Henri stared down at the shot glass of red-brown liquid and grimaced.
"What is this again? It stinks..."
"It's called 'tiet canh', it's... I don't know, I heard of it on a tv show and got our chef to make you some. It... made a lot more sense before you made me stop calling you Bludsauger." Marissa said sheepishly.
"Wait, is that like, just a glass of blood?!" I asked.
"Oh, götter..." muttered Henri. "This is why you asked if I was veggie, wasn't it?"
"In my defense-" Marissa started
"I don't think there's a defense for this, this is fucked..." I said, shaking my head.
"In my defense. People eat it all the time in... somewhere else, and it fit, ok?" she finished.
"I- is this cooked? What even is it? Just blood? It looks like a sticky jello..."
"Ah, I'm not reaaaally sure, I think it's just blood and spices, maybe salt or something? Listen, I had the chef make it, and it's just one shot, just take it so we can move on with the night."
"Um," I cut in. "I really don't think this fits the stuff you said, I mean, blood? That's hardly 'intended for human consumption' or whatever you said, it's just, like, blood. Where did your chef even get random blood on short notice?"
"I didn't ask, he had an hour or two, I texted him on the way home when I dropped you off. Maybe he sent someone to wherever they sell blood?" Marissa said.
"Ok, ok... I can do this... It's just like blutwurst, just uncooked, I love blutwurst, I can do this..." Henri said, rocking back and forth slightly.
"Henri, please don't do this, it's gotta be ille-" I started, but she ignored me.
She reached her hand out and grabbed the glass, and tossed it back. Like the vodka, it hit the back of her throat and she gagged, shuddering. Her eyes streamed, and she huffed through her nose before squeezing her eyes closed and gulping. She stood there, head tilted back, not moving for a full three seconds before she opened her eyes and looked at me and Marissa defiantly.
"Ha! I did it, it wasn't-" Her eyes clenched shut and her cheeks puffed out. She shoved past us, almost knocking me off of Marissa on the way, and slammed through the bathroom door. The sounds that followed were not pretty.
"Damn, I didn't expect her to be able to swallow if I'm being honest, I'm really impressed with her." Marissa said.
"That was horrible and mean, just because of a dumb name joke? I can't believe you'd make her eat that..." I said, glaring at the side of her face.
She reached up and plucked me off her shoulder.
"This is the cost, R- Amber. She got to spend time with you, and see you alone, and whisper her little secrets to you, and I'm guessing cuddle the fuck out of you, knowing her. In return, I get to make her drink blood and wear a cute outfit."
"So you DO see the maid outfit as sexual then." I said.
"No, cute and sexy are two different things, I'm not making her wear a sexy thing, it's a cute thing, so it's not sexual."
The bathroom door opened and a frazzled Henri stepped out.
"Ugh... I can still taste it... It was still in one piece coming out, just a blob of-" She covered her mouth and shuddered.
"That's disgusting, I don't want to hear about that. Here, take another shot, you didn't keep the first one down and it'll get the taste out too." Marissa stood from her spot on the bed and walked over to the coffee table, setting me down next to the shot glasses.
"I'll make you one nice, with lime and triple sec so it goes down easy."
"You could have made the first one nice too you know..." Henri said, slowly walking over.
"Actually... No. You gotta taste the vodka by itself first, so you know how much is in whatever else you're drinking. My dad taught me that, at my 16th birthday."
"You had vodka at your sixteenth birthday party?" I asked. "I didn't know your parents were... cool, I always assumed they were super strict or something because... you know. You."
"Oh hush. But yeah, my mom is a nightmare. My dad was cool, until he left my mom for some bitch who graduated the year before me. I still see him every couple weeks, but... I always wonder how he sees me now, knowing what age range he's into..."
"That's... really rough, and pretty gross. I didn't know you still had contact, I thought you'd have cut him off after all the teasing." I said.
