Despite having promised not to keep Tom waiting on them for too long, Riley and Beth went straight to the R&D department after torturing Keith. Not that Riley cared too much about keeping a promise with her brother. However Beth was fretting about it.

“We'll have to be quick. In and out. Tom did not sound too pleased when you told him that we'd be a while.”

Riley shook her head, sporting a wry smile. “Beth, don't let your all too obvious crush on my brother cloud your judgement.” Beth blushed and made as if to argue, but Riley raised a finger and silenced her. “My mom promised me Tom's services for the day, to have him drive us where we need to go. We command, he obeys. Tell me, do your chauffeurs ever complain?”

“No...”

“Exactly! That's because they're professionals.” Riley was winging it at this point. Unlike Beth, who came from an incredibly wealthy family, Riley had never had a personal driver before today. “We will not bow to the wishes of my moody older brother and we shall take as long as we desire. Besides, he should be grateful. On Saturdays the first of Tom's chores is to give my mom a foot massage after her morning run. And, if he isn't up and ready for her to return, he has to do it with her socks in his mouth. It's a shame that Tom's Saturday chores are all that remains of his foot-based punishments, My mom obviously still enjoys having my brother at her feet. I don't know why she stopped, honestly. But I bet I can get her to start again with a push.”

Riley realised that she was going off on a tangent. “Sorry, I started to get a little carried away there. The point of the matter is that Tom is our driver for today. He doesn't get to have an opinion about being kept waiting, or about where we go. Understand?”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Good.” Riley smiled, then laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. “You should get over that crush, anyhow. My mom tells me that Tom has a girlfriend now.”

Beth turned to Riley, and for a moment she thought there was a spark of fury in those eyes. “Really? Who?”

Riley shrugged. “Mom refuses to tell me, which is quite surprising. Apparently he only recently told her who his girlfriend was and immediately swore her to secrecy. What is he scared of, me finding out and ruining his little relationship?” That was, of course, the kind of thing that Riley would do. “It doesn't matter though, I have my suspicions as to who she is.”

“So who is it?” Beth urged.

Riley winked. “I'm not the kinda girl that spreads rumours, Beth. I'll let you know when I know for sure.” The two of them crossed the boundary into the R&D department and glanced around. “Now, where is Professor Branning?”

Upon hearing Riley's voice, a young woman in a lab coat jumped up from behind a desk in surprise. She sheepishly grinned as she emptied a dustpan and brush into a bin by her side, then placed the tools back under the desk. “Sorry, just doing a bit of cleaning. It's a quiet day. Did I hear that you are looking for Professor Branning?”

“We are.”

“Excellent. I happen to know exactly where she is. Follow me!” The girl seemed quite enthusiastic about the prospect of leading the pair of SCOs.

“Not to be rude or anything,” Riley said, as the three of them traversed the corridors, moving past rooms which were much more open than the torture chambers of the interrogation department, showing scenes of both research and development in action. “but why are you so excited? I assumed you guys would be super busy down here, and that it would be a bother to escort us around.”

The girl sighed. “Truth be told, I'm new here. Only last month I signed on to be an intern working under Professor Branning. I didn't realise how... odd she would be. The other members of the department tell me it's normal for her to become obsessed with something and neglect the interns. But honestly, it's just so disheartening.”

“Ah. That sucks, I'm sorry to hear that. If it's normal for the professor, you probably have nothing to worry about. In my experience with obsessive people, you either have to be patient or get involved in what they're obsessed with.”

“Get involved...” The girl sounded thoughtful. “How am I supposed to do that?”

“Without more details, I can't really answer. You'll have to work that out yourself, I'm afraid.”

“Oh.” The intern didn't say any more. Luckily they reached the lab with Professor Branning shortly after, sighting her through the clear glass window.

The professor was examining something in a clear glass jar when they entered. She looked over at the door as it opened, abandoning what she was in the process of doing. “Barracloud! Finally. Hello to you as well, uhh... Barracloud's friend!”

Riley considered herself to be quite memorable, so having her name forgotten certainly lessened her opinion of Professor Branning. Regardless of her feelings, she smiled politely all the same.

“My name is not Barracloud, Professor.” Beth spoke up. “Barracloud is my surname. My name is Beth, and this is Riley.”

