Bottle Episode

“You’re sure about this? I know it’s pretty, but it’s so tight. It feels like it shows everything.” Stella fretted.

“I’m pretty sure we’ll be the most modest people there. Besides, I thought you didn’t have a problem with Dick seeing you anymore.”

“I don’t.” Stella blushed. “But there’s still the audience. I feel like everyone forgets that there’s an audience out there?”

“And will this be the most exposed they’ve seen you?”

Stella’s eyes widened, then she silently looked down.

“Besides, we’re like three hours late at this point.”

The two of them had just arrived at the beach, fashionably late. Felicia was sitting at an outdoor bar top, seemingly in the process of drying off.

Luna approached her, Stella following close behind.

“How’re things going so far?”

Felicia shrugged. “Fine. I got my rematch against Dick, was beating him pretty easily until Hazel came in and smoked us both.”

“Right.” Luna agreed, internally doubtful.

“By the way, things are getting a little more Greek. You guys know Scylla?”

“From the Odyssey?” Stella quietly asked.

“Yep. She’s the lifeguard now. Genet seemed kind of nervous about her, but they’ve got some sort of agreement.”

“We’re not… in danger, are we?”

“I can’t imagine Genet would allow that.” Luna started to reassure her. But she looked back at Felicia. “Right?”

The blonde nodded. “She works for one of Genet’s sisters, and it seems like she’s just here to do a job. She’s not the nicest, but she let Ava interview her for a while so she can’t be that bad.”

“I see. Where’s everyone else?”

Felicia pointed down the beach to a volleyball court. Richard and Ava were playing against Hel and Hazel. “Hazel asked to borrow one of Ava’s TF, I’m not sure if you’d remember Energizer at this point. As far as I understand, it stops anything specific from tiring her out. I’m a little curious personally if it’s all magic or if it’s affecting her body’s use of lactic acid at all.”

As she began her scientific speculation, the three of them watched as Dick got the ball in position at net level. Ava jumped up and spiked it down, the ball suddenly flying down as if shot out of a cannon.

Hazel managed to dive for it and buckled as she barely kept it in the air, still getting knocked on her ass by the **** of the ball. But she was back up in time when Helena tried to pass it to her, sending it over the net and earning a point.

“I’m pretty sure they’re about to have match point.” Felicia commented.

“Should we start on lunch?” Asked Stella.

“It feels a bit early, but it wouldn’t hurt to start the grill.”

So the two of them got to work, Hazel and her three tired fellow players came back to the cabana to the smell of meat on the grill. Everyone picked their choice of burgers or sausage as Stella pulled sauce after sauce from the fridge to offer people.

***

The seven of them were enjoying their lunch when Luna set down her fork in her plate of tempeh to revive the conversation. “Did anyone else have something they wanted to do today?”

There was silence for a moment as several people waited to see if anyone else would answer.

Ava spoke first. “I mean, I’ll probably go swimming later, since we’re at the beach and all. As long as y’all aren’t worried about your suits moving the wrong way, you should join me. We really haven’t taken advantage of this part of the island after being here for over three weeks now.”

“That makes sense,” Luna agreed, before introducing what she’d been planning since the beach day was proposed. “But what if we have a swimsuit competition first?”

Felicia smirked, ready to run with the idea. “And Dick could act as the judge.”

“No.” Helena glared at her. “Even if I was to participate in something as vile as that, I wouldn’t if he was judging. He’s my-”

“Stepbrother. We know.” Felicia cut her off.

“How many times do I need to ask you to stop picking fights with her?” Richard pleaded.

“I’m trying to hold back. But I’ve told her before that she needs to stop acting like she’s above us. She didn’t need to insult the idea when she said no, and she did the same thing with Splash earlier.”

“I’m sorry.” Hel apologized, surprising both of them. “That’s just a hard line for me.”

“I-” Ava drew attention to herself unintentionally, pausing before getting her words out in an unusually contemplative move for her. “I’ll participate in the contest, if it’s happening. But I do feel like Richard shouldn’t judge. It’d be kind of rude to make him do that, right? He’d need to worry about offending whoever he put in the bottom?”

“That’s very wise of you.” Helena complimented. “If we were to do this, we should decide it through something external. That way it’d be harder to manipulate, and any grudges certain people develop wouldn’t have consequences.

“Life a vote from the audience?” Scylla asked, the lifeguard scuttling into the server’s side of the cabana. “I can arrange it; within the beach I have limited powers of a Host.”

“I suppose so.” Hel agreed. If it gets him out of the way.

“Then it shall be.” The monstrous woman turned to Richard to give directions. “Once you all are done eating and feel ready, arrange them near my station in whichever way you see fit.”

