Chapter 7 - Dress for Success

Between the makeovers, pillow fights and general chatter about what it was like to be a girl, the evening passed swiftly.  Soon Violet was yawning – it had been a draining day.  Jimmy and Bailey put her to bed.

“Now what?” asked Jimmy.  “Did you want to hit the Venn Machine?”

Bailey shook her head.  “I’m perfect.  Except maybe for a colour change.  I’m not sure I want to spend all my time this dark.”

“You could go indigo spots on white fur,” suggested Jimmy.  “I think you look cute with spots.”

“You’d think I look cute as anything.”

Jimmy shook his head.  “I’m pretty sure we could Venn you into something that’s not cute.  Might take some effort, though.”

Bailey giggled at the compliment.  “Now you’re getting it.  So what would you turn me into if you had me in the Venn Machine?”

“Depends on the duration.  If it’s just set for eight hours...  Maybe a fur coat?  So you’d still be you, but wearable.”

Bailey purrred contentedly.  “Okay.  I’m game.  But then I get to turn you into clothing for the next eight hours.”  She studied Jimmy’s female form intently.  “Mmm.  Not a dress, though.  And Violet’s already signed up for the bra.  You have nice legs, what would you say to being tights for a day?”

Jimmy giggled.  “Tights?  How are you going to wear tights over all that fur?”

Bailey stuck her tongue out at him.  “I’m going to have to spend some time human.  Maybe I’ll wear you to school.  You could take a sick day.”

Jimmy laughed.  “You’d really do that?  You know, if we arranged our schedule to have enough classes in common, and I could hear, I wouldn’t even miss out on my classes...”

“You’d actually go for it?” asked Bailey, wonderingly.

Jimmy shrugged.  “I’d rather not miss school, though.  So... on a date with Violet?”

Bailey blushed, looking to the bedroom where Violet was sleeping.  “Yeah.  Okay.  It’s a date.  After the bra and the couch, anyway.”

“Are you really going to do that?  The idea of making out on top of you...”  Jimmy laid back on Bailey’s long body, draping herself over it.  “I have to admit, it’s kinky as hell.  You’d be helpless.”

“And I’d feel everything.  I don’t know how this triad’s going to work.  But I want to try, for Violet’s sake.”

Jimmy smirked at her languidly, stroking a hand through the fur of her side.  “You know, we don’t have to turn one of us into a thing for it to work.  I’m sure this sexy body of yours is big enough to make love to two people at once.”

Bailey’s blush showed through the fur on her face.  “You really find this form attractive?  Why?”

“What, are you afraid I have some weird kink for fur?”

“Hah, like I can talk.  I love this…  But why do you?”

Jimmy shrugged her slender shoulders.  “You’re happy like this.  When you were dancing with the eye-spider thing, it showed.  You were lost to the music, letting your body sing.  I couldn’t not offer a dance.”

“You were the only one that saw that,” whispered Bailey.  “That looks at this and sees…”

“That this body is the shape you were meant to wear?”

Bailey coiled around Jimmy, wriggling her happiness.  “Do you really think so?”

Jimmy’s fingers found the scruff of Bailey’s neck and skritched the fur there.  “The only person who can truly answer that is you.”

Bailey purrred happily under Jimmy’s ministrations, losing track of the conversation as she turned into a limp noodle of fur.

That was how Violet found them the next morning, piled up on the couch.  “That looks comfy.”

Jimmy stirred and stretched.  “Oh, my back…  I’m not as flexible as miss monster here.  But she is warm and cozy.  C’mere.”  Jimmy held out a hand to Violet.

Violet took it with her tentacle, then squealed when she was pulled into the cuddlepile.  “I don’t want to get in your way.”

Bailey wriggled and squirmed, wrapping Violet in fur.  “You’ll never be in the way.  I’m big enough for both of you.  Plus I see Jimmy eyeing that tentacle of yours...”

