Chapter 22 it takes 5 years to learn to speak and a lifetime to learn to shut up

(Anna POV)

Anna had met many types of criminal in her career. First there were those who didn't understand what they'd done wrong. For these, it was necessary to explain the consequences of their actions, and it was theoretically possible to bring them back on the right track. Then there were those who felt it was necessary, or to put it simply, the end justifies the means. These people would no doubt sacrifice anything to achieve their goal. But the category Anna despised most of all were those who did evil, were aware of it and took pleasure in it. Anna had no doubt that this Dakota belonged to the latter category.

There was no doubt that she took pleasure in what she did. As much as Nezoko despised them and hated his job, Dakota revelled in their suffering. She was truly the devil incarnate. It was typically because of this kind of person that she had lost... No, this was not the time to think about that.

"I'm so sorry, Anna," said William.

"I've told you 100 times not to apologize for nothing. You had nothing to do with it. I'm the one who should have kept quiet," Anna said with a sigh.

Yes, she should have kept her mouth shut, she knew that, but to see her justice abused like that ... it was just unbearable.

"Do you think Charlotte and Marion have any chance of a fair trial?" asked William.

"With a demon as a judge? I frankly doubt it. The only good thing is that you can probably influence the punishments. Let's see how you can punish me, that'll give us some ideas for the future" said Anna.

"Okay, but how do I do that?" asked William.

_"I don't know. As far as I know, I haven't yet passed my inter-dimensional magic test. Try to concentrate on the idea of punishing me," _said Anna.

William did as he was told and concentrated into the void until he finally exclaimed, "Okay, I've got it."

"Ok so what does it say?" asked Anna, who couldn't help but feel worried inside.

"It says that I can lessen the punishment if I choose it without consulting you or asking your opinion," said William.

And another vicious trick, but what the hell, she wouldn't play their game.

"Interesting but no the whole point here is to look at the punishments and discuss them so there's no point in taking the mitigation." replied Anna.

_"Okay, suit yourself. I trust your judgment. After all, you are a judge," _said William.

Anna smiled at that. William really was a good guy. She really didn't know what she would have become without him.

"Well, enough with the compliments. We haven't got all day. Describe what you see," Anna said in her usual authoritative tone.

"There's a menu with the punishments I can inflict on you in the dungeon," says William.

_"Let's start with that, although I don't think we'll have time for that," _said Anna.

William must have looked at the proposals because he blushed to the ear.

"What is it?" asked Anna, who had a few ideas of what William could see.

"Uh I think this menu is really not usable and why don't we move on to the next one." said William nervously.

"William! Tell me what you see. Right away." said Anna with as much seriousness as she could muster in her voice.

"Are you sure? You know frankly it's better not to look. I'm sure the transformations aren't that bad. You know..."

_"William!" _replied Anna.

"Okay. Ok. But just so you know, you're the one who asked for it. So for 1 VP I can give you 20 real spankings," said William.

20 spankings? Anna couldn't even remember the last time she'd been spanked? Had she never even been spanked? 20 didn't seem like a lot, but at the same time ...

_"Okay I see and if not the rest?" _asked Anna.

"The rest is much worse. I can give you about twenty slaps with my penis for 2 VP. I can summon a stallion to have sex with you, I can ..."

"Okay, I get it. We'll stop this section for the mentally deranged. What else is on the menu?" asked Anna.

_"There's only the transformation section," _replied William.

_"I don't suppose there's a temporary transformation section," _said Anna.

"No, there isn't. I think it's because transformations can be cancelled at the end of the week." said William.

"Yes, that's probably it, and since they're going to cancel a certain number of transformations, it encourages us to take one big transformation rather than a set of smaller ones" says Anna.

_"There is one problem, however. There are far too many possible transformations as far as I can see, and I can't really change the sorting order," _says William.

"How is this organized?" asked Anna.

"It's organized by fetish: Anal, Maid, Bunny, Pregnancy, ... I'm looking to see if I can sort them by the VPs they bring in, so we can eliminate the one that brings in too many," says William.

"Okay stop, we don't have time for that, we'll have to make do with the current configurations. I see 3 axes that could be more interesting than the rest. The first has to do with words. We're here because I couldn't keep quiet. The second and third axes are linked to my transformations so far. I'm a Bunny Girl and I have a fetish for being pregnant. Perhaps other transformations linked to these themes might be appropriate?" says Anna.

"Are you sure about this? Don't you want to look at I don't know what other fetishes you have? The ones you naturally had before coming to this show?" asked William.

Anna thought for a moment, but in the end the answer remained the same.

_"I've never really been very sexual so I don't really have any fetishes apart from the most recent one of being pregnant." _said Anna.

"Well let's go to that section. Hold-it there's an interesting transformation for 2 VPs. I can suppress your periods in exchange for you being permanently in the ovulation phase as long as you're not pregnant." said William.

The blood rushed to Anna's head. Frankly, this transformation was having far too great an effect for her liking.

