I'm walking on sunshine, whoa!

“So tell me again why we came here?” Nick asked, looking out over the shopping district. It was still covered in white gunk, which the faeries had come to scrub up. “Shouldn’t I be preparing for my evening with Mimi?”

He glanced at the slime girl standing next to him. If she had any concerns about the fact that the remains of her duplicates were being scraped off the pavement, they didn’t show on her face.

Mimi glanced up at him and he quickly averted her eyes. It was very difficult to figure out where to stare. She’d been distracting when she was made out of slime, but now she was human. And she looked exactly like Carly, just a paler version. Dressed in a sweater that clung lewdly to her giant chest and barely went down over her apple bottom.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

The ringleader of this little expedition was standing in front of them with her hands proudly on her hips.

“We’re going shopping, of course!”

Rose had been the mastermind behind how the girls would spend their remaining bit of time before Nick had to retire. She’d suggested that they go on a shopping spree, in order to get some clothes for Mimi. She couldn’t spend the rest of her time on the island in just Mary’s sweater, or the redhead would have a conniption.

“That’s not the only reason!” Mary said, putting her hands on her hips. “We’re also going to see if Kim is alright!”

“Yes, that too,” Rose nodded. Kim had been shanghaied into a new job at the lingerie boutique (whichever shop that was) and Mary was beside herself with worry. She’d already practically lost one friend today; she didn’t want to lose another.

“I want to make sure Kim’s alright, too,” Dawn said. “Then I’m going back to my room.” She wasn’t in the mood for shopping. She’d looked a little distant ever since Sylvia left.

Things had been tense in the wake of the transformations, which was why Rose had suggested an outing like this in the first place. Holly had been banished to Nick’s room, as she was no longer permitted free reign of the hotel, in spite of Nick’s protests.

And while he really wanted to go check on her to make sure she was okay (and also to make sure that she wasn’t drowning in his used clothes) he understood that they were on a bit of a time deadline, and the sooner they could clothe Mimi, the better for his emotional stability.

That was how the group off five found themselves walking around puddles of Mimic Jelly as the sun set overhead.

The other girls had all gone off for their own reasons. Carly said she didn’t feel very well, and excused herself to her room, even though she would probably know what clothes would look best on Mimi’s body. Dani went with her to take care of her. Meanwhile, Gina went back to her room to go survey her new wardrobe, and Dakota… Dakota just wasn’t interested.

“How are you going to pay for this, anyway?” Dawn asked, glancing suspiciously at Rose. “Aren’t you still broke? Because I’m not giving you money for a shopping spree.”

Rose flinched, and her face went pale.

“W-Well, that’s simple!” She laughed. “We’ll get our money the old-fashioned way.” She turned to Nick with a catlike grin on her face.

“I’m sure that Sylvia would appreciate it if we bought nice new outfits to tantalize the master with, right?” She purred, nudging Mimi in the shoulder. “Do what I’m doing.”

Rose batted her eyelashes and stuck out her bottom lip, leaning forward and tilting her head so she could look up at him. Mimi used her transformation to perfectly mimic her pose, though she had no idea why. Nick stared at two pleading expressions, practically identical even though they came from different faces.

“Pwease, master?” Rose begged cutely. “May we pretty please go on a shopping spree with you paying for all our clothing?”

Nick wasn’t amused. He flicked her in the forehead.

“Yow!”

“Stop corrupting the innocent slime girl with your malicious ways. Sylvia was right on the money, giving you that 'Gold Digger' transformation line, huh?”

Rose stuck out her tongue in response. “…I notice you didn’t say no, though.”

“…I’ll think about it,” he sighed. “But first we gotta find this place.”

The group navigated the endless streets of the shopping center, which seemed to be guiding them to a very particular place.

Bunny’s Lingerie and Lady’s Wardrobe

“Of course,” Dawn said, rolling her eyes. The lingerie store had a design that made it look more like a strip club, with a neon woman in underwear winking flirtatiously from the sign above.

“Any guesses whether or not this is the place?” Nick asked, sighing. They walked inside, and for a moment everyone was taken aback.