“Hey, the way she’s holding it like a tentacle instead of a hand is cool.  And...”  Jimmy blushed.  “Um, a little suggestive.  The things you could do.”

Violet stared at the end of her “arm”.  Jimmy was right, instead of her tentacle splitting into fingers, it had just naturally pulled itself together into a single tentacle.  She wiggled it around, and found she could make it fatter and thinner with a little concentration.  “This is easier than it was last night.  It feels weirdly natural.  Maybe I should give that all-tentacle body another try.”

Jimmy’s blush deepened.  “Imagine the resulting... uh... hugs.”

Bailey rumbled something between a purr and a chuckle.  “Hugs.  Right.  Because that’s what you were thinking of.  Are you getting turned on in that body, thinking about what those tentacles could do to you?”  Jimmy shook her head, but her blush told the tale.  “Tch.  One good night’s sleep and you’re already thinking like a girl.”

“Is... is that bad?” squeaked Jimmy.

“Nah,” replied Bailey cheerfully.  “It means you won’t complain as much when we go clothes shopping later.”

“How stereotypical.”

“If Katie’s going to wear that body from time to time, she’ll need clothes, remember?” said Violet.  “We can do up a few new outfits now, and they’ll be ready for her next weekend.  She could spend the whole weekend looking our age.”

Jimmy’s eyes went wide for a moment at the mention of Katie’s name, then she slowly nodded.  “I guess you’re right.  Breakfast first?”

Between breakfast, general goofing around, and the need to educate Jimmy on how to do makeup properly before going to the mall, their first order of business once there was lunch.  Jimmy managed to sidetrack the trip to the Venn Machine via enthusiastic window shopping, until their perambulations led them right back to the Machines’ corner of the mall.

“Time for a new dress at last.  Katie’s nice, but she has a lot to learn about fashion,” said Violet.

“Can’t Bailey do it?” asked Jimmy, looking to her for support.

Bailey shrugged.  “You’d look nice in blue.  That’s my usual contribution.”

Violet already had the Machine open so Jimmy sighed and stepped inside.  When Violet entered the other side, she yelped in surprise.  “Katie?  What are you doing in here?”

“Surprise?” said Katie, uncertainly.

Violet spun to face Jimmy.  “The chocolates.  How?”

Jimmy was covering his face with his hand.  “I changed her into a single bar, then slipped it into the bottom of the bag and re-sealed it.”

“Why?”

“I wanted to be part of you,” said Katie softly.  “Fully absorbed.”

Violet turned back to her.  “Absor... you’re naked!  Why are you naked?”  Her voice was getting louder.

“I guess my clothing became the wrapper,” Katie said with a casual shrug.  “Oops.  Didn’t think that bit through.”

“You also didn’t ask if I wanted to eat you!  Gods, you’ve been in there for most of a day, what if you’d ended up in the toilet?”

Katie shrugged again.  “I figured most of me would be absorbed, so the risk was low.  Worst case, I’d have ended up back here in another day.  Um... naked.  That might have gone poorly.”

Violet sighed gustily.  “What am I going to do with you?”

“Get Jimmy to turn me into your dress, so I don’t streak the mall?” asked Katie, hopefully.

Violet rolled her eyes and turned to the display.  “I suppose that works.  Could you turn away so Jimmy can look at us again?”  Once Katie had done so, Violet told Jimmy to open her eyes.  “Okay, touch my image in the middle of the display.  Can you see Katie any more?”

“Nope.  Just you.  So... uh, where is she?”

Violet told Katie to wave her arms, which made the sleeves of her dress swish on Jimmy’s side of the interface.  “Yep, she’ll be my dress.  Wait a bit so I can finish the job I came in here for...”

Soon Jimmy had a pretty blue dress to replace her plain one.  “So... this will last for a month, right?”

“Right.”

“Which mean’s Katie’s stuck for a month, too?” asked Jimmy, worriedly.

