Leaving the hospital, and Jade, behind

Kiyo left the room, seeking my new host. It gave me time to think about things in peace.

Observing my current body, I couldn't help but smile. I'd only been Jade for a short time, but it felt so natural to be her. A small part of me would probably miss her, but most of me was too curious to be someone else and explore this world more.

A few minutes later, I heard the door of my room open. Kiyo came back, followed by the elven nurse.

"What did you need my help with, Kiyo?" The elven nurse asked.

Approaching me, Kiyo winked, out of view from the nurse. "I feel like there's something strange with Jade's throat. Since you have more experience, I thought you could help me check.”

I understood that it was my queue to take the elven nurse over. The nurse came closer, her face inches away from mine, as Kiyo placed herself behind her, most likely to prevent her from fleeing in case I failed my attempt.

I opened my mouth wide and focused on my real body, feeling it detach itself from Jade's brain and slowly moving to her throat. As soon as I saw light and the massive face of the elven nurse, I jumped onto her, slipping inside her own throat. She was too shocked to react, gagging loudly as she fell over. My consciousness faded as I felt myself dissolving inside her body.

A minute later, I let out a loud gasp as my eyes fluttered open. I breathed again, but this time from different lungs… My new mind was opening up to me. I was Crystal, a mature female elf with plenty of experience as a nurse, travelling all around the world to offer my help like the devoted follower of Vinistra before settling down here and working at the hospital full-time. I felt wonderful, my new body not hurting anymore.

“Sister, how are you feeling?” Kiyo asked, her eyes betraying a hint of worry. I noticed that I was laying in her arms.

“I'm fine, Kiyo. I was… lost in my new memories.” I said, standing up and smiling at her. I couldn't help but giggle as I observed my body. “Switching bodies was scary, but it feels good…”

Glancing at Jade, I was relieved to see that she was ****. It would have been too awkward otherwise.

Despite now being someone else, I didn't feel like I had changed much mentally compared to when I was Jade, even with Crystal's mind at my disposal to impersonate her. I had a nagging suspicion that my personality was mostly based on Jade because she was my first host. It would probably be the case for every slime. Kiyo's real personality was probably similar to Mina's too.

“Let's go, Crystal. We can chat more once we're done with work. Maybe we could have a drink together~” Kiyo offered, her teasing grin back.

“I'd love to~” I replied gleefully.

Retreating out of Jade's room, we resumed work just like Kiyo and Crystal would. Drawing attention was the last thing we wanted, so we did our best to act like our hosts until the end of our shifts. We agreed to go to my home afterwards, as it was the closest. We greeted the nurses replacing us and left the hospital, no one suspecting a thing.

It was my first time outside, even if I had decades of memories telling me otherwise. Everything felt both so novel and mundane. The bakeries and blacksmith opening and working so early in the morning, the adventurers wandering around the streets, the wooden and stone buildings on each side of the dirt roads, and the sun slowly illuminating the town from behind the massive walls surrounding it... It was fascinating, and looking at Kiyo, she was clearly sharing the same sentiment of wonders I was experiencing. We were like newborns discovering the world, and in a way, we were. We only gained proper sapience a few days ago, after all.

Leading Kiyo to the small and modest home I rented, we crossed paths with some neighbours, so I had to regain Crystal's more pious and confident facade, smiling kindly at them.

After locking the door behind us, I let out a sigh of relief while plopping onto the couch. “Ah, we're finally out…”

Kiyo immediately joined me, her head resting on my shoulder. “That we are, sister. We are free.” She spoke in a soft tone.

I wrapped my arm around her, snuggling her closer. Her warm body pressed against mine was comforting. Her tail was slowly wiggling next to her and her eyes were closed. I wasn't sure if I was imagining things, but I could have sworn I heard her purr a few times. She seemed relaxed, alone with me. We could only truly be ourselves with each other, after all.

“Sometimes, I still have a hard time realizing I'm just a slime piloting this body.” I said quietly. “It still doesn't feel… real. We shouldn't be able to do that.”

"What they did to us... It granted us these incredible abilities…” Kiyo answered, her eyes looking at me. “We can blend in with the sapient races, infiltrate them, and… take **** on them..."

I tilted my head. "****?"

She stared at me more seriously. "Don't you want to make them pay? Think about it. How many of our kind did they kill for their own amusement, or for the sake of 'research'? Now, we could have our ****. We're no longer defenseless preys. If our surviving siblings developed the same abilities we have, and if our future offsprings inherit it as well, we could do so much.”

I closed my eyes, thinking about what Kiyo had just said. I did hate what these people did to us, but now, it already almost felt behind me. I had been offered a new opportunity, a new life. Should I really waste it pursuing ****? While I could also explore this massive world and experience so many new lives and cultures?