After breaking off from the group, Vee and Masha were walking around the festival just admiring the sights. "Ever been to one of these before, Vee?"

"No, this is my first time." Vee replied. "I never expected it to be this colourful."

"Yup, kiosks selling all sorts of snacks, items and even flags." Masha explained just as they felt their phone vibrate in their pocket. "Heck, they even sell knives for protection."

Vee looked surprised. "They do?"

"Well, you don't know who can mug you here." Masha said. "I was mugged two times last year. They stole my wallet and my fake wallet attached to a string. Go ahead and find out."

Vee ran up towards the stand while Masha stayed behind to look in their pocket for their phone. They looked at the screen. But whatever was on the screen was causing Masha's grin to drop into a saddened and worried expression.

They quickly put their phone back in their pocket just as an annoyed Vee returned. "You…."

"What?" Masha grinned. "Oh! I got ya, didn't I?"

Vee playfully narrowed her eyes at her partner. "You did! So, is there anywhere you wish to go?"

"Um…Yeah. Mind if we go to the library? There is a section dedicated to queer history that opens around this time." Masha explained.

"Sure." Vee said. "Could be some great time to kill."

Masha looked saddened as they took their girlfriend's hand. "Yeah, some time to kill."

Later at the library, which had been upgraded for a more LGBTQ friendly feel, Masha was reading a book about Bayard Rustin, a Civil Rights activist. While Vee was reading a book called It's Not Binary by Georgia Eccelston, a book about a young teen's acceptance.

"Wow, this guy deserves a lot of credit." Masha remarked. "Everyone should at least learn about him once."

"So, any other plans besides this?" Vee asked.

"Oh, we snack, we buy clothes, we maybe have a dance with a crowd of people, before watching the Pride parade." Masha explained.

"Sounds like a brilliant plan." Vee remarked. "

"And the best part is, Jacob Hopkins is on vacation in Paris, so he won't bother us." Masha said.

"Him, affording a trip to Paris?" Vee asked.

"There's another one in Texas." Masha explained.

But in actuality, Jacob was actually in Paris, France as opposed to Paris, Texas and was annoyed. "What?! This isn't Texas! How did I end up in Paris, France?!"

Back in the States, Vee gave a relieved sigh. "Least he isn't here. He probably would have ran into the library to try and capture me."

"How's that book by the way?" Masha asked.

"Oh, it's an interesting look at the lives off a Scottish actor raising his non binary child." Vee explained. "It tells of acceptance and love."

"I heard that lady's husband is super supportive of their kid." Masha said.

"That's nice." Vee remarked. "By the way, I have been meaning to ask, how did you figure out you were, ya know, the way you are?"

Masha smiled. "You mean non binary? Well, I think it started when I was left home alone when I was ten years old. Mom and Dad went to the grocery store for a while and being the little curious child I was, I just decided to explore. It was like that one movie with that one neglected kid and was left alone in his home. Ya know, I ate junk food, I watched PG rated gangster movies from the 1940's and I even used my Dad's aftershave. It didn't sting surprisingly. But then, I was motivated to try on some clothes. I wanted to try on my mother's for fun, but for some reason, I was called to my Dad's socks. So, I put them on my feet and I liked it. It made me feel like me. Then I tried his favourite shirt, then his cap, then his beanie and then his pants. It made me realise that I liked wearing my Dad's clothes, I liked boy's clothing. But, I didn't feel like a boy nor a girl, I felt like I was neither of these things. It only took me a few more years until I realised that I was in fact non binary."

"Is that why you were sent to camp?" Vee asked.

Masha smiled. "No. I just drew a lot of macabre drawings and scared a bunch of little kids about Gravesfield legends. Such as the Gravesfield Hellhound. That was the final straw for my parents."

"So they…Oh yeah, they're cool with me." Masha assured their girlfriend. "They even do their best to-" They stopped talking when they notice Gus laughing with someone and laughing. The someone happened to someone his age.

Vee as well noticed this and smiled. "Huh, good for Gus. So you were saying?"

Masha smiled. "They're doing their best to keep up with what I'd like to be referred by. Such as my name."

Vee seemed surprised. "Masha isn't your name?!"

Masha smiled. "It is. But before that, it was Marcy."

Vee smiled. "Marcy? I like that name."

"So does my aunt." Masha smiled. "But I felt Marcy wasn't my name, I felt Masha just seemed right."