“Running out of time before she streaks the mall,” warned Violet.

Katie added, “Do it!”

“Fine.”

A moment later the doors opened, and there was no sign of Katie.  Violet rushed to check herself in the mirror, to Bailey’s confusion.  “Your dress didn’t change.”

“Not externally.  But inside... it’s Katie, now.”

“For a month!  What were you thinking?” demanded Bailey.

“That it was this or present her to the mall naked.  She didn’t object.”

Jimmy sighed.  “She has a huuuge crush on you.  Being your dress for a month... yeah, she’d probably like that.”

“She’d miss school!” protested Violet.

Jimmy and Bailey both snickered.  “Like she’s going to complain about that?” asked Jimmy.  “Heck, one forged signature and I bet nobody at the school would care that their recent transfer student is missing.”

“You wouldn’t!” gasped Violet.  “I mean she’d...  I’d...”  She stroked a hand down the side of her dress.  Softly, she said, “I can’t do that to her.  Can I?”

“Even if she asked you nicely?” asked Jimmy.  “C’mon, let her have the rest of the afternoon.  Then we’ll pitch her in with a T-shirt and you can turn it into something cute.”

Violet shook her head.  “Let’s get it now and change her back.  I won’t be party to this.”

Jimmy sighed dolefully as they headed to Violet and Bailey’s favourite source of cheap Venn fodder.  “You’re going to break her heart.”

Violet stopped and turned, putting a tentacle on Jimmy’s chest to halt her too.  “I do not want to hurt Katie.  But she can’t keep pulling others into these dramatics of hers without consent!”

Jimmy rolled her eyes.  “Tell her that.  I’ve tried.  She’s... persuasive.”

Violet nodded sharply.  “That’s exactly what I intend to do.  Once we have some clothes for her.  Uh, and me.  I have to get this dress off.”

Soon they were back at the Venn Machines.  Violet was wearing an extra-large plain yellow T-shirt.  Its hem went down to her knees, so she didn’t need much else.  She didn’t attract any looks for her appearance, except the odd knowing nod.  Many of her clients came to her in similar outfits, to have them turned into dresses.

Violet tossed her dress and another plain T-shirt into one side of the Venn Machine, then hopped into the other.  Katie was already waiting for her.  “Eight hours?  You only set it for eight hours?”

“Because I’ve had about enough of your stunts.  Whatever you end up becoming, you’ll only be that way until midnight.”

Katie pouted up at Violet cutely, but she just pointed at the T-shirt.  “Why are you wearing a shirt over your dress?” asked Katie once she’d put it on.

Violet looked down and chuckled.  “I guess my dress became part of my bra and panties when you replaced it.  Small mercies, I guess.”

Katie pouted.  “I’d have liked to be those too.  Please?”

“Look, you can’t keep doing this.”

“Doing what?” asked Katie, all innocence.

“Involving others in your crazy schemes without their consent.  I thought I’d killed someone!  God knows what the kids at school think of me now.”

“That you’re a badass, and not to mess with you,” said Katie with an attempt at a smile.  “I think you’re a...”

“It was traumatic!” interrupted Violet, hotly.  “Worse, I...  I can’t stop seeing it.  Feeling my limb punching through another living thing, ending it...”

Katie’s eyes went very wide.  “You liked it?”

“Yes!  And that terrifies me even more!”

“Awesome,” breathed Katie.

“WHAT?” shouted Violet.  “I’m psychotic, and you think that’s awesome?”

Katie shook her head.  “Do you want to kill people?  Or do you want to fight?”

Violet glared at Katie.  “Right now I would like nothing more than to go a round with you in the Monster Wars arena.”

“You’re on.”

Violet’s eyes went wide.  “You... you’re actually serious.  You’d let me...”

Katie’s grin grew feral.  “I’d have my own weapons.  No pushover piñata, I’d give you a fight you’d remember.”

