Eve's Boutique - Ch 51

Out of Her Shell

Douglass Park was enormous – an emerald jewel nestled in the heart of the south-side community that held it.  There were flat lawns, open fields, and cozy little lagoons dotted here and there around long winding paths.  The park, like the ward around it, was beautiful – though each had a troubled past.  And sadly, the rest of the city spent most of the time ignoring them both.

Unless they needed to gather a few hundred thousand people together.

The crowd had been arriving since noon, filling the vast sprawling park to near capacity, with still more standing outside the hastily erected gates.  There was a festival atmosphere as opening acts of increasing notoriety played on the main stage.  Every few hundred feet there were speaker towers adorned with massive projection screens – displaying shots of the band, colorful visualizations.  And in between sets, lots and lots of legal disclaimers.

The party’s energy had been gathering all day.  It overflowed as Abigail appeared with her entourage.

The Giantess Squad cleared a pathway for the four women as they approached.  She led the way in her green satin dress, as hundreds of flashbulbs lit up the night.

“Fuck everything,” Abigail murmured, in a voice too low to carry.  “Where did they get an actual red carpet this big?”

Eve looked like she was trying not to laugh.  “I’m not sure.  But you’re the one they want to see.  You better get out there and strike a pose, oh fearless leader.”

It was awkward as hell, and at first Abigail didn’t know what to do with her hands.  She settled on waving, as she turned in a slow circle for the crowd.  People were yelling things up at her, but she couldn’t make out any of it – not one of them was even half as tall at the platform of her shoe.  It felt okay, but being silently appreciated was harder than it looked.  She decided she just wasn’t comfortable with her mouth shut.

Chloe was next in line.  Her muscular friend blushed as the crowd admired her, yet she seemed far more in her element than Abigail.  She had picked out a comfy-looking green sweater for the evening – but her jeans were so tight they might as well have been painted on.   Without the aid of Eve’s fitting spray, no Earthly fabric could have avoided being torn to shreds by her massive thighs.

Eve followed, and opted to play up her witchy aesthetic.  There were mischievous smirks and come-hither stares, and she waved her hands about in ways that were simultaneously creepy and alluring.   ‘Creepy and alluring’ also described her outfit.  Her dress was black with spiderweb contrast, and a keyhole neckline showed off a magically-enhanced amount of cleavage.  The witch had given herself a boost of at least a cup size to fill out the dress.

Kayla brought up the vanguard.  She was smiling wide, yet still managed to project the don’t-fuck-with-me air of a highly skilled bouncer.  She was almost pure muscle, and as if to prove that fact she had an absurd amount of skin on display tonight.  Abigail had seen Kayla naked before – and this outfit seemed to show off even more of her than that.  She wore a high-cropped tube vest, bare at the chest and shoulders. and her mini-skirt was so short it bordered on indecent exposure.

The four women stepped off the carpet, and into the pre-arranged clear space beyond.  Even at a hundred-and-fifty feet tall Abigail was the smallest among her friends again – and not by a small margin.  Kayla and Eve were more than a head taller than her, despite her massive platforms.  And even Chloe, in flats, dwarfed her by a dozen feet or so.

“Quit fidgeting with your dress,” Eve whispered to Abby, as the cameras continued to flash.

“Sorry.  I guess I’m not used to being on display at this scale.  No pun intended.”

“Deep breaths,” Chloe advised.  “And stick your leg out more.”

“But the split on this dress comes like, all the way up!  People will see my underwear!”

“Don’t be coy,” Kayla said.  “We all know that’s a turn-on for you.”

Eve nodded.  “Can confirm.”

“But you’re nervous,” Kayla went on.  “And maybe I can help.  Why don’t I get us started?”

“Meaning what?”

Kayla smirked down at her.  It occurred to Abigail that the girl was out of her depth as much as anyone.  She’d never seen Kayla wear anything this girly, and she had the least experience of them all at being in front of an audience.  Yet if she was uncomfortable, she let on not at all.

Kayla turned slowly, waving both hands at the massive crowd, getting their attention.  Then quite deliberately she lifted her skirt, and flashed what was beneath to the untold thousands below.

The crowd went wild.

Eve suddenly grabbed Abigail’s shoulder, her body shuddering from head to toe.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!”  Eve laughed.  “I’ve just never felt arousal from that many people all at once!”