"And I feel it's right as well." Vee pecked Masha on their cheek, causing them to laugh.

"Aww, thanks." Masha said as they snuggled up to Vee.

"So, anymore fun things you wanna do?" Vee asked.

"Oh, I got it." Masha said. "I wanna try a little experiment."

"Huh?" Vee raised a brow.

"I want to try on some clothes." Masha said. "But, I don't know if they'd look good in me."

"Well, you won't know unless you tried." Vee pointed out.

"I could but…." They motioned to their girlfriend. In that moment, Vee realised what Masha was implying and gasped.

"You want to use me as your mirror?"

"When you put it like that, sure." Masha said.

Vee however looked unsure. "I don't know. Feels weird for me to do that your partner."

Masha gushed. "Luz told me how you'd shape shift into me all the time just to practice talking to me."

Vee turned red and covered her face in her hands. "Luuuuuuzzzzzzz! Why would she?!"

Masha laughed. "Aww! That's creepy and cute."

Later, at Robles, Masha was sitting outside of the changing curtain for their girlfriend and seas sitting next to Eda, whom was wearing a different outfit that looked different to the one she had on before.

"I like the new look, Eda." Masha said to the woman.

"Thank you, Marcy." Eda said.

"Masha."

"Yeah, whatever." Eda said. "Thought I could use something, hot." Eda stood up and performed a pose. "What do you think?"

"If I wasn't in a relationship, I'd say that is the hottest thing I have ever seen." Masha remarked.

Eda flipped her hair. "Still got it. So, where's your girlfriend?"

"Oh, she's helping me pick an outfit." Masha replied.

"Shouldn't you be the one behind the curtain?" Eda asked.

Just then, the curtain pulled open to reveal another Masha with some black shoes, black leggings, a leather jacket, a shirt that showed a little skin around the abdomen and a red skirt.

"What do you think, Masha?" Vee asked.

"Hmmm, I'm not too sure about the patterns." Masha said. "How about the next one?"

Vee closed the curtain while Masha went to reading a magazine. While Eda looked at the enby with confusion.

"So, you're getting your girlfriend to help shape change into different clothes?" Eda asked.

"Less stretch marks." Masha said.

"I mean, that's is nifty but how much of your body does your girlfriend know of?" Eda asked. "I mean, does she know your height?"

Then, Vee opened the curtain to reveal a shirt that read 'My gender, my rules.' "Masha, I just need to check, is the gap in your teeth correct."

Masha squinted their eyes and then nodded their head. "Additionally, I have a mole on my right hand. Also, I already have an outfit like that."

Vee shifted themself so their form could have the mole on the correct hand. "There we go. Next outfit." They closed the curtain

"She knows my height." Masha said. "We had a contest on who was taller. I was. But she cheated when she shifted height. Plus, she knows my exact weight."

"What else?" Eda asked. "How many strands of hair you got on your head? How long your nails are? Or how many teeth you have?"

"She manages to get that correct." Masha replied. "She knows how grey your hair is."

Eda looked insulted. "Hey! Well, she must have a detail wrong."

Then, Vee opened the curtain to reveal the form she had taken was now wearing a pair of shorts and a black crop top. "Well?"

Masha shook their head. "Nah. Too much skin. Oh Vee, you forgot my navel."

"Huh?"

"You forgot my belly button." They showed Vee their midriff, causing Vee to facepalm herself.

"I knew I forgot something." Vee closed the curtains.

They dropped the hem while Eda grinned. "Not every detail."

"There are parts of me I don't wish for her to see." Masha scratched their back. Then, they heard a ping from their phone and looked at the screen. Their grin dropped when they saw what was on the screen. It came from their Mom and it read, 'Your aunt's in town.'

This message caused Masha to pant, their heart to beat and pressed their hand on their chest. They cut off all the noises that was going on around them.

Then, they snapped out when they saw Vee in front of them, dressed in a red shirt and jeans. "Masha, are you okay?"

They instantly snapped out of their panic attack and went back to a toothy grin. "Oh, hello gorgeous. What are you…Oh, yes! Let's go with that!"

Vee however, gave her partner a concerned look. "Masha, is everything okay? You look troubled."

"I'm fine, Vee. Come on now, let's go exploring." Masha stood up, leaving Vee to stand in place as she shifted back to her human disguise. The basilisk stared at Masha with a worried expression. She knew there was something wrong that they weren't sharing with her.

Later, the couple were walking through the town going through kiosk after kiosk looking at what they had on sale.