Violet whined in frustration.  “I wish the arena was closer.  You’d really do it?  Bailey loves Monster Wars too, but she hates the idea of actually fighting.”

“I wish it was closer, too,” sighed Katie.  “Maybe you can just turn me into something you can break?  Or a punching bag.  I’ll take anything, if it means you stop hating me.  Please?  I give you permission to turn me into anything at all.”

Violet stared at her again.  “Anything?”  At Katie’s eager nod she sighed.  “You are going to be trouble, kit-kat.”

Katie’s grin was radiant.  “You called me kit-kat!”

Violet looked puzzled.  “I thought you hated that name.”

“Not the way you say it, mars bar.”

Violet giggled at the pet name.  “I’m going to be eating you again, aren’t I?”

“Over and over and over.  Think of it as a gift.  You get to eat as much chocolate as you want, and no calories...”  Katie added the last in a wheedling voice.

“Mmm.  You would make a cute kit-kat bar.  I could work out frustrations by crunching you all up...”

“Please?”  Katie batted her eyelashes.

“Not today.  I have a better idea,” said Violet with a growing smile.

Katie clapped her hands excitedly.  “Do it!  I don’t care what it is, if it makes you smile like that, it’s good.”

Violet started working, muttering softly to herself as she selected changes for her friend.  She giggled at a thought, and tapped a few more things.  “There.  Cute as a button.”

“Let me see!”

“Are you sure?” asked Violet teasingly.  “I mean, you won’t be human...”

“Please?”

“Mmm, I’m going to need better than that.”

“Pretty please?  Pretty please with sugar on top?  And some whipped cream and a cherry?”

Violet giggled.  “I was thinking more like ‘I promise not to involve Violet in any crazy schemes without asking her first.’”

Katie looked away.  “Do I have to?  I want to do crazy things with you, and surprise you, and I’m not very good at stopping myself, I know.”

“Nor is your brother.  But you need limits, Kit-kat.  If you want to play with me, you have to ask.”

Katie peeked back at Violet without fully turning back to her.  “Can I... ask, but not tell you what the scheme is?”

Violet bit her lip.  “Turning yourself into a candy bar without me knowing was crazy.  But it was more fun because I didn’t know, is that it?”

Katie nodded eagerly.  “I want to do that again.”

“The unknowing part?  Or the eating and absorbing part?  Because if I don’t know you’re there, I can’t avoid the Venn Machines for the duration.  I’m in here all the time.”  

“I guess that makes secret clothing a problem too.  Fooey.”

“My purse doesn’t go in the Venn Machine,” said Violet, another grin teasing at her lips.

“Hm,” said Katie.  “That doesn’t seem as fun.  I’m sure I’ll come up with something, though.  If I ask your permission now, is it okay to get myself sneakily added to your purse later?”

“Yes.  Just as long as either Bailey or Jimmy knows and can rescue you if something goes wrong.  I’d hate to lose you without even knowing it.”

“Eeeee!  So if I get blanket permission ahead of time, you’d be okay with... things?”  Katie was nearly bouncing with excitement.

Violet nodded slowly.  “Yes.”

Katie got very serious then.  “I accept your terms.  Now show me this new body!”

Katie squealed in excitement when her shin turned all shiny.  It looked like she was carved from polished green metal, with an embossed scale pattern to break up the light.  But when she poked at it, it had lots of give.

Soon she was standing in front of the mirror, posing and giggling at how the malls’ lights gleamed off her limbs.  She was still mostly human, mostly herself, just... differently skinned.  “This is so cool.”

“And you haven’t even seen the best part,” said Violet.  “Though you may not agree.  Give me your hand.”

Katie did so without hesitation.  Violet gave it a sharp tug, and Katie’s arm popped off at the shoulder.  “What?”

“You’re basically a punching bag.  You’ll feel blows, but can’t be hurt, and if you’re hit right, parts fall off.”

