She wants to dance like Uma Thurman

Nick woke up to softness pressing in on him from every side. He blinked blearily and opened his eyes to see a curtain of blue in front of his face. He felt two squishy lumps pressing against his chest, and realized it must have been Dani.

Last night had been a puzzle of majestic proportions. The nine of them had to figure out a way to get everyone to fit on the bed to meet Sylvia’s ridiculous rule. Because of that, they’d ended up being packed together like sardines. Like on the couch, Dakota had claimed one side of him while Rose had claimed the other. He could feel their sizeable chests swallowing his arms. Most shocking of all, though, was that Dani, with her soft body, had let the others use her as a bit of a mattress.

Frankly, she hadn’t put up much of a fight.

She got more out of this than I did, Nick thought, noting the satisfied smile on her face. She seemed much more at peace than the last time he'd seen her sleep. She's probably the only one who did, though.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

Nick stirred, glancing up to see Mary sitting on the edge of the bed, with Kim beside her. The redhead looked rather flustered, which made sense given her current state of dress. Nick couldn’t imagine that jean shorts were that comfy to sleep in.

“So are you,” he replied.

“I grew up on a farm,” Mary said, trying to laugh off the awkward situation they found themselves in. “I woke up like half an hour ago.”

While Mary politely looked the other way to give Nick some space, he tried to extricate himself from the tangle of bodies he was caught in. Mimi was sleeping on his back, her arms wrapped tight around his waist, and she was doing a pretty good job of holding him down.

That’s when he realized that he wasn’t wet.

She managed to control her form after only one night, huh? I guess she really is a fast learner. He remembered how soaked the sheets had been the morning before.

“I suppose we owe Dawn some thanks as well,” Nick said, looking towards the cat girl curled up at the foot of the bed, snoring softly while clutching a pillow. Due to her size and flexibility, Dawn had elected to sleep curled up like a cat; Nick silently wondered if she might be going a little too far in embracing her role.

“Hmmm… zrrgn… what for?” Dawn yawned, rubbing her eyes. She glanced at the side of the bed. “…Oh yeah.”

“That was some pretty good thinking,” Mary said, patting the arm of the couch. Early on it had become apparent that no matter how hard everyone squeezed together, there was no way everyone would fit on the mattress. So Dawn had been the one to come up with a countermeasure.

“Well, it was only a hunch,” Dawn said, fumbling for her glasses. “As long as we push the couch up so the cushions are connected to the mattress, then it would count as an extension of the bed. It didn’t hurt to try.”

She slid her glasses on and turned to the couch.

“…And besides, Gina said she’s slept on her fair share of couches.”

The dark-haired girl was conked out on the sofa, turning over in her sleep. While technically in bed with them, her more… “aggressive” sleeping posture had been accounted for.

Dawn frowned. She slapped Gina on the ass. “Wake up!”

“Whoa! Good morning!” Gina sprung out of bed in surprise. She turned around and flashed Dawn a toothy smile. “Geez, where was that all the times we shared a bed?”

Dawn rolled her eyes. “It’s your transformation. Now get up, it’s time for breakfast.”

“Should I cook something?” The four of them turned to Holly, who was still cooped up in her cage. She looked expectantly at Nick and the others.

“That won’t be necessary.”

Sylvia appeared in the center of the room with a smile on her face.

“I have an announcement to make this morning,” she declared. “In the banquet hall. So when you kids are done getting ready for the morning, please come downstairs so we can talk.”

“Why bother?” Nick asked. “Pretty much everyone is already here.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Sylvia admitted. She narrowed her eyes. “But ‘pretty much’ everyone is not everyone, wouldn’t you agree?”

Nick swallowed. Carly… is she doing alright?

Dani had told them that the cosplayer wasn’t feeling well. But he couldn’t shake the thought that something was wrong.

“…So she’s going to be at breakfast?”

Mimi’s voice caught him by surprise. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, looking curiously at Sylvia. The blonde looked a little miffed at the question, but she nodded.

“Yes, that’s right my girl, Carly will be at breakfast. Be sure to go easy on her. Give her a hug, if you like!” Sylvia teased. “Now then. Breakfast in half an hour. Don’t be late!”

She tapped her cane on the floor and disappeared.