Vee saw a bunch of flags that were ready to be purchased while Masha was looking at a wood carving of what looked to be two penguins kissing.

"Aww, that's cute." Masha remarked. "Hey, Vee, what do you think of these?"

Vee walked to her partner and smiled. "Aww! Two flamingos. They are flamingos, right?"

Masha laughed again. "Oh yeah, that's right. No, these are penguins."

"Wow, your girlfriend's been under a rock." The kiosk runner remarked.

Masha and Vee just awkwardly smiled at each other before walking away from the kiosk. Then, they accidentally bumped into some pink haired teenage boy.

"Oh, sorry." Vee said.

But the boy said nothing and instead looked at the Basilisk and her partner before walking away from the couple. Vee stared at the boy while narrowing her eyes at him.

"Well, he's rude." Vee remarked.

"I don't know who he is." Masha said. "But he just showed up one day and he does nothing but walks around and stares at people with a judgemental glance."

"Oh, right." Vee said.

"He's an odd character."

"There you are, Marcy!" Masha froze in fear at the sound of the voice while Vee looked worried when she looked at their face.

The couple turned around to face the sound of the voice. And coming towards them was a middle aged woman with short black hair, heels, skirt, a jacket and a scowl on her face.

Masha looked at the woman in fear while Vee just looked on in concern. But Vee felt she had to respond to the woman.

"Uh, hi ma'm, you probably got the wrong Marcy." Vee said. "But if you want, I could-"

"So, you're Marcy's girlfriend aren't you?" The woman asked.

"If you mean by Masha, then yes." Vee stated bluntly.

Masha quickly noticed their girlfriend interacting with the woman and got in front of her. "What do you want, Aunt Sarah?"

The woman known as Sarah just shrugged her shoulders. "What? Can't I say hi to my niece and her girlfriend?"

Masha narrowed their eyes at their aunt. "You're here for another reason."

"Oh, you know me too well, Marcy." Sarah said while she had her hands in her handbag.

"Stop calling me that!" Masha demanded. "That's not my name!"

Masha and their aunt narrowed their eyes at each other. Vee, seeing how tense the situation was getting, tried to ease it.

"Hey! Hey! Listen, how about we take some time to calm down? How about me and Masha get some ice cold drinks for one of us?" Vee suggested.

Masha narrowed their eyes at their girlfriend. "Vee, I wanna talk with my aunt, alone."

Vee just took her partner's hand to comfort them, but they pulled it out, causing Vee some hurt. "Um…Sure, I'll be back in a sec." She reluctantly departed from her partner so they could have a talk with their aunt.

"So, her name's Vee?" Sarah asked. "What's that short for? Vermin?"

Masha narrowed their eyes at their aunt. "You're not making things easy for you! You expect me to like you after you called my girlfriend Vermin?!"

"What?" Sarah asked. "Seems like the kind of thing that'd be into you."

"Oh for Goddess, sake!" Masha exclaimed. "Why is it you can't accept me the way I am?! I know I didn't meet up to your expectations and had a few changes but-"

"You call your delusions, change?!" Sarah argued. "I mean, they? What, you wanna refer yourself as an animal? Marcy, you were born a girl! And you have female anatomy!"

"I know!" Masha argued. "I'm fine with them!"

"Then, why don't you say you're a girl?! Or a woman?! Or the very least, a female?!" Sarah exclaimed.

"We have this conversation every time you come over!" Masha argued, causing a crowd of people to watch the argument, including Amy and her bully squad. "I just don't feel the female terminology defines me as a person!"

"So, you'd rather be a freak?!" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, I think I would." Masha said.

Then Sarah, handed Masha a pamphlet which they took. "This will get you to change your mind."

The pamphlet read, 'Conversion camp. Helping your child revert back to normal.' When Masha saw what the pamphlet said they instantly began to feel regret.

"I saw this advertised at my library." Sarah said. "So, you better start thinking about it if you wanna be normal."

"But-"

"You do wanna be liked do you?" Sarah asked. "You don't want to be alone playing your stupid cards, do ya? This place will make you realise that the worthless agenda you hide yourself behind is nothing more than one of your teenage girl phases! I love you, Marcy, I just want you to be normal so you won't die alone. So you can at least stop using that belt once in a while." Masha gasped while Sarah grinned. "I know what you do, Marcy, so you might as well cut that stupid act if you don't want anymore marks."

