Polina gripped the handlebars of the exercise bike as she pedaled. Even though the ceiling lights of her regular gym were all on, plenty of sunlight shined inside, from the floor to the ceiling windows. It was a nice open room with plenty of exercise machines in four rows, as well as an open corner for the barbells.

Polina was a reasonably fit blonde woman, visiting the gym two or three times a week. She stood at about 5'4" and had lovely green eyes.

A handful of women were already in the room, but Polina paused when she saw Jazlyn walk through the doors. She couldn't help but gaze over her toned muscles through the tight yoga pants and tank top. She was a fitness buff and came here on an almost daily basis. As their free time happened to line up, Polina more often than not ran into her on her visits. The two had known each other since high school and still talked outside of the gym.

Jazlyn picked the first open bike she came across, which happened to be next to Polina. The blue eyed woman smiled and looked at her. "Hello, Polina, good afternoon." She put her water bottle in the cup holder and got onto the seat.

Polina smiled back. "Good afternoon. How was your day?" She leaned a little closer.

"Oh, can't complain too much. Letty dyed her hair again. Mom is going to freak when she sees it." Jazlyn let out a sigh.

"What color this time?"

"Green with a silver streak."

The two women chatted for a while as they pedaled. Once they had finished and took a breather, they moved onto the weight-lifting machines. Polina always picked the machine next to Jazlyn, but the raven haired woman always chose more sets than Polina and therefore took longer.

In time, Jazlyn finished her routine and Polina followed her into the locker room, continuing their conversation. The two women grabbed towels and got undressed, Polina sneaking a peek now and then. She had such a crush on the woman.

With their clothes in their lockers, they went to the shower room and hung the towels on the rail. Polina followed Jazlyn into one of the stalls. "I'll wash your back if you wash mine." She gave a playful smile.

Jazlyn narrowed her eyes for a moment. "Only my back." She turned the knob and the water started raining down, sliding down the blue tiles and into the drain.

"Oh, don't be like that." Polina grabbed a bar of soap and moved behind the woman.

"I know how you think." The pair started washing themselves up, sharing the shower space. After a few moments, Polina started scrubbing Jazlyn's back like she had offered earlier. However, she didn't stop there and moved her hands to her belly, feeling the definition of her abdominals. Jazlyn cooed for a moment, but pulled away once Polina's hands got a little too familiar to her C-cups. "Hey, watch it."

"Sorry, I couldn't help it. I've just been a bit lonely since Tiffany broke up with me." Polina put on her puppy dog eyes as she cornered Jazlyn in the stall. "Here, let me make it up to you. I'm good with my hands." She started to scrub her thighs.

However, it wasn't long before Jazlyn pushed Polina away again. "I think I'm clean enough." She was a bit flushed after the latest rubdown. She then stepped out of the water and reached for her towel.

"Oh, don't be like that." Polina turned the knob and let herself drip dry.

"You know I'm just not into you. I'm sorry, but you have to stop doing that." Jazlyn wrapped her towel around her body and exited to the locker room.

Polina sighed. She had gone too far again. Normally, she would be happy with just the back, and often she could get away her chiseled belly, but she had fallen into her old habit of trying to score with Jazlyn after a break up. She always seemed to be her rebound girl, even if she didn't want to be.



Polina sighed as she walked down the sidewalk. Jazlyn usually wouldn't talk to her for a few days after striking out with her. They mainly saw each other at the gym and sometimes for drinks. Once she had tried to get Jazlyn wasted, but blacked out first.

She stopped in front of what was normally an empty spot this time of year. It was a large store once used by a company that went under a few years back and now was mostly just rented for seasonal decorations. However, this time of year, there was nothing going on to warrant so much as a small crowd.



Polina looked up at the sign. "What kind of decorations do they sell?" Letting her curiosity get the better of her, she entered the building.

Her nose was suddenly attacked by a strong and unfamiliar incense that filled the air. Her eyes watered for a bit, but when she recovered, she looked around. The walls had been covered with maroon satin sheets to give the inside the look of a tent. The lamps all had fake fires waving around.

But what really caught Polina's eye, however, were the naked women standing about the room. Each stood perfectly still, not moving a muscle. Some brandished weapons such as swords or bows. Others struck sexy poses with lovely smiles. With a closer look, she noticed a sheen over their skin, like polished stone. "They look so lifelike."