Kayla grinned.  “Yeah.  Tonight’s gonna be fun.”

The VIP gate opened.  Security ordered the crowd back, and into the designated Giantess Zone stepped two tiny men.  One, tall and broad by human standards.  The other much smaller, not even four feet tall, and leading his friend by the hand.

Abigail bent.  “Hi Dylan.  Hi Elijah.  Glad you could make it.”

“He was still standing in that field,” Dylan yelling up at her.  “Had been since yesterday.  He’s lucky it didn’t rain.”

“Mackenzie told me to stay put,” Elijah explained.  “The nature preserve is pretty at night.  The raccoons hung out for a while, but they lost interest once they saw I didn’t have any food.  I made friends with a possum, though.”

“I told him Mackenzie was going to be here,” Dylan said.  “And that she’d want to see him.”

“I’d do anything for Mackenzie.”

“I know you would,” Abigail said to the tiny man.  “That’s why I have a very, very special job for you tonight.  One that’s going to make her extremely happy.  Do you think you’re up for it?”

Elijah grinned.  “I’d do anything for–”

Chloe tapped Abigail on the shoulder.  “She’s here.”

The crowd outside was parting like the Red Sea.  People were screaming in recognition, jumping up and down, scrambling to get as close as possible.  God.  You’d think The Beatles had landed at JFK.  The band on stage had stopped playing, and the projection screens had switched to some very serious disclaimers.

Mackenzie paused on the red carpet, letting the crowd appreciate the moment.  Her dress was blue sequined, the same color as Lilith’s hair.  It caught the spotlights and strobes around her, making her flash with the reflected light of the entire party.  Yet the woman seemed to hardly notice the fanfare.  As tens of thousands of people screamed for her, she stared at Abigail, unsmiling.

For a moment it seemed Mackenzie had arrived alone.  Until the gates opened, and Lilith strode in, leading the way.  The witch hadn't bothered to enhance her height even a little – she was far shorter than the toe of Mackenzie’s stiletto.  But her smug look suggested she owned every last person within her line of sight, including the trained giantess following behind.

Lilith’s outfit was, frankly, absurd.  She wore an enormous shawl around her shoulders, too gaudy to be anything but real mink, covering a dress of pure black leather with matching elbow-length gloves.  She had topped off the ensemble with a comically large pair of pink dollar store sunglasses.

Eve gave Abigail a reassuring smile, and kissed her on the cheek.  Then she shifted down to her natural height of five-seven, and approached Lilith.

“My beloved sister.  I formally welcome you to–”

Lilith cut her off.  “I formally accept your welcome.  Nice to see you’re speaking to me.”

“It’s an effort,” Eve admitted.  “Knowing what you have planned for me.  But I thought we could at least be civil.”

“A party,” Lilith growled.  “Is the last place I'll be civil.”

Eve’s expression darkened.  “May I show you around?”

“Mackenzie dear,” Lilith called.  “I’m going to take a walk.  Remember what I told you.  I’ll be watching tonight.  Don’t let me down.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

Lilith offered Eve her arm.  The two walked off together.

Dylan watched them go.  After a moment he tried to follow, pulling Elijah along with him.  The larger man resisted, until Dylan motioned him down, and whispered something in his ear.  Elijah’s face brightened at once.  The two men trailed after the human-sized witches as they disappeared into the crowd.

Abigail was aware Mackenzie had been staring at her all this time.  Her super model friend was once again shorter than her, the top of her head only level with Abigail’s chin.  The girl was in her tallest heels, too.  Abigail wondered whether the height difference bothered her.  Mackenzie’s expression was unreadable.

It was hard to even look her in the eye.  The charm still gave her some resistance to Mackenzie’s Glamour – just enough to remind her of high school.  It was like talking to the most popular girl at the party, who clearly never felt a shred of doubt about anything, and was in total control of every aspect of herself.  And Abigail, with her uncombed hair, and ‘Do Not Meddle in the Affairs of Dragons’ t-shirt.

“It’s good to see you,” Abigail managed.

Mackenzie seemed to think about her response for a long time.  “I like your dress,” she said at last.

Abigail felt a sudden sick urge to tear it off and hand it to the woman.  She suppressed it.  “Do you want me to uh, tell you how the party works?  I know you were really busy all week.  With Lilith and stuff.”

Mackenzie gestured.  “Those two still aren’t looking at me?”