"Yeah. I go to his house every other Sunday because of custody agreements. I don't have to anymore because I'm an adult, but I still do. Half my allowance comes from him, and getting paid $2000 every two weeks to sit at his house and listen to him and his 'wife' complain about their friends is a pretty good deal."
Henri threw back her drink. "Oh... that shot was much better, I kinda liked it... And wait, does that mean you get an allowance of..." She thought for a moment. "$104,000?! A year?"
Marissa's smirk slid back onto her face and she tilted her head back proudly. "Yup, since I was 17."
Her face turned to a sneer. "But it's in a joint account with my mother, and she watches it like a hawk, so I can't do anything without her knowing."
"Oh, yeah, she called like, ten minutes after you bought me, that's right..." I said, thinking back.
"Anyway, enough about my stupid family, Henri, want another shot? We're about to do a punishment game, so you'll probably want at least a bit." Marissa changed the subject.
Henri narrowed her eyes. "...Ok, but only if you do one too. I don't want to be drunker than you."
They did their shots, and Marissa pulled a box with some cards in it from under her bed. She set them on the table next to me, and moved the drinks to one side. I tried to climb up to see what the cards said, but Marissa pulled me off the box and bapped me on the head again. It didn't hurt, but if she kept doing it, it'd get pretty annoying. I sat cross-legged, fixing my dress so it flared out around me, and waited on the other two to finish getting ready. Before long, they both sat on the couch across from me and the box, and I waited for Marissa to explain what we were going to do.
"Ok, so, this is a box of punishment cards and tasks. I'll be the game master, and you two will be going against each other. If you fail a task, you get punished. Obviously the ones that make you take a shot won't count if Amber gets them, but other than that, anything goes. I'll draw the cards, and I'll tell you the tasks. Any questions?" Marissa said.
"Uhh, yeah, won't I be at a huge disadvantage for like, all the tasks?" I said. "I'm like, four inches tall, I can't even get off the table."
"Yeah, some. Sucks to be you I guess. Any questions, Henri?" Marissa blew me off.
"Nnno? I'm a bit worried that you have a whole box of handwritten punishments ready to go though..."
"High school parties, it was in some show one of the girls liked, so I made a more mean version for us. We'd play this shit all night, it was great. Anyway, this is just warmup stuff. The blood would go bad or I'd have saved it for later, but once we're done with this stuff, I'll get into the real stuff I have planned." Marissa said, snickering.
"Gods, that doesn't sound good..." I said, mostly to myself.
"Ok, ladies, the first challenge is..." Marissa dug in the box. "Oh. Lame. Staring contest. Whatever, the punishments are the fun part."
Staring contest? I could do that, my size had nothing to do with how often I blinked, I think. I closed my eyes and leaned forwards, feeling the heat from Henri's face radiating onto me as she leaned in too.
"Ok, and... go!" Marissa said.
I opened my eyes and saw nothing but Henri. Her face blocked everything else, and her light blue eyes stared into mine like holes through her mind, connecting us through eye contact. I felt my face flush, and I felt the light puffs of air as she breathed. She looked focused, but worried and careful at the same time. Her lips were tightly pressed together and she was starting to turn pink. My eyes stung with every one of her lightly alcoholic breaths, they watered, and I felt the need to blink getting closer and closer. Finally, the stinging was too much, and I blinked, drips of tears splashing onto my dress as my eyes finally stopped watering.
I shook my head. "Yeah, ok, she wins. I lose, what's the punishment?"
"Awwww, poor thiiing, losing the first game... Let's see what you have to do, poor baby." Marissa said, her voice taunting and haughty.
Henri rubbed her eyes. "Ugh, you almost had me, klein fee, I was so close myself..."
"Ok but you won so shut up, the punishment is... Oh, hm. Uhhh, I don't know if this will work..." Marissa said, confused.
"What is it?" I asked. "You said we could swap out stuff with drinking for me, right?"