"You here for statue?" An exotic beauty stepped forward and spoke with an accent Polina didn't recognize. She had dark purple hair and violet eyes, with lipstick to match. Her bodice and corset made her look like she escaped from a Renaissance festival, the low-cut top hugging her impressive breasts.

Polina blinked. "Um, I was just passing by and thought I'd see what moved in." She glanced at platinum blonde woman bending forward and blowing a kiss. She had some nice melons, but also pointed ears for some reason. "These statues are interesting. I've never seen anything like them before. What are they made out of?"

"Ef?" The merchant looked Polina for a moment, like she asked a silly question. "They made of themself."

Polina blinked. "What? So they’re like in a trance or something?"

"No. They statue, solid." The merchant walked up to a fiery red-haired woman, her hands on her hips and her arms leaning back as she looked to the side. She rattled her knuckles on the statue's ampule bosom. There was a dull tapping noise like knocking on wood. The same sound was heard when she knocked on her hair. It didn't even move in the slightest.

Polina squeeze the breast of the blonde; it wouldn't budge in the slightest. "I'm confused. Did you carve them, mold them, how did you make them?"

"Cursed plate," the merchant replied. "Step on one, you freeze up. Three hours, you statue. Forever."

Polina gulped and stepped back. "These statues were once women? Is that even possible?" This made the blonde statue with short messy hair quite unusual, as she had furry ears and a bushy tail. "You can't be serious. They can't really be women."

The merchant leaned forward. "You try plate? You stand, see for self."

"No, no, that's fine," said Polina, flustered. She wasn't about to risk the woman’s claims being true. She looked at the statues once more and saw no sign of fear on their faces, not look of pleading in their eyes. "Why didn't they just get off the plate? Three hours is kind of a long time to hold still."

The merchant looked like she was trying to follow Polina's train of thought. "No move. Other move you. Other pose you. Three hour done."

Polina looked at the cold eyes that gazed over them, her heart racing. "Are they, are they watching us? What's going through their minds right now?"

"They statue. Statue no watch, no think."

Polina's legs were shaking, her breathing shallow. And then, a thought entered her mind. She locked eyes with the merchant. "Could you make anyone a statue?"

"Anyone, yes. Have few plate. Make statue."

"What happens when they break? Can you fix them?"

"Never seen one break. No break easy." The merchant pressed her hand against a kung fu girl, pushing her over. The woman – or rather, former woman – hit the floor, a dull thud ringing throughout the room. There wasn't so much as a scratch on it.

"Interesting." Polina watched as the merchant picked it back up. The two of them chatted about the statues and the plates for a while.



The sun was setting as Polina hid near Forever Beautiful Decorations, wearing a short black wig leftover from a costume party last year. She waited patiently until the merchant exited the building. She watched the exotic woman lock the door and walk away.

The merchant headed downtown, pausing to look at a number of fit and often buxom women along the way. It was a 30 minute walk, but she finally arrived at her destination. She entered the all-night bar and took a seat at the counter. She then spoke something Polina couldn't hear to the bartender.

The woman giggled before walking off to get the merchant her drink. This was a different bar than last night, but she still seemed to be repeating her actions. Polina had followed the woman after closing to another bar a few blocks away where the merchant had spent several hours, sometimes flirting with the girls who came by. Well, at least it looked like flirting.

Now, the merchant had her first drink of the evening and started sipping it.

Polina turned and walked away. She wore large clothes to hide her figure, but she didn't want the merchant to see her and risk being recognized. Besides, she had work to do.

She returned to Forever Beautiful and walked behind the building to the back lot. There, they had the delivery & pickup spot at the back door. She then grabbed the box she stashed behind a dumpster.

The building was about forty years old and they hadn't bothered to upgrade their security as of late. Taking out her tool kit, Polina started to pick the lock, a skill she picked up in her teen years. Slowly and carefully, she pressed the mechanism in the old lock into place. With one last click, it opened.

She took the box and entered the dark building. She found the light switch before closing the door behind herself.

The back room had been decorated in much the same way as the front. Maroon sheets were draped across the walls and the smell of the incense was still present, but not as strong as before.

Within the room was a lone naked woman, standing in the middle. Off to the side were a few boxes, a rubbish bin, and a tarp draped over something tall and bumpy.

Polina walked to the woman first, her heart racing. Unlike the statues before, this one looked familiar. She looked just like a woman who she had watched enter the store about two hours before closing, one she couldn't recall seeing leave.

