Vivienne Taylor has never had an easy time with men. Her friends call her "picky", and maybe they're right. But one thing is for sure: Vivienne has never found a man who could really satisfy her... intellectually or otherwise.
So when her latest blind date at the carnival goes sour, she's relieved to finally escaped from the boorish excuse for a man. She's even more excited, however, at the chance to have a little fun: specifically, she's been eying the strange, out-of-the-way tent labeled �Uthyr�s Kreature Kompendium.�
Vivienne has always had a thing for old-school monsters, and the creepy, unbelievable exhibits she discovers inside only whet her appetite for more. But it's not until she discovers an enormous, violet-clouded fishtank, wherein lurks an unseen, multi-tentacled monstrosity named Toucto, that she discovers for herself where her true appetites lie...
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This tentacle was about the size and thickness of her wrist, only much longer and with a coiled power behind it that was fascinating to watch. Vivienne couldn�t help but slowly, carefully reach out to touch it. To her surprise it was cool to the touch, but not the least bit slimy.
The creature must�ve liked her tentative petting; it leaned into her hand like a demanding cat and wrapped around her wrist. Vivienne grinned and held out her camera, snapping a few pictures with one hand and toying with the tip of its tentacle with the other. Somehow, to her embarrassed delight, this degenerated into a thumb-tentacle war that made it harder and harder for her to keep her giggles under control.
�Ok buddy, I gotta get out of here before the management gets too fussy.� She put her phone away with one hand and tried to untangle her wrist from the tentacle's grasp, but it was reluctant to let go. With a slosh-splish, a second tentacle emerged from the tank and slithered towards her. This one was bifurcated nearly to the middle, both sides of the fork moving slightly independently of the other. It reached out and stroked her jaw, leaving a dripping trail of water on her neck and collarbone.
�I had fun too, buddy, but I gotta go, OK?� Vivienne never really understood why people talked to cats and dogs as if they could understand human speech, until now. The poor thing was probably lonely as hell, stuck back here all alone with no company day after day. �If I could hang out with you for the rest of the night, I totally would-�
The creature's split tentacle pressed against her lips, stopping her words as the one around her wrist tugged her closer to the tank.
