Melting May '23: A Slimy Sauna

Summary: Popular slime woman singer Evelyn notices Celes is more tense than usual, so she proposes they head to a sauna to relax. This does the trick, but Evelyn will soon find out that Celes is getting into it a little *too* much...

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[Story Listing]

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When Miss Evelyn encouraged Celes Pettigrew to come along to a sauna and let off some steam, Celes didn't make much of a fuss. The young slime girl was something of a doormat like that, and with the famous songstress Evelyn Marshwood as her senior slime-woman mentor, Celes had nothing but admiration for her senior.

But as Celes stared into her reflection, alone in a changing room, she was beginning to have second thoughts about the whole thing. Since her undesired transformation from a typical human girl to a shapeshifting slime, Celes regarded the mirror's reflection as some other entity entirely; it didn't feel like her, on some level, despite all the affirmations she received from her mentor. Celes and Evelyn certainly bonded well enough over their mutual love of fashion, and Celes had perhaps gravitated more to her special hobby as a coping measure... which made the act of privately undressing herself in front of a mirror all the more harrowing.

She tried to turn her back to the mirror to put it out of mind, but even if she closed her eyes, she couldn't deafen herself to the gross, squelching sounds her body made. Feeling strength fading in her legs, her thighs and knees pressed together, her lower body morphing into a trunk of inky slime. She hurried fumbled with a white cloth robe and turned to face the mirror, more out of reflex than anything.

Celes grimaced, letting out a soft, pained sound. It was the way that her body's skin, patterned with mixed splotches of a paint-like goo, would constantly shift. She was always a little chubby, but now she just felt like a water balloon ready to burst.

Celes slipped the robe onto her shoulders, her fingers twisting around the straps to close the front, and tie it shut. She perhaps tugged it a little too snugly, her entire body shifting under the pressure. She patted at the robe, taking a deep breath.

Celes felt a little better when she was wearing something; she understood that the tradition was to attend saunas in the nude, but she was thankful the front staff offered robes. She just hoped it wouldn't be too stuffy... just the thought of sitting in a steaming-hot room was already getting Celes a little flustered.

She tugged at the collar of the robe reflexively... the cotton fabric resisted in an odd way, and the slime girl couldn't help but peek down the collar. She saw several sticky strands of ooze, her ooze, possessively clinging to the fabric like spider webs, or glue...

"Ugh." Celes cried softly, allowing the robe to relax back against her. She was already staining the robe purple in multiple places; the desire to crawl into a dark corner crept up on her again...

"Celes?" Evelyn called out from outside the door. "Are you just about ready?"

"S-shoot-" Celes remembered herself again. She was getting stuck in her own head, as usual. Miss Evelyn wouldn't mind, she never did... Celes steeled herself, and looked up to the mirror. She mentally rehearsed, repeating some mantras. You are Celes. You are beautiful. You deserve compassion...

She tugged her robe snugly. She'd come this far... this was going to be fun. They were having fun.

"It's okay, Miss Evelyn, I'm dressed and ready!" Celes called, unlocking the door. "I'm coming out now..."

...Or, at least, she tried to. Celes wasn't used to getting around without feet, and basically one leg. The puddle of slime beneath her felt like she was glued to the floor. She tried to scootch along... very slowly. Was she supposed to undulate like a slug or something?

As her grunts of exertion grew louder, the door creaked open, and Evelyn poked her head through the door. Her eyes looked over Celes, down to the slime tail that made up her lower body.

"Ah," Evelyn realized. She extended a hand, which stretched on its own to reach Celes. "Do you need a hand?"

"...yes..." Celes pouted, puffing her cheeks. Evelyn's smile faltered slightly; she took Celes' hand and gently pulled her along. Being a slime all her live, Evelyn's body flowed so effortlessly; she knew all the tricks. Celes hoped that one day she could pull off Miss Evelyn's confidence...

...It was hard to feel like she could, being pulled along and out of the change room, leaving a trail of purple ooze behind like a slug. As Evelyn pulled Celes close, the more mature slime woman, draped in a robe that, perhaps, accentuated her curves—or perhaps it was Evelyn accentuating her curves instead—gently placed her hands on Celes' shoulders, and guided her across the short hallway towards the weighted door leading to the sauna itself.

"Celes, your shoulders are so tense..." Evelyn cooed. "Have you ever tried a sauna like this? It's the stuff of miracles, in my humble opinion~"

Celes shook her head. "My papa wouldn't let me. He told me if you passed out in one, it'd be really dangerous. And that kids don't have a lot of stamina for that sort of thing..."

"Hm... he's not wrong." Evelyn tilted her head. "But you're practically a woman now, and I say it's time you indulge yourself like one. It'll be a new experience!~"

"H-heh..." Celes nodded, chuckling bashfully. Celes didn't doubt Evelyn's words—her mentor was nothing short of supportive, and despite her anxiety, Celes wanted to emulate her swagger and confidence too. So she believed in Evelyn's assertions, and tried to internalize them.

"This'll be fun..." Celes chuckled, maybe forcing it a little. She was at least thankful that it'd just be just the two of them in the sauna.

FSSSH!! Celes was hit with a waft of steam as soon as the heavy door opened. It was terribly foggy inside, but the pleasant aroma of smokey cedar filled her senses. Celes gasped, and then gawked.

"Whoa..." She muttered. Evelyn continued to guide her along to the wooden bench.

"Here," Evelyn procured a couple of water battles from the pockets in her robe. "Make sure you hydrate."

Celes nodded, quickly twisting the bottle open. She took a mouthful, before splashing the remainder across her amorphous purple hair and face. Celes exhaled a sigh, feeling her body ripple as her body's skin thirstily absorbed every last drop. The cool water was refreshing across her flushed body.

