Commission: A Very Good Girl

[Story Listing] 

Commission: A Very Good Girl

Written commission for Alfalfa the Roach

Characters used with permission:

• Kristin Hallowshire © Andrew “Saint Swooper” Ball
• Glo, Flammé © Evan “Gastlis” Winkel
• Stella, Trace "Alfalfa" Mills

---

Evening was approaching in the small village, and dusk drew closer and closer with each passing minute. For many in the village, this was when they could come out, hit the streets, chat up their neighbours and enjoy the nightlife that Wisterwood had to offer.

Celes wasn't like the other villagers, for many reasons. She tended to get most of her business done in the bright hours of the day. There was no shortage of things to do around the mayoral household, and she was always a busy little bee. There was weeding, cleaning, various errands... even Shiori had dragged her along for correspondences and personal visits. She said it'd be good for her to go out and meet people. And it was! She liked meeting people.

But Celes liked her alone time as well. While other monsters would head out and be social, she yearned for nothing more than to curl up in a comfy chair, a nice book in hand, and recharge her batteries a bit. It was a nice feeling—she could relax her body a bit, stretch out, and keep to herself. 

Celes reached over for her book, wearing gloves so her slick hands wouldn't ruin the ink. It was one of her guilty pleasures—a story about an average girl being magically transported to all kinds of fantasy realms, with wonder and magic following her wherever she went. An evil witch had caused a rift, dividing up the realms, and a fair prince was fighting to restore the worlds. And to do that, he needed the help of such an average girl like her. Something about a pure heart and the power of belief...

It was extremely self-indulgent, self-insert pulp, but Celes went for all of it. She got so invested, and her imagination was so colourful, that it allowed her to pretend, just for a bit, that she was someone else. Though she was always taken out of it when the prince had to fight off an evil monster, a sion of the evil witch...

"...Mm..." Celes mouth flattened. Everyone around her was so much nicer than how they were portrayed in these books. A touch problematic... maybe she needed to read some other books. With better representation.

"CELES! CELES CELES!"

Stella bolted in through the door, her clawed feet skidding on the hardwood floor as she veered a hard right towards Celes. This noisy entrance gave Celes quite a start, but Stella was charging right at her—her hands lowering to steady her balance as if on all fours. Celes only had time to close her book before Stella jumped on top of her.

"Ah! Stella, what is it, what... haha, n-no, Stella, we shouldn't-"

Celes couldn't help but chuckled as Stella was already giving her a licking all over her face, getting dollops of Celes slime all over. Stella's additional weight caused Celes' form to sink more into the chair, bringing their faces ever closer... which was all Stella needed to renew her loving assault once more. 

"Aruru!~" Stella yipped as she rubbed her head against one of Celes' bangs, pushing more and more into the goopy girl's form. All Celes could do was reciprocate Stella's strange manner of affection, while trying to hold her at arm's length.

"G-gosh, you really are like... like a puppy, aren'tcha?" Celes grinned wryly, taking Stella by the shoulders and making room on the sofa for Stella. 

Celes knew Stella had... interesting mannerisms, perhaps the strangest she had seen since arriving at Wisterwood. Stella looked the part of a precocious kid, though her arms, legs, and ears gave away her dog-like ancestry. She didn't even wear shoes, settling for her natural furry paws. 

She acted more like a puppy than a person, much to the annoyance of the serious members of those like Yun, so serious in their own mannerisms. Celes felt conflicted about the whole thing—should she try to treat Stella more like a person or more like a dog? Stella liked being the family pet, but... something about that felt very wrong to Celes. 

So Celes tried to keep Stella at arm's length. She was a stranger in a strange land after all. Who was she to tell Stella what was appropriate social etiquette? So this particular instance was... troublesome to Celes.

"Celes, Celes! Stella wanna go!" Stella bounced in her seat as she shook the whole couch. Celes jiggled with each movement Stella made.

"Wh-what? There are... there's a bathroom across the hall, shouldn't you just-"

"No, no! Stella go outside! Celes, come with Stella for walk! It'll be fun!~" Stella beamed, flashing her canines. Celes blinked at what Stella was proposing...

"Eh? But, um... y-you usually go out with Glo, right? What's she up to?"

"Glo said she's helping Mister Flammé out with making treats for everyone! And Stella never go on walks with Celes! Pleeeeeeeease??"

Oh no, Stella was giving Celes the puppy eyes treatment. Celes felt a lump in her throat—she had a weakness for cute things! Celes hemmed and hawwed, trying to look away... but it was no use. Celes settled the book she was reading into her lap.