“They can decide how they want to do it.” The ‘master’ of the cast told her. “I’m not really involved in this.”

“I suppose you’re not.” Scylla sniffed. “However you all are planning to do this, let me know when you’re ready.” She began shuffling back to her post to do whatever needed to be done to administer an audience poll.

“So, what should the winner get?” Felicia asked after she left.

“Does there need to be a prize?” Ava asked next to her.

“There doesn’t need to be, but there should be.” The blonde insisted.

“There’s a lot of stuff that’s accumulated in the shop at this point, right?” Dick asked. “What if whoever wins gets to crowdfund one thing they want?”

Felicia, Hel, Ava, and Luna all nodded.

But Stella had some concerns. “What if the person that won didn’t have anything specific they wanted?”

“Then maybe they could use it as a gift for someone else?” Hazel suggested. “I’d probably do the same.”

Stella nodded, and the group finished their meal. Ava, Helena, and Hazel went ahead to Scylla's lifeguard station. Richard and Luna were going to leave next, but Dick decided to stay when he noticed Felicia trying to get his best friend’s attention.

“What’s up?” Luna asked.

“The audience are a bunch of breast obsessed horndogs.” Felicia grinned. She gestured at her bikini top “Since these were my first TF, would you mind giving me a drink to give them a bit more oomph?”

“I can try? I’d need to know the name of the transformation for inspiration.”

“You don’t need to do this. As much fun as we had in the woods, you don’t need to push yourself any further.” Dick tried to assure her.

“I know I don’t need to. I know that I’d probably win if I’d have been able to get you to be the judge. But if I can get a free advantage with the audience I’d be a fool not to take it. So if Luna can get me whatever would have the strongest upgrade for May Cause Swelling possible, I’d appreciate it.”

Luna thought for a moment, then nodded. She hopped the bar top and began pulling out various syrups and juices. She added them to a cocktail shaker with some ice and rum and shook the concoction before pouring it in a round glass about the size of her fist. “It’s called the Quarantine Order. Make you drink it slowly, the sweetness hides the taste of the **** in here and we both know how you- nevermind.” She gave up on her warning as she watched the blonde gulp it down like it was Croc-Ade.

“Thanks Luna. Hopefully it kicks in soon.” Felicia left to go join Scylla and the others.

But that still left Stella, who was quietly standing off to the side. Dick decided to check on her. “Do you need something?”

“I actually… wanted to ask Luna for help too. Not competing, technically, but being on display? Overstimulation makes my anxiety easier, but I feel like I could still use a bit more help with being comfortable when people are looking at me.”

He took her hand while Luna thought for a moment and went back to the fridge. The Latina brought out vodka and cream that she mixed into the juices and syrups this time, moving slower as if she had to pay more attention to the recipe her own transformation was providing her. She added everything to a blender she had to pull out from a cabinet. She poured the results into a martini glass that she hesitantly served to Stella.

“I’d never heard of this before, so I don’t know exactly how it’s supposed to turn out. It’s called the Apple of My Eye, it’s supposed to help somehow.”

Stella nodded, drinking it much slower than Felicia had taken hers a few minutes ago. She found herself blushing after it was done, the pink creeping up to her roots. She giggled as she made eye contact with him, reaching down to her lower half before stopping herself. “Thank you. I’ll see you both in a minute.” She left the cabana like the others had. She looked back as she walked away, appearing to giggle again as she caught him looking at her.

“That seemed to go well. How many times have you used that now?” He asked once it was just them.

“Seven I think, including what I gave you on your date with Ava.”

“I hope you don’t mind, but I never actually used that.” He admitted sheepishly.

“That’s fine. It’s probably better if you didn’t need to. There’s been some strange side effects.” She went back to the outside of the cabana, starting to walk with him to join everyone else.

“If you don’t mind, can I ask why you wanted to do this little contest?”

“Promise you won’t tell anyone?” She asked.

“Of course.”

“And you won’t judge?”

“I mean, I’ll do my best…”

“I wanted both of us to see everyone posing. Me for the obvious reasons, and you so I could get a little of Touch Base.”

“That’s… that’s kind of manipulative. Those are our friends.” He breezed past the alarm from Window Pain Test trying to stop him.

“I mean, yeah?” Luna took a half step away from him. “But your sister’s the only one that would really mind showing off in front of you, and she’s going ahead with it fine now that you’re not the focus anymore.”

“I’m pretty sure she’s just doing it for the prize.”

“A prize you added. I wasn’t involved in that part of the conversation at all.” She reminded him defensively.

“I guess so. As long as no one feels like they’re being pressured…”

He let the conversation sit as they reached the lifeguard’s station. Scylla nodded as they arrived, and began speaking.