"Thank you..." Celes sighed. She leaned back against the bench, turning her head to Evelyn. "Um, do you... come here often?"

"Oh, all the time, dear," Evelyn chuckled. "You can work up a sweat without lifting a finger... it really suits me~"

"A-ah..." Celes smiled, a little unsure. She did have to admit that the sauna was... really nice. The hot air in the steamy room definitely occupied her fully, without being overbearing or sweltering. Celes idly rubbed her exposed forearm, feeling a strange, subtle, and pleasant tingling.

Evelyn outstretched an arm towards a small bucket of water, reaching for a ladle. She gingerly stirred the bucket around, before raising it up and over the heated rocks at the center of the room.

"Did you know?" Evelyn glanced over to Celes. "They mix the water with a hint of eucalyptus oil. It helps with opening your pores."

"...Do we... have pores...?" Celes blinked. Evelyn laughed.

"I guess not. But it's still relaxing. Here, watch."

SSSSS... Evelyn carefully splashed small dribbles of the infused water over the rocks, and a blast of steam billowed up and around the room.

"Oh!" Celes gasped as her vision was quickly obscured by a layer of steam and fog. She could barely see what was in front of her... Evelyn even seemed lost to the fog, despite being right next to the slime girl...

Celes' body tingled, reacting to the hot steam. Her eyelids fluttered as her body shifted in response. "O-oh..." She moaned. The tingling feeling in her skin was spreading, concentrating in her chest. Her body was flushed all over... she felt like she was sweating, trickles of slime sliding down her cheeks, her arms and her lower body like a wax candle.

Energy bubbled within her as she shifted in her seat, pinging inside as if looking for an escape. She bit her lip, her body quavering. She didn't know what was happening to her, but it felt as if something had unlocked and released in her, a rush of euphoria rushing over her. As her hand splayed to the side, she lazily felt around for Evelyn's form... prodding for her robe, she felt a slimy hand reach for hers.

"Celes?" Evelyn asked. Her voice was quiet, yet it felt so far away.

"Miss Evelyn, this is... amazing..." Celes swooned. "My skin's so tingly... must be the minerals..."

Celes' body shifted on its own, her neck stretching until her head lolled back. She felt like arching her back, and scrunching her toes. But as she rhythmically tensed and relaxed her body, she felt her body softening more with each go. The wooden bench sinking deeper into her curves as her head tilted back further and further.

Stranger still, the steamy air itself began to change, taking on a curious lavender tinge. Evelyn sniffed, trying to make sense of its new aroma. It was very pleasant, as if she were taking a bath. She picked up hints of rose petals, aloe vera, liquorice... the smell Celes gave off all the time.

"C-Celes, are you all there?" Evelyn asked again, out of concern. She hadn't seen Celes in this sort of state before; her hand squeezed Celes' hand, even as it went increasingly limp and soft.

"I feel great..." Celes droned, a drunken look crossing her cheeks. "I'm just gonna... close my eyes..."

Celes swooned again, her body lurching downwards; she moaned as her thighs and behind sunk through the bars of wood on the bench. Her head was so heavy; it slumped backwards over the backrest, smooshing into a wet mass as purple slime streaked the wall. Her body was rapidly collapsing and folding over itself, purple formless ooze escaping the robs as she dribbled to the floor.

"O-oh boy-" Evelyn acted quickly, reaching for an empty bamboo tub and sliding it underneath Celes' seat on the bench. As the robe, stained with purple slime, lay splayed across the bench, Celes' seemingly liquid form collected into the tub; even the parts of her that splattered on the floor clambered over the lip of the tub, seemingly defying gravity, and into the soupy collection of Celes.

Amorphous, Celes' body stirred and burbled. Her body rippled with a soothed sigh, circular ripples pulsing from its center. As the ooze stirred, and Celes' gentle face rose to the top of the muck in a pleasant, satisfied smile, Evelyn smiled warmly in response.

Evelyn prepared a cool, folded towel and placed it where, approximately, Celes' forehead would be, before leaning back in her seat. She let out a breath, wrapping her arms behind her head.

"Just let it aaaall out, Celes..." Evelyn muttered. Celes let out a sound of agreement, her eyelids fluttering open. She stirred, looking over herself.

"Did I... melt...?" Celes cooed.

"It's rather hot in here, so, yes." Evelyn pointed out. "Do you need to take a break? I can carry-"

"N-no, this is... nice." Celes felt like she shook her head, but it mostly cause her amorphous form to quiver. She sunk deeper into herself, feeling like she was in a pleasant bath.

"Thank you for taking me out today, Miss Evelyn..." Celes whispered. "I... think I needed this."

"You're a young woman, Celes," Evelyn turned. "and women deserve to be pampered every now and again."

Celes concurred and drank deeply of the pleasant atmosphere. If she could let loose like this... maybe being a slime girl had some perks after all.

And to her astonishment, when eventually Evelyn and Celes had their fill of the sauna, they would emerge to find that Celes had lost quite a few pounds, in a matter of only thirty or so minutes. She felt less jiggly, and when she appraised herself in the mirror again, she wondered if she looked... curvier, in a nicer way. Like one of those models in the fashion magazine... like what Evelyn said she'd get up to.

...The analytical part of Celes' brain realized she didn't want to shrink out of her favourite outfits, though. Thankfully, Evelyn agreed to come with her to lunch before they'd call it a day. She rather liked the way she looked, a little chubby and cute...

...It was a bit of an eye-opener for Celes, coming to terms with her body as an extension of herself. After that day at the sauna, and her appraisal of her body image, what she liked and disliked... she didn't shy away from the mirror as she used to anymore.