"I... okay. We can head out together tonight. Does that sound good?" Celes smiled back, rubbing Stella's head.

"Yaaay! Stella will be very, very good for Celes!~" Stella cheered, her tail wagging as she leapt to her feet. She was absolutely abundant with energy she was just itching to release, and Celes got the impression that if they stayed cooped up inside any longer, something would get broken.

With a quiet sigh, Celes stowed her book into a nearby drawer. She'd just have to get back to it later. She rose to her feet... but Stella was already darting for the door.

"Wh- h-hey, wait, Stella!"

BOING!

"Oh no..." Celes bit her lip and hurried out into the foyer. She stumbled upon Stella looking up towards the ceiling. Celes' amethyst eyes followed until she saw a familiar face.

"...Kristin!? What're you doing up there??" Celes stuttered. 

Kristin drifted lazily near the chandeliers, keeping her arms spread so as not to float into anything pointy.

"I-I was gonna ch, check up on all the c-c-commotion down here, but I... S-Stella bumped into me." Kristin, now upside down, prodded her fingers together sheepishly as the cloud girl bounced to and fro.

"She's flying!" Stella stared, astonished. Celes simply massaged her eyebrow. She'd have to help Kristin down before going anywhere...

---

Ten minutes later, after sorting things out with Kristin, Celes and Stella were on their way! Celes made sure to bring a flashlight in case it got dark too quickly. Stella enjoyed darting off to the sides to chase the odd bug, but would always come right back. It was right about this time of day that fireflies started appearing, and Stella was endless enamoured by them. 

Celes retained her steady pace as she kept an eye on Stella. She was certainly glad Stella wasn't so excitable as to run off unattended. Plus, Celes would feel even weirder about putting her on a leash...

"Stella! Can you come back for a sec?" Celes waved to Stella. "...A-and stop chasing that poor fairy!" 

Celes' mouth flattened as she pointed that out. The strange things she found herself saying aloud, she wouldn't have even imagined a year prior. 

One of Stella's ears twitched as Celes called out to her, and she hurried over.

"It's okay, Celes! Stella's just playing!~ Does Celes wanna play with Stella too?" Stella pondered with a headtilt. 

"E-eh... m-maybe when it's brighter out. The sun's about to set, so we shouldn't get too crazy." Celes rubbed the back of her neck as she pondered this, but this only brought a sad pout to Stella's face as she looked to the ground. Stella scratched at her furry forearms. 

Celes felt a severe pang of guilt, and opted to change gears.

"B-but we can play catch tomorrow! Or you could... you could help me with the garden! I need to plant the tulips this weeked for Miss Yueguang..."

This idea got Stella's attention very quickly, and her tail excitedly wagged once more. "Dig? Stella can dig! Dig lot of holes!!" Stella cheered with a hop.

"Yeah! I-I could use the help, honestly, eheh..." Celes smiled, before looking ahead. "Umm, Stella, what's the usual route you take with Glo? I don't... I don't go out at night a lot, so I'm not... really well-acquainted yet."

"Oh! Don't worry Celes! Stella will protect you from strangers! Bark bark!~" Stella was on guard for any ne'erdowells that would descend upon them, her ears folded back and her canines bared. This would be intimidating, if not for Stella's small frame, or her cutesy, flower-adorned shirt. 

Celes had to cover her mouth to stifle her laughter—Stella really was a yappy girl at times, but the gesture was touching.

"I-I don't think that'll be necessary. Thank you though, Stella, you're a... a really good girl."

Stella's eyes sparkled with adoration, her head moving in for a nuzzle. This time Celes was prepared; with a grimace, a hair tendril rose to block Stella's trajectory. The dog-girl opened her eyes quizzically, looking at the strange appendage that held her back.

...She raised a paw to bat at the end of it, her eyes wide with curiosity. She giggled with innocent glee.

"This is fun!~" Stella cooed, batting at it a few more times. All Celes could do was put on a brave face—this entire thing was very strange to her, but she couldn't deny how precious Stella was. Like the puppy she grew up with at home...

"I can't imagine there's such a thing as a dog park around Wisterwood... where do you and Glo usually go?" Celes wondered, looking around.

"Glo and Stella take walks down the streets. Lots of people at night. Stella gets lots of bellyrubs and treats! We make lot of friends!" Stella bounced along excitedly, her attention distracted from Celes' bobbling tendril for the time being. 

Before long, Stella turned to Celes again. "Does Celes make lots of friends?" 