Masha stared at the pamphlet as tears fell from their eyes before they tossed it aside and began to run away from their aunt.

"Go ahead, freak! Hide from your problems like you always do! It will only get worse!"

Vee returned with bottled waters and saw Aunt Sarah walking away while everyone in the crowd mumbled.

Vee approached Amy with a saddened look. "Where did Masha go? And what did Sarah say to them?"

"Masha ran away." Amy replied. "I might not like Masha because they're weird, but the things she said to them, I consider that a step too far."

Vee narrowed her eyes at Masha's vicious and cruel aunt with an almost reptilian blood lust. She knew what she was going to do to the woman and it wasn't gonna be pretty.

Elsewhere, Sarah was walking while talking on the phone to her sister. "Your daughter ran off…I don't know where, she is probably thinking about how much of a freak she is…I don't care if she is your child, you're failing as parents…Look, I'll see you at Mom's annual Thanksgiving get together in November!" She hung up on her phone and began to walk down in a suspiciously long dark forest.

As she walked down the forest, which was covering most of the sun, she was smiling. "That will get Marcy back on the right track. Good job, great life and maybe an actual girlfriend that likes real people! Darn, why did I take a shortcut through the forest?" She asked herself. "It's awfully dark in here. Guess I felt like a nice stroll."

"Or maybe it was fate." Said a voice behind her.

Sarah turned around to see from a far distant, Masha's girlfriend was standing in the light. "Oh, Marcy's girlfriend."

"Masha." Vee said. "Their name is Masha!"

"Her name is, Marcy!" Sarah argued. "It has been since the day she was born and it will be on the day that she dies!"

"You might not agree with their lifestyle, but why force them to change it?!" Vee exclaimed.

"Because it's not normal!"

"Nothing is normal! There is no such thing as normal!" Vee said. "There is only a life you live! Normal is a subjective word! Everyone is a freak, everyone is weird! No one is normal! But just because you don't agree with Masha's lifestyle, even if you are their aunt, doesn't give you the right to insult them right in front of my face!"

Sarah chuckled. "You need a better girlfriend. Might I suggest, that Luz Noceda kid? She seems like a freak."

Vee narrowed her eyes at Sarah in anger. "Firstly, Luz is my sister."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Secondly, she has a girlfriend!" Vee said as she walked into the shadow.

"Oh, good for her!" Sarah remarked sarcastically.

"And thirdly, you think my partner is a freak…" Vee flashed her fangs as she walked out of the shadows to reveal she had shape shifted to Luz. "…You haven't met me."

Sarah, obviously being freaked out by this, began to try and find some sort of logical explanation. "Huh, what? I must be hallucinating."

Luz laughed. "You think I'm a hallucination?" Then, Luz walked through another shadow and came out as Hunter. "Do you think this has a logical explanation?"

Sarah began to back away in fear. "This can't be real! This can't be real! Gravesfield doesn't have monsters!"

Hunter laughed. "Oh, you made a huge mistake." Hunter walked through another shadow and came out as Masha. "Just like you made the mistake of messing with them."

Sarah began to walk backwards in fear. "You have to be some kind of creature!"

Masha walked through another shadow and came out as Eda. "Creature, I am. The worst part about me is, I should be extinct. But turns out, my kind isn't."

Sarah began to pant in fear. "This is in my head!" She grabbed her head as fearful tears fell from her eyes.

Eda smiled. "Pretend all you want. But my kind have been known to be monsters where I come from. Sucking the magic out of all magical beings in order to survive. I'm a reptile in a way. Even when I'm in the skin of another being…" As she spoke, her eyes turned a glowing blue. "…I still feel the rough skin, my sharp claws…" Long white hair replaced the grey hair. "…My skin piercing fangs.." Her posture began to change get larger and more crooked. "…And even the cold on a freezing winter's day." Her body changed more dark greenish her teeth grew sharper and soon, Sarah was face to face with a monster with the face of the mysterious Owl Lady seen throughout Gravesfield. "So, you better start believing in these stories, Sarah…" Then, Eda's head turned into monster Belos. "…Cause you are a part of one."

The sight of the demonic monster caused Sarah to scream in terror before running in pure fear. Belos roared a monstrous roar before they began to chase her on all fours like a big cat.

No matter how fast Sarah tried to run, the demon just ended up in front of her with their claws out. Then, Belos forced Sarah up a tree, snarling their sinister teeth at her.