“You turned my baby sister into a fighting robot toy?” asked Jimmy incredulously.  “Can I try?”

“Hey!” protested Katie.  “Violet should get the first go.  I owe her that much.”

Jimmy blinked at Katie in wonder.  “What?  You’re...  Is that an apology?”

Katie nodded.  “Yeah.  Picking a fight with a spider-monster without telling her I could be punched safely was wrong.  I hurt her, and I want to make up for it.”

Violet smiled at Katie proudly.  Jimmy’s jaw dropped.  “What have you done with my sister?”

“We had a little talk,” said Violet as she helped Katie reattach her arm.  “And came to an understanding.  No more dragging me into crazy schemes.  Unless she clears it ahead of time.  Potentially way ahead of time.  I’ve given her blanket permission to have you Venn her into something for my purse.”

Jimmy chuckled softly.  “Wow.  And she agreed to this?”

Katie turned on him.  “Yes, yes I did.  Is that so hard to believe?  Violet’s been nothing but wonderful to me, and I hate that I hurt her like that.”

“I’m amazed you realized that much.  Good job, kit-kat.”

“She gets to call me that,” said Katie, rolling her eyes.  “Not you.”

Jimmy’s eyebrows brushed her bangs.  “Do tell.  I think we need to talk about this.  It’s getting late, we should probably head home soon.”

Katie pouted.  “Do I have to change back?  I’m only like this for eight hours, I’ll be fine by morning.”

“Fine.  But I want to be a guy again,” said Jimmy.  She borrowed Violet’s spare T-shirt and headed to the washroom to change.  When she returned, she dumped the dress she’d been wearing in Katie’s arms.  “Here.  Something for next time you grow up.”

Once Jimmy was male again, Bailey asked if he could drop Violet and her at Violet’s place.  “The two of us have some talking to do too, and I’d rather not do it in front of my folks.”

When Jimmy pointed out her monster body wouldn’t fit with three others in the car, Bailey mournfully agreed and was soon human.  She stumbled out of the Venn Machine, and waved off Violet’s concern.  “Got used to being quadrupedal, that’s all.”

Violet’s mother wasn’t home when they arrived, to no-one’s surprise.  Katie tried to drag Jimmy into the house with her, but her arm fell off.  She laughed.  “Whoops.  They don’t seem to go back as strong once they’re off.  Design flaw?”

Violet shrugged.  “Experiment.  I’m glad it reattaches at all.  Coming, Jimmy?”

He sighed and followed the others into Violet’s home.  “I suppose I should try to keep her out of trouble.”

Once the door was closed behind them Katie bounced in front of Violet.  “Hit me!”

“What?  No!” protested Jimmy.

“It’s okay,” reassured Katie, indicating her metallic skin.  “I was made to take punches.  And I owe Violet a shot at me.”

“I kind of owe you one at me, too,” mused Violet.

“I’ll Venn you like this later, then.  Ooh, what if we were both this way?  That’d be fun.  Come on, hit me!”

Violet obliged.  Katie looked down at her chest.  “I barely even felt that.  Was that your best shot?”

Violet wound up the best punch she could muster.  It hit Katie’s chest with a wet spoldge and barely made her move.  Both stared down at Violet’s hand which had flattened like a pancake.  Violet gave it a shake and it reformed into wiggly fingers.  “Oh, right.  The tentacles.”

“Come on!  You can do better than that!”

“Katie…” fretted Jimmy.

Violet considered the problem for a moment, then grinned.  She reached out for Katie’s arm with both hands, and yanked it free of her shoulder.  She then proceeded to batter a laughing Katie with it.  The leverage helped, but it was still in effect a rubber foam club.  Katie stumbled from the blows, and put up her other arm to block a particularly wild overhand swing.

The blow dislocated her other shoulder, dropping her other arm to the floor.  The return swing batted her head off her shoulders, sending it bouncing up the stairs.