"Well, yeah, but this is... I'll just read it. It says 'The loser of the game must carry the winner around the room twice on their back without falling over.'... So... yeah."
"Oh... oh no, I would squash her!" Henri said appalled.
"Yeah, I don't even want to think about that, I don't think I could lift one of her fingers, much less all of her. That's stupid, can we do a different one?" I said.
"Nope, we already set the rules, the whole point of a punishment game is that there's no backing out, we have to do it." Marissa said, thinking hard.
"Ok, ok, let's see if... Uhhh, put me on the floor Henri?" I asked.
"I'm not climbing on top of you, my sweet, you would explode..." She said, but she put me on the floor anyway.
"Ok, so like, maybe if you got on your knees, and I'm between your knees, I could pull, and you could scoot?" I offered.
"Hey, try it at least, let's see how it goes!" Marissa said, looking smug as ever.
"I... suppose we could try it..." Henri said.
We got in position, with me between her knees and her siting behind me. I put my hands behind her knees where her thigh and her shin met, and leaned forward, pulling forward with all my might. She didn't move an inch, but she kicked herself forward with her feet anyway. The lurch forward caused me to slip, and I fell face down on the carpet, buried under her shins. She jumped up and way from me and gasped.
"Oh! Oh! Oh, are you ok? I was trying so hard to be careful..." Henri said, wringing her hands.
I stood up and brushed myself down, smoothing my dress. "Yeah, I'm fine, I just couldn't keep up I guess... So.. What's the punishment for failing a punishment, Lady M?"
"The punishment is usually two more punishments before the next round starts, but I really want to see Henri get punished too, so... we'll save yours for later. Let's just move on to the next game."
She dug in the box. "Ok, the next game is... handstand contest! That'll be fun."
"We're both wearing dresses, Lady M, that's hardly fair." I said, flapping mine.
"Well... I'm wearing bloomers, and the waist is pretty tight, I think I'm fine to do a handstand, actually." Henri said, smiling confidently.
"Ok, no, we need to fix this, come here." Marissa said, snagging me off the floor. She carried me to her computer desk and pulled open a drawer, pulling out a roll of tape.
"Oh- no, that's- I can just change, we don't have to do this..." I protested, but she tore off a few pieces anyway and stuck my dress to my legs on the front, bunching it up tight. I flexed my legs and grumbled. It wasn't great quality tape, but it'd been a week since I'd shaved my legs, and I knew it'd hurt coming off later if I wasn't careful. Marissa brought me over to the window wall on the far side of the room and waved Henri over.
"Come on, do it against the window, it's reinforced, you won't fall." She said.
"Yes, but it's glass." Henri said. "Anyone outside will see my butt against the window."
"It faces the woods, and anyway, you're wearing bloomers, remember? Now get over here and get started, i want to get to the fun parts."
Marissa set me down on the metal brace the window was attached to, and stepped back. Henri walked over, and took her position, making sure to stay far enough away so even if she fell, she wouldn't hit me. Marissa counted down, then we both stood up on our hands, leaning against the window to brace ourselves. I felt my bruise sting as I clenched my stomach muscles. The injuries from the ice were still sore too, but oddly enough, I barely felt like I was holding myself up. I looked over at Henri, and saw her face was already turning red. She and I mostly focused on cardio, so it made sense that she'd be bad at handstands, but I was surprised I wasn't having any trouble. The blood wasn't pooling in my head, my arms weren't getting tired, and aside from my side, I felt like I could just... keep going. I knew I was a lot smaller now, so I was a lot lighter so that explained some. I remembered the video, and about how I could lift more now, I didn't expect that to come in handy for a dumb party game.
Henri gasped, and tumbled forward, her knees hitting the ground with a thud, knocking me over too with the impact. She held her arms to her chest and moaned as her face returned to its normal pale tone. I stood up, and awkwardly waited for her to get back up herself.
