Water on my neck, you can ski on it (woo)

The changing rooms gave Carly and Morgana another opportunity where they could chat without Nick listening in. It also served to benefit Nick, by giving him some breathing room away from the two women.

As attracted as he was to them both, Carly’s sexuality could be a little overbearing. And as much as he appreciated her bonding with Morgana and was grateful to see her drawing the shy girl out of her shell, he could also tell that she was helping the other girl become someone almost as sexually alluring as she herself was.

…Yes, he was grateful for that, but still. He didn’t need to be all sex all the time. That was actually what he had enjoyed most about their little photoshoot. Even though the photographs themselves were lurid and sexy, as Carly intended them to be, the whole thing wasn’t one big cloud of sexual tension and buildup. They had been enjoying themselves and having a good time as friends, just sharing in each other’s interests and laughing like the good old days.

That was what he wanted. And he was glad that Carly could see that. Normally he might have assumed that, once he stepped out of the changing room and into the hot spring, Carly would immediately pounce on him, and maybe even have sex with him right in front of Morgana. He would enjoy it immensely, of course, but he imagined that would leave the goth girl feeling very flustered and embarrassed, so he would rather not.

With how Carly had been behaving on the walk over, though, he was more confident than before that she wouldn’t think to do something like that.

“So what do you say? The two of us just jump him when he comes out of the changing room and all three of us have sex in the hot spring?” Carly suggested with a cheeky smile as she scrubbed down her naked body in the shower.

“Carly!” Morgana wrapped her towel tighter around her chest and started wringing the suds out of her hair. The cold water did little to daunt the flush of her cheeks as she glared at the other girl in frustration. “Don’t joke around about that stuff!”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Carly laughed at the other girl. “Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time that we got down and dirty in the hot spring together, remember?”

Morgana’s face turned even redder as she recalled the incident Carly was talking about, where she’d twerked for Nick in the hot spring while the other girl and her sister both watched. That had been the first time that Nick had seen her naked!

“D-don’t remind me of that!” She wailed, flailing her hands. Her towel came undone in the process, dropping to the floor of the changing room and baring her pale skin to Carly’s eyes.

The cosplayer nodded in approval. But Morgana didn’t get why. Standing under the stream of the shower as the water cascaded down upon her gorgeous figure only made Carly’s beautiful body that much more obvious. She looked like a goddess dripping wet, with heaving breasts and a tight middle and strong legs, things that Morgana could only dream of.

Sure, she had bigger breasts now and a round butt that could even put Carly’s to shame. But all of Morgana’s body was soft, while Carly combined her softness with the sleek muscle of a woman who hiked in her spare time.

And she definitely had Morgana beat in the face department.

Morgana bit her lip. Even after the sexy photoshoot, seeing Carly naked like this, posing for her as if it was her natural inclination to do so, just felt so… awkward.

Carly didn’t seem to pick up on it, though. She was too busy talking about the good times they’d shared. “Or what about at Nick’s bachelor party?” She asked with a laugh. “Remember? You and the other girls gave him that strip show! You really put your all into it, Morgana!”

“Don’t talk about that, either!” Morgana wailed. This was the worst, just the worst! “Carly! I… …That nearly made me die of embarrassment!”

“I don’t see why you would have anything to be embarrassed about.” Carly stepped out from under the shower and turned off the water before walking over to Morgana. She had a sexy sway as she walked that made Morgana envious, once again.

Carly was eyeing her all over, and that just made Morgana feel even more self-conscious. She gulped and stiffened up, trying to look a little taller and less childlike to Carly’s appraising eye.

The tomboy nodded in saucy approval.

“You’ve really got a great figure, Morgana,” she congratulated the other girl. “And I know you know this, but I’ll tell you again, there’s nothing to feel guilty about just because it came from your transformations, got it?”

Morgana nodded. She already learned that lesson.

Carly reached out and patted Morgana gently on the shoulder. “You look lovely like this. And it’s a part of you. So carry yourself with confidence, girl!” She winked at her friend supportively. “I promise, Nick’s going to have a LOT of great memories of those photos.”

“…I-I guess,” Morgana said reluctantly. Back when she’d first gotten onto the season, she hadn’t been this self-conscious. She’d been downright pompous and arrogant, due to her naïve innocence. She’d assumed at the time that this was her chance to live her fantasy. It was only upon bonding with the others and getting to know them as people that led her to understand that the world didn’t revolve around her after all.

Once she got to know everyone else, she’d found herself feeling inferior to them. Like she was back in high school all over again.

It was behavior that she desperately needed to unlearn.

“I’m really jealous of some of the transformations you’ve got, if I’m being honest with myself,” Carly said with a sigh.

“Eh!?” Morgana flinched in surprise. She looked at Carly with wide eyes. “You… you are?” She questioned her. “But… why?”

Carly blinked. “…You really gotta ask that?” She smirked. “I mean… come on, Morgana! Look at yourself, go on!”

She reached out and grabbed Morgana’s breasts before the younger woman could react, and gave them a squeeze.

“Hyieee!” Morgana turned as stiff as a board and she lost her voice completely. Whether she wanted to object or not wasn’t even a factor- she had no idea how to feel about Carly groping her.