“Mimi, did you sleep okay?” Mary took the opportunity to put Sylvia’s presence out of her mind and turn to the slime girl. “You didn’t have any bad dreams, did you? After all those violent movies…”

Mimi tilted her head to the side, confused by Mary’s question. Then she shook it. “No. Slept fine.” A small smile turned up her lips. “Cuddle puddle was fun.”

“That’s a good word for it!” Gina cackled. “A cuddle puddle! Ha! Hilarious!”

She climbed onto the bed and crawled over to Nick, pressing her boobs into his arm. “Of course, we’ll be getting up to some cuddling of our own tonight, isn’t that right, master?”

Nick rolled his eyes. “That’s for tonight,” he said, getting out of bed and heading for the bathroom. “Right now we need to get ready for whatever Sylvia’s going to spring on us in the morning.”

Gina let out an exaggerated groan, but she knew he was right. “Okay, fine,” she agreed.

Nick went and washed up, still finding it hard to believe he’d shared a bed (and a couch) with eight women last night. Even with all the incredible and terrifying things that had been happening to him since he came to the island, that was pretty surprising.

When he came back out, everyone was awake and getting prepared to head out.

There were two people in particular that he wanted to check on.

“Hey Dani, how are you feeling?” He asked cautiously.

“I’m fine,” the blue-haired girl said, confused. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, I mean… last night was kind of… well…”

He felt bad about sleeping on top of her like that. He had kept his hands to himself, but at the end of the day he was still a guy. The old Dani would have blown a gasket at having a man sleep on top of her, even him.

The Dani in front of him, though, didn’t understand what the problem was.

“I had a great time,” she grinned, elbowing him in the arm. She kept her voice low so the other girls couldn’t hear. “And I bet you did too, am I right?” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Man, what I wouldn’t give to be the center of a Dakota and Rose sandwich!”

When it came to talking to a girl, Dani was as shy as a wallflower. But when she was talking about them, she was an open book.

“Yeah, I mean, it was nice,” Nick admitted. He’d be a liar if he said anything else. “But it wasn’t just the girls. I was there too, you know.”

Dani blinked. “So what?” She shrugged.

That hadn’t been the reaction he’d expected.

“So what? Well… you can’t tell me you enjoyed having a guy sleeping on top of you,” Nick stammered. He was really testing the waters. Dani’s most recent transformation had made her totally fine with casual touching. He wanted to see how much of the old Dani was left.

“I mean, I didn’t enjoy it,” she admitted. “A guy touching me? Kinda weird, bro. But hey, you’re my best bud!” She socked him in the shoulder. “It’s different when it comes to you.”

The smile on her face reminded him of the Dani he’d always known and loved. But the nonchalant way she discussed letting him practically dry hump her seemed so antithetical to the woman he knew that he couldn’t think straight.

He sighed.

“…Okay then. But what about your sleep? Did you have any bad dreams or anything like that?” He asked.

“Just the usual,” Dani shrugged. “Remember the beach? When you were rubbing suntan lotion all over me?”

Nick tensed. “Yeah… I-I remember.” And I’m sorry. That transformation punishment you got must be terrible.

“Well, I used to hate those dreams for some reason. Don’t really know why,” she admitted. “They used to keep me up all night. But I mean it’s just you putting sunscreen on me. Can’t imagine why that would bother me too much.”

Of course it wouldn’t bother you, your entire morality when it comes to your body has been turned on its head. Nick felt himself overwhelmed with guilt. He didn't even know if he should say anything; how would she respond if he told her this was all due to her transformation?

Not sure what to do, he ran away, leaving Dani and going to the other person he wanted to check on this morning, Kim.

The sales clerk looked as exhausted as… well, a sales clerk. She had bags under her eyes and was barely standing. Nick wondered if she was still asleep.

“Hey, Kim, are you okay?” Nick asked. Upon hearing his voice, Kim’s winning smile popped back up on her face and she turned to him.

“I’m doing just fine!” She may have been able to fool customers with her “perfect service” smile, but Nick was a little more perceptive than the average shopper. He could tell how worn out she was, no matter how much she was trying to hide it.

“Are you sure?” He pressed. “You’ve only been working at that job for a few days. Having to do that, plus staying up late and watching movies? You need to take care of yourself. It’s okay to take a break every now and then, you know.”

“No breaks needed!” Kim assured him, though the way her voice wavered told him everything he needed to know about how little she believed that. “Besides, it’s an important day today! We gotta go to the banquet hall, right? Can’t be late!”

