Claire meeting Amber

The two of us played for a while. Claire kept kicking my ass at Tekken even if I was putting up a good fight. We laughed and joked, it was as if nothing had changed, as if we were back to our teenage years living under this roof and catching a break from Father's anger. It was nice… but despite the illusion, things did change. Even with Claire by my side again, every second as myself felt almost like ****. I was enduring it the best I could, but I hated it.

And I knew Claire was aware of my discomfort, she was too smart and knew me too well not to have noticed. After a moment, she paused the game and looked at me. “Ed, can you tell me what's wrong?”

I sighed, scratching my head. “It probably sounds weird, but it's… uncomfortable to be myself anymore.”

“Oh. You prefer to… uhh, be the person you live as?” Claire clumsily asked, unsure of how to properly formulate her question.

I nodded somewhat shyly. “By far, yeah. But it's okay. I can last until tomorrow. I don't want to overwhelm you too quickly with all this skinwalker mess.”

Claire gave me another hug, gentle and reassuring. “All these revelations about you, Mother, and skinwalkers are… confusing, to say the least, but I can deal with this. I don't want you to be uncomfortable, Ed. Even if you're… someone else, I'll always love you.”

I returned the hug and caressed her hair. “Thanks. I… I should have told you the truth right away, I was stupid. But in a way, this stupidity helped me reconnect with Mother…”

“Could I… see who you are now?” Claire then asked.

My cheeks reddened again, but I nodded. “Alright, I can do that after lunch… Just, it's, hmm, very embarrassing.”

Claire held my hand and smiled. “It's okay.” Her stomach then growled. “S-sorry.”

Her embarrassment made me chuckle. It was good she hadn't lost her appetite. “The food should be here soon, but we might have time for another game.”

I texted Amber, asking her to meet this afternoon. I told her things went well with Claire, and that I was ready to resume my life. She replied with “I knew it'd go well, but I'm so glad for you, E!’ followed by a lot of cute heart emojis. I couldn't wait to become Amber again.

While we were playing another round of Tekken, we heard a knock on the door, followed by Mother opening it. Claire, unlike what I expected, didn't really tense at her sight.

Mother seemed to have noticed as well. “Are you feeling better, Claire?”

Claire nodded. “Y-yeah. I'm… not sure I understand everything yet, but I know Ed is still the same. That's enough for me.”

Mother giggled. “Well, a few details did change, but indeed, Ed is mostly still the same.”

“What do you mean?” Claire wondered.

“I'll tell you this afternoon, okay? It will be easier.” I answered.

“Anyway, food is here if you're hungry,” Mother then said. “And I hope you are, because Minh might have overdone it with the quantity.”

Claire and I both smiled and followed her downstairs. In the kitchen, Yumi was sitting in front of a pile of boxes and papers. Mother didn't lie, she really did order a lot of food, and I wasn't sure the four of us would be enough to finish everything.

“Bon appétit,” Yumi declared as we sat. “Take whatever you want.”

“Thank you,” Claire and I said.

We all enjoyed some tasty burritos, tacos, and other nice Mexican food. Mother and Yumi talked with Claire, asking about her life since she left and joined me. Claire told her more about her time in the police but was brief about friendships and romances, as she didn't make many friends there besides maybe Alistair, an older police officer who taught her the ropes. But despite that, Claire affirmed that she's been fine and glad to be with me and far from Father.

It made Mother sigh. “I'm sorry for not having dealt with Victor sooner, Claire. Back then, the best course of action I saw was to help you flee and rejoin Ed, not wanting to do anything too drastic and risk exposing my nature.”

Claire was surprised by this revelation. “You… You helped me run away?”

Taking a sip of her wine, Mother nodded. “I had Nikolai, another member of my coven, wear George and give you a hand and some money for the trip. I knew you were unhappy here and missed Ed. I thought it'd be best if you stayed with them instead of Victor and I.” She then appeared more melancholic. “Admittedly, it was also a way for me to try to reign my feelings for you in. I hoped your departure would mean that I'd be able to move on and focus on the coven. But it didn't work, I still ended up missing you.”

