Chrysalis batted her lashes at the camera as emojis drifted up a monitor with swarms of texts, most of them short and to the point. "Happy to see me?" It wasn't actually her lashes, or her smile, or her voice. She was, as the humans put it, 'deep faking'. But instead of glitchy technology, she could actually become their wildest desires.

Cozy Glow, proving she had some use, had come with a list of the most coveted humans, historical or fantastical. It didn't even matter. "I'm going to have to go offline soon." She winked. "Gotta make time for the one on ones. Are you one of those? Looking forward to it." She blew a kiss at the camera even as the light faded, the stream ended. "Ugh. Humans are so libidinous."

Cozy extended a finger. "One, I didn't think you knew the word libidinous."

"Bite me."

Cozy leaned in, extending another finger. "Two, that costs extra. Won't trick me that easily, gosh!"

Chrysalis smirked at that. "Can't blame me for trying. Regardless, why this? The bits they're tossing is nice and all, but it's chump change in the end." She made a throwing motion just before falling back to hooves. "Besides, I'm sexy just the way I am."

Cozy waved that off. "I don't swing that way. Golly, American talk is rubbing off on me." She frowned with that thought. "There is a point, promise! You're not just taking their money. You're taking their loyalty."

Chrysalis cocked a brow at that. "Loyalty to dead and imagined things?"

"They already have that." Cozy snapped her fingers. "This is why your channel has a name, with a specific face." Sure, it wasn't Chrysalis' face, but she was a wanted criminal... "Brand loyalty. It's a thing with Americans. You're winning their hearts."

"You've gained my attention." Chrysalis curled a hoof to her chin. "So how do I take advantage of this and make them do whatever I want?"

"You don't." Cozy hopped over to a computer to peer at something. "Not the way you're imagining it, I bet, Gosh. You're like their good friend. What you say matters. They have a word just for that. Ready? Influencer! That's you!" She pointed at Chrysalis firmly. "Congratulations!"

"Yay," replied Chrysalis with no enthusiasm. "Now, remind me. You can bewitch male humans with barely a glance. Why did you get me involved? You could be taking all this for yourself... but you aren't."

Cozy gestured at herself with both hands. "You aren't wrong. I have all kinda neat powers! Golly, but I have to be in person." She pointed to the webcam, dark and disabled. "Through that? No power. On the plus side... I can still rile things up... But it's not subtle, and may get us caught, so..."

"So you came to me." Chrysalis willed a stack of papers to the next in line. "That, at least, makes some kind of sense." It was high praise, at least from Chrysalis. "A pity lust makes for such a poor love."

Cozy perked at that. "Can you eat through that?"

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Yes, and no. I can smell it. I can taste it, but I can barely feel it." She smacked her lips and tongue in annoyance. "Just a tease... But I can still feel what kind of love it is. And most of them don't have it. Most of them are fascinated, or, to be blunt, hornier than I am." She held her horn high, looking quite triumphant in her pun.

"Ha ha." Cozy tapped at the screen. "Matty boy showed me something!"

Chrysalis came in from the side for a peek. "That... is a lot of numbers."

"And a graph," added Cozy with a a grin. "Golly, in the right direction." She traced the line sharply inclined upwards. "You are knocking them dead!"

Chrysalis buffed her chest, easily pleased with the praise. "As if they had a chance... So... how does this make us win? As fun as it is to be the center of attention and all... It's soured by not being myself that's being paid attention to." She tapped at the channel icon on the screen. "The love bug? A little on the nose, hm?"

Cozy burst into little giggles. "Hiding in plain sight is how you do it!" She clapped her hands in a light applause. "It was working for me, twice now, gosh. When we start getting involved with them, and even before then, you'll be there to whisper your words to them. What, those guys? They're not so bad..." She batted her lashes with feigned innocence. "You just have to give them a chance."

"Gross." Chrysalis smiled viciously. "What a terrible lie. I love it."

They shared a bit of evil laughter. It was good for team building.

He slammed his fist on the console, thankfully not on any of the buttons or levers. "Track him!"

"Already on it, sir." A sailor was mashing busily at the keys. "We'll contact you with news."

He was a soldier. They were sailors, on a boat. His command over them was... spotty. "Thank you." He threw open the door to the outside with a heavy grunt. "Damn it, fuzzbutt." Hoku was one of the first furballs in the forces, but not the last. He had become something of a poster child, even if was hard to get him to sit down for picture sessions.

Other 'creatures', as they called themselves, looked to his example and wanted to join the effort. Protect America. Protect the world. The World's Police; to them, that sounded like a great idea. To some voters, a terrible idea. "Damn it..." He slammed the railing, which had the politeness to not complain about it. "Don't die on me now..." Why did he even allow the mission? Any human soldier would have been laughed back to their post.

