Lilly was working quite happily in the shop. The owner, the little mouse person, was glad to have the extra help, and the squirrel-girl couldn't help but be pleased with her initiative. She had to move a few small cans from a storage area downstairs and into a large (relative to her) freezer. She shivered a little and her fur stood on end.
She found herself glancing down at her budding chest again. It was hard not to look and be a little curious. Is that why girls wore those weird vests? She wasn't sure though if she should wear one or not. Did Jenny? She tried to recall but couldn't remember exactly. What about other girls in her class? Maybe she should spend more attention and look, or even ask Jenny. She could ask her mom but... that just felt too weird.
Suddenly she felt something pull her tails. She was so startled she fell to the floor. "Ah- Bruce!"
"Hehe. Hiya Lilly," Beamed the wolf-boy though worried at her tumble as he picked her up.
"You ain't s'posed to do that any more!" Lilly thought they had ended this game ages ago.
"We aint in school." Said Bruce grinning.
Lilly stared at him some- and for whatever reason, felt herself blush under her fur. Some part of her thought the wolf-boy was a little- well- she wasn't sure quite what she felt really. It was nice having seeing him. In a really weird way.
"You okay?" He didn't mean to make her fall down like that. It was just so easy to pounce on her.
"Uh, I fink I hit my toof" Said the girl feeling it with her tongue. It... it wobbled a bit and she suddenly panicked. "My tooth is loose my tooth! You made me lose my tooth!" Lilly was in a panic.
Bruce gasped a bit worried then looked at her again... and laughed.
Lilly was mortified at the reaction. "It ain't funny! I gotta go to a dentis' an I'm gonna have a hole there!"
The wolf just continued to laugh. "Ha Ha.. you baby. It's just your baby teeth. I lost one last week. Wanna see?" He opened his mouth obviously a little proud at the sharp canines.
The little girl became confused at that. "But I los' all my bab-" Wait... no. She was young again. Oh... Oh... damn it! She had to go through this too? And her teeth were already so big... what would her adult teeth look like?
Ricky was fully charged. Actually the clockwork girl had been so for at least two hours. With every tick the urge to move was too difficult to resist any more. With a slightly loud tick within her main spring she inclined her head and glanced down at herself, noticing the feather duster she was holding in her left hand.
"Jeff," She said to herself but for some reason... she couldn't feel any anger from it. She glanced at the closed off window and remarked that it would be so easy to just open it and expose her friend into the sunlight-
wait... her friend?
... Yes.... and no. She knew very well that they were not friends, yet... she found asking the question placed her thoughts into some kind of 'test' condition before she could act on anything. She could not act if it went against what she would do to a friend.
...What has Jeff done! Her thoughts were not changed but her actions were constrained. This was.. torture!
"Hey Ricky!" Grinned Jeff entering the room. "Finally awake? "He glances sheepishly at where he hid his drawing of her- but right now he had another idea. "Oh boy, I have some huge plans for today! Belle is coming by this evening, and I really want to impress her with you."
"-H-How?" What exactly could a robot-girl do to impress her?
Jeff seemed to look like he had a plan as always but then shrugged. "I dunno yet. You've done a great job cleaning the house. Maybe dust it up a bit. She was always complaining my room was too messy," He said with a laugh. "We're going to be good friends you an' me." He patted the robot on the shoulder.
"F-Friends?" Asked Ricky. They were not friends! She had to make that clear. "Y-yeah Of course," said Ricky not able to say otherwise. What the heck?!
Jeff could only smile happily. "Oh- you have some tasks to do." He said thinking at last. "But... I'm not going to tell you what it is."
Ricky blinked her glass eyes. "But- how will I know what you want me to do if you are not going to tell me?" The girl was quite shocked and scared. Was Jeff going nuts?
"You got here without being told... I want to test how far that works. So I've given you a command to carry out as soon as I ring this bell." Jeff rang a little dinner bell.
Ricky suddenly tensed, mesmerised by the sound. She... she had to go somewhere. She knew she did. "J-Jeff please... if we're friends you can't do this..." she looked so upset.
"Don't worry! It's just a little test." God this was better then hypnotism! Ricky was one of the coolest transformations he had ever seen. "I put the condition in that you had to go 'immediately' so hopefully it will be quick. "
Ricky couldn't resist any more. She had to go... the ticking was insistent as it moved across her torso, to the mechanisms in her legs. She just couldn't do anything else. The little clockwork girl walked to the back of the house, trying her best to resist but the compulsion of the Master Key was too great. It made her walk awkwardly, like a mannequin on strings and Jeff was her puppet master. She walked into the little side door where the garden was. Jeff stood behind her up until going outside, being careful of the sunlight. He then smiled and seemed to walk somewhere else within the house.