Unlike the seedy outside décor, the inside of the shop looked exactly like one would expect a fancy clothing boutique to look like. Beautiful mannequins clad in sexy lingerie and skimpy clothing littered the showroom, with many more garments lining the walls on display. Everything was sealed behind glass cases, and the clean white walls and marble tile made the entire shop seem to glow.

“A-Are we allowed to be here?” Mary asked awkwardly. She pulled her shirt a little tighter over her chest, feeling out of place in such a fancy establishment while dressed like a rodeo skank. If only the shirt had come with buttons!

“Of course we are!” Rose said, holding her head up high. “My first acting tip! Pretend like you know what you’re doing, and that you belong. It’s how you blend into high society.”

Dawn cleared her throat. “Aren’t you a washed-up actress?”

Rose’s eye twitched. “Excuse me, who’s a washed-up actress living out of a rundown apartment in a condemned building?!”

“I, uh, don’t think she said that much,” Nick said. “Look, let’s just ask for Kim, and see if she can h-ooooly crap!”

Mary slapped him in the arm for his blasphemy, but she felt the same way.

“May I be of assistance?”

Normally, Kim’s smile was impeccable. Even when dealing with the most irate, irrational customers spewing nonsense and making it her problem, she never let her mask drop, always maintaining a perfect smile.

Right now, though, her smile had definitely been dented. It seemed plastered to her lips, as opposed to her usually professionalism. And in spite of her shaky smile, the flush of her cheeks made it clear that she was absolutely not at her best.

No one could blame her, because she was standing in front of them in what could be considered little more than a lace bikini

“Kim!” Mary gasped. “What are you wearing?!”

“Her uniform.” A pink faerie in a slinky dress floated over to the group with a smile on her face. “A display model isn’t worth much if she’s not on display!”

“That’s right,” Kim nodded, her voice barely passing her clenched teeth. She looked like a good flick to the forehead like the one Rose got would shatter her like glass.

“Now, how can she help you?” The faerie turned to the girls, and she ran her eyes up and down their bodies. “Hmm… excuse me, miss, have you ever considered modeling before?”

Rose blinked. “Huh?”

“Well, I heard from our lady that you’re in a pinch for some money like this one here,” the pink faerie laughed, jabbing her thumb towards Kim. She had a lecherous look on her face. “I think you’d look great modeling one of our outfits.”

Rose **** a shaky smile to her face and shook her head. “That’s nice, but I’m actually here as a customer right now,” she said, trying to deflect. “With my friend Mimi here.” She patted Mimi on the shoulder, and then recoiled from the sticky sensation on her hand.

“Well, that’s perfect! She can model too!” The faerie chortled. “Tell you what! Everything you ladies model? Free of charge, no BP required.”

“For real?!” Rose asked, her eyes shining with excitement.

“Absolutely!” The faerie grinned. “We use that sort of stuff as advertising, you see. Helps draw in the crowds.”

“…But who else do you even sell to?” Dawn asked, confused. They were the only people on the island.

“Ah, not important,” the faerie scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. “Now, do we have a deal, or don’t we?”

“Sure!” Rose chirped.

The second her response left her lips, the room sprang to life, and words flashed in the air above them.

Scenes from a Hat: 80’s Movie Fashion Montage!

“I’m outta here,” Dawn said automatically, and she fled the boutique before anyone else could blink. Nick looked around and realized that Rose, Mimi, and Kim were all gone; only Mary remained, wearing a look of confusion on her face.

Before either of them could ask what had happened to their companions, they both fell back onto a couch, pushed by unseen hands. A large stage stood in front of them, shielded by a curtain. Neither had seen it before now.

Then the music started to play.

Ow! Hey, yeah!

“Oh no…” Nick groaned, cradling his face in his hands. He knew exactly what was about to happen.

I used to think maybe you loved me, now baby, I’m sure!

The curtain parted to reveal Mimi standing still as a statue, wearing a set of lacy black lingerie that went nicely with her pale skin. She stared blankly at the two of them.

And I just can’t wait ‘til the day when you knock on my door!

Rose was next, wearing a fancy red brassier and negligee. She knelt on the stage and leaned forward with her breasts sandwiched between her arms, offering them up for observation with a sultry smile on her face.