"Ah... not a lot, but... enough friends. There's Glo, and Leila, and Kristin, and... a lot of the adults, but they're probably just being polite.Celes rubbed her shoulder, feeling herself getting grilled by Stella. "E-everyone in town, well... know of me, but not really..." 

"...It's okay! Stella will help Celes make lots of friends! Stella wants to meet all her friends! Ohhh, it's been so long..." Stella whined.

"But... Glo took you out on a walk yesterday, didn't she?" Celes pondered, tapping her chin. 

"Yesterday was forever ago too! Stella wants to meet all her friends tonight too!" Stella cheered with a hop, and without warning, she sprinted forward down the trail, starting out on a spring but eventually transitioning into all fours. 

"S-Stella! D-don't go so far ahead!"

Stella was so young, full of energy, and lithe too. More than a match for Celes, whose thickset body jiggled with each jog, as much as she tried to keep pace. Her thighs rippled like gelatin with each step.

Stella's ears wiggled slightly, picking up a subtle sound in the background. Like wobbling jelly. She realized she had gone a bit too far from Celes, and turned her head to make out Celes in the darkness. Thankfully, her senses were sharp, so this was hardly a problem for Stella. Still, she had Celes' earlier instructions in her active memory...

"Oh no... okidoke Celes! Stella will wait for you right here!~" Stella called out, settling the seat of her shorts down on the ground, patiently waiting for Celes. Not unlike a family pet waiting for their owner to return from their nine-to-five. 

Celes huffed as she hurried up to Stella, her viscous body threatening to melt into a pile of goo from the physical exertion. Stella just bolted about two hundred meters in a few seconds, and it took everything Celes had just to attempt to keep pace. 

"Hoo... dang, you're fast... when'd I get so out of shape??" Celes panted, resting her hands on her knees. 

"Celes doesn't go on enough walks!" Stella scowled, bouncing to her feet. "Stella and Celes are gonna go on more walks together! Then Celes will be fast like Stella!"

"I... I doubt that's physically possible, but... ahaha..." Celes wiped an opaque trickle of what appeared to be sweat from her brow, it mixing in with the rest of her inky complexion. "If Stella believes in me, who am I to say otherwise?"

Celes sighed to herself. There goes her self-prescribed alone time. Still, this wasn't bad either. Stella was exuberant, and a sweetheart at that. Celes definitely appreciated her company.

"And we can play games! Like catch, or disc catch, or stick catch! STELLA LOVES STICK CATCH!!" 

Stella was already sniffing around for a good stick to chew on. Celes blinked.

"...Will that ruin her teeth? Oh Goddess, don't- Stella put that down!"

---

True to form, the main streets of Wisterwoods were fairly busy at this time of night. It was the perfect time of day for the townsfolk to relax, let loose, and be merry. The only one with any sense of unease, it felt like, was Celes herself.

She stayed close to Stella along the way, her purple eyes drifting around. Her active imagination conjured up all kinds of otherworldly fears that tugged at her mind when she was a kid.

Are there vampires coming out this time of night? Do they hunt? Would they suck my blood if they- 

...

I don't have blood anymore...

Celes frowned imperceptibly to herself. She shook her head sharply. Had to keep her head in the game. She was looking out for Stella, damn it.

"Hey, lady!"

"Eh?" Celes' concentration was dashed by someone's voice cutting through the noise to get her attention. She looked around, looking for the source. A satyr with cloven hooves, pointed ears, and mighty antlers was waving her over.

...Behind him was perhaps half a dozen other dog-hybrids, all women. They all seemed to be having a good time, their eyes restlessly looking around. Stella was already hurrying over to say hello... and circling to sniff their butts, a source of great confusion for the girls.

"You walking your dog? Pretty lil lady. Name's Angus, I'm a professional walker." He smirked with a confident look. "Listen, I'll take her off your hands for the night so you can enjoy yourself! Whaddya say?"

"...Um..."

Celes stared, dumbstruck, and a little uncomfortably by this strange man. She decided to exercise the better half of caution. Pursing her lips together, she whistled, getting Stella's attention. Stella looked slightly disappointed, but didn't question Celes' judgment on the matter.

"Stella! Come back, we're leaving! S-sorry mister..."

Bowing her head, Celes scurried over before the satyr could get another word in, taking Stella's hand as she did.

"Stay close. Don't wanna lose you in these crowds." Celes murmured, her eyes busily darting to and fro."

"Celeees! Can we go see Glo?" Stella asked, eyes wide.

"Now?? S-she might be busy though, we shouldn't-"

"Pleeeeeeeeeease?? I wanna see her again!"

