Eve's Boutique - Ch 41

Proposal

Mackenzie stood on the ridge overlooking the floodplain.  She was naked as the day she was born, and quite a bit bigger than yesterday – though thankfully, not nearly as big as Abigail.  The blonde bombshell didn’t even come up to her tits.

Mackenzie stared at Abigail.  In silence, Abigail stared back.

The wind rustled in the trees.

It’s a Western now, Abigail thought.  Right before the big gun fight.  Oh well.  Anything’s better than that afterschool special.

“I’ve missed you,” Mackenzie said.

“I’ve missed you too.”

“Yeah?  Then why didn’t you call and invite me?  Why do the three of you keep going out of your way to exclude me?  It hurts!”

People were trailing in around the giant girl’s feet.  Coming in from the park, the surrounding streets.  Even the traffic crews had stopped working.

“We talked about this,” Abigail said, carefully eyeing the crowd.  “That ‘giantess tradition?’  How I don’t want to see your make-up – your make-up, Mackenzie – before the party.  Neither do Chloe or Kayla.”

“Funny how it’s not a problem for you right now.  You’re looking right at me, Abby dear.  Why don’t our friends come out and do the same?”

“Don’t you remember what you did?” Chloe called, from behind Abby’s thigh.  “To Abby, and to Kayla?  I mean I know you don’t remember, it’s all that reality manipulation but… damn it, Mackenzie!  We explained this to you.  I know you’re not stupid!  Please don’t pretend you are!”

A muscle tightened around Mackenzie’s jaw.

“The point,” Abigail said.  “Is that you know perfectly well you’re a threat to us.  You keep conveniently forgetting, but honestly, I think you know exactly what you’re doing.  You’re trying to get us under your control again.  I’m sorry Mackenzie, but I can’t allow that.  I found a way to protect myself, instead.”

For just a moment, Mackenzie’s bottom lip quivered.  She took a deep breath, steeling herself.  “Would it be so bad to give in?  To just… let yourself love me?  I’d take good care of you, no matter what happened.  You can trust me!”

“I refuse to end up like them.”  Abigail gestured at the throng of worshipers around the giant girl’s feet.

“Which do you mean?  Small?  Like you used to be?  Or happy?”

“I’m not the only one that used to be small.  You probably don’t remember–”

“I don’t,” Mackenzie interrupted.  “And even if I did, I don’t care.  I got this way because I deserve it.  You got this way because Eve helped you.  You lied to me, Abigail!  Why did you go back to that evil witch, after you promised me you wouldn’t?”

“Hey Mackenzie!” Kayla called, from just behind Abigail’s right knee.  “What makes you so sure your witch is the good one?”

The giant girl took a threatening step forward, anger in her eyes.  “Don’t you dare say anything bad about Lilith!  She’s strong, and giving, and–”

“And she told you you’re important,” Kayla said.  “Right?”

The wind grew colder.  Even the massive crowd was silent.

“You don’t know her,” Mackenzie whispered.

Kayla scoffed.  “I know Lily a lot better than you think.”

“Don’t call her that!  Never ever call her that!”

“Oh how interesting.  She wants me to call her Lily.  Is that name off-limits to you?”

“Stop it!” Chloe yelled.  “All of you.  Mackenzie.  We’re your friends.  Bestie Bylaw number three: when a Bestie is in trouble, all the Besties share it.  Right now, you’re in trouble.  We’re trying to save you.”

“I’m the one trying to save you!  Just.  Please!  Step out, and take a good look at me.  See how much I love you.  Then you’ll understand!”

“We’re talking in circles,” Abigail said.  “Can I propose a way to end this?”

Mackenzie thought about it.  And as she waited for her response, Abigail noticed there was something odd about the girl.  How she was standing, the way her fists were clenched at her sides.  She was palming an object, Abby realized.  Hiding something in her hands.

“Alright,” Mackenzie nodded.  “Tell me your idea.”

“First thing,” Abigail said.  “You tell your little fan club down there to go home.  We’ll go to Eve’s place, all four of us.  And then….”

Abigail took a deep breath, hesitating before the next part.

“We’ll get her to put all of us back to normal.  Our size, your make-up – we’ll give all of it up.  Eve can do it, either directly, or make a potion if that’s too hard.  We’ll be ordinary, but we’ll be Besties again.  After that, you tell Lilith you resign from the game, and we’ll do the same for Eve.  Without any of the players, it’ll be a draw.  They’ll actually have to talk to each other – and I think we can make pretty good conflict mediators.  When it’s settled, we all go back to our apartment.  We’ll get drunk on cheap wine, and talk about whether all of us are more than friends.  If you still want that.”