Now every time I go for the mailbox, gotta hold myself down!

Kim showed up last, looking ready to die of embarrassment. She wore what could only be described as bridal lingerie, white as snow and soft to the touch, with high knee socks and lace garters. Her face looked even redder than before, with her smile twitching at the edges of her lips as she made a heart with her hands and winked, blowing a kiss.

‘Cause I just can’t wait ‘til you write me you’re coming around!

Mimi was next in the rotation. Once again she stood still as a statue, not bothering to pose at all. Her face was an icy mask and she wore a checker print bra and panty combination.

Now I’m walking on sunshine, whoa! I’m walking on sunshine, whoa!

After Mimi came Rose again, wearing black lace with thigh-highs, and held her hand against her hip as she leaned her body forward to emphasize her hourglass curves. She winked at Nick and blew a kiss as well.

I’m walking on sunshine, whoa! And don’t it feel good?

Kim’s next outfit was bright pink, standing out nicely against her pale skin. While not made of lace, it was basically just a string bikini, barely covering her vagina and her nipples. She shook, nearly falling over from her pose due to standing on one leg, with her hand raised to her chin.

The music continued to play, and the girls kept modeling underwear and other outfits, until finally they had amassed a complete wardrobe.

Well, Rose had amassed a complete wardrobe. Mimi had tried on a set of pants to go with her sweater, and that was good enough for her. Everything else, including the underwear, she said she had no need for.

As for Kim, she was just doing her job. No free clothes for her.

“Ah, now this is more like it,” Rose sighed, leaning back on a cushy chair in the boutique to let her new outfit breathe. She cradled her head in her hands and smiled at Nick. “What do you think?”

Nick was a little surprised, frankly.

“It’s so… concealing,” he dumbly replied.

Rose may have been having fun strutting her stuff up onstage, but she hadn’t accepted any of the more risqué outfits for her closet. What she was wearing now looked like something a lazy housewife might wear, in fact. Her skin was concealed by a bulky purple sweater and a set of black leggings, and even though the garments emphasized her figure nicely, they were nothing like her old dress that put her sex appeal on display.

Rose frowned. “You don’t like it?”

“No, I-I didn’t say that!” Nick sputtered. “I just, well… given how you used to dress, I just figured… well…”

“This is what I would like to be wearing,” Rose tittered. “I want to look nice, after all. But I’m not going to dress like a streetwalker.”

She winked at Nick. “I’m much more modest than you give me credit for, mon compagnon.” She blew him another kiss.

Mary scowled. She wasn’t amused.

“Well, flirting aside, I’m glad you’re being so much more conservative with your choice of clothing,” she said, giving what almost constituted a compliment to the other girl. “It may be a little too form-fitting, but… it’s a good start.”

She smiled bashfully. “In spite of, well… you know. What happened before. I’m glad to see you’re trying to make a change.”

Rose smiled back. “Doing what I can,” she murmured. Her eyes glassed over. “It’s the least I can do, given… Holly.”

The brunette’s name hung in the air over the boutique. Rose wouldn’t be here right now if not for Holly. Dawn had made the decision to pick Rose as her buddy, but if it hadn’t been for Holly’s desire to be eliminated herself, it might not have come to that.

“Are you all enjoying your purchases?” Kim came over to the group and smiled. It looked like it hurt her to do.

“We… are, why?” Nick asked.

“Because the owner would like to know if Mary here would be interested in modeling an American Flag bikini for her,” Kim said, glancing at Mary. Her smile remained, but her eyes were practically screaming “NO! GET AWAY!”

Mary turned pale. She glanced past Kim at the faerie, who smiled and waved at her.

“When I saw your clothes, I just knew!” The faerie called back.

Mary fled from the shop as fast as she could, and the others followed after her.

“Good luck, Kim!” Nick called over his shoulder. Rose waved goodbye and Kim was left to continue her work. She sighed and hung her head, no longer needing to wear such a false face now that there were no more customers.

“Oh, by the way, because I comped their outfits thanks to the fashion show, you don’t get any bonus BP,” the faerie informed her. “Now, if you’d be a dear and go put those away? Thank you!” She gestured to the pile of clothes left over as she flew back towards the counter to go slack off.