Oh no, the puppy eyes again! Celes was rendered utterly powerless before them. And honestly, it didn't take much to convinced Celes. She felt like she was a bit too young to be hanging around the adults at this hour. And the goddess knew that Stella was definitely too young.

If the nightlife was thriving, then the local eateries were doing just as well. And when Celes' closest friends in town worked at a soup kitchen that offered exquisitely premium meals at no cost, well, it was a no brainer that things would be busy. Celes eyeballed the lineup out front that stretched over half a dozen blocks with a grimace.

"Okay, Glo and Mister Flammé are definitely too busy. Let's find someplace else we can- ...Stella? Stella!"

While Celes was temporarily preoccupied, Stella had scurried to the building's rear entrance, intended only for staff, rapping at it with her canine claws. Celes watched from a distance with trepidation, wary of the angry Stella may yet arouse...

"WHO IS ZAT!? IS ZAT DUMB MUTT AGAIN!?" An angry voice bellowed from the other side. 

Stella only yipped in response, her cheerful demeanour unfettered by the outburst. A few quaking steps indicated that someone was approaching the door. 

It swung open, and then slammed shut just as quickly. In its wake, a hodgepodge of used bones—rib bones, apparently—rained upon Stella, littering the ground. 

"Oh... braised beef short rib soup." Celes nodded. It appeared the head chef tossed whatever refuse he had on hand.

"NOW GO! GET! VAMOOSE! AU REVOIR!" He whooped from the other side of the door. Stella, meanwhile, required no other invitation, already nibbling at one of the bones. 

"A-ah, um... ahm... hm..." Celes thought of ensuring Stella got that thing out of her mouth, but she stopped herself. This must've been a normal occurrence for Stella... and perhaps her biology allowed for it. As hard as it was for Celes to get past the whole "human proportions" thing. 

"Mmmm... sooo meaty. Celes wanna try one??" Stella paused in her gnawing, holding one up for Celes.

"Ummmm, I'm good. Had a big dinner, heheh. Y-you enjoy those, okay?" Celes smiled, forcing it just a little. Stella tilted her head quizzically, before going back to her gnawing. 

Her perfectly white and sharp teeth gnashed and crunched at the bones with tenacity and strength. She growled quietly as she went at it. Celes' smile turned quickly into a grimace. She'd have to get used to this...

"Hey! Celes! What're you doing out here?"

A familiar voice rang out through the night, inviting Celes' attention. She turned around to see Glo coming up from the woods, a basketful of freshly harvested truffles. 

Glo was a dullahan, and Celes' closest friend. She was the one who brought Celes to Wisterwood, after all! And even to this very restaurant. It was a very special place for the both of them, and Celes felt at peace being with her. 

"Hey, Glo! Nice truffles, they look restaurant quality!" Celes chimed in with an earnest smile. 

"Well, they gotta be! Or else Boss will be preeeetty mad with me and OH MY GOSH YOU BROUGHT STELLA WITH YOU" 

"GLO!! I MIIIIIIISSED YOUUUU!!!"

With a pounce, Stella leapt up onto Glo from the front. Glo tipped over backwards and hitting the ground with a great thud! Glo's basket tipped to the ground, scattering the prized mushrooms everywhere. And Glo's own head was wrested from the scarf holding it in place, leaving Stella cuddling Glo's headless, but still warm and loving body. 

Celes covered her mouth, staggering back with the sudden activity, and concerned with the damage to Glo's crop. But this dreadful feeling dissipated with Glo's bubbling laughter

Stella's attention went from Glo's body to Glo's head, scrambling out of Glo's arms and over to her head. She then proceeded to lick Glo's head all over with such rambunctious abandon... enough to cause Glo's head to roll around on the dirt ground.

"Stella, you're such a good girl hahaha ohhhh I'm gettin' dizzy..." Glo's head had performed a few revolutions, rolling along the ground as Stella scrambled and rolled her around. "Celes, help a girl out, wouldya!?" 

"Right!" Celes affirmed with a nod and hurried to Glo's side, working to secure her head with Glo's scarf. Stella was quite a help in this endeavour, nudging Glo's head a little closer to her waiting arms. With a pretty looking knot, Glo was right as rain again. She sat up, placing two hands on her heads to confirm she had a snug fit.

"Awright, good stuff! Celes, you're gettin' really good at tying my scarf, eheh!~" Glo beamed, clearly impressed.

Celes rubbed the back of her neck bashfully, a dark pigment rising to her cheeks. "Ah, well... I-I get a lot of practice. Did, did I get it right?"

