Seeking Sherwood Epilogue - Temperance (Patreon)

With friends in the right place, a bat could really find herself moving up in the world! Temperance was always destined for great things (provided she didn't find herself at the business end of one of The Rendering Pit's Drone Eggs), with a little help, she might just have found herself there.

Written by the wonderful Rabidbadger writing, illustrated by me!  

Characters/Owners:

Garth - Nackvixen 

Veronicas - Veronacus 

Temperance - Paris  

- - -     

Hwuorpphhb~

Temperance felt her whole body relax after the outburst, sinking back into a seat that might comfortably be though of as a throne under certain conditions. It wasn't quite as ostentatious as old depictions of them, her seat was a thing of chrome and function rather than gold and form, but it was close enough. It supported the bat's much expanded body, giving the layered rolls of her legs a comfortable pair of furrows to rest in, perfectly carving a concave pillowy groove to match the beanbag chair sized masses each half of her ass had become, then curling into a narrower support along her back that let her wings sit free before supporting her head and her current lack of a neck.

None of this applied to Temperance's gut, that was currently sprawled out on more traditional cushioning and took up the entire rest of the platform upon which she rested. The bat's belly had grown to be roughly the size of the rest of her body, gigantic rump and head-sized breasts included. Which, given that Temperance's cheeks crept up into her vision no matter where she looked and her extra chin space had blurred into her chest somewhere, was no small feat for them. The bat's ominously gurgling belly sat there like a ravenously gurgling monument.

The chair could tend to that, too. Temperance could feel the control systems with her own internal augmentations, she could will it to produce drone arms and tend to her own needs, but the cat sitting across from their at her swanky office desk didn't know that.

Lilly, as she insisted on being called, presented an odd figure occupying the head office of a corp-town. The cat looked a bit past thin, at least she did to Temperance. Some suspicion was also there about the feline trying to call attention away from it, with blue hair and pink highlights, a spiked collar, and her suit sporting planes of cream, pink, and blue fading into one another and clearly expertly tailored around a pair of beautifully cultivated double D's.

“Miss Temperance, you know my position can't have just changed overnight. There are strict guidelines in place from the board on our trade agreements and that includes indentured workers. Even if I wanted to change our policies, and I do, I can't just sell their debt without approval and-”

That rumbling in Temperance's stomach fired up again and the bat leaned her head as far to the side as the bloated donut of fat formerly known as her neck allowed.

“Mallow! Are you here today? I just bought out most of the building's kitchen. If you bring a cart up and keep me fed you can eat some on the way.”

The outburst left Lilly looking a bit jarred, and then annoyed.

“Temperance-”

The bat's head turned back in a flash.

“Madame Ambassador.”

Lilly exhaled slowly, looking as if she was visibly fighting off a headache now as a white furred bear in a somewhat archaic looking purple and black maid outfit rushed in from a side room. The polar bear was a much more reasonable degree of corpulent compared to Temperance, still mobile for one thing.

“Oh good~ I hoped you were here. Tell you what, feed me by hand and there'll be a tip in it for you too.”

The bear looked visibly excited at that, bouncing in place (setting her belly in a state of wobbling that lasted a fair bit) and grinning right past the visibly 'gothic' makeup.

“Ooh I think I can be persuaded Madame Ambassador, I-”

A slender fist slammed down on the desktop, followed by a half shout from Lilly.

“I am sorry but Harvane Corp does not recognize the sovereignty of your benefactor, Temperance. As to you, Mallow, we have company physicals next month and you have gained an unacceptable amount of weight in just the last few days as it is.”

A look passed between Temperance and Mallow at that, one that practically carried on a conversation by itself. Something that settled itself quickly, and led to the bear starting a dutiful waddle toward the elevators and the cafeteria.

“Lilly, you've had two weeks to get in touch with Corporate and get permission to negotiate. Or to have someone sent who can. I don't appreciate being made to wait, even when the room service here is good. Your maintenance staff doesn't appreciate having to pick up my palanquin and carry me into the cargo elevator, and then into your office. But-”

An old fashioned ceramic mug flew from Lilly's desk at that and hit the wall, crumbling on impact.

“They won't, because we do not recognize Sherwood Fleet as a sovereign entity. That's the core problem, Temperance. Get it through your thick- err.”

Temperance scowled back across the room, the air going quiet and tense between the two women. Lilly was the one to break the stare down, and the silence.

“I – I'll step into my side office and call them one last time, but don't get your hopes up.”

The annoyance the bat was wallowing in lasted only briefly. Two things fixed the problem, the elevator arrived along with the smells of a cart loaded with cafeteria food and the sounds of a happily chewing bear pushing it, and a notification appeared in her vision. An internal call that opened itself a moment later, displaying a rendering of a luminous fox's visage.

Hey! How're the talks going?

They're being dodgy still. What do you think, hardball?

“Oh I can smell the peach cream pies and the chicken tenders. Let's start with those for now Mallow.”

The answer that came from the bear was probably something akin to 'oh certainly!' but muffled through a mouth full of something greasy and succulent. Temperance still found herself chuckling and patiently sitting there (as if she had anything else she could do) while Mallow began scaling her like a small hill carrying a basket of fried treats. Temperance waited patiently, maw open, letting her mind do the talking for her with her Captain.

