Aubergine a la crème

After a few minutes of dumping water from the bottles they had brought, they were able to wash off most of the slime that had followed Maya and Lily on their way out of the cube to keep their clothes from dissolving any further. This left Maya with a tattered single-strap tank top situation, alongside pants that occasionally had her thighs poking through. Lily had been in the cube for less time and had come out better as a result, with her tank top and jeans only suffering a few holes from the situation. Both of their boots had been left intact; one could only assume the slime would have eaten those too, given the time.

As they stood, Stella gave a low whistle of appreciation, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Lily, to which Stella just shrugged, “Hey, sorry you almost died, but I can’t deny the tattered clothes are lewder than just being naked. You look like damsels in a B-movie where the director has never touched a boob and is making the most of it.”

Amy shook her head and looked to Lily, “How’d you know that would work, by the way?”

It was Lily’s turn to shrug, “I didn’t really, I made an assumption that the cube worked like a cell, and that the only thing keeping it together was the pressure from inside on the cell wall.”

“Cell Membrane.” Everyone turned to look at Stella, who had spoken up unexpectedly. Adjusting her straps on her backpack, she avoided eye contact as she continued, “Only plant cells have cell walls, and it’s a hard exterior portion, you’re thinking of the cell membrane.”

Maya raised her eyebrow, looking at Stella, “What did you do for a living again?”

Shooting a glare at the purple-haired woman, Stella responded, “I mix drinks and do improv, got a problem with that?”

Shaking her head and waving her arms, Maya continued, “No, just you sounded very knowledgeable just then.”

The imp sighed, “I just read a lot, ok? There’s nothing to dwell on here. So, can we keep going? Think it’s clear now that they are trying to hide something.”

Amy looked at Maya, “Are you still feeling angry? We should probably clear that up before we move forward.”

Maya frowned, “Yeah, I still feel it bubbling away from earlier, but it's not like before. I can probably be hugged now and be ok.”

Maddy came over from tucking away the empty water bottles, “Now? It wouldn’t have worked before?”

Tilting her head to the side, Maya spent some time thinking before responding, “The way my transformation works, it’s like a stopper in a tub, and the emotions are the water. If I’m actively angry or upset, or sad, or whatever, it’s like the water being on. Giving me a hug is removing the stopper, but if I’m still upset about something? It's like taking some water out isn’t going to help because it’s being replaced as quickly. So I need to be somewhat neutral for it to work at all.”

Amy just nodded; she had figured as much. Maddy, though, looked upset. “But if your transformation makes you unable to let go of those feelings, isn’t it easier for you to just…keep being upset like that?”

Maya retrieved her backpack and nodded, “Yeah, I’ve been tracking my mood every hour in a journal. The key thing is actively thinking about the thing that's upsetting me, removing myself from the situation, or being distracted, is a surefire way to make hugs more effective. Otherwise, yeah, I’m liable to lapse into rumination.”

Not needing to hear much more, Maddy walked up and gave Maya a hug, wrapping her soft body around the wet woman who looked down at her with surprise but then hugged the chef back. Amy let out a sigh of relief. The other hang-up of this transformation was the physical closeness it encouraged, which ran counter to everything else in the season. Everyone had bottled up feelings, Lily wasn’t likely to be hugging Maya any time soon, Stella might, but would probably want something in exchange, Amy could, while also being extremely uncomfortable, which of course left Maddy to take care of it. If the chef hadn’t stepped up, the Oni would have, but was thankful she didn’t have to.

Amy stood up and, after waiting for a bit for the hug to take effect, looked to the group, “We should keep moving, but let’s be extra cautious from now on. I doubt anything here will kill us, dead women aren’t sexy to most audiences, but given what we’ve already seen, it’s possible they have no problem harming us if they can do it in a…” tantalizing” enough way.”

Everyone nodded and collected their things. Lily moved back to the back of the group; they still had to worry about her glitterbombing them, even worse now that they had no water to wash it off. Which also meant they had to be concerned about dehydration, the air was damp and cool here underground, but that would only go so far if they had to keep physically exerting themselves to deal with threats.

It was past noon now, they had already been traveling for a few hours, so they also had to be conscious of the fact that if they needed to turn back, whether or not they could make it back in time before curfew. At the very least, it seemed like the encounter with the slime had cooled the group's heads for the moment. Amy just hoped the pressure of external threats might keep them sane as they traveled forward. She raised a hand to her head, feeling a wave a nausea, a side effect of the lack of sleep from the night. Not that she would let something as trivial as that get in the way of uncovering the secrets this island had.

Seeing the Oni’s posture dip, Maya walked closer, “Hey, are you doing alright?”

Nodding and wiping her mouth, Amy straightened up and shook her head. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”

Maya was about to turn back to where she had been when an idea dawned on her, “Hey Amy, what do you like to do in your free time?”

The Oni sighed, “Maya, now might not be the best time for that. We can talk later, ok? Let’s focus on the path in front of us.”