Chloe and Kayla had both turned their backs as Mackenzie approached.  The two taller women stood at Abigail’s shoulders, like an honor guard ready to intervene.

“There’s still time to let this go,” Chloe said over her shoulder.  “We can be friends again, and go back to the way things were.”

“Chloe.  I love you more than anything.  But you really are terribly naïve.”

Mackenzie turned.  She regarded a grouping of a few hundred, gathered against the mesh wooden safety fence that separated the giantess walkway from the rest of the crowd.  The ones most enthusiastically screaming her name.

For a moment, Mackenzie looked down at them sadly.  Then quite suddenly, she became the exact girl Abigail had seen her be at every party they’d attended together.  Happy, upbeat, and ready to be the center of attention.

“Hey there, little fans.  I’ve got the very best news for you!  You’re the lucky first, tonight!”

They began to scream.  Waving their arms, tearing at each other in excitement.

“I’ll take your tribute… now!”

She blew them a kiss – and in a burst, swelled larger.  Her head lifted higher into the night sky, until the spotlights illuminating the party failed to reach her eyes.  She was somehow more beautiful than ever.  But the underlighting made her look ominous, almost ghastly.  By the time it had finished, the woman was well over a head taller than even Kayla – and Abigail failed to reach the bottoms of her perfect breasts.

The giantess grinned down at her, and shot her a condescending wink.  “Okay, Abby dear.  I'm ready to be worshiped.  Lead on.”

Far below, in the crush of the crowd, the two witches wandered the party.

“And this is one of the drink stations,” Eve was saying, gesturing with her free hand.  “Everyone’s getting an armband at the door so we don’t have to check ID’s.  Food is over there.  Along the party perimeter, we have chill-out tents.  If anyone gets overwhelmed….”

“Oh, I intend to do my share of overwhelming tonight,” Lilith promised.  “And those tents sound like the perfect place to do some evangelizing.  Tell people the good news about the ascendance of my little goddess.”

“There’s a strict no-talking rule.”

Lilith flipped a lock of hair from her eyes.  “Oh that doesn’t matter.  I’m pretty good at non-verbal communication.  And if you watch me closely, I bet you that even you can learn–”

The woman’s gloating suddenly cut off as a man in a denim-patched jacket shoved his way between them.  As he went, he spilled a sizable portion of his beer all over Eve.  He continued on without breaking stride.

“Hey,” Lilith called after him.  “Hey!  Don’t you walk away from me buddy, I’m talking to you!”

The man peered over his shoulder.  “What the fuck do you want, lady?”

“I want you to apologize to my sister, asshole!”

He sneered.  “It’s a party.  Tell her to get over it or get a helmet.”

Lilith stepped forward until she was chest to chest with the man.  “What do you think of Eve?”

The man’s face scrunched with confusion.  “Who the fuck is Eve?”

Eve waved.  “Hi.”

“Shut up, Eve.”  Lilith stepped closer to the man, her voice dropping into a purr.  “You aren’t under her protection?  I mean, you don't know her?”

“Never seen her before in my–”

Lilith snapped her fingers.  “Ope.”

In an instant, the man disappeared into his oversized jacket.  The witch rummaged around inside and withdrew him – no more than six inches tall, naked, kicking, and struggling in terror.  She held him up to her face, smirking, and very slowly drew the fingers of her other hand together in a pinching motion.  Shrinking him further, until he was almost too small to see.

“Party foul,” Lilith declared.  “You’re spending the rest of the night in my panties.”

Eve sighed.  “I can’t take you anywhere.”

“God, fine.  You big baby.  I’ll be merciful.”  Lilith looked at the terrified man.  “But like.  You’re going to enjoy it.”

The little speck in her palm stopped struggling at once.  As Lilith hiked up her dress to drop him inside, he looked absolutely overjoyed.

“Now,” Lilith said, hurrying back to her sister.  “Let’s see about your dress.  If we’re quick, it won’t stain.  Come on, I’m sure there’s some club soda….”

Eve pulled away.  “It’s fine.  It’s shitty beer, mostly water.  See?  It’s already drying.”

“But–”

“Lilith.  I want you to listen carefully.  The last thing I want.  In the whole wide world?  Is your help.  Say that back to me.”

Lilith scowled, her nostrils flaring.