Oh I prefer things soft, you know that.

You know what I mean. Permission to throw my weight around a little?

As if I'd ever say no to that. Throw all the weight :D

Temperance didn't explain why she suddenly started chuckling with a full mouth, cheeks already a little greasy from Mallow's slightly clumsy feeding, though it did pervade the next few morsels she was handed by the bear. Rather, the bat waited until Mallow stopped to snack for herself again after going down for more to chime in.

“Mallow, dear, this meeting is going to require more than light snacks it appears. Go tell the office staff there will be several deliveries. I expect people up here no later than ten minutes from now with the first course of appetizers and some wine – a few bottles at least.”

Caught off-guard, the bear hesitated. Her slightly stained violet and black uniform started quivering as her more than plump frame shook underneath it while Mallow glanced to the side office and back again. Which was all it took to prompt Temperance to reach down for that little core of assertiveness the Vice Regent had nurtured in her and let it loose.

“Darling, I wasn't asking. I want these things and I will have them. Go find all the employees with enough sense to realize the rules here are stupid and need to change and tell them there's an opportunity to seize. A real one, not a damn sale at the corporate store.”

Mallow produced a worried squeaking noise quite unbecoming of a polar bear, but she did promptly rush off to do what Temperance wanted. Now, unfortunately, she had to wait. Temperance was having less success handling boredom of late, which had her contemplating breaking her ruse about her palanquin's robotics until she saw a communications notification appear in the corner of her eye. That would, at least, provide a distraction from her already unsatisfied stomach.

Appearing to manifest on a 'screen' a few feet from her head, Temperance saw a familiar visage bloom into being. The familiar black and white stripes of a skunk, wearing an honest to god crown atop a short mop of blond hair and – if she wasn't mistaken – wearing the same striped blue jacket over a gold waistcoat that he'd been wearing a week ago. There were certainly a weeks worth of grease and ketchup stains on it.

Ah, so prompt! Most agreeable. Hello, madame Ambassador!

Curling her lips a bit, Temperance leaned back as much as her body actually did that anymore. The smile started out polite, but as she watched the skunk do the same lean and roll a bit more into view in the process it became quite genuine.

“Vedour, you look fabulous. Tell me you have good news. You know I don't like the other kind.”

A breathy chuckle went up from the skunk, which set the bulk of him to wobbling a bit and caused a button to fly off his waistcoat and head straight toward the camera.

I feel rather fabulous. Taken a bit of your advice to heart, you know? But anyway – news! I do have the good stuff, as it happens. I've convinced my sister – wasn't that hard really – to recognize the Fleet and start drawing up a formal trade agreement. Should get rid of all those nasty lawsuits and accusations of piracy and smuggling.

It took a fair bit of effort for Temperance to clap her hands once, even just for effect, but the situation seemed to call for it. Setting her underarms quaking like Jell-O was just a pleasant bonus.

“Delightful! Tell your sister we'll be ordering from her bakery as soon as the paperwork is finalized. I – oh, I think my meeting may be resuming. Take care, Vedour! Keep up that diet, your figure is looking more properly decadent already. It really makes that crown look more fitting.”

A powerful blush ran up in the skunk's puffy, quivering cheeks at that, dislodging a few cake crumbs in the process.

I – y-yes, madame Ambassador! We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Temperance sighed as the call ended, all too brief. That visit had been delightful – a full compliment of servants carrying her from her room to the meetings, someone on hand at all hours of the day to handle feeding her, cleaning up after her meals, scratching itches she couldn't reach. It was so much more satisfying feeling a hand she wasn't in control of doing it. The bat hadn't yet figured out why, but she wasn't going to stop enjoying it over that.

Lilly, meanwhile, had not left Temperance in such a good mood. As the feline walked back in to take her place at her desk it was already clear the problem still existed.

“...Where's Mallow? I – you know what, never mind. We'll just review the tapes later and see if any disciplinary action is warranted. Obviously I don't have good news, I'm going to have to ask you to- what are you doing, Temperance?”

One of the bat's arms was raised again, and her expression had taken a turn for the serious.

“Don't move please, and for the last time dear that's Ambassador.”

Exhaling and wincing, Lilly looked ready to say something before she froze in confusion and then put a hand down to her belly.

“I – what was that?”

Temperance tilted her head a little, allowing a smirk to creep back into her expression.

“Tracking beacon. It ensures the rest of the payload doesn't get mislaid in transit.”

Squinting a little, Lilly stood up rapidly from her desk, sending her chair skidding backward and clearly ready to begin an angry rant. That rant died before being voiced as a loud, liquid 'glorp' sound filled the room centered on the cat's middle. It was immediately followed by a soft fizzing noise, and Lilly grunting in surprise as she stumbled back to her seat, clutching at her belly. Said belly had spread out into a dome and looked to be gently undulating and squeezing itself.

“W-what-”

Lilly's eyes rolled a bit prior to a body-wide shudder. The dark-furred, bright-haired cat curled her arms around herself while Temperance watched with some satisfaction as she began to more tightly fill out her oddly colored suit.