"If you wish to live, Sarah, I want you to do me a favour. Never return to Gravesfield, never speak to Masha again because there's no way you're going to speak to them like a human and if I find out you broke all of these rules than I will find you and make sure the last thing you see in this face. Do I make myself clear?" Sarah sobbed. "What?!"

"I understand."

"WHAT?!"

"Yes! Yes! I understand!"

"Now leave!" Belos tossed her aside on the ground.

Once on the ground, Sarah instantly stood up and began to run away as fast as she could. Intending to never return to Gravesfield or see Masha ever again.

Once she was gone, Vee shifted back into her human disguise and exhaled. "I hope I don't take that form ever again." Then, she realised the most important matter. "I gotta find Masha!" She ran as fast as she could out of the forest to find her partner.

Meanwhile, Masha was in the bathroom of the Madam Johnson bar, crying in front of their reflection of a bathroom mirror over the horrible things said by their Aunt.

Every time their Aunt came over, they would make them feel awful about their gender identity which in turn makes them hate themselves. They looked at their reflection and saw a flash of themselves as a demonic creature causing them to fall on their rear.

"What is wrong with me?!" Masha exclaimed. "Why can't I just be normal?! Maybe I could stop marking myself."

They took off their shirt and turned around to look at a bunch of marks on their back. Marks they gave to themselves due to self hatred given to them by their aunt and many people in their lives. In that moment, they disconnected the belt from their shorts and positioned it in a position to suggest they were about to use it on themselves.

They closed their eyes and began to bite down on their lip as they prepared for the pain they were going to inflict on themselves.

That was when, they heard the sound of a gasp, causing them to stop. They turned around to see Vee, standing right behind them.

"Vee?!" Masha exclaimed as they turned around to face her. "How did you get in?!" They quickly realised the state they were in and turned red in the face and covered themself up with their shirt.

"You left the door slightly open." Vee replied as she shut the door and locked it. "Thankfully, everyone is far too distracted with whatever's going on with some woman than you."

Masha exhaled. "I'll be out in a bit." Masha was about to put their shirt back on until Vee stopped them.

"Masha, what were you about to do?" Vee asked.

"It doesn't matter." Masha said.

"It does to me!" Vee argued. "Masha…" She looked at the mirror behind them to look at Masha's scars on their back. "…I had no idea you were hiding this much pain."

"I…Didn't plan to show you these until I was ready." Masha admitted.

"Why do you do this to yourself?" Vee asked.

Masha exhaled. "I…I've been doing this ever since my aunt found out I was non-binary. She makes me feel like trash for existing." Vee gasped by her partner's statement. "I try and defend myself, but somehow, she manages to get through to me negatively and makes me regret existing. But not just that, my peers, my teachers even my parents struggled at one point! And when I feel like I hate myself just for being the way I am, I take my belt and hit myself in the back. I'm too ashamed to show them because I feel embarrassed and scared." Tears began to fall from their eyes. "I've asked myself for so long, how can anyone love me the way I am? I'm nothing like anyone else! Who would even love me like this?"

In that moment, Masha saw Vee with tears falling from her eyes as her human disguise began to vanish as she reverted back to her basilisk form.

"Someone who managed to love her for this." Vee pointed at herself. "Masha, you think I care about what you go by? I love you the way you are! Your friends love you the way you are! Your little brother loves you the way you are! Your parents love you the way you are! Why does your aunt get a say in who you are?! She means nothing to me! Because I love your macabre drawings, your scary stories, your wicked sense of humour, that toothy grin, that amazing hair and I love that you managed to find a way to love a creature like me."

Tears fell from Masha's eyes at the comfort of their girlfriend's words. They had never been this touched by these kind words from anyone. They stared lovingly at their girlfriend who did the same.

Soon, they grabbed their respective cheeks and leaned in for a kiss. Their lips crashing against one another's.

They pulled out of their kiss and just stared at each other lovingly. "Now come on, let's get out of here." Vee shifted from her basilisk form to her human disguise.

"Yeah, you're right." Masha put their shirt back on and smiled. "By the way, why did you take a while to find me?" They stared at their girlfriend suspiciously. "You scared my aunt away didn't you?"

Vee laughed nervously. "I…I…I…I well, I…."

Masha narrowed their eyes at their girlfriend before shrugging their shoulders. "Eh. She deserved it." They kissed her on the lips. "So, can you scare anyone else off for me?"

"Uh…."

"I'm kidding! Or am I?"