Fortunately, Carly seemed to just want to cop a feel, and quickly let Morgana go after just a few squeezes. Once that happened, Morgana could breathe again.

“Wh-why-?” She looked uneasily at Carly, questioning why the other girl would do something like that. Not complaining, just… questioning.

After all, Carly’s breasts looked a lot nicer than hers. Years of reading pornographic doujinshi and watching hentai had convinced Morgana that big breasts were the best, and it had taken a lot of intimacy and empathy from Nick to convince her that she was beautiful regardless of breast size.

“For one, that skin of yours!” Carly reached out and caressed the other woman’s cheek. She took advantage of the fact that she couldn’t get any MORE fetishes from the other girl to get her fill of touching her smooth, white skin. “It’s so soft and silky smooth! It’s that transformation you’ve got, right? Moonlit Alabaster? It makes your skin not just beautiful and flawlessly pale, but touching it feels just amazing!”

Morgana’s face was anything but alabaster given Carly’s compliments. She stood stiff and let the other girl touch her in several places, not sure what she should say. Finally, she let out the breath that she’d been holding, and sighed.

It came out sounding way more like a moan, much to her embarrassment.

Carly removed her offending hand, looking a little surprised. “Sorry, uh… was that, um… too much for you?” She asked, realizing that maybe not everyone was as okay with her getting touchy-feely as she thought.

“No, it-it’s fine,” Morgana said. She was still reeling a bit from the revelation that Carly actually envied something about her. “I don’t… mind.”

“Well, I’m assuming Nick’s already shown you how much he loves touching it,” Carly giggled. “Feels nice, I bet!”

Morgana blinked. “Uhum… uh… …Wh-what?” She asked, staring at the other girl in muted confusion, not sure what she meant.

Carly frowned. “Wait… so… when you and Nick are together, you never touch?”

“NO, of-of course we touch!” Morgana stammered. “But it’s not, like- caressing like that, or anything, it’s just, uh…”

“Hoho…” Carly’s lips spread into a conspiratorial grin and she started stroking her chin. “I see… Morgana, I think I came up with a great idea!”

Oh, no, Morgana definitely didn’t want to hear this… except that she totally did. She leaned in intently, in spite of herself.

“Have you ever gotten… a massage from Nick before?”

That certainly wasn’t where Morgana had expected her to go with this.

“Uh… what?” She asked, shaking her head slowly. “A massage?”

Carly nodded. “Yeah. I mean- have you never? …Oh, man, he’s great at ‘em! Dani taught him, and he used to give them to me all the time!”

She stretched her arms over her head. “Nothing fixes an ache in your back like a great massage from a guy who you love having his hands all over you!”

Morgana’s eyes dropped to Carly’s chest. Gee, I wonder why you have back aches? She thought sarcastically.

“Anyway- I really was just kidding about the whole ‘Jump him in the hot springs’ idea,” Carly assured Morgana with a shake of her head. “Obviously we don’t want to do something like that!”

Morgana blinked. “Wait, we don’t? …Err, I mean, of course we don’t!” She shook her head quickly, spraying water from her wet hair all over the place. “Why would we ever-!?”

She stopped talking abruptly when she saw the smirk on Carly’s face. The cosplayer’s eyes twinkled and she gave Morgana a knowing look, like she didn’t believe the other girl’s words for a second.

Morgana’s heart sank. “Well… I mean…”

“No, no, I totally get it,” Carly chuckled. “You like the idea, you’re just a liiiiittttllleeee too shy to say you want to take part. Believe me, there’s nothing to be ashamed of, Morgana!”

She said that, and yet Morgana got the distinct impression that Carly was teasing her. She gave the other woman a sulky look.

“Okay…”

“Anyway, listen to me,” Carly said, giving her a straight look. “This situation you’re in, it’s a tricky one. Alright? You want Nick to think you’re sexy, but you’re a little self-conscious- that’s fine! Just remember today, and the photoshoot. Before, when you did stuff like stripping, you were just going with the flow, yeah?”

Morgana was embarrassed to admit that, yes, that was the case.

“Well, being really sexy is deliberate, and I think you’re doing a great job of it,” Carly assured her. “So have more confidence in yourself!”

Morgana would try her best. But she felt self-conscious all the same.

“Okay…”

“And with that being said… let’s just take it easy in the hot springs, alright?” Carly requested. “I mean- look, Morgana, you want to be sexy, but being sexy all the time? It’s exhausting! Sometimes, when you really want to appeal to a guy, you gotta just be the girl next door. You know? It’s the contrast between being sexy as sin and being down to earth and normal that really makes a guy fall head over heels for you. You feel me?”

Morgana kind of understood the logic she was going with there. “So just… pretend like it’s not a big deal that we’re naked?”

Carly winked. “Exactly! Nick’s already seen the both of us naked more times than we can count! If we try to make a big deal out of it and seduce him, sure, it can probably get us some nice benefits, and we’ll all have a good time. Sweaty, steamy sex is amazing, after all!”

Morgana gulped.