“Beth and Riley... Yes, yes, yes.” The professor nodded confidently, but Riley found it hard to believe that the woman would remember their names for a significant amount of time.

“I brought them here for you, Professor!” The intern beamed, hoping to be noticed.

“Oh right. I suppose I should thank you. I am grateful for your assistance. You may go now, I have business with these two SCOs.”

“Ah.” The smile fled from the intern's face. Deflated, she slunk back over to the door.

“Wait!” Riley said. The intern stopped. “Professor Branning, would you describe yourself as someone who fails to properly utilise her tools?”

Professor Branning looked pointedly at Riley. “No. I would say I am the opposite. Who has been speaking such slander?”

“Nobody, Professor. I just happened to notice that you have quite the intelligent intern, eager to aid with you research,” Riley gestured towards the girl “and yet you fail to put her to good use.”

“Hmm.” The professor stroked her chin and stared at the intern. “I have nothing for you to help out with, but perhaps another member of the department might. Try Professor Millard. I heard that she has been trying to find an assistant for her latest project and no one has volunteered. I'm sure she'll appreciate me sending my intern over to help out.”

“Really!?” The intern grinned like a maniac. Riley couldn't help but smile at the expression of pure joy. “Thank you Professor!”

Professor Branning sniffed. “Yes, yes. Off you go now, no need to keep Professor Millard waiting.”

Before leaving the lab hastily, the intern mouthed a silent “thank you” to Riley.

“Right, with that over with, let's begin. Take a seat over here, boots off and feet up.” Professor Branning waved at a table with tall chair beside it. The table was at the perfect level for a seated individual to put their feet up.

Riley and Beth had bared both of their feet and had them up on the table in no time. She couldn't help but notice that one of her feet was much redder than the other; the same was true for Beth. Evidence of how hot it was inside the footsie press.

“Uhhh. The smell it's...” Professor Branning probed her vocabulary for the specific word that she needed. “Immense!”

Beth chuckled nervously. “Thanks?”

Riley cocked her head. “You haven't been through the desensitisation process, Professor?”

“I haven't. What would be the point of that? I study foot odour. My life revolves around foot odour.”

“Do you like the smell of feet?” Riley asked, flexing the toes of her redder, and likely stinkier, foot.

“I do not. My interest in feet and the smell of feet is purely academic, young lady.” Professor Branning scoffed. “Now, let's see what we're dealing with, shall we?”

The rhetorical question went unanswered as the professor went about her business in a manner that had Riley and Beth scratching their heads as they observed the strange professor test their feet. She started with Riley, Pressing her nose against the heel of the SCO's foot and moving upwards, sniffing all the while.

The professor then started separating Riley's toes with her fingers, placing her nose in each of the gaps in turn. She would shudder whenever she took a deep sniff. “Potent. Very much so.”

Upon reaching the next foot, the professor recoiled. “Hmm. This foot is smellier than the first. Is there a reason for this?”

“There is. While Beth and I were in the interrogation department, we used the footsie press. Are you familiar with the device?”

“Familiar? I invented the damn thing.”

“Ah good, no need to explain then. I've had the heaters in my boots turned off recently, so I think the stinkier foot is most indicative of my usual level of foot odour.” Riley thought that this explanation would be useful to the professor.

“Interesting. I shall make note of this.” Then the professor went back to sniffing up the length of the soles, her nostrils wiping over every wrinkle, then exploring between each of the toes. Every sniff was accompanied by a shudder.

Although it was peculiar, Riley enjoyed this 'test'. It was strange having someone voluntarily sniff her feet even though they didn't enjoy the smell. A unique experience, to be sure.

After ramming her nose into the crevice between Riley's smallest toes, the professor moved on to Beth. This time, her nose didn't even make it to the skin before she leapt backwards, her eyes wide. “That's... that's...”

Professor Branning spent a moment collecting her thoughts and calming down after sampling Beth's big feet.

“Professor? Are you okay?” Beth asked, full of concern.

“Yes. I'm more than okay. Tell me, did you use the footsie press too?”

“I did. This is the foot that went inside.” Beth scrunched the foot that the professor hadn't yet sniffed.

“So what I just smelled, that's your normal foot odour?”

“It is. I don't use my heaters most of the time eit–”

“Beth Barracloud, I am happy to say that you have the stinkiest feet I have ever encountered. You have no idea how excited I am to have you in my lab.” The professor just about bowed to Beth, her tone was one of reverence.