“I’m not trusting myself to… to a wicked witch!”

“She’s not wicked,” Chloe said.  “I trust her.  I didn’t at first, but Eve is a good person.  I would nominate her as an honorary Bestie.  I can’t offer higher praise.”

“I was scared of her,” Kayla agreed.  “Now I’m not.  People think Lilith is scary, right?  But you know her better than that.  Look ‘Zee.  You say we’re your friends?  Friends have to trust each other sometimes.  Trust us on this.

Mackenzie sighed.  “I have a counter-proposal.  You three promise – promise – that you’ll never talk to Eve again.  Then we all go see Lilith.  I tell her that Abby is a super-nice person, and Lilith agrees to be friends.  Then we ask her to use her magic to make Chloe and Kayla – all of us – even bigger.  You said Eve could make us ordinary.  But you guys, don’t you see?  We never have to be ordinary again!”

“Hmm,” Kayla said.  “And, ah, Lilith would do that for us?  Even Abigail?  Did she say that?”

“Well, no.  But I can convince her, I’m sure.”

Abigail was shaking her head.  “Even if you could.  Speaking as someone who’s got, I don’t know, twenty feet of height on you?  It’s sorta hard to get around without breaking things these days.  The city is still big enough for the four of us, but for how long?”

“That’s the wonderful thing I figured out today, Abby!  They.  Don’t.  Mind.  Sure, we’ll cause a little accidental destruction, and there will be whole industries devoted to pampering us and keeping us happy.  But for the little ones, it’s a price they’re willing to pay, just to see our smiling faces.”  Mackenzie looked at the vast crowd beneath her feet, and gave them a winning smile.  “Am I right?”

The crowd cheered in agreement.

Mackenzie shot Abigail a grin.  “See?  I noticed it when I grew bigger today.  The only thing that happened was that all these little folks adored me even more.”

“Wait.  You actually remember growing this time?”

“Yeah.  I know exactly how it happened, too.  The lesson, Abby dear, is that we don’t need to hide the ways we’re special.  We can be ourselves, at a hundred percent.  Or two-hundred even, or a thousand!  The more we grow, the more they love us.  And the more they love, the happier they become.  It’s a win-win!”

“And the city?  The world?  All the people are, what?  Our pets?”

“No, silly.  Our worshipers.  Lilith explained all of this to me.  She’s the most amazing person I’ve ever met, and everything she says makes so much sense.  Things are already so much better for the little ones.  Imagine what I could do if I stopped holding back – and if I had your help!  This world needs the Besties.  It deserves us.  Think of it.  No more sadness, no more suffering.  All of it, replaced by joyful dedication to the four of us.  Let me build that world with you, Abigail.  If I have to, I can do it alone, the way Lilith wants.  But I’d much rather rule with my friends at my side.  And to do that, Lilith has to win.”

“Welp,” Abby said quietly.  “Mackenzie’s a super villain now.”  

Kayla nodded.  “What’s the plan, captain?”

“Maybe not the best time to mention it?  I really hate that title.”

“She’s not in her right mind,” Chloe whispered.  “I know she pretends to be an airhead, but she’s smart.  Smarter than even she wants to believe.  I think you can still reason with her, but Lilith has obviously messed with her head.  And there’s that crowd too, there’s no way you can use force with that many people nearby.”

“Hey ‘Zee, sweetie?” Abigail called.  “I can’t help but notice you’ve got something in your hands.  Is it something, like, important?”

Mackenzie looked surprised.  Then giggled, like a child caught playing with someone else’s toys.  “Oh gosh.  You noticed that, did you?  Lilith warned me you had something that would let you ignore my suggestions.  So I brought something along to help persuade you.”

The naked blonde cupped her hands, and held them up so Abigail could see.  Dylan looked like a frightened animal, hunched up with his knees to his chest.  Elijah, on the other hand, was grinning like he was riding an elephant at the circus.  He waved with both hands, and yelled something that the wind took away.

“They’re the ones who told me where you were meeting.  It was so good to see little Elijah.  I’ve wanted to hold him for so long, and now I can!  I think the two of us have a special connection, and he agrees.  The other is a special friend of yours, right Abby?  You always did have good taste.  He’s a mega-cutie, definitely grade-A worshiper material.  Anyway, they’re both mine now.  Unless, of course, you’d like to trade for that pretty charm around your neck.”