"Aww, I knew you could do it, Amber." Crooned Marissa. "I knew you'd come through for mommy, and you did!"
"Can- can we not do the 'mommy' thing? That feels weird, I can't explain it, but it feels super wrong..." I said, walking over to Henri.
"Yeah, it felt wrong as soon as I said it, I'll stick with mistress." She agreed.
"Still weird, but whatever. Hey, Henri, you good?" I asked, poking her in the face.
"I'm fine, I'm just dizzy, and my arms hurt... You won fair and square, little one, you did good..."
"Nnnnno, I won because I'm lighter now and compression made me stronger, you're way more in shape than me." I assure her.
"Yeah, we know, we have eyes." Jabbed Marissa.
"Hey, I know I'm not like, 'thin' or anything, but I am NOT overweight, and I'd like you to shut up about that, I'm like, normal fucking sized, or I was before I got small, at least." I snapped.
Marissa pushed me into the carpet and rubbed, rolling me around into the high pile fibers.
"I didn't ask you to sass me. I haven't seen you use your little treadmill once since I got you, you're supposed to be losing weight, remember?"
I tried to argue, but only got a mouthful of carpet lint for my troubles.
"Hey, stop that! You're going to hurt her!" Henri said, finally sitting up. She grabbed Marissa's arm and pulled it away enough for me to dash out from under her hand.
"She's not that fragile. She's weak, but I'm figuring out what she can take, being rolled around won't hurt her, so stop trying to tell me how to take care of my pet." Marissa said, jerking her hand away.
"She doesn't need to lose weight, she's lovely, and she's plenty in shape, that's just rude of you and honestly you're going to give her mental problems!" Henri said. She tried to scoop me up herself, but Marissa slapped her hand.
"Hey, NO. No touching without asking, remember?" Marissa grabbed me herself. "I was super fucking clear about that. And I'm her guardian, it's my job to keep her healthy, and I decide what that is. She'll lose the weight in no time, she won't even notice." .
"I think I'd use the treadmill more if I was alone more often... I haven't had much time to myself aside from when I was sick, and it's only been a few days. I'll use it, I like cardio, I just haven't had a chance." I said, squirming so I could stand on her pinkie as she gripped me.
"Whatever, speaking of, we need to get food. Henri, if you can do this punishment, AND take one of the two that Amber has lined up, I'll let you call our chef and order anything you want for us to eat, otherwise, I pick. Got it?"
Henri crossed her arms. "I'd take Amber's punishments anyway, just because I'm a GOOD FRIEND, unlike other people, so I'll gladly take you up on that."
Marissa ignored her and set me on the table again. She pulled out a card. "Oh, perfect, this one fits the game you lost, too. You have to do a shot, while hanging upside down off the couch."
"More upside down? Ugh, alright, if I have to..." Henri walked over and lay down, her head hanging off the couch. "You'll have to give it to me, though..."
Marissa mixed another shot, and crouched in front of Henri. Henri opened her mouth, and Marissa poured the drink into it. Henri swallowed, and snorted, then gagged and gasped.
"Ok, I did that, not hard at all, it went into my nose a bit, but not bad, I'm getting good at shots, I think." She sat up and wiped her mouth.
"Yeah, that one was a softball. Tell you what, after the next challenge, we'll both do a shot so you're not the only one drinking, ok?" Marissa offered, patting her shoulder.
"Wait, that doesn't wor-" I started, but Marissa's finger found my face before I could finish, knocking me on my ass yet again.
"Yeah, ok, I could do that. I'm starting to feel them a bit, it's kinda nice, another one wouldn't hurt!" Henri smiled and pointed at the box. "What's my next punishment?"
Marissa grabbed a card out and read it. She smiled and started to laugh. "Oh, wow, gods, it's good you're doing this, as funny as it'd be, if Amber got this we'd be cleaning her guts off the floor."
"That sounds horrible, what is it?" Henri peeked at the card over Marissa's shoulder.