“That's kind of you to say, Professor.” Beth looked utterly bemused by the situation. Bemused, but flattered.

“I have no need to smell the other one. Before you put your boots back on, I want to take bacteria samples from between your toes. Both of you.”

“Will you be doing anything interesting with these samples?” Riley couldn't contain her curiosity, especially after learning that this woman had invented the footsie press, a device that impressed Riley to no end.

“I will be. In fact, you saw me examining what the toe bacteria results in when you entered. Once your boots are on, I'll show you!” It was clear from she spoke faster that the professor was very excited to show off the fruits of her labour.

They joined Professor Branning who stood next to her jar, grinning. Riley noted that there was something in the jar that looked like cheese.

Beth bent down to take a closer look. “What is it?”

“This is what I've been working on for the past two months. The public would call its existence vile, they would sneer at me for creating it. But the Association only encouraged me. I'm sure SCOs like yourselves will appreciate this almost as much as me. This, I am proud to say, is toe cheese.”

“T-toe cheese?” Riley was gob-smacked and found her mouth twisting into a grin, thinking about how she could force feed it to a shrinkee.

“Is it real cheese?” Beth asked, completely amazed by the revelation.

“One-hundred percent real. I make it as anyone would make normal cheeses, only I add copious amount of bacteria gathered from in between toes. The taste is intense, to say the least.”

“And you're going to make toe cheese with the samples you took from us?” Riley pressed, eager to know if she'd soon have her own, personal toe cheese.

“Once I've put a small amount aside for the records: I aim to collect bacteria from between the toes of every SCO, I'll make as much toe cheese as possible from it. Would you like to try some of this? It's made from my own bacteria.”

Riley fought the urge to gag. “No, thank you.” Beth repeated these sentiments.

“Could you let me know once it's ready? I think I'll be able to find some interesting uses for it.”

Professor Branning raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think that I'll give it to you so easily?”

Riley felt herself blush. It was a strange sensation to her. “Ah. Right. Of course. I do apologise, Professor, for assuming that I would be allowed to take it.”

The professor nonchalantly waved a hand. Riley took that as acceptance of her apology, but she wasn't completely sure. In future, she knew to tread carefully around the head of the R&D department, at least until she got hold of some toe cheese.

“The two of you are free to leave, by the way. I have what I need.” Professor Branning said.

Riley and Beth made to leave, but a thought popped into Riley's head. “Say, Professor, would you mind if Beth and I stopped by Professor Millard's lab before leaving? I never got that intern's name.”

“Sure, go ahead.” The professor replied, but Riley knew that she could have said anything and received the same response.

“I guess we'll have to find our own way.” Riley muttered so that only Beth could hear, then led her friend out of the lab to navigate the bright, white corridors for Professor Millard.

They were moderately successful. After conceding and admitting that their directional abilities were lacking, the two young SCOs asked a wandering woman in a lab coat where they needed to go. Thankfully, it turns out that they had almost made it by accident.

The directions led them to a lab without windows. The door was locked.

“What now, Riley? It looks like there's no one home.” Beth said.

“There has to be someone in there, otherwise that intern would have come back right away. Maybe it's a more restricted lab or something.”

“If it's restricted then maybe we should leave it be...”

“Are you kidding? If it's restricted that only makes me more curious! I simply have to see what our new friend is up to.” Riley grinned and rapped her knuckle against the metal door.

Seconds ticked by and Beth couldn't have worn a more nervous expression. Riley shook her head, thinking about how her friend really needed to realise that she was an SCO and that opened many doors, especially in a pro-Association city like Queenswall. Just as the brunette expected, the doors slid open, revealing a tall, slim woman in a yet another lab coat. It seemed like lab coats served as uniform down here.

“Can I help you?” Professor Millard asked.

“Hi. Professor Branning sent us to check up on her intern. She should have shown up here not so long ago?” Riley said.

Professor Millard gave the two girls a big smile. “Ah yes, come right in! I am ecstatic to finally have a willing subject. I thought I would have need to visit the interrogation department and end up using a subject that lacked the scientific mind that I sought. I couldn't believe my luck when, ermmm...” The professor raised her head, deep in thought. “It seems that the lovely young intern's name has slipped my mind. Oh well! I am lucky to have her, in any case.”