The woman had wavy black hair and lovely blue eyes. Her breasts were nice and perky, proudly displayed. She still had on a pair of earrings and a small matching necklace with a thin chain, but was otherwise naked. Her lips and nails were painted red. Currently, she was posed as if in the midst of a dance, one foot forward with the other turned back, both on a large stone tile with handles on the side. Her right arm was curved over her shoulder while her left was straight, angled to the side.

After a moment, Polina looked at the woman's face long enough to recognize just who she was. "Ms. Kent?" She covered her mouth in shock. The woman before her is – or rather, was – Chryseis Kent, a local librarian. She had often wondered what she looked like under her clothes, picturing her naked during her occasional visits. She quickly snapped a picture with her phone.

She then looked closely at the woman, touching her arm. She slid her hand up and down her smooth skin. Like the others, there was a sheen to her complexion, but she was still warm, if only a little. The first time she touched the woman, she felt a slight softness when she pressed against the skin. Blinking, she pulled her hand back for a moment. Then she grabbed her again, the skin solid and inelastic this time. "I must have imagined it."

Polina then turned her attention to the tarp. Succumbing to her curiosity, she walked over and pulled it off. Underneath were a number of other statues she hadn't seen in the front room.

Her high school history teacher, Denise Miller, was standing naked before her, posed like a ballerina. The only thing the dark-haired woman was wearing was a thin gold bracelet on her left wrist, hanging down her elevated arm. She looked off to the side in mid turn, one bare foot in front of the other. Polina couldn't help but feel up her D-cup.

The next girl had long blonde hair going halfway down her back, with tan skin and a pair of F-cups, and was called Sensual Sandra; at least online, anyway. She was a local porn star who ran her own website, and unlike the other statues, who were barefoot, she had on her signature cherry red heels. Polina was a fan of her work, she posted pictures and videos and even did livestreams. She only knew she was local as she would sometimes see her around town, one time even running into her in the gym's shower room. She was posed quite provocatively, a look of passion on her face with one hand spreading her labia as she stuck out her impressive chest. It seemed she was just moments from climax, one that would never come.

Sandra had a tag hanging from her arm by a piece of string. Written on it was “$60,000” and an address; an out of state address, at that. "Looks like I better cancel my membership. It seems you won't be posting anything new." Polina gave Sandra a kiss on the lips. "Oh, how I want to take you home with me, but I can't see myself getting there safely if I do."

Polina only vaguely recognized the next girl from around town. She had short green hair with black highlights and a pair of C-cups. She had a number of piercings and tattoos, such as a nose ring, snake bite, nipple rings, and others. A dragon was wrapped around her arm and a butterfly was inked on the small of her back. A spiked collar was around her neck, a spiked bracelet around her right wrist, and a steel anklet on her left leg. A pair of fishnet stockings ran up her fine legs. While her right hand was on her side, her fingers were seductively perched on her dark blue lips.

Polina didn't know who the fourth girl was, but she wagered she was a local as well. She had long, light brown hair held back with a hairband and had on a pair of glasses with cute frames. Her right hand rested against her chest while her left was on her butt, a look of wonder on her face.

After snapping a few pictures of each of them, she walked back to Chryseis. "Sorry, Ms. Kent. Nothing personal." She pressed her hand against her hard breast, all the warmth now gone, and pushed her over. Chryseis fell onto her back with a dull thud.

Polina grabbed the handles of the stone title. "This must be the famed cursed plate." Careful so as not to touch it, she picked up the plate by the handles and set it into the box. "Mmm, a bit of extra room."

Polina searched for something to pad the box with. She found lots of fabrics in the rubbish bin. On the top was a white, sleeveless shirt jacket and the cut up remains of what seemed to be black pants. Polina looked at the white garment. "This looks pretty cute and undamaged. Why would anyone throw it away?"

There were a number of cut-up pieces of clothing plus several panties and bras, some of them still in one piece. Polina took a few and stuffed them into the box to keep the plate form shifting around, tossing the rest back into the bin. She then packed up and left.



Jazlyn walked down the sidewalk in the residential district late in the morning. She was wearing her normal jogging outfit, but she wasn't out for her morning run, not today.

She arrived at Polina's small house. She didn't think she would be visiting this house again so soon after their little mishap in the shower, but she needed to talk to her and she lost her phone number. Sighing, she pressed the doorbell.

Polina's voice came from the intercom. "Who is it?"

"It's Jazlyn. May I come in? I want to talk to you."