Pouting slightly, Maya nodded, “Yeah, ok.”

The stonework as they traveled started to break up, plant life busting through its seams. Vines coursed through the wallwork as the ceiling opened up, and little buds and grass burst through the floor tiles. Lily leaned over and touched one of the vines, rubbing it with her hand gently, “I don’t recognize this plant, some type of Ivy?”

Maddy looked concerned over towards Lily, “Careful, what if it’s poison Ivy?”

Almost in unison, Stella and Lily answered, “Poison Ivy is hairy.” Maddy jumped in surprise from the voice coming from both in front and behind her. Stella looked over at Lily and waved her hand in a silent “you take it.”, Lily shrugged. “In general, these vines don’t fit the description of any urushiol-producing plants; they’re a bit too thick around for that.”

“Still, we should probably keep from touching anything,” Amy admonished from the front, “We don’t know what sort of plants they are, for all we know, they could be magic… or related to Lily.” She half-joked at the end.

Lily retracted her hand and pouted, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

There was a moment of silence, and then Maya turned back to Lily, “Do you photosynthesize?”

“I-I!” Lily reared up and then, after a moment's pause and thinking, shrank back down, “I don’t honestly know. I haven’t…tried or anything. I seem to eat like normal, so…maybe?”

“So you’re like a venus fly trap or a rafflesia,” Maya said, and Lily was about to respond when Stella spoke up

“At least she doesn’t stink like one.” This elicited a snort from Maddy, and Lily frowned, looking at the chef.

They had traveled unimpeded so far, though trying to avoid the plantlife made things more difficult as time went on, as the vegetation grew thicker. Flowers bloomed towards the edge of the walkway, and the ceiling was so covered in vine growth that it was impossible to see the actual roof of the area, as the thick vines dangling from it obstructed their view.

They had avoided one spray of Lily’s pollen as she held to the back and waited until it was over. Now they just needed to be on the lookout for anything suspicious. Which is why the group froze when they heard a rustling sound.

Maddy peered round, trying to find the source of the noise as it repeated itself. Maya took a step away from the Walls, and the group closed in tighter together. Stella was pressed in on all sides as the group rounded around her and was the one to break the silence, “Jeeze guys, I know it’s tense, but can’t you give a girl room to breathe?”

As if in response, two vines slung down from the ceiling, wrapped around Stella’s shoulder’s and with a sharp yank pulled her up out of the group.

Noemi and Caleb were just finishing a late lunch when a beleaguered-looking Mira entered the room. Noemi waved cheerfully, with Mira responding in a scowl before waving towards Caleb. Caleb continued chewing his food and waved back while looking between the two women. He still remembered what had happened at the end of the first round of the challenge. They hadn’t spoken about it since, but it was clear from Mira’s reaction that she felt some sort of way about it.

Also, he once again noted she was alone, with no sign of Eliza, debating which to bring up, he decided to avoid the landmine initially, “Is Eliza not coming down to eat again?”

Mira started gathering food on her plate and shook her head, “No, I will be bringing up some food for her when I’m done here, don’t worry.”

Caleb relaxed a little; he had little doubt that whatever Eliza was dealing with would be ok if Mira was actively helping her. Still, he didn’t want to be offloading responsibility, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Considering him for a moment, Mira eventually shook her head as she finished filling her plate with food, “No, as it is, seeing you might actively set her back right now. She just needs a bit of time to sort herself out. She took the challenge rather poorly.” She sat down at the table opposite of Caleb and peered over to Noemi at the end of the table next to him, “Speaking of, we need to have a chat.”

“Ah.” Caleb let out, looking like he wasn’t the only one who had been thinking about it. Though Noemi just looked over and blinked. Caleb lowered his eyelids, wondering how it could be that this was the same woman who used to make his life hell. Just goes to show what time does to a person.

Mira cleared her throat and continued, “I didn’t want to confront you in front of the group, the mood is already stifling enough as it is. But I think it’s important we set the record straight for Caleb at least to know what really happened during the challenge.”

Noemi looked to the side, taking a sip of water, “And what would that be?”

Hand visibility tensing on the table, Mira kept her voice even as she pressed on, “The fact that you lied to everyone and said I was responsible for the betrayal in the first round when I wanted to vote Trust. We should clear up exactly why that happened, because as far as I’m concerned, you’re the one who sabotaged our chances at a group success. Everyone else, I understand their reasoning, but you? It feels like you were just trying to get ahead.”

Caleb looked toward Noemi, waiting for her response. They had come a long way in the last week, and he really felt he knew Noemi wasn’t a terrible person. A bit selfish and shortsighted, maybe, but he didn’t think she was the type to do things just to be cruel.

Noemi sighed and looked down, “I just..I wanted Caleb to see I was special, and I thought if I won the challenge, he would see that. I wasn’t trying to put anyone else down or throw anyone under the bus, though, I swear.”

