Watchin' the water and watchin' the waves

“So what do you think, Nick?” Kim bounced over to him with a smile on her face. She tilted her head to the side, letting her hair fall over her shoulder. “You like me like this?”

Nick couldn’t say he didn’t. He may have found short hair to be an attractive quality in women, but that didn’t mean he didn’t find long hair to be sexy and appealing too. “Yeah, you look great,” he said, nodding.

Kim smirked. She was a little uncertain about her new proportions, though at least she wasn’t so unbalanced now that her hips and thighs had swelled considerably to match the large breasts Vivian had given her (which had not grown nearly as much) to give her a more even, curvaceous figure in contrast to her usual slender, athletic frame.

“So you’re saying I didn’t look great before…?” She trailed off, a slight tone of dejection leaking into her voice.

Nick’s eyes widened. “What!? No, that’s not what I- …Oh, you’re just messing with me.” He rolled his eyes. “Kim, come on. Don’t be like that.”

Kim stuck out her tongue and giggled. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself,” she chirped, giving him a saucy wink. “You know how it is.”

Yep, he sure did. That was Kim alright. Nick sighed and rolled his eyes again. “Well, at least your humor’s still the same as ever,” he replied. Either way, whether slender and fit or vivacious and curvy, Kim was still Kim. Only this time when she laughed at her own twisted jokes, her whole body wiggled.

Kim wasn’t the only one getting compliments right now.

“Looking good, Dani!” Carly came over to her girlfriend and gave her a dazzling smile. “I mean it-you looked cute and juicy before, but now? Mmm!” Carly may not have been sexually attracted to women, but she knew when a woman was sexually attractive. It didn’t matter to her whether Dani was all soft curves or rippling muscle because she loved the girl regardless, but she could easily imagine her tomboy girlfriend drawing the eyes of several young ladies while she pumped iron in the gym.

“You… you think so?” Dani reached up instinctively to tuck her hair behind her ear, only to find her fingers brushing up against the feathery tips of her chopped haircut. Passing Soft as Silk onto Kim hadn’t just given her back her muscles but it had also given her back her original hairstyle- only a touch softer and poofier than it had been before, thanks to her Wingwoman transformation.

She glanced at the water for a second, trying to make out her reflection in the tide. It was hard to see perfectly, but what she could make out seemed to fit her well.

“I really do,” Carly nodded. “So why are you looking so down?”

Dani snapped her head up to meet the other girl’s eyes, only to realize that Carly wasn’t being that literal. She paused, not sure what to say. “I… I’m not down,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “I’m just kinda… surprised, that’s all.”

The last time Dani had gotten her original physique back, she’d found herself a bit disappointed that she didn’t have her enhanced strength anymore. She still felt that sense of weakness but it didn’t bother her this time. She couldn’t really put her finger on what it was, honestly. She just felt… different.

“…I guess I just have to get used to it,” she said finally, looking down at her arms. They looked like she remembered, minus the feathers sprouting from elbow to shoulder.

Sylvia picked up on that. “Is it the feathers?” She asked. “Maybe that’s why you’re looking so blue?” She knew better than to laugh, she really did. But she couldn’t help it! It was such a good pun, how could anyone resist?!

Dani scowled at her. “Very funny,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “No, I’m really okay! It’s just kinda weird, you know?” She looked over at Kim, who was busy showing off her new figure to Nick, relishing in his approval with a smile as she posed in the qipao that she absolutely hated.

Not that she was an exhibitionist or anything.

I’m not sad, and I’m not really bothered, either. If Dani were either of those things she’d know, because only Nick would be able to help her get out of that funk thanks to one of her other transformations. So what was the weird feeling she had in her chest? She couldn’t put her finger on it. Disappointment? Frustration? Anxiousness?

None of that felt right. Dani wasn’t even positive that the feeling she had was a bad one, it was just… unexpected.

I guess it’s a lot to take in, she conceded. I mean, when I woke up in the Master’s Suite this morning, this definitely wasn’t how I expected my day to go!

