'Cause with your hand in my hand and a pocket full of soul

“Um… thanks again, for… having lunch with me, you two…” Sylvia shifted awkwardly in her seat, trying to get comfortable. She felt like she didn’t belong, even though she was happy about being asked out to eat anyway.

Across the table from her sat Carly and Marley, all of them enjoying the food served at the coffee shop. The outdoor patio was nice and temperate, and they could enjoy the coffee and snacks in peace and tranquility.

“Of course we’d invite you,” Marley said, staring at Sylvia with shiny eyes. “You could really use a friend right now, mom.”

“Just, um, just Sylvia is fine,” Sylvia said, laughing awkwardly. “It’s a little weird to be called ‘mom’ when I look like I could be your younger sister.”

“Oh…” Marley looked a little sad. “Are… are you sure?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m really happy about it!” Sylvia assured her. “I love the fact that I’m your mother, it’s just… well…”

It did seem a little unusual, that was for sure.

“I’ll call you mom if I want, sound good?” Marley grinned, knowing that Sylvia would fold like a cheap suit.

Sylvia blushed and averted her eyes. She sighed and nodded. “Okay, okay,” she relented, offering a lopsided grin.

“Probably doesn’t help either that you’ve gotta call Nick ‘Daddy’ now, either,” Carly pointed out. She was sitting a little off to the side, letting Sylvia and Marley enjoy their time together. Her clothes seemed a little out of place for this hot weather, but were a perfect fit for Morgana’s wardrobe. She was dressed in a fancy black gothic lolita dress with white lace, and a bright red tie. It should have been attention-grabbing, but it was nothing compared to her hair- Carly had used her Anime Black transformation to extend her hair into two massive drill ringlets on either side of her head, held in place by what looked like a maid headpiece. It was definitely eye-catching.

“That’s true, too,” Sylvia admitted. “My relationship with Daddy is kinda…”

She wanted to think of the words to say, but she couldn’t. It was hard to describe.

“You could always have him change it, you know,” Carly pointed out.

Sylvia just shrugged. They’d tried. “Maybe when he comes back from being with Rose…”

Carly cracked a smile and leaned in, intrigued by the conversation now. Marley, sensing where her sister was about to go, just sighed and rolled her eyes.

“So what do you think’s going to happen with those two? They’re probably banging right now, don’t you think?”

Sylvia smiled a little at that. Talking about this sort of thing helped take her mind off of all her other problems.

That being said…

“I don’t think so,” Sylvia replied, shaking her head. “I mean, knowing Rose… she probably wants the date to be really romantic.”

“True enough,” Carly nodded. “Hey, what do you think? Maybe I should try that on my night with him!” She laughed. “I’ve definitely got enough BP to afford it!”

Marley sighed and rolled her eyes again. “What would you even do, though?” She asked. “I don’t think Nick would be able to have sex with you for 24 hours straight.”

“Hey!” Carly frowned. “I can do more stuff than that, you know! We could go for a hike, play some games, watch anime together…”

“So basically just what you’d already be doing?” Marley pointed out. “You’d spend 5000 BP just to get something you could have right here in the hotel?”

“Ah, but this way I get the exclusivity,” Carly reminded her, cracking a grin. “Nobody to interrupt us for a full day!”

“…Yeah, but if you asked for that, Daddy would probably give it to you,” Sylvia said. “He’s very sweet like that…”

The wistful tone of her voice kind of skeeved both sisters out.

“…Look, Sylvia, I know this whole ‘Daddy’ thing is because of the transformations and you’re not really his daughter, but like… you talking about sex and all this stuff, with Nick, while also referring to him as your dad, it’s kinda…” Carly winced, not sure what else she should say. She found the concept pretty gross if she was being honest.

Sylvia winced. “I mean… it’s not like I think of Daddy as my actual dad or anything, it’s just…” She looked down at the table. “He’s been nice to me. When he definitely didn’t have to.”

Her shoulders started shaking and she raised her head to look at the twins.

“Dani really hates me… and I bet a lot of other people here do, too. But Daddy doesn’t. He’s been nice and understanding, even though I’ve done bad things.”

“Mom…” Marley’s voice cracked, and she bit her lip. “That’s…”

“At least you can acknowledge that the things you did were bad,” Carly pointed out. Her tone was a lot more neutral than her sister’s. While she had sympathy for Sylvia thanks to her own relationship with Marley, and knew how much her twin valued the other woman, she was also a lot more sympathetic with the other girls’ situations.