“May we see the project that you're working on?” Riley pressed, eager to see as much as she could of the R&D department after seeing real life toe cheese.

“Of course!” If the two professors had anything in common, other than the lab coats that they wore, it was the enthusiasm that appeared when someone asked to see their work. “It's just over here, in this sealed chamber.”

The window into the sealed chamber hadn't been visible from the lab entrance. As soon as the two visiting SCOs walked past the proudly smiling professor, they couldn't believe their eyes. Witnessing the scene within, a few different emotions surged through Riley's head. The first was shock, lasting for only the briefest moment. Sympathy followed, an emotion that was uncommon in this particular mind, sticking around for perhaps twice as long as the shock. Finally, the familiar sense of amusement that only grew stronger as it took in the horrific situation unfolding on the other side of the window.

“Is that...?”

“Indeed. That is the person you seek, the intern that Professor Branning was kind enough to send my way. She seems to have lost the helpful spark that drove her to my door, but it doesn't matter too much now that she's strapped in.”

Inside of the sealed chamber, the intern from earlier sat in a chair. She was bound to the chair by straps around her chest, forearms and shins; an apparent necessity judging by how she struggled. A padded apparatus jutted from the back of the chair to attach to the back of the intern's head and around her neck, locking it in place. Her eyes were covered with a thick blindfold and a leather panel covered her mouth.

In front of the chair, aimed directly at the intern's vulnerable nose, was what looked like a bottle of pepper spray held up by a robotic arm. Just as Riley was about to ask a question of the professor, Millard pushed a button on a nearby interface. A metal finger pulled the trigger of the spray and a pressurised liquid spewed forth, accurately splattering the exposed nose area.

Immediately, the struggles of the bound intern took on a new life. She fought wildly and uselessly against the straps, the fingers of her hands reaching upwards as if to try and wipe the substance away from her nose.

“W-what is that?” Beth was transfixed by the scene, trying to work out what was going on. Riley had no idea either, but she was glad that Beth had been the one to ask.

“Stink-spray!” Professor Millard announced. “You've seen pepper spray, right? I don't think that really fits the whole 'SCO image', do you?” She didn't wait for an answer. “So I have invented Stink-spray!”

“I was inspired by the ability that skunks possess: the projection of foul smelling liquid. I wondered if it would be possible to harness the powerful odours that are harboured by the bodies of SCOs and create a spray that smelt so vile, that it would debilitate anyone affected by it. The Stink-spray being sampled by my new assistant is one created from my own foot sweat. I had to really work hard to produce enough, but it was worth it in the end. I concentrated the liquid and put it inside a pressurised container capable of launching the final product up to 15 feet! The range it is most effective at is 10 feet, but it can reach further.”

“How exactly is this supposed to be testing the effectiveness?” Riley probed. She was rather entertained by the testing procedure, but had to question how useful this really was.

“Well, the brace securing the subject's head and the chair itself have dozens of sensors inside that measure what her body is attempting to do. In the latest test that you just saw, for example, my data shows that had she been free standing, the subject would have keeled over as if punched in the stomach. Judging from the desperate movement of her hands, I would guess that she'd be wiping it off, given the chance.”

Professor Millard cupped her hand over her mouth towards Riley and Beth, an ultimately unnecessary move considering that no one could hear them. “Some behind the scenes information, just for you two. Trying to wipe off the liquid would be futile. The only thing she would achieve is in pushing the substance into the pores of her face, staining her skin with the terrible odour until it had been thoroughly washed.”

“Keeling over is well and good,” Riley said. “but what's the point if pepper spray does a better job? The Association might as well equip us all with that.”

Professor Millard chuckled. “That, my inquisitive guest, was Stink-spray made from my foot sweat. This, however,” the professor raised a similar looking spray can, except this one was yellow and covered in warning labels. “is Stink-spray made from foot sweat provided by an SCO. Far more potent than the sample you saw in action.”

Riley's eyes widened in amazement. “Can we see what that one does?”

“Of course! I just need to unseal the chamber, step inside and–”

“I can do it for you! I can replace the current sample, if you want?”

The professor paused and considered. A couple seconds later she shrugged and handed over the SCO Stink-spray. “I don't see why not. Be careful with the Stink-spray. The odour that sample produces is strong enough even for a desensitised SCO to detect.”