"Here, read it yourself, then, you know, do it." She handed her the card.
I watched as Henri's face scrunched, then she frowned. "Wait. Is this a punishment for you or me? Who's on the ground?"
"You're on the ground, obviously, it says. That's the point?" Marissa said, pointing at the ground.
"What is it? I can't see the card..." I asked.
"Marissa has to give me a back massage, apparently." Henri placed the card next to me and I read it.
'The loser must lay on the floor. The game master will then step or stand on the loser for no less than 2 minutes'
"I'm guessing you're the game master a lot when you play this, huh Lady M?" I asked.
"Usually, yeah, but it's not a massage, it's humiliation, it's being stepped on. It's a punishment."
Henri lay down on the ground face down, crossing her arms under her chin.
"Sure, ok, it's a 'punishment', go ahead, I'll be down here..." she sang.
"Yeah, I hate to break it to you Marissa, but like, my Appa used to get me to do this to him all the time, it's not a really a humiliation thing as much as it is just kinda nice." I said.
She shook her head. "Then... your 'appa' was a pervert, and don't call me that, this is- ugh, this is just because you" She pointed to Henri. "actually like this stuff, isn't it?"
"I'll never telllllll" Henri giggled. I'd seen her like this when we slept over before, but usually only after 2 am, and it was barely 8:30...
"Whatever, fine, just- ugh. Ra- Amber, set a timer. Two minutes." She unlocked her phone and tossed it onto the table, dangerously close to me. I flipped it over, and set the timer.
"And the massage starts.... nnnow." I said.
I watched as Marissa stepped up onto Henri's back and started to step around, on her shoulders and spine. Henri giggled again and rocked slightly as she did so.
"Hey, you're gonna make me fall!" snapped Marissa
"Oh noooo the great 'Lady M', bested by wiggles..." snickered Henri.
"You're doing pretty well having a whole ass person on you, huh?" I said. "I was like 12 when my dad decided I was getting too heavy, but you're just tanking it."
"She's all of 125, tops. I barely feel it, she should try harder..." Henri said wiggling more.
"Damnit, this is a punishment, fucking be punished already." Marissa growled, stomping on Henri's back. There was a popping sound, and Henri let out a satisfied sigh.
"Ohhhh there it was, keep it up Marissa, you might get your chiropracty license...."
"Uh, thirty seconds on the clock..." I said. Henri was laying it on thick, it might end up making Marissa mad, and...
"Fuck it, I'm done..." Marissa said, and got off. "Just lay there until it's over. That was one of my favorites, and you two ruined it with your 'massage' stuff."
"Well, I had a great time, maybe I should take Amber's other punishment too, I'm fine with it if you are~." Henri said, grinning up at Marissa.
The alarm went off, and Henri sat up, stretching. "That was fantastic... I believe I get to pick dinner now, yes?"
Marissa crossed her arms. "Whatever. Order what you want, I'm making our shots, just don't give her any." She jerked a thumb at me.
"I can't tell if you're being an ass about my weight again, or if you're reminding her that I can't eat 'people food' anymore..." I said.
"I can multitask. Anyway, did you eat yet?" She asked me.
"Ah, no, I have half my daily meal left, maybe a bit more. I wanted to eat with you guys actually." I admitted.
"Aww that's so sweet of you klein fee!" Henri said, clapping. "I will order... Ummm... what are you eating Amber?"
"Oh, just a poke bowl. I don't know what it is exactly, but it's lumps of stuff that looks like a poke bowl?"
"Ok, we shall all eat bowls of stuff! I want pho!" Henri cheered loudly.
"So order already." Marissa said, handing her a shot.
"I actually think Henri should slow down on the shots, she's getting kinda silly..." I said as I eye the almost half empty bottle of vodka.