And the fact remained that regardless of how much Marley may have loved Sylvia like a mother, Sylvia was still responsible for some horrible, terrible things. And Carly wasn’t going to forget about that, even if she had the dignity to not make the entire meal about it.

“That’s just it though,” Sylvia said glumly. “I don’t really see them as being that bad. That’s twisted, don’t you think?”

“What do you mean?” Marley asked.

Sylvia sighed. “I mean… in my heart, I feel that I was doing the right thing,” she explained. “That I was helping out the women for the greater good- Daddy’s happiness. It doesn’t feel like I have anything I should feel guilty about. But at the same time, I can see the pain that the other girls are in, like Dani’s pain… and that doesn’t make me feel good, either. I feel all murky and wrong.”

“That would be the guilt talking,” Carly said, taking a sip of her coffee.

“I know,” Sylvia nodded. “And I SHOULD be feeling guilty! Right? Because everyone keeps telling me that I did something bad! And yet for some reason, I don’t FEEL like I did something bad!”

She was practically pulling her hair out in frustration. She sighed and hung her head. “I’m sorry guys… this is all one big mess, and it’s completely my fault.”

Marley didn’t quite know what to say to that. She just reached out a hand and placed it over her mother’s, comforting her however she could.

Carly, though, had something else to say.

“I’m sorry, Sylvia, but… I’m on Dani’s side with this,” she said quietly. “Because she’s right. You DID do a lot of things that hurt her.”

“Carly!” Marley hissed, turning and glaring at her sister. But Carly’s frown remained undaunted. She shot a quick look at Marley.

“Listen. I know she’s your mom, and you care about her,” Carly said. “But don’t forget, you’re a person too, Marley. You’re not just her slime girl daughter anymore. You have memories of growing up on earth with me, don’t you?”

“I do,” Marley nodded. “And those memories are a gift, from her.”

Carly opened her mouth to reply, but thought better of it. She needed to take a moment to reexamine things carefully.

Then she sighed. “…Right. I know that. But my point is that you should understand how bad the things your mother did really were, sis. Right? She transformed people. Played with their bodies and their minds, against their will. And she enjoyed it. I’m not even sure how bad she really feels about doing it, either.”

She turned to Sylvia, trying to see the good in her. She was really trying, for her sister’s sake. But it was hard not to understand Dani’s perspective in all this.

Carly just felt miserable in general.

“Sylvia… you said it yourself. You don’t like the fact that people are hurting because of your actions, but… you also don’t really think that you were in the wrong, either. Isn’t that right?”

Sylvia winced. When Carly put it like that, she really did sound like an awful person, didn’t she? Maybe because she was.

“I know, I just… I don’t know what to do,” she sighed, hanging her head. “Why can’t your Veteran Experience transformation give me advice when it comes to this?”

“Oh yeah,” Carly blinked. “Almost forgot about that one.”

Now that it had come to the front, though, there wasn’t really anything to stop it now. “Anyway, if you want my advice on that, stop it with the whole ‘Daddy’ thing, it’s a major turn-off for Nick, pretty sure. And yeah, some guys really like it, but he’s clearly not one of them.”

“I noticed,” Sylvia said, pinching her lips into a thin, grim line. “Thanks for contributing.”

Carly shrugged. “Anything else I can help you with?”

Sylvia was about to reply, but something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She turned and looked out over the railing of the patio, towards the street.

“Hey, is that…?”

Carly and Marley turned in the direction that they were pointing. Two women were walking towards them. Well, one was walking, anyway, the other was in more of a crawl.

“Who… who are they?” Marley asked, feeling uneasy. She rose to her feet and frowned.

“I think it’s… Morgana?!” Carly’s jaw dropped as the two women got closer. Morgana looked a lot older than she did before, but as for the blonde next to her, it couldn’t be, but…

“…And Gina,” Sylvia said, stunned. Not that she recognized the blonde, no. The only reason she could identify the girl was because of the compulsion coming over her upon seeing Gina with her dress pulled up- the compulsion to give her a swift spank on the rear.

“Gina turned blonde again? You’re kidding,” Carly said, shaking her head in disbelief. “As for Morgana, wow, and I thought she went through a growth spurt when she first got here!”

Morgana was taller now, in no small part due to the high heeled boots she was walking in. She practically glided across the pavement, her dark clothes a statement of defiance against the blazing sun hanging over their heads.