Outside now, Ricky realised she was going to the mermaid's pool. "Oh.. Oh no," she said fearfully. What would Jeff ask of her here?! Nothing good that's for sure.
She ticked and tocked as she approached the pool. The mermaid looked startled at seeing the clockwork girl then relaxed a bit. It was just another girl to her, nothing to worry about. "H-Hello," She said cautiously.
Ricky tensed again. There was nothing she wanted more then to see the mermaid. To get to know her. To ask her what it was like to swim as one. Just... to understand... now she was right in front of her. "H-Hello," was all she could say as she approached a curious pile of clothes.
"You are... a friend of Jeff's?" Asked the mermaid suspiciously.
"N-N-yes," said Ricky stuttering. A friend would tell others she was a friend right? "I- I am sorry for- for how he is treating you." At least he could say that. The clockwork girl felt a compulsion to pick up the box. They seemed to be a collection of bras. It looked like a number of bikinis were in there.
The mermaid smiled a little at the girl's curiosity. "I managed to get some ordered and sent to me. A set of ten... I guess I'll be needing them-" The mermaid stopped as Ricky seemed to be walking away- With the box in her arms. "Hey where are you going? Give that back!"
Ricky glanced back with a pained look as she held the box. "I- I can't... I... I'm sorry..." She felt like she wanted to cry but couldn't bring herself to.
Jeff was in the lounge as Ricky entered with the box of bikini tops. The lounge had a nice fireplace, and a few old antiques including a grandfather clock. Ricky's body seemed to chime with the old antique, and it was mesmerising to Jeff's ears. He laughed when he looked at what Ricky was holding. "I can't believe it! It worked! Awesome."
"W-Why did you-" But then Ricky felt something else. Her task was not completed yet. She slowly took them out of the box, and put one over her her form. They were much too large for her of course, and they simply fell down her body and onto the floor. She did this with all ten Bikini's as Jeff watched curiously.
Now her task was completed, and she felt herself go limp, finally she could stop.
"W-Why did you make me do that?" Asked the clockwork girl very scared.
"Eh- well The Mermaid still owes me money for rent of the pool. Secondly, I wanted to test you if you could do a task that hadn't been told to you... and third, I wanted to see what would happen if I asked something 'impossible'. I knew you couldn't wear that as them as they are too big. But it was fun to see you try!" He said grinning.
"Jeff... We... we gotta talk. You can't do this." Ricky found herself moving to tidy away the bikini's back into the box. It was a mess, she was commanded to keep things tidy after all. Slowly she did so, folding them in ways she had never done before. Yet somehow it was familiar, she knew how to do these things.
"Why not?" He said with a shrug. "I knew a long time ago fairness just doesn't exist in the universe. It's a cruel world Ricky and someone has to command you. Better me then some crazy person hm? Besides... You're safe with me." The boy said that with such conviction. Indeed, he wanted to keep Ricky safe.
The little robot girl quietly ticked away at those words. Someone had to command her. Never again could she be more then a slave... why did the sun do this? But... at the same time, she liked doing things for people. There was purpose and joy in the tasks given and she couldn't quite escape that this body felt such a... machine-like desire to complete a responsibility. Especially to whoever held the Key that seemed to be part of her in some way.
At this point the phone rang. Jeff answered it. "Hello? Huh? Belle? No she ain't here yet, it's still sunrise-" He paused. "She didn't... she... WHAT!? Er- No.. I wait- yes. I'll... I'll ask." He put the phone down. "ARGH!" Jeff pulled his hair.
"What's wrong?" Asked Ricky concerned.
"It- it's Belle. She... she... she opened her window and got a full dose of sunlight. That idiot!" He slumped into his chair. Belle was so stupid! No- moronic! He had to do all the thinking for her and now... now what? now she was out there somewhere, probably lost or confused or... or something. Some 'one'. He wanted to go look for her but-
Ricky patted his leg gently trying to offer some comfort. Jeff continued to cry at the implications and horror of what his girlfriend might have turned into. Finally he simmered down as he glanced down at his robot-girl. "Okay- I- I got a plan." Jeff held out the Master Key and gripped it so tightly Ricky could swear she felt it wrap her very soul. "Ricky, you look for Belle, and Bring her back no matter what her form is. You do that Now!"
"But- I don't know what she-" already Ricky could feel her legs moving. She felt tension as her springs got to work. The sound vibrations of Jeff's command turning into a mechanical action. Her task was to get Belle, and Bring her back to Jeff. This had to happen, no matter what. There can be no rest, until it was completed.
Jeff watched her go. He was so angry he kicked the box belonging to the mermaid. It found itself in the fireplace, and simply burned away.