“…But taking it slow, just relaxing, having a good time together? THAT’S something truly magical,” Carly assured her. She patted the goth girl on the shoulder. “And I think Nick could really use a bit of that, right about now.”

Morgana looked at Carly in amazement. The other girl was so good at understanding how people felt and knew how to appeal to them so well.

“…I’m sorry, Carly,” Morgana apologized, looking down.

Carly was taken aback. “Huh… what’s this now?” She looked at the goth girl in confusion. “What do you have to be sorry for, honey?”

Morgana bit her lip. “I… I wasn’t… being fair to you,” she said quietly. “I thought you were just trying to be sexy, but… you’re actually really mature and cool.”

Morgana hadn’t really tried to bond with Carly beyond their superficial interest in anime. Her self-consciousness about the other woman’s amazing body had put her on the defensive from day one, and that made her feel like she was stuck.

But…

Carly was a wonderful and thoughtful woman who really cared a lot about her. Morgana knew that, and she could see it clearly now.

It really made her feel respected and trusted, and it helped her see that she could put her faith in the other woman and her advice.

“…Aw, Morgana!” Carly hugged the other girl tightly, and took advantage of the situation to rub her cheek against hers. It was such a lovely feeling. “How sweet! I like you, too!”

“Um, actually, uh… I-I was wondering…” Morgana struggled against Carly for a few seconds before giving in and just letting the other woman hug her a bit. “Could you…”

“Mmm?”

Morgana bit her lip hesitantly. This had been on her mind for a while now, and she’d been waiting for an opportunity to talk to her about it now that they were alone together.

“…Before… you said you didn’t know, um… what fetish you got from me…” Morgana looked down, finding it too awkward to meet the other woman’s eyes. Her face burned with embarrassment and humiliation.

At the same time, Carly stared at her in silent acknowledgment, knowing how difficult this obviously was for her, and knowing better than to say anything.

“Yes?” Carly asked, nodding gently, coaxing Morgana to share whatever she felt comfortable sharing with her.

Morgana raised her head and looked at Carly. Her eyes had a pitiable glimmer in them.

“Was that… really the truth? Or were you just saying that to spare my feelings in front of Nick?” Morgana asked. It had been nagging her ever since they touched. Carly said she had no idea, but Morgana wondered if that was true- or if she had only said that so she wouldn’t feel embarrassed. “Please… be honest with me?”

Carly was surprised by the question, to say the least. She looked at Morgana for a moment, not sure what to say.

“Morgana… …I don’t have any idea, no,” she assured the other woman. “Is it something you’re worried about? Is that the problem?” She asked.

“I…” Morgana looked away again. “Of-of course it is…” She fumbled with her fingers. “It’s… I don’t… I don’t have a lot of experience with sex and stuff… just what I read and watched growing up… on my computer… and, um…”

That had resulted in a lot of fantasies. Morgana was well aware of how many fantasies she had that Carly knew about.

That just made this even more embarrassing to her.

“…I just… don’t know if I should even know… you know?” Morgana asked.

Carly almost laughed hearing that. Almost. But she knew that what Morgana was going through was anything but a laughing matter.

“Hey, it’s fine,” she said gently, placing her hand on the other woman’s shoulder and giving it a tender squeeze. “Alright? I’ll tell you the truth- I really don’t have any idea what fetish I inherited for you, alright?”

Morgana bit her lip. She wished that was enough to soothe her, but… it only made her feel even more worried.

“Then do you think that means I don’t have any fetishes?” She asked.

“What? Oh, no, no fucking way!” Carly blurted out, shaking her head. She almost burst out laughing. “Trust me, Morgana, that isn’t something you want, anyway. Fetishes are the spice of sex! I think it’s more just that you’re not in the proper frame of mind to understand what your fetishes are, or identify them. But I can help with that, too.”

The color drained from Morgana’s face. “Um… actually… no, that’s fine,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “I appreciate it, but… uh…”

That sounded way too much for her at the moment.

Carly shrugged. “Well, okay then,” she said. “But I’ll let you know if I figure out what I got from you, okay? …And in private.”

She didn’t want to embarrass Morgana, after all. And Morgana was incredibly grateful for that. She beamed up at Carly and nodded, appreciating the other woman’s consideration.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“Now then, since that’s settled, I think we’ve kept Nick waiting long enough, don’t you?” Carly asked the other girl with a smile. “Let’s go out and take a dip in the hot springs already, before I start shivering so much my boobs start clapping together!”

Morgana’s jaw dropped. No way that was a thing, Carly had to just be putting her on, right?

It was impossible to tell with the mischievous smile on the other woman’s face. Morgana decided she might as well not even bother trying.

She followed Carly to the door, and reminded herself what the goal was here. She wasn’t going to try and look sexy or alluring for Nick, and she definitely wasn’t going to pounce on him like Carly had jokingly suggested!

It’s like Carly said… we’re just going to take it easy and be casual, she reminded herself. Just some people getting to know one another, and having fun together. That’s all we’re going to focus on!

With that idea in mind, Morgana decided that the best course of action was to hold her head up high, and instead of putting her towel back on, act like it wasn’t even that big of a deal that she was naked in the first place!

She figured that Nick would appreciate her candor.