“Alright. Since it was decided that this is directed towards the audience rather than your Master, I’ll ask each of you to pose in an order that I shall decide based on your own merits. When I call your name, come up to my platform and strike whichever pose you think best shows what you have to offer. Once I call the next name, I expect you to quickly get off the stage and wait on the other side.” She waited for any questions, but none came. “Alright. The Master may have a seat while we begin."

Richard found one of the chairs over by the cabana had followed him over, and so he sat down as everyone else gathered to the side of the makeshift stage.

The lifeguard put her goggles back on and looked among the contestants, quickly deciding who she wanted first. “Helena Turner.”

His stepsister exchanged a look with Hazel before stepping forwards, taking more or less the same pose with one hand at her hip that she had earlier that day.

“Thank you.” She looked again, this time seeming to have trouble. “Haz-no. Felicia Owens.”

Felicia smirked, brushing past Hazel to make her way to the front. She twisted as if about to get into whatever pose she’d been planning, but she and everyone else was caught off guard as a gasp came from the side of the stage.

Hazel had bent over, holding on to her thighs as she tried to keep her cool. Her chest was growing steadily, straining her scarlet bikini top to its limit. As her bust continued to expand she grew flushed, a moan escaping her.

Helena stormed across the stage, as unsure of what was happening as everyone but wanting to help her girlfriend. “Are you alright?”

Another moan came in response.

The redhead whirled around. “Who did this?”

No one replied at first, most people were at least as confused as her. Felicia managed to catch Luna’s eye and mimed knocking back a drink. The lawyer-turned-bartender’s eyes widened in an Oh shit.

“That may be our fault.” The Latina stepped forward and explained. “Felicia asked for something to strengthen her physical TF, and the strongest effect I could come up with was called Quarantine Order. Given the name, I think it made the original transformation infectious.”

Helena looked at her hand, still on her girlfriend’s shoulder. “It hasn’t passed on to me.”

“That might be a bit too chaotic for Genet to allow?” Ava suggested as she tried to help piece things together. “With everything I’ve seen, she’s usually pretty careful about the limits of her effects. It’s probably just Felicia that can pass it on.”

“Then don’t touch me.” Helena demanded of Felicia, who was growing increasingly frustrated at losing the limelight.

“Why would I want to?” The blonde pointed out. “That was supposed to be my boost. I’m not giving that advantage to anyone else, especially not until a winner is announced.”

“Fine.”

“You don’t need to be mad at her, Ma’am.” A voice growled in Helena’s ear. “I’m sure it’s not forever, so is this really such a bad thing?” Hazel’s strong arm pulled her in close, brushing her newly enhanced chest against her own back. Her other hand came higher, softly stroking at her girlfriend’s scalp.

“What’s happening now?” Stella murmured, still loud enough for most people to hear.

“It’s’ mmph-!” Helena realized what was happening, struggling to explain as she tried to resist her own moan. “Her newest transformation balances her two sides by what she’s wearing and what is showing. Since her bikini showed everything… Can you stop for a moment?”

“As you wish.” The bodyguard took her hand away from Helena's head, though her chest was still firmly pressed up against her.

“T-thank you. Since her bikini showed everything, it kept things pretty well balanced. Since her… her breasts are becoming a more prominent part of her outfit, it’s giving more power to her confident side. Her domineering side.”

“Thank you for that explanation, everyone.” The cephalid assistant called out from her place. “You and your Master should all take some time later to explore everything you have learned. But unless you wish to cancel the contest entirely, you should save that exploration for afterwards.”

“We’re not cancelling.” Felicia said, proudly striking the pose she'd intended earlier.

“Thank you. Hazel Singh, if you still wish to continue?”

“Absolutely.”

The veteran stood in the sand with an eyebrow raised, holding her top both to intentionally display her new assets and to give the support her bikini needed to avoid the fabric tearing under the strain.

"Stella Steward."

The pinkette took the stage, finding herself blushing yet again as she made eye contact with Dick. She softly smiled before retreating to the other side.

"Ava Soto."

Ava grinned as she took her turn, flexing to show off her arms.

"And finally, Luna Lopez."

Last to be called up, Luna took her place. She tried to keep a relaxed pose and smile, doing her best to ignore her friend's disappointment in her.

“Thank you.” The lifeguard called out. “The poll has now been offered to the audience.

https://strawpoll.com/40Zm4LA8oga

I don’t have Genet’s experience with time dilation, so I’ll need at least an hour before I’ll be ready to announce a winner. Until then, do whatever you would like.”

Message from the author: I plan on keeping this poll open until May 28th. Have fun!