Kim rolled her eyes and went to go restock the shelves. Somehow, this still wasn’t the worst job she’d ever done.

“Ah, that was a blast!” Rose stretched, enjoying the feeling of wearing clothing again. With Mary gone, it almost felt like a date. Only it wasn’t her night. She glanced over at Mimi, who was staring pointedly at her. She got the message.

“Well… Mary is in the wind,” the blonde murmured, curling a lock of her frizzy hair between her fingers. “And so, it seems my time with you is coming to an end s well.”

The sun was setting on the horizon, with the last touches of color fading from the sky.

“Besides,” she tittered, skipping up to Nick. “We’ll always have tomorrow.”

She leaned up and kissed Nick on each cheek.

“Au revoir, mon compagnon,” she whispered, before turning and vanishing into the night, arms filled with shopping bags.

She left with a skip in her step, trying to remain classy in spite of her overwhelming joy.

I made it! She silently cheered. I made it to the next round!

She had secured her brother’s future for the moment, and that meant the world to her. She didn’t think she’d ever stop smiling.

Only thoughts of Holly and her fate caused her to slow down. She stopped beside a large fountain, more of a swimming pool, really, and stared pensively out at the water.

Rose wasn’t the only one staring at the fountain. Mimi gazed into the water, almost childlike in her curiosity.

“Strange…” She murmured, submerging her hand in the fountain. The dark water sparkled in the light of the shops, but it slowly turned milky in color as it made contact with Mimi’s “skin”. She withdrew her hand, which looked more like a lumpy white blob, and quickly reformed it into five fingers again. Only then did she stand and turn back to Nick.

“This body… it’s a human body, isn’t it? And yet… it’s not, is it?”

Nick didn’t know what to say. Mimi’s dull eyes seemed to bore right through him with curiosity. She stepped closer, her beauty framed in the light of the shopping district.

She really did look just like Carly. It was almost shocking.

“Mimi, can I ask you something?” Nick approached her cautiously. He’d been trying to think about how to start a conversation with the slime girl, but had been drawing a blank until now.

“What?” Mimi tilted her head to the side. Nick noted the way her hair shook; before, when she made that gesture, her body had been slime and she shed some of it off. But he recognized that movement. Carly tilted her head like that.

“The way you move, like tilting your head… those are things Carly does, did you know that?” He asked.

“Carly…” Mimi echoed, gazing at her reflection in the water. “That’s right… the woman who I used for a host.”

She didn’t seem sorry when she said that. Nick wondered if she even knew how to feel sorry yet.

How much of her is even human? And how much is… well, a plant?

He didn’t know if he should ask. But there was something else on his mind.

“Your feet.” He pointed down. The spray from the fountain had soaked the ground, and Mimi’s bare feet had started melting, leaving a bit of a puddle.

“…No shoes,” Mimi said adamantly. She narrowed her eyes, a brief glimpse of emotion in an otherwise dull face. “I need to feel free.”

“Free? You’re not free with socks?” Nick asked curiously.

She shook her head.

“My body is human,” Mimi murmured, flexing her fingers open and shut. “But at my core… I’m still what I am. I’ll wear clothes… because I have to. But it feels wrong, not giving my feet their freedom.”

She blinked, and then a crooked grin spread across her lips. It looked like Kim’s shaky smile from the store.

“Feet. I have feet now.”

“Yeah, uh… that you do,” Nick said, staring awkwardly at her. What was he even supposed to say in response to that?

Mimi stared at him, basking in the night sky.

Nick realized that she may have been mature as far as Sylvia was concerned, but in many ways, in terms of being a human, she was still naïve. She didn’t know what to do, so she was waiting for him to lead.

“Well… shall we go?” He asked, extending his hand to her.

She nodded and took it. Nick gasped. It was the first time he’d touched her. He expected her skin to feel cold and clammy, like the sticky slime bodies he’d dealt with in the forest earlier today.

But no, her hand felt warm. And as he held it, he could feel her pulse.

“You really are alive, aren’t you?” He breathed. “A real, live person.”

Mimi tilted her head to the side and offered only a lopsided smile in return.