"Yes, sure. The door is open. Come on in and take your shoes off."

Jazlyn walked in and took off her sandals, putting them on the shoe rack. Polina always had a thing about wearing shoes in the house, this was nothing new. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the den. Come on in," Polina called from down the hallway.

Jazlyn found Polina sitting at her desk, working on her computer. "What's up?" She smiled and turned to look at her.

"Letty didn't come home last night."

"What else is new?" Polina giggled. "You remember what it was like to be twenty. It wasn't that long ago." She started to rummage around her desk.

"Yes, but this time she isn't answering her phone. Even if she slept in, she should have picked up by now. I worry one of her little amours didn't go so well." Jazlyn walked around the messy den. Polina had left a number of books and boxes on the floor again. She was always bad about keeping this room clean. "She send me a text saying she bumped into you at Corroll's Tavern. Did you see who she left with?"

"Hmmmm, let me think. I defiantly went to Corroll's last night." Polina opened and closed a drawer. "Where did I leave that thing?" She turned around in her swivel chair. "Oh right, could you hand me that red box over there on the shelf?" She pointed at a small red box on the top of a shelf on the other side of the room.

"You have got to get better organized around here." Jazlyn navigated around the coffee table to the shelf. Not seeing a clear space, she stepped on this flat stone tray thing that was laying on the floor. "You must have seen her. How much did you drink last night?"

"Oh not much. It was just a busy night there."

Jazlyn raised her hand, but stopped short. "I can't move. Why can't I move?"

"Oh that's right, I did see her last night." Polina got up and walked over her. "Don't worry about her now."

"Polina, what did you do?" Jazlyn wanted to turn around, but couldn't.



Polina smiled as she eyed her prize. Picking up her coffee table, she moved it to the side. She then cleared some space. "So sorry, Jazlyn, it's just that I've been in love with you since high school, but you always turn me down. I can't tell you the number of times I have fantasized about having you in my bed."

Polina grabbed Jazlyn's leg and turned it around. She then did the same for the other, slowly but carefully. Soon, Jazlyn was facing the opposite opposite detection, away from the shelf. "There, that's better. I would like to pull you away from the wall, but I fear you would fall over, and I can't have that."

Polina then picked up a pair of scissors. Pulling Jazlyn's tank top, she cut down the middle, exposing her lovely breast. "Now to finish what I started." She smiled as she squeezed it.

After pulling off what was left of the top, she cut away Jazlyn's pants, tossing the scraps to the side. She then looked over the naked goddess in front of her.

"I hope you don't mind, but I borrowed Letty's phone. I needed to lure you here somehow." Polina pointed to a clock that was counting down, currently at 02:37. "I feel I should explain. You are standing a cursed plate. Once you step on it, you become completely paralyzed. For three hours you will be my doll, to pose as I see fit. Unfortunately, after those three hours are up, you’ll become frozen. But don't worry, you will always have a place in my bedroom."

Polina then grabbed Jazlyn, slowly adjusting her pose. She lowered her arm as she played with her for a bit. A wide grin was plastered on her face as she played with Jazlyn like her very own Barbie doll. After a while, she took a step back to admire her work. Jazlyn stood there, her arms open as if waiting for a hug.

Polina walked to the door. "I'll be right back, don't go anywhere~." She giggled as she headed to her bedroom. There, she stripped off her clothes, tossing them into a pile. She then pulled her favorite set of lingerie out of her drawer, a transparent red lace bra and a matching pair of panties, each with a seductive heart pattern. Some particularly large hearts were on her crotch and around her nipples. She put them on before playfully spanking her own butt.

Giggling, she skipped out of the room. She stopped at a closet on the way back, opening it. Inside was a nude woman sporting green hair with a silver stripe. A rose was tattooed on her thigh. She had her butt sticking out as she bent forward, her hands joined together as she looked over her shoulder, a playful smile on her face.

"Come with me, dear." Polina grabbed the young woman and pulled her into the den, setting her in front of Jazlyn. "Letty was kind enough to help me test the plate out last night, and look how happy she is." Polina giggled as she rubbed Letty's bare butt.

"It was quite useful to know how the plate works, how much I could do without you falling off. I also had to be sure it worked as the woman said it would. Sure enough, after three hours, I couldn't even so much as move a strand of hair on her head, or even cut it."

Polina returned to Jazlyn and licked her lips. She wiped a bit of drool off her lips, the thought of having the woman of her dreams as her plaything exciting her to no end. "Maybe I could make room for Tiffany once we are done here, but don't worry, you will always be number one in my heart."