Temple throbbing, Mira clutched her fork with more **** than necessary, causing it to dig into her skin, “You actively threw me under the bus by saying it was my fault!”

Noemi recoiled and looked pleadingly at Caleb, “Well, I just…I thought, maybe you wouldn’t mind since you were also getting the points, I didn’t expect you to sabotage me or call me out!”

Caleb sighed, “Noemi, that’s essentially saying you thought it would be ok because you thought you’d get away with it. You need to see that’s not a good thing, right?”

Leaning back, Noemi put her head in her hands, “I know, it’s just! I really want you to like me, Caleb! I thought proving myself in the challenge, that I was smarter than the other girls, would make you realize that I’m the best fit for you!” She reached out, grabbing Caleb’s arm with both her hands, “I get now that was wrong, I shouldn’t have tried to put one over on the other girls. They’re part of your harem, too. I should be helping them become the best members of your harem as possible instead of competing against them.” The look in her eyes was slightly manic as she said this.

Caleb frowned, and Mira took advantage of the silence “Did you feel that way before your transformation or after?”

It had been eating at Caleb, too. A lot of Noemi’s behaviours made more sense in the context of her transformations, but she seemed unaware that that was the case.

Noemi looked at Mira and shook her head, “My transformation is supposed to make you seem like sisters, right? Well, I…I…well, even if it is, what's the problem with that? You all clearly need the guidance, I have the most VP after all, remember?”

Caleb just looked at Noemi, flummoxed, so she just wasn’t thinking or caring about how her transformations influenced her. The Chilean woman had one goal, and as long as it didn’t get in the way, she just justified her reasoning to fit with it.

“Well, this has been enlightening,” Mira said, wiping her mouth. “Well, Caleb, at least you now know where things stand. Might want to keep that in mind as you go forward, hmm?” She lifted her plate and took it over to the bin.

Noemi, for her part, looked confused for a moment before fawning over Caleb again as Mira gathered food for Eliza. Caleb smiled at Noemi, though he had a knot in his stomach, trying to figure out how to best handle her moving forward.

Everyone watched as Stella was pulled up towards the ceiling, more vines springing out of the walls, like tangled limbs, wrapping around her body and extremities. They began to tug her arms and legs out, leaving her suspended fully spread-eagled above the group.

Stella looked down, a mix of panic and frustration on her face as she called out, “Hey! Don’t just stand there! Someone help m-” Her voice was cut off by a vine shoving its round end into her mouth. The texture was smooth, and Stella couldn’t help but notice a salty taste as it thrust back and forth in her mouth, making her gag and causing her eyes to water.

“Shit!!” Amy said, throwing off her backpack. She ran to the wall and began to climb up the mass of vines. Finally, as she got high enough off the ground, she reached towards the vine wrapped around Stella's leg and tugged at it, trying to get her loose. The vine held firm, however, proving surprisingly stiff and springy; it resisted her attempt to yank it forward. “Goddamnit, whats the point of the extra muscle if it’s no help in situations like this?!”

The vines continued their exploration of Stella's body. The vines on her legs coiled up her thighs and began to tease the hem of her pants even as the ones on her torso coiled around her chest, forcing out the small amount of flesh she had there and forcing her nipples into sharp pinpricks that strained against the tightness of her top. She tried to call out again, only for the vine to resume its **** on her mouth, pressing into her throat. If she didn’t know any better, she could swear it was throbbing in her mouth.

Lily dug into her bag and pulled out the pocket knife, which she held up, “Amy! Catch!” She tossed the sheathed knife to Amy, who grunted her thanks as she pulled out the tiny metal blade. Sure enough, it was working at cutting the vines, but being so small, who knew how long it might take to cut through?

Stella kept wriggling as the vines snaked into her pants, forcing her button to pop off and prying the zipper open. They delved past the edges of the vines now stroked her mound, eliciting sharp, frantic yelps and moans around the vine in her mouth as Stella tried to kick the vines away.

Maya was looking around, wondering what to do, when Maddy reached into her bag and pulled out a sheathed santoku blade and ran to give it to Maya. “I can’t climb these vines, can you?”

Maya gave a sharp nod and took the knife out of its sheath, and began to climb up. As she reached the height, she swung with the knife like a machete and dug a deep gash into one of the vines. Encouraged by this, she kept hacking away. Across the way, Amy saw what Maya was doing and concentrated on just chipping out nicks in the vine to give the knife purchase to land.

In a matter of minutes Stella felt the vines around her legs and arms go limp as she began to fall, the vine that had been fucking her face sliding out and spraying a green liquid over the empty wall. With a heavy thud, Stella collided with the ground, chest heaving and trying to catch her breath, and coughing every so often. Maddy walked over to stroke her back as Maya and Amy climbed down.

Catching her breath, Stella waved her arm in front of her, “No vegetables for dinner tonight, I’ve had enough greens today.”

Amy let a sigh of relief and rolled her eyes, helping the imp to her feet..