“Hello girls,” Morgana purred, sashaying over to the patio steps. “You’re familiar with my pet Gina, aren’t you?”

“So it is her,” Carly said, astounded. She shook her head. “What’s going on, what happened? You two seem so… different.”

Morgana laughed. It was a deep, arousing guffaw that made all three girls start to moisten between the legs. Gina began panting with need.

“How soon you forget,” the goth stated in a breathy whisper. “Don’t you remember yesterday?”

“They used the mirrors,” Sylvia said, narrowing her eyes. “You went to the Amusement Park?”

“That’s right,” Morgana nodded. “Dawn too. I was actually looking for that slippery little kitten right now, to add her to my stable… but you girls should do nicely.”

Carly tensed. Having been subjected to the objectifying stares of others her entire professional life (and for quite some time before that) she knew when she was being appraised for her physical qualities. The hunger in Morgana’s eyes was familiar.

“Your stable?” She frowned, standing up with her sister. They were getting some really bad vibes. “Morgana, what the hell are you talking about? Why is Gina kneeling on the ground like a little lapdog, and why are you so…?”

She waved her hand vaguely at the goth, not even sure how to describe what was going on in front of her.

Morgana laughed.

“Oh, Carly… you don’t get it, do you?” She said, shaking her head. “This is who I really am, who I was meant to be. The harem queen, serving Nick’s desires with a strong, firm hand… preparing the girls to perfectly suit his needs.”

She licked her lips.

“Gina here makes such a perfect pet, don’t you agree? I simply need to find a collar for her to wear… and ones for you, as well.”

Her eyes took on a menacing gleam that froze both the twins.

Sylvia regarded it with mild annoyance.

Carly and Marley may not have been thinking in these terms, but Sylvia was well-aware that whatever Morgana may have been planning to do, it would wear off in a matter of hours. So Sylvia didn’t really feel the same pressure from her stare.

She took a swig from her cup and let out a refreshed sigh. There was just something about coffee… the way it wired her… oh yes, Sylvia was prepared for a long-term commitment to caffeine, that was for sure. And it even tasted good when you added enough cream and caramel!

Morgana frowned, a little put-off and confused about why the former host wasn’t taking her words seriously. She enjoyed the looks of tense worry and fear coming from the twins, but Sylvia…

“Sylvia,” Carly hissed, glaring at the blonde as she continued to drink her coffee. “Don’t just sit there sipping! What’s going on here?! What’s she talking about, being ‘who she really is’?!”

Sylvia sighed and turned to the other girl. “It’s the mirror talking,” she said. “Morgana went to the Hall of Mirrors and touched one of the mirrors. Obviously, the transformation didn’t just affect her on a physical level, but a mental one as well. She didn’t just turn into a dominant goth witch MILF in a physical sense, but in a mental sense too. Get it? Gina probably did the same, which is why she’s even more submissive than usual.”

Gina looked up at Morgana, practically drooling. There were hearts in her eyes.

“Wait, the mirrors can do that?!” Carly exclaimed. “I thought they were just for physical transformations and shit!”

Sylvia looked at Carly, confused. “Why would you think that?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. “Transformations have never been just limited to physical ones on this show.”

When she put it like that, it sounded almost reasonable. But Carly wasn’t exactly thrilled to hear that coming from her.

“Mention that shit next time!” She groaned. Briefly, she realized she was starting to become more like Dani by the day; she was used to taking things casually, but ever since Sylvia was booted as the host, the situation seemed to always be escalating.

“Anyway, on a fundamental level she’s still Morgana,” Sylvia assured the twins. “She just thinks differently, acts differently, believes different things, has a different set of morals…”

Carly rolled her eyes. Oh, yeah, that sure sounded like being the same person on a fundamental level.

“In that case, we should be able to appeal to her with reason, right?” Marley asked warily, approaching the goth. “Morgana, you’re… well, I think we’re friends, right? We got along great watching anime, yeah? So, um… no thank you! About the whole ‘being pets in your stable’ thing. We’re good! …Yeah. We’re good.”

“Nice work sis. Very convincing.” Carly gave her sister a thumbs up.

“I don’t know what you mean by that,” Morgana said, taking her first step up the stairs. She kept her eyes focused on the trio of girls. “But I don’t really care to remember that mousy thing. It’s like a fog from my past… a dream I’ve awoken from… and now I see everything clearly.”

She held her hand over her chest.

“I know what I really am… I’m Morgana, Accursed Witch Mistress of the Ebony Cauldron!” She declared, laughing maniacally.