She never would have thought while playing on the beach with Carly and her daughter that she’d wind up getting her own body back, even if it was just for the night.

As for Carly, she was still staring at Dani. And it was a weird kind o staring, too, the kind that almost made Dani feel self-conscious, even though that was so unlike her.

“I-I knew it,” she stammered, quickly playing with her choppy hair. It was no longer as soft and silky-smooth as it was before; the feathered texture was much more pronounced with its short length. “It looks weird on me… since I haven’t looked like this in so long…”

“Dani, no, I’m definitely not thinking that,” Carly said adamantly, taking her girlfriend’s hands into hers. The firm look in her gaze assuaged any concerns Dani might have had of that being the case. Carly was nothing if not unscrupulously honest when it came to stuff like this, and the last thing she would ever do was teach her daughter it was okay to lie. “I really like how you look right now, I don’t think it looks weird at all! I think it looks really cool!”

She beamed at Dani, giving her that adoring look Dani recognized all too well. Any other thoughts just flew away from the tomboy and she returned Carly’s smile with one of her own, squeezing her hands tightly.

Marley loudly cleared her throat, snapping the two lovebirds out of it.

“I’m glad to see everything worked out,” she said once she got everyone’s attention, “but there’s someone here who’s a little confused right now.”

She gestured to a stunned Emmy, who’s mouth was hanging open as her eyes bulged out of her face in shock.

“Emmy?” Carly gasped, having momentarily forgotten about her daughter. “Oh gosh, um-”

“Was… was that a transformation!?” Emmy sputtered, snapping out of her stupor. She had seen the effect of a transformation before, having been surprised by the sudden improvement in Kim’s bust from how she’d looked hours earlier in the store, and she’d seen her mother turn into a shark girl in a flash of light, but this was completely different! This wasn’t Carly changing the length of her hair to fit the costume she’d been given for the day, this was two women whose bodies had completely changed shape right in front of her! Dani had gone from being roughly her mother’s height to now several inches taller than her! And Kim, Kim had gone from a leggy co-ed with a boosted bust to someone who looked like she’d walked off the cover of some sleezy asian porno!

…Not that Emmy had any experience with stuff like that. She was basically just guessing at this point. The sudden change had gotten all sorts of wires in her brain crossed, and all she could do was stare in wonder at her mom and her friends.

“Yup, aren’t transformations grand?” Sylvia giggled. “You look just lovely, my girls!”

Dani laughed. “Thanks, Sylvia, it’s all thanks to you,” she reminded the former host, nodding to Kim, who gave Sylvia a **** look of her own.

“Yeah… I guess this upgrade wasn’t that bad,” she admitted. “…It was awful!”

Sylvia’s eyes widened and she looked crestfallen for a moment. “It… it was?”

“Kim?” Nick looked at his date in surprise. Seconds ago she’d looked so pleased, and now she was making a sour expression that rivaled the intensity of her brilliant smiles.

“Sure, looking like this might be nice, but do you have any idea how hard it’s going to be, dealing with the consequences?!” Kim exclaimed. “Nick won’t be able to keep his hands off of me tonight, and it’s all gonna be YOUR fault!”

It took a second for everyone to process what she was saying, but the cheeky grin she finished with helped it sink in.

“Oh… ahaha!” Sylvia doubled over with laughter. “You got me good, my girl!”

“What I’m trying to say, is that I love it,” Kim giggled, stretching her arms over her head and making her chest bounce. “If I had one complaint though, it’s that this stupid thing is definitely the only piece of clothing I have that’ll fit me now.”

She reached down and pinched at the fabric clinging to her stomach, but just pinched her excess flab. The qipao was practically vacuum-sealed onto the tomboy’s figure, she couldn’t separate it from her curves except in a few specific places.

“Well, Nick can always buy you some clothes,” Dani pointed out. “He can get you anything you want, right? At the boutique?”

Kim sighed. “Ugh… I’d really not go back there,” she admitted, shaking her head. Bad memories of this morning. “I’ll make do… I guess.”