Riley felt the welling excitement in her gut grow. The level of odour held in this can would surely have a most remarkable effect on the bound intern, so long as the professor was correct.

Fighting the urge to hurry the professor along, she waited patiently as the chamber was opened. The door opened with a hiss and Riley stepped inside.

“Hey there! You've certainly been busy!” Riley said, walking over to the girl she had met only recently.

The intern stopped struggling a little, giving Riley an intelligible response.

“Whatever you said, I didn't quite catch it. I doubt it was anything important anyway. What's important, is that you listen up.”

Riley made it to the robotic arms and grabbed the can of Stink-spray that it currently held. Professor Millard controlled the arm from outside and had it surrender the can to Riley's hand. “The Stink-spray that you've been testing out has been an inferior product. Made from the foot sweat of Professor Millard herself.”

Hearing the intern groan with disgust, she wondered if the girl had been properly briefed or simply thrust into the test chamber. The strong possibility of the latter elicited a giggle. Perhaps the intern hadn't been associating the foul smell with foot odour, but now she would.

“In my hands is the superior form of Stink-spray, made from the foot sweat of a shrink correctional officer like myself. Professor Millard claims that it is potent enough to overcome the desensitisation process. I can't imagine how awful it would be if it was sprayed at that poor little nose of yours. The stench would drive you crazy, wouldn't it?”

It was clear that Riley's words were having an effect, because she saw the intern shudder. The power of imagination tended to be boosted whilst robbed of sight, allowing someone to visualise horrors greater than what reality could produce. Not in this case, of course. The horror was very much real.

“Let's see exactly what kind of effect this upgraded Stink-spray has on you, shall we? Oh, and by the way,” Riley grinned menacingly. “congratulations for finding your place in the R&D department.”

Not bothering to attach the can to the robotic arm, Riley levelling the Stink-spray at the intern's nose and pressed the trigger, firing the concoction directly at her target.

The reaction of the intern was instant, wild and erratic. She tested the limits of her bondage and found them to be too secure. The restricted movements conveyed the torment felt by the intern quite well. Riley burst into laughter as she watched this unfold, knowing it was all because of her. She had been the one who indirectly set this up and now she was the one who had pulled the trigger.

That's when Riley decided to raise the Stink-spray and fire it off a second time.

Sounds of muffled madness erupted from that gagged mouth. Sure, the intern had been screaming after the first spray, but this reached a whole other level. It was like seeing someone react to a hot iron being pressed against their tender flesh. Whilst laughing, Riley managed to deliver the can of Stink-spray into the robotic hand and make her way to the exit, just about collapsing from hilarity every step of the way.

As the door was closed shut and resealed behind her, Riley saw Beth wiping tears from her eyes, likely having enjoyed the humiliating sensory torment.

“Well,” Professor Millard said. “that wasn't what I instructed you to do, using the Stink-spray twice will skew my initial data somewhat, but it was both amusing and useful nonetheless. Thank you for the assistance.”

“How long are you going to keep testing this one for?”

“Quite a while longer. The data suggests that this improved Stink-spray is more than enough to bring down a woman of the subject's size, but I would like to confirm this. Honestly, it seems to be just as effective as I had hoped. I suspect that the subject shall hate me when this is over, but she signed a contract upon entering an internship with the Shrink Correctional Association, one that she will find impossible to get out of. Thankfully, she is shaping up to be a useful test subject indeed.”

Riley suppressed the laughter that threatened to return, opting to smile broadly instead.

“Before you get going, do you have any questions?”

“Yeah.” Riley nodded. “How the hell do I sign up to help out down here?”

Tom jumped awake at the sound of knuckles rapping on the window.

“Hey! Don't fall asleep on the job!” His sister's voice sounded fainter through the glass.

Pressing a button on the dashboard, the car unlocked. Beth up to the back door to get in, but Riley stopped her, instead opting to glare at Tom expectantly.

“You've gotta be kidding me. Again?”

The wills of the two siblings clashed, fighting for dominance. Well, Riley's goal was dominance, Tom only wanted to be left alone. She pulled out her phone and that settled it, the threat was obvious.

Getting out of the car, Tom tried to ignore the smug smile, opening the door for his passengers and gesturing for them to enter.