"Oh hush, she's ordering." Marissa flipped a cup over on me, closing me off from the outside world. I reached down to pull it off, but my fingers couldn't get a good grip on the plastic, and the cup was taller than I was, so I couldn't push it off from the top. I heard Henri ordering from the chef over the phone, her voice louder and more excited than usual, and I shook my head. Things were going to get out of hand soon if she didn't watch herself. I pushed the cup along the table as I walked, trying to find an edge so I could reach under the lip of the cup to pull it off of me, and after a few steps, I found one.
As I reached down to grip the bottom of the cup, I heard a shriek, and with a crash, the cup I was under flipped over, scooping me up in it. I lay at the bottom in a heap, my dress flared out over me as I lay on my upper back with my legs up. Henri's face filled the top of the opening, and I frowned up at her.
"What the heck was that?" I asked.
"You didn't see? You almost fell off the table! I had to save you, one more step, and you would have broken something!" She said. Her breath was pure alcohol now, and the smell of it filled my cup. I gagged and covered my mouth and nose.
"Put me down, I'm fine, and you need a mint or something, gods..."
She tipped me out and huffed into her hand. "I do? I don't smell anything..."
"They're way more sensitive to smells and stuff, I brush my teeth like, four times a day now, and lotion everything at least every few hours. Even if the smell isn't enough to bother you, it's much stronger for her. But... you do have booze breath, yeah." Marissa said, pulling glass bottles of water out of the fridge wall cubby.
"Here, drink this, and eat some of those cherry gummies I know you have hidden in your bag, it'll be fine."
I felt surprised and a little dumb, She'd been putting lotion on constantly for my sake? I had thought it was for a skin care routine. I wondered if she'd even used lotion before she got me, or if it was all for me... Plus, the fact that Henri didn't know that meant that it wasn't covered in the class, so Marissa was doing research on class Bs to take care of me better, for certain this time.
"How did you know I had sweets in my bag?" Henri asked, taking a bottle of water.
"I heard it crinkle when I kicked it earlier, and you always had a bag of the same kind with you at school, every day. I assumed you'd have some here. And I was right, obviously." retorted Marissa.
Again, there she was noticing someone's eating habits, just casually noticing that she ate candy at school, and knowing the type, and connecting that with the crinkle of the wrapper. Was she just weird like that? Or did the other girls talk about me and Henri that much, that our lunch habits were a topic of discussion?
Henri chugged the water, and unzipped her bag, pulling out her candy.
"I'll just have one piece, we're about to eat, you know..." She said, pushing a cherry into her mouth.
"You know... if we do this again, we can actually plan ahead and we can make vodka gummies with those. We'll need to soak them for like a day, but they're a great way to get drunk, fun." Marissa said.
"Mmm, that does sounds fun..." mumbled Henri through her gummy. ""These are my favorite thing, and I'm really liking the feeling I have right now, it's like... a hug, but from the inside, and it makes me not care or something..."
"Henri, I think that's called drunk, you should not have any more." I called out, still on the table.
"No, that's called buzzed." Marissa interjected. "Drunk would be if she had maybe one or two more."
"Are we suuure we can't let Amber have some too? I'm sure she'd be fine, it's not that big a deal, she's got, what, a month? Three weeks?" Henri said, coming back over and sloshing the bottle at me.
"If I let her drink, especially in front of YOU, who'd report it in a heartbeat, I could lose custody. So no, I won't be letting her drink." Marissa pulled the bottle out of Henri's hand. "Drink your water, the food will be here soon."
"Actually, vodka is uhhh, potatoes and stuff, right? I can't eat anything that's not processed to hell and back, could I even drink vodka at all?" I asked.
"It's a moot point, so I don't care. We'll figure it out on your birthday party or something." She said as she put the bottle back in the fridge.
"Ohhh she gets a party? Can I come?" Henri said, lighting up.
"Well, I was planning on using her as a cake topper, on a cake she couldn't even eat without getting sick, so I don't know if you'd want to come, but we'll see."