"Yeah! Now for the important stuff! C'MERE STELLA!~" Glo kneeled forward, her grabby hands leering over Stella and plunging for her belly. 

"AAAAAAAH!~" Stella squealed, rolling on her backside for the impending bellyrubs. Glo's fingers were like magic, dancing along her shirt and around her waist and belly button. 

Celes watched from a distance with a wry grin. In the corner of her eye, she noticed the truffles were still scattered all over. She took Glo's near-empty basket and went through the rounds of collecting them. Looks like they survived the fall without any real damage.

"WHO'S A GOOD GIRL? YOU ARE! YOU ARE!~" Glo cooed, her movements growing more and more excited. 

"AWOOO! STELLA'S BEEN THE GOODEST GIRL!~" Stella giggled between tickles, readjusting her stance to expose as much of her belly as possible. 

"She's been pretty good..." Celes muttered with a tired smile. The smile dissipated upon a realization. "B-but you guys should keep it down, otherwise Mister Flammé will-"

Slam! The door to the kitchen swung open once more, and Gloria's excited movements ceased at once. All eyes were on the enormous figure in the door.

"GLOOOOOOORIAAAAA!"

It was Flammé. The enormous, unruly pigman, head chef, and Glo's guardian. And he looked none too pleased.

"...Ah well. Celes! Take over the belly rubs for me, okay? I gotta get back to work." She hoisted up the basket of truffles. "And thanks for putting all these back for me!~"

"N, no problem, Glo!" Celes stammered, holding her hands behind her back. Part of her felt like this was her fault, but all she could do was smile nervously, and hope Flammé didn't go too hard on her.

...Oh who was she kidding. Flammé was a notorious hardass.

"Gloria! Look at your face! Were you playing off in ze mud!? Wash that filthy mug, now, and check on ze customers! There's a group of night elves and they expect better than-"

Kthunk. The door closed behind the two of them. Celes couldn't make out the indistinct murmuring; Stella could, but she was too busy rolling around on the ground, expecting yet more belly rubs.

Agh. Puppy eyes. Celes' one weakness. Well, other than extreme cold. Or extreme heat. Or mean words. Or engineering, mechanitry, any of the hard sciences...

Celes scootched over with a pang of uncertainty, a trembling hand lowering to Stella's belly. Her hand's movements were cautious and uncertain, but settled into a rhythm. The contented look on Stella's face eased Celes, and encouraged her to continue. 

---

For a while, they sat like this, looking up towards the stars. It was such a clear and pretty night, and the two of them lost track of the time. Thirty minutes passed.

Stella was curled up against Celes, her head resting in her squishy lap. She quietly chewed on a bone from early. Celes quietly stroked Stella's hair as she sat crosslegged.

"...S'getting late. We should start heading back, Stella." Celes muttered, her eyes moving over look over Stella's prone body. One of Celes' hand rose to scritch at Stella's ears. 

"Awww... but Stella isn't tired... hwaaah..." Stella lied unconvincingly, before yawning loudly.

"C'mon. You're all tuckered out. It's plain to see." Celes grinned wryly, taking Stella's head in both hands and tilting her head up to look into her own eyes. "We'll go on another walk tomorrow, okay?"

"...Oooookaaaay..." Stella obediently gave in. She was nothing if not the goodest girl. She clamoured to her feet, using Celes for support. Celes found her legs in short order as well. 

"...It was fun seeing everyone again today..." Stella cooed, still a little out of it, and very clearly exhausted. Celes' eyebrow perked up in response, hearing this.

"...Mm? But... it's a small village. We see everyone every day. You especially." Celes didn't seem to understand.

"Stella likes to see everyone. It means they're still a part of Stella's life, and Stella... doesn't wanna lose the people she loves. Stella loves everyone.~"

Stella flashed a happy, contented smile, her pure innocence shining through even as she was ready to curl up in a warm bed and sleep. Celes blinked, before reciprocating this smile. In all of the strange tendencies Stella had from day to day... this was a thing Celes empathized with so dearly.

"...Heh. You really are a good girl." Celes linked arms with Stella. "C'mon Stella. It's not bedtime juuust yet. Only when get back home, okay?"

"It's okay... Stella no sleepy... zzzz..." 

"Stella? ...Oh, great."

Celes rolled her eyes, hoisting up Stella in her arms, carrying her like a bride. Celes could feel strength growing in her arms, muscles expanding and flexing to support Stella's significant frame.

It was time to head home.