Before he had a chance to say anything else, Kim headed for the elevator, and headed back down to her room.

Soon, the Master’s Suite was abandoned as all the girls went to go change and take care of their needs everyone except Mimi, who didn’t have anywhere to go. She stared blankly at Nick, who felt a little awkward being alone with her.

“I don’t have to go to the banquet hall, right?”

Oh shit! I almost forgot about Holly! He turned to the caged girl, who was staring up at him with a smile like a loyal puppy.

“Um, yeah, that’s right, you don’t,” he said, shaking his head. “You were eliminated, after all, so you don’t have to do anything involving the game.”

“That’s perfect!” Holly giggled. “Then I can stay here and do some cleaning!”

Nick looked around. The Master’s Suite was spotless. The walls literally glowed with golden light.

“I, uh, don’t think that’s really necessary,” he said. But Holly was adamant.

“Even so, I should still do my best to serve you, master!” Holly pleaded, her eyes flashing with hearts. Nick sighed.

“If you want to serve me, then cut it out with the ‘serving me’ stuff. Take the day off and relax, okay?” He wanted to be as benevolent of a master as he could be. And giving Holly the day to herself while he dealt with Sylvia’s mess seemed like a good way to start.

Holly stared blankly at him.

“Um, I can’t really relax,” she mumbled, turning red. A guilty expression crossed her face. “I’m sorry, master! Please don’t be mad! I want to obey your orders, but-”

“Hey, hey, it’s fine,” Nick said, confused by what she was saying. “What do you mean you can’t obey my orders? …And it’s not an order! It’s a suggestion, from one friend to another.”

“Okay then,” Holly nodded, and Nick could see the tension drain from her face. “That’s good. I was worried for a second there that I wouldn’t be able to follow your order to relax!”

“Why couldn’t you relax?” Nick asked.

Holly raised her skirt to reveal the shiny metal chastity belt sealing her genitals away from the rest of the world.

“Well, if I can’t masturbate, then how am I supposed to-”

“Yeah, bye Holly. You have a nice time.” Nick unlatched the cage and headed for the elevator, blocking out Holly's fanatic ravings.

Mimi diligently followed after him. It took him a second, but he realized something was different about her.

“Hey, what’s up?” He asked, turning to the slime girl as they entered the elevator. “Why are you walking like that?”

Before this morning, Mimi had moved in a kind of shambling pace, almost like a zombie. Basically just trudging forward, one foot in front of the other, with her arms dangling at her sides. Now, though, she was walking with purpose, her head held high, and with a rather alluring gait that made her butt shake and her chest bounce.

You know, if Nick was paying attention to that. Which he absolutely wasn’t.

“The lady.”

“Huh?” Mimi’s voice had been so soft he’d barely heard her. “What lady?”

“From the movie,” she prodded him. “The one who doesn’t like wearing shoes.”

“Ah!” Nick gasped, suddenly realizing who she was imitating. Mimi was walking like Uma Thurman did in Pulp Fiction.

Now that he looked at her, Mimi’s hair seemed to be a little longer, too.

“Mimi, are you trying to copy that actress?” He asked. “From Pulp Fiction?”

Mimi reached up and ran her fingers through her hair. Before Nick’s eyes, it lengthened into a bob cut that resembled the movie’s heroine.

“I like it because I like being barefoot too,” she confided, smiling slightly.

Nick blinked. It was a rather odd thing to base a hairstyle on, but then, a big part of Rose’s suggestion for a movie night was to help Mimi grow accustomed to things outside her bubble. If this was how she wanted to look, he was fine with it.

The elevator stopped and they walked down the hall to the banquet room. As expected, the others were still busy getting ready for the morning.

Which meant the only woman eating breakfast at the moment was Carly.

Her fork slipped from her fingers as she saw Nick and Mimi walk into the room, and her face turned pale. Nick was surprised by her costume for today. She was dressed like Tomoko from the series WataMote, which meant that she was just wearing a school uniform. But what really stood out about her was the hair; it fell in a mess of dark tangles over her face, and she peeked out from behind the black curtain with a tired eye. No attempt to look sexy or alluring in the slightest; if this was cosplay, he couldn't see the appeal.

Is she wearing makeup to make her look so exhausted? Or is she really that worn out? Nick honestly couldn’t be sure. But Carly looked rather miserable, and seeing Mimi clearly hadn’t made things better.