“Why thank you, driver. I suppose mother doesn't need to hear about this insubordination after all.”

“Thanks Tom.”

The two girls climbed into the back seat. Riley had made it clear early on that he was their chauffeur for today: they sat in the back, he sat in the front. At least Beth wasn't the kind of person to rub it in. Tom decided that he liked Beth, and the fondness wasn't only due to the fact that earlier today he found out that she was part of the Barracloud family. For an SCO, Beth was nice and she seemed to fancy him. He'd caught her staring a few times and those frequent blushes were unmissable. If he wasn't already with Ashley, Tom would likely reciprocate the feelings of the tall, beautiful blonde. The biggest downside was her friendship with his sister.

“What took you guys so long? I've been sat here for two hours?” Tom said.

“Beth, tell me what chauffeurs are supposed to do.”

“Drive people around.”

“And what don't they do?”

“Complain.”

Riley gave a weak kick to the back of Tom's chair. He didn't need to turn around to know that she was smiling. “I hope that answers your questions. Now, I expect you to have one for me.”

Tom's mind went blank. “D-did you have a nice time?”

Riley tutted. “No, silly. You're supposed to ask where I want to go next. You'd better improve soon Tom, or I will be giving mom a very poor review of your services.”

Clenching his hands on the steering wheel, Tom swallowed a lump of anger. He hated how Riley could control him with these threats involving their mother. He also hated that his mom would likely act on those threats. It seemed that she grew more eager with every passing week to return to her foot-punishing ways.

“Where do you want to go?” Tom asked through clenched teeth.

“Much better!” Riley clapped her hands. “Hmm, that is a difficult question to answer. Beth, are you hungry.”

“Now that you mention it, I am quite hungry. Are you wanting fast food or can I choose? I think a bakery would be perfect right now.”

“No, no. I want the three of us to have a sit down meal somewhere. You know, go to a restaurant and chill out. I'll even buy our chauffeur something to eat.”

“A restaurant sounds like a great idea!”

“Me, my mom and Tom went to a nice place a while back. On the day of my graduation. Have you heard of 'Crave Explorers'?”

Tom went cold. Ashley was working today, right now. Did mom tell Riley about Ashley, even after she promised not to? Then, he shook his head. Sure, his mom could be harsh when she thought he needed to be disciplined. But she was still his mother, just as much as she was Riley's. She wouldn't betray him without reason.

“I haven't heard of it. If you like it, I'm more than happy to go there.” Beth trusted in Riley's judgement. Tom wished she had given an alternative.

“Very well! Driver, take us to Crave Explorers!”

Reluctantly, Tom put the car into gear and dropped the handbrake, pulling out of the space in the Association parking lot. As they rolled along the roads, Tom silently prayed for Riley to order him to take them elsewhere. Why there? She can't have enjoyed the meal that much. There has to be an ulterior motive.

Tom pulled into the Crave Explorers parking area, his movements heavy and distracted.

“Come on Tom! Get out and open our doors, we're hungry!” Riley kicked his seat a few more times, harder than before.

Without a word of protest, Tom exited the vehicle. He spotted Ashley in her uniform through the window, wearing her customer service smile and looking breathtaking. Moving to the back door, he let out his passengers.

Although it didn't look like it, three young people walking into a restaurant, this was one of the more worrisome moments of Tom's life recently. Even worse than Riley's graduation. He knew his sister well, and she was more than capable of screwing up the good things in his life. And there was no doubt about Ashley being the best thing that had happened to him in a while.

Ashley's wonderful brown eyes sighted Tom almost instantly and her smile changed. It was a slight change, but noticeable if you knew her well. There was an element of falseness to the smile she flashed at customers, but when she saw him it became completely genuine. For a moment, Tom forgot everything and basked in her image.

“Hey, there's that waitress from last time!” Riley stood beside Tom and waved at Ashley. He tried not to curse as his trance was shattered.

The restaurant was quiet, so Ashley found the time to come straight over. “Hey there. Certainly wasn't expecting to see you today.” She smiled not only at Tom, but at Riley and Beth too. Although she didn't like how Riley had treated him in the past, Ashley had gotten along with his sister when they first met.

“I wasn't expecting to come here. Table for three, I guess!” Tom chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. He couldn't help but notice the deathly silence from Beth.

Ashley led them over to a booth and left, promising that she'd be back soon to take their order.