“Private mixture. Nutrient paste baseline but altered for being more palatable, and hybridized with some organic digestive accelerants. I have vats of the stuff on my ship.”

Half panicked, Lilly stood shakily and winced as her suit began rapidly becoming too small.

“Y-your ship is half the city away!”

Flailing her arms briefly, Lilly found herself struggling with balance and having to quickly fight with her suit to undo buttons that were stretching themselves taut as her body softened.

“Hence the need for the beacon. If we'd been closer I could just do this myself.”

With some effort, Lilly got the top half of her suit undone and shed. Though as soon as she'd managed that she had to go to work on the spiked collar for similar reasons, not having spare time to worry about being in just a strawberry pink bra and her pants.

“I – but- how – WHY are you doing this?! You can't just-”

A quiet ding from behind them saw the elevator opening again, producing not just Mallow this time but a half dozen other employees. Most of them were quite skinny, a few worryingly so, but the bear was already encouraging them to partake a bit on the way in. It was, otherwise, a quiet procession. The lot of them were quite mystified with what they were seeing, but Mallow at least stayed together enough to shake them out of the shock and get Temperance's appetite seen to. The bat, meanwhile, seemed to only be half paying attention as she was climbed on and people began handing things up the line toward her.

“Clearly I can do this, dear, or it wouldn't be happening. Now, I suggest you disengage the arms from your chair, undo your pants, and sit down.”

For a few moments the cat hesitated, but only a few. Watching her employees carry wine and pizza up to the gently heaving bulk that was Temperance was sobering – and something else. Something she couldn't totally put her finger on yet. Once that hesitation was past Lilly unbuttoned her pants and stumbled back into the chair, her matching underwear and a conspicuous bulge visible for just a few moments before a soft paunch grew in providing a parody of modesty.

“As to 'why' I'm doing it, you look like you need it. You say you want things to change and I believe you, but you've let Corporate spook you into thinking the status quo is the best option you have. You'll cling to it until you're replaced or until something breaks, and I have a habit of breaking things when I lend my weight to a problem.”

Shaking her head, Lilly put her hands to her belly. It was taut, churning gently, growing steadily with each moment. Her fingers sunk in a little more each heartbeat and there was a queer, greasy crawling sensation under her skin that she could only guess was what it felt like to get fat so quickly you could watch it happen. Already she had the beginnings of soft, dangly arms and her tits felt constrained in their lacy confines. That warning about the chair came to a head as well, as the cat felt her hips digging into its sides and had to fumble for the switch to drop the chair's arms down.

“So you're going to work with me and my patron to get this settlement out of all this corporate credit, corporate store, corporate lending and debt consolidation fuckery because I've lost patience with this little nest of corruption. Too many hungry faces, too many 'good intentions'.”

Temperance leaned her head back, drinking straight from a bottle of what had to be an expensive wine. The label was in a language she didn't even recognize, but whatever it was its fruity flavor went perfectly with a giant dish of pasta, cheese, and truffles.

“Fail the – how – how much of this stuff is going into me?!”

A reply didn't come immediately. Temperance let herself be stuffed with a couple more mouthfuls first, using the time to savor her steadily filling belly and watch as Lilly struggled with how to feel about her own. She saw conflict in the cat's eyes, and that was familiar to Temperance. Intimately so.

“I did say I had vats of it dear, but if you want me to stop perhaps you should display some good faith for once and give me a reason. Like it or not, by the time this meeting is done you'll be 'corporately unacceptable' and you'll have to put your money where your mouth is about being on your employees' side. So, maybe that's not the right question.”

Lilly was still well past confused, hugging her chest and rocking in her seat gently, blushing as she watched the bat occupying her office gorge like royalty. It was hard to take her eyes off it, even when the other sight in the room was watching her belly creep steadily toward her knees.

“Perhaps the question you need to be asking is 'how much do you want in you?' You are all criminally under-compensated for the manufacturing here. So h-hwoourphb- how about it?”

Several more seconds passed in silence after that. Relative silence, anyway. The noises of seven people eating, one of them quiet messily, and of Lilly's chair groaning a bit more each moment were present – but nobody spoke until the cat was ready.

“...C-could I get some of that deep fried fish?”

A broad, toothy grin spread over the soft jowls of Temperance's face.

“Say 'please, Madame Ambassador'.”

Shivering, Lilly coaxed herself into standing up. It took more effort than she remembered to do so already and despite the air conditioning she felt hot all over.

“Please, Madame Ambassador, ca-”

Temperance couldn't quite wait until the cat was done, she started chuckle deep in her belly.

“Of course, dear. The more the merrier. It's about damn time you loosened up a bit, I just wanted to hear you say it. Once you're good and satisfied for once in your life we'll figure out whether we need to lie, cheat, or just start an actual rebellion over all this.”

The last few words got a bit of nervous glances going around the room from everyone but Temperance. The giant bat just licked her lips and smiled, though nobody else in the room could see the fox smiling back at her.

“No worrying, we've got your back either way.”

Nicely done, Ambassador.