Eve stared back coldly.  Her gaze didn’t slip, even as the tiny man behind her sister shot her a thumbs up, and went off on his mission.

Dylan took a breath, counted to three, and crawled beneath the drink table into the service area beyond.  He paused, waiting for the enormous people bustling around to move away – then made a mad dash into the supply area.

There were several large transparent tanks, each with a spinning steel mixer inside, blending a different flavor of frozen drink.  A hose led from each, twisting together toward a soda gun at the front of the bar.

Climbing up to the top was a struggle.  Twice, bar workers passed within inches of him.  Both times his tiny stature aided in his stealth check.

He opened the lid of the nearest tank, and dumped in every last drop of the potion Eve had given him.

Outside, the witches were still at it.  It sounded like they were winding up to what promised to be a screaming argument.  No way in hell was he getting involved in that.

Elijah was still standing exactly where he’d left him.

“Okay, big guy,” Dylan said.  “This is what Mackenzie wanted you to do.  It’s really important.  Think you can handle it?”

“Absolutely, one-hundred and ten percent, yes.  As long as it isn’t operating heavy machinery, or remembering anyone’s birthday, or something that requires coordination, or….”

Dylan led him behind the counter, and put the soda gun in his huge, soft hands.  “If anyone asks, you work here.  You were just late for your shift.  Hey you, what are you doing back here?”

“I um.”  Elijah thought for a moment.  “I work here and I was late for my shift, sir.”

“Perfect.  Now this is the important part.  You can tell when someone likes Mackenzie, right?  You’re such a big empathetic sweetheart, I bet you know from a mile away.”

The big man got a dreamy look in his eye.  “Oh yeah.  In my sleep.  I love Mackenzie, I’d do anything for–”

“So.  If you see someone who likes Mackenzie, you give them a piña colada.  No matter what they order, they get a piña colada.  Can you remember that?”

“If you like piña coladas,” Elijah sang.  “Then you like Mackenzie.  Yeah, I’m good.”

Dylan gave him a good-game slap on the ass.  “You got this, buddy.”

The fight between Eve and her sister was getting louder.  Time to get out of here.  Dylan turned, heading back to meet up with Abigail for the next part of the plan.  He made it all of three steps, before he slammed full-bodied into something big, soft, and purple.

The woman bent, offering him her hand.  “Oh shit, I’m really sorry, Dylan!  I thought I recognized you, and I was hurrying over, and….”

“Victoria?”

The massive, tattooed woman smiled.  “You remembered!”

It was the lady from the bar – the Abby Super Fan.  As she stood towering over him, she was briefly framed by a spotlight shifting through the night sky.  For just a moment, her purple hair seemed to flare with impossible, almost magical brilliance.  The sight took his breath away.

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and gave him a hopeful smile.  “Hey.  I see you’re not with Abigail tonight.  Would it be okay if we like… hung out?”

Dylan glanced over his shoulder, trying to catch Eve’s attention.  The witch was in the middle of listening to what sounded like a very long monologue from her sister.  Eve spared him a glance, and looked the lanky, purple-haired woman up and down.  She sniffed.  Then deliberately tugged twice on the lace around her collar.  Their agreed-upon signal for, ‘Potential connection, go for it.’

Dylan gulped.  He reached up, took her offered hand, and allowed Victoria to haul him to his feet.

“You know,” he said.  “I had plans.  But plans can change.  Do you like piña coladas?”

“And another thing!” Lilith was saying.  “What I'm putting you through never had to be this distasteful.  That’s entirely your doing.  We could’ve been home and dry by now, with your appropriately brief lesson already over, but no.  You had to escalate, to keep fighting back, and what was I supposed to do but respond in kind?  Understand me, Eve – I hate that you're making me do this to you.  I hate it!  But everything that’s happened, everything that’s about to happen, is your fault!”

“You’re not fooling anyone.”  Eve pointed to Mackenzie.  The giantess was seated on a hill at the center of the park, like an empress on a throne.  “She’s the one that’s good at lying to herself.  You’re not.”

“Don’t you dare say that about her!”

“Lilith.  I know what this is really about.  And my dearest sister?  You may rest in the certainty that my love will never be seized by force.  Perhaps I may find a way to forgive you someday, within the privacy of my heart.  But tonight may well be the last time I ever deign to look upon you face to face.”

Lilith’s jaw fell open.  “You don’t mean that.  You can’t.  It’s… it’s not allowed!”

