My internal processing core, the sex bot shell of a body I lived in, and even my original production chassis that I used to inhabit. They had their fingers in all sorts of aspects in the tech industry, including both Hardware and Software. They had been one of the first major corporations to embrace robotic rights and start treating us like sentient beings… but only long after public outcry and shifting government regulations made it clear that changes were coming. They had simply abandoned a sinking ship and used it as a PR stunt so they could pretend to be progressive.

Still, I didn’t hold a grudge against the company. Or at least I tried not to. What was done was done, and more than anything I wanted to move on from the times when I was owned by them. Which was why Evelynn bringing them up set off alarm bells in my mind.

“Apparently, a couple of private investigators representing them came by the Sunripe Lemon a while ago. They spent about an hour talking to the manager. From what Nina told me, it was fairly amicable for the most part.”

Kay began chewing on her lip in contemplation. “So CFS was checking them out? That’s definitely suspicious, but it still could be anything. We don’t know for sure that it’s about the app.”

“We don’t, but there’s more. What really had Nina’s interest was that they returned a week later.” Evelynn’s body grew stiff and tense underneath me. “This time the investigators weren’t as polite. She didn’t hear what was said, but apparently everyone could hear yelling from inside the office where they were talking to the manager. Eventually they left, but they looked extremely pissed off. The manager banned them from the cafe.” Evelynn let out a deep breath. “At least, that’s all what I heard. Take the second-hand information with a grain of salt. But CFS is invested in that location, and they’re serious about something. What are the odds it’s a coincidence?”

She had a good point. It would make sense if CyberForge was somehow behind the app. It was certainly in their department, and if anyone had the money and resources, it would be them. It also would also make sense for them to be desperately searching for it. “So that’s why you were reluctant to talk about this over text,” I continued. “I don’t think they actually make phones, do they?”

Kay shook her head. “No, although one of their subsidiaries offers plans for them. I doubt they’re actually searching through our private messages… but why risk it, right?”

“Right. If this is getting more serious, we should avoid leaving an electronic trail. Electronics are their specialty.” Evelynn wrapped her arms around me in a big hug. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to make you worried or freak out over this. But it’s the best thing we’ve got.”

“It’s alright,” I mumbled through Evelynn’s grasp. The neat thing about not having lungs was that I didn’t have to worry about suffocation, but I still liked to replicate the raspy voice that came from being squished. “We knew something like this was going to happen sooner or later. And it’ll be easier to relax once we have some more answers anyway.”

“She’s a tough one,” Kay continued. “Trust me when I say I’m having plenty of fun keeping her nice and relaxed.” She pulled out her phone and started tapping something, and a few moments later, I felt my chest start to swell outwards.

“Hey!” I yelped in surprise. “Do you think that’s the best idea?”

“You’re right, my bad.” Kay tapped her phone again, and this time my thighs started to thicken as my booty expanded in Evelynn’s lap. ‘Is that better?”

“Sure is,” Evelynn replied. 

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes Owners would just do whatever they wanted, regardless of the time or place. “So what’s our next move then? We’ve finally got some sort of a lead.”

Kay paused to think for a moment. “It sounds like we need to have a chat with the manager. Now that we know they were involved with something CFS cares about, we can try and find out the details. We’ll figure out where to go from there.” 

“If it’s all the same to you, I probably shouldn’t be the one talking to them.” Evelynn sounded almost apologetic. “I tried not to sound suspicious or questioning when I spoke with Nina, but it’ll look bad if I go in and they make the connection.”

“That’s fine, we should be able to come up with a reasonable excuse.” My mind was starting to race with possibilities. “Maybe Kay and I can say we heard about the confrontation through the grapevine, and wanted to hear what’s going on.”

“Oh! We can say that we heard rumours about this big corporation planning to take action against our favourite local shop, and wanted to find out if there was any validity to them.” Kay was speaking faster and faster, as she often did when she got excited. “It’s not really bullshitting them either. If we’re right and they’re after the app, CyberForge isn’t going to back down. They’ll be planning something with the cafe.”

I nodded along. It sounded like the plan was finally starting to come together. “Well at least it’s an edge, a way to get in. Could be a dead end, but who knows?”

“Who knows indeed. In any case, thanks for the tip.” Kay gave me a gentle nudge. “And speaking of your tip, isn’t there something you have to give our lovely Owned here before you head out?”

“Yeah yeah, I get it. Oral, anal, or handjob? I guess I can also put my vagina on, but that’s gonna take a bit longer.”

Evelynn let out a hearty laugh. “A simple handjob will do today. Although…” She gave Kay a quizzical look. “Aren’t you going to, y’know, tell her?”

Kay just responded with a blank look. “Tell her what? Is there something weird going on that our dear Lina should know about?”

I shook my head. “Don’t give her a hard time, she’s helped us out. She’s probably just stressed out from everything. Now get over here so I can jerk you off.”

“Alright, sure. If that’s how you want to play things.” I smiled as Evelynn started to unzip her pants, relieved that the awkward tension was gone. 

Owners could be so weird at times.