She slid her hand down Jazlyn's abdomen. "Letty said she could feel everything I did to her after she fell off. As you can see, I got her back on soon after." Polina gently stroked Jazlyn's sex. "I will show you paradise before your mind fades."

She lovingly played with Jazlyn's most intimate body parts. However, there was no visible reaction from the girl herself. "She must be enjoying herself." Her eyes gazed over her lovely lips as she stroked her arm. She interlocked her fingers with hers. "I hope you don't mind me stealing a kiss."

Polina stepped forward, the moment she had been waiting for all these years was finally coming true, albeit not how she had expected. With her other hand on Jazlyn's hip, she moved in for the kiss.

"What!?" Polina was confused for a moment when she stopped short of her goal. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could I be so careless!? Ahhhh!" She mentally screamed as she cursed herself. In her carelessness, she had stepped on the blasted plate. Her pent up desires had been her undoing.

"Think, there has got to be something you can do! What did that woman say? There has to be something. Any hint, and clue as to how to escape this trap. This can't be the end!" She ran through her conversation with the merchant over and over again in her head, but couldn’t think of a single thing. "Of course there is no way out. How many women did she have in her showroom? A dozen? I’m sure each and every one of them thought about what was to become of them while they waited, how many of them struggled with all their might to move so much as a finger? Ahhhh!"

All she could do was look upon Jazlyn's lovely face, the face she had wanted for so long. She was mere inches away, so close, yet at the same time, she might has well have been miles away.

"This is some kind of cruel joke. I'm so damn close I can almost taste it, she was mine, I can still feel the warmth of her body! How can you do this to me?" Her mind raged in silence as they stood there.

"The only way I could get out of this is if someone were to pull me, us off. Who could do that?" Her mind raced through all the people she knew. However, it was unlikely any of them would visit today, even less so in the less than three hours she had left. And even if they did come, what then? It's not like they would enter without permission. "Maybe I will get lucky and some burglar will break in and find us." She fantasized about being stolen, about some would-be thief pulling her off the plate. However, in the end, she realized with local crime as low as it was, it was very unlikely some hapless crook would choose today of all days to break in, and in broad daylight no less.

"Beep, beep, beep..."

Polina snapped back to reality once her alarm when off. If it could, her heart would be racing. She had set it to three hours when Jazlyn had stepped on the plate, and now she was gone forever. She could already feel her body heat fading. How much time did she have left? Two hours? Ninety minutes?

"Please let someone come, please! I'll be good, I'll confess, just don't let it end this way!"

A dog barking, a door closing, cars driving by, every sound from outside gave Polina a sliver of hope, only for it to be crushed a moment later when each sound faded. No one was coming. Oh sure, once she didn't pay her bills, someone would come, eventually someone would even go inside, and she would still be here, trapped in her eternal embrace.

Her heart sank. There truly was nothing she could do about it. There was so much she had lost just because she wanted to feel the warmth of Jazlyn's body one last time. Now she was never going to be able to take her into her bedroom.

With less than an hour left, she thought about the two of them and what the future would hold. "Jazlyn, you are mine. I'm never going to let you go. We will be together forever, just the two of us. No one will ever be able to take us apart again."

Polina's last thoughts were of Jazlyn, just the two of them together. She allowed herself to slip into one of her erotic fantasies before her mind went hazy.



Two weeks later…

Florette was a busty woman with deep red hair, a flower pin clipped to the side. She had just gotten through a day of pampering and was feeling simply blissful. She was skipping down the sidewalk when she noticed a new gallery in town. "Forever Beautiful? That's an enticing name."

The building was normally rented out for small indoor events. On the other side of the windows, the view inside was blocked with maroon satin sheets. A sign in one of the windows stated they sold statues.

As soon as she stepped through the door, her eyes and nose were assaulted by powerful incense. "What the hell is that?" Florette rubbed her eyes. She blinked and looked around.

Spaced around the room were about a dozen or so naked women. No, not women; they didn't move. They had to be some kind of statues. However, they were so lifelike, it took her a moment to realize that.

The pair closest to her were two dark-haired women posed like dancers. One had on only a pair of earrings and a matching necklace while the other wore a gold bracelet. A closer look reveled a slight sheen over their bodies.