"You were already planning my birthday party? A month out? I can't tell if that's sweet or terrible, what the heck." I said.
"It's terrible, I'm using you as a prop to make myself look nice, and all your worst enemies will be there getting drunk, and you won't be able to do anything but sit there on the cake getting sticky and looking pretty." Marissa said casually.
"Awwww you think she's pretty?" Henri said, leaning on Marissa and fluttering her eyelashes. "Don't tell anyone, but... I do tooooo."
Marissa shoved Henri off of her onto the couch where she landed with a squeak and a laugh.
"I can't tell if you're actually drunk, or if you're playing it up for my sake, but don't touch me without asking either, got it?" She said coldly.
"I think it's a bit of both, I've seen her get silly before, I think she's just having fun with it to be honest." I said, watching Henri giggle and fluff her maid dress.
There was a knock on the door, and Marissa looked up.
"Oh, shit, that's the food already. Uhh, Here, you cook yours while I get the table set."
She picked me up with both hands and walked over to my house. I could tell she was a bit unsteady herself, but was doing her best to hide it. She put me in my kitchen, and jogged over to the door for the food.
With her gone and me in my home... I put my meal in the microwave and wet a rag in the sink. I rubbed at the tape on my legs with it, but it didn't want to come off. I sighed, and fixed a cup of water, pouring it on the hem of my dress where the tape met it, and peeled the tape off the dress itself, leaving it attached to my leg. I used the rag to rub against the place where the tape met my skin, and had one leg fully un-taped when the microwave beeped. Marissa's face popped into view at the beeping, and she saw me working on my other leg to get the tape off.
She grinned and narrowed her eyes. "Oh, yeah, I forgot about that, let me get that for you..." She reached in and grabbed the tape.
"Oh, no no, stop, no AAAGH, GODS WHY" I screamed as the hair on my left thigh was all yanked out at once, leaving my leg burning and sensitive. I clutched my leg, expecting to see it bleeding, but it was just slightly pinker than usual.
"...Huh, yeah, looks like you had it, sorry." Marissa said, a smirk on her face.
I stood up shakily and winced as my dress brushed my leg. "Just... Let's go eat, whatever..."
I got my bowl out of the microwave, and sat in her hand as she carried me to the table.
"Heyyyy girls, I heard a loud thing, what was that?" Henri said, beaming.
"It was me, getting my leg waxed, apparently." I said, sitting in front of her. "You could have tried to help, if you heard me screaming, you know."
She frowned. "I didn't know, I just wanted to eat... I want a wax too..."
She was definitely getting drunk. I scooted away from her, and started eating. Marissa poked at her food, leaving it on the table and looking uninterested in it, but Henri practically gulped hers down, holding the bowl to her face and scooping the noodles and veggies into her mouth. It was getting late, she and I usually ate much earlier than this, so that could have been it, but she seemed downright voracious for some reason. I ate my own food quickly, it looked like Marissa was impatient to get to the next activity, and I didn't want her waiting on me. I ate the last 'something' lump as Henri slurped the rest of her broth and smacked her lips.
"Ahhh, that was wonderful!" She said, and picked me up off the table. "How was yours, klein fee?"
"HEY. DROP HER." Barked Marissa standing up sharply.
Henri squeaked and let go of me instantly, tossing me away from her.
As I fell, I wondered what it'd be like to be paralyzed, if I'd break my spine when I hit the floor or if I'd catch myself and break my limbs instead. Time flowed slowly, and as I tipped backwards, I realized I'd be hitting head first. In my hyperaware state, I almost felt relived, it'd be a quick death, then.
The back of my head hit, and a sensation of heat rushed through me, and I closed my eyes. I felt myself sinking, and the hot sensation spread across my whole body. I lay there, not feeling the table below me, feeling the heat, feeling my heartbeat, the stinging sensation around me, and I realized I wasn't dead. I opened my eyes, and instantly regretted it. A burning pierced them the second they split open, and my hands rushed to rub them, and I realized, I could move, I was fine. I had... just been tossed into Marissa's pho bowl.