As Katie’s head tumbled back down the stairs again, she giggled with glee.  “Whee!  That was great!”

“Can we put her back together now, please?” asked Jimmy plaintively.

“Fine, fine.  We’ve had our fun.  Could you give me a hand, Violet?” asked Katie, before breaking into fresh giggles.

Katie’s head and right arm socketed back into place solidly.  But her left arm didn’t do so well.  It stuck, but as soon as Katie tried to use the arm, it fell off.  “I... think that design flaw is worse than you thought,” said Katie, deadpan.

“Uh... oops.  As I said, experimental forms.  If you’re careful, your other arm should be okay... right?”

Katie picked up her left arm and nodded.  “Sure, sounds good.”  Then she tripped on the way out the door, and the fall jarred her arm and head free again.  “Uh...”

Jimmy sighed as he helped her to her feet.  “Should we head back to the Venn Machine before going home?”

Violet gathered up Katie’s parts, and carried them to Jimmy’s car.  Katie’s head kept giggling all the way.  “Can I stay like this?  Maybe leave my head here?”

“We should get all of you home,” said Jimmy.  Then he sighed.  “I’ll be pouring you into bed once again, won’t I?”

“Probably.  And not for the last time,” laughed Katie.  “G’night, mars bar.  Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

Violet and Bailey returned to the house, and once the door was closed behind them, Violet pounced.

“Hey!” protested Bailey, but she made no move to break out of Violet’s embrace.

Violet wrapped Bailey up in her tentacle arms.  “Sorry.  I’m all jazzed up and jittery after that.”  She dragged Bailey’s head closer, and planted a kiss on her lips.

Once they broke for air, Bailey panted, “Do you always get like this after a fight?”

“Would it be so bad if I did?” asked Violet earnestly.

Bailey shook her head and leaned in for another kiss.

*** *** ***

Bailey sighed softly as she lounged beside Violet on her bed.

“Disappointed?” asked Violet, teasing a tentacle tip over Bailey’s hip.

Bailey shook her head.  “No!  Not at all.  Those tentacles of yours were incredible.”

“Then... you’d have preferred Jimmy for your first time?”

Bailey giggled.  “Wrong on two counts.  First, I don’t prefer him over you.  Though I would like to share him with you.  First up, wearing you as a bra while we have some fun...”

“And the other count?”

Bailey waggled her eyebrows at Violet.  “Even after all that, I’m still technically a virgin.  And no more or less so than before tonight.  If you want to deflower me, you’ll need to be male.”

“With the Venn Machines, I could...” mused Violet.  “That first time is something Jimmy and I can’t share.  Can we?”

Bailey giggled.  “You could.  If one of you was a condom...”

“Okay!” agreed Violet brightly.  “I’ll do it.”

Bailey hugged her tight.  “This is going to be so awesome.”

Violet wrapped her up in tentacles again.  “So what were you blue about before, anyway?”

“Oh, that.”  Bailey waved an arm dismissively.  “Just that you’ve spoiled me for having normal sex ever.”

“What?  With the tentacles?”

“With the monsterkitten.  That night with your giant hands all over my body?”  Bailey shuddered happily.  “Soooo good, you can’t imagine.”

“Then we’ll just have to shrink you down to kitten size for the next sleepover.”

Bailey kissed Violet fiercely.  “That would be awesome!”

“We can share you back and forth between Jimmy and me.  But for now, you’re all mine.”

Bailey moaned blissfully.  “I love you so much.”

Violet pulled back for just a moment.  “I love you too.”

“Even though I want to be a monster?”

Violet wiggled her tentacles.  “I love monsters.  I’m keeping these the whole month.”

“Right, when Jimmy turned Katie into a dress you got the month, too.  Won’t school be a problem?  You’ll get caught!”

Violet held up a tentacle and split the tip into fingers.  After a few wiggles it settled down into a credible hand.  “I can hide them pretty well.  Besides, what’s the worst that can happen?”