At first, Claire was taken aback, not saying anything as she processed Mother's words. But then she did something nobody expected. She got up, slowly, and approached Mother. She sat next to her and gave her a hug.

“Thank you, Mother,” she muttered.

Mother allowed herself to relax in Claire's embrace, returning the hug. ”I am glad to have you back, my dear daughter.” After breaking free, she smiled warmly at Claire. “If you so desire, you are welcome to stay and live with us here. I will take care of everything you need, and you'd be able to stay close to Ed.”

“I… I want to be here with Ed and you," Claire admitted.

“Good. Don't worry, we'll help you deal with your work and all your furniture,” Mother said, beaming from ear to ear.

We just finished eating our fill, the table still covered by various uneaten and tasty meals, when the doorbell rang. Mother got up to open the door, returning alongside an excited-looking Amber.

“Claire, this is Ashley, another member of my coven,” Mother simply said as introduction.

“Hey Claire, it's good to finally talk to you,” Amber said with a bright smile. “I'm Ashley, or Amber currently, but you'll probably know me as Tyler most of the time.”

“I-I see, nice to meet you,” Claire answered, clearly feeling confused again.

Amber approached Claire and held her hand gently. “I knew you'd accept E, and I'm glad to have been proven right. I'm hoping we'll be good friends, Claire.” She then turned to face me, her smile brightening even more. “You're ready to be Amber again, E?”

Claire's eyes widened while my face turned a deep shade of red. I had hoped to reveal this to Claire in a different manner than that.

“Your… Your current identity is Amber?” Claire asked incredulously, her gaze jumping back and forth between Amber and me.

“Y-yeah…”

“Oh, you, uhh, hadn't told her yet?” Amber questioned, realising her mistake. “S-sorry, I-I didn't want to make things awkward.” Ashley's personality sipped through Amber's, making her act more shy.

“I'll… I'll be back in a few minutes and we'll talk about this, okay?” I said to Claire, trying to stay calm and hide my growing embarrassment.

Claire could only nod in a half-stunned state while Amber and I quickly moved upstairs to my temporary bedroom. Locking the door behind us, we both undressed, Amber apologising again for her slip-up and hoping she didn't cause too much of a mess. I reassured her as I finished undressing.

Now naked, Amber glanced at her body, blushing. “I think Tyler is gonna miss this… and me too. It was really fun.”

I chuckled. “Well, Minh could probably arrange for you to get a female assistant to become.”

“Probably, yeah.” Ashley grabbed her chin and pulled, removing Amber's face and revealing Tyler's underneath.

She let out a soft sigh before she peeled herself off the rest of Amber's skin, moaning loudly when she regained Tyler's genitals. His dick was fully erect, and some pre-cum was dripping onto the floor. He visibly enjoyed the experience of wearing and removing a skin just as much as I did.

Fully becoming Tyler again, he smiled at me, handing me Amber's skin. “There, I can't wait for you to be my lovely girlfriend again~”

I chuckled, tearing Amber's back apart. “Heh, me too.”

I hurried to slither back inside Amber's warm skin, it hungrily latching onto me almost as it missed my presence within it. I welcomed the feeling of my old self disappearing beneath a much prettier and comfortable skin, moaning as I regained the vagina I've already missed so much. At the same time, a sharp pain in my arm was quickly followed by a familiar warmth flowing inside me. When I opened my eyes again, I felt wonderful, as if I returned where I truly belonged.

“Ah, it's good to be back~” I said before giving Tyler a loving kiss. “Thank you for watching over Amber for me~” Recalling recent memories of the time Ashley wore her, I saw that she had quite her fun, exploring thoroughly every inch of this skin. “And I see you've really enjoyed this short time to the fullest, hmm~?” I then commented with a teasing grin.

Tyler blushed deeply, scratching his head. “I-I mean, being both Tyler and Amber, it was really tempting. And it's your main skin, too…”

I giggled while getting dressed. “I'm just teasing you~ I knew you wouldn't be able to resist.”