_"Indeed, that might be a good idea. The advantage of no longer having my period is not negligible. I suppose it's an almost tolerable price to pay," _Anna replied, suppressing her excitement. Cursed transformation.

"Okay, I'll go on to the next one then..." said William.

"No! Uh, I mean, we don't have much time. This one isn't perfect, but it's tolerable. And anyway, I could probably get rid of it by the end of the week, so it's no big deal", Anna justified herself.

"Are you sure about this? Didn't you think we should take as few transformations as possible?" asked William.

"I said they encouraged us to take as few transformations as possible. But since they're encouraging us to, we have to do the opposite. Are you with me? Well, take this transformation and let's get on with it," argued Anna.

_"As you wish. That's it," _said William.

Mommy anytime: Anna, like most women, doesn't like her periods. Well, she's going to be delighted, because now she doesn't have to. Instead, her reproductive system has been modified to be remarkably efficient, enabling her to be in the ovulation phase at all times. Don't try to understand how this happens biologically, it's magic.

Anna felt a warmth in her belly, but clearly she could have imagined it. Had the transformation had an effect? Difficult to say. She'd probably have to wait a few weeks for her next period to see the difference.

_"Do you feel any difference?" _asked William.

"No, nothing at all, but I imagine it's pretty normal. Let's get on with it, we don't have much time. If there's one thing I'm certain of, it's that this woman will take every excuse in the world to punish us." said Anna.

_"Okay. Then there are transformations so that you can be more fertile and have several children at the same time." _said William.

Anna did her best to control her facial expressions. There was no need for William to know how much this transformation affected her. She nodded to William to continue.

"There are also transformations focusing on the length of gestation or the time it takes for children to grow. There's a transformation to make childbirth orgasmic instead of painful." says William.

_"That one. Take this transformation," _says Anna.

"But it only yields 1 VP and what's more it says it can create a form of addiction to being pregnant. I don't think it's a good idea..."

_"William!" _exclaimed Anna.

_"Yes? What is it?" _he replied, surprised by the young woman's tone.

"Have you ever given birth?" asked Anna.

"No, but..."

"Have you ever seen anyone give birth?" continued Anna.

"No, and in..."

"Then do me the favor of buying this transformation right now. Childbirth is one of the worst pains in the world and frankly I don't want to go through it, and if, as the audience seems to want, I end up carrying your children, we'll both be delighted that I've got this transformation. So take this transformation," says Anna.

_"Yes, Chief. Aye, aye, Sir. It's done, Chief." _replied William, playing on his sense of humor to try and get out of the situation he'd got himself into.

Orgasmic childbirth: No more pain and suffering from long, difficult childbirth. Anna's deliveries will now be moments of intense pleasure, with all the pain transformed into pleasure. Be careful, the act of giving birth can become addictive.

Anna smiles. If you're going to be pregnant and have kids, you might as well avoid any problems.

_"2 VPs left, right?" _asked Anna to confirm.

"Yes, that's right, and I don't think we have much time. Do you want me to change the theme?" asked William.

Anna hesitated. She could see how his transformation would influence her, but at the same time she couldn't quite work out where her desires began and the transformation began.

"Yes, I think that would be best. I think this transformation is already influencing me too much. Let's try to keep it physical if possible. Mental transformations are really vicious," says Anna.

_"I agree. As far as possible, I think we should limit ourselves to physical transformations, or at least avoid too many mental ones," _says William.

_"That's the whole problem with Theseus' boat," _says Anna.

_"Oh, you're not going to start that philosophical problem again," _complains William.

"That's exactly the problem we're facing. We're going to change because of external forces. The changes will be gradual, and in the end we'll bear little resemblance to what we are now. In the end, it's a bit like life itself. Can you tell that I look like the little girl playing hide-and-seek with you?" asked Anna.

William sighed. She had won and knew it.

"No you don't," he replied.

_"And are you less my friend now than when we were kids?" _asked Anna.

_"Stop talking nonsense. You know very well I keep my word," _replied William in annoyance.

Yes, that's why she liked him. At least he kept his promises. He wouldn't abandon her no matter what. He'd promised that.

"Well, I'll stop torturing you clearly I don't think we even have time to talk anymore. Take the first crudely correct thing you find and I'll go with it," Anna said.

"Are you sure about this?" asked William.

"I trust you, Master." said Anna, sticking her tongue out at him then heading for the door.

Frankly, she wouldn't be surprised if she ended up happy at the end of this adventure. William was a good man, and although she had no romantic feelings for him, she would marry him without any real problem. Whatever her choice, it wouldn't change a thing.

Suddenly a window appeared in front of her displaying the chosen transformation:

Respect each other's word: Anna had been punished for interrupting Dakota. It would be absurd if the punishment didn't concern this fact. Now Anna will find herself unable to speak when someone else is speaking without having been given the floor first. Hopefully this would teach her to keep her mouth shut.

Okay, maybe she was going to have to have a chat with William after all.