“H-Hey,” she greeted them with an awkward wave. She swallowed and her expression shifted into a smile that Nick could tell was fake. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Nick greeted her, not sure what to say. Should he ask how she was feeling? If she was doing okay? Should she really be up this early if she felt so bad last night? Somehow questions like those seemed rude.

Mimi had no such compunctions. She made a beeline straight for her body double, causing Carly to flinch.

“Good morning,” she whispered back. “It’s nice to see you.”

“Y-Yeah,” Carly stammered, turning her attention back to her food. “Same.”

“We missed you last night,” Nick said awkwardly, completely failing to ease the tension. “…At, uh, the movie thing, I mean. Dani said you weren’t feeling okay?”

“Mmhm,” Carly mumbled, taking a bite of her toast.

Mimi studied Carly for a second, then went to go get food herself. Nick expected her to devour most of the buffet like she’d done the morning before, but to his surprise, she showed amazing restraint. An omelet, some hash browns, toast with boysenberry jam, and a glazed donut, with some orange juice to wash it down.

It was only when she returned to the table and sat down next to Carly that he realized Mimi had gotten exactly the same thing as the other woman.

Carly turned pale, and she focused her attention squarely on her food, not even looking Mimi’s way. Mimi, on the other hand, turned in her seat to stare directly at her.

“Food tastes good.” She murmured, copying the way Carly cut her omelet. She even matched the tremors in the other woman’s hands.

“Hey, is everything alright?” Nick asked, sitting down across from the girls. “Carly, you look a little…”

“I’m fine!” She snapped, dropping her silverware and standing up. “I’m fine, so just leave me alone!”

Nick recoiled, not expecting an outburst like that from Carly Granger of all people.

Even the most socially inept person in the world could see that she was definitely not fine. Case in point, Mimi set down her utensils and stood up as well, holding out her arms towards Carly.

“Hug?” She offered. “My mother felt better when I hugged her.”

Tears started welling up in Carly’s eyes. She pushed Mimi away and ran towards the door. But she didn’t even make it halfway before Sylvia appeared in front of her.

“Now now, where are you going my girl?” She asked, clicking her tongue. “I haven’t made my announcement yet. I believe I told you that participation was mandatory, did I not?”

“B-But…” Carly glanced back at Mimi and then gagged, clasping her hand over her mouth. She almost fell over.

Sylvia sighed. “Ah, what are we going to do with you? I don’t understand, Carly, why do you hate my little girl so much?”

“Stop it!” Carly exclaimed. “Stop it with your sick game! I get it, okay!? I’ll stick around and play my part, so just make her STOP!”

Sylvia took a deep, long look at Carly and then shook her head.

“You simply don’t understand, my girl,” she sighed, patting Carly on the shoulder. “I can’t control her. Mimi is just doing as she likes. And she really seems to like you. Why not oblige her? A little hug never hurt anyone.”

Carly swallowed, feeling Sylvia’s gaze pierce through her. She nodded reluctantly and turned towards Mimi, reaching out to her.

“F-Fine,” she mumbled. “I’ll hug her okay?”

“Oh, isn’t that just so sweet?” Sylvia cooed as Mimi approached Carly with a tinge in her eye that looked just barely hopeful. “As a mother, I’m so proud that my baby girl is being cared for.”

Carly was still as a statue as she let Mimi hug her tightly. To Nick’s eye, it didn’t look like the slime girl’s embrace was doing anything to soothe her nerves.

What’s the matter with her? Is it just because Mimi has the same face? Nick had only seen Carly like this once before, right before school let out and she disappeared from his life completely. She looked shifty and nervous back then, too, but he'd been too dense to realize it.

But she seemed way more shaken now than she had back then.

“So warm,” Mimi murmured, tightening her grip on the frozen woman.

After a while, Sylvia frowned. “Okay, I think that’s enough,” she said, prying the two apart. “Mimi, I know you’re fond of Carly since she was your host. But don’t you think you’re being a little too clingy?”

Nick caught the faintest sigh of relief escape Carly’s lips.

“After all, I’m your mother, not her!” Sylvia said, placing her hands on her hips. “You should be giving me all that love and affection!”

Mimi responded with a defiant stare, and hugged Carly again.

The buxom brunette puked all over the floor as the other women entered the banquet hall.