Slipping inside my comfy bra and panties, hot denim shorts, pink tanktop, and golden sandals, I was now readying myself for facing Claire again. It would be awkward no matter what, but Amber's confidence radiating within me helped me stay calm. Claire said she'd accept me, I had to trust her.

When Tyler was ready, we got downstairs, back to the living room. Claire was chatting with Yumi and Mother, Yumi telling her more about herself. But the conversation stopped when we arrived. Claire's eyes were fixated on me as I went to sit next to her, smiling a bit shyly while crossing my legs.

“So, hmm, you wanted to see who I've been living as, and here I am. I'm sure it's a shock, and really weird.”

“You're… really Ed?” Claire asked in awe, observing my current body from head to toes.

“Skinwalkers can become anyone, no matter the gender or size. It allows absolute freedom for some exploration of one's sense of identity, experimenting with genders and sexualities,” Mother explained. “I've myself lived most of the past century as a man. And Ed, or E as they now prefer to be called, has been finding the life of a woman much more appealing and comfortable.”

My cheeks reddened, but I nodded. “Yeah, I slowly realised that I felt much better as a woman. It's one of the reasons I was so uncomfortable being myself earlier.”

“It's incredible,” Claire muttered, still staring at me. “Your voice, and even your posture, it's so different… I'd never guess it's you, there's no trace of your previous self.”

I couldn't help but snicker quietly. “Thank god for that… But I hope you're not too weirded out.”

“I… I am a bit, yeah… But if it's what you want, I support you,” Claire declared, hugging me. “It's so strange to hug you like this, knowing it's you underneath…”

I chuckled, returning the hug. “I can imagine. But thank you, Claire.” After breaking free, I glanced at Tyler, sitting on my other side. “And well, since it's time for confessions, Ashley here is my girlfriend. Or boyfriend currently, as Tyler.”

While Claire was processing the yet again shocking new piece of information, Tyler smiled at her. “We started dating shortly after E's return.”

“This is really confusing,” Claire admitted. “You're dating a woman who's currently a man, while being a woman?”

I nodded awkwardly. “Pretty much, yeah. Alongside my gender identity, I also realised that I was more bisexual than I thought.”

“The lifestyle of a skinwalker can indeed be confusing for humans,” Mother said, amused. “But there is a way for you to understand us better.”

Here we go… I thought, knowing what Mother was about to propose.

Claire tilted her head while Mother continued. “I'm aware it might be too soon, but if you so desire, I could give you our blessing so you'd become one of us.”

“Become one of you…? You… You mean, make me a skinwalker?” Claire asked incredulously.

“I've been considering it ever since E told me about your potential visit. My dearest wish is for you to be safe, Claire, from humans, skinwalkers, and other creatures alike. Becoming a skinwalker would allow you to live however you want, free to experiment with all kinds of lives at your leisure. You'd be able to stay with E and I if that is your wish, or travel around the world and discover new countries and cultures, blending in with the locals.” Mother got up, leaning towards Claire and lovingly caressing her cheek with warmth in her eyes. “Being a skinwalker is the purest form of freedom, a freedom you more than deserve, my sweet daughter.”

Mother was admittedly selling the curse very well. I had no doubt a lot of people would be tempted by such an offer. And I could see Claire thinking about it, her eyes staring at her feet.

“Take your time to think about it, my child. Maybe meeting the rest of the coven will help you decide,” Mother said gently. “After hearing about the date of your arrival, I arranged for us to potentially reunite tomorrow evening. I just need to confirm it now that you are aware of our situation.”

“A-alright,” Claire simply said. She gave me another glance, one I recognised as meaning that she wanted my opinion.

My stomach grumbled, at first surprising me before understanding that Ashley hadn't eaten anything since she wore that skin this morning.

I giggled, getting up to grab a tacos lying on the table. “Good thing you ordered too much, Yumi.”

It made her laugh. “You don't say. With your appetite, I know nothing will be left.”

And indeed, I hungrily devoured the rests of the takeout, loving the taste even more now that I returned to being Amber.