The next statue was a blue-haired woman. She was holding a wooden staff in both hands, the large amethyst on the end matching her lovely eyes. Another amethyst was held on her forehead with a thin gold tiara. Her breasts were only B-cups, but she was cute regardless.

Florette's eyes were soon drawn to a pair of statues intertwined with each other: a well-toned raven haired woman and a curvy blonde woman. They held hands as the blonde had her other hand on the other's hip. Her detailed face seemed to be full of lust and had her lips have parted.

"You like statue?" A purple haired woman walked up to Florette. She certainly was an exotic beauty in both voice and body. The busty woman had a smirk on her face.

"Wha... um, yes. I like the statues." Florette took a step back. She hadn't noticed this woman when she first entered. "Have you been here long? I don't recall seeing this shop here before."

"No. Open other day. Travel fair, sell statue, make statue. Only here short time."

"How far has this woman traveled? Has she come from some other country?" Florette looked over at a close by statue. She had lovely green hair with a silver streak. The sexy woman was leaning forward with her breasts squeezed between her arms. "Did you make all these yourself?"

"Make all? No, some made by other. Sell all the same."

The door soon opened again and in walked a woman by the name of Mahina, her long dark hair running down her left shoulder. She wore a pink dress suit and high heels. Besides that, she also donned a gold and ruby ring, a multi-piece gold necklace, and diamond earrings. She was something of a local celebrity and was perhaps the richest woman in the city.

Behind her walked in a woman dressed as a maid. She had short brown hair and green eyes. She followed close behind Mahina, holding an attaché case.

Another, taller woman entered behind Mahina and her maid. She was dressed more like a laborer and didn't have the least bit of makeup on her.

Mahina spoke first. "I'm here to pick up my order. I trust you have it all set for me."

"One moment." The purple haired woman turned from Florette to face Mahina. "Statue ready. Good statue." She walked to the corner of the room and pulled away a curtain that was camouflaged with the maroon sheets.

On the other side was an incredibly busty tan woman with long blonde hair. Florette blushed as she looked over the provocative statue. She seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.

Mahina clapped her hands together. "She's perfect! I'll take her right now. Mercy!" She snapped her fingers and the maid walked closer, holding up the case. Mahina then opened the case and took out a small but thick manila envelope, which she held out to the merchant. "$60,000 in cash, as we agreed."

The merchant took the envelope and opened it. She flipped through the stacks of green before pocketing it. "Thank you. Statue is yours."

Mahina smiled. "I'll have it wrapped to go. Ursella, take it to the truck, carefully."

The merchant produced a tarp and covered the blonde statue with it. She tied a rope around the middle and the base.

As the tall woman grabbed the statue and carried her off, Mahina eyed the other statues. "Well, you seem to have gotten some new stock since last I saw you."

"Statue sell, make statue often." The merchant followed the wealthy woman as they walked across the room, getting closer to Florette.

Mahina just walked past Florette, acting like she wasn't even there. She stopped at the lovers statue. "These two certainly are alluring." She rubbed the blonde's butt.

"They new. Made two week ago. Sale price, 40,000." The merchant smiled.

"I'll take it. Mercy." Mahina snaps her fingers.

The maid walked up and held up the attache case, which Mahina unlocked.

She pulled out a few stacks of bills that still had their currency straps on. "I thought I might find one or two more lovelies while I was here." Mahina handed the stacks to the merchant.

"Thank you." The merchant took the bills and put them away. "They yours."

"Yes, Sandra will be decorating my bed room, but I am sure I can find a suitable place for the lovers." Mahina turned to the maid. "I'll hold the case for a bit. Go bring Ursella back once she has secured the statue. The two of you will carry them out.

"Yes, ma'am." The maid bowed before turning around. She left as the merchant wrapped up the pair.

Within a few minutes, the two women had returned. They worked together to carry the package out the double door. All Mahina did was giggle and hold the case, not even bothering to hold the door.

Once they were gone, Florette turned to the Merchant. "Are all the statues so expensive?"

"Statue different price." She pointed at the green haired statue Florette was looking at before. "20,000."

Florette looked glum. "That still is a bit pricey for me. I don't think I could afford it."

The merchant looked over Florette's body and smiled. "You make good statue. Make pose, make statue, get discount on statue." She rested her hand on the green haired statue's shoulder.

Florette thought about it for a moment. The thought about being a model intrigued her. "Eh, sure. I'll do it."

"This way." The merchant lead the way to the back, walking through the curtains.

Florette followed, about to learn the hard way just how these statues were made.

THE END