“Or you could just go naked, you seem to love that,” Carly pointed out.

“MOM!” Emmy’s jaw dropped.

Carly jumped and clasped her hands over her mouth. “Err… forget I said that! Don’t do stuff like that! Unthinkable!”

“Yeah, that was not something I was planning to do,” Kim said dryly, staring at one of the only girls on the island with bigger breasts than her now. “Where do you guys get this idea that I somehow want to go naked all the time!? You realize I have to wear that lingerie because it’s my job, right?”

Nick wasn’t sure if that was completely true. In spite of Kim’s repeated claims that she wasn’t an exhibitionist, there were plenty of times in the past when he could recall her going in scant clothing for no discernible reason. Of course, he never raised an objection, because who would, getting to check out a cute girl like her? But whenever he brought it up, she always seemed to have some excuse or another for why she dressed the way she did.

The only thing Nick knew for certain was that Kim very much liked it when other people gave her attention, particularly him. And he did it quite a lot.

What could he say? She deserved it.

Carly just rolled her eyes. She wasn’t gonna fight the other girl if she insisted that strongly that she wasn’t an exhibitionist, because that was for Kim to decide. But in her personal belief, everyone liked to show off just a little bit.

Maybe Kim wasn’t a far as she was, and wouldn’t go climbing a mountain just to take a topless photo at the top. Everyone had their limits.

That was a story she hoped Marley would never tell Emmy. At least not for a very long time, anyway. Not that Carly was ashamed of it, just…

“Sorry for going a little hard on ya, Kim,” Carly apologized, sticking out her hand for a handshake. It was a gesture that the friendly girl did often, but it still caught Kim by surprise.

“Oh, uh, no problem,” Kim said with a shrug, accepting. “And, uh, you look really nice by the way, Carly. Really cute.”

She wasn’t really sure where THAT came from. It felt right, though.

Carly beamed at her. “Why thank you,” she cooed, batting her eyelashes. “But don’t get Dani all jealous, now…”

“Oh please.” Dani rolled her eyes. “I’m the one who actually slept with her last night.”

“And with that I think we should probably change the subject?” Marley loudly stated, getting everyone’s attention again. “I swear, it’s like all of you have ADHD or something…”

Right, Marley had tried to say something before, and they got distracted by the whole Emmy transformation thing.

“Wait, so you weren’t saying we should give Kim more transformations?” Sylvia asked with a pout. She was certain that’s where Marley had planned to go with this!

“Not if she doesn’t want to,” Marley replied, shaking her head. “Kim?”

“Uh, I’m good.” Kim shook her head. “This is nice, really, and sorry again for making that crummy joke, Sylvia. But like… what would I even borrow?”

“You could borrow my hair,” Carly said, pointing to her head. “If you wanted your original length back, I mean.”

Kim ran her fingers through her dark hair in a moment of contemplation and then shook her head. “Uh, I’m good,” she replied, shaking her head. “Don’t get me wrong, I like it short, but I just got it back like this. I want to keep it for a while.”

Sylvia was quick to hop on next. “Then-”

Kim held up her hand to stop her. “Again, this was what I didn’t want,” she said firmly. “Look, I appreciate this upgrade a little more now, and I’m loving Soft as Silk. I feel like I could actually pick up Nick if I tried!” She laughed.

“You can,” Dani bluntly informed her.

“…Cool.” Kim would file that away for later. “But I don’t want this to get out of hand, okay? I’m fine with just… I don’t know, doing the normal thing, I guess. Sticking with just one. I think it’ll start getting a little crowded otherwise.”

It might have been a windfall in terms of BP, but there were some things money couldn’t buy, even on this island. And if Kim got swept up in Sylvia’s wake, she might find herself turning into something she wouldn’t even recognize.

No, no way. She wanted to go at her own pace. And more importantly…

“…I’m supposed to be on a DATE right now!” She said, her loud voice sounding a little more like a petulant child than she’d expected. Realizing how her true feelings had leaked out turned Kim’s eyes wide and she clamped her hand over her mouth. “Err, I mean, um…”

She looked guiltily over at Nick and blushed, scratching her head.