Sylvia took a long sip from her coffee cup and drained it dry. “…Yeah this is usually what happens when someone touches one of the mirrors. Full personality reset.”

“…Nah she was always like this,” Carly pointed out. “She’s just lost her grip on reality at this point and gone full chuuni.”

“You two aren’t helping,” Marley grimaced. She turned back to Morgana. “Listen, um, Witch Mistress of whatever-”

“The Ebony Cauldron,” Morgana snapped, frowning. “And that’s Accursed Witch Mistress to you, slime girl.”

“…Right, Accursed Witch Mistress.”

“Of the Ebony Cauldron,” Morgana prodded. “Use the full name.”

Marley frowned, her face flushing. Every word out of the woman’s mouth sounded like sex to her ears, and she was starting to feel impatient.

“Look, we don’t want it, okay?” She said. “So go peddle your stuff somewhere else!”

Morgana’s frown deepened. Then, she replaced it with a menacing smile and licked her lips. “I see… well, what a pity then. I suppose we’ll have to win you over by ****!”

“Okay, this is the cue to leave,” Carly said, yanking her sister back before Morgana could grab her.

“Works for me,” Sylvia shrugged, hopping to her feet. She chucked her empty coffee cup at Morgana’s head, and the three of them dodged around her and headed down the stairs.

“Why you-! Filthy plebian scum!” Morgana roared furiously, stomping her heeled boot. “Pet! Grab them, now!”

“Yes, mistress!” Gina cried, dashing after them. She didn’t get very far, though, since she was running on all fours.

Morgana’s eye twitched.

“…Stand up first and THEN get them!” She exclaimed.

“But mistress, you said not to-”

“I KNOW WHAT I SAID! Just… just do it! Aargh, finding a good pet is so hard in this place…” Morgana rasped, shaking her head in frustration.

Gina hopped to her feet and chased after the three of them, her face lit up with excitement.

But… she still wasn’t going very fast.

“Why… why are you holding the hem of your skirt like that?!” Morgana exclaimed.

“But mistress, if I don’t hitch up my skirt then I might trip over it! And that would be very bad!” Gina explained. “I wouldn’t want to fall and get my clothes dirty! Only bad girls wear dirty clothes!”

“New Gina is kind of a riot,” Carly said, unable to suppress her smile even as they tore down the street.

“Yeah, she’s hilarious. Now start running!” Marley groaned. Carly’s gothic lolita outfit wasn’t exactly made for strenuous movement, that was for sure. And if Carly was lagging behind, that meant Marley couldn’t get away either.

“Come back here you worthless wretches!” Morgana’s voice boomed across the shopping district as she pursued the trio.

“She’s really catching up to us,” Sylvia winced. “I’m surprised she can run so fast in those heels. Must be part of the transformation.”

“What a pain…” Carly said, shaking her head. Then she had an idea. It was a horrible and mean idea, but it was an idea that had a good chance of working.

And with Morgana getting closer and closer to them by the second, there wasn’t much they could do.

“This way!” She darted towards a narrow alley right as they reached a hill going down towards more shops. Just the perfect space to implement her little strategy. She turned to her sister with an apologetic look on her face.

“Forgive me, sis?”

Marley looked at her. “Huh… what?”

Carly stuck out her foot and tripped Marley, sending the other girl sprawling right outside the alley entrance. She didn’t land hard, but she stopped moving.

“Huh!? What are you doing?!” Marley exclaimed, trying to stand back up. “Wait, don’t, you fucking-!”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence because Carly had crossed the ten foot threshold, reducing her to a puddle of slime.

“What the hell?!” Morgana screamed as she slid right through Marley, unable to stop herself. She careened down the hill and Gina chased loyally after her.

“Nice! Sister Oil Slick worked!” Carly grinned, doubling back to retrieve the slime girl and get the hell out of dodge.

“ARE YOU MENTAL!?” Marley roared, grabbing her sister by the throat and throttling her. “What, just because she can’t do anything to me while I’m a slime, you think that you can just throw me under the bus like that?!”

“Well… if… she caught you… then… she couldn’t make your horny… anyway…” Carly choked out. “Or turn you into her pet…”

“That is not the point!”

“Hey, girls, less fighting, more running the hell away,” Sylvia said, pointing down the hill where Morgana was picking herself up, glaring murderously at the three of them.

The twins quickly agreed, and booked it for the elevator as fast as possible.