"...that she wouldn't have to shave," Leonard said.
Jon could only ask, "What?" Women only shaved if they were styling their hair into a Mohawk, or something like that. And if Sarah had meant her tail, well, tail mutilation was such a barbaric practice that the idea of it turned his stomach, and it had been banned in pretty much every country since the 19th century.
"Aw, he looks so confused," Sarah pointed out, as she snuggled against Leonard's ample frame. "You told me that might happen."
"Women used to have body hair like men," explained Leonard, "but they usually shaved or waxed, their legs or pits at least. Sometimes pubes, too, at least a trim."
"Please, be a little more genteel," Sarah said, jokingly.
The image that came into Jon's brain was Karyn having a thick crop of red hair growing all over her body -- no, wait, it would be blonde now -- in the same manner that it did on his body. He almost choked thinking about accidentally getting hair on his tongue while performing cunnilingus.
Sarah continued, "Of course, I couldn't really tell anything had happened right away, but once we went upstairs to his room, it was super obvious once I got my clothes off. No stubble or anything, just smooth as a baby's bottom. I do kind of miss my nice little landing strip, but that's the tradeoff, right? Anyway, it really hit home when I got home and none of my shaving stuff was in my bathroom. I even looked at some salon and spa websites, and none of them mentioned waxing."
Jon's head was swimming. Landing strip? He ignored that and asked Leonard, "Okay, so when was that when you did that?"
"Yesterday after Sarah got out of school."
"So you did that, and then the two of you, uh, did it, and Sarah went home -- what else did you do with the machine?"
"Since then, nothing," Leonard said. "I looked a few things up on Wikipedia, mostly about fusion technology, and I worked a long time on the paper I'm writing about the reality alteration science, and I slept super late today, decided to invite you over to see the RAM, and called you right after you got home from school. That's it."
"I'm still not sure I believe it," said Jon. "I mean, I know that in other mammalian species, the females have just as much hair as the males, but humans evolved --"
Sarah interrupted, "-- with males preferring skin contact with their mates, and to have the tails appear more prominent. Leonard's not the only one who can look stuff up on Wikipedia."
"He's not the only one who can participate in pulling an elaborate prank on Jon Gibson, either," Jon pointed out.
Leonard sighed. "Okay, Jon, I'll take honest stock of my life. I'm a 20-year-old community college dropout -- because I found the classes too pedestrian, but still -- and I live with my mother, pretty much my only friend is the high school student who lives next door, I am a frequent visitor to online porn sites, and I am carrying a few extra pounds." He demonstrated by rubbing his more-than-adequate belly. "In what universe does it make sense that I am in a sexual relationship with the head cheerleader from your high school?"
Jon blinked and gave the obvious answer. "This universe."
"You're too hard on yourself," Sarah said, reaching to the side to rub his belly for him.
"I see," said Leonard. "Well, this is just more from Reality Alteration Science 101 -- it is close to impossible to convince people who have not noticed a reality change that their world has indeed been altered by a reality change. Obviously, I was going to demonstrate the RAM for you anyway, so we can discuss this again after you see that it is indeed a working piece of equipment. So, what is your request? And please let it not be for me to dress as Aladdin."
Sarah giggled. Jon said, "I assure you, it won't be. Uh, let me think...."