Luckily, he completely understood where she was coming from; in fact, he felt the same way.

“Kim’s right,” he said, looking at the other girls. “This is nice and all, really, and hanging out with you guys was great, but we are supposed to be on a date,” he reminded them. “You know, just the two of us? Me and her?”

“Eh… I suppose that’s valid,” Carly admitted, scratching her cheek. She wanted to set a good example for Emmy, after all.

“Okay, but Kim, you really should consider upgrading that one for good!” Sylvia said firmly, staring adamantly at the tomboy. “I mean it, you’d look so good, really! Imagine all the fun you could have with even more transformations in the future!”

“Uh, thanks, I’ll consider it,” Kim conceded. She really wasn’t sure if she wanted this to be a permanent thing or not, but she wasn’t as afraid of what could happen as she had been, either.

She turned to Nick and took his hand in hers. It felt different now; because her own hand was softer. Gone with the hard calluses and stubby nails of a girl who had worked for a good third of her life in various menial jobs. Kim’s hand was as soft and silky as the rest of her, and it felt…

Kinda good.

The two of them walked off, leaving the other women alone to contemplate the situation.

“…Okay, does anyone else find it curious that the two of them came to the beach without bringing swimsuits?” Carly loudly declared.

“You didn’t bring one either,” Dani pointed out. “None of us did.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like I was planning to turn into a shark,” Carly reminded her girlfriend.

Dani conceded that was a valid point.

“You don’t think they were planning to skinny dip, do you?” Sylvia wondered, turning and looking at Kim as the couple headed down the beach.

“What, Kim, the absolutely-not-an-exhibitionist? Skinny dipping?” Sarcasm oozed from Dani’s lips likes honey. “Yeah, no, I’m sure she’s wearing it under that skintight qipao of hers.”

They all had a good laugh, but none of them took it any further than that.

“I think it’s sweet,” Marley said finally, a glimmer in her eyes. “I don’t think Kim planned to swim at all… I think she just wanted to share a nice, romantic walk on the beach with her guy. And we kinda ended up spoiling the mood a bit.”

Her brightness dimmed for a second, but her smile remained. Because while things certainly hadn’t gone as Kim had planned, the tomboy didn’t seem all that upset. In fact… she seemed happy about it by the end, which was good.

“Kim was pretty popular with the audience at the start for exactly that reason,” Sylvia noted, nodding in agreement. “She’s always been the romantic sort, and the audience really picked up on that with her winning date ideas.”

Emmy wasn’t sure what was so romantic about a walk on the beach. But she figured that was just one of those things she just didn’t get about romance yet.

“Well, nothing we can do about it,” Carly pointed out. “We just have to hope they have a good time! Meanwhile, we’ve got something to do ourselves!”

She turned to the other girls with a sparkle in her eyes.

“We might not have swimsuits, but we can still do some swimming lessons, Emmy! And the hotel pool is way better for that than the ocean! You won’t have to taste that gross saltwater!”

“Tasting chlorine isn’t much better,” Dani pointed out.

But Carly barely heard her. She took her daughter by the hand and turned towards the hotel, heading in the other direction from Nick and Kim. “Let’s go!” She called over her shoulder. “We can go pick up our bathing suits, and then take a dip in the pool!”

Carly had picked out plenty of cute swimsuits for her daughter. They were a little sluttier than she would have liked given where she’d bought them, but who did she have to worry about leering at them, Dani? Yeah, right. She was excited to have a fun time with her little girl.

“Okay, mom, you win,” Emmy said, laughing. She really did want to learn how to swim. “Let’s go.”

With a skip in her step, Carly took her daughter by the hand and they headed home with the other girls right behind them.

Everyone was a little excited to have a great afternoon at the pool, and in the meantime, they also hoped that Nick and Kim would be able to have some fun on their date, as well.

It was only fair, after all. Although Sylvia was a little more excited about the possibilities of Kim’s upgrade than the rest of them were, understandably.