“So...” Riley said.

“So?”

“Is she your girlfriend then?”

“Might be.” Tom kept himself calm.

Riley cocked her head. “So evasive. I'm your little sister, you should trust me.”

“You're you, so no, I shouldn't trust you at all.”

She grinned at the insult. “Be careful, Tom. I'm thinking about showing Ashley a side to you that she has never seen before.”

“Oh really?” Tom put on a tough tone, but he felt anything but tough inside.

“Yep. Beth, wouldn't you say that these tables are a little lacking? There's nowhere for us to rest our feet.”

Beth seemed a little distracted. If Tom was right and she was indeed attracted to him, he felt sympathy for her. Either Riley hadn't thought this through, or she was feeding her friend's jealousy.

She found the words to reply, in spite of whatever was going through her head. “I suppose that would be nice. I'd feel bad putting my dirty boots up on the seats though.”

“I have always been of the opinion that my dear brother would make for an excellent footstool. We could even wipe our boots on him.”

“I like the sound of that idea.” Even Riley did a double take when Beth said this. Tom was surprised and disappointed to hear her backing up Riley so suddenly.

“Sorry, but that isn't going to happen.”

“Yes it is, Tom. Under the table. Right now. Make sure you're facing away from the booth too, let your girlfriend get a good look at you.”

Tom gave a short, disbelieving laugh. “You honestly believe that I'll do what you say and let the two of you humiliate me in front of Ashley?”

“Yes. I do. Want to know why?”

“I'm listening.”

Riley provided her brother with disgustingly smug smirk. “Because me and Beth will walk home, arrive nearly in tears and spin mom a tale of how you became fed up with us and drove away alone. She'll be furious. Furious enough to re-enact that 'second ever punishment' that she threatened you with at the salon? I hope so. Ever since she mentioned it I've been ever so curious.”

Tom held her gaze, determined not to cave. In his mind, he was panicking. He knew that his mom would likely believe her lies, which would end up with him receiving far worse foot-related torment than being used as a footstool for the boots of two SCOs.

“Better hurry up.” Riley tapped the toe of her boot against the ground. “Ashley's coming.”

That's when Tom came to a decision. Mom's feet are stinky, there's no denying that. But at the end of the day, they're just feet, right? Regular feet too, not the enhanced feet of an SCO. You can endure it. Tom followed where Riley had glanced and saw Ashley approaching. You can endure it, if it means not humiliating yourself in front of her. Stray images of his memories from the cruellest foot torture his mom had inflicted on him came to mind, but he shook them away, sticking to his decision.

“You know what, Riley?” He leaned forwards and practically hissed the words. “I don't care. Lie to mom about me. All I'll have to do is deal with her smelly feet. I've had to do that for an entire year, whilst you was away. I can take it. What I'm not doing is letting you do anything to affect my relationship with Ashley. She probably wouldn't care, but it doesn't matter.”

Riley recoiled. The last thing she expected was for him to react like this. She opened her mouth to respond, but he wasn't finished.

“This is the last time I let you push me around. Sure, I'll do you favours every now and again, we are siblings after all. But don't, even for a moment, think me of me in the same way you do your shrinkees. I'll take everything mom can throw at me if it means spoiling your fun.”

“This is... most unlike you, Tom.” Riley's tone was unsure. Tom couldn't help but smile at that, throwing his devious sister off her rhythm felt like a victory.

“I agree. I'm not the same brother you used to bully, Riley. Nor am I still the son trying desperately to avoid punishment at his mother's feet.” The latter part wasn't entirely true, but it fit with the image that he was trying to project. Tom came very close to refuting his Riley's grander ambitions for him out loud, telling him that he would never end up shrunken and under her feet.

But at the end of the day, resisting Riley was like poking the hornets nest. He seemed to have gotten away without being stung, as far as he could tell, but anything more was pushing his luck. Tom had a decent idea of when to fold.

Riley didn't say anything. Beth was looking around uncomfortably after seeing the confrontation. It was either from the awkwardness of being present for a personal argument or because of her involvement in the provocation. Tom's opinion of her had soured a little because of that, no matter what her reasons were.

Ashley arrived at the table, oblivious to what had just occurred. She fanned three menus in one hand, distributing them with the other. “So, can I get you guys something to drink?”