Eve stared, her green eyes hard as agates.  Then she sighed.  “Look, Lilith.  Just say you’re sorry.  Make me believe that’s true, before whatever comes next.  That's all I'm asking.”

Lilith looked chagrined.  She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.  And as the silence ticked on, the air seemed to chill around them.

Suddenly, there was a loud burst of feedback from the speakers.

On stage, the lead singer was doubled over in distress.  The drummer sprinted out from behind his kit, and began to pound on the man’s back.  He roughly pulled him into a Heimlich maneuver, and squeezed until a small object popped out of his mouth.

The singer weakly retrieved his microphone.  Feedback hummed.  “This is why you never try to eat a hot dog during a guitar solo.  Even if it is six minutes long.”

The crowd laughed awkwardly.

The man coughed.  Cleared his throat.  Coughed again.  “Um.  I’m terribly sorry to do this folks.  I don’t think I can continue.  Now, this is highly unorthodox, but is there anyone out there who thinks they’re up to the challenge of taking my place on stage?  Anyone at all?”

“Dibs!” Lilith screamed, her voice amplified many times louder than the man with the microphone.  She whirled, glaring savagely at Eve.  “This argument was going nowhere.  Enjoy your last hours of freedom.  With the spotlight on me, there’s no way I can lose.”

Lilith began to shove people out of her way.  People shouted in alarm as bodies flew through the air.  In short order, the witch pushed her way past security, and climbed onto the stage.

“Hey there,” the synth player said nervously.  “Dig your voice.  You can certainly, uh, project.”

“Thanks.”  Lilith smirked at him, as she began to grow.  The band members looked up at her in alarm.  “You’ll find I’ve got a hell of a stage presence, too.  What kind of music do you boys play?”

“Virtuosic prog rock,” one of them squeaked.  “Shoe-gazey math metal.  Our influences are–”

The ten-foot woman laughed.  “No.  Tonight, we’re two parts girl-power glam, one part late-eighties thrash punk.  Do you guys know Bowsette?  By The Chalkeaters?”**

They stared at her blankly.

“Hmph.”  Lilith bent down, and blew them each a kiss.  “Now you do.  Just follow my lead.”

Abigail and her friends were already back at the meeting spot.  Eve stalked through the crowd, fists balled at her side, growing back to Kayla’s height as she went.  She stepped over the fence, and joined the other three.

“Everything okay?” Chloe asked.

“Lilith took the bait,” Eve said.  “And Dylan’s occupied, but he’s fine.  Everything according to plan.  Just….”

Abigail nodded.  “I know.  She’s a lot.  It was like that for us with Mackenzie.  Funny thing about the people we love?  They have the most capacity to do us harm.”

The four women stood together, as the music blared.  All feeling the same thing.

“Do you think Lilith is trying to send you a message?” Kayla asked.  She cocked her head toward the nearest speaker.

On stage, the witch was belting out that meme song from a couple years ago.  The one with the chorus about your princess being in another castle.

“Probably.”  Eve shrugged.  “Any last requests before we get started?”

Abigail raised her hand.  “Would anyone object if I got bigger?”

Chloe and Kayla shook their heads.  Eve grinned.

The witch took both her hands, and stared down into Abigail’s eyes.  “How big?” she whispered.

“As big as Mackenzie.  No.  Bigger.”

The two never broke eye contact, as their love poured into each other.  Abigail held her breath, feeling her body swell.  The passion of it, the power, the joy.  Not to mention the pleasure.  The noise of the party fell away, the sound from the speakers dropping in pitch as she Dopplered her way into the sky.

On stage, Lilith’s voice struck a single sour note.

When it finished, her friends were all looking up at her proudly, from just beneath the level of her shoulders.  On their faces she saw adoration, and excitement, and not a single shred of fear.  And she realized, in all honesty, that it was what she felt, too.

“Alright, A-Team.  Let's do this.”  Abigail put her hand in.  “Are you ready Eve?”

The witch put her hand on top of Abby’s.  “Yeah.”

“How about you, Klo?”

“I’m here, Abby.”

“How ‘bout you Kayla?”

“Fucking ready.”

Abby glanced over her shoulder at Mackenzie.  She took a deep breath.

“I think I’m alright.  One, two, three, four!”

** She's canonically singing both parts.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-FDFsHA20w