But Hoku wasn't that. He was an otter. An army otter. He could swim, really well. The numbers they had from any time he did an aquatic test proved that. Fast, far, breathing optional. Just take a quick peek and come back up. It seemed so harmless...

"I'm home." Paul didn't expect any answers. Not like anyone lived with him. But he was home. He flicked the TV on just for some noise and wandered into the kitchen. "Right." He got his phone turned on.

It buzzed shortly after it booted up. He quickly swiped to get to the messages. Some from his newfound family, wishing him well. That was nice. He quickly tapped out an assurance that he was fine and back in town. "But I may be called away again," he typed out. "Business, you know how it is." They probably didn't deal with shadowy government agencies very often, but it'd do as a message. No need for them to worry.

Which brought up the question. He had to make a choice. "This is your fault." Sure, he was talking to himself. Still, he had accepted the job. He didn't owe the president anything. She had no power over him. He could have turned her away and gone back to his life without any changes. But that's a lie.

He would have known, and that would have changed it. He still loved the nation, and letting Cozy Glow just... He changed the channel to the news where they were talking about her. Represenative gone, new one to be named by California governor. That didn't immediately undo the damage she had done.

Set the nation back decades in space progress, left them vulnerable... Enemies... Cozy Glow. She was one of them, right? Was she working alone? Her friend didn't seem quite right, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it, and didn't have the resources to dig into her past. Enemies. America had them. They were being attacked.

Paul chuckled softly. That sort of thinking was part of his line to get into office. "It isn't paranoia if it's true." He sank onto his comfy easy chair, leaning back, feet up. "Someone has to do something..."

And that someone was him? Who else would it be?

"I was just getting used to it." Being a therapist was rewarding. But he had to help a nation before he could help his clients. He drew out his phone and got to dialing. He had a country to serve.

"Business?" The teen girl squinted at her phone suspiciously. "You're a brain doctor thing! What business do you keep having?" she shouted angrily at the phone, but it did not reply. "Did you hear that?"

"You shouted in my ear, hard to miss that," noted her boyfriend. "Hey, he's an adult. He gets to be busy."

She tapped a hoof on the ground, clad in the firm sole of her equine shoe. "I don't like it. He attracts strange stuff. I bet more odd things are coming for him."

"I could say that about you," laughed her boyfriend. "We're a bunch of odd people."

"Shut up! You're not wrong, but shut up." She flopped back against her bed. "I want to help..."

"Hey, he deserves some help, but we can't give it." His voice echoed over the speaker phone "School, remember? Besides, pretty sure he doesn't want a bunch of kids hanging around."

"I am not a kid!" she huffed, cheeks puffing in a very dignified way.

"Teenagers are still kids," admitted the self-aware teen. "18s the magic cut off, and neither of us are there."

"Right." She rolled to her belly. "Like I'll wake up on my 18th and suddenly everything will make sense."

"Probably not." His voice lowered. "I'm not trying to be a downer, seriously... You know I care about you, right?"

"Of course you do." She flopped to her side, cradling the phone. "Dummy... I love you right back. This just frustrates me, a lot. A lot lot! Lot... Lot." She slapped the bed she was on. "A whole lot!"

"Not a little?"

"I know where you live!" Both began to laugh at the absurd humor shared between them. "We may be... young, but that doesn't mean we can't do anything, right?"

"We can do a lot of things... But not force ourselves onto someone's life, no... Pretty sure we'd get into trouble for that, and we'd be wrong." He sighed into the phone. "Why are you making me be the voice of reason?"

"Alright, alright... My turn." She flopped onto her belly, phone held close. "We shouldn't do that because we have no money to speak of. What are we going to do, travel on good wishes?"

"Point... Look, he's answering his phone at least. Let's keep in touch. Maybe he really just has a little business, doing adult stuff."

"On my 18th," swore the satyr. "I will know what 'adult stuff' is. Pow, like a flash."

He snickered at that. "Are you going to share with me?"

"Nope!" She sat up with a grin. "You're a few weeks younger than me, so that'd be breaking the Adult Code. You'll just have to wait for your 18. Then we can chat about it like two gross adults."

"Ew," he laughed with her,the mood lightening. "Before or after we get a real job?"

"Actually, about that." She picked up a binder with one hand. "I was thinking to try to get one this summer."

"Seriously?" A pause. "What job?"

"I get to live the dream." She slapped the binder down. "There's a horse ranch not too far. I already talked to them, and I think they think I'll be good advertising. On the other hand, they'll show me how to care for and ride the horses. I get to play with the horses all summer and bring home some dollars. Brilliant?"

"Brilliant," he agreed firmly. "But don't let them parade you around like some kinda show. You're a person first, who happens to be extra awesome."

"You're so sweet." She blew a kiss into her phone. "Now you have to get one."

"Wha--" She hung up the phone with a grin.

Author's Note

B-but... Hoku... Maybe we'll find out next time. The world is moving on without our fuzzbutt.

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