I kicked to the surface and gasped for air, swimming through the broth to the the side, pushing noodles out of the way to get there. I hung onto the side of the bowl and panted, it was hot, but I wasn't hurt. I looked up to see Marissa looking down on me with a stricken look on her face, her hands out like she'd tried to catch me. I coughed, and shook the oily, salty broth out of my face.
"Gods Henri, I could have died, what the fuck?!" I yelled, once my senses came back enough to think straight.
"I- I- Oh, götter, I didn't- She said to drop you, I-" Henri stuttered, her hands shaking.
Marissa took a step forward and slapped Henri across the face, knocking her back onto the couch.
"Listen, you fucking ditz." she said, her voice deep and hard. "You're here in my house as a fucking guest, you follow my fucking rules, and you do not. DO NOT. Touch my pet without permission. You need to get a fucking grip, or I will call the fucking pigs and tell them you tried to steal my pet, do you understand?"
Henri's eyes welled up, and she shook, crying as she looked up at Marissa standing over her.
"I- I just wanted to hold my f-friend, I love her, I- I didn't want to hurt her, I-"
"Well you damn well near fucking killed her, if she'd hit the table, she'd be dead right now, all because you can't keep a few little rules in your head, do you understand that? That you almost killed her?"
Henri was curled up in a ball now, holding her head and crying hard. I felt bad for her, and I wanted to say something to comfort her, to take the sting away from Marissa's tirade, but... As angry and mean as what Marissa said was, she wasn't entirely wrong. I'd find a way to make it up to her later, once she'd calmed down. For now though...
"Hey, um, Lady M? I'm still in the soup, it's kinda hot and I can't get out... I think it ruined this dress, too..."
Marissa stopped glaring at Henri and looked over at me with a look that bordered on concern, before she smirked.
"Ok, let me help, but first... I never finished my dinner..."
She sat down on the couch again and lifted her chopsticks over me and I shuddered.
"Seriously, just pull me out, it really stings..."
"Hmm, I think it'd be easier to just finish the soup, then it wouldn't be stinging you, right?" she teased, twirling up a bite and slurping it up. The level dropped as she did so, and the lip of the bowl got that much farther away. I sighed, and resigned myself to waiting as she finished her meal, bite by bite. The chopsticks speared down around me over and over, plucking veggies, little bites of protein, and noodles on the way up. I floated in the broth, seeing the bowl around me, and I felt a little funny, almost like I could get used to this, like it felt... right, cozy, even. Marissa finished the last of the chunks, and lifted the bowl, my stomach sloshing along with the broth as gravity wobbled, and held it up to her mouth.
"Ready for another kiss, Amber?" She whispered, before tipping the bowl, sending me sliding against her lips once more.
She drank the broth quickly, and pulled away with her lips puckered against me as I slid back into the bowl, and smiled at me. "Mmm, Amber flavored soup... I'll have to make this again sometime..."
"Please don't..." I groaned. She just laughed, and used the chopsticks under my arms to lift me out of the bowl.
"I'll put you in your bathroom, wash up and get changed into your pajamas, Henri should be done crying by then and we can keep the night going." She said, walking me to my house.
"I'm still upset about this dress though, it's the only thing I had that was remotely cute..." I said, looking at the stained and oily scrap of fabric.
"Oh, we can throw that out, I got an email this morning, your wardrobe is getting here tomorrow, you'll have way better options soon, and I'll be picking your outfits from now on too, so you'll alwayslook cute."
I start to pull off the dress as she set me down and she jumped.
"W-wait, close your door at least, geez, ugh. I'm going to change too, just sit on your front step when you're cleaned up."
She closed the walls of my house, and I closed the door to my bathroom. For someone who'd just used me to flavor her dinner